ã€ŠThe Creatures That We Areã€‹


 Chapter 1: Transmigration

    <h4>Chapter 1: Transmigration</h4>

    It had been twelve years since Gao Yang transmigrated.

    Before, he had been an orphan. And he just celebrated his sixth birthday in the orphanage. That fateful night, he went to bed contentedly with a belly filled with the cupcake the dorm keeper bought him. He made a wish to one day find his parents in bed. Then sleep crept up to him.

    When he woke up, Gao Yang found himself sitting at a dining table. Before him was a bowl of steaming hot noodles. He had already had a mouthful with noodles dangling from his lips.

    The soft early morning sun lit the dining room of the old house. Across from him sat a middle-aged couple he didn¡¯t recognize, and taking the seat of honor closest to the door was an old woman with kind eyes and gentle facial features. Next to Gao Yang, there was a little girl aged four or five with big, round eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten to you? Hurry and finish your breakfast, or you¡¯ll bete to school,¡± the middle-aged woman urged. She seemed to be in her thirties, beautiful despite the simple pajamas she wore and theck of makeup.

    ¡°Want your old man to take you there, son?¡± the man asked with a smile and a toothpick between his teeth. He was tall and strongly-built with a bit of a beer belly, and his hairline showed signs of receding. However, one could still see in his facial features the young, handsome man he had been in the past.

    ¡°No!¡± the little girl cried out as she dug into a bowl of millet porridge with her upper body over the table, vexed. ¡°Dad is taking me to kindergarten!¡±

    ¡°Hoho, how about your dad taking your brother to school before taking you?¡± The old woman petted the girl on the head with a fond smile.

    Gao Yang gaped, and the noodles in his mouth dropped onto the dining table with a soft thud.

    At the tender age of six, he didn¡¯t yet understand the concept of transmigration, nor did he know what a parallel universe was.

    He thought that he was dreaming. Never did he imagine that the dream would still be ongoing after twelve years.

    ...

    Now, Gao Yang had gotten used to his new world, and he had be one with the owner of this body. He was Gao Yang, an 18-year-old third year highschool student. He was part of a loving family of five with his kind, personable grandmother, his parents who sometimes bickered but loved and respected each other, and a bright, mischievous younger sister.

    He led a pretty good life. Like most people his age, he had been studying diligently for the national college entrance exam. Sometimes his mind wandered, picturing his future school, his job, who he would marry, how many children he would have...

    All in all, the wish Gao Yang made when he was six had been fulfilled. He ¡®found¡¯ his parents, along with his grandmother and younger sister.

    He was happy and wanted for nothing.

    Until everything changed on his eighteenth birthday.

    He was biking home after his evening self-study at school. When he made his way past a dimly-lit road, a dark figure suddenly rushed out of an alley and knocked both Gao Yang and his bicycle to the ground.

    The fall wasn¡¯t serious. Gao Yang picked himself up while wincing and finally got a better look at the person who had run into him. Under the dim street light stood a middle-aged man of small stature. He looked frail with his pale face twisted in fear and shock, and he was dressed in a tattered hospital gown covered all over in blood.

    ¡°Uncle, are you al¡ª¡±

    ¡°Run!¡± The man grabbed Gao Yang by the shoulders with terrifying might. ¡°Monsters! They are everywhere! Run! Get out of here!¡±

    His voice seemed to be stained with despair and blood as he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone...¡±

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Before the man could say anything else, a bullet buried into his temple and prated his skull, exiting through his other temple. Blood sttered like a blooming red rose in an instant.

    <i>St! </i>Thick fog of blood assaulted Gao Yang¡¯s senses, apanied by a pungent smell.

    The hands clutching Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders gradually loosened, while the man¡¯s face froze in a permanent expression of shock and fear. His bulging eyes stopped moving with all his despair, confusion, and regret etched on them.

    Two secondster, the now lifeless body toppled to the ground with a heavy thud.

    Gao Yang stared.

    Rooted to the spot, he felt his feet getting drenched by the spreading pool of blood. It was sticky, wet. The faint ringing in his ears triggered by the gunshot through the man¡¯s head was gradually overtaken by the pounding heartbeat caged in his chest. <i>Thump, thump, thumpthumpthump...</i>

    ¡°Are you hurt, boy?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. You¡¯re safe now!¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes and don¡¯t look down...¡±

    A number of police officers rushed up to Gao Yang. One of them pulled him into their arms and covered his eyes.

    ...

    The next day, what happened to Gao Yang became the local headline¡ª<i>Patient with Severe Mental Illness Fled at Night after Killing Two Nurses and Shot Dead for Taking a Highschooler Hostage.</i>

    Gao Yang took a sick leave and spent the day resting at home.

    He was in shock. No ordinary person could simply brush off the experience of witnessing a life taken unceremoniously by a bullet in such close distance. It also bothered him that the man wasbeled someone with mental illness, but he couldn¡¯t put a finger on why.

    That night, Gao Yang took a sleeping pill.

    He had a dream after falling asleep.

    After transmigration, Gao Yang had long incorporated the memory of the original owner of the body from before the age of six, but there seemed to be some unclear snippets that he had forgotten.

    The dream took him back to the summer when he was four. It waste at night.

    He had had too much watermelon, and the pressure in his dder woke him up in the small hours. He got out of bed to go to the toilet. When he walked past the room his grandparents shared, he heard a rustling.

    Curious, Gao Yang pressed his ear to the cool surface of the door and listened with full attention. The sounds became clearer, but also stranger.

    The sounds werepletely foreign to him. It sounded both like a beast whining, but also like a giant whale whimpering in the deep sea. It sounded pained, yet there were traces of excitement too. And buried under the cries, the rough, muffled sounds of something being torn and chewed could be heard.

    Gao Yang felt a shudder run down his spine.

    He had just heard the story of <i>Little Red Riding Hood</i> from the auntie at kindergarten. Did the Big Bad Wolf snuck in and eat grandpa and grandma?

    His heart was pounding, but he mustered the courage to carefully push the door open.

    Through the crack, he saw <i>it</i>.

    Scared witless, he turned around and bolted back to his room, diving into the cocoon of his nket. He even forgot what he had woken up to do.

    The next morning, Gao Yang awoke to find that he had wet his bed. He thought all that had merely been a bad dream, but then his mother opened the door and went up to him to pull him into her arms, crying as she said, ¡°Your grandpa has passed away, Gao Yang.¡±

    He followed his mother out to see the first responders carrying his dead grandfather on a stretcher, the body covered with a piece of white cloth. Then came the funeral, and his grandfather was already nothing but a box of ash.

    Gao Yang and his younger sister never got to see their grandfather for thest time.

    Thinking back, things were suspicious in many ways.

    Their grandfather adored Gao Yang and his sister. They were family of the same blood. Why weren¡¯t they allowed to see him onest time?

    And if Gao Yang¡¯s memory served him right, there was something strange about his grandfather¡¯s upper body underneath the white cloth. It appeared that the body was missing an arm.

    Didn¡¯t his grandpa die of a heart attack? Why would an arm be missing?

    In his dream, Gao Yang stared at the body on the white stretcher, his head filled with questions he couldn¡¯t answer no matter how he agonized over them.

    Then suddenly, the body sat up!

    The white cloth fell and revealed the man supposedly suffering from mental illness. His eyes were gone, leaving his eye sockets bloody and empty. Viscous ck blood sttered from his seven orifices, and he reached out to clutch on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders with hands covered in blood.

    ¡ªMonsters! They are everywhere! Run! Get out of here!

    ¡ªDon¡¯t trust anyone!

    ...

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang jerked awake from his dream.

    It was ten o¡¯clock in the morning. The sun was bright. The breeze of April day lifted the curtains and revealed the hubbub of traffic and city life outside the window.

    His sister sat by his bed and looked at him with big blinking eyes, her head tilted. ¡°Bad dream, Brother?¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Why are you in my room?¡±

    His sister cast him a judging look. ¡°The sun is long out, you sleepyhead! Mom told me to wake you up!¡±

    ¡°Right. Got it.¡±

    His sister left his room.

    Still reeling from the dream, Gao Yang rolled off bed and had a big gulp of water.

    Then his phone rang. Without thinking too much of it, he opened WeChat.

    And promptly sttered all the water in his mouth.

 Chapter 2: Awakener

    <h4>Chapter 2: Awakener</h4>

    Long story short, this could be the day Gao Yang finally put an end to his eternal singleness.

    It all started two days ago.

    His best friend Wang Zikai stole his phone and sent Li Weiwei a 300-word long confession as a prank.

    When Gao Yang found out, it was already toote for him to unsend it. Although he had sent another message immediately to exin the situation, Li Weiwei didn¡¯t respond. And she never struck up a conversation with Gao Yang for the next two days; she even avoided him at school.

    Li Weiwei and Gao Yang grew up together. They had known each other since kindergarten because their families lived in the same neighborhood. Then they both moved to Li City and went to the same highschool. Fate had been keeping them close.

    ording to the memory of the original owner of the body before the age of six, he did have a crush on Li Weiwei. He had sworn to himself that he would marry her once they grew up back when he saw the pretty little girl for the first time at kindergarten. Unfortunately, Gao Yang came and reced him before his dream coulde true.

    Thanks to Li Weiwei, Gao Yang had been the subject of jealousy from his male ssmates over the years.

    Gao Yang did care about Li Weiwei. He would even say that he liked her. Who wouldn¡¯t like a pretty girl like her? Still, he had never thought about her that way. At the risk of being melodramatic, he would say there was ack of <i>spark </i>when he saw her.

    Their entrance exam and the following graduation were arriving in two months. Then they would all go their separate ways.

    As Gao Yang¡¯s best friend, Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t bear to see the pair grow distant¡ªwell, in all honesty, he was just feeling bored and decided to set the two of them up, thus leading to the prank.

    Two dayster, Li Weiwei finally responded to Gao Yang¡¯s message on WeChat.

    [I ept your confession.]

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to feel. <i>Haven¡¯t I exined to you that it was a prank Wang Zikai pulled?</i> he wondered. <i>Why did you ignore that?</i>

    This wouldn¡¯t do. He had to exin again...

    Then came another WeChat notification.

    [Why don¡¯t we meet up today?]

    After a moment of hesitation, Gao Yang replied<i>.</i>

    [Okay.]

    ...

    Dawan Square, Shanqing District. Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    When Gao Yang hurriedly arrived, Li Weiwei had already been waiting for a while.

    It was the weekend, a rare chance to dress up. Li Weiwei wore a light green jumper. Her usually tied up hair cascaded softly down her shoulders. Whenever there was a breeze, her hair and the hem of her skirt would dance gently in the air. With a hand pressing on her ear to keep her long hair in check, Li Weiwei waved at Gao Yang, radiating happiness. ¡°Here! I¡¯m here, Gao Yang!¡±

    However wonderful the spring breeze was, it paled inparison to her blooming smile.

    At that moment, Gao Yang could somewhat understand why the boys in his ss followed her around likep dogs. He had a good thing going on; he simply never appreciated it.

    With a smile, Gao Yang walked up to Li Weiwei. ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Li Weiwei. ¡°I went shopping with Qing Ling and bought some study materials. I bought two books for you too.¡±

    Only then did Gao Yang notice the tall, pony-tailed girl standing not far behind Li Weiwei. She was using her phone with a hand in her pocket, the very picture of a cool girl.

    Her name was Qing Ling. She was 1.67 meter tall[1] and entered the school as a student athlete for sprinting. She was Li Weiwei¡¯s best friend.

    And she was considered a goddess by the entire student body.

    It was a given that she was pretty. What lifted her beyond the mortal realm was her always fair skin that was somehow impervious to the sun. Due to her training as an athlete over the years, her well-sculpted body had curves in all the right ces and was so aesthetically pleasing that it belonged to the art museums. Her long, <i>long </i>legs could make any straight man fall head over heels for her.

    Interestingly, unlike Li Weiwei, who had to friendzone her schoolmates every other day, Qing Ling had almost no suitors. Qing Ling never talked to boys, or more specifically, she always looked at boys with the instinctual revulsion one would look at a fly with.

    Overtime, everyone learned that she hated men and stopped approaching her so as not to make a fool of themselves.

    Gao Yang, however, didn¡¯t think Qing Ling hated men. It was possible that she was simply...a beautiful lily[2].

    Seemingly having noticed Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, Qing Ling put away her phone and looked up to meet his eyes. Her presence and visible disgust were so overpowering that Gao Yang felt not only like a fly, but a fly hovering over a pile of shit.

    ¡°Are youing with us, Qing Ling?¡± Li Weiwei raised her voice and asked.

    Qing Ling gave Li Weiwei an angelic smile. ¡°I¡¯m good. You two have fun.¡±

    Double standards! The sheer double standards she was showing!

    ...

    Gao Yang and Li Weiwei spent the afternoon having milk tea, going to the cinema, and enjoying a meal at a barbecue ce. All in all, it was a fun and fulfilling day, not one for the nerds who lived in their own reality.

    Deep into the night, Gao Yang walked Li Weiwei home. She took the lead as they strolled along the quiet street, all alone. Then she suddenly turned around and asked, ¡°Hey, did you regret it?¡±

    ¡°Regret what?¡±

    Li Weiwei blushed. ¡°Regret confessing to me.¡±

    ¡°Weiwei, I...¡±

    ¡°I thought you would be happy after I epted your confession.¡± She cocked her head, her gaze uncertain. ¡°But who knows. Don¡¯t boys lose interest in the girl they are pursuing after she says yes? Because they realize they don¡¯t actually like her that much?¡±

    ¡°No. That message...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Li Weiwei stared at Gao Yang with narrowed eyes, irked. ¡°What¡¯s with you today? Are you hiding something from me?¡±

    ¡°...Does it seem that way?¡±

    ¡°It does!¡± Li Weiweiined. ¡°You¡¯ve been distracted the whole day.¡±

    She was right. Gao Yang was distracted. He had wanted to take his mind off what had happened by going on this date, but trying not to think about something was no different from always thinking about it.

    After debating with himself, Gao Yang spoke up, ¡°Can I ask you a question, Li Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your granny pass away due to brain hemorrhage during our third year in middle school?¡±

    ¡°She did.¡±

    ¡°Did you get to see her for thest time?¡±

    After a pause, Li Weiwei asked while blinking, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean if you¡¯ve ever seen her body.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was at school. When I went home, my parents had already sent her body away for cremation.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    <i>Of course they did, </i>Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Li Weiwei wondered aloud.

    ¡°Nothing...¡± Gao Yang trailed off.

    Although Gao Yang hade to this world when he was only six, he had attended the funeral of their orphanage director before. Whether he registered it in his brain or not, he had spotted several differences between his original world and this world.

    For example, it wasmon for people to be cremated first thing after their death in this world, foregoing any ceremony to bid the dead farewells.

    It was done in such a hurry that it felt like an act to destroy evidence. Like the case with Gao Yang¡¯s grandfather, as well as Li Weiwei¡¯s grandmother.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    That didn¡¯t escape Li Weiwei¡¯s notice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong... You don¡¯t look so good.¡±

    Giving it some thought, Gao Yang said, ¡°Li Weiwei, have you ever thought that perhaps our world is filled with dangers?¡±

    Li Weiwei tensed up immediately. ¡°What are you getting at? Don¡¯t, don¡¯t scare me...¡±

    ¡°You know I encountered a man with mental illnessst night, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I did hear about that. It was thanks to the police shooting him dead that you didn¡¯t get hurt. I was quite worried about you.¡± Then her face turned flushed. ¡°That was actually why I made up my mind to ept your confession.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not the case. He never wanted to hurt me. He was giving me a warning.¡±

    ¡°A warning?¡± Li Weiwei seemed lost. ¡°About what?¡±

    Gao Yang summarized what had happened and told her about his grandfather¡¯s death when he was five.

    With fear creeping up to her, Li Weiwei snuggled closer to Gao Yang seemingly without noticing it, her supple breast pressing against his arm.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a dream? You were little...¡±

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t a dream!¡± Gao Yang was certain of it.

    ¡°Do you really think...that your grandpa...¡± Li Weiwei couldn¡¯t finish.

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°Not necessarily. But something feels off to me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you take a peek into the room? What did you see?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He did see something in the dream that was an amalgamation of his memories, but not even he himself could be certain if it was all made up.

    ¡°Actually...¡±

    ¡°Ah, forget it! Drop it...¡± Li Weiwei lowered her head. ¡°Let¡¯s just go home already.¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed her hand. ¡°Do you not trust me, Li Weiwei?¡±

    Li Weiwei paused. It took her some time to ovee her fear. She nodded vehemently. ¡°I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll put my trust in you too. I don¡¯t know who else to tell but you.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath and mustered the courage to tell the truth. ¡°I saw a hand.¡±

    ¡°A hand?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Or an arm, to be more specific. It was as thick as an average man¡¯s thigh and covered in greenish gray scales. The scales writhed and rolled like a swarm of worms. It was quite disgusting...¡±

    ¡°God...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it was,¡± Gao Yang said with a frown. ¡°But it was no human arm.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Li Weiwei looked up at him. ¡°Do you mean an arm like <i>this</i>?¡±

    Gao Yang flinched.

    A white hot pain shot through him from his wrist.

    Looking down, he saw the skin and flesh of Li Weiwei¡¯s fair, petite arm split apart as greenish gray fleshy scales burrowed outward.

    Moonlight rimmed the scales with a sickly pale, eerie glow. They grew longer and longer along Gao Yang¡¯s arm and buried under his skin, feasting on his blood like leeches.

    ¡°Li Weiwei... You...¡±

    Li Weiwei shot out another hand to clutch on Gao Yang¡¯s neck, lifting him off the ground with ease. The writhing scales covering her arm turned into soft and sticky tentacles before forcing their way into Gao Yang¡¯s mouth, nostrils, ears, and even the corners of his eyes.

    Unimaginable pressure tightened around his skull. Gao Yang felt like his head would explode in a matter of seconds like a watermelon being microwaved.

    ¡°Thank you, Gao Yang.¡± Li Weiwei sounded the same as ever, if not more gentle.

    With a smile, she said, ¡°You¡¯re my first awakener.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never forget you, ever.¡±

    1. About 5¡¯6¡± in imperial. ?

    2. Lily is used to refer to f/f romance in many East Asiannguages. Starting out in Japan with <i>yuri</i>. Then Mandarin also adopted the term with <i>baihe. </i>Gao Yang is insinuating that Qing Ling may simply be into girls. ?

 Chapter 3: System

    <h4>Chapter 3: System</h4>

    Pain.

    It was so very painful.

    All there was other than pain was a deep, bottomless fear. <i>I¡¯m going to die,</i> Gao Yang thought. <i>I¡¯ll die soon. What will it feel like? It won¡¯t be the same as transmigration. I¡¯ll be erased from all worlds. Even this thought, this fear of mine will be gone.</i>

    No!

    He refused to die!

    Gao Yang opened the eye that was being squeezed by tentacles with all he had. There was something hovering over it.

    It was a translucent hexagram with a faint golden glow. It rotated quietly, like it was waiting for someone to touch it.

    Gao Yang didn''t know what it was, but his instinct told him that it was the one thing he could do to cling onto his life before death imed him.

    He struggled the hardest he could to lift his left hand, reaching for the hexagram in the air.

    Almost...he was almost there.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Then overwhelming pain drained him of any strength, and his left arm dropped.

    ¡°Is this what a human is? Your blood, your taste...¡± Excitement colored Li Weiwei¡¯s voice with what sounded like arousal. ¡°So good! It¡¯s so good!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was like an uncooked egg in her hand. If she applied even a little pressure, it would explode.

    She didn¡¯t want to break him just yet. With all the self-control she could muster, she kept her grip just short of breaking the head of her prey. She wanted to enjoy the fear and desperation of a human struggling to survive to the fullest.

    Those emotions were too precious to not savor.

    She may never have another feast like this in her lifetime.

    Finally, the climax was about toe. Li Weiwei shuddered violently with anticipation. ¡°What a good boy you are, Gao Yang. I like you... I love you...¡±

    ¡°I want you!¡±

    ¡°Give it to me. Give me everything!¡±

    The vice-like grip of the tentacles loosened for a split second. She was getting ready to apply greater force.

    Seizing the fleeting opening, Gao Yang lifted his hand and finally reached the hexagram with his middle finger.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [System activating.]

    [Loading user information...]

    [Loadingplete.]

    [Name: Gao Yang. Age: 18.]

    [Sex: Male. Species: Human.]

    [Status: Awakened.]

    [Talent: Lucky. Serial Number: 199. Rune Type: Miracle.]

    ¡ªAre you my system? Or a cheat? Forget it! I¡¯m using my Talent!

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t talk, but the system recognized his inner voice.

    [Lucky is a passive Talent. It cannot be used.]

    ¡ªThen what good are you?! I¡¯m dying! Help me! Somebody!

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    The system was gone.

    It all happened in the blink of an eye. The hexagram had vanished. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t able to do anything. Frustration rose in his chest, but there was no hope for him.

    He closed his eyes and waited for death.

    ...

    <i>Strange. Why am I still alive? Why is the pain fading? Why are the tentacles crushing my head growing weak?</i>

    <i>Ssh.</i> The tentacles went ck and retracted back into Li Weiwei¡¯s arm.

    Freed from the suffocation and pain, Gao Yang fell onto the ground and held his neck, coughing his lungs out. ¡°Ack... <i>Cough, cough</i>!!¡±

    Still coughing, he looked up.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s arms had gone back to normal. There was a look of befuddlement on her face, and her widened eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°Why...why...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze shifted from her face to her chest. There was a patch of crimson red.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s eyes lingered on Gao Yang with unfulfilled want. She even reached out to him as she said, ¡°You...are mine...<i>mine</i>...¡±

    <i>Swoosh!</i> A long, thin <i>Tang Dao</i>[1] prated through Li Weiwei¡¯s heart from her back. She curled up like a fish being harpooned.

    ¡°Move,¡± a voice said from behind Li Weiwei.

    Still trembling, Gao Yang picked himself up. He finally got a clear look and realized that Qing Ling was standing behind Li Weiwei. With both her hands holding onto the hilt of her de, Qing Ling maintained the posture she had made a thrust with, her body slightly lowered.

    ¡°Qing Ling? Why...are you here?¡±

    ¡°Move!¡± Qing Ling repeated icily.

    Gao Yang hurried to take a step back. ¡°Okay...¡±

    ¡°Stand behind me,¡± said Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang did as she said.

    With a swift move, Qing Ling pulled out her de. Blood gushed out from Li Weiwei¡¯s chest and sttered all over the road before her, leaving a scattering of red stains.

    It was all Gao Yang could do to stop himself from throwing up. Then he noticed that Qing Ling¡¯s weapon was still pristine silver with nary a drop of blood.

    Qing Ling held the ck hilt of her weapon with one hand and rested the forefinger of her other hand on the tip of the de. Then she glided her finger along the de, and the 150-centimeter long <i>Tang Dao </i>vanished into thin air as if it had been tucked into a subspace.

    Gao Yang gaped.

    A magic trick? Or actual magic? Or was it a superpower?

    Without sparing Gao Yang a look, Qing Ling said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask any question. Go home, now. I¡¯ve destroyed the surveince cameras in this area. What happened here doesn¡¯t concern you at all.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°You know nothing. Say it.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s gaze was as sharp as her de.

    ¡°I...know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°I know nothing.¡±

    ¡°<i>Again</i>.¡±

    ¡°I know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± With an elegant jump, Qing Lingnded on the two-meter tall wall and disappeared into the night.

    ...

    With darkness as cover, Gao Yang hurriedly escaped from the nightmarish scene and ran home without stopping.

    His parents had gone to bed, leaving only his little sister using her phone on the couch. She jumped when she saw Gao Yang in the entryway with a scattering of cuts on his face.

    ¡°Whoa, what happened to your ugly mug?!¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah...¡± Gao Yang was so eager toe home that he forgot there were wounds on his face.

    ¡°Oh, I got it!¡± His sister came to a realization on her own. ¡°You¡¯re cosying a zombie!¡±

    ¡°Right...that¡¯s right!¡± Gao Yang yed along. ¡°That¡¯s special effects makeup for you. Looks like the real deal, right?¡±

    ¡°It does! Like a real zombie!¡± His sister snickered.

    <i>This girl... </i>He could never tell if she meant what she said.

    Forget it. Everything was so sudden and unbelievable that Gao Yang was still reeling from the shock. He had enough on his te already. First thing first, he would be in even more trouble if his parents woke up and saw him in this state.

    Rummaging through the cupboards in the living room, Gao Yang found a first-aid kit and ran to his bedroom with it.

    Once he shut the door, he took some time topose himself before taking out a bottle of antiseptics and some cotton swabs to disinfect the wounds on his face. He covered them with bandaids afterward. Then he disinfected the wounds on his arm and wrapped it with gauze. The process left him wincing in pain and his forehead covered in sweat.

    With his wounds all patched up, Gao Yangy prone on his bed, exhausted.

    Fear and shock left no room for sorrow in his heart. Everything that happened tonight felt so surreal to him.

    Li Weiwei...she was the childhood friend he had known and spent time with for more than a decade. They trusted each other and had no secret between them. How could she have suddenly turned into a monster that ate people?!

    Gao Yang would rather think that the real Li Weiwei had been eaten and reced by a monster. Like the Big Bad Wolf that ate and impersonated the grandmother in <i>Red Riding Hood</i>.

    But was that really the case?

    Why would the monster talk like she was Li Weiwei, like she was merely another personality of hers?

    There were too many questions without answers.

    <i>My wounds are throbbing. Have I been infected? Am I going to turn into a men-eating monster like her by tomorrow morning?</i>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t calm himself down.

    Without him realizing it, the hexagram had appeared again, hovering quietly in the air.

    Gao Yang sat up and touched it.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [ess granted.]

    [Congrattions! You have survived for 3 hours!]

    ¡ª<i>Congrattions</i>?! I almost died!

    [You have acquired 3 Luck points.]

    ¡ªWhat?

    [Talent: Lucky. Serial Number: 199. Rune Type: Miracle.]

    [Effect: Those who possess the Talent acquire 1 Luck point for every 60 minutes they survive.]

    ¡ªIs that so? What can Luck points be used for?

    [The Status Screen disys your stats. You may permanently increase any of your stats with Luck points.]

    ¡ªOpen Status Screen.

    [Constitution: 10 Endurance: 10]

    [Strength: 10 Agility: 10]

    [Willpower: 10 Charisma: 10]

    [Luck: 0]

    ...

    Gao Yang spent some time looking over his stats. As a gamer, he knew the six major stats were likely to correspond to hit points, defense, attack, speed, magic, and control. As for Luck, it was probably rted to his chance of evasion or acquiring equipment.

    He only had 3 Luck points, which wouldn¡¯t do much for any of his stats. Gao Yang looked back at the ring zero among the numbers.

    [Luck: 0]

    ¡ªLuck? My Talent is Lucky, isn¡¯t it? What¡¯s the difference?

    [Lucky is your Talent. Luck is your stat.]

    ¡ªYou¡¯re not helping.

    ¡ªLucky doesn¡¯t seem all that useful. Can I exchange it for something else?

    [No.]

    ¡ªShow me the list of Talents. I¡¯d like to take a look.

    In an instant, a dense list of text was disyed to Gao Yang.

    He spotted the serial number 199 at the top of the list immediately. That was his Talent, Lucky. However, the name and description of serial number 198 to 1 were all hidden from him.

    ¡ªWhy can¡¯t I see anything?

    [The system cannot disy information you have not acquired.]

    ¡ªYou really are useless! You¡¯re nothing like the systems in those webnovels.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i> Someone knocked on his window.

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    Gao Yang sat up hurriedly. The system had be hidden automatically.

    An uninvited visitor opened the window and jumped into his room with practiced ease.

    It was Qing Ling. She was dressed in the running shorts and t-shirt she wore when training. Under the moonlight, her long limbs were as fair as the finest jade.

    Quickly kicking off her sneakers, she untied her ponytail with one hand. Her long ck hair ran down her shoulders and covered her voluptuous breast.

    ¡°You...¡± Gao Yang was just about to say something.

    Qing Ling gracefully jumped onto his bed and stepped on his chest with her bare feet, pinning him back onto the mattress. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the question. You¡¯ll answer.¡±

    ¡°Understood...¡±

    ¡°Are you into men or women?¡±

    ¡°Wo-Women.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling lifted her t-shirt with her arms crossed and pulled it off her head. ¡°Come on.¡±

    1. Tang Dao is a Chinese Saber with a single-edged de and a double-edged tip. It was widely used in the military in the Tang Dynasty, hence the name. ?

 Chapter 4: Prisonerâ€™s Dilemma

    <h4>Chapter 4: Prisoner¡¯s Dilemma</h4>

    ¡°Come on?¡± Gao Yang asked nervously. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    Qing Ling bent her legs while sitting on Gao Yang. The sttering moonlight entuated the lines of her corbones. She was captivatingly beautiful.

    With a derisive scoff, she said, ¡°What else? Don¡¯t y innocent.¡±

    Gao Yang was utterly lost.

    Not wanting to waste any more breath, Qing Ling brushed her hair up and leaned into Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    He was in no way a conservative man, and he had watched his fair share of...videos not to be enjoyed in politepany. But things were hurtling out of control way too fast for it to not be a trick.

    ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Justice will find me if I¡¯vemitted a sin. Please don¡¯t torment me like this...¡±

    ¡°You sure are cautious,¡± said Qing Ling.

    <i>Isn¡¯t this how any normal person would react?!</i>

    He almost lost his head to the childhood friend he trusted the most only three hours ago. Now a pretty girl he didn¡¯t know much about was suddenly throwing herself at him. He had all the reasons in the world to suspect that said pretty girl was nning to ughter him.

    ¡°Rx.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s voice softened.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If you really hate me that much,¡± Qing Ling pressed a hand to his chest and slowly moved down, ¡°You can picture someone else.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s...not. Why don¡¯t we start as friends...¡±

    Qing Ling stopped suddenly.

    Beads of sweat covered Gao Yang¡¯s forehead. He didn¡¯t even dare to breathe.

    Qing Ling got off the bed and put her t-shirt back on. ¡°All good.¡±

    bbergasted, Gao Yang sat up and suddenly noticed the small sharp dagger tucked under his pillow.

    With her shirt back on, Qing Ling made a small gesture with her hand, and the dagger flew back to her. Then it disappeared at a twirl of her fingers.

    ¡°You...were you going to kill me?¡± Fear snuck up to Gao Yang btedly.

    ¡°That would depend on you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? If I hadn¡¯t resisted the temptation and insteadid a finger on you, you¡¯d have killed me?¡± Gao Yang made what he thought was the reasonable conjecture. ¡°Was that a test? For me to earn your trust?¡±

    ¡°Wrong.¡± Qing Ling turned her back to Gao Yang and tied her hair back into a ponytail. ¡°If there had been no reaction from you, I would¡¯ve killed you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Monsters don¡¯t have a proper reproductive system.¡±

    Realization struck Gao Yang. ¡°So you were making sure what I am!¡±

    ¡°What you ran into today was a wrath monster.¡±

    ¡°Wrath monster?¡±

    ¡°There are many kinds of monsters, wrath monsters being one of them. Anyway, all monsters are cunning. They¡¯re good at disguising themselves and putting on a believable front. If you want to survive in this world, you must not trust anyone.¡±

    ¡°How can I be certain that you¡¯re human then?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Good. You¡¯re a quick learner,¡± Qing Ling said with an expressionless face. ¡°It¡¯s much more troublesome to confirm if a woman is a monster. You have to do it for real.¡±

    ¡°Um...¡±

    Qing Ling threw him a small bottle. ¡°This is a special remedy. Dispose of it properly after use. Don¡¯t let anyone see it.¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the bottle and considered it. It was blue and looked no different from regr bottled medicine. Nothing special about it.

    He hid it under his nket. There were many questions he wanted to ask Qing Ling.

    What were monsters?

    Why did they kill people?

    What had he gotten himself into?

    What was Qing Ling¡¯s Talent? Hers looked much more powerful than his.

    How could he get stronger?

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door was suddenly kicked open. His sister barged in without warning.

    Gao Yang jumped to his feet, topless. ¡°No! This isn¡¯t what it looks like...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± His sister was visibly confused.

    Gao Yang turned around. Qing Ling was nowhere to be seen. All there was to prove that she had been here were the shaking curtains and the pale moonlight streaming into his room, leaving a trail of silver.

    <i>How did she get out so quickly?! Boldly she came and boldly she left. Off her t-shirt went, but without taking my v-card with her.</i>[1]

    ¡°Hmm, something¡¯s fishy here.¡± His sister scanned him from head to toe before cracking into a smirk. ¡°You were doing <i>that</i>, weren¡¯t you, Brother?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t! No! Stop saying nonsense!¡± Gao Yang was ready to cry. ¡°And would you please knock on the door first in the future?¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Her smile suddenly turned eager as she hooked an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s. ¡°Would you do me a favor, my dear brother?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what it is first.¡±

    His sister immediately took out her cellphone. ¡°Look...isn¡¯t this Lolita dress pretty?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Gao Yang btedly realized what was going on. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It cost only 498 <i>yuan</i>! Isn¡¯t that a bargain? And look, this deal will save you 198 yuan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll save me 498 yuan to not buy it.¡±

    ¡°My birthday is only 11 months away!¡± His sister pouted. ¡°Won¡¯t you buy it as my birthday gift?¡±

    ¡°My death is only 70 years away. Won¡¯t you think of me as your dead brother already?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t care about me! You don¡¯t love me! You¡¯re officially disqualified as a brother! I¡¯m telling mom and dad that you stayed outte at night getting into trouble and came back with your face covered in blood!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine!¡± Gao Yang hurriedly picked up his phone to wire his sister a few hundred yuan out of his living allowance next month. His first priority was to cate her so that things wouldn¡¯t escte.

    ¡°You¡¯re the best! <i>Mua</i>! Love you bro!¡±

    His sister skipped away happily with her phone.

    Watching her close the door in a good mood, Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief.

    ...

    The remedy Qing Ling gave him was proven effective. When Gao Yang woke up the next day, the wounds on his face were mostly healed with only a few faint red cuts left, which seemed more like marks left from scratching itchy bug bites.

    Gao Yang went to school after having breakfast. He walked into his ssroom to find Li Weiwei¡¯s seat empty.

    His chest suddenly felt hollow, filled with only a throbbing dull pain. Like something had been carved out of it.

    The memories he had made with Li Weiwei over the past twelve years surfaced in his mind¡ªthey went to school together, had meals together, did homework together, and even set off fireworks together during a few memorable New Year¡¯s Eves. He remembered the first time he saw her smile, saw her cry, saw her get mad... All those wonderful everyday moments they had shared were torn apart by the monster fromst night.

    Gao Yang hoped against hope that the two were separate. One was an innocent, lovely human girl, the other a mystery of an evil, vicious monster. Yet they were one and the same.

    He couldn¡¯t reconcile with the fact.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s seat remained empty when the morning self-study came to an end. A few girls in ss murmured among themselves. They must have realized that something had happened to her.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t had a wink of sleepst night. There were so many questions he had to ask Qing Ling.

    He didn¡¯t expect Qing Ling toe up to him as soon as the break started and ask him loudly before everyone else, ¡°Where is Li Weiwei, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>What¡¯s this? Is she acting?</i>

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± answered Gao Yang.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?! Wasn¡¯t she with you yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but we parted ways in the evening...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with her? She didn¡¯t pick up her phone. She didn¡¯t reply to my messages. And she didn¡¯t even show up to ss.¡± Qing Ling frowned, anxious. Realizing that she wouldn¡¯t get an answer here, she turned around and walked away.

    Then came math ss. Their math teacher was their homeroom teacher.

    With a grave look on his face, he walked in and put the textbook on the podium. Then he adjusted the thick sses on his t nose.

    ¡°Everyone, I have something to announce before ss.¡±

    ¡°Last night, Li Weiwei...was murdered.¡±

    The ss erupted into shocked murmurs.

    ¡°What?!¡± Qing Ling even shot to her feet.

    Startled, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but admire her act. <i>The world is truly a stage, </i>he thought. <i>And we all have to be good actors to get by.</i>

    Qing Ling was almost always with Li Weiwei. It was only natural for her to react like this as Li Weiwei¡¯s close friend. That reminded Gao Yang that he had to y the part of the childhood friend better.

    He hurriedly stood up and put on an expression of shock and disbelief. ¡°That can¡¯t be! I was with her yesterday afternoon!¡±

    ¡°She died on her way back homete at night. For now, it was suspected that a mugger had stabbed her in the chest and killed her then and there...¡± Their teacher sighed. ¡°That¡¯s all I know.¡±

    ¡°God! How did this happen?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too cruel. I never imagined something like this would happen to her.¡±

    ¡°The culprit needs to pay with their death!¡±

    ¡°<i>Sniffle</i>...¡±

    The boys who liked Li Weiwei shouted, enraged, while the girls who were close with her became misty-eyed and started sobbing quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sad and angry about what happened to Li Weiwei too, ss.¡±

    ¡°The police are doing all they can to track down the culprit. Whoever it is will not escape punishment!¡±

    ¡°If any of you want to see Li Weiwei off,e with me to the funeral home this evening.¡±

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s collect ourselves and start the ss.¡±

    Their math teacher opened the textbook and, as if he had suddenly remembered something, said, ¡°Qing Ling, Gao Yang, you two go to my office.¡±

    rm rang in Gao Yang¡¯s head. ¡°What is this about, Teacher?¡±

    ¡°The police are here. You just have to answer a few of their questions.¡±

    Qing Ling rushed out of the ssroom with her eyes red, like she couldn¡¯t wait to talk to the police. Gao Yang followed her out.

    They walked along the hallway with Gao Yang a few steps behind Qing Ling. After making sure that no one else was around, he caught up to Qing Ling and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make sure our stories match.¡±

    ¡°What stories?¡± Qing Ling turned around, her gaze a mix of sadness and fury.

    ¡°About Li Weiwei.¡±

    After a moment of stillness, Qing Ling grabbed Gao Yang by the cors. ¡°So you do know something! Did you kill her?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang was caught off guard.

    What was she doing? Did she get too lost in her character?

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for you to keep acting!¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s acting?!¡± Qing Ling looked dead serious. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with you. Why didn¡¯t you walk Li Weiwei homest night? Why was Li Weiwei killed? You¡¯re involved somehow, I just knew it!¡±

    <i>What?! This isn¡¯t what we¡¯ve agreed on!</i>

    What the heck was Qing Ling doing?

    Qing Ling pressed on. ¡°Speak! Didn¡¯t you always want to get together with Li Weiwei? Did you kill her because she didn¡¯t like you and rejected you, and you felt resentful?¡±

    The gears in Gao Yang¡¯s head went on overdrive. There were two possible exnations.

    First, the Qing Ling he was talking to now wasn¡¯t the Qing Ling fromst night. This was unlikely to be the case.

    Second, Qing Ling was still acting. She had decided to save her own hide by throwing him under the bus. She had said so herselfst night¡ªthat he shouldn¡¯t trust anyone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Gao Yang lowered his head and walked past Qing Ling. Whatever he said coulde back to bite him, so he decided to shut his mouth.

    ¡°Stop the act! I¡¯ll tell the police to look into you! If you were the one who killed her, I would never let you off the hook!¡± Qing Ling barged into the office furiously.

    Gao Yang was about to follow her in when a tall man reached out to stop him.

    Gao Yang looked up. It was a man in a police uniform. He looked to be in his thirties. With his hair neatly shaved, he had a strong jaw and a face with sharp angles. His keen gaze was old and experienced beyond his years.

    ¡°You...are Officer Huang?¡±

    ¡°We meet again.¡± Officer Huang chuckled, but his smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.

    Three days ago, a police officer shot the ¡®mentally-illed man¡¯ and ¡®saved¡¯ Gao Yangte at night. That was Officer Huang, full name Huang Qi.

    He patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Follow me to another office.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>Prisoner¡¯s dilemma. I¡¯m doomed.</i>

    1. This is a y on Xu Zhimo¡¯s poem <i>On Leaving Cambridge</i>. The original has the poet waving his sleeve as he leaves without taking a patch of cloud. ?

 Chapter 5: Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 5: Exposed</h4>

    Office of Academic Affairs, nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Officer Huang sat in the academic affairs director¡¯s seat and leaned into the back of the swivel chair. He had his legs crossed with his hands sped together on his abdomen. His expression was rxed, but demanded respect. It felt like he was sitting in his interrogation room rather than another¡¯s office.

    Gao Yang sat across from Officer Huang with his back straight and his lips sealed.

    Officer Huang gave him a smile. ¡°Rx. We¡¯re alone here. I¡¯m only going to ask you a few simple questions.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± Gao Yang said, but in his head, he was thinking, <i>We being alone is exactly what makes me nervous!</i>

    ¡°Did you hurt your face?¡±

    Gao Yang felt around his face with feigned nonchnce. ¡°Yeah, got bitten by some bugs.¡±

    ¡°Then let us get started.¡± Officer Huang took out a notepad for taking statements. ¡°Mr. Gao Yang, what is your rtionship with the victim, Li Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°We met each other at kindergarten and had been close since then. We were childhood friends.¡±

    Officer Huang jotted on the notepad as he continued, ¡°Yesterday afternoon, you were with Li Weiwei, weren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We went to the Dawan Mall for a movie and had dinner together. It wasn¡¯t until quitete into the night that we parted ways and went home.¡±

    ¡°When did you part ways with Li Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°Close to eleven o¡¯clock, I think?¡± Gao Yang knew that he shouldn¡¯t give too specific a time, or it would only make him more suspicious.

    ¡°It waste. Why didn¡¯t you walk her home?¡±

    ¡°I did walk her for a while since we were going the same way, but she told me she would be fine walking the rest of the way herself. I didn¡¯t insist.¡±

    Knowing that the surveince cameras on thest stretch of the road had been destroyed by Qing Ling, Gao Yang asked on purpose, ¡°Can¡¯t you check the cameras, Officer Huang? You¡¯ll see that I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    Officer Huang made a bemused sound, a glint shing through his eyes. ¡°To tell you the truth, the surveince cameras on the road where you parted ways happened to be damaged.¡±

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Gao Yang put on a look of surprise.

    ¡°The murder is very likely nned.¡± Officer Huang quietly stared at Gao Yang like he was looking for a crack in his performance.

    ¡°Or the culprit can be someone the victim knows well. It¡¯s all spection at this point since we haven¡¯t found the murder weapon or any witness.¡±

    ¡°Is there really no clue to follow?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Officer Huang uncrossed his legs and leaned in. ¡°Is there bad blood between Li Weiwei and any of your ssmates, or is there anyone who harbors resentment for her?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s a nice girl, and everyone in the ss likes her. I can¡¯t think of anyone who may have a beef with her.¡±

    ¡°Someone who¡¯s jealous of her, perhaps? Or anything else you can think of?¡±

    Gao Yang gave it a moment of consideration before shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. His gaze had never once moved away from Gao Yang¡¯s face. ¡°You had feelings for Li Weiwei, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°I...think I did.¡±

    ¡°For the investigation, I checked her WeChat messages. I saw that you had confessed to her, and she epted it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was our first date yesterday. I didn¡¯t know it would be ourst...¡± Gao Yang lowered his head. The sorrow weighing down on him wasn¡¯t an act.

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Instead, he stood up and patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, his tone seemingly suggesting something unspoken as he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop here for today... My condolences for your loss.¡±

    ...

    After the interrogation, Gao Yang finally allowed himself to rx. At least it ended well.

    He left the office and made his way to the ssroom. Then he heard a voice calling out to him.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t able to turn around before a strong arm hooked around his neck.

    He almost couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°<i>Cough... Cough...</i>¡±

    ¡°Muhahaha! You wimp!¡±

    The boy with his hair dyed blonde and a piercing in his lip let him go. It was Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai was a ssmate of Gao Yang¡¯s¡ªor he had been until a week ago, when he beat up a boy from the other ss for the umpteenth time and finally got himself expelled.

    His reasoning was simple: the boy shot him a look.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s family had money. He always came to school driving a sports car, and he was good looking. Tall, handsome, and rich. He had it all. Yet somehow, he wasted the good hand he was dealt and became a thug people avoided like gue at school.

    For some reason, this thug had been unusually friendly to Gao Yang since the first year of highschool. Wang Zikai had pointed out more than once that Gao Yang was his best and only friend.

    Gao Yang was both pleasantly surprised and puzzled. Under the somewhat forceful friendly overtures, he tentatively became Wang Zikai¡¯s friend. Over time, he realized that Wang Zikai was actually a pretty good guy outside of his tendency to start fights and asionalpses in judgment.

    Wang Zikai seemed to be in a good mood today. He was probably here to finish the termination process.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Wang Zikai. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve eaten a bug.¡±

    ¡°Li Weiwei¡¯s dead,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°What?!¡± Wang Zikai jumped. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Mugged. She was killed...¡±

    ¡°Holy¡ªwhat bad luck.¡± Wang Zika smacked his lips. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have set you up with her if I had known this would happen. That reminds me, did she ept? She must have rejected you hahaha! You¡¯re not the kind of person girls like!¡±

    Gao Yang rolled his eyes. This idiot never knew the right thing to focus on.

    ¡°You have my condolences, bro.¡± Wang Zikai patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Look at the bright side, you never have to worry about her getting together with someone else!¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed the curses threatening toe out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive here to pick you up once school ends! Let¡¯s join matches together today! We¡¯ll reach tinum this season with pain as our fuel!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m going to Li Weiwei¡¯s funeral this evening.¡±

    ¡°My, my!¡± Wang Zikai jumped away dramatically. ¡°You rascal! Are you going to get her while her body¡¯s still warm...¡±

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless. He was this close to kicking Wang Zikai in the butt. But that was just the way Wang Zikai was. Whatever came out of his mouth, it was never something a normal human being would say.

    ¡°Seeya!¡± Wang Zikai ran away waving him goodbye, leaving just as suddenly as he showed up.

    ...

    Funeral Home, Shanqing District. Seven o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Along with more than ten ssmates and their homeroom teacher, Gao Yang attended Li Weiwei¡¯s funeral.

    On one hand, Gao Yang did care about Li Weiwei. Although she had turned into a monsterst night, he still wanted to see her off. On the other hand, he was wondering why Li Weiwei hadn¡¯t been cremated first thing after her death, which contradicted what he knew about this world.

    It was dim and solemn in the mourning hall. Li Weiwei¡¯s photo was set up on the altar, which captured her bright beam. Her body was stored in a ss freezer coffin, embraced by a plethora of white blooming flowers.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s parents stood by the coffin in ck suit and ck dress respectively. They bowed to everyone who came up to pay their condolences.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t stop crying, while her father supported his wife with a face etched with sorrow.

    Their homeroom teacher led some students to pick up incense sticks to pray for Li Weiwei. Then one by one, they shook hands with Li Weiwei¡¯s parents before walking around the ss coffin once to conclude the ceremony.

    Gao Yang was among the students. He took the opportunity to inspect Li Weiwei¡¯s body. She was dressed in ck burial shroud with makeup putting colors back onto her face. She looked no different from when she was alive, like she had merely fallen asleep.

    Yet this was the girl who had almost broken his headst night. Fear surged from his feet through his body, making his hair stand on end.

    Their teacher went up to Li Weiwei¡¯s parents to talk with them. Gao Yang¡¯s mouth was getting dry. He moved away from the attendees and went to the refreshment room on the side of the mourning hall to get some water.

    When he opened the door, Qing Ling was there.

    Gao Yang averted his eyes and got some water without bothering her, but Qing Ling came up to him and asked, ¡°What did the police ask you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Tell me everything,¡± Qing Ling ordered.

    Gao Yang looked around to make sure they were alone before saying candidly, ¡°And now you stop acting?¡±

    After a pause, Qing Ling asked, ¡°Acting?¡±

    ¡°What you did in the morning,¡± Gao Yang said with a hint of anger. ¡°Didn¡¯t you put up quite an act then?¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°You met her?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°My other self.¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out what she meant. ¡°Are you saying that...you have dissociative identity disorder?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Qing Ling carefully closed the door. ¡°To survive in this world, it¡¯s necessary to fool even yourself. Over time, my second personality emerged. I consider her my sister and call her Little Qing Ling[1]. Most of the time I¡¯m in charge, but shees out every now and then on her own. Li Weiwei¡¯s death had a big impact on her.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t lower his guard. ¡°I can no longer tell where the truth ends and the lie begins with you.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±

    ¡°Give me a reason to trust you.¡±

    ¡°A reason?¡± Qing Ling raised an eyebrow. With an almost imperceptible move of one of her fingers wrapping around the disposable cup, she sent a de as thin as a cicada''s wing flying out of her breast pocket, and the de pressed into Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

    ¡°I can kill you even more easily than Li Weiwei could ever do. Is that a good enough reason for you?¡±

    ¡°It is...¡±

    As long as the mountain still stood, there would be no shortage of firewood. Survival was always the priority.

    Gao Yang briefly went over his conversation with Officer Huang.

    Qing Ling fell into thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re clever enough to not expose yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just one cop,¡± Gao Yang goaded. ¡°You think I can¡¯t deal with that?¡±

    Qing Ling scoffed. ¡°You still have a lot to learn. Do you know how many monsters there are in this city alone?¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°The ratio is ten thousand to one.¡±

    ¡°One out of ten thousand people are monsters,¡± Gao Yang mused. ¡°That is quite a lot.¡±

    ¡°No, there is only one human out of ten thousand monsters.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gao Yang almost screamed out loud. ¡°Are you...pulling my leg?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Gao Yang found that hard to believe. It was so absurd that he felt numbness spreading through his scalp.

    ¡°That¡¯s the reality. Do you understand now?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s hands trembled.

    ¡°It¡¯s already a miracle that there are two humans at our school.¡± Qing Ling took a step toward him, her eyes steely. ¡°Your family, your friends, your neighbors, 99.99% of all the people you have encountered and will ever encounter in your lifetime¡ªmost of them are monsters of different shapes and forms.¡±

    Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot. Fear coiled around him like a venomous snake.

    Grandma, dad, mom, sister, as well as his teacher, ssmates, and friends... Everyone could turn out to be monsters, and Gao Yang had been living among them for twelve years since his transmigration!

    His stomach twisted. He felt bile rushing up his throat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you. You¡¯re the third human I¡¯ve ever run into. The other two were stronger than I am, but they both died.¡±

    Gao Yang clung to what little hope he had. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. If I were surrounded by monsters...I should¡¯ve been dead already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you weren¡¯t aware of them. Monsters never touch an unawakened human. They only go after awakeners like us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°They seem to y by their own set of rules. I don¡¯t know much about them...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling both flinched.

    The door to the room opened. Officer Huang was standing right outside with a big smile.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®monsters¡¯?¡±

    1. In the original, the Qing Ling we know is written as ÇàÁé, while her other personality was written as Çàôá. Áé and ôá are pronounced the same with the former meaning ¡®spirit¡¯, and thetter meaning ¡®bird feather¡¯. ?

 Chapter 6: Silence Him

    <h4>Chapter 6: Silence Him</h4>

    The refreshment room was terrifyingly quiet.

    Amid the frozen air, Gao Yang could hear his heart speeding up like crazy. <i>Shit, shit we¡¯ve been found.</i>

    He tilted his head to look at Qing Ling. She had an impassive look on her face, but her brain was running quickly.

    If Officer Huang was a wrath monster, there was no way she could win this.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for her to kill one wrath monster, but there were more than a hundred ¡®people¡¯ outside this room. Once she exposed herself as an awakener, all that awaited her would be death.

    Run?

    It wouldn¡¯t do her any good. Even if she fled now, she wouldn¡¯tst for more than a few days with her identity exposed.

    Her formerpanion was stronger than she was, yet they still died after identally exposing themself.

    She had no choice but to bet on her only chance.

    ¡°What brings you here, Officer Huang?¡± she asked after three seconds of silence.

    Officer Huang slowly walked up to the water dispenser and bent down to get a cup of cold water, exposing his back to Qing Ling and Gao Yang.

    Then he turned around and leaned against the table the water dispenser was ced on. ¡°It¡¯s about Li Weiwei. I nned to start the investigation with those around her, so I attended the funeral.¡±

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Gao Yang did his best to look eager for any updates on the case.

    ¡°I asked around and found something, but nothing I can tell you.¡± Officer Huang took a sip of water and smiled. ¡°Ah, what were you talking about? It sounded quite interesting. Monsters? Rules?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.

    He must exhaust his options in a situation this dire.

    ¡°We were talking about a survival game. Really popr these days.¡± He shot Qing Ling a look. ¡°Video games.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Officer Huang nodded bemusedly. ¡°What¡¯s the name of the game?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s...<i>Monsters and Men, Happily Ever After</i>.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fun.¡± Officer Huang sighed with what sounded like envy. ¡°It¡¯s good to be young. Adults like us have no time for entertainment.¡±

    He downed the rest of the water and left the paper cup on the water dispenser before strolling out of the room.

    The conversationsted only a minute, but Gao Yang¡¯s back was entirely drenched with cold sweat.

    ¡°What now?¡± he asked Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°Two possibilities. One, he¡¯s a wrath monster and has already gotten suspicious of us, so he was testing us on purpose. Or, he can be a delusion monster.¡±

    ¡°Delusion monster?¡±

    ¡°They are a special kind of monsters, also known as wanderers. They believe they are humans and fool even themselves. Doesn¡¯t matter when an awakener shows up before them. They do nothing and often ignore key information. Their brains automatically course correct and modify their memories.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯ll be safe if Officer Huang is a delusion monster,¡± Gao Yang concluded.

    ¡°Yes. But I¡¯m not going to bet on that.¡± Qing Ling walked to the door and looked at the policeman in the mourning hall through the crack. ¡°Wrath monsters yearn for their prey with extreme passion. If one can have an awakener to themself, they would never let another monster get a piece.¡±

    Gao Yang recalled the way Li Weiwei had acted when she was trying to kill him. ¡°I saw that myself...¡±

    ¡°There are more than a hundred people in the mourning hall. Among them, there would be more than one wrath monster. Perhaps that¡¯s why Officer Huang didn¡¯t attack us.¡±

    Gao Yang gasped. ¡°He wants us for himself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s most likely the case.¡± Qing Ling gave Gao Yang a steely look. ¡°We still have a chance. We¡¯ll silence him.¡±

    ...

    Police Station, Shanqing District. Ten o¡¯clock in the evening.

    After the funeral, Officer Huang drove back to the station without making any stop.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang followed him in a taxi. They found a cafe across from the station and chose a seat by the window for easier stakeout.

    They ordered some food and drink before taking out textbooks and assignments to put up the front of studying, when in truth they were killing time.

    Gao Yang had been reluctant toe with Qing Ling on her mission to kill Officer Huang. Upon second thought, however, he realized that their fates were tied. If Qing Ling failed, he would die sooner orter.

    If he was doomed to meet his end, he would greet it standing up rather than on his knees.

    That way...at least he would have his dignity.

    ¡°I have many questions for you.¡± Gao Yang took a sip of orange juice.

    ¡°Ask.¡± Qing Ling ate her mango pancake with her head lowered. The serious way she dissected the pancake into eight pieces with a knife and a fork made her seem like she was cutting apart an enemy.

    ¡°Do you have any otherpanions beside me?¡±

    ¡°I told you. I had two, but they both died.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve always been on your own?¡± Gao Yang found that hard to believe.

    ¡°Not on my own.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes shifted. ¡°There¡¯s my sister too.¡±

    <i>Ah, she means her other personality, </i>Gao Yang thought. <i>The other Qing Ling.</i>

    ¡°You two...must have had it hard.¡±

    ¡°Worry about yourself.¡± Qing Ling put away her fork. ¡°If we fail, I¡¯ll run away and hide.¡±

    ¡°How about me?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Not my business.¡± Qing Ling leveled him with an icy stare. ¡°I¡¯m not taking care of a dead weight.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s ego was bruised.

    He wasn¡¯t a dead weight. He had a Talent too!

    ...But better not to make a fool of himself before a beautiful girl.

    They waited untilte into the night. Finally, Officer Huang emerged from the police station.

    He walked up to the patrol car parked by the road and came to a sudden halt as he took out his car key. Lowering his head, he realized that the front tire was damaged. Qing Ling had stabbed it with a dagger she controlled remotely.

    There was no trace of irritation on Officer Huang¡¯s face. With a smile, he took out his phone and made a call. Then he crossed the street and bought a pack of cigarettes.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang carefully followed him while maintaining a distance of about fifty meters.

    Officer Huang spoke into his phone while smoking. When he walked past a park between the streets, he turned and walked in to take a shortcut.

    ¡°Our chance.¡± Qing Ling picked up her pace.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°Could he be setting up a trap for us?¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes hardened. ¡°Then we¡¯ll see who¡¯s the prey here.¡±

    Thiste at night, the garden packed densely with trees saw no visitors. Officer Huang walked into the darkness on his own. In Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, his lone figure seemed dangerous, unpredictable.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang put on the masks and sunsses they had in their bags and followed Officer Huang to the heart of the garden. When opportunity presented itself, they snuck up to hide behind a neatly trimmed shrub.

    Qing Ling reached out both hands at the surveince camera above the streetmp.

    She seemed to be controlling something with a look of concentration on her face. Two secondster, she clenched her hands into fists, and the red lights indicating the cameras were on flickered dead with a soft hiss.

    ¡°Call out to him and say whatever to distract him,¡± Qing Ling instructed in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    Gao Yang was nervous. ¡°Okay.¡±

    After taking a deep breath, he walked out of the shrub and quickly caught up to their target. ¡°Officer Huang.¡±

    The man came to a sudden stop and turned around, ¡°Who...are you?¡±

    Gao Yang pulled down his mask. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Officer Huang smiled at him. ¡°Gao Yang? What are you doing here sote?¡±

    Gao Yang continued his performance. ¡°It¡¯s about Li Weiwei. I remembered something and wanted to tell you.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Still smiling, Officer Huang walked up to Gao Yang a little hurriedly. ¡°Alright. Tell me...¡±

    Then his smile dropped.

    He whirled around and drew his gun from the holster at his waist.

 Chapter 7: Silence Him 2

    <h4>Chapter 7: Silence Him 2</h4>

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Officer Huang made three shots in a split second, so quick that Gao Yang heard only one.

    There were three bursts of sparks in the air, two meters away from Officer Huang. He had dropped the three daggers shooting toward him.

    However, the daggers were merely distractions.

    Shocked, Officer Huang realized that at some point, a figure had dived into his personal space from the left.

    <i>Swoosh!</i> Sharp, silver de shed at him.

    Pushing his reflex to the limit, Officer Huang blocked the attack with his gun, but it was sliced in half like butter, and his two fingers fell off like scallions.

    It would only take half a second for his head to part with his body as well.

    But it didn¡¯t happen.

    Long, thin de pressed into his Adam¡¯s apple. It didn¡¯t even touch his skin, yet blood had been drawn by the powerful airflow the de made.

    Qing Ling withdrew her Tang Dao and took two steps back. ¡°You¡¯re not a wrath monster.¡±

    Officer Huang covered the bleeding stumps where his fingers had fallen off. Pain drained his face of any color, but he was neither panicked nor afraid. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise you would¡¯ve blocked my attack with your arms.¡± Qing Ling glided a finger along the bloodless de, and her weapon folded into nothingness.

    ¡°They are confident in their physical forms. It¡¯s their instincts. Humans are different. Humans would block my attacks with something they think is sturdy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m an awakener too.¡± Officer Huang chuckled. ¡°Thanks for sparing me.¡±

    ...

    Emergency Department of Shanqing Third Hospital, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Officer Huang had his fingers sutured back and bandaged. Gao Yang and Qing Ling were waiting for him in the lobby.

    Officer Huang showed up with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll write a report that you two got mugged on the street, and I got hurt trying to subdue the criminal.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling exchanged a look wordlessly.

    Then Officer Huang said, ¡°Hungry? Let¡¯s grab a bite.¡±

    ...

    They went to a ce serving <i>mtang</i>[1]<i> </i>at night near the hospital. Inside a hidden alleyway was a small stand with a blue canopy, under which was a cart carrying a tall pot of hot, spicy broth and a small LPG tank. The dim yellow light and the fragrance of the food warmed up this corner of the cold city.

    The owner was a man in his sixties. He was high-spirited and spoke with a booming voice.

    ¡°d to see you, Officer Huang! Oh, what happened to your hand?¡±

    ¡°upational hazard.¡±

    ¡°Doing your line of work sure isn¡¯t easy. No drinking today then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Other than that, I¡¯ll have the usuals.¡±

    ¡°You got it!¡± The old man got to work and turned to Gao Yang and Qing Ling. ¡°How about you two?¡±

    With her usual poker face, Qing Ling stared at the menu and quickly came to a decision. ¡°One skewer each of mushrooms, winter melons, potatoes, bok choy, fish balls, imitation crab, fried gluten, and a portion each of tomatoes and sweet potato noodles. I want mine extra spicy.¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked by how little she pulled herself back.

    <i>Might as well enjoy this like her.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same order.¡±

    The three of them sat beside the cart and dived into their food, surrounded by the mouthwatering smell of <i>mtang</i>. With a content look on his face, Officer Huang said, ¡°Hmm, always nice to have a meal like this after escaping death. I thought I would never have it again.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she focused on chewing her potatoes.

    Worried, Gao Yang said, ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t talk about this withpany, Officer Huang.¡±

    Officer Huang looked up at the old man still busily cooking meat slices. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Old Man Liu is a wanderer. He ignores whatever he doesn¡¯t want to hear. Isn¡¯t that the case, Old Liu?¡±

    Old Man Liu lifted his head. ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°I said the pork lungs today have a good bite to it. I¡¯ll like another.¡±

    ¡°A minute.¡± Old Man Liu let out a bellyugh.

    Gao Yang finally rxed. ¡°Were you testing me and Qing Ling today?¡±

    Officer Huang responded with a wry smile, ¡°I knew you are an awakener, but not your girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Not his girlfriend,¡± Qing Ling said and moved on from the potato slices to the fish balls.

    ¡°Remember the man I killed that day?¡± asked Officer Huang. ¡°The one who was said to be mentally ill.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± How could Gao Yang forget? He wouldn¡¯t have encountered all these troubles if not for the man.

    ¡°He was an awakener too.¡± Officer Huang looked remorseful. ¡°But he had thoroughly exposed himself and had no chance of surviving. It was better to send him off than letting him get tortured to death or devoured by wrath monsters.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°His Talent was Keen Smell, serial number 175. He could differentiate between humans and monsters that way. As a result, he lived in fear all day every day, and eventually, he had a mental breakdown.¡±

    Officer Huang stared at the steaming pot of broth, waiting for the pork lungs to be served with what almost seemed like religious devotion. ¡°He smelled that you were human. That was why he told you to run. If I hadn¡¯t shot him, you would¡¯ve gotten dragged into the mess as well.¡±

    ¡°...Thank you,¡± Gao Yang said, his voice brittly tense.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I should do. We are all on the same boat after all.¡±

    ¡°Talk about Talent.¡± Gao Yang licked his lips. ¡°Does every awakenere with different Talents?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°My Talent is God of Firearms, serial number 41. It grants me proficiency in guns and allows me to make shots quickly without ever missing.¡±

    ¡°What do you think my Talent is then?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Officer Huang snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding your power very well. How would I know without a Talent for investigation?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°Your girlfriend''s Talent is probably Metal, serial number 20. It allows her to manipte all metal elements.¡±

    ¡°Not his girlfriend.¡± Qing Ling had finished the fish balls and were now getting to mushrooms.

    Officer Huang shot Qing Ling an envious look. ¡°She probably also has God of des, serial number 32. No regr person can wield des with such finesse and power.¡±

    ¡°You can have multiple Talents?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Humans gain one Talent as soon as they awaken. We can acquire more along the way, but to this day, I still haven¡¯t figured out the mechanisms behind it.¡±

    ¡°How do you know so much about this?¡± Gao Yang was curious. Did Officer Huang have a system too? It didn¡¯t seem like it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been alive for longer than you two, and I¡¯m a police officer. I have more ways to ess information.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve seen the full list of Talents. And from my own personal experience, the list seems urate.¡±

    ¡°How many Talents are there?¡± Qing Ling was now eating bok choy.

    ¡°There are 199 in total. In theory, the smaller the number, the more powerful the Talent.¡± Officer Huang gave Qing Ling another envious look. ¡°You¡¯re strong.¡±

    Gao Yang held onto his broken heart. <i>My Talent¡¯s serial number is 199, the very bottom. No wonder I can¡¯t do anything. Lucky? Lucky my ass.</i>

    Qing Ling put away her chopsticks, bok choy already finished. ¡°Give me the list.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± Officer Huang pointed at his own head. ¡°It¡¯s all here.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me.¡±

    ¡°Tell you?¡± Officer Huang lifted the corners of his mouth. ¡°I can do that.¡±

    ¡°But you want something in exchange?¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no free meal in this world.¡± His smile seemed loaded with meanings. ¡°Other than the <i>mtang</i>, of course.¡±

    1. Street foodmon in China. It¡¯s like a spicy hot pot where the customers can choose the ingredients, and the ingredients will be cooked in a spicy broth for them, usually on skewers. ?

 Chapter 8: The First Note

    <h4>Chapter 8: The First Note</h4>

    ¡°How about this? Do me a favor, and I¡¯ll tell you all the Talents after serial number 50.¡± Holding chopsticks with his left hand, Officer Huang picked up a piece of spinach that was just the right degree of doneness. ¡°In addition, I¡¯ll answer one of your questions, no strings attached. It can be anything you want to know as long as I have the answer.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the favor?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°You have to agree to the deal first.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°Nothing difficult, and I promise your life won¡¯t be in danger.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t respond.

    Gao Yang stayed quiet as well. He knew he was in no ce to negotiate with Officer Huang. He might as well keep up the image of being mysterious and secretive.

    ¡°You must know that humans are only one out of ten thousand of the poption. That tells you how dire our situation is.¡± Officer Huang let out a deep sigh. ¡°We¡¯re all orphans in this world, abandoned by God.¡±

    Qing Ling hesitated, still not opening her mouth.

    Gao Yang followed her lead.

    Officer Huang spoke like a shepherd guiding lost sheep. ¡°To survive in this world shrouded in mysteries, I believe you need powerful Talents as well as a good grasp on the rules. The more you know, the better.¡±

    He seemed to be gazing into the distance, but his tone was firm. ¡°I can assure you that my information is worth more than a fortune. It¡¯s a bargain for you.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡± The answer tumbled out of Gao Yang¡¯s mouth. His reasoning was simple: the man had gotten to such length to entice them. It was better to ept the deal first. They could always go back on their words.

    Qing Ling shot Gao Yang a re, but didn¡¯t say anything in opposition.

    ¡°Smart boy.¡± Officer Huang was pleased. He took out a stack of post-it notes and a pen from the pocket of his uniform. There were a quick session of rustling noises as he wrote three notes. ¡°Don¡¯t me me for being stingy. I can¡¯t trust you fully just yet. We¡¯ve been birthed into this hell. It¡¯s all we can do to survive with all we have.¡±

    He folded the notes and handed them to Qing Ling.

    When she reached out to take the notes, he pulled back quickly. ¡°Remember, unfold the first note during your evening study tomorrow. After you do what¡¯s said on the note, read the second one. Then you¡¯ll finish the task and read the third. You must follow my words to the T.¡±

    Qing Ling took the notes and tucked them into the breast pocket of her school uniform. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask two questions once this is done.¡±

    ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll contact you after everything.¡± Officer Huang stood up and took out his phone. ¡°Old Liu, check, please.¡±

    ...

    When Gao Yang returned home at midnight, he wasn¡¯t the same person he had been.

    Knowing the staggering ratio between humans and monsters, he had trouble looking at his once warm and loving family the same way.

    ording to what the owner of the body had witnessed that night when he was four, Gao Yang was pretty certain that his grandfather was a monster, though he wasn¡¯t sure what kind he was. And since his grandparents shared a room, his grandmother was most likely a monster as well.

    As for his father, mother, and sister...

    Gao Yang had to stop himself. He so wished that his family would turn out to be all humans even though the chance of that being the case was akin to winning the lottery. Still, he couldn¡¯t give up on the hope, no matter how slim. At the end of the day, they were family he had been with every day for the past twelve years.

    If he hadn¡¯t run into the man the night of his eighteenth birthday, if he had simply led a life of ignorance into adulthood, started a family, and eventually met a peaceful end, perhaps he would¡¯ve been happier.

    There was nothing pitiful about living in lies and falsehood¡ªas long as he had never woken up from the dream, that was.

    But that was merely wishful thinking. Gao Yang had awakened, and his once peaceful days were no more.

    Now, hell was other people![1]

    He must take every step carefully like he was treading on thin ice. A misstep was all it took for him to fall into a bottomless abyss.

    It was three o¡¯clock in the morning. His family had long retired to bed, and Gao Yang was sure that he would get a good scolding from his parents tomorrow morning. But at least tonight, he didn¡¯t have to face them. He had time to prepare himself mentally so that he could find the right way to treat his family.

    Exhausted both physically and mentally, Gao Yangy down in the bathtub, looking to enjoy a hot bath. When he looked up, though, a hexagram glowed before his eyes. He didn¡¯t touch it this time, but instead closed his eyes and made amand in his mind: <i>ess system</i>.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 27 Luck points. You now have a total of 30 Luck points. Do you want to use them?]

    ¡ªYes.

    [Open Status Screen.]

    [Constitution: 12 Endurance: 12]

    [Strength: 11 Agility: 11]

    [Willpower: 11 Charisma: 10]

    [Luck: 0]

    Gao Yang noticed immediately that his basic stats had risen, albeit only by a small margin.

    ¡ªDo stats go up on their own?

    [Stats will fluctuate ording to your physical abilities and condition.]

    [You have gone through a productive day and be a little stronger than you were yesterday.]

    ¡ªThen if I do 100 pushups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, and run 10 kilometers every day for three years until I go bald, would I be the strongest man on Earth?[2]

    [In theory, you will be physically stronger, but you may also suffer muscle sprains, knee degeneration, and any other problems.]

    ¡ªThen how do I get stronger?

    [Use Luck points to permanently increase your stats.]

    [And different Talents will grant permanent bonuses to different stats.]

    ¡ªHow¡¯s Qing Ling¡¯s Talent, God of des?

    [Talent: God of des. Serial Number: 32. Rune Type: Damage.]

    [Max Level God of des: proficiency in ded weapons, damage output of ded weapons * 3, chance of physical guard break is 91.4%.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Max Level God of des: Constitution + 400, Strength + 800, Agility + 1000, Charisma + 400.]

    ¡ªWhat about God of Firearms?

    [Talent: God of Firearms. Serial Number: 41. Rune Type: Damage.]

    [Max Level God of Firearms: proficiency in firearms, firearms uracy is 97.3%, speed is 12 shots/second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Max Level God of Firearms: Constitution + 300, Strength + 700, Agility + 800, Charisma + 300.]

    ¡ªFrick.

    [Freak?][3]

    ¡ªYou¡¯re a shit system!

    [Superstition will not make you lucky, and spending money is not enough to change your fate.][4]

    [You learned about Talent: Metal today. Do you want more information?]

    ¡ªDon¡¯t. My heart can¡¯t take it.

    [Do you need suggestions for Luck points allocation?]

    ¡ªIt¡¯s just 30 points. What is there to allocate? Hell, put it all in Luck. I¡¯ll see how lucky that¡¯ll make me.

    [You cannot go back on your decision after Luck points are allocated. Do you confirm the allocation?]

    ¡ªYeah, yeah! Just get it done already!

    [Congrattions! Your Luck has exceeded 30. All stats permanently increase by 6.]

    [Constitution: 18 Endurance: 18]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 17]

    [Willpower: 17 Charisma: 16]

    [Luck: 30]

    ¡ªOnly 6 points? How stingy are you?

    ¡ªWait, That¡¯s 36 points in total for all six stats. Pretty good deal.

    [You have triggered a hidden section. Do you wish to unlock it?]

    ¡ªUnlock it! Now!

    [Apologies. You don¡¯t have enough Luck points.]

    ¡ªThen why did you ask?!

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    ...

    The next day, Gao Yang woke up early in the morning. He got scolded by his mother just as he had anticipated. ¡°The entrance exam ising,¡± she said. ¡°But you stayed outte for two days in a row and never responded to our messages or calls. You¡¯re making us worry more and more.¡±

    Gao Yang lied that it was Wang Zikai¡¯s birthday, and that he was dragged to the karaoke and sang until midnight.

    That only made his mother angrier. ¡°Wang Zikai? Wasn¡¯t he expelled? Stop hanging out with that brat. He¡¯s a bad influence.¡±

    At the table, his father chuckled as he chewed on a <i>youtiao</i>[5]. He thought differently. ¡°Little Kai? His dad¡¯s got money. That¡¯s a friend you should have, Son.¡±

    His mother red at his father. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that nonsense. You are thepany you keep!¡±

    ¡°Time has changed, my dear.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°In today¡¯s society, your connectionse first, even before yourpetence,¡± his father argued. ¡°Someone like Little Kai will be useful to our son in the future.¡±

    ¡°Do you hear what you¡¯re saying?¡± His mother was mad.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean it that way, sweetheart. I just want our son to make more friends so that he¡¯ll have more options in the future. I¡¯m sure Yang Yang can make his own decision rather than letting his friend influence him.¡± His father seemed a bit aggrieved and gave Gao Yang a pointed look. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you say so, Son?¡±

    ¡°Dad, mom, I¡¯m done with breakfast.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess. He didn¡¯t know how he should treat his family¡ªor ¡®family¡¯. After getting two mouthfuls of food, he picked up his backpack and left for school.

    He knew that his family were very likely to be monsters, but for a moment, Gao Yang found his resolve wavering. His parents had raised him to adulthood. They had been with him every day and had taken care of him. They loved him so much. How could they be monsters? But Li Weiwei had been his childhood friend. The lovely girl had transformed into the devil in a second.

    What were monsters?

    What did they want?

    What was the deal with this parallel universe?

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have an answer. He didn¡¯t have an answer for why he had transmigrated to this world and why he had acquired a useless system, either.

    ...

    He went to school and spent a normal day.

    For the whole day, he never once had a conversation with Qing Ling, nor had they exchanged a look. After their evening self-study, Gao Yang found his way to an alleyway without any surveince camera near the school.

    Soon, Qing Ling showed up. She took out two ck hoodies, two caps, and two masks from her big backpack. ¡°Put these on.¡±

    ¡°Right here?¡±

    ¡°Or what? Want me to build a changing room here?¡± Qing Ling was already taking off her uniform as she spoke. She was so quick that she took off her top in a matter of seconds like a snake shedding skin, revealing her fair neck and sensual corbones. Gao Yang hurriedly turned his back to her and awkwardly took off his clothes.

    Three minutester, they had both changed into ck hoodies and pulled on the hoods. They put on caps on top of that and covered their faces with masks.

    Before they set out for their mission, Qing Ling took out the first note from her pocket and unfolded it.

    1. A famous line from Jean-Paul Sartre¡¯s y <i>No Exit</i>, referring to the struggle of being subject to the scrutiny of others without escape. ?

    2. A reference to the manga/anime <i>One Punch Man</i>. ?

    3. In the original, Gao Yang said, ¡®Ü³.¡¯ And the system replied, ¡°A kind of nt?¡± The character is pronounced ¡®cao¡¯, and it means ¡®grass¡¯. But it¡¯s also almost the same as ²Ù, which means ¡®fuck¡¯ in Mandarin, only in a different tone. ?

    4. A reference to gamers¡¯ behavior when ying gacha games. Many have their own rituals for pulls, such as doing it in the bathroom or getting certain food and drink as tributes. ?

    5. Fried dough with a lot ofyers of dough. Common breakfast food. ?

 Chapter 9: The Second Note

    <h4>Chapter 9: The Second Note</h4>

    The Li City was divided into two halves by the Li River, referred to as River East and River West by the residents.

    River East had been developed earlier and was home to shopping districts, renowned schools, sport arenas, museums, malls, and financial services. On the other hand, River West saw development at ater time and provided more tourist sights. It had been on a rapid rise in recent years, and the price of real estates had been catching up to those in River East.

    The city was divided into nine districts. Gao Yang and Qing Ling lived in the fifth district located in River East: Shanqing District.

    Qingyang Bridge was the first modern bridge in the city, connecting the Shanqing District in River East and the Feiyang District in River West.

    It had been around for decades. Compared to the other bridges built afterwards, it was akin to an old man nearing his end. The structure itself was weathered and hadn¡¯t been maintained for years. It usually didn¡¯t see much traffic, but after twelve o¡¯clock in the evening, there would be more trucks taking the route. It was carriers¡¯ first pick for long-distance transportation since going to the other side of the river via the bridge would mean going past one less toll.

    Late at night, Gao Yang and Qing Ling found themselves under the east side of the Qingyang Bridge. Every now and then, there would be a thunderous rumble of trucks speeding along the bumpy road overhead.

    Gao Yang was worried that the bridge might copse.

    Qing Ling sat on the river levee with her legs crossed, concentrating on her search.

    The first note said the following:

    ¡ªGo to the east side of the Qingyang Bridge and look for something with your Talent, Metal.

    Soon, Qing Yang opened her eyes. ¡°Found it. That should be it.¡±

    Gao Yang wanted to ask what it was and where it was, but he didn¡¯t want to seem like an idiot. Thus, he stayed by her side and said nothing.

    Qing Ling got off the levee and reached both hands toward the river below her. Her brows furrowed after a short moment.

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little far. Get over here and hold onto me.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Ever watched <i>Titanic</i>? Like the poster.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Gao Yang hurriedly held onto her slim waist from behind. Wind glided along the river and brought the fragrance of her shampoo to him. It smelled like a garden of swaying flowers.

    Within his arms, Qing Ling leaned forward, closing the distance between her hands and the river by another one meter. All irrelevant thoughts vanished from Gao Yang¡¯s head. He quickly tightened his arms around her.

    Ripples appeared on the surface of the water and grew more and more vtile.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Until a rectangr metal case flew out into the air.

    Clenching her teeth, Qing Ling pulled her arms back forcefully, and the heavy metal case flew toward them.

    Gao Yang tensed his muscles and yanked like he was in a tug of war. When the counterforce from Qing Ling suddenly disappeared, he toppled backward onto the ground, unable to stop the momentum in time.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t immediately get away from Gao Yang, but insteady prone on his chest, panting heavily.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t urge her to get up. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling to have a pretty girl on top of him.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Metal a powerful Talent? When you¡¯re using it, why does it seem...¡± His survival instinctpelled him to choose his words carefully. ¡°...a little mediocre?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since I acquired it. The level is still low.¡±

    Qing Ling rolled to the side and got up. ¡°At the moment, I can detect metal at a maximum range of 20 meters, control metal at a maximum range of 10 meters, and I can manipte metal with a maximum weight of 10 kilograms. That thing is way over my limit.¡±

    Gao Yang made a mental note to himself: even the greatest Talent would be limited by its level. A low-level powerful Talent could be less useful than a high-level weak Talent.

    Qing Ling walked up to the metal case and pulled out a dagger to cut the thickyer of waterproof tapes. Gingerly, she opened the lid.

    Gao Yang moved closer and was shocked by what he saw.

    Inside was a ck sniper rifle. The disassembled parts were tucked neatly in the case. Under the moonlight, the ck finish of the metalponents had a dangerous and alluring shine to it.

    The system inside his head made a timely appearance.

    [Do you wish to inspect the unknown item with 1 Luck point?]

    ¡ªDo it.

    [M82AI semi-automatic anti-material rifle. Paired with 12.7mm rounds with a cartridge of 10 loads. The effective range is 1800 meters. The gun weighs 14kg.]

    Gao Yang¡¯s stomach twisted. They were going to kill someone.

    Not even Officer Huang would be able to acquire a sniper rifle like this on such short notice. He must have nned this long ago and left the weapon hidden in the river, waiting for an opportunity toe knocking.

    Qing Ling considered the rifle for a moment.

    Then she took out the ck bag inside the metal case and put the case in it. Peering at Gao Yang, she said, ¡°Carry this.¡±

    Gao Yang took the heavy bag from her and shouldered it.

    Qing Ling unfolded the second note. For a good while, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling responded with a question of her own.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Pink Hotel?¡±

    ...

    With the gun case, they had no choice but to get to their destination on foot. It took them an hour to reach the Pink Hotel. It was a love hotel. The flickering neon pink light cast shadows on their faces. The floor was covered in small cards with erotic advertisements.

    ¡°You sure?¡± Gao Yang gulped. ¡°This is the ce?¡±

    ¡°See for yourself.¡± Qing Ling gave him the second note.

    ¡ªGo to the Pink Hotel and pick a room facing south on the fifth floor. Read the third note at six o¡¯clock.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling entered the hotel.

    Manning the front desk was an overweight man who looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He was dressed in a T-shirt with a character from the manga <i>Jojo </i>on it. He was going prematurely bald, and his face was visibly oily. Staring down at his phone screen, he muttered as he yed his game, ¡°Anyone looking for a scope? Hey, hey! Revive me now! Whew, almost didn¡¯t make it there...¡±

    Gao Yang scanned around. Strange. He thought the front desk was normally manned by beautiful young women at love hotels.

    He let out two fake coughs and said, ¡°I want a room.¡±

    The overweight man looked up at him. ¡°Just you?¡±

    ¡°For two.¡±

    The man put away his phone, his eyes going wide as he looked over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders and saw Qing Ling. ¡°Holy! Brother...you¡¯ve got an exciting nighting!¡±

    Embarrassed, Gao Yang said, ¡°A room on the fifth floor with the window facing south. Is one still avable?¡±

    The man¡¯s slimy smile had a hint of envy to it. ¡°Let me see... Ah, you¡¯re just in time to get thest room. The Mirage of Flower and Moon!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang was confused for a moment.

    ¡°That¡¯s the name of the room.¡± The overweight man cackled. ¡°Adjustable water bed, love chair, couple bathtub, ceiling mirror. All to provide you with a steaming hot stay...¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll take it.¡± Gao Yang offered his phone to pay for the room, his face flushed.

    ¡°Okay, ID card please.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He forgot it at home.

    He turned to Qing Ling. She shook her head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you, brother.¡± The overweight man shrugged. ¡°How about finding a nice ce outside? I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be even more exciting...¡±

    Her expression never changing, Qing Ling turned around and headed outside.

    Gao Yang thought she was mad and hurriedly caught up with her.

    As soon as he was out of the door, he saw Qing Ling grabbing someone.

    Gao Yang flinched. ¡°...Wang Zikai?¡±

    Wang Zikai was just about to get to his car after a losing streak at the inte cafe. Before he could take more than two steps, though, someone grabbed him. He turned around and was surprised to find Qing Ling there.

    Then he saw Gao Yang approach them.

    ¡°Gao Yang?¡± Wang Zikai paused. ¡°Why, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Do you have your ID?¡± Qing Ling asked unceremoniously. ¡°Let me use it.¡±

    Wang Zikai looked at Qing Ling and Gao Yang, then at the love hotel behind them. ¡°You...are getting a room there?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Wang Zikai felt like the world was ending around him. With a dramatic step back, he eximed, ¡°What the heck! What the, I can¡¯t...¡±

    Although he had quite the dirty mouth, he was in fact a virgin with zero experience since birth. However, he had never once doubted the assumption that his best mate Gao Yang must have been single forever as well. Yes, he had been trying to set him up with Li Weiwei, but he never thought that Gao Yang would actually get a girl.

    Yet Gao Yang had not only gotten a girl, but was actually losing his v-card tonight!

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t take it.

    ¡°Gao Yang! How long has it been since your dearest childhood friend died? Not even seven days... Do you really think this is okay? That you can do this? You¡¯re a monster!¡±

    Qing Ling lost her patience and searched Wang Zikai¡¯s without waiting for his cooperation. ¡°Give me your ID.¡±

    ¡°What...¡± Her eagerness furtherpounded Wang Zikai¡¯s disbelief. ¡°Aren¡¯t you into girls, Qing Ling? Why are you hooking up with a man now?¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s so great about Gao Yang? Why don¡¯t you consider me? I¡¯m rich, handsome, and romantic... Why would you choose Gao Yang over me?!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a brain.¡± Qing Ling found his ID in his pocket and dragged Gao Yang back into the hotel. They booked a room at the front desk before disappearing into the elevator as a pair.

    Wang Zikai watched them go, still reeling from the shock. The more he thought about it, the more pissed he got. <i>How is this happening?! I¡¯m fine with not having a girlfriend, but freaking Gao Yang is not getting one before I do!</i>

    He rushed to the front desk. ¡°Hey, which room did they get?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s the privacy of our guests...¡±

    Wang Zikai grabbed the man by the hair and mmed his head to the desk. ¡°If you don¡¯t talk, I¡¯ll make your private part disappear!¡±

    ¡°501! It¡¯s 501!¡±

    ¡°Give me room 601!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay... Just a minute!¡±

 Chapter 10: The Third Note

    <h4>Chapter 10: The Third Note</h4>

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s first visit to a love hotel. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t liking it.

    Red light, red carpet, red wall, red furniture, and red canopy. He felt like he had just walked into a smaller version of Silk Web Cave, where spider demons called home.[1]

    Qing Ling locked the door and pulled on the curtains. Then she opened the metal case and assembled the sniper rifle after only taking a moment to study the different parts.

    It was still early, and they had nothing to do.

    Qing Ling sat on the oddly-shaped love chair, while Gao Yang sat on the soft water bed. They looked at each other with an awkward air between them¡ªwell, Qing Ling actually seemed quite at ease, while Gao Yang didn¡¯t even know where to put his hands.

    Then suddenly, his phone rang.

    It was Wang Zikai. ¡°Bro! Don¡¯t give in to your urge! It¡¯s evil! Think about it carefully! It¡¯s a step you cannot untake! You¡¯ll be sullied! A man is like rotten cabbage if he doesn¡¯t treasure himself! You¡¯re quickly dropping to the bottom of my list, bro! Ptui!¡±

    ¡°Women are distractions! She¡¯s only gonna slow down your R sh![2]¡±

    ¡°Come on out! The light side calls upon you to join matches with me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the 601 gaming room! With a big projection screen and state-of-the-art surround sound! It¡¯s awesome! Come up to my room! True bros earn points and climb tiers til morninges!¡±

    Gao Yang hung up on him.

    ¡°Are you lonely?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    She looked genuinely confused. ¡°Why make friends with that idiot?¡±

    ¡°Well...it¡¯s hard to exin.¡± Gao Yangughed awkwardly.

    Qing Ling stood up and walked into the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll have a shower.¡±

    The bathroom did have walls, but the one separating it from the room was all ss. The matte surface didn¡¯t exactly conceal what was going on inside.

    Soon, Qing Ling had already taken off her jacket and skirt, leaving them hanging over the ss door. Then she even hung her white undergarment there.

    <i>Hello, I¡¯m still here!</i>

    Gao Yang hurriedly lowered his head, but the bottom half meter of the ss door wasn¡¯t matte, and Gao Yang could see Qing Ling¡¯s long, slim calves and fair ankles so very clearly. Amid the sound of showering, warm water carried white foam down the line of her calves to her ankles before hitting the floor and sttering.

    Gao Yang took out his phone and stared at it instead.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Qing Ling to finish. When she walked out of the bathroom, she only had a bathrobe on.

    ¡°You should shower too,¡± she said.

    ¡°Do I have to?¡±

    ¡°To others, we¡¯vee to the love hotel for one thing. We have to do what is expected of that and leave the appropriate traces. We can¡¯t have any monsters suspecting us.¡±

    Qing Ling then walked up to the nightstand and took out the box of condoms in the drawer. She picked up one and tore the pack. Then she wrapped it with tissue before putting it in her bag, like she was going to take it with her.

    After a bemused pause, she asked, ¡°Is one enough? How many do you usually use?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Speechless, Gao Yang spat out whatever came to his mind, ¡°Just...one, I think.¡±

    After leaving the appropriate traces, they took a short rest. Of course, Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel like sleeping at all. He had been thinking about something¡ªsomething <i>serious</i>, thank you very much.

    ...

    The rm rang at five o¡¯clock. Qing Ling opened her eyes, rolling off the bed swiftly.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t fallen asleep. He got out of bed and asked her eagerly, ¡°You said monsters don¡¯t have a reproductive system.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. She strode to the small fridge in the corner of the room and opened it, taking two bottles of beverage out. One she threw to Gao Yang, the other she opened and drank from.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± Gao Yang fidgeted with the bottle in his hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t Officer Huang...married?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and waited for him to finish his thought.

    ¡°ording to the ratio of humans to monsters, it would be more likely for his wife to be a monster, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t they notice something wrong...when they had sex?¡±

    Qing Ling took another sip of her drink. ¡°Monsters do have genitals. They might not have real human reproductive organs, but they can mimic it. There are differences, though.¡±

    ¡°Mimic it? Differences?¡±

    Qing Ling said without a hint of coyness, ¡°I awakened when I was quite young. The first human I knew was my cousin.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°He slept with many girls until one day, he slept with a <i>human </i>girl and realized things felt different.¡±

    ¡°That was how he awakened?¡± Gao Yang wondered what he should say about that. It seemed like yboys always got their reckoning. Qing Ling¡¯s cousin wouldn¡¯t have died if he hadn¡¯t awakened.

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°He told me that if I had never had sex with a human, I would never notice no matter how many times I¡¯ve had sex with monsters. One true experience, though, and I¡¯ll notice the difference.¡±

    ¡°So...you have experience?¡± Gao Yang swore he was only curious about this from an academic standpoint.

    ¡°No.¡± Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°My cousin told me that it¡¯s easy to tell the difference with males. Male monsters¡¯ genitals, while based off of human¡¯s, react at once, but actual human male react gradually.¡±

    Recalling the test she had done on him that night, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but blush.

    ¡°As for female monsters, he said that you would only know once you try it for real.¡± Qing Ling suddenly gave Gao Yang a look. ¡°Maybe we should do it once. Then we¡¯ll both have experience.¡±

    Gao Yang spat out the drink in his mouth.

    ¡°What?¡± Qing Ling said with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s funny about it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Maybe next time...we¡¯ll talk.¡± Gao Yang hurriedly changed the subject and nced at his phone. ¡°It¡¯s almost six.¡±

    Qing Ling took out the note in her pocket, her eyes glinting coldly.

    ¡°We¡¯re killing someone, aren¡¯t we?¡± Gao Yang had guessed what they would be asked to do. ¡°Who?¡±

    Qing Ling gave Gao Yang the note. ¡°Read it.¡±

    ¡ªSix o¡¯clock. The second overlook along the scenic Li riverbank. Kill the woman I¡¯m with. Aim at her head or heart.

    Gao Yang stared at the note and fell into deep thought.

    <i>¡®The woman I¡¯m with.¡¯ That means Officer Huang will show up with her. The target must be his colleague, friend, or family. Not only does he not take matters into his own hands, he decides to be with her when this happens, right under the watch of the surveince cameras. He must be looking to create a perfect alibi while someone else does the dirty work so that he won¡¯t be suspected.</i>

    There had to be more to the story.

    Qing Ling parted the curtains and pushed the love chair to the window, setting up the sniper rifle. With her head tilted, she pressed her right eye to the scope. She painted quite the picture with only a bathrobe wrapping around her slim and tall body while she perched on the love chair, aiming a sniper rifle.

    After a while, Qing Ling said, ¡°Target sighted.¡±

    Gao Yang moved closer. ¡°Let me see.¡±

    Through the scope, Gao Yang observed the second overlook along the Li River.

    Under the soft, clear morning sunlight, a bookish woman stood on the tform. She looked over at the scintiting river in a long red dress with a white shawl around her shoulders.

    Then Officer Huang showed up in sportswears, a towel on his shoulder. He stopped at the overlook, and the woman turned to give him the bottle of water in her hand, her smile gentle.

    Officer Huang took the bottle. The woman picked up the towel on his shoulder and wiped his sweat for him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

    After a short conversation, Officer Huang took the towel back and kept running. It seemed that he was going anotherp or two. The woman lovingly watched him go before turning back to the riverview.

    ¡°His wife?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling nodded. She hade to the same conclusion. ¡°His wife may have noticed his identity, or at least questioned it. Officer Huang decided to take her out. He had us do it for him just in case.¡±

    <i>Click!</i>

    With the rifle set up, Qing Ling said, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. His head was a mess.

    He was in no way a saint, and he didn¡¯t have the right to judge Officer Huang for his decision. Putting himself in the man¡¯s shoes, though, he wondered if he could pull the trigger if the one on the other end of the scope was his grandmother, father, mother, or sister.

    A myriad of thoughts warred in his mind. He didn¡¯t have an answer.

    ¡°Target isn¡¯t moving.¡± Qing Ling took a deep breath. ¡°Three, two, one...¡±

    <i>Swoosh! </i>Qing Ling pulled the trigger. Although the rifle had a silencer on, the gunshot sounded wrong. It was muffled and came way too soon. Like it was a dud.

    Gao Yang realized something was wrong as well. When he looked up, he was stunned.

    Qing Ling frowned. She hadn¡¯t expected this to happen.

    A figure had dropped from above the moment she pulled the trigger and took the hit instead of her target. Soon, Gao Yang and Qing Ling got a good look of who it was.

    Wang Zikai.

    1. Spider demons from Chinese mythological stories such as <i>Journey to the West </i>often appear as women and lure their prey through sexual attraction. ?

    2. A trick used in League of Legends where you follow up your powerful R skill¡ªwhich requires time to cast¡ªwith the movement skill sh to unleash the R skill the moment you reach your target. ?

 Chapter 11: Accident

    <h4>Chapter 11: ident</h4>

    Wang Zikai had a rope around his waist, tying him to the window of room 601 as he dangled upside down. The bullet had hit him in the chest squarely.

    Qing Ling sprung to action, manipting her dagger to cut the rope before catching Wang Zikai and dragging him into the room. She turned around and shouted at Gao Yang, ¡°Snap back to it! Give me a hand!¡±

    ...

    One minute ago.

    After losing three ranked matches in room 601, Wang Zikai was hit with a sudden feeling of suspicion.

    Gao Yang was famously terrible with girls! He had failed to win over his childhood friend Li Weiwei over the many years they had known each other, yet he was now getting together with Qing Ling, the goddess of their school, and came straight to a love hotel? That didn¡¯t make any sense!

    There must be something else going on between them!

    Were they here to study?!

    No, that wasn¡¯t it. Qing Ling was a student athlete. Scores didn¡¯t matter that much to her. She could still enter college through rmendation. On the other hand, Gao Yang did get decent scores, but he was never thepetitive kind and wouldn¡¯t study in secret.

    Wang Zikaiy t on the floor and pressed his ear to it for quite a while. It was too quiet downstairs. It didn¡¯t sound like anything exciting was going on! And no one could do the do for the entire night. Gao Yang could¡¯ve given him a call back after he¡¯d had his fun.

    That meant only one thing!

    <i>This fucker found a new ranking partner! He¡¯s casting me away because he thinks I suck at the game! He must be ying an exciting match with Qing Ling right now!</i>

    Damn him!

    Unforgivable!

    <i>That prick will never admit it if I just confront him</i>, thought Wang Zikai, and a n took shape in his mind. He used the bondage rope he found in the room to tie himself up. He was going to scale down from the sixth floor window and catch Gao Yang in the act!

    He slowly lowered himself. Just when he was going to reach the window of room 501, the curtains parted slightly, and what looked like a gun barrel pushed out.

    What the hell?

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t have time to think about it before his foot slid off the condenser unit, and he fell. White hot pain hit his lungs the next second, and his vision went dark.

    ...

    Wang Zikaiy on the carpet with blood gushing out of his chest. He had already lost consciousness.

    ¡°He¡¯s losing a lot of blood!¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°Get something to press it with!¡±

    Gao Yang rushed into the bathroom and grabbed a thick towel. As soon as he covered Wang Zikai¡¯s chest with it, his blood dyed the bottom of it red.

    Taking a bullet from a sniper rifle at such close distance would¡¯ve left a huge hole in a normal human¡¯s chest, yet Wang Zikai seemed to have only suffered a regr shot.

    He was a monster, no doubt.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t expect the idiot to barge in suddenly and throw a wrench in their n.

    ¡°We have to save him,¡± Gao Yang said determinedly.

    Qing Ling argued, ¡°I¡¯m not letting you get both of us killed.¡±

    ¡°Then what else can we do? Leave the body here? It¡¯s on record that we booked this room. We¡¯ll be found out sooner orter.¡± Gao Yang steadied his breathing to calm himself down. ¡°He...is most likely a delusion monster.¡±

    Delusion monsters, or wanderers, thought they were humans and might never realize the truth even until their death.

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes flickered. She seemed to waver for a moment, but her gaze soon became icy again. She conjured a dagger in her hand. ¡°No, we can¡¯t take the risk. We¡¯ll both die if he isn¡¯t a wanderer.¡±

    Her cousin died because he went soft on what he thought was a wanderer.

    Gao Yang knew that he couldn¡¯t convince her; he couldn¡¯t even convince himself. Kindness to an enemy was cruelty to himself.

    After a moment of silence, he clenched his teeth and looked away. ¡°Do¡ª¡±

    Someone knocked.

    Flinching, Gao Yang hurriedly grabbed the nket on the water bed and covered the unconscious Wang Zikai with it.

    Qing Ling shot to her feet and strode up to the door, opening it by a crack. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    It was the overweight man from the front desk.

    With an agitated look on his face, he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Let me in!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Qing Ling stared at him cautiously.

    He looked around before lowering his voice further like he was telling a secret, ¡°I know everything that happened in the room. I¡¯m an awakener too... Let¡¯s take this inside.¡±

    Qing Ling took three seconds to weigh their options.

    Between killing the man then and there and letting him into the room, she picked thetter.

    ...

    The overweight man pressed both hands on Wang Zikai¡¯s chest.

    Qing Ling had already removed the bullet from his lungs. Green energy surrounded the overweight man¡¯s hands. An endless stream of green particles entered Wang Zikai¡¯s chest, stopping the bleeding and stitching back together the flesh torn apart by the bullet, slowly but surely.

    After five minutes, the emergency treatment was done.

    The man plopped down on the floor with a groan, his body drenched in sweat like he had taken a bath. Panting heavily, he felt like he was half dead from the ordeal. ¡°Good thing that he¡¯s a monster. Were he a human, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save him.¡±

    He had introduced himself while he healed Wang Zikai.

    His name was Han Yingjun, but everyone called him Fat Jun. Four years ago, he awakened with Talent: Healing, serial number 45.

    His parents passed away when he was young, so he was raised by his aunt. After his aunt left him as well, he, a highschool graduate with no skills under his belt, inherited her inn and gave it a dramatic renovation, turning it into a love hotel.

    Qing Ling crouched down to confirm Wang Zikai¡¯s heartbeat before telling Gao Yang, ¡°Clean up the mess. I have things to ask this damn fatty.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no need to be that friendly with me. Just call me Fat Jun.¡±

    Qing Ling turned to him. ¡°How do you know what happened?¡±

    Fat Jun didn¡¯t immediately answer. Then he put on a servile smile and said, ¡°Hehe, actually...I¡¯ve put cameras and bugs in the room...¡±

    <i>Swoosh!</i> A de pressed into the three folds of fat under his chin, cutting him off.

    Fat Jun cried out, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, miss! Let me exin!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°First, I swear I don¡¯t have cameras in the bathroom! There¡¯s lines I¡¯m not gonna cross!¡± Fat Jun wiped the sweat off his face. ¡°And I didn¡¯t put cameras in the rooms for my own satisfaction. I¡¯m beyond such lowly interest...¡±

    ¡°Get to the point.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± He pushed the de away from his neck a little with a trembling hand. ¡°About how the monsters act in private.¡±

    The Tang Dao disappeared from Qing Ling¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been observing monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My awakening shattered what I thought I knew about the world. I even questioned who my mom was!¡± Fat Jun threw the unconscious monster at his feet¡ªWang Zikai¡ªa look. ¡°Aftering to terms with reality, I¡¯ve been thinking: do monsters actually y humans twenty-four seven?¡±

    ¡°It makes sense for wanderers. Those idiots have fooled even themselves. But what about the other types of monsters? They y house every day as well? Why would they do that?¡± Fat Jun looked at Gao Yang. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±

    ¡°I awakened only three days ago,¡± Gao Yang responded as he wiped the floor clean of blood. ¡°I haven¡¯t put much thought to it.¡±

    ¡°I put cameras in the rooms because I want to see how the monsters act when they are by themselves...¡± Fat Jun¡¯s expression turned disappointed. ¡°But lo and behold, they keep up the act even in private, and they do the nasty like humans do.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling fell into deep thought.

    ¡°At the same time, I¡¯ve been looking for humans too.¡± Fat Jun sighed. ¡°The friend who awakened me died. I¡¯ve been alone, but finally, now I have you! I¡¯m so excited, so happy...¡±

    He opened his arms wide to give Qing Ling a hug, but under the dead threat of her re, he turned and embraced Gao Yang instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m soooo hwaaaappy. I thought I would be alone until I die...¡±

    He was so overwhelmed with emotions that he cried actual tears. ¡°It¡¯s been so hard, bro... Every time I opened my eyes, I had to put on an act. Three years passed, followed by another three years. When would the ende, if ever...?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how tofort people. He awkwardly patted Fat Jun on his thick shoulder. ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay now.¡±

    Then came another knock on the door.

    The room fell silent.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling turned to Fat Jun, who shook his head in confusion.

    After exchanging a look with Gao Yang, Qing Ling quietly pulled out her Tang Dao.

    With a nod, Gao Yang walked up to the door and called out, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Housekeeping,¡± said the voice of an older woman.

    ¡°Housekeeping?¡±

    ¡°Haven''t the guests in 501 checked out?¡±

    ¡°No. You must be mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Mistaken? Let me check.¡±

    Fat Jun approached the door and patted Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder, whispering, ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s Auntie Ho, a cleaner I hired. She isn¡¯t the brightest tool in the shed.¡±

    ¡°Oh... I¡¯m sorry, it should be 401. I saw it wrong. Hehe.¡± As he said, Auntie Ho apologized from the other side of the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    The moment Gao Yang uttered the word, he felt a shudder run down his spine.

    He whirled around and tackled Fat Jun. ¡°Watch out!¡±

 Chapter 12: Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 12: Chaos</h4>

    <i>Bam! </i>A hefty arm shot through the door.

    It was no human arm. The thick, strong, brass color musclesbined to form a powerful arm that looked more like steel, and the back of the giant hand was covered in grotesque scales. The nails on the four fingers were several centimeters long, and they were hard and sharp like des.

    No sooner had Gao Yang tackled Fat Jun than the ws shot through the door, cutting Gao Yang¡¯s left arm.

    When the nails made contact with fresh blood, the hand shuddered in excitement and started cutting down the door with reckless abandon. In a matter of seconds, the door was torn asunder like a piece of cardboard.

    The monster marched in. The shards of wood squeaked and whined eerily under her feet.

    The main light had been turned off, leaving the room cast in a dim, oppressive red light.

    ¡°Three, there are three... Ah, ah ah...¡± Auntie Ho¡¯s voice wasced with a strange excitement. There was an undercurrent of undefinable sorrow and great gratitude. ¡°All mine... All...¡±

    Gao Yang hid behind the water bed, covering a shuddering Fat Jun¡¯s mouth while suppressing the sharp pain in his arm. He didn¡¯t dare to even breathe.

    Not long after, he felt something wet on his fingers. Fat Jun was crying tears of fear.

    Under the dim light of the room, Gao Yang looked up at the ceiling mirror to take a good look at their enemy.

    It was Auntie Ho, a middle-aged woman in her fifties. Dressed in the uniform of housekeeping staff, she looked sickly thin and old. Her torso and head still retained the appearance of a human, while her limbs had transformed into those of a monster. They were so thick and strong that they broke her pants and sleeves. The discrepancies were too stark to ignore.

    One step at a time, she made her way through the entryway, her body trembling with anticipation.

    Then a wet, slick, dark green tail emerged from her back.

    The process seemed difficult. The tail emerged inch by inch while sputtering thick, opaque liquid, like the amniotic fluiding out of a mother¡¯s body during delivery.

    The tail pushed against her hip bone and spine, forcing her body to arch forward.

    Finally, the tail was fully out, thick as a human thigh and running two meters long. It dragged across the floor and made a cold rustling sound like a slithering snake.

    She looked like a lizardman.

    Witnessing her transformation from start to finish, Gao Yang felt a bone-chilling fear spread through his body. His head spinned with a ringing in his ears. It was a fact that there was nothing he could do but to endure the pain and hold his breath like a sitting duck, all to dy theing death for as long as possible.

    He knew he couldn¡¯t fight the monster.

    His mind wandered for a moment, recalling the time he killed a cockroach with a slipper.

    The cockroach had skittered under his bed the moment it was spotted, but Gao Yang easily drove it out and, with disgust and a feeling of superiority, killed it with an audible st.

    At this moment, he felt like the insignificant and despairing cockroach.

    His only hope was Qing Ling, who had hidden herself somewhere in the room.

    The excruciatingly long ten seconds passed. Or maybe it was seven seconds. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t exactly counting.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh¡ª</i>

    Three sharp daggers shot out from a dark corner, aiming for Auntie Ho¡¯s eyes.

    She quickly blocked them with her arm.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink!</i> Following the sounds, the daggers fell to the floor. They didn¡¯t even manage to leave a cut on Auntie Ho¡¯s sturdy arm.

    Of course, they were merely distractions.

    The moment Auntie Ho raised her arm to block the iing daggers, Qing Ling had already rushed out of the closet, holding her Tang Dao with both hands as she made a thrust at Auntie Ho¡¯s heart from the side.

    Although her reaction had been dyed by a beat, Auntie Ho quickly caught the sharp de with both hands. Sparks sputtered out as her eight sharp ws collided with the metal.

    With a low shout, Qing Ling pushed her legs, waist, and wrists into the thrust.

    <i>Bam! </i>Auntie Ho mmed into the wall behind her, yet her hands stubbornly held onto the de to protect her heart.

    Qing Ling pushed further, burying the tip of the de into Auntie Ho¡¯s chest inch by inch.

    ¡°Gurahhhh¡ª¡± Auntie Ho let out a growl that was both human and monster before swinging her tail, whipping Qing Ling in the waist. Qing Ling stumbled, and all the force she had applied through her de wentx.

    Seizing the opening, Auntie Ho grabbed the Tang Dao and swung it, sending Qing Ling flying into the bathroom along with her weapon. The reinforced ss shattered into tiny pieces with a bang.

    The wound in Auntie Ho¡¯s chest wasn¡¯t shallow. She panted heavily, pained and furious. Then she stalked toward the bathroom for Qing Ling.

    <i>Flutter! </i>Then a nket flew toward her and covered her from the head.

    Gao Yang and Fat Jun hadn¡¯t been sitting around during the ten seconds Qing Ling grappled with Auntie Ho.

    Fat Jun lifted the nket and threw it over Auntie Ho, but it bought him no more than two seconds. He had nned to blind Auntie Ho for only long enough for him to escape.

    And he did carry out his n. As soon as the nket covered Auntie Ho, he bolted for the door. The floor was covered in ss pieces and the viscous discharge from the monster¡¯s body, however, and in his nerves, he tripped and fell on his butt before Auntie Ho.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me... Mom...help...¡± He rolled on the floor like a fat mudfish, but the viscous discharge prevented him from getting up.

    shing through the nket, Auntie Ho zeroed in on the fat man crawling on the floor. It was more difficult than she expected to deal with three humans. She gave up on savoring her meal and decided to take them out one at a time.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! </i>Three daggers flew out again and stabbed Auntie Ho in the eyes.

    Blood gushed out of her eye sockets as her eyeballs broke.

    ¡°Gah...¡± She swung her ws around blindly. ¡°My eyes! My eyes...¡±

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang didn¡¯t stop what he had been doing even though he was trembling all over.

    ¡ªYou¡¯re useless.

    ¡ªYou can¡¯t do anything. You can¡¯t change anything. So don¡¯t be nervous.

    ¡ªDo what you can. You¡¯re here. Just do whatever you can.

    Gao Yang somehow managed to calm his fear and nerves with his unique way of counseling. While Fat Jun threw a nket at Auntie Ho, he had found his way to the entryway and picked up Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao. He cut the hair dryer¡¯s cord with it and plugged it to a power outlet on the wall.

    <i>No, it¡¯s too far!</i>

    Clenching his teeth, he raised the Tang Dao and stabbed it at Auntie Ho.

    The tip of the de buried into Auntie Ho¡¯s thigh. However, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t strong enough to push it deeper into her flesh. When she took a swing at him with her palm, Gao Yang bent backward, having seen the attacking. He felt a sting on his nose bridge. A cut had been left.

    Blinded, Auntie Ho didn¡¯t chase after her target aimlessly. She held onto the Tang Dao in her thigh and tried to pull it out. It should¡¯ve been easy given how shallow the de had gone in, yet an invisible force was keeping the de in ce.

    Qing Ling opened her hands wide while shey prone on the floor. She was clenching her teeth so hard that blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth. ¡°Hurry!¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the cut side of the hair dryer¡¯s cord and pressed it to the de.

    There were no sparks like those epic moments in movies. He couldn¡¯t see the currents running along the de. All he heard was a short, dull <i>pzzt</i>. Then Auntie Ho copsed to her knees.

    She hadn¡¯t lost consciousness and was still trying to stand up.

    Gao Yang electrocuted her again.

    Finally, Auntie Ho sat prone on the floor after a violent bout of seizure.

    It was still struggling, its tail whipping around. A regr human would¡¯ve cked out already, if not died then and there.

    At some point, Qing Ling had picked herself up. She approached Auntie Ho and pulled out the Tang Dao to stab her right in the chest. Auntie Ho screamed in pain, iling her arms around in struggle.

    ¡°Come and help!¡± Qing Ling shouted.

    Gao Yang hurriedly cast the cord away and held onto Qing Ling¡¯s hands from behind, pushing the Tang Dao forward with her.

    Finally, the de prated through Auntie Ho¡¯s chest.

    Auntie Ho¡¯s whole body seized up. She didn¡¯t even make a sound before her head drooped, dead while being pinned to the pink wall. The picture it painted was bizarre to say the least.

    Qing Ling was injured all over and exhausted. She let out a long breath and leaned back into Gao Yang¡¯s chest. He could feel her pounding heart from the contact.

    After a few seconds of silence, Qing Ling turned around and toppled onto the waterbed. She had almost no strength left in her body. The white bathrobe covering her was sttered with blood stains.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mind was nk as well. He pressed a hand on his injured arm, the pain finally registering in his brain again. Standing in the messy room filled with gore and blood, he smelled a pungent odor he couldn¡¯t describe.

    To put it into words, it was like rotten eggs being burned with stic, with essential balm and wasabi added into the mix.

    Bile rose to his mouth, and Gao Yang knelt before Auntie Ho¡¯s body, throwing up all over the floor.

    After escaping from the life-and-death situation, Fat Jun didn¡¯t sit around and do nothing, but instead quickly found something to block the door with. In a relieved voice, he said, ¡°Thank god there isn¡¯t anyone else on this floor.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this is thest avable room on the floor?¡± Gao Yang wiped at his mouth.

    ¡°Hehe, that was a lie. Business hasn¡¯t been goodtely.¡± Fat Jun ran up to Gao Yang and healed his arm.

    ¡°Big Brother...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m younger than you.¡±

    ¡°From now on, you are my older brother.¡± Fat Jun then turned to Qing Ling, who was still lying on the bed. ¡°And she¡¯s my sister-inw!¡±

    Qing Ling didn''t say anything, but her exhausted body clearly radiated her killing intent.

    ¡°I have a question for you, Brother,¡± said Fat Jun. ¡°How did you know there was something wrong with Auntie Ho?¡±

    ¡°The sounds,¡± Gao Yang said tiredly. ¡°If she had been here for housekeeping, she should have had a cart with her. When I told her to leave, I didn¡¯t hear the sound of wheels.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s genius!¡± Fat Jun pped his own thigh. ¡°You sure have a quick mind! Why didn¡¯t I think of it?¡±

    ¡°Of course! My brother is a smart one!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around, stunned.

    The one who said that was none other than Wang Zikai.

 Chapter 13: Chosen One

    <h4>Chapter 13: Chosen One</h4>

    Gao Yang widened his eyes at Wang Zikai as he sat cross-legged in the corner, meeting eyes with him.

    The air was eerily still. None of them moved.

    ¡°You...¡± Gao Yang finally broke the silence. ¡°When did you wake up?¡±

    ¡°Just now.¡± Wang Zikai grinned, his eyes were filled with excitement as he gazed at Gao Yang.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®just now¡¯?¡± Fat Jun took an instinctual step back.

    ¡°A few minutes ago, I think.¡±

    Gao Yang had a bad feeling about this. ¡°You saw everything?!¡±

    ¡°I did!¡± Wang Zikai perked up and sprang to his feet. ¡°Holy shit! When I woke up, I saw you all flying around and fighting. That¡¯s badass, man... I thought I was dreaming...¡±

    He iled his arms around as he recounted what he saw. ¡°Qing Ling was thrown into the air, and the ss shattered all over the floor. Whoa, dude! What else can I say but <i>whoa</i>! Only then did I realize that I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I was so shocked and scared, I tell you! So Iy back down and pretended to be dead...¡±

    Gao Yang rubbed his forehead. He felt a headache brewing.

    ¡°What was that woman, bro? It was insane. I swore she turned into a lizard person. Why did she turn back into a human after dying?¡±

    ¡°And who are you three? Y-Men? Do you have superpower? It¡¯s like a pig flying a fighter jet! Insane!¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai,¡± Gao Yang interrupted him.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Quiet. Let me think for a moment.¡± Gao Yang was ready to have a mental breakdown.

    Fat Jun took a step back. ¡°Brother, Sister-in-Law, we can¡¯t keep him alive... Do it.¡±

    ¡°Not your sister-inw.¡± Qing Ling remained unmoving on the water bed. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t care what you do with the idiot.¡±

    ¡°Idiot?¡± Wang Zikai pointed at his own nose. ¡°Are you talking about me?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang shouted, pointing at the older woman pinned to the wall. ¡°We were talking about the lizard monster.¡±

    Wang Zikai got even more excited. ¡°Whoa! So she <i>was </i>a lizard monster!¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath, his mind made up. ¡°I¡¯m going to say something very important, Wang Zikai. Listen carefully!¡±

    ¡°For sure!¡± Wang Zikai pricked up his ears.

    Five minutester.

    With an awestruck look, Wang Zikai tried his best to summarize Gao Yang¡¯s exnation. ¡°So, I was modified when I was young, which made me special. And the lizard monsters want to kill me because of that...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re all new humans. In order to fight the lizard monsters, all our bodies have been modified to some degree. You, however, are the most special among us, the fated champion in this whole world, the chosen one who was the only new human capable of fighting the boss lizard monster at the very end!¡±

    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s too much to digest at once. Let me sort it out first.¡± Wang Zikai mused with a hand on the wall.

    Gao Yang marched up to him and pushed more emotions into his voice. ¡°Wang Zikai, Qing Ling and I had been protecting you in the dark this whole time. I distanced myself from you these couple days because I was exposed, and I didn¡¯t want to drag you down with me... As you can see, the lizard monster almost killed all of us...¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± Wang Zikai turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯ll swear it!¡±

    ¡°My best bro! I knew...I knew you wouldn¡¯t have abandoned me!¡± Wang Zikai clutched on Gao Yang¡¯s hands, his eyes red. ¡°To tell you the truth, I took a liking to you on the first day of school, no, the moment I saw you in the crowd!¡±

    ¡°Since I was young, I¡¯ve always disliked everyone around me, even my parents! But for some reason, you¡¯re an exception. Who would¡¯ve known...you¡¯d been hiding yourself so well!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the fated bond between us.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It seems we are meant to fight alongside each other!¡±

    ¡°Shit! Of course we are!¡± The talk raised Wang Zikai¡¯s spirit further. ¡°Let¡¯s kick those lizards¡¯ asses together! Beat them up and save the world!¡±

    Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief. Who knew Wang Zikai¡¯s stupidity would end up saving his life?

    Fat Jun struggled to recover his jaw. <i>Seriously? That works?!</i>

    Qing Ling was still lying on the bed and never said a word of opposition¡ªor it would be more urate to say that she was too tired to speak.

    Fat Jun forced himself to smile. ¡°You gotta keep a low profile, pal. Humans are at a disadvantage at the moment. We¡¯re surrounded by lizard people. You must keep up a front and cultivate power in the meantime. As long as there is life, there is hope!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Wang Zikai thumped himself on the chest. ¡°Worry not, I¡¯ll protect all of you once I get stronger!¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, Officer Huang arrived after taking their call.

    He pushed the blockade they had set up aside and walked into the room.

    ¡°There¡¯s been an ident. Mission failed.¡± Qing Ling sat on the bed. Fat Jun was healing her injured arm.

    ¡°I can see that.¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette and nced at Auntie Ho, who was still pinned to the wall. ¡°You¡¯ve made quite a scene. Let me guess...she looked like a lizard?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what was she?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Wrath monster. To my knowledge, there are three kinds of wrath monsters: ughterers, devourers, and summoners.¡±

    ¡°This was most likely a ughterer. They are a strong bunch. You¡¯re lucky to have run into one long past its prime. Otherwise I¡¯d have arrived to collect your bodies.¡±

    Everyone gasped.

    ¡°However, the most terrifying of all wrath monsters are actually the summoners. You will die if you ever run into one.¡±

    ¡°Are they strong?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°No. But they¡¯ll notify all the monsters in the radius of one kilometer with their specialized vocal cords.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. Perhaps that had been the silver lining amid all the dark clouds.

    All the points he had put into his Luck hadn¡¯t been in vain. It was better to not dismiss superstitions.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Officer Huang.¡± Fat Jun walked up to him and extended a hand with a friendly smile. ¡°I¡¯m your newpanion.¡±

    ¡°I can tell.¡± Officer Huang reached out to shake his hand before turning to Wang Zikai, who still looked confident despite being wholly out of the loop.

    ¡°And this young man is...¡±

    His eyebrows suddenly furrowed, Officer Huang stared at Wang Zikai with eyes icy with killing intent.

    ¡°Officer Huang!¡± Gao Yang hurriedly stepped between him and Wang Zikai. ¡°He¡¯s on our side too.¡±

    Officer Huang met Gao Yang¡¯s gaze and stayed quiet for a moment. He could roughly guess what was going on here. It wasn¡¯t necessary to kill wanderers. They were so much like humans that in theory, humans could coexist with them as long as they took care not to cross the line and provoked them.

    Still, they knew too little about monsters, which made their mercy misguided at best. Officer Huang was in no ce to judge Gao Yang though. After all, he hadn¡¯t taken out Old Man Liu.

    With a nod, he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°You sure he¡¯s safe?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Officer Huang lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. ¡°Clean up and get out of here, you three. Don¡¯t skip school.¡±

    Officer Huang then turned to Fat Jun. ¡°You¡¯re the owner of this hotel?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded and surveyed the mess in the room. ¡°I could report this as a burry, but there are too many traces left from the fight that cannot be erased in a short time. The risk of getting exposed is too high.¡±

    ¡°What else can we do?¡± asked Fat Jun.

    ¡°Would you mind bing a newspaper headline? <i>Explosion at</i> <i>Love Hotel Caused by Gas Leak Killed One and Injured One.</i>¡±

    Naturally, the one killed was Auntie Ho, and the one injured was Fat Jun. If they were to put on an act, they had to make it believable. With his ability to heal, Fat Jun could y the part without losing much.

    ¡°But...this is all I have! Do we really have to blow it up?¡± Fat Jun was heartbroken just thinking about it. ¡°It¡¯s not insured! I¡¯ll get nopensation and may instead get fined...¡±

    ¡°Is that more important than your life?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    Gao Yang spoke up to assure him, ¡°Officer Huang is right. Nothing is more important than survival.¡±

    Fat Jun sighed and cursed under his breath. ¡°Alright, burn it, burn it all down! Losing a building in exchange forpanions? It¡¯s more than worth it!¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked out of the hotel.

    It was early morning. The entire city bathed in the dawning sunlight as it roused from its sleep.

    The road saw few pedestrians. There were only a couple carts selling breakfast, a group of seven or eight young people who had just pulled an all-nighter at the inte cafe, and a street sprinklerzily driving past them.

    Wang Zikai trailed after Gao Yang and Qing Ling, still pumped with adrenaline. ¡°Shit, now everyone seems like lizard people to me!¡±

    ¡°Keep it down!¡± Gao Yang warned him. ¡°Go home and stay put. Qing Ling and I will go to school. Pick us up at the entrance in the evening. I have a mission for you.¡±

    ¡°Roger that!¡® Wang Zikai ran across the road and jumped into his sports car.

    Before he drove away, he even waved at Gao Yang and dered with pride, ¡°Get them all! Save the world!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense for a wanderer to not wake up to reality even after all that,¡± Qing Ling said coolly.

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I thought you were letting him off the hook.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes were chilling. ¡°We¡¯ll be the prime suspects if he dies tonight. We¡¯ll wait for a better opportunity...¡±

    She trailed off, her expression darkening.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Gao Yang realized that Qing Ling was looking behind his shoulder.

    He turned around and couldn¡¯t keep his calm.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin?!¡±

    His sister stood a few meters from him. Wearing the new Lolita skirt he bought her and a blonde wig, she looked as pretty as a doll, and she was staring right at Gao Yang with an impassive face.

    Any other day, Gao Yang would¡¯veplimented his little sister for the look, but now, he was so nervous that he struggled to keep his tongue straight. ¡°Why are you here, sis? I, well, there was something I needed to take care of with my ssmate...¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± Gao Xinxin said in aposed voice. ¡°I saw you.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    Qing Ling took a step forward and curled her finger while maintaining her usual poker face, ready to strike at any moment.

    Gao Yang clung onto hope and asked, ¡°What are you talking about, sis? I don¡¯t understand...¡±

    ¡°Toote.¡± The scoff on his sister''s face did not belong to someone her age. ¡°I¡¯ve told everyone.¡±

    Overwhelming despair and fear clutched Gao Yang by the neck.

    A summoner?!

 Chapter 14: Summoner

    <h4>Chapter 14: Summoner</h4>

    A summoner!

    Officer Huang should watch his mouth next time.

    Gao Yang knew that one day, he might have to raise his weapon at his family, but not so soon, and not the sister he adored the most.

    At a nce, there were a little less than ten people on the street. If one-third of them were wrath monsters, that would make it three; already too much for them to deal with.

    And Officer Huang had said that summoners could notify all monsters in a radius of one kilometer with their specialized vocal cords. That would include all the monsters sleeping in the apartment buildings in the area.

    To conclude, he and Qing Ling would surely die unless they could teleport.

    Gao Yang gave up. He couldn¡¯t think of a way to get them out of this.

    ¡°You should run,¡± he told Qing Ling. ¡°I should be able to buy you a few seconds.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. She hadn¡¯t run away, but neither had she initiated an attack.

    His sister hadn¡¯t transformed into a monster immediately. She marched up to Gao Yang, her expression, the air around her, and the way she sauntered...

    <i>Wait! Can it be...</i>

    ¡°You got a girlfriend without getting my permission!¡± His sister used him with a finger pointing at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember your promise? You said you would have me vet the girl before you get me a sister-inw!¡±

    ¡°And you came to a dodgy hotel like this!¡±

    ¡°And you...you are even one of those kinky people!¡± His sister was so angry that she stomped on the ground.

    Qing Ling pulled at her sleeve to cover the cuts on her wrist and looked away.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not what you think it is...¡±

    <i>Thank God! Bodhisattva bless me!</i>

    Gao Yang almost burst into tears. It was a false alert!

    Fuming more and more as she talked, his sister took out her phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ve taken a picture and posted it to my Moments[1]! I¡¯m gonna tell everyone about this! The school will expel you! And mom and dad will kick you out and disown you...¡±

    Gao Yang snatched the phone from her hand and tossed it to Qing Ling. ¡°Delete it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t miss a beat.

    ¡°What are you doing? Give me back my phone! Don¡¯t ever think about erasing the evidence!¡± His sister was going to grab her phone, but Gao Yang easily kept her away with a hand on her head.

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re still young. What do you have in that little head of yours...¡±

    Qing Ling deleted the pictures from his sister¡¯s Moments feed, her album, and her recycle bin before returning the phone to her. Qing Ling then said with a tired wave, ¡°Take care of the rest.¡± She wanted nothing more but to go home and take a shower before going to bed.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin found themselves in the McDonald¡¯s.

    Through therge window, the warm sun of early morning streamed down on his sister, casting her hair, skin, and skirt in a loving, misty glow.

    Girls her age had just grown out of their childlike looks and were turning into teenagers who were still inexperienced. The energy and brightness that they radiated were infectious, and Gao Yang found himself finally rxing after the terrible fight.

    Gao Xinxin fancied herself a mature girl, but in Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, her prideful look was more akin to that of a kitten, innocent and quite adorable. She pouted with the straw between her teeth and swung her legs back and forth, still visibly upset.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin?¡±

    His sister looked away and didn¡¯t give him the time of day.

    ¡°My dear sister?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can buy my forgiveness with a Happy Meal!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, really. She and I are just friends. The entrance exam ising, right? We pulled an all-nighter doing mock tests.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll buy that? Who would go to a love hotel to study?¡±

    ¡°Many on the inte,¡± Gao Yang lied without batting an eye. ¡°That¡¯s what we call being unpredictable!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± His sister wasn¡¯t wholly convinced.

    ¡°Really. We¡¯re those closet overachievers, you get what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Those who im that they haven¡¯t studied, but they study harder than anyone else and ¡®identally¡¯ get a good score?¡±

    ¡°Yep! That¡¯s us.¡±

    ¡°Lame.¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°By the way, how did you know where I was?¡±

    ¡°My skirt arrived. I put it on and wanted to show it to you, but you never came home. You didn¡¯t even pick up your phone. I waited for so long that I fell asleep.¡±

    His sister puffed up her cheeks. ¡°Then I woke up, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So I called Wang Zikai. He said you were at a love hotel with a girl in your ss and told me toe catch the adulterers in the act!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you use the word ¡®adulterer¡¯, sis.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or not.

    ¡°This is serious!¡± His sister raised her voice, her face wrinkling with emotions and her eyes reddening. ¡°I was so happy and looking forward to showing you the skirt so much. Do you know how I felt?¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s not toote now. The skirt looks good on you!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t! It¡¯s all crumpled!¡± She burst into tears. ¡°And my face is all swollen. My face looks the thinnest in the evening. That¡¯s when I look best in this skirt!¡±

    Warmth blooming in his chest, Gao Yang pinched his sister¡¯s cheek. ¡°You look good whenever, sis.¡±

    ¡°Even better than the girl you went to the love hotel with?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If one day I fall into the sea at the same time as her, who will you save first?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. That was...an interesting question. Given Qing Ling¡¯s personality though, she would probably say, ¡®Go save your sister. I¡¯m going to swim for a little longer.¡¯

    ¡°You, of course!¡±

    ¡°Alright! You said so yourself! Promise!¡± She extended her pinky.

    ¡°Promise!¡±

    ...

    Shanqing Fifteenth High School, eight o¡¯clock in the morning.

    When Gao Yang arrived at school with his backpack, the morning study session had ended already. He was wondering what excuse he should give to the teacher when he spotted a familiar red sports car by the road.

    Gao Yang was already dreading what he would see.

    As expected, Wang Zikai was at the gate, arguing with the PE teacher in charge of noting down those who had gotten to schoolte.

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving school!¡± Wang Zikai shouted. ¡°I¡¯m gonnae back!¡±

    ¡°You were expelled! Stop making a scene.¡± The PE teacher was in a pickle. Wang Zikai¡¯s family was rich, and he didn¡¯t want to go too harsh on the boy.

    ¡°I¡¯vee around, Teacher! I want to learn!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing... But you still have toplete the resumption process first.¡±

    ¡°No! I love learning! That¡¯s the true calling of the light side! I¡¯m not waiting a second longer¡ª¡± Wang Zikai was just about to say something else when he spotted Gao Yang approaching. He immediately broke into a grin and ran up to Gao Yang. ¡°Bro!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay at home?¡± Gao Yang frowned.

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t calm himself. ¡°I can¡¯t even sit down! Whenever I think about the fact that I¡¯m a new human, I¡¯m so excited that I¡¯m gonna explode...¡±

    ¡°Hush.¡± Gao Yang groaned inwardly. Qing Ling was right. This idiot should be dealt with swiftly, or he would get all of them in trouble sooner orter.

    ¡°By the way, don¡¯t you all have superpower? Why don¡¯t I have one? It doesn¡¯t make sense. Ain¡¯t I the chosen one?¡± Wang Zikai blinked with a look of anticipation on his face. He would be wagging his tail if he had one.

    ¡°The power in your body has just awakened... There¡¯s a process to everything.¡± Gao Yang made up an exnation as he went.

    ¡°Makes sense!¡± Then Wang Zikai¡¯s thought process made a characteristic jump. ¡°Oh! Didn¡¯t you say you were going to give me a mission tonight? Why don¡¯t you give it to me now so that I can finish it earlier?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s...something you can only do in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Wang Zikai put his arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go to school together.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang was ready to pull his hair out by the end of the day. He felt like the owner of a husky. In the end, he had no choice but to teach Wang Zikai a ¡®cultivation method¡¯ so that he would shut up and not stir up trouble.

    Wang Zikai stayed in his seat without moving as he ¡®cultivated¡¯, all ording to n.

    During the evening self-study, Gao Yang went out for a toilet break. He ran into Qing Ling as soon as he left the restroom.

    ¡°Follow me to the rooftop.¡±

    <i>Rooftop?</i>

    That didn¡¯t seem like a good ce to be.

    Gao Yang followed her up anyway. Then Qing Ling turned around, and the metal door mmed shut with a heavy thud. She looked around to make sure they were alone.

    ¡°How¡¯s your sister?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s good. I¡¯ve dealt with it.¡±

    ¡°Keep observing her. Some monsters are very smart and very good at acting.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang sighed. He hoped that his sister wasn¡¯t a monster, and if she was, he hoped that she would be a wanderer.

    A breeze lifted Qing Ling¡¯s hair, obscuring her eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re close to Wang Zikai, but he¡¯s a monster.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    He couldn¡¯t avoid it at the end of the day.

    Dark clouds floated in the ck sky, covering the moon. With Qing Ling standing in the shadows, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t see her face. He could only hear her voice, and it left no room for negotiation. ¡°When the evening study ends, take him somewhere without unwanted eyes. I¡¯ll kill him.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang looked up at her. ¡°What if I stop you?¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you too.¡±

    1. A function in WeChat where you can share posts with your friends. The original Mandarin term is literally tranted as ¡®Friend Circle¡¯. ?

 Chapter 15: Talent Pantheon

    <h4>Chapter 15: Talent Pantheon</h4>

    Gao Yang knew that Qing Ling wasn¡¯t joking. She wasn¡¯t one to joke.

    And he had foreseen her reaction. He hadn¡¯t saved Wang Zikai simply out of sentimental reasons. There was something else prompting him to do that; only he hadn¡¯t been able to put his thoughts into words before.

    After thinking about it the whole day, he had sorted out his thoughts. Now it was time for the show. He was going to use the strongest skill in all shonen manga¡ªMouth Release: Great Persuasion Technique![1]

    ¡°Qing Ling, I know you¡¯ve only survived to this day because you''re cautious and decisive.¡±

    ¡°ttery won¡¯t get you anywhere,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    ¡°Then let me ask you something, what are you staying alive for?¡±

    ¡°Does there have to be something? Do you want to die?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. But everyone dies in the end. Even if you live to 100, you¡¯ll still die of old age.¡± Gao Yangughed a little self-consciously. ¡°But we can¡¯t live just to meet our most basic needs. There must be something you want to do.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Take your time to think about it. I¡¯m not looking for an answer immediately.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°But I will give you a reason not to kill Wang Zikai now.¡±

    ¡°Talk.¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯ve only awakened for a few days, I¡¯vee to realize that it is very dangerous to be an awakener. There¡¯s another reason you are able to survive to this day outside of your power and caution.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because of my other self.¡± Qing Ling knew it clearly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once we be awakeners, we instinctively put distance between us and all monsters, showing aversion and caution. All monsters other than wanderers may take notice. It¡¯s only a matter of time that awakeners expose themselves. You, however, have your other self. While she¡¯s aloof and stays far from men, she can form normal rtionships with monsters.¡±

    ¡°Other awakeners aren¡¯t so lucky, like me or Fat Jun. No matter how great we are at acting, we will always be wary of monsters. It¡¯s natural for awakeners to stay with each other when we find other humans. While it may seem like the safer choice, however...¡±

    Qing Ling stepped out of the shadows. ¡°It¡¯s more dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. The monsters are no fools. ording to Fat Jun, they act like humans twenty-four seven. They never test, lure, threaten, or attack unawakened humans, but that doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t observing us when they interact with us.¡±

    ¡°Li Weiwei was the best example. I was her childhood friend and we talked about everything. The moment I awakened, however, she showed her true face and tried to kill me.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°If more than a couple humans start sticking together, monsters will naturally suspect that those humans have awakened. After all, there¡¯s a low chance of that happening by chance when there¡¯s such a low percentage of humans in the poption.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°That¡¯s right. However, if we don¡¯t stick together, we¡¯ll get no information, grasp no rules, and get no closer to the truth... Then even if we somehow survive until we¡¯re 100 years old, we¡¯ll still be¡ª¡± He paused for a second before quoting Officer Huang in a dramatic tone, ¡°Orphans abandoned by God.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes flickered as she pondered his words.

    ¡°Now back to my earlier question.¡± Gao Yang took a step toward her. ¡°What are you staying alive for, Qing Ling? Don¡¯t you want to find out how the world became what it is today? Don¡¯t you want to learn the truth behind everything? Or if we can escape to a sanctuary or even defeat the monsters? That is what we should be doing.¡±

    Qing Ling stayed silent.

    Gao Yang had a feeling that sess was near. In an even more impassioned tone, he said, ¡°Now here¡¯s the dilemma. We awakeners have to stay together to get stronger and get thestugh. However, sticking together will raise our chance of getting exposed, which would get us killed before we cultivate enough power to gain the upper hand.¡±

    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°There¡¯s a way to lower our chance of getting exposed right at our reach.¡±

    ¡°Wanderers.¡± Qing Ling came to the realization.

    ¡°Yes. Wanderers are our best cover.¡± Gao Yang made the logical spections. ¡°Monsters pretend to be humans every second of the day. They may recognize their own kinds, but not the types of monsters each of them is. If we keep Wang Zikai around, we may lower the suspicion of the other monsters.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ve been friends with Wang Zikai since way back, and you got closer with me after Li Weiwei¡¯s death... It makes sense for the three of us to stay together. On the contrary, we¡¯ll stand out like a sore thumb if you kill Wang Zikai now.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Li Weiwei was your childhood friend and my best friend, while Wang Zikai is your friend. If both monsters die while us two humans stay together, we¡¯ll be prime suspects.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s important to have monsters we¡¯re close with. That¡¯s protection for us. That¡¯s probably one of the reasons Officer Huang keeps Old Man Liu alive.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me.¡±

    Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief.

    <i>Whew, finally got her to drop it.</i>

    ...

    When Gao Yang returned home at night, everything was as usual. His parents scolded him for staying outte and noting home, but other than that, they hadn¡¯t seemed to notice anything.

    Gao Yang humored them before locking himself in his room. Then hey down on the bed and closed his eyes.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 71 Luck points.]

    ¡ªWait, didn¡¯t you say I¡¯d get 1 Luck point for every hour I survive?

    ¡ªIt¡¯s only been 50 hours since Ist essed the system, hasn¡¯t it?

    [Talent: Lucky has reached level 2.]

    [From now on, the bonus to Luck points acquisition will change with the level of danger you are in.]

    [You were in dire danger for 20 minutes. During this time, the bonus to Luck points acquisition was pushed to 60 times.]

    ¡ªYou mean when I was under the attack of Auntie Ho? It really is high risk, high return!

    ¡ªPut all the points in my Luck.

    [You cannot go back on your decision after Luck points are allocated. Do you confirm the allocation?]

    ¡ªI¡¯m sure! Do it!

    [Congrattions! Your Luck has exceeded 100. All stats permanently increase by random: Constitution + 9, Endurance + 10, Agility + 10, Willpower + 20, Charisma + 3]

    [Constitution: 27 Endurance: 28]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

    [Willpower: 37 Charisma: 19]

    [Luck: 101]

    ¡ªHm, seems like I didn¡¯t get a good deal this time. Actually, it seems like my loss.

    ¡ªWhat does Willpower do?

    [Willpower increases the damage output and defensive power of Talents in the mental category. It also improves your senses and allows you to detect dangers and hostility better.]

    ¡ªGot it.

    ¡ªBy the way, can I unlock the hidden section now?

    [Apologies, you do not have enough Luck points.]

    ¡ªHow many do I need?

    [You do not have ess to the information for the moment.]

    ¡ªFine. I¡¯ll keep saving up.

    [Side Note: Lucky has reached level 2. Talent Pantheon is unlocked. You now have a chance toprehend a Talent without cost. Do you wish to use it?]

    ¡ªWhoa! Awesome! Now I¡¯ll have multiple Talents too.

    ¡ªHey, which is more important, Talents or stats?

    [In the beginning stage, Talents should be prioritized. Stats will only result in dramatic change after reaching a certain height, and their full potential can only be tapped into through Talents.]

    ¡ªAlright. I¡¯ll take your words for it. I¡¯m gonna try getting a Talent once.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension fails.]

    ¡ªHa! As expected.

    [To make another attempt atprehension, you need 30 Luck points.]

    ¡ªYou should¡¯ve told me earlier. I¡¯ve put all my points into my stats! Fine, I¡¯ll do it tomorrow.

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    ...

    The next morning, there was a drizzle.

    Gao Yang walked along the damp, crowded street with an umbre, watching the office workers waiting for traffic lights and pushing their way into buses and underground stations like lifeless zombies. He couldn¡¯t help but admire them a little¡ªthese monsters sure weremitted to their roles. The office workers were often called corporate livestock[2]. Who would¡¯ve known it was an apt description in the literal sense?

    Gao Yang went to school. During the morning self-study session, their homeroom teacher entered the ssroom and said, ¡°Gao Yang, Qing Ling, the police are here. They want you at the office for Li Weiwei¡¯s case.¡±

    It had only been a few days since Li Weiwei¡¯s death, yet their teacher had already lost all the regret and sorrow on his face when he talked about her. Instead, he seemed cold, even irritated.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling stood up to walk out of the ssroom and make their way to the office.

    Officer Huang was sitting inside smoking. No teachers were around.

    ¡°Is everything dealt with?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The mess is all cleaned up.¡± Officer Huang shook off some ash. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about why you failed from Fat Jun.¡±

    ¡°Give us another chance,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°We¡¯ll seed this time.¡±

    Officer Huang neither agreed or disagreed. He smashed the cigarette into the ashtray to put it out. ¡°I met my wife in highschool. She was my first love, and we¡¯ve been together for many years. I thought I knew everything about her...about her human identity, that is.¡±

    Officer Huang stood up and scanned the office to make sure it was all clear. Only then did he lower his voice and continue, ¡°Some time ago, my wife started to act strangely. I thought she might have noticed something and started to suspect me. Although I¡¯d never tested her before, I always believed she was a wanderer. If she suspected me, however, she couldn¡¯t be one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d been struggling in fear and anxiety all this time. Finally, I made up my mind to kill her. Then I met you. That was why I gave you the mission.¡±

    He lifted his hands and rubbed his face before letting out a long breath. ¡°Thank heavens you didn¡¯t seed, or I¡¯d never be able to live with myself my whole life.¡±

    ¡°Change in n?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yes, change in n.¡± Officer Huang stood up. ¡°Last night, I found out that I¡¯d misunderstood. She was acting strange because she had been hiding something from me. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t be more shocked when I learned the truth.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°My wife,¡± Officer Huang stared at Gao Yang and Qing Ling with pensive eyes, ¡°She¡¯s pregnant.¡±

    1. A reference to nature transformation <i>jutsu </i>in Naruto such as Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. There are jokes in the fandom that the most powerful <i>jutsu </i>is actually the MC somehow talking sense into the antagonists and telling them to trust him. And it became a joke in the shonen genre in general. ?

    2. In English ¡®corporate ves¡¯ are themon expression, but in Mandarin the phrase ¡®<i>shechu</i>¡¯ literally tranted as society¡¯s animals/livestock, so I change the expression a little to keep the connection to monsters. ?

 Chapter 16: Stalker

    <h4>Chapter 16: Stalker</h4>

    ¡°Pregnant?!¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling eximed at the same time. They couldn¡¯t be more shocked.

    Monsters could get pregnant?

    Didn¡¯t they not have a human reproductive system?

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was throbbing. There were too many questions to figure out. However, he was still a wimp inbat. He didn¡¯t know how many more days he could survive.

    Without pause, Qing Ling asked, ¡°Are you sure she didn¡¯t lie to you?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s voice didn¡¯t have a trace of doubt. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for her to lie to me.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure the child is yours?¡±

    ¡°Um...¡± That was the crux of the matter. After making a thoughtful hum, Officer Huang said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not cheated on.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything else.

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Officer Huang, may I ask you a personal question?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled a little awkwardly. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to ask. Although my wife is a monster, we love each other very much. After all, we got together before I awakened. Even now, we do it once every week on average.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, indicating for him to continue.

    ¡°My wife is shy. Every time we do it, we turn off the light. And we often have some red wine first...¡± Officer Huang stopped himself and coughed. ¡°Right, you¡¯re still young, so I won¡¯t go into the details. Anyway, I have never had sex with human women, so I never thought there¡¯s anything odd when I¡¯m with her.¡±

    Officer Huang sighed. ¡°My wife has always wanted a child, so we never use protection. I thought monsters couldn¡¯t have children.¡±

    ¡°What now?¡± asked Gao Yang. ¡°What do you n to do?¡±

    Officer Huang took out another cigarette and put it to his lips before putting it down. ¡°To tell you the truth, when I heard that my wife is pregnant, my first reaction wasn¡¯t shock. I was overjoyed.¡±

    ¡°Overjoyed?¡± Qing Ling frowned.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m happy as a father. I find that hard to believe myself.¡± Officer Huang took out his lighter and, seemingly resolving himself, lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. ¡°I¡¯m going to have the baby. If the baby can be delivered, that is.¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°She¡¯s a monster!¡±

    ¡°I know...¡± Officer Huang smiled bitterly. ¡°But she¡¯s also my wife, and she¡¯s pregnant with my child.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He actually was in favor of Officer Huang¡¯s decision. He had a feeling that the birth of the child would reveal more of the secrets of this world. It was likely to get Officer Huang into more danger as well, but it was a risk worth taking.

    ¡°Have it your way,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°Just don¡¯t drag me into the mess.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Officer Huang said gratefully. Then he turned around and leaned against the desk. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll get to the next thing on the agenda: the mission is a failure. I can¡¯t tell you the full list of Talents then. However, I¡¯ll still grant you the bonus we¡¯ve agreed on out of gratitude. You may ask me two questions. Think it through first.¡±

    ¡°How do we level up Talents?¡± Qing Ling asked immediately.

    Officer Huang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Why do you think Talentse with a level?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Gao Yang was curious too. He seemed to be the only one with a system after all.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure in the beginning.¡± Qing Ling looked down at her palms.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve experienced what felt like level-ups. It¡¯s a different feeling from my body gradually getting stronger through training over time. At some point, energy rushed into my body and changed me from head to toe. It¡¯s like being born anew. I¡¯ve been through that with God of des twice.¡±

    ¡°But not Metal?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°I had it happen with Metal once, but never again. When I first acquired Metal, I could only manipte metal objects lighter than 1 kilogram. After the level up, it¡¯s increased to 10 kilograms. In theory, I should be able to level up further.¡± Qing Ling tightened her fists. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s stopping me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re keen to have gotten this far on your own.¡± Officer Huang took off his police cap and thought for a moment. ¡°Every Talent can level up. It¡¯s said that the limit is level 8. Your God of de is only level 3. There¡¯s a long way ahead of you. My God of Firearms is level 3 too, of course.¡±

    ¡°Then how do I level it up?¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a rule.¡±

    ¡°Whose rule?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled and didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn.¡± Gao Yang raised his hand like a student eager to ask a question in ss.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°How do I meet them?¡±

    Caught off guard, Officer Huangughed. ¡°You¡¯re quick, kid.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Of course he had to be quick. With a useless Talent like his, he wouldn¡¯t even be an expendable side character if he didn¡¯t have a quick mind. ¡°You belong to an organization, don¡¯t you, Officer Huang? It¡¯s a rule of theirs?¡±

    Officer Huang nodded and sighed. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not even an official member of the organization, but an affiliate. They contact me and give me instructions like I¡¯m some tool. I¡¯m in no position to initiate a conversation with them. Since I¡¯ve been an outstanding tool, however, I asionally get some useful information from my handler.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s smile was reced by a serious expression. ¡°He prohibits me from spreading their information. Things will get ugly for me if I run my mouth and they learn of it.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join them?¡± asked Gao Yang. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your job be a great advantage?¡±

    Officer Huang responded with an embarrassed smile. ¡°Because I¡¯m too weak.¡±

    ¡°You...are too weak?¡±

    Gao Yang felt an indirect blow to his ego.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to pass their test, so at the moment, I¡¯m only a trainee with no end to the trial period in sight.¡± Officer Huang looked out of the window. ¡°The organization is quite mysterious. They have been very secretive about their existence and the way they run. To survive, even awakeners much stronger than us are cautious.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°But.¡± Officer Huang turned around. ¡°With the two of you with me, I feel like I can give it another try. That is if you want to join as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±

    Gao Yang agreed immediately and turned to Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling asked with an impassive face, ¡°Will I learn how to level up my Talents if I join?¡±

    <i>This girl...does she think about anything other than getting stronger?</i>

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°When will the test be?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°No rush. It¡¯ll probably be in a couple days. Wait for me to notify you.¡± Officer Huang nced at his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s end things here. I have to apany my wife to an ultrasound scan.¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you at work? Is it okay to just give yourself a leave?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how good it feels to skip work...¡± Officer Huang¡¯s smile dropped in an instant. With a dark look on his face, he drew his gun lightning fast and aimed at the door. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±

    Qing Ling was closest. She whirled around and conjured her Tang Dao, stabbing it through the closed door.

    <i>Shing!</i>

    Qing Ling pulled her de back out and shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no one outside.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned.

    <i>Wait, did you just stab at it? What if there were monsters? What if it were a human outside?</i>

    She really would rather kill a thousand innocents than letting one monster go.

    Officer Huang slowly holstered his gun. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve overreacted. I¡¯ve been tense recently.¡±

    He put on his cap. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go our separate ways.¡±

    ...

    Things had been quiet for Gao Yang the whole day.

    Every once in a while, he would ess his system to check his Luck points, making sure there hadn¡¯t been an unusual spike, which would mean that he was safe and hadn¡¯t been exposed as an awakener.

    Then he continued to keep the system running in the background.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang returned home on his own.

    The street was eerily quiet at night. The rain had stopped, but the street was still damp with puddles of different sizes. Under the scintiting neon light, they looked like portals to a different world.

    <i>St. </i>Gao Yang stepped into a puddle and stopped.

    Something...was wrong.

    His muscles tensed. Someone was following him.

 Chapter 17: When A Mantis Stalks a Cicada

    <h4>Chapter 17: When A Mantis Stalks a Cicada</h4>

    Gao Yang slowed down and quickly came to a decision. He made a turn toward a more crowded area.

    In theory, he would only attract the attention of more wrath monsters if a conflict happened with more people around, and he would stand an even lower chance of surviving. However, if the one following him was a wrath monster, they must have found out about¡ªor at least suspected¡ªhis awakening.

    Yet the monster had been following him rather than attacking him at once. That meant the monster wanted him for themself and wouldn¡¯t go after him when there were too many other monsters around.

    Soon, Gao Yang walked past a twenty-four seven convenience store. He took a deep breath and walked in.

    From the street corner, a girl with shorter hair and dressed in a school uniform ran out. She chased Gao Yang to the entrance of the convenience store beforeing to a stop and hesitating. Then she tidied up her bang with a hand and entered.

    She walked right into Gao Yang.

    ¡°Ah!¡± she cried out in surprise.

    It had taken Gao Yang all his courage to strike back at his stalker like this. He was surprised when he saw the girl¡¯s face. Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Little Si?¡±

    She was a ssmate of Gao Yang¡¯s, Wan Sisi. Everyone called the introverted and shy girl Little Si.

    Wan Sisi helplessly tightened her grip on the messenger bag on her side, stiffly and nervously putting on an act, ¡°Hi, hi... Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into you here. I...missed my stop earlier and was feeling peckish, so I came to buy some snacks...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been following me, haven¡¯t you?¡± Gao Yang got right to the point.

    Wan Sisi flushed red from her neck all the way to the back of her ears. ¡°I, I...that is...¡±

    Gao Yang looked around. The cashier and the customers were looking their way curiously.

    It was strange for two people to stand at the door like this. He grabbed Wan Sisi by the hand and pulled her to a corner of the convenience store. They sat down by the window seats shoulder to shoulder. Then they bought some food and drinks.

    A minuteter, Wan Sisi sipped on her instant coffee, her nervousness fading a little. She was even feeling a little excited. With her head lowered, she mumbled, ¡°He took my hand. And he bought me coffee...¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Wan Sisi shook her head hurriedly. ¡°Thank you for the coffee.¡±

    Gao Yang took a bite of his hotdog. ¡°Now tell me, why were you following me?¡±

    Wan Sisi lowered her head as well as her voice. ¡°Gao Yang...you¡¯re heartbroken over what happened to Li Weiwei, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gao Yang paused and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°You feel like a different person recently. You rarely talk to any of us and instead stare into the air all day.¡± Wan Sisi sounded genuinely worried.

    ¡°Do I?¡±

    Gao Yang was grateful to her.<i> Thank you for reminding me</i>, he thought. <i>I have to maintain the rtionships I¡¯ve built, or I¡¯ll be suspected.</i>

    ¡°Death is a one-way road. No one wants something like that to happen...¡± Wan Sisi carefully snuck a nce at Gao Yang. ¡°Don¡¯t keep it all bottled up. If there¡¯s anything bothering you, you can tell me.¡±

    Gao Yang stopped chewing and looked sideways at Wan Sisi. Her shorter hair was cut neatly in the front, framing her egg-shaped face. Her skin was fair and she had a petite figure. Her big eyes were always blinking bashfully and nervously, like a timid fawn.

    She always spoke softly like she had a low opinion of herself, and she couldn¡¯t quite meet other people¡¯s eyes. She was the kind of girl people loved to tease.

    There were actually quite a lot of boys who had a crush on her, but she never noticed it.

    Gao Yang had a friendly rtionship with Wan Sisi. She was the English student assistant in ss[1], and Gao Yang sometimes sought her out for English problems.

    Gao Yang had said almost nothing to her since Li Weiwei¡¯s death. No wonder she would be worried.

    Under Gao Yang¡¯s stare, Wan Sisi blushed again, averting her gaze bashfully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything...¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang gave her a grateful smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you care so much about me.¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t!¡± Wan Sisi denied it vehemently, but her expression betrayed her true feelings. ¡°We¡¯re ssmates. We should take care of each other!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯m not keeping everything bottled in. I just need a few days to sort myself out.¡±

    They made small talk for a little longer, chatting about their everyday lives and the colleges they wanted to enter until the hot drink and food on the table were all gone.

    Wan Sisi stood up to throw the trash away. Then she looked around, and when no one was looking, tucked the paper cup she had drunk instant coffee from into her pocket, her face positively glowing with happiness.

    That didn¡¯t escape Gao Yang¡¯s notice.

    <i>Does she have feelings for me?</i>

    Gao Yang was reminded of the night of his birthday, of Li Weiwei, who almost killed him. Perhaps Wan Sisi would turn out the same. One second she was confessing her feelings for him. Then the next, she became a terrifying wrath monster and tried to devour him alive.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to feel.

    They parted ways outside the convenience store, and Gao Yang only essed his system when Wan Sisi vanished into the street corner, skipping happily.

    His Luck points hadn¡¯t increased at a higher rate during their time together. Wan Sisi wasn¡¯t a threat to him, it seemed.

    After that brief interlude, Gao Yang resumed his walk back home, but he stopped again after two minutes.

    Strange...it seemed like he was still being followed.

    That made him realize that his senses had be keener, which must be the result of his higher Willpower. Increasing his stats were proven effective.

    Gao Yang quickened his steps and turned at the next corner. Casting his backpack aside, he hid behind the vending machine, holding his breath.

    After seven to eight seconds, a figure ran out from the street corner. He noticed the backpack on the ground and was about to pick it up when Gao Yang jumped out from behind the vending machine.

    ¡°Wang Zikai?!¡±

    Wang Zikai jumped. ¡°Holy¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were following me?¡±

    Wang Zikai cackled. ¡°You¡¯re the shit, bro. I thought I''d hidden myself well, but you found me out!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay at home and cultivate?¡± Gao Yang was exasperated, and an all too familiar headache hit him. <i>If you keep asking to be killed, I can¡¯t save you, buddy.</i>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s expression crumbled. ¡°Cultivation is so damn boring. I can¡¯t take it any longer!¡±

    ¡°How do you get stronger if you don¡¯t cultivate?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I do that by killing monsters? Or do anything else... Is meditation really gonna make me stronger? I¡¯m not feeling it!¡±

    <i>Of course it won¡¯t make you stronger.</i>

    <i>But at least you¡¯ll live longer if you do nothing.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°You¡¯re special, and your growth is slower than ours. Once you¡¯ve made a breakthrough, however, you¡¯ll be more powerful than all of us. You must be patient. Before heavens entrust one with great responsibilities, there will first be trials upon trials to pain their mind, tire their muscles and bones, starve their body, and deprive them of all things material[2]...¡±

    ¡°I get all that.¡± Wang Zikai pouted. ¡°But I was getting bored out of my mind.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    Seeing Gao Yang pull a long face, Wang Zikai immediately shed him a cating smile, ¡°Bro, don¡¯t get mad with me. I¡¯ll go home and cultivate, okay?¡±

    ¡°Quiet.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Wang Zikai lowered his voice and looked around, getting excited despite the serious atmosphere¡ªor because of it.

    ¡°We...are being followed.¡±

    Gao Yang had had enough of it.

    <i>Seriously, again?!</i>

    1. In China, one student would be selected as the assistant for each subject from primary school all the way to college. Usually they will be tasked with helping the teacher give out and collect test papers and assignments. They are often also those who get good scores in their respective subjects, so other ssmates will go to them when they have questions. ?

    2. A quote from <i>Mengzi</i>, meaning the heavens will first make one suffer so that they¡¯ll get stronger before bestowing them with great responsibilities. ?

 Chapter 18: The Oriole Follows

    <h4>Chapter 18: The Oriole Follows</h4>

    Gao Yang could clearly sense a strange energying from the alleyway behind him. He didn¡¯t want to drag this out any longer. Be it fortune or catastrophe, he would have to face it sooner orter. He was going to take it head on this time! Still...he needed insurance.

    He cast Wang Zikai a nce, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Roger that!¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be more eager.

    Gao Yang walked into the alleyway. The area was old, the buildings empty and waiting to be torn down for renewal. Only a couple streemps still functioned, but even the functional ones were flickering, painting an eerie picture.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai walked deep into the narrow alley. Wang Zikai started out excited, but his excitement slowly gave way to apprehension as they went further and further in, and after a gulp, he picked up a brick from the ground and clutched on it.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang extended a hand to stop Wang Zikai. He shouted at the darkness ahead, ¡°Who is it? Show yourself!¡±

    After a few seconds, a figure staggered out. It was a man, overweight and not very tall. Slowly, he walked into the patch of light from one of the few surviving streemps, and Gao Yang finally got a good look at him.

    ¡°Fat Jun?¡±

    He was dressed in a gray t-shirt, and his pale face looked lost, his footsteps unsteady. When he heard Gao Yang call out to him, he said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah...why am I here...?¡± Fat Jun rubbed at his head and suddenly shouted like he was just remembering something, ¡°Ah!¡±

    He stumbled toward Gao Yang and clutched onto him. ¡°Brother Yang! Save me! Help!¡±

    ¡°What is it? Take your time.¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know... Something¡¯s wrong with me... I was bitten...¡± Fat Jun struggled to sort out the tangled mess in his head.

    ¡°What bit you and where?¡± Gao Yang asked hurriedly. ¡°Give me the details.¡±

    ¡°Hand...my hand...¡± Fat Jun extended his right hand. ¡°Something¡¯s really wrong...¡±

    Gao Yang took a look. The hand was intact and perfectly normal.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it.¡± Wang Zikai leaned closer to take a look himself, not wanting to be left out of the loop. He scoffed and said, ¡°You must have jerked off one too many times and gave yourself a hallucination...¡±

    Before he could finish, Fat Jun¡¯s chubby hand gurgled, and a crimson red eye appeared on his palm.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Wang Zikai jumped back in shock. ¡°What is that?!¡±

    Fat Jun trembled, on the verge of breaking down. ¡°I don¡¯t know... Save me, help me...¡±

    Hit with an ominous feeling, Gao Yang hurried to back off, but Fat Jun¡¯s right hand was quicker and grabbed his neck with unusual power. Then Fat Jun¡¯s arm swole like rapidly fermenting dough, turning into a giant lump of melty flesh in a matter of seconds.

    It seemed to have a life of its own, and it gurgled as it rolled and squirmed, slowly devouring Gao Yang¡¯s head. Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel any pain, but his breath was slowly getting taken away like he was stuck in a lump of rotten, slimy aspic.

    Gao Yang took out the dagger he had hidden in his pocket and stabbed the lump of flesh¡ªnothing. The lump swallowed the dagger as well before vomiting it out with a sputter.

    Terrified, Wang Zikai bolted. ¡°Help¡ªhelp!¡±

    Gao Yang was lifted off the ground, and the fear of almost getting his head crushed by Li Weiwei returned in full force. He swung his arms around, struggling to break free, but it was all in vain.

    Fat Jun was still rooted to the spot. His giant, twisted, swollen hand refused to listen to him. He cried out, ¡°Help! Someone, anyone... What¡¯s happening to me...¡±

    When Gao Yang was going to ck out from theck of air, a familiar voice spoke up again, ¡°Stop!¡±

    It was Wang Zikai!

    He had run away for a brief moment, but gradually, he overcame his fear and turned around. He charged at Fat Jun and drop-kicked him. ¡°Let him go!¡±

    The moment his feet collided with Fat Jun¡¯s face, Fat Jun flew backward into the air, dragging the lumpy giant hand with him and causing it to let go of Gao Yang. Just when Fat Jun was going to hit the ground, the giant hand made anding first and propped him up.

    Fat Jun got back to his feet. Immediately, the giant hand lunged at Gao Yang again.

    Gao Yang was still coughing on his knees. There was not enough time for him to run.

    ¡°You son of a¡ª¡± Wang Zikai stood before Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯re not touching my brother again!¡±

    As he spoke, the muscles of his right arm swelled and burst through his sleeve, and his skin turned grayish green with a tough, sturdy texture. Under the warm yellow street light, it looked like bronze.

    <i>p!</i> Wang Zikai¡¯s bronze hand caught Fat Jun¡¯s lumpy one easily.

    The two giant monstrous hands battled for dominance, pushing against each other.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡± Veins popped from Wang Zikai¡¯s forehead, and his eyes had turned a dark green at some point. His arm kept applying more pressure and reached a staggering grip force of 1000 kilograms in only five seconds.

    The lumpy hand was no match for his bronze one. It seemed to have a mind of its own and made a soft sound of panic. It swung around, trying to break free of Wang Zikai¡¯s grip, but it was toote.

    <i>Ssh! </i>Finally, Wang Zikai¡¯s monstrous bronze hand crushed the lump of flesh, sttering light purple blood everywhere.

    When Gao Yang got to his feet, Fat Jun was already unconscious on the ground, his arm back to normal.

    Wang Zikai panted heavily, his chest heaving, and the right arm that had broken his sleeve slowly reverting back to his human one.

    Gao Yang looked at Wang Zikai from the back. His friend seemed quiet, cold. Fear shot through Gao Yang from the soles of his feet. Was his friend really a mere wanderer? Why did he sense a greater power hidden inside Wang Zikai than Li Weiwei and Auntie Ho?

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure if he should call out to Wang Zikai, or turn around and run.

    That was when Wang Zikai turned to him, eyes misty with tears threatening to break free. ¡°Gao Yang! You didn¡¯t lie to me! I¡¯ve gotten stronger!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang knew he must have a dumb look on his face right now.

    Wang Zikai rushed to him and threw his arms around him, jumping up and down. ¡°Did you see? My <i>qilin </i>arm[1]! The cultivation method you taught me is the real deal!¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s all because of your hard work...¡± Gao Yang did his best to put on a smile. Thank god this friend of his wasn¡¯t a bright one, or things would¡¯ve gotten really ugly.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± Wang Zikai was so happy that he only remembered about Fat Jun now. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this guy to turn against us. Should I kill him?¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Gao Yang stopped him. After a pause, he asked, ¡°You live in the area, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And you live alone because your parents are divorced?¡±

    ¡°Yep. So?¡±

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to your ce.¡± Gao Yang pointed at Fat Jun, who was still lying on the ground. ¡°Take him with us.¡±

    ...

    Fat Jun weighed about 90 kilograms, yet Wang Zikai was able to carry him home as swiftly as a swallow without even breathing a little heavily.

    Gao Yang noted that with surprise. Monsters were truly terrifying once awakened. He was like amb living among the wolves.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s family was ridiculously rich. His father did business in real estate, while his mother was a politician and often showed up in the news. Wang Zikai lived in a neighborhood of vis by the river where every square meter cost a fortune.

    His three-story mansion came with a parking lot, a swimming pool, a front yard garden, and a big garden area. The price was in a different league of its ownpared to regr vis.

    In the basement garage, Wang Zikai had tied Fat Jun to a chair.

    Gao Yang was going to call Qing Ling, but that would leave behind digital traces, and frequent contacts with her would only attract more attention. Besides, Wang Zikai was now powerful enough to protect him and more.

    He told Wang Zikai to fetch him water. Wang Zikai happily obliged. Seizing the moment, Gao Yang essed his system and took a look. As expected, his Luck points had increased at greater rate again during the time Fat Jun attacked him.

    He hid the system.

    Not long after, Wang Zikai returned with a bucket of water. Without waiting for Gao Yang¡¯s instruction, he poured it all over Fat Jun¡¯s head. Fat Jun woke up with a yelp.

    ¡°Where, where...am I?¡± Fat Jun¡¯s head was still muddled. ¡°Brother Yang...why did you tie me up...? What happened...?¡±

    ¡°Are you a human or a monster?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯m human! An awakener!¡± Fat Jun cried out. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that already?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. Fat Jun had a Talent and had used it to heal him. That would support him being human. However, the giant lumpy hand didn¡¯t look like the result of a human Talent at all, but a monster¡¯s form. <i>No, I have to check to be on the safe side.</i>

    ¡°Do you have that kind of film at home?¡± Gao Yang asked Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai paused. ¡°What film?¡±

    ¡°You know, <i>that</i>.¡±

    1. Inte ng to refer to a really strong arm, but it¡¯s often used when you can¡¯t suppress the urge to do something, like throwing a punch at someone, or, well, jerking off. ?

 Chapter 19: Private Screening

    <h4>Chapter 19: Private Screening</h4>

    Wang Zikai still didn¡¯t understand. Blinking, he asked, ¡°What do you mean by <i>that</i>?¡±

    ¡°I mean, when you¡¯re training your <i>qilin</i> arm...the kind of film you usually watch then,¡± Gao Yang said awkwardly.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Zikai pped himself on the thigh with an indignant look on his face. ¡°Why would I have those? I, Wang Zikai, have women lining up for me!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to y along with his antics. He rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Stop ying around. This is serious business!¡±

    Wang Zikai threw Fat Jun a nce and dragged Gao Yang out of the garage to the living room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that when there are other people around! I have a reputation to uphold!¡± Wang Zikai was a little embarrassed. ¡°Alright, whose are you asking for?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Just pick whatever.¡±

    ¡°Alright, just a sec.¡± Wang Zikai ran off.

    Gao Yang sat down on the couch and closed his eyes to clear his mind.

    After some deliberation, he decided to give Officer Huang a call. This was his jurisdiction. He coulde with an excuse of there being a burry.

    Wang Zikai had returned with his notebook. He sat down next to Gao Yang and shot him a nce before saying awkwardly, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°With what?¡±

    ¡°The private screening!¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. ¡°You misunderstand. I wasn¡¯t talking about myself.¡±

    ...

    Three minutester, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai returned to the garage in the basement.

    Fat Jun cried out, ¡°Brother Yang! Brother Kai! That wasn¡¯t me. I didn¡¯t want to hurt you... My Hand just wouldn¡¯t listen to me! Don¡¯t kill me! I swear I¡¯m not a monster! I don¡¯t wanna die...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Fat Jun,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to kill you.¡±

    Wang Zikai huffed with his nose up. ¡°Otherwise you¡¯d be dead already!¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Fat Jun settled down a little.

    ¡°Are you into men or women, Fat Jun?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°What?¡± Fat Jun thought he had heard wrong.

    Gao Yang repeated himself. ¡°Are you into men or women?¡±

    ¡°Women... What, why?¡± Fat Jun was confused. He didn¡¯t know why Gao Yang was asking him that.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang opened the notebook and clicked on a random clip before throwing Wang Zikai a nce. ¡°Go take off his pants.¡±

    Wang Zikai paused. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Just do it!¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to waste his breathing up with an excuse.

    Wang Zikai took off Fat Jun¡¯s jeans, revealing his yellow Pikachu underwear and his hairy, fat thighs.

    Gao Yang flipped the screen to Fat Jun and said, ¡°Rx and pay attention.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right...¡± Fat Jun started out nervous, but he got more and more into it after a few minutes.

    All throughout the process, Wang Zikai¡¯s expressionless face slowly morphed into a derisive smirk.

    Sensing Wang Zikai¡¯s wordless judgment, Fat Jun felt a blow to his ego and forgot to be scared, eximing, ¡°I¡¯m not in the right condition now! This isn¡¯t what usually happens!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so¡ª¡± Wang Zikai dragged out thest syble in an obnoxious way.

    <i>Bam!</i> It was then the door to the garage opened. Officer Huang entered and came to a halt immediately.

    Boy oh boy.

    Fat Jun was all tied up with his pants down.

    Gao Yang had a notebook in his hands, which was ying a video not for the underaged out loud. The room was filled with noises not to be put into words. Wang Zikai stood on the side with his arms crossed like a spectator to a fight.

    ¡°Ahem, I¡¯lle backter.¡± Officer Huang adjusted his police cap and gently closed the door.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang and Officer Huang were left in the garage with Fat Jun. Wang Zikai had been sent on an errand.

    ¡°So that was what you were doing.¡± Officer Huang had an indescribable expression on his face. ¡°Did Qing Ling teach you the way to differentiate between monsters and humans?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang lowered his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t let Wang Zikai find out.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t take it personally with that idiot, Fat Jun.¡± Gao Yang turned to Fat Jun, who was still tied up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not gonna take the words of a monster to heart.¡± Fat Jun was still a little angry. His pride had taken quite a beating earlier.

    ¡°There¡¯s only c and beer!¡± Their conversation was interrupted when Wang Zikai returned to the garage with an armful of refrigerated drinks and canned beer.

    Officer Huang took a can of c and opened it, offering it to Fat Jun.

    Fat Jun had been thirsty for a while. He craned his neck forward and took two quick gulps. He was visibly rejuvenated. Even his eyes were brighter.

    Officer Huang pulled a chair over and sat down like he was interrogating a suspect. ¡°Alright, give us the story. Take your time and don¡¯t leave out anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Fat Jun licked his lips and went over what he remembered. ¡°Didn¡¯t my hotel get burned down? The official story was that Auntie Ho was burned dead, and I was injured. Following our n, I closed down the hotel and stayed at home to recover. I didn¡¯t dare go out and had been waiting for you guys to contact me. Then yesterday at midnight, I was woken up by a strange noise...¡±

    ¡°What noise?¡± Officer Huang lit a cigarette.

    ¡°It sounded like a cat. It kept meowing while I was trying to sleep. I had enough of it and got out of bed to check the balcony. Lo and behold, there was a white cat there. It looked like a ragdoll, but a little smaller. Its ears were pricked up, and its eyes were green.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded for Fat Jun to continue.

    ¡°The white cat seemed smart. It stopped meowing when it saw me. That got me, you know. I thought someone must have lost their pet cat, so I was going to pet it on the head...¡±

    ¡°But whoa!¡± Fat Jun raised his voice. ¡°Not only did it not let me touch it, but it bit me on the finger! It was so painful that I cked out.¡±

    ¡°What then?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Then I felt like I was in a dream. It was crowded, like a metro train filled with people. Many hands were on me, touching me all over...¡±

    ¡°Why would anyone grope you?¡± Wang Zikai looked disgusted.

    ¡°I was dreaming!¡± Fat Jun protested. ¡°When I woke up, I saw Brother Yang and Brother Kai... Then my right hand went against my will and attacked Brother Yang... You know the rest.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s expression darkened.

    He walked up to give Fat Jun a few more gulps of c until the can was empty.

    Then Officer Huang threw away the can and took two steps back, pulling out his gun to aim at Fat Jun with a perfect poker face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Fat Jun.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± Fat Jun yelled in desperation. ¡°I¡¯m human! I swear! I swear... Save me, Brother Yang. Save me...¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t bear to see him killed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we observe him for a little...¡±

    <i>Bang!</i> Officer Huang pulled the trigger.

 Chapter 20: Interview

    <h4>Chapter 20: Interview</h4>

    ¡°Gah! Ahhhh...¡± Fat Jun hysterically yelled and squirmed with his fat body for about eight seconds until he settled down.

    ¡°I¡¯m...not dead?¡± Panting, Fat Jun looked down. The bullet had hit his right arm, but strangely, it wasn¡¯t bleeding. There was only a ck hole in it.

    Then his right arm began to melt and ferment until finally, it gurgled and turned into a big lump of flesh, vomiting the bullet out with a sputter.

    A few secondster, it turned back to normal.

    The other three saw all that happen.

    Officer Huang put away his gun. ¡°Your arm is a monster¡¯s, Fat Jun. ording to what I know about Talents, not one grants such strange transformation power.¡± He rubbed at his temple with his thumb and said with a frown, ¡°But you are still human at the moment.¡±

    ¡°At the moment?¡± Fat Jun slumped.

    Officer Huang sighed and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Brother Yang! Save me, Brother Yang...¡± Fat Jun was on the verge of bursting into tears. ¡°I know you won¡¯t give up on me. You saved Brother Kai too, right? You won¡¯t let me be killed, will you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll spare him for now,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Why?¡± Wang Zikai was a little disappointed. ¡°There¡¯s no use keeping him alive. Might as well kill him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not useless!¡± Fat Jun yelled. ¡°I¡¯m more useful than you! You, you...¡± In the end, he managed to swallow the word ¡®wanderer¡¯.

    Gao Yang shot him a look. ¡°The transformation of his arm must have something to do with the white cat¡¯s bite. If it spreads to other parts of his body, we can always kill him then. If it¡¯s only limited to the arm, though, Fat Jun is more valuable to us alive.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah!¡± Fat Jun jumped to defend himself, driven by his will to survive. ¡°I can heal! I¡¯m the only healer in this group! I¡¯m valuable!¡±

    Officer Huang thought for a moment. ¡°Alright. Keep him tied up. We¡¯ll observe him for a few days.¡±

    Then he turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°We¡¯ll entrust this honorable and difficult mission to you. Make sure he has enough food and water. Don¡¯t starve him.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Wang Zikai thumped himself on the chest and broke into a smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to take good care of him!¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and Officer Huang returned to the living room.

    Time flew without them noticing. It was already five o¡¯clock in the morning, and dawn was arriving. Looking out of the window, they could see the prosperous riverside. The three of them sat down on bean bags and each drinking a can of beer, watching the scintiting river slowly turn from dark blue to a soft pink under the dawning sun.

    After some discussion, Officer Huang concluded, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like Fat Jun. He isn¡¯t a monster, I don¡¯t think. At least not now.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the white cat that bit him is a monster?¡± Gao Yang wondered out loud, his head lowered. ¡°I thought monsters only pretend to be humans, but do they pretend to be animals too? And can you turn into monsters after getting bitten? Like the case with zombies?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Officer Huang shook his head. ¡°My handler told me that there are more than delusion monsters and wrath monsters in this world... What we know is but the tip of the iceberg.¡±

    Officer Huang nced at Wang Zikai.

    He had fallen asleep sinking in the beanbag and even started snoring, exhausted after being overly excited the whole night, as well as transforming partly in the earlier fight.

    ¡°Your friend...seems to be a new kind of delusion monster.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    He had noticed the difference between Wang Zikai and Old Man Liu.

    Old Man Liu ignored and filtered out any verbal information regarding monsters. As for how images of or personal experience with monsters would affect him, it was still a mystery. However, Officer Huang spected that wanderers like him would go berserk and fully transform under such stimulus.

    Wang Zikai, however, didn¡¯t filter out any information, be it verbal or visual information about monsters, or personal experience. Instead, he remembered, understood, and rationalized everything. He never thought he was a monster and believed he was human. Could it really be entirely attributed to...hisck of a functional brain?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is just a feeling of mine,¡± Officer Huang said wryly. ¡°Since meeting you, I feel like the world has been getting more and more dangerous. It¡¯s like a precarious bnce is being broken, and things are going off rail. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever felt like this since my awakening, and it¡¯s been years.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°I¡¯ve run into my fair share of awakeners.¡± Officer Huang took out a pack of cigarettes. ¡°Some are strong, some are weak, some are reckless, some are cautious, some are crazy, some are cold-blooded...¡±

    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°They all died, one way or another.¡±

    Gao Yang quietly waited for him to continue.

    ¡°There¡¯s something different about you.¡± Officer Huang nced at him. ¡°Something that sets you apart.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think you¡¯ll live for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gao Yang perked up. Honestly, he was afraid of death. Death meant losing everything. There would always be hope as long as he was alive.

    ¡°So...¡± Officer Huang lowered his voice. ¡°I think I¡¯m in great danger.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I read a lot of manga when I was young. Usually, the one who lives a long time is the protagonist, while everyone around the protagonists dies early...¡±

    Gao Yang sweated. <i>You¡¯re right, and I can¡¯t argue with you. I am different from others. First, I transmigrated into this world. Then I got a strange system when I awakened. If I am to put aside my shame, I¡¯ll call that protagonist privileges. However, it may turn out to be survivorship bias. Perhaps there are tens of thousands of transmigrators. Perhaps I¡¯m not the first, nor would I be thest.</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s mind wandered a little.

    Officer Huang got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to keep my distance from you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang was taken by surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t abandon me, Officer Huang.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Officer Huang took a drag of his cigarette and smiled cryptically. ¡°I mean we should join the organization as soon as possible. Then you¡¯ll have morepanions by your side, and statistically, the risk of me meeting an untimely demise will be lower.¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless. <i>You act more like the transmigrator, sir!</i>

    Officer Huang took out a post-it note and a pen, jotting down a time and an address quickly. ¡°Twelve o¡¯clock tonight. Come with Qing Ling. I¡¯ll take you to the interview.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gao Yang took the note.

    ...

    After a short rest at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, Gao Yang went to school.

    Wang Zikai stayed behind to keep an eye on Fat Jun and cultivated in the meantime. Due to him entering SEED modest night[1], Wang Zikai believed he was finally seeing the result of his cultivation and became highly motivated to keep cultivating. It seemed Gao Yang could keep him out of trouble a few more days with that.

    After the morning self-study, Gao Yang called Qing Ling to the rooftop and gave her a summarized version of what happenedst night. Of course, he did his best to downy Wang Zikai¡¯s contribution.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯tment on that.

    Thenter that morning, Gao Yang went to Wan Sisi, the English student assistant, to ask about a few English problems. Wan Sisi was pleasantly surprised and answered his questions enthusiastically. Afterwards, she invited Gao Yang to have lunch together, along with other ssmates, of course.

    Gao Yang epted and spent an enjoyable lunchtime with his ssmates¡ªit was enjoyable on the surface, at least. They bought the story that he had been keeping distance with them because he was too heartbroken about Li Weiwei¡¯s death.

    Nothing unusual happened in the afternoon.

    The same was true of the evening self-study.

    After that, Gao Yang and Qing Ling met up in an alleyway near the school. It had be a meeting spot for them. The moment he saw Qing Ling, Gao Yang made to take off his clothes.

    ¡°No need for that,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t disguising ourselves today?¡± Gao Yang was a little surprised.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Qing Ling took a look at the note. ¡°The address is Huangsong Street 121, Feiyang District. It¡¯s too far away and on the other side of the bridge. We can¡¯t walk there.¡±

    ¡°What then?¡±

    Qing Ling gave it some thought. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just take thest metro with a good cover story.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    They walked out of the alley. Qing Ling put her arms around Gao Yang¡¯s and rested her head on his shoulder, like a girl snuggling her boyfriend. ¡°We¡¯ll pretend to be dating and stealing time to stay together[2]. That¡¯ll rationalize our behavior.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to oppose that. Surrounded by monsters, he couldn¡¯t feel safer with a pretty and powerful bodyguard holding him.

    They took the metro and emerged in Feiyang District in Riverwest after half an hour. Then they walked for another twenty minutes or so. Qing Ling stopped at a street sellingte night snacks and bought <i>mtang</i>¡ªshe really had a thing for <i>mtang</i>!

    Huangsong Street sat in an old neighborhood waiting for renewal. The street was lined with two-story and three-story cement buildings. The storefronts had long closed. The road hadn¡¯t been maintained for a long time and was covered in bumps and holes. Many of the streemps weren¡¯t working either, and Gao Yang was sure the cameras must have all been conveniently damaged.

    They walked along the street checking the door tes. Soon, they found number 121.

    It was an unassuming ce. The rusty roller door was half open. Inside was a piece of blue fabricmon for old storefronts. The light was flickering, and the sound of fighting and explosions could be heard. Gao Yang vaguely made out the old arcade machines.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know arcades like this still exist.¡± Gao Yang loved arcades when he was young. Five cents wouldst him the whole morning. Of course, he was terrible at the games. Usually, he would stand behind the older boys and watch how they won the game with only one token. Thinking back, that could be considered the start of game streamers.

    ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go.¡± Qing Ling put on a mask.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Give me the time of a song.[3]¡±

    1. A reference to <i>Gundam</i>. SEED mode is when a person, usually a mecha pilot, exceeds their physical and mental limits. The term is then used generally to refer to someone demonstrating power beyond their limits. ?

    2. It¡¯s generally frowned upon in China for students to date before college. There¡¯s the term ¡®<i>zao lian</i>¡¯ that was coined because of that, meaning dating young when students should be focusing on studying. ?

    3. A reference to singer/songwriter Jay Chou¡¯s <i>Give Me the Time of a Song</i>. ?

 Chapter 21: Challenge

    <h4>Chapter 21: Challenge</h4>

    Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 61 Luck points.]

    It was about what Gao Yang expected. Two days were 48 hours, so normally he would have gotten 48 Luck points. Since he got a bonus when he was attacked by Fat Jun, however, he gained a little more than ten points on top of that.

    ¡ªI¡¯m going to pull for a Talent.

    [It takes 30 Luck points toprehend a new Talent. Do you confirm?]

    ¡ªYes!

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension fails.]

    ¡ªDang it! This is too much. Is it really that difficult?

    [To make another attempt atprehension, you need 30 Luck points.]

    ¡ªWhat kind of business do you run here? Forget it, put all the 31 points left in Luck.

    ¡ªI¡¯m going to an interview. Whatever I can do to make myself stronger, I¡¯ll do it.

    [Allocationpleted. Luck is now 132.]

    [Congrattions! You have acquired 20 permanent unassigned points. You may allocate them as you wish.]

    ¡ªPut them all in Luck.

    [You are prohibited from exploiting the loophole.]

    ¡ªFine. Let me think. Then I¡¯ll put it all in Charisma.

    [You are adding 20 points to Charisma. Do you confirm?]

    ¡ªYes. It¡¯s just 20 points. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll help much if I put them in other stats. Might as well leave a better first impression.

    [Constitution: 27 Endurance: 28]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

    [Willpower: 37 Charisma: 39]

    [Luck: 132]

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and turned to Qing Ling. ¡°Do I look different?¡±

    Qing Ling looked over at him. ¡°No.¡±

    Gao Yang insisted, ¡°Take a closer look. There should be a difference. Do my eyes look sharper? Or maybe my facial features are more sculpted, or my skin fairer...¡±

    ¡°Your skin has gotten thicker,¡± said Qing Ling.

    <i>She has no taste. Fine. Let her be.</i>

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and straightened his cors before striding into the arcade.

    It was about 20 square meters big with two lines of old arcade machines by the walls. On the screens, colorfulmercials were ying, casting the dim room in old-fashioned technicolors. The fan above their head spinned slowly, squeaking every so often.

    A young man sat in a corner of the room, focusing solely on his game.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling exchanged a look. Then he walked up to the man and said, ¡°Hello, we¡¯re here for the interview.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t spare them any attention, nor did he be hostile.

    Gao Yang walked closer. The man was ying Knights of Valour[1]. He picked Zhuge Liang as his character and was exploiting a bug with an ice sword, freezing the boss Cao Cao again and again without pause.

    <i>Youth these days don¡¯t know to respect the code of honor.</i>

    The man was built a little short and thin. He was dressed in leather from top to bottom, and the clothes were covered in rivets. His hair was shaved on the sides with the middle part sticking up, dyed into a bright yellow. It was the ssic broom head.

    His chest, nape, and arms were all covered in tattoos of a myriad of strange shapes. One of them was a pig head in the shape of a hairdryer[2]. That one Gao Yang did recognize.

    ¡°Gah¡ª¡±

    From the arcade machine came Cao Cao¡¯s scream. His hit points had been drainedpletely. The man beat the game.

    He remained seated as he nced up at Gao Yang and said, ¡°Here for the interview? <i>You</i>?¡±

    Gao Yang felt a little dejected. <i>I just added 20 points to my Charisma</i>, he thought. <i>Shouldn''t I get some respect?</i>

    ¡°And me,¡± Qing Ling said.

    The young man leaned over and looked behind Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. When he saw Qing Ling, he immediately perked up.

    ¡°Whoa, a prettydy!¡± He shot to his feet and wiped a hand through his broom head with dramatic aplomb. ¡°So it¡¯s you two?¡±

    ¡°And me.¡± Officer Huang lifted the blue cloth and walked in. ¡°Sorry for beingte. You haven¡¯t gotten started, have you?¡±

    ¡°We just got here,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Officer Huang was respectful to the broom head man. ¡°Let me introduce you. This is our interviewer tonight, Mr. Wu Dahai.¡±

    The man put his hands in his pockets and put on airs. ¡°Just call me Brother Hai.¡±

    ¡°They arepanions I¡¯ve met recently, Gao Yang and Qing Ling.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°I failed the challengest time. It¡¯s okay if I try it again with my twopanions, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but you¡¯re not bothering me for a month if you fail again tonight.¡± Wu Dahai sounded arrogant.

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± Qing Ling raised her hand, and a Tang Dao appeared in her grip.

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s something! And it can be hidden!¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°This didn¡¯t belong to you, did it? Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°None of your business.¡± Qing Ling got into a fighting position.

    ¡°Pretty girls have the right to be dismissive!¡± Unfazed, Wu Dahaizily picked at his ear. ¡°Who among you are taking me on first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it first,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do three challenges as per usual!¡± Wu Dahai opened his arms. ¡°Pick what you want. You pass as long as you can win all three times.¡±

    ¡°Pick what?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    Officer Huang smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you, did I? The test is the arcade games. Pick three machines and win, and we¡¯ll pass. I¡¯ve tried many times, but I always lost to him in the end. You young people should be better at games. We have a good chance of winning.¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless. ¡°When you said you were too weak, Officer Huang, you meant ying games?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned, confused. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just cut this idiot down?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...cut me down?¡± Wu Dahaiughed until he was breathless. ¡°You don¡¯t know what power is,dy! I¡¯m giving you a chance here! Don¡¯t p the hand that offers you a great deal! If we¡¯re gonna fight for real...¡±

    He raised his voice and continued, ¡°I can¡¯t even defeat any of you one-on-one, let alone all three of you together!¡±

    Gao Yang felt the urge to facepalm. He sure was speaking the lines of the wimpiestckey in the haughtiest tone.

    Wu Dahai seemed proud of himself. ¡°Hmph, my Talent doesn¡¯t lie inbat. Of course I can¡¯t defeat you. If you darey a finger on me, however, there is no shortage of big fish in the organization who will take care of you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯re all awakeners. We should be getting along rather than fighting among ourselves.¡± Officer Huang stepped in to defuse the tension. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. I picked the fighter jet game.¡±

    He walked to a machine and sat down, inserting a coin. Wu Dahai did the same.

    Gao Yang approached them. It was the first generation <i>Strikers 1945</i>.

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s nightmare from childhood. One coin neversted more than a few minutes. He hated shoot¡¯em ups.

    Officer Huang and Wu Dahai each picked a fighter jet before entering the same game.

    ¡°As usual, although we each have three lives, we only count the first in this match. No bombs permitted. Whoever dies first loses.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The match started.

    The first stage was on the easy side. There weren¡¯t many bullets on the screen, and both of them passed it without difficulty while acquiring the best weapons.

    Into the second stage, the bullets on the screen became much denser. Prohibited from clearing the screen with bombs, they could only rely on regr attacks. Under the pressure, they both shed around the screen swiftly to dodge the bullets.

    Once they got to the third stage, it was clear that the two were getting really into it.

    With his God of Firearms, Officer Huang should have an advantage in shooting games like this. His fingers moved quickly, but he wasposed and calm.

    When they encountered the boss, Officer Huang gave up on attacking altogether. His n was obvious: he was waiting for the stage boss to kill Wu Dahai for him with all the bullets on the screen.

    Wu Dahai was agile as well, but he was getting agitated. He kept shooting at the stage boss while flying around.

    Officer Huang focused on dodging alone with a hand on the joystick and a hand holding a cigarette.

    Perfect flex. Gao Yang would give that a full score.

    Amid the countless flying bullets, Wu Dahai¡¯s jet got shot down in the end. Officer Huang let go of the joystick. His jet was shot down in an instant¡ªhe survived for a second longer than Wu Dahai.

    ¡°Good game,¡± he said as he stood up.

    ¡°Hmph, this is the only one you¡¯re good at.¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s chin remained high. ¡°Next one. Come on.¡±

    ¡°You two should give it a go,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°But you yed well,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve challenged him in everything.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°Other than the shooting game, I lost terribly in everything else.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Wu Dahai asked.

    Gao Yang shared a look with Qing Ling. In her characteristic cool voice, she said, ¡°I am.¡±

    1. A 1999 Taiwanese game based off of <i>Romance of the Three Kingdoms.</i> ?

    2. You may have guessed. It¡¯s Peppa Pig. ?

 Chapter 22: Samurai Shodown

    <h4>Chapter 22: Samurai Shodown</h4>

    Qing Ling looked around and quickly made a decision. ¡°This one.¡±

    ¡°<i>Samurai Shodown</i>? Alright!¡± Wu Dahai sat down before the machine eagerly.

    The stool was too short for Qing Ling¡¯s long legs. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs in, cing her heels on the edge of the seat and resting her chin on her knees. If her expression wasn¡¯t so icy, she would lookzy and adorable in that posture.

    ¡°Have you yed the game before?¡± Wu Dahai asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Qing Ling put a hand around the joystick and seemed lost about what to do with the four buttons on the right. She didn¡¯t even know how to pick a character after inserting a coin.

    Wu Dahai was patient with a pretty girl. ¡°Use this to move in different directions. Choose your character this way... Yeah, just pick the one you like and press A.¡±

    Qing Ling picked the first character uncaringly.

    ¡°Haohmaru! Good choice!¡± Wu Dahai smiled with his whole face. ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick Tachibana Ukyo!¡±

    Once they had selected their characters, the match started.

    Under Wu Dahai¡¯s control, Tachibana made a sh at Haohmaru. With a meleebo, he knocked Haohmaru down on his back, and when Haohmaru stood up, Tachibana was already in his space.

    ¡°Fatal Reprobacy!¡±

    ¡°Secret Sword! Light Snowfall!¡±

    On the screen, Tachibana made a flurry ofbos until Haohmaru copsed to the ground with a cry, his hit points exhausted. Qing Ling hadn¡¯t even managed to get an attack in.

    Although Wu Dahai had killed Qing Ling without losing any blood, he didn¡¯t feel much sense of satisfaction.

    Best two out of three won.

    Then the second matchmenced. Wu Dahai didn¡¯t rush in for an attack, but instead started to teach Qing Ling patiently. ¡°A is Light sh, try it?¡±

    Qing Ling pressed the button. Haohmaru made a quick sh and hit Tachibana.

    ¡°B is Medium sh, try it.¡±

    Qing Ling did as he said. Haohmaru made a sh at medium speed, pushing Tachibana two steps back.

    ¡°A and B together is Heavy sh.¡±

    Qing Ling pressed the buttons together. Haohmaru made a powerful sh at a much slower speed, knocking Tachibana to the ground.

    ¡°C is Light Kick, D is Heavy Kick, and C and D together is Heavy Kick as well.¡±

    For a newbie who had never yed the game, Qing Ling was a quick learner. She repeated the moves in quick session.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡± Wu Dahai started controlling his character.

    Ten secondster, Haohmaru lost. Qing Ling did make improvements though. At least Haohmaru put up a fight and dealt some damage to Tachibana.

    ¡°Best two out of three. You lost.¡± Wu Dahai got to his feet.

    ¡°Again,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Wait til next month.¡±

    ¡°<i>Again</i>,¡± Qing Ling repeated, her eyes burning with fighting spirit.

    After a moment of hesitation, Wu Dahai said, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do it again.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you made an exception just like that?¡± Officer Huang wasn¡¯t sure whether he should be d or hurt. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t make any exception no matter how I begged you before.¡±

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t. What good would I get out of making exceptions for an old man like you?¡± Wu Dahai then turned to Qing Ling with a demanding look. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another chance, but I want to touch your hand.¡±

    Qing Ling looked puzzled. ¡°Why?¡±

    Wu Dahai cackled. ¡°To be honest with you, I have never touched a girl¡¯s hand my whole life¡ªI mean human girls. Monsters don¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Of course there is! I¡¯m not interested in monsters! The women in the organization are stingy. They refuse to let me touch them. I don¡¯t get it. They aren¡¯t losing anything!¡±

    Gao Yang had never met someone who was so open about their depravity. He wasn¡¯t sure where to even begin if he was to roast the man.

    After some consideration, Qing Ling offered, ¡°We¡¯ll start over. If I lose again, I¡¯ll let you touch my hand.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Deal!¡± Wu Dahai didn¡¯t expect Qing Ling to agree to the condition so easily. He was confident he was going to win!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Wu Dahai sat back down and inserted a coin. The two chose the same characters as thest round, Haohmaru and Tachibana.

    Wu Dahai felt like a pro abusing a newbie. The victory didn¡¯t seem fair. Thus he offered to teach Qing Ling again. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the movesets...¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s enough.¡± Qing Ling turned him down.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m gonna go all in.¡± This time, Wu Dahai didn¡¯t pull his punches and yed even more ferociously than in the previous match.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t sit around and do nothing, but instead kept guarding against his attacks.

    Guarding was anything but simple in a fighting game. Guarding while standing wouldn¡¯t be effective against a kick made while crouching. And guarding while crouching wouldn¡¯t be effective against a sh made while jumping. It required quick adjustments ording to the opponent¡¯s move.

    For the whole match, Qing Ling did nothing but guard.

    While she was getting very good at alternating between the two guarding positions, her hit points would still go steadily down with her never taking the offensive. And if she let the opponent get close, her guard could be broken by a melee skill.

    Qing Ling lost the match.

    She was still calm.

    In the second match, she started to attack.

    She used no moves orbos¡ªshe didn¡¯t even know how to. She simply stayed where she was and guarded when the opponent made a frontal attack. When the opponent got close, she knocked him away with quick Light shes by smashing A, and when the other made a jump sh, she blocked it with Medium sh on B.

    With the right timing, the two types of shes could block off any melee attacks and jump shes. And even when that wasn¡¯t possible, the shes could at least damage the opponent so that the loss of hit points wasn¡¯t one-sided.

    However, Wu Dahai was an experienced yer. Once he found an opening and got close, he quickly broke Qing Ling¡¯s guard and made abo, cutting down half of her hit points.

    To no one¡¯s surprise, Qing Ling lost again.

    ¡°You lost!¡± Wu Dahai jumped to his feet, his eyes fixed on Qing Ling. ¡°I want to touch your hand!¡±

    Qing Ling stood up and offered her hand.

    Wu Dahai was surprised by herck of hesitation.

    Midair, his hand stopped before pulling back.

    Suddenly, his lips twisted into a leering smile dripping with desires. ¡°How about this? I¡¯m not touching your hand, and I¡¯ll give you another chance! But I wanna touch your boobs. Let me do that, and we¡¯ll have our rematch!¡±

    Qing Ling seemed to be thinking, her expression impassive.

    ¡°Enough. We¡¯ll try next time.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but step in. If his sister had been the one getting harassed like this, he would have thrown a punch at the man already. However, he had no right to interfere with Qing Ling¡¯s decision. The most he could do was put in a word or two.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s always a winner and a loser.¡± Officer Huang chimed in as well. ¡°I¡¯ve been a cop for more than a decade, and I¡¯ve seen my share of girls going down the wrong path. Qing Ling, this...isn¡¯t worth it. It¡¯s really not.¡±

    Fueled with her desire to win, Qing Ling ignored both of them and said to Wu Dahai, ¡°Deal.¡±

 Chapter 23: Wrong Move

    <h4>Chapter 23: Wrong Move</h4>

    Wu Dahai stared at Qing Ling. The colorful light of the arcade machines cast on her beautiful and aloof face. She didn¡¯t seem to be ying coy, nor did she seem humiliated. She simply didn¡¯t care.

    This woman sure was something else!

    His gaze dragged slowly down from her face to her fair neck, finally stopping at the curves covered by her white uniform. She was voluptuous under the fabric, her body filling her shirt and straining against the second button. Looking closely, he could even see the impression of the undergarment.

    <i>A human girl¡¯s boobs! The boobs of a pretty eighteen-year-old girl with a nice body!</i>

    Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t help but gulp¡ªhe wasn¡¯t dreaming!

    The two men by the girl¡¯s side red at him with hostility. He knew they were looking down on him with disgust, perhaps even envy, and he knew he was acting like a horny old man, but at this moment, he was proud of being one!

    With nervousness and awe, Wu Dahai slowly reached out... Soon, he would be in heaven and savor the greatest happiness in the world.

    Then a fist mmed into his nose and sent him staggering back with a cry.

    The punch was quickly followed by a kick to his lower abdomen from Qing Ling¡¯s long leg. Wu Dahai felt his stomach twisted in pain. His legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees.

    Qing Ling red at Wu Daihai as he knelt at her feet, still fuming with anger.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, bastard?¡± She grabbed him by the hair. ¡°You got a death wish?¡±

    Wu Dahai was bbergasted. ¡°Wait! You gave me permission to touch...¡±

    ¡°Touch what?¡± demanded Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang realized then that Qing Ling¡¯s other personality hade out. Little Qing Ling hated men. Of course she wouldn¡¯t let Wu Dahaiy a hand on her.

    Wu Dahai felt wronged. ¡°Touch...your breast.¡±

    ¡°A worm like you?! Eat shit!¡± Qing Ling mmed her knee into his head with a loud thud, sending him flying into a few chairs and knocking them down.

    Gao Yang was enjoying the show, but seeing that things were getting out of control, he quickly grabbed her to prevent a homicide from happening.

    ¡°Let¡¯s drop it, Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Qing Ling made to p him, but having foreseen thating, Gao Yang leaned back to dodge her hand.

    ¡°You maggots! Why did you bring me here?!¡±

    Qing Ling had been yelling when her body suddenly froze, and her eyes reverted back to her usually icy calmness.

    She turned to the nervous-looking Gao Yang before looking down at Wu Dahai as he groaned in pain on the floor. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Your sister showed up,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling furrowed her brows slightly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°Continue my ass!¡± Wu Dahai got up with Officer Huang¡¯s help. Holding his bleeding nose, he raged, ¡°You women change moods as quickly as flipping a book!¡±

    ¡°There was an ident,¡± exined Qing Ling.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve just told me if you didn¡¯t want me to touch you! I didn¡¯t force you or anything!¡± Wu Dahai was still angry. ¡°Don¡¯t think you get a free pass just because you¡¯re a pretty girl! Hit me again, and I¡¯ll fight back!¡±

    Qing Ling considered it for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll have another go. If you win again this time, I¡¯ll have these two tie me up. Then there will be no ident.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned. <i>Aren¡¯t you a little too harsh on yourself? That¡¯s called a gambling addiction!</i>

    Still, Gao Yang believed that Little Qing Ling woulde out to break the deal once more even if Qing Ling lost.

    Over the years, Qing Ling had been protecting her weak sister in matters of life and death, but in situations like this, Little Qing Ling must have been protecting her extreme sister as well.

    They were two sides of the same coin after all.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang exchanged a look. They decided to step back for the moment and see how things went.

    Wu Dahai¡¯s anger deted at once. He decided to believe her story. At the end of the day, he had taken a beating already. Worst-case scenario, he would get another, but what if he seeded? Dying for a pretty girl would be a worthy death!

    He stared at Qing Ling. ¡°You meant it?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Wu Dahai roughly wiped away the blooding from his nose and sat back down at the machine.

    Qing Ling had much more experience now. Without even a pause, she sat down, inserted a coin, and picked her character.

    Again, it was a duel between Haohmaru and Tachibana.

    Wu Dahai¡¯s Tachibana dove into attacking immediately, while Qing Ling limited herself to four moves: stand guarding, crouch guarding, Light shes with A, and Medium shes with B.

    But this time, she made no mistake, and her reaction was so quick it could only be measured in milliseconds.

    Wu Dahai pulled every trick up his sleeves, but it felt like he was fighting against an emotionless machine. No matter what move he made, his opponent always countered it with the best response.

    Guard, parry, or mutual damage.

    Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand, and his hit points were always a little short of Qing Ling¡¯s. The match ended with neither fighter dead, but Qing Ling won with a little more hit points.

    Wu Dahai realized what Qing Ling¡¯s strategy was.

    The second match, he didn¡¯t initiate an attack and waited for her to attack first. However, Qing Ling remained unmoving too. Wu Dahai had already lost the first game. Getting a deuce would mean his loss.

    Wu Dahai grew impatient. At the halfway point of the match, he sprang into action and attacked. However, that got him swept into Qing Ling¡¯s momentum again, and the match ended the same way. No death, with Qing Ling having more hit points left.

    The best two out of three won. It was Qing Ling¡¯s victory.

    Gao Yang had thought that Wu Dahai would lose his temper for getting a beating for nothing, but instead, the man stood up after a brief pause and swept his hair with two hands. ¡°You won.¡±

    Pleased, Qing Ling stood up. ¡°It¡¯s interesting, the game.¡±

    ¡°Do I still get to touch you?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t win.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s expression never changed.

    ¡°Alright. A deal is a deal.¡±

    Wu Dahai took the loss in stride. He then turned to Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯re up for thest game?¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Officer Huang, who shrugged and spread his hands to indicate that he wouldn¡¯t be of help. Then Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling. She left the arcade after saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to calm my sister down.¡±

    <i>That makes me the main character</i>, Gao Yang thought self-deprecatingly. <i>Up for the grand finale.</i>

    He looked around the arcade. The remaining machines were for <i>The King of Fighters ''97, Cadics and Dinosaurs, Denjin Makai 2, Knights of Valour, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Metal Slug, Hook, and Snow Bros.</i>

    Although he had yed all of them when he was young, he wasn¡¯t good at any. After giving it a good thought, he pointed at the slot machine in the corner. ¡°How about that?¡±

    After a pause, Wu Dahai gave him a look of disbelief. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    He couldn¡¯t win with skill. Then he would count on his luck.

    ¡°Uh-oh.¡± Officer Huang seemed to be recalling an unpleasant memory and pressed a hand to his forehead.

    Smirking, Wu Dahai patted Gao Yang on the shoulder with pity.

    ¡°Wrong move, buddy.¡±

 Chapter 24: Big, Big, Big

    <h4>Chapter 24: Big, Big, Big</h4>

    Wu Dahai confidently ran his hand through his broom head and sauntered toward the slot machine, like he was making a grand entrance into the ring.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have ten coins each, so that¡¯s 10 points in total. The match ends after five minutes. You¡¯ll be keeping time, Old Huang. Don¡¯t call the end even a secondter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Officer Huang took out his phone and opened the timer.

    ¡°The rule is simple. Whoever gets the higher score after five minutes wins.¡± Wu Dahai turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Any question?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it first!¡± Wu Dahai sat down before the slot machine and inserted 10 coins quickly before starting the game.

    Gao Yang stood behind Wu Dahai and watched over his shoulder, recalling his memory of watching other people y when he was a child and brushing up on his knowledge of the game.

    The slot machine was the mostmonce type. There were eight bonuses in total: apple (times 5), orange (times 10), papaya (times 15), bell (times 20), watermelon (times 20), double stars (times 30), double sevens (times 40), and BAR (times 100).

    The greater bonuses had a lower chance of appearing with BAR being the rarest. It might not show up even after 100 games. Apples, oranges, and papayas were easier to get, but the bonuses were lower.

    Wu Dahai started out with 10 points. He spent 3 points in total, betting 1 on apple, orange, and papaya each.

    Five secondster, he got apple and earned 5 points, umting 12 points in total.

    For the second round, he bet 2 points each on orange, papaya, and bell.

    Five secondster, he got orange, gaining 20 points with an umted score of 26.

    ...

    The first eight rounds or so, Wu Dahai umted more than 80 points by betting low on several symbols. He had lost a few rounds in the process, but in general, his score was on an upward trajectory.

    Wu Dahai was quite pleased with himself. ¡°Although slot machines are a game of luck, there are patterns to follow. Nothing is ever truly random. I may not be able to put it into words, but after ying tens of thousands of games, you¡¯ll get a sort of intuition for it. Generally, I have a one out of three chance of predicting the right result.¡±

    ¡°What is that called again...¡± Wu Dahai boasted as he ced bets. ¡°As long as you know the <i>Three Hundred Dang Poems</i>, you¡¯ll be able to recite some, if not write a poem yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s <i>Tang</i>, not <i>Dang</i>,¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but correct him.

    Exposed, Wu Dahai turned around to shoot him a re.

    ¡°One minute left,¡± Officer Huang reminded him.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough!¡±

    Wu Dahai closed his eyes and muttered, ¡°I can feel double sevens calling out to me!¡±

    He bet 20 points on double seven the moment he opened his eyes.

    But he ended up getting papayas.

    Surprisingly, Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t fazed by the unexpected result at all and bet 20 points on double sevens again.

    He got watermelons.

    Now he only had a little more than 40 points left, yet he made the same bet without hesitation.

    The result came. He got double sevens!

    The slot machine flickered red light in celebration, and an electrifying jingle echoed in the room, along with a monotone robotic voice going, ¡°Congrats! Congrats! Congrats!¡±

    40 times 20 is 800!

    His total coin-out counts skyrocketed to 820!

    Wu Dahai stood up and stretched. He still had another 30 seconds, but he decided to stop it here.

    ¡°Time¡¯s up,¡± Officer Huang announced.

    In the end, Wu Dahai¡¯s score was 820.

    After a minute, the slot machine reset. It was now Gao Yang¡¯s turn. Having thought about it for a moment, he took a deep breath and started betting.

    In the beginning, he adopted Wu Dahai¡¯s strategy and ced small bets on apple, papaya, and orange. Like a diligent farmer, he focused on tending to his field. In three minutes, he umted 61 points, but there was still a great gap between his score and Wu Dahai¡¯s 820.

    Then it was time to make bigger bets. However, Gao Yang had no idea what he should do. He was unfamiliar with double stars, double sevens, or BAR.

    Finally, he took the risk to bet on BAR!

    He had 6 chances to make a 10-point bet. As long as he got it once, he would earn 1000 points!

    <i>Isn¡¯t my Talent Lucky? Perhaps I can really get it!</i>

    Gao Yang betted 10 points on BAR.

    Wu Dahai scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself, buddy! You¡¯ve only yed a few rounds, and you want BAR to show up? Most of the time I didn¡¯t get it even when I yed through the night!¡±

    <i>Tick, tick, tick, beep¡ªclick!</i>

    As expected, he didn¡¯t get the result he wanted.

    Gao Yang betted another 10 points.

    Five secondster, his bet went down the drain again.

    ...

    Soon, Gao Yang was on hisst chance. Something told him that fortune was within his reach, and he pushed the button with full force!

    <i>Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, beep¡ª</i>

    Hope rose in Gao Yang¡¯s heart. The result came two secondster than in the previous round.

    <i>Tick!</i>

    But yet again, he was far from getting BAR.

    ¡°Hahahaha, you missed it... You lost!¡± Wu Dahaiughed at his failure. ¡°You¡¯ll need ten thousand years to get good enough to beat me at slots, buddy! You have a chance at other games if you put your mind into practicing. Come again next month.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at his current score: 1.

    It wasn¡¯t time to give up.

    ¡°How long do I have?¡± Gao Yang turned around and asked.

    Officer Huang checked his phone. ¡°30 seconds, 29 seconds...¡±

    Gao Yang scanned the slot machine and zeroed in on the buttons for betting Big and Small.

    To hell with it!

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and smashed the Big button 10 times.

    <i>Ding, ding, ding, ding...</i>

    His score jumped from 1 to 2, 2 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 16...and finally to 624!

    It took less than 10 seconds.

    Wu Dahai was stunned. Very few slot yers would ever bet on Big or Small. Winning would double your score, but losing even once would clear your scorepletely.

    It might seem like a tempting option, but it was the surest way to lose. When the score was high, in particr, betting on either Big or Small would most likely lose you all your points.

    Yet Gao Yang dared to bet on Big for ten times in a row and actually won every time! What kind of luck was that? He should be buying the lottery!

    With a pounding heart, Officer Huang called out, ¡°Eight seconds left!¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked himself. Was this his Talent¡¯s doing? Be it so or not, he would do it again!

    Suppressing the tremor of his arm, Gao Yang mmed on Big!

    <i>Ding!</i>

    His score jumped from 624 to 1248!

    He did it!

    ¡°Time¡¯s up!¡±

    Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He had never seen anything like this in his whole life ying slots. Was there something wrong with this machine? He walked up to it and pushed the Big button again.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    The score dropped back to zero.

    Wu Dahai admitted defeat. This was what real luck looked like.

    ¡°You¡¯ve won,¡± he said. ¡°You passed the test.¡±

    Officer Huang couldn¡¯t be happier. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been easy. Finally, I¡¯m able to join the organization after half a year.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Wu Dahai interjected. ¡°That¡¯s not the case. This is only the first test. There¡¯s a second one.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Officer Huang was surprised. ¡°Another?¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised. What kind of organization recruited awakeners based on their ability in ying games? They weren¡¯t recruiting gamers topete in e-sport tournaments here.

    ¡°You don¡¯t really think winning games is all it takes to join us, do you, Old Huang? The first test is merely the appetizer. Now we¡¯re getting to the main course.¡±

    Wu Dahai snapped his fingers. At once, all the machines in the arcade turned off, along with the ceiling fan.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang exchanged a look in the dark without a word.

    Wu Dahai was more than what meeted the eyes¡ªhe was most likely someone with a Talent rted to electricity, and in most fictional stories, including games, movies, and TV shows, those who manipted electricity were not to be trifled with.

    The man was indeed something else. He had been ying a pig to prey on a tiger with newbies like them. If he fought Qing Ling for real, Qing Ling might not be his match.

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s move this elsewhere.¡±

    With his hands in his pockets, Wu Dahai sauntered out of the arcade.

 Chapter 25: Old Man Zhang

    <h4>Chapter 25: Old Man Zhang</h4>

    Gao Yang, Officer Huang, and Wu Dahai lifted the blue fabric and walked out of the arcade.

    Wu Dahai reached up to pull the roller gate down as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t resent me, Old Huang. I¡¯m merely a cog in the organization. The rules are made by the higher-ups.¡±

    Meanwhile, Qing Ling had been standing silently outside the arcade.

    ¡°Qing Ling? Or Little Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang asked tentatively.

    ¡°Qing Ling.¡± She turned to him. ¡°You won?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°But it¡¯s just a warm-up. There¡¯s a second test.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Thought so.¡±

    ¡°So I was the only one naive enough to believe I only have to win the games?¡± Officer Huang felt a pang of embarrassment.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t actually matter whether you¡¯re good at the games or not. I¡¯m mainly testing your patience while observing your character at the same time. Power isn¡¯t the only metric for whether you get to join our organization.¡± Wu Dahai proudly rubbed his nose.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve passed the character evaluation, is it time to test our strength?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Right on. We don¡¯t allow dead weights into our fold. Those whose Talents are outside the top 100 in serial number are not in our consideration.¡±

    <i>Might as well spell my name</i>, Gao Yang thought weakly. It seemed he would have to try to cover his Talent up. If it didn¡¯t work, it would be fine for Qing Ling and Officer Huang to join first. He could umte Luck points over time and save up enough to finallyprehend a new Talent. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to join then.

    ¡°May I take this?¡± An old and husky voice came from not far away.

    Gao Yang nced sideways and saw an old man dressed in tattered clothes. On his hunched back was a dirty trash bin, and he was holding a pair of tongs.

    Standing beside Officer Huang¡¯s patrol car, the old man pointed at the empty c can on the hood with his tongs. ¡°May I have this if you don¡¯t want it?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Oh, sure. No problem.¡± Officer Huang helpfully walked up to his car and drained the remaining c from the can before crushing it, throwing it into the trash bin on the old man¡¯s back.

    ¡°Hoho, young men sure are strong.¡± The old man¡¯s wrinkled face arranged into an amicable smile.

    ¡°Of course. I graduated from the police academy. I¡¯ve been training every day.¡± Officer Huang took out a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. ¡°Want one, sir?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± The old man¡¯s muddled eyes glinted for a moment.

    Like he had done this a thousand times, Officer Huang took out a cigarette and put it between the old man¡¯s lips before lighting it up.

    ¡°Hm...pretty good.¡± The old man took a drag and savored it. Without saying thanks, he slowly turned around and walked away.

    All four of them watched the old man go.

    ¡°Picking up trash even at such an old age,¡± Officer Huang said sympathetically. ¡°Life hasn¡¯t been treating him well.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that if you¡¯ve seen how he was when he was young.¡± Wu Dahai scoffed. ¡°I grew up in this neighborhood. Every kid on the street was afraid of him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°He was a butcher, a violent man. He resented his wife for not giving birth to a son and beat her up every day. She ended up in the hospital many times. Then finally, his wife couldn¡¯t take it anymore and killed herself by drinking pesticide. That day, their daughter had just finished her college entrance exams. His wife only endured until then because she didn¡¯t want her death to impact her daughter¡¯s performance.¡±

    None of them knew what to say.

    ¡°His daughter cut ties with him once she entered college and never came back. After his wife¡¯s death, Old Man Zhang didn¡¯t know what to do with himself. He stopped butchering pigs after some time and spent his days drinking. Losing the rity of his mind, he then got into gambling and lost his house. He has been living on welfare and picking trash since then.¡±

    Wu Dahai lost all his frivolousness, his eyes darkening. ¡°All his life, he looks least like a man now, but I think he acts most like one.¡±

    Wu Dahai scoffed. ¡°Of course, he¡¯s actually a monster.¡±

    ¡°Lower your voice,¡± Officer Huang reminded him. ¡°He¡¯s not far enough to not hear it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s a wanderer. He¡¯d filter it out even if he heard me.¡±

    ¡°He fell,¡± Qing Ling interjected.

    Wu Dahai turned around. Old Man Zhang had fallen to the ground.

    ¡°Old Man Zhang?¡± Wu Dahai quickly walked up to him. ¡°You alright?¡±

    The cool breeze of night swept over them. Gao Yang looked at the old man lying prone on the ground. Something felt wrong to him. He couldn¡¯t put his feelings into words, but it seemed to be an rm sounded by his instincts, honed by his now keener senses.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang called out to Wu Dahai. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    Wu Dahai was less than three meters away from the old man when he stopped. ¡°What?¡±

    The next second, everyone other than Wu Dahai saw it¡ªOld Man Zhang got up!

    He didn¡¯t crawl up to his feet like a regr human would; instead, his stiff body seemed to defy gravity as an invisible force propped him up.

    Qing Ling conjured her long sword, while Officer Huang unholstered his gun.

    Gao Yang quickly backed away. He knew he was useless in fights at the moment, and the best thing he could do for the team was not drag them down.

    Their actions told Wu Dahai that something was wrong. He quickly whirled around and saw Old Man Zhang standing with his limbs stiff and his neck bent at an unnatural angle, like a chopstick with the tip broken. His mouth twitched quickly as white foam came out. Slurring, he kept repeating, ¡°Human, human, humanhumanhuman...¡±

    Suddenly, his skin melted at once like an invisible fire was burning all over him. Vapor of blood burst out as his bloody muscle tissues became exposed. At the same time, his body shook madly, and clumps of blood burst out.

    Old Man Zhang went from groaning in pain to howling fervently, ¡°Human! Human! Human!¡± His chest swelled up at a terrifying speed with his rib cage breaking through his flesh. It then opened wide to the sides like the mouth of a cannibalistic flower. Within his chest was a repulsive lump of flesh covered in human facial organs.

    To put it into words, it looked like the result of someone wrapping countless eyes, mouths, ears, and noses in thickyers of stic before melting everything in an oven.

    The lump of flesh slowly bloomed like a flower bud.

    Old Man Zhang¡¯s upper body became the stem propping the flower bud up, while his lower body corroded and melted to be roots burying into the ground.

    In only half a second, Old Man Zhang had transformed from a man to a twisted, bloody cannibalistic flower.

    ¡°What monster is that?¡± Qing Ling frowned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Officer Huang lowered his voice.

    ¡°Kill him?¡± asked Qing Ling. ¡°Or run?¡±

    ¡°Run. It doesn¡¯t seem like he can chase after us, and he¡¯s lost his intelligence...¡± Before Officer Huang could even finish, Old Man Zhang¡¯srge intestine splitted into several bloody vines of flesh, one of which swung toward Wu Dahai like a whip.

    Wu Dahai jumped and turned to run, but the vine wrapped around his ankle and yanked, making him fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Piss off, I said piss off...¡± Wu Dahai struggled on the ground, reaching out with both hands to find anything to grab onto, but to no avail.

    He was so close to getting yanked to the feet of what had been Old Man Zhang and bing the monster¡¯s food.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    A bullet broke the vine wrapping around Wu Dahai¡¯s ankle.

    It sputtered a mist of blood and retreated. The severed part of the vine let go of Wu Dahai as well before slithering back to Old Man Zhang¡¯s body like an agile snake, bing one with the monster again.

    It took no time for the broken vine to regenerate.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh¡ª</i>

    This time, three vines flew toward Wu Dahai at once.

 Chapter 26: Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 26: Struggle</h4>

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    A fierce, mesmerizing sh shed across Wu Dahai¡¯s vision. The three vines grabbing at him were cut at once. Stters of blood permeated the air, glowing faintly of gold under the streetlight. Like a champion descending from heaven, the tall uniformed girl stood between him and Old Man Zhang with her hand holding her weapon in a reverse grip, her hair flying and her long legs straining.

    Wu Dahai stared at her, his fear forgotten for a moment. His heart had never pounded so hard.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t even spare him a nce. Instead, her eyes were focused on the enemy.

    ¡°Right...right.¡± Wu Dahai came back to his senses and stumbled away, but not without warning Qing Ling, ¡°Pretty girl...be careful...¡±

    Old Man Zhang had turned into a hybrid monster of nts and animals. The facial organs on the flower bud gurgled with dripping pus and blood foams while it screamed with hunger and rage, ¡°Human! Human! Human!¡±

    Instead of rushing to attack, the vines at its feet wrapped around its body and tightened inch by inch like a meat grinder.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t put the disgusting picture it painted into words. In less than ten seconds, the air was filled with a pungent, repulsive smell. He fought the urge to throw up and ran up to support Wu Dahai, who had just run back to them. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not built for that!¡± Wu Dahai said without shame.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do something impressive?¡± Gao Yang was confused. ¡°You turned off all the machines with a snap.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a sound switch. You can do it too with a snap.¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless. <i>You¡¯re more useless than I am, bro? How did you get into the organization then? Through a back door? Nepotism? Is the organization actually worth joining?</i>

    Forget it. It was better to do things himself than rely on others.

    ¡°Is there any weapon?¡± Gao Yang called out to Officer Huang.

    ¡°There¡¯s a golf club in the trunk of my car.¡± With one hand still holding his gun, Officer Huang fished the car key out of his pocket and threw it to Gao Yang.

    Catching it, Gao Yang quickly opened the trunk and pulled out a silver golf club.

    Not far from them, Old Man Zhang had ground his entire body into pieces. Except for the ball of flesh with countless facial organs¡ªthe brain, one could call it¡ªthe rest of his body had all turned into vines, or tentacles, to be more precise.

    The tentacles were a patchwork of intestines, organs, muscle tissues, and cartges, and there were more than twenty of them at a first nce.

    He was like a malformed octopus with tentacles on the ground.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish! </i>Three tentacles flew toward Qing Ling.

    She cut them down at once with a sh.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Then another four tentacles swung down at her.

    She rolled to the side and dodged the whip-like tentacles, but without her noticing, a few others had already crept up to her feet in the dark.

    Surprised, Qing Ling quickly jumped back.

    The tentacles leapt up with a swooshing sound like rattlesnakes. One of them grabbed onto Qing Ling¡¯s fair ankle and yanked her back to the ground.

    <i>Bam! </i>A bullet broke it off.

    Ignoring her pain, Qing Ling flipped sideways to get to her feet and cut the other three iing tentacles.

    She didn¡¯t dare stop moving. With her Tang Dao raised, she quickly ran. During the handful of times she dodged the tentacles, she noticed that they were fastest when they were shooting out in a straight line from the main body of Old Man Zhang. Inparison, the tentacles were much slower when whipping sideways to grab onto their target.

    Qing Ling decided to run around Old Man Zhang to lower her chance of getting caught.

    <i>Bang! </i>Officer Huang seized an opening and took three shots in quick session at the ¡®brain¡¯.

    ¡°Gah, ah... Human! Human! Humanhumanhuman...¡±

    Old Man Zhang shuddered in pain and screamed. A few tentacles retracted to protect the brain.

    ¡°The head is the weakness!¡± Officer Huang shouted while he took out another magazine and reced the spent one.

    Qing Ling had noticed that, but she didn¡¯t dare approach recklessly.

    Old Man Zhang had more than twenty tentacles, each of which was powerful and sturdy. Her Tang Dao was the only de that could cut through them, but even when she did, the tentacles could regenerate quickly.

    In contrast, Qing Ling would be caught by the countless tentacles and dragged toward Old Man Zhang with one misstep. Then the tentacles would wrap around the main body and be a meat grinder again. She would be pulled into it and rendered into minced meat, bing part of Old Man Zhang. Her eyes, mouth, nose, and ears would be incorporated into the repulsive lump of flesh, chanting ¡®human, human, human¡¯ with the monster. Her other body parts would be new tentacles the monster caught humans with...

    The thought of dying like that made even someone as aloof as Qing Ling shudder.

    She only had one chance.

    If she failed, what awaited her would be hell.

    Taking a deep breath, Qing Ling ran around Old Man Zhang like she was doing a hundred-meter sprint. Old Man Zhang¡¯s tentacles moved in circles to follow her like a smaller rotating swing.

    After two minutes, Qing Ling slowed down gradually. Both her usual training and her God of des were about explosive power. That meant she wouldn¡¯tst long and had to finish things off quickly.

    She still hadn¡¯t spotted the perfect opening, but she had to move before her stamina ran out.

    ¡°Cover me!¡± Seizing a chance, Qing Ling ran to the side where there were the least number of tentacles and rushed up to Old Man Zhang with her weapon. Seven or eight tentacles immediately retracted, while the other dozen and more tentacles closed in on Qing Ling from all sides.

    Qing Ling sprinted while sidestepping to dodge the attacks and cut down tentacles.

    Vapor of blood permeated the air. Amid the shes of the de, Qing Ling moved like a bloodied white butterfly fluttering across the countless tentacles.

    Officer Huang hadn¡¯t been standing around.

    With his God of Firearms, he made a shot every second to cover Qing Ling. The tentacles that had escaped Qing Ling¡¯s de ended up broken by the bullet that followed.

    Everything happened in mere seconds.

    Officer Huang had emptied the magazine, and Qing Ling was now close enough to Old Man Zhang. With an agile flip to the side, she dodged thest two tentacles and raised her de to bring it down on Old Man Zhang¡¯s brain.

    At that moment, everyone believed that the monster¡¯s brain would be cut in half like a watermelon. However, they had all neglected one thing¡ªthe severed tentacles.

    As soon as they fell to the ground, they started slithering back to the main body at impressive speed.

    Just when Qing Ling was going to make the sh, she felt pain shot up from her ankle. The countless tentacles had returned and made several swings at her feet. She faltered. Although she had quickly regained her bnce, she wasn¡¯t able to generate as much force with her waist, and thus much less power was transferred to her arms.

    The next second, she made an imperfect swing.

    It was still powerful, and the de was still sharp. However, she only managed to cut one-third into the brain. Old Man Zhang wasn¡¯t dead yet. While the monster cried out in pain, the regenerated tentacles made a powerful swing and hit Qing Ling in the waist.

    ¡°Ugh...¡± Qing Ling¡¯s de fell from her grip as she flew a few meters in the air beforending on the ground and rolling twice. She hadn¡¯t given up yet. She extended her right arm toward the monster a few meters from her, her fingers syed with force, ¡°Metal!¡±

 Chapter 27: New Talent

    <h4>Chapter 27: New Talent</h4>

    The Tang Dao in Old Man Zhang¡¯s brain pushed further down, manipted by an intangible force. However, Level 2 Metal simply wasn¡¯t powerful enough.

    Qing Ling had pushed herself to the limit, yet the de would only go down an inch at a time.

    Then two tentacles swiftly grabbed the de and pulled it out, casting it aside. Old Man Zhang¡¯s brain sttered blood all over. It was a mess, yet the cut was starting to mend¡ªits recovery was slower than the tentacles¡¯ regeneration, at least.

    While it was badly hurt...it was still alive!

    The rest of the severed tentacles crawled back to the main body. Then new ones emerged anew.

    Qing Ling hadnded wrong. Her face was pale and covered in blood. She staggered to her feet and tried to grab her weapon, but before she could do that, four tentacles shot out and seized her hands and feet.

    She tried her best to break free, but it was futile. The tentacles continued to drag her toward the main body...

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Gao Yang cried out as he rushed toward Old Man Zhang with the golf club raised high.

    He knew that he was useless, that the only thing he could do was run away as far as he could. Yes, a wimp like him should¡¯ve done that. However, the moment he saw Qing Ling getting caught, his feet acted on their own for some reason, and his brain stopped working. When he regained his senses, he was already charging toward the monster like a moron.

    Before he could get close to Old Man Zhang, a tentacle slithered toward him and grabbed his calf.

    With a yank, Gao Yang fell to the ground. He was getting dragged toward the main body as well. Soon, he would be Old Man Zhang¡¯ste night snack along with Qing Ling.

    ¡°Grab on!¡± Officer Huang ran up and caught Gao Yang with one hand while holding onto amp pole with his other hand. Thanks to his God of Firearms, he was able to maintain a tight grip around Gao Yang¡¯s wrist with supernatural strength. For a moment, he reached a standstill with Old Man Zhang¡¯s tentacles.

    But Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel relieved.

    Firstly, his body was like a rope used in a tug of war. Any second now, it would rip apart. Secondly, more and more tentacles were regenerating and joining the fight. They stood no chance of winning if they simply kept this on.

    Most importantly, Qing Ling was getting dragged toward Old Man Zhang.

    <i>Calm down. Calm down.</i>

    This was exactly the moment he had to be calm.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 30 Luck points.]

    ¡ª30 Luck points?!

    [You have been through 6 minutes of great danger. Luck acquisition rate increased by 300 times.]

    ¡ªComprehend new Talent! Now!

    [It takes 30 Luck points toprehend a new Talent. Do you confirm?]

    ¡ªYes!

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension seeds.]

    [Talent: Replicate. Serial Number: 18. Rune Type: Knowledge.]

    [Level 1 Replicate: Allow one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 30.]

    [Method: Touch the target¡¯s body for 1 second.]

    [Number of Talent Replicated: 1. Storage Duration: 1 hour.]

    [Use Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 12 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 1 Replicate: Willpower + 30, Charisma - 10.]

    ¡ªGood! Finally!

    [Congrattions! You haveprehended a Talent for the first time. It now takes 60 Luck points toprehend a new Talent.]

    [ess ends. System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes. One meter from him, Qing Ling was getting dragged toward Old Man Zhang with the side of her body on the ground. She did her best to find purchase and resisted the tentacles, but it was all in vain.

    Gao Yang scanned the situation and came to a quick decision. ¡°Let go of me, Officer Huang!¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡±

    ¡°Let go! I have a way out! Trust me!¡±

    Every second was precious. Officer Huang had no time to hesitate. He let go of Gao Yang.

    The tentacles pulled Gao Yang in with a powerful yank, faster than Qing Ling was getting dragged. When he moved past Qing Ling, Gao Yang extended his right arm to the fullest. He was going to touch Qing Ling¡¯s head, but with their bodies being parallel to each other, he was always two centimeters short.

    Gao Yang straightened his arm and syed his fingers to the fullest, yet he still wasn¡¯t able to reach Qing Ling, missing her forehead, nose, mouth, and chin by a hair.

    <i>Are we done?</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    <i>No!</i> His eyes glinted. <i>There¡¯s still hope!</i>

    Half a secondter, Gao Yang¡¯s right middle finger glided across Qing Ling¡¯s chest.

    Still struggling, Qing Ling noticed his strange action. She wasn¡¯t angry, but simply confused. What was he trying to achieve? Was he just struggling? Or was it his strange way of saying goodbye?

    [Detected one replicable Talent: Level 3 God of de. Do you wish to replicate it?]

    ¡ªReplicate!

    At that moment, Gao Yang felt a wave of energy rush into his body from his middle finger. It was strangely vivid like a living thing, and it still retained the imprint and energy of its original owner.

    Gao Yang shouted, ¡°Get me the de!¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t know what Gao Yang was trying to do, but instinctively, she made the right decision. She stopped struggling to grab onto the ground and instead focused on controlling her weapon.

    Her Tang Dao lifted off the ground and flew toward Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang caught it quickly. The moment his hand wrapped around the hilt, a sense of familiarity rose in his body, as if he had wielded this weapon tens of thousands of times.

    Memory, posture, experience, instinct... Immeasurable informationbined to form an energy that couldn''t be described. It covered¡ªenveloped him like a sacred life or a mysterious spirit, guiding him, dominating him, empowering him.

    With a graceful flip of his right wrist, Gao Yang cut down the tentacles grabbing his calf.

    He was only two meters away from Old Man Zhang¡¯s main body. This was the most dangerous ce to be, but also the most advantageous. His eyes had already identified the right opening and the best angle to swing the de.

    He made a sidestep and crouched down, lowering the Tang Dao.

    With his legs, waist, and right arm lining up¡ªhe made a swing.

    <i>Shing. </i>The de cut through the disgusting lump of flesh diagonally from bottom to top.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. He quickly pulled back the de and made another swing, cutting the remaining two-thirds of the flesh before it could even drop.

    All that happened in a fraction of a second.

    Blood gushed out first, and the scream followed half a second after the sh was made. It was soon stopped short, scattering in the rain of blood before the sound could even take shape.

    Three seconds passed.

    God of de was lost to him.

    At the same time, the tentacles dragging Qing Ling loosened.

    For a moment, Qing Ling didn¡¯t move. But then she leapt to her feet and charged up to Gao Yang to grab the Tang Dao, making more than a dozen shes at the dead monster and rendering it into pieces until there was no chance of it regenerating.

    Under the moonlight, Qing Ling¡¯s ck hair was stained with crimson red. The blood streaked down her aloof face and white uniform.

    She lifted her head slightly, her chest heaving. Under her feet was a mess of broken limbs and organs. She looked like a murderous angel falling to hell.

    After a few seconds, she slowly turned around, her eyes cold and sharp as they found Gao Yang.

    <i>Sling.</i> The bloodless Tang Dao kissed Gao Yang¡¯s neck in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°You better exin yourself,¡± Qing Ling said with brewing anger.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Gao Yang raised both hands in the air and hurriedly apologized, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have touched you...¡±

    ¡°Who cares about that?¡± Qing Ling flipped her de. ¡°Talk! Why do you have God of des? Why have you been hiding your true power?¡±

 Chapter 28: White Cat

    <h4>Chapter 28: White Cat</h4>

    ¡°I don¡¯t have God of de! And neither have I been hiding my power!¡± Picturing his neck getting sliced open, Gao Yang hurriedly spat out everything about his new Talent. ¡°I acquired a Talent at thest moment, Replicate. It lets me copy others¡¯ Talents, but I have to touch them for 1 second. I was going to replicate God of de, but I was just a little too far from you... You know what happened then.¡±

    Qing Ling wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. She turned to Officer Huang. ¡°There¡¯s a Talent like that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°I believe it¡¯s serial number 18.¡±

    He gave Gao Yang an envious look. ¡°You learned quite a powerful Talent. Congrattions.¡±

    Qing Ling stared at Gao Yang. After two seconds, she put away her Tang Dao.

    ¡°Bullshit all you want! You were just using your Talent as an excuse to take advantage of her!¡± Wu Dahai walked up to them and grumbled, his expression equal parts sullen and jealous.

    Gao Yang felt the urge to introduce the man¡¯s face to his fist. Wu Dahai fled quicker than anyone else in the fight, but the moment the threat was eliminated, he jumped in to share his unwanted opinions.

    Officer Huang found a couple towels he used for his early morning run in his patrol car and threw Gao Yang and Qing Ling each a towel. ¡°Wipe the blood first.¡±

    He then turned to Wu Dahai. ¡°Have we passed the test now?¡±

    ¡°What test?¡± Wu Dahai gaped at him.

    ¡°Stop ying dumb. That must have been a test for us.¡± Officer Huang grunted. That was too dangerous a test!

    ¡°What? I would have to be a psycho to test you that way!¡± Wu Dahai iled his arms around vehemently. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Old Man Zhang transformed into a monster, and such a strange and disgusting one at that. I almost peed my pants!¡±

    Gao Yang questioned how dependable the organization would be if this was how Wu Dahai acted.

    Officer Huang pressed a hand to his forehead. He was having a bit of a breakdown as well. It was so very hard to be an adult.

    Wu Dahai rubbed his nose. ¡°You should go home already. The organization will send someone for you in a few days. You¡¯ll know what the test entails then.¡±

    Wu Dahai came to a sudden halt after taking a few steps. He turned around to stare over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders with lustful eyes.

    Gao Yang turned to see Qing Ling undressing. Her uniform was drenched in so much blood that wiping it off wouldn¡¯t do much.

    Officer Huang immediately took off his jacket and threw it to Gao Yang, and Gao Yang turned to put it around Qing Ling¡¯s shoulders.

    Disappointed, Wu Dahai let out an awkward cough. ¡°Go back home and wait for our contact! Keep that in mind!¡±

    After he was gone, Gao Yang looked at the macabre mess of body parts and blood a short distance away from them. He asked Officer Huang, ¡°How do we deal with that?¡±

    Officer Huang sighed. ¡°I have a bottle of motor oil in my trunk. We¡¯ll burn all this up.¡±

    ...

    Five minutester, the three of them gazed at the zing fire wordlessly. Qing Ling was dressed in Officer Huang¡¯s jacket with her fair legs uncovered. Under the warm light cast by the fire, her skin looked like the color of butter.

    She threw her uniform into the fire. Gao Yang took off his shirt and burned it as well.

    After making sure that all the traces had been rendered into ash, the three of them turned to walk away and approached the patrol car.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt like he was being watched. He jerked his head up.

    He saw a white cat bigger than average perching on top of a telephone pole, gazing down at him from above. Under the silver moonlight, its white fur looked like snow, and its eyes like a pair of emeralds. The cat had a graceful air about it with a hint of pride.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart lurched. <i>Isn¡¯t that the white cat Fat Jun talked about? Was Old Man Zhang¡¯s sudden transformation...its doing?!</i>

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Officer Huang asked by the car door.

    When Gao Yang looked back again, the white cat was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing on the telephone pole.

    Had his eyes been ying tricks on him because he was exhausted?

    Gao Yang quickly essed his system to make sure his Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked. <i>Right, at least we¡¯re not in danger anymore.</i>

    ¡°...Nothing.¡± Gao Yang rubbed his temples and turned to walk up to the car.

    ...

    Officer Huang drove slowly and steadily while the radio yed a soothing song. With a hand on the driving wheel, he held his phone with his other hand as he talked to his wife.

    ¡°Someone got drunk and started a fight in the bar. I just finished dealing with it... Right, I¡¯ll be home soon... Don¡¯t wait for me, honey. Go to bed... You can¡¯t fall asleep? Ah, you¡¯re hungry? Alright, I¡¯ll get takeout for you... It won¡¯t be a problem. What do you want? I¡¯ll get it for you...¡±

    Officer Huang ended the call and hummed along with the radio. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat in the back seat. After the difficult fight, Qing Ling waspletely exhausted. She fell asleep with her head resting against the window, but then a sharp turn hurled her toward Gao Yang, and her head ended up resting on his shoulder, her hair running down his chest. Gao Yang could smell a faint fragrance from her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me.¡± Officer Huang grinned at Gao Yang through the rearview mirror.

    Gao Yang responded wryly, ¡°We¡¯re not together.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Officer Huang suddenly spoke like an older man talking to children. ¡°She¡¯s had it hard.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Qing Ling,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°I heard that she awakened when she was 10.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, her cousin told her.¡±

    ¡°Ten years old. She knew nothing at that point, yet she was forced to face such a dangerous world. She must have been through a lot. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so extreme at times. At least she still has her other self as a younger sister.¡±

    Gao Yang tilted his head. Qing Ling looked a lot more at ease now that she was asleep. Her usually knitted brows were rxed, under which were long eyshes and a delicate mouth. He had only ever thought of her as beautiful, cold, and strong. Only now did he sense a vulnerable and soft side to her as a young girl.

    Officer Huang said in reminiscence, ¡°Compared to her, we are quite lucky. We were both old and mature enough when we awakened, and we¡¯ve experienced love in this world.¡±

    ¡°But the love is fake,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°No, the world is fake, but the love is real.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into deep thought.

    Officer Huang gave him an example. ¡°If you fell for someone andter broke up, you may think that the rtionship was fake, meaningless. However, your love for the person is real. It belongs to you and only you. No one can take that away from you. You can carry that love with you until the day you die.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But Qing Ling doesn¡¯t have that. When she dies, she will be dying alone.¡± Officer Huang made a bemused sound. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s more obsessed with power than us. She fears a lonely death more than anyone. It would feel as if...she had never been alive.¡±

    Officer Huang smiled with mncholy. ¡°I love my wife, and I always will. Even if one day she transforms and kills me, or if I am forced to kill her, it doesn¡¯t matter. The woman I love hasn¡¯t changed or disappeared. She¡¯s simply passed away. Deathes to everyone sooner orter, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t grasp the man¡¯s wordspletely, and he didn¡¯t respond.

    All awakeners who were able to survive in this world probably held their own belief. Qing Ling¡¯s life centered around getting stronger, while Officer Huang¡¯s life centered around love. <i>How about me then?</i> he asked himself.

    He didn¡¯t have an answer yet.

    Not long after, Officer Huang parked at the entrance of a bustling night market. He got out of the car and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to get hot and sour noodles for my wife. It won¡¯t take long. Would you and Qing Ling want some? Their potato noodles have a good bite. I¡¯ve been a loyal customer for more than a decade.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Okay...I¡¯ll have one.¡±

    His sister should still be awake when he got home.

    As if in response to his thoughts, his phone rang. Gao Yang looked down to check the caller ID. It was his sister, Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Gao Yang said when he picked up the call.

    ¡°Brother! Where are you? Come quickly...¡± His sister broke down and wailed.

 Chapter 29: Eyes Closed

    <h4>Chapter 29: Eyes Closed</h4>

    Shanqing Third Hospital, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang rushed into the lobby of the emergency department to see his sister sitting on a blue chair in the public area. She was still dressed in pajamas with a pair of slippers on her feet. Her hair ran messily down her shoulders. Her face was covered in tear streaks.

    As soon as she saw Gao Yang, she rushed up to throw her arms around him and burst into tears again.

    Gao Yang petted her on the head. ¡°Where¡¯s Dad?¡±

    ¡°Second floor. I¡¯ll take you.¡± She grabbed his hand and dragged him along.

    Gao Yang had heard about what happened on his way here.

    His father was talking business with a client untilte at night. Since he had had a few drinks, he called a chauffeur to drive for him. However, the chauffeur turned out to be working overtime and collided with a small truck.

    The chauffeur was killed then and there. Gao Yang¡¯s father managed to escape death in the back seat with seatbelt on, but he suffered serious injury too. He was rescued from the car and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. The nurse found his wallet and ID when sorting out his clothes and called Gao Yang¡¯s mother.

    His mother almost fainted. Without changing her clothes, she rushed to the hospital with his sister in tow. His grandmother had health issues and was already asleep. The mother and daughter didn¡¯t dare wake her up, let alone tell her what happened.

    Gao Yang and his sister rushed out of the elevator. The first thing he saw was his mother. Wearing pajamas and slippers, she looked devastated with her messy hair and swollen eyes as she sat outside the operating room. The moment she saw her children, she shot to her feet and pulled them into her arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared, mom...¡± His sister¡¯s voice cracked.

    His mother didn¡¯t say anything, but her hands were shaking.

    Gao Yang wrapped his arms around his mother and sister. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll be okay. Dad will be fine.¡±

    ...

    The surgery continued well into midnight.

    The surgeon emerged from the operating room covered in blood. Wearing a surgery mask, he said in a tired voice, ¡°Patient is now under no immediate threat to his life. However, the prognosis isn¡¯t looking good. We¡¯ve done all we can. The rest will be up to him. You¡¯ll have to be prepared. Even if he lives, he may be bound to a wheelchair the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Doctor! Thank you. All that matters is he lives...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s mother said with grateful tears in her eyes. She could wish for nothing more.

    ¡°I¡¯m only doing my job,¡± the doctor said a few more polite words before excusing himself.

    Then Gao Yang and his family waited outside until five o¡¯clock in the morning. Only when the doctor told them that his father had stabilized did his mother allow herself to rx.

    Seeing the tired look on their faces, Gao Yang told his mother and sister to go home and rest, but they refused to.

    ¡°All three of us have stayed up overnight,¡± Gao Yang said patiently. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take shifts taking care of Dad. You two should rest at home so that you can take over in the afternoon. Besides, both of you are still dressed in pajamas. That¡¯s not how you should look in public. Please go home now.¡±

    That finally got his mother to agree to go home. She looked up at him and said contently, ¡°Our Yang Yang has grown up.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, especially recently. Although you¡¯ve beening homete these days, it feels like...you¡¯ve be much more mature.¡±

    Conflicting feelings warred in his head. Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t say he had matured after awakening. He had simply be more cautious.

    Soon, his mother returned home with his sister, and Gao Yang stayed outside the ICU. He was exhausted, but he couldn¡¯t sleep with all the thoughts in his head. A childhood memory came to him, unbidden.

    He and his family used to live in the rural area surrounding the city. His grandfather was still alive then, and all six of them lived together in a two-story cement building they built themselves. There was a front yard, outside which they had nted a maidenhair tree. Every autumn, it would cover the ground with golden leaves.

    His family ran a small store called ¡®Happy Mart¡¯ selling snacks and everyday items. They were able to support themselves, but they would never make big money with it.

    His father was smart and a shrewd businessman. In their house there were a lot of books on how to be sessful. His father always said that once he had saved up enough capital, he would establish a factory with his friends and earn enough money to move the family to the city. He would buy a house in a good school district and a car, building a good life for his family.

    When Gao Yang graduated from primary school, his father did earn a small fortune, enough to move his family to Li City.

    His father established a food processing factory with his friend, which mainly produced bean products. To promote their products, his father was always out meeting clients. In his phone, he had umted the contact information of several thousands owners of supermarkets at various scales. The better his business was doing, the more social functions he had to attend. He spent half the time every month on drinking with his clients, and he always got really drunk.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. He tensed up immediately.

    Looking up, he saw the attending physician who had just saved his father. He had taken off his white coat and mask and changed into casual clothes.

    ¡°Here.¡± The doctor sat down next to Gao Yang with two cups of coffee. He offered one to Gao Yang. The warm smell was inviting.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn down the offer. His body felt much warmer after he took a sip.

    Gao Yang observed the doctor from the corner of his eye. Although the man held himself with the presence of a middle-aged man, he looked young, like someone in his thirties.

    He was tall and slim with pronounced facial features and a sculpted face. His hair was a little wavy, and he wore a pair of bookish ck sses, dark gray preppy cardigan, long khaki pants, and brown oxfords. He had an old-fashioned quartz watch on his wrist, and there was a simple silver band on his long ring finger.

    Without his white coat, he looked more like a mncholy hipster.

    He put both hands around his cup of coffee and took a sip before tilting his head to look at the window at the end of the hallway. The first ray of morning sun streamed down, casting the hallway in a soft, almost holy glow like the light hade from heaven.

    ¡°This is my favorite time of day,¡± the doctor said in a low but gentle voice.

    Taken aback, Gao Yang realized btedly that the man was talking to him. All he managed to say was, ¡°Because...the morning sun fills one with hope?¡±

    The doctor chuckled. ¡°No, because I can finally get off work.¡±

    Gao Yangughed too.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± the doctor asked.

    ¡°Eighteen.¡±

    ¡°Ah, eighteen. So you¡¯re taking your entrance exams soon?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Which school do you want to enter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    ¡°Your father...¡± The doctor sighed softly. ¡°I think it¡¯d be best for you to consider a local college. University of Li City is a good choice, and it¡¯s one of the best schools.¡±

    Gao Yang began to feel suspicious. The doctor was being way too friendly to him. He lowered his cup of coffee and shifted a little to the side.

    That didn¡¯t escape the man¡¯s keen senses. With a faint smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯re scared of me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gao Yang felt his heart tighten. Discreetly, he scanned the hallway for the elevator, emergency exit, and windows from the corner of his eye. He yed dumb and said, ¡°Scared? Why would I be scared of you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried that I may be a monster,¡± said the doctor.

    Gao Yang almost jumped, but the doctor quickly grabbed his wrist to hold him down. He wasn¡¯t forceful, no, but his grip was firm. Gao Yang tried to break free and couldn¡¯t. The man had exerted the right amount of force to make sure his grip was always a little stronger than Gao Yang¡¯s struggle.

    He smiled again. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. You would have died already if I wanted to kill you.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and realized that the man was right. He settled down somewhat and managed to put up aposed front. He asked without beating around the bush, ¡°Are you an awakener, or a monster?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± the doctor asked, still smiling.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gao Yang admitted. The more he knew about monsters, the less he was able to tell them apart from humans.

    ¡°Talent: Red Eyes, serial number 131. I differentiate between humans and monsters based on their body temperature. In general, monsters run a little hotter than humans, and the distribution of body heat differs in a subtle but consistent way.¡± He turned to Gao Yang, his brown eyes suddenly glowing faintly of red. ¡°That was how I was able to tell that you¡¯re human.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. Good thing it was only a false scare.

    The doctor offered a handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Baili Yi.¡±

    ¡°Hello...Mr. Baili. I¡¯m Gao Yang.¡± Gao Yang took the man¡¯s hand and rxed noticeably.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t awakened for long, have you?¡± asked Baili Yi.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°You seem more scared of monsters than awakeners.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Baili Yi gave him a loaded smile. ¡°What is there to be scared of monsters? As long as you y by the rules and keep up the pretense of an innocentmb, they pose no danger to you. They aren¡¯t so much pretending to be human but having the bodies and souls of both humans and monsters. As long as you avoid the trigger to awaken the personality and physical form of the monster, they are no different from us, and we can coexist.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it for a moment. That was simr to Officer Huang¡¯s way of seeing things.

    Baili Yi adjusted his posture and leaned forward. Morning light fanned out on his back, adding a rim of golden light along the frame of his sses. ¡°Inparison, humans are much scarier than monsters.¡±

    Gao Yang ruminated on the statement. He wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that.

    He decided to change the subject. ¡°You¡¯re a surgeon and operate on patients every day. Most of them are monsters, aren¡¯t they? Won¡¯t they be exposing themselves that way?¡±

    Baili Yi shook his head. ¡°Without transforming, monsters¡¯ physiology is no different from that of humans, only their metabolism, ability to recover, and immune system are a little stronger, and their reproductive organs seem a little fake. However, I¡¯ve seen some with almost perfect imitation of human physiology. I would¡¯ve been fooled without my Red Eyes.¡±

    Gao Yang immediately thought of Officer Huang¡¯s pregnant wife. Perhaps she was a monster who perfectly mimicked humans.

    Baili Yi continued to nurse his coffee and said in a tone one would talk about the weather with, ¡°Monsters have a life cycle like humans too. They are weak when they are young, strong when they are at their prime, and decline steadily as they enter thest stretch of their lives. Since they behave like humans twenty-four seven, their abilities are always deteriorating. The older the monster, the weaker they are. Some elderly monsters may be no stronger than an adult human even when they transform.¡±

    Gao Yang was reminded of Auntie Ho, the monster who attacked him and Qing Ling in the love hotel. Officer Huang had said back then that Auntie Ho had weakened quite a lot, or she would¡¯ve been a greater threat.

    ¡°Then are my family humans...or monsters?¡± Gao Yang both wanted and dreaded the answer. The moment the question left his mouth, his throat constricted, and his heart pounded faster.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s against the rules.¡± Baili Yi gave him an apologetic smile. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve already broken some rules by talking to you today. Please keep this a secret between us.¡±

    Ironically, Gao Yang actually let out a sigh of relief. Then something else came to mind, and he asked, ¡°Are you a member of the organization as well?¡±

    ¡°Organization?¡± Baili Yi mused. ¡°I would say I belong to <i>an </i>organization.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Baili, I¡¯ve only awakened recently, and there are many things I¡¯d like to ask you.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t let this chance slip. All the questions he had been agonizing over poured out from him.

    ¡°I heard that monsters don¡¯t have a real reproductive system. Then how did theye about? How did humanse about? Why let humans into their mix, and why yhouse with us humans? Why do we only acquire Talents when we discover the truth of the world?¡±

    ¡°And why do monsterse after humans the moment we awaken like a switch has been flipped? How many kinds of monsters are there? Are they all bad? Can humans and monsters have babies? Are things only like this in this area, or is the entire world in the same state...¡±

    Baili Yi smiled with amusement. ¡°Poor boy. You¡¯ve been keeping it all in.¡±

    Gao Yang felt like crying. His head had been filled with all the questions since his awakening, and he was on the verge of losing his mind.

    ¡°My apology. There are many questions I don¡¯t have an answer to, and those I can answer, I cannot share the information with you.¡± Baili Yi thought for a moment. ¡°How about I give you a few words as a parting gift?¡±

 Chapter 30: Birthday Party

    <h4>Chapter 30: Birthday Party</h4>

    ¡°Delusion, greed, wrath, pride, life, and death are all meaningless. Life is short and nothing but a grand dream.¡± Baili Yi¡¯s tone was calm, but the words strung together to form amenting verse.

    Gao Yangmitted his words to memory.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Baili Yi stood up and stretched. ¡°I¡¯m getting off work. Farewell.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    Gao Yang watched Baili Yi walk away. The man looked more like a poet than a doctor, but that was beside the point. He got some useful information from the man. He could now be sure that there were six types of monsters: delusion monsters, greed monsters, wrath monsters, pride monsters, life monsters, and death monsters.

    Officer Huang had said that wrath monsters could be put into three categories: ughterers, devourers, and summoners.

    Li Weiwei was very likely a devourer. She hadn¡¯t immediately made the move to kill Gao Yang at the time, and the way she tormented him and the words she spoke...suggested that she was going to devour him.

    Auntie Ho was obviously a ughterer. She spared no breath for conversation and attacked them immediately with great bloodthirst.

    As for summoners, Gao Yang had never run into one, and he would like to keep it that way.

    Delusion monsters were also known as wanderers. There seemed to be three kinds of them as well.

    Old Man Liu, who had a mtang stand, was the most harmless and mild-tempered kind, and they were likely to be the biggest part of the monster poption in the world. They seemed easier to identify.

    The second type was the wanderers who were difficult to be differentiated from humans. Awakeners couldn¡¯t tell they were monsters with experience and observation alone. They needed special Talents for that, such as Baili Yi¡¯s Red Eyes and the ¡®mentally ill¡¯ man¡¯s Keen Smell. Officer Huang¡¯s wife and Gao Yang¡¯s family were probably in this category. Of course, there was a chance that they were unawakened humans. As long as they weren¡¯t tested to find out the truth, they were forever this world¡¯s version of Schr?dinger''s cat, both human and monster at the same time.

    The third type of wanderers was Wang Zikai. He was too strange to analyze and categorize.

    Old Man Zhang, the wanderer they had run into only a few hours ago, should be the first type, yet he had gone berserk without warning, and his monster form was bizarre to say the least. The white cat could be the one responsible.

    Was the white cat a monster as well? A delusion, pride, life, or death monster, perhaps?

    Assuming every type of monster could be put into three subcategories, there would be at least 18 kinds of monsters in this world!

    Gao Yang sucked in a breath. There was no turning back after he awakened. He had to join the organization as soon as possible so that he could earn their support and grasp more rules. Otherwise, he would always be a yer with his eyes closed. Once night came, he would be at the mercy of others, and his survival would be dependent solely on luck[1].

    ...

    At noon, Gao Yang¡¯s mother and sister came to the hospital to take over caring duty.

    Gao Yang returned home to take a shower and rest. He slept for only four hours, but he felt rejuvenated. He had noticed his body getting stronger since he became an awakener. That must be a result of his increased stats.

    Gao Yang made some calctions in his head. He would get 24 Luck points every day when there wasn¡¯t a threat, which meant he would get 720 Luck points in total if he survived for a month. That was quite a lot to put into any of his stats.

    However, Gao Yang had been allocating all the points to his Luck. He wasn¡¯t one to change course halfway, and he didn¡¯t want to waste the points he had already put in. Thus he made up his mind that in the future, he would invest half his Luck points onprehending new Talents and the other half on Luck. If there was any point left, he would allocate them ording to the circumstances.

    In the evening, Gao Yang had dinner before leaving for school. Although his mother had gotten a sick leave for him, he decided to attend evening self-study so that he could exchange information with Qing Ling. She was a cautious one and nevermunicated through phone calls because of the traces that would leave. She always talked about such matters in person.

    During the first break, Gao Yang was going to find Qing Ling when Wan Sisi came up to him and said, ¡°Gao Yang, I heard that...your dad is in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang responded. ¡°He got into a car ident.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, is he alright?¡± She looked genuinely worried.

    ¡°He¡¯s stabilized, but his recovery...isn¡¯t looking good.¡± Gao Yang was a little down. ¡°The doctor said that he may be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Your dad will have a full recovery,¡± Wan Sisi assured him. ¡°My uncle got into a car ident two years ago. The doctor said that he would be paralyzed with high-level spinal cord injuries. Instead, he was able to get out of bed and walk after a year... Although he still needed a walking stick, he can move pretty alright on his own.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang was grateful for herforting words for a moment before he was reminded of one thing¡ªperhaps Wan Sisi¡¯s uncle had only made full recovery because he was a monster. Would that mean that his father would recover too if he was one?

    Gao Yang suppressed a shudder, stunned that he would have such a thought. How could he wish that his father would turn out to be a monster...

    Troubled, Gao Yang looked up to find Wan Sisi still standing by his seat and looking at him. She seemed hesitant to say something.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just that...¡± Wan Sisi¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°I was going to ask if you¡¯re free on Sunday afternoon. I¡¯m holding a birthday party. But don¡¯t mind me. You should focus on taking care of your father.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang will go,¡± Qing Ling showed up suddenly and said, making Gao Yang jump.

    Wan Sisi was a little surprised. She stared at Qing Ling, at a loss for words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too,¡± Qing Ling added. ¡°Would you mind?¡±

    ¡°Of, of course not!¡± Wan Sisi was smiling, but she actually felt a little awkward. She hadn¡¯t nned to invite Qing Ling¡ªnot because she didn¡¯t like her, but because she knew Qing Ling hated men, and she had invited the boys in their ss. She was worried that the atmosphere would be frigid at the party.

    Gao Yang gave Qing Ling a pointed look. Qing Ling pretended to not notice.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s meet half past two in the afternoon on Sunday at the karaoke Happy Treasure Time. See you there.¡± Wan Sisi walked away after that, or it would be more urate to say that she fled.

    Qing Ling sat down by Gao Yang¡¯s side. ¡°I heard about your father.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to attend the party?¡± Gao Yang asked instead of responding.

    Qing Ling lowered her voice and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been spending more time with Little Si recently, and she has been approaching you more. I have to observe her closely and make sure if she¡¯s suspecting you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things...¡±

    ¡°Did I overthink things with Li Weiwei?¡±

    That shut Gao Yang up.

    ...

    For the next two days, Gao Yang took over for his mother and sister every night and went back home to take a shower and sleep in the morning. He would wake up in the afternoon, and after making himself presentable, he went to school during evening self-study and met up with Qing Ling. He also made sure to ask Wan Sisi a few questions about English.

    His father stayed 48 hours in ICU before being transferred to an observation ward. On the third day, he woke up once in the morning, but he couldn¡¯t say a word and could only blink. Soon, he fell asleep again.

    Nevertheless, that was enough to lift a heavy weight off the rest of the family. His mother¡¯s knitted brows finally rxed for the first time, and she had the presence of mind to put on makeup again. And his sister got back into her habit of roasting Gao Yang.

    Sunday morning, Gao Yang again returned home and took a shower before going to bed. He woke up not long after.

    He essed his system. He had umted 85 Luck points.

    He spent 60 Luck pointsprehending a new Talent, and as expected, he failed. That left him with 25 points. He decided to put them aside for now.

    <i>If I¡¯ll only seed once every three tries, I¡¯ll need 180 Luck points to acquire my third Talent. Then the Luck points required forprehension will double again to 120 points for each try. So that¡¯s 360 points for three tries until I seed.</i>

    Following the logic, he could foresee that he would need almost an infinite number of Luck points to acquire more Talents. It would take years to get that many points the regr way, and the world was too dangerous for him to afford the luxury.

    High risk, high return. If only there were battles that were dangerous but not life-threatening. Then he would gain a few days worth of Luck points by battling for half an hour. That was something he should look into after joining the organization. Perhaps he would find a bug allowing him to gain experience without limit.

    ...

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang got himself sorted out and made his way to the karaoke Happy Treasure Time. He was thest to arrive. The staff led him to the booth Wan Sisi had reserved for the birthday party.

    He was just about to open the door when he heard a boy singing¡ªor howling like a beast. ¡°I should be ying along, yet I ignore your cue. You are forcing the man who loves you the most to put on an act...[2]¡±

    <i>And you are forcing your audience to act</i>, Gao Yang thought.<i> You¡¯re such a terrible singer, yet they have to p for youter. What a tragedy.</i>

    Gao Yang entered the booth, and unsurprisingly, the man singing was Young Master Xuan. He sat on the barstool by the karaoke machine and sang with a microphone in his hand, so very into his performance with so much emotion in his voice.

    His actual name was Niu Xuan. His family wasn¡¯t exactly nouveau riche, but they were quite well off. His father ran a chain of more than twenty supermarkets. Niu Xuan thus was prone to splurge in order to appear generous, and he loved the attention and often had an entourage with him. He was also decent looking, making him quite popr in the ss.

    Compared to the chaotic, unpredictable devil of a man that was Wang Zikai, Niu Xuan was a lot more socially adept. He acted differently before his parents, the teachers, and his ssmates.

    Being part of his clique made one feel better than others; conversely, getting on his bad side had consequences. Being marginalized in subtle ways like that felt terrible. Gao Yang didn¡¯t interact with Niu Xuan much. He had always been the kind of ssmate Niu Xuan ignored but didn¡¯t actively ostracize.

    The moment Gao Yang walked in, Niu Xuan stopped singing. With faux friendliness, he shouted into the microphone, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Gao Yang? You¡¯re finally here. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s stomach lurched.

    He...had a bad feeling about this.

    1. A reference to the party game <i>Mafia</i>, where yers are assigned different roles, the most fundamental being mafias and civilians. When the moderator announces the arrival of night, mafias will choose a civilian to kill while the civilians keep their eyes closed. ?

    2. Xue Zhiqian¡¯s song, <i>Actor</i>. ?

 Chapter 31: Hongmen Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 31: Hongmen Banquet</h4>

    Niu Xuan had raised his voice when he called out to Gao Yang, and a good number of his ssmates turned to look at him, making him ufortable. He quickly scanned the crowd and spotted the birthday girl, Wan Sisi.

    She was sitting on the long couch, sandwiched by two girls she was close with.

    The ss table was filled with all sorts of snacks, fruit tes, drinks, and beer, and beside it was a cart with a threeyer cream cake on top. It looked expensive.

    Wan Sisi had put effort into her appearance today. Her usually in medium-length hair was blow-dried into a more puffy shape, making her look a little mischievous. Dressed in a Japanese-styled polka dot dress, her fair shoulder and cor bones were on disy. Added with the ckce choker around her delicate neck, she looked like a meek and charming kitten.

    It was a typical look for the style, but for Wan Sisi, it took a lot of courage and her friends egging her on for her to dress up like this.

    And her effort was proven fruitful. The boys invited to her party all paused to stare at her when they arrived. Then they gave her a couple flirtypliments.

    Wan Sisi lowered her head with a smile, growing confident in herself. She increasingly looked forward to Gao Yang¡¯s arrival. She wanted to know how he would react.

    After a long wait, Gao Yang finally arrived. As soon as he opened the door, her cheeks flushed red, and her heart pounded against her ribcage. Fortunately, the booth was dim enough that no one noticed.

    Since they had agreed to no presents, Gao Yang didn¡¯t bring anything but a matcha cheesecake he bought on his way here. He ced the cake on the table and said easily, ¡°Happy Birthday, Little Si. I didn¡¯t know what you liked, so I got you dessert.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Wan Sisi was just about to continue when the bespectacled girl by her side knowingly stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna input some songs. Sit, Gao Yang.¡±

    Looking at the now empty seat beside Wan Sisi, Gao Yang immediately realized what was going on.

    <i>Right, she couldn¡¯t be more obvious about setting us up.</i>

    He was still hesitating if he should y along when Qing Ling spoke up from a corner of the room. ¡°Come here, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around. Qing Ling was sitting alone on a two-seater in the corner with her arms crossed before her chest, her expression calm. She was dressed in in, fitted brown sportswear with her hair tied into a ponytail, and her face was entirely free of makeup. Still, she was more stunning than anyone in the room could ever be like the goddess she was.

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang walked up to her and sat down by her side.

    Wan Sisi¡¯s smile hadn¡¯t even spread to the rest of her face before it froze and slid off. She quickly cocked her head and brushed her hair back, striking up a conversation with the girl beside her with feigned nonchnce.

    Qing Ling had called Gao Yang over for something important, but before she could open her mouth, they were interrupted by a man¡¯s voice.

    Niu Xuan hollered, ¡°You¡¯re the only one who got herete, Gao Yang! Shouldn¡¯t you make up for that?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± a few other boys piped up.

    ¡°Come on! Sing us a song!¡± Niu Xuan pushed the microphone toward Gao Yang. His lips were curved into a smile, but his gaze was derisive. He knew he was a terrible singer, but Gao Yang was even worse. He simply wanted to humiliate Gao Yang because he didn¡¯t like him.

    Niu Xuan hadn¡¯t had anything against Gao Yang before, but over the past month, Gao Yang had been sticking out to him like a sore thumb.

    Li Weiwei¡¯s death suddenly won him the attention of many ssmates. Almost everyone knew he was childhood friends with her. At the time, Niu Xuan actually pitied him like everyone else, yet somehow, Gao Yang gradually turned into the kind of person who got everything in life after Li Weiwei¡¯s death.

    First, the goddess no one dared pursue, Qing Ling, grew closer to Gao Yang.

    Niu Xuan had eyed her back when they were in their first year, but he got the cold shoulder the few times he showed her that he was interested. Then there were rumors that Qing Ling was into girls, and Niu Xuan sensibly gave up on her. There were many girls who would want to be with him. He had no reason to make a fool of himself for one girl.

    Yet the goddess who would never ept any man ended up hooking up with Gao Yang.

    A few days ago, some of their ssmates saw Gao Yang and Qing Ling walking into a train station holding hands. The news dropped like a bombshell. Behind his back, the boys in ss had been cheering him on for turning an alleged lesbian straight. That was some charisma he had.

    And somehow, perhaps it was due to the goddess of the school showing him the time of day, the average-looking Gao Yang seemed more and more handsome, and the impression he gave people changed. The average joe had be an aloof man who kept his distance from others. It was so fake, but girls just ate it all up.

    Today was Wan Sisi¡¯s birthday. Niu Xuan wouldn¡¯t have attended in the past, but Wan Sisi had gotten prettier recently. Girls did that. They transformed as they grew into adulthood.

    Niu Xuan had just broken up with his girlfriend. None of his exes was the cute and delicate type like Wan Sisi, and he grew interested in the girl. He ordered a 999 yuan threeyer cake and a bouquet of roses. It was so obvious that he was ying suitor.

    Niu Xuan knew cakes and roses were cheesy, but they worked.

    <i>Women are all vain in their own ways</i>, he thought. <i>None can resist having so much money spent on them. If some do, you just have to spend more money.</i>

    Ten minutes ago, everyone was hooting when the roses arrived. Niu Xuan had thought he had won this game, yet Wan Sisi refused to ept the bouquet and even looked troubled.

    Niu Xuan wasn¡¯t one to run headlong into a wall, so he glossed over his gift with a few jokes. While he sang, he had been observing Wan Sisi¡¯s every move. She seemed distracted today even though she had been chatting andughing with their ssmates. It appeared she was waiting for someone.

    And then Gao Yang walked into the booth.

    Wan Sisi lit up immediately, her eyes brilliant. She was so beautiful at that moment that she almost gave Qing Ling a run for her money.

    Realization dawned on Niu Xuan, and his chest filled with fury.

    <i>Gao Yang, Gao Yang, goddamn Gao Yang again!</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll see what you¡¯re made of!</i>

    ¡°Hey!¡± Niu Xuan insisted in a steely voice. ¡°Sing for us! Don¡¯t bring down the mood!¡±

    The more sensitive ones had already noticed the tension in the room, but they didn¡¯t step in. Instead, they started munching on snacks while they watched everything yout.

    Meanwhile, Wan Sisi was simply looking forward to hearing Gao Yang sing. She had heard that he couldn¡¯t carry a tune if his life depended on it and might as well be torturing people with his singing. She never believed them. Someone as gentle as Gao Yang should be a good singer... Even if he wasn¡¯t, he would be bad at it in an adorable way.

    Gao Yang gave Qing Ling a look. <i>Later?</i>

    Qing Ling met his eyes. <i>Later.</i>

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet and said.

    The booth wasn¡¯t that big. He moved across it in a few steps and looked for a song by the karaoke machine with all eyes on him. It didn¡¯t take him long to pick Jay Chou¡¯s <i>I Find it Hard to Say.</i>

    ¡°Ha, a ssic,¡± Niu Xuan said mockingly. ¡°Seems like you sing a lot! Listen carefully, boys!¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course!¡±

    ¡°We look forward to it, Singing God!¡±

    ¡°Come on, Singing God!¡±

    The boys chortled among themselves.

    Gao Yang knew he was a terrible singer, and he was going to let things slide after humiliating himself with a bad performance. It was more important to talk to Qing Ling. However, Niu Xuan had gone too far.

    The song started with a gentle intro. The singing part woulde in ten seconds.

    Gao Yang grew increasingly angry as he thought about it, and on impulse, he closed his eyes and essed the system.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 1 Luck point. You now have a total of 26 Luck points.]

    ¡ªWhat will help me sing better?

    [Charisma amplifies all Talents rted to voice. You do not have any Talent of this kind. You are advised not to put your points in Charisma.]

    ¡ªPut all 26 points into it! Confirm!

    [Luck points allocated.]

    [Constitution: 27 Endurance: 28]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

    [Willpower: 67 Charisma: 55]

    [Luck: 132]

    [System hidden.]

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, feeling a slight itch in his throat and a ball of energy expanding his chest. He knew the points he put into Charisma were working the magic. It took about 30 seconds.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting started?¡± Niu Xuan urged. ¡°Everyone¡¯s waiting!¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and wlessly got into the song, ¡°<i>Through the clouds, I tried hard to run to you, only to find you already in another¡¯s arms...</i>¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang stood up with his hands around the microphone, his face creased with yearning. ¡°<i>Couldn¡¯t open my mouth and tell you. The simple words are beyond me. I can only look at you from afar. I can do all that, yet the one who gets to do all that is no longer me...</i>¡±

    The song ended.

    A strange silence permeated the room. Those who had been waiting for Gao Yang to make a fool of himself realized btedly that they had listened to him sing with rapt attention.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t as good as a professional singer, but he was quite good for an amateur. More importantly, he had sung with emotions.

    And his choice of song couldn¡¯t be more fitting. Li Weiwei passed away not too long ago. Through the lens of the story of Gao Yang not being able to reveal his feelings until it was toote, many of his ssmates couldn¡¯t help but be touched by his singing, and their eyes turned red. Wan Sisi was one of them.

    She was at first happy that Gao Yang sang well. Then she was reminded of Li Weiwei¡¯s death and felt sorrow and pity for her. In the end, she was filled with a sense of loss. Gao Yang must be in love with Li Weiwei. They had grown up together with more than ten years of history between them.

    <i>But I won¡¯t give up even if Li Weiwei would forever be the white moonlight in your heart</i>[1]<i>. I will stay with you, and you¡¯ll one day realize that the years I give you are the most longsting confession...</i>

    Wan Sisi sat with her head lowered, ying an epic, heartbreaking one-woman act in her mind.

    Niu Xuan remained unmoving on his couch, visibly deted. Inwardly, he was cursing up a storm.

    Gao Yang handed the microphone to the ssmate who was singing next, sighing to himself and ming his impulsive action. He had just wasted 26 precious Luck points to one-up someone, and for what?

    He had seemed so emotional and invested while he sang, but after the performance, he immediately returned to Qing Ling¡¯s corner of the booth and sat down next to her, avoiding his peers¡¯ attention.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good,¡± Qing Ling said.

    Gao Yang paused. He hadn¡¯t expected Qing Ling to care about anything other than getting stronger. ¡°You tter me. What were you going to talk to me about?¡±

    Qing Ling leaned toward his ear and lowered her voice. ¡°Today, I...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Niu Xuan shouted again. ¡°Get over here!¡±

    This was the second time she got interrupted. Qing Ling¡¯s expression darkened instantly like she was one second away from decapitating Niu Xuan.

    ¡°Miss Qing, calm down...¡± Gao Yang immediately stopped her from getting up. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Really. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Do it quickly,¡± Qing Ling said, irritated.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    1. In Eileen Chang¡¯s <i>Red Rose, White Rose</i>, she supposes that every man will meet these two kinds of women. If he marries the red rose, the white rose he doesn¡¯t get together with will be the silver moonlight before his bed, and the red rose nothing but a smear of mosquito blood on the wall. ¡®White moonlight¡¯ is thus used a lot in the modernnguage to refer to an old love one has lost, often because of premature death. ?

 Chapter 32: The Twelve Zodiac Signs

    <h4>Chapter 32: The Twelve Zodiac Signs</h4>

    Gao Yang walked up to Niu Xuan and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s y some dice! You in?¡±

    Niu Xuan sat on the couch by the table with swagger, vowing to one-up Gao Yang this time. As soon as he said that, his sidekicks had already pressed the service button for him.

    Soon enough, the door opened, and a young waitress walked into the booth. ¡°What can I help you with?¡±

    She was dressed in a servant uniform of ck and red. Someone else would look old-fashioned in uniform like this, but on her, the suit looked sophisticated and tailor-made. She was like a personal servant to a noble in their manor, professional, graceful, and humble.

    The mask of white rabbit on her face was in stark contrast with the air of professionalism about her, adding mystery to her charm.

    Seeing the confused look on the customers¡¯ faces, the waitress politely exined, ¡°Our greatest VIP Mr. Qin is celebrating his birthday today. His zodiac sign is rabbit, so all the staff members...¡±

    ¡°Enough already!¡± Niu Xuan cut her off. Why should he care about someone else¡¯s birthday? ¡°Get me your special cocktail...whatever it¡¯s called.¡±

    ¡°Cosmos Mystery, sir. How many shots do you wish to order?¡±

    ¡°Five dozen.¡±

    ¡°Well...Cosmos Mystery is quite strong.¡± The waitress scanned the booth. ¡°For this room, dear customer, I think two dozen will suffice...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You think I don¡¯t have the money?!¡± His pent-up anger catching up to him, Niu Xuanid into the waitress.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, sir. My apologies.¡± The waitress bowed. ¡°Five dozen Cosmos Mystery. We¡¯ll have it prepared, sir. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Although Niu Xuan was yelling at the waitress rather than his ssmates, it was a rude action that left Wan Sisi and the other girls embarrassed. They pretended not to hear him and started singing again.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the waitress to return with a cart and ce the cocktails on the table. The shot sses weren''t big, and they were long and shaped like vials for chemicals. Neatly arranged in a grid container made of white steel, the cocktails seemed to be glowing under the colorful light like something out of a cyberpunk movie.

    Niu Xuan picked up the dice confidently. ¡°Let¡¯s y simplified Sic Bo. The one who loses has to drink. You¡¯re not a man if you back out of this!¡±

    <i>And how am I supposed to say no when you put it like that?</i> Gao Yang thought.

    Niu Xuan was determined to drink Gao Yang under the table and have him humiliate himself in drunken stupor. A goody-two-shoes like Gao Yang must be a lightweight who rarely drank. At most he could tolerate three sses. Niu Xuan was different. He had trained himself in many a gathering. He could finish a dozen sses without problem.

    Betting on big and small didn¡¯t involve skill anyway. It was purely a game of luck!

    <i>Thud! </i>Niu Xuan grabbed the dice cup and made a flurry of movements to collect the dice before mming it onto the table. ¡°Big or small?¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Big!¡± Niu Xuan lifted the dice cup. Three ones.

    Niu Xuan paused for a couple seconds before grabbing a vial and downing the cocktail.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink, thud! </i>Niu Xuan shot daggers at Gao Yang with his eyes. ¡°Again, big or small?¡±

    ¡°You first.¡± Gao Yang humbly gestured at him to go on.

    ¡°No, you make the bet!¡± Niu Xuan didn¡¯t go with it this time.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet on Big.¡±

    Niu Xuan lifted the dice cup. Three sixes.

    Niu Xuan red at the dice in disbelief.<i> Coincidence. It must be a coincidence!</i> After finishing his second drink, he pushed the dice cup to Go Yang with some deliberation. ¡°You do it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gao Yang shook the dice cup before putting it down. ¡°Big or small?¡±

    ¡°Big.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to reveal the dice when Niu Xuan suddenly reached out to stop him. ¡°Wait! Small!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡±

    ¡°Are you betting big or small?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Niu Xuan made up his mind. ¡°Big! I¡¯m not changing my bet!¡±

    Gao Yang lifted the dice cup. Three ones.

    Niu Xuan stared. What the hell was happening?! The fucker wasn¡¯t cheating, was he?

    Niu Xuan immediately found another dice cup and checked it thoroughly before starting another round. Still suspicious, he checked under the table too to make sure there was no strange device. Only then did he start to shake the dice.

    This time, he shook the dice cup for one minute straight until his arms were sore.

    ¡°Your pick!¡±

    ¡°Big...¡±

    Niu Xuan cut him off, ¡°I bet big!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet small.¡±

    Niu Xuan lifted the dice cup. Three ones.

    Niu Xuan couldn¡¯t believe it. The two boys watching from the sides cried out, ¡°Holy! What kind of luck was that, Gao Yang?! That¡¯s crazy!¡±

    What little self-control Niu Xuan had left evaporated under his fury. He grabbed a drink and downed it before throwing the ss onto the floor. The shattered pieces flew everywhere. ¡°Again!¡±

    Some of the girls were still singing, but then there was a sharp sound, apanied by shards of ss sttering in their direction. They were terrified. One of the ss pieces even hit Wan Sisi in the calf and left a bleeding cut.

    Luo Xiaodan, the girl with sses on, was Wan Sisi¡¯s close friend. She immediately crouched down to check the cut for Wan Sisi, and she flew into rage. Usually, she would be too scared to confront a rich boy like Niu Xuan, but she had had enough.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine...¡± Wan Sisi grabbed her friend.

    But Luo Xiaodan shook her hand off and stalked up to Niu Xuan. ¡°Niu Xuan! Gao Yang! If you want to drink, take it elsewhere! This is Wan Sisi¡¯s birthday. You¡¯re not the star here. Don¡¯t stir up trouble for us!¡±

    ¡°Ah, alright.¡± Gao Yang was going to use this chance to end things here, but Niu Xuan stopped him when he was going to stand up. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving! Another round!¡±

    Luo Xiaodan shuddered in rage. ¡°Niu Xuan, will you stop being weird...¡±

    ¡°Shut up, bitch! I¡¯m drinking here today, and I will! What are you gonna do about it?!¡± With alcohol muddling his mind, Niu Xuan lost all pretense and showed his true self.

    ¡°You, you...¡±

    Gao Yang shot to his feet with a cold look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not ying. Find someone who¡¯s interested.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Niu Xuan stood up too and flipped the table with a kick. <i>Clink!</i> Everything on the table was shattered and sttered all over the floor. Everyone in the room froze. All they could hear was the echoing instrumental apaniment of the song. The air was thick with tension.

    Luo Xiaodan had never been shouted at like this, and she burst into tears and rushed out while covering her face, feeling wronged. The other girls had been wanting to escape this mess as well, and they rushed after her.

    Wan Sisi nced at Gao Yang like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she ran after the other girls as well.

    The boys hadn¡¯t expected things to escte like this, but they only made lip service to cate Niu Xuan¡ªthey knew the kind of person Niu Xuan was. Once he reached a state, no one could stop him.

    As expected, Niu Xuan didn¡¯t back down. The boys exchanged a look before leaving with the excuse of going to the toilet.

    The room was left empty save for three people.

    Gao Yang and Niu Xuan stared at each other with shattered ss and spilled alcohol between them, while Qing Ling remained seated in the corner with her legs crossed and her arms folded.

    Niu Xuan clenched his teeth. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten bold, Gao Yang! ying the hero here? Don¡¯t make me into a viin!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not plotting things like that. I simply don¡¯t want to continue this game.¡± Gao Yang''s expression was cold. He was running out of patience here. He didn¡¯t fear a fight. With his increased stats, he might be far from capable of dealing with a monster himself, but he could easily deal with a ¡®man¡¯.

    ¡°You¡¯re not plotting things? Oh, I think your head is filled with all kinds of schemes!¡± Niu Xuan marched up to him and grabbed his cors, sttering saliva on his face while talking. ¡°I get that you need a different girl after Li Weiwei died, Gao Yang, but you have Qing Ling already, don¡¯t you? Why did youe to Wan Sisi¡¯s birthday party?¡±

    ¡°She invited me.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you say no to her?¡± Niu Xuan got even angrier. ¡°You want to take Wan Sisi as well, don¡¯t you? How greedy! You think that won¡¯t bite you in the ass?¡±

    ¡°Greedy?¡± Gao Yang scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m far from your level.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a death wish?!¡± Without warning, Niu Xuan pushed Gao Yang forcefully and lifted his leg to make a kick. In his mind, Gao Yang should¡¯ve been thrown to the corner of the room.

    Yet Gao Yang dodged the kick gracefully with a sidestep and made a simple sweep with his leg, knocking Niu Xuan off bnce. Niu Xuan slipped and made an involuntary split before Gao Yang.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Niu Xuan screamed in pain. He felt something in his thighs torn.

    Gao Yang extended a hand, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re being too polite, Young Master Xuan. No need to bow down to me before the New Year. Let me help you up.¡±

    ¡°Help your mom¡¯s ass...¡± Niu Xuan cursed and covered hisher region as he stood up shakily, clenching through the pain. Before he even regained bnce, he grabbed a microphone and threw it at Gao Yang.

    The waitress wearing a white rabbit mask had entered the booth at some point. She lifted a hand and easily caught the microphone. In a polite tone, she said, ¡°Please stay calm, sir. Perhaps you should sit down and settle this...¡±

    ¡°Piss off!¡± Niu Xuan growled. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you!¡±

    ¡°Apologies, sir. You¡¯re breaking the rules of this establishment. If you insist on hurting this young man, I¡¯d have to ask you to leave.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± Niu Xuan swung his fist as he staggered toward the waitress. ¡°Get the hell away...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    It all happened too quickly for Gao Yang to see clearly. When he looked, Niu Xuan was already flying into a wall and then falling onto a couch. Then he fell and rolled across the floor covered in alcohol and shattered ss, unconscious.

    Gao Yang tensed up immediately, and Qing Ling jumped to her feet from the two-seater.

    The waitress nced sideways at the visibly alerted Gao Yang and Qing Ling. Although the white rabbit was nothing but a mask, it seemed to have a life of its own as it smiled at them. ¡°Greetings. I¡¯m White Rabbit, member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve met Electric Mouse, haven¡¯t you?¡± White Rabbit took a step forward. ¡°The idiot who¡¯s unusually obsessed with arcade games and human girls¡¯ breasts.¡±

    ¡°Wu Dahai! You¡¯re from the organization?¡± Gao Yang was d that they were finally meeting someone from the organization properly. <i>The Twelve Zodiac Signs, huh?</i>

    ¡°Yes.¡± White Rabbit nced at Qing Ling. ¡°You have a weapon, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Qing Ling responded with silence.

    ¡°The second test.¡±

    White Rabbit looked down at Niu Xuan. He was lying prone at her feet.

    ¡°Kill this wanderer.¡±

 Chapter 33: The Second Test

    <h4>Chapter 33: The Second Test</h4>

    ¡°Kill him? That¡¯s it?¡± Qing Ling was surprised by how simple the test was. It would be easier than ying games with Wu Dahai.

    Gao Yang was taken aback as well. The test was so simple that it was suspicious.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± White Rabbit eyed the two of them. ¡°Easy, isn¡¯t it? Up to you if you want to cut his head or pierced his heart with a sharp object. You kill wanderers like how you would kill humans.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to kill him, but what about the mess it¡¯ll leave?¡± Qing Ling voiced her concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± White Rabbit was wearing a pair of white gloves, and she tapped on the radio at her waist, indicating that she hadpanions to keep things under control.

    With her only concern resolved, Qing Ling walked up to Niu Xuan with a small, sharp dagger in her hand.

    She crouched down and sliced open Niu Xuan¡¯s shirt, the tip of the dagger finding the heart in his heaving chest easily. Just when she was going to stab into Niu Xuan¡¯s heart, Gao Yang called out, ¡°Wait!¡±

    Qing Ling stopped and threw him a questioning look.

    ¡°Wait, Qing Ling,¡± Gao Yang repeated.

    White Rabbit looked at him as well. ¡°Why? Do you not want to join us?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Gao Yang tentatively asked for more information. ¡°I simply don¡¯t get why we must kill him. He hasn¡¯t transformed.¡± <i>And how do you know he¡¯s a wanderer? </i>That part Gao Yang didn¡¯t speak out loud. White Rabbit must have her way of telling that.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a question of why. No justification is needed for killing monsters.¡± White Rabbit talked about murder like she was talking about what she ate for breakfast. ¡°If I have to give you a reason, well, our organization wants only awakeners who are decisive, strong-willed, and able to carry out their conviction. We don¡¯t need people who sympathize and pity monsters.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a wanderer.¡± White Rabbit stepped forward and kicked Niu Xuan. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to kill him, it¡¯s alright. Let me think...doesn¡¯t the girl called Wan Sisi like you? Why don¡¯t I check for you if she¡¯s a wanderer? If so, you can kill her instead.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. The girl was observant.

    ¡°Have you decided now?¡± White Rabbit urged him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond.

    He was no saint, and he didn¡¯t care if Niu Xuan died or not. Moreover, the man wasn¡¯t actually a man, but a delusion monster.

    However, there were things nagging at Gao Yang.

    First was how White Rabbit worded her instruction¡ªkill the <i>wanderer</i>.

    She could¡¯ve said, ¡®Kill the monster.¡¯ Why did she specify ¡®wanderer¡¯? That suggested her organization treated wanderers, namely delusion monsters, differently from other kinds of monsters.

    Commonsense dictated that all monsters outside of delusion monsters were too dangerous for any awakener to spare. They must be exterminated; conversely, if her organization treated delusion monsters differently, their standard procedure must be the opposite of extermination¡ªspare the wanderers.

    White Rabbit had called this a test, but Gao Yang felt like they were presented with a choice.

    She had been swaying them on what to do with an ¡®innocent¡¯ wanderer.

    ¡ª<i>It¡¯s just a wanderer</i>, she had said.

    She was purposefully downying and degrading the value of wanderers.

    Then White Rabbit threatened him by bringing up Wan Sisi. That was amon method of maniption. On one side, there was the pure-hearted and loveable Wan Sisi. On the other side, there was the bully Niu Xuan.

    It was obvious who would be easier to hate.

    It was also a trick a couple might use on each other. The wife would tell the husband that she was eyeing a twenty thousand yuan bag. Then she told him there was a dress she wanted to buy, and it only cost a few hundred yuan. Weighing the two, the husband would dly buy the dress for her.

    That was what White Rabbit had done. She was urging him and Qing Ling to make one particr decision: kill Niu Xuan.

    If they killed Niu Xuan without hesitation, two facts would stand: first, they believed wanderers should be killed, and second, they believed wanderers should be treated differently from other monsters.

    Yet the two facts contradicted each other.

    Not valuing monsters as lives meant that in humans¡¯ eyes, monsters had no right to live. Further differentiating between such beings without a right to live...would be akin to saying one¡¯s cat must be protected at all cost, but other people¡¯s cats? They were fair game. That would be a serious case of double standards.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t kill him, I¡¯ll take it as you giving up on joining us.¡± White Rabbit nced at her watch. ¡°Clock¡¯s ticking. You need to leave me enough time to deal with the mess.¡±

    <i>To hell with it. You can''t rece your bicycle with a motorcycle without taking risks</i>[1]<i>.</i>

    Gao Yang made up his mind. ¡°I won¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± White Rabbit sounded doubtful.

    ¡°We don¡¯t kill wanderers.¡± Gao Yang was firm.

    Qing Ling shot him a re, wordlessly questioning if he had lost his mind.

    Gao Yang blinked at her. <i>Trust me! This is a trap!</i>

    ¡°Really?¡± White Rabbit chuckled. ¡°Hubris can get you in trouble, boy. And shonen mangas preaching love and courage are poison. Don¡¯t read too much of those books. This is your only chance. I¡¯m obligated to tell you that if you miss it, the organization will never make another offer to you. You better think it through.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°We won¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± White Rabbit shrugged and turned to Qing Ling. ¡°The boy¡¯s out. What about you?¡±

    Qing Ling thought for a moment. Then her dagger vanished into thin air. She had decided to trust Gao Yang. Past experience had shown her that the guy was lucky. At least he hadn¡¯t yet made trouble for her.

    White Rabbit sighed with disappointment. ¡°You two seem to have good potential, and your Talents are pretty high on the list. What a shame. Would you tell me why you refuse to kill wanderers?¡±

    <i>What?</i>

    <i>No way. Is this the end? Did I overthink it?</i>

    Gao Yang started to regret things a little, but he had gotten this far, and he couldn¡¯t just make a one-eighty now. He racked his brain and made up an exnation with whatever came to him, ¡°It¡¯s...because of the order of things.¡±

    ¡°Order?¡±

    ¡°I believe the world operates ording to a certain order. Killing wanderers for no reason will disrupt that order.¡± Gao Yang spoke without a crack in his poker face.

    White Rabbit seemed bemused.

    Sensing that he still needed to go further, Gao Yang parrotted what he had been told, ¡°Delusion, greed, wrath, pride, life, and death are all meaningless. Life is short and nothing but a grand dream.¡±

    The girl in white rabbit mask seemed surprised. She strode up to Gao Yang and stood on her toes, staring at Gao Yang¡¯s eyes with her head tilted.

    Through her mask, Gao Yang saw a pair of clear, cute, almond-shaped eyes.

    ¡°Your gaze is simr to Captain¡¯s,¡± she said in a softer voice.

    ¡°My gaze?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Well.¡± White Rabbit thought for a moment. ¡°While it looks like he¡¯s tired and notpletely awake, at the same time, there seems to be a lot going on in his head.¡±

    <i>We call that resting dead eyes</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°Do people with eyes like that always turn out to be really strong?¡± White Rabbit turned to Qing Ling.

    ¡°No idea.¡±

    ¡°You said something simr to what Captain has said.¡± White Rabbit patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Alright. You passed.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s expression was still impassive, but he would be wagging his tail if he had one. He¡¯d made the right call!

    White Rabbit turned around and kicked the still unconscious Niu Xuan.

    ¡°Captain has made three rules. Keep them in mind.¡±

    ¡°First, do not kill humans without justification.¡±

    ¡°Second, do not kill wanderers without justification.¡±

    ¡°Third, no office romance.¡±

    ¡°Those who vite any of the rules shall be expelled from the organization permanently.¡±

    Gao Yang thought he had heard wrong. The first two rules sounded profound, but what was going on with thest rule? No wonder Wu Dahai was always so horny. Even if he was allowed to hook up with other members, however, he was unlikely to find anyone interested in him.

    ¡°Are we members now?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Be patient. You¡¯re considered trainees at the moment. If you two want to be official members, there is the next and final test.¡± White Rabbit fished something small out of her pocket and cast it to Qing Ling. Qing Ling caught it and gave it a good look. It was an archaic brass key.

    ¡°Find the door for the key and go on a tour,¡± said White Rabbit.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± White Rabbit repeated calmly.

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Gao Yang took the brass key from Qing Ling and immediately, he felt a chill from the tip of his fingers. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a warning from his heightened sixth sense, or if it was all in his head. He tightened his grip on the key. ¡°Where do we find the door?¡±

    White Rabbit extended a finger. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a clue. It¡¯s inside the Shanqing District.¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± One could never have too much information.

    ¡°Let me think.¡± White Rabbit rubbed at her chin. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t die.¡±

    1. An idiom from southern China that means that if you give something a try, perhaps you¡¯ll get an unexpected reward. ?

 Chapter 34: The Third Test

    <h4>Chapter 34: The Third Test</h4>

    Inpatient Building, Shanqing Third Hospital. Ten o¡¯clock in the evening.

    Gao Yang sat on a bench in the hallway outside his father¡¯s ward, enjoying a bowl of vorful <i>mtang</i>. Officer Huang had brought him thete night snack. He heard that Gao Yang¡¯s father was in the hospital after getting into a car ident, so he ¡®swung by¡¯ once his shift ended.

    There was no one else in the hallway. With a half-burned cigarette in his mouth, Officer Huang asked, ¡°How¡¯s your dad doing?¡±

    ¡°He woke up for a while this afternoon. He said he was thirsty. Then he had some water and fell asleep.¡± Gao Yang bit into a beef ball. The sttering juice was so hot that his tongue involuntarily curled up.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to business.¡± Officer Huang shook off some ash. ¡°Someone from the organization went to you, right?¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit of the Twelve Zodiac SIgns. I was with Qing Ling,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. Then he exined what had happened in the karaoke earlier.

    ¡°The one who found me was called Heavenly Dog[1],¡± Officer Huang said calmly. ¡°My test went simrly to yours. I was first told to kill a robber. He was a wanderer. I didn¡¯t want to kill him. Then I was told to kill my wife. Of course I would refuse to do it. And I passed just like that.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill the robber?¡± Gao Yang was curious. Had Officer Huang realized that it was a trap just like him?

    ¡°Well, I would¡¯ve killed him if he didn¡¯t happen to be the nephew of my wife¡¯s cousin. My wife is very close with her cousin, and they chatted on phones every day. Now that my wife¡¯s pregnant, I don¡¯t want something like that to put her in a bad mood. Who would¡¯ve thought I would get to the right decision that way?¡±

    <i>So it¡¯s the power of love. </i>Gao Yang chuckled.

    Officer Huang turned to him. ¡°Heavenly Dog told me that you have the hint for the third test.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang took out the brass key. ¡°We were told to find the door for the key and go on a tour. Then we¡¯ll pass the test. The door should be in the Shanqing District.¡±

    Officer Huang took the key and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger to get a thorough look, his eyes glinting. ¡°Shouldn''t be hard. I¡¯ll take care of it. Wait for me to contact you two.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    After Officer Huang left, Gao Yang finished his <i>mtang</i> and returned to his father¡¯s ward. He set up the foldable chair by his father¡¯s bed andy down with a nket.

    He closed his eyes, but sleep eluded him.

    He essed the system to check his Luck points.

    As expected, meeting White Rabbit didn¡¯t give him a bonus. It seemed that he had to undergo actual danger for that to happen, and the greater the danger, the greater the bonus. With danger came the risk of death, of course, which was a fair trade-off.

    ...

    The next day at noon, his mother and sister came to the hospital to let him go home.

    Gao Yang took a shower and had lunch before sleeping for a few hours. In the evening, he walked out of the gate of hismunity and immediately saw a familiar patrol car. Officer Huang was smoking by the road. He waved at Gao Yang when he saw him.

    Gao Yang jogged up to him. ¡°Officer Huang? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I found it,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°Finding things is my forte.¡± Officer Huang tapped the car hood. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the car.¡±

    Gao Yang walked closer and realized that Qing Ling was riding shotgun. He then opened the door to the back and was surprised to find Wang Zikai and Fat Jun in the car.

    ¡°Miss me, bro?¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be more excited. He reached out to drag Gao Yang into the car. ¡°Let me tell you, bro, I¡¯ve reached another breakthrough! I¡¯ll show you a trick or two once we get somewhere without people. I¡¯m the GOAT, I kid you not...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head rang.

    Once the car started, he asked Officer Huang, ¡°Why are they here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve observed Fat Jun for a good while,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°His arm hasn¡¯t transformed since that night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not even once.¡± Fat Jun eagerly pped on his fat chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Yang. I¡¯m confident in my body right now!¡±

    ¡°What''s there to be concerned about? Even if the fat guy goes crazy again, I can take care of him with only one arm!¡± It¡¯d only been a few days since Gao Yangst saw Wang Zikai, but his confidence had ballooned dramatically; he was acting like the boss of the gang.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this for our test?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t bring help.¡± Officer Huang gave him a pointed look through the mirror. ¡°Wu Dahai came to me secretly and told me to bring help. He said this test was no joke. It¡¯s possible...that not all of us would make it through.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. White Rabbit had warned them too. The test must be truly dangerous. What would they encounter, he wondered. Although both Wang Zikai and Fat Jun brought unpredictable variables into the mix, one of them was a good fighter, while the other was a healer. All in all, they would do more good than harm.

    After half an hour, the patrol car arrived at the southwest part of the Li Mountain.

    The Li Mountain was located inside the Li City. It ran across the Shanqing District and the Dongyu District, but belonged to Shanqing in jurisdiction.

    It was quite a popr tourist attraction with an altitude of about three hundred meters and an area of five thousand square meters. The mountain was home to a great variety of nts. The scenery was wonderful, and there was an observatory on top. Standing on the observatory would allow one to take in the entire Li City. The number of hikers peaked at dawn and evening every day, and the south and north entrances saw the most visitors with an endless stream of people going up the mountain.

    Obviously, Officer Huang hadn¡¯t taken them here to hike. Given there was no road into the Li Mountain on its southwest side, he parked the car on a rural path. Following Officer Huang, they got out of the car before walking across a field and entering a small forest.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Officer Huang took the lead. ¡°We¡¯ll get there soon. It¡¯s right ahead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where the door is?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang continued to lead the way. ¡°Judging by the design, the brass key White Rabbit gave you is likely a door key for an old house. There aren¡¯t a lot of houses that old in Shanqing now. The retro walking street is one, but the doors of those houses actually all have modern locks installed despite the old school design of the buildings. The Lotus Street used to have a lot of old houses too, but they were all torn downst year for renewal...¡±

    Officer Huang paused and took a breath. Out of habit, he unholstered his gun and checked the bullets before continuing his walk. ¡°I was thinking about where else in Shanqing would we find old houses that use brass keys like this, and I could only think of one ce...¡±

    ¡°Can it be...Gu Family¡¯s Vige?¡± Fat Jun had a lot of weight to carry with his body, so he had beengging behind the group. The moment he uttered the vige¡¯s name, however, he hurried to catch up with Gao Yang. Then after thinking about it, his insecurity persisted, and he quickened his pace further to walk alongside Qing Ling, the strongest fighter among them.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Officer Huang was surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know. It¡¯s been thirty years, I think.¡±

    ¡°The father of a highschool ssmate of mine is a reporter, and he¡¯s done an editorial about the incident. It¡¯s creepy as hell. My ssmate used to tell us about it every day like he was telling a ghost story.¡± Fat Jun nervously looked around.

    ¡°What¡¯s the story?¡± Wang Zikai got curious. ¡°You¡¯re both being so cryptic about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the brutal homicide of an entire family. There was a family of five in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. They died overnight with their bodies cut into many pieces and scattered around different parts of the vige.¡± Officer Huang added, ¡°My mentor was in charge of the investigation, so I¡¯ve heard him talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Has the case been closed?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Officer Huang shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Less than a fortnight after the homicide, all fifty-three residents of the vige disappeared.¡±

    ¡°They disappeared?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was as if they had evaporated without leaving any trace. My mentor had done everything to search for them in the vige short of digging three meters into the ground, yet he found nothing. It remains a cold case even after he retired.¡±

    Everyone quietly waited for Officer Huang to continue.

    Dusk descended upon their surroundings, and the forest became dim. Chilling wind rustled the leaves every now and then. The atmosphere suddenly grew eerie.

    Officer Huang took out the brass key and said in a low voice, ¡°The door is somewhere inside the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    1. The Japanese mythical creature <i>tengu.</i> The name<i> </i>is written as Ìì¹· in both kanji and Chinese, which literally tranted as Heavenly Dog or Sky Dog. Since dog is one of the twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs, I go with the literal trantion to keep with the theme of the organization. ?

 Chapter 35: Gu Familyâ€™s Village

    <h4>Chapter 35: Gu Family¡¯s Vige</h4>

    A few minutester, the five of them walked out of the forest and were met with the side ridge of the Li Mountain. It sat there like a slumbering giant against the backdrop of the bluish gray sky. Night would soon fall upon the quiet valley.

    They found a dried pond. On its left was a farming field circled by bamboo fences, and it had been fallow for so long that weed had imed itpletely.

    Beyond the pond and the field was a small vige. A dozen and more shabby houses made of mud bricks scattered along the declining slope toward the bottom of the mountain like stairs.

    A winding cobbled path connected the front yards of the houses until it reached the top of the slope, where a structure of ck bricks and white roof tiles sat. They could somewhat tell that it was a traditional ancestral hall.

    The five of them made it past the field along the dirt path circling the pond, arriving at the entrance to the vige.

    Night had driven away daylight. There was no one in the vige, and all they could hear was the chilling wind, the faint chirps of insects, and strange noises they could not identify.

    Officer Huang took out a shlight to light the cracked stone stele under his feet. The word ¡®Gu¡¯ had splintered. It looked like a bad omen.

    ¡°Wait, wait...¡± Fat Jun paled, his throat constricting. ¡°I...I suddenly feel ill. I may go crazy any second. Why don¡¯t I return to the basement of the vi and tie myself up? I¡¯ll stay put.¡±

    Gao Yang was getting goosebumps as well. This was an empty vige where a terrible homicide and a strange disappearance of all its residents had taken ce. Now that they had gotten this far, however, they had to push ahead, for the effort they had invested if for nothing else.

    With one hand in his pocket and the other hand holding a shlight, Wang Zikai sauntered ahead, kicking the bamboo basket in his way with no trace of fear at all.

    Qing Ling¡¯s expression was impassive as usual, but her eyes and movement made it clear that she was wary.

    ¡°Are you really that scared?¡± Officer Huang asked Fat Jun.

    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this ce, Officer Huang.¡± Fat Jun looked around wildly like a bird scared by arrows. ¡°A fortune teller told me that I¡¯m the kind of person who attracts impure beings, and that I should avoid ces with too much <i>yin </i>energy. This is a perfect example of that. It¡¯s diforting...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in spirits. You can go back if you¡¯re scared.¡± Officer Huang didn¡¯t force him to stay.

    Fat Jun turned back to check the direction they hade from. There was no light source in the sky, and the resulting darkness seemed teeming with countless dangers. While he was still hesitating, the other four resumed their advance. Left on his own, Fat Jun felt as if the air around him had dropped a few degrees in temperature. With a shudder, he quickly caught up to the others. ¡°Hey, wait for me...¡±

    All five of them walked up the hill and soon reached the ancestral hall at the edge of the vige.

    It was built against a bluff. The front door was guarded by two small fierce-looking stone lions. The cyan brick walls were covered in moist moss, and the ck finish of the door was peeling off. Above it was a que obscured by dirt and spider webs. It took some straining to make out the words written in traditional Chinese: Gu Ancestry Hall.

    Officer Huang walked up to the ck door and grabbed one of the lion door knockers, carefully knocking thrice.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    The dull sounds echoed in the dark, ancient and profound.

    ¡°We¡¯ve knocked on the door. It should be okay for us to enter, right?¡± Officer Huang turned to ask Fat Jun.

    Fat Jun was trying and failing to hide his big body behind Gao Yang. His round face popped up as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t ask me... How should I know?¡±

    Officer Huang inserted the brass key into the lock. ¡°Yes, this is the right door.¡±

    He took a deep breath and turned the key. The soft crack sounded thunderous in their ears.

    <i>This can¡¯t be good</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    As expected, Officer Huang smiled bitterly and exined, ¡°I think the key broke.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way! Stop faffing about!¡± Wang Zikai was eager for action. He rushed forward and kicked the door open.

    <i>Bam! </i>His kick was so violent that half the door broke off and topped to the ground, making a puff of dirt rise up.

    ¡°Son of bitches! Your grandpa ising[1]!¡± Wang Zikai charged in headlong.

    Everyone else exchanged a look before catching up to him.

    Inside the door was a square courtyard surrounded on all three sides by two-story buildings. It was the kind of architecture only seen in the past. Above them was a skylight. Faint luminance streamed down to the courtyard, right onto the abandoned well.

    The well was facing the opened door of the ancestral hall.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? Where¡¯s the enemy? Lizard monsters?¡± Wang Zikai stood under the skylight with a foot on the wall of the dried well, visibly disappointed.

    Officer Huang threw Gao Yang a nce. ¡°Do you know how to use a gun?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. Then he was reminded of something. ¡°But I have Replicate.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Officer Huang handed him a handgun.

    Gao Yang took it and held Officer Huang¡¯s hand at the same time.

    A secondter, he had sessfully replicated Officer Huang¡¯s level 3 God of Firearms. Knowledge about firearms, experience in shooting, and all kinds of muscle memories rushed into his mind.

    He held the gun with his right hand and pointed it down, opening the magazine to check the bullets before loading it again. There was no pause in the series of actions.

    ¡°It¡¯s a type 92 handgun with 15 bullets and an effective range of 50 meters,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°Don¡¯t waste the bullets.¡±

    ¡°Actually...my Replicate can only be used for three seconds.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly.

    ¡°That¡¯s...short,¡± Officer Huang said in surprise.

    Wang Zikai guffawed. ¡°That¡¯s right! Men should aspire to be longsting!¡±

    Gao Yang gave him an eyeroll. <i>I¡¯m regretting saving you!</i>

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that we won¡¯t face any difficult enemy.¡± Officer Huang threw Fat Jun a nce. ¡°Or things we can¡¯t evenprehend.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling each held their weapon of choice and covered Officer Huang as they advanced into the ancestral hall.

    The interior wasn¡¯t anything special. There was a wall cab for memorial tablets, covered by a piece of thin white sheer. On top of it was another que that read, <i>May the merits of the past pass down to future generations.</i>

    In front of the cab of memorial tablets was an altar, on which was a candle that hadn¡¯t been burned down, some incense ash, and a few empty tes for tributes.

    ¡°Gu Huawen, Gu Huawu...Gu Rongjie...Gu Changxue...¡± Wang Zikai lit the memorial tablets with his shlight and read the names from bottom to top.

    ¡°Stop it! Stop it already!¡± Fat Jun quickly ran out of the ancestral hall.

    ¡°Loser!¡± Wang Zikai snorted derisively.

    ¡°A family has been killed here, Brother Kai!¡± Fat Jun was overwhelmed with fear. ¡°Then everyone in the vige disappeared! These people must be vengeful spirits now. Are you trying to summon them here?!¡±

    ¡°Hm, that reminds me of a movie I¡¯ve watched.¡± Wang Zikai stroked his chin. ¡°Is it called <i>A Wicked Spirit</i>? Or <i>An Evil Ghost</i>[2]? Anyway, it¡¯s about a vengeful spirit killing everyone in the vige...¡±

    ¡°Enough with that.¡± Gao Yang stopped Wang Zikai. If this went on, Fat Jun wouldn¡¯t be the only one shuddering in fear.

    In fact, Gao Yang had sensed that something was wrong the moment they walked into the ancestry hall, like something was watching him from the dark. However, the system showed that his Luck points hadn¡¯t seen abnormal increase when he essed it, which meant that there was no iing danger yet.

    He turned to Officer Huang. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°What did White Rabbit tell you?¡±

    ¡°Find the door for the key,¡± Qing Ling repeated White Rabbit¡¯s words, ¡°And have a tour.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve had a tour. What else are you waiting for? Let¡¯s get out¡ª¡± Fat Jun nched before he could finish his sentence. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?!¡±

    <i>Swish, swish, swishswish¡ª</i>

    Everyone heard the strange noises. It sounded like countless snakes were quickly slithering through the ancestry hall in the dark.

    ¡°Holy! It¡¯s a ghost...¡± Fat Jun ran out of the ancestry hall with his hands holding his head.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gao Yang shouted, but it was toote.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish! </i>Countless strands of ck hair shot out of the dried well at the center of the courtyard. Under the dim moonlight, they looked like clusters of seaweeds thriving at the bottom of the sea, fanning out messily and filling the courtyard. The next second, they rushed toward Fat Jun and wrapped around him, turning him into a human rice dumpling in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Help...¡± Fat Jun¡¯s eyes widened as he desperately reached out toward Gao Yang.

    But it was toote.

    1. In China, shit talk between men often involves calling someone your son and grandson or calling yourself their father or grandfather. ?

    2. Reference to<i> A Wicked Ghost</i>, a Hong Kong horror film. ?

 Chapter 36: Discrepancy

    <h4>Chapter 36: Discrepancy</h4>

    The dark hair wrapping around Fat Jun threw him into the air before diving down and quickly retracting into the dried well, dragging Fat Jun along.

    With tremendous reflex and power, Wang Zikai leapt up, his arm muscles swelling and turning thick and hard as he grabbed onto Fat Jun¡¯s fat torso, letting himself get dragged toward the well with Fat Jun.

    <i>Plop</i>. At thest moment, Wang Zikai¡¯s feet found purchase on the wall around the well, keeping him and Fat Jun from falling in.

    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡± Fat Jun screamed in pain. He was thankful at this moment that he was about a hundred kilos and covered in fat, or his bones would¡¯ve fallen apart under the two great opposing forces.

    Unable to drag Fat Jun into the well, the ck hair threw him high in the air again. Wang Zikai refused to let go and soared up with him.

    Then the ck hair swung violently.

    <i>Bam!</i> Fat Jun and Wang Zikai mmed into a house on the side, sending broken shards of wood everywhere and making puffs of dirt rise.

    The hair hadn¡¯t let go yet. It continued to swing across the ground.

    <i>Clink! Bam, bam¡ªbam! </i>Hurled around by the hair, Fat Jun and Wang Zikai rampaged through the ancestral hall like a pendulum, breaking doors and windows as well as the beams. Then they got thrown onto the second floor and broke the finely sculpted railings. In half a minute, the ancestral hall had be a damaged, crumbling ruin.

    Fortunately, Wang Zikai had held tight onto Fat Jun from the back and acted like the shell of a turtle, taking the brunt of the impact. Otherwise, Fat Jun would¡¯ve been crippled, if not killed.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall, aiming the handguns without pulling the trigger like idiots. Even if they were equipped with rifles rather than handguns, they could do no damage to the ck hair. Among the different firearms, a methrower would probably be their best bet.

    As it was, they could only rely on Qing Ling, and she knew it. She had already conjured her Tang Dao and lowered her body, waiting for an opening. Soon, her opportunity came. She seized the moment the hair slowed down and charged toward it, unsheathing her de and making a sh.

    <i>Swoosh¡ª</i>

    With a sh, thousands of ck strands scattered in the air, and a good chunk of the hair wrapping around Fat Jun fell off. Just when everyone thought this would be the end of it, even more ck hair rushed out of the well toward Qing Ling.

    Startled, Qing Ling swung her weapon to cut it down, but she missed a strand, and it grabbed her wrist. More and more hair followed to tie Qing Ling up. She was soon turned into another human dumpling.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang! </i>Gao Yang pulled the trigger, but as expected, the bullets shot through the hair like shooting through water, doing it no damage.

    The hair quickly decided to retreat. The different strands yanked at the same time, dragging Fat Jun and Qing Ling toward the well.

    With a flip, Qing Ling pushed her feet against the wall of the well with her legs bent, keeping herself outside. Meanwhile, Wang Zikai was still holding onto Fat Jun, his feet the only things preventing them from falling in.

    ¡°...Help!¡± Fat Jun cried out.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang immediately rushed toward them, each holding onto Qing Ling and Wang Zikai.

    They painted quite the picture. All five of them were holding onto each other like a twisted group hug or a deformed human with multiple heads and many more arms. It was all they could do to keep themselves from falling into the well while the dense sturdy mess of ck hair dragged them down.

    From a distance, it would seem as if time had stopped, when in fact the two sides had reached a strange equilibrium.

    Gao Yang could swear this was the longest and most difficult tug of war he had ever experienced.

    Three seconds passed.

    Then five.

    Then ten...

    The one with the most raw power of them all, Wang Zikai, was losing his grip. ¡°Shit, shit... I can¡¯t do this any longer. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m letting go...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t let go!¡± Fat Jun begged. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die...¡±

    ¡°Sacrificing you so that all four of us live isn¡¯t a bad deal, Fatty. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll avenge youter...¡±

    ¡°Why me...¡± Fat Jun wailed. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you letting go of Gao Yang? This is his test. I got dragged into this mess...¡±

    ¡°Shut up, moron! I¡¯d rather die...than giving up on my brother...¡±

    <i>Rumble!</i>

    Before Wang Zikai could finish, the ground around the well crumbled, and all five of them fell toward the bottom of the pit.

    ¡°Ahhhhh¡ª¡±

    Amid the chaos and cries, Gao Yang¡¯s vision went dark.

    ...

    [Measuring vital signs...]

    [Status: alive]

    [Injury: light]

    [Warning: You have entered an unknown area. Analysis unavable. Luck points acquisition increased to two times.]

    [System hidden.]

    [Beep¡ª]

    Gao Yang slowly opened his eyes. The sky was bright, and the sunlight blinding.

    He covered his eyes with a hand and was hit with the smell of soil and moldy moss. He slowly sat up, moving his arms. His body was working fine.

    The first he spotted was Qing Ling. She had taken off her sport jacket and was wearing only a sleeveless ck shirt that entuated her attractiveness. With her head lowered, she was bandaging her injured right arm by biting onto one end of the bandage. She looked like Lara Croft from the game <i>Tomb Raider 9</i>.

    ¡°Are you...alright?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling looked up at him, silently telling him to give her a hand.

    Gao Yang hurriedly took the bandage from between her teeth and tied it up for her.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just woke up.¡±

    Gao Yang finished bandaging Qing Ling¡¯s arm. Finally, his eyes had adjusted to the bright sunlight. He looked around and almost jumped.

    <i>Isn¡¯t this the Gu Family¡¯s Vige? </i>

    They were lying at the entrance of the vige, and it seemed to be noon. Something was wrong. Could he be dreaming?

    Gao Yang pinched Qing Ling¡¯s cheek. <i>This isn¡¯t a dream, I don¡¯t think. I can¡¯t make up this pleasant hand-feel on my own.</i>

    Qing Ling red at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Checking if I could replicate your Talent,¡± Gao Yang said calmly while keeping an eye on Qing Ling¡¯s reaction. <i>Whew, she didn¡¯t suspect anything</i>. ¡°I can¡¯t do it yet, which means I haven¡¯t been unconscious for more than twelve hours.¡±

    After a pause, he said, ¡°And we¡¯re probably not in heaven.¡±

    Qing Ling raised an eyebrow. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to heaven after death?¡±

    ¡°I mean...probably?¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t exactly confident.

    <i>Honk, honk, honk... </i>From behind them came the sound of a goose honking.

    Gao Yang thought he had heard wrong, but when he turned around, there was a big white goose behind them.

    It waddled past him, and just when he was about to say something, a swarm of geese rushed past him and Qing Ling, bringing a cacophony of honking noises with them.

    After more than ten seconds, the army of geese were gone, leaving Gao Yang and Qing Ling covered in feathers.

    ¡°Are you from the city?¡± an old man asked. He was short, lithe, and tanned. Topless, he was dressed in only a ck linen pants, his bare feet covered in calluses and ck mud. In his hand was a long bamboo stick, and he had a pipe in his mouth.

    <i>People?! What¡¯s going on?</i>

    Gao Yang was still reeling from the shock, while Qing Ling had already shot to her feet, ready to strike should something call for it.

    ¡°You came to offer condolences?¡± the old man asked.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Gao Yang picked himself up too and kept his response purposefully vague.

    ¡°Go to the ancestral hall. Whenever someone dies in the vige, a troupe would put on a performance there.¡± The old man took the pipe out of his mouth and pointed at the building on top of the hill, at the edge of the vige. ¡°There. That¡¯s the ce.¡±

    Gao Yang looked over. Outside the ancestral hall, a stage made of soil had been set up with a makeshift tent. Below it were more than ten tables for the funeral reception, and at the entrance were a dozen or more white flower wreaths. The altar was probably set up in the courtyard inside the ancestral hall. They could vaguely hear the sound of traditional opera being performed.

    ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Gao Yang responded ordingly.

    The old man sighed. ¡°Huazi[1] and his family died terribly. All five people, cut up overnight... I live right next door, yet I didn¡¯t hear anything. When morning came, everyone was shocked out of our minds. The yards, the farms, on top of the trees and the roofs...the broken limbs are scattered everywhere, and Huazi¡¯s head was ced on...¡±

    The old man didn¡¯t continue. He unconsciously nced toward the stone stele at his feet, on which was the character ¡®Gu¡¯. There was arge stain of dried blood at the top.

    ¡°Heaven has no mercy!¡± He let out a long sigh and left while herding his geese.

    Gao Yang spotted the discrepancy immediately. He turned to Qing Ling. ¡°You noticed too?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°When we arrived, the stone stele was broken.¡±

    Although he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure, Gao Yang hade to a tentative conclusion. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Gu Family¡¯s Vige we arrived at.¡±

    1. In China, it wasmon to call someone by attaching ¡®zi¡¯ to thest character of their name to show familiarity. Another way is to have thest character of the name appended to ¡®Ah¡¯. Someone called Huihua can thus be nicknamed ¡®Huazi¡¯ or ¡®Ah-Hua¡¯. ?

 Chapter 37: Condolences

    <h4>Chapter 37: Condolences</h4>

    With a slight frown, Qing Ling asked, ¡°What are you getting at?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I just said. This isn¡¯t the Gu Family¡¯s Vige we entered earlier.¡± Gao Yang stretched his body. Bathed in the warm sunlight, pleasant breeze swept over them every once in a while, and the vige appeared serene and prosperous, so much so that it seemed surreal.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying there are two Gu Family¡¯s Viges?¡± Qing Ling questioned, unable to ept the exnation.

    ¡°Use your imagination.¡± As someone who had transmigrated into this world, Gao Yang was more open to seemingly insane ideas. ¡°It can be a hidden world of the outerworld we came from, or we may have gone back in time and returned to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige thirty years ago.¡±

    Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°You really are insane.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    The familiar headache-inducing voice came. Gao Yang turned to see Wang Zikai running along the muddy path between the pond and the field toward him, followed by Officer Huang and Fat Jun.

    Wang Zikai put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t die so easily.¡±

    ¡°Where were you?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We woke up in the forest.¡± Officer Huang looked around and spotted the stone stele at the vige entrance immediately, which put a frown on his face. ¡°Things are gettingplicated.¡±

    Gao Yang briefly exined his hypothesis to Officer Huang. Officer Huang listened with rapt attention. Then he thought for a moment and made a decision. ¡°Wang Zikai, Fat Jun, you two take Qing Ling to try the same thing in the other direction. Gao Yang, follow me to the forest. I have something to show you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what Officer Huang was up to, but he followed the man all the same.

    Soon, they entered the forest. Sunlight streamed through the canopies of trees and scattered flickering specks of gold on them. When they first entered, their walk was apanied by a breeze, but halfway to their destination, the wind stopped.

    Officer Huang came to a halt. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang looked ahead. They were twenty meters from leaving the forest and returning to the asphalt road leading to the urban area.

    ¡°Your patrol car should have been parked by the road, but now it¡¯s gone,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°This really isn¡¯t the same vige.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± Officer Huang pointed at the road outside the forest. ¡°Walk forward.¡±

    Gao Yang did so and was suddenly hit with a strange feeling.

    The air around him grew heavy, and somehow, the gravity pulling him downward was shifting in a strange way. Even though he kept walking forward, somehow, the edge of the forest was always about twenty meters away from him when it should¡¯ve taken him only 10 seconds to get out. It was like the horizon. No matter how long you walked, you were always approaching it, but never reaching it.

    The sun was high in the sky, yet Gao Yang felt a chill run down his spine, and all the hair on his body stood on end. He took a deep breath and picked up his pace, running forward for a long time without stopping.

    Nothing changed.

    He was still about twenty meters from the road outside the forest. Gao Yang turned around to find Officer Huang right behind him, as if the man had been following him.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°I swear I haven¡¯t taken even a step,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°Did it seem like I was moving to you?¡±

    ¡°You were, but...how should I put it?¡± Officer Huang smacked his lips and tried to exin things in a more academic way. ¡°You know what perspective means in art, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s something artists and photographers make use of.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°In my eyes, the rtionship between you and the scenery before me doesn¡¯t stay consistent. The perspective is all messed up. Although you were walking forward, after a moment, it seemed like you hadn¡¯t moved at all...¡±

    Gao Yang took a few steps back, and this time, he easily returned to Officer Huang¡¯s side. He asked in confusion, ¡°How is this happening?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°We would¡¯ve never noticed this supernatural barrier if Fat Jun hadn¡¯t begged to leave.¡±

    It took a few minutes for Officer Huang and Gao Yang to go back to the vige entrance, and soon, Wang Zikai returned from the west side of the vige with Fat Jun and Qing Ling.

    ¡°So?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°We can¡¯t get out! Shit, it¡¯s insane!¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s face was filled with excitement with no sign of nervousness or fear.

    ¡°There¡¯s a river at the edge of the vige. No matter what we tried, we couldn¡¯t cross it,¡± Fat Jun said weakly, face ashen. ¡°We must be trapped by spirits, Officer Huang.¡±

    As someone who didn¡¯t hold such superstitions, Officer Huang didn¡¯tment on that.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Qing Ling dered. She didn¡¯t like things that she could neitherprehend nor control.

    ¡°How? This isn¡¯t something you just get out of. We¡¯re doomed...¡± Fat Jun grew increasingly pessimistic. ¡°I told all of you that it was better to turn around, but none of you listened...¡±

    ¡°Coward.¡± Wang Zikai scoffed. ¡°Who cares what we¡¯re gonna face? If it¡¯s a god, we¡¯ll kill the god; if it¡¯s a buddha, we¡¯ll kill the buddha!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Gao Yang said in reassurance. ¡°Every space has an exit. A door, if you will. We just have to find the key to unlock it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Officer Huang said in agreement and added encouragingly, ¡°Don¡¯t lose your calm, folks. This can be another test from the organization.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t think the Twelve Zodiac Signs would go to such length to test them, but he kept that to himself.

    ¡°Then...what do we do?¡± Fat Jun asked anxiously.

    ¡°When in Rome,¡± Gao Yang said and looked up at the ancestral hall on the hill, ¡°We¡¯ll pay our condolences.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Zikai was the first to agree.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang didn¡¯t oppose the decision either, and Fat Jun nodded in the end despite his reluctance.

    They prepared themselves and walked up the hill along the road, soon reaching the tent for the funeral in front of the ancestral hall.

    Outside the tent was a table with two men sitting behind it. One was a slim young man dressed like a schr, while the other was a silver-haired old man wearing old-fashioned sses with ck frame and a 80s-style white shirt, a white flower decorating his chest. The younger man was writing names on a record book with an ink brush.

    ¡°Gu Guiluen, five yuan. Gu Xianfang, ten yuan. Gu Mingxue, six yuan.¡± Half of the old man¡¯s face was covered in discolored patches because of vitiligo. He read out names as he opened each of the white envelopes[1].

    The old man looked up to nce at them, his eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re...Huazi¡¯s friends?¡±

    Officer Huang was going to pretend to be a family friend, but the dor bills on the table were all from thirty years ago. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to use the new hundred-dor bills in his wallet.

    So he showed the men his police badge. ¡°I¡¯m from the Shanqing Police Station. Here to investigate the homicide.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t youe multiple times already? Can¡¯t you leave the dead in peace during the funeral?¡± The old man with vitiligo was disgruntled, but he suppressed his anger because he was dealing with a police officer.

    ¡°Patriarch Wu, another day the case remains unsolved is another day we live in anxiety and fear. It¡¯s a good thing that the police are so devoted.¡± The schrly young man stood up and put aside the ink pen before offering Officer Huang a hand. ¡°Well met, Officer. I¡¯m Gu Xianzhi. Just call me Ah-Zhi. If there¡¯s anything I can help you with, please let me know.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°Would you mind if I go inside to offer incense?¡±

    ¡°Of course we wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Ah-Zhi gave him a friendly smile before turning to Gao Yang and the others. ¡°And they are?¡±

    Officer Huang said without missing a beat, ¡°Ah, they¡¯re trainees who just graduated from the academy. I was entrusted with their training. I brought them here because they may be of help with their younger mind and more flexible way of thinking.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Ah-Zhi stood up and gave Officer Huang a cigarette before leading the five of them into the tent. ¡°Sister Fan, please fetch us five cups of tea.¡±

    1. It is customary to give the family of the dead white envelope of money at traditional funerals, simr to how one gives money in a red envelope when attending a wedding. Usually, people keep a record of who has given how much so that they¡¯ll know how much they should give the person when there¡¯s a wedding/funeral on their side. ?

 Chapter 38: Reception

    <h4>Chapter 38: Reception</h4>

    Inside the tent were more than ten round tables made of ck wood, each covered in empty bowls and chopsticks with four tall chairs. The tables were arranged to leave a path in the middle leading to the altar.

    The altar was built for only this asion, separated in the middle by hanging white fabric and yellow talismans, and at the center was a long table with a photo of the dead, apanied by a censer with burning incense sticks. Behind the photo, a big coffin could be seen. A couple women and children knelt on each side of the coffin whispering among themselves, dressed in rough linen clothes.

    Officer Huang walked up to the altar and epted the incense stick a man offered him. Holding it, he respectfully bowed to the photo on the table thrice before kneeling down on the rattan mat. Then he kowtowed thrice without actually touching the floor. Gao Yang and the others were young and unustomed to the tradition, but they all followed Officer Huang¡¯s lead.

    The grass-roots troupe began to y gongs and drums while the sound of suona threatened to reach heavens. Outside, someone had lit a firecracker. As if triggered by the sounds, the women and children in the ancestral hall suddenly burst into tears while wailing and howling. In the local dialect, they said different variations of ¡®What tragic deaths,¡¯ ¡®How can you leave me behind,¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m going to go with you.¡¯

    After paying condolences to the dead, Officer Huang sat down at a table in the corner. A middle-aged woman with arge physique came over with five cups of hot tea. ¡°Here. Have some.¡±

    The five of them took the teacups without taking a sip.

    Officer Huang took a whiff, pretending to savor the fragrance. ¡°Are those the rtives behind the altar?¡±

    ¡°Rtives? Heh, Huazi¡¯s family is pretty much alone with only a few distant rtives. Given what happened to them, none of their rtives and friends dare toe mourn them. Those people are all neighbors trying to do something good for them, and the funeral was organized by the vigers as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Well, Huazi was a good man who had never harmed a soul. It broke everyone¡¯s heart to see him and his family meet such a tragic end. We¡¯re just doing our part so that they may leave this world with dignity and reincarnate into their next lives.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°What should I call you, ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°Sister Fan will do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sister Fan. Don¡¯t let me keep you here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not trouble. The food is going to be served soon. You should stay and eat before leaving, Officer Huang. Ask me if you have any questions. I¡¯m Huazi¡¯s neighbor, and I know a thing or two about his family.¡±

    After Sister Fan left, the five of them talked among themselves in a lowered voice.

    ¡°Did you see the photo on the altar?¡± Fat Jun said, fidgeting.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Wang Zikai said, unconcerned. ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. Why were there only four people?¡± Fat Jun¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Weren¡¯t they a family of five?¡±

    Gao Yang noticed that too. It was a group photo of four men. The one standing in the middle appeared to be in his fifties. He was tanned, and his gaze seemed friendly and easygoing. Before him was a young man sitting on a chair, and two teenagers stood on each of his sides. The ck-and-white photo had been taken at a photo studio. The cheap, unrealistic canvas backdrop was a painting of the Great Wall.

    Officer Huang chimed in, ¡°Before we came to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, I looked up the cold case. The head of the family was called Gu Huihua, a fifty-four years old farmer. His wife was a farmer too. She died of breast cancer a few years before the homicide. Then there was their oldest son Gu Chunxiu, twenty-seven years old. One of their younger sons had dropped out of school to help with farming, while the other was still in middle school.¡±

    ¡°Then who¡¯s the fifth family member?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Their daughter-inw, Gu Chunxiu¡¯s wife. She hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to have a photo with the family since it was on the night of the wedding that the entire family was killed and dismembered.¡±

    ¡°The night of the wedding?¡± Wang Zikai got excited. ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her name? Where¡¯s her family?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s the strange thing. We can¡¯t find anything about the woman.¡± Officer Huang fidgeted with the cigarette in his hand.

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    ¡°Their bodies had been cut into more than a hundred pieces and scattered all over the vige. It took the medical examiners two days to piece the body parts back together. There were four men and one woman. However, the woman was missing a head, and it was never found.¡± Officer Huang lit his cigarette.

    <i>Rumble, rumble, rumble! </i>Someone was hitting a gong. Then a man hollered, ¡°Food¡¯sing!¡±

    All the vigers helping with the funeral stopped what they were doing and streamed into the tent, quickly filling the ten tables. The women who had helped make the food served the steaming dishes, filling the tables with all kinds of proteins and vegetables. The five of them exchanged a look. None of them dared touch anything¡ªsave for one exception.

    Gao Yang called out to the system in his mind and was going to tell it to scan the food when he remembered the function was unavable here. He sighed and turned around, only to find to his shock that Wang Zikai had picked up a piece of braised pork and shoved it into his mouth.

    ¡°Wang Zikai...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s mouth was already smeared with oil. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s good! You should have some too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Fat Jun lied, gulping.

    There was no knowing how long it had been since they entered the vige. After all that they had been through, they were thirsty, starving, and exhausted. In such a strange, dangerous environment, however, any normal person would know that they shouldn¡¯t touch the food.

    Unfortunately, Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t a normal person, but an idiot.

    He enjoyed the meal to his heart¡¯s content, and he even started chatting with a drunk viger at the table next to theirs. While they seemed to have trouble understanding each other, they enjoyed the conversation so much that they ended up calling each other brother with their arms behind the other¡¯s back, and two bottles of hard liquor had been finished between them.

    Once the reception ended, the five of them left early.

    Wang Zikai had gotten a little too much to drink. Gao Yang and Fat Jun supported him as they headed to the entrance of the vige.

    Officer Huang seemed at a loss. ¡°Given the circumstances, this is probably ten days after the homicide from thirty years ago. It¡¯s on record that the vigers had decided to go ahead with the funeral since the police had been struggling to solve the case.¡±

    ¡°Did we really go back in time?¡± Fat Jun was distressed. Then a thought came to him. ¡°When...did the vigers disappear overnight?¡±

    ¡°The next day after the bodies were buried,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°When my mentor returned to the vige for the investigation, it was already empty.¡±

    ¡°That would be tomorrow then,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Fuck! So we have to wait another day?¡± Wang Zikai might as well be exhaling alcohol as he spoke. Before he could say anything else, he suddenly staggered to the side of the road and dropped to his knees, throwing up nonstop.

    Qing Ling looked at Wang Zikai with disgust. ¡°Has he drunk too much? Or is this food poisoning?¡±

    Officer Huang shook his head and walked up to pat Wang Zikai on the back, but immediately, his expression darkened, and he turned around to wave the others over. ¡°Come take a look.¡±

    Alerted, Gao Yang was the first to go up to them, and what he saw gave him goosebumps.

    What Wang Zikai had vomited wasn¡¯t food that hadn¡¯t been digested, but a clump of earthworms and peanut worms.

 Chapter 39: Late Night Visit to a Haunted House

    <h4>Chapter 39: Late Night Visit to a Haunted House</h4>

    It waste at night. They were in the forest outside the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    Wang Zikai had fallen unconscious after throwing up. Fat Jun tried his Healing on him, but it didn¡¯t seem to help. Fat Jun¡¯s Talent was only at level 2, and its main function was facilitating the mending and recovery of physical injuries.

    There was nothing Fat Jun could do about Wang Zikai¡¯s ¡®food poisoning¡¯.

    After all that, they didn¡¯t want to stay in the vige, but neither could they leave this isted space. In the end, they pretended they were departing and hid in the forest. Everyone was exhausted, more so mentally than physically. They didn¡¯t know for how long they would be trapped in this strange ce, nor did they know what would happen going forward.

    Officer Huang suggested they take shifts in pairs so that they could have some rest and conserve stamina. No one disagreed with that.

    Gao Yang was paired with Qing Ling, and Officer Huang with Fat Jun. They would take turns keeping watch every two hours.

    Throughout the afternoon, they had been hearing traditional opera singing, gongs and drums, suonas, and firecrackers from the Gu Family¡¯s Vige nonstop, which gave the strange impression of a small underdeveloped society isted in their part of the mountain. Themotion only died down in the evening.

    Not long into the night, Wang Zikai moved. He flipped while mumbling like he was simply sleeping in before losing consciousness again. It didn¡¯t seem so much that he had been afflicted with poison as he had simply gotten wasted.

    It wasn¡¯t surprising to Gao Yang. Whatever Wang Zikai had eaten, he was a monster at the end of the day, and it would take much more to kill him.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and essed the system to check his Luck points. He had umted 25 points.

    It had been about eight hours from their arrival at the vige at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon to theirte night visit to the ancestral hall and the ambush of the hair monster. Ordinarily, he would¡¯ve gotten 8 Luck points.

    And if it was about twelve o¡¯clock at noon when they found themselves in the other Gu Family¡¯s Vige, it had been about eight hours until now. With the Luck points acquisition rate doubled, he would¡¯ve gotten 16 points. That would be 24 points in total.

    The additional 1 point was probably gained when he was unconscious. That meant he had been out of it for less than half an hour after falling into the well.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and left the system.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said and pinched Qing Ling again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a habit of this,¡± Qing Ling said, irritated.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s been more than 12 hours, and I can use Replicate again,¡± Gao Yang said with a genuine expression. ¡°It¡¯s been made apparent to me that Officer Huang¡¯s God of Firearms isn¡¯t as useful as your God of des...¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Gao Yang suddenly doubled over on his hands and knees, panting as his blood surged through his body.

    ¡°What now?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°No...nothing.¡± After a few seconds, Gao Yang waved a hand at her with a flushed face. ¡°It¡¯s just...it suddenly felt so good.¡±

    Qing Ling paused. ¡°Your Talent leveled up.¡±

    [Congrattions! Talent: Replicate has leveled up.]

    [Level 2 Replicate: Allow one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 22.]

    [Method: Touch the target¡¯s body for 0.9 second.]

    [Number of Talent Replicated: 1. Storage Duration: 3 hours.]

    [Use Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 8 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 2 Replicate: Willpower + 100, Charisma - 20.]

    [Constitution: 27 Endurance: 28]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

    [Willpower: 137 Charisma: 47 ]

    [Luck: 132]

    [Note: Bonuses to stats are not stacked between levels.]

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Right, my Replicate has leveled up to 2.¡±

    Qing Ling thought for a moment. ¡°Then it seems that it does take only umting experience for Talents to go from level 1 to level 2. My God of des and Metal both leveled up after a few uses.¡±

    Gao Yang was still thinking back to the pleasure he felt. ¡°So you¡¯ve been through that twice, no, three times?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you are so eager to level up!¡± Gao Yang felt like he could understand Qing Ling¡¯s drive from the bottom of his heart. During the couple seconds of leveling up, he felt so good that he might ascend to heaven.

    Understanding what he was implying, Qing Ling shot him a look of derision.

    ¡°Your Talent leveled up, Gao Yang? That¡¯s good. Our chance of winning has gone up a little bit.¡± Officer Huang had woken up. The first thing he did was reach for cigarettes, but in his breast pocket, there was only an empty and squashed box.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to add ¡®a little bit¡¯,¡± Gao Yang said self-deprecatingly.

    Casting the empty box aside, Officer Huang stood up and stretched before habitually unholstering his gun to check the bullets and the magazine. Then he put it back into the holster by his waist.

    Fat Jun blinked awake slowly. A chilling breeze made his fat body shudder, and he unconsciously shifted toward Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

    Officer Huang nced at Wang Zikai, who was still sound asleep, his breathing steady. ¡°Seems like this kid would be alright.¡±

    ¡°Seems that way,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°In my personal experience, he really is the strangest...¡± Officer Huang smiled and didn¡¯t say ¡®wanderer¡¯ out loud.

    ¡°It¡¯s better that we find another ce to stay the night,¡± Qing Ling suggested.

    Officer Huang looked around and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. This doesn¡¯t make a good resting ce. Sleeping on the ground is killing my waist.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± Officer Huang looked toward the shadow outside the forest. There was a faint lighting from the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. ¡°We¡¯ll go back inside once they have fallen asleep.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Fat Jun sounded unwilling. ¡°We¡¯re going back...?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a safe ce to be,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s dark with no cover at all. We¡¯d be at a disadvantage if anything ambushed us at night here.¡±

    Qing Ling nced at Fat Jun. ¡°And you¡¯d certainly be the first to die.¡±

    Under the faint moonlight, Fat Jun¡¯s face paled, and the corners of his mouth trembled. He scrambled to his feet after failing to get up with a flip. ¡°Back to the vige! We¡¯ll go back at once!¡±

    ...

    The night was deep, and most people in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige had retired to bed. The ancestral hall at the top of the hill was the only ce still illuminated with people keeping watch. Wang Zikai had woken up. The five of them ventured into the ink-ck night under Officer Huang¡¯s lead without using their shlight. They left the forest and moved past the farm and pond, arriving at the entrance of the vige.

    As soon as they walked in, they turned left to a mud brick house on the west side of the vige. It was a rectangr house upying an area of about three hundred square meters. The front yard was a in asphalt clearing with a simple chicken pen made of fences and wood nks. Barricade tapes surrounded the entire parameter, which Officer Huang tore to enter the yard.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Fat Jun covered his mouth quickly before his scream coulde out. The moonlight illuminated the dark blood stains on the asphalt ground, and they were everywhere.

    ¡°Officer Huang, are you really nning to...¡± Fat Jun couldn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be staying the night here.¡±

    Fat Jun lost his calm. ¡°But, but someone died here! All five of them were killed and cut into pieces...¡±

    No one deemed that a response. They made it across the front yard and reached the entrance to the main building. The door was taped shut as well with several dried corns and red chili peppers hanging from the beam above. On the side were a few piles of firewood.

    Officer Huang tore down the tape and gently pushed the door.

    Slowly, the door creaked open. Everyone took an involuntary deep breath.

 Chapter 40: Visitor

    <h4>Chapter 40: Visitor</h4>

    The horrifying scene Gao Yang imagined didn¡¯t be reality. All he saw was ck, and there was a smell of mold and decay that was signature for ces abandoned for a long time.

    Officer Huang closed the door and felt around the dark until he found the pull chain. He turned on the light.

    <i>Pzzzt¡ªclick. </i>A low-voltage light struggled for a good moment beforeing to life. While it was still dim, it was bright enough for them to take a clear look at the interior.

    The walls of the square living room were painted white, but many parts of the paint had already peeled off. The floor was a bluish cement, and there was a ceiling fan above their heads, covered in dirt and spiderwebs.

    Right across from the door hung a red clock with an old-school design. The western style made it stand out in the room, and it was still ticking with a swinging pendulum.

    At the bottom of the wall stood a quaint cab, on which was a ck-and-white TV. The TV was even attached to a half-meter long antenna behind it, and before the cab was a few ck stools rather than a couch. The family must have watched the TV sitting on stools back when they were alive. There was a calendar on the left side wall withndscape paintings of well-known attractions and historic sites. Under that was a sewing machine from the past. Further down, there were a few dark blue jugs in the corner; they seemed to be containers for pickled vegetables.

    That was all there was in the living room. It was an era where even everyday supplies weren¡¯t abundant.

    Officer Huang walked up to the sewing machine and pressed a finger to it. There was a thickyer of dirt. He said with a frown, ¡°Strange.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang had pretty much scanned through the ce. ¡°It¡¯s been a long while since the house has seen any people.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Wang Zikai said. ¡°It¡¯s been thirty years!¡±

    With a wry smile, Gao Yang patiently exined, ¡°In our world, the homicide happened thirty years ago, but in this world, it has only been less than half a month. The vige has just organized a funeral for the family, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡±

    Gao Yang had to wonder if there was a brain inside his head.

    ¡°Moreover, there are a lot of blood stains on the ground in the front yard, yet there is no sign of struggling in the living room.¡± Officer Huang clicked his tongue. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s check the other rooms.¡±

    He took the lead to enter the secondary bedroom on the left. On the door was a paper cutout of the character <i>¡®xi¡¯</i>, happiness, which would indicate that this was the wedding room. As expected, the room was all red when he turned on the light. Red nket, red pillows, red canopy, rednterns, red fake flowers, red closet, red vanity...

    Just like the living room, everything was covered in ayer of dust, making the room both vibrant and old, and both joyous and eerie.

    ¡°A young woman was married into the family. It was the night of the wedding.¡± Officer Huang returned to the living room, putting things together in his head. ¡°Something happened. The next day, the family was found killed and cut up, and the body parts scattered in different ces of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. The bride¡¯s head is still missing even after all these years.¡±

    ¡°Stop it!¡± Fat Jun tensed up. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to solve a cold case. Let¡¯s find a way out of here.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to solve the case.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Agreed. I think we have to find the culprit who killed the family in order to leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got any idea?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang tried his best to analyze the situation. ¡°No signs of struggling in the room. That means the family was killed and dismembered without the ability to resist or having lost their ability to resist. As for where it all happened...¡±

    ¡°The front yard,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got for now.¡±

    Officer Huang pulled a chair and sat down. ¡°My then mentor wasn¡¯t an awakener, so there were two things he must have neglected when investigating the case.¡±

    ¡°First, were Huazi¡¯s family humans or monsters, or was there a mix of both? Second, was the culprit human or monster?¡±

    ¡°About that...¡± After some hesitation, Gao Yang asked, ¡°How many types of monsters are there to your knowledge, Officer Huang?¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t immediately respond, but in the end, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to stick to the rules anymore given the situation. Wu Dahai told me that the organization had run into four types of monsters: delusion monsters, wrath monsters, greed monsters, and pride monsters.¡±

    Qing Ling pricked up her ears. ¡°Greed monsters? Pride monsters?¡±

    ¡°Greed monsters are also known as assimtors, and pride monsters are known as observers. I don¡¯t know what kind of greed monsters there are, but ording to Wu Dahai, greed monsters are terrifying in that they can turn into humans through a certain method.¡±

    Everyone, outside of a disinterested Wang Zikai, gasped.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°What it sounds like,¡± Officer Huang said in a low voice. ¡°They aren¡¯t pretending to be humans, but can <i>be </i>humans. That¡¯s why they¡¯re called assimtors.¡±

    Something came to Gao Yang¡¯s mind. He said, ¡°But humans are divided into those who haven¡¯t awakened and those who have.¡±

    ¡°Awakeners,¡± Officer Huang said with certainty. ¡°Greed monsters can be awakeners. Those who haven¡¯t awakened won¡¯t be attacked by monsters. That is the one constant of this world.¡±

    ¡°Then are the monster-turned-awakeners humans or monsters?¡± Gao Yang was lost.

    Officer Huang shook his head. ¡°Perhaps we can get an answer from the Twelve Zodiac Signs if we get out of here alive.¡±

    ¡°What about pride monsters?¡±

    Officer Huang shook his head again. ¡°I only know they exist, but nothing else.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s brain went on overdrive. If Baili Yi hadn¡¯t lied to him, there would also be life monsters and death monsters in addition to the known delusion monsters, wrath monsters, greed monsters, and pride monsters. However, he didn¡¯t intend on telling the others about it. He knew nothing about life monsters and death monsters, and bringing them up would only give rise to panic and dampen morale.

    Unbelievable or not, Gao Yang tried to exin their situation with his own logic. ¡°I have a hypothesis, and it¡¯s only a hypothesis. What if the culprit of the tragic death of the family was a type of monster we don¡¯t know about? Then could this Gu Family¡¯s Vige be an artificial domain it has created?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean,¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes twirled, ¡°that we may be able to escape by finding it and killing it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the best hypothesis we have at the moment.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s our most viable option, and we have to make the attempt as soon as possible. We have been without water and food for 20 hours. Under normal circumstances, we won¡¯t live past the third day, and by the end of the second day, we will have lost our ability to move normally.¡±

    Gao Yang nced at Wang Zikai. ¡°You¡¯re an exception. Your body has been modified, and you¡¯ll survive longer than we do.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Zikai was pleased with himself, and his excitement caught up to him again. ¡°I¡¯m gonna save the world. Of course I can¡¯t get trapped in this shithole! Find that thing, and I¡¯ll take care of the rest!¡±

    <i>Thud, thud, thud¡ª</i>

    Gao Yang whirled around. He was closest to the door, and he heard it clearly.

    Someone was knocking.

 Chapter 41: Fourth Grandpa Gu

    <h4>Chapter 41: Fourth Grandpa Gu</h4>

    ¡°Whoa, speak of the devil!¡± Wang Zikai rolled up his sleeves and marched toward the door. ¡°Watch me plummet it to death!¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡± Gao Yang grabbed him and covered his mouth.

    Fat Jun quickly hid behind Qing Ling, daring not to even make a sound. Then Officer Huang made a gesture, and all of them moved to the sides of the door, pressing their bodies to the wall.

    Officer Huang unholstered his gun and aimed it at the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    An old man said, ¡°I was wondering why there was lighting from the house. So it¡¯s you, Officer Huang.¡±

    Gao Yang matched the voice to a face. It was the old man they had seen herding geese in the morning. He gave Officer Huang a look that indicated it would be safe to let the man in. Officer Huang holstered his gun again and opened the door.

    The unexpected visitor was indeed the gooseherd from earlier. The vigers called him Fourth Grandpa Gu. He had a pipe in his wrinkled mouth, and his face creased as he smiled. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re all here. Looking into the case?¡±

    Officer Huang responded with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Yeah. I got worried that I might have missed something, so I came to investigate again.¡±

    ¡°Being a police officer is indeed a difficult job. You¡¯re working overtime sote at night.¡± The old man took out his pipe and scratched his back. ¡°I thought there was a ghost when I saw the light.¡±

    ¡°Yet you knocked on the door? Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Wang Zikai shot back. It was a much better question than his usualments, and Gao Yang was just about to ask the old man about it.

    ¡°Haha.¡± The old man responded with a carefree smile. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I was close with Huazi and his family. They wouldn¡¯t hurt me even if they became ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Officer Huang focused and came to a decision. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about Huazi and his family, Fourth Grandpa Gu?¡±

    ¡°Of course, but this isn¡¯t the best ce for conversation. I live close by. Why don¡¯t we move this to my ce?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for amodating us.¡±

    ...

    Five minutester, the five of them arrived at Fourth Grandpa Gu¡¯s house. He lived alone, and his house was much smaller than Huazi¡¯s. The humble abode had its back to the mountain, at the center of which was a big courtyard. There was a big herd of geese in the back, and they honked every now and then.

    They sat down at the table. Fourth Grandpa Gu made tea, but no one drank any.

    The old man didn¡¯t seem to care. He began to rattled off while smoking, ¡°Huazi¡¯s old man was incredibly honest and diligent. Unfortunately, his stutter made him undesirable, and he only found a wife when he was almost forty. She came from the neighboring vige. Other than her slight cripple, she was a good woman.¡±

    ¡°They started a family and gave birth to three healthy sons. A couple years after giving birth to their youngest, the wife passed away. Huazi¡¯s father couldn¡¯t support three sons through farming alone, so he left the vige for work and sent money back every year. I was entrusted to take care of Huazi and his two younger brothers. They ate at my ce every couple days. I took care of them like taking care of my own...¡±

    After listening to the story to its end, Officer Huang asked, ¡°Do you think the culprit is someone from the vige, Fourth Grandpa Gu?¡±

    Fourth Grandpa Gu paused and gave him a meaningful smile. ¡°I won¡¯t be held responsible inw for what I say, will I, Officer Huang? I don¡¯t know much about thew...¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t. This is off record. Please tell me whatever you know.¡±

    Fourth Grandpa Gu nodded. ¡°Then I will. I think the murderer must be one of our own.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Many families in the vige keep dogs, and aside from that, I have my dozen and more geese. They honk whenever strangers go past my door.¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Huazi¡¯s family were cut up and scattered. Someone from outside the vige would have alerted the dogs.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu nced at him. ¡°You¡¯ve got a quick mind, young man.¡±

    Officer Huang pressed, ¡°Then who among the vigers would have a motive?¡±

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know.¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu took a sip of tea. ¡°Huazi and his family were known for being honest and responsible, and the three young ones were good kids. I¡¯ve never seen them get into any conflict with anyone. How much must the culprit hate them to cut them all up like that?¡±

    ¡°Can it have something to do with the woman who married into the family?¡± Officer Huang asked suddenly.

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu pondered. ¡°That¡¯s possible. The head of Huazi¡¯s daughter-inw hasn¡¯t been found, has it? Perhaps she was the real target. And they were killed the day she married into the family. That can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Have you seen the bride?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°She was taken here on a decorated sedan chair. I got a nce when she got out. Oh, was she beautiful.¡±

    He nced at Qing Ling. ¡°She was pretty just like you, and with her long dark hair, she looked like the seventh daughter of the Jade Emperor descending from heaven... We were all envious of Huazi, thinking that he must have done a great deed in his past life to be rewarded with fortune like this.¡±

    ¡°I got it!¡± Wang Zikai mmed the table, startling everyone. ¡°Have y¡¯all watched <i>Hail the Judge</i>[1]?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Fat Jun said in a quiet voice. ¡°Do you mean...the culprit was someone like Chang Wei?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! There must be a sexual predator in the vige who looked at the bride and wanted to take her. Late at night, he broke into the house to have his nefarious way, but he got caught and, in the end, killed the entire family in a fit of rage...¡±

    ¡°Why would he cut them all up then?¡± Fat Jun mumbled.

    ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t get it,d! Let me analyze it for you!¡± Wang Zikai stroked his chin cryptically. Gao Yang felt like the signature soundtrack for <i>Detective Conan</i> was going to start ying the next second.

    ¡°That¡¯s what we call in the business a smokescreen! Who would think that a sexual predator would kill the entire family and cut them up after a failed assault? The police wouldn¡¯t think of the possibility either, which would eliminate their suspicion of him!¡±

    Gao Yang paused. For a moment, he almost thought Wang Zikai was making sense, but it was clearly nonsense upon reflection. It was simply too much risk for a man to kill and dismember the entire family simply because he allowed his lower head to do the thinking. Besides, there were no signs of fight or resistance inside Huazi¡¯s house. The crime wasmitted in the front yard.

    After thinking it through, Fat Jun shook his head. ¡°Brother Kai, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the answer... Were you the predator, would you have done something like that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the predator! All your family are predators!¡± Wang Zikai harrumphed. ¡°Sexual predators wouldn¡¯t be thinking things in the same way as normal people, would they?¡±

    ¡°Your way of looking at things is pretty special as well, Brother Kai. If even you wouldn¡¯t do something like that, the predator would never...¡±

    ¡°What did you say, you damn fatty?! Come again?!¡±

    ¡°I am fat, but please don¡¯t damn me. It¡¯s bad luck to say something like that at night.¡±

    The two idiots started bickering, giving Gao Yang a headache. Then suddenly, he noticed that Officer Huang and Qing Ling both had a tense look on their faces, their eyes glinting with cold murderous intent as they stared at the old man sitting across from them.

    Gao Yang shifted his nce, and a chill seized him.

    Fourth Grandpa Gu was still drinking tea with the same expression, yet translucent, scale-like things had climbed up his arm, and the rough, wrinkly skin of the back of his hands was turning into the damp, slick skin of a lizard. His nails were growing as well until they became sharp, grayish brown ws that were two centimeters long.

    Then his eyes changed. The white turned into yellow with faint spots, while the ck morphed into long ck slits like it had been squashed by invisible force. His human eyes became those of a lizard in mere seconds. They now looked like a pair of cold, fine marbles.

    Fourth Grandpa Gu¡¯s body was transforming into that of a monster part by part, right in front of four awakeners and one wanderer.

    Yet the old man didn¡¯t attack him. He<i> </i>remained seated, leisurely sipping tea.

    1. A Hong Kongedy starring Stephen Chow. ?

 Chapter 42: Sick

    <h4>Chapter 42: Sick</h4>

    The air curdled with tension.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang sat across from Fourth Grandpa Gu, their expression unchanged while their three pairs of arms sprung into action under the table.

    Gao Yang took out a small dagger from his pocket and aimed it at the old man¡¯s heart, ready to activate at any moment the Talent he replicated from Qing Ling, God of de.

    Qing Ling had secretly conjured her Tang Dao under the table, finding the right angle to swing her de.

    And Officer Huang had a hand on his holster, prepared to make a shot at a moment''s notice.

    Wang Zikai and Fat Jun had been arguing not far from the table. Just as their argument grew heated, they finally noticed that something was wrong.

    Wang Zikai gaped for a moment when he turned around. Then he opened his mouth wide and raised his fist, ¡°Liz¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang shot to his feet and covered Wang Zikai¡¯s mouth. While he was a reckless one, Wang Zikai understood Gao Yang and didn¡¯t resist. He simply gave his friend a questioning look.

    ¡°Wait...¡± Gao Yang whispered.

    In the few seconds they confronted each other, Gao Yang had not felt even a trace of murderous intent from Fourth Grandpa Gu. In fact, that was the reason Officer Huang and Qing Ling hadn¡¯t made a move either.

    Fourth Grandpa Gu was behaving in a very strange way.

    It was strange that he was serene and at ease, no different from how he acted before his transformation.

    Then something unbelievable happened. Fourth Grandpa Gu¡¯s half-transformed body became wholly human again. Throughout the entire process, he had been savoring his tea, and only when he put down the teacup and looked up did he notice that everyone in the room was staring at him nervously.

    ¡°Why are you so quiet?¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu asked with innocent confusion. ¡°And why are you staring at me? You...can¡¯t be suspecting me of killing them, can you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Officer Huang broke the silence and put a smile back on his face. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t overthink it, Fourth Grandpa Gu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m more eager to see the culprit caught than you all.¡± The old man sighed inmentation. ¡°Such a tragic fate for the family. What had they done to deserve this...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ste, Fourth Grandpa Gu. Why don¡¯t you go rest? We¡¯ll return tomorrow.¡± Officer Huang stood up.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling rose to their feet as well. Fat Jun quickly caught up to them, looking eager to get out of the house.

    Conflicted, Wang Zikai said, ¡°Huh? We¡¯re going just like that? He...¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡± Gao Yang shot him a look.

    ¡°Farewell. Forgive me for not walking you.¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu slowly stood up and saw them out of the door.

    ...

    The five of them didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go, so they returned to Huazi¡¯s ce. This time, they left the light in the living room off to avoid attracting attention, and they shut all the windows and doors before lighting up a corner with a shlight. They sat around the light.

    ¡°He¡¯s a lizardman! Why didn¡¯t we kill him?¡± Wang Zikai was still hung up on that. And he was still referring to monsters as lizardmen.

    ¡°Fourth Grandpa Gu didn''t seem hostile.¡± Gao Yang gave Wang Zikai a pointed look. Then he exined to him what delusion monsters were. ¡°Not all monsters are bad. There¡¯s what we call wanderers...¡±

    ¡°Then why did he transform before us?¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Just to flex?¡±

    Officer Huang stroked his chin. ¡°Wanderers are the most harmless and stable kind of monsters. Even if we say we¡¯re awakeners before them, they¡¯ll usually filter it all out. Only a great stimulus will set them off and make them transform.¡±

    ¡°What stimulus?¡± asked Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Like...hurting them with our Talents,¡± Fat Jun chimed in.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a monster transformed for no apparent reason the way Fourth Grandpa Gu did, nor have I heard of it happening.¡± Officer Huang nced at Gao Yang. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Gao Yang had been thinking about what Baili Yi told him. He made a bold spection, ¡°I think he might be sick.¡±

    ¡°Sick?¡± Qing Ling frowned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s consider a hypothesis...¡± Gao Yang extended both hands. ¡°There¡¯s a switch inside all monsters, controlling whether they present the form and personality of a monster or a human.¡±

    Gao Yang clenched his left fist. ¡°Normally, they present as human.¡±

    Then he rxed his left hand and balled his right hand up. ¡°Under certain circumstances, the switch turns on, and they transform into monsters with the personality of one.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded, telling Gao Yang to continue.

    ¡°Like humans, monsters are living creatures, and all living creatures go through the different stages of life with a particr lifespan. We age. As we get old, we be physically weaker, and we sometimes get sick. All kinds of problems may arise.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his hands and sped them together. ¡°Now, the old man¡¯s switch is malfunctioning. That¡¯s why his two states are ovepping¡ªjust like a lightbulb flickering due to poor contact. However, because it¡¯s a wanderer, the most harmless kind of monster, it isn¡¯t aware of its condition.¡±

    Gao Yang was reminded of the summer when he was four, of his grandfather¡¯s arm that he had seen through the crack of the door. Perhaps his grandfather had been a sick monster as well.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have believed that monsters could get sick in the past. After all, I¡¯ve encountered my fair share of old wanderers.¡± Officer Huang clicked his tongue. ¡°But now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±

    Wang Zikai yawned, his eyes misty for a moment. ¡°All that analysis doesn¡¯t seem to mean anything. I say we ughter everyone in the vige if we can¡¯t find the culprit. They are all lizardmen anyway. It¡¯s easier to just take them all out.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his shock. <i>You¡¯re a monster yourself, Wang Zikai. Aren¡¯t you being too cold to your kind?</i>

    ¡°That¡¯s the typical gamer mindset, Brother Kai.¡± Fat Jun licked his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think things would be that simple.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± Wang Zikai shot back. ¡°Should we just wait for our deaths here?¡±

    Fat Jun stuttered and fell silent.

    ¡°I agree with Wang Zikai,¡± Qing Ling said after having been silent the whole time. ¡°Whatever we have to do, we¡¯re not dying here.¡±

    ¡°That is <i>a </i>solution. Perhaps the culprit will show themselves if we initiate an attack.¡± Officer Huang sighed. ¡°But there¡¯s no turning back, and the risk is high. The vigers won¡¯t all be wanderers. A few wrath monsters will be enough to back us into a corner. Moreover, there may be even more powerful monsters hidden somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Fat Jun asked anxiously. ¡°We can¡¯t get out. We can¡¯t win in a fight. Both paths lead to death.¡±

    ¡°Stop tucking your tail between your feet. Have you forgotten about me?¡± Wang Zikai thumped on his own chest. ¡°I can take on ten monsters myself!¡±

    ¡°That still won¡¯t be enough!¡±

    ¡°You know nothing! Perhaps my endless potential will be activated after killing ten monsters. Then I¡¯ll just enter the zone and go beyond my limit again. That¡¯ll save us, right?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Officer Huang was amused by Wang Zikai¡¯s naivety and optimism. ¡°This isn¡¯t a movie. Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to exceed your limit just like that?¡±

    Gao Yang rolled his eyes. Putting aside whether Wang Zikai would be magically stronger, what if his brain was the thing that went beyond its limit, and he realized he was a monster? If he then turned on them, they would really be doomed.

    ¡°Of course I can!¡± Wang Zikai lifted his chin further. ¡°I¡¯m the chosen one, ain¡¯t I, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°You are...¡± Gao Yang put on a smile that was more twisted than a grimace.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll vote by a show of hands?¡± Officer Huang proposed. ¡°Raise your hand if you agree that we should take the offense.¡±

    Wang Zikai and Qing Ling both raised their hands immediately. Officer Huang did so after thinking for a moment. Then Fat Jun followed suit hesitantly. As the only one left, Gao Yang didn¡¯t think there was a point to him casting his vote.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Officer Huang announced their decision. ¡°We¡¯re clearing the vige.¡±

    ¡°When do we start?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    Wang Zikai was already rubbing his hands together in anticipation. ¡°Right now, of course! What are we waiting for?¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Gao Yang disagreed. ¡°We should rest for tonight and investigate further tomorrow. There¡¯s something else I¡¯d like to make sure. Let¡¯s start the operation tomorrow evening.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Qing Ling nodded.

    Fat Jun didn¡¯t really have an opinion, so he nodded as well.

    ¡°Why are we dragging things on?¡± Wang Zikai sounded petnt for having his parade rained on, but in the end, he decided to follow the decision of the majority. ¡°Fine, tomorrow evening it is!¡±

 Chapter 43: Burial

    <h4>Chapter 43: Burial</h4>

    Although a terrible homicide had happened in Huazi¡¯s house, the five of them were too hungry and exhausted to care. They took all the mattresses and pillows in the bedroom to the living room and made beds on the floor. Then they blocked all the doors and windows and retired to bed.

    Fat Jun didn¡¯t care if he was taking up space like a giant ball and insisted on sleeping right in the middle of everyone. Officer Huang took the leftmost spot voluntarily to act as a guard, and Wang Zikaiy down next to him because the nket on the right side was the red one for newlyweds from the wedding room, and he found it too feminine for his sensitive masculinity. In the end, they slept in the order of Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, Fat Jun, Gao Yang, and finally Qing Ling from left to right.

    Gao Yang was going to be a gentleman and slept on the rightmost spot, but Qing Ling insisted on taking it. And her right hand had never let go of her Tang Dao.

    Lying on the red pillow under a red newlywed nket, Gao Yang rolled to the side to look at Qing Ling. Her breathing was even, but her brows were still furrowed¡ªit was clear that she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep and was ready to fight at any moment.

    Strangely, Gao Yang felt as if this was <i>his </i>wedding night, and his bride was lying by his side with a long de in her grip. Came morning, they would go kill enemies side by side...

    <i>p! </i>Fat Jun rolled over, and his fat handnded on Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    Gao Yang suppressed the urge to kick him. Instead, he simply pushed his hand away.

    Later that night, the five of them gradually fell asleep, and at some point, Gao Yang felt someone gripping his hand while he was in the limbo state between sleep and awakeness.

    Surprised, his eyes fluttered open.

    Fat Jun¡¯s and Wang Zikai¡¯s snores rose and fell in the dark. He looked at his right hand and found a cool, fair hand holding it tightly. He turned to the girl by his side.

    In the dark, Qing Ling¡¯s body was stiff, and her eyes were wide and glinting faintly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gao Yang asked softly.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Qing Ling acted calm, but her voice was trembling.

    Gao Yang realized immediately. ¡°You¡¯re...the younger sister?¡±

    Her silence was answer enough.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say. Little Qing Ling had always hated men, yet she had just grabbed onto his hand. She must be terrified.

    ¡°Maybe you should...go back.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how he shouldmunicate with Qing Ling¡¯s other self. ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce for you.¡±

    ¡°I know. Sister told me everything that happened,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°She hadn¡¯t slept at all even with her eyes closed. I wanted her to rest for a while.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little confused. ¡°Even though your sister¡¯s personality is taking a break, isn¡¯t the body still awake?¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me what to do?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare...¡±

    ¡°I know that better than you do, so I have to fall asleep for her now...¡± Little Qing Ling took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. I¡¯ll fall asleep at once.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After a while, Gao Yang could sense that she was still awake. Feeling sleep slipping from his reach as well, he turned to face her.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± As expected, Little Qing Ling opened her eyes wide, alert. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t get any funny ideas, or I¡¯ll castrate you.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Gao Yang said awkwardly. He wasn¡¯t a monster, and his mind was nowhere near such thoughts under the circumstances. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll get out of this alive. Since there may not be another chance to say this, I¡¯d like to apologize to you.¡±

    ¡°For Li Weiwei?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°My sister killed her. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t turn to face him.

    ¡°I know. But if not for me...¡±

    ¡°Enough already. Don¡¯t make yourself into a drama male lead.¡±

    Little Qing Ling shifted closer to him and rested her head on his pillow. Then she tucked her long legs in and pressed her back to his chest. Gao Yang could smell her shampoo, and Qing Ling even went on to grab his arm and put it on her waist. Finally, she settled down.

    ¡°Stay like this.¡± Qing Ling took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate men?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a man in my eyes.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something about me...¡±

    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m resting for my sister.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gao Yang maintained the somewhat awkward posture. At first, he couldn¡¯t sleep at all, but then exhaustion overtook him, and he slipped into a dream without noticing.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how long he had slept. When he woke up, he could see sunlight shining through the cracks of doors and windows. He still had an arm slung around Qing Ling, and it was numb and stiff. At some point, Qing Ling had turned to face him.

    He was just about to lift his arm when Little Qing Ling...no, Qing Ling opened her eyes.

    Their faces were only a fist apart, and their eyes met as they exchanged breaths. Gao Yang¡¯s arm was still around her supple waist.

    The air was intimidatingly silent.

    Gao Yang quickly spoke up for his survival, ¡°Don¡¯t cut me. I can exin.¡±

    ¡°Save it. I can guess what happened.¡± Qing Ling pushed Gao Yang¡¯s numb arm aside and sat up, tying her long ck hair into a ponytail with practiced ease.

    Then she stood up and stretched. It seemed that she had gotten a good restst night. She looked down at Gao Yang, who was still lying on the mattress. ¡°Thanks forst night.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine...¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Wang Zikai woke up just in time to witness the exchange. He flipped to his feet. ¡°Seriously, you two?! Look at this ce! Look at theck of everything around us! Yet you¡¯re thanking each other for whatever you didst night? We are the one you should thank for putting up with you two!¡±

    Gao Yang got up and taunted Wang Zikai, ¡°Feeling anxious, virgin?¡±

    One must target the weakness when dealing with a snake. As expected, Wang Zikai shouted indignantly, ¡°Virgin? <i>Me</i>? I had a girlfriend when I was three! When you were still ying with toy cars, I was already ying with girls...¡±

    Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief. <i>Good, he¡¯s forgotten what we were talking about.</i>

    ...

    Early in the morning, the five of them left Huazi¡¯s ce. There was amotion from the ancestral hall atop the hill of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. Gongs and drums were being yed, and firecrackers were set off. Amid the nonstop noises were the dramatic criesing from the mourners.

    ¡°The bodies are being buried?¡± asked Fat Jun.

    ¡°That¡¯s how things are done in the rural area.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Funeralsst two days. The bodies are then buried in the morning on the third day.¡±

    While they talked, eight young men walked out of the tent carrying a weathered ck coffin. At the very front, a man dressed like a Taoist priest conducted a ritual with his mahogany sword and bell while leading the procession, muttering unintelligible words at the same time.

    Trailing after the coffin bearers were women dressed in linen funeral clothes. They supported each other as they wailed in an exaggerated manner. There were a few men dressed in the same way among the group as well. They walked on the sides of the coffin bearers with a bundle of paper money each and scattered the money along the way. The other vigers followed behind them, dressed in all ck.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the procession to reach the vige entrance and walk past the five of them.

    Fourth Grandpa Gu was at the tailend of the group. He greeted Officer Huang when he saw him. ¡°You¡¯re already up this early in the morning, Officer Huang?¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t sleep with the case unsolved.¡±

    ¡°You should rest. Your youngpanions don¡¯t look too good either.¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled silently, <i>We haven¡¯t eaten or drunk anything for close to thirty hours. Of course we¡¯d look terrible. If I weren¡¯t an awakener with all my stats raised by a notable margin, I would¡¯ve fainted due to low blood sugar.</i>

    ¡°Are all five of them put into a single coffin, sir?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°They are.¡± Fourth Grandpa Gu sighed. ¡°Huazi¡¯s family ain¡¯t rich. What savings they had were used on the wedding, but then something like this happened on the wedding night... We all pitched in to buy the coffin. Five would be too expensive for us to afford, and we didn¡¯t feel like there was a need... None of their bodies are intact, you know. It¡¯s a mess of different parts. Might as well put them together...¡±

    Fourth Grandpa Gu trailed off and shook his head before catching up with the procession.

    ¡°Should we follow them?¡± Officer Huang turned to them.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± That was exactly what Gao Yang had been thinking.

 Chapter 44: Open the Coffin

    <h4>Chapter 44: Open the Coffin</h4>

    The five of them followed the procession at the very back through the field and up a mountainous woods, finally reaching the hill cemetery.

    A good number of graves scattered along the slope. Only a few were proper tombs built of cement with short fences and two fir trees nted before it, as well as incense sticks lit for the dead. The majority were simple mounds overtaken by tall grass; it was obvious that no one had been tending to the burial sites.

    The coffin bearers carried the coffin to a hole that had already been dug. After the Taoist priest conducted a series of rituals, the vigers substituting the role of family members started wailing again. Then, amid the percussion and firecrackers, four men lifted the coffin into the hole before they each took a shovel and quickly filled it with soil.

    The vigers watched for a while before going their separate ways to return home, leaving only the four men burying the coffin and an old man overseeing the process. It was Patriarch Wu, who had been in charge of collecting the condolence money at the reception.

    He gave orders from the side, ¡°Work faster. Finish it before eight o¡¯clock. And press the soil tighter.¡±

    Officer Huang made a gesture, and the five of them went up to the men.

    Officer Huang took a spare shovel and helped with the burial. Recognizing him, Patriarch Wu walked up to him and gave him a cigarette. Officer Huang epted the offer, tucking the cigarette behind his ear.

    ¡°I hope you understand, Officer Huang.¡± Patriarch Wu sighed. ¡°I want the police to solve the case as soon as possible as well, but the funeral couldn¡¯t wait any longer. It needed to be done when the vigers still cared about Huazi¡¯s family. After some time, not even I would be able to mobilize everyone as the vige chief. Then Huazi and his family would really be lost spirits.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Officer Huang continued to shovel soil. ¡°The autopsy hase out already. Burying them won¡¯t undermine the investigation.¡±

    Patriarch Wu nodded. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡±

    During the process, Officer Huang handed the shovel to Qing Ling when Patriarch Wu wasn¡¯t watching. She sent the shovel to a tree behind her with a simple lift of her hand.

    The coffin was buried in less than twenty minutes.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang hadn¡¯t found out anything useful by talking to the vigers. Then all five of them followed Patriarch Wu and the four men back to the vige, parting ways at the entrance.

    They pretended to leave the vige and went back to the forest to make ns.

    ¡°Why did you tell me to hide the shovel?¡± Qing Ling asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°To dig up the coffin,¡± Gao Yang said. He had discussed it with Officer Huang earlier.

    ¡°You¡¯re digging it up?!¡± Fat Jun jumped.

    Officer Huang smiled. He put the cigarette Patriarch Wu gave him to his nose and inhaled, but he didn¡¯t dare smoke it. ¡°We¡¯ll wait til nightes. Then we dig the coffin up in secret.¡±

    ¡°Is that...really necessary?¡± Fat Jun looked reluctant.

    ¡°We have to end things today one way or another.¡± Officer Huang looked over at everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what Gao Yang and I have nned. We¡¯ll be resting here for the next few hours and do our best to conserve stamina. Then once the nightes, we¡¯ll first dig up the coffin and see if we can find out anything useful.¡±

    He sat down with his back against a tree. ¡°If there is, we¡¯ll n ordingly. If there isn¡¯t any clue, we¡¯llunch an attack as we nned before. Fighting every monster in the vige head on would be a losing battle. We¡¯ll ambush each household stealthily. Then maybe we¡¯ll flush out the mastermind.¡±

    ¡°Ambush?¡± Wang Zikai seemed disappointed. He was looking forward to an epic battle. ¡°That¡¯s low!¡±

    ¡°Humans are not built the same, Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang did what he did the best again¡ªbullshitting. ¡°You¡¯re the chosen one with great inherent power. You¡¯re stronger than all of us, and you¡¯ll be fine with a frontal assault. However, we are in a weakened state. The battle would be too dangerous for us... And you can¡¯t protect all of us while you fight. You wouldn¡¯t want to defeat the monsters on your own only to have all of us end up dead, would you?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s ttery worked wonders on Wang Zikai. He swung his arm and said, ¡°Heh, I guess there¡¯s no other way. Alright, we¡¯ll ambush the lizardmen! But let me say this upfront: you must leave the boss monster to me!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Officer Huang and Fat Jun shot Gao Yang an admiring look. He was so good at this he might as well be a monster whisperer!

    ...

    Night fell at about seven o¡¯clock in the evening. Officer Huang woke up the other four, and the five of them snuck their way to the hill cemetery on the west side of the vige with darkness as their cover.

    Unlike in the morning, the cemetery seemed haunted and terrifying once night fell. Fat Jun, the scaredy cat among them, kept shaking with a pale, almost bluish face. He was walking at the center of the group, surrounded bypanions, but he still jumped at every little noise and movement.

    Qing Ling lifted her hand and called the shovel over from the tree. ¡°Any volunteers?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Wang Zikai took the shovel and walked up to the mound, quickly getting to work.

    Meanwhile, the other four kept watch. If any viger happened toe this way, they would have to kill them.

    Fortunately, there was no unexpected visitor.

    Thanks to his great inherent strength, Wang Zikai quickly finished digging and cast the shovel aside, his forehead covered in sweat. ¡°Done!¡±

    Everyone else approached the hole. The serene moonlight shone on the coffin covered in soil, making it seem ghostly and cold. They shared a look, but no one volunteered to open the coffin.

    Outside of Wang Zikai, that was. ¡°What are you so afraid of? Get out of the way. I¡¯ll do it!¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Gao Yang stopped Wang Zikai. They didn¡¯t know what was inside the coffin. It was best to be cautious. He picked up the shovel and inserted it under the lid before quickly backing away. He turned to ask Qing Ling, ¡°Can you do the rest?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s heavy, but I¡¯ll try.¡± Qing Ling extended her arms. ¡°Metal!¡±

    Pulled by an invisible force, the shovel slowly moved downward, prying the coffin open. Officer Huang took aim with his gun, while Gao Yang raised the dagger he had been keeping on himself as insurance, waiting for any danger toe.

    <i>Thud!</i> Finally, the lid of the coffin opened.

    They all took a couple instinctual steps back, their heart in their throats.

    Silence stretched for a few seconds. None of the dangers they had expected happened. The coffin in the hole was quiet. They couldn¡¯t even smell the rotten smell of corpses.

    Exchanging a look, they slowly walked up to the hole again and halted when they saw what was inside.

    The coffin wasn¡¯t empty, and there was nothing supernatural inside. All there was were the remains of Huazi¡¯s family, but...they had all be skeletons.

    Gao Yang lit it with his shlight and counted. There were four skulls, so it seemed that the bride¡¯s head was still missing.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Wang Zikai found that anticlimactic. ¡°I thought we would see something exciting!¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been less than ten days since the family died?¡± asked Qing Ling. ¡°How are they all skeletons now?¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been more than three days since the police returned the bodies.¡± Officer Huang frowned. ¡°It¡¯s only April. No matter how fast the bodies have been dposing, they can¡¯t have turned into skeletons in such a short time.¡±

    ¡°Can it be...that the bodies are eaten?¡± Fat Jun jumped to a guess.

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°The bones haven¡¯t been chewed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s more like...¡± Officer Huang paused. ¡°They¡¯ve been dead for a long time.¡±

    Chilly wind swept over them, rustling the leaves and branches. Gao Yang suppressed a shudder.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qing Ling looked over at him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here first,¡± Gao Yang said gravely. ¡°I think...I¡¯ve figured out what happened.¡±

    Officer Huang asked, ¡°Then what do we do about this? Should we make it seem like we haven¡¯t been here?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it.¡± Gao Yang wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

    Under his urging, they quickly left the cemetery.

    When they got to the vige, it was about eight o¡¯clock in the evening. A good number of households still had their light on. They carefully kept their distance from the vigers and snuck into Huazi¡¯s house. Gao Yang immediately closed the doors and windows. This time he didn¡¯t even turn on the shlight.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, bro? Don¡¯t make us wait!¡± Wang Zikai asked hurriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the conclusion first.¡± Gao Yang lowered his voice. ¡°We didn¡¯t go back in time to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige thirty years ago, neither have we been transported to the inner world or a dream realm.¡±

    In the dark, everyone waited for him to finish with bated breath.

    Gao Yang inhaled deeply. ¡°This is the Gu Family¡¯s Vige from back then.¡±

 Chapter 45: Truth

    <h4>Chapter 45: Truth</h4>

    After Gao Yang said that, Officer Huang and Qing Ling both fell into deep thought, while Fat Jun shuddered with a look of confusion and fear on his face. Wang Zikai, on the other hand, didn¡¯t get what he was talking about at all. ¡°Come again? Say that a little more slowly.¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Gao Yang repeated, ¡°Is the Gu Family¡¯s Vige from back then.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Wang Zikai pped his head and admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t get it, at all.¡±

    ¡°If this is the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, what was the vige we entered?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°That was <i>a </i>Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°Mandarin, please!¡± Wang Zikai said angrily. ¡°Stop going in circles!¡±

    Gao Yang organized his thoughts and said, ¡°A family was killed in Gu Family¡¯s Vige thirty years ago. Then everyone in the vige disappeared. Correct?¡±

    Officer Huang responded, ¡°ording to the case files, yes.¡±

    ¡°I believe,¡± Gao Yang said with certainty, ¡°That the ones that disappeared weren¡¯t the vigers, but the entire vige itself.¡±

    After a pause, Officer Huang narrowed his eyes. ¡°Keep going.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it happened, but I believed the entire vige had been moved here, into this domain. The Gu Family¡¯s Vige we visited before was a fake...or a counterfeit, to be more specific.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your basis?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°At the ancestral hall we went to the first night, there were a lot of memorial tablets. Wang Zikai even read out some of the names. Do you remember? There was a Gu Huawu...¡±

    ¡°Patriarch Wu,¡± Qing Ling said in realization.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The vige chief is called Gu Huawu,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°He¡¯s not dead. Why would his name be found in the ancestral hall? There must be something wrong with it.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Fat Jun panicked. ¡°They were long dead! What we¡¯re seeing now are ghosts...¡±

    ¡°Ghosts my ass!¡± Wang Zikai pped Fat Jun on the head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that Fourth Grandfather Gu is a lizardman? I bet the vige chief is one as well.¡±

    ¡°Enough. Keep going, Gao Yang.¡± Officer Huang felt like the answer was within his reach.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been spotting many strange discrepancies since we came to this Gu Family¡¯s Vige. For example, it has only been half a month since the homicide, yet Huazi¡¯s home seems to have been unupied for years.¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang continued, ¡°And the coffin the family were buried in was worn as well. It seemed to have been used. When I took a closer look, there was even dried mud at the bottom of the coffin. The soil around the burial mound at the hill cemetery was also strange. It was lighter than it should be, like the ground had been dug repeatedly. Then there were the skeletons in the coffin...¡±

    ¡°What are you getting at, bro?¡± Wang Zikai got even more confused as he listened to Gao Yang.

    ¡°I get it now.¡± Qing Ling looked at Gao Yang. ¡°They are in a loop.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°We didn¡¯t go back in time to thirty years ago. The entire Gu Family''s Vige is trapped in this domain, and the vigers have been repeating this period of time again and again. The death of the family, the funeral... Everything has been repeating for thirty years. Someone like Fourth Grandfather Gu should¡¯ve died of old age already, but an irresistible power is forcing his body to go through the same process. That¡¯s why it transformed partly into a monster for a moment. It¡¯s like a machine that should¡¯ve broken down...¡±

    After a brief pause, Officer Huang asked, ¡°Then what is the irresistible power?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°But that¡¯s probably what we have to deal with. If we can figure out the starting point of the loop, perhaps we can identify the power...¡±

    <i>Woooom¡ª</i>

    Gao Yang was interrupted by an air raid siren that suddenly red from outside the house. It was oppressive, dull, haunting, and unnerving.

    <i>Woooom</i>¡ª

    Officer Huang walked up to the window and parted the curtains by a crack, his expression grave.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling moved up to the window as well. At some point, a faintyer of fog had enveloped the entire Gu Family¡¯s Vige, and every viger stopped whatever they were doing to stare up at the sky, their eyes empty and numb. Moreover, even those who had gone to bed walked out of their houses and stared up from their yards.

    <i>Woooom</i>¡ª

    The siren came to a sudden stop after the third ring. Then the fog permeating the vige gradually faded. The entire process took less than a minute.

    But it was a long, long minute for the five of them as they hid in the house, feeling like their hearts were in a tight grip.

    ¡°What, what, what are they doing?!¡± Fat Jun stuttered, his face ashen.

    ¡°They must be starting another loop,¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    One viger moved, walking like a body without a soul. Then the other vigers started moving as well. Slowly, quietly, they headed in the same direction, toward amon destination.

    Qing Ling was the first to realize that something was wrong. She had a keen sense of direction. ¡°They¡¯reing our way!¡±

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He should¡¯ve realized! But it was toote!

    In less than a minute, more than fifty vigers moved to the front yard of Huazi¡¯s house one after another. Under the moonlight, their faces were sheet pale and expressionless like walking dead, looking perverted in a strange and tainted way. Their empty eyes were all glued to the door of the house, which was shut close.

    The air seemed toe to a stop like the calm sea before the storm. The silence was thunderous with an undercurrent of something vtile. They were waiting, waiting for the first lightning strike that would trigger a great wave.

    ¡°What, what are they...what are they gonna do?¡± Fat Jun staggered back, terrified.

    ¡°How many people were there in Huazi¡¯s family?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Five, four men and one woman,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Ah, I get it! That¡¯s the five of us!¡± Wang Zikai was pleased with himself for figuring out the obvious.

    ¡°The loop has started. From the night of the wedding.¡± Gao Yang clenched his teeth. ¡°They...are here to ughter the family!¡±

    He should¡¯ve known. He should¡¯ve known that Huazi and his family were killed by the monsters of the vige. Only that would exin why the body parts were scattered everywhere. But why did the monsters transform and attack Huazi¡¯s family for no reason and then forget about everything afterward?

    There were many questions left unanswered, but none of that mattered at this moment. They must survive this!

    ¡°Run! We must run!¡± Fat Jun¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°We can¡¯t win. We¡¯ll die... We¡¯ll all die!¡±

    ¡°Toote.¡± Qing Ling unsheathed her de. She had already epted reality.

    ¡°We¡¯ll die even sooner if we get out now!¡± Officer Huang unholstered his gun and made quick judgments without pause. ¡°Ever yed tower defense games? We¡¯ll defend the house and kill the monsters as theye! Remember, aim for the head and the heart! Gao Yang, Fat Jun, watch the window in the back! Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, we¡¯re in charge of holding the door!¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    Wang Zikai rushed to the door, getting into a stance for the iing battle.

    Qing Ling stood on Wang Zikai¡¯s left with both hands holding her Tang Dao and her body lowered, ready to attack.

    Officer Huang was behind Wang Zikai¡¯s right and covered them with his gun. He shouted over his shoulder, ¡°Turn on the light! Darkness won¡¯t stop them, while we need a clear line of sight!¡±

    Gao Yang immediately turned on the light and closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [Warning, you are in great danger. Luck acquisition rate increases to 100 times.]

    [You have a total of 72 Luck points.]

    ¡ªComprehend Talent.

    [It takes 60 Luck points toprehend a new Talent. Do you con...]

    ¡ªDo it!

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension fails.]

    ¡ªFuck! Just once, I just want it to work once!

    ¡ªPut all the other points into Agility!

    [Your Agility has permanently increased by 12 points.]

    [Constitution: 27 Endurance: 28]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 39 ]

    [Willpower: 137 Charisma: 47 ]

    [Luck: 132 ]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes. Perhaps it was all in his head, but he felt a little lighter.

    Given his current situation, he would be nothing but a piece of unrecyble trash after he used up the ten seconds of God of des he got from Qing Ling. Putting a dozen points into any other stats wasn¡¯t going to do him much, while a higher Agility should allow him to dodge a few more attacks and create opportunities for himself. At least...he should be able to dy his death.

    Frantic footsteps came from the other side of the door. Officer Huang shouted, ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±

 Chapter 46: Bloody Battle

    <h4>Chapter 46: Bloody Battle</h4>

    <i>Bam! </i>A great force mmed into the door from the outside and <i>crack</i>! An arm covered in dark green scales shoved through the door, soon followed by another. The two arms swung around and tore into the wood madly like chainsaws, making a big hole in the door in no time.

    Then a half transformed man bent down to get through. Gao Yang recognized him as the schrly looking man, Ah-Zhi.

    Under his sses, his now all-white eyes bulged unnaturally, and his facial features twisted into a monstrous mask of fury, saliva dripping from his mouth in hunger. Half of his body had already entered the house. He chanted, ¡°Human, humanhumanhuman...¡±

    <i>Bang!</i> A bullet hit his eye.

    He screamed in pain, and a sharp de buried into his open mouth, prating through his¡ªits throat. Ah-Zhi¡¯s entire body spasmed until it gradually stopped moving.

    <i>Shing! </i>The moment Qing Ling pulled her Tang Dao back, a stter of blood hit Wang Zikai¡¯s face.

    Wang Zikai stopped moving. Although he had screamed about killing monsters with the most passion earlier, he realized at that moment that he wasn¡¯t as brave as he thought he was, and he didn¡¯t enjoy killing as much as he thought he did.

    ¡°Move!¡± Officer Huang yelled at him.

    Wang Zikai was startled into action.

    ¡°Die!¡± With a kick, he sent the monster stuck in the door flying the other way. He was undoubtedly strong as a young monster.

    <i>Bam! Bam, bam! </i>More monsters rushed through the front yard to m into the door. Already damaged and frail, the door gave in, toppling to the floor. Three half-transformed vigers crawled up, ignoring their kin, Wang Zikai, and lunging straight at Qing Ling and Officer Huang.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Gunshot and the swing of the de ovepped as blood sttered everywhere, and two monsters copsed. The monster in the middle was grappled by Wang Zikai. His two arms wrapped around the monster¡¯s waist and transformed rapidly, turning into a pair of bronze vise-like limbs.

    With a yell, Wang Zikai tightened his arms and cut through the monster¡¯s flesh and spine with a series of cracking sounds. The monster screamed in pain, opening its mouth in its moment of death and biting into Wang Zikai¡¯s shoulder with red fangs.

    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡± Wang Zikai yelled.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang! </i>Three bullets buried into the fanged monster¡¯s head, the force pushing its neck backward while blood sttered from the gunshot wounds until the monster stopped moving.

    Noticing that the monster had died, Wang Zikai loosened his arms with heavy breaths, and the monster fell to the floor, transforming back into its human form. It was Sister Fan, who had served them tea at the reception.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s shoulder was torn open, and his face was covered in blood¡ªboth the enemies¡¯ and his own.

    This was his first time killing a monster. Excitement, fear, anger, and a plethora of other emotions rushed through his head, breaking his reason and what little intelligence he had.

    ¡°Gahhhh¡ª¡± Wang Zikai tipped his head back and howled. The muscles of his legs, chest, and back bulged and transformed into firm, bronze-color flesh and skin like a more handsome Hulk.

    There were countless monsters outside, and they rushed to get through the door frame. Staring at the iing swarm, Wang Zikai charged out.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang yelled, but Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t hear him.

    All alone, he rushed into the iing swarm and swung his arms and legs, breaking a monster¡¯s head with every punch and sending a monster flying with every kick. He rampaged about with reckless abandon, seemingly lost in the killing spree.

    Wang Zikai fought much better than anyone could imagine. He had killed seven or eight monsters with that series of moves. However, the majority would always defeat the minority in the end, and as more monsters lunged at Wang Zikai and pinned him down like wolves ganging up on a lion, biting and tearing into him, Wang Zikai was soon lost in the pile.

    The other monsters moved around them and rushed into the house. One after another, they were killed by Officer Huang¡¯s bullets and Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao. However, there were simply too many of them, and the defense line the two of them put up was crumbling.

    A monster suddenly stood up among the bodies and pool of blood. It was the vige chief, Patriarch Wu. Although its neck had been sliced by Qing Ling, she hadn¡¯t cut through itpletely, and the head dangled to the side with a small part of flesh and skin still attached, revealing most of the inner tissues of the neck.

    It shot out both hands and lunged at Qing Ling. She had just stabbed a monster in the heart, and there was no time for her to make another swing even though she had noticed the danger.

    ¡°God of des!¡± Gao Yang activated the replicated Talent and rushed forward to stab Patriarch Wu in the heart with his dagger.

    He immediately pulled it out. He couldn¡¯t waste the remaining seven seconds he had with the Talent, and with a leap to the side, he moved between Officer Huang and the monster lunging at the man while he reloaded. Gao Yang thrust his dagger toward the monster. However, its chest was covered in sturdy scales, and the dagger stopped short of piercing its heart.

    The scale-armored monster sent him flying into the mud brick wall with a p. Gao Yang saw stars when his head hit the wall.

    Just when the monster was about to charge at him, a bullet hit it in the right eye, and a sharp de sliced through its head from the back.

    Qing Ling pulled her Tang Dao back and ordered, ¡°Get back!¡±

    Fat Jun quickly helped Gao Yang retreat to the corner of the room and pressed both hands into his chest. Feeling the burning pain, Gao Yang looked down to see a long gash.

    ¡°Soon...soon... It¡¯s okay...it¡¯s okay...¡± Fat Jun trembled all over, his brain overtakenpletely by fear, and he repeated the reassurance on autopilot.

    <i>Thud! </i>Then an arm covered in brown hair like those of an ape shot through the window and grabbed Fat Jun by the neck, dragging him backward.

    Fat Jun screamed. It was thanks to his big body that he got stuck at the window frame rather than getting dragged out immediately.

    Gao Yang forgot about his injury and jumped to his feet, burying his dagger into the ape-like arm. It retracted with a scream.

    ¡°Help, mom! Help...¡± Fat Jun couldn¡¯t even thank Gao Yang for saving him. Instead, he crawled under a desk like his life depended on it and put his arms around his head, curling into himself. He had broken downpletely.

    Gao Yang knew Fat Jun had done his best. There was nothing to me him for.

    Covering the wound on his chest, Gao Yang got to his feet. Countless bodies could be seen on the ground outside the door.

    Officer Huang had run out of bullets. He cast the gun aside and picked up a rusty machete before pulling back to Gao Yang¡¯s side. ¡°You good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good!¡± Gao Yang tightened his grip around the dagger and ground his teeth together.

    An agile monster charged through the door on all fours like a leopard. With a graceful leap, it dodged Qing Ling¡¯s horizontal sh and lunged at Officer Huang.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Officer Huang swung the machete at the monster¡¯s head, but it ended up hitting its shoulder. With the great momentum it had built up, the monster kept going forward and mmed Officer Huang to the floor.

    Howling furiously, it opened its maw wide, brandishing all its sharp fangs. It was seconds away from tearing into Officer Huang¡¯s neck.

    Gao Yang rushed up to it and held onto his dagger with both hands. Using the inertia of his fall, he buried the de into the back of the monster¡¯s head. The sharp tip prated through its skull and protruded from its mouth, almost hitting Officer Huang¡¯s eye. A mix of viscous blood and repulsive cerebral fluid dripped down the de to Officer Huang¡¯s face.

    The man pushed the monster off with some difficulty and picked up the machete before helping Gao Yang up. Panting, the two of them pressed their backs together. Another battle would soone.

    ¡°You good?¡± Officer Huang wiped the bodily fluids off his face and asked again.

    ¡°I¡¯m good!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were bloodshot.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Officer Huang shouted with renewed spirit. ¡°My wife hasn¡¯t given birth yet. I can¡¯t die now!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t die now either!¡± Gao Yang agreed, but without an epic deration to make, his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m still a virgin!¡±

 Chapter 47: My Brother, My Friend

    <h4>Chapter 47: My Brother, My Friend</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m still a virgin!¡± Gao Yang dered amid the corpses while being entirely covered in blood, equal parts desperate and impassioned.

    With her hands still gripping her weapon, Qing Ling frowned slightly, wondering if Gao Yang had lost his mind to fear like Fat Jun.

    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Officer Huang burst outughing. For a moment, he forgot the danger they were in.

    ¡°What?!¡± And under the pile of monsters came Wang Zikai¡¯s voice. ¡°What...did you say...?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart thumped in joy. <i>Wang Zikai¡¯s alive!</i>

    He repeated in a loud voice, ¡°I¡¯m! Still! A virgin!¡±

    ¡°Gahhhhh...¡± The pile of monsters scattered like an explosion had happened.

    Coated in blood, Wang Zikai raised to a staggering two meters now that he had fully transformed. With each hand grabbing a monster¡¯s head, he dragged them like ragdolls before crushing their heads with an audible pop. Then he threw them away with a powerful swing of his arms, knocking the other monsters in the proximity down.

    He strode up to the house while the surviving seven or eight monsters charged him, but none of the expendable ones were his rival, and he made quick work of all of them¡ªhe even tore one of the monsters in half with bare hands. Amid the crimson mist, he looked like a devil being reborn in blood.

    Chest heaving, he stepped over the bloody corpses and entered the house, stopping only when he got to Gao Yang. He lowered his head to look at his friend, who was now a lot shorter than he was. ¡°You...really are still a virgin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t know if he wanted to cry orugh.

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Wang Zikai iled his arms around in excitement. ¡®I knew you couldn¡¯t have done it before me! We really are brothers...¡°

    <i>Bam!</i> A monster broke the roof andnded in the house.

    ¡°Watch out...¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t have reacted a second sooner by swinging her de, yet her opponent was quicker. With a whip of its tail, it hit Qing Ling and flung her out of the house.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡±

    Gao Yang yelled and got a good look at the monster¡ªit was a wrath monster, a ughterer!

    It was in a different league than the one they had encountered before, Auntie Ho. This monster was young, and its transformationplete. The only part that retained the features of a human was its head, while its body had transformed entirely into that of a giant lizard. It crawled on all fours, covered from neck to tail in hard, dark red scales.

    If it stood on two legs, it would be taller and bigger than Wang Zikai.

    After throwing Qing Ling away, it didn¡¯t hesitate for even a moment before bending its thick, strong hind legs instantly to the limit to make a powerful jump, lunging at Gao Yang.

    Instinctively, Wang Zikai pushed Gao Yang aside, saving him from the deadly attack. Then the ughterer collided with Wang Zikai¡¯s waist and crossed the ws of its forearms to stab Wang Zikai in the abdomen, easily prating his thick sturdy bronze skin.

    ¡°Ahhhh! You son of a bitch...¡± Wang Zikai endured the attack without any defense other than his body, and veins popped out as he braced himself.

    The ughterer didn¡¯t stop. It continued to push the ground with its hind legs, making Wang Zikai stagger back until he mmed into the wall, which cracked and almost toppled.

    Then the ughterer tried to pull out the ws to end this battle, but Wang Zikai was no easy prey. He quickly reached under the monster¡¯s armpits and grappled it, preventing it from escaping.

    With the ws piercing through his abdomen, Wang Zikai looked pained with blood streaking from the corner of his mouth, but he was still smiling. ¡°Cheater. Breaking codes of honor by sneaking up on us. You...get what you deserve!!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!!¡± Wang Zikai pushed all his strength into his hands, and with a crack, he broke the ughterer¡¯s arms. Then he yanked them to the sides and tore the monster¡¯s arms off its shoulders entirely.

    ¡°Grrr¡ª¡± The ughterer screamed and staggered back with blood geysering out of the stumps of its shoulders.

    ¡°Die!¡± Gao Yang rushed toward it and buried his dagger into the ughterer¡¯s abdomen, knocking it to the ground. The boy and the monster wrestled each other in a tangled mess of limbs and body parts.

    Although the ughterer had lost its arms, it ended up seizing Gao Yang¡¯s hands with its tail and opened its toothy maw to bite at Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

    <i>Split! </i>Then a rusty machete chopped its head open.

    It wasn¡¯t Officer Huang, but Fat Jun.

    He gripped the machete with both hands, his face covered in blood and tears and quivering with overwhelming emotions. He raised the machete again and brought it down, yelling, ¡°Die!¡±

    ¡°Die!¡± Then the third swing.

    ¡°Die!¡± The fourth.

    ¡°Die, die, die, die, die...¡±

    Gao Yang lost count of how many swings Fat Jun had made, and the ughtere¡¯s head became minced meat. The tail grabbing onto Gao Yang then loosened before going still.

    Fat Jun was going to make another swing when Officer Huang staggered toward him with a hand pressing into the wound on his thigh. He used his other hand to grab Fat Jun¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s over.¡±

    The machete fell from Fat Jun¡¯s grip. He turned around and threw his arms around Officer Huang, bawling. ¡°I live... I didn¡¯t die... I didn¡¯t die...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang patted him on the back gently, like he wasforting a child who had just tripped and hurt himself. ¡°Yeah, you survived.¡±

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang used up the strength he had left to push the ughterer¡¯s heavy body off, and he stumbled his way to Wang Zikai.

    Like two giant nails, the ughterer¡¯s broken arms pinned Wang Zikai to the mud brick wall. Gao Yang saw his transformed body slowly revert back to that of a human. Wang Zikai was vomiting foam of blood with his eyes bloodshot. He looked so very frail and weak at this moment as he covered his abdomen with his hands. There was only a mess of crimson blood and torn flesh.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right, brother...¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s voice grew weak. ¡°Why do I feel like...that I¡¯m dying?¡±

    ¡°No! You won¡¯t die!¡± Gao Yang was at a loss. He wanted to pull the arms out, but at the same time he was worried that it would only exacerbate the blood loss and make Wang Zikai¡¯s deathe sooner.

    ¡°Shit, I fucked up...¡± Wang Zikai grinned, lopsided and boyish. ¡°Howme. I was the chosen one...yet I fucked up so bad...¡±

    ¡°Stop it! You won¡¯t die. You won¡¯t...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s hands were trembling. He shouted at Fat Jun, ¡°Stop crying! Save him!¡±

    Coming back to his senses, Fat Jun wiped his face roughly with his arm before running up to Wang Zikai and kneeling down, carefully checking his injury.

    ¡°Brother Yang! The two arms...have to be pulled out!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already losing too much blood!¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t help mend his wound if we don¡¯t pull out the arms! It¡¯s our only bet!¡± Fat Jun clenched his teeth. ¡°Make the call, Brother Yang!¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s head dropped to the side, his face pale as a sheet. He had lost consciousness.

    ¡°Pull them out!¡± Gao Yang said through clenched teeth.

    Officer Huang came up to help. ¡°Keep Wang Zikai steady, Gao Yang. Fat Jun and I will pull the arms out.¡±

    The three of them got into positions and chanted, ¡°Three, two, one...¡±

    <i>Ssh! </i>The moment the two arms were pulled out, blood sttered all over their bodies and faces.

    ¡°Cover the wounds! Cover them!¡± yelled Gao Yang.

    Fat Jun immediately reached out to cover the two bleeding holes in Wang Zikai¡¯s waist with both hands. ¡°Healing!¡±

    Green light radiated from Fat Jun¡¯s thick hands, fluctuating in intensity. Still, blood continued to leak out from Fat Jun¡¯s short, thick fingers.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s heart burned with worry. ¡°Focus!¡±

    ¡°I am... I am focused!¡± Fat Jun lost his calm as well. He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, ¡°Heal! <i>Heal</i>!¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s face turned from pale to an ashen gray. The blood gushing out of his abdomen had decreased noticeably, but not because the wounds were mending, but because he was running out of blood.

    The heaving of Wang Zikai¡¯s chest became almost unnoticeable, or had it stopped? Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare check his breathing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Fat Jun¡¯s face squeezed up like a fermenting dough. He burst into tears again. ¡°I tried. I tried my best...¡±

    ¡°Keep going!¡± yelled Gao Yang. ¡°Don¡¯t stop! He¡¯s not gone yet!¡±

    Officer Huang put a hand on his shoulder gently. ¡°Gao Yang, don¡¯t...¡±

    Gao Yang shook off the hand. He knew what Officer Huang was going to say, and he didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    Still, Officer Huang spoke up in a tired, solemn voice.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±

 Chapter 48: Final Boss

    <h4>Chapter 48: Final Boss</h4>

    <i>He isn¡¯t human, and he isn¡¯t your friend Wang Zikai.</i>

    <i>Wang Zikai never exists. It¡¯s just a persona yed by a delusion monster, by a mutated wanderer.</i>

    <i>So he¡¯s dead. No need to be heartbroken about it.</i>

    Gao Yang kept telling himself all that, but it didn¡¯t work. His chest was still so tight that he could barely breathe.

    All kinds of memories rushed into his head. On the first day of school, he almost got hit by Wang Zikai¡¯s sports car at the gate. The third day of military training[1], he fainted due to the heat, and Wang Zikai carried him to the infirmary on his back. The first time he got dragged by Wang Zikai to the inte cafe, they ended up losing every single game the entire night. The first time they got drunk, Wang Zikai cried and admitted that he didn¡¯t want his parents to divorce...

    Gao Yang slumped down before Wang Zikai¡¯s body, unable to pick himself back up.

    It was then that Qing Ling returned to the house with her Tang Dao, covering her bleeding arm.

    After hesitating for two seconds, Fat Jun stood up from Wang Zikai¡¯s side and walked up to Qing Ling, putting his hands around the injury on her arm. ¡°Heal!¡±

    Qing Ling nced at Wang Zikai, her brows furrowed. ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°His heart stopped.¡± Then he looked around at the messy piles of dead monsters on the floor. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought we would end up killing all the vigers for real. We would have died if not for Wang Zikai.¡±

    ¡°...Are we missing anyone?¡± Fat Jun asked worriedly.

    Qing Ling answered, ¡°I counted. There are 31 outside, 22 inside. That¡¯s 53 in total.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t miss any! Then we can get out of this hell hole, can¡¯t we?¡± Fat Jun was eager to leave. ¡°They¡¯re all dead. We have no enemies here!¡±

    The moment Fat Jun said that, Gao Yang felt his chest tighten.

    He covered it with a hand. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong...¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Officer Huang tensed up.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right...¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t exin it. Perhaps it was his high Willpower telling him that there was an enemy hiding near them.

    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Gao Yang said with a hint of despair. ¡°There¡¯s something around here. It¡¯s strong, excited, dangerous...¡±

    ¡°Brother Yang, you, you... Don¡¯t joke like that! It¡¯s not funny at all!¡± Fat Jun couldn¡¯t take another life-threatening danger. He looked around nervously. ¡°What¡¯s around? Where? I see nothing!¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and essed the system.

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 1000 times.]

    ¡ª1000 times?

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t quite wrap his head around that, but he knew one thing for certain: they would die if they stayed like this!

    So he opened his eyes wide and yelled, ¡°Run! Run now!¡±

    Without hesitation, they rushed out of the house. They didn¡¯t even have time to take Wang Zikai¡¯s body with them.

    The moment they reached the yard, Qing Ling, the one who had been running at the very front, came to a sudden halt. Without turning around, she raised her hand and ordered the other three, ¡°Stay back! Don¡¯te near me!¡±

    Even though they didn¡¯t get why she said that, they stopped and held their breath.

    Gao Yang was the first to realize the situation. Eyes wide, he noticed something was wrong with Qing Ling...or her long ck hair, to be more specific. A few strands were slowly flying into the air, defying gravity.

    <i>It¡¯s not Qing Ling¡¯s! </i>Gao Yang immediately realized.

    <i>Hiss, hiss, hiss¡ª</i>

    The strands of ck hair swung around Qing Ling¡¯s delicate neck to strangle her. She curled her fingers, calling over the razors she had hidden in her breast pocket.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish! </i>The razors cut the hair, and Qing Ling quickly crouched down, returning to herpanions¡¯ side with a jump and a roll.

    The hair that had been cut down hadn¡¯t chased after her. Instead, the hair strands hovered in the air before spreading apart like long, thin nktons. Then they slowly swam up.

    The four of them looked up and froze, chilled to the bones.

    What seemed like a human skull descended from the sky, its long ck hair dark and dense.

    ¡°Look down!¡± Fat Jun shouted.

    Gao Yang lowered his head and saw the hair of the dead monsters fall off before clumping together into strands. Then they slithered like ck snakes before defying gravity to swim up to the abomination in the sky, like countless tadpoles returning to their mother¡¯s embrace after getting lost.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the abomination to recover its true form.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how to put it into words. The strange human skull was connected to hundreds of millions of ck hair strands, and under the moonlight, it looked like a gargantuan seaweed monster that should be hovering in the deep sea rather than onnd.

    It descended slowly with its hair spreading in all directions, obscuring the moon and all light sources in the sky. Boundless darkness crushed toward them. It felt like the world was meeting its doom.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that...¡± Fat Jun finally came to the realization. ¡°The hair monster that attacked us that night?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Even if all five of them were alive and in perfect state, it was unlikely they would be able to deal with this abomination, let alone when they had lost one man and suffered many injuries, as well as running out of ammunition and power.

    He turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Does the Twelve Zodiac Signs know?¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s expression was grave. ¡°They probably sent us here <i>because </i>they knew.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a test,¡± Gao Yang said with a trace of resentment.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been used,¡± Qing Ling said coldly. ¡°We¡¯re nothing but cannon fodder.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got you all into this. Wu Dahai doesn¡¯t seem like a bad man. I thought I had a good eye for people...¡± Officer Huang was remorseful.

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. We chose to join the organization.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking about useless things and find a way!¡± Fat Jun yelled anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die...¡±

    ¡°Can you still make a swing, Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. Her bones had been broken in at least three parts, and the muscles of her right arm had been torn badly, preventing her from using any force with it. Although she was still holding onto her Tang Dao, it was but a front she put up to not appear weak.

    Of course, she still had Metal. While level 2 Metal was effective for ambushing a human with hidden weapons, however, it wouldn¡¯t do her any good when facing a monster of this caliber.

    Gao Yang came to the conclusion as well. Qing Ling¡¯s silence spoke volumes.

    ¡ªFlee, and they fall.

    ¡ªFight, and they die.

    Every part of Gao Yang¡¯s mind was telling him that this was the end.

    There was nothing more difficult than waiting for death, but the wait didn¡¯tst long. Like a ck cannibalistic flower hung upside down, the ck hair circled around the four of them and covered the entire sky.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Gao Yang shouted, but it was meaningless.

    Fat Jun was the first to be caught by the hair. He gave up on resisting and closed his eyes, sobbing in pain. He only wished for death to im him sooner so that he wouldn¡¯t suffer for long.

    Officer Huang was the second to fall to the same fate. He tried to resist, but it only bought him two seconds before he was wrapped up into a human dumpling.

    Gao Yang fared simrly to Officer Huang. The dozen Luck points he had put into his Agilityst second didn¡¯t help him escape the ck hair.

    Qing Ling held on for the longest. With her Metal, she manipted her dagger, razors, and Tang Dao to rotate around her at high speed, cutting the countless strands of hair. Nevertheless, some managed to slip past her defense, and in about six to seven seconds, she was tied up as well.

    The hair lifted Gao Yang off his feet, along with his threepanions.

    Qing Ling was thest to get caught, but she seemed to be the prey the monster craved the most, and she was yanked to the skull the quickest. In the blink of an eye, she was dangled in front of the skull upside down.

    The hair crawled along her body slowly and chillingly like snakes, making their way to Qing Ling¡¯s silky ck hair like they wanted to be one with it.

    Then the skull suddenly spoke in the twisted voice of a woman, sounding hollow and bleak, ¡°Hair, hair, such beautiful hair...¡±

    Qing Ling stared at the skull without fear.

    Then she opened her mouth. The razor she had hidden on her tongue flew out and hit the skull in the center of its forehead.

    ¡°Metal!¡± Qing Ling yelled, putting all her focus on controlling the razor.

    But it was too thin and too brittle. The force of her control ended up squashing the razor, leaving only a thin scratch on the skull.

    The hair monster was furious.

    Hundreds of hair strands intertwined to form a giant ck needle in an instant. Like the tail of a scorpion, it curled and pierced Qing Ling in the chest with an upward motion.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡± Gao Yang cried out.

    1. In China, highschool freshmen are to receive basic military training, usually in August andst for a week or two. ?

 Chapter 49: New Talent

    <h4>Chapter 49: New Talent</h4>

    Still hanging upside down, Qing Ling¡¯s chest was prated by the giant ck needle of hair. She didn¡¯t even scream in pain.

    Then the needle pulled out from her body. Crimson blood gushed and streamed down to dye her fair neck, face, and forehead red, finally drenching her long hair.

    The hair monster savored the process of Qing Ling¡¯s hair being drenched by her own blood. Equal parts captivated andmenting, it chanted, ¡°Hair, such beautiful hair... All mine...all mine...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± When the first drop of blood fell from the tip of Qing Ling¡¯s hair, the monster shuddered like it was reaching climax before its ck hair fanned out in an instant, circling around Qing Ling to wrap around and devour her.

    Her threepanions could only watch everything y out, unable to do anything.

    <i>No, I can¡¯t just watch Qing Ling die!</i>

    <i>I must save her! I must do something!</i>

    Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [Warning! You are in extremely great...]

    ¡ªLuck points.

    [You have a total of 70...71 Luck points.]

    ¡ªComprehend Talent. Skip confirmation.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension seeds.]

    [Talent: Fire. Serial Number: 26. Rune Type: Element.]

    [Level 1 Fire: Summon fire elements with both hands with a maximum temperature of 280 degrees Celsius and a maximum range of 1 meter.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 1 Fire: Constitution + 20, Endurance + 20, Willpower + 50, Charisma + 10.]

    ¡ªDoes Willpower influence elemental damage?

    [Every 10 points in Willpower increase elemental damage by 1%.]

    ¡ªPut the rest of my Luck points into Willpower.

    [Allocationpleted.]

    [Stats updated.]

    [Constitution: 47 Endurance: 48]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 39]

    [Willpower: 199 Charisma: 57 ]

    [Luck: 132]

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, and with a thought, a strange hot energy rushed out of his ten fingers. He reached behind to grab onto a handful of dense hair strands.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    <i>Whoosh! </i>Gao Yang¡¯s hands burst into mes, burning the hair from his palms all the way to his forearms, breaking the hair apart and making the crackling sounds of beetles getting crushed.

    The rest of the hair loosened immediately and rushed away from Gao Yang, as if they had a life of their own and could feel pain and fear.

    Gao Yang started free falling once he broke free of the hair. Missing no beat, he grabbed onto Officer Huang, who was hanging behind and below him. He put a hand on Officer Huang¡¯s chest. ¡°Fire!¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s hair-wrapped chest burned up instantly.

    Gao Yang carefully controlled the temperature and range of the fire to threaten the ck hair without hurting the man. Sensing the danger, the hair retreated, and the moment Officer Huang started falling, Gao Yang stepped on his chest to propel himself to the human dumpling three meters away from him. It was Fat Jun.

    It was a difficult move to pull off. Although Gao Yang had raised his Agility somewhat, he wasn¡¯t able to make the jump as easily as professional stunt performers would. His jump fell a little short, and he had to reach out hard to barely hold onto Fat Jun¡¯s thigh. The unexpected ¡®attack¡¯ made Fat Jun cry out in fear. ¡°Ahhhhh don¡¯t kill me...¡±

    Fat Jun realized he wasn¡¯t dead when he opened his eyes and saw that it was Gao Yang holding onto his thigh.

    ¡°Gao Yang?! What...¡±

    ¡°Endure it.¡±

    Gao Yang raised an arm and pped Fat Jun in his fat buttcheek. ¡°Fire!¡±

    <i>Swoosh! </i>Fat Jun¡¯s rear end started burning.

    <i>Hiss! </i>The ck hair fled from the fire at once and retracted.

    [Congrattions! Talent: Fire has leveled up.]

    [Level 2 Fire: Summon fire elements with both hands with a maximum temperature of 580 degrees Celsius and a maximum range of 3 meters.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 2 Fire: Willpower + 100, Fire Resistance + 60, Charisma + 10.]

    The moment the notification sounded in his head, Gao Yang felt a rush of energy and great pleasure.

    Fat Jun had a big body, and thus it took a lot more hair to wrap around him, and the hair couldn¡¯t all pull back in an instant. Gao Yang deactivated the me and seized an opening to grab onto the strands that were just about to pull back. Like a kite, Gao Yang allowed himself to be dragged toward the main body of the hair monster¡ªthe skull.

    The hair monster was going to savor Qing Ling like a delicacy, but its n was interrupted by Gao Yang¡¯s sudden ambush. It stopped what it was doing and shifted its attention to attack Gao Yang.

    It first severed the strand of hair Gao Yang was holding onto, but Gao Yang was already falling in a parabolic trajectory toward it from above.

    Three giant ck needles of hair took shape in the blink of an eye and stabbed toward Gao Yang from the front, left, and right. Gao Yang opened his arms to aim at the needles on his two sides. ¡°Fire!¡±

    <i>Boom! Boom!</i>Two torrents of fire burst out of Gao Yang¡¯s palms and swallowed the needles.

    There was no time for him to deal with the needleing from his front. He twisted his body, hoping that would be enough to protect his vitals.

    Then <i>swoosh</i>! A Tang Dao flew over at thest moment and cut down the needle, stopping its tremendous momentum short.

    It was Qing Ling and her Metal! Still tied up and hung upside down by the hair, she stared at Gao Yang with half-lidded eyes, her face covered in blood.

    She was on the verge of death, yet she hadn¡¯t given up!

    Feeling blood pumping through his body, Gao Yang syed his hands and allowed gravity to pull him toward the hair monster.

    Three meters!

    Two meters!

    One meter! It was now in range!

    ¡°Fire!¡± Gao Yang growled, pushing all the energy inside him into his palms.

    Two zing torrents shot out with a boom and intertwined into one beam, devouring the hair monster in an instant.

    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡± It let out a piercing scream, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Hitting it with fire for one second wasn¡¯t enough to burn all its hair, let alone destroy its hardy skull.

    But there was nothing else Gao Yang could do. He was free falling at a great speed, and the fire shooting out of his palms was about to lose the target.

    That was when suddenly, something propped him up from under his feet.

    He looked down and saw a hovering Tang Dao!

    With the upward boost it gave him, Gao Yang jumped up half a meter in the air.

    That exhausted thest of Qing Ling¡¯s willpower. She closed her eyes, her arms going ck,

    Qing Ling¡¯s Metal had actually jumped to level 3 the moment she got hit by the ck needle, which was what had been keeping her alive.

    Level 3 Metal: maximum detection distance of 50 meters, maximum control distance of 10 meters, and maximum control weight of 60 kilograms.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Leaping again, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to miss thisst chance. There was only one thought in his head: squeeze out all his remaining energy to attack the monster.

    However, the brief moment of regrouping was enough time for the hair monster to ovee the pain and react ordingly. The skull retreated quickly, getting out of the attack range of Gao Yang¡¯s fire.

    Gao Yang could only watch as theirst hope slipped from his hands.

    At the same time, arge ck needle stabbed at him from the back.

 Chapter 50: Cavalrys Coming

    <h4>Chapter 50: Cavalry''s Coming</h4>

    <i>St! </i>Thick, sharp hair prated Gao Yang¡¯s waist from the back. His fall was instantly broken, and he dangled like a fish caught by a harpoon.

    The first thing he felt wasn¡¯t pain, but a strange chill spreading from his waist. Then an overwhelming pain rushed to his head, and he was made aware of the hole in his torso.

    ¡°Ahh...¡± Gao Yang was in so much pain that he wanted to die.

    In his hazy mind, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Qing Ling had done it. <i>How did she not make a sound when her chest got prated? Wasn¡¯t it painful for her? I would be rolling on the ground and screaming until I die if I could.</i>

    The ck needle of thousands of hair strands pulled out from Gao Yang¡¯s body, and he felt another unbearable wave of pain. Finally, he was too exhausted to scream. All he could feel was a dull dizziness.

    Then he started falling.

    He didn¡¯t hit the ground like he thought he would. Instead, something caught him gently after a few seconds, and that something was supporting him under his armpit and behind his right heel.

    Gao Yang struggled to open his eyes. He realized that he was still in the air, and beside him was a man in a fierce-looking red mask of <i>tengu</i>, heavenly dog.

    He was holding Gao Yang¡¯s arm with one hand and propping Gao Yang¡¯s heel with the back of a foot, keeping him upright with ease.

    ¡°You¡¯re...¡±

    ¡°Heavenly Dog of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± The stranger had a boyish voice, and he soundedzy and tired, a stark contrast with his vicious mask.

    Only then did Gao Yang notice the ck exorcist outfit the young man was wearing. His arms were wrapped in white bandages, and his hair tied into a short, upward ponytail at the back of his head, making him look like a ninja.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Leave the rest to me.¡± Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t say anything else. He leisurely lifted a hand and pointed at the hair monster in the air. ¡°Sever.¡±

    Gao Yang felt the air went still for a moment, or perhaps it would be more urate to say that the air before them had shifted in a subtle and imperceptible way.

    The next second, the hair tying Qing Ling up split apart.

    ¡°Catch her.¡± Carrying Gao Yang with him, Heavenly Dog flew toward Qing Ling without even changing his posture. Gao Yang caught on immediately and braced for pain as he reached out to grab Qing Ling.

    ¡°Ugh...¡± The pain in his waist dragged a scream out of him.

    Heavenly Dog pointed at the hair monster with his right hand.

    ¡°Sever.¡±

    Again, it felt like space had frozen before splitting, aiming to cut the hair monster in half from top to bottom. The skull¡ªthe main body of the monster¡ªnoticed the iing danger and quickly shifted to the left. A good portion of its hair was cut down, but the skull remained intact.

    ¡°Sever.¡±

    Intangible space was sliced like a tangible thing again. This time, the cut was horizontal.

    The white skull rushed to evade again, losing one fourth of its hair but managing to protect its main body.

    ¡°Sever.¡±

    ¡°Sever.¡±

    ¡°Sever.¡±

    ...

    In a matter of ten seconds, Heavenly Dog had cut offrge swathes of the skull¡¯s hair like a barber, but he always missed the skull itself by a little.

    The skull was cunning. It gave up on the fight and flew upward.

    Carrying two incapacitated people prevented Heavenly Dog from catching up with the skull. He looked down and shouted, ¡°Rabbit, it¡¯s getting away!¡±

    Gao Yang followed his gaze, and to his surprise, he spotted White Rabbit, the waitress he had encountered before.

    She wasn¡¯t dressed in the karaoke uniform today, and the mask of white rabbit was reced with a white surgical mask drawn with a cute pink rabbit mouth.

    Wearing a baseball cap, she was dressed in a ck and white baseball jacket with a red crop-top and light blue denim shorts, under which was a pair of long, well-built legs. Her shoes were a pair of white sneakers. Holding a ck metallic baseball bat with one hand, she looked like a stylish baseball girl.

    Having just sat Officer Huang and Fat Jun up on the ground, she shouted at the sky, ¡°You useless thing! Buy me a new pair of shoes!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just hurry already. It¡¯s getting away.¡± Heavenly Dog still spoke in a leisurely voice and didn¡¯t sound hurried at all.

    White Rabbit crouched down and put both her hands on the ground.

    ¡°Jump!¡± She leapt into the air in an instant.

    Officer Huang felt a shockwave of rippling air from where she had been, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, White Rabbit was nowhere to be seen; the deep footprints and the cracks on the asphalt ground were the only things proving she had been there.

    It took her less than two seconds to soar more than a hundred meters into the air.

    And she had controlled her jump perfectly. While the skull continued to flee upward, she happened to catch up with it at the highest point of her jump.

    ¡°Hello!¡± She even had the time to greet the skull before raising her baseball bat and hitting it squarely. ¡°Home¡ªrun!¡±

    The swing was so powerful that the counterforce flung her up for another two meters.

    On the other hand, the skull was sent falling down like a shooting star, hitting the dried pond in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige and making a great crater.

    Slowly, the skull emerged from the mud. The cranium was now covered in cracks, and the chin had dislocated from the joints. However, it was still alive¡ªin a sense. And it was still fleeing.

    Wu Dahai was already by the pond, dressed in leather topwear and pants that could be either punk fashion or delinquency or both. Then he lifted both hands and swept through his broom head, making a lopsided, confident grin that was all teeth.

    ¡°Twelve Zodiac Signs, Electric Mouse, Ultimate Technique¡ª¡± He leapt two meters into the air and swung his fist at the white skull in the middle of the muddy crater. ¡°Super Lighting Punch!¡±

    Actually, the lightning didn¡¯te from Wu Dahai¡¯s fist, but from the sky.

    Gao Yang saw the area grew dim for half a second before crackling lightning sparks surrounded the pond, rippling toward the skull at the center of the crater. Then bluish white lightning shot down at the skull. Every strike was as thick as a telephone pole.

    <i>Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble¡ª</i>

    For a moment, the night sky was as bright as daytime.

    When Gao Yang broke out of his reverie, he had already been brought to the ground by Heavenly Dog.

    Unable to keep himself up for any longer, he slumped down with Qing Ling in his arms.

    Just as his consciousness slipped away, he heard Wu Dahai¡¯s excited voice grow closer. ¡°Done! And whoa! It does have a Rune Circuit!¡±

    ¡°Please stop with the dramatics, Wu Dahai.¡± Then there was White Rabbit¡¯sint. ¡°All the useless posturing is giving me a headache.¡±

    ¡°What do you know? It¡¯s an important routine!¡±

    ¡°<i>Chunibyo</i> is a disease that requires treatment.¡±

    Heavenly Dog interjected, ¡°Excuse me, someone¡¯s dying here.¡±

    ¡°Let me see,¡± the young voice of a little girl said. ¡°Whoa...that¡¯s bad!¡±

    ¡°Guys, there¡¯s another inside the house,¡± said a man with a nasal voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s a delusion monster,¡± Wu Dahai responded. ¡°Leave it.¡±

    ¡°Not a monster...<i>my friend</i>...save...him...¡±

    The rest of Gao Yang¡¯s words got lost as his heavy eyelids dropped, and his consciousness slipped away.

 Chapter 51: Emergency Treatment

    <h4>Chapter 51: Emergency Treatment</h4>

    All Gao Yang felt when he woke up was thirst. To his wonderment, he didn¡¯t feel any pain.

    <i>Didn¡¯t I get stabbed in the sides from my back? Why doesn¡¯t it hurt at all?</i> All he felt was an itchiness that was so faint it was more like mosquito bites.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Won¡¯t take long,¡± a young voice said.

    Blinking his vision clear, Gao Yang sat up with some difficulty and saw a girl who appeared to be seven or eight years old. Her hair was tied into cute buns, and she wore a modernized <i>ruqun</i>[1]<i> </i>with the cors tucked in the middle of her waist, under which was a white inner wear. On her light pink dress, peach blossoms bloomed.

    She knelt down next to Gao Yang, holding his bigger hand with her chubby and petite ones. Her face was slightly flushed and round with baby fat, and her big eyes were clear and pure.

    ¡°And you¡¯re...¡±

    ¡°Lovely Lamb of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Everyone calls me Cute Little Lamb.¡±

    ¡°Did you heal me?¡± Gao Yang said gratefully.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I only made Big Brother¡¯s injury mine.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    ¡°Talent: Injury Transfer, serial number 24, Life-type.¡± White Rabbit showed up and crouched down before Gao Yang, reaching out to ruffle Lovely Lamb¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s good enough. Go find Uncle Dead Pig.¡±

    ¡°Nah, gonna transfer all the injury from Big Brother,¡± Lovely Lamb said proudly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t see you being so thorough with anyone else. Why, do you have a crush on him?¡± White Rabbit smirked. ¡°My oh my, are you starting to pine after boys at this age already? You like them good-looking, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it!¡± Lovely Lamb let go of Gao Yang¡¯s hand and ran away blushing.

    Gao Yang¡¯s attention was caught by White Rabbit¡¯s feet. The earlier leap left holes on the heads of her white sneakers, revealing her toes. He noticed that the big toe of her right foot was painted with ck nail polish, but only halfway.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Rude!¡± White Rabbit said, but her tone was rxed with no heat.

    Gao Yang hurriedly averted his gaze.

    White Rabbit sat down cross-legged and took off her damaged sneakers. She then took out a bottle of ck nail polish and finished the job right before Gao Yang. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to do the whole nail because I left home in a hurry. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then ask away. I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    ¡°Qing Ling...is she okay?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She was the first we treated. She almost died, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to save her. We brought Cute Little Lamb and Dead Pig with us for a reason.¡±

    ¡°What kind of Talent is Injury Transfer?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Exactly what it sounds like. She can transfer someone¡¯s injury to herself, but the target couldn¡¯t have been injured more than thirty minutes ago.¡± White Rabbit paused. ¡°We haven¡¯t done the exact calction, but the amount of injury she can absorb would kill you about ten times.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t intend to die that many times.

    ¡°However, Cute Little Lamb can¡¯t deal with the damage herself. She has to transfer it elsewhere quickly.¡± White Rabbit finished painting her toenail and blew at it while holding her foot. ¡°She does it the same way she absorbs the injury¡ªby touching the target. There is a divide between species, however. Injury from humans can only be transferred to humans. Animals to animals, nts to nts, and monsters to monsters.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little concerned. ¡°Then isn¡¯t she...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let me introduce you to another bigshot in our organization¡ªUncle Dead Pig.¡± White Rabbit turned to point at the man wearing a pig head mask not far from them.

    He looked to weigh about a hundred and fifty kilos. Sitting cross-legged on the floor topless, he looked either like a giant Maitreya or a mountain of flesh. However, his weight didn¡¯te from floppy fat like the case with Fat Jun, but tanned, well-built muscles. Therefore, he looked dependable rather than unkempt.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting started, Uncle Dead Pig.¡± Lovely Lamb stood before the man and extended her cute little hands.

    ¡°Hoho, I¡¯m ready.¡± Dead Pig spoke with his breathsing out of his nose, his voice booming low and longsting like echoes in the valley.

    Lovely Lamb put her hands on Dead Pig¡¯s abdomen, and soon, the skin and flesh in his sides split into crimson wounds. Those were the exact ces Gao Yang had been stabbed.

    Although the wounds looked horrifying, they only bled a little rather than gushing out blood.

    When Gao Yang got a good look, he realized that the wounds were mending at a noticeable speed, and in less than a minute, they werepletely gone.

    What made the whole thing even more unbelievable was that Dead Pig didn¡¯t seem pained at all in the process. Instead, he fell asleep and even started snoring.

    ¡°Done.¡± Lovely Lamb pulled back and dusted her dress before skipping her way to White Rabbit, throwing her arms around her from the back. ¡°Tee-hee.¡±

    ¡°Stop it!¡± White Rabbit was too focused on painting her toenails to spare her attention. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re so happy about.¡±

    Lovely Lamb stuck her tongue out at White Rabbit. Then she looked up and snuck a nce at Gao Yang before running away bashfully. She stopped beside Heavenly Dog, who wasn¡¯t far away from them.

    ¡°Dead Pig of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Talent: Self Recovery, serial number 47, Life-type,¡± White Rabbit exined. ¡°As you can see, with his impressive recovering power, a regr man would tire before killing him with a knife. That¡¯s where he got the name from¡ª<i>Dead pigs fear no scalding water.</i>[2]¡±

    ¡°That...strong?¡± Gao Yang felt like a frog stuck at the bottom of a well.

    ¡°That¡¯s because Cute Little Lamb and Uncle Dead Pig have both reached level 4 with their Talents.¡± White Rabbit pouted. ¡°There may only be a one level difference between level 3 and 4, but the difference is night and day.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gao Yang almost forgot to ask. ¡°Where¡¯s Wang Zikai? Is he still alive?¡±

    ¡°Oh, the wanderer?¡± White Rabbit said. ¡°We didn¡¯t save him.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡± Gao Yang felt dizzy again when his heightened emotions pushed blood into his head.

    ¡°Say, ¡®Ah.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you...¡±

    White Rabbit quickly threw something into Gao Yang¡¯s mouth. It was an orange-vored gummy.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t chew on it.

    ¡°Eat something to get your blood sugar up. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t touch my foot with this hand.¡±

    Gao Yang finally chewed and swallowed the gummy, his chest tightening again. ¡°You said you don¡¯t kill wanderers.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t kill them, but that doesn¡¯t mean we save them.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± White Rabbit put another gummy in Gao Yang¡¯s mouth. It was an apple-vored one.

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead?!¡± Gao Yang was overjoyed.

    White Rabbit blinked her brown, almond-shaped eyes and said through the mask, ¡°We didn¡¯t save him because he didn¡¯t need saving.¡±

    ¡°Your wanderer friend is quite a special one. It seems he¡¯ll only die if his head is cut off or his heart is carved out. Blood loss isn¡¯t a threat to him, and there¡¯s nothing to worry about when his heart stops. That¡¯s merely his body activating his self-recovery.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Dead Pig¡¯s Talent?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. <i>He really is born with great ¡®talents¡¯.</i>

    ¡°Far from Uncle Dead Pig¡¯s level, but enough to save himself.¡±

    While they talked, Wang Zikai showed up from inside the ruined house with Fat Jun¡¯s support, pressing a hand to his mostly recovered injury. He spotted Gao Yang in the front yard immediately, and he burst intoughter. ¡°Ha, haha, hahahahaha...¡±

    Heughed so hard that he started trembling, and the exertion made his mended wound split again. He grimaced in pain. Even so, he didn¡¯t stopughing.

    Gao Yang was confused. Why is heughing<i>? Shit, he didn¡¯t lose his mind, did he?</i>

    1. A type of <i>Hanfu</i>, namely traditional Chinese clothing, consisting of an upper garment and a wrap-around lower skirt. It was more often worn by women but could be men¡¯s attire as well. ?

    2. An idiom that describes someone who no longer fears insults and attacks because they have nothing to lose. It¡¯s often used in the negative sense to say that someone¡¯s shameless, but it can be used in the neutral sense. ?

 Chapter 52: End of Test

    <h4>Chapter 52: End of Test</h4>

    Everyone in the yard turned to Wang Zikai, wondering what he wasughing about.

    Once he had finallyughed enough, Wang Zikai pushed Fat Jun away and walked up to Gao Yang, his gait unsteady but radiated definite swagger.

    Just when Gao Yang was picking himself up, Wang Zikai pped him heavily on the shoulder. ¡°I knew you¡¯re a virgin, punk!¡±

    ¡°Shut up...¡± Gao Yang almost gave him an eyeroll. <i>Do you have to embarrass me in front of so many people?</i>

    ¡°Serve you right for lying to me ahahaha...¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing again.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± Annoyed, Wu Dahai swept through his hair habitually. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a virgin?¡±

    Wang Zikai turned to Wu Dahai, pleased. ¡°You too, bro?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Heavenly Dog chimed in as well. There was a hint of irritation in hiszy voice.

    ¡°Whoa! You all are!¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be happier, and he had never felt closer to anyone than these people. ¡°We¡¯re family from now on!¡±

    ¡°Not Uncle Dead Pig.¡± White Rabbit walked up and patted the still sleeping man. ¡°He had a wife.¡±

    The operative word here was ¡®had¡¯.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s smile froze. ¡°Really? Someone like him...got game?¡±

    He sighed andmented, ¡°Fucking hell, the world isn¡¯t fair!¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± Wu Dahai echoed the grievance. ¡°Even Dead Pig got a wife, yet handsome men like us remain single...¡±

    Wang Zikai looked at Wu Dahai, and Wu Dahai met his eyes. After a split second, they held each other¡¯s hand like fate was cruel to have kept them apart for so long and eximed at the same time.

    ¡°I got you!¡±

    ¡°I got you!¡±

    White Rabbit pressed a hand to her forehead with her other hand holding her baseball bat. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get together? We¡¯ll make an exception to the no office romance rule so that you won¡¯t go on to make girls suffer.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re now part of the organization?¡± Officer Huang finally broke his silence. He was sitting on the ground with a bottle of glucose drink. He had drunk half of it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Huang Qi.¡± White Rabbit made the official announcement. ¡°Congrattions on passing the test and joining the organization.¡±

    ¡°Whew!¡± Officer Huang exhaled a long breath andy down with his arms open, ignoring all the dead monsters around him. ¡°Being an adult...is so difficult!¡±

    Finally. Even though they had brushed shoulders with death, they managed to survive and pass the test.

    Gao Yang let out a long breath as well and opened a bottle of water, taking a big gulp.

    Then Qing Ling, who had been lying on the ground unconscious, blinked her eyes open. Someone had wiped the blood off her face, and it looked clean and fair as usual.

    Her eyes widened after two seconds.

    Gao Yang recognized immediately that it wasn¡¯t Qing Ling, but her sister.

    Face twisted in fear and body shuddering and heaving with hurried breaths, she threw herself at Gao Yang the moment she saw him like he was her only lifeline. Arms wrapped around him, she wed at Gao Yang¡¯s clothes and buried her face into his chest, sobbing silently. Her tears drenched his clothes. Gao Yang could feel the warmth on his chest.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay... You¡¯re safe.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how tofort her, so he simply patted her gently on the shoulder. It was already impressive for a regr girl to endure this much.

    ¡°Hey, wait...¡± Wu Dahai turned to Heavenly Dog, peeved. ¡°I was the one who made an awesome entrance and killed the hair monster. Why did she throw herself at that useless brat? Heavenly Dog, didn¡¯t I say I was gonna show her my awesome side? You agreed to help me get the girl. Well, great help you were!¡±

    ¡°She had already lost consciousness by then.¡± Heavenly Dog shrugged.

    ¡°You should be happy that she didn¡¯t see it, or your chance of getting her to like you would¡¯ve dropped from 1% to 0.1%.¡± White Rabbit made another jab.

    During their conversation, Little Qing Ling managed to get herself under control, and Gao Yang was pushed away without hesitation like a tool. She hurriedly wiped her reddened eyes and said in an icy voice, ¡°A moment. I¡¯ll let my sister out.¡±

    And just like that, Qing Ling returned.

    As if she had never been away, she didn¡¯t seem surprised by the situation she found herself in at all. She took the bottled water from Gao Yang and downed it all with her head tipped.

    Then she turned to Heavenly Dog, her gaze demanding. ¡°Return my weapon.¡±

    Heavenly Dog was holding Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao. He sounded a little envious as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a good de. It doesn¡¯t get blood on it when you kill, and it can be stored and unsheathed at will. It¡¯s obviously been injected with the power of a Rune Circuit.¡±

    He threw the Tang Dao back to Qing Ling. ¡°Who gave you that?¡±

    Qing Ling grabbed the Tang Dao and glided a finger along the de to fold it into her palm.

    ¡°A friend.¡±

    ¡°And your friend...¡±

    ¡°Dead.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t push. He yawned, seemingly tired. ¡°That¡¯s it for today then. I¡¯m off. White Rabbit, Electric Mouse, take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°You got it,¡± said Wu Dahai.

    ¡°Cute Little Lamb,e on.¡±

    Lovely Lamb looked between Gao Yang and Heavenly Dog like she was struggling to make a choice. In the end, she ran to Heavenly Dog, who picked her up and carried her on his shoulders.

    ¡°Bye-bye, Brother Gao Yang.¡± Lovely Lamb waved at him.

    ¡°Bye.¡± Gao Yang waved back. He was suddenly reminded of his little sister, Gao Xinxin. She had been meek and cute when she was little, but now...well, better not dwell on it.

    Defying gravity, Heavenly Dog took flight without changing his posture. Dead Pig woke up from his nap then and reached out to grab the white band Heavenly Dog dropped like he had done it a thousand times, letting himself get pulled to the air. It was clear that there was a limit to the weight Heavenly Dog could carry. With Dead Pig joining the ride, the speed at which he soared into the sky slowed noticeably.

    ¡°Whoa, you guys only get more and more awesome.¡± Fat Jun had been keeping quiet because he knew he was a nobody among these people. Now that things seemed more rxed, he couldn¡¯t help but tter the bigshots here.

    ¡°ttery won¡¯t get you anywhere,¡± said White Rabbit. ¡°The three of them are the only ones to be official members. Wang Zikai and you are still in trial period.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s perfectly fine. It¡¯s a great enough honor to be part of such a finepany as a trainee!¡± Fat Jun smiled servilely. Although he just barely escaped death, at least he found a thick thigh totch onto for support, and he didn¡¯t have to be so scared and worried all the time.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog has two Talents. Fly, serial number 29, and Spatial Dissection, serial number 14. Both are of the Time-Space type.¡±

    White Rabbit continued to exin, ¡°Both his Talents are only level 3, but he¡¯s strong enough as it is. All members of the organizations share information about our Talents with each other. But no rush, you¡¯ll learn more about us going forward.¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit, is it?¡± Wang Zikai spoke up.

    White Rabbit turned to him. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°What about my serial number?¡± Wang Zikai looked excited. ¡°It¡¯s among the top three, right?¡±

    Gao Yang had seized a moment to tell White Rabbit about Wang Zikai, and she gave Wang Zikai a smile, her eyes curved into a pair of crescent moons. ¡°Your Talent is Destiny, serial number 0. It¡¯s the most powerful Talent, bar none.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! For real?!¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be happier. He knew he was strong, but not to such an extent.

    ¡°Talents are mysterious and unpredictable, of course, and I can¡¯t give you the exact details.¡± White Rabbit smiled. ¡°Explore your power in your own time. I can guarantee it¡¯s one that can threaten all between heaven and earth.¡±

    Gao Yang almost apuded her performance. She came up with lies as easily as one breathed.

    ¡°Alright!¡± White Rabbit pped to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°You must have questions for the operation at Gu Family¡¯s Vige. I¡¯ll exinter. Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re flying out as well?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Nah.¡± White Rabbit turned around. ¡°We¡¯ll take the other exit.¡±

 Chapter 53: Departure

    <h4>Chapter 53: Departure</h4>

    White Rabbit and Wu Dahai took the lead as they headed to the top of the hill of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    Outside the ancestral hall, the funeral tent had been disassembled, leaving only the remains of firecrackers and flower wreaths. They opened the door to the ancestral hall and walked up to the old well at the center of the courtyard.

    ¡°This should be it,¡± White Rabbit said with some uncertainty. She pulled off her mask and reached out to Wu Dahai. ¡°Give me the Rune Circuit.¡±

    Fat Jun hurriedly got closer and snuck a nce at her, his face instantly flushing red. As expected, she was a cute girl with pointy canine teeth¡ªexactly his type. She would be even more perfect if she dressed less boyishly and more in the cute softer style popr in Japan.

    While Fat Jun¡¯s mind wandered, Wu Dahai took something round out of his pocket. It was about the size of a cushion foundation and quite thin, about 1 centimeter at a nce.

    All eyes were drawn to the delicately crafted item. It was made of light silver metal and etched with circuit-like lines, through which glowing light continuously flowed. At the center of the circuit was the pattern of an eye, looking both ancient and mysterious yet advanced at the same time. It looked like an artifact from an ancient civilization where technology and magic prospered in harmony.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°We call this a Rune Circuit.¡± White Rabbit held it up. ¡°It¡¯s very rare and very useful. Thanks to the five of you, we¡¯re able to get our hands on this one.¡±

    ¡°Heh, our organization now has a total of two Rune Circuits,¡± Wu Dahai said proudly.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go into more detailster. Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± White Rabbit held the Rune Circuit above the well, and <i>vroom</i>, a beam of light shot out from the bottom of it.

    She put the Rune Circuit away and smiled like things were going as she foresaw. ¡°Yeah, this is just like the underground domain back then.¡±

    She turned back and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go one by one. There¡¯s no rush. You go first, Electric Mouse. I¡¯ll gost.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Wu Dahai got into a cool posture and jumped toward the well. Rather than falling in, he defied gravity and hovered in the orange lighting from the well.

    After about two seconds, he soared into the sky following the trajectory of the light beam with a swoosh, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. This was essentially a more advanced elevator.

    ¡°Next,¡± White Rabbit said.

    ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± Wang Zikai jumped into the light excitedly and ascended in a second.

    Then Officer Huang, Fat Jun, Qing Ling, and Gao Yang took the ¡®elevator¡¯ in order.

    The moment Gao Yang jumped into the beam of light, he felt the pull of gravity vanish. Then a powerful yet gentle maic field wrapped around him and brought him up into the air at great speed. All he could see was the energy particles flowing at high frequency around him. His mind seemed to go nk for a moment, and he found himself reaching what seemed like the edge of the sky and moving past a long underground tunnel, until his vision suddenly cleared up.

    When he regained his senses, he was already right in front of the ancestral hall of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. He would¡¯ve wondered if he hadn¡¯t moved at all if not for the now crumbled well.

    Gao Yang walked out of the light, closely followed by White Rabbit. Then she did something with the Rune Circuit, and the light beam disappeared, the portal closed.

    ¡°Wee back.¡± White Rabbit smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been underground this whole time?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°Yeah, you can think of it as an enclosed space a thousand meters underground, but that¡¯s far from the end of it. We¡¯ll talk about it soon.¡± White Rabbit put her mask back on. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    The five of them exchanged a look before eximing at the same time.

    ¡°We are!¡±

    ¡°<i>Yes</i>! Barbecue it is! Fully reimbursed!¡± White Rabbit waved an arm happily and then, seemingly remembering something, looked down at her bare feet. ¡°I¡¯m also getting new shoes!¡±

    ...

    The five of them departed from Gu Family¡¯s Vige. This time, they were able to get out of the small forest without any strange barriers stopping them.

    Officer Huang¡¯s patrol car was parked by the roughly paved road.

    Beside it sat an orange sports car, the body long and the chassis low, shaped perfectly for aerodynamics. It was quite a trendy and bold design.

    ¡°McLaren!¡± Wang Zikai ran up to the car animatedly. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯ve always wanted one, but my old man wouldn¡¯t buy it for me because it¡¯s too expensive!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got taste, bro.¡± Wu Dahai walked up to his car and took out his car key nonchntly. <i>Beep</i>, the car doors raised like a pair of robotic wings.

    That was a surprising revtion.

    Who would¡¯ve guessed that the seemingly average Wu Dahai was actually filthy rich?

    He threw Qing Ling a leering nce. ¡°Wanna take a ride in my car, Qing Ling?¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t even spare him a nce before diving into the back of the patrol car. After a pause, Gao Yang followed her in.

    ¡°Fat Jun is it? You¡¯ve got a bigger physique, so you should ride shotgun.¡± White Rabbit took the backseat as well, sandwiching Gao Yang with Qing Ling. Gao Yang tensed up immediately, not knowing where to even rest his hands.

    ¡°Whoa, I¡¯ve never ridden on a patrol car. My heart¡¯s pounding.¡± White Rabbit seemed to be in a good mood, and she chattered like a girl excited for a pic.

    ¡°I can handcuff you to make it a more immersive experience,¡± Officer Huang joked.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m game.¡± White Rabbit was excited.

    Officer Huang actually threw her a pair of handcuffs. ¡°Here.¡±

    She took the handcuffs and cuffed her left hand before grabbing Gao Yang¡¯s right and cuffed it with a click.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    White Rabbit shook her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t we look like Bonnie and Clyde? The bank-robbing couple! No, no, no...serial killers! Serial killers are cooler! I even have an ending in mind. The patrol car flipped, and you died with the officer in order to save me, leaving me with a great fortune. Later in life, I could only splurge everyday to soothe my great sorrow.¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless.

    <i>You said Wu Dahai had chunibyo, but you¡¯re even worse than him!</i>

    Laughter and chatter came from the patrol car, while the 20-million dor sports car attracted no one¡¯s attention other than Wang Zikai¡¯s.

    ¡°Brother Wu, can I ride shotgun?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes were glued to the car. He had never talked to anyone in such a pleading way. Such was the power of money.

    ¡°Get in.¡± Wu Dahai let out a long sigh and shook his head with envy. ¡°Fuck, Gao Yang¡¯s the real winner in life.¡±

    The patrol car drove away first.

    Wu Dahai ignited the engine, and Wang Zikai shouted, ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! This is crazy! A 500-horsepower engine sure is something! It takes only 2.8 seconds to reach a hundred kilometers per second, and it can be pushed to 380 kilometers per hour with the limiter lifted! The sound of the engine...oh does it get my blood pumping.¡±

    Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t happy at all. ¡°I¡¯ll lend it to you for a year if you like it so much.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The gift fell on hisp so suddenly that Wang Zikai burst into happy tears. ¡°You¡¯re my best buddy from now on, Brother Wu. Even Gao Yang will only be my second!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Wu Dahai waved a hand dismissively while driving. ¡°What¡¯s a car when you don¡¯t have a girl? Life¡¯s meaningless without a beauty to enjoy it with.¡±

 Chapter 54: Walled City of Ten Dragons

    <h4>Chapter 54: Walled City of Ten Dragons</h4>

    Late at night, two cars drove toward an ancient China-themed walking street in the Feiyang District. White Rabbit said that there was a great barbecue ce in the neighborhood, and they offered spicy rabbit heads that were to die for.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you call yourself White Rabbit?¡± Gao Yang asked in surprise.

    ¡°So I eat them,¡± she responded like it was obvious.

    ¡°Right...¡± Somehow, Gao Yang found the answer convincing.

    During the drive, Gao Yang called his mother back first to exin why he hadn¡¯t returned home for close to 48 hours and why his phone had been turned off. Again, he used Wang Zikai as an excuse.

    His mother was in a good mood. His father had been doing better than expected after waking up. That was perhaps the reason she didn¡¯t push. Instead, she simply told Gao Yang to return home earlier.

    After hanging up, Gao Yang realized that the two girls were staring at him, which made him feel a little awkward.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you...going to call your family?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± White Rabbit said in a derisive tone. ¡°They¡¯re all monsters.¡±

    Gao Yang asked Qing Ling, ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a family anymore,¡± said Qing Ling.

    It sounded like a long story, so Gao Yang didn¡¯t press.

    After half an hour, the patrol car stopped by the road. Officer Huang pulled out the car key and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    They filed out of the car and headed to the walking street. The buildings here were designed to replicate the styles of ancient China. All the wood architectures and rednterns made it feel like they had been transported to the world of <i>wuxia</i>.

    The street was crowded with people and colorful neon lights. The atmosphere was lively.

    Against the crowd, they walked to the middle part of the walking street. Between the milk tea shop and the convenience store was a long, one-meter wide alleyway that led to a deep darkness.

    White Rabbit headed in first, followed by the others.

    She took several turns inside the winding alleyway and even made it across two residential buildings. Five minutester, they found themselves in apletely new area.

    It was a circr za the size of a ser field, at the middle of which was an old dying tree. The empty branches were decorated with small colorful light bulbs. The twinkling light seemed to bring the tree new life.

    Old, four and five story buildings surrounded the za, decorated with a variety of signboards with blinking neon light. The mismash of old and new, retro and modern technology, and all kinds of architecture styles made the area seem like one out of a cyberpunk film.

    ¡°Is this your base?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but ask after scanning around.

    ¡°This is the Walled City of Ten Dragons, a social hub for awakeners.¡± White Rabbit walked forward. ¡°It¡¯d attract attention for groups of awakeners to gather in other ces, but we¡¯re safe here.¡±

    ¡°There are only stable wanderers and awakeners here.¡± Wu Dahai put his hands in his pocket and added in a flippant tone, ¡°Awakeners can chat at ease, trade at ease, and pursue girls at ease.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°You really have a lot of questions. What are you, a three-year-old?¡± White Rabbit threw him a judging look. ¡°Simply put, a very powerful awakener did something to this area, and only wanderers are able to find it and enter.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°The owner of this territory.¡± White Rabbit stretched out a finger. ¡°Friendly reminder, he isn¡¯t a member of our organization. So don¡¯t start any trouble here, or we¡¯ll leave you to take responsibility on your own.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask another question. Instead, he quickly sorted through the information he had gathered so far.

    First, the awakeners in this city hade together to form amunity, which was enough to help awakeners protect themselves. However, they weren¡¯t strong enough to rival and topple the monsters¡¯ dominance. That wasn¡¯t surprising to Gao Yang. Given the ratio of humans to monsters, there should be at least 400 humans in this city. If half of them had awakened, that would be a formidable force.

    Second, the Twelve Zodiac Signs wasn¡¯t the only organization for awakeners.

    Third, based on what White Rabbit said, the organizations seemed to keep a respective distance from each other. They were probably coborating while keeping each other in check at the same time. This was a point he still needed to confirm.

    They walked to a weathered tube-shaped building[1] on the west side of the za. The corridor on the first floor seemed to have crumbled in the past and was now sealed with cement and bricks. Next to it was a big metal cage hung with small light bulbs. It was as big as a freight lift.

    White Rabbit tipped her chin to point at the cage. They got in.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like going into the cage, so I usually jump up by myself.¡± White Rabbit closed the door for them and reached up to grab a rope on the cage, pulling it thrice.

    <i>Ring, ring, ring.</i> The bell above the cage rang thrice.

    <i>Clink.</i> The iron cage slowly moved up. It was an elevator.

    Once the iron cage reached the fifth floor, the metal door opened on the inside, leading to the long corridor of the tube-shaped building. White Rabbit had jumped up on her own already, and she flipped down from the top of the iron cage before waving at them. ¡°Come on.¡±

    They followed her to a storefront with a wooden sign that simply said ¡®barbecue¡¯. There was no door, only a tassel curtain.

    White Rabbit parted the curtain and walked in. All the rooms on this side had been renovated into a single open space with an industrial style interior. At a nce, there seemed to be more than twenty tables.

    White Rabbit walked up to the front desk. Behind it sat a stunningly beautiful woman with an alluring sensuality to her. With pronounced makeup on, she was dressed in a red <i>qipao </i>that entuated her curves, and her ethereal white hair was put up with a ck hairpin. A few white strands fell on her fair shoulders, making her look seductive yet reserved.

    She sat on a high stool with her long, fair legs crossed, smoking a shisha with azy look in her eyes. Seeing patronsing into her restaurant, she put down the finely crafted violet shisha bag and looked up, scanning all of them with her captivating upcurved eyes that were shaped like the petals of peach blossoms.

    Gao Yang, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun stared, their hearts skipping a beat. It wasn¡¯t the kind of attraction that happened naturally, but something forceful and irresistible, and it seized the mind and soul.

    White Rabbit snapped her fingers.

    The men jerked back to their senses.

    ¡°Please stop using your feminine wiles on our new blood, ma¡¯am.¡± White Rabbit was smiling, but her words were meant as a warning.

    ¡°Oh, you funny girl. These handsome young men have no interest in an old hag like me.¡± The restaurant owner smiled. ¡°Would you like a booth seat or a room?¡±

    ¡°Booth seat, near the window.¡±

    ¡°Number 19 is avable. Go on.¡± She rang the call bell on the desk. ¡°I¡¯ll have it prepared for you.¡±

    White Rabbit led them through lines of tables surrounded with steam and chatters, stopping at the booth seat near the window at the far side of the restaurant.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly a window but a hole in the wall. Night breeze swept into the interior without a ss to stop it. This seemed like the aftermath of a demolition ball attempting to knock the building down no matter how one looked at it.

    Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun sat on one side, while Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and White Rabbit sat across from them. Wu Dahai sat in the middle.

    Gao Yang was going to sit with the boys, but somehow, there seemed to be an intangible maic force pulling some of them together and keeping some of them apart. And their seemingly casual seating arrangement turned out this way.

    ¡°That restaurant owner.¡± Fat Jun was still thinking about the woman, his eyes hazy. ¡°She¡¯s out of this world. She isn¡¯t the kind of woman I like, yet the moment Iid my eyes on her, I had difficulty breathing and could feel my blood pumping, my head filled with all sorts of dirty thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Same for me,¡± Officer Huang said in a defeated tone while smoking. ¡°This can¡¯t be. I¡¯m loyal to my wife. Can it really be...the seven-year itch?¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± Wu Dahai burst outughing.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t to me. The restaurant owner is an awakener. Talent: Seduction, serial number 61, Psyche-type.¡± White Rabbit unfolded the menu. Then she looked up like she just remembered something and said, ¡°Oh, for your information, it¡¯s not she, but <i>he</i>.¡±

    1. <i>Tongzi</i> <i>lou</i>, tube-shaped building, is a type of apartment building in China. A long corridor runs through the center of the floor with rooms on both sides. It¡¯smon for several families to crowd the limited space, sharing public bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms like dorms. It¡¯s designed to save space and lower cost. ?

 Chapter 55: Rune Circuit

    <h4>Chapter 55: Rune Circuit</h4>

    Fat Jun sttered tea out of his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s a <i>man</i>?!¡±

    ¡°I knew it.¡± Unlike him, Officer Huang seemed rather relieved and kissed the wedding band on his ring finger. ¡°I¡¯m still a good man.¡±

    ¡°Look at him, Electric Mouse. You can learn a thing or two.¡± Having picked the food she wanted, White Rabbit pressed the call button.

    ¡°<i>I</i> should learn from him? I¡¯m known for my devotion to my romantic partner!¡± Wu Dahai defended himself vehemently. ¡°But first I need a girlfriend!¡±

    A young waiter came to their table. ¡°Evening. Are you ready to order?¡±

    White Rabbit rattled off all the orders without pause, ¡°Large portion of beef short ribs,rge portion of pork belly, one portion each of squids, soles, eggs, corns, king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms...and finally, one portion of spicy rabbit heads. Oh, wait, any of you want it?¡±

    All the others shook their heads, unwilling to try.

    Save for Qing Ling. ¡°I¡¯d have one.¡±

    White Rabbit gave her a look of genuine appreciation. ¡°Say no more. From now on, we¡¯re sisters of different parents!¡±

    After they made their order, Gao Yang asked, ¡°White Rabbit, what...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Gu Family¡¯s Vige? What are Rune Circuits?¡± White Rabbit cut in. ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting to ask that, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang was a little embarrassed. It seemed that everyone else was fine with not knowing right this moment, while he was the only one asking all the questions like a curious child.

    But he couldn¡¯t help but be hung up on it! He wanted to gather more information and grasp more rules so that he can survive in this terrifying world longer. Nothing wrong with that, right?

    ¡°Be a little more patient, would you? I prefer talking while eating.¡± White Rabbit took off her baseball cap, her short, slightly puffy hair dropping and framing her fair pink cheeks. With her bright, almond-shaped eyes, cute, delicate nose, and the two canine teeth that made themselves known when she smiled, there couldn¡¯t be a more apt description for her than White Rabbit.

    Fat Jun couldn¡¯t tear his eyes from her.

    Noticing his gaze, White Rabbit said, ¡°What are you looking at? I don¡¯t have Seduction as a Talent.¡±

    Fat Jun lowered his head bashfully.

    After a pause, White Rabbit said in realization, ¡°Oh! Really? I¡¯m your type?¡±

    ¡°Well!¡± Wu Dahai interjected. ¡°Mine too.¡±

    ¡°Piss off. Every girl is your type.¡± White Rabbit rolled her eyes at Wu Dahai and put her cap on Fat Jun¡¯s head. ¡°Work hard. I may consider you once you be an official member.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Fat Jun¡¯s eyes widened. He thought he had heard her wrong.

    ¡°Of course.¡± White Rabbit gave him a mischievous look. ¡°Chubby guys are cute. Give you a sense of security.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t trust a word out of this woman¡¯s mouth, buddy!¡± Wu Dahai said with pent-up rage. ¡°I was lured into the organization the same way! She¡¯s in charge of recruitment for the organization, and she¡¯s got a quota to fill every year!¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that so...¡± Fat Jun smiled sadly with resignation, scratching his head. ¡°Of course. How would someone like me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him.¡± White Rabbit leaned forward with a hand propping her chin and smiled sweetly at Fat Jun. ¡°You¡¯re not like Wu Dahai. I meant what I said.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Fat Jun said with renewed hope. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    Gao Yang thought with fear, <i>What a terrifying woman!</i>

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± White Rabbit turned to the others. ¡°As your senior, I¡¯d like to give all of you newbies a piece of advice.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Although monsters are the most terrifying beings in this world, you¡¯re unlikely to run into especially dangerous ones without doing something really stupid. For you people, the greatest threats are actually the awakeners. I¡¯d advise you not to start trouble with awakeners from other organizations. The owner of this restaurant is a good example.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Fat Jun asked. ¡°We¡¯re all humans. Shouldn¡¯t we form a united front against monsters?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the case in theory, but the reality says otherwise.¡± White Rabbit shrugged. ¡°Let me tell you a figure. For every ten awakeners who died, only three were killed by monsters, while all other seven were killed by humans.¡±

    The table fell silent.

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of a quote he read elsewhere. ¡°There are two things in the world you shouldn¡¯t look at directly. Sun, and the human heart.¡±

    White Rabbit considered Gao Yang¡¯s face seriously. ¡°You aren¡¯t...a long lost brother of our captain, are you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You often say very simr things.¡± White Rabbit smiled, pleased. ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve recruited the right guy this time.¡±

    As they talked, the waiter came to the table with a little cart. He moved the tes of proteins to the table before serving the drinks and beer.

    White Rabbit volunteered to be the chef with a pair of tongs, while Fat Jun poured drinks for everyone without being asked to.

    ¡°I should exin what Rune Circuits are before going into the deal with Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡± White Rabbit flipped the beef short ribs on the grill. ¡°Rune Circuits are something all awakeners should know about. There are... Hey, dig in. The meat is really tender. It¡¯s gonna be too charred if left on the grill any longer.¡±

    Wu Dahai took a sip of beer. ¡°Focus on the barbecue. I¡¯ll do the talking.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Seeing all the eyes shifted to him, Wu Dahai felt ttered and put away his usual flippant attitude, exining in a professional tone, ¡°There are twelve Rune Circuits in total: Life, Support, Poison, Buff, Guard, Summon, Damage, Psyche, Element, Knowledge, Time-Space, and Miracle. By the way, Rune Circuit is simply what awakeners call these things. No one knows what they really are.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, the Rune Circuits are mysterious artifacts with many uses. They are certainly not made in our era, and the greatest known use for awakeners is to level up our Talents.¡±

    ¡°Level up?¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°I heard Officer Huang say that you¡¯ve been obsessing over a way to level up.¡± White Rabbit picked up a piece of beef at just the right doneness and put it in Qing Ling¡¯s bowl. ¡°Here. Eat.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about leveling up first.¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t wait to hear an answer.

    ¡°Talents started out at level 1. They can go up to level 2 after repeated uses. Level 3 is a little harder to reach. You have to kill a certain number of monsters with your Talents. If you¡¯re lucky, you may only have to kill one monster. If you¡¯re unlucky, then you may have to kill more than ten. Of course, such a method applies to only Talents that can do damage. Other types of Talents level up in different ways, but let¡¯s not go into all the nitty-gritty now.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°My Metal reached level 3 during the fight at Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably because you killed quite a lot of monsters with both Metal and God of des.¡± Wu Dahai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Our organization forbids unjustified killing of monsters, but those at the Gu Family¡¯s Vige didn¡¯t count. We left them to you to help you level up.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but we almost died!¡± Officer Huang couldn¡¯t help but fume when reminded of what happened.

    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t me Electric Mouse. It was my idea. We each got what we needed in the end.¡± White Rabbit quickly picked up a few pieces of meat for Officer Huang. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for now, yeah?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a bottleneck between level 3 and 4 for Talents, and going past it would make a significant difference.¡± White Rabbit thought for a moment. ¡°To make an analogy, it¡¯s like the difference between regr rabbit heads and spicy rabbit heads.¡±

    <i>How much do you love rabbit heads?</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed thement threatening toe out.

    ¡°The hell¡¯s with your analogy,¡± Wu Dahai interjected. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s the difference between bicycles and motorcycles.¡±

    They all nodded bemusedly. That was much more understandable.

    ¡°I want to level up,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Patient, girl. Let me finish.¡± White Rabbit picked up another piece of meat for Qing Ling. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy.¡±

 Chapter 56: Mist

    <h4>Chapter 56: Mist</h4>

    ¡°What I¡¯m going to tell you now will all be in the test, ss.¡± White Rabbit waved the tongs like she was waving a teacher pointer. ¡°Different types of Talents require different Rune Circuits to level up.¡±

    White Rabbit patted Qing Ling on the shoulder. ¡°Like this girl¡¯s Metal belongs to the Element-type. Then she would need Element Rune Circuit to level up. Unfortunately, our organization doesn¡¯t have it.¡±

    ¡°Where can I get it?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°There are a total of twelve Rune Circuits in this city, and each of them is one of a kind. They aren¡¯t one-use things, of course, but there¡¯s a cooldown of a few days until they can be used again.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the Rune Circuits hotmodities?¡± Officer Huang got to the crux of the matter.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even begin to cover it,¡± White Rabbit said seriously. ¡°People literally die for them. Awakeners are all fighting to get their hands on one. Rune Circuits are the top reason for conflicts between awakeners, and eighty to ny percent of awakeners¡¯ death can be attributed to them.¡±

    ¡°Teacher White Rabbit.¡± Gao Yang raised his hand. ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡± White Rabbit gave each of them a look. ¡°And <i>eat</i>. Come on. The meat¡¯s gonna go cold.¡±

    Everyone started moving their chopsticks¡ªexcept for Wang Zikai. He was never one for lectures and had fallen asleep at some point, even starting to snore. The fight at Gu Family¡¯s Vige had taken a toll on him.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°You said that there are only twelve Rune Circuits in this city. What about the other cities?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot to tell you the most important thing. You should prepare yourselves...¡± White Rabbit said cryptically, and everyone pricked up their ears.

    Then Wu Dahai stole the spotlight by interjecting, ¡°There are no other cities.¡±

    A stunned silence permeated the table.

    Gao Yang broke the silence by asking, ¡°What do you mean? There are no other cities?¡±

    ¡°Haha, idiot.¡± Wu Dahai was enjoying Gao Yang¡¯s shock. ¡°I meant it literally.¡±

    ¡°You all grew up in Li City, didn¡¯t you?¡± White Rabbit smiled. ¡°Have you ever left? The suburbs and the rural areas of the city don¡¯t count. I meant if you¡¯ve ever truly left.¡±

    No one gave a positive answer.

    Officer Huang put down the chopsticks he had eaten meat with and said, ¡°I started working at a station right after I graduated from the academy, and I had two chances to leave the province for further study. However, both times I wasn''t able to make it for one reason or another.¡±

    Gao Yang sucked in a breath, remembering a well-known movie. ¡°<i>The Truman Show</i>?¡±

    The others gasped in realization.

    Fat Jun was the only one still wondering what Gao Yang meant. He quickly took out his phone and looked the movie up. He eximed, ¡°Holyshit! No way! That¡¯s...that¡¯s insane!¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s all true.¡± White Rabbit cocked her head and smiled with resignation. ¡°The four million monsters and the less than four hundred humans are all that make up our world.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Gao Yang tried his best to drudge up the memories in his head. ¡°My dad went overseas with a client before. They even visited the beach and took a lot of pictures. If there were only one city, how could the world operate in such a realistic way...¡±

    White Rabbit didn¡¯t immediately respond. Instead, she asked, ¡°Back when you were in the underground version of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, you saw the barriers around it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s memory of the vige was still fresh. ¡°No matter how we tried to walk out of the vige, we couldn¡¯t. It was unbelievable, like there was a magical barrier of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Li City was surrounded by barriers like that too. Awakeners have been trying to look for an exit, but so far we haven¡¯t had any luck.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s words took a sudden turn. ¡°However, the city does have official channels.¡±

    ¡°Official channels?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Airnes, high-speed rails, and highways. They take you to other ces, but those destinations are nothing but big bubbles with barriers as well. Don¡¯t even think about getting out of the train or car on the way. Many awakeners have tried. Some even attempted to jump off the ne halfway.¡± White Rabbit crossed her arms. ¡°They all failed. It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    White Rabbit turned to Gao Yang. ¡°When your dad went abroad, he took a ne, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang tried to rationalize everything. ¡°You mean we cannot walk out of the city, but we can go to Naldives[1] on a ne, and on the way, we cannot get off the ne. Not even if I were Superman and could fly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± White Rabbit nodded. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the middle. What seems to exist is nothing but an illusion. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that there <i>is </i>something in the middle, but it¡¯s not open to any humans or monsters.¡±

    Wu Dahai interjected again. He had something to share about this. ¡°I¡¯ve been to Naldives many times, Gao Yang, and I took the time to explore it. I found the border quickly. The ce is much smaller than Li City.¡±

    White Rabbit leisurely enjoyed her food, giving everyone some time to digest all the information.

    A minuteter, she cleared her throat. ¡°Listen to me carefully and do your best to understand it. First, forget everything you learn in geography ss.¡±

    ¡°Now close your eyes and imagine the world as a vast ocean. On the ocean are many isted inds. Some are big, like our Li City. There is a poption of four million with only four hundred humans. Everyone else is a cutie...¡±

    ¡°Cutie?¡± Fat Jun cut in.

    ¡°That¡¯s what those in our field call monsters,¡± Wu Dahai exined.

    White Rabbit raised her chopsticks and said, ¡°Some inds are particrly small, like Naldives.¡±

    ¡°All inds can only be reached through the official channels, while no creatures can enter the ocean. We can at most walk on the beach and look around. However, what we¡¯re seeing is only the mist on the ocean. No one knows what¡¯s inside the mist. As for how the world came into being, it¡¯s a mystery like its past, present, and future.¡±

    ¡°Crazy.¡± Officer Huang took a big drag of his cigarette. ¡°Absolutely crazy!¡±

    Gao Yang was reeling with shock as well. His perception of the world broke down entirely. What kind of world had he transmigrated into?

    Fat Jun pulled at his hair, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

    Qing Ling was the only onepletely unfazed by the revtion. She only cared about leveling up.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to wrap your heads around, but it¡¯s the reality we¡¯re facing.¡± White Rabbit was just about to exin further when her attention was drawn by the spicy rabbit heads the waiter brought to the table. All thoughts other than digging into her favorite dish evaporated from her head. ¡°Take over, Wu Dahai!¡±

    There were two rabbit heads on the white te. They had been roasted to a golden color and glistened red with all the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns coating them. There was a grotesqueness to the presentation.

    Eyes glinting, White Rabbit forewent chopsticks and grabbed a rabbit head with both hands, quickly taking a bite. Red sauces streaked down from the corner of her mouth, and there was a cracking sound of bones breaking every time she chewed. The way she wolfed down the food was in stark contrast with her usual self.

    They all spent some time watching White Rabbit devour the rabbit head before Wu Dahai took over the conversation. ¡°Where were we?¡±

    ¡°The twelve Rune Circuits are very precious,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. All awakeners are fighting over them. Our organization has found the Life Rune Circuit. That was why Cute Little Lamb and Dead Pig were able to reach level 4 with their Talents.¡± Wu Dahai sounded proud. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gotten another, we¡¯ll study it and find out its type.¡±

    Wu Dahai gave Qing Ling a look. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be Element-type though. Doesn¡¯t feel like it. It won¡¯t help you push your Metal to level 4.¡±

    Disappointment shed through Qing Ling¡¯s eyes. She lost interest in what else he had to say and began to eat her te of spicy rabbit heads.

    ¡°Have all twelve Rune Circuits been found?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Of course not! This one included, only six have been found so far,¡± Wu Dahai said. ¡°The other four are with the other organizations. Everyone hides them like the greatest treasure.¡±

    ¡°Where are the other Rune Circuits?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± White Rabbit had finished about half of the rabbit head. Her lips were red from the stimulus of the spice like she had put on lipstick.

    She sucked on her thumbs and forefingers to savor the taste. ¡°If the first Rune Circuit hadn¡¯t been found by an awakener by chance twenty years ago, no one would even know they existed.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, Rune Circuits are all hidden. Some may be found in special domains, some may be with a monster, and others may be umting dust in some hidden corner of an antique shop. Basically, awakeners have been looking for treasures all over the city with obsession since the first Rune Circuit was found, and that was when conflicts and deaths started growing in intensity and frequency.¡±

    Finally having finished her te of rabbit heads, White Rabbit wiped her mouth with satisfaction. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve told you the basics. Now let¡¯s go over the operation at Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    1. The raw is actually a wordy of Maldives by recing the first word ¡®ma¡¯, which means ¡®horse¡¯, with ¡®niu¡¯, which means ¡®ox¡¯. ?

 Chapter 57: Half-Human

    <h4>Chapter 57: Half-Human</h4>

    White Rabbit cleaned her hands with a wet wipe and picked up the tongs again to continue roasting meat for everyone. ¡°First thing first, the Gu Family¡¯s Vige you visited was surrounded by a barrier, but rather than an isted ind, it was a small subspace under Li City.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°The difference is that while the isted inds can only be reached via official channels such as highways, airnes, and high speed rails, the subspace can be reached with other means. Heavenly Dog is an awakener with a Space-Time Talent, allowing him to cut the space open momentarily so that we could enter the underground Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°But why are there two Gu Family¡¯s Viges? An underground one in addition to the one above ground?¡±

    ¡°Good question.¡± White Rabbit gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Let me start from the beginning. Three years ago, our organization found the first Rune Circuit¡ªthe Life-type one. It was the fourth Rune Circuit awakeners had ever found, and it was inside an underground space. I won¡¯t go into the details. Just know that it was a simr situation with Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°Last spring.¡± White Rabbit threw Wu Dahai a rare appreciative nce. ¡°I lured Wu Dahai into the organization with my feminine wiles...¡±

    ¡°Ha, you said it!¡± Wu Dahai mmed his chopsticks on the table. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel a pang of consciousness for leading on a pure-hearted boy like me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡± White Rabbit couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Anyhow, Wu Dahai told me about the tragic happening at Gu Family¡¯s Vige and said that it could be rted to Rune Circuits. I looked it up and found out it was indeed a strange case. A family of five was killed, followed by the disappearance of all vigers.¡±

    ¡°We sent our people to investigate the ruin of Gu Family¡¯s Vige. The first time, we encountered the hair monster like you did, and we were brought to the underground Gu Family¡¯s Vige. However, our people were stronger than you lot, and the hair monster fled once it realized it couldn¡¯t win. Then we stayed for another two days and found out all the information you¡¯ve found, but the hair monster never showed up again.¡±

    White Rabbit nced at Wu Dahai. ¡°We visited the ce a few more times to no avail. The hair monster was cunning. Knowing how much of a threat we were to it, it refused to show up. We concluded that the hair monster must have mutated after devouring a Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°So you used us?¡± Officer Huang smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard to find the right people.¡± White Rabbit batted her eyshes. ¡°First, it had to be awakeners, but not those belonging to the other organizations since we couldn¡¯t trust them. Our best bet were free agents who didn¡¯t even know about Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we call awakeners who haven¡¯t yet joined any organization,¡± Wu Dahai added.

    White Rabbit continued, ¡°Couldn¡¯t be too strong, or the hair monster wouldn¡¯t show up. Couldn¡¯t be too weak, or the hair monster would kill everyone swiftly or notice it was a trap. Finally, there was one important thing...¡±

    White Rabbit turned to Qing Ling and stroked her long, silky ck hair. ¡°It¡¯d be best if the target had nice ck hair. With its obsession with hair, the hair monster would be more likely to bite the bait.¡±

    ¡°So you picked the three of us.¡± Officer Huang raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Yep!¡± White Rabbit grinned. ¡°You were free agents and weren¡¯t too weak, making you the perfect bait. On top of that, you didn¡¯t know about Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°What a devilish scheme,¡± Officer Huang said, disgruntled.

    ¡°Speaking of this, I¡¯d have topliment Mr. Wu Dahai again!¡± White Rabbit gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°He was quite worried about you and told you specifically to bring more help. If you hadn¡¯t brought Fat Jun and Wang Zikai, things would¡¯ve turned out differently.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an evil woman!¡± Officer Huang said with begrudging respect. ¡°I¡¯m staying away from you from now on.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I only ever throw outsiders under the bus, never my teammates.¡± White Rabbit picked up a piece of potato for Officer Huang. ¡°And teammates are what we are now. Please take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Go back to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige,¡± Gao Yang urged.

    ¡°Alright.¡± White Rabbit nodded. ¡°ording to what I know, what happened in Gu Family¡¯s Vige wasn¡¯tplicated. Simply put, Huazi¡¯s daughter-inw, the woman who married into his family, had been devoured by an overtaker.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an overtaker?¡± Gao Yang zeroed in on the key point.

    White Rabbit sighed. ¡°Dear lord, you really know nothing. You¡¯re lucky to have survived for this long!¡±

    ¡°Overtakers are a type of greed monsters,¡± Wu Dahai said. ¡°There are two known types of greed monsters at the moment: freeriders, and overtakers.¡±

    White Rabbit continued, ¡°As the name would suggest, freeriders entered and hitchhiked in the human body as parasites at the price of their deaths. They coexist with the human, maintaining some sentience and capabilities. But all in all, the human remains the owner of the body.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Fat Jun spat out the meat he was chewing on and pointed at his own face. ¡°That¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°Wu Dahai told me about your condition. That¡¯s right. Your right hand is now a freerider.¡±

    ¡°Bodhisattva blesses me!¡± Fat Jun felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m still human! Hooray!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you aren¡¯t able to control the form and ability of your right hand yet. Please work hard on that!¡± White Rabbit winked at Fat Jun with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be an official member once you gain control of your right hand!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll prove that the organization is right to trust me!¡± Fat Jun dered with renewed determination.

    ¡°Wake up, loser!¡± Wu Dahai rained on his parade. ¡°Once you be a valuable tool and sign your body to the organization, she won¡¯t ever give you the time of day. I¡¯ve been there myself.¡±

    Fat Jun chuckled while touching his head. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    <i>Wait, that doesn¡¯t make sense.</i>

    Gao Yang had been listening intently, and he realized something: if the white cat were a freerider, it should¡¯ve died after biting Fat Jun.

    Yet the white cat showed up againter. Could those be two different cats? He filed that in his head and pushed the question aside for now. At least Fat Jun seemed fine at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue.¡± White Rabbit went back to her original topic. ¡°Another type of greed monsters are the overtakers. Basically, they enter and overtake the host bodiespletely at the price of abandoning their own, turning into a brand new creature with the body of an awakener but the soul of a monster.¡±

    Everyone quietly listened with rapt attention.

    ¡°The bride was an awakener who had been reced by an overtaker,¡± said White Rabbit. ¡°Biologically speaking, these overtaken awakeners are humans through and through. They can either choose to keep ying a monster, or abandon their past and live on as a human. We call someone like that a half-human.¡±

    ¡°Half-human.¡± Gao Yang pondered the name. There seemed to be something profound about it.

    ¡°The half-human bride married into Huazi¡¯s family in Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡± White Rabbit sighed. ¡°And that night, she controlled everyone in the vige to kill the entire family. You should know how she did it.¡±

    ¡°Why kill them though?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    Gao Yang came to a realization on his own. ¡°Are Huazi¡¯s family...all humans?¡±

    ¡°Bingo!¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be!¡± Officer Huang found that hard to believe. ¡°The possibility is incredibly slim!¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked as well, but he couldn¡¯t help being happy to learn that. Perhaps his family were all humans too. At least...it seemed more likely to be true now.

    But then something nagged at him. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t add up!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± White Rabbit asked, knowing full well what he was going to say.

    ¡°If Huazi¡¯s Family were all awakeners, why would they lose to the half-human?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± White Rabbit nodded. ¡°In theory, four awakeners should be able to defeat a half-human even when the half-human was empowered by a Rune Circuit. Worstes to worst, they shouldn¡¯t have ended up ughtered so easily and terribly. Moreover, why would four awakeners wee a monster into the family? It didn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Stop being cryptic.¡± Wu Dahai crossed his legs. ¡°Just tell them.¡±

    White Rabbit lowered her voice and said, ¡°It was because the four men of Huazi¡¯s family were no awakeners. They were regr humans.¡±

 Chapter 58: Heavenly Way

    <h4>Chapter 58: Heavenly Way</h4>

    The meat sizzled on the grill, and a strange silence overtook the table for a moment as white smoke rose.

    Fat Jun was the first to speak up. He gulped and asked the question everyone was thinking about, ¡°Isn¡¯t it the case that monsters...never attack regr humans?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± White Rabbit had been waiting for the question. ¡°The rule is universally applicable, but somehow, the bride was an exception.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Who knows? Perhaps her psyche underwent some changes after bing a half-human, or maybe it was the influence of the Rune Circuit.¡± White Rabbit shrugged. ¡°After all, we don¡¯t know a lot about Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°But basically, she became something like a bug and awakened all the monsters in the vige through her mental maniption power to have Huzai¡¯s family torn apart. Interestingly, she had the monsters cut herself up as well. It could be seen as a suicide.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Officer Huang shook his head. ¡°She had finally be human, yet she got herself killed.¡±

    ¡°How is that strange?¡± Wu Dahai snorted. ¡°Maybe she regretted it. Maybe she thought it was better to be a monster than a human and wanted to start over.¡±

    ¡°That is a possibility.¡± White Rabbit propped her head up with a hand on her chin. ¡°In the end, her suicide attempt failed. The Rune Circuit kept her head ¡®alive¡¯ and retained the powerful will of her living self as well as a certain degree of intelligence. After many years of mutation, she became the hair monster we encountered.¡±

    ¡°As for the monsters of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, they all reverted back to their human forms with traces of the crimepletely wiped out, all in the service of a consistent story. They forgot everything. To the police, Huazi¡¯s family had been killed and cut up, while the bride¡¯s head was missing. Then the vigers organized a funeral for the family, and they all disappeared overnight.¡±

    White Rabbit stopped suddenly.

    A few secondster, the owner of the restaurant sauntered over with a tray, her body moving in an alluring way, and she also brought with her a pronounced, captivating fragrance. She put seven sses of drink on the table. ¡°Our specialty plum drink. It cools the body down and quenches the thirst. Would you fancy a taste?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± White Rabbit was the first to grab a ss.

    The others followed her lead.

    Gao Yang took a sip. ¡°Taste good.¡±

    ¡°d to hear that.¡± The restaurant owner smiled faintly. Even the curves of the brows seemed refined and sensuous.

    The men at the table couldn¡¯t help but stare. For a moment, they forgot about the truth of the awakener.

    ¡°Enjoy.¡± The restaurant owner turned to leave. Only after the awakener was out of earshot did Officer Huangment, ¡°What a terrifying Talent.¡±

    White Rabbit snapped her fingers. ¡°Alright. Attention, ss. Just stay awake for a little longer. Then we¡¯ll end the ss for today.¡±

    ¡°Please go on, Teacher.¡±

    Everyone drank their plum drink while ying the part of attentive students.

    ¡°A half-human broke the rule and dragged the monsters of the entire vige with her. Even though the police failed to solve the case, they couldn¡¯t escape the punishment of the Heavenly Way.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to open his mouth when White Rabbit raised a hand to stop him. ¡°I know what you want to ask.¡±

    ¡°Heavenly Way is just a name we agree on.¡± White Rabbit thought for a moment. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s basically an umbre term for the rules, patterns, and order the world operates under.¡±

    ¡°A good portion of awakeners believe there to be a tremendous intangible power governing the world, the rtionship between humans and monsters, and the rules that havee into being. The power resembles the <i>heavens </i>and <i>dao </i>the ancient people had written about¡ªimpartial, unemotional, unknowable, irresistible.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there are also a smaller number of awakeners who think of it as something more simr to an advanced AI operating solely on cold reason, an artifact from an advanced civilization we cannot begin to wrap our minds around. And the Rune Circuits are of the same origin.¡±

    ¡°These are the two major schools of thoughts. Anyhow, be it the Heavenly Way or an advanced AI, there are a set of stringent rules in ce, and the most important one is, ¡®Unawakened humans are not to be attacked.¡¯ Otherwise, there will be punishment. We call punishments like this Heavenly Punishment.¡±

    ¡°So those at the Gu Family¡¯s Vige were subject to Heavenly Punishment,¡± Gao Yang said in understanding.

    ¡°Correct.¡± White Rabbit nodded. ¡°Our hypothesis is that due to the half-human bride killing unawakened humans, the Heavenly Way brought the entire Gu Family¡¯s Vige a thousand meters underground, forcing all monsters to endlessly repeat the particr period of time. Don¡¯t ask me why that was the punishment the Heavenly Way deemed appropriate. I don¡¯t have an answer. As it is, the monsters were essentially being put in life imprisonment, and the hair monster was stuck with them without a way out.¡±

    ¡°As for the Gu Family¡¯s Vige above ground, think of it as a replica made through 3D printing. Heavenly Way put it there in ce of the original Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    White Rabbit pped. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the end of it. Ask away if you have any questions.¡±

    No one did. They were all trying their best to digest the revtions.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Wu Dahai patted Fat Jun on the shoulder like a senior would a neer. ¡°I was stunned out of my mind like you when I first heard the truth, but this is just the beginning! Do you know what the Gates of Closure are? Or the Crimson Tide? You have much to learn, young padawans!¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s end things here. Take some time to think about it.¡± White Rabbit stood up and stretched her arms. ¡°Enjoy the food. I¡¯m off.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang called out to her. ¡°Last question.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    Gao Yang felt lost. ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± White Rabbit¡¯s eyes twirled. ¡°On an individual level, you have to get stronger. That¡¯s the one thing all awakeners must do. The stronger you are, the less likely you¡¯ll get killed by monsters, humans, half-humans, mutated creatures, or whatever enemiesing your way, and the more likely you¡¯ll survive the next Crimson Tide.¡±

    <i>Crimson Tide?</i>

    It sounded terrifying, but it must be information they had the right to ess since White Rabbit brought it up herself. He would ask about itter.

    ¡°On a macro level, you...no, all awakeners must find all twelve of the Rune Circuits as soon as possible. It¡¯s theorized that we¡¯ll be able to unlock the Gates of Closure then, and most awakeners¡ªincluding our organization¡ªbelieve that¡¯s the first step to dispersing the mist surrounding the world. Perhaps it¡¯s even the most important step.¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s shoulders slumped suddenly, her eyes dimming. ¡°But it¡¯s...too difficult.¡±

    ¡°Are Rune Circuits difficult to find?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no pattern to it. It¡¯s all blind luck. That¡¯s not even the most difficult part, however. Given time, we will collect all the Rune Circuits.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s voice grew an icy edge. ¡°The greatest challenge is deciding who we are giving the Rune Circuits to once we¡¯ve collected all of them.¡±

    ¡°Among the awakeners, aren''t there...¡± Gao Yang tried to find the right word. ¡°A leader?¡±

    ¡°Leader my ass.¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s legs were still crossed. ¡°The flock of dragons has no leader. Thend is divided by different warlords. The three kingdoms are locked in a power struggle...[1]¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit much, but you get the drill.¡± White Rabbit snorted. ¡°By then, the awakeners are likely going to break into a total civil war. A mathematician among the awakeners built a risk assessment model and concluded that the day the war ends, 94% of all awakeners will have died, while one awakener reigns supreme. The awakener will then lead the survivors to open the Gates of Closure and move forward...¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really look forward to that future.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s lips curled into a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡°Who knows if I¡¯ll be among the surviving 6% rather than the other 94%?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, while Officer Huang frowned.

    Qing Ling¡¯s expression didn¡¯t even change.

    And Fat Jun gulped.

    ¡°Why the hell are you scared?¡± then shouted a booming, boisterous voice. Wang Zikai had woken up at some point, and he stepped on the table, swinging his arm as he hollered, ¡°In a year, I¡¯ll kill all lizard people, topple the other organizations, and break down those damn gates, leading you all to victory!¡±

    The lively atmosphere in the restaurant turned instantly icy. Dozens of customers put down their chopsticks and turned to stare at Wang Zikai, who had stood up high with a foot on the table, and thepanions around him.

    1. Wu Dahai used three <i>chengyu</i>, four-character Chinese idioms, here. ?

 Chapter 59: Action Speaks Louder than Words

    <h4>Chapter 59: Action Speaks Louder than Words</h4>

    Fat Jun hurriedly dragged Wang Zikai back to the seat, while Officer Huang reached out to cover his mouth.

    White Rabbit shot to her feet and put on a lovely smile, bowing and apologizing, ¡°Sorry, he¡¯s a white face.¡± White Rabbit pointed at her own head. ¡°Have a few loose screws here!¡±

    ¡®White face¡¯ was their jargon for wanderers. There were a few awakeners among the customers, and they seemed to have realized what Wang Zikai was on their own. They chuckled in understanding and went back to eating and chatting among themselves. The lively atmosphere returned to the restaurant.

    White Rabbit sat back down and gave Wang Zikai a serious look. ¡°You may have the top Talent, buddy, but you can¡¯t get ahead of yourself! You need toy low and grow stronger for the time being. An open gunshot is easy to dodge, while a hidden arrow is difficult to avoid. What if you die prematurely in an ambush? Who¡¯s gonna lead us to the glorious future?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you''re right.¡± Wang Zikai was convinced. He waved a hand and said, ¡°I got a little excited when I woke up and heard you going so hard about everything. I¡¯ll be more careful next time. Promise.¡±

    ¡°Remember,¡± White Rabbit emphasized again, ¡°Keep a low profile!¡±

    ¡°Low profile, got it!¡± Wang Zikai swore.

    ¡°Alright.¡± White Rabbit stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s end things here. Take good care of them, Wu Dahai. I¡¯ve got to return to HQ.¡± She lowered her voice and added, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve got something precious with me. I can¡¯t rx here.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me and take care,¡± said Wu Dahai.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go with you?¡± Gao Yang suggested. On one hand, he was worried that White Rabbit might get mugged while carrying something so important on her own. On the other hand, he wanted to take a look at their headquarters.

    ¡°Thanks for your concern.¡± White Rabbit saw through him and gave him a confident smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Wu Dahaiughed. ¡°She¡¯s nothing if not the champion of running away.¡±

    That put an end to any further protest. They had all witnessed White Rabbit¡¯s formidable leap.

    White Rabbit walked up to the window¡ªor the big hole that did nothing to stop the chilly wind of the night. She put her baseball cap and mask back on, keeping her hair from flying all over the ce. ¡°See you.¡±

    With a graceful leap, she vanished into the night.

    ...

    Wu Dahai stayed with Gao Yang and the others for another half an hour, talking about awakeners and other rted topics. Wu Dahai was quite open to them, but what he knew was but the tip of an iceberg. Once the conversation shifted to the more concrete details, his knowledge in the field turned out to be only surface level. It might be because his rank in the organization wasn¡¯t high enough, or it could be that awakeners in general didn¡¯t know much more about monsters.

    Late at night, the six of them departed from the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Officer Huang offered to drive Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Fat Jun home, while Wu Dahai told Wang Zikai to give him a lift back, then he would be free to take the car and drive it to his heart¡¯s content. Wang Zikai was so overjoyed that he hugged Wu Dahai and called him his good brother at the end of every sentence. He couldn¡¯t have expressed his gratitude more passionately outside of giving the man a kiss.

    Gao Yang was relieved to see their interaction. Finally, he was able to take a breath.

    In the small hours, the patrol car moved through the almost empty road and soon reached the Qingyang Bridge.

    Qing Ling was in the backseat with him, her head rested against the car window. Against the backdrop of thete night view filtered through the translucent ss, Qing Ling¡¯s fair face, cool eyes, and the shadows flicking through her facebined to paint quite an atmospheric image. Movie directors would¡¯ve loved her. She had the kind of face that invited a look into her personal story.

    But in truth...

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Leveling up.¡±

    ...In truth, the girl had no story to tell. All she ever thought about was leveling up.

    ¡°What do you think of the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡± Officer Huang, their driver, suddenly asked.

    ¡°Do you mean...¡± Gao Yang looked for the right words. ¡°Are they worth trusting?¡±

    ¡°Trust is too much of a luxury.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s gaze was sharp and experienced. ¡°Think of them as a band of mercenaries. Do you think it¡¯d be worth it for us to risk our lives for them?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a better option?¡± Gao Yang responded with a question.

    ¡°Touche.¡± Officer Huang sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the natural order of things for bigger fish to eat smaller fish. We¡¯re in no ce to negotiate.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion...¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Twelve Zodiac Signs is a bad organization, but...they aren¡¯t exactly the good guys either.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Officer Huang agreed. ¡°White Rabbit is a good example. She may look harmless, but in actuality, she has no qualms using people and discarding them afterwards. To be honest, we wouldn¡¯t have survived til the hair monster showed up if not for Fat Jun and Wang Zikai. But did you notice it? She was determined to only step in after the hair monster made its appearance.¡±

    Gao Yang concluded, ¡°In her eyes, the survival of the five of us isn¡¯t as important as one Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s gaze was fixed on the road ahead. The car had reached the middle part of the bridge, and the vast expanse of the Li River ran far on both sides. ¡°She was honest about one thing: in this world, awakeners may be more dangerous than monsters.¡±

    ¡°But...we hadn¡¯t joined the organization at that point,¡± Fat Jun spoke up quietly from the passenger seat. ¡°We¡¯re now part of the organization. She said she¡¯s only ruthless to outsiders. She¡¯s nice to their own...¡±

    ¡°And you took her words for it?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    Fat Jun was at a loss for words.

    ¡°You¡¯re already swaying after meeting her for the first time.¡± Officer Huang shot him a re with feigned anger. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let you live back in Wang Zikai¡¯s garage.¡±

    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean it that way...¡± Fat Jun nched.

    ¡°Please stop scaring him.¡± Gao Yang realized what Officer Huang was doing and interjected as the good cop. He leaned over to pat Fat Jun on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a way to read people, Fat Jun. It may not work, but consider it a frame of reference.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please go on, Brother Yang.¡± After what they had been through, Gao Yang was the one Fat Jun trusted the most. For one, Gao Yang was smart, and he had never once given up on Fat Jun. Moreover, Gao Yang had acquired Talent: Fire and managed to exchange a few proper blows with the hair monster. In Fat Jun¡¯s mind, Gao Yang had already be a leader to follow.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the outside rather than the inside,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fat Jun didn¡¯t get it.

    Qing Ling exined with her usual icy voice, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what someone¡¯s thinking or saying. What matters is what they do.¡±

    After a moment, Fat Jun shouted, ¡°I got it, Sister-in-Law!¡±

    Qing Ling frowned slightly. She had grown tired of saying, ¡®I¡¯m not your sister-inw.¡¯

    ¡°Officer Huang! Brother Yang! Sister-in-Law!¡± Fat Jun¡¯s eyes grew misty. ¡°There have been many chances for you to give up on me, but you¡¯ve never done that. Although you teased me sometimes, you still keep me around all this time. You are the ones who have been treating me well!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Officer Huang patted him on the shoulder, pleased. ¡°Fate brought us together aspanions, and we should cherish the bond. As for the Twelve Zodiac Signs...¡±

    Gao Yang continued for him, ¡°The organization is our support, but they aren¡¯t necessarily ourpanions.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! They can be our support, but they may sell us out at any time. That would all depend on the organization¡¯s true goal. If their goal requires the sacrifice of our lives, they are unlikely to hesitate, and from their perspective, they will merely be doing the right thing.¡± Officer Huang fished out a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out with his teeth. ¡°From our perspective, however, we never want to be cannon fodder for them. Survival is our absolute bottom line. It will not and must not be crossed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to jump to conclusions.¡± Gao Yang reached out a hand. ¡°But survival is my bottom line as well.¡±

    ¡°Same for me!¡± Fat Jun turned around to put his hand on Gao Yang¡¯s.

    Then Officer Huang took a hand off the driving wheel and joined in.

    Qing Ling did the same after a moment of silence.

    The four hands pressed together for a few seconds before pulling back.

    Fat Jun was suddenly ovee with emotions. He rubbed his eyes and choked out, ¡°You may tease me for this, but that was, that was the first time in my life...that I¡¯ve ever felt like I have a home...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s not get too cheesy.¡± Officer Huang pointed at the glovepartment. ¡°Open that. There are three sheets of A4 paper. Take them out.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Fat Jun did as Officer Huang said. On each sheet was a dense table.

    Gao Yang leaned in to take a look. ¡°The Talent list?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all the Talents from serial number 10 to thest, and that''s all I know about Talents. I was going to give it to you as a thank-you gift after passing the third test.¡± Officer Huang chuckled. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the list may not be all too useful to you. Still, you should take it. From now on, we¡¯rerades in arms running from the same starting line. Let¡¯s support each other and ovee difficulties together.¡±

    Fat Jun¡¯s hand trembled as it clutched on the A4 sheet. He was reminded again of what Gao Yang said:<i> it¡¯s about the outside rather than the inside</i>. Unable to hold it in any longer, he broke into tears and sobbed.

    ...

    On his way back home, Gao Yang called his mother. He was going to visit the hospital, but his mother told him to go home. She said she would be keeping watch with his sister, and Gao Yang should take over came tomorrow morning. Gao Yang agreed.

    When he got home, it was already one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Exhausted, he took a shower and threw himself onto his bed, forgetting about the Talent list altogether. When he was just about to slip into unconsciousness, he heard a stato of dull sounds.

    Gao Yang sat up immediately, alerted. The sounds wereing from his bedroom door.

    Someone was knocking.

 Chapter 60: No, No, No

    <h4>Chapter 60: No, No, No</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s sleep-addled brain kicked into overdrive, making him feel a pain in the back of his head like he was free-falling, and his heart thumped faster and faster because of the rush of his blood.

    Both his mother and sister were in the hospital. Thiste at night, the one knocking on his door could only be his grandmother.

    <i>Wait, no! Mom sent Granny to Uncle¡¯s house in the rural area because no one can stay at home to take care of her. She won¡¯t be back until half a monthter.</i>

    Gao Yang got off the bed and focused his energy on his hands, readying himself to activate Fire at any moment. He called out to the door, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± It was Gao Xinxin.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief, but the relief was immediately reced by alertness. His sister shouldn¡¯t be home now, and she never knocked. She always kicked the door open and barged in.

    ¡°You¡¯re really my sister?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Who else can it be?¡± Her prideful tone was familiar to him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Tell me a secret only the two of us know.¡±

    His sister raised her voice and shouted, ¡°You peed in two streams until ten! There are three moles on the soles of your feet! You¡¯re a moron! Is that enough for you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Gao Yang opened his locked door.

    Dressed in white pajamas made of light and airy silk, Gao Xinxin stood outside barefooted, her hair messy and her mouth pouty. She looked unhappy.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you at the hospital?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°You returned home, and mom told me toe back too.¡± His sister walked in and plopped herself on his bed. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep at the hospital. Mom was just worried that I wouldn¡¯t be safe staying in the house on my own.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang sat down beside her. ¡°How¡¯s dad?¡±

    His sister lowered her head, her shoulders drooping. ¡°The doctor said that he¡¯s recovering better than expected, but that¡¯s not good enough for me at all!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Dad will be bound to a wheelchair the rest of his life.¡± His sister tucked her legs in and hugged her knees close, resting her chin on them as she looked out of the window. ¡°Uncle Qing visited today and talked about the factory. He said the revenue isn¡¯t looking good, and there¡¯s a great debt he wasn¡¯t able to collect. One of their clients, the owner of a supermarket chain, dered bankruptcy and fled. There¡¯s ack of liquidity, and the workers haven¡¯t been paid for two months...¡±

    Gao Yang sighed as well. Their father¡¯s food processing factory hadn¡¯t been doing well the past two years. That was why he had been rushing around with more and more social functions to attend. And then he got into a car ident.

    Uncle Qing was his business partner. The man must be burning on both ends too.

    ¡°Dad said that worstes to worst, we¡¯ll sell the house and move back to the countryside.¡± His sister¡¯s voice broke a little. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go back.¡±

    Gao Yang was conflicted. His sister was at an age when kids were most vain. After enjoying the convenience of the city, it was only natural that she couldn¡¯t go back to the rural lifestyle. Even if they disregarded everything else, the pit toilet alone was a nightmare to her. Whenever they visited their maternal grandmother¡¯s home, she always tried her best to avoid using the toilet.

    Gao Yang was wondering how he shouldfort his sister when she said, ¡°I want to stay here. Once I graduate from middle school, I¡¯ll start doing part-time jobs. Jobs in the city pay better.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, feeling both moved and ashamed. He had thought his sister was reluctant to go back to the countryside because of material reasons, but she simply wanted to start working earlier to help shoulder the financial burden on the family.

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang said vehemently. ¡°You should be studying, not doing part-time!¡±

    ¡°I can do photoshoots.¡±

    Gao Yang jumped. ¡°What photoshoots?![1]¡±

    ¡°Fashion bloggers, basically! You know I like lolita dresses, and I often upload pictures of my looks to my social media. I already have more than 6000 followers. A few sellers have contacted me and sent me their dresses, paying me to advertise their products. That¡¯s the job I¡¯m talking about!¡±

    His sister sounded proud. ¡°I made the calctions. If I get three offers every month, and each seller pays me 300 yuan, I¡¯ll get 900 yuan. Then I can sell the dresses the sellers give me for free and earn another 1000 or so yuan. That¡¯s about 2000 yuan in total every month. Once I get even more followers, more sellers will seek me out, and I¡¯ll get even more money. However, it¡¯ll be difficult to continue this job if we return to the countryside...¡±

    Gao Yang stroked her hair and said gently, ¡°You have my full support if you love lolita dresses and want to be an online model, but that can only be a hobby of yours. You must not give up on your study. Understand?¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No but! Dad won¡¯t have to sell the house. Don¡¯t worry about money. Your brother will find a way.¡±

    ¡°What can you do?¡± Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t sound convinced.

    What else could he do? Wang Zikai was rich, and Wu Dahai even more so. He would have to borrow some money from them, or perhaps they would be willing to invest in his father¡¯s factory as shareholders. Gao Yang would just have to pay them back throughbor.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Relieved, his sister shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Can I sleep here tonight, Brother?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang rejected her without hesitation.

    His sister pouted. ¡°Why? We used to sleep on the same bed when we were little.¡±

    ¡°Like you said, we were little. But not now.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m scared.¡± His sister grew quiet. ¡°I have been getting a strange feelingtely. I even had a nightmarest night that you were dead...¡±

    ¡°Why would I die for no reason?¡± Gao Yang chuckled.

    ¡°Dad got into an ident for no reason.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something that happens every day. Misfortune has found our family once already. We¡¯ll be fine going forward.¡± Gao Yang assured her. ¡°Come on, go back to your room and sleep.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave after a bit.¡± His sister was still a little reluctant.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t kick her out. Instead, he stayed with his sister for a little longer. He had thought it was strange for his sister to actually knock beforeing in, but perhaps she had simply grown more mature.

    With what had happened to the family, it made sense that she found it necessary to grow up.

    Kids did that. Growing up overnight.

    Gao Yang was suddenly hit with a feeling of dissonance. Two hours ago, he was in a barbecue ce in the Walled City of Ten Dragons, talking about Rune Circuits, the Mist World, the Gates of Closure, and the Crimson Tides, yet he was just talking to his sister about ordinary issues like his father¡¯s ident, their potential move back to the countryside, and dropping out of school to work part-time jobs.

    Sometimes, Gao Yang found himself wondering which was the real world.

    The brother and sister stayed together for a few minutes, steeping in their own thoughts. Then Gao Xinxin let out a sigh like she had made up her mind and got to her feet. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    Then his sister suddenly stopped walking. Her gaze zeroed in on the A4 document on hisputer desk. Although the light was off in the room, the moonlight streaming through the window hit the desk just so, illuminating a part of the paper.

    ¡ª<i>Shit! It¡¯s the Talent list!</i>

    Gao Yang jumped to his feet and pushed his sister out of the room. ¡°Come on. You should have been in bed yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± His sister slowly walked out of his room.

    Before Gao Yang could close the door, however, his sister suddenly turned around like she had just realized something.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Gao Yang tightened his grip around the door knob and tried his best to y nonchnt.

    ¡°Brother.¡± His sister stared right at him with her big, clear eyes. There was a strange fleeting glint in them, as if a hidden source of light was cut off and quickly reconnected. ¡°When did you...awaken?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart contorted.

    No!

    Not her!

    No, no, no!

    <i>Nononononononono!</i>

    ...

    [Beep¡ª]

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times]

    1. In the original, Gao Xinxin said that she could be ÖÖ²Ý¼§ (<i>jong cao ji)</i>, which literally means girls who make you want to buy something, usually for lolita, Japanese highschool uniform, or other less mainstream attires. The word ¼§, however, is pronounced the same as ¼¦, chicken, which is a euphemism for sex worker in China. That¡¯s why Gao Yang was so shocked. ?

 Chapter 61: Pride Monster

    <h4>Chapter 61: Pride Monster</h4>

    ¡°What are you talking about, Sis?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s palm was sweating, and his heart pounding. He hoped against hope that he could get this under control, but his rational mind told him that no, he was not talking his way out of this.

    Was he scared? Of course he was.

    What did an acquisition rate of 3000 times mean?

    He and his fourpanions had failed to defeat the hair monster before. Now, his sister¡ªif the girl before him could still be considered his sister¡ªwas three times more dangerous than it!

    To conclude, he was doomed.

    Strangely,pared to his fear, the more overpowering emotions filling his chest was actually a mix of regret, self-resentment, and sorrow.

    <i>Why wasn¡¯t I more careful?</i>

    <i>Why did I let her see the Talent list?</i>

    <i>Why oh why didn¡¯t I memorize the list and destroy it?</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Brother,¡± Gao Xinxin said gently, sounding even a little resigned and sad. ¡°I¡¯ll be quick with it.¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even see what happened before his throat was constricted, his back mmed into the wall with a heavy thud. His sister was strangling and pinning him with a fair, delicate hand around his neck.

    Gao Yang did his best to pry her fingers off him, yet the soft hand he had held countless times as they grew up were now more unyielding than any metal.

    She could¡¯ve easily broken Gao Yang¡¯s neck, yet she didn¡¯t. She was confident and demanded obedience.

    ¡°Sis...ter...¡± Gao Yang struggled to speak, his eyes welling with tears he could not stop.

    After a pause, his sisterughed like she was amused. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t look so sad. Look scared. Otherwise, how am I going to enjoy killing you?¡±

    ¡°Why...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice grew a little pleading. ¡°Why must we go for each other¡¯s throat? We can continue to be family...¡±

    ¡°You got it wrong, Brother.¡± His sister clicked her tongue. ¡°First, we and you humans aren¡¯t enemies going after each other. We are the hunters, and you humans the prey.¡±

    ¡°And you <i>are </i>my brother.¡± His sister sounded almost gentle. ¡°And I, your sister. Even though you¡¯ve awakened and I must kill you, that will never change. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll forget about all this and shed tears for your death. I¡¯ll miss you forever. And it¡¯ll be real... Even now, I can hear myself crying at the bottom of my heart. I love my big brother so very much.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it...¡± Gao Yang was lost.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get it. You awakeners die because you can never leave well enough alone.¡± His sister¡¯s eyes grew cold. ¡°Good bye, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Before death...I have onest question.¡± Gao Yang struggled to breathe against the pressure. ¡°What...kind of monster are you?¡±

    Wordlessly, his sister gave him a once-over with an unreadable expression. Under the silver moonlight, her lovely face seemed as pure as ever, and her body showed no trace of transformation.

    ¡°Do you want to see my true form?¡± To his shock, His sister smiled with what could be embarrassment. ¡°But I think it¡¯s better that you remember me as I am now before you go, Brother.¡±

    The grip around his neck tightened.

    ¡°Delusion monster?¡± Gao Yang listed off. ¡°Wrath monster...greed monster...<i>pride monster</i>...¡±

    The fingers around his neck stilled for a moment.

    Pride monster it was.

    He knew nothing about them, but he couldn¡¯t die here, not yet.

    ¡°Sister...¡± Warm tears streaked down Gao Yang¡¯s flushed face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    He suddenly grabbed onto Gao Xinxin¡¯s head. ¡°Fire!¡±

    <i>Swoosh! </i>A burst of mes shot out of his palms, enveloping Gao Xinxin¡¯s head in an instant, and the grip on his neck went ck for a moment.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Gao Yang shouted, pushing all his energy into his hands and crossed the two torrents of zing fire in close distance, burning Gao Xinxin¡¯s head with mad abandon. The firelight illuminated the whole room and heated the air, creating powerful heat currents that rampaged around in the limited space. The heat almost burned Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, and he had to close them.

    Gao Yang kept shouting, both with a desperate want to survive and a heart-rending sorrow. His fire burned at the highest intensity he could manage for close to a minute, draining himpletely.

    His arms dropped, and he opened his tear-filled eyes.

    His heart stopped.

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s shirt was almostpletely burned, exposing her corbones and young body. Her hair was a mess, but not even a little charred. It was as if Gao Yang had merely ruffled her hair with his hands.

    Her face was also entirely free of burn marks. She considered Gao Yang with a bemused expression. ¡°I¡¯m your little sister, Brother. How could you hurt me like that?¡±

    ¡°What...what manner of monster are you?¡± Gao Yang felt himself plunged into a bottomless fear.

    Then he screamed as the grip around his neck tightened, taking away his breath and inflicting him with great pain. He was lifted off the floor and mmed into the wall again.

    ¡°Monster? That¡¯s what you call us, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gao Xinxin stared at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t <i>you </i>the monsters? Our adorable kittens transform overnight into cunning, repulsive vipers seeking to kill their masters with a bite. What would you do if you were us? Would you tell yourself that it¡¯s still your kitten? No, you would kill the vipers and mourn the kittens who would nevere back again.¡±

    ¡°You...are not my sister!¡± Gao Yang red at her. ¡°You¡¯re not my Gao Xinxin! Give her back to me!¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha!¡± Gao Xinxinughed like that was the funniest joke in the world. She even had tears in her eyes fromughing too hard.

    When she finally had enough, she extended her left hand and prated Gao Yang¡¯s chest easily.

    This time, there was no miraculous escape.

    Gao Yang threw up a mouthful of blood, feeling like his heart and lungs had just been torn apart by tens of thousands of arrows.

    And he screamed. Oh, he screamed. Tremendous pain blurred the line between consciousness and unconsciousness. He felt himself melting, disintegrating, changing until he was no longer himself, but an insignificant, inanimate part of the vast world.

    He was the energy-saving light on the ceiling, the pool of blood on the floor below his feet, the burned, yellowed A4 document on theputer desk, the messed up nket on the bed, her sister¡¯s eyshes, the metallic, charred smell in the air¡ªhe was everything in the world, everything but <i>himself</i>.

    Then his soul returned to his body after a fraction of a second.

    In his blurry vision, he saw a bloody, still pounding human heart, and it was in Gao Xinxin¡¯s grasp. It was his heart.

    Gao Xinxin looked at his heart with big eyes, innocent yet so very eerie. She seemed awe-struck.

    After a few seconds, she looked up with a bashful smile like a little sister acting cute to her big brother.

    ¡°Can I eat this, Brother?¡±

 Chapter 62: Liu Qingying

    <h4>Chapter 62: Liu Qingying</h4>

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang jerked up to a sitting position on his bed, instinctively reaching toward his chest. It was intact, and his heart was still beating.

    It was all a dream.

    But...it felt all too real! Gao Yang had never had a dream with such details and such realistic pain. And it was his worst nightmare.

    He found his body covered in cold sweat, drenching the tank top he was wearing. After calming himself down, he made to get off his bed when he felt a sudden chill.

    He caught a figure at the corner of his eye. There was someone else in the room!

    Silver moonlight streamed through the gauze curtains at a 45-degree angle, illuminating a corner of the room like a spotlight highlighting an actor on stage.

    And there sat a woman.

    She was dressed in well-fitted <i>qipao</i>, her silver hair glowing like white snow under moonlight. She sat on the chair with a natural gracefulness and sensuality¡ªit was the swivel chair Gao Yang usually sat on when he yed games, but the gas spring was no longer airtight, and the height of the seat couldn¡¯t be adjusted. It thus sank a little too low forfort.

    With her voluptuous figure and the way she crossed her long, jade-like legs, she seemed at odds with the broken chair, yet it only served to make her even more enthralling.

    ¡°Restaurant owner?¡± Gao Yang recognized the uninvited visitor immediately.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Liu Qingying.¡± The awakener smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger. You can call me Sister Liu.¡±

    ¡°Sister Liu, what¡¯s...going on?¡± Gao Yang put on a calm expression, while his hands were tense and ready to activate Fire any time.

    ¡°Rx. I meant you no harm.¡±

    Gao Yang was silent.

    ¡°All that was merely a dream.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s voice was leisurely and gentle, free of the sharpness and coyness of a stereotypical seductress.

    ¡°And this,¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°This is also a dream.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed a gasp. He didn¡¯t expect that to be a dream within a dream, and both felt so very real.

    Liu Qingying gazed at him with spellbinding upcurved eyes. ¡°I can move the conversation elsewhere, but I thought you¡¯d be more at ease in a familiar environment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately ask what Liu Qingying wanted. That would make it seem like heckedposure. Thus he brought up something else. ¡°This is another Talent of yours?¡±

    ¡°Talent: Sweet Dream, serial number 50, Psyche-type.¡± Liu Qingying admitted it easily. ¡°Of course, it only works when the target is asleep.¡±

    As he thought. Liu Qingying was more than what met the eyes!

    Gao Yang said with careful choice of words, ¡°How...did you activate the Talent? How did you enter my dream, I mean.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rude of you.¡± Liu Qingying gave him a mischievous smile. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just ask for my secret like that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Gao Yang turned away so that his thinking wouldn¡¯t bepromised. It seemed that Liu Qingying¡¯s could still use Seduction even in a dream.

    ¡°But I did visit without notice to ask something of you. To show you my goodwill, I can tell you the truth.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes were all smiles. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a guess first?¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to their brief interaction. Eye contact? No...that would make the Talent too powerful, and its serial number wouldn¡¯t be 50.

    He came to a conclusion quickly. ¡°Plum drinks?¡±

    ¡°Smart boy. I¡¯ve chosen the right one.¡± Liu Qingying nodded appreciatively. ¡°I need a medium to connect to a target¡¯s dream.¡±

    ¡°So...you drugged me?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, let¡¯s not make it sound so sinister.¡± Liu Qingying blinked, gliding a long forefinger from the chin to the lips before lifting it. ¡°I simply did this and put my finger in the drink, doing a little twirl. This method is a little less effective, however, and it¡¯llst for at most 24 hours. That means I must visit you tonight. If I¡¯d added my blood, the connection wouldst for more than a week.¡±

    That was a genuine offer of goodwill. At least Liu Qingying was willing to reveal substantial information to him.

    After a moment of hesitation, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Did you...create the dream within the dream?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s a side effect of being subject to Sweet Dream for the first time. The next time¡ªif there is a next time, that is¡ªyou won¡¯t get another nightmare.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s lips parted slightly, a strange desire shing through their eyes. ¡°I have to say, your dream is truly a delicacy.¡±

    Gao Yang was offended, but he didn¡¯t voice it.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t take it the wrong way. I¡¯m not mocking you.¡± Liu Qingying tilted their head, lips still curved in a smile. ¡°Dreams are fake, yet they are an extension of the mind, a mix of one¡¯s imagination, calction, spection based on factors like the dreamer¡¯s memories,mon sense, knowledge, emotions, and soul.¡±

    ¡°Although dreams are often random and absurd, there is a logic to it. In some sense, dreams can reveal the truth or serve as a warning. They can even be premonitions that will one day be reality.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    Liu Qingying continued, ¡°See, the Talent list <i>is </i>on your desk, and it¡¯s possible that your sister may barge into your room to seek you out. Although you¡¯ve locked the door and could hide the list before letting her in, what if you forget about it? Your dream can be reality, and it¡¯s more likely for your sister to be a monster...¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Gao Yang said with furrowed brows.

    Liu Qingying gave him an approving look. ¡°Through one¡¯s dream, I can tell if they¡¯re a boring thickhead who warrants none of my attention, or someone whose IQ and EQ are both high with a rich range of emotions. It¡¯s because of your rich emotions, great deductive skill, active imagination, and consistent logic that your nightmare is one of my top three.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glossed over while savoring their memories of his dream. ¡°Pride monsters... Heh, I¡¯ve never encountered one before. Perhaps they are exactly as you dreamed them to be. I even observedplex emotions in the monster and a certain logic to its behavior. It¡¯s true that awakeners don¡¯t know a lot about monsters even though we live among them. Most awakeners aren¡¯t willing to learn about them to start with. They know nothing but violence, the most boring dreamers of all. You, however, are different. You came up with so many possibilities in your dream. That¡¯s impressive.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t mean it. He simply didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Liu Qingying leaned forward and rested their hands on their knees, fingers interlocked. ¡°We¡¯ve gone off topic long enough. Let¡¯s get to business. After all, I can¡¯t predict when you¡¯ll wake up.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Gao Yang focused his mind and body, making sure he could respond properly should the negotiation turn out for the worst.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to make friends with you.¡±

 Chapter 63: Temptation

    <h4>Chapter 63: Temptation</h4>

    Gao Yang thought he had heard it wrong. After a pause, he said, ¡°You go through all these troubles to befriend me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s more to it, of course.¡± Liu Qingying stopped beating around the bush. ¡°I have a proposal for you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He was thinking.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you, of course. You¡¯re free to reject me. If that¡¯s your decision, I hope you¡¯ll keep what happened tonight a secret. Telling others will do neither of us any good. It¡¯ll be best for us to pretend that nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But why me?¡±

    ¡°Because you caught my eyes in the crowd.¡± Liu Qingying winked at him. Strangely, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to get lost. He knew Liu Qingying was full of shit.

    Liu Qingying had four options: Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun.

    Qing Ling would be the first to be excluded. She was strong, and she was a girl. Liu Qingying¡¯s Seduction wouldn¡¯t be that effective on her, and the negotiation wouldn¡¯t be that fruitful.

    Officer Huang wasn¡¯t a good choice either. He was also strong, and he was a police officer. With all his experience and his devotion to his wife, Liu Qingying wouldn¡¯t have much sway on him.

    Then there was Fat Jun. He was obviously timid and far from strong-willed. That would make it easier to steer him away from hispanions, but he wouldn¡¯t necessarily be the best mole.

    And Wang Zikai was a monster, a not very intelligent one at that. Liu Qingying wouldn¡¯t even take him into consideration.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s as you thought.¡± Liu Qingying smiled.

    <i>Can she read minds?!</i>

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I can only sense the signals going through your brain while you¡¯re dreaming and infer your thoughts based on that. I can¡¯t do the same in reality.¡± Liu Qingying sighed. ¡°I wish I were a mind reader. That would make things easier.¡±

    <i>Mind reading?</i>

    It seemed that Liu Qingying wasn¡¯t looking for anything tangible, but...information.

    The corners of Liu Qingying¡¯s tightened slightly. ¡°You¡¯re too smart. I regret picking you a little.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°So, you want an exchange of intel?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°On Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡± Gao Yang knew that he himself held no value. Liu Qingying must be after the organization behind him.

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the offer?¡± Gao Yang crossed his legs, giving Liu Qingying his full attention.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Let¡¯s go into how things will work first. You¡¯ll visit my restaurant once every month, and I¡¯ll give you aplimentary drink. A sip, and we¡¯ll be able to meet each other in dreams like we are now without leaving any trace. And rest assured, I cannot do you any actual harm even though I can invade your dream, and the duration of the dream will depend on how long you are asleep. Compared to other Talents, Sweet Dream is a harmless one.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, indicating Liu Qingying to continue.

    ¡°Every time we meet, I¡¯ll ask you something about the Twelve Zodiac Signs. You may tell me what you know, and you may also withhold information from me. I¡¯m not going to force you.¡± Liu Qingying extended a finger for emphasis. ¡°However, I have one condition: you must not give me false information. If you do and I find out about it, that¡¯ll be the end of our arrangement, and I can¡¯t promise you that I won¡¯t retaliate.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Now let¡¯s talk payment. I can give you information you seek in return. The rules will be the same. I can choose to tell or not tell you. You won¡¯t force me to talk. An intel for an intel.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s lips curved upwards into a knowing and crafty smile. ¡°If you give me a piece of information while I don¡¯t have any intel you want, I¡¯ll give you 5 <i>jinwu </i>to show my gratitude.¡±

    ¡°<i>Jinwu</i>? The Golden Crow in mythology?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s a currency awakeners use among ourselves. It¡¯s made of an extremely rare metal, and at the moment, less than a hundred thousand coins are circting in the market. We usually refer to the metal as ¡®<i>wujin¡¯</i>, ck Gold, but over time, the <i>wujin </i>currency somehow turns into <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°You may not be able to actually understand the value of it. Let me put it this way. Five <i>jinwu </i>is equivalent to about two million <i>yuan</i>. Of course, no awakeners would be stupid enough to exchange the coins for regr money. Considering the state your father¡¯s in, however...¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    What a terrifying person he was dealing with.

    ¡°What does ck Gold do? Why are coins made of it used as currency between awakeners?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very useful. First, although we cannot create Rune Circuits ourselves, we know for certain that they are made of ck Gold. And weapons and items made of ck Gold contain a special energy that resonates with certain Talents, resulting in all sorts of amazing synergies.¡±

    Gao Yang was reminded of Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao. Perhaps it was made of ck Gold.

    He pushed aside the thought as soon as it shed through his head. Liu Qingying was able to read minds to a certain extent in dreams. He didn¡¯t want to unintentionally reveal hispanions¡¯ secret.

    ¡°Anyway, the coins are very useful. Even if you don¡¯t make them into special weapons, you can trade with other awakeners with the coins. I¡¯m not going to go into the details. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to know the world of awakeners soon with you joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Liu Qingying put their hands back on their knees. ¡°That¡¯s the deal.¡±

    ¡°Fair.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t identify any problems with it.

    ¡°Moreover.¡± Liu Qingying stood up from the chair. Under the moonlight, they looked seductive with the crimson <i>qipao </i>wrapping around their body. Their silver hair gave them an air of mysteriousness and gracefulness, arousing the instinctual desires in men.

    ¡°You¡¯re a man. Perhaps, in the dreams...¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t spell it out, but instead made the suggestion with an alluring look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not part of the deal. The night we spent together will be long, and I can¡¯t leave before you wake up. We might as well do something to kill time while solidifying our bond and partnership.¡±

    ¡°Um, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

    <i>What the heck.</i>

    <i>You¡¯re a man!</i>

    ¡°Ha, I knew White Rabbit would tell you that.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t seem surprised by his reaction.

    ¡°Are you not a man?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m both.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re intersex?¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. Intersex people were those with the sex characteristics of both male and female. Only one out of 7500 people were intersex[1], and there were only a little more than 400 humans in Li City. Yet there was an intersex person right before him! That further cemented Gao Yang¡¯s belief that it was possible for his family to turn out to be humans.

    ¡°Although I¡¯m intersex, I identify as a woman a hundred percent, and I can remove my male characteristics here. There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Besides, this is just a dream.¡±

    ¡°So.¡± Liu Qingying walked up to him and reached out a hand gently. ¡°Won¡¯t you consider it?¡±

    1. The percentage usually cited is 0.05% to 1.7%, so at the lowest it¡¯s one out of 2000. While there¡¯s debates about the definition of intersex, I¡¯m not entirely sure where the author gets the figure from. Perhaps it¡¯s a fictional ratio in the fictional world. ?

 Chapter 64: Business Partner

    <h4>Chapter 64: Business Partner</h4>

    ¡°Kind of you to offer,¡± Gao Yang rejected with a smile. ¡°But no thanks.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t seem surprised. She took two steps back and sat down on the chair. ¡°Tell me whenever you change your mind.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°I am quite confident in my Talent. Sweet Dream and Seductionbined would give you the time of your life without any risk.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°You may not believe me, but someone once offered 50 <i>jinwu </i>for a chance to sleep with me, and I turned them down.¡±

    ¡°I believe you. You are very attractive.¡±

    And Gao Yang was only telling the truth rather than trying to butter her up.

    However, he lived by his principles and was wary by nature. As an orphan who had transmigrated into this world, he came to realize after experiencing what a family was that in many cases, love was more dangerous than raw power.

    Although they were merely business partners, and every interaction would be taking ce in dreams, there was no telling if he would develop feelings for her after getting intimate. Then he would be a ve to his feelings for her.

    Given he had zero experience in rtionships, he knew very well that he could end up losing everything to a beautiful, experienced woman with a cunning mind and a long list of past conquests¡ªand one with Seduction as a Talent at that.

    ¡°Knowing that¡¯s how you see me makes me a little hurt.¡± Liu Qingying read his mind again.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t concerned about that, though. He was making it clear that she should give up on seducing him.

    ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡± Liu Qingying asked.

    ¡°Deal. But don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s possible that I won¡¯t sell you any intel in the end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. Even if our deal ends up not working, our rtionship remains.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Still, we¡¯ll have to stay like this the rest of the night. It¡¯s going to put you at a disadvantage since I can decipher parts of the thoughts going through your mind, albeit not an urate reading.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, but it¡¯s okay. I have a way to deal with it.¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and essed the system.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªI don¡¯t need anything. Just stay running.

    [Understood.]

    ...

    Liu Qingying was stunned. What did he do? Suddenly, his brain seemedpletely empty. How did he do it? Even the most experienced meditation master wouldn¡¯t be able to clear their heads of all thoughts. It was as if he had reached the greatest heights of zen¡ª<i>samadhi</i>. And he entered the state in but a second. The young man was full of surprises.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang was screaming in his head.

    ¡ªShit, shit, shit! This woman is <i>cunning</i>! I almost fell for her trap!

    ¡ªAnd the nightmare! She saw everything! Fuck me! How humiliating! Just kill me!

    [Your emotions are running too wild.]

    ¡ªWait, isn¡¯t this a dream? Does the system exist in dreams as well?

    [The system is not limited to specific time, space, or state of energy.]

    ¡ªAh, so when you warned me that my Luck points acquisition rate had jumped to 3000 times in the nightmare, the points I got are real too?

    [The time flows at the same speed in the dream as in the real world. The bonus applies.]

    ¡ªShow me.

    [You have a total of 160 Luck points.]

    ¡ªThat much?!

    ¡ªStill, it makes sense. I fought my sister for at least 3 minutes in the dream, which is 0.05 hours. Times 3000, and I get 150 Luck points. Added to that the 10 hours I¡¯ve survived in a normal situation, I got 160 in total.

    ¡ªWhat seems like bad luck sure can be a blessing in disguise. Would it be possible to get more Luck points by exploiting the loophole?

    [No. The bonus stemming from artificial danger created by Psyche-type Talent, be it dreams or illusions, is only applicable on the first instance.]

    ¡ªYou sure are particr with rules.

    [Duty demands.]

    ¡ªKeep the 160 Luck points. I¡¯ll save up more toprehend new Talents.

    ...

    Liu Qingying was far from a newbie, and she didn¡¯t lose her calm when facing the unexpected situation. Instead, she waited quietly for even a little crack to show in Gao Yang¡¯s defense. However, he really ended up giving her nothing, not even a useless stray thought.

    She was suddenly feeling regretful. She shouldn¡¯t have told someone this impressive about her ability to read minds when they were in a dream. Still, he would probably have guessed it on his own given how clever he was. Then he would realize she was hiding things from him and opted out of their deal. That made her think that she had perhaps done the right thing by being honest.

    The young man didn¡¯t seem like a bad person. He lived by principles and seemed to have a hidden depth. There was no telling how far he would go. She had offered the right person partnership.

    Four hourster, Gao Yang opened his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re waking up?¡± Liu Qingying asked.

    ¡°Yeah, almost.¡±

    Gao Yang had stayed in the system for four hours until he was hit by a strange feeling. It was as if there was another body under his current, incorporeal one, and he could sense its heavy breathing and thumping heartbeat.

    If his current existence was floating in an ocean, then his actual body was deep underwater. Now, it was moving to the surface gradually, ready to merge with the self floating on the surface.

    In an instant, everything seemed to freeze around him. All the furniture and items in his room, the air, the moonlighting from outside the window, and Liu Qingying dissipated into countless particles before dispersing. His vision plunged into a thick darkness.

    Right before darkness enveloped him fully, he heard Liu Qingying say in a lilting voice, ¡°Pleasure doing business with you. See you next time.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes.

    It was six o¡¯clock in the morning, and he was in a familiar bedroom staring at a familiar yellowed ceiling. From outside the window came the hubbub of early traffic, and the pleasant smell of detergenting from his nket wrapped around him as his heart beat in his chest, strong and steady.

    He was finally awake. It had been a long, long dream.

    ...

    After taking care of himself, Gao Yang had breakfast and visited the hospital, getting soybean milk, youtiao, and congee with century eggs and minced pork for his mother and sister.

    His father could finally talk. The four of them had a pleasant breakfast together in the ward for the first time since forever. Feeling guilty, his father kept saying, ¡°I¡¯ll get better soon and go home. Then I¡¯ll make egg drop soup for you.¡±

    Gao Yang and his mother and sister smiled in response, changing the subject under silent agreement.

    They hadn¡¯t told his father that he could never walk again the rest of his life. He had thought that he was merely suffering from the after effects of the surgery, and that he would soon regain senses in his lower limbs as well as his mobility.

    After breakfast, Gao Yang¡¯s mother and sister went back home. He walked them to the entrance of the hospital.

    His mother hailed a taxi while his sister stood by him. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but ruffle her hair.

    ¡°What?¡± His sister shot him a re, still angry at him for disappearing for two days.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Weirdo!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a weirdo.¡± Gao Yang chuckled, quietly swearing to himself that he would be even more careful from now on to prevent his sister from finding out what he was, the question of whether she was a monster be damned.

    After seeing his mother and sister get into a taxi, Gao Yang returned to his father¡¯s ward. He saw an old doctor in white coat observing his father from the foot of the bed. His father had fallen asleep again, and the old man left after jotting something on the medical record and folding it.

    Gao Yang followed and called out to him, ¡°Where¡¯s Dr. Baili?¡±

    Gao Yang had officially entered the world of awakeners, and he had a lot to ask Baili Yi.

    ¡°Dr. Baili?¡± The old doctor gave him a strange look.

    ¡°The attending physician in charge of my dad.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be me!¡± The old man seemed bothered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, kid?¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°But I remember the doctor was named Baili Yi.¡±

    ¡°I did the surgery, and I remembered it clearly. Your father almost didn¡¯t make it, while your mother, your sister, and you were waiting outside the operating room. When I got out, your mother and sister were still in pajamas. I don¡¯t remember what you were wearing, but there was blood on your hair. I thought you were with your father in the car and told you to get a CT scan in case you had a concussion. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned. Now that he thought about it, the doctor was right. That night, he had just finished his fight with Old Man Zhang. With his bloodied uniform burned, he changed into the casual clothes Officer Huang had in the patrol car. However, he neglected to take care of his hair and almost got exposed.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± The old man seemed pleased with himself. ¡°You may have forgotten about it, but not me. I have a great memory!¡±

    ¡°But Baili...¡±

    ¡°During the thirty more years I worked as a doctor here, I¡¯ve never known someone with the surname Baili at this hospital!¡±

 Chapter 65: Person Not Found

    <h4>Chapter 65: Person Not Found</h4>

    Eight o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang stayed by his father¡¯s bedside chatting with him after they had dinner together.

    It was mostly his father doing the talking, and Gao Yang doing the listening.

    His father had been bored out of his mind since his surgery, and Tok Tik[1] videos could only keep someone entertained for so long. He had always been the sociable kind, and he could spend half a day catching up with an acquaintance after running into them on the street.

    At first, his father was still assuring him and telling him about the bright future ahead. He said that once he could get off the bed and walk on his own again, he would go back to work to support the family, and he would take them on a trip to Naldives after Gao Yang got into a good college.

    As the conversation continued, however, his father couldn¡¯t help but reveal his true thoughts.

    He wasn¡¯t so dense that he wouldn¡¯t notice his physical condition. He knew it would be unlikely for him to walk again. And the food processing factory in the countryside wasn¡¯t doing well. Old Qing, his business partner, called and told him that they were unable to get payment for many of their orders, and their workers had started a strike after missing two months of wages. And over the past two years, therge-scale foodpanies had been purposefully lowering prices even at the cost of revenue to drive smallerpanies out of business.

    In the end, his father said with a troubled look on his face, ¡°Things may get a little difficult from now on, Son, but Dad will send you and Xinxin to college one way or another! Your dad has suffered enough for being uneducated...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Dad. You¡¯re amazing.¡± Gao Yang assured him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your cash flow. I¡¯ve talked to Wang Zikai.¡±

    ¡°Little Kai?¡± His father¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°His family has the money and willingness to invest in our factory,¡± Gao Yang said without actually consulting Wang Zikai first. If Wang Zikai said no... Well, he had to say yes!

    ¡°Really?¡± His father couldn¡¯t be happier. ¡°Haha, I told you. I told you that every friend will prove valuable down the road. And your mom said I was being a bad influence on you!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so just take care of yourself...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s words were interrupted by a ring of his cellphone. He nced at the screen and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll take this outside, Dad.¡±

    He walked out of the ward and stopped at the end of the hallway. It was quiet and free of unwanted ears.

    Officer Huang called. ¡°I checked for you. There¡¯s no such person.¡±

    The person Gao Yang was looking into was none other than Baili Yi.

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Not only is there no Baili Yi in Li City, There¡¯s no one with the name in the national database.¡± Officer Huang sounded certain. After a pause, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re looking for him?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a conversation to be had through calls. Talk to youter. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly put away his phone, seeing his mother and sister walking out of the elevator not far from him. They hade to take his ce.

    Gao Yang walked up to them, and his mother immediately said, ¡°You and Xinxin don¡¯t have toe to the hospital from tomorrow on, Yang Yang. Focus on school. You especially shouldn¡¯t let anything distract you from studying when the entrance exams are on the horizon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Go home and rest. Xinxin will stay with your dad with me for thest time before his discharge.¡± With that, his mother entered the ward.

    On the other hand, his sister stayed behind and approached him with her phone, a mysterious look on her face. ¡°Take a look at this, Brother.¡±

    Gao Yang leaned in and saw the socialwork page with an ID of ¡®Xinxinughing while the guillotine de falls[2]¡¯, and the profile picture was her dressed in the lolital dress Gao Yang recently bought her. She was wearing a blonde wig and a mask to cover her face.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you change your ID into something better?¡± Gao Yang rolled his eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± Gao Xinxin said proudly. ¡°Check out my followers!¡±

    ¡°Pretty good. Over 6000.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, and it¡¯s still rising! Two stores shared my pictures recently and gave me a good boost! Everyone in thement section calls me a little fairy and urges me to show my face! I¡¯m not gonna, of course!¡±

    ¡°Right, awesome.¡± Gao Yang had been following her for quite a while, actually. Mainly because he was worried that some perverts would go after his sister.

    ¡°Hey, Brother, I¡¯ve decided...¡±

    ¡°You wanna be a fashion blogger?¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Go ahead, but only as a hobby. If you dare drop out of school to be a full time online model, I¡¯ll beat your ass.¡±

    Gao Xinxin paused, impressed. ¡°Whoa, how did you know? And fashion bloggers? Look at you, speaking like a real pro!¡±

    ¡°Brat, the moment you turn around, I know the kind of fart...[3]¡±

    ¡°Shut it! Fairies don¡¯t fart!¡± Gao Xinxin broke into a peel ofughter, entertained by her own response.

    Gao Yang wasughing as well, but inside, he couldn¡¯t help feeling a little anxious. Part of his nightmare turned out to be urate. At least he had read over the Talent list in the morning and burned it. Although he couldn¡¯tmit everything to memory, his system was able to record and store the information for him.

    ¡°When you were little, you loved having roasted sweet potatoes in winter. Don¡¯t you remember how much you fart back then?¡± Gao Yang teased her on purpose.

    ¡°Not listening, not listening at all! I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡± His sister fumed and chased after him to hit him.

    While they were busy with their friendly sibling fight, a voice interrupted them.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to see a girl with short ponytail. She was dressed in a beige jumper, a pair of whitish, cropped jeans, and white sneakers. On her back was a bear backpack. With a pure smile on her face, she looked like the fantasy of a college girl.

    It took quite a while for Gao Yang to realize that it was White Rabbit. <i>Whoa</i>, he thought with surprise. <i>She looks totally different in this style.</i>

    ¡°Ah, here you are!¡± White Rabbit walked up to him. ¡°I heard that your dad was hospitalized. I just finished my part-time job in the neighborhood and decided to swing by.¡±

    ¡°Ah...right,¡± Gao Yang grumbled.

    White Rabbit tilted her head to look at Gao Xinxin. ¡°And this is...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his sister,¡± Gao Xinxin said, disgruntled. She didn¡¯t like girls who seemed way too close to her brother. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I was your brother¡¯s senior at highschool. I¡¯m now a freshman in college.¡± White Rabbit offered a hand. ¡°I¡¯m White Rabbit. You can call me Sister Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Strange name.¡± Gao Xinxin nced at her. ¡°Do you know my brother well? I¡¯ve never heard him talk about you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± White Rabbit threw Gao Yang a nce before putting on a hurt expression and said with a sigh, ¡°I suppose there are too many girls around your brother. I thought I was different, but it seems to be wishful thinking.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned. ¡°Wait, when did I ever...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± His sister got mad enough to call him by name. ¡°How many more girl friends do you have? There was the busty one you went to a love hotel with. Now your senior showed up...¡±

    ¡°What? Busty? Love hotel?¡± White Rabbitmitted to the part of a heartbroken girl and put on a look of shock and disgust. ¡°Gao Yang! You told me you didn¡¯t like busty girls! You said you liked someone like me, with a moderate...¡±

    ¡°Die, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°Go to hell, bastard!¡±

    <i>Help! Women are scary!</i>

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang walked out of the hospital with White Rabbit, his eye swollen with a bruise. White Rabbit hadn¡¯t stoppedughing the whole time. ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s fun!¡±

    ¡°Would you please call me on the phone like a normal person?¡± Gao Yang pleaded, ¡°And not mess with me like that?¡±

    ¡°Your sister¡¯s cute.¡± White Rabbit walked before him with her hands held behind her back. ¡°Is she a human or a cutie?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°We have a member who can differentiate between humans and monsters. Why don¡¯t I introduce you?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Gao Yang gave her a serious look. ¡°And don¡¯t tell me even if you find out the answer. I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Sympathy flicked through White Rabbit¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t care, but you care too much.¡±

    She shrugged and sighed. ¡°As your senior, I¡¯d like to give you another piece of advice: no matter what it is you care about, don¡¯t let it show. Otherwise, your weakness will end up killing you one day. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gao Yang changed the subject. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to take you to thepany. There¡¯s a weing party for you newbies.¡±

    1. The author uses a word with simr meaning to avoid mentioning the actual app. ?

    2. The original line was written by the Qing reformist Tan Sitong when facing his own execution. ?

    3. The expression, ¡®I know the kind of fart you¡¯re gonna let out the moment you turn around¡¯ and other variations of the saying basically means you know everything about someone. ?

 Chapter 66: Welcoming Party

    <h4>Chapter 66: Weing Party</h4>

    Parked by the road was a ck Benz. White Rabbit pulled Gao Yang into the backseat. The middle-aged man driving the car was dressed in a suit, his expressionposed. He looked like the typical private chauffeur working for important or rich people.

    White Rabbit kicked off her shoes as soon as she got in and started painting her toenails again. This time, she picked purple.

    ¡°You really love doing this,¡± Gao Yang said just to fill the quiet.

    ¡°Yeah, I redo it seven to eight times a day. People browse Tok Tik when they are bored; I paint my toenails.¡±

    ¡°Careful not to destroy your nails.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen.¡± Not sparing him another nce, White Rabbit focused on painting her toenails like an artist immersed in her creation. She had steady hands, and as she moved the brush vertically along the curve of her toenails back and forth, each stroke parallel to the previous stroke, she gradually covered her nail with a consistentyer of just the right amount of nail polish. Gao Yang watched her do the work for a while; the process was oddly therapeutic and aesthetically satisfying.

    It was about ten minutester that White Rabbit finished the toenails of one foot.

    Pleased, she blew on her toes and looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°I think so too.¡± White Rabbit put the nail polish away. ¡°But after a bit I¡¯ll think it doesn¡¯t look good. Then I¡¯ll want to redo my nails in a different color again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what people call OCD.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I just have a foot fetish!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to waste his breath arguing. After some deliberation, he asked in the most natural tone he could manage, ¡°The owner of the barbecue ce from yesterday...¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re still thinking about her?¡±

    ¡°No. I just want to know how strong she is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never fought her, but she¡¯s no pushover, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Before asking more questions, Gao Yang gave the driver a wary look. White Rabbit said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s a white face.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be frank. Why hasn¡¯t the organization recruited her?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t expect to get much from the question, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask. After all, he knew nothing about Liu Qingying, which would put him at a disadvantage in their deal going forward.

    ¡°Well, how should I put it? She¡¯s a bit of a lone wolf and not interested in joining the organization. We aren¡¯t interested in her either though.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    White Rabbit straightened up and put a hand on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder like an adult talking to a kid. ¡°I told you that if your weakness is ever exposed, your death would follow soon, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°How is that rted to my question?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting to it! Well, some people don¡¯t have a weakness.¡±

    ¡°Like her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and there¡¯s more to it.¡± White Rabbit smacked her lips. ¡°Even if there¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t have a weakness, they should have an ambition. However, the restaurant owner not only appears to have no weakness, but also keeps her ambition well hidden. Someone like her is too dangerous and unpredictable. She¡¯ll only be a risk to us if she joins us.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Gao Yang agreed.

    ¡°Right? I didn¡¯t say all that myself, but heard it from Captain.¡± Whenever she talked about their captain, her eyes always glinted with admiration like an avid idol fan.

    ¡°The one who could¡¯ve been my long lost brother?¡± Gao Yang snorted.

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    ¡°Would I get to meet him at the party?¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s a bit busytely. But everyone other than him and the vice-captain will be there.¡± White Rabbit nced out of the window. ¡°Here we are.¡±

    Gao Yang got out of the car after White Rabbit and was stunned to see their destination. ¡°The Millennium Tower!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    The Millennium Tower was built five years ago. It was also known as the Li City International Financial Center, located in the most developed district of the city: Daxu District. Found at the intersection of Furong Road and a walking street, the towering skyscraper was an amalgamation of a massive shopping mall, high-end office building, serviced apartment, and five-star hotel.

    Standing 430 meters in height with 90 floors and apanied by a 60-floor, 305-meter tall side building, the Millennium Tower upied and of 74.4 thousand square meters with a total building area of more than a million square meters. It was the tallest building in Li City.

    At the very top of the tower was a small ferris wheel flickering light twenty-four seven, like a technicolor gear hovering above the Li City.

    The ferris wheel had never been opened to anyone. Rumors had it that the owner of the building was a mysterious young businessman who didn¡¯t like attention¡ªsomeone straight out of a CEO drama. The man had never made a public appearance, but he had said that in the future, he would like to hold a wedding at the top of the tower, riding on the ferris wheel with his bride-to-be.

    Gao Yang sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this building is...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± White Rabbit smiled. ¡°This is Wu Dahai¡¯s property.¡±

    Gao Yang lost his voice.

    White Rabbit put on a finely-made employee ID and strode past the grandiose revolving door. Two staff members immediately came up to them and led them to a private doorway in the restricted area. They entered the private elevator that would take them straight to Wu Dahai.

    The elevator climbed along the spine of the tower, the outside wall a piece of sturdy one-way mirror. From inside the elevator, Gao Yang could see himself moving higher and higher still, and the crowds, cars, streets, and houses growing farther and smaller. It was as if they were ascending to the heavens along with the cultivator that was Wu Dahai.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How rich is Wu Dahai¡¯s family?¡±

    ¡°Not terribly rich. His parents¡¯ monthly sry is six to seven thousand yuan[1], and the yearly bonus is tens of thousands, I think,¡± White Rabbit said coolly as she watched the bustling city at night on the other side of the ss. ¡°His dad¡¯s a highschool math teacher, and his mother a full-time housewife.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Gao Yang was caught off guard once again. ¡°So Wu Dahai¡¯s the first generation that made it big?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he majored in electric engineering in college. After graduating, he didn¡¯t want to work at apany, so he did his own thing and developed a great material with extremely high power capacity. The material has been applied in many fields, and he holds the patent for it. You know how smartphones canst three days after a full charge now? In the past, one full charge would onlyst half a day. Can you imagine that?¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡±

    ¡°His second uncle is a businessman in new energy, and he started apany with Wu Dahai. They hit it big. It took only seven to eight years for Wu Dahai to be one of the richest people in this city. He never really manages thepany though. His uncle is in charge of the operation. Wu Dahai doesn¡¯t need to do anything but count the money falling onto hisp.¡±

    ¡°I envy him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, money can buy a lot of convenience. That was why I recruited him as soon as I learned that he was an awakener.¡± White Rabbit seemed proud of her achievement. ¡°Who would¡¯ve known he would act more like a horny old man?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    Soon, the elevator stopped, and the two of them walked into the hallway.

    At the end of the hallway was a bright silver metal door. White Rabbit leaned closer to have her eye scanned by the embedded camera before speaking a code for voice print verification. Only then did the door open for them slowly.

    Inside was arge, luxurious room renovated in the style of a western pce, but the design also incorporated many eastern elements such as sculpted rosewood screen, ink paintings, blue-and-white porcin, and all kinds of antiques, calligraphies, and art pieces. In addition, there were also a plethora of figurines, blind boxes, and even Gundam mechas that could actually fit a person... His taste left something to be desired, but there was a clearmon theme: everything looked expensive!

    Before the door was a blindingly red carpet leading all the way to the desk at the center of the room, behind which was a replica of the Iron Throne from <i>Game of Thrones</i>. Made by melting hundreds of iron swords, the seat seemed hard, cold, and sharp. Gao Yang felt his hip bone throbbing just by looking at it.

    Dressed in a shit-yellow pajamas, Wu Dahai was signing documents on his iron throne while biting into a cucumber, hair floppy, legs crossed, and expression bored.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang were there as well. They had just arrived and were looking over Wu Dahai¡¯s obscenely luxurious office.

    ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s get the party started.¡± Wu Dahai finished signing all the documents and stood up, casting his fountain pen aside and taking onest bite of the cucumber. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    1. About 800-900 USD ?

 Chapter 67: Legacy of the Bygone

    <h4>Chapter 67: Legacy of the Bygone</h4>

    The first thing Wu Dahai did¡ªwhich surprised no one¡ªwas sweep his hands through his floppy hair. He didn¡¯t even have to put on hairspray to set his hair into the usual broom shape. As expected of a man with digital perms for hands.

    Wu Dahai walked to the left side of his office. There was a circr two-meter wide pattern on the floor. Gao Yang could make out the drawings of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac Signs, only in more abstract forms.

    Wu Dahai waved them over. ¡°Come on.¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and White Rabbit walked up to him, standing inside the circr pattern.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Wu Dahai snapped his fingers, and a secondter, the circr pattern under their feet revealed itself to be a moving tform, descending slowly while rotating,ing to a steady halt the moment it finished a full circle. They found themselves in an enclosed chamber.

    They got off the tform and looked around. The room was in the shape of a polygon. At a nce, it seemed to be about two hundred square meters in size, and the walls and ceilings were built with fine ivory white rock.

    Gao Yang counted. There were twelve walls in total, each etched with an abstract, solemn-looking relief. Starting from his one o¡¯clock, there was a mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse,mb, chicken, monkey, dog, and pig on each wall¡ªin the order of the Zodiac Signs.

    Under every relief was a metal table that looked both archaic and advanced, and different numbers of animal masks could be found on them. The masks varied in types, styles, and degree of wear and tear, and they were all kept in airtight ss cabs like antiques being put on disy.

    Gao Yang walked up to the relief sculpture of a mouse. On the metal table were three airtight ss cabs, each housing a mouse mask and marked with years.

    The first was a cheap stic one that looked like it would be sold on the street for a few yuan, marked 1965 to 1980.

    The second was a punk style rubber head mask. However, only the upper half remained, while the lower half seemed to have been cut off by something sharp, and there wererge blotches of dark crimson. The years were 1983 to 1984.

    The third mask was in the worst state. All that remained were pieces of metal shards that couldn¡¯t be pieced back together, and they seemed to have been burnt at a high temperature. It had likely been a metal mask. The years were 1993 to 2010.

    Like Gao Yang, Qing Ling and Officer Huang were also curious about the masks. They walked around the different sculptures and browsed the masks like they were visiting a museum.

    After a quick tour, Gao Yang realized that all relief sculptures were disyed with at least one and at most six masks¡ªexcept for the dragon one. There was no mask there.

    ¡°Are you curious? About why there isn¡¯t a dragon mask?¡± White Rabbit moved up to him from behind and looked up at the dragon relief with him.

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°The organization was founded 57 years ago. Over the next three years, the Twelve Zodiac Signs came into being, and the organization only ever sought out the right recruits when there were vacancies to fill. That¡¯s why the Twelve Zodiac Signs rarely have more than twelve members. You can consider each spot a legacy.¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s expression turned serious. This wasn¡¯t something to take lightly for her. ¡°Every member may customize their own mask. To differentiate the different generations, the code names are appended with a descriptor starting from the second generation. For example, the first-gen mouse was simply known as Mouse, while the second was Year Mouse, the third was Shadow Mouse, and the fourth¡ªWu Dahai¡ªpicked Electric Mouse for himself based on his Talent, Lightning.¡±

    Gao Yang said without missing a beat, ¡°So all these masks belonged to your predecessors who have died.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Wu Dahai¡¯s the fourth-gen Mouse.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s gaze was filled with respect. ¡°I¡¯m the third gen, while Lovely Lamb is the seventh gen. Things have been difficult for her predecessors. That¡¯s why she¡¯s our most precious member, and we¡¯ll all rather sacrifice ourselves than let her die. But well, with her Talent, it would take a lot to kill her.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Then the current Dragon...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the first Dragon still lives, so he¡¯s simply known as Dragon. That¡¯s our captain and the founder of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± White Rabbit adopted the tone she usually talked about their captain with again. ¡°Life hasn¡¯t been treating him well. He¡¯s lost all his original teammates, leaving only him and us useless newbies.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to think. ¡°You said we might as well be long lost brothers. I assumed...that he would be young.¡±

    ¡°He <i>is </i>young, and really handsome!¡± White Rabbit smiled with adoration. ¡°You¡¯ll understand in the near future.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t press. Instead, he asked after thinking for a moment, ¡°Is your vice-captain Tiger?¡±

    White Rabbit was surprised. ¡°Whoa, how did you know? Did Wu Dahai tell you?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s only one tiger mask here, the least among all zodiac signs outside of Dragon. That means they must have been around for a long time.¡±

    White Rabbit gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re clever, and I like clever people. Vice-Captain is called War Tiger. He won¡¯t be joining us at the weing party since he¡¯s away for a mission.¡±

    Then from behind them came the sound of the tform descending. White Rabbit looked over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Ah, the others are here.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to see a small group getting off the tform.

    Heavenly Dog took the lead. He was still wearing the same mask, and sitting on his shoulders was Lovely Lamb. She was dressed in a light green traditional dress, her hair tied into a cute single braid rather than a pair of buns like thest time they met. She raised the hand holding a skewer of candied fruit and waved at him. ¡°Nice to see you again, Brother Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°Nice to see you, Cute Little Lamb.¡± Gao Yang was happy to see her as well. Not only had the little girl saved him before, she also felt like a little sister to him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve all arrived.¡± Dead Pig chuckled. When he got off the tform, everyone could feel the floor tremor slightly.

    Behind him were two men and one woman. They wore a mask of horse, monkey, and chicken respectively.

    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you. These three are our new recruits, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang Qi.¡± White Rabbit walked up to her teammates. ¡°And these are Ghost Horse, Mischievous Monkey, and Songstress Chicken.¡±

    The man called Ghost Horse didn¡¯t quite look the part. The cynical and tired look of his horse mask made it seem like the horse had depression.

    He took off the mask, revealing himself as a middle-aged man with pronounced brows and wide chin. Deep creases lined the sides of his nose to the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were rimmed withrge shadows. Dressed in a typical dark blue suit and holding a ck suitcase, he looked like an office worker who had been doing overtime for three whole days.

    Ghost Horse offered a hand politely and said in a gloomy voice, ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡± Gao Yang shook his hand. His palm was so cold it felt like the hand of a dead body. Then Ghost Horse went on to shake hands with Qing Ling and Officer Huang.

    After that, he took out three name cards from the pocket of his suit jacket. ¡°Please.¡±

    The three of them exchanged a look before taking the name cards, feeling awkward.

    Gao Yang took a look. He was surprised to find that Ghost Horse was awyer at aw firm.

    The man backed away. Then Mischievous Monkey stepped forward. He was wearing a mask of the Monkey King¡ªthe kind that one would see in a traditional y¡ªand it seemed from his silver hair and white Tai Chi clothes that he was an elderly man.

    He took off his mask, and Gao Yang was stunned when he saw the man¡¯s face.

    <i>It¡¯s him?!</i>

 Chapter 68: Official Members

    <h4>Chapter 68: Official Members</h4>

    ¡°Old Man Liu?!¡± Officer Huang was the first to call out to him.

    Mischievous Monkey was the old man selling mtang near the station, Old Man Liu¡ªor someone who looked just like him.

    ¡°You know me?¡± the man asked in surprise.

    ¡°You...¡± Officer Huang stumbled on his words in astonishment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you...a wanderer?¡±

    The old man chuckled in realization. ¡°That¡¯s my older brother.¡±

    ¡°Older brother?¡± Officer Huang frowned. ¡°You¡¯re Old Man Liu¡¯s...twin brother?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey nodded with a smile. ¡°You may call me Old Second Liu.¡±

    Gao Yang observed the old man. True to his words, while the man looked simr to Old Man Liu, he seemed younger, more spirited and in better physical condition, and his gaze was bright and clear rather than muddled with age like his twin brother¡¯s. He also held himself with a serene and zen air that belonged to the reclusive masters, unlike the worldly man his brother was.

    ¡°Old Second Liu?¡° Officer Huang was both shocked and befuddled. ¡°Your twin brother is a monster, yet you¡¯re human... How is that possible?¡±

    Officer Huang took the question right out of Gao Yang¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs for that exact question.¡± Old Second Liu¡¯s lips were still curved into a slight smile. ¡°I may be old, but I¡¯m actually new in the organization in terms of tenure.¡±

    <i>Ah.</i> Gao Yang thought to himself. The longer he spent in this world, the more he felt like he was still in the tutorial phase; there were still so many unsolved mysteries.

    ¡°Old Second Liu.¡± Officer Huang walked up to him and gripped his hand. ¡°To be honest, seeing you today is a highlight for me.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled bitterly. ¡°Among all the awakeners I¡¯ve encountered, you are the only one who has lived so long.¡±

    Old Second Liu bellyughed.

    ¡°A senior is a treasure to the family.¡± White Rabbit walked up to them with a smile. ¡°Old Second Liu is the only elderly member the organization has ever recruited. Everyone treats him like a source of good fortune.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll get to be an old man like me,¡± Old Second Liu said as he put his mask back on.

    Then every pair of eyes in the room shifted to thest member to introduce themselves.

    Songstress Chicken was a young woman. She was a brte with long, curly hair, and the top half of her face was covered by a finely crafted mask, decorated with a lifelike feather on one side.

    She was dressed in a patterned overall dress that was colorful but in a natural sense. Her legs curved in an aesthetically pleasing way, and on her fair, delicate wrists were a variety of bracelets of contrasting colors. The way she held herself had a gracefulness and lightness to it, and as she walked, her essories clinked pleasantly. She was like a beautiful peacock.

    Even though she hadn¡¯t taken off her mask, it was clear from the lower half of her face that she was stunning. Petite nose, sensuous red lips, and chin that was tapered without giving off an unkind impression.

    She offered a hand and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Please call me Songstress.¡±

    ¡°Well met, Songstress.¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang shook her hand in turn. While Songstress seemed friendly and amicable in the way she acted, she didn¡¯t say anything else after the brief introduction. The atmosphere grew a little awkward.

    White Rabbit quickly exined, ¡°Please don¡¯t take it the wrong way. Sister Songstress isn¡¯t the aloof kind. She simply tries not to speak too much, or we may fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°Is it her Talent?¡± Gao Yang said in realization.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± White Rabbit exined on Songstress¡¯ behalf. ¡°Sister Songstress¡¯ Talent is Requiem, serial number 66. Her voice itself is hypnotic, and when she sings, very few people are able to stay awake for more than 30 seconds. It¡¯s a little better when she¡¯s only talking, but it still takes less than 5 minutes for her to put everyone to sleep. If you ever have a sleepless night, you can seek her out. Since she usually has to hold back, she <i>loves </i>an opportunity to chat freely.¡±

    Songstress nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Okay!¡± White Rabbit pped. ¡°That¡¯s everyone. Let¡¯s start the onboarding ceremony then!¡±

    Gao Yang went through his mental list. There were currently ten official members in the organization: Electric Mouse, War Tiger, White Rabbit, Dragon, Ghost Horse, Lovely Lamb, Mischievous Monkey, Songstress Chicken, Heavenly Dog, and Dead Pig.

    Dragon and War Tiger were the captain and vice-captain respectively, and they weren¡¯t in attendance.

    That meant there were only two vacancies: ox and snake.

    Then Heavenly Dog came up to them with two ordinary stic masks. One of an ox, and the other of a snake. ¡°These are only temporary. You may get your own masks ording to your liking going forward.¡±

    White Rabbit added, ¡°We always mask up when we go on a mission. It¡¯s our work culture, for one. And for another, it¡¯s to hide our identities.¡±

    ¡°Do we pick our own zodiac sign?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°And our own code name?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. However, there are only two vacancies at the moment. That means only two of you will get a code name. The other one is considered an official member as well, but won¡¯t get a name until one of us dies and leaves the spot to you.¡± White Rabbit shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the day doesn¡¯te too soon.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been doing your job right, head of HR,¡± Officer Huang ribbed her. ¡°Why did you recruit one person too many? That¡¯s a bad omen.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry!¡± White Rabbit put her hands together and gave an apology she didn¡¯t mean. ¡°I thought one of you would¡¯ve died back in Gu Family¡¯s Vige. Didn¡¯t expect all of you to make it.¡±

    ¡°Did you hear yourself?!¡± Officer Huang almost popped a vein.

    ¡°Officer Huang, Qing Ling, you should take the code names.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Officer Huang turned to him. ¡°Like the case with Kong Rong giving his pear to his younger siblings, I should be the one to take a step back since I¡¯m the oldest.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait to get a code name.¡±

    Gao Yang insisted for two reasons. First, neither ox nor snake caught his fancy, and he didn¡¯t have a reason to fight for the spots. Second, being careful was the key to survival. It was never wrong to keep a low profile.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Officer Huang didn¡¯t drag things out. ¡°I¡¯ll pick ox. I¡¯ve even gotten a name in mind already. I¡¯ll be Yellow Ox.[1]¡±

    ¡°Have you decided for real?¡± White Rabbit asked. ¡°You won¡¯t have a chance to change your name.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Officer Huang said proudly. ¡°I¡¯ll be the old yellow ox that serves the people! It¡¯s a perfect fit for my job!¡±

    ¡°Green Snake[2],¡± Qing Ling said without hesitation as well.

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s quick!¡± White Rabbit said approvingly before giving Wu Dahai a derisive look. ¡°See how decisive they are? You, on the other hand, spent three days thinking of a name. And Electric Mouse is what you settled on? You¡¯ve got bad taste!¡±

    Wu Dahai swept his hands through his hair. ¡°You¡¯re too young to understand my charm, White Rabbit. I don¡¯t me you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the daily dose of vomit-inducing lines.¡± White Rabbit put on a show of retching.

    Heavenly Dog came up to Gao Yang to hand him a mask of No-Face from<i> Spirited Away</i>.

    Gao Yang put it on. It made him feel quite cool.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done!¡± said White Rabbit.

    Officer Huang interjected, ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t we going to take an oath or something?¡±

    ¡°Nope! That¡¯s too edgy. We don¡¯t do things like that.¡± White Rabbit snapped her fingers. ¡°That reminds me though. Group photo time, peeps! Otherwise we won¡¯t even have a picture of ourselves at our funerals.¡±

    White Rabbit had everyone put on their masks and stand in a line. She set up a SLR camera on a tripod and picked up the remote shutter control. For their absent Captain and Vice-Captain, they were added into the picture via White Rabbit and Wu Dahai holding up their masks.

    White Rabbit raised her voice and dered, ¡°I hereby announce that the Twelve Zodiac Signs areplete again!¡±

    ¡°Three, two, one!¡±

    ¡°Cheese!¡±

    <i>Click¡ª</i>

    1. <i>Huang</i>, his surname, means yellow. ?

    2. <i>Qing</i>, her surname, means green. ?

 Chapter 69: Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 69: Ambush</h4>

    After the group photo, Wu Dahai created credentials for Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang in hispany¡¯s internal security system and gave them each an employee ID with a false identity. From now on, the three of them were official employees of hispany and would be able toe and go freely in the Millennium Tower.

    Gao Yang took a look at his ID. It said ¡®marketing manager¡¯.

    ¡°Do I get paid?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Wu Dahai gave him a bemused look. ¡°You need money?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°My dad got into a car ident, and his factory is close to bankruptcy. I want to help him.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s rough.¡± Wu Dahai sounded understanding, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to turn him down. ¡°I don¡¯t have money for you.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a billionaire? Can¡¯t you offer me some help?¡±

    Wu Dahai patted him on the shoulder, but didn¡¯t sway at all. ¡°If you are the one who needs money, you only have to say the word, buddy. But we don¡¯t help monsters.¡±

    ¡°My family may not be monsters,¡± Gao Yang insisted.

    ¡°All non-awakeners are to be treated as monsters,¡± Heavenly Dog saidzily. ¡°It¡¯s best to let them be. Awakeners must not interfere with a monster¡¯s life.¡±

    He realized everyone was looking at him when he finished, so he hurriedly exined, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what Captain said.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai is a monster too,¡± Gao Yang argued. ¡°And you lent him a sports car.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai¡¯s a special case. Given how different he is as a wanderer, the organization would like to observe him. And he¡¯s rich to start with. Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t gonna change the trajectory of his life by lending him a car.¡± White Rabbit approached Gao Yang and winked at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn to Wang Zikai to help your dad? It¡¯s fine for a monster to interfere with another monster¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°By the way, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t visit this ce for no reason even though you three now have your own employee ID.¡± White Rabbit stepped onto the moving tform. ¡°Don¡¯t think that things will be okay just because you have the organization as support. Monsters are still cunning and dangerous. Lay low while you aren¡¯t doing a mission and maintain a good act.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t need to be told that.

    One by one, they got onto the tform. Then they returned to Wu Dahai¡¯s extravagant office.

    Mischievous Monkey, Songstress Chicken, Dead Pig, and Heavenly Dog had missions to take care of and departed, leaving Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wu Dahai, White Rabbit, and Lovely Lamb behind.

    White Rabbit threw Wu Dahai a nce. ¡°Is the renovation of the underground sixth floorplete?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, donest week!¡± Wu Dahai crowed. ¡°It¡¯ll blow your mind! Come on, I¡¯ll give you a tour!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°One of the organization¡¯s secret bases,¡± White Rabbit exined. ¡°Something like a Bat Cave, if you will.¡±

    That gave Gao Yang a mental image, but then he got worried. ¡°Did Wu Dahai design it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯d rather die than let him design our base with his atrocious taste!¡± White Rabbit said with obvious disgust. ¡°Heavenly Dog made the blueprint. He¡¯s an interior designer. Wu Dahai only paid for the construction.¡±

    ¡°Ho-ho-ha-he! Quick, use the nunchucks! Ho-ho-ha-he! Keep in mind, martial artist! Kindness maketh the unrivaled master...[1]¡± Wu Dahai took the lead and danced around rapping as he walked, ignoring White Rabbit¡¯sments like it was a routine of theirs.

    Just when the six of them were going to enter the private elevator, Gao Yang came to a halt.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    White Rabbit turned around. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Heart pounding, Gao Yang felt an overpowering sense of violent, chilling murderous intent.

    [Beep¡ª]

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 2500 times.]

    ¡°Something¡¯sing... Something dangerous!¡±

    The smile on White Rabbit¡¯s face froze as she looked at Gao Yang, and she nched.

    She shouted at Wu Dahai, ¡°Get them out of...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Following the explosive impact, therge bulletproof floor-to-ceiling window shattered, the ss particles flying in the air like ice crystals.

    In the split second, Gao Yang saw the figure moving amid the sttering ss pieces.

    A man!

    Wearing a stealth suit and a bva, the man tucked both hands and legs to his torso to curl himself into something like a ck cannonball, shattering the bulletproof window wall with the momentum he built up from high velocity freefall.

    <i>But this is hundreds of meters high up! Did he jump off a helicopter?!</i>

    It all happened too fast for Gao Yang to think properly.

    The moment hended, the man in ck unfurled his body andnded on his feet. With a roll, he leapt and lunged at a stunned Lovely Lamb, pulling out a short sword from his waist at the same time.

    Just when the short sword was going to bury into Lovely Lamb¡¯s vulnerable chest, someone flew over and tackled her away from the de like a fastball.

    It was White Rabbit. She rolled on the floor with Lovely Lamb in her arms, and it took her several rotations to break up the momentum.

    Without hesitation, White Rabbit dropped Lovely Lamb and made a leap by pushing both feet hard against the floor, rushing toward the man in ck at impressive speed.

    The man in ck reacted just as quickly. He dodged a powerful kick from White Rabbit by arching backward at a seemingly impossible angle. And seizing the moment when White Rabbit flew over him, he lifted his leg at lightning speed and kicked White Rabbit in the abdomen.

    The kick was quick <i>and </i>incredibly powerful. Like a billiard ball getting hit mid roll, her trajectory took a sharp, right-angle turn toward the ceiling above.

    <i>Bam! </i>White Rabbit mmed into the ceiling and bounced, falling down toward the floor.

    The man in ck stayed where he was and held up his short sword with a reverse grip, lifting his hand to stab her in her vitals.

    <i>Clink!</i>

    His short sword was parried by a Tang Dao. The man in ck paused, surprised that Qing Ling would close the eight meters between them so quickly.

    He lowered the tip of his short sword, forcing Qing Ling to shift the center of her gravity forward. Then he straightened his left arm and tensed up the muscles to stab at Qing Ling¡¯s throat. He struck quickly and from an unexpected angle like a rattlesnake hunting its prey.

    Mid-strike, he quickly pulled back his left hand to block the dagger that was a hair away from stabbing him in the right eye¡ªit was the hidden weapon Qing Ling had manipted with Metal.

    Then sensing another source of danger, the man in ck whirled around and threw his short sword.

    About ten meters away, Officer Huang had just pulled out his gun when the short sword suddenly hit him in the right arm. Officer Huang grimaced, his gun falling from his right hand.

    But his God of Firearms made all guns an extension of his body. With a quick crouch, he caught the gun with his left hand before it hit the ground and turned around quickly, his ring finger already on the trigger. <i>Bang</i>! Three bullets were shot in quick session. Everyone of his movement flowed to the next seamlessly like water.

    The bullets hit, but instead of hitting the man in the head, the bullets hit the left arm the man had raised to shield himself. Blood gushed out of his forearm, yet it seemed as if he couldn¡¯t feel pain, and not only didn¡¯t he slow down, he sped up.

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t expect their attacker to be someone so monstrous. He was going to pull the trigger again...

    ...But the de was quicker.

    <i>Bang</i>! The gun fired a shot, but the bullet hit the ceiling.

    When Officer Huang realized what was happening, his arm holding the gun was already flying in the air, sttering blood everywhere.

    His left arm was cut off, he btedly registered the information in his brain.

    Pupils dting, his fearful eyes reflected the image of a man in ck moving like a ghost.

    <i>Ssh! </i>The bloodied short sword thrust into Officer Huang¡¯s chest.

    1. Jay Chou¡¯s song <i>Nunchucks</i>. ?

 Chapter 70: Despair

    <h4>Chapter 70: Despair</h4>

    The man in ck quickly pulled out the short sword and turned around to rush at Qing Ling.

    Officer Huang¡¯s eyes lost focus, and the fear on his face morphed into confusion. His body gave out and he dropped to his knees.

    The few seconds it took for Officer Huang to get killed, Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot, feeling his breath catch in his throat while shock and despair strangled him like a physical thing.

    <i>Think! Think! Think!</i>

    <i>What should I do? ess the system andprehend a Talent...no, we don¡¯t have time. I may not seed in theprehension, and even if I do, the Talent I get may not be useful in a fight. When every second can mean another death, I must do something now!</i>

    <i>Fight with Fire? No, the man¡¯s too quick. I¡¯ll be doomed if I get into melee range!</i>

    <i>Is Officer Huang dead? Can he still be saved?</i> <i>If I leave the fight to others and replicate Lovely Lamb¡¯s Injury Transfer to help Officer Huang... But now, Replicate is only level 2, and the replicated Talent will onlyst ten seconds. That¡¯s not enough to take on Officer Huang¡¯s injury. Besides, for how long can I keep it stored, and to whom should I transfer the injury?</i>

    <i>How about Qing Ling¡¯s God of des? That¡¯s an even more impossible option. She¡¯s fighting the man in close range. I¡¯m as good as dead if I get too close. Besides, I don¡¯t have a sword and won¡¯t be able to do much with God of des.</i>

    All that thinking took only three seconds. The quick reasoning he went through was more instinct and experience than conscious strategizing.

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze shifted to White Rabbit. The man¡¯s kick had hurt her quite badly, and she was still crouching on the floor, holding onto her abdomen with a pale face.

    <i>Shing! nk¡ªclink!</i>

    Swinging her Tang Dao while manipting two rotating daggers at the same time, Qing Ling attacked the man in ck from both sides,ser-focused since she couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted for even a moment.

    The man¡¯s left arm had been crippled by Officer Huang¡¯s gunshots, and it dangled without strength. All the while, he held his short sword with his right hand and moved with the agility and unpredictability of a ghost, parrying every one of Qing Ling¡¯s aggressive attacks.

    He moved backward as he exchanged blows with Qing Ling. While Level 3 God of des was a threat, it was far from enough to beat him. The one he was wary of was Wu Dahai. Wu Dahai had activated Lightning not far from them, and he was surrounded by crackling currents that flew about like bugs. He was waiting for the right moment to attack.

    No human could move faster than lightning. The man in ck was keeping an eye on Wu Dahai¡¯s hands to predict when lightning would strike from above so that he could move out of the way. A true master never dodged a bullet as it came; they observed the way their opponent made a shot.

    Wu Dahai knew his limit. Level 3 Lightning might be powerful, but he couldn¡¯t control high-voltage lighting freely yet, and his uracy wascking. Even when he manipted his lighting with both hands, there would be atency of one second.

    The man in ck was constantly moving, making it hard for Wu Dahai to target him. And Wu Dahai might end up hitting Qing Ling instead. Although he was all charged up, he didn¡¯t dare make the attack. At most, he was only able to support Qing Ling in her all-out offense by making the man wary.

    They got into a strange standstill.

    Suddenly, the man in ck caught movement, his gaze sharpening.

    Gao Yang had snuck to White Rabbit¡¯s side to help her up. His heart sank when he looked down at her.

    Her abdomen was covered in red. The man had kicked <i>into </i>her flesh. Her organs were unlikely to have survived the abuse.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Leave me...take Lovely Lamb!¡± White Rabbit said with blood streaking down from the corners of her mouth, her voice pained. She could no longer walk on her own.

    Gao Yang saw the resignation in her eyes. There was no winning this fight!

    Clenching his teeth, he put her on his back.

    White Rabbit was confused. ¡°What...are you...¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [Detected one replicable Talent: Level 4 Jump. Do you wish to replicate it?]

    ¡ªReplicate!

    [Talent: Jump. Serial Number: 60. Rune Type: Buff.]

    [Stats Bonuses (temporary) of Level 4 Jump: Constitution + 180, Endurance + 150, Agility + 400, Charisma + 40.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, feeling power rush through him, imbuing every muscle in his lower limbs. And countless experiences and techniques regarding jump and how it could be incorporated into fights surfaced his mind.

    ¡°Jump!¡±

    With White Rabbit on his back, Gao Yang leapt with both legs andnded beside Lovely Lamb, traveling ten meters in the blink of an eye. The girl was sitting prone on the floor, sobbing in fear.

    ¡°Save her!¡± Gao Yang pulled Lovely Lamb into his arms.

    Lovely Lamb blinked with her big teary eyes and immediately reached over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder to touch White Rabbit¡¯s face, her voice cracking as she sobbed out, ¡°In-Injury Transfer...¡±

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 3500 times.]

    The system¡¯s voice rang in his head, making Gao Yang¡¯s hair stand on end. He didn¡¯t even have the time to look up as a shadow flicked across the floor, and a grim reaper descended upon him from above.

    ¡ªJump!

    Gao Yang jumped as hard as he could. In that split second, he heard the sound of de cutting through air. It brushed past the back of his head.

    The next second, Gao Yang reached Officer Huang with White Rabbit on his back and Lovely Lamb in his arms.

    He quickly dropped them and shouted, ¡°Save them both!¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± Lovely Lamb sobbed, reaching out to grab both White Rabbit and Officer Huang by hand.

    Meanwhile, the man in ck¡¯s sneak attack against Gao Yang failed. He was just a little too slow, and the short sword in his hand missed the target. Gao Yang managed to flee at thest moment.

    <i>Crackle! </i>Violet lightning came out of nowhere and struck the man in ck from above, each strand as thick as a man¡¯s thigh.

    Having predicted the attack, the man jumped to the side as soon as he missed Gao Yang. Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t a fool either. He knew the man would¡¯ve moved out of the way, and he scattered the lightning apart.

    Luckily, one strike managed to catch the man in ck on the heel, the 1000-volt lightning ensnaring the man.

    He staggered, his right calf losing its sensation, and a numbness spread through all his muscles as the current shot through his body.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t miss the hard-earned chance. She rushed to the man at lightning speed with her weapon.

    A secondter, the man in ck regained control over himself, but his calf was still numb.

    It was toote for him to dodge Qing Ling¡¯s thrust. He shook his left shoulder to swing his crippled forearm toward her de.

    Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao ended up hitting his left forearm before prating into his left shoulder. She had aimed for his heart, but he managed to knock her attack awry.

    He didn¡¯t even make a muffled sound, as if he didn¡¯t feel any pain.

    Before Qing Ling could pull her de out, he turned to the left and pushed, the de tearing a big gash into his shoulder, forcing Qing Ling to shift forward along with her weapon. At the same time, the blood sttering from the gash in the man¡¯s shoulder hit Qing Ling in the face, obscuring her vision in crimson red.

    Qing Ling was caughtpletely off guard. It was all part of the man¡¯s n.

    He utilized his crippled arm and even the blood he shed. He might not be the strongest fighter, but he was for certain the most terrifying andposed killer!

    It was already toote when Qing Ling caught onto his n.

    She felt a chill in her chest, and it spread to the rest of her body.

    She looked down. The short sword in the man¡¯s right hand had prated her chest without mercy, and her blood flowed along the de.

    The man¡¯s right calf recovered.

    <i>Ssh!</i> He quickly pulled out the short sword and kicked Qing Ling away as he stood up, sending her flying a few meters in the air before shended and stopped moving.

    The man smirked.

    The ughter had just begun!

 Chapter 71: Slaughter

    <h4>Chapter 71: ughter</h4>

    ¡°Qing...Ling...¡±

    Wu Dahai stared. The goddess he had dreamed about and pined after was no more.

    And it was his fault. If he had been decisive enough to strike with Lightning the moment Qing Ling stabbed the man in ck with her Tang Dao, he would be able to kill the man at the price of critically injuring Qing Ling. But he didn¡¯t do it. He thought they were winning, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt Qing Ling.

    Yet the man killed her without hesitation.

    How could he do that to someone so beautiful, without even blinking?

    Wu Dahai¡¯s shocksted only a second, but that one second was enough for the man in ck to strike.

    Before Wu Dahai could manipte his lightning again, the man threw the short sword at him.

    Wu Dahai¡¯s attack was stopped short, and he dodged out of the way.

    Wu Dahai was quick for a ¡®spellcaster¡¯, but he was fighting a professional killer. When he regained his bnce, the man in ck had already gotten close to him.

    Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao was still in the man¡¯s left shoulder, and the cut was at least ten centimeters deep. His arm would fall off at any second. He¡¯d been sttering blood everywhere as he ran at full speed.

    It was no exaggeration to say that he was like a frenzied zombie... No, it would be more urate topare him to the berserking Eva-01 from his favorite anime, <i>Evangelion</i>.

    Shockingly, the man in ck was moving even faster than before despite his serious injury!

    The moment the man got into Wu Dahai¡¯s space, he pulled out the Tang Dao in his left shoulder without pause.

    Wu Dahai felt a great pain in his right thigh before he could move his hands. He didn¡¯t have to look down to know that the man had thrown the Tang Dao at him and hit the artery there.

    Bracing against the pain, Wu Dahai conjured his power. ¡°Lightning¡ª¡±

    But he was half a second too slow.

    The man in ck broke Wu Dahai¡¯s jaw with an upper hook thrown with his right arm, sending Wu Dahai flying in a parabolic trajectory before he mmed into the two-meter tall disy cabs for figurines.

    Wu Dahai lost consciousness amid the broken figurines and shattered ss.

    It was unbelievable that it had been less than ten seconds from the moment the man in ck went after Gao Yang, got hit by a lucky errant lightning from Wu Dahai, killed Qing Ling, and finally to the moment he took out Wu Dahai.

    The man knew exactly how long it had been; he had been counting throughout his killing spree. To be in control of time was to be in control of the pace of the battle and the information one could miss.

    Ten seconds.

    The man tensed up. If his memory served him right, Level 2 Replicatested 10 seconds. The cunning boy had replicated White Rabbit¡¯s Jump... He still had one second!

    The moment the thought shed through the man¡¯s mind, he felt a great force mming into the side of his back.

    In less than ten seconds, Gao Yang had witnessed the fall of Qing Ling and then Wu Dahai. He didn¡¯t have time to be angry or sad. Seizing thest one second¡ªthe brief pause to the man¡¯s movement after he dealt with Wu Dahai¡ªGao Yang jumped and lunged at the man with all the power he could muster.

    The man in ck didn¡¯t even attempt to resist the force that mmed into him, or his spine would¡¯ve broken under the impact. Instead, he rxedpletely and allowed Gao Yang¡¯s momentum to send both of them flying five to six meters in the air.

    They fell and rolled, grappling on the floor in a twist of limbs. The man in ck had lost his weapon, and his left arm was as good as useless. Not to mention the great impact that had just hit him.

    Gao Yang clearly had the upper hand. He opened his arms and grabbed onto the man tightly.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Fire as hot as 580 degrees Celsius surged and burned the man¡¯s back, quickly spreading to the rest of his body.

    Gao Yang knew that he would be under the mercy of his own fire, but with his fire resistance, he could endure it until the man got burned to death.

    It wasmon knowledge that being burned was excruciating. The average men would lose their rationality because of the unbearable pain and in turns lose their focus, unable to retaliate effectively. Normally, they would be at the mercy of increasing pain until they died.

    Yet the man in ck seemed to feel nothing. Even with the fire zing on his back, he never stopped moving.

    He reached for his burning back with his still mobile right hand, and ignoring the zing pain shooting from his fingers to his heart, he grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s left thumb.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Gao Yang screamed as his left thumb got broken, and the fire shooting out of his left palm vanished. That was half of the fire that could¡¯ve devoured the man whole.

    The man in ck then made a side flip, twisting his waist with impressive agility and breaking free of Gao Yang¡¯s other hand with a quick judo move.

    When Gao Yang recovered from the pain, his right arm was already caught in the vise-like grip of the man¡¯s thighs.

    ¡ªShit!

    His premonition was right. Half a secondter, Gao Yang heard the crack of his arm popping out of his shoulder.

    And as he cried out in pain, the fire shooting out of his right palm vanished as well.

    The man in ck kicked Gao Yang away and quickly rolled on the floor a few times to put out the fire. Then he got to his feet and marched up to Gao Yang with a bleeding, dangling left arm.

    Gao Yang curled into himself on the floor. His dislocated right shoulder, his broken left thumb, and the heavy kick to his chest overwhelmed him with so much pain that he could no longer fight.

    But he must not give up!

    He closed his eyes.

    [ess granted...]

    However, the man in ck didn¡¯t give him the time to do anything. He strode up to him and kicked him in his lower abdomen.

    Feeling his organs being rearranged into a mess, Gao Yang rolled five meters away before the back of his head mmed into Wu Dahai¡¯s desk. He saw stars as his vision went dark, and his brain stopped working.

    The man in ck didn¡¯t leave anything to chance. He stepped on Gao Yang¡¯s neck and pushed down, taking away his breath by applying more and more pressure. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure if he would die of suffocation or a broken neck first.

    Despair.

    That was all he could feel.

    Why? Why didn¡¯t the man show any sign of pain or exhaustion even though he was badly injured as well?

    Was he a mutant? Was he invincible?

    Was he a monster or an awakener? Was he an archenemy of the Twelve Zodiac Signs?

    Gao Yang had thought that the organization could be his support, yet he was facing his death the very day he joined. What an irony! He was suddenly reminded of the masks disyed in the ss cabs in the hidden chamber like antiques. All those different masks...

    What were their owners thinking before their deaths? Did they ever regret joining the organization?

    ¡°Let Brother Gao Yang go!¡± Before his consciousness slipped from him, Gao Yang heard a young voice speak up in a defiant, hurt tone. It was...Lovely Lamb.

 Chapter 72: War Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 72: War Tiger</h4>

    Face covered in tears, Lovely Lamb balled her little hands into fists, her pretty dress drenched in blood from White Rabbit and Officer Huang.

    The man in ck turned around, staring coldly at the girl who had no way of putting up a fight.

    ¡°Let him go, you viin!¡± Lovely Lamb yelled.

    The pressure the man in ck applied on Gao Yang¡¯s neck subsided a little, and the moment Gao Yang was able to take a breath, he clung onto the man¡¯s leg and shouted, ¡°Run! Lovely Lamb!¡±

    The man shook his hands off and strode up to Lovely Lamb.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill her...¡±

    Gao Yang trailed off, his eyes widening in disbelief.

    The man drenched in blood reached out with his right hand and lifted Lovely Lamb into a one-arm embrace.

    He rubbed his uncovered chin against Lovely Lamb¡¯s chubby face. ¡°Come on, Cute Little Lamb. Let Uncle give you a kiss...¡±

    ¡°Go away! I hate you! Waaaah you are the worst...¡± Lovely Lamb struggled and iled around to hit the man in the face.

    ¡°Come on, just a kiss. Then Uncle will put you down.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill him.¡± The man in ck was still smiling as he turned around to nce at Gao Yang. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he¡¯s your second favorite big brother in the world?¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡±

    Then a girl flew over, kicking the man in the head with both feet and sending him flying. White Rabbitnded and gracefully caught Lovely Lamb, who had just flown out of the man¡¯s arm.

    She put the little girl down and held onto her still injured abdomen, her face pale. Patting Lovely Lamb on the head, she instructed, ¡°Go save Sister Qing Ling. She¡¯s in the worst condition.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Lovely Lamb wiped off her tears and ran toward the girl lying in her own pool of blood.

    Enduring the pain in her abdomen, White Rabbit strode toward the man lying prone on the floor and stomped on him repeatedly. ¡°Are you fucking nuts?! Who would wee newbies like this?! I¡¯d been avoiding you on purpose exactly because I was worried about you getting another crazy idea! You truly never disappoint, you psycho!¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahahaha...¡± The man in ck broke intoughter, never resisting White Rabbit¡¯s kicks.

    Finally, White Rabbit grew too tired to continue, and she slumped down on the floor.

    The man in ck slowly sat up, holding onto his bleeding left shoulder and calling out to Lovely Lamb, ¡°Hey, Cute Little Lamb! Hurry! Or Uncle Tiger is gonna die.¡±

    ¡°Serve you right! You fuckhead!¡± White Rabbit kicked him again, still fuming with rage.

    ¡°Come on, little rabbit. Don¡¯t be so angry.¡± The man in ck took off his bva and chuckled.

    Gao Yang finally took a good look at him. The man seemed to be in his forties. With natural curls to his hair, his face was thin and sculpted, covered in messy stubbles. His deep-set eyes were bright and zing with fiery spirit. On his left temple, Gao Yang could faintly make out a green tattoo of the character ¡®tiger¡¯.

    Noticing Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, the man lifted his right hand as a greeting. ¡°War Tiger of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I¡¯m going to be your teacher from now on.¡±

    Then he pointed at White Rabbit and the still unconscious Wu Dahai. ¡°These two are my students as well. That was my midterm exam for them.¡±

    Gao Yangy bonelessly on the floor. Although he had survived, he was still reeling from all that had happened. ¡°Right, sure. But how does their exam...concern us?¡±

    ¡°Well, you were here. Might as well take the test together. Consider it a cement test you take when you first enter school.¡± War Tiger stood up and walked up to Gao Yang with a hand on his crippled shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, kid. You made quick judgements and pulled every possible tactic at your disposal. Do you know why you lost?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too weak.¡±

    ¡°Good. You know yourself well.¡± War Tiger squatted down and helped Gao Yang up. ¡°Fire and Replicate! Both amazing Talents. Unfortunately, the level is too low. And you have no training in closebat. In that, Qing Ling is much better than you. You¡¯ve both got potential though. I¡¯ll train you two well from now on.¡±

    ¡°May I...say no?¡±

    That seemed to have caught him off guard. War Tiger thought for a moment. ¡°Well, your Uncle Tiger isn¡¯t a real devil. How about this? Either you ept me as your teacher, or I kill you. Your choice.¡±

    ¡°Please take care of me, Teacher.¡±

    ¡°You learn quickly.¡± War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Neither Qing Ling nor Officer Huang are fatally injured. It may seem like I¡¯ve stabbed them in the heart, but I had purposefully made my stab two centimeters off to the right. And the de of my short sword is narrow and thin, meaning the wounds aren¡¯trge. Lovely Lamb would be able to heal them fully in a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Even though the physical wounds will heal...<i>ack</i>!¡± Gao Yang covered his neck and broke into a coughing fit. ¡°How...are we supposed to recover from the psychological trauma?¡±

    War Tiger walked to his side and grabbed his right shoulder with one hand, making a twist and a push to pop Gao Yang¡¯s arm back into his shoulder joint with an audible <i>crack</i>.

    Gao Yang screamed and almost fainted.

    ¡°Why should you recover from that? Remember how weak, pathetic, and helpless you were tonight. Be grateful that you hadn¡¯t run into a real enemy, or you would¡¯ve been dead.¡±

    The man seemed entirely too pleased with himself. ¡°That¡¯s my first lesson to you.¡±

    Still holding onto her abdomen, White Rabbit slowly walked up to Gao Yang and said, ¡°Apologies for the scare. Uncle Tiger got these...<i>ideas</i> every once in a while, and no one can stop him. That¡¯s the norm for Wu Dahai and I. You¡¯ll get used to it sooner orter.¡±

    <i>How?!</i> Gao Yang suppressed a shudder.

    War Tiger then walked up to Wu Dahai and dragged him toward Lovely Lamb by the leg. He didn¡¯t forget to lecture Gao Yang and White Rabbit as he walked past them, ¡°You and Wu Dahai have gotten better from thest test, but all in all, you still need to improve.¡±

    ¡°Come on!¡± White Rabbit cried out. ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say! With your level 5 Killing Expert, who other than Captain can defeat you?¡±

    ¡°If all of you together can¡¯t deal with me on my own, you¡¯ll die for sure when you run into one of the Spectres.¡± War Tiger then cast Wu Dahai to Lovely Lamb¡¯s side like he was throwing away a bag of garbage.

    Kneeling on the floor with both hands on Qing Ling¡¯s injured chest, Lovely Lamb shifted one hand to Wu Dahai¡¯s fist-shattered chin without even batting an eye.

    Wu Dahai groaned and trembled in difort.

    Gao Yang took notes of two important pieces of information¡ªthe Spectres, and Killing Expert.

    Was the Spectres an enemy organization of the Twelve Zodiac Signs? He would ask about itter.

    As for Killing Expert...that was the number 11 Talent!

    Although Gao Yang had memorized all the Talents from 199 to 11 with the system¡¯s help, all he knew were the names of the Talents, not the detailed information.

    He sought out the system in his head.

    ¡ªSystem! Examine War Tiger¡¯s Talent, Killing Expert.

    [It takes 3 Luck points to examine the Talent.]

    ¡ªThree?! Fine, do it.

    [Talent: Killing Expert. Serial Number: 11. Rune Type: Damage.]

    [Killing Expert: Mastery over all physical techniques, martial arts, and the use of all cold weapons and firearms for the purpose of killing. Pain sensitivity is lowered to 10% in battle, and physical abilities are enhanced the more seriously one is injured. When on the verge of death, all stats are buffed with a maximum multiplier of 3.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Killing Expert: Constitution + 1000, Strength + 1000, Agility + 1000, Willpower + 500, Charisma + 200.]

    ¡ªHoly shit! Killing Expert! That¡¯s crazy!

    ¡ªIf only I could replicate it!

    [Level 5 Replicate allows one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 10.]

    ¡ªMy Replicate is only level 2. Sigh...I¡¯ve still got a long and hard way to go.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    The private elevator opened then, and everyone turned to look at it.

 Chapter 73: Coach, I wanna play basket

    <h4>Chapter 73: Coach, I wanna y basket</h4>

    The one in the elevator was Dead Pig.

    Given how big his build was, he alone was enough to fill the entire elevator, and he looked like a giant stumbling upon Lilliput, the nation of tiny people. He walked out of the elevator and looked around. Then he turned to War Tiger and let out a bitter nasalugh. ¡°I knew it had to be something bad when you called me here.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Dead Pig. I¡¯ll buy you a mealter.¡±

    ¡°Three wholembs, deal?¡±

    ¡°Three wholembs, deal!¡± War Tiger agreed without hesitation, but then he added, ¡°On Wu Dahai¡¯s tab.¡±

    Dead Pig chuckled while walking toward Lovely Lamb.

    For a moment, Gao Yang felt bad for Dead Pig. It seemed to be amon urrence for him to endure the injury transferred from his teammates. No matter how good his regenerative ability was, the pain was real.

    It took Lovely Lamb 15 minutes to absorb most of the injury from everyone and reattach Officer Huang¡¯s right hand and War Tiger¡¯s cut arm. Of course, the reattached parts wouldn¡¯t be good as new immediately. A two days¡¯ rest was suggested, and it would be best to receive treatment from a healer like Fat Jun to fully recover.

    With all the damage stored in Lovely Lamb¡¯s body, her transferring all of it to Dead Pig resulted in quite the grotesque picture. For the next ten minutes or so, Dead Pig¡¯s body kept bursting into wounds. He bled everywhere.

    After all the mess was cleaned up, Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig were both exhausted, and they fell asleep on the ground.

    Compared to the cold-blooded man who had gone on a killing spree before, War Tiger couldn¡¯t be more talkative if he tried. And true to his job title as their teacher, he had been giving them lessons the whole time.

    ¡°Green Snake¡¯s God of des, Yellow Ox¡¯s God of Firearms, and my Killing Expert are all Damage-type Talents. From now on, the three of us will be the main damage output of the organization. The two of you are pretty good fighters. Once you¡¯ve recovered, you should go on missions with me. There¡¯s no better learning experience than actual battles.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll formte Strategy A, B, and C for youter. The two of you should practice to get better at fighting as a team. Thebo of Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig is my invention. Ain¡¯t it awesome?¡±

    War Tiger kept talking, but no one paid him any attention.

    After the near death experience, Officer Huang was in a solemn mood, and he leaned against the wall, smoking and talking on his phone with his wife, ¡°What are you doing, sweetheart? Ah, don¡¯t worry. I just want to hear your voice. Yeah, you should go to bed. I¡¯m still working overtime. I¡¯ll return hometer...¡±

    ¡°Yellow Ox! What¡¯s gotten to you? You¡¯re <i>married</i>?¡± War Tiger seemed disappointed. He kept shaking his head with his arms crossed. ¡°Women would only slow down your de.¡±

    ¡°I use guns.¡± Officer Huang had to put on a smile facing War Tiger¡¯s prowess. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll do my best in your lessons from now on. Would you mind leaving my private life out of this, Teacher?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± War Tiger turned to Qing Ling. ¡°How about it, Green Snake? Would you like to go on a mission with me...¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Qing Ling sat cross-legged on the floor, still reeling from the terrible defeat she had suffered at War Tiger¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Heh, you aren¡¯t being a sore loser, are you?¡±

    Qing Ling looked away.

    Chuckling, War Tiger crouched down next to her. ¡°Well, Uncle Tiger isn¡¯t a devil. How about this? As long as you and Yellow Ox follow me to missions and do them well. I promise to help your God of des and his God of Firearms reach level 4.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes lit up, but then she questioned, ¡°White Rabbit said we don¡¯t have Damage Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t, but others do! We can make a trade with our existing Rune Circuits. Or we can always just make a grab for it if all other options fail.¡± War Tiger pounded himself on the chest. ¡°How do you think I pushed my Killing Expert to level 5?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± White Rabbit said unhappily. ¡°Don¡¯t make such an important decision on your own.¡±

    War Tiger had made up his mind. ¡°I¡¯m the vice-captain. I¡¯m in charge when the captain isn¡¯t around.¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± said Qing Ling.

    Pleased, War Tiger reached out to help her up. ¡°Deal.¡±

    Qing Ling stared at him with a serious expression. ¡°Once I reach level 4, we¡¯ll have a rematch.¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course! Anytime!¡± War Tiger was overjoyed. Finally, he had a student who shared his passion.

    ¡°Um, Teacher War Tiger,¡± Gao Yang piped up weakly. ¡°Have you...forgotten about me?¡±

    <i>Coach, I wanna y basket...I mean, I wanna level up my Talents as well</i>[1]<i>!</i>

    ¡°Oh, you?¡± War Tiger scratched his mess of curly hair. ¡°You¡¯ve got limitless potential, but given how useless you are right now, it¡¯s too early to send you out on missions.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders sagged. Did the man really have to be so direct about it? He had his pride too, and it could bruise!

    ¡°You should stay with White Rabbit and Electric Mouse for the moment. There¡¯s quite a lot they can teach you.¡± War Tiger turned to White Rabbit. ¡°Ah, what were you going to do earlier? I¡¯ll get out of your hair, so you should go back to that.¡±

    ¡°Why, thank you!¡± White Rabbit shot daggers at him with her eyes. Lovely Lamb had fallen asleep in her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Uncle Pig and Cute Little Lamb. Wu Dahai, you take them to the underground base.¡±

    Sitting in the messy office with his back hunched, Wu Dahai looked at all the limited edition figurines, models, and blind boxes scattered on the floor, his heart bleeding.

    Without looking up, he said, ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯m still hurting.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± asked War Tiger. ¡°Didn¡¯t Lovely Lamb treat you?¡±

    ¡°This can¡¯t be treated,¡± Wu Dahai yelled at War Tiger. ¡°It¡¯s my heart that¡¯s hurting!¡±

    ...

    A few minutester, Wu Dahai picked himself up and led Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang to the underground base that had just finished construction. Having taken in three students with good potential, War Tiger was in a good mood, and he decided to follow them down.

    The five of them exchanged nces in the quickly descending elevator.

    Although War Tiger had a friendly smile on his face, Gao Yang still shuddered when he remembered the coldblooded killer from earlier.

    Officer Huang seemed to share Gao Yang¡¯s sentiments. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Teacher, what if you stabbed me at a wrong angle and ended up hitting my heart? Would Lovely Lamb still be able to save me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± War Tiger seemed surprised. ¡°Why would you ask such a silly question? Even monsters can¡¯t survive having their hearts stabbed, let alone a human.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully. There are many limits to Lovely Lamb¡¯s Injury Transfer. First, the injury must have been inflicted no more than thirty minutes ago, and it has to be the kind of damage that can be treated with modern medicine. If irreversible damage has been inflicted, of course the injury wouldn¡¯t be transferable.¡± War Tiger exined with animated gestures like a passionate teacher.

    Officer Huang felt a shudder run down his spine. He suddenly felt like calling his wife again. He wanted to hear her voice.

    It was good...to be alive.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    In no time, the elevator reached the underground sixth floor.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± said Wu Dahai.

    1. A quote from <i>m Dunk</i>. ?

 Chapter 74: -6F

    <h4>Chapter 74: -6F</h4>

    The five of them walked out of the elevator.

    Before them was a narrow path. Dimly lit, it was quiet and serene, and the walls had a fine texture like they had been sanded.

    The two-meter wide path was covered in white pebbles, each about the same size with a smooth texture, over which were nks of ck sander. The intermittent cements of the nks created stripes of ck and white.

    On the sides were bodies of water at the same level as the path, each about three meters wide with slim bamboo filling the space to create patches of green, thriving with vitality yet not without order. It was clear that the bamboo had been ced and trimmed with care, and amid them were ancient-looking marble lights. Installed with sensors, the marbles lit up following their steps.

    The trickling sound of water was interrupted by the soft cks of <i>shishi-odoshi</i>[1] every once in a while. It felt as if they were actually walking in the heart of a bamboo forest under moonlight, the perfect embodiment of zen.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog did a good job designing this ce,¡± Officer Huangplimented.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Wu Dahai said from the front of the group. ¡°His mother came from the Ind Nation[2]. He¡¯s incorporated the elements of his home country.¡±

    They reached the end of the path, where a metal door with artificial wooden texture stood. After a series ofplex identity verification processes, the door opened, revealing a well-illuminated circr living space.

    A stark contrast from the pathway before, the room was bright and designed in a minimalistic way with white, gray, and ck as the main colors. It leaned more toward the stylemon in Sci-Fi.

    At the center of the room was a small disy tform, upon which was a hologram that repeated every ten seconds or so. Twelve cyberpunk-style mechanical animals of the twelve zodiac signs chased after one another and y-fought until they became one, morphing into aplex polygon that looked abstract yet profound. Then the polygon exploded, shattering into countless shards before the shards morphed into animals chasing and ying with one another yet again. It was a seamless, endless loop.

    At the far side of the room were twelve doors, ced in a curve and each represented a zodiac sign.

    Wu Dahai started with the leftmost door. ¡°The mouse door leads to the meeting room, the ox door, theb and tech development room, the tiger door, the gym, sparring room, and training room, the rabbit door, the breakroom, the water cooler room, and a minibar of drinks, coffee, and snacks. The dragon door leads to Captain¡¯s private room and does not open to others. The snake door leads to the dorm rooms and baths.¡±

    Wu Dahai paused and turned to Qing Ling. ¡°Fret not, those are separate for male and female. You don¡¯t have to worry about getting harassed.¡±

    <i>The only one she has to worry about is you</i>, Gao Yang thought to himself.

    ¡°The horse door leads to the armory. I¡¯ll show you in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Themb door leads to the infirmary, operating room, and medicine storage.¡±

    ¡°The monkey door leads to the entertainment room.¡±

    ¡°Entertainment?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    ¡°You can only work hard if you know how to y hard! Got it?¡± Wu Dahai huffed. ¡°There are desktops with inte connection and all kinds of consoles. There are also arcades, my favorite. You¡¯re wee to challenge me any time.¡±

    ¡°Then the chicken door...leads to a karaoke?¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Wu Dahai seemed proud of himself.

    ¡°Build an amusement park, would you?¡± War Tiger sounded fed up.

    ¡°I¡¯m only taking care of all our members, Teacher!¡± Wu Dahai said defiantly. ¡°Do you know how difficult it is to make <i>twelve </i>rooms?¡±

    War Tiger snorted nomittally. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The dog door leads to theundry.¡± Wu Dahai pointed at thest door, the pig door. ¡°That¡¯s the canteen.¡±

    Officer Huang was impressed. ¡°I thought this was a simple base, but with all the facilities, it can provide amodation for everyone.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Wu Dahai boasted. ¡°All the supplies and reserved energy willst us a year.¡±

    ¡°Why would we stay here for that long?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°You¡¯d thank me when the next Crimson Tide came,¡± Wu Dahai said.

    ¡°Oh...¡± War Tiger pressed a hand to his forehead, recalling an unpleasant memory. ¡°During thest Tide, I had to poop in the middle of nowhere and wipe my ass with dried leaves. It was terrible.¡±

    ¡°What is Crimson Tide?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter.¡± War Tiger gave him a meaningful smile. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten enough trauma today.¡±

    <i>Oh, so you do know?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice his grievance.

    Wu Dahai led everyone through the horse door, and they found themselves in a multi-room armory.

    The first room housed the firearms. All four walls were covered in modern weapons, including handguns, rifles, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocketunchers, methrowers, as well as grenades like sh grenades, smoke grenades, sonic grenades, and grenade bombs. Officer Huang¡¯s eyes lit up, hit by a pleasure so great that it felt like a mental climax.

    He picked up a light silver revolver and popped the cylinder, making it rotate once to check the bullets before popping it back. Then he twirled the gun for half a circle before holstering it in his belt.

    ¡°Cool move,¡± Wu Dahaimented. ¡°But please put the gun back.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Officer Huang reluctantly put the revolver back and reached out for the light machine gun.

    ¡°No touching!¡± Wu Dahai ordered.

    Officer Huang grumbled, ¡°Stingy...¡±

    ¡°Stingy?! Did I not give you the sniper rifle when you asked for it back then? You hadn¡¯t even joined the organization!¡± Wu Dahai found it both funny and infuriating. ¡°What are you gonna do anyway? Pick up a machine gun and shoot at random targets on the street?!¡±

    War Tiger patted Wu Dahai on the shoulder. ¡°Why don¡¯t you treat your junior member with more generosity, Electric Mouse?¡±

    ¡°Never!¡± Wu Dahai said with the pride of the owner of this household and opened the door to the next room.

    The shelves were lined with cold weapons, including a variety of sabres, spears, swords, polearms, axes, greataxes, hook swords, tridents, whips, swordbreakers, hammers, flying ws, ranseurs, staffs, long spears, maces, tonfas, and morningstars, as well as all kinds of bows and arrows and hidden weapons.

    ¡°You¡¯re free to grab what you want, Qing Ling.¡± Wu Dahai gave her a wink.

    ¡°No need.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t even spare the weapons a nce.

    Seeing Wu Dahai getting the cold shoulder, Officer Huang snorted to himself. That was what he got for his double standards.

    The different rooms of the base were all connected. After giving everyone a tour, Wu Dahai took them to the dorm rooms for a quick shower and a change of clothes¡ªthe earlier fight had left their clothes tattered and torn.

    Afterward, the five of them gathered in the breakroom.

    It looked like a big t in a north European style. There were bean bags, rugs, television, fridge, snacks, and drinks. It reminded Gao Yang of what he had seen in western sis.

    The five of them each sat down on a bean bag and chatted while they drank.

    Then Wu Dahai seemed to have remembered something, and he called out, ¡°Nesokia Genie.¡±

    Therge LCD screen on the wall lit up, and the image of a girl with mouse ears drawn in the style of manga popped up. She said in a sweet voice, ¡°Greetings, Master. What may I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Check my current ranking.¡± Wu Dahai took a sip of coke, his face filled with anticipation.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Electric Mouse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Comprehensive power ranking among awakeners: 102nd.¡±

    ¡°Gahhhh!¡± Wu Dahai yelled in frustration. ¡°Not only did I not get into the double-digits, but I actually dropped a rank?!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a power ranking for awakeners?¡±

    Gao Yang sat up, suddenly wide awake.

    1. A device set up to scare away animals that¡¯s often found in Japanese gardens. ?

    2. Most likely referring to Japan given <i>Tengu</i>, Heavenly Dog,<i> </ies from Japanese mythology, and shishi-odoshi is a Japan thing. However, no real-life nations/locations have been named directly in this story as far as I know, so I opted to keep the literal trantion here. ?

 Chapter 75: Power Ranking

    <h4>Chapter 75: Power Ranking</h4>

    ¡°Of course. Where there are people, there is <i>jianghu</i>[1]; and where there is <i>jianghu</i>, there is ranking.¡±

    Nursing a can of beer, War Tiger patted Wu Dahai on the head. ¡°No rush. Once news gets out that the Twelve Zodiac Signs have acquired the second Rune Circuit, your rank will go up.¡±

    ¡°True!¡± Wu Dahai then asked, ¡°By the way, has the Rune Circuit been examined? What type is it?¡±

    ¡°Psyche.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Wu Dahai sounded disappointed. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be Element? I want to reach level 4!¡±

    War Tiger chuckled. ¡°Songstress can¡¯t be happier. Her Requiem can finally get to level 4 too.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh why can¡¯t I do the same?¡± Wu Dahai whined. ¡°What kind of luck is this?¡±

    ¡°Well, our neers are with you,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Yeah, my Talent is only level 2,¡± Gao Yang chimed in. ¡°Although one¡¯s number 26 and the other¡¯s 18, and both are somewhat near the top of the list, Level 2 Talents are quite useless.¡±

    ¡°Stop your fake whining if you¡¯re gonna boast!¡± Wu Dahai got even angrier. ¡°You have two Talents! What more do you want? You¡¯re gonna get to level 3 in no time, and with two level 3 Talents, you¡¯re gonna catch up to me in ranking!¡±

    <i>I actually have three Talents</i>, Gao Yang didn¡¯t say. On one hand, it was always better to have a hidden card up his sleeve, and on the other hand, he didn¡¯t want Wu Dahai to get a stroke.

    War Tiger spread his hands. ¡°If the Element Rune Circuit were found, the organization could make a deal to borrow it so that you could level up, but it hasn¡¯t been found yet. Whining about it won¡¯t change anything.¡±

    ¡°Fuck it!¡± Wu Dahai plopped himself down on the bean bag and shut his mouth.

    ¡°Element-type Talents have great potential,¡± War Tiger assured him. ¡°It¡¯s like the AP-type in MOBA games. At the beginning, the magical output does nothing. However, with enough time and cultivation, they be the key AOE damage dealer in a group sh.¡±

    ¡°Inparison, my Talent makes me more of an assassin. In the beginning stage, I have a great advantage.¡± War Tiger crossed his legs and drank his beer while scanning the names sliding up on the screen. ¡°This isn¡¯t me being boastful, but in a one-on-one duel, I can kill everyone outside the top ten as easily as swatting a fly.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re ranked ninth.¡± Qing Ling found War Tiger¡¯s name.

    ¡°There¡¯s room for me to climb up the ranks still. At the moment, I haven¡¯t been pushed to the verge of death yet, and my Talent makes me stronger the more seriously I¡¯m injured.¡±

    ¡°I had first-hand experience with that.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s face darkened as he remembered the terrible fight.

    Gao Yang quietly stared at the list. Among the Twelve Zodiac Signs, two members were at the top ten.

    War Tiger, ranked ninth.

    And Dragon, ranked third.

    Gao Yang had thought the Twelve Zodiac Signs were at best a middle-of-the-road organization given how few members there were, but it seemed that he had found himself a great thigh totch onto.

    ¡°Who made this list?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Qilin Guild.¡± War Tiger flipped to his feet and crushed the empty bear can with his left hand, checking the recovery of his injured arm.

    ¡°Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°They own the Walled City of Ten Dragons.¡± Wu Dahai had finally gotten out of his self-wallowing. ¡°In the world of awakeners, they are the most influential organization with more than fifty members. Their leader is Qilin, the one ranked at the top.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...quite an edgy name,¡± Officer Huang said with augh.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s always best to have a memorable code name,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ranking they made on their own,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Is it even credible?¡±

    ¡°It may not be <i>the </i>authoritative ranking, but it is the most credible one at the moment. The Walled City of Ten Dragons is the biggest hub for trades and exchanges between awakeners, and thus they get the most holistic information. Moreover, there¡¯s a tournament every six years. This ranking is calcted based on aprehensive evaluation of every awakener¡¯s strength, reputation, and contribution.¡±

    War Tiger opened another can of beer. ¡°In truth, the top fives are all powerful beyond one¡¯s imagination, and they generally stay away from each other. They are ranked based on their reputation and contribution alone.¡±

    ¡°So the top five haven¡¯t fought to find out who¡¯s stronger?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°And don¡¯t be misled by those shonen mangas. There is no absolute ranking for power. Real-life battles aren¡¯t one-on-one matches in an arena, but a mix of schemes, exploitations, ambushes, lies, poisons, psychological warfare, traps, and the age-long tactic of going after someone with greater numbers. There are more tricks than one can feasibly predict and prepare for.¡±

    ¡°Take Wu Dahai and I as an example.¡± War Tiger reached out to ruffle Wu Dahai¡¯s broom head, getting him an irritated ¡®Stop it!¡¯ from his student.

    War Tiger ignored the protest and said, ¡°If he got his Lightning to level 8, he would be able to burn everything inside and outside the building to charcoal in three seconds. If I happen to be drinking coffee here, or if all top ten awakeners happen to be having a party, at least half of us would die, including me.¡±

    ¡°But would you say I¡¯m weaker than Wu Dahai?¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°One on one, he wouldst less than two seconds against me.¡±

    His three new students nodded in understanding.

    ¡°So don¡¯t focus too much on the ranking. It would lull you into the false belief that survival and fighting are as simple as it presented. Moreover, our real enemies aren¡¯t going to be part of the list.¡±

    ¡°Such as pride monsters, life monsters, death monsters, and...¡± War Tiger¡¯s gaze grew icy. ¡°The Spectres.¡±

    ¡°The Spectres are...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s question was cut off by War Tiger. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from White Rabbit that you are the most curious among the three of you, Gao Yang, and I know you can¡¯t wait to find the answers to your questions. But be patient and take one step at a time. There are things you are better off not knowing at the moment.¡±

    ¡°And regarding the Spectres, there are only three things you should know for now.¡±

    War Tiger extended a finger.

    ¡°First, Spectres are awakeners, but they¡¯re not like us.¡±

    ¡°Second, they are the nightmares of all awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Third, If you ever run into them, don¡¯t ask anything, don¡¯t think about anything. Run, at once.¡± War Tiger¡¯s eyes were steely. ¡°If you encounter a Spectre, things will be more dangerous than my ambush today.¡±

    ¡°What do they look like?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you. You''ll know when you see them.¡± War Tiger smiled bitterly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be all doom and gloom, but if you ever run into them, it means they have decided to kill you, and there¡¯s no escaping that.¡±

    ¡°Not even you, Teacher War Tiger?¡± Gao Yang was shocked.

    ¡°One on one, yes, I can put up a fight. But two, and I¡¯m dead. You¡¯ve seen the altars for the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the masks disyed there. I don¡¯t have to tell you how the original owners of the masks died, do I?¡±

    The three of them fell silent, and the air in the room stilled.

    ¡°One day, you maye to regret your awakening. It¡¯s actually a great fortune to be able to live in peace among the monsters until you die of old age.¡±

    ¡°I already regret it.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly.

    Gao Yang echoed the sentiment. ¡°What he said.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± War Tiger chuckled, ¡°I wee you to join us in hell mode!¡±

    1. In the general sense, <i>jianghu </i>is used to refer to a society with conflicting interests, resentments, and all theplex human rtionships, and this is a quote from Jin Yong¡¯s<i> The Smiling, Proud Wanderer</i>. ?

 Chapter 76: Jinwu

    <h4>Chapter 76: Jinwu</h4>

    Half an hourter, the group left the underground sixth floor.

    Inside the elevator, Gao Yang asked War Tiger, ¡°What can the jinwu currency buy, Teacher?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know about it?¡± War Tiger sounded surprised. ¡°You sure are studious.¡±

    He gave a brief introduction to the currency, which was pretty much what Liu Qingying had told him.

    ¡°Most of the time, the coins are used for trades, and themodities can be put into four categories. What are they, Wu Dahai?¡±

    Wu Dahai cocked his head and answered with some irritation, ¡°Medicines, equipment, items, and intel.¡±

    ¡°Medicines?¡± Officer Huang asked. ¡°Those can be bought with money.¡±

    ¡°Not regr medicines, you idiot,¡± Wu Dahai said with a scoff. ¡°It¡¯s medicines specifically for awakeners, and they are potent!¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. He turned to Qing Ling. ¡°The remedy you gave me! When I put some on my injury, it healed overnight.¡±

    ¡°My cousin gave me that,¡± Qing Ling said with an impassive look on her face. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me how he got it. That was the only bottle I had.¡±

    That moved Gao Yang. He and Qing Ling had been practically strangers at the time, yet she gave him herst bottle without hesitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it simple.¡± War Tiger wasn¡¯t terribly interested in anything outside of battles. ¡°There are some awakeners who can create special tools with ck Gold. With a mix of special herbal ingredients and the energy of awakeners with Support-type or Life-type Talents, different specialized medicines can be made.¡±

    ¡°One of the ingredients for the medicine you got before, Gao Yang, is Dead Pig¡¯s blood. Qilin Guild manufactures all kinds of medicines for regr uses in batches, and Dead Pig gives them his blood every six months. Not for free, of course. They have a deal.¡±

    ¡°Outside of healing medicine, there are also medicines for temporary buffs to your strength, speed, or defense, as well as those that increase your willpower and explosive power for the short term. Naturally, there are poisons, stimnts, aphrodisiacs, and psychedelics as well... There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t buy with <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    The elevator door opened, and the five of them entered Wu Dahai¡¯s private underground garage.

    Wu Dahai took out his car key and walked up to a ck S-ss Benz.

    War Tiger continued, ¡°As for equipment, most are made of ck Gold, and they each have their own magical ability to grow and be molded as you wish. Over time, the equipment may develop in countless different ways from resonating with the energy generated by the awakener¡¯s Talents.¡±

    ¡°Green Snake, your Tang Dao is the best example of this.¡± War Tiger gave her an expectant look. ¡°With God of des and Metal as well as your ck Gold Tang Dao, the whole will certainly be greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to how far you will get. If you push both Talents to level 4, you¡¯ll have no trouble getting into the top 20 ranks, and one on one, you¡¯ll be able to survive 30 seconds against me.¡±

    Qing Ling looked frigid. She obviously didn¡¯t take that as apliment.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk items. They¡¯re like medicines, only they are made differently. Most items are objects awakeners have injected their Talents into for particr situations.¡±

    ¡°Sleep gas is an example. Regr sleep gas doesn¡¯t really work on awakeners, but if Songstress imbues a sleep gas grenade with Requiem, the effectiveness will grow tenfold.¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang looked thoughtful.

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate items. When facing an enemy at the same level as you, the key that determines the victor will be your items and how you use them.¡±

    ¡°Last but not least, intel. With something like information, it can be worth nothing or everything. There¡¯s intel on your rivals, on the whereabouts of Rune Circuits, on the Mist World, on monsters, and on the Spectres.¡±

    War Tiger threw Wu Dahai a nce. ¡°This kid saves up 2000 jinwus and posted a bounty for information on the Element Rune Circuit to the Walled City of Ten Dragons¡¯ forum, but so far, no one has responded.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Liu Qingying wanted information from him, and the cunning woman offered 4 jinwu for each piece of information. As a neer into the world of awakeners, he would suffer great losses if he didn¡¯t know how valuable the information he held was.

    Fortunately, he could choose to give or not give her the information.

    He had to quickly learn the ways of this brand new world and turn himself from a newbie to a bigshot. Even if he couldn¡¯t be that, he had to at least be a shrewd senior!

 Chapter 77: Lie Detection

    <h4>Chapter 77: Lie Detection</h4>

    The next two days were uneventful.

    Sunday morning, Gao Yang essed his system first thing when he woke up.

    He was surprised to find that he had umted 441 Luck points.

    Three days of points umtion and the increased rate he got from his fight with his sister in the nightmare and his fight with War Tiger in the Millenium Tower¡ªwell, it was more of a one-sided ughter than a fight¡ªhe had acquired more Luck points than expected without him realizing.

    Gao Yang felt rich.

    After some deliberation, he decided to acquire another Talent. It never hurt to have more cards up his sleeves, and getting a Talent itself would grant him permanent bonuses to his stats. No matter how he thought about it, he should prioritize getting another Talent than putting all his points straight into his stats.

    [It takes 120 Luck points toprehend a new Talent. Do you confirm?]

    ¡ªYes.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension fails. You have used 120 Luck points.]

    ¡ªKeep going.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension fails. You have used 120 Luck points. Toprehend again...]

    ¡ªKeep going.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension seeds. You have used 120 Luck points.]

    [Talent: Lie Detection. Serial Number: 181. Rune Type: Wisdom.]

    [Level 1 Lie Detection: Allow one to determine if the target is lying once every 48 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 1 Lie Detection: Willpower + 10, Charisma + 10.]

    [Stats updated.]

    [Constitution: 47 Endurance: 48]

    [Strength: 17 Agility: 39]

    [Willpower: 209 Charisma: 67 ]

    [Luck: 132]

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart burned. He had used a total of 360 points, yet the Talent he got was so much closer to the bottom of the list than the top. Still, the first two Talents heprehended were ranked quite high. He should be content with that. Greed was the shortcut to one¡¯s downfall.

    And the Talent would help him make deals with Liu Qingying. Being able to use it only once every 48 hours was too little though. He had to use it a few more times to push it to level 2 first. Then level 3...

    ¡ªYou there, System?

    [Yes.]

    ¡ªDo I have to kill monsters to get Lie Detection to level 3 too? I would love to detect monsters¡¯ lies with the Talent, but they had to be willing to talk to me first.

    [Wisdom-type Talents do not require monsters killing to reach level 3. The requirement is to use the Talent for 30 times.]

    ¡ªSo I can get Replicate to level 3 in the same way?

    [Yes.]

    ¡ªAlright, that¡¯s good. Not as bad as it could be.

    Gao Yang hid the system and let out a long breath.

    He had grasped a few rules about the system. For the information Gao Yang had discovered in the real world, the system would give him a clear exnation. It was like a dungeon-crawler. When he opened the door, he would be allowed a clear view of everything in the room. If he hadn¡¯t found the door, however, he would get no information.

    <i>Alright, one step at a time. From today onward, I need to gain experience in my Talents. And better notprehend new Talents for the time being. I need to increase my stats.</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Xinxin kicked his door open. ¡°You should already be up yesterday, sleepy... Whoa! You¡¯re awake, Brother?¡±

    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Gao Yang smiled faintly at her. ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t I be awake?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re usually still sleeping in... You¡¯ve changed, my brother!¡± Gao Xinxin was still surprised. ¡°You haven¡¯t been possessed by a different soul, have you?¡±

    Gao Yang almost jumped. His sister might as well be a fortune teller!

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a question for you, my dearest sister.¡± Gao Yang got off the bed and took his time to put on his jacket.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Do you like me, your older brother?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± His sister was caught off guard for a moment. Then her face became flushed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you this early in the morning? Of course I don¡¯t like you! Not in a million years!¡±

    Gao Yang stared at her and activated Lie Detection.

    ¡ªLie.

    He smiled. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just asking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not making sense! Get your ass downstairs for breakfast!¡± Gao Xinxin mmed the door shut.

    It was the first time in a long time that his mother made breakfast at home. His grandmother was still staying with his uncle in the countryside, and his father hadn¡¯t been discharged from the hospital. The three of them had breakfast together and chatted about anything and everything. Things had been hectic at home since his father got into a car ident. It had been a while since they had such a peaceful time in the morning.

    For a distracted moment, Gao Yang thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing if he hadn¡¯t awakened, and such ordinary days were all his life was.

    ...

    After breakfast, Gao Yang headed straight to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce.

    He stood at the gate to the vi¡¯s front yard and rang the bell. When he got no response, he gave up on waiting and vaulted the wall.

    The door was left open by a crack.

    Alerted, Gao Yang gently opened it and walked in. He was relieved to find Wang Zikai sound asleep amid the mess of snacks, bottled drinks, and takeouts in the living room. He still had a PS5 controller in his hands. On the television was the pause screen of the remastered version of <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>. He must have pulled an all-nighter ying the game.

    Gao Yang cleaned up the living room table a little and put a nket on Wang Zikai before sitting down on another couch.

    Wang Zikai rolled and only opened his eyes after sleeping a little more.

    He immediately sat up. ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Then he guiltily hid the controller behind his butt. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve been training. I only yed the game a little since I was tired...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. y games when you feel like it. Not even the savior of the world can work all day without rest.¡± Gao Yang smothered a smile. He wasn¡¯t a teacher surprising a student to check on their progress. Wang Zikai had no reason to be this nervous.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right!¡±

    ¡°About my favor, how did it go?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t beat around the bush.

    He had called Wang Zikai two days ago and exined the situation his family was in, hoping that Wang Zikai would be willing to invest in his father¡¯s food processing factory to help them ovee this challenge.

    Wang Zikai agreed without a moment of hesitation and said that his father would be back in the country for the next couple of days, and that he would talk to his father about it.

    Today was the third day since then. Gao Yang thought he would¡¯ve gotten an answer.

    Wang Zikai paused for a moment. ¡°What favor?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank, and he frowned. ¡°About my dad. You haven¡¯t forgotten about it, have you?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m just teasing you!¡± Wang Zikai burst outughing. ¡°Of course I hadn¡¯t forgotten about something my best bro asked of me! I told my dad the moment I met him!¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Wang Zikai scratched his face with his finger. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t give me the money.¡±

    ¡°Have you talked to him the way I told you to?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Wang Zikai got angry just thinking about it. ¡°I was gonna talk to him. Actually talk. But then he scolded me for dyeing my hair and said that I looked like a thug! So I dyed my hair. So what? That¡¯s a stereotype he got! That¡¯s discrimination! Then we started fighting, and I forgot to ask him again...¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. Although he was suppressing the urge to facepalm, it wasn¡¯t that surprising to him. Wang Zikai hadn¡¯t had a normal conversation with his parents since he was ten.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry!¡± Wang Zikai pounded on his chest. ¡°It¡¯s just money. I dealt with it myself!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Who do you think I am?¡± Wang Zikai proudly presented him with a bank card. ¡°Here¡¯s two million. Take it!¡±

    ¡°Where did you get the money?¡± Gao Yang was a little worried that he might have done something of a ndestine nature.

    ¡°I sold my sports car,¡± said Wang Zikai.

    ¡°You sold it?!¡± Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. Wang Zikai bought the car for a little more than four million, but he sold it at half the price.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t sound bothered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have Wu Dahai¡¯s McLaren!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s only lending it to you. You¡¯ll have to give it back sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Well, about that.¡± Wang Zikai seemed pleased with himself. ¡°Wu Dahai said that the car would be mine if I help him get together with Qing Ling! That¡¯s a piece of cake to me, the matchmaking master! Didn¡¯t I get you and Li Weiwei together with a simple text?¡±

    <i>Should I thank you for that?!</i>

    Gao Yang felt like punching Wang Zikai every time he thought about it. If not for the practical joke Wang Zikai pulled, he wouldn¡¯t have gone on a date with Li Weiwei, and Li Weiwei wouldn¡¯t have transformed into a monster and attacked him. Then she wouldn¡¯t have died at the hand of Qing Ling, and she would still be the childhood friend he knew and trusted...

    ...Or he would still awaken and expose himself to another monster instead of Li Weiwei. Qing Ling might not show up to save him in that case.

    In a sense, perhaps he had Wang Zikai to thank for avoiding death.

    Gao Yang pushed aside the thoughts and took the bank card from Wang Zikai. ¡°Thanks. There are procedures to follow. You should sign a contract with my dadter.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that!¡± Wang Zikai found the formalities troublesome.

    ¡°Leave that to me. You only have to sign.¡±

    ¡°Then sure!¡±

    Gao Yang got to his feet. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the Walled City of Ten Dragons. I¡¯ll buy you barbecue!¡±

 Chapter 78: First Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 78: First Exchange</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to find himself lying on a beach chair. Over his head was a palm tree with a dense enough canopy to shield most of the sunlight for him, and under his feet was a beach with soft, clean white sand. The sky was bright and the breeze pleasant. Extending before his eyes was a deep blue ocean, divided from the sky by a thin blurry line. There were a few seagulls flying in the blue backdrop.

    Gao Yang knew this was a dream, but he still couldn¡¯t help but be lost in the sight.

    This was his first time seeing the ocean. It looked different from the one shown on TV. For one, the ocean on screen wasn¡¯t as vast as the one before his very eyes.

    ¡°Do you like the setting this time?¡± asked the gentle voice of a woman.

    Gao Yang looked to the side to find Liu Qingying sprawling on another beach chair of her own. The bikinis she wore left no parts of her voluptuous body to imagination. She had sunsses on with her hair tied loosely up, and she was putting sunscreen on her t abdomen with her delicate fingers.

    During the day, Gao Yang took Wang Zikai to the barbecue ce in the Walled City of Ten Dragons and had a cup of free plum drink. Came night, Liu Qingying visited him in his dream.

    ¡°Pretty good.¡± Gao Yang nodded before asking curiously, ¡°Can you recreate any environment in your dream?¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°But they have to be ces I have been to in the real world so that I can put in all the details and make the dreams more realistic. The bedroom you dreamed aboutst time is foreign to me, so I had to let your subconscious fill in the nks. That left a lot of ws to be spotted. That was why I kept the light off. Darkness was the best cover for those ws.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang picked up a ss of iced orange juice from the table beside him and took a sip. It tasted like the real thing.

    After stretching his arms, hey back down and enjoyed the sun and wind. It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that he said, ¡°Shall we start our exchange?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liu Qingying had finished applying sunscreen. Shey down on her side facing Gao Yang, her seductive nature on full disy, and her eyes were glinting alluringly. ¡°Should I go first?¡±

    ¡°Be my guest.¡±

    ¡°Have you met Dragon in person since joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡± asked Liu Qingying.

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    Liu Qingying blinked bemusedly. ¡°Among the members, only Dragon¡¯s Talent is still kept a secret.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°You want to find out about his Talent?¡±

    ¡°Yes. No one knows what the top ten Talents are, and Dragon¡¯s Talent must be among the top ten. If you ever learn of it, you may use it to make a deal with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will even if I get the information.¡± Such information must be top secret for the organization. Dragon was their ace. The organization could live or die depending on the secret. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t stupid enough to trade it away to Liu Qingying.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re free to seek me out when you¡¯ve changed your mind.¡± Liu Qingying picked up a ss of cmondin and lemon tea and took a sip with the straw. ¡°I heard that your organization acquired a Rune Circuit, and it¡¯s of the Psyche type. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Will the confirmation count as an intel?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a lower level one. On a scale of C, B, A, and S, it¡¯ll be a B-ss intel. I was requested to confirm the truth. They seem to be considering an exchange with your organization, but they are worried that the information may not be urate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that I can confirm for you. It¡¯s the real deal. The Psyche Rune Circuit.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t think there was a point in hiding that fact. The other organization would find out through a trade sooner orter.

    ¡°Alright. One B-ss intel is worth 5 jinwu. Or you may ask me for intel of the same worth.¡±

    ¡°I want intel.¡±

    ¡°Regarding what?¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Something rted to me personally.¡±

    Liu Qingying took some time to think about it. ¡°Would something about the Twelve Zodiac Signs work then?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°I¡¯d say this is an A-ss intel, but to show you my goodwill, I¡¯ll give it to you on discount.¡±

    ¡°Well, thanks.¡±

    ¡°In your organization,¡± Liu Qingying said with a perfect poker face, ¡°There¡¯s a spy from another faction.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond, but his heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°There¡¯s a eighty percent chance that it¡¯s true, and I don¡¯t know who the spy is. That¡¯s why the intel is an A-ss one. If I¡¯m a hundred percent sure, it would¡¯ve been an S-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°Are you...trying to nt distrust among us?¡± Gao Yang asked warily.

    ¡°There is no bad blood between me and the Twelve Zodiac Signs. What do I get for getting on your bad side?¡± Liu Qingying rested her hands on her thighs and shifted a little. ¡°My business is built upon credibility. I have a reputation to keep in the field.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a headache brewing. He had only joined the organization for a few days, yet he already had to keep an eye out for a spy. It was better to not know when learning about it would make him question every member he met. That would be detrimental to his bonding with his colleagues.

    And should he report the possibility? If he knew and kept it to himself, he would get into trouble once he was found out. However, he didn¡¯t have any evidence to back it up, and he couldn¡¯t just tell the truth about Liu Qingying being the source of the information. Reporting it would get him into trouble too, and it would be immediate.

    The intel was a can of worms he perhaps shouldn¡¯t have opened!

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the end of our deal,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early. We can talk about something else before you wake up, or we can <i>do </i>something else.¡± Liu Qingying stared at him with seductive eyes and an amused smile.

    ¡°Allow me to decline.¡± What he said could be used against him. It was better to be careful.

    He closed his eyes and essed the system.

    ...

    It turned out that Liu Qingying was telling the truth.

    The next day, the moment Gao Yang finished evening self-study and walked out of the school gates, he saw a familiar ck Benz by the road. The door opened, and White Rabbit smiled with her eyes at him, her face covered by a pink mask. ¡°Wanna get in and have a good time, handsome boy?¡±

    Gao Yang looked around before diving into the car.

    ¡°Somethinges up?¡± Gao Yang asked and scanned the car. The one driving was Heavenly Dog, while Wu Dahai was riding shotgun.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re on a mission.¡± White Rabbit seemed to be in a good mood.

    Gao Yang was suddenly nervous. ¡°What mission? Would it be dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Coward, what are you afraid of when you¡¯re with me, your dependable senior?¡± Wu Dahai scoffed mockingly. ¡°Don¡¯t make us look bad when you¡¯re part of the organization, yeah?¡±

    Gao Yang yed up the pity act. ¡°But I¡¯m a benchwarmer, and I¡¯m quite weak. I may just drag you down...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We ain¡¯t fighting.¡± White Rabbit put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re just going to the Walled City of Ten Dragons for an exchange of Rune Circuits. We bring you along to let you get some experience.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°A trade?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s War Tiger¡¯s doing. The Hundred Rivers Union would like to make an exchange for the Psyche Rune Circuit we got recently. Sister Songstress reached level 4 with her Requiem yesterday, and the Psyche Rune Circuit isn¡¯t that useful to us for the moment.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. So the Hundred Rivers Union was the ones who wanted to trade with the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and they sought out Liu Qingying for confirmation.

    For the past few days, Gao Yang had been looking into the factions of awakeners rather than wasting his time. The three most well-known righteous organizations in Li City were the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Qilin Guild, and the Hundred Rivers Union.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs had the fewest members¡ªeach an elite in their own right¡ªand kept a low profile.

    The Qilin Guild kept their number of members somewhere around forty, and most were elite awakeners as well. They were the most powerful organization as a whole and had the greatest influence. They were to the world of awakeners what the martial alliance leader was to martial artists in <i>wuxia </i>stories.

    As the name would suggest, the Hundred Rivers Union consisted of roughly a hundred awakeners. Most of the members were weaker awakeners with Talents near the bottom of the list. That was why they came together and formed an organization. The ¡°Hundred Rivers¡± part of their name came from the idiom, ¡®The ocean is the destination of a hundred rivers,¡¯ which meant that even the smallest streams coulde together to form an ocean if there were enough of them.

    ¡°So what do I do?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Rx,¡± White Rabbit said, ¡°And consider it a fun experience.¡±

    Wu Dahai was looking at the rearview mirror andbing his hair. Today, his usual broom head had been left in a bowl cut. ¡°Just keep your mouth shut and stay put as a background prop.¡±

    Heavenly Dog, who had been fully focused on driving, chimed in, ¡°Hello, Prop 1. I¡¯m Prop 2.¡±

    ¡°Hello, hello. It¡¯s a real honor.¡± Gao Yang yed along.

 Chapter 79: Hundred Rivers Union

    <h4>Chapter 79: Hundred Rivers Union</h4>

    Past midnight, the four of them arrived at the Walled City of Ten Dragons with their animal masks on.

    They could¡¯ve made it by twelve, but they ended up enjoying a meal of steamed ms at a street stand before taking their sweet time to go to the meeting. In the end, they were almost 20 minuteste.

    That was exactly what White Rabbit was aiming for. ¡°Only fools go to a meeting on time. Beingte lends you authority. Got it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m learning from the very best,¡± Gao Yang said. That was eye-opening.

    The Walled City of Ten Dragons never slept, and the small hours saw the ce lit up with flickering neon lights and bustling activities.

    On the north side of the area stood a towering building that resembled a modern casino, on the ceiling of which was arge LCD billboard topped with a glittering golden <i>qilin</i>. The prideful, haughty mythical monster marked the ce as a branch of the Qilin Guild in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    The four of them walked in through the revolving door and found themselves in an extravagant lobby styled in the most luxurious way possible. Behind the front desk were two young women in <i>qipao</i>, one ck, and the other white¡ªboth printed with the golden patterns of <i>qilin</i>.

    ¡°Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± White Rabbit went up to them and said. ¡°We¡¯ve made a reservation for a tradete tonight.¡±

    ¡°Greetings. Your reservation number and passcode, please.¡±

    ¡°A19. The passcode is four eights.¡±

    The woman looked up the information on theputer quickly before walking out of the front desk, spreading her arm to direct the four of them to their room. ¡°Yours is the 6th trading hall. Please follow me.¡±

    Past a quiet white hallway, they reached a metallic door at the end with a que that read, ¡®Sixth Trading Hall.¡¯

    The woman punched in the passcode, and the four of them walked in once the door opened.

    Gao Yang stayed quiet the whole time. Although he had prepared himself mentally, what he saw still caught him by surprise.

    There were...way too many people inside!

    The trading hall was about the size of aputerb for media sses, at the center of which was a podium. Beside it stood an elderly man in a full suit with an impassive expression. He looked professional, fair, and authoritative.

    On each side of the podium were two couches for guests. A man and a woman sat on the one on the left, both masked, and behind them was a packed group of people. They were all wearing masks as well. Judging from their builds, they varied in genders and ages. Gao Yang made a rough count; there were close to forty of them.

    White Rabbit, Heavenly Dog, and Wu Dahai weren¡¯t fazed. They seemed to have expected this.

    White Rabbit and Wu Dahai sat down on the couch across from them, maintaining a powerful presence, while Heavenly Dog and Gao Yang stood behind them quietly like emotionless bodyguards.

    ¡°You¡¯re 21 minuteste.¡± The man representing the Hundred Rivers Union spoke up with suppressed anger.

    ¡°Apologies. We have a lot on our te.¡± White Rabbit didn¡¯t sound apologetic at all. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The woman had a delicate ck box on herp. Before she could open it, the man stopped her and said, ¡°You show the ware first.¡±

    White Rabbit shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Do it, Electric Mouse.¡±

    With his legs crossed, Wu Dahai took out a Rune Circuit from the pocket of his leather jacket and threw it toward the podium. The trader caught it easily with an impressive show of reflex.

    Although the dozens of people were all masked, their minute movements betrayed their shock. That was a Rune Circuit, yet the man just cast it like it was nothing?! Even though this was a territory of the Qilin Guild and most people wouldn¡¯t dare start any trouble here, that was still an unreasonable disy of confidence.

    The trader took out a magnifying ss and inspected the Rune Circuit for half a minute. Then he inserted it into a notch in the podium. Soon, the lightbulbs on the podium flickered quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s real.¡± The trader¡¯s voice was worn by years, but steady. He turned to White Rabbit. ¡°Please swear upon your organization that the Rune Circuit is of the Psyche-type.¡±

    ¡°I swear upon the Twelve Zodiac Signs that the Rune Circuit is Psyche-type,¡± White Rabbit said with a hand raised.

    ¡°It is done.¡± The trader turned to the other side to look at the two representatives of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    The man gave the woman a look. The woman then walked up to the trader, holding the ck box carefully with both hands. The trader opened the box and took out the Rune Circuit inside to appraise it.

    The same process was soonpleted, and the representatives of the Hundred Rivers Union gave a guarantee that the Rune Circuit was the Damage-type.

    The trade waspleted.

    White Rabbit and the man representing the Hundred Rivers Union went up to the podium at the same time and each took the Rune Circuit the other brought.

    ¡°The exchange is done without issues,¡± announced the trader. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask one party to leave the room first, while the other party is to stay here for another half an hour.¡±

    ¡°You werete,¡± said the man. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave first.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest.¡± White Rabbit remained on the couch and made a gesture to send the guests off.

    The man and woman quickly stood up and led the dozens of people out of the room. Then the trader took his leave as well. Before walking out of the door, he politely reminded them, ¡°I¡¯d ask the four of you to stay another half an hour.¡±

    The metal door slowly closed, and the room quieted.

    Now that they were alone, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but smack his lips andment, ¡°That¡¯s quite the entourage.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a smart one? Use your brain and think about why they brought so many people to the trade.¡± White Rabbit had already taken off her shoes and socks and fished out a bottle of red nail polish from her pocket.

    ¡°They are afraid of us?¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    ¡°Bingo!¡± Wu Dahai said proudly. ¡°They may have greater numbers, but most of them are quite useless, and useless people have to stick together to protect themselves. They don¡¯t want something as important as a Rune Circuit to be robbed from them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re <i>weak</i>,¡± White Rabbit corrected. ¡°Not <i>useless</i>.¡±

    ¡°Well, same difference.¡± Wu Dahai crossed his legs again. ¡°We were told to stay here to prevent us from taking back our Rune Circuit after the trade. Qilin Guild won¡¯t be there to enforce order outside this ce.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Gao Yang felt a little bitter inside. In whichever world, the weak always had a difficult life.

    After inspecting the Damage Rune Circuit in her hand, White Rabbit threw it to Wu Dahai. As someone with an Element-type Talent, Wu Dahai had no use for the Rune Circuit and thus wasn¡¯t interested in it. He spared it a couple nces before giving it to Heavenly Dog. And Heavenly Dog handed it to Gao Yang after inspecting it for a little while.

    Gao Yang took a close look. The Rune Circuit was just like the Psyche Rune Circuit they had acquired not long ago. The only difference was the pattern etched at the center. It was an irregr geometric shape with sharp angles that resembled a sea urchin.

    ¡°Keep it safe with you until we get back to the base, Gao Yang,¡± said White Rabbit.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Something so precious...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to train your mental fortitude,¡± White Rabbit said seriously as she painted her toenails. ¡°You need to learn to keep a straight face even as the Tai Mountain crumbles before you, newbie. You still have a lot to learn.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang thought that made sense.

    ...

    Half an hourter, they left the Walled City of Ten Dragons and drove back to the Millenium Tower.

    The underground basement became the new headquarters for the Twelve Zodiac Signs after its construction. Most members had been gradually moving to their new base with their belongings¡ªoutside of their captain, Dragon.

    Gao Yang had asked Wu Dahai privately why Dragon had been so mysterious and never showed his face. Wu Dahai had responded with a mocking look, ¡°Who do you think you are? I haven¡¯t met Captain myself. Why would <i>you </i>have met him already?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t push, but the mystery shrouding Dragon had be thicker in his mind.

    ¡°How are Qing Ling and Officer Huang?¡± Gao Yang asked on their drive back. ¡°Qing Ling hasn''t been going to school these days.¡±

    Wu Dahaiughed. ¡°They are in training hell with War Tiger. Now that we¡¯ve gotten the Damage Rune Circuit, War Tiger will make sure to go even harder on them to help them reach level 4 quickly.¡±

    ¡°Is that difficult?¡± Gao Yang asked. Then he was reminded of something. ¡°Oh, sorry. Your Talent is only level 3...¡±

    ¡°Who are you to look down on me, bastard?!¡± Wu Dahai growled and reached over to grab Gao Yang¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯re dead...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    There was a dull thud. Then the car came to a sudden halt. Without the seatbelt on, Wu Dahai was hurled forward by the momentum and mmed his head against the window. He cried out, ¡°What the hell, Heavenly Dog? You trying to kill me?!¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Heavenly Dog said with difficulty, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. ¡°I...I think I hit someone.¡±

 Chapter 80: Accident

    <h4>Chapter 80: ident</h4>

    ¡°You hit someone?¡± White Rabbit was a little surprised. Heavenly Dog was known for being a safe driver.

    ¡°Someone rushed out suddenly,¡± Heavenly Dog protested. ¡°I stepped on the brake immediately, but still hit him.¡±

    ¡°I saw it too.¡± Gao Yang had seen a figure suddenly rushing onto the road. He quickly rolled down the window and popped his head out to take a look. It was one o¡¯clock in the morning. This area of the old city region was quiet and deste. Under the illumination of the headlighty an unmoving figure. There was no telling whether the person was dead.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Heavenly Dog.

    ¡°Just leave it,¡± Wu Dahai said coldly. ¡°It¡¯s most likely a monster. If they¡¯re dead, they¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°We don¡¯t kill wanderers, remember?¡±

    ¡°They rushed out suddenly!¡± Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°Who is to me when they were the one that didn¡¯t obey the trafficws? Besides, are you sure it¡¯s a wanderer? What if it¡¯s another type of monster? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to kill them then?¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Gao Yang pulled back into the car. ¡°There¡¯s a traffic light at the crossroad.¡±

    In other words, there were surveince cameras, and they would be held responsible if they hit a pedestrian and drove away. That would lead to more trouble.

    With a sigh, White Rabbit put her mask back on and then her socks and shoes. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look. If they¡¯re still alive, we¡¯ll take them to the hospital. If they¡¯re dead, we¡¯ll get an ambnce to collect the body. Asw-abiding citizens, we¡¯ll do things by the book.¡±

    The four of them masked on and got out of the car.

    Heavenly Dog and Wu Dahai took the lead while Gao Yang and White Rabbit followed in the back. The four of them slowly walked up to the person, making sure to scan their surroundings for an ambush.

    Just in case, Gao Yang quietly essed the system in his head, and he only rxed once he made sure that the acquisition rate of Luck points hadn¡¯t increased.

    ¡°Hey, you alive?¡± Wu Dahai walked up to the person and asked.

    Once he was a little closer, Gao Yang saw that it was a man with red hair. He was dressed in a thinyer of patient gown and lying down in a pool of his own blood. The hit must have been quite serious. His face was covered and obscured by blood as well.

    Hearing Wu Dahai¡¯s voice, the man twitched and slowly reached out with a hand. ¡°Save, save me. I don¡¯t want to die...¡±

    The four of them sighed in relief. The man was alive.

    ¡°What did you think you were doing, rushing onto the road thiste at night?¡± Wu Dahai demanded with his hands on his hip. ¡°Cars don¡¯t have eyes. Do you have a death wish?¡±

    ¡°Enough already. Let¡¯s get him some help first.¡± White Rabbit sounded irritated as well. She hated unexpected urrences.

    Heavenly Dog and Wu Dahai checked the man¡¯s injury. It wasn¡¯t too bad. They each lifted an arm and helped the man up, heading toward the car.

    ¡°Ugh, that hurts! Gently...¡± The man kept squirming in pain.

    ¡°Stop it! We¡¯re getting to the car!¡± Wu Dahai said with distaste. ¡°Stop moving. You¡¯re getting my clothes dirty!¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door to the backseat. Heavenly Dog turned to him and said, ¡°Help him up. I¡¯ll start the car.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang went up to support the man when he suddenly sensed a chill rushing from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head¡ªsuch overwhelming murderous intent!

    What was going on? There was no enemy around! Was it from the man?

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to ponder. Following his intuition, he asked, ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°It hurts,¡± the man said, sounding pained. ¡°I don¡¯t think...I can make it...¡±

    Gao Yang activated Lie Detection as he asked the question, and he got his answer.

    ¡ªThe man was lying.

    He slowly pulled back without a word and gave Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog a pointed look.

    They let go of the red-haired man without missing a beat and put some distance between them. Without their help, the man slumped to the ground and started groaning out unintelligible things again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wu Dahai asked while getting into a fighting stance.

    Quietly, Heavenly Dog extended his right hand and pointed at the man on the ground, ready to strike anytime.

    ¡°He¡¯s acting,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice.

    White Rabbit walked up to him. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t time to hide the truth. Gao Yang said, ¡°I...have another Talent. Lie Detection.¡±

    White Rabbit, Heavenly Dog, and Wu Dahai knew what Lie Detection was capable of, so they instantly bought Gao Yang¡¯s conclusion.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about you hiding your Talentter,¡± White Rabbit said, irate. She looked down at the man on the ground. ¡°Stop acting. Who are you? What do you want? Who sent you?¡±

    The man stopped groaning and slowly got to his feet. With his head lowered, he stayed silent for a still moment.

    Then he suddenly burst outughing, the sound perverted and mad. ¡°Haha, hahahaha... What a shame, what a real shame. I almost got you.¡±

    He stretched, his joints making cracking sounds. Then he wiped the blood off his face with both hands, revealing a sinister appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, and the left side of his face seriously burned, the skin uneven with bumps and divots, making it hard to look at him.

    White Rabbit stared at him with steel in her eyes, her gaze glinting with murderous intent. ¡°I¡¯m asking you onest time. Who are you, what do you want, and who sent...¡±

    ¡°Do you think you have the upperhand?¡± The man cut her off haughtily and gestured at the four of them. ¡°One, two, three, four. Four versus one. You¡¯ll win for sure! That¡¯s what you think, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    White Rabbit frowned, wondering if she should strike first.

    Gao Yang was confused about where the man¡¯s confidence came from as well. If he really had the strength to easily take on all four of them, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to go to such lengths to deceive them. He could¡¯ve just attacked them like War Tiger had in his little test.

    Then a shudder ran down Gao Yang¡¯s spine. He realized something: the man put on the act in order to get close to them. Perhaps that was his checkmate move...

    Before Gao Yang could follow that thought, the red-haired man rolled up his sleeve to reveal his right hand. It waspletely skinless all the way to the elbow, revealing dark red muscle tissues. It looked like a fake limb made of red wax.

    The man smirked and made a fist with his right hand. ¡°Detonate.¡±

    The air went still for a moment.

    <i>Boom, boom!</i>

    Two explosions assaulted Gao Yang¡¯s eardrums. When he realized what was happening, White Rabbit had already tackled him to the ground.

    Gao Yang picked himself up. He was seven to eight meters away from the car. And next to it, two bloody meny prone on the road with their blood sttered everywhere. Crimson vapor and white smoke rose into the air. All he could smell was blood and gunpowder.

    Gao Yang froze.

    The two men were Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog. Wu Dahaiy on the ground, missing his entire right arm. Blood was still gushing out from the stump of his shoulder, and he had lost consciousness.

    Heavenly Dog was on the ground as well, and there was a fist-sized hole in his back, still bleeding. While he was conscious, he had lost all ability to move, and his bloodied eyes faintly blinked.

    Gao Yang finally put two and two together; the man had detonated their body parts!

    Shock, fear, anger... A myriad of emotions warred in Gao Yang¡¯s head, overwhelming his rationality. He stood rooted to the spot, at a loss of what to do for the moment.

    Was this how awakeners fought?

    Only the fittest survived. Dangersy in wait at every corner. One never got out of bed with the certain belief that they would get to see the sunrise again.

    When Gao Yang regained control over himself, White Rabbit had jumped with both legs and was flying toward the red-haired man like an arrow.

    Her teammates had copsed and were dying, but she didn¡¯t have the time to hesitate or wallow in sadness and regrets. She knew that she could only save them by counterattacking at full force immediately and defeating her enemy.

    The red-haired man didn¡¯t expect White Rabbit to be this quick. They had been more than ten meters apart, yet she moved into his space in half a second like she had teleported. When he caught her figure, White Rabbit was already making a kick at him in the air.

    The man quickly raised his right hand to shield his head, and the fierce kicknded on his forearm, breaking the bone immediately with a crack. The force wasn¡¯tpletely offset and ended up hitting the man¡¯s head, sending him flying to the side.

    He only stopped rolling on the ground after five to six rotations, and it felt as if the world was spinning around him, his brain rendered a mushy mess in his skull. He couldn¡¯t afford any moment of distraction, however. He picked his bloody body up. Without giving him a moment to breathe, White Rabbit rushed at him again.

    With his dangling right hand, the red-haired man made a fist with all the strength he could muster.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    White Rabbit was just about to activate Jump with her body leaning forward and her legs bent, but then there was suddenly a bloody hole the size of a ping pong ball in her right leg, and she lost her bnce, falling hard to the ground.

    ¡°Gah...¡± White Rabbit held onto her right leg, her face drained of color.

 Chapter 81: Detonation

    <h4>Chapter 81: Detonation</h4>

    ¡°White Rabbit!¡± Gao Yang rushed toward White Rabbit and helped her up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me! Kill him!¡± White Rabbit shouted with bloodshot eyes, her voice trembling with overwhelming emotions. ¡°Don¡¯t touch his right hand!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    Even without her reminding him, Gao Yang had figured out much of the way the red-haired man¡¯s power worked.

    His Talent was most likely Detonation, serial number 22, and his red right hand was the key.

    As for how the Talent worked exactly, it was likely that he could detonate any organism his right hand had touched, and the power of the explosion depended on the duration of the touch.

    That would exin why the explosions Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog suffered were so serious, while White Rabbit only had a hole in her right leg.

    It had onlye into brief contact with the red-haired man¡¯s right hand when she kicked him, while Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog had supported the man for quite a while before they realized the danger, allowing the man¡¯s right hand to stay in contact with their bodies for much longer.

    And the red-haired man had been patient. He only ever moved his right hand within a reasonable limit. If he had recklessly touched Heavenly Dog¡¯s and Wu Dahai¡¯s hearts or heads, he would attract suspicion even though he would have killed them with one detonation. Originally, the man had nned to take out all four of them in one fell swoop.

    Gao Yang felt chilled to the bones. If he hadn¡¯t exposed the red-haired man with Lie Detection, the man would have found opportunities to touch all four of them with his right hand. Then all of them would have been blown up, rendering them sitting ducks awaiting easy hunting.

    Gao Yang was reminded of what War Tiger had said:

    <i>¡ªDon¡¯t be misled by those shonen mangas. There is no absolute ranking for power. Real-life battles aren¡¯t one-on-one matches in an arena, but a mix of schemes, exploitations, ambushes, lies, poisons, psychological warfare, traps, and the age-long tactic of going after someone with greater numbers. There are more tricks than one can feasibly predict and prepare for.</i>

    ¡°Watch out!¡± White Rabbit shouted. Gao Yang had just turned around when the red-haired man reached out to touch Gao Yang¡¯s face with his right hand.

    His opponent was quick. He had rushed up to Gao Yang in only a few seconds. However, Gao Yang was prepared¡ªhe had left himself wide open to lure the man into attacking him, in fact.

    With a hand supporting White Rabbit, Gao Yang put up a show of losing hisposure due to hispanions¡¯ conditions. All the while, he had a hand hidden under his armpit with the palm facing his back, holding a ball of condensed energy that was ready to be unleashed.

    The red-haired man was two inches away from touching Gao Yang¡¯s face, and at that moment, he thought he had won. Before his joy could register in his brain, however, he was blinded by a flicker of light, and a fierce wave of zing mes surged up out of nowhere, hitting him squarely.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡± The man¡¯s head and upper body were devoured by fire at once.

    A regr man would¡¯ve lost their mind in the zing fire, but the red-haired man was an awakener, and one with Detonation as a Talent at that. With his impressive heat resistance, he kept his calm despite the scorching pain, and he jumped backward to get out of the fire¡¯s range.

    Although he had shut his eyes immediately, the heat damaged his corneas and left his vision blurry for a moment. All he saw was red. Then a shadowy figure shed through the red.

    It was Gao Yang. He had replicated White Rabbit¡¯s Jump while helping her up. Pushing both feet against the ground with his legs bending and releasing like springs, he quickly closed the distance between him and the red-haired man.

    The man didn¡¯t have the time to dodge out of the way. He raised his broken right arm to shield his head with some difficulty, nning to pull the same trick he had used on White Rabbit, but Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to fall for that.

    To make a fatal blow, the head would be the prime target, which was what White Rabbit had aimed at with her kick. The second best target would be the chest, and that was Gao Yang¡¯s choice this time.

    With Jump empowering his legs, Gao Yang kicked the red-haired man in the chest with tremendous explosive power and raw strength. He could almost hear the sound of the man¡¯s ribs shattering at the same time.

    <i>Swoosh! </i>The red-haired man flew toward the curb and mmed into a vending machine with a loud ng. The reinforced ss shattered all over the ground, and a few crushed cans rolled out onto the road.

    Gao Yang panted. He had made the strongest kick he could. The red-haired man would be incapacitated even if he didn¡¯t die.

    Decisively, he rushed back to White Rabbit.

    She hadn¡¯t been sitting around doing nothing. Instead, she had torn her shirt up to bandage her right leg. Pale and covered in cold sweat, she said through clenched teeth, ¡°Get Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog on my back!¡±

    Gao Yang understood immediately. ¡°You...think you can make it?¡±

    ¡°Now!¡± White Rabbit growled, her face so twisted that she barely looked like herself.

    Gao Yang did as she said immediately and put the two seriously injured men on her back. Carrying them with her hands behind her back, White Rabbit said, ¡°I leave the man to you, Gao Yang. I¡¯ll take them to Lovely Lamb!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    White Rabbit crouched down slightly and, with a powerful leap, vanished from Gao Yang¡¯s sight, leaving behind only two deep indents on the road and a pool of blood.

    Gao Yang silently prayed that White Rabbit¡¯s injured legs would give out only after she got to Lovely Lamb.

    Now it was time to deal with the bastard!

    When Gao Yang turned around, he was shocked to see that the red-haired man had disappeared. All there was was the broken vending machine. Then he heard the sound of a car starting from a short distance. He whirled around and saw that the red-haired man had gotten into their car. With blood streaking down the corner of his mouth, he covered his chest with one hand and moved the wheel with the other, giving Gao Yang a cold smirk through the window.

    Gao Yang was caught off guard. How could the man move after getting such a heavy kick in the chest?!

    The car hurtled toward Gao Yang. He quickly dodged out of the way.

    When their eyes met through the car window, the red-haired man gave Gao Yang a vicious, hateful, and frustrated look, as if he was silently dering that he would have his revenge sooner orter.

    Gao Yang rolled to a stop. The car had already gotten quite far from him.

    His replication of Jump had run out. There was no way he could catch up to the car. Rooted to the spot, he watched the car disappear at the end of the road. Only then did he copse to the ground with sprawling limbs like a balloon man losing all the air.

    He breathed in heavy puffs, drained.

    Although he had made only two moves. Each took all the energy he could muster. He hadn¡¯t pulled back at all.

    He smelled a strange smell then. It waspletely foreign to him. But then a gust of night wind swept it away, and the smell was gone.

    After a few minutes of resting, Gao Yang took out his phone to call White Rabbit. She didn¡¯t pick up.

    He got to his feet and walked toward the Millennium Tower. About ten minutester, his phone rang. White Rabbit called back.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Gao Yang said through a constricted throat.

    ¡°I got back in time. We¡¯re with Lovely Lamb.¡± She sounded positively frosty. ¡°Did you get him?¡±

    ¡°He ran.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°How are they?¡±

    ¡°Not good.¡±

 Chapter 82: Visit

    <h4>Chapter 82: Visit</h4>

    Rabbit Room, -6F of the Millennium Tower. Four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The room was dim and quiet. Gao Yang sat sinking into a bean bag with his eyes closed. The moment someone turned on the light, he quickly opened his eyes. It was War Tiger. He had a white tank top and a pair of ck running pants on, a towel hanging from the nape of his neck. And his hair was still damp. It seemed that he had just taken a shower.

    ¡°How are they?¡± Gao Yang asked, concerned.

    ¡°White Rabbit is the least injured. She will be up and running soon.¡± War Tiger wiped his hair with the towel. He sounded tired. He made a beeline for the fridge and got himself a can of beer. ¡°Heavenly Dog¡¯s injury is pretty serious, but he would be fine. He just has to stay put for a week.¡±

    ¡°How about Wu Dahai?¡± Gao Yang knew his condition was the worst.

    ¡°He would live.¡± War Tiger slowly sat down next to him and tipped his head up to take arge gulp of beer. ¡°Unfortunately, his right arm can¡¯t be salvaged.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°Although Lovely Lamb can absorb injury, his entire arm got blown up into minced meat, and there is no regenerating that. We¡¯ll have to put a prosthetic on him.¡± War Tiger smiled bitterly. ¡°That boy¡¯s gonna be down for a few days once he wakes up.¡±

    ¡°Then...would it impact his power?¡± Gao Yang believed that it would be Wu Dahai¡¯s biggest concern. Although Wu Dahai hadn¡¯t spelled it out in words, it was clear that he was eager to get stronger so that he wouldn¡¯t drag the organization down.

    ¡°No. He can still summon lightning with one hand, and he isn¡¯t gonna fight anyone in hand-to-handbat.¡± War Tiger shook his can of beer and took another drink. ¡°Actually, the prosthetic arm can be used to block a sh or a shot when necessary. Perhaps it may make him a little stronger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gao Yang felt a little relieved. ¡°Can I check on them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all in the Lamb Room.¡± War Tiger raised an eyebrow, smiling. ¡°But I would advise against that.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit is keeping watch on them, and she¡¯s in a bad mood.¡± War Tiger looked intimidated. ¡°She was terrifying, yelling at anyone she saw like a tigress.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. She must be feeling guilty. Wu Dahai had suggested they leave the man be, and White Rabbit was the one making the decision to help the man, which led to their current situation. However, she wasn¡¯t exactly to me. Who would¡¯ve thought that the red-haired man would go that far to lure them close? And his Talent was perfect for an insidious ambush.

    The red-haired man obviously came prepared. He knew that the Twelve Zodiac Signs were trading Rune Circuits tonight, as well as the driving route they would take. Their information had been leaked. Liu Qingying was right.

    <i>There¡¯s a spy among us.</i>

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± War Tiger asked.

    Gao Yang paused and lowered his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart boy, Gao Yang.¡± War Tiger stretched his neck, his voice lowering. ¡°After what happened tonight, you must have some thoughts.¡±

    Gao Yang considered his words.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a simple matter. If you hadn¡¯t been as keen as you were, the four of you would¡¯ve all died, and we would¡¯ve lost a Rune Circuit. It¡¯s been ten years since we suffered such a terrible blow.¡± War Tiger stared at Gao Yang quietly, but his gaze was threatening. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again, <i>what do you think</i>?¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯s a spy among us,¡± Gao Yang made up his mind and said.

    ¡°Do you have evidence, or is it mere spection?¡±

    ¡°Spection.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t n to sell Liu Qingying out, or he wouldn¡¯t get any more information from her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good guess.¡± War Tiger was still looking at Gao Yang, his gaze loaded with unspoken words.

    ¡°You...suspect me?¡± Gao Yang said, feeling nervous under the scrutiny.

    ¡°Yes,¡± War Tiger admitted easily. ¡°You are the first I suspect.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly after thinking things through. ¡°Of course I am.¡±

    ¡°My reasoning is threefold.¡± War Tiger looked up with narrowed eyes, extending his fingers as he spoke. ¡°First, this happened not long after the three of you joined. Second, Green Snake and Yellow Ox have been training with me, and it¡¯s unlikely that they would know the details about the Rune Circuit trade, making them less suspicious. Third, ording to White Rabbit, you defeated the red-haired man, but somehow he ran away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how either,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°I thought he had lost his ability to resist, but he was still able to move. Perhaps he has some sort of recovery Talent, or an emergency medicine.¡±

    ¡°Or,¡± War Tiger siad, ¡°You are in kahoots, and you let him go.¡±

    Gao Yang protested, ¡°In that case, he would¡¯ve taken the Rune Circuit with him.¡±

    ¡°Yes. You should be thankful that you brought the Rune Circuit back.¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°Or I would already be interrogating you properly rather than simply suspecting you.¡±

    Gao Yang shuddered. He knew the man was serious.

    ¡°However,¡± War Tiger took another sip of beer and said, ¡°Outside of Dragon and I, all members may turn out to be the spy.¡±

    ¡°Even White Rabbit?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. He thought anyone could see how loyal White Rabbit was to the organization.

    ¡°Including her,¡± War Tiger said calmly before chuckling. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about you. You are my prime suspect at the moment, but I can give you a chance to prove your innocence.¡±

    ¡°What should I do?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Find the real spy if you aren¡¯t it.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t understand because you haven¡¯t been a leader.¡± War Tiger shook his head. ¡°The old members are close, and suspicion among the members will be bad for the stability of the organization. You, however, are a neer. You¡¯re smart and eager to prove your innocence, which makes you the perfect candidate for the investigation.¡±

    Gao Yang went over the situation in his head. Although he had Lie Detection, it could only be used once every 48 hours, which was way too long. Even if he quickly pushed Lie Detection to level 2, the cooldown would still be significant.

    Moreover, everyone knew he had Lie Detection now, and the spy would surely have some countermeasures prepared.

    If he was to question everyone in person, it would be no different from alerting the snake by hitting the grass, and the spy would make a move. They would either run away or kill him to silence him. The risk was too high.

    The safest solution would be to investigate in secret. Once he had identified a suspect with a seventy percent certainty, he would confront the suspect while War Tiger was present. Then he would expose them with Lie Detection and get things over with.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Gao Yang agreed to the condition. In truth, he didn¡¯t have any other choice.

    ¡°Then we have a deal.¡± War Tiger lifted the can of beer. ¡°Cheers.¡±

    Gao Yang lifted his own drink and knocked it against the beer can.

    ¡°If you ever need help or run into something you can¡¯t deal with,e to me.¡± War Tiger stood up and cast the empty beer can behind him. Along a perfect parabolic trajectory, it fell into the trashcan in the corner of the room. ¡°At the end of the day, we¡¯ve got the Damage Rune Circuit now. I can¡¯t wait to torment Green Snake and Yellow Ox.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever rest?¡± Gao Yang said in disbelief.

    ¡°I only need four hours of sleep every three days.¡± War Tiger waved as he walked out of the door. ¡°Awakeners are built different.¡±

    ...

    Came morning, Gao Yang headed straight to school and spent an uneventful day.

    After the evening self-study, he visited the hospital to keep his fatherpany. That was when he got a message from White Rabbit that Wu Dahai was awake.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, he quietly left the hospital to head to the underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower.

    Inside a single ward in the Lamb Room, Wu Dahai sat sprawling on the bed in a patient gown. Hisplexion was sickly, and without his usual hairdo, his hair slumped down on his pale face like it had lost its spirit. His right sleeve drooped limply to the bed, empty from the shoulder down.

    White Rabbit sat by the bed with a bowl of white porridge in her hand. She lifted a spoonful and blew it cool gently before pushing it toward Wu Dahai¡¯s mouth. Wu Dahai frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough.¡±

    ¡°Come on, have another two spoons,¡± White Rabbit said like she was coaxing a child.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it...¡±

    ¡°Then thest one. Open your mouth. Ah¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± Wu Dahai opened his mouth reluctantly and allowed White Rabbit to feed him porridge. With difficulty, he swallowed it down. It took a while for him to notice Gao Yang standing at the door. He quickly put up a strong front and said, ¡°Yo, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Gao Yang felt his chest tighten, but he managed to smile. ¡°I came to check on you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to check on?¡± Wu Dahai said with feigned nonchnce. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Not even worth talking about.¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed his words as he stared at the empty sleeve dangling from Wu Dahai¡¯s right shoulder.

    Wu Dahai nced sideways at it too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once I get a prosthetic arm, I¡¯ll be Edward Eric from<i> Fullmetal Alchemist</i>! Wouldn¡¯t that be the coolest?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°You¡¯ll be too cool for school.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you let the despicable bastard escape?¡± Wu Dahai asked, aggrieved.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I underestimated him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve notified the Qilin Guild and the Hundred Rivers Union, as well as all our informants in other fields. We will get him,¡± White Rabbit said with controlled rage, her teeth grinding together fiercely.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get my revenge personally!¡± Wu Dahai growled, his eyes glinting with wariness. ¡°Still, what the hell was that Talent? It was fucking vicious!¡±

    Gao Yang paused, hisposure crumbling.

 Chapter 83: Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 83: Suspicion</h4>

    ¡°Detonation, serial number 22. Element-type.¡± White Rabbit put down the bowl of porridge. ¡°Touch someone¡¯s body, and the body part explodes. Perhaps there are other ways the Talent can be used, but that¡¯s what we know so far.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was a Damage-type Talent.¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s voice grew weak again after putting up the front for a while. ¡°Why did hee after the Damage Rune Circuit when he has an Element-type Talent?¡±

    ¡°He may not be after it for himself. There must be someone behind him. Outside of the three major organizations, there are quite a lot of fringe groups in Li City.¡± White Rabbit turned to Gao Yang, befuddled. ¡°Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Gao Yang lied.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you look after Wu Dahai for a while? I have things to take care of.¡± White Rabbit rose to her feet. Gao Yang gave her a nod before sitting down by Wu Dahai¡¯s bed.

    ¡°Take care of me?¡± Wu Dahai grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m not dying or anything.¡±

    Gao Yang asked on purpose, ¡°How did you not know Detonation, Wu Dahai?¡±

    ¡°There are too many Talents. How am I supposed to remember everything? I only picked a few I found interesting to read about...¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s head drooped, his eyes falling closed and his breathing growing slow and heavy. ¡°I¡¯ve got to memorize everything from now on... Fuck was I caught off guard...¡±

    Soon, Wu Dahai fell asleep.

    Gao Yang quietly stood up and tucked him in before leaving the room.

    ...

    Snake Room, -6F. Three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Qing Ling walked out of the women¡¯s bathroom with a white towel around her body, holding a wooden bucket with towel, shower gel, shampoo, and a bottle of special ointment inside. Her face, shoulders, arms, and legs were all covered in bruises.

    She had been under War Tiger¡¯s hellish training every day. The difficulty of the training corrted positively to the speed of her progress. She thought she would be able to level up God of des immediately when she got the Damage Rune Circuit yesterday, but it didn¡¯t go her way.

    Like an odd form of temper tantrum, she insisted on War Tiger training with her for another ten hours or so, essentially ying a human punching bag with no emotions. As the one beating her up, War Tiger was actually feeling ufortable, and when Qing Ling still refused to stop, he forced her to rest. Only then did she go take a bath and retire to her room.

    Qing Ling stopped walking when she found the bench in the breakroom upied by someone. It was Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang smiled at her and greeted, ¡°You haven¡¯t been at school these past couple of days. You didn¡¯t move into the dorm, did you?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t care about anything other than leveling up, and she had no time for small talks.

    ¡°You heard about the Rune Circuit almost getting taken, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I heard.¡± Qing Ling sat down on the bench next to Gao Yang and took out the bottled ointment from the wooden bucket. She opened the lid and poured some on her palm, rubbing it out and applying it to the bruises on her arms. Then she moved to her lower body. When she moved her long delicate fingers from her knees to the thighs covered by the towel, Gao Yang averted his eyes.

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t care?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t dead,¡± Qing Ling said coldly. In other words, she didn¡¯t care if Wu Dahai, Heavenly Dog, or White Rabbit died.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. On one hand, he was a little touched; on the other hand, he found her a little heartless.

    ¡°Turn to me,¡± said Qing Ling.

    When Gao Yang turned around, she handed him the bottle of ointment and turned her back to him, loosening the towel to reveal her pale back. Bruises of purple, blue, and red littered all over her body, evidence of the beating she had gotten these past few days. It hurt to look at her¡ªWar Tiger sure was something. Even with a beautiful girl like Qing Ling, he didn¡¯t pull his punches.

    <i>But that¡¯s for Qing Ling¡¯s own good</i>, thought Gao Yang.<i> It¡¯s better to have a difficult training than to die in a real battle.</i>

    ¡°Put it on for me,¡± said Qing Ling.

    If she were anyone else, Gao Yang would¡¯ve found the request suggestive, even questioning if the girl was seducing him. With Qing Ling, however, he took it as what it was: a reasonable request for a helping hand.

    Gao Yangposed himself and applied ointment to the bruises on her back with great care, rubbing it in afterward.

    ¡°You need something?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s something,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t know who else to talk to.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s clear from this ambush that there is a spy in the organization, and they sold us out.¡±

    With her back to Gao Yang, Qing Ling put her arms around her knees and thought quietly.

    ¡°I had no clue about who the spy was, but two hours ago, when I visited Wu Dahai, a possibility suddenly came to me. And I can¡¯t get it out of my head as it takes roots and sprouts leaves.¡±

    ¡°You found the spy?¡± Qing Ling asked directly.

    ¡°I only suspect him.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Gao Yang struggled to open his mouth.

    Qing Ling put the towel back on after the ointment had been applied. She stood up from the bench and looked down at Gao Yang with icy eyes. ¡°If you aren¡¯t talking, I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°You would get dragged into this if I told you.¡±

    Qing Ling was as level-headed as ever. ¡°And if the spy isn¡¯t taken out, everyone would be in danger.¡±

    ¡°The one I suspect is...¡± Gao Yang looked up to meet her eyes. ¡°Officer Huang.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Qing Ling turned around and started walking. ¡°My room.¡±

    ...

    Two minutester, Gao Yang found himself in Qing Ling¡¯s single room.

    It was clean. The rectangr room had everything one would need, including a bed, a closet, a washing machine, a dryer, AC, a small fridge, and a microwave. There was a whiteundry basket in a corner of the room, inside was a pile of clothes she had changed out of.

    Qing Ling opened the closet built into the wall and took out a set of pink bear pajamas. Immediately, she took off the towel and put the pajamas on, not bothered by Gao Yang¡¯s presence at all.

    Gao Yang awkwardly turned away and insulted Wu Dahai¡¯s typical otaku taste in his head. What were those colorful clothes? They didn¡¯t fit Qing Ling at all.

    After getting changed, Qing Ling opened the small fridge and took out a seafood sandwich and a carton of milk. She put the sandwich into the microwave for heating. Then she opened the carton of milk and downed it in one go with her head tipped upward, her throat moving as she gulped.

    She threw away the now empty carton and sat down on her bed, gesturing at the only chair in the room for Gao Yang to take a seat.

    Gao Yang sat down. When he noticed the milk at the corner of her mouth, he pointed at his own mouth, ¡°Here.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your mouth.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your mouth. There¡¯s milk here.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Qing Ling licked it clean rather than wiping it off.

    Seeing her licking milk off the corner of her mouth with such a serious expression¡ªdressed in cute pajamas, no less¡ªwas so at odds with her usual image that Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°Why did you suspect Officer Huang?¡±

    ¡°He lied to us.¡±

 Chapter 84: Second Opinion

    <h4>Chapter 84: Second Opinion</h4>

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes sharpened. She lifted her chin, indicating Gao Yang to continue.

    ¡°The Talent list from serial number 11 to 199,¡± Gao Yang paused before sharing his finding, ¡°Officer Huang didn¡¯t get it from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Before joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs with us, Officer Huang had only ever been in contact with Wu Dahai. He told us that all the information he got, he got from Wu Dahai, but when I visited Wu Dahai earlier, it turned out he didn¡¯t remember much of the list. He couldn¡¯t have told Officer Huang everything on the list.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean much,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°Maybe the organization has a physical list, and Wu Dahai gave a copy to Officer Huang.¡±

    ¡°I considered that too, but with that suspicion in mind, I asked White Rabbit about it. She told me that the Talent list is a secret. Although all three organizations have the same list, it isn¡¯t essible to outsiders. Wu Dahai may look like the flippant type, but he actually sticks to rules most of the time. He wouldn¡¯t have told Officer Huang about the Talents before he officially joined the organization.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a heavy weight in his heart. He didn¡¯t want to suspect Officer Huang at all, but at the moment, he was the most likely suspect.

    ¡°Do you mean...¡± Qing Ling frowned. ¡°That he may have gotten the list from the Qilin Guild or Hundred Rivers Union?¡±

    ¡°That...doesn¡¯t seem to be the case either.¡± Gao Yang took out a sheet of A4 paper that was filled with text. ¡°This is the list I got from White Rabbit. Take a careful look.¡±

    Qing Ling took it and went slowly down the list. After a moment, she said with certainty, ¡°There are differences.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I memorized the list Officer Huang gave us before. I believe you¡¯ve done the same.¡±

    Gao Yang took the Talent list back and, with a single thought, conjured fire at the tip of his fingers, and it spread and devoured the entire sheet. The soft warm light cast flickering shadows on his face. ¡°I thought the list Officer Huang gave us was the official one. Now that I¡¯vepared the two, however, there are differences. Not significant, but the one White Rabbit gave me is clearly the official one.¡±

    Qing Ling gave it some thought.

    ¡°That means two things.¡± Gao Yang told her his conclusion. ¡°First, Officer Huang didn¡¯t get the Talent list from the Twelve Zodiac Signs or the other two organizations, and he did lie to us. Second, his version of the list probablyes from a different organization, which isn¡¯t as well known as the three major ones, but they are as good as they are secretive. They manage to create their own list of Talents through their own investigation with little mistakes.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and followed Gao Yang¡¯s train of thoughts. ¡°The organization would be the one behind the red-haired man who ambushed you, and Officer Huang is a spy the organization sent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my hypothesis.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°However...¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Gao Yang put his hands into a steeple, his thumbs rubbing together. ¡°If I were Officer Huang, I would¡¯ve been more careful with the Talent list. It could expose him so easily. If he truly were a spy, he would be a terrible one.¡±

    ¡°So do you suspect him or not?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°That¡¯s why I came to you for second opinions.¡±

    For a moment, neither of them talked. In the quiet stillness of the dorm room, Gao Yang could hear the soft sound of the AC exchanging air, and he smelled the fragrance of food.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    It was the microwave. The seafood sandwich had finished heating.

    Qing Ling stood up to get the sandwich onto a te before sitting back down on her bed. Without saying a word, she grabbed the sandwich and started eating.

    Gao Yang waited patiently. After Qing Ling finished the sandwich in a few minutes, she put the te away and said coolly, ¡°Officer Huang is acting suspicious.¡±

    ¡°You think so too?¡±

    ¡°Three days ago, when we finished training at midnight, he drove me home and headed the opposite way after I got out of the car.¡± Qing Ling gave Gao Yang a look. ¡°If he was heading home or the station, he wouldn¡¯t have to make a U-turn.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. ¡°Thatte at night, where could he be going if he wasn¡¯t returning home or going to the station?¡±

    ¡°Meeting up with his handler, perhaps.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. The next day at midnight, Gao Yang and the three other members got ambushed by the red-haired man. It would fit the timeline if Officer Huang was heading to meet up with his handler.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°Do we report to the organization, or...do we confirm it for ourselves first?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve made the decision already.¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t so dense that she wouldn¡¯t notice.

    Gao Yang smiled apologetically. ¡°I want to confirm it first just to be safe, but I need your help. For one, you are in the perfect position to keep an eye on him since you¡¯ve been training together. And secondly, you are stronger than I am. If I¡¯m doing this alone, I¡¯m worried that I may not be able to deal with whatever is going to happen.¡±

    Qing Ling agreed without hesitation. ¡°Keep your phone on. Wait for my message.¡±

    ...

    Two dayster. Upstream of the Li River, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    A patrol car of white and blue parked by the scenic road winding along the river. The door opened, and Officer Huang got out of the car.

    With a half-burned cigarette in his mouth, he had a bag of braised dishes in his left hand and two bottles of high proof liquor in his right hand. He strode across the scenic area and stopped at the river levee.

    The riverside saw strong winds at night. Officer Huang stared down at the mudt with narrowed eyes and quickly found a patch of light in the dark.

    He walked down the levee and headed toward the light, leaving footprints of different depths on the wet sandy ground.

    It was a gas light. Sitting beside it was a frail-looking old man. He was dressed in a dark brown windbreaker and a ck t cap with fleece lining. Sitting on a foldable stool, he was so preupied with the fishing rod in his hand that he didn¡¯t seem aware of the man approaching him.

    ¡°Sir Jiang!¡± Officer Huang was tired and drained from War Tiger¡¯s hellish training, but he mustered what little energy he had to greet the old man.

    ¡°Hello, Young Huang.¡± Sir Jiang looked up, his face visibly brightening when he saw Officer Huang. He quickly picked up the other foldable stool by his feet. ¡°Here, have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Officer Huang set up the stool and sat down next to the old man. ¡°I brought you braised food. Liquor too. Let¡¯s have a drink.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, you only have to show up on your own. No need for this.¡± Sir Jiang¡¯s eyes curved as he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fishing. I don¡¯t have time forte night snacks.¡±

    ¡°You can always go back to fishing after eating.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯re persistent.¡± Sir Jiang acted reluctant, but there was no hesitation to his movement as he put away the fishing rod and reeled in the line. A closer look would reveal that the fishing hook wasn¡¯t a hook at all, and there was no lure.

    Officer Huang opened the box of food and separated a pair of disposable chopsticks. Then he prepared a bottle of liquor and two stic cups. He poured one for each of them, and the two men started drinking with a nice pairing of food, having a friendly chat at the same time.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know, Sir Jiang.¡±

    ¡°You brat...¡± Sir Jiang had been savoring the liquor with a smile, but the smile slid off his face suddenly, and he put the cup down. ¡°I was wondering why you had been visiting me so frequently. I knew you must be up to something. You just can¡¯t stop seeking the information I have...¡±

    Officer Huang smiled apologetically. ¡°Please put yourself in my shoes, Sir Jiang. I¡¯m just feeling anxious as a father. Seeing my wife¡¯s belly getting bigger and bigger every day, I couldn¡¯t help but worry...¡±

    Sir Jiang didn¡¯t empathize with him. ¡°It¡¯s just a child, and they will be born. Whether what awaits them is a life of abundance or difficulty, it¡¯s up to them to find their own path. What are you so worried about?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but she...¡±

    ¡°Our two guests,¡± Sir Jiang raised his cup and called out to the reed bushes shrouded in darkness not far from them, cutting Officer Huang off. ¡°There are quite a lot of mosquitoes there. You¡¯ll only be torturing yourselves if you stay there. Why don¡¯t you join us and have a drink?¡±

    Officer Huang tensed up. He was followed?!

 Chapter 85: Observer

    <h4>Chapter 85: Observer</h4>

    ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    Officer Huang pulled out his gun at lightning speed, aiming at the reed bushes. In the darkness, the reed shook along with the wind, catching the faint light every now and then.

    ¡°Show yourself, or I¡¯ll shoot!¡± Officer Huang warned.

    A few secondster, two figures emerged from the reed bushes.

    Officer Huang aimed the gun with one hand and turned on his shlight with the other, resting it on the gun to illuminate the uninvited guests. It took a moment for him to ept that his eyes weren¡¯t ying tricks on him. He slowly lowered his gun.

    ¡°Gao Yang, Qing Ling, why are you here?¡± Officer Huang frowned. ¡°You followed me?¡±

    Exposed, Gao Yang should be feeling nervous, but for some reason, he was more embarrassed than anything. ¡°Um, Officer Huang, the thing is...¡±

    Qing Ling cut him off with an impassive expression, ¡°Are you the spy?¡±

    It took a moment for Officer Huang to catch on, and heughed awkwardly. ¡°No way, why would you suspect me?¡±

    ¡°The Talent list,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    Gao Yang tentatively added, ¡°You didn¡¯t get it from Wu Dahai, did you?¡±

    ¡°Ah...that!¡± Officer Huang nodded in realization and holstered his gun. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding. Come take a seat. We¡¯ll talk as we drink.¡±

    Gao Yang walked up to them, but Qing Ling stopped him with an arm.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Qing Ling asked, staring at Sir Jiang. ¡°Is he a human, or...¡±

    ¡°A monster,¡± Sir Jiang said, waving Qing Ling over. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, young woman. Take a seat. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned into silence.

    ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡± Qing Ling was still wary.

    ¡°You awakeners call those like me pride monsters.¡± Sir Jiang took a sip of liquor and smacked his lips. ¡°However, I prefer ¡®observers¡¯. It¡¯s more dignified.¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, the four of them sat by the river,ying everything out in the open.

    Officer Huang met Sir Jiang half a year ago. He had been an awakener for three years then.

    He continued to work as a police officer and look into crimes. Once, when he was investigating the case of a disposed body, he came to the upstream of Li River at midnight and found Sir Jiang fishing at the riverbank, which was suspicious to him. He even considered that the old man might have been the culprit. Half a monthter, the murderer was caught, and it wasn¡¯t Sir Jiang. However, Officer Huang was still curious about the old man.

    ¡°At the time, I had the habit of approaching lone individuals to find out if they are humans or wanderers, or one of the other kinds of monsters...¡± Officer Huang took a drink. ¡°Old Man Liu was one such wanderer I¡¯d found out about. I knew it was risky, but I was desperate for any lead back then.¡±

    Officer Huang turned to Sir Jiang. ¡°And surprise, surprise, I found it.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you were lucky, young man.¡± Sir Jiang didn¡¯t even look up from the crispy pig ears he was enjoying.

    Officer Huang continued. ¡°I tested him with words a few times, and he lost his patience with me. He told me, ¡®You really have a death wish. You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m the one you ran into. Were it any other monster, you would¡¯ve died many times over.¡¯¡±

    Officer Huang chuckled. ¡°I was shocked, but Sir Jiang didn¡¯t hurt me, and I lowered my guard and befriended him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, friend?¡± Sir Jiang snorted, displeased. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve simply been using me? You got me drunk every day so that I would tell you what you wanted to know!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put it like that, Sir Jiang. Things were difficult for me.¡± Officer Huang smiled and put on a pitiful look like a child. ¡°I would¡¯ve died if not for you. Think of it as getting good karma from your good deeds.¡±

    ¡°Good karma? I¡¯d consider myself lucky if I don¡¯t end up going to hell for helping a human go against my kind.¡± Sir Jiang¡¯s words were in stark contrast with the smile on his face. He didn¡¯t seem too worried.

    ¡°Even if that happens, it''s because the King of Hell is offering you a handsome paycheck.¡± Officer Huang kept up the ttery.

    They went back and forth like they were doing a y, leaving no opening for Gao Yang and Qing Ling to chime in.

    Finally, Gao Yang found the chance to ask, ¡°Officer Huang, did you get the list of Talents from Sir Jiang?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette and respectfully put it to Sir Jiang¡¯s lips. Then he lit the cigarette with a windproof lighter. Sir Jiang took a drag and exhaled a puff of white smoke. It obscured his old, deste eyes before dissipating.

    Officer Huang continued, ¡°When we were drinking, I would ask Sir Jiang what Talents he found powerful or interesting, and what Talents he considered threats. He told me when he was in a good mood, and he kept quiet when he was in a bad mood. I memorized them all and sorted the information on my own once I got home. That was how Ipiled the list of Talents.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling pondered the revtion.

    After a moment, Gao Yang apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have suspected you.¡±

    ¡°No, I lied to you first.¡± Officer Huang was understanding. ¡°I would be suspicious too were I in your shoes.¡±

    Officer Huang nced at Sir Jiang. ¡°But I have to repay Sir Jiang¡¯s kindness. The more people know about this, the more dangerous it would be for Sir Jiang. I don¡¯t want to put him at risk.¡±

    ¡°Worry about yourself!¡± Sir Jiang didn¡¯t sound grateful. ¡°Who have I ever been afraid of? The worst that can happen is death, and with deathes release. Humans or monsters, it¡¯s all the same. The longer you live, the less you want to live longer.¡±

    Gao Yang considered the old man before him and felt a strange dissonance. Sir Jiang knew he was a monster, but he talked and acted like a human. No, he might as well be one.

    Gao Yang licked his lips. ¡°Sir Jiang, I don¡¯t get...¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of things you don¡¯t get.¡± Sir Jiang smiled with a keen light in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look to me for all the answers. There are things I cannot say, things I don¡¯t want to say, and things that even I don¡¯t know about.¡±

    All the questions Gao Yang had been waiting to ask went back down.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t care. She asked directly, ¡°Why are you different from other monsters? If you know we¡¯re awakeners, why aren¡¯t you trying to kill us?¡±

    ¡°That I can answer.¡± Officer Huang turned to Qing Ling. ¡°Simply put, Sir Jiang is a pride monster, and pride monsters are at a much higher level than regr monsters. The identities and souls of the person and the monster coexist in the body rather than them switching between the two states.¡±

    Officer Huang lit a cigarette for himself. ¡°Pride monsters are rare. There may only be one out of every hundred thousand monsters. And ording to their positions, they can be categorized into...¡±

    Officer Huang turned to Sir Jiang. ¡°Can I tell them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve started already,¡± Sir Jiang said with a huff. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to care about my opinion.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll tell them then.¡± Officer Huang turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Pride monsters can be categorized into lightbringers, shadowstalkers, and observers. Lightbringers help awakeners, and they are a needle in an ocean of haystacks. Shadowstalkers hunts awakeners. And observers are those like Sir Jiang. They maintain a neutral stance and take no sides. What they do or say depends entirely on their whims.¡±

    Then Officer Huang added, ¡°Oh, and pride monsters follow the Heavenly Way as well. They never hurt unawakened humans, and they don¡¯t go after awakeners actively, either. You can consider them hidden NPCs who only react when an awakener bothers them. They either help them, kill them, or stay a neutral party.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I called you lucky. That you ran into me.¡± After filling his belly to his heart¡¯s content, Sir Jiang tightened the windbreaker jacket around him and picked up his fishing rod again, casting the line into the river. ¡°You would¡¯ve died terribly if you bothered any other pride monsters.¡±

    ¡°Are you strong?¡± Qing Ling questioned, unconvinced.

    Sir Jiang slowly turned around to look at her, still smiling. ¡°You are wee to try if you don¡¯t believe me, young woman.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll...¡±

    Gao Yang hurriedly covered her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s a joke, Sir Jiang. Please don¡¯t take it to heart!¡±

    Sir Jiang burst intoughter, his face creasing in an endearing way. ¡°You¡¯re fun! You¡¯ve got some interesting friends, Young Huang!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you befriend them as well if you like them?¡± Officer Huang subtly egged him on.

    Sir Jiang didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he stared at the dark river, feeling the chilly night wind hitting his face.

    After a long while, he sighed quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve been fishing here for too long, Young Huang. It¡¯s time for a change of scenery.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Officer Huang was surprised. ¡°How am I going to contact you?¡±

    ¡°Contact me?¡± Sir Jiang scoffed with equal parts amusement and exasperation. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m one of yours? Perhaps I¡¯ll eat you the next time we meet.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. You¡¯re a good man, Sir Jiang. Don¡¯t scare me.¡±

    ¡°What do you know about us, Young Huang?¡± Sir Jiang¡¯s voice sounded sorrowful with an undercurrent ofplicated resentment.

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°You know nothing.¡± Sir Jiang turned to Gao Yang and Qing Ling. His eyes were kind again. ¡°It¡¯s best for you that we never meet the next time. It¡¯s best for these two kids as well.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Officer Huang said insistently, ¡°Thank you for taking care of me the past six months, Sir Jiang. I really don¡¯t want to lose you, but I respect your decision. Would you please give us a word of advice before we part ways?¡±

    Dimply illuminated by the warm gas light, Sir Jiang looked old, his eyes muddled with the many years he had lived through. He gazed at the scintiting river and said slowly, ¡°Do not open the Gates of Closure.¡±

 Chapter 86: Hometown

    <h4>Chapter 86: Hometown</h4>

    Riverside scenic area, five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang were in the patrol car. Through the stencils of tree leaves, a stream ofmplight shone into the car, cutting through the darkness and illuminating the small framed photo set up atop the dashboard. It was a wedding photo of Officer Huang and his wife. With a full suit on, Officer Huang looked handsome and spirited, while his wife was stunning in a corset wedding dress and a white veil.

    A puff of smoke obscured the photo. It was the cigarette smoke Officer Huang had exhaled. He took another deep breath, his expression dark with visible anger.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gao Yang apologized again. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way.¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t turn around. His voice was strained when he said, ¡°I understand your suspicion when I kept things from you, but please understand that I¡¯m angry for losing an important source of information.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Seeing my wife¡¯s belly grow every day,¡± Officer Huang sighed with frustration, ¡°I look forward to the birth of the child more and more, but at the same time, my fear grows as well. I don¡¯t know what will happen going forward. I don¡¯t know what the child will be. I¡¯ve been seeking Sir Jiang out quite frequently. He probably had enough of me.¡±

    ¡°Did Sir Jiang tell you anything?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s basically told me nothing about my wife.¡± Officer Huang knocked on the driving wheel with both hands. ¡°And with your intervention, I¡¯ll never see him again. That¡¯s a dead end.¡±

    Pride monsters.

    Gao Yang repeated the words to himself. Their existence was truly mysterious. He was reminded of Baili Yi, the man who had appeared and disappeared suddenly. Gao Yang had thought he was going to disperse the mist covering up the truth of the world, but underneath it, he found only an even thickeryer of mist, leaving him lost and helpless.

    ¡°It¡¯s better for us to find out about the pride monster than someone else from the organization,¡± Qing Ling said, finally breaking her silence.

    Officer Huang paused and nodded. ¡°True.¡±

    After a few more cigarettes, Officer Huang regained his calm. He turned to Gao Yang. ¡°So, about the spy. Now that I¡¯ve proven myself to you, who else do you suspect?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know the other members well, so I¡¯m not sure where to start.¡±

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Officer Huang said in a low voice. ¡°Perhaps information on the three of us has been leaked as well. We aren¡¯t safe either.¡±

    Gao Yang shuddered when he recalled the vicious look the red-haired man had shot him before escaping.

    With them out in the open while their enemiesy waiting in the dark, it would be difficult for them to defend themselves.

    ...

    Dawn broke in the eastern sky. Gao Yang snuck back home and slept, but he was woken up by his phone after less than two hours.

    He picked up the call, bleary-eyed. Then he heard Uncle Qing¡¯s voice say, ¡°Yang Yang, this is Uncle Qing. When are youing with Mr. Wang?¡±

    Make a lie believable or don¡¯t lie at all. Under Gao Yang¡¯s arrangement, Wang Zikai was going to invest two million into the food processing factory run by Gao Yang¡¯s father and Uncle Qing. They had agreed to visit the factory in the countryside today and sign the contract. Gao Yang had forgotten about it with everything that had happened.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll be there at noon...¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll be waiting!¡±

    Gao Yang hung up the phone and called Wang Zikai immediately. Wang Zikai sounded half asleep as well when he picked up. ¡°Bro, it¡¯s too early for this...¡±

    ¡°Rise and shine, Mr. Wang. Come visit the factory with me in the countryside today.¡±

    ¡°What factory?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna invest in my dad¡¯s food processing factory. You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you?¡±

    ¡°Right...¡± Wang Zikai still sounded tired. ¡°Let¡¯s not go. Tell him to take some pictures and send them to me.¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ve agreed to do it. We can¡¯t go back on our words.¡±

    Wang Zikai groaned from the other end of the line. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going! It¡¯s only because you¡¯re my brother!¡±

    ...

    Ten o¡¯clock in the morning, Wang Zikai picked Gao Yang up in his borrowed McLaren. The car drove fast. In about one hour, the two of them arrived at the food processing factory in the countryside surrounding the urban area.

    Uncle Qing, along with more than thirty workers at the factory, stood outside to give them a proper wee; all of them had put effort into making themselves presentable.

    Gao Yang got out of the car first. It had been two years since hest saw Uncle Qing. The man seemed to have lost a lot of weight. Back then, Uncle Qing was an overweight man over a hundred kilograms. After getting a thyroid surgery, he started exercising and taking care of his health better.

    ¡°Yang Yang.¡± Uncle Qing beamed when he saw Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten taller!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight, Uncle Qing, and you look much healthier.¡±

    They exchanged pleasantries.

    Then Wang Zikai emerged from the car with dramatic aplomb, dressed in name-brand clothes with a pair of sunsses and a gold ne. Uncle Qing paused before quickly walking up to him with a smile. ¡°Are you...Mr. Wang?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Wang Zikai took off his sunsses and shot him a nce. ¡°And you¡¯re the owner of the factory?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Well met, Mr. Wang. It¡¯s an honor to meet you. The reputation truly never lives up to the real deal. You¡¯re such an extraordinary young man with impressive achievement under your belt!¡± Uncle Qing rattled off all the tteries he coulde up with. ¡°It must have been a difficult trip here. Why don¡¯t I show you to the break room, and you can have some tea and snacks before visiting the factory...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to the factory,¡± Wang Zikai said impatiently. This was an empty act that didn¡¯t mean anything. He just wanted to get it over with.

    When Gao Yang jabbed at his back, Wang Zikai reluctantly recited the lines Gao Yang had taught him, ¡°Investment requires caution. I¡¯d like to inspect your factory properly...¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Uncle Qing nodded and bowed with excessive politeness. ¡°Here, please follow me!¡±

    Uncle Qing led Gao Yang and Wang Zikai into the food processing factory. They first went up to the shelf demonstrating the products, and Uncle Qing gave them a brief introduction of their top sellers as well as the new products they were going to introduce this year. Most were snacks made from beans. Wang Zikai tried two and sang their praises.

    Then they inspected the production line where the food was processed, followed by the storage of ingredients, the sanitation of the environment, the business license, and the certificates.

    After all that, the three of them went to Uncle Qing¡¯s office. Gao Yang took out the contract he had drafted and went through it with Uncle Qing. The two parties then signed the contract. Wang Zikai didn¡¯t even look at it before writing his name in careless strokes.

    ¡°The money will be wired the next two days,¡± Gao Yang said, essentially ying the part of Wang Zikai¡¯s secretary.

    ¡°Understood! Thank you, truly!¡± The tense lines of Uncle Qing¡¯s smile finally rxed. He could now pay the workers and source the next batch of ingredients. They would ovee the crisis before them.

    Uncle Qing asked Wang Zikai and Gao Yang to stay for a meal, but they turned him down. Everyone at the factory came out to see them off when they departed.

    Gao Yang got into Wang Zikai¡¯s sportscar. He was going to return to Li City, but then it urred to him that he should visit his grandmother. She had been staying with his uncle in the countryside after his father¡¯s ident.

    Originally, they were going to take his grandmother homest week, but she refused, insisting that she was doing well at his uncle¡¯s ce, and that she wanted to stay a little longer. However, Gao Yang knew that his grandmother simply wanted to lessen the burden on his mother¡¯s shoulders.

    The town wasn¡¯t that big. Wang Zikai drove Gao Yang to his uncle¡¯s ce in a few minutes.

    Wang Zikai was hesitant to leave. ¡°Why don¡¯t I stay with you, bro? I heard you got ambushed the other day.¡±

    Touched, Gao Yang smiled at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see youter!¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t insist. He put on his sunsses and started the car, lifting puffs of dust in the wake.

    Gao Yang walked around and entered a fruit shop by the road. Before visiting his uncle, he wanted to buy some fruit for his grandmother.

    He was thinking about buying half a catty of cherries when he spotted a slim girl standing before the shelf. She was dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt and a dark blue checkered skirt. It was a Japanese style high school uniform that had been all the rage nowadays.

    The girl had both her hands behind her back and leaned forward to check the fruit on the shelf. Her soft, medium-length hair fell on her fair, shy face. Her voice was gentle with a youthful awkwardness when she asked, ¡°Mister, are the cherries sweet?¡±

    ¡°I guarantee you that they are sweet!¡± said the shop owner.

    Just when Gao Yang¡¯s ears tingled with familiarity, the girl turned around, and her eyes widened in surprise before lighting up with joy. ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

 Chapter 87: Chance Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 87: Chance Meeting</h4>

    ¡°Little Si?¡± Gao Yang was surprised too. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Wan Sisi grew shy after her joy of seeing Gao Yang quieted. She reflexively brushed her fingers through the slight curls at the end of her hair. ¡°My grandma is having her eightieth birthday. My mom and I came back to the countryside to celebrate with her. How about you?¡±

    ¡°My granny is staying with my uncle. I came to check up on her.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence. I didn¡¯t expect to run into you here.¡± Wan Sisi¡¯s eyes curved as she smiled. ¡°Ah, why haven¡¯t youe to school the past two days?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Gao Yang said the first lie that came to mind. ¡°I took a few days off to take care of my dad.¡±

    ¡°Is he doing better now?¡± Wan Sisi asked with genuine concern.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s better...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s words were interrupted by an old woman''s voice. ¡°Yang Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to see his grandmother standing outside the fruit shop with a walking stick. She was dressed in a shirt with flower patterns, her silver hair tied neatly with a pink hairpin. His grandmother had a cute side to her. ording to his mother, his grandmother still retained the youthfulness of her teenage years and loved colorful clothes and candies. She acted cute like a child sometimes as well.

    ¡°Granny!¡± Gao Yang hurried up to her and took her hand. ¡°I was going to visit you at Uncle¡¯s ce! Why did youe out on your own? Don¡¯t walk around withoutpany. What if you fall?¡±

    ¡°Your uncle leaves home to take care of some business.¡± His grandmother took out a red envelope from her pocket, her eyes and brows curving softly as she smiled. ¡°Granny is going to attend a birthday banquet. Why don¡¯t youe with me, Yang Yang?¡±

    ¡°Granny,¡± Wan Sisi went up to them, ¡°Are you attending Feng Guihua¡¯s birthday celebration?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know her too, young woman?¡± His grandmother looked up and beamed at Wan Sisi.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s my grandmother from my mother¡¯s side!¡± Wan Sisi chuckled and held the old woman¡¯s other hand. ¡°What a coincidence. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course! It can¡¯t be better!¡± All the lines and creases on his grandmother¡¯s face radiated joy.

    Supporting her on each side, Gao Yang and Wan Sisi walked with her for about ten minutes before they arrived at where Wan Sisi¡¯s grandmother lived.

    It was a two-story house built by the family themselves. In the front courtyard was a big tent, under which stood a dozen or so tables. About half of the seats had already been filled.

    Wan Sisi led Gao Yang and his grandmother to one of the tables. Then she was told to go help in the house by a rtive.

    ¡°How¡¯s your dad, Yang Yang?¡± his grandmother asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s recovering well. He¡¯s been in good spirits as well.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t tell her about his father¡¯s loss of mobility. ¡°When are youing home, Granny?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay a little longer. The air in the countryside is clean. I¡¯ve stopped coughing because of that.¡± Then she said like she had just remembered something, ¡°Ah, your uncle said that your dad hadn¡¯t been able to pay his workers for two months...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Granny. The factory got an investor today. It¡¯s all good now,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s a ssmate of mine. His family is super rich.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± His grandmother didn¡¯t understand the details of it, but she smiled in relief when she heard her grandson¡¯s reassurance.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about our family, Granny,¡± Gao Yang promised.

    His grandmother held his hand and patted it. ¡°Our Yang Yang has gotten more and more dependable. One day, you¡¯ll be an even more sessful man than your dad!¡±

    ¡°Granny, not so loud...¡± Gao Yang was a little embarrassed to hear his grandmother praising him in public.

    A few minutester, the star of the birthday celebration made an appearance.

    Dressed in celebratory colors, an olddy walked up to the makeshift wooden stage with the support of her children. Her son picked up the microphone and said a few pleasantries for her, thanking everyone for making the time to attend and telling them to enjoy the food and drinks. Then the elderly members of the town said a few words to celebrate her birthday. The banquetmenced in a boisterous fashion.

    The dishes were served one after another. Gao Yang stood up to pick up food for his grandmother. Then he sensed someone sitting down by him. He turned to see that it was Wan Sisi.

    Face flushed, Wan Sisi gave him a shy nce. ¡°My grandma¡¯s table is full. You don¡¯t mind me joining you here, do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    Wan Sisi picked up a pair of chopsticks and put a soft meatball into the bowl before Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother. ¡°This is really good, Granny. Very vorful and doesn¡¯t stick to your teeth. Try it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± His grandmother chewed on it slowly. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s good. Real good...¡±

    ¡°Try one, Gao Yang.¡± Wan Sisi picked up another meatball for him.

    ¡°Is that someone from your school, Little Si?¡± One of the middle-aged men at the table asked as he drank.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s Gao Yang. We¡¯re ssmates.¡±

    ¡°ssmates? Isn¡¯t he your boyfriend?¡± another man teased. Then he turned to the others at the table. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°Hear hear!¡±

    ¡°You look good together.¡±

    ¡°Please stop teasing me, Uncle Wu!¡± The blush on Wan Sisi¡¯s face spread to her neck. She made to stand up. ¡°If you won¡¯t stop, I¡¯m going to find another table!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll stop. Come on, more drinks.¡±

    The men went for another round of alcohol.

    Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother didn¡¯t have a big appetite. They were one of the first to take their leave.

    Gao Yang supported his grandmother and bade everyone farewell. When they walked to the street, Wan Sisi ran up to them with two longevity peach buns[1]. ¡°Granny, Gao Yang, you forgot your peach buns.¡±

    Gao Yang took the buns from her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Blinking, Wan Sisi put her hands on her abdomen and said, ¡°Would you mind if I walk you, Granny? I¡¯ve had too much to eat, and walking would help with digestion.¡±

    Gao Yang was going to decline politely, but his grandmother cut in with a smile, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind. Come, chat with Granny.¡±

    His grandmother gave him a pointed look. ¡°Yang Yang is a boy of few words. There are only a few things he talks about. I¡¯m growing tired of the routine.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    On their way home, Wan Sisi helped his grandmother walk and chatted happily with her, leaving Gao Yang the outsider of the group. He trailed behind them and used his phone to kill time.

    Once they were home, his grandmother invited Wan Sisi inside for tea. Wan Sisi agreed, and the two women got along so well despite the age gap that they talked until it was four thirty in the afternoon.

    Gao Yang got a message from White Rabbit then, telling him to attend a meeting tonight at the Millennium Tower. Gao Yang said goodbye to his grandmother and went to the bus terminal to catch a bus back to the city.

    ¡°Are you going now?¡± asked Wan Sisi.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I, I need to go back to the city as well. May I join you?¡± Wan Sisi was a little nervous.

    To level up his Talent, Gao Yang had been using Lie Detection whenever he could, and without thinking, he used it on Wan Sisi.

    ¡ªLie.

    Gao Yang concluded that originally, either Wan Sisi¡¯s mother was going to drive her to the city, or she was returning tomorrow.

    But he didn¡¯t expose her. Instead, he nodded with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    When he stood up, he felt a wave of sensations rushing into his head, making him dizzy for a moment.

    He knew it meant that Lie Detection had reached level 2. As expected, it only took a few uses.

    <i>Ah, it doesn¡¯t feel as good to level up a lower-ranking Talent like Lie Detectionpared to the high-ranking ones like Fire and Replicate.</i>

    ...

    Half an hourter, the two of them reached the bus terminal and bought a ticket to Li City. Unfortunately, the bus had just left, and the next wouldn¡¯te until an hourter.

    They sat on the bench in the waiting hall, each using their own phone.

    Wan Sisi was chatting with someone on WeChat. Gao Yang snuck a nce and saw the name ¡®Mommy Supreme¡¯. She must be exining to her mother why she was going back to Li City on her own instead of what they originally nned.

    Wan Sisi put her phone away after the conversation and let out a sigh of relief¡ªit seemed that she had talked her way out of trouble.

    Wan Sisi looked happy. With excitement dancing in her eyes, she turned around and asked, ¡°Gao Yang, would youe with me for a moment? It¡¯s quite close.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    Wan Sisi said cryptically, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t suspect Wan Sisi, but just to be safe, he secretly essed the system to make sure that the Luck acquisition rate was still the same.

    He nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    1. Sweet buns that aremon at traditional birthday celebrations for elderly people. They are made to resemble peaches because of the connection between peaches and longevity in mythology. ?

 Chapter 88: Elementary School

    <h4>Chapter 88: Elementary School</h4>

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang stood at the gates to Yushan Elementary School, a little stunned.

    He turned to Wan Sisi. ¡°Is this...¡±

    ¡°My elementary school.¡± Wan Sisi nodded with a smile.

    ¡°I studied here too!¡± Gao Yang was taken aback. ¡°If you were a student here, howe I didn¡¯t know you?¡±

    Wan Sisi smiled in lieu of a response.

    The shop selling cold drinks by the school entrance was holding a marketing campaign. A person in an ice cream suit stood by the road attracting customers. They had a selfie stick in their hand and a signboard on their neck, which said, ¡®Take a selfie for free ice cream cones.¡¯

    Wan Sisi changed the subject by saying, ¡°Do you want ice cream, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Wan Sisi quickly went up to the mascot and had two pictures with them. Then she returned to Gao Yang with two ice cream cones. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang epted the offer and took a bite. ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡±

    Wan Sisi followed suit and said with her eyes curved, ¡°Yeah...it¡¯s so sweet.¡±

    She then turned to the school entrance and said in a pleading tone, ¡°I¡¯d like to walk around in our old school, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Why not? We have time.¡± Gao Yang was feeling nostalgic as well. It had been years since hest came back.

    The Yushan Elementary School wasn¡¯t big. Past the running track imed by weeds was an old ssroom building covered in ivies. They walked into the first ssroom on the first floor. The door lock had fallen off, and the wall was weathered with patches of discoloration. The desks were covered in dust. On the ckboard, Gao Yang could still make out the faint traces of everyday writings, and the chalk ledge had collected dust of different colors. It looked like the ce hadn¡¯t seen any visitors for quite some time.

    ¡°Is the school abandoned?¡± Gao Yang had thought the school was empty because the students were on vacation, but it was clear to him now that the school had closed down.

    Wan Sisi said a little sadly, ¡°Yeah, there are less and less children in the town, so the schools were consolidated, and Yushan closed downst year.¡±

    The setting sun of dusk cast the ssroom in a lonesome wine red. A breeze swept through the window and ruffled Wan Sisi¡¯s bang. She snuck a nce at Gao Yang¡¯s profile; his eyes were gentle and distant.

    Gao Yang turned to her, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay...¡± Wan Sisi hurriedly looked away.

    The two of them walked out of the ssroom and back to the running track. Wan Sisi suddenly stopped walking to look at the wall beyond the track. It was missing a chunk, which made the part much shorter than the rest of the wall. Gao Yang remembered it well. Many students would take advantage of the shorter part to sneak out. On the other side of the wall was a small hill, and standing at its top was arge ginkgo tree.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Wan Sisi turned around, her voice tinged with tentative hope. ¡°Do you...really not remember me?¡±

    Gao Yang blinked. When he met eyes with her, he suddenly saw a rush of old, blurry memories in his head.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Are you...Liu Xiaoli!¡±

    ...

    That was a long, long time ago.

    When Gao Yang was in his second year in elementary school, there was a bespectacled girl with overbite named Liu Xiaoli.

    It was said that her father was a construction worker, and he died in an ident on a construction site when she was four. Her mother spent her days ying cards rather than doing anything productive or taking care of her, and her tuition hadn¡¯t been paid for.

    Liu Xiaoli almost always came to school in the same clothes. Because she didn¡¯t have anything else to change into, a pungent odor followed her around. That, as well as her ¡®ugliness¡¯, made sure that she had no friends in the ss. The girls didn¡¯t want to y with her, while the mischievous boys bullied her.

    They put caterpirs in her pencil case, tore her homework to pieces, and hit her with rubber band slingshots. Once, a boy in ss used the lighter he smuggled into school to burn her hair.

    Unable to tolerate it, Gao Yang stopped the bully. He ended up getting beaten up by the boy and his friends.

    The homeroom teacher called the parents to school, and it became a whole thing. The boys got scolded and were forced to write apologies.

    After that, the boys in ss stopped actively bullying Liu Xiaoli out of their fear of their teacher, but they started to ostracize Gao Yang and Liu Xiaoli in a less obvious form of bullying. They even paired them up and came up with an insulting jingle to mock them.

    ¡ª<i>Gao Yang has an ugly wife! She smells bad and has an overbite!</i>

    Li Weiwei was in their ss as well, and being Gao Yang¡¯s childhood friends, she got dragged into the mess despite her being beautiful and quite popr.

    After a brief struggle, Li Weiwei decided to take Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    That summer, the three of them were always hanging out together, and they had fun.

    Once in a PE ss, the three of them were excluded again, and neither the girls or boys allowed them to join their games.

    Naturally opinionated, Li Weiwei pointed at the ginkgo tree on the hill beyond the wall and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a race! To the top of the hill!¡±

    The three of them happily vaulted the wall and made it to the hilltop.

    Gao Yang was the first, Li Weiwei the second, and Liu Xiaoli the third.

    Li Weiwei and Gao Yang put their allowance together and used the pennies to buy the most beautiful box of sweets at a small shop in the neighborhood. It was a tin box printed with the drawing of the seven fairies, and inside were seven fruit gummies of different colors. Gao Yang and Li Weiwei each ate two, while Liu Xiaoli was given three. Liu Xiaoli ate two and didn¡¯t have the heart to finish thest one. She hid it in her pocket.

    Afterward, the three of them started talking about the future. About what they wanted to do and who they wanted to be.

    Li Weiwei got another idea. She stood up with her hands on her hip and took out a crayon from her pocket. Then she picked up the three gummy wrappers on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s write down our dreams and bury them under the tree. Then our dreams wille true!¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡±

    Gao Yang and Liu Xiaoli pped in agreement.

    The three of them each wrote down their wish with a crayon and folded the wrappers. They then put the wrappers into the tin box and dug a small hole under the ginkgo tree to bury it, serious and devoted.

    A few dayster, Liu Xiaoli didn¡¯te to school. The homeroom teacher said that she had transferred out. It was in such a hurry that she wasn¡¯t able to even finish the proper procedures.

    Then Gao Yang found out from the adults¡¯ gossipping that Liu Xiaoli¡¯s mother found her a stepdad with the surname Wan, and that they had taken Liu Xiaoli to Li City.

    It hadn¡¯t been long until Gao Yang and Li Weiwei moved to Li City as well, leaving Yushan Elementary School behind, along with their childhood promise. It ended up lost and forgotten in the passage of time.

    The rush of memories left Gao Yang lightheaded. He stared at Wan Sisi. The girl with fair skin, orderly teeth, and clear eyes were night and day from the unkempt girl with an overbite. Her nervous, deer-like eyes, however, were the same as those of Liu Xiaoli.

    ¡°When did you realize it was me?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°And Li Weiwei too. Did you recognize her?¡±

    Wan Sisi nodded. ¡°I recognized both of you on the first day of military training in our first year. But neither of you recognized me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± Gao Yang smiled apologetically. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡®

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Wan Sisi tilted her head and smiled. ¡°I was going to, but I couldn¡¯t find the right time. Then I couldn¡¯t find the right words.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart was filled with a myriad of emotions. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, there¡¯s a question I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you.¡± Wan Sisi looked up at him. The nervousness in her eyes was reced by determination.

    Gao Yang pursed his lips. ¡°What is it?¡±

 Chapter 89: Childhood Dream

    <h4>Chapter 89: Childhood Dream</h4>

    ¡°Why did you save me back then?¡± Wan Sisi asked.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Do you mean the time I helped you out when your hair was getting burned?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Wan Sisi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been bullied all those times, and no one ever stepped up to help me. Neither had you before then, actually. Why did you take a stand for me that day?¡±

    Gao Yang paused.

    <i>Why?</i>

    <i>Because I came to this world that very morning.</i>

    It was the morning Gao Yang transmigrated into this world. Coming to terms with his new body, he went to school with his head still muddled from the unusual experience. Then he saw a boy in ss yanking on a girl¡¯s hair and burning it with a lighter. The girl¡¯s face was pale. She was obviously terrified and in pain, yet she hid under the table with both hands holding her head without making a sound. She had thought that enduring the abuse would make it go away faster, yet it only bolstered her bully.

    When Gao Yang entered the ssroom, he hadn¡¯t fully digested the memories of the original owner of the body. His instinct took over his rationality, and when he realized it, he had already grabbed the lighter from the bully and thrown it away. Then the tall boy pushed him to the floor, and as he put up a futile resistance, the boy and his two sidekicks beat him up.

    ¡°I was so young. I don¡¯t remember too clearly.¡± Gao Yang lied with a smile.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Wan Sisi pursed her lips and smiled with what could be either disappointment or sadness. ¡°But I remember clearly. I was in so much pain and despair. I didn¡¯t know when the bullying would stop, and if it ever would.¡±

    She turned to the side and walked up to the wall. ¡°During that time, I went past a water reservoir on my way home from school every day, and always, I felt the urge to jump... That day, I thought that this was it. This would be the day I jumped...¡± Wan Sisi paused and turned to look at Gao Yang, her eyes shiny with tears. ¡°But you stood up for me. You saved me and got beat up for it.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, but there were a thousand words whirling in his head. He didn¡¯t expect his decision that day would end up saving a girl¡¯s life. He was d to have helped Wan Sisi.

    ¡°Gao Yang, I¡¯ve always, always been grateful to you. I wouldn¡¯t be here if not for you, and I wouldn¡¯t be saying these words to you. Life sure works in mysterious ways.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, life works in mysterious ways.¡±

    Still smiling, Wan Sisi turned to point at the ginkgo tree on the hill behind the wall, raising her voice to say, ¡°I¡¯ll race you, Gao Yang. To the hilltop!¡±

    Wan Sisi vaulted over the wall with difficulty and ran along the path leading up the hill toward the ginkgo tree.

    It would be easy for Gao Yang to catch up to Wan Sisi, but he slowed down and yielded to her on purpose.

    ¡°I¡¯m first!¡± Wan Sisiughed brightly as she heaved under the ginkgo tree.

    ¡°I¡¯m second.¡± Gao Yang arrived not long after.

    ¡°If only...¡± Wan Sisi¡¯s smile slid off, and her eyes became sad. ¡°Li Weiwei were here.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a sharp stab in his heart. After a moment of silence, he looked down at his feet and said, ¡°I wonder if the tin box is still here.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we look for it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang knelt down and picked up a thick branch to start digging.

    Wan Sisi found a branch and joined in. Smiling shyly, she said, ¡°Gao Yang, would you let me open the box once we find it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    They soon dug a hole, and to their surprise, they did find the tin candy box. It was covered in mud, which Gao Yang wiped away with some leaves. He could still make out the drawing of the seven fairies clearly.

    ¡°Here. I¡¯ll do it!¡± Wan Sisi hurriedly took the box from him and turned away to open the lid.

    The way she took out the wrapper containing her dream could only be described as urgent. Her face flushed when she unfolded the wrapper and took a look. She quickly balled it up in her hand. Then she turned back to hand Gao Yang the box. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang took it and picked up the other two wrappers. He had forgotten about the color of the wrapper he chose, so he picked the green one at random. It was Li Weiwei¡¯s.

    In Li Weiwei¡¯s neat handwriting, her childhood dream was condensed to a single word: singer.

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened. <i>That¡¯s right. Li Weiwei loved singing, and she was a good singer. She even taught herself guitar. The second year in highschool, she went to a lounge bar to perform. Her parents gave her a good scolding for that.</i>

    Before her death, Li Weiwei had gone to Gao Yang for advice, saying that she would like to apply for a singingpetition show the summer after they graduated from highschool. Gao Yang had given her his full support.

    It all felt like a dream.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt like he could understand what Officer Huang told him before.

    Li Weiwei was a wrath monster, but she was also Li Weiwei. The girl he had known hadn¡¯t disappeared; she had simply passed away, killed the moment she was reced by a monster.

    Gao Yang carefully folded the green wrapper and tucked it in his pocket. Then he unfolded the golden one. On it was a word written messily with a crayon¡ª<i>yingxiong.</i>

    What a brat. He didn¡¯t even know how to write the words properly, and he wanted to be a hero[1].

    Amused by his own embarrassing history, he looked up to meet Wan Sisi¡¯s eyes. She seemed to be sneaking nces at his wrapper.

    ¡°No peeking...¡± Gao Yang smiled awkwardly as he put the wrapper into his pocket.

    ¡°Haha, toote for that.¡± Wan Sisi snickered. She usually smiled shyly and reservedly with her lips pursed. It was rare for her tough so openly.

    ¡°Not fair! Then I¡¯ll take a look at yours...¡± Perhaps her childishness was infectious. Gao Yang reacted like a child too and reached out to grab her wrapper.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not gonna give it to you...¡± Wan Sisi grinned as she backed away, clutching onto the wrapper.

    It was then Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang.

    He took it out. It was a number he didn¡¯t know.

    He focused and took the call, putting his phone to his ear. ¡°Hello?¡±

    After two seconds of silence, the caller said at a deliberate pace, ¡°Hello, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Gao Yang asked, alerted.

    ¡°Have you forgotten me already?¡± The man¡¯s voice was sharp with icy amusement. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint...<i>boom</i>!¡±

    Gao Yang shuddered, feeling like his blood was rushing in the opposite direction.

    It was the red-haired man.

    With his hand tight around his phone, Gao Yang looked around. Twilight descended, and sunlight waspressed to a mere line on the horizon. The school¡¯s running track at the foot of the hill became a dark wastnd. Standing amid the knee-high grass was an ice cream mascot, and the mascot was holding a phone.

    After a few seconds, the mascot took off the headwear. It was the red-haired man.

    His voice came from Gao Yang¡¯s phone again. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Mad Red. Mad as in Mad Hatter, and the color red.¡±

    ¡°What do you want...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s throat felt tight. His palms were sweaty, and his heartbeat was quickening.

    ¡°You foiled my nst time. I¡¯m here for my revenge, of course. Before that, I have a great gift for you!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head jerked up. Wan Sisi was looking at him with confusion. ¡°Gao Yang...what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s face turned ashen gray. He could see thin red lines emerging from Wan Sisi¡¯s fair face before slowly spreading out, growing more and more pronounced until the lines became cracks, and they flickered faintly. In seconds, her eyeballs began glowing with an eerie red.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>No, no, no, no, no!</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang, my head... I¡¯m feeling dizzy...¡± Wan Sisi wasn¡¯t sure what was going on with her. She didn¡¯t feel too good, and she never got the chance to find out what was wrong.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Wan Sisi¡¯s head exploded.

    The explosion of brain, blood, and shattered skull was like a blooming red firework, sttering Gao Yang¡¯s face with warm blood. Eyes widened, he stared as crimson vapor obscured his vision, and the metallic smell assaulted his nose.

    He didn¡¯t have the time to do anything. He didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye.

    Two secondster, Wan Sisi¡¯s headless body copsed by his feet.

    Time seemed to freeze, and the world was drained of all colors.

    Gao Yang slowly dropped to his knees. He wanted to help the girl up, yet he didn¡¯t even know where he should ce his hands.

    He looked down and saw the blue candy wrapper in the girl¡¯s tight clutch. Before even the words were lost to the spreading blood stain, he saw the dream she had written down.

    ¡ªGao Yang¡¯s bride.

    1. Ó¢ÐÛ, hero, is quite hard to write in Chinese for a kid. Gao Yang wrote the second character in pinyin, <i>xiong</i>, rather than writing the actual character, ÐÛ. ?

 Chapter 90: Loss of Control

    <h4>Chapter 90: Loss of Control</h4>

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 2000 times.]

    [You now have a total of 406 Luck points. Do you want to use them?]

    ¡ªPut 200 points in Strength and the rest to Agility.

    ¡ªPut all the points I acquire during the fight into Agility until thingse to an end.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and rushed down the hill, jumping over the wall with an agile leap andnding on the running track. Without pause, he rushed straight toward Mad Red at an impressive speed.

    Mad Red¡¯s twisted face turned disappointed. Why didn¡¯t he make an explosive jump like he didst time?

    Holding the mascot head with one hand, Mad Red threw it toward Gao Yang. Gao Yang dodged it by simply cocking his head to the side. From the corner of his eye, he caught a sh of red. He immediately made a powerful jump to the side. The next second, the mascot head that had just missed him exploded midair.

    The shockwaves hurled Gao Yang into the air. He made a roll and got to his feet, feeling a burn on the left side of his face. It was the result of the torrent of heating from the explosion.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. It seemed that the man could turn anything into bombs with varying power, not just the human body. As expected of the 19th ranking Talent: Detonation. It was truly a tricky one to deal with.

    <i>Calm down.</i>

    <i>Kill him!</i>

    <i>Calm down.</i>

    <i>Kill him!</i>

    ...

    The two voices echoed in Gao Yang¡¯s head as his rational mind shed with his emotional side, resulting in a tangled mess of thoughts. Wan Sisi¡¯s eyes and smile as well as the terrible way she went vied for attention in his brain, and rising fury burned through every drop of blood in his body.

    Finally, his rational side lost.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gao Yang screamed and charged at Mad Red. There was nothing on his mind but the thought of killing the man.

    Opening his arms wide, he shot two torrents of mes from his palms to sweep up Mad Red.

    The heavy mascot suit was burned to ashes in the blink of an eye, but Mad Red had already jumped out of it like a cunning snake shedding its skin.

    Under the tight leather pants and ck sleeveless vest, his body was covered in lithe muscles and all manners of scars¡ªsome long and thin from ded weapons, and others big and uneven from heat and burns.

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right! Be angry!¡± Mad Red savored Gao Yang¡¯s rage. ¡°Yes, keep going. Don¡¯t disappoint me!¡±

    Without wasting his breath, Gao Yang rushed toward Mad Red again.

    Mad Red lifted his skinless red right hand. Between his fingers were three translucent marbles. In a matter of half a second, the marbles were injected with strange energy and turned into red glowing orbs.

    <i>Swish! Swish, swish! </i>Mad Red snapped his wrist, throwing the three marbles at Gao Yang.

    Taken aback, Gao Yang jumped to the side to dodge them.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom! </i>The three marbles blew up in his proximity. Gao Yang rolled to his feet on thewn, but his face, neck, arms, and thighs were now covered in about eight dark gashes. The injured parts turned crimson as blood gushed out anew.

    Although he had moved out of the range of explosion, he hadn¡¯t been able to dodge all the ss shards. They cut through his skin easily like a sharp, heated de cutting through butter.

    Gao Yang balled his hands up and clenched his jaw.

    Although the 200 points he put into Agility had made him much more agile, he couldn¡¯t get close to Mad Red in an instant without White Rabbit¡¯s Jump, and he needed to do that to secure his victory.

    Gao Yang cried out and charged at the man again.

    He could only bet on the fact that Red Mad would run out of his small bombs sooner orter. He couldn¡¯t have brought an endless supply.

    Mad Red threw another three marbles.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    Although Gao Yang had been prepared to dodge out of the way, a few bleeding, steaming cuts were still added to the previous ones.

    ¡°Haha! Run! Jump all you want!¡± Mad Red kept casting small bombs at Gao Yang with a twisted expression like a kid enjoying a game.

    Gao Yang ran with all he had around Mad Red. Every time he tried to get closer, he was driven away by a bomb, achieving nothing but getting new additions to his collection of wounds.

    After a dozen or so exchanges, Gao Yang was covered in bleeding gashes from head to toe.

    Fires surged and spread all over the weeds on the track. At some point, they hade together to form an ocean of mes.

    Night had fallen. The two men stood amid the fire, the air between them filled with flying ashes and embers.

    Mad Red hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He stretched his arms leisurely like he had just finished warming up. On the other hand, Gao Yang was out of breath and covered in injuries, a good portion of his stamina exhausted.

    Flickering firelight danced on their faces, lighting them up and plunging them in shadows alternatively.

    Gao Yang made sure that Mad Red had run out of bombs before rushing to the man without pause.

    Scoffing, Mad Red took out a long and thin silver-gray whip from his back with his right hand. It was a customized weapon made with ck Gold, among other materials.

    Imbued with red energy, the whip swung.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    The whip flickering with red light cut through the air,ing down at Gao Yang¡¯s face from above. Caught off guard, Gao Yang barely managed to dodge it with a sidestep. The whip hit the ground instead, and the air went still for half a second.

    <i>Bam! </i>The ground burst into a line of mes.

    Caught in the burning grass, Gao Yang quickly made a few rolls to put out the fire. Just when he started to look up, the red whip came down on him again.

    Gao Yang staggered and jumped backward.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Another line of explosions triggered. The violent shockwaves sent Gao Yang flying. He followed the momentum and rolled the moment he hit the ground, retreating backward and putting some distance between him and Mad Red.

    Mad Red pulled the whip away and wound it up in his hand, his eyes glowing with viciousness and hatred. ¡°It¡¯ll be too easy for you if I just kill you. I need to make you feel my pain a hundred¡ªno, a thousandfold!¡±

    At the same time, he imbued the whip with energy again, making it even more blindingly crimson than before. He raised his hand and cracked the whip.

    The ground burst into explosions again, sending surging mes and clumps of soil everywhere and leaving a small ditch on the running track.

    This time, Gao Yang was a little further from the man. He moved quickly and managed to get out of the way intact.

    Panting heavily, he wiped off the blood on his face and focused his mind. His pain and his quickly draining stamina finally cooled down the fury in his chest, and his rationality returned to him gradually.

    <i>Calm down.</i>

    <i>Think.</i>

    From the detonation of the human body from before to the marbles and now the long whip, Mad Red¡¯s attacks had never changed from the core mechanic of injecting something with Detonation, and then using that thing as a bomb.

    And he must touch his target with his right hand to inject it with his energy. The duration of the contact would determine the power of the explosion.

    The only opening for Gao Yang to get close to the man was when he was imbuing his whip with energy.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and rushed toward Mad Red, making a feint attack.

    Mad Red swung the whip around relentlessly, while Gao Yang jumped from side to side to dodge the attacks. The whip kept hitting the ground, triggering lines of explosions and leaving behind mes and ditches.

    Again, Mad Red¡¯s whip stopped flickering red and turned back into its original silver-gray.

    Mad Red yanked the whip back and quickly rolled it up to imbue it with energy from his right hand. It was obvious that the process was slowing down. Before he could finish it, a stone flew toward his head.

    Mad Red bent his neck to dodge it. In that moment of distraction, Gao Yang rushed out of the zing mes and lunged at Mad Red.

    Mad Red cracked the whip with a backhand, and Gao Yang caught the whip, yanking it forcefully to close their distance until they were only two meters apart. Surprised, Mad Red quickly pulled back the energy he had injected into the whip to stop it from exploding.

    Gao Yang was betting on that while being ready for mutual destruction.

    The moment Mad Red stopped the explosion, he realized what Gao Yang was doing. Gao Yang¡¯s other hand was already shooting fire at him.

    Still holding the whip, Mad Red quickly crouched down to avoid the mes. Then he made a sweep of his leg to knock Gao Yang off bnce.

    Gao Yang jumped and tucked his legs up, all the while grabbing the whip with his right hand and yanking, getting into Mad Red¡¯s space through counterforce.

    When Mad Red realized that not letting go of his whip was a mistake, Gao Yang¡¯s knee was already mming into his face, urately and violently.

 Chapter 91: Strange Black Spots

    <h4>Chapter 91: Strange ck Spots</h4>

    Face mmed by Gao Yang¡¯s knee, Mad Red flew in the air and rolled a few times on the ground before standing up with difficulty.

    His nose was broken, bleeding from the nostrils, and he tasted blood in his mouth. The dizzy spell made him see blurry duplicates.

    He spat out a mouthful of blood, along with two teeth.

    Now that Gao Yang had found a way to deal with his Talent, the scale of victory started tipping the other way.

    Mad Red slowly straightened up, trembling all over as his eyes zed with excitement and insanity. He cast away his whip and opened his arms with his head thrown back, breaking into loudughter.

    ¡°Hahaha, hahahahaha...¡±

    When he had finallyughed enough, he cocked his head and looked at Gao Yang.

    Neither of them talked. With the zing fire between them, the resentment and killing intent in their eyes settled down and solidified.

    Five secondster, they rushed at each other.

    Mad Red reached toward Gao Yang¡¯s chest with his right hand. While avoiding it, Gao Yang bent his left arm and hit Mad Red¡¯s temple with his elbow.

    Mad Red leaned backward, but then he felt a grip around his wrist. Gao Yang had clutched his right hand.

    The reckless move caught Mad Red by surprise. His opponent had touched his right hand willingly!

    Scoffing inwardly, Mad Red prepared to activate his Talent, only to be yanked toward Gao Yang by the clutch on his right wrist the way it had happened before, and Gao Yang¡¯s fist mmed into Mad Red¡¯s abdomen.

    Stomach twisting, Mad Red staggered two steps back. He endured the pain and tried to activate his Talent again, but Gao Yang was already hitting him in the left face with a merciless spin kick. It was so powerful that Mad Red flew into the air and flipped involuntarily.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to becent for a second, and he gave Mad Red no chance to even take a breath. As he continued to acquire Luck points at an increased rate, his Agility was rising more and more.

    Mad Red had tried to activate his Talent many times, but he was never given the time. There was always a punch or a kick. And no matter how far he flew away, Gao Yang would always get to his side immediately and follow up with another attack.

    A minute passed with Gao Yang¡¯s one-sided abuse of Mad Red. The man had many of his muscles torn, his jaw dislocated, his ribs broken, and he was bleeding from his organs while suffering a concussion.

    Gao Yang¡¯s two hands were scraped and fractured as well.

    Gao Yang seized every second and kept moving. He wouldn¡¯t stop until he killed the man. However, being careful would only get him this far. Mad Red caught an opening while he was kicked into the air, and he tightened his right fist, activating his Talent.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s right hand exploded.

    Blood sttered everywhere. Gao Yang¡¯s right arm was now attached to half a palm, and all five fingers were missing.

    The fingers were connected to the heart[1], and Gao Yang felt tremendous pain. However, he would happily lose an arm or even his life to get revenge, let alone a hand.

    Now that his right hand got blown up, he didn¡¯t have anything else to worry about.

    Holding the bleeding stump, Gao Yang stalked up to Mad Red. The many prone on the ground, almost entirely paralyzed.

    Gao Yang said with an icy expression, ¡°Anyst words?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you...it¡¯s all because of you...¡± Mad Red barely managed to string words together by moving his dislocated, bleeding chin, his voice furious and resentful. ¡°My older sister died...¡±

    ¡°My sister, the best sister in the world... She wouldn¡¯t have died if I got the Rune Circuit... With her dead...I have nothing...¡±

    Mad Red¡¯s eyes glinted with tears of heartbreak and despair, and he rambled unintelligibly, ¡°It¡¯s your fault... If not for you...Sister wouldn¡¯t have died.¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡± His eyes dimmed, and he muttered to himself, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault... It¡¯s all me, all because of my ipetence... That was what killed Sister... If only I were stronger, stronger still... Just a little stronger...¡±

    Staring at the hateful and pitiful man, Gao Yang was just about to put the man out of misery when he smelled something familiar. He had noticed the same smell when Mad Red escaped in their previous sh.

    He looked down and saw Mad Red holding a small syringe in his left hand, the needle already inserted into his thigh.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened.

    The man wasn¡¯t saying hisst words, but buying time!

    Strange ck spots emerged throughout Mad Red¡¯s body, growing in number and spreading like they were alive, until his entire body was covered.

    ¡°If I were stronger...Sister...¡± Mad Red stood up¡ªor it would be more precise to describe it as him getting straightened by an invisible force.

    It reminded Gao Yang of Old Man Li. Before the wanderer turned into a mutated monster, it had seemed like that he was injected with a mysterious power, and his body straightened like a mistake being fixed.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have died!¡± Mad Red screamed, his eyes melting and bleeding ck vicious blood until there were only two empty sockets left.

    He took a big step and swung his right fist. Gao Yang quickly dodged back. The fierce punch left a sharp cut on his nose bridge like a razor.

    He would¡¯ve lost the lower half of his face if he got hit.

    Mad Rad didn¡¯t immediately attack again after the punch. Instead, his body started seizing up eerily, and the explosive cracking sounds made it seem as if his every bone was getting shattered and reassembled.

    Now taken over by ck spots, Mad Red looked even thinner and more twisted, and his chest tightened into a spiral-shaped ¡®generator¡¯, supplying the different parts of his body with endless energy through the thick ck vessels that were too many to count.

    Finally, Gao Yang realized how Mad Red had made his escapest time even though he should¡¯ve lost his ability to move. The man must have injected himself with the same solution, only the dosage had been smaller; this time, he went all-out.

    ¡°Sister...Sister...why did you die... Why did you abandon me...¡± Mad Red¡¯s face twisted. It was difficult to tell whether he was crying out in pain orughing maniacally, and his mind was slipping into insanity.

    Mad Red lowered his head with his back hunch, his arms dangling uselessly.

    A few secondster, he lifted his head, staring at Gao Yang with ck eye sockets. ¡°Sister...Sister, I¡¯ming to save you...¡±

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

    ¡ªWhat?!

    It was too quick.

    Before Gao Yang even realized it, Mad Red had already disappeared. And in between this thought and the next, a red palm grabbed onto Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang almost stopped struggling, waiting for his head to explode, but that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the right hand simply held Gao Yang¡¯s head in its grasp and mmed him backward.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Overwhelming pain spread through Gao Yang¡¯s back. When he realized it, he had already broken through the cement wall behind him.

    His first reaction wasn¡¯t fear, but relief. Relief that his head hadn¡¯t split, and his body wasn¡¯t broken.

    Mad Red clutched on Gao Yang with his right hand and lifted him out of the rubbles.

    Staring at him, he muttered, ¡°Sister...you¡¯re not Sister...¡±

    Realization struck Gao Yang. The man had been overtaken by a mysterious power. He had be stronger, powerful to a terrifying degree, but he had also lost his Talent as an awakener and his consciousness.

    Mad Red was more like a disoriented monster than anything, and he started muttering again.

    ¡°Sister...Sister, don¡¯t leave me...¡±

    ¡°Human...¡±

    ¡°Sister...I¡¯m scared, Sister... Save me, Sister...¡±

    ¡°Human, human...¡±

    ¡°Human, human, humanhumanhuman...¡±

    Finally, the man disappeared entirely.

    All that was left was a monster.

    Mad Red¡¯s hand prated Gao Yang¡¯s chest, aiming at his heart. Due to the nightmare Gao Yang had had of Gao Xinxin turning into a monster and carving his heart out, he anticipated the move and managed to twist his body at thest second. The hand ended up prating Gao Yang¡¯s lungs.

    It was so painful that Gao Yang couldn¡¯t even scream.

    <i>Did I lose?</i>

    <i>Am I dying?</i>

    <i>No.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll be the victor!</i>

    1. ording to the dictionary definition, the expression is used to describe a close connection, or a parent¡¯s loving every child of theirs equally, but increasingly, many Chinese authors are using the phrase to mean that the fingers are particrly sensitive to pain. It may have something to do with the belief in Chinese medicine that the fingers are connected to particr internal organs via the meridian system, and diagnosis and treatment can be done ordingly. ?

 Chapter 92: Wish

    <h4>Chapter 92: Wish</h4>

    Mad Red pulled his hand out of Gao Yang¡¯s lungs. He had lost his human soulpletely, and he kept repeating the word ¡®human¡¯, an evidence of his craving for human blood and hearts.

    Just when he was going to reach into Gao Yang¡¯s chest again, Gao Yang said through his clenched, bleeding teeth, ¡°De...tonate...¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Mad Red¡¯s right arm exploded.

    The fingers around Gao Yang¡¯s neck loosened, and he fell to the ground.

    Mad Red¡¯s right arm was barely attached and bleeding profusely, yet he didn¡¯t seem in pain at all.

    Gao Yang had replicated Detonation during the fraction of second he grabbed Mad Red¡¯s right hand. However, he hadn¡¯t had the time to use it, so he opted for the more effective tactic of quick melee attacks.

    Mad Red¡¯s Detonation operated under a specific mechanism. There were two steps to it: touch, and detonate. The first step, touch, was the passive part of the Talent. No activation was required to mark one¡¯s targets.

    While Gao Yang overwhelmed Mad Red with a flurry of punches and kicks, every single hit left a mark on the man, amounting to a few dozens by the end of it.

    Gao Yang had nned to activate Detonation once Mad Red spoke hisst words, leaving only ashes behind, but that n was disrupted when Mad Red injected himself with a strange solution and transformed into a ¡®monster¡¯.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to let that happen again. All monsters were gifted with impressive ability to regenerate, let alone a terrifying being so dangerous that he was granted a 5000 times bonus.

    ¡°Detonate!¡± Gao Yang eximed.

    Mad Red¡¯s abdomen exploded.

    ¡°Detonate!¡±

    Followed by his calves.

    ¡°Detonate!¡±

    Then his chest.

    ¡°Detonate, detonate, detonate, detonate!¡±

    During those ten seconds, Gao Yang lost count on how many times he had eximed the same word. Mad Red¡¯s body writhed and shook and fell apart under the series of quick explosions until he barely resembled his original form, like the aftermath of a man-shaped y dough wrapped with firecrackers getting lit.

    The flickering light illuminated the running track as blood and embers sputtered in the air.

    Afterward, Mad Red was left a charred skeleton.

    He wasn¡¯t done yet. Gao Yang ignored the pain in his lungs and rushed up to the skeleton, hitting it with Fire with one hand.

    It took one minute of intense burning for the skeleton to turn to ashes.

    Finally, it was done.

    Having exhausted thest of his energy, Gao Yang copsed. Before his consciousness slipped away, he heard someone calling out to him.

    ¡°Gao Yang, Gao Yang...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, Gao Yang...¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and found himself back in the orphanage, lying on the soft futon in the small wooden bed. The dorm keeper squatted by the bed to pat him on his chubby face. ¡°Rise and shine, it¡¯s time to wake up!¡±

    Gao Yang sat up confusedly and rubbed his bleary eyes. Was it all a dream?

    Emotions rushed up to him, and he felt tears prickling his eyes and nose. He wailed.

    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong? Did you wet your bed?¡± The woman smiled with fond exasperation and pinched his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re six, too old to wet your bed! What a little troublemaker you are!¡±

    ¡°Auntie, I had a nightmare...¡± Gao Yang clutched on her sleeves and sobbed. ¡°So many monsters... They wanna kill me...¡±

    ¡°Haha, you silly boy.¡± She reached out to pull him into her arms, caring and resigned. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s alright. If the monsteres, Auntie will drive it away for you...¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang slowly opened his prickling eyes. He had no strength in his body.

    He tried to move and realized that his face was pressed into a pair of warm, silky thighs. He turned his head and saw the familiar face of a girl, only upside-down.

    So <i>that </i>was the dream.

    ¡°You awake?¡± White Rabbit, whosep he was lying down on, looked down at him.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Gao Yang croaked weakly.

    ¡°Open your mouth.¡± She was holding a small red pill. ¡°Take this.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his mouth to swallow the pill. Warmth returned to his body, as well as his strength.

    Then he btedly realized that there was a weight on his abdomen. He shifted his gaze and spotted Lovely Lamb. She was sitting on the ground with her head resting on his belly, sound asleep.

    Gao Yang lifted his right hand. It was as good as new, if a little numb when he moved his fingers.

    ¡°You should be grateful to Lovely Lamb. She looked for your fingers one by one on the running track and did her best to reattach them.¡± White Rabbit sounded tired,ining out of concern like a parent would.

    Gao Yang slowly sat up and pulled Lovely Lamb into his arms. Behind his back was the ginkgo tree he was all too familiar with.

    ¡°How did you get here?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I tapped your phone,¡± White Rabbit said like it was obvious. ¡°I heard it when the man called Mad Red called you. It didn¡¯t sound good, so I grabbed Lovely Lamb and rushed here. You know how fast I run. When I got here, you had just finished Mad Red.¡±

    After a brief moment of silence, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Wan Sisi?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve cleaned everything up.¡± White Rabbit sighed softly. ¡°I was going to take you back, but Lovely Lamb fell asleep after treating you. I thought it would be better to let you two rest here. I didn¡¯t expect you to sleep the entire night. My legs are numb.¡±

    She had kept watch on them throughout the night. Gao Yang was touched.

    It was already six o¡¯clock in the morning, and sunlight had broken through the sky in the distance. The thriving weed that had once overtaken the running track at the foot of the hill had all been burned, leaving the area a charred wastnd. Under the warm light of the dawning sun, the contrast was striking.

    ¡°Is this...yours?¡± White Rabbit was holding a wrapper.

    Gao Yang took it. A chunk was missing because it¡¯d been burned, and the rest of the wrapper had been dyed red by blood. It took careful inspection to make out the word <i>yingxiong</i>¡ªhero.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine. Thanks.¡±

    Gao Yang lifted the still sleeping Lovely Lamb and handed her to White Rabbit.

    Then he stood up and found the tin box near the ginkgo tree, putting the wrapper back into the box before burying it near the roots with great care.

    ¡°What are you doing when you haven¡¯t even recovered?¡± White Rabbit looked baffled.

    Gao Yang sat back down and looked up at the breaking dawn, his eyes slightly narrowed.

    After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°I made a wish.¡±

 Chapter 93: Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 93: Dragon</h4>

    They spent a long time in silence.

    When the morning sun enveloped the world in warmth, White Rabbit woke the little girl in her arms up.

    ¡°Come on, up.¡± White Rabbit ruffled Lovely Lamb¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go find Uncle Dead Pig. You can¡¯t keep the damage stored in your body for too long.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± Lovely Lamb frowned and reflexively held onto White Rabbit¡¯s clothes with her chubby hands, unwilling to wake up.

    Gao Yang stood up and took Lovely Lamb into his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The three of them left the Yushan Elementary School and went into a ck Benz.

    White Rabbit drove while Gao Yang took the passenger seat. And Lovely Lamb was allowed to sleep a little longer in the back with the seatbelt on.

    Gao Yang asked after some hesitation, ¡°Did you wiretap everyone¡¯s phone?¡±

    ¡°Everyone outside of Captain and Teacher War Tiger,¡± White Rabbit admitted without pause. ¡°Please keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang frowned slightly. ¡°You suspect there¡¯s a spy too?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± White Rabbit threw Gao Yang a nce. ¡°It seems that I¡¯m not the only one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang thought back to Mad Red. ¡°The man that attacked me called himself Mad Red. Do you know the name? He had an older sister, I believe, and she was the reason he went after our Rune Circuit. His sister died, and he sought revenge on me for that. That¡¯s all I know.¡±

    After a bemused moment, White Rabbit shook her head and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t im to know every awakener in Li City, but I know those who are worth knowing. I¡¯ve never heard of a Mad Red, neither have my sources.¡±

    Gao Yang stopped talking, feeling a dull pain in his chest when he thought about Wan Sisi¡¯s passing.

    ¡°My condolences for what happened to your friend.¡± White Rabbit tightened her grip on the driving wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. ¡°I promise you that we will do something about it. The Twelve Zodiac Signs do not take a beating lying down.¡±

    After a pause, she continued, ¡°Ghost Horse checked if Wan Sisi was a human or a monster. Do you want to know?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She was Wan Sisi.¡± Gao Yang turned to look out of the window. ¡°And she was my friend.¡±

    A moment of silence followed. Then White Rabbit¡¯s phone rang. She picked up the call with one hand. ¡°Hello...yeah, I understand.¡±

    White Rabbit hung up and mmed the elerator, the inertia throwing Gao Yang into the seat. The scenery whipped past the windows at high speed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, turning to White Rabbit.

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to -6F. Emergency meeting.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Captain will be there.¡±

    ¡°Dragon?¡± Gao Yang was a little surprised. Finally, he was going to meet the man in person.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s waking up.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s mood visibly brightened. She blinked and her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Do you drive, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Shame. I always feel like painting my toenails when I¡¯m happy.¡±

    ...

    -6F, the Millenium Tower. One hourter.

    When Gao Yang and White Rabbit arrived at the lobby in the underground basement, the other members were already there, standing in twos and threes.

    Wu Dahai was standing by Heavenly Dog¡¯s side. After a few days of resting, he had be much more energetic. His empty right sleeve was tucked into the belt around his waist, and he was holding a tablet with his one arm, sliding across the screen with a thumb to show Heavenly Dog the designs of a robotic prosthetic.

    ¡°See, ain¡¯t it awesome?¡± Wu Dahai said proudly. ¡°The Qilin Guild is already working on it as an urgent order. I¡¯ll get to put it on next month!¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± Heavenly Dogplimented. ¡°How¡¯s the arm¡¯s motor skills?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good! The neuro linkpatibility is 84.5%. It¡¯s as good as it can get. I paid 600 <i>jinwu </i>for it.¡± Wu Dahai clenched his jaw. ¡°Damn those heartless businessmen!¡±

    White Rabbit had said that Gao Yang should keep Mad Red¡¯s second ambush a secret for the moment, so he walked up to the two like nothing had happened to him. ¡°Congrats, Wu Dahai, for the cyborg arm.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Wu Dahai radiated excitement and a newfound energy. ¡°Don¡¯t envy me! I¡¯ve been reborn like a phoenix! Whatever doesn¡¯t kill me only makes me stronger!¡±

    ¡°Hear, hear!¡± War Tiger suddenly walked up from behind Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog, putting his arms around their shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! The Twelve Zodiac Signs never bow down!¡±

    ¡°Damn right! We never bow down!¡± Wu Dahai was further bolstered by thepliments from a senior member.

    Gao Yang turned away with augh.

    White Rabbit, Lovely Lamb, and Dead Pig were together. Dead Pig sat cross-legged on the floor, while Lovely Lamb, having woken up, put both her hands on Dead Pig¡¯s thick arm, transferring the damage stored in her.

    Cuts and burns quickly showed up on Dead Pig¡¯s body, and his lungs started tearing as well. He was bleeding everywhere, but he healed quickly as usual.

    Dead Pig said with a smile, ¡°Who¡¯s the one that got hurt this time?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± White Rabbit said with a matching smile. ¡°I was training with him, but I might have gotten a little overboard.¡±

    ¡°You were way overboard!¡± Dead Pig threw Gao Yang a sympathetic nce. ¡°Why would you use bombs...the damage to the lungs is quite serious. He could¡¯ve died.¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯ve done wrong, Uncle Dead Pig. Please don¡¯t scold me.¡± White Rabbit made a face and tried to gloss over the matter. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡±

    ...

    <i>Ding!</i>

    A quiet mechanical sound came from behind them.

    Everyone turned to look at the Dragon Door that had never opened for anyone. The pattern of a dragon lit up above the door, its brilliance eye-catching.

    Three secondster, the door opened slowly.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s up!¡± White Rabbit was the first to say.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s all get in.¡± War Tiger waved a hand, and they all entered the Dragon Room.

    Gao Yang had asked White Rabbit a good number of questions about Dragon on their way to the base, such as why he was so mysterious, and so many members of the organization had never even seen him before, as well as how it was possible for Dragon to be close to Gao Yang¡¯s age¡ªas the founder of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he would¡¯ve been in his seventies even if he started the organization at thirteen.

    White Rabbit responded with a cryptic line, ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    And Gao Yang did see once he walked into the Dragon Room.

    It was smaller than he had expected; less than fifty square meters, to be precise. The walls were all made of a white, metallic material, and the room was quiet and dim, the air somehow colder than the air outside with an archaic and mysterious energy to it.

    Embedded vertically into the wall on the farside of the room was a ck metal coffin, the bottom of which was attached to intertwining wires like the roots of an ancient tree. Light flowed along the wires in both directions, like nutrients were being supplied to the metal coffin.

    ¡°Is this...a hibernation chamber?¡± Gao Yang made a guess.

    ¡°Yes.¡± War Tiger walked up to the small control panel before the coffin. After making a few clicks, he stepped back.

    <i>Click.</i>

    A few secondster, the hibernation chamber made a short dull sound.

    The lid opened to the side, and out came a thick white fog, filling the room in an instant. There was a faint smell of chemicals. Gao Yang would describe it as the decaying leaves found in forests in autumn.

    Soon, the white smoke dissipated, revealing a nude man inside the hibernation chamber.

    Gao Yang would¡¯ve mistaken the person as a woman if not for the t chest he noticed at first nce.

    He had long ck hair. His body was so thin that it could almost be described as delicate. And the lines of his face were gentle, his facial features delicate with long, long eyshes, the very definition of androgynous.

    White Rabbit had picked up a long nket at some point and immediately went up to the chamber to cover the man¡¯s body. Then she pulled back with deference and waited quietly.

    A few secondster, the man¡¯s eyshes fluttered, and he opened his eyes. He had heterochromia. His right eye was ocean blue, while his left eye was amber.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake, Captain.¡± White Rabbit tried her best to keep herposure, but her tone was colored by her happiness.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m awake.¡± Dragon smiled. His voice was unexpectedly low and rich. ¡°How long has it been?¡±

    ¡°Three years, four months, twenty-one days, seven hours...¡± White Rabbit checked her phone. ¡°Three minutes and fifty seconds.¡±

    Dragon wrapped the nket around his frail-looking body and stepped out of the hibernation chamber barefooted. He was still smiling, a mixture of graceful and rxed.

    ¡°Here you all are.¡± Dragon scanned the old members before turning to the new members who hadn¡¯t been here three years ago, naming each of them in order, ¡°Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wu Dahai, Heavenly Dog, and Lovely Lamb.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise.

    Wu Dahai spoke up to ask the question for all of them, ¡°How do you know us, Captain? Didn¡¯t you just wake up?¡±

    ¡°Simply put,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°Dragon was only hibernating physically, while his mind remained awake. White Rabbit briefs him once every month. He can decide when he¡¯s going to wake up and when he¡¯s going to go back to hibernation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s insane! If he keeps hibernating while his mind stays awake...¡± Wu Dahai gaped. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he be immortal?¡±

    ¡°There is a difference.¡± Dragon slowly walked up to Wu Dahai and nced at his empty sleeve. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the ambush. I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ve been through.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine!¡± Wu Dahai was ttered by the attention. ¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to the sacrifices those before me have made.¡±

    Dragon nodded slightly and turned to White Rabbit. ¡°Allow me to have a change of clothes. I will see you in the meeting room five minutester.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ...

    After five minutes, they gathered at the Mouse Room¡ªthe meeting room¡ªnot a secondter.

    The interior was designed in a European style with a luxurious crystal chandelier and a long antique dining table. The walls were decorated with ssy, dark-colored patterns and a good number of paintings. The mural on the ceiling was a replica of <i>the Last Breakfast</i>[1].

    Gao Yang knew a thing or two about the artwork. It depicted the story of a religious leader and his twelve disciples, as well as the spy among them.

    The irony of it wasn¡¯t lost on Gao Yang.

    The members each took a seat and ced their masks on the table.

    Dragon was thest to sit down. He had changed into a white crew neck t-shirt and a pair of ck corduroy pants, his long hair tied into a ponytail. His face was so pale that he looked a little sickly, and he painted the picture of a bed-ridden young man with a delicate, frail physique.

    ¡°I heard everything from White Rabbit, and I am sure you are up to date as well.¡± Dragon hadn¡¯t wasted any time. Perhaps every second was precious to him.

    ¡°Although the Twelve Zodiac Signs have our fair share of enemies, there had not been any that dared taunt and attack us so openly over the past ten years.¡±

    ¡°I woke up to resolve the matter,¡± Dragon said calmly.

    White Rabbit brought him a cup of hot coffee. ¡°Your ck coffee, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Dragon took the cup and savored the smell before having a sip. ¡°It is regrettable for me to say that there is a traitor among us.¡±

    Dragon put down the cup of coffee. His voice was still calm, but what he said made the air lower a few degrees in temperature, ¡°I am afraid that tonight, the traitor will not walk out of here alive.¡±

    Silence stretched and lingered.

    Dragon started slowly sipping his coffee again, as if he had just said something trivial like, ¡®Let us enjoy our drinks.¡¯

    Gao Yang felt like his heart was in a tight grip. It was the first time that he felt such an indescribable pressure even though he wasn¡¯t the center of the event, and was merely an innocent victim who wouldn¡¯t be in danger.

    ¡°However, I hope that the traitor will turn themself in.¡± Dragon soundedposed and genuine. ¡°Then everyone will vote for the traitor¡¯s fate rather than leaving me to execute them one-sidedly.¡±

    Dragon stopped talking and waited.

    The meeting room was plunged into a deathly silence. No one said another word. <i>Perhaps</i>, Gao Yang thought, <i>they¡¯re all shocked and confused like I am.</i>

    Who would have thought that the traitor was going to be caught less than ten minutes after Dragon¡¯s awakening?

    Time crawled second by second. The half a minute passed slowly like half a century.

    Suddenly, someone broke the stillness and stood up.

    Gao Yang looked up in disbelief. It was Qing Ling.

    1. The author has changed the <i>Last Supper</i> to the <i>Last Breakfast</i>, presumably to avoid making direct references to a real-life religion. ?

 Chapter 94: Spy

    <h4>Chapter 94: Spy</h4>

    Qing Ling was the spy?!

    The thought alone made Gao Yang break into cold sweat, but he quickly dismissed the possibility.

    She joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs through Officer Huang, and she didn¡¯t belong to other organizations before that. She didn¡¯t even know about the Twelve Zodiac Signs before.

    Besides, she had been training with War Tiger since joining. There was no chance for her to be tempted by another organization and be a traitor.

    Moreover, she had no reason to betray them based on what Gao Yang knew about her.

    Then why did she stand up?

    Before Gao Yang could overthink the matter, other members stood up one by one as well.

    <i>What¡¯s going on? Why are they all standing up like they¡¯ve agreed to do this beforehand?</i>

    <i>How about me?</i>

    <i>Should I do the same so that I¡¯d fit in?</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s silent struggle was interrupted by a gentle yet irresistible will. It spoke to him directly like an actual voice, <i>Stay in your seat.</i>

    His rational mind dictated that he should find it ridiculous and even terrifying, yet emotionally and instinctually, he was more than willing to obey the ¡®voice¡¯. It was strange to say the least.

    The next thirty seconds, he stayed seated without a word and watched other members file out of the meeting room calmly and orderly.

    Soon, there were only four people left: Dragon, War Tiger, Gao Yang, and Ghost Horse.

    The soundless voice disappeared, and Gao Yang¡¯s rational mind regained control over his body. His breathing quickened without him noticing, and his palms were covered in sweat.

    Surprised, he looked sideways at the man in the main seat, Dragon. It was him!

    Dragon must have used a Talent on him. He was certain of it!

    And the others had left together because of his ¡®instructions¡¯ as well.

    Dragon seemed to have read his mind, and he responded to Gao Yang¡¯s shock with a smile, ¡°You have Lie Detection, Gao Yang. You should stay and help with the interrogation.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, his mouth dry. ¡°Okay.¡±

    The man was an unknowable entity! He needed to be feared!

    Thankfully...he wasn¡¯t an enemy.

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± Dragon nodded softly before shifting his gaze to the other end of the long table¡ªGhost Horse.

    He sounded regretful as he said, ¡°I gave you a chance.¡±

    <i>So it is Ghost Horse!</i>

    Gao Yang did his best to keep his calm.

    He didn¡¯t know much about Ghost Horse. Ghost Horse seemed like a regr middle-aged man who yed the part of awyer working at aw firm in his everyday life. His physique was best described as average. He was neither fat nor thin, and nothing about his looks stood out. The only thing that set him a little apart was the shadows under his eyes, which gave him the air of exhaustion and depression that wasmon for corporate ves.

    He was usually quiet and kept to himself. He simply didn¡¯t stand out.

    His Talent was Telepathy, serial number 51, Psyche-type. As the name suggested, it allowed him tomunicate with other humans through telepathy.

    Not only did the Talent enable long-distancemunication, it could also be used to differentiate humans from monsters. Gao Yang was told that monsters couldn¡¯t detect the signals sent by Ghost Horse.

    ¡°You can¡¯t make the judgment based solely on my Talent, Captain,¡± Ghost Horse said in a hoarse voice, his expression still impassive.

    ¡°Are you sure about this, Dragon?¡± War Tiger was surprised as well. ¡°Ghost Horse has been with us for a long time. I know him pretty well. There¡¯s no reason for him to betray us.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Under the dim light, the shadows under Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes seemed even darker. His gaze shifted around as he continued, ¡°Please present the evidence if you suspect me a traitor.¡±

    ¡°There is evidence.¡± Dragons narrowed his eyes, his heterochromatic eyes glowing like beautiful gems under the light.

    ¡°Firstly, you had been with two different organizations before joining us, and you worked as an intelligence agent for the Qilin Guild. You have aplicated history.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but War Tiger said I would join with a clean te, and I¡¯ve kept nothing from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Ghost Horse sounded a little disappointed. ¡°I thought being honest would win me the organization¡¯s trust.¡±

    Dragon didn¡¯t deem that a response. ¡°Secondly, after the ambush by the man called Mad Red, White Rabbit wiretapped every member¡¯s mobile devices and kept track of all of your movements. Then Gao Yang was attacked again. Through the process of elimination, your Telepathy is the only Talent that would make the leak of information possible.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pure spection, Captain.¡± Ghost Horse didn¡¯t budge. ¡°A real spy will always find a way to leak information.¡±

    ¡°And I do not question that,¡± Dragon said with a smile.

    ¡°Those two points are nothing but your subjective guesses,¡± Ghost Horse insisted. ¡°I reject them.¡±

    ¡°Thirdly.¡±

    Dragon steepled his hands and rested them on the table. His expression was a mixture of seriousness and regret. ¡°You have been keeping things from us for the past nine years since your joining.¡±

    Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes twitched. While his face still looked impassive, the air around him was thick with killing intent.

    ¡°Why did you never tell us about your second Talent?¡± asked Dragon.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Ghost Horse¡¯s voice turned chilling.

    ¡°Answer me,¡± Dragon said in a tone that wasposed, but demanded obedience. ¡°You are strong, yet you keep it a secret. What are you after?¡±

    The meeting room fell silent.

    Gao Yang was sweating from his palms, and he felt like he was sitting on thorns.

    He was sitting right between Dragon and Ghost Horse.

    While the conversation remained civil, there was a very real undercurrent of tension under the table. Gao Yang was terrified that they would make their killing moves suddenly, and he would be caught in the crossfire.

    <i>Should I stand up and hide behind Dragon and War Tiger?</i>

    <i>This is a battle between whales. There¡¯s nothing wrong for a shrimp like me to act a little cowardly, right?</i>

    While Gao Yang was debating with himself, he heard Dragon talk to him.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Gao Yang immediately looked up like a student getting singled out by their teacher.

    ¡°Use Lie Detection.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and turned to look at Ghost Horse.

    ¡°Give me a straight answer, Ghost Horse. That night, when the Twelve Zodiac Signs traded with the Hundred Rivers Union, did you leak the whereabouts of White Rabbit and the others beforehand, or did you not?¡± Dragon was detailed and concrete with his question.

    ¡°I did not,¡± Ghost Horse said without even a crack in his poker face.

    <i>He¡¯s lying.</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank, and a shudder ran down his spine. Ghost Horse was the spy!

    No one talked in the meeting room. They were all waiting for the result of Gao Yang¡¯s Lie Detection.

    Gao Yang opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    He realized suddenly that the gentle but irresistible will was whispering to him in the ear again, patiently repeating, <i>Stay quiet. Stay quiet.</i>

    Gao Yang decided to listen. In fact, his intuition and experience were telling him that giving the answer straight away would put him in danger.

    The intangible will then instructed him softly, <i>Blink if he lied.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even dare to shift his gaze to Dragon. With his eyes fixed straight ahead, he quickly blinked.

    However minute, the blink didn¡¯t escape the notice of the three men.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Gao Yang heard a soft rustle. Then there was a ng by his ear.

    When his eyes focused, Ghost Horse and War Tiger were both crouching on the meeting room table before Gao Yang.

    Ghost Horse was holding a ck karambit in his right hand. The short, sharp de curled inward like a scorpion¡¯s stinger. If he had been even half a second faster, Gao Yang¡¯s throat would¡¯ve been slit.

    Thankfully, War Tiger had blocked the de with his shortsword precisely. The two men were stuck in a battle of strength.

    They had been about four meters away from Gao Yang, yet they were suddenly right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Gao Yang stared death in the eyes, but the heavy, vtile pressure still weighed on him, and his heart started pounding crazily after a one-second dy.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    Stuck in a room with two assassins, his survival wouldn¡¯t be a guarantee even if he had nine lives!

    Gao Yang remained in his seat. He didn¡¯t dare to even move a muscle.

    ¡°Talent: Teleportation, serial number 19, Time-Space-type.¡± Dragon spoke at a deliberate pace. ¡°As an outstanding assassin, Ghost Horse, why have you beenying low in our organization for nine years?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ghost Horse smiled coldly. It was the first time Gao Yang had ever seen the man smile, but somehow, he saw a broken sadness in that expression.

    ¡°Of course...it¡¯s to kill you.¡±

 Chapter 95: Ghost Horse

    <h4>Chapter 95: Ghost Horse</h4>

    It took a brief moment for Gao Yang toe to the realization.

    It said on the Talent list that the maximum range for Level 3 Teleportation was 7 meters, and the distance between Ghost Horse and Dragon was about 10 meters. He couldn¡¯t make it to Dragon in one attempt.

    Thus, Ghost Horse targeted Gao Yang first as a feint, luring War Tiger toe to Gao Yang¡¯s aid before making the second teleportation. It was a foolproof n to ensure he could strike down Dragon.

    ¡°Of course...it¡¯s to kill you.¡±

    Ghost Horse vanished before he even finished his sentence.

    In the blink of an eye, he teleported to Dragon, the ck karambit in his hand thrusting toward Dragon¡¯s heart.

    War Tiger had blocked the attack for Gao Yang on instinct. It was already toote when he realized he had been tricked.

    With his back to Dragon, War Tiger couldn¡¯t possibly catch up to Ghost Horse¡¯s teleportation no matter how great his explosive power was.

    But deep down, War Tiger wasn¡¯t worried at all. Dragon wouldn¡¯t be the leader of the Twelve Zodiac Signs if he could be killed so easily.

    As expected, the karambit was stopped an inch away from Dragon¡¯s heart, and so was Ghost Horse.

    Shock and confusion shed through Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes.

    While he didn¡¯t know what Dragon¡¯s Talent was, he could make a rough guess that Dragon had some sort of mental maniption power, which allowed him to control one¡¯s mind to some degree in a given range.

    And Ghost Horse had taken that into consideration. Dominating one¡¯s mind didn¡¯t necessarily mean dominating one¡¯s action, and it definitely didn¡¯t mean Dragon would be able to defy thews of physics.

    Ghost Horse had made a swift, sudden thrust by incorporating Teleportation. Even if Dragon took control of his mind in time, his body should¡¯ve carried out the attack on its own due to the powerful inertia.

    However, Ghost Horse¡¯s body was frozen in an instant, ignoring thews of physics entirely. If not for the fact that he could still think, breathe, and blink, he would¡¯ve suspected that Dragon had stopped time.

    Dragon¡¯s eyes were mournful. ¡°It didn¡¯t have to be this way, Ghost Horse.¡±

    Veins popping from his forehead, Ghost Horse gathered all his strength and pushed every muscle in his body to break free of the intangible restraint on him, yet it was futile.

    After a few seconds, he let out a long breath and gave up on struggling.

    He smiled faintly, and his expression turned into one of relieved exhaustion. ¡°I¡¯d been the most careful I could be over the years, yet I still underestimated you.¡±

    Dragon didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°You are no longer human, Dragon. You¡¯re a monster.¡±

    Dragon reached out to take the ck karambit from Ghost Horse¡¯s hand. ¡°To beat an evil dragon, you need to be one first.¡±

    ¡°Such victory is pointless.¡±

    ¡°Victory is the point itself.¡±

    ¡°Who are you working for, Ghost Horse? What are you after?¡± War Tiger hurriedly cut in. ¡°As long as youe clean with us, there¡¯s still a way for things to end differently!¡±

    ¡°Stop wasting time and do it.¡± Ghost Horse was ready for death.

    Ten seconds passed in silence.

    Dragon saw the determination in Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Farewell, Ghost Horse.¡±

    Dragon pushed the karambit into Ghost Horse¡¯s heart, his movement simple, even casual, as if he was burying a stic knife into a cream cake.

    Then something strange happened. Blood didn¡¯t gush out of Ghost Horse¡¯s chest. He wasn¡¯t even bleeding.

    Dragon turned around and walked toward Gao Yang. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°...Yeah.¡± Gao Yang said through the lump in his throat. He wasn¡¯t so much scared by Ghost Horse¡¯s assassination attempt but by Dragon¡¯s strange and terrifying Talent.

    Perhaps Ghost Horse was right about that. That Dragon was no longer human, but a monster.

    Thankfully, he was now on the same side as the monster.

    ¡°Good.¡± Dragon¡¯s eyes glinted with fleeting sadness. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lose twopanions on the same day.¡±

    Then he snapped his fingers.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Blood gushed out of Ghost Horse¡¯s chest. No longer restrained, his body rolled off the table, and he died quietly in a pool of his own blood. During the whole process, he hadn¡¯t put up much of a struggle.

    After some time¡ªwho knew how long it¡¯d been¡ªWar Tiger broke the silence. ¡°Let¡¯s go. White Rabbit will take care of the mess.¡±

    Gao Yang silently followed Dragon and War Tiger out of the meeting room.

    All the other members were right outside, and they each had a different expression on their faces. Some were shocked, some calm, some indifferent, some confused, and there was sadness too.

    While White Rabbit lookedposed, her eyes betrayed her grief. ¡°Was Ghost Horse the spy?¡±

    Neither Dragon nor War Tiger answered her.

    She could only turn to Gao Yang. He met her eyes and nodded softly after two seconds of hesitation.

    ¡°Has he been...¡± White Rabbit tried to find the right words. ¡°...executed?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded again.

    He felt wronged. Why must he be the one to deliver the ugly truth?

    He could sense the disappointment from White Rabbit and the others. Perhaps they all wished that Gao Yang was the spy considering the histories they had shared with the dead man.

    White Rabbit lowered her eyes, her throat bobbing as she swallowed a choked-up sound.

    Then she looked up at Heavenly Dog. ¡°Help me with the cleanup.¡±

    Heavenly Dog¡¯s mood was equally gloomy. He wordlessly followed White Rabbit to the meeting room.

    Dragon was a little pale, and there was a trace of exhaustion in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m tired and will not be joining you at Ghost Horse¡¯s funeral. But know that I am sorry about the loss.¡±

    ¡°Rest. I¡¯ll take care of the aftermath.¡± War Tiger let out a heavy sigh before making an announcement. ¡°Unfortunately, Ghost Horse was the spy. We gave him a chance, but he made his choice. An hourter, we would go to the Taiping Bridge Cemetery to see him off.¡±

    Songstress¡¯ eyes were red and misty. She choked out, ¡°May I go check on him thest time, Captain?¡±

    Dragon nodded. ¡°My apologies.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ve only done what needed to be done.¡± Songstress shook her head and turned to enter the meeting room. Even from the back, she looked determined and mournful.

    ...

    Qing Ling¡¯s room, Snake Room. Half an hourter.

    Gao Yang told Qing Ling and Officer Huang everything that had happened in the meeting room. The three of them were silent for a moment.

    Officer Huang had lit a cigarette, but he neglected it for quite a while, and a clump of ash fell silently.

    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Qing Ling looked ahead with a thoughtful look on her face.

    ¡°You heard it too, right?¡± Officer Huang said. ¡°The voice in your ear.¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Qing Ling frowned. She had been the first to stand up. ¡°I hate that feeling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan either.¡± Officer Huang shook some more ash off the cigarette. ¡°It seems that Dragon can control our thoughts and make us do what he wants us to do.¡±

    ¡°¡®Control¡¯ isn¡¯t quite the right word.¡± Gao Yang thought back to how it had felt for him. ¡°It¡¯s more like ¡®suggestion¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Suggestion.¡± Officer Huang agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t resist, and I didn¡¯t feel like I was under control. I simply felt that I should stand up and leave the meeting room, like I was convinced by the voice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the scary part.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his right hand. He could see the faint white lines on his fingers. They were traces left by Mad Red blowing up his hand and Lovely Lamb¡¯s effort to stitch his fingers back. ¡°If we are controlled, we will at least fight back. But if we don¡¯t feel like we¡¯re being controlled, we¡¯ll just ept whatever is toe.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°Think about it. If Dragon makes me think that it makes sense for me to kill myself, would I really kill...¡±

    Then he shook his head. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. It¡¯s unlikely that he would be that powerful. Otherwise he could just y god and do everything on his own. There would be no reason for him to start an organization.¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t so certain. The way Dragon assumed control over Ghost Horse looked pretty godlike to him.

    Then Officer Huang turned to Gao Yang like he just remembered something, ¡°By the way, where were youst night? Why were you with White Rabbit?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened. Wan Sisi¡¯s face came to his mind again.

    Just when he was wondering if he should tell them about it, Qing Ling¡¯s phone rang, and she said coolly after taking a look, ¡°We¡¯re going to the Taiping Bridge Cemetery.¡±

    Gao Yang had received White Rabbit¡¯s group message as well. He put away his phone and got to his feet. ¡°We¡¯ll attend Ghost Horse¡¯s funeral first.¡±

 Chapter 96: Funeral

    <h4>Chapter 96: Funeral</h4>

    Taiping Bridge Cemetery, ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The cemetery was built along a hill. At the foot of the hill was a clean winding stream with an old stone bridge called Taiping Bridge. And across from the bridge, the deady in their eternal slumber. Specks of gray tombstones scattered across the green of the hill like stars in the night sky.

    The cemetery was an old one in Li City andcked nning. With all the weeds overtaking the ce, it looked deste and abandoned.

    Compared to those new cemeteries that were in perfect order and kept clean, however, Gao Yang much preferred the old Taiping Bridge Cemetery. This was what he believed a cemetery should be¡ªa real resting ce for the dead.

    With the exception of Dragon, everyone attended Ghost Horse¡¯s funeral.

    They took turns shoveling the soil to bury the coffin.

    After that, Heavenly Dog put up the tombstone he¡¯d cut.

    Lovely Lamb had been crying the whole time, her eyes swollen like two lightbulbs. And now, she couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears again. She couldn¡¯t ept the truth, and she asked White Rabbit, ¡°Is Uncle Ghost Horse really a bad man?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Ghost Horse isn¡¯t a bad man, Cute Little Lamb.¡± White Rabbit crouched down andforted her. ¡°He¡¯s just the Big Gray Wolf[1].¡±

    ¡°Big Gray Wolf?¡± Lovely Lamb didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°Yeah. Big Gray Wolf will starve to death if he doesn¡¯t eat the pigs, but the pigs will die if they get eaten by the wolf. Between the Big Gray Wolf and the little pigs, someone has to die.¡±

    ¡°We are the pigs, and Uncle Ghost Horse is the Big Gray Wolf,¡± Lovely Lamb said in her youthful voice, her tone suggesting she hadn¡¯tpletely wrapped her head around the matter.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± White Rabbit pulled Lovely Lamb into her arms.

    War Tiger coughed twice and said with sorrow coloring his voice, ¡°During the nine years Ghost Horse was with us, he had been our irreceablerade, friend, and family. In the end, however, he chose betrayal. It was also possible that he joined us as a spy at the very beginning.¡±

    His gaze swept through each of the members present. ¡°We¡¯re no saint, and it¡¯s impossible to forgive and forget the living with a smile, but in death, we can forgive and forget. He¡¯d been part of our journey, and I hope that we¡¯d all remember the good parts of him and forget the wrongs he did us.¡±

    No one said anything.

    Heavenly Dog took out a harmonica and turned his back to the others, ying a meandering, mournful tune toward the openndscape.

    As he yed, everyone took turns walking up to the tombstone with a white daisy, offering it to the dead man.

    Thest toy down a flower was Songstress. Her makeup was brighter and more pronounced than usual, but it failed to cover her swollen, reddened eyes.

    Gently, she ced the flower down and put two fingers to her lips, pressing them to the tombstone as the final goodbye.

    That was when the song ended, marking the conclusion of the funeral.

    They took their leaves. Gao Yang was trailing at the very back of the group, and his hair suddenly stood on end after a couple steps.

    He looked over his shoulder and was shocked to see the familiar white cat.

    It was perching on Ghost Horse¡¯s tombstone with a gracefulness to its posture, its kaleidoscopic green eyes boring into Gao Yang.

    ¡°Gao Yang?¡± Officer Huang called out to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After a blink, the White Cat was gone, as if it had never been there in the first ce.

    Gao Yang quickly essed the system. His Luck points acquisition rate hadn¡¯t increased. The white cat didn¡¯t seem hostile to him.

    Actually, Gao Yang had been debating whether he should tell Officer Huang and Qing Ling about the white cat.

    For reasons unbeknownst to him, however, his intuition told him that the white cat was after him, and it might be best to keep hispanions out of it.

    ...

    To return to the base, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and White Rabbit got into War Tiger¡¯s jeep.

    The man drank beer as he drove and was significantly less talkative than usual.

    Riding shotgun, White Rabbit had her legs up on the seat and was painting her toenails ck.

    Officer Huang was messaging his wife on WeChat.

    Qing Lingy back into the seat with her head pressed against the window, resting with her eyes closed.

    ¡°Songstress must be devastated,¡± War Tiger said suddenly.

    ¡°Is she close with Ghost Horse?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Very close,¡± said White Rabbit. She hadn¡¯t stopped what she was doing.

    ¡°Ghost Horse¡¯sw firm was close to Songstress¡¯ flower shop. Every day before going to work, Ghost Horse would swing by Songstress¡¯ shop to buy a bouquet. And Songstress would make two cups of coffee, which they drank as they had a short time together.¡±

    That made Gao Yang curious about something despite the situation. ¡°Isn¡¯t Songstress¡¯ Talent Requiem?¡±

    ¡°So?¡± White Rabbit asked.

    Gao Yang came to the realization on his own. ¡°Ah, I forgot that Ghost Horse¡¯s Talent was Telepathy.¡±

    ¡°Their Talents are a perfect match,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°Once, I walked past the flower shop and saw the two of them sitting on the other side of the window dressing, listening to music and drinking coffee. Neither of them talked, but they smiled every once in a while. I¡¯ve always suspected that they were canoodling in secret.¡±

    ¡°Would you not put it like that? They had a spiritual connection to each other.¡± White Rabbit shot War Tiger a re. ¡°Songstress feels lonely since she usually can¡¯t talk to people.¡±

    Gao Yang pictured the scene in his head and found it quite romantic. Hemented, ¡°No wonder Songstress was so heartbroken.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason Captain prohibits office romance.¡± White Rabbit smiled wryly.

    ¡°With Ghost Horse¡¯s passing, Gao Yang, you¡¯ll be taking his ce.¡± War Tiger changed the subject. ¡°You are the Horse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs from now on. Have you thought of a name?¡±

    ¡°It all happens so suddenly. I haven¡¯t put any thought to it.¡± Gao Yang admitted. He had wanted to stay out of the spotlight. He hadn¡¯t expected to be a frontliner so soon.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I do it for you as your teacher?¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°I have the perfect name.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang would humbly ept it, or so he believed.

    ¡°Dark Horse.¡± War Tiger raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    <i>That¡¯s too arrogant a name! I¡¯ll attract too much attention!</i>

    <i>Are you trying to get me killed by overhyping me, Teacher?!</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed theints. ¡°Why don¡¯t we give it another thought...¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good name.¡± White Rabbit raised a hand. ¡°I vote Dark Horse.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Officer Huang said with a smirk.

    ¡°Thirded,¡± Qing Ling said with her eyes still closed.

    ¡°That¡¯s decided then.¡± War Tiger was pleased with the result.

    ¡°Then...thank you, Teacher.¡± Gao Yang epted the name with resignation. An arm could never win a wrestle against a thigh.

    <i>Dark Horse?</i>

    <i>Let¡¯s hope I live up to the name.</i>

    ...

    Instead of going back to the Millennium Tower straightaway, War Tiger drove to Ghost Horse¡¯s ce first.

    On one hand, it was to sort through the belongings he left behind.

    On the other hand, there might be clues to be discovered.

    Ghost Horse was something of a loner. He had been single for years. He owned no properties or cars. And he lived in a rental.

    War Tiger easily picked the door lock. Inside was a one-room single t. On the other side of the window wall was a balcony. The white curtains swayed with the wind. The natural light was allowed in fully.

    The t was surprisingly clean and minimalistic. On the floor was arge, thick gray mattress, beside which stood a foldable table with a closedptop.

    Next to it was a bookcase. The top most shelf was filled with a dozen or so books aboutw, and the rest were filled with jazz CDs.

    Across the mattress, a ck stereo system was set up by the wall. It looked professional and high-ss. Those were probably the only expensive things in this t.

    Gao Yang put together a profile for Ghost Horse in his head. He rode a crowded subway home every day after work. Then he closed the door, took off his shoes, put down the suitcase, changed from his suit into pajamas, picked out a CD he liked from the bookcase, and turned on the stereo. Then he would take ingredients from the fridge and start making dinner with the music as his onlypany.

    A simple, routine, and lonely life.

    Why did he betray the organization? Who was he working for? What was he after? What was his dream? Did he have regrets? Who had he loved, and who had he resented? How about someone he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about?

    They might never find the answers to those questions.

    The five of them searched through Ghost Horse¡¯s t, but found no noteworthy clues. All they achieved was further deepening their sadness.

    War Tiger took Ghost Horse¡¯sptop and decided to leave. That was when his phone rang. He picked up before everyone, and after half a minute, he hung up with a, ¡®We¡¯ll talk in person.¡¯

    He waggled his eyebrows at White Rabbit. ¡°Guess who just called, Rabbit?¡±

    ¡°Talk, or shut up and piss off.¡± White Rabbit wasn¡¯t in the mood for games.

    ¡°Hundred Rivers Union.¡± War Tiger¡¯s expression lit up with excitement. It seemed that he had quickly gotten out of the shadow of Ghost Horse¡¯s death.

    ¡°Hundred Rivers Union?¡± White Rabbit perked up as well. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Something great. They found a Rune Cave.¡±

    1. In the Chinese rendition of the <i>Three Little Pigs</i>, the wolf is known as the Big Gray Wolf rather than the Big Bad Wolf. It¡¯s the same for <i>Little Red Riding Hood</i>. Since White Rabbit is saying that he isn¡¯t a bad man, the literal trantion of the Chinese seems more fitting than the original name of the fable character. ?

 Chapter 97: Rune Cave

    <h4>Chapter 97: Rune Cave</h4>

    Li City was divided into nine districts, Nanji, Changyan, Shanqing, Daxu, Feiyang, Xijing, Dongyu, Anliang, and Beiyong.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang lived in the Shanqing District, while the Millenium Tower, the headquarters of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, was located in the Daxu District.

    And the five of them were currently rushing toward the Naji District in the south of the city.

    War Tiger drove fast. His fingers tapped on the driving wheel rhythmically while he hummed an upbeat tune. Anyone could tell that he was in a good mood.

    In the passenger seat, White Rabbit was talking into her phone, reporting to the headquarters.

    In the back, Gao Yang, Officer Huang, and Qing Ling exchanged a look of befuddlement. None of them knew what was going on.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t take it any longer and raised his hand to ask, ¡°Would you please exin what a Rune Cave is, Teacher?¡±

    After a pause, War Tiger chuckled. ¡°I was wondering why the three of you didn¡¯t react at all. It turns out you didn¡¯t even know what it was. You should¡¯ve asked earlier.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to be a bother when you two seemed to be in such a rush,¡± Officer Huang said with a smile.

    ¡°Put simply,¡± War Tiger said, ¡°A Rune Cave is a cave where Rune Circuits may be found.¡±

    White Rabbit had just ended the call, and she added, ¡°It isn¡¯t always a cave. It¡¯s just named that way since the very first Rune Circuit was found in a cave. Think of it as a special subspace of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°So the Gu Family¡¯s Vige was a Rune Cave as well.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Then why did the Hundred Rivers Union tell us about it?¡± Officer Huang asked. ¡°Why would they share the pie?¡±

    ¡°Well, have you considered this possibility?¡± White Rabbit opened her eyes wide and put on an innocent look. ¡°Maybe the Hundred Rivers Union doesn¡¯t have the appetite to finish the pie on their own.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Officer Huang chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°That was a stupid question.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ording to Wu Dahai, the Hundred Rivers Union was a group of nobodies. A suspected Rune Cave didn¡¯t guarantee a Rune Circuit. It was a safer choice to seek help from a more powerful faction, such as the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± War Tiger pulled up by the road.

    The five of them put on their masks and got out of the car. Then they opened the trunk and grabbed their respective weapons. Gao Yang didn¡¯t forget to grab a mission pack too; inside were the regrly used medicines and supplies.

    They found themselves on an old street in the Nanji District. Most of the residents had moved away, leaving the neighborhood empty and bleak.

    Across the street was the entrance to a subway station, the Cattle Farm Station. It was said that this used to be an area for cattle husbandry, hence the name.

    Three years ago, there was a copse at the station, and many people were killed. It had remained untouched for a good while. Then it was dmissioned due to the poption outflow.

    Now, there was a young woman in a fitted skirt suit standing at the entrance to the station. Although she had sunsses on, Gao Yang recognized her immediately as the female representative of the Hundred Rivers Union from the deal they made at the Qilin Guild.

    Gao Yang and hispanions crossed the road and walked up to her.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring more people?¡± The woman seemed disappointed. Gao Yang could sense her urgency.

    ¡°This is quite a lot,¡± War Tiger responded in a rxed tone. ¡°This is half of our organization.¡±

    After some hesitation, the woman offered War Tiger a hand. ¡°Well met. I¡¯m the leader of the third team at Hundred Rivers Union, Chen Ying.¡±

    War Tiger took her hand and gave it a polite squeeze. ¡°Vice-captain of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, War Tiger.¡±

    Chen Ying couldn¡¯t hide her surprise, and she looked at the man with wavy hair in a new light. ¡°You, you¡¯re the ninth ranking awakener, Mr. War Tiger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What about it?¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Chen Ying started awkwardly and then said in a serious tone, ¡°Isn¡¯t your mask of an orange tabby cat?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Is this a cat? I thought it was a tiger.¡± War Tiger scratched his head.

    ¡°I told you it was a cat, but you didn¡¯t believe me.¡± White Rabbit made a jab at him.

    ¡°Well, tigers are just big cats.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t dwell on it. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to our boss, and I¡¯m here to ry the response word by word. ¡®The Hundred Rivers Union found a Rune Cave. We invited the Twelve Zodiac Signs to help us look for the Rune Circuit. As a show of our gratitude, the Hundred Rivers Union will allow the Twelve Zodiac Signs to loan the Rune Circuit for a month.¡¯¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± War Tiger gave her a pointed look, wordlessly questioning if she was joking.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You said you were Chen Ying, right? Nice to meet you, but goodbye.¡± War Tiger turned to leave.

    Gao Yang and the others knew that it was a negotiation tactic, and they followed War Tiger without so much of a nce back.

    ¡°Wait!¡± As expected, Chen Ying called out to War Tiger.

    War Tigerzily turned around with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the woman to continue.

    ¡°Three months. Three months of free loan,¡± Chen Ying said through clenched teeth. ¡°That¡¯s the best we can offer.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Goodbye.¡± White Rabbit repeated what War Tiger had said.

    War Tiger shrugged. ¡°See? Even if I ept your condition, my brothers and sisters won¡¯t.¡±

    Chen Ying asked with difficulty, ¡°Then what do you want in return?¡±

    War Tiger didn¡¯t even stop to think, ¡°Once it¡¯s done, the Twelve Zodiac Signs will be the co-owner of the Rune Circuit with the Hundred Rivers Union. And we have the priority. We¡¯ll take turns using the Rune Circuit every three months.¡±

    Chen Ying fell silent. It was obvious that the demand crossed the line she had in her mind.

    ¡°Take it or leave it.¡±

    War Tiger smiled shrewdly. ¡°Since you initiated the contact, you must have weighed the different options. Twelve Zodiac Signs are known for our strength and credibility. If you look to other organizations for help, they may agree to your condition first, but then they¡¯ll surely go back on their word once ites time to split the spoils.¡±

    Chen Ying pursed her lips. War Tiger was spot on.

    ¡°A moment, please. I have to take this to our boss.¡± Chen Ying took out her phone and walked out of their earshot, talking in a low voice.

    War Tiger was confident. ¡°Just you see. They¡¯ll say yes.¡±

    ¡°How are you so confident, Teacher?¡± Gao Yang was a little worried. ¡°Won¡¯t they turn to the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°The Qilin Guild isn¡¯t as friendly as you think they are.¡± White Rabbit snorted. ¡°They may y nice, but they are adept at all the ways a mega group may exploit their clients. Doing business with them always puts you at a disadvantage, and you don¡¯t even know who you should take theint to.¡±

    ¡°What a waste of time. Why don¡¯t people just grab the Rune Circuits?¡± Qing Ling sounded impatient.

    War Tiger sighed. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re too pretty to talk like a thug.¡±

    Qing Ling said icily, ¡°The strong eat the weak. That is the way of the world.¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°But look at it in the long term. If you take someone¡¯s Rune Circuit by force, do you think they¡¯ll ask you for help the next time they find a Rune Cave?¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t answer.

    White Rabbit patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Wu Dahai looks down on the Hundred Rivers Union and calls them useless, but they aren¡¯t useless at all. For one, they have a lot more members. While their Talents may not be that strong, there is a great variety, which allows them to do all kinds of things. For example, they are the go-to experts in finding Rune Caves, making items, and collecting intel.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°Every organization is built differently, and we differ in our strengths and means of survival.¡±

    Gao Yang summarized in understanding, ¡°They¡¯re like the vigers in Werewolf. Just as important as those with special roles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good analogy.¡± War Tiger smiled in approval.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°Grab the Rune Circuits <i>after </i>they¡¯re all found.¡±

    ¡°Understand my ass!¡± War Tiger rolled his eyes and almost cked out. ¡°Teach her properly, Gao Yang. This girl has strayed too far from the right path!¡±

    <i>...And how am I supposed to do that? I don¡¯t have a death wish.</i>

    Having finished her call, Chen Ying quickly walked up to them and cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Boss. We¡¯ll ept the conditions.¡±

    War Tiger didn¡¯t immediately speak up. He knew more wasing.

    As expected, Chen Ying continued after a brief pause, ¡°However, there¡¯s an added condition: you have to save our members from the Rune Cave.¡±

    War Tiger crossed his arms and said like he had expected it. ¡°I knew things wouldn¡¯t be that simple.¡±

 Chapter 98: Line 7

    <h4>Chapter 98: Line 7</h4>

    Now that they had gotten this far, Chen Ying stopped holding back about the actual situation. ¡°We sent our people in two days ago, but we lost contact with them very soon, and none of them has returned since then. They might have run into trouble.¡±

    War Tiger nodded in understanding. ¡°Something as precious as a Rune Circuit is to be hidden and enjoyed on your own. Unfortunately, a snake cannot swallow an elephant.¡±

    Chen Ying awkwardly cleared her throat. ¡°Well, please do save our people once you enter the Rune Cave.¡±

    ¡°No offense, but they may be dead already.¡±

    ¡°Then please bring their bodies back if possible, or even just some of their belongings.¡± Chen Ying did her best to maintain herposure, but there was an imploring quality to her voice.

    Gao Yang found her a little pitiful. Perhaps that was what ¡®weak countries have no diplomacy[1]¡¯ meant.

    More often than not, being weak was an original sin one must live with.

    ¡°Alright,¡± War Tiger agreed easily. ¡°Give us two minutes for a short meeting.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded and checked her watch. ¡°Please be quick.¡±

    After Chen Ying left to give them some room, War Tiger turned to face his fourpanions.

    ¡°The Rune Cave may or may not be the real deal, and there¡¯s no telling how dangerous it¡¯ll be. It¡¯s always a gamble. Take the Gu Family¡¯s Vige as an example, different people would have different experiences inside.¡±

    White Rabbit added, ¡°Teacher War Tiger meant that we couldn¡¯t tell if there is a Rune Circuit to be found, but we can be certain that it¡¯s going to be dangerous. Some of us may die, or all of us for that matter. It¡¯s up to you whether you¡¯re going in or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Rune Circuit was necessary for leveling up Talents, and Qing Ling never said no to that.

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang said, ¡°I¡¯m in too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡± Officer Huang smiled apologetically. ¡°My wife¡¯s pregnant. I can¡¯t just go around risking my life. I don¡¯t want her to be a widow.¡±

    ¡°Alright. You have my permission.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t even hesitate. But then he smirked and said, ¡°Still, that¡¯s a shortsighted decision to make, Yellow Ox.¡±

    Officer Huang wasn¡¯t fazed. ¡°Please don¡¯t try to change my mind, Teacher. I acknowledge my cowardice.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to understand that our organization values individual contribution. There¡¯s a great difference between trainees, official members, outstanding members, and core members, be it in treatment, welfare, rights, or priorities.¡±

    ¡°To make aparison between Wu Dahai and you, if both of you get into danger, we will save Wu Dahai first. After all, he¡¯s an outstanding member, while you¡¯re only an official member.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Officer Huang said.

    War Tiger looked around, and the corner of his lips curled up. ¡°There¡¯s more to your wife¡¯s pregnancy. How much resources the organization puts in to help you figure out her condition depends on your status as well. Now¡¯s the perfect opportunity for you to go up a rank. Are you really going to let it slip?¡±

    Officer Huang fell silent, his expression tight.

    White Rabbit raised her phone and turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Dead Pig, Lovely Lamb, and Heavenly Dog are on their way here. You can stay with them as backup. Chen Ying wants us to move out immediately. You need to make the decision now.¡±

    Officer Huang looked at them with a wry smile. ¡°Do none of you fear death?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But you¡¯ll gain nothing if you risk nothing.¡±

    And with War Tiger here, he felt a little more secure.

    Officer Huang made up his mind and put aside his reservation. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in.¡±

    He turned to War Tiger and added, ¡°Once this is done, Teacher, I hope that the organization will provide support for matters regarding my wife.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± War Tiger turned around and waved a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go,rades!¡±

    The five of them followed Chen Ying into the subway station. The utility had been suspended long ago, and it was pitch ck inside.

    Chen Ying took out a shlight and walked in the front, while the five of them used their phones to light up the path as well.

    The interior of the station was dark and humid with thriving weeds iming it as home, and the walls and cement floors were all covered in deep cracks and moss. They quickly made it to the ticket gates. There were more cave-ins, and they could see piles of rubbles and trash all around the area.

    ¡°Watch your feet and be careful,¡± Chen Ying reminded them from the front.

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang raised his right hand, and with a crackle, his hand burst into me like a torch, illuminating the environment.

    White Rabbit said in an approving tone, ¡°Oh, I forgot you had Fire. You should¡¯ve used it earlier. This is much better.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of the dark?¡± Gao Yang asked without actually looking for an answer.

    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t an eighteen-year-old pixie girl afraid of the dark a ssic?¡± White Rabbit said with a grin.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t get it at all. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were eighteenst year?¡±

    ¡°Shut it. A pixie dream girl is always eighteen.¡±

    With their banters filling the space, they quickly made it through the ticket gates and walked down the unmoving esctor, reaching the heart of the station.

    At the end of the tform was a strong light source. Gao Yang could faintly make out arge miningmp.

    Illuminated by the strong light were roughly ten people. Some men, some women, and there was even a little boy. They were all wearing masks.

    ¡°Sister Chen.¡± The one who greeted Chen Ying first was a purple-haired man dressed in street style clothes with a phone in his hand.

    ¡°Updates?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°Still no contact.¡±

    Chen Ying then turned to the little boy standing beside the purple-haired man. ¡°Can you sense anything, Little Tian?¡±

    The meek-looking boy was dressed in a suit for kids, the cors decorated with a ribbon. His eyes looked like glinting obsidians. And he shook his head in disappointment, his lips pursed.

    ¡°Are they from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Sister Chen?¡± The purple-haired man looked over Chen Ying¡¯s shoulders at the five people in mostly animal masks.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Chen Ying turned to introduce them. ¡°This man with a cat...a tiger mask is the vice-captain of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°War Tiger!¡± The purple-haired man took two big strides toward War Tiger in excitement, his eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re War Tiger, the ninth-ranking wakener with Talent: Killing Expert and had a fifty percent chance of winning even against a Spectre?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± War Tiger was taken aback. Since when had he been this famous?

    The purple-haired man quickly took out a marker from his pocket. ¡°Mr. War Tiger, I, I¡¯m your fan! Would you sign for me?¡±

    He turned his back to War Tiger. ¡°Sign it on my clothes! Make it big! Wait, would you write a sentence for me as well? Let me think... <i>Nothing is impossible</i>! No, no, it should be something cooler. <i>Deathes to everyone equally</i>...¡±

    ¡°Zhang Wei!¡± Chen Ying growled in a low voice.

    ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯m sorry, really sorry...¡± Realizing that he had made a fool of himself, Zhang Wei quickly took two steps back and scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from talking business.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time. I¡¯ll make it brief.¡± Chen Ying checked her watch again and spoke at a more urgent pace. ¡°Little Tian was the one who found the Rune Cave. His Talent is Sensory.¡±

    <i>Sensory, serial number 74. He¡¯s essentially a human radar that can sense any living beings in a certain range.</i>

    ¡°When Little Tian walked past the Cattle Farm Station, he sensed powerful living beings inside, and he reported it immediately. We sent our people to investigate, but found nothing.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s chest heaved slightly. ¡°Just when we were going to leave¡ªthat was two days ago, twelve o¡¯clock at noon¡ªsomething strange happened.¡±

    War Tiger nodded for her to continue.

    ¡°The Line 7 train showed up.¡±

    War Tiger scowled, and White Rabbit asked the question on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°The station was dmissioned three years ago. No train would stop here.¡±

    Chen Ying turned to White Rabbit. ¡°In fact, the cave-ins in the tunnel in this area resulted in Line 7 changing course entirely. No train should even go past this station, let alone make a stop.¡±

    ¡°So you sent someone to get onto the train and investigate?¡± Gao Yang could guess what happened next.

    ¡°I was against it.¡± Chen Ying sounded regretful. ¡°Boss sent the third team to investigate, and the second team was close by. They came to help with the investigation after learning about it...¡±

    ¡°We were all shocked that the Line 7 train showed up. When the door opened, there was no one inside, yet Little Tian sensed signs of life on the train.¡±

    ¡°The second team leader concluded that this might be a Rune Cave and took his men onto the train. I was against the idea, but the second team consists ofbatants, and they were formidable awakeners in their own right. Their confidence in themselves prevented them from taking my advice.¡±

    Chen Ying stepped to the side and looked at the empty tunnel. ¡°The train set out as soon as they got on. We tried calling them, but the calls didn¡¯t go through. And Little Tian sensed no other signs of life.¡±

    ¡°We waited until twelve o¡¯clock at noon yesterday, and the train showed up on time again. However, the train was empty. We dared not get on again. After reporting to our boss, he decided to ask you for help.¡±

    War Tiger stroked his chin as he concluded, ¡°So, the Line 7 train will show up againter, and you want us to get on and investigate.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Ying sounded a little unsure.

    ¡°May I go back now, Teacher War Tiger,¡± Officer Huang said half-jokingly. ¡°It sounds like a one-way ride no matter how I think about it.¡±

    War Tiger shrugged. ¡°Toote, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    The moment he said that, light came from the depth of the tunnel, and they could hear the sound of airpressed into wind when the subway train squeezed through the tight space.

    Twelve o¡¯clock at noon, the Line 7 train arrived on time.

    1. A quote from Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms era. It means that having power is a necessary precondition to conducting diplomacy. ?

 Chapter 99: Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 99: Investigation</h4>

    The light shining through the dark tunnel grew in intensity as the dull rumbles of the train traveling along track grew louder, making the entire space shake slightly.

    Soon, an old subway train stopped at the tform. It was long, but only the door of thestpartment opened slowly, weing those waiting on the tform.

    It was brightly lit inside, and entirely empty.

    With both hands in his pockets, War Tiger strolled into the train, followed closely by White Rabbit.

    Qing Ling, Gao Yang, and Officer Huang shared an understanding look.

    Before they carefully boarded the train, Qing Ling drew her sword, Officer Huang his gun, and Gao Yang his dagger.

    Chen Ying jogged up to the five of them and emphasized, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    War Tiger waved a dismissive hand at her. ¡°Remember our deal.¡±

    The next second, the door closed.

    The train started. On the other side of the window, Chen Ying and her fellow members were still standing in the same spot and seeing the train off. Soon, they disappeared from view, and all that could be seen was darkness whipping past them as the train traveled at high speed.

    Gao Yang had been nervous before getting on. Now that he had boarded the train of doom, he found himself calming down. He was already one foot in, might as well follow up with the other foot.

    Gao Yang looked around. They were in thest car. On the left was a door that led to nowhere, while on the right was the door leading to the next car, but it was shut.

    War Tiger sat down on a bench, his expression darkening. ¡°Shit!¡±

    Officer Huang quickly raised his gun, while Qing Ling held up her Tang Dao before her chest.

    Gao Yang had sprung to action as well, holding the dagger with one hand and gathering his energy with the other, ready to activate Fire at any time.

    The three of them pressed their back together to form a circle so that they could cover all 360 degrees around them, watching out for any danger that mighte.

    Surprised by their dramatic reaction, War Tiger gave the three of them a strange look. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡±

    Then realization struck him, and he burst outughing. ¡°Fucking hell. Talk about overreaction. I didn¡¯t say there was danger!¡±

    <i>Then what did you curse out for?!</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed theints and slowly sheathed his dagger.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang rxed too and lowered their weapons.

    Officer Huang shook his head as he said, ¡°Please don¡¯t make sudden noises for no reason, Teacher. ¡®Scare me to death¡¯ isn¡¯t always a figurative expression.¡±

    ¡°I just remembered that I forgot my cigarette. Fuck mypse in memory!¡± War Tiger pped his thigh and pushed his mask toward his head a little, revealing the lower half of his face.

    ¡°But I have tomend the three of you for your reflex and teamwork.¡±

    <i>How else do you think we¡¯ve survived to this day?</i> Gao Yang grumbled silently.

    White Rabbit fished a pack of Barlmoro[1] out of her pocket. ¡°I knew you¡¯d forget, so I brought this with me.¡±

    ¡°Rabbit! You¡¯re my considerate cotton-padded jacket[2]!¡±

    ¡°And what have I done in my past life to deserve that?¡± White Rabbit¡¯s eyes rolled so far back that they were almost all white.

    War Tiger happily took the pack of cigarettes from her and with a shake, a cigarette slid out. He put it between his lips and pped his thigh again. ¡°Shit, I forgot my lighter as well. Would you mind, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t what my Talent is for, Teacher!¡± Gao Yang felt like a tool, but he still lit the cigarette with a simple brush of his finger.

    War Tiger inhaled before letting out a puff of smoke.

    Feeling the itch himself, Officer Huang took out a cigarette as well.

    Gao Yang reluctantly lit the cigarette for Officer Huang too before he asked the question he had been wanting to ask, ¡°What are we doing next?¡±

    War Tiger crossed his legs and blew a somewhat wonky smoke ring. ¡°Rest.¡±

    ¡°Rest?¡± As a woman of action, Qing Ling didn¡¯t understand.

    White Rabbit sat down on a bench as well. ¡°What Teacher means is that it¡¯s better to investigate the environment first than running around recklessly when we¡¯ve just arrived and don¡¯t know the ce.¡±

    ¡°And you do it by sitting down?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Patience, Green Snake.¡± War Tiger waved them over, telling them to all sit down. ¡°We¡¯ll gather what we know at the moment. It won¡¯t be toote to make a move afterward.¡±

    Gao Yang found that reasonable. The moment his bottom touched the seat, he thought better of it and stood back up to sit beside War Tiger instead.

    Officer Huang followed suit without missing a beat and took the seat on War Tiger¡¯s other side.

    They shared a knowing smile. A strong survival instinct was one thing they shared.

    When Gao Yang yed role-ying games, he always prepared fully before exploring a dungeon. He made sure he was at a high enough level and stocked up on equipment and items so that there would be no danger.

    It was a shame that he couldn¡¯t save in the real world, or he would¡¯ve saved every three steps.

    He unlocked his phone and sent a message to the group chat of the organization. It failed. There was no signal here.

    Gao Yang took off his backpack and went through the supplies. In addition to support items and first-aid kits, there were rations and water that wouldst them about ten days, which gave him a sense of security.

    Back in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, they had gone without food or water for three days. It was the kind of suffering one had to go through personally to understand.

    Then he checked his system.

    [ess granted.]

    [You now have a total of 23 Luck points.]

    ¡ªI¡¯d like to check my stats.

    [Constitution: 47 Endurance: 48]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259]

    [Willpower: 209 Charisma: 67 ]

    [Luck: 132]

    Gao Yang was content with the Talents he had at the moment.

    Moreover, the stats bonuses granted by a new Talent no longer offset the Luck points he spent to acquire it, making the exchange less and less ideal.

    Realizing that, Gao Yang had nned to allocate his four hundred and some Luck points equally to his different stats, but the ambush by Mad Red changed that. He had put all his points into his Strength and Agility, which might seem extreme, but was actually the inevitable choice.

    Mad Red¡¯s Detonation was incredibly destructive. Only someone with high hit points and high defense like Dead Pig, equipped with a defensive Talent that was Level 4 or higher, would be able to take it and survive.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t that, of course, so he chose to fight the spear with another spear of his own and bet on whether he could kill Mad Red before the man killed him.

    Based on the oue, he had made the right bet.

    The current situation, however, was another story. He didn¡¯t know what dangers they would run into going forward.

    One thing was clear: his Constitution and Endurance were too low. In gaming terms, he was too much of a ss cannon, and ss cannons shattered easily. He had to do something about it.

    ¡ªSystem, put all my umted Luck points and the points I¡¯m going to get in the Rune Cave into my Constitution and Endurance. Keep it up until I get out of the Rune Cave.

    [Understood.]

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was merely his mind tricking him, but he breathed a little more easily, and his heartbeat seemed stronger and more steady. He put a hand on his abdomen. It was a shame that he didn¡¯t magically get a six-pack.

    ¡°What do you think is the difference between this ce and the outside world?¡± War Tiger asked after finishing his cigarette.

    ¡°It feels dangerous.¡± Officer Huang said, shifting a little closer to War Tiger.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in your mind.¡± War Tiger put a hand on his shoulder and continued in an exasperated tone, ¡°You¡¯re a cop, Yellow Ox. Can¡¯t you show a little more courage?¡±

    ¡°Recklessness isn¡¯t courage,¡± Officer Huang argued.

    ¡°The temperature seems lower,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yes.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°The train has been moving for quite a long time without reaching the next stop.¡± White Rabbit frowned as she stared at the quickly passing darkness outside the window.

    ¡°Hm, and?¡± War Tiger turned to Qing Ling encouragingly. ¡°Share a few of your findings.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too steady,¡± Qing Ling said, as concise as ever.

    ¡°True. It doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re riding on a subway train.¡±

    Gao Yang had noticed that as well. Normally, subway trains wobbled a little as it moved, and when it was going faster, there would be cool wind sweeping through the underground tunnel.

    ¡°Alright. What¡¯s your conclusion?¡± War Tiger said and added as a reminder, ¡°I¡¯m not asking for subjective guesses, but objective spection based on logic and deduction.¡±

    Everyone took a moment to think.

    Then White Rabbit said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough information to get to a conclusion yet.¡±

    War Tiger turned to the others, and they shook their heads as well.

    ¡°Okay.¡± War Tiger epted their response and got to his feet, stretching his arms and neck. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s check the other cars.¡±

    War Tiger took the lead and pushed the door at the front of the car. It didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Door¡¯s locked,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°Any volunteers?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Qing Ling walked up to the door, nning to break it down, but White Rabbit stopped her.

    ¡°Allow me.¡±

    War Tiger said approvingly, ¡°Good, you haven¡¯t forgotten my lessons.¡±

    ¡°What difference does it make?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s a difference,¡± War Tiger said seriously. ¡°Your expertise is explosive offense, Green Snake, not raw strength. Breaking down a door is easier for White Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Keep in mind that we are a team, and we must preserve the team¡¯s power as much as possible. The devil¡¯s in the details. Sometimes the little strength you manage to preserve can be the difference between life and death.¡±

    Qing Ling fell into thought.

    Gao Yanguded the man in his head. <i>He¡¯s teaching us at any opportunity through both words and actions, and everything he says is useful in real battles.</i>

    <i>He¡¯s both strong and cautious. While he seems like someone who only has eyes for the forest, he actually pays attention to every single tree.</i>

    <i>Cautious but not overly so. Sees both the forest and the trees. No wonder he¡¯s the ninth-ranking awakener.</i>

    ¡°Get ready.¡± White Rabbit gave the others a nce.

    They each took out their weapon and got into formation.

    After taking a short step back, White Rabbit knocked the door open with a practiced spin kick. She then immediately moved back to stand shoulder to shoulder with herpanions.

    Gao Yang looked into the next car, his heart seizing for a moment in shock.

    1. The raw is a y on Marlboro. ?

    2. A Chinese ng for someone who thinks of you and does heart-warming things for you. Commonly used to describe a daughter who¡¯s considerate to her parents. ?

 Chapter 100: Blood Trails

    <h4>Chapter 100: Blood Trails</h4>

    The second-tost car was empty, and under the light were trails of crimson blood that looked as macabre and horrifying as the thick, pungent smell assaulting their senses.

    The five of them covered their noses as they entered.

    At the center of the car was a pool of half congealed blood still spreading in all directions. From the dragging trails and the sttered red stains, the one doing the bleeding was very likely to have been cut into pieces.

    ¡°Take a good look around,¡± War Tiger said with a lowered voice. ¡°And stay alert.¡±

    The five of them split up and searched around in the car. Gao Yang made sure to check his system. His Luck points hadn¡¯t seen an unusual jump, which meant that they weren¡¯t currently in danger.

    He tracked a pronounced trail of blood to the door that opened to the tform. There was something stuck under it. Gao Yang crouched down and realized that it was a segment of finger.

    His hair stood on end. He turned to call out to the others, ¡°Look.¡±

    They all came up to him, and their faces darkened when they saw the finger.

    White Rabbit took out a pair of rubber gloves from her waist pack and freed the finger from under the door. She inspected it for a moment before taking off the tinum ring and putting them in a stic bag, stuffing it into her waist pack.

    ¡°Initial impression,¡± White Rabbit said, ¡°It¡¯s the ring finger of an adult woman. There¡¯s no inscription on the ring.¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Gao Yang?¡± War Tiger asked with narrowed eyes.

    After a bemused moment, Gao Yang shared his pessimistic guess. ¡°The woman was probably killed by monsters. Not one, but a group. She struggled, but still got dragged out of the train in the end. When the door closed, she tried to grab onto something, leaving a cut finger in the car as a result.¡±

    War Tiger nodded nomittally.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± White Rabbit asked War Tiger. ¡°Go to the next car?¡±

    ¡°We wait.¡± War Tiger looked up out of the window.

    They all turned around to follow his gaze. Flickering light started breaking up the thick darkness outside, and the light sources began to take more concrete shapes. They were advertisement screens the train was rushing past.

    They were slowing to a halt.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally getting to a station,¡± Officer Huang said. He didn¡¯t sound too thrilled.

    ¡°True. The train has been running for so long. I¡¯d say 10 minutes at the least.¡± White Rabbit made a rough estimation. ¡°I thought it¡¯d never stop.¡±

    As if in response to that, the train stopped.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door opened. There was a group of twenty to thirty people waiting to board the train. Most of them were wearing winter coats or down jackets with a scarf keeping their necks warm, and they didn¡¯t look up from their phones at all, their expression lifeless.

    The moment the door was fully open, they swarmed toward the train.

    Officer Huang had already unholstered his gun, and Qing Ling and Gao Yang held tightly onto their respective weapons.

    Standing at the very front, War Tiger stopped them with a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    The air seemed to freeze. Gao Yang almost forgot to breathe.

    The first passenger to board the train was a middle-aged man dressed like a blue-cor worker. He saw the mess of blood in the car when he was just about to set foot on the train, and it gave him pause. For a fleeting moment, the numb look on his face turned into confusion, and his eyes lost focus.

    But then he turned back like nothing had happened and returned to the tform, waiting for the next train toe.

    Clearly, he was a wanderer, and he had just gone through the process of self-correction.

    The same thing happened to the other passengers who had nned to get onto the train, and they returned to the tform like it was the normal thing to do.

    <i>Beep beep beep¡ª</i>

    The thirty seconds crawled by, and the door was going to close.

    Just when Gao Yang was going to let out a sigh of relief, however, someone boarded the train like nothing was wrong.

    He looked like a highschool student. Shouldering a messenger bag, he walked in with his back slightly hunched and a pair ofrge white headphones covering his ears, bobbing his head to the tune he was singing along to. ¡°All are brave. The wound on your forehead. Your difference and the mistake you made...[1]¡±

    Naturally, he also saw the blood stains covering the entire car, as well as the five people who were armed to the teeth and clearly on high alert.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± The boy jumped and shouted dramatically. ¡°What the hell, dude?¡±

    The five of them didn¡¯t respond immediately.

    After a few seconds, Gao Yang said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re shooting amercial.¡±

    He found it ridiculous the moment the lie left his mouth, but he couldn¡¯te up with a better one under such short notice.

    ¡°Right, amercial,¡± Officer Huang chimed in with an awkward smile. ¡°For a thriller.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± The boy pressed a hand to his chest and said with lingering shock. ¡°I almost had a heart attack.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you catch the next train?¡± White Rabbit added, and she supported her words with a sweet smile. ¡°We¡¯ve reserved the whole train.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course. Yeah.¡± The boy turned around immediately.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart was in his throat. He muttered to himself, <i>Don¡¯t turn back. Don¡¯t turn back. Please don¡¯t.</i>

    But then the boy stopped before walking out of the train and turned back, pulling off his headphones and giving them a bright smile. ¡°Five awakeners. This must be my lucky...¡±

    Before he could finish, War Tiger thrust his shortsword toward the boy¡¯s throat.

    The boy dodged it with an agile sidestep and quickly retreated to the other end of the car.

    All the while, his body was going through a rapid transformation. His muscles bulged, his veins thickened, and his eyes flickered with a bloodthirsty crimson. The hair on his skin grew in density and hardiness until it became a greenish gray pelt, and his face changed dramatically into that of a wolf.

    He opened his maw of red fangs and howled with his head tipped back.

    <i>Awooo¡ª</i>

    The five of them had to cover their ears. The howl assaulted their eardrums like des.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. It was a wrath monster, a summoner to be exact!

    In response to the piercing howl, the wanderers outside the train fell to the floor, transforming into all manners of monsters in the blink of an eye after violent trembles and spasms.

    Without pause, they made a mad dash for the train.

    ¡°Leave their leader to me. You take care of the rest.¡± War Tiger immediately rushed toward the summoner.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang made the shots. The three monsters leading the charge copsed to the ground after their heads blew up, sttering brain matters everywhere.

    Yet the other monsters continued to swarm in without dy or hesitation.

    One of them resembled a dog and dodged all of the shots by leaping from side to side with unusual agility. It then lunged at Officer Huang and bit at his neck.

    Thankfully, White Rabbit kicked it away at thest moment, sending it flying.

    It mmed into the ceiling of the train and thennded heavily on the floor.

    Before it could get up and fight back, Qing Ling cut off its head with her Tang Dao, leaving a trail of sttered blood on the bench.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang raised both hands and shot two torrents of fire out of the door, the mes devouring the three monsters about to charge in. They squirmed and whined and struggled, their bodies stuck between the closing train door.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang dual wielded two guns and made a quick series of shots, detering the other monsters from getting into the train.

    Then the train started. The monsters on the tform were left futilely running after it along the tform.

    Soon, the station was left behind, and the train rushed into the dark tunnel. White Rabbit kicked the three charred monsters out of the car. The automatic door shut properly this time.

    ¡°Done.¡±

    White Rabbit dusted her hands and turned around. What she saw put a frown on her face.

    Gao Yang followed her gaze. At the end of the car, War Tiger was in a stalemate with the summoner.

    1. Lyrics of Eason Chan¡¯s <i>Lonely Warrior</i>, the Chinese theme song for the animated series <i>Arcane</i>. ?

 Chapter 101: Three Questions

    <h4>Chapter 101: Three Questions</h4>

    Gao Yang was taken aback. Given how strong War Tiger was, he should¡¯ve dealt with the monster yesterday. Why would they be at a stalemate? Was the monster much stronger than it appeared to be?

    But soon, Gao Yang realized that wasn¡¯t at all the case.

    With a hand holding his shortsword and the other hand in his pocket, War Tiger turned around to the four of them and said in a casual tone, ¡°Done? Alright, time for a lesson...¡±

    Seizing the moment War Tiger turned away from it, the summoner stabbed at War Tiger¡¯s back with the ws of his hand.

    ¡°Watch...¡±

    War Tiger reacted before Gao Yang could even utter the word ¡®out¡¯.

    With his side to the monster, he held his shortsword with a reverse grip and parried the sharp ws, knocking it away.

    The sh of their forces left the monster a little off-bnce, and in that split second, War Tiger moved like his time alone was fastforwarding, and he twirled the sword and made an upward sh from an unpredictable angle, cutting off the summoner¡¯s arm with ease.

    Time froze for half a second. War Tiger turned around and pulled back his sword.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Blood gushed out and sttered in the air from the stump of the summoner¡¯s shoulder as it copsed to the ground, crying out in pain. War Tiger stood amid the crimson rain with his back to the monster, looking so cool that he appeared unapproachable.

    He snapped his fingers to break them out of their reverie. ¡°Focus. Time for our lesson.¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang came to their senses.

    ¡°Monsters are split into different ranks. Generally, delusion monsters are ranked D, while wrath monsters are ranked C. Summoners, however, are an exception among wrath monsters. While they may not be that powerful in fights, their leadership quality boost them to C+.¡±

    War Tiger wiped away the drops of blood on his face and continued, ¡°Remember, if you ever run into a monster above C+ rank and have the power to secure an absolute win against it, you must go through the Three Questions.¡±

    ¡°The Three Questions?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s curious streak acted up again.

    ¡°It¡¯s a rule Captain made. We are to ask the monsters three set questions.¡± White Rabbit looked proud. ¡°The other organizations have started to do the same over the past few years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°Awakeners have been trying tomunicate with monsters. Although we¡¯ve seen little progress, we can¡¯t give up on it.¡±

    War Tiger turned to look at the summoner, who was lying in its own blood.

    It¡ªhe had turned back into his human form, and he looked like a pitiful, helpless highschool student.

    Holding onto his bleeding stump, he sat sprawling under a bench with his face pale and his body covered in blood. It seemed that he had given up on resisting.

    War Tiger met his eyes and said with a solemnity that didn¡¯t discriminate between different forms of lives. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Head drooping, the summoner looked so calm it veered into the realm of numbness.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± That was the second question.

    The boy still didn¡¯t react.

    That was all to be expected for War Tiger. After a pause, he asked thest question, ¡°Do you choose forgiveness, or death?¡±

    The summoner¡¯s face had been emotionless.

    Until War Tiger asked the third question.

    A broken light flicked through the summoner¡¯s eyes. Gao Yang even saw traces of derision and pity.

    ¡°Death,¡± answered the summoner.

    War Tiger shook his head in disappointment. ¡°I always wonder if your kind were mass-produced in the same factory. You always say the same things.¡±

    The summoner didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he tipped his head up as his chest inted to an unusual degree, his throat shifting eerily. Then from his mouth came a surreal sound.

    It was a piercing, ethereal, and sorrowful sound of mourning, like a gargantuan whale in the deep sea wailing for an ancient fate.

    And it was so very familiar to Gao Yang. The memory came to him, unbidden.

    One summer night in his childhood, he had heard the sound from outside his grandfather''s room. The second day, his grandfather died.

    <i>Is grandpa a summoner?!</i>

    Gao Yang felt chilled to the bones. He urgently demanded, ¡°What are you singing? Answer me!¡±

    The young summoner didn¡¯t answer. His song came to a sudden stop, and his head drooped, his chest no longer heaving.

    He was dead.

    Or it would be more urate to say that he had quickened his dying process.

    Gao Yang froze in his spot, feeling utterly lost.

    ¡°Teacher, are all monsters...¡± Officer Huang tried to find the right word. ¡°So martyr-like?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. Summoners are special in that they retain human-like rationality and emotions even after transforming into monsters.¡±

    War Tiger smacked his lips. ¡°That¡¯s why we have been trying tomunicate with them, but getting anything out of them is like pulling teeth.¡®

    White Rabbit cocked her head and said, ¡°Friendly reminder, ughterers and devourers are all bloodthirsty and relentless killers. Don¡¯t waste time on questioning them. Just kill them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that myself.¡± Officer Huang was reminded of a few bad encounters.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for the lesson.¡± War Tiger pped. ¡°Before we continue the mission, let¡¯s organize what we¡¯ve learned.¡±

    He turned to Gao Yang. ¡°You go first. Did you notice anything strange?¡±

    Gao Yangposed himself and sorted through his thoughts. He said with a nod, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The station we stopped at was strange.¡± Gao Yang turned to the others.

    White Rabbit said, ¡°I was too busy fighting to notice.¡±

    ¡°Although the doors between the cars are locked, the doors to the tform should all open automatically when the train makes a stop. However, all of the passengers came swarming into our car.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± White Rabbit turned to the others for clues. ¡°Did the other doors not open?¡±

    Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°It¡¯s not that the doors didn¡¯t open, but that the doors didn¡¯t even exist.¡±

    That got her the attention of everyone.

    ¡°I noticed that the station was way too small.¡± Qing Ling put away her weapon as she talked. ¡°It seemed like it could only fit our car.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± War Tiger frowned. ¡°Can it be that you saw it wrong?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Qing Ling said with certainty.

    War Tiger lowered his head and tapped on his forehead with a forefinger. ¡°This ce is certainly strange.¡±

    Officer Huang sighed with great regret. ¡°I knew this mission wouldn¡¯t be simple. I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡±

    ¡°Rx, Yellow Ox.¡± War Tiger patted him on the back. ¡°We¡¯ll burn the bridge when we get to it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll <i>cross </i>the bridge,¡± Officer Huang corrected with an involuntaryugh.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    From the car behind them came the sound of something knocking on the door.

    The five of them immediately turned to face it, alerted.

    Gao Yang realized something was wrong immediately.

    <i>Wait! That¡¯s the car we were in, the veryst of the train. It was empty, and White Rabbit kicked the door down, didn¡¯t she? When did the door close and lock again?!</i>

    ¡°Celestial Water!¡± War Tigermanded decisively, having gotten to the same realization as Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang quickly took out a small spray bottle from the side pocket of the backpack and made a few sprays all around them, filling the air with deep-violet particles.

    The five of them quickly took a few breaths, and their noses, throats, and chest burned like they had just inhaled insect repellents. Their heads cleared up in an instant, and their minds became unusually focused.

    Celestial Water referred to the Illusion Breaking Spray.

    It was a support item created by awakeners with Talent: Divine Blessing, designed to counter enemies with powers to create illusions. The supply was low, and the shelf life short. Only the major organizations could afford it.

    Everyone¡¯s first reaction to the unreasonable situation was that they had gotten hit by an illusion. And the howling sound the summoner made before expediting his death could be the trigger.

    With the Celestial Water clearing their minds, the five of them turned to the car door again. It was still locked, and there were still sounds of something mming against the door.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    ¡°Help!¡± a voice cried out from the other car. ¡°Open the door!¡±

 Chapter 102: Old Wang

    <h4>Chapter 102: Old Wang</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s not an illusion,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°There¡¯s someone on the other side of the door.¡±

    ¡°Could be a monster.¡± Qing Ling eyed the door coldly with her Tang Dao in hand.

    White Rabbit deferred to War Tiger. ¡°Your call, Uncle Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Help! Open the door and save me!¡±

    The voice grew increasingly emotional. A middle-aged man was calling out for help desperately.

    War Tiger drew his shortsword and walked up to the car door. ¡°Fall back.¡±

    The four of them took a few steps back. With his shortsword in one hand, War Tiger unlocked the door.

    A man stumbled inside and scrambled to move away from the door, his face covered in blood. ¡°Close the door! Shut it!¡±

    A ughterer was right after him. It moved so quickly that it dashed into the car like an arrow.

    War Tiger dodged it with a sidestep, and the moment the ughterer rushed past him, he made a heavy downward swing, decapitating the ughterer.

    Momentum drove the ughterer¡¯s tall, burly body, and it hurtled further into the car for a few meters. Then the headless bleeding body stood up and tried to fight back. Qing Ling stabbed through its heart with her Tang Dao, pinning it to the wall.

    All that happened in a few seconds.

    The ughterer wasn¡¯t alone. There were at least a dozen monsters in thest car, and they were charging forward in unison.

    Officer Huang opened fire. This time, he aimed for the knees instead of the heads, and the two monsters at the front stumbled, getting stuck in the narrow car door and obstructing the way for their fellow monsters.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t miss the chance. He raised both hands and shot two torrents of powerful mes at the other car like a methrower for castle defense.

    The other car turned into a sea of fire in an instant, and piercing cries filled the space, apanied by the strange smell of flesh getting charred in the heated air.

    The fire didn¡¯t stop until close to a minuteter. And the cries died down. Gao Yang deactivated his Talent.

    He had almost exhausted his energy. Hit with a fainting spell, he heaved as sweat streaked down his face.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger!¡± Officer Huang covered his nose and mouth to block out the smell of charred meat. ¡°You made quick work of half a car of monsters.¡±

    ¡°No really. It¡¯s mainly because the train allows me to concentrate my firepower...¡± Before Gao Yang could finish his sentence, he copsed to the ground and curled into himself, his muscles spasming violently. ¡°Hah¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± White Rabbit rushed up to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gao Yang stopped screaming, but he still couldn¡¯t speak, and his limbs wouldn¡¯t stop trembling.

    ¡°Emergency injection!¡±

    White Rabbit supported Gao Yang with one hand and took the syringe Officer Huang handed her with the other. Pulling off the cap with her teeth, she was going to administer a shot to Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Stop...¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed her handst second. ¡°I, I¡¯m alright.¡±

    White Rabbit sighed in relief. ¡°What happened? You scared me.¡±

    ¡°That''s...I think I leveled up.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s face was flushed, and he added with embarrassment, ¡°It felt so good.¡±

    The worry on White Rabbit¡¯s face instantly turned into disgust. She pushed Gao Yang away. ¡°Gross.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Qing Ling said from the side with her arms crossed. She had figured out what was going on and hadn¡¯t even moved a step.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for it. Don¡¯t you go through the same thing when your Talents level up?¡±

    Gao Yang would¡¯ve pouted if he were a kid. Earlier, his Fire reached level 3, and in that instant, there seemed to be a current running through every cell in his body, and the overwhelming pleasure was so intense that it felt like a little death.

    ¡°True. It does feel good. Just like...¡± Officer Huang swallowed the rest of his words.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it!¡± White Rabbit¡¯s face was red. ¡°Do all men think with their lower heads? Outside of Captain, of course.¡±

    ¡°Rabbit,¡± War Tiger said teasingly. ¡°Dragon poops too, and he farts. He may also have hemorrhoids.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± White Rabbit covered her ears. ¡°I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not!¡±

    ¡°Um, thank you all.¡±

    That finally reminded them that there was a stranger in their mix.

    The one they had just saved was a middle-aged man with a big, well-trained build. Hair shaved, he had a rectangr face, and his small eyes and round nose gave off the impression of an honest, down-to-earth man. Dressed in a ck and white sportswear, he looked like a fitness trainer.

    While he was covered in blood, he didn¡¯t seem injured.

    War Tiger flipped his hand and pressed his sharp shortsword to the man¡¯s chin. ¡°Human or monster?¡±

    ¡°Human, human!¡± the man hurriedly exined. ¡°I¡¯m an awakener, just like you!¡±

    War Tiger had guessed as much, but that didn¡¯t mean he trusted the man. ¡°The car was filled with monsters. How did you survive?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    The man gingerly pushed the de away and raised both hands before slowly turning around.

    The back of his clothes were all torn and tattered. His pants, especially, were missing a big part in the left hip, revealing a pair of in briefs and a bottock.

    He had what would be described as a bubble butt, evidence of the time he spent on continuous weight training.

    White Rabbit awkwardly looked away, while Qing Ling remained unfazed.

    The man turned back around, and his exhausted face broke into a grateful smile. ¡°I¡¯m the vice-leader of the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union, Wang Fei. You may call me Old Wang.¡±

    ¡°Old Wang?¡± War Tiger said with a suppressedugh. He waved a hand for Old Wang to continue.

    ¡°I only survived with my Talent: Iron Skin. If you didn¡¯t open the door, however, I wouldn¡¯tst much longer.¡±

    He extended his right hand, and in two seconds, his forearm turned into the texture of greenish gray metal.

    ¡°I can turn parts of my body into metal to protect myself.¡±

    Iron Skin, serial number 69, Guard-type. The Talent allowed one to turn their skin into metal for a significant boost in defense.

    Gao Yang went through the information he knew in his head. Then he offered the man a handshake. ¡°Nice to meet you, Old Wang.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Hello, nice to meet you.¡± Old Wang hurriedly took his hand, ttered.

    ¡ªReplicate.

    Gao Yang secretly replicated Iron Skin. The Talent would increase his chance of survival by a significant margin.

    War Tiger saw right through Gao Yang¡¯s little trick, but instead of exposing him, he gave him an approving look.

    War Tiger then put away his sword and exined, ¡°We¡¯re from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Old Wang. We were requested to rescue you by your organization.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Old Wang was surprised and delighted. ¡°I thought the cavalry wouldn¡¯te until a dayter.¡±

    ¡°A day?¡± White Rabbit frowned. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been three days?¡±

    ¡°Three days?¡±

    Old Wang was confused. He vehemently shook his head. ¡°No, no, no! That¡¯s not possible. We¡¯ve been here for less than an hour!¡±

    The car fell silent.

    Gao Yang used Lie Detection on him.

    ¡ªThe target did not lie.

    Getting an answer from Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, War Tiger stroked his chin bemusedly for a moment before turning to Old Wang.

    ¡°Tell me everything that happened after you boarded the train. Don¡¯t leave out any details.¡±

 Chapter 103: Mobius Strip

    <h4>Chapter 103: Mobius Strip</h4>

    The air thickened with tension. Without himself noticing, Old Wang began to speak with increasing urgency.

    ording to him, the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union consisted of nine people with Cheng Xin being the leader, and him, Wang Fei, being the vice-leader. All of them got into thest car of the subway train. At the time, the doors between the cars weren¡¯t locked.

    After staying in the car for a while, they moved to the next one. It was then the train reached a stop, and a few passengers boarded. The atmosphere was eerie, to say the least.

    While the second team weren¡¯t exactly seasoned veterans, they were well-trained, and they didn¡¯t lose their calm. Pretending to be regr passengers, they stayed seated in the car without a word.

    The train continued moving, and it made a stop every five to ten minutes to pick up and let off passengers like a regr subway train.

    After a few stops, the members of the second team lost theirposure.

    It was then an old woman struck up a conversation with a girl on the team. Her name was Jingjing, a 21-year-old girl who had just joined the Hundred Rivers Union not long ago. Fear led to her making a mistake, and the old woman noticed.

    Unfortunately, the old woman was a summoner. It immediately transformed and awakened all the passengers in the car, triggering their transformation and frenzy.

    What followed was a chaotic, bloody fight.

    Jingjing was the first to die. The summoner broke her fair neck with a bite and left her to be torn apart by the other monsters. She had only just epted her boyfriend¡¯s proposal the day before, and she was wearing the ring he gave her on her ring finger.

    After two minutes, the second team won the bloody fight in the car at a heavy price; one of them was killed, and another was seriously injured.

    They didn¡¯t even have the time to regroup and mourn the loss when the train made a stop again, and the door slowly opened.

    Naturally, the terrible scene in the car awakened the iing monsters, and thus another struggle for survivalmenced.

    This time, they lost two members, one of whom was the member who had been critically injured in the previous fight.

    The surviving members ran to the next car and locked the door. There were six of them.

    In ten minutes, the train stopped once more. Again, the iing passengers transformed. It was thanks to Old Wang covering for hispanions with Iron Skin that they were able to quickly flee to the next car for a short reprieve.

    Under the weight of great despair, they reached a breaking point.

    A fight broke out among them. As the vice-leader of the team, Old Wang had been opposed to Cheng Xin¡¯s reckless decision for them to get on the train. However, Cheng Xin was an obstinate man who blindly pursued glory. He should take full responsibility for the death of theirpanions, yet the man believed Jingjing was to me; if she hadn¡¯t exposed herself out of nervousness, he reasoned, the nine of them could¡¯ve explored the Rune Cave as regr passengers.

    The fight didn¡¯t lead to anything productive. They calmed themselves and discussed their n.

    Moving and hiding in different cars wouldn¡¯t get them out of this crisis. The train would keep making stops, and every time there would be new passengers¡ªall monsters¡ªboarding the train. None of the cars would be truly safe.

    To ensure their safety, they must make it to the head of the train to stop it.

    Once they reached a consensus, they started with their n. And whenever they moved past a car, they would lock the door to make sure their back was clear.

    ¡°We reached the first car soon.¡±

    Old Wang¡¯s suppressed anger began to simmer. ¡°The train made a stop, and the door opened to let in about a dozen passengers. They transformed immediately. Unfortunately, the door to the cab was locked, and it would take time to open it. Cheng Xin ordered me to block the tform door and stop the monsters from boarding.¡±

    He clenched his teeth and fell silent.

    ¡°You blocked the door with your Iron Skin. Cheng Xin and the others abandoned you after getting into the cab.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Old Wang smiled wryly. ¡°I knew what would happen when Cheng Xin told me to block the monsters, but I hadn¡¯t expected him to shut me out without hesitation.¡±

    With a sigh, Officer Huang offered Old Wang a cigarette. ¡°Want one?¡±

    Old Wang waved his hand. ¡°Thanks, but I quit after my child was born.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a kid?¡± That got Officer Huang¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Yes, a daughter.¡± Old Wang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°She¡¯s entering elementary school next year.¡±

    ¡°Stay on track and don¡¯t get distracted,¡± White Rabbit cut in.

    ¡°Right.¡± Old Wang narrowed his eyes and continued with his retelling, ¡°I blocked the door with Iron Skin. Only three monsters managed to get through me when the train started again.¡±

    Old Wang¡¯s lips curled into a pained smile. ¡°With my temporary invincibility, I put all I had into killing the three monsters. Then I knocked on the door as I cursed out that bastard of a team leader, Cheng Xin...¡±

    He paused and took a breath.

    ¡°No one opened the door. I was so pissed that I started throwing myself at it. It took a long while for me to knock down the door. And what I saw then made me lose hope.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess.¡± War Tiger¡¯s eyes shifted. ¡°You found yourself back to the start.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Old Wang gaped.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Keep going.¡±

    ¡°I found myself back in thest car we had gotten into at the beginning. Before I could figure out what was going on, however, the train made a stop, and in came a group of passengers. Lo and behold, there was a summoner among them, and the monsters instantly ran wild.¡±

    Old Wang said with cold sweat covering his forehead, still reeling from the fear, ¡°How was I supposed to fight more than ten monsters on my own? I turned my skin into metal immediately and did my best to endure, to survive for a second longer if it was at all possible. All I could think of was my wife¡¯s and my daughter¡¯s faces.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d been. Then I heard the sound of battles in the next car and people having conversations. I wondered if it could be my brain ying tricks on me near death, but I decided to give it a go, and you let me in and save me...¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡± War Tiger cursed. ¡°So it is all connected.¡±

    He gave White Rabbit a look. She took out the segment of finger in her waist pack without missing a beat. ¡°Is this Jingjing¡¯s?¡±

    Old Wang closed his eyes, his expression tight. ¡°It was hers. She was barely into twenties.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He had been pushing himself to figure out the situation quickly. Now that he had gotten to an initial hypothesis, he gave War Tiger an urgent look, and War Tiger raised an eyebrow at him.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    Gao Yang licked his lips and organized his thoughts. ¡°While I don¡¯t know the exact reason, the tail and the head of the train are connected, like a Mobius strip.¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    ¡°So I dare specte that while the train has been moving the whole time, it hasn¡¯t actually moved.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Old Wang was confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s what it sounds like.¡± Gao Yang made gestures with his hands. ¡°Think of the subway as a prostrating ferris wheel. It¡¯s been moving non stop, but it¡¯s actually rotating in ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so steady!¡± Officer Huang said in realization.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Every car is a pod of the ferris wheel. While it looks to us that the cars are connected, there actually is a strange space in between.¡±

    ¡°Every few minutes, the train stops, and passengerse in and get off. They are all monsters ying the role of humans, and they have been repeating the process in this rotating subway train like inmates in a prison¡ªuntil our trespassing.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Gao Yang sucked in a breath. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound familiar to you?¡±

    ¡°The Gu Family''s Vige,¡± Qing Ling said on instinct.

    ¡°Bingo.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°This is a Rune Cave, and there must be a Rune Circuit.¡±

 Chapter 104: Clear the Map

    <h4>Chapter 104: Clear the Map</h4>

    ¡°My, my. Two Rune Circuits in one month.¡± War Tiger was beside himself. ¡°What kind of dumb luck is that!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what kind of dumb luck is that?¡± Officer Huang said with a thin smile. While he had said the same line, he obviously meant it very differently.

    ¡°There are still a lot of questions to answer.¡± White Rabbit turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Where are Cheng Xin and the rest?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°We should¡¯ve run into Cheng Xin before running into Old Wang.¡±

    Expression dark, Old Wang said in a slightly hateful tone, ¡°Probably killed.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°That many people would¡¯ve left traces behind if they were killed.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Officer Huang said, ¡°Well, I think we might have forgotten about something: the doors between the cars aren¡¯t the only doors of the train.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gao Yang pped himself on the forehead. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d neglected that. ¡°There are the doors to the tform too.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean,¡± White Rabbit turned to look at the door, ¡°That they got off the train?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very likely.¡± Gao Yang followed the train of thoughts. ¡°There are different numbers of passengers at every stop. Cheng Xin doesn¡¯t sound like a fool. If they stayed in the train, they would keep running into more monsters. Perhaps they were lucky enough to reach a stop with few passengers, and they killed their way out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d make sense.¡± War Tiger plopped himself down on a seat and crossed his legs. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a break. We¡¯re going to be very busyter.¡±

    ¡°Busy? With what?¡± Officer Huang had a bad feeling about this.

    War Tiger gave Gao Yang a nce. ¡°You must know, Yang Yang. Tell everyone.¡±

    All eyes were suddenly on him. Gao Yang silently grumbled about War Tiger of all people using the affectionate nickname, but at the same time, he was a little ttered.

    He boldly said, ¡°You aren¡¯t looking to clear the map, are you, Teacher?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you know me like a roundworm!¡± War Tiger pped his own abdomen dramatically.

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. He didn¡¯t want to be a parasite in the man¡¯s colon.

    ¡°Clear the map?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Officer Huang shook his head. It was something he wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    White Rabbit sighed. ¡°In gaming terms, it means killing all the enemies in a map.¡±

    ¡°Kill all of them?!¡± Old Wang jumped. ¡°Are you out of your mind?! Do you know how many stops there are, and how many monsters there are at each stop? Do you really think you can kill them all?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± War Tiger said like he was talking about the weather. ¡°It¡¯ll just be a little tiring.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so easy!¡± Old Wang wasn¡¯t convinced.

    Gao Yang gave him a friendly exnation, ¡°He¡¯s the ninth-ranking awakener, Old Wang.¡±

    ¡°...Oh.¡±

    Old Wang sat back down. He no longer had any concerns.

    ¡°This is what I think.¡± War Tiger took out a cigarette and twirled it between his fingers without lighting it. ¡°ording to Gao Yang¡¯s theory, the head and tail of the subway train are connected, and it has been going in circles in the same spot. If that¡¯s the case, we would¡¯ve gone back to the tform we boarded the train from, the Cattle Farm Station of Line 7.¡±

    ¡°But neither Old Wang nor his teammates returned to the station,¡± said White Rabbit.

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± War Tiger put the cigarette between his teeth. ¡°The moment we got onto the train, the entrance was blocked. It must be the Rune Circuit¡¯s doing. Now, the train has be a Mobius strip with no starting point nor ending point. It¡¯s an endless cycle that will slowly kill us if we do nothing. We must find a way to break out of it.¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement and waited for him to continue.

    ¡°Going forward, we¡¯ll get off the train at every stop. If there are monsters, we kill them. If there aren¡¯t, we look around. In the case where we find nothing, we get back to the train and go to the next stop. We¡¯ll repeat this process until we¡¯ve dug up everything hidden in this enclosed space.¡±

    White Rabbit put her hands on her waist, resigned. ¡°It¡¯s in no way a smart solution, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any other way.¡±

    ¡°What if we find no exit even after we¡¯ve gone through every station?¡± Old Wang said worriedly.

    ¡°Then we wait for death,¡± War Tiger said flippantly.

    Old Wang¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No, I can¡¯t die. My wife and daughter are still waiting for me to return!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Gao Yang assured him, but it was also meant for himself. ¡°That¡¯s unlikely to be the case. Since the space was created by a Rune Circuit, we will be able to break out of it by finding said Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°This is like a video game.¡± White Rabbit sighed tiredly.

    ¡°You can say that again.¡± War Tiger picked himself up and stretched. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    The train had been slowlying to a stop as they talked. Then it reached the next station.

    <i>Click.</i> The door opened.

    Fortunately, there were only a few monsters on the tform. They were half transformed with the human clothes they wore strained to the limit, and the clothes were covered in blood, both from their victims and themselves.

    They paced around the tform like walking dead, muttering, ¡°Human, human, human...¡±

    They were obviously the monsters the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union had run into before.

    The moment the tform door opened, they turned around slowly, their dull eyes ignited with a muddled light of craving like an rm had been triggered, and they made a mad dash toward the train.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of homework. One of us will be enough to finish them. Who¡¯ll volunteer?¡± War Tiger turned to his students.

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Qing Ling rushed onto the tform with her Tang Dao. She prated a monster in the head with her de and at the same time, jumped up to kick it in the chest. Without wasting a second, she pulled her Tang Dao out and moved into another swing, decapitating another monster.

    Her movement was flexible, agile, and precise.

    Gao Yang could see her progress. In the past, her attacks had been fierce, but there was ack of finesse. She had relied entirely on her explosive power and made every swing at the risk of her life.

    Under War Tiger¡¯s hellish training, her swings had be skillful, and she was able to control the power she put into her attacks without wasting energy.

    To make an analogy, she had turned from a powerful but crude cleaver into a precise, fine scalpel.

    It only took a few seconds for the monsters¡¯ heads to fall.

    Qing Ling¡¯s breathing remained steady. She looked around amid the dead monsters. After making sure that there was no danger, she turned to the train and said, ¡°All clear.¡±

    Old Wang was thest to walk out, and he still hadn¡¯t recovered his jaw.

    Only after the train slowly departed did he muster the courage to ask War Tiger, ¡°The prettydy must be a veteran of your organization, right?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a newbie who only joined a month ago,¡± War Tiger said.

    ¡°Huh. Haha.¡±

    Old Wang acknowledged their differences and stopped asking for humiliation.

    As they expected, the subway station was small, and they reached the border very soon. Cold walls prevented them from advancing further. There was no entrance to another space or a hidden chamber.

    Using the blood on the floor, they left a mark so that they would know they had been here.

    Then they sat down on the bench, waiting for the train toe.

    Officer Huang sat by Old Wang. They were both family men and found a kindred spirit in each other.

    Old Wang took out a photo of his daughter from his wallet. The girl had a round, flushed face with her hair tied into two braids. ¡°My little girl. Isn¡¯t she cute?¡±

    ¡°She is,¡± Officer Huang said with a smile. ¡°She has your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be better if she looks more like her mother. Her mother has big bright eyes.¡± Old Wang sounded proud. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that my phone has run out of battery, or I¡¯d show you a photo of my wife. I¡¯m not exaggerating. She¡¯s a real beauty.¡±

    ¡°Your wife¡¯s an awakener too?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    Old Wang raised his voice. ¡°Of course! Do you think I¡¯ll marry a monster?!¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t say anything.

    It took Old Wang a moment toe to the realization. ¡°Old Huang, is your wife...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a monster.¡± Officer Huang admitted without shame. ¡°We fell in love before I awakened, and we are still very much in love.¡±

    ¡°Then the child your wife is carrying...¡± Old Wang didn¡¯t dare finish the question, his expression conflicted.

    ¡°Do you think,¡± Officer Huang leveled him with a cool, steady gaze, ¡°That my child is a human or a monster?¡±

 Chapter 105: Exit

    <h4>Chapter 105: Exit</h4>

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know.¡± Old Wang shook his head, reluctant to answer. It felt like an impossible question.

    After a moment of silence, he met Officer Huang¡¯s eyes with conviction. ¡°But at the end of the day, your wife is your wife, and your child is your child. If I were you, I would probably make the same decision.¡±

    Officer Huang was taken aback. Then he gave the man a wry, grateful smile. ¡°I knew it would take another father to understand me. To tell you the truth, I wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk to enter the Rune Cave if not for my wife and unborn child.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I wouldn¡¯t have put myself on the frontline if not for them.¡± Old Wang pped himself on the thigh, his voice impassioned. ¡°But forget it. If I get out of this alive, I¡¯ll apply to transfer to an administrative role at once. Call me a coward. All that matters is staying alive for my wife and child. Everything else be damned!¡±

    ¡°It will happen,¡± Officer Huang encouraged him.

    ¡°Haha, I think so too.¡± Old Wang touched his round nose. ¡°It¡¯s said that after every narrow escape from deathes great fortune. I wouldn¡¯t have encountered you if not for Cheng Xin¡¯s betrayal. I feel much more secure with great fighters like you guys with me.¡±

    ¡°Save my contact, Old Wang.¡± Officer Huang took out his phone. ¡°When my child is born, I¡¯d like to ask you for advice.¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course.¡± Old Wang took out his phone too. ¡°Oh, right. My daughter doesn¡¯t have a godfather yet. Why don¡¯t you do it?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. And you will be my child¡¯s godfather once they are born.¡± Officer Huang broke into a genuine smile, losing himself in the everyday talk and almost forgetting the danger they were in.

    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, why not arrange a future marriage between your children?¡± White Rabbit said as a jab with a hand propping her chin.

    Old Wang got nervous. ¡°No, no. The children should be allowed to make their own decisions.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Besides, I don¡¯t even know if my wife and I are having a boy or a girl yet.¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Whoa, wouldn¡¯t it be much better if they¡¯re both girls?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not go into that,¡± Officer Huang hurriedly said.

    The small talk dispersed some of the tension, and this felt like nothing but a regr work trip. It was as if after the work was done, they would return to their normal life.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He was in no ce to make ament since he didn¡¯t have a wife nor a child.

    Instead, he essed the system.

    He checked his Luck points first. Though he had killed a good number of monsters, the level of danger hadn¡¯t been great, and the system only granted him a ten time bonus to his Luck points acquisition rate, which was depressingly low.

    Disappointed, Gao Yang checked his stats after Fire reached level 3 instead.

    [Constitution: 57 Endurance: 59]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259]

    [Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

    [Luck: 132]

    As expected, his Willpower and Charisma had seen some growth, and the maximum temperature of Fire as well as its attack range had increased.

    <i>Oh, wait. It seems that Fire can be used to make ranged attacks now.</i>

    Gao Yang exited the system.

    He tried to focus his energy in his two hands, and he could sense the different routes his energy could flow and concentrate. After a few minutes of experimentation, he conjured a ball of fire as big as a ser ball, illuminating the dim subway station.

    That drew everyone¡¯s curious eyes.

    War Tiger was d to see his progress. ¡°Congrats, Yang Yang. Now you can throw a small fireball.¡±

    ¡°Seems that way.¡± Gao Yang smiled, but he wasn¡¯t that happy about it. ¡°Level 3 Fire allows me to make ranged attacks, but I don¡¯t know how powerful it is.¡±

    ¡°Come on, throw it at my face. I¡¯ll test it for you.¡± War Tiger stood up and curled his finger at Gao Yang.

    ¡°That...doesn¡¯t seem appropriate.¡± Gao Yang was hesitant.

    ¡°Just do it already. Don¡¯t pull back.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Teacher.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and molded the fireball on his palms so that the concentration of energy was at its most stable and full. Then he threw the fireball at War Tiger, leaving a golden trail in its wake.

    Before the fire hit him, War Tiger drew his sword with one hand and made a swing. The sh was so powerful that the fireball split apart at once, scattering to the sides as two clumps of rippling mes.

    War Tiger¡¯s messy curls shook in the heatwave, his face cast in a golden light. However, he hadn¡¯t suffered even a small burn.

    ¡°Hm.¡± War Tiger sheathed his shortsword and said in a more subdued tone, ¡°It¡¯s weaker than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Would it hurt for you to sugarcoat that a little?¡± Gao Yang said, slightly hurt.

    ¡°Take your time. It¡¯s only level 3.¡± White Rabbit then said half-jokingly, ¡°If you grow too quickly, the other senior members and I will be anxious.¡±

    The subway train arrived then.

    They walked into the train and found themselves in a different car, but that was to be expected.

    In less than ten minutes, the train made another stop.

    They got off the train, killed a few monsters, left a mark, and again searched the ce without finding anything. Then they waited for the train to arrive and boarded it.

    How many stations had they gone through? Seven? Eight? There were times when things were easy, and there were times when they ran into ughterers and devourers. With War Tiger as their safety, however, they were able to fight to the best of their abilities and ovee the challenges without great risk.

    They got off the train to fight, and then they got onto the train to rest. Rinse and repeat.

    The endless battles tired them out and dulled their minds. There didn¡¯t seem to be any hope in sight.

    It wasn¡¯t a good sign, and War Tiger had noticed the problem. He started to say oneme joke after another, but the attempt to lighten the mood wasn¡¯t very effective.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door opened again.

    They had been resting with their eyes closed, and they all opened their eyes and grabbed their weapons before moving to the tform.

    Surprisingly, there was no threat awaiting them. All there was on the tform were two lone bodies. Someone had already cleared this part of the map.

    White Rabbit checked one of them, her eyes turning sharp. ¡°Come here, Old Wang.¡±

    Old Wang walked up to join her. The monster had reverted back into its human form after death. It was a middle-aged man wearing a jacket, and hey on the floor with a hole in his back. It seemed that his heart had been torn to pieces.

    ¡°Take a look.¡± White Rabbit pointed at the body¡¯s profile. His eyeball was bulging, and his bluish face was covered in dark purple blood vessels.

    ¡°He was poisoned!¡± Old Wang eximed. ¡°It¡¯s Cheng Xin¡¯s Spider Venom. He must have killed the monster. They got off at this station!¡±

    Old Wang turned to check the other body and made sure it wasn¡¯t hispanion. Overjoyed, he said, ¡°Thank god! They are all still alive!¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, light,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Gao Yang raised his right hand and conjured a fireball. The posture was a little silly, but it was effective. With the darkness in the station dispersed, they were able to see many times farther.

    ¡°Look around.¡±

    The moment War Tiger said that, Qing Ling interjected, ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s that way.¡±

    They all followed her finger and found the entrance to a corridor in the wall at the depth of the station. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

    ¡°That¡¯s the exit from the Mobius strip,¡± War Tiger said confidently.

    ¡°Or it may be a trap.¡± White Rabbit was more cautious.

    At least there was some progress, which boosted morale significantly.

    ¡°Old Wang, you¡¯ve got a thick skin. Take the front with me.¡± War Tiger gave out orders. ¡°Gao Yang, stay in the middle and keep the light on. You too, Yellow Ox. You use a ranged weapon and can support each side. White Rabbit and Green Snake, take the rear and keep your eyes open.¡±

    Maintaining the formation, they walked into the corridor.

    It looked just like any corridor one would find in a regr subway station. After about thirty seconds, they found a staircase leading upward.

    That was good news.

    The fact that the stairs went up meant that they were going toward the ground, toward the hope to escape. Were it a downward staircase, who knew where it would lead to? It could be the abyss, or perhaps hell.

    The stairs weren¡¯t steep, but it was a long way up, almost a hundred meters above the tform. They saw a hazy white light shone from the rectangr exit ahead of them.

    Step by step, Gao Yang climbed the stairs. It felt as if he was ascending to a mysterious pce hall. Perhaps he was imagining it, but the air seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

    The six of them approached the exit slowly while staying vignt for any iing dangers.

    Finally, they left the corridor.

    Gao Yang dispersed his fireball and narrowed his eyes slightly. Gradually, his vision adjusted to the cold white light, and he could see clearly.

    He held his breath.

 Chapter 106: Mysterious Space

    <h4>Chapter 106: Mysterious Space</h4>

    They hadn¡¯t gotten out.

    Gao Yang was disappointed to find themselves in arge underground clearing. By his estimation, it was at least as big as three stadiumsbined, at the center of which was a gargantuan tree with dense canopy of branches but no leaves.

    It glowed with a flickering white light that seemed sacred and lonesome, and upon closer inspection, the light revealed itself to be white energy enclosed in the translucent tree trunk, flowing quietly through the tree like its blood.

    The web of thick, crisscrossing roots went deep into the ground, while the dense branches spread out toward the dome. Like a giant with their head propping the sky up and their feet firmly nted in the ground, the tree became scaffolding for the entire underground space.

    The lighting from the tree should¡¯ve provided enough illumination to make it seem like daytime, yet seemingly defyingmon sense, the clearing was awash with a cold, silent, and heavy dimness like a deep valley at dusk.

    Everyone was shocked speechless by the strange yet awe-inspiring scene.

    After some time, White Rabbit broke the silence. ¡°Under the tree must be the subway tunnel. It would be the source of all these strange phenomena, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gao Yang turned to her, surprised. White Rabbit was standing right next to him, yet it sounded like her voice wasing from at least ten meters away.

    ¡°Seems that way,¡± Gao Yang responded.

    White Rabbit noticed the same thing. ¡°What happened to your voice? Or was it my ears?¡±

    ¡°Both of you sound wrong,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if we¡¯re all more than ten meters apart,¡± added Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang was actually relieved to hear that. ¡°So it¡¯s the same for all of you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something really wrong about this ce, so be careful,¡± War Tiger said. His voice sounded distant as well.

    Maintaining their formation, they made it slowly to the giant tree at the center. It looked sacred and emitted light, yet Gao Yang found both the ground under his feet and the area behind him plunged in an inexplicable darkness. It didn¡¯t make logical sense.

    As they approached the giant tree, the ground grew uneven with bumps and dents, a result of the damage and destruction the tree roots had done to the ground. There was no pattern to it.

    Taking point, War Tiger suddenly came to a halt and put out an arm to stop the others.

    They followed his lead and then his gaze.

    About twenty meters away, four bodiesy on the ground. There were both men and women, and all were entangled by the glowing tree roots, seemingly submerged in and bing one with the light. Many would¡¯ve missed them without taking a careful look.

    War Tiger had keen eyes.

    Old Wang hurriedly went up a few steps, his expression grave. He recognized his teammates.

    ¡°Gu Ling!¡± he shouted as he rushed toward the body closest to him.

    The others quickly followed.

    Gao Yang took a closer look. The dead was an adult woman with long, ck hair, dressed in a leather special force outfit. He could tell that she had been a valiant, capable, and good-looking woman before her death.

    With half of her body trapped by the tree roots, her corpse glowed with a cool translucent light like a humanntern hung on a tree branch.

    ¡°Wake up! I¡¯m here for you!¡± Old Wang wanted to break the roots around her, but his attempt was futile. Then he drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed at the roots with great force.

    That left a cut, but then white energy particles puffed out like dandelion seeds before quickly scattering. And the tree root healed in no time. With a cold, indifferent determination, it continued to inject white energy into the body to assimte it.

    ¡°Get yourself together. She¡¯s dead.¡± War Tiger put a hand on Old Wang¡¯s shoulder, his voice colored with sympathy. ¡°Check on the other bodies and see if they were one of yours.¡±

    Old Wang reached out with a trembling hand to close Gu Ling¡¯s eyes, his own red and misty with tears. Then he picked himself up and walked toward the three bodies near him.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang exchanged a look before catching up with Old Wang to make sure that he wasn¡¯t left alone.

    War Tiger, White Rabbit, and Gao Yang stayed behind to examine Gu Ling¡¯s body.

    After some time, White Rabbit said, ¡°Based on her expression, she seemed shocked right before her death, and theck of physical injuries would suggest that she hadn¡¯t had the time to even resist.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the cause of death?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°Gunshot.¡± White Rabbit pointed at Gu Ling¡¯s left chest with her gloved hand. There was a patch of dark red. ¡°Straight to the heart. She couldn¡¯t have died for long since her blood hasn¡¯t congealedpletely.¡±

    ¡°Gunshot?¡± Gao Yang found it odd. ¡°Do monsters use guns?¡±

    ¡°Not usually.¡± War Tiger¡¯s face darkened as well, and he stroked his chin. ¡°A monster¡¯s body is a powerful weapon itself. They have no use for guns.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± White Rabbit was still examining the dead body, and her expression suddenly turned tense. ¡°Look, her weapon of choice was guns.¡±

    Gao Yang took a closer look. There was a holster on the outside of Gu Ling¡¯s thigh, and inside was a handgun.

    ¡°Suicide?¡± War Tiger frowned.

    ¡°No, her gun is still holstered, and it doesn¡¯t make sense for someone to aim at the heart whenmitting suicide. She must have been killed by others.¡± White Rabbit got to her feet. ¡°That¡¯s all we can glean from her body.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the others.¡±

    The three of them walked up to Old Wang. Old Wang was crouching beside a dead man and closing his eyes.

    ¡°Were they all your teammates?¡± War Tiger asked.

    Old Wang nodded and said with great pain, ¡°Yes, and they¡¯re all dead. Cheng Xin is the only one still missing.¡±

    ¡°Spread out and find him,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°He may be in the area.¡±

    ¡°Here! I¡¯m here! Help me...¡±

    They heard a call for help. It didn¡¯t sound that far away, but due to the strange rules the space operated by, they couldn¡¯t exactly determine how far the owner of the voice was.

    ¡°That¡¯s Cheng Xin!¡± Old Wang shot to his feet, joy and anger warring inside him. ¡°That bastard¡¯s still alive!¡±

    Cautiously, the six of them made it to the source of the voice. Past a few thick protruding tree roots, they found in a depression amid the roots a young man in a waterproof windbreaker.

    Hisplexion was dark, and his hair messy. Judging by the way he curled into himself with both hands pressing into his bleeding abdomen, his injury must have been quite serious.

    Both Gao Yang and White Rabbit paused. They had seen the man. He was the other representative of the Hundred Rivers Union when they traded at the Qilin Guild.

    ¡°You bastard, Cheng Xin!¡± Remembering how he had been abandoned, Old Wang grabbed the man by the cor. ¡°You reap what you sow!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for that, Old Wang, truly,¡± Cheng Xin implored weakly. ¡°I had no choice. I¡¯m the leader. I had to protect everyone...¡±

    ¡°And did you? They¡¯re dead! All dead!¡± Old Wang trembled with rage. ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t board the train, but you wouldn¡¯t listen! You got them killed!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got them killed. I made a mistake. I would ept any punishment from the Union.¡± Cheng Xin grabbed his hand and begged with tears and snots covering his face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, Old Wang. I want to live. Save me, for our past friendship if nothing else...¡±

    Old Wang pped Cheng Xin¡¯s hand away and clenched his teeth, silently debating with himself.

    Finally, he let out a long sigh and turned to War Tiger. ¡°Would you save him? Although I¡¯d dly see him die, I have to take him back to the Union so that everyone can get some closure.¡±

    War Tiger shot White Rabbit a look.

    With a shrug, White Rabbit squatted down and examined the wound on Cheng Xin¡¯s abdomen. She quickly concluded, ¡°It¡¯s quite a serious cut, but not fatal.¡±

    ¡°Give me the bag, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang dropped the backpack. White Rabbit rummaged through it to find some painkiller pills for Cheng Xin. Then she took out a syringe of Medicine C. It was a fast-acting regenerative medicine made with Dead Pig¡¯s blood for physical wounds.

    White Rabbit took off the cap and made an injection near Cheng Xin¡¯s injury.

    Cheng Xin grunted and spasmed. Soon, color returned to his pale face, and the wound on his abdomen quickly mended.

    ¡°This would only keep you alive for the moment,¡± White Rabbit said in an aloof voice. ¡°You would need proper treatment once you return.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you all! Thank you...¡± Cheng Xin kept muttering his thanks, his tone bordering on pathetic.

    ¡°Cheng Xin, is it?¡± War Tiger stared at him. ¡°What happened here?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Cheng Xin eximed like he had just woken up from a bad dream now that he was no longer dying. ¡°The Rune Circuit! We found it!¡±

 Chapter 107: One Step Away

    <h4>Chapter 107: One Step Away</h4>

    Cheng Xin¡¯s confirmation of the Rune Circuit¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t considered a pleasant surprise, but instead thickened the tension in the air.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what the others were thinking, but as someone who had been to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, he knew that Rune Circuits always came with dangers.

    ¡°Where is it?¡± War Tiger asked in a low voice.

    ¡°There!¡± Cheng Xin pointed at the giant glowing tree, seemingly ovee with emotions. ¡°There¡¯s...there¡¯s a hole in the tree! Yes, it¡¯s in the hole!¡±

    Old Wang gave him a doubtful look. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go in and grab it?¡±

    That was exactly what Gao Yang was wondering.

    ¡°I did. We all did the moment we saw it. But then we got attacked... Dead, everyone¡¯s dead. I almost died as well...¡±

    His face suddenly twisted with fear, and his eyes widened. Grabbing his head with both hands, he groaned in pain, ¡°Ah, ah...¡±

    ¡°Cheng Xin!¡± Old Wang grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Stop the nonsense and speak clearly!¡±

    ¡°It hurts. My head hurts so much...¡±

    ¡°What hit you?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I really don¡¯t know...¡± Cheng Xin kept shaking his head like he was losing his grip on reality. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me! Ah...help...¡±

    He started mumbling unintelligible things. It was hard to tell whether he was breaking down due to the great trauma he suffered, or if he was simply putting on an act.

    ¡°Forget about him. We¡¯ll check it ourselves.¡± Officer Huang was a little concerned. ¡°It¡¯s best not to stay for long. I have a bad feeling about the ce.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said White Rabbit.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang nodded as well.

    War Tiger waved a hand at them. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They made their way to the giant tree. Supporting Cheng Xin, Old Wang kept asking him for more details, but Cheng Xin wasn¡¯t making any sense, and the words he strung together with his scattered mind offered no information.

    A few minutester, the seven of them stood below the tree.

    Only when they were face to face with the titan of a tree did they recognize its sheer scale. Even if all seven of them attempted to make a circle around the trunk, they would only cover less than half of its circumference.

    Walking around the tree, their faces and bodies were bathed in the sacred white light from it. It gave them a strange out-of-body sensation, albeit slight.

    <i>Like a lifetime has slipped past me</i>, Gao Yang thought, perhaps a little too sentimentally.

    After going around the tree twice, they found no unusual signs.

    War Tiger gave Cheng Xin a displeased look. ¡°Where¡¯s the hole you talked about?¡±

    ¡°It was here. It was here only a moment ago...¡± Cheng Xin seemed confused as well. Suddenly, he put his hands on his head again and cried out in pain. ¡°It¡¯s here! It¡¯s here! Save me, please save me...¡±

    A tremor passed through the ground under their feet, and the white light trapped in the tree roots started flickering at a high frequency. They all closed their eyes involuntarily. The flickering light didn¡¯t subside until more than ten seconds after.

    Then an ancient-looking pattern emerged on the pale tree trunk at some point. It was so very familiar.

    Gao Yang connected the dots immediately. <i>Rune Circuit! Yes, the pattern looks just like the ones on the other Rune Circuits.</i>

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Following the pattern, the tree trunk shifted and transformed and tore itself apart until a strange, elongated hollow appeared, almost like a creature giving birth. Inside was nothing but white. They couldn¡¯t see anything.

    ¡°A hole! A hole! It¡¯s here! It shows up...¡± Cheng Xin iled around in celebration like a right fool.

    ¡°Is it dangerous, Cheng Xin?¡± Gao Yang asked. He cared about that more than he did the Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Danger, danger, danger...¡± Cheng Xin repeated the word as he shook his head.

    ¡°This moron.¡± War Tiger sighed and turned to them. ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± White Rabbit stopped War Tiger with a serious expression like she was the older member here. ¡°I know you¡¯re strong, but there¡¯s no need for you to take the risk.¡±

    She turned to Cheng Xin. ¡°Let¡¯s throw this guy inside.¡±

    ¡°No! Please don¡¯t...¡± Cheng Xin pushed Old Wang away and fell to the ground, scrambling backward on all fours.

    It was clear that dangers awaited in the hole. At least it must be something Cheng Xin couldn¡¯t deal with.

    Everyone fell silent.

    Rune Circuits were precious, but no more precious than their lives.

    Since they were trapped in this Rune Cave, however, they had to find the Rune Circuit to get out of here. There was no going around it.

    At that moment, Gao Yang regretted using Lie Detection on Old Wang. If he hadn¡¯t done that, he would be able to use the Talent on Cheng Xin, which would give him an idea about how dangerous entering the tree hollow would be.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just sit around here. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Old Wang tightened his jaw and walked toward the hole in the tree.

    ¡°Old Wang!¡± Officer Huang called out to him. ¡°You have a family. You don¡¯t have to take the risk.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Old Wang smiled bitterly. ¡°But we¡¯ll all be in danger if we drag this on.¡±

    His expression then turned guilty, his gaze woeful. ¡°I was partly to me for not fighting against Cheng Xin hard enough when he insisted on us taking the train. Now that everyone¡¯s dead, I must do something. I can¡¯t let their sacrifice be in vain.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Thank you for caring, Old Huang.¡± Old Wang looked determined. ¡°I have the highest defense among all of us. It¡¯s best that I scout the ce.¡±

    Officer Huang was going to say something, but White Rabbit shut him up with a look.

    Old Huang went up to the tree hole, his figure almost devoured by the white light. Before he entered, he looked over at them and said, ¡°I¡¯ll activate Iron Skin the moment I enter. Don¡¯te in until I say it¡¯s all clear.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Gao Yang was concerned for him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m quite hard to kill.¡± Old Wang grinned and gave him a thumbs-up before marching into the tree hollow.

    Everyone waited for what was toe, on high alert.

    But in only two seconds, Old Wang emerged from the glowing hollow.

    They were all shocked by how quickly he returned.

    ¡°Why did youe back out immediately, Old Wang?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Immediately?¡± Old Wang looked confused before realization dawned on him. ¡°How long has it been for you?¡±

    ¡°Two seconds,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Old Wang looked shocked. ¡°I was inside for at least five minutes!¡±

    ¡°What did you see?¡± asked War Tiger. ¡°Did you find the Rune Circuit?¡±

    Old Wang shook his head in disappointment. ¡°There was nothing inside.¡±

    ¡°Nothing?¡± White Rabbit questioned.

    ¡°Yes, nothing.¡± Old Wang smacked his lips. ¡°How should I describe it? It was...a void. There was no ceiling above ornd under. There was nothing but pure white. Just in case, I activated Iron Skin. My body plummeted in one moment and soared in another. After a few minutes, I finally saw a floating glowing hole. When I reached toward it, I came back out and saw you.¡±

    Officer Huang sighed in relief. ¡°At least you¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t spot the Rune Circuit?¡± White Rabbit wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t.¡± Old Wang sounded aggrieved. ¡°Cheng Xin must have lied to us!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s gone!¡± Gao Yang realized suddenly.

    They all turned around, and indeed, the man who had been right behind them was gone.

    ¡°He¡¯s on the tree!¡± Qing Ling was the first to spot him.

    Gao Yang looked up to see that Cheng Xin was climbing up along the giant tree. He had gotten to about fifty meters above them.

    With a wave of her hand, Qing Ling sent her Tang Dao flying toward Cheng Xin.

    The man¡¯s madness had been nothing but an act. He shifted to the side to dodge the de. Then, using the de that had buried into the tree trunk as stepping stone, he leapt up to grab a thicker branch, disappearing from their sight.

    ¡°You son of a bitch, Cheng Xin!¡± Old Wang stomped on the ground in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t let him run away!¡±

 Chapter 108: Enemies

    <h4>Chapter 108: Enemies</h4>

    ¡°Jump!¡±

    White Rabbit was the first to make a move. It took her no time at all to reach where Cheng Xin had been. War Tiger and Qing Ling were right behind her, scaling the giant tree with both hands and feet like they were parkouring.

    The bark of the tree was sturdy and bumpy like a rock face, making it easy to climb.

    Gao Yang had put quite a lot of points into his Agility, making his body lighter and more agile. Soon, he outpaced Officer Huang and Old Wang and reached where Cheng Xin wasst seen. With a push of both hands, he vaulted onto a side branch.

    The branch itself was about one meter wide, so it was effectively a path itself. Looking ahead, Gao Yang saw a dense web of paths like this, crisscrossing to form arge,plicated maze.

    White Rabbit, War Tiger, and Qing Ling were standing on a branch not far from him.

    Gao Yang ran up to them, wondering why they had stopped chasing after the man, but then he came to a halt in shock.

    It turned out that they had caught up with their target. Cheng Xiny still on the branch with his back to them. Judging by his rigid body, he must be dead.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Gao Yang felt a prickling sensation spreading through his scalp. ¡°Who killed him?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± White Rabbit said coolly. ¡°When I caught up with him, he was already dead.¡±

    ¡°Did you examine the body?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°He died of poison,¡± War Tiger said.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank and considered Cheng Xin¡¯s profile. His eyes were bulging, his skin was covered in dark purple vessels, and his lips were blue.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Wait, he was killed by Spider Venom!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°He got killed by his own venom.¡±

    ¡°He killed himself?¡± Gao Yang found that hard to believe.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± White Rabbit took off her white gloves. ¡°I searched him and didn¡¯t find a Rune Circuit on him.¡±

    ¡°Cheng Xin! You son of a...¡±

    Old Wang cursed as he and Officer Huang caught up to them, but the rest of his words got stuck in his throat when he saw Cheng Xin¡¯s body. bbergasted, he said, ¡°He, he¡¯s...dead? Or did you kill him?¡±

    ¡°He seemed to have killed himself,¡± Gao Yang exined.

    ¡°No way that¡¯s true!¡± Old Wang said incredulously like it was the greatest joke in the world. ¡°I know Cheng Xin. The bastard values his life. Even if there¡¯s only a sliver of hope, he would cling to it for survival.¡±

    ¡°He was killed by Spider Venom.¡± War Tiger shrugged. ¡°He couldn¡¯t have killed himself with his own venom identally, could he?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Old Wang jogged up to them and checked Cheng Xin¡¯s face closely.

    ¡°Fuck! What the hell is going on!¡± Old Wang was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

    Gao Yang was getting agitated as well. The moment they stepped into the subway train, things had been going againstmon sense and contradicting themselves. He looked around, realizing with confusion that the elevated maze of crisscrossing branches seemed different somehow. Then he noticed what the change was: the light was growing dim.

    Taking a closer look, he saw that the white energy within the branches were moving downward toward the roots.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Even Qing Ling was getting anxious. She turned to Gao Yang, hoping that he coulde to a reasonable exnation.

    <i>Think, think quickly.</i>

    <i>If things aren¡¯t making sense, it¡¯s best to think outside the box.</i>

    A thought shed through his mind, and Gao Yang caught it, his eyes glinting. ¡°Gu Ling was killed by gunshot.¡±

    ¡°She was.¡± White Rabbit nodded.

    Gao Yang turned to Old Wang. ¡°On your team, was there anyone other than Gu Ling who used guns?¡±

    Old Wang shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Did Gu Ling kill herself too?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    ¡°Gu Ling didn¡¯t kill herself,¡± White Rabbit said immediately. ¡°I told you. No one would shoot their own chest to kill themselves, and they certainly wouldn¡¯t holster their gun afterward.¡±

    ¡°That leaves us with only one possibility. It¡¯s the most obvious answer, but the one answer we least want to be true.¡± Gao Yang turned to War Tiger.

    After a pause, War Tiger smiled. ¡°They were killed <i>by themselves</i>.¡±

    ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t suicide...¡± White Rabbit trailed off and eximed, ¡°That, that can¡¯t be!¡±

    ¡°Hell, that¡¯s insane!¡± Officer Huang caught on as well.

    ¡°What?¡± Old Wang was the only one still in the dark, and he asked anxiously, ¡°Stop talking in riddles. What the hell is going on?¡±

    Everyone exchanged a look. For a moment, they were reluctant to acknowledge the truth.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and looked around. ¡°Look at the tree. Doesn¡¯t it remind you of something?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± asked Old Wang.

    ¡°An hourss,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°True.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°What¡¯s flowing inside the tree looks like glowing sand.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure if the jittery feeling inside him should be attributed to excitement or nervousness. He nodded and said, ¡°The sand is flowing toward the roots. That¡¯s why it¡¯s getting darker and darker here, while it¡¯s getting brighter below us.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Old Wang was even more lost.

    ¡°Have you considered what the Rune Circuit hidden in this Rune Cave might be, Old Wang?¡± Gao Yang asked the key question.

    Old Wang was bemused for a moment, and he muttered to himself, ¡°An hourss, the looping subway train, and the differing passage of time...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± he eximed. ¡°Time-Space! It¡¯s the Time-Space Rune Circuit!¡±

    ¡°That would exin everything.¡±

    War Tiger added, ¡°Time and space follow different rules here, which led to all the strange things we¡¯ve observed. As for the hole in the tree...¡±

    ¡°That must be the core of the space,¡± Gao Yang boldly spected. ¡°The Rune Circuit was probably inside, but it was taken.¡±

    ¡°Who else could have taken it?¡± Old Wang said urgently. ¡°There¡¯s no one else beside us. Cheng Xin and the others are all dead.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±

    Gao Yang crouched down and flipped Cheng Xin¡¯s body over. He broke into goosebumps when he lifted the dead man¡¯s shirt.

    His spection was proven true.

    ¡°Look!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°This Cheng Xin doesn¡¯t have a wound on his abdomen.¡±

    War Tiger snapped his fingers. ¡°Case closed. This isn¡¯t the Cheng Xin we saved.¡±

    Old Wang finally realized what was happening. Face pale, he staggered backward and almost fell off from the branch. ¡°Stop, stop speaking nonsense. You can¡¯t be suggesting that there¡¯s another Cheng Xin, can you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just him. It¡¯s also Gu Ling and all your other teammates,¡± Gao Yang paused, ¡°They probably all had duplicates.¡±

    Old Wang¡¯s knees buckled, and he fell to his knees, wing at his short hair, ¡°Ah, ah...¡±

    ¡°Old Wang!¡± Officer Huang quickly helped him up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m fine. But my head is a mess...¡± Old Wang¡¯s face twitched, and his pupils dted. He grabbed Officer Huang as he rambled, ¡°I saw everything, Old Huang! I saw all of it!¡±

    ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°Cheng Xin, Gu Ling, and everyone else died, but then they came back alive. How did that happen? Ugh...¡± Old Wang knelt down again, feeling like his head was going to explode.

    While they talked, the white energy in the branches were quickly depleting, and the area around them was getting darker. They could barely see their own hands.

    ¡°Fire, Gao Yang,¡± said War Tiger.

    Gao Yang raised both his hands and conjured two fireballs to light up their surroundings. The golden light overtook the faint chilling white glow, and everything came into clearer view.

    Gao Yang spotted something on a branch not far from them. Heart thumping, he called everyone¡¯s attention to it. ¡°Over there!¡±

    Gao Yang hurled the fireball on his left hand in that direction.

    The fireball cut through the darkness and illuminated all the dense webs of branches on the way. Hanging on the branches were human corpses. At a nce, there were at least a few dozen of them.

    Each was killed in a different way. Some by de, some by gunshot, some by poison, and some by elemental damage. None, however, seemed to be killed by monsters.

    Their faces were so familiar yet so very foreign. It was apparent that they had been through a perverted, chaotic, relentless fight to the death.

    ¡°No, no, it can¡¯t be...¡±

    Old Wang shook his head in vehement denial, almost breaking down then and there.

    They all knew what they were seeing. The bodies were all replicates of Cheng Xin, Gu Ling, and the other three members of the second team.

 Chapter 109: Truth

    <h4>Chapter 109: Truth</h4>

    ¡°Gah, my head, it hurts...¡± Old Wang¡¯s pain and confusion intensified, and he held his head with both hands as he groaned.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to worry about him. He rattled off, ¡°Teacher, I believed Cheng Xin and his team entered the tree hollow and got the Time-Space Rune Circuit. Be it they used it wrong or some other reason, they twisted the time and space in this area into the chaotic mess it is now. As a result, five of them entered the tree hollow, but more than five walked out. They were joined by themselves from other timelines.¡±

    ¡°Something like <i>Triangle</i>?¡± White Rabbit was reminded of a sci-fi movie she had watched.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts needed some sorting out as well. ¡°There are many versions of Cheng Xin. Perhaps from a minute ago, from three minutes ago, and maybe from five minutes ago. Basically, all the different Cheng Xins have entered the timeline we are in now.¡±

    ¡°Here, there is only one Rune Circuit, and there is only one true version of each individual.¡± War Tiger followed the train of thoughts. ¡°So different versions of yourself from different timelines would always kill each other.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    At Gao Yang¡¯s exnation, a bone-chilling fear crept up on everyone.

    Thank god the five of them hadn¡¯t entered the tree hollow, or the consequences would be unbearable.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t imagine how he would react to another version of him, but he knew that he wouldn¡¯t give up this world to his other self. In the end, a fight to the death would seem inevitable.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what happened. That¡¯s true...¡± Old Wang seemed to have regained his senses. ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s right. I can see all of it. I can see everything...¡±

    ¡°See what?¡± Officer Huang asked anxiously.

    ¡°What came before and what wille after!¡± Old Wang shouted, his expression darkening. ¡°Run! Run at once! The space is copsing into itself! We¡¯ll all die¡ªno, worse than that. We¡¯ll all get trapped in the twisted space-time...¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the exit?¡± Qing Ling demanded.

    ¡°Above us! There¡¯s an exit up there!¡± Old Wang looked up. ¡°Once all the energy in the tree reaches the roots, everything will reset! Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Everyone climbed up the maze of branches without hesitation.

    It was getting dark. The intensifying light below them seemed more like a strange, chilling abyss of whiteness threatening to devour everything, and the space itself felt heavier and heavier. When they talked, it sounded like their voices were wading through impure substance, distant and faint.

    ¡°Almost there! It¡¯s right above...¡±

    Taking point, Old Wang kept panting heavily.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    War Tiger grabbed Old Wang. On the branch stretching above them at a diagonal angle were two figures. And they were both Cheng Xin!

    Both were covered in injuries. One Cheng Xin tackled the other to the ground and strangled him with both hands, while the one being strangled struggled with all he got.

    ¡°Die! Die already! I¡¯m the real Cheng Xin...¡±

    The Cheng Xin strangling the other had the upper hand, his face twisted with violent urgency, but suddenly, the Cheng Xin struggling on the ground reached out and poked his other self in the eyes.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    One Cheng Xin screamed as his two eyes started bleeding profusely, blinded, and the vise-like grip he had around his other self¡¯s neck loosened.

    The other Cheng Xin seized the opening and hit his opponent in the injured abdomen.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Another scream.

    The Cheng Xin who had been on the losing side flipped over and grabbed the waist pack from his assant before kicking him away. The blinded Cheng Xin rolled off the branch screaming and fell to his death.

    Panting, the surviving Cheng Xin wiped the blood off his face. When he looked up, War Tiger had already gotten to him, the man¡¯s figure towering with light illuminating him from the back. The pressure felt like death itself.

    It only took a second for Cheng Xin to realize what was going on. His brain could ess all the memories of his other selves.

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± Cheng Xin immediately dropped to his knees and begged, voluntarily offering the waist pack he had just gotten. ¡°The Rune Circuit! It¡¯s inside! I¡¯ll give it to you. Please don¡¯t kill me...¡±

    ¡°Give it here,¡± said War Tiger.

    Cheng Xin gingerly threw the waist pack to War Tiger, who threw it to White Rabbit.

    White Rabbit opened it with caution. Inside was a Rune Circuit made of ck Gold. Under the firelight Gao Yang conjured, she could make out the pattern of an hourss.

    White Rabbit threw War Tiger a nce. ¡°What do we do with this guy?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who lied to you! It was him!¡± Cheng Xin pointed at the abyss below them. ¡°I killed him. There was no bad blood between me and you! I just want to leave this damn ce. Please, please have mercy on me...¡±

    ¡°Have it your way.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t have the time to waste on the man. ¡°Show the way, Old Wang!¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re almost there...¡±

    His sentence was interrupted by the sudden appearance of another man. He tackled Old Wang to the ground, and the two grappled and rolled twice on the branch before falling off.

    ¡°Old Wang!¡±

    Officer Huang leapt toward them and grabbed Old Wang just in time, while Gao Yang did the same and grabbed the other. The other man was also Old Wang!

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go! It¡¯s me!¡±

    The one Gao Yang had just saved started shouting. There was an obvious trail of blood on his forehead. It seemed to have been left by a bullet.

    The one Officer Huang had saved was still dangling in the air. After getting a closer look at his other self, he shouted at Gao Yang, ¡°Let go, Gao Yang! He¡¯s fake. I¡¯m the real one!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, Gao Yang!¡± The Old Wang with a wound on his forehead argued. ¡°I¡¯m the Old Wang of this timeline! He¡¯s not! He¡¯s the Old Wang from five minutester! That¡¯s why he got headaches, and his memory is a mess...¡±

    Gao Yang was going to let go, but he hesitated when he heard that.

    It made sense. It was their presumptions making them see the Old Wanging out of the tree hollow first as theirpanion. However, Old Wang had said that he was inside the tree hollow for a few minutes, while Gao Yang and the others had only waited for two seconds before that version of Old Wang showed up.

    The Old Wang they saw then must be the one from five minutes after, while the Old Wang with a wound on his forehead was the one of their timeline.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± the Old Wang held up by Officer Huang shouted. ¡°I¡¯m you, and you me. There only needs to be one of us.¡±

    ¡°Then why can¡¯t it be me? And this is <i>my </i>world!¡± The Old Wang with a wounded forehead raged. ¡°I won¡¯t die here! My wife and daughter are waiting for me to go home!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for me too!¡±

    Officer Huang and Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make a decision. After sharing a look, they nodded at each other.

    They both pulled the man they were holding onto up.

    The two Old Wangs rolled to their feet, their eyes bloodshot as their gazes met. Before they could rush at each other, a man quickly stepped between them, clutching the uninjured Old Wang¡¯s neck with one hand and pressing a shortsword to the throat of the other Old Wang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to differentiate between you too,¡± War Tiger said with a steely look on his face. ¡°Lead the way, or I¡¯ll kill both of you.¡±

    Both men fell silent. Then after two seconds, they said at the same time, ¡°Fine!¡±

 Chapter 110: Choice

    <h4>Chapter 110: Choice</h4>

    The two Old Wangs came to a temporary truce for the greater good and continued leading the way, while War Tiger kept a close eye on Cheng Xin in case the man got any funny idea.

    The eight of them navigated theplex maze of crisscrossing branches, sometimes climbing and other times jumping until they got to the top of the underground space. They could touch the cool rock face of the dome by standing on their toes and reaching up.

    Gao Yang strengthened the mes on his palm and lit up their surroundings further. Immediately, he said with rm, ¡°The branches are moving.¡±

    The others noticed too. The branches buried into the dome were shifting slowly, apanied by falling stone debris. Judging by the direction the branches shifted in, they seemed to be retracting.

    All signs pointed to the core of the space lowering to the roots and the ground.

    The branch they were all standing on was shifting as well. They had to keep moving to stay where they were.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the exit?¡± War Tiger asked one of the Old Wangs.

    ¡°It will show up soon. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± White Rabbit asked.

    The Old Wang with a forehead wound said, ¡°There are tens of thousands of scenarios in my head, and I¡¯ve tried all the possible escape routes. Trust me when I say that this is the only way out.¡±

    Then all eyes were on Cheng Xin.

    Cheng Xin hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yes, this is the only exit, or I wouldn¡¯t have climbed up the tree.¡±

    What was left for them to do was wait.

    Old Wang and Cheng Xin had seen countless selves experiencing countless sesses and failures in the countless timelines. For the five of them from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, however, this was their first and only chance to escape.

    And their failure would be their death.

    Waiting was more difficult than they imagined. The area below them grew increasingly brighter, while the area around them grew darker and darker. Even the fire in Gao Yang''s hands was rendered a sorry attempt at dispersing the darkness. It fluctuated weakly and struggled to cast a circle of light around them, illuminating the different looks on their faces.

    Amid the suffocating darkness, War Tiger broke the silence. ¡°Why did you cheat us into entering the tree hole, Cheng Xin?¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me!¡± Cheng Xin hurriedly said. ¡°That was the other me!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no difference,¡± War Tiger said in a severe tone. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another chance. You better be honest with us.¡±

    Cheng Xin grew nervous again, and he avoided War Tiger¡¯s eyes. ¡°I got the second team killed. Even if I get out, I¡¯d be persona non grata to the Union. I wanted to get the Rune Circuit to redeem myself and put all the me on Old Wang, but...¡±

    Cheng Xin nced at War Tiger and didn¡¯t dare go on.

    ¡°But,¡± War Tiger spoke for him with a smile. ¡°You knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the Rune Circuit from all of us, so you tried to lure us into the tree hole with lies so that we would get into a fight with our other selves. Then you would escape with the Rune Circuit in the ensuing chaos.¡±

    ¡°...Yes.¡±

    The moment Cheng Xin finished his response, both Old Wangs spat him in the face.

    ¡°Bastard! I would punch your chin off if I weren¡¯t struggling to stand upright!¡±

    ¡°I told you! The Cheng Xin who lied to you is dead!¡± Cheng Xin argued vehemently. ¡°A score should be settled with the one who wronged you. Hate him, not me! I didn¡¯t lie to you! I helped you get the Rune Circuit!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have a choice, or you would¡¯ve done the same!¡± White Rabbit said derisively. There was no one she hated more than those who betrayed theirpanions.

    Then she suggested, ¡°I say we push him off. What right does he have to get out of here alive? Among the second team, he¡¯s the one who deserves to die the most.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Make it three,¡± Officer Huang agreed with ire. If not for this sorry excuse of a man, Old Wang wouldn¡¯t have gotten a duplicate. Moreover, the five of them had almost suffered the same fate.

    ¡°No opposition from me,¡± Gao Yang raised his hand and said.

    ¡°You, you can¡¯t do that to me! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Cheng Xin panicked and turned to War Tiger. ¡°Please, please don¡¯t kill me. I gave you the Rune Circuit. I just wanted to live...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait til we get out of here.¡± War Tiger was being surprisingly generous and forgiving. Gao Yang thought the man would have shoved Cheng Xin off the branch himself.

    A meaningful glint shed through War Tiger¡¯s eyes. He turned to the two Old Wangs. ¡°Now, we must decide what we do with them.¡±

    Everyone fell silent.

    They couldn¡¯t avoid making a decision forever.

    War Tiger sighed, conflicted. ¡°I may not be an educated man, but I know this is a special space created by the Time-Space Rune Circuit, and that in a normal space, you two cannot exist at the same time.¡±

    Without a word, the two men stared at each other darkly.

    ¡°If you are to decide a survivor with a fight, the two of you will be at a stalemate with Iron Skin, and there¡¯s no space for you to fight here anyway. And if you are to have a debate with words, neither of you will convince the other.¡±

    A coin appeared at War Tiger¡¯s fingertips. ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave it to fate?¡±

    The two men exchanged a look. After a brief silence, they said at the same time, ¡°Okay. I call head.¡±

    Then the Old Wang with a forehead wound said, ¡°FIne, I¡¯ll bet on tail.¡±

    ¡°Alright. One toss decides the victor.¡±

    War Tiger gently cast the coin into the air before catching it with the back of his left hand and covering it with his right. During the two seconds, everyone watched him with bated breaths and pounding hearts.

    The two Old Wangs, especially, had been staring at War Tiger¡¯s hands with their eyes twitching and cold sweat streaking down their faces.

    War Tiger slowly lifted his right hand. It was tail.

    The Old Wang with a wounded forehead sighed in relief, eyes brimming with tears. ¡°Thank god.¡±

    The other Old Wang stared at the coin with reddened eyes, his expression aggrieved.

    Suddenly, he red at War Tiger, ¡°You cheated! You can make head or tail at will, can¡¯t you?¡±

    War Tiger met Old Wang¡¯s gaze quietly as the firelight dimmed. His eyes glinted with a cold killing intent. ¡°You don¡¯t belong here, Old Wang. You belong to the world five minutes ahead. Don¡¯t make me take care of you myself.¡±

    ¡°But, but I¡¯m Old Wang too! You can¡¯t do this to me...¡± Old Wang broke into broken sobs with tears and snots running down his face, looking pathetic and pitiful.

    He grabbed onto Officer Huang and begged, ¡°I can¡¯t die here, Old Huang. I have a wife and kid to return to. Help me, please...¡±

    Officer Huang looked away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Old Wang.¡±

    The wounded Old Wang looked at his other self. ¡°I understand you, but I won¡¯t give up. This is my world...¡±

    Suddenly, a heavy tremor shook the space. It didn¡¯te from a specific direction, but from everywhere.

    Gao Yang felt a burst of strange power inside his chest, threatening to tear him apart. The fire in his hands vanished, and he toppled backward in the moment of lightheadedness.

    At thest moment, two hands reached out from both sides to grab him. It was Qing Ling and Officer Huang.

    ¡°Grab and steady each other!¡± War Tiger shouted. He was right beside them, yet his voice was so faint it sounded like it had traveled from one cliff to another.

    All of them linked their hands and made a circle.

    An unexinable gravity pulled at them from beneath their feet like countless invisible hands, grabbing and yanking them to make them fall.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    They cried out at the top of their lungs as they fought the formidable gravitational pull. It was pitch dark around them. The only light source was the strange white light below.

    Then suddenly, Gao Yang¡¯s vision cleared.

    He looked up with difficulty and realized that the dome was gone, reced by a boundless, deste void. Hovering in the void was a glowing white shape that looked like an ethereal jellyfish. Countless white tentacles emerged and spread in all directions.

    They elongated and contracted, like the white light was breathing.

 Chapter 111: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 111: Escape</h4>

    Needn¡¯t to say, that was the exit!

    It was about two meters above their heads. Usually, they would¡¯ve been able to easily make it with a jump, but given the situation they were in, Gao Yang would have trouble making a two centimeter leap, let alone a two meter one.

    Theplex web of branches beneath their feet began to shake and shatter, and they were seconds away from falling into the white abyss below.

    ¡°White Rabbit!¡± shouted War Tiger.

    She let go of the hands she was holding immediately. With a growl, she slowly bent her knees with veins popping from her temples, every muscle in her legs bulging unnaturally to the point of turning monstrous.

    ¡°Jump!¡±

    With all her energy concentrated in her legs, she made the most powerful jump she could.

    Usually, her jump limit was hundreds of meters, but as it was, she would be content with making two meters into the air¡ªthat was the distance between death and survival.

    Fortunately, she seeded!

    The moment her head touched the cluster of light, countless white tentacles wrapped around her in a gentle yet secure manner, pulling her into the portal.

    War Tiger then extended a hand as far as possible and grabbed White Rabbit¡¯s ankle.

    Meanwhile, the branches beneath their feet crumbled at an elerating speed, and all of them went into freefall¡ªor they would have if not for their linked hands. In the end, they hung down from the exit in a line.

    At the very top was White Rabbit, who was in the tight grip of the white glowing exit, followed by War Tiger, Cheng Xin, Qing Ling, Gao Yang, Officer Huang, Old Wang with a forehead wound, and the other Old Wang.

    ¡°Hold on tight! Don¡¯t let go!¡±

    Gao Yang shouted, but he couldn¡¯t hear his own voice.

    Surprised, he looked up to find that everyone else was shouting as well, yet no sounds could be heard. The world was terrifyingly silent.

    Gao Yang then looked down. There was nothing but a gargantuan whitish gray vortex that inspired fear in all onlookers, silently pulling in and devouring everything. It made Gao Yang¡¯s hair stand on end, and he felt a numbness spreading through his scalp. It was an instinctual fear of the unknown, and for the first time in his life, he felt keenly that he was but a particle in the vast universe.

    He tightened his grips around Qing Ling¡¯s and Officer Huang¡¯s hands. He must not let go. He dared not let go. Their interlocking hands were the only things keeping him alive and his only hope for survival.

    The gravity pulling them down grew even stronger as the vortex below them approached, but at the same time, Gao Yang could sense himself being pulled up.

    He lifted his gaze with difficulty and saw that White Rabbit, War Tiger, and Cheng Xin had entered the white light. Half of Qing Ling¡¯s arm had gotten to the other side as well.

    Yet their ascent came to a sudden halt like the gears of fate were stuck.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Was it because there were two Old Wangs?

    Thews of nature dictated that only one Old Wang might exist in the normal world, yet two versions of the same man were attempting to return to it. Of course the exit would put a stop to it, and as a result, Qing Ling, Gao Yang, and Officer Huang were stuck at the exit as well, unable to cross over.

    Officer Huang seemed to have gotten to the same conclusion as well. He shouted something at the Old Wang at the very end of the line.

    Gao Yang could read his lips.

    <i>Let go!</i>

    The Old Wang at the bottom shook his head vehemently, his face covered in tears of desperation. He refused to let go.

    Gao Yang could sense Qing Ling¡¯s grip tightened around his, making clear her anxiety.

    He looked up to see Qing Ling shouting something as well. Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have to read her lips to know that she was telling Officer Huang to drop the two men. In her eyes, it didn¡¯t matter if both Old Wangs died.

    Officer Huang couldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t make up his mind.

    He knew they were running out of time, and that they would all die if he did nothing. But he couldn¡¯t just let go. He had a family. He wanted at least one of the Old Wangs to make it back home to embrace his wife and daughter, rather than his death being the only thing arriving at their doorstep.

    Because Officer Huang didn¡¯t want that for his wife and future kid, either.

    ¡°Let go, Officer Huang! We don¡¯t have time!¡± Gao Yang shouted in vain. The man couldn¡¯t hear him at all.

    <i>Wing¡ª</i>

    There seemed to be an invisible explosion, followed by an eerie whine. Then all sounds returned, and the vortex below them unraveled into a tsunami of void, ready to sweep everything away.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Qing Ling shouted.

    Then it was Gao Yang. ¡°Officer Huang, please let go!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± shouted the Old Wang who had a wound on his head. ¡°Or everyone will die!¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t die...¡± Old Wang held tightly onto the leg of his other self with both hands, breaking into loud wails. ¡°My wife and daughter are waiting for me. I promised them. I promised I would protect them, that I wouldn¡¯t let them get hurt...¡±

    Officer Huang was left with no choice. He turned to the injured Old Wang. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Old Wang. I have a family to return to as well. I have to let you go.¡±

    Then the wounded Old Wang suddenly calmed down. Eyes sad and smile bitter, he said, ¡°Do it, Old Huang, I don¡¯t me you. Please take care of my family if you can.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Officer Huang was just about to loosen his grip when he tightened it again.

    He saw the Old Wang at the very bottom letting go first.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang looked at the falling man in disbelief. Before disappearing into the vortex, the man shouted at his current self, ¡°Tell our wife and kid that I love them!¡±

    Then he was gone, or it would be more precise to say that he had dissolved into the crushing waves of nothingness.

    Gao Yang felt himself ascending again. Soon, there was a bright light. Then his mind nked.

    ...

    When Gao Yang opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor of the subway train. The brightly-lit car slightly shook as the train moved.

    He crawled to his feet and found the others lying around him. Qing Ling, Officer Huang, War Tiger, White Rabbit, Old Wang, and Cheng Xin were all there.

    They slowly sat up as well.

    ¡°Shit, we¡¯re finally out.¡± White Rabbit stretched andy back down, her chest still heaving. ¡°Rune caves are built differently. This one is hell mode!¡±

    War Tiger stood up in a lightened mood. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you at thest moment, Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, keep that in mind.¡± White Rabbit tiredly lifted a leg. The front parts of her shoes were torn open again, revealing five toenails with red nail polish. ¡°Remember to pay for my new shoes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one extra pair on top of the recement!¡±

    ¡°Then I want the JA spring exclusive!¡±

    ¡°No problem, just go to Wu Dahai!¡± War Tiger offered without consulting the man in question.

    Officer Huang got to his feet and reached out to help Gao Yang and Qing Ling up. Leaning against a grab rail, he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. Then he tipped his chin up and exhaled a puff of white smoke, feeling the relief of a narrow escape from death.

    Silence stretched for a moment.

    Then Officer Huang flicked off the umted ash and asked, ¡°Why did the other you let go, Old Wang?¡±

    Old Wang slumped down on a seat tiredly and gave him a bitter smile, ¡°If he didn¡¯t, everyone would die. Andpared to dying, we are more afraid of making our wife and daughter lose their family. Were our ces swapped, I would¡¯ve let go as well.¡±

    Officer Huang swallowed his words and fell silent. He didn¡¯t know how it felt to watch oneself die, and he hoped it would forever remain a mystery to him.

    Soon, the subway train arrived at its destination.

    No other words had been exchanged. Their nerves burned up on ends with equal parts anticipation and fear.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door opened slowly. Outside was the Cattle Farm Station of the real world. Standing on the dim tform were Chen Ying and herpanions.

    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re finally back!¡± Chen Ying couldn¡¯t contain her relief, but she came to a sudden halt after approaching them. ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Only two of yours returned with us,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Two of ours? Where?¡± Chen Ying was confused. ¡°There are only the five of you!¡±

    ¡°Are you blind, Chen Ying? Old Wang and I are still alive!¡± Cheng Xin regained some of his confidence once they returned to reality, and his tone turned haughty. He stalked out of the train and was just about to say something to Chen Ying.

    Yet he vanished the moment he stepped out!

    There was no other way to describe it.

    He vanished in an instant, without a trace.

 Chapter 112: Farewell

    <h4>Chapter 112: Farewell</h4>

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    In addition to Gao Yang, the others were shocked as well, and they wondered if their eyes were ying tricks on them. Gao Yang turned to hispanions with a pounding heart. War Tiger was the only one who looked unfazed, like he had anticipated the man¡¯s disappearance.

    ¡°Did Cheng Xin just vanish?¡± White Rabbit asked no one in particr in an unsteady voice.

    War Tiger nodded and said, ¡°Something like that.¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly recalled how War Tiger had refrained from approving the idea when they voted to get rid of Cheng Xin.

    He asked quietly, ¡°Did you know this would happen, Teacher?¡±

    War Tiger gave him a look, his lips curled into what looked like a smile. ¡°You¡¯re smart, Yang Yang. Have you not considered the possibility?¡±

    Gao Yang felt conflicted. Of course he had considered the possibility. Could one¡¯s present existed in silo when their countless past selves and future selves had died? It was like those temporal paradoxes: could one continue to live on if they returned to ten years ago and killed their past self?

    Gao Yang had thought that things wouldn¡¯t go exactly as they wished, but the situation had been too urgent for him to give the possibility much thought.

    ¡°Old Wang!¡± Officer Huang turned to look at the man he had just befriended, choking up. ¡°You...¡±

    Old Wang wasn¡¯t so dense that he wouldn¡¯t guess his fate after witnessing Cheng Xin¡¯s disappearance.

    He was at first shocked. Then he was terrified. But all that was left in the end was aplicated sense of peace, a resigned serenity that felt more like an empty numbness after suffering again and again at the mercy of fate.

    He slumped down on a seat and shed a smile at Officer Huang. ¡°Do you have a cigarette for me, Old Huang? I quit a long time ago, but I¡¯m feeling the urge suddenly.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Officer Huang rushed to produce a cigarette and a lighter for Old Wang. Despite his Talent, God of Firearms, his hands wouldn¡¯t stop trembling.

    Old Wang slowly took the cigarette and put it between his lips, lowering his head as he thumbed the flint wheel of the lighter.

    <i>Click, click, click. </i>Three tries, yet the lighter sputtered sparks uselessly without producing proper fire.

    Old Wang¡¯s shoulders drooped, and what little light there was in his eyes dimmed.

    He lowered his hands with tears at the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    He was gone.

    The lighter and cigarette fell to the seat and tumbled to the floor, abandoned.

    ¡°Old Wang, Old Wang!¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s shouts echoed in the car, but no one answered.

    ¡°Come on, Yellow Ox.¡± War Tiger gently rested a hand on Officer Huang¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°He died for us,¡± Officer Huang choked out, his shoulders trembling. ¡°We would¡¯ve been the ones entering the tree hollow if he hadn¡¯t volunteered.¡±

    ¡°He was a good man.¡± War Tiger sighed regretfully. ¡°And it¡¯s always the good ones that fall mercy to fate.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded, looking disheartened and lost. He wiped his eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The five of them got onto the tform. The train slowly departed before quickly vanishing into the darkness.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t allow himself to rx until he was sure that none of hispanions were going to disappear like Cheng Xin and Old Wang, and his heart settled back into his chest.

    ¡°How long has it been?¡± War Tiger asked Chen Ying.

    ¡°Three days.¡± Chen Ying sounded anxious. ¡°Where are our people? Who were you talking to? I didn''t see Old Wang, nor did I see Cheng Xin!¡±

    ¡°They died,¡± War Tiger said simply. It was his belief that it was better to cut out an injured part than letting it fester.

    Chen Ying trembled. Although she had considered the possibility, she couldn¡¯t ept it easily. ¡°The second team were all dead?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my condolences.¡±

    War Tiger gave White Rabbit a look. Understanding the silent cue, she went up to Chen Ying.

    ¡°There is a silver lining, Miss Chen. We got the Rune Circuit.¡± White Rabbit patted her waist pack. ¡°We specte that it¡¯s likely to be the Time-Space Rune Circuit, but we¡¯ll only know for sure by inspecting it back at our base.¡±

    Chen Ying was still reeling from the death of herpanions, and it took her a moment to break out of her reverie. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Before White Rabbit could go, Chen Ying called out to her and added, ¡°I have to brief HQ about what happened this time.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Just send someone to return to base with us. I¡¯ll give them a detailed exnation. Then we¡¯ll sign an agreement for shared ownership of the Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Ying breathed deeply to tamp down her welling sadness. ¡°I¡¯ll call HQ.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang followed the others out of the station to the street above. They were immediately greeted by Heavenly Dog, Lovely Lamb, and Dead Pig. The three of them were carrying takeouts for lunch.

    They had been staying at the station for three days, and they left temporarily to grab some food. They didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang and the others to return safely during the time.

    ¡°Sister White Rabbit!¡± Lovely Lamb ran up to them and threw herself into White Rabbit¡¯s arms, breaking into tears. ¡°I thought, I thought I¡¯d never see you again...¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you were talking to, Cute Little Lamb?¡± White Rabbit pinched her chubby cheek. ¡°Sister Rabbit is blessed with good fortune!¡±

    ¡°Congrats, Heavenly Dog.¡± War Tiger stuck out his lips to gesture at him. ¡°It¡¯s the Time-Space Rune Circuit. Your type.¡±

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s great.¡± Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t look too excited. He asked worriedly, ¡°Are you all alright? Anyone hurt?¡±

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯ve grown up, kiddo, asking after your teammates.¡± War Tiger gestured at them with a smile. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Mr. War Tiger.¡± Chen Ying quickly caught up to them. ¡°I¡¯ve made a briefing. I¡¯d go with you.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Go ride with White Rabbit.¡±

    War Tiger let Chen Ying take the passenger seat and got into Heavenly Dog¡¯s car instead.

    On their way to the Millennium tower, White Rabbit retold what had happened as she drove.

    Chen Ying lowered her head with guilt. ¡°I should¡¯ve stopped Cheng Xin.¡±

    Officer Huang reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. You tried.¡±

    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t determined enough. Subconsciously, I was hoping that they would find the Rune Circuit too.¡± Chen Ying clutched on the seatbelt before her chest. ¡°I got them killed.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you lot at the Hundred Rivers Union?¡± White Rabbit was suddenly irritated. ¡°None of you are that strong, but you all sure are prideful, and you keep making everything your own responsibilities.¡±

    Chen Ying paused and finally nodded slightly. ¡°You¡¯re right. Pride without the power to back it up means nothing.¡±

    ¡°Easy enough to say.¡± Officer Huang smiled dryly. ¡°Didn¡¯t a particr someone keep ming herself when Wu Dahai and Heavenly Dog got hurt, so much so that one had to wonder if she would ever stop wallowing?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Yellow Ox!¡± White Rabbit mmed the driving wheel. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯d let you off the hook just because you¡¯re older than me. In terms of work experience, I¡¯m your senior!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah.¡±

    ¡°And I haven¡¯t forgotten about what just happened!¡± White Rabbit said angrily. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let go of Old Wang at once? You almost got yourpanions killed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recognize my mistake, and I¡¯ll reflect on it.¡± Officer Huang sighed, feeling mncholy again at the thought of the dead man.

    He had known Old Wang for less than one hour¡ªin terms of subjective time, that was. However, human rtionships weren¡¯t easily measurable by time.

    Officer Huang couldn¡¯t get out of his head the idea that in another timeline, perhaps he and Old Wang would be thick as thieves, that they would y cards and go fishing together, as well as go on spring vacations and have barbecues together with their respective families.

    Falling silent, Officer Huang looked out of the window.

    Gao Yang was quiet as well. He had been down since he got into the car.

    It was only natural.

    In less than twenty-four hours in his perceived time, he had witnessed Wan Sisi¡¯s death, struggled to fight Mad Red, got dragged into Ghost Horse¡¯s betrayal and saw his downfall, encountered and ughtered the many monsters in the Rune Cave, escaped the twisted time and space, and finally confirmed the death of all members of the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    The series of dangers pulled Gao Yang along like an irresistible current and prevented him from mourning Wan Sisi. Now that everything had settled down, exhaustion and pain returned in full force, filling him to the brim and constricting his chest, yet at the same time, he felt hollow.

    He wanted to do something. Shout at the top of his lungs, perhaps, or maybe he simply needed a hug or a chance to silently cry to his heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off, Gao Yang. Have a good rest,¡± White Rabbit said softly, knowing what Gao Yang had been through.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded gratefully. He did need some time for himself.

 Chapter 113: Broken Composure

    <h4>Chapter 113: Broken Composure</h4>

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang returned to his empty home.

    Warm sunlight streamed into the living room through blue translucent curtains. Everything at home was familiar to him, yet the emptiness made it foreign.

    His mother was probably still taking care of his father at the hospital, while his sister was at school.

    These days, Gao Yang had be the pir of their family. When he stayed the night outside or even went unreachable for a couple days, his mother no longer got angry at him despite still being worried. Instead, she simply reminded him to keep up with his study since the college entrance exam wasing.

    Gao Yang undressed and took a warm bath in his bathroom, allowing the water to wash away his exhaustion and soothe the wound that hadn¡¯t fully recovered.

    Afterward, he dried his hair with a towel and returned to his room barefooted, plopping himself down on the familiar bed.

    He turned on his phone and checked all the calls and messages he had missed the past few days.

    He took the time to respond to texts from his mother, father, sister, Wang Zikai, and Uncle Qing. Only then did he feel like he had returned to his reality.

    Betrayal, ambush, killing, death, and separation...they all faded out of his mind. It was as if he was still the regr eighteen-year-old who knew nothing of the world.

    Gao Yang turned off his phone andy down quietly. His head was filled with a mess of images and sounds. He took a deep breath and entered a meditative state, emptying his head of the intrusive thoughts.

    Suddenly, he was reminded of what Baili Yi had told him.

    <i>Delusion, greed, wrath, pride, life, and death are all meaningless. </i>

    <i>Life is short and nothing but a grand dream.</i>

    Sleep crept up to him and wrapped around him like a nket. He slowly closed his eyes.

    ...

    It was midnight when Gao Yang woke up. His dim bedroom was only illuminated by the silver moonlighting from outside the window.

    He¡¯d slept for quite long. It was rare for him to get more than four hours of sleep ever since his awakening.

    Feeling thirsty, he rolled to a seating position and was about to turn on the light when he froze.

    In the dark corner of his room was a woman. She sat cross-legged on the floor with her back pressed to the wall. Gao Yang had wondered if Liu Qingying was invading his dream again, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

    Taking a better look with narrowed eyes, he quietly called out, ¡°Qing Ling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she answered.

    ¡°When did you get here?¡± Gao Yang was surprised that he hadn¡¯t noticed at all. He had basically been dead to the world.

    ¡°A while ago.¡±

    Qing Ling stood up and walked to his bedside, looking down at him.

    Gao Yang met her eyes and, feeling ufortable, shifted to make room for her, patting on his bed. ¡°Come on. You don¡¯t have to stand.¡±

    Qing Ling sat down by his side and said unceremoniously, ¡°I went to school today. The homeroom teacher said that Wan Sisi was dead.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    Qing Ling continued, ¡°I also heard that Wan Sisi got into a car ident and lost her head to a truck.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened. He lowered his head and stared at the silver trail of moonlight on the floor.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes were demanding. ¡°How did Wan Sisi die?¡±

    Gao Yang sighed and met her gaze. They were cool and bright like an orchid bathed in the darkness of night.

    ¡°Wan Sisi was killed, Qing Ling, but don¡¯t worry, it has nothing to do with you and won¡¯t expose you.¡±

    Qing Ling paused, taken aback by Gao Yang¡¯s answer even though that was exactly what she had wanted to hear. She had visited Gao Yang at midnight because she was worried about getting found out as an awakener.

    ¡°Good.¡± Qing Ling stood up.

    Gao Yang saw her walk to the window. Then she suddenly stopped.

    Moonlight lit up her lovingly crafted profile. For a moment, Gao Yang caught what seemed like a trace of hesitation in the slight movements of her lips.

    Then she turned around to look at Gao Yang. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Is she worried about me? Or about what happened? I thought she only cared about leveling up.</i>

    He didn¡¯t want Qing Ling to get involved with Mad Red¡ªor the faction behind him, to be precise. It was too dangerous.

    Besides, he had promised White Rabbit that he would keep the ambush a secret for now.

    Giving her a grateful smile, Gao Yang said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± Qing Ling said coolly before jumping out of the window.

    The curtains swayed gently, and the room was quiet again. Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of the night Qing Ling first invaded his bedroom.

    It had only been a month, yet it felt like it¡¯d been a lifetime.

    ...

    Three days ago.

    Taiping Bridge Cemetery, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The moon hung in the sky as the night wind whined. A thinyer of vapor permeated the hills and valleys. On top of a brand new tombstone perched a white cat.

    It was bigger than an average cat, about as big as a medium-sized dog.

    Its eyes were emerald, and its soft full coat glowed with an ethereal, crystal-clear light under the moon.

    With its neck bent, it was preupied with licking its pink paws.

    <i>ck, ck, ck.</i>

    The sound of heels hitting the ground drew close from a close distance.

    Under the moonlight, a woman in a red cloak walked up to the tombstone. Although the cloak covered her entire body, it didn¡¯t hide her mature figure. She was clearly an adult woman.

    Her soft silver hair ran down her shoulders when she took off the big hood of her cloak, revealing a beautiful face with pronounced facial features, pale skin, and crimson eyes glinting elegantly and coldly. She painted the picture of a vampire countess living in a dark ancient castle.

    ¡°Come, sister.¡±

    Her voice was gentle and soft like a radio host known for being considerate, which was in stark contrast with her appearance, but the contrast only served to make her stand out more.

    The white cat looked up at her and meowed softly, like it was acting cute.

    Then it jumped off the tombstone and meowed again.

    Slowly, it crouched and curled up, its hair spreading like seaweeds in water. Then it melted into a thick white fog.

    When night wind scattered the fog, the white cat was gone, reced by a petite girl who wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes.

    Silver hair, pale skin, crimson eyes, and stunning features. She might as well be a twin of the cloaked woman; only her features were younger and on the adorable side, unlike her older, sensuous sister.

    The woman took off her cloak to cover up the girl, gently brushing her hair.

    ¡°Sister.¡± The girl beamed, a pearl white canine tooth making itself known. ¡°I saw him again.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The woman patted her sister¡¯s head. ¡°Do you like him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The girl nodded bashfully. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. I want to eat him.¡±

    ¡°Not yet. You must wait.¡± Her sister¡¯s tone grew serious.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°I said not yet!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The girl blinked.

    Then her sister asked, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±

    Holding the girl¡¯s hand, the woman turned to leave the cemetery.

    Then the girl looked up at her sister like she had just remembered something. ¡°Why did they call us ghosts, Sister?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The woman gave it some thought. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because we keep eating them.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± The girl nodded. After a while, she looked up and said, ¡°If he¡¯s willing to be my friend, I won¡¯t eat him.¡±

    The woman stopped and slowly crouched down to put her hands on the girl¡¯s jade-like face. ¡°Remember, Fresh Snow. Ghosts do not have friends, not ever.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± The girl seemed a little sad, but she quickly broke into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have Sister White Dew.¡±

    ¡°Yes, as long as we have each other.¡±

    White Dew stood up and took her sister¡¯s hand again.

    Soon, they disappeared from the foggy cemetery.

    Under the tombstone the white cat had been perching on were a dozen white daisies, still damp with dew. Judging by the recently disturbed gray soil, the dead had been buried no more than twenty-four hours ago.

    The gentle night wind fluttered the daisies¡¯ petals. Then the wind stopped, yet the flowers were still rustling in the air.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    A pale hand shot through the soft soil, grabbing and tearing apart a white daisy.

    [End of Act 1]

 Chapter 114: Ire

    <h4>Chapter 114: Ire</h4>

    The next day after Gao Yang left the Rune Cave at Cattle Farm Station, a funeral was held for Wan Sisi. A truck had been found after Wan Sisi¡¯s ¡®car ident¡¯, but not the culprit. Therefore, her burial was put off by a few days.

    Early morning saw a small drizzle shrouding the city in a mncholy gray. After the morning self-study session, Gao Yang and his ssmates followed their homeroom teacher out of the school, riding a bus to the funeral home.

    Qing Ling sat down next to Gao Yang as soon as she got on. Since their ¡®rtionship¡¯ had be an open secret in ss, there was no need for them to act distant.

    There was a bandaid on Qing Ling¡¯s cheek, and on her wrist was a faint blue bruise.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even need to think to figure out that she had gone through another night of hellish training with War Tiger.

    ¡°Did you level up?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    That hit a nerve, and the cool look on Qing Ling¡¯s face turned positively frosty. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem? Maybe you¡¯re going about it the wrong way?¡± On one hand, Gao Yang was concerned about Qing Ling. On the other hand, he was curious about how one would level up their Talents. Sooner orter, he would have to go through the same process.

    ¡°There¡¯s no special method,¡± Qing Ling said broodingly.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang thought he heard wrong.

    ¡°Carry the Rune Circuit with you, and when the time is right, it will resonate with your Talent naturally. There is no evidence proving that training will elerate level-ups.¡± Qing Ling gave the spiel at a deliberate pace. Then she added, ¡°That was what War Tiger told me.¡±

    Gao Yang was both surprised and amused. ¡°Then you¡¯ve been training for nothing?¡±

    ¡°Leveling up a Talent isn¡¯t the only way to get stronger. Training improves my overall strength.¡±

    Qing Ling then put on a pair of wireless noise-canceling earphones and a ck sleep mask. It seemed that she was going to take a nap on the bus.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of respect for her. She would make the perfect protagonist for an underdog story. Actually, she would be the main character of a shonen manga were she a boy.

    Inparison, Gao Yang had been increasing his overall strength through putting Luck points into his stats, making the process easier for him than for other awakeners.

    Well, not exactly easy. It was too slow to umte points under normal circumstances. Most of his Luck points came from him risking his life and walking the high wire between life and death.

    Gao Yang would¡¯ve chosen to get stronger through training if he had a choice. It would be slower, but at least it would be safe.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t sleep just yet.¡± Gao Yang quickly lifted Qing Ling¡¯s mask.

    Qing Ling opened her eyes with a frown, her gaze shooting daggers at him. ¡°What?¡±

    Gao Yang lowered his voice as much as possible. ¡°Have you been carrying the Damage Rune Circuit with you the past few days?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded.

    ¡°Even when we went to the Rune Cave at Cattle Farm Station?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°War Tiger told you to do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what else to say. He gave her a secret thumbs-up in his heart.

    She had balls of steel, figuratively speaking.

    The bus made a sudden brake as soon as it set out. Caught off guard, Gao Yang shot forward and almost hit the back of the seat before him.

    ¡°Oww! What the heck?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    His ssmatesined among themselves.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Then the front door of the bus opened, and a figure dove in, silencing theints by his mere presence.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Wang Zikai waved at Gao Yang with a grin from the front of the bus. Gao Yang felt a headache brewing. Why was the idiot here?

    ¡°What¡¯s this, Wang Zikai?¡± Their homeroom teacher asked the question Gao Yang had been wondering.

    ¡°Although I¡¯ve dropped out of school, Wan Sisi was a ssmate and a good friend. How can I not attend her funeral?¡±

    He was so loud that it sounded like he was making sure everyone in the car could hear him.

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. <i>Wan Sisi and you said less than a sentence to each other every semester. Good friend? In your past life?</i>

    ¡°Up, Qing Ling. I wanna sit with Gao Yang!¡± Wang Zikai ordered loudly aftering up to Qing Ling¡¯s seat.

    She was still resting with her eyes closed. Without saying a word, she moved her right hand to her left waist, which was what she did before drawing her sword to kill someone.

    Gao Yang quickly pushed her right hand back down. Wang Zikai thus didn¡¯t see her warning move.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s sit there.¡± Gao Yang stood up and dragged Wang Zikai to an empty row.

    The moment they sat down, Wang Zikai shared with Gao Yang like he had been waiting for it, ¡°My qilin arm has gained another ability, bro!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gao Yang was shocked. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should be happy or concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± Wang Zikai tightened his right fist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get to voice his disapproval fully before three sharp skeletal ws shot out of the back of Wang Zikai¡¯s right hand with a swoosh. Each of them was about 20 centimeters long and the color of a muted dark gray. They looked sharp, enough to cut through iron like butter. It reminded Gao Yang of Caniverine from <i>Y-Men</i>[1].

    ¡°Put, put them back!¡± Gao Yang nched.

    And <i>swish</i>, the bone ws retracted back into Wang Zikai¡¯s hand. Wang Zikai said while radiating excitement, ¡°I tested them yesterday. I can cut through steel pipes like spring onions!¡±

    ¡°Wow, cool,¡± Gao Yang humored Wang Zikai while his heart pounded.

    Wang Zikai had been tapping more and more into his potential as a monster. Fortunately, his intelligence¡ªor theck thereof¡ªwas unchanged. Gao Yang hoped that things would remain so going forward. He would hate to lose a friend and gain an enemy.

    ...

    Inside the mourning hall of the funeral home, the light was dim, and the air thick with tension. Most attendees looked heartbroken and mournful.

    Not even the best mortician would be able to restore a headless body. Therefore, the funeral was held with a coffin filled with white flowers in ce of the deceased girl.

    Before the coffin was a ck-and-white picture of Wan Sisi. The girl smiled bashfully, her big, dark eyes gentle and shy. Alive, she had been too easy-going for her own good. She often blushed because of someone¡¯s teasing, yet she never lost her temper with anyone.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang¡¯s mind was brought back to the fruit shop in his hometown.

    Dressed in a pristine white short sleeve uniform and a dark blue checkered skirt, the petite girl in his memory leaned toward the shelf slightly with her hands behind her back, inspecting the fresh fruit on sale. Her soft, medium-length hair framed her fair face. There was an easy gentleness to her voice as she asked, ¡®Are the cherries sweet, Mister?¡¯

    The beautiful moment of everyday life would forever be a snippet of memory.

    Gao Yang felt another pang in his heart.

    He turned to look at Wan Sisi¡¯s mother. The middle-aged woman had a sunken, hollow face. The thinyer of makeup did nothing to cover the sharp, difficult impression she gave off.

    She didn¡¯t cry. The look on her face wasn¡¯t so much sorrow, but numbness.

    She bowed to the attendees politely but awkwardly. Gao Yang wondered what she was thinking.

    After everyone had offered a flower to the dead and listened to the brief remark made by the family with their homeroom teacher, they departed from the funeral home one by one, gathering outside.

    Gao Yang stepped out to find many girls¡¯ eyes red with tears.

    It was no surprise to him. Wan Sisi was popr for her kind and gentle temperament. No one would¡¯ve expected her to die suddenly, least of all in a manner as terrible as getting her head crushed by a truck.

    A girl who had been close to Wan Sisi walked up to Gao Yang and said seriously, ¡°I know you¡¯re with Qing Ling, Gao Yang, but there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at her.

    ¡°Wan Sisi had feelings for you, she always did. I just want you to know because she would never be able to say it herself now.¡±

    Gao Yang tightened his fists until his knuckles were white and nodded with difficulty.

    As soon as the girl left, Niu Xuan came up to him with his two sidekicks.

    He had been resentful of Gao Yang since what happened at the karaoke. He remembered getting drunk that day. When he woke up, he was sore all over like he had been beat up thoroughly. He suspected that Gao Yang had done that while he was drunk, but he didn¡¯t have any evidence.

    When he first heard about Wan Sisi, Niu Xuan was shocked and rueful.

    Thinking about her rtionship with Gao Yang, however, he began to feel a vicious joy from Gao Yang¡¯s suffering.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Young Master Yang?¡± Niu Xuan taunted.

    Gao Yang turned to leave, already fed up.

    ¡°You sure are fated to be alone!¡± Niu Xuan quickly caught up to him, chasing him doggedly. ¡°First there was Li Weiwei. Then it¡¯s Wan Sisi. Both died so very young. Would Qing Ling be the next?¡±

    ¡°But that won¡¯t be a problem for you, will it? Young Master Yang is so charismatic that women just flock to him. You can¡¯t wee the new if you don¡¯t cast away the old.¡±

    Gao Yang stopped walking, turning around to face Niu Xuan.

    Niu Xuan¡¯s mocking smile froze. Something about Gao Yang¡¯s vicious stare gave him pause. He had never in his life felt such strong fear and felt it so keenly. It was as if he would die if he dared say another word.

    It was absurd. Simply absurd!

    Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t dare kill a man in broad daylight no matter how emboldened he was. Why, then, was his instinct telling him that Gao Yang would not only kill him, but crush him like a fly?

    Why was he terrified?

    What was going on?

    ¡°Apologize,¡± Gao Yang enunciated every syble.

    Niu Xuan¡¯s two sidekicks rushed up to him. ¡°Gao Yang, what the fuck is that attitude...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Niu Xuan growled, shuddering all over and breaking into cold sweat. ¡°I, I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Who are you apologizing to?¡±

    ¡°You, as well as Li Weiwei and Wan Sisi... I, I¡¯m really sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have made a joke about them. I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake. I¡¯m truly sorry.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Niu Xuan. He only blinked away the killing intent in his eyes after three seconds.

    ¡°Get out of my sight.¡±

    With a shudder, Niu Xuan staggered two steps back and broke out of his fear-induced stupor. He didn¡¯t know what just happened. It felt like something other than him had taken over the body¡ªanother personality, or perhaps a different will.

    Humiliated, Niu Xuan turned around and ran away, leaving his two sidekicks staring at each other awkwardly, at a loss of what to do.

    Just when Gao Yang was going to make his departure as well, someone called out to him.

    ¡°Little Cousin!¡±

    1. A reference to Wolverine from X-men. ?

 Chapter 115: Paycheck

    <h4>Chapter 115: Paycheck</h4>

    <i>Little cousin?</i>

    <i>Since when do I have an older cousin?</i>

    Gao Yang turned around and was entirely unsurprised to find the girl with a penchant for acting.

    White Rabbit was dressed in a light green dress and a retro bucket hat. Hanging on her neck was a mirrorless camera. She looked like a hipster girl with a hobby in photography.

    Smiling brightly, she said, ¡°What a coincidence, Cousin. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°And what brought you here, <i>Cousin</i>?¡± Gao Yangposed himself and greeted her naturally, all the while thinking, <i>The Academy owes you an award, White Rabbit.</i>

    ¡°Ah, I was here to take photos.¡±

    ¡°And I was here to attend a ssmate¡¯s funeral.¡±

    White Rabbit put on a look of surprise. ¡°Oh, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Car ident.¡±

    ¡°What a terrible shame. My condolences.¡±

    Their conversation drew the attention of Gao Yang¡¯s ssmates, and some of the boys looked envious. <i>Gao Yang¡¯s cousin¡¯s so pretty and refined-looking</i>, they thought. <i>Why is he always surrounded by beautiful girls?</i>

    White Rabbit then turned to Qing Ling and singled her out from the group. ¡°Here you are too, Little Ling!¡±

    Qing Ling had nned to act like they were strangers, but with White Rabbit calling out to her, she had no choice but to join them with a steely look on her face.

    The three of them moved away from the crowd.

    ¡°Sister Rabbit,¡± Gao Yangined in a low voice. ¡°Would you not ambush us like this in the future? It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous?¡± White Rabbit gave Gao Yang a pointed look. ¡°You were the one who did something dangerous. You were giving off too much killing intent. Niu Xuan could transform and lose control as a result.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d kill him,¡± Gao Yang said flippantly out of anger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about our rules, Dark Horse.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s voice turned icy. ¡°It¡¯s also against the rule to threaten a wanderer into transforming before killing it.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten,¡± Gao Yang said earnestly. ¡°I was furious, but I hadn¡¯t lost my mind.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°What business do you have here?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Official business, of course.¡± White Rabbit reached out and shook her hand before Gao Yang and Qing Ling. ¡°I¡¯ve got a magic trick for you. Look closely.¡±

    ¡°Vo!¡± Two finely crafted coins appeared between her fingers. ¡°Here. You each get one.¡±

    Gao Yang took one of the coins. It was grayish white with a smooth, cool, and hardy texture. On the tail side was the number 5, and on the head side was a minimalistic qilin.

    ¡°<i>Jinwu</i>?¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s your paycheck for the month.¡± White Rabbit raised an eyebrow. ¡°Originally, you were only going to get 3 <i>jinwu</i>. You get an additional 2 <i>jinwu </i>for the mission to the Rune Cave.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze on the coin wasplicated.

    ¡°What? Do you think it¡¯s too little?¡±

    ¡°Um, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not the case,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°Wu Dahai spent 600 <i>jinwu </i>on his robotic arm. Comparison is the enemy of contentment.¡±

    White Rabbit patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Wu Dahai is the richest man in Li City with a worth of hundreds of billions of yuan, and it took him a long time to save up 2000 <i>jinwu</i>. Who do you think you are? What¡¯s your worth? How many days has it been since your awakening? You should be content.¡±

    The barrage of questions made Gao Yang feel like he should be thankful for even earning 5 jinwu. At the same time, he saw Liu Qingying in a much more positive light. She had offered him a good price!

    A B-ss intel earned him the same amount as his monthly sry and bonusbined. He should visit her barbecue ce more from now on and build a closer partnership with her for more ie.

    Gao Yang put away the coin gingerly.

    ¡°Keep up the good work and be an outstanding member. Then you¡¯ll get 8 jinwu every month. At my level, you¡¯ll get 15 jinwu every month, and taking into ount the yearly bonus, your monthly sry will be 20 jinwu.¡±

    ¡°What can we buy with the coins?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°What can¡¯t you buy? You can get Intel, items, weapons, services, dignity, even human lives.¡± White Rabbit looked over Qing Ling¡¯s shoulders at the door of the funeral home. Most of their ssmates had gathered.

    Wang Zikai, the idiot, noticed them then. He skipped his way to them. ¡°If it isn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°My cousin!¡± Gao Yang cut him off.

    ¡°Right!¡± Wang Zikai quickly yed along. ¡°Why are you here, Big Sister?¡±

    ¡°I ran into them by ident and thought I should say hello.¡± White Rabbit smiled at Gao Yang and Qing Ling. ¡°I¡¯ll make it short. Past midnight, there¡¯s gonna be a market organized by the Hundred Rivers Union at the haunted house of the abandoned amusement park in Nanji District. It¡¯s held once every month. Consider it a flea market for awakeners. You¡¯re wee to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang seemed interested.

    And Qing Ling looked bored. She would rather spend the time training with War Tiger.

    ¡°Do you wanna go together, Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang turned to her to ask.

    Qing Ling rejected him with an impassive look on her face. ¡°No. It¡¯s a waste of time.¡±

    ...

    After the funeral, Wang Zikai went home, while Gao Yang and his ssmates took the bus back to school for the rest of their sses.

    Once the evening self-study ended, Gao Yang went to the dark alleyway near the school on his own. He was surprised to find Qing Ling there already, having changed into casual clothes.

    ¡°Whoa! You¡¯re going after all?¡±

    Qing Ling was gone when their evening self-study ended, so Gao Yang assumed she had returned to the base to train. He hadn¡¯t expected her to wait for him at their usual meeting ce.

    Qing Ling looked as cool as ever. ¡°I changed my mind. There may be items that can help me level up.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly changed into casual clothes as well and put on a mask and a baseball cap.

    As soon as they walked out of the alleyway, Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang. It was Officer Huang.

    ¡°Did you get off school?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°Yeah, just now.¡±

    ¡°I got my paycheck today. I¡¯m going to the market.¡± Officer Huang chuckled. ¡°Are you and Qing Ling going too?¡±

    Gao Yangughed quietly. ¡°What a coincidence. That¡¯s our n too.¡±

    ¡°Stay there. I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±

    Twenty minutester, a regr car stopped at the mouth of the alleyway. The window rolled down to reveal Officer Huang. The man waved at them. He wasn¡¯t dressed in his uniform today.

    ¡°I thought you would pick us up in your patrol car,¡± Gao Yang went up to the car and said as he opened the door.

    ¡°That¡¯d attract too much attention.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s better to keep a low profile.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I told you we should take my McLaren,¡± Wang Zikai whined from the passenger seat.

    Officer Huang said exasperatedly, ¡°That¡¯s beyond attracting simple attention. You¡¯re gonna make headlines tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai?¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t especially surprised. He could tell what Officer Huang was up to. A monster would make a good smokescreen for them, lowering their chance of getting exposed significantly.

    ¡°The one and only!¡± Wang Zikai said proudly. ¡°You aren¡¯t going on a shopping spree without me!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m here as well, Brother Yang!¡± Fat Jun was in the backseat. It had been a few days, and his face, while chubbier, looked a lot healthier too.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling got into the back with Gao Yang taking the middle seat, and Qing Ling the window seat.

    ¡°Sister-inw!¡± Fat Jun greeted her enthusiastically.

    Qing Ling turned away, not bothering to correct him anymore. Instead, she put on her earphones and a sleeping mask before taking a rest.

    ¡°Thest time all five of us were together was the Gu Family¡¯s Vige,¡± Fat Jun said sentimentally. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long, yet it feels like ages ago.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly because we¡¯ve changed.¡± Officer Huang put a cigarette to his lips with practiced ease while he drove. ¡°We were blindly stumbling around in the world, but now we¡¯ve be awakeners of a major organization. The world is suddenly bigger.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, yeah! That¡¯s what I meant!¡± Fat Jun chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m no longer terrified or anxious, and I feel like my feet are firmly on the ground. I can do everything with my full attention while feeling hopeful.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the arm?¡± Gao Yang was still a little concerned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It hasn¡¯t lost control since then!¡± Fat Jun eagerly showed Gao Yang his floppy bicep.

    With thepany of music and pleasant chitchats, they made their way to their destination in no time. It was an abandoned amusement park. Beyond the front gates, the ground was covered in trash, the shops had closed down, and the walls were imed by graffiti.

    The five of them got out of the car and vaulted over the shorter wall on the side. Soon, they found a park map and identified the haunted house.

    ¡°The Naji District is so empty,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°The neighborhood around the Cattle Farm Station looks abandoned too.¡±

    ¡°The Naji District is on the fringe of the city, and it started out as a rural region with a small poption.¡± Officer Huang took a drag of his cigarette and leisurely led the way. ¡°Ten years ago, there was an attempt to develop the region, and many construction projects were started. But it didn¡¯t work out. The district still seems like the middle of nowhere, only with a lot more abandoned construction projects.¡±

    ¡°And the middle of nowhere is the only ce an organization like the Hundred Rivers Union can afford to settle down in.¡± Fat Jun sounded proud with an important group like the Twelve Zodiac Signs as his support.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about affordability,¡± Officer Huang said with a chuckle. ¡°There¡¯s a reason the Hundred Rivers Union picked this ce as their territory.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Fat Jun asked curiously.

 Chapter 116: Business is Business

    <h4>Chapter 116: Business is Business</h4>

    ¡°Because there aren''t a lot of people,¡± Gao Yang answered for Officer Huang.

    ¡°Ah, I get it now!¡± Fat Jun came to a realization. ¡°Less people mean less monsters, and less monsters mean less danger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Officer Huang nodded.

    Gao Yang fell into thought. He now knew the territories the three major organizations upied respectively. The Twelve Zodiac Signs based itself in the Daxu District, the prosperous city center, with the neighboring Shanqing District as part of the territory. The two districts might not be big, but the poption density was high. It was proof of how powerful the Twelve Zodiac Signs were that they were able to gain a stable foothold where the risk of exposure ran so high.

    There was no need to emphasize the Qilin Guild¡¯s dominance. Their main base was located in the Feiyang District, an area as prosperous as the city center, and their territory spanned the Changyan District, Anliang District, and Beiyong District, iming almost half of the city as their own.

    The Hundred Rivers Union, on the other hand, had toy low in the remote Nanji District despite theirrge number of members, making clear theirck of confidence.

    That left the Dongyu District and the Xijing District unupied. Located on the eastmost and westmost points of the city, the two districts were home to all manners of smaller factions, and among them were undiscovered gems and unknown talents.

    For the three major organizations, the two districts were dangerouswlessnds.

    If Li City waspared to a coin, the four million and more monsters were the head of the coin, and the awakeners among the four hundred and some humans were the tail of the coin.

    Both sides followed their own rules and unspoken agreements.

    In theory, an organization held the absolute power to rule and govern their territories, and they had the exclusive rights to the resources found there, especially for a S-ss resource like a Rune Cave.

    If anyone wanted a finger in the pie, they better be ready for a fight.

    However, the reality was much moreplicated than what was written in the ybook. Withpetition between the organizations being as intense as it was, the different organizations spared no effort in infiltrating and interfering with each other¡¯s territories.

    For example, the second Rune Cave ever found by the awakeners was located in the Anliang District, once a fringe territory of the Hundred Rivers Union. However, the Union was unable to acquire the Rune Circuit on their own, and in the end, the Qilin Guild got involved. Not only was the Rune Circuit taken from them¡ªthe Union was only allowed to rent it for free for three months per year¡ªthe Anliang District had slowly be a territory of the Qilin Guild. The Hundred Rivers Union ended up losing both the battle and the war.

    They learned their lesson. That was why the Hundred Rivers Union contacted the Twelve Zodiac Signs as soon as they discovered a Rune Cave at the Cattle Farm Station.

    ¡°What are you thinking so hard about again, Gao Yang?¡± Wang Zikai noticed Gao Yang¡¯s serious expression and put an arm around his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re here to have a good time. You should lighten up!¡±

    Gao Yang silently snorted. <i>What is this, a field trip?</i>

    After some thinking, Gao Yang said, ¡°Including the Time-Space Rune Circuit we just got, a total of seven Rune Circuits have been found so far, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± This was something Qing Ling had been paying attention to. ¡°We have two and a half. The Qilin Guild has three. And the Hundred Rivers Union has one and a half.¡±

    ¡°And who has what?¡± Gao Yang knew the answers, but it was a habit of his topare notes with other people.

    ¡°Let me think.¡± Officer Huang scratched his head with the hand holding the cigarette, his eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°We have Life, Damage, and Time-Space, but we share Time-Space with the Hundred Rivers Union. At the moment, the Qilin Guild has Buff, Knowledge, and Miracle. The Hundred Rivers Union only has Psyche, and they got it from a trade with us.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart quickened. The Qilin Guild sure lived up to their reputation. Not only did they have the most number of Rune Circuits, but they also had the ones Gao Yang needed.

    Knowledge Rune Circuit¡ªor Wisdom as his system called it¡ªcould level up Lie Detection, while Miracle Rune Circuit could level up Lucky.

    Over time, Gao Yang hade to learn the value of Lucky. It might seem useless at first nce, but one way or another, things would be nudged into a direction that benefited him, and sometimes there were pleasant surprises.

    For example, he unlocked the Talent Pantheon once he umted a certain amount of Luck points, and the Luck points acquisition bonus granted in dangerous situations was only avable after Lucky reached level 2.

    What would happen if he got to max level with Lucky?

    The more he thought about it, the more Gao Yang grew interested in the Miracle Rune Circuit.

    ¡°White Rabbit said that the Miracle Rune Circuit was the first ever Rune Circuit found by awakeners, and Qilin, the head of the Qilin Guild, was the one who found it twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Officer Huang nodded.

    ¡°But,¡± Gao Yang said, ¡°She didn¡¯t tell us where it was found.¡±

    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t high-ranking enough in the organization.¡± Officer Huang smiled awkwardly. ¡°I asked Wu Dahai about it in private once, but he didn¡¯t give me anything.¡±

    Qing Ling said, ¡°I asked him too, and he wouldn¡¯t talk.¡±

    Gao Yang was suddenly impressed with Wu Dahai. If he kept his mouth shut even when Qing Ling asked him about it, he might not be as much of a horndog as he presented himself to be.

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°But once, when I was training with War Tiger, he let some information slip. Although he didn¡¯t name the location, I guessed it.¡±

    ¡°Where is it?¡± Officer Huang and Gao Yang asked at the same time.

    Without any change to her expression, Qing Ling extended her right hand to them. ¡°One <i>jinwu </i>for each of you.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. ¡°Are you serious, Qing Ling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Qing Ling said openly. ¡°I want to buy items that¡¯ll help me level up. I¡¯m not sure if I have enough money.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m out. I¡¯ll keep working, and sooner orter I¡¯ll earn ess to the information.¡± Officer Huang was worried about his wallet.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Gao Yang said with difficulty. ¡°Tell me first. Once I get changes, I¡¯ll give you 1 jinwu.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Qing Ling grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand and quickly wrote a word on his palm: door.

    Gao Yang realized what she meant immediately.

    ¡ªThe Gates of Closure!

    Qilin found the Miracle Rune Circuit on the Gates of Closure twenty years ago!

    Speaking of which, the location of the Gates was a tightly kept secret, and most awakeners were not privy to the information.

    Once Qing Ling pulled back, Gao Yang thought for a while and turned to Officer Huang, ¡°Give me your hand. I¡¯ll tell you where it is at 0.5 jinwu!¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Officer Huang¡¯s eyes glinted.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Fat Jun was getting exasperated. ¡°We¡¯repanions who have been through hell together. That makes us family. Is there a need to haggle over every ounce?¡±

    ¡°You know nothing!¡± Wang Zikai swiped Fat Jun on the head. ¡°My dad always told me since I was little that even real brothers should settle every ount clearly. Mixing rtionships and money will end up hurting both!¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. Since when was Wang Zikai capable of saying something wise?

    Anyhow, he managed to earn 0.5 jinwu back by selling the information to Officer Huang as a secondary distributor.

    The abandoned amusement park was bigger than they had expected, and there was still a ways away from the haunted house. With moonlight paving their path, they walked past a dried artificialke and returned to their previous topic.

    ¡°Why is the Qilin Guild so precious with the Miracle Rune Circuit?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose. ¡°From what I¡¯ve gathered, there are very few awakeners with Miracle-type Talents. I haven¡¯t heard about more than a couple.¡±

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t told anyone about Lucky for a variety of reasons.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Still, ording to War Tiger, the Qilin Guild would trade anything but the Miracle Rune Circuit.¡± Officer Huang turned to look at Gao Yang from the front. ¡°But things may be different now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted.

    ¡°Because we have the Time-Space Rune Circuit,¡± Qing Ling said coolly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Officer Huang continued his exnation as he walked. ¡°During our training, War Tiger told us that the reward pool for intel regarding the Time-Space and the Element Rune Circuits amount to an astronomical fifty thousand jinwu, greater than anything else in the awakener society, and the ones pushing the figure that high are none other than the Qilin Guild. They must need the two Rune Circuits very much.¡±

    ¡°Fifty thousand!¡± Gao Yang was so shocked that his eyes must be shaking.

    ¡°Insane, right?¡± Officer Huang looked slightly peeved. ¡°We¡¯ve earned twenty-five thousand jinwu for the organization, yet the monthly sry and bonusbined is as little as 5 jinwu. How does that make sense?¡±

    ¡°The employers are always evil!¡± Gao Yangined.

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s crazy!¡± Fat Jun was getting worked up as well. ¡°If we offer the Time-Space Rune Circuit in exchange for the Miracle Rune Circuit, the Qiling Guild is bound to be tempted. Doesn¡¯t that make the Twelve Zodiac Signs even more amazing?¡±

    ¡°Are you an actual pig? None of us have a Miracle-type Talent. Why would we want the Rune Circuit? To prop an uneven table up?¡± Surprisingly, Wang Zikai had been listening, and he asked after he was reminded of something, ¡°Oh, Gao Yang. What type is my Talent? Which Rune Circuit do I need?¡±

    ¡°Yours?¡± Gao Yang quickly got into conman mode. ¡°Destiny belongs to neither of the three realms and is beyond the constraint of the five fundamental elements. You don¡¯t need a Rune Circuit. You simply have to work hard to exceed yourself continuously.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± Wang Zikai was ecstatic.

    ¡°For real!¡± The rest of them answered in unison, hoping to get over the topic as soon as possible.

    Their conversation then shifted. Meanwhile, Gao Yang wondered if he should let the organization know about Lucky once Heavenly Dog¡¯s Time-Space Talents leveled up. Perhaps the organization would be willing to trade Rune Circuits with the Qilin Guild for him.

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel safe revealing his greatest secret, Lucky.

    ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    Leading the way, Officer Huang suddenly stopped to draw his gun.

 Chapter 117: Night Market

    <h4>Chapter 117: Night Market</h4>

    At the crossroad ahead was a weathered telephone booth, and a suspicious figure stepped out of it. He blocked the way and shone a shlight at his own face, ¡°It¡¯s me. Me.¡±

    The light hit his face from the bottom of his chin, making hisplexion deathly pale and his features eerie-looking. Paired with his ghostly purple hair, he looked like something out of a horror movie.

    ¡°Holy mother of god!¡± Fat Jun screamed and hid behind Gao Yang.

    ¡°Haha, lizardman! What fine timing!¡± Wang Zikai looked excited and eager, and three sharp bone ws shot out of the back of his right hand. ¡°I¡¯ll cut off its head to make a ser ball!¡±

    Gao Yang quickly grabbed Wang Zikai. ¡°Don¡¯t. He¡¯s one of ours.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai was disappointed.

    Officer Huang also recognized the man at first nce and quickly holstered his gun. ¡°Why are you sneaking around, Zhang Wei?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to remember my name, Brother Yellow Ox!¡±

    ttered, Zhang Wei jogged up to them. ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch. This ce is pretty remote, but there¡¯s no telling if a monster will stumble upon it.¡±

    After a cackle, he continued, ¡°Last time, two wanderers came here at midnight for some fun time in the wild. They were a kinky bunch! If I hadn¡¯t kicked them out in time, they would¡¯ve died.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Zhang Wei then looked behind Officer Huang. ¡°Didn¡¯t Sir War Tigere? Well, it makes sense. A bigshot like him must be terribly busy. Why would hee to our little market? He should be going to the yearly auction held by the Qilin Guild. That¡¯s where the real treasures are!¡±

    Zhang Wei talked like a machine gun. He was so enthusiastic that he rendered everyone speechless.

    ¡°Would you take a breath, bro?¡± Wang Zikai frowned, irritated. ¡°My head is gonna explode!¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡±

    Gao Yang snickered silently. <i>Ha, serve you right for all the torture you put my brain through on a daily basis.</i>

    Zhang Wei was as polite as he could to the five guests, almost to the point of being servile. ¡°This way. The haunted house is right ahead. I¡¯ll lead the way.¡±

    Soon, they saw a fake mountain quite grand in scale. The entrance at the bottom of it was made to resemble a temple for the King of Hell with two bright rednterns and two roughly made stic figurines; one was of Ox-Head, and the other Horse-Face[1].

    Outside the door stood a young man in his twenties. His youthful face was arranged into an expression of seriousness. He must be a guard appointed by the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Zhang Wei sauntered over. ¡°These are my friends from the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Here to take a look around.¡±

    At the mention of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the guard¡¯s expression immediately rxed, and his gesture became much more respectful. ¡°This way, distinguished guests.¡±

    The five of them walked into the haunted house. Not long after, the young guard at the door nudged at Zhang Wei¡¯s elbow. ¡°Look at you, Zhang Wei! You know someone from the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    Zhang Wei boasted, ¡°Ha, this is nothing. You know the ninth-ranking awakener, War Tiger, don¡¯t you? I had a meal with him a few days ago. We¡¯re tight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Brother Wei!¡±

    ¡°Shhh, I don¡¯t wanna stand out. Understand?¡±

    Gao Yang was at the tail end of the group and heard their conversation fully. Lips tugged into a smile, he shook his head without saying anything.

    It was dim inside the haunted house. Small light bulbs lined the walls and flickered, casting the interior in an eerie red.

    The five of them walked along a narrow corridor. At the end stood a young woman in office wear and a little boy dressed like the typical obedient child.

    Gao Yang took a closer look and realized they were both familiar faces.

    Chen Ying and Little Tian. They had met these two at the Cattle Farm Station.

    ¡°Dark Horse, Yellow Ox, and Green Snake,¡± Chen Ying called them by their code names. Then she turned to Fat Jun and Wang Zikai. ¡°And these are?¡±

    ¡°Friends of ours,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°Here to walk around with us.¡±

    ¡°Wee.¡± Chen Ying said with a polite smile before looking down at Little Tian. ¡°Do a routine checkup.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Little Tian closed his eyes and activated Sensory.

    Two secondster, he opened his ck eyes wide and stared up at Wang Zikai, who was standing behind Gao Yang.

    Wang Zikai met the boy¡¯s gaze and said impatiently, ¡°What? Haven¡¯t you seen a handsome guy before?¡±

    Little Tian quickly lowered his head and hid behind Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying¡¯s expression tightened. ¡°Can he be...¡±

    Gao Yang caught on. Little Tian¡¯s Sensory allowed him to differentiate between humans and monsters, which was why he was in charge of making routine checkups. The night market of the Hundred Rivers Union was open to only awakeners.

    ¡°My friend,¡± Gao Yang cut her off. ¡°He doesn¡¯t belong to any organization at the moment.¡±

    Chen Ying gave Wang Zikai a good look. ¡°White Rabbit told me to expect...special guests tonight. Still, I didn¡¯t expect you to bring him here.¡±

    Taking her words at face value, Wang Zikai said proudly, ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve been keeping a low profile, yet my reputation precedes me.¡±

    Chen Ying gave him an awkward smile. ¡°Please go ahead.¡±

    Once the five of them left, Chen Ying lowered her head to speak into the microphone at her cor. ¡°Guests from the Twelve Zodiac Signs brought a wanderer. Blonde hair and ck clothes. Always have an eye on him and make sure nothing goes wrong.¡±

    Gao Yang and the others walked into the haunted house. The canopies, stic dividers, and scary props were all torn down and piled up into a colorful mountain of trash in the corner, making space for a makeshift marketce of hundreds of square meters. On the ceiling above were a few energy-saving lights and ceiling fans. And small trucks and street stalls could be seen everywhere. Sellers and buyers crammed into the limited space. There were about seventy to eighty of them in total.

    ¡°Let¡¯s split up and walk around,¡± suggested Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang added, ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll meet up in half an hour.¡±

    Without a word, Qing Ling made a beeline for one of the street vendors.

    ¡°Come with me, Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel safe letting him walk around on his own.

    ¡°And Fat Jun, you¡¯re with me,¡± Officer Huang said. He wanted Fat Jun close because Fat Jun¡¯s arm was still a risk factor.

    With Wang Zikai in tow, Gao Yang went around the night market and got to know it somewhat. Put simply, it was a flea market for awakeners with a variety of products¡ªall came with ridiculous names making random pop culture references.

    Captivating Incense, Nio Pill, Right Hand of God, Devil Fruit, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, Zanpakuto, Summoning Scroll, Shadow Clone... The names were meant to catch eyes, making the products out to be some incredible treasures or divine items.

    Underneath all that extraneous packaging, however, the products were nothing butmonce medicines, items, and equipment imbued with energy. Most were useless to Gao Yang, and the ones that would be of use, the Twelve Zodiac Signs already had some in storage, and he could always apply for them when going on a mission.

    Nevertheless, there were some good deals. Among the limited wares of a particr shop, a fingerless tactical glove caught Gao Yang¡¯s attention. The vendor was nowhere to be seen.

    The ck glove was sewn with a thin, refined piece of ck Gold on the back of the hand. There was a pattern of fire on it.

    Gao Yang touched the thin ck Gold te and felt his hair stand on end. The amplifying glove resonated with the energy of his Fire.

    ¡°Shop owner?¡± Gao Yang called out, but no one showed up.

    Perhaps they were on a toilet break, or there was something else keeping them away.

    No matter. Gao Yang eagerly grabbed the glove and tried it on.

    With a thought, he concentrated his energy to his five fingers with ease, and the flow of energy when he activated his Talent became much smoother.

    Gao Yang nodded to himself. Before Fire reached level 4, the glove would be a useful amplifier for his power.

    He nced down at the price tag: Fire Tactical Glove, 12 jinwu.

    Gao Yang sucked in a breath.

    It was as expensive as it was useful.

    Gao Yang slowly put the glove back down. He couldn¡¯t help but think of Wu Dahai. He wondered if it was toote for him to get close to the man.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    He turned to see Qing Ling standing behind him.

    She extended her left hand to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°Money.¡±

    1. They are in charge of taking the dead to the underworld in Chinese mythologies. ?

 Chapter 118: Young Shop Owner

    <h4>Chapter 118: Young Shop Owner</h4>

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. She was so unabashed about asking him for money, it was like she was robbing him blind.

    ¡°Do you mean,¡± Gao Yang said tentatively, ¡°That you want to borrow money from me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m buying something,¡± Qing Ling said brashly.

    ¡°Buy what?¡±

    Qing Ling extended her right hand to Gao Yang. Around her wrist was a thin finely crafted bracelet made of ck Gold, etched with abstract, profound-looking patterns.

    ¡°The Twin Bracelet?¡± Gao Yang recognized the item Wu Dahai had talked about before.

    Twin Bracelets, also known as Double Bracelets, were items that facilitated training. It was said to shorten the time it¡¯d take for its wearer to level up their Talents. However, it was more of a superstition than anything, effective to some but not others, making its value difficult to prove.

    ¡°Its market price is 8 jinwu,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°You pay too much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bargain, young man!¡± said a middle-aged woman with perm hair and dressed in a floral shirt. She was clearly the one selling the bracelet.

    ¡°I swear on my personal reputation that my Talent reached level 4 in less than a month thanks to the bracelet. I bought it from someone else at 10 jinwu too. What I ask for is only the original price.¡±

    She held onto Qing Ling¡¯s hands in a friendly manner, looking like she was sharing with Qing Ling her truest thoughts. ¡°Young woman, keep the bracelet on, and I promise that your Talent will level up in a month. Come to me if it doesn¡¯t work, and I¡¯ll let you get a refund!¡±

    Gao Yang shut his mouth.

    ¡°I want it.¡± Qing Ling threw rational thinking out of the window the moment she heard the words ¡®level up¡¯, and she turned to Gao Yang with glinting eyes. ¡°Lend me money. I¡¯ll pay you back next month.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled with resignation. He couldn¡¯t afford the fire-enhancing glove anyway.

    Judging by Qing Ling¡¯s attitude, if he didn¡¯t lend her money for the bracelet, she would probably drop to the ground and throw a tantrum...no, she was more likely to draw her Tang Dao and take the bracelet by force.

    Gao Yang took out the 5-jinwu coin from his pocket and threw it to Qing Ling. She caught it and gave it to the middle-aged woman along with her 5 jinwu.

    ¡°You¡¯re a real one, girl! I promise you this is a bargain!¡± The middle-aged woman broke into a wide smile. She took the coins and inspected them with a small shlight before checking it between her teeth. Only then did she tuck the coins into her waist pack.

    Then she urged, ¡°I have other treasures for you as well, young woman. Would you like to check? I¡¯ll give you an eighty percent discount for your second purchase.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m out of money,¡± said Qing Ling.

    The woman dragged Qing Ling away as she said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Add my contact info if anything catches your eyes. Then we¡¯ll make a deal next month!¡±

    ¡°Really, bro?¡± Wang Zikai was irked. ¡°Did you really just give her the money?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give it to her,¡± Gao Yang corrected him with less confidence than he¡¯d like. ¡°I lent it to her.¡±

    ¡°Look at yourself. You¡¯re gonna be a pushover to your wife after you get married!¡± Wang Zikai huffed.

    ¡°Here I am! I¡¯ve returned!¡±

    From behind them came the sweet voice of a young girl.

    Gao Yang turned to see a girl in a strange outfit rushing to her little shop. She quickly squatted down and straightened the small wooden que that said, ¡®Open.¡¯

    She wore a pink fisherman hat and a pair of big brown sunsses, and her body was wrapped tightly in a blue satin fabric that looked like curtains. Stranger still, she wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. Below her delicate, fair calves were two petite feet, entirely uncovered.

    Gao Yang had seen his fair share of strangely dressed awakeners, but this girl took the cake, looking like a homeless girl wearing every style on her body.

    ¡°Are you the owner?¡± Gao Yang asked, pointing at her wares.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine, it¡¯s mine.¡± The girl panted slightly with what could be nervousness or excitement. ¡°Are you, are you going to buy something?¡±

    Gao Yang did want the tactical glove, but his wallet disagreed.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just browsing.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Wang Zikai swung his arm to stop Gao Yang. He had never looked as serious as he did now.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Wang Zikai grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s head to whisper into Gao Yang¡¯s ear, ¡°My dad said that doing business is like fighting war. It is the brave one who will win when it matters. Do not back down easily!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Just leave it to me!¡± Wang Zikai let go of Gao Yang and put his hands in his pockets, sauntering over to stare down at the girl manning the shop. ¡°Hey, how much does the glove cost?¡±

    The girl looked down at the price tag. ¡°12 jinwu.¡±

    ¡°12 jinwu?¡± Wang Zikai frowned dramatically. ¡°This shitty glove?¡±

    The girl picked up the glove and inspected it closely. ¡°There¡¯s no shit.¡±

    ¡°There doesn¡¯t have to be shit for something to be shitty, you feel me?¡± Wang Zikai crouched down and grabbed the glove, his expression derisive. ¡°Look at the lines, the cut, the style. It¡¯s all third-rate!¡±

    ¡°And the metal te. What terrible metalwork! What¡¯s the pattern supposed to be?¡±

    The girl took a look at it and said vehemently, ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s fire!¡±

    ¡°You mean shit?¡± Wang Zikai spoke in a booming voice, not giving an inch. ¡°Take a look at it yourself. Does it not look like a pile of shit?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Take another look. Be objective! Does it not look like a triangr pile of shit? Does this part not look like the tip of a poop pile?¡±

    ¡°Maybe...a little...¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Wang Zikai egged on. ¡°And we¡¯ve been waiting here for ages. Is this how you do business? What kind of service is that?¡±

    ¡°I was preupied...¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s stop wasting time.¡± Wang Zikai swung his arm. ¡°Give me an offer from the bottom of your heart, and I¡¯ll take it for your sake and consider us friends.¡±

    The girl blinked at him confusedly and said in a weak voice, ¡°How much...are you willing to pay?¡±

    ¡°2 jinwu, no bargain!¡± Wang Zikai said without pause.

    Gao Yang¡¯s jaw dropped. <i>Seriously? It¡¯s basically robbery!</i>

    ¡°What?!¡± The girl was too stunned to say anything.

    ¡°What? Do you not want to sell it?¡± Wang Zikai frowned and dragged Gao Yang away. ¡°Come on. Forget about the shitty glove.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait! Don¡¯t go!¡± The girl shot to her feet and reached out to them. ¡°I¡¯ll sell the glove to you! At 2 jinwu!¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t believe his ears. <i>Seriously? That worked?</i>

    Wang Zikai wiggled his eyebrows at Gao Yang proudly, a silent ¡®you¡¯re wee¡¯ was implied.

    Gao Yang gave the girl a onceover. He was beginning to wonder if she was the kind of fraudmon at train stations, who lured their victims in by offering them a low price before swapping the product with a fake.

    ¡°Are you really gonna sell the glove to me?¡± Gao Yang eyed her warily.

    ¡°Yes, we have a deal.¡± The girl nodded vehemently and handed Gao Yang the glove with one hand while extending her other hand with her fingers syed. ¡°Pay up!¡±

    Gao Yang took the glove in disbelief and put it on. It was the real deal.

    ¡°A moment please. I¡¯m borrowing money from my friend.¡±

    Gao Yang was overjoyed at the gift that practically fell on hisp. He turned to look for Officer Huang for help.

    And Officer Huang and Fat Jun happened to being his way whileughing and chatting.

    ¡°What goodie are you looking at there, Brother Yang?¡± asked Fat Jun.

    ¡°Perfect timing, Officer Huang! Lend me 2 jinwu, please,¡± Gao Yang said urgently. ¡°I got something good.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad!¡± Officer Huang patted on the specialized gun holster on his waist. ¡°I got something good too, and it cost 5 jinwu. I spent it all!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Gao Yang almost fainted. It had been a ride on an emotional rollercoaster.

    No matter how disappointed he was, he had no choice but to reluctantly take off the glove and return it to the girl. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not buying. It¡¯s not meant to be mine.¡±

    The girl took the glove, the curve of her lips made clear her disappointment.

    Gao Yang turned to leave, but his lingering attachment made him stay his steps, and he turned back to ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me your number? I¡¯ll look for you next month to buy the glove.¡±

    The girl shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have a cellphone, and I won¡¯t be here next month.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Gao Yang sighed. Fine. It really wasn¡¯t meant to be.

    The moment he turned away, though, Fat Jun suddenly raised his right hand and pped Wang Zikai in the face. The thunderous sound prated through the hubbub of the flea market, drawing many pairs of eyes at once.

    Wang Zikai was stunned for a moment. He had been the devil incarnate for years, and he had always been the one hitting people rather than the other way around, let alone getting pped in the face!

    He red at Fat Jun. ¡°You¡¯ve got a death wish...¡±

    <i>p!</i>

    Another hit in the face. This time, Wang Zikai¡¯s head was thrown sideways by the sheer force of it.

 Chapter 119: Ferris Wheel

    <h4>Chapter 119: Ferris Wheel</h4>

    When the second pnded, Gao Yang reflexively hunched, feeling a sympathetic pain like he was the one getting pped.

    Silence lingered for two seconds.

    Wang Zikai stroked his reddened cheek and slowly turned his head back, the rage in his eyes was intense enough to kill. ¡°You¡¯ve got balls, Fat Jun.¡±

    ¡°Brother Kai! Brother Kai, I didn¡¯t...¡± Fat Jun looked at his right hand in panic. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but I lost control of my right hand suddenly. It wasn¡¯t me, I swear!¡±

    ¡°And you think I¡¯ll buy that?¡±

    Wang Zikai tightened his fists, his knuckles crackling.

    ¡°Brother Kai! I¡¯m sorry, Brother Kai!¡± Fat Jun staggered back in fear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I swear to God...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t stop until I break a leg or two!¡± Wang Zikai growled and charged at Fat Jun.

    Fat Jun bolted at once. ¡°Help! Help me!¡±

    ¡°Shit. We¡¯ve got to do something.¡± With a long-suffering look, Officer Huang chased after them.

    Gao Yang was just about to do the same when a cool, soft hand grabbed his.

    He looked over. It was the vendor.

    ¡°Follow me!¡± The girl turned around and ran, dragging Gao Yang along.

    ¡°Hey, wait...¡± Gao Yang was going to say something, but the girl was stronger than he expected.

    Like a pair of tropical fish, the two of them dove through the crowded marketce swimmingly and rushed out of the haunted house in no time. Finally, Gao Yang found the chance to break out of her grip.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡± The girl smiled sweetly and handed Gao Yang the glove. ¡°This is for you!¡±

    ¡°For me?¡± Gao Yang questioned his ears.

    ¡°Yeah, in exchange for you riding the ferris wheel with me.¡± The girl¡¯s voice had an upbeat lilt to it. Despite the fisherman hat and the sunsses covering her face, her excitement and anticipation were apparent.

    Gao Yang was immediately alerted. There was something very strange and very wrong about the girl!

    He used Lie Detection on her.

    ¡ªThe target did not lie.

    Gao Yang then essed the system to make sure that his Luck points were umting at a regr rate.

    Although he didn¡¯t understand what was going on, he had ascertained that the girl didn¡¯t lie, and that she wasn¡¯t hostile to him. This wasn¡¯t a trap.

    He considered the glove in the girl¡¯s hands and asked for confirmation. ¡°Are you really going to give me that?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The girl jumped in excitement and pointed at the ferris wheel near them. ¡°Take that with me! The ferris wheel!¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang took the glove. ¡°No take-backs!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Gao Yang followed the girl as she skipped toward the ferris wheel. His heart was still pounding with nervousness. Wasn¡¯t it a little careless of him to ride a ferris wheel with a girl he didn¡¯t know just for a glove?

    Gao Yang cleared his throat and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± The girl turned around and pointed at her face. ¡°Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow?¡±

    Gao Yang went through his mental list of the top 100 awakeners. No matter how hard he thought about it, he didn¡¯t remember a Fresh Snow.

    ¡°I¡¯m Dark Horse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± Gao Yang introduced himself. He was basically telling the girl to not get any funny ideas since he was someone with the backing of a proper organization.

    ¡°Dark Horse,¡± Fresh Snow muttered before saying seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t like the name. It doesn¡¯t sound nice!¡±

    Gao Yang paused and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t like the name at first, either.¡±

    Mostly because it sounded too arrogant and would be detrimental to his n to get stronger while keeping a low profile.

    ¡°Right?¡±

    Fresh Snow smiled. Most of her fair, palm-sized face was hidden by the fisherman hat and the big sunsses.

    Soon, they reached the bottom of the ferris wheel. It seemed that it hadn¡¯t seen any use for a long time. Even if it wasn¡¯t broken, there would be no electricity to power it.

    ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Are we still getting on?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Fresh Snow jumped onto the pod nearest to the ground, waving down at Gao Yang happily. ¡°I¡¯m getting to the top!¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. The girl moved well. She must be quite the formidable awakener.

    He was d that he had decent Agility, enough for him to climb up the ferris wheel, at least. However, he couldn¡¯t do it as gracefully as the girl did.

    Using both hands and feet, Gao Yang climbed onto the nearest pod.

    Following Fresh Snow and jumping between the metal beams of the ferris wheel, he quickly reached the topmost pod. Fresh Snow opened the door, and the two of them got in.

    The pod wasn¡¯t big, and it was dim. Sitting face to face, their eyes couldn¡¯t help but meet.

    It was more awkward than intimate. At least that was the case for Gao Yang.

    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the Hundred Rivers Union, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gao Yang asked just to fill the space.

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Then the Qilin Guild?¡±

    Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°An unaffiliate awakener?¡±

    ¡°Wrong again.¡± Fresh Snow chuckled and put her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. ¡°I¡¯m a ghost.¡±

    She put it so simply and naturally that Gao Yang wasn¡¯t so much shocked but confused. He wondered if he had heard her wrong.

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a ghost.¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s smile widened.

    After two seconds, Gao Yangughed along. ¡°Nice to meet you. It¡¯s my first time running into a ghost.¡±

    It was Fresh Snow¡¯s turn to be surprised. She studied Gao Yang. ¡°Are you not afraid of ghosts?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Gao Yang said half-jokingly. ¡°But my teacher said that I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against ghosts at the moment, so I¡¯m not gonna waste my energy running away.¡±

    Fresh Snow puffed up her cheeks bemusedly before breaking into a grin, revealing a sharp white canine tooth. ¡°Your teacher is right.¡±

    ¡°Well, so we¡¯ve taken the ferris wheel.¡± Gao Yang got back to business. ¡°Our deal is done, right?¡±

    Fresh Snow didn¡¯t say anything. She tilted her head to look outside at the sky, her eyes distant.

    Gao Yang wondered if she was regretting the deal.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what he could say, so he looked out of the window as well.

    Below, the amusement park was an abandoned wastnd, and beyond it was the distant city adorned with specks of light. With heavy clouds covering the moon, the heaven and earth were awash in a dark gray.

    ¡°Why is the ferris wheel different from the one on TV?¡± Fresh Snow asked, disappointed.

    ¡°Mostly because the power to the amusement park has been cut off,¡± Gao Yang exined seriously. ¡°There¡¯s no neon light, so it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Fresh Snow leaned toward the window, her upturned nose pressing into the fogged ss.

    Gao Yang hesitated for a moment. <i>It¡¯s better to make sure both parties leave with what they want in a deal.</i>

    It was clear that Fresh Snow was dissatisfied with the ride on the ferris wheel. Although it wasn¡¯t his fault, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to do something within his ability to make her happy. After all, fragrance lingered on the hand that gifted away roses.[1]

    ¡°Do you want to see fireworks?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Fireworks?¡± Fresh Snow turned to him and nodded excitedly. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Give me a moment. Ah, it¡¯s best that you close your eyes first.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Gao Yang opened the pod door. Against the chilling night wind sweeping inside at once, he popped out of the pod and, with a single thought, conjured two unstable balls of fire in his palms, hurling them above.

    ¡°Alright, open your eyes!¡± Gao Yang returned to his seat.

    When Fresh Snow opened her eyes and looked out of the pod, the two fireballs were slowly descending against the backdrop of the night sky. Due to the unstable energy and the strong night wind, the mes quickly scattered into embers.

    Although it wasn¡¯t as extravagant and enthralling as fireworks, it was still quite the romantic sight.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Fresh Snow gaped at the disy and took off her sunsses without thinking. Then a strong gust of wind stole the fisherman hat from her head. Her silver hair ran down like a waterfall, upon which the ¡®fireworks¡¯ cast golden specks of light.

    Gao Yang threw her a nce.

    The girl had stunning delicate features, graceful silver hair, eyes as red as rubies, and skin pale like that of vampires.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang was reminded of what War Tiger had told him.

    ¡®I don¡¯t have to tell you. You''ll know when you see them.¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be all doom and gloom, but if you ever run into them, it means they have decided to kill you, and there¡¯s no escaping that.¡¯

    <i>Wait, what¡¯s going on?</i>

    <i>Can the girl really be a ghost...as in a member of Spectres?</i>

    1. A Chinese idiom that means what goes aroundes around, but in a strictly positive sense. ?

 Chapter 120: Fresh Snow

    <h4>Chapter 120: Fresh Snow</h4>

    The crude fireworks of Gao Yang¡¯s making slowly dissipated in the night sky as Fresh Snow stared, lost in the sight.

    ¡°So pretty.¡±

    Then she finally turned to Gao Yang, not realizing that she lost her disguise. ¡°Again? I want to see some more.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile froze, and his face turned ashen. His heart almost stopped beating.

    A second passed as his brain refused to function.

    <i>Ring¡ª</i>

    The phone in his pocket jerked him back to reality. He slowly picked up the call. It was Officer Huang.

    ¡°Where did you go, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Get back here! Something¡¯s wrong! A vendor got seriously injured and is still unconscious...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you listening?¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang,¡± Gao Yang said in a grave, trembling voice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to return the 0.5 jinwu.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Get everybody and run.¡±

    Gao Yang hung up.

    He looked up to meet Fresh Snow¡¯s gaze. She blinked, her eyes beautiful like rubies. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°So you really are a ghost,¡± Gao Yang mustered the courage to say, all the while secretly focusing his energy in his palms.

    ¡°I told you.¡±

    The girl nodded easily with a naive look on her face.

    ¡°So...¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°You came to kill me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Fresh Snow shook her head, her smile coy. ¡°I came to eat you.¡±

    ¡ª[Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    ¡ª[Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank into a bottomless pit. Fear slithered around him and strangled him like arge boa.

    While he had run into an enemy who pushed his Luck points acquisition rate to 5000 times before, this time, he wasn¡¯t facing a monstrous being who had lost control after injecting medicine, but someone with intelligence and the ability to n.

    He knew he stood no chance, but he had to try.

    Just when he was going to use Fire, though, his rationality broke out of the clutch of his fear and stopped him.

    <i>No, something isn¡¯t adding up.</i>

    <i>Think, think quickly!</i>

    <i>If Fresh Snow nned to eat me in the beginning, why didn¡¯t the system notice? Why did it only notice now? Can it be that she didn¡¯t start out wanting to eat me, but came to feel the urge suddenly?</i>

    <i>It isn¡¯t impossible, but it is improbable.</i>

    <i>While there are psychopaths who confess their love and attempt to kill you in the same breath, Fresh Snow doesn¡¯t seem like such a person.</i>

    <i>Then maybe...maybe Fresh Snow isn¡¯t the source of danger.</i>

    While Gao Yang was still hesitating, Fresh Snow cocked her head and smiled. ¡°But I changed my mind!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare say anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided.¡± Fresh Snow looked expectant. ¡°I¡¯m going to be your friend!¡±

    ¡°Friend?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t wrap his head around that.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fresh Snow nodded seriously. ¡°We¡¯ll be best friends!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Gao Yang was practically shouting in his head. <i>As long as you don¡¯t eat me, I¡¯ll be your friends, even your ves! A real man knows when to kneel!</i>

    ¡°Okay!¡± Fresh Snow nodded happily. ¡°You gave your word, and you have to keep it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll...keep my word, for sure.¡±

    ¡°Pinky promise!¡± Fresh Snow reached out to him.

    <i>And this is something a Spectre does?</i>

    Gao Yang did his best to arrange his pale face into a smile, offering his hand. ¡°Pinky promise.¡±

    ¡°Pinkies, then thumbs! The promise willst a hundred years!¡±

    Fresh Snow curled her pinky around Gao Yang¡¯s and shook it in excitement. Then she pressed her thumb to his.

    Gao Yang was worried that it would be some kind of evil ritual, contract, or curse, but he didn¡¯t dare say no.

    Afterwards, he didn¡¯t feel any change to his body, as if it was a simple pinky promise.

    ¡°We¡¯re best friends from now on!¡± Fresh Snow announced giddily, but then her smile dropped. ¡°Oh, no! Sister¡¯s here!¡±

    ¡°Sister?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°She¡¯s here to find me!¡± Fresh Snow shot to her feet in panic and scrambled toward the door.

    It dawned on Gao Yang that the source of the danger was the girl¡¯s sister.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ve got to go!¡±

    Fresh Snow quickly opened the door, her silver hair tousled by the sweeping night wind. At some point, the moon had decided to make an appearance. The clear light illuminated her innocent-looking face.

    ¡°See you next time, Gao Yang.¡± She turned around, her eyes curved into a pair of crescent moons.

    ¡°...See you next time.¡±

    Then Fresh Snow jumped and disappeared into the dark.

    Gao Yang¡¯s face was still stuck in a forced smile. He quickly essed the system.

    The 5000 times bonus no longer applied.

    He let out a long breath and slowly stood up, looking down from the pod. Fresh Snow was gone, leaving only a blue curtain fluttering in the wind, stuck in the axle of the ferris wheel.

    <i>Ring, ring, ring¡ª</i>

    The phone in his pocket kept vibrating.

    Gao Yang wiped away the sweat on his palms and picked up. Wang Zikai shouted from the other end of the line, ¡°Where are you, Bro? Don¡¯t panic! I¡¯ming to save you!¡±

    Grimacing, Gao Yang pulled the phone away from his ear. That almost broke his eardrum.

    He said with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯m at the ferris wheel. Come save me.¡±

    His legs might as well be jelly.

    ...

    No sooner had Gao Yang jumped off the ferris wheel that Officer Huang, Qing Ling, and Wang Zikai rushed over to him.

    Leading the charge, Wang Zikai brandished the three bone ws protruding from the back of his right hand, ready for an epic fight.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the lizardman! The bastard!¡± Wang Zikai looked around.

    ¡°It ran,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°It got lucky!¡± Wang Zikai turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Why did you run off on your own?¡±

    ¡°I wanted a freebie and almost paid with my life.¡± Gao Yang was feeling deeply regretful. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about itter.¡±

    ¡°Alright. At least you¡¯re fine.¡± Officer Huang was sweating as well.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Gao Yang turned to him. ¡°What happened on your end?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± Officer Huang holstered his gun, his expression severe.

    As they made their way to the haunted house, Officer Huang exined what had happened. After Fat Jun pped Wang Zikai twice with no apparent reason, Wang Zikai chased after Fat Jun in rage inside the haunted house, swearing that he would skin Fat Jun alive. Worried that things would escte into something bad, Officer Huang caught up with them to y peacemaker.

    That brought them to a storage room by ident, and insidey an unconscious man.

    Officer Huang called Chen Ying over immediately. The man was indeed a member of the Hundred Rivers Union, and he was a vendor¡ª<i>the</i> vendor of the shop Gao Yang visited, as Officer Huang found out. And both Gao Yang and the fake vendor were already gone when Officer Huang got there.

    Unable to find Gao Yang anywhere, Officer Huang called him. In response, Gao Yang simply told Officer Huang to run.

    That gave Officer Huang a rough idea about what had happened. He grabbed Qing Ling and Wang Zikai toe to Gao Yang¡¯s rescue.

    ¡°Did you get grabbed by the girl pretending to be the vendor, Gao Yang?¡± Officer Huang looked at him.

    Qing Ling¡¯s attention was on him as well. ¡°Who was she? Was she strong?¡±

    Gao Yang gave Officer Huang and Qing Ling a look. The three of them slowed down and fell back so that Wang Zikai was some distance ahead.

    Gao Yang mouthed, ¡°Spectre.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Officer Huang almost cried out.

    Qing Ling frowned, her expression frosty.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Gao Yang quickly said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it moreter.¡±

    The four of them returned to the haunted house and entered the marketce. Most of the vendors had closed shops. They made a circle around something, murmuring among themselves.

    ¡°Passing through.¡± Officer Huang led Gao Yang through the crowd.

    At the center of the circley a young man. He was dressed in a checkered shirt, a pair of jeans, and running shoes. Beside him was a backpack. He looked like a typical programmer.

    Fat Jun squatted by the man¡¯s side, holding his arm with both hands to heal him.

    On the man¡¯s left arm were two faint indentations, like a bite mark left by an animal.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Chen Ying asked worriedly.

    Fat Jun shook his head gravely, sounding lost. ¡°The blood has stopped and the wound has healed. But something feels wrong.¡±

 Chapter 121: Curse

    <h4>Chapter 121: Curse</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± asked Chen Ying.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Fat Jun stumbled on his words. ¡°There seems to be an energy that doesn¡¯t belong to him in his body, and it¡¯s especially pronounced in the arm that was bitten. It¡¯s rejecting and offsetting my healing.¡±

    Fat Jun scratched his head. ¡°How should I put it? It feels like my healing can¡¯t find a target. It¡¯s very strange.¡±

    Surprise shed through Chen Ying¡¯s face. She sounded hesitant as she said, ¡°It may be a curse.¡±

    ¡°Holy!¡±

    ¡°A curse?¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡±

    The crowd erupted into murmurs.

    Gao Yang was surprised as well.

    There were Talents that put curses on people from serial number 11 to 199, and those Talents were categorized as the Miracle type.

    That made sense to Gao Yang. Blessings and curses were two sides of the same coin, so were sanctuary and punishment. After all, both were what a god that reigned supreme would do.

    Among the twelve types, Miracle-type Talents were the rarest.

    ¡°We must take him back to HQ,¡± Chen Ying came to the conclusion while Gao Yang was lost in his thoughts. She turned to order Zhang Wei, ¡°Make the announcement that the market ends now. Everyone is to return home and keep up their guard. I¡¯ll make a report tomorrow. Our meeting ce may change going forward.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Zhang Wei answered.

    Chen Ying turned to Gao Yang and hispanions. She opened her mouth before closing it, hesitant to say what she wanted to say.

    ¡°Please speak your mind,¡± Gao Yang offered.

    Chen Ying nced at her unconsciouspanion. ¡°I¡¯m taking him back to our base. We have a member with Talent: Cleansing. That should remove the curse if it¡¯s indeed what he was hit with.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and waited for her to continue.

    ¡°But I¡¯m worried that something may happen on our way back. Another ambush, for example.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Chen Ying smiled bitterly. ¡°To be frank, with the second team killed in action and the first team away, I¡¯m hoping that you would be so kind as to escort us back.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately say yes.

    If the ¡®ghost¡¯ named Fresh Snow and her mysterious sister wanted to kill someone, the three of them and Chen Ying together wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. However, it seemed that Fresh Snow wasn¡¯t actually hostile to Gao Yang or the Hundred Rivers Union, and her sister seemed to have only shown up to get Fresh Snow while being wholly uninterested in anyone else.

    Gao Yang could make Chen Ying owe him a favor without risking anything.

    He turned to Qing Ling and Officer Huang. Through exchanges of nces, the three of them came to an agreement.

    Gao Yang said with a smile, ¡°We are willing to y bodyguards, but not for free.¡±

    ¡°How much do you want?¡± Chen Ying was too worried to beat around the bush.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Officer Huang said with a shrewd smile. ¡°Whatever the three of us bought today will be given to us free of charge.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t even hesitate. None of the products traded at the flea market were that valuable. Although the Hundred Rivers Union wasn¡¯t that strong in battles, they did have quite the wealth umted.

    ¡°But,¡± Chen Ying trailed off, shooting Wang Zikai a fleeting nce.

    Gao Yang caught on immediately. Wang Zikai was a monster. Chen Ying couldn¡¯t possibly allow him to follow them to their homebase. It was too risky.

    Gao Yang cleared his throat and said, ¡°Wang Zikai, why don¡¯t you return with Fat Jun?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Wang Zikai was confused.

    ¡°That¡¯s because...¡± Gao Yang gave Fat Jun a pointed look.

    ¡°Oww, ow!¡± Fat Jun immediately grabbed onto his own arm. ¡°I don¡¯t feel too good, something¡¯s wrong...¡±

    Gao Yang put on a serious look. ¡°Fat Jun isn¡¯t in the right state. Please take him back in case something bad happens. Remember how his arm lost control again? And he pped you twice...¡±

    ¡°Fucker!¡± Wang Zikai flew into a rage as soon as he was reminded of that. ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t keep the piece of trash around!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I know you¡¯ve got a heart of gold underneath all that toughness, Brother Kai! You ain¡¯t gonna kill me!¡± Fat Jun quickly rattled off tteries. ¡°You¡¯re the chosen one. The chosen one must be magnanimous in nature!¡±

    ¡°Piss off!¡± Wang Zikai spat, but his arched eyebrows and the curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

    ¡°None of us are confident that we¡¯ll be able to keep Fat Jun under control. You¡¯re the only one who can.¡± Gao Yang continued to talk him up. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t befit someone of your station to y bodyguards. Leave it to us.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Wang Zikai waved a hand at them reluctantly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Officer Huang threw his car key to Wang Zikai. ¡°Take my car. I¡¯ll get it from youter.¡±

    Wang Zikai took the key and dragged Fat Jun by the cor, cursing under his breath as he walked away.

    Watching Wang Zikai go, Chen Ying was both astonished and worried. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a wanderer like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a first for us too.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly.

    Chen Ying pressed her lips together. ¡°Is he really not dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s saved our lives,¡± Gao Yang added with a smile. ¡°More than once.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Chen Ying was in no ce to interfere with another organization¡¯s business. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to dally. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ...

    Chen Ying carried the unconscious man on her back with Little Tian, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang in tow. They left the amusement park through the backdoor and got into a gray SUV parked by the road.

    Chen Ying drove, while Little Tian rode shotgun with his eyes closed and Sensory activated, making sure that they weren¡¯t being followed or at the risk of getting ambushed.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang were in the back as bodyguards.

    The still unconscious young man, Jiang Hao, was crammed into the seat with them.

    As soon as the car started, Chen Ying took out three blindfolds from the glovepartment and smiled apologetically. ¡°Would you please put these on? I know it¡¯s quite rude of us, and I¡¯m not doubting your intention, but rules are rules.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Officer Huang took the blindfolds. ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡±

    Gao Yang took one blindfold from him. ¡°I understand too.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t take thest one, but instead put on the sleep mask she kept in her pocket and began to rest.

    With all three of them blinded to the surroundings, the car drove on the main road for a good while before turning into a bumpy path. The cicada chirps and frog croaks grew louder and louder, while the car drove softly downhill.

    Gao Yang could tell roughly that they were somewhere in the southmost suburban area in the Nanji District.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Chen Ying said after twenty minutes.

    Gao Yang pulled off the blindfold and found the car in a strange-looking car elevator. It descended slowly for about thirty meters. Then the metal door rose to reveal a small parking lot.

    Once they got out of the car, Chen Ying led them through the quiet and dim parking lot with Jiang Hao on her back. They entered a regr elevator and went further down.

    Soon, the door opened, and they were led into the main hall of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s headquarters.

    There were dozens of office desks, arranged in clusters ording to tasks. On the desks wereputers, potted nts, pillows, folders, books, coffee mugs, and other everyday objects, and around the room were a watercooler, coffee machine, and vending machine selling snacks.

    It looked like your averagepany.

    However, some desks were covered in dust with the potted nts wilted, making it clear that they had been left unattended. They might belong to members who had passed away, or frontline members who didn¡¯t stay in the office for administrative work.

    It was two o¡¯clock in the morning. Only three young men were left in the office.

    One was working hard, another was eating instant noodles, and the other was ying a game.

    They all looked up when they heard the elevator door open.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sister Chen?¡±

    They tensed up when they saw Chen Ying carrying Jiang Hao with three strangers following her.

    Chen Ying scanned the office and asked urgently, ¡°Where¡¯s Sha Ye?¡±

 Chapter 122: Sha Ye

    <h4>Chapter 122: Sha Ye</h4>

    ¡°She¡¯s in the breakroom,¡± the young man who had been ying a game said.

    ¡°Call her to the infirmary, Little Tian.¡± Chen Ying turned to walk away with Jiang Hao on her back, and Gao Yang and hispanions followed.

    Entering the infirmary on the side of the office hall, Chen Ying ced Jiang Hao on a surgical bed. She turned to the three of them. ¡°Thank you. You may rest in the reception room.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll stay here.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to watch another¡¯s Talent in action.

    The door opened then, and a woman in her thirties with medium-length hair walked in. She had big eyes, round face, and clear skin. Her baby face made her look more youthful than she was.

    Under the white coat she wore were an office shirt and skinny jeans, and she was walking on a pair of stilettos. With a serious expression and both her hands in her pockets, she looked experienced and aloof, a stark contrast from her youthful appearance.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Sha Ye asked in aposed, lower voice.

    Chen Ying said, ¡°Jiang Hao¡¯s arm got bitten by something, and he lost consciousness. I suspect it may be a curse.¡±

    Face darkening, Sha Ye strode up to the bed.

    Leaning toward her patient, she lifted his eyelids and shone the shlight at his eyes for two seconds. Then she felt his pulse by pressing a hand to his neck. Her inspection moved to his forearm next, and she took a close look at the faint bite mark.

    Sha Ye turned around and opened the door on the side of the infirmary. ¡°Carry him inside.¡±

    Chen Ying picked up Jiang Hao and entered.

    Gao Yang exchanged a look with Qing Ling and Officer Huang before quickly following.

    The room wasn¡¯trge. The square interior was minimalistic with a hexagonal altar at the center, each vertex set up with an unassuming candle stand. Judging from their texture, they seemed to be made with ck Gold.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have to ask to figure out that the candle stands were items for Talent amplification.

    While Chen Ying put Jiang Hao down on the altar, Sha Ye quickly lit the six candles.

    ¡°Keep your distance.¡±

    Sha Ye took off her white coat and rolled up her sleeves while she warned them.

    They all took a few steps back obediently, keeping their distance from the altar.

    Sha Ye took a deep breath and closed her eyes, putting her hands together before her chest while muttering. Then she opened her hands and ced them on Jiang Hao¡¯s forehead. ¡°Cleanse.¡±

    The candlelight seemed to surge for a moment, and Jiang Hao¡¯s body was enveloped with a faintyer of white glow.

    Immediately after, the six candles went out at the same time, and the white glow dissipated.

    Sha Ye pulled back like she had been electrocuted and stared at Jiang Hao in disbelief.

    His face was lifeless and pale, and his brows knitted tightly. Trembling, he muttered, ¡°No, don¡¯te any closer... Stay away from me...¡± His weak voice spoke in starts and stops until he lost consciousness again.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Chen Ying asked anxiously.

    Sha Ye didn¡¯t immediately respond. She walked out of the room and gently closed the door.

    Her gazended on Chen Ying and then Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s move this elsewhere.¡±

    ...

    The five of them went to the reception room.

    Sha Ye made herself a cup of instant coffee, while Chen Ying poured Gao Yang and his twopanions hot tea.

    Stirring the coffee in the mug with a long, small spoon, Sha Ye said, ¡°There¡¯s an impure energy in Jiang Hao. It¡¯s a curse.¡±

    ¡°Have you cleansed it?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    Sha Ye shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The curse in his body is some kind of energy.¡± Sha Ye tried to find the right words with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s simr to an awakener¡¯s, but different. I¡¯d say it¡¯s stranger and more chaotic.¡±

    ¡°Can it be a monster¡¯s doing?¡± Chen Ying said in surprise, but then she shook her head and answered her own question. ¡°No, monsters can¡¯t inflict curses.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Officer Huang disagreed, holding a disposable cup in his hand. ¡°We know very little about monsters. Perhaps the more powerful kinds do have a variety of Talents.¡±

    Chen Ying was quiet.

    ¡°That is a possibility,¡± Gao Yang said in support. He had a guess about what had happened, but it wasn¡¯t something he could say with presentpany. It was obvious that Jiang Hao had been cursed by Fresh Snow, and Fresh Snow was a hundred percent a ¡®ghost¡¯, a member of the Spectres.

    War Tiger had said that the Spectres were awakeners too, but different.

    No matter how different they were, however, they should have Talents if they were awakeners.

    Sha Ye must not havee into contact with their Talents before. That was why she found it so foreign.

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve done what I can.¡± Sha Ye sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯s up to Jiang Hao whether he can recover.¡±

    Chen Ying lowered her eyes with a bitter look on her face. ¡°I hope he will. I don¡¯t want to lose any morepanions.¡±

    Sha Ye¡¯s hands around the mug trembled. She turned to the side, pretending nothing had happened.

    Even so, Chen Ying realized she had spoken insensitively, and she looked up at Sha Ye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sha Ye cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile.¡±

    Chen Ying then said like she just remembered something, ¡°Ah, have youe to a decision about your daughter?¡±

    When Sha Ye didn¡¯t respond, Chen Ying softened her voice and said, ¡°Whatever your decision is, we¡¯ll respect it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it.¡± Sha Ye swayed the mug in her hand with her head lowered.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Officer Huang checked his phone and stood up. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for us to do here. We won¡¯t overstay our wee.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Chen Ying got to her feet too. ¡°My thanks to the three of you for today. I¡¯ll give you the reward as promised and arrange your ride back.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling stood up as well.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Sha Ye called out to them suddenly and looked up at Officer Huang.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± Officer Huang met her gaze.

    ¡°You must be Yellow Ox of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Officer Huang nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, for not giving up on Wang Fei til the end.¡± Sorrow shed through Sha Ye¡¯s eyes. ¡°Even though he didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Officer Huang was stunned for a moment. ¡°Are you...¡±

    ¡°His wife.¡±

    The air went still.

    After a few seconds, Chen Ying broke the silence and turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here for a little longer? I¡¯ll keep an eye on Jiang Hao.¡±

    She left the reception room.

    With some hesitation, Officer Huang sat back down on the couch, and so did Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss, ma¡¯am,¡± Officer Huang said remorsefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need words offort.¡± Sha Ye smiled withposure. ¡°And just call me by my name.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded, at a loss for words.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened to Wang Fei in the Rune Cave.¡± Sha Ye looked directly at Officer Huang. ¡°I believe that you were telling the truth. That is exactly the kind of man I know Wang Fei as.¡±

    ¡°He was a good man, as well as a good husband and father.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°There¡¯s a question I¡¯d like to ask you, Sha Ye. I hope you don¡¯t take offense.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Knowing how dangerous the world is, why did you and Old Wang choose to have a child? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s cruel to bring a child into such a world?¡±

    Sha Ye didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. Instead, she stared down at the cup of coffee in her hands.

    Officer Huang took out a cigarette by habit, but he didn¡¯t light it. ¡°To tell you the truth, if I had known that my wife could bear children, I would have avoided getting her pregnant. Now that she¡¯s already carrying our child, however, things are different. I¡¯m willing to give my all for the child. Do you understand what I¡¯m getting at?¡±

    After a brief silence, Sha Ye looked up to meet his eyes.

    ¡°I can answer the question for you.¡±

 Chapter 123: Condition for Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 123: Condition for Awakening</h4>

    ¡°The greater the despair, the more we need hope,¡± Sha Ye confessed.

    Officer Huang was quiet, while Gao Yang and Qing Ling looked bemused.

    Lowering her head slightly, She Ye looked at the tinum wedding band on her ring finger.

    ¡°Wang Fei and I didn¡¯t really have a choice. We needed hope, needed salvation, needed a purpose to keep holding on. So we had a child. She gave us a new outlook on life.¡±

    Sha Ye smiled bitterly. ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish, that it¡¯s more arrogance and foolishness than anything. One day, our child maye to resent me, but I don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    Officer Huang shook his head, his eyes glinting with emotions and respect. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve gotten the answer I¡¯m looking for.¡±

    Gao Yang could understand Sha Ye¡¯s response logically, but emotionally, he couldn¡¯t resonate with her like Officer Huang did. Now that the topic had been brought up, however, there was something he would like to ask.

    Gao Yang asked directly, ¡°Sha Ye, when Chen Ying was talking to you about your daughter, was she hoping that your daughter would awaken?¡±

    Sha Ye nodded openly. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what most members of the organization hope for.¡±

    ¡°Awaken?¡± Officer Huang was shocked. He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°She can¡¯t be old enough for that!¡±

    Sha Ye calmly exined, ¡°As you know, the Hundred Rivers Union consists of weaker awakeners, and we only got to where we are today by banding together. Now that the second team has been wiped out, we need new blood topensate for the serious blow we suffered.¡±

    ¡°Then find them elsewhere!¡± Officer Huang insisted. ¡°Your daughter is still young. This is nonsense!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done.¡± Sha Ye shook her head. ¡°Awakeners with a higher-ranking Talent and even those with two or three Talents have all been recruited by the two major organizations. The Hundred Rivers Union only gets awakeners with Talents ranked a hundred and lower.¡±

    She leaned in and continued in an even lower voice, ¡°You¡¯ve heard about it, haven¡¯t you? About the bottleneck for leveling up.¡±

    Officer Huang and Gao Yang shared a confused look.

    Qing Ling coolly said, ¡°Talents after serial number 100 can at most reach level 4.¡±

    Sha Ye nodded.

    ¡°Really?¡± Officer Huang was surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°War Tiger told me during training,¡± said Qing Ling.

    <i>Is War Tiger your trainer</i>, Gao Yang grumbled silently, <i>or your personal information broker?</i>

    ¡°Correct.¡± Sha Ye looked regretful. ¡°Most members of the Union have a Talent after serial number 100. No matter how hard they work, they can only get to level 4.¡±

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of his Lie Detection and Lucky. Was level 4 really the limit?

    He quickly asked, ¡°Is that proven?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee, but,¡± Sha Ye went on to ask, ¡°Have you ever heard of an awakener with a 100 or lower Talent reaching level 5?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He had never heard of a case like that.

    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t go for a child!¡± Officer Huang went back to their previous conversation.

    Sha Ye gave Officer Huang a look. ¡°I think differently. If she has to awaken sooner orter, it¡¯s better to awaken sooner.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it for a moment and agreed, ¡°I think the same. It¡¯s better to awaken early provided there are adults to protect her.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Qing Ling was all for awakening. It was no surprise that she would hold the same stance.

    Sha Ye nodded. There was a sh of conflicted emotions in her eyes. ¡°But what I¡¯m debating isn¡¯t having her awaken early orter.¡±

    Gao Yang came to the realization. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about whether to let her awaken at all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sha Ye looked lost. ¡°Sometimes, I wonder if it¡¯s better to live as a regr human and lead a life of blissful ignorance.¡±

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang decided to voice his thoughts. ¡°I believed the same when I first awakened. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I had lived my whole life in blissful ignorance, without awakening?¡±

    He tightened his fists. ¡°But now, I think differently.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Sha Ye asked.

    Gao Yang looked at the four of them in turn and asked seriously, ¡°What cause do we have to believe that regr, unawakened humans will be able to live their whole lives in peace?¡±

    Sha Ye fell into deep thought.

    ¡°We know nothing about this world.¡± Gao Yang felt helpless in this regard. ¡°Who can say for sure that the rules will remain the same, that monsters won¡¯t break the rules one day and kill all humans? Or that the world will remain as it is? Livestock never foresee their ughter until it happens.¡±

    The room was quiet for a few seconds.

    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Officer Huang sighed and finally lit his cigarette. ¡°In truth, we¡¯ve encountered such a monster. In the Rune Cave in Gu Family¡¯s Vige, a half-human killed a family of regr humans with extreme cruelty.¡±

    Sha Ye¡¯s coffee had long gone cold. She tightened her hands around the mug, her knuckles white.

    After ten seconds or so, she looked up with newfound determination in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve decided. I will not entrust my daughter¡¯s life to this fucking world! I¡¯ll have her take control of her own fate!¡±

    Everyone was taken aback.

    Sha Ye frowned in confusion. ¡°What? Have I said something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to swear.¡±

    Sha Ye shook her head with a self-deprecating smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯m a widow taking care of a daughter. It¡¯s better to be considered foul-tempered than an easy target for exploitation.¡±

    Gao Yang allowed the moment to linger before moving on to another topic, ¡°How are you going to awaken your daughter, Sha Ye?¡±

    Sha Ye paused. ¡°I haven¡¯t given it a serious thought.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered about the conditions of awakening,¡± Gao Yang voiced his question.

    ¡°That I can tell you,¡± said Sha Ye. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union did a survey on how awakeners awaken. We have a sizable sample, and generally, there are three different scenarios.¡±

    ¡°First, one simply acquires a Talent one day.¡±

    ¡°Second, onees to suspect the reality of the world, or is told the truth by an awakener.¡±

    ¡°Third, one witnesses an attack by a monster or bes a victim themselves.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m the first type. I acquired my Talent first. Then the second scenario happened.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the second type,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°Then I acquired my Talent not long after.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I¡¯m the second type and then the third type. After that, I acquired my Talent.¡±

    Sha Ye took a sip of coffee. ¡°ording to our study, we specte that the three scenarios are merely the results of the cause rather than the cause itself. There is one important preceding condition.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Sha Ye hesitated for a second. ¡°We¡¯ve just published an internal report, and the Qilin Guild has basically agreed to share the results soon. It should be fine for me to tell you now.¡±

    <i>Please just tell us already,dy.</i>

    Gao Yang was feeling impatient.

    Sha Ye extended a hand. ¡°For a human to awaken, they muste into physical contact with an awakener.¡±

    Gao Yang stifled a gasp. <i>Right, why didn¡¯t I think of that? It¡¯s so simple!</i>

    He turned to Officer Huang. ¡°I got into contact with the man said to be mentally-ill, and for Qing Ling, it must be her cousin. What about you?¡±

    Officer Huang shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but given my job, I get into contact with all sorts of people every day. It¡¯s very likely for me to run into an awakener without realizing it.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Gao Yang lowered his head deep in thought before looking up at everyone. ¡°I have another question. How did the first ever awakener awaken then?¡±

    Sha Ye shook her head.

    Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself. How long has it been since your awakening? Yet you are so eager to find all the answers to your questions. What are you, the chosen savior in a rush to get your KPI up?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled in embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s a bad habit of mine.¡±

    ¡°I was just like you back then and kept risking myself for answers.¡± Officer Huang clicked his tongue. ¡°I was lucky to run into Sir Jiang, or I¡¯d already be six feet under, and the weed around my grave would¡¯ve been two-meter tall already.¡±

    Sha Ye didn¡¯t know who Sir Jiang was, but she got the gist of what Officer Huang was saying. She nodded in agreement. ¡°There are too many mysteries about the world, too many answers that are beyond our ability to reach. Perhaps it¡¯s safer for us to learn themter.¡±

    Gao Yang understood that Officer Huang was worried about him. He nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Then the door mmed open, and Chen Ying rushed in.

    ¡°Come with me! Jiang Hao¡¯s awake!¡±

 Chapter 124: Two Options

    <h4>Chapter 124: Two Options</h4>

    They all rushed out of the reception room, past the office hall, and into the infirmary. Sitting up on the surgical bed, Jiang Hao looked pale and sickly, his eyes brimming with the panic and anxiety that came after a terrifying experience, and his body wouldn¡¯t stop shaking.

    They stood around the bed. Chen Ying put a hand on Jiang Hao¡¯s shoulder and asked with genuine worry, ¡°How are you feeling, Jiang Hao?¡±

    Jiang Hao blinked, his breathing uneven. ¡°I feel, I feel bad all over. I want to throw up, but I can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°If you need rest, I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±

    Jiang Hao shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sister Chen... Ask what you need to ask.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°Do you remember who attacked you, Jiang Hao?¡±

    Jiang Hao nodded slowly. ¡°I do. It¡¯s a cat.¡±

    <i>Can it be the white cat?!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart jumped to his throat. He turned to find Officer Huang and Qing Ling looking his way. They kept silent without the need for verbalmunication.

    ¡°Cat?¡± Sha Ye frowned. ¡°Was it a monster?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Hao¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed with difficulty. ¡°It was a white cat with green eyes. Very pretty. I don¡¯t know what breed it was. It was hiding in the storage room. I thought, I thought it was someone¡¯s pet...¡±

    ¡°Take your time,¡± Chen Ying reassured him patiently.

    ¡°It lunged at me suddenly and bit my hand. It hurt...¡± Jiang Hao continued. ¡°Then I cked out.¡±

    ¡°Were you having a bad dream?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yes. There were many people in my dreams, all faceless. They were chasing me in a long, long tunnel. I was terrified. I kept running and running... Then finally, I woke up.¡±

    Gao Yang made a pensive noise. That was simr to Fat Jun¡¯s dream.

    Fat Jun had dreamed about being in a subway train crowded with people, and all of them were grabbing at him like they had gone mad.

    While Gao Yang wasn¡¯t an expert in oneiromancy, both dreams gave him the impression of suffocation, of oppression, and of being haunted.

    Gao Yang had thought Fresh Snow was the one that attacked Jiang Hao, but it turned out to be the cat. Were they working together? Or was the white cat a monster Fresh Snow had tamed and kept as a pet? Or perhaps there were other possibilities?

    Gao Yang had a feeling that he was missing something, but he couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. Still, he instinctively knew that he shouldn¡¯t keep it to himself, that he had to tell Officer Huang and Qing Ling.

    Afterward, Sha Ye asked Jiang Hao a few questions about his physical condition, making sure that he had stabilized.

    ¡°Rest well, Jiang Hao, and call me anytime if you remember something.¡± Chen Ying stood up, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t get anything else out of him at the moment.

    They all left the infirmary and returned to the breakroom.

    Gao Yang was weighed down by his own thoughts, while Qing Ling didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Officer Huang, on the other hand, was advising Chen Ying seriously.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, we¡¯ve run into the white cat before. We don¡¯t know yet if it¡¯s friend or foe. While I can¡¯t tell you the details, please do as I say if you¡¯re willing to ce your trust in me.¡±

    ¡°Please go ahead,¡± Chen Ying said, taking his words to heart.

    ¡°Quarantine Jiang Hao for at least half a month to observe him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Sha Ye frowned.

    ¡°The arm that¡¯s bitten may mutate, or perhaps his entire person will. Be ready for it and make the proper preparations.¡±

    ¡°Mutate?¡± Chen Ying wasn¡¯t sure she understood.

    ¡°It may transform and lose control, attacking those around him. Then the mutation may stabilize, allowing Jiang Hao to coexist with it.¡± Officer Huang paused. ¡°But I can¡¯t guarantee that it¡¯ll happen. Worstes to worst, you may decide Jiang Hao¡¯s fate at your own discretion.¡±

    The implication wasn¡¯t lost on Chen Ying. Her expression turned grave.

    After a moment, she nodded. ¡°Thank you. I understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ste. I have work tomorrow, and these two have sses.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s forehead creased in exhaustion. ¡°We will take our leave.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Thank you again.¡± Chen Ying bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated before reminding her, ¡°About what we bought at the market...¡±

    ¡°Right. My apologies. Please follow me.¡± Chen Ying smiled apologetically. She almost forgot about it since it was so trivial.

    Still, Chen Ying didn¡¯t expect a great organization like the Twelve Zodiac Signs to be so poor that their members would be so hung up on a few coins. It seemed that everyone indeed had their own cross to bear.

    ...

    When the three of them left the Hundred Rivers Union and reached the Shanqing District, the day had just broken.

    Officer Huang took them to an old noodle shop called Sixth Deafman Beef Noodle.

    The owner was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. His face was chubby and glinting in the way that spoke of a life of contentment, and his smile was friendly. Officer Huang knew him as a mild-tempered wanderer.

    ¡°Please enjoy!¡± He served three beef rice noodles with fried eggs and nced at Gao Yang and Qing Ling. ¡°What did the kids do wrong, Old Huang?¡±

    ¡°The lovebirds went to an inte cafe at midnight for some alone time, and I ran into them. It¡¯s my duty to give them a good talking-to before sending them to school.¡± Officer Huang lied deftly.

    ¡°Well, they look good together.¡± The shop owner chuckled. ¡°Study hard and don¡¯t get lost in romance until you¡¯re in college, okay?¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling awkwardly nodded.

    The three of them were starving. They each grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started wolfing down the food. With a few mouthfuls of rice noodles in him, Gao Yang felt his empty stomach fill up with warmth.

    He decided to tell them about the white cat and Fresh Snow.

    He would keep quiet about Mad Red since it concerned no one else, but Officer Huang and Qing Ling had crossed paths with the white cat. The night Old Man Zhang mutated, the three of them fought it together, and the white cat had seen it all.

    ¡°Last night at the amusement park...¡±

    ¡°Right, I almost forgot.¡± Officer Huang was still diving into his rice noodles. ¡°You haven¡¯t told us the details.¡±

    ¡°You should be prepared. Once I tell you, you¡¯ll be involved.¡±

    Unfazed, Qing Ling poured vinegar into her bowl; her expression could only be described as devout.

    Gao Yang had long noticed that she always looked like that when she ate.

    ¡°Go on. We¡¯ve been through hell together. No need to pull back.¡± Officer Huang sucked in another mouthful of rice noodles.

    ¡°So the ¡®ghost¡¯ I ran intost night...was a Spectre.¡±

    Officer Huang sttered a mouthful of noodles back into the bowl and got into a coughing fit.

    Qing Ling put away her chopsticks and handed Officer Huang a cup of water. He took it and drank slowly with his head tilted.

    Once he had calmed himself, his expression turned into one of surprise and regret, and he said in a lower voice, ¡°Do you mean <i>the </i>Spectres?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Officer Huang swore. ¡°Can I pretend to not hear it?¡±

    ¡°Toote.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°And I suspect that the Spectre is on the same side as the white cat.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s face darkened, and he mmed the chopsticks onto the table. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    Then he took out a cigarette and lit it like he had done it a million times, taking a couple drags.

    Qing Ling continued to savor her noodles. Although she hadn¡¯t said anything, it was clear that she was thinking.

    A few minutester, Gao Yang finished retelling what had happened between him and Fresh Snow.

    The cigarette had burned to the end. Officer Huang smashed it in the ss ashtray and said, ¡°What did I tell you? You¡¯re dangerous, kid, and everyone who¡¯s close to you is bound to exit stage left early.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gao Yang smiled apologetically. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this.¡±

    ¡°I was justining, Gao Yang. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°After Old Man Zhang, the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, and the Cattle Farm Station, we are already on the same boat with our lives tied together. You should¡¯ve told us earlier!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no next time,¡± Qing Ling said.

    Feeling warmth filling his chest, Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Having calmed down, Officer Huang picked up his bowl and started eating noodles again. ¡°I know you. You must have thought about your next move when you told us the truth.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at his bowl. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite lost as well, but my instinct tells me that the white cat and Fresh Snow aren¡¯t hostile to us, at least not at the moment.¡±

    Qing Ling poured more vinegar into her bowl. ¡°Or she would¡¯ve killed us already.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°But she must be up to something. The fact that she isn¡¯ting for us right now doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t do it in the future.¡± Officer Huang gave Gao Yang a pointed look. ¡°Perhaps she wants to fatten you up before eating you.¡±

    ¡°That is a possibility.¡± Gao Yang licked his lips. ¡°At the moment, I have two options in mind.¡±

 Chapter 125: Secret

    <h4>Chapter 125: Secret</h4>

    Gao Yang put out two fingers. ¡°Option A, seek the Twelve Zodiac Signs for protection. Option B, wait and see.¡±

    ¡°B.¡± Officer Huang and Qing Ling said almost at the same time.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. ¡°Do you distrust the organization so much?¡±

    ¡°At least we can¡¯t trust them fully,¡± Officer Huang said without sugarcoating it. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s just impractical. We can¡¯t possibly stay hidden in the Millennium Tower without showing our faces, can we? And why would the Twelve Zodiac Signs mobilize all members to protect us? For the greater good, it makes more sense for them to kick us out.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded in agreement.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°I prefer Option B as well.¡±

    He took a sip of water and pressed the rim of the disposable cup together. ¡°I believe that Fresh Snow won¡¯t make a move against us until her true purpose is revealed. Otherwise, we would already be dead. If we make our resistance too clear, however, we risk angering her and even the group behind her, the Spectres. It¡¯s better to wait and see.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and made a simple calction. ¡°Each member of the Spectres rivals War Tiger. Since we can¡¯t defeat War Tiger, we can¡¯t defeat one of them.¡±

    ¡°¡®Wait and see¡¯ is a nice way to put it.¡± Officer Huang clicked his tongue in resignation. ¡°But put simply, we¡¯re just waiting for things to happen to us like sitting ducks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a better idea?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Idea my ass.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s smile looked more like a grimace. ¡°Nowadays, I pray before bed every night that I¡¯ll get to open my eyes tomorrow morning, that I¡¯ll live to see my child born.¡±

    ¡°Get stronger,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Officer Huang and Qing Ling turned to him, surprised.

    ¡°Get stronger,¡± Gao Yang repeated.

    He had made up his mind. Actually, he had made up his mind the moment he buried the candy wrapper holding his childhood dream¡ªto be a hero¡ªback into the ground under the ginkgo tree.

    ¡°No matter what the Spectres are up to, we must get stronger as quickly as possible. Only then can we climb up in ranks in the organization and improve our chance of survival.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°That is the only way.¡± Officer Huang finished his rice noodles and pulled two tissues to wipe his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to War Tiger for training tonight. I can¡¯t afford to sit on my butt any longer.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve done that long ago.¡± Qing Ling was most spirited when it came to getting stronger.

    The three of them parted ways after leaving the rice noodle shops. Officer Huang returned to the station, while Gao Yang and Qing Ling went to school.

    During the morning self-study, their homeroom teacher addressed the ss seriously, reminding them to not growcent during thest stretch of their preparation for the college entrance exam. Then he called Gao Yang and Qing Ling to his office.

    The two of them had been missing more sses recently, and it was said among the ss that they were sneaking around for coupley time. That worried the homeroom teacher, but he couldn¡¯t really reprimand them when he didn¡¯t have any proof.

    Qing Ling was a student athlete for sprinting, and she had won quite a lot of games. That would be enough to get her into a college. Moreover, she had always been prideful and did things her own way. Never once had she taken his words to heart.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, had been a model student. However, his father got into a car ident recently. And two of his friends passed away. Li Weiwei was even his childhood friend. Worried that Gao Yang would break down mentally, the homeroom teacher didn¡¯t dare go too hard on him.

    In the end, they were allowed to leave after what amounted to a p on the wrist.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang made their way back to the ssroom together.

    Walking at the front, Qing Ling said while keeping her poker face, ¡°Let¡¯s meet at theb instead of the rooftop at noon.¡±

    Gao Yang tensed. ¡°Have we been found out?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too hot, and Little Qing Ling is worried that she¡¯ll get tanned.¡± Qing Ling then quickened her steps and returned to the ssroom first.

    That made sense to Gao Yang. It was May, and it had been getting hotter while the sun was getting more and more scorching. Although Qing Ling couldn¡¯t care less about it, her sister was a regr girl, and it made sense that she would worry about her skin.

    Nothing unusual happened in the morning.

    At noon, Gao Yang got lunch in the cafeteria before sneaking to the back of theb building. He looked up and noticed that a window had been opened to the firstmostb on the second floor.

    Gao Yang looked around to make sure there were no unwanted eyes, and avoiding the surveince cameras, he easily grabbed onto the window on the second floor with a dash and two jumps, diving into theb.

    With the thick curtains and the light turned off, theb was dim and cool.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s voice came from the far side of the room.

    Past theb benches, Gao Yang walked behind a metal cab filled withb equipment and found a small hidden space that was a few square meters big. With her legs tucked to her body, Qing Ling sat on the floor eating butter bread. ced beside her was a bottle of milk.

    ¡°That¡¯s your lunch?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t bother to answer the obvious.

    Gao Yang remembered then that Qing Ling had lost both her parents, and that she was living with her aunt at the moment. A stingy woman, her aunt gave her very little for living expenses. It was clear from the way Qing Ling savored food like the greatest treasure that she hadn¡¯t been eating well.

    Her good build despite theck of nutrients could only be attributed to her early awakening.

    Gao Yang sat down across from Qing Ling and briefed her on what had happenedtely, both at school and in his life in general.

    They met up at school to update each other every two to three days and gave each other opinions to avoid exposure.

    When Gao Yang was done with his briefing, Qing Ling had finished her bread.

    Like a teacher checking a student¡¯s homework, she pondered while sucking milk through a straw and eventually nodded. ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna tell me about yourself as well?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling was confident. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m more careful than you are. I¡¯m not going to be exposed.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. He trusted her. She had been living on her own for years. She wouldn¡¯t have survived to this day if she wasn¡¯t careful enough.

    With that done, Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately leave. He had something to do.

    He closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªA question for you: is it true that level 4 is the limit for Talents below serial number 100?

    [You do not have ess to the information for the moment.]

    ¡ªWhat is the limit of Lucky?

    [You do not have ess to the information for the moment.]

    ¡ªStingy scrooge!

    ¡ªAnother question, why hasn¡¯t Lucky reached level 3 yet? Isn¡¯t it said that Rune Circuits are only needed to reach level 4?

    [Lucky is a special Talent with a different way of leveling up.]

    ¡ªHow do I level it up then?

    [You do not have ess to the information for the moment. Please find the answer yourself.]

    ¡ªGarbage system! Fine, I want to check my stats.

    [Constitution: 60 Endurance: 62]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

    [Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

    [Luck: 132 ]

    [You have a total of 121 Luck points.]

    It had been two days since he left the Rune Cave at Cattle Farm Station, during which he would have umted 48 Luck points.

    Yesterday at midnight, he was on the ferris wheel with Fresh Snow and got a 5000 times bonus for less than a minute, yielding him about additional 70 Luck points.

    Although he was terrified, he had essentially earned three normal days worth of Luck points in one minute. That was a ridiculous return on investment!

    He should¡¯ve stayed in the ferris wheel with Fresh Snow a little longer.

    <i>Wait, what am I thinking?!</i>

    The bonus came from actual killing intent. If he had kept Fresh Snow there, he would¡¯ve ended up killed by the source of that killing intent. He must remember to never get greedy, never think that he would get away with something.

    He was looking for more interest, while his principal was what could be taken!

    ¡ªSplit my Luck points between my Constitution and Endurance, System.

    [Understood.]

    In an instant, Gao Yang felt warmth spread through his body and seep in, making his heartbeat stronger and the energy circting throughout more stable, even, and harmonious.

    He parted his lips slightly and let out a breath.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to see Qing Ling¡¯s face.

    She had crawled toward him, her face almost covering his.

    Her warm breaths scattered on Gao Yang¡¯s nose, while her long strands of hair brushed past his shoulders like feather-light kisses, and he smelled a faint fragrance from her.

    ¡°What, what are you doing?¡±

    Gao Yang was suddenly nervous.

    ¡°What were <i>you </i>doing?¡± Qing Ling leveled him with a demanding stare.

    ¡°Resting.¡±

    ¡°Lie.¡± Qing Ling frowned and pulled back, her expression distrustful.

    After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up with a piercing gaze. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing, Gao Yang.¡±

    <i>Shit, did she really find out? Or maybe Qing Ling has a system of her own. That isn¡¯t impossible.</i>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t tell if she was testing him, or if she had actually found out.

    <i>Let¡¯s check with Lie Detection.</i>

    ¡°Do you really know what I was doing, Qing Ling?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡ªThe target did not lie.

    Gao Yang suppressed a gasp. Did Qing Ling have a system too?!

 Chapter 126: Beauty without Soul

    <h4>Chapter 126: Beauty without Soul</h4>

    ¡°Do you...¡± Gao Yang cautiously pondered every word. ¡°Have it too?¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°Have what?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you say you knew what I was doing?¡±

    Qing Ling was getting tired of Gao Yang¡¯s cryptic response. ¡°I know you were cultivating, but I don¡¯t know what thing you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Gao Yang rxed. So it was a misunderstanding.

    ¡°Wait, give me a moment.¡± Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªSystem, why did Lie Detection go wrong?

    [It did not.]

    ¡ªWhat do you mean? Is it because you''re meant to help me cultivate that Qing Ling was considered telling the truth?

    [I am what I am.]

    ¡ªThen Lie Detection was wrong!

    [It was not wrong.]

    ¡ªWait, wait.

    ¡ªI got it now. From Qing Ling¡¯s perspective, she didn¡¯t lie when she said she knew the truth because she truly believed I was cultivating.

    [Correct.]

    ¡ªAh, I¡¯ve been curious about this. Can I use Lie Detection on myself?

    ¡ªFor example, can I say, ¡®I¡¯m going to be safe today¡¯, and the Talent will tell me that I told a lie, meaning I will run into danger today? Can I tell my fortune like that?

    [The test will not work.]

    [Lie Detection can only detect if the Target has said something they do not mean. It cannot be used to tell fortunes. The result of the test has no bearing to the objective truths.]

    ¡ªAlright, I get it now. Even if a mad man ims to be God, Lie Detection will tell me that he didn¡¯t lie as long as he truly believes so.

    [Correct.]

    ¡ªUgh, there¡¯s a reason the Talent is lower on the list.

    ¡ªFine. That¡¯s it for now.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and saw Qing Ling staring at him with an irritated look. ¡°Were you cultivating again?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Just resting with my eyes closed.¡±

    Qing Ling wouldn¡¯t let it go. ¡°You haven¡¯t been training recently, yet you¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger. How do you exin that?¡±

    ¡°My Talent leveled up,¡± Gao Yang made an excuse. ¡°People get stronger when their Talents level up.¡±

    A cold glint shed through Qing Ling¡¯s eyes. She grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand and tightened her grip.

    ¡°Oww!¡±

    Sharp pain shot through Gao Yang¡¯s fingers. She was gripping him hard enough to break bones.

    Gao Yang inhaled deeply and resisted her with some force, just enough to prevent injury while not attracting her attention.

    Qing Ling met Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Replicate, Fire, and Lie Detection won¡¯t improve your strength and speed. Wu Dahai is a good example. His Electricity is powerful, but he¡¯s weak in everything else. You¡¯re different. Your strength, speed, and build have all gotten better. You must have been cultivating in secret.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a little wronged. <i>That¡¯s because I¡¯ve increased my stats, but I can¡¯t tell you about my system, can I? You may not believe me anyway.</i>

    ¡°Will you let go of me already?¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to do.

    ¡°No.¡± There was a trace of defiance on Qing Ling¡¯s face. She looked like a child throwing a tantrum. ¡°I¡¯m not letting go until you tell me the truth.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Qing Ling let go.

    Gao Yang sighed and shook his numb hand. Then he built upon Qing Ling¡¯s story, ¡°To tell you the truth, I have been cultivating.¡±

    ¡°Tell me how.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Gao Yang was speechless. She really was obsessed with leveling up.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, Qing Ling.¡± Gao Yang started bullshitting again. ¡°Everyone grows stronger in different ways. Cultivation is the right path for me, while training is yours. It¡¯s best not to do what doesn''t suit you.¡±

    ¡°I want both,¡± Qing Ling said like it was obvious. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be able to cultivate while I rest.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t know until I try,¡± Qing Ling insisted.

    ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll teach you a cultivation method.¡±

    Resigned, Gao Yang decided to teach her the ¡®cultivation method¡¯ he had given Wang Zikai. After a few tries without results, she would give up on it herself.

    ¡°Listen to me: the path that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging path. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name...¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just <i>Tao Te Ching</i>?¡±

    <i>Shit! Aren¡¯t you a student athlete who never studies? Why do you know that?</i>

    <i>Turns out only an idiot like Wang Zikai would be this easily fooled.</i>

    ¡°Ahem, that¡¯s true, but just keep listening. What follows is different.¡± Gao Yang had no choice but to improvise. <i>My sincere apologies, Mr. Laozi.</i>

    ¡°The nameless, the origin of the primordial. The named, the ancestor of all there is...¡±

    Gao Yang only got a couple sentences out before Qing Ling quickly lunged at him and covered his mouth. At the same time, she lifted the thick curtain to cover the two of them with her other hand.

    In the dim, narrow corner, Qing Ling was almost on top of Gao Yang. The two of them met eyes, exchanging breaths.

    Slowly, Qing Ling let go of Gao Yang¡¯s mouth and made a gesture to hush him. Gao Yang nodded softly.

    <i>Click.</i>

    There was the sound of a key inserting into lock and turning. Then the door opened, followed by footsteps.

    ¡°Why would you have the key?¡± asked a girl.

    A boy said with an excited voice, ¡°During ourb ss in the afternoon, our teacher gave the key to me.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quiet, isn¡¯t it? There are only the two of us...¡± The boy spoke like the male lead of a cheesy drama. ¡°This is a world for only us.¡±

    ¡°Go away,¡± the girl said in a coy tone. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna be in a world with only you!¡±

    ¡°Come on, follow me. There¡¯s a ce there...¡±

    Their footsteps drew close.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heartbeat quickened, feeling unreasonably nervous.

    This wasn¡¯t a big deal. Worst-case scenario, he would be caught getting intimate with Qing Ling, which was not even worth mentioningpared to the real crises they had been through.

    Then the footsteps and voices got even closer. There was only a cab separating them.

    ¡°Will we stay together in college?¡± The girl sounded sad all of a sudden.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. My mom told me that the day a man can be trusted is the day a pig learns to fly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not those scums who go through girls like clothes.¡± The boy¡¯s tone grew angry. ¡°Do you know Gao Yang, from the next ss?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°He got together with Qing Ling immediately after his childhood friend died!¡±

    ¡°What, are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°Jealous? Why would I be?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t know? You had been pining after Qing Ling for the longest time and only turned to me because you knew you didn¡¯t have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? That¡¯s not true at all!¡±

    ¡°It is true! You always talk about her every time we chat...¡±

    ¡°What? I was talking about Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°But then Qing Ling was brought up! I don¡¯t get it. Why do all the boys like her? Yes, she¡¯s pretty. Yes, she¡¯s got a great body and fair skin. But underneath that beautiful appearance, there¡¯s no soul!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, she doesn¡¯t have a soul.¡±

    ¡°You boys only care about looks! I¡¯m disappointed!¡±

    ¡°Enough already. Would you stop making something out of nothing?¡±

    ¡°Making something out of nothing? Fine, let¡¯s break up! Go look for someone who won¡¯t do this!¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not what I meant. Listen...¡±

    The argument was followed by quick footsteps and then the sound of the door being mmed.

    Soon, theb room quieted again.

    Qing Ling lifted the curtain and got up from Gao Yang¡¯s arms, sorting her messy clothes and hair.

    Gao Yang sat up too and awkwardly straightened his shirt.

    ¡°Um, don¡¯t take it personally,¡± Gao Yang said just to have something to say. ¡°You have a soul.¡±

    ¡°A soul will only slow down my de.¡± Qing Ling straightened her posture and looked at him seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up where we left off.¡±

    ¡°Pick up what?¡± Gao Yang was lost for a moment.

    ¡°Teach me the cultivation method.¡±

    Gao Yang almost cked out. She was still on that?!

 Chapter 127: New Mission

    <h4>Chapter 127: New Mission</h4>

    After learning the ¡®cultivation method¡¯ from Gao Yang, Qing Ling had been quiet the entire afternoon, even more so than usual.

    In ss and during breaks, she stayed in her seat. Although she kept her eyes open to avoid attracting attention, her gaze was unfocused, making it clear that she was trying hard to enter a meditative state for cultivation.

    Gao Yang felt bad about it, but he didn¡¯t have a choice.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang received an encoded message from White Rabbit, telling him to visit the base.

    Qing Ling had been training with War Tiger every night, so Gao Yang met up with her in their usual alleyway, and they each changed into casual clothes.

    ¡°Did the cultivation method work?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    Qing Ling shoved her uniform into her bag and answered honestly, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I told you everyone grows differently.¡±

    ¡°Fighting with War Tiger suits me better.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and my cultivation method is at odds with your training,¡± Gao Yang quickly said to reaffirm her words. ¡°If you use my cultivation method and then train with War Tiger, the efficiency will suffer.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded thoughtfully. She seemed to have epted it.

    They went to the underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower together, and Qing Ling went straight to the Tiger Room. On the other hand, Gao Yang entered the Monkey Room. It was a recreational space with all kinds of gaming rooms and even a movie theater.

    White Rabbit had told Gao Yang to go straight to the movie theater, but she didn¡¯t exin why.

    Gao Yang opened the door. He had expected to find a home studio, but it was an actual oldschool movie theater, only smaller. There was arge projection screen, tiered audience seats, and a film projector in the small room above, from which a beam of light shot through the small window to project image on the big screen.

    An animated film was ying. It was very old. Gao Yang believed it was called <i>Uproar in Heaven</i>.

    He had watched it when he was a child. It told the story of the Monkey King running rampant in the Heavenly Pce with his golden cudgel in defiance of the tyrannical authority of the Heavenly Court. After beating up the heavenly soldiers, he returned to Mount Huaguo to enjoy a life of freedom with other monkeys.

    ¡°Here, Dark Horse.¡±

    Gao Yang was staring at the projected film when a voice startled him out of his reverie. It was Dragon!

    He sat in a corner seat dressed in the same everyday clothes he worest time. With his hair running down his shoulders, he tucked his legs to his chest to fit himself in the chair, his soft facial features and beautiful, heterochromatic eyes giving off an androgynous impression.

    Gao Yang rushed up to him.

    ¡°Here, sit.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down beside Dragon, secretly feeling cautious and a little afraid. Although Dragon was on the same side as he was, someone so powerful would naturally inspire fear and awe in others.

    ¡°Sorry for calling you here sote at night,¡± Dragon said gently and amicably.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°But I thought you had gone back to hibernating, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Do you wish for me to return to the coffin so much?¡± Dragon was in a good enough mood to joke.

    ¡°Oh, no, no. It¡¯s just that the spy has been dealt with, and given how precious your time seems to be, it should be saved for something more important.¡± Gao Yang mixed truths with ttery.

    The film entered its climax. The Monkey King escaped from the alchemy cauldron of the Supreme Venerable Sovereign with his newly gained fiery eyes that could spot evils, and he started wreaking havoc without reservation.

    Dragon seemed lost in the film with his head slightly tilted, and he forgot to respond to Gao Yang.

    Colorful lights scintited as they cast on his face. His heterochromatic eyes looked almost inhumanly beautiful, yet there was a childlike innocence to his gaze.

    Finally, Dragon returned to reality and smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°I have watched this film many times, but I still love it.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. The Monkey King was also his hero when he was a child.

    ¡°But a friend of mine didn¡¯t like the film.¡± Dragon¡¯s eyes turned mncholy. ¡°He said that if the Monkey King was going to return to Mount Huaguo in the end, why must he go through all the trouble and tribtions? Why didn¡¯t he just stay?¡±

    Gao Yang listened.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dragon asked suddenly.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Were you the Monkey King, would you barge into the Heavenly Pce and start trouble?¡±

    Gao Yang focused his mind and steadied his breaths. He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think that Dragon would waste his time talking about a movie with him.

    This question was an important one. If he gave the wrong answer, it would surely affect how Dragon saw him, and even his fate going forward.

    However, he didn¡¯t have the ability to read minds, and he didn¡¯t know what Dragon was thinking.

    Should he ask Dragon a question instead and try to get a feel of his attitude with Lie Detection? No, that was a lowly trick Dragon would surely feel insulted by, no different from suicide.

    Then as usual, honesty would be the best policy.

    ¡°I will,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Dragon looked at him with calm eyes and an impassive expression. There was no telling whether the man approved of his answer.

    After a moment, Dragon asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    Why?

    Gao Yang asked himself the question. Was it because he would be bothered by the Heavenly Court¡¯s hubris and arrogance? Was it because he wouldn''t tolerate the oppression and derision? Was it because he would feel the impassioned urge to prove himself to the world?

    Yes, but more than that.

    The greatest drive to Gao Yang was an instinctual desire and calling rooted in the very core of his soul.

    ¡°Because the Heavenly Court was there,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Dragon remained quiet, his eyes glinting.

    Then he chuckled.

    ¡°White Rabbit spoke the truth. Perhaps we are the same kind of people.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to feel. He asked tentatively, ¡°Is that apliment, Captain?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a good thing to be like me.¡± Dragon smiled sadly.

    After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°We¡¯ve gotten two Rune Circuits since you joined, Dark Horse. It¡¯s unprecedented. You¡¯re our lucky charm.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Gao Yang said humbly. ¡°I just got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Luck is a part of strength, and an important part at that.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°Seven Rune Circuits have now been found. Things will get more turbulent.¡± Dragon sounded a little concerned. ¡°The path forward will only be more arduous.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Before I go to sleep, Dark Horse, I have a mission for you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a mission direct from me to you.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Not even War Tiger knows?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him.¡± Dragon smiled knowingly. ¡°But someone like him will end up getting involved one way or another.¡±

    <i>Huh, he sounds like those master strategists from history.</i>

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m strong enough for that, Captain.¡±

    Dragon leveled him with a genuine gaze. ¡°It will be dangerous for you, but there is no better candidate than you. You must understand that nothing in the world will wait for you to be ready.¡±

    Gao Yang kept his expression under control, but in his head he was shouting, <i>Are you joking?! You¡¯re the biggest shot among all bigshots, Mr. Dragon! A mission from you must be S-ss at least! And me? I¡¯ve only awakened for a month! I¡¯m at best a second rate awakener!</i>

    <i>Are you sure you¡¯re gonna entrust an S-ss mission to a second rate awakener?</i>

    ¡°I won¡¯t force you. I¡¯ll tell you about the mission first, and you may decide if you are going to take it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Be yourself from now on,¡± said Dragon.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Gao Yang was taken aback.

    ¡°That¡¯s merely the first step.¡± Dragon smiled. ¡°When the timees, the mission will knock on your door.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±

    ¡°Let me give you a code. When it shows up, you¡¯ll know. Then you may decide to take it or leave it.¡±

    <i>How mysterious. I guess it fits him.</i>

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then he mustered the courage to say, ¡°If I take the mission andplete it, Captain, will I be rewarded?¡±

    Dragon chuckled. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡±

    ¡°What do you want as a reward?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±

    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll grant you a favor within my ability as long as it doesn¡¯t go against my principles.¡±

    ¡°Okay, deal.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Although the promise sounded a little empty, someone like Dragon could more than fulfill the kind of wishes Gao Yang would have at this stage.

    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Dragon said. ¡°Here¡¯s the code.¡±

    Gao Yang offered his hand, and Dragon wrote down a few words on his palm.

 Chapter 128: Family Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 128: Family Reunion</h4>

    When Gao Yang returned home in the early morning, his mother and sister had already gone to bed. Gao Yang tip-toed across the living room and entered his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He pulled out a self-help book called <i>Fitness for Prisoners</i> from his book shelf.

    The book was very informative about how one could train themselves in limited space, achieving the same result as someone doing weight training in a proper gym.

    Gao Yang actually bought the book before his awakening. There was a time when he found himself too frail and resolved to get fit, but after flipping through a couple pages, the book ended up collecting dust on the shelf.

    Now was the perfect time to go back to it. Although he could get stronger by simply putting points into his stats, physical training was still important, and he decided to do both.

    Fresh Snow and the white cat hung above him like the sword of Damocles. It could fall on his neck at any time.

    Tonight, Dragon gave Gao Yang a secret mission. His path ahead would surely be littered with all manners of dangers.

    And at some point, Qing Ling¡¯s determination and drive to get stronger had gotten to him. If someone without a system like her was so diligent, what excuse did he have to stay idle?

    Changing into a tank top and a pair of shorts, Gao Yang ced down a yoga mat for simple warmups. Then he started doing one-arm pushups.

    Before his awakening, he couldn¡¯t even do one rep, but now, his breathing was still steady after finishing a set.

    Gao Yang started the next set with his other hand.

    He pondered while he trained, and an hour flew by without him quite noticing. He¡¯d done twelve medium-difficulty sets with 10 reps each. At the end, he was entirely drenched in sweat.

    He took a warm shower in the bathroom and changed into pajamas before retiring to bed.

    It was Saturday tomorrow and the Dragon Boat Festival. They didn¡¯t have school.

    Gao Yang slept in a little.

    Nine o¡¯clock in the morning, his sister Gao Xinxin barged into his room. ¡°Up! Youzy ass!¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and was immediately awake, but he pretended to be half-asleep and rolled on the bedzily with his nket between his legs.

    ¡°Get up! Come on!¡± His sister ran up to his bed and kicked him in the back.

    ¡°Hmph...¡± Gao Yang put up his best act. ¡°Another ten minutes. No, five minutes...¡±

    ¡°Enough sleep! Wake up already!¡±

    His sister grabbed his arm with both hands and dragged Gao Yang up with great difficulty.

    Gao Yang rubbed his eyes and turned to his sister.

    Her baby-fat face puffed up as she pointed at a clear stic bag by his bed. Inside was a potted jasmine. ¡°Delivery came. Someone gifted you flowers!¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    ¡°Yes! Who gave you that?¡±

    Gao Yang got off the bed and picked up the pot. There was a small card tucked in. He unfolded it and saw a line written in elegant handwriting: best regards for the holiday.

    Gao Yang folded the card. ¡°A friend.¡±

    ¡°Friend?¡± His sister didn¡¯t like it. ¡°What kind of friends give each other flowers for the Dragon Boat Festival?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Gao Yang ruffled her hair and put the potted jasmine on his desk.

    ¡°It must be a girl! I¡¯m gonna tell mom...¡± His sister trailed off and suddenly shouted, ¡°Whoa! Bro, you, you...¡±

    ¡°What now?¡± Gao Yang scratched his head with feigned irritation. ¡°It¡¯s too early for all the shouting.¡±

    ¡°You have muscles!¡±

    Gao Yang looked down. One side of his pajama top was caught in the waistband of his pants, and a small part of his abdomen was revealed. The faint lines of abs could be made out.

    ¡°Ughuh.¡± Gao Yang straightened his pajamas, pleased. ¡°I¡¯ve been training. Looks good, huh?¡±

    ¡°The flower, and now the training...¡± His sister pointed an usatory finger at him. ¡°You¡¯ve got a girlfriend, Brother!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Gao Yang rolled his eyes. ¡°I told you I would let you know if I¡¯ve got a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! You liar!¡±

    ¡°Have it your way.¡±

    They argued while they walked out of the room together. Their mother looked bright today. She was dressed in a pretty monochrome dress with light makeup, looking respectable and graceful.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t boasting when he said that his mother looked young. When she went shopping with Gao Xinxin, some people even mistook them as sisters.

    ¡°There¡¯s breakfast in the kitchen. Grab some bites. We¡¯re going soon,¡± she urged them as shebed her hair before the mirror.

    Today was the day they took Gao Yang¡¯s father home from the hospital.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gao Yang walked into the kitchen and shoved a pickled mustard green bun into his mouth.

    ...

    An hourter, they arrived at the hospital to go through the discharge process for his father.

    His father was optimistic by nature. Although he knew he would probably be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life, he didn¡¯t stay depressed for long and instead adapted to his new life quickly.

    Gao Yang pushed the wheelchair as he and his family left the hospital lobby, chatting andughing.

    When they got to the curb, Gao Xinxin hailed a taxi.

    Gao Yang lifted his father into the backseat and folded up the wheelchair, putting it inside the trunk. He did all that without a pause or fumble like he¡¯d done it countless times.

    When he got into the car, his father praised him to the heavens.

    ¡°Our Yang Yang has grown into a man!¡± His father pped him on the shoulder. ¡°Look. He¡¯s gotten so much more well-built!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± His mother smiled from the passenger seat. ¡°Our son is now the pir of the family. He¡¯s a real man.¡±

    His sister scoffed on the side.

    ¡°What¡¯s that, Xinxin?¡± his father asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself, Dad. Do you think Gao Yang turned into an adult for us? <i>Nooooo</i>.¡± Gao Xinxin pouted and snorted. ¡°He¡¯s got a girlfriend!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t that¡¯s not it don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡± Gao Yang quickly denied it. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about, Dad, Mom!¡±

    His fatherughed heartily. ¡°You should focus on studying for the entrance exam, Yang Yang, but once you graduate, you should bring your girlfriend home to introduce us.¡±

    His mother chuckled as well. ¡°Yang Yang is old enough to want a rtionship. But don¡¯t cross the line, okay? You have to do things properly.¡±

    ¡°Dad! Mom! I don¡¯t have a girlfriend!¡± Gao Yang said, exasperated.

    ...

    Another great surprise was waiting for them when the parents and children got home.

    Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother was there, watching TV from the couch.

    ¡°Granny!¡± Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t even take off her shoes before she ran up to the old woman and threw her arms around her. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you!¡±

    His grandmother stroked her hair and pinched her face. ¡°Granny has missed you as well, child.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us, Mother? I could¡¯ve picked you up.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s mother helped him push his father into the hallway.

    His grandmother chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Gao Yang¡¯s uncle came to the city for business today, so he brought me along.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve shown you a humiliating side, Mother,¡± his father tapped on the wheelchair and said self-deprecatingly. ¡°Your son will be a useless man from now on. I won¡¯t be able to even catch up to you.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t that useful before,¡± his grandmother chided, the love in her eyes at odds with her words. ¡°Rest well from now on. With all of us here, the family will stay strong.¡±

    ¡°How wonderful. We¡¯re all together again for the holiday,¡± his mother choked out with reddened eyes. She hurriedly turned to enter the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll make something delicious today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help wash the vegetables.¡± Gao Yang followed her into the kitchen like the considerate son he was.

    At noon, they had a full meal altogether. And they ate some rice dumplings for the asion. The five of them conversed with smiles on their faces, the atmosphere light and warm.

    Halfway through the meal, his mother suddenly put down her chopsticks and said, ¡°Our two children have matured a lot during this time, most of all Yang Yang. If not for him, I would have broken down already.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± His father patted him on the shoulder from his wheelchair. ¡°Old Qing told me it was thanks to Yang Yang that the factory overcame the hurdle.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly Wang Zikai,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I only introduced them.¡±

    ¡°Yang Yang, you¡¯ve beening homete or even stayed the night outside sometimes,¡± his mother¡¯s tone grew heavy with concern, ¡°Is it because you¡¯ve been messing around with Wang Zikai?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded while eating. He had gotten used to using Wang Zikai as an excuse.

    ¡°That¡¯s not messing around, sweetheart.¡± His father spoke up for him.

    His mother was displeased. ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...social functions for business.¡± His father gave her an obsequious smile.

    ¡°For business? He¡¯s still a student, and studying should be his top priority.¡± His mother sighed heavily. ¡°Yang Yang, the entrance exam ising in a month. You can¡¯t start cking off now. It¡¯ll decide your future.¡±

    <i>What would decide my future had already happened, Mom. It was my awakening.</i>

    Gao Yang put away his bowl and chopsticks to nod at her reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I haven¡¯t let all this get to my study. I¡¯ve actually gotten better grades recently.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± His mother rxed a little.

    In the afternoon, Gao Yang got some cramming done in the study room.

    After awakening, his increased stats had made his mind clearer and keener. His memory was thus enhanced, and while he had been a good student before, it had be even easier for him to do well in tests.

    After dinner, they pushed Gao Yang¡¯s father around the neighborhood. His father greeted everyone they met with such optimism that their neighbors weren¡¯t sure if they should offer words offort.

    Once they returned home at night, Gao Yang started today¡¯s training. Then he took a shower and returned to his bedroomte. He turned off the light, locked his door and window, and pulled the curtains.

    Then he turned on themp on his desk and checked the potted jasmine. There was nothing noteworthy about the pot itself.

    He shifted his focus to the flowers. As expected, there was a faint, red fingerprint on one of them.

    Gao Yang picked off the petal with the fingerprint and put it to his lips for two seconds. Then he burned it by conjuring fire at his fingertip.

    Hey down on his bed. Soon, he found himself pulled into a Sweet Dream.

 Chapter 129: Headhunting

    <h4>Chapter 129: Headhunting</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and found himself submerged in an outdoor hot spring the size of a regr room. On one side of the hot spring was a thriving cherry blossom tree. The pink petals fell like rain and floated on the steaming water.

    All around him was white snow, vast and deste.

    Cherry blossoms weren¡¯t winter flowers, of course, but inside the world conjured by Sweet Dream, Liu Qingying was God. She could shape it ording to her wants and needs.

    She was inside the hot spring as well, naked. With her hair tied up, she was submerged in the water from below her sensuous corbones. She hooked a leg up to reveal her calf, a posture that was clearly meant to be seductive.

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Gao Yang was exposed to her trick, and he remained unfazed. ¡°You call?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Liu Qingying gave him an enchanting smile. ¡°How clever. I was wondering if you would guess that the flowers were from me.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled in lieu of a response.

    ¡°As I thought, you knew me well,¡± Liu Qingying spoke like they were close with a gentle, soft voice.

    Gao Yang cut in, ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no longer a secret that the Twelve Zodiac Signs executed Ghost Horse.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s known that the Hundred Rivers Union and you have found the Time-Space Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gao Yang acted calm, but inwardly, he was feeling a little disappointed. He had nned to earn a few coins with those trivial news, but Liu Qingying was more well-informed than expected.

    ¡°There are three questions I¡¯d like to ask.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°First, did Dragon take care of Ghost Horse himself? That¡¯s a C-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°Second, what is Dragon¡¯s Talent? That¡¯s S-ss.¡±

    ¡°Third, what is the force behind Ghost Horse? A-ss.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. He had wanted to ask Liu Qinying about the faction supporting Ghost Horse since the man was working with Mad Red, and he was determined to find out who Mad Red worked for to avenge Wan Sisi.

    ¡°I want to know about the group behind Ghost Horse as well,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°Do contact me if you learn of it.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°It won¡¯t be cheap though.¡±

    ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll pay the appropriate price,¡± Gao Yang said in a confidence tone. He would first make her investigate the issue before thinking about price.

    A thought came to him then. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll give you something for free. Mad Red, Talent: Detonation. He belonged to the same group as Ghost Horse when he was alive. You may start with that.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± After thinking about it for a moment, Gao Yang continued, ¡°Of your two other questions, I¡¯d answer only the first one. Ghost Horse was personally dealt with by Dragon. The rest I cannot tell you.¡±

    Liu Qingying nodded like she had expected it.

    ¡°Deal. C-ss intel is worth 3 jinwu. You may visit my restaurant any time to get your reward.¡±

    Gao Yang was filled withplicated feelings. The Twelve Zodiac Signs paid him only 5 jinwu after all the life-risking he did for them, yet giving the woman a useless piece of information earned him 3 jinwu.

    Still, he must be careful.

    The fact that Dragon had personally dealt with Ghost Horse did reveal a few things. First, it meant that Dragon took the matter seriously. Second, it proved that Dragon was powerful enough to easily resolve the matter. Third, it signified that the Twelve Zodiac Signs were ready to face their enemy.

    All those were things the Twelve Zodiac Signs wanted the outside world to know though.

    Gao Yang had merely helped spread the message a little faster. He believed it didn¡¯t constitute betrayal.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s finish things here tonight.¡±

    Gao Yang was about to close his eyes when Liu Qingying called out to him.

    ¡°Wait.¡± She smiled. ¡°I caught a hint of emotion earlier. It seems that you are dissatisfied with some aspects of your organization. Let me guess. Is it about authority, resources, rtionship, or pay?¡±

    This woman!

    Gao Yang admitted openly, ¡°Yes, I am a little dissatisfied with the pay, but it makes sense for me to be paid less since I¡¯m new.¡±

    Liu Qingying nodded with a smile, her beautiful eyes glinting. ¡°I visited you today for another matter. I wonder if you¡¯re interested?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what it is first.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to work for someone else?¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. <i>Seriously? Am I that well known already? I¡¯ve only joined for what, a month? Yet I¡¯m already getting headhunted?</i>

    ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯d consider at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed as much, but I suggest you meet up with them to see what they have to offer at least. It¡¯ll be a chance for you to find out how another organization treats their members, which wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be meeting up in my dream without leaving a trace. You won¡¯t be able to see each other¡¯s faces, and your voices will be modted.¡±

    She smiled faintly and added, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know about our exchange of information. And you¡¯re free to deny that you¡¯ve epted the meeting afterward.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet in the dream?¡± Gao Yang asked in surprise. ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°I humbly present to you what Level 5 Sweet Dream is capable of.¡±

    It was amazing for a Talent to reach level 5. Gao Yang knew that there was a bottleneck to ovee for a Talent to reach level 4, which would require the matching Rune Circuit. And past level 4, leveling up was no longer a matter concerning Rune Circuits. It was entirely up to the individual.

    At the moment, the highest a Talent had reached was level 7. It was said that there was still room for the Talent to develop, but it was terribly difficult. That was why the current consensus was that the max level for a Talent was level 8.

    Gao Yang sorted through his thoughts. ¡°I can¡¯t trust you fully yet. Who knows if you¡¯ll betray me?¡±

    ¡°That hurts.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t look hurt at all. She glided a delicate finger through the surface of the water, causing ripples along the way.

    ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve agreed to help, how about I tell you their offer on their behalf?¡±

    ¡°That I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the basics. The monthly pay is 30 jinwu. You¡¯re allowed priority to any Rune Circuit other than the Miracle Rune Circuit. You have ess to all new weapons and equipment owned by the organization. Office romance is allowed. You may deal with any monster as you see fit. And you may negotiate for other conditions in person.¡±

    <i>What the hell!</i> It was so obviously a counter to what the Twelve Zodiac Signs offered. Inparison, the Twelve Zodiac Signs might as well be a group of monks starving themselves on purpose.

    Gao Yang nodded slightly. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve guessed what organization it is.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Let me know if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Why would an organization like them be interested in a newbie like me?¡±

    ¡°I had the same question.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I don¡¯t doubt your abilities, but you keep quite the low profile from what I know. You haven¡¯t attracted too much attention.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think.¡±

    ¡°I have an exnation for that, and I can tell you for free.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that someone made a rmendation.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end things here.¡± Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    There were three formal organizations in Li City: the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Qilin Guild, and the Hundred Rivers Union.

    It wouldn¡¯t be the Union. They couldn¡¯t afford to make such oundish offers.

    That left the Qilin Guild.

    The pay alone was ten times the pay offered by the Twelve Zodiac Signs! And that would amount to 360 jinwu per year, which meant he would earn 720 jinwu in two years, more than the cost of Wu Dahai¡¯s 600-jinwu prosthetic arm!

    Moreover, Wu Dahai¡¯s arm was most likely one of the Qilin Guild¡¯s equipment for frontliners she had mentioned, which would be essible to Gao Yang as long as he joined. Wouldn¡¯t that be several times more impressive than the tactical glove he bought at the flea market?

    In the unawakened world, it was essentially an offer of tens of millions of annual ie with a bonus of a vi, an expensive car, and employee stock options. And he would¡¯ve taken it in a heartbeat were it a simple job offer.

    However, the world he found himself in was one of awakeners. There were hidden threats, unknown schemes, and unpredictable dangers all around. He couldn¡¯t be more careful.

    At the moment, what concerned Gao Yang most was the one who rmended him.

    Who could it be? Someone from the Twelve Zodiac Signs? That wouldn¡¯t make any sense.

    But he didn¡¯t know any other awakeners outside of the few members of the Hundred Rivers Union he had crossed paths with, and not only did they not know him properly, they were in no ce to make a rmendation to the Qilin Guild.

    It couldn¡¯t be the Spectre, Fresh Snow, could it?

    The Spectres were said to be living nightmares for all awakeners, and the two sides were mortal enemies.

    Wait, could it be that while the Qilin Guild acted like the righteous head of the wulin, they had been secretly colluding with the evil sect that was the Spectres?

    Hm, that would fit in a wuxia story.

    <i>Dammit, my curiosity is killing me!</i>

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and turned to Liu Qingying. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯d like to talk to their representative.¡±

 Chapter 130: Simple Interview

    <h4>Chapter 130: Simple Interview</h4>

    ¡°Really?¡± Liu Qingying looked pleased. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t really care how your meeting goes.¡± She rose from the hot spring as she spoke, the water running down her body with a ssh. Gao Yang quickly looked away.

    As if she wasn¡¯t bothered by his presence at all, she sauntered out of the hot spring to the cherry blossom tree, picking up a luxurious silk bathrobe from the wooden stand below it and putting it on.

    With her knees pressed together, she knelt beside a tea set and started making tea.

    ¡°But the other party did request me to arrange a meeting. Failing to make it happen would hurt my reputation. Thank you for doing me the favor.¡±

    ¡°Well, remember to give me a discount next time.¡± Gao Yang was only half joking.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re a practical one.¡± Liu Qingying made two cups of light tea, and cing them on two wooden trays, she sent them away on the water.

    The trays parted and moved in two different directions. One reached Gao Yang, while the other floated to the other side of the hot spring.

    With a wave of her hand, Liu Qingying conjured a quaint folding screen with the drawing of a peacock in full bloom, dividing the hot spring in half.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± asked Liu Qingying.

    ¡°I am.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath to clear his head.

    Liu Qingying snapped her fingers.

    The steam rising from the hot spring thickened at once, and soon, a figure emerged on the other side of the screen.

    ¡°Talent: Sweet Dream. It lives up to its reputation.¡±

    The voice had been modted to sound like the average man. Nothing about it stood out.

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Liu Qingying said. Her voice was as soft and captivating as ever, but there was a hint of reservation and deference to it.

    <i>It seems the guy is quite the big deal</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    And judging from his remark, this seemed to be the first time the man had ever dealt with Liu Qingying. Of course, there was the possibility that he was putting up an act.

    His headhunter seemed to be the straightforward type. Stretching his shoulders a little, the figure behind the screen said, ¡°I¡¯m ck Tortoise, one of the four Elders of the Qilin Guild. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±

    ¡°Dark Horse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± Gao Yang said,pelled to match the man in projecting importance. ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡±

    The four Elders of the Qilin Guild were, respectively, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the ck Tortoise.

    Gao Yang had heard from Wu Dahai that all four of them had Talents among the top ten on the list. They rarely made an appearance and led the Qilin Guild as core members. Basically, they held positions simr to that of War Tiger in the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    ¡°Has Miss Liu exined the purpose of this meeting?¡± asked ck Tortoise.

    ¡°She has.¡±

    ¡°And your answer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still considering it.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t reject the man outright. Otherwise, him epting the meeting would be no different from toying with him.

    After a moment of silence, ck Tortoise said, ¡°To my knowledge, you have only joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs for less than a month.¡±

    ¡°That is true.¡±

    ¡°So you can¡¯t be loyal to the organization already.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say I¡¯m loyal to them,¡± Gao Yang said while choosing his words carefully, aiming to make himself sound dignified. ¡°It¡¯s a mutually beneficial rtionship.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re young,¡± ck Tortoise said approvingly, ¡°But you¡¯re more mature than I expected.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    The man continued, ¡°A clever bird chooses the right tree as home, and a wise official chooses the right master to follow. The Qilin Guild will be the better choice for you.¡±

    He sure was confident. As expected of a member of a major organization. They had the power to back the confidence up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know your organization at all.¡±

    ¡°Knowing is a two-way effort.¡±

    ¡°What title are you offering?¡± Gao Yang pretended to be interested.

    ¡°Protector.¡±

    Gao Yang knew a thing or two about the ranks in the Qilin Guild. From the top of the pyramid to the bottom were Guildmaster, Elders, Protectors, Elites, and Members.

    The Guildmaster was naturally Qilin.

    The four Elders were Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and ck Tortoise.

    There were usually about six Protectors. They were essentially the first officers of the Elders, each leading an independent operations team.

    There were about ten Elites, and the rest were Members. The Elites and Members were split between the different operations teams.

    If Gao Yang was to jump ship, his supervisor would be Elder ck Tortoise, making him a mid-ranking manager.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know who rmended me,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know once you join officially and gain the approval of the higher-ups.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t get more information out of the man.

    ¡°I heard that,¡± Liu Qingying said after listening to the conversation quietly, ¡°The Qilin Guild imposes a trial period.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± On the other side of the screen, ck Tortoise picked up his teacup and took a sip. ¡°The trial period is one month, but that¡¯s for open recruitment. Those who enter through rmendations aren''t required to go through a trial period.¡±

    Gao Yang picked up his cup and made a show of savoring the tea as well.

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Perhaps Dark Horse can join through open recruitment.¡±

    <i>Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in how the conversation went, Miss Liu? It seems you¡¯re actually very invested.</i>

    Still, it made sense. If Gao Yang joined the Qilin Guild, he would be able to provide her with even more information.

    ¡°Recruitment done under the table may be efficient, but it¡¯ll put Dark Horse in a difficult ce.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°He joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs only a little while ago. It¡¯d hurt his reputation if news got out that he jumped ship to the Guild without warning.¡±

    ck Tortoise didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gao Yang chewed on her words.

    ¡°Open recruitment is another story. You may send an official invitation to Dark Horse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs and hold the negotiation through the official channel.¡±

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°That way, Dark Horse may prove his loyalty to the organization if he chooses to reject the offer, and if he decides to join the Guild, it¡¯ll be done in an honest, open way without the risk of tarnishing his reputation.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. That was a good middle ground.

    There was a problem, of course, which was the attention he would be attracting. After all, he would be the one person the two major organizations were vying for. That would give anyone cause to find out more.

    After some thinking, ck Tortoise said, ¡°That works for me.¡±

    ¡°Would you mind the Qilin Guild sending you an invitation, Dark Horse?¡± asked Liu Qingying.

    Gao Yang was hesitant. He did mind. He didn¡¯t want to stand out. But then he suddenly remembered the secret mission Dragon entrusted to him.

    Had the man guessed how things would pan out? Was this rted to his mission?

    Then perhaps he should let it run its course.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Gao Yang said slowly. ¡°However, I¡¯ve yet toe to a decision and make no promises.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± said ck Tortoise.

    ¡°Then I¡¯d say the two of you have reached a tentative agreement. This marks the end of the conversation.¡±

    Both Gao Yang and ck Tortoise fell silent.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll separate the two of you.¡± Liu Qingying curled up her lips. ¡°Allow me to remind you that this meeting shall be kept secret. Should either of you reveal the information, I will deny everything, and I will reject any coboration with the vitor in the future.¡±

    Gao Yang and ck Tortoise nodded.

    Soon, the steam rose and spread. Both the screen and the man on the other side vanished.

    Liu Qingying knelt down under the cherry blossom tree beside the hot spring.

    ¡°You should stay with him,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I want some time on my own.¡±

    ¡°Ha, ck Tortoise said the same.¡± Liu Qingying put on a look of disappointment. There was no telling if it was her honest feeling. ¡°Neither of you are the romantic type, it seems.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to ess the system when the hot spring started rippling all over. The cherry blossoms started wilting and falling at an elerated speed as well. The world was shaking and quickly crumbling.

    ¡°You¡¯re waking up already?¡± Liu Qingying was a little surprised.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang kept up a front to hide his nervousness.

    Not knowing how long the trade wouldst, he hadn¡¯t set an rm. Thiste, he shouldn¡¯t be waking up unless someone disturbed him or got too close to him.

    <i>Who¡¯s in my room?!</i>

 Chapter 131: Zoo

    <h4>Chapter 131: Zoo</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and immediately rolled to a stand, energy concentrated in his two hands.

    It was one o¡¯clock in the morning. In the silence of the room, the quiet moon shone through the swaying curtains. He didn¡¯t see anyone.

    His window had been closed!

    Someone was in his room earlier.

    Gao Yang quickly essed his system. His Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked.

    He rushed to the window and zeroed in on his desk, his brows knitted as he picked up a silverish white strand of hair. Under the gentle touch of the moonlight, it looked like translucent silk.

    The white cat!

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart jumped to his throat.

    He had considered applying to the organization for some trap items to install in his room, preventing intrusion while protecting himself. However, he was worried that he might anger the white cat instead, and he gave up on the idea.

    While the white cat didn¡¯t seem hostile to him at the moment, it wasn¡¯t good for his heart to see it popping up out of nowhere when he least expected it.

    Gao Yang sighed. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling to not be in control of his own fate.

    It reminded him of the animated film Dragon had talked to him about, <i>Uproar in Heaven</i>. Although the Monkey King could¡¯ve led a blissful life in Mount Huaguo, it got on his nerves that the Heavenly Court was watching everything in the mortal world from a seemingly unreachable height. Perhaps that was the real reason the Monkey King ended up stirring up trouble in heaven.

    Gao Yang no longer felt like sleeping, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he should do.

    Then his phone rang.

    Wu Dahai had sent a photo to their encoded chatroom. In the breakroom, he and War Tiger were ying games on the couch while having beer and fried chicken.

    Every day, this guy sent photos to the chatroom for attention. Gao Yang usually found him annoying, but at this moment, fellow members of the organization seemed like a source offort.

    Gao Yang responded.

    Dark Horse: Can I join?

    Electric Mouse: Come,e! True bros y games until sunrise!

    White Rabbit: You¡¯re still up, Dark Horse?

    Dark Horse: Um, can¡¯t sleep. Aren¡¯t you up too?

    White Rabbit: Well, unfortunately, I stumbled on a real good novel right before bed. Next thing I know, it¡¯s already early morning!

    Electric Mouse: What novel? Let me see!

    White Rabbit: It¡¯s written by someone called Violent Waves, titled<i> My Buddy is the Chosen One</i>. The rtionship between the two <i>very good friends</i> is amazing[1]!

    Electric Mouse: No thanks.

    Electric Mouse: Come on, Dark Horse! Teacher War Tiger is a total noob. He can¡¯t even beat me when I have a robotic arm.

    War Tiger: Help, my disciple!

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang rode the private elevator to the underground sixth floor and entered the Rabbit Room.

    Inside the breakroom, War Tiger and Wu Dahai were still ying a game on the couch. It looked like a fighting game.

    Gao Yang walked in just in time to see arge ¡®K.O.¡¯ pop up on the screen.

    War Tiger had a chicken bone in his mouth while he held a controller and insisted, ¡°Thebos don¡¯t make sense in this game!¡±

    ¡°No excuse for being a noob!¡± Wu Dahai stood on the couch, his voice impassioned. ¡°You¡¯ve lost thirty times in a row! You have to honor your word and take me and Qing Ling to the next mission. It¡¯ll be my chance.¡±

    ¡°Wu Dahai.¡± War Tiger sighed and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that you¡¯re never getting Qing Ling?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Wu Dahai insisted. ¡°She¡¯s the only girl who agreed to let me touch her. Well, it didn¡¯t actually happen, but still!¡±

    War Tiger scoffed. ¡°Do you really think of Qing Ling as someone who will do anything to get stronger?¡±

    Wu Dahai paused. ¡°Is she not?¡±

    War Tiger knocked him in the head with the controller. ¡°Think with your thick head. If Qing Ling really is that kind of person, why hasn¡¯t she let you or other perverts have their way yet?¡±

    Wu Dahai gaped. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Little Qing Ling would reject the advances for her,¡± Gao Yang cut in with a smile. ¡°No matter how many times it happens.¡±

    ¡°Bingo!¡± War Tiger nodded approvingly. ¡°For survival and power, Qing Ling, the dominant personality, has abandoned many things. But her other self, Little Qing Ling, has helped protect what she shouldn¡¯t give up as a regr girl. No matter how close you think you¡¯ve gotten to sess, Little Qing Ling will always take a stand when necessary and kick you as far away as possible.¡±

    Wu Dahai opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°So.¡± War Tiger spread his hands. ¡°Little Qing Ling is a part of Qing Ling. You have to make her ept you before Qing Ling will. But do you think it¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Wu Dahai slumped into the couch, finallying to a realization. ¡°How am I supposed to make Little Qing Ling not hate men?¡±

    ¡°Well, she doesn¡¯t hate all men.¡± War Tiger smirked and turned to Gao Yang.

    Wu Dahai looked over his shoulder to re at Gao Yang. ¡°Dark Horse! I hate you!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Gao Yang smiled awkwardly even though he had been dragged into the conversation as an innocent bystander.

    ¡°Wu Dahai, you brat,¡± War Tiger said exasperatedly, ¡°You would¡¯ve gotten into the top 30 in power ranking if only you were as persistent in getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t checked it for a while!¡± Wu Dahai forgot about his frustration as soon as he heard the mention of ranking. ¡°Nesokia Genie! Show me the real-time ranking.¡±

    The screen immediately changed to disy the ranking for awakeners.

    Wu Dahai quickly found himself, and he iled around in triumph. ¡°54th! I¡¯ve made a big leap!¡±

    War Tiger didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Well, our organization did find the Time-Space Rune Circuit. And after surviving the ambush, you got the most advanced prosthetic arm, courtesy of the Qilin Guild. All that has boosted your fame.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly found that Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and he had entered the top 70.

    ¡°But don¡¯t let it get to your head, Wu Dahai.¡± War Tiger crossed his arms. ¡°Below the top 30, the ranking is all based on empty fame. It has very little to do with actual power.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that.¡±

    Wu Dahai then muttered, ¡°But fame will help me get girls.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes lit up as he checked the top ten on the list. ¡°Teacher War Tiger, both you and Captain have moved up a spot!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± War Tiger smacked his lips at the screen. ¡°Well, that proves how important people consider the Time-Space Rune Circuit!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we almost died to get it.¡± Thinking about the strange space still made Gao Yang shudder and gave him chills.

    He went through the top ten awakeners again with more care.

    10th: Vermilion Bird

    9th: White Tiger

    8th: War Tiger

    7th: ck Tortoise

    6th: Azure Dragon

    5th: X

    4th: Alcoholic

    3rd: Surnamed Li

    2nd: Dragon

    1st: Qilin

    Surnamed Li was the head of the Hundred Rivers Union. It was certainly a very unassuming name.

    Alcoholic and X didn¡¯t seem to belong to the three major organizations. They must be prominent unaffiliate awakeners.

    Among the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Dragon and War Tiger imed two spots of the top ten, while the Qilin Guild imed the rest of the five, making their dominance in the field clear.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Wu Dahai cackled. ¡°Every time I check the top ten, I feel like I¡¯m visiting a zoo.¡±

    War Tiger chuckled as well. ¡°Well, if you guys get into the top ten as well, it¡¯ll be an actual zoo.¡±

    War Tiger¡¯s phone rang.

    He picked it up and nced at the screen, his gaze darkening.

    ¡°Who can it be at this hour?¡± asked Wu Dahai.

    ¡°It¡¯s an encoded message.¡± War Tiger made some clicks on his phone. ¡°A moment, I¡¯ll connect through bluetooth.¡±

    Soon, War Tiger¡¯s phone screen was projected on the big screen before them.

    It was an invitation from the Qilin Guild.

    <i>Fucking hell! </i>Gao Yang almost screamed out loud.

    <i>Aren¡¯t you working too efficiently, Qilin Guild? Don¡¯t you ever sleep? Wouldn¡¯t you give me some time to prepare myself?</i>

    1. <i>Xiongyong</i>, a word to describe violent waves, is a synonym to <i>Pengpai</i>, the author¡¯s pen name. And White Rabbit described the novel as depicting a touching <i>xiongdi qing</i>, bromance/male friendship, which can actually be a euphemism for m/m rtionship in China to avoid censorship. ?

 Chapter 132: Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 132: Invitation</h4>

    To the Twelve Zodiac Signs,

    First, we would like to offer our genuine congrattion to you for discovering two Rune Circuits in the matter of a month. It is of great importance to all awakeners, and we are one step closer to ourmon goal.

    ording to the<i> Agreement for the Free Movement of Talents among Organizations in Li City</i>, this guild hereby issues our sincere invitation to Dark Horse, Green Snake, and Yellow Ox of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. We hope that the three of them will consider joining the Qilin Guild and work together with us for a better future.

    We look forward to your speedy response.

    Qilin Guild

    June 4th

    Wu Dahai read through the invitation word by word and pped his thigh, eximing, ¡°Holy shit! Crazy! The Qilin Guild is openly recruiting you! Talk about honor!¡±

    Gao Yang knew this wasing, but he didn¡¯t expect Qing Ling and Officer Huang to be included.

    Well, there were three possibilities.

    First, ck Tortoise did want the two of them too.

    Second, they were a smokescreen for ck Tortoise to cover up the fact that he wanted Gao Yang.

    Third, ck Tortoise hoped to achieve his goal by applying pressure, the subtext being, ¡®I¡¯m asking for three, but you should at least give me one. Otherwise I¡¯ll consider it an insult, and I won¡¯t be as polite next time!¡¯

    ¡°Haha, how interesting.¡± War Tiger crossed his legs and rested his feet on the tea table, a bemused expression on his face. Leisurely, he took a sip of beer.

    Then his phone rang. It was White Rabbit.

    She had received the encoded message as well.

    War Tiger unlocked his phone and put her on speaker. Her yells immediately rang through the room.

    ¡°Qilin Guild the fxxxing xxxxxxxxx! Who do they think they are? What disgusting xxxxxx! They fancy themselves the boss? I¡¯ll xxxxx their xxxxx xxxxxx...¡±

    Gao Yang and Wu Dahai gaped. This was the first time they heard White Rabbit curse, and the number of swear words she got in as well as the sheer variety were honestly quite impressive.

    White Rabbit was in charge of human resources for the Twelve Zodiac Signs. The headhunting must have hit her most sensitive nerve.

    ¡°Calm down, Rabbit,¡± War Tiger reassured her simply.

    ¡°<i>Calm down?</i> How am I supposed to be calm? They¡¯re openly after our members! All three of our newbies! What, are they just gonna render all my hardwork this year useless?!¡±

    War Tiger cated her, ¡°That¡¯s a little unfair. Didn¡¯t you get Heavenly Dog from the Qilin Guild as well?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same!¡± She raised her voice even further. ¡°Heavenly Dog was still in his trial period, and he was thinking about jumping ship because he didn¡¯t like the Qilin Guild. Only then did I approach him. I y my role with impable ethics!¡±

    War Tiger thought about it and said, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we give the three of them some time to decide for themselves?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± White Rabbit was ready to kill a man. ¡°None of them are leaving! Or I¡¯ll break their legs!¡±

    ¡°And you talked about your work ethics.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Go back to your bromance novel.¡±

    War Tiger hung up and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°What do you think, Yang Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang hid his guilt under a mask of nonchnce. ¡°Not interested.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± War Tiger curled his lips. ¡°It¡¯s the Qilin Guild. Putting aside all other matters, the pay they offer must be several times higher.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Wu Dahai looked envious. ¡°There are so many beautiful girls there, and they allow office romance!¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to, but they didn¡¯t invite me, did they? If I go, I¡¯ll be the lowliest pawn.¡± Wu Dahai huffed from his nose. ¡°I¡¯d rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Got it?¡±

    War Tiger put an arm around Wu Dahai¡¯s neck. ¡°Haizi, my boy, Uncle Tiger doesn¡¯t like how you put it!¡±

    ¡°Ow, ow!¡± Wu Dahai cried out.

    ¡°<i>Chicken</i>? Is that how you see the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    ¡°No no no!¡± Wu Dahai begged for mercy with his face flushed. ¡°I misspoke! I¡¯m uneducated! I made a mistake. Please spare me, Uncle Tiger!¡±

    War Tiger let go of him and threw him a disapproving nce. ¡°Besides, you ain¡¯t the head of a chicken in the Twelve Zodiac Signs. At best you¡¯re the chicken butt. If you go to the Qilin Guild, you¡¯re gonna be the phoenix¡¯s poop.¡±

    ...

    Came morning, Gao Yang went to school. The self-study session and the rest of the morning passed uneventfully.

    At noon, Gao Yang secretly met up with Qing Ling in the second-floorb for information exchanges. Gao Yang made sure to bring a lunchbox to the cafeteria to get Qing Ling three vegetable dishes, one protein dish, and a meaty chicken leg.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t turn his offer down. With great seriousness and awe, she finished the lunch Gao Yang prepared for her. The chicken leg was so big that she got oil all around her mouth.

    Gao Yang stifled augh and gave her a napkin. She cast the chicken bone away, wiping her mouth before wiping her fingers. It was cute how seriously she went about it.

    Once she was about done, Gao Yang asked, ¡°What do you think about the Qilin Guild¡¯s offer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Qing Ling said decisively.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s reasoning was simple. ¡°I can keep getting stronger following War Tiger, but it may not be the case at the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Gao Yang nodded. It was a very Qing Ling answer.

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still considering it.¡±

    ¡°What is there to consider?¡± Qing Ling frowned, feeling a mix of confusion and displeasure.

    ¡°Well, as you said, the strong rule over the weak in this world, and the Qilin Guild is stronger than the Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± Gao Yang said in a half-joking tone. ¡°It makes sense for me to consider getting a more powerful support, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Qing Ling fell silent.

    She wanted Gao Yang to stay. They werepanions, andpanions should stick together.

    But why wouldn¡¯t she go with Gao Yang then?

    It was because while Gao Yang was important to her, he wasn¡¯t as important as her pursuit of power. Then she was in no ce to ask Gao Yang to stay. He had every right to prioritize himself over hispanions as well.

    ¡°Do what you want,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    ...

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang and Qing Ling met up in their usual alleyway and changed into casual clothes before heading to the Millennium Tower, located in the Daxu District.

    Outside of Dragon, everyone was going to the underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower to discuss the matter of the Qilin Guild¡¯s headhunting. The meeting would be led by War Tiger and White Rabbit.

    As usual, Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked arm-in-arm, pretending to be a loving couple. They exited the subway stationte at night. At some point, it had started pouring.

    Although they wouldn¡¯t mind braving the rain to get to the Millennium Tower, two humans walking in pouring rain would attract unwanted attention. Since they still had time, they decided to get away from the rain under an awning by the street, waiting for the rain to relent a little.

    As soon as they got some shelter, a song started ying inside the flower shop behind them. It was a song by the King of Milk Tea, Jay Chou. <i>What is most beautiful isn¡¯t the rainy day, but the awning we have found shelter under...</i>[1]

    Gao Yang awkwardly cleared his throat and looked to the side at Qing Ling. Her dark hair was drenched, the tip of the strands dripping droplets of water on her fair neck and corbones. She took out a rubber band from her pocket and gathered her hair with both hands to tie it into a high ponytail.

    Gao Yang noticed on her wrist the Twin Bracelet she bought back in the haunted house market.

    ¡°Does it work, the Twin Bracelet?¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything, but her hardening expression made it clear that she hadn¡¯t yet ovee the obstacle on her path to leveling up.

    Gao Yang shut his mouth out of consideration.

    ¡°Hey, why are you staying out there? Come on in.¡±

    The ss door behind them opened, the wind chimes clinking.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling turned around, surprised.

    1. Jay Chou¡¯s <i>Secret</i> ?

 Chapter 133: Sheltered From Rain

    <h4>Chapter 133: Sheltered From Rain</h4>

    The young woman standing inside the flower shop was dressed in a patterned apron, her brte curls cascaded softly down her shoulders. She was a gentle but stunning beauty.

    ¡°Songstress?¡±

    Gao Yang recognized her at first nce. Then he looked up at the signboard. It said, ¡®Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers.¡¯

    ¡°Ah, so this is where your shop is. It¡¯s quite close to the base.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Songstress nodded with a smile. ¡°Come in and have a seat. The rain will stop soon. Then we¡¯ll go together.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked into the flower shop. They were surprised again when they saw a college student with delicate features and a small ponytail behind his head. With both hands in his pocket, he had a wireless headphone on his head and a ck messenger bag on his shoulder, looking at a potted split-leaf philodendron closely.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog?¡± Gao Yang called out to him.

    Heavenly Dog slowly turned around and lifted one side of the headphones, waving at him and Qing Ling. ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here to get out of the rain too?¡± Gao Yang noticed his drenched bang and the wet spots on his shoulders.

    ¡°Yeah, forgot my umbre,¡± Heavenly Dog drawled.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do for others to see the shop upied by four humans.¡± Songstress smiled and quickly turned around to flip the board that said ¡®open¡¯ on the outside to ¡®closed¡¯.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the second floor? I¡¯ll be right with you after closing down shop.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Heavenly Dog yawned and walked up the small stairs on the far side of the shop. Gao Yang was hit with a bout of drowsiness as well. They really had to avoid talking to Songstress too much.

    The second floor of the shop was actually a mezzanine level with two bedrooms and one living room. The living room was renovated in the style of a cozy coffee shop with wooden floor, bean bag sofa, rugs, potted creepers, window walls, and a bar.

    They sat down on the sofa. Neither Heavenly Dog nor Qing Ling were the talkative sorts, and the three of them exchanged nces without saying anything.

    Soon, Songstress walked up.

    She gave them a smile and made a gesture telling them that she would be making coffee. Then she moved to the bar to do just that.

    After a moment, Gao Yang initiated a conversation with Heavenly Dog, ¡°Do youe to Songstress¡¯ shop often, Heavenly Dog?¡±

    ¡°On holidays, I buy flowers for my mother.¡± After a pause, Heavenly Dog added, ¡°She likes flowers.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that so?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to waste his time beating around the bush too much, so he got to the point. ¡°I heard that you used to be a trainee at the Qilin Guild?¡±

    Heavenly Dog slumped into the sofa with his eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°Yeah, I awakened during my freshman year in college. The Qilin Guild approached me then.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Heavenly Dog said concisely.

    ¡°Um, care to exin?¡±

    ¡°Well, it feels like going to work.¡± Heavenly Dog sighed softly. ¡°Working is troublesome.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded in understanding.

    Inparison, the Twelve Zodiac Signs was a lot more rxed. Outside of the dangerous missions they went on like the exploration of Rune Caves, the organization operated more like a studio where everyone was friends, or even a big extended family.

    From the bar came the sound of water rushing through the coffee machine. Songstress gave them a small smile and gestured at them to wait a little longer.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mind wandered. The Twelve Zodiac Signs was likely a gathering of mostly kindhearted people with moral codes. After all, the test where they had to refrain from killing a wanderer would¡¯ve disqualified many awakeners.

    And most of them were ruled by heart and disliked structure. White Rabbit was an exception, of course. She was a workaholic, but her workaholism stemmed from her seeing the organization as her family, and she cared deeply.

    Silence returned. Gao Yang turned to look out of the window walls. It was still pouring rain, and the street was free of any pedestrians. The lively neon light bloomed in the vapor of rain like watercolor.

    It was the perfect setting to enjoy a cup of freshly made coffee with thepany of gentle music. And a fat cat for snuggling would be the icing on the cake. How did some novels put it? Yes, it was a moment of quiet serenity amid the chaotic times.

    Gao Yang¡¯s straying mind suddenly came to a sharp focus.

    Through the window, his eyes zeroed in on the narrow alleyway across the road. There stood a man in all ck holding a ck umbre.

    Even with the pouring rain obscuring the figure, Gao Yang could tell that it was Ghost Horse!

    <i>Beep¡ª</i>

    A small truck sped through the damp road, blocking his line of sight, and when it moved out of the way two secondster, Ghost Horse had already disappeared from the alley.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qing Ling had noticed the minute change in Gao Yang¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I think I saw...¡± Gao Yang stopped himself when Songstress came up to them with three cups of coffee.

    ¡°Enjoy.¡±

    He took a cup and said, ¡°I thought I saw an old friend from school. I must have seen it wrong.¡±

    Qing Ling took her cup and didn¡¯t push.

    Under the guise of enjoying the coffee, Gao Yang fell into deep thought.

    That man was Ghost Horse. He was sure he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong. But was it truly possible for someone toe back to life?

    At least none of the Talents from serial number 11 to 199 were capable of such a feat. Of course, there was the possibility that among the top 10 Talents was an unbelievable power capable of bringing the dead back to life.

    He did know of a Talent that could achieve something simr though: Feigned Death, serial number 58, Life-type.

    ording to the information provided by the list, users of Feigned Death woulde back to life a certain duration after their ¡®death¡¯ so long as their head, heart, and body weren¡¯t seriously damaged.

    Did Ghost Horse have Feigned Death? Was he actually an awakener with three Talents?

    It didn¡¯t seem likely. Since Dragon could tell that Ghost Horse had Teleportation, it didn¡¯t make sense for him to miss a third Talent.

    Assuming that Ghost Horse had trulye back to life, why did he show up near Songstress¡¯ shop?

    Did he simply miss her? Or was he observing her for a chance to convert her? If it was thetter, wouldn¡¯t it be safer and more convenient to approach her through Telepathy?

    Gao Yang decided to keep it from Songstress and Heavenly Dog for the moment. He would tell Qing Ling and Officer Huang, and War Tiger too so that the man could make the call.

    Half an hourter, the pouring rain stopped.

    Songstress led the three of them through the back alley and a lesser known shortcut to arrive at the back door of the Millennium Tower. As usual, they rode the private elevator to the underground sixth floor.

    Before the meeting, Gao Yang caught War Tiger when he was alone and told him about Ghost Horse.

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be 100% sure,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But I feel like I should let you know ASAP.¡±

    ¡°Good man.¡± War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look into it. Let¡¯s go to the meeting first.¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, everyone outside of Dragon gathered in the Mouse Room, sitting around the long conference table.

    White Rabbit led the meeting. She projected the encoded invitation from the Qilin Guild on the screen and rattled off a litany of curses, insulting everyone at the Qilin Guild and their whole extended family. Only then did she calm down.

    ¡°Take a breather, Rabbit.¡± War Tigerughed and made a palm-down gesture at her.

    With a huff, White Rabbit sat down.

    War Tiger turned to the other members. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±

    As the ones being recruited, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang weren¡¯t in the ce to share their thoughts.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why did they go for the three newbies?¡± Wu Dahai spoke up first. ¡°They should¡¯ve gone after the experienced, outstanding members like us!¡±

    War Tiger shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Good question. Stop asking.¡±

    ¡°Are you a moron?¡± White Rabbit rolled her eyes. ¡°Recruiting senior members like us would be no different from weing wolves into their fold. Why would they do that?¡±

    She then turned to the three of them. ¡°They are different. They have only joined a while ago.¡±

    In other words, they weren¡¯t loyal to the organization, and they would be easy to train and win over.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Dead Pig guffawed before saying something surprisingly astute. ¡°I would pick them too were I at the Qilin Guild. In the one month since their joining, they have entered two Rune Caves and got something out of it both times. Who knows how else they will surprise us? There are a lot of benefits to getting them.¡±

    ¡°Well said.¡± War Tiger smiled knowingly. ¡°If they agree to join, it¡¯s a great plus. If they don¡¯t, this offer will serve as a significant temptation that will go on to undermine the solidarity of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. There¡¯s no downside to it.¡±

    ¡°Those fucking snakes!¡± Wu Dahai growled. ¡°We can¡¯t let them have their way!¡±

    ¡°It seems the Prophecy of Seven is true,¡± Heavenly Dog said with a hint of concern in his usuallyzy voice.

    ¡°What is the Prophecy of Seven?¡± Gao Yang was ever the curious one.

 Chapter 134: Prophecy of Seven

    <h4>Chapter 134: Prophecy of Seven</h4>

    ¡°I told you about the risk assessment model done by an awakened mathematician, didn¡¯t I?¡± White Rabbit turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Remember?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Well!¡± Wu Dahai cut in loudly. ¡°That guy also said that the moment the seventh Rune Circuit was found was the moment a civil war between awakeners would break out. That¡¯s known as the Prophecy of Seven.¡±

    The meeting room fell silent.

    Gao Yang was immediately reminded of Mad Red, of Ghost Horse¡¯s betrayal, of the unknown entities that were Fresh Snow and the white cat, and the mysterious mission Dragon gave him.

    Perhaps the Prophecy of Seven was right, and a storm had already been brewing.

    War Tiger pped and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not stray too far from the main agenda.¡±

    ¡°About our three newbies getting headhunted.¡±

    War Tiger smiled carefreely. ¡°I believe we should respect their wishes and allow them to decide whether to stay, but White Rabbit believes that we are a team, and that the decision should be made by everyone.¡±

    White Rabbit still sounded angry. ¡°Neither of us can convince the other.¡±

    ¡°So, let¡¯s put it to vote.¡± War Tiger stood up and put his hands on the table. ¡°Outside of the three members in question here, everyone else is to cast a vote. Those who agree with me, put out rocks. Those who agree with White Rabbit, go with scissors.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± White Rabbit urged. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate and don¡¯t look at each other. Follow your heart, you hear me?¡±

    Everyone raised their hands one after another.

    Lovely Lamb, Wu Dahai, and Dead Pig went with scissors, while Songstress, Heavenly Dog, and Mischievous Monkey made rocks.

    That was about what Gao Yang expected.

    Lovely Lamb and Wu Dahai probably simply didn¡¯t want them to go.

    Dead Pig might look easygoing, but he was an adult who had been through his fair share of difficulties and would think about the matter more practically. Thus, he wouldn¡¯t want the organization to lose valuable manpower.

    Songstress seemed like an artistic soul, and Heavenly Dog was a free spirit. Both would value freedom and disapprove of restrictions. It was only natural that they wouldn¡¯t impose limits on others.

    As for Mischievous Monkey, someone his age would be beyond rules and follow the flow rather than trying to force a matter to change course.

    ¡°Three and three. That¡¯s a split.¡± War Tiger seemed conflicted for a moment before he suddenly raised his fist. ¡°I vote myself!¡±

    ¡°I vote myself too!¡± White Rabbit quickly made a scissor. ¡°That¡¯s four to four.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten something, Rabbit?¡± War Tiger reminded her with a grin.

    Gao Yang was the first toe to the realization. ¡°Teacher War Tiger is the vice-captain, and ording to the rules, the votes of Captain and Vice-Captain are weighted in a split vote, each considered 1.5 votes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, haha!¡± War Tiger put his hands on his hip and stuck out his tongue at White Rabbit. ¡°I win!¡±

    At that moment, everyone had to wonder if the middle-aged man had the mental maturity of a three-year-old.

    White Rabbit tamped down the urge to punch him and inhaled deeply to calm herself. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s the result of a vote. I¡¯ll ept it.¡±

    She turned to Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang. ¡°Whether you¡¯re going to leave or stay is up to you.¡±

    She immediately turned to stalk out of the meeting room and mmed the door shut. It seemed that she didn¡¯t want to face the results that were toe.

    ¡°No rush. You should sleep on it and give me the answer tomorrow.¡± War Tiger pped. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it for today. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Officer Huang offered Gao Yang and Qing Ling a ride home.

    Officer Huang drove out of the Millennium Tower, but instead of going straight to their homes, he stopped at an old street in the neighborhood.

    Inside a quaint alley was aundromat that seemed to have gone out of business. The rusty rolling door was half open. The signboard hanging precariously over the door said, ¡®Ah-Qiang Laundromat¡¯.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the ce?¡± Gao Yang asked Officer Huang as he closed the car door.

    Officer Huang checked the name card in his hand. It was for ¡®Ah-Qiang Laundromat¡¯, and on the back, someone had written, ¡®All three, 2 a.m.¡¯

    Officer Huang wasn¡¯t sure what was happening either, but War Tiger had handed him this name card after the meeting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check.¡±

    The three of them scanned around to make sure they weren¡¯t followed and that the old street lights weren¡¯t equipped with surveince cameras. Only then did they cautiously bend down to enter theundromat.

    The rolling door dropped close, making the sound of metal unfurling. With the light turned off, the interior was pitch ck. And the dozen washing machines started at once, making rotating sounds. The chorus of sounds blended and morphed into white noise, which wasn¡¯t unpleasant to the ears.

    Suddenly, there was a spark on the far side of theundromat, lighting up the dark corner.

    Someone was smoking.

    Then War Tiger¡¯s icy voice came from the corner, ¡°Come here.¡±

    After a pause, Officer Huang said in a purposefully casual tone, ¡°It looks like you¡¯re going to assassinate us, Teacher War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t even dare approach,¡± Gao Yang agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°If you don¡¯te here, I¡¯ll go to you.¡±

    The three of them walked up to him.

    Only when he was close enough did Gao Yang get a good look at War Tiger. Awash in shadow, the man sat on a blue weathered stic stool dressed in a pair of shorts and a wife beater. He smoked leisurely with his legs crossed and his back pressed to the wall.

    ¡°Do you know why I called you here?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°For the headhunting thing?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. What do you think?¡± War Tiger took a drag and slowly exhaled the smoke. ¡°Uncle Tiger isn¡¯t the devil, but I hate liars. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Loud and clear.¡± Officer Huang was quick to swear allegiance. ¡°I¡¯m not going to the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°Because?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°Because I believe in the future of our organization more.¡±

    ¡°Spare me the empty words.¡±

    ¡°And the base is close to both my home and my workce,¡± Officer Huang said seriously. ¡°The Qilin Guild¡¯s base is too far.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it counts as a reason. What else?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve agreed to help me figure out my wife¡¯s pregnancy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I will do everything I can to help you. Just wait for good news.¡± War Tiger waved him away. ¡°Alright. Next.¡±

    Qing Ling went ahead and gave her answer, ¡°I¡¯m not going to the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°Because?¡± War Tiger asked the same question.

    ¡°You can make me stronger.¡±

    War Tiger smiled. ¡°Does that mean you will stay with us until you can defeat me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± War Tiger took another drag of his cigarette, pleased. ¡°How about you, Dark Horse?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Gao Yang said before he even recognized what he was saying.

    ¡°Because?¡±

    <i>Because your other hand is holding a dagger. Do you really think I wouldn''t notice? Who knows if you wouldn¡¯t execute me here if I say I wanna leave? You sure are crazy enough to do that.</i>

    ¡°Mypanions are here,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°And Captain told me he had high expectations for me. He promised to reward me as long as I do my job well.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t reveal Dragon¡¯s mission in full, but War Tiger should be smart enough to figure it out.

    After a short pause, War Tiger nodded.

    Then he slowly tipped his head back and exhaled white smoke into the darkness, casting the dagger in his other hand aside. It nged as it hit the floor.

    ¡°Good. The three of you will get to walk out of this ce alive.¡±

    Gao Yang shuddered. <i>He¡¯s crazy! Totally mad!</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me for being heartless.¡± War Tiger¡¯s smile was somewhat rueful and resigned. ¡°There¡¯s something Dragon and I agree on.¡±

 Chapter 135: Insider

    <h4>Chapter 135: Insider</h4>

    War Tiger stood up and cast the cigarette butt at the wall, sending a sputter of sparks.

    ¡°From now on, thepetition between organizations for talents, resources, and influence will gradually reach a teau, and it¡¯s only a matter of time before the civil war breaks out. All three of you are new blood with great potential, and you know quite a lot of secrets about our organization. I cannot allow you to join the Qilin Guild, or you¡¯ll be a great risk for us.¡±

    ¡°Is the Prophecy of Seven really true?¡± Officer Huang asked, unable to ept it. ¡°We¡¯re all awakeners, and we¡¯re after the same goal. Why can¡¯t we ovee the difficulties together?¡±

    ¡°And who told you that we shared a goal?¡± War Tiger asked.

    Officer Huang was silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re a cop, Yellow Ox. How can you know less about human nature and desires than Wu Dahai?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled wryly in the dark. ¡°How can I not know? I know it all too well.¡±

    He simply didn¡¯t want to face reality. He was going to be a father. Even though the world was already a hellish ce, he hoped for it to be a little less harsh for his child.

    ¡°Pull your head out of the sand and discard your wishful thinking. Be ready to fight.¡± War Tiger raised his voice. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs will not be the first to open fire, but we will not be the first to get hit. Since you¡¯ve chosen where your allegiance lies, you will stay true and steadfast. Got it?¡±

    The three of them nodded.

    War Tiger then said, ¡°There¡¯s another reason I asked you toe.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Among the three of you,¡± War Tiger said in a low voice. ¡°At least one will join the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Officer Huang was caught off guard, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out what the man was suggesting. ¡°Do you want one of us to be...¡±

    ¡°A spy,¡± Gao Yang spelled it out for him.

    ¡°Yes,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°We¡¯ll seize this chance to nt someone in the Qilin Guild.¡±

    Officer Huang sucked in a breath. ¡°You¡¯re asking us to go on a suicide mission, Teacher War Tiger! It¡¯s the Qilin Guild we¡¯re talking about!¡±

    It hadn¡¯t been long since the matter with Ghost Horse was settled.

    Although he was an enemy, he served as a good example for them. He had beenying low with great caution for so many years, yet he still ended up exposed.

    It would only be more difficult to be a spy in the Qilin Guild. Rather than walking on highwire, it would be akin to walking on a strand of hair.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. If you want me to go, I¡¯d rather you kill me now.¡± Officer Huang didn¡¯t even bother to think of an excuse.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going either.¡± Qing Ling was also determined. ¡°I want to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°How about you, Yang Yang?¡±

    <i>Don¡¯t call me Yang Yang. Every time you use the cringy nickname, it¡¯s because of something bad.</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed his words and after some deliberation, he decided it was too much of a risk to y spy. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go either.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± War Tiger said like he had expected their answers. ¡°I admit it is a little too much.¡±

    ¡°How about this? You won¡¯t be a spy. Simply stay in the Qilin Guild and observe. When you¡¯ve gained the trust of the Guild and when the right timees, you¡¯ll decide if you¡¯re gonna y the proper role of a spy.¡±

    ¡°If the right time neveres?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Two options.¡± War Tiger extended two fingers. ¡°First, resign ande back to the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Second, continue toy low and wait for the right time toe.¡±

    War Tiger continued, ¡°Bottom line is we must have someone nted in the Qilin Guild. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t act as a spy, but you will be our eyes and ears.¡±

    Officer Huang thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Teacher. My answer is still no.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Officer Huang called out in surprise. ¡°Are you out of your mind? This is not a joke!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not out of my mind. I¡¯ve thought things through.¡± Gao Yang smiled at Qing Ling and Officer Huang. ¡°You stay with Qing Ling. I won¡¯t be a spy, but I¡¯ll be an observer in the Qilin Guild.¡±

    Gao Yang agreed because he recalled the mission Dragon gave him. For some reason, he had a feeling that the mission had something to do with this.

    Qing Ling had talked to Gao Yang about it in the morning, so she wasn¡¯t too surprised by his decision, and she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Little Yang Yang.¡± War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, for real. But truth be told, you are the best candidate.¡±

    ¡°To y this role, you need to be brave and strategic, and you must know to be patient and lurk around like a worm. You are a grade A lurker.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed a snort. Was that supposed to be apliment?

    ¡°But let me be clear about one thing. I¡¯ll be an observer and nothing else,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°You can¡¯t force me to do any espionage. I¡¯m not stealing confidential documents, assassinating people, or coborating with your mission on the inside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± War Tiger made him a promise. ¡°The Qilin Guild is a rival of ours rather than an enemy. It won¡¯te to that just yet.¡±

    Gao Yang joked, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll consider this a training period at a big corporation.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± War Tiger said approvingly. ¡°You have to look at the bright side.¡±

    ¡°When am I going?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a highschool student and have to go to ss during the day. How about tomorrow evening? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°That soon?¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. He had thought he would be given a few days for some training and maybe swear an oath. Then he would have a proper send-off with hispanions. After all, there was no telling when he would get to return.

    He didn¡¯t expect War Tiger to so decisively give him away tomorrow.

    ¡°Soon?¡± War Tiger shook his head with a smile. ¡°Others have been setting up the board before the Prophecy of the Seven was even known. We¡¯regging behind way too much. It¡¯s time for us to adjust our rule to not make a move until a move is made against us.¡±

    ...

    With awakening came a boost in stamina. It wasn¡¯t a big problem to skip sleep for a night.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang were in no mood to go home and retire to bed.

    When the dawn was going to break, they went to the Sixth Deafman Beef Noodle.

    They each ordered a bowl of beef rice noodle with fried egg and dug in. Halfway through the meal, Officer Huang put away his chopsticks and said disapprovingly, ¡°I still think you¡¯re being too rash, Gao Yang. If all three of us stood our ground earlier, War Tiger wouldn¡¯t have forced us.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything, but it was clear from the little change in her expression that she agreed with Officer Huang.

    ¡°Maybe so.¡±

    Gao Yangid down his chopsticks as well. He couldn¡¯t tell them about the secret mission from Dragon, so he opted to give them an awkward smile. ¡°Do you remember what you said before, Officer Huang?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You said that I was dangerous, and that staying near me would bring an early death.¡±

    Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it seriously. Why would you take it to heart?¡±

    ¡°Because you may be right.¡± Gao Yang thought of Li Weiwei, Wan Sisi, and Old Wang.

    A wave of sadness crept up to him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t get to eat rice noodles together after this.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Officer Huang cheered him up. ¡°The support of an organization is temporary, whilepanions are for forever. Remember, we are on the same boat no matter where you are.¡±

    Touched, Gao Yang nodded in response.

    Then for the first time since he knew them, he advised them like an adult would a child, ¡°Keep close to War Tiger, Qing Ling, Officer Huang. Take care of yourselves and stay alert.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s hands stopped for a moment with noodles between her chopsticks, and she said with steel in her voice, ¡°Worry about yourself.¡±

    Gao Yang said self-deprecatingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As War Tiger said, I¡¯m a grade A lurker.¡±

    Qing Ling dropped her chopsticks suddenly and looked up to meet his eyes.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang felt self-conscious under her scrutiny. He wondered if he had gotten something on his face.

    Then Qing Ling quickly took off the Twin Bracelet on her wrist and handed it to him. ¡°Take it.¡±

    Gao Yang asked after a pause, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless to me,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the money to pay you back, so I¡¯ll give you this for the debt.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Gao Yang took the bracelet. He could still feel the lingering warmth from Qing Ling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± That was all Qing Ling said before going back to her rice noodles.

    ¡°Roger that.¡± Gao Yang nodded with a smile and put on the bracelet.

 Chapter 136: Seven Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 136: Seven Shadow</h4>

    Late at night, a ck jeep parked by a road near the school gate.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang purposefully stayed until everyone else had left and walked out of the almost empty campus. He first went to the usual alleyway to change into casual clothes and put on a mask before heading straight to the jeep, getting into the passenger seat.

    With one hand on the driving wheel, War Tiger cast the cigarette butt in his other hand out of the window, into the trash can. ¡°Uncle Tiger will send you off to yourst day.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gao Yang was just about to put on his seatbelt. He almost jumped out of the car at the man¡¯s words.

    War Tigerughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s not what I meant to say. I mean I¡¯m sending you off on yourst day with us.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s heart was in his throat. His soul almost left his body.

    War Tiger started the car and stepped on the elerator.

    The jeep sped through the night. War Tiger said in a low voice, ¡°You told me yesterday that you might have seen Ghost Horse. I went to the cemetery to check his grave today.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°The body¡¯s gone,¡± War Tiger said with a dark look on his face.

    As expected, he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong!

    ¡°It seems very likely that Ghost Horse has been brought back to life.¡± War Tiger nced at him. ¡°That¡¯s another merit on your record. I really will miss you.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at the man¡¯s profile as he drove. ¡°There¡¯s a favor I¡¯d like to ask you, Teacher War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Both Qing Ling and Officer Huang have saved my life, and they were the ones who guided me into the world of awakeners. We...¡±

    ¡°Alright. Enough with the sentimental stuff, or I will break into tears.¡± War Tiger raised a hand. ¡°I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to ensure their safety.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Your promise is reassuring.¡±

    War Tiger fished out an almost empty pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. ¡°Having a weakness isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. It can be used against you, but sometimes, it makes you stronger.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought.

    War Tiger continued, ¡°More importantly, those with weaknesses are less likely to lose their way in their pursuit of their goals.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Teacher. It¡¯s enlightening.¡± And Gao Yang was being genuine.

    Traffic was smooth thiste at night, and War Tiger was able to drive fast. They reached the Qingyang Bridge in no time.

    On the other end of the bridge was the Feiyang District, the Qilin Guild¡¯s territory.

    Gao Yang was reminded of something. ¡°Teacher War Tiger, how am I supposed to contact you in the future?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t. Just do what you have to do.¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°Remember, you will be underprehensive monitoring once you join, and you can¡¯t be too careful until you¡¯ve earned some trust.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Be patient and umte strength without attracting attention. You have to fool yourself in order to fool the Qilin Guild. When the timees, I¡¯ll find a way to contact you.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯d like to make something clear.¡± War Tiger¡¯s eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, but his gaze turned icy. ¡°You may give up ande back to us, but you will not betray us. If you get tempted by them and turn into a double agent, I won¡¯t let you off the hook. No matter where you go, even the edge of the world, I will find you and kill you. I swear on my honor.¡±

    Gao Yang was prepared for that, yet he still couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    ¡°Of course.¡± War Tiger broke into a friendly smile. ¡°Little Yang Yang is the best. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t disappoint me, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s right.¡± Gao Yang gave him a matching beam.

    ...

    War Tiger parked the car by the ancient-themed walking street and let Gao Yang off. He walked through the boisterous crowd enjoying their night life with his hands in his pockets and his face covered by a cap and a mask. Spotting an opening, he dove into a hidden alleyway and made several turns, entering the Walled City of Ten Dragons. Gao Yang came to an involuntary stop when he walked past the dying tree at the center of the cyberpunk-style za.

    He could still remember the time he came here to have barbecue with White Rabbit and Wu Dahai like yesterday. It was his first foray into the world of awakeners.

    He checked his phone and saw that he had been kicked out of the encoded chat group of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. It was done by White Rabbit.

    Not knowing the truth, she must hate his guts now. Gao Yang smiled bitterly and put his phone back in his pocket, walking toward the brightly-lit building on the side. It was the ck Tortoise branch of the Qilin Guild.

    Past the revolving door, the front desk was still manned by the two young women dressed in ck and white <i>qipao </i>respectively.

    ¡°Greetings. This is the ck Tortoise branch of the Qilin Guild. How may we help you?¡±

    ¡°Dark Horse, formerly of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Gao Yang took off his mask and did his best to speak in a low, steady voice. ¡°Here to join the Guild.¡±

    ¡°A moment, please.¡± The woman in ck leaned in to check theputer. She got back to him soon, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It is registered in the system already.¡±

    The woman in white took a look and turned back to him with a smile. ¡°Mr. Dark Horse. Congrattions on joining the Qilin Guild. You will be a Protector and the captain of the fifth operations team, under Elder ck Tortoise. You will need a Protector name for onboarding and relevant materials.¡±

    ¡°Protector name?¡± Gao Yang hadn¡¯t thought about it. ¡°Whatever I want it to be?¡±

    ¡°No, there are naming conventions to follow.¡± The woman in white smiled. ¡°The name for a Protector consists of two parts. The first is a number, and the second is a natural element, such as tree, grass, flower, forest, wind, fire, ice, thunder, water, me, earth, gold, wood, light, or shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang blinked. That sounded like how people used to make up guild names in online games.

    Gao Yang¡¯s lucky number was seven, and ¡®shadow¡¯ would fit his role as someone observing from the dark.

    ¡°Seven Shadow,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Wow, what a great name!¡± the two women said at the same time, giving him a polite and disingenuous smile.

    Gao Yang suspected that they would still praise him even if he named himself ¡®Two Walls¡¯[1].

    ¡°Please follow me, Protector Seven Shadow...¡± The woman in ck walked out of the front desk to lead the way.

    ¡°What? Another dead?¡±

    It was then a man marched out of the lobby while talking loudly into his phone.

    Gao Yang gave him a once-over. The man seemed to be about 190 centimeters tall[2], built burly like a bear and densely packed with muscles under the gray T-shirt and jeans. He had a full head of hair and his body was covered in thick hair as well. He also had a bushy beard. From a distance, he looked like arge gray bear.

    With his phone in hand, he shouted at the front desk, ¡°Where¡¯s Lithe Snake? Why isn¡¯t he picking up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact him for you.¡± The woman in white immediately took out her phone.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± The man nced at Gao Yang and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Where did the kide from?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s our new...¡±

    ¡°Ah, the new guy!¡± the man interrupted roughly. ¡°Good. Do you drive? Get the car for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The man turned to leave but turned back when he remembered something. ¡°You got a new code name? You can¡¯t use your old one.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow,¡± Gao Yang responded.

    After half a second, the man shouted at the women at the front desk, ¡°What are you two doing?! Why didn¡¯t you exin the rules to him?¡±

    He then patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°You may not know the rules since you¡¯re new, young man. Let me tell you. You are free to eat whatever you want, but you must not name yourself whatever you want. You ain¡¯t got the right to call yourself Seven Shadow yet. Understand?¡±

    The women at the front desk seemed troubled. ¡°Mr. Gray Bear, you may not know...¡±

    <i>So he is called Gray Bear.</i> Gao Yang almostughed.

    ¡°I know all I need to know!¡± Gray Bear cut her off, the muscles of his face twitching along with his thick beard. ¡°This kid ising to the fifth team. That makes him one of my guys. Why would you fucking let him get a Protector name? You want him to get punished?¡±

    ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t there be another possibility?¡± Gao Yang smiled politely. ¡°For example, I¡¯m here to <i>be </i>a Protector.¡±

    1. It¡¯s pronounced the same as the ng ¡®er bi¡¯, which basically means moron. ?

    2. Six foot three ?

 Chapter 137: Serial Murder

    <h4>Chapter 137: Serial Murder</h4>

    Stunned, Gray Bear stared at the young man who was significantly shorter than he was. No, forget young man. This was a boy who was still wet behind the ears.

    ¡°You?¡± Gray Bear¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Protector?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Ahaha, hahahaha...¡±

    Gray Bear pped his thighs as he guffawed, shaking with the sheer force of hisughter like a flower shaking in a storm. His voice rumbled and reverberated throughout the lobby.

    After a while, he took a breather and stared down at Gao Yang, arms akimbo. ¡°You? A Protector?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± Gray Bear burst intoughter again.

    The two receptionists couldn¡¯t bear to watch the farce y out any longer. Thankfully, the one in white qipao got a call then. With a sudden change of expression, she jogged up to Gray Bear and said, ¡°A call for you, Mr. Gray Bear.¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...for me? Who is it?¡± Gray Bear took the phone, stillughing so hard that he had trouble breathing.

    The receptionist said, ¡°Elder ck Tortoise.¡±

    Theughter died in an instant. Gray Bear reflexively wiped his hands on his jeans and took the call with deference. ¡°Elder ck Tortoise. Yes, he¡¯s arrived. Yes...Of course, of course. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    He ended the call and returned the phone to the receptionist.

    Then he turned to Gao Yang and sniffled awkwardly, scratching his head because he didn¡¯t know where to put his hands.

    After a few seconds, he offered Gao Yang a hand with an obsequious smile, ¡°Nice to meet you, Captain Seven Shadow. I¡¯m the vice-captain of the fifth operations team, Gray Bear.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Gao Yang nodded and purposefully didn¡¯t take his hand.

    His situation was different now. As a Protector, he had to act like a mid-ranking leader.

    ¡°Sir ck Tortoise told me to show you around. However, a case came up, and I have to go at once...¡±

    Gray Bear was conflicted. When Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, he quickly exined, ¡°My day job is a police officer. Haha.¡±

    ¡°A murder?¡± Gao Yang was curious.

    ¡°Yes, serial murder! The culprit is disgustingly bold!¡± Gray Bear was a little worked up.

    Gao Yang suggested, ¡°Aren¡¯t you short on hands? Take me with you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t trouble Captain Seven Shadow with something this trivial...¡±

    ¡°You need a driver, don¡¯t you?¡± Gao Yang curled his lips.

    ¡°No, no!¡± Gray Bear quickly put on a servile smile. ¡°I¡¯ll drive. Please.¡±

    Gray Bear led Gao Yang out of the Walled City of Ten Dragons and climbed into a private car. He fished out a uniform for police hands[1] and handed it to Gao Yang. ¡°Captain Seven Shadow, due to your age, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have to trouble you to y a police hand for me. When we enter the crime scene, please refrain from speaking up unnecessarily. After all, it was the monsters¡¯ territory outside the Walled City of Ten Dragons.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang climbed into the car and quickly changed into the uniform, putting on the cap.

    Gray Bear focused on driving and stopped talking.

    With his uniform buttoned-up and straightened, Gao Yang essed the system. He could now do it without closing his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªStatus screen.

    [Constitution: 121 Endurance: 122 ]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

    [Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

    [Luck: 132 ]

    [You have a total of 86 Luck points.]

    ¡ªHmm, it¡¯s been three and a half days since Ist allocated my Luck points, and I haven¡¯t encountered any danger during this time. The number makes sense.

    ¡ªSplit my points between Constitution and Endurance.

    [Constitution: 164 Endurance: 165 ]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

    [Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

    [Luck: 132 ]

    ¡ªWe¡¯re good.

    [ess ends.]

    In an instant, Gao Yang felt his body heating up. A concentration of warmth bloomed in his chest before spreading to the rest of his body in tandem with his heart beat, injecting every muscle and every bone with newfound energy and vitality.

    And perhaps due to his physical training, the benefits the points allocation brought seemed more significant andsting. His body was able to better ept and consolidate the increased stats.

    ¡°Heh, I didn¡¯t expect you to be interested in my case, Captain Seven Shadow,¡± Gray Bear said after a while just to break the silence.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond.

    He hadn¡¯t tagged along on a whim. On one hand, spending time with Gray Bear alone would give him a chance to ask him about the Qilin Guild. On the other hand, murder investigation might end up getting him in danger¡ªa more moderate one¡ªand he would be able to umte Luck points quicker.

    At the moment, Gao Yang nned to spend his points on Constitution and Endurance rather than Luck and Talentprehension until the two stats reached at a decent level.

    Since Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, Gray Bear opted to exin the case. ¡°The murder is quite troublesome though. The serial killer¡¯s MO is extremely cruel, and this is their sixth victim.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    He knew that given his age, he would be subject to doubt for taking on the role of Protector and Team Captain in the Qilin Guild. It would be akin to a transfer student bing the ss president as soon as they entered the school. It was only natural for the ssmates to be doubtful.

    That left Gao Yang with one option: he had to y it cool and show it to everyone that he was not to be trifled with. From now on, he would be the mysterious and aloof type.

    ¡°Tsk, the victims are all monsters anyway,¡± grumbled Gray Bear.

    It was obvious that Gray Bear was more interested in matters about awakeners. He asked tentatively, ¡°Captain Seven Shadow, I heard that your previous organization forbids unjustified killing of wanderers?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But why?¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t understand. ¡°If someone newly awakened has an offensive Talent, how are they going to reach level 3 if not through killing monsters?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Well.¡± Gray Bear did give it some thoughts. ¡°They can kill monsters in Rune Caves or kill other types of monsters, but the cost is way too high. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of rules that don¡¯t make sense in the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Gao Yang purposefully expressed grievances for his former organization.

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. The Qilin Guild is the best.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gao Yang said with an impassive expression.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gray Bear nced at him through the rearview mirror, curious. ¡°May I ask about your age?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gray Bear smiled apologetically. ¡°This mouth of mine just won¡¯t stop after it gets started.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more about the case.¡± Gao Yang decided to start with the serial murder. It would be too obvious if he asked the man about the Qilin Guild immediately.

    ¡°Oh, okay. There¡¯s no connection between the victims. It lookspletely random. Judging by the murder scenes, though, the culprit seems to be a fanatic of some evil cult.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s quite creepy. You¡¯ll see soon.¡± Gray Bear made a full rotation with the driving wheel and turned into an old district.

    After a few minutes, the car stopped at a messy alleyway that had seen better days.

    The worn street sign at the alley said, ¡®White Apricot Alley¡¯. Inside were pink signboards for bathhouses, massage parlors, beauty salons, and health services[2].

    Gao Yang nced at Gray Bear.

    With a knowing smile, Gray Bear said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that kind of ce. Thetest victim seems to be a regr visitor.¡±

    Their conversation was interrupted by a young officer emerging from the alley. His stature was small, but well-built. His skin was tanned, his hair shaved, and his eyes bright and intelligent. ¡°Here you are, Uncle Xiong!¡±

    He offered Gray Bear a cigarette.

    ¡°I¡¯ve quit.¡± Gray Bear waved a hand at him. ¡°They spotted a shadow in my lungs in myst health check. You should smoke less too, Young Liu.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m still young.¡± Officer Liu grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll quit after two years.¡±

    He then turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Who is this, Uncle Xiong?¡±

    ¡°Private eye.¡± Gray Bear had alreadye up with a cover story. ¡°The investigation has seen no results, and the higher-ups are getting impatient. I brought him in for help. Perhaps he¡¯ll lead us to a breakthrough.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Officer Liu quickly handed Gao Yang a cigarette. ¡°Well met, Sir. May I ask for your surname?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t smoke. Thank you.¡± Gao Yang pressed a fist to his mouth and coughed, lowering the pitch of his voice. ¡°No need for the honorific. I¡¯m Jin Tiannan. You may call me Mr. Jin.[3]¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Jin.¡± Officer Liu turned around to take the lead. ¡°This way. Please follow me.¡±

    1. In China, in addition to the regr police force, there are also auxiliary police, <i>fu jing</i>, and police hands, <i>xie jing</i>. The auxiliary police are basically contracted officers, while the police hands aren¡¯t actually police officers, but helpers hired temporarily to fulfill certain needs. ?

    2. These are the kinds of establishments that often serve as a front for sex workers. ?

    3. A y on the young detective Kindaichi from <i>The Kindaichi Case Files. </i>In the Chinese rendition of the name, Kindaichi is pronounced <i>Jintianyi</i>. ?

 Chapter 138: Crime Scene

    <h4>Chapter 138: Crime Scene</h4>

    Gao Yang and Gray Bear followed Officer Liu into the White Apricot Alley.

    It was so narrow it felt like the walls were closing in on them, and the haphazard clusters of sign boards glowed with neon light. Under their feet were all kinds of garbage and dirty puddles. The air was filled with the pungent smell of cheap perfumes.

    Women wearing skimpy outfits and thick makeup stood outside their shops, smoking while watching Gao Yang and the two officers walk along the alley, their expressionszy and numb.

    Soon, Officer Liu reached a massage ce at the end of the alley called ¡®Authentic Thai Massage¡¯. Outside the door were restriction lines and an officer standing guard.

    Gray Bear showed the officer his badge, leading Gao Yang into the establishment.

    Inside, the light was dim, and they found themselves surrounded by a gaudy pink. The front room for weing customers had a tea table and a couple cheap sofas. On the table were edible seeds, snacks, and braised food. The cigarette butts in the ashtray were all covered in vibrant lipstick.

    A few scantily-d women were being questioned by the police with their heads lowered.

    One of them was an older woman. Her body had long lost its youthful figure under the extravagant red dress. Framed by her permed hair, her face was covered in thick foundation, creased and cracked by her wrinkles. She was obviously the owner of the massage parlor.

    With a name-brand handbag in her right hand and ady cigarette in her left hand, she kept rubbing her chest and vehemently protested in a husky voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything. The customer came for a massage, and I sent him a few of ourdies. But he was dissatisfied with all of them and kicked them out.¡±

    ¡°It was so busy that I didn¡¯t have the time to humor him, so I decided to let him be. Half an hourter, I opened the door to the room he was in, and holy mother of god, I almost had a heart attack.¡±

    ¡°Are you the owner?¡± Gray Bear went up to the woman.

    The owner gave him a leery wink. ¡°Greetings, Officer. You must be their captain. Please call me Little Luo.¡±

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t y along. ¡°Given our age, I¡¯ll call you Sister Luo. Why don¡¯t you show us the crime scene?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no!¡± The owner freaked out. ¡°It¡¯s thest room on the third floor. Please go ahead on your own. I¡¯d sooner die than subject myself to the sight again.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Stay here. I¡¯lle back to talk to you.¡±

    Gray Bear turned to go up the stairs. Gao Yang and Officer Liu followed. Past the narrow, twisty stairs that vited all sorts of safety regtions, they reached the third floor.

    The ce was a renovated old building. The years of neglect filled the air with a smell of rot and decay mixed with the fragrance of massage oil. It was a strange smell to say the least.

    Officer Liu briefed them on the victim. ¡°His name is Duan Geng[1].¡±

    ¡°Duan Geng?¡± Gray Bear snorted. ¡°What a great name.¡±

    Officer Liu continued, ¡°He was 43, single. He ran a phone repair service in the neighborhood and frequented establishments like this, but it was his first visit to this particr shop. Estimated time of death was an hour ago. The cause of death was a stab in the chest with a dull item, resulting in excessive blood loss from the heart...¡±

    Gao Yang and Gray Bear made it through the dim hallway as they listened and reached the room at the very end. The wooden door was slightly ajar. Gray Bear walked up to carefully open it, and immediately, they were assaulted with the pungent smell of blood and gore.

    Gray Bear reflexively covered his nose, while Gao Yang held his breath. He could now easily do so for a couple minutes.

    Inside was a massage room about a dozen square meters big. There was no window, and cast in a pink light, the walls were covered in posters for erotic films that left little to imagination.

    On the massage bed in the centery a man in his underwear. He was overweight with darkplexion and visible pores, and hey prone with his limbs syed and his head drooping from the edge of the bed. His open mouth was filled with ck blood, and his pupils were dted. His face was twisted in fear, but not to an inhuman extent.

    His chest was a bloody mess with a half-meter long ck iron stake protruding from it.

    From the wound, his blood spread evenly across his upper body, drenching the bed and the floor with wet, viscous red.

    There were signs of resistance. The bottles of massage oil on the small table had been thrown to the floor, and the crude closet in a corner of the room was broken.

    Notably, on the wall that the victim¡¯s head was pointing toward, his blood had been used to draw a pattern on top of the mess of erotic movie posters.

    It was a circle. Surrounding it were sharp lines that could be light or fire, and at the center of the circle was a vertical eye.

    As Gray Bear said, it looked like a symbol for some evil cult, giving off an ominous feeling of bad omens.

    Just to be safe, Gao Yang quietly essed his system to make sure his Luck points were umting at a regr speed before slowly walking into the room.

    He had seen quite a lot of dead monsters before, some in a worse state than this man, so he wasn¡¯t too bothered by the scene. The inexperienced Officer Liu, on the other hand, had to work hard to maintain hisposure, but his pale face belied his calm front.

    Gao Yang checked the dead body carefully. Under the nails was ash, most likely from the wall. He probably got it when he was struggling.

    His expression was one of terror, but with a trace of confusion. It seemed like he had seen something horrifying that he couldn¡¯tprehend.

    ¡°It¡¯s the psycho serial killer!¡± Gray Bear concluded when he saw the pattern on the wall.

    ¡°That¡¯s left in every crime scene?¡± Gao Yang asked calmly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Officer Liu was the one who answered. ¡°We looked it up and couldn¡¯t find a source. Experts spected that the killer is likely a psychopath or a fanatic following a new cult.¡±

    Gao Yang inspected the pattern and the circle at the center in particr. He didn¡¯t share any of his thoughts.

    A few minutester, the three of them walked out of the room.

    As they went down the stairs, Gray Bear asked Officer Liu, ¡°Are the results for fingerprints out?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all fingerprints from those working here, and none on the victim¡¯s clothes. No suspicious traces or substances were found at the scene either.¡±

    ¡°Has the surveince footage been checked?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The ce doesn¡¯t follow the usual safety measures. The front room on the first floor is the only ce with cameras.¡± Officer Liu thought for a moment. ¡°And the windows on the second floor don''t have security bars.¡±

    Gray Bear nodded. ¡°Which means the killer may have entered the room through the windows and snuck away aftermitting the crime.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Officer Liu said. ¡°But we haven¡¯t found traces for that on the windows either.¡±

    They returned to the front room on the first floor.

    Sister Liu was still appealing to the officer¡¯s understanding, ¡°What should I do? After what happened, how am I supposed to run this business in the future?¡±

    ¡°Business? You may forget about it in the foreseeable future.¡± Gray Bear gestured at the woman. ¡°Tell your people to pack up shop ande to the station to give statements.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang called out to Gray Bear.

    Gray Bear quickly turned around. ¡°Seven...Mr. Jin, what have you found?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem that a response and instead took a step toward the owner. ¡°How has the business been, Sister Luo?¡±

    ¡°Good, good. We¡¯ve been fully booked every evening.¡± Sister Luo sounded proud. ¡°Our girls are experts at giving massages. They have all been trained professionally...¡±

    ¡°Massage?¡± Gray Bear snorted. ¡°That¡¯s all they do?¡±

    Sister Luo was unfazed. ¡°Of course! This is a legitimate massage parlor!¡±

    ¡°Do you keep books?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Oh, I do. But I¡¯m not good withputers, so I write everything down instead.¡±

    ¡°Please show me,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t understand why Gao Yang would ask to check the ount books, but he believed the young man must have a few tricks up his sleeves to be a Protector as soon as he joined, and at such a young age.

    So Gray Bear yed along, ¡°Go. Fetch it for Mr. Jin.¡±

    ¡°Of course. A moment.¡±

    Sister Luo turned to enter the back room. Soon, she returned with a thick ount book.

    Gao Yang took it and flipped through a few pages, paying special attention to the dates. He looked deep in thought.

    Then he closed the ount book and returned it to Sister Luo.

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t let it show, but he hade to a hypothesis.

    1. His name ¶Î¸ü is pronounced the same as ¶Ï¸ü, which means a serial work, be it novel orics, going on hiatus. ?

 Chapter 139: Onboarding

    <h4>Chapter 139: Onboarding</h4>

    When Gao Yang and Gray Bear left the White Apricot Alley, Gray Bear couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you find something, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang said cryptically, ¡°I have some theories, but they still need work.¡±

    Gray Bear nodded, waiting for Gao Yang to continue.

    But instead, Gao Yang checked his phone. It was two o¡¯clock in the morning. ¡°I have to return to the ck Tortoise Branch. There are still some administrative procedures to take care of.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go do your work.¡± Gao Yang yed the firm leader. ¡°Tell the fifth team to be at the ck Tortoise branch tomorrow past midnight. We¡¯re having a short meeting.¡±

    ¡°Understood. But past midnight?¡±

    <i>Well, I¡¯m still a highschool student who has sses during the day and self-study in the evening. I¡¯m only free after that.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions. I have my reasons.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gray Bear smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to the station, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang added. ¡°Bring me a dossier of the previous victims. Copies will do.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gray Bear got into his car. <i>This kid seems to know what he¡¯s doing, </i>he thought.<i> He must be the real deal.</i>

    He trusted Elder ck Tortoise¡¯s judgment, at the very least.

    ...

    At midnight, Gao Yang returned to the ck Tortoise Branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons. In the brightly-lit lobby, the two receptionists were still on shift.

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± The receptionist in ck qipao walked up to him. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting. Do you have time for the registration now?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± And that was what Gao Yang returned for.

    ¡°Okay. Please follow me.¡±

    She led him to an office and opened a cab with a key, taking out a formal contract. Gao Yang spent some time going over it. Spotting nothing wrong with it, he signed.

    Then the receptionist took out a biometric scanner for Gao Yang¡¯s voice, iris, and fingerprints.

    Finally, she produced a finely crafted box. Inside was a gold qilin brooch.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°The guild brooch,¡± the receptionist exined with a smile. ¡°It differs ording to the rank. Regr members are given bronze brooch, Elites, tinum, Protectors, gold, and Elders, diamond.¡±

    ¡°Am I supposed to keep this on?¡±

    <i>It may look impressive as hell, but will attract way too much attention.</i>

    ¡°Only when attending an internal meeting or an official awakener function. You may do with it as you wish outside of such events.¡±

    ¡°What if I lose it?¡±

    The receptionist chuckled with a hand covering her mouth. ¡°You tell good jokes, Protector Seven Shadow.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m not joking. I mean every word.</i>

    ¡°If you lose it, you¡¯ll have to apply for a recement and pay a fine of 20 jinwu. So it¡¯s best that you keep it safe with you.¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>That¡¯s a lot. But eptable given my new sry.</i>

    ¡°Am I allowed to leave now that we¡¯ve finished registration?¡±

    ¡°Yes, congrattions on joining the Qilin Guild officially.¡± She smiled. ¡°ording to the standard procedures, I still need to take you around to get to know the facilities and receive your personal items.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± It was midnight.

    ¡°Any time.¡± She gave him an easy smile with no trace of exhaustion.

    ¡°Alright. Then take me on a tour.¡±

    ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    She led him out of the office to a staff elevator. They entered with a card. She punched in the code and pressed -3F.

    Soon, the elevator came to a halt, and the two of them walked out.

    Gao Yang was stunned. Outside, it looked like a small, brightly-lit subway tform. By the tform was a tunnel where a few cars were parked, each an independent vessel that resembled a capsule.

    ¡°These are the hyperloop capsules, meant for quick transportation between the branches.¡± She walked to the first capsule and opened the door. ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Where are we heading?¡±

    ¡°The White Tiger branch in the Changyan District. That¡¯s where the dormitory is.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and entered the capsule.

    It wasn¡¯t big. There were two rows of two single chairs with the center upied by a terminal. At most, the capsule would fit five people.

    The woman in ck closed the door. They each took a seat and put on their seatbelt.

    She made some clicks on the terminal, and soon, the capsule started moving. It rushed through the tunnel like a maglev train, stable despite the impressive speed.

    ¡°Please wait a moment. We will arrive at our destination in five minutes.¡±

    She was still smiling.

    Gao Yang had long noticed that the woman in ck qipao didn¡¯t seem like an awakener. She acted so perfectly proper that she was more like an AI. That was only his subjective impression of her, of course.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Xiao Ya,¡± she said.

    ¡°Are you a cutie?¡± Gao Yang tested her with a jargon.

    ¡°What¡¯s a cutie?¡± She looked confused.

    It seemed that she was a wanderer.

    Gao Yang was taken aback. <i>Is it really okay for the Qilin Guild to employ wanderers for basic services?</i>

    ¡°How long have you been working at the Qilin Guild?¡±

    Xiao Ya blinked, a look of confusion flicking through her face. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. It¡¯s been a long, long time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a home to go back to?¡±

    ¡°The Qilin Guild is my home,¡± she said without thinking like it was the standard response.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your family?¡±

    ¡°The Qilin Guild is my family.¡±

    The feeling of discrepancies grew. Then Gao Yang noticed a sh of light on the side of Xiao Ya¡¯s face. On her temple, which had been covered by her bang, was a light green tattoo that looked like a web.

    Or it would be more urate to call it a brand.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. He spected that it was a Summon-type Talent, meant to control living beings with weak will for one¡¯s own uses through brainwashing.

    However, such power must be limited in duration and range.

    Gao Yang looked down to observe her. Under her long sleeve, there was a sturdy ck Gold bracelet on her wrist, and on the bracelet was the same web-like pattern.

    Gao Yang would¡¯ve gasped if he could. The Qilin Guild was certainly in a league of its own. They had reached a terrifying height with the use of Talents and ck Gold items.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Soon, the capsule slowed to a stop.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Xiao Ya released the seatbelt with a smile and opened the door.

    Gao Yang followed her to the tform and then the member-exclusive elevator. She again punched in the code and pressed 50F.

    The elevator ascended quickly without pause, reaching their destination in less than one minute. The two of them walked out into a hallway paved with red carpet. On both sides were the rooms. It looked like a high-ss hotel.

    ¡°Floor 45 to 51 are for members of the Guild.¡± Xiao Ya led the way in the front. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s airtight security measures in ce as well as added protection implemented with Guard-type Talents. The safety is guaranteed.¡±

    Soon, Gao Yang was led to room 5007.

    Xiao Ya stepped to the side of the door and smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°This is your room. You may unlock it with your fingerprints.¡±

    Gao Yang ced his right hand on the sensor.

    ¡°<i>Beep-beep</i>. Identity confirmed. Wee.¡±

    The door opened. Gao Yang entered his room.

    Standing outside, Xiao Ya bowed with her hands sped on her abdomen. ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯ll leave you to rest. Please call the front desk if you need anything. The staff of the White Tiger branch will provide you with any services you so require.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Before closing the door, Gao Yang added, ¡°Ah, I almost forgot.¡±

 Chapter 140: Fifth Operations Team

    <h4>Chapter 140: Fifth Operations Team</h4>

    ¡°Would I be able to take the capsule train back myself?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Xiao Ya answered, ¡°Yes. The control is simple. You may unlock it with your fingerprints. However, there will be a record for every trip.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±

    Gao Yang closed the door and turned around to turn on the light. He was immediately stunned speechless.

    His dorm room was a luxury apartment t that was at least 500 square meters big. The far side was an open fan-shaped window wall, beyond which was a small bathing pool.

    Gao Yang turned to enter the walk-in closet. There were clothes for a variety of asions, including suits, casual clothes, training clothes, operation clothes, and outfits for stealth missions. The sleeves were all printed with an inconspicuous qilin pattern.

    There was also a rectangr metal cab. Gao Yang opened the door, his eyes lighting up. There were guns, magazines, daggers, basic medicines, and support items, a full inventory of everything one would need.

    At the Twelve Zodiac Signs, they were only allowed to carry these weapons and items on missions, and they had to submit a report on how much they had used afterward.

    At the Qilin Guild, on the other hand, these were nothing but everyday necessities like bottled water ced by the bed in hotels, reced the next day when finished.

    Gao Yang clicked his tongue and shook his head. He could only describe the way the Guild did things with one word: flex.

    He took some time to look around the t and made sure there weren''t any hidden cameras or bugs. Then he made a decision.

    He took out his phone and sent his mother and father each a message, telling them that he would be spending the night at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce. Of course, they most likely wouldn¡¯t see the messages until tomorrow.

    Wang Zikai had be his go-to excuse these days, and it worked every time.

    Gao Yang opened a couple taps to fill the bathing pool with warm water. Walking on the soft rug barefooted, he got a can of iced c from the fridge and took off his clothes, drinking the c while he enjoyed a hot bath and the view of Li City at three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang was reminded of the sessful people in movies. This must be how their lives were.

    Their jobs and high sry were the envy of other people. They were allowed to boss around their subordinates. They lived in luxurious houses. And if they had a beautifuldy as their wife, that would truly make them the top one percent of all.

    <i>Wait, what are you thinking, Gao Yang?!</i>

    <i>This is only your first day joining the Guild, and you¡¯ve already let the money and luxury get to you? What a disappointment!</i>

    <i>You must remain strong-willed and not lose sight of your goal. You¡¯re here to be a potential spy, not to enjoy the benefits!</i>

    <i>And can you really afford to enjoy this? Remember the white cat? Fresh Snow? The faction behind Mad Red?</i>

    <i>Remember the now resurrected Ghost Horse? The Crimson Tides? The Gates of Closure?</i>

    <i>And the mysterious and terrifying pride monsters, life monsters, and death monsters?</i>

    <i>How about the Mist World of mysteries and cruelty?</i>

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and slowlyposed himself.

    <i>Still, the bath is so nice.</i>

    <i>Ah, the c no longer seems enough. I think...I¡¯m a bit hungry.</i>

    <i>There¡¯s spam in the fridge, I think? I should make instant noodles and pan-fried two slices of spam.</i>

    <i>Alright, let¡¯s!</i>

    ...

    After enjoying ate night snack that filled him with guilty pleasure, Gao Yang got less than three hours of sleep before going to school.

    He spent his morning self-study resting with his eyes closed. Nothing unusual happened.

    Then he spent the morning doing test papers since they no longer had sses with the entrance examing up.

    At noon, Gao Yang had lunch at the cafeteria. He purposefully made a detour to the back of theb building when he walked past it, looking up at theb on the second floor. The window was half open.

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang turned away.

    He and Qing Ling belonged to different organizations now. Although they were still in the same ss at the same school, it would be too suspicious for them to meet up in private. It was best to avoid it.

    In the afternoon, Qing Ling was absent from ss. She must have skipped the rest of the day in favor of training at base.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went home and exined to his family why he had spent the night at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce again. His father was the only one in support. The rest of his family were worried.

    Gao Yang acted like he was taking their scolding to heart, when in truth he was already thinking about the next time.

    Thente at night, once he made sure that his family had fallen asleep, he headed to the Walled City of Ten Dragons in the Feiyang District on his own.

    During the one month he was with the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he had learned quite a few things. For example, White Rabbit had told him that beingte by a few minutes would lend him importance.

    Gao Yang paid attention to the time and waited until he was three minuteste.

    Then he walked into the ck Tortoise tower and entered the assigned meeting room. All members of the fifth team had arrived.

    <i>Hm, good.</i>

    Gao Yang was pleased. As expected of arge organization, the members were punctual.

    There were five people inside. Gray Bear sat on a single sofa dressed in military-style casual clothes and a newsboy cap. The tinum qilin brooch on his chest was especially eye-catching.

    On the long sofa across from him sat two young men and one young woman.

    The man on the left was dressed in all ck. One side of his hair was shaved, while the other side was longer and dyed with highlights of different colors. His ear was lined with silver rings like a disy stand, and his face was covered in thick gothic makeup with the lips the color of pork liver.

    It wasn¡¯t a style Gao Yang appreciated, but he had to admit it was unique and memorable.

    The man sitting in the middle looked a lot more mundane. He seemed to be in his twenties, dressed in white shirt, khaki cropped pants, and casual dress shoes with a pair of ck, thick-rimmed sses. He looked neat, bookish, and a little shy.

    The girl on the right was physically small. Drowning in the loose, boyish T-shirt and denim overall, she looked even more petite. Her brte hair was cut into a puffy bob, and she seemed lost in the mobile game she was ying with her legs tucked up.

    Gao Yang noted that all three of them were wearing bronze qilin brooch.

    Generally, each operations team at the Qilin Guild consisted of six members, all direct subordinates of the Elder.

    The fifth operations team answered to ck Tortoise, and there were one Protector, two Elites, and three regr members.

    In addition to Gray Bear, there should be another Elite...

    Suddenly, a gust of wind came from above Gao Yang¡¯s head. He dodged to the side reflexively, and a figure emerged, stabbing at where he had been with a shortsword.

    The middle-aged man wearing camouge rose to his feet. He had gray, short hair and sharp features. An ugly scar ran from his left eye through his nose bridge to the bottom of his right ear, obviously left by a de. His thin, pale lips were sharp like razors.

    ¡°Good reflex,¡± the man said. His low, slimy voice was like the skin of a cold-blooded animal.

    ¡°Is this how you wee me?¡± Gao Yang said calmly, but inwardly, he was cursing up a storm. <i>Fucking son of a gun! You think I put points into my Agility for nothing? And you were actually trying to kill me, weren¡¯t you?!</i>

    ¡°This is how I wee people. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± The scarred man put away his shortsword and smirked insidiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let it go this time, but not again,¡± Gao Yangmanded seriously. Although he might not be able to defeat the man in a fight, he had toe out strong.

    ¡°Ha.¡± The scarred man¡¯s eyes glinted. Gao Yang had won some respect from him.

    ¡°That¡¯s how Lithe Snake is.¡± Gray Bear stood up. ¡°He grows on you, Captain. He¡¯s not a bad guy.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, but instead turned to the three young members on the sofa.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce them.¡± Gray Bear pointed at the young man with colorful hair. ¡°This is Ronnie.¡±

    Ronnie nced sideways and nodded at Gao Yang as greeting, his earrings clinking as he moved.

    Gray Bear then pointed at the bookish man in white shirt. ¡°This is Xiran.¡±

    Xiran nodded at Gao Yang politely, giving him a friendly and awkward smile. ¡°I¡¯m Xiran. <i>Xi </i>for west, and <i>ran </i>for burning. Nice to meet you, Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°This is the only girl on the team. We call her Can.¡± Gray Bear shook his head resignedly and added, ¡°She¡¯s practically deaf when she ys games. She doesn¡¯t even know when monsters are talking to her, let alone humans.¡±

    The bob-haired girl was indeed entirely focused on the game and didn¡¯t seem to hear a word they were saying.

    The team seemed like trouble to manage.

    Gao Yang suppressed a sigh, suddenly reminded of something his homeroom teacher always said: <i>You are the worst ss I¡¯ve taught.</i>

 Chapter 141: First Operation

    <h4>Chapter 141: First Operation</h4>

    Gray Bear strode up to grab Can¡¯s phone from her.

    ¡°Ahhh give it back!¡± Can screamed like a startled squirrel, brandishing her teeth and nails to get back what was hers. ¡°I¡¯m about to win. The crystal on the other side is gonna blow up...¡±

    Gray Bear pushed her down with a hand on her head. ¡°I¡¯m gonna blow you up first if you keep ying.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost five matches in a row. I¡¯ve got to win this one...¡±

    ¡°Captain¡¯s here!¡± Gray Bear shouted.

    ¡°Huh? Really? Where?¡± Can looked around nervously like she had juste to her senses, her eyes meeting Gao Yang¡¯s.

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can flung herself back into the sofa, tucking her chin inward so much that she got triple chin. ¡°New captain...is pretty hot?!¡±

    <i>This girl is pretty likable when she isn¡¯t lost in games</i>, Gao Yang thought contently. <i>Perhaps I should show her more favor going forward.</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m Seven Shadow, your captain from now on.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Can raised a fist happily.

    The others greeted him one after another.

    ¡°Do you y Honor of Kings, Captain Seven Shadow? I y a mean Da Qiao!¡± Can took her phone back from Gray Bear and skipped her way to Gao Yang¡¯s side. ¡°Let¡¯s add each other as friends.¡±

    ¡°Stop fooling around. This is work time!¡± Gray Bear grabbed Can and threw her back onto the sofa.

    Gao Yang suppressed augh and maintained his poker face. ¡°I have a mission for you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Really, Captain? I thought we would meet and have a meal together, then topping it off with a gaming session at an inte cafe!¡± Can cried out, sprawling on the sofa upside down.

    ¡°You¡¯re driven.¡± Lithe Snake leaned against the door with his arms crossed. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Xiran adjusted his sses and pursed his lips. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t tell if he was excited or worried.

    Ronnie didn¡¯t say anything either, his thick gothic makeup covering any emotion he might or might not be showing.

    ¡°A mission now?¡± Gray Bear was surprised. ¡°Should we report to the higher-up first, Captain?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary yet.¡± Gao Yang turned to Gray Bear. ¡°Have you brought the dossiers for the serial murder?¡±

    ¡°I have.¡± Gray Bear turned to pick up the envelope on the sofa. ¡°Here it is.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down on another seat andid the documents inside the envelope on the tea table. There were photos taken at the crime scenes of the previous victims, as well as the victims¡¯ personal information.

    The others curiously approached.

    Can squatted by the tea table. Given her small stature, she was able to rest her chin on the table and popped her head up. ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s bloody! So violent!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the sixth case for the serial murder,¡± Gray Bear said, troubled. ¡°Themissioner has been after my hind.¡±

    ¡°Having two jobs at the same time is really difficult, Uncle Xiong,¡± Xiran said considerately.

    ¡°ying house with wanderers,¡± Lithe Snake said snidely. ¡°What a waste of time.¡±

    Gray Bear huffed. ¡°The world would be a chaotic mess if all awakeners discard the pretense we collectively uphold.¡±

    ¡°I agree. We know nothing about, monsters. It¡¯s better, not to go against their, rules. Who knows what the price will, be.¡±

    Ronnie finally broke his silence. Despite his edgy appearance, he had a strange way of splitting his sentences to a somewhatedic effect.

    ¡°I think differently about that.¡± Xiran¡¯s eyes lit up, and he adjusted his sses again. ¡°I believe there are many discrepancies in the world that we should continue to explore...¡±

    ¡°Enough! Stop already!¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t want to get them started. ¡°You two won¡¯t shut up once you start talking about the Mist World. I¡¯ve gotten quite tired of it.¡±

    Gao Yang was actually interested in the topic. He would talk to the two about it when the opportunity came up.

    Now, though, they had business to attend to. If he hadn¡¯t spected wrong, he would be able to prove himself to his team and establish his authority tonight.

    Eyeing the photos of specific parts of the dead bodies, Gao Yang focused on their eyes and fingers. After going through the six victims, he looked up and asked, ¡°Have you noticed amonality between them?¡±

    ¡°Well, I think...¡± Can bit her lower lip and said with feigned seriousness. ¡°They all died terribly!¡±

    ¡°Just keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t have anything to contribute.¡± Gray Bear smacked her lightly on the head.

    ¡°What about the rest of you?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Xiran shook his head and admitted, ¡°They differ in sex, age, and job. I don¡¯t see anything inmon.¡±

    Ronnie nodded. ¡°The culprit probably picked them at, random, in order to attract, attention, to promote their, cult.¡±

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t even give a response. He yed with his shortsword with his other hand in his pocket. He didn¡¯t seem interested in anything outside the world of awakeners.

    ¡°No, there is amonality.¡± Gao Yang smiled cryptically and rose to his feet. ¡°Gray Bear. Put these back and let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Getting the culprit.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re awakeners. Why are we bothering ourselves with monsters¡¯ business?¡± Lithe Snake disapproved. What little goodwill he felt for Gao Yang had evaporated.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be interested.¡± Gao Yang waved at them. ¡°We¡¯ll talk on the way.¡±

    ...

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, the six of them crammed into a car and headed to the White Apricot Alley.

    Gray Bear drove with Lithe Snake riding shotgun. Gao Yang, Xiran, and Ronnie took the backseat, while the slim Can was sandwiched between Xiran and Gao Yang.

    With her phone in her hand, the girl impassionedly gave Gao Yang a sales pitch, ¡°Let¡¯s y a match, Captain! It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t know how! I¡¯ll carry you! I y Da Qiao really well!¡±

    ¡°If you keep talking about personal matters, Can, I¡¯m gonna throw you in the trunk.¡± Gray Bear¡¯s threat was only half in jest.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Can gave up reluctantly.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Gray Bear said. ¡°I¡¯ve told Officer Liu to keep the crime scene under control with a team.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Will you exin now, Captain?¡± Xiran was curious. ¡°What do the victims have inmon? How did you narrow down the suspects?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t keep up the mystery longer than necessary. ¡°Change your perspective, and you¡¯ll find themonality easily. Have you considered that the culprit may be a monster?¡±

    The car was silent for a moment. Then Can said with visible confusion, ¡°Of course it¡¯ll be a monster, Captain. What else can it be?¡±

    Gray Bear was disappointed as well. Their captain had been all cryptic for so long, only to say something so obvious in the end. He was wondering how he should make his feelings known in a roundabout way when realization dawned on him, and he jumped.

    ¡°Ah! I get it now! The culprit is a <i>monster</i>!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Whaaat??¡± Can waspletely lost. ¡°Why are you speaking something obvious as well, Uncle Xiong?¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Lithe Snake had caught on as well, and his disinterested gaze lit up. ¡°Interesting. Things are finally getting fun.¡±

    Then Xiran and Ronnie eximed at the same time.

    ¡°I got it!¡±

    ¡°I got, it!¡±

    ¡°Gaaaah! Stop that! Would it kill you to speak inly?¡± Can cried out, face flushed with frustration. ¡°This is workce bullying!¡±

    ¡°Can.¡±

    Gao Yang exined with a smile, ¡°I mean that the culprit may not havemitted the murders as a <i>person</i>, but as a <i>monster</i>.¡±

 Chapter 142: Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 142: Suspect</h4>

    ¡°Oh boy! Boy oh boy oh boy!¡± Can had finally caught on, her eyes widened. ¡°Do you mean, do you mean that...the monsters are killing each other?!¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°From that perspective, it¡¯s easy to find something the victims have inmon.¡±

    ¡°They are all...¡± Gray Bear sucked in a breath. ¡°Wanderers.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I checked the eyes and the fingers of the victims in particr. I¡¯ve seen all three types of wrath monsters, ughterers, devourers, and summoners. While they revert back to their human forms after death, monstrous traits remain, such as the size of pupils and the color and glossiness of the eyes, as well as the color, length, and hardiness of the nails.¡±

    ¡°There are differences.¡± Lithe Snake nodded. He had killed his fair share of wrath monsters.

    Gao Yang continued with his analysis. ¡°Judging from the crime scene, the victims must have undergone terrible tortures both physically and mentally. No matter what wrath monsters they are, they should have shown signs of losing control and transformation. These victims, however, have turnedpletely back to their human forms after death, and it doesn¡¯t seem from the signs of resistance that they were particrly strong. Thus, I conclude that the victims were wanderers.¡±

    ¡°What about this?¡± Xiran proposed another possibility. ¡°What if the killer was an awakener?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve considered it,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°But it¡¯s unlikely.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Can didn¡¯t hesitate to ask.

    ¡°Awakeners kill monsters to level up their Talents. There¡¯s no reason to go through the trouble of making the crime scenes look like those of a psychotic serial killer.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Besides, to level up a Talent, an awakener has to use said Talent to kill monsters.¡±

    ¡°There are no signs on the body indicating the uses of Talents.¡± Gray Bear smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I excluded that as a possibility early.¡±

    He slowly turned the driving wheel. ¡°And this is the Feiyang District. No awakener with a sound mind would pull something like this under the watch of the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°But, but but but...¡± Can stuttered as emotions overcame her. ¡°Don¡¯t monsters follow the Heavenly Way as well? Why would they break the rules?¡±

    ¡°I encountered a monster that broke the rules back in a Rune Cave.¡± Gao Yang was talking about the Gu Family¡¯s Vige. ¡°After mutating, a half-human went against the Heavenly Way and killed regr humans, so it isn¡¯t impossible that a monster would kill their own kind for some unknown reason.¡±

    The others fell silent. The conclusion was challenging their preconceived notions of the world.

    ¡°Have you figured out the culprit?¡± Gray Bear believed Gao Yang must have an answer given how confident he sounded.

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain yet.¡± And Gao Yang wasn¡¯t. But he did believe that it was worth a shot to follow up on his spection.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Someone we met yesterday.¡±

    ¡°The owner?¡± Gray Bear blurted out.

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°True. The victim died in her establishment, and she was the first to find the body. She is a prime suspect.¡± Gray Bear spoke as he thought. ¡°But we¡¯ve interrogated her, and we found no evidence rted to her.¡±

    ¡°Evidence is for <i>people</i>. We treat monsters the awakener way.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gray Bear nodded. Then he looked up at Gao Yang through the rearview mirror. ¡°But how did youe to suspect her, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Did you notice something about the pattern?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°The circle at the center.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°The stroke was made clockwise from the top.¡±

    Gray Bear narrowed his eyes in thoughts before breaking into a smile. ¡°Do you mean for the majority, the circle would be drawn counterclockwise?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Can had been listening with rapt attention. She quickly drew a circle on the palm of her left hand with her right. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s true. I did it counterclockwise.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s usually the case for a right-hander,¡± Xiran chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s the case for me.¡±

    ¡°And the circle of the pattern is drawn clockwise!¡± Gray Bear grinned in pleasant surprise. ¡°The culprit is very likely a leftie.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Yeah. I wasn¡¯t too sure, but I took a chance and asked the owner for the ount book. It¡¯s usually the case for small businesses like hers to keep handwritten records.¡±

    He turned slightly and said, ¡°I looked at the dates in the ount book. The zeros are all done clockwise.¡±

    Gray Bear was satisfied. Their new captain proved hispetence.

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough to guarantee that she¡¯s the culprit.¡± Lithe Snake cut in. ¡°Lefties aremon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll know as soon as I ask her.¡±

    <i>And Lie Detection is meant for times like this.</i>

    He took his whole team with him just in case.

    Although he now had an eighty percent chance of defeating a wrath monster on his own, idents happened, and as the team captain, he could call on his team toe with him for safer leveling up. He would be a fool to not take advantage of his position.

    Two o¡¯clock in the morning, they arrived at the White Apricot Alley.

    On their way here, Gray Bear had ordered Officer Liu to block off the alleys and empty all establishments of employees and customers.

    That was something Gao Yang had requested. While it wasn¡¯t likely, Sister Luo could be a summoner.

    ¡°Wait a moment in the car,¡± Gray Bear said as he opened the door. ¡°It¡¯ll attract too much attention for six awakeners to show up together.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Gray Bear went up to the alleyway and shared a few words with Officer Liu. Officer Liu nodded and said something into his radio. Then a few more officers walked out from the alleyway, gathering their teams and departing.

    Once they made sure there wasn¡¯t anyone around, Gao Yang and the others got out of the car.

    With all the shops closed and the neon sign boards turned off, the White Apricot Alley looked dark and oppressive.

    Gao Yang paused when he stepped into the alleyway.

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Gray Bear.

    Gao Yang extended a hand. ¡°Come on. Put your hand on mine.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Lithe Snake looked confused.

    ¡°This is our rule,¡± Gao Yang ordered. ¡°Just do it.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s getting me pumped up!¡± Can was the first to oblige.

    Xiran and Ronnie didn¡¯t say anything before joining in.

    Gray Bear put his hand on theirs and silentlyughed. At the end of the day, their captain was young, and while he might be mature in other ways, he had a chuni side.

    Lithe Snake reluctantly offered his hand, his expression icy.

    Once Gao Yang was sure that everyone was touching part of his hand, he made a conscious thought.

    [Detected 5 replicable Talents]

    [Disorientation (Level 3), Serial Number 68, Rune Type: Psyche]

    [Mute (Level 3), Serial Number 63, Rune Type: Support]

    [Beastly (Level 4), Serial Number 59, Rune Type: Buff]

    [Gecko (Level 4), Serial Number 42, Rune Type: Life]

    [Invisibility (Level 3), Serial Number 37, Rune Type: Support]

    Gao Yang was surprised to find out that when he detected multiple Talents, he could match a Talent to their owner.

    And it caught him off guard that the one with the most high-ranking Talent wasn¡¯t Gray Bear.

 Chapter 143: Capture

    <h4>Chapter 143: Capture</h4>

    The one with Invisibility wasn¡¯t Gray Bear, but Can, who seemed to be the cker of the team. Invisibility did fit her role, though.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s Gecko allowed him to walk along walls and ceilings, move swiftly, and see clearly in the dark like geckos, which were perfect for infiltration and assassination. Moreover, he could regrow his limbs once he lost them and had excellent regenerative power, making him a hybrid of warriors and assassins.

    Gray Bear¡¯s Beastly, as the name suggested, allowed him to transform into a great beast, significantly increasing his explosive power, damage output, and defense. He was the tank of the team.

    Xiran¡¯s Mute allowed him to make everyone within a certain range unable to use Talents for a certain duration, which was simr to how the silence debuff worked in games. Used well, it could be clutch in a battle, but Gao Yang remembered that there were many restrictions. And given that the Talent worked on both friends and foes and it being level 3 at the moment, it wouldn¡¯t be too useful yet.

    Ronnie¡¯s Talent was Disorientation, which inflicted psychic damage through special screams and rendered everyone in the effective range disoriented. Again, it didn¡¯t differentiate between friends and foes.

    Can¡¯s Invisibility, while useful, didn¡¯tst long at level 3. And Can didn¡¯t have any other Talent, which was a shame. If only she had Ghost Horse¡¯s Teleportation in addition to Invisibility, she would be one hell of an assassin.

    All that analysis happened in seconds. Gao Yang then replicated Level 4 Gecko from Lithe Snake.

    ¡°May the odds be in our favor,¡± Gao Yang dered as cover.

    ¡°May the odds be in our favor,¡± the others repeated haphazardly before pulling their hands back.

    [Congrattions! Replicate has leveled up!]

    [Level 3 Replicate: Allow one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 20.]

    [Method: Touch the target¡¯s body for 0.8 second.]

    [Number of Talent Replicated: 1. Storage Duration: 4.5 hours.]

    [Use Duration: 15 seconds. Cooldown: 7 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 3 Replicate: Willpower + 200, Charisma - 40.]

    [Status Screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 164 Endurance: 165 ]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259 ]

    [Willpower: 409 Charisma: 77 ]

    [Luck: 132 ]

    Gao Yang stood still with his eyes squeezed closed, his breathing quickened and his face flushed. The pleasure of leveling up almost pushed him to climax. It was all he could do to not let it show.

    ¡°Come on, Captain,¡± Can called out to him, looking over her shoulder.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and exhaled deeply before quietly catching up to them.

    Deep into the alleyway was the Thai massage parlor. The signboard was off, but the interior was still lit up with warm light like it normally would be.

    Gao Yang stopped a short distance from the massage parlor and ordered, ¡°Xiran, Ronnie, and Can, keep watch on the alleyway and don¡¯t let anyone through. Gray Bear, Lithe Snake,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    They each took on their assigned role.

    Gao Yang essed the system to check his Luck points. Then withposure, he headed to the massage parlor with his two teammates following behind him.

    When they entered, Sister Luo was sitting before the counter with half a cigarette in her mouth, flipping through the ount book with a gloomy expression. By her side was a calctor.

    <i>Beep, beep beep</i>. She tapped on the calctor in a flurry.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Gray Bear greeted her while taking out his badge. ¡°I was here yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Why did youe again? We¡¯re closed! The girls have returned home too!¡±

    No longer in a cooperative mood, Sister Luo gave them the cold shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve given my statement and told you what I knew. What else do you want? Are you only satisfied once my lifework goes out of business?¡±

    Gray Bear smiled at her like her reaction didn¡¯t surprise him. ¡°We¡¯re only doing our job. I¡¯d ask for your understanding.¡±

    He exchanged a nce with Gao Yang before turning back to Sister Luo. ¡°There¡¯s something else we¡¯d like to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good ce for it. Why don¡¯t youe with us?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you want to ask, do it here.¡± Sister Luo had lost her goodwill. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere today.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t push. He shot Lithe Snake a pointed look.

    With his arms crossed, Lithe Snake walked to the door and stood with his back against it, casually blocking off the exit.

    Gao Yang also took a few steps back to guard the stairway to the second floor, his energy gathering in his hands.

    Gray Bear was standing before Sister Luo at an angle, blocking the door to the back room. Now all the possible escape routes were cut off.

    Looking down at Sister Luo, who was still preupied with the ount book, Gray Bear steadied his breathing and got ready for a fight.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, did you kill the man who died at your shop?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    ¡°What?!¡± She looked up in surprise and raised her voice. ¡°Why would I kill him when we were total strangers? Look at how the murder killed my business! Besides, how was a woman like me supposed to...¡±

    ¡°Calm down. Calm down.¡± They had anticipated her response during their earlier discussion.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t use Lie Detection on her. It wasn¡¯t yet time.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to ask is,¡± Gray Bear gazed at her sharply, ¡°Did you kill the <i>monster</i>?¡±

    ¡°What monster?¡± Sister Luo looked up at him confusedly.

    ¡°Did you kill this monster?¡± Gray Bear repeated. Then he pushed on, ¡°You killed your own kind.¡±

    Sister Luo froze, her gaze going nk for two seconds before there was a strange sh of light.

    Her face was suddenly ashen, and fear brimmed her eyes like she was recalling something horrifying.

    She kept shaking her head and trembling as she muttered, ¡°No, no, nonono... I didn¡¯t kill, It wasn¡¯t me. I¡¯m human. I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not a...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t utter the word ¡®monster¡¯ no matter how she tried.

    Gao Yang activated Lie Detection.

    ¡ªThe target lied.

    ¡°Gray Bear!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡±

    Gray Bear growled, the sculpted muscles covering his body bulged while more hair grew at an unusual speed. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an actual gray bear that was more than two meters in height.

    At almost the same time, Sister Luo leapt up from behind the counter and pounced on Gray Bear.

    He weighed nearly two hundred kilograms, yet he was tackled to the ground, barely withstanding the impact.

    Stradling Gray Bear, Sister Luo wed at him with all her nails growing over ten centimeters into long ws, her face deathly pale, eyes bulging like two yellow marbles, and limbs transformed into appendages that were long and slick.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Not me! I didn¡¯t kill. I didn¡¯t kill...¡±

    She was clearly a wanderer, and she had lost control.

    Gray Bear crossed his arms to block the ws with his thick pelt and skin.

    Gao Yang would like to provide support with Fire, but with the two all tangled up, he might end up hurting his teammate.

    Lithe Snake, on the other hand, remained by the door, not moving even an inch as his lips curled into a cold smirk. His gaze shone with absolute trust.

    ¡°Hah!¡± Gray Bear howled and broke out of his position as a passive defender. Blocking the attacks with his two thick arms, he managed to seize Sister Luo¡¯s hands. Unable to break out of his hold, Sister Luo screamed and struggled thoughtlessly.

    Gray Bear growled again, tightening his grip and breaking her wrist bones.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡± Sister Luo cried out in pain.

    Gray Bear rolled up and flung her away with a powerful swing of his hands, sending her hurtling into the counter with a heavy thud. She copsed in the corner of the room.

    Trembling, she drooled from her mouth, her pupils dted to the point of almost taking up the whole irises. Her expression was angry, fearful, and disoriented.

    Gray Bear steadied his footing, chest heaving. ¡°Damn. Even wanderers are not to be underestimated once they go berserk.¡±

    Lithe Snake shot Gao Yang a nce. ¡°Do we kill her, or take her back for interrogation?¡±

    Gao Yang pondered. To his knowledge, wanderers usually lost their rationality after going berserk, making it impossible tomunicate with them. Then when they calmed down, they would revert back to their human form and forget what they had done as monsters, making it a perfect loop of ignorance.

    However, this wanderer had killed herpanion with purpose while transformed. There must be something more to it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s bring her back,¡± Gao Yang concluded.

    ¡°Alright. Leave it to me.¡± Gray Bear stalked up to Sister Luo, who was cowering in the corner of the room.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Without warning, a monster broke through the door of the back room.

 Chapter 144: Unexpected Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 144: Unexpected Trouble</h4>

    A monster broke through the thin wooden door of the back room, sttering wooden shards everywhere. It all happened so quickly that Gao Yang only caught a faint look of its appearance.

    The skimpy dress had been torn by the monster¡¯srge build, revealing a body covered in small grayish green scales glinting with a cold, slick shine under the light.

    Its head had lost its original shape with the forehead significantly widened and the chin unnaturally shrunk, forming an upside down triangle. Its eyes bulged from the skull and turned into a pair of giant, deep red lightbulbs. On the outward sides of its arms, milk white bone protruded from the skin and morphed into shape des.

    The monster looked like a mix of lizard, mantis, and fly.

    It was undoubtedly a young wrath monster, and a ughterer at that!

    It took only a moment for Gao Yang to figure out what had happened. She must be a massagist here who, for some reason, hadn¡¯t left as she should. Sister Luo had been too anxious to care, and the ughterer ended up witnessing three awakeners ganging up on a berserking wanderer. Her monster side thus awakened.

    Without hesitation, the ughterer lunged at Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang was quick. With an agile sidestep, he dodged the sharp bone desing down at him by a hair. Without pause, the ughterer turned around and charged at Lithe Snake as he stayed by the door. Lithe Snake had already unsheathed the shortsword at his waist.

    <i>ng!</i> The sword parried the ughterer¡¯s ded arm. Lithe Snake crouched slightly and generated great power from his waist, not giving an inch.

    The stalematested less than two seconds as veins popped out of Lithe Snake¡¯s temple. It was no child¡¯s y to block a ughterer¡¯s full-force attack. Lithe Snake couldn¡¯t stand his ground for much longer in a battle of raw power.

    Knowing that, Gray Bear growled and pounced on the ughterer like an enraged bear.

    Although ughterers coveted blood like their lives depended on it and didn¡¯t have a sound mind, their instincts in battles were sharp, especially for a young ughterer like this one.

    It quickly retracted its ded arms and moved away from Gray Bear¡¯s iing attacks with a quick twirl, shifting its target back to Gao Yang.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to give it a chance to get close. Two torrents of fire shot out of his hands and devoured the ughterer.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    It screamed as the mes zed. With a swift jump, it held onto the ceiling fan above it. It swung with great power and leapt toward Gray Bear,nding on his broad shoulders. Then it raised both arms, crossing and swinging the bone des at Gray Bear¡¯s neck to decapitate him.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i> Lithe Snake¡¯s three daggers came just in time, two hitting the ughterer in its hard face without leaving a wound, while thest buried into one of the monster¡¯s red, lightbulb-like eyes.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Thick blood sttered. The ughterer stopped attacking with a pained scream.

    With a cry, Gray Bear seized the opening to raise his arms and grabbed the heels of the monster standing on his shoulders. He brought his arms down, mming the monster hard onto the floor.

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    Holding fast, Gray Bear then swung the ughterer toward a wall with a scream.

    Then he mmed it into the tea table, the sofa, and the floor.

    <i>Bam! Thud! ng!</i>

    During those thirty seconds, the ughterer was a ragdoll at the mercy of Gray Bear¡¯s whims, mming into all kinds of things and rendering the room a ruin of broken furniture and objects.

    When the ughterer had just about lost its ability to resist, Gray Bear raised it high and mmed it toward his knee.

    A crack, followed by a scream. The ughterer¡¯s spine was broken.

    It rolled to the floor. Before it could put up a struggle, Gray Bear kicked it away.

    As soon as it rolled to a stop by Lithe Snake¡¯s feet, he stabbed its heart with his shortsword without hesitation.

    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>

    All three stabs came with sttering blood.

    Finally, the ughterer stopped moving, and a pool of blood formed on the floor.

    The ughterer¡¯s body slowly shrunk amid the crimson blood into a young woman. Her tattered clothes did nothing to cover the terrible state her body was in. It was a pitiful sight.

    But Gao Yang quickly pushed aside the misced sympathy. If he had made a misstep, the one dying a terrible death would have been him or his teammates.

    ¡°Whose kill should the wrath monster be?¡± Gray Bear turned to Lithe Snake, breathing heavily.

    ¡°Half and half?¡± Gray Snake shook off the blood on the shortsword and put it back into the sheath at his waist.

    ¡°Then we¡¯re still even,¡± said Gray Bear.

    <i>You¡¯re making it apetition? What are you, a pair of five-year-olds?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t bother to voice his thoughts. He simply said, ¡°Get back to business.¡±

    They turned to the toppled counter in the corner. To their surprise, Sister Luo had gone missing.

    Although their fight with the ughterer hadsted no longer than a minute, the three of them had been highly concentrated and couldn¡¯t afford to spare a nce at the subdued wanderer.

    It was clear that Sister Luo had rushed out of the front door.

    They quickly followed. Outside the door, the left led to a dead end, while the right led to the exit. However, the alley should be under their teammates¡¯ watch.

    The trio keeping watch ran up to them.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Xiran was worried. ¡°We heard fighting.¡±

    ¡°Killed a ughterer,¡± Lithe Snake said concisely.

    ¡°A wanderer ran off,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°Did you see it?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Can raised her hand seriously. ¡°We didn¡¯t even see a fly!¡±

    Gao Yang had guessed as much that Sister Luo wouldn¡¯t have run toward the exit.

    He quickly turned around and made it to the dead end of the alleyway. The wall was four-meter tall. In the dim light, Gao Yang was just about to conjure fire to take a good look at the wall, but Lithe Snake beat him to it with his night vision. ¡°There¡¯s fresh blood on the wall. Must be the wanderer.¡±

    Lithe Snake easily climbed onto the four-meter tall wall and crouched down. ¡°There¡¯s also blood on the edge. She went to the other side.¡±

    With a double jump, Gao Yang reached the top of the wall as well.

    The other side was a new neighborhood. No wonder the tall wall was here to separate it from the old buildings.

    ¡°Can you track her down?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lithe Snake said confidently. ¡°She¡¯s been bleeding, which makes it easy to track her.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll track her down with you.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at the others standing below. ¡°You four, go around to the new neighborhood and keep watch on the exits. As soon as you spot the target, contact us.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Come with me!¡± Gray Bear made a gesture and led the other three teammates away.

    Lithe Snake and Gao Yang jumped off the wall,nding safely. Past a covered parking lot with retractable hood, Lithe Snake found a few drops of blood on the ground.

    ¡°She went that way.¡±

    Gao Yang and Lithe Snake kept tracking the missing wanderer by the blood trails she left. At midnight, the area was silent and empty.

    Gao Yang said worriedly, ¡°Hopefully she didn¡¯t run into any of the houses.¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have.¡± Lithe Snake yed with his throwing knives with a half smile. ¡°Wanderers, once triggered, act like wounded animals. They trust no one and usually find a secluded ce to hide in and lick their wounds until they turn back into their human forms, their experience all forgotten.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Gao Yang asked and quickly frowned. ¡°Did you kill wanderers often?¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s gaze turned derisive. ¡°I have no interest in wanderers, but I know an awakener whose idea of a fun time is torturing wanderers. He gave me a tour of his ¡®wondend¡¯. It might as well be hell.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent, his chest filled with a repulsive feeling he couldn¡¯t put into words.

    ¡°He summarized many traits of the wanderers. I learned them from him.¡± Lithe Snake paused and turned to walk onto a nearbywn. Crouching down and taking a look, he waved Gao Yang over.

    Gao Yang approached and saw droplets of still-wet blood on the grass.

    ¡°She¡¯s near.¡±

 Chapter 145: Trapped Monster

    <h4>Chapter 145: Trapped Monster</h4>

    Gao Yang and Lithe Snake crossed thewn to the cluster of new buildings in the northern part of the neighborhood. These buildings had yet to be handed over to the buyers. With no residents, the area was silent. The two of them walked up to the wall and spotted blood on a metal fence gate.

    ¡°The wanderer went in.¡± Lithe Snake shot Gao Yang a nce.

    Gao Yang looked through the fence gate. On the other side was a small traditional market. Thiste at night, the market was of course empty. The stand and shop owners would onlye in when the morning came.

    The two of them carefully vaulted over the gate.

    The market was an enclosed space structured like a courtyard house. All the shops on the sides were closed with metal rolling doors. At the center were blocks of cement tforms, meant for the stands to be set up on.

    The tforms were filled with vegetables covered by tarpaulins. There were also cages for fowls chained and locked together.

    When Gao Yang and Lithe Snake walked past the cages, the chickens and ducks clucked and quacked at them.

    The market wasn¡¯t that big. The two of them soon ran its parameters once.

    Lithe Snake pointed at the other exit, where a locked rolling door was. In other words, Sister Luo must not have left the market. She was still somewhere inside.

    Gao Yang nodded silently to let him know he understood.

    Gao Yang believed he and Lithe Snake should be able to easily flush out Sister Luo and subdue her. Still, it was better safe than sorry. He decided to call the rest of the team over.

    Since the operation was one they initiated on their own, they didn¡¯t get equipment from the Guild, and thus they weren¡¯t equipped with radios.

    Gao Yang had to use his phone to send Gray Bear a message, ¡°At the market north of the neighborhood. Tell everyone ande ASAP.¡±

    Gray Bear was closest to the market. He made it here in less than a minute.

    Due to his size, he made quite the noises when he vaulted over the metal fence gate.

    ¡°You got her?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    ¡°No, but she must be inside.¡± Gao Yang believed the three of them should be enough and decided no to wait. ¡°Take the only exit here, Gray Bear. Lithe Snake and I will flush her out.¡±

    Then he added after a pause, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t kill her. We want her alive.¡±

    Without the need to discuss it, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake each took a side and slowly stalked toward the cement tforms at the center.

    They shared a nce and each grabbed a corner of one tarpaulin cover.

    It was too dark. To be on the safe side, Gao Yang conjured a small fireball with his other hand and illuminated the whole market, making it much easier to see.

    Of course, Gao Yang knew that Lithe Snake could do without the light.

    They nodded at each other slightly and silently counted down from three. With a flutter, they lifted the tarpaulin cover at the same time.

    Under it were all kinds of vegetables and wares, as well as two chairs.

    <i>Cluck, cluck, cluck¡ª</i>

    <i>Quack, quack, quack¡ª</i>

    The birds made noises from the cages beside them. Gao Yang shared another nce with Lithe Snake before slowly making their way to the second cement tform covered by tarpaulin, maintaining a distance of a few meters to surround it.

    Three, two, one.

    <i>Flutter! </i>Another miss.

    That left only one tform still covered.

    ¡°Christ, I¡¯m dying of blue balls here.¡± Gray Bear, who had been watching everything y out, lost patience and quickly stalked up to them. ¡°It¡¯s just a wanderer. Aren¡¯t you being overly cautious?¡±

    Before Gao Yang could stop him, Gray Bear grabbed thest tarpaulin cover and yanked it off.

    Their target wasn¡¯t there.

    <i>It can¡¯t be</i>, Gao Yang thought, taken aback.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s sharp eyes glinted with confusion. He didn¡¯t believe his judgment was wrong.

    Gray Bear looked around and said as a friendly jab, ¡°Hey, did you two lose the wanderer?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, feeling embarrassed. Still, he wasn¡¯t the expert tracker here. The one whose reputation was on the line was Lithe Snake.

    <i>Yeah, as long as I don¡¯t feel embarrassed, the only one embarrassed will be my teammate.</i>

    ¡°It must be here.¡± Lithe Snake was displeased by the doubt thrown his way.

    ¡°Then find it!¡± Gray Bear raised his voice.

    Suddenly, a fishy smell permeated the air. Or it would be more urate to say that the ce had always smelled fishy, but it became even more pronounced now.

    Behind Gao Yang was a water tank housing a sizable school of fish. They suddenly started swishing about, releasing a more pungent smell into the air.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Gao Yang sprang to action, pushing Gray Bear to the side while using the counterforce to throw himself the other way.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    A figure leapt out of the water tank with a bone chopper for ughtering pigs, the de thick and sharp with a honed tip.

    Gray Bear was too big to be agile, and given he had been pushed away by Gao Yang rather than reacting on his own, he was a little slow to get out of the way.

    He managed to take the bone chopper with his thick shoulder rather than the back of the head as the monster intended, at least.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Gray Bear howled and rolled sideways to a stop, holding his bleeding shoulder.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    He activated Beastly immediately to enhance his physical abilities, which lessened the pain and stopped the bleeding quickly.

    The assant was none other than Sister Luo. She was entirely drenched with greenish grayplexion and elongated limbs. Her features were beginning to distort as well. Swinging the bone chopper around, she rushed at Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang was stopped short for a moment, not by fear, but shock.

    Sister Luo used a weapon. Berserking monsters didn¡¯t usually use any weapons outside of their own body parts due to the loss of their mental faculty.

    This meant that Sister Luo did retain some degree of rationality, and she weaponized it to kill her own kind, creating the serial murder case.

    But why would she go against the Heavenly Way to do that?

    This was no time for Gao Yang to dwell on the question. He quickly dodged Sister Luo¡¯s attacks.

    Gao Yang could¡¯ve easily dealt with her with Fire. However, he wasn¡¯t confident in his control, and he would end up critically injuring the wanderer and elerating her loss of control and death, if not burning her to crisp outright.

    Gao Yang quickly conjured an unstable fireball and hurled it at Sister Luo.

    It scattered into embers and waves of heat as soon as it hit her, but Sister Luo had been staying in the fish tank. With her body entirely drenched, the intimidation tactic didn¡¯t work.

    She kept chasing after Gao Yang while swinging the bone chopper, and Gao Yang kept retreating and dodging, grabbing the cages to block the attacks every now and then. The startled chickens and ducks skittered around while their feathers flew in the air.

    <i>Swish, swish!</i>

    Two throwing knives sunk into Sister Luo¡¯s arm, seizing an opening. And thud! The heavy bone chopper fell to the ground.

    Sister Luo quickly looked over at Lithe Snake, who wasn¡¯t far from her. Her bulging eyes were filled with rage and despair.

    She dashed toward him.

    Lithe Snake slowly drew the shortsword at his waist and waited for Sister Luo to get close.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill it,¡± Gao Yang reminded him.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Lithe Snake smirked.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The gunshot startled everyone.

    The pitch ck market was lit up for a fleeting moment before plunging into darkness again. Sister Luo froze mid-charge. She hadn¡¯t yet copsed from the shot in the chest. Staggering, she continued forward. Her mind seemed to clear for a moment.

    Her damp face was filled with confusion and fear, her lips slightly parted. When she reached out toward Lithe Snake, it looked more like she was imploring him to help her rather than attacking him.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The next shot hit her forehead.

    Sister Luo toppled backward, her transformed limbs spasmed before they stopped moving.

    ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to check on her. He turned to the direction the gunshots came from and concentrated energy in his palms.

    Lithe Snake quickly hid behind a cement tform with three throwing knives in his hands.

    The shooter didn¡¯t say anything. He stood before the metal fence, raising his gun with both hands. Under the faint backlight, Gao Yang made out a figure that belonged to a young man.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gray Bear shouted, recognizing the man. ¡°It¡¯s a friend! Not an enemy!¡±

 Chapter 146: Human? Monster?

    <h4>Chapter 146: Human? Monster?</h4>

    Gray Bear had already deactivated Beastly and turned back into a normal human. Holding his bleeding shoulder, he slowly walked to the metal fence.

    ¡°Young Liu! Don¡¯t shoot! It¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Xiong...¡± Officer Liu was still holding his gun with both hands, his body trembling slightly and his face pale. ¡°Are you, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Gray Bear coughed and said with a smile, ¡°Nice shot, young man.¡±

    Officer Liu¡¯s expression darkened further. Although he was a sharpshooter, and this wasn¡¯t his first time shooting someone, it was his first time killing someone.

    ¡°Is she...dead?¡± Officer Liu sounded overwhelmed and remorseful. ¡°I saw her attacking you. I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t have the time to think...¡±

    Gray Bear patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°You did the right thing.¡±

    Recognizing Officer Liu, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake stepped out from their covers with their weapons put away. Instead of approaching the man, they stayed by Sister Luo¡¯s body to make sure that Officer Luo didn¡¯t get a look at her until all traces of her transformation disappeared, and only her human form remained.

    In the end, Gao Yang opted to grab a tarpaulin cover to conceal her body. Only then did the two of them approach the officer.

    ¡°You¡¯re...Jin Tiannan!¡± Officer Liu was shocked to recognize Gao Yang. ¡°Why are you here, Mr. Jin?¡±

    ¡°I came to get the killer with Officer Xiong,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°<i>The</i> serial killer?¡± Officer Liu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°The one I killed was the culprit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was getting dangerous. Thank god you made it here in time.¡±

    Despite ming Officer Liu for messing things up, Gray Bear offered words of encouragement. After all, he was ying the police officer here rather than an awakener.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lithe Snake asked coolly.

    That was what Gao Yang was going to ask.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Officer Liu holstered his gun. ¡°Uncle Xiong told me to evacuate the White Apricot Alley, so I did that with a few other officers. When we were heading out, I realized my wallet was missing. I thought I had maybe dropped it somewhere in the alley.¡±

    Officer Liu licked his lips. ¡°When I returned, I saw Uncle Xiong rushing out with a few other people. He didn¡¯t seem to hear me when I called out to him. I was worried that something bad had happened, so I...I chased...chased after him.¡±

    ¡°Take your time.¡± Gray Bear gestured at him.

    Officer Liu nodded. ¡°You ran to the southern exit of the neighborhood, Uncle Xiong, and when I caught up with you, you ran off again. I followed you to this market...¡±

    None of them said anything in response.

    ¡°Oh, about the murderer...¡± Officer Liu was just about to walk toward Sister Luo¡¯s body when Gray Bear grabbed him.

    ¡°Hey, she¡¯s dead. Spare yourself the sight and notify the others on the team. We¡¯re gonna secure the scene.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Officer Liu took out his phone.

    Gray Bear, Gao Yang, and Lithe Snake came up to Sister Luo¡¯s body.

    Gray Bear asked in a lowered voice, ¡°What do we do?¡±

    Gao Yang pondered as he threw nces at the metal fence gate from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°With Sister Luo dead, we have no choice but to do things the standard way.¡± Gao Yang gave Gray Bear a look. ¡°Tell the others not toe.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡±

    The moment the word was out of Gray Bear¡¯s mouth, Lithe Snake and Gao Yang sprang to action at almost the same time.

    Lithe Snake pushed Gray Bear away and dodged to the side, while Gao Yang dropped down quickly.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Three shots fired, two missing entirely, and one brushing past Gray Bear¡¯s beard.

    The shooter, naturally, was Officer Liu.

    With no previous attachment to the man, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake had been wary of Officer Liu the whole time. Gao Yang didn¡¯t believe a word of Officer Liu¡¯s exnation on how he got here. It was too much of a coincidence. Not even a novel author would write like that.

    Lithe Snake thought the same.

    Even while they talked to Gray Bear, their eyes had been on Officer Liu.

    Gao Yang immediately noticed that while talking into his phone by the gate, Officer Liu had secretly put his other hand on his holstered gun.

    The moment Officer Liu drew the gun, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake reacted ordingly.

    The near miss with death told Gray Bear all he needed to know. The three of them took cover in the darkness.

    Gray Bear clenched his teeth, struggling to reconcile with the turn of events. ¡°Did he wake up?¡±

    ¡®Waking up¡¯ referred to a monster revealing its true self upon finding an awakener.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Gao Yang said quietly in the dark. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±

    No matter if Officer Liu was a delusion monster or a wrath monster, he should have trusted his own body more and attacked the humans immediately after waking up, not resorting to schemes.

    Yet Officer Liu yed dirty. He first killed Sister Luo to make it seem like he was trying to save the three of them, lulling them into a false sense of security. Only when they were some distance away from him and in the right shooting range did he attack, aiming to kill all three of them in one fell swoop.

    To maximize gains and sess at the lowest price and risk¡ªto their knowledge, that was an exclusively human way of thinking.

    The three of them fell silent. In the pitch ck market, they were well-hidden, while Officer Liu was out in the open.

    Gao Yang gestured at Gray Bear and Lithe Snake, telling them to stall for a moment rather than counterattacking immediately so that they could learn more about Officer Liu.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Officer Liu¡¯s voice came from the metal fence gate. ¡°You were quick to catch on.¡±

    ¡°Are you a man or a monster?¡± Gray Bear still found it hard to believe. He called out with his back pressed to a cement tform.

    ¡°What do you say, Uncle Xiong?¡± Officer Liu asked. His voice had lost all warmth, leaving only chillingness.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be this way, Young Liu...¡± Gray Bear implored, pained. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t. We can pretend that nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I think so too. Do you know? You¡¯re the one I respect the most in the department. You¡¯re a father figure for me. Why don¡¯t we talk this out? Pleasee here so that we can have a good chat. I was too rash. It¡¯s true that it doesn¡¯t have to be this way.¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s heart sank. He was now a hundred percent certain that the man wasn¡¯t the young officer he knew, but a cunning and dangerous enemy.

    Officer Liu was still standing by the exit. Hearing no response, he scoffed in disappointment. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me, Uncle Xiong?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head at Gray Bear. Gray Bear stopped talking.

    The stalemate between the side in the open and the side in the dark continued.

    Officer Liu quickly lost patience. ¡°There¡¯s no use hiding. You may hide for the moment, but you can¡¯t hide forever. Why is it that you humans never learn?¡±

    He walked to a wall on the left.

    Gao Yang popped his head out slightly.<i> Shit, there¡¯s a switch there.</i>

    <i>ck</i>. Officer Liu turned the electricity on. The market was suddenly as bright as in broad daylight, leaving the three of them with nowhere to hide like mice waiting to be caught.

    Gao Yang looked down. Although he was behind cover, his nted shadow exposed him.

    He quickly rolled to the side.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    The three shots hit the pile of vegetables that acted as cover, sending broken leaves flying everywhere.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>

    The series of shots forced Lithe Snake and Gray Bear toe out of their hiding ces. Gao Yang counted. All fifteen bullets had been fired.

    He didn¡¯t hear the sound of the magazine being reced. He took a deep breath and stood up from behind a shelf.

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear had revealed themselves as well. The three of them stared at Officer Liu.

    With a smile, Officer Liu cocked his headzily with the emptied gun dangling from his finger. He cast it aside with a flick of his wrist.

    ¡°Come at me together.¡±

 Chapter 147: Seed of Resentment

    <h4>Chapter 147: Seed of Resentment</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart skipped. How powerful must the man be for him to be so arrogant?

    Then a system rm rang in his head.

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 2000 times.]

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. <i>That¡¯s it?</i>

    That wasn¡¯t too bad. The threat was essentially as big as Mad Red. Even in the past, he managed to defeat the man with some difficulty. Now that he had grown and had the help of two experienced teammates, he believed his odds of winning were good.

    Still, he had to be cautious. A misstep could be lethal.

    Officer Liu didn¡¯t act like the typical monsters, and Gao Yang had to deal with him differently.

    Staring at the officer not far from him, Gao Yang contemted his strategy.

    Then suddenly, a dizziness hit him from the back of his head. He saw duplicates in his vision before everything turned back to normal. What immediately followed was a rush of overwhelming rage rising in his chest, apropos of nothing. Yet he couldn¡¯t ignore it, nor could he tamp down the anger with his rationality.

    Before Gao Yang could figure out what was happening, he felt a hostile presenceing up to him.

    It was Gray Bear, having transformed into a beast.

    His towering figure loomed over Gao Yang, ready to lunge at him and tear him apart.

    <i>What¡¯s going on? Is Gray Bear a traitor?!</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it. He dodged out of the way, and as soon as he steadied his footing, he heard something sharp cutting through air.

    Instinctively, he ducked down. Two throwing knives whipped past the top of his head.

    It was Lithe Snake!

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened.

    <i>What is this?! Am I surrounded by traitors?!</i>

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Then Gray Bear continued to attack, but his target had shifted from Gao Yang to Lithe Snake. And Lithe Snake responded in kind, drawing his shortsword to make a quick swing at Gray Bear.

    Blocking the sh with a thick, strong arm, Gray Bear seized the opening to grab Lithe Snake¡¯s by the arm and hurled him away, but once thrown, Lithe Snake made an agile flip midair and attached himself to the wall like a gecko.

    He tilted his head to re daggers at Gray Bear, his eyes filled with pure rage and killing intent, rationality forgotten.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡± Gao Yang yelled.

    As soon as the words were out of his mouth, however, his heartbeat quickened, and the anger umting in his chest grew in intensity.

    A thought came to him, unbidden and unexinable, yet impossible to resist¡ªhe was to kill Gray Bear and Lithe Snake. No, he must kill everyone around him!

    Thest remaining part of his rational mindpelled him to turn to Officer Liu. The man¡¯s eyes were glowing a chilling, eerie blue.

    It was a Talent!

    ¡°Seed of Resentment.¡±

    Seed of Resentment, serial number 55, Psyche-type.

    It allowed one to control the emotions of their targets through eye contact, drawing the targets into an inescapable pit of rage and making them kill each other. The longer the eye contact, the longer the effectsted.

    Gao Yang spected that Officer Liu¡¯s Seed of Resentment was at least level 4.

    The more enemies there were, the more advantageous it was for him.

    They had gotten careless!

    Rather than a monster, Officer Liu turned out to be an awakener!

    He had attacked with his gun in the beginning as a distraction, a trap meant for them. He knew full well that the shots wouldn¡¯t kill the three of them. He also turned on the light and emptied his gun in order to rx their guard. Then he activated his Talent at the opportune time.

    Thankfully, Gao Yang¡¯s Willpower was high enough for him to barely withstand the effect of Seed of Resentment.

    As the thoughts shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind, he saw Lithe Snake crawl across the wall and lunge at him with his shortsword.

    Gao Yang grabbed a basket of cabbages and hurled it at him, forcing him to cut it to pieces instead.

    Without pause, Gao Yang rushed toward Gray Bear.

    Gray Bear had already lost his control to his bloodlust. Opening his vise-like arms, he brought them together toward Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang ducked down to dodge it and twisted his waist to step to the side, stealing Gray Bear¡¯s gun from him.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    He fired thrice at Officer Liu, who took cover behind a cement pir.

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear stopped attacking at once, their expression shocked and confused like they had just woken up from a vivid dream.

    It was as Gao Yang expected.

    Seed of Resentment required concentration. Once the concentration was broken, the effect would be terminated as well.

    ¡°His Talent is Seed of Resentment!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t meet his gaze!¡±

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake immediately caught on, and after an exchange of nces, they each took a side and rushed toward the cement pir Officer Liu was hiding behind, nking him with a pincer movement.

    Gao Yang stayed where he was, conjuring fire in his hands.

    With all three of themunching an attack from three different directions, Officer Liu couldn¡¯t possibly activate his Talent to control all of them with only one pair of eyes.

    As expected, Officer Liu turned to the biggest immediate threat, Gray Bear. But Gray Bear was ready for it. He quickly paused to cover his eyes, shielding himself from the Talent.

    Officer Liu then turned to Lithe Snake, but Lithe Snake¡¯s throwing knives arrived before the man did and flew toward Officer Liu¡¯s eyes.

    Caught off guard, Officer Liu hurriedly bent back to dodge out of the way, but one of the knives managed to cut his eyelid. Crimson blood gushed out and blurred his vision.

    He regained his bnce, but before he could even scream in pain, Lithe Snake was already in his space, stabbing at his throat with a shortsword.

    <i>Thud</i>. Officer Liu caught the de, letting it prate through his palm with sttering blood.

    That took Lithe Snake by surprise. He didn¡¯t expect their enemy to give up on dodging altogether.

    The moment of hesitation allowed Officer Liu to tighten the hand being prated and yank the shortsword out of Lithe Snake¡¯s grip, pulling Lithe Snake toward him by a man¡¯s width at the same time.

    Manipting the short sword pierced through his palm, Officer Liu made a backhanded swing.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Although Lithe Snake had made an impossible move, the de still caught and cut off two of his right hand fingers.

    Expression dark, Lithe Snake pushed aside the sharp paining from his hand and jumped backward, all the while throwing two throwing knives from his left hand.

    It was toote for Officer Liu to get out of the way.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    Two knives buried into his right arm. Then swoosh! A fireball flew toward him from the side. Officer Liu had to twist his body to not get hit. Then Gray Bear¡¯s towering figure loomed over him from behind.

    Officer Liu had lost at least four seconds to his exchanges of blows with Lithe Snake and Gao Yang, which was enough for Gray Bear to regroup andunch an effective attack.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gray Bear¡¯s thick arm mmed into Officer Liu¡¯s back, knocking him to the ground. He threw up a mouthful of blood, the cement floor beneath him cracking.

    Gray Bear then seized Officer Liu¡¯s head with one hand, ready to crush it by tightening his grip.

    But then Lithe Snake suddenly threw two knives at him.

    The split second during which Gray Bear grabbed his head, Officer Liu had used Seed of Resentment on Lithe Snake from a short distance, catching him off guard.

    Surprised, Gray Bear had no choice but to block the throwing knives with one hand and throw Officer Liu away with his other hand.

    <i>Bam! Ssh!</i>

    Officer Liu knocked a few metal cages over and fell into the fish tank, making a ssh of muddled water and sending quite a few fish flying.

    The air in the market seemed to settle. There was only the sounds of fish pping their tails on the ground and the cries of chickens and ducks in the metal cages.

    The fight hade to a calm...for now.

    ¡°Hmph...gah.¡±

    Jaw tightened, Lithe Snake held onto his right hand, now missing two fingers. The bleeding stopped soon, and the fingers regrew slowly.

    Gray Bear breathed heavily. His face, back, and arms were all covered in wounds and blood, but obscured by his thick pelt.

    Gao Yang essed his system quickly. The Luck points bonus still applied.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± he warned in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡±

 Chapter 148: Freerider

    <h4>Chapter 148: Freerider</h4>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    No sooner had Gao Yang given the warning than an explosion happened in the fish tank, like someone had thrown a grenade. The ssh of water reached several meters high, and countless fish flew out.

    One happened tond by Gao Yang¡¯s feet, struggling futilely as repulsive green pus and thick steam oozed out of the big patch of rotten meat on its white stomach, like it had been corrupted by some highly corrosive solution.

    Gao Yang frowned deeply, rm ring in his head.

    He looked back at the fish tank to see Officer Liu slowly saunter out.

    He was twice as burly, topless with his shirt gone. His body was entirely dark green with green, finger-thick veins covering the skin. They looked like splitting gashes with the same repulsive green pus oozing out, evaporating into heated steam the moment they touched air.

    Officer Liu¡¯s left arm shrunk and withered significantly like the forelimbs of a T-rex, and in exchange, his right arm had turned into a cannon consisting of lumpy flesh, the barrel leaking green pus like the rest of his body.

    His head had changed shape with his left eye raised to his forehead and his right eye dropped to his cheek like the flesh had melted. Now toothless, his mouth opened wide to the joints of his jaw, connected to the green veins covering his entire body.

    ¡°What...has he be?¡±

    Gray Bear was shocked, and at the same time, there was the sorrow he had pushed to the bottom of his heart. Only a few hours ago, the young man had been his subordinate and junior. He was an energetic and considerate colleague who always lifted the mood of those around him.

    ¡°It¡¯s now a monster,¡± Lithe Snake said with certainty.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gao Yang hade to a conclusion. ¡°A freerider took over.¡±

    Officer Liu must have been an awakener in the beginning. Then he fell victim to a freerider at some point and became host to the parasitic monster. Whether the man and monster had coexisted in peace or shed as enemies was a mystery that would never be solved.

    One thing was for certain though: Officer Liu had chosen to take the monster¡¯s side, going so far as to surrender his entire body to the freerider.

    But why?

    Due to the weight of his now cannon-like right arm, Officer Liu had to stalk slowly toward the three of them with his back hunched. Every step he took, he left a corrosive, dark green footprint on the ground. His eyes seemed possessed¡ªif they could even still be called eyes. Green pus dripped down from his toothless mouth as he muttered something intelligible.

    Gradually, Gao Yang became able to decipher the murmur.

    ¡°O omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Godbearer, the great and merciful overlord of all...¡±

    ¡°Forgive my ignorance and purify my blood...¡±

    ¡°Save me from this weakness and these sins of mine...¡±

    ¡°Grant me the sacred blood and great power...¡±

    ¡°I swear to forever follow you, submit to you, devote myself to you...¡±

    ¡°I will give you my all and follow you to the blissful otherworld.¡±

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times.]

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± shouted Gao Yang.

    ¡°Grrrrrrr¡ª¡±

    Officer Liu¡¯s cannon arm fired a deadly green ray, the terrifying power cutting through space in a vertical arc. Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear quickly jumped to the sides. Gao Yang felt as if the world had dimmed for a second. Then a strange, sharp sound assaulted his eardrums.

    When he picked himself back up, the asphalt ground of the market, as well as the cement tforms and wares, had already been split in half by the deadly ray. The hollow was half a meter wide with highly corrosive pus covering the cut surfaces.

    Gao Yang felt a numbness spreading through his scalp.

    <i>What manner of monster is this?</i>

    <i>Isn¡¯t it a bioweapon?!</i>

    ¡°Grrrrrr¡ª¡±

    The second deadly ray shot out. This time, it was horizontal. Gao Yang, Gray Bear, and Lithe Snake leapt up at the same time.

    While they were still in the air, Officer Liu gurgled and spat out a smaller green ray, aiming at Gray Bear.

    It was impossible to get away while mid-air.

    Thankfully, Gao Yang was quite close to Gray Bear, and having anticipated an additional attack, he kicked Gray Bear in the side so that they flew in opposite ways, evading the deadly ray at thest moment.

    Lithe Snake grabbed a ceiling fan and propelled himself up, dangling down from the metal hood over the market. With all four limbs, he climbed on the hood and threw two knives at Officer Liu.

    The knives hit him in the chest, and green pus exploded in an instant.

    That did interrupt Officer Liu¡¯s continuous attacks.

    However, it didn¡¯t take long for the des to melt inside Officer Liu¡¯s body. As thick white smoke rose, the metal sizzled; all that was left in the end were two hilts, and they fell to the ground.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer...save me...¡±

    ¡°It hurts. I don¡¯t want to die...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared...¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to disappear...¡±

    Pain and confusion broke through Officer Liu¡¯s twisted face. Those were distinctly human emotions.

    But soon, the emotions were gone.

    His eyes melted, leaving two empty sockets leaking green pus, and the eyeballs reced by a pair of flickering dark red light.

    ¡°Human, human, humanhumanhumanhumanhuman...¡±

    ¡°Human!!!¡±

    Officer Liu howled with his head tipped up, bing something empty of all but the intent to kill and destroy.

    It was a familiar sight to Gao Yang.

    Mad Red had also turned into a senseless monster with no self-control after injecting himself with the mysterious medicine.

    No, this wasn¡¯t even a monster as they knew it, but a viscous wraith from hell.

    At that moment, Gao Yang connected the dots between Mad Red, Officer Liu, and the evil organization behind the serial murder. That must be the organization Ghost Horse belonged to!

    ¡°He¡¯s lost it!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Show no mercy. Kill him!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Gray Bear¡¯s expression turned steely. Gone was the lingering attachment he had had to the young man Officer Liu had been. Now he wished only to never see the monster again in his life.

    Gao Yang had a rough n in mind. Since the monster had lost all semnce of rationality, he issued orders out loud, ¡°You¡¯re the most agile, Lithe Snake. Draw its ranged attacks!¡±

    ¡°Gray Bear, get close to it when you see an opening and subdue it for three seconds!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take care of the rest,¡± Gao Yang said through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll burn it to ashes!¡±

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Still attached to the metal hood, Lithe Snake crawled quickly while moving his hand to the throwing knife holder on the outside of his thigh. There were only three knives left.

    With these three knives, he had to draw the monster¡¯s attention while dodging the deadly rays.

    Scanning his surroundings, he calcted the routes he would follow to dodge the attacks, a concrete n forming in his mind.

    ¡°Come on! Here I am!¡±

    Lithe Snake shouted, drawing a throwing knife and getting ready to throw it.

    Then the locked metal rolling door opened, and in came Can, Xiran, and Ronnie.

    Dangling the lock on her forefinger, Can said with a self-satisfied smile, ¡°Told you public ces like this are equipped with cameras that deter stealing, so the key is usually somewhere near the door...¡±

    Can¡¯s smile froze as sheid eyes on the battlefield the market had be and the monstrous being that seemed to have crawled out of hell.

    After a fleeting moment of confusion, the monster turned to the three of them with renewed killing intent.

    ¡°Oh...¡± Can opened her mouth wide and spat out thest syble, ¡°...boy!¡±

 Chapter 149: Teamwork

    <h4>Chapter 149: Teamwork</h4>

    Officer Liu¡¯s cannon right hand charged up with energy and was about to fire at the three neers.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± Gray Bear shouted urgently. ¡°Hide!¡±

    Ronnie and Xiran were quick to react. A nce at the battlefield told them what they were going to face.

    From the two sides, they rushed to hold onto Can with such ferocity that they squashed Can¡¯s face between their chests like a patty between hamburger buns, her mouth pushed into an open O.

    ¡°In...visibility...¡±

    Can activated her Talent.

    In an instant, the trio disappeared.

    <i>So that¡¯s how it works</i>, Gao Yang thought with pleasant surprise.

    He had been curious about how Invisibility worked. If it only turned the body invisible, what about the clothes she wore? Or the weapons in her hands? With those announcing where she was, the Talent would be essentially useless.

    But it turned out Invisibility allowed her to turn herself as well as those within a certain range invisible.

    Considering how tightly Ronnie and Xiran were holding onto her, the effective range was probably about half a meter.

    Losing the target, Officer Liu turned to aim the cannon at Gao Yang.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    A throwing knife buried into Officer Liu¡¯s shoulder.

    His attention shifted again, and he raised his cannon arm to aim at the metal hood, where Lithe Snake was.

    ¡°Grrrrr¡ª¡±

    The deadly green ray shot at Lithe Snake with precision.

    Lithe Snake kicked against the hood with both feet, dodging the shot narrowly. Holding the ceiling fan, he swung toward the counter for chopping pork.

    With a roll along the counter, he grabbed a cleaver and jumped to the side as quickly as he could. Half a second after, the following lesser deadly ray sliced open the entire counter.

    Lithe Snake ran at full speed, throwing hisst two knives to cover himself.

    Officer Liu stopped to recharge his right arm.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    Two fireballs flew toward Officer Liu from the sides. Gao Yang had been waiting. Unable to get away in time, Officer Liu blocked them with his right hand.

    The fireballs were so unstable that they burst into mes at once and scattered all over his skin.

    ¡°Ahhhh...¡±

    Although the firested only a few seconds, it was enough to hurt Officer Liu and slow him down, buying more time for Gao Yang¡¯s team.

    Officer Liu¡¯s throat gurgled again, about to shoot out another deadly ray.

    At some point, Lithe Snake had crawled to the hood right above his head.

    Lithe Snake dropped down without making a sound with both his hands gripping the cleaver, thrusting toward Officer Liu¡¯s head with the added momentum from gravity.

    With his instinctual sense for danger, Officer Liu whirled around at thest moment, and the sharp cleaver ended up stabbing into his back.

    Stepping on Officer Liu¡¯s shoulders with both feet, Lithe Snake yanked out the cleaver and attempted another stab.

    Officer Liu threw him into the air with a swing of his right arm.

    ¡°Grrrrraaaah...¡±

    Pain overwhelmed Officer Liu andpelled him to turn around in ce, its arm cannon shooting another deadly ray. This time, it was thin, dense, and nonstop like aser machine gun, threatening to indiscriminately destroy the entire market with tremendous firepower.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    For a moment, the market was pelted with green rays.

    Gao Yang, while taking cover by a cement tform, was reminded of aser light show at nightclubs.

    Under such relentless firepower, anyone would be asking for death to get close to the monstrous man.

    Gao Yang felt a headache brewing.

    Lithe Snake was bad at following orders. He had told him to attract the ranged attacks, not duel Officer Liu.

    While lying on the ground, Gao Yang made a gesture at Gray Bear, who wasn¡¯t far from him. <i>I¡¯ll attract the fire. Get close when you spot a chance.</i>

    He then activated the replicated Gecko.

    Leaping up from the tform for vegetables, he threw two carrots at Officer Liu. They weren¡¯t going to do muchpared to throwing knives, of course, but Officer Liu didn¡¯t have the sound mind to discern between different projectiles.

    As expected, Officer Liu shifted its target to Gao Yang and stopped its random shooting spree.

    Gao Yang had charged at Officer Liu for exactly the purpose of attracting its attention. Sensing the iing threat, Officer Liu gathered green energy in both his right arm and his mouth.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>Shit. Why is it attacking both ways when ites to me?!</i>

    ¡°Grrrr¡ª¡±

    The two rays of light shot out at the same time, one thicker than the other.

    Propelling himself up with all the power he could muster, Gao Yang made a flip in the air with difficulty and barely dodged the converging deadly rays.

    Without Gecko, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it with his Agility alone.

    Two secondster, Gao Yangnded, and he jumped toward Officer Liu without pause.

    Officer Liu was going tounch another attack, but Gray Bear knocked into him from the side out of nowhere like a fearless metal-ted tank, shouting as he put his back into the impact. Officer Liu raised his right arm to block reflexively, but still got knocked off its feet with a thud.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Officer Liu mmed into the rolling door of a storefront, making a loud bang. The sheer impact knocked the metal door off the bearings and left a dent in the middle.

    ¡°Trap it with the door!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    Without missing a beat, Gray Bear rushed over and grabbed the top and bottom of the rolling door. With a yank and a push, he wrapped Officer Liu tightly between the door like a sushi roll. However, the door was far from sturdy enough. Under the corrosive rays, it was as easily breakable as a sheet of paper.

    <i>Pew!</i>

    Indeed, a thin ray of light put a hole in the rolling door.

    Gray Bear hurriedly retreated, almost hit by the attack.

    Gao Yang had already rushed toward Officer Liu, but he wasn¡¯t certain his attack would be effective. His Fire couldn¡¯t reach its full damage output if he failed to keep the target still for more than five seconds.

    However, there was no better way.

    He concentrated his energy in his hands, about to activate Fire.

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    Then a yell came from his left.

    He turned to see a thick metal beam floating in the air, stabbing at Officer Liu.

    <i>Crack, thud!</i>

    It pierced through the folded door before prating Officer Liu¡¯s body, pinning him to the wall at an upward angle.

    It was then Can¡¯s Invisibility lost effect.

    The trio were revealed to be holding the metal beam with all six hands, pinning Officer Liu firmly to the wall with their teamwork.

    <i>Three pairs of hands were certainly better than one pair</i>, Gao Yang thought, surprised in a good way.

    Unfortunately, their moment of glorysted no more than three seconds.

    ¡°Oww, my foot.¡±

    Can fell on her bottom. She seemed to have twisted her ankle while charging.

    Xiran rushed to Gao Yang and covered his ears with both hands.

    Surprised, Gao Yang didn¡¯t realize what was happening before Ronnie burst into a strange scream, his throat bobbing.

    ¡°Kyaaaa, kyaaaaaa, ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang was hit with a wave of irritation as if a hundred people were fighting in his head, the chaos preventing him from focusing on anything. The effect, fortunately, was diminished with his ears covered, and he came to his senses slowly.

    It was Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation, Gao Yang realized.

    It worked on Officer Liu as well, and instead of making an attack, the monster wrapped in metal and pinned to the wall struggled senselessly while crying out.

    The rolling door sandwiching Officer Liu loosened and slowly opened by a crack.

    Gao Yang raised his hands at the metal tes opening like a blooming flower, pushing all his fiery energy into the attack.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

 Chapter 150: Black Tortoise

    <h4>Chapter 150: ck Tortoise</h4>

    The twin torrents of mes crossed and overwhelmed Officer Liu, devouring him whole and scorching the air in the area. Waves of heat rippled outward, making everyone shield their eyes reflexively and back away.

    At some point, the hands covering Gao Yang¡¯s ears had pulled back.

    Ronnie also stopped making the disorienting scream, allowing Gao Yang to pour all his energy into burning their enemy with a single-minded focus.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    All that could be heard was the sound of zing mes. The one minute crawled by like years as Gao Yang emptied himself to thest drop of energy.

    He panted, drenched entirely in sweat. A strong vertigo hit him and made him feel like up and down had reversed.

    The steel pipe pierced into the wall was heated to the point that it glowed red, and the pinned monstrous body was burned into a charred mummy, its color somewhere between deep green and deep brown. The sickly sweet fragrance of burned protein mixed with the pungent smell of chemicals. Thebination was vomit-inducing.

    Can, with the most honest reaction of them all, was the first to drop to her knees and throw up.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, had learned from all his previous experiences and held his breath in time, avoiding the same fate.

    He did his best to keep himself upright and essed his system. He only allowed himself to rx when he made sure that the bonus to Luck points acquisition had stopped.

    He turned away from Officer Liu¡¯s pitiful and sad-looking body.

    Only until the disgusting smell subsided did he take a deep breath and tiredly issue orders. ¡°Notify the Guild, Lithe Snake. Have them send someone to clean up the mess.¡±

    ¡°Gray Bear, keep watch outside the market and make sure no onees close.¡±

    ¡°Ronnie, Xiran, find the security office of the market and destroy...no, take all the surveince footage to report to Elder ck Tortoise.¡±

    They nodded and each got on their assigned tasks.

    ¡°Whew, that feels terrible. I¡¯ve thrown up all myte night snacks...¡±

    Can was still on the ground. Having finally stopped vomiting, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and btedly looked up. ¡°Hm? Why are they all gone?¡±

    She then pointed at her nose and asked impassionedly, ¡°What about me, Captain? What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Just rest. And check your ankle.¡± Gao Yang plopped himself down on a stic chair. He was drained.

    Can fake-sobbed to express how touched she was, batting her eyshes at Gao Yang with an admiring look. ¡°You were so cool, Captain! Cooler than our previous captain!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. Although the night was far from uneventful, he believed he had somewhat established his authority as team captain through their first mission together.

    ¡°Where did your previous captain go?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°Promoted?¡±

    ¡°No, just no longer with us.¡± Can smiled, but her eyes were sad.

    ¡°Dead?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Can put on a serious look. ¡°You should be careful, Captain. Being team captain at the Qilin Guild is dangerous. The death rate is as high as...¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. <i>Let¡¯s not dwell on such a morbid topic.</i>

    ...

    Half an hourter, the Guild sent a specialized team to take care of the aftermath.

    Gao Yang and his team returned to the ck Tortoise branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons for healing and recuperating. They also answered questions and gave reports.

    Soon, the morning came. They parted ways and each went back to their mundane lives.

    During the morning sses, Gao Yang was so tired that he slept through lunch. Then during the evening self-study, he received an encoded message on the work phone the Guild assigned him.

    ¡ªCome early morning, Old Fisherman Wharf.

    There was only the time and location, no name.

    The message deleted automatically in less than three seconds.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went back home and sneaked out to the meeting ce on time.

    The Old Fisherman Wharf was located upstream of the Li River. It was no longer in use, and the ce was deste and silent in the early morning, the night wind pleasantly cool.

    Gao Yang waited for ten minutes until a small yacht showed up without light on. It slowly sailed toward Gao Yang and finally docked by the pier.

    It was a white, two-tiered vessel, the style dating it to quite a long time ago.

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang stepped onto the yacht and headed to the bow.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    A voice came from the inside, one that belonged to a middle-aged man. It was thick and velvety, the kind of voice a radio host would have.

    It also sounded familiar to Gao Yang. He seemed to have heard the voice before.

    Following it, he entered the interior of the yacht. Past a narrow hallway, there was a room on the left, the door slightly ajar with a line of warm orange light seeping out.

    Gao Yang knew that it was where the voice hade from, but just to be safe, he essed the system first to make sure his Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked before giving a polite greeting.

    ¡°Elder ck Tortoise?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± responded the voice. ¡°Come in.¡±

    As expected, he was summoned by his superior.

    Gao Yang slowly walked toward the door and opened it to a small room. It was made into a bar with wall benches. Through therge porthole, one could see the livelyte night view of the districts on the other side of the river.

    A middle-aged man dressed in a ssy gray shirt sat on the dark red sofa, holding a ss of red wine. The ceiling light was dim enough to create a romantic atmosphere. Gao Yang felt like he hade to the wrong ce. This was more of a setting for lovers.

    The man looked slightly to the side with a graceful, reserved smile. ¡°Here you are, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang met his eyes and didn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡°You!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± The man had expected to be recognized. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    His name was Yan Feng, a well-known character actor. Aged forty-two, he was a dignified man with a sophisticated and graceful presence, perfect for ying the male lead of period pieces set in ancient China or the Republican Era[1].

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother was an avid fan of Yan Feng and never missed any shows he starred in.

    Before, Gao Yang would¡¯ve lost his calm before a celebrity and asked for signatures. Now, however, he was someone who had to keep hisposure so that he wouldn¡¯t be taken lightly.

    Gao Yang sat down on the sofa across from Yan Feng. ¡°Should I call you Mr. Yan, or Elder ck Tortoise?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t at the base, so just call me Mr. Yan.¡± Yan Feng quietly considered Gao Yang. It was obvious what he was doing, but it didn¡¯t feel intrusive.

    Gao Yang observed the man as well. He looked simr to how he looked on TV, but slimmer and with deeper, sharper eyes. His lips were thinner as well.

    Yan Feng nced at his name brand watch and got right to the point. ¡°I have a full schedule tonight. We have another twenty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m d to have you with us.¡±

    ¡°It is an honor to join the Qilin Guild,¡± Gao Yang responded in kind.

    ¡°To be honest, your performance exceeded my expectations. In only two days, you found a mission on your own and finished it perfectly.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it perfect,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°I was going to catch the wanderer alive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good enough. The matter is of great importance to the Guild. It defiesmon knowledge that monsters are killing their own as monsters, against the rules of the Heavenly Way. Whatever faction is supporting them, it must be quite the formidable kind.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it seems to be a cult of sorts. The freerider mentioned the Heavenly Godbearer. I¡¯m tentatively calling it the Godbearer Cult in my report.¡±

    Yan Feng nodded. ¡°The fifth operations team has made a contribution. I¡¯ll note that down.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Elder,¡± Gao Yang said politely.

    Yan Feng leaned toward him slightly, tapping on the rim of the wine bottle with his bony finger and eyeing Gao Yang with interest.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the reason the Qilin Guild recruited you?¡±

    <i>Of course I am curious!</i>

    <i>But letting it show will put me at a disadvantage. I have to y it cool.</i>

    Gao Yang said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ll tell me if you can tell me. Asking the question won¡¯t change anything.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I¡¯m liking you more and more. The Guild has picked the right recruit.¡±

    Yan Feng leaned back into the sofa and said in a soothing voice, ¡°There¡¯s no need to hide it. The reason is twofold. First, you¡¯re a rare case with three Talents, two of them ranked among the top 30. That alone sets you apart in the world of awakeners.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡±

    While responding with pleasantries, Gao Yang corrected in his mind, <i>I actually have four Talents.</i>

    Still, the Qilin Guild sure had a robust intelligencework. Although his Talents weren¡¯t exactly a secret, Gao Yang still felt like someone had uncovered his diary and read it.

    Yan Feng smiled faintly. ¡°The second reason has something to do with your Talents as well. Lie Detection, to be more specific.¡±

    Gao Yang had an ominous feeling.

    <i>Seriously? Again? Please don¡¯t let it be the case!</i>

    Yan Feng chuckled and nodded as soon as he noticed Gao Yang¡¯s gaze. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve guessed it.¡±

    Gao Yang felt his stomach twist. <i>Fuck</i>.

    1. The period where the Republic of China ruled over China until it relocated to Taiwan. ?

 Chapter 151: Worldview

    <h4>Chapter 151: Worldview</h4>

    Yan Feng sounded regretful as he said, ¡°There may be a spy among the Guild, and a middle-ranking one at that.¡±

    Which meant the spy was a Protector or an Elite.

    <i>Seriously?! Again?!</i>

    <i>Does someone up there have a grudge against me? Am I doomed to highwire acts like finding the spy?</i>

    Gao Yang was practically shouting in his head, but he didn¡¯t let it show.

    ¡°A member of ours had Mindreading and could¡¯ve easily identified the spy. Unfortunately, an assassination happened not too long ago.¡±

    Yan Feng¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°So your Lie Detection is even more valuable to us.¡±

    ¡°You want me to find the spy for you?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to wake the sleeping dog now.¡± Yan Feng smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll be of help when the timees.¡±

    <i>True. Dragon only asked me to help with Lie Detection once he was ny percent sure of his suspicion. That¡¯s the safer way.</i>

    Gao Yan thought for a moment and looked up at him. ¡°Then why tell me now? Have I earned your trust already?¡±

    Yan Feng said honestly with a smile, ¡°No, trustes with time and achievements. You¡¯re far from getting there.¡±

    ¡°I told you now because I want you to be careful. After all, the spy won¡¯t sit around doing nothing once they know that an awakener with Lie Detection joined the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the warning. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Gao Yang nodded. That was a reasonable exnation.

    Yan Feng checked his watch and looked out of the porthole behind him. ¡°We¡¯re ten minutes away from reaching the pier.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get off there,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°No, you stay. I¡¯ll get off at the pier, and you the one after that.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Since there was still time, it was better to start a conversation than staying in this awkward silence.

    ¡°Mr. Yan.¡± Gao Yang considered his choice of words. ¡°May I ask you something personal?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Yan Feng nodded easily and joked, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you about celebrity gossip.¡±

    Gao Yan shook his head with a smile. ¡°No, there¡¯s something else I¡¯m curious about. You are a mega star. You must have been going around the world for productions, public appearances, awards, and other programs.¡±

    Yan Feng paused, his gaze turning appreciative. ¡°So you¡¯re asking about the worldview.¡±

    Gao Yang admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it because there are things I can¡¯t figure out.¡±

    ¡°Most of my shoots are done at a production site called Shudian World Studio[1], and the other activities on a handful of ¡®isted inds¡¯. I haven¡¯t exactly traveled around the world.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Before my awakening, I did dream about traveling the world, but after my awakening, I¡¯ve been doing my job dutifully and ying the part of Yan Feng, the actor.¡±

    ¡°There must be other humans with the same dream.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯ve either awakened, or died.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I understand your confusion,¡± Yan Feng said. ¡°I¡¯ve been bothered by it as well.¡±

    The man picked up a ss of red wine and swirled it around, reminiscing a distant past.

    ¡°When I was young, there was a director I really liked. I consider every work of his a ssic, and I¡¯ve watched them dozens of times. Only a few years after I became an actor, I shot to fame due to a drama series, and driven by my ego, I told my agent to contact the director, hoping to star in his next film. My agent was excited and told me that he would contact the director for me. Guess what happened next?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head.

    ¡°The next day, my agent forgot about it, and I forgot to bring it up because shootings kept me busy. A few monthster, I awakened by chance. Andter, I learned that the director didn¡¯t exist, neither did his home country and everything around him. At least he didn¡¯t exist on the isted inds we know of.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered what would have happened if I had insisted on contacting the director.¡±

    Yan Feng curled his lips slightly. ¡°I probably would¡¯ve found out immediately that the director didn¡¯t exist, and the contact information was false. Then I would have either lost my mind or got eaten by monsters.¡±

    Gao Yang understood his feelings. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered if most of the novels, films, and dramas I¡¯ve enjoyed, the games I¡¯ve yed, the songs I¡¯ve listened to, and the celebrities I¡¯ve liked actually never existed.¡±

    ¡°But how, then, do these nonexistent people and things continue to y their parts in such a realistic and systematic way, so much so that it seems like a real world? Why would the Heavenly Way go to the lengths to create such aplicated setting?¡±

    Yan Feng didn¡¯t say anything, but instead observed Gao Yang again.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t stop once he got started. ¡°I mean, why didn¡¯t the Heavenly Way create a simpler world?¡±

    ¡°Put aside where humans came from, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to instill in humans at birth that the world was only palm-sized, and we all lived on this isted, palm-sized ind? Wouldn¡¯t that lower the risk of humans finding out the truth and awakening?¡±

    ¡°Why did the Heavenly Way create such arge,plicated worldview instead? Isn¡¯t it asking for trouble?¡±

    Yan Feng had been listening with his full attention, and he looked at Gao Yang with approval. ¡°I know you¡¯re something else, Seven Shadow, but it surprised me how far you¡¯ve gotten on your own. You are just like us, meant to be a leader.¡±

    Gao Yang broke into sweat. <i>I¡¯m not strong enough for such high praise. Please stop talking me up.</i>

    ¡°I have a spection for that,¡± Yan Feng said.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Perhaps yours is the same as mine.¡±

    Yan Feng chuckled. ¡°How about we type out our theory on our phones?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    They each took out their phones and typed an answer beforeparing notes.

    Gao Yang: The fake world used to exist for real.

    Yan Feng: A real world existed in the past.

    They exchanged a smile and took back their phones.

    Gao Yang was surprised. It made sense for him to think of the possibility because he had transmigrated here from the real world. He didn¡¯t expect ck Tortoise toe to the same conclusion.

    ¡°It seems that we both think this fake world used to be real, which is why the imitation is so perfect. The Heavenly Way doesn¡¯t have to create anything from scratch, only to replicate and reproduce what was there.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Do the higher-ups of the Guild all think the same as you?¡±

    ¡°No, the mainstream view is a different one.¡±

    ¡°They believe that the isted inds we live on and the fake things filling our world are all created by the Heavenly Way. It¡¯s like a game where everything is procedurally generated with data, including history, culture, economy, art, and technology. They be the backdrop of the isted inds as they are continuously generated and developed.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought. That exnation made sense as well.

    He wanted to ask Yan Feng why the Heavenly Way would do it, but he knew it was a question the man couldn¡¯t answer.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door pushed open. A middle-aged man in formal wear stood outside with a briefcase under his armpit. He was about 1.75 meter tall with a slim build and narrow shoulders, his hairbed neatly up to reveal a fair, curved forehead. With a pair of finely made rimless sses, he gave the impression of a conscientious,petent professional.

    His brows knitted into a downward angle. ¡°We¡¯re going, Old Yan.¡±

    ¡°Alright, a moment,¡± said Yan Feng.

    ¡°Hurry. You need to go to the set after shooting the show. There¡¯s no time to dally.¡± The man closed the door.

    ¡°My agent, a white face.¡± Yan Feng curled his lips into a resigned smile. ¡°He¡¯s a good guy all around, but he¡¯s a workaholic and very strict with me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been popr for so long,¡± Gao Yang offered ttery.

    ¡°Hopefully that¡¯ll continue as you said.¡± Yan Feng rose to his feet with a smile and straightened his sleeves and cors. ¡°See you.¡±

    He walked out of the cabin. After a few minutes, the yacht started moving slowly again.

    Gao Yang sat by the porthole, looking out at the river at night. He lost his focus at some point.

    As the yacht quietly sailed along the river, it was the perfect time to think about the existential philosophical questions: <i>where did Ie from, where am I, and where am I going?</i>

    Gao Yang was just about to follow the thoughts when on the other side of the porthole, a head suddenly popped into view.

    1. A reference to Hengdian World Studio, a mega film studio in China. <i>Heng </i>means horizontal, and <i>shu </i>means vertical. ?

 Chapter 152: Fireworks

    <h4>Chapter 152: Fireworks</h4>

    Yes, it was a head, an upside-down head.

    It popped into Gao Yang¡¯s view in a whoosh.

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened, and adrenaline coursed through his body. The instinct to fightpelled him to gather energy in his palms.

    Two secondster, he caught a good look in time and quietly pulled back the energy.

    The silver hair looked white under the moonlight, and the eyes were crimson. Although she was hanging upside down, her beauty was apparent.

    <i>Fresh Snow?</i>

    <i>What¡¯s this?</i>

    Fresh Snow grinned at Gao Yang in obvious joy. <i>Thud, thud, thud</i>. She knocked on the ss as she mouthed words at him.

    Still reeling from the shock, Gao Yang remained unmoving.

    Fresh Snow hurriedly pressed her face against the ss, her delicate nose squashed into an upturned one like that of a pig, breaking the tension with her amusing disy.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    She knocked again and fogged up the ss with a breath. Then she drew a smile with her finger¡ªan upside down one, of course.

    Finally, Gao Yang broke out of his reverie. He quickly stood up and made gestures at her nervously. <i>Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m going to you!</i>

    He rushed out of the cabin to the deck on the side.

    Like a cat, Fresh Snow perched on the railing, wrapped in an oversized cloak with her pale corbones and delicate calves and feet revealed. Her silver hair danced along the night wind while her crimson eyes curved into crescent moons, adorable in the harmless way that small animals were.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± she called out to him happily.

    ¡°Quiet!¡± Gao Yang rushed to muffle her.

    Although there was no other passenger on the yacht, there must be someone at the helm.

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡± Fresh Snow lifted Gao Yang¡¯s hand and took out a firework shooter from her cloak with a mischievous look.

    ¡°This is...fireworks?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah! You put on a show for mest time. It is now my turn.¡± Fresh Snow nodded excitedly. ¡°Friends share.¡±

    Gao Yang met her innocent, expectant eyes. Was she being serious?

    A few secondster, he decided it was best not to go against her wish.

    Although she seemed like an innocent girl right now, there was no telling whether she would lose her temper the next second and be a vicious ghost who didn¡¯t even blink as she took a life.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang looked around as he agreed. ¡°But not here.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because...¡± Gao Yang said the first reason that came to mind. ¡°There is someone else on the ship, and we can¡¯t let them see the fireworks.¡±

    ¡°Do they not like it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± Gao Yang continued to expand on his lie. ¡°Butst time, we were the only ones who saw the show. This time, we should keep it the same. That¡¯s what we call being consistent.¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯srge eyes rolled around like she was learning something impressive. ¡°Being consistent! I get it now!¡±

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Grabbing Fresh Snow, Gao Yang made it to the stern.

    He found a small lifeboat and quietly untied the rope to drop it to the river. Then he and Fresh Snow jumped onto the boat.

    Gao Yang rowed toward the center of Li River with the oar.

    It didn¡¯t take long until the yacht became a small ck spot. Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry for taking the lifeboat, Mr. Yan Feng. Please deduct the cost from my sry next month if you are holding me ountable.</i>

    Gao Yang put down the oar and looked up. Sitting at the head of the lifeboat, Fresh Snow was looking at him with her hands cupping her face, her legs pressed together. She looked visibly excited, and she was still muttering, ¡°Fireworks, fireworks, fireworks.¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the firework shooter in the boat. It was a small,monce one.

    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Haha, I borrowed it.¡±

    ¡°Borrowed? From whom?¡±

    ¡°The fireworks shop.¡± Fresh Snow blinked with her big eyes.

    ¡°You borrowed it from the shop owner?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Fresh Snow smiled. ¡°I kicked the door open and broke the ss cab to borrow it.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s not borrowing it, but straight up robbery!</i>

    Gao Yan suppressed an eyeroll and mustered the courage to ask, ¡°Are you going to return it?¡±

    ¡°Return it?¡± Fresh Snow looked confused. ¡°Why should I? Sister told me that we don¡¯t have to return anything we borrow.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because the world owes us.¡± Fresh Snow said something edgy in a lighthearted tone.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t at all surprised.

    The Spectres wouldn¡¯t be the Spectres if they abided by the mainstream moral codes.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat and changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s light the fireworks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± In excitement, Fresh Snow stepped on the boat like a kitten kneading.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move around.¡±

    Gao Yang rested the firework shooter on the stern and glided his finger along the wire before quickly moving to the bow to join Fresh Snow. The other side of the lifeboat tipped up immediately, but thankfully, neither of them was particrly heavy, and the boat remained afloat.

    <i>Sizzle.</i>

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    A few secondster, branching silver flowers crackled and bloomed in the dark, casting scintiting light on the river.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Fresh Snow gaped. It was her first time seeing fireworks in person. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±

    It was beautiful, but Gao Yang wasn¡¯t in the mood to enjoy the view. What should he do once the fireworks ended? Would Fresh Snow leave? Should he drive her away?

    Would he even be able to?

    Fresh Snow wouldn¡¯t chase after him, would she? It would be a huge problem for him to have a member of the Spectres following him around.

    And there was her sister to consider.

    If she showed up, would she kill him in the heat of the moment?

    Gao Yang agonized about what to do. When he looked up again, the fireworks were alreadying to an end.

    He turned to see Fresh Snow stare at the sky, seemingly lost in the view; her fair face was like that of an angel, yet the crimson eyes gave her a devilish look.

    When the light and sparks of the fireworks died down, the surroundings turned dark and silent again.

    ¡°So pretty!¡± Fresh Snow stood up happily and swung her arms around. ¡°I¡¯m gonna borrow it again!¡±

    ¡°Careful, you¡¯re moving too much¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang was going to stop her, but it was toote. The lifeboat had already lost bnce and was tipping to one side.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Gao Yang and Fresh Snow fell into the river.

    ¡°Ah! Help, help me...¡± Fresh Snow swung her arms around senselessly as she sunk deeper and deeper into the water.

    <i>You¡¯re a member of the Spectres, the living nightmares of all, yet you don¡¯t know how to swim? Really? Are you not putting up an act?</i>

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Rx and lift your face to breathe.¡± Gao Yang slowly swam to her and held her up from behind.

    Fresh Snow popped her head out of the water and gasped for breaths. She quickly forgot about her fear and broke into giggles. ¡°You saved me, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re friends.¡± Gao Yang had an arm around her as he peddled toward the lifeboat.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll save you next time!¡± Fresh Snow said seriously.

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. <i>No need. I¡¯ll be thankful as long as you and your Spectre friends don¡¯t kill me.</i>

    He flipped the lifeboat upright and lifted Fresh Snow with both hands on her waist. She was so light that he had to wonder if she was all feathers.

    Once Gao Yang got back onto the boat as well, they each took a side of the boat, and Gao Yang slowly rowed toward the riverbank.

    Fresh Snow crouched like a cat with her legs split to the sides and her hands tucked before her. She kept shaking her head to dry her hair, but to no avail. The drenched silver strands stuck to her face.

    Gao Yang almostughed. If only Fresh Snow would continue to be the approachable and harmless girl she seemed to be now.

    Ten minutester, they reached the riverbank.

    Fresh Snow sneezed, and her petite body trembled under the drenched cloak.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. <i>You¡¯re a Spectre. How can you be this fragile? Is this part of the act?</i>

    He looked up to see the clusters of vis boasting a riverside view. In the quiet neighborhood, one particr vi iming a prime spot was still well-lit, and from there came the faint sound of singing.

    Gao Yang recognized the ce immediately and broke into a smile.

    ¡°Come with me, Fresh Snow.¡±

 Chapter 153: Invincible

    <h4>Chapter 153: Invincible</h4>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s home, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Ever since his supernatural power ¡®awakened¡¯, Wang Zikai had been healthier than ever. As he cultivated with the method Gao Yang taught him every day, his stamina grew at an even greater speed.

    Outside of serious injury, he could operate with only three hours of sleep.

    In addition to satisfying his basic needs, he didn¡¯t know how else to fill his long day. He wanted to go on missions with Gao Yang to defeat lizard people, but Gao Yang always told him to be patient and umte power whileying low.

    Besides, Gao Yang had jumped ship to the Qilin Guild or whatever it was called, and he hadn¡¯t contacted Wang Zikai for quite a while.

    Wang Zikai could only tell himself that Gao Yang must have his reason, that he was the trump card of humanity, the chosen savior of the world. He must not take things lightly.

    Still, still...

    The days were so damn boring.

    After games lost their appeal, Wang Zikai suddenly got into singing.

    Right now, he was standing on the sofa barefooted in his luxurious living room equipped with a home karaoke set, dressed in a T-shirt that said, ¡®Invincible.¡¯

    Holding a microphone in one hand and a spicy chicken leg in the other, he sang to his heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°How lonely it is to be invincible...¡±

    ¡°How empty it feels to be invincible...¡±

    ¡°Standing alone at the peak with the sweeping, cold wind...¡±

    ¡°Who will understand my lonesome heart...¡±

    Wang Zikai bit thest chunk of meat off the chicken leg and cast the bone into the trash can near him, holding the microphone with his other hand.

    ¡°How lonely it is to be invincible...¡±

    ¡°How empty it feels to be invincible...¡±

    ¡°Will she hear me out from her hiding ce in heaven...¡±

    ¡°My loneliness, it is endless...¡±

    When the song ended, Wang Zikai jumped off the sofa and bowed to the TV. ¡°Thank you! Thank you all foring to my concert! Now, I¡¯ll sing the song...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The window of the living room shattered into ss particles. Perching on the windowsill was a girl with drenched hair and equally drenched cloak wrapping around her body. In her hand was a brick.

    She jumped in and threw the brick away. ¡°Done!¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Wang Zikai paused before breaking into a surprised grin. ¡°A burr?¡±

    Fresh Snow wordlessly looked around in amazement, blinking.

    ¡°You¡¯re bold to barge into my turf, I¡¯ll give you that!¡± Wang Zikai dropped the microphone and tightened his fist to make a swing. He had been itching for a fight, and the girl happened to barge in then.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang vaulted through the window just in time.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Fuck, man. You¡¯re...¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡± Gao Yang reprimanded her in a resigned tone. ¡°I told you to ring the door. Why did you break the window?¡±

    ¡°But he couldn¡¯t hear me!¡± Fresh Snow said like it was obvious.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, this is Fresh Snow,¡± Gao Yang quickly introduced. ¡°My...friend.¡±

    ¡°Very good friend!¡± Fresh Snow corrected.

    ¡°Good friend?¡± Wang Zikai turned to Gao Yang in surprise. ¡°When did you get another good friend? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about something so trivial.¡± Gao Yang coughed and changed the subject while squeezing his drenched shirt dry. ¡°As you see, we¡¯ve just finished a mission and came to recuperate. Maybe take a shower too.¡±

    ¡°Mission?¡± Wang Zikai got even more worked up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me to help with your mission, bro?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t use a butcher knife for cows to kill a chicken, and the mission wasn¡¯t important enough to warrant your involvement. You¡¯re our trump card, not to be used without a good cause.¡± Gao Yang came up with ttery as easily as he breathed.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Wang Zikai grinned with his whole face before sending Fresh Snow a derisive look. ¡°Fresh Snow, is it? Go ahead and take care of yourself.¡±

    Gao Yang knew Wang Zikai¡¯s ce like his own, and he led Fresh Snow to the bathroom. ¡°Take a shower, Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Fresh Snow made to take off the cloak as soon as she stepped into the bathroom. Gao Yang quickly pushed her through the door with a ¡®wait!¡¯ and mmed the door closed.

    He turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°Do you have women¡¯s clothes here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my mom¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡±

    Wang Zikai found a set of silk pajamas from the walk-in closet. Gao Yang took it andined, ¡°You were eating chicken leg, weren¡¯t you? Have you wiped your hands?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve washed my hands!¡± Wang Zikai grumbled. ¡°Who is this friend of yours? Is she that important?¡±

    <i>¡®Important¡¯ doesn¡¯t even begin to cover it. We may die if we don¡¯t treat her right.</i>

    Gao Yang gingerly opened the door by a crack with the pajamas in his other hand, feeling a wave of humid heating from the inside.

    He reached in with the bundle of pajamas. ¡°I brought you clothes, Fresh Snow.¡±

    She suddenly popped her head out of the door, making Gao Yang jump. ¡°Can I not wear clothes like these? I hate how they stick to my body.¡±

    The most Fresh Snow could take was the loose, oversized cloak, and even that she had put on reluctantly.

    ¡°No, you have to put these on!¡± Gao Yang said seriously. ¡°I have clothes on as well. Good friends should do the same thing!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Convinced, Fresh Snow took the pajamas and shut the door.

    Ten minutester, Fresh Snow emerged with the pajamas made of thin silk covering her petite body. The way the fabric hugged her curves aroused imagination.

    Gao Yang sighed softly and grabbed a nket to put around her.

    Noting that her hair was still wet, he said, ¡°Dry your hair.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± she said carelessly. ¡°Leave it.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡±

    Fresh Snow retorted proudly, ¡°I don¡¯t catch cold.¡±

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Gao Yang made Fresh Snow sit down on the sofa and fetched the hairdryer. Then he stood behind her to dry her silver hair.

    Fresh Snow seemed to dislike the sounds, and she kept hissing at the hairdryer with her back arched. After a few hisses, though, she realized there was nothing scary about it, and she started enjoying the service with her eyes narrowed, her silver hair flying around her face.

    Soon dried, her hair ran softly down her shoulders.

    Wang Zikai had been watching the whole time, and he said in a judgemental tone, ¡°Bro, your friend seems kinda stupid.¡±

    Fresh Snow red at Wang Zikai. ¡°You¡¯re stupid!¡±

    ¡°What, you disagree?¡± Wang Zikai scoffed. ¡°Then prove yourself!¡±

    ¡°Fine! How do I prove it?¡± Fresh Snow got riled up.

    Wang Zikai grabbed a controller from the sofa. ¡°Let¡¯s have a PVP match! You aren¡¯t chickening out, are you?¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. <i>Wait, you think ying a game will prove someone¡¯s intelligence? What¡¯s the logic in that?</i>

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Fresh Snow epted the challenge.

    Gao Yang sighed silently. <i>Well, at least that will keep them upied, and I can take my shower.</i>

    Gao Yang went to the bathroom for a shower. During the time, he essed the system and checked his Luck points to make sure he wasn¡¯t in any danger. Then he started thinking ahead.

    There was a reason he took Fresh Snow to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce.

    First, it was rtively safe, at least safer than walking around on the streets with her in tow.

    Second, Wang Zikai was a valuable asset. On the off chance that Fresh Snow went berserk and attempted to kill him, Gao Yang stood a better chance of winning with Wang Zikai by his side.

    His two encounters with Fresh Snow allowed him to profile her to some extent. The girl was young and quite naive, but in the way a small animal was naive. She didn¡¯t have a clear outlook on right and wrong, but she did operate by some codes. And she depended heavily on her sister.

    ording to how Fresh Snow had been treating him, she wasn¡¯t hostile to him, but instead had an unexinable trust and goodwill for him.

    Perhaps he could use it to his advantage and get some useful information out of her to understand the Spectres. The more he knew, the better he could take proactive measures.

    After the quick shower, Gao Yang dried his hair and put on Wang Zikai¡¯s pajamas. When he got back to the living room, Fresh Snow and Wang Zikai were ying a fighting game, both with a tight clutch on a controller.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, wait a moment, wait...¡± Wang Zikai whined. ¡°Ahhhh! Fuck! This isn¡¯t happening! This can¡¯t be!¡±

    ¡°Haha! You lose again!¡± Fresh Snow swung the controller around, satisfied. ¡°You are the dummy!¡±

    Wang Zikai was a sore loser. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count! Again!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± Fresh Snow sounded happy.

    The moment Gao Yang came over and took a seat on the sofa, Fresh Snow jumped up to snuggle close to him, nuzzling his arm.

    Gao Yang quietly watched them y. After a while, he said with feigned nonchnce, ¡°You¡¯re good at this, Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fresh Snow stared at the TV and continued her epic fight with Wang Zikai. ¡°Sister often ys with me.¡±

    Gao Yang put on his most natural act. ¡°Won¡¯t your sister worry about you when you¡¯re out on your own?¡±

 Chapter 154: Possibility

    <h4>Chapter 154: Possibility</h4>

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Fresh Snow was just about to answer when her character in the game got hit with abo.

    Wang Zikai hollered, ¡°Hahaha you little shit! You¡¯re years away from defeating me!¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow, won¡¯t your sister worry?¡± Gao Yang asked again.

    ¡°Sister sleeps, sometimes for a long time. She won¡¯t notice that I sneak out for fun.¡± Fresh Snow responded without thinking too much about it since her attention was on the game.

    Gao Yang fell into thought.

    ¡°Huh? Huuuuuh?! How?!¡± Wang Zikai started yelling again. ¡°This doesn¡¯t count! It doesn¡¯t count at all! My controller stopped working for a moment there!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha you lost again!¡± Fresh Snow jumped around on the sofa happily. ¡°You dummy! Big dummy!¡±

    ¡°Dang it! Again!¡± Wang Zikai seethed. He had never been humiliated like this.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a break?¡± Gao Yang turned to Wang Zikai.

    ¡°No!¡± Wang Zikai insisted. ¡°Another round!¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Is there any food?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, there is.¡± Wang Zikai threw the controller away and turned to walk into the kitchen, but not before calling out over his shoulder, ¡°Just you wait, Fresh Snow! I¡¯m gonna wipe the floor with you!¡±

    A few minutester, Wang Zikai emerged from the kitchen with three cans of chilled soda and a te of microwaved fried chicken wings.

    Gao Yang opened a can of coke and took a sip. Then he turned to Fresh Snow. ¡°You wanna try?¡±

    He wanted to know how a Spectre differed from awakeners, such as if they ate human food.

    Fresh Snow looked at the can of c and hesitated before nodding.

    ¡°I wanna try.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to grab a can for her when she reached out to take Gao Yang¡¯s and took a careful sip.

    And promptly broke into a coughing fit.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    After coughing, Fresh Snow looked up at Gao Yang with glinting eyes and beamed. ¡°It¡¯s so good!¡±

    Both Wang Zikai and Gao Yang gaped.

    ¡°Girl, you haven¡¯t had c at this age?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s expression was a mix of sympathy and shock.

    Fresh Snow ignored him and took another sip, holding the can of c with both hands. This time, she didn¡¯t cough.

    Eyes slightly narrowed, she smiled contently. ¡°This is the best.¡±

    ¡°You have never had it?¡± Gao Yang repeated the question.

    Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°Sister didn¡¯t let me have human food.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It weakens us,¡± said Fresh Snow. ¡°Sister said that ghosts must not get weak, or we¡¯ll be hurt.¡±

    Wang Zikai asked, ¡°Ghosts? What ghosts?¡±

    ¡°A special title. Kinda like your ID online.¡± Gao Yang made up lies carelessly. ¡°Wang Zikai, do you have instant noodles at home? Mind making some for me? And it¡¯d be great if you fry two pieces of spam on top of that.¡±

    ¡°I do have some. Give me a moment.¡± Wang Zikai got back into the kitchen.

    Once Wang Zikai was out of earshot, Gao Yang asked Fresh Snow, ¡°What do you usually eat then?¡±

    ¡°People,¡± Fresh Snow said simply.

    Gao Yang suppressed a jump. ¡°People?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s big eyes blinked. ¡°We don¡¯t need food, but we have to feed on people. It makes us stronger and live longer.¡±

    It was eerie to hear such terrifying words from a pretty girl like her.

    Ghosts ate people. They got stronger and could live longer. Did that make them some kind of vampires? Did Spectres kill awakeners for food?

    ¡°Do you eat them as in eating their bodies?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°We eat their energy.¡±

    <i>Fuck! I knew it!</i>

    Spectres were awakeners too, after all, only a special breed of awakeners. They didn¡¯t eat people like monsters did, but sucked them dry instead!

    Gao Yang kept a straight face and continued, ¡°Do the people you feed on die?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Fresh Snow stared at the c in her hand. It seemed that she wanted to drink more, but in the end, she reluctantly put it on the tea table while muttering to herself, ¡°I can¡¯t drink more. Sister will notice.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow,¡± Gao Yang made himself ask. ¡°Have you eaten anyone?¡±

    Fresh Snow grinned. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because they taste terrible.¡± Fresh Snow sounded a little disappointed. ¡°Those I¡¯ve bitten tasted terrible. I didn¡¯t want to eat them.¡±

    She suddenly approached Gao Yang and nuzzled his face with her nose. ¡°You smell good. You must be tasty. Sister said that she would give you to me to feed on once you get stronger.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>Shit! So they are going to fatten me up before killing me!</i>

    ¡°Are you going to eat me in the future, Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang did his best to lighten his tone like they were making small talk.

    ¡°No!¡± Fresh Snow didn¡¯t even hesitate.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re good friends,¡± Fresh Snow said seriously. ¡°Good friends don¡¯t eat each other.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Good friends don¡¯t eat each other!¡± Gao Yang was so happy he could cry. Although they got here on a strange path, at least he was out of the danger zone for now.

    Then he realized something and added, ¡°Good friends don¡¯t let other people eat their friends either!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded. Suddenly, she stretched with a yawn and blinked blearily. Then she buried her face into Gao Yang¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m gonna sleep.¡±

    <i>Wait, what?</i>

    <i>Is she crashing out?</i>

    ¡°Fresh Snow? Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang called out to her softly. The girl didn¡¯t answer. Her eyshes fluttered as she breathed steadily, her face seemingly glowing. She had fallen asleep.

    ¡°The instant noodles are done!¡±

    Wang Zikai walked over barefooted with each hand holding a bowl of instant noodles and two pairs of packaged disposable chopsticks between his teeth.

    ¡°Shh.¡±

    Gao Yang put a finger to his mouth and pointed at the girl in his arms.

    ¡°Shit, asleep already? I was gonna get my revenge.¡± Wang Zikai sounded disappointed, but he did lower his voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll y with you.¡± Gao Yang slightly bent down to grab the controller.

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Fresh Snow curled into herself and rested her head on Gao Yang¡¯s thigh.

    Gao Yang yed two matches with Wang Zikai. He didn¡¯t y a lot of games, and thus lost to Wang Zikai pretty one-sidedly.

    Wang Zikai found theck of challenge boring.

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    Wang Zikai threw away the controller and picked up his bowl of instant noodles to inhale two mouthfuls.

    Then he turned to Gao Yang like he had remembered something. ¡°Oh, right. I had a dream two days ago, bro.¡±

    ¡°What dream?¡±

    Wang Zikai frowned. ¡°It¡¯s weird... Forget it. There¡¯s no reason to say it.¡±

    ¡°Come on. I can help you decipher it.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°Alright. Here goes.¡±

    Gao Yang pricked up his ears.

    Wang Zikai drew a tissue to wipe his mouth and nose. ¡°I dreamed that I ate you.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart skipped.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, and he couldn¡¯t get a good look at Wang Zikai¡¯s face.

    Head lowered, Wang Zikai said in a slightly depressed voice, ¡°Also Qing Ling, Officer Huang, that damn fatty, and the people from the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I ate all of you and cried the whole time like a psycho.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang put on a forced smile despite the sweat covering his palms. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it. It¡¯s just a dream. I¡¯ve had a simr one where I turned into a zombie and went around biting people.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Wang Zikai looked up at him and tugged at the corner of his mouth worriedly. ¡°But I keep thinking about it the past two days. Hey, do you think that maybe, and I do mean <i>maybe</i>...¡±

    ¡°Maybe what?¡± Gao Yang asked in a trembling voice.

    Wang Zikai stared straight at Gao Yang, his eyes shing with a dim light.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not human.¡±

 Chapter 155: Revelation

    <h4>Chapter 155: Revtion</h4>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t say anything. He couldn¡¯t even breathe.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    <i>Thump, thump, thump, thump...</i>

    <i>So noisy!</i>

    <i>Is that my heart?</i>

    He couldn¡¯t hear anything but his damn heartbeat!

    ¡°Gao Yang, Gao Yang?¡±

    Wang Zikai waved his hand before Gao Yang, breaking him from his reverie.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I lost you for a second.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh I¡¯m alright.¡± Gao Yang did his best to calm down, and he asked in a low voice, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Eyes and brows curved in joy, Wang Zikai jumped onto the sofa with childlike excitement. ¡°Bro, is it possible that I¡¯m not human, but god?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang was lost.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m God!¡± Wang Zikai repeated, convinced.

    ¡°Why would you have such a...¡± Gao Yang was going to say ¡®delusion¡¯, but instead ended his sentence with, ¡°...guess?¡±

    ¡°Think about it! I dreamed about eating all of you! Why would I do that? And doing it while crying? It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Gao Yang felt like a clown.

    ¡°I looked it up, and the books said that everyone was born with sins, fated to suffer and devote everything to God so that God may save them.¡±

    ¡°Is, is that right?¡± Gao Yang stuttered.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m the chosen one, it means that fate has chosen me to save the world!¡± Wang Zikai eximed while swinging his fist. ¡°I may turn out to be God incarnate!¡±

    ¡°Makes...sense.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how he should arrange his facial muscles.

    ¡°And only as God would I eat all of you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang had given up on thinking.

    ¡°Because your physical beings are sinful! And I, to redeem you and save you, must cleanse your bodies of sins and take you to the world of divinity!¡±

    If Fresh Snow weren¡¯t sleeping, Gao Yang would¡¯ve given him a standing ovation.

    <i>If you ever take something out of this idiot¡¯s mouth seriously again, Gao Yang, you might as well shit while doing a headstand.</i>

    ¡°Well.¡± Gao Yang pretended to think about it. ¡°Your exnation does make some sense.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°That¡¯s the only possibility I came up with after days of thinking!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed and slumped down on the sofa.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Wang Zikai.

    ¡°After listening to your analysis, I¡¯m bing more optimistic about the future of humanity.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Zikai was pleased with himself. ¡°Listen, bro. If I am God incarnate, there must be a Devil incarnate in the world as well! That must be my ultimate enemy! Fight by my side then. I havee up with a whole n...¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m taking a nap.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t! Let me finish!¡±

    ...

    When Gao Yang woke up, the light in the living room had been turned off, and the TV was in screensaver mode. The tea table was a mess. He could smellte night food and snacks.

    Outside the window was the gray blue sky. A stripe of red lined the distant horizon, heralding the break of dawn.

    Gao Yang¡¯s left arm was numb. He turned to the side to see a furry yellow ball.

    Oh, that wasn¡¯t a ball, but Wang Zikai¡¯s head.

    Wang Zikai had fallen asleep on the sofa with a throw pillow between his legs, his heavy head resting on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder.

    Then Gao Yang felt something warm in his arms.

    He looked down to find the balled-up silk pajamas, on top of which was a furry white ball.

    <i>Oh, this must be Fresh Snow¡¯s...</i>

    <i>Wait!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart lurched up to his throat. It wasn¡¯t a head, but a cat!

    The white cat!

    The one that had been observing him in secret!

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart raced as an adrenaline rush hit him. In that split second of terror, realization struck him like lightning.

    Fresh Snow was the white cat!

    That would exin everything.

    Such as why back in the night market in the haunted house, Fresh Snow had talked to him like she knew him and called him by his real name even though it should be their first meeting.

    Or why Fresh Snow was always dressed in a big cloak and nothing else, not even shoes. That was for easy transformation between her human form and cat form.

    Then there was the way Fresh Snow ate people.

    She must have bitten Fat Jun as a cat to eat him, but he tasted bad to her, and she didn¡¯t proceed with it.

    Then Fresh Snow bit Jiang Hao, the stand owner, in the market organized by the Hundred Rivers Union, but again, she didn¡¯t eat him, most likely because he tasted bad as well.

    In other words, both Fat Jun and Jiang Hao were food to her, but they escaped death thanks to Fresh Snow¡¯s pickness.

    Gao Yang followed the thoughts and remembered something.

    At the time, Fat Jun¡¯s arm had suddenly lost control and pped Wang Zikai twice. It was likely Fresh Snow¡¯s doing. She drove the others away because she wanted to be alone with Gao Yang.

    It meant that the awakener¡¯s body part Fresh Snow had bitten would be granted some sort of mutated ability. Of course, it could also be considered a curse. And as the one inflicting the curse, Fresh Snow could control the particr body part.

    It made sense!

    That was why Fat Jun had attacked Gao Yang the first time his bitten arm mutated; Fresh Snow wanted to eat Gao Yang.

    There was only one thing that didn¡¯t make sense logically, one thing that seemed imusible¡ªthe fact that Fresh Snow had suddenly had a change of heart and not only didn¡¯t eat Gao Yang, but considered Gao Yang her ¡®good friend¡¯.

    Why? It was a mystery.

    The white cat in his arms, the girl called Fresh Snow, was acting like an obedient pet of his. She liked him and trusted him, telling him everything and promising to not hurt him.

    But in reality, Gao Yang would¡¯ve be her food if something had gotten even a little awry by a twist of fate.

    Gao Yang broke into a cold sweat after going over what had happened.

    The white cat¡¯s ears twitched in rm. It must have been woken up by Gao Yang¡¯s racing heart. It slowly opened its eyes. They were emerald green and looked like the finest gems.

    Surprised, it jumped off Gao Yang, seemingly in panic.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand what it was saying. Cautiously, he asked, ¡°Are you...Fresh Snow?¡±

    It meowed again and jumped onto the table to make it to the window.

    With a final nce at Gao Yang, it jumped out after a second.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡±

    There were so many questions Gao Yang still didn¡¯t have answers to.

    He pushed Wang Zikai away and rushed up to the window to look outside. The white cat was gone.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Wang Zikai twisted his body around on the sofa and, his butt losing purchase, fell to the floor with a thud.

    Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t wake up, but instead made a roll and continued to sleep, muttering, ¡°I¡¯m God...God...¡±

    Gao Yang stood by the window and took some time topose himself.

    Then he grabbed a pen and paper to leave a note for Wang Zikai, saying he was off to school, before leaving Wang Zikai¡¯s home.

    ...

    At dawn, Gao Yang headed to school. Only then did he remember that today and tomorrow, they were having theirst practice exams.

    Qing Ling came to school today as well. Ever since Gao Yang joined the Qilin Guild, they had stopped talking to each other to avoid attracting suspicion. Their ssmates thought they were having a fight.

    Gao Yang focused on his test paper. Since his awakening, he had spent considerably less time on his study, but his enhanced stats boosted his ability to memorize and digest knowledge, and he actually had an easier time with exams.

    Gao Yang yed the obedient student and went home straight after the exams. He talked about his score and the list of colleges he¡¯d like to enter at dinnertime, and for the rest of the night, he stayed in his room studying.

    The evening of the second day, he finished thest part of the practice exams.

    He was sorting his belongings and getting ready to go home when Niu Xuan and his two sidekicks came up to him.

    Gao Yang frowned. <i>What is this bastard up to again?</i>

 Chapter 156: Chasing Thrills

    <h4>Chapter 156: Chasing Thrills</h4>

    Gao Yang stayed in his seat and took his time sorting his belongings. He didn¡¯t even bother to look up.

    ¡°How did you do in the exams, Gao Yang?¡± Niu Xuan asked as if it was a normal thing to do. It didn¡¯t sound like he was here to taunt him.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Gao Yang said flippantly.

    Niu Xuan smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let off some steam after the exams?¡±

    ¡°Let off steam?¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at Niu Xuan. Niu Xuan¡¯s gaze flickered when their eyes met, but he soon put on a confident smile.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go to the Eleventh High School for a fun night. The more the merrier.¡± Niu Xuan turned to his two sidekicks. ¡°They¡¯re going too.¡±

    Gao Yang knew the infamous Eleventh High School. It had been abandoned for many years and was said to be haunted, thus attracting many who sought thrills. Some even included ¡®visiting the Eleventh High School at night¡¯ in their list of things to do before graduating from high school.

    Gao Yang used Lie Detection on Niu Xuan.

    He didn¡¯t lie.

    It seemed that Niu Xuan¡¯s invitation to hang out was genuine.

    ¡°Why me?¡± Gao Yang asked directly. ¡°We aren¡¯t that close, are we?¡±

    ¡°Dang!¡± Niu Xuanughed heartily. ¡°I¡¯ve made mistakes, but you have to fight someone to know them, no? I¡¯m genuinely looking to be friends with you. If you don¡¯t mind, that is.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond.

    Thinking back, Niu Xuan had done a one-eighty with Gao Yang ever since Gao Yang gave him a taste of his medicine at Wan Sisi¡¯s funeral. Someone like Niu Xuan bullied the weak but feared the strong. Once he recognized that Gao Yang was someone he shouldn¡¯t trifle with, he would change tactics and start getting on his good side rather than marginalizing him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t point it out even though he had seen through the boy, but it did surprise him that Niu Xuan would invite him to hang out.

    Gao Yang¡¯s first instinct was to reject the offer, but then he remembered that he should stay sociable. He shouldn¡¯t stick with humans only. It never hurt to spend more time with wanderers.

    He was still thinking about it when Niu Xuan asked, ¡°Did you have a fight with Qing Ling recently?¡±

    Gao Yang confirmed with resignation that his ssmates had noticed him growing distant with Qing Ling.

    He yed along. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how women are. Just leave her hanging for a few days, and she¡¯lle around,¡± Niu Xuan said like a proper yboy before breaking into a smile. ¡°I invited some pretty college girls to join us on our adventure to the Eleventh High School. I promise it¡¯ll be fun! Come with us!¡±

    Gao Yang pretended to be interested. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m game.¡±

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Niu Xuan was delighted.

    Gao Yang called his mother first and told her that he was going to study with his ssmates and might go homete.

    His mother had gotten used to him staying outte. Still, she warned him to be safe and not to do anything unwise.

    Gao Yang left school with Niu Xuan and his sidekicks. Niu Xuan bought everyone a meal at a seafood buffet. They wolfed down the food and drinks, and Niu Xuan inevitably started boasting about himself. Gao Yang enjoyed the free food while ying audience with the other two boys.

    After dinner, they went to an inte cafe for a few matches. Thente at night, Niu Xuan gave them a ride to the Eleventh High School in the Beiyong District, driving his father¡¯s car without getting permission.

    There were four of them. Niu Xuan was driving, while Gao Yang rode shotgun. And in the back were Liu Qixing and Hu Shuang.

    Liu Qixing had a long, thin face, and his build was long and thin as well. With his narrow shoulders and slightly hunched back, he looked like a cucumber that had been on the shelf for too long. Hence everyone in the ss called him Cucumber.

    Hu Shuang wasn¡¯t particrly fat, but with his round, chubby face, he was given the nickname Fat Hu.

    Cucumber checked his backpack while muttering, ¡°shlight, bandaids, baton, exorcism talismans, garlic, pepper spray...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Fat Hu snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve got no balls!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got no balls! You¡¯ve got all the balls in the world!¡± Cucumber huffed. ¡°See if I¡¯ll lend you anything when you askter.¡±

    ¡°Come on, bro. I was joking.¡± Fat Hu lost his bravado immediately and grabbed the backpack. ¡°Do the talismans work? Give me one. I¡¯ll keep it in my pocket.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re both cowards!¡± Niu Xuan mocked. ¡°And you think you can get some like this? Don¡¯t pee your pants before the pretty girls!¡±

    ¡°Young Master Xuan,¡± Cucumber said with dramatic seriousness. ¡°I heard that the school is actually haunted. Many imed to have seen a vicious female ghost.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s superstition!¡± Niu Xuan wasn¡¯t intimidated at all.

    ¡°Hey, have you heard about what happened at the Eleventh High School?¡± Fat Hu¡¯s voice started trembling, and he lowered his voice without meaning to. ¡°I looked it up online. It¡¯s quite scary.¡±

    ¡°What did you find?¡± Gao Yang naturally got curious.

    Fat Hu gulped. ¡°It¡¯s said that eighteen years ago, a third-year student found a stray dog in the mountain behind the Eleventh High School, and she kept it secretly in her dorm room.¡±

    ¡°Then the girl got bit by the stray dog. She kept it to herself and after a few days, her rabies acted up. She started biting random people in ss.¡±

    Fat Hu shifted and continued in a chilling voice, ¡°That was no regr rabies. Those who were bitten lost their mind and went on to bite other people.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, the rabies spread in the school, and many cops were sent to keep it under control. A lot of scientists also showed up in protective gears... The school was under tight lockdown for a full week. Many died during the time. The official exnation is an infectious disease. Later, the Eleventh High School closed down, and the buildings were abandoned.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just a zombie story,¡± Niu Xuan said dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s obviously all made up.¡±

    Fat Hu said, ¡°That¡¯s what is said on the inte. I don¡¯t know how urate it is.¡±

    ¡°I got a different version,¡± Cucumber chimed in. ¡°I heard that eighteen years ago, a teacher picked up an abandoned child behind the school, and since she was infertile, she failed to resist the temptation and started raising the child at the faculty dorm.¡±

    ¡°It turned out the child was actually a spirit and ended up putting a curse on the teacher. She went mad and went around biting random people, thus spreading the curse until many at the school fell victim. Then the police locked the school down. They even hired a Taoist priest to hold exorcism rituals and finally resolved the crisis. ording to the Taoist priest, the grudge the child spirit bore was too strong for it to be eliminated. The only solution was to seal it with the school as the anchor. That¡¯s why the Eleventh High School was emptied...¡±

    ¡°Haha, another ghost story.¡± Niu Xuan had enough of it. ¡°Isn¡¯t that absurd, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang had been listening with rapt attention, not because the two versions of the story were that engaging, of course, but because the details pointed to one possibility¡ªa Rune Cave.

    However, such an obvious Rune Cave should¡¯ve been explored given it was in the Qilin Guild¡¯s territory.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s insane.¡± Gao Yang put on a flippant smile. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in pretty girls.¡±

    ¡°Haha, same for me!¡± Niu Xuan was happy. He felt a little closer to Gao Yang, and it was only a matter of time that Gao Yang became his people.

    During the drive, Cucumber and Fat Hu continued to argue which of their versions was more convincing. After some time, Niu Xuan suddenly hit the brake, making Cucumber, who didn¡¯t have his seatbelt on, hurtle forward.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Cucumber rubbed at his head and looked out the window. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡±

    ¡°This is the ce. Let¡¯s go.¡± Niu Xuan pulled the car key and mmed the door behind him.

    Gao Yang frowned when he got out of the passenger seat and looked up.

    It was the rumored haunted attraction, the abandoned Eleventh High School.

 Chapter 157: The Eleventh High School

    <h4>Chapter 157: The Eleventh High School</h4>

    Late at night, heavy clouds obscuring the moon.

    <i>Zzzzt, crackle!</i>

    Outside the school gate, the lone old streetmp standing by the road flickered quickly due to poor connection, attracting hovering moths. Under the flickering light, the old school gate was kept shut with arge rusty lock, above which was a sign that said, ¡®No entrance.¡¯

    The words were written with red paint, smudged and smeared by the elements over the years.

    On one side was the guardhouse. The broken ss window was covered with moldy wood nks, the lower half peeled by external force.

    The four of them got closer and saw that the guardhouse was empty save for dust and spider webs, graffitis that covered the walls, and the empty packs of snacks and cigarette butts on the floor, most likely left by visitors.

    They vaulted into the guardhouse through the window and walked through the inner door to the campus proper. Before them, a concrete path stretched toward the running track and the ssroom building. There was no light inside, and the school was quiet and dim.

    At the start of the path was a small flower bed taken over by weeds. By its side was a signboard, and three girls stood next to it.

    Two of them were using their phones with their heads lowered, half of their faces illuminated by the light from the phone screens, while the other girl squatted by the flower bed, staring down at the game she was ying.

    The three of them must be the college students Niu Xuan had invited.

    ¡°Good evening, seniors.¡±

    Niu Xuan walked up to them with a frivolous smile, his hands shoved in his pockets.

    The tall girl standing there lowered her phone andined, ¡°You¡¯rete, Niu Xuan. We would¡¯ve left if you showed up a littleter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. We were slowed down by traffic.¡± Niu Xuan smiled apologetically and turned on his shlight.

    Gao Yang looked at the girl. She was dressed in a light vest and a pair of hotpants, revealing her alluring figure and tanned skin. Her look reflected her bolder nature with her big eyes, thick lips, and therge glinting earrings she wore.

    ¡°Let me introduce you.¡± Niu Xuan moved his shlight as he introduced them. ¡°This is Cucumber, Fat Hu, and Gao Yang. We¡¯re in the same ss. We came straight to join you on your adventure as soon as our mock exams ended. That should prove how much we want to be here, right?¡±

    The bold girl gave each of them a onceover before her eyes lingered on Gao Yang¡¯s face for a second, her irritation half gone. She put on a sweet smile. ¡°Hello, boys.¡±

    ¡°Hello, senior.¡± Cucumber and Fat Hu responded with eager smiles.

    Gao Yang nodded slightly.

    Niu Xuan pointed at her and introduced, ¡°She¡¯s Zhou Jing. Just call her Sister Zhou.¡±

    Then he pointed at the girl dressed in a Japanese highschool uniform with twin ponytails. ¡°That¡¯s Huan Huan.¡±

    Thest was the girl squatting by the flower bed. ¡°And this is...¡±

    ¡°Orange, my roommate,¡± Zhou Jing exined. ¡°Something urgent came up, and my friend couldn¡¯t make it. I asked her to fill the spot.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at the girl nicknamed Orange. She was dressed in a loose overall with a puffy bob cut, her hands clutching her phone and her eyes zing with heat as she focused on her game.

    He felt a strong sense of deja vu.

    ¡°Orange, do you hear us?¡±

    Zhou Jing lightly kicked her.

    ¡°Ah, hm?¡± Orange looked up to meet Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. With a yelped ¡®oh boy¡¯, she jumped to her feet with her mouth agape. ¡°Cap...¡±

    Gao Yang cleared his throat.

    ¡°Oh, you know each other?¡± Zhou Jing was a little surprised. ¡°Attagirl, I didn¡¯t expect that from you! You¡¯ve got arger social circle than I thought!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Orange¡ªCan¡ªquickly exined. ¡°I, we...¡±

    ¡°We knew each other through mobile games.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve video chatted before.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, Gao Yang. You¡¯ve been going around!¡± Niu Xuan was even more pleased. He had a strong feeling that he would soon be thick as thieves with Gao Yang.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m gonna get sucked dry by mosquitoes if we stay any longer.¡± Zhou Jing stomped with her long legs and turned to leave.

    The others followed.

    Gao Yang and Can fell to the back on purpose.

    Can lowered her voice and said, ¡°I was wondering why you looked so young, Captain Seven Shadow, but you¡¯re actually a highschool student!¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang felt the image of a mature, dependable captain slipping from his grip. ¡°This is a secret, Can.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course. My lips are sealed.¡± Can blinked with a mischievous smile. ¡°What prompted you to get involved in something like this, Captain? You must be busy.¡±

    ¡°This may be a Rune Cave. I came to investigate.¡± Gao Yang hade up with a story already. He asked Can in turn, ¡°And why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I, I, I, I¡¯vee here for the same thing! I thought this ce was suspicious, so I came to look into it...¡±

    ¡°Be honest with me,¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t hesitate to expose her.

    Can chuckled awkwardly while rubbing her head. ¡°My roommate dragged me here to fill the number. I didn¡¯t want toe, but Sister Zhou said that she would join me in ranked matches in return...¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an exasperated sigh. <i>Can, oh Can, you really never change.</i>

    ...

    The unassuming shaded path seemed more eerie than it looked like due to the urban legends surrounding it. The group started out in a light mood, chattering happily among themselves. But at some point, they started to huddle together with all their phones and shlights on, and still they found the surroundings too dark.

    Zhou Jing and Niu Xuan took the lead. They soon reached a worn-down five-storied structure among the ssroom buildings.

    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s one of the fifth-floor ssrooms that¡¯s haunted?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Jing nodded.

    The seven of them walked into the main hall of the building and shone their shlight around. It seemed like a regr high school, albeit old. In the corridor, there was an announcement board for the students on duty, and stuck on it were the students¡¯ pictures, faded by the long years.

    Niu Xuan pointed at one of the girls and said, ¡°Sister Zhou, why did she look identical to you?¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡± Huan Huan, the timid one among the group, screamed.

    Zhou Jing jumped as well. When she got a better look, though, she pped Niu Xuan on the elbow. ¡°How is she identical to me? I don¡¯t look like that at all! Stop scaring people!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Niu Xuan snickered. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± Huan Huan grabbed onto Zhou Jing¡¯s hand timidly. ¡°Let¡¯s turn back. I told you I didn¡¯t want toe.¡±

    ¡°You scaredy cat. I brought you here to make you braver.¡± She grabbed Huan Huan and led her to the staircase.

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Orange was getting intimidated as well at the very back of the group.¡°Cap...Gao Yang, you have to protect me. Don¡¯t leave me behind.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head with a sigh. <i>You¡¯re an awakener. Why are you scared? Shouldn¡¯t you be more scared of monsters?</i>

    A few minutester, they got up to the fifth floor and reached the ssroom at the end of the corridor. The lock on the door was broken, leaving the door slightly ajar. On the door lintel was a sign that said, ¡®Third year, second ss.¡¯

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Niu Xuan slowly opened the door and suddenly yelled with a scared look on his face, ¡°There¡¯s someone inside!¡±

 Chapter 158: Eraser Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 158: Eraser Spirit</h4>

    This time, they didn¡¯t fall for Niu Xuan¡¯s prank.

    Zhou Jing hit him hard on the back. ¡°Will you stop already?¡±

    Still fuming, she kicked him in the calf. ¡°That¡¯s for lying to us!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Spare me, Sister Zhou.¡± Niu Xuan walked into the ssroomughing.

    It was almost empty with most of the tables and chairs haphazardly pushed to the back. Only four tables were ced in the center to form a square, surrounded by a few chairs. The floor was covered in empty drink bottles and cigarette butts.

    The ssroom had clearly been a tourist attraction of sorts. Sadly, there was no cleaning staff to keep it tidy.

    Gao Yang looked around. The ckboard, walls, and windows were all covered in doodles and words.

    ¡°XXX I¡¯ll love you for ten thousand years!¡±

    ¡°XXX I wish you a lifetime of erectile dysfunction!¡±

    ¡°Run, run, run!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m XXX¡¯s father!¡±

    ¡°Here I have marked my turf with my piss!¡±

    ...

    There were all kinds ofments. Gao Yang didn¡¯t waste any more time checking them.

    They sat around the tables in the center of the ssroom. The chilling night wind swept through the broken windows, shaking the ceiling fans and making them creak.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a normal ssroom,¡± Niu Xuan scoffed. ¡°Where¡¯s the ghost?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a myth.¡± Zhou Jing looked around with her shlight. ¡°But I heard that it only showed up if you sought it out.¡±

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fancy a game?¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting...pen spirit[1]?¡± Cucumber gulped. ¡°Or Ouija board?¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback. <i>That¡¯s bold of her. Although I¡¯m not particrly superstitious, the game still creeps me out.</i>

    ¡°No, we¡¯re ying eraser spirit!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Niu Xuan was totally lost, and everyone else reacted the same way.

    Zhou Jing stood up and walked up to the podium, finding a chalkboard eraser and waving it at them. ¡°We¡¯ll use this. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang asked out of pure curiosity.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the game will only work better if we use something that¡¯s originally in this ssroom?¡±

    ¡°You really are bold, Sister Zhou!¡± Niu Xuan couldn¡¯t help but admire her.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Zhou Jing?!¡± Huan Huan lost her nerves. ¡°What if there really is something here?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve gotten this far already, might as well make it worthwhile with something exciting!¡± Zhou Jing chuckled. ¡°Hey, you boys aren¡¯t backing out, are you? We girls need your protection.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to us!¡± Niu Xuan perked up. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of <i>yang </i>energy and I¡¯ve never been afraid of spirits.¡±

    He gave Cucumber and Fat Hu a pointed look. Although the two of them weren¡¯t feeling that confident, they put on a front for the pretty girls and nodded vehemently.

    Zhou Jing took out a stack of post-it notes and a ballpen from her purse before making notes on the table.

    ¡°Will one of you give me some light?¡±

    Gao Yang shone his shlight on the table.

    Soon, Zhou Jing had made about a dozen notes and stuck them on the table in a circle, each written with a simple phrase.

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    ¡®No.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t know.¡¯

    ¡®Angry.¡¯

    ¡®Happy.¡¯

    ¡®Sad.¡¯

    ¡®Warning.¡¯

    ¡®Friendly.¡¯

    ¡®Hostile.¡¯

    ...

    ¡°Come on, have a seat.¡±

    Zhou Jing was the first to sit down. She put the chalkboard eraser in the center of the table and extended her hands to the sides.

    After some hesitation, Huan Huan and Can each took a side and grabbed her hands.

    Gao Yang sat down by Can and took her hand. The rest followed suit, and they made a circle with their hands linked.

    ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit! We devote to you our genuine awe and fear, we humbly request you for your help! Should you hear our summon, please descend upon our world!¡±

    Zhou Jing turned to the others after that. ¡°Come on, chant with me.¡±

    Everyone took a deep breath and mustered the courage to chant in unison, ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit! We devote to you our genuine awe and fear, we humbly request you for your help! Should you hear our summon, please descend upon our world!¡±

    Then Zhou Jing released a hand to grab the chalkboard eraser and rotate it.

    <i>Swoosh!</i> The eraser started rotating quickly. All eyes were on it as it spinned.

    After a little more than ten seconds, the side of the chalkboard eraser that was marked as the pointer ended up stopping at the note that said ¡®Friendly¡¯.

    ¡°Look! The spirit is with us!¡±

    Zhou Jing was visibly excited.

    Gao Yang suppressed a snort. <i>You¡¯ll be able to talk your way around it even if it points to a different note, won¡¯t you?</i>

    ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit, we would like to ask you a few questions. Would you answer us?¡± Zhou Jing continued and rotated the chalkboard eraser again.

    With another swoosh, the eraser slowly came to a stop, pointing to ¡®Yes¡¯.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Zhou Jing called out happily. ¡°Thank you, Eraser Spirit!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wordlessly.

    The others exchanged a quiet smile as well. They all thought that Zhou Jing was putting on quite the show, and they might as well y along for her sake.

    ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit, is there something impure in this ssroom?¡±

    She rotated the eraser.

    Swoosh. It stopped at ¡®Yes¡¯.

    ¡°That, that must be a coincidence, right?¡± The timid Huan Huan was the first to get scared. She hugged her arms around herself tightly.

    Gao Yang was surprised too.<i> Isn¡¯t that a little too coincidental? Don¡¯t tell me you have Lucky too.</i>

    The faces around the table began to change in subtle ways.

    Cucumber and Fat Hu shared a look, breathing a little heavily while they did their best to look rxed.

    ¡°Is it really that urate?¡± Niu Xuan was still doubtful. He grabbed the eraser from Zhou Jing. ¡°Let me try.¡±

    ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit, did someone die in the ssroom eighteen years ago?¡±

    He rotated the eraser.

    It spinned for a long time until it slowly stopped at ¡®Yes¡¯.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Huan Huan screamed and threw her arms around Zhou Jing. ¡°Let¡¯s stop! Let¡¯s not keep going!¡±

    They all looked a little tense. Even Niu Xuan was stunned speechless.

    Gao Yang had to wonder if something supernatural was at y.

    He essed his system. His Luck points were umting at a regr speed. At least they weren¡¯t in danger.

    Zhou Jing said seriously, ¡°No, that won¡¯t work. It¡¯s easier to summon a spirit than to send it away. Now that we¡¯ve summoned Eraser Spirit, we have to give it a proper send off if we want to stop here.¡±

    ¡°Then, then let¡¯s do that,¡± Huan Huan begged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± It seemed that Zhou Jing hadn¡¯t expected this to happen, either.

    Taking a deep breath, she chanted, ¡°Eraser Spirit, Eraser Spirit, thank you for answering our call. We don¡¯t have any more questions. Please take your leave as you wish.¡±

    She rotated the eraser.

    It stopped at ¡®Angry¡¯.

    ¡°Eraser, Eraser Spirit is angry? Why?¡± Huan Huan was close to tears. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything bad to it.¡±

    ¡°Cap, Captain...¡± Can was terrified as well, and she held tight onto Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Protect me. I, I don¡¯t wanna die yet!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Sister Zhou. It¡¯s all your doing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Niu Xuan said in a trembling voice, his face dark. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed.¡±

    Cucumber and Fat Hu both paled and trembled. It was all they could do not to bolt then and there.

    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t expect this either...¡± Zhou Jing also seemed scared now. She looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Eraser Spirit, we offer our apology... We shouldn¡¯t have summoned you without thinking it through. Please find it in your merciful heart to forgive us! We will go immediately, and we will never do this again...¡±

    She reached out for the eraser with a trembling hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed the eraser and took a deep breath. <i>At least I have Lucky. Let it be useful this time.</i>

    He rotated it carefully.

    Everyone stared at the eraser as it spinned, not daring to even breathe. It had taken less than ten seconds for the eraser to stop spinning, yet the seconds dragged torturously.

    It slowly came to a stop.

    ¡®Hostile¡¯.

    1. <i>Bixian</i> is basically ouija board but with a pen moving around a sheet of paper. It¡¯smon in East Asian countries like Japan and China. ?

 Chapter 159: Signs

    <h4>Chapter 159: Signs</h4>

    The moment the chalkboard eraser stopped, the air stilled, and silence filled the ssroom. It was chilling, like something terrifying was lurking in wait around them.

    ¡°I, I have had enough!¡± Huan Huan was the first to stand up. ¡°I¡¯m going home!¡±

    Zhou Jing grabbed her.

    She looked back at her friend. ¡°What, Zhou Jing...¡±

    Zhou Jing didn¡¯t say anything. With her head lowered, it was difficult to make out her expression.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we call it a day, Sister Zhou...?¡± Niu Xuan couldn¡¯t bear staying seated.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t actually that scared, but it still made his hair stand on end to witness something this eerie. He was just about to say something when he noticed something wrong.

    ¡°Let go of me, Zhou Jing. It, it hurts...¡± Huan Huan struggled to break out of Zhou Jing¡¯s tight grip around her wrist. Her face became flushed with effort while her fear drained it of color.

    Finally, Zhou Jing slowly looked up.

    Her face was pale, and her eyes rolled back toward her skull as her lips twisted into a strange smirk, her voice rough and eerie. ¡°It is easy to summon a spirit...but not to send it away...¡±

    Her neck snapped to the side, her face contorted. ¡°You. Will. Die...¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh the ghost!¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Help!¡±

    Screams rang through the ssroom, the loudest among the voices belonged to Niu Xuan. He fell off the chair and scrambled out of the ssroom, never even sparing a nce for his friends.

    Cucumber and Fat Hu were in no better condition. They screamed and rushed out of the ssroom, their belongingspletely forgotten.

    Huan Huan shrunk into the corner, holding onto her head with both hands. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me...¡±

    And Can had held onto Gao Yang¡¯s waist at some point. She whimpered with her eyes closed, ¡°Captain Seven Shadow! Protect me, protect me...¡±

    ¡°You. Will. All. Die! Hahahahaha...¡± Zhou Jing continued to exim like a woman possessed, and she lunged at Gao Yang with her arms extended.

    Gao Yang stayed seated without even attempting to move away.

    Zhou Jing¡¯s hands stopped before wrapping around his neck.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep going?¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    Zhou Jing paused, the terrifying look wiped off her face in an instant. ¡°Shit. How did you know?¡±

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t noticed until a moment ago.

    His reasoning was twofold: first, theck of Luck points acquisition bonus told him that he wasn¡¯t in danger, and second, when he volunteered to rotate the chalkboard eraser, he noticed that it was a little heavier than he remembered, which meant that it was likely to have been tampered with.

    Then he thought back to the way Zhou Jing rotated the eraser.

    Her other hand was left under the table. It was difficult to notice since Huan Huan had been ying the part of a distraction well.

    Gao Yang concluded that it must have been a trick yed with mas.

    Instead of going into his reasoning, heplimented her, ¡°You¡¯re a great actor. I was almost fooled.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Zhou Jing ced her hands on her hip. ¡°I¡¯m an acting major!¡±

    Huan Huan had stopped crying. She went up to them with a smile. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s so much fun. The three of them were so scared.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Can finally caught on. ¡°You were ying a prank! Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand? You¡¯re mean!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re clumsy, Orange. You would¡¯ve exposed us!¡± Zhou Jing huffed and added after a moment like she had just remembered, ¡°By the way, what did you call Gao Yang earlier? Something shadow? Captain?¡±

    ¡°My ID in games,¡± Gao Yang hurriedly exined.

    ¡°You really are an addict, Orange!¡± Zhou Jing gave Can a sympathetic look. ¡°If this goes on, you¡¯re gonna end up getting shock treatment.[1]¡±

    She then turned to Gao Yang with a hostile look. ¡°Are you part of Niu Xuan¡¯s posse?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Gao Yang responded honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t really hang out with him.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Zhou Jing crossed her arms, fuming. ¡°That bastard cheated on my close friend! I nned this to get revenge for her!¡±

    ¡°Yep! We recorded him making a fool of himself!¡± Huan Huan happily approached the podium to retrieve a hidden camcorder under it. She brought it over and said, ¡°Here, let¡¯s have a look. We¡¯re gonna post it online tomorrow...¡±

    She paused, her expression befuddled. ¡°Hm? Why is there...no recording?¡±

    ¡°Let me check!¡± Zhou Jing grabbed the camcorder from her and made a few clicks. ¡°Huh, there really isn¡¯t. This can¡¯t be! I remembered clicking on the record button...¡±

    ¡°Ugh, what a shame!¡± Huan Huan was disappointed.

    ¡°Forget it. We¡¯ve had our revenge.¡± Zhou Jing wasn¡¯t too hung up on it. She flipped her hair and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home. I can¡¯t pull another all-nighter, or my skin condition is gonna get worse.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled resignedly and took out his phone to message Niu Xuan, Cucumber, and Fat Hu on WeChat: <i>Stop running. You¡¯ve been pranked. It¡¯s all an act put up by Zhou Jing.</i>

    He followed the three girls out of the ssroom and down the stairs, returning to the shaded path. As they walked, Zhou Jing and Huan Huang had been going over their prank the entire time, still feeling excited.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we add each other as contacts, Gao Yang?¡± Zhou Jing took out her phone. ¡°You seem like a good guy, and you know Orange. We should be friends.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± As soon as Gao Yang took out his phone, it rang.

    Cucumber called. He picked up.

    ¡°Gao Yang! Hurry here!¡± The boy sounded panicked.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    It was Fat Hu who responded, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong! Young Master Xuan is acting strange...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°The gpole tform on the running track! Come here...¡±

    In the silent campus at midnight, the three girls could hear his voice even though Gao Yang hadn¡¯t put the call on speaker.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Zhou Jing said with obvious schadenfreude. ¡°Did the scare loosen a few screws in his head?¡±

    Huan Huan was feeling somewhat regretful. ¡°We did go a little overboard. Shit, we aren¡¯t going to get sued, are we?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check first,¡± Gao Yang said and added without thinking too much of it, ¡°Maybe the three of them are nning to prank you to make it even.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Zhou Jing smirked. ¡°But we aren¡¯t that easy to scare.¡±

    Gao Yang and the three girls turned back to walk to the running track. It was unusually quiet without any of them speaking.

    Can sidled closer to Gao Yang unconsciously. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking that the school is strange for a while. Didn¡¯t you notice?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Jing seemed entirely unfazed as she led the way.

    Huan Huan shook her head too.

    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s May already, and it¡¯s quite hot. There should be cicadas chirping or frogs croaking.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Zhou Jing realized what they were getting at, but she continued ahead without dwelling on it.

    The running track was right ahead of them.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Cucumber and Fat Hu panickedly rushed over. ¡°Come on, Gao Yang! There¡¯s something really wrong with Young Master Xuan!¡±

    Gao Yang followed them. As they walked, Cucumber continued to exin, ¡°Fat Hu and I were gonna head for the gate after running out of the ssroom, but Young Master Xuan came this way instead, and we had no choice but to follow him. Then we received your message and were going to tell Young Master Xuan to go, but he just stood there, acting real strange. He never responded to us when we called out to him...¡±

    Gao Yang frowned slightly, looking at the gpole tform in the front of the running track. Facing the track, Niu Xuan was doing aerobics[2].

    ¡°Niu Xuan!¡± Gao Yang called out while keeping a certain distance from him. ¡°Stop fooling around. Time to go home.¡±

    Niu Xuan continued with his exercises like he hadn¡¯t heard Gao Yang.

    There were no other people around. The running track was silent save for Niu Xuan¡¯s steps and heavy breaths as he exercised, as well as his murmurs.

    ¡°One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four. Four, two, three, four...¡±

    1. In China, there are facilities iming to cure inte addiction, and one of the methods used is electric shock. Yang Yongxin, a psychiatrist, is a well-known advocate for such treatment. ?

    2. There¡¯s a tradition in Chinese school where students have to do aerobics during a ss break. It can be daily or every few days. ?

 Chapter 160: Aerobics

    <h4>Chapter 160: Aerobics</h4>

    ¡°Is...he alright?¡± Zhou Jing came up to Gao Yang, looking worried. ¡°He hasn¡¯t really lost his mind from the scare, has he?¡±

    They shared a look. None of them dared to get close to Niu Xuan.

    Something was wrong.

    Gao Yang instinctively knew that Niu Xuan wasn¡¯t acting. Even if he wanted to scare the girls for revenge, he was too vain to act like a crazy fool.

    Gao Yang entered the system without thinking. His Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked.

    It seemed that things weren¡¯t too bad yet.

    He took a deep breath and carefully walked up to the gpole.

    ¡°Niu Xuan,¡± he called out again.

    Still, Niu Xuan continued with his exercises. He was now doing jumps. He swung his arms while jumping in ce, his breathing growing heavier as his movements increased in intensity.

    ¡°One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four...¡±

    Gao Yang clenched his teeth and went up to grab Niu Xuan¡¯s hands. ¡°Stop, Niu Xuan!¡±

    But he didn¡¯t. His arms kept swinging with unusual force. Even when Gao Yang secretly applied more power to stop one of his arms, his body continued carrying out the same motions robotically, like a machine without emotions or sense of pain.

    Gao Yang could rival the force, but he let go. He had a feeling that Niu Xuan¡¯s arm could break should he go against the motion.

    His intuition shouted in his head that Niu Xuan hadn¡¯t been doing this out of his own will, but under the control of a great intangible power.

    [Warning: You have entered an unknown area. Analysis unavable. Luck points acquisition increased to two times.]

    Gao Yang jumped.

    Thest time he got a notification like that, he had fallen into the Rune Cave at the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    Without the time to think, he quickly backed away from the gpole, and the acquisition rate of Luck points went back to normal in an instant.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?!</i>

    The gpole tform was only a few square meters big, but it was actually a Rune Cave?

    Before Gao Yang could follow that thought, Niu Xuan finished a full set of aerobics. He stood for a moment before walking off the tform, as if he was merely a student in charge of leading the exercises, and he hadpleted his task.

    Finally, Gao Yang got a good look at Niu Xuan¡¯s face. The boy looked numb, his expression frozen by some unknown force, and his widened eyes were like an icyke.

    Arms dangling weakly, he stopped walking once he got off the tform.

    <i>Snap!</i>

    There was a sharp sound, fleeting and faint. It sounded like a strand of hair suddenly breaking. It was so quiet that Gao Yang thought he had merely heard it wrong.

    The next instance, Niu Xuan¡¯s frozen eyes turned back to normal.

    He slowly closed his eyes and toppled to the ground with a thud.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    This time, all three girls screamed with genuine fear.

    Hesitantly, Gao Yang walked up to Niu Xuan and crouched down to put a finger to his nose. He was still breathing.

    ¡°He fainted,¡± Gao Yang called out over his shoulder. ¡°Call 120!¡±

    ...

    Beiyong District Police Station, five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang, Zhou Jing, Huan Huan, Can, Cucumber, and Fat Hu sat in the waiting hall. They had each given their statements. Now they were too exhausted and sleepy to say anything.

    Niu Xuan was sent to the closest hospital and still hadn¡¯t woken up. There was no visible injury on him, and no internal damage had been found during examination.

    In the police¡¯s eyes, this was nothing but the typical case of young people doing something unwise for the thrills, and one of them ended up unconscious for some reason.

    Once the police made sure that their statements didn¡¯t contradict each other, they were let off with their contact information noted down.

    They walked out of the station and hailed taxis to go home.

    Fat Hu and Gao Yang were going the same way. After everyone else left, they stopped one taxi for the two of them. Just when he was going to get in the car, Gao Yang spotted something and closed the door. ¡°You should go, Fat Hu.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m gonna y a few matches at the inte cafe and go straight to school.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you can still do that,¡± Fat Hu said in a depressed tone.

    After seeing the taxi off, Gao Yang crossed the road to a car parked on the other side and knocked on the window. It opened to reveal Gray Bear. He grinned at Gao Yang with a baseball cap on his head and his face covered in stubbles.

    ¡°Come on in, Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang got into the passenger seat, and Gray Bear started the car.

    ¡°Hey, Captain. I didn¡¯t know you were actually a highschool student,¡± Gray Bear said with an amused smile.

    Gao Yang groaned silently. <i>Shit, this means that everyone knows.</i>

    ¡°How did you know where I am?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Haha, Can told me. She thought she was going to jail and messaged me for help. I happened to be on my nightshift, so I came to check.¡±

    <i>Can, dear Can, is this how you keep a secret?</i>

    Gao Yang nodded nonchntly. ¡°Did you hear everything?¡±

    ¡°Can gave me a rundown.¡± Gray Bear seemed excited, his eyes glinting. ¡°Did you find a Rune Cave, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond. Instead, he asked, ¡°Has the Guild not looked into the Eleventh High School?¡±

    ¡°Of course we have! We haven¡¯t left any ce with an urban legend unchecked!¡± Gray Bear sounded impassioned. ¡°The Guild checked the school no less than three times, but we never found anything.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. That made much more sense.

    ¡°Did you find something, Captain?¡± Gray Bear was interested.

    ¡°There is something, but I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Gao Yang said with reservation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just get everyone together tomorrow and go on the mission without reporting! Finding a Rune Circuit will give us great merit! We can¡¯t let someone else beat us to it!¡±

    <i>Ah, so he¡¯s looking for merits.</i>

    Gao Yang thought differently. What he had experienced back in the Cattle Farm Station left him quite traumatized. If the Eleventh High School truly was a Rune Cave, the fifth team would end up dead given their level of power.

    ¡°Gray Bear,¡± Gao Yang said coldly. ¡°Have you ever been to a Rune Cave?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to two.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Both times I ended up seeing the mouth of hell.¡±

    Gray Bear was quiet for a moment as he continued driving. After a while, he corrected himself, ¡°Why don¡¯t we report to Elder ck Tortoise first?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with a smile. He sure learned fast.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you.¡± Gao Yang was a little tired. ¡°Drive me home first.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Where do you live?¡±

    ¡°The Shanqing District.¡±

    ¡°Sit tight.¡± At the crossroad ahead, Gray Bear made a U-turn.

    ...

    Gao Yang cleaned himself up and took a short rest after returning home. He woke up to the morning sun.

    He finished breakfast at home. Then he grabbed his backpack and went to school.

    After the morning self-study, he, Cucumber, and Fat Hu were called to the office by their homeroom teacher. Naturally, the teacher asked them about Niu Xuan.

    They had agreed on a story and stated that Niu Xuan dragged them to the Eleventh High School at midnight for fun, but ended up falling off the gpole tform and losing consciousness.

    Their homeroom teacher sighed, rubbing at his temple. He had aged by several years this semester. Thest two months before the college entrance exams were crucial, yet he had already lost two students, and now one was unconscious. If things went on like this, he would have to resign before the big day came.

    ¡°Alright, you may leave.¡± The teacher let out a long sigh. He didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to scold them.

    The three of them turned to leave. Then the teacher added, ¡°You stay, Gao Yang. Someone¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    And that someone pushed the door open and entered at that moment.

    Gao Yang looked up in surprise.

 Chapter 161: Contact

    <h4>Chapter 161: Contact</h4>

    The one who came in was Officer Huang. He was dressed formally in his full uniform with his police cap today. Gao Yang found it a little strange since he had gotten used to the man in in clothes.

    ¡°How have you been, Mr. Gao Yang?¡± Officer Huang put on a professional smile like he didn¡¯t know Gao Yang well.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    His teacher patted him on the shoulder and assured him, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Gao Yang. Officer Huang simply wants to ask a few more questions since Li Weiwei¡¯s culprit was never found.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± His teacher left the office.

    Once the door closed, Officer Huang didn¡¯t immediately speak up, but instead shut the door properly and walked around the office a few times with a small scanner. Then he picked up the items on the office desk and even looked up to thoroughly check the lightbulbs and the corners of the ceiling.

    Only after making sure that there were no bugs or hidden cameras did Officer Huang allow himself to rx. He took off his police cap and gave Gao Yang a smile he was familiar with.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Did War Tiger put you up to this?¡± Gao Yang asked with a resigned smile.

    ¡°Something like that.¡± Officer Huang was being vague. ¡°It isn¡¯t wrong for former colleagues to catch up, is it?¡±

    <i>You really are the devil, Uncle Tiger!</i>

    <i>Who was the one that told me to stay put at the Qilin Guild and don¡¯t do anything rash? Why would you send Officer Huang to contact me so soon after my transfer? Should I take this as your trust in mypetence, or your tant disregard for my safety?</i>

    ¡°How¡¯s everyone?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Pretty good, except for the HR head who recruited you,¡± Officer Huang said teasingly. ¡°She cursed you and your family out every day.¡±

    Gao Yang snorted when he imagined White Rabbit''s furious face.

    ¡°You should give me a statement on Li Weiwei as part of the act. Best to cover our bases.¡± Officer Huang took out a notepad. ¡°Do you have anything to tell me before that?¡±

    Gao Yang snuck to the door to make sure no one was listening. Then he returned to Officer Huang¡¯s side and started drawing on the notepad.

    ¡°I ran into an evil organization that worships an entity they refer to as the Heavenly Godbearer. Their members include monsters, freeriders, and perhaps even awakeners. They have been killing wanderers for some sort of evil ritual. The Qilin Guild takes it very seriously.¡±

    Gao Yang finished drawing the evil symbol found at the crime scene and tore the page off to hold it up to Officer Huang. ¡°Have you memorized it?¡±

    Officer Huang nodded after looking at it seriously for two seconds.

    <i>Crackle</i>. The sheet of paper burned into ashes in Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    After a pause, he added, ¡°Secondly, an important reason ck Tortoise recruited me was my Lie Detection.¡±

    ¡°Does the Guild also have a...¡± Officer Huang swallowed the word ¡®spy¡¯.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded, speaking swiftly and quietly. ¡°Thirdly, strange things happened in the Eleventh High School. It may be a Rune Cave.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s gaze darkened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about going. The Beiyong District is the Qilin Guild¡¯s turf. I¡¯ve reported the finding to my superior. I can¡¯t possibly keep it to myself.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°Of course. Stay safe.¡±

    After a silent two seconds, the two of them immediately got into their act.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t found the culprit who killed Li Weiwei?¡± Gao Yang asked, raising his voice.

    ¡°Unfortunately so,¡± Officer Huang said loud enough to be overheard as well. ¡°That¡¯s why I came to talk to you. Perhaps there are clues we¡¯ve missed.¡±

    ...

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went straight to the ck Tortoise branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons rather than going home.

    Gray Bear had been waiting in the lobby for quite a while, his expression gloomy. Heined loudly as soon as he spotted Gao Yang, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have reported it, Captain. We should¡¯ve done this ourselves first!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Elder ck Tortoise sent the fourth team to the Eleventh High School to investigate.¡± Gray Bear fumed. ¡°How does that make sense? We found the clue first!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. He wasn¡¯t surprised.

    The fourth team and the fifth team both answered to Elder ck Tortoise. It was said that the fourth team was stronger in general, and they performed better.

    Moreover, Gao Yang had only just be the captain of the fifth team. He hadn¡¯t earned ck Tortoise¡¯s trust.

    It was only natural that ck Tortoise would send the fourth team to the Rune Cave instead.

    ¡°We¡¯ll follow orders,¡± Gao Yang said nonchntly.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Gray Bear was still angry. ¡°That¡¯s differential treatment! Elder always sends the fourth team on the good missions, while the fifth team is left with scraps!¡±

    ¡°Believe me, Gray Bear, going to the Rune Cave isn¡¯t all fun and games.¡± Gao Yang was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Elder obviously favors the fourth team! He dislikes the fifth team!¡± Gray Bear threw a tantrum like a child fighting for a parent¡¯s favor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you. Maybe the fourth team won¡¯t find anything.¡± Gao Yang smiled at him. ¡°Do you have time? I''m hungry. Let¡¯s get barbecue together.¡±

    Gray Bear calmed down somewhat. ¡°Alright. I was so angry that I didn¡¯t really eat anything during dinner.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to Owner Liu¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, Captain.¡± Gray Bear smirked with his eyes narrowed. ¡°Is that your type?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re reading too much into it. I simply want some barbecue.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin! I get it!¡± Gray Bear put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder like they were brothers, his smile turning scious. ¡°The additional appendage doesn¡¯t change the fact that the owner is a real beauty! I myself can¡¯t help but sneak a few nces every time I visit.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. <i>Alright, it¡¯s better that he suspects my sexuality than my allegiance.</i>

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang returned home and went to bed after cleaning and washing himself.

    Soon, he met Liu Qingying in a Sweet Dream.

    No one would doubt her devotion to providing good service. Her dream was always carefully crafted, and no two dreams were the same. This time, the two of them were sitting in the business ss cabin of a ne.

    The ne flew through the sky. Outside the window was an ocean of heavy violet clouds, turbulent and awe-inspiring as thunder rumbled and lightning crackled. It looked like the end of the world.

    Sitting by his side, Liu Qingying had a light nket on her.

    ¡°How well are you adapting to the Qilin Guild?¡± Liu Qingying said with a faint smile.

    ¡°Doing alright.¡± Gao Yang looked out of the window at the ocean of clouds. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my first time seeing the sea as well as riding on a ne to be in dreams.¡±

    ¡°I can show you many more first times should you wish.¡± Liu Qingying smiled alluringly at him, her eyes bright.

    ¡°How exciting,¡± Gao Yang humored her and turned back. ¡°Alright, you start.¡±

    Liu Qingying turned slightly to the side. ¡°Then I will. Please don¡¯t get mad.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, picking up the ss of orange juice on the small table before him to take a sip.

    ¡°Did you join the Qilin Guild as a spy from the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    Gao Yang almost choked. He put down the ss of orange juice and said with forcedposure, ¡°What ss is the intel?¡±

    ¡°S-ss.¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled with a lightness he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Ha, I didn¡¯t expect myself to be this important.¡±

    [ess granted.]

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    <i>Liu Qingying, the old fox! She¡¯s now after me?!</i>

    <i>That¡¯s a trick question! If I said noments in panic, that¡¯s as good as a confession to being a spy sent from the Twelve Zodiac Signs! I¡¯m not gonna fall for it!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s ck Tortoise, isn¡¯t it? He¡¯s the one asking for the info!</i>

    [ess ends.]

    ¡°You¡¯ve overestimated me. I¡¯m not loyal to the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Gao Yang shrugged. ¡°The Qilin Guild is clearly the safer bet. With the start of the Prophecy of Seven, one has to choose their side with care.¡±

    Then he nced at Liu Qingying. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to find support soon for your safety.¡±

    Liu Qingying gave Gao Yang a fleeting soft look. ¡°How thoughtful of you. Thank you for your consideration. However, I still prefer staying a free agent.¡±

    ¡°To each its own. I get it.¡± Gao Yang changed the subject. ¡°What else do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Details on the Talents of Qilin and the four elders. All those are S-ss intel.¡±

    Gao Yang spread his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I can¡¯t tell you even if I do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought as much.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. She didn¡¯t seem disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s my end. I don¡¯t have anything else to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then have you made progress on your investigation into the faction behind Ghost Horse and Mad Red, as I¡¯ve requested?¡±

    ¡°I did make some progress.¡± Liu Qingying raised her eyebrows slightly, her lips curved into a smile.

 Chapter 162: Progress

    <h4>Chapter 162: Progress</h4>

    For a moment, Liu Qingying simply closed her eyes.

    Soon, the ne startednding. Gao Yang could feel a slight weightlessness and heard a ring in his head. Outside the window, the ne dove into the ocean of clouds.

    Liu Qingying was manipting her dream.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk Ghost Horse first.¡± She opened her eyes. ¡°ording to reliable sources, Ghost Horse isn¡¯t dead.¡±

    Gao Yang was unsurprised. ¡°I knew that back when I was still with the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I can even tell you that Ghost Horse was executed by Dragon. I saw him die.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s only one exnation.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes curved. ¡°He was resurrected.¡±

    ¡°Is there a Talent like that?¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled shrewdly. ¡°Haha, that¡¯ll be an A-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll owe you.¡±

    ¡°There is a Talent that resurrects people, but ites with many limitations. The brain and heart must not have beenpletely destroyed, and the Talent has to be applied within twenty-four hours after the target¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Is it among the top ten Talents?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but personally,¡± Liu Qingying paused, ¡°I think it¡¯s the ability of a Spectre.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. Why hadn¡¯t he thought about it?

    ¡°Why do you think a Spectre has the Talent?¡±

    ¡°I have my basis for the guess, but it¡¯ll count as another A-ss intel if you ask further.¡± Liu Qingying spoke in a gentle voice. ¡°It¡¯s bad practice to put too much on tab. I run a small business after all.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent. The spection gave him chills. ¡°Do you mean Ghost Horse is supported by the Spectres?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only an information broker. It¡¯s not in my ce to jump to conclusions.¡± Liu Qingying chose her words carefully. ¡°I can only tell you that it¡¯s a possibility.¡±

    Gao Yang made a thoughtful sound.

    Liu Qingying continued, ¡°As for the man named Mad Red, I¡¯ve made some progress in that regard as well. I¡¯ll say it¡¯s a B-ss intel. Do you want to buy it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pay you with jinwu.¡± Gao Yang now had the money.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find much with the name Mad Red, but I did find something with his Talent, Detonation.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded for her to continue.

    ¡°Thest time Detonation appeared was on an unaffiliated awakener. The Qilin Guild was going to recruit her, but she rejected the offer. Nothing has been heard about her ever since.¡±

    Liu Qingying handed Gao Yang a dossier.

    Gao Yang took it and found that it was the enrollment document for a college in Li City. The ID photo showed a redheaded girl with delicate brows and eyes and pronounced facial features. Her eyes were the color of the ocean. Although she was smiling, there was a lingering ruefulness to her.

    Name: Lilia

    Sex: Female

    Age: 19

    Country of Origin: Snow Nation

    Gao Yang turned to Liu Qingying. ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°Lilia was from the Snow Nation. Seven years ago, she came to Li City as an exchange student. She awakened with Talent: Detonation. The Qilin Guild sought her out, but she didn¡¯t join them. Not long after, she went missing. The police filed it as a missing person case.¡±

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of the sister Mad Red talked about. Was he talking about Lilia?

    ording to Mad Red, Lilia was already dead.

    Gao Yang¡¯s contemtion was interrupted by a stream of sunlight from the window. He looked up to find the ne breaking through the clouds and heading tond.

    Below was a gray, misty ocean. There was a snowy ind surrounded by water. That must be the Snow Nation.

    Liu Qingying looked out of the window too. ¡°It¡¯s said in textbooks that the Snow Nation is about seventy thousand square kilometers in size, but ording to the information the Hundred Rivers Union collected during their expedition, the part of the Snow Nation where people can actually go around is no bigger than four thousand square kilometers, about one fifth of Li City. It was the third biggest ¡®isted ind¡¯ of the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°A big nation with low poption density, the Snow Nation has no more than a hundred thousand people. It¡¯s a nice destination in winter for skiing, aurora, and hot springs.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°I digress.¡±

    Gao Yang was still reading the dossier over and sorting through all the information he had at the moment.

    Liu Qingying calcted the price. ¡°You still owe me an A-ss intel for tonight. Please pay in full in a month. If you don¡¯t have an intel for me in exchange, you may pay me with coins. However, an A-ss intel is quite expensive...¡±

    ¡°I can pay you now,¡± Gao Yang cut her off.

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Are you interested in monsters?¡± Gao Yang asked with a smile.

    ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°Monsters killing each other as a sacrificial ritual with the support of a mysterious cult. Among the followers are freeriders.¡±

    Gao Yang had a feeling that Liu Qingying would learn of the fact sooner orter whether he told her or not; it was better to sell her the information when he could.

    And he hoped that Liu Qingying would look into it. Perhaps she would dig up more clues, which would in turn further his own investigation.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s lips parted. It was obvious that she was very curious. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    Gao Yang gave her a brief summary.

    After listening to him with full attention, she muttered in a low voice, ¡°Heavenly Godbearer. I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a pen and paper?¡±

    Liu Qingying closed her eyes and conjured them for him.

    Gao Yang started drawing the symbol found at the scene.

    Liu Qingying stared at it for a long time before she said bemusedly, ¡°At the moment, I can¡¯t tell the value of the intel. However, it is unusual.¡±

    She turned to Gao Yang and smiled with satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten quite the haul tonight. I¡¯ll consider us even.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Fine by me.¡±

    ¡°Would you mind trading information about the Heavenly Godbearer in the future if you find out more?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°The Guild ces great importance on the matter. I¡¯ll have to see how things turn out. If <i>you </i>find out more about it, however, please consider selling the information to me.¡±

    Liu Qingyingughed, her eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°You do take your job seriously wherever you are.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t disappoint Elder ck Tortoise when he¡¯s invested in me.¡± Gao Yang brought up the man on purpose.

    Liu Qingying immediately caught on.

    Gao Yang was insinuating that despite Liu Qingying denying her prior involvement with Gao Yang, there was no guarantee that ck Tortoise wouldn¡¯t suspect a deal between them after Gao Yang¡¯s meeting with him in Liu Qingying¡¯s dream.

    Therefore, Gao Yang must not tell Liu Qingying anything substantial about the Qilin Guild that he knew of. Otherwise, he would be the one ck Tortoise suspected first.

    Of course, ck Tortoise might enter a trade of information with Liu Qingying too.

    In theory, Liu Qingying didn¡¯t have toe to Gao Yang for information about the Qilin Guild if she could get it from ck Tortoise, and vice versa.

    Gao Yang had been recruited by ck Tortoise. ck Tortoise wanted to put him to use, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t justy down his guard around Gao Yang. That much was evident in ck Tortoise¡¯s decision to send the fourth team to investigate the Eleventh High School.

    At the end of the day, Gao Yang would do his best to stay loyal in public and in private. He didn¡¯t think he would be able to fully earn ck Tortoise¡¯s trust, but at least he should avoid attracting suspicion.

    ¡°Always good to do business with you.¡± Gao Yang closed his eyes and entered his system.

    ...

    Gao Yang woke up at dawn.

    His mother got up quite early today as well, and she took the time to prepare a nutritious meal for him.

    His mother had been following quite a few official ounts sharing health tips. That was how she learned that the traditional breakfast she used to prepare wasn¡¯t bnced enough, and children¡¯s growth could be stunted as a result.

    Since then, she had been preparing a full breakfast for them, including milk, eggs, whole wheat bread, cereals, and an assortment of fruit.

    After filling his stomach, Gao Yang shouldered his backpack and got ready to go to school.

    His homeroom teacher had told the parents about Gao Yang and Niu Xuan¡¯s trip to the Eleventh High School.

    Before he stepped out of the door, his mother reminded him in a serious tone to stop fooling around, that he must keep his distance from the likes of Wang Zikai and Niu Xuan and stay focused on the uing entrance exams.

    Gao Yang agreed quickly.

    The moment he left his neighborhood, he ran into Cucumber and Fat Hu, who were on their way to school as well. They were riding on bikes.

    Cucumber hurriedly caught up to Gao Yang and jumped off his bike. ¡°I was just about to call you, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The hospital called!¡± Fat Hu came up to them pushing his bicycle, his joy obvious. ¡°Young Master Xuan woke up!¡±

 Chapter 163: Past Life

    <h4>Chapter 163: Past Life</h4>

    Niu Xuan had woken up.

    It was indeed good news to Gao Yang.

    On the mundane side of his life, if Niu Xuan stayed unconscious, Gao Yang, Cucumber, and Fat Hu would¡¯ve gotten into great trouble. The police would surely inquire about it and investigate, which would lead to a lot of problems.

    And on the awakener side, his search for the Rune Cave would meet a dead end if Niu Xuan didn¡¯t wake up.

    The day passed uneventfully.

    Qing Ling hadn¡¯te to school for two days. It was said that she had secured her entrance into a college in Li City, and the homeroom teacher could only turn a blind eye to her absence.

    Thest session of the evening self-study came. Cucumber, Fat Hu, and Gao Yang asked their homeroom teacher for an early leave, stating that they would like to visit Niu Xuan at the hospital, but it would be closed to visitors if they went toote.

    The teacher agreed.

    Cucumber and Fat Hu both rode bicycles. It had been a long time since Gao Yangst biked. He always took the subway. Tonight, he rode on Fat Hu¡¯s backseat.

    On their way to the hospital, Cucumber and Fat Hu chatted.

    Cucumber said seriously, ¡°Young Master Xuan must have seen something impure and gotten possessed. My mom said that the same thing happened to me when I was four. I think I saw something I shouldn¡¯t see, and I went without eating or drinking for two days, nor did I say a word. I didn¡¯t get better until my mom asked for a master to hold an exorcism ritual for me.¡±

    <i>You must have run into an awakener</i>, Gao Yang thought to himself with a quiet snort. <i>And as a young wanderer, your brain wasn¡¯t as efficient in modifying your memory and thought process. That¡¯s why it took you two days.</i>

    ¡°Then we must not do anything to trigger Young Master Xuan,¡± Fat Hu agreed.

    ¡°Of course. I wonder how he¡¯s doing.¡± Cucumber sighed as he pedaled. ¡°I hope he gets better soon.¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback. Niu Xuan always ordered Cucumber and Fat Hu around like they were his servants, but his two sidekicks turned out to be quite loyal to him.

    It wasn¡¯t that surprising when he thought about it though. They were never the targets of Niu Xuan¡¯s bullying, and Niu Xuan was generous to his own people. In a way, he had returned their loyalty.

    Gao Yang was reminded of the awakener organizations. Both the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild treated their own people quite well. It was the outsiders they were ruthless to.

    It seemed that in every world, it was difficult to survive as a lone wolf.

    It took less than half an hour for the three of them to reach the inpatient department of the hospital. Niu Xuan¡¯s family was rich, and they arranged for him to stay in a single ward. The room was clean, quiet, and smelled good.

    Resting on bed in a semi-seated posture, Niu Xuan had his eyes closed. On the nightstand by the bed was a basket of fruit and two bouquets of flowers. It seemed that someone had visited him earlier.

    ¡°Young Master Xuan?¡± Cucumber called out to him softly.

    Niu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze dim and his expression tired.

    He shifted and said in a weak voice, ¡°Here you are.¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gao Yang went up to him.

    ¡°I am.¡± Niu Xuan put on a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be going home in two days.¡±

    ¡°Did the doctor say why you fainted?¡± Gao Yang pressed.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t find anything.¡± Niu Xuan looked equally befuddled. ¡°I got my head scanned and my body checked. Nothing is wrong. The doctor said that it may be low blood sugar.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed a huff. <i>Low blood sugar, for someone as fit as Niu Xuan?</i>

    He went on to ask, ¡°Niu Xuan, do you remember...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Cucumber cut him off nervously, giving him a pointed look to stop asking.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t care. ¡°Do you remember what you did back in the Eleventh High School, on the gpole tform?¡±

    ¡°I did aerobics, right?¡± Niu Xuan gave them an indecipherable smile. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    Gao Yang asked after a pause, ¡°If you don¡¯t remember, how did you know you were doing it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess.¡±

    Cucumber and Fat Hu shuddered, exchanging a nce and seeing the same thought in the other: Niu Xuan must still be possessed.

    Gao Yang noticed that Niu Xuan seemed to have a change of personality.

    He was gentle, even well-mannered. One would be hard-pressed to write that off as a result of his spell of weakness.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Gao Yang pulled a chair and sat down by the bed, ready for a long conversation. ¡°Would you mind going into more details?¡±

    Niu Xuan nced at Gao Yang and thought for a second. Then he said softly, ¡°I¡¯m thirsty.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you water!¡± Fat Hu immediately poured a cup of water at the watercooler and offered it to Niu Xuan.

    Niu Xuan took the cup and slowly finished it.

    Then he rubbed his finger along the disposable cup, making a soft rustle.

    ¡°The police questioned me earlier.¡± Niu Xuan¡¯s gaze was hesitant. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them the truth though. I didn¡¯t think they would believe me.¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°You can tell us. We believe you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We believe you, Young Master Xuan!¡± Cucumber and Fat Hu nodded along.

    Niu Xuan looked at the three of them and fell into thought, his head lowered.

    After a while, he looked back up and said in a distant voice, ¡°It felt like...I think I saw my past life.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Cucumber and Fat Hu were quiet too, their expressions stiff.

    Niu Xuan smiled a little. ¡°Forget it. I know you won¡¯t believe me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case. We¡¯re just shocked.¡± Gao Yang did his best to sound sincere. ¡°Please tell us more.¡±

    Niu Xuan lifted his head a little with his eyes closed. ¡°I was a boy called Li Zhuanghu in my past life. My father¡¯s surname was Li, and my mother¡¯s surname was Zhuang. They confirmed their rtionship by ake. That was why they gave me that name[1].¡±

    <i>Boy, do people remember their past life with so much detail? Let¡¯s hear him out.</i>

    ¡°My dad died in an ident when I was young. My mom raised me alone, and life was difficult. I always got bullied, and every time, my mom told me to endure it. Although I devoted myself to studying, I didn¡¯t perform as I should have at the highschool entrance exams, and I ended up going to the Eleventh High School.¡±

    Niu Xuanughed dryly. ¡°I was still a nerd who knew nothing but my study in highschool, and I got the top score for every exam. The teachers had high expectations for me, while the students loathed me.¡±

    Cucumber and Fat Hu struggled to wrap their heads around it. The past life Niu Xuan told of was vastly different from Niu Xuan¡¯s own experience. No, they were night and day!

    ¡°The teachers asked me to lead the daily aerobics session for the school for my own good. They wanted me to be more confident. However, that was the time I dreaded the most every day. I was bad at sports and did the exercises terribly. Every time I took the stage, I felt like the students on the running track were enjoying the sight of me making a fool of myself. It was a never-ending nightmare for me.¡±

    Gao Yang listened with full attention and nodded every now and then. ¡°What happenedter?¡±

    ¡°Later...¡± Niu Xuan lowered his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s noter.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang asked in surprise.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I lived in my past life, but my memory stopped at highschool.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait...¡± Something urred to Cucumber, and he lost his calm. ¡°Didn¡¯t the incident happen at the Eleventh High School eighteen years ago? Young Master Xuan, you¡¯re eighteen years old...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Niu Xuan smiled. ¡°What a coincidence it is. Do you think that I...may be the reincarnation of Li Zhuanghu?¡±

    <i>What the hell?</i>

    <i>Monsters don¡¯t even have a proper reproductive system, and their means of procreation remains a mystery. But now, they are reincarnating into their next lives?</i>

    That all seemed absurd to Gao Yang.

    But then a thought shed through his mind, and he tried to catch the fleeting inspiration.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Before he could dwell on the thought, the door opened, revealing a burly man.

    Gao Yang was surprised to see him.

    1. The character ºþ, <i>hu</i>, meanske. ?

 Chapter 164: The Fourth Operations Team

    <h4>Chapter 164: The Fourth Operations Team</h4>

    The one standing outside the door was Gray Bear.

    He was dressed in a dark T-shirt and a pair of casual jeans, holding a bag of fruit. He was also startled when he saw Gao Yang, but quickly pretended to not know him.

    ¡°Are you Niu Xuan¡¯s ssmates?¡± He walked in with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, and you are?¡± Cucumber quickly took the bag of fruit and left it on the bedside table.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a police officer. Niu Xuan¡¯s case is now my responsibility. I visited him because I heard he woke up.¡± Gray Bear took out his badge as he spoke.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already?¡± Niu Xuan was irritated, and maybe a little scared too. ¡°I lost consciousness and...and I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°Rx, boy.¡± Gray Bear pulled a chair and took out a notepad and a pen. ¡°It¡¯s just a standard procedure I have to follow. You should think about it further, but it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t remember. Just tell me honestly. I promise not to trouble you afterward.¡±

    Intimidated by the seriousness of the matter, Fat Hu and Cucumber gave Gao Yang a hesitant look. ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave for the day, Gao Yang? We don¡¯t want to bother the officer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Fat Hu quickly agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll visit you tomorrow, Young Master Xuan.¡±

    Niu Xuan opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he simply nodded.

    Gao Yang rose to his feet and gave Gray Bear a look. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang, Cucumber, and Fat Hu walked out of the hospital. Making up an excuse, Gao Yang sent the two away and turned back, sitting down under a pavilion before the small flower bed outside the inpatient building. After less than twenty minutes, Gray Bear walked out.

    He spotted Gao Yang immediately and came up to him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re here to investigate as well, Captain?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re ssmates,¡± Gao Yang said on purpose. ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural for me to visit him?¡±

    ¡°Haha, stop ying dumb! You must be here for the Rune Cave!¡± Gray Bear snickered. ¡°By the way, have you heard, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Heard what?¡±

    Gray Bear grinned. ¡°The fourth team spent the whole night investigating the Eleventh High School but found nothing! Hahaha!¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. ¡°The whole hospital will hear you.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Gray Bear couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. ¡°You¡¯re new. You don¡¯t know how arrogant the fourth team has been. All the members look down on anyone and everyone. Shit, I¡¯ve been wanting to knock them down a peg for a long time. But ha! Look who¡¯sughing now?¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s spiel was interrupted by his phone.

    Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang as well. It was an encoded message from the Qilin Guild.

    ¡ªCome to the third meeting room at the ck Tortoise branch at once. No exception.

    Gray Bear¡¯s smile widened, and he yelled, ¡°Captain! It must be about the Eleventh High School!¡±

    Most awakeners had their mundane identity to maintain, meaning they either had to go to school or go to work, and awakeners required much less sleep than normal people. The risk of exposure was lower if they moved at night. Therefore, the Qilin Guild mostly summoned people for missions in the small hours.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t let any of his emotion show, but inwardly, he was grumbling. <i>Seems like we¡¯re going on an urgent mission.</i>

    It was one thing for him to risk his life alongside the Twelve Zodiac Signs and his closepanions, buting to the Qilin Guild, his n had been to y the part of a watchful eye and nothing more. He didn¡¯t want to do anything dangerous.

    ...

    Gray Bear drove Gao Yang to the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    On the way, Gao Yang heard that Gray Bear hadn¡¯t managed to get anything out of Niu Xuan, so he told Gray Bear what he had learned.

    ¡°Memory from his past life?¡± Gray Bear dismissed it with a scoff. ¡°A wanderer, recalling his past life? His brain probably just got messed up by the Rune Cave.¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s exnation was possible, and it was actually very likely to be true.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t share his opinion just yet. He was still thinking. There were many things he hadn¡¯t figured out.

    ...

    At about midnight, Gao Yang and Gray Bear reached the third meeting room of the ck Tortoise branch. The members of the fifth team had all arrived, and they waited in the break area of the meeting room.

    Can curled up on the sofa and was solely focused on her game. She didn¡¯t want to waste even a minute on not ying. Meanwhile, Xiran and Ronnie were discussing something with great enthusiasm, most likely their theories about the truth of the world.

    As for Lithe Snake...Gao Yang looked up to find that, yes, the man was dangling from the ceiling dressed in a stealth suit, like an unsociable gecko that wanted to be left alone.

    ¡°Captain, Uncle Bear, here you are.¡± Xiran rose to greet them.

    Ronnie nodded at Gao Yang and Gray Bear too.

    Instead of responding, Gray Bear strode up to the sofa and ruffled Can¡¯s hair roughly.

    ¡°Ahhh stop it! I¡¯m losing!¡± Can whined.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds to put your phone away, Can! Or I¡¯ll turn it into junk, junk that can¡¯t even be exchanged for a stainless steel basin.[1]¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Can quickly quit the game and shoved her phone into her pocket, driven by her strong self-preservation instinct.

    ¡°The fourth team ising,¡± Gray Bear said seriously. ¡°All of you need to behave, you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>Seriously, aren¡¯t you being way toopetitive?</i>

    Lithe Snake jumped down from the ceiling,nding before Gray Bear. ¡°Are you sure the fourth team is joining us?¡±

    Gray Bear puffed out his chest. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say that not one part of the Guild is free from my eyes and ears...¡±

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The door mmed open, cutting Gray Bear¡¯s words short.

    In came a tall, slim young man who walked with dramatic aplomb. He looked no older than twenty-five and was dressed in a dark gray long-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants of the same color. His attire was fashionable with a design thatbined sportswear and tactical suit. The fabric was flexible and form-fitted.

    On his chest was a glinting gold qilin brooch.

    He had ck short hair and light green eyes. His pronounced cheekbones and strong jaw entuated his sharp, masculine facial features, and his eyes were haughty.

    His five members followed after him¡ªthree men and two women. They were all dressed in the same uniform with a qilin brooch on their chests. They looked disciplined, serious, and radiated a strong presence.

    Gao Yang had heard about the team from Gray Bear on their way here.

    The head of the group was one of the Protectors of the Qilin Guild and the leader of the fourth operations team, Nine Frost.

    His Talent was Weak Point, serial number 21, Damage-type.

    It was quite a Talent.

    Gao Yang maintained his poker face.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªSystem, give me detailed information on Nine Frost¡¯s Weak Point.

    [It takes 2 Luck points.]

    ¡ªHurry.

    [Level 5 Weak Point: Within 40 seconds, attack the target in the same part twice and increase attack power by 5 times; attack the target in the same part a third time and increase attack power by another 5 times, the multipliers stacked.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Weak Point: Constitution + 450, Endurance + 450, Strength + 600, Agility + 350, Charisma + 120.]

    ¡ªThat is quite strong. No wonder he¡¯s all high-and-mighty.

    [ess ends.]

    In that moment of distraction, Nine Frost came up to Gao Yang.

    He was a little taller than Gao Yang and looked down at him with superiority. ¡°Captain of the fifth team? You?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Gao Yang met his eyes without backing down.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Nine Frost walked around Gao Yang and made it to the meeting table, turning his back to the fifth team in an overbearing manner. ¡°The fifth team is hitting a new low. You may as well disband already if you¡¯re going to let a random kid shit all over you as leader.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. Although he had heard from Gray Bear that the fourth team were an egotistical bunch of overachievers, this was way worse than he had expected. The man didn¡¯t even show basic decorum.

    <i>Mister Nine Frost, a bad personality may be salvageable, but you? You¡¯re gonna end up dying alone!</i>

    1. In rural areas in China, there¡¯s a tradition of exchanging broken phones for stainless steel wash basins. ?

 Chapter 165: Workplace

    <h4>Chapter 165: Workce</h4>

    ¡°Watch your mouth, Nine Frost!¡± Gray Bear lost his calm. ¡°Have your parents not taught you how to speak?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t let his satisfaction show. <i>Well said!</i>

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± Can was angry as well, but she was clearly not assertive enough to talk back properly. ¡°Captain was an important member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs! He could even rival War Tiger! You, you should show some respect!¡±

    Gao Yang kept a tight control over his face, but he was trying very hard to not roll his eyes. <i>Thanks, Can, but that¡¯s way overboard. If I really can rival War Tiger, I wouldn¡¯t have to be this careful with Nine Frost, alright? I could just beat him into Nine Broke.</i>

    ¡°Can.¡±

    Gao Yang gave her a pointed look, and Can obediently shut up.

    Nine Frost was looking very punchable, but there was no need to take his insults seriously.

    Gao Yang observed the other members of the fourth team.

    The one following Nine Frost closely was a woman whose age wasn¡¯t immediately obvious. Her hair was shaved, and her physique well-built despite not being particrly big. On her chest was a tinum qilin brooch, and her right hand was entirely wrapped in white bandages from fingers to wrist. She reminded Gao Yang of a certain female kickboxing champion.

    She must be the vice-captain of the fourth team, ck Sparrow.

    The way members of the Qilin Guild named themselves was quite interesting. Qilin and the four Elders were clearly named after mythical creatures, while the Protectors¡¯ names werebinations of a number and a natural element, such as Gao Yang¡¯s Seven Shadow, and the fourth team captain¡¯s Nine Frost.

    And while there was no official naming convention for Elites, there seemed to be an unspoken rule ofbining colors with animals, case in point Gray Bear and ck Sparrow.

    The other Elite on the fourth team was a woman too. She had long and wavy brte hair, and her body had pronounced curves in all the right ces. With her bright makeup, she was a real beauty. Unfortunately, her charm was offset by her unfocused, empty-looking eyes. It looked as if she was nearsighted but forgot her sses.

    If Gao Yang¡¯s memory served him right, she was Yellow Butterfly.

    The other three members were men, and all of them regr members. Gao Yang hadn¡¯t paid particr attention to them.

    He swept his gaze over each of them and memorized their most pronounced features.

    The bald, crafty-looking man should be in his forties. The young, delicate man whose eyes seemed perpetually half-closed looked to be in his twenties. And the middle-aged man with a stilted, unnerving smile was probably in his thirties.

    The fourth team sat down on the left side of the rectangr meeting table ording to their ranks. Gray Bear gave Gao Yang a look. Without missing a beat, Gao Yang waved his team over.

    Soon, the fifth team also took their seats ording to their ranks.

    The twelve of them sat with their backs straightened, each staring at the person right across from them.

    The air was thick with tension. Gao Yang felt like any time now, they would each draw their weapons and start a fight.

    <i>This won¡¯t do. Don¡¯t be so tense. Rx a little. Think about something fun.</i>

    Gao Yang coaxed himself into rxing, and an image came to him, unbidden. He was reminded of the highly rewatchable ssicedy, <i>Flirting Schr</i>. The protagonist was having a poetry showdown with a side character, and they got more and more worked up, ring at each other like a fight was going to break out. Just when everyone thought that they would surely start throwing punches, they blew each other a kiss.

    ¡°Pfft.¡± Gao Yang broke.

    When he looked up, everyone was staring at him.

    Nine Frost, in particr, showed a mix of confusion, anger, and disbelief.

    ¡°What are youughing about?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°I just remembered something good.¡±

    Then another joke from the movie intruded upon his mind.

    He almostughed again. It was all he could do to keep his facial muscles under control by pinching his thigh hard.

    <i>What are you doing, Gao Yang?!</i>

    <i>Can¡¯t you read the mood? Can¡¯t you stay serious, you idiot sandwich?</i>

    <i>Bam! </i>The door opened, and ck Tortoise marched in.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. <i>Thank God! You came just in time, Elder ck Tortoise!</i>

    ck Tortoise was dressed in a light-colored shirt, his face covered by a mask, a pair of sunsses, and a baseball cap. He was holding his phone and a cup of iced coffee as he strode to the main seat of the meeting table.

    ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded slightly. He could tell by the man¡¯s look that he must have rushed here from the set of a production or some variety show.

    ck Tortoise put down the phone and coffee as he sat and steepled his fingers, leaning forward.

    Although he was wearing sunsses, Gao Yang could sense his gaze scanning over everyone in attendance.

    ¡°You must have been informed. Two days ago at midnight, the fifth team noticed something strange about the Eleventh High School. Last night, I sent the fourth team to investigate, but found nothing.¡±

    ¡°The fifth team¡¯s intel must be inurate,¡± Nine Frost said coldly. ¡°The Guild has investigated the Eleventh High School many times. If there were a Rune Cave, it should¡¯ve been discovered long ago.¡±

    His gaze stabbed into Gao Yang like a physical force. ¡°New guy, I understand your eagerness to achieve something after joining, but would you not waste other people¡¯s time?¡±

    ¡°Or,¡± Gray Bear shot back with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes, ¡°Maybe the fifth team¡¯s intel is urate, but the fourth team is simply too ipetent to find anything?¡±

    ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± ck Sparrow groweld.

    ¡°Oh, what was that?¡± Gray Bear leaned back and gave Lithe Snake an exaggerated look. ¡°Did you hear something, brother?¡±

    Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Where did the birde from? The chirping is noisy as hell.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Nine Frost shut ck Sparrow up with a look. Then he turned to Gray Bear. ¡°Oh, the fourth team is mediocre alright. We¡¯re so mediocre that we haven¡¯t lost any members for the past three years. Unlike a certain team that lost two <i>captains...</i>¡±

    Gray Bear mmed the table and shot to his feet. ¡°You damn¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± ck Tortoise¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it demanded respect.

    Gray Bear shuddered with rage and clenched his fists. Under ck Tortoise¡¯s authority, however, he had no choice but to sit back down and fume quietly.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re dissatisfied, Gray Bear,¡± ck Tortoise said at a deliberate pace. ¡°You are all my subordinates, and you should work together toplete missions. There¡¯s no need to fight for credit. I can make the judgment myself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gray Bear¡¯s voice softened.

    ck Tortoise then turned to Nine Frost. ¡°You and your team are to visit the Eleventh High School again tonight, Nine Frost. Be thorough and don¡¯t leave any corner unsearched.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Nine Frost nodded.

    ck Tortoise then turned to Gao Yang. ¡°You and your fifth team are going with them, Seven Shadow. Your job is to assist the fourth team in their investigation. Remember, the fourth team is in charge of this operation. You will follow orders on the field. If you have any problem,e to me after you return. No internal strife will be tolerated. Do you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Loud and clear,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Alright.¡± ck Tortoise stood up. ¡°Time for you to set out.¡±

    He took his leave first since he had other matters to attend to. The fourth and fifth teams went to the front desk to make applications and then get equipped at the armory.

    Although their main goal was to investigate the school, should the ce turn out to be a Rune Cave, there was no telling what would await them. Thus, they equipped themselves ording to the standard for an A-ss battle operation.

    Each of them was equipped with a radio, a handgun, and a level 3 essory. They would be returned after the operation. The essories were mainly items that granted an offensive buff or an assistive status.

    Gao Yang needed essories that buffed Element-type Talents, but looking through the options, none of them were better than the tactical glove he had bought. He would rather stick with what was familiar to him then, so he didn¡¯t take anything.

    In addition, each team was also allowed ess to Medicine C, Celestial Water for illusion breaking, awakener-exclusive adrenaline shots, sleep gas grenades, and many more.

    Those who were proficient with cold weapons were allowed to bring additional gear, including shortswords, throwing knives, brass knuckles, bow and arrow, and nunchucks.

    Before setting out, Gao Yang nced at the dressing mirror. Each of his teammates was dressed differently.

    He asked, ¡°Don¡¯t we have uniforms, Gray Bear?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gray Bear smiled. ¡°Our former captain was the casual type who didn¡¯t care for that.¡±

    ¡°We are going to wear uniforms next time.¡±

    Gray Bear nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll tell the back office. Any specific requirements for the style or form?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°As long as they are uniform.¡±

    ¡°How vain.¡± Lithe Snake looked derisive as he yed with his throwing knives.

    Gao Yang turned to him and said seriously, ¡°Anything can happen during an operation. I want to make sure that everyone can differentiate between our own people, outsiders, and enemies at a nce. Eliminating the half second hesitation could be the difference between life and death.¡±

    Lithe Snake silently put his throwing knives into his thigh holsters and closed the equipment cabs.

    Although it might make him sound sentimental, there were things Gao Yang had to say.

    ¡°Listen to me. From now on, when the fifth team goes on any missions, we abide by one prime directive. Nothing is more important than following the one rule, and that is¡ª¡±

    Lithe Snake leaned against the cab with an impassive expression.

    Gray Bear looked at Gao Yang with trust, his arms crossed.

    Xiran shouldered the bag of supplies and adjusted his sses.

    Ronnie quietly looked up at him.

    Can put away her phone and looked over btedly.

    Silence stretched for three seconds.

    Then Gao Yang took a deep breath and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking die.¡±

 Chapter 166: Spectator

    <h4>Chapter 166: Spectator</h4>

    The well-lit armory was quiet for a few seconds until the silence was broken by Gray Bear¡¯s heartyughter.

    ¡°Haha!¡± He turned to Lithe Snake. ¡°What did I tell you before? Captain Seven Shadow is dependable, a worthy captain to follow!¡±

    Lithe Snake huffed, and the othersughed.

    Gray Bear swung his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The two operations teams each took a ck, seven-seater van and headed to the Eleventh High School. Since their mission was to investigate the school rather than to fight, the atmosphere in the car was more rxed.

    While driving the car, Gray Bear chatted with Lithe Snake, who took the passenger seat, about the techniques of fighting with cold weapons. In the back, Xiran and Ronnie were sharing theories on the Mist World proposed by experts and other unproven rumors. Meanwhile, Can had her phone in hand, fighting an epic battle in a valley with Xiao Qiao.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes, pretending to be resting, when in truth he was making preparations for potential battles.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªLuck points.

    [You have umted 393 Luck points.]

    ¡ªLet me go over it. It¡¯s been 6 days since Ist allocated points. There are 24 hours in a day, so discounting the bonus, I should get 144 points in total.

    ¡ªThe night we went to catch Sister Luo, we fought a ughterer and then Officer Liu, a freerider. The former granted a 2000 times bonus, while thetter granted a 3000 times bonus. The battlessted a few minutes. Roughly speaking, that should be 250 points.

    ¡ªSystem, increase my Constitution and Endurance to 200 and put the rest of my Luck points in Strength and Agility.

    [Command rejected. Your current maximum stat is 300.]

    ¡ªWhat?! There¡¯s a limit? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?

    [You didn¡¯t ask.]

    ¡ªYou did it on purpose to make me angry! Wait, didn¡¯t my Willpower exceed 300 already?

    [The limit does not apply to bonuses granted by Talents.]

    ¡ªWait, do you mean that without the bonuses from Talents, the highest I can get my stats to is 300 from Luck points allocation alone?

    [Yes.]

    ¡ªDang it! Is there a way to increase the maximum stats? There must be.

    [Level up Talent: Lucky.]

    ¡ªSpeaking of which, my Lucky has been stagnating at level 2 for a while. How am I going to reach level 3?

    [Please find out on your own.]

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes. If he had been alone, he would be cursing up a storm!

    What the hell was wrong with the damn system?

    <i>Calm down, take a breath.</i>

    Upon reflection, while the system came with many limitations and unspoken rules, it had never really acted against him. Actually, Gao Yang had been quite lucky all this time.

    <i>Ah, luck.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t believe I forgot about it!</i>

    He had run into so many dangers recently that he paid much more attention to his other stats; as a result, he neglected one key stat of his¡ªLuck!

    Every time he put points in Luck, he was pleasantly surprised one way or another, like the time he gained ess to the Talent Pantheon. Even if he only got additional Luck points to put into his stats, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad deal.

    Moreover, he suspected that his Lucky had gone up to level 2 back then because his Luck had met a certain threshold.

    Although he didn¡¯t know the exact mechanism behind all that, what clues he had pointed to a deeper link between Lucky and his system.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªSystem, make my Constitution and Endurance 200. Skip the confirmation.

    [Understood.]

    [Constitution: 200 Endurance: 200]

    [Strength: 217 Agility: 259]

    [Willpower: 409 Charisma: 97]

    [Luck: 132]

    [You have a total of 322 Luck points.]

    ¡ªPut the rest of my Luck points into Luck.

    [Luck is now 454.]

    [Congrattions! Lucky has leveled up to level 3.]

    ¡ªYes! My guess is right! Good job, me!

    [Level 3 Lucky: Maximum stats has increased to 500.]

    [Level 3 Lucky: You have be a spectator of the Talent Pantheon.]

    ¡ªSpectator?

    [A spectator may visit the Talent Pantheon.]

    ¡ªInteresting. I¡¯m going to visit it now.

    [You may only visit the Talent Pantheon once a week. Do you confirm?]

    ¡ªI confirm.

    Gao Yang felt as if he was pulling out of the system, and he could hear the chattering of his teammates and sensed the slight tremor from the car chassis beneath his feet, but soon, the sounds and sensory input gradually grew distant again.

    He felt like he was floating.

    ¡°Gao Yang, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to a courtyard.

    It was old. The brown mud brick walls were short and covered in cracks. The concrete ground under his feet was in a simr state, and from the cracks emerged tender shoots of clovers.

    It was a summer afternoon. Through the thriving, emerald-green canopies of therge camphor trees in the courtyard, sunlight cast a sttering of gold on the ground. Gao Yang could feel a warm breeze and heard the chorus of cicada chirps.

    <i>This is...</i>

    Gao Yang remembered. This was the orphanage he had spent the first six years of his life in!

    The only difference was that the courtyard he remembered was always packed with children ying together, but it was now empty, like it had been forgotten by time.

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± a voice called out to him from behind.

    Gao Yang turned around and jumped.

    On the concrete staircase leading to the entrance of the orphanage stood a gentle-looking young woman. Her silky long hair was tied near the end, wrapping around her nape and resting on her left shoulder.

    She was dressed in a tapered long dress with flower patterns, and hanging down her neck was a blue whistle. She smiled tenderly at Gao Yang.

    She was the dorm keeper at the orphanage. Whenever it was time for the kids to eat or sleep, she would blow the whistle, and the kids had learned to gather at the door when they heard the sound, never giving her any trouble as she counted their number with a smile.

    ¡°Auntie...¡±

    The woman shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not her. I¡¯m the system. I can give myself a physical form in the Talent Pantheon.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s joy was quickly reced by awkwardness. ¡°Would you mind changing your appearance? Or I would feel like I¡¯ve returned to my world.¡±

    The woman was still smiling, but her tone was anything but warm. ¡°I cannot change my appearance on my own. This is the image that was conjured the moment you entered the Talent Pantheon. You may consider it a projectionbining your rationality, emotions, and imagination.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. Outside of that dream from a while ago, it had been a long time since he thought about his orphanage and caretaker with yearning. Why would his brain create a projection like this?

    <i>Well, this isn¡¯t the time to dwell on it.</i>

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Talent Pantheon?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Please turn around.¡± The woman extended a hand.

    Gao Yang turned around, and his jaw dropped.

    The blue sky and white clouds of the courtyard vanished, reced by the cosmos. Or more specifically, it was the recreation of the universe he had seen in movies.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath to calm himself before slowly walking out of the courtyard gate. A vast, boundless universe extended before him, deep and lonely despite the flickering stars.

    He saw a gargantuan pir towering over him, or maybe it was far, far away at the horizon. Gao Yang had lost his sense of distance.

    Taking a closer look, he realized that it wasn¡¯t a pir, but a spectacle given form, consisting of countless broken stars and space particles.

    The twelve vine-like threads intertwined, wrapping around a tremendous, lonesome beam of light. They climbed up and up until they reached the edge of his vision.

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of a photo of space he had seen before, specifically of the Pirs of Creation[1].

    He felt as if he was standing at the foot of the pirs, stunned by the awe-inspiring sight.

    He marveled, ¡°I thought the Talent Pantheon would be a pce or a catb, but it turns out to be the universe.¡±

    ¡°All this is but the projection of your rationality, emotions, and imagination.¡±

    ¡°I got it already.¡±

    Gao Yang was irritated by the buzzkill of a system he got, but as soon as he saw the dorm keeper¡¯s gentle face, he couldn¡¯t help but lose arge part of his anger.

    A thoughting to mind, Gao Yang hurriedly asked, ¡°Since I can step into the Talent Pantheon, can I also see the physical forms of Talents?¡±

    1. A photo taken by the Hubble Telescope of a small region in the Eagle Neb. It¡¯s beautiful. ?

 Chapter 167: A Terrible Hypothesis

    <h4>Chapter 167: A Terrible Hypothesis</h4>

    ¡°Yes, but you can only see the number of Talents and their types.¡± The woman swung her hand.

    Beneath Gao Yang¡¯s feet, there was suddenly a giant circr stone tablet, divided into twelve parts by ancient symbols. It looked somewhat like a sundial.

    Gao Yang gave it a quick look and immediately recognized the familiar rune symbols.

    The eye for Psyche, the hourss for Time-Space, the sea urchin-like irregr shape for Damage, the book for Knowledge, the world tree for Life, the fist for Strength, and the shield for Guard...

    <i>Wing, wing, wing.</i>

    Twelve beams of light came down along the edge of the circr tablet. Gao Yang immediately noticed colorful clumps of particles within the beams, shifting and swirling without a stable shape like fetuses of energy.

    There were a few clumps of particles in some beams, and none in others. The beam for Time-Space, for example, was empty.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. ¡°These are Talents?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not their true forms, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°The projection of my rationality, emotions, and imagination,¡± Gao Yang cut the system off with an eye roll.

    He looked around roughly and said, ¡°There are thirteen clumps in seven beams.¡±

    And in the beam for Guard, there was only one lone clump of particles.

    After a pause, Gao Yang turned to the woman. ¡°Is this Old Wang¡¯s Iron Skin?¡±

    The woman responded with her perpetual smile, ¡°Noment.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought, his head lowered.

    There was something that had been bothering him. To his knowledge, it seemed that Talents were exclusive; at least he had never seen two awakeners with the same Talent.

    If that was the case, there could be no more than 199 awakeners ording to the number of entries on the Talent list. No, some awakeners had two or even three Talents, which meant that there were less than 199 awakeners in the world at this time.

    There were less than 15 people in the Twelve Zodiac Signs, about 40 people in the Qilin Guild, and less than 100 people in the Hundred Rivers Union, which made up the bulk of awakeners. Added to that the individual awakeners that made up the minority, all awakeners would be more or less ounted for.

    Then could it be that awakeners didn¡¯t exactly acquire Talents throughprehension, but were assigned them at random by the Heavenly Way?

    Every time an awakener died, their Talent would return to the Talent Pantheon.

    The death of all nine members of the second team of the Hundred Rivers Union returned 9 Talents to the Talent Pantheon. Combined with the Talents that hadn¡¯t been given out, there were currently 13 unassigned Talents in total.

    Newly awakened awakeners would each receive a Talent from the Pantheon. The luckier ones would go on to receive the second or even the third Talent.

    Yes, that made sense.

    That was why no one had ever figured out a way to learn Talents, because there was no method in the first ce.

    When Gao Yang used up arge amount of Luck points to prehend¡¯ a new Talent, he was effectively drawing the lottery again and again to increase his odds of getting a prize. That was why the cost grew exponentially after every sess.

    Although he didn¡¯t know where humans came from yet, the truth of the matter was that while old awakeners kept dying, the number of humans stayed somewhere around 400. Every now and then, some among the regr humans awakened and were randomly assigned Talents to replenish the number of awakeners, creating a stable closed system.

    Suddenly, a possibility urred to him, and he shuddered.

    What if all but one of the existing awakeners died, and the unawakened humans were unable to awaken without contact with existing awakeners? In theory, the Talent Pantheon would then have in store every single Talent!

    Then wouldn¡¯t the only surviving awakener acquire all Talents sooner orter?

    Would the Heavenly Way allow for that to happen? Or was the Heavenly Way aiming for it to happen?

    Or perhaps the Heavenly Way was but an onlooker, and this was nothing but a game to Them?!

    The thought alone was bone-chilling.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. Perhaps other awakeners had made the same spection, only theycked the means to confirm it. Gao Yang was able to solidify the hypothesis because the system allowed him to enter the Talent Pantheon.

    And what a terrible hypothesis it was. Once spread, a civil war would break out sooner rather thanter.

    Frankly, Gao Yang wished for it to never happen. He would rather everyone work together to open the Gates of Closure and escape the Mist World, if it was at all possible.

    <i>Well, let¡¯s put that aside for now. It¡¯s still in the very distant future.</i>

    ¡°System.¡± Gao Yang looked at the woman. ¡°Since I can see the number and types of Talents, does that mean I¡¯m allowed to specify the type of Talent I want toprehend in the future?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t change the sess rate ofprehension or the cost of Luck points.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. It was good enough that he could specify the type. It would allow him to direct his development with more prenning and control.

    If he wanted to be a warrior, he would pull for Damage-type Talents. Wizard, Element-type Talents. Sage, Wisdom-type. And Healer, Life-type. So on and so forth.

    ¡°Captain Seven Shadow.¡±

    From the distant fringe of the universe came the voice of his teammate.

    <i>Shit, I¡¯ve been inside the system for too long.</i>

    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. Let me out.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The woman nodded with a smile and picked up her blue whistle to blow it.

    <i>Beep¡ª</i>

    When Gao Yang opened his eyes, everyone was looking at him.

    ¡°Did you actually fall asleep, Captain?¡± Can asked with a lollipop in her mouth, staring at him with big round eyes.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡±

    ¡°A few minutes?¡± Can wasn¡¯t sure.

    It seemed that the flow of time was faster in the Talent Pantheon. Although he had stayed there for quite a while, it was only a moment in the real world.

    Can said with envy, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a strong heart, Captain! You can fall asleep even in this situation!¡±

    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s called mental fortitude!¡± Gray Bear said from the driver seat, smoking a cigarette. Then he added, ¡°You all should learn from him.¡±

    ¡°Power is everything,¡± Lithe Snake disagreed. ¡°Even the strongest mind wouldn¡¯t save you if you don¡¯t have power.¡±

    ¡°Geez, my knee hurts[1].¡± Can stuck out her tongue and got back to what they had been talking about with a smile. ¡°Captain, Xiran wants your advice on dating.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± Xiran flushed red, nervous.

    Can burst outughing and shot Ronnie a look.

    Ronnie smiled and said, ¡°Captain, Xiran does have a question about love to ask, you.¡±

    Gao Yang maintained a poker face, but he was flipping an imagined table in his head. <i>Do I look like someone with a lot of romantic experience to you? What gives you the impression?</i>

    Gao Yang thought they were joking and was going to drop it with augh, but after a moment of hesitation, Xiran volunteered, ¡°It was an online friend of mine.¡±

    <i>Online friend?</i>

    That piqued Gao Yang¡¯s curiosity. ¡°From where?¡±

    ¡°The A City.¡±

    ¡°Haha, A City[2]!¡± Gray Bear chimed in. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you meet up with your online friend?¡±

    That was a joke, of course, but one Gao Yang didn¡¯t find particrly funny.

    Any awakener with the most basicmon sense would know one thing: the A City didn¡¯t actually exist.

    1. There¡¯s a famous quote from Skyrim, ¡®I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee.¡¯ Once spread to the Chinese circle, it develops into amon expression that means ament has hit the nail on the head/hit a nerve. It can go, ¡®That¡¯s an arrow in the knee,¡¯ or simply, ¡®My knee hurts.¡¯ ?

    2. It is amon practice for Chinese authors to use the English alphabets when referring to a city in real-life setting, whether to avoid controversies or maintain a distance from reality. In some cases, the terms may be referring to an actual city by using the initial of the pinyin name; for example, S City is usually Shanghai. ?

 Chapter 168: Online Romance

    <h4>Chapter 168: Online Romance</h4>

    ¡°A City doesn¡¯t even, exist.¡± As expected, Ronnie pointed out the crux of the matter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an urate way to put it.¡± Xiran adjusted his sses with a serious expression. ¡°We only know for certain that at this moment, we cannot go to the city from the known parts of the Mist World. However, that doesn¡¯t mean the city doesn¡¯t exist. No one knows what¡¯s inside the mist.¡±

    ¡°There may be nothing at, all.¡±

    ¡°Ughhhhh enough already!¡± Can pulled at her hair as she yelled. ¡°Would you two stop talking about this? I¡¯m getting fed up! Let¡¯s talk about your online romance! Isn¡¯t that much more exciting?¡±

    Then she puffed out her cheeks in anger, ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t believe my roommates! Even the one other single one ends up getting a boyfriend! She¡¯s going on a date with him tonight without telling me!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the online romance too.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t actually interested, but it was better to disperse the tension before going on a mission, and talks about the truth of the world were too serious.

    Xiran paused and looked at Gao Yang. He seemed to be wondering if he should tell him.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Gao Yang said in encouragement.

    ¡°Then I will.¡± Xiran smiled shyly.

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Can pped him on the shoulder. ¡°Speak your mind! We¡¯ll lend an ear to all your questions!¡±

    ¡°Back in elementary school, I wrote an essay titled, <i>My Mom</i>.¡± Xiran licked his lips and looked down at his sped hands. ¡°Growing up, we only had each other, and things weren¡¯t easy. Ah, I digress. Sorry...¡±

    ¡°Anyway, that essay won a prize and ended up published in a monthly magazine for elementary school students.¡±

    He nced at the others and continued, ¡°Not long after that, I got a letter from the A City. Her name was Lin Mengjuan. We were the same age. She said that she was moved by my essay, and that she grew up with a single mother as well. My school address was given at the bottom of the page, so she wrote to the address to contact me.¡±

    The car moved at a stable pace, the interior quiet. They were all engrossed by the story.

    ¡°We became pen pals just like that. I hadn¡¯t awakened then and didn¡¯t know that A City didn¡¯t exist.¡±

    A smile tugged at Xiran¡¯s lips as he recalled the time of simple happiness. ¡°We wrote to each other every month to talk about our lives, and we even sent each other pictures of ourselves. When the Inte became moremonce, we chatted online instead. She never videochatted with me, but we sometimes called each other.¡±

    ¡°Things went on like that until my third year in highschool. I nned to visit Lin Mengjuan in the A City came summer. She was happy and said that she looked forward to it.¡±

    Xiran fell silent.

    ¡°But then you awakened.¡± Gao Yang could guess what happened then.

    ¡°I did. My math teacher was an awakener, and after learning of my n, he subtly confirmed that I was human before telling me the truth of the world. Soon, I awakened with a Talent.¡±

    ¡°In a way, my math teacher saved my life.¡± Xiran¡¯s eyes flickered with a trace of sorrow. ¡°But not long after that, he died. Perhaps his identity was exposed. I don¡¯t know the details. Then I was scouted by the Qilin Guild and joined.¡±

    ¡°Have you been chatting with the girl still, Xiran?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Xiran nodded. ¡°Yes. Although I¡¯ve given up on visiting her, I still talk about my life with her like friends. Nothing about awakeners, of course.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever wondered what she is?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. Maybe she¡¯s a program or a code. Maybe she¡¯s an AI. Maybe she¡¯s an unknown, mysterious existence.¡±

    Ronnie said decisively, ¡°But never a, human.¡±

    ¡°I may never know what Lin Mengjuan is in my lifetime.¡± Xiran smiled sadly. ¡°But sometimes, I feel like maybe it¡¯s for the better. When my mom died in my first year of highschool, I thought about taking my own life. It was her consistent support that got me through the rough patch. I¡¯m grateful to her no matter what she is.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent. He wasn¡¯t the best atforting and consoling people.

    But then he remembered the philosophy Officer Huang lived by.

    ¡°Someone once told me,¡± he repeated the man¡¯s words calmly, ¡°That while the world is fake, love is real.¡±

    Xiran paused, his eyes flickering withplicated emotions.

    Then his lips curved into a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you, Captain. I¡¯ve gotten my answer.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s deep. I think I get it, but at the same time I¡¯m still confused.¡± Can chewed on the words with her brows knitted. Then she sighed. ¡°Ugh, whatever. I should just y my game.¡±

    ¡°Your friend knows what it¡¯s about, Captain,¡± Gray Bear said approvingly.

    Ronnie was bemused as well.

    Lithe Snake, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t be less interested. He gazed out of the window coldly while ying with his throwing knives.

    ...

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, the fourth and fifth teams arrived at the gates of the Eleventh High School.

    The fourth team arrived a little earlier, and they went straight into the school without waiting for the fifth team like they didn¡¯t exist.

    The fifth team got out of the car. Gray Bear extended a hand. ¡°Come on!¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Shoot, I almost forgot. Why are you more eager about this than I am, Gray Bear?</i>

    They made a circle and put their hands together. Since the investigation shouldn¡¯t require any of their Talents, Gao Yang decided not to replicate any for the moment.

    ¡°May the odds be in our favor,¡± Gao Yang dered.

    ¡°May the odds be in our favor,¡± the others repeated before pulling their hands back.

    The team made it to the school gate, and Gao Yang gave the instructions, ¡°Watch the gates to make sure no one gets through, Xiran, Ronnie. If anything happens, contact me immediately. Do not make any move on your own. The rest of you,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I, understand.¡±

    Gao Yang, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, and Can vaulted into the guardhouse through the window. Then they entered the campus. Walking along the shaded path, they soon spotted the fourth team.

    Their confidence was evident in the way they split up to search the campus. ck Sparrow was walking around the running track with a shlight, and she headed toward the gpole tform. Yellow Butterfly, on the other hand, was in the hallway on the third floor of the teaching building, her shlight signifying her location.

    The other three teammates each went to the cafeteria, the dorm, and the staff building.

    All the while, Nine Frost, the captain of the fourth team, stayed seated on the concrete bleachers of the open basketball court, his expression serious. He held himself like a general overseeing things from themand tent in a military camp.

    After all the unforeseen dangers Gao Yang had been through, he was more cautious and didn¡¯t tell his team to split up. Instead, they all searched the campus together.

    They first went to the teaching building and searched each of the ssrooms.

    The ssrooms differed little. There were the same abandoned desks and broken windows, all covered in a thickyer of dust and spiderwebs.

    Can had an art ss bracelet on her wrist. It was a level 3 empowering item she got from the Guild. With ck Gold as one of the materials and imbued with a Talent for detection, the bracelet glowed when it was close to a powerful being; the more powerful the being, the more intense the light. It served as a sensor of sorts.

    Can kept checking the bracelet nervously, making dramatic reactions at everything.

    ¡°Oh boy! Look, the bracelet seems a little brighter!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s in your head.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy oh boy oh boy! It¡¯s really brighter this time! Look!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the moonlight from the window.¡±

    ...

    They soon went through all the ssrooms.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. There was one ce they hadn¡¯t checked: the rooftop.

    ording to all the fictional stories he had consumed, rooftops were where many unfortunate incidents happened. It was the one ce they must investigate.

    The four of them headed to the rooftop with their shlights. The lock was broken, and the rusty metal door was slightly ajar.

    As the tank of the group, Gray Bear naturally took point and opened the door. Only once he made sure that there was no danger did he wave the others over. They followed him out.

    And immediately, Gao Yang caught a figure at the corner of his eye.

 Chapter 169: Intruder

    <h4>Chapter 169: Intruder</h4>

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t too surprised. Indeed, it was Yellow Butterfly.

    She hade up to the rooftop after checking the ssrooms. Standing before a three-meter tall water tank, she lit the wall with her shlight and seemed to be looking at something, engrossed.

    ¡°Have you found anything?¡± Gray Bear greeted her.

    Without turning around, Yellow Butterfly stared at the wall and said, ¡°No. We searched the school inside out yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you looking at?¡± Gray Bear walked up to her to look at the water tank wall with her. ¡°Oh, this is where people left messages.¡±

    Almost every school had a fewment walls like this one. Students would leave messages with chalks, markers, paints, or other writing instruments where teachers rarely went, but their fellow students frequented.

    The wall of the rooftop water tank was obviously a good option.

    Under the moonlight, night wind ruffled Yellow Butterfly¡¯s hair. A hint of wistfulness shed through herrge, empty-looking eyes. ¡°It resonated with me when I saw the wallst night. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from checking it again.¡±

    It seemed that without their captain, Nine Frost, around, Yellow Butterfly was quite easygoing. She didn¡¯t seem as distant as she had been when they first met.

    Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, and Can joined them before the wall.

    It was covered in a variety of messages written in different colors, most were typical of highschool students.

    <i>The great me was here!</i>

    <i>XXX is a pig head.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m going to get into a great college!</i>

    <i>XXX I love you forever.</i>

    <i>XXX let¡¯s break up. We¡¯ll be a pair of strangers who know each other the most.</i>

    ...

    But among them, there was one particr line that stood out.

    It seemed to have been written in red paint, and given it covered everyone else¡¯sments, it must be the newest.

    <i>¡ªI¡¯ll wait for you in hell!</i>

    ¡°Whoa, you can feel the hate from eons ago!¡± Can noticed it immediately.

    Gray Bear scoffed and didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    Lithe Snake looked as impassive as usual.

    Curious, Gao Yang turned to Yellow Butterfly. ¡°Is this the one that resonated with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yellow Butterfly admitted with a bitter smile. She seemed to be recalling a distant past.

    ¡°Do all beautiful girls have such dark thoughts?¡± Gray Bear joked.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t a beautiful girl back in highschool.¡± That quieted everyone.

    ¡°I was ugly, drab, and fat.¡± Yellow Butterfly stared at the wall, her thoughts miles away. ¡°I was mocked, marginalized, and actively bullied. I cursed everyone and thought about dragging them to hell with me.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. It seemed that she had been through a difficult time.

    ¡°But then I awakened.¡± Yellow Butterfly brushed her long hair, her expression rxing. ¡°And I realized that those around me weren¡¯t even the same species as me. I lost my hate for them. My fear was far more overpowering.¡±

    ¡°I get all that, but you don¡¯t look ugly to me at all,¡± Gray Bear said. As a stereotypical straight man, he was more hung up on that inconsistency.

    Yellow Butterfly admitted with a smile, ¡°I got stic surgery, of course.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very cool of you!¡± Gray Bear gave her a thumbs-up.

    Gao Yang admired her as well. Those who had changed their own fate were not to be underestimated.

    Yellow Butterfly put away her shlight. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±

    After she left, the four of them looked around the rooftop and found nothing.

    Gao Yang turned on the radio, ¡°Xiran, Ronnie,e in.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Xiran answered immediately.

    ¡°Report.¡±

    ¡°Nothing unusual at the moment. Over.¡±

    ¡°Keep watch. Out.¡± Gao Yang ended the transmission.

    ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s a Rune Cave here, Captain?¡± Can asked. ¡°I trust you, of course, but I heard that the Guild had sent people to investigate a few times, but found nothing.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But I have a theory I haven¡¯t gotten to share with you.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Gray Bear turned to him eagerly. ¡°I knew there was more!¡±

    ¡°After what happened to Niu Xuan, I looked into the Eleventh High School.¡± Gao Yang turned to the others. ¡°I mean, there have only ever been baseless urban legends about what happened eighteen years ago, but no proper news coverage at all. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°I know something about that.¡± Gray Bear nodded. ¡°The school was suddenly abandoned without warning. There was no news about what happened to the faculty and student body.¡±

    ¡°The Mist World is mostly popted by wanderers.¡± Gao Yang calmly shared his thought process. ¡°It¡¯s more or less confirmed that a collective instinct the wanderers possesspels them to automatically ignore the irrational bugs of the Mist World, allowing them to fool themselves into ying humans until the day they die.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°Or the world riddled with bugs wouldn¡¯t be able to function.¡±

    ¡°Eighteen years ago, something happened at the Eleventh High School, and all wanderers that were directly involved vanished, while those who were indirectly involved had their memories modified. That¡¯s something only the Heavenly Way can do.¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Gao Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, ¡°Is quite simr to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige I went to before.¡±

    He had told everyone about it on their way here.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lithe Snake didn¡¯t sound convinced.

    ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± Gao Yang turned to Gray Bear.

    ¡°Niu Xuan.¡± Gray Bear¡¯s eyes glinted. He had caught on.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°ording to Niu Xuan, he saw memories of his past life, where he was a boy named Li Zhuanghu, studying at the Eleventh High School. He got good grades and was valued by the teachers. They even had him lead the aerobics session for the school.¡±

    ¡°I looked him up,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°There¡¯s never been a Li Zhuanghu in Li City.¡±

    ¡°Does he not exist,¡± Gao Yang paused, ¡°Or has he been erased by the Heavenly Way?¡±

    Gray Bear fell silent.

    ¡°Eighteen years ago, there should have been more than a thousand students and dozens of teachers at the Eleventh High School. What happened to them? Where did they go? Are they still alive? Why hasn¡¯t any of theme out to talk about the incident?¡±

    The list of questions rendered everyone speechless.

    ¡°Do, do you mean...¡± Can gulped fearfully, dragging her hand across her neck. ¡°That the Heavenly Way get rid of them all?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He had said his piece.

    This incident was very simr to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, but different in some way. He felt like he just needed a little more clues to connect all the dots.

    <i>Buzz, beep.</i>

    The radio crackled alive.

    ¡°Come in,e in! Emergency!¡± It was Xiran.

    Gao Yang checked the radio. Xiran was broadcasting to all channels, meaning the fourth team could hear him too.

    Gao Yang immediately responded, ¡°Copy. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Talk,¡± Nine Frostmanded haughtily.

    ¡°Someone ran into the school! He was too quick for Ronnie and I to get a good look!¡±

    Gao Yang tensed up at once.

    ¡°Everyone,e to the running track. I repeat,e to the running track.¡± Nine Frost gave an order decisively.

    ¡°Fucker always orders people around,¡± Gray Bear grumbled. ¡°Who does he think he is?¡±

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the running track.¡±

    Gao Yang had an ominous feeling.

    This time, he wholeheartedly agreed with Nine Frost''s decision.

    No matter who they were facing, they must not split up like the main characters of a horror film would, lest the enemies pick them off one by one.

 Chapter 170: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 170: Confrontation</h4>

    Gao Yang and his team rushed to the basketball court on the left of the running track. On their way, Gao Yang made sure to check his Luck points in the system. No bonus had been applied, which meant they weren¡¯t in immediate danger.

    When they arrived, the fourth team had gathered already, and Xiran and Ronnie were there as well.

    ¡°Are you two alright?¡± Gray Bear went up to them and asked.

    ¡°Yeah, we are.¡± Xiran seemed apologetic. ¡°Ronnie and I were going to stop the intruder, but they moved too quickly and jumped over the gate easily before vanishing.¡±

    ¡°Where did they go?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Toward the shaded path,¡± Ronnie responded.

    That didn¡¯t tell them anything. The shaded path could lead to anywhere in the school.

    ¡°It¡¯s either an awakener or a monster,¡± Nine Frost concluded. ¡°Can¡¯t be a regr human.¡±

    Gao Yang agreed, but his conclusion differed a little. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely to be an awakener.¡±

    Nine Frost turned to him. ¡°Reason being?¡±

    ¡°If they were an awakener, they would be someone from a different organization, and in that case, they must havee here to investigate the Rune Cave. However, this is the Guild¡¯s territory, and their intrusion would be an open vition of the rules. In that case, they should¡¯ve just attacked us head on or observed from the dark until the opportune time rather than going through the main entrance. As it is, they ended up caught by Xiran and Ronnie and alerted us.¡±

    ¡°True, there are many ways to enter the school.¡± Nine Frost looked around. He began to see Gao Yang differently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an awakener either,¡± Gray Bear chimed in. ¡°Why would an awakener go against us two teams? Wouldn¡¯t that be suicide?¡±

    <i>Not necessarily</i>, Gao Yang shot back silently. <i>Were it someone as strong as or stronger than War Tiger, we would be the ones getting killed.</i>

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang added. ¡°Monsters are different. They don¡¯t care about such things.¡±

    ¡°Does that confirm for us the existence of a Rune Cave since it¡¯s attracted a monster¡¯s attention?¡± Yellow Butterfly turned to Nine Frost. ¡°What do we do, Captain?¡±

    ¡°We wait.¡±

    Eyes sharp, Nine Frost said level-headedly, ¡°As long as we¡¯re here, we¡¯ll find the target sooner orter.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s impression of Nine Frost changed as well. The man might seem like an arrogant narcissist, but he was rational when he made decisions.

    Which made sense. Power alone wouldn¡¯t make possible a three-year record of zero fatality. Caution was a must too.

    ¡°Investigate, Yellow Butterfly,¡± ordered Nine Frost.

    ¡°Roger that.¡± Yellow Butterfly put her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and made a lilting whistle.

    Soon, a piercing and longsting shriek came from the sky in response. Gao Yang looked up to see a giant ck eagle diving toward them against the backdrop of the night sky. It didn¡¯t take long for the eagle tond on Yellow Butterfly¡¯s shoulder while pping its wings, chirping.

    Its head was a brownish ck and its body a red brown, faded into gold at the tips of the feathers. And its wingspan was a staggering two meters.

    ¡°Is this...a golden eagle?¡± Gao Yang asked with uncertainty.

    Yellow Butterfly nodded with a smile. Like a mother caressing her child, she stroked the eagle¡¯s head, then its feathered wings. ¡°Go. Find the enemy.¡±

    The golden eagle pped its wings open, sending a strong current through the air before taking flight with impressive speed.

    At some point, a dozen more smaller birds gathered to follow it like smaller vessels protecting the aircraft carrier.

    Yellow Butterfly tidied up her wind-tousled hair and said to everyone, ¡°Give it a moment. They¡¯ll find the target soon.¡±

    Gray Bear came up to Gao Yang and whispered into their new captain¡¯s ear, ¡°Her Talent is Avian King.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded silently.

    Avian King, serial number 62, Summon-type. It allowed the user tomunicate with birds andpel a certain number of them to serve the user.

    The Summon Rune Circuit hadn¡¯t been found yet, so Yellow Butterfly¡¯s Avian King was at most level 3.

    Nine Frost then turned to the bald man in his team. ¡°Buff, Old Joe.¡±

    The bald man named Old Joe nodded and wiped his right hand on his pants before offering it to Nine Frost. Nine Frost held it for one second and then let go.

    Old Joe shook hands with each of his teammates. Then he came up to Gao Yang and offered his hand. ¡°How about your team?¡±

    Gao Yang could tell that Old Joe must have a Support-type Talent. He took the man¡¯s hand without hesitation.

    As expected, Replicate detected the only replicable Talent. Condition, serial number 77, Support-type.

    It allowed one to strengthen or weaken the target¡¯s condition through physical contact.

    Nevertheless, Old Joe¡¯s hand felt like any regr man¡¯s, rough, warm, and Gao Yang didn¡¯t sense any energying into his body.

    After letting go, Old Joe went on to hold the hands of the other fifth team members.

    Gray Bear seemed to have read Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts, and he exined with a smile, ¡°Level 3 Condition gives buffs with a dy rather than showing effect immediately.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded in realization.

    ¡°Xiuyi, ranged cover,¡± Nine Frost gave another order.

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Gao Yang saw the young man whose nted eyes seemed to never open properly take aposite bow off his back. With practiced ease, he nocked an arrow and tested the string, making sure his weapon was in working order.

    This time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t need Gray Bear to tell him what the man¡¯s Talent was.

    God of Archery, serial number 73, Damage-type. It significantly increased the user¡¯s proficiency in archery.

    ¡°ck Sparrow, Dark Li, get ready.¡± That was thest order Nine Frost gave.

    ck Sparrow raised her brow, looking confident as she loosened the bandages on her right hand, which was revealed to be an eerie dark violet. Under the moonlight, the hand looked poisoned.

    Her Talent must be Drunken Master.

    Serial number 57, Poison-type. Her punch would partially paralyze the target and take away their mobility. It was quite a good Talent for closebat.

    And the man called Dark Li was the middle-aged man whose face was perpetually stuck in a disingenuous smile. He took out a ck blindfold to cover his eyes and tied a dead knot behind his back.

    That was Mind¡¯s Eye, serial number 72. In exchange for covering his eyes, he could increase his senses, reflexes, and power. It was perfect for fighting in the dark.

    The fourth team had gotten ready for a serious battle.

    Nine Frost turned to the fifth team. Although he didn¡¯t sound as overbearing as he had been initially, there was still a trace of derision in his voice. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of things from here. Do whatever you want. Just don¡¯t get in the way.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck did you say?!¡± Gray Bear lost his temper immediately.

    Gao Yang reached out to stop him.

    ¡°Make the call, Captain!¡±

    Gray Bear sounded eager. He wanted Gao Yang to give them orders for a proper tactic as well. He didn¡¯t want the fourth team to take all the spotlight in theing fight.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat and turned to his team. ¡°Did you hear Captain Nine Frost? Hide behind the fourth team and don¡¯t get in the way.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Gray Bear almost threw up blood.

    ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡± Gao Yang raised his voice, his expression serious.

    Gray Bear swallowed his words and sighed unhappily, raising a hand to have everyone stay behind the fourth team.

    Nine Frost scoffed, his lips curved into a thin smile.

    Then a shriek pierced through the sky. The golden eagle and the other birds were hovering over the roof of the auditorium.

    ¡°Target sighted,¡± said Yellow Butterfly. ¡°It¡¯s in the auditorium.¡±

    Nine Frost quietly thought for a few seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s go. And report to Elder ck Tortoise just in case.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡± Yellow Butterfly took out her phone.

 Chapter 171: Thank-you Gift

    <h4>Chapter 171: Thank-you Gift</h4>

    All twelve members of the two operations teams hurried to the auditorium.

    On their way, Gao Yang found a chance to pat Lithe Snake on the shoulder and replicate Gecko. Although among the others, the highest-ranking and highest-level Talent was actually Nine Frost¡¯s Weak Point, and Gao Yang could replicate it now that his Replicate was level 3, it was difficult to excuse touching any part of Nine Frost¡¯s body.

    Moreover, if a fight broke out in the auditorium, Gecko would be more useful inside the dim building.

    Most importantly, Gecko granted him the passive ability to regrow his limbs, which wasn¡¯t limited by Replicate¡¯s use duration, but the much longer storage duration.

    Should he lose an arm or an leg in theing fight, at least he would be able to regenerate the lost limb.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but miss his time with the Twelve Zodiac Signs. With the OP healingbo of Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig, the members could fight to their best abilities without worrying about injury.

    Based on all his previous fights, Gao Yang had roughly summarized the two tactics that suited him.

    First, when the gap between him and his opponent was too big, and the situation was especially dire, he must make a bold, reckless gamble like he had done when he fought Mad Red¡ªact like a high-roller, if one would.

    Second, when it was rtively safe and when his side even had the upper-hand, he must not getcent and underestimate the enemy, but should instead cautiously hold onto his advantages, like the time he and his team caught the serial killer¡ªbeing a piker.

    Combined, he would be a ¡®high-piker¡¯.

    Yep. Gao Yang decided to make that the doctrine he lived by, one that would be his epitaph after his death.

    They crossed the shaded path and soon met the sight of the auditorium. It was the type of architecturemon in the past, a one-story building with gray concrete walls and nine-pane windows.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt his right palm warmed up, and the warmth gradually spread to the rest of his body before converging in his heart and then, following his breathing, was pushed to his limbs.

    It was Old Joe¡¯s Conditioning into effect, Gao Yang realized.

    He dissected the way the buff worked. It didn¡¯t transform his muscles and bones directly. The change was more basic and gentle, giving him the feeling of having had a good night¡¯s sleep and getting mentally and physically rejuvenated, his body light and agile.

    It would help Gao Yang better control his mental state and the energy circting inside his body.

    It seemed that Condition was quite a useful Talent. Unfortunately, it took a long time toe into effect and thus had to be used as a preparatory step.

    However, most battles happened suddenly with no time for prior preparations.

    As he dwelled in his thoughts, they had already reached the entrance to the auditorium. The old, yellow wooden door had a broken lock on it.

    Gao Yang entered with his shlight on. Looking down at the bottom of the door, there was a trail of dust that suggested the door had been moved. Their target must have barged in from the front door.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s gotten in...¡±

    Nine Frost hade to the same conclusion. Before he could finish, though, a piercing yet meandering cry with an undercurrent of sorrow rang from inside of the auditorium.

    The familiar sound made Gao Yang jump.

    ¡°Stop it! It¡¯s a summoner!¡±

    It was obvious that Nine Frost had also encountered summoners before. Without needing to be told, he kicked the door open with a loud bang and rushed in.

    Gao Yang followed right after him with a burst of zing me in his right palm, lighting up the dark auditorium like a torch.

    The call had already halted.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost stopped to look at the stage on the far side of the auditorium. That was where the voice hade from.

    The rest of their teams stood behind the two captains, wordlessly raising their weapons in preparation for theing fight.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost lifted a hand at the same time, telling their teams to not do anything reckless.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The sound came from the stage. Gao Yang got a good look at the figure sitting on the chair. The chair was old and unstable, and it creaked as the figure moved.

    The figure stood up and walked to the small podium at the center of the stage.

    <i>Crackle...pzzt...</i>

    As soon as the figure made a sound, a sharp electronic feedback followed. ¡°Hi, hello. Ha, it¡¯s been so many years, yet this is still working.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. He recognized the voice.

    He deactivated his fire, robbing the auditorium of the illumination, but under the moonlight streaming from the window, they could actually see the figure on the stage more clearly after their eyes adjusted to the dark.

    It was Niu Xuan.

    ¡°Niu Xuan?¡± Gray Bear was a little surprised, but then he sighed like it was only expected.

    ¡°You knew each other?¡± Nine Frost asked coolly, his eyes fixed on the boy on stage.

    ¡°He was the one that fainted in the Eleventh High School,¡± Gao Yang exined.

    Nine Frost caught on immediately. He was what renewed the Qilin Guild¡¯s interest in the school.

    After some hesitation, Nine Frost decided to ask the three questions as was tradition.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Do you choose forgiveness, or death?¡±

    Niu Xuan continued to test the microphone like he hadn¡¯t heard anything.

    Then after a burst of noise, his projected voice stabilized.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Niu Xuan chuckled, his voice echoing in the auditorium through the microphone. ¡°I¡¯m feeling nostalgic. Twenty years ago, I was standing here after getting into the Eleventh High School with top marks, and I gave a speech to the thousand and more teachers and students here. That was probably my fifteen minutes of glory.¡±

    Gao Yang had a bad feeling about this. Niu Xuan had been entirely overtaken by the memories of Li Zhuanghu.

    Or so he thought.

    Niu Xuan then turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Do you remember what happened back at Wan Sisi¡¯s funeral?¡±

    <i>Ah, he retains his memory as Niu Xuan as well.</i>

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    Niu Xuan gave him a faint,posed smile,pletely unlike the Niu Xuan that Gao Yang knew. ¡°I taunted you with Wan Sisi¡¯s death, and you got mad. I was terrified then.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand why. There was no reason for me to be scared of you, but I was, and the fear ran bone-deep.¡±

    After a pause, his eyes glowed with a faint loneliness for a fleeting moment. ¡°Only now do I realize that it wasn¡¯t my person side that was scared, but my monster side, and that I wasn¡¯t scared of a regr human, but an awakener.¡±

    ¡°If not for you, Gao Yang, I may never wake up. Instead, I¡¯ll stay a delusion monster¡ªor wanderers, as you people call us¡ªand lead an ignorant life until the moment of my death, never questioning the belief that I¡¯m human.¡±

    Niu Xuan smiled, chilling and self-destructive.

    ¡°You¡¯re no wanderer, but a summoner.¡± Gao Yang tried not to rile up Niu Xuan further so that they could get more useful information out of him.

    Why did he turn from a wanderer to a summoner?

    Or were wanderers the basic form, and they went on to evolve into all the other types of monsters?

    Unfortunately, Niu Xuan didn¡¯t answer.

    Like War Tiger had said, it was like pulling teeth to get any information out of a summoner.

    ¡°Thank you, Gao Yang.¡± Niu Xuan suddenly opened his arms and howled, ¡°I¡¯m abandoning my personhood!¡±

    His voice echoed in the empty auditorium.

    Then he lowered his arms and head, looking down the stage at Gao Yang. ¡°As a thank-you gift, I prepared something for you. Please don¡¯t turn it down.¡°

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank, feeling a wave of killing intent from all around him.

    [Warning, you are in...]

    <i>Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!</i>

    The windows on both sides of the auditorium shattered at the same time, and in rushed a swarm of countless monsters.

 Chapter 172: Team Battle

    <h4>Chapter 172: Team Battle</h4>

    All at once, countless pieces of sharp ss scattered all over the auditorium, reflecting the cold moonlight. The system¡¯s warning wasn¡¯t even finished before countless monstersnded and lunged at them, each in a different form, but all possessed by a crazed bloodlust and fury.

    A growl.

    The one leading the charge was a young and strongly-built ughterer. The ¡®lizardman¡¯ was over two meters tall.

    As soon as its feet hit the ground, its strong, thick thighs bent quickly before springing up with great explosive power, charging straight at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Grrr!¡±

    A beast just as big tackled the ughterer from the side, intercepting it. They mmed into the ground and started to wrestle each other.

    It was Gray Bear with Beastly activated.

    The man and monster rolled twice before Gray Bear gained the upper hand. Pinning the ughterer to the ground, Gray Bear kept the monster¡¯s right arm under control with a knee and gripped its head with both hands, mming it to the floor violently.

    <i>Bam! Bam! Bam!</i>

    The concrete floor cracked, and broken pieces sttered.

    The ughterer cried out in pain as it struggled, stabbing at Gray Bear¡¯s abdomen with the sharp ws of its left hand. But Lithe Snake was already there. His honed shortsword pierced through the ughterer¡¯s left palm with great precision, pinning it to the floor.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Veins popped up from Gray Bear¡¯s temples as he continued to exert greater force with his hands.

    In a few seconds, he managed to crush the ughterer¡¯s head with bare hands, sending blood and brain matter flying everywhere.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the luxury to enjoy his teammates¡¯ disy of courage and ruthlessness. More monsters were already rushing toward them, and chaos ensued.

    ¡°Cover each other! Don¡¯t leave any blindspots!¡±

    With that yell, Gao Yang opened his hands and shot a torrent of mes each to the left and the right, driving away the berserking wanderers lunging at Xiran and Ronnie.

    Xiran and Ronnie quickly drew their guns and fired recklessly at the burning monsters. They copsed without making a sound.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Can?¡± Gao Yang realized it was a silly question the moment he asked it. The girl would¡¯ve gone invisible the first moment danger struck.

    ¡°You three, protect yourselves!¡±

    Both Xiran and Ronnie had Support-type Talents that didn¡¯t differentiate between friends and foes, which were ineffective in a chaotic group fight with so many monsters. After they ran out of bullets, they would be as good as useless.

    At that moment, a small dog-like monster leapt toward him.

    Gao Yang quickly ducked down and shifted to the side, letting the dog monster fly over his head. At the same time, he grabbed the dog monster¡¯s hindleg and yanked, mming it to the ground.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Energy burst out from Gao Yang¡¯s palm. Amplified by the glove, fire flowed smoothly out of him and enveloped the monster¡¯s hindleg in an instant. Whining, the dog monster rolled around amid the zing mes, unable to endure the pain. It ended up charging around aimlessly once it crawled to its feet, and Gray Bear grabbed and hurled it out of the window with one hand.

    Gao Yang scanned his surroundings. shes of light lit up the auditorium intermittently. Amid the gunshots, the ngs of des, and the growls, humans and monsters ran amok.

    The fourth team was right in the fray as well. So far, there hadn¡¯t been any casualties.

    ¡°Cover me, Gray Bear!¡± Gao Yang called out.

    ¡°Will do!¡±

    Gray Bear rushed toward Gao Yang, toppling all the monsters going after Gao Yang on the way.

    Gao Yang yanked off two old curtains and draped them on the abandoned wooden chairs in the corner.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    mes licked through the curtains in an instant, scattering dust everywhere. A moldy smell permeated the air.

    In only a few seconds, the chairs and curtains turned into arge bonfire. Awash in the golden light, the entire auditorium was bright like it was daytime.

    Clear vision allowed one to control the tides of the battle, and their battle power would thus jump exponentially.

    Mid-fight, Nine Frost turned to look at the bonfire, throwing Gao Yang an approving look.

    Gao Yang rushed back to the main battlefield just in time to see a shadow fall down from above, pouncing on Nine Frost¡¯s back.

    ¡°Watch...¡±

    Nine Frost reacted before Gao Yang¡¯s voice reached him.

    With a sidestep, he dodged the monster¡¯s sneak attack, and just when the monster was going to leap up again, one of its hands was already pinned to the ground by Nine Frost¡¯s heel.

    Eyes glinting coldly, Nine Frost swung his right fist at the monster¡¯s face.

    <i>Pop, pop, pop.</i> He went for quick jabs over heavy punches, and in less than a second, he had made three attacks.

    Gao Yang realized immediately that it was to trigger Weak Points.

    Hit in the face, the monster went still for half a second. It might be thinking with its small brain that the human was weak, that the three punches didn¡¯t hurt at all.

    But that wasn¡¯t how it went.

    If Nine Frost¡¯s quick jab generated 80 pounds of force, his third jab would¡¯ve reached a staggering 2000 pounds.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    As expected, after a short dy, Weak Points triggered, and the monster¡¯s face caved in like a squashed ball, the entire body flying away, dragged along by the force applied to the head.

    What a terrifying Talent.

    If Gao Yang¡¯s heart was hit with three jabs or even three heavy punches, not even God would be able to save him.

    The thought shed through his mind in a split second. All the while, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t stopped what he was doing. With his gun drawn, he approached Nine Frost¡¯s fourth team along with Gray Bear, taking out the wanderers with lower offensive and defensive power.

    There were many monsters, and they had to conserve stamina. That was a practical tip he had learned from War Tiger.

    Soon, Gao Yang ran out of bullets, but he had also reached the fourth team.

    He and Gray Bear made a defensive circle with members of the fourth team, their backs pressed together, waiting for the short lull of the battle to pass.

    There were at least thirty monsters here.

    Lithe Snake was dangling from the dim ceiling like a gecko, waiting to make a critical strike.

    Can, Xiran, and Ronnie were nowhere to be seen. Most likely, they had gone invisible while huddling together.

    ¡°Ha, we¡¯re lucky that this happened in a ce like this, and there weren¡¯t a lot of monsters around,¡± Gray Bear said with a bitter smile while wiping blood off his face.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, but inside, he was also relieved that the school had been abandoned, and there weren¡¯t many residents in the neighborhood. Only a few dozen monsters had been summoned.

    Had they been in the downtown area, a summoner would¡¯ve gathered thousands of monsters with a howl.

    The thirty something monsters circled them. The stalematested for tens of seconds.

    Which was unbelievable to Gao Yang. How were the monsters able to control their urges and hold back from attacking the awakeners?

    A thought struck him. He looked up at the figure on the stage, Niu Xuan.

    Niu Xuan was still standing before the podium with a microphone in his hand. ¡°Do you like the gift, Gao Yang? Don¡¯t awakeners love killing monsters? Then I¡¯ll let you kill monsters to your hearts¡¯ content.¡±

    His lips curved into a strange smile, his eyes filled with hatred, fury, and sorrow. Without a target to go to, however, the emotions tranted into a self-destructive madness.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to care about Niu Xuan¡¯s feelings. What he cared about was how Niu Xuan was able to control the monsters, or why the monsters listened to Niu Xuan.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Nine Frost said in a low voice. He had obviously realized that Niu Xuan was their leader, and taking out the leader was the most efficient way of taking out an army.

    Niu Xuan saw through his n immediately. Without giving Nine Frost a chance to get close, he raised his right hand with a smile. ¡°Here and now, the graduation ceremony officiallymences!¡±

    He made a clear snap with his fingers.

    Growling, the monsters lunged at them with reckless abandon.

 Chapter 173: Bloody Battle

    <h4>Chapter 173: Bloody Battle</h4>

    A strongly-built ughterer rushed up to Nine Frost, its feet turned into horse hooves while its arms morphed into long, sharp des radiating a chill, swinging down at Nine Frost¡¯s face.

    Nine Frost didn¡¯t even dodge away. He trusted his teammates a hundred percent.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Blindfolded with a piece of ck cloth, Dark Li blocked the ughterer¡¯s des with a pair of nunchucks in hand. And seizing that moment, Nine Frost crouched down slightly with both hands balled into fists, making three heavy punches at the ughterer¡¯s chest.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    After a short dy, the ughterer¡¯s back bulged violently, like an intangible force had exploded within its chest.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    It flew into a nearby wall and slid down, its burst chest leaving a macabre trail of blood.

    This time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to calcte how much force the three punches had exerted. With both hands shooting fire, he burned the wanderers before him.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    As a giant, berserking bear, Gray Bear rushed into the swarm of monsters and rampaged about, flinging the monsters around with his thick, sturdy shoulders that acted like the head of a tank.

    A thin, small monster with dark-red bat wings jumped up agilely, getting away from Gray Bear with a p of its wings, descending upon Gray Bear¡¯s head while aiming the two red ws protruding from the back of its hands at Gray Bear¡¯s nape.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    A long arrow prated through its chest and pinned it to the wall.

    Still alive, the monster pped its wings and struggled before a fireball hit it squarely, igniting its body and the curtains around it.

    It struggled in pain and despair until the fire made quick work of it and turned it into an ugly light fixture.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Dual wielding guns, Old Joe shot at the small monstersing from above. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have God of Firearms like Officer Huang, and the bullets didn¡¯t kill the monsters even when they hit; in fact, he couldn¡¯t even stop the monsters from advancing.

    ¡°Move!¡± ck Sparrow pushed Old Joe away, and a monster missed its attack.

    Seizing the opening, ck Sparrow tripped the monster when it wasnding with a sweep of her leg.

    With a roll, the monster reached out to ck Sparrow with its right hand, its arms suddenly bursting into a cluster of thick, viscous, dark-gray tentacles.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    Two tentacles grabbed onto ck Sparrow¡¯s left and right hands, while the thickest tentacle strangled her neck.

    It was a devourer!

    The tentacles tightened, preventing ck Sparrow from breathing.

    She clenched her teeth, her face flushed, yet her eyes remained confident and free of any hint of fear.

    With a twist of her right wrist, she grabbed onto the tentacle wrapped around her right hand.

    It took only two seconds.

    The tentacle in her grip twitched like it had been electrocuted before going ck.

    In addition, the other two tentacles were weakening as well. The paralyzing effect of Drunken Master wasing into effect.

    Shifting from defense to offense, she yanked at the tentacle in her right hand, pulling the crouching devourer off the ground toward her before following up with a violent jab, breaking the devourer¡¯s hyoid bone.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    With the bone broken, the devourer¡¯s head dropped down, its chin almost touching its chest like it had been snapped.

    Soon, the three tentacles let go of ck Sparrow and slowly retracted back into the devourer¡¯s right arm. Then the monster copsed to the ground and turned back into its human form.

    The moment ck Sparrow took care of a devourer, she felt a gusting from behind her.

    She whirled around to see a greed monster biting at her with its big, open maw. Without the time to dodge it, she raised both hands reflexively to shield her head.

    Then came a sharp shriek, and a magnificent golden eagle descended, burying its ws into the monster¡¯s head and hair and almost lifting it off the ground.

    The greed monster fell and rolled around while the golden eagle shed at its face, pping its wings. Blood sttered everywhere.

    Then a swarm of crows rushed in to peck at the monster¡¯s body. The battle turned into a bloody banquet.

    Yellow Butterfly had saved herpanions with Avian King, but left herself open.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    She emptied her handgun at a ughterer rushing at her, but she only managed to slow it down rather than kill it.

    Face pale, she staggered back and grabbed a magazine from her waist. Before she could reload, however, the ughterer was already lunging at her.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    With precision, two throwing knives hit the ughterer where it was most vulnerable: the eyes. The ughterer screamed in pain, swinging its ded arms around aimlessly now that it had lost its sight.

    Yellow Butterfly leaned back to dodge a swing and ended up falling on her bottom.

    At the same time, a ck figure flew down from above like a phantom and stepped on the ughterer¡¯s shoulders.

    It was Lithe Snake. While the ughterer opened its mouth to scream, he stabbed at its throat with his sharp shortsword.

    It wasn¡¯t enough. Lithe Snake gripped the hilt with both hands and pushed the shortsword further down the monster¡¯s throat, making sure that the tip of the de pierced through the monster¡¯s heart.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Therge ughterer toppled to the ground heavily.

    Without hesitation, Lithe Snake reached inside the ughterer¡¯s mouth as soon as hended and yanked, pulling his shortsword out. The sttering blood pelted his face in red.

    He shook the viscous blood off the de and offered Yellow Butterfly his bloody right hand. Staring at it, Yellow Butterfly gave him a grateful smile and quickly picked herself up rather than taking the offer.

    The bloodbath was still ongoing.

    ¡°Come on! You sons of bitches!¡±

    Gray Bear was lost in a frenzy. He charged left and right amid the monsters to break their flow, buying time for his teammates to pick the monsters off one by one.

    The monsters didn¡¯t allow him to do as he wished for long. Utilizing their greater number, they each held onto Gray Bear¡¯s legs, arms, back, and waist until seven or eight of them were locked onto Gray Bear.

    ¡°Bastards! Get off me! Now!¡±

    Gray Bear swung around and cursed out loud, but he couldn¡¯t stop more monsters fromtching onto him. And not long after, he was pinned to the ground.

    It was thanks to the thick skin and fur he gained after turning into a beast that he could withstand the monsters¡¯ bites and shes. Still, the fact that the attacks weren¡¯t fatal didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Gray Bear cried out while struggling. ¡°Someone give me a hand! The pain is killing me...¡±

    ¡°Yiyayiya, yiyaaaaa, yaaaaa¡ª¡±

    A strange, sharp scream rang through the auditorium.

    For a moment, all awakeners and monsters stopped fighting, holding onto their heads.

    Gao Yang¡¯s fire was gone from his hands as well. It felt like a wire scrub was shoved into his head and kept grating against his brain. All his rational thoughts, emotions, and logical thinking were blended into a mush, depriving him of the ability to think.

    <i>Stop it! Stop it now!</i>

    <i>I¡¯m dying here!</i>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make a sound, but inside, he was shouting.

    The screamsted five to six seconds until it died down.

    Gao Yang woke up instantly. He caught the trio responsible for the friendly fire from the corner of his eye.

    Can was in the center, covering her ears with both hands looking like she was going to break down.

    Xiran was still holding onto Can on the left, and his face looked equally ashen.

    On her right, Ronnie was holding Can too, and he heaved with his face covered in sweat.

    It was clear that he had pushed himself to use Disorientation at the greatest intensity possible, freezing the chaotic battle for a fleeting moment.

    However, Can¡¯s Invisibility also deactivated as a result, revealing the three of them.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Gray Bear shouted and sprang to action before the monsters could react, propping himself up and shaking off the two monsters grabbing onto his arms. Then he picked off the monsters locking his waist and legs and hurled them away.

    ¡°Hahaha! Keep going, you brats!¡±

    Now freed, Gray Bear charged amid the monsters as a happy tank once more.

    He knew what his role was: to stir up shit. Rather than killing monsters, his job was attracting attention and breaking up the enemies¡¯ flow, leaving his teammates to eliminate the monsters.

    The others also resumed their fight after Disorientation stopped.

    The awakeners regained their senses half a second before the monsters did, which was enough for them to gain the upper hand.

    Gao Yang cast a fireball. Along with the shot Xiuyi made with hisposite bow, they took out a flying monster.

    Looking around, two thirds of the monsters had been taken out. The goddess of victory was waving at them.

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze shifted to the trio, Can, Xiran, and Ronnie, his lips curled into an approving smile.

    But the smile froze after a second.

 Chapter 174: Unexpected Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 174: Unexpected Enemy</h4>

    Can, Xiran, and Ronnie were in a dimmer area, farther from the bonfire.

    There were a few monsters lying on the ground around them, each covered in a good number of bullet holes with streams of blood converging to form a viscous pool.

    The firelight cast from some distance away danced in the pool of blood.

    It caught Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. Something was wrong.

    <i>Activate Gecko!</i>

    Gao Yang gained night vision, which allowed him to see the faint footprints in the pool, resembling the webbed feet of frogs.

    <i>St, st.</i>

    The steps were slow and light.

    Amid the chaos of the fight and the cacophony of noises, Gao Yang slowly approached the trio lest he alert the enemy.

    He got a better look as he got closer. It was a monster covered entirely in scales.

    Gao Yang had never seen a monster like that. Its soft scales shifted and changed ording to the light in the environment, blending into the dim corner almost perfectly. He was only able to make out the silhouette because of the faint light caught by the slightly shimmering scales as the monster slowly walked.

    It was a monster with the ability of a chameleon, no doubt.

    Can, Xiran, and Ronnie didn¡¯t know what was going on. They were away from the battlefield with no dangers around, and they grewcent.

    ¡°Whew, that was close.¡± Can wiped the sweat from her forehead. Staying invisible for so long had exhausted the energy in her body.

    Xiran and Ronnie didn¡¯t say anything. They keenly noticed that something was wrong.

    Gao Yang was slowly making his way to them from the center of the battlefield, his expression tense. He gradually picked up his pace yet never dared to go into a run, like he was worried about disturbing something, and his sharp gaze was fixed on their left.

    Xiran and Ronnie exchanged a look before gingerly drawing their guns from their waists.

    Gao Yang suddenly started dashing and shouted, ¡°Left!¡±

    Realizing that it had been spotted, the chameleon monster cast away its remaining patience and lunged at the trio, giving up on staying invisible.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Xiran and Ronnie fired at the now exposed monster.

    The monster screamed. While it had been hit with several shots, however, it didn¡¯t copse, but instead continued to charge at the trio.

    Fortunately, enough time had been bought for Gao Yang to close in on the monster and stabbed its waist with his dagger, knocking it to the ground.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Half crouching, Gao Yang pinned the monster down with a knee on its chest and pressed his right hand to its head, shooting out a burst of intense fire.

    The chameleon monster struggled desperately, whipping its powerful tail at Gao Yang.

    Having foreseen thating, Gao Yang pulled out the dagger with his left hand and made a backhand swing, prating the monster¡¯s tail and intercepting the attack.

    The pain of being burned spread through the chameleon monster, and it soon lost the ability to resist. It was all it could do to spasm and il around instinctively until it stopped moving altogether.

    In only a few seconds, the monster¡¯s head was charred, and the pool of blood evaporated into crimson steam.

    Gao Yang stopped his fire and pulled out his dagger, rising to his feet coldly.

    In the eyes of Can, Xiran, and Ronnie, their captain was like the God of War being reborn in blood.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cool, Captain!¡± Can crowed.

    Gao Yang swallowed his words and frowned.

    A small, agile figure jumped through the window behind Can and lunged at her.

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. He hadn¡¯t noticed another monster.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± he shouted.

    Xiran and Ronnie were now a little farther from Can, leaving her without support.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    With thest second of active use for Gecko, Gao Yang threw his dagger.

    The dagger brushed past Can and stabbed into the figure mid-air. It fell andnded by Can¡¯s feet.

    Finally, Can came back to her senses. She panickedly drew her gun and aimed at the monster. ¡°Die!¡±

    All the while, Gao Yang had been rushing toward Can.

    He didn¡¯t expect Can to get rid of the monster on her own, but it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to buy two or three seconds with the gun.

    Yet he didn''t hear any shots.

    Can had her back to Gao Yang. She was holding the gun with both hands, aiming at the monster at her feet, yet she didn¡¯t pull the trigger. She had been in a trance since she called out for the monster to die.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?</i>

    <i>Is she too scared to act?</i>

    <i>Is it an intimidation skill of the monster?</i>

    Caught off guard, Gao Yang could only rush up to her as fast as he could. He saw the monster jump up and raise its ded arms to sh down at Can¡¯s small stature.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    Last second, Gao Yang managed to push Can away, and the de that should¡¯ve hit her in the chest ended up slicing three fingers off Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    White hot pain tranted into an overpowering dizziness in the back of his head. Jaw set, he hit the monster in the abdomen with a side kick, sending it flying to a corner.

    ¡°No! No...¡±

    Can copsed to the ground and shouted, overwhelmed with emotions.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Xiran and Ronnie had finished reloading, and they rained down bullets at the monster.

    After the barrage of shots, the monster stopped moving, its head tilted and its arms dangling down. A pool of blood formed beneath its legs.

    Gao Yang covered his bleeding stumps and growled with a severe look on his face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pull the trigger?! Do you have a death wish¡ª¡±

    He stopped himself when he saw the tears streaking down Can¡¯s face.

    ¡°Why,¡± she sobbed, ¡°Why you...?¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang turned to the dead monster.

    It shrunk quickly and transformed back into its human form. Under the dim light, Gao Yang got a clear look at the tattered Japanese highschool uniform and the hair tied into twintails.

    ¡®She¡¯ was covered in bleeding bullet holes, her head dropping and her eyes bulging, the pupils dted.

    Huan Huan, Can¡¯s roommate.

    <i>¡ªUgh, I can¡¯t believe my roommates! Even the one other single one ends up getting a boyfriend! She¡¯s going on a date with him tonight without telling me!</i>

    Gao Yang recalled Can¡¯s words.

    The roommate she was talking about was Huan Huan.

    She must have been on a date with her boyfriend in the area. It should¡¯ve been a wonderful, romantic night.

    But because of Niu Xuan¡¯smand, she became puppets doomed to be killed.

    ¡°Captain! You¡¯re hurt!¡±

    Xiran and Ronnie didn¡¯t know Huan Huan. They cared more about Gao Yang¡¯s injury.

    Xiran was a little angry with Can. He rushed up to her and yanked the supply bag off her shoulder. ¡°Stop crying! Give me this!¡±

    He fished out a syringe of Medicine C and pulled off the cap to give Gao Yang a shot.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Face ashen, Gao Yang turned Xiran down through clenched teeth.

    Although Medicine C could quickly stop the bleeding and mend the wounds, it wouldn¡¯t reconnect his fingers. He wasn¡¯t ready to say goodbye to them yet.

    Gao Yang had replicated Gecko. Although he had exhausted the use time, the passive effect of the Talent was limited by the storage time instead. And as expected, he could still sense the energy cirction of Gecko inside his body.

    Gao Yang tried to focus his energy where his fingers had been sliced off, and the stumps stopped bleeding immediately. Then, at an observable rate, the missing appendages began to regrow, starting from the white finger bones, followed by the flesh and blood as well as the tendons and veins, and finally, the skin regenerated to cover all the internal tissues.

    In less than twenty seconds, his three fingers grew back.

    Gao Yang was drenched in sweat, and he let out the breath that had been trapped in his lungs.

    He didn¡¯t expect the three fingers to take this much energy to regenerate. If he lost an arm or a leg and tried to grow them back, he would most likely ck out from exhausting his energy.

    While Gao Yang was focused on recovering his fingers, Ronnie and Xiran had been keeping watch in case of any ambush.

    Gao Yang looked around. There were almost no monsters left alive in the auditorium.

    The twelve members of the fourth and fifth team were all alive, and none had suffered serious injury. The victory in sight further boosted their morale.

    The only exception was Can, who sat by Huan Huan¡¯s side like she had lost her soul.

 Chapter 175: Mother

    <h4>Chapter 175: Mother</h4>

    The battle wasing to an end, and there was nothing for Gao Yang to be concerned about.

    With a sigh, he dragged his feet to Can from behind her. ¡°Can.¡±

    Head still lowered, she choked out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain, I¡¯m really sorry... I should¡¯ve pulled the trigger, but, but I can¡¯t. Huan Huan, she was still wearing the ne I gave her...¡±

    ¡°Today, today she asked me before going out which ne suited her better. I told her to put on my gift for her, that I¡¯d wish her good luck for her date to go well...¡±

    ¡°But why, why must shee here for the date? Li City is so big. Why didn¡¯t she go elsewhere...?¡±

    The rest of her words were lost as she broke down, covering her face with both hands.

    Gao Yang slowly crouched down to close Huan Huan¡¯s eyes.

    At this moment, he didn¡¯t want to me Can even though her moment of weakness and hesitation had almost gotten herself killed. They were humans, humans of flesh and blood, not cold, heartless killing machines or bloodthirsty monsters.

    Were he in her shoes, would he be able to pull the trigger decisively?

    There was no telling how he would react until something like that happened to him.

    Any words offort he could offer would be nothing but titudes. What Can needed right now was a shoulder to lean on and an ear to hear her out. However, they weren¡¯t out of danger yet. The situation didn¡¯t allow for that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you thirty seconds,¡± said Gao Yang.

    After a pause, Can nodded.

    She turned to bury her face into Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder and broke out into wails, crying so hard that she struggled to breathe, and it felt like she would fall apart if she cried any longer.

    Half a minute passed quickly.

    By the end of it, all the monsters in the auditorium had been taken out with no hope of picking themselves up again.

    Can¡¯s sobbing subsided, and she sniffed as she roughly rubbed her reddened, swollen eyes. ¡°Thank you, Captain. I, I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Xiran walked up to her and gently offered her a hand.

    Can took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

    ¡°Are you all alright?¡± Gray Bear¡¯s t-shirt had be a tattered rag from his transformation and the violent fight, so he forwent it altogether and left himself topless.

    Wiping off the blood on his body with the t-shirt, heined, ¡°Shit, I¡¯m totally beat.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can put on a lighthearted face and cried out, ¡°Your chest hair is getting thicker, Uncle Bear!¡±

    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s the charm of a mature, adult man,¡± Gray Bear said proudly.

    Lithe Snake dropped down from the ceiling. With a flurry of his de, he cut off a grasp of hair from Gray Bear¡¯s chest.

    ¡°What the hell, dude?!¡± Gray Bear was both shocked and enraged.

    Lithe Snake put away his shortsword. ¡°Giving you a trim.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Can burst outughing, back to being the carefree girl she usually was.

    The mood lightened somewhat.

    <i>So this is how the fifth team works</i>, Gao Yang thought. Their love and care for each other were expressed under the guise of banters and quips and jokes and pranks.

    Just as well.

    Gao Yang led all members of the fifth team to the center of the auditorium, where Nine Frost was counting the bodies.

    He turned to Gao Yang and said with a frown, ¡°The summoner is missing.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Gao Yang looked over the dead bodies in the auditorium quickly. Niu Xuan wasn¡¯t among them.

    While a summoner yed the role of a lower-ranking leader, it wasn¡¯t that strong in a fight. That was why Gao Yang hadn¡¯t kept a particrly close eye on Niu Xuan¡ªwell, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to given the chaos. He thought Niu Xuan had been killed during the battle.

    But he wasn¡¯t.

    Did he run away? Or did he call for reinforcement?

    Gao Yang gasped. ¡°Did he...¡±

    He rushed to a broken window and looked out toward the running track. Under the clear moonlight, he spotted a lone figure standing on the g pole tform.

    ¡°There, by the g.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He was hit with a foreboding feeling.

    The twelve of them immediately rushed out of the auditorium to the running track, approaching the g pole tform in an arc. They were cautious about it and maintained distance from the monster.

    ¡°The fourth set, side kicks.¡±

    ¡°One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four. Four, two, three, four...¡±

    On the tform, Niu Xuan didn¡¯t care at all that he had been surrounded. He kept counting in a loud voice as he repeated the motions in earnest, his gaze possessed.

    They exchanged a nce, not sure what they should do.

    ¡°What do you think, Seven Shadow?¡± Nine Frost asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯d been wondering why Niu Xuan turned into a summoner.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Now I get it.¡±

    ¡°Just out with it, Captain.¡± Gray Bear was impatient.

    ¡°Perhaps Niu Xuan isn¡¯t a summoner, but still a wanderer.¡±

    Gao Yang exined his theory. ¡°The monsters had been hiding outside the auditorium beforeunching an ambush. And then they stopped briefly to surround us. A summoner wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Summoners can make wanderers go berserk, but not control their actions with such precision.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at the boy on the tform. ¡°Niu Xuan was able to awaken the monsters in the area andmand them as he pleased, not because he had the power, but...¡±

    ¡°Rune Circuit.¡± Nine Frost could make the educated guess. His eyes glinted with excitement.

    ¡°Likely so.¡±

    Gao Yang was conflicted. <i>How fucking ¡®lucky¡¯ of me! It¡¯s only been two months since my awakening, yet I¡¯ve already run into three Rune Circuits.</i>

    ¡°Do you mean the Rune Circuit is with Niu Xuan, Captain?¡± Gray Bear frowned. ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. The Rune Circuit should be inside the Rune Cave.¡±

    Gao Yang took a moment to think before continuing, ¡°There must be some other reason that the Rune Circuit ended up resonating with Niu Xuan, granting him the power to control monsters momentarily.¡±

    ¡°Like how awakeners¡¯ Talents resonate with Rune Circuits?¡± asked Yellow Butterfly.

    ¡°It¡¯s only my spection,¡± said Gao Yang.

    No one said anything after that. They seemed to agree with the hypothesis.

    ¡°The ninth set, jumping jacks. One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four...¡±

    Niu Xuan continued to jump, his movement growing more and more intense.

    ¡°Get ready, fourth team.¡± Nine Frost had enough waiting around. Clues to the Rune Circuit were right before them. He would not return to base empty-handed today.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang stopped Nine Frost, his eyes twitching.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Take a close look at his feet.¡±

    The others did as he said and took a collective gasp.

    Niu Xuan was starting to stretch as thest set of movements. He extended his arms slowly, yet his feet had lifted off the ground at some point, and he was still rising inch by inch.

    ¡°Three, two, three, four. Four, two, three, four.¡±

    Finally, Niu Xuan hadpleted the whole set of exercises. His eyes turned a grayish white, and his body became stiff.

    At this point, he was already three meters off the ground.

    ¡°Mother, is that you?¡± Niu Xuan¡¯s head jerked up. He stared straight at the sky with his gray, muddled eyes.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m back... Take me. Don¡¯t abandon me... Mother, mother...¡±

    ¡°Mother, mother mother, mothermothermother...¡±

    He rattled off the same word at increasing speed, all the while his body started spasming violently.

    <i>Crack, crack, crack...</i>

    Suddenly, his body twisted like braids, and his bones cracked like popcorns. Thick blood gushed out from his seven orifices.

    ¡°Mother, mother, modermahter...¡± He repeated the word until blood flooded his throat and his tongue got twisted, preventing him from uttering another word.

    Under the moonlight, his body hovered midair, twisted into a braid. It looked eerie, <i>evil</i>.

    The space seemed to go still for half a second.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Niu Xuan blew up into an extravagant, macabre rain of blood, falling upon the moonlit running track.

    Everyone was too stunned to say or do anything.

    Then Gao Yang heard a notification in his head.

    [Warning: You have entered an unknown area. Analysis unavable.]

    [Luck points acquisition increased to two times.]

 Chapter 176: Another Rune Cave

    <h4>Chapter 176: Another Rune Cave</h4>

    A powerful presence came upon them. Gao Yang felt like the Tai Mountain was crashing down, and he was forced to drop to one knee under the pressure, his body almost falling apart.

    The others weren¡¯t doing any better. They had either gotten down on their knees or on all fours.

    Strange noises swarmed up to them. Like tens of thousands of people were chanting an ancient litany at high speed, the chorus of voices overwhelmed them in waves, solemn and irresistible.

    Gao Yang felt as if heaven and earth had flipped, and his head hurt so much it seemed like it was splitting.

    Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation robbed one of the ability to think, while this chorus of voices instilled in him a bone-deep sense of oppression and suffocation.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the words to describe the fear and helplessness. His mind was being torn to pieces slowly but surely. If this went on, he felt like he would go mad before he died.

    Fortunately, the voices quieted like receding tides soon, and Gao Yang made a sharp intake of breath like a drowning man who had just been rescued.

    He settled himself and looked around. The others were also unhurt. However, they all looked pale and fearful, like they had seen the gates of hell.

    ¡°Y¡¯all okay?¡± Gray Bear was the first to pick himself up. He reached out to help Xiran and Can to their feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m alright...¡± Can¡¯s face was pale, and her pupils dted, her hands pressing against her chest. It was clear that she was still reeling from the earlier experience.

    ¡°What, what happened?¡± Xiran turned to Gray Bear, but didn¡¯t get any answer. Then he turned to Gao Yang.

    Instead of giving a response, Gao Yang looked into the distance.

    The one thing he was certain of was that they had entered the Rune Cave. The system had said as much, and the system hadn¡¯t been wrong so far.

    After a few seconds, Gao Yang confirmed the fact with a sinking heart.

    He turned to the others with a serious look on his face. ¡°This is the Rune Cave.¡±

    ¡°Rune Cave?¡± Nine Frost frowned. ¡°This is still the Eleventh High School, and none of us have moved. How did we get into the Rune Cave?¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡± Yellow Butterfly nched, her voice panicked as she said, ¡°I can¡¯t sense my child.¡±

    ¡°Child?¡± Can opened her mouth wide. ¡°Whoa, are you pregnant, Sister Yellow Butterfly?¡±

    ¡°She meant the golden eagle.¡± Gray Bear swatted Can on the head.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not here.¡± Yellow Butterfly sounded confused. ¡°It would never fly away on its own. Why...¡±

    ¡°I told you,¡± Gao Yang repeated for emphasis. ¡°We¡¯ve entered the Rune Cave. Your pet is outside.¡±

    ¡°Care to exin? Isn¡¯t this the Eleventh High School? How is it the Rune Cave?¡± ck Sparrow frowned with befuddlement.

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t the school we were at, but a special subspace. It¡¯s very likely to be the Eleventh High School from eighteen years ago.¡±

    Nine Frost considered his words, not understanding fully.

    ¡°Look down,¡± said Gao Yang.

    They all did, and those with keener observation immediately scowled in response.

    ¡°Wait!¡± ck Sparrow was shocked. ¡°The weeds are gone!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The track was filled with weeds, but now thewn is so well trimmed...¡± Xiran noticed as well. ¡°How, how can this be?¡±

    Gao Yang looked over at them. ¡°Who of you have been to a Rune Cave?¡±

    ¡°Six years ago, I apanied Elder Azure Dragon and ck Tortoise to one and acquired the Knowledge Rune Circuit.¡± Nine Frost thought back to the memory. ¡°The Rune Cave wasn¡¯t located in the real world, and it wasn¡¯t terribly dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Rune Caves differ,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°This one is simr to the first Rune Cave I visited.¡±

    For the next few minutes, Gao Yang told the fourth team about his experience in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    Their expression darkened in response.

    ¡°Captain, do you mean that Niu Xuan transported us to a special subspace through whatever he did earlier, and in this subspace, the monsters would repeat what happened eighteen years ago again and again, like they were imprisoned?¡± Gray Bear attempted a summary.

    Nine Frost added, ¡°And one of the monsters is a boss monster mutated under the influence of the Rune Circuit, and we can get out of here by acquiring it?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°At least that¡¯s what happened in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly shook her head, unable toe to terms with it. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s only your spection.¡±

    ¡°It can be proven easily.¡± Gao Yang turned to Nine Frost. ¡°The subspace won¡¯t be that big, and there will be borders. We only have to check.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gray Bear was eager to move. ¡°Lithe Snake and I will go to the west...¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re all going together.¡± Gao Yang cut him off. ¡°No splitting up.¡±

    Nine Frost agreed, ¡°Let¡¯s check the school gate first.¡±

    The twelve of them headed to the gate with their shlights. It took only two minutes of walking. And as expected, both the gate and the guardhouse were good as new, looking nothing like the building that had been abandoned for years.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and check.¡±

    Gray Bear took the lead and walked toward the guardhouse at the school gate, but no matter how long he walked, he could never reach it.

    To the others, his walking figure appearedrge in one moment and small in the next. The perspective didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°Fuck, what the hell?!¡± Gray Bear was shocked. Still doubtful, he started running, yet he didn¡¯t get any closer to the metal gate.

    ck Sparrow was in disbelief as well, and she went up to check for herself.

    Feeling curious, Can, Xiran, and Ronnie joined in and started running toward the school gate too.

    In Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, it looked like they had been running in ce.

    After all that, they finally epted that there was a magical barrier they couldn¡¯t cross.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the mist surrounding the isted inds?¡± Gray Bear turned back, dejected.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little different,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°If the Eleventh High School is simr to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, in addition to the proper exit through the Rune Circuit, the barrier above us should be breakable¡ªif there were an awakener with a Time-Space Talent among us, that is.¡±

    He paused. ¡°And they need to be able to fly to reach the barrier above.¡±

    The response he got was a resounding silence.

    None of them had Time-Space Talents, and none of them could fly.

    ¡°Captain, I, I still have a question.¡± Can timidly raised her hand, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She tensed up under the scrutiny.

    ¡°Go on.¡± Gao Yang gave her an encouraging look.

    ¡°You said that the vigers of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige had been repeating the same period of time in the past.¡± Can¡¯s eyes flicked around to scan the surroundings. ¡°But the school doesn¡¯t seem upied right now, does it?¡±

    ¡°Good question.¡± Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°Can it be that the students and teachers are still sleeping in their respective dorms because it¡¯s midnight?¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Can stuck out her tongue, embarrassed.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to use your head more.¡± Gao Yang patted Can on the shoulder paternally.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure,¡± said Nine Frost.

    For the next twenty minutes, the group moved to explore the other barriers just in case.

    In the north, they were stopped at the walls by the running track.

    In the south, they went out the backdoor and climbed up the mountain, but just when they were happy to discover a hidden exit, they were stopped by the forest at the middle part of the mountain.

    In the west was the student dormitory, and the wall behind it was the barrier.

    The boys¡¯ dorm and girls¡¯ dorm stood side by side with a hot water dispensing room in between. From the boys¡¯ uniform and nkets hung dry in the hallways of the building on the left, they confirmed that it was the boys¡¯ dorm.

    They walked to the entrance on the first floor. The metal gate was locked, behind which was a hallway, and manyrge thermos could be seen lining up at the corner[1].

    ¡°Lithe Snake, go check if there¡¯s anyone in the dorm,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Lithe Snake nodded. Given his Talent, he wouldn¡¯t need to vault the metal gate. He jumped and stepped on the wall on the side.

    However, he didn¡¯t stick to the wall and climb up on all fours like the others expected, but instead fell right back to the ground.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Gray Bear.

    Lithe Snake frowned without a word.

    He took a deep breath and jumped once more, but again, his hands and feet failed to stick to the wall, and he fell.

    Gray Bear grew worried. ¡°You alright, Lithe Snake?¡±

    With his back to the others, Lithe Snake looked down at his palms, voice hoarse. ¡°My Talent...has stopped working.¡±

    1. In Chinese dorms, there¡¯s usually no hot water, so students have to bringrge thermos to the room with hot water dispensers during specific time to fetch hot water for everyday use. Given how big and heavy the thermos are, students often don¡¯t carry them around, but instead leave them outside the hot water room. ?

 Chapter 177: Total Silence

    <h4>Chapter 177: Total Silence</h4>

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gray Bear gaped. ¡°Your Talent isn¡¯t working?¡±

    The others were shocked as well and immediately tried to use their Talents.

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can yelled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t go invisible...¡±

    ¡°Quiet.¡± Gao Yang quickly covered her mouth.

    Can blinked, and Gao Yang let go of her.

    She looked ready to burst into tears as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve be a muggle, Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang attempted to activate Fire first thing. His energy was still there, but it waspletely still like it was put into dormancy, unable to respond to its master¡¯s call.

    ¡°Same for me,¡± Gao Yang said darkly.

    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m out too,¡± said Gray Bear.

    ¡°And me.¡± ck Sparrow scowled.

    ¡°Me, too,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°Same here.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡±

    ¡°Plus me.¡±

    The responses came one after another, and the atmosphere grew tense.

    In the end, everyone turned to Nine Frost. His Talent ranked higher and was level 5. Perhaps things would be different for him.

    Nine Frost stayed silent with his brows tightly knitted. He didn¡¯t need to say anything for them to know his answer: his Talent wasn¡¯t working either.

    Gray Bear turned to Xiran. ¡°You brat, it¡¯s not you, is it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Xiran hurriedly exined. ¡°My Talent isn¡¯t working either.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Xiran,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°He isn¡¯t good enough to do this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my Mute is still level 3,¡± Xiran said, dejected. ¡°If only I were good enough to make all of your Talents stop working entirely.¡±

    ¡°Then what is happening?¡± Gray Bear was irritated.

    ¡°Rune Circuit.¡± That was the only exnation Gao Yang could think of.

    Everyone turned to him, surprised.

    Gao Yang shared his guess without beating around the bush, ¡°The Rune Circuit in this Rune Cave is very likely to be Support-type, and the strange sound we heard may be the Rune Circuit activating its ability to silence all of us.¡±

    ¡°Silence?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a gaming term, Vice-Captain,¡± Can exined. ¡°It means sealing our Talents.¡±

    Gray Bear pulled a long face and didn¡¯t say anything.

    They each went over the situation in their heads.

    Gao Yang¡¯s temples throbbed.

    If his spection was right, they were in big trouble. Without their Talents, they would lose the stats bonuses their Talents granted as well. That meant the twelve of them were now no different from regr humans.

    He had to make sure.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªCheck the status screen.

    [Constitution: 28 Endurance: 27]

    [Strength: 32 Agility: 40]

    [Willpower: 41 Charisma: 30]

    [Luck: 454]

    ¡ªFuck! What the hell?

    [The special subspace negates all Talents and the bonuses they grant temporarily.]

    ¡ªMy stats should be higher even without the bonuses from Talents.

    [Luck points allocated to the stats are considered bonuses granted by Lucky.]

    ¡ªSeriously? Is there no leeway?!

    ¡ªWait, then why is my Luck the same?

    [Luck is not a stat.]

    [Once converted to Luck, the Luck points cannot be reversed or adjusted.]

    [Warning: in this special subspace, you still receive bonuses to your Luck points acquisition, but the other functions are temporarily inessible.]

    ¡ªWhat do you mean?

    [You may not add points to your stats, you may not visit the Talent Pantheon, you may notprehend new Talents, and the system will not give you danger warnings.]

    ¡ªDang, I¡¯m totally silenced.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were a tangled mess, and curses threatened to escape his mouth.

    <i>Calm down, calm down.</i>

    He should first evaluate the battle power of his team.

    Most of them had run out of bullets, so firearms wouldn¡¯t be of much help. They could only rely on the cold weapons they carried.

    Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, and ck Sparrow were clearly well-trained. Even without their Talents and stats bonuses, they were strong as regr humans, making them their bestbatants at the moment.

    Gao Yang had been training recently, and he had quite some experience in battles. He had thus grown stronger during this time, which showed in his raw stats without bonuses.

    However, he considered himself among the second-ratebatants, probably at the level of Dark Li and Xiuyi.

    As for Xiran, Ronnie, Can, Yellow Butterfly, and Old Joe, they most likely hadn¡¯t been doing physical training, and they didn¡¯t engage in closebat when they went on missions. Their fighting power would be at the bottom.

    Then there was the environment.

    If Gao Yang¡¯s spection was right, there would be a little more than one thousand teachers and students in the Eleventh High School. Should all of them go berserk, the only fate awaiting the twelve of them would be total party kill.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    After the Rune Cave with the Time-Space Rune Circuit, Gao Yang had thought he wouldn¡¯t encounter a more dangerous Rune Cave. However, it seemed that he had been too naive and optimistic.

    Each Rune Cave operated under a specific mechanism and came with its own share of dangers.

    Now, he could only rely on his Luck.

    <i>Please work.</i>

    ¡°Captain?¡± Gray Bear spoke up.

    Gao Yang broke out of his reverie to find all members of the fifth team looking at him, waiting for him to say something.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t immediately think of a solution, but he had learned from War Tiger that it was important to keep morale up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to more dangerous Rune Caves,¡± Gao Yang said in a confident tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find a way.¡±

    ¡°Ha, a way?¡± Lithe Snake spoke the ugly truth as he yed with his throwing knives. ¡°If the monsters are in human forms, I can kill dozens or even hundreds of them, but transformed? I can at most kill one, and only if it¡¯s a wanderer.¡±

    He looked up. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I can at most kill a wanderer,¡± Gray Bear admitted. ¡°If I run into a ughterer, I¡¯ll die, no question.¡±

    Xiran, Ronnie, and Can didn¡¯t say anything. They would consider themselves lucky if the three of them managed to kill half a wanderer.

    ¡°So? What¡¯s the solution?¡± Lithe Snake turned to Gao Yang.

    ¡°The monsters may have been silenced as well,¡± Gao Yang spected boldly, not letting his uncertainty show.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± Can¡¯s eyes twirled around as they lit up with renewed hope. ¡°If the monsters are silenced too, they won¡¯t transform!¡±

    ¡°Captain is right. It¡¯s entirely possible.¡±

    Xiran¡¯s face recovered some color as well. He turned to Gray Bear excitedly. ¡°Do you remember the mission from six months ago, Uncle Bear?¡±

    ¡°Which mission?¡± Gray Bear frowned, struggling to remember.

    ¡°The ughterer was hit by my Mute and ended up in an unstable condition physically. Its left arm turned back into human form...¡±

    ¡°Oh, that mission!¡± Gray Bear finally remembered. ¡°You¡¯re right, yeah. Now I get what you mean.¡±

    ¡°It makes sense logically.¡±

    Gao Yang took over the conversation, having found a sliver of hope. ¡°The universal silence debuff should be the doing of a Support Rune Circuit, and Xiran¡¯s Mute is a Support-type Talent. Given Mute limits both awakeners and monsters, there¡¯s no reason that the silence debuff applies only to awakeners.¡±

    This time, Lithe Snake nodded slightly instead of making a counterargument.

    <i>Good, at least the morale has recovered somewhat.</i>

    Gao Yang turned around. Not far from them, the fourth team had made a circle and were talking about what they should do in a hushed voice. Judging by the serious look on Nine Frost¡¯s face, it seemed that they hadn¡¯te up with any solid solutions.

    Gao Yang walked up to them. ¡°Nine Frost, we came to a spection. I¡¯d say it¡¯s good news...¡±

    ¡°What are you doing sote at night, not sleeping?!¡±

    Before Gao Yang could finish, a gravelly man¡¯s voice shouted from beyond the metal gate of the boys¡¯ dorm.

 Chapter 178: Wait and See

    <h4>Chapter 178: Wait and See</h4>

    Everyone fell silent and quickly turned off the shlights.

    ¡°Which sses are you from? What are you doing sote at night?¡±

    The voice grew closer from inside the metal gate, and a figure emerged with a shlight. It must be the teacher in charge of dorm keeping, which proved Gao Yang¡¯s spection that there were people in the dorm.

    However, there was no time for them to dwell on it.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Gao Yang made the split-second decision.

    They rushed away quickly to the shaded path. Just when they were going to settle down, they turned to see a shlight swinging.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Gray Bear cursed under his breath. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know how to give up!¡±

    ¡°If you were the dorm keeper and saw a group of people sneaking around outside the dorm, wouldn¡¯t you chase after them?¡± Lithe Snake asked coldly.

    Of course they would do the same in the teacher¡¯s shoes.

    From the teacher¡¯s point of view, it was a serious matter for a dozen ¡®students¡¯, men and women, to stay outte rather than sleeping in their respective dorms, and it was indeed a matter that must be addressed.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to talk about it,¡± Yellow Butterfly said worriedly. ¡°Find a ce and hide!¡±

    ¡°To the hill in the back,¡± Gao Yang suggested. ¡°That¡¯s outside the campus, and the dorm keeper won¡¯t chase us there.¡±

    The fifth team didn¡¯t disagree, and the fourth team turned to their captain, Nine Frost.

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°To the hill.¡±

    They moved quickly to the back door of the school. Vaulting over the metal gate that didn¡¯t count as an obstacle, they rushed into the small patch of woods on the hill in the back.

    They stayed for more than ten minutes to make sure they had lost the teacher. Only then did they let out a sigh of relief.

    Mosquitoes were rampant here. It was difficult to endure.

    Gray Bear took out a sleeping gas grenade and threw it some distance away. Five minutester, the gas dissipated. The twelve of them moved over, and there were indeed less mosquitoes harassing them.

    That earned Gray Bear some approving looks. Who would¡¯ve thought that sleeping gas worked as mosquito repellent? One truly never stopped learning.

    They all took out their supplies, having some water and hardtacks.

    As they recuperated, Gao Yang told the fourth team about his spection that the monsters might have been silenced as well, and Nine Frost agreed.

    Then they talked strategies.

    Nine Frost started the ball rolling. ¡°If the Eleventh High School is in a simr situation as the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, our goal now is to find the Rune Circuit.¡±

    Gao Yang added, ¡°Yeah, the Rune Circuit may be on its own, or it may be with a monster.¡±

    ¡°It must be with a monster,¡± Gray Bear said with certainty.

    ¡°Reason being?¡± Lithe Snake asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s my intuition.¡± Gray Bear said, unabashed.

    ¡°The Rune Circuit won¡¯t just run out on its own,¡± said Yellow Butterfly. ¡°How should we find it?¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Like we¡¯re ying an RPG.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°Role-ying games,¡± Can exined. ¡°Uncle Bear, you should think of yourself as the protagonist of a story.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°In an RPG, there¡¯s always a main story to follow when entering a new map, which is the core event. The core event of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige was the entirety of the vigers killing Huazi and his family. The eventsts for roughly three days. That¡¯s why those at the Gu Family¡¯s Vige had been repeating those three days. When we barged into the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, we chanced upon the story and flushed out the hair monster, thus getting the Rune Circuit.¡±

    Nine Frost said, ¡°So you mean that the Eleventh High School has a core event, which leads to those at the school repeating the same period of time. And the Rune Circuit should be with the main character of the core event.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The others looked thoughtful. Outside of the few people with a thicker head, the others had all caught on and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°There are more than a thousand people here,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°How do we identify the core event?¡±

    ¡°We blend in,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Nine Frost lowered his head and thought for a few seconds. ¡°Like when you yed cops back in Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°In both the Gu Family¡¯s Vige and the Eleventh High School, the monsters were imprisoned by the Heavenly Way. Unlike the monsters in reality, they wouldn¡¯t suspect us just because a band of humans are together.¡±

    ¡°However, we have to find ourselves identities that make sense so that we can infiltrate the Eleventh High School and identify the core event.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Can had a thought. ¡°Is the core event what happened in the school eighteen years ago?¡±

    ¡°Very likely,¡± Gao Yang agreed.

    ¡°Captain, what identities should we assume?¡± asked Xiran. ¡°We can¡¯t all be cops, can we?¡±

    ¡°How about journalists?¡± Yellow Butterfly smiled slightly, her eyes glinting. ¡°I was a journalist for two years, and I could pretend to be here for interviews.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just tell them that there were anonymousints from parents iming that there¡¯s bullying at school, the food at the cafeteria is unclean, or that teachers are giving students physical punishments. Any excuse would do. The school will treat us with hospitality for fear of the matter escting. We won¡¯t make it difficult for them. Tell them we¡¯ll leave after going through the necessary processes.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly took out her phone. ¡°Eighteen years ago, there were no smartphones. I can lie to them that this is a new type of recorder.¡±

    ¡°That works.¡± Nine Frost added, ¡°But a journalist would at most have two assistants. Twelve people is too many.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± said Yellow Butterfly.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Pick two assistants, Yellow Butterfly. Come morning, you should go to the superintendent as press and keep the radios hidden. Contact us if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°Then I pick Captain and Dark Li.¡± Yellow Butterfly smiled awkwardly. ¡°I feel safer with them ying bodyguards.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Works for me.¡±

    Dark Li didn¡¯t say anything, but the stilted smile on his face became a little more genuine.

    ¡°How about us?¡± Gray Bear asked hurriedly. ¡°Are we just gonna stay here as mosquito food?¡±

    ¡°There are other excuses we can use.¡± Gao Yang thought of something. ¡°When we went past the auditorium, did you notice a building under construction?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember it,¡± said Gray Bear.

    ¡°That should be the indoor basketball court,¡± Xiuyi said in his youthful voice. ¡°I read about it when I looked into the Eleventh High School. The construction is only halfway done at this point in time.¡±

    Gao Yang looked over the trees. Judging by the color of the night sky, there was still quite some time before dawn would break.

    ¡°The dorm keeper should be gone,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s check the basketball court under construction.¡±

    None of them disagreed.

    They went out of the woods and made sure the dorm keeper wasn¡¯t around before vaulting the metal gate. Then they ran to the indoor basketball court.

    The two-storied building was halfway done with the foundationpleted, and the scaffolding around it hadn¡¯t been torn down yet.

    They dove in and saw bags of cement, bricks, and all sorts of construction tools.

    In one of the rooms, they found quite a few futons on the floor, littered with cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles. On the makeshift clothing stand were a few safety helmets and orange vests. And a few pairs of ck boots lined the wall.

    Gao Yang took a yellow helmet and threw it to Gray Bear. ¡°Put it on.¡±

    Gray Bear did. Gao Yang then asked, ¡°Does he look like a construction worker?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like one, he <i>is </i>one!¡± Can gave him a thumbs-up with a grin.

    Gao Yang did a quick inventory of the helmets and clothes. ¡°These are enough for five of us to y construction workers.¡±

    ¡°Me, me, me!¡± Can raised her hand eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m in, Captain!¡±

    ¡°Stop ying around.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t even spare her a look. ¡°Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Xiran, me, and Old Joe will be the construction workers.¡±

    ¡°Captain, you don¡¯t look the part at all!¡± Can shouted.

    Gao Yang grabbed a handful of ash from the ground and wiped it on several parts of his face. Then he put on a helmet and an orange vest, finally a pair of boots.

    ¡°And now?¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Can said with admiration and gave him another thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re born a construction worker, Captain!¡±

    Old Joe was a member of the fourth team, so he first turned to Nine Frost for confirmation. Nine Frost nodded, giving him the go-ahead.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Ronnie, Can, Xiuyi, ck Sparrow, standby in the back mountain and keep watch on our supplies and equipment.¡±

    ¡°ck Sparrow, you will be the temporary unit leader,¡± Nine Frost chimed in. ¡°Radio us if there¡¯s any problem.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± ck Sparrow nodded with her hands behind her back.

    ¡°The day will break soon,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Take a quick rest and recover your stamina.¡±

    ¡°ck Sparrow, you four should split into two pairs,¡± Nine Frost added. ¡°Take turns keeping watch and sleep during the day.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 179: Caught

    <h4>Chapter 179: Caught</h4>

    The fourth and fifth teams rested in the indoor basketball court until morning came.

    It seemed to be Monday inside the Rune Cave. At seven twenty, all faculty and student body gathered on the running track to listen to the superintendent talk.

    The basketball court was separated from the running track by the auditorium; thus Gao Yang couldn¡¯t see the gathering, but he could hear the middle-aged man giving a speech through a microphone clearly.

    ¡°Young ones, spring is the golden period in a year, and morning the golden time in a day. It¡¯s a brand new day today. You must face your life and study with full spirit...¡±

    ¡°The third years, especially, will be taking your entrance exams in a month. That will be the most important turning point in your lives, and when are you going to work hard, if not now...¡±

    ¡°I always say that it¡¯s the blessing of fate for you to share a ssroom during your three years of study, and thus you should all take care of and help each other. Recently, however, some havee together as cliques to marginalize and ostracize certain students, which is an intolerable act that the Office of Academic Affairs gives out warning and punishment for! I will not name names now, but should something like that happen again, we will not let those involved off the hook with only a p on the wrist...¡±

    Yellow Butterfly opened the lipstick she had with her and applied it. Then she took out apact makeup kit.

    Looking into the mirror inside the kit, she gently applied foundation on her t-zone. ¡°Hear that? The bullying has been confirmed. I¡¯d use that as an excuseter.¡±

    With the touch-up done, Yellow Butterfly closed the makeup kit and took off the rubberband on her wrist to tie her hair into a bookish ponytail. Then she produced a pair of ck thick-rimmed sses from her bag and put them on. In an instant, she became the perfect image of a journalist.

    Can struggled to recover her jaw. ¡°Whoa, a pretty woman sure is built different. You have so much stuff with you!¡±

    ¡°These are a woman¡¯s weapons,¡± Yellow Butterfly joked and winked at Can.

    ¡°Can.¡± Gray Bear came back in through the door. ¡°There¡¯s no one outside right now. The four of you should return to the hill in the back and stand by.¡±

    ¡°Come with me.¡± ck Sparrow grabbed her radio and left with Can, Xiuyi, and Ronnie.

    Yellow Butterfly starteding up with a consistent story with Nine Frost and Dark Li to make sure they wouldn¡¯t expose themselves by mistake.

    ¡°When are you moving out?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    ¡°Later,¡± said Yellow Butterfly. ¡°We¡¯ll ask for an interview after the morning self-study.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Are you sure the monsters won¡¯t get suspicious seeing a few awakeners moving together?¡±

    ¡°Back in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, the vigers didn¡¯t notice anything even when four awakeners, me included, walked around together.¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing, Captain!¡± Xiran, the one keeping watch, called out to them.

    Alerted, Gao Yang and Nine Frost strode up to the door and peeked out.

    Indeed, a middle-aged man in sportswear wasing this way.

    ¡°Hide,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Thankfully, the indoor basketball court was big enough, and the group split up to hide inside two rooms. Although doors hadn¡¯t been installed to separate the rooms, there were many items to hide behind.

    After about thirty seconds, the man in sportswear walked into the half-constructed court.

    He looked to be in his thirties and was built tall and wide. He had a strong chin, and his thinning hair wasbed into a middle part hairdo, slicked with hair wax.

    Hands in pockets, he looked around casually while whistling before sitting down on a rtively clean wooden table.

    Then he stood up after a moment and paced around,bing his hair with his fingers. Then he took out a bottle of men¡¯s perfume and sprayed it around.

    Nine Frost and Gao Yang were hiding behind a pile of bricks. Nine Frost gave Gao Yang a look, telling him that he would deal with the man.

    Gao Yang shook his head, urging Nine Frost to wait.

    Immediately after the exchange, a woman¡¯s high-pitched voice broke the silence.

    ¡°What are you thinking? It¡¯s too early for this.¡±

    In walked a young woman with wavy hair, dressed in red topwear and bell bottom jeans.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, babe.¡± The man rushed up to throw his arms around her, driven by lust.

    ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± the woman said in a coquettish tone and pushed him away, looking around. ¡°Who would ask to meet at a ce like this?¡±

    ¡°No one woulde, and don¡¯t you think it¡¯s exciting to do it here?¡± The man¡¯sughter grewscivious.

    ¡°Exciting?¡± The woman scoffed, but itcked heat. ¡°Isn¡¯t your nose working? It smells like sweaty armpits.¡±

    ¡°Forget about that. Come give me a kiss, babe. I missed you so much.¡± The man started getting handsy with the woman.

    ¡°Tsk, stop it! My makeup¡¯s all messed up, you damn pig! I have work to doter...¡±

    The group were feeling awkward in their hiding ces. Were they really going to sit there and listen to the couple going at it?

    Then the man and woman moved toward the rooms tugging and pushing, their hands all over each other.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang quickly shot Gray Bear a look, who was closest to the door.

    Without missing a beat, Gray Bear grabbed a helmet and put it on before shooting to his feet, rushing out of the door and mming into the couple. With feigned surprise, he shouted, ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    The woman screamed in panic, while the man asked, ¡°And who, who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one asking the question,¡± Gray Bear said assertively. ¡°What are you two doing here? This is a construction site, and it isn¡¯t safe for you to wander around. No one other than the construction personnel may enter...¡±

    The man collected himself and looked at Gray Bear, who was wearing a helmet with an orange vest over his big build. ¡°Oh, did you resume your work?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gray Bear yed with what the man gave him.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the construction supposed to be put on halt for half a month?¡±

    ¡°How should I know? We stopped when the foreman told us to stop, and we started when the foreman told us to start. We work, and we get paid! If you have any questions, ask him!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯re back to work. I remember now.¡± The man in sportswear went with the flow as well. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯m a teacher. You may call me Mister Tan, and this is Miss Zhu...¡±

    Miss Zhu hurriedly sorted out her messy hair and clothes, eyes flickering.

    ¡°We, we came to check if you¡¯vee back to work.¡± Mr. Tan smiled awkwardly. ¡°You arrived early.¡±

    ¡°Well, we wanna finish today¡¯s work as soon as we can so that we can go home,¡± Gray Bear said in a hoarse voice, ying his part quite well.

    ¡°Are you alone?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. The boys are still catching Zs.¡± Gray Bear turned to holler at the room inside. ¡°Hey, get your ass out of bed! The teachers supervising the construction are here.¡±

    Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, Xiran, and Old Joe had put on the right gears, and they emerged one after another.

    Mister Tan nced at them and was hit with an intense wave of embarrassment. His secret date with his colleague almost became a private screening for the construction workers.

    ¡°Ahem, good work.¡± He nodded. ¡°When will you be done?¡±

    ¡°A month, if we¡¯re quick,¡± Gray Bear continued to lie easily.

    ¡°Sure, sure, keep up the good work.¡± Mister Tan looked back at the woman. ¡°I¡¯m done here, Miss Zhu. How about you?¡±

    ¡°Same for me. Let¡¯s go.¡± Miss Zhu mumbled and turned to leave.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gray Bear called out to the man. ¡°Is our meal provided?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Just head to the cafeteria at noon. I¡¯ll give the cooks a heads-up.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gray Bear grabbed a shovel on the side. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, boys.¡±

    They each grabbed a construction tool and pretended to get to work, all the while sneaking nces at the man and woman hurrying out of the construction site. Should the two do anything unusual, they would go after the pair with what they had at hand.

    Gao Yang prayed with bated breath, <i>Don¡¯t turn around. Don¡¯t turn around. Don¡¯t turn around.</i>

    And the man and woman didn¡¯t turn around.

    Finally, they could let out the breath they had been holding and lowered the tools.

    Nine Frost, Yellow Butterfly, and Dark Li walked out of the room they had been hiding in.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re sure.¡± Gao Yang turned to Nine Frost. ¡°Like the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, you can do your interviews without the monsters suspecting anything.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do as we nned.¡±

 Chapter 180: Interview

    <h4>Chapter 180: Interview</h4>

    Reception room, first floor of the teaching building. Nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    upying the moderate room was a redwood sofa and a tea table, on which were three cups of hot tea and an assortment of nuts and snacks. A calendar hung on the wall, along with a few cheap-looking ink paintings and banners with empty praises.

    In the corner was an old-school pendulum clock.

    <i>Tick, tock, tick...</i>

    Seconds crawled by.

    Yellow Butterfly, Nine Frost, and Dark Li slowly lost their patience.

    The moment the morning self-study ended, the three of them went to the teachers¡¯ office as a journalist and her assistants. And once Yellow Butterfly exined the purpose of their visit, they were led to the reception room by a teacher and weed with great hospitality.

    The teacher told them that the superintendent was busy, and that he would be right with them.

    Yet no one had shown up for the past thirty minutes.

    ¡°Can they be ying a trick on us, Captain?¡± Dark Li felt the nunchucks he had hidden in his sleeves, his expression guarded. ¡°Have the monsters identified us?¡±

    Nine Frost had taken the possibility into consideration. That was why he left the door slightly ajar rather than closed properly. That way, he would be able to react immediately should anyone suspicious approach.

    Yellow Butterfly didn¡¯t say anything, but she seemed anxious as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely,¡± Nine Frost assured them. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, the monsters will have been limited by the effect of total silence, rendering them a group of regr people. The three of us will be able to take them...¡±

    Nine Frost quieted at once. Then someone pushed the door open.

    Entering was a middle-aged man with moderate build and thinning hair. He was dressed in a set of somewhat formal suits and a pair of dress shoes.

    ¡°Apologies for the wait.¡± The man had a round, glinting forehead. His triangr eyes were paired with a garlic-shaped nose.

    ¡°Well met, Superintendent.¡± Yellow Butterfly quickly rose to her feet and greeted the man with a smile.

    Nine Frost and Dark Li stood up to smile politely at the man as well.

    The man was caught off guard by Yellow Butterfly¡¯s beauty. Then he said in a well-mannered tone, ¡°I¡¯m not the superintendent. He was tending to an urgent matter and asked me to wee you. I¡¯m the Director of Academic Affairs. Here¡¯s my card.¡±

    He produced a name card.

    Yellow Butterfly took it.

    ¡ªDirector of Academic Affairs of the Eleventh High School, Dai Xiaojun.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Dai.¡± Yellow Butterfly put away the card and offered a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Xiang Hong[1] from the <i>Li City Evening Post</i>. These are my assistants. Forgive me for not giving you a card. I¡¯ve forgotten them at home because I was in a rush this morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡± Dai Xiaojun shook Yellow Butterfly¡¯s hand. ¡°Have a seat, please.¡±

    Once all four of them were seated, Yellow Butterfly took out her phone in a serious manner and ced it on the table. ¡°Would you mind me recording our conversation, Mr. Dai?¡±

    Dai Xiaojun paused. He had never seen such a high-tech recorder.

    He waved his hand with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, of course. Our school has always prided ourselves for our transparency. There¡¯s nothing we won¡¯t talk about.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get right down to business.¡± Yellow Butterfly affected a professional tone. ¡°To tell you the truth, we received an anonymousint earlier that there¡¯s serious bullying among the students at the school, yet the school has been keeping a blind eye to it...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s preposterous!¡± Dai Xiaojun cut her off vehemently. ¡°Our school is known for our stringent disciplinary measures. As the Director of Academic Affairs, I assure you that we take all vitions of rules seriously, and I swear on my character that the usation can¡¯t be further from the truth!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what we believe as well.¡± Yellow Butterfly said what the man would like to hear. ¡°That¡¯s why our editor-in-chief told us to visit the school for interviews and learn about the truth. Then we¡¯ll do a story to rify the matter for your esteemed institution. You should know how dangerous words can be. It takes only one person to start a rumor, yet tremendous effort to rify it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Dai Xiaojun was d to hear that. ¡°Thank the three of you for your hard work. At noon, I¡¯ll arrange a proper meal to show our gratitude.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯re only doing our job.¡± Yellow Butterfly then added, ¡°While I don¡¯t think there¡¯s bullying at this school, however, there must be students who don¡¯t quite fit in or don¡¯t y by the rules, right?¡±

    Dai Xiaojun frowned. ¡°What do you mean, Miss Xiang?¡±

    ¡°You know, we need some meat to the story. Empty words won¡¯t convince anyone.¡± Yellow Butterfly smiled. ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to interview a few students and draft a humane story from the perspective of mental health for teenagers.¡±

    ¡°Then the story will serve as a response to the anonymous usation and proof of the school¡¯s devotion and care to the students¡ªnot only in academic performance, but also in mental health.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± Yellow Butterfly added, ¡°You may apany us while we do interviews.¡®

    Dai Xiaojun hesitated for a moment. The superintendent had told him to dismiss the journalists by buying them a meal and giving them some red envelopes, but they turned out to be more troublesome to deal with. He couldn¡¯t just throw the journalists out, or they might do a smear campaign in retaliation. But what if they interviewed the students, and some of the troublemakers ran their mouths irresponsibly?

    ¡°Well, that...¡± Dai Xiaojun tugged at his lips with difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the decision is above my pay grade. Why don¡¯t you wait here, and I¡¯ll bring this matter to the superintendent?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Dai.¡± Yellow Butterfly gave him a professional smile.

    Dai Xiaojun rose and left the room.

    ...

    It was quiet again.

    ¡°What now?¡± asked Dark Li.

    ¡°We wait.¡± Yellow Butterfly was getting impatient as well. She had thought Dai Xiaojun would be more gullible.

    ¡°Give them another half an hour. I¡¯ll ask after the others,¡± Nine Frost said as he reached for the radio in his pocket. But then he stopped and turned to look out of the door with sharp eyes.

    ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    Through the crack, they saw a figure quickly rushing away.

    The three of them exchanged a nce before chasing after the figure. It was ss time. The front hall of the teaching building was quiet and empty. Nine Frost turned to the side to see someone rushing up the stairway on the left, not far from them.

    ¡°Upstairs!¡±

    They rushed to the stairs at once and went up. The figure ran straight to the fifth floor, not moving terribly fast.

    The three of them gave chase to the fifth floor and then the rooftop.

    Nine Frost opened the metal door to see a scared-looking highschool girl.

    Her height was average, and her build on the short and thick side, dressed in long-sleeved shirt and pants. Her hair was tied into a big braid, her round face covered in e. Her facial features were t, her eyes small.

    Objectively speaking, she was what people would call an ugly girl.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Nine Frost demanded with both words and gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The girl staggered backward and apologized panickedly. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t hear anything...¡±

    Nine Frost took a step forward. ¡°Why were you hiding outside the door?¡±

    ¡°Stay away!¡± The girl was terrified, and she rushed to the railing and quickly climbed over to the other side. ¡°If you take another step, I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll jump...¡±

    Nine Frost immediately stopped. He couldn¡¯t afford to make a wrong move.

    Yellow Butterfly walked up to Nine Frost and gave him a look. ¡°Allow me, Captain.¡±

    Then with a smile, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Xiang Xiaoqin.¡±

    ¡°How, how do you know my name?¡± Xiang Xiaoqin was surprised.

    Yellow Butterfly pointed at her own chest. ¡°It¡¯s on your school badge.¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqin looked down at her uniform before looking back up. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t get any closer!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I won¡¯t.¡± Yellow Butterfly sounded gentle and patient. ¡°I share a surname with you, Xiang Xiaoqin. I¡¯m Xiang Hong. See, we were family hundreds of years ago.¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqin didn¡¯t say anything, but the caution on her face melted somewhat.

    ¡°Would you tell us why you were hiding behind the door, Xiang Xiaoqin?¡± Yellow Butterfly paused and made a bold guess. ¡°Is there something you¡¯d like our help with?¡±

    ¡°Are, are you journalists?¡± Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s voice cracked.

    ¡°Yes, we are journalists,¡± said Yellow Butterfly. ¡°Have you run into trouble? You can tell us. We will seek justice for you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yellow Butterfly looked genuine. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Please, please save him. They¡¯re gonna kill him...¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqin burst into tears and wailed.

    1. Her codename is <i>Xiang Die</i> in the original. ?

 Chapter 181: Repeat

    <h4>Chapter 181: Repeat</h4>

    At the same time, back in the indoor basketball court under construction.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake poured the cement and mortar on the ground and diluted it with water at the right ratio, stirring the mix with shovels. They moved their shovels alternatively with perfect teamwork.

    Not far from them, Gao Yang and Xiran were building a wall with bricks.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the cement.¡± Old Joe came up to them with a small bucket. ¡°Come on. Before it gets cold.¡±

    <i>Before it gets cold? What are you serving? Food?</i>

    Gao Yang took the bucket while grumbling silently.

    He and Xiran each took a brick in one hand and a small trowel in the other, picking up some cement mix and applying ayer before topping it with the brick,ying it down t and stable.

    ¡°You two are working too slowly. You have to finish it in half an hour, or the cement is gonna dry.¡± Gray Bear supervised their work from the side,pletely immersed in his role.

    They worked a little faster without realizing.

    Soon, a small wall was built¡ªit waspletely out of ce considering theyout of the floor, but it was a wall.

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not bad!¡± Xiran wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± It was Gao Yang¡¯s first time building a wall, and he¡¯d learned quite a lot. He smiled with content at the fruit of hisbor.

    <i>ng!</i> Lithe Snake cast aside the shovel with a dark look on his face. ¡°Having fun?¡±

    That woke the others to their mistake.

    Originally, they only started the work to maintain their act, but they became fully immersed at some point. It turned out that construction work was a real drug.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    As the captain, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t just admit his fault. ¡°If we¡¯re gonna act, we make it perfect. All the ashes on us make us look like real construction workers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then what are we doing next?¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Build another wall?¡±

    Gao Yang walked out of the door and heard the faint sound of people doing exercises. It seemed that it was already breaktime after the second ss.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡± Gao Yang put on a helmet. ¡°If we run into anyone, we¡¯ll say we¡¯re looking for the restroom.¡±

    The five of them got ready and left the construction site for the running track. As expected, they ran into a teacher, but he was in a rush and obviously distracted. He didn¡¯t even spare Gao Yang and the others a nce.

    The five of them soon reached the shaded path, and through the thriving canopies, they could see the running track in full.

    About a thousand students, each dressed in blue and white uniforms, were doing exercises in formations. The ones in the front rows were closer to the teachers and did the set of movements seriously, while the ones in the back rows swung their arms and legs around carelessly, not hitting the beats at all.

    There was one student standing on the gpole tform, leading the exercises. It was too far for Gao Yang to make out anything but the uniform, but the figure looked vaguely familiar to him.

    Lithe Snake had the best eyesight among them. He said with a slight frown, ¡°That seems to be Niu Xuan.¡±

    The revtion dropped like a bombshell.

    Then came another voice, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    The five of them turned around. It was Mister Tan from earlier.

    He was still wearing sportswear with a whistle around his neck. He must be a PE teacher.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the restroom?¡± Gray Bear croaked out.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there one in the auditorium?¡± Mr. Tan frowned.

    ¡°Is there? We didn¡¯t find it.¡± Gray Bear wasn¡¯t fazed at all.

    ¡°Then use the one in the teaching building, but make it quick. The students are gonna leave and go back to their ssrooms soon.¡± Mr. Tan didn¡¯t seem suspicious of them, and he left with a wave.

    Gray Bear exchanged a look with the others before they headed toward the teaching building. They walked by the running track on the way and were able to get much closer to the gpole tform.

    They picked up their pace while their expression darkened further.

    Gray Bear stopped and sucked in a breath. Then he said with certainty, ¡°That is Niu Xuan!¡±

    Everyone had caught a good look as well, and their expressions were equally grave.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he dead?¡± Xiran said in a frail voice. ¡°We all saw it.¡®

    Gao Yang had an exnation for that, albeit not one he would like to ept. ¡°That¡¯s not Niu Xuan, but his ¡®past life¡¯, Li Zhuanghu.¡±

    ¡°So there is a past life for him!¡± Gray Bear sounded shocked.

    ¡°That¡¯s...creepy!¡± Old Joe¡¯s voice trembled.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the right ce for conversation. Let¡¯s head back first.¡± Gao Yang had goosebumps as well. Something felt wrong, and he couldn¡¯t put it into words.

    Rather than going to the toilet, the five of them returned to the construction site before the students were done with their exercises.

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s insane!¡±

    Gray Bear took off the slightly too tight helmet as soon as he entered the room and cast it on the table. The others were quiet, each held a different expression as they turned to look at Gao Yang.

    <i>Why are you all looking at me?</i> Gao Yang grumbled to himself. <i>I¡¯m not an encyclopedia.</i>

    ¡°What do you think, Captain?¡± Xiran looked at him with urgent curiosity, hoping that Gao Yang could give them a reasonable exnation.

    ¡°What do <i>you</i> think?¡± Gao Yang prompted the others first, which he also learned from War Tiger.

    ¡°Well.¡± Gray Bear rubbed at his stubbled chin and put on a serious look. ¡°First, that is Li Zhuanghu from eighteen years ago, but he looks identical to Niu Xuan. What does that mean? That means they must be closely connected.¡±

    ¡°Saying something useless isn¡¯t going to make you seem smarter.¡± Lithe Snake shot him a derisive look.

    Gray Bear responded with a re. ¡°Talking shit isn¡¯t going to make you seem smarter, either.¡±

    ¡°Enough. Come on, have some water.¡± Old Joe took out a few bottles of water from his supply bag and passed them around.

    They were feeling thirsty, so they all took a drink.

    After having a sip and putting the cap back on, Xiran nced at the bottles in Lithe Snake¡¯s and Gray Bear¡¯s hands before his eyes lit up. ¡°Ah!¡±

    The others jumped and turned to him.

    Xiran adjusted his sses and said impassionedly, ¡°Can it be that Li Zhuanghu and Niu Xuan are from the same source?¡±

    Gao Yang gave him a look of surprise. He was just thinking the same thing. He nodded for Xiran to continue.

    ¡°I meant that just like these two bottles of water, they were from the same ¡®factory¡¯. That¡¯s why they are so simr, even identical.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gray Bear, sitting on a pile of bricks, pped his own thigh. ¡°What did Niu Xuan say when he was hovering?¡±

    ¡°Mother,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah, he said, ¡®Mother, mother I¡¯m back. Take me back. Don¡¯t abandon me...¡¯¡±

    Gray Bear repeated what Niu Xuan had said and pped his thigh again. ¡°What does that mean? What does that mean, boys? That means they might havee from the same mother!¡±

    It sounded like a waste of words, but it wasn¡¯t.

    They could all sense the truth waiting to be uncovered. Although it was still a fleeting thought, it was there.

    Gao Yang turned to look at them. ¡°I¡¯ll try to put it all together.¡±

    They looked at him.

    Gao Yang concentrated and said, ¡°To our knowledge, monsters don¡¯t have human reproductive organs. Thus, monsters cannot procreate, or at least not in the way humans do.¡±

    ¡°Then where did monsterse from? Manufactured in bulks at some factory? Obviously not.¡±

    ¡°Then can it be that monsters procreate as a collective?¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Perhaps like the insect species in games, there¡¯s a queen that produces eggs, which will then give birth to offspring in big numbers.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how bees work?¡± Xiran chimed in. ¡°A queen bee, the drones, and the worker bees. Each ys their role with a collected hive mind.¡±

    ¡°There is a hypothesis like that, but it¡¯s not proven,¡± Lithe Snake said.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaning toward the hypothesis as well,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°However, monsters¡¯ ecosystem must be much moreplex than that of bees. Let¡¯s suppose that there¡¯s a ¡®Monster Supreme¡¯ in charge of creating monsters, and the monsters differ fundamentally from humans. While each human is a unique individual...¡±

    ¡°...Monsters are more like replicates. There are a total of 4.5 million monsters on all isted inds of the Mist World. Suppose that the monsters are created by the Monster Supreme. Then the limit to the kinds of monsters it can create is 4.5 million.¡±

    Gao Yang paused to make sure that everyone was following. ¡°However, we know that monsters die every day, and Monster Supreme has to create new ones to replenish them so that the society may remain its basic functioning. Under the assumption that the Monster Supreme can at most create 4.5 million unique monsters, it will lead to one situation.¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes flickered with understanding. ¡°Monsters repeat.¡±

 Chapter 182: Li Zhuanghu

    <h4>Chapter 182: Li Zhuanghu</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Gao Yang picked up his bottle of water. ¡°This is Li Zhuanghu from eighteen years ago. Let¡¯s suppose that his serial number is 5400000. Under normal circumstances, the Monster Supreme wouldn¡¯t create another monster of serial number 5400000 before this one dies. After all, it may be eptable for two unrted individuals to be identical in one or two instances, but if that happens a little more frequently, they will be noticeable bugs in the surface world.¡±

    ¡°But, but!¡± Xiran added in a heated tone. ¡°When one serial number 5400000 monster is trapped in the special subspace and isted by the Heavenly Way, the Monster Supreme can produce another monster with the same serial number without reservation and ce it on an isted ind of the Mist World, maintaining the operation of the surface world.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang took the bottled water from Xiran and held up two bottles. ¡°The two monsters with the same serial number are basically clones with the same specs. Following the will of Monster Supreme, the pair of clones won¡¯t be allowed to exist in the same space and time.¡±

    ¡°However, Niu Xuan came to the Eleventh High School, and under the influence of the Rune Circuit, he sensed his other self trapped in the Rune Cave, named Li Zhuanghu, and they shared memories. He couldn¡¯t figure out why there were two of him, so he rationalized it as Li Zhuanghu from eighteen years ago being his past life.¡±

    Gao Yang grew excited and turned to the others. ¡°Think back to how crazed Niu Xuan seemed back in the auditorium. It was as if he no longer cared about anything, and he had a self-destructive tendency.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he figured out what he was and where he came from.¡± Lithe Snake nodded in agreement, his expression as impassive as ever. ¡°He was disappointed and considered himself an expendable clone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very likely.¡± Gao Yang agreed. ¡°When he called out to his ¡®mother¡¯, he must be asking to return.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Be it monsters or bugs or bees, isn¡¯t it better to live pitifully than die honorably?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s looking to be reborn?¡± Xiran suggested.

    That got everyone¡¯s attention.

    Xiran continued, ¡°Perhaps not all monsters are lowly clones, but only wanderers. That¡¯s why Niu Xuan wanted to be ¡®reincarnated¡¯. He wanted to return to Monster Supreme and be born anew as a pride monster or other types of monsters. Even being a wrath monster or greed monster will be better.¡±

    ¡°True. Humans aren¡¯t born equal, and the same must be true of monsters. Who wouldn¡¯t want to be born with a good hand?¡± Old Joe was getting worked up as well. ¡°I¡¯ve wished to be born tall, handsome, and rich in my next life!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang added, ¡°That¡¯d exin why lower-ranking monsters lose control of their emotions and rationality once they transform, while higher-ranking monsters are more emotionally and mentally sound, more simr to humans. It¡¯s all because wanderers are lower-end ¡®products¡¯.¡±

    All the talks left Gao Yang¡¯s mouth dry. He opened his bottle of water and took a gulp.

    ¡°You¡¯re more quick-witted than you seem, Xiran.¡± Gray Bear patted Xiran on his frail shoulder.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Xiran was ttered. He said with a humble smile, ¡°I love talking to Ronnie about our guesses regarding the world. That¡¯s why the thought came to me suddenly.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. It¡¯s all spection at this point.¡± Gao Yang spoke up to keep excitement at a moderate level. ¡°And the spection doesn¡¯t exactly help us in this situation.¡±

    Lithe Snake nodded. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about how we should find the Rune Circuit and the exit.¡±

    Gray Bear sighed. ¡°For now, we can only wait. Perhaps Yellow Butterfly¡¯s group has found something.¡±

    ...

    At noon, the five ¡®construction workers¡¯ went to the cafeteria for lunch. They each took a standardized te and went to the food window, ordering three dishes and one soup. Then they got some rice and sat down at a table in the corner.

    None of them moved their utensils.

    For one, they had filled their stomachs earlier. For another...they didn¡¯t dare eat anything.

    Gao Yang could still remember Wang Zikai throwing up worms after the banquet like yesterday, and he had told everyone about it. They hade to the cafeteria to look for their target: Li Zhuanghu.

    After all, they had entered the Rune Cave with Niu Xuan¡¯s ¡®sacrifice¡¯. It would make sense for Li Zhuanghu, Niu Xuan¡¯s ¡®past life¡¯, to be the main person of interest.

    Covering for each other, they pretended to eat, when in truth they had been throwing food into the waste bin under the table spoon by spoon. Once they had emptied their tes that way, the five of them kept up a chit-chat while looking for Li Zhuanghu.

    Students bustled about in the cafeteria, chattering away in groups of three to five. The table near them was unupied.

    ¡°Here hees.¡± Lithe Snake was the first to spot Li Zhuanghu.

    Gao Yang looked up to see the boy emerging from the door, wearing thick sses and ill-fitted uniform.

    He shared the same appearance as Niu Xuan, yet his temperament was entirely different. With his head lowered and his back hunched, he looked timid and introverted.

    Like an invisible man, he quietly made it across the bustling crowd.

    With an aluminum eating te in hand, he got two vegetarian dishes from the ordering window and moved to a corner table without a word. Before he could take more than a few steps, however, a boy with spiky hair pushed him from behind.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Li Zhuanghu fell face-down along with his te.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this our dear aerobics leader? Are you alright? You should watch your steps better!¡± Spiky Hair went up to him with a couple other boys, offering to help Li Zhuanghu up with disingenuous concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m alright...¡± Li Zhuanghu hurriedly picked up his sses and cleaned up the mess, his gaze downcast.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯ve wasted perfectly fine food. Each grain of rice is a precious fruit ofbor. You should treasure the meal.¡±

    Spiky Hair grabbed a clump of soup-soaked rice from the floor, smearing it on Li Zhaunghu¡¯s face. ¡°Eat! While it¡¯s still hot, haha!¡±

    Li Zhuanghu coughed, keeping his mouth shut and shaking his head in rejection.

    Spiky Hair shoved the rice into his mouth with a fierce gaze. ¡°I said <i>eat</i>!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, pah... <i>Ack, ack</i>...¡±

    Li Zhuanghu threw up a mouthful of rice and got into a coughing fit on hands and knees.

    Emboldened, Spiky Hair grabbed Li Zhuanghu by the hair and pushed his face into the floor, demanding haughtily, ¡°Eat! I told you to fucking eat, you hear me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Mister Tan showed up, dressed in the same sportswear. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Spiky Hair quickly let go of Li Zhuanghu and put on a fake smile. ¡°Li Zhuanghu tripped, Mister Tan. We were helping him up.¡±

    Then he pulled Li Zhuanghu to his feet. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Li Zhuanghu?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I...I tripped...¡± Li Zhuanghu lowered his head, trembling. He didn¡¯t dare look at his bully.

    ¡°Yu Pengliang, this is the school. Do you even think of us as teachers? If you keep this on, I¡¯m going to call your parents!¡± Mister Tan was a mere PE teacher, and he didn¡¯t dare offend Yu Pengliang, who came from an esteemed family. All he could do was tell the boy off by mentioning his father.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mister Tan.¡±

    Yu Pengliang, the boy with spiky hair, reluctantly relented. But then he turned to Li Zhuanghu and scoffed coldly. ¡°Watch your step next time.¡±

    He left with his two sidekicks.

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Gray Bear balled his hands into fists. ¡°If not for the circumstances, I would¡¯ve taught them a lesson!¡±

    ¡°They crossed the line.¡± Xiran was angry as well. ¡°They are obviously bullying him. Aren¡¯t the teachers going to do something?¡±

    ¡°There are many ways to bully someone, and many difficult to catch. The teachers may be able to stop the obvious ones, but not the others.¡± Old Joe sighed and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±

    Gao Yang sympathized with Li Zhuanghu, but at the same time, he thought, <i>So Li Zhuanghu was a bully victim, while Niu Xuan was the bully. Is this what people call karma?</i>

    The radio in his pocket received a signal.

    Gao Yang gave the others a look. ¡°Cover me.¡±

    They immediately came closer to him and shielded him from unwanted eyes.

    Gao Yang gingerly pressed a button and asked quietly, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve found something. Let¡¯s meet and talk.¡± It was Nine Frost.

 Chapter 183: Main Quest

    <h4>Chapter 183: Main Quest</h4>

    Gao Yang and the others quickly left the cafeteria for the half-constructed indoor basketball court. It would soon be the nap break at noon, and there wasn¡¯t anyone outside the buildings. Gao Yang told the group hiding in the back hill, namely ck Sparrow, Can, Ronnie, and Xiuyi, to meet up with them too.

    Soon, Yellow Butterfly, Nine Frost, and Dark Li also snuck in. All twelve members of the two teams had gathered.

    ¡°You three sure take your time!¡± Gray Bear had gotten tired of waiting.

    Nine Frost said, ¡°We were looking for Li Zhuanghu, but couldn¡¯t find him anywhere.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence. We ran into him at the cafeteria during lunch.¡± Gray Bear told them about the bullying they witnessed.

    ¡°Where is he now?¡± asked Nine Frost.

    ¡°Who knows? He¡¯s probably back in his dorm room getting changed.¡± Gray Bear shrugged. ¡°The five of us are ying construction workers. We can¡¯t chase after him.¡±

    ¡°We looked for him for a long time, but didn¡¯t see him.¡± Yellow Butterfly added with certainty, ¡°What happened at the Eleventh High School eighteen years ago must have something to do with Li Zhuanghu.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised about that. It made sense to him.

    He asked, ¡°You said you found some clues. What is it?¡±

    Yellow Butterfly told them about meeting Xiang Xiaoqin. ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin is a ssmate of Li Zhuanghu¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Second ss of third year?¡± Gao Yang remembered the ssroom that was most well-known at the school, the ¡®haunted¡¯ one.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yellow Butterfly nodded and smiled wryly. ¡°Originally, Xiang Xiaoqin was the one subject to the most serious bullying.¡±

    That surprised the others.

    Yellow Butterfly gnawed at her bottom lip. ¡°It¡¯s a little convoluted. I¡¯ll make it brief.¡±

    ¡°Li Zhuanghu and Xiang Xiaoqin were the best students of the second ss of third year, and they often got the top and second ces in exams. There was a pretty girl in their ss. Let¡¯s call her the ss Flower[1] for now.¡±

    ¡°The ss Flower is vain. For the final exams, she forced Xiang Xiaoqin to help her cheat. When the teacher found out, the ss Flower refused to admit the fact. Scared, Xiang Xiaoqin told the teacher the truth when asked. It was far from the first time the ss Flower did things like this. The school had enough and had her transferred away.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Yu Pengliang has a secret crush on the ss Flower, and what happened made him furious. He started to bully Xiang Xiaoqin, the most serious instance being the one time he and a few other boys dragged Xiang Xiaoqin to the rooftop, nning to take humiliating photos of her...¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Gray Bear spat out.

    Sympathy colored Yellow Butterfly¡¯s voice. ¡°Li Zhuanghu happened to witness what happened. Normally, he was the kind of person who didn¡¯t pay attention to anyone or anything other than the textbooks, and he was called bookworm and aerobics leader for that. While people didn¡¯t really like him, he didn¡¯t have enemies, either. If only Li Zhuanghu had turned a blind eye that day as well, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this mess. However, he took a stand and stopped Yu Pengliang.¡±

    ¡°So Yu Pengliang shifted his target to Li Zhuanghu,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Yes. What came next were all forms of bullying. As long as they were out of sight of the teachers, Yu Pengliang stopped at nothing to hurt Li Zhuanghu.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly sighed. ¡°Li Zhuanghu was known for enduring hell without batting an eye. He had thought that things would be fine after he graduated, that he only had to stay strong until then.¡±

    ¡°But Yu Pengliang didn¡¯t n to let him off easy. He announced that he wouldn¡¯t let Li Zhuanghu take the entrance exams in peace, and the bullying escted. Sometimes, he even barged into Li Zhuanghu¡¯s dorm room at midnight to humiliate him, preventing him from getting sleep. As a result, Li Zhuanghu¡¯s study suffered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way too much!¡± Can found it difficult to keep listening, and her face flushed with anger.

    Yellow Butterfly nodded. ¡°To Li Zhuanghu, who came from a humble background, his only hope was to get into a good college. If even that was taken away from him, he would lose his will to live.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin has witnessed everything from start to finish, and she told the teachers about it. However, they didn¡¯t take it seriously enough and only reprimanded Yu Pengliang.¡±

    ¡°A few days ago, Xiang Xiaoqin ran into Li Zhuanghu on the rooftop. He looked dazed and ready to jump. If she hadn¡¯t stopped him in time, he might have taken his own life already.¡±

    A short silence followed.

    Then Nine Frost added, ¡°We noticed something when we went to the rooftop.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly exined, ¡°Do you remember thement wall of the rooftop water tank when we were investigating the schoolst night? There was a line that stood out.¡±

    ¡°I remember,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Nine Frost said, ¡°When we went to the rooftop, that line wasn¡¯t there yet.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, thinking back to the line and reciting it, ¡°<i>I¡¯ll wait for you in hell</i>.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly nodded. ¡°We asked Xiang Xiaoqin to give us Li Zhuanghu¡¯s assignment.¡±

    She handed Gao Yang a torn piece of paper. ¡°Look, doesn¡¯t the handwriting seem simr?¡±

    Gao Yang tried his best to think back to the words on the wall topare with the handwriting of the assignment, his brows knitted into a frown.

    He said honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember very well, but it seems simr.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we think too.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly looked at Nine Frost then at the others. ¡°My theory is that whatever happened in the Eleventh High School, Li Zhuanghu must have yed the major role. He must have done something extreme with the Rune Circuit and brought about serious consequences, leading to the Heavenly Way inflicting punishment on the whole school, turning it into another Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. That seemed to be the most reasonable theory at the moment.

    ¡°<i>Zzzzzt</i>¡ª<i>beep</i>¡ª¡±

    The radio in Nine Frost¡¯s hand suddenly crackled to life.

    ¡°Who can it be?¡± Gao Yang tensed up.

    The others jumped as well. With all twelve of them here, who could be using a radio at their frequency?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yellow Butterfly exined. ¡°I gave Xiang Xiaoqin a radio so that she would be our informant.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way too risky!¡± Gray Bear was surprised. ¡°She¡¯s a monster. What if she¡¯s toying with us?¡±

    ¡°She would¡¯vee after us already in that case.¡± Nine Frost didn¡¯t seem concerned. He handed the radio to Yellow Butterfly.

    Gray Bear stopped protesting.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yellow Butterfly said gently. ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin?¡±

    ¡°Sister Xiang Hong, the noon break just ended. I¡¯m in the restroom...¡± The voice on the other end of the line sounded urgent.

    ¡°Take your time,¡± Yellow Butterfly assured her.

    ¡°Li Zhuanghu didn¡¯te back to the ssroom. I asked around, and no one knows where he is. Yu Pengliang and his gang aren¡¯t here either. The teachers can¡¯t find him... Someone¡¯sing. I need to go¡ª¡±

    <i>Beep.</i>

    The line was cut.

    Yellow Butterfly held onto the radio, not sure what to do.

    ¡°Something¡¯s going to happen.¡± Gray Bear crossed his arms with a grave expression.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way.

    ¡°LI Zhuanghu and Yu Pengliang must still be on campus,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°This is a Rune Cave. They can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°But our roles don¡¯t allow us to run around in the school. There¡¯s no reason for construction workers to show up in other parts of the campus.¡± Gao Yang turned to Yellow Butterfly. ¡°What about you?¡±

    Yellow Butterfly shook her head. ¡°After all we did in the morning, the school is getting impatient with us. If we show up again, they¡¯ll most likely kick us out.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh, I¡¯ve got this!¡± Can suddenly raised her hand excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Muhaha, muhahaha.¡±

    Can cackled and turned to Gao Yang.

    1. In Mandarin, the most beautiful girl in the ss is known as ss Flower, and the most handsome boy the ss Grass. The same applies to the best-looking people of the school, referred to as School Flower and School Grass. ?

 Chapter 184: Search

    <h4>Chapter 184: Search</h4>

    ¡°Captain!¡± Can reached out to poke Gao Yang in the chest. ¡°Among all of us...you look most like a highschooler!¡±

    <i>At least you¡¯re smart enough to not say I¡¯m a highschooler outright, </i>Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°Can,¡± Gray Bear said with an amused smile, ¡°Are you suggesting Captain go look for Li Zhuanghu as a student here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Can said. ¡°Then no one¡¯s gonna suspect him even if he¡¯s found out. He¡¯ll fit right in as a student, right?¡±

    Xiran smiled as well. ¡°That seems like a good idea.¡±

    <i>Good idea my ass. I don¡¯t feel safe acting on my own, especially not when I¡¯ve be a useless muggle without Talents.</i>

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t something Gao Yang could say out loud as their captain.

    After some deliberation, he realized that there didn¡¯t seem to be any other choice. But then there was an issue that needed addressing. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but I don¡¯t have a uniform.¡±

    ¡°Easy enough to solve.¡± Lithe Snake stood by the door. ¡°We can just ¡®borrow¡¯ it.¡±

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost went up to the door to look outside. Not far from them, a few boys stood at the campus shop with drinks in their hands. One of them was holding a basketball.

    Soon, the familiar bell rang.

    Instead of going to the teaching building, the boys went the opposite way.

    ¡°They are heading to the running track,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Must be going to PE ss.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get one of them here,¡± Yellow Butterfly said as she ran a hand through her hair. Then she quickly rushed out.

    Not long after, Yellow Butterfly caught up with a boy on his own at the corner of the shaded path.

    The two of them exchanged a few words. Then Yellow Butterfly pointed at the construction site with an anxious look on her face.

    The boy nodded and followed her over.

    ¡°Quick! Hide!¡±

    They each picked a hiding ce.

    It wasn¡¯t long until Yellow Butterfly led the boy into the basketball court.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Yellow Butterfly smiled at him. ¡°I really need your help.¡±

    ¡°Of course. What do you need me to do, Big Sister?¡± The boy looked eager. It was his honor to help a pretty woman like her.

    ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± Yellow Butterfly was still smiling.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The boy was stunned. For a moment, he wondered if she was joking or actually insinuating something.

    ¡°That, that, that¡¯s too much...¡± The boy blushed.

    Still smiling, Yellow Butterfly pped, and more than ten people came out from covers, circling the boy.

    ¡°Who, who are you?¡± Finally, the boy realized that something was wrong. ¡°What are you gonna do?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, boy.¡± Gray Bear smirked with his arms folded. ¡°Uncle isn¡¯t a bad person. Come on, take off your clothes.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t...!¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t bear to watch what happened next.

    They soon peeled the uniforms off the boy and tied him up with a rope found at the construction site. Then they gagged the boy and locked him in the storage.

    Gao Yang changed into the uniform and cleaned his face with bottled water.

    ¡°Haha, perfect! You¡¯re like an actual highschool boy!¡± Can sounded overjoyed.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang red at her and took the radio Gray Bear handed him. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for Li Zhuanghu. Wait for my contact.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, Captain,¡± said Xiran.

    Gao Yang nodded and hid the radio in his pocket before walking out.

    Not long after crossing the shaded path, he ran into a man. It was Dai Xiaojun, the director of academic affairs.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dai Xiaojun called out to him.

    Gao Yang stopped.

    ¡°Which ss are you from? What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°First ss of second year, Li Huaxu.¡± Gao Yang answered immediately. The badge on his shirt was sewn with the poor boy¡¯s name.

    ¡°What are you doing here during ss?¡± Dai Xiaojun demanded harshly.

    ¡°It¡¯s PE ss.¡±

    ¡°The PE ss isn¡¯t for you to idle around, but time for you to train your physique!¡± Dai Xiaojun yelled. ¡°Go back to the running track!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Gao Yang hurriedly moved toward the running track.

    After taking a few steps, he made sure Dai Xiaojun had turned away and turned back before making a sharp turn, heading to the teaching building.

    Where would Li Zhuanghu be?

    There were only a few ces on campus where people could hide: rooftop, restrooms, and dorm rooms. Gao Yang entered the teaching building and rushed straight to the rooftop through the stairs. Li Zhuanghu wasn¡¯t there.

    Then he checked all the boys¡¯ restrooms from the fifth floor down. Still no signs of Li Zhuanghu.

    That left the dorm.

    Gao Yang cautiously went to the boys¡¯ dorm, taking the long way. During ss, the metal gate was closed, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to vault over. Even without his Talents, Gao Yang was able to make it to the other side easily.

    Usually, the more senior students would be living on the lower floors. Gao Yang thus guessed that Li Zhuanghu¡¯s room should be on the first two floors.

    From left to right, Gao Yang checked each of the rooms. Although the doors were locked, he could see inside through the windows.

    The rooms were unassuming, each filled with six bunk beds for twelve people, and at the far side of the room was the sink and the restroom.

    It only took a few minutes for Gao Yang to go through the rooms on the first floor.

    He then went to the second floor for his search. To his surprise, the first room was unlocked, the door slightly ajar.

    Just when Gao Yang was wondering why that was, he heard voicesing from the stairway right behind him.

    Caught off guard, he had no choice but to open the door and dove in.

    He closed the door, thinking he had gotten away with it. But then the voices came from the other side of the door.

    ¡°Brother Yu, the door isn¡¯t locked! Li Zhuanghu must be hiding in his room!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>Really? How unlucky must I be?!</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Two secondster, Yu Pengliang kicked the door open.

    The room was empty. Gao Yang had hidden under the bed at thest moment.

    He saw three pairs of sneakers. The red pair rushed to the sink at the end of the room and kicked the door to the restroom open.

    ¡°Shit, he isn¡¯t here!¡±

    The owner of the red sneakers returned from the restroom before plopping himself down on the bed above Gao Yang.

    ¡°Where did the bastard go?¡±

    ¡°Out of the school?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be. If he skips school, he¡¯s gonna get punished! He wouldn¡¯t do that. As the only hope of his vige, he needs to get into a renowned school hahaha...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°Then what do we do?¡±

    ¡°We wait. The monk may run away, but the temple won¡¯t. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s gonna stay out of his room the whole day. Hey, did you bring poker?¡± The red sneakers started jittering.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s y.¡±

    The three pairs of feet moved around in the room before a small foldable table was set up.

    <i>ck.</i>

    The owner of the red sneakers sat back down on the bed, and the mattress sank, almost touching Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath, gingerly reaching for his radio and turning it off, lest hispanions contact him and expose him.

    ¡°Seven-high straight.¡± Someoneid down a hand.

    ¡°Nine-high straight.¡±

    ¡°Pass.¡±

    ¡°Two pairs, eight and nine. Oh, do you think Li Zhuanghu has a crush on that ugly girl?¡±

    ¡°Pass. Do you mean Xiang Xiaoqin?¡±

    ¡°Ha, an ugly freak and a nerdy dweeb! They are a match made in heaven!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, you¡¯re so mean, Brother Yu!¡±

    ¡°Brother Yu, won¡¯t he bite back after all we¡¯ve done to him?¡±

    ¡°What? Are you scared of the coward?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case. But don¡¯t you think the coward has been acting strange the past few days?¡±

    Gao Yang pricked up his ears.

    <i>Hm, is this...a clue?</i>

 Chapter 185: Leave Me Alone

    <h4>Chapter 185: Leave Me Alone</h4>

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The mattress above Gao Yang sank further. The rm ring in Gao Yang¡¯s head prompted him to hold his breath.

    ¡°Li Chaoqiang! Did you fart?¡± Yu Pengliang made the usation even though he was the one responsible.

    <i>Fuck, the brat did fart!</i>

    It was certainly true that misfortune followed when one was down on their luck. Gao Yang had been through his fair share of dangers, but this was a brand new kind of suffering he had never experienced before. He never expected it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. It must be Feng Zhi.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It must be you. I smelled onions. You were the one who had onions and eggs stir fry for lunch...¡±

    Yu Pengliang cut in, ¡°Enough already. Let¡¯s talk business. What do you mean there¡¯s something wrong with Li Zhuanghu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about his eyes. They look fiercer now.¡±

    ¡°Ha, why didn¡¯t I think so?¡±

    ¡°In the past, he didn¡¯t dare look at us even when we were messing with him. But did you notice this noon? His gaze on us was so vicious...¡±

    ¡°So? A wimp like him may think about revenge all he wants, but he¡¯ll never actually fight back.¡±

    ¡°I heard Zhang Bei talk about it too, Brother Yu. He said that Li Zhuanghu had been hiding under his nket and muttering in bed rather than sleeping recently, like he was talking to someone. What kind of freak wrapped themselves in a nket in summer?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really. And Zhang Bei saw it himself! He said that something was glowing inside Li Zhuanghu¡¯s nket.¡±

    ¡°A shlight?¡±

    ¡°No, it was blood red, and it flickered. When Zhang Bei called out to him, the light disappeared, and Li Zhuanghu seemed to have hidden something inside his clothes. Zhang Bei said that he looked possessed.¡±

    ¡°What was he being so precious about?¡±

    <i>The Rune Circuit?</i> Gao Yang thought with a pounding heart.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s hidden in the bedroom. Look for it!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll search the bed. You two, check the closets and the restroom.¡±

    The three pairs of feet quickly stood up and walked around.

    Gao Yang felt the mattress over his head shaking. Someone must be tearing off the bed sheet.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    They would certainly look under the bed, and he would be exposed.

    <i>I¡¯m just a regr person at this moment</i>, Gao Yang thought quickly. <i>Although I¡¯ve been trainingtely, I may not be able to subdue all three of them on my own.</i>

    Should he lie that he had gone to the wrong room? They wouldn¡¯t believe him. And someone like Yu Pengliang wouldn¡¯t let such a matter go. Perhaps he would grab Gao Yang and im that he had caught a thief. Then things would get even moreplicated.

    He had to run.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. He decided to climb out from under the bed, and before the boys recovered from the shock, he would run outside while covering his face.

    ¡°Brother Yu! Old Sun seems to havee to check the rooms!¡±

    ¡°Quick, close the door and hide in the restroom!¡±

    The three boys hurriedly sorted out the mess they made and rushed into the restroom. And immediately after that, the dorm keeping teacher walked past the corridor and nced inside through the window before leaving.

    Two minutester, three pairs of legs went out of the restroom. The boys had long forgotten about what they were going to look for.

    ¡°Whew, that was close. We almost got caught by Old Sun.¡±

    ¡°What are you so afraid of? What is he gonna do to us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him, Brother Yu, but I¡¯m afraid of my dad. If my dad gets called to school again this month, he¡¯s gonna kill me!¡±

    The three of them exchanged a few more words before sitting back down and resuming their card games.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. It had been an eventful noon.

    What followed was a dreadful wait. The three boys chatted and boasted about themselves, their conversation so boring that Gao Yang almost dozed off.

    He didn¡¯t know how many times the bell had rung, but a long time had passed, and the sky outside darkened gradually.

    Finally, the afternoon sses ended, and some students returned to the dorm.

    ¡°Brother Yu.¡± A boy greeted Yu Pengliang and his two sidekicks.

    ¡°Did you see Li Zhuanghu, Zhang Bei?¡±

    ¡°No, I saw himst at noon.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, where did the coward go? Zhang Bei, fetch dinner for the three of us. We¡¯re gonna wait for him here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Sure.¡± Zhang Bei left.

    Ten minutester, he returned with their dinner.

    Yu Pengliang and the two other boys finished the food and continued to y cards. The other students in the dorm had left again for the evening self-study.

    It was now entirely dark outside. Gao Yang was feeling antsy. He had been looking for a chance to get out of here, but hadn¡¯t managed to.

    <i>This won¡¯t do. I can¡¯t waste more time like this.</i>

    <i>And Yu Pengliang just had dinner. He isn¡¯t gonna fart again, is he?</i>

    Humiliation could be worse than death!

    Gao Yang resolved to climb out from under the bed first.

    Then the door creaked open.

    The three boys shot to their feet. Outside the door stood another boy. From Gao Yang¡¯s perspective, he could only see a pair of legs.

    ¡°Aha!¡± Yu Pengliang yelled. ¡°Fucking finally, Li Zhuanghu! What? Where have you been this afternoon?¡±

    Li Zhuanghu didn¡¯t say anything. He was still standing outside the door.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Yu Pengliang flipped the foldable table they had yed cards on with a kick. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Are you deaf?!¡±

    ¡°Yu Pengliang.¡± Li Zhuanghu sounded calm, eerily so. ¡°Won¡¯t you leave me alone?¡±

    ¡°Leave you alone?¡± Yu Pengliang scoffed like he had heard the most absurd joke in the world. ¡°Not in this life! I¡¯m gonna do this til you¡¯re dead! You want to get into college? Only in your dream! As long as I¡¯m here, you¡¯re not gonna get a good day of study! You¡¯ll be collecting garbage in the future!¡±

    Gao Yang tightened his fists. This boy was trash through and through. As a monster imitating humans, he had only learned the worst of human nature and not the good of it. His malice ran bone deep!

    Li Zhuanghu fell silent.

    ¡°Get over here!¡± Yu Pengliang rushed toward the door. Gao Yang could only see their feet, but he could guess Yu Pengliang must have grabbed Li Zhuanghu¡¯s hair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll grant your death wish...¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Li Zhuanghu growled and pushed Yu Pengliang away.

    Yu Pengliang was thrown onto the bed, sinking and almost breaking the mattress.

    Gao Yang suppressed a jump.

    ¡°You, you dare fight back?! I¡¯ll kill you for real this time!¡±

    Yu Pengliang leapt up and charged at Li Zhuanghu.

    Li Zhuanghu turned around and bolted.

    ¡°Chase after him! Come on! I¡¯m breaking his bones today!¡± Yu Pengliang yelled and ran out of the room. It took two seconds for the two boys to react and give chase.

    Gao Yang immediately climbed out and followed them.

    He ran to the hallway and looked down. The three boys were rushing toward the teaching building after Li Zhuanghu.

    Running downstairs, Gao Yang turned on his radio. ¡°I found Li Zhuanghu. He¡¯s going to the teaching building!¡±

    ¡°How are things going?¡± Nine Frost asked.

    ¡°He was bullied by Yu Pengliang and lost control over his emotions,¡± Gao Yang said. He had a feeling that something crucial was going to happen.

    It was the first session of the evening self-study. The teaching building was quiet, and the lights were on in all the ssrooms.

    Gao Yang chased the four boys to the stairway and straight to the rooftop. Throwing reservation out of the window, he flung himself at the metal door to open it.

    Then he was shocked into halting his steps.

    A boyy prone in a pool of blood.

 Chapter 186: Inciting Incident

    <h4>Chapter 186: Inciting Incident</h4>

    The one lying on the floor was Yu Pengliang. Face twisted with fear, he pressed his hands to his neck, yet blood continued to gush out through the gaps between his fingers.

    He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was air, and blood spurted from the corners of his mouth.

    Soon, his head drooped and his hands went ck, unmoving.

    ¡°He...he killed him!¡±

    ¡°Help! Help...¡±

    The other two boys had copsed to the floor, legs feeling weak. They scrambled backward and struggled to pick themselves back up before rushing through the metal door, fleeing downstairs.

    Gao Yang felt his hair stand on end.

    A figure stood by the railing at the edge of the rooftop. It was Li Zhuanghu.

    In his hand was an object glowing an eerie red.

    His expression was a mix of fear, anger, and helplessness. Blood covered his mouth and chin, but it didn¡¯t seem to be his own.

    <i>He bit off Yu Pengliang¡¯s neck</i>, Gao Yang realized.

    Li Zhuanghu turned to Gao Yang. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me... He started it... He forced me to do this... I was only defending myself, I swear...¡±

    ¡°Li Zhuanghu.¡± Gao Yang raised his hands to signal that he meant no harm.

    Slowly, he approached Li Zhuanghu. ¡°Calm down. What¡¯s in your hand is dangerous. Listen to me, you have to drop it...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Li Zhuanghu trembled all over before raising his voice. ¡°It was his fault! All his fault!¡±

    The red glow intensified.

    Red energy seeped out from his hand like delicate webs of blood vessels, climbing along Li Zhuanghu¡¯s arms and quickly spreading through his upper body. Li Zhuanghu¡¯s eyes became empty, and they glowed with the same eerie dark red.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. That was the Rune Circuit for sure!

    ¡°Li Zhuanghu! Drop it!¡± Gao Yang was anxious to stop the boy, but he couldn''t get close for fear of triggering him.

    ¡°Stay away!¡± Li Zhuanghu climbed to the other side of the railing, holding onto the railing with one hand and the Rune Circuit with his other hand. His body tilted outward, ready to make the jump at any time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything reckless. I¡¯ll stay right here!¡± Gao Yang promised in a loud voice. ¡°I¡¯m here to help. You must stay calm...¡±

    ¡°Help? How are you going to help me? I just killed a man. I killed him!¡± Li Zhuanghu seemed to have recovered some of his mental faculty, and the red light in his eyes slowly faded.

    ¡°No, they started it first, and you only defended yourself,¡± Gao Yang assured him gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I saw everything. I¡¯ll be your witness. You¡¯ll be alright...¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡± Li Zhuanghu shook his head in despair. ¡°I¡¯ll get caught. I¡¯ll go to jail. It¡¯s done, it¡¯s all done... I won¡¯t get into a college. I¡¯ll disappoint my mom. There¡¯s no hope for me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Li Zhuanghu...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± He yelled, his eyes glowing an angry red again. ¡°It¡¯s because of all of you!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Why? Why did this happen? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! I worked so hard, so hard! I just wanted to get into a good college and find a good job so that I could give my mom a better life! Why wouldn¡¯t you leave me alone? Why? Why must fate do this to me?¡±

    Gao Yang stared. He knew that this was a monster who had been imprisoned by the Heavenly Way, yet he still felt a keen sense of pity and pain for him.

    <i>That¡¯s right. He¡¯s done nothing wrong. Why did all these happen?</i>

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Li Zhuanghu. They deserve death. Don¡¯t give in. You still have a long life ahead of you. Don¡¯t do anything...¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhuanghu stared at Gao Yang and sneered. ¡°The one to me...is the world.¡±

    He let go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    Gao Yang rushed up to him, but it was toote.

    Li Zhuanghu had jumped.

    Gao Yang heard a heavy thud. And when he peeked down over the railing, Li Zhuanghu was already a broken ragdoll on the concrete path outside the teaching building. From the back of his head formed a pool of blood, and the Rune Circuit in his tight grasp was still flickering with a red light.

    ¡°Ah!¡± A scream came from one of the ssrooms.

    ¡°Someone jumped!¡±

    ¡°He jumped!¡±

    The students here for the evening self-study rushed out of their ssrooms and crowded to the corridors, looking down at the bottom of the building. And those whose ssrooms were on the first floor rushed directly to the dead, circling Li Zhuanghu¡¯s body.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hackles raised. There was no time to dwell on it. He ran downstairs.

    His radio sounded as he ran.

    ¡°Seven Shadow!¡± Nine Frost asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Li Zhuanghu jumped! Right before the teaching building! Come at once!¡± Gao Yang flew down the stairs and shouted into the radio. ¡°He had the Rune Circuit! We have to grab it!¡±

    In less than a minute, he reached the first floor.

    Li Zhuanghu was already surrounded by a crowd of students and teachers, leaving no gaps between them.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around. The fourth and fifth teams had rushed over. Nine Frost, Gray Bear, and Lithe Snake took the lead. They exchanged a look with Gao Yang before turning to the crowd, and they caught on to what had happened.

    ¡°Gray Bear, do you have your police badge with you?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll say we¡¯re the police, that we received a report and are here to lock down the scene of death.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gray Bear took out his badge from his pocket. He, along with Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and Lithe Snake, made their way to the crowd.

    Just when Gray Bear was going to give his spiel, however, screams erupted from the crowd.

    ¡°Ahhhh it¡¯sing back alive!¡±

    ¡°Help!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t touch me... Gah!¡±

    ¡°Catch him! Catch him now!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s mad! Run!¡±

    ...

    Chaos ensued. Soon, those who had been circling the dead scattered in all directions.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang shook his head, but instinctively stopped Gray Bear and Lithe Snake from approaching. ¡°Wait, something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    In less than ten seconds, the crowd dispersed.

    There were already more than ten bodies on the ground, including students and teachers. All of them had been bitten, mostly in the necks. Like Yu Pengliang from earlier, blood gurgled and gushed out of their wounds.

    Covered in webs of red blood vessels, Li Zhuanghu was crouching on a teacher¡¯s dead body and devouring his face, his eyes glowing an eerie red.

    Gao Yang recognized the victim. It was Mister Tan, the PE teacher.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gray Bear cursed.

    The others arrived btedly.

    ¡°Captain! We¡¯re here to...¡± Can¡¯s worried shout was stopped short by Gao Yang¡¯s hand on her mouth, but unfortunately, she had already drawn Li Zhuanghu¡¯s attention.

    His glowing eyes were blind, but his ears were keen.

    Head cocked, he picked himself up in a stiff, twisted, and unnatural posture, his joints making cracking sounds as he moved.

    His heart was bulging from his chest with a giant lump of fleshy growth. Inside, the Rune Circuit flickering red light could be faintly made out.

    ¡°Grrrr!¡±

    Li Zhuanghu growled at Gao Yang and the others. Then the dead bodies around him seemed to have heeded his call, and they stood up with cracking joints like he had.

    Gao Yang and hispanions nched wordlessly.

    They were all thinking about one thing, about the one monstrositymonly seen in horror films and games.

    <i>Zombies!</i>

    Li Zhuanghu was still standing where he was, while the other bodies dashed at them.

    Although their movements seemed stiff and unnatural, they were fast,parable to the speed of a regr person, and their strength was probably greater.

    With their Talents sealed and almost no weapon to make use of, the fourth and fifth team were basically twelve regr humans. They couldn¡¯t take on the reanimated corpses.

    ¡°Run!¡± Gao Yang ordered without pause. ¡°Now!¡±

 Chapter 187: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 187: Escape</h4>

    The twelve of them turned around and bolted without hesitation.

    ¡°Where are we heading?¡± Gray Bear shouted as they ran.

    Nine Frost ordered, ¡°Back to the construction site!¡±

    There would be less people around the basketball court behind the auditorium, and there were more hiding ces inside the court. Moreover, that was where their equipment and supplies were. It was best to recuperate there.

    No one disagreed.

    However, Lithe Snake, who was running in the lead, came to a sudden stop.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go through this way.¡±

    A swarm of zombies chased after a few students out of the corner on the side of the teaching building, blocking the shaded path leading to the auditorium.

    Panicked, Can shouted in a cracked voice, ¡°Why are there more of them here?!¡±

    Gao Yang was a little caught by surprise beforeing to a realization. It must be Yu Pengliang. He had been bitten to death by Li Zhuanghu on the rooftop, and he was most likely turned as well. While everyone was rushing downstairs to get a look at Li Zhuanghu, Yu Pengling must have gone down and attacked the other students as well.

    The zombie at the front pounced on a girl and broke her neck with a bite.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Amid the screams, Gao Yang took a better look at the zombie, and it was indeed Yu Pengliang, now reanimated.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Yellow Butterfly shouted.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost turned to see a dozen more zombies catching up to them from behind.

    ¡°This way!¡± Gao Yang rushed toward the stairway of the teaching building.

    With zombiesing from both their front and back, they had no other way to go.

    They rushed up the stairs along with the panicked crowd. Some students fell and got immediately caught by zombies, and all that could be heard were their screams.

    Among the twelve of them, the men ran a little faster in the lead, while Can and Yellow Butterfly were in the back, and two zombies caught up with them as soon as they reached the second floor.

    With a growl, one of the zombies lunged at Can. Thankfully, Gray Bear reacted immediately and grabbed Can by the elbow, yanking her forward by half a meter. The zombie ended up missing the target, but still managed to grab Can by the heel of her shoe.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Can screamed and struggled, but couldn¡¯t break out of the hold.

    Gao Yang whirled around and kicked the zombie in the face with full force. The zombie shook and fell down the stairs. He and Gray Bear helped Can up before continuing to run to the third floor.

    Two zombies appeared at the other end of the hallway.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go up further,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°The rooftop¡¯s a dead end!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way to go!¡± Xiran shouted.

    ¡°Inside!¡± Nine Frost pointed at the infirmary not far from them. ¡°Old Joe, pick the lock!¡±

    The bald man immediately rushed to the door and dropped to his knees, taking out a metal wire from his pocket. Despite his panting and shuddering, his hands remained steady.

    ¡°He was a thief before his awakening,¡± Nine Frost said as he walked up.

    ck Sparrow followed. ¡°He was in prison for half a year for burry.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking about my dark past!¡± Old Joeined as he worked on the lock.

    ¡°Then hurry the fuck up!¡± ck Sparrow snarled. ¡°Or we¡¯re all gonna die!¡±

    ¡°Move back, the rest of you,¡± Nine Frost ordered while making fists and getting into a fighting stance. ck Sparrow readied herself too on his side.

    The two zombies sped up and ran toward them from the far side of the hallway.

    Gao Yang sprang into action too, rushing to the stairway on the left. ¡°Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, we¡¯ll block off the stairs!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Gray Bear took off his belt and wrapped it around his right fist, spitting at the wall, while Lithe Snake drew the shortsword he always had on him.

    Gao Yang looked around and opted to grab a foldable stool.

    ¡°They¡¯reing! Don¡¯t get bitten!¡± Gao Yang yelled. ¡°Aim for the heads!¡±

    Growling, the two zombies in the hallway lunged. Nine Frost kicked one of them in the chest, sending it flying two to three meters away. Then the other zombie leapt at ck Sparrow. She dodged to the side, and when the zombie missed her, she brought her knees down on its back to pin it to the floor.

    Grabbing the zombie¡¯s head and chin with her hands, she twisted its neck.

    <i>Crack! </i>The neck broke, and the zombie fell with a thud. Just when ck Sparrow was going to stand up, however, the zombie lifted its head and bit at her calf.

    <i>Bam!</i> A red fire extinguisher mmed into the zombie¡¯s head with the full force of its heavy weight.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Holding the fire extinguisher with both hands, Xiran brought it down at the zombie¡¯s head repeatedly until its skull shattered, and its blood and brain matter sttered.

    Panting, Xiran shouted at ck Sparrow with a pale face, ¡°What were you doing? Haven¡¯t you seen any zombie movies?!¡±

    He continued in a serious and angry tone, ¡°Remember, you must destroy their heads! And it¡¯s too dangerous to twist the neck like you did earlier. You could¡¯ve gotten bitten! That¡¯d be your death sentence!¡±

    ck Sparrow was stunned.

    She was an orphan raised by human traffickers, and she had been trained since she was young to be a fighter for illegal matches. She didn¡¯t have a regr childhood, nor did she grow up like normal teenagers. She had never seen a zombie movie, yed a horror game, or made more than a couple friends.

    While others were enjoying their youth, she had been fighting her opponents to the death in illegal arenas. One time, her bones got broken in eight parts of her body, and she almost didn¡¯t make it.

    She looked at Xiran with gratitude. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    At the same time, Nine Frost was still fighting his opponent.

    The zombie he had kicked away was practically unhurt, and it picked itself up unsteadily before rushing at him again.

    Nine Frost made a flurry of punches, keeping it at bay.

    ¡°Take it.¡±

    Then Lithe Snake threw him a throwing knife.

    While making a swing with his right hand, Nine Frost grabbed the throwing knife and thrust it into the zombie¡¯s left eye, making blood stter.

    ¡°Grrrr¡ª¡±

    The zombie continued to struggle. Nine Frost pushed the knife further in until the de buried entirely into its eye socket, damaging the brain.

    With a shudder, the zombie toppled to the ground and stopped moving.

    <i>St!</i>

    Meanwhile, Lithe Snake had already taken out a zombie with his shortsword.

    A group of zombies continued to rush up the stairs. Thankfully, half of them were drawn by the screamsing from the second floor rather than heading to the third floor.

    Lithe Snake had already stabbed the first zombie in the head. Then the second zombie was thrown off by Gray Bear¡¯s belt-wrapped fist.

    The third and fourth zombies were hit in the head by the stool Gao Yang was hurling around, and they fell to the ground.

    Gray Bear rushed up to help, grabbing the head of one of the zombies and mming it into the floor, breaking it with a few hits.

    Then Lithe Snake stabbed the other one in the head with his de.

    In thirty seconds, all six zombies had been taken out, and the pungent smell of blood permeated the air.

    More zombies were rushing their way. They couldn¡¯t defend against all of them.

    ¡°Hurry, Old Joe!¡± Nine Frost called out urgently.

    ¡°Done!¡± Old Joe didn¡¯t disappoint them. He pulled out the wire and pushed. The door opened.

    ¡°Come on! Inside!¡± Yellow Butterfly waved them over at the door.

    Everyone dove into the infirmary with Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and Gray Bear staying in the back.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Nine Frost was thest to get in. The moment he shut the door, a few dull bangs followed. Nine Frost and Gao Yang kept the door closed by pressing their backs against it. Then Gray Bear and Lithe Snake joined in to help.

    <i>Bam! Bam, bam!</i>

    ¡°Stay quiet,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t make any noise. Then the zombies will be drawn away by other sounds.¡±

    <i>Bam, bam! Bam, bam, bam...</i>

    After about half a minute, they heard the screams of other survivors.

    As Gao Yang said, the zombies outside left one by one.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake moved the metal cab for documents and medicines over, blocking off the door.

    Only then did everyone let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Captain Seven Shadow,¡± said Can. She was standing by a bed and pointing at the white curtain covering it.

    ¡°There, there seems to be...someone on the bed.¡±

 Chapter 188: Lifeline

    <h4>Chapter 188: Lifeline</h4>

    After a moment of surprise, Gao Yang and the others went up to Can. Gao Yang pulled Can behind him, while Nine Frost pulled the curtain covering the bed aside, revealing a cowering woman under the bed on the left.

    She looked to be in her thirties with long, wavy hair and a plump physique, wearing a pair of round sses and a long white coat.

    Holding her head with both hands, she trembled under the bed and broke down, ¡°Ahh! Don¡¯t kill me! Don¡¯t kill me, please! Leave me...¡±

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost exchanged a nce. This must be the school nurse.

    Although she was a monster, the effect of the Rune Circuit¡¯s total silence made her maintain her human form. Thus she was nothing but a survivor of the zombie outbreak, no different from Gao Yang and hispanions.

    ¡°Should we deal with her?¡± Lithe Snake asked while raising his shortsword.

    Only then did Gao Yang remember that at the Qilin Guild, there was no rule prohibiting the killing of wanderers.

    It was obvious that Lithe Snake thought it wise to take out the wanderer and eliminate the potential risk given how difficult their situation was.

    However, Gao Yang disagreed. He believed that the more difficult the situation was, the more they should exhaust all avable resources.

    He stopped Lithe Snake with a look and said, ¡°Let¡¯s tie her up first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Gray Bear knelt down and dragged the woman from under the bed.

    They hadn¡¯t noticed until then that there was a wet patch on the woman¡¯s pants. Gao Yang was surprised to find that even monsters wet themselves when they were petrified.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, please. I have a daughter. I can¡¯t die...¡± The woman struggled and begged hysterically.

    ¡°Silence! Are you trying to draw the zombies here?¡± Gray Bear scolded in a low voice. And finally, the woman calmed down.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Li...Li Huafeng...¡±

    ¡°Miss Li, you better work with us for your own survival. Understand?¡±

    ¡°I do. I understand!¡± After a shudder, Li Huafeng nodded vehemently.

    Gray Bear took out the pair of handcuffs he always carried with him and cuffed Li Huafeng to the bed rail. Then he gestured at her to stay silent.

    He turned to walk up to the window.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost were standing there with the rest of the teams around them. Gao Yang parted the curtain to look down. Zombies roamed along the cement path outside the teaching building and in the nearby flower beds. He also saw wandering figures on the running track further away.

    Every now and then, he spotted people fleeing for their lives like headless flies, but soon, they were tackled to the ground by zombies. And when the victims stood back up, they were already part of the living dead.

    ¡°Hells, it¡¯s so surreal. It¡¯s like a movie.¡± Can fearfully turned to Gao Yang. ¡°You must have a solution, Captain.¡±

    <i>Why? I¡¯m not God!</i>

    If Gao Yang had known what would happen, he would¡¯ve brought more firearms for the mission, such as rifles, shotguns, or hand grenades. Then perhaps they could ovee this hurdle like a real-life version of <i>Left 4 Dead</i>[1].

    Of course, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t voice those thoughts.

    ¡°We must find Li Zhuanghu,¡± Nine Frost said in a low voice as he watched the roaming zombies on campus.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Gao Yang nodded. That was what he thought as well.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Xiran adjusted his sses. ¡°This must be the Rune Circuit¡¯s doing, and it¡¯s with Li Zhuanghu right now. He must have be the boss monster controlling the other zombies with the Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t exactly zombies since the victims didn¡¯t get infected by a virus, but fell under the control of the Rune Circuit.¡± Gao Yang decided to give the monsters a new name to avoid the instinctual fear tied to the term. ¡°They are...rune corpses.¡±

    ¡°Rune corpses.¡± Gray Bear smiled. ¡°That sounds a little less repulsive.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s eyes glinted, ¡°Does that mean we only have to kill Li Zhuanghu and grab the Rune Circuit, and the zom...the rune corpses will then stop moving?¡±

    ¡°I believe so,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°But there¡¯s still the possibility that the rune corpses have be independent beings and won¡¯t stop moving even after we take out Li Zhuanghu.¡±

    Everyone fell silent for a few seconds.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s unlikely to be the case,¡± said Nine Frost.

    Gao Yang responded, ¡°I agree.¡±

    The others nodded.

    In reality, they had to believe that wouldn¡¯t be the case. After all, it would be impossible for them to kill all the rune corpses in the school given their limited power right now.

    ¡°How do we find, Li Zhuanghu?¡± asked Ronnie.

    ck Sparrow said tensely, ¡°The school is filled with rune corpses. Without our Talents, we can¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    Gao Yang looked around and picked up a mug from the office table. Then he went back to the window and hurled it outside. Following a curved trajectory, the mug fell on the concrete path and shattered.

    The rune corpses in the area paused for half a second before staggering to the mug. The dim moonlight made visible the red veins covering their skin, and within those veins, red energy quietly flowed.

    Their empty eye sockets were deepset. Faintly, Gao Yang could make out a muddled, devilish red light.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°What?¡± Can was befuddled. She set the low bar for intelligence among the two teams.

    Nine Frost understood what Gao Yang was getting at. ¡°The rune corpses can¡¯t see. They depend on their hearing to chase down their prey.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°We can draw them away with sounds and sneak back to the construction site for our equipment and supplies. Then we¡¯ll kill Li Zhuanghu. That¡¯s the safer option.¡±

    ¡°I concur!¡± Gray Bear said approvingly, his arms crossed before his chest.

    Nine Frost nodded too.

    The others exchanged looks. None of them disagreed.

    ¡°Still,¡± Yellow Butterfly posed a question. ¡°How are we gonna make noises to distract them?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten?¡± Gao Yang reminded them. ¡°This is a school.¡±

    ¡°Bells! The school bells!¡± Can was surprisingly the first to catch on this time.

    ¡°Haha, it seems that fate has other ns for us today!¡± Gray Bear chuckled.

    Gao Yang lowered his head and said as he pondered, ¡°School bells are usually preset to ring at certain times. The first session of evening self-study should being to an end. The bell will ring for about twenty seconds. We¡¯ll use the time to rush to the broadcasting room to y music so that we can grab the attention of all the rune corpses.¡±

    Can impassionedly sang Gao Yang¡¯s praises, ¡°That¡¯s smart! You¡¯re the GOAT, Captain Seven Shadow!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know where the broadcast room is, and the door may be locked.¡± As the designated devil¡¯s advocate, Lithe Snake yed his part dutifully by asking all the questions. ¡°Twenty seconds won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Those are issues we have to address.¡±

    The moment Gao Yang said that, he paused.

    Then the others came to the same realization, and they all turned to Li Huafeng, who was cuffed to the bed.

    She had calmed down quite a lot, and she was kneeling by the bed writing something sneakily with a pen and paper.

    ¡°What are you writing, Miss Li?¡± Gray Bear demanded.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Li Huafeng jumped and hid the piece of paper in her pocket. ¡°No, nothing...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny, I¡¯m warning you!¡±

    Gray Bear stalked up to her and seized the piece of paper from her pocket.

    1. A zombie-themed shooter game made by Valve. ?

 Chapter 189: Key

    <h4>Chapter 189: Key</h4>

    Gray Bear stared at the piece of paper for a few seconds, his expression softening with a hint of sympathy shing through his eyes.

    It turned out that Li Huafeng was writing a note for her four-year-old daughter.

    She was a mere wanderer, but imprisoned in this subspace by the Heavenly Way, she was forced to relive this period of time again and again while she was none the wiser, still believing herself to be the single mother waiting for Sunday toe so that she could go to the amusement park with her little girl.

    Gray Bear returned the note to her and said, ¡°Give it a rest. I have things to ask you.¡±

    Li Huafeng put her note away and easilyplied. ¡°Of course, of course. Go on.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where the broadcast room is?¡±

    Li Huafeng immediately responded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on the fifth floor, next to the office.¡±

    ¡°Is it locked?¡±

    ¡°It should be.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the key?¡±

    ¡°There should be one each in the offices of the superintendent and the director of academic affairs.¡± Li Fenghua paused to lick her pale lips. ¡°Their offices are on the second floor.¡±

    ¡°Will the door be locked?¡±

    ¡°The superintendent¡¯s office most likely is, but not the director¡¯s.¡±

    That gave Gao Yang a rough idea of what they should do.

    ¡°When the school bell rings, the rune corpses should be drawn to the speakers on the walls. We¡¯ll send a few people to the director¡¯s office on the second floor for the key. The rest will stay here on standby.¡±

    The others listened quietly.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Ten minutester, the bell will ring again. Then the team with the key will seize the opening to return here, the infirmary on the third floor.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡± Nine Frost nodded in approval. ¡°Twenty seconds isn¡¯t enough time to grab the key and rush to the fifth floor. We¡¯ll wait for the next bell ring and go to the broadcast room together.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang turned to the others. ¡°Question?¡±

    They thought for a few seconds and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Make the pick, Nine Frost,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Nine Frost thought for a moment. ¡°ck Sparrow and I from the fourth team along with Seven Shadow and Lithe Snake from the fifth team will go grab the key. The rest of you, keep watch in the infirmary.¡±

    Gao Yang maintained a poker face, but inwardly, he was grumbling, <i>Why me? Do I seem like a good fighter to you now that I¡¯ve lost my Talents?</i>

    Upon reflection though, Gao Yang knew that Nine Frost had made the sensible decision. While Gray Bear was strong, he was also big and not terribly agile. For this mission, speed was key. Setting aside everything else, Gao Yang was pretty good at running.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°We only have this chance. We must know exactly where we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Miss Li.¡± Gray Bear uncuffed Li Fenghua. ¡°Please draw us a map and make it clear.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Li Fenghua hurriedly took the notepad on her desk and started drawing on it with uneven strokes. ¡°Once you¡¯re out of the door, turn left for the stairs and go down to the second floor, entering the corridor on the right-hand side. That¡¯s where the teachers¡¯ offices are. The director¡¯s office is the secondst one...¡±

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost memorized the map.

    Then Li Huafeng nced at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s almost break time. It¡¯s just a few minutes away.¡±

    ¡°Get ready. Find something you can use as weapons,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to fight barehanded.¡±

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t need anything else since he had his shortsword and throwing knives with him at all times. Nine Frost looked around and picked a mop. He took off the mop part and broke the wooden handle with a stomp, turning it into two staffs with a sharp end. Then he threw one to ck Sparrow.

    Gao Yang had been looking around as well, and he found a wrench in the toolkit in the corner.

    ¡°Ready?¡± asked Nine Frost.

    The three of them nodded.

    Gray Bear came up to move the cab blocking the door aside. The noises attracted the rune corpses nearby, and their growls could be heard from the outside.

    <i>Bam, bam! Bam!</i>

    Some began to m against the door again. Gray Bear and Xiran kept the door shut with their whole bodies and remained as quiet as possible. Meanwhile, the team of four had their weapons in hands, holding their breaths.

    After a little more than ten seconds, themotion died down.

    Then after another two minutes, the familiar school bell rang.

    They could hear rune corpses growling, and the sound was moving further and further away. They must have been drawn by the speakers.

    Gray Bear stepped aside. Nine Frost approached the door and nced back at Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, and ck Sparrow.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Nine Frost gingerly opened the door and peeked left and right before waving them over. The four of them snuck out of the infirmary, closing the door behind them.

    On the other side of the hallway, a dozen rune corpses swarmed to the door of one of the ssrooms, reaching up toward the speakers ying the school bell while straining their neck. Without hesitation, the small unit stealthily went down the stairs.

    They encountered two lone rune corpses.

    Immediately, Lithe Snake thrust his shortsword into the brain of one. Then as if topete with him, Nine Frost pierced through the other rune corpse¡¯s eye socket with the sharp end of the wooden stick in his hand.

    No matter how sharp, however, the wooden stick had no de, and the rune corpse was still alive with the stick pinning it in ce, swinging its arms around madly.

    Gao Yang mmed its head with his wrench, and with a dull sound, the head shattered.

    The two rune corpses copsed. However, they had already wasted six to seven seconds. They quickly rushed to the second floor and turned left. What they saw after taking a couple steps, however, made them halt in ce.

    The corridor was about twenty meters long, and the director¡¯s office was at the end of it. However, a dozen and more rune corpses stood between them and the office door. There was a speaker over their heads, ying the school bell.

    There wasn¡¯t enough space for the four of them to get around the rune corpses!

    <i>Calm down, calm down.</i>

    Gao Yang quickly came to a solution and said through clenched teeth, ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯ll draw them away...¡±

    A hand found his shoulder. Gao Yang turned to see that it was Lithe Snake.

    With a cold look on his face, Lithe Snake said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. You¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked. He didn¡¯t expect Lithe Snake to volunteer himself.

    Still, Lithe Snake was right. Even without his Talent, Lithe Snake was still their tier 1batant given his agility, flexibility, andbat techniques.

    Without waiting for a response, Lithe Snake rushed toward the rune corpses and shouted, ¡°Come on! Here I am!¡±

    The rune corpses blocking the corridor immediately turned to him, their keen ears shifting.

    Each howling and growling with intense want, they rushed toward Lithe Snake stiffly yet quickly.

    Maintaining his calm, Lithe Snake didn¡¯t immediately run away but instead waited for most rune corpses to charge at him before dashing into the stairway, making it down to the first floor.

    The rune corpses stumbled down after him.

    Pressing their backs to the walls of the second-floor hallway, Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and ck Sparrow remained silent.

    Only after the rune corpses had gone downstairs did they rush through the corridor. The school bell had long ended by then.

    There remained two rune corpses in the narrow corridor. Nine Frost stabbed the wooden stick in his hand through the eye of one. He used a little too much force, and the wooden stick broke inside after almost going through the rune corpse¡¯s head.

    Nine Frost let go of the stick and kicked the rune corpse away.

    Gao Yang had taken care of the other one with his wrench. It toppled to the floor.

    Without the time to make another strike to ensure the rune corpses¡¯ deaths, they jumped over the rune corpses on the floor and rushed to the secondst office on the left, pushing the door open and closing it behind them.

    Just when Gao Yang took a steadying breath and looked up, he saw that there was someone inside the office.

    ¡°Freeze!¡±

    A man was holding a gun with both hands, aiming at the three of them.

 Chapter 190: Dai Xiaojun

    <h4>Chapter 190: Dai Xiaojun</h4>

    The man had an average build and a pronounced forehead. His bloodshot, triangr eyes were filled with fear, and his garlic-shaped nose twitched slightly.

    He was entirely drenched in sweat, and his thinning hair stuck to his skin in a few pitiful strands, doing nothing to conceal the bald top of his head.

    Nine Frost recognized the man immediately: Dai Xiaojun, the director of academic affairs.

    ¡°Mr. Dai...¡± Nine Frost went up to him.

    ¡°Stay away! Or I¡¯m going to shoot!¡± Dai Xiaojun had lost his calm entirely, and he took two steps backward, his hip hitting the desk.

    Seizing the moment of distraction, Nine Frost made a sudden kick to disarm the man. Then Gao Yang took a big step to catch the handgun midair.

    He examined it for a moment before smiling wryly. ¡°It¡¯s fake.¡±

    It was merely a well-crafted stic replica. Gao Yang had hoped they could acquire a much needed firearm, but this was only to be expected. It didn¡¯t make sense for a teacher to own a gun. Of course it would be a fake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me! I have parents to take care of and a young one to raise. I don¡¯t wanna die...¡± Dai Xiaojun held onto his kicked wrist and attempted to dive under the office desk.

    Nine Frost grabbed him by the cors in the back and dragged him out. He said irritatedly, ¡°We won¡¯t kill you. The ones you¡¯re worried about are the rune corpses.¡±

    ¡°Rune, rune corpses?¡± Someone at Dai Xiaojun¡¯s age in that period of time probably had never watched a zombie movie.

    Gao Yang exined in a way that he would understand, ¡°They are possessed by evil and bite people. Then the bitten ones go mad and bite even more people.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what happened!¡± Dai Xiaojun came to the realization.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been bitten, have you?¡± Gao Yang asked cautiously.

    ¡°No, definitely not!¡± Dai Xiaojun said vehemently.

    ¡°Fine,¡± said Nine Frost. ¡°Give us the key to the broadcast room.¡±

    ¡°The key? Right, the key...¡± Dai Xiaojun paused and quickly turned to run to the side, taking off a ring of keys from the wall.

    Nine Frost took it from him. ¡°Which is the one?¡±

    ¡°It should be this one...no, this one...¡± Dai Xiaojun pointed at the two smaller keys. ¡°It must be one of the two.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Nine Frost memorized what they looked like and put the keys away.

    Gao Yang pressed his ear to the door. ¡°There are noises outside. The rune corpses are still around.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the school bell,¡± said Nine Frost.

    ¡°Wait! Young man, aren¡¯t, aren¡¯t you the journalist¡¯s assistant?¡± Dai Xiaojun finally recognized Nine Frost now that he had calmed down.

    ¡°I am,¡± Nine Frost said coolly.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are people bing possessed and biting other people?¡± Dai Xiaojun was hoping that Nine Frost would be able to give him an answer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Nine Frost didn¡¯t bother humoring the man. ¡°Just stay here.¡±

    ¡°No, no! I can¡¯t stay here!¡± Dai Xiaojun got worked up again.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Gao Yang warned him.

    ¡°Yes, I will. Quiet...¡± Dai Xiaojun quickly lowered his voice. ¡°I, I¡¯m going with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said Nine Frost. ¡°But you better pull your own weight. We won¡¯t take care of you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course. I, I won¡¯t drag you down.¡± Dai Xiaojun lowered his pride before them.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°Do you have anything we can use to defend ourselves?¡±

    ¡°Defend ourselves? Let me think...¡± Dai Xiaojun thought for a few seconds. ¡°Oh, yes, there is.¡±

    He walked up to a tall cab and took out a golf bag, pulling out four golf clubs.

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and ck Sparrow each picked one.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a golfer,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°And I¡¯m not. The superintendent is. I bought a set from a friend on discount to give him as a birthday gift.¡±

    ¡°Listen well.¡± Nine Frost held a club in one hand and ced his other hand on the door handle. ¡°When the bell rings, we run to the infirmary on the third floor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± Dai Xiaojun nodded while nervously repeating, ¡°Infirmary, infirmary.¡±

    ¡°Stay as quiet as possible and avoid the walking corpses to the best of your ability. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it...¡±

    ¡°Turn off the light.¡±

    Dai Xiaojun did.

    For the next few minutes, the four of them stayed quietly in the dark office. Gao Yang could hear everyone breathing.

    Then the school bell rang.

    The rune corpses outside were immediately drawn, and their growls and groans could be heard.

    Nine Frost quickly opened the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The four of them rushed out of the office. A couple rune corpses were already gathering below the speaker nearby. Without hesitation, Nine Frost knocked one out with his golf club, while Gao Yang kicked another away. Then ck Sparrow grabbed thest rune corpse and hurled it to the side.

    Now that they had made a path, the three of them rushed forward.

    Dai Xiaojun had been hiding in the back, and he only hurriedly followed them after he made sure that the threats had been eliminated.

    The three of them quickly made it to the stairway. As soon as they reached the corner, however, a shadow flew over their head.

    Gao Yang rushed back to avoid it. The rune corpse had fallen off from the stairway above them.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Gao Yang whisper-shouted while leaping the rest of the way by stepping on the rune corpse¡¯s back.

    Nine Frost and ck Sparrow did the same easily.

    Dai Xiaojun paused before following suit with clenched teeth. Unfortunately, the rune corpse suddenly flipped over, and Dai Xiaojun slipped, falling on the stairs.

    The rune corpse grabbed onto his calf with both hands.

    ¡°Ahhh! Help, help!¡± Dai Xiaojun struggled to free his leg with an intense drive to survive, but he couldn¡¯t break free.

    Gao Yang raised his golf club and mmed into the rune corpse¡¯s head, resulting in it loosening its grip.

    Dai Xiaojun immediately picked himself up and rushed after the three with a limp, forgetting his golf club and a shoe.

    ¡°Open the door!¡± Nine Frost was the first to rush to the infirmary. He mmed on the door.

    Looking back, he noticed that about a dozen rune corpses were already dashing toward them.

    <i>Click. </i>The door opened quickly. Then the four of them dove in.

    ¡°One, two, three, four...¡±

    Gray Bear held the door open as he counted. Once he counted four, he mmed the door closed. Then Xiran and Ronnie, who had been waiting, pushed the cab over to block off the door.

    <i>Bam, bam! Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    The rune corpses outside mmed into the door.

    ¡°You got the key?¡± asked Gray Bear.

    ¡°We did,¡± answered Nine Frost.

    ¡°Haha, it works!¡± Gray Bear¡¯s smile barely reached his eyes before his expression darkened, noticing the stranger among them.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Gray Bear said in shock and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Where¡¯s Lithe Snake?!¡±

    Gao Yang said guilty, ¡°We were blocked off by rune corpses. Lithe Snake volunteered to draw them away. He headed to the first floor.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gray Bear spat out and pounded on the metal cab.

    That resulted in a few more rune corpses throwing themselves at the door.

    ¡°Vice-Captain, Lithe Snake will be alright,¡± Xiran assured him. ¡°Even without his Talent, he¡¯s still a parkour expert. The rune corpses won¡¯t get him.¡±

    Gray Bear fumed silently with no target to direct his anger at. Then he turned to Dai Xiaojun. ¡°And who the fuck are you?¡±

    ¡°The director of academic affairs,¡± ck Sparrow answered.

    ¡°Nice, nice to meet you...¡± Dai Xiaojun smiled pleadingly, face pale and forehead covered in sweat.

    ¡°Mr. Dai!¡± Li Huafeng shot to her feet.

    ¡°Miss Li!¡± Dai Xiaojun was excited to see a colleague survive as well. ¡°Thank god you¡¯re still alive. I thought, I thought you were all dead.¡±

    ¡°You took the words out of my mouth.¡± Li Huafeng grabbed his hands and teared up. ¡°Mr. Liu, Mr. Tan, Miss Zhu, and many students have been bitten...¡±

    Dai Xiaojun sighed. ¡°How did this happen? Even now, it still feels like a nightmare...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Can suddenly screamed. Then she covered her mouth when she realized her mistake, and she took a few steps back to hide behind Gao Yang.

    ¡°Would you stop jumping at everything?¡± Gray Bear snapped, still feeling irritable.

    Can didn¡¯t dare say anything. Instead, she pointed at Dai Xiaojun.

    The others followed her finger and looked over at Dai Xiaojun¡¯s foot. One of his dress shoes had fallen off while he struggled to break free from the rune corpse¡¯s hold, revealing a foot covered in gray nylon sock. And on the sock was a dark red stain of blood.

 Chapter 191: Mother

    <h4>Chapter 191: Mother</h4>

    Without the need to say anything, they distanced themselves from Dai Xiaojun, their gaze wary.

    Btedly, Dai Xiaojun looked down and saw his bloodied sock.

    ¡°No!¡± he shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not mine...¡±

    No one believed him. Nine Frost, Gray Bear, and a few others tightened their grips around their weapons, their eyes sharp and icy.

    ¡°I, I wasn¡¯t bitten!¡± Dai Xiaojun panicked and sat down on the ground, peeling off his sock. ¡°I¡¯ll show you. I wasn¡¯t...¡±

    He yanked off his sock before he finished his sentence, but then he abruptly stopped talking. On his foot was a bite mark, and it was still bleeding.

    The air froze for a second.

    Dai Xiaojun¡¯s ashen face broke into sweat, and his eyes lost focus. He kept shaking his head. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t real. This can¡¯t be. It¡¯s not happening...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Nine Frost gripped the golf club in his hand and took a step forward.

    ¡°Save me, Miss Li! Help!¡± Dai Xiaojun scrambled toward Li Huafeng and grabbed her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Dai, please stop...¡± Li Huafeng was scared as well, but the overpowering emotion in her heart was sorrow.

    While Dai Xiaojun was strict to the students, he was a friendly colleague, and he had been kind to Li Huafeng. Moreover, their children were at a simr age, and they often talked about parenting.

    ¡°Miss Li! I feel alright, really. I won¡¯t turn into them! Not everyone¡¯s gonna lose their mind, right?¡±

    Mr. Dai held onto Li Huafeng¡¯s arm tightly, looking like a man possessed. ¡°Tell them! Tell them now!¡±

    Gao Yang gave Nine Frost a look.

    Nine Frost nodded and lowered the golf club.

    Gao Yang went up to them and said in a patient voice, ¡°Calm down, Mr. Dai.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, perfectly fine!¡± Dai Xiaojun suddenly turned around and shouted at Gao Yang, ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt me!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to.¡± Gao Yang raised his hands and put on a kind look. ¡°You¡¯re hurt. We need to treat it...¡±

    ¡°Away from me!¡± Dai Xiaojun suddenly pulled out a swiss army knife from his pocket. Then he grabbed Li Huafeng by the neck with one hand while pressing the knife to her chin with his other hand. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer! All of you, back off...or I¡¯ll kill her!¡±

    Gao Yang immediately stepped back.

    ¡°Mr. Dai, what are you doing...¡± The sorrow on Li Huafeng¡¯s face gave way to fear, and she looked at Gao Yang imploringly, begging him to help her.

    Gao Yang suddenly felt lost. These two were wanderers. They had been imprisoned by the Heavenly Way for 18 years, repeating the same period of time nonstop. They were hardly alive at this point. Death was their only salvation.

    <i>Why should I take them so seriously? I could just leave them to their own devices.</i>

    Gao Yang told himself that, but then he remembered Wan Sisi.

    At that moment, Gao Yang understood better why the Twelve Zodiac Signs prohibited unjustified killing of wanderers.

    While wanderers weren''t humans, they were too much like humans.

    If awakeners hunted down these creatures, they would lose their respect and empathy for living, breathing humans, and then they would be nothing but bloodthirsty monsters.

    Physiology shouldn¡¯t be the only thing separating humans from monsters; heart should be too.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and addressed Dai Xiaojun, ¡°We promise we won¡¯t hurt you, Mr. Dai, but don¡¯t hurt Miss Li either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gray Bear stepped in as well. ¡°Lay down the knife. I¡¯m a cop. I swear that I won¡¯t let them hurt you.¡±

    He showed the man his badge.

    ¡°Do, do you mean it?¡± Dai Xiaojun wavered when he saw the badge.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nine Frost dropped his golf club before turning to the others. ¡°Drop yours.¡±

    They followed suit and tried their best to rearrange their stiff facial muscles into a friendly smile.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I believe you.¡± Dai Xiaojun recovered somewhat. ¡°I, I was just too scared. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt Miss Li...¡±

    ¡°We understand,¡± Gao Yang continued to assure him. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Dai Xiaojun slowly let go of Li Huafeng.

    Shuddering, Li Huafeng slowly inched away from the man. She didn¡¯t dare to move too quickly lest Dai Xiaojun get triggered again.

    They all watched things unfold with bated breath.

    Once Li Huafeng was safe, they would rush up to subdue Dai Xiaojun. Then they would talk about how they should deal with the man.

    During the two seconds of stillness, the room was filled with a strange silence.

    <i>ng.</i>

    Then something dropped.

    <i>It¡¯s the swiss army knife! Shit!</i>

    Nine Frost noticed the encroaching danger too, and with the back of his foot, he kicked the golf club up to grab it before rushing toward Dai Xiaojun. However, he was a step toote. Dai Xiaojun¡¯s transformation was instantaneous. In the blink of an eye, he had be a living dead covered in red veins, his empty eye sockets glowing with a bloodthirsty crimson.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    Dai Xiaojun pounced on Li Huafeng and bit her in the shoulder. Nine Frost¡¯s golf club hit him in the head at the same time, but failed to stop the rune corpse from sinking its teeth into Li Huafeng.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Li Huafeng screamed.

    Gray Bear rushed up to help too, and he kicked Dai Xiaojun off her.

    <i>ng! </i>Dai Xiaojun mmed into a metal cab, his teeth stilltching onto a lump of bloody flesh.

    Two secondster, Nine Frost¡¯s golf club hit Dai Xiaojun¡¯s head again, making a dull thud. Dai Xiaojun seized up and toppled heavily to the floor.

    Nine Frost dared not stop. He kept smashing the rune corpse¡¯s head.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud...</i>

    Every hit seemed to reverberate in their chests like a physical thing. They felt the impacts keenly.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Dai Xiaojun¡¯s head to shatterpletely, scattering blood and gray matter everywhere. A pungent smell of blood permeated the air.

    Now covered in sweat, Nine Frost cast aside the bloodied golf club and plopped down on a bed, falling silent.

    Considering they had to stay in the infirmary for quite a while, Gray Bear voluntarily moved over to tear off the curtain and wrap it around Dai Xiaojun¡¯s body. Then he picked the body up and hurled it out of the window.

    Xiran and Ronnie found some medical gloves and put them on, suppressing their disgust while cleaning up the mess.

    The others were left staring at Li Huafeng. She was still sitting prone on the floor with a hand covering her bleeding shoulder. Her blood had drenched her white coat. Her face was pale and covered in tears, her lips trembling.

    She was scared, and so very sad.

    Gao Yang was suddenly hit with an intense regret. Why did he save Dai Xiaojun back in the stairway? If only he had left the man to die, at least there would have been one less death.

    No, he couldn¡¯t think like this. It would be too arrogant of him.

    He was no God. He couldn¡¯t see the future. He wasn¡¯t omniscient. All he could do was try his best to make the decision that felt right to him. The rest would be left to fate.

    ¡°Miss Li,¡± Gray Bear said hoarsely.

    ¡°I know.¡± Li Huafeng was calmer than they expected. ¡°I¡¯ll spare you the trouble.¡±

    None of them said anything.

    Li Huafeng struggled to stand up. With her bloodied hand, she pulled out a piece of paper from the breast pocket of her white coat, turning to Gray Bear.

    Gray Bear walked up to her without the need for her to say anything.

    ¡°My note...¡± Li Huafeng gave the letter to Gray Bear with a trembling hand. ¡°If you get out of here alive, deliver this to my daughter. Out...our address is written here.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Gray Bear took the letter and put it in his pocket. ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you...¡± Li Huafeng choked out. ¡°My daughter, my daughter is still so young. I can¡¯t, I really can¡¯t stop worrying about her...¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, your daughter will grow up safe and sound.¡±

    The others exchanged a silent nce.

    The truth was that the woman no longer had a daughter. Everything rted to her had been erased. However, before the wanderer¡¯s moment of death, Gray Bear chose to tell her a white lie so that she could part from this world without regret.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. She will grow up safe and sound.¡± Li Huafeng wiped away her tears, leaving a smear of blood. Then she took a deep breath and ran toward the window.

    Gao Yang reflexively turned away, so he didn¡¯t witness the moment Li Huafeng jumped off.

    Two secondster, he heard a quiet thud.

    Silence took over the infirmary again.

    ¡°Get yourself fucking together!¡±

    It was Gray Bear who broke the silence.

    ¡°There are eighteen levels to this hell, and we¡¯re only through the first level!¡±

 Chapter 192: Broadcast Room

    <h4>Chapter 192: Broadcast Room</h4>

    Gray Bear¡¯s shout attracted a few more rune corpses into mming the door, but it also jerked everyone out of the gloom. The reality was that they were like mud figurines crossing the river, in too much danger themselves to dwell on the death of two wanderers.

    Gao Yang collected himself and exined, ¡°I forgot to ask Miss Li how long the second session of the evening self-study is, but usually, it should be 45 to 60 minutes. We have to wait for a while.¡±

    ¡°Each of you, do your preparation and pick something you¡¯re able to wield proficiently as weapons.¡± Nine Frost went up to the metal cab storing medical supplies and opened it. ¡°Grab some medicine too just in case.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gray Bear pped. ¡°What are you waiting for? Move it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something else we have to do.¡± Gao Yang paused, his eyes darkening. ¡°Check each other¡¯s body to make sure there¡¯s no bite left by rune corpses. Be thorough.¡±

    After a second of silence, the others nodded.

    In pairs of two, the men took turns examining each other, particrly the limbs, head, and neck. When a blood stain was found, the clothes were lifted to check the body part underneath, making sure that the blood belonged to others.

    The three women, Yellow Butterfly, Can, and ck Sparrow, went up to a bed and drew the curtain before checking among themselves.

    Soon, the examination was done. Everyone was free of bites.

    They sat down to rest; for a while, no one said anything. Some stared up at the clock on the wall. Some took out their signaless phone and typed with their heads lowered; they were probably writing a note.

    Gao Yang had considered leaving a few final words for his family and friends too, but he thought better of it. It felt like bad luck.

    He closed his eyes to rest.

    Usually, he would enter his system to check his Luck points and allocate them, but this time, he didn¡¯t even bother essing the system. In this special subspace, his Talents were sealed, and the system lost its functions. It wouldn¡¯t be of help.

    Then they started fleshing out their n.

    Xiran suggested that they send a few more agile members to the broadcast room, leaving the others behind in the infirmary. His reason was that eleven people were too many to stay stealthy, and there would likely be casualties.

    Gao Yang put it to a vote. The majority insisted they moved together.

    They argued that they would have to meet upter even if they split up, and risks were inevitable. Moreover, as portrayed by countless horror films, total party kill was usually the result of dividing the team.

    Time snuck by. It was nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The school bell rang.

    <i>Now!</i>

    Gao Yang shot to his feet. The others followed and each grabbed their items and weapons.

    Judging by the sounds from the outside, the few rune corpses on the other side of the door had been drawn away to the speakers.

    Gray Bear counted to five before opening the door and taking the lead to rush out. He said in a lowered voice, ¡°Hurry, hurry.¡±

    The rest of the team exited the infirmary in an orderly manner. While Gray Bear and Dark Li took the lead, Gao Yang and Nine Frost stayed in the back.

    The long line of people rushed to the corner where the stairway was and ran up.

    Some ran faster, and some slower, resulting in a lower overall speed. The bell already ended when they reached the fifth floor, and the rune corpses lost interest in the speakers.

    Their heads kept jerking around, their keen ears catching the series of faint, hurried footsteps.

    The rune corpse in the ssrooms came out to the corridor and headed toward the stairway. They started out slow and hesitant, but then they grew certain that there was prey ahead as they got closer, and they growled with twisted faces, speeding up suddenly to make a mad dash toward the iing humans, their speed impressive despite their unnatural forms.

    The eleven people had gotten out of the stairway and turned left into the corridor, leading to the offices.

    ¡°Come on!¡±

    ¡°To the broadcast room!¡±

    Dark Li took the lead and rushed to the door, taking out the keys.

    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± Gao Yang and Nine Frost yelled from the very back.

    ¡°Open the door!¡± Gray Bear growled at Dark Li before joining the two captains in the back to hold the line.

    Dark Li took out one of the two keys and inserted it into the lock. He tried to turn it clockwise and then counterclockwise, but neither worked.

    He didn¡¯t immediately try the other key because there was the possibility that he had inserted the key with the wrong side up. He rotated the key and tried again.

    Again, neither direction worked.

    Fuck!

    A fifty-fifty chance, and he picked the wrong key!

    That wasted them ten seconds, which was a hellish ten seconds for Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and Gray Bear as they defended the group in the back.

    More than ten rune corpses rushed toward them one after another. Thankfully, the corridor was less than two meters in width, and the three of them together could block the way.

    With a yell, Gray Bear kicked the rune corpse leading the charge. It flew back into the two rune corpses behind it, knocking them down to the floor.

    Then more rune corpses leapt over them to lunge at the three men.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Nine Frost hit one in the temple with his golf club. It flew to the left and shattered a window of the office on the side, its head getting stuck.

    Then Gao Yang mmed his wrench into another rune corpse¡¯s head. It fell without making a sound, but the hit didn¡¯t kill it. It continued to crawl forward, only at a much slower speed.

    Gray Bear stared as the rune corpses approached. The three of them wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop the swarm.

    He took the wrench from Gao Yang and shoved it into the mouth of a rune corpse, stopping it from biting people. Then he picked the rune corpse up and held it horizontally.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Gray Bear rushed forward with the rune corpse in hand like he was holding a riot shield horizontally, charging against the iing swarm. After a second, he collided with a group of more than ten rune corpses. It took him even less time to be pushed back.

    ¡°Endure it!¡±

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost rushed up to support Gray Bear from the back.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Gao Yang called out. ¡°Help us!¡±

    ck Sparrow, Xiran, Ronnie, Xiuyi, and Old Joe rushed up one after another and piled on as they pushed, finally stopping the swarm.

    ¡°Open the door already!¡± Gray Bear clenched his teeth and steadied his footing while shouting at Dark Li.

    Although he was using the rune corpse like a riot shield, it wasn¡¯t actually one, and countless undead hands were already grabbing onto his clothes, craning their necks and opening their bloodied mouths to bite him.

    ¡°Go away!¡±

    Can and Yellow Butterfly each held a baseball bat in their hands and knocked away the mouths trying to bite Gray Bear.

    ¡°It¡¯s open!¡±

    Dark Li opened the door.

    ¡°I can¡¯t move! Come help us knock them down!¡± Gray Bear shouted, his already hoarse voice cracking.

    Dark Li rushed up to join the team.

    ¡°On the count of three, we push together!¡± Gao Yang instructed amid the chaos.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Everyone put their full force into the push. Pressed in betweenpanions, Gao Yang could feel their collective power moving toward the rune corpses, and his body followed along.

    ¡°Again!¡± he shouted.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Finally, the bnce was tipped, and the swarm of rune corpses toppled like pins.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    At the very front, Gray Bear threw away the rune corpse he had been holding onto. The inertia brought him forward, and he almost fell into the swarm, but Nine Frost and Gao Yang grabbed him and pulled him back.

    The three of them steadied themselves and turned to run.

    Dark Li was holding the door open. ¡°Come on! Get in!¡±

    They made a mad dash into the broadcast room. Nine Frost, Gao Yang, and Gray Bear were thest to enter, and they mmed the door shut.

    They didn¡¯t dare stop for even a second. They pushed their backs against the wall, not giving an inch.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    <i>Bam, bam...</i>

    The noises of bodies mming into the door continued for a good while before things settled down.

    Gray Bear was exhausted. He copsed to the floor with his back against the door, panting heavily. ¡°God, goddamnit... It was too close... Way too close...¡±

    Yellow Butterfly felt around for the switch and turned on the light.

    The broadcast room wasn¡¯t big. On the work table by the window was a full set of broadcast equipment.

    Xiran and Old Joe went up to it.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    Then suddenly, a shadow rushed out of a dim corner.

 Chapter 193: Flags

    <h4>Chapter 193: gs</h4>

    It was a rune corpse!

    To their surprise, there was an injured wanderer lurking in the broadcast room, and it had just transformed.

    The now undead adult man was a little overweight, and it lunged at Dark Li and Xiran, catching them off guard.

    Dark Li immediately sprang to action, reflexively pulling back to avoid the rune corpse. Xiran, however, wasn¡¯t so lucky. He didn¡¯t have much room for maneuver, and he wasn¡¯t agile enough to dodge away in time.

    Survival instincts kicked in, and he grabbed whatever was within reach to defend against the rune corpse. When he realized it was a microphone, the rune corpse had already tackled him to the ground.

    One hand pushing against the rune corpse¡¯s chin, Xiran shoved the microphone into its mouth with his other hand to make sure that it wouldn¡¯t bite him.

    Growling, the rune corpse shook its chin around in an attempt to make the bite. The repulsive mix of saliva and blood dripped down the microphone.

    Nine Frost was the first to react. He grabbed the rune corpse¡¯s shirt from the back and yanked it off, throwing it aside.

    <i>ng! </i>The rune corpse flew into a cab, the sound attracting another wave of rune corpses to m the door.

    Hearing the stato of dull impacts, Gray Bear and Old Joe promptly pushed their backs against the door to keep it shut.

    Meanwhile, Nine Frost and Dark Li had pinned the rune corpse to the floor. ck Sparrow then shoved the swiss army knife she got from Dai Xiaojun into the rune corpse¡¯s eye socket, stirring inside to make a mess of its brain, and it stopped struggling after a violent seizure.

    Gradually, the rune corpses outside quieted as well.

    Gao Yang immediately went to help Xiran up, who was sitting on the floor in shock.

    Xiran¡¯s lips trembled, his face pale. ¡°Cap, Captain, I wasn¡¯t bitten. I wasn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Gao Yang assured him. ¡°I¡¯ll check for you.¡±

    Xiran grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s wrist forcefully. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t bitten!¡±

    ¡°Xiran,¡± Gao Yangmanded in a low voice. ¡°Let me check. It¡¯s an order.¡±

    Xiran gulped and slowly let go.

    Gao Yang thoroughly checked his face and neck before unbuttoning his shirt to check his chest, shoulders, and back. Following that, he checked Xiran¡¯s fingers. Then he rolled up Xiran¡¯s sleeves to check his arms.

    Finally, he checked Xiran¡¯s calves and then made sure there was no bite on his clothed legs.

    Xiran hadn¡¯t been bitten.

    Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±

    Xiran opened his eyes wide, staring at Gao Yang in disbelief. ¡°Am I, am I really alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang was certain.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Having escaped death, Xiran burst into tears and sobbed, ¡°Thank god. Thank god...¡±

    ¡°You lucky brat!¡± Gray Bear went up to ruffle Xiran¡¯s hair, overjoyed. ¡°Alright, stop crying. You¡¯re okay!¡±

    ¡°You may be okay, but this thing isn¡¯t,¡± Old Joe said. He was standing before the working table, pointing at the old ck broadcast machine.

    Gao Yang looked over and realized it was connected to the microphone, and when Xiran yanked the microphone off, he had pulled the machine along as well. A closer inspection revealed that one of the wires had been torn off.

    ¡°Would it still work?¡± Nine Frost went up to him and asked.

    Old Joe leaned down to take a close look, pulling at the wire. ¡°It should work if I reconnect this.¡±

    Can asked, ¡°Whoa, Uncle Joe. Why are you able to do everything?¡±

    ¡°After awakening, he has been working as the owner of a repair shop for electric appliances.¡± ck Sparrow arched her sharp eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s not considered your dark past, right, Old Joe?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Old Joe rubbed his bald head and chuckled.

    ¡°Can you fix it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Old Joe said hesitantly, ¡°It¡¯d only take a moment if I had the right tool, but I have nothing. I can¡¯t even unscrew the screws. One can¡¯t cook without a stove, you know.¡±

    Nine Frost ordered, ¡°Find a way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Old Joe sighed. ¡°Any of you have a lighter? A nail clipper? Oh, isn¡¯t there a swiss army knife? That¡¯ll help.¡±

    ck Sparrow looked down at the rune corpse by her feet. The swiss army knife was buried deep in its eye socket.

    She sighed. ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯ll clean it up for you.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Old Joe sat down on the chair before the table. ¡°I¡¯ll try to fix it in half an hour.¡±

    ck Sparrow yanked the swiss army knife out and looked for clothes to wipe off the blood and brain matter. Then she handed the knife to Old Joe.

    Humming an unfamiliar melody, Old Joe got to work.

    The others hadn¡¯t been wasting time. They first threw the rune corpse out of the window before checking each other for injuries, making sure that none of them were hurt.

    Ten minutester, the broadcast room quieted.

    There weren¡¯t enough chairs, so most of them were sitting cross-legged on the floor, quietly dwelling on their own thoughts. Gao Yang was thinking about what they should do when a head fell on his shoulder.

    It was Can. She was exhausted and closed her eyes.

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. It was best for her to take a break. They had a tough battle ahead of them.

    ¡°I wonder how Lithe Snake is doing,¡± Gray Bear said worriedly. There hadn¡¯t been a moment he wasn¡¯t thinking about their missing teammate.

    Xiran adjusted his sses. ¡°Lithe Snake will be alright. He¡¯s strong.¡±

    ¡°I think so, too,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°Yeah, if someone¡¯s gonna die, I¡¯d be the first,¡± Can opened her eyes and said quietly.

    So she was pretending. Of course. How could she possibly fall asleep given the circumstances?

    ¡°What¡¯s with the pessimism? We will all get out of here alive.¡± Gray Bear turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Am I right, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t confident, but it was important to maintain morale.

    ¡°Hey, what are you gonna do once you get out of here?¡± Can sat back up with renewed vigor and rubbed her nose. ¡°Once I¡¯m out, I¡¯m gonna y games for three days straight! And I¡¯m gonna max out my credit card to buy all the skins for heroes I love!¡±

    ¡°I just want to sleep. I¡¯m gonna sleep for days.¡± Xiran tugged at his lips tiredly.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have a barbecue and a pack of cold beer. Even better if there¡¯s a good match to watch.¡± Gray Bear indulged in the thought with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the karaoke, and sing, through the night,¡± said Ronnie.

    Gao Yang thought about Ronnie¡¯s Talent, Disorientation. It cost money to go to a concert, but Ronnie¡¯s singing? That would take lives.

    Ronnie seemed to have read Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts, and he added petntly, ¡°I¡¯ve won first ce, at a school singingpetition.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. <i>Well, Talents are Talents, while singing is singing. One doesn¡¯t dictate the other, just like there are people who have a nice voice but can¡¯t carry a tune at all.</i>

    ¡°What about you, Captain Seven Shadow?¡± Can turned to him with herrge glinting eyes.

    ¡°Me?¡± Gao Yang paused.

    He hadn¡¯t thought about it before.

    The first one he thought about was his family. He wanted to enjoy a meal with everyone¡ªdad, mom, granny, sister¡ªbefore the television and have a good time.

    Then he thought about Qing Ling and Officer Huang. He missed them a little, and he was reminded of the beef noodles at the noodle shop they had gone to. Had Qing Ling and Officer Huang reached level 4 with their Talents? Would they think about him too every once in a while?

    Of course, Wang Zikai and Fat Jun came to his mind as well. If possible, he would like to visit Wang Zikai¡¯s ce and hang out through the night, having fried chicken and c while ying games.

    <i>No, I can¡¯t think about this further.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ve just gotten myself a mountain full of gs! This is a bad omen.</i>

    ¡°Are you alright, Yellow Butterfly?¡±

    Suddenly, ck Sparrow reached out to steady Yellow Butterfly, her sharp eyebrows closely knitted.

    Yellow Butterfly was curling into herself by the wall, her legs tucked to her chest.

    She trembled all over, her hair drenched by sweat and sticking to her pale face. Holding onto her neck with both hands, she breathed in short, intense bursts, her chest heaving violently.

 Chapter 194: Asthma

    <h4>Chapter 194: Asthma</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Gray Bear turned to look at her.

    ¡°Asthma attack,¡± Nine Frost said in a grave tone.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Yellow Butterfly to have asthma.

    Awakeners should be physically stronger than regr humans. Why would she be sick?

    No, wait. Even though awakeners had a stronger physique than regr humans, if their Talents didn¡¯t grant bonuses in Constitution and Endurance, it was unlikely that the awakening would have changed their physiology entirely, and thus their inherent diseases wouldn¡¯t have been cured.

    Yellow Butterfly¡¯s Talent was Avian King, a Summon-type Talent. Following the way his system broke down abilities, the bonus stat points granted would be Willpower and Charisma rather than Constitution and Endurance.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your inhaler?¡± ck Sparrow felt around Yellow Butterfly¡¯s pocket. The inhaler wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°It¡¯s...missing...¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s breathing grew even more erratic, and she could barely talk.

    ck Sparrow¡¯s face darkened. She looked at Nine Frost. ¡°It must have dropped somewhere between the infirmary on the third floor and this broadcast room.¡±

    No one disagreed. They had been through hells to get here. It was very likely for the inhaler to have dropped on the way.

    ¡°Can you hold out on your own?¡± Nine Frost turned to Yellow Butterfly. ¡°Just wait until Old Joe fixes the machine...¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Back Sparrow knew Yellow Butterfly¡¯s condition. ¡°She won¡¯t make it that long.¡±

    ¡°Leave...me... Don¡¯t...¡± Yellow Butterfly gasped for breaths with a pained look and kept shaking her head, refusing to be a dead weight to his teammates.

    ¡°Stop talking.¡± ck Sparrow grabbed onto Yellow Butterfly¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Look at me, Yellow Butterfly. Take a deep breath. Breathe...¡±

    <i>Huff, huff.</i> Yellow Butterfly struggled to breathe, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. She looked to be in serious pain, and every short gasp she took made everyone felt a sympathetic pang.

    After a short moment of silence, someone stood up.

    ¡°No, we must grab her inhaler, or she¡¯ll die.¡± It was Dark Li. The fake-looking smile that seemed permanently fixed on his face was gone.

    ¡°How?¡± Gray Bear asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s dropped in the corridor or the stairs, and there are rune corpses everywhere outside. If you open the door, you die.¡±

    Dark Li stared at Nine Frost with determination, his expression dark. ¡°I won¡¯t let Yellow Butterfly die, Captain. Open the door. I¡¯m going out!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Nine Frost shot him down. ¡°It¡¯s suicide.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    <i>Thud, thud</i>. Gao Yang stood before a wall and knocked on it.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Gray Bear turned to him, unsure of what he was doing.

    ¡°For buildings like this one, usually, theyout is the same for every floor.¡±

    ¡°The director¡¯s office on the second floor we were at corresponds to this room, but this room is only half its size.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a divider to make an extra room!¡± Xiran¡¯s eyes glinted under the sses.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Gray Bear, knock the wall down! I have a n. Let¡¯s keep it brief.¡±

    Without another question asked, Gray Bear moved up to knock on the wall, making sure where the divider was before mming into it with his shoulder.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    It only took two hits for Gray Bear to put a hole into the divider. He lifted his foot and kicked on it, creating a long, thin crack that could fit a person.

    Gao Yang was the first to get into the space on the other side. Then Nine Frost and Gray Bear followed.

    It was a storage room.

    Gao Yang perked up.<i> Bingo! Lucky me!</i>

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s pile the tables, chairs, and cabs into a barricade.¡± Gao Yang made the instructions, and the others quickly followed.

    With all the items in the storage room, it took no time for them to build a barricade. Gao Yang squeezed through the only crack they left on purpose and opened the door of the storage room, banging on the door to make noises.

    Then he quickly moved back to the other side of the barricade. ¡°Block this part too!¡±

    They quickly closed the crack with a cab.

    Meanwhile, the rune corpses in the corridor heard the noises and moved to the storage room. They tried to get to Gao Yang and the others, but were stopped by the barricade.

    ¡°Hey,e over and help!¡± Gray Bear called out, and Ronnie and Xiuyi joined in keeping the barricade upright with their bodies.

    ¡°Keep drawing their attention by making sounds!¡±

    Gao Yang returned to the broadcast room through the divider. ¡°Dark Li, the hallway should be free of rune corpses now. I don¡¯t know how many we¡¯ll encounter in the stairway, but there shouldn''t be too many. I¡¯ll look for the inhaler with you.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll do it myself...¡±

    ¡°We can help each other, and the sess rate will be higher.¡±

    Dark Li nodded at him with a grateful look. ¡°Alright.¡±

    He nced at Yellow Butterfly and turned to walk to the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ck Sparrow rose.

    ¡°Take care of Yellow Butterfly,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°The more isn¡¯t always the merrier.¡±

    After a moment of hesitation, ck Sparrow nodded.

    Gao Yang and Dark Li each picked up a golf club and exchanged a nce. They opened the door and immediately rushed out, closing the door behind them.

    As expected, other than the two rune corpses on the floor whose heads had been smashed earlier, the other rune corpses were all crowding into the storage room next to the broadcast room.

    Gray Bear¡¯s curses could be heard from the other side of the wall. ¡°Come at me, sons of bitches! Come bite me! Hahaha, you can¡¯t, can you? Die!¡±

    <i>You¡¯re having too much fun! </i>Gao Yang grumbled to himself.

    The light was on in the corridor, so it was easy to see what was on the floor. They didn¡¯t spot the inhaler.

    Gao Yang and Dark Li exchanged a nce. The inhaler was likely somewhere on the stairs.

    They gingerly snuck past the storage room filled with rune corpses before picking up their pace, rushing to the stairway.

    It was dark here with the light off. Gao Yang and Dark Li slowly made it down the stairs with their backs pressed to the wall.

    Gao Yang pointed at his own eyes with two fingers before pointing at the floor. Then he pointed at Dark Li¡¯s eyes before pointing at their surroundings.

    It meant that he would look for the inhaler, so Dark Li should watch out for threats.

    Dark Li responded with an OK sign.

    They made it to the fourth floor and didn¡¯t see the inhaler.

    Then they inched their way to the third floor, still moving along the walls. When they got to the corner, Dark Li grabbed onto Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder.

    Gao Yang looked up to find three rune corpses standing there.

    With their backs to Gao Yang and Dark Li, they were facing the window in the corner. Moonlight streamed in and illuminated the top of their heads and a third of their profile. Their vicious, numb-looking faces made them seem like devils from hell.

    And as if to taunt them, the white inhaler with blue cap was by the heel of the rune corpse in the middle.

    Dark Li saw it too. Without hesitation, he slowly crouched down and took off his shoes.

    Gao Yang grabbed him, shaking his head.<i> It¡¯s too dangerous!</i>

    Dark Li gave him a bitter smile, his gaze determined. There was no changing his mind.

    Yellow Butterfly¡¯s asthma attack could kill her any second.

    Gao Yang stopped protesting. Dark Li must have been ready to risk his life when he decided to make this trip.

    Taking off his shoes and holding them in one hand, Dark Li snuck toward the three rune corpses barefooted, taking one step at a time.

    Low, unintelligible rumbles came out from the rune corpses¡¯ throat, and their bodies twitched regrly. They hadn¡¯t noticed anyone approaching.

    When Dark Li was a meter away from them, they suddenly went stiff in rm and turned slightly to the side, their keen ears twitching.

    They hadn¡¯t turned fully around, but Dark Li knew that they would notice the moment he took another step.

    Dark Li held his breath, his forehead breaking into cold sweat.

    His rational mind told him that he must not go any further, but the inhaler was right before him. He couldn¡¯t watch Yellow Butterfly die, or he would never be able to live with himself for the rest of his life.

    Dark Li clenched his teeth and threw his two shoes to the stairs below.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    ¡°Grrrr...¡±

    As expected, the three rune corpses turned to the side, drawn by the sounds. However, only one of them moved down, while the other two merely turned to the source of the sounds.

    ¡°Grrrr...¡±

    Worse still, the rune corpses in the third floor corridor had heard the sounds as well, and they were moving toward the stairs.

    Dark Li took a nce and sweated harder, his scalp feeling numb. There were at least seven of them.

    It was now or never. He knew things would only get worse if he waited.

    Resolved, he took a step forward and reached out to pick up the inhaler.

    Due to his nerves, he failed to control his hand properly, and the hard blue cap of the inhaler scratched the floor when he picked the inhaler up, making a quiet sound.

    One rune corpse jerked around. It heard him.

 Chapter 195: Dark Li

    <h4>Chapter 195: Dark Li</h4>

    <i>Growl!</i>

    The rune corpse lunged at Dark Li.

    Dark Li hurriedly leapt backward from his crouching position and ended up tripping on the stairs. Gao Yang immediately grabbed his elbow and pulled him back, but the rune corpse managed to grab Dark Li¡¯s calf, startling him.

    ¡°Get off!¡±

    Dark Li stomped on the rune corpse¡¯s face, quickly kicking it off him. However, without the protection of his boot, the heel of his right foot grazed the rune corpse¡¯s open mouth, and the skin was scratched by its teeth.

    Dark Li understood the implication immediately, and he was calmer than he expected.

    He had anticipated that he could die trying to save Yellow Butterfly. In fact, he had pictured the different scenarios countless times, thinking about the kind of dangers they might run into and the different ways he might sacrifice himself for her.

    He didn¡¯t regret anything. He simply felt a little rueful. That the woman he had loved for years wasn¡¯t here to witness his sacrifice.

    Dark Li quickly climbed to his feet and shoved the inhaler into Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Gao Yang took it and helped Dark Li up. They scrambled up the stairs.

    However, the noises made had already drawn the rune corpses on the fourth floor to them, and they found themselves trapped in the middle.

    Dark Li rushed forward with his arms open, holding the rune corpses blocking their way at bay to make a path for Gao Yang.

    Without mercy, the rune corpses bit into Dark Li¡¯s shoulders, neck, and arms.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Dark Li cried out in pain, yet his hold over the rune corpses remained strong. He called out to Gao Yang, ¡°Go! Now!¡±

    Heart sinking, Gao Yang turned around and bolted without another look back.

    Three secondster, he heard Dark Li¡¯s impassioned voice ringing throughout the building, ¡°Yellow Butterfly! Stay alive!¡±

    In less than ten seconds, Gao Yang rushed back to the fifth floor and reached the door to the broadcast room.

    He knocked on the door, ¡°Open up!¡±

    Then he headed back to the storage room and shouted by the door, ¡°Stop drawing their attention, Gray Bear! Let theme out!¡±

    Gray Bear stopped cursing, and drawn by Gao Yang¡¯s voice, the rune corpses inside the storage room turned around and dashed out. Gao Yang quickly dove into the broadcast room and shut the door.

    He threw the inhaler to ck Sparrow, who took off the cap and held the inhaler to Yellow Butterfly¡¯s lips. Yellow Butterfly took two big breaths.

    It wasn¡¯t time to rx yet. Gao Yang rushed through the broken divider to the storage room. With a nce, he confirmed that the rune corpses had gone out of the door and returned to the hallway. Then with Nine Frost¡¯s help, he moved the one cab aside to make a crack. After making sure thest rune corpse had moved away, he squeezed through the crack to shut the door.

    Gao Yang immediately returned and, with the help of others, toppled the barricade they made.

    The pieces of furniture they had piled up copsed, blocking off the door entirely. Only then was Gao Yang¡¯s n concluded.

    It could¡¯ve been perfect. If only Dark Li had made it back with him.

    Gao Yang and the others returned to the broadcast room through the crack.

    By then, Yellow Butterfly had recovered from the asthma attack. She stood up with ck Sparrow¡¯s help.

    Eyes misty and red, she asked Gao Yang urgently, ¡°Where¡¯s Dark Li? Why hasn¡¯t hee back?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s silence was an answer in itself.

    Everyone had heard Dark Li¡¯s shout and connected the dots. That was his goodbye to Yellow Butterfly. Even at the moment of death, he didn¡¯t have the courage to tell her his feelings.

    ¡°No, no...¡± Yellow Butterfly covered her mouth and broke into tears. ¡°I got him killed. It¡¯s all because of me...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Dark Li¡¯s decision,¡± Nine Frost said coolly, but his expression was dark. He turned away and went up to the window. Even from the back, his quiet rage was apparent; he was angry with himself for not protecting his teammates well.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about Nine Frost. The man was prideful, arrogant, egocentric, and rude, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t a good captain.

    Groans could be heard from the other side of the door. Within the broadcast room, the air was silent save for the rustling sounds of Old Joe fixing the broadcast machine.

    The fourth team was caught in their sorrow of losing apanion, and reminded of Lithe Snake, whose fate was still unknown, the fifth team was in a dour mood as well.

    After a few minutes, Xiuyi, the quiet boy with nted eyes, spoke up quietly. He might be addressing the others, or he might be murmuring to himself.

    ¡°When I first met Brother Li, I didn¡¯t like him. He always had a fake smile on his face. It made me ufortable.¡±

    No one said anything. Some looked up at Xiuyi, but more were looking down.

    Xiuyi closed his eyes and lifted his head to rest it against the wall. ¡°It wasn¡¯t untilter that I found out he had a condition called facial nerve paralysis. When he was little, he often got beaten by his father. Once, his father knocked his head a little too hard, and Brother Li had been suffering from the condition ever since. When he wasn¡¯t making a certain expression, his resting face would look like a fake-looking smile.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly lost theposure she had struggled to regain and started sobbing quietly, her hands covering her mouth.

    ¡°Brother Li¡¯s dream was to be a martial arts star.¡±

    Xiuyi continued in a monotone voice like he was doing a product presentation. ¡°He liked nunchucks. He liked spicy hot pot. He was an atheist. He had been single his whole life. Recently, he started going to guitar sses because he thought it would make him more attractive. He loved Yellow Butterfly, and he thought it was a grand secret, but everyone knew.¡±

    Xiuyi opened his nted eyes. There were tears at the corners. ¡°That¡¯s all I know about Brother Li.¡±

    How could a person¡¯s life be summarized in a few sentences?

    Silence followed.

    ¡°Done!¡± Just in time, Old Joe¡¯s voice broke the heavy atmosphere. While they were wallowing in grief, he alone had been fixing the machine.

    He picked up the microphone and spoke into it.

    ¡°Ahem. Hello, microphone testing...¡±

    Nine Frost stood by the window and immediately heard Old Joe¡¯s voiceing out from the speakers outside.

    The rune corpses roaming aimlessly were drawn by the sounds and stayed in clusters, but as soon as Old Joe stopped speaking, they resumed their meandering.

    Old Joe stood up and turned to the others. ¡°Now we just have to pick a cassette.¡±

    There were many cassettes in the room. Xiran opened the ss cab storing them and rummaged around. He quickly picked one.

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    Gao Yang took a nce at it. It was a mixtape of Jay Chou¡¯s songs. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good with it.¡±

    Their future was uncertain. If he was going to die, at least it would be afort to die listening to his favorite songs.

    The others didn¡¯t disagree.

    Old Joe took the cassette and rolled it to the very start to maximize ytime.

    ¡°Ready, Captain?¡±

    Old Joe rested a finger on the y button, waiting for Nine Frost to make the order.

    Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang. ¡°What do you have to say?¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯ll take at most 30 minutes for one side of the cassette to finish ying. During the 30 minutes, we need to go to the basketball court for our supplies, find Li Zhuanghu, and take him out.¡±

    ¡°If we realize we can¡¯t do all that in time, we have to return to the broadcast room within the 30 minutes and flip the cassette tape before making our next move. Any questions?¡±

    There was none.

    ¡°Then we move.¡± Nine Frost and Gray Bear went up to the door, ready to open it.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Old Joe took a deep breath and pressed the y button.

 Chapter 196: Pray

    <h4>Chapter 196: Pray</h4>

    Deep into the night, the gray blue sky was free of stars. The lonesome moonlight washed over the Eleventh High School. All throughout the campus, horrifying rune corpses roamed about. The air was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

    <i>Pzzt¡ª</i>

    All speakers in the school crackled for a brief moment before a song started to y. Violins, nylon guitars, oboes, and pianosposed a quaint, mncholic melody, apanied by the hums of a soprano.

    The rune corpses became anxious and excited, and they followed the music and dashed toward the speaker closest to them.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    From the broadcast room on the fifth floor, Gray Bear opened the door and led the charge, followed by ck Sparrow and Xiuyi.

    Xiran, Ronnie, Can, and Yellow Butterfly were in the middle, and Nine Frost, Gao Yang, and Old Joe were in the back.

    Most rune corpses in the corridor had rushed to gather under the speaker outside the ssrooms, leaving only two seriously injured rune corpses dragging themselves along the floor.

    <i>The cool morning dew dampens the ck tuxedo.</i>

    <i>A fog descends upon the pebbled path, the father murmurs in prayer.</i>

    <i>Cruel is the resolution made in resignation.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s all to pave the way leading to the sanctum.</i>

    As the music yed, Gray Bear and ck Sparrow each approached the two rune corpses from the back. After an exchange of nces, they pounced on the rune corpses and grabbed their hair, mming their heads to the floor.

    Soon, the two rune corpses stopped moving.

    Gray Bear and ck Sparrow immediately stood up and waved theirpanions over, signaling them to catch up. They went to the stairway and rushed downstairs.

    <i>Stubborn fog obscures all intentions.</i>

    <i>To whom does the halted pacing belong?</i>

    <i>Before tears can fall,</i>

    <i>A bullet shoots through and drains the warmth.</i>

    They rushed to the third floor at once before suddenly, Gray Bear and ck Sparrow halted in the lead. They reached out to stop theirpanions.

    The others looked over and saw a rune corpse on the stairs. Covered in bites, its thighs had almost been chewed to the bones, and having lost the ability to walk properly, it crawled on the floor.

    Its now twisted face had lost its chin, and the familiar fake smile was gone.

    Its empty eyes glowed with flickering red as it swung its arms around, like it was trying to grab something.

    Dark Li.

    The sight was heartstopping.

    ¡°Dark Li...¡± The name escaped Yellow Butterfly¡¯s mouth. Xiran quickly muffled her.

    Hearing it, Dark Li iled around madly in an attempt to grab the prey before it, croaking out unintelligible sounds.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    A wooden stick with a sharp end pierced through its right eye and straight into its brain.

    <i>We are all guilty,</i>

    <i>Guilty of different sins.</i>

    <i>I decide who is right,</i>

    <i>Who is to enter a slumber.</i>

    <i>The fight will not stop.</i>

    <i>During the neverending night,</i>

    <i>Sealing your mouth,</i>

    <i>That is the only grace.</i>

    Nine Frost yanked the wooden stick out. A small amount of blood sttered on his face, and a look of vulnerability shed through his eyes.

    He then turned around and gestured at the others: move!

    The ten of them kept going and safely reached the first floor. The main hall was now the only thing separating them from the exit.

    A few dozen rune corpses gathered around in a cluster, swarming into the corner and struggling to reach the speaker installed high on the wall.

    Squashed by the rune corpses behind it, one rune corpse was lifted higher and higher off the ground, almost reaching the speaker.

    Gao Yang immediately pressed himself to the wall and gestured at the others.

    They quickly followed suit and inched their way to the door, keeping as much distance as possible while moving around the swarm of rune corpses.

    <i>Those blocking in the front are guilty.</i>

    <i>Even when they feel regret, there is no way back.</i>

    <i>Judged in the name of thy father.</i>

    <i>The feeling cannot be put into words.</i>

    <i>Likeughing while crying,</i>

    <i>Like staring into the deepest ck.</i>

    <i>Tragedy to stop tragedies.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m lost in it.</i>

    If not for the fact that only a few lines had been sung, Gao Yang would¡¯ve thought that a long time had passed.

    They moved along the walls, but they might as well be walking on high wire.

    Finally, Gray Bear at the very front reached the front door of the teaching building. Things seemed to be going well. In thirty seconds, they would be out of the door in a quiet and orderly manner.

    <i>ck.</i>

    But then in the opposite corner of the main hall, the rune corpse that had been lifted to the top managed to grab the speaker and tear it off the wall.

    The music stopped. Although the other speakers in other ces were still ying the song, the sounds weren¡¯t loud enough to hold the rune corpses¡¯ attention.

    The air was still for two seconds.

    Then the rune corpses stopped swarming to the corner, regaining their keen senses. They seemed to have heard a faint sound. One after another, they turned around, their ears shifting sensitively as they dragged their feet toward Gao Yang and the others.

    The ten of them stopped breathing for a moment, their faces ashen.

    ¡°<i>Run</i>.¡± Gao Yang ordered decisively.

    Everyone moved away from the wall and dashed toward the door like they had just woken up from a dream. At the same time, the rune corpses growled and lunged at them.

    <i>Lower the head and kiss my left hand,</i>

    <i>In exchange for a promise of forgiveness.</i>

    <i>The old pipe organ stands in the corner,</i>

    <i>Keeping up the apaniment nonstop.</i>

    <i>Wind rustles the ck curtain.</i>

    <i>Sunlight quietly shines through</i>

    <i>On the monster I have tamed.</i>

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gray Bear grabbed the announcement board for the students on duty and turned back to rush to the rune corpses, attempting to use it as a riot shield like earlier to buy hispanions time. However, the board was too brittle, and the two sides broke off in less than a second, leaving only a small piece for Gray Bear to protect himself.

    Most rune corpses forewent Gray Bear and rushed toward the prey behind him.

    Charging at the front, Nine Frost kicked one rune corpse in the chest, twisting his body in the air while making another kick at another rune corpse.

    That was the best he could do as a regr human.

    The moment hended, yet another rune corpse lunged at him. Gao Yang showed up just in time with a metal dustpan he had found somewhere. And <i>ng!</i> It hit the rune corpse in the head, sending it flying. He saved Nine Frost at thest moment.

    Nine Frost¡¯s eyes shed with gratitude.

    But more rune corpses were alreadying.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost were close to the exit. If they ran without looking back, they should be able to escape on their own. However, there were morepanions behind them.

    No one could bepletely rational. They could not simply make the most optimal choice after weighing the pros and cons.

    Most of the time, people were driven by instincts and their beliefs of right and wrong.

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    There were noisesing from behind them. Gao Yang and Nine Frost turned to see Xiran and Ronnie pushing a prop piano over. Gao Yang and Nine Frost jumped to the sides.

    The prop piano hurtled into the fray of rune corpses, knocking them off bnce, but the prop piano itself broke down.

    At the same time, ck Sparrow and Xiuyi had lifted a pot of sago palm and hurled it at the rune corpses. The rune corpses toppled like dominoes, and the moment of chaos bought them a few precious seconds.

    ¡°Run! Hurry!¡± Gao Yang urged.

    They rushed toward the door, but came to a sudden halt after taking a few steps. Outside, about a dozen rune corpses were swarming their way after hearing themotion.

    Nine Frost shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t leave this way! Go back! Upstairs!¡±

    They turned back. A few rune corpses rolled down the stairs and quickly picked themselves up before rushing at them. Behind them were even more frenzied rune corpses.

    Their way back was blocked as well.

    It felt as if all the rune corpses in the building were rushing into the main hall. Strangely, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t hear the growls of the rune corpses at that moment, nor could he hear hispanions¡¯ voices. The faint song alone monopolized his hearing.

    <i>Silently yell, silently yell.</i>

    <i>The lonesome feeling permeates,</i>

    <i>Mocking me nonstop.</i>

    <i>Memories burn.</i>

    <i>Images of innocence lost</i>

    <i>Surface cruelly and gently.</i>

    <i>Time of vulnerability arrives.</i>

    <i>Let us pray together.</i>

 Chapter 197: Tinnitus

    <h4>Chapter 197: Tinnitus</h4>

    ¡°Back off! Back off!¡±

    Gray Bear hurled the announcement board in his hand toward the swarm of rune corpses before kicking the one that had gotten closest to him. Then he rushed toward the ss door¡ªtoward the source of danger¡ªand attempted to shut it.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    But it was toote. The dozen and more rune corpses threw themselves at the door and shattered the ss, toppling the frames. Still, at least a good number of the rune corpses had gotten trapped.

    Gray Bear moved back while knocking away the rune corpses lunging at him. Then one of them grabbed onto his foot from the ground, and he staggered and fell. A couple rune corpses leapt at him.

    ¡°Ahh help! Help...¡±

    Can screamed. She had fallen as well, and a rune corpse had grabbed onto her ankle. Although she had been hitting it in the head with the golf club in her hand, she was too weak to do substantial damage.

    At that moment, Xiran and Ronnie rushed up to her and kicked the rune corpse in the head. But then even more rune corpses swarmed up to the three.

    Nine Frost and ck Sparrow had been fighting with their backs pressed together, unable to offer them any help. And Gao Yang had been dealing with two rune corpses with the dustpan in his hand, barely holding up himself, let alone going to his teammates¡¯ rescue.

    <i>Calm down, calm down.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t give up.</i>

    <i>Think about what you can do!</i>

    <i>...Nothing.</i>

    <i>You¡¯ll soon be bitten. Then you¡¯ll die and be one of them.</i>

    <i>You fail. There¡¯s no turning things around. You¡¯ll all die here.</i>

    <i>Your family and friends will never see you again, and you will never learn the secrets of the Mist World.</i>

    <i>Ring¡ª</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s head rang, and the world spinned around him. While his body was still pushing itself to put up a fight, he had lost almost all his senses. It was as if his soul was slowly leaving his body.

    In that moment of distraction, a rune corpse bit at him from the side. There wasn¡¯t enough time for Gao Yang to get out of the way.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Then a throwing knife buried into the rune corpse¡¯s eye. The blood sttered on Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    Two more throwing knives arrived, hitting the eyes of the rune corpse pouncing on Gray Bear.

    <i>It¡¯s Lithe Snake!</i> Gao Yang realized with a start. <i>There¡¯s still hope! We can still turn things around!</i>

    Seeing the throwing knives, Gray Bear¡¯s wavering will to survive recovered in an instant.

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Face covered in blood, he yelled and yanked the two knives out of the rune corpse¡¯s eyes with both hands, stabbing the other two rune corpses in the eye.

    <i>St!</i>

    The three rune corpses holding him down copsed. Gray Bear didn¡¯t immediately push them off since they served as cover to shield him from the other rune corpses. Instead, he propped himself up with both hands on the floor and propelled himself backward, sliding out from under the three rune corpses.

    Scrambling to his feet, Gray Bear looked up to see Lithe Snake holding his shortsword in one hand and a piece of thick blue curtain in the other, running straight at them.

    Like a descending god, Lithe Snake single-handedly turned the tide.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Lithe Snake swiftly dealt with the rune corpse in his way before throwing his shortsword to Nine Frost.

    Nine Frost caught the sword and whirled around to make a swing, cutting off the head of the rune corpse ready to attack ck Sparrow.

    Holding the curtain with both hands, Lithe Snake hurled it toward the air, catching the seven rune corpses chasing after Gray Bear like casting a fis. The rune corpses had lost most of their mental faculty. Caught by the curtain, they struggled blindly and madly, soon dragging each other to the ground into a heap of intertwined limbs.

    ¡°Follow me!¡±

    Lithe Snake yelled and turned to run. Gao Yang and Gray Bear followed without hesitation.

    The others abandoned the fight as well and quickly moved away from the rune corpses, catching up to the three. Lithe Snake led them to the room at the end of the corridor left of the main hall. The door was open. It had obviously been Lithe Snake¡¯s hideout.

    The rune corpses were still swarming toward them from the main hall. Gray Bear, Nine Frost, Gao Yang, and ck Sparrow moved back as they fought, barefly holding the rune corpses at bay. Still, the rune corpses continued to close in on them, approaching their only way to escape.

    When Gray Bear dove into the roomst and shut the door, the main hall of the teaching building was already packed full of rune corpses.

    Huffing, Gray Bear pushed the door shut. Gao Yang and Nine Frost went up to help as well, not daring to becent.

    ¡°This...is the reception room!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly immediately recognized the room. In the morning, Nine Frost, Dark Li, and she hade here as journalists, and Dai Xiaojun had weed them in this room.

    It wasn¡¯t big, and eleven people were quite the crowd here.

    <i>Bam, bam!</i>

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    The door was under the relentless abuse of the rune corpses. They couldn¡¯t stay here for long.

    Lithe Snake went up to the curtainless window and jumped onto the windowsill, kicking at the security bars outside. ¡°The window leads to the flower beds. Originally, there were a few rune corpses, but they were drawn away by the music you yed. We can go back to the construction site this way.¡±

    Gray Bear called out, ¡°Hey! Come here to keep the door closed!¡±

    ck Sparrow and Xiuyi rushed to take Gray Bear¡¯s ce, while Gray Bear joined Lithe Snake in kicking the metal frame off.

    It was firmly put into ce, making it difficult for regr humans to destroy the frame through brute force.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    The ms grew more and more intense.

    Gao Yang shouted, ¡°Hurry! This is a wooden door. It won¡¯t hold on for long!¡±

    <i>ng, ng, ng!</i>

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake put all their strength into their kicks.

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly, Can,e help!¡± Nine Frostmanded before rushing to the window.

    Yellow Butterfly and Can immediately filled in Nine Frost¡¯s spot and helped keep the door shut.

    Nine Frost jumped up to the window and held onto the header above. ¡°Follow my order. On the count of three, we kick together.¡±

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    They lifted their legs and kicked the metal frame at the same time.

    <i>ng!</i>

    It loosened.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam! Bam, bam!</i>

    Hearing the loud nging from the room, the rune corpses started throwing themselves at the door with reckless abandon. The wood nk that made the door wasn¡¯t thick, and it seemed like it would break anytime.

    ¡°Quickly! We can¡¯t hold on for long!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice gained an edge of despair.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    <i>ng! ck.</i>

    The metal frame fell off, along with the screws.

    ¡°We did it! Hurry! Go!¡±

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear jumped off the window, while Nine Frost knelt on the windowsill and reached out a hand.

    ¡°Ladies first!¡± Gao Yang called out.

    Can nced at him before rushing toward the window. Nine Frost grabbed her and pulled her out.

    Then Yellow Butterfly, Xiuyi, and Ronnie escaped.

    Gao Yang, ck Sparrow, and Xiran were left holding the door shut on their own.

    ¡°On the count of three, we run together!¡± Gao Yang said through clenched teeth.

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    The three of them pulled away from the door at the same time and dashed at the window.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door finally caved, and in rushed the rune corpses like they were in a race.

    ck Sparrow was agile. She jumped out easily, her feet never even stepping on the windowsill. Xiran was a little slower. He stepped on the windowsill to climb up.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart burned with urgency. He could feel the rune corpses rushing through the door reaching for his back. Without waiting for Xiran to move out, he leapt with all the strength he could muster, grabbing Xiran¡¯s waist to bring him along as he flew out of the window.

    Outside was a flower bed. The soil cushioned theirnding. Nine Frost and ck Sparrow quickly pulled them up.

    When Gao Yang looked over his shoulder, there were already seven or eight rune corpses jammed through the window, and they were almost climbing out.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hackles rose. He had been one step away from meeting his death.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 198: Companions

    <h4>Chapter 198: Companions</h4>

    They rushed out of the flower bed, heading toward the auditorium through the shaded path. On the way, they ran into a few lone rune corpses, but they were swiftly dealt with by Gray Bear and Lithe Snake and their perfect teamwork.

    Two minutester, they made it to the back of the auditorium, returning to the construction site.

    The first song just ended.

    The whole processsted only five minutes, yet it felt to them like they had gone through a long, intensely terrifying nightmare.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re safe for now.¡± Standing by the door, Gray Bear looked outside to make sure that no rune corpse had followed them here. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.

    He then strode up to Lithe Snake and punched him in the shoulder. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t die so easily!¡±

    Lithe Snake responded with a cool look, ¡°I¡¯d been waiting for the broadcast. I thought you failed.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You underestimated us.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic. He took out a few bottles of water from the supply bag and threw them to the others. ¡°We¡¯ll take a 10-minute break. Get some drinks and a few bites, and check each other for injury.¡±

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly,¡± Nine Frost said. ¡°Make an inventory of the weapons. We¡¯ll allocate them between all of us.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    They each got on their own task. Soon, Old Joe realized that the highschool boy they had left tied up in the room was gone. He must have broken the ropes and run away. They didn¡¯t have the time to worry about a wanderer though.

    ¡°Can, Yellow Butterfly,e here,¡± ck Sparrow said and walked into a room. The three of them were going to check each other for injury.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yellow Butterfly followed her in.

    Can paused before rushing after them with her head lowered.

    Noticing her reaction, Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened. He hoped he was overthinking things.

    A minuteter, Yellow Butterfly left the room first. Then she started to sort out the weapons and the items in the supply bag efficiently.

    The men finished checking each other for wounds as well, and they started resting, getting hydrated and filling their stomachs.

    ¡°Captain, we only have one loaded gun now. There are 6 bullets.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly handed it to Nine Frost. ¡°There are 5 bottles of Medicine C, 2 bottles of Celestial Water, 2 sleep gas grenades, and 3 awakener adrenaline shots. Although we have ten Talent-amplifying essories with us, they won¡¯t be of any help.¡±

    ¡°What cold weapons do we have?¡± Nine Frost took the gun and asked.

    ¡°Brass knuckle, shortsword,posite bow, and nunchucks.¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s eyes shed with sorrow when she got to thest item. Nunchucks were always Dark Li¡¯s weapon of choice.

    ¡°Give the brass knuckles to ck Sparrow. Theposite bow is Xiuyi¡¯s.¡± Nine Frost turned to the others. ¡°Who wants the nunchucks?¡±

    No one said anything. None of them were particrly good with nunchucks, and for those who hadn¡¯t been trained, a shovel, a golf club, or even a spade would be a better weapon.

    ¡°Give it to me,¡± said Yellow Butterfly.

    Nine Frost nodded and continued, ¡°There¡¯s another shortsword. Anyone?¡±

    ¡°Give it to, me,¡± said Ronnie.

    Nine Frost nodded and looked at the handgun. ¡°There are six bullets left. Who¡¯s the best shot here?¡±

    ¡°Probably me.¡± Gray Bear smiled wryly. As a police officer, he had been properly trained in firearms. ¡°But I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯ve be more confident in my own fists.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. It was the same for him.

    None of the others were trained in firearms. After a moment of consideration, Nine Frost said, ¡°Keep this, Yellow Butterfly. When there¡¯s any danger, protect yourself and Can.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly took the gun and tucked it under her waistband.

    ¡°Captain.¡± ck Sparrow emerged from the room then, her expression tense. She first looked at Nine Frost before turning to Gao Yang, hesitant to continue.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He thought back to the time Can got tackled back in the teaching building.

    ¡°Go on,¡± said Nine Frost.

    ¡°Can...¡± ck Sparrow avoided Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯s a wound on her foot.¡±

    The air froze.

    Gao Yang suppressed a shudder. So it came.

    ¡°No!¡± Gray Bear lost his calm. ¡°Are you sure? Are you sure she was bit by a rune corpse?¡±

    ck Sparrow shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, and Can said that she couldn¡¯t remember. Still, I think we have to be prepared.¡±

    Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang. ¡°She¡¯s one of yours. I¡¯ll leave you to decide her fate.¡±

    ¡°No, no. It can¡¯t be a bite mark...¡± Xiran kept shaking his head in denial.

    Lithe Snake shot Gao Yang a cold look. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, I will.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, Lithe Snake?!¡± Xiran raised his voice into a yell. ¡°Can¡¯s ourpanion! We can¡¯t just give up on her! We can¡¯t treat her like that!¡±

    ¡°Ronnie, Uncle Bear! Say something!¡± Xiran cried his throat hoarse. ¡°<i>Say something!</i>¡±

    ¡°Xiran,¡± Gao Yang cut him off. ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°I said <i>stop</i>,¡± Gao Yang ordered.

    Eyes red and jaw set, Xiran turned to move to a wall, dropping to the ground while holding his head with both hands.

    ¡°Lend me a knife, Lithe Snake.¡±

    Lithe Snake drew a sharp dagger and handed it to Gao Yang. ¡°This is the sharpest one. It¡¯ll minimize her suffering.¡±

    Gao Yang took it and turned to Nine Frost. ¡°The transformation is quick. If she was bitten, she would turn in less than five minutes. Give me some time.¡±

    In other words, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t just kill her without proof. He would keep watch on Can for five minutes, and if she started to turn, he would take care of her with his own hands.

    Nine Frost quietly nodded, giving ck Sparrow a pointed look.

    Understanding his unspoken order, ck Sparrow put on the brass knuckles and quietly waited outside the room in case something unexpected happened.

    Holding the dagger behind his back, Gao Yang walked into the room.

    There was no electricity at the construction site, and the room was dark. The only source of light was the shlightid t on the table, illuminating a nted circle on the rough concrete wall.

    Can sat on the ground with her arms around her legs, her upper body within the circle. Her face looked pale under the light, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Her face lit up when she saw Gao Yange in, but only for a fleeting moment.

    She lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Are you...here to kill me?¡±

    Gao Yang squatted down by her side and tightened his right hand around the dagger, keeping it hidden behind him. With his left hand, he brushed Can¡¯s damp hair to the side. ¡°No, I¡¯m here to keep youpany.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can was hyper by nature, but she was unusually meek now. ¡°I, I wasn¡¯t lying. I don¡¯t know where I got the wound. I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Let me have a look.¡±

    Can nodded and extended her left leg. Lifting her loose jeans, he saw that her pale, delicate calf had a three centimeter gash on it. It wasn¡¯t deep, but it was bleeding.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t tell if it was a bite mark, a scratch, or other wounds.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Gao Yang let go and assured her. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bite mark.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so either...¡± Can¡¯s pale face gained a little color back. ¡°A bite mark would have hurt a lot, right? I would have known. But I didn¡¯t feel anything, truly. It must not be a bite mark...¡±

    Can continued to rattle off, her eyes wide like a deer facing a hunter¡¯s gun barrel, fearful, timid, anxious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Gao Yang smiled gently, yet he hadn¡¯t loosened his grip on the dagger.

    He stared at Can¡¯s eyes with his full attention. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate if she showed any signs of turning.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    Suddenly, Can burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m so scared. I don¡¯t want to die. I really don¡¯t... Would, would you not kill me?¡±

    <i>Ring¡ª</i>

    His head rang again.

 Chapter 199: Loss

    <h4>Chapter 199: Loss</h4>

    <i>Ring.</i>

    At that moment, it felt like something had snapped in his head. The relentless tinnitus prevented Gao Yang from thinking or feeling anything. In his blurry vision, he could only see Can¡¯s pale, desperate face, see her crying and begging with helpless fear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be a rune corpse. I don¡¯t wanna be a human-eating monster...¡±

    Finally, he could hear again. Gao Yang¡¯s palm was damp with sweat, but he didn¡¯t loosen his grip around the dagger.

    ¡°Can, it doesn¡¯t seem like a bite mark. Don¡¯t be scared...¡± Gao Yang ced his left hand on her shoulder, attempting to reassure her.

    He was simply trying to prevent her from breaking down. He wanted to make sure he wouldn¡¯t make the wrong call.

    Was she losing control because of fear, or was it a sign of her transformation? He had to be certain.

    ¡°Re-really?¡± Can calmed down a little.

    ¡°Yes, trust me.¡± Gao Yang felt like a shameless con man selling something he didn¡¯t believe in, but he had to do it.

    ¡°Alright, I trust you, Captain. We, we will be alright. We will get out of here safely...¡± Can¡¯s eyes lit up with renewed hope.

    ¡°Once I get out of here, I¡¯m gonna y games...no, I won¡¯t. I have to train more. I have to train properly and stop messing around. I must grow stronger. I don¡¯t wanna drag everyone down anymore...¡±

    Gao Yang forced his lips to curl into a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll honor my words!¡±

    Can gave him a weak smile.

    But then her smile slid off her face, and the false hope in her eyes dimmed. ¡°Captain, I, I don¡¯t feel too good. My chest feels tight, and I¡¯m getting lightheaded...¡±

    Gao Yang tensed and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Can blinked, her face growing paler. ¡°Would you hold me, Captain? I, I¡¯m really scared... I don¡¯t want, I don¡¯t want to die here alone...¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated. Can seemed so pitiful and helpless, but he worried that she would turn into a vicious rune corpse the next second and break his neck with a bite.

    After two hesitant seconds, he leaned in to pull Can into his arms with his left hand, holding her head to his chest at an angle that would allow him to keep her under control should she turn. At the same time, he slightly lifted his right hand, ready to stab her through the chin to get to her brain anytime.

    ¡°Thank you, Captain. I feel much better now...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Captain, do you know that you¡¯re actually my type? But I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t like a girl like me. I don¡¯t have a pretty face, and I act like a boy...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve done a test that said I¡¯m of the avoidant attachment type... If the person I like returns my feelings, I¡¯ll stop liking them. So don¡¯t return my feelings, Captain. Then I can continue to like you, haha...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid anymore, Captain. Do it now.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart seized up, and his grip around the dagger faltered.

    He took a deep breath and focused, waiting withplete concentration.

    Three seconds.

    Ten seconds.

    Then thirty seconds had passed.

    Even after a minute, Gao Yang still hadn¡¯t made a move.

    Confused, Can slowly looked up at him. ¡°Captain, you...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been more than five minutes,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been listening to your heartbeat. It hasn¡¯t stopped or sped up noticeably.¡±

    Then he held onto her chin. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang saw no unusual sign. Then he even lifted her eyelids. There was no change to her pupils. And her forehead didn¡¯t seem particrly hot. Actually, it was a little cool to the touch.

    No matter how he saw it, it didn¡¯t seem like she was turning.

    Gao Yang finally sighed in relief. ¡°You weren¡¯t bitten.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Can paused, shocked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t...bitten?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s gaze was certain. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch.¡±

    ¡°But I feel dizzy. And my body doesn¡¯t feel right...¡±

    ¡°You have low blood sugar, don¡¯t you?¡± Gao Yang guessed. ¡°You¡¯re too thin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I do have low blood sugar.¡± Can realized her mistake and quickly found a piece of chocte from her pocket. ¡°I even bring choctes with me in case I faint. Why, why did I forget all that...¡±

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can flushed red, dropping the chocte and covering her face with both hands. ¡°What did I just say? Oh my god just kill me! I can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Quiet. We don¡¯t want to draw rune corpses here.¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the chocte from the floor and tore off the wrapper. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Can did as he said.

    Gao Yang popped the chocte into her mouth and rose to his feet, offering her a hand. ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    The false scare left Can with an overwhelming relief and joy that one felt after surviving a close call. Her eyes were misty and red. She took her captain¡¯s hand and stood up.

    Gao Yang and Can walked out of the room. ck Sparrow had been keeping watch from the door, and she finally rxed as well, smiling at Gao Yang and Can. ¡°As long as you¡¯re alright.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Can!¡± Gray Bear walked up to them joyously and ruffled Can¡¯s hair. ¡°Silly girl, you almost scared me to death!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Can lowered her head and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I almost wet my pants!¡±

    Lithe Snake still had an impassive expression on his face, but his gaze softened a little. He walked up to Gao Yang and took back his dagger.

    ¡°Wee, back.¡± Ronnie was happy for her as well.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiran?¡± Can pretended to be angry. ¡°Hmph! I heard your conversation from start to finish! Xiran is the one who cares about me the most!¡±

    Xiran was still standing by the window. With his hands holding onto the windowsill, he seemed deep in thought.

    Can happily ran toward him. ¡°Xiran, I¡¯m alright! You don¡¯t have to worry!¡±

    Can grabbed her and yanked her back. ¡°Wait.¡±

    Something didn¡¯t feel right to Gao Yang. Xiran should be the one most happy for Can, but he had been way too calm, even cold.

    ¡°Xiran?¡± Gao Yang called out to him. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xiran said quietly, but he didn¡¯t turn around.

    ¡°Xiran, Can is alright. It¡¯s a false scare.¡± Gao Yang took two steps toward him, but kept a three-meter distance.

    The others shone their shlights at Xiran.

    ¡°Ah, I heard. That¡¯s great.¡±

    Xiran slowly turned around. His face was unnaturally pale, and he was entirely drenched in sweat. Dark brown spots appeared around his eyes like mold. His fair, gentle face turned lifeless and macabre.

    ¡°Wee back, Can.¡± Xiran tried to smile. Then blood streaked down his nostrils and tainted his white shirt.

    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t happening...¡± Can¡¯s eyes widened, tears threatening to fall.

    Xiran wiped the blood off and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m just, I¡¯m just a little dizzy. It¡¯s probably low blood sugar too. I¡¯ll be fine after a break...¡±

    Xiran walked toward them, and everyone stepped back.

    ¡°Xiran,¡± Gao Yang stopped him harshly, his gaze pained. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Lithe Snake went up to Gao Yang¡¯s side and drew his shortsword. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiran. I¡¯ll make it quick.¡±

    ¡°Lithe Snake, what are you talking about...¡±

    Xiran helplessly turned to Lithe Snake, but he could no longer see anything. His eyes seemed to melt at once and streamed down along with viscous blood, leaving only two empty eye sockets.

    Red veins climbed up his neck and quickly spread through his face. He gurgled from his throat, still talking, but one had to pay particr attention to make out the words.

    ¡°We, we¡¯repanions... Companions don¡¯t give up onpanions... Companions...¡±

    <i>Growl!</i>

    What was left of his humanity was gone. He opened his bloodied mouth and lunged at Gao Yang.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Lithe Snake unsheathed his shortsword, and with a quick, fierce sh, Xiran¡¯s head fell.

    His headless body followed the momentum and mmed into Gao Yang¡¯s chest. The blood gushing out from his severed aortic arch made a crimson mess of Gao Yang¡¯s clothes.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t move at all but pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

    Two secondster, Xiran¡¯s headless body slowly dropped to his knees before Gao Yang. Then finally, it copsed in a pool of blood.

    ¡°Xiran!¡± Can cried out with a sob, followed by the heartbroken calls from Ronnie and Gray Bear.

    Xiran died, at Gao Yang¡¯s feet.

    He suddenly heard the young man¡¯s voice in his head.

    <i>¡ªI¡¯m Xiran. Xi for west, and ran for burning. Nice to meet you, Captain.</i>

    <i>¡ªBack in elementary school, I wrote an essay titled, My Mom. Growing up, we only had each other, and things weren¡¯t easy.</i>

    <i>¡ªI may never know what Lin Mengjuan is in my lifetime.</i>

    <i>¡ªCan¡¯s ourpanion! We can¡¯t just give up on her!</i>

    Ring¡ª

    The damn tinnitus hit him again.

 Chapter 200: Battle Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 200: Battle Preparation</h4>

    Inside a dim room, Xiran¡¯s head and body were pieced back together and covered with a tarpaulin. Holding a shlight, Gao Yang sat vignt beside it.

    They didn¡¯t have enough time, so with a heavy heart, the fifth team gave Xiran a quick farewell.

    Can had been crying nonstop. Gray Bear¡¯s eyes were also red. Lithe Snake hadn¡¯t said anything, but simply did what he had to do.

    Other than Gao Yang, Ronnie had stayed with the body the longest. He had acted unusually calm after Xiran¡¯s death. It wasn¡¯t that Ronnie wasn¡¯t sad. Gao Yang knew that. The young man had simply not wrapped his head around his friend¡¯s death, so the feelings took some time to register.

    Xiran¡¯s sses were covered in blood, one of the lenses broken.

    With great care, Ronnie used the handkerchief he carried around to wipe the sses clean before tucking them into his waist pack.

    He knew that he might not be able to take Xiran¡¯s body back to their world. Just in case, he took something to remember his friend by.

    ¡°When I first joined the Qilin Guild, I...only had Xiran as a friend,¡± Ronnie said.

    Gao Yang quietly listened.

    ¡°We¡¯re both curious, about what lies behind the, Gates of Closure.¡± Ronnie looked at the body under the tarpaulin. ¡°Xiran will never know now. I have to live, live until the day I see the truth for him.¡±

    As he spoke, Ronnie slowly lost his signature strange way of dividing sentences without realizing it.

    ¡°If I die as well, Captain, you must live to the day you can bear witness for us.¡± Ronnie¡¯s gaze was firm and heated. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°I will,¡± Gao Yang promised him seriously.

    ...

    The broadcast system continued to y the mixtape. Resounding in the hellish Eleventh High School now was a ssical-sounding song with a mournful, tragic melody.

    <i>Who¡¯s ying the lute, ying the ancient tune of east wind.</i>

    <i>Maple leaves color the story. I have already seen the ending.</i>

    <i>Along the old path outside the fence, I walked with you hand in hand.</i>

    <i>In the time of destion, even our breakup is silent.</i>

    The ten of them walked out of the construction site to the shaded path. Gray Bear and Lithe Snake were in the lead, the former holding arge shovel, and thetter holding his shortsword.

    Xiuyi and ck Sparrow were in the second row. Equipped with a pair of brass knuckles, ck Sparrow looked out for any ambush from the sides, while Xiuyi raised hisposite bow with an arrow nocked in preparation to deal with rune corpses from a distance.

    Can and Yellow Butterfly were in the third row. Can had a one-meter long rebar to defend herself with, while Yellow Butterfly held a gun with both hands in vignce, the nunchucks hung at her waist.

    Ronnie and Old Joe were in the fourth row. Ronnie had a dagger for self-defense and the now lighter supply bag on his back. Old Joe was holding a golf club with another bag of supplies.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost took the rear. Gao Yang had found a crowbar that was the shape of the number seven, while Nine Frost was holding a rock pick hammer.

    With the broadcasted music drawing most of the rune corpses to the teaching building, they encountered only stragglers as they walked along the fringe of the campus, and through their teamwork, they were able to take out those rune corpses without much trouble.

    Soon, they made it to the parking lot near the school gate. Or it would be more urate to call it a clearing of concrete floor, parked with three old-fashioned sedans.

    Old Joe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Cars!¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Gray Bear asked. ¡°It¡¯s not as if we can drive out of here.¡±

    ¡°There are cars! And carse with petrol!¡± Old Joe turned to Nine Frost with excitement. ¡°Captain, with petrol, we would be able to attack with fire!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly asked. ¡°It¡¯s been eighteen years. Would the petrol still work?¡±

    ¡°Things are different in Rune Caves. There shouldn¡¯t be an expiry date,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try.¡±

    They turned to Nine Frost.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Nine Frost then asked a question, ¡°But how do we get the petrol out of the car?¡±

    Gao Yang had been thinking about that as well, and looking around, he came up with an idea.

    He walked to the nearby garden, where there was a tap on thewn, connected to a hose. On the side was an aluminum water bucket. Gao Yang detached the hose and threw it to Old Joe before bringing the bucket over.

    Old Joe gave him an approving look that said, ¡®You know me well.¡¯ Then he moved to crouched behind the car, opening the tank cap to insert the hose.

    Holding the other end of the hose with both hands, Old Joe made a sharp intake of breath.

    Soon, petroleum moved along the hose into the bucket. Old Joe leaned in to have a smell. Then he said excitedly, ¡°I think it¡¯s still good!¡±

    His ease throughout the process made it clear that he had done the same thing quite often before going to jail. In less than the time of a song, he had already emptied the gas tank of all three cars and filled the bucket.

    Gray Bear looked from the side with his hands behind his back. He still didn¡¯t understand how the bucket of petrol was going to be of any help.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°To the campus shop.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Gray Bear finally caught on. ¡°We can make molotov cocktails!¡±

    They took the long way around the teaching building and made it to the shop. The outbreak happened during the first session of the evening self-study. Thus the shop hadn¡¯t been closed down, and the door remained open.

    Inside, a couple rune corpses wandered. It didn¡¯t take long to eliminate the threats.

    They rummaged through the shop and found a box half filled with bottled red wine. They emptied the bottles before filling them with petrol.

    Then they peeled the clothes off the rune corpses and tore them into strands of fabric, shoving the strands into the bottles for the petrol to soak in.

    They made eight simple molotov cocktails in the end.

    Given the constraint of the circumstances, they had done their best to maximize firepower. Now they had to find Li Zhuanghu.

    They faced another problem, however. The cassette tape would reach the end of its ytime in a few minutes. Then the rune corpses swarming the teaching building would be a threat again. They had to rush back to the broadcast room to flip the tape, but the building was now too dangerous to go through. The first floor alone was crammed with too many rune corpses. It would be a suicide mission.

    Gao Yang had an idea. He turned to the others, ¡°We aren¡¯t going back to the broadcast room. Let¡¯s go to the auditorium.¡±

    They made it there before the music stopped ying.

    During the evening self-study, the auditorium was closed down. There were no students inside, which meant there were no rune corpses.

    The ten of them broke in. Gao Yang headed straight to the stage at the other end. There was a microphone on the podium.

    Gray Bear got what he was nning. Heughed. ¡°It¡¯ll work! Since we have the molotov cocktails, let¡¯s kill them all here!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and observed the auditorium. ¡°When the music stops, we draw the rune corpses to the auditorium with the microphone and shut the door, throwing the molotov cocktails to burn all of them dead.¡±

    ¡°Would Li Zhuanghu be drawn here?¡± asked Yellow Butterfly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he would,¡± Nine Frost said.

    Gao Yang agreed, ¡°He seems to have maintained a certain level of intelligence. Although he can¡¯t think like we do, he¡¯s not brainless like the other rune corpses.¡±

    Lithe Snake agreed, thinking back to the moment the outbreak happened. ¡°At the time, instead of making a move himself, he had sent the rune corpses after us. He¡¯s quite cunning.¡±

    ¡°If Li Zhuanghu can indeed control rune corpses, we will have to fight the rune corpses even when we find him,¡± Gao Yang concluded. ¡°We¡¯ll stand a better chance if we take out his pawns first.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a n,¡± Nine Frost addressed everyone. ¡°Then we¡¯ll split the work.¡±

 Chapter 201: Purgatory

    <h4>Chapter 201: Purgatory</h4>

    The n was simple: draw rune corpses to the auditorium, then burn them all.

    The problem was how they were going to maximize the number of rune corpses they killed. After some discussion, they came to a viable n.

    They first piled up the tables found in the auditorium to make a three-meter tform. It had to be stable, and it had to be near the center of the auditorium.

    At least three people would be standing on the tform. Two would be in charge of throwing the molotov cocktails in different directions to cover all parts of the auditorium. And the remaining one or more would cover the two bombers.

    To ensure their safe retreat, the tform was assembled near a window. Gray Bear broke it beforehand so that after doing what they had to do, the group on the tform could escape through the window.

    Yellow Butterfly and Can found two foam mats andid them on the ground outside the window for safending. Then the other chairs, tables, curtains, and mmable items were scattered around to fuel the fire.

    They nned the escape routes and assigned work for everyone else as well.

    Half an hourter, Can stood on the stage with a microphone in hand.

    ¡°Hello, ahem...¡±

    She felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Evening, teachers and fellow students. Although you¡¯ve all turned into something different, I know it¡¯s not by your own will. Tonight, I¡¯m gifting you with a song. I hope that in your next lives, you will be ssmates and colleagues again, and you will be happy.¡±

    Unlike her usual clumsy image, Can sang with a clear, emotional voice.

    Soon, her singing could be heard without apaniment, broadcasting from the auditorium.

    <i>Tomorrow, will you remember</i>

    <i>The diary you wrote yesterday.</i>

    <i>Tomorrow, will you think about</i>

    <i>The cry baby you used to be.</i>

    <i>The teachers have long forgotten</i>

    <i>The student who can never guess the right answer.</i>

    <i>Even I, only when I went through the photos</i>

    <i>Did I remember you, who once sat next to me</i>[1].

    The aimlessly roaming rune corpses were gradually drawn by the singing. At first, they ambled slowly toward the auditorium, their faces numb. However, as they got closer and closer to the singing voice, they also moved faster and faster, their expression increasingly vicious.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Half a minuteter, what had been a student mmed the front door open. It was a uniformed highschool girl, hair messy and body covered in blood. Her right elbow had been torn, leaving her arm dangling.

    ¡°Gah...¡±

    ¡°Grrr...¡±

    She staggered and rushed toward Can.

    More and more undead students came rushing, swarming toward the stage. With the barricade built around the stage blocking their way, however, the rune corpses couldn¡¯t get to Can, at least not in the short term. All they could do was brandish their ws and teeth at her, raging futilely.

    Can paled and staggered back, her singing stopped.

    Then a hand found her shoulder. It was Yellow Butterfly. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m with you. Keep going.¡±

    Can took a deep steadying breath and opened her mouth again.

    <i>Who married the sentimental girl you are.</i>

    <i>Who read your diary.</i>

    <i>Who put up your long hair.</i>

    <i>Who made your wedding gown.</i>

    <i>You were so timid</i>

    <i>Asking to borrow an eraser from me.</i>

    <i>You once let it slip</i>

    <i>That you liked being with me.</i>

    <i>The sky was always so blue then,</i>

    <i>And the days so slow.</i>

    <i>You always said the graduation was so far away,</i>

    <i>Yet we parted ways so suddenly.</i>

    More and more rune corpses rushed in. Soon, the auditorium was packed full of them. Quietly perching on the tform made of tables, Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and Xiuyi held their breaths since a hit from the rune corpses swarm would topple the tform like a house of cards.

    ¡°Now?¡± Nine Frost mouthed at him with a molotov cocktail in hand.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Gao Yang was holding one as well, and his other hand was holding a lighter they got from the shop.

    More rune corpses rushed into the auditorium, swarming toward the singing voice. The barricades preventing them from getting onto the stage were close to falling apart.

    Can continued to sing despite her trembling voice. She was trying her best to tamp down her fear so that she wouldn¡¯t just stagger back and run.

    Finally, rune corpses stopped rushing in.

    ¡°Shut the door!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake jumped out of the bushes they had been hiding behind and shut the auditorium door. A few rune corpses heard and turned to throw themselves at it, but the door held firm.

    Can dropped the microphone and, alongside Yellow Butterfly, yanked the ropes connected to the stage drape, bringing it down to the barricades and triggered a copse. Immediately, the two rushed backstage and shut the door, escaping through a small window.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang had lit the molotov cocktail in his hand and hurled it where the rune corpses were most dense.

    <i>ng!</i>

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    The bottle shattered, and mes burst and spread, creating a small sea of fire. The rune corpses caught in the ssh writhed, struggled, and cried out in suffering.

    <i>ng, ng!</i>

    <i>Ssh! Ssh!</i>

    Two bursts of mes bloomed in the auditorium. Now that they had lost the target on stage, the rune corpses started rampaging about, spreading the mes on their bodies as they came into contact with other rune corpses.

    Soon, the auditorium was flooded with zing mes.

    The temperature surged, and the waves of heat carried the repulsive smell of burning blood and flesh.

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, and Xiuyi covered their noses and mouths with the wet towels they had prepared beforehand as they scanned around. Then they threw the rest of the molotov cocktails they had made.

    More and more rune corpses wereing toward the makeshift tform of tables. Thankfully, they were rushing in from all directions, and under the evenly distributed forces, the tform remained standing.

    Still, some were already climbing over their fellow rune corpses and slowly made their way up.

    Holding his breath, Xiuyi pulled out an arrow from his quiver and drew theposite bow, prepared to fire.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Pierced in the heads by the arrows, the rune corpses fell, but more were climbing up continuously. With his share of molotov cocktails thrown, Nine Frost grabbed his rock pick hammer and joined the fight with his breath held.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The pointed end pierced through the temple of a rune corpse that had almost reached them, and it fell without making a sound.

    Gao Yang had thrown thest molotov cocktail as well and made sure there was no part of the auditorium left untouched.

    Violent waves of mes devoured all as ck smoke rose with scatterings of embers. The cries of madness, fury, and pain threatened to reach heaven. The auditorium had transformed into a purgatory.

    The thick smoke prevented Gao Yang from breathing or speaking. He held his breath and patted Nine Frost and Xiuyi, making a gesture at them. <i>Out of the window! Now!</i>

    Xiuyi nodded and put his bow on his back before leaping toward the window. Above the burning rune corpses, he jumped out.

    Outside were two foam mats, and Old Joe was keeping watch.

    Nine Frost was the second to make the jump, and he made it through the window.

    That left Gao Yang. Just when he was going to jump, however, the tform beneath his feet wavered. It was never that stable, and without the weight of his twopanions holding it down, the tform became even more vulnerable. In the end, it copsed from the swarming rune corpses.

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. He knew he didn¡¯t have the time to make a proper jump on the copsing tables. Thankfully, there was a dense pir of rune corpses under him, and hended on the shoulder of two rune corpses. Before they could bite him, he stepped onto another rune corpse.

    He could make it!

    With a strong jump, he made it out of the window andnded on the foam matts.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Old Joe helped him up.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±

    He lifted the hem of his pants to check his legs. There was no wound.

    Then two burning rune corpses were lifted to the window by the converging swarm, and they squeezed through the frame

    Nine Frost immediately broke their heads with the rock pick hammer.

    For a while, they stayed outside the windows to take care of the stragglers they didn¡¯t manage to burn to death. Only when the fire grew in intensity and spread outward did they draw back.

    Outside the auditorium was the running track. Panting, Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Xiuyi, and Old Joe rested on the cinder track.

    Soon, they were joined by Yellow Butterfly, Can, Ronnie, Gray Bear, and Lithe Snake.

    The ten of them stared at the burning auditorium and the sky dyed red by the firelight behind it. For a moment, none of them said anything.

    ¡°Did we...seed?¡± Can said in disbelief.

    ¡°We did.¡± Gray Bear rested his hands on his hip, his expressionplicated.

    Gao Yang rose to his feet and helped Nine Frost and Xiuyi up. Just when he was going to say something, Lithe Snake caught his eyes.

    With his back to the auditorium, Lithe Snake¡¯s face looked steely with the warm backlight outlining his figure.

    He was looking over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders at the running track behind. ¡°It¡¯sing.¡±

    Gao Yang whirled around.

    It was Li Zhuanghu.

    1. Lyrics of <i>You, Who Sat Next to Me</i> by Lao Lang ?

 Chapter 202: Difficult Fight

    <h4>Chapter 202: Difficult Fight</h4>

    Truthfully, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be certain it was Li Zhuanghu, but his intuition hadn¡¯t failed him yet.

    The burning auditorium cast a faint light on the farside of the running track. There stood a group of shadowy figures. None of them moved. And given their formation, they looked like a cross in a graveyard from a distance.

    The one standing at the center of the cross flickered a red light, blinking like the beacon of a sailing vessel.

    Everyone froze.

    ¡°Captain, they...seem to be moving,¡± Can said with a tinge of fear.

    Gao Yang had noticed that already.

    The group was slowly approaching them.

    They became clearly visible when they moved to the center of the running track. The figure at the heart of the formation was indeed Li Zhuanghu, now a monster that had be one with the Rune Circuit. And around him, there were more than fifty rune corpses.

    Each of them was covered in red veins, along which red energy flowed like parasites. Their empty eye sockets glowed a crimson red, flickering in tandem with the Rune Circuit in Li Zhuanghu¡¯s chest, where his heart should be.

    Gao Yang had basically confirmed his hypothesis. He said in a thin voice, ¡°We were right. Li Zhuanghu can control rune corpses, but there¡¯s a limit to the range or the number.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s impossible for us to iste Li Zhuanghu and kill him,¡± Nine Frost concluded.

    ¡°Do, do we run?¡± Can¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°How are we going to beat them...?¡±

    ¡°The Rune Cave is only as big as the school. Where else can we run to?¡± Lithe Snake quietly drew the shortsword at his waist. ¡°We fight with all we have.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He was still observing.

    The rune corpses surrounding Li Zhuanghu could be divided into three circles. The outermost circle consisted of twenty rune corpses, the second circle, about a dozen, and the innermost circle, about seven.

    The outermost circle of rune corpses didn¡¯t rush straight toward Gao Yang and hispanions, but split into two wings for a pincer movement, while the rest advanced upon them slowly under Li Zhuanghu¡¯s leadership.

    Gray Bear spat out blood and wiped his bloodied beard. ¡°He¡¯s looking to erase all of us.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve eliminated most of the rune corpses, and Li Zhuanghu felt the threat we pose.¡± Gao Yang calmly analyzed. ¡°Monsters that have mutated under the influence of a Rune Circuit possess a certain level of intelligence, and they strictly follow their obsession from before their death. Li Zhuanghu hated the world. He sought to kill everyone...¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap, Captain, and give us the orders,¡± Lithe Snake cut him off. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die here.¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback. It was the first time Lithe Snake ever called him ¡®captain¡¯.

    The others turned to him as well, looking to him for instructions.

    At some point, Gao Yang had be the de facto leader for this mission.

    He took a deep breath.

    <i>Calm down, think, and make a decision.</i>

    ¡°Can, Yellow Butterfly, run now. You should be able to draw some of the rune corpses away, but don¡¯t engage them in a fight. Only fire at them when you can¡¯t outrun them.¡±

    ¡°Copy that!¡±

    ¡°Got it, Captain!¡±

    Can and Yellow Butterfly exchanged a nce and ran toward the left side of the running track. About seven rune corpses broke away from the two wings to chase after them.

    ¡°Gray Bear, Nine Frost, ck Sparrow, Old Joe, and Ronnie, split into two teams. Draw as many rune corpses away from Li Zhuanghu as possible.¡±

    Nine Frost waved a hand. ¡°Old Joe, Ronnie, take the left with me. Gray Bear, ck Sparrow, go right.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The five of them broke off to the sides and drew the rune corpses that were meant to surround them.

    The outermost circle of rune corpses had all been pulled away.

    ¡°Xiuyi,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Take out themander, and we win the fight. Shoot him!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Xiuyi drew theposite bow and nocked an arrow, shooting at Li Zhuangu from forty meters away. <i>Swoosh! </i>A rune corpse fell silently, its head pierced. It had taken the fatal hit for Li Zhuanghu.

    <i>Swoosh!</i> Another arrow was shot. This time, a rune corpse took the hit with its chest. It didn¡¯t fall down, but instead continued to advance, only at a slower speed.

    The light in Li Zhuanghu¡¯s eyes surged suddenly, and as if receiving hismand, the few rune corpses before him dashed toward Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, and Xiuyi.

    Soon, they closed their distance by half, which meant they were now within the attack range of Lithe Snake¡¯s throwing knives.

    <i>Swish, swish!</i>

    Two throwing knives hit each of the two rune corpses in the eyes. One copsed, while the other slowed but didn¡¯t stop. It continued to charge at them.

    ¡°Attack when you spot an opening, Xiuyi! Come on, Lithe Snake!¡±

    With the shoutedmand, Gao Yang gripped the crowbar in his hand and rushed toward the rune corpses.

    Lithe Snake charged alongside him with his shortsword.

    <i>St.</i>

    The roughly made but sharp crowbar pierced through a rune corpse¡¯s temple. Blood sttered like spring.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Then a gunshot was heard from the shaded path.

    ...

    Yellow Butterfly and Can ran across the running track and reached the concrete stairs leading to the shaded path.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Yellow Butterfly realized Can wasn¡¯t with her when she reached the stairs. She turned around and saw that Can was still on the running track.

    ¡°Come on, Can!¡±

    ¡°Some rune corpses turned back. I have to draw them here!¡± Can trembled, but she still mustered the courage to shout at the rune corpses. ¡°Come on! I¡¯m here!¡±

    Hearing her voice, the two rune corpses that had turned back rejoined the other rune corpses. The one closest to Can was now only two meters from her.

    Just when she was about to turn to run, the rune corpse lunged at her suddenly.

    Caught off guard, Can didn¡¯t have enough time to avoid it.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    A bullet hit the rune corpse in the head with great precision. It staggered and copsed by Can¡¯s feet.

    Can was disoriented. Her head was ringing from the gunshot in close proximity, and she couldn¡¯t hear anything else.

    Someone grabbed her hand. She turned to see that it was Yellow Butterfly.

    The two rushed to the shaded path. As they ran, Yellow Butterfly chastised her, ¡°That was too close! How am I going to face your captain if you die?¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Can said guilty. ¡°I, I just wanted to do more to help.¡±

    ¡°And you do it when it¡¯s the right time! Don¡¯t repeat the mistake!¡± Yellow Butterfly scolded her, acting as the leader of the unit of two.

    ¡°I see my mistake.¡±

    Can took the criticism well. Then she gave Yellow Butterfly an admiring look. ¡°You¡¯re such a good shot, Sister Yellow Butterfly. You made a headshot with only one try.¡±

    ¡°The Guild provides firearms courses and shooting training every month. Don¡¯t you ever attend?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Can said, shamefaced. ¡°I skipped all of them.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly smiled wryly. ¡°Are you going to skip more sses going forward?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡±

    They spoke as they ran, looking back at the rune corpses every once in a while to make sure that they were still following.

    Soon, the pair reached the concrete clearing at the school gate. Yellow Butterfly looked around and picked up a brick, mming the backseat window of one of the sedans.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The window shattered.

    Yellow Butterfly cast the brick away and reached through the window to open the door. ¡°Get in! Now!¡±

    Can quickly dove into the car. Then Yellow Butterfly followed and shut the door.

    In less than ten seconds, the group of rune corpses caught up with them and surrounded the car. The two women pressed themselves toward the side where the window was still intact. Holding the gun with both hands, Yellow Butterfly took two deep breaths to steady her heartbeat.

    A rune corpse growled as it squeezed itself through the broken window.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The bullet prated its skull, and the rune corpse copsed, hanging on the broken window, its blood dripping down from the top of its head.

    Back pressed against the curled up Can, Yellow Butterfly kicked the rune corpse away with both feet.

    A few secondster, another rune corpse attempted to make it through the window.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Another point nk shot. The rune corpse was hit in the head.

    Then Yellow Butterfly kicked it off the same way, waiting for the next rune corpse toe to its death.

    Including the earlier shot, the six bullets ended up killing six rune corpses with headshots. Yellow Butterfly hadn¡¯t wasted a single chance.

    Can gaped, unable to recover her jaw.

    ¡°Sister Butterfly! You¡¯re awesome!¡± Can gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re a real heroine! Rtionship ends with Captain. You are now my new crush!¡±

    ¡°Save the ttery for after we¡¯ve dealt with all of them.¡± Yellow Butterfly took the rebar from Can. Meanwhile, thest rune corpse was reaching through the window.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    With a yell, Yellow Butterfly shoved the rebar through the rune corpse¡¯s eye socket, from which viscous blood flowed. It didn¡¯t die, but continued to swing its arms around in an attempt to grab Yellow Butterfly.

    ¡°Help me! Push!¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s face flushed red.

    Can ced both hands on her back and pushed.

    <i>St!</i>

    The rebar pierced through the rune corpse¡¯s head, protruding from the back of its skull. Finally, it died and copsed silently, stuck in the window frame while bleeding.

    ¡°Open the door!¡±

    Can opened the door on her side, and the two of them climbed out of the car.

    Can looked around. They had dealt with all the rune corpses chasing after them. She let out a long breath and wiped away the sweat on her face.

    Without resting, Yellow Butterfly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and help!¡±

 Chapter 203: Difficult Fight 2

    <h4>Chapter 203: Difficult Fight 2</h4>

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Lithe Snake¡¯s shortsword cut through a rune corpse¡¯s neck. He had aimed to decapitate the rune corpse, but having made shes after shes at high intensity without rest, he was drained, and his de dulled.

    While the rune corpse¡¯s head did tilt as blood gushed out of its severed artery, it didn¡¯t stop lunging and biting at Lithe Snake, its hands grabbing onto his body.

    <i>St!</i>

    Gao Yang brought his crowbar down on the rune corpse¡¯s head like a hoe, and with a yank, he hurled it backward, off of Lithe Snake.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    Gao Yang panted heavily. He was running out of stamina too.

    In less than one minute, they moved as they fought and killed eight rune corpses between them. It was the best they could do.

    Neither of them werebatant suitable for prolonged battles like Gray Bear. While they were agile and had good explosive power, their endurance left something to be desired.

    At that moment, Gao Yang was overwhelmed with regret.

    He had been too reliant on his system and Talents. As a result, he hadn¡¯t spent much time on basic physical training, nor had he sought War Tiger out for sparring.

    Were Qing Ling in his ce with her Tang Dao, she would win even without her Talents.

    <i>Shit, I can¡¯t afford to be distracted.</i>

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Lithe Snake pushed Gao Yang away. The rune corpseing his way missed him as a result.

    Gao Yang rolled to his feet, and as soon as he steadied himself, he gritted his teeth darkly and rushed toward Xiuyi.

    Xiuyi was nocking an arrow to his bow, ignorant of the rune corpse speeding up toward him from the side.

    ¡°Left!¡± Gao Yang shouted. Xiuyi whirled around to find the rune corpse right in his space.

    He panickedly fired an arrow, which pierced the rune corpse¡¯s chest without slowing it down. Xiuyi staggered back and fell on his bottom. The rune corpse pounced on him, biting at his neck. He managed to keep it away by pushing the bow to the rune corpse¡¯s chin, but the precarious stalemate could break at any moment.

    Gao Yang reached him just in time to grab the rune corpse¡¯s neck with his crowbar.

    ¡°Growl...grrr...¡±

    The rune corpse kept making biting motions in the air, its teeth clunking two centimeters away from Xiuyi¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Off!¡±

    With a yank, Gao Yang pulled the rune corpse off Xiuyi.

    Xiuyi immediately picked himself up and grabbed an arrow, nocking it to the bow. It pierced the rune corpse¡¯s head from a close distance with a swoosh.

    Xiuyi didn¡¯t have the time to thank Gao Yang. His quiver was now empty.

    Stumbling forward, he pulled out the arrows in the rune corpse¡¯s chest and head, taking aim at Li Zhuanghu from a short distance away.

    There were six more rune corpses around him.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    The arrow hit another rune corpse¡¯s head instead of Li Zhuanghu¡¯s.

    ¡°That¡¯s your final arrow. Don¡¯t shoot yet!¡± Gao Yang said.

    He raised his crowbar and rushed toward Lithe Snake, helping him kill a rune corpse.

    ¡°You good?¡± Gao Yang said as he panted.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lithe Snake was drenched in sweat and blood. With a cold smile, he wiped away the blood on his face.

    ¡°We¡¯ll charge to create an opening for Xiuyi!¡± Gao Yang said.

    Lithe Snake nodded.

    They rushed at Li Zhuanghu.

    As expected, the rune corpses around Li Zhuanghu reacted and stormed Gao Yang and Lithe Snake.

    Meanwhile, Gray Bear and ck Sparrow were getting chased by about a dozen rune corpses.

    They hadn¡¯t left the running track, but had instead been keeping in range of their otherpanions.

    Gray Bear¡¯s shovel had broken after an honorable service, cutting off two rune corpses¡¯ heads, leaving him with a wooden stick that was less than one meter long. And the brass knuckles on ck Sparrow¡¯s hands were bloodied. The two of them were almost at their limit.

    Sweating, Gray Bear scowled darkly. They wouldn¡¯t be able to make it if things went on like this.

    Suddenly, his eyes caught something and lit up with hope.

    ¡°The ser goal!¡±

    Behind them was a ser goal. They quickly ran around to its back.

    The braindead rune corpses continued their charge without even the thought of turning, and they dashed right into the, getting caught in it. However, their momentum was so great that the almost toppled.

    ¡°Keep it up!¡±

    Gray Bear held onto one side of the frame. ck Sparrow immediately ran to the other side and helped him keep the ser goal firmly in ce.

    They barely managed to stop the first wave of impacts. The rune corpses reached through the, but they were stuck and couldn¡¯t break free for the moment.

    ¡°It won¡¯t hold them for long!¡± Gray Bear shouted. ¡°Quickly take care of them!¡±

    They let go of the frame at the same time, and the ser goal slowly got pushed from where it had been.

    Gray Bear and ck Sparrow backed away as they attacked the rune corpses stuck in the.

    Gray Bear stabbed the rune corpses with the wooden stick in his hand, while ck Sparrow punched at their heads with her brass knuckles. Crying out, the rune corpses copsed one by one, their bodies hanging uselessly from the.

    Just when the ser goal was going to get pushed to the running track, thest rune corpse died as well.

    Exhausted, ck Sparrow and Gray Bear could barely lift their arms.

    <i>Huff, huff, huff... </i>Gray Bear dropped the bloodied wooden stick in his hands to the ground, taking big breaths. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m gonna faint...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re out of shape,¡± ck Sparrow sat down on the ground and mocked him while panting.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been too reliant on my Talents the past few years,¡± Gray Bear reflected, shaking his head. ¡°I need to spend more time training in the gym once I go back.¡±

    ck Sparrow smiled bitterly. ¡°Same for me. I¡¯ve gotten rusty with my boxing techniques.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Gray Bear¡¯s smile slid off when his gaze shifted to the running track. He shot to his feet. ¡°We need to help!¡±

    ...

    On the clearing on the right side of the running track, Nine Frost, Ronnie, and Old Joe had their backs pressed together, standing on a concrete tform serving as a pingpong table. All around them were seven rune corpses. They reached out in an attempt to climb onto the tform.

    Holding a rock pick hammer, Nine Frost mmed the head of any rune corpse who had popped up like he was ying whack-a-mole. Although he could prevent the rune corpses from climbing up, he wasn¡¯t able to kill the rune corpse with every hit.

    Old Joe had been swinging his golf club, while Ronnie had been making jabs with a dagger, focusing on hitting the hands of the rune corpses attempting to grab his and hispanions¡¯ calves.

    It was a dangerous fight. The three of them had to be on guard against the wing and biting from all directions.

    After two minutes, the seven rune corpses were finally all taken care of, lying silently on the floor.

    The three of them sat on the pingpong tform, covered in blood and sweat and panting heavily.

    ¡°Any of you hurt?¡± asked Nine Frost.

    ¡°No, no...¡± Old Joe breathed in quick bursts, his face pale.

    Ronnie was too tired to talk, and he slowly shook his head.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Nine Frost looked toward the other side of the running track. What he saw made his eyes twitch. He pushed himself up, resting be damned. ¡°Come with me!¡±

    ...

    A minute ago, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake rushed toward Li Zhuanghu, facing the remaining six rune corpses.

    With their stamina quickly consumed, they were unable to take out the rune corpses with decisive attacks like before. Instead, they carefully dodged the iing attacks, waiting for opportunities to present themselves by taking advantage of the rune corpses¡¯ unsteady forms.

    However, Gao Yang and Lithe Snake were getting too exhausted, and their movements slowed too much.

    Misjudging a rune corpse¡¯s explosive speed, Gao Yang ended up tackled to the ground, and Lithe Snake wasn¡¯t able to help him.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang toppled to the ground, keeping the rune corpse away by holding the crowbar horizontally to its neck.

    The rune corpse opened its bloody maw as slimy blood dripped down. The indescribable rotten smell assaulted his senses.

    It was all Gao Yang could do to stop the rune corpse from biting him. He didn¡¯t even have the strength to knock it off him.

    ¡°Hold on!¡±

    Two meters from him, Lithe Snake was upied by two rune corpses, and he couldn¡¯t go to Gao Yang¡¯s rescue.

    At that moment, Gao Yang¡¯s world was reduced to the rune corpse¡¯s twisted face and its howls. Was it excitement, or total madness?

    <i>Growl¡ª</i>

    Sweat streamed down to the corners of Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. His vision blurred, and his consciousness wavered.

    The muscles in his arms were so sore that it was painful, and he had used up thest of his strength.

    He knew that in three seconds¡ªno, two, he would lose his grip, and the rune corpse would tear into his neck mercilessly.

 Chapter 204: Difficult Fight 3

    <h4>Chapter 204: Difficult Fight 3</h4>

    Suddenly, the crazy, raw, and oppressive power disappeared. Gao Yang¡¯s vision cleared. The rune corpse¡¯s vicious face was still inches away from him, yet it had be lifelessly numb, and the red glow of its eye sockets dimmed as well.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dwell on it. He pushed the rune corpse off and rolled to a sitting position. When he looked up, the two rune corpses keeping Lithe Snake in ce had also copsed to the ground, unmoving.

    They quickly exchanged a nce and turned to Li Zhuanghu at once.

    Li Zhuanghu was still standing, but there was an arrow between his brows.

    Not far from them, Xiuyi was holding hisposite bow with one hand, while his other hand was now empty.

    He threw his bow aside and let out a cry from his chest. ¡°Ah!¡±

    Finally, he hit his target!

    With God of Archery, he had been an archer who never missed, and the humiliation of feeling useless had been foreign to him.

    The red light in Li Zhuanghu¡¯s eyes flickered a few times like it was struggling before vanishing. A few secondster, Li Zhuanghu toppled to the ground.

    Did they win?

    Gao Yang had trouble wrapping his head around what was happening. They had been through all the hardships known to the world, yet their victory came to them so suddenly, without any aplomb.

    Lithe Snake offered Gao Yang a hand, his chest heaving violently and his face filled with exhaustion.

    Gao Yang took his hand and stood up with his help.

    They took a moment to steady their breathing before going up to Li Zhuanhu¡¯s body. Xiuyi followed them quickly.

    Li Zhuanghu seemed dead, yet the Rune Circuit on his chest, connected by countless thick vessels, was still pounding slowly like a macabre artificial heart, casting flickering red light on their faces.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get the Rune Circuit off him,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°End this once and for all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Lithe Snake drew a small dagger from his waist and crouched down, inserting the tip of the de between the Rune Circuit and the body at an appropriate angle, pushing it inch by inch inside to cut the thick blood vessels. Then he gingerly pried the Rune Circuit off.

    But then suddenly, Li Zhuanghu¡¯s body shuddered, and his chest pushed up like someone had shocked his heart with a defibritor.

    The severed blood vessels on his chest reconnected with the Rune Circuit. Red Light rekindled in Li Zhuanghu¡¯s eye sockets, and a hoarse growl that belonged to the devil burst out from his throat.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    Lithe Snake couldn¡¯t have pulled back a moment sooner, yet Li Zhuanghu still managed to grab the hand that was holding the dagger.

    Li Zhuanghu¡¯s body was as hard as alloy, and he was unnaturally strong. Lithe Snake felt as if his wrist had been caught by a metal vise. And soon, he heard his wrist bone break.

    Face pale, Lithe Snake ground his teeth so hard together that his gum almost bled, and the dagger was about to fall. He struggled with all he got, yet Li Zhuanghu refused to let go.

    Li Zhuanghu jerked up and bit into Lithe Snake¡¯s forearm, taking big gulps of his blood.

    Lithe Snake screamed and almost fainted.

    Witnessing all that, Gao Yang came to a split second decision and drew the shortsword from Lithe Snake¡¯s waist, using what little strength he had left to make a swing.

    <i>Swoosh! </i>He sliced off Lithe Snake¡¯s entire forearm, and blood gushed out from the cut surface.

    Lithe Snake stumbled backward, falling to the ground and rolled back, holding onto the stump of his severed arm while he cried out in pain.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t spare hispanion another nce. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he had saved Lithe Snake or elerated his death.

    Li Zhuanghu stood up¡ªno, he was made upright by an intangible force, in a way that was familiar to Gao Yang.

    Xiuyi was going to back away, but he wasn¡¯t given the time.

    Li Zhuanghu¡¯s hand shot out like an agile snake and grabbed his neck. Blood flooded to Xiuyi¡¯s face as he got lifted off the ground.

    All that was left in his eyes was fear and confusion. He must be wondering how things turned out this way.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    Xiuyi¡¯s neck broke.

    When Li Zhuanghu let go, Xiuyi copsed to the ground like a ragdoll.

    Losing his calm, Gao Yang swung at Li Zhuanghu¡¯s head with the shortsword in his hand. Li Zhuaghu blocked it easily with an arm while clutching Gao Yang¡¯s neck with his other hand, lifting him up.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang kicked at him with both feet, managing tond a hit on the Rune Circuit in the flurry of movement. Li Zhuaghu shuddered like he had been electrocuted, buying Gao Yang two precious seconds. Otherwise Gao Yang¡¯s neck would¡¯ve been broken already.

    Still, his death awaited him. Gao Yang could sense the five unbreakable fingers closing around his neck.

    ¡°Let go of Captain!¡±

    Can shouted as she came out of nowhere, hurling a brick at Li Zhuanghu¡¯s head.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The brick crumbled, and Li Zhuanghu¡¯s head remained intact with the arrow still buried in it. He turned around and made a swing with his arm.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Can was sent flying away, cking out after the back of her head hit the ground.

    Seizing the chance, Gao Yang made another forceful kick at Li Zhuanghu¡¯s chest.

    This time, Li Zhuanghu¡¯s entire body seized up, and the hand around Gao Yang¡¯s neck loosened, allowing him to escape.

    ncing at the young man who had met a terrible end, Xiuyi, Gao Yang felt a sharp pang in his chest. He picked up the shortsword and rushed at Lithe Snake.

    Meanwhile, Yellow Butterfly had arrived as well.

    ¡°Xiuyi!¡±

    She shouted, and with reckless abandon, she rushed toward Li Zhuanghu¡¯s back while grabbing the nunchucks at her waist.

    Before she could take more than two steps, a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked, throwing her to the ground.

    She regained her senses and looked up to see Nine Frost, their captain, making it back in time, followed by Ronnie, Old Joe, ck Sparrow, and Gray Bear.

    ¡°Die, you son of a bitch!¡±

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t have any weapon in hand, but driven by the rage triggered by Xiuyi¡¯s death and Lithe Snake¡¯s loss of a limb, he knocked into Li Zhuanghu from the back, throwing him to the ground.

    While Li Zhuanghu was quick to attack, his bodycked coordination, most likely because of the arrow in his head. Like a clockwork robot, he slowly turned around and went back to his feet.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ck Sparrow charged at Li Zhuanghu. When he was going to grab her neck, she stepped to the side and threw a powerful punch at his chin with the brass knuckle on her right fist. Li Zhuanghu¡¯s chin almost fell off, yet his movement wasn¡¯t hindered at all.

    He swung his arm and hit ck Sparrow in her left cheek. She flew a few meters in the air before hitting the ground, seeing stars and unable to stand up.

    ¡°The Rune Circuit in his chest!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Take it out!¡±

    Gray Bear slowly stood up and called out to Gao Yang, ¡°Save Lithe Snake, Captain! Leave Li Zhuanghu to us!¡±

    He then turned to Nine Frost, Ronnie, and Old Joe. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Exchanging a nce, the four men charged at Li Zhuanghu in concert.

    Gao Yang had exhausted all the strength in his body. He had no choice but to trust his teammate. With difficulty, he dragged his feet toward Lithe Snake and shouted at Yellow Butterfly, ¡°Supply bag!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly hade up to them as well. She took off the bag on her back and stopped beside Lithe Snake, unzipping the bag and fishing out a syringe of Medicine C.

    Gao Yang picked up the now unconscious Lithe Snake. ¡°Stay with me, Lithe Snake!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly bit off the cap and looked at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Do it!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly jabbed the syringe into Lithe Snake¡¯s shoulder¡ªthe one that had lost an arm¡ªand pushed the medicine into his body.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    With a muffled sound, Lithe Snake¡¯s pale face recovered some color, and the blood gushing out from his stump slowed before the bleeding stopped altogether.

    Thankfully, the medicine still worked even though their Talents had been sealed. It seemed that total silence only worked on living organisms.

    Gao Yang foundfort in the fact that Lithe Snake would live.

    Once the debuff of the Rune Circuit was lifted, Lithe Snake would be able to regenerate his arm with Gecko.

    Gao Yang ced Lithe Snake on the ground gingerly and turned to Yellow Butterfly, ¡°Adrenaline shot!¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re in no condition to...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an order!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly clenched her teeth and took out an adrenaline shot for awakeners¡¯ use only. Gao Yang took the syringe and jabbed it into his chest.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    At that moment, Gao Yang felt as if a strange energy had rushed along his spine to the top of his head, dissolving any blockage and making goosebumps break all over his body.

    His head became unusually clear, and exhaustion evaporated, along with his muscle pain. His strength slowly returned to him.

    ¡°Watch Lithe Snake!¡±

    He rose and rushed toward Li Zhuanghu.

 Chapter 205: The Price of Victory

    <h4>Chapter 205: The Price of Victory</h4>

    Nine Frost, Gray Bear, Old Joe, and Ronnie surrounded Li Zhuanghu and attacked in turns. Li Zhuanghu was a mix of contradictions: he had high defense, great strength, and impressive attack speed, yet the other parts of his body were slow. It took him seconds to even turn around, and he couldn¡¯t jump, lunge, dodge, or charge.

    It was as if the Rune Circuit was an experienced driver whose skill was wasted on a broken, inefficient machine that was Li Zhuanghu.

    Taking advantage of his shorings, whoever Li Zhuanghu was facing backed out of the range of his arms, while the one behind Li Zhuanghu took the chance to rain attacks down on his head.

    Nine Frost had swung his rock pick hammer many times. Unfortunately, the attacks didn¡¯t even leave a dent as if he was hitting a shot put ball.

    Gray Bear had also seized the chance to attack, and he knocked Li Zhuanghu to the ground many times. However, Li Zhuanghu¡¯s vise-like hands were formidable weapons that could take lives in the blink of an eye, and no one dared get too close to him, let alone move into his space from the front to peel off the Rune Circuit.

    Again, Li Zhuanghu was righted by an intangible power like a tumbler.

    The four men had had a difficult fight with the rune corpses, leaving them with little stamina. Although they were getting anxious, there was little they could do.

    Once more, Li Zhuanghu became upright again, and the arrow through its head popped off at some point. The red glow in his eye sockets grew in intensity.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this! We have to keep his hands under control. I¡¯ll grab the Rune...¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s words were cut short by a sh of shadow. It was so sudden that he didn¡¯t have the time to dodge it.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Gao Yang thrust the shortsword in his hand into the rune corpse¡¯s head, kicking it away while pulling out the de.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Gray Bear was both surprised and d.

    Gao Yang warned, ¡°Watch out! The rune corpses are getting back up again!¡±

    The four of them had been too focused on Li Zhuanghu to notice that when the arrow was freed from Li Zhuanghu¡¯s head, the immobile but not yet killed rune corpses had climbed back up.

    Moreover, a few stragglers had heeded Li Zhuanghu¡¯s summon and wereing their way from the fringe of the running track.

    ¡°Fuck! Won¡¯t they stay down?¡± Gray Bear snarled.

    ¡°We need to get the Rune Circuit now! Or we¡¯ll all die!¡± Nine Frost clenched his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll keep Li Zhuanghu upied. The rest is your...¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Old Joe called out suddenly.

    His face was pale and sickly, and his eyes circled by faint, mold-like spots.

    Nine Frost was shocked. ¡°Old Joe! When did you...¡±

    ¡°I was bitten back when we were on the pingpong table...¡± Old Joe smiled bitterly and stroked his bald head. ¡°I thought I¡¯d get away with it once Li Zhuanghu was killed.¡±

    Blood streamed down from his nostrils. ¡°But that¡¯s not happening, it seems.¡±

    He wiped off the blood and walked up to Li Zhuanghu. ¡°Captain, when you talk about me in the future, would you stop talking about my dark past, but about how I honorably sacrifice myself?¡±

    ¡°Old Joe!¡±

    With a yell, Old Joe charged at Li Zhuanghu.

    Li Zhuanghu reached out to grab him. He dodged away with a sidestep and moved around to Li Zhuanghu¡¯s back,tching himself onto the rune corpse leader with both arms and legs like the shell of a turtle.

    Without pause, Li Zhuanghu bit Old Joe¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Old Joe screamed as red veins spread through his body from his bitten forearm, then the corruption reached his face. His eyes started to melt and bleed with viscous blood. It was the starting stage of his transformation.

    However, his human will held strong, and he maintained his hold on Li Zhuanghu.

    Nine Frost didn¡¯t have the time to mourn. He rushed up to grab onto one of Li Zhuanghu¡¯s arms. Then Ronnie did the same with the other arm, throwing self-preservation out of the window.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Nine Frost shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t hold him down for long!¡±

    The three men had momentarily subdued Li Zhuanghu.

    After an exchange of nces, Gao Yang and Gray Bear rushed toward Li Zhuanghu from the front.

    Without another thought in his head, Gray Bear wed into Li Zhuanghu¡¯s ¡®heart¡¯ and grabbed the Rune Circuit, pulling back with all his might.

    Tremendous pain and fear overwhelmed Li Zhuanghu. He tipped his head up and screamed.

    That triggered an exponential increase to his heart¡¯s temperature, and the Rune Circuit became bright red¡ªnot from the light it emitted, but from the heat.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Gray Bear¡¯s hands were scorched, and vapor of blood rose.

    ¡°You motherfucker¡ª¡± Gray Bear clenched his jaw and held fast, but he couldn¡¯t pull the Rune Circuit off.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang also grabbed onto the Rune Circuit. The intense heat of several hundred degrees burned his ten fingers, and the sharp pain almost made him ck out. He could even sense his skin and flesh getting cooked by the high heat.

    But he couldn¡¯t let go. The rune corpses wereing their way from not far away. This was their only chance.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Gao Yang and Gray Bear pulled at the same time, veins popping out from their foreheads.

    <i>Sizzle, sizzle¡ª</i>

    Finally, the Rune Circuit slowly separated from Li Zhuanghu¡¯s heart, tearing the slimy muscle tissues apart.

    Three secondster, the Rune Circuit was uprooted like a giant carrot.

    Crimson fog filled the air under the moonlight. Gao Yang and Gray Bear fell to the ground along with the heated Rune Circuit, which was still covered in red mist.

    Old Joe was the first to let go of Li Zhuanghu. He copsed with his arms extended and bled from all seven orifices. His heart had stopped, but his lips were tugged into a smile.

    Nine Frost and Ronnie let go of Li Zhuanghu¡¯s arms, falling on their bottoms.

    Without the energy of the Rune Circuit keeping it running, Li Zhuanghu¡¯s body became weak and frail. The red light in his eye sockets died down, and his chest was a mess of bloody gore. He stayed upright for only a second before falling to the ground, unmoving.

    The rune corpses rushing their way also copsed.

    Finally, the terrible battle came to an end, but at what cost?

    Gao Yang¡¯s hands were all bloodied and charred. The pain left him a shuddering mess, and he kept gasping for breaths. His empty head couldn¡¯t register any thought. He remained slumped in his seated position.

    Then he heard footsteps. Nine Frost and Ronnie wereing his way.

    They each held a syringe of Medicine C in hand. Ronnie injected Gray Bear¡¯s two hands with half a dose each. And Nine Frost did the same for Gao Yang.

    The pain in Gao Yang¡¯s ten fingers dulled before subsiding, leaving only an itchiness like that of an insect bite.

    The charred flesh fell off quickly, and flesh and skin regenerated anew, gradually recovering.

    Three minutester, Gao Yang picked himself up.

    Not far from them, Can remained lying on grass, still unconscious. Lithe Snake, now missing an arm, sat cross-legged with a dark look on his face.

    Ronnie sat next to Can, while Gray Bear went up to Lithe Snake, apanying them silently.

    As for the fourth team, ck Sparrow had just woken up, and she stared into the air, unable to ept what had happened.

    Xiuyi and Old Joe were ced on the side, their faces covered by clothes.

    Nine Frost and Yellow Butterfly sat by the two dead men with sorrow brimming their eyes. Nine Frost was still holding tightly onto the now cooled Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang went up to Lithe Snake with a frown, a terrible thought shing through his mind.

 Chapter 206: One of the Two

    <h4>Chapter 206: One of the Two</h4>

    Before Gao Yang could say anything, Nine Frost spoke up.

    ¡°For this, I lost three brothers.¡±

    His icy voice was filled with fury and hatred. He threw the Rune Circuit to Gao Yang. Gao Yang caught it and examined it thoroughly.

    Just like the other Rune Circuit, this one was also a 1-centimeter thick artifact made of ck Gold the size of apact mirror. It was covered in intricate circuits with the top side etched with an archaic-looking pattern: a blooming flower with identical petals.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank as he confirmed his ominous feeling.

    ¡°Lithe Snake,¡± he said. ¡°Can you regenerate your arm now?¡±

    Lithe Snake shook his head weakly. ¡°My Talent hasn¡¯te back to me.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to the others. ¡°And yours?¡±

    They all shook their heads.

    Gao Yang tried to activate Fire, but his energy remained dormant.

    ¡°Is it that we will only get our Talent back once we leave the Rune Cave?¡± Gray Bear suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s one possibility.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath, his tone taking a downturn. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Gao Yang raised the Rune Circuit in his hand. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Support Rune Circuit.¡±

    Nine Frost stared at him without a word.

    The others were befuddled as well.

    Gao Yang could be somewhat certain that the Rune Circuit wasn¡¯t of the Support-type. He had visited the Talent Pantheon and saw the symbols of the twelve Rune types on the altars at the foot of the Pirs of Creation. One of them was the blooming flower.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange?¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Li Zhuanghu was able to turn anyone he bit into his puppets and control them. Do you think that¡¯s an ability of the Support-type?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Summon-type!¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s eyes glinted with realization.

    ¡°Correct.¡± Gao Yang turned to her. ¡°You have a Summon-type Talent. You should know that Li Zhuanghu¡¯s ability doesn¡¯t fit the Support-type.¡±

    ¡°But our Talents are sealed.¡± Gray Bear still hadn¡¯t caught on. ¡°Can the Summon Rune Circuit do that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t there an inconsistency?¡±

    ¡°Who tells you that one Rune Cave...¡±

    Nine Frost finished Gao Yang¡¯s spection for him, ¡°Can only have one Rune Circuit?¡±

    What little relief they had felt froze over.

    There was another Rune Circuit at the Eleventh High School, the Support Rune Circuit that had sealed their Talents.

    That was great news to the Qilin Guild. Acquiring it would bump the number of Rune Circuits the Qilin Guild had to five, which would further cement the Guild¡¯s dominance in the world of awakeners, and they would be one step closer to opening the Gates of Closure.

    However, it was a nightmare to the fourth and fifth teams.

    How were they going to deal with another monster mutated under the influence of a Rune Circuit?

    Gao Yang had to ask himself if he had put too many points into his Luck. He was so ¡®lucky¡¯ that he could barely survive it.

    He was reminded of what his grandmother had told him: having a name that was too auspicious could end up doing harm since their destiny might not be grand enough to bear the weight.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Ronnie said tiredly, ¡°What, do we, do?¡±

    Gao Yang pulled out of his thoughts but didn¡¯t say anything.

    He looked over everyone, evaluating their currentbat power. Lithe Snake had lost an arm and was in a terrible state. Before his Talent returned, he wouldn¡¯t be of much help and might actually be a burden.

    Can wasn¡¯t much of abatant to start with, and the hit to her head might have given her concussion.

    As for the rest of them, while they had gotten some rest, they could at most do simple actions. Fighting another difficult battle was more or less impossible.

    And they had just about used up their equipment and supplies.

    After some deliberation, Gao Yang came to a decision, ¡°We try to escape the Rune Cave first. If it doesn¡¯t work, we have to look for the second Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Help Lithe Snake walk, Gray Bear.¡±

    Gray Bear nodded and pulled Lithe Snake¡¯s remaining arm around his shoulders.

    With the adrenaline shot he injected himself with, Gao Yang could still hold on for a little longer. He went up to Can and picked her up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the gpole tform.¡±

    Nine Frost, ck Sparrow, and Yellow Butterfly had to leave the killed fourth team members behind for now. They helped each other as they approached the tform. It didn¡¯t take them long.

    Gao Yang thought back to his experience in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige and what Niu Xuan had done on this spot. He was certain that this would be the portal between the Rune Cave and the real world, like the abandoned well in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    Tightening his grip around the Rune Circuit, he waved it over the tform tentatively.

    Unfortunately, no portal emerged.

    The tform was small. Gao Yang held the Rune Circuit over every part of it, but nothing happened.

    He put the Rune Circuit away and sighed. ¡°It seems that the Rune Cave was constructed with the power of the Heavenly Way and both Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°So we have to get both keys before we can open the door,¡± Yellow Butterfly tried to wrap her head around the situation.

    ¡°Most likely so.¡±

    Nine Frost opened his mouth to say something, but then he frowned and narrowed his eyes at the teaching building. ¡°Someone¡¯s there.¡±

    The others looked up as well. And indeed, there was a figure standing behind the metal railing at the edge of the rooftop, their face too far to make out.

    ¡°They seem to be looking at, us,¡± Ronnie said uncertainly.

    Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang without a word. Then Gray Bear, Yellow Butterfly, and ck Sparrow did the same.

    They were all waiting for him to make the call. Gao Yang suddenly felt weighed down by the responsibility.

    His decision would determine the fate of his team, no, of everyone.

    Who was that?

    A survivor who had somehow escaped the rune corpses intact? A monster mutated due to the Rune Circuit? Or something entirely different?

    There was no knowing the answers.

    However, they couldn¡¯t get out of here now and had to face whoever it was sooner orter. Sitting around here wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. Without getting proper treatment and rest, they would only get more exhausted if they waited.

    There was no other way. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t bet small in this instance. He had to make a risky gamble.

    ¡°What do we have now?¡± Gao Yang asked Yellow Butterfly.

    She was holding a supply bag. ¡°Two syringes of Medicine C, two syringes of adrenaline, two sleep gas grenades, some water, and some dry rations.¡±

    ¡°Give the adrenaline shots to me and Gray Bear,¡± Nine Frost said. ¡°Seven Shadow has used it once and can¡¯t use it again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang agreed. If things got dangerous, Nine Frost and Gray Bear would be able to administer the shot and put up a fight a little longer.

    Of course, they would only be able to fight to the limit of a regr human. At least it was somefort that total silence applied to both humans and monsters.

    Yellow Butterfly gave the syringes to Nine Frost and Gray Bear.

    Gao Yang turned to Ronnie. ¡°Stay here and look after Lithe Snake and Can, Ronnie.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Ronnie had exhausted himself and twisted his ankle in the earlier fight, and he walked with a limp. If a fight broke out, he would only drag them down.

    Ronnie gave Yellow Butterfly the dagger in his hand. ¡°Please be, careful.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly took the dagger. ¡°You too.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Go! Let¡¯s see what it¡¯s got!¡± Gray Bear tried his best to pump everyone up. ¡°Be it fortune or misfortune, we have to face it head on!¡±

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Gray Bear, ck Sparrow, and Yellow Butterfly entered the shaded path and soon reached the teaching building. When they set foot into the main hall, there were still some dead rune corpses on the floor, the aftermath of their earlier fight here.

    They went up the stairs, and their advance speed noticeably slowed down when they got to the fourth floor. Although none of them had said anything, it was clear that they were all reluctant to face what awaited them.

    Finally, Gray Bear broke the silence with a bitter smile. ¡°Captain, what are our odds in your opinion?¡±

    It was a meaningless question.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what was waiting for them on the rooftop.

    But morale was crucial, so he said confidently without looking at Gray Bear, ¡°A hundred percent.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Gray Bearughed dryly. ¡°I think so too!¡±

    ¡°Get ready.¡±

    The five of them reached the top of the stairs.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Gao Yang opened the metal door leading to the rooftop.

 Chapter 207: Mundane People

    <h4>Chapter 207: Mundane People</h4>

    There was no light on the rooftop, but the cold blue moonlight provided enough illumination for them to see clearly. The one standing by the railing was a girl dressed in a blue and white long-sleeved uniform. She had her back to them, and she was on the shorter side with chubby limbs, her hair tied into a braid.

    When she heard the sound of the door opening, she slowly turned around, revealing a t, round face with small eyes, t nose and a scattering of pimples.

    ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin?¡± Yellow Butterfly¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Sister Xiang Hong.¡± Xiang Xiaoqin beamed at her.

    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re alright.¡± Yellow Butterfly took a step forward. ¡°I thought you were bitten too..¡±

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly!¡± Nine Frost stopped her warily.

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly?¡± Xiang Xiaoqin paused, the smile on her face dropping. ¡°Are you talking to Sister Xiang Hong[1]?¡±

    Yellow Butterfly smiled awkwardly. ¡°I...that¡¯s because I¡¯m a journalist, and using my real name can be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Xiang Xiaoqin shook her head. ¡°Why would a journalist know how to use a gun? I saw, Sister Xiang Hong. I saw how good of a shot you are.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly¡¯s smile went rigid. For a moment, she wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    As they talked, Gao Yang noticed thement wall on the side of the water tank. Surprised, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Look at the wall.¡±

    The others followed his gaze.

    ¡ªI¡¯m waiting for you in hell!

    The line hadn¡¯t been there earlier.

    ¡°When did Li Zhaunghu write that?¡± Gray Bear was surprised.

    Gao Yang answered gravely, ¡°It wasn¡¯t him.¡±

    When he chased Li Zhuanghu and Yu Pengliang to the rooftop, the curse hadn¡¯t been there. Then Li Zhuanghu jumped off the building with the Rune Circuit. He couldn¡¯t have returned to write that line as a rune corpse.

    ¡°It was me,¡± Xiang Xiaoqin said and smiled mischievously. ¡°Tee-hee.¡±

    She didn¡¯t look cute at all with that smile. Both her action and expression were eerie.

    ¡°But why would you...¡± Yellow Butterfly asked.

    ¡°You lied to me, Sister Yellow Butterfly, so I lied to you too. It¡¯s only fair.¡± Xiang Xiaoqin cocked her head. ¡°It was easy for me to mimic Li Zhuanghu¡¯s handwriting.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t stop once she got started. ¡°I¡¯ve been pining after him forever. We were both mocked and ostracized by the ss. I thought he would be different, that he would understand me... I often borrowed his notes and secretly learned his handwriting...¡±

    ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin, you...¡±

    ¡°But he rejected me!¡±

    Her face looked suddenly twisted, and she shouted, ¡°But Li Zhuanghu rejected me! He said that he didn¡¯t like me, that he liked Liu Ting!¡±

    A moment of silence followed.

    It seemed to be a love triangle that was quitemon among students.

    Yellow Butterfly had connected the dots. ¡°Was Liu Ting the girl who got expelled for cheating?¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahahah...¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqinughed while holding onto her belly. ¡°She didn¡¯t cheat. I set her up hahaha! But the teachers wouldn¡¯t believe her. Because I got good grades. That was the only time my good grades did me any good.¡±

    She stoppedughing abruptly and crouched down dejectedly, holding onto her knees. Her voice cracked as she said, ¡°Why? Everyone¡¯s tall and slim, pretty and has good skin. They dress fashionably ande from rich families. They are surrounded by boys and, arms in arms with their friends, they go to the restroom, the campus shop, the cafeteria.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m short, ugly, and drab. No one ever spares me a nce.¡±

    She looked up at Yellow Butterfly, her eyes shining with resentment. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be pretty like you, Sister? Why am I so mundane? Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Xiang Xiaoqin. I mean it. You¡¯re a good girl...¡± Yellow Butterfly assured her gently. ¡°Everyone¡¯s unique with their own strengths...¡±

    ¡°No! You lied!¡±

    Mood everchanging, Xiang Xiaoqin suddenly shot to her feet and growled, her voice bing booming and metallic like that of a machine, and inside her sunken eyes, two orbs of blue ghostly light shone.

    She was wearing a white t-shirt under her uniform, under which a cool blue light flickered. It must be the Rune Circuit!

    Like Li Zhuanghu, her heart had be one with the Rune Circuit, and she mutated as a result.

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡± She smiled happily again and even twirled with her arms extended wide. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now. Everyone has be mundane like me.¡±

    Mundane.

    That exined the situation for Gao Yang.

    After getting a Rune Circuit, the chosen monster became one with it, gaining its unique power. Simple as that. However, unlike humans, monsters couldn¡¯t effectively control and utilize the power of the Rune Circuit. Instead, the monster¡¯s obsession when they were in human form became the fuel of the Rune Circuit¡¯s power and triggered their mutation.

    When Li Zhuanghu became one with the Summon Rune Circuit, his wish was to take revenge against the world. Thus, the Summon Rune Circuit granted him the powerful and cruel power of puppeteering, allowing him to trigger a rune corpse outbreak that swept the entire school.

    Meanwhile, Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s obsession was to make everyone as mundane as she was. It aligned with what the Support Rune Circuit could do¡ªtotal silence. Inside the Rune Cave, awakeners and monsters alike lost their power and became regr people.

    Eighteen years ago, the two brought about a great disaster with the two Rune Circuits. For that, they were subject to the punishment of the Heavenly Way. The Eleventh High School was dragged underground and turned into a prison, the Rune Cave they found themselves in.

    That was basically what had happened to the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.

    The others might not have figured out the story as thoroughly as Gao Yang had, but they could grasp what had happened when they saw the blue lighting from Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Captain!¡± Gray Bear had an adrenaline syringe in his grasp.

    ¡°Tee-hee. We¡¯re all regr people. We¡¯re all the same.¡± Xiang Xiaoqin had lost her mind. She started dancing around without a care of her surroundings. All the while, blue veins spread from her chest and climbed up her neck, moving toward her face.

    They couldn¡¯t wait any longer!

    There was no telling what would happen once the Rune Circuit became one with herpletely, but they knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with her then.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Gao Yangmanded, and Nine Frost and Gray Bear administered adrenaline shots into their chests.

    Their expressions tensed and their eyes shook as they seized up for a moment. Then their gaze became sharper than ever. Each taking a side, they rushed up to Xiang Xiaoqin at a greater speed than before.

    Gao Yang, ck Sparrow, and Yellow Butterfly followed.

    Xiang Xiaoqin stopped dancing. She cocked her head at her attackers with confusion, her lips tugged into a strange smile. ¡°Are you going to y with me?¡±

    Gray Bear lunged at her, but she easily dodged away and reached out to grab his arm, her movement impossibly quick.

    ¡°Tee-hee, let¡¯s have some fun.¡±

    <i>Crack.</i>

    She crushed Gray Bear¡¯s five fingers like they were paper mache.

    1. Her code name is Xiang Die in the raw. Xiang is a surname and can refer to the Hunan province. Given the naming convention of color + animal, though, I opt for a color. And the word is close to another word that means an orangish yellow. ?

 Chapter 208: Itâ€™s done?

    <h4>Chapter 208: It¡¯s done?</h4>

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s scream resounded throughout the school. He was close to cking out, and he only managed to stay conscious by grinding his teeth together so hard that they almost broke.

    He reached under Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s armpit with his other hand and turned around, bending down to throw her over his shoulder, mming her into the floor. Despite the audible impact, Xiang Xiaoqin didn¡¯t feel any pain, and she looked a little confused.

    With a naive look on her face, she said while her eyes glowed a cold blue, ¡°Uncle, you shouldn¡¯t hit people. It¡¯s wrong to use violence.¡±

    Still lying on the ground, she tried to grab Gray Bear with her other hand. Before that could happen, Nine Frost made it to them with a dive and grabbed onto her arm with both legs, his hands mping on her wrist and pulling with all his power.

    Even though Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s strength was buffed by the Rune Circuit, at this stage, she couldn¡¯t free herself when two adult men were going all out to keep her subdued. For a moment, she remained prone on the ground, her two arms locked.

    ¡°Ah, I get it now. We¡¯re ying a game, aren¡¯t we?¡± A smile bloomed on her face again. Her head had be aplete mess, her emotions jumbled. ¡°Tee-hee, let¡¯s all y together.¡±

    She bent her legs and stomped, lifting herself half a meter into the air along with the added weight of Gray Bear and Nine Frost before mming back onto the ground. The impact almost broke the two men apart, but their grips remained firm.

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    Seizing the opportunity, Gao Yang and ck Sparrow dashed at her and each held onto a thigh, and following Nine Frost¡¯s method, they locked her limbs with their legs and seized her ankles with both hands, pulling back with all the strength they could muster.

    In a strange yet effective way, the four of them kept Xiang Xiaoqin immobile.

    Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s expression was still free of anger. Instead, there was a hint of strange shyness. ¡°Stop. Boys and girls should keep a polite distance...¡±

    Her body started to slowly but firmly exert strength, and the four of them could feel her breaking out of their hold.

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly!¡± Nine Frost called out.

    Yellow Butterfly had already rushed up to them. Kneeling on Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s abdomen, she tore her uniform open along with the white t-shirt underneath. As they thought, there was a Rune Circuit flickering with blue light in her chest, embedded into her heart and flesh and protected by her cor bones.

    Yellow Butterfly thrust a dagger into her chest.

    ¡°Ahh¡ª¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s face twisted in helplessness and fear, barely resembling herself. And she began to struggle with her limbs. Gao Yang felt as if he was holding onto arge python rather than a leg.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Gray Bear said, face ashen. ¡°I¡¯m at my limit...¡±

    The others were in a simr ce. They were all holding onto Xiang Xiaoqin with their jaws clenched, prepared to die doing their part.

    Without stopping, Yellow Butterfly pushed down on the dagger. Finally, the Rune Circuit peeled away by a crack from Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s cor bones and flesh, sttering blood on Yellow Butterfly¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Like a fish out of water, Xiang Xiaoqin arched and thumped madly, shaking the four people holding onto her limbs.

    Yellow Butterfly felt as if she was lying on a trampoline. The body underneath her kept bouncing and falling and shaking.

    She knew that herpanions must be close to falling apart, and she was running out of time.

    Teeth clenched, she inserted her fingers into the crack underneath the Rune Circuit, and tightening her grip, she yanked.

    <i>Hiss¡ª</i>

    The Rune Circuit detached, peeling away from Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s chest inch by inch, along with the countless spiderwebs of tendons and veins that seemed to have a life of their own.

    The great pain tranted into a furious growl and escaped Xiao Xiaoqin¡¯s throat, and she grew several times stronger. When she raised her frail-looking right arm, Gray Bear found himself lifted into the air.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    She mmed him down.

    Head hitting the floor, Gray Bear saw stars, and he had already let go of her arm when he realized it.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Two secondster, Xiang Xiaoqin did the same with her left arm, and unable to withstand the powerful impact, Nine Frost¡¯s grip loosened as well.

    A secondter, Xiang Xiaoqin grabbed onto Yellow Butterfly¡¯s delicate, fair neck with both hands. To her, breaking the woman¡¯s neck would be as easy as breaking a scallion.

    Gao Yang shuddered. He could almost picture Yellow Butterfly¡¯s death.

    ¡°Xiang Xiaoqin!¡± Yellow Butterfly suddenly eximed. ¡°Look at me!¡±

    The cool blue glow in Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s eye sockets seemed to waver for a moment.

    Yellow Butterfly hadn¡¯t let go of the Rune Circuit, but she didn¡¯t dare make a pull either. Instead, she continued to appeal to Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s rational and emotional mind.

    ¡°Look at me! Am I pretty to you?¡±

    ¡°Pretty, pretty...¡± Xiang Xiaoqin stopped. Her obsession when she was alive was to be beautiful.

    With her words, Yellow Butterfly had bought them time and dyed her death.

    ¡°You can be pretty like me!¡±

    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not pretty. I¡¯m average...¡±

    ¡°You can! You can be pretty like me!¡± Yellow Butterfly went on. It almost seemed like a brutish way of brainwashing. ¡°Believe me! You will be pretty like me!¡±

    Xiang Xiaoqin looked lost and shocked for a moment like she had seen something revtory. Then her lips curled into a strange smile. ¡°Pretty. I can be pretty like you...¡±

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    With a shortsword, NIne Frost severed the tendons and veins connecting the dangling Rune Circuit to Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s chest. Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s body stopped moving at once like a machine being powered off, and she lost all her strength.

    Yellow Butterfly pulled back and rolled off Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s body, dropping the bloodied Rune Circuit and breaking into a coughing fit with her hands covering her neck.

    Gao Yang and ck Sparrow hadn¡¯t quite wrapped their heads around what was happening. They couldn¡¯t believe they had seeded.

    Slowly, they let go of Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s legs and knelt on the ground, heaving.

    Xiang Xiaoqiny dead on the floor, her chest a mess of blood and flesh. Her face was pale with empty eye sockets, but the smile remained on her face.

    They helped each other up. While they were still reeling from the earlier fight, they couldn¡¯t help but feel thankful for Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s disoriented mind. Things would¡¯ve ended differently if Xiang Xiaoqin¡¯s obsession had been a hateful one, or if she had been driven by more killing intent.

    Yellow Butterfly picked up the Rune Circuit and handed it to Nine Frost before turning around to grab the supply bag on the ground. ¡°Gray Bear is hurt. There are still two shots of Medicine C.¡±

    Gray Bear held onto his broken right hand. His five fingers were twisted into braids.

    Despite the sickly look on his face, he said defiantly, ¡°This is nothing.¡±

    Nine Frost closed his eyes. ¡°Feel that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± ck Sparrow asked.

    ¡°I feel it.¡± Gao Yang stood where he was and sensed his energy awakening little by little.

    His Talents wereing back.

    Thank heavens he could stop being a regr human. Like a drowning man finally grabbing onto a lifebuoy, he was filled with a sense of security.

    He should ess his system for an overall check and allocate his points when he had the chance.

    ¡°Ah. Finally, the mission is over.¡± ck Sparrow let out a sigh, breaking into a smile after the near-death experience.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Then a bullet prated her temple.

 Chapter 209: Yellow Butterfly

    <h4>Chapter 209: Yellow Butterfly</h4>

    Gao Yang happened to be looking at ck Sparrow as she spoke, and he saw it.

    He saw a bullet going into her temple.

    When his eyes first perceived it, it didn¡¯t even register in his brain. It was all so sudden, so abrupt.

    Then the second shot rang, and blood gushed out of Gray Bear¡¯s head.

    Gao Yang saw it from the corner of his eye.

    At that moment, he realized what that meant: there would be a third and a fourth bullet, and his and hispanion¡¯s heads would be hit.

    Thanks to the return of his Talents and his Agility being high enough, he made an impossible reaction on instinct, pushing away Nine Frost, who was beside him, while tilting his head to the side.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    The two shots were made half a second apart, one brushing past Gao Yang¡¯s temple, and the other missing Nine Frost¡¯s head thanks to Gao Yang pushing the man away.

    <i>Bang!</i> Then a bullet hit Nine Frost in the chest as he shifted to the side. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t certain if it had hit the heart or the lungs.

    Caughtpletely off guard with no obstacles to take cover behind, Gao Yang knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a second shot even though he had avoided the first. Still, he rolled to the side reflexively, praying that the bullet would miss his vitals.

    When hended, though, the sixth shot never came.

    Gao Yang knew that it wasn¡¯t because the attacker took mercy on them, but because she had run out of bullets.

    He jerked up to look at where the shots came from.

    Holding a handgun, Yellow Butterfly stared down at them with an expressionless face.

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly, you...¡± Nine Frost said in stops and starts, lying on the ground with a hand covering his bleeding chest while blood streaked down from the corner of his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re a spy?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Yellow Butterfly admitted easily. She didn¡¯t look satisfied with a job well down; instead, her eyes shed with aplicated sense of regret.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make a move, but two Rune Circuits were beyond the value of my spy work. I had to make a decision. Once your Talents recovered, I would be outnumbered and overpowered. Ambush was my only option.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been saving up bullets?¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t so much angry but shocked. ¡°You¡¯ve considered this scenario.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yellow Butterfly cast the gun aside. ¡°I saved five bullets for myself. I thought it would be enough, but I underestimated you.¡±

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly, why...¡± Nine Frost still seemed reluctant to ept the truth.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Yellow Butterfly walked up to pick up the Rune Circuit on the floor. ¡°From the very beginning, I was a spy nted in the Qilin Guild. We are each doing our own job.¡±

    ¡°Who...do you work for?¡± Nine Frost asked weakly, his face pale.

    Gao Yang considered him.

    Good news, Nine Frost must not have been hit in the heart, or he wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak so much. Bad news, even though Nine Frost had recovered his Talents and stats bonuses, the bullet had hit him before his full recovery, and he was unlikely to be able to fight in this state.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know the answer.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly turned away from Nine Frost to look at Gao Yang, her gaze terrifyingly calm. ¡°Give me the Rune Circuit in your hand, Seven Shadow. There¡¯s no reason for all of you to die here.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Since Yellow Butterfly was a spy, she must have Talents other than Avian King, which was clear from the confidence oozing from her after she revealed herself.

    She was strong.

    However, Yellow Butterfly didn¡¯t know Gao Yang¡¯s power well. That was why she chose negotiation, or it would be more urate to say she was testing him.

    What a formidable enemy the woman was. Killing was merely a means to an end for her.

    Were she able to escape with the two Rune Circuits without killing people, she wouldn¡¯t have killed anyone¡ªnot because of her sentimental feelings for her panions¡¯, but because the risk of failing the mission would be higher if she killed senselessly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly must know that Lithe Snake, Ronnie, and Can could put up some fight with their Talents recovered, and that the three of them were likely rushing their way after hearing the gunshots.

    ¡°Six seconds.¡±

    ¡°Answer a question for me, and I¡¯ll give you the Rune Circuit.¡± Gao Yang took out the Summon Rune Circuit from his pocket.

    Yellow Butterfly said after a pause, ¡°Ask.¡±

    ¡°Are you...Xiang Xiaoqin from eighteen years ago?¡±

    Yellow Butterfly¡¯s face darkened. Although she hadn¡¯t given him an answer, her expression said enough.

    ¡°You¡¯re...¡± Gao Yang continued, ¡°A half-human.¡±

    A half-human, an overtaker.

    A greed monster that had be human.

    ¡°Who are you, Seven Shadow?¡± Yellow Butterfly was impressed. Although she knew that Gao Yang was buying time, she couldn¡¯t help but get to the bottom of things. ¡°How do you know what I am? Who do <i>you </i>work for?¡±

    Gao Yang scoffed and projected a mysterious air.

    In truth, it was simply a conclusion Gao Yang had gotten to by making educated guesses.

    He had been having questions since they entered the Rune Cave. Why was the Rune Cave not triggered when Niu Xuan did exercises on the g tform for the first time? Why did it happen the second time?

    Was it simply because Niu Xuan¡¯s monsterhood had awakened?

    That didn¡¯t seem likely.

    Now that he thought about it, it must be because of Yellow Butterfly¡¯s presence. Niu Xuan was Li Zhuanghu from eighteen years ago, and Yellow Butterfly was Xiang Xiaoqin from eighteen years ago.

    When the two keys were present, the Rune Cave opened and swept all of them in.

    Of course, there was an element of chance involved as well. If Yellow Butterfly had known that she would be able to reopen the Rune Cave by having Niu Xuan with her, she would¡¯ve done it already.

    In hindsight, Yellow Butterfly had given something away. Last night, when they were investigating the Eleventh High School in the real world, Yellow Butterfly hade up to the rooftop and gotten sentimental at thements left on the water tank.

    She must not have expected a revisit to the Rune Cave and thought it as a one-time return to a ce she used to know.

    Yellow Butterfly had said that she had been an ugly, drab girl who was ostracized by her ss, just like Xiang Xiaoqin. Only Yellow Butterfly got ¡®stic surgery¡¯ter.

    Gao Yang made a bold guess: perhaps the original Xiang Xiaoqin had chanced upon the awakener Yellow Butterfly. Its monsterhood awakened, and it happened to be an overtaker. It took over Yellow Butterfly¡¯s body and became a half-human, being born anew.

    Perhaps that had something to do with what happened at the Eleventh High School eighteen years ago, too.

    Anyway, Xiang Xiaoqin ¡®vanished¡¯, reced by the half-human Yellow Butterfly.

    To the Monster Supreme, the monster bing a half-human with different identity was no different from the monster disappearing altogether, and they deemed it appropriate to create another Xiang Xiaoqin.

    Thus, the Heavenly Way implemented its punishment, trapping everyone at the Eleventh High School, along with the newborn Xiang Xiaoqin, inside the Rune Cave in a never-ending loop.

    Following that train of thought, the moment Yellow Butterfly had talked Xiang Xiaoqin out of killing her was but a farce. She hadn¡¯t moved her with reasoning, not at all. When Xiang Xiaoqin smiled and said, ¡®I can be pretty like you are,¡¯ it wasn¡¯t an expression of subjective desire.

    She had simply glimpsed into Yellow Butterfly¡¯s memory at that moment and seen her other self gaining a new lease in life by overtaking her host.

    Thinking she had realized her dream, she epted death with a smile.

    While some parts of the theory might have been wrong, Gao Yang believed he had gotten the overall story right.

    He smiled cryptically. ¡°Tell me who you work for, Yellow Butterfly, and I¡¯ll tell you who I work for.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly thought for a moment.

    She didn¡¯t bite the bait.

    ¡°No need.¡± She reached out. ¡°Yes, I am Xiang Xiaoqin from the past, and I¡¯m now a half-human. Now that I¡¯ve answered your question, give me the Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°You...mustn¡¯t...¡± Nine Frost used up thest of his strength to utter the words through his teeth. Then he lost consciousness, his head drooping.

    Gao Yang smiled and threw the Rune Circuit. ¡°Catch.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly stalked up and reached for it.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Two torrents of zing mes swept toward her.

 Chapter 210: Heated Fight

    <h4>Chapter 210: Heated Fight</h4>

    Surprised, Yellow Butterfly quickly dodged out of the way, but the mes had anticipated her reaction and chased after her. She dared not slow down. As soon as the mes licked at her, she jumped backward onto the water tank, out of the range of attack of Gao Yang¡¯s fire.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t blindly go after her. Instead, he picked up the Rune Circuit on the floor and put it back into his pocket.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t honor your word.¡± Yellow Butterfly scoffed, but there was little surprise on her face.

    Gao Yang retorted, ¡°Why would I when dealing with someone who just ambushed herpanions?¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s and ck Sparrow¡¯s death must not be in vain. He would avenge them here and now!

    Without wasting any more breath, Yellow Butterfly made a powerful leap from the water tank, rushing straight at Gao Yang with the dagger in her hand aimed at his throat, her movement viciously efficient.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Gao Yang quickly drew a shortsword and parried the de Yellow Butterfly wielded midair. Making use of the counterforce, Yellow Butterfly made a leap over Gao Yang¡¯s head and, whilending behind him, she swung the dagger at his back.

    Halfway through the swing, her gaze darkened. Despite facing away from her, Gao Yang had sneakily tucked a hand under his armpit.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Another zing torrent swept over Yellow Butterfly.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    With a scream, she fell to the floor.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give her a chance to react. His other palm joined in and shot level 3 Fire at full force. The two zing streams converged to mercilessly burn the woman at his feet.

    Two second, three second...

    Gao Yang was confident that if he managed to burn her for more than five seconds, there would be no escaping for her. Only someone without a sense of pain would be able to maintain rationality and the ability to think under such terrible torture.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Three deep violet bone stings broke out of the fire, thrusting straight at Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    Shocked, Gao Yang stepped out of the way, his fire dispersing.

    One bone sting managed to leave a gash on his left cheek. Gao Yang felt a stabbing pain. He was bleeding.

    The burning left a charred patch on the floor where Yellow Butterfly had been. Her frayed hair ran messily down her shoulders, and her clothes had almost beenpletely burned, leaving only precious few pieces of cloth covering parts of her body, which was littered with burns of different degrees.

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. For any regr creature, the fire would¡¯ve melted the skin, yet she only looked burned.

    Stranger still, the three four-meter violet bone stings were her three fingers; or extensions of her three fingers, to be more precise.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    The three bone stings retracted back into her fingers.

    Gao Yang raised his guard. He would have to be careful about getting into her proximity. A moment of distraction would be enough for her to put holes into him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to show you this side of me.¡±

    Yellow Butterfly raised her right hand and yanked off what little fabric covering her, exposing her sensuous, voluptuous body.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t look away for propriety¡¯s sake.

    Of course he wouldn¡¯t!

    If he looked away for even a fraction of a second, he would surely die.

    Soon, though, even propriety was no longer a concern. Slimy, tough violet scales quickly grew out of Yellow Butterfly¡¯s body, covering her entirely like seeds sprouting in timepse. In the blink of an eye, Yellow Butterfly was covered from head to toe in violet armor, including her face.

    ¡°You are dying here today, Seven Shadow,¡± Yellow Butterfly said with a hint of anger.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    Gao Yang took out the fingerless tactical glove from his pocket and put it on his right hand.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 2500 times.]

    ¡ªAh, you¡¯re finally back, system. I¡¯d never missed you so much.

    ¡ª2500 times. That¡¯s troublesome, but I have a chance of winning.

    Yellow Butterfly rushed toward Gao Yang at an impressive speed.

    Gao Yang raised his hands to activate Fire, but<i> swoosh!</i> Her charging at him was merely a distraction. Her right hand fingers turned into bone stings and stabbed at Gao Yang¡¯s left chest, abdomen, and right leg.

    Having foreseen thating, Gao Yang quickly jumped up to avoid the bone stingsing for his abdomen and thigh. While he couldn¡¯t get away from the one stabbing at his chest, he managed to parry it to the left with the shortsword in his hand and threw himself to the right with the counterforce..

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    Yellow Butterfly¡¯s left hand transformed as well, the three bone stings thrusting at Gao Yang.

    Again, Gao Yang saw the attacking, and he rolled to dodge it. The three stings stabbed into the concrete floor, sending sparks flying.

    Yellow Butterfly had made all the ranged attacks she could. She quickly retracted her six bone stings.

    Seizing the opening, Gao Yang dove into her space and shot out fire from his right hand. With the glove amplifying his Talent, the fire was stronger and quicker than before.

    It was clear that Yellow Butterfly had underestimated him, and she ended up hit.

    However, the scales protecting her made her impervious to quick burns. In less than a second, she left the fire¡¯s range with a double jump. As soon as shended, she leapt in the opposite direction, lunging at Gao Yang.

    This time, six bone stings shot out of her two hands at the same time, stabbing at Gao Yang from above, below, left, right, and front. Foregoing making a fatal attack, she aimed to cut off all possible escape routes.

    Gao Yang was surprised by how swiftly she changed tactics.

    Bending his legs, he jumped up and twisted his torso at the same time, dodging the three bone stings aimed at his lower body. Then he parried one with his shortsword and grabbed another with his right hand.

    Unable to dodge thest, it hit him in the left shoulder.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The concrete wall was right behind Gao Yang, and the bone sting pinned him to it. The other four bone stings burrowed into the wall as well, while one was still held in Gao Yang¡¯s grasp.

    Yellow Butterfly dashed at Gao Yang, perfectly coordinating the speed at which she retracted the bone stings and her advance. It almost felt like she was sucked in by the six bone stings.

    Two secondster, she was only half a meter away from Gao Yang.

    As she continued to exert her power, the bone sting Gao Yang had grabbed onto with his right hand inched toward his chest.

    Despite the violet scales covering her face, Gao Yang could still make out her beautiful facial features. Her deep violet eyes were crystal clear, and they were captivating under the moonlight.

    ¡°You¡¯re not my match, Seven Shadow.¡± Yellow Butterfly had clearly lost some control over her emotions after transforming into a monster. Gone was the calm andposed look on her face. She looked bloodthirsty and murderous.

    ¡°You¡¯re right...that I¡¯m not your match...now.¡±

    Gao Yang tightened his grip around the bone sting almost stabbing into his heart, his lips tugged into a smile. ¡°But the next second...things will change.¡±

    [You have umted 854 Luck points.]

    During the fight with Niu Xuan, Gao Yang had umted at most a few dozen points. However, since entering the Rune Cave, the two hours spent fighting rune corpses had earned him close to 800 Luck points¡ªall because the acquisition bonus considered only the level of danger and how long itsted, and no other factors.

    With Gao Yang rendered a regr human without Talent, the bonus dependent on the level of danger had stayed around 500 to 3000 times as he faced the rune corpses, as well as Li Zhuanghu and Xiang Xiaoqin as their respective Rune Circuit manipted them.

    That was the perfect embodiment of high risk, high reward.

    ¡ªMax out my Strength, Agility, and Willpower! Put the rest of the points into Constitution and Endurance until the end of the fight!

    [Understood.]

    [Constitution: 344 Endurance: 344]

    [Strength: 500 Agility: 500]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 97]

    [Luck: 454]

    Gao Yang had never increased his stats by this much at once. The change to his body even brought about a physical phenomenon.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    As soon as Gao Yang made the instruction to his system, a strong current burst out around him like the air was resonating with the energy quickly awakening inside his body.

    The powerful gust messed up Yellow Butterfly¡¯s hair and even forced her to close her eyes.

    Shock and confusion shed through her mind. What had happened to Gao Yang?

    <i>Crack.</i>

    With a cold, assured smile, Gao Yang shattered the bone sting in his grasp.

 Chapter 211: Rampage

    <h4>Chapter 211: Rampage</h4>

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    White hot pain dragged a scream out of Yellow Butterfly. The moment of opening didn¡¯t escape Gao Yang¡¯s notice. He grabbed the broken bone sting and stabbed it at Yellow Butterfly¡¯s heart.

    Unfortunately, her scale was hardy and slimy, and opting for swiftness over uracy, Gao Yang ended up missing the mark by a hair.

    <i>St.</i> The bone sting wedged in between scales and thrust into Yellow Butterfly¡¯s chest.

    She threw up a mouthful of blood.

    Suffering a heavy blow, the bone stings of her two hands reverted back into fingers, and the one prating through Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder retracted as well.

    A small stream of blood gushed out. Gao Yang pushed aside the pain and raised his hands, grabbing Yellow Butterfly¡¯s head and digging his fingers into her hair, finding purchase on her scalp.

    <i>You¡¯re not getting away this time!</i>

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    With a Willpower of 500, he used level 3 Fire at an extremely close range.

    Fire burst out of his hands and spread from Yellow Butterfly¡¯s head to the other parts of her body. In an instant, a pir of bright, zing me enveloped her and Gao Yang¡¯s two arms, illuminating the rooftop of the teaching building and the sky above them, so bright that it looked as if someone had dropped a bomb.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly howled in pain amid the fire. Pain upied all her attention and robbed her of the ability to think. She couldn¡¯t turn her fingers into stings to attack Gao Yang now.

    Gao Yang thought victory was imminent, that Yellow Butterfly couldn¡¯t possibly put up a fight further, that she could only scream as she met the fate of getting burned to charcoal.

    But he had underestimated a half-human.

    From the pir of fire, Yellow Butterfly extended her charred hands toward Gao Yang¡¯s chest. A secondter, she used up all her strength and pushed Gao Yang toward the water tank behind him.

    Gao Yang was caught off guard. He hadn¡¯t expected her to still have so much strength in her.

    No, the closer to death she was, the greater the potential she could tap into. That was something not even fire, a form of attack that brought about great pain, could suppress.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s back hit the concrete wall of the water tank, crushing it. He felt as if his bones had fallen apart, and he saw stars in his ckened vision.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    The cold water inside the water tank broke through the cracked wall; the violent waves swept the two of them away for two to three meters. They grappled and fought amid the rushing streams, during which Gao Yang¡¯s fire momentarily died down. Without the protection of his fire, it was dangerous for him to be this close to Yellow Butterfly.

    Without hesitation, he kicked her away, rolling to a stop and quickly standing up to get into a fighting stance.

    Charred all over, Yellow Butterfly slowly rose to her feet as well. Over half of her scales had melted under the intense heat. Her flesh fused with her flesh, and bubbles of dark blood oozed.

    Her beautiful hair had been burned off as well. Her now bald head was topped with a dark brown mess of gore.

    Gao Yang frowned.<i> What a shame. She would¡¯ve died if I managed to burn her for another seven seconds.</i>

    Still, she shouldn¡¯t be his match in this state. He simply had to avoid her bone stings and seized an opening to activate Fire again.

    But then he realized to his shock that Yellow Butterfly was muttering something. He could make out the words.

    ¡°O omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Godbearer, the great and merciful overlord of all...¡±

    Yellow Butterfly was a member of the Godbearer Cult as well!

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang dashed at Yellow Butterfly. He had to stop her!

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>

    Three bone stings shot out to intercept Gao Yang. At the same time, the scales covering Yellow Butterfly¡¯s right corbone writhed and retracted to the sides, revealing a human corbone, on which rested a small vial of ck solution.

    Gao Yang attempted to charge at Yellow Butterfly again, but she didn¡¯t give him a chance. Hands morphed into bone stings, she intercepted him while crushing the vial with her other hand, swallowing the shards of ss and the solution in one go.

    It came into effect quicker than expected.

    In less than three seconds, the scales covering her body fell off at rapid speed, and strange ck spots took over, swimming along her body like a school of living fish and converging at her chest.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly cried out as her chest caved in. A strange, ckened heart burst out, breaking through her corbones and flesh and skin. It pounded strongly, connected to thick blood vessels.

    There was the familiar smell again, the thick, insidious fragrance.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump.</i>

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

    Gao Yang felt a chill from the soles of his feet.

    He dared not initiate an attack now. Concentrating energy in his hands, he stared at Yellow Butterfly with his full focus. He couldn¡¯t afford a moment of distraction.

    Yellow Butterfly sped up her chanting.

    ¡°Forgive my ignorance and purify my blood...¡±

    ¡°Human...¡±

    ¡°Save me from this weakness and these sins of mine. Grant me the sacred blood and great power...¡±

    ¡°Human.¡±

    ¡°I swear to forever follow you submit to you devote myself to you...¡±

    ¡°Human, humanhuman...¡±

    ¡°Humanhumanhumanhumanhuman!¡±

    In the end, she wasn¡¯t able to finish her prayer.

    What had been Yellow Butterfly died.

    Both her human side and the monster side vanished. At this moment, she was nothing but a twisted, mutated abomination, pathetic and horrifying.

    She looked up with empty eyes at the prey before her: Gao Yang.

    The air stilled for a second.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Yellow Butterfly reached Gao Yang so quickly it almost seemed like she teleported, her stomp breaking the concrete floor and sending broken shards flying. Gao Yang barely dodged it by jumping with his Agility of 500.

    But that was all he could do.

    Instantly, Yellow Butterfly whirled around at impossible speed and made a powerful stomp with her heel, leaping toward Gao Yang, who was still in the air, sending up a scattering of concrete in her wake.

    <i>ng!</i>

    For some reason, Yellow Butterfly seemed unable to fully control her rampaging power. Like a cue ball sent flying astray, she hurtled into Gao Yang, and the two of them broke through the metal railing at the edge of the rooftop, falling off together.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang and Yellow Butterflynded on the grass-covered flower bed before the teaching building. Gao Yang hurt all over, and he was momentarily dazed.

    He was d that he had raised his Constitution and Endurance, or a fall from such height would¡¯ve shattered all his internal organs even with the grass cushioning his fall.

    Still, he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it. Jaw clenched, he rolled to the side.

    A fist shot into the ground where he had been.

    If he had been a little slower, Yellow Butterfly would¡¯ve punched through his heart.

    Gao Yang quickly got to his feet and raised his hands to activate Fire. Sensing the danger, Yellow Butterfly pulled her fist out of the ground and was about to jump.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    A thick rebar prated through her back, stopping her short. The man responsible was holding the rebar with both hands, and he stepped on her back with both feet.

    Under the moonlight, Gao Yang got a good look at him.

    Lithe Snake!

 Chapter 212: End of Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 212: End of Nightmare</h4>

    After his Talent returned, Lithe Snake regenerated his arm. He made it to the rooftop in time and jumped down from the fifth floor along with Gao Yang and Yellow Butterfly. Utilizing the great momentum generated by the fall, he stabbed her in the back from above as soon as she lunged at Gao Yang.

    Even so, the rebar merely pierced her back and failed to prate through her chest.

    The heavy blow brought Yellow Butterfly to her knees. She couldn¡¯t feel much of the pain, however, and she threw Lithe Snake off her back with a swing of her arm.

    She reached back to grip onto the rebar in her back.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt a pair of soft hands cover his ears.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see her, he knew it was Can with her Invisibility.

    ¡°Yeeyayeeyayaaaa¡ª¡±

    At the same time, a scream that scrambled and broke the mind rang, a prolonged torture in sonic form.

    Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation!

    Yellow Butterfly fell to her knees again and instinctively covered her ears. In less than two seconds, she overcame the sonic attack and, when everyone was momentarily deprived of the ability to think and act, she rose back to her feet, trembling.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    But then a furious, piercing growl came from above. Gao Yang looked up to see a giant gray bear pouncing down under the moonlight.

    Gray Bear!

    He hadn¡¯t died, and had instead sprung back into action.

    A few minutes before, when the five of them dealt with Xiang Xiaoqin on the rooftop of the teaching building, Nine Frost and Gao Yang had immediately noticed the return of their Talents and reminded ck Sparrow and Gray Bear. To confirm, Gray Bear had reflexively activated his Talent.

    That saved his life.

    It hadn¡¯t been more than a few seconds until a bullet hit him in the head, but during those few seconds, Beastly had been quickly activating inside his body, and the transformation prioritized the hardening of his bones over his skin and hair.

    When he was shot in the head, his skull had already be hard enough to block the bullet.

    The headshot was intercepted, but it was still a threatening attack that ended up knocking him unconscious.

    Meanwhile, Lithe Snake, who was resting on the gpole tform, noticed with his keen senses that his Talent had returned, which meant those on the rooftop had acquired the second Rune Circuit.

    Yet not long after, he heard a series of gunshots.

    With the Rune Circuit acquired, the enemy must have been dealt with as well. Why would there be gunshots?

    Lithe Snake used to be a mercenary, and he had been backstabbed by hisrades before, which gave him a healthy distrust in human nature. He immediately concluded that there must be a traitor among them.

    Without hesitation, he grabbed a rebar and rushed to the teaching building, leaving behind Ronnie and Can.

    When he got to the rooftop, he saw Yellow Butterfly charging at Gao Yang, and the two of them broke through the railing and fell off.

    Lithe Snake also saw ck Sparrow dead in her own pool of blood, the unmoving Nine Frost, who might or might not have died, and Gray Bear, who was bleeding profusely from the head but had regained consciousness. Gray Bear was crawling toward the supply bag, grabbing a syringe of Medicine C to jab at his own neck.

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t have the time to worry about Gray Bear. His top priority was joining the fight.

    A nce was enough for him to get a clear look of the monster Gao Yang was fighting. He had never seen something like that. Its presence itself was insidiously and dangerously oppressive. Gao Yang alone wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat it.

    Lithe Snake sped to the edge of the rooftop where the two of them had fallen off and looked down.

    Without pause, he jumped off and seized the fleeting opening, piercing the rebar into the abomination¡¯s back.

    Ronnie and Can hadn¡¯t been sitting idle either. As her Talent awakened in her, Can came to. Lithe Snake had moved as soon as the gunshots rang from the top of the teaching building, while Ronnie had waited for Can to wake up, thus moving out a littleter.

    They saw two figures falling from the rooftop the moment they reached the teaching building. One was Gao Yang, and the other a monstrous creature covered in ck spots. While it seemed to be an adult woman judging by its curvy body, never could Can and Ronnie imagine that it would be Yellow Butterfly.

    All they knew was that their captain was in danger.

    Can quickly went invisible with Ronnie, sneaking him to the battlefield.

    As for Gray Bear, the Medicine C he injected himself with had quickly healed the skull that was almost shattered by the bullet and the wounds all over his body. Moreover, after the near death experience, his energy seemed to undergo a second awakening, and not only did he recover all his stamina, he was also hit with a great pleasure of being born anew.

    He knew his Beastly had leveled up.

    Two years ago, Gray Bear leveled up his Talent to level 4 with the Buff Rune Circuit, owned by the Qilin Guild, and his Talent had been stagnating since then.

    He sought out a good number of senior members for advice, and he was told that past level 4, Talents didn¡¯t require Rune Circuits to level up. The path to progress further was one he would have to find on his own.

    Some leveled up after an epiphany, some, after a surge of intense emotions, and others, after a breakthrough at a moment of crisis.

    Gray Bear¡¯s situation was obviously the third one. To be more specific, he had leveled up after escaping death. It was as the saying went:

    ¡ªWhat doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger!

    Although Gray Bear hadn¡¯t witnessed Gao Yang¡¯s fight with Yellow Butterfly from the start, he had started to regain consciousness going into thetter half of the battle and heard their conversation, piecing together the truth.

    Putting aside the details, he was certain that Yellow Butterfly was the bastard that shot him in the head. She was the enemy!

    Thinking about it fueled the fury burning in him, and Gray Bear transformed into a gargantuan bear bigger and stronger than ever before, more divine beast than animal.

    With a furious growl, he jumped off the rooftop.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The powerful current sent Gao Yang staggering back a few steps, and he involuntarily squinted. When he was able to see better, there was already arge crater on the ground.

    Gray Bear¡ªor a titan of a bear descending from heaven¡ªhadnded on Yellow Butterfly, smashing her into the ground.

    Ronnie stopped screaming then.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    In a raging frenzy, the bear raised its w and tore into Yellow Butterfly. Blood and flesh sttered from the center of the crater.

    Gao Yang shouted, ¡°Pin down her heart! I¡¯ll take care of the rest!¡±

    Gray Bear had been lost in his murderous intent. It was Gao Yang¡¯s voice that pulled him out of it.

    He looked down to see that although his sharp ws had torn into Yellow Butterfly¡¯s flesh and exposed her bones, she was still alive, and her injuries were healing at an unnatural speed.

    Even in beast mode, Gray Bear couldn¡¯t help but shudder. What manner of monstrosity had she be?!

    This was neither the time nor ce to dwell on it. He grabbed the rebar pierced into Yellow Butterfly¡¯s back with both hands and pushed down, putting all his strength into it.

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    Yellow Butterfly let out a blood-curdling scream as the rebar pierced through her spine and the macabre ck heart, pinning her to the center of the crater.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Gao Yang activated Fire with both hands.

    Gray Bear quickly climbed to his feet and crawled out of the crater on all fours like a real bear.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Two streams of mes intertwined into a great pir and poured into the crater. Gray Bear almost got burned in the rump.

    Waves of intense heat rippled outward. Everyone took a few involuntary steps back, shielding their eyes with their arms.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Piercing screams rang from the center of the pir of mes. Pinned, the figure struggled fiercely, but failed to break free.

    Soon, the screams died down, and the writhing figure gradually stopped struggling before quickly melting.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t allow himself to rx just yet; he couldn¡¯t afford to.

    The towering pir of mes burned for almost a minute, draining him of all energy. When the mes finally relented, the crater had been charred ck, the rebar heated to a bright red. And the body it had pinned to the ground was nothing but a clump of charcoal.

    Gao Yang stood where he was, panting and drenched in sweat.

    Pain slowly returned to his injured body, and overpowering exhaustion swept through him. He could no longer keep himself up right. He fell face-first to the ground.

    A petite girl struggled to catch him from behind, but she managed to endure for only two seconds before she fell with him.

    Hugging Gao Yang from the back, Can sobbed with tears and snot streaming down her face.

    ¡°Captain, I thought, I thought I would never see you again...¡±

    <i>Can¡¯t she stop saying something so ill-boding?</i>

    Gao Yang was too tired to speak. He let his eyelids drop.

    Finally, the nightmare came to an end.

 Chapter 213: Trauma

    <h4>Chapter 213: Trauma</h4>

    The next day, ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Room 5007, White Tiger Branch.

    Gao Yang woke up in therge bed in his room. He clicked a button above the bedsidemp. The thick curtains parted slowly to the sides. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, bright sunlight illuminated the prosperous Li City.

    Topless, Gao Yang sat up and had arge gulp of water before walking to the full-length mirror barefooted, examining his body, which had gotten more well-built by the day.

    After using the level 2 healing medicine provided by the Guild, his injuries had more or less healed, leaving only faint scars. The scars would disappear in a month if he was lucky. Then it would seem like he had never gotten injured in the first ce.

    Gao Yang took out a chicken sandwich from the fridge and reheated it in the microwave. Then he poured himself a ss of milk.

    Sitting at the table, he waited for his breakfast to heat up, his thoughts straying.

    He finally came to terms with what had happened at the Eleventh High School.

    During their investigation, the fourth and fifth teams chanced upon the Rune Cave and acquired the Summon Rune Circuit and the Support Rune Circuit¡ªbut at a heavy price.

    Those killed in the mission included Xiran from the fifth team, and Dark Li, Old Joe, Xiuyi, ck Sparrow, and Yellow Butterfly from the fourth team.

    And Nine Frost from the fourth team suffered serious injury.

    The rest of them had also been injured to various degrees.

    The twenty-four hours of twists and turns, suffering and losses were reduced to a short, concise report. Of course, it was merely the official one made to the Guild. The actual report, including information about Yellow Butterfly being a spy nted by the Godbearer Cult, had been made directly to ck Tortoise by Gao Yang and Gray Bear.

    That night, after they dealt with Yellow Butterfly, Gao Yang and the others quickly returned to the rooftop to save Nine Frost, who had cked out from his injury, with theirst shot of Medicine C.

    Then they retrieved the bodies of theirpanions and brought them back to the gpole tform on the running track, including the charred Yellow Butterfly.

    With the two Rune Circuits, the portal to the real world opened. Just like what had happened in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, a beam of light came down from the sky.

    They entered the beam of light and returned to the Eleventh High School on the surface.

    Elder ck Tortoise noticed the loss of contact three hours after the fourth and fifth teams went on the investigation mission, and he immediately requested reinforcements.

    Leading the first and second teams personally, Elder Azure Dragon arrived at the Eleventh High School and locked it down, initiating a thorough search. They soon found traces of battle in the auditorium. ck Tortoise and Azure Dragon spected that the two teams must have been pulled into a Rune Cave.

    They had an awakener with a Time-Space-type Talent look for a way into the Rune Cave. Strangely, when the awakener attempted to create an opening at the gpole tform, they found their Talent unresponsive.

    They didn¡¯t know that it was the Support Rune Circuit inflicting the silence debuff, the influence of which radiated from the Rune Cave to the bordering area outside.

    Left with no option, they could only wait for a miracle to happen.

    And at midnight the next day, a miracle did happen.

    When Gao Yang and the others walked out of the light beam appearing on the tform, they were immediately greeted by the two Elders.

    Both Azure Dragon and ck Tortoise were wearing a mask.

    Gao Yang presented them with the Rune Circuits, and the two Elders each took one for safekeeping. Then they escorted Gao Yang and the other surviving members to the ck Tortoise branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons for treatment and questioning on the entire mission.

    After hearing Gao Yang¡¯s and Gray Bear¡¯s statements, the two Elders fell into thought.

    Elder Azure Dragon took his leave first. He was going to personally report to Guildmaster Qilin.

    ck Tortoise stayed behind. He took off his mask, his gaze tired and his face seemingly aged by a few years.

    Both the fourth and fifth teams listened to hismand. His people had found two Rune Circuits at once, which was an incredible contribution. However, they paid the price of losing half of their members, and one among them turned out to be a traitor.

    It was only natural that he couldn¡¯t be d of the good news.

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, everyone other than Nine Frost, who was still being treated, returned to the White Tiger branch via the underground hyperloop capsules. They were to rest until called for questioning.

    Gao Yang returned to his hotel room. He didn¡¯t turn on his phone. He didn¡¯t think about anything, actually. After a quick shower, he plopped down on the bed and fell deep asleep.

    When he woke up, it was already ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    The sandwich was done heating in the microwave. Gao Yang stood up to retrieve the te and ced it on the dining table.

    He drank some milk and dug into his breakfast. The food was tasty, but Gao Yang was in no condition to appreciate it. He simply repeated the motion of chewing.

    His phone rang after he had taken a few bites. It was an encoded message sent internally by the Guild, consisting only of a time and a location:

    11:30 a.m., Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, 343 Li River Central Road, 19F, Feiyang District.

    Gao Yang paused.

    <i>A psychiatric clinic?</i>

    <i>What, is the Guild worried that I may have PTSD and wants me to get an evaluation?</i>

    <i>Whatever, they must have their reasons.</i>

    Gao Yang finished breakfast and switched to his ¡®normal¡¯ mode.

    He turned on his phone and responded to messages from his family and friends.

    Then he called his mother, telling her that he had skipped a school day because he had something to take care of with Wang Zikai, asking her to make a bted request for sick leave to the school and promising to go back to school this afternoon.

    During the call, his mother badmouthed Wang Zikai angrily and reprimanded Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang took it all in stride and patiently cated her before ending the call.

    Then Gao Yang sent a message to Gao Xinxin.

    Every time he narrowly escaped death, he found himself missing his little sister.

    In less than ten seconds, Gao Xinxin responded to his messages on WeChat.

    Gao Xinxin: I¡¯m still in ss! Don¡¯t you bother my study!

    Gao Yang: My little sister is smart enough to chat while studying.

    Gao Xinxin: Enough with it! Speak! What did you do yesterday?

    Gao Yang: Hung out with Wang Zikai.

    Gao Xinxin: Bro! My brother from the same parents, you¡¯re gonna take the entrance exams soon. Can¡¯t you take things a little more seriously?

    Gao Yang: Worry about yourself and your highschool entrance exams.

    Gao Xinxin: Hmph!

    Gao Yang: Any dresses that caught your fancy recently?

    Gao Xinxin: What?

    Gao Yang: Your brother has some savings and wants to buy you a gift. Isn¡¯t your birthdaying up in ten months?

    Gao Xinxin: No need! Your sister is now an online model and sellers fawn to send me clothes for endorsements! I have more dresses than I can put on!

    Gao Yang: What do you want then? I¡¯ll buy it for you.

    Gao Xinxin: Nothing. Just get into a good college! Mom said that we¡¯re going on a family trip to Naldives when summer vacationes!

    Gao Yang: Really?

    Gao Xinxin: Only if you get into a college!

    Gao Yang: Of course I will!

    Gao Yang ended their chat with a smile.

    The college entrance exams wereing in about half a month. Time sure flew.

    He left the dorm and took the member elevator to the underground hyperloop station, riding a capsule back to the ck Tortoise branch. Then he left the Walled City of Ten Dragons for the walking street, hailing a taxi at the street corner.

    His destination was 343 Li River Central Road, an office building. Gao Yang took the elevator to the 19th floor. Following the signs on the wall, he turned left then right, reaching the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic.

    He opened the ss door gently. The metal wind chimes with a simple design clinked in a pleasant way.

    The clinic wasn¡¯t that big. The walls and the floor were all painted in a serene light blue.

    Manning the front desk was a young brte woman with gentle facial features, dressed in white uniform.

    She stood up with a smile and said, ¡°Wee. Do you have an appointment?¡±

    <i>Appointment?</i>

    <i>Do I need one?</i>

 Chapter 214: Doctor Su

    <h4>Chapter 214: Doctor Su</h4>

    Gao Yang yed it by ear and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m your 11:30.¡±

    The short-haired woman looked down at the appointment list for the day before looking up at Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Qi Ying, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    <i>Qi Ying?</i>

    <i>Oh right. I¡¯ll give the double entendre a ten out of ten</i>.[1]

    Gao Yang gave her a smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here for a therapy session.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re younger than I expected.¡± The woman returned the smile with an unreadable look in her eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was concern or sympathy.

    <i>Well, it is pretty sad for someone my age to need therapy.</i>

    ¡°Please wait here for a moment. Doctor Su is still with a patient.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down on the sofa. The woman poured him a ss of water.

    Having a sip, Gao Yang quietly scanned the room. Hung on the light blue walls were childish drawings done with crayons. One was of an old witch straight out of a fairytale, and another a pig in a spacesuitnding on Mars.

    The short-haired woman had returned to the front desk and was now sending messages on WeChat with her head lowered. Judging by her typing speed, she must be chatting with many people.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mind strayed for a moment.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door leading to the inner room opened.

    Gao Yang looked up to see a middle-aged woman emerge. Her burgundy hair was permed into curls. Her outfit looked as expensive as it was refined. And her skin was well taken care of. She was clearly a rich woman who had led a life of abundance.

    ¡°Thank you, Doctor Su. Talking to you always puts me at ease...¡±

    Her tone was grateful with a tinge of adoration. ¡°If not for you, I would¡¯ve lost my will to live and followed my son to the other world...¡±

    ¡°Fate is fickle. It¡¯s important to ept things as they are.¡±

    Out walked a middle-aged man in a long white coat, wearing a pair of sses. Although he wasn¡¯t particrly handsome, he stood out with the air of gentleness and grace around him, and his intelligence showed in the way he held himself.

    He was holding a ck, finely crafted walking stick in his left hand, and his body leaned slightly toward it. It seemed that his left leg had been injured and crippled.

    ¡°Let bygone be bygone, and pursue not an elusive future. Live in the moment and feel it empower you. Don¡¯t allow sorrow to trap you.¡±

    ¡°I know. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Doctor Su smiled before adding, ¡°And remember to take your medicine.¡±

    ¡°Okay. See you, Doctor Su.¡±

    ¡°Until next time.¡±

    The rich-looking woman turned to leave. With the support of the walking stick, Doctor Su saw the woman off. The wind chimes gently sang.

    After a moment, he turned to the sofa where Gao Yang was sitting. ¡°You must be Mr. Qi Ying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Gao Yang stood up. ¡°Hello, Doctor Su. I¡¯m here for my appointment.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Doctor Su nodded and turned around.

    Gao Yang followed him into the treatment room and closed the door behind him. The room was minimalistic in design. At the center was a set of sofas and a tea table. One of the walls was lined by a bookshelf. In the corner were a few potted pothos. A faint, calming fragrance permeated the air.

    The window wall allowed in sufficient sunlight, and the thin curtains swayed along with the wind. Outside was the picturesque view of Li River.

    ¡°Please have a seat.¡±

    Doctor Su walked up to a single sofa with his walking stick and sat down.

    Gao Yang took the seat across from him.

    After two seconds, Gao Yang broke the silence.

    ¡°Can we talk inly?¡±

    Doctor Su nodded and smiled. ¡°Miss Qin is a wanderer. Please be at ease.¡±

    Miss Qin must be the short-haired woman at the front desk.

    Gao Yang concisely exined the situation, ¡°I received a message from the Guild telling me toe to this clinic at this time, but I don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°I asked for you.¡± Doctor Su met Gao Yang¡¯s eyes.

    After a pause, Gao Yang caught on. ¡°Are you...¡±

    Doctor Su blinked with the smile still tugging his lips and purposefully didn¡¯t respond. He wanted Gao Yang to guess his identity.

    ¡°Elder White Tiger?¡±

    Doctor Su shook his head.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird?¡± Gao Yang was working through the process of elimination. Given the nature of the matter at hand, only an Elder or above would summon him like this.

    Doctor Su was still staring at Gao Yang without a word.

    Now knowing who the man was, Gao Yang adopted an even more respectful tone.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you like this, Guildmaster Qilin.¡±

    Doctor Su chuckled. ¡°I thought you would be more surprised.¡±

    ¡°I am quite surprised,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t have to let it show.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re more mature than your age,¡± Qilin said in a gentle and approving tone.

    ¡°And you are younger than I expected, sir.¡± Gao Yang responded with a matching smile. ¡°I thought the Guildmaster would be...even more of the venerable type.¡±

    ¡°Or just old.¡± Qilin held onto his walking stick with both hands. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    The silence wasn¡¯t awkward or serious, but natural and rxed. Perhaps it was due to the nature of Qilin¡¯s presence.

    Gao Yang was quite taken aback. He didn¡¯t picture Qilin, the most respected and highest-ranking awakener, to be the graceful gentleman he was.

    ¡°I¡¯ve received the report and read your statements in detail.¡± Qilin considered Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯ve made quite a contribution not long after joining the Guild, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. Any show of humility now would only seem disingenuous. Acquiring two Rune Circuits was undeniably a significant feat.

    Qilin continued, ¡°Those who have sacrificed themselves were moved to the Vermilion Bird branch. While the Qilin Guild won¡¯t hold funerals for them, they will be mourned and remembered in other ways.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, thinking back to Xiran, the innocent, shy young man, and the fourth team members he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to know well. His mood took a downturn.

    People couldn¡¯t help but develop attachment to those they had spent time with. Any form of bond was precious in the Mist World, yet so very dangerous and terrifying.

    ¡°I talked to ck Tortoise. From today onward, Nine Frost will be a member of the fifth team. And the team is promoted to a special task force under themand of ck Tortoise. Should you encounter any special circumstances, you are allowed to take action at your own discretion and even report directly to me.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, you are now an Elder-candidate. Nine Frost will remain as a Protector, and Gray Bear is promoted to Protector. The others are promoted to Elites. All with the corresponding benefits and authorities.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Gao Yang slightly lowered his head and didn¡¯t meet Qilin¡¯s gaze.

    On one hand, it was a show of deference. On the other hand, he was worried that the man might notice his guilty conscience.

    After all, Gao Yang was a spy nted by the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡ªwell, not exactly a spy, but an informant, at the very least.

    ¡°You may also make a request as your reward,¡± Qilin added. ¡°Of course, it has to be within my ability.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with the promotion and the raise. I don¡¯t have any other request.¡± Gao Yang conceded without meaning it.

    Qilin smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as you being humble, but there should be a limit to that.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be frank.¡± Gao Yang had been waiting for him to say that. ¡°I do have a wish, but I¡¯m afraid Guildmaster may not grant it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±

    Gao Yang calmed himself and said the line he had nned to say, ¡°I would like to have a look at the Miracle Rune Circuit.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s lips were still curved, and his eyes calm with a bemused glint.

    ¡°If I remember right, you don¡¯t have a Miracle-type Talent.¡±

    At first, Gao Yang had thought Lucky was a terrible Talent that wasn¡¯t worth talking about, but soon, he realized how unusual it was. Lucky was his greatest trump card. He hadn¡¯t told anyone about it, not even Qing Ling or Officer Huang. Of course Qilin wouldn¡¯t know either.

    Gao Yang mixed truths with lies. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t have a Miracle-type Talent, but I know that the Miracle Rune Circuit was the first Rune Circuit ever found, and it was found by you, sir. I¡¯ve been curious about it.¡±

    Qilin nodded for Gao Yang to continue.

    ¡°I joined the Qilin Guild because I wanted to be stronger, but also because I believe the Guild is leading the way in exploring the Mist World, more so than any other organization. And I am really, really, <i>really </i>interested in the truth of the world.¡±

    Gao Yang emphasized his point.

    Qilin leaned into the sofa and smiled again. ¡°You didn¡¯t lie about that. I can sense your eagerness.¡±

    Gao Yang was being truthful about his feelings, but he was lying by omission.

    ¡°You¡¯re never meant to stay in a small pond, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°It is true that I never want to die in the pond, ignorant of the truth.¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, Qilin slightly leaned in. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll grant you the wish.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gao Yang hid his surprise. <i>It worked? So easily?!</i>

    Qilin chuckled. ¡°You have made a S-ss contribution by bringing us two Rune Circuits, and you only ask to have a look at the Miracle Rune Circuit. If I don¡¯t even grant you the simple wish, how am I going to lead the Guild going forward?¡±

    Gao Yang almost couldn¡¯t control his excitement. It was all he could do to maintain his poker face.

    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Guildmaster,¡± Gao Yang said in aposed tone. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to decide the time and ce for it.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Qilin sounded casual. ¡°I can show it to you right now.¡±

    1. Seven Shadow is also <i>qi-ying</i> in Mandarin, only in different tones. ?

 Chapter 215: Miracle Rune Circuit

    <h4>Chapter 215: Miracle Rune Circuit</h4>

    ¡°Now?¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense.

    Something as important as the Miracle Rune Circuit would be safer with the man himself than anywhere else.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one minute. Is that enough?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± A Rune Circuit suddenly appeared in Qilin¡¯s right hand.

    Gao Yang almost jumped. <i>When did he get it out, and from where? Why didn¡¯t I see him do it?</i>

    The Rune Circuit had appeared out of nowhere like a mysterious magic trick.

    <i>He wouldn¡¯t have fooled me with a fake, would he?</i>

    The absurd thought came to Gao Yang¡¯s mind, but he soon dismissed it. The Miracle Rune Circuit, which Qilin was holding between his long fingers, was a circr tablet just like the other Rune Circuits, only it was a little bigger, and its color a little darker than regr ck Gold. There was a hint of gold to its silverish white color.

    The surface was etched withplicated, intricate circuits along which curious faint light flowed. At the center was the pattern of a hexagram.

    It was simr to the hexagram that had appeared in his vision the first time Gao Yang activated the system.

    He had seen the symbol in the Talent Pantheon and guessed that it signified the Miracle-type, and he was right.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much, does it?¡± Qilin asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t look that different from the other Rune Circuits.¡± Gao Yang hesitated and mustered the courage to ask, ¡°May I...touch it?¡±

    He quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to make a run with it.¡±

    Qilin chuckled, amused. ¡°Now I believe you¡¯re eighteen years old.¡±

    He handed the Rune Circuit to Gao Yang with a rxed expression. ¡°Take it. No one has ever managed to steal it from me. I¡¯m confident in at least that much.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath, and with almost religious awe, he took the Miracle Rune Circuit with both hands.

    It was hard and cold, the texture no different from the other Rune Circuits.

    <i>If I carry this with me, my Lucky will have a chance of reaching level 4.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s a shame that Qilin will never allow it. That¡¯s for certain.</i>

    He also had a feeling that there was more to the Rune Circuit only Qilin was privy to.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were cut short when an energy¡ªlike a weak electric current¡ªshot into his fingertip. He let go reflexively, and Qilin caught the Rune Circuit as soon as it dropped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gao Yang quickly hid his difort and came up with an appropriate excuse. ¡°Looking at it, I couldn¡¯t help but think about all the possible exnations for the Mist World, and I got distracted.¡±

    Qilin smiled at him. ¡°Do you need another look?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Thank you.¡±

    The Rune Circuit vanished from Qilin¡¯s hand.

    Gao Yang gaped. What did Qilin do? Was it his Talent?

    ¡°Then let¡¯s end the conversation here.¡± Qilin put his hands back on his cane. ¡°I have business to attend to¡ªnot for the clinic, but the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang stood up and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m going back to school. I shouldn¡¯t skip too many sses.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be young.¡± Qilin rose to his feet with what sounded like envy. Then he walked Gao Yang out of the room.

    The receptionist put away her phone and turned to Gao Yang and Qilin with some surprise. ¡°Done already?¡±

    ¡°His study has piled up too much pressure on him, but it¡¯s not pathological.¡± Qilin patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Remember, the entrance exam doesn¡¯t define your life. You only have to do your best.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded politely. ¡°Thank you, Doctor Su. I feel much better now. Goodbye.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang went to school in the afternoon. Since his mother had asked for a sick leave for him, the homeroom teacher didn¡¯t call him to the office.

    In fact, his teacher had been preupied with something else: Niu Xuan had disappeared from the hospital and was nowhere to be found. His parents were panicking, and the police hade to the school to investigate, but found nothing.

    Gao Yang pitied his homeroom teacher. In only a semester, two students had been killed, and one went missing. It would be stranger if he wasn¡¯t having a mental breakdown.

    Recently, Qing Ling had stoppeding to school altogether.

    Gao Yang dutifully did test papers and spent his evening self-study on reviewing study materials. When school ended, and he walked out of the school gate, he saw a familiar ck sedan parked under the streemp on the other side of the street.

    Gao Yang looked around before striding toward the car, his head lowered.

    The window rolled down. As expected, it was Gray Bear.

    His head was still wrapped in white bandages, and his expression had lost its usual vigor. Instead, he looked a little depressed. ¡°Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little irritated. ¡°I have a phone. Why did youe to my school?¡±

    Gray Bear smiled bitterly. ¡°The Guild is going to send people to clean up Xiran¡¯s ce. Before that, we want to go through his belongings and take some to remember him by. Are youing with us, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang was quiet for a moment. He lowered his head slightly and saw Lithe Snake in the passenger seat, and sitting in the back were Can and Ronnie.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door to the backseat and went in. The car started.

    Can brooded, and for the first time since he knew her, she wasn¡¯t ying a game. She dragged herself to the center of the seat to make room for Gao Yang, her eyes unfocused.

    Gao Yang sat down, feeling a pang in his chest when he saw Can like this.

    He initiated a conversation, ¡°I remember someone saying that once she got out of the Rune Cave, she was gonna y games for three days straight and buy all the skins.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can smiled weakly. ¡°I quit.¡±

    ¡°You quit?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. It didn¡¯t seem likely.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Can nodded gravely. ¡°I want to get stronger. I don¡¯t want to drag people down anymore!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed softly.

    There were many things that were out of their control. It was a good thing that Can wanted to get stronger, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t want her to be driven by such heavy guilt. It would make life exhausting for her, make life dreadful.

    He took out his phone. ¡°Show me how the game works, Can.¡±

    Can paused. She had begged him to y the game so many times, and Captain always said no. Yet he was volunteering to join her now.

    She was both surprised and moved, her eyes reddening and her voice trembling. ¡°No, no. I quit...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an order.¡±

    ¡°...Alright.¡±

    Five minutester, Can cursed up a storm in the car.

    ¡°You pig head! I told you to cultivate your power under the tower! I told you not to go to the enemy just to die...¡±

    ¡°Support! Do you know what the word means? Stop wandering around. Do you think you¡¯re shopping...¡±

    ¡°shing into a wall and going invisible only to die afterward. Can you be worse at the game, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. <i>Aren¡¯t you being too harsh on a mobile gaming newbie?</i>

    <i>Fine, I¡¯m not gonna retaliate now, or it¡¯d be petty of me. I¡¯m just gonna make your future training hell.</i>

    <i>Hm, have I been thinking like Teacher War Tiger more and more?</i>

    ......

    Late at night, there wasn¡¯t much traffic, and Gray Bear was able to drive fast. They arrived at a residentialmunity in the Anliang District half an hourter. Xiran had started to work at apany in the publishing industry after graduating college, and after his mother¡¯s death, he had been living on his own.

    After awakening, he hadn¡¯t made real friends, and since joining the Qilin Guild, the fifth team had been his friends and family.

    He sometimes invited the team members to his home for a gathering. He was quite a good cook and had made a variety of dishes for them. After getting their stomachs filled, they would y a board game and chat.

    Ronnie was Xiran¡¯s closest friend, and he had a backup key to Xiran¡¯s ce.

    He opened the door and turned on the light.

    The t had two bedrooms and one living room. The interior design was somewhat outdated, and the furniture and appliances were quite old.

    Ronnie was the first to enter. He said ruefully, ¡°I once told Xiran to renovate the ce, but he refused to. He said that by keeping things as they were, he would be able to remember his mother as when she was alive.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised once more that Ronnie was able to speak normally when he was talking about Xiran. Gao Yang had thought it was a one-time thing, but perhaps it was Xiran¡¯s parting gift to Ronnie. He would always be able to speak without strange pauses when it came to his friend.

    Death didn¡¯t erase one from the world. Those who had passed away stayed with those left behind and became part of them.

    Gray Bear sighed heavily and walked up to the dining table. ¡°Two weeks ago, we were having hot pot here to reminisce about our former captain. Who would¡¯ve thought that today, we would be here to mourn Xiran?¡±

    Can¡¯s eyes reddened, but she bit her lips to stop herself from crying.

    Gray Bear pped. ¡°Each of you should take something as a memento. Just one.¡±

    They split up wordlessly and walked around the t.

    Gray Bear was the first to decide on something. He tapped the fishtank on the TV stand with his finger. There were two goldfish inside. ¡°I¡¯ll have this. I wonder how much longer the fish will live.¡±

    Lithe Snake went up to the window and picked up a potted green sulent. ¡°I¡¯ll have this.¡±

    Gao Yang, Ronnie, and Can entered Xiran¡¯s bedroom. It was clean and tidy. The curtains and the beddings were both light in color, and the bay window was set up with a <i>tatami </i>and a small table, on which was a closedptop.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take theptop,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°Did you just pick the most expensive thing, Ronnie?¡± Can asked.

    Ronnie shook his head. ¡°He often came to me forputer problems. I¡¯ll think of him whenever I see theptop.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that so.¡± Can was getting morose again. She walked up to the bookshelf with her gaze downcast, and suddenly, something caught her eyes.

    She stood on tiptoe and reached up for the thick leather journal.

    After a look, she turned to call out, ¡°Captain,e here for a sec.¡±

 Chapter 216: Diary

    <h4>Chapter 216: Diary</h4>

    Gao Yang and Ronnie went up to the bookshelf and looked at the leather journal in Can¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Is this a diary?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Can then asked, ¡°Can I have Xiran¡¯s diary?¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t give her an answer. Wouldn¡¯t it be a breach of privacy?

    ¡°This isn¡¯t Xiran¡¯s diary,¡± said Ronnie.

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°You sure?¡±

    Ronnie nodded and took the diary from him, flipping through a couple pages. ¡°This isn¡¯t Xiran¡¯s handwriting.¡±

    Then he paused and flipped another two pages, saying with certainty, ¡°This is Captain¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Captain?¡± Can turned to Gao Yang in befuddlement. ¡°Why would your diary be at Xiran¡¯s ce, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang looked back at her with matching confusion. How should he know...wait, he didn¡¯t keep a diary to start with.

    ¡°Not, Captain Seven Shadow,¡± Ronnie exined. ¡°Former, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± That answered the question, but then it made Can even more confused. ¡°Why would former Captain¡¯s diary be here?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Gray Bear and Lithe Snake walked into the room.

    Ronnie handed the diary to Gray Bear. After browsing a few pages, Gray Bear said with surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Captain Three Air¡¯s diary?¡±

    Lithe Snake then took it and had a look. ¡°It is his handwriting.¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡± Ronnie narrowed his eyes in remembrance. ¡°Xiran once told me that about a week before Captain Three Air¡¯s death, he visited Xirante at night.¡±

    ¡°Was there something he needed Xiran to do?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    Ronnie shook his head. ¡°Xiran said that Captain Three Air left after a brief chat with him.¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Do you mean your former captain hid the diary in Xiran¡¯s ce on purpose?¡±

    Ronnie nodded.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Xiran notice?¡± Lithe Snake questioned.

    ¡°He might have noticed, but didn¡¯t tell us about it.¡± Ronnie lowered his eyes. ¡°Xiran had been secretly investigating Captain Three Air¡¯s death.¡±

    There was a moment of silence.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t wanted to get nosy, but given what had been revealed, he thought it better to just ask, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering. How did your former captain die?¡±

    Everyone in this room had been through hell together. Gray Bear didn¡¯t think there was a point in hiding the truth. He said through clenched teeth, ¡°He was assassinated.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. <i>Assassinated?</i>

    ¡°Was the culprit found?¡±

    ¡°No, there had been no clue.¡± Gray Bear clenched his fists. ¡°If we knew who it was, we would¡¯ve avenged him!¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem like simple murder.

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang walked up to the window and looked outside before closing it, drawing the curtains closed as well.

    In a lowered voice, he said, ¡°Tell me everything you know about the assassination, Gray Bear.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gray Bear sat down on the bed and rubbed at his temple, going through his memory.

    ¡°This spring, Captain Three Air suddenly went missing. Neither the police nor the Guild could find him. It wasn¡¯t until a weekter that his body was found in a ditch in the Li Mountain.¡±

    Gray Bear took a deep breath. ¡°His body was charred. The Guild had to do a DNA test to confirm that it was Captain Three Air.¡±

    ¡°The Guild put together an investigation team, and the conclusion is that he had been assassinated. Captain Three Air had a habit of running in the Li Mountainte at night, and he got ambushed in the part of the path where there was no surveince camera.¡±

    Can¡¯s shoulders drooped, her voice depressed. ¡°But Captain Three Air was strong. His Talent was Gale, and he had been trained in kickboxing since he was little. He wouldn¡¯t be killed easily.¡±

    Gale, an Element-type Talent that allowed one to control wind.

    Its serial number was 27, right after Gao Yang¡¯s Fire.

    ¡°Whoever killed Captain must be a powerful, awakener,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°The investigation team also concluded that the MO didn¡¯t fit with a monster or a Spectre, and it must have been an awakener¡¯s doing.¡±

    Lithe Snake coolly added, ¡°I heard that Captain Three Air wasn¡¯t burned to death, and his body was only burned to destroy evidence.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the cause of death was something else,¡± said Gray Bear.

    ¡°What is it then?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Gray Bear shook his head. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird personally examined the body. She must have an answer, but we aren¡¯t allowed to know.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    ¡°Actually, there is something else that has been bothering me,¡± Can said weakly, her big eyes shifting.

    Gray Bear looked at her knowingly and gave her a wry smile. ¡°I knew it. Even though I told you to leave it, you kids have all been investigating the death of Captain Three Air, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Can scratched her head. ¡°You knew I wasn¡¯t smart enough to find out much, but remember? Someone else from the Guild died at around the same time.¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s cold gaze darkened. ¡°Elite Blue Dolphin from the third team.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Blue Dolphin was quite close with Captain Three Air, and they used to fish together.¡±

    ¡°How did he die?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°It was said that he died at home of cardiac arrest, that it was a sudden cardiac death.¡± Lithe Snake crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. ¡°The real cause of death was something only Elder Vermilion Bird knows, but it must be an assassination as well.¡±

    A thought suddenly came to Gao Yang. ¡°What was Blue Dolphin¡¯s Talent?¡±

    ¡°Mindreading,¡± Lithe Snake answered.

    Gao Yang was reminded of what ck Tortoise had told him, and a shudder ran down his spine. The pieces began toe together in his head.

    He made his deduction.

    This spring, the former captain of the fifth team, Three Air, noticed some unusual signs and came to suspect that there was a spy within the Guild. He narrowed it down to the mid-ranking managers, namely the Elites and their superiors.

    However, Three Air didn¡¯t have concrete evidence.

    Therefore, Three Air sought out a close friend he could trust, Blue Dolphin, who was an Elite of the third team with Talent: Mindreading, serial number 49, Psyche-type.

    The Talent wasn¡¯t a magic bullet. It only allowed one to read the thoughts of the target when they were close enough, and only the thoughts currently on the target¡¯s mind would be read.

    That meant Mindreading couldn¡¯t detect what the target wasn¡¯t thinking.

    Spies were professionally trained. They could control their thoughts to some degree and even fool themselves into believing their lies. To really confirm the truth, Three Air and Blue Dolphin had two options.

    First, lock up the middle-ranking members of the Guild by force and repeatedly ask about the matter. Then they would get an answer with Mindreading.

    Second, patiently investigate the suspects and gradually narrow down the scope of investigation until a few prime suspects were identified. Then they had to deftly guide the target to think about the matter to have an urate reading.

    Clearly, Three Air didn¡¯t have enough evidence, and he didn¡¯t have the authority and power to execute the first option. Even if he was to recklessly report to his superior, the n would be too extreme to be approved.

    That was why he sought to carry out the second option with Blue Dolphin¡¯s help.

    The two of them must have been cautious, and they were likely to have found something. However, they underestimated the spy and ended up alerting them.

    Three Air might have realized he was in danger and made preparations ordingly, or perhaps he was simply being thorough. Before his death, he visited Xiran to hide his diary, most likely to leave behind clues.

    And indeed, the spy made a move and assassinated Three Air and Blue Dolphin.

    Gao Yang now knew that Yellow Butterfly was one such spy in the Qilin Guild. While she might not have the ability or opportunity to assassinate Three Air and Blue Dolphin, among the Godbearer Cult, which she was part of, there must be someone powerful enough to do it.

    Three Air and Blue Dolphin had been silenced.

    The incident alerted the Elders, and through a series of coincidences, ck Tortoise recruited Gao Yang, who had Lie Detection.

    And ¡®luckily¡¯, Gao Yang rooted out the spy for the Guild and acquired two Rune Circuits.

    It all made sense.

    But this might not be the end of it. Was there really only one spy, Yellow Butterfly, in the Guild?

    She joined the Guild five years ago and hadn¡¯t been found until now. Perhaps others had infiltrated the Guild over the past five years.

    <i>Wait</i>, Gao Yang realized with a start,<i> I am kind of a spy from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.</i>

    His temples throbbed. Things were moreplicated than he could manage. He was regretting joining the Qilin Guild.

    <i>No, I shouldn¡¯t think about it like this.</i>

    Even if he hadn¡¯t joined the Qilin Guild, he would have faced other forms of dangers. The Mist World itself was fraught with uncertainties. Entering the Guild, he had not only gotten to know a few dependablepanions, but also gotten his hand on the Miracle Rune Circuit, albeit briefly. He would say he had been sufficiently rewarded for the risk he took.

    To be safe, though, he should avoid jumping to conclusions. The matter required further investigation.

    ¡°Captain, captain?¡±

    Can waved a hand at Gao Yang. ¡°Did you figure something out?¡±

    Gao Yang broke out of his reverie and nodded. ¡°Some, but nothing concrete.¡±

    He took the diary from Lithe Snake.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping this for now. When the time is right, I¡¯ll hand it to Elder ck Tortoise... No, I listen to Guildmaster Qilin now. I may hand it to Guildmaster directly.¡±

    The others nodded.

    ¡°What we talk about tonight must not leave the room. It¡¯s for your own safety.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s tone was severe. He purposefully emphasized the gravity of the matter. ¡°No one knows if there¡¯s another Yellow Butterfly in the Guild, and if we would meet the same fate as Three Air.¡±

 Chapter 217: Ways to Get Stronger

    <h4>Chapter 217: Ways to Get Stronger</h4>

    Half an hourter, they left Xiran¡¯s ce. The memento Can picked in the end was a pair of sses, while Gao Yang picked one of the novels on the bookshelf, titled, <i>Travel to Twenty Years Later to Take Revenge along with My Daughter.</i>

    Xiran was a big fan of the story and rmended it to anyone who would listen. The protagonist went ahead twenty years in time after getting into a car ident. Befriending his now adult daughter, he found the culprit who murdered his wife with his daughter¡¯s help and saved everyone. Then he went back in time to change his fate.

    Xiran rmended it because in addition to the engaging plot, the father and daughter rtionship was touching. As someone who grew up with a single mother, family was of the utmost importance to him.

    Gao Yang valued his family too. He decided to give the book a read at some point.

    ...

    At midnight, Gao Yang returned home and unlocked the door gingerly. His family had all gone to bed.

    Gao Yang returned to his room and hid the diary.

    He spent the next thirty minutes on strength training until he was drenched in sweat. Then he went to the bathroom for a warm shower.

    Before he could put on his pajamas, someone opened the door.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang jumped.

    Gao Xinxin had gone out of bed for a toilet break, still bleary-eyed. And she was shocked to find someone in the bathroom. ¡°Holy! What...what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Taking a shower.¡± Gao Yang calmed down quickly when he realized it was his sister.

    ¡°At this hour? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Gao Xinxin said in disbelief.

    ¡°I came back homete, so I took a showerte.¡± Gao Yang quickly put on his pajamas.

    Gao Xinxin gave him a disapproving look. ¡°You¡¯ve been wasting your time with Wang Zikai. Why don¡¯t you just stoping home altogether?¡±

    ¡°Enough already. I¡¯m done.¡± Gao Yang walked past her. ¡°Take care of your business and go to bed. You need to wake up early tomorrow.¡±

    Gao Yang dried his hair with a towel as he went back to his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind him. Listening to the noises outside through the door, he made sure Gao Xinxin had returned to her room before rxing.

    Now he only needed four hours of sleep to be fully rested, and it was one o¡¯clock in the morning. He thus had another two hours.

    He sat down cross-legged on the bed and checked his system.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªStatus screen.

    [Constitution: 394 Endurance: 394]

    [Strength: 500 Agility: 500]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 97]

    [Luck: 454]

    [You have a total of 26 Luck points.]

    ¡ªThat¡¯s about it. My fight with Yellow Butterflysted no longer than 3 minutes, which would give me about 100 points, but all that had been allocated to my Constitution and Endurance automatically.

    ¡ªIt¡¯s been a whole day since the end of the fight. Without a bonus, I umted 26 points.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang let out a long breath and considered how he was going to get stronger going forward.

    His Lucky was level 3 at the moment, which meant his maximum stat was 500. He would soon hit the ceiling with all his stats.

    Disregarding Talents and considering only how stats tranted tobat power, what would it mean for all his stats to reach 500?

    As a reference point, he would be at the level of Nine Frost with the stat bonuses granted by level 5 Weak Point.

    Nine Frost was a formidable awakener in his own right.

    However, there was arge gap between him and the real big fish in the world, those who would trigger a 5000 times bonus to Luck points acquisition.

    Gao Yang had two ways to go about getting stronger.

    First, push Lucky to level 4 to raise his maximum stats and allocate more points in them.

    There was a problem, though. In theory, he would need the Miracle Rune Circuit to get Lucky to level 4.

    At the moment, it was difficult enough for Gao Yang to get a glimpse of the Miracle Rune Circuit as a reward from Qilin. The man would never agree to let him carry the Rune Circuit around until his Talent leveled up.

    Otherwise, Qilin would¡¯ve traded it for other Rune Circuits already.

    Second,prehend more Talents.

    Talents themselves were great assets and often determined the victor of a fight. And the higher-ranking the Talent, the greater the stat bonuses it granted.

    Take War Tiger¡¯s Killing Expert as an example; at level 5, it granted a 1000 bonus to several stats, and what the Talent itself enabled him to do was even more ridiculous.

    If Gao Yang couldprehend another higher-ranking Talent, it would be worthwhile as long as he pushed it to level 3, and a great bargain if he reached level 4.

    Moreover, as a spectator of the Talent Pantheon, he could now pick the type of Talent he would like toprehend, which was a great advantage.

    There was a caveat, though. If Gao Yang¡¯s spection was right, the total number of Talents were limited.

    And currently, while not all awakeners with high-ranking Talents were alive, most should be, and their Talents hadn¡¯t returned to the Pantheon.

    Even if there was a high-ranking Talent waiting to be imed, who knew if and when it would go to someone newly awakened?

    Therefore, the chance was slim for Gao Yang toprehend another Talent among the top 20. Even a Talent among the top 35 would be hard toe by.

    Gao Yang sighed. He was getting a headache.

    It would still take some time for him to push all his stats to 500 though, so he didn¡¯t have to make a decision now.

    He opened his eyes and looked at his desk. Three Air¡¯s diary was locked in the drawer.

    Gao Yang was going to bring it to his dorm room at the White Tiger branch tomorrow, which would be a safer ce to keep it. Since he had the time now, though, he might as well read the diary. Perhaps he would find something.

    He rose from his bed and made sure his door was locked before closing the window and the curtains. Then he took out the key and unlocked the drawer.

    He picked up the diary and turned on the deskmp, reading page by page.

    Three Air¡¯s handwriting was messy, and he corrected things as he wrote, which made the reading process a little tiring.

    At first, Gao Yang read thoroughly, thinking every word through. After an hour and a half, though, he was getting lightheaded and dizzy.

    It seemed like a simple diary, nothing less, nothing more.

    Three Air didn¡¯t write every day. On average, there were two to three entries every week, and each entry was roughly a couple hundred words long.

    Most of them were about his mundane everyday life. On the off chance that he mentioned the world of awakeners, he kept it vague and brief, leaving no substantial clues. He had been careful in this regard.

    Gao Yang flipped through the diary. The man had poured hisints onto the pages.

    He wrote about being single and wanting thepany of a woman, about resolving to quit drinking but promptly giving up after a few days and drinking til he threw up, about his hairline receding and his skepticism of the hair transnt ads, and about his grievances on the rising fees for the fishing ce in Li City.

    Gao Yang stretched his rigid body and rubbed at his brows. The diary painted the vivid picture of a boorish, carefree single middle-aged man.

    Gao Yang tried to look for codes to identify a pattern, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

    He quickly flipped to the end before slowing down. Thest few entries before the man¡¯s death must be the key. If there were clues, the clues would be found there.

    Gao Yang focused his mind and started with the fourth most recent entry.

    ¡°February 6th, sunny.¡±

    ¡°Flirting might as well be ck magic. The more I try, the less I understand women. Forget it. Why chase after women? Isn¡¯t fishing much more fun?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get paid on the tenth. Then I¡¯ll get a new fishing rod and a high-powermp forte night fishing! Ha, a fishing aficionado has no downtime!¡±

 Chapter 218: School Choice

    <h4>Chapter 218: School Choice</h4>

    ¡°February 8th, cloudy.¡±

    ¡°The kids progress as slowly as a tortoise. I¡¯ve told them to train harder every day, but my advice just goes in one ear and out the other.¡±

    ¡°Our quarterly evaluation is at the bottom again. Every time I think about the fourth team I feel like I¡¯m having a stroke. Fuck, I¡¯m gonna get a drink with Old Bear.¡±

    ¡°February 11th, sunny.¡±

    ¡°I ran into a real beauty when I jogged in the Li Mountain at night. She asked if I was single. I thought I was finally gonna get some, but she was a salesperson.¡±

    ¡°Has the industry gotten sopetitive? I admitted I was quite moved. I bought two electric brushes. Might as well start using them tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°February 13th, rainy.¡±

    ¡°I felt lightheaded when I woke up in the morning like a ghost had pinned me to the bed. Did I catch a cold?¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense. I haven¡¯t gotten a cold for years. Maybe my age is finally catching up to me. I should drink less and train more¡ªjacking off doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how to feel after finishing the man¡¯s diary.

    <i>I don¡¯t need to know about your sex life.</i>

    He hadn¡¯t found any clues, but he had gotten a glimpse into the life of a single middle-aged man.

    <i>I¡¯m not gonna end up like him in the future, am I? It¡¯s too sad.</i>

    He put away the diary and locked it up before going to bed.

    It was a dreamless night.

    The next day, Gao Yang arrived at school on time.

    Officer Huang came again in the morning. This time, he was here to investigate Niu Xuan¡¯s disappearance.

    He had questioned many students, the focus being Cucumber, Fat Hu, and Gao Yang. The three of them had gone to the Eleventh High School with Niu Xuan, and that was when Niu Xuan started behaving strangely.

    By the time Gao Yang entered the office, Officer Huang had already checked the ce for cameras and bugs.

    He shot to his feet and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Are you alright? I heard about the Rune Cave! It¡¯s insane. Half of you didn¡¯t make it out!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±

    Officer Huang sighed. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe back? Although you always say there¡¯s no reward without risk, things are getting too dangerous. You have to survive to enjoy the fruit of yourbor! If you die, nothing matters!¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve made a significant achievement this time by getting two Rune Circuits, and I met Qilin in person.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°What is Qilin like?¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to the man. ¡°You can describe him as normal, but there¡¯s more than meets the eyes.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s how the bigshots want it. They keep a low profile and put up a mysterious act.¡± Officer Huang smiled knowingly. ¡°How do you feel about him? I mean, do you think he¡¯s a righteous man or a viin?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell yet,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°If I ever learn about his ambition, I¡¯ll try to tell the organization.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Huang nodded. Then he said like he had just remembered something, ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got good news for you. Qing Ling¡¯s God of des has reached level 4.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Gao Yang was genuinely happy for her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to use the thing. I don¡¯t dare to carry it around with me. I don¡¯t want to attract trouble.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you n to level up?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Well, my wife has been staying with her family recently. Every night after work, I go to the base for training and sleep while holding it. During the day, I leave it with War Tiger. Bottom line is I¡¯m never carrying it with me outside.¡±

    Gao Yangughed. ¡°And people call me cautious.¡±

    ¡°Pot, meet kettle.¡± Officer Huang punched Gao Yang in the shoulder. He now talked to Gao Yang like they were friends of simr age.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s y our parts now.¡±

    He took out his notepad and sat on the chair with his legs crossed, starting the questioning. ¡°Mr. Gao Yang, when was thest time you saw Niu Xuan?¡±

    ...

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went back home.

    For once, he went home at a normal hour. His family members were even caught somewhat off guard.

    His grandmother had retired to bed early, while his mother, father, and sister sat on the sofa in the living room, enjoying ate night snack with thepany of TV. On the table was arge bowl of <i>luosifen</i>[1]. The three of them each got a small bowl and dug into the noodle soup with gusto.

    ¡°Eww! That smells like feet!¡± Gao Yang eximed dramatically.

    ¡°You¡¯re back, Yang Yang.¡± His father sat on his wheelchair, his face covered in sweat. ¡°Hmm, so spicy! So good!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being mean!¡± Gao Yang said petntly. ¡°You didn¡¯t wait for me to have ate night snack!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been outte with Wang Zikai every day and never came home early,¡± his motherined. ¡°If we wait for you toe home, the noodles are gonna be cold.¡±

    Gao Yang knew he was at fault here, so he didn¡¯t talk back. Instead, he rushed to the kitchen for a bowl and a pair of chopsticks and quickly served himself noodles, taking a mouthful.

    The strange thing about <i>luosifen </i>was that while it smelled bad, the smell seemed to disappear when one was eating it.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s the right spiciness. So tasty.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about you, Brother.¡± Gao Xinxin¡¯s lips were red from the spice. ¡°Which college are you gonna apply for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll decide once I finish the exams. Who knows what grades I¡¯ll get?¡± Gao Yang said so, but in truth, he had already decided to go to one of the universities in Li City.

    Which only made sense.

    If he dared enroll in one of the schools located in cities that didn¡¯t actually exist, wouldn¡¯t he get eaten by monsters for touching the inconsistent parts of the world?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay in the city?¡± his mother suggested. ¡°There are good schools here, and you¡¯ll be close enough toe home every weekend. You can also bring yourundry home for washing. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart,¡± his father looked up and offered a different opinion. ¡°Yang Yang is meant for greater things. He should go to a bigger city and see the world atrge!¡±

    <i>Thanks, dad. But I won¡¯t be seeing the world in that case, but hell.</i>

    Gao Yang smiled without saying anything.

    ¡°What¡¯s so great about the big cities? Li City is a good ce. We¡¯ve gotten into the top ten in the nation this year!¡± Gao Xinxin put down her chopsticks and said seriously, ¡°Brother should stay in the city and help develop our hometown!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± His mother formed a united front with his sister.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡± His father was both exasperated and fond, and he pinched Gao Xinxin¡¯s cheek. ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t know? You said all that, but you simply don¡¯t want your brother to leave home.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case!¡± Gao Xinxin denied vehemently.

    Gao Yang was tempted to use Lie Detection to gain some experience points, but given the situation he found himself in, it was better to not use it on trivial things. He might need itter.

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about this. Wait for me to finish my exams first.¡± Gao Yang put an end to the discussion.

    Then he and his family talked about something else, about their factory in the countryside, about which high school his sister was going to enter, and their traveling n to Maldives during the summer vacation.

    Afterwards, they each washed up and went to bed.

    Gao Yang was thest to use the bathroom, but not without doing a full set of strength training first. Before he went to bed, his phone rang, notifying him of an encoded message: Twelve o¡¯clock at midnight, first meeting room at ck Tortoise branch.

    The message deleted itself in five seconds.

    Gao Yang sighed. There was no rest for the wicked.

    He thought for a moment and took Three Air¡¯s diary out of his drawer. After the meeting, he would swing by his dorm room at the White Tiger branch to hide the diary.

    He waited in his room quietly for his family to fall asleep. Then he got changed and put on a cap and a mask before opening the window.

    He took a deep breath and jumped.

    Under the moonlight, Gao Yang moved across the gatedmunity, using the condenser units and awnings as footholds. In less than thirty seconds, hended softly on thewn at the gate.

    He walked out and hailed a taxi by the road, arriving at the ancient culture-themed walking street in the Feiyang District and snuck into the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    He registered at the front desk before one of the receptionists led him to the first meeting room.

    A man was already sitting at the far end of the long conference table. It was ck Tortoise.

    1. Amon Chinese dish consisting of rice noodles cooked in soup made with river snails and pork bones, served with sides including pickled bamboo shoots. It¡¯s known for its pungent smell. ?

 Chapter 219: Secret Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 219: Secret Investigation</h4>

    ¡°Elder ck Tortoise.¡±

    Gao Yang had thought that it was a summon meant for everyone, but it turned out he was the only member called to the meeting.

    ¡°Seven Shadow, you have been promoted to my rank. You should just call me ck Tortoise.¡± ck Tortoise smiled as he said obvious pleasantries.

    ¡°You are too kind,¡± Gao Yang said humbly, but his attitude was firm. ¡°Is there a mission for me, Elder ck Tortoise?¡±

    ¡°Yes. although we can talk on phones, it¡¯s better to tell you in person when you¡¯reing anyway.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Please go on.¡±

    ck Tortoise¡¯s face darkened. ¡°An hour ago, the morgues at the Vermilion Branch had a break-in.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t manage to hide his surprise.

    ck Tortoise frowned slightly. ¡°The morgues store mostly awakeners¡¯ bodies. There are also a few monsters, mostly used for research. However, some of the bodies were stolen earlier.¡±

    He paused, his eyes shing with sorrow. ¡°The fourth and fifth team members were among them.¡±

    Fury ignited in Gao Yang¡¯s heart. They had only passed away less than three days ago, yet their bodies were already taken.

    ¡°Why the bodies?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What use do they have?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confused about that as well. Past the 24-hour mark, the bodies cannot be used for anything other than autopsy and study, and the morgues had never been broken in before.¡±

    ck Tortoise sighed. ¡°That was why the security wasn¡¯t that strict, and the culprit was allowed to have their way.¡±

    ¡°Can it be,¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice lowered without him realizing, ¡°An inside job?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± said ck Tortoise. ¡°However, I sent someone to look into the matter, and at the time the incident took ce, most members above the Elite rank had sufficient alibis. And I don¡¯t believe regr members would be capable of this.¡±

    Gao Yang considered the information.

    ¡°Guildmaster Qilin appointed you the investigator.¡±

    ¡°Just me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He wants to keep this matter on a need-to-know basis. You are to conduct the investigation secretly.¡± ck Tortoise met Gao Yang¡¯s gaze like he was looking for something. ¡°Guildmaster has high expectations for you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve the honor.¡± Gao Yang bowed slightly, averting the man¡¯s scrutinizing gaze naturally.

    Although Gao Yang had been recruited by ck Tortoise, and he was still ck Tortoise¡¯s subordinate, he had a feeling that ck Tortoise didn¡¯t trust him fully. In fact, ck Tortoise seemed to have gotten more wary of him since the matter of the Rune Cave.

    It made sense though.

    Gao Yang had discovered the Godbearer Cult as soon as he joined. Then he stumbled into a Rune Cave, resulting in the death of half of ck Tortoise¡¯s subordinates. All the while, Gao Yang had earned great merit for identifying the traitor and acquiring two Rune Circuits, thus winning Qilin¡¯s approval and opening the door to the inner circle of the Guild.

    Of course ck Tortoise would harborplicated and conflicted feelings for Gao Yang.

    ¡°Anyway, investigate in secret and report to me or Guildmaster as soon as you find something.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Gao Yang nodded, quickling following up with a question, ¡°Do I start now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, now. Go to the morgues at the Vermilion Bird branch.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Gao Yang bowed slightly and turned to leave, doing his best to lookposed, experienced, and professional.

    Only once the door of the meeting room closed did he let out the breath he had been holding and grimace. Such was the fate of the employed. Working overtime was only part of the job description.

    The Vermilion Bird branch was located in the remote Beiyong District. Given its greater distance from the main base, there was no underground express line leading to it.

    Gao Yang first rode a capsule from the ck Tortoise branch to the White Tiger branch to put the diary in the safe in room 5007. Then he left the White Tiger branch and caught a taxi to the Beiyong District.

    He arrived at his destination at three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The suburban area had a small poption. Under the short hill sat a scattering of white buildings, circled on the outermost ring by concrete walls and metal fences. The rows of conjoined short buildings looked like factories, divided by bands of green in between.

    Gao Yang approached to see argendscape boulder sitting by the quaint front door, which said, ¡®Northbound Funeral Home.¡¯

    Gao Yang stared at it pensively. He knew that he was sent to investigate the morgues, but he didn¡¯t expect the Vermilion Bird branch to be an actual funeral home.

    In the guardhouse, a young security guard was taking a nap on a recliner with his legs crossed.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Gao Yang knocked on the window.

    The guard reluctantly sat up. ¡°How can I help you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for Miss Xia.¡± Xia Li, a member of the Qilin Guild, worked at the funeral home. ck Tortoise had told Gao Yang to seek her out when he arrived.

    ¡°Oh, Director Xia?¡± The guard cleared his head and opened the visitor logbook. ¡°Here. Put down your information.¡±

    Gao Yang wrote down a random name and an address he came up with, and without giving it another look, the guard let him in.

    Across an empty clearing, Gao Yang headed to the main hall on the first floor and turned left, crossing the corridor connecting the buildings to reach a row of conjoined short buildings on the left.

    Following instructions, he went up to the second floor and saw the morgues.

    Theyout was simr to the inpatient department of a hospital. The long corridor ran from one end of the building to the other end, each side lined with rooms.

    There was a sturdy metal automatic gate at the mouth of the corridor, on which was a sign that said, ¡®Personnel Only.¡¯ On the fringe was a cellphone number and a note that said, ¡®Contact: Miss Xia.¡¯

    Gao Yang first tried knocking. The sounds reverberated along the chilly, quiet corridor. When he got no response, he called the number.

    A few secondster, the noises of zombies growling came from the end of the corridor. Gao Yang jumped but quickly realized that it was a ringtone.

    Soon, a figure emerged and headed toward Gao Yang. <i>ck, ck</i>. Her red high heels hit the hard, smooth floor as she walked, and the automatic light lit up following her steps, allowing Gao Yang a better look at Director Xia.

    Under the long white coat around her shoulders, she was wearing a light blue work shirt and a pair of straight-leg pants. There was a work badge before her chest. Her slim figure looked even slimmer under her loose clothes.

    Brte curls and airy bang framed a delicate, cynical-looking face. While her brown eyes were bright, the corners of her eyes were tilted downward like the curves of her lips.

    Hands in the pockets of her long white coat, she sauntered to the metal gate. Through the metal bars, she considered Gao Yang with narrowed eyes.

    Two secondster, she asked in azy voice, ¡°You¡¯re Seven...¡± She yawned. ¡°...Shadow?¡±

    The sleepy yawn broke the image of professionalism and elegance that she had projected a moment ago.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°That¡¯s me. And you¡¯re Miss Xia?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just call me Xia Li.¡±

    She pressed a button on the wall with her right hand, and the metal gate opened to the side slowly.

    Gao Yang walked in and offered her a hand. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Xia Li paused and took his hand with a half-smile. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    [Detected one unknown Talent. It cannot be replicated.]

    Gao Yang thought with surprise, <i>Dang! She¡¯s a top dog!</i>

 Chapter 220: Resurrection

    <h4>Chapter 220: Resurrection</h4>

    ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you.¡± Xia Li pulled back and smirked. ¡°I just did a necropsy and didn¡¯t get to wash my hands.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang gaped.

    ¡°Good news is I was wearing gloves.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gao Yang sighed in relief.

    ¡°Bad news is I took them off mid necropsy.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Good news is I was cutting up a small animal.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Bad news is the small animal was a poisonous monster.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Good news is I¡¯ve been making all that up.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Xia Li led the way, her heels cking as she walked.

    <i>She¡¯s something else</i>, Gao Yang thought as he followed her. In only a few exchanges, she had taken him on an emotional rollercoaster and firmly kept the upper hand.

    Xia Li pointed at the morgues on the sides. ¡°These are for the regr bodies. The Guild members are kept in the innermost room.¡±

    Gao Yang looked around and made a mental note of where the surveince cameras were and theyout of the floor.

    Soon, he was led to the morgue at the end of the corridor. They had to first go past a heavy metal door, which Xia Li opened by putting in a code.

    Inside was a rectangr room for storing cadavers with a four meter-wide empty space at the center and two lines of freezer cabs on the sides, each marked with a number.

    The bright light did nothing to disperse the chill in the room.

    Xia Li turned around and yawned again. She exined the situation at a deliberate pace, ¡°Thest time I came here was three days ago, after the fourth and fifth team members killed in action were moved here. I personally conducted the questioning.¡±

    ¡°Then I came herest night to find the bodies gone.¡± Xia Li nced at the freezer cabs on the left. ¡°Twelve bodies were stolen, all members of the Guild who had been killed in action over the years.¡±

    ¡°When were the bodies stolen?¡±

    ¡°It should be three o¡¯clock to three thirty in the morning. The cameras were destroyed beforehand, and none of the guards noticed anything. The culprit was likely to have entered by entering the code¡ªit was information known to several people, so it¡¯s no surprise that it¡¯d be leaked. It¡¯s a clean job. Not much trace was left behind.¡±

    ¡°It can be an inside job.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it can be. However, I don¡¯t get the motive. Past twenty-four hours, the bodies won¡¯t be of any use to the others. Well, unless they have necrophilia.¡±

    Gao Yang grimaced.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± Xia Li smiled mischievously. ¡°Well. That¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°You said you...questioned the bodies?¡± Gao Yang brought up a key point.

    Xia Li nodded easily like there was nothing unusual about it. ¡°I can make any corpse speak as long as it¡¯s within 24 hours since their death.¡±

    No wonder all members were to be sent to the morgues at the Vermilion Bird branch first thing after their death. It was for questioning.

    Gao Yang hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, ¡°Can you question Yellow Butterfly too, Elder Vermilion Bird?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Xia Li looked at him in surprise. ¡°How did you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°I guessed it.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. <i>I don¡¯t even have to use my head to figure that out.</i>

    <i>A woman who shows no signs of fear in the morgues on her own, whose Talent I can¡¯t replicate. And this is the Vermilion Bird branch. I¡¯d happily eat shit while doing headstand if you weren''t Elder Vermilion Bird.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t let others know.¡± Xia Li covered her mouth and yawned again. ¡°Still, call me Xia Li¡ªno, call me Sister Xia.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Sister Xia.¡±

    ¡°What did you ask again? Right, Yellow Butterfly. Her body was badly damaged, but I could still question her.¡±

    With her hands in her pockets, Xia Li shrugged. ¡°It took some work, and I managed to question her for 20 seconds and confirmed that she was a spy. However, I wasn¡¯t able to get any other important information out of her.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡± Gao Yang was thinking about Xiran, ck Sparrow, Old Joe, Dark Li, and Xiuyi.

    ¡°Their bodies were rtively intact, and I was able to question them for about one minute.¡±

    Xia Li seemed to have read his thoughts, and she added, ¡°The questioning is a one-time thing, and technically, they are merely reanimated rather than resurrected. Only simple questions and responses are possible.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Stop overthinking. Let them rest in peace. You have my condolences.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded bitterly.

    It seemed that Elder Vermilion Bird was quite personable. Since he hade all the way here, perhaps he could get something useful out of her.

    ¡°Vermilion...Sister Xia, I have a question for you.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t beat around the bush.

    Xia Li didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Can the dead be resurrected?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can you go into detail?¡± Gao Yang asked tentatively.

    Xia Li raised an eyebrow bemusedly before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re now an Elder-candidate. There¡¯s no harm in telling you. Still, I want something in return.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s something you can do for sure.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Xia Li extended a finger. ¡°From what I know, there are two forms of true resurrection. One is the ability of a Spectre. As long as the brain and heart aren¡¯t damaged, the dead can be resurrected within twenty-four hours. Mind you, they can only be brought back to life once, not a second time.¡±

    It seemed that Liu Qingying¡¯s intel was urate.

    ¡°What about the second?¡± Gao Yang got curious.

    ¡°The second?¡± Xia Li smiled. ¡°That¡¯s my Talent.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask what her Talent was, not because it would be impolite, but because it must be the Guild¡¯s secret.

    ¡°I can do a bit more. It¡¯s possible for me to resurrect someone no matter how long they have been dead. Of course, their head and heart must not have been seriously damaged, and there¡¯s only one chance of resurrection.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you...¡± Gao Yang trailed off.

    ¡°I know what you want to ask.¡± Xia Li cut in. ¡°Why don¡¯t I resurrectpanions who have given their lives?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    A cold glint shed through Xia Li¡¯s eyes. ¡°Everythinges with a price, and the price for resurrection is considerable. I won¡¯t do it unless it''s absolutely necessary.¡±

    Gao Yang made a bemused sound. So that was why the Guild members weren¡¯t buried after their death, but were instead stored in the morgues. There was no telling whether one of them would be chosen for resurrection in the future.

    However, the resurrection required a heavy, perhaps even unbearable price. Thus, Vermilion Bird would never attempt it unless absolutely necessary.

    What would necessitate it then?

    When the civil war between awakeners broke out? When the Crimson Tide hit? When the Gates of Closure opened?

    Then Gao Yang thought of a possible ¡®bug¡¯.

    After death, an awakener¡¯s Talents would return to the Talent Pantheon, waiting to be imed by new or other awakeners.

    If Elder Vermilion Bird resurrected the dead years after, would the awakener still have the same Talents?

    Perhaps that was rted to the heavy price she would have to pay.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mind wandered, and he felt a chill run down his spine. The Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Qilin Guild, the Hundred Rivers Union, the Spectres, the Godbearer Cult... Each of the different factions was formidable in their own right, and they had their own secret weapon.

    That was excluding the mysterious beings that were pride monsters, life monsters, and death monsters.

    When Gao Yang stayed silent, Xia Li blinked at him with a slight curve to her lips. ¡°Do you want to know more about it? I can tell you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond.

    Her smile slid off her face, and she said in a more serious tone, ¡°However, you should know that all secretse with a risk, and the risk can be deadly.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m not going to ask further.¡±

    Gao Yang silentlyined,<i> If I insist on getting to the bottom of things when you¡¯ve said that, I would be asking for trouble.</i>

    ¡°Alright. Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    Xia Li cocked her head and smiled, her hands still tucked in her pockets.

    Gao Yang almost forgot. She wanted something in return.

 Chapter 221: Vermilion Birdâ€™s Request

    <h4>Chapter 221: Vermilion Bird¡¯s Request</h4>

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Tell me what you want in return, Sister Xia. I¡¯ll do it as long as it¡¯s within my ability.¡±

    ¡°No rush.¡±

    Xia Li took off her badge and handed it to Gao Yang. ¡°With this, you can go anywhere you want in the funeral home. Start your investigation first. I¡¯ll leave you to it. Come to my office on the first floor once you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang took the work badge and had a look.

    Xia Li, Director of Crematory, Northbound Funeral Home.

    The woman in the photo was as pretty and cynical-looking as the real person.

    Gao Yang searched through all the morgues on the floor. Amid the chilling atmosphere, he found himself drenched in cold sweat.

    He had examined all the windows. None had been broken.

    It seemed that the culprit had gone up to the metal gate openly and punched in the code, entering the morgue exclusively storing Guild members and leaving with the twelve bodies in the freezer cabs.

    But how did someone transport twelve bodies that couldn¡¯t walk on their own without anyone noticing?

    Gao Yang went to the security office and asked the guard for the surveince footage.

    Based on the cameras that were broken, Gao Yang could more or less mapped out the path the culprit had taken.

    The culprit¡ªno, Gao Yang believed it was a team that hadmitted the theft. They destroyed cameras as they snuck into the morgue on the second floor at midnight, and batch by batch, they orderly carried the cadaver bags out through the side door, vaulting over the wall and loading the cadavers onto their truck before leaving.

    Gao Yang checked the walls around the facility, and as expected, he found traces left of the escape. On the other side of the wall was an asphalt road. Gao Yang followed it along and reached a crossroad after walking three hundred meters, where there were traffic lights and working surveince cameras.

    Gao Yang had a rough idea of what to do next.

    He decided to contact Gray Bear tomorrow and ask him to retrieve the surveince footage of this crossroad with the resources avable to a police officer. Allrge and small trucks going through the crossroad 24 hours before and after the crime should then be examined further.

    After a preliminary investigation, Gao Yang returned to the first floor of the funeral home and opened the door to Xia Li¡¯s office.

    It looked like any other office for administrative staff. There was a cheap leather sofa for guests and a ss tea table. Beside it were the file cabs, copy machines, and office desk. There was another room further in, which was most likely Xia Li¡¯s living quarter.

    Xia Li sat on the sofa while using her phone. There was a cup of coffee on the table before her.

    She looked up at Gao Yang with some surprise. ¡°Done already?¡±

    He had been pretty quick with the investigation, finished in less than an hour.

    Gao Yang nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Any progress?¡±

    ¡°Some.¡± Gao Yang decided not to tell Xia Li the details. In theory, even she was a suspect.

    ¡°Want some coffee?¡± Xia Li asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± She rose and strode into the room inside.

    Gao Yang stood where he was, confused.

    A few secondster, Xia Li popped her head out of the door. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come on in.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Gao Yang walked into her room without asking another question.

    It was quite small, and it seemed like amonce single room for employees.

    There was a bed, a simple closet, a stool, and a vanity table filled with women¡¯s everyday items. The window on the farside of the room wasn¡¯t big, and the curtains were half drawn.

    Gao Yang guessed that this was Xia Li¡¯s on-call room, and she didn¡¯t stay here often.

    ¡°Turn off the light,¡± Xia Li said.

    Gao Yang paused, but did as she said. The room was immediately awash in darkness. Only by the moonlight streaming through the window could he make out the silhouettes of things in the room.

    Xia Li sat down by the bed and patted the seat beside her. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. <i>What¡¯s going on? It can¡¯t be that, can it?</i>

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird...¡± Gao Yang was both embarrassed and panicked. ¡°We met each other for the first time today. Isn¡¯t this inappropriate?¡±

    ¡°Come here already!¡± Xia Li raised her voice, sounding irritated.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and walked up to sit down on the bed, keeping a polite distance from her.

    Xia Li kicked off her heels and tucked her legs in, grabbing a pillow to hold in her arms. Her eyes flickered with excitement.

    ¡°Now, tell me a ghost story. I want something really strange and really scary.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang was stunned.

    ¡°Are you trying to catch flies with your mouth? Tell me a ghost story!¡± Xia Li sounded like a petnt child. ¡°Remember, the scarier the better, but there can¡¯t be actual ghosts!¡±

    Gao Yang tried his best to control his facial muscles. With disbelief, he asked for confirmation, ¡°So, what you want in exchange is for me to tell you a ghost story?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Xia Li nodded. ¡°Isn¡¯t it exciting to listen to ghost storieste at night?¡±

    ¡°I suppose, but I don¡¯t know any ghost stories.¡± Gao Yang took out his phone. ¡°Why don¡¯t I find you an audio book...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve listened to too many. It gets old,¡± Xia Li grumbled. ¡°And it¡¯s more immersive to have someone tell the story in person.¡±

    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll rmend you go to a session of murder mystery game or an escape room.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know those!¡± Xia Li seemed interested, but then she quickly turned dejected. ¡°But I don¡¯t like grouping up with strangers, and I can¡¯t exactly ask people I know to go with me.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Xia Li nced at him. ¡°You know, I¡¯m an Elder. The hobby will undermine my image, which will be bad.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡±

    He supposed that was a valid reason.

    Xia Li smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯re different. Now that you¡¯re an Elder-candidate, we¡¯re basically equals. Come on, tell me a story.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t possibly turn her down after all the justification she had made.

    Licking his lips, he repeated Xia Li¡¯s wishes. ¡°It has to be strange and scary, but there can¡¯t be real ghosts in the end.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah.¡± Xia Li was already picturing a story in her head, and she tightened her arms around the pillow.

    Gao Yang thought about it. Wouldn¡¯t the Gu Family''s Vige be the perfect fit?

    Although Xia Li should know the Rune Cave, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily know what had happened inside.

    ¡°Do you know...the tragedy of the Wang Family¡¯s Vige?¡±

    Xia Li shook her head.

    Gao Yang cleared his throat and lowered his voice, adopting the role of a storyteller. ¡°It was thirty years ago. A household in the Wang Family¡¯s Vige was ughtered and cut into pieces overnight. The murderer was never found. And a few dayster, the whole vige disappeared without a trace...¡±

    Having yed with a table for murder mystery, Gao Yang had learned from the GM a trick or two on how to scare people.

    As he spoke, he lifted his phone to his chin.

    ¡°Thirty yearster, a few young people visited the Wang Family¡¯s Vigete at night, and there, they discovered...the terrible truth!¡±

    He turned on the shlight of his phone, aiming it at his face.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Xia Li screamed and cowered in a corner of the bed, squashing the pillow in her arms.

    Gao Yang snorted silently.<i> I¡¯m just getting started, Sister Xia.</i>

    <i>And why would someone dealing with corpses every day without even batting an eye be scared of the supernatural? How does that work?</i>

    Gao Yang then fished out his home¡¯s key from his pocket as prop.

    ¡°It all started with a mysterious brass key. It¡¯s the key to the ancestral hall of the Wang Family¡¯s Vige, housing the memorial tablets of the vigers.¡±

 Chapter 222: Pieces of Information

    <h4>Chapter 222: Pieces of Information</h4>

    For the next half an hour, Gao Yang made use of every trick at his disposal to embellish and dramatize the story of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, making terrible sound effects with his mouth every now and then to mimic the strange noises he had heard in person.

    The story was full of twists and turns, scares and shocks, involving twisted human nature and depravity.

    And Xia Li, whether due to her scaredy nature or her overly active imagination, had been crushing the pillow in her arms, her face pale. And she broke into screams and trembled every once in a while.

    A scaredy cat obsessed with horrors. Name a more iconicbo.

    Finally, Gao Yang got to the climax of the story.

    The five people venturing into the old vige found out they were perfect matches to the family of five, sharing the sameposition of genders and ages.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Xia Li screamed again, almost breaking Gao Yang¡¯s eardrums.

    He continued with the story. Soon, it was revealed that the vigers were nothing but monsters trapped by Heavenly Way.

    And immediately, Xia Li¡¯s fear evaporated. She cast aside the pillow, her expression cold. ¡°Alright. You can stop here. I have an idea about how things end.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Wait, there¡¯s an intense fighting up, and I¡¯m just getting into it. Why did you call it stop?</i>

    Xia Li got off the bed and put on her high heels. ¡°I remember. The setting of the story is quite familiar. Is it the Rune Cave that you visited with your former organization?¡±

    ¡°You caught me.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Yes, it is the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    Xia Li rose to turn on the light and threw Gao Yang an approving look. ¡°You¡¯ve got a talent for telling ghost stories, Seven Shadow. You adapted the event well.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s not much adaptation involved,¡± Gao Yang said humbly. ¡°It¡¯s more or less what happened.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± That won him even more brownie points from Xia Li, and her tone became more friendly. ¡°You went through all that?¡±

    ¡°Seventy percent of it.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that...¡± Xia Li¡¯s eyes widened. She looked envious. ¡°Must be so much fun!¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless. She sure had a strange hobby.

    ¡°If only I could be there. Wouldn¡¯t it be ten thousand times more exciting than a haunted house?¡±

    <i>You¡¯re so scared of ghosts but want the thrills of it so badly. Wouldn¡¯t you wet your pants if you were there?</i>

    Of course, Gao Yang didn¡¯t put the insult into words.

    With a smile, he came up with an idea. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xia Li grew wary. The boy wouldn¡¯t call her Elder for nothing. He must be looking for more information.

    ¡°I would like to ask you a few more questions.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t hide his intention. ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll tell you another ghost story, and I guarantee you it¡¯ll be even more exciting.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xia Li¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°Really.¡± He would go through a few horror novels and make up a story.

    ¡°Alright, go on. I make no promise to answer you though.¡± Xia Li sat back down on her bed and lifted her now drenched bang.

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze grew serious. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask about Three Air.¡±

    ¡°I knew it.¡± Xia Li smiled like she had anticipated his question. It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out. It made sense that Seven Shadow would be curious about his predecessor.

    ¡°How did Three Air die?¡±

    ¡°He had already died for more than 24 hours when his body arrived here. I couldn¡¯t question him.¡±

    Xia Li shrugged. ¡°However, I can detect the energy lingering on his body. While he was burned to charcoal, the real cause of death was Detonation.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    Detonation!

    Mad Red¡¯s Talent!

    Mad Red, Three Air¡¯s murderer, along with Yellow Butterfly and Officer Liu, had turned into abominations with the strange medicine they administered themselves with. They were all from the Godbearer Cult!

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I am.¡± Xia Li smiled confidently. ¡°Once an organism was hurt , no matter if the injury has healed or if the traces have been destroyed or covered, it won¡¯t escape my eyes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a hard disk. Even if you delete the files or even format the whole disk, I can still find traces of data left.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s Talent must be Life-type, and it was likely the strongest Talent among the type.

    ¡°How about Blue Dolphin?¡±

    ¡°On the surface, he suffered a sudden cardiac death due to overtaxing himself, but the actual cause of death was a curse.¡±

    ¡°A curse?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a curse I¡¯ve never encountered before. It may be a Spectre¡¯s doing.¡±

    The Godbearer Cult attracted quite the variety of members.

    There were awakeners, freeriders and overtakers, and now Spectres were also involved.

    It would be so much more difficult for him to avenge Wan Sisi and eliminate the grouppletely than he had expected.

    Thinking back to his near death at Mad Red¡¯s hand, Gao Yang said with a sigh, ¡°Detonation is a terrifying Talent.¡±

    Xia Li nodded. ¡°Detonation as well as some curse-like Talents activated through simple physical contact. It¡¯s easy to fall for it when you don¡¯t know about them, which makes them perfect for assassination.¡±

    Xia Li pursed her lips. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t work on everyone.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. For example, curse-like Talents don¡¯t work as well on awakeners with Miracle-type Talents, and failures aremon.¡±

    Xia Li blinked. ¡°And Detonation won¡¯t do much to those with Life-type or Guard-type Talents.¡±

    <i>True</i>, Gao Yang mused. <i>For example, Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig can take a great amount of damage in a short time, which would render Mad Red¡¯s ambush useless.</i>

    ¡°Such ambushes also fail often when facing an awakener with a higher-ranking Talent.¡±

    She then smirked at Gao Yang, acting like the intelligent woman she was again. ¡°When you shook my hand, Seven Shadow, weren¡¯t you doing something sneaky?¡±

    Gao Yang felt like he was on pins and needles. As expected, he shouldn¡¯t pull tricks with any Elders and awakeners at or above their level.

    He admitted, ¡°I have Replicate. I was trying to check out your Talent.¡±

    ¡°Haha, but you can¡¯t, can you?¡± Xia Li¡¯s tone was without heat.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯m wondering though, why do Talents fail when facing someone with a higher-ranking Talent?¡±

    ¡°The actual mechanism of it is still not clear, but there are two main schools of thoughts.¡± Xia Li extended her index finger. ¡°One is that higher-ranking Talents have an inherent suppressive effect on lower-ranking Talents. However, the theory doesn¡¯t make much sense since it isn''t rare for someone with lower-ranking Talents to kill someone with higher-ranking Talents.¡±

    She then extended her middle finger. ¡°The other theory is that outside of the energy used for Talents, there is some sort of mental power inside an awakener¡¯s body, and someone with higher-ranking Talents usually has greater mental power, which in turn makes their mental defense higher.¡±

    Gao Yang put two and two together. <i>It¡¯s impressive that they have gotten this far even without a system.</i>

    To summarize, he should raise his Willpower in order to defend against insidious ambushes and curses from now on.

    ¡°Why do you ask? Are you investigating something?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Xia Li pushed, ¡°Is it another mission from Guildmaster?¡±

    Gao Yang gave her a nonmittal smile to let here to a conclusion on her own. Guildmaster Qilin made a perfect cover.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m not too interested.¡±

    Xia Li brushed a hand through her hair. ¡°Still, if you ever run into a problem during your investigation, for example, if whoever you¡¯re investigating gets killed, send the body to me ASAP, and I¡¯ll question the body for you. Remember, it¡¯s best to do it within 24 hours, and noter than 48 hours. Otherwise there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not for free.¡± Xia Li¡¯s eyes glinted with excitement. ¡°Remember! You promise me more ghost stories!¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡±

 Chapter 223: Donâ€™t Die

    <h4>Chapter 223: Don¡¯t Die</h4>

    For the next thirty minutes, Gao Yang chatted with Xia Li a little more, keeping the conversation centered around her hobby. Then they exchanged numbers and agreed to go to an escape room or a murder mystery game together next time.

    Of course, Gao Yang promised to go with her in the summer after his college entrance exams, giving himself time to back out of it.

    When the morning came, Xia Li drove back home, while Gao Yang headed to school¡ªsince they weren¡¯t heading in the same direction, they parted ways swiftly.

    Gao Yang was going to get a taxi, but none could be found in the area. Since it was still early, and there was a bus station nearby, he ended up catching the first bus in the morning.

    It hadn¡¯t been long since dawn broke, and the road was almost empty, allowing the bus to speed along.

    Sitting in the very back, Gao Yang looked out the window at the quickly passing street view, quietly steeped in his own thoughts.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the bus to reach the Daxu District and rush past the Millennium Tower. The familiar sight made Gao Yang feel a pang of mncholy about his changed circumstances despite the scenery staying the same.

    He did miss hispanions back at the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but he had met new people after joining the Qilin Guild, and they had built a strong bond after going through near-death experiences together.

    What should he do if he had to choose between the two in the future?

    <i>That¡¯s a naive way of looking at things.</i>

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t the kind to be blindly loyal to anyone. Be it Dragon or Qilin, if their dreams¡ªor ambition might be the better word for it¡ªturned out to be at odds with his, he wasn¡¯t going to keep following them.

    And thepanions he had met in the two organizations would each have their own circumstances and pursuit. Whether they could keep going down the same path and fight shoulder to shoulder depended on many factors outside the faction they belonged to.

    <i>Very few people can walk alongside you your whole life.</i>

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of the saying he heard before, and it rang true to him.

    The scenery outside continued to whip past the bus windows, and at some point, the bus reached Songstress¡¯ flower shop.

    Gao Yang was jerked back to reality.

    Songstress opened shop early this morning. Dressed in an elegant and bright dress and a gardening apron, she was watering the flowers outside the shop with a sprinkling can.

    Gao Yang looked at her, and a sudden thoughtpelled him to turn around, his gazending on the alleyway across from the flower shop.

    A man disappeared into it.

    Gao Yang jumped, but when he was going to look for the figure again, the bus had already driven away.

    Had he seen it wrong? No.

    Could it be Ghost Horse?

    Very likely.

    If so, this would at least be his second time showing up here.

    Ghost Horse and Songstress¡¯s rtionship must run deeper than what was known. They could be a secret couple who had been very much in love.

    After Ghost Horse was exposed and swiftly dealt with by Dragon, he was resurrected, and the only one he couldn¡¯t let go of was Songstress. He missed her, but he didn¡¯t dare go to her. Thus, he watched her from afar to quell his yearning.

    Of course, there was another possibility: Songstress had been turned and be Ghost Horse¡¯s informant. Ghost Horse could very well be talking to her through Telepathy, which allowed him tomunicate through brainwaves, only with a range limit.

    In that case, there would be another reason for Ghost Horse to show up here¡ªif Songstress heard only his voice, she might not believe it to be Ghost Horse¡¯s since she had seen him dead. That was why he had to let her get a look at him ande to believe that he was still alive. Only then would Songstress be willing to talk to him through Telepathy.

    Of course, those were merely spections.

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess. Had War Tiger really taken the matter seriously? How far had the investigation gotten?

    ording to what Gao Yang knew, Mad Red, Yellow Butterfly, and Officer Liu were all members of the Godbearer Cult. Then it stood to reason that Ghost Horse, who had worked with Mad Red as a spy, was a member of the cult as well.

    Some time in the past, the Godbearer Cult had nted spies in the three major organizations and had them stay put. There was no knowing what their goal was, but it was mostly likely the Rune Circuits.

    When more Rune Circuits were found, the spies began to make their moves at the risk of exposing themselves.

    Gao Yang was suddenly hit with a strong urge. He wanted to stake out near the flower shop. He believed sooner orter, he would catch Ghost Horse. While Wan Sisi had been killed by Mad Red, Ghost Horse had indirectly caused her death.

    Gao Yang might be willing to forgive and forget with the man dead, but now that Ghost Horse had been resurrected, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t just leave him be.

    Rationally speaking, Gao Yang had to uncover the Godbearer Cult, and on a more personal note, he wanted to avenge Wan Sisi.

    Ghost Horse was someone he had to go after no matter what.

    But could he defeat Ghost Horse now? How strong was level 3 Teleportation, exactly?

    Or should he take the fifth team with him?

    If he wanted to send his whole team on the mission, he would have to report to the Guild first, which might end up alerting his enemy since there might still be spies from the Godbearer Cult in the Guild.

    As an Elder-candidate, though, he could take action without reporting to his superior under special circumstances.

    Still, the fifth team and their Talents wouldn¡¯t be that useful against Ghost Horse, while the risk would be great. Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to see morepanions getting killed, especially not for his personal vendetta.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make up his mind.

    ...

    Gao Yang arrived at school.

    After the morning self-study, he went to the campus shop for breakfast. When he went to his ss, he was surprised to find Qing Ling there, breaking her streak of absence.

    Qing Ling merely nced at Gao Yang and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ying along, Gao Yang didn¡¯t greet her when he walked past her seat. He sat down at his table.

    To the ss, the two of them had broken up.

    After the second ss was the mandatory aerobics session. Once that was done, Gao Yang returned to his ssroom and found a note in the drawer of his desk.

    In Qing Ling¡¯s handwriting, it said, ¡®Noon, rooftop.¡¯

    Gao Yang gazed at her back, surprised.

    She was dressed in white uniform with her hair tied into a high ponytail, her back straight.

    If they were going to meet up, shouldn¡¯t they go to their secret meeting ce in theb building? They could run into other ssmates on the rooftop, and it was summer; the rooftop would be scorching hot at noon.

    Whatever the case, Gao Yang quickly finished lunch at the cafeteria came noon and headed to the rooftop of the teaching building.

    Sun zed the concrete floor ruthlessly. Even the air twisted and curdled under the high heat.

    Qing Ling had obviously been there for a while. Even though she was standing in the shade provided by the water tank, and the rooftop was quite windy, her pale neck was covered in beads of sweat.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Gao Yang walked up to her.

    She didn¡¯t answer.

    After a pause, Gao Yang realized, ¡°Little Qing Ling?¡±

    She nodded.

    And that exined things. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to go to theb building, but that she couldn¡¯t climb up and into theb as a regr person.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    ¡°Put away your stupid grin.¡± Qing Ling gave him an irritated look, but her softened tone betrayed her feelings. ¡°I¡¯m here to talk about something important.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you almost died at the Eleventh High School.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, things did get quite dangerous,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m still alive, ain¡¯t I?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Sister has been worried since she heard about it.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°That led to her getting distracted, which affected her training. She even got scolded by Teacher War Tiger. Sincest night, she has been fuming and wouldn¡¯t talk to me. She¡¯s stubborn.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his mouth and closed it.

    Qing Ling handed Gao Yang a ck button. ¡°So I made the decision to give you this.¡±

    Gao Yang took it and examined it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°A SOS rm recently developed by the organization. It¡¯s single-use.¡± Qing Ling pointed at her cors. The first button had been reced with a deep green one. It wasn¡¯t noticeable unless one was looking closely.

    ¡°Put it on your clothes or sleeves. It¡¯s up to you. Crush it when you run into dangers.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡± Gao Yang was curious.

    ¡°Then the organization will locate you and send those nearby to help you.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled and gave it back to her. ¡°I appreciate the thought, but...¡±

    ¡°Keep it!¡± Qing Ling insisted. Without waiting for Gao Yang¡¯s response, she grabbed the button and then Gao Yang¡¯s hand to pin it to his sleeve.

    ¡°Qing Ling, I¡¯m now a member of the Qilin Guild...¡±

    ¡°I know. But this is nothing but a simple button until you crush it. It won¡¯t track you or expose you.¡±

    She took a step back and looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Keep it on. It¡¯s up to you if you wanna use it.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at the button on his sleeve, a myriad of feelings warring in his head.

    ¡°Gao Yang, there aren¡¯t many things that my sister values.¡±

    Wind tousled her long hair. Her gaze on him was serious and caring. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened, and he felt a prickle in his nose.

    ¡°Okay.¡± he nodded. ¡°You and your sister too.¡±

 Chapter 224: The 94 Duo

    <h4>Chapter 224: The 94 Duo</h4>

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang went back home without dy and chatted with his family in the living room for a while. Then they each washed up and retired to bed.

    Gao Yang went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. As usual, he spent more than half an hour doing strength training before taking a shower.

    Then lying on his bed, he pondered the matter with Ghost Horse.

    Weighing the pros and cons and picturing the different scenarios, including the worst of them, he finally came to a decision.

    The next day, Gao Yang went to school.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯te. The day went by uneventfully.

    He didn¡¯t have school tomorrow, and thus he didn¡¯t have to attend evening self-study today.

    Once school ended in the evening, Gao Yang made it to the ck Tortoise branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons and took some basic equipment that didn¡¯t require application, putting them in his backpack.

    Then he hailed a taxi and left for Wang Zikai¡¯s ce.

    He vaulted over the wall of the vi and opened the door. Fat Jun was there, lifting two buckets of water in a squatting position, his hip raised and his body drenched in sweat.

    ¡°Brother Kai, Brother Kai, I can¡¯t hold on longer! I¡¯m beat...¡±

    ¡°Keep going!¡±

    Somehow, Wang Zikai had a whip in his hand, and he cracked it at the floor. ¡°To perform a minute onstage requires ten years of practicing offstage. You get me?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Fat Jun shouted, the fat under his chin shaking.

    Gao Yang stifled augh. What were they up to now?

    It turned out that Fat Jun had be a jobless man after the love hotel he owned got burned down. Since he had some savings to support himself with, he gave up on working altogether.

    Most importantly, he now saw his life differently.

    He had be part of the world of awakeners, and he was a trainee for the Twelve Zodiac Signs. With his gaze on the stars, he dreamed of taking part in saving the world, and thus the material gains in the mundane side of his life lost their appeal to him.

    Recently, White Rabbit would sometimes assign simple tasks to him, including fetching or transporting things, as well as exchanging codewords and intel with informants.

    Fat Jun always put in his full effort toplete the tasks, making sure nothing went wrong. Then he would ask White Rabbit when he could be an official member, sometimes directly, other times by insinuating his question.

    White Rabbit always said that it would have to wait until Fat Jun became better at using his mutated arm.

    That made Fat Jun anxious. He wanted to train it too, but he didn¡¯t know how.

    In truth, he couldn¡¯t really control his mutated arm. And it sometimes lost control without obvious reason, like the time the hand pped Wang Zikai twice at the night market held by the Hundred Rivers Union.

    After some thinking, Fat Jun sought Wang Zikai out.

    After all, Wang Zikai had an arm simr to his, and he had been making rapid progress.

    Not only was he incredibly strong and was almost impervious to cold weapons, he could also make bone wse out of the back of his hands, like Caniverine from <i>Y-Men</i>.

    When Fat Jun told Wang Zikai about his need, Wang Zikai agreed to help immediately.

    The reason was simple: he was bored.

    His ego was now out of this world. He truly believed himself to be God incarnate with the mission of saving humanity.

    Although he had toy low at the moment for the greater good, he was going to be the leader of humanity. Thus, he didn¡¯t mind saving the rookie Fat Jun before the time came for him to be the savior of all.

    First, he taught Fat Jun the ¡®cultivation method¡¯ Gao Yang told him.

    Fat Jun, being quite uneducated, didn¡¯t realize that the method was simply a revised version of <i>Tao Te Ching</i>. He followed it for a few days, but saw no progress.

    Then Wang Zikai had Fat Jun do physical training in ways that he had learned from <i>kung fu </i>movies.

    Fat Jun obediently trained for two days. Although he hadn¡¯t be noticeably stronger, he did lose two kilograms, which reignited Fat Jun¡¯s passion in training.

    That was when Gao Yang came visiting.

    ¡°Bro! What brought you here today?¡± Wang Zikai was overjoyed to see Gao Yang.

    ¡°Brother Yang!¡± Fat Jun was d to see him too, but then he remembered to be wary. ¡°You, you¡¯re a member of the Qilin Guild now. Is it alright for you to be here?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You have a point. So Fat Jun, you should go now. Otherwise White Rabbit will go after your hind when she hears.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Fat Jun put down the buckets of water and went up to Gao Yang while wiping off sweat. Then he asked in a hesitant tone, ¡°Brother Yang, have you really joined the Qilin Guild?¡±

    Only War Tiger, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang knew that Gao Yang had joined the Guild as their eyes and ears.

    But of course, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to tell Fat Jun the truth, or he would be getting Fat Jun in danger.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m working for the Qilin Guild now.¡±

    Fat Jun felt a little down. He wiped his face and smiled bitterly. ¡°I thought we...¡±

    ¡°Fat Jun.¡± Gao Yang patted him on his thick shoulder. ¡°There is no permanent teammate, only permanent friend. One shouldn¡¯t put all their eggs in one basket. Get it?¡±

    Fat Jun paused and came to a realization. ¡°Brother Yang, I get it now!¡±

    <i>How, when I was just talking out of my ass?</i>

    ¡°You¡¯re still the Brother Yang I knew! You have a broad perspective and great foresight, a real visionary!¡± Fat Jun was excited. Finally, he had resolved the concern that had been bothering him.

    ¡°Of course! My brother is the awesomest!¡± Wang Zikai felt proud by association.

    ¡°Alright, go.¡± Gao Yang gave Fat Jun a pointed look. ¡°Remember, we never saw or talked to each other today, and don¡¯t mention me to the organization.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. You have my word! I¡¯m going now!¡± Fat Jun sorted out his clothes and left.

    Once the door was shut, Wang Zikai turned to Gao Yang excitedly, ¡°What is it? You need my help?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang put down his heavy backpack, speaking inly. ¡°There¡¯s a mission.¡±

    ¡°From whom? The Twelve Zodiac Signs, or the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Neither.¡±

    Gao Yang cleared his throat and started bullshitting. ¡°The two organizations are merely our springboards, nothing more. Today, we¡¯re going on a mission for ourselves, paving the way for your future as the world¡¯s savior.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Wang Zikai pped his thigh with unbridled anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this day, Bro!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang knelt down and unzipped his backpack. Inside were a gun with silencer, a small dagger, two shots of Medicine C, two sleep gas grenades, adrenaline shots for awakeners, binocrs, and miniature radios with headpieces.

    ¡°We¡¯re setting out tonight.¡± Gao Yang took out the gun and put on the silencer before tucking it behind his back.

    ¡°No problem!¡± Wang Zikai turned to leave.

    Gao Yang stopped him. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m putting on better clothes and setting up my hair!¡± Wang Zikai said like it was obvious.

    Gao Yang tugged at his lips. ¡°Well...whatever makes you happy.¡±

    Just when Wang Zikai was going to enter the walk-in closet, he turned around and eximed, ¡°We need a name for the two of us! And it has to be cool!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t mind. He asked, ¡°Any idea?¡±

    ¡°Hm, let me think. What about the Getbackers?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not bad, but are you sure you didn¡¯t get the name from a certain manga series?¡± Gao Yang politely exposed him.

    ¡°Haha, you caught me!¡± Wang Zikai stroked his chin. ¡°Hm, what about something more epic-sounding? The Word-saving Duo!¡±

    <i>That¡¯s not epic, but stupid. We¡¯re gonna sound nuts.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to rain on Wang Zikai¡¯s parade, so he came to a middleground. ¡°What about the 94 Duo? It¡¯s best not to reveal our grand n just yet, or we may attract unwanted attention.¡±

    ¡°The 94 Duo?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s decided then!¡±

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The flower shop <i>Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers</i>, Xiangyang Road, Daxu District.

    Songstress had long closed down shop and lowered the rolling door, and the potted flowers outside had all been moved indoors, leaving only empty wooden stands.

    Across from the flower shop to the side was a business hotel. Inside one of the rooms on a higher floor, Gao Yang was looking through the crack between the curtains with a pair of binocrs, scouting and mapping out the area.

    In the beginning, Wang Zikai had been excited, feeling like a special agent from movies. However, Gao Yang had been standing by the window and looking out of the binocrs since they entered the hotel room, not saying a word, let alone what their mission entailed.

    Wang Zikai quickly lost patience and watched TV for a while with the remote control in hand. Then he took a shower in the bathroom.

    When he walked out topless with a towel covering his wet hair, he saw to his shock that Gao Yang still hadn¡¯t moved away from the window.

    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re still on that? What exactly are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about done.¡±

    Gao Yang lowered the binocrs. He had a rough n in mind.

 Chapter 225: First Mission

    <h4>Chapter 225: First Mission</h4>

    ¡°Come here, Wang Zikai.¡±

    Gao Yang put down the binocrs and picked up the pen and the sheet of paper clipped to the clipboard on the nightstand. He sat down by a small table and started drawing a map.

    Wang Zikai dried his hair as he leaned over Gao Yang to look at the map, drops of water falling on Gao Yang¡¯s hair and neck like rain.

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, but his tone was patient as he spoke.

    ¡°This is an assassination.¡±

    ¡°Assassination?¡± Wang Zikai scoffed. ¡°Why not go after whoever it is head on? You have me. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Even if we attack him head on, he may not take it head on. And since he can teleport, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to catch up if he flees.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Wang Zikai pulled a chair and sat down. ¡°Alright, tell me about the n.¡±

    ¡°A moment. I¡¯ll finish the map first.¡±

    As he drew, he went over the situation at hand. Regarding this matter, Gao Yang had three options:

    First, he could make a move on his own, but the sess rate would be low, and the risk high.

    Second, he could take the fifth team with him. The sess rate would be higher, and the risk lower¡ªbut that would be due to part of the risk transferring to hispanions. And afterward, the Guild would surely question and investigate them, making things moreplicated.

    Third, he could take Wang Zikai with him. The sess rate would be higher, and the risk manageable.

    Wang Zikai was for sure stronger than he was now.

    And Wang Zikai was a tank with great raw power and defense, making him a perfect counter for an assassin like Ghost Horse.

    Even if Ghost Horse did end up hurting Wang Zikai, Wang Zikai would live as long as his heart and brain weren¡¯t entirely destroyed.

    With Gao Yang by his side, it should be nigh impossible for Ghost Horse tond a fatal blow on Wang Zikai.

    Before, Gao Yang had considered assassinating Ghost Horse with a sniper rifle. After deliberation, though, he gave up on the idea.

    For one, he had to make an application to the Guild to get a sniper rifle, which would lead to trouble. Moreover, the alleyway Ghost Horse had shown up in was narrow and filled with obstacles, making it difficult to gun him down.

    And if the shot missed, Gao Yang would be too far from Ghost Horse as the sniper, while it would be impossible for Wang Zikai to kill Ghost Horse on his own.

    Yes, he nned to kill the man.

    He had never even considered catching Ghost Horse alive. It was basically impossible, and Ghost Horse wouldn¡¯t tell him anything even if he managed to do it, which was clear from the result of Dragon¡¯s interrogation.

    Thus, Gao Yang nned to ambush Ghost Horse and kill him. Then he would take his body to Vermilion Bird and ask her to question the body directly for answers.

    Gao Yang finished drawing the map.

    Sitting by his side, Wang Zikai seemed to be looking at the map seriously, but judging from the confusion on his face, he didn¡¯t really understand it.

    ¡°This is where our target is likely to appear.¡± Gao Yang pointed at the map with the pen. ¡°This is the alleyway the window of this room is facing.¡±

    ¡°Left of the alleyway is the hotel we¡¯re at, which is very tall. Right of the alleyway is a five-storied residential building. Going south, the alleyway ends at the Sunfacing Road, while the north end of the alleyway leads to the Starlight Road.¡±

    Listening to the exnation, Wang Zikai nodded hesitantly.

    ¡°If my guess is right, the target is likely to show up on the south end of the alleyway before eight o¡¯clock in the morning or after eleven o¡¯clock in the evening.¡±

    Those were the opening and the closing times of Songstress¡¯ flower shop. Only then could Ghost Horse see her from across the road.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem it necessary to tell Wang Zikai that.

    ¡°Stake out on the south end as a pedestrian¡ªthe Sunfacing Road, I mean. As soon as the target appears, chase after him. He will move back into the alley and head north.¡±

    Gao Yang pointed at the north end of the alley with the pen. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be here to surprise him.¡±

    Wang Zikai finally got it. The mission was more simple than he thought. ¡°So we¡¯re nking him on both sides.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the ideal scenario, but it may fail.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°His Talent is Teleportation, which I only know a few things about. The maximum range for level 3 Teleportation is 7 meters, but I¡¯m not sure if the Talent will allow him to go through walls.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯ll make things difficult.¡± Wang Zikai smacked his lips. ¡°If he can just go through walls, how are we going to catch him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang sighed with resignation. Then they would have to ept failure.

    Still, Gao Yang didn¡¯t think level 3 Teleportation would let Ghost Horse go through walls. Otherwise, Ghost Horse could have fled back when he was exposed in the meeting room on the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower rather than going head to head with Dragon.

    Of course, there was also the possibility that Dragon had deprived him of the ability to go through walls with his Talent.

    A thought urred to Gao Yang then. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s an adjustment we have to make.¡±

    ...

    After fleshing out a n, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai took a short rest in the hotel room. Then before seven o¡¯clock in the morning, the rm woke them up, and they set out.

    Disguised as a young man who had gotten wasted, Wang Zikai sat on the curb near the alleyway, waiting for their target to show up.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t waited by the other end of the alley as he initially nned, but instead waited on the rooftop of the five-storied building on the right side of the alley.

    Ghost Horse was a spy. He was cautious and cunning. When Wang Zikai chased after him, he might run into the alley on instinct, but soon, he would realize that Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t havee after him without preparations, and that there must be an ambush awaiting him on the other end of the alley.

    Provided that Ghost Horse couldn¡¯t go through walls, he would¡¯ve climbed up the five-storied building and escaped through the rooftop.

    With his agility and Teleportation, scaling a five-storied building wouldn¡¯t even make him sweat.

    Gao Yang would be waiting on the rooftop. As soon as the man showed up, he would shoot.

    Against awakeners ying the roles of a fighter or a tank, Gao Yang¡¯s Fire would be more effective. Against an assassin with high damage output but low defense, on the other hand, an unexpected bullet would be the better choice.

    Gao Yang checked the wall of the five-storied building, and based on where the condenser units and the signboards were, he mapped the most efficient route for Ghost Horse to climb up and figured out roughly where Ghost Horse would emerge.

    Then Gao Yang hid behind the obstacles on the rooftop and cocked the gun, waiting for Ghost Horse to show up.

    ¡°Target not sighted, bro,¡± Wang Zikai said via the in-ear radio.

    ¡°Stop talking and be patient.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s so damn boring. I¡¯m falling asleep...¡±

    ¡°Shut it.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t believe this brat.

    They waited from seven o¡¯clock to nine o¡¯clock, but Ghost Horse never showed up.

    It was as expected. They would have to get unrealistically lucky to seed the first time.

    Wang Zikai and Gao Yang went back to the hotel to rest.

    Gao Yang looked out with the binocrs every now and then, but as expected, he found nothing.

    At noon, they ordered pizza and two sses of fruit milk tea, having lunch in the hotel room.

    Wang Zikai got oil all around his mouth. Sucking on his finger and thumb, he looked up at Gao Yang, but immediately averted his gaze when their eyes met and yed dumb.

    ¡°Just talk already,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Wang Zikai grinned with uncharacteristic embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question for you, bro.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Gao Yang put down his milk tea, feeling ominous.

    <i>This guy isn¡¯t up to something strange again, is he?</i>

 Chapter 226: Second Attempt

    <h4>Chapter 226: Second Attempt</h4>

    ¡°Your grades are pretty good,¡± said Wang Zikai. ¡°You won¡¯t have a problem getting into a college.¡±

    Gao Yang waited for him to continue.

    ¡°Are you gonna stay here or go to a college outside Li City?¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. So this was what he was worried about.

    Thinking back, Wang Zikai had fallen asleep when White Rabbit was exining the worldview in the barbecue ce, and Wang Zikai didn¡¯t seem to know the Mist World as it was¡ªa collection of isted inds.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t made a decision yet,¡± Gao Yang said on purpose.

    ¡°But it¡¯s a decision that¡¯ll define your life!¡± Wang Zikai got worked up. ¡°How can you not know yet?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to saving the world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡± Wang Zikai grinned. ¡°We¡¯re the 94 Duo.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Gao Yang paused, ¡°I don¡¯t have to choose between my study and our pursuit of world salvation.¡±

    Wang Zikai was suddenly nervous, and his eyes widened. ¡°So you¡¯ve decided?¡±

    Gao Yang responded with a question rather than a direct answer. ¡°Do you think I should stay here or go out of the city?¡±

    ¡°How should I know? I¡¯m not going to college.¡± Wang Zikai pretended to not care, but his nervous gaze revealed his true feelings.

    ¡°Well, I want to know what you think,¡± Gao Yang teased.

    That got Wang Zikai going. ¡°I say you should stay! Li City is now a top ten city in the nation! You should stay here to help develop our hometown, bro.¡±

    <i>Hmm, where have I heard that from?</i>

    Gao Yang almostughed. ¡°Be honest with me. Did Gao Xinxin put you up to this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Wang Zikai said, looking obviously shifty. ¡°It¡¯s my honest opinion.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t press. He pretended to think about it. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll pick a school in Li City.¡±

    Wang Zikai shot to his feet. ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    <i>Of course it¡¯s real. Where else can I go for college? I don¡¯t have a death wish.</i>

    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s good!¡± Wang Zikai wiped his hands and took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯m taking a leak.¡±

    He shut the bathroom door and flushed the toilet on purpose. Still, Gao Yang could hear him talking on his phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s done... Who do you think I am... Best buddy... Your brother listens to me...¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head and sighed, while his lips were curved into a smile.

    In the afternoon, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai took a nap.

    Came evening, they had another high-calorie meal and yed a mobile game together, joined online by Can.

    Given their level of skills, it was no surprise that they ended up on the receiving end of her trash talk.

    ¡°Who the hell is the girl? Where did you know her from? She sure has a dirty mouth.¡± Wang Zikai was a little irritated.

    ¡°We met online,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m gonna be his senior in college!¡± Can said from the other side of the line. ¡°He¡¯sing to my school when he graduates.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Really?¡± Wang Zikai perked up. ¡°How¡¯s your school?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great. Lots of good-looking boys and girls!¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you this. If I have my old man donate ab building or a library, will your school let me enroll?¡±

    ¡°I think so? Why don¡¯t you try?¡±

    ¡°Focus on the game!¡± Gao Yang begged. He was getting a headache again.

    ...

    A little before ten o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai started their second attempt.

    This time, Wang Zikai yed an office worker waiting for thest bus at a bus station, while Gao Yang stayed on the rooftop, hidden behind a pile of tarpaulin-covered items. Both hands holding a handgun with silencer attached, he waited for Ghost Horse to show up.

    Again, Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t help but start a conversation with Gao Yang several times, but he hushed Wang Zikai seriously.

    Time crawled along second by second.

    Late at night, the neon light of the city was as strikingly lively as ever, but the hubbub of traffic had subsided substantially.

    Gao Yang checked his phone for time. It was 11:20.

    Songstress would close shop soon. He wondered if Ghost Horse would appear in the alley tonight.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times.]

    The system¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts suddenly. Before surprise even registered in Gao Yang¡¯s brain, his body reacted by leaping to the side.

    Half a secondter, a figure teleported to where he had been and cut the tarpaulin with sharp des, which had meant to slice Gao Yang¡¯s throat open.

    <i>Pew, pew, pew.</i>

    Gao Yang reacted quickly. Immediately following a roll, he made three shots at the shadow with his silenced gun.

    After a second, the shadow disappeared again, and the bullets ended up hitting the old sofa under the tarpaulin, making pieces of foam and dirt scatter.

    Gao Yang looked around with high alert.

    He saw a man dressed in a stealth suit a few meters away from him, his face covered by a ck mask that left only his eyes visible. Even so, Gao Yang recognized him at first nce.

    Ghost Horse!

    ¡°Come to the rooftop, Wang Zikai!¡± Gao Yang said into his earpiece, but heard no response.

    Only then did he realize to his surprise that while Ghost Horse hadn¡¯t hit his neck earlier, he had cut the earpiece wire to the radio.

    He clenched his teeth. He wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. He put his full focus on Ghost Horse.

    He knew that a misstep could get him killed.

    Taking two steps back slowly, he made sure there was more than 7 meters between him and Ghost Horse.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Gao Yang,¡± Ghost Horse said in monotone. ¡°Should I call you Dark Horse, or Seven Shadow?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>He¡¯s well informed. The Godbearer Cult has gotten its ws deep into the three major organizations.</i>

    ¡°When did you notice, Ghost Horse?¡± Gao Yang tried to buy time for Wang Zikai to notice that something was wrong.

    ¡°You make a terrible spy.¡± Ghost Horse¡¯s arms were rxed. The two karambits in his hands glinted a cold blue under the moonlight.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you dead?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s palm sweated around the handgun.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t answer the question directly. He said in a voice tinged with exhaustion and resentment, ¡°Why must you get involved in others¡¯ business, Gao Yang? You did it before, and now you¡¯re doing it again. Can¡¯t you leave well enough alone?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang shook his head.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t seem in a hurry to attack. He looked up at the night sky. ¡°The moon is beautiful. Before, I would¡¯ve gone off work and visited Songstress'' shop to listen to jazz music and enjoy a cup of coffee.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, thinking quietly.

    ¡°But because of your nosiness, all that was in the past,¡± Ghost Horse said ruefully.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me that took it away from you,¡± Gao Yang said in a steely voice. ¡°It was your choice. Your betrayal against the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°No! The Twelve Zodiac Signs betrayed me!¡± Ghost Horse raised his voice suddenly with suppressed rage. ¡°You know nothing, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes zed with anger as well. ¡°What I know is that you got Wan Sisi killed, and I¡¯m going to avenge her.¡±

    ¡°Avenge her? A <i>wanderer</i>?¡± Ghost Horse sounded like he couldn¡¯t believe his ears.

    ¡°She was my <i>friend</i>,¡± Gao Yang said, enunciating every word.

    Ghost Horse was quiet for a couple seconds before he howled withughter, his head lifted. ¡°Hahahaha! The Twelve Zodiac Signs are indeed a group of psychos!¡±

    Gao Yang stopped talking and tapped into the energy in his body.

    Ghost Horse stoppedughing. He looked back down at Gao Yang, his gaze murderous.

    Then he vanished.

    Gao Yang startled, but he managed to catch a figure three meters away from his left from the corner of his eye.

    <i>Pew, pew.</i>

    The two shots hit the floor.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn around. His instinct and experience told him that Ghost Horse must have teleported behind him.

    With an Agility of 500, his speed allowed him to drop down, dodging a sh aimed at his neck. At the same time, his right hand, wearing the tactical glove, was already tucked under his left arm, shooting fire toward the back.

    He made sure to sy his fingers so that his fire would cover a wider area, but having anticipated it, Ghost Horse easily avoided the attack.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn around to confirm where Ghost Horse was. He couldn¡¯t afford to.

    It took only a second for Ghost Horse to teleport.

    During the precious one second, he had to predict Ghost Horse¡¯s next move so that he could react beforehand, or he would surely die.

    While he was still crouching, he suddenly noticed another shadow under his feet.

 Chapter 227: Close Call

    <h4>Chapter 227: Close Call</h4>

    Up!

    Ghost Horse had teleported above Gao Yang¡¯s head this time. Gao Yang leapt forward forcefully, and Ghost Horse¡¯s crossed karambits pierced into the ground, missing their mark.

    <i>Pew, pew, pew.</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s three shots missed as expected. Ghost Horse had already teleported away.

    <i>Where is he? Where?</i>

    <i>Swish!</i>

    From his right came a faint current. Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to confirm if it was Ghost Horse, and he dodged out of the way. Only when he rolled andnded did he see from the corner of his eye that it wasn¡¯t Ghost Horse, but a wilted potted nt.

    It was a distraction!

    When he realized the fact, it was already toote. Overwhelming killing intent swept toward him from his side as a de shed at the back of his ear, making a quiet swoosh.

    <i>Is this the power of a top assassin?!</i>

    The gap between Ghost Horse and he, a mix of fighter and spellcaster who hadn¡¯t yet fully developed, was greater than expected in a one-on-one fight.

    His fear was fleeting as Gao Yang acted on instinct, arching his neck backward as he raised his left hand, toward the source of the air current.

    <i>St.</i>

    The curved karambit pierced into Gao Yang¡¯s left palm. Before the sharp pain could register in his brain, the other karambit came for Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    Gao Yang blocked it with his right hand with impossible reflex, paying the price of getting another de in his palm.

    He could see Ghost Horse appear in his view, seemingly at a dy after the attacks came.

    The man¡¯s face was almost pressed against Gao Yang¡¯s, while the weapons in his hands were stuck in Gao Yang¡¯s palms.

    After a second of stillness, Ghost Horse blurred, followed by a great impact.

    Ghost Horse¡¯s face came into clear view again, while Gao Yang¡¯s back mmed into a concrete wall on the rooftop, his two hands pinned to the wall by the karambits.

    At that moment, fear and despair overpowered the sharp paining from his palms.

    ¡°You lose.¡±

    Ghost Horse let go of the karambits and stepped back, drawing a third karambit from his waist. With an elegant twirl, the tip of the de pointed at Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    Gao Yang had lost. Even if he broke free of the karambits pinning him to the wall at the cost of crippling his hands, it would take two seconds, which were two seconds Ghost Horse wouldn¡¯t give him; it would take only half a second for Ghost Horse to pierce through his heart.

    Gao Yang knew that as well, so he stopped moving. His show of surrender would actually dy his death.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to die,¡± Ghost Horse said. ¡°But you got too cocky.¡±

    Yes, cocky.

    If Gao Yang hadn¡¯t chosen to deal with Ghost Horse on his own but had asked the fifth team for help, the mission could still fail, but he wouldn¡¯t die trying.

    <i>I rely too much on my own head, my system, and my Talents. As a result, I fail.</i>

    ¡°Do it.¡± Gao Yang epted his defeat.

    Without saying another word, Ghost Horse thrust the karambit toward Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    Then three sharp and hardy bone ws parried the karambit.

    Ghost Horse startled. The bone ws were attached to a bronze arm, and the owner of the arm was Wang Zikai.

    When did he get here?

    Ghost Horse hid his surprise. Although he had been wholly focused on Gao Yang and neglected to pay attention to his surroundings, the speed at which Wang Zikai reached them still caught him off guard.

    Decisively, Ghost Horse teleported a few meters away.

    ¡°You alright, bro?¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t even spare Ghost Horse a nce. Instead, he turned around to pull the karambits out of Gao Yang¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me! Watch your back...¡±

    Before Gao Yang could finish, Ghost Horse had already teleported behind Wang Zikai, swinging the karambit at Wang Zikai¡¯s neck.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    The de slid along the curve of his neck and sputtered sparks, making a piercing noise.

    Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. At some point, Wang Zikai¡¯s torso had turned bronze, and his skin and muscles as hard as steel.

    Reaching behind, Wang Zikai grabbed Ghost Horse¡¯s wrist.

    Ghost Horse struggled to break free. His expression darkened when he realized he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You dare hurt my brother?!¡± Wang Zikai turned around slowly, his gaze haughty and enraged. ¡°You¡¯ve got balls!¡±

    Then he made a swing at Ghost Horse¡¯s lower abdomen.

    Ghost Horse threw up blood and flew backward, knocking through all sorts of things in the way.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Bone ws protruded out of the back of Wang Zikai¡¯s right hand. ¡°I¡¯ll cut you to pieces!¡±

    Having suffered a heavy blow, Ghost Horse, half-crouching on the ground and enduring the pain, struggled to pick himself up, but Wang Zikai lunged at him as soon as he righted himself.

    Ghost Horse vanished.

    ¡°Where the hell are you?!¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s attack missed. He whirled around to find Ghost Horse standing on the water tank.

    Pressing a hand to his abdomen, Ghost Horse lowered his head to throw Gao Yang a cool nce, his gaze sharp andplicated as blood streaked down from the corner of his mouth.

    A secondter, he disappeared again.

    This time, he was nowhere to be seen on the rooftop.

    ¡°Fuck! You trash! Only a coward runs away!¡±

    Wang Zikai yelled, but no response came.

    ¡°Leave it.¡±

    Face pale, Gao Yang walked up to Wang Zikai, bleeding profusely from his hands. ¡°I have Medicine C in my bag. Grab one and give each of my hands half the dose.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Wang Zikai transformed back into his regr human form and found the Medicine C Gao Yang had brought. Pulling off the cap, he carefully administered the shot to Gao Yang¡¯s injured palms.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, it¡¯s bleeding so much.¡± Wang Zikai lowered his head, speaking like a heartbroken mother worrying over her child. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Shit, he ran this time. Brother will get revenge for you next time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After the shots, the wounds on Gao Yang¡¯s palms healed at a visible speed, and his pain subsided. Two minutester, Gao Yang let out a long breath and roughly wiped off the blood on his arms.

    He leaned against the railing of the rooftop, pondering as night wind caressed his face.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Wang Zikai rested both hands on the railing, his back arched. His blonde hair had gotten a little long, messed up by the wind.

    ¡°I¡¯m too weak.¡± Gao Yang felt a little down.

    ¡°What? No you¡¯re not!¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve died if not for you.¡±

    ¡°Bro, I didn¡¯t think I would be saying this to you.¡± Wang Zikai wiped at his nose. ¡°You¡¯re a gamer. Shouldn¡¯t you know that assassins are the bane of spellcasters?¡±

    Gao Yang was caught off guard. <i>Shit, when did you get smart enough to make the observation?</i>

    Wang Zikai patted on his chest. ¡°But when the assassin runs into a tank like me? I can easily beat him up like an adult beating up a child!¡±

    Gao Yangughed, feeling a little better.

    He knew what Wang Zikai was saying, but it didn¡¯t make the defeat any less bitter. He lost, and that was it. An enemy wasn¡¯t going to spare him just because he was at an inherent disadvantage due to a bad matchup.

    Medicine C was very effective, which was only to be expected since it had been made with Dead Pig¡¯s blood. It took no time for Gao Yang¡¯s hands to recover fully, leaving only two pink scars and a faint itchiness.

    ¡°Not a good start for the 94 Duo.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly.

    ¡°Stop being pessimistic!¡± Wang Zikai said. ¡°He hurt you. I punched him. I¡¯ll call it a draw.¡±

    Gao Yang snorted. <i>This isn¡¯t a fighting game where the remaining HP determines the victor, buddy. This is an assassination attempt, and I¡¯ve not only alerted him, but also let him leave. It¡¯s a total fail.</i>

    What had happened had happened, however. Now it was time for him to deal with the aftermath.

    He must not have been on Ghost Horse¡¯s target list before, but he would be after this sh. The question was how high on the list he was.

    At least Gao Yang had confirmed that Ghost Horse couldn¡¯t go through walls with Teleportation.

    In that case, when he was sleeping at home, he could avoid getting killed in his sleep by locking up the doors and windows and taking the proper precautions.

    Ghost Horse was unlikely to take the chance to attack him in broad daylight, while Gao Yang was at school. After all, he was a wanted man many were looking for. He had to stick to the shadows.

    Still, to be safe, Gao Yang decided to stay at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce rather than going home. And he had to send a message to Officer Huang somehow, asking War Tiger to have someone protect his family.

    Although Ghost Horse wasn¡¯t the type to get lost in personal vendetta and kill innocent people like Mad Red, it was better safe than sorry.

    The possibility of catching Ghost Horse should be a good enough reason for the Twelve Zodiac Signs to y bodyboards for his family.

    After thinking through what he had to do, Gao Yang felt his anxiety ease a little.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We check out of the hotel,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Then go to the police station to send a message to Officer Huang for me.¡±

    ¡°No problem. What about after that?¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°After that, we go to your ce and y games.¡±

    ¡°Hooray!¡±

 Chapter 228: Weâ€™ve Been Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 228: We¡¯ve Been Waiting</h4>

    For the next two days, Gao Yang went to school during the day and spent the night at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce.

    After evening self-study, Wang Zikai would pick Gao Yang up at the school gates to ensure that there was no chance of Ghost Horse singling him out and killing him.

    Gao Yang¡¯s biggest problem actuallyy in convincing his mother, but he had a solution to that.

    He called his mother and told her that he had decided to go to a college in Li City, and Wang Zikai yed a big part in convincing him.

    That was enough to make his mother take a liking to his ¡®delinquent friend¡¯.

    Then Gao Yang promised his mother that he had been staying with Wang Zikai for cramming sessions. After all, it was more effective when someone was there to supervise and help him with test problems and memorization.

    To support his im, he even took pictures of him and Wang Zikai pretending to be studying diligently.

    Wang Zikai, ever the dramatic one, put on a headband that said, ¡®Ace the entrance exams,¡¯ as if he was the examinee between the two of them.

    Amused and resigned by Wang Zikai¡¯s antics, Gao Yang¡¯s mother agreed to let Gao Yang stay with Wang Zikai. But she made sure to remind her son that he should rest as well, not to pull all-nighters on doing practice tests.

    Three dayster,te at night after evening self-study, Gao Yang found Wang Zikai waiting to pick him up outside the school in his sports car¡ªthe McLaren Wu Dahai had lent him.

    It was a relief that Wang Zikai was a monster. Otherwise, Gao Yang would be anxious about him ying bodyguard so openly every day.

    ¡°Bro! Let¡¯s go home!¡±

    Wang Zikai took off his sunsses and rested a hand on the car door, grinning confidently at him with all his pearly whites on disy.

    As Gao Yang walked up to the car, he heard a honk from another car nearby.

    He turned around and identified it as Gray Bear¡¯s.

    ¡°Give me a few minutes, Wang Zikai.¡±

    Gao Yang crossed the road to reach Gray Bear¡¯s car. Then he opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯ve done what you asked me to do.¡± Gray Bear took out a stack of paper. They were photocopied screenshots of surveince footage.

    Gao Yang took the stack and flipped through the copies. The fidelity of the screenshots wascking. All were nighttime shots of small to medium size trucks that had driven past the particr crossroad he identified before.

    ¡°All small to medium size trucks going through the crossroad on May 18th, 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. are here. There are nine in total. I asked someone to help look them up. It took quite some time.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Any results?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gray Bear pointed at one of the screenshots, which was a truck of a home movingpany. ¡°The others have been confirmed and excluded. This is the only one that¡¯s suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The truck was stolen about ten days ago. The movingpany notified the police, but the truck was never found.¡±

    Gao Yang put two and two together. The body robbers had first stolen the truck before they stole the bodies from the funeral home. Then the bodies were transported with the truck.

    ¡°Good. Can the car be found?¡±

    ¡°As long as the truck was driven on the road and got captured by a surveince camera, it could be tracked down.¡± Gray Bear¡¯s confident tone took a turn. ¡°If the car is never used, though, there¡¯s not much we can do.¡±

    Gray Bear smiled wryly. ¡°The police can¡¯t possibly check every household for the truck, and this is an investigation done under the table, one I had to ask a favor for. We have neither the manpower nor the resources for aprehensive search.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and pondered for a moment. ¡°Is there any awakener adept at finding objects in the Guild?¡±

    Gray Bear gave it a good thought. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know about the Elders. Their Talents are kept a secret.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little disappointed. Was this a deadend?

    ¡°However,¡± Gray Bear said, thinking of something. ¡°There may be someone like that from the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Gray Bear said with uncertainty, ¡°That¡¯s my guess. They have always been quite good at finding things. I heard that one of their members is a medium of sorts.¡±

    The Hundred Rivers Union?

    Gao Yang mused. Then he kept the picture of the moving truck and returned the rest to Gray Bear. ¡°Destroy those. This is where your involvement ends. Don¡¯t tell anyone about it.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gray Bear smiled, curious. ¡°What are you looking for? You¡¯re being all mysterious.¡±

    ¡°Gray Bear.¡±

    Gao Yang held his gaze and quoted Vermilion Bird, ¡°Every secretes with a risk. You shouldn¡¯t ask about what you shouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s for your sake.¡±

    Gray Bear nodded. ¡°I know this must be dangerous, Captain, but we¡¯ve ovee deaths together.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s exactly why I can¡¯t watch you die. And Qilin wants me to investigate in private.</i>

    Then Gray Bear¡¯s gaze grew heated. ¡°Ah, did you find out anything from Captain Three Air¡¯s diary?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I read it through many times, but it seems like a simple diary to me.¡±

    Gray Bear looked at him imploringly. ¡°Captain, I won¡¯t stick my nose in anything else, but if you ever find the culprit, tell me. The fifth team must avenge Captain Three Air!¡±

    The culprit had been found¡ªMad Red, and Gao Yang had killed the man.

    As for the group behind Mad Red, the Godbearer Cult, it wasn¡¯t an enemy the fifth team could deal with. It would likely take the whole Qilin Guild to go against the Cult.

    Gao Yang patted Gray Bear on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gray Bear rxed.

    Then he reminded Gao Yang, ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re gonna ask the Hundred Rivers Union for help, you should do it ASAP. Psychic stuff is less likely to seed as time passes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Gao Yang got out of the car and watched Gray Bear drive away. Then he got into Wang Zikai¡¯s sports car.

    ¡°Should we go home now?¡± Wang Zikai asked. ¡°Or are we getting some food?¡±

    ¡°A sec.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about Gray Bear¡¯s advice and found it viable. It wasn¡¯t toote yet. He had Chen Ying¡¯s number. He could call her.

    Looking for the truck was only one part of the investigation, and he wouldn¡¯t need to tell the Hundred Rivers Union anything important about the case. It shouldn¡¯t be against Qilin¡¯s will to ask for this favor.

    Gao Yang made the call. Chen Ying picked up after a couple rings.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Dark Horse, now Seven Shadow,¡± Gao Yang said concisely.

    ¡°Wait.¡± There was a moment of quiet, followed by a ssh and the faint sound of body being dried with a towel. Then the rustles of clothes being put on.

    ¡°What can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best we talk personally, as soon as you¡¯re able.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait at the restaurant Cherry Blossom on the top floor of the Sea View Tower, in Nanji District.¡± The answer came promptly.

    Gao Yang was taken by surprise.<i> Isn¡¯t she being too decisive? It¡¯s as if she knew I would ask to meet her.</i>

    Gao Yang put away his phone and turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°We aren¡¯t going home. Let¡¯s go to the Sea View Tower in Nanji District for food.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Wang Zikai started the car and pushed the elerator. The enthralling sound of engine revving rang, the car¡¯s tail light drawing lines along the dark road.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai arrived at the Sea View Tower past midnight.

    Contrary to what the name of the building would suggest, Li City didn¡¯t border any sea.

    It was a quaint seven-storied hotel. Gao Yang and Wang Zikai walked past the revolving door into the luxurious yet old-fashioned lobby. Then they entered the elevator and pressed 7F.

    Half a minuteter, the elevator door opened, leading to a restaurant with ind-style interiors.

    There were no customers thiste at night.

    Dressed formally and professionally in white shirt, suit pants, and high heels, Chen Ying stood in the reception area outside the elevator like she had been waiting for a long time.

    She waved at them when she saw them. ¡°Please,e in.¡±

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai followed her through the regr seats to the innermost room. The three-pane folding screen slowly opened, revealing the softly-lit elegant space.

    A low longtable was set up before the tatami floor, on which were sophisticatedly ted sushi, sashimi, and drinks.

    An elderly woman knelt before the table. She was dressed in ck gambiered silk with her hair put up with a hairpin. Her graceful demeanor gave off an air of nobility and serenity.

    She had taken care of herself well. Her skin was fair and firm with only some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her ocean blue eyes were like calmkes in fair weather.

    In a corner behind her was a wheelchair.

    <i>Is she paralyzed below the waist? </i>Gao Yang wondered.

    Also kneeling at the table was a woman dressed like a performer. She was ying a rueful tune with an <i>erhu</i>.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting, Captain Seven Shadow.¡±

    The elderly woman smiled.

 Chapter 229: Surnamed Li

    <h4>Chapter 229: Surnamed Li</h4>

    <i>They have been waiting for me?</i>

    <i>Did she know I would be here?</i>

    Gao Yang hid his confusion under a poker face.

    Beside him, Chen Ying waved a hand, and the woman ying <i>erhu </i>immediately rose to her feet, walking out in small delicate steps and closing the three-pane folding screen behind her.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai obliged and sat down before the low longtable with their legs crossed.

    Chen Ying looked at the elderly woman who looked younger than her age with deference. ¡°This is the head of the Hundred Rivers Union. She knew you woulde tonight and told me to prepare beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Greetings, I¡¯m Surnamed Li.¡± The woman spoke gently, her eyes curved. ¡°You may call me Madam Li.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Madam Li.¡±

    Gao Yang kept his face carefully impassive, when inwardly he couldn¡¯t be more shocked.

    <i>It can¡¯t be. I decided to contact Chen Yingst second, and the whole process took less than five minutes. Not even the most robust intelligencework would be able to predict my decision.</i>

    <i>Or does Surnamed Li have a Talent of foresight?</i>

    That was a possibility, and a Talent like that must be among the top ten, or even the top five.

    Gao Yang said politely, ¡°Madam Li, do you know what I¡¯m here for?¡±

    Madam Li was still smiling. ¡°To look for something.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s it then! She can see the future!</i>

    Madam Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.

    Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t interested in their conversation. He looked around and suddenly asked, ¡°Why is this ce called the Sea View Tower? There¡¯s no sea around. Isn¡¯t that false advertising?¡±

    <i>Bro, stop talking if you don¡¯t know what to say.</i>

    Madam Li was still smiling as she slowly said in response, ¡°My husband is from the Ind Nation, and he grew up by the sea. Before he passed away from illness, he wished to return to his hometown for the view he grew up with, yet his wish ended up unfulfilled. I built this ce as a memento of sorts to remember him by.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± Wang Zikai looked at the tuna sashimi on the table. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry. You don¡¯t mind if I dig in, right?¡±

    ¡°Please go ahead.¡±

    Wang Zikai picked up a piece of tuna by hand and dipped it in wasabi before taking a bite. The rush of heat made him tear up, but he gave a thumbs-up in an exaggerated manner and said, ¡°Hm! It¡¯s authentic!¡±

    Madam Li chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±

    Chen Ying then whispered something into Madam Li¡¯s ear.

    Madam Li¡¯s gaze on Wang Zikai changed a little.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made interesting friends, Captain Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡±

    Madam Li nodded, understanding Gao Yang¡¯s unspoken words: he had known Wang Zikai before his awakening.

    Gao Yang filed that in his head. <i>It seems that Surnamed Li can¡¯t actually predict all the finest details about the future, or she wouldn¡¯t have been surprised about me bringing a wanderer.</i>

    ¡°Since Madam Li already knows what I¡¯m here for, I¡¯ll be frank with you.¡± Gao Yang took out a photo and handed it over.

    Chen Ying took it instead and opened the folded paper to present it to Madam Li.

    After a nce, Madam Li nodded without saying anything.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to find the truck.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Well, I¡¯m looking for a person, and they stole the truck. I don¡¯t have any other clues, so I start with tracking it down.¡±

    Madam Li turned to Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying said openly, ¡°It is my expertise to look for things. My Talent is Psychometry.¡±

    Gao Yang dug into his memory and found information on the Talent.

    Psychometry, serial number 81, Support-type.

    It allowed one to touch an object and see what had happened to it in the past.

    Chen Ying returned the photo to Gao Yang. ¡°However, I need to touch the thing physically. A photo won¡¯t do.¡±

    Gao Yang took the photo and nodded.

    He had guessed as much. The ability would be too OP if it allowed one to read the past from a photo alone, and the Talent wouldn¡¯t have been so low on the list.

    Madam Li chimed in, ¡°If the car is found, Chen Ying will be able to help.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at her.<i> What? It seems she has more to say.</i>

    Madam Li smiled. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union may look for the vehicle for you. If we find it in time, Chen Ying¡¯s Psychometry will still work on it.¡±

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°And the condition?¡±

    ¡°Captain Seven Shadow is a straightforward man.¡±

    Madam Li continued at a deliberate pace, ¡°Let¡¯s first define the scope of our work. We will find the car for you, and Chen Ying will get information on your target through the car. That¡¯s the end of our work. Whatever you do after that, we won¡¯t get involved, and we aren¡¯t interested.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°That¡¯s for the best.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯ll tell you our condition: the Qilin Guild has found the Support Rune Circuit. We¡¯d like to rent it for a month, and we¡¯ll pay the loan in full.¡±

    She nced at Chen Ying and smiled like the matriarch of a family. ¡°There are many awakeners with Support-type Talents in the Union, so we need the Rune Circuit dearly.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond. He did think her condition was sensible.

    Earnestly, he said, ¡°Please give me ten minutes, Madam Li. I have to bring this up to my superior.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Wang Zikai was still fully focused on eating. Gao Yang was worried that the idiot would spill everything he knew while Gao Yang left to make the call.

    He patted Wang Zikai on the shoulder and said in a low voice, ¡°While I¡¯m away, use your mouth to eat, not talk.¡±

    Wang Zikai frowned, giving him a peevish look that said, ¡®I knew that already.¡¯ Then he waved Gao Yang away, urging him to take care of his business.

    Gao Yang walked out of the booth and found a quiet corner to call ck Tortoise.

    As expected, ck Tortoise was still working, and the set was bustling. Gao Yang could faintly hear the director giving notes in an impassioned voice, ¡°How many times do I have to repeat this? I want you to be sad with a hint of anticipation, expectant with a hint of frustration, frustrated with a hint of anger and jealousy. Do you get it...¡±

    ¡°Hello?¡± ck Tortoise said.

    ¡°Can you talk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the set. A moment.¡±

    After a while, the other end of the line quieted. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some progress with what you told me to look into.¡±

    Gao Yang took two minutes to retell what he had found the past couple days. ¡°I need the help of the Hundred Rivers Union, but they want something in return.¡±

    He then briefed ck Tortoise on what happened tonight.

    ¡°That old fox.¡± ck Tortoise snorted. ¡°Guildmaster should still be awake. I¡¯ll bring this to him.¡±

    Three minutester, ck Tortoise sent him an encoded message: go ahead.

    Gao Yang put away his phone and returned to the booth.

    He had only been away for a few minutes, but when he went back, Chen Ying was already pouring Wang Zikai sake.

    Holding a cup in his hand, Wang Zikai prattled with a flushed face and iling arms, ¡°You won¡¯t believe how dangerous things were! A whole vige of lizardmen were rushing toward us! A one man army, I blocked the door, killing every single one of the monstersing my way! Swish, swish! A few swings were all it took...¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down by Wang Zikai¡¯s side with a cold look on his face.

    Realizing he had said something he shouldn¡¯t, Wang Zikai smiled awkwardly. ¡°Right, a real man doesn¡¯t talk about his glorious past! Come, let¡¯s drink! Cheers!¡±

    <i>I knew this idiot couldn¡¯t be trusted to keep his mouth shut!</i>

    He really should bring Wang Zikai with him less, or even the color of his underpants would be an open secret.

    Gao Yang turned to Madam Li. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to my superior. You have a deal. The Support Rune Circuit will be loaned to you in the next six months. We¡¯ll decide the exact loaning period.¡±

    Madam Li nodded slightly in thanks and raised her cup full of sake gracefully. ¡°Pleasure doing business with the Guild. I salute you, Captain Seven Shadow. You may drink if it¡¯s to your taste.¡±

 Chapter 230: Moving Truck

    <h4>Chapter 230: Moving Truck</h4>

    Thanks to Gao Yang, Wang Zikai enjoyed a free meal to his heart¡¯s content and returned home in a good mood.

    Once they were back home, Gao Yang reprimanded Wang Zikai for running his mouth and asked him everything he had talked about during Gao Yang¡¯s absence. Gao Yang only rxed once he made sure that Wang Zikai hadn¡¯t revealed anything important.

    Early the next morning, Gao Yang went to school.

    The college entrance exams were only one week away, and the tension in the air was thicker than ever.

    Everyone was doing test papers with their heads lowered. Even during breaks, almost no one left their seats and walked around.

    Even those who got bad grades and had effectively given up on their studies couldn¡¯t muster the interest to have fun; instead, theyy on their desks listening to music with their earphones or stared outside nkly, looking depressed. Perhaps they were feeling lost about their future.

    Originally, Gao Yang should¡¯ve been one of them, spending all his time doing tests in order to get into a good college.

    But now, he found himself an outsider.

    His gaze wandered to Qing Ling¡¯s empty seat. He was envious of her.

    In her world, nothing mattered other than getting stronger. She had a clear goal, and she moved toward it without hesitation or distracting thoughts.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, had too many worries. He had to y his role on the mundane side of his life, and he had to be wary of the dangers his awakener identity would bring.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Hundred Rivers Union, the Spectres that Fresh Snow was part of, the Godbearer Cult that was behind Ghost Horse...

    His different identities and allegiances stretched him thin, and he had too many things to be worried about, none of which were resolved. It had been a long time since Gao Yangst had a good night''s sleep.

    During the second session of evening self-study, Gao Yang received a call from Chen Ying.

    Gao Yang called her back when he could, and she told him that the truck had been found in the Dongyu District, that he should head there as soon as possible.

    Gao Yang was surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected the Hundred Rivers Union to be this efficient. He now saw the organization in a different light.

    Gao Yang immediately called Wang Zikai, and pretending to be feeling ill, he got a sick leave from his homeroom teacher and left school early.

    Wang Zikai drove to school to pick Gao Yang up as soon as he could, behaving as the dependable and considerate friend. The two of them headed to the Dongyu District at once.

    Before Gao Yang awakened, he had rarelye to the Dongyu District.

    It was located in a remote area with low poption density, and the urban infrastructure had been weathered by years. To a Li City resident, it was no different from the countryside.

    After entering the world of awakeners, though, Gao Yang had a newfound respect and wariness for the district.

    It wasn¡¯t under the jurisdiction of any of the three major organizations, and being the no man¡¯snd it was,w of the jungle ruled, and dangers abounded.

    Put simply, if someone died in the district, it was unlikely that any of the organizations woulde to collect the body.

    The location Chen Ying told Gao Yang was downstream of the Li River.

    Before eleven at night, Wang Zikai drove to the riverside road and parked on the side, walking down the levee.

    Clear moonlight lit the shoal below, where a tractor was surrounded by about ten people. When Gao Yang and Wang Zikai walked up to them, they first saw Chen Ying and her teammates around her.

    Among them was, naturally, Zhang Wei. He beamed warmly as soon as he saw Gao Yang.

    ¡°Brother Dark Horse! Here you are!¡±

    ¡°Watch it. He¡¯s Captain Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild now,¡± Chen Ying corrected him with a serious expression.

    ¡°What?!¡± Zhang Wei jumped and shouted, ¡°You, you, you¡¯re the Seven Shadow who got two Rune Circuits for the Qilin Guild?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. This guy was quite well-informed.

    ¡°That¡¯s insane! As expected of a star yer! You¡¯re a star no matter where you go!¡±

    He excitedly took out a marker from his pocket and turned his back to Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time. I have to get your signature today, Brother Seven Shadow!¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how to deal with the situation other than waiting for Chen Ying to stop the man.

    Instead of stopping him, however, Chen Ying said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯ll take a while for the truck to be pulled out. There¡¯s no rush.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed a groan. <i>This isn¡¯t how you acted when Zhang Wei was pestering War Tiger! Chen Ying, you damn woman. Are you messing with me?</i>

    Resigned, Gao Yang took the marker and signed the words ¡®Seven Shadow¡¯ on Zhang Wei¡¯s back.

    ¡°Write something else, please.¡±

    ¡°What else? I came, I saw, I conquered?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ve got jokes! Let me think. Hm, it¡¯s my birthday the day after tomorrow. Why don¡¯t you write me a happy birthday?¡± Zhang Wei sounded excited, like he was already thinking about presenting this shirt to his colleague when they celebrated his birthday to make them jealous.

    <i>And should I buy you a cake and sing you a song?</i>

    Grumbling inwardly, Gao Yang wrote down ¡®happy birthday¡¯ on his back and the date of his birthday.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Zhang Wei immediately handed his phone to the colleague next to him and had a photo taken of his back.

    Gao Yang sighed. He didn¡¯t expect that one day, he would be somebody people boasted about meeting.

    After Zhang Wei left, Zhen Ying exined, ¡°The truck you¡¯re looking for was driven into the river. Our diver has gone underwater to check. If the vehicle is upright, it can be dragged out directly after we attach a hook.¡±

    ¡°How did you find it?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Chen Ying smiled politely. ¡°We have many members, and thus many means at our disposal. And a lot of our members are people with quite the influence in the mundane world.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be problematic for you to involve so many people?¡±

    ¡°The truck was stolen, and isn¡¯t it only right for investigation to be done on a crime? It¡¯ll be fine. We do this all the time.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s gaze was focused.

    As they talked, someone in a diving suit popped out of the water with a ssh before emerging ashore.

    He took off the headgear as he walked and called out toward the riverbank, ¡°It¡¯s hooked. Get it out.¡±

    The tractor started and drove toward the levee. Soon, therge metal hook and chains attached to the tail of the vehicle underwater were pulled taut.

    Half a minuteter, the tractor drove over the levee, and the metal chains shook slightly as the surface of the water rippled.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    First emerging was the top of a blue cargo container, followed by the hood of the truck, the head and part of the body, and finally the four wheels.

    It took no time for the box truck to be pulled onto the shoal. River water continued to gush out from the interior.

    ¡°Is this the right one?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    Gao Yang had already memorized the photo, and he recognized it at first nce. ¡°It is.¡±

    Chen Ying turned to Zhang Wei. ¡°The work here is done. Have everyone go back. Be careful on the way.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Sister Chen?¡± Zhang Wei was worried. This wasn¡¯t the territory of the Hundred Rivers Union, and they wouldn¡¯t want Chen Ying to run into some ruffians when she was alone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Chen Ying nced at Gao Yang and smiled. ¡°After the work is done, these two gentlemen will apany me home.¡±

    ¡®Gentlemen¡¯, a more polite way of saying ¡®bodyguards¡¯.

    One surely learned til the day they died.

    Gao Yang smiled and said graciously, ¡°As we should.¡±

    Two minutester, the others left along with the tractor, leaving only Chen Ying, Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and the small box truck that had been submerged in the river for many days on the shoal.

    The box truck had been almostpletely drained of water.

    Chen Ying walked up to it and opened the door to the driver seat. ¡°I¡¯ll use my Talent right now. However, I have to remind you. I can at most read information within the past seven days, and the longer it has been, the less information I can gather, and the less urate the reading will be.¡±

    ¡°Just do your best.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t have high expectations to start with.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take me a couple minutes. Please stay quiet as I work.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    With that, Chen Ying got into the car, sitting down while ignoring the cold, drenched seat and shutting the door after her. She put her hands on the driving wheel and took a deep breath, slowly closing her eyes.

    Psychometry activated.

 Chapter 231: Psychometry

    <h4>Chapter 231: Psychometry</h4>

    For the first ten seconds or so, Chen Ying¡¯s senses remained where she was, in the box truck, and she could feel a wet coldness where her body was in contact with the driver seat. The river water soaked into the seat gradually soaked her clothes, making the fabric stick to her thighs in an ufortable way.

    The air around her smelled faintly of aquatic weeds and fish. From outside the window, night wind swept into the car.

    As the energy inside Chen Ying¡¯s body slowly converged before spreading in all directions, her five senses gradually shifted.

    She waded against the chaotic currents of time, like a gust of wind or a spirit.

    One second, the driver¡¯spartment she was in was still in the bottom of the river, surrounded by darkness and water. She felt lifted yet dragged down, and she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    The next second, she was on the road during the day as the car drove smoothly, apanied by music that was soothing and lilting, but muffled.

    All the images were snippets of memory. And one after another, they came to her.

    Time continued to rewind and rewind further.

    This time, Chen Ying found the driver¡¯spartment awash in darkness.

    It waste at night. The road was a little bumpy, and thus the car shook gently as bleak scenery moved past the window. In the distance, there was a surface of shimmering light. Was it ake, or a river?

    Chen Ying couldn¡¯t see clearly, and she didn¡¯t force it. Instead, she focused on the interior of the car.

    Then she looked at her hands.

    Well, not hers, but a man¡¯s hands, covered in ck leather gloves.

    Chen Ying was going to look at other parts of the man¡¯s body, but the image was getting blurry and unstable.

    She looked up at the rearview mirror above. In the reflection was a thin middle-aged man in a baseball cap, revealing only a chin she couldn¡¯t make out clearly.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    A cell phone rang. The driver picked up the phone with his gloved right hand. It wasn¡¯t a smartphone, but an old model, and he was likely using an unregistered prepaid SIM card.

    ¡°Done?¡± a voice said from the other side of the line. It was modted. Not even the gender of the caller could be discerned.

    ¡°Done.¡± The voice of the man driving the car was also difficult to hear.

    ¡°Leave the car and the wares. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°Consider it done. What¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°Hide, and wait for our contact.¡±

    The call ended.

    Chen Ying wanted to stay in the snippet of memory for more information, but her vision was blurring, and the scene around her dispersed like smoke.

    After a moment of distraction, Chen Ying found herself back in the damp driver¡¯s seat, surrounded by a fishy smell.

    Her Psychometry attempt came to an end.

    Chen Ying closed her eyes and focused her mind, attempting to use her Talent once more.

    This time, she was back to the particr memory snippet, but she gathered even less information before the connection severed.

    She sighed. She knew she had done all she could.

    She opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°How was it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Chen Ying told Gao Yang everything she had learned via Psychometry.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s some vague shit,¡± Wang Zikai said with his arms crossed, his expression suspicious. ¡°None of that is useful. You haven¡¯t made it all up, have you?¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t take it personally. ¡°I can¡¯t prove the truthfulness of my words to you. It¡¯s up to you if you want to believe me or not. Still, my work here is done. The Qilin Guild will honor your end of the deal, I hope?¡±

    ¡°Fret not, the deal will be honored.¡± Gao Yang reassured her.

    After a bemused moment, he added, ¡°You said the caller¡¯s voice was modted. How about the driver taking the call?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t very clear. If I had to describe it, I¡¯d say it sounded like a middle-aged man, and the voice was low and calm.¡±

    A thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind. He asked, ¡°You also said there was music ying in the car. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It was faint, and there was no singing. The melody sounded...jazzy, I guess.¡±

    ¡ªGhost Horse!

    Gao Yang was almost a hundred percent sure that Ghost Horse was the one who stole the bodies.

    What use did he have for awakeners¡¯ bodies? How did he get the passcode to the morgue? And judging by the call he received, there must be an insider from the Qilin Guild helping him carry out the n. What was the Godbearer Cult scheming?

    A gust of wind swept toward the three of them and messed up their hair. After a short silence, Gao Yang looked at the cargo box of the truck. Although it must have been emptied of all bodies, there might be clues to be found.

    ¡°Can you use Psychometry again inside the cargo box, Chen Ying?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Ying nodded.

    She walked up to the cargo box. It was locked. Chen Ying smiled bitterly. ¡°Locked.¡±

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Wang Zikai had been feeling bored for the whole night. Finally, there was something he could do.

    Tightening his right fist, he extended three bone ws from the back of his hand and shed at the door.

    <i>ck.</i>

    With sttering sparks, the lock broke apart like he had cut through butter.

    Chen Ying was shocked, but she didn¡¯t let it show.

    Wang Zikai opened the door, and a muddled, wet, chilling smell assaulted their senses.

    They turned on their phones¡¯ shlights, aimed at the interior of the cargo box. It was almost empty¡ªthe operative word being ¡®almost¡¯.

    There was a cadaver bag in the very depth of it.

    The three of them exchanged a shocked nce.

    Gao Yang was surprised as well. He had thought all the bodies had been dealt with. He didn¡¯t expect one to be left behind.

    Was it a trap?

    To be safe, Gao Yang essed his system to make sure that his Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked.

    Then he turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°Take a look and be careful.¡±

    <i>Sorry, Brother Kai, but you¡¯ve got the thickest skin among us!</i>

    <i>Even if it is a trap, you¡¯ll live.</i>

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    Wang Zikai jumped into the cargo box excitedly and went up to the cadaver bag.

    He unzipped it.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Wang Zikai cried out.

    Gao Yang nervously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡± Wang Zikai covered his nose. ¡°Fuck does it smell bad. Totally disgusting.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. The bodies in Vermilion Bird¡¯s morgues were all stored in freezer units, but once stolen, the bodies would have been kept in room temperature. It had been a week since the theft. It made sense that the remaining body would be dposing and developing pungent odor.

    Gao Yang nced at Chen Ying. ¡°Ready?¡±

    Chen Ying took a breath and held it, nodding.

    Gao Yang jumped into the cargo box and slowly knelt down by the cadaver bag. He had been anxious all this time until he got a look at the body. Only after seeing that it wasn¡¯t a member of the fourth or fifth team did he feel a little better.

    It was a man with short brown hair. His eyes were closed, and his face pale and bloated.

    Gao Yang tried to imagine what the man would be like when he was alive: a man in his thirties with sculpted facial features. He looked to be the cantankerous type.

    In truth, the body was in better shape than he had expected. It was almost summer. A week in this weather should¡¯ve left the body rotting and crawled with maggots.

    Gao Yang steadied himself and reached out to unzip the bag fully.

    The man was dressed in simple blue clothes for the deceased. Other than that, he was unadorned, and the bag was empty.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it. There must be a reason for the twelve bodies to be stolen. Why left a body behind?

    Someone like Ghost Horse wouldn¡¯t have stolen an additional body by ident. There must be a reason for it.

    Gao Yang took a picture of the dead man¡¯s face with his phone before putting it back into his pocket. Then he took out his dagger to slice the buttoned shirt open, nning to check the body.

    When he got to the second button, he noticed something on the body¡¯s chest.

    Before he could get a good look, the body¡¯s eyes opened wide.

 Chapter 232: Suspension Bridge Effect

    <h4>Chapter 232: Suspension Bridge Effect</h4>

    When the body first opened its eyes, Gao Yang almost thought he had seen it wrong because of how sudden it was.

    Wang Zikai and Chen Ying halted in shock as well before they promptly jumped backward.

    Gao Yang had done the same in case the body came after him, yet the body stayed unmoving save for opening its eyes. A dark green light flickered in those eyes for a fleeting moment before turning yellow, then a dark red. All the while, the body¡¯s face, neck, and chest split into cracks that glowed red.

    The whole process took less than three seconds.

    For some reason, Gao Yang had a strong feeling about what woulde next, the foresight as concrete as reality.

    ¡ªThe body would explode!

    The moment the thought crossed his mind, the lighting from the body¡¯s eyes and the cracks on its face surged in intensity.

    [Warning...]

    The system¡¯s warning came much toote.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to get out of the cargo box. He pulled Chen Ying into his arms and quickly turned around, moving faster than his brain could issue amand.

    The moment his arms tightened around Chen Ying, he realized that he simply wanted to push just one person back onto the cliff before he fell into the pit of death.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Then he heard Wang Zikai cry out.

    A pair of strong arms wrapped around Gao Yang from his back, and a wide chest shielded him from danger like a sturdy wall, indirectly protecting the woman in Gao Yang¡¯s arms.

    Airpressed dramatically in an instant.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The tremendous explosion rendered the box truck into ashes in the blink of an eye, lighting up the levee, the shoal, and the running river like the sun. Amid the explosion, a burning shadow flew into the air while emitting smoke, and it fell into the river with a plop.

    Five secondster, a head popped out of the water. Then a hand wiped the face.

    It was Gao Yang.

    With another ssh, a woman emerged, her long hair stuck to her pale forehead. She seemed to still be reeling from the shock.

    Chen Ying.

    The two of them floated on the river and exchanged a nce, seeing the same shock and confusion on each other¡¯s face.

    Then reality struck Gao Yang.

    He dove into the water. Chen Ying quickly followed suit. A minuteter, they dragged an unconscious Wang Zikai onto the riverbank with difficulty. cing him down on the ground, Gao Yang and Chen Ying dropped to their knees, panting and entirely drenched.

    Not far from them, the truck had disappeared, leaving only burning ashes.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, Wang Zikai!¡±

    Gao Yang patted his friend on the face gently. Wang Zikai frowned in pain, but he was still breathing.

    Gao Yang flipped him over. Wang Zikai¡¯s shirt and pants were both burned in the back, and his skin looked charred. Gao Yang took a deep breath and gingerly wiped a hand over Wang Zikai¡¯s back. Under the wet, thick ash was normal human skin.

    <i>Thank God!</i>

    Wang Zikai must have transformed the split second the explosion took ce, blocking the fatal blow and shockwaves for Gao Yang and Chen Ying as a sturdy wall. Otherwise, given their physique, they would¡¯ve been blown to pieces, if not rendered into ashes.

    ¡°Whew.¡±

    Once he made sure that Wang Zikai was alright, Gao Yang let out a long breath. His calf, caught in the explosion, began to throb in pain.

    After all, Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t actually a wall, and parts of Gao Yang¡¯s body were still injured. Compared to death, though, the injury was negligible.

    He looked down. Part of his left calf had been blown open with the flesh revealed. He was almost turned into a roasted long pig that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

    Chen Ying¡¯s heel was burned as well.

    Nothing a shot of Medicine C wouldn¡¯t heal, though. Their injuries might scar, but that was a small price to pay.

    ¡°Is he...is he alright?¡±

    Having narrowly escaped death, Chen Ying wiped away the water on her face, her voice trembling.

    ¡°He¡¯s alright. He¡¯s got great regenerative power. He¡¯ll be fine in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Is he, is he really a white face?¡± Chen Ying¡¯s shocked gaze was colored with a hint of fear.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°But outside of a white face, what kind of monster would stubbornly believe himself to be human after all he¡¯s been through?¡±

    Chen Ying lowered her head. She didn¡¯t have an answer.

    After a long while, she looked up at Gao Yang seriously. ¡°Thank you, and thank him. If not for the two of you, I would be dead.¡±

    ¡°You were helping me with the investigation. It¡¯s my responsibility to protect you.¡±

    ¡°No, this is work. You don¡¯t owe me.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t relent. She held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze. ¡°I owe the two of you one. If you ever need my help, I will help to the best of my ability.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±

    Truthfully, he was likely to need Chen Ying¡¯s Talent in the future.

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Chen Ying asked with genuine worry. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t ask, but what you¡¯re investigating is obviously dangerous. You may have gotten the attention of someone you shouldn¡¯t mess with already.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take one step at a time. I¡¯m going to report to the Guild immediately. You¡¯ve done your part of the deal.¡±

    Chen Ying reached into her pocket for her phone. It was still working.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone pick me up. You don¡¯t have to escort me. Go back once he wakes up.¡±

    Chen Ying looked around and couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    The only thought in her head right now was to go back to headquarters immediately and have her injury treated. Then she would take a shower and a sleeping pill for a good night¡¯s sleep. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t dream of the exploding body.

    Gao Yang turned on his phone as well.

    The screen lit up hisposed face. Although his facial features were still youthful, he looked mature and collected at this moment.

    Chen Ying¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    She knew that his instinctual move to protect her had earned him points in her book. Moreover, a near death experience always came with the suspension bridge effect, resulting in the misattribution of attraction.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, this is my first time being so close to dying.¡± Chen Ying stared at Gao Yang¡¯s face, her voice softening without her realizing. ¡°Does this...happen to you often?¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his phone, searching for ck Tortoise¡¯s number. Carelessly, he said, ¡°I never count.¡±

    The masculine charm hit her like a truck. Chen Ying had a moment of panic.

    <i>You brat! Thankfully, I know you¡¯re only eighteen, or I¡¯m really gonna develop a crush!</i>

    Gao Yang made the call and turned away to put some distance between him and Chen Ying. He briefed ck Tortoise on what had happened.

    After a few seconds of silence, ck Tortoise ordered, ¡°Stop investigating ande back to the ck Tortoise branch.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    When Gao Yang hung up and went back, Wang Zikai was already waking up.

    With Chen Ying¡¯s help, he rolled to a sitting position and vomited river water, slowlying back to his senses.

    When he looked up and saw Gao Yang standing before him, wholly intact, he blurted, ¡°You okay, bro?¡±

    ¡°You saved me again, Wang Zikai,¡± Gao Yang said gratefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Wang Zikai said flippantly. ¡°Don¡¯t get all mushy with me. I¡¯m allergic to that.¡±

    ¡°Piss off.¡± Gao Yang rolled his eyes at him.

    Wang Zikai stretched his body and stood up, feeling like something was amiss.

    With his back to Chen Ying, he stretched his arms. ¡°Hm, that was a good nap... Why did my butt feel cold?¡±

    ¡°Can it be,¡± Gao Yang smothered augh, ¡°That the explosion has burned the back of your pants?¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡±

    Wang Zikai only realized then that he had his bare buttocks facing Chen Ying. He quickly covered them and turned around.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s face was all red. Her eyes were on anything but Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Chen Ying! I just saved your life! You¡¯re not telling anyone about what happened! You hear me? Or I won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡±

    Wang Zikai blushed and warned her vehemently. His dignified image as the world savior was on the line.

    Chen Ying tried her best to bite down herugh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My lips are sealed.¡±

 Chapter 233: Introspection

    <h4>Chapter 233: Introspection</h4>

    The three of them waited on the shoal for about twenty minutes until the Hundred Rivers Union sent half of the first team to escort Chen Ying back.

    Gao Yang and Wang ZIkai decided to go as well. As soon as Wang Zikai got into his sports car, Gao Yang received a message from ck Tortoise on his phone: get in my car.

    He looked up to see a luxurious gray sedan parked nearby.

    He told Wang Zikai, ¡°You should go home. The Guild has sent someone for me.¡±

    ¡°Is your new organization reliable?¡± Wang Zikai looked doubtful. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that way. Why don¡¯t you stay with me? The 94 Duo will defeat whoeveres our way, be it gods or buddhas!¡±

    ¡°How many times have I told you that you¡¯re the hidden ace, and that you shouldy low for the moment?¡± Gao Yang cated him with ttery.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going home then. My fucking butt is getting cold.¡± Wang Zikai pushed the elerator and drove away.

    Once the sports car was out of sight, the sedan slowly came over. The door slid to the side, revealing ck Tortoise¡ªor Yan Feng.

    He was dressed in a dragon robe with imperial headwear, and on his face was a fake mustache.

    Gao Yang paused, suppressing the urge to holler, ¡®All hail Your Majesty the Emperor.¡¯

    ¡°Come in.¡± Yan Feng lifted his head slightly, his dignified andposed voice demanding respect. He seemed to still be in character.

    Gao Yang got into the car and sat down next to Yan Feng.

    The car started. Yan Feng¡¯s manager, dressed professionally with a shrewd look on his face, said in an irritated tone, ¡°He¡¯s only got an hour off, and it¡¯s been 20 minutes. Hurry up already! We¡¯re all waiting for you!¡±

    ¡°Drop the kid at the walking street in the Feiyang District before taking me back to the set.¡±

    ¡°Who is this kid to you?¡± The manager nced at Gao Yang through the rearview mirror. He joked, ¡°He¡¯s not an illegitimate child of yours, is he?¡±

    With a gentle smile on his face, Yan Feng flipped his manager off.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. It turned out that ck Tortoise was but a regr person as the actor Yan Feng, and he was quite close to his manager. They must have known each other for a long time.

    Yan Feng nced at his manager before turning back to Gao Yang, saying in a lowered voice, ¡°Like I said before, he¡¯s a white face. Don¡¯t worry about him.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°I just reported to Guildmaster,¡± said Yan Feng. ¡°The investigation is now out of your hand.¡±

    ¡°The mission...¡±

    ¡°Is now Elder Azure Dragon¡¯s responsibility. He will conduct the investigation personally.¡±

    Gao Yang was somewhat reluctant. He didn¡¯t like dropping things halfway, but deep down, he also felt relief. Perhaps he had dodged a bullet.

    All in all, he was conflicted.

    ¡°Stay in the branch for the next few days,¡± said Yan Feng. ¡°You may still be in danger.¡±

    Gao Yang said honestly, ¡°But I¡¯m taking my college entrance exams in a week, and I have to go to school during the day.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Yan Feng seemed troubled. ¡°True. It¡¯ll be too suspicious for you to go missing the next few days. It¡¯s likely to alert them.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Go to school then. I¡¯ll ask White Tiger for two Protectors to keep an eye on you secretly until you finish your entrance exams.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t like being watched. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful myself.¡±

    Yang Feng still sounded worried. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to leave you on your own.¡±

    ¡°I have a bodyguard. He¡¯s reliable.¡±

    ¡°The one who drove away in the sports car?¡± Yan Feng was sharp.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can he be trusted?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s stronger than me, and we¡¯ve been through life and death situations many times.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Feng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve told Elder Azure Dragon everything you reported to me. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to add?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll end things here.¡± Yan Feng immediately shifted to actor mode and picked up a script out of nowhere. ¡°I¡¯m going to memorize my lines. Make yourself at home.¡±

    He quickly got into his role and put on a different expression. ¡°Hmph! There are always the unruly sortsing after this Emperor...¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, the car stopped at the entrance of the ancient China-themed walking street in the Feiyang District.

    Gao Yang got out of the car and made it through the street block of bustling establishments and rowdy crowds, diving into the narrow alley leading to the Walled City of Ten Dragons. Then he rode a capsule under the ck Tortoise branch to the hotel-like dorm at the White Tiger branch.

    He first treated his wounds with fast-acting medicine. After they were just about healed, he stripped and took a bath, resting while quietly going over all the information he had gathered so far.

    First, he was now 100% certain that there was another spy among the Qilin Guild.

    It was the spy¡¯s help that allowed Ghost Horse to steal the bodies with such ease.

    Based on what Chen Ying had found, Ghost Horse seemed to be following the direct orders of the spy, which meant that the spy was a high-ss secret and most likely a high-ranking member of the Godbearer Cult.

    Ghost Horse could only carry out the spy¡¯s order and wait for the next instruction toe. He wasn¡¯t allowed to ask any questions.

    The spy and Ghost Horse must have learned about Gao Yang being tasked with investigating the theft. In response, the enemy retaliated and almost seeded in taking out Gao Yang.

    In the beginning, only Qilin, ck Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird knew that Gao Yang was looking into the matter. As his investigation progressed, though, there were many points where the information could have been leaked.

    To an outsider, the snippets of information wouldn¡¯t be enough to piece together what was going on, but to the spy, even the slightest movement would lead them to the conclusion that Gao Yang was conducting an investigation under the table.

    Gao Yang had a feeling that the spy must be higher-ranking in the Qilin Guild than Yellow Butterfly, which meant that they were at least a Protector.

    ¡ªOr even an Elder.

    The possibility sent a shudder down Gao Yang¡¯s spine. What would it mean for one of the Elders to be a spy?

    It would be equivalent to War Tiger being revealed as a traitor in the Twelve Zodiac Signs. The implications were grim.

    Gao Yang had two options.

    First, follow orders and give up on the investigation.

    The positive was that he would be out of danger temporarily. The spy would be too busy dealing with Elder Azure Dragon, who was going to personally investigate the matter, to bother with Gao Yang.

    The negative was that it felt wrong to just give up when Gao Yang was so close to catching Ghost Horse.

    And a day Ghost Horse lived on was a day Gao Yang slept with an eye open.

    Gao Yang sighed and closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have a total of 231 Luck points.]

    ¡ªIt¡¯s been seven days, and I fought Ghost Horse and almost got blown up two hours ago. That¡¯s about what I should get.

    ¡ªIncrease Constitution and Endurance to the limit and put the rest of my Luck points into Charisma.

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 500 Agility: 500]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 116]

    [Luck: 454]

    [ess ends.]

    Submerged in the warm bath, Gao Yang felt his energy concentrating to his chest before spreading to different parts of his body. A momentter, he found his breathing more stable, his heartbeat stronger, his muscles more toned, and his bones hardier.

    <i>This is about my current limit.</i>

    <i>Even so, I¡¯m unlikely to be able to endure something like the explosion two hours ago. I¡¯d be crippled even if I lived.</i>

    He wondered how Wang Zikai¡¯s physical abilities would trante into stats. Still, it didn¡¯t make sense to look at stats alone. After all, monsters had their ¡®Talents¡¯ too.

    Take Old Wang¡¯s Iron Skin as an example, before activating the Talent, Old Wang¡¯s Endurance might not be that much higher than that of other awakeners. After activating Iron Skin, though, he was significantly more durable.

    If Gao Yang was going to go against an assassin, the best counter would be a Talent for tanking. If that wasn¡¯t possible, acquiring a Talent for assassins would at least allow him to give as good as he took.

    And to defend against a Talent for ambush like Detonation, acquiring a Life-type or Guard-type Talent would increase his chance of survival.

    As for curses, Miracle-type Talents would be a good counter.

    Another near death experience cemented Gao Yang¡¯s belief that there were no strong awakeners who would forever be undefeated, and there were no weak awakeners who could never put up a fight.

    Teacher War Tiger was right. In the world of awakeners, there were many more factors that would determine the victor and the one to survive.

    Only in a shonen manga would people announce their names and have a head-to-head duel.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and clicked into his photo album on his phone. He found the picture he had taken of the face of the body that almost killed him.

    After debating with himself, he clenched his teeth and rose from the bathtub with a ssh.

    <i>No, I can¡¯t just do nothing!</i>

    He essed his contact list and found Sister Xia. He was about to make a call.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    Someone knocked.

 Chapter 234: Uniform

    <h4>Chapter 234: Uniform</h4>

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    Whoever it was knocked again. The three consecutive knocks were light and slow, which was strange.

    Gao Yang tensed up. Who could be visiting thiste at night? The staff usually called the room directly.

    He essed his system to make sure that there was no danger. Then he rose and walked up to the clothes stand to put on a bathrobe, tying the waistband. He tiptoed to the door and looked out through the peephole. There was no one outside.

    Had he heard wrong?

    No, that couldn¡¯t be. Gao Yang was confident in his five senses. He wouldn¡¯t have an auditory hallucination unless it was purposefully induced.

    Gao Yang hesitated if he should open the door, but then there were another three knocks.

    Startled, Gao Yang looked through the peephole once more, and again, he saw no one.

    He essed his system. No acquisition bonus still.

    Who was ying a prank on him?

    Fresh Snow?

    No, it didn¡¯t feel like her.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang suddenly, and he was both exasperated and amused.

    When another three knocks came, Gao Yang yanked the door open and saw no one outside. Still, he reached out and grabbed at the air, and as expected, a youthful face appeared between his fingers.

    ¡°Ow, o...¡± Can appeared.

    ¡°You asked for this.¡± Gao Yang loosened his hold but didn¡¯t let go, pretending to be angry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain...¡± Can begged, pointing to her side. ¡°It¡¯s their idea!¡±

    Gao Yang took a step forward and looked left.

    Lo and behold, Gray Bear and Ronnie were hiding on the side, smothering theirughter.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have to think or look up before he said, ¡°Get down here, Mr. Gecko.¡±

    A figure dropped down from above. It was Lithe Snake.

    The man looked as frosty as ever, and he said calmly, ¡°I was dragged here against my will.¡±

    That Gao Yang would believe. Lithe Snake wasn¡¯t the type to bother with pranks.

    He turned to the others. ¡°Don¡¯t you sleep?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still awake too, Captain.¡± Can rubbed at her pinched face and snickered, winking at him.

    She soon noticed the chest half revealed under his robe.

    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯ve got some hot pecs, Captain!¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang wrapped his bathrobe tighter around his body. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Gray Bear picked up a duffle bag and said cryptically, ¡°I brought something good.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    Gray Bear smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    They walked into Gao Yang¡¯s room.

    Can was the first to enter. Looking around, she marveled, ¡°Whoa, a captain¡¯s dorm room sure is different. It¡¯s much bigger than my ce. Look at the window walls. Look at how much sunlight cane in...¡±

    ¡°Whoa, the walk-in closet is massive!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, the bathtub is amazing!¡±

    ¡°Wah, the cookware! I¡¯m so jelly! Even though I can¡¯t cook if my life depends on it!¡±

    Gao Yang ignored Can as she ran around, turning to the others. ¡°Do you want coffee or tea? Or if you want drinks, just grab one from the fridge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make, coffee.¡± Ronnie went to the kitchen, volunteering himself.

    After a quick tour, Can plopped herself down on therge bed andy down, her limbs syed like a starfish. Then she started rolling around.

    ¡°Sofy...¡± Can grabbed a pillow and took a deep breath. ¡°Hm, smells nice! I didn¡¯t expect you to smell this good, Captain!¡±

    Unimpressed, Gao Yang said, ¡°The beddings are washed and changed daily. I haven¡¯t used the bed today.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Can sniggered, knowing her ttery had missed the mark. ¡°Haha, then it must be the smell of the detergent.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten injured, have you, Captain?¡± Gray Bear asked worriedly.

    ¡°Why did you ask?¡± Gao Yang asked while wondering, <i>Has he heard about what I went through these past few days?</i>

    ¡°You¡¯ve been using more Medicine Ctely.¡± Gray Bear raised an eyebrow, feeling pleased with himself. ¡°Remember that I have people in the back office? Although you don¡¯t want us to get involved, we¡¯ve been keeping tabs on you, Captain.¡±

    Gray Bear might not be the brainy type, but he was witty inyman¡¯s way.

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to lose anotherpanion, least of all another captain.¡± Can sat up on the bed and looked at Gao Yang seriously, theugh on her face gone.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to see you dead just yet,¡± Lithe Snake added coolly.

    Gao Yang felt a bloom of warmth in his chest. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to shoulder all the weight, Captain,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°We¡¯re a team. We can trust each other.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! If you don¡¯t tell us, I, I¡¯m gonna stay here tonight!¡± Can hugged the pillow andy down, starting to roll around again.

    Gray Bear teased, ¡°You want to stay anyway.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bear, you, you...stop saying nonsense!¡± Can¡¯s face flushed instantly.

    ¡°Oh? But I¡¯ve overheard your confession back in the construction site of the Eleventh High School.¡±

    Gray Bear snickered andmitted to imitating her, ¡°<i>But I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t like a girl like me. I don¡¯t have a pretty face, and I act like a boy...</i>¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡±

    A pillow flew into Gray Bear¡¯s face. Gray Bear burst outughing.

    ¡°Coffee, is done.¡± Ronnie came up with a tray. He ced the five cups of coffee on the tea table.

    Gao Yang was going to stay up all night anyway. He picked up a cup and took a sip.

    He said seriously, ¡°To tell you the truth, I did have a mission, but the higher-ups ordered me to conduct the investigation under the table. And I did run into dangers.¡±

    ¡°Dangers?!¡± Can jumped.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Nothing serious.¡± Gao Yang smiled. Yes, he just almost got stabbed to death by Ghost Horse, and then he almost got killed by an exploding body.

    ¡°A few hours ago, the mission was taken out of my hand. I no longer have anything to do with it.¡± Gao Yang lied by omission. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Can, and Ronnie exchanged a nce.

    Gray Bear sighed softly. ¡°Then we can be at ease.¡±

    ¡°What is in the bag?¡± Gao Yang had been wondering about it.

    ¡°Geez, I¡¯m getting old. I almost forgot.¡± Gray Bear pped his own head and walked up to the duffle bag. Squatting beside it, he unzipped the bag and took out a few sets of uniform, throwing them onto the bed.

    ¡°Back office made these for the fifth team. We each have two sets.¡± Gray Bear then took out a stic box. Inside were six dark gray phone cases. ¡°They made this as a bonus. Let¡¯s all get ours changed.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Uniform! Awesome!¡± Can immediately picked up the ones sewn with her name and rushed into the walk-in closet.

    Gray Bear pped. ¡°Put them on, everyone, and see if the clothes fit.¡±

    The rest of them each found a ce to get changed.

    Gao Yang soon put on the uniforms and looked into the full-length mirror.

    Inside was a gray vest, covered by ck hoodie jacket. Below was a pair of modified cargo pants, good for carrying weapons like daggers and handguns. The fabric was soft andfortable, suitable forbat. And the color palette was a mix of ck, white, and gray, the design clean and sophisticated.

    On his left chest was an abstracted <i>¡®ying¡¯</i>, the character that meant ¡®shadow¡¯, and on the sleeves were the number 5.

    The others had each put on their uniforms as well. They walked up to Gao Yang¡¯s side and checked the reflection of themselves and theirpanions.

    ¡°Ooh! So cool!¡±

    Now changed into form-fitted, gender-neutral uniforms, Can looked much more spirited, and the outfit even brought out the cute side of her.

    ¡°Who would have known,¡± Gray Bear sighed. ¡°That you would look most like a girl when you¡¯re wearing a uniform.¡±

    ¡°Boo! I just didn¡¯t like to spend time on my looks!¡± Can protested.

    She nudged Gray Bear away and grabbed onto Gao Yang¡¯s arm with a grin, cocking her head toward him and raising her phone¡ªwith the brand new phone case. ¡°Let¡¯s have a group photo!¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡± Gray Bear agreed.

    The others came up to them with Gao Yang at the center, looking into the mirror.

    <i>Click.</i>

    After taking the selfie, Can looked down at the screen. ¡°Captain is the most good-looking! I¡¯m gonna do some touch-ups. Then I¡¯ll send the photo to the chat group!¡±

    Shey down on the bed and started fixing the photo with gusto. Her smile, however, didn¡¯t stay on her face for long, and her mood took a downturn. ¡°If only Xiran were here. Former Captain too...¡±

    ¡°Can, we have to look forward,¡± Gray Bear advised sagely. ¡°There are things we can keep in our heart, but better not to bring up all the time. You get me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Can quickly picked herself up and finished editing the photo, sending it to their group chat.

    Gao Yang realized then that there were still four sets of uniforms on the bed. Two were sewn with ¡®Xiran¡¯, while the other two didn¡¯t have any name.

    ¡°Whose are these?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Last minute order for Nine Frost.¡± Gray Bear¡¯s smile was hard to discern. ¡°Remember? He¡¯s now part of the fifth team.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He had forgotten about it.

 Chapter 235: Outburst

    <h4>Chapter 235: Outburst</h4>

    ¡°How¡¯s Nine Frost doing?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°He was quite badly injured, but he¡¯s recovering well. He¡¯s been making final arrangements for his team members the past few days.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. Nine Frost was the sole survivor of the fourth team. He could only imagine how heartbroken and guilty the man felt.

    Ironically, Nine Frost had boasted to the fifth team about their zero mortality for the past three years. How would he feel when he remembered his own words back then?

    Fate was indeed a fickle mistress.

    ¡°By the way, Nine Frost is in the White Tiger branch right now,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°I saw him in the training room.¡±

    ¡°Should we give him the uniforms?¡± Can perked up. ¡°We haven¡¯t weed him to the team officially! We should remedy that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to give him some time on his own,¡± Gao Yang disagreed.

    ¡°I¡¯m on Can¡¯s side this time.¡± Gray Bear smiled shrewdly. ¡°He¡¯s been wallowing for long enough. It¡¯s time he picks himself up.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Lithe Snake and Ronnie. They seemed to agree with Gray Bear.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go then.¡± In matters like this, Gao Yang followed the majority.

    Dressed in their uniforms, the group left the room and took the member elevator to the 48th floor.

    There were a variety of training facilities for the members, including gyms, sparring rooms with different setups, and soundproofed gun range.

    Since most awakeners had a mundane identity to maintain during the day, and they didn¡¯t need as much sleep as regr people, it was amon urrence for Guild members to be active at night.

    Even though it was midnight, there were still quite a lot of awakeners training here.

    Gao Yang and his team entered the boxing ring. Wearing a ck boxing outfit and a pair of red gloves, Nine Frost was punching a sandbag the size of Gray Bear.

    <i>Pop, pop pop, pop.</i>

    Nine Frost only had eyes for the sandbag as he swung his fists, his back drenched in sweat.

    ¡°Nine Frost,¡± Gray Bear called out to him.

    Nine Frost stopped and looked up at Gray Bear, his gaze zing with intense emotion.

    ¡°Catch.¡±

    Gray Bear threw him the uniforms. Nine Frost didn¡¯t catch it with his gloved hands. Instead, the uniformsnded on his chest before dropping to the floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the fifth team now, and like me, you¡¯re a vice-captain...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Before Gray Bear could finish, Nine Frost suddenly sprang into action, making a swing at the punching bag and sending it flying toward Gao Yang. Gao Yang easily dodged it with a step to the side, but immediately, Nine Frost dove into his space.

    Gao Yang raised his arms to take the punch and jumped two meters backward. His arms were numb.

    ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind, Nine Frost?!¡± Gray Bear yelled and moved to stop Nine Frost.

    ¡°Gray Bear.¡± Gao Yang stopped him. ¡°Let him.¡±

    Nine Frost must be overflowing with hate and pain with nowhere to direct his emotions. A sandbag wasn¡¯t going to be enough.

    <i>Thene after me</i>, Gao Yang thought.<i> I¡¯d like to see how far I¡¯vee as well.</i>

    Nine Frost took off the boxing gloves, his gaze fierce. ¡°If you want to be my captain, beat me first!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really insane!¡± Gray Bear¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re gonna use your Talent? This counts as an internal strife. Aren¡¯t you worried about the punishment?¡±

    Nine Frost rushed toward Gao Yang like he hadn¡¯t heard anything.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 2700 times.]

    Gao Yang startled. Nine Frost was actually trying to kill him!

    Nine Frost made a straight punch, which Gao Yang avoided with a sidestep. Then a hook came for his chin. He took a step back. He could feel a sharp pain under his chin, left by the air current brought about by the punch alone.

    Gao Yang considered Nine Frost and confirmed the killing intent in the man¡¯s eyes.

    He tapped into his energy and prepared for the worst-case scenario.

    Scowling, Gray Bear gave Can a look. ¡°Quick. Grab a fire extinguisher.¡±

    Then he turned to Ronnie. ¡°Scream if things look bad, you hear me?¡±

    Ronnie nodded with a grave look on his face.

    Lithe Snake watched the fight with his arms crossed like he was enjoying the show. It wasn¡¯t every day that two Protectors would go against each other with their lives on the line.

    Nine Frost dashed toward Gao Yang and made a flurry of quick jabs.

    Gao Yang retreated as he dodged, focusing on Nine Frost¡¯s two fists.

    He didn¡¯t dare to block the punches carelessly. Any contact would leave him marked, and if the same part on his body got hit again, the force would be five times stronger, which was already difficult to bear.

    If the same part was hit for the third time, the force would be 25 times greater!

    Three punches to the limbs would basically cripple him. And if he was hit in an organ or the head, he would die.

    ¡°Seven Shadow! Is this all you¡¯ve got?!¡± Annoyed by Gao Yang¡¯s passive defense, NIne Frost attacked with increasing intensity.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t just keep dodging. He syed his right hand to shoot mes at Nine Frost.

    Nine Frost quickly backed away, satisfied. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m game if you just want to vent, Nine Frost, but I won¡¯t pull my punches if you¡¯re trying to kill me.¡± Gao Yang decided to give Nine Frost another chance.

    Before their mission at the Eleventh High School, Nine Frost might be a little stronger than Gao Yang, but things were different now.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die at my hand!¡±

    Nine Frost howled and rushed at Gao Yang with renewed vigor, picking up his pace and moving without reservation.

    A powerful straight punch came.

    Instead of dodging it, Gao Yang crossed his arms and blocked the hit with his left arm.

    <i>Replicate...</i>

    Gao Yang was caught off guard. The contact was too brief for him to replicate the Talent!

    Nine Frost had made a quick jab and pulled his fist back in less than 0.8 second before making another punch at the same target. Although he had sacrificed raw power for speed, with Weak Point activated, the impact was buffed five times, leaving Gao Yang¡¯s left arm numb.

    Now came the third jab.

    Gao Yang had already shifted his arm, preventing Nine Frost from hitting the same spot.

    Fire!¡°

    Gao Yang shot mes from his right hand at Nine Frost.

    Shielding his head with both hands, Nine Frost jumped backward. As soon as hended, a fireball flew toward his face, which took him by surprise. He had never seen Gao Yang cast his fire from a long range.

    In truth, Gao Yang¡¯s fireball was quite weak, but not knowing that, Nine Frost jumped sideways on instinct, and due to poor form, he had to make a roll on the floor to get back to his feet.

    That took him 2 additional seconds, enough for Gao Yang to get into Nine Frost¡¯s space. When Nine Frost recovered, there was less than half a meter between them.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Gao Yang opened both hands and moved to activate Fire.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Nine Frost wasn¡¯t going to give him the chance, and he threw a powerful heavy punch at Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

    Gao Yang¡¯s lips curled up.

    Nine Frost realized to his shock that Gao Yang hadn¡¯t shot fire from his hands, but simply shouted the move. Instead, he had crossed his arms before his chest to take the hit.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The heavy punchnded on Gao Yang¡¯s right arm, pushing him a few meters backward.

    However, Nine Frost¡¯s fist ended up in contact with Gao Yang¡¯s body for more than 0.8 second.

    [Detected one replicable Talent: Level 5 Weak Point. Do you wish to replicate it?]

    ¡ªReplicate!

 Chapter 236: Welcome to the Team

    <h4>Chapter 236: Wee to the Team</h4>

    Nine Frost didn¡¯t realize that Gao Yang had taken the hit on purpose. Seeing Gao Yang stagger back, he quickly followed up with a flurry of jabs that poured down on Gao Yang like rain. This time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t avoid the hits, but instead retaliated.

    They exchanged blows.

    Gao Yang rivaled Nine Frost in strength, reflex, and control over his body. While he wasn¡¯t as experienced in hand-to-handbat, the gap between them wasn¡¯t significant.

    Soon, Nine Frost¡¯s punchesnded once on Gao Yang¡¯s chin, shoulder, lower abdomen, chest, and side, while Gao Yang had hit Nine Frost once in the left face, arm, lower abdomen, and chest as well.

    Their brawl continued.

    Inexperienced in closebat, Gao Yang soon got tripped to the floor by a sweep of Nine Frost¡¯s leg, and a heavy punch flew toward Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

    Gao Yang rolled out of the way and quickly got to his feet, all the while, Nine Frost had closed in on him and put his arms around Gao Yang¡¯s neck from the back.

    Then Nine Frost loosened one arm to make a heavy swing at Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    Startled, Gao Yang made a leap with both feet, mming into the ground with Nine Frost under him. However, Nine Frost¡¯s arm remained locked around Gao Yang¡¯s neck, while his other hand swung toward Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    Gao Yang quickly rolled to the right, taking Nine Frost with him and preventing Weak Point from triggering.

    Instead of continuing with the grapple, the two quickly broke up and took a few steps back.

    Nine Frost remembered clearly every punch he hadnded on Gao Yang in the past forty seconds, and he had been counting the seconds.

    He could trigger Weak Point by hitting Gao Yang in the chest, side, or lower abdomen.

    Gao Yang remained standing, his arms and hands rxed. He even closed his eyes.

    What was he doing? Nine Frost didn¡¯t understand. Was Gao Yang admitting defeat? Acting mysterious? Or taunting him?

    Clock was ticking. Without dwelling on it, Nine Frost charged at Gao Yang.

    Sensing his approach, Gao Yang opened his eyes wide.

    ¡ªActivate Weak Point!

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Weak Point: Constitution + 450, Endurance + 450, Strength + 600, Agility + 350, Charisma + 120.]

    In an instant, Gao Yang¡¯s stats doubled.

    Nine Frost seemed much slower in his eyes, and his movement to attack Gao Yang¡¯s weak points became apparent, even clumsy.

    A secondter, Nine Frost hit Gao Yang in the chest.

    Weak Point triggered, the impact quintupled.

    Yet Gao Yang¡¯s chest took the hit like a sturdy wall.

    <i>Impossible!</i>

    Nine Frost was shocked.

    A hooknded on Nine Frost¡¯s lower abdomen. Weak Point triggered and multiplied the force by 5.

    Bam!

    Nine Frost felt his muscles contracted, and he flew backward like a curled-up lobster, hurtling into the ring ropes of the boxing ring and getting bounced back toward Gao Yang.

    Clenching his fist, Gao Yang aimed at Nine Frost¡¯s abdomen.

    Multiplied by 5 again, the impact would be 25 times stronger.

    If he made the attack, he would put a hole in Nine Frost¡¯s abdomen, breaking his spine and spilling hisrge and small intestines. Nine Frost would¡¯ve ended up wheelchair-bound even if he didn¡¯t die.

    Only at that moment did Nine Frost realize that Gao Yang had Replicated his Talent, but there was nothing he could do but ball up his fist as he flew back toward Gao Yang, hoping to make another punch before his death.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Nine Frost¡¯s abdomen didn¡¯t get destroyed, and his right fistnded ackluster punch on Gao Yang¡¯s chin.

    Gao Yang staggered back a few steps.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Gray Bear had had enough. He stalked up to Nine Frost, enraged. ¡°You son of a...¡±

    Gao Yang regained bnce and called out to Gray Bear, ¡°Stop, Gray Bear! I¡¯m fine.¡±

    A punch with a five-time bonus wasn¡¯t that much of a threat when Gao Yang¡¯s Endurance was pushing 1000 at the moment.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang lost the replicated Weak Point, along with the stat bonuses it granted.

    ¡°Why?!¡± Nine Frost red at Gao Yang with bloodshot eyes, enraged and humiliated. ¡°Why did you stop?!¡±

    ¡°The hit would¡¯ve killed you,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Then kill me!¡± Nine Frost growled. ¡°I should be dead! All of the fourth team died, while I alone survived! Why?! I deserve death the most!¡±

    Finally, he revealed his true feelings.

    Gao Yang wiped away the blood on the corner of his mouth. ¡°Nine Frost, have you ever thought about why you survived while your teammates didn¡¯t?¡±

    Nine Frost was silent. He didn¡¯t expect the question.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re going to avenge yourpanions. You will not die until you do that.¡±

    Nine Frost stared at him.

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly died, but not the organization behind her.¡±

    Gao Yang offered Nine Frost a hand. ¡°Join the fifth team, Nine Frost, and find the organization to eliminate them all with us. After getting revenge, it¡¯s up to you whether you¡¯re staying or leaving. I won¡¯t even care if you die then.¡±

    There was a moment of silence.

    Nine Frost held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, and the guilt and rage in his eyes slowly cooled into determination and resolution.

    He took Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can suddenly popped up beside them, still holding onto a fire extinguisher. ¡°Oh boy oh boy oh boy! What¡¯s happening! That¡¯s so hype!¡±

    She cast the fire extinguisher aside and hurriedly came up to hold Gao Yang¡¯s and Nine Frost¡¯s hands. ¡°Come on! All of you!¡±

    Gray Bear had been sweating over Gao Yang and Nine Frost. He sighed while shaking his head and came up to reach out a hand. Then Ronnie and Lithe Snake followed suit.

    They all turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang smiled slightly. ¡°Wee Nine Frost to the team.¡±

    His team members echoed, ¡°Wee Nine Frost to the team.¡±

    ¡°May the odds be with us.¡±

    ¡°May the odds be with us.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang had almost gotten killed by a detonated body in the evening. Then he had a serious fight with Nine Frost at midnight.

    Exhausted, he decided to postpone his visit to Vermilion Bird.

    He slept for two to three hours in the dorm room at the White Tiger branch. Came morning, he rushed back to school.

    The day passed without trouble.

    After the evening self-study, Gao Yang called Vermilion Bird, asking if she had time and where she was. She said she was free, and that she was on shift at the funeral home.

    Gao Yang was still a student, and to save money, he rode the subway first, making two transits. Then he took a taxi to the Northbound Funeral Home in the Beiyong District.

    This time, he went straight to Vermilion Bird¡¯s office and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door and entered. Vermilion Bird sat slumping in the sofa, using her phone with a cup of milk tea in her other hand.

    ¡°Here you are.¡± She nced at Gao Yang, drawlingzily.

    ¡°Sister Xia seems tired.¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon came in the morning.¡± She stretched and yawned. ¡°He asked about every detail like he was interrogating a criminal. It was such a hassle.¡±

    Without a word, Gao Yang gently closed the door.

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°You came for the same thing, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang got to the point, speaking earnestly. ¡°The investigation is now Elder Azure Dragon¡¯s responsibility. I won¡¯t get involved going forward. However, I almost got blown upst night. There were things I¡¯d like to confirm with you, Sister Xia.¡±

 Chapter 237: Shit-stirrer

    <h4>Chapter 237: Shit-stirrer</h4>

    ¡°Alright.¡± Xia Li smiled, her eyes curved. ¡°But not for free. I want a ghost story in return.¡±

    ¡°Deal. Keep it on the tab.¡±

    He would deal with it when it came up. Who knew how much longer he could live? It was best to take one step at a time.

    <i>Hm, have I learned to be glib at some point?</i>

    Gao Yang took out his phone and called up the picture of the detonated body¡¯s face from his album. He showed it to Xia Li.

    ¡°This is the body that almost killed me.¡±

    Gnawing on the straw, Xia Li averted her gaze, disgusted. ¡°I¡¯m drinking milk tea. Azure Dragon showed me the picture earlier. I don¡¯t need to see it again.¡±

    ¡°Is it one of the stolen bodies?¡±

    ¡°Yes, number 21.¡± Xia Li took a sip of milk tea and calmly added, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the names, only the numbers.¡±

    Gao Yang put away his phone and considered how he should ask the next question.

    Xia Li saved him the trouble. ¡°I know what you want to know, so I¡¯ll just say it. Number 21 died during the Crimson Tide eight years ago. His Talent was Self-Detonate.¡±

    Self-Detonate, serial number 112, Element-type.

    He could detonate himself like a bomb. Although it was destructive, the Talent could only be used once, as thest resort, which was probably why the Talent was low on the list.

    ¡°You know about the Talent, right? Number 21 has never used it when he was alive. Who knew that he would use it after his death?¡± Xia Li sounded bemused.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t quite control his expression. He said in a lowered tone, ¡°Number 21 didn¡¯t seem resurrected to me.¡±

    ¡°And he couldn¡¯t have been resurrected,¡± Xia Li said confidently, arching an eyebrow. ¡°I told you, only I can resurrect someone more than 24 hours after their death.¡±

    ¡°Why could he use his Talent then?¡± Gao Yang had a thought. ¡°Is there a Talent that controls bodies?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is.¡± Xia Li nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t difficult to control corpses, but simply reanimated, the corpses would be nothing but mindless puppets, unable to use their Talents while they were alive. What you ran into was much more than that.¡±

    Gao Yang waited for her to continue.

    ¡°The enemy has not only controlled the corpse, but also had the corpse activate his Talent at the right time in the right scenario. All to assassinate you.¡±

    Xia Li spread her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a Talent like that.¡±

    A Talent that not even Elder Vermilion Bird had encountered?

    Who could they be dealing with?

    Gao Yang¡¯s face darkened. He looked at Xia Li. ¡°Whoever it is still has eleven corpses at their disposal. Does it mean that the corpses can all be utilized to attack people like Number 21?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Xia Li¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°But I wonder if they are only able to control one corpse at a time, or all eleven at once.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s throat tightened. ¡°Is there an awakener with high-ranking Talent among the stolen bodies?¡±

    Xia Li¡¯s eyes glinted coldly. ¡°Body number 4, the one with Talent: Phantom.¡±

    Phantom, serial number 13, Element-type. The Talent allowed the user to fight with their shadow.

    While it wasn¡¯t the Talent with the greatest damage output among Element-type Talents, it was top tier for close and medium ranged battles as well as assassination.

    ¡°How did number 4 die?¡± Gao Yang was curious about how the strong awakeners met their ends.

    ¡°He was killed during thest Crimson Tide too. His body was cut into seven pieces. We did our best to sew him back together and repair the body.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. Crimson Tide again!

    ¡°As for his exact cause of death, it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess.¡± Xia Li shrugged. ¡°Perhaps it was the Spectres¡¯ doing. Or he could¡¯ve run into a shadowstalker, a type of pride monster.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t know what else he could say.

    He felt helpless.

    ¡°I¡¯d suggest youy low for a few days. It¡¯s best if you stay in the Guild. White Tiger even suggested we dere a state of war.¡± Xia Li smiled. ¡°He¡¯s our Chief of Security, so he¡¯s more sensitive to such matters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m six days away from the entrance exams.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Xia Li didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Then pray for good luck, I guess.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent with a heavy heart.

    When he looked up, Xia Li was staring straight at him with a half smile.

    Difited, Gao Yang asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Do you know, Seven Shadow, that things have changed since you joined the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Gao Yang yed innocent. ¡°That so?¡±

    ¡°Before you joined, the Guild was like a stagnant pond. Although skirmishes did ur, no additional Rune Circuit was found, and nothing major ever happened. It was boring, and I felt like I was wasting my life.¡± Xia Li yawned.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a good thing that nothing happened?¡± Gao Yang said on purpose.

    ¡°Stop ying dumb!¡± Xia Li hit him in the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you want something to happen? Don¡¯t you want to find answers to the mysteries of the world?¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯ve awakened, we can¡¯t just lead a life in ignorant bliss, can we? Or our time in the world would be in vain.¡±

    Gao Yang stopped pretending and nodded with a smile. ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°Awakeners who have a goal and the ability to back it up will naturally be leaders.¡± Xia Li¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°The Guild has recruited the right person. Whether you intended for it to happen or not, you have stirred the stagnant pond the Guild was. You found Rune Circuits, the spy, the Godbearer Cult. Then there is the corpse theft. I have a feeling that the chain of events will lead to many revtions, and they are all connected.¡±

    Her delicate face broke into a smile full of anticipation.

    Thest time Gao Yang saw the expression on her face, she was listening to his ghost story with a pillow in her arms.

    She patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, seemingly in a good mood. ¡°Keep doing what you¡¯re doing, shit-stirrer! Keep stirring up shit!¡±

    <i>Seriously, shit-stirrer? That''s way too vulgar! If I am the shit-stirrer, wouldn¡¯t that make the Qilin Guild...</i>

    <i>Anyway, can you note up with a better name? The fixer, or...the wallbreaker?</i>

    <i>Those would be much cooler!</i>

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another thing I¡¯ve been wondering about.¡± Gao Yang suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°Go on.¡± Xia Li leaned on the armrest, propping her head up with a hand.

    ¡°I asked Elder ck Tortoise why the Guild wanted me when he recruited me, and he said that I was rmended. When I asked him who the rmender was, he said he couldn¡¯t tell me until I joined and earned the Guild¡¯s trust.¡±

    He held Xia Li¡¯s gaze. ¡°Sister Xia Li, have I earned the Guild¡¯s trust?¡±

    ¡°Well, in terms of contribution, you have more than earned your spot.¡± Xia Li pulled the corners of her lips down. ¡°In terms of seniority, however, you¡¯re still green. You¡¯ve joined for less than a month.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. True, he had been impatient.

    ¡°Still.¡± Xia Li paused for dramatic effect. ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly confidential information. I can tell you about it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    That was unexpected.

    ¡°The one who rmended you was Doctor Su.¡± Xia Li smiled, her eyes glinting with unspoken words.

    ¡°Guildmaster?!¡±

    That was a possibility Gao Yang had never considered.

 Chapter 238: Re-read the Diary

    <h4>Chapter 238: Re-read the Diary</h4>

    ¡°It was Guildmaster.¡±

    Xia Li nodded and turned slightly to the side, changing into a morefortable sitting position with her two legs crossed on the sofa.

    Under her long white coat was a pair of jean shorts. Her fair thighs and calves were extended into a straight line.

    ¡°For real?¡±

    Gao Yang put on a ttered look, when in truth he was more shocked than anything. He had done his best toy low. How did he attract Qilin¡¯s attention?

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡± Xia Li blinked quickly. ¡°So the Twelve Zodiac Signs found the two Rune Circuits, right? One of them is shared with the Hundred Rivers Union, but that doesn¡¯t really change anything. At the time, we had an internal meeting, gathering all higher-ranking leaders of the Guild to talk about the news.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Someone brought up Dark Horse, Green Snake, and Yellow Ox then.¡± Xia Li smiled. ¡°You and your two friends.¡±

    ¡°Why the three of us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. The Twelve Zodiac Signs found two Rune Circuits not long after you officially joined the world of awakeners.¡±

    ¡°It could be a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°It could be, or it could be something else.¡± Xia Li shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Guildmaster Qilin proposed a hypothesis then.¡±

    Xia Li extended a finger, ¡°Perhaps someone among the three of you has a Talent that directly or indirectly increases the chance of finding a Rune Circuit.¡±

    Gao Yang startled, but he didn¡¯t let it show.

    Xia Li continued, ¡°Then ck Tortoise said that the Guild could recruit you if Guildmaster Qilin was so interested in you. We would settle for getting one of you, but of course, it would be best if we could get all three.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± Gao Yang came to a realization. ¡°You were going to recruit all three of us in the first ce. ck Tortoise only sought me out first because there was an easy way to contact me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Xia Li shook her head with a smile. ¡°Guildmaster Qilin wanted you in particr. The other two were simply part of the package deal.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You have Lie Detection, for one, and we knew there could be a spy in the Guild.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised by that. ¡°Elder ck Tortoise told me about that.¡±

    ¡°And Guildmaster believed that if one of you truly had a Talent that helped find Rune Circuits, you were most likely the one to have it.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°ording to our intel, you have three Talents: Replicate, Fire, and Lie Detection. You must know how rare it is for an awakener to have three Talents. That alone makes you special.¡±

    ¡°From what we know about Talents, many of theme with strange abilities. For example, Aptitude, the serial number 150 Knowledge-type Talent, increases one¡¯s chance ofprehending a new Talent.¡±

    ¡°And the serial number 12 Support-type Talent, House, makes sure that the Talent owner always has a 51% chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s the Talent on the bottom of the list, Lucky. Although we don¡¯t really know what it does, it should make you lucky as the name suggests, right? Maybe whoever has it will stumble upon money on the street every day.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched when she mentioned Lucky.

    ¡°Anyhow, Guildmaster believed that we should work hard to win you over. Even if you didn¡¯t have a hidden Talent that helps you find Rune Circuits, you would be a good asset worthy of our investment.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you worried about getting on my former employer¡¯s bad side?¡± Gao Yang asked wryly.

    ¡°Not really.¡± Xia Li smiled confidently. ¡°We are the stronger organization, and at the end of the day, power is everything in this world. Besides, we didn¡¯t kidnap you or anything. We made you an offer, and you took it.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say about that.

    Xia Li said with feeling, ¡°And Guildmaster is proven right. You found us two Rune Circuits as soon as you joined. My jaw dropped when I heard that. I thought ck Tortoise was pulling my leg!¡±

    ¡°You may think I¡¯m lucky,¡± Gao Yang said self-deprecatingly, mixing lies and truths. ¡°I, however, consider my luck in the gutter. Every time I entered a Rune Cave, I only ever narrowly escaped death.¡±

    ¡°But you survived.¡± Remembering those who had been killed in action, Xia Li sighed softly. ¡°Still, sixpanions were too heavy a price to pay.¡±

    They fell silent for a while.

    There was nothing more Gao Yang had to say. He rose to his feet. ¡°Thank you, Sister Xia. I¡¯m taking my leave.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Safe travel.¡±

    Xia Li stood up to walk Gao Yang out of the room. ¡°Seven Shadow, I¡¯d have to tell Azure Dragon and Guildmaster about your visit here tonight. It¡¯s the rules.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ...

    For safety, Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare dally outside for too long. He caught a ride to the dorm at the White Tiger branch and decided to rest there for the night. In the morning, he would go straight to school.

    Once he entered the lobby, he made it to the member elevator in the back and punched in the code, riding it to the 50th floor.

    Gao Yang went straight to his room. On the way, he walked past a room with the door opened, and an awakener in pajamas yelled at a wanderer service staff.

    ¡°What the hell! The AC stops working again! Are you trying to kill me with heat?¡±

    ¡°Apologies, sir.¡± The wanderer bowed in apology. ¡°I¡¯ve contacted maintenance for you.¡±

    Gao Yang came to a sudden halt, a thought shing through his mind.

    Two secondster, he quickened his steps and went back to 5007, locking the door behind him.

    He opened the safe and took out the diary of the former captain of the fifth team, Three Air. He ced it on the desk.

    Gao Yang rose to brew himself a cup of coffee and grabbed a pen and paper. Sitting down at the desk, he started to go through the diary thoroughly.

    Again and again, he read and reread thest ten entries of the diary and went through every word, making hypotheses and proving or disproving them like he would a test paper. He repeated the process tirelessly.

    ...

    Day broke at some point.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were red and swollen, and his expression serious.

    He put the diary back into the safe. Then he turned to go back to the desk, grabbing the few sheets of paper he had drawn on.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The paper quickly burned into ashes.

    Gao Yang had found some shocking clues, but it would be remiss of him to make reckless moves before he confirmed the information.

    First, there was something important he had to do.

    ...

    In the morning, Gao Yang went to school.

    On the ckboard was ¡®5 Days¡¯ inrge writing, counting the days until the entrance exams came.

    Gao Yang spent half the time reviewing, and the other half making ns in his head.

    At noon, he called Wang Zikai and gave him an emergency mission.

    Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t wholly awake yet, and he was reluctant to move now. Gao Yang had to talk him into doing it. ¡°This is for the 94 Duo. We will make a name for ourselves this time!¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s spirit went from 0 to 100 in an instant, and he shouted, ¡°No problem! Leave it to me!¡±

    After evening self-study, Gao Yang walked out of the school gates.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s sports car was already parked on the other side of the road, standing out like a sore thumb.

    He took off his sunsses and swept his arm. ¡°Come on, bro! Let¡¯s go home!¡±

 Chapter 239: Secret Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 239: Secret Investigation</h4>

    Gao Yang got into the passenger seat. Wang Zikai started the car.

    Gao Yang put a hand on the window and said facing the night wind, ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d been looking at the map of Li City the whole afternoon. My eyes were going blind!¡± Wang Zikai said. ¡°Only three ces fit your criteria.¡±

    Gao Yang called Wang Zikai at noon and asked him to do a search for him.

    Although Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t the best candidate for something that required thinking, there was one significant positive to seeking Wang Zikai¡¯s help: he didn¡¯t belong to any faction, and Gao Yang could trust him.

    Gao Yang was looking for a ce that fit a few criteria.

    First, there should be ake in the area¡ªnot a pond, but ake. And the ce shouldn¡¯t be too well-connected traffic-wise, and it shouldn¡¯t be too well developed.

    Those were clues Chen Ying had found with Psychometry in the driver¡¯spartment of the box truck.

    At the time, Chen Ying sensed that the road was quite bumpy, which meant that it wasn¡¯t well-paved. And the scenery outside seemed deste with a shimmering surface, which would be either ake or a river.

    Gao Yang was leaning toward it being ake. The reason was twofold.

    First, Li River was sandwiched by levees on both sides, which were much higher than the water level. There hadn¡¯t been a downpour the past fifteen days, and thus the water level had remained low.

    If the moving truck had been driving toward the riverbank, the river wouldn¡¯t be visible until it got within a certain distance.

    Second, the truck had been driven into the Li River to lure Gao Yang into its range and blow him up. They were unlikely to settle down in the same area. There would be too high a risk for Ghost Horse¡¯s hideout to be found.

    Therefore, Gao Yang guessed it was ake.

    After a moment of bemusement, Gao Yang heard Wang Zikai speak up.

    ¡°One is the Western Suburban Park. There is argeke there, and it¡¯s quite remote.¡±

    Wang Zikai thought for a while and continued, ¡°The second is Apple Ind. There¡¯s ake there too, and it''s in the middle-of-nowhere.¡±

    ¡°The third is the Green Plum Lake. There are quite a lot of buildings there, but on the map, it seems that thekeside road is being resurfaced, which would qualify it too.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Wang Zikai in surprise. <i>Huh, the guy is making proper analysis.</i>

    ¡°Good job,¡± Gao Yang said in approval. ¡°Let¡¯s go home first.¡±

    On their way home, Gao Yang opened his phone¡¯s map and studied the three locations, making ns in his head.

    Once they were home, they had some food and changed into casual clothes that were suited for physical work and disguise. Gao Yang also brought items and equipment for battles just in case.

    ¡°Is the vehicle ready?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Zikai pounded on his chest. ¡°Who do you think I am?¡±

    Wang Zikai took Gao Yang to the garage in the basement of the vi. Pulling off a piece of ck cloth, Wang Zikai revealed a brand new ck and red adventure motorcycle.

    Gao Yang was pleased. It would attract too much attention for them to drive a luxurious car around at midnight. A motorcycle would be the better option.

    Wang Zikai picked up the helmet on the motorcycle and threw it to Gao Yang and put one on himself, easily getting onto the seat.

    Gao Yang opened the rolling door of the garage and got up behind Wang Zikai. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Western Suburban Park first.¡±

    For a while, Wang Zikai didn¡¯t start the engine.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Hold onto me, bro!¡± Wang Zikai hollered. ¡°Or you¡¯re gonna fall off when I speed up.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang put his arms around Wang Zikai¡¯s waist. ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Wang Zikai started the motorcycle. With a wild, provocative rev of the engine, they dashed out of the garage.

    Wang Zikai rode the motorcycle well. Gao Yang knew that Wang Zikai had gotten obsessed with motorcycles in middle school. At the time, he even started something like a biker gang and raced along the ring roadte at night every day, risk of death be damned.

    After getting into high school, Wang Zikai fell in love with race cars, and he rarely rode his bikes.

    An hourter, the duo reached the entrance to the Western Suburban Park.

    ¡°Stop here!¡± Gao Yang called out.

    ¡°This is a free park,¡± said Wang Zikai. ¡°We can ride straight in.¡±

    ¡°Stop, please.¡±

    ¡°Alright, whatever you say.¡±

    Wang Zikai stopped the motorcycle. Gao Yang checked his backpack and took out a pair of tactical binocrs. ¡°We risk exposing ourselves if we get too close. We¡¯ll walk the rest of the way.¡±

    The two walked into the park. After confirming where theke was, they got off the paved path and went through a small forest, climbing over a hill. Then they slowly approached theke in the park.

    Ten minutester, they went past a small ride and vaulted the metal fences. The scenery before them opened up immediately, and right ahead was the centralke of the Western Suburban Park.

    They ducked down behind a bush. Gao Yang took out the binocrs and looked over at theke not far from them and thewn around it.

    The surrounding area of theke was t, allowing a clear line of sight. Gao Yang could see a few tents and two private cars parked nearby. They probably belonged to some camping enthusiasts.

    At the heart of theke was a small ind, on which was a small wooden cabin straight out of a fairytale. It was a tourist attraction of sorts, but only reachable during the day with a ferry.

    Gao Yang had a feeling that this was unlikely to be Ghost Horse¡¯s hiding ce.

    If it were Gao Yang, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen this park as his hideout. There was little cover. And if someone tracked him down here, the risk of getting nked was high with little chance of escape.

    ¡°Ghost Horse must be hiding in the cabin!¡± Wang Zikai thought differently.

    Amused, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! But I have a hunch! He must be hiding there!¡±

    <i>You¡¯ve yed too many games, bro</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>Only bosses in games hide in really obvious ces, worried that the yers would miss them.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t burst his bubble.

    He unzipped his backpack and took out a small infrared camera. Scanning around, he approached a tree behind him and gracefully jumped onto it, attaching the camera to a hidden branch, aimed at the wholeke.

    It was a forward operation equipment provided by the Qilin Guild, small, but high-resolution, and one charge wouldst 72 hours.

    Speaking of which, it was thanks to Wu Dahai¡¯s longsting battery technology that allowed the camera to run for so long.

    Gao Yang jumped off the tree. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Already? Aren¡¯t we going to check theke out?¡± Wang Zikai was disappointed. ¡°Ghost Horse must be in the cabin!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t alert the enemy. We¡¯ll retrieve the camera in three days.¡± Gao Yang waved him over. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to the next spot.¡±

    ...

    The two of them left the park and rode the motorcycle to the next destination, the Green Plum Lake.

    It was already three o¡¯clock in the morning when they arrived.

    Theke wasrge, surrounded by high-ss residentialmunities as well as coffee shops and stores.

    One camera wouldn¡¯t be able to cover the entireke. Even if he somehow managed to put the entireke in the frame, the people would be too small to make out then.

    Thankfully, there was only one road around theke.

    Gao Yang studied the route and installed cameras on the streemp at the three most important crossroads, which would allow the cameras to capture most visitors to theke.

    Thinking about the heavy workload of going through the footage gave him a headache, though.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    Wang Zikai suddenly called out, pointing ahead.

    Gao Yang followed his finger.

    Not far from them, a tall, thin figure snuck their way to the greenery, heading to theke.

 Chapter 240: Suspicious Person

    <h4>Chapter 240: Suspicious Person</h4>

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai exchanged a look and lightened their steps at the same time without the need tomunicate, quietly making their way toward the figure while keeping a safe distance.

    It was midnight. The streetmps had gone off. Gentle moonlight floated upon the calmke as breezes rippled the water surface every now and then.

    By the shimmeringke was a small pier. The suspicious figure walked to the edge of it, facing theke.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai hid behind a trash can not far away, holding their breath.

    The figure took out a phone and spoke quietly into it, probably making a call.

    ¡°It must be Ghost Horse,¡± Wang Zikai whispered. ¡°He¡¯s contacting the spy.¡±

    Truthfully, Gao Yang¡¯s instinct was telling him that it wasn¡¯t Ghost Horse. The man was a pro in avoiding detection. He wouldn¡¯t have so easily exposed himself.

    Unless it was on purpose.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Just when Gao Yang was hesitating what to do, there was a sshing from theke, and the figure was gone.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai looked at each other in shock before rushing toward the pier.

    ¡°The secret base must be hidden underwater!¡± Wang Zikai called out as he ran.

    No sooner had they reached the pier than Wang Zikai started stripping. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get in and look for him!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang noticed a cellphone on the ground. It hadn¡¯t been long enough for the phone to go into lockscreen.

    He picked it up and yed the recording that had just been made.

    A boy said in a cracked voice, ¡°Dad, mom, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t go on any longer. I¡¯m so afraid I¡¯ll fail to get good grades once more. I¡¯m so afraid of disappointing you. But I don¡¯t want to retake the exams for another year...¡±

    Gao Yang realized then that it was a highschooler attempting to take his own life!

    ¡°Jump!¡± Gao Yang called out.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai was confused. ¡°Should I jump or not jump?¡±

    <i>Ssh!</i> The boy who had just jumped into theke struggled to surface on his own, iling around in the water. ¡°Help! Help, I don¡¯t wanna die anymore. Help me...¡±

    ¡°Get him out!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    Wang Zikai took off his undershirt and dove into theke.

    Five minutester.

    The tall, thin, nerdy-looking boy gasped for breaths, kneeling on thewn. He was entirely drenched, and his face was drained of color.

    Wang Zikai was all wet as well. Topless, he shook his hair dry on the side. ¡°Shit! What were you thinking?!¡±

    ¡°Thank, thank you. <i>Ack, ack</i>... Thank you for saving me...¡± The boy sounded grateful yet self-pitying. ¡°I¡¯ve retaken the exams for two years straight, but I couldn¡¯t get my grades high enough. I was so scared of facing my parents. Although they never said anything about it, their disappointed looks...I couldn¡¯t take it...¡±

    Gao Yang was going to take his entrance exams soon, and he understood the boy.

    Before he coulde up with words offort, Wang Zikai grabbed the boy by the cors. ¡°And you killed yourself for that?! Are you a man or what?!¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°If you died today, how heartbroken would your parents be? Do you think it was easy for them to raise you to this age?¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t get into a good college, give up! If you don¡¯t want to study another year, don¡¯t! Tell your parents about it!¡± Wang Zikai continued to shout. ¡°Let me ask you this. Do you think everyone who fails to get into a good college should throw themselves intokes?¡±

    ¡°And do you think everyone who gets into a good college will have a sessful future?¡±

    The boy gaped at Wang Zikai, speechless.

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake!¡± Wang Zikai pushed the boy to the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t even have the chance to take the exams since I got suspended. Look at me, do I look like I¡¯ve been wallowing in self-pity? No, I¡¯ve been eating well and having the best time of my life!¡±

    The boy¡¯s gaze changed, looking touched and admiring.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. <i>Seriously, Wang Zikai, if he knows that you get to drive a sports car around and live in a luxurious vi even without getting into a college, he¡¯ll jump back into theke.</i>

    ¡°Brothers.¡± The boy slowly rose to his feet and wiped away the tears on his face. ¡°Thank you. I regretted jumping as soon as I did. I didn¡¯t want to die. I just didn¡¯t want to live the way I had lived before. I was trying to escape.¡±

    ¡°Good for you to figure that out.¡± Gao Yang patted him on the shoulder. ¡°No matter the result of the exams, you are the one making decisions for yourself in life. You don¡¯t have to get into a good college to be sessful.¡±

    ¡°Yes! You¡¯re right!¡± The boy¡¯s face lit up with renewed hope. He bowed deeply at the two of them. ¡°Thank you! I will keep your words in mind!¡±

    The boy turned to leave. Gao Yang and Wang Zikai watched him disappear into the night.

    Gao Yang praised, ¡°You did well.¡±

    Wang Zikai looked down at his drenched pants and shoes. ¡°Ugh, fuck! My underpants are all sticky. It¡¯s so ufortable! Why don¡¯t we go home? I wanna take a shower and get changed.¡±

    ¡°No! There¡¯s one other spot we have to go to.¡± Gao Yang was going to check out all three locations tonight.

    ¡°But...¡±

    Gao Yang urged, ¡°This is the second mission of the 94 Duo. We will not fail. What¡¯s getting your underpants a little wet?¡±

    Pumped, Wang Zikai said, ¡°Okay, okay, okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    An hourter, Wang Zikai and Gao Yang rushed to the Apple Ind.

    It was located in the Dongyu District, the district where they had found the box truck, downstream of Li River. The ind was a little far from that ce, though.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly an ind, and there were no apple trees around. It was simply a plot of wastnd.

    On the map, it was surrounded by ake and a stream going into the Li River; its shape resembled an apple, hence the name.

    And theke bordering the Apple Ind was the one Gao Yang was looking for.

    He and Wang Zikai parked by the remote asphalt road, lined intermittently by a number of short residential buildings waiting to be torn down for renewal. They got off the motorcycle. Ahead of them was a clearing of nothing but shrubs.

    They headed toward theke. After ten minutes, Gao Yang stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Gao Yang pointed at the ground. The earth in this area was rtively soft and moist, allowing tire tracks to be left, albeit faint.

    ¡°Dang!¡± Wang Zikai noticed the tracks too, which excited him. ¡°Is this the moving truck?¡±

    Gao Yang crouched down and took a picture of the tire tracks. WIth the box truck blown up, though, they couldn¡¯t really make aparison.

    He followed the tire tracks for a few more minutes. Then he stopped again.

    Wang Zikai looked down at the ground. There were no tracks here.

    ¡°Crouch down,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡±

    Wang Zikai obliged. Gao Yang swung his leg to mount Wang Zikai¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Stand up.¡±

    ¡°Shit, are you messing with me?¡±

    ¡°This is serious.¡±

    ¡°It better be!¡± Wang Zikai cursed, but stood up all the same. Gao Yang looked ahead while sitting on his shoulders.

    <i>Hm, this should be about the eye level Chen Ying was at while she used Psychometry.</i>

    The driver was in the driver¡¯spartment of the box truck, driving along a bumpy road. The surroundings seemed deste, and theke ahead shimmered... Everything matched!

    <i>This should be the ce.</i>

    Gao Yang scanned around and spotted a chemical nt by the river on his three. Awash in shadows, the structure was about two kilometers away from theke ahead.

    ¡°Alright, let me down.¡±

    Wang Zikai did as he said.

    <i>Theke is too open for hiding, and it¡¯s unlikely for the hideout to be underwater.</i>

    <i>The chemical nt on my three is the most likely hiding ce.</i>

    Gao Yang turned to make his way to the chemical nt.

    Once they were five hundred meters away from it, theyy down on a gentle slope. Looking through the tactical binocrs, Gao Yang surveyed the chemical nt that seemed to have been abandoned for years.

    Crisscrossing pipes and a scattering of reactorsbined to create a forest of steel, adorned with thin, frail smokestacks and metal towers. On one side were factories and shop floors of archaic designs.

    Gao Yang noticed that one of the metal doors in the front of the chemical nt was askew, and another had toppled to the ground¡ªlike a vehicle had smashed through it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go forward another two hundred meters,¡± Gao Yang whispered.

 Chapter 241: Target Sighted

    <h4>Chapter 241: Target Sighted</h4>

    The two of them moved through dense shrubs while crouching, making the long way to the side of the chemical nt, where there were a few concrete pipes that were one meter in diameter, surrounded by dense haphazard heaps of grass.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai dove into one of the pipes. Gao Yang removed some of the grass for a clear line of sight and installed a camera above his head, on the inside of the pipe. The camera was pointing at the entrance of the chemical nt.

    That marked the end of their mission tonight.

    Without lingering, Gao Yang quietly left with Wang Zikai.

    Half an hourter, they were speeding through the road at night on Wang Zikai¡¯s motorcycle. Even with a helmet on, Gao Yang could still feel strong gusts of wind hitting him on his revealed neck.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find that guy stupid too?¡± Wang Zikai suddenly yelled.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t get what he was suddenly talking about.

    ¡°The guy who jumped into theke, I mean.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised that Wang Zikai would still be hung up on that. It was uncharacteristic of him.

    ¡°Actually, I thought about killing myself too when I was little.¡± Wang Zikaiughed ruefully.

    ¡°For real?¡± Gao Yang found that hard to believe.

    ¡°For real!¡±

    Wang Zikai slowed down a little and made a sharp turn. ¡°My mom and dad were talking about a divorce at the time, and they argued every day. I believed it was my fault, and I wanted to disappear from the world.¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly felt bad for Wang Zikai. Inparison, he had grown up in a loving family.

    ¡°Hahaha, I was so fucking stupid! Thankfully, I didn¡¯t kill myself!¡± Wang Zikai burst intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be the god that saves the world! I¡¯ll be almighty forever and ever!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang pushed aside his misced sympathy.

    ...

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get to rest for long before he had to go to school.

    For the next three days, Gao Yang yed the diligent student during the day and focused on doing test papers, and after school, he went to Wang Zikai¡¯s home to spend the night.

    Nothing happened during the three days. The Qilin Guild hadn¡¯t contacted Gao Yang, either.

    The more uneventful his days were, however, the more anxious Gao Yang got. It felt like the calm before the storm.

    On the night of the third day, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai rode a motorcycle to the threekes to collect the cameras.

    Once they were home, they retrieved the recordings.

    There were five cameras in total, each having recorded 72 hours of footage, totalling 360 hours.

    It would take a long time to go through even if they fast-forwarded through the recordings.

    To be thorough and avoid missing any suspicious figure, they watched the footage together. And they had to pause when they caught someone acting odd to check if it was who they were looking for.

    They spent a night like that, finishing checking only a third of all footage.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were sore, and he felt lightheaded.

    ¡°You should take a nap and go to school, bro,¡± said Wang Zikai. ¡°You¡¯re taking your entrance exams tomorrow. It¡¯s important!¡±

    Gao Yang was hesitant. Compared to the threats of the world of awakeners, the entrance exams seemed trivial. If he was honest with himself, however, he did want to do well. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint his family.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go through the rest. I promise that I¡¯ll be thorough!¡± Wang Zikai thumped his chest for emphasis.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Gao Yang decided to trust Wang Zikai this time. And it turned out that Wang Zikai was dependable when it mattered.

    Came morning, Gao Yang went to school.

    Tomorrow would be the first day of the entrance exams. The teachers advised the students againstst-minute cramming with test problems from past exams. Instead, they were told to rx and prepare themselves mentally.

    At noon, the homeroom teacher addressed the ss seriously and then gave them half a day off to visit the exam site before going home to rest.

    Gao Yang did just that with his ssmates. Then he went home.

    His family cared a lot about his exams, especially his mother. She was even careful when talking to Gao Yang, lest she disrupt his mental state in some way.

    In the evening, his mother prepared the usual dinner. She didn¡¯t dare make a big meal, afraid that Gao Yang might have trouble sleeping if he was too full.

    Then Gao Yang retired to his bedroom after dinner and a short chat with his family.

    He checked his national ID and admission ticket, then the stationeries he would use during the exams, including his pens, pencils, eraser, ruler, and set square.

    After that, he read a few example essays.

    Writing essays wasn¡¯t his forte. Thus, he opted for the most primitive method, memorizing as many essays as he could. As long as the topic for the writing test wasn¡¯t too obscure, he would be able to stitch together parts of the essays he had read, making a chimera essay of sorts. It would be too much to hope for a high mark, but at least he should get the average score.

    At midnight, Gao Yang was just about to go to sleep when his phone rang.

    It was Wang Zikai. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m outside your building!¡±

    Surprised, Gao Yang went up to the window and popped his head out to look down. Still mounted on his motorcycle, Wang Zikai waved at him.

    Five minutester, Gao Yang got changed and jumped out of his window, making it to the ground floor by moving between awnings and along walls.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I found Ghost Horse!¡± Wang Zikai seemed satisfied despite the shadow under his eyes. ¡°My eyes were still sore from all the footage I watched!¡±

    Gao Yang startled. ¡°You found him?¡±

    ¡°See for yourself!¡± Wang Zikai took out his phone and called up an album. Inside were two screenshots of the footage they collected.

    It was the chemical nt on the Apple Ind at dawn. A tall, thin figure was walking through the side door of the chemical nt, holding a bag of what looked like groceries.

    Since the figure was wearing a baseball cap and the camera was shooting from a distance, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make out the figure¡¯s face. Still, it was suspicious enough for someone to show up at an abandoned chemical nt.

    Gao Yang fell silent and came to a decision.

    ¡°Go home and get prepared, Wang Zikai...¡±

    ¡°No need! I¡¯ve prepared everything!¡± Wang Zikai patted the handbag he had with him. ¡°We can just go!¡±

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Gao Yang unzipped the bag. Indeed, Wang Zikai had brought everything.

    <i>You¡¯ve grown, Wang Zikai</i>, Gao Yang thought withplicated feelings.

    He got onto the motorcycle. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Wang Zikai hesitated. ¡°You¡¯re taking your entrance exams tomorrow. Why don¡¯t we wait til you finish your exams?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll do it tonight.¡±

    Time waited for no one. Compared to always watching the dark corners for Ghost Horse to pop up, Gao Yang would rather deal with the man proactively, once and for all.

    They arrived at Apple Ind past midnight.

    As they had done thest time they were here, the duo parked by the road and walked through the deste clearing, sneaking to the concrete pipe on the side of the chemical nt to hide themselves.

    Gao Yang took out his binocrs and watched the chemical nt awash in darkness. His gaze shifted from the front door to the side door, the windows of the factory, the pipes, the floors, and finally the metal stairs of the facility towers.

    ¡°Let me see!¡± Wang Zikai said anxiously.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice dropped a few tones.

    A figure appeared in his view, standing on arge blue reactor, seemingly on the phone.

    Soon, he hung up and jumped off the reactor, entering a workshop and closing the metal door behind him.

    Gao Yang perked up.

    Mobile signal was poor here. That was why Ghost Horse had toe outside to a higher ce to make a call, and Gao Yang happened to catch him doing so.

    Gao Yang had two options.

    First, he could go after Ghost Horse with Wang Zikai. The risk would be high, and there was a great chance that Ghost Horse would sessfully escape.

    Second, he could call the Qilin Guild. It would be safer, and there was a lower chance of Ghost Horse fleeing. Although it was against the rule for Gao Yang to continue the investigation when it had been entrusted to someone else, the sess should make things even for him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t hesitate to choose thetter.

    He turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°You should return, Wang Zikai.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Wang Zikai almost shouted.

    Gao Yang quickly covered his mouth. ¡°Quiet!¡±

    Wang Zikai peeled his hand off angrily. ¡°Are you fucking with me? We finally found him! We¡¯re gonna have an epic fight tonight!¡±

 Chapter 242: Gotcha

    <h4>Chapter 242: Gotcha</h4>

    ¡°I know this is a dick move, Wang Zikai, but please.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t waste his breath trying to reason with Wang Zikai, but instead appealed to him emotionally with a pitiful act.

    And the method turned out to be effective in dousing Wang Zikai¡¯s ire. ¡°But you can¡¯t deal with him on your own, bro.¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m going to call the Guild in,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I promise you that I¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    Wang Zikai still didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Whyplicate things when I can deal with the bastard myself?¡±

    ¡°Would you be able to catch up with him if he runs?¡±

    Wang Zikai fell silent. He was confident that he could defeat Ghost Horse, but if Ghost Horse ran, he couldn¡¯t catch up with someone with Teleportation.

    ¡°Leave it to the Guild,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s to ensure the sess of the mission.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay with you!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said firmly.

    ¡°Why?¡± Wang Zikai was frustrated. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you stand a better chance of winning with my help?¡±

    ¡°Your true power should be kept a secret from the other organizations. Besides, you haven¡¯t yet reached your full potential. The tallest tree is always the first to be struck down, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Gao Yangmitted to the act like it was a once-in-a-lifetime role and ced his hands on Wang Zikai¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Remember, my friend, you¡¯re meant to be the savior god of the world. You must do what is right in the long term.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No but,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Leave it to the Guild, and everything will be alright. I¡¯ll be able to take the entrance exams tomorrow in peace as well.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± Wang Zikai was still frustrated, but he had been convinced. ¡°Fuck, only this once! You¡¯re not doing this again! You¡¯re gonna bring me to your next fight!¡±

    ¡°I promise! There won¡¯t be a next time!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. Finally, he had convinced Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai reluctantly crawled out of the concrete pipe and nced at Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯m leaving then?¡±

    Gao Yang followed after him. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    They soon returned to the road on the edge of the Apple Ind. Wang Zikai got onto his motorcycle and repeated, ¡°I¡¯m leaving for real then?¡±

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Gao Yang patted him on the shoulder and took out his phone at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ll call the Guild now.¡±

    Wang Zikai shook his head and rode away.

    Seeing him disappear into the knight on the motorcycle, Gao Yang stood there for a long while until he said softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ...

    In less than half an hour, ck Tortoise¡¯s luxurious sedan showed up on the road and parked by Gao Yang.

    The door slid open, and ck Tortoise got off, dressed in ck casual clothes.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± The manager seemed irritated. ¡°This boy isn¡¯t really your bastard son, is he?¡±

    ¡°Drop it. Just stay here and wait for me. I¡¯ll be back in an hour.¡± ck Tortoise didn¡¯t even turn around. He gave Gao Yang a pointed look.

    The two of them walked across the road to the empty clearing. Gao Yang could still hear the manager trying to bargain behind them, ¡°I¡¯ll wait 45 minutes! Not a minute longer! Do you hear me, Yang Feng...¡±

    Once Gao Yang and ck Tortoise had gotten far enough away, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Is it just you, sir?¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon is on his way with the first team. I arrived earlier because I happened to be shooting nearby.¡± ck Tortoise took the binocrs from Gao Yang and looked at the chemical nt in the distance.

    ¡°Are you sure Ghost Horse is hiding inside?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s likely to be him.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t give him a definite answer.

    ¡°Ghost Horse has Teleportation and Telepathy.¡± ck Tortoise thought for a moment with a slight frown. Then he made the decision, ¡°Follow me, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Just us?¡± Gao Yang said with some surprise.

    ck Tortoise answered coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t actually need any help. You should just watch yourself.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. As expected of an awakener of his caliber. He sure was confident.

    As they walked, ck Tortoise added, ¡°I know you have personal grievances with Ghost Horse, Seven Shadow, which is why you¡¯re still looking into the matter secretly.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to capture him alive rather than kill him. Don¡¯t let your grudges get to you.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    They quickened their pace and quickly arrived at the chemical nt. Entering through the front door, ck Tortoise led the way confidently, not holding any weapon. Gao Yang, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t as assured. He followed the man with a handgun and a dagger.

    They made it across a clearing and entered a shop floor. Gao Yang looked up and saw a maze of crisscrossing pipes and arge blue reactor, where he had seen Ghost Horse standing.

    He gave ck Tortoise a look and made a gesture. <i>He¡¯s in there.</i>

    ck Tortoise responded with two hand gestures, telling Gao Yang to stay put and wait for his signal while he checked out the shop floor.

    Gao Yang nodded and made an OK gesture.

    ck Tortoise was the seventh-ranking awakener in terms of fighting power. It stood to reason that Gao Yang should trust him.

    ck Tortoise made it to the door and gingerly opened it, turning sideways and diving into the shop floor.

    Holding his gun with both hands, Gao Yang remained on high alert.

    About thirty seconds passed. The ce waspletely silent, which fueled Gao Yang¡¯s anxiety. The shop floor wasn¡¯t big. It shouldn¡¯t have taken ck Tortoise that long to search through the ce whether Ghost Horse was there or not.

    <i>ng.</i>

    Suddenly, noises came from above Gao Yang¡¯s head. He looked up suddenly to see a ck figure on the blue reactor.

    <i>Pew, pew, pew.</i>

    Gao Yang fired his gun.

    Only after he had made the shots did he see that the ck figure was merely a piece of rag.

    At the same time, a dagger pierced through his chest from his back.

    The sharp pain overwhelmed all his other senses. He didn¡¯t even manage to make a sound as his pupils dted.

    His face seemed to be asking what was happening, what he had done wrong.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang copsed to the floor.

    Strength and warmth seemed to be draining quickly from his body. Gradually, his heartbeat grew faint, and darkness came over him.

    As he held onto his life, he forced his eyes open and saw Ghost Horse towering over him.

    Face dark, the man said, ¡°I told you, Dark Horse, that you make a terrible spy.¡±

    It seemed that Ghost Horse had revealed himself on purpose to lure him here. It was a trap.

    Gao Yang was going to say something, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to.

    It was neither an illusion or a dream, and there was no save point in reality. There was no second chance.

    If he died, he only had his hubris to me.

    ...

    ¡°Is he dead?¡± ck Tortoise had been standing on the blue reactor at some point. It turned out that he was the one responsible for distracting Gao Yang with a rag.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Ghost Horse said concisely.

    ck Tortoise leaped off and walked up to Gao Yang¡¯s body.

    Hey on the floor in his own pool of blood, unmoving and with a dagger buried in his back. His eyes remained widened even now, brimming with denial of his untimely demise.

    Ghost Horse stood before Gao Yang¡¯s body with a deferential look on his face. ¡°Greetings, Archbishop.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± ck Tortoise stared at Gao Yang¡¯s body with an impassive expression.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get involved, Archbishop. I could¡¯ve dealt with him myself.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s time for you to learn my identity. I have more missions for you.¡±

    Ghost Horse put a fist to his chest. ¡°It is my greatest honor to have earned your trust, Archbishop.¡±

    ¡°You seem to have a question.¡± ck Tortoise gave him a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I went through the trouble to have you kill him rather than taking care of him myself.¡±

    Ghost Horse lowered his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare question your decision.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you. It¡¯s for the best. You should take care not to leave clues in the future.¡± ck Tortoise¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Vermilion Bird of the Qilin Guild is capable of restoring and questioning a dead body. That¡¯s why I cannot kill Seven Shadow myself, or he would be able to tell Vermilion Bird about me after his death.¡±

    ¡°I can make the body disappear,¡± Ghost Horse said.

    ck Tortoise shook his head. ¡°That¡¯d attract more suspicion. We can have his body make a false statement for us, which will be more beneficial.¡±

    ¡°Your brilliance shines through, Archbishop.¡±

    ck Tortoise checked his watch. ¡°Azure Dragon will be arriving soon. We¡¯ll leave some traces to prove that we¡¯ve fought. Then you¡¯ll leave at once.¡±

    After a pause, he continued, ¡°Seven Shadow found your hideout, but it turned out to be a trapid down by you. Having walked into the trap, Seven Shadow got killed in an ambush, while I injured you but failed to keep you here.¡±

    ¡°A perfect n.¡± Ghost Horse smirked.

    ¡°Hm.¡± ck Tortoise nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Archbishop.¡±

    Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes glinted with hidden murderous intent.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about <i>your </i>n.¡±

 Chapter 243: The Real Plan

    <h4>Chapter 243: The Real n</h4>

    ck Tortoise stared at Ghost Horse. ¡°What do you mean...¡±

    Before he could finish, he felt hands gripping his ankles, keeping his feet in ce. It was Gao Yang, who was lying in his own blood.

    He hadn''t died. In fact, he had been concentrating energy in his hands secretly for this moment.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    mes devoured ck Tortoise in an instant.

    Caught by surprise, ck Tortoise was just about to break free when Ghost Horse teleported to his front and slit his throat with a sharp karambit. To ensure ck Tortoise¡¯s death, the de had been coated in potent poison.

    The blood gushing out of his artery didn¡¯t even stter in the air before it was evaporated by Gao Yang¡¯s mes.

    Leaving nothing to chance, Ghost Horse thrust his other karambit into ck Tortoise¡¯s heart. Then he picked up the silenced gun on the floor and emptied the magazine at ck Tortoise.

    A minuteter, Gao Yang let go of ck Tortoise¡¯s feet. The charred body slowly copsed.

    ck Tortoise was dead.

    It was a pathetic end for the seventh-ranking awakener and a high-ranking leader of the Godbearer Cult, the archbishop.

    He only had his pride and hubris to me.

    Gao Yang panted heavily on the floor. Ghost Horse reached out to help him up.

    Gao Yang gave him a conflicted look. ¡°I thought you were really trying to kill me, that I got tricked by you again.¡±

    Ghost Horse held his gaze seriously. ¡°ck Tortoise wouldn¡¯t be fooled by a half-assed act. Besides, I couldn¡¯t possibly get a retractable knife and a squib on such short notice.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Thinking back to the moment still sent a shudder down his spine. Ghost Horse had stabbed him in the back for real¡ªwhile avoiding his heart, of course.

    Then, when he had bled enough to make the scene believable, Ghost Horse injected Gao Yang with Medicine C under the guise of examining his body.

    That was how they managed to catch ck Tortoise off guard with the man none the wiser.

    ...

    Half an hour ago, Apple Ind.

    Once he made sure that Wang Zikai had left, Gao Yang turned to rush to the abandoned chemical nt rather than calling ck Tortoise.

    He wasn¡¯t a hundred percent certain of his guess, but he had to make the gamble.

    He reached the entrance of the shop floor Ghost Horse had been hiding in and shouted, ¡°Ghost Horse! Come on out if you aren¡¯t my enemy! We¡¯re running out of time!¡±

    His voice echoed in the factory.

    Ten secondster, Ghost Horse walked out with a dark look on his face.

    They exchanged a nce. Gao Yang had prepared for a battle.

    Thankfully, Ghost Horse didn¡¯t make a move.

    He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°You¡¯ve finallye. I thought you might have changed sides for real.¡±

    Yes.

    Gao Yang had heard the codeword from Ghost Horse the first time they shed.

    However, he had had his reservation.

    Back when Dragon assigned Gao Yang a secret mission, he had said that Gao Yang would understand what the mission was when the time came, and then he wrote a code on Gao Yang¡¯s palm.

    ¡ªThe moon is beautiful.

    In truth, so many things had happened recently that Gao Yang almost forgot about it. Until Ghost Horse said the phrase nonchntly when they fought on the rooftop that night.

    <i>¡®The moon is beautiful. Before, I would¡¯ve gone off work and visited Songstress'' shop to listen to jazz music and enjoy a cup of coffee.¡¯</i>

    Gao Yang remembered the mission Dragon gave him.

    Was Ghost Horse a double agent?

    But didn¡¯t he have Telepathy? Why did he go through all the trouble rather than talking to Gao Yang telepathically?

    Gao Yang hesitated and didn¡¯t acknowledge the secret code, and the two of them inevitably got into a fight.

    But it seemed that Ghost Horse didn¡¯t really want to kill Gao Yang. He talked and dragged things on until Wang Zikai came to Gao Yang¡¯s aid, putting on a believable act.

    Gao Yang had more or less confirmed that Ghost Horse was on his side, and that the mission he got from Dragon was probably one that required him to work with Ghost Horse.

    Still, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t trust Ghost Horsepletely.

    Later, Gao Yang yed his part of the role and had Wang Zikai send Officer Huang a message, requesting for the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ help to protect his family, while he sought sanctuary at Wang ZIkai¡¯s ce.

    Then he continued to look into the stolen bodies and almost got blown to death by body number 21 on the moving truck.

    His belief that Ghost Horse was on his side wavered.

    Had Ghost Horse been turned?

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be certain.

    It wasn¡¯t until two dayster, when he found important clues from Three Air¡¯s diary, that he pieced together most of the story.

    Still, it was an unproven spection, and he had to confirm the truth with Ghost Horse.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you contact me with Telepathy?¡± Gao Yang asked the first question that came to mind. ¡°Then things wouldn¡¯t have been soplicated.¡±

    ¡°I lost Telepathy after getting resurrected.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a side effect of the resurrection or if whoever resurrected me was able to limit my Talents. The truth is that I only have Teleportation now.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed heavily. Because of the unexpected loss, their secret mission almost failed.

    Since they didn¡¯t have a lot of time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t dwell on the matter and continued to ask, ¡°What is Dragon¡¯s secret mission?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I¡¯ll get to the point.¡±

    Ghost Horse¡¯s gaze was calm. ¡°The Godbearer Cult has been around for a long time. They secretly infiltrated the three major organizations. Because I¡¯d jumped ships twice and used to be a spy, members of the Godbearer Cult contacted me and attempted to convert me. I told Dragon everything. That was when we came up with the n.¡±

    ¡°For you to be a double agent.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but the Godbearer Cult was cautious and didn¡¯t immediately ce their trust in me.¡± Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes turned remorseful. ¡°That time, when Mad Red ambushed you, it was me who leaked the information. It was meant as a purposeful loss on the organization¡¯s side so that I could earn their trust.¡±

    ¡°Electric Mouse and Heavenly Dog almost died!¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°White Rabbit and I could¡¯ve been killed as well!¡±

    ¡°I told them to make a grab for the Rune Circuit and not kill anyone, but Mad Red went off course. I¡¯m sorry. It was my mistake.¡±

    ¡°How about Wan Sisi?¡± Gao Yang demanded furiously. ¡°What had she done wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about her too, but I didn¡¯t leak the information then. After Mad Red ambushed you for the first time, I¡¯d seen the fault in my strategy and changed course.¡±

    ¡ªLie Detection activated.

    Ghost Horse was being truthful.

    That surprised Gao Yang. ¡°Can there...actually be a spy in the organization?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. You should know how strict the Twelve Zodiac Signs are in selecting our members. The rule prohibiting the killing of wanderers alone will rule out most awakeners.¡±

    Ghost Horse continued calmly, ¡°I believe that Mad Red was able to find you because some members of the Godbearer Cult had a Talent in tracking people.¡±

    Gao Yang clenched his fists. ¡°Even so, you were partly at fault for Wan Sisi¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I made a mistake, so I gambled with my life.¡±

    Gao Yang caught on. ¡°Dragon killed you to help you win trust.¡±

    Ghost Horse nodded. ¡°Dragon opposed the idea, but I insisted. All these years, I had been unable to earn the Godbearer Cult¡¯s trust fully. I needed something to really get into their inner circle. I knew that the Cult had been working with the Spectres, and the Spectres had helped the cult resurrect members before.¡±

    ¡°So you had Dragon kill you, betting on the possibility that the Cult would seek the Spectres out to resurrect you?¡±

    Ghost Horse nodded. ¡°Only then could I earn the Cult¡¯s trust for real.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever considered that you would really die if the Cult considered you a disposable pawn?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t reconcile with that fact.

    ¡°I have.¡± Ghost Horse seemed unfazed. ¡°But I won the bet.¡±

    <i>This nutjob!</i>

    ¡°I was recognized by the Cult, and I gathered quite a lot of information.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Knowing that they didn¡¯t have a lot of time, Ghost Horse said quickly, ¡°The Godbearer Cult isn¡¯t based in Li City, but Snow Nation. They have spies in each of the three major organizations, one being me in the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I don¡¯t know who the spy in the Hundred Rivers Union is since I¡¯ve never worked with them. And the Qilin Guild is nted with two spies, Yellow Butterfly of the fourth operations team, and a high-ranking member I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°They hold the role of archbishop in the Cult, making them the second-inmand. Yellow Butterfly didn¡¯t know who they were either. I¡¯ve been following their orderstely. They are cautious and never show themselves to me.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s facial muscles tightened around his eyes. ¡°I know who the archbishop is.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°ck Tortoise.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I only suspected him,¡± Gao Yang said coldly. ¡°But now, I¡¯m pretty certain of it.¡±

 Chapter 244: Process of Elimination

    <h4>Chapter 244: Process of Elimination</h4>

    Gao Yang took out his phone and essed his album to show Ghost Horse thest four entries of Three Air¡¯s diary. ¡°See for yourself.¡±

    ¡°February 6th, sunny.¡±

    ¡°Flirting might as well be <strong>ck </strong>magic. The more I try, the less I understand women. Forget it. Why chase after women? Isn¡¯t fishing much more fun?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get paid on the tenth. Then I¡¯ll get a new fishing rod and a high-powermp forte night fishing! Ha, a fishing aficionado has no downtime!¡±

    ¡°February 8th, cloudy.¡±

    ¡°The kids progress as slowly as a <strong>tortoise</strong>. I¡¯ve told them to train harder every day, but my advice just goes in one ear and out the other.¡±

    ¡°Our quarterly evaluation is at the bottom again. Every time I think about the fourth team I feel like I¡¯m having a stroke. Fuck, I¡¯m gonna get a drink with Old Bear.¡±

    ¡°February 11th, sunny.¡±

    ¡°I ran into a real beauty when I jogged in <strong>the </strong>Li Mountain at night. She asked if I was single. I thought I was finally gonna get some, but she was a salesperson.¡±

    ¡°Has the industry gotten sopetitive? I admitted I was quite moved. I bought two electric brushes. Might as well start using them tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°February 13th, rainy.¡±

    ¡°I felt lightheaded when I woke up in the morning like a <strong>ghost </strong>had pinned me to the bed. Did I catch a cold?¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense. I haven¡¯t gotten a cold for years. Maybe my age is finally catching up to me. I should drink less and train more¡ªjacking off doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    Gao Yang hinted, ¡°Look at the date and find the corresponding words, respectively the 6th, 8th, 11th, and 13th word of the first paragraphs.¡±

    ¡°ck Tortoise the ghost.¡±

    Ghost Horse uttered the four words and frowned. ¡°Not an easy clue to find.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Yeah, especially since no one is gonna start out looking for it. Once I began to suspect ck Tortoise and looked for clues with that in mind, though, it wasn¡¯t that hard.¡±

    ¡°Why would you suspect ck Tortoise?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I suspected all four Elders, and through the process of elimination, I narrowed it down to either Azure Dragon or ck Tortoise. Then I turned to the diary for clues and got the answer.¡±

    Gao Yang briefly exined where his suspicion came from and how he came to the conclusion.

    Mainly, it was because of two things.

    First, Ghost Horse¡¯s theft of the bodies.

    From the snippet of conversation Chen Ying caught with her Psychometry, Gao Yang could more or less conclude that the bodies Ghost Horse had stolen weren¡¯t for his own use, but for the high-ranking spy in the Qilin Guild.

    And the spy did use body number 21 and almost blew up Gao Yang and Chen Ying.

    That told him one thing: the spy had the powerful ability to control corpses.

    Vermilion Bird said that she had never seen a Talent like that, and given her status and seniority in the Guild, she should know the Talents the other Elders had, at least to some degree.

    One might conclude that the Elders were thus excluded as suspects.

    However, both Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird had neglected one thing at the time: Talents leveled up, which could enhance and evolve a Talent.

    Second, Gao Yang remembered the wanderer receptionist at the White Tiger branch: Xiao Ya.

    At the time, he noticed that Xiao Ya¡¯s seemingly perfect mannerism stemmed from the control of some kind of Talent and an empowering item.

    It had to be a strong Summon-type Talent, one that could only belong to Qilin or one of the four Elders.

    Qilin, being the guildmaster, couldn¡¯t have been the spy.

    Vermilion Bird had a powerful Life-type Talent. It was unlikely for her to also have a Summon-type Talent that was among the top ten on the list.

    That left Azure Dragon, ck Tortoise, and White Tiger.

    Gao Yang first excluded Elder White Tiger.

    When Gao Yang came out of the Rune Cave at the Eleventh High School, the portal was under the watch of Azure Dragon and ck Tortoise, and they each took a Rune Circuit for safekeeping before handing them to Guildmaster Qilin.

    Which meant that if either Azure Dragon or ck Tortoise had the most powerful Summon-type Talent, the Talent was likely to reach level 4 as they carried the Summon Rune Circuit. And upon reaching level 4, the top Summon-type Talent must allow one to control corpses with enough precision to have them fight with Talents.

    Therefore, the traitor ordered Ghost Horse to steal the bodies in order to confirm the new ability they gained after their Talent leveled up.

    That was how Gao Yang narrowed the suspects down to Azure Dragon and ck Tortoise.

    Ghost Horse nodded. ¡°With that in mind, you broke the code and found the words ¡®ck Tortoise the ghost¡¯ in Three Air¡¯s diary.¡±

    Gao Yang went through the contact list on his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll report to ck Tortoise and tell him that you¡¯re at the chemical nt. How do you think ck Tortoise will react?¡±

    Ghost Horse¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°He¡¯ll order me to kill you.¡±

    Gao Yang tugged at his lips. ¡°But you may fail. I did survive the Eleventh High School and kill Yellow Butterfly after all.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Ghost Horse¡¯s gaze wavered, guessing Gao Yang¡¯s intention. ¡°You think he¡¯ll make a move personally?¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± Gao Yang punched in the numbers. ¡°Let¡¯s put it to the test.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous,¡± Ghost Horse reminded him. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t get anything if you risk nothing,¡± Gao Yang said half-jokingly even though none of them were in the joking mood.

    ¡°Hello.¡± A few secondster, ck Tortoise picked up.

    Gao Yang affected an urgent tone. ¡°Elder ck Tortoise, I found Ghost Horse¡¯s hideout. He¡¯s in the chemical nt on the Apple Ind.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°I am. I saw him with binocrs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t alert him. I¡¯ll be right with you. I¡¯ll contact Elder Azure Dragon first.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Gao Yang hung up. They waited.

    A minuteter, Ghost Horse¡¯s prepaid phone rang.

    Face dark, Ghost Horse waited a few seconds on purpose before picking up.

    A modted, androgynous voice said, ¡°You¡¯ve been made.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave at once,¡± Ghost Horse said respectfully.

    ¡°No, stay put. I¡¯ll help you take care of him.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know who you are.¡± Ghost Horse tightened his grip around his phone, his eyes on Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯lle with Seven Shadow. There will only be the two of us.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Remember, I can¡¯t kill Seven Shadow myself, nor can I reveal myself to him. I¡¯ll distract him. So seize the opening to assassinate him.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The call ended.

    Ghost Horse and Gao Yang fell silent.

    They were now a hundred percent sure that ck Tortoise was the high-ranking spy nted in the Qilin Guild, the archbishop of the Godbearer Cult.

    Gao Yang turned to Ghost Horse and smiled bitterly. ¡°How strong is he? What do you think our odds are?¡±

    ¡°We stand no chance if we go against him head-to-head, but we¡¯re likely to seed if we ambush him when he least expects it.¡± Ghost Horse held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze. ¡°War Tiger once said that there is no reason to fear high-ranking awakeners. We are all humans at the end of the day.¡±

    Gao Yang extended a hand. ¡°The moon is beautiful.¡±

    Ghost Horse held it. ¡°The moon is beautiful.¡±

    Their codes matched. The mission officiallymenced.

    Gao Yang pulled back and said in a steely voice, ¡°I still can¡¯t forgive you for Wan Sisi.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Ghost Horse maintained an impassive face. ¡°We can still work together to kill ck Tortoise.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were determined. They would kill ck Tortoise and let Vermilion Bird question the body, rooting out the leader of the Godberer Cult that way.

    ...

    Half an hourter, the abandoned chemical nt.

    Gao Yang and Ghost Horse stared at the charred body of ck Tortoise. Silence stretched for a moment.

    Then Gao Yang said in a low voice, ¡°ck Tortoise has contacted Azure Dragon. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡±

    Ghost Horse made a thoughtful sound and said quietly, ¡°Would I be exposed when Vermilion Bird questions ck Tortoise¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re unlikely to maintain the Godberer¡¯s Cult¡¯s trust after ck Tortoise¡¯s death anyway.¡±

    Ghost Horse nodded. ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°Your mission isplete. Go back to the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Vermilion Bird will extract more information from ck Tortoise, and the Godbearer Cult will be exposed. You¡¯ve achieved your goal.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this expose you?¡±

    ¡°The fact that we worked together to kill ck Tortoise will be exposed, but I can exin it away. ck Tortoise didn¡¯t learn about my allegiance before he died. Besides, Vermilion Bird will be racing against time when questioning the body, and she will focus on finding out more about the Godbearer Cult. I should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Good...¡±

    Ghost Horse fell silent and looked up in rm.

    Gao Yang tensed up, noticing the same thing.

    There were people approaching, and there were more than one of them.

 Chapter 245: No Way Out

    <h4>Chapter 245: No Way Out</h4>

    Wasn¡¯t ck Tortoise dead?

    Who were the enemies? Reinforcements from the Godbearer Cult?

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it. The enemies were approaching.

    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Ghost Horse said in a low voice. ¡°My three.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare turn around. He noticed another on his ten, standing on top of arge pipe. The backlit figure seemed to be a woman.

    Then more and more figures appeared in their sight, looking deathly and lifeless, each taking their position around the chemical nt to surround Gao Yang and Ghost Horse.

    ¡°There are five on my side,¡± Ghost Horse said gravely.

    Gao Yang did the count too. ¡°There are...five on my side too.¡±

    There were ten in total, which were most likely among the eleven corpses left. That told him two things.

    First, ck Tortoise wasn¡¯t dead.

    Second, the maximum number of corpses ck Tortoise could manipte was ten.

    Gao Yang nced down at the charred body at his feet. It was real. It couldn¡¯t have been an illusion.

    He and Ghost Horse had killed ck Tortoise.

    Could there be two ck Tortoise?

    ¡°Dark Horse,¡± Ghost Horse said quickly in a low voice. ¡°Based on your observation and what we¡¯re seeing now, I¡¯m certain that ck Tortoise¡¯s Talent is Puppeteer.¡±

    ¡°Puppeteer?¡± Gao Yang repeated.

    ¡°Serial number 7, known as the top Summon-type Talent. ording to rumors, the Talent allows the user to control any living organisms they contract with. It seems that once reaching level 4, the Talent would grant the ability to manipte corpses too.¡±

    Gao Yang gasped. ¡°Does it mean that Yan Feng isn¡¯t actually ck Tortoise, but one of his puppets?¡±

    ¡°Seems so.¡±

    ¡°But how? How is he able to keep up the act perfectly for so many years?¡± Gao Yang tightened his grip around the dagger in his hand, keeping an eye on the figures surrounding them.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Have you forgotten what Yan Fen is?¡±

    Gao Yang came to a realization. ¡°Yan Feng is an actor and a living person. Like the wanderers controlled by ck Tortoise in his branch, he¡¯d merely been carrying out his master¡¯s mission.¡±

    ¡°We underestimated ck Tortoise.¡± Ghost Horse lowered his voice, sounding asposed as ever. ¡°We can¡¯t win this, Dark Horse, and we can¡¯t stay alive until Azure Dragon arrives. I¡¯ll buy you time. Do your best to get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it easier for you to escape with your Teleportation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯vepleted my mission. Your survival takes priority over mine.¡±

    Gao Yang was rendered speechless. The man was rational to a fault. He applied cold logic to both others and himself.

    ck Tortoise didn¡¯t give them more time to discuss what to do.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    An arrow flew their way. Gao Yang quickly raised his hand and made a swing with his dagger, cutting the arrow in half.

    He looked up at the thin young man standing on a reactor. His assant was holding aposite bow.

    It was Xiuyi, who had been killed in action!

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to wallow. At some point, countless crows had gathered above him and Ghost Horse.

    Gao Yang was taken aback. He had personally burned Yellow Butterfly to charcoal. Although Vermilion Bird had restored her body, it was still surprising that it could still be of use. Puppeteer was truly a formidable Talent!

    Shrieking, the murder of crows swooped down toward the two of them like an overwhelming ck wave.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang opened his arms and shot mes at the crows like two methrowers.

    Countless ck feathers burned and flew in the air, while crows enveloped in mes dropped like small meteors.

    There were a good number of stragglers that avoided the attack, of course, and they pped their wings and shot forward, attacking Gao Yang with their sharp beaks and ws.

    None of them escaped Ghost Horse¡¯s quick and keen karambits.

    Ghost Horse had been going after the crows when his expression darkened, having sensed the ground freeze over at unnatural speed, and the ice was spreading toward his and Gao Yang¡¯s feet.

    He quickly turned around and grabbed Gao Yang.

    A moment of disorientation, and Gao Yang found himself taken seven meters away.

    Where the two of them had been standing, grains of ice bloomed.

    ¡°Body number 7!¡± Ghost Horse called out. ¡°Talent: Frost.¡±

    Frost, serial number 25, Element-type. It allowed one to manipte ice.

    <i>Swish, swish!</i>

    Two arrows came for Gao Yang and Ghost Horse. They swung their des at the same time to cut down the arrows, but the resulting dy was enough for crows to swarm up to them again.

    ¡°We have to take out the archer...¡±

    Ghost Horse was interrupted by a change in the currents around him. Air seemed to bepressing dramatically. Gao Yang scowled as he sensed the same thing.

    Ghost Horse grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s elbow and teleported away once more.

    The sounds of gusts were quiet and fleeting. Where they had been a moment ago, the crows that hade after them got sliced into pieces in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Three Air¡¯s body!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°It¡¯s Gale!¡±

    His heart sank.

    They couldn¡¯t win. It was impossible.

    They didn¡¯t even stand a chance of escaping.

    The number 4 body was still lying in wait with Talent: Phantom, and when the opportune time came, it would strike from the dark.

    Ghost Horse grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s arm and teleported toward the entrance of the chemical nt again.

    He teleported thrice in a row, all the while dodging the arrowsing their way. They reached the gates.

    But they halted then, blocked at the gates by a young man.

    Under the moonlight, his face was bloated and pale, his eyes flickering with an eerie green. On his temple was a web-shaped brand.

    There was an obvious cut on his neck, sewn back together by surgical thread.

    Although the skin and flesh were now attached again, the neck bone remained broken, and his head dangled at an unnatural angle.

    Xiran.

    He reached out both arms toward Gao Yang and Ghost Horse. A gurgle came from his mouth.

    A strange bout of weakness seeped into their bodies like chilling wind. Gao Yang and Ghost Horse felt their Talents go quiet, as if they had been forgotten.

    It felt like not being able to find your phone even though you knew it must be somewhere at home. For some reason, you just couldn¡¯t find it for the life of you.

    Gao Yang knew that Xiran had activated Mute.

    ¡°Move!¡± Gao Yang pushed Ghost Horse away, himself thrown the opposite direction by the counterforce.

    Two arrows missed.

    Almost simultaneously, ice sprouted out of the ground with crackling sounds, freezing the feet of all those in the area without discriminating between friends and foes, trapping Xiran, Gao Yang, and Ghost Horse.

    Gao Yang felt a chill enveloping his calves. He couldn¡¯t take another step.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    The ice spread quickly, now climbing along Gao Yang¡¯s thighs. However, he still couldn¡¯t find the Talents in his body.

    He clenched his teeth and threw the dagger in his hand at Xiran with full force.

    The de thrust into Xiran¡¯s mouth precisely, blocking his throat.

    Their Talents returned in an instant.

    Gao Yang lifted both hands and shot fire at his and Ghost Horse¡¯s feet, quickly melting the ice trapping them at the risk of burning themselves.

    It worked. He and Ghost Horse were freed in two seconds.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Ghost Horse teleported to his side and pushed him away roughly.

    Gao Yang rolled to a stop. When he looked up at Ghost Horse, the man was standing in a strange position, unmoving.

    ¡°Ghost Horse!¡±

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t respond. His expression was grave.

    Gao Yang noticed with a start that there was something wrong with the shadow under Ghost Horse¡¯s feet. It had broken free of the two dimensional surface and be a three dimensional being, climbing up Ghost Horse¡¯s legs in a quiet and chilling manner.

    Soon, the shadow morphed into countless shadowy tentacles, locking Ghost Horse in ce. One of the tentacles had wrapped around his neck and was slowly yet surely strangling him.

    ¡°Hah¡ª¡±

    A pained cry burst out from Ghost Horse¡¯s chest. Gao Yang saw his figure blur for a second before turning concrete again.

    He tried to escape with Teleportation, but failed.

    Gao Yang fell into despair.

    Talent: Phantom.

    Body number 4 had made a move.

 Chapter 246: Reinforcements

    <h4>Chapter 246: Reinforcements</h4>

    Did he go help?

    Impossible.

    He didn¡¯t know the way Phantom worked. If he recklessly approached Ghost Horse, he would most likely get tied down by the shadows and end up killed too.

    Did he run?

    That wouldn¡¯t work either.

    Xiran had already pulled the dagger out of his mouth¡ªcorpses couldn¡¯t be killed again.

    He extended both hands toward Gao Yang and opened his mouth, prepared to activate Mute once more.

    In the dark steel forest that was the abandoned chemical nt, the ten puppeteered bodies eyed Gao Yang like a prey as hunters hidden between trees.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    Crystal-clear ice converged under Gao Yang¡¯s feet, making quiet yet piercing crackling sounds.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang felt currents running wild around him, a sign that air was going to bepressed into translucent air des, cutting Gao Yang up like a blender.

    Above Gao Yang were ravenous crows. They hovered in a dense pack, cutting off one possible escape route.

    And on top of a behemoth tower, an archer nocked an arrow, waiting for an opening to shoot through Gao Yang¡¯s head or chest.

    His logic told him that he was doomed to die.

    ¡°Yiyayiya, yiyayaya, yayaya¡ª¡±

    Then a strange voice rang through the chemical nt.

    Two secondster, the shadow restricting Ghost Horse retracted into the ground, and a ck two-dimensional surface fled from Ghost Horse¡¯s shadow, diving into the darkness.

    The frost under Gao Yang¡¯s feet stopped spreading as well, and the crows above him scattered like they had woken up from a charm.

    Xiran¡¯s Mute failed to activate.

    It was all because of the strange scream. It disturbed and disrupted the mind, making one nk out and unable to focus.

    Gao Yang was no exception, but relief was rising from the bottom of his heart.

    It was Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation!

    That meant the fifth team was here!

    As expected, Can was the first to show up, and she was standing less than ten meters from him.

    Holding onto her with both hands, Ronnie raised his voice and ¡®sang¡¯.

    Naturally, Can couldn¡¯t endure the disruption of Disorientation, and her Invisibility lost effect.

    Covering her ears, she shouted, ¡°Enough, enough already. Stop...¡±

    Ronnie stopped screaming.

    The fifth team had fought together frequently, and with great teamwork, Can went invisible with Ronnie the moment he closed his mouth, vanishing into thin air.

    Then a figure kicked between walls to make it to the beam of the building, jumping high and falling toward Xiran. With a swift swing, Xiran¡¯s head, which had been sewn to his body with surgical thread, fell off.

    Lithe Snake pulled back his de, his eyes glinting withplicated emotions. He didn¡¯t expect to decapitate hispanion for a second time.

    With a one-second dy, Xiran¡¯s now headless body dropped to the ground.

    That told Gao Yang that the key to stopping the corpses was the web-shaped brand. Once it was destroyed or separated from the main body, the corpses would stop moving.

    However, he didn¡¯t get to share his hypothesis before dangers struck again from all directions, two seconds after Disorientation deactivated.

    Crows came from above, ice spread toward his feet, and air des formed around him.

    Thankfully, Ghost Horse had recovered from Disorientation as well, and he teleported Gao Yang away from danger.

    This time, however, Xiuyi had predicted where Ghost Horse and Gao Yang would teleport to, and two arrows were about to strike true.

    Gao Yang startled and was about to spring to action when a giant gray bear descended from above,nding before Gao Yang and Ghost Horse.

    The two arrows ended up hitting the giant bear¡¯s dense and hardy pelt, leaving only surface wounds.

    The bear yanked the arrows out and growled. The whole chemical nt seemed to tremble.

    ¡°Gray Bear!¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised and pleased.

    Everyone was here.

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t turn around. His back looked resolute and dependable.

    In his bear form, his voice was rougher and thicker. ¡°I told you not to shoulder everything on your own, Captain. We¡¯re a team, and we can trust each other.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I should¡¯ve listened to you.¡± Gao Yang was moved yet also ashamed. ¡°But how did you find me?¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡± Canughed mischievously without showing herself. ¡°We put a tracker in your phone case, Captain.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Gao Yang affected an angry tone. ¡°You¡¯ve been monitoring me?¡±

    Can snickered. ¡°It was Lithe Snake¡¯s idea. me him, Captain!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for chit-chat. Let¡¯s move.¡±

    Nine Frost hade as well. Standing on a pipe high above ground, he looked up at Xiuyi, who had taken an even higher vantage point. ¡°Xiuyi was one of mine. I¡¯ll take care of him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang then advised, ¡°Find the web brand on his body. It should be on his head or his chest. That¡¯s how they are controlled.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with body number 4,¡± Ghost Horse said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the ice-user,¡± Gray Bear said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll deal with Three Air.¡± Gao Yang sighed. He didn¡¯t expect his meeting with their former captain to go this way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cover you and look for other enemies,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Can,¡± Gao Yang said to the air. ¡°Stay hidden with Ronnie. When it seems like things are getting bad, activate Disorientation to stop the enemies from attacking.¡±

    Can had heard the order, but she stayed quiet to avoid exposing her location.

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    Two arrows came. Gray Bear swatted them away with his thick arm. Then, on all-fours, he charged at the hood of a small working room, on which stood a long-haired woman.

    Her backlit figure was petite. The fog around her revealed that she was the one with Talent: Frost. There was a faint web-shaped mark on her pale corbone.

    Gray Bear was big and looked dull, but he was actually faster and more agile than he seemed.

    He scaled up onto the hood in no time and lunged at body number 7.

    She dodged back as the bear¡¯s arm swung down with tremendous force.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The fragile hood copsed, and Gray Bear and number 4 fell down into the working area below.

    ...

    While Gray Bear rushed out, Nine Frost had been jumping between and through theplicated maze of pipes. Soon, he made it to the spiral staircase of arge tower facility, rushing toward the young man at the top, Xiuyi.

    Holding a recurve bow, Xiuyi shot arrows at Nine Frost. Nine Frost dodged swiftly and pressed his back to the tower, unable to advance.

    Xiuyi nocked three arrows at once, aiming at the bottom of the spiral staircase, making sure that Nine Frost wouldn¡¯t take another step forward.

    ...

    Gao Yang first burned most of the crows with Fire so that they no longer posed a threat. Then he bolted toward the figure on the reactor.

    The body was charred. It looked to be a man based on his physique.

    It must be Three Air, former captain of the fifth team.

    Strange green light burst out of his eyes. He syed his right hand at Gao Yang¡ªif it could still be considered a hand.

    Gao Yang felt the air around him grew erratic as itpressed quickly. Two secondster, Three Air balled his five brown half-melted fingers into a fist.

    Gao Yang ducked down to dodge the air de sweeping above his head. It had meant to decapitate Gao Yang.

    Following the motion, Gao Yang made a roll forward and curled his legs to make a powerful jump,nding on the reactor and facing down Three Air.

    He swung his dagger at Three Air¡¯s chest, where he could faintly make out a web-shaped brand. It embodied the contract that enabled Puppeteer.

    Unfortunately, Gao Yang¡¯s dagger was stopped short before it could pierce Three Air¡¯s heart.

    Gao Yang saw a rippling translucent current at the tip of his dagger.

    It was a gale shield!

    Three Air had conjured it to block his attack.

    Then a powerful gust of wind hurled Gao Yang off his feet.

 Chapter 247: Brawl

    <h4>Chapter 247: Brawl</h4>

    While hispanions fought, Lithe Snake, with his keen night vision, spotted ck Sparrow, Yellow Butterfly, Dark Li, Old Joe, and body number 4.

    Old Joe wasn¡¯t much of abatant, so he was the farthest away from the battlefield. On his back was a charred body that had lost all mobility, which must be Yellow Butterfly.

    Dark Li had his eyes closed as he wandered around, most likely looking for Can and Ronnie.

    As for body number 4¡ª

    ¡°Your six!¡±

    Lithe Snake shouted at Ghost Horse and simultaneously cast two throwing knives at the shadow in the corner not far away.

    A figure jumped out of the dark to avoid it. It was body number 4.

    Ghost Horse caught it at a nce and vanished immediately.

    With two teleports, he made it to number 4.

    It was a short, brown-haired middle-aged man, dressed in loose blue clothes for cadavers. He had a ck eyepatch on his left eye while his right eye flickered with green light. On his chest was a faint web-shaped brand.

    Ghost Horse thrust his karambit toward the body¡¯s chest, but failed to prate.

    At some point, the living shadow had wrapped around number 4¡¯s torso, forming a hardy ck armor.

    Ghost Horse was caught off guard. He didn¡¯t know that the shadow could put up such a strong defense.

    The shadow spread along the de of the karambit, attempting to grab onto Ghost Horse¡¯s wrist. He immediately let go of his weapon and teleported seven meters away.

    As soon as he steadied himself, a figure pounced on him from the side.

    Ghost Horse caught the movement from the corner of his eye and tilted his head. The fierce punch missed him, the sheer force of it brushing past the tip of his nose, apanied by a slightly bitter smell.

    A secondter, Ghost Horse teleported again to put some distance between him and his attacker. At the same time, he felt a numbness spreading through his body. Although it was only for a fleeting moment, it was enough to alert him.

    Ghost Horse collected himself and looked at the body attacking him.

    It was a strongly-built woman with a shaved head and tanned skin. On her temple was a dark hole with blood stains. She must have been killed by a shot in the head.

    Her right hand and forearm were a dark violet, which looked eerie under the moonlight.

    Ghost Horse realized then that it was ck Sparrow from the fourth team, and her Talent was Drunken Master.

    ...

    Roaming about, Dark Li suddenly came to a halt. His body had been ravaged by rune corpses¡¯ bites before his death, and the loose blue clothes looked like they were hanging on a skeleton.

    He seemed to have noticed something, and he slowly turned to an empty space.

    Although he saw nothing, he could sense two quickening heartbeats.

    Dark Li rushed over.

    A secondter, Can and Ronnie showed up.

    Can¡¯s use of Invisibility was broken in her fear and nervousness, but in truth, her Talent meant little to Dark Li to begin with.

    ¡°Whoa! Here hees!¡± Can shouted in panic.

    Ronnie was caught in inaction as well, unsure if he should use Disorientation.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    A growl came from the copsed working room.

    Countless ice shards shot into the air from the now hoodless room, glinting brightly under the moonlight.

    Level 5 Beastly was more than enough to deal with level 3 Frost.

    Gray Bear was momentarily caught by body number 7¡¯s ice. But soon, he broke free of the ice encasing him with raw power at the cost of a momentary loss of control.

    In a state of frenzy, he lunged at number 7 and broke her neck, destroying the web-shaped brand at the same time.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A few secondster, the giant bear knocked the metal door of the working area down with number 7 still in his mouth, rushing out on all-fours.

    When Gray Bear slowly recovered his rationality, he spotted Dark Li on the clearing in front of him immediately, as well as the helpless Can and Ronnie.

    He shook his head and flung number 7 at Dark Li.

    Sensing something flying his way, Dark Li dodged.

    Can and Ronnie came back to senses and quickly held onto each other, disappearing from sight yet again.

    Dark Li didn¡¯t have the time to track the two of them. Gray Bear was already charging toward him like a tank.

    A dull thud, and Dark Li flew off his feet, getting speared through the abdomen by a steel rod in the garbage dump, pinned and unable to move.

    With no sense of pain, Dark Li struggled to break free as green light burst out of his eyes.

    A dagger moved toward Dark Li in the air.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry...¡± Can¡¯s apologetic voice came.

    The hovering de pierced into Dark Li¡¯s chest, through the web-shaped brand.

    Dark Li shuddered before the green light in his eyes died down in an instant. Finally, the body stopped moving and returned to eternal slumber.

    ...

    Atop a tower facility, Xiuyi pulled the bow string while half-crouching, aiming at the bottom of the spiral staircase below without moving an inch. In order to get to him, Nine Frost would have to go through the spot.

    The stalematested for about thirty seconds.

    During those thirty seconds, Nine Frost had been sticking close to the wall, his voice hoarse and bitter. ¡°I know you can¡¯t hear me, Xiuyi. But I still want to tell you this. Your grandmother is doing well in the nursing home. I told her that you went abroad to study, and every month, I wrote to her. She couldn¡¯t see now, but she always beamed happily when I read your letters to her.¡±

    ¡°Old Joe and ck Sparrow were killed as well. Yellow Butterfly was a spy from the Godbearer Cult. We dealt with her.¡±

    ¡°I will eliminate the Cult and avenge you all. Rest in peace.¡±

    The green light in Xiuyi¡¯s eyes dimmed for a moment, or it might simply be the dark clouds obscuring the moon and dulling the moonlight. It was as if he had heard and acknowledged Nine Frost.

    The next second, arrows flew from Xiuyi¡¯s bow.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Three arrows fired at the same time, hitting only a gray jacket.

    It turned out that Nine Frost had spoken loudly to bid Xiuyi farewell, but also to hide the rustles of him taking off his jacket.

    When Xiuyi nocked another arrow, it was already toote. Nine Frost had already charged toward the top of the tower.

    He made three quick punches at Xiuyi¡¯s chest, where the brand was.

    Weak Point activated.

    Xiuyi¡¯s body stilled for half a second before his chest sank in dramatically and his back bulged, making him curl up like a lobster. His frail body was thrown off his feet, almost flying away.

    Nine Frost quickly grabbed Xiuyi¡¯s arm with his other hand and yanked him back into his embrace.

    Tightening his arms around Xiuyi, Nine Frost said with tears of pain brimming his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiuyi. I made a mistake. In my next life, I¡¯ll be your big brother again, and I¡¯ll be the one to die for you...¡±

    The only response he got was the whine of the night wind.

    ...

    ck Sparrow¡¯s fists rained down on Ghost Horse. He could only dodge and move away.

    It would¡¯ve been easy for Ghost Horse to deal with ck Sparrow were she alive. Now dead, however, ck Sparrow felt no pain, and she wouldn¡¯t stop moving just because she had been hit in her vitals.

    Her only weakness was the brand on her forehead.

    Ghost Horse could attack her forehead with Teleportation, but then she would also hit Ghost Horse in that instant with Drunken Master.

    Once hit, he would be paralyzed, and even two seconds of inaction would give number 4 enough time to capture him with Phantom.

    Actually, number 4¡¯s Phantom had approached Ghost Horse secretly from the ground many times while Ghost Horse faced ck Sparrow, but Ghost Horse teleported away every time.

    He was starting to feel weighed down.

    Teleportation wasn¡¯t all it cracked up to be. Every use was a test on his explosive power, and frequent uses would quickly exhaust him.

    At most, Ghost Horse could use Teleportation 40 times in an hour.

    In less than ten minutes, however, he had already used it 20 times.

    His eyes were on ck Sparrow while he looked out for Phantom from the corner of his eye, which coulde for him at any time from under his feet. They were in a stalemate.

    Suddenly, Ghost Horse looked up and spotted something.

 Chapter 248: One by One

    <h4>Chapter 248: One by One</h4>

    Ghost Horse activated Teleportation. Half a secondter, he appeared before ck Sparrow.

    This time, he chose to approach her proactively.

    ck Sparrow made a swing at Ghost Horse¡¯s face. Ghost Horse tilted his head to avoid her punch, but his caution against her right fist made him neglect her other hand.

    Her left fist ended up hitting him in the side.

    Ghost Horse endured the pain and didn¡¯t back away.

    Meanwhile, a shadow slithered toward Ghost Horse¡¯s heel like an agile venomous snake.

    Having predicted the move, Ghost Horse suddenly crouched down and grabbed onto ck Sparrow¡¯s waist, immediately activating Teleportation.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Ghost Horse teleported ck Sparrow to the top of a reactor, so quickly that she didn¡¯t have the time to react.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    An arrow shot down from above, piercing into ck Sparrow¡¯s skull and through the web pattern on her forehead at a diagonal angle.

    Standing on top of the tower, Nine Frost was holding a recurve bow.

    Ten seconds ago, Ghost Horse had seen Nine Frost signaling at him from on top of the tower, which was why he took the chance to approach ck Sparrow and brought her into Nine Frost¡¯s shooting range.

    He didn¡¯t have the time to thank Nine Frost for his support. The shadow that had been chasing doggedly after him was already climbing up the reactor.

    Ghost Horse let go of ck Sparrow¡¯s body and jumped off. As soon as hended, he activated Teleportation and got close to body number 4.

    The shadow under number 4¡¯s maniption rushed back to defend its master, quickly wrapping around his body to armor him.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t stop. He thrust the karambit in his left hand toward number 4¡¯s heart.

    Unsurprisingly, the de nced off the shadow armor. Then the shadow started morphing and climbing along the karambit, nning to capture Ghost Horse.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t pull back this time. He kept thrusting forward with all the strength he could muster.

    He managed to sink the de an inch further, but the dark shadow had also climbed onto Ghost Horse¡¯s arm from the karambit.

    Ghost Horse immediately felt a chilling, strange touch on his arm, like a cold venomous snake slithering along his skin.

    Soon, the shadow morphed into countless tentacles, wrapping around Ghost Horse¡¯s torso and tightening around him.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Enduring the overwhelming pain, Ghost Horse clenched his jaw and exhausted his power to push the karambit further toward number 4¡¯s chest.

    But it was futile. His strength was nothingpared to the power of the shadow.

    ¡°Yiyayiyayiya¡ª¡±

    Ronnie¡¯s ¡®wonderful¡¯ singing voice came at that moment, which was exactly what Ghost Horse had been waiting for.

    Everyone was disoriented.

    Number 4 was no exception. Unable to maintain his focus on Phantom, the shadow¡¯s power weakened.

    Meanwhile, Ghost Horse hadn¡¯t been that affected. He had been using his raw strength rather than his Talent to begin with.

    Disorientation riled up Ghost Horse and deprived him of the ability to think. But he didn¡¯t have to. All he had to do was keep pushing the de toward number 4¡¯s chest.

    In fact, Disorientation had left him with a primitivepulsion to destroy.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    An arrow hit number 4 in the eye.

    That was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.

    The shadow grappling Ghost Horse retracted instantly, unable to put up a fight.

    Finally, Ghost Horse¡¯s karambit buried into number 4¡¯s chest and destroyed the web-shaped brand.

    Ronnie stopped singing.

    Ghost Horse panted heavily, pulling out the karambit.

    No blood came out of the body. Number 4 copsed silently after a bout of seizure.

    ...

    On the other side of the battlefield, Gao Yang had refrained from approaching Three Air again after getting thrown away by the gusts of wind the man conjured.

    Gao Yang threw about a dozen fireballs at Three Air.

    Opening his arms, Three Air controlled air to create swirling wind around him. A small vortex of mes appeared inside the chemical nt. The sky was dyed red, and embers flew. It was like a fire storm.

    Going against elemental power with elemental power would only exhaust energy in vain. Gao Yang quickly stopped attacking with fireballs, and without the threat, the storm around Three Air gradually disappeared as well.

    Then a few hidden air des quietly came into form around Gao Yang.

    Keen translucent des appeared in all directions, aiming to cut Gao Yang into pieces.

    Relying on his Agility, Gao Yang ran at great speed, moving between the pipes in the chemical nt.

    <i>Clink, clink. Clink clink clink.</i>

    The air des chasing after him left sharp cuts on the steel pipes.

    Gao Yang had observed that there was a limit to the amount of wind element Three Air could control. After all, his Gale was still at level 3. He wasn¡¯t able to use wind in both offense and defense at the same time.

    That was why Gao Yang made himself bait. His role was to buy time and draw Three Air¡¯s attention.

    As expected, the number of air des around Gao Yang halved in less than a minute.

    It became even easier for Gao Yang to dodge the des. Sneaking a nce, he saw an arrow pierce through Three Air¡¯s right arm.

    Unable to feel pain, Three Air pulled out the arrow and raised his hand again, attacking Gao Yang with Gale.

    At the same time, a figure appeared behind Three Air with him none the wiser, piercing through his heart with a karambit and destroying the brand on his chest.

    Three Air¡¯s body, which had been charred beyond recognition, twitched. Then he fell from a great height andy prone.

    Finally, the former captain of the fifth team was allowed to rest in peace.

    Panting, Gao Yang looked over at Lithe Snake, who wasn¡¯t far from him. Old Joe and Yellow Butterfly were unmoving at his feet, their branded body parts pierced by a couple throwing knives.

    The dozens of crows hovered over Lithe Snake¡¯s head before scattering.

    The sounds of battles died down. For a moment, the chemical nt fell silent.

    Did they win?

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Hispanions came up to him, and they gathered on the clearing before the front gates.

    Can and Ronnie also showed themselves.

    ¡°We won!¡± Can said happily.

    ¡°Hm, it wasn¡¯t much of a fight.¡± Gray Bear transformed back into human form, topless. He said in a rueful tone, ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect to fight the bodies of my former colleagues.¡±

    ¡°What was the Talent that controlled the bodies?¡± asked Nine Frost.

    ¡°ck Tortoise¡¯s Puppeteer,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice.

    ¡°<i>Elder ck Tortoise?!</i>¡± Can gaped in disbelief.

    The rest of the fifth team were shocked as well, and their faces paled. They knew that Gao Yang was in danger, but never had they imagined that his enemy would be ck Tortoise, ranked 7th in terms of fighting power.

    ¡°ck Tortoise is a spy the Godbearer Cult nted in the Guild. I know you may find it hard to believe...¡±

    Ghost Horse cut in, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t add up.¡±

    ¡°What doesn¡¯t add up?¡± Gray Bear asked, turning to Ghost Horse.

    Although he didn¡¯t know the man, the fact that the man had fought alongside them made him a fellowrade¡ªat least a temporary one.

    ¡°The number of bodies.¡±

    Gao Yang startled and quickly went through the corpses they had fought in his head.

    Number 4, Number 7, Three Air, Xiran, ck Sparrow, Yellow Butterfly, Old Joe, Xiuyi, and Dark Li. That was nine in total.

    When Ghost Horse and Gao Yang were surrounded, they counted ten. One was still missing.

    Moreover, ck Tortoise hadn¡¯t shown himself. Although all his puppets had been eliminated, it didn¡¯t mean the man himself couldn¡¯t put up a fight.

    After all, no one knew the full extent of level 4 Puppeteer¡¯s power.

    ¡°Be careful, people,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end.¡±

    <i>p, p, p.</i>

    A slow apuse came from not far away.

    Through the front gates of the chemical nt, a man walked over.

 Chapter 249: Overpowered

    <h4>Chapter 249: Overpowered</h4>

    Everyone turned to the front gates.

    Under the muddled moonlight stood a man who was about 1.75 meter tall with narrow shoulders. He was wearing a casual light-gray shirt, cropped ck suit pants, and brown dress shoes.

    His brown hair wasbed back. Under his rimless sses, his eyes glowed with a dark, cold green. A faint smile tugged at his thin lips, arrogant and derisive.

    Gao Yang recognized at first nce that he was Yan Feng¡¯s manager.

    So he was the actual ck Tortoise!

    Now it all made sense.

    He had always been near Yan Feng, and even when they parted, they were never far away. That allowed him to control Yan Feng precisely to y the role of ck Tortoise.

    It was a method of control different from the one used on the wanderers working for awakeners at the ck Tortoise branch, which involved a mix of control and brainwashing and was easily spotted.

    ¡°So you are the real ck Tortoise,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated you, Seven Shadow.¡± ck Tortoise looked at Gao Yang and Ghost Horse. ¡°You and Ghost Horse destroyed my best puppet. Now I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep ying a spy in the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ck Tortoise took a step forward with his hands in his pockets.

    Everyone took an involuntary step back. A strong presence filled the air.

    ¡°Azure Dragon will be here soon. I have to kill you before that.¡± ck Tortoise raised his right hand and checked his wrist watch. ¡°Three minutes. That should be enough.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    That was some confidence.

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    Without a word, Lithe Snake threw two throwing knives at ck Tortoise.

    ck Tortoise¡¯s eyes twitched, and the knives halted right before him, stopped by a translucent rippling wall before falling down.

    <i>What?!</i>

    Shocked, Gao Yang shouted immediately, ¡°Watch your feet!¡±

    As he issued the warning, a thickyer of ice appeared on the ground at some point and quickly swept toward everyone.

    They each jumped in a different direction to dodge it.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    Gray Bear transformed into a giant bear again and charged at ck Tortoise fiercely, leaping up and lunging at him.

    ck Tortoise easily dodged out of the way.

    Missing his target, Gray Bearnded yet didn¡¯t keep moving; at that split second, he had gotten grappled by Phantom. Countless shadowy tentacles wrapped around Gray Bear¡¯s body, slow yet irresistible.

    ¡°Get off me!¡±

    Gray Bear struggled to break free, but the shadow moved along with him. When Gray Bear extended his body, the shadowy tentacles loosened, and when he curled in, the tentacles contracted.

    Responding to raw power with flexibility, it prevented Gray Bear from making a move.

    ¡°He can use the Talents of all his puppets!¡± Gao Yang caught on quickly. ¡°And he can use them simultaneously!¡±

    The soft sound of a current hit his eardrum.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Before the air de could cut Gao Yang¡¯s throat, Ghost Horse teleported him to a pipe.

    As soon as theynded, they jumped in opposite directions, and three sharp air des nced off the pipe, making a bright clink.

    While using multiple Talents, ck Tortoise hadn¡¯t been standing idle. He rushed toward a clearing with his eyes closed.

    With Dark Li¡¯s Mind¡¯s Eye, he caught the movement of Can and Ronnie.

    Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation was troublesome and should be taken care of swiftly.

    ¡°Yiyayiyayiya¡ª¡±

    As he anticipated, Ronnie activated his Talent.

    That cluttered ck Tortoise¡¯s mind and stopped him from using multiple Talents at once. However, with a greater Willpower than everyone else, ck Tortoise was able to recover some of his mental faculties in only a second. While he still couldn¡¯t use the Talents at his disposal, he could move as he wished.

    He continued to charge at Ronnie.

    Caught off guard, Ronnie stopped singing, thinking ck Tortoise was immune to his Disorientation.

    ck Tortoise smiled. It was all ording to his n.

    It was a mistake for Ronnie to use Disorientation because it didn¡¯t stop ck Tortoise from moving, while it stopped hispanions froming to his rescue.

    And it was yet another mistake for Ronnie to stop using Disorientation immediately, which allowed ck Tortoise to use his Talents.

    ck Tortoise could sense Ghost Horse teleporting toward him, but the man wouldn¡¯t make it in time.

    Activating Gale, ck Tortoise surrounded himself with a strong current to make him swift as a sparrow, his movement elerated dramatically.

    Between one blink and the next, Ronnie and Can saw ck Tortoise suddenly appear before them.

    Knowing that danger wasing, Ronnie instinctively pushed Can away.

    ck Tortoise grabbed Ronnie by the neck and bam! He lifted Ronnie with one hand and mmed him into the reactor.

    The sturdy reactor caved in slightly. The heavy impact broke many of Ronnie¡¯s bones and gave him a concussion, making him ck out.

    ck Tortoise didn¡¯t stop. He was going to break Ronnie¡¯s neck to take out the troublemaker once and for all. However, he wasn¡¯t given the time.

    An arrow shot at ck Tortoise.

    ck Tortoise dodged it by tilting his head. The half second dy allowed Ghost Horse to teleport twice to him.

    ck Tortoise had to let go of Ronnie¡¯s neck. While dodging sideways, he conjured a translucent gale shield and blocked Ghost Horse¡¯s sharp karambit.

    With his other hand, he summoned Phantom and went after Gao Yang, who wasing after him from the side.

    ck Tortoise made a push with his left hand, sending a gust out to sweep Ghost Horse away.

    Meanwhile, Phantom shot toward Gao Yang along the ground like a ck snake.

    Gao Yang jumped away, shooting two torrents of mes at ck Tortoise from midair. With a scoff, ck Tortoise syed his right hand, conjuring three long, sharp ice cones, piercing the mes and shooting at Gao Yang.

    Surprised, Gao Yang had no choice but to deactivate Fire and twisted around to dodge the ice cones with difficulty. Still, one managed to cut his left arm.

    Gao Yangnded. His left arm was bleeding and drenching his shirt.

    Lithe Snake and Nine Frost hade to help as well. Holding a shortsword, Lithe Snake jumped off from a higher ce and stabbed at ck Tortoise¡¯s back, while Nine Frost came up to him from the left, raising a fist.

    From ck Tortoise¡¯s right, Gray Bear had recovered and lunged at him as well.

    Behind ck Tortoise was a wall consisting of pipes. There was no room for him to retreat. Nevertheless, he seemed unfazed and showed no sign of panic.

    He lowered his head with his arms crossed before his chest, his hands balled into fists.

    And he arched his back suddenly, like he was umting power in his body.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    A growl burst out from his chest.

    He opened his arms wide, conjuring a whirlwind of countless sharp ice shards around him, and each shard was connected by thin, dense webs of ck shadow, acting like neurons or some sort of nodes tobine the wind and ice elements.

    A behemoth dragon of ck, white, and blue whirled around ck Tortoise. It was impossible to get close.

    Gao Yang was stunned speechless.

    The man hadbined Phantom, Gale, and Frost perfectly to effectively create a new skill.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    The three-colored dragon howled while rushing up, charging at Lithe Snake as he climbed the tower.

    The dragon was so quick and its area of effect sorge that Lithe Snake couldn¡¯t avoid it in time, never mind the powerful suction it created. In an instant, Lithe Snake was devoured by the giant dragon.

    Then it dove toward the ground at Nine Frost. He didn¡¯t have the time to move out of the way either, and he was about to get swallowed by the dragon like Lithe Snake.

    It was then Gray Bear rushed up to cover Nine Frost with hisrge body.

    Compared to the giant dragon, however, Gray Bear might as well be a small mouse. In an instant, the dragon swallowed him and Nine Frost alike.

    Less than twenty secondster, the dragon disappeared, leaving behind a mess.

    Lithe Snake hung on a pipe, covered in injuries. There was no telling if he was alive. The same was true of Nine Frost and Gray Bear. Theyy prone amid a ruin of toppled walls, surrounded by ice shards and covered in blood.

    ck Tortoise panted slightly. The move had taken him quite a lot of energy and mental power, but he managed to take out three opponents at once.

    Gaze shifting to Ghost Horse and Gao Yang, he stalked toward them with a faint smile. ¡°Two minutes to go.¡±

 Chapter 250: Buying Time

    <h4>Chapter 250: Buying Time</h4>

    Gao Yang stared at ck Tortoise as he slowly approached, not in a hurry to attack.

    An unwanted realization dawned on Gao Yang, unbidden. It suddenly urred to him why ck Tortoise would insist on killing them even though Azure Dragon was on his way here.

    ck Tortoise needed puppets, especially ones with powerful Talents.

    Judging from the current situation, ck Tortoise could at least control nine puppets at once. And even after his puppets were destroyed, he could use their Talents at the same time as their master. Whether it was temporary or without a time limit, though, Gao Yang didn¡¯t know.

    ck Tortoise¡¯s current nine Talents differed in strength.

    He wanted to kill Gao Yang, Ghost Horse, and all of the fifth operations team because many of their Talents were useful, and ck Tortoise could update his collection of Talents with theirs.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t even imagine how overpowering ck Tortoise would be if he managed to gain Teleportation, Invisibility, Fire, Replicate, Weak Point, Beastly, and Gecko.

    Moreover, their bodies would join ck Tortoise¡¯s army of puppets. Then it was possible that not even Azure Dragon and the first team would be able to defeat ck Tortoise.

    ¡°We can¡¯t win.¡±

    Even now, Ghost Horse was rational to the point of being cold-blooded.

    Eyes never straying from ck Tortoise because he couldn¡¯t afford to, he said, ¡°Still, we can run when he¡¯s now on his own.¡±

    ¡°You go.¡±

    Gao Yang knew that he couldn¡¯t win, but he couldn¡¯t just leave hispanions to be killed and turned into ck Tortoise¡¯s puppets, only to meet them again in the future as enemies.

    He made up his mind to buy time until Azure Dragon arrived with the first team.

    Although he knew the chance of sess was slim, he had to make the gamble.

    Ghost Horse understood him immediately, and he decided to stay too. Two people would stand a better chance of surviving.

    Ghost Horse said in a lowered voice, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be able to make the same move just yet, but we can¡¯t hurt him when he has Gale and Phantom. Let¡¯s split up and avoid him...¡±

    Ghost Horse¡¯s expression darkened before he finished talking.

    The shadow under ck Tortoise¡¯s feet split into two ck snakes, shooting toward the two of them.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t have that many uses of Teleportation left, so he had to be selective. He jumped to the side and climbed onto a pipe.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang dodged the other way andnded on a reactor, climbing up a wall with a second jump.

    ck Tortoise¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk.

    They wanted to buy time? How naive.

    Gao Yang quickened his steps, doing his best to outrun the pursuing shadow. He didn¡¯t dare look back. Air des were conjured around him continuously, circling him for an opening to cut him to pieces.

    Gao Yang jumped between the pipes, the reactors, and the hoods of the shop floors. After circling the area twice, he was forced back to the clearing.

    A secondter, Ghost Horse also teleported back to Gao Yang¡¯s side involuntarily.

    ck Tortoise remained where he had been, but his right hand was raised slightly, while his left hand was holding a phone.

    <i>What is he doing? </i>Gao Yang wondered. <i>Calling for help? No, that can¡¯t be it.</i>

    ck Tortoise turned on the shlight of his phone.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    ck Tortoise had driven Gao Yang and Ghost Horse back together on purpose so that he could get them in one fell swoop.

    He was taking advantage of a hidden aspect of Phantom!

    The shlight shone on ck Tortoise¡¯s right hand, and the shadow cast by his five fingers elongated into the literal ''Five Finger Mountain¡¯, covering Gao Yang and Ghost Horse.

    Although they had realized the danger at once, it was already toote for them to jump away.

    Within the shadow cast by the Talent-user, Phantom was impossibly quick and reached impossibly far.

    It had already caught Gao Yang and Ghost Horse, and the mountain range of shadow morphed into countless ck tentacles, entangling the two of them.

    Gao Yang and Ghose Horse struggled as hard as they could, but the shadow cruelly strangled them.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Gao Yang and Ghost Horse cried out in pain.

    Level 4 Puppeteer would grant at least 1000 points to Willpower, and added to that the other bonuses from the other Talents stored in ck Tortoise, his Phantom, manipted with incredibly high Willpower, wasn¡¯t something Gao Yang and Ghost Horse could just break free of.

    ck Tortoise sauntered up to them with his right hand syed, controlling Phantom to squeeze into their bodies inch by inch. Still, it took too long for the shadow tentacles to kill them.

    To save time, ck Tortoise opened his left hand and conjured two air des.

    ¡°I admit you¡¯re more troublesome than I expected.¡± For the first time, the derisive smile on ck Tortoise¡¯s face fell. ¡°Still, I get my trouble¡¯s worth.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your bodies and Talents.¡±

    He curled his two fingers, and the two invisible air des flew toward Gao Yang¡¯s and Ghost Horse¡¯s throats.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    <i>Clink, clink!</i>

    A Tang Dao made of ck Gold came out of nowhere and destroyed the two air des with tremendous ferocity. The Tang Dao was thrown off by the counterforce as well, and it spinned through air, but it didn¡¯t travel long before making a sharp U-turn, aiming at ck Tortoise¡¯s head.

    Eyes twitching, ck Tortoise quickly conjured a gale shield to stop the tip of the de.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Then three bullets shot at ck Tortoise¡¯s forehead, between his brows. They ended up hitting the hastily-formed shield, leaving visible cracks.

    ck Tortoise was caught by surprise. Regr bullets couldn¡¯t have prated his shield!

    And he was right. Those bullets had been fired with level 4 God of Firearms.

    ck Tortoise wasn¡¯t yet sure what threats wereing for him, but with Dark Li¡¯s Mind¡¯s Eye, he noticed the two formidable opponents.

    It was a shame since he was this close to killing Gao Yang and Ghost Horse, but he had no choice but to retract his Phantom.

    His decision turned out to be correct. The next second, the Tang Dao thrusting toward him suddenly flew back up while a young girl descended from above.

    Dressed in a tight ck leather outfit with her long hair flying in the air, she caught the Tang Dao and brought it down on ck Tortoise, her expression cold and her gaze sharp.

    <i>Qing Ling! </i>Gao Yang delighted at the sight.

    Under the moonlight, Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao radiated a cool blue aura.

    <i>Clink!</i>

    The gale shield shattered in an instant, and the de hit ck Tortoise in the shoulder, sinking an inch into his flesh as blood sttered.

    But it didn¡¯t go more than an inch deep.

    The shadow surrounding ck Tortoise gradually took form, grabbing onto the sharp de of the Tang Dao and pushing it out of ck Tortoise¡¯s shadow. Then a small part of the shadow stitched the cut together temporarily like superglue.

    ck Tortoise¡¯s eyes glinted. What formidable aura. It almost tore through the double defenses of the gale shield and the shadow.

    Still, ck Tortoise didn¡¯t stick to only defense. He had already activated Frost discreetly.

    Qing Ling started. Without her noticing, ayer of ice had climbed up her feet.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    Two shots shattered the ice at a precise angle without hurting her.

    Now freed, Qing Ling immediately swung her de at ck Tortoise.

    ck Tortoise was wary of her threatening de aura, so even though he had Phantom to defend himself with, he opted to retreat and dodge her shes rather than taking the hits head-on.

    Qing Ling¡¯s dao technique had reached an incredible height. Amid the flurry of attacks, ck Tortoise was starting to lose his ground. He was hit in many parts of his body. While they were merely surface wounds, they were nothing to sneeze at.

    He quickly conjured an ice sword in his left hand and started parrying Qing Ling¡¯s attacks.

    Facing her Tang Dao, however, the ice sword wasughably brittle, and it broke into pieces after a few shes.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    Not far away, Officer Huang continued to threaten ck Tortoise with gunshots, forcing him to put a part of his energy into maintaining the gale shield against the bullets.

    ck Tortoise moved back as he fought. While he couldn¡¯t find an opening to make an effective counterattack, Qing Ling couldn¡¯tnd a decisive hit on him, either.

    They got into a stalemate.

    While dual wielding guns and making shots, Officer Huang walked up to Gao Yang and Ghost Horse.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dark Horse.¡±

    Officer Huang greeted in a casual tone, but all the while, his sharp gaze was glued to ck Tortoise, and his hands never stopped making cover shots for Qing Ling.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Gao Yang had just broken free of Phantom¡¯s grasp, but the injury was serious.

    He tapped into his energy again as he talked to Officer Huang.

 Chapter 251: Unexpected Aid

    <h4>Chapter 251: Unexpected Aid</h4>

    Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s quite a coincidence. The Twelve Zodiac Signs happened to have found Ghost Horse¡¯s hideout, and War Tiger told us to gather on the Apple Ind tonight. We arrived twenty minutes earlier. We got a sudden call from White Rabbit then, saying that apanion of ours needed help. The signal wasing from the abandoned chemical nt.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Qing Ling and I were both surprised, but we decided to rush here. Didn¡¯t expect it to be you.¡±

    Realization hit, Gao Yang looked down at his sleeve.

    The button Little Qing Ling gave him had been damaged at some point during the battle.

    Gao Yang felt warmth bloom in his chest. The girl had saved his life!

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Ghost Horse stretched.

    Gao Yang rotated his wrist. ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s kill this guy before properly catching up!¡± Officer Huang said, all the while making another two shots.

    Qing Ling and ck Tortoise were still locked in an intense sh.

    Gao Yang and Ghost Horse didn¡¯t dare to just rush into the fray, which could do more harm than good.

    Qing Ling had been keeping ck Tortoise too upied to use any other Talents by making swift attacks with aura that could cut anything and everything. Their involvement would only give her something to worry about, which would slow her down, thus giving ck Tortoise a chance to counterattack.

    Gao Yang nced at Ghost Horse. ¡°If you spot an opening, teleport me, and I¡¯ll kill him.¡±

    Without missing a beat, Ghost Horse went to Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    Staying less than ten meters away from ck Tortoise, they watched the battle y out.

    The man had been forced to move back continuously by Qing Ling¡¯s de aura and Officer Huang¡¯s shots. Then a concrete wall behind his back left him with no room to retreat further.

    Gao Yang knew that their chance hade.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡± Gao Yang shouted, energy concentrated in his hands.

    Although Qing Ling didn¡¯t know his exact n, their previous experience of fighting together told her that Gao Yang wanted her to be out of the way.

    She stopped and made a powerful direct thrust, stabbing into ck Tortoise¡¯s chest. Even with the protection of Phantom, ck Tortoise still staggered back and mmed into the wall from the great impact.

    He steadied himself and was getting ready for her next strike, only to be caught off guard that Qing Ling had maintained her posture rather than advancing upon him.

    Then two people appeared above his head. Ghost Horse had teleported midair with Gao Yang in his arms.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Two streams of mes burst out of Gao Yang¡¯s palms, sweeping toward ck Tortoise.

    Back pressed against the wall, ck Tortoise activated Phantom immediately to cover his body, shielding him from the brunt of the attack.

    While Phantom could endure powerful physical attacks, however, it didn¡¯t stop heat from spreading, and ck Tortoise was inflicted with great scorching pain.

    Still, he was an awakener with incredible Willpower, and he quickly activated Frost. Layers uponyers of hard ice sprouted like bamboo shoots after rainfall, piercing through the mes. Although the ice kept evaporating, more was conjured nonstop, and with Phantom acting as glue, he was soon shielded by a ck and white wall of ice.

    Moreover, even though Gao Yang had kept shooting fire afternding, he could feel the air around him converging and sharpening.

    He realized with a start then that he had failed to destroy ck Tortoise¡¯s body and mind with his fire, and in only a few seconds, ck Tortoise had put up an effective defense and started making offensive moves.

    Gao Yang knew that soon, ck Tortoise would conjure the giant dragons of three colors again. Then they would all be swept away, unable to resist.

    <i>After everything, is this checkmate?</i>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t give up. At this moment, however, it was all he could do to keep pushing with his Fire even though he knew it was a losing fight.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    Then a furious growl came from behind the wall that had trapped ck Tortoise.

    Gray Bear!

    Gao Yang had never been so d to hear someone¡¯s voice.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gray Bear mmed through the wall behind ck Tortoise. Braving Gao Yang¡¯s mes, he extended his arms and grabbed ck Tortoise from the back.

    Gao Yang immediately deactivated Fire.

    He couldn¡¯t use elemental attacks effectively while avoiding the arms and hands Gray Bear was locking ck Tortoise in ce with.

    ck Tortoise was caughtpletely by surprise. Noticing the iing danger, he tapped into his shadow and struggled against Gray Bear.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Face twisted, Gray Bear yelled, ¡°Come on... I can¡¯t keep this up any longer!¡±

    Gao Yang felt a gust of wind, and a figure dashed by him.

    Nine Frost.

    Gao Yang only learned afterwards that Can, the witty girl, had stayed invisible and, while ck Tortoise wasn¡¯t paying attention, snuck to Gray Bear and Nine Frost¡¯s side, administering them with the only two shots of Medicine C she had on her.

    There was a reason she chose them.

    Lithe Snake had lost his consciousness on a pipe too high above ground for her to reach, while Ronnie was too injured and wasn¡¯t that strong in a fight to start with.

    Making the rational choice, Can saved the two men who had copsed in the ruined building, Gray Bear and Nine Frost.

    With Medicine C circting in their bodies, they slowly woke up from their injury and recovered enough energy to make onest attack.

    Clenching his fists, Nine Frost rushed up to ck Tortoise, who was locked in ce by Gray Bear.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A heavy punch hit ck Tortoise in the left chest.

    Knowing Weak Point, ck Tortoise scowled and made a loud cry.

    Instantly, the shadow under hismand wrapped around Gray Bear¡¯s two arms, cutting into his flesh and drawing blood like the sharpest des.

    Although Gray Bear was protected by dense, hard hair and thick hide, he could still be hurt by such concentrated attacks, and he bled profusely.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Gray Bear cried out in pain, clenching his jaw so hard that he almost broke his own teeth. However, his hold remained firm.

    He knew that if he let go, they would all be doomed.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Nine Frostnded a second hit on ck Tortoise¡¯s left chest.

    <i>Times five!</i>

    Both ck Tortoise and Gray Bear were knocked a few meters back by the impact, almost toppling to the ground.

    At thest moment, Ghost Horse teleported behind them and mustered all the strength in him to keep Gray Bear upright.

    With a shout, Ghost Horse teleported forward, bringing Gray Bear and ck Tortoise closer to Nine Frost.

    Nine Frost smiled coldly. Perfect timing!

    Tightening his fist, he put all the energy in his body into his hand. The smiling faces of hispanions from the fourth team shed through his mind¡ªck Sparrow, Xiuyi, Old Joe, Dark Li, even Yellow Butterfly...

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The third punch hit ck Tortoise squarely in the left chest.

    <i>Times twenty-five!</i>

    Not far from them, Gao Yang felt an overpowering shockwave rippling outward, the currents so strong that he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open.

    ck Tortoise flew off his feet, along with Gray Bear behind his back.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Arge thick pipe caved in under the impact. It looked as if Gray Bear had been embedded into it. And ck Tortoise, still held in his arms, had a bloody hole in his left chest.

    His eyes were widened while he bled from all orifices, and he stopped moving.

    The punch had gone straight through his chest.

    ¡°Ugh...help. I¡¯m dying here...¡±

    Gray Bear groaned in pain and pushed ck Tortoise off him.

    The others quickly rushed up to free Gray Bear from the sunken pipe.

    Gray Bear could barely stand. He staggered a few steps before dropping to his knees. Panting, Nine Frost went up to sit down by his side.

    ¡°I think my ribs are all broken...¡±

    ¡°Of course they are. I didn¡¯t pull back at all.¡± Nine Frost scoffed, his expression grim.

    ¡°Nice punch. Very nice...<i>ack</i>...¡±

    Gray Bearughed and got into a coughing fit, his gums bleeding.

    The two men fell silent.

 Chapter 252: Finishing Move

    <h4>Chapter 252: Finishing Move</h4>

    ¡°Give me some space,¡± said Gao Yang.

    The others took a few steps back.

    Gao Yang was exhausted with all the injuries he had suffered, but he held on and walked up to ck Tortoise¡¯s body.

    He was going to destroy the body just in case. He would burn ck Tortoise to charcoal.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang activated his Talent with his hands extended, and the mes immediately enveloped ck Tortoise.

    After about eight seconds, Gao Yang realized something was wrong. The body awash in mes wasn¡¯t changing shapes at all.

    Based on his previous experience, the corpse should be melting under the high heat by now.

    [Warning...]

    Gao Yang startled. He didn¡¯t even have the time to finish hearing the system¡¯s warning.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>

    Six bone stings shot out of the mes in three directions, aiming at the three people still able to put up a fight¡ªGao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang were standing a little farther, and while they only had half a second to react after realizing that something wasing out of Gao Yang¡¯s fire, it was enough time for them to dodge instinctively, thus saving their lives.

    Qing Ling avoided one bone sting, while the other one stabbed into her abdomen.

    Officer Huang had avoided one bone sting as well, and the other one ended up hitting his shoulder.

    Originally, the four bone stings should¡¯ve prated their hearts.

    The two of them were both visibly shocked and confused.

    How could one survive getting a hole put into his heart?! What manner of monster were they fighting?

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t as lucky.

    Being the closest to ck Tortoise, he didn¡¯t have the time to react, and his hands were still shooting fire.

    The two bone stings thrust toward his heart.

    Yet he lived.

    Because one man had realized the danger at the same time as Gao Yang and reacted in time¡ªhe alone was able to react in time.

    Ghost Horse.

    He teleported before Gao Yang and took the bone stings instead.

    One hit him in the side from the back, and the other pierced through his heart.

    The six bone stings retracted.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to be shocked. He held onto Ghost Horse and hurriedly pulled back.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>

    The bone stings shot out of the mes again, this time targeting Gray Bear and Nine Frost.

    The two men had lost their ability to fight, but they pushed themselves to quickly get up and dodge when they saw the sneak attacks against Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang.

    The bone stings missed their vitals, but they were still stabbed, and after a few seconds, they copsed to the ground.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Injured, Officer Huang tamped down the pain and supported Qing Ling, who had been stabbed in the abdomen, moving backward while firing nonstop.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    The bullets hit the burning ck Tortoise and nced off him.

    Three secondster, he emerged from the dying fire.

    His clothes had been entirely burned, his body now covered in slick, hardy violet scales. His prated chest was slowly recovering.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened, speechless.

    He realized now that ck Tortoise had gained Yellow Butterfly¡¯s ¡®Talent¡¯ as a monster.

    It was a trump card no one had foreseen.

    ¡°You...almost won.¡±

    ck Tortoise¡¯s voice was hoarse, low, and pained, like a devil from hell. ¡°Unfortunately, you didn¡¯t know that my heart is positioned in the right.¡±

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Bullets flew toward ck Tortoise¡¯s eyes. He raised his left hand and easily blocked them.

    Dragging his feet, ck Tortoise walked up to Gao Yang one heavy step at a time.

    It was done. Although he had been seriously hurt, monsters had impressive regenerative power. More importantly, there was no one present who could put up a fight against him now.

    Gao Yang crouched down, still holding onto Ghost Horse.

    Blood foams leaked out from the corner of the man¡¯s mouth. He knew he was dying. Suddenly, he grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand tightly, using up thest of his strength to say his final words.

    ¡°Go, go to Songstress¡¯ shop for me...and buy a bouquet of...forget-me-nots.¡±

    Then Ghost Horse¡¯s head tilted to the side, his hands dropping.

    He was dead, irreversibly.

    He couldn¡¯t be resurrected again.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang was still making shots, and he yelled, ¡°Gao Yang! Back off...¡±

    Yet Gao Yang seemed deaf to the urging. He simply held onto Ghost Horse¡¯s body with his head lowered, unmoving.

    ck Tortoise stalked up to him while defending against the iing bullets.

    Three secondster, Gao Yang was now in his range of attack. He could pierce through Gao Yang with his bone stings.

    ck Tortoise had lived his whole life shrewdly, calcting his every move. Yet he almost met his downfall because of Gao Yang.

    He had to admit that for the first time in his lifetime, he felt anger toward someone.

    But all that woulde to an end.

    He lifted his right hand.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Three bone stings shot toward Gao Yang, who was still holding onto Ghost Horse.

    Strangely, the two seemed to disappear at the same time, and the bone stings ended up piercing the floor.

    When ck Tortoise took another look, Gao Yang and Ghost Horse were sitting slightly to the side.

    What just happened?

    It looked as if he had missed the target by mistake.

    But it couldn¡¯t be.

    ck Tortoise retracted the bone stings before shooting them again.

    The same thing happened.

    Gao Yang and Ghost Horse appeared beside the spot he hit again, as if he had mistakenly aimed at their double image.

    Gao Yang slowly looked up at ck Tortoise, his gaze zing with determined and furious killing intent.

    ...

    Five seconds ago.

    Ghost Horse died in Gao Yang¡¯s arms.

    This time, he was truly dead.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to be angry or sad. He immediately remembered one thing: thest time he entered the Talent Pantheon, he had checked the remaining Talents of each type, and there were no unimed Time-Space-type Talents left.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 731 Luck points.]

    ¡ªComprehend a Talent, picking the Time-Space-type.

    [There is only one unimed Talent of the Time-Space-type. Do you wish toprehend it?]

    ¡ªYes, skip all the failure notifications.

    [A total of 720 points were used untilprehension seeded.]

    [Talent: Teleportation. Serial number: 19. Rune type: Time-Space.]

    [Level 1 Teleportation: Allow one to teleport 3 meters. Cooldown: 1 second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 1 Teleportation: Strength + 100, Agility + 200.]

    [Status screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 600 Agility: 700]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 116]

    [Luck: 454]

    ...

    Gao Yang used Teleportation three times to dodge ck Tortoise¡¯s attacks, and the Talent immediately reached level 2.

    [Level 2 Teleportation: Allow one to teleport 5 meters. Cooldown: 1 second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 2 Teleportation: Strength + 200, Agility + 400.]

    [Status screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 700 Agility: 900]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 116]

    [Luck: 454]

    ......

    ¡°No, this can¡¯t be!¡±

    ck Tortoise couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. It was beyond hisprehension. ¡°Why do you have Teleportation too?¡±

    For someone at his status and level, ck Tortoise naturally knew the rule: no two awakeners would have the same Talent. Even with his Puppeteering, he couldn¡¯t use his puppets¡¯ Talents while they were using theirs.

    That was why ck Tortoise hadn¡¯t joined the fight himself when his puppets fought Gao Yang and hispanions.

    But why would Gao Yang have Teleportation?

    Never in his wildest dream would ck Tortoise imagine that Gao Yang hadprehended the Talent immediately after Ghost Horse¡¯s death, thanks to his ess to the Talent Pantheon.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to exin. His instinct told him that ck Tortoise was recovering, and he had less than one minute to kill the man. Still, it was enough.

    This was the one chance hispanions had earned him by fighting to theirst drop of blood. Gao Yang knew it very well.

    <i>This time, I must win!</i>

 Chapter 253: Three Furious Punches

    <h4>Chapter 253: Three Furious Punches</h4>

    Gao Yangid down Ghost Horse¡¯s body and closed the man¡¯s eyes before vanishing in an instant.

    He teleported to Nine Frost, who had cked out from injury, and grabbed his hand, quickly replicating level 5 Weak Point.

    From behind him, the bone stings came, but Gao Yang had already teleported away, out of the attack range.

    ¡°Can!¡± he shouted to no one in particr.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Can showed herself to him. She had been hiding behind a pipe, her face covered in tears of despair.

    Gao Yang teleported again to her side.

    ¡°Get on!¡± He turned his back to her. ¡°Don¡¯t let go!¡±

    Can paused and quickly nodded, jumping onto his back with her arms and legs wrapping around him like a turtle shell.

    Then the two of them disappeared.

    ck Tortoise tensed. He could guess what Gao Yang was nning.

    He decided to activate Phantom. However, he had been injured badly, and now that he had transformed into a monster with one¡¯s ability and physiology, he couldn¡¯t immediately tap into the awakener Talents inside him.

    As expected, he was half a beat too slow.

    A heavy punchnded on his right chest. He felt his internal organs almost shattered to pieces even with the protection of his scales.

    <i>This</i>, Gao Yang dered silently, <i>is for myself!</i>

    ck Tortoise was hit squarely, yet he couldn¡¯t see his assant.

    Still invisible, Gao Yang teleported in quick session.

    After getting a punch in, he activated the replicated level 5 Weak Point.

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Weak Point: Constitution + 450, Endurance + 450, Strength + 600, Agility + 350, Charisma + 120.]

    [Status screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 950 Endurance: 950]

    [Strength: 1300 Agility: 1250]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 236]

    [Luck: 454]

    With the temporary bonuses, Gao Yang¡¯s current stats almost rivaled those of War Tiger.

    ck Tortoise had given up on attacking. Instead, he crossed his arms and instinctively shielded his right chest.

    He didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang¡¯s second punch toe from the back, aimed at his heart.

    While his fist was in contact with only his flesh and bones, the force of his fist could reach his heart.

    Weak Point activated!

    <i>Times five!</i>

    Throwing up blood, ck Tortoise flew into the air.

    Gao Yang cried out inwardly, <i>This is for the fourth and fifth team members who had gotten killed!</i>

    <i>ng!</i>

    ck Tortoise mmed into a reactor, leaving a trail of blood on the wall.

    Pain overwhelmed him. The serious blow his heart suffered quickly drained him of energy, and the scales covering his body gradually disappeared.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to care. Clenching his teeth, he whirled around and syed his hands, attempting to protect himself with Phantom.

    But then a de pierced through his palm and pinned his right hand to the reactor, and then three consecutive gunshots hit him in the left arm, which dropped down uselessly, leaving his chest entirely exposed.

    <i>No!</i>

    With a sh of fear, ck Tortoise¡¯s eyes reflected a figure that had suddenly shown up midair. It was Gao Yang, who had teleported to him at imperceptible speed.

    <i>¡ªThis is for Wan Sisi!</i>

    <i>Bam!!!</i>

    Gao Yang hit ck Tortoise in the right chest.

    Weak Point activated!

    <i>Times twenty-five!</i>

    <i>Wing! </i>A powerful shockwave rippled out. Unable to hold on any longer, Can was thrown off Gao Yang¡¯s back and ended upnding on her bottom.

    Then with a piercing noise, ck Tortoise smashed through the metal wall of the reactor, ending up stuck inside.

    His chest burst, and his eyeballs were squeezed out, leaving only two crimson sockets. Blood came out from all his orifices. His facial features turned distorted, and his limbs twisted into braids.

    Crippled, his body looked like something grown out of the heap of damaged metal, macabre and pitiful.

    Gao Yang knew he couldn¡¯t be more dead.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Two streams of fire filled the reactor, burning ck Tortoise to charcoal before quickly melting and reducing his body.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang had almost no energy left, yet he kept pushing himself, squeezing himself dry. He couldn¡¯t stop.

    He smiled bitterly. <i>Elder ck Tortoise, I¡¯ve held your funeral for you and cremated you for free. Don¡¯t thank me. I¡¯m only doing my part as your subordinate.</i>

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang shouted again, but his hands no longer listened to him, and no fire came out.

    ¡°Fire! Fire, fire, fire...¡±

    He kept shouting. His face was already covered in tears when he realized.

    <i>Why did you stop?! Keep going!</i>

    <i>I can still fight! I have to get revenge!</i>

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    A hand rested on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. He turned around slowly and saw Officer Huang.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, Gao Yang.¡±

    ck Tortoise was dead.

    The archbishop, the second inmand of the Godbearer Cult had been killed. Gao Yang had taken his first step in revenge.

    But for some reason, he found no joy in it, only an empty feeling that had no bounds.

    <i>Ah, it turns out that there¡¯s no bringing back the dead no matter how many enemies I kill for revenge.</i>

    Gao Yang slowly closed his eyes and fell down backward.

    ...

    Five minutester, Azure Dragon arrived with the first team.

    They had someone with a healing Talent among them, and with the help of first-aid items, everyone at the chemical nt was saved from the clutches of death.

    Save for Ghost Horse. His body was ced on the side, covered by clothes.

    The fifth team and the two awakeners from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Qing Ling and Officer Huang, received treatment together. At the same time, Elder Azure Dragon questioned the Guild members.

    When the conversation shifted to Ghost Horse, they fell silent. They didn¡¯t know more than Azure Dragon did.

    The Elder turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang knew there was no hiding the fact that they fought together. Actually, he hade up with an exnation back when he decided to kill ck Tortoise with Ghost Horse.

    However, things went wrong, and the one they killed turned out to be nothing but a puppet of ck Tortoise¡¯s.

    The true form of ck Tortoise hadn¡¯t heard the conversation between Gao Yang and Ghost Horse, and he had never learned of Gao Yang¡¯s true identity and allegiance. Thus, the exnation would still work.

    After careful consideration, Gao Yang revealed some of the truths.

    ¡°Ghost Horse appeared to be a spy nted in the Twelve Zodiac Signs by the God Bearer Cult. After being found out and executed, he was then resurrected by someone from the Spectres and had been working for the Cult.¡±

    ¡°In truth, however, he was a double agent the Twelve Zodiac Signs nted in the Godbearer Cult. It was a top secret known only to Dragon and no one else.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you know?¡± Azure Dragon said with an icy expression. ¡°Are you perhaps a spy from the Twelve Zodiac Signs as well?¡±

    ¡°I can exin.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at Azure Dragon, who was wearing a dragon mask, and said with an honest gaze and an earnest tone, ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, while the body theft was entrusted to your capable hands, I had been secretly continuing with the investigation due to personal grievances with Ghost Horse.¡±

    Gao Yang exined the bad blood between him and Ghost Horse.

    ¡°Following the clues, I tracked Ghost Horse to the chemical nt, only to learn that he had lured me here on purpose. He had already learned of the true identity of ck Tortoise of the Guild¡ªhe was the second-inmand of the Godbearer Cult. Ghost Horse had been working for ck Tortoise recently, and he stole the bodies for him.¡±

    ¡°Ghost Horse realized that ck Tortoise was incredibly dangerous, that he might have suspected him of being a double agent and was going to kill him. Thus, Ghost Horse told me about his true identity and goal, asking me to help take out ck Tortoise.¡±

    ¡°My beef with Ghost Horse was an extension of my beef with ck Tortoise and the Godbearer Cult. Ghost Horse believed that I had reason to take revenge against the man.¡±

    ¡°Even if you did have the reason to take revenge, why would you so easily believe Ghost Horse if you weren¡¯t a spy from the Twelve Zodiac Signs? Why would you take his words for it?¡± Azure Dragon questioned level-headedly, his gaze sharp.

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve found the relevant clues in Captain Three Air¡¯s diary, pointing to ck Tortoise being a traitor. I only believe the conclusion after finding different supporting evidence.¡±

    Gao Yang exined what he had found from the diary and the logic of his deduction.

    ¡°And ck Tortoise turned out to be a traitor from the Cult. If you don¡¯t believe me, have Elder Vermilion Bird question ck Tortoise. The body won¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me?¡± Azure Dragon asked. ¡°Leave me to deal with ck Tortoise?¡±

    ¡°First, you may not believe me. Second, things were urgent when Ghost Horse asked me to work with him, leaving me with little time to think. I admit I was gambling. Killing ck Tortoise would not only allow me to have my revenge, it would also be a great merit on my record. If I seeded, I would surely be an Elder.¡±

    Gao Yang mixed truth with lies and lowered his head with a bitter smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect things to go so wrong, and for me to almost get killed.¡±

    ¡°Ghost Horse and you had bitten off more than you could chew,¡± Azure Dragon said with a hint of disapproval. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to not have been wiped out entirely. Wait for your punishment. Don¡¯t expect your killing ck Tortoise to make up for your mistake.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll ept whatever punishment.¡± Gao Yang nodded humbly.

    Azure Dragon sighed quietly. ¡°Seven Shadow, I¡¯ll take your words for it for now. Once we return to headquarters, I¡¯ll question all of you again, and Guildmaster will join me as well. Then your punishment will be decided.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Gao Yang then said, ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, may I be questioned two dayster?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s taking his college entrance exams,¡± it was Qing Ling who answered. Sitting on the ground, she held onto her Tang Dao with one hand and covered her bandaged abdomen with the other.

    Azure Dragon paused and said in a softer tone, ¡°We¡¯ll do that then. I¡¯ll have someone keep an eye on you. Good luck for the next two days.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    Azure Dragon nced at Ghost Horse¡¯s body. ¡°Take him too and have Vermilion Bird question him.¡±

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t believe he would forget about Ghost Horse¡¯s body!

    Ghost Horse knew his true identity, and he would be exposed.

    When they first came up with their n to assassinate ck Tortoise, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t expected Ghost Horse to get killed.

    ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate for you to take one of our own, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    A voice spoke up like a timely rain.

    Azure Dragon and Gao Yang looked up to see three people walking through the front gates of the chemical nt.

 Chapter 254: Sunny Day

    <h4>Chapter 254: Sunny Day</h4>

    Gao Yang got a good look at the neers. They were War Tiger, White Rabbit, and Heavenly Dog, all wearing their respective animal masks.

    Seeing the familiar tabby cat mask on War Tiger put Gao Yang at ease, but he had to maintain his poker face.

    On his way here, War Tiger had heard from Officer Huang about what happened. Without sparing Gao Yang and the other members of the Qilin Guild a look, he went straight to Ghost Horse and knelt down, lifting the clothes covering the body and staring at Ghost Horse¡¯s face for a good while.

    His rueful silence didn¡¯tst long.

    ¡°Ghost Horse.¡± War Tiger sighed resignedly. ¡°You and Dragon are both bastards, keeping everything a secret from even me.¡±

    He reached out to ce a hand on Ghost Horse¡¯s shoulder and said like he was speaking to a friend who was in deep slumber, ¡°Good work. Have a good rest and leave things to us.¡±

    War Tiger picked up Ghost Horse¡¯s body and stood up, ncing at Azure Dragon. ¡°I¡¯m taking ours.¡±

    Azure dragon said after a thoughtful pause, ¡°The dead are nevering back. Why not leave him to be questioned by Vermilion Bird? Perhaps he has important information for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting a hand on him.¡± War Tiger scoffed. ¡°Our member will have a send off ording to our rules.¡±

    He turned to leave. White Rabbit and Heavenly Dog each helped Qing Ling and Officer Huang up before following him.

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± War Tiger turned around like he had remembered something after taking roughly ten steps, ¡°My brother gave his life to take out the traitor for you. Tell your guildmaster to think about how he¡¯s going to repay us.¡±

    With that, he walked away.

    Azure Dragon quietly watched them go.

    ¡°Fuck, who gave him the right to talk down on us? We all risked our lives tonight.¡± Gray Bear cursed with a hand covering his injured abdomen, leaning against a wall.

    Nine Frost sat prone beside him without saying anything, looking weak.

    After making sure that the members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs had left, Azure Dragon allowed himself a barely audible sigh.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs wasn¡¯t the only one losing a brother.

    Azure Dragon had lost a brother as well. Never could he foresee that ck Tortoise, who he had known for almost ten years, would turn out to be an enemy in such deep cover.

    He waved at his team. ¡°Get the injured to headquarters and notify Elder White Tiger to clean up the mess. ck Tortoise¡¯s remains are to be transported to the Vermilion Bird branch at once. I¡¯ll conduct the interrogation with her.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang returned to the White Tiger branch and got changed before forcing himself to sleep for two hours. When he woke up, his external injuries had more or less recovered with the help of fast-acting medicine. Apply some concealer, and they would be unnoticeable.

    As for the internal injuries, they would take longer to heal. He just had to live with them.

    Gao Yang put on his backpack. Inside were his admission ticket and the stationeries needed for the exams.

    He left the Walled City of Ten Dragons early, hailing a taxi to head to the exam site.

    The driver recognized him as an examinee and generously offered the ride for free. He also offered words of encouragement to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang thanked the driver. Then he said apropos of nothing, ¡°Sir, could we stop by a flower shop on the Sunfacing Road in Daxu District? It¡¯s not far from here.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why though?¡±

    ¡°I want to get some flowers for good luck,¡± Gao Yang lied with a smile.

    ¡°No problem!¡± The driver steered the driving wheel with a chuckle.

    Soon, the taxi reached <i>Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers</i>.

    Songstress opened shop early today, and as usual, she had her hair up and wore an apron with flower patterns, watering flowers with a gardening can at the door. It seemed that War Tiger hadn¡¯t told her about Ghost Horse yet.

    Noticing a visitor, she turned around with a professional smile. ¡°Wee...¡±

    She paused when she saw Gao Yang¡¯s pale face before smiling again, like Gao Yang was but a regr customer. ¡°Looking for some flowers?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a friend sent me to get a bouquet,¡± Gao Yang said ruefully. ¡°He couldn¡¯t make it, so he told me that I muste for him.¡±

    Songstress stared at him, wide-eyed, feeling a sense of foreboding.

    Some time ago, she heard from War Tiger that Ghost Horse hade back to life. She was conflicted, unsure if she should be d or sad.

    To avoid conflict of interests, War Tiger hadn¡¯t gone into more details. He only said that they were looking for the man.

    Recently, Songstress rarely went to the base, but instead had been quietly running her flower shop. Sometimes, she would think she caught Ghost Horse on the other side of the road, but it was so fleeting that it didn¡¯t seem real.

    She always told herself that it must have been her brain tricking her because she missed him too much.

    Still, something unusual had been happening.

    Every two days, she would get an order for a bouquet of forget-me-nots. However, the mysterious buyer always kept their name a secret.

    In her weakest moments, Songstress would wonder if Ghost Horse was the one ordering the flowers.

    The thought shocked her every time, filling her with equal parts heartbreak and delight.

    Ghost Horse had betrayed the Twelve Zodiac Signs, yet he hadn¡¯t betrayed their rtionship. The two facts weren¡¯t mutually exclusive.

    As a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Songstress resented Ghost Horse, but as a regr person, she couldn¡¯t help but yearn for him.

    The two facts weren¡¯t mutually exclusive, either.

    She even had a dream one night.

    She dreamed of a cloudy day, of Ghost Horse showing up at the door of her flower shop with a ck umbre. He looked thinner, more unkempt, and he personally bought a bouquet of forget-me-nots from her.

    With the bouquet in hand, he exined to her that there was more to his apparent betrayal, that he wasn¡¯t actually a traitor, that they were stillpanions.

    Beside herself, she invited him into the shop to have a seat, brewing him a cup of coffee and ying his favorite jazz music.

    They sat by the ss wall and watched the rain fall quietly. Every once in a while, they would exchange a nce and a small smile.

    Just like usual, like they had always done.

    ¡°What, what...¡± Songstress took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask, ¡°flower is he getting?¡±

    Gao Yang calmly said, ¡°Forget-me-nots.¡±

    <i>ng!</i>

    The gardening can fell to the ground. Songstress shook her head in disbelief, hands covering her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. ¡°No, no...no...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Gao Yang choked. Then he walked up to the door and picked up a bouquet of blue forget-me-nots before turning to leave.

    <i>I¡¯ve done what you told me to do, Ghost Horse.</i>

    <i>Ah, and I forgive you.</i>

    <i>Thank you for saving me. We¡¯ll walk the rest of the way for you.</i>

    ...

    Gao Yang went back into the taxi. The driver started the car and nced at the rearview mirror before saying in surprise, ¡°Why are your eyes so red, kid? You alright?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Just a little sore because I was cramming in more studyst night.¡±

    He looked away, out of the window. ¡°The sun is so bright today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s another sunny day.¡± The driverughed heartily. ¡°Everything will be alright.¡±

    ...

    The college entrance exams were finally here. It used to be the most important event in Gao Yang¡¯s life.

    Two days, no more, no less.

    It was probably the most peaceful two days Gao Yang had had since his eighteenth birthday.

    He wrote down his name on the answer sheet and concentrated on the test. The weather outside couldn¡¯t be better. The summer wind swept and shook tree branches, and cicadas chirped.

    When Gao Yang realized it, he had already finished with the exams. He officially graduated.

    The evening sky was beautiful. Gao Yang returned home and opened the door to find his grandmother, mother, and sister sitting on the sofa tensely, while his father was on his wheelchair, craning his neck to look at Gao Yang as he came through the door.

    Gao Yang quietly entered the hallway and changed into slippers, casting his backpack aside with a long sigh.

    Then he announced loudly, ¡°I¡¯m done! I think I did quite well!¡±

    ¡°Haha, my boy is the best!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, son!¡±

    ¡°Good for you, bro!¡±

    ¡°I told you Yang Yang would do well!¡±

    His family came up to him and held him in excitement. Gao Yangughed as well and stayed in their embrace.

    For a moment, he wished that time would stop.

    That night, Gao Yang had a hearty dinner and, for the first time since forever, had a few drinks with his father. When the night was deep, he took a shower and went to his bedroom, locking his door and window.

    Lying on the bed, he didn¡¯t have to meditate to fall asleep.

    In his dream, he returned to the orphanage, when he was six years old.

    The kids yed in the courtyard while he stood on his own in the middle of it. The woman taking care of them came up and held Gao Yang from the back. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you ying with them, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°They ignore me,¡± Gao Yang said petntly.

    Yes, everyone was having so much fun.

    Jumping rope, sandbags, stacking blocks, seesaws, swings... Everyone had a happy beam on their face as they yed, their eyes glinting with excitement.

    Yet none of them paid any attention to him, as if he didn¡¯t exist.

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, waking up.

    It was seven in the morning, and the sun was a little too bright outside the window.

    Washing up, Gao Yang had a simple breakfast before going outside alone.

    It was Ghost Horse¡¯s second funeral today.

    Vermilion Bird had questioned ck Tortoise¡¯s body and learned quite a few things about the Godbearer Cult, and the Guild wasing up with a response.

    Regarding Gao Yang and Ghost Horse, the body had only told her that the two had worked together, but with ck Tortoise not knowing more about the matter, that was all Vermilion Bird could learn.

    Gao Yang was absolved for the moment.

    Although further investigation hadn¡¯t been conducted, Gao Yang was allowed to go about freely.

    As a former member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the representative of the Qilin Guild, he was going to attend Ghost Horse¡¯s funeral.

 Chapter 255: Crimson Tide

    <h4>Chapter 255: Crimson Tide</h4>

    Taiping Bridge Cemetery, eight o¡¯clock in the morning.

    It was a sunny day. The sky was empty of clouds, and the temperature moderate. Gentle breeze swept over the mountain, which was covered in thriving green.

    Ghost Horse was buried once more, for thest time.

    Outside of Dragon, all other members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs were in attendance.

    Dressed in dark formal wear, they each had a white flower to their chest as they circled Ghost Horse¡¯s tomb.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird attended as representatives of the Qilin Guild and watched from afar, keeping a polite distance.

    Holding a white daisy, War Tiger stood among them and said in a booming voice tinged with sorrow, ¡°We¡¯ve gathered here today to see Ghost Horse off.¡±

    ¡°A month ago, we were also here to send our old friend on his way. At the time, our sorrow was overpowered by anger, confusion, and conflicted feelings.¡±

    ¡°Today, we returned, but with the knowledge that Ghost Horse was no traitor, that he was our most trusted friend,panion, and family, that he had never and would never betray the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too heartbroken, my friends. It was Ghost Horse¡¯s own decision to walk the precarious path of a double agent. He was determined and held fast to his goal,pleting his mission splendidly.¡±

    ¡°Although he passed away, his will stay with us. We¡¯ll walk the rest of the path for him!¡±

    War Tiger paused and looked around, putting on a smile. ¡°I¡¯m done. Let us give him the flowers.¡±

    They each went up toy down a white daisy on the newly set up tombstone. In the ck-and-white photo on the tombstone was a thin, tired-looking middle-aged man.

    He did his best to curl his lips into a smile. Although it looked forced, there was also a hint of awkward gentleness that was unique to him.

    Never did Gao Yang think that the first time he saw Ghost Horse smile would be in thest photo the man had prepared for himself, and the same was true of many members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Many of their eyes turned red. Holding onto White Rabbit¡¯s legs, Lovely Lamb had been crying nonstop.

    He kept saying, ¡°Uncle Ghost Horse wasn¡¯t the Big Bad Wolf, he wasn¡¯t...¡±

    White Rabbit petted her on the head without saying anything; she worried that she would burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth.

    They finished paying tribute with flowers not long after.

    Among the members dressed in ck, Songstress was the only one wearing a in white dress. She was holding a bouquet of blue forget-me-nots.

    Lifting her beautiful dress with one hand, she slowly knelt down to ce the forget-me-nots on the tombstone.

    She reached out, fingertips gently kissing the dead man¡¯s smiling face in the ck-and-white photo.

    Tears streamed down her face in quiet mourning.

    She opened her mouth suddenly. Then her gentle, captivating, yet sorrowful singing voice echoed in the mountain.

    ¡ªOutside the pavilion, by the ancient road, green grass extended to the sky.

    ¡ªNight wind swept the willow trees amid the faint tune yed on flute, beyond the mountain lit by sunset stood another mountain.

    ¡ªOutside the pavilion, by the ancient road, green grass extended to the sky.

    ¡ªNight wind swept the willow trees amid the faint tune yed on flute, beyond the mountain lit by sunset stood another mountain.

    ¡ªTo the edge of the dome, to the end of the world, our dear friends part ways.

    ¡ªMost precious in life is the time of reunion, and more often we separate.

    ¡ªTo the edge of the dome, to the end of the world, our dear friends part ways.

    ¡ªMost precious in life is the time of reunion, and more often we separate.

    ...

    The singing reached Gao Yang¡¯s ear. He could sense the strong emotions and the energy from Requiem imbuing it, seeping quietly into his body and cleansing his soul.

    Strangely, Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel drowsy.

    He soon realized why: Songstress¡¯ Requiem had reached level 5.

    It took extreme situations for a Talent to go from level 4 to level 5, such as a sense of extreme danger, fury, fear, relief...

    For Songstress, it was probably her overwhelming heartbreak triggering her level-up.

    After she finished singing the song, she smiled at Ghost Horse and said the words she had wanted to say to the man since long ago.

    ¡°I¡¯ll love you till the end.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Vermilion Bird seemed to have remembered something, and her gaze was wistful.

    She was dressed in a pair of jeans, a loose, ck T-shirt, a baseball cap, and a surgical mask. She turned around with her hands in her pockets.

    Gao Yang followed her out of the cemetery and got into the red sedan parked by the road.

    Vermilion Bird took the driver¡¯s seat, but didn¡¯t immediately start the car. A few minutester, War Tiger and White Rabbit came up to them.

    War Tiger knocked on the door, ¡°Mind giving us a ride, Miss Xia?¡±

    Vermilion Bird waved a hand. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    War Tiger threw Gao Yang a secret nce and opened the door to the backseat with a smile, getting in with White Rabbit.

    From the passenger seat, Gao Yang turned to Vermilion Bird questioningly. ¡°Miss Xia, what is...¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t feel right to tell you earlier. I just got a message that we have to work overtime today.¡±

    ¡°Work overtime?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam Li of the Hundred Rivers Union has urgent matters to discuss, and she asked the Guild to send Elders as representatives.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Ah.¡±

    He nced at War Tiger and White Rabbit through the rearview mirror and said in a deliberately distant tone, ¡°Then they must be the representatives the Twelve Zodiac are sending to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam Li asked us to send someone immediately as well.¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°Might as well get a lift from you.¡±

    Gao Yang had a rapport with Vermilion Bird, so he asked without much hesitation, ¡°Sister Xia, did you know Mr. War Tiger?¡±

    ¡°Did I know him? We have quite the history,¡± Xia Li said through clenched teeth with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes, kicking the elerator.

    The car started.

    ¡°A history of almost killing each other,¡± War Tiger said vaguely.

    Feeling the tension in the air, Gao Yang decided to shut up.

    White Rabbit changed the subject, ¡°Congrats on your promotion, Mr. Seven Shadow. You¡¯ve been going up after using the Twelve Zodiac Signs as a stepping stone.¡±

    ¡°Promotion?¡± Gao Yang was genuinely surprised. He turned to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°With ck Tortoise dead, you are most likely to take his ce.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t keep it from him. ¡°You¡¯ve umted more than enough achievements, and you meet the low bar in terms of capability. As for your loyalty, it¡¯s still a question.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t I supposed to be punished?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Why would I be promoted?¡±

    Vermilion Bird said cryptically, ¡°Believe me, bing an Elder is your worst punishment.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you here, Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird nced at War Tiger and White Rabbit through the rearview mirror pointedly. ¡°If you truly be an Elder, there will be many pairs of eyes on you. You should know where your allegiance lies and stick to it, or you¡¯ll die a terrible death.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? I can¡¯t wait!¡± White Rabbit, who knew nothing of his mission, was beside herself. ¡°Make sure to notify me when that happens. I¡¯m attending the funeral banquet.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gao Yang kept up aposed expression, but inwardly, he was yelling, <i>What is this? The freaking imperial court?!</i>

    Eight thirty in the morning was rush hour for people going to work. Due to the traffic, it took them an hour to drive to the Sea View Tower in the Nanji District.

    The four of them took the elevator to the top floor. Just like thest time Gao Yang visited, Chen Ying was waiting outside in a formal, muted business suit.

    She bowed slightly. ¡°Follow me, please. Madam Li has been waiting.¡±

    The three-pane folding screen opened.

    The four of them entered the booth. Madam Li didn¡¯t have makeup on today, and her hair was put up in a simple hairdo, strands of silver lining her temples.

    Like thest time, she was kneeling on the floor, only wrapped in a ck nket with her face sickly pale and her eyes dim, even muddled.

    Gao Yang was surprised. It was summer. The indoor air-conditioning wasn¡¯t that strong. However, Madam Li seemed particrly prone to chill today.

    ¡°Apologies, this happens every time I use my Talent. I¡¯ll be fine after half a day.¡± Madam Li shuddered, and there was a tremor to her voice too. She didn¡¯t try to hide her spell of weakness.

    ¡°Madam Li, what is the emergency that you¡¯d gather us here on such short notice?¡± Vermillion Bird asked politely.

    Madam Li nodded. ¡°Something of the utmost importance.¡±

    Then she turned to War Tiger and White Rabbit. ¡°Before I go into the details, as a show of goodwill, I¡¯ll tell you about my Talent.¡±

    Although none of them let it show on their faces, they were all taken aback.

    All top ten Talents were considered S-ss secrets, the trump cards of an organization not to be revealed unless absolutely necessary.

    What was she nning?

    ¡°In truth, my Talent isn¡¯t much of a secret. You should all know that I have the ability to predict the future.¡± Madam Li smiled faintly. ¡°Still, you don¡¯t know the exact mechanism behind my ability. I can tell you now...¡±

    ¡°Wait, Madam Li.¡± Vermilion Bird stopped her and took off her baseball cap, looking around before saying cautiously, ¡°Are you being serious with this?¡±

    Madam Li nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Would we get to walk out of here alive after hearing your secret, Madam Li?¡± War Tiger asked in a jesting tone, but his eyes were cold.

    ¡°How is an old woman like me going to keep the four of you here, given your ability?¡± she said genuinely.

    ¡°Alright.¡± War Tiger was the first to sit down on the tatami. ¡°We¡¯re all ears.¡±

    Madam Li calmly said, ¡°My Talent is Prophet, serial number 5.¡±

    The only response she got was silence.

    Madam Li looked at the four of them. ¡°My Talentes in three forms. First, I can predict what will happen around me in the next ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°<i>Then you should know what I¡¯m going to say, shouldn¡¯t you?</i>¡± she suddenly added. ¡°That¡¯s what you were going to say, right, Mr. War Tiger?¡±

    War Tiger gaped. ¡°Whoa! It was!¡±

    After proving her first ability, Madam Li continued, ¡°Secondly, I can predict something rted to me three days beforehand.¡±

    Gao Yang remembered something. ¡°Then did you foresee me seeking Chen Ying outst time, Madam Li? That¡¯s why you were able to prepare beforehand?¡±

    Madam Li smiled. ¡°It seems I don¡¯t have to prove that ability to you.¡±

    White Rabbit, Vermilion Bird, and Gao Yang sat down across from Madam Li as well.

    After a brief silence, Madam Li spoke up.

    ¡°My final ability is prophetic dreams.¡±

    ¡°I may dream of major events that will happen in the future. Of course, it¡¯s something beyond my control. It works more like a glimpse into the future the goddess of destiny allows me to catch.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± War Tiger snapped his fingers. ¡°Let¡¯s not drag things on. Tell us, what did you dream of?¡±

    Madam Li¡¯s pale face turned dead serious. ¡°The Crimson Tide will arrive ahead of time.¡±

    Vermilion Bird, War Tiger, and White Rabbit all scowled, silent.

    Gao Yang was surprised too, but his expression wasn¡¯t as tense since he had no personal experience with Crimson Tides.

    Ten secondster, Vermilion Bird asked in a low voice, ¡°How much ahead?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing in ten days.¡±

    [End of Act 2]

 Chapter 256: Old Fox

    <h4>Chapter 256: Old Fox</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯sing in ten days.¡±

    The booth fell silent when Madam Li uttered the words calmly and surely.

    Gao Yang could sense the tension in the air. Everyone was shocked, almost finding her statementughable.

    ¡°Madam Li.¡±

    War Tiger broke the silence ten secondster, his sharp gaze gaining an edge of scrutiny. ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter you should joke about.¡±

    ¡°Mr. War Tiger.¡± Madam Li looked at him openly, her eyes colored by a hint of pity. ¡°I wish I were joking.¡±

    ¡°Boss has never been wrong with her prediction,¡± Chen Ying said seriously. ¡°Whatever she foresaw always happened, and I meant <i>always</i>.¡±

    Her expression lit up with gratitude and admiration. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to her that the Hundred Rivers Union is able to stand strong to this day.¡±

    War Tiger stopped talking. He tilted his head and frowned, rubbing his temple with his thumb.

    Vermilion Bird looked tense but also befuddled. ¡°I thought it was going to happen a fortnight ahead or so, which wouldn¡¯t be unprecedented. But you, Madam Li, imed that the Crimson Tide ising two years early?¡±

    <i>So it should¡¯vee two yearster</i>, Gao Yang thought to himself.

    Given his current status, he was wholly entitled to information about the Crimson Tide. He had simply neglected to find out more about it because of all the things happening recently in quick session; he had been barely staying alive.

    He decided to push aside his curiosity and asked Vermilion Bird about it in private.

    It would be unbing of an Elder-candidate to not even know what Crimson Tides were.

    White Rabbit reflexively took out the nail polish in her pocket, but remembering the asion, she stealthy put it back. ¡°Miss Chen, do you mean that Madam Li had predicted thest Crimson Tide?¡±

    Chen Ying paused, unsure of if she should respond.

    Madam Li smiled and said in a gentle, honest tone, ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell us about itst time, but you did so now so urgently?¡± White Rabbit asked the question everyone was curious about.

    Madam Li met her eyes. ¡°Because things are different this time.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be bad.¡±

    War Tiger asked, ¡°In what way?¡±

    Madam Li didn¡¯t say anything.

    When he didn¡¯t get an answer, War Tiger broke into a smile and asked bluntly, ¡°Tell us. What do you want in return?¡±

    ¡°I want an alliance,¡± said Madam Li.

    ¡°In what form?¡±

    ¡°When the Crimson Tidees, the three organizations must work together to ovee the crisis, and the strong are obligated to protect the weak.¡±

    In other words, the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild must protect most members of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Bemused, Vermilion Bird asked, ¡°Madam Li, based on our past experience, the best way for awakeners to survive a Crimson Tide is to hide, and each of the three major organizations has our own hideouts...¡±

    She trailed off, her gaze turning sharp. ¡°Is this Crimson Tide going to be different?¡±

    Madam Li nodded, her voice growing grave. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing is despicable, but I won¡¯t provide you with any more information if you don¡¯t agree to an alliance. Then we will all meet our demise.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± War Tiger pped his thigh. ¡°Madam Li, oh, you old fox. I see you live up to your reputation.¡±

    ¡°Show some respect, Mr. War Tiger!¡± Chen Ying said angrily.

    Madam Li raised a hand, and Chen Ying lowered her head, realizing she had lost herposure. ¡°Apologies.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way, Madam Li.¡± War Tiger smiled astutely. ¡°I meant it as apliment. If you keep up your usual image as a pushover of a saint, I would worry about you being a burden. Now that I know you¡¯re cunning in your own way, I¡¯m more willing to work with you.¡±

    Madam Li smiled wryly. ¡°We all have our way of surviving. In such a world, who among us aren¡¯t making use of everything at our disposal?¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± War Tiger propped himself up with his hands on his knees. ¡°I¡¯m going back with White Rabbit and holding a meeting. We¡¯ll try to give you an answer by tonight.¡±

    Vermilion Bird had already taken out her phone. ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision myself. I¡¯m calling Guildmaster.¡±

    She openly made the call despite everyone in the room being able to hear her. ¡°Hello, Doctor Su, may I make an appointment today? Yes, I had a rpse recently. I would like a session with a small support group... Okay, we¡¯ll meet at the clinic in an hour.¡±

    She hung up and kept her eyes on Madam Li as she rose to her feet. ¡°We¡¯ll give you an answer by the end of the day.¡±

    ¡°Clock¡¯s ticking. Please do hurry.¡± Madam Li nodded. ¡°Forgive me for not seeing you off since I¡¯m feeling unwell.¡±

    Chen Ying stood up and led the four of them out of the booth, to the elevator.

    Downstairs, Vermilion Bird went up to the curb and opened the car door, looking over at War Tiger. ¡°Are you riding with us still?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going the same way. We¡¯ll get a taxi.¡± War Tiger lit a cigarette and took a deep breath, giving Vermilion Bird a pointed look. ¡°Hey, what do you think about this?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Vermilion Bird shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯ll follow our leader.¡±

    ¡°Stop ying dumb.¡± War Tiger gave her a knowing look. ¡°You must be excited. Things are finally getting interesting!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Exposed, Vermilion Bird let out a loudugh. ¡°I¡¯ll say the same to you.¡±

    ¡°You two are psychos who just want to watch the world burn.¡± White Rabbit rolled her eyes. She couldn¡¯t understand them.

    <i>Seconded</i>, Gao Yang silently agreed.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Vermilion Bird drove to Doctor Su¡¯s psychiatric clinic with Gao Yang along on the ride. On their way, Gao Yang had phoned the two other Elders, Azure Dragon and White Tiger, and they said that they would rush to Guildmaster¡¯s clinic at once.

    Gao Yang checked the map on his phone. Given the current traffic, it would take them about half an hour to arrive at their destination.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang pretended to be nonchnt. ¡°Sister Xia, about the Crimson Tide...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting to ask that, haven¡¯t you?¡± Vermilion Bird cut him off.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t deny it. He awkwardly nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well, you did only awaken two months ago, yet you¡¯ve gone to three Rune Caves, transferred once, killed two spies, and prepared for your college entrance exams. It only makes sense that you wouldn¡¯t have time to learn more about it.¡±

    Gao Yang stifled a dryugh. <i>Thanks for your consideration, Sister Xia, but that¡¯s quite a detailed rundown.</i>

    Vermilion Bird tapped on the driving wheel with her delicate fingers. ¡°Crimson Tides aren¡¯t exactly a secret. Those who have been through it simply never talk about it, and the Guild believes it¡¯s better not to arouse panic unnecessarily, so we don¡¯t tell newbies about it unless there is a need.¡±

    ¡°Please stop talking in circles, Sister Xia.¡± Gao Yang was feeling impatient.

    ¡°Simply put, Crimson Tides are wars between the monsters and the awakeners,¡± Vermilion Bird said calmly.

    Gao Yang had guessed as much, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Patience. I haven¡¯t told you the details.¡± Vermilion Bird moved the wheel to overtake a slow ck car. ¡°Let me ask you a question.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Eight years ago, you should have been enjoying your summer vacation. Do you remember anything memorable back then?¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it. Eight years ago, he was ten years old. He didn¡¯t remember much about that summer vacation.

    ¡°Think about it carefully. For example, there could be a few days when you felt drowsy, and you fell asleep as soon as night came. When you woke up, it was already daytime. And everything felt surreal to you.¡±

    Gao Yang racked through his memory and eximed with a start, ¡°Ah, there was a time like that! I got a serious cold, and I spent quite a few days feeling lightheaded and drowsy. It took me about a week to recover.¡±

    Gao Yang gasped in realization. ¡°That was a Crimson Tide?!¡±

 Chapter 257: Rules of Crimson Tides

    <h4>Chapter 257: Rules of Crimson Tides</h4>

    ¡°Yes, that is how regr humans experience Crimson Tides.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stared ahead. Under her airy bang, her brown eyes glinted with an unreadable emotion. ¡°To awakeners, Crimson Tides are something entirely different.¡±

    Gao Yang shifted in the seat and focused, knowing that she was getting to the key points.

    ¡°Crimson Tides happen every ten years. No one knows how many times it¡¯s been and how many more there will be.¡±

    ¡°Each Tidests seven days, and from the first night, the moon turns crimson and fills the sky. You know, like the blood moon described in stories.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± Gao Yang nodded. It was amon concept in games and other media.

    ¡°A thick blood fog permeates all isted inds, reaching the height of the knees. It recedes when the morninges like the rises and falls of tides.¡±

    ¡°The Crimson Tide is an apt name.¡± Gao Yang could imagine the sight, beautiful yet eerie.

    Vermilion Bird nodded and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you know where the tide-like blood foges from?¡±

    Gao Yang paused and quickly caught on, ¡°The Gates of Closure.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    <i>So it¡¯s all rted to the gates</i>, Gao Yang thought with quiet surprise.

    ¡°The fog leaks out from the Gates of Closure, and ignoringws of physics, it quickly spreads to all isted inds of the Mist World. No matter where you go and no matter the altitude, there will always be a half-meter tall blood fog at your feet.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by Vermilion Bird. ¡°I know you are wondering where the Gates of Closure is, but that¡¯s something only Guildmaster can tell you. Just know that the blood foges from the Gates, and that no one can stop its ebbs and flows.¡±

    Gao Yang then asked, ¡°Is the fog dangerous?¡±

    ¡°No. At least it doesn¡¯t directly harm awakeners. However, the consensus is that the true purpose of the blood fog is to enable monsters to immediately recognize awakeners.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded quietly, digesting the information.

    Vermilion Bird hit the brake at a red light. ¡°During the seven days of a Crimson Tide, daytime is entirely different from nighttime. Before the sun sets, everything is as usual. Once the night falls, though, the blood moon rises, and the blood fog follows a few hourster. All wanderers and regr humans alike fall asleep, leaving only awakeners and other elite monsters awake.¡±

    ¡°Then the restraint of the Heavenly Way loosens. Awakeners cannot pretend to be asleep to avoid detection. Elite monsters will be able to tell awakeners from regr humans at first nce.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± Vermilion Bird stepped on the elerator, and the car started again, ¡°is the beginning of the hunt.¡±

    ¡°And we are the prey?¡± Gao Yang asked without thinking, but realized he had told the answer when the words left his mouth.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes turned icy. ¡°Greed monsters, wraith monsters, and pride monsters roam around at night, killing all awakeners they encounter.¡±

    ¡°What about life monsters and death monsters?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. They may have taken part, or they may have not.¡±

    Vermilion Bird shrugged. ¡°But ording to the information we¡¯ve collected so far, life monsters and death monsters are likely to have stayed out of Crimson Tides. In fact, they have not been sighted directly at all.¡±

    ¡°Then how do we know about their existence to begin with?¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t being contrarian. He had been wondering about this for a long time.

    ¡°Because we have circumstantial evidence proving their existence, which involves top secrets.¡± Vermilion Bird smirked. ¡°If you want to know more, ask Guildmaster.¡±

    Gao Yang shut up and didn¡¯t ask further.

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang said, ¡°If that¡¯s how the Crimson Tide goes, it doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s downturned lips curved into a careless smile. ¡°Yeah. Eight years ago, when the three organizations weren¡¯t as robust as we are today, awakeners survived the Crimson Tide, suffering only a death toll of forty people.¡±

    ¡°Only?¡± Gao Yang was shocked. Forty ounted for one fifth of all awakeners!

    ¡°Yes, half of them were freshly awakened and hadn¡¯t yet joined formal organizations.¡± Vermilion Bird paused. ¡°And the other half chose death.¡±

    Curiosity piqued, Gao Yang asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Without looking at Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird focused on the road ahead and said, ¡°Although wraith monsters have a certain degree of intelligence and emotions, they don¡¯t scheme. Greed monsters, on the other hand, are highly intelligent, be it overtakers or freeriders. They crave awakeners¡¯ bodies and stop at nothing to make awakeners show themselves.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned, realization dawning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an example, and you¡¯ll understand.¡± Vermilion Bird brushed up her airy bang with a hand. ¡°Suppose a neighbor of yours is a greed monster, and the two of you are close and visit each other often.¡±

    ¡°During the week of the Crimson Tide, you go AWOL, while your neighbor¡¯s monsterhood awakens. Based on its previous experience and memories, it has all the reasons to suspect that you¡¯re an awakener and have found a ce to hide.¡±

    ¡°Yes, true.¡±

    ¡°Then how is it going to lure you out of your hideout?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. ¡°My...family.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°Remember, the Heavenly Way loses its effect during the week. Even if your family are wanderers, the greed monsters will be able to hurt their own kind to lure you out. If that happens, will you or will you not try to save your loved ones?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t answer, but his murderous gaze was an answer in itself. No one was touching his family!

    Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°In theory, an awakener should be safe as long as they find a hideout and stay there for a week without contacting anyone. If they belong to an organization, it¡¯ll be even safer for them to stay with their fellow members.¡±

    ¡°If they ignore their family and friends, that is,¡± Gao Yang said hoarsely.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vermilion Bird shrugged. ¡°A majority of awakeners can do that. They never consider wanderers their actual family and friends.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°And there are a good number of people like you. They jump into the trap even though they know what it is.¡±

    Then Vermilion Bird added, ¡°Remember body number 21, who almost blew you up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. The memory couldn¡¯t be fresher in his mind.

    ¡°During the previous Crimson Tide, he fell victim to a trapid down by a monster. He was hiding in the base, but left his phone on. Two days into the Crimson Tide, he got a call for help from his sister.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s tone gained a hint of sympathy. ¡°He and his sister only had each other, and they were close. Number 21 could not stand by and do nothing when his sister could be in danger, and he made up his mind to go to his sister¡¯s rescue.¡±

    ¡°The Guild neither opposes or supports such an act, and we didn¡¯t have anyone go with him. We couldn¡¯t risk the lives of other members.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°In the end, number 21 went to save his sister and ended up killed.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s voice turned cold.

    ¡°By what monster?¡±

    ¡°Greed monster.¡± Her eyes glinted. ¡°His sister was the greed monster, and he died at her hand.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart, unable to reconcile with the man¡¯s fate.

    ¡°There¡¯s more to the story,¡± Vermilion Bird said. ¡°Number 21¡¯s sister seeded in taking over her brother¡¯s body and became him. It returned to base, and a teammate of number 21¡ªBlue Dolphin, with Mindreading¡ªheard its true thoughts and secretly notified Azure Dragon. The monster was swiftly executed.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes were frosty. ¡°It was a serious security breach. If Blue Dolphin hadn¡¯t exposed the greed monster by chance, our hideout would have been found out, and the shadowstalkers among pride monsters would¡¯vee after us. The consequences would be unimaginable.¡±

    ¡°Shadowstalkers.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath. ¡°How strong are they?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered one. Guildmaster briefly crossed paths with a pride monster, and he said,¡± Vermilion Bird paused, her voice lowering, ¡°That a pride monster is more powerful than a Spectre.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. More powerful than a Spectre? Then in system terms, it would bring a Luck point acquisition bonus of over 5000 times.

    Gao Yang despaired for a moment, feeling helpless. In the Mist World, he was too weak and vulnerable.

    He quickly stopped his negative emotions from growing and nced sideways at Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°I have another question, Sister Xia.¡±

 Chapter 258: Support Group

    <h4>Chapter 258: Support Group</h4>

    ¡°Ask.¡± Driving, Vermilion Bird cast her gaze on the road ahead.

    ¡°Before, you said that body number 4 died in the Crimson Tide too, most likely killed by a Spectre or a pride monster.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How did number 4 run into the pride monster?¡± Gao Yang frowned slightly. ¡°Do pride monsters lure awakeners out with trickery as well?¡±

    ¡°Probably not.¡±

    Vermilion Bird tugged at her lips with aplicated look on her face. ¡°I questioned number 4¡¯s body. He was lured away by a greed monster. Confident in himself, he easily dealt with the greed monster going after his ¡®family¡¯. Unfortunately, he encountered a stronger enemy on his way back to base and didn¡¯t survive it.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to feel. ¡°So number 4 just got unlucky. He ran into a pride monster roaming about, and the pride monster happened to be a shadowstalker.¡±

    ¡°Likely so.¡±

    Vermilion Bird slightly narrowed her eyes. ¡°It was spected that there are no more than 15 pride monsters in the world, half of them are shadowstalkers, while the other half are lightbringers and observers. If there weren¡¯t check and bnce between different factions, awakeners would be in even greater danger.¡±

    ¡°I get it now.¡± Gao Yang grasped the gist of her exnation. ¡°During the seven days of the Crimson Tide, pride monsters are the greatest threat to awakeners, but unless you seek out danger actively, it should be unlikely for you to run into one.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded before adding, ¡°There is another source of threat, though¡ªthe Spectres.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He almost forgot about them.

    ¡°The seven days of the Crimson Tide is when the Spectres most actively kill awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t Spectres awakeners too?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°Don¡¯t elite monsters attack them?¡±

    ¡°We are more or less certain that while the Spectres are in a different camp from high-ranking monsters, they stay out of each other¡¯s way.¡±

    She turned to nce at Gao Yang. ¡°By the way, do you know why Spectres go after awakeners? You¡¯re now entitled to the information.¡±

    Gao Yang had gotten the answer from Fresh Snow, but he pretended to not know and shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s because the Spectres feed on awakeners¡¯ energy.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°It¡¯s easier to think of them as vampires.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what they are!¡± Gao Yang affected a surprised tone and added a ttery. ¡°That¡¯s a perfect analogy, Sister Xia!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Regarding the Spectres, the Guild has learned and confirmed a few things.¡±

    ¡°First, it¡¯s a small group, the number of members only in the single-digit.¡±

    ¡°Second, Spectres seem to be a little weaker than pride monsters in general, but there may be stronger ones among them.¡±

    ¡°Third, awakeners are food to Spectres, and by feeding on awakeners, Spectres can extend their lifespan and increase their power.¡±

    ¡°Four, Spectres don¡¯t just feed on people without control. Quite the contrary, they are disciplined in the endeavor, preferring awakeners with high-ranking Talents in particr. On average, they only feed once every two years.¡±

    ¡°Five, during a Crimson Tide, Spectres are stronger and more eager to hunt.¡±

    Gao Yang listened quietly and said in a disappointed tone, ¡°So you don¡¯t know where theye from?¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°We don¡¯t, but we¡¯ve made some progress. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    Gao Yang caught on immediately. ¡°The Godbearer Cult?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I questioned ck Tortoise¡¯s body. Although I only got one minute, I gathered quite a lot of information, including some about the Spectres.¡±

    ¡°What did you learn?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details since they haven¡¯t yet been confirmed.¡± Vermilion Bird gave him a lopsided smile. ¡°Just know that the Spectres and the Godbearer Cult have been working together over the years.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t press.

    Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°The Guild was nning on putting more effort into investigating and eliminating the Godbearer Cult, but the Crimson Tideing early throws a wrench in the n. How does the saying go again? Sunny days neverst, but when it rains, it pours?¡±

    Gao Yang nced at Vermilion Bird and said tentatively, ¡°Is it just me, or did you sound excited when you said that, Sister Xia?¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow!¡± Vermilion Bird pushed him on the shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to announce everything you notice, alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    Vermilion Bird brushed her bang aside. ¡°Hey, do you think I¡¯m a terrible person?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I found life boring and always looked forward to something to happen, but whenever something did happen, people died inrge numbers. To those who simply want to lead a peaceful life, I must be the worst.¡±

    Gao Yang gave it a good thought and said honestly, ¡°The world won¡¯t allow us to live in peace forever. It¡¯s better to make a move proactively than falling under the mercy of others.¡±

    Vermilion Bird perked up and gave him an approving wink. ¡°You know me well, Seven Shadow!¡±

    ...

    Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, 19th floor, 343 Li River Central Road.

    When Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird entered the office building, it was the lunch break. Office workers went downstairs to get food in droves, filling the elevators and leaving no room for them to get on. Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird chose to climb the stairs. As awakeners, they were able to easily make it to the neenth floor without their breathing going even a little rougher.

    They opened the ss door to the clinic. The metal wind chimes clinked pleasantly.

    Miss Qin, the receptionist, was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone downstairs for lunch too.

    ¡°Doctor Su, are you there?¡± Vermilion Bird called out toward the treatment room politely.

    Doctor Su responded from the other side of the door, ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you. Come on in.¡±

    Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang exchanged a nce before pushing the door open and entering.

    In the brightly-lit therapy room, Doctor Su still looked like the typical psychiatrist with his gentle and schrly demeanor. He was sitting on the sofa at the head with his cane resting on the side.

    On the rectangr sofa on his left sat two men, both maskless.

    One sat in a perfect posture with no smile on his face, dressed in a thin gray windbreaker. He was tall, wide, and strongly-built, looking like an experienced fighter.

    Based on his physique, Gao Yang guessed that he was Elder Azure Dragon.

    He looked to be in his forties, his eyes sharp and shrewd. His facial features were sculpted, and his face covered in a circle beard. His presence alone demanded respect even when he didn¡¯t show any emotion.

    He resembled Gao Yang¡¯s mental image of a guildmaster more than Doctor Su.

    The middle-aged man sitting by Elder Azure Dragon appeared more approachable. He looked to be in his forties as well, but he had an average build and a slight beer belly.

    He was dressed in a ser jersey and shorts with blue stripes and a pair of white socks and sneakers. Around his neck was a damp towel. It looked like he had just walked out of a ser field.

    His hair was thin and cut close to the scalp. On his round face was a pair of small, piercing eyes, a chubby nose, and thick lips, resembling aedy movie star.

    He looked up at Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird, speaking in a friendly tone like he was making small talk. ¡°Little Xia, Little Shadow, here you are.¡±

    For a moment, Gao Yang almost thought the man was an elderly rtive of his, and this was a simple family meeting.

    Who would¡¯ve thought that Elder White Tiger of the Qilin Guild, the man in charge of security, would be so down to earth?

    ¡°Guildmaster, Elder White Tiger, Elder Azure Dragon.¡± Gao Yang nodded slightly and greeted them one by one.

    Vermilion Bird, on the other hand, seemed right at home. She sat down on the sofa across from the two Elders and patted the seat next to her. ¡°Rx, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down next to her.

    And now, all core members of the Qilin Guild had arrived.

    Doctor Su¡¯s shoulders tilted to one side. Holding his cane with one hand and propping his head with his other hand, he spoke up in a rich, gentle voice.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s start the group support session.¡±

 Chapter 259: Session Concludes

    <h4>Chapter 259: Session Concludes</h4>

    ¡°Alright.¡± Vermilion Bird got to the point. ¡°Surnamed Li asked for us and revealed her Talent, Prophet, serial number 5.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more or less what we expected,¡± Azure Dragon said in a cool, aloof voice, like it was no surprise to him.

    The others didn¡¯tment.

    Then Vermilion Bird summarized the three abilities Prophet granted and the crux of the problem. ¡°She said that she dreamed of the Crimson Tideing earlier.¡±

    ¡°How soon?¡± asked White Tiger.

    ¡°In ten days.¡±

    The atmosphere in the room changed.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± White Tiger crossed his legs the other way and turned to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she told us, and it seems that her prediction has never been wrong.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what should I do?¡± White Tiger pped his thigh in disappointment. ¡°Mypany is holding a ser match in ten days. And to think I was finally off the bench.¡±

    <i>Wait, Elder White Tiger, that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?</i>

    <i>And aren¡¯t you an awakener? How can you be a benchwarmer? How much have you been suppressing yourself in order to blend in?</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed hisments and listened quietly.

    The other two Elders seemed to have gotten used to White Tiger¡¯s antics and didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    ¡°Two years early. That is strange.¡± Azure Dragon sounded as calm as ever. ¡°However, we were able to endure the Crimson Tidest time. Now that the Guild has be stronger, this Tide shouldn¡¯t be that much of an issue.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Vermilion Bird nced at Doctor Su. ¡°But Surnamed Li said that things are going to be bad this time.¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡± White Tiger leaned back into the sofa with his hands sped on his beer belly. Although his mannerism was still rxed, his expression turned more serious.

    <i>That¡¯s better</i>, Gao Yang grumbled inwardly. <i>The Chief of Security should at least exercise this level of caution.</i>

    ¡°She won¡¯t tell us unless we agree to her condition.¡± Vermilion Bird ryed what Madam Li had said.

    The room was quiet for a moment.

    ¡°Things must be really bad this time,¡± Azure Dragon concluded. ¡°The fact that Surnamed Li wants us and the Twelve Zodiac Signs toe together to protect her people means that many will die during this Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the rules may be different this time,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°Or the enemies may be more proactive.¡±

    White Tiger suggested another possibility, ¡°Can it be that Surnamed Li purposefully exaggerated the threat to make the three organizations work together? Once we do, most of our resources and intel would be shared, which would be strictly beneficial to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but unlikely,¡± Gao Yang said cautiously.

    The gazes snapped to him made him tense up.

    He cleared his throat. ¡°Surnamed Li told us her greatest secret in order to prove that she was being honest. Things must be truly urgent. If she had lied to us for short-term gains, we¡¯ll know sooner orter once the Crimson Tidees, and that will undermine the long-term development of her organization.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Azure Dragon nodded.

    ¡°Madam Li is an old friend,¡± Qilin finally spoke up, his tone unreadable. ¡°She isn¡¯t a short-sighted woman, and I don¡¯t think she lied to you.¡±

    Vermilion Bird asked, ¡°Do you mean we should agree to the offer made by the Hundred Rivers Union?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll take the offer.¡±

    Qilin made the decision without hesitation. ¡°Awakeners should work together, and it¡¯s the right thing to do to protect the weak. Moreover, this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the Guild¡¯s power. Afterwards, we¡¯ll attract more great talent to join the Guild.¡±

    <i>Sorry for misjudging you, Doctor Su! </i>Gao Yang thought. <i>You are a natural leader! Look at you being all calctive!</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m for it,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Yeah, that works for me,¡± said White Tiger.

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°I agree.¡±

    Gao Yang was still thinking when he looked up to find four pairs of eyes staring at him. Only then did he realize that he had a vote as well.

    Feeling ttered, he almost misspoke. ¡°Aye...I think the same.¡±

    ¡°A unanimous agreement.¡± Qilin turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°Tell Madam Li our answer.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Vermilion Bird took out her phone and made the call.

    ¡°And we have to be prepared.¡± Qilin nced at Azure Dragon. ¡°First, the Godbearer Cult. Although we¡¯re racing against the clock, we still have to conduct the necessary investigation. Make everyone understand that all those who go against the Qilin Guild will be punished, however long it takes.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Azure Dragon nodded slightly.

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin turned to Gao Yang.

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡±

    A Rune Circuit suddenly appeared in Qilin¡¯s hand. ¡°This is the Knowledge Rune Circuit.¡±

    Gao Yang paused and came to the realization. ¡°You¡¯re handing it to me, Guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°Your Replicate and Lie Detection must reach level 4 sooner rather thanter. We have to upgrade our arsenal as much as possible before the Crimson Tidees.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Gao Yang took the Rune Circuit without wasting time on the usual tango of false rejections.

    He took a look. Just like the other Rune Circuit, it was hard and cool to the touch with the symbol of a book etched on the surface.

    Gao Yang would love to vanish the Rune Circuit like Qilin had done, but he couldn¡¯t. He put it into his pocket the normal way, looking a little clumsy.

    ¡°Go to the Twelve Zodiac Signs with Vermilion Bird tonight,¡± Qilin then said.

    ¡°For what?¡± asked Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°To make a trade for the Time-Space Rune Circuit.¡± Qilin stared at Gao Yang. ¡°Then give it to Seven Shadow, have him level up Teleportation to level 4 as well.¡±

    The fact that Gao Yang had acquired Teleportation and killed ck Tortoise couldn¡¯t be kept from the Qilin Guild, so Gao Yang didn¡¯t try to deny it. Now, he was known as an awakener with four Talents¡ªwell, he actually had five¡ªwhich was shocking and unprecedented in the world of awakeners.

    In terms of power ranking, Seven Shadow was now listed as the 15th.

    Gao Yang was pleasantly surprised.<i> You¡¯ve been treating me too well, Doctor Su!</i>

    He hurriedly offered, ¡°There¡¯s no rush, Guildmaster. My Teleportation is level 2 at the moment. I don¡¯t need the Time-Space Rune Circuit yet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll soon reach level 3.¡± Qilin smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°Consider this a reward for rooting out ck Tortoise as the spy. Are you happy with the reward?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be happier.¡± Gao Yang epted the gift.

    White Tigerughed. ¡°It¡¯s the Time-Space Rune Circuit we¡¯re talking about, Guildmaster. Will the Twelve Zodiac Signs agree to an exchange?¡±

    Vermilion Bird had the same concern. ¡°What are you exchanging it with? Not the Miracle Rune Circuit, right?¡±

    Gao Yang perked up. <i>Can it be the Miracle Rune Circuit? Then I¡¯ll have a chance to touch it! Maybe that¡¯ll be enough for me to level up Lucky!</i>

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Qilin said with a smile.

    Gao Yang was disappointed. It was his wishful thinking, it turned out. Qilin would probably rather die than give away the Miracle Rune Circuit. There must be a great secret about the Rune Circuit yet to be revealed.

    ¡°What offer are you making then, Guildmaster?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Qilin turned to White Tiger. ¡°Dere the state of war and have everyone make preparations. We¡¯re going to the third secret base for shelter in ten days.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± said White Tiger.

    ¡°We¡¯ll conclude the group session here.¡± Qilin stood up slowly with the help of his cane. ¡°You may leave.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The Elders each stood up and walked out of the room. Gao Yang was thest to head out.

    ¡°You stay, Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin called out to him.

    Gao Yang stopped at the door. ¡°Is there anything else, Guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    Qilin smiled. Once he made sure that the three Elders had left, he said, ¡°Your Teleportation is level 2, right? I¡¯ll help you reach level 3 now.¡±

 Chapter 260: Secret Garden

    <h4>Chapter 260: Secret Garden</h4>

    ¡°Now?¡± Gao Yang started. Qilin talked about leveling up Talents like it was as easy as eating.

    The man was difficult to pin down.

    Was he a typical guildmaster preupied with many responsibilities? But he ran a psychiatric clinic and spent much time dutifully treating wanderers with mental illnesses.

    On the other hand, one would be remiss to say that he had been neglecting his duty. He was the embodiment of a man of action. He made decisions ridiculously quickly and carried them out without hesitation.

    Last time, he agreed to show Gao Yang the Miracle Rune Circuit, and he conjured it in his hand without dy.

    A few minutes ago, he decided to give Gao Yang the Knowledge Rune Circuit, and again, he took it out the next second.

    Now, he said that he would help Gao Yang level up Teleportation, and he put it into action immediately. Judging by his confident tone, it seemed that he could do it this instant.

    As expected of a leading awakener. He carried himself with such ease and grace, meeting difficulties like they were nothing.

    <i>Elegant! So elegant!</i>

    ¡°Yes, now.¡± Qilin turned to Gao Yang. An unreadable glint shed through his deep eyes. ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath and nodded.

    Qilin rose to his feet and walked to a corner of the room with his cane, opening an unassuming door. Based on theyout of the floor, the door should lead to a storage.

    ¡°Come on in,¡± said Qilin.

    Gao Yang stood up and headed toward the door, peeking in. He only saw darkness.

    Qilin entered first. Gao Yang followed right after him.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang¡¯s eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light. He was surprised to see a long, narrow corridor.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare ask about it. He followed behind Qilin for about a minute until they reached the end of the corridor, where a green stone door that had clearly been worn by the years stood.

    Qilin ced his hand on the cold, rough stone, and three secondster, the door opened inward, making a dull rumble that sounded like it originated from a distant past.

    Gao Yang stood there, stunned speechless.

    On the other side of the door was arge enclosed space. The magnificent dome was propped up by four circr stone pirs that were two meters in diameter, and on the four walls were murals depicting what seemed like mythologies. Countless bronze torches lined the walls, the fire wavering.

    Gao Yang questioned if it was even possible to build a space like this inside a modern office building.

    He quickly dismissed the doubt though. The Qilin Guild was known for extravagance. It didn¡¯t surprise him that they could create a space like this.

    The enclosed space resembled a pce hall from the ancient times. At the center was a tiered altar, at the top of which was a giant bronze cauldron. A stream of holy light came down from the dome, enveloping the cauldron directly.

    ¡°Guildmaster, this...¡± Gao Yang instinctively lowered his voice lest he disturb the sacred atmosphere.

    ¡°My secret garden.¡± Qilin smiled.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡± Qilin took a few more steps forward with his cane and stood on the first step of the staircase leading up the stone altar.

    He turned around to look at Gao Yang and repeated, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°For leveling up?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heartbeat was thunderous. He didn¡¯t know what Qilin was going to do, but he had no choice but to nod.

    Qilin raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

    Startled, Gao Yang sensed a faint rustle behind him.

    He whirled around and saw three figures in white robes and faceless masks. Judging by their physique, they should be adult men.

    Gao Yang was caught off guard. When did they approach, and where had they been hiding?

    And what was the deal with their outfits? Were they monsters kept here for the purpose of leveling up?

    With that in mind, Gao Yang said without turning back to look at Qilin, his tone respectful but firm, ¡°Guildmaster Qilin, thank you for your generous offer. However, there are things I won¡¯t do even after leaving the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I don¡¯t kill wanderers unless they have lost control.¡±

    Qilin said from behind him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Seven Shadow. They are no wanderers. You may fight to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to say something when the three monsters suddenly rushed toward him at impressive speed. Given no time to think, Gao Yang could only tap into the energy in his body and ready himself for the fight.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>

    The monster in the middle attacked, its hands morphing into slick tentacles anding after Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang was just about to dodge when his eyes darkened, catching the other two monstersing towards him from the sides, their arms transforming intorge sharp des like those of a mantis.

    A devourer and two ughterers.

    Gao Yang activated Teleportation, escaping the three monsters surrounding him.

    As soon as he steadied himself, he sensed a violent wave of killing intenting down on him from above.

    A secondter, Gao Yang teleported again without hesitation.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A monster stabbed and shattered the floor where Gao Yang had been.

    It appeared like a woman, simrly dressed in white robe and faceless mask.

    The monster¡¯s body was covered in hardy, grayish green scales. Attached to its legs were no feet, but two keen des of mutated bones protruding from the flesh. Every time the monster lifted its legs out of the broken floor, the sharp des dragged across the surfaces and made grating noises.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to be surprised. Three familiar bone stings were alreadying for him from the side.

    He teleported again, turning around to see another monster.

    It looked like a woman too, and it was also covered in scales. Its fingers could morph into bone stings that it could extend and retract at will, just like Yellow Butterfly.

    Gao Yang scanned his surroundings in alert. One devourer, two ughterers, one freerider, and two overtakers.

    Why were there so many monsters in Qilin¡¯s secret garden?!

    Who was Qilin?

    His train of thoughts was interrupted by a sharp sting from his left cheek. Then he felt fluid stream down his face.

    Only then did he realize that he had only barely avoided the earlier attack, and the bone stings left a cut on his face.

    ¡°Stop hesitating, Seven Shadow. Fight.¡±

    Holding his cane, Qilin watched from the altar, his tone as soothing as ever. ¡°If you don¡¯t make up your mind, you¡¯ll die.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. He knew he didn¡¯t have a choice.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Three bone stings shot at him. At the same time, the other monsters came up to circle him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t teleport away. Instead, he dodged the three bone stings with a sidestep and, seizing the right moment, grabbed one of the bone stings with his right hand.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Simultaneously, he shot fire with his left hand to keep the two ughterers at bay.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Exerting more power with his right hand, he broke the bone sting he had caught.

    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡±

    The monster the bone sting belonged to cried out in pain.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    A secondter, Gao Yang teleported to the overtaker¡¯s front, wielding the broken bone sting like a small dagger and piercing through its scales, stabbing its heart.

    This wasn¡¯t enough. Gao Yang twisted his wrist and yanked the bone sting toward the center of the monster¡¯s chest until he sensed that he had destroyed its heartpletely, and the monster had died.

    It took him two seconds to kill the overtaker.

    When Gao Yang let go of the bloodied bone sting and was just about to teleport again, a tentacle crept up on him along the ground, wrapping around his left ankle.

    With a sudden yank, it pulled Gao Yang off bnce, making him fall.

    Gao Yang grabbed the tentacle gripping his ankle without hesitation, but before he could activate Fire, a figure suddenly appeared above him.

    The two ded legs came down upon him, fiercely cutting through air with an audible swoosh.

 Chapter 261: Level 3 Teleportation

    <h4>Chapter 261: Level 3 Teleportation</h4>

    ¡ªShit!

    Hair standing on end, Gao Yang teleported max distance to the side, his battle instinct overtaking his rationality and logic.

    There was a moment where his figure blurred and seemed to freeze, signifying the force preventing him from teleporting that originated from the tentacles and their owners, the devourer.

    Gao Yang¡¯s power was greater than the devourer¡¯s, thankfully, and he teleported sessfully.

    In an instant, he appeared fiver meters away, while the devourer appeared where Gao Yang had been.

    <i>St.</i>

    The two ded legs buried into the devourer¡¯s chest and pierced through its body, pinning it to the ground and killing it before it could even make a sound. Its body went limp, and the tentacles wrapping around Gao Yang¡¯s ankle loosened.

    The fact that it had mistakenly killed its fellow monster didn¡¯t stop the freerider for even a second.

    With a powerful stomp, it pulled its legs out of the devourer¡¯s body, charging at Gao Yang again.

    Gao Yang was going to teleport when he was forced to stop, catching two ughterers on his two sides, both about five meters away from him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn around, but he could make an educated guess that the overtaker using bone stings must be five meters behind him, waiting for him to bite the bait.

    They had predicted his teleportation!

    As the thought shed through his mind, the freerider had gotten close to Gao Yang. It twirled as it dashed and brought its ded leg up to swing it toward Gao Yang like a greatsword.

    Gao Yang teleported.

    The ded leg missed, and when the freeridernded, it sensed a currenting from above it, but there wasn¡¯t enough time for it to react.

    Gao Yang had teleported above the freerider and utilized the momentum of his fall to grab the monster¡¯s head and m it to the ground.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The freerider fell, its head colliding with the ground, cracking it.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    With a low shout, Gao Yang shot mes from his palms, and in less than a second, the fire spread from the freerider¡¯s head to the rest of its body.

    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡±

    On fire, the freerider screamed in pain, while the other three monsters swarmed up to Gao Yang.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Gao Yang disappeared along with the freerider he was burning, leaving only charred marks on the ground.

    Showing up five meters away, Gao Yang was still holding onto the freerider¡¯s head and burning it with Fire.

    Seven seconds had passed. The freerider became dead to the world under the overwhelming pain of being burned, unable to put up a fight.

    At the same time, Gao Yang felt a burst of warmth rushing from his feet to the top of his head, and all the cells in his body screamed in pleasure, stimted at the same time.

    It was like a little death.

    Teleportation had leveled up.

    [Level 3 Teleportation: Allow one to teleport 7 meters. Cooldown: 1 second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 3 Teleportation: Strength + 300, Agility + 600.]

    [Status screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 116]

    [Luck: 454]

    In his moment of distraction, the surviving three monsters rushed up to him.

    They were no longer Gao Yang¡¯s match.

    He let go of the freerider and got to his feet, slowly letting out a breath.

    The two ughterers advanced upon him, swinging their ded arms at him.

    With an Agility of 1100, Gao Yang didn¡¯t even need Teleportation to avoid the attacks. Light as a swallow, he stepped from side to side amid the relentless shes like an elegant waltz. More than ten secondster, Gao Yang spotted an opening. He moved to the side to avoid a sh while kicking the other ughterer in the abdomen, knocking it back.

    All the while, he didn¡¯t neglect to throw a small fireball at the overtaker in the distance, preventing it from ambushing him with its bone stings.

    Then Gao Yang dove toward a ughterer and grabbed its ded arm, twisting it and thrusting it forward. With sttering blood, the de ended up piercing into the monster¡¯s own chest.

    It wasn¡¯t done yet!

    Gao Yang put his back into it, pushing the ded arm through the ughterer¡¯s chest, protruding from its back.

    Teleport!

    With a short dy, Gao Yang and the ughterer teleported to the other ughterer.

    <i>Thud! </i>The two ughterers collided, and the ded arm pierced into the chest of the other ughterer, skewering both monsters.

    Chest pressed against back, the two monsters copsed to the ground.

    There was one more left. Gao Yang teleported without turning around, avoiding the bone stings sneaking up on him from a distance.

    A secondter, Gao Yang appeared before the overtaker, thest monster standing.

    He eyed the monster coldly, giving it one second to react like a taunt.

    Losing its calm, the overtaker jumped back instinctively and retracted the bone stings before attacking Gao Yang again.

    Having predicted its movement, Gao Yang teleported behind the overtaker almost without dy, and at an impressive speed, he grabbed its wrist and skillfully shifted the direction its hand was facing.

    The three bone stings shot out¡ªpiercing not Gao Yang¡¯s body, but the overtaker¡¯s own chin and head from below.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Thest monster fell.

    Gao Yang quietly essed his system. The luck points acquisition bonus no longer applied. The battle hade to an end.

    He panted and wiped off the blood on his face, turning around.

    Qilin was still standing on the stone stairs of the altar, holding a cane with his weight slightly shifted to one foot. There was a gentle smile on his face, as if what had taken ce wasn¡¯t a bloody battle but an entertaining tennis match.

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s easy to reach level 3 with a Talent.¡±

    Gao Yang felt conflicted. At the risk of offending the man, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you keep these monsters yourselves, Guildmaster?¡±

    Qilin shook his head. ¡°No, you did.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gao Yang was even more puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±

    Qilin walked down the stairs with his cane, the graceful smile gone from his face. And his gentle eyes turned sharp and aggressive.

    ¡°There¡¯s another reason I took you here today, Seven Shadow.¡±

    rm rang in Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    He was immediately alerted, but he didn¡¯t let it show. ¡°What is it, Guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t keep you around.¡±

    Gao Yang started. What did he mean? Was he going to kill him? Was this a joke?

    No, it didn¡¯t seem like it.

    ¡°Guildmaster, I...¡± Gao Yang tensed up, his heart racing and his palms gathering energy secretly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Have I done something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re a remarkable member, and you¡¯ve done very well. Unfortunately, you aren¡¯t one of mine, not really.¡±

    The dark look on Qilin¡¯s face made him seem like a different person. ¡°You¡¯ve got to understand, Seven Shadow, that we cannot have another Elder-level spy in the Guild, or our foundation will waver.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. His first reaction was to run.

    But he didn¡¯t, because he knew he couldn¡¯t.

    Qilin must have taken him here because he knew he could keep him here. The only thing Gao Yang could do was make thest attempt to get out of this predicament.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard from whom, Guildmaster, but I¡¯m no spy.¡± Gao Yang met Qilin¡¯s gaze, doing his best to seem honest.

    Qilin took another step forward with his cane, saying nothing.

    The small step brought overwhelming pressure upon Gao Yang.

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 7000 times.]

 Chapter 262: Execution

    <h4>Chapter 262: Execution</h4>

    <i>Why?</i>

    <i>When did I expose myself?</i>

    <i>Why is Qilin so certain that I¡¯m a spy? What evidence does he have?</i>

    <i>Or does he not care about evidence, and he simply decides to kill me because the potential risk I bring outweighs my value as a tool?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand, and he had no chance to.

    His system never lied. Qilin was trying to kill him.

    The top-ranking awakener, triggering a bonus of 7000 times, must havee prepared. He would surely die if he fought.

    It wasn¡¯t time to give up yet. He must not give up until thest moment!

    Suddenly, Gao Yang was reminded of Ghost Horse and the time he was questioned by Dragon. Although it turned out to be nothing but an act, it was something Gao Yang could learn from.

    ¡°I¡¯m doomed to die if you want to kill me, Guildmaster, but I feel wronged.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t try to cover his fear. At the same time, he emphasized his frustration¡ªboth were his genuine feelings.

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything. He took another step forward with his cane.

    Gao Yang would like to back away, but he tamped down the urge.

    ¡°I feel no loyalty toward the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I came to the Qilin Guild for my own interest, for a stronger backing.¡±

    ¡°You may call me out for not being loyal to the Guild either, but I have never broken a rule. I¡¯ve done things as the Guild demands andpleted all missions the Guild tasked me with. I¡¯ve never done anything harmful to the Guild or betrayed anyone.¡±

    Qilin took another step forward. His sharp gaze seemed to soften for a moment, but the moment was fleeting.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good guy, Seven Shadow, but my apologies, I cannot let you live.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Was there no other way? Did he have to fight?

    As he spoke, Qilin raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.

    ¡°<i>Fear</i>.¡±

    The air around Gao Yang seemed to freeze for half a second. Then everything in his vision turned ck and white.

    An explosion of thoughts urred in his brain, dredging up countless memories.

    The summer night when he was four, he stood outside his grandparents¡¯ room and got his first glimpse into the truth of the Mist World through the crack of the door.

    The night he turned eighteen, on his way back home, his head was caught in the tight grasp of Li Weiwei¡¯s tentacles. <i>Gao Yang, I love you. I want you. Give me your everything...</i>

    In his bedroom at midnight, Gao Xinxin carved his bloody heart out with bare hands. <i>Brother, can I eat this...</i>

    On the hill as the sun set, spiderwebs of red cracks crawled along Wan Sisi¡¯s fair face. She looked at him, confused and innocent. <i>Gao Yang, I¡¯m a little lightheaded...</i>

    In the mysterious cavern, just when the overwhelming wave of time and space was about to consume everything, Old Wang let go with tears streaming down his face. <i>Tell my wife and kid that I love them...</i>

    Midnight, on the gpole tform in the Eleventh High School, Niu Xuan hovered in the air, his body twisted into a braid due to a strange power, while he kept calling out, <i>Mother, mother, mother mother mother...</i>

    Late at night, in the abandoned chemical nt, terrifying shadows held onto his body. The air des ck Tortoise manipted were about to cut off his head. <i>I¡¯ll take your bodies and Talents...</i>

    Old and new, the memories surfaced in his mind at the same time, so vivid that it felt as if he was reliving them... No, the fear was ten times greater, threatening to break him down.

    Pinned to the spot, Gao Yang lost his ability to think properly.

    Fear wrapped around him like venomous snakes, burrowing into his body.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s just memories. It¡¯s all in the past. They can¡¯t hurt me now!</i>

    Thest remaining thread of rationality at the depth of his consciousness was like a crack in pitch ck, letting in a ray of light.

    Trapped inplete darkness, Gao Yang reached out with all he had and touched the light, trying to recover his ability to think.

    There was a faint sh in Qilin''s dark eyes. His lips tugged into a smile, one with a hint of approval.

    He took another step forward and snapped his fingers with his left hand.

    ¡°<i>Pain</i>.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s voice barely sounded human. The utterance was like an ancient tune, a rule, a concept, an unfathomable <i>something</i>, a causality that could not be defied.

    In an instant, Gao Yang¡¯s head was hit with another explosion, and in rushed the memories of all the physical pains he had been inflicted with.

    At the same time, all the damage he had suffered in countless fights assaulted him.

    It was pure, extreme physical pain, melting his mind and emotions like hellfire.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang dropped to his knees and copsed, curling into himself.

    He couldn¡¯t breathe. Tremendous pain wreaked havoc across every part of his skin, every muscle, every bone, tormenting him slowly like a dull knife.

    <i>Kill me.</i>

    <i>Kill me now.</i>

    <i>Please, please stop this!</i>

    Five secondster, the pain evaporated.

    Qilin hade up to Gao Yang. He offered a hand, like he was going to help Gao Yang up.

    Gao Yang looked up at Qilin¡¯s towering figure, trembling. His brain was still nk.

    ¡°<i>Obey</i>,¡± Qilin said.

    Gao Yang¡¯s nk mind woke up.

    So gently, so unlike the pain of being cut and burned; the man¡¯s voice felt like a gentle breeze.

    Feeling weak, lowly, timid, inferior as his past self, admiring and trusting the strong, dignified, elegant ones as his past self¡ªthe feelings intertwined and hit Gao Yang where he was most tender.

    Involuntarily, he reached out to take Qilin¡¯srge, warm hand, slowly rising to his feet.

    Standing before the man, Gao Yang was physically intact, yet mentally, he had been tortured and wrecked.

    His face was covered in tears from the waves of fear and pain, which transformed into pure gratitude and deference at this moment.

    ¡°Admit your guilt, Seven Shadow. I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at Qilin like he was God.

    And wasn¡¯t he?

    <i>I should confess everything to Him. I crave forgiveness, salvation.</i>

    <i>Yes, I should do that. I don¡¯t see a reason to defy His will.</i>

    <i>In the face of God, I¡¯m so very insignificant, pitiful, and impure.</i>

    ¡°I...¡±

    Gao Yang opened his mouth. He was going to confess.

    He would tell Qilin that he was sent by the Twelve Zodiac Signs, that he was only tasked with observing the Guild for now, but he could be an actual spy should the two organizations shed.

    But he wasn¡¯t that loyal to the Twelve Zodiac Signs, not really. Everything he did was for himself, hispanions, and his family.

    And he had Talent: Lucky, which took the form of a system that quantified everything and allowed him to enter the Talent Pantheon. It was thanks to the system that he couldprehend these many Talents...

    Ah, most importantly, he had transmigrated into this world at the age of six. He didn¡¯t actually belong here.

    <i>I¡¯ll tell you everything, every secret of mine.</i>

    <i>Because you¡¯re God, and I want to be saved, be forgiven.</i>

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 9000 times.]

 Chapter 263: Eidos

    <h4>Chapter 263: Eidos</h4>

    The system¡¯s voice was like an electric shock. A small part of Gao Yang¡¯s deepest consciousness fled out of his body. And once more, the deep darkness cracked, letting in a ray of light. The small part of his consciousness that had escaped reached toward the light like a hand, straining to touch it.

    Just a little further. Almost there.

    Finally, he touched it!

    [ess granted.]

    Entering the system, Gao Yang felt like a drowning man breaking out of the water.

    All at once, his mind became his again.

    ¡ªFuck! What was I thinking?

    ¡ªI was going to tell Qilin everything! I must be out of my mind!

    ¡ªCalm down! Calm down!

    ¡ªQilin doesn¡¯t want to kill me for real yet, or I would be dead already.

    ¡ªHe¡¯s interrogating me. His Talent must be the top Psyche-type Talent.

    ¡ªHe triggered my memories of fear and pain and reinforced them, attempting to break down and destroy my will.

    ¡ªThen, when I was close to breaking, hemanded me to obey and speak the truth, effectively a truth serum for interrogating criminals!

    ¡ªWhat a terrifying Talent! Even though I know what he¡¯s doing, I cannot and must not fight back. I¡¯m far from his match.

    ¡ªIf I keep hiding in the system, I may be found out.

    ¡ªI have to make the bet!

    [ess ends.]

    Five secondster, Gao Yang returned to reality. His mouth was still open, and the strongpulsion to deify and obey Qilin came back in full force.

    Before thepulsion could take over his mind fully, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not a spy, not someone serving the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°I just want to live, to protect my family... I believe the best option is to follow you...¡±

    ¡°I, I...¡±

    In less than ten seconds, Gao Yang felt the urge to confess his true allegiance and him being a transmigrator again. Thankfully, the urge to submit to Qilin evaporated the next second.

    The dominating will pulled out, and Gao Yang¡¯s head became empty. Gradually, his rational and emotional mind returned, along with his will.

    Qilin¡¯s dark eyes softened again; he even seemed a little apologetic.

    Taking a white handkerchief out of his breast pocket, he folded it deliberately and wiped the sweat on Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Apologies, Seven Shadow, for being so rough with you.¡±

    Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot, his body stiff. He didn¡¯t even dare to breathe a little heavier.

    ¡°You passed.¡± Qilin smiled.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    <i>Thump, thump, thump.</i>

    Gao Yang could hear his heartbeat, which helped him tether himself back to reality.

    ¡°You were testing me, Guildmaster?¡± Gao Yang epted the handkerchief and wiped his sweat.

    Qilin nodded. ¡°I was going to give you more time to prove yourself, but the Crimson Tide ising, and we don¡¯t have the luxury. I need to be able to trust and depend on you, so I resorted to extreme means.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang let out a sigh and smiled with a relief he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°I thought you were going to kill me for real.¡±

    ¡°And I would have if you were a spy of the Twelve Zodiac Signs or someone with ulterior motives against the Guild.¡±

    <i>Ha, the system is always right.</i>

    <i>Qilin was ready to kill me! I was one foot in the mouth of hell!</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Qilin apologized again, his tone genuine. ¡°I helped you reach level 3 with Teleportation. Consider that mypensation for the pain I caused you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.<i> And who am I to say no?</i>

    Qilin held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze and offered him a hand. ¡°I hereby appoint you one of the four Elders of the Qilin Guild, Seven Shadow. Considering that the former ck Tortoise was a spy, and his negative influence on the Guild persists, you will keep your codename Seven Shadow for the moment. Half a yearter, you will take over officially as the new ck Tortoise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Alright. Please close your eyes.¡± Qilin smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡±

    <i>Out of here?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare to ask. He did as the man said.

    There was a snap of the fingers. Then Qilin said, ¡°That¡¯s it. Open your eyes.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, and he almost called out in surprise. Gone was the pce and the altar. He found himself in a storage room less than four square meters in size, filled with all sorts of everyday items.

    He was standing amid them with Qilin.

    ¡°Guildmaster, that¡¯s all...¡±

    Qilin said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s all an illusion.¡±

    Gao Yang was having trouble wrapping his head around it. ¡°Illusion? So you...¡±

    ¡°Talent: Eidos, serial number 2,¡± Qilin said concisely.

    ¡°Guildmaster!¡± Gao Yang was shocked. ¡°The Talent is a trump card of yours and the Guild alike. How could you just tell me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve experienced my Talent personally, which is enough for you to make a rough guess.¡± Qilin held his gaze. ¡°And you¡¯re now one of mine.¡±

    It seemed that Qilin wasn¡¯t lying when he said he now trusted Gao Yang.

    His trust, of course, was rooted in himself, in his Talent and ability. He was confident that Gao Yang couldn¡¯t have lied under his interrogation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor!¡± Gao Yang raised his voice, trying his best to sound eager.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªHoly shit holy shit!

    ¡ªEidos! Look up Eidos!

    [It requires 30 Luck points.]

    ¡ªDo it already!

    [Eidos, serial number 2, top Psyche-type Talent.]

    [Allows one to create powerful illusion, delusion, and illusory realm through eye contact.]

    [Allows one to invade the target¡¯s mind in order to disturb, influence, and even manipte their rationality, emotions, and memories.]

    [Stats Bonuses of level 7 Eidos: Constitution + 500, Endurance + 500, Strength + 500, Agility + 500, Willpower + 3000, Charisma + 3000.]

    ¡ªChrist, level 7!

    ¡ªWait, we found the Psyche Rune Circuit two months ago in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige and then traded it to the Hundred Rivers Union. Qilin couldn¡¯t have even touched it. How did he level up Eidos to level 7?

    ¡ªOh, the Miracle Rune Circuit!

    ¡ªCan it be that the Miracle Rune Circuit can level up all Talents? Is that why Qilin is so precious with it?!

    [Please find the answer on your own.]

    ¡ªYou¡¯re no help!

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang suddenly got hold of more incredible information. He had to tamp down the overwhelming emotions in his heart to maintain a calm front.

    He followed Qilin out of the storage room. Qilin said, ¡°Make yourself at home. I have other things to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down on the sofa.

    Qilin walked to the breakroom. ¡°I must have given you quite the scare. Do you want some coffee to settle yourself down?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn down the offer.

    While Qilin made him coffee, Gao Yang went through what had happened in his head.

    When did Qilin use his Talent on him?

    It must have been the moment he asked Gao Yang if he was ready. There had been a strange sh in his eyes¡ªtoo subtle to alert most people even though Gao Yang had taken notice.

    Qilin¡¯s eye technique was too discreet and smoothly executed. It was impossible to avoid unless Gao Yang had kept his eyes shut from the very beginning.

    The moment the eye technique hit, he was already put in an illusion.

    He followed Qilin to the storage room and through a narrow corridor, entering what looked like an underground pce. Gao Yang had asked Qilin where they were, and Qilin said that it was his secret garden.

    Thinking back, Qilin was able to create all kinds of illusory realms at will. All of them would be his secret gardens.

    Then Qilin summoned monsters to fight Gao Yang. When Gao Yang asked him if he had been keeping the monsters, Qilin said it was Gao Yang who kept them.

    The unspoken words were that the monsters came from Gao Yang¡¯s memories, that Gao Yang had conjured them with his imagination.

    Which made sense. The six monsters were all types that Gao Yang had encountered before. None of them were ones Gao Yang hadn¡¯t run into, such as the pride monsters, life monsters, and death monsters.

    Wait, if he could level up Talents by fighting in Qilin¡¯s illusions, couldn¡¯t he repeat this in the future?

    Oh, wait.

    The system had told him that Luck points bonuses only applied to the first time he experienced an illusion or a dream. The same was probably true of leveling up Talents.

    Then another question came to Gao Yang¡¯s mind: why did Qilin maintain his mundane identity as Doctor Su and spend so much time treating patients with mental illnesses?

    Perhaps it was a form of training.

    To Qilin, he would be able to better infiltrate and control one¡¯s mind the better he understood the mental states of higher life forms.

    Simrly, con artists and magicians often had a good grasp of human nature.

    Back in the illusion, Qilin¡¯sbination of psychic invasion and control almost dug the greatest secret out of Gao Yang¡¯s mind. If not for his system¡ªthe outlier¡ªshielding him for a moment, things would¡¯ve gotten really bad.

    A few minutester, Qilin returned with a hand holding his cane and his other hand carrying a coffee tray.

    He sat down on the sofa across from Gao Yang and ced the cup on the tea table. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang took the cup and had a sip. ¡°Guildmaster, did you say there¡¯s something else you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Qilin picked up the other cup of coffee. ¡°Go to the Twelve Zodiac Signs with Vermilion Bird tonight.¡±

 Chapter 264: Meeting in the Mouse Room

    <h4>Chapter 264: Meeting in the Mouse Room</h4>

    Mouse Room, -6F of Millennium Tower, nine o¡¯clock in the evening.

    In the brightly illuminated meeting room, all members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs sat around the rectangr conference table.

    Dragon had been woken from hibernation by White Rabbit. Since she had chosen the gentle way of waking him up, the whole process took a few hours, starting from the afternoon and ending in the evening.

    Wearing a long white cotton henley and a pair of loose, light blue jeans, Dragon sat on the main seat with his legs tucked in, barefooted. ce on the table before him was a cup of fragrant ck coffee.

    He picked up the cup and lowered his head for a sip, melting the exhaustion from his hibernation a little.

    About ten secondster, he put down the cup and looked around the room. ¡°Apologies for the long wait. Let us begin.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    White Rabbit remained standing by Dragon¡¯s side. She concisely summarized the situation at hand.

    ording to Madam Li¡¯s prediction, the Crimson Tide would being in ten days, more serious than ever before. She hadn¡¯t gotten into the details, but instead used the information as leverage topel the three major organizations to work together, and for the other two organizations to provide the Hundred Rivers Union with protection.

    After White Rabbit¡¯s briefing, the meeting room fell into a short silence.

    Dragon looked down at his coffee without sharing his thoughts.

    War Tiger took out a cigarette from the almost empty pack and put it in his mouth. ¡°Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet is the real deal. She didn¡¯t lie. That I¡¯m certain of.¡±

    ¡°Both Uncle Tiger and I believe that the restriction imposed by the Heavenly Way will give even further during this Crimson Tide.¡±

    White Rabbit paused before continuing, ¡°Our usual way of protecting ourselves won¡¯t work. Only that will exin why Madam Li is so eager to gain our cooperation and protection, even if she has to resort to threats.¡±

    ¡°I get all that, but it¡¯s still infuriating that she keeps secrets and uses them against us!¡± Wu Dahai sped his hands behind his head and rested his feet on the table, his legs crossed.

    ¡°That is Surnamed Li¡¯s only bargaining chip, Electric Mouse. What would you have done were you in her ce?¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°Just tell the other organizations the truth?¡±

    Dead Pigughed heartily. ¡°She¡¯s worried that the Qilin Guild and us will be even less likely to spare them any attention once we learn of the magnitude of the crisis.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Wu Dahai sighed. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union has it hard.¡±

    ¡°What do the rest of you think?¡± War Tiger looked at Officer Huang, who was closest to him. ¡°You first, Yellow Ox.¡±

    ¡°I believe awakeners should band together. The teeth cannot survive without the protection of the lips.¡± Officer Huang knew what the Crimson Tide was now, and he was most worried about his wife and their unborn child.

    His worst nightmare was a greed monster figuring out what he was during the Crimson Tide and using his family against him.

    Then he would willingly venture into the eighteenthyer of hell, let alone a trap.

    War Tiger turned to Qing Ling. ¡°Green Snake.¡±

    She was quiet for a moment.

    It wasn¡¯t much of a problem for her since she felt nothing to the wanderers around her. She could just stay hidden in the underground sixth floor of the tower and train for a week until the Crimson Tide ended.

    However, both Gao Yang and Officer Huang treasured their families. They would surely get dragged into some mess.

    Qing Ling lowered her head slightly and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. ¡°I agree with Yellow Ox.¡±

    War Tiger turned to Heavenly Dog and Songstress.

    Heavenly Dog saidzily, ¡°Let¡¯s work together.¡±

    He had his family to protect too. Thest time the Crimson Tide hit, he had yet to awaken, and he had been worried about what would happen this time.

    ¡°I hope for everyone to work together,¡± Songstress said gently, but her gaze was determined.

    It had always been Ghost Horse¡¯s dream for awakeners to form a united front to ovee difficulties and continue what awakeners before them had started, until the day they escaped the Mist World.

    War Tiger then turned to Lovely Lamb, Mischievous Monkey, and Dead Pig.

    Lovely Lamb blinked her innocentrge eyes, and after a moment of thinking, she smiled and nced at White Rabbit. ¡°I¡¯ll do what Sister White Rabbit said.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Dead Pig narrowed his eyes and said in a nasally voice, ¡°We¡¯ll cooperate first. It isn¡¯t toote to break the alliance when it seems like we can¡¯t carry on.¡±

    War Tiger teased, ¡°Dead Pig, my dear friend, you¡¯re too cunning for someone who looks like the typical honest guy.¡±

    Dead Pig didn¡¯t take it personally and said with a chuckle, ¡°An honest person lives a short life in a world like this. My wife was kind, but what did she get in return for her kindness? Her tomb is long covered in grass.¡±

    His voice turned rueful as he muttered, ¡°I should visit her and clean up her tomb before the Tide. Who knows if I¡¯ll get to do that again?¡±

    War Tiger sighed softly. It was a tragedy in the past.

    Thest to speak up was Mischievous Monkey. He said in a slow, deste voice, ¡°I¡¯m for an alliance too. The one I worry most about is my brother.¡±

    Once everyone had said their piece, War Tiger and White Rabbit exchanged a nce before turning to Dragon.

    Under the ceiling light, Dragon¡¯s face seemed a little pale, and his beautiful heterochromic eyes shifted slightly.

    A few secondster, he took off the ck rubber band on his wrist and tied his silky long hair into a ponytail with both hands, which signified that he wasn¡¯t going into hibernation in the near future.

    ¡°I agree with everyone.¡± Dragon looked up and slowly scanned the room. Then he made the final decision, ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs agrees to an alliance.¡±

    White Rabbit picked up her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Surnamed Li.¡±

    Just when she was going to make the call, her phone rang. The caller ID put a frown on her face.

    After two seconds of hesitation, she picked up the call, saying in an irritable tone, ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hm, right... I get it... We¡¯ll consider it...¡±

    She hung up soon.

    War Tiger nced at her. ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡°Your beloved disciple.¡±

    ¡°Little Yang Yang!¡± War Tiger beamed with his whole face.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang exchanged a nce.

    ¡°Ha, <i>Little Yang Yang</i>?¡± White Rabbit scowled. ¡°He¡¯s now Elder Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild, a trusted subordinate of Qilin. And he¡¯sing here to make a trade. He¡¯s gone up in the world!¡±

    ¡°Haha! An aplished student is their master¡¯s best achievement! And a tiger fathers no dog...¡± Realizing how inappropriate the analogy was, War Tiger quickly shut up.

    White Rabbit couldn¡¯t have rolled her eyes further into her skull. Her disgust was apparent.

    The look was immediately reced by a gentle and reverent expression when she turned to Dragon. ¡°Captain, Seven Shadow wants to trade Rune Circuits with us. Do we agree?¡±

    ¡°Dark Horse? Of course.¡± Dragon smiled faintly. ¡°I quite miss him.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± White Rabbit pouted, irked. ¡°Why do all of you like the traitor so much?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s immature of you, Rabbit.¡± War Tiger put his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow. ¡°True friendship between gentlemen is quiet like a stream. The rtionship between me, Captain, and Little Yang Yang is one of mutual appreciation and fated affection...¡±

    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m begging you.¡± White Rabbit put her hand on her chest dramatically.

    Dragon said, ¡°Please fetch me another cup of coffee, White Rabbit. Tell Dark Horse toe see me here.¡±

    ¡°Captain, he¡¯s just an Elder. You don¡¯t have to meet him personally. Uncle Tiger and I can...¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Dragon cut her off. ¡°But I want to meet him.¡±

    ¡°Dragon does everything for a reason. Stop worrying over nothing.¡± War Tiger stood up and pped. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re dismissed. Stay in the base and don¡¯t run around outside. Stand by and wait for further instructions.¡±

 Chapter 265: Repayment

    <h4>Chapter 265: Repayment</h4>

    Ten minutester, White Rabbit met up with Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird and took them to the underground sixth floor, leading them to the meeting room inside the Mouse Door.

    White Rabbit hadn¡¯t stopped scowling on the way.

    Gao Yang really wanted to tell her that she didn¡¯t need to y guide if she didn¡¯t want to. He could find his way just fine.

    Once they reached the door to the meeting room, White Rabbit said in a frosty voice, ¡°Captain is waiting for you inside. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird exchanged a nce. Then Gao Yang took the lead and opened the door.

    Inside, the room had an elegant, ssical style with an extravagant, scintiting chandelier, a quaint rectangr conference table, and the famous painting <i>The Last Breakfast </i>on the wall<i>.</i>

    Under the painting was the main seat, where an androgynous young man sat. His skin was pale, and his heterochromic eyes captivatingly beautiful.

    The familiar sight made Gao Yang feel a pang of nostalgia.

    More than a month ago, he had attended the first full-member meeting of the Twelve Zodiac Signs in this room. He helped Dragon question Ghost Horse and saw Dragon ¡®execute¡¯ the man.

    At the time, he was a freshly-awakened nobody who wasn¡¯t even among the top 100 awakeners.

    Now, though, he had be an Elder of the Qilin Guild and ranked 15th, sent here to talk business with Dragon.

    Dragon smiled at Gao Yang, sparing no nce for Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Here you are, Dark Horse.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Seven Shadow now,¡± Vermilion Bird corrected coldly.

    ¡°Apologies. I woke up not long ago and still feel a little drowsy.¡±

    The smile remained on Dragon¡¯s face, but his gaze seemed loaded with unspoken words. ¡°Names are but a way to address someone and don¡¯t mean much. What matters is where one¡¯s allegiance lies. Don¡¯t you agree, Miss Vermilion Bird?¡±

    Under the poker face, Gao Yang was shouting in his mind, <i>Dragon! My man! Please stop!</i>

    <i>I haven¡¯t changed sides! You don¡¯t have to warn me like that! If she takes it seriously, how am I going to stay in the Qilin Guild going forward?</i>

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Dragon,¡± Vermilion Bird scoffed, giving as good as it took. ¡°It just so happens that our guildmaster is adept at reading people.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s butt clenched. <i>And what are you doing, Sister Xia! Why does this feel like a weird love triangle?!</i>

    <i>...Ah. </i>Btedly, realization dawned on Gao Yang.

    Dragon was going about it the right way.

    Vermilion Bird was smart. If Dragon had treated Gao Yang in an aloof or even hostile manner when they met, it would seem like a cover-up. By saying things that framed Gao Yang as suspicious, Vermilion Bird would take it as an attempt to drive a wedge between Gao Yang and the Guild, which would actually convince her that Gao Yang had truly cut ties entirely with the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    And Vermilion Bird had retaliated smartly.

    She was insinuating that the guildmaster Qilin, a powerful awakener, had tested Gao Yang personally, and Dragon¡¯s attempt to sow doubt was pointless.

    It was true that Qilin¡¯s Eidos was formidable. If not for his system, Gao Yang would¡¯ve been executed by the man this noon.

    The real masters truly went for the throat.

    Gao Yang fake-coughed. ¡°Mr. Dragon, Elder Vermilion Bird and I havee to negotiate a deal with your esteemed organization on behalf of the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit told me.¡± Dragon lifted his hand. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±

    Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang sat down on the other end of the conference table, more than ten meters away from Dragon.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re here to trade for a Rune Circuit,¡± said Dragon.

    ¡°We¡¯d like to trade for the Time-Space Rune Circuit for seventeen days.¡±

    Dragon nodded. ¡°Until the end of the Crimson Tide, you mean.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°With which Rune Circuit of yours?¡± Dragon asked calmly.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°Not the Miracle Rune Circuit.¡±

    Dragon didn¡¯t seem surprised or disappointed.

    Gao Yang quickly continued, ¡°But we¡¯re making you a worthy offer.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Dragon blinked. ¡°You have my attention.¡±

    ¡°The Buff Rune Circuit or the Summon Rune Circuit. You may pick one to exchange for seventeen days. And we¡¯ll give you the Support Rune Circuit as a free bonus, as well as twenty thousand jinwu.¡±

    Dragon nodded, unfazed.

    Objectively speaking, it was a great deal to get a Rune Circuit and twenty thousand jinwu as a packaged deal.

    Moreover, Heavenly Dog, the only member with Time-Space Talents, had reached level 4 with Spatial Dissection and Fly. He didn¡¯t need the Rune Circuit anymore.

    ¡°There¡¯s a caveat though. The Support Rune Circuit is to be loaned out to the Hundred Rivers Union in three months. Should you agree to the deal, pleaseply with the prior arrangement too.¡±

    <i>What a cunning man you are</i>, Doctor Su, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but grumble to himself. <i>Even the supposed free bonuses with strings attached for the Guild¡¯s benefit, however trivial.</i>

    Dragon thought for a moment. ¡°It is a good deal. I don¡¯t see a reason to turn it down.¡±

    Vermilion Bird tried her best to make her resting bitch face seem a little friendlier. ¡°What is your answer then, Mr. Dragon?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t see a reason to take the deal either.¡± Dragon¡¯s eyes glinted, his voice steely.

    The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

    Dragon then said, ¡°Our members don¡¯t need the Buff, Summon, or Support Rune Circuit at the moment.¡±

    ¡°But these are Rune Circuits we¡¯re talking about.¡± Vermilion Bird was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s the most secure and important asset in the world of awakeners. The more the merrier, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Dragon picked up his cup of coffee and took a whiff. ¡°However, the Qilin Guild refuses to trade the Miracle Rune Circuit and seems certain that the Twelve Zodiac Signs will be satisfied with a little gain. That¡¯s...¡±

    Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang were silent.

    Dragon looked up with his eerily beautiful eyes. ¡°Way too arrogant of you.¡±

    Suddenly, the air around them changed in a subtle way. It was a familiar feeling to Gao Yang, being gently dominated and guided by the man¡¯s will.

    It wasn¡¯t forceful, yet it couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    ¡°Has the Qilin Guild decided if you¡¯re agreeing to Madam Li¡¯s proposal for the three major organizations to work together?¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression darkened. She tried to resist the mysterious <i>something </i>around her, yet the more she did, the worse she felt. Once she gave up on resisting, the difort was gone, but the realization itself felt like humiliation.

    She knew well that Dragon was taunting them on purpose to express his grievances about the Guild¡¯s arrogance.

    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to take the offer,¡± Vermilion Bird said in a low voice.

    In an instant, the mysterious pressure was gone.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird both let out a silent sigh of relief.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll agree to the trade.¡± Dragon leaned back into the seat. ¡°It¡¯s for the greater good. The Crimson Tide is a crisis we¡¯re facing together. There¡¯s no reason to fight for something this trivial.¡±

    ¡°A wise choice, Mr. Dragon.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    Dragon smiled as well, an innocent-looking one that belonged on a young man¡¯s face. ¡°Moreover, I owed Seven Shadow one during his time with us. I¡¯ll consider this trade repayment for that.¡±

    Gao Yang realized that it was a reward for finishing Operation: the Moon is Beautiful.

    Now that he had inherited Teleportation from Ghost Horse, he needed the Time-Space Rune Circuit to reach level 4 with it. Dragon knew that very well.

    Dragon must have decided beforehand that whatever offer the Qilin Guild made, he would agree to trading the Time-Space Rune Circuit since it would make Gao Yang stronger. Still, some posturing was necessary to let the Qilin Guild know that the Twelve Zodiac Signs was no pushover.

    As expected of a sh between two leading awakeners.

    Vermilion Bird was secretly relieved to hear Dragon¡¯s response. At least she hadpleted the task Qilin entrusted her.

    ¡°Then we have a deal.¡±

    ¡°We do.¡±

    Paying it little mind, Dragon went on to talk about the next issue. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. Since the three organizations have decided to work together, I¡¯d like Madam Li and Mr. Qilin toe to the Twelve Zodiac Signs for a meeting to discuss our strategies. And we can use the opportunity to trade the Rune Circuits.¡±

    Vermilion Bird was reluctant. ¡°Here, Mr. Dragon? Why don¡¯t we find a neutral location...¡±

    ¡°Here. I¡¯m quite partial to staying at home.¡± Dragon spoke in a casual tone, but left no room for Vermilion Bird to negotiate.

    Caught off guard, Vermilion Bird tamped down her irritation. ¡°I¡¯ll bring this up to Guildmaster. Please give me a moment.¡±

 Chapter 266: Toilet Break

    <h4>Chapter 266: Toilet Break</h4>

    Ten minutester.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird stayed in the reception room outside the meeting room. Vermilion Bird had ryed the request to the guildmaster, and Qilin agreed to attend the meeting at the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Although Qilin hadn¡¯t put it into words, he basically meant that now that the Twelve Zodiac Signs had agreed to trade their Time-Space Rune Circuit, it was only right for them to show Dragon the appropriate respect.

    Surnamed Li was, of course, happy with the development, and she said that she would bring her people to the meeting at once.

    Lyingzily on the sofa, Vermilion Bird used her phone and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m falling asleep. A cup of milk tea will be the perfect pick-me-up. Hey, can we get takeout here?¡±

    Gao Yang tried his best to hide his disapproval. ¡°You must be joking, Sister Xia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, how silly of me!¡± Vermilion Bird ignored him and raised her voice in excitement. ¡°I can just tell White Tiger to bring me some. Seven Shadow, you want a cup too?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m good.¡±

    Gao Yang pictured the leading figures of the three organizations holding a meeting together while Gao Yang and Xia Li, two Elders, gulped down milk tea on the side; the mental image made him shudder.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door to the reception room opened. Lovely Lamb came in.

    She was dressed in a light violet fantasy-style dress with her hair tied into two cute buns, her flushed face looking bashful. In a slightly clumsy manner, she came up to them with a tray, carrying two cups of ck tea.

    ¡°Sister Vermilion, Brother Gao...Dark...Seven Shadow, have some tea.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. <i>It took a few tries, but you used the right name, Cute Little Lamb.</i>

    ¡°Wow, thank you!¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s voice grew a few shades softer and warmer. She rose to take the cups from Lovely Lamb and ced them on the tea table.

    She asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s your name, kiddo? How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Lovely Lamb!¡± the girl answered loudly. ¡°I¡¯m seven and a half!¡±

    ¡°Lovely Lamb! What a good kid you are!¡± Vermilion Bird pinched her small face and teased, ¡°Your dress is so pretty, Lovely Lamb. Sister would like to try it on too. Would you mind?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Lovely Lamb puffed up her cheeks and thought seriously for a few seconds. ¡°But my dress is too small for you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, then why don¡¯t you lend me your dress once you grow up? Promise?¡±

    ¡°Promise!¡± Lovely Lamb agreed happily. ¡°Sister Vermilion Bird, Brother Seven Shadow, goodbye.¡±

    She skipped away.

    Vermilion Bird watched her close the door behind her with an adoring smile. ¡°She¡¯s so cute. Dang it, I have to get her into the Guild. She¡¯ll be our most beloved member!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°She¡¯s already that here.¡±

    Thinking of something, Vermilion Bird smirked at Gao Yang. ¡°It seems that you have a good rtionship with the Twelve Zodiac Signs members, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gao Yang yed dumb. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just easy to get along with.¡±

    ¡°That is true.¡± Acting nonchnt, Vermilion Bird asked, ¡°Dragon said he owed you one. For what?¡±

    Gao Yang hade up with an exnation in case she asked the question.

    ¡°I had quite a big part in the Twelve Zodiac Signs getting the Psyche Rune Circuit and the Time-Space Rune Circuit. Dragon was going to reward me, but I jumped ship before he could. He didn¡¯t like owing anyone anything.¡±

    ¡°Heh, he¡¯s a man of principles then.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem that a response. Every unnecessary word he said was ammunition that could be used against him.

    His phone rang then. He nced at Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Your family?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Vermilion Bird picked up her cup of ck tea and made an OK sign, silently telling him that she would stay quiet.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Gao Yang picked up.

    ¡°Where the hell are you, Gao Yang?!¡± Gao Xinxin demanded.

    ¡°ying games at Wang Zikai¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai again! Are you two brothers from different parents or what?¡± Gao Xinxin sounded irritated. ¡°We¡¯re leaving for Naldives tomorrow night!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you home yet? We have to pack, have a family meeting, and look up information for the trip...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be home a littleter and pack up tomorrow. There¡¯s enough time.¡±

    ¡°Hey! We¡¯re going to Naldives, for crying out loud! Going on a vacation abroad! Can¡¯t you take it a little more seriously?¡± Gao Xinxin then said, ¡°Oh, right. Is Wang Zikai with you? Let me talk to him.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, he¡¯s on a toilet break and hasn¡¯te out.¡± Gao Yang felt a little guilty. Although he and Wang Zikai had been covering for each other for years, he could be exposed if his sister got down to the matter.

    ¡°Forget it. Remind him to bring his passport. He seems like the forgettable type to me, always forgetting something.¡± Gao Xinxin snorted.

    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Passport? What? Don¡¯t tell me that Wang Zikai is going to Naldives with us?¡±

    Gao Xinxin was also surprised. ¡°He is. Didn¡¯t he tell you?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, he probably wanted to surprise you,¡± Gao Xinxin said dismissively. ¡°I had a deal with him, and in return, I let him tag along on our family trip to Naldives. Mom¡¯s unhappy about it, but Dad¡¯s pleased. Granny and I think it¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±

    ¡°What deal?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Gao Xinxin ended the call.

    Gao Yang paused. So his sister did ask Wang Zikai to talk to Gao Yang about attending a local college as a favor, didn¡¯t she?

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Vermilion Bird gave him a pointed look. ¡°You¡¯re going on a vacation to Naldives tomorrow.¡±

    Gao Yang admitted, ¡°Yeah, to celebrate my sister¡¯s and my graduation.¡±

    ¡°For how long?¡±

    ¡°A week.¡±

    ¡°When youe back, the Crimson Tide will be three days away.¡±

    Vermilion Bird rubbed at her lower lip. ¡°And during the vacation, you have to carry the Knowledge and Time-Space Rune Circuits with you to level up your Talents. What a busy schedule you keep.¡±

    ¡°Please stop teasing me, Sister Xia.¡± Gao Yang put on a pitiful look. ¡°I¡¯m already burning on both ends.¡±

    ¡°Serves you right for being greedy.¡± Vermilion Bird found joy in his misery. ¡°You want to establish yourself in the world of awakeners, yet you can¡¯t let go of your loved ones in the mundane world.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have aeback for that. It was true that he had been greedy.

    <i>Things will be much easier if I have a single-minded focus on getting stronger like Qing Ling, but I don¡¯t.</i>

    <i>If one day I get killed because of my greed, I¡¯ll only have myself to me.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t count your chickens just yet,¡± Vermilion Bird reminded him. ¡°Once the meeting of the big three is done, both of us may be assigned missions. Then you may not be able to go to Naldives.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    If he couldn¡¯t go on the vacation, he would have to y the pity card, breaking an arm or a leg so that he could opt out of the family trip under the guise of recovering from his injury.

    Mind cluttered with thoughts, Gao Yang picked up his cup of ck tea and slowly took a sip.

    <i>Hm, the taste...?</i>

    A thought shed through his mind.

    He stood up and said casually. ¡°Sister Xia, I¡¯m going to the restroom. You?¡±

    Vermilion Bird red at him. ¡°What, are you three? Needpany on a toilet break? Just go on your own!¡±

    Gao Yang had asked the question expecting this exact reaction, of course.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m going.¡±

    He walked out of the reception room and waited outside for a few seconds to make sure that Vermilion Bird hadn¡¯t secretly followed him.

    Then he walked toward the restroom before making a right turn halfway, heading to the Snake Door.

 Chapter 267: Meeting of the Big Three

    <h4>Chapter 267: Meeting of the Big Three</h4>

    Gao Yang knew his way around the underground sixth floor. He soon made it to the Snake Door and found his way to Qing Ling¡¯s single room. The door was opened by a crack. Gao Yang pushed it open and gently closed it behind him.

    The light was off, the room dim.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Before Gao Yang could take a step forward, a de came out of nowhere, splitting air and bringing about a current, almost touching the hair on his neck. It was apparent how much the wielder had mastered the way of des.

    Gao Yang neither flinched nor startled, unfazed by the sudden threat.

    Two secondster, he rested a finger on the de and pushed it aside gently. ¡°No need for the passionate wee next time, Qing Ling.¡±

    In the dark, Qing Ling made a quiet sound of acknowledgement and quickly pulled away her Tang Dao,ing up to push Gao Yang against the door and feel around his body.

    On her left hand was a scanner, checking parts of Gao Yang¡¯s body that could be hiding something but would be inappropriate for her to touch.

    Half a minuteter, Qing Ling said, ¡°We¡¯re clear.¡±

    Officer Huang chuckled from the side. He had been hiding in a shadowed corner of the room. With a flick, he lit a cigarette with his lighter. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t find that an overreaction, Gao Yang. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. It¡¯s for your sake.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gao Yang said quietly. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to talk to me about?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Huang took a drag, the cigarette lighting up half of his face in the dark. ¡°Qing Ling and I gave you a signal, but we weren¡¯t certain that you¡¯d notice.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. It was indeed a discrete signal: a tiny amount of milk had been added to the ck tea.

    Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t have noticed if he didn¡¯t have good attention to detail as well as remembered Qing Ling¡¯s habit of drinking milk after training.

    He had excused himself and visited Qing Ling¡¯s room just to confirm his suspicion; it turned out that he was right. The milk was a signal from Qing Ling.

    ¡°I only have three minutes. We should make this quick.¡±

    ¡°Are you doing alright on your end?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang felt conflicted. So they were worried about him.

    Actually, he almost got executed by Qilin earlier this noon, but he ended up benefitting from the crisis in the end.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Doing alright.¡±

    ¡°Okay, be careful.¡± Officer Huang hesitated for two seconds before asking, ¡°Have you heard anything about the procreation between a human and a monster?¡±

    As expected, that was what Officer Huang was most concerned about, which was only natural. After all, his wife¡¯s pregnancy must be showing more and more by the day.

    On one hand, he looked forward to the birth of their child; on the other hand, he couldn¡¯t stop worrying.

    Could a human and a monster give birth to a normal child? No one had an answer to the question.

    ¡°Not at the moment.¡± Gao Yang then asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t War Tiger say that he would look into it for you?¡±

    ¡°He had someone look into it, but he told me to be patient because it would take time.¡± Officer Huang seemed agitated. ¡°I did wonder every now and then if he was just humoring me, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡±

    He sighed heavily. ¡°And now the Crimson Tide ising. Nothing is going my way.¡±

    ¡°We can only take one step at a time,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s see what Surnamed Li has to say first.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t have anything else to say.¡± Officer Huang turned to Qing Ling. ¡°And you?¡±

    Awash in darkness, Qing Ling was quiet for a moment before she reached out to Gao Yang. ¡°Take this.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make out what it was. He only realized it was the SOS button he had gotten once before when he took it from her palm.

    This time, Qing Ling had given it to him herself rather than through Little Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang was touched.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the chance to thank you for what happened with ck Tortoise.¡±

    Officer Huang teased, ¡°I¡¯m gonna suspect you of changing sides for real if you keep acting like we¡¯re strangers, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Qing Ling chimed in coolly.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>You¡¯ve sumbed to the bad influence around you, Qing Ling.</i>

    Officer Huang waved a hand in the dark. ¡°Alright, you should go back, Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    ...

    Five minutester, Gao Yang returned to the reception room like nothing had happened.

    Lying on the sofa, Vermilion Bird had just finished a call. She put her phone away with the corners of her mouth quirked up, smirking at Gao Yang.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang tried not to sound guilty. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Vermilion Bird blinked and brushed her curls back. ¡°I just called White Tiger.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°I told him that Elder Seven Shadow was craving milk tea and had asked him to bring two cups on the way.¡±

    ¡°Sister Xia...¡± Gao Yang was exasperated. ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll pay for the milk tea. Then you can pay White Tiger. Consider us even then.¡±

    Vermilion Bird waved a hand dismissively as she wired Gao Yang the money.

    Staring at the notification for iing wire, Gao Yang suppressed a sigh.

    <i>It¡¯s not about the money! You¡¯re damaging my image!</i>

    ...

    Mouse Room, ten o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The leaders and core members of the three major organizations in Li City had gathered for a meeting.

    In the main seat was Dragon. On his sides stood the two core members of his organization, War Tiger and White Rabbit.

    Taking the central spot of the left side of the table was Qilin, and behind him were the four Elders: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Seven Shadow.

    Right across from him sat Surnamed Li, and there were also four people behind her; they were the leaders of the first, third, fourth, and fifth team of the Hundred Rivers Union respectively.

    As a show of goodwill, none of them wore a face mask or a surgical mask, but instead presented their actual appearances to each other.

    Gao Yang discretely observed the three unfamiliar faces on the side of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    The first team leader was Colorless, a woman in her thirties with her long red hair in a wolf cut. She was tall, her facial features projecting a strong presence, and there was an air of aloofness about her.

    She, along with Chen Ying¡ªthe third team leader¡ªand the other two team leaders, were all wearing the same business suit of shirt, dress pants, and tie, making them look like elite employees of a modernpany.

    The fourth team leader was Joker, and he looked the part.

    He was a thin, frail man whose age was difficult to tell. His afro stood out in contrast with his numb expression, while the deep red lipstick he had applied from the corners of his mouth to his chin made it look like his mouth had been sliced open.

    It painted an image of absurdity and stark contrast to see a clown wearing a set of business suits.

    The fifth team leader was Green Tea, a name that almost made Gao Yang break into a grin when he heard it.

    The man himself, however, was entirely different from the image the name would conjure[1]. He was a tall burly man with square jaw, small eyes, and strong nose, and his skin was clear, his muscles brimming with power. It was clear that he had trained himself systematically, and he looked to be a personable, dependable, and down-to-earth man.

    Gray Bear, while being a strongly-built man as well, was the pr opposite of Green Tea with his unkempt appearance, rough temperament, andck of care for his physique. And Gray Bear was always wearing worn-out clothes, making him seem more like a thug than anything.

    While Gao Yang eyed the three team leaders he hadn¡¯t met, the three were also checking him out.

    Of course, their gazes didn¡¯t linger on him, but quickly shifted to the other Elders until finally stopping on Qilin and Dragon.

    Surnamed Li sat on a wheelchair dressed in a silver gray customized <i>qipao </i>and a cloud cor made of pearls[2]. Her hair was put up into an elegant hairdo, a pair of tortoiseshell sses perching on her nose. She looked much more spirited than she did in the morning.

    She drank some tea and took the initiative to say, ¡°I¡¯m pleased that Mr. Dragon and Mr. Qilin are willing to work together with us. Both of you are men of your words. Since we¡¯re running out of time, why don¡¯t we forgo a formal agreement?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Dragon was the host in his home territory, but he didn¡¯t hold himself like one.

    Still dressed in youthful casual clothes, he sat with his legs tucked in, holding a cup of ck coffee and taking a sip every once in a while.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Qilin, on the other hand, was wearing an elegant gray shirt and a pair of ck rimmed sses. He looked like a proper gentleman with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Then as per my end of the deal, I¡¯m going to tell you all about the future I saw in my dream.¡±

    Everyone in attendance looked at Surnamed Li with full attention.

    ¡°In that future, everyone in this room, including me...¡±

    Her eyes lowered, her voice serious and solemn. ¡°...will be dead.¡±

    1. In Chinese ng, ¡®green tea¡¯ refers to the kind of people who seduce, gaslight, manipte people to get what they want. ?

    2. <i>Yunjian</i>, an essory of traditional Chinese garment thates in the form of detachable cors with cloud patterns. ?

 Chapter 268: For Survival

    <h4>Chapter 268: For Survival</h4>

    The meeting room fell dead silent.

    Surnamed Li had dropped a bombshell of a revtion, and it took time to digest and confirm what they just heard.

    As background prop for Qilin, Gao Yang kept up a poker face, while in truth, there was a 9.0 quake going on in his head.

    <i>Everyone¡¯s dead? What nonsense!</i>

    <i>How could all the top awakeners in the world lose their lives to one Crimson Tide? How?</i>

    <i>Are they killed by monsters, or each other?</i>

    Moreover, Chen Ying had said that Surnamed Li¡¯s prediction always came true. Then could the future be changed? If not, what was the point of them gathering here for a discussion? Why didn¡¯t they just go home and retire to bed?

    A myriad of thoughts haunted Gao Yang. He couldn¡¯t even begin to untangle the mess.

    After about thirty seconds, Qilin broke the silence. ¡°Would you please go into more details, Madam Li?¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°First, I have to let you know that my prophetic dreams don''t quite work like regr dreams.¡±

    ¡°A regr dream usuallyes with specific characters, times, locations, and events. It may be unclear and absurd, but there¡¯s usually a clear enough throughline.¡±

    ¡°For example, I saw all of you here killed by a monster on thest day of the Crimson Tide on the ground floor of the Millennium Tower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how a regr dream would go.¡±

    Arms holding his knees, Dragon narrowed his eyes. Whether out of exhaustion or bemusement, Gao Yang didn¡¯t know.

    Slightly turned to the side, Qilin rested his long fingers on his temple, in deep thought.

    Surnamed Li paused and continued, ¡°My prophetic dreams, on the other hand, consist of abstract feelings, snippets of images, and disjointed information. There is no order, only chaos.¡±

    ¡°I saw people dead. I heard snippets of conversations out of context. I sensed the pain of losingpanions, not from myself, but from other people.¡±

    ¡°And I sensed an overbearing and furious sort of resentment¡ªfrom a monster. Sometimes I was the ws slicing through a neck, sometimes the tears of despair shed by a dying awakener, and other times, I even turned into the blood fog that was everywhere. I could hear the heartbeats of humans and monsters alike. It almost broke me...¡±

    Her face was pale when she got to the end of her monologue. ¡°Have I made myself clear?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t a particr person in your dream, but part of the objective world, seeing and sensing things as an absolute observer.¡± Dragon attempted a summary.

    Qilin more or less agreed, and he added, ¡°You jumped between the perspectives of different people and different things, forced to be on the receiving end of all kinds of information. It¡¯s as if you got countless puzzle pieces in the dream, and you pieced them together once you woke up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±

    Surnamed Li¡¯s gaze was filled withplicated feelings. ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t give you more concrete information. I can only tell you that in ten days, the Crimson Tide wille, and all of us will die. Not from killing each other, but from a bizarre disaster. It won¡¯t hit the Li City itself, but specifically the awakeners¡ª<i>all</i> awakeners.¡±

    There was another stretch of silence.

    Gao Yang tried toprehend her words. The city itself wasn¡¯t destroyed. The awakeners alone were killed.

    Was it not a physical attack, but a psychic one?

    Could it be the ability of an elite monster? A pride monster, life monster, or a death monster, perhaps?

    ¡°What other clues can you give us, Madam Li? Doesn¡¯t matter if it doesn¡¯t quite make sense.¡± Qilin spoke up again. ¡°Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t know where to even begin to prepare for the looming crisis.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded slightly. ¡°There is some information I cannot decipher, but I believe is worth mentioning.¡±

    All eyes were on her.

    ¡°First, unlike the previous Crimson Tides, the blood fog will rise continuously until it devours everything.¡±

    ¡°Second, in my dream, I was with five or six blurry figures at one point. They were strong, and they were hostile to awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Third, in my dream, I said, ¡®What of the Heavenly Way?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Four, in my dream, I killed an awakener by carving out his heart.¡±

    ¡°Again, I wasn¡¯t actually myself in the dream, but everyone and everything in the world.¡±

    The atmosphere grew grave. Again, it was Qilin who broke the silence.

    ¡°The awakener you killed in the dream...did you get a look at the face?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and his was the only face I got a clear look of. I know him. He¡¯s here in this room, in fact.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Dragon was curious.

    Surnamed Li looked up, her empathetic gaze going over Qilin¡¯s shoulders at the four Elders behind him,nding on Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    Gao Yang shuddered.

    <i>She¡¯s looking at me. I¡¯m certain it¡¯s not me being too conscious of myself.</i>

    ¡°I was the one killed?¡± Gao Yang blurted out.

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Although she had said in the very beginning that everyone in attendance would die, being singled out with a detailed description of how he would be killed still hit Gao Yang with an overwhelming sense of surreality and absurdity, followed by unbearable fear.

    <i>I¡¯m going to die, my heart carved out by an enemy.</i>

    <i>Just like what has happened in my dream before.</i>

    Gao Yang clenched his fists and tried his best to calm down.

    Surnamed Li looked away from Gao Yang and continued, ¡°Now I¡¯ll share other information I¡¯ve deduced myself. It¡¯s my personal spection. Take it with a grain of salt.¡±

    ¡°First, the blood fog is closely rted to our death. It may be a weapon, or one of the catalysts triggering the disaster.¡±

    ¡°Second, the figures I saw were very likely pride monsters.¡±

    ¡°Third, during this Crimson Tide, the rules imposed by the Heavenly Way will break down entirely.¡±

    ¡°Four, the one that¡¯s going to kill Elder Seven Shadow may be a pride monster too, and it¡¯s the key in this event. In gaming terms you young people are familiar with, his killer may be the boss of the event.¡±

    Silence returned to the room.

    Gao Yang had reconciled with the fact that he would be killed. Now, he only had one other question.

    Thankfully, Qilin asked it for him.

    ¡°Can the future you foresaw be changed, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said honestly. ¡°I can change what happens after ten seconds by foreseeing it. As for the random events rted to me I¡¯ve predicted, I can also change one way or another. A future thates to me as a glimpse into fate, however, I¡¯ve never attempted to change.¡±

    ¡°A future that can be predicted must be changeable, because the prediction itself is a change,¡± said Dragon.

    ¡°A wless logic.¡± Qilin smiled faintly.

    ¡°I agree with you two.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s gaze was experienced and determined. ¡°Or I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here tonight.¡±

    One hand holding his cane, Qilin slowly rose to his feet, scanning the room at all in attendance.

    ¡°We belong to different organizations, fellow awakeners, and we each have our own ideals and goals. In the next fortnight, however, we will put aside our differences, misunderstandings, suspicions, and selfish desires. Let us work together, for we have no other choice.¡±

    ¡°For survival.¡± Dragon didn¡¯t stand up, but his heterochromic eyes became bright and fierce.

    ¡°For survival,¡± Qilin repeated.

    And so did Surnamed Li. ¡°For survival.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Qilin looked around the room.

    ¡°For survival!¡± Everyone chanted at the same time in a thunderous chorus.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t being overly sentimental when he said that he felt his blood rushing through his body, soothing his fear for his prophesied death, if only temporarily.

    He knew that the next seventeen days would be the period of time in which the awakeners were most unified.

    Not for gains, not for ideologies, not for beliefs, but simply for the survival of humanity.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go into the second part of the meeting.¡± Qilin sat back down and spoke like the head of the <i>wulin</i>. ¡°We talk strategy together.¡±

 Chapter 269: Godbearer Cult

    <h4>Chapter 269: Godbearer Cult</h4>

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Dragon said as the host. ¡°White Rabbit, make everyone coffee and tea.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± She quickly walked out of the meeting room.

    ¡°Be at ease.¡± Surnamed Li echoed the sentiment. ¡°Tonight, we put our heads together for a solution.¡±

    Qilin waved a hand at the Elders behind him too.

    The core members of the three organizations sat down by their respective leaders. Soon, each organization began an internal discussion. They hadn¡¯t lowered their voices to avoid getting overheard though, and the meeting room became boisterous at once.

    A few minutester, White Rabbit entered with a small cart, serving everyone coffee and tea.

    The internal discussion took close to twenty minutes. Then Qilin raised a hand slowly, quieting the room and drawing everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°We¡¯vee to a hypothesis, everyone. We¡¯ll share it to start the ball rolling.¡± Qilin turned to Gao Yang after saying that. Gao Yang nodded.

    In thest twenty minutes, Gao Yang hade up with a hypothesis based on everyone¡¯s spections, which earned the approval of Qilin and the other Elders.

    He stood up and cleared his throat. It felt like he was making a presentation, and without being conscious of it, his choice of words became more formal and careful. ¡°Everyone, you must have been informed of the fact that former Elder ck Tortoise of the Qilin Guild was found to be a spy.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Qilin. After getting the go-ahead, he continued, ¡°ck Tortoise was working for an evil organization we referred to as the Godbearer Cult. They followed the one they called the Heavenly Godbearer, and ck Tortoise was the Cult¡¯s archbishop, their second-inmand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve encountered their members a number of times. When they were cornered, they injected themselves with an insidious solution that would transform them into powerful monsters, with the side effect of losing their sanity. And they usually chanted the same prayer as the transformation took ce like it was a source offort for them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to repeat the prayer. Please think carefully if you have encountered something like it.¡±

    ¡°O omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Godbearer, the great and merciful overlord of all...¡±

    ¡°Forgive my ignorance and purify my blood...¡±

    ¡°Save me from this weakness and these sins of mine...¡±

    ¡°Grant me the sacred blood and great power...¡±

    ¡°I swear to forever follow you, submit to you, devote myself to you...¡±

    ¡°I will give you my all and follow you to the blissful otherworld.¡±

    No one said anything.

    It seemed that none of them knew it.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t rted to the matter at hand, is it, Elder Seven Shadow?¡± War Tiger took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth out of habit, but as soon as he fished out his lighter, it was taken by White Rabbit.

    He pulled out the cigarette a little awkwardly and fidgeted with it in his hand. ¡°Our priority is the Crimson Tide, not the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°Please allow me to finish first, Mr. War Tiger,¡± Gao Yang said politely.

    Then Gao Yang briefly talked about the perverted serial murder Gray Bear had been in charge of investigating.

    That got him many people¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow,¡± Colorless, the first team leader of the Hundred Rivers Union, spoke up, her posture upright, and her eyes under her red hair were bright and keen. ¡°Did you say that the owner of the massage parlor had killed her own kind as a monster and held an evil ritual?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang met her eyes. ¡°We all know that under normal circumstances, the Heavenly Way prohibits monsters from killing regr humans and their own kind as monsters, yet members of the Godbearer Cult have been viting the rules. Why?¡±

    Murmurs erupted in the room as people discussed the matter.

    ¡°There is another discrepancy,¡± Gao Yang continued. ¡°Over the years, the Godbearer Cult has nted spies in the three major organizations...¡±

    ¡°All three organizations?¡± Green Tea, the fifth team leader, interrupted. His velvety voice and perfect pronunciation made him sound like the host of ate night radio show. ¡°Do you mean there is a spy from Godbearer Cult in the Hundred Rivers Union too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vermilion Bird crossed her legs with a cup of coffee in hand, eyeing the Union members with a half-smile. ¡°That¡¯s something I got out of ck Tortoise¡¯s mouth¡ªor what used to be a mouth.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Colorless frowned deeply.

    Vermilion Bird nced at Qilin. Qilin nodded at her.

    She continued, ¡°Her codename is Dust, the third-inmand of the Godbearer Cult. She was recruited after ck Tortoise joined the Qilin Guild, and he had never seen her in person.¡±

    ¡°ck Tortoise infiltrated us ten years ago, so you can narrow down the suspects to female members who have been with the Union for less than ten years.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Surnamed Li looked calm, but the four team leaders weren¡¯t asposed.

    Chen Ying muttered inwardly, <i>That¡¯s still too many suspects. At least twenty fit the criteria.</i>

    ¡°By the way.¡± Vermilion Bird smirked at Colorless and Chen Ying. ¡°The two of you have been with the Hundred Rivers Union for more than ten years, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°They have,¡± Surnamed Li answered for them. ¡°And I can vouch for them.¡±

    ¡°Are you 100% sure, Madam Li?¡±

    Surnamed Li spoke in a maternal tone, ¡°They are my confidants, and they stay close by my side. You haven¡¯t forgotten about my Talent, have you?¡±

    Gao Yang understood what she was saying. If Chen Ying and Colorless were spies, Surnamed Li would¡¯ve spotted something with her ability to randomly predict what would happen around her over the past ten years, during which they had been spending most of their time with her.

    ¡°Good.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled rxedly. ¡°Then I¡¯m certain that there is no spy from the Godbearer Cult in this room.¡±

    <i>Unless ck Tortoise¡¯s body lied to me</i>, she thought. <i>But bodies don¡¯t lie.</i>

    ¡°Then,¡± Gao Yang took over. ¡°May I continue?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡± Surnamed Li nodded.

    ¡°Over the years, the Godbearer Cult has nted spies in the three major organizations, moving discretely and staying out of sight. At the same time, however, a series of murders weremitted in such a dramatic manner, and they even left the symbol of the Cult at the crime scenes. The two ways of doing things seem at odds.¡±

    ¡°Right. On one hand, they have been sneaking around, worried about attracting attention, but on the other hand, they seem to be actively seeking attention like someone shouting into a megaphone.¡± War Tiger made a rtable analogy.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But upon reflection, the two aren¡¯t necessarily in conflict.¡±

    There was a second of silence.

    War Tiger gave Gao Yang a figurative eye roll. <i>Are you messing with me, you brat? I respond to you for your sake! But it turns out to be a verbal trap! Is this how you repay your teacher?!</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to cate War Tiger. He said level-headedly, ¡°The spies were nted ten years ago. They stayed as sleeper agents for ten years, and when the series of murders weremitted this year, Mad Red, Ghost Horse, Yellow Butterfly, and ck Tortoise began making their moves as well.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Chen Ying was stunned. ¡°Ghost Horse and Yellow Butterfly were also spies?¡±

    <i>Stop interrupting me</i>, Gao Yang grumbled silently. <i>And isn¡¯t the Hundred Rivers Union too poorly informed?</i>

    ¡°Ghost Horse was a double agent,¡± White Rabbit exined. ¡°He appeared to be a spy the Godbearer Cult nted in the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but he was actually the spy we nted in the Cult.¡±

    ¡°Yellow Butterfly was an actual spy. She showed her hand in the Rune Cave in the Eleventh High School, and Seven Shadow dealt with her.¡± Azure Dragon provided the additional information. ¡°We didn¡¯t disclose the information.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Colorless had aplicated look on her face. ¡°If not for the Crimson Tide, who knows how much more we are going to keep from each other?¡±

    <i>That¡¯s why an information broker like Liu Qingying runs such a thriving business</i>, Gao Yang added in his head.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any other question,¡± Gao Yang went back to the topic at hand, ¡°I¡¯m going to continue.¡±

 Chapter 270: Virus

    <h4>Chapter 270: Virus</h4>

    ¡°Please continue.¡± Surnamed Li nodded at Gao Yang with a smile.

    For the rest of those in the room, some nodded too, while others turned to Gao Yang without a word.

    ¡°All that means that they had beenying low for ten years because they were waiting for some n toe into fruition, and it was likely to havee into fruition two months ago. Thus, the spies began to move, and something as attention-grabbing as the serial murder took ce. ¡±

    ¡°I agree with Seven Shadow¡¯s analysis so far,¡± Dragon said, his voice quiet, but demanded attention. ¡°From what I know, Ghost Horse had earned some trust from the Godbearer Cult after being resurrected, and he learned that the Cult was plotting something; he just didn¡¯t know what it was.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Dragon. ¡°Mr. Dragon, I believe the Cult¡¯s n is rted to the Heavenly Way. Considering the clues provided by Madam Li, we¡¯vee to a tentative hypothesis.¡±

    After a moment of silence, War Tiger crossed his legs and shifted his posture. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°We believe that the serial murdermitted by the Cult is a test on the Heavenly Way.¡±

    Another short silence followed.

    ¡°Do you mean the Godbearer Cult has been challenging the rules imposed by the Heavenly Way?¡± asked Colorless.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang paused and said in simple terms, ¡°Let uspare the Heavenly Way to a referee for a ser game. It¡¯s fair and selfless and maintains order strictly ording to the rules. However, it¡¯s neither human nor God, and while it¡¯s powerful and unshakeable, it cannot think flexibly, and it doesn¡¯t care about the motivation behind the actions taken by humans and monsters.¡±

    ¡°If you knock into someone on purpose, the referee shows a red card and pulls you out of the game. If you go offside, your goal doesn¡¯t count. The Heavenly Way is neutral and without emotions. Its only duty is maintaining order and punish those whomits fouls.¡±

    ¡°However, the rules are pre-established, while humans and monsters adapt. For example, if I knocked into a defender while dribbling, it isn¡¯t always clear if I was the one in the wrong, or the defender.¡±

    ¡°A referee who does not think flexibly is likely to call foul on the defender because in their eyes, I¡¯m dribbling to shoot the goal, and knocking into someone isn¡¯t conducive to that. I should be focused on passing the defender.¡±

    ¡°When in truth, I don¡¯t care about the result of the match at all despite the uniform on me and the fact that I¡¯m dribbling. I¡¯m just here to knock people down on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I get it now!¡± War Tiger pped his thigh. He almost blurted out, ¡®Attaboy, Little Yang Yang.¡¯

    Turning to Gao Yang, he said, ¡°The Godbearer Cult isn¡¯t on the field to y the sport, but to stir up trouble and identify the bugs in the Heavenly Way!¡±

    <i>We¡¯re one the same wavelength, Master!</i>

    Gao Yang turned to the others. ¡°We¡¯re here tonight to talk about the Crimson Tide, yet I¡¯m talking about the Godbearer Cult. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because there¡¯s a strong connection between the two,¡± Surnamed Li said in realization.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Madam Li, the third clue you provide is especially crucial.¡±

    ¡°<i>And what of the Heavenly Way</i>?¡± White Rabbit, having been quietly listening, repeated the line in a grave tone.

    ¡°What of the Heavenly Way.¡± Gao Yang repeated it too. ¡°Basically, not even the Heavenly Way will tie me down. I¡¯m going to look for bugs to exploit. I¡¯m going to do what I want.¡±

    The meeting room was dead silent.

    If the Heavenly Way stopped working altogether, and the elite monsters broke free of its restriction¡ªor if the monsters found a way to bypass the punishment implemented by the Heavenly Way...

    They would surelyunch a total war against awakeners, and even regr humans.

    Then the Mist World would be hell for humanity.

    ¡°I have a guess.¡± White Rabbit spoke up again, her expression dark. ¡°Can the Rune Cave in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige and the one at the Eleventh High School be such attempts too? That the monsters imprisoned and punished by the Heavenly Way had challenged the Heavenly Way with Rune Circuits in order to identify exploits?¡±

    She turned to Dragon. ¡°Captain, didn¡¯t Ghost Horse tell you that there were a mix of awakeners, monsters, and half-humans in the Godbearer Cult? Can it be...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Dragon sighed softly. He had connected the dots halfway into Gao Yang¡¯s exnation. ¡°This is mere spection.¡±

    ¡°A long time ago, some among the awakeners betrayed humanity, and thus, the Godbearer Cult emerged. The Cult works with elite monsters and Spectres alike, testing and challenging the Heavenly Way in order to identify its weaknesses¡ªfor the day toe where they can bypass the Heavenly Way and kill all humans.¡±

    As the most well-informed person in the Mist World, Qilin agreed with the spection.

    ¡°And it seems that they have seeded. At least during the seven days of the Crimson Tide, elite monsters are able to further ignore the rules of the Heavenly Way and bring about a disaster that kills all humans.¡±

    Qilin made the conclusion, and no one said otherwise.

    That was likely very close to the truth.

    The tension in the air was suffocating.

    Ironically, Gao Yang¡¯s first thought was of his family even now.

    If he died, what would happen to his grandmother, father, mother, and little sister? Would they mourn him? Or would all monsters awakened as what they truly were and lived in harmony from now on, free of the humans guing the world?

    Perhaps humans were the misfits. Perhaps they hade to a world they didn¡¯t belong to like viruses, fooling the immune system that was the Heavenly Way and gaining its protection.

    Humans had been sticking together for survival, barely holding on.

    They fancied themselves the pitiful, innocent victims, while they might turn out to be the viruses of the world.

    Now, the elite monsters were working with the traitors among humans and had managed to develop a special cure, one that could bypass the protection of the immune system to eradicate the pesky humans once and for all. Meanwhile, humans who had betrayed their own species transformed into a new form of life that was half human and half monster, and they would go on to coexist peacefully with other monsters.

    To the monsters, humans were the viruses and the intruders, the mistakes to be corrected.

    It stood to reason that humans should give up on resisting and ept their fate of being erased from the world...

    <i>No!</i>

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t noble by nature. He didn¡¯t want to die, nor did he want to disappear. He wanted to live.

    If the Mist World wasn¡¯t home for humanity, they had to either adapt, or look for ways to get out of here in search of a world that truly suited humans.

    Anxious, War Tiger put the unlit cigarette back into his mouth. ¡°Now that we have a conclusion, what do we do?¡±

    Gao Yang returned to his seat. He had shared his hypothesis, which was added to and improved by the others. Now, it was time for the three leaders to make the decision.

    Qilin leaned forward and took off his sses, cing them on the table. His eyes looked even darker.

    ¡°I believe there are two things we can do.¡±

 Chapter 271: Counterplan

    <h4>Chapter 271: Countern</h4>

    ¡°First, we must gather as much power as possible, including the unaffiliated awakeners.¡±

    Qilin turned to Dragon and Surnamed Li. ¡°In particr, we should seek out strong ones like Alcoholic and X and exin what is at stake, doing our best to get them on our side.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Surnamed Li nodded.

    ¡°Same for me.¡± Dragon was for it as well.

    ¡°Second, we continue our investigation into the Godbearer Cult. That will decide if we can gather more information that will further help us fight the Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°Originally, the Qilin Guild had nned to conduct the investigation on our own. Since the Cult is ourmon enemy, however, you may send your people too. The Guild will remain the one in charge of the investigation. Is that eptable for you?¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded.

    Dragon thought for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Well then. We¡¯ve tracked the Cult to the Snow Nation. The operation requires speed and discretion, or we may end up kicking the ho nest.¡±

    Qilin took a moment to think. ¡°Each organization will select one dependable andpetent member to form a team of three, setting out tonight on a one-week investigation. After one week, the team is to return to Li City no matter the findings, or theck thereof. Thest three days before the Crimson Tide, we must all gather here for preparations.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Surnamed Li nced to the side at the first team leader. ¡°Colorless, you should go. You¡¯ve stayed in the Snow Nation for half a year.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, ma¡¯am.¡± Colorless nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°War Tiger, go to the Snow Nation.¡± Dragon shook the cup of coffee in his hand. He didn¡¯t even nce at the man.

    ¡°Of course.¡± War Tiger was quick to agree.

    Qilin turned to his left to look at Elder Azure Dragon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Azure Dragon.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, Guildmaster.¡± Azure Dragon epted the mission seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll book the ne ticket at once.¡±

    Qilin turned to Surnamed Li. ¡°If my memory serves me right, Alcoholic is a friend of yours, isn¡¯t he, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s a stubborn one. I¡¯m not certain that I can convince him to join us.¡±

    ¡°Pick a time, and I¡¯ll meet him with you. If you¡¯re fine with it, that is.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll make the arrangement.¡± Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°He should be willing to have a meal with us, at the very least.¡±

    ¡°Are youing with, Dragon?¡± asked Qilin.

    Dragon said coolly, ¡°That¡¯s not my forte.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s decided then.¡±

    Qilin turned to Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird. ¡°I¡¯ll leave X to you, Seven Shadow, Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird answered at the same time.

    Gao Yang stifled a sigh. <i>As expected, I¡¯ve got a mission. It seems that I¡¯m not going to Naldives.</i>

    ¡°Dragon, Madam Li.¡± Qilin turned back to the two leaders. ¡°We don¡¯t know yet if X will be friendly or hostile to us. I suggest you each send three people to go with mine.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a risk of getting exposed if we have too many humans together?¡± War Tiger was concerned.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be a concern.¡± Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°Joker has level 5 Shapeshifter.¡±

    Shapeshifter, serial number 30, Life-type.

    Ability one: conceal one as any individual, and if the user had physical contact with the target, they could not only conceal themselves as the target, but also temporarily acquired 50% of the target¡¯s ability. Thus, the Talent was also known as Replicate-lite.

    Ability two: leave the impression of a particr creature on oneself and others for a period of time.

    It seemed that Joker could even make them appear like wanderers.

    Surnamed Li turned to Chen Ying, Green Tea, and Joker. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust the three of you with the task. Chen Ying, Green Tea, disguise as a couple going on a vacation. Joker, do as you wish.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Awkwardness shed through Chen Ying¡¯s and Green Tea¡¯s faces, while Joker nodded numbly without a word.

    Dragon turned to White Rabbit. ¡°Pick two people and go with them, White Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°None of us need to y a fake couple, do we?¡±

    Dragon smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to make the decision.¡±

    White Rabbit sighed in relief. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the arrangement.¡±

    While the three leaders were giving out orders, Vermilion Bird poked Gao Yang in the arm and whispered, ¡°Congrats. You can go to Naldives with your family.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang hadn¡¯te to the realization yet.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you know?¡± Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°X lives in Naldives.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He wasn¡¯t pleased with the coincidence. He might have been thankful to Lucky for making this happen in the past, but not now, not this time.

    If he went on the family trip with a mission, it would be impossible for him to enjoy his time with his family fully, and worse yet, he could put his family in danger.

    Once the conversation was over, Gao Yang sought out Qilin. ¡°Guildmaster.¡±

    Qilin nced sideways at him.

    Gao Yang said in a low voice, ¡°I''ll secretly go to Naldives with Vermilion Bird. I can deal with my family.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re going with your family,¡± Qilin said gently yet firmly.

    ¡°But...¡±

    Qilin interrupted him with a valid argument. ¡°You had ns to go on a vacation with your family. It¡¯d be unwise and suspicious to do otherwise. Moreover, the active area in Naldives is small. What if you run into your family? You can¡¯t possibly go around a vacation hotspot with a mask on.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t argue. He admitted Qilin was right.

    ¡°Do as you and your family have nned, Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°Take another member with you, Vermilion Bird. Meet up with Seven Shadow secretly for the mission once you arrive at Naldives.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Qilin shifted his attention back to the agenda of the meeting. ¡°I suggest everyone stays together during this Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°Although it may allow the enemies to attack us in one fell swoop, we have nothing to lose based on Madam Li¡¯s prophecy. To change fate, the only way is to band together and make our stand.¡±

    ¡°I concur,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°I, too.¡± Dragon nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s me. Anything the two of you would like to add?¡± Qilin leaned back into the chair.

    Surnamed Li thought for a moment. ¡°If I foresee anything else before the Crimson Tidees, I¡¯ll make sure to tell you gentlemen immediately.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to add.¡± Dragon turned to Qilin. ¡°The Guild is still storing the corpses of many of your members. Please do keep them well-hidden, or some of them may be enemies when the Tide hits.¡±

    ¡°Appreciate the reminder.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take the appropriate measures to prevent that from happening.¡±

    Dragon closed his mouth, his eyes unfocused. There was no telling if he was tired or distracted.

    ¡°We¡¯ll end today¡¯s meeting here.¡± Qilin stood up with his cane. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with our respective missions.¡±

 Chapter 272: Charisma

    <h4>Chapter 272: Charisma</h4>

    Azure Dragon and White Tiger were the first to leave, followed by Surnamed Li and her people.

    Staying in the meeting room, Qilin and Dragon spent a few minutes talking alone and finishing the trade of Rune Circuits.

    Ten minutester, Qilin, Vermilion Bird, and Gao Yang left the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower and got into Vermilion Bird¡¯s car.

    She drove, while Qilin and Gao Yang took the backseat.

    Gao Yang¡¯s home was closest to the Millennium Tower, so that would be their first stop.

    After the car started, there was a moment where none of them said anything, still going through the exchanges having taken ce and decisions made during the meeting.

    A few minutester, Qilin said, ¡°Take this, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang looked aside to see the Time-Space Rune Circuit pop into existence in Qilin¡¯s raised right hand.

    Regarding how Qilin conjured Rune Circuits into existence like magic, Gao Yang had at first spected that the man had a Time-Space-type Talent, but now he knew Qilin¡¯s Talent was Eidos, Psyche-type, which mainly granted him the ability to use eye technique and influence the target¡¯s mind.

    While psychic influence elicited a strong feeling, eye technique could be activated discreetly.

    Gao Yang would be affected by the localized illusion Qilin conjured as long as his eyes were open, sensing no abnormality. For example, Qilin could create a blindspot in Gao Yang¡¯s vision and did the little magic trick of conjuring the Rune Circuit.

    At level 7, the serial number 2 Talent reached a height one couldn¡¯t fathom.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t take the Rune Circuit from Qilin. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want it. He wanted it dearly, in fact.

    But it was too great a risk to bear.

    What did it mean to carry two Rune Circuits with him? Yellow Butterfly had shown her hand as the traitor the moment they acquired two Rune Circuits.

    Who knew if the fact that Gao Yang had two Rune Circuits with him would get out, and if it would make him a target to powerful awakeners hiding in the dark?

    ¡°I already have the Knowledge Rune Circuit with me. I¡¯ll exchange it for the Time-Space one after my Knowledge-type Talent levels up.¡± Gao Yang voiced his true feelings. ¡°It¡¯s too much pressure to have both on me at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Extreme situations call for extreme measures. We don¡¯t have time to take it slow,¡± Qilin said. ¡°Carry both. Better to level up two Talents than one if possible.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Have some faith in yourself, Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird, while driving, chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re now an awakener with four Talents, and you¡¯re quite experienced in battles with a quick mind. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°How about this?¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly and nced at Vermilion Bird through the rearview mirror. ¡°Sister Xia, please keep the Time-Space Rune Circuit safe for me. Give it to me once we meet up in Naldives. I¡¯ll feel a little more at ease with more of our people around.¡±

    Vermilion Bird shook her head. ¡°Your only w, Seven Shadow, is being overly cautious. That makes you less attractive as a man.¡±

    Qilin shuckled and looked at Vermilion Bird. ¡°If Seven Shadow hadn¡¯t been cautious, you would be talking to his corpse now.¡±

    <i>You get me, Guildmaster!</i>

    Vermilion Bird snorted. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll do it your way.¡±

    ...

    Past midnight, Gao Yang went home to find his family having gone to bed. Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn on the light, but instead carefully made his way through the living room in the dark and opened the door to his room. His chest tightened suddenly.

    Someone was on his bed!

    He almost went into battle mode on instinct, but he stopped himself in time and found the light switch on the wall.

    The room lit up. Gao Yang realized it was a false alert.

    The one on his bed was Gao Xinxin. His sister had fallen asleep in a white, dreamy lolita dress and a pillow in her arms. When the light went on, her eyshes fluttered, and her brows furrowed.

    ¡°Hm...¡± She opened her bleary eyes involuntarily and saw Gao Yang by the bed.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gao Xinxin sat up suddenly. ¡°How, how did I fall asleep?!¡±

    There was a patch of reddened impression on her baby fat face. She patted herself on the cheeks. ¡°Ahhhh I fell asleep! My face is all swollen!¡±

    Gao Yang snorted. ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Gao Xinxin jumped up and punched Gao Yang in the shoulder. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe back home earlier? I waited til evening so that my face wasn¡¯t so puffy. I was gonna show you my new dress...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You still look good now.¡± Gao Yang assured her while taking her punches.

    ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± she yelled. ¡°My face is swollen like a pig¡¯s head!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Go back to your room and sleep.¡± Gao Yang ruffled her hair. ¡°Your brother is dead tired and ready to go to bed.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You¡¯ve been all mysterious recently.¡± Gao Xinxin gave him a doubtful look. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing something bad behind my back, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Gao Yang smiled guiltily. ¡°What else can I be doing? I was just hanging out with Wang Zikai.¡±

    Gao Xinxin shot him a re and let him off the hook. Then she smiled again. ¡°Hey, brother, what do you say if I wear this dress in Naldives?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you bring swimsuits to Naldives?¡±

    ¡°You...delinquent!¡± Gao Xinxin flushed red.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s gonna be scorching hot. Sunlight, sandy beach, ocean. Aren¡¯t you worried about getting a heatstroke if you dress like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep this on all day! I just want to bring it with me for some pictures.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking the pictures for me!¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of photography tutorials on the Little Red Brooch[1]. You should study the techniques, brother...¡± Gao Xinxin yawned.

    ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow.¡± Gao Yang pushed her out of his room and locked the door.

    Soon, her footsteps quieted. Gao Yang put on pajamas and turned off the light, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He nned to take some time to go through what had happened today.

    In the morning, he attended Ghost Horse¡¯s funeral with a heavy heart.

    Without the time to properly mourn, he was asked to go to the Sea View Tower by Surnamed Li, and she announced the premature arrival of the Crimson Tide.

    Then he learned about the Tides from Vermilion Bird.

    After that was the internal meeting of core members in the Guild. Qilin opted for the extreme interrogation method with Eidos, testing Gao Yang¡¯s loyalty and allegiance. It was thanks to his system that Gao Yang narrowly escaped.

    The day had been eventful enough as it was, but then the three major organizations had a meeting in the evening.

    Surnamed Li dropped the bomb that everyone would die when the Crimson Tide came, pushing the day to its climax. That was the moment Gao Yang felt true despair and looming dread; what had happened before paled inparison.

    Worse yet, Surnamed Li saw clearly that Gao Yang would have his heart carved out by a monster.

    Without his heart, he would die for sure. Even resurrection would be out of question.

    <i>Can fate really be changed?</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s determination wavered, and he felt consumed by depressive thoughts.

    No, he had to stay strong.

    If there was even a one in a hundred million chance for him to survive, he had to give his all and fight til the end.

    Gao Yang essed his system.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have a total of 434 Luck points.]

    ¡ªIt¡¯s been three days since ck Tortoise was dealt with. Added to that the points I had left afterprehending Teleportation, I would¡¯ve umted less than 100 points without bonuses.

    ¡ªDuring the half a minute I killed ck Tortoise, I would¡¯ve gotten about 50 Luck points.

    ¡ªThen I fought five monsters in the illusory realm Qilin created. That would give me less than 30 points.

    ¡ªAfter that, Qilin dominated my mind and tortured me for close to two minutes, during which my Luck acquisition rate was 7000 to 9000 per hour. That should give me roughly 260 points.

    ¡ªAlright, the math makes sense.

    [The system does not make mistakes. There is no need to double check the number every time.]

    ¡ªBut I want to!

    [Do whatever you want.]

    ¡ªAlthough I want to put points into my Luck, without the Miracle Rune Circuit, I can¡¯t level Lucky to level 4 at the moment.

    ¡ªSpeaking of which, level 7 Eidos grants 3000 points in Willpower and Charisma.

    ¡ªCan you tell me what Charisma does now? That should count as me having inspected the stat, right?

    [Charisma increases the power of Talents regarding illusions, control, sounds, charm, and emotional maniption.]

    [It also increases resistance to aforementioned Talents.]

    ¡ªOh! So I couldn¡¯t sense Qilin using his eye technique on me because my Charisma is too low!

    [In addition, the higher the charisma, the more attractive, graceful, dignified one will seem. However, the appearance will not change.]

    ¡ªGot it. So I¡¯ll look less terrible on a bad day, but my max attraction level will stay the same.

    [Yes.]

    ¡ªIncrease my Charisma to the current ceiling.

    1. A reference to the Little Red Book, a Chinese socialwork tform. ?

 Chapter 273: Departure

    <h4>Chapter 273: Departure</h4>

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 500]

    [Luck: 454]

    [You have a total of 50 Luck points.]

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and felt the change happening to his body.

    Soon, a numbness spread through his scalp. His ear rang faintly. There was a strange sense of stuffiness to his nose, and his tongue tingled with bitterness.

    Moreover, there was an itch deep in his throat. His vocal cord seemed to be undergoing a transformation.

    The skin of his entire body cooled like he had plunged into cold water. And his vision blurred before quickly recovering.

    Although nothing seemed to have changed around him, there was an unfamiliar rity to his vision, like a transparent ss had been lifted from before his eyes.

    Less than a minuteter, Gao Yang¡¯s senses settled down.

    He let out a long breath and got out of bed to turn on the light. Then he walked up to the mirror of the closet to check his reflection.

    His facial features did remain the same, but there was more of a shine to his hair that made it seem finer, and his eyes looked brighter and sharper.

    Gao Yang touched his face. His skin seemed fairer as well.

    ¡°Hello, greetings.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice was the same as before.

    Although he felt a little awkward, he sang to the mirror, ¡°I am myself, fireworks of a different color...[1]¡±

    As expected, his singing had gotten better.

    If he everprehended a voice-based Talent, his higher charisma should increase its power significantly.

    How about his hearing?

    Gao Yang went up to the door and closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds outside.

    <i>Tick, tock, tick, tock...</i>

    He could hear the clock ticking away in the living room. His hearing had seen substantial improvement.

    Gao Yang opened the door and headed to the kitchen.

    Immediately, he was assaulted with the smells of food remains, which would be just that in the past.

    Now, if he wanted to, Gao Yang could discern the smell of onions, pepper, egg, garlic, leftover rice, and dishwasher.

    He opened the fridge and took out a small cup of yogurt drink. The texture of the cool stic at his fingertips was now sharper and more immediate.

    Gao Yang inserted the straw and took a sip.

    Sweetness and sourness bombarded his taste buds, much richer and moreyered than he had tasted before.

    After all the testing, Gao Yang could be certain that the significant increase to his Charisma had enhanced his six senses, and the keener his senses, the more effectively he could resist illusion attacks.

    The intensity and excitement brought about by his increased stat subsided gradually, reced by a bone-deep exhaustion.

    <i>Let¡¯s call it a day.</i>

    Gao Yang washed up and retired to bed.

    ...

    Nine o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang woke up to find all his family already awake, sitting around the dining table and having breakfast.

    ¡°Morning, Yang Yang. You came homete yesterday, so we didn¡¯t wake you up.¡± His mother was serving Gao Xinxin a bowl of millet porridge.

    ¡°Brush your teeth and clean your face. Then join us at the table.¡± His father was chewing on a <i>youtiao </i>in his wheelchair.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re the only one who hasn¡¯t packed up. You¡¯re not running around outside today!¡± Gao Xinxin pulled a long face usingly.

    ¡°I get it.¡± Goa Yang was just about to go to the bathroom when his grandmother came out of the door.

    She was wearing a colorful dress with a retro sun hat and a pair of brown sunsses, holding a small square bag in her hand. She couldn¡¯t look trendier.

    Despite her slight hunchback and the wrinkles and age spots covering her face, she didn¡¯t look abashed at all, but instead wore her outfit with confidence like it was how elderly people should dress.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gao Xinxin gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re the coolest granny!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± His grandmother cocked her head and made a peace sign like young people used to do.

    ¡°Mother, that¡¯s outdated now!¡± His father made a heart with his thumb and finger. ¡°Look, this is how the kids these days make a heart!¡±

    ¡°Loveya!¡± She mimicked the gesture.

    Everyoneughed.

    After breakfast, Gao Yang returned to his room to pack up.

    Summer clothes, underwears, check.

    Facewash, shampoo, toothbrush, soap, towel, check.

    Cellphone, tablet, charger, check.

    ID, wallet, passport, check.

    He didn¡¯t have a lot of things to bring, and he barely filled half of his suitcase.

    The day was spent in collective anticipation and excitement.

    Before they left home, Gao Yang¡¯s mother checked and rechecked everyone¡¯s luggage, worried that they would forget something. Then she started repeatedly checking the utility in the house and if the doors and windows were shut.

    His grandmother returned to her room, speaking to his grandfather¡¯sst photo.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t need to hear her to know that she was asking herte husband to bless them for a safe trip and to protect their home from thieves.

    Ten o¡¯clock in the evening, they called a taxi for seven and went to the airport.

    Entering the departure hall, Gao Yang led the way while pushing his father¡¯s wheelchair. In the meantime, Gao Xinxin and his mother lined up with their IDs for check-ins.

    As the treasurer of the household, his mother was naturally the one who booked the tickets.

    His father praised his mother for booking a midnight flight. They could go to sleep on the ne, and when they woke up, they would be in Naldives, wasting no time.

    In reality, of course, they all knew that his mother had picked the time for cheaper tickets.

    Although his father¡¯s factory with Uncle Qing had ovee a liquidity crisis, the family ie had still suffered a serious blow after his father lost mobility in his lower body.

    A one-week vacation in Naldives for the whole family cost a small fortune. That was why his mother had done her best to save money when possible.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to see a blonde young man running out of the crowd of tourists.

    He was dressed in a ck t-shirt that said, ¡®Invincible¡¯. And he wore a pair of mboyant shorts with flower patterns and a pair of crocodile slippers that caught the eye due to the unusual design. The suitcase he carried was a luxury brand that might as well be sparkling, and on his back was a big double-strap backpack.

    ¡°Haha, your brother is here!¡±

    He ran up to Gao Yang as he called out. Although he radiated energy and looked handsome in a cheerful way, he also seemed...not terribly smart.

    How should he put it?

    Gao Yang felt warm and secure whenever he saw Wang Zikai, a dependable protector of his. But at this moment, he still felt like pretending to be a stranger when the idiot ran up to him in public.

    ¡°Dude!¡± Wang Zikai came up and gave Gao Yang¡¯s suitcase a surprised nce. ¡°That¡¯s all you brought?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang eyed him warily. ¡°Aren¡¯t you bringing too much stuff?¡±

    ¡°Really? There are many things I didn¡¯t bring!¡± Wang Zikai looked disappointed.

    ¡°Brother,e check in your luggage!¡± Gao Xinxin and his mother were lining up for check-ins, and they were almost reaching the counter. She waved Gao Yang and Wang Zikai over. ¡°You too, Wang Zikai. Come on!¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye!¡± Wang Zikai put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go, go, go!¡±

    ...

    An hourter, Gao Yang and his family, plus Wang Zikai, boarded the ne. It was Gao Yang¡¯s first time.

    Although Wang Zikai had booked the same flight as Gao Yang¡¯s family, his ticket was for the first ss cabin, while Gao Yang and his family were sitting in economics, away from Wang Zikai¡¯s seat.

    Wang Zikai regretted his decision as soon as he got onto the ne. He hadn¡¯t thought of this.

    With the help of a flight attendant, Gao Yang got his father out of the wheelchair and in his seat.

    Wang Zikai rushed to the economic cabin from the front and beamed at Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother. ¡°Why don¡¯t we swap seats, Granny? You should go to the first ss cabin. There¡¯s more space and the flight will be morefortable. You can even lie down to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± His grandmother agreed readily.

    Wang Zikai helped Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother to the first ss cabin. Then a few minutester, he rushed back excitedly with a handheld console. ¡°Let¡¯s sit together, Gao Yang. We can y games together.¡±

    Gao Xinxin rolled her eyes at him before shooting her brother a pitying look, yielding her seat to Wang Zikai without needing to be asked.

    Wang Zikai leaned over to speak into Gao Yang¡¯s ear as soon as he sat down. Although he had lowered his voice, he was still quite loud. ¡°Bro, I¡¯ve made more progress with my training!¡±

    Gao Yang jumped, but didn¡¯t have the chance to stop him.

    ¡°What training?¡± Gao Xinxin, having overheard him, looked over with an inquisitive gaze.

    1. Leslie Cheung¡¯s <i>I</i>. ?

 Chapter 274: Naldives

    <h4>Chapter 274: Naldives</h4>

    ¡°We were talking about games!¡± Wang Zikai blurted out.

    ¡°Yeah, games,¡± Gao Yang said naturally, pleasantly surprised. <i>You¡¯ve gotten smarter, Wang Zikai.</i>

    Gao Xinxin pouted. ¡°Stop talking about games when we¡¯re now on a vacation! I¡¯m warning you, Wang Zikai, don¡¯t even think about ying games with my brother at the hotel when we¡¯ve gone abroad.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Wang Zikai promised.

    ¡°How can I not worry? What are you holding in your hand, huh?¡± Gao Xinxin pointed at the console Wang Zikai was holding.

    Wang Zikai said like it was obvious, ¡°I¡¯ll be ying at night, not during the day!¡±

    ¡°Ha, and you don¡¯t have to sleep? What do you think you are, a celestial?¡±

    Wang Zikai grinned. ¡°Well, I am¡ªOww!¡±

    Gao Yang stepped on Wang Zikai¡¯s foot.

    After the whine, Wang Zikai snickered. ¡°Ah, how fucking silly of me. Why did I bring this? I won¡¯t have time to y!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with a smile, satisfied.

    The three of them chatted for a while. Well, Wang Zikai did most of the talking, and Gao Xinxin did most of the roasting, while Gao Yang was the audience, stepping in to stop them from fighting every now and then.

    Soon, the flight stabilized, and the ne quieted.

    Gao Xinxin had put on her earphones to listen to music. At some point, she fell asleep, resting her head on Gao Yang¡¯s arm.

    Wang Zikai yed games on his handheld console for a while, and then he got bored and fell asleep too. His head bobbed a few times like a fishing lure before it finally fell on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder.

    And he just said that he didn¡¯t need sleep.

    Gao Yang sighed faintly, worried.

    He wondered if Vermilion Bird and the others had set out. He wondered who X was and if they would turn out to be a friend or a foe. He wondered if this mission would go smoothly.

    Later that night, Gao Yang fell asleep as well.

    He didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d been until a turbulence woke him. He could sense the ne¡¯s descent.

    The window shade was half open, revealing the break of dawn in the sky, dyeing the spectacr ocean of thick rolling clouds red. It was a beautiful sight.

    ¡°Hm...¡±

    Gao Xinxin had woken up too. She raised her arms and stretched, her expression soft in her sleepiness. She hadn¡¯t put on her usual mask of a dishonest, haughty tsundere.

    She looked to the side at Gao Yang and gave him a small smile, her eyes filled with excitement and nervousness. ¡°It¡¯s my first time being this far from home, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Wang Zikai had woken up as well. He stretched dramatically and dered, ¡°Naldives, here Ie!¡±

    For some reason, whatever Wang Zikai said always felt like a challenge for a fight.

    ...

    The nended safely.

    Gao Yang and his family got off the ne and headed to the arrival hall with the other passengers.

    Since his father was in a wheelchair, they moved a little slower. By the time they reached baggage im, the carousel was already surrounded by people.

    ¡°Go look for our luggages, Yang Yang. Don¡¯t let them go missing.¡± As usual, his mother worried over things that were unlikely to happen.

    Gao Yang gave Wang Zikai a look. Wang Zikai immediately came over to take Gao Yang¡¯s position behind the wheelchair.

    Gao Yang jogged up to the carousel. At a nce, none of the suitcases on the conveyor belt was his or his family¡¯s.

    He looked at the terminal where the luggages came from. One after another, suitcases were spat out. Soon, Gao Yang caught sight of his.

    He jumped.

    Thanks to his enhanced vision, he noticed before everyone else that there was a white cat perching on his suitcase, licking its own paws.

    Thankfully, the light was dim at the opening of the terminal, and no one had noticed just yet.

    In two seconds though, the suitcase and the white cat woulde out on the conveyor belt, revealed to everyone.

    <i>ng!</i>

    In that split second, Gao Yang quietly and swiftly threw his phone away, hitting a trash can behind him.

    The sudden noise drew the attention of most people present. They turned to see what had happened, and seizing the opening, Gao Yang teleported to the start of the conveyor belt with the crowd as his cover.

    Blocking the suitcase and the white cat with his body, he quickly unzipped the case and grabbed the white cat, shoving it inside before shutting the case.

    The whole process took less than three seconds.

    ¡°Hey, kid, there¡¯s no need for the rush!¡± A friendly older woman turned back and said in shock, ¡°Get down from there! It¡¯s too dangerous for you to stand on the carousel. You may get taken inside.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled apologetically and jumped off the conveyor belt with his suitcase. ¡°Haha, sorry about that. I was too nervous.¡±

    He sighed in relief. The cameras shouldn¡¯t be able to catch his teleportation with the crowd serving as cover. It would look like there was ag in the footage. Besides, the security personnel weren''t going to check the surveince footage of a specific location at a specific time without a good reason, and in the meantime, the footage would already be reced with new ones.

    Gao Yang nonchntly went up to the trash can with his suitcase in hand, picking up his phone and checking it.

    It wasn¡¯t broken, thanks to the phone case and screen protector.

    Gao Yang turned to his mother as she walked up to him and said, ¡°Grab your luggage, Mom. I¡¯m going to the toilet.¡±

    Without waiting for her to answer, he rushed into the men¡¯s toilet with his suitcase, entering the innermost stall.

    As soon as he opened the suitcase, the white cat jumped out and into Gao Yang¡¯s arms, nuzzling his chin with its fluffy head.

    ¡°Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang was ready to pull his hair out. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°<i>Meow</i>!¡±

    ¡°Hush!¡± Gao Yang quickly put a finger to his mouth, telling her to be quiet.

    ¡°Did you follow us in secret?¡± Gao Yang asked in a whisper.

    The white cat blinked.

    ¡°Does your sister know?¡±

    The white cat paused for two seconds before blinking.

    <i>Ugh, can¡¯t you put more effort into lying next time?</i>

    Gao Yang felt a headache brewing. He already had enough on his tes during this trip in Naldives. And now, there was a cat added to the mix.

    To be honest, he was quite irritated. Fresh Snow was being reckless.

    But she was a cat; no cat could be reasoned with.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and said seriously, ¡°I can take you around for fun, Fresh Snow, but you have to listen to me. Okay?¡±

    ¡°<i>Meow</i>!¡±

    ¡°Shh¡ª¡± Gao Yang quickly covered her mouth. ¡°Stop meowing.¡±

    He sorted out his suitcase to empty one side for Fresh Snow. Then he picked her up to put her back in.

    Obediently, she curled into a ball and slept on his clothes.

    ¡°Bear with me, Fresh Snow. I¡¯ll let you out once I get to the hotel.¡±

    Fresh Snow blinked.

    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling suffocated, meow quietly. I can hear you.¡±

    Fresh Snow meowed softly.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡±

    Gao Yang closed his suitcase and flushed the toilet.

    He took out his phone and turned on the sound, looking up a random video of pets and hitting y. Cute meows could be heard from his phone. While clicking on different shorts to keep the distraction going, he opened the door and walked out with his suitcase.

    There were a couple men taking care of their business at the urinals. They paid no attention to Gao Yang.

    He quickly left the restroom.

 Chapter 275: The Ideal Day

    <h4>Chapter 275: The Ideal Day</h4>

    Gao Yang and his family left the airport. Their n was to take a yacht to the F Ind, which was the ind with the best return for money spent. Paying 7000 yuan per person, and they got a packaged deal with a full week of amodation; the meals were covered too since it was off season.

    With a group of more than four people, free amodation and meals were provided for a child at or under the age of 15. Gao Xinxin barely met the criteria at 15.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother did her best to keep the cost low. As long as they didn¡¯t spend money on souvenirs and avoided splurging, they could keep the cost of the whole trip at fifty thousand yuan, which was the most they could afford with their budget.

    Wang Zikai, on the other hand, was theplete opposite. He picked a five-star ind vi with a 360-degree view of the ocean, which cost forty thousand yuan per night. It was beyond regr people¡¯sprehension.

    Moreover, he booked an eight-passenger seane for pick-up, and he insisted on everyone getting on with him.

    Gao Yang and his family didn¡¯t turn down the offer out of misced politeness. They got onto the seane Wang Zikai booked.

    The ne took flight at the pier and quickly rose to a height of several hundred meters.

    The blue ocean blended into the blue sky. The entire Naldives was within their view. Leaning against the portholes, they looked down at the coral archipgo underneath. The scattering of inds resembled a pearl ne against the backdrop of the blue ocean.

    It didn¡¯t take long until the seanended on the F Ind.

    Gao Yang and his family got onto a shuttle bus with Wang Zikai, heading to a narrow road between rows of waterfront vis, all with the consistent look of deep brown rooftops and white walls.

    The tour bus made it to the end of the road, stopping before the vi with the best view of the ocean.

    On the way, Gao Xinxin had been boasting nonstop that she had booked the vi sitting at the best location¡ªout of the regr hotel vis, of course.

    Getting off the bus, they happily rushed into their vi.

    Gao Yang set up the foldable wheelchair and ced his disabled father in the seat, pushing the wheelchair inside.

    The vi was renovated like a modern hotel with many windows and doors to let in sufficient light and create an open space. On one side of the vi was an outdoor swimming pool at sea level, and on another side was an open balcony with beach loungers and parasols.

    His mother knelt in the living room, sorting through everyone¡¯s suitcases.

    His grandmother was picking between the rooms.

    There were two bedrooms in the vi. His grandmother would share one with Gao Xinxin, while his parents shared the other. And Gao Yang would take the sofa.

    Gao Xinxin plopped down on the long sofa. ¡°Hm, it looks more or less like the pictures, but with more give. Can you fall asleep here, Brother?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can sleep anywhere.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m only going to be asleep for four hours. I¡¯m not picky.</i>

    His mother picked up a stack of clothes from the suitcase and walked over to the closet. Then she said, ¡°Give me yours, Yang Yang. I¡¯ll sort out your luggage too. We¡¯re staying here for several days. Wouldn¡¯t want things to go missing.¡±

    Thest thing Gao Yang wanted was to leave his suitcase to his mother, so he lifted it and ran out of the vi. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go take a look at what Wang Zikai is up to, Mom. Be right back.¡±

    On the road outside the vi, Wang Zikai was talking to the driver of the shuttle bus in broken English.

    ¡°<i>I no is here!</i>¡± Wang Zikai gestured as he showed pictures of the vi he had booked to the driver, pointing at the ocean. ¡°<i>I is there! Gogogo!</i>¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed, taking out his phone and quickly typing out, ¡®How to go to the Fairytale Vi?¡¯

    Then he tranted it into English and handed his phone to the driver.

    The driver broke into a bright grin, the white of his teeth a stark contrast with his tanned skin. ¡°Jet ski! Jet ski!¡±

    Five minutester, Wang Zikai and Gao Yang each rode a jet ski they rented to the five-star ind vi.

    It was considered part of the F Ind too and was known as the Fairytale Vi. Built upon a small ind, it was a two-story vi surrounded by water.

    It looked like something straight out of a fairytale with all kinds of amusement facilities, such as water slides, making it effectively a small waterpark.

    Gao Yang always knew that Wang Zikai was a chuni boy at heart, but he never knew that his friend also had a preschool girl side to him.

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai parked the jet skis by a small pier outside the front door of the vi and went in with their luggages. The interior was done in the style that emphasizedfort and childlike wonder.

    Wang Zikai took off his sunsses and dropped his suitcase on the wooden floor. Kicking off his shoes, he rushed up to the fridge and took out two bottles of iced c, throwing Gao Yang a bottle. He looked right at home.

    Gao Yang epted the c and brought his suitcase upstairs.

    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± asked Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Lend me the room upstairs,¡± Gao Yang said without turning around.

    ¡°Haha, sure!¡± Wang Zikai beamed. ¡°To be honest, bro, the ce your family picked is way too small. You even have to sleep on the sofa! Why don¡¯t you just spend the nights here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think.¡± Gao Yang was waiting for him to say that. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep here tonight. And I¡¯m a man of privacy. Don¡¯te into my room without reasons!¡±

    Wang Zikai snorted. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m not interested in your privacy.¡±

    As soon as Gao Yang went upstairs, Wang Zikai quickly opened his suitcase. Inside was a heavy gaming console and about a dozen of thetest AAA games.

    At afortable vi surrounded by the sea, he would sit on the sofa with his BFF, wolfing down high-calorie junk food and ying games until morning came. They would watch the red sun rise from the horizon outside the window walls as soft, tangerine light shone on their faces, apanied by the gentle caress of the pleasant breeze.

    What a wonderful moment that would be.

    Then they would wash their faces and go about their exciting day!

    When the sun was up, they would go diving! Surfing! Spa!

    Came evening, they would hit on two pretty blonde girls in bikinis on the beach and have a candlelight dinner together, enjoying the admiring looks from the girls as they boasted about their achievements!

    Then they would take the girls to a bar and drink and dance, indulging in the nightlife!

    Then once it was midnight, they would...hehehe...go back to the vi and y more games!

    Shit, wouldn¡¯t that be the grandest time?

    Wang Zikai broke into a grin, already picturing the next few days of their vacation, not even considering the itinerary Gao Yang¡¯s family had nned.

    ...

    <i>Bam.</i>

    While Wang Zikai was daydreaming downstairs, Gao Yang had already entered the bedroom on the second floor and locked the door behind him, closing all curtains too. Then he opened the suitcase.

    The white cat didn¡¯t jump out to greet Gao Yang, but instead curled into herself, looking ill.

    Her nose was a little red, while her emerald eyes were misty. Mouth slightly open, she breathed in quick, short bursts.

    Gao Yang ced a hand on her. Her body was unusually hot.

    <i>Shit, it¡¯s not a heatstroke, is it?</i>

 Chapter 276: Heatstroke

    <h4>Chapter 276: Heatstroke</h4>

    Because Fresh Snow was a Spectre, Gao Yang assumed she must be strong.

    If she was a simple cat when she was in cat form, though, it was entirely possible that she would get a heatstroke staying in the suitcase for so long given the weather.

    Gao Yang felt a pang of guilt. ¡°You could¡¯ve made some sounds to let me know that you were ufortable, Fresh Snow. I would¡¯ve heard you.¡±

    He lifted Fresh Snow out of the suitcase and ced her under the AC, pressing the iced c Wang Zikai gave him to her head as cold press.

    The white cat blinked and meowed softly.

    Gao Yang melted immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Fresh Snow. I was wrong...¡±

    Fresh Snow meowed again. At the same time, its white hair grew and expanded messily like seaweeds before melting into odorless white fog.

    <i>Is she...transforming?!</i>

    ¡°Wait! Just wait a moment...¡±

    Gao Yang scrambled to his feet and ran, his pinky toe mming into the foot of the bed. He tripped and almost fell.

    Hissing in pain, he stumbled into the bathroom inside the room and mmed the door shut with a bang.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang covered his mouth with both hands.

    <i>O¡ª</i>

    What could be more painful than kicking the bed with your pinky toe?

    It took half a minute for Gao Yang to settle down and recover from the pain.

    He called out to the other side of the door, ¡°Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The girl¡¯s weak voice came.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief and picked up a bathrobe, leaving the bathroom with his eyes closed.

    He guessed at the general direction Fresh Snow would be in and threw the bathrobe at her. ¡°Put this on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Fresh Snow said petntly. ¡°It¡¯s ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Do it!¡± Gao Yang hardened his voice like an adult chiding a child.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    There was the rustle of the bathrobe sliding on skin, followed by faint footsteps. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to see Fresh Snow sitting cross-legged on the bed. The bathrobe was too big for her petite body, and her pale shoulders and delicate cor bones were left uncovered.

    She was covered in sweat, her silver hair drenched and sticking to her almost translucently pale skin in strands.

    Herplexion was sickly, and her crimson eyes still beautiful, but much dimmer than usual, like they were obscured by fog.

    ¡°Fresh Snow,¡± Gao Yang said softly. ¡°Are you alright? Did you get a heatstroke?¡±

    Fresh Snow shook her head.

    He sat down by her side and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was unusually hot.

    ¡°You¡¯re running a fever?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be,¡± Fresh Snow blinked. ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t get sick.¡±

    Gao Yang was worried. ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t look so good.¡±

    Fresh Snow stopped talking and fell toward Gao Yang, burying her face in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need some sleep.¡±

    She slowly closed her eyes.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare move lest he disturbed her rest. He simply looked down at her.

    She fell asleep almost instantly, and her breathing softened and evened out. Her sweat was gone too, leaving her skin dry and fair.

    After a while, Gao Yang gingerly touched her forehead again. Her temperature had dropped. He let out a sigh in relief.

    Gently, he lifted her and ced her down on the bed, brushing aside her messy silver hair so that her hair wouldn¡¯t be pressed against her skin in an ufortable way.

    Then he fetched a pen and a post-it note to leave her a message: ¡®I need to go, Fresh Snow. I¡¯ll check on you in the evening. Stay in the room and don¡¯t go anywhere. Don¡¯t make any noise either.¡¯

    He put the note on the bedside table, under the cup of water. Then he gave her a lingering look.

    Finally, he closed his suitcase and opened the door, going downstairs.

    Wang Zikai was getting impatient. ¡°Why did it take you so long to sort out your stuff?¡±

    ¡°I went to the toilet as well,¡± Gao Yang lied. Still feeling anxious, he decided to grab Wang Zikai and go. ¡°Come with me to the vi my family¡¯s staying at. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Wang Zikai agreed readily.

    They went back on their jet skis.

    When Gao Yang returned to the vi, his mother was going toy in on him, but stopped herself when she saw that Wang Zikai was with him.

    His father picked the wrong conversation opener. ¡°How did you do at the entrance exams, Little Kai?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was suspended and didn¡¯t attend the entrance exams.¡± Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t abashed at all.

    The atmosphere was a little awkward.

    ¡°Oh, haha.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father changed the topic with a smile. ¡°Little Kai, are your parents busy with work? Why didn¡¯t theye with you?¡±

    Wang Zikai blurted out, ¡°Ah, they got a divorce and each started their own family. They don¡¯t have time for me.¡±

    The smile on his father¡¯s face froze. He dealt with clients on a daily basis before he got into a car ident, and he fancied himself an expert in conversing. It hadn¡¯t been that long since he retired. How did he be this terrible at talking?

    ¡°Joining us for lunch, Wang Zikai?¡± Gao Xinxin walked out of her room in a tank top and a pair of shorts, her hair tied into twin tails.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Zikai waved the cellphone in his hand. ¡°I did the homework. There¡¯s an underwater western restaurant. It¡¯s near a spa we can swing by after lunch, and it¡¯s not that expensive. You only have to pay 7000 yuan per person!¡±

    The living room fell silent for a second.

    <i>Only </i>7000 yuan?

    <i>What the fuck do you mean by ¡®you only have to pay 7000 yuan?!¡¯</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed the curses threatening to escape his mouth. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s get lunch separately...¡±

    His rejection was cut short by Gao Xinxin¡¯s kick from the back. She beamed at Wang Zikai. ¡°Sure. Your treat?¡±

    ¡°Xinxin!¡± His mother scowled. ¡°How can we...¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t even think before agreeing. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about us. I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll get bored eating on your own. We¡¯re keeping youpany.¡± Gao Xinxin had the audacity to im the moral high ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re so considerate, Xinxin!¡± Wang Zikai was touched. He threw Gao Yang a disapproving nce. ¡°You should learn from your sister, Gao Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang ignored him and turned to exchange a nce with his father, feeling conflicted. <i>From whom does the brat Gao Xinxin get her personality from?</i>

    His mother¡¯s expression turned troubled. She still didn¡¯t think it was right. ¡°Little Kai, we appreciate the offer, but...¡±

    ¡°Little Kai! Granny wants ice cream!¡± His grandmother came out waving a colorful flier around. ¡°This is the restaurant you¡¯re talking about, right? Look, there¡¯s free icecream. There are so many colors, and it¡¯s all-you-can-eat. Haha.¡±

    His mother nervously took the flier from her and got a closer look. ¡°Mother, you need to buy a VIP voucher for all-you-can-eat icecream...¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll buy it! One for each of you!¡± Wang Zikai grinned brightly. ¡°The thing that matters most is that granny is happy!¡±

    Gao Yang exchanged another nce with his father. Now they knew where Gao Xinxin got it from!

    His mother knew that there was no changing where things were going now. She smiled awkwardly. ¡°Then thank you, Little Kai.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Auntie!¡±

    Wang Zikai put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Gao Yang and I are real brothers born from different parents! No need for reservations between family members!¡±

 Chapter 277: Sneaking a Photo

    <h4>Chapter 277: Sneaking a Photo</h4>

    The family made themselves presentable before going to the five-star restaurant on the F Ind with excitement.

    Wang Zikai sauntered through the revolving door like he owned the ce and went up to the front desk, talking to the receptionist with his unique brand of English.

    Other than the lunch and the spa, he also bought everyone a VIP voucher, which provided many services for free. When he paid, he took out a ck card Gao Yang hadn¡¯t even seen before from his pocket and gave it to the receptionist.

    Led by a beaming staff member, the six of them entered an elevator and went to the underground third floor.

    Gao Xinxin was the first to walk out. She couldn¡¯t help but marvel, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    And it was. The restaurant was huge with transparent ss as the ceiling and part of the walls, serving as windows to the ocean outside. Schools of tropical fish could be seen leisurely weaving through beautiful coral reefs.

    It was far beyond the aquariums Gao Yang had visited. It felt like they had gone under the sea for real.

    They were led to arge rotating table with a great view, right beside arge, arched window that looked out into the bottom of the sea.

    Deep crystal-clear blue came through the ss. Every once in a while, a school of fish would swim by, casting scintiting lights on their faces.

    Gao Xinxin looked up at a golden tropical fish. The blue of the ocean highlighted her forehead and the tip of her nose, painting an ethereal picture.

    Gao Yang was suddenly reminded of an oil painting he had seen before, <i>The Maiden¡¯s Prayer.</i>

    He discretely grabbed his phone and took a picture of her profile.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Startled, Gao Xinxin turned around and reached out to grab his cellphone. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re trying to get an ugly picture of me again!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m taking pictures of the fish, not you!¡± Gao Yang shot back and hid his phone. ¡°Look at that orange fish with puffy face. Doesn¡¯t it look like you?¡±

    ¡°You...you¡¯re asking for a beating! I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡±

    The siblings bickered and fought, a familiar sight for their father, mother, and grandmother. Unfazed, the adults each took pictures with their own phones.

    Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t interested in things like this at all, but now that he was here, he might as well take a few pictures too.

    He thought about it, feeling like he should have something to remember this moment by. He switched to selfie mode and took a picture with the school of tropical fish behind him.

    Once he took the picture, though, he felt no satisfaction, so he sneakily turned his body and camera to catch the siblings behind him.

    Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin were still y-fighting and didn¡¯t notice.

    Wang Zikai broke into a grin that was all teeth and made an outdated peace sign, sneaking a picture with the brother and sister.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Afterward, Wang Zikai quickly shoved his phone into his pocket and picked up the menu. ¡°Waiter! <i>Order!</i>¡±

    The lunch was a full banquet with an assortment of seafood, fish, and poultry, as well as tbread and naan¡ªall with the unique tastes of the local cuisines incorporated.

    Gao Yang¡¯s favorite was coconut tuna and fishcake.

    Wang Zikai, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t used to the taste and couldn¡¯t appreciate the fine food, so he chewed on the naan without really tasting it and mumbled, ¡°Is there CFK here? Or a pizzeria?¡±

    Gao Yang felt bad for him, and a little guilty.

    Soon, though, his guilt tranted into appetite, and he decided to eat Wang Zikai¡¯s share for him too!

    ...

    When they were about finished with their lunch, Gao Yang took his grandmother to the dessert bar.

    She was in her seventies, but not only did she have a youthful mindset, she also had the taste of a child. She loved desserts, candies, and especially icecream.

    With all the sweets she had had her whole life, it was a miracle that she still had good teeth.

    Arm-in-arm with Gao Yang, his grandmother had an icecream scoop in her hand, and she got a scoop of all the different-colored icecreams that caught her eyes.

    ¡°This is enough!¡± Gao Yang, holding a small bowl for her, hurriedly stopped her. ¡°You¡¯re gonna get diarrhea if you have too much.¡±

    ¡°I want one of each color,¡± his grandmother insisted.

    ¡°Some are different in color, but not in taste,¡± Gao Yang lied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool your granny!¡± His grandmother threw a tantrum. ¡°Xinxin told me that the vor is all different. The green one is matcha. The pink one is strawberry. And the blue one is bluefairy.¡±

    ¡°<i>Blueberry</i>,¡± Gao Yang corrected with augh.

    ¡°Our Yang Yang has grown up into his own man. He makes orders to his granny now.¡± His grandmother put on a scowl andined without heat.

    ¡°I¡¯m only intervening for you, Granny. Your health is the most important.¡±

    ¡°Eh, Granny has one foot in the coffin already at this age,¡± she said carelessly. ¡°Every day is a gift.¡±

    Gao Yang responded seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re gonna live until a hundred, Granny!¡±

    Her smile dropped suddenly, and she untangled their arms, carefully holding Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Granny doesn¡¯t need to live that long. As long as Yang Yang and Xinxin grow up safely and the family continues to live happily, Granny can leave in peace.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a prickle of tears, choking up.

    At that moment, a thought further cemented in his mind.

    <i>Even though fate has penned my death, I will do whatever it takes to survive.</i>

    <i>For myself, and for my family.</i>

    ...

    Once they had eaten to their hearts¡¯ content, the family plus one checked out the entertainment corner in the hotel.

    Then at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, after they had digested the food, they headed to the spa.

    They split into two groups by gender and got changed, led to different rooms by the staff for massage.

    Gao Yang entered a big room with his father and Wang Zikai. The ceiling above them was thick ss, and on the other side was the beautiful serene sea.

    The three meny on the massage beds with only a towel around their waists.

    Three masseurs came in, each carrying a wooden bowl filled with essential oil. They introduced themselves and gave them the rundown of things to be aware of when getting a massage.

    Since they were speaking in English, the three were confused the whole time.

    ¡°Yang Yang, tell the masseur in charge of me that he didn¡¯t have to do my legs. I don¡¯t feel anything there anyway. He can save himself the work.¡± His father joked and startedughing.

    Wang Zikai joined in, responding to the joke well.

    Gao Yang, though, didn¡¯tugh. He felt his chest tighten. His father was the most optimistic person he had ever known.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Uncle Gao! The fact that you don¡¯t feel anything in your legs means that they should get massaged harder!¡± Wang Zikai said seriously. ¡°Maybe your legs are gonna recover once the acupuncture points are unblocked!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± His father had long epted the fact that he would be bound to a wheelchair the rest of his life.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Zikai said with certainty. ¡°You¡¯re gonna stand up in the future!¡±

    Pleased, his father said, ¡°Haha, sure! I believe you, Little Kai!¡±

    The masseurs gave the three of them a massage with thepany of soothing music, starting from their faces, to their napes and upper bodies, and finally their limbs.

    No one could question their expertise.

    The masseurs knew every one of their muscles and its degree of stiffness and exhaustion. With fine control of strength, they resolved the knots in their bodies.

    Gao Yang felt a little sore at first, but slowly, he found himself rxing, and his eyelids fell.

    Soon, the first part of the massage waspleted.

    The three masseurs left quietly. His father and Wang Zikai had fallen asleep already, their snores a chorus resounding in the room.

    Gao Yang eyed them with exasperation. They seemed like the actual father and son here!

    Ten minutester, the three masseurs returned for the next part of the massage.

    Gao Yang remained lying on the bed with his eyes closed, feeling fingers rubbing along the muscles in his shoulders.

    Suddenly, his heart thumped, and he tensed up in rm.

 Chapter 278: Brother and Sister

    <h4>Chapter 278: Brother and Sister</h4>

    <i>Wait!</i>

    <i>This isn¡¯t the masseur from earlier.</i>

    Gao Yang snuck a nce at the floor. The fine, polished surface of the light gray marble reflected the man¡¯s face, and he looked the same as before. Some time ago, Gao Yang would¡¯ve thought the masseur had simply changed up his techniques.

    Now that his Charisma had increased to 500, though, his keen senses told him that this was a different person.

    <i>An enemy?</i>

    Every single muscle in his body tensed up involuntarily.

    Standing on his side, the masseur bent down to work on Gao Yang¡¯s back, and he noticed the alertness radiating from the body under his hands. His lips curled into a smirk.

    A secondter, his fingers found their ways to Gao Yang¡¯s nape, pinching his cervical spine.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hair stood on end, but he didn¡¯t dare make a reckless move.

    He didn¡¯t know who the masseur was or how strong he would be. Could he break his spine barehanded?

    It felt as if someone was pointing a gun at Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    Heart pounding, he steadied his breathing and slowly focused his energy to the muscles in his neck, where he was being pinched. At the same time, he gathered energy in his palms, ready to shoot fire at any time.

    But then he hesitated.

    <i>Shit, Dad¡¯s still here!</i>

    What if his father was neither human nor wanderer? What if he was an elite monster? Would Gao Yang have to fight him then? And they would never be father and son again!

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    <i>Fuck, fuck, fuck!</i>

    <i>I should¡¯ve insisted on noting to Naldives with my family!</i>

    Thankfully, the masseur didn¡¯t make a move against Gao Yang after a few seconds, but instead wrote a few words on his back with his fingers.

    Gao Yang felt a weight suddenly lifted off him, and he rxed, letting out the breath he had been holding.

    <i>Thank God!</i>

    <i>Thank heavens that it¡¯s a false alert!</i>

    ...

    Perhaps it was because they had taken a midnight flight and hadn¡¯t slept well, they had a good rest at the spa, and when they left, it was already evening.

    They returned to the vi.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother asked Wang Zikai to stay for dinner, but Wang Zikai turned her down, saying that he had ordered pizza takeout already. Then he returned to the Fairytale Vi on his jet ski.

    Seven o¡¯clock in the evening, a server brought the family their provided dinner, including arge portion of chicken curry, arge bowl of seafood soup, some tropical fruit, and naan.

    Compared to their lunch, it was nothing to write home about.

    However, Gao Yang¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t be happier and ate more than usual, eased by the fact that the meal wasn¡¯t paid by someone else.

    She had always been like this since Gao Yang could remember, gentle and caring, kind but reserved, never envious of things that weren¡¯t hers. Back when they lived in the countryside and didn¡¯t have much money, she neverined, but did her best to give them a good life.

    If they ended up taking advantage of someone, not only wouldn¡¯t she feel happy about it, she would feel guilty and keep trying to return the favor as soon as possible.

    She always said that in one¡¯s life, a free conscience was more important than anything.

    After dinner, they were all tired and decided to stay in the hotel.

    Sensing his cue, Gao Yang rose to leave, only to be stopped by a voice. ¡°All no you aren¡¯t going just yet, Gao Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang jumped and turned around guiltily.

    Gao Xinxin walked out of her room, holding a frilly, dreamy white lolita dress to her chest. ¡°Take pictures for me!¡±

    ¡°Why not tomorrow? I¡¯m gonna go to Wang Zikai¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°No! The sunset is prettiest now!¡± Gao Xinxin pouted. ¡°Who knows if we¡¯ll get the same view tomorrow? What if it rains?¡±

    Summer is off season in Naldives due to the frequent rains. Of course, it also meant things were cheaper during this period.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Wait here. I¡¯m getting changed now!¡± Gao Xinxin ran back to the room excitedly and closed the door behind her.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Xinxin strolled along the soft sandy beach dressed in her lolita dress made ofyers of white, airy fabric, an adorablerge ribbon adorning her hair.

    Half of the red sun had already sunken below the horizon, casting a glow of warm orange on the blue sky, blue ocean, and white beach.

    With her long hair running down her back, Gao Xinxin walked barefooted with her hands behind her, leaving deep and shallow footprints on the sand.

    Every once in a while, a wave would approach and submerge her ankles. She nervously lifted her dress, worried that the hem would get wet.

    Holding a phone, Gao Yang knelt on the side and kept taking pictures for her.

    Suddenly, Gao Xinxin grimaced, and she fell as she cried out, ¡°Ah! Help!¡±

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    The waves happened to crash into her at that moment, submerging her lower body.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡±

    Startled, Gao Yang dropped the phone and rushed up to her, helping her up.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Crab! There was a giant crab!¡± Gao Xinxin was entirely drenched, her face pale. ¡°It crawled over my feet earlier. I, I almost had a heart attack!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief, breaking into a small smile. ¡°You overreacted so much that I thought you got bitten by something.¡±

    ¡°But it was scary!¡± His sister pouted. Then she looked down and eximed, ¡°Ah, my dress! Shoot, shoot, shoot!¡±

    Another wave hit, making a pair of wet dogs out of them.

    This time, Gao Xinxin gave up on saving her dress.

    She nced at Gao Yang in resignation before breaking into a mischievous smirk. Scooping water with both hands, she sshed water at his face.

    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s foul...¡± Gao Yang got water in his mouth. He retaliated and sshed water back at his sister. ¡°Dishonor on you! Take this!¡±

    ¡°Haha! Hahaha!¡±

    Gao Xinxin stood up and ran toward the sea. Gao Yang chased after her.

    With the water reaching their waists, the brother and sister yed until their clothes and hair were both entirely drenched.

    At some point, the sun had sunk below the horizon; only a lingering ray could be seen.

    Night descended. The world seemed so quiet and vast at this moment¡ªit must be vast, the world, if only there was no mist permeating it.

    Exhausted, Gao Xinxin stopped ying around and looked far into the distant sea. The lingering red of the sunset reflected in her eyes, making her seem mncholy beyond her age.

    ¡°Brother,¡± Gao Xinxin said quietly, almost a whisper.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Gao Yang turned around.

    A sea breeze lifted her hair and made it dance, which covered her eyes and half of her face so that Gao Yang couldn¡¯t see her expression clearly.

    The fifteen-year-old girl looked up at her eighteen-year-old brother.

    ¡°Let us be family forever. Promise?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart stuttered.

    The world seemed to lose all colors and sounds at that moment.

 Chapter 279: Monsterhood

    <h4>Chapter 279: Monsterhood</h4>

    After a moment of panic, Gao Yang quickly regained hisposure. With a smile, he reached out to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her sister¡¯s ear.

    ¡°What are you talking about? We are family.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes lowered, looking a little down. ¡°But you¡¯ll find me a sister-inw and start a family, and I¡¯ll marry someone and have a child. Then we will belong to two families. Although we will still be siblings, we won¡¯t be as close as we are now.¡±

    ¡°Whenever I think about that, I feel down.¡±

    ¡°If only we could be like this forever.¡±

    Gao Yang stood side by side with Gao Xinxin, looking into the distant horizon for a long, silent moment.

    Finally, he reached out to press her head to his chest. ¡°Stop saying nonsense. You¡¯ll always be my little sister no matter how old we are. Nothing is going to change that.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡± Gao Xinxin asked.

    ¡°Promise.¡± Gao Yang suddenly extended his hand. ¡°It will be our witness!¡±

    Gao Xinxin looked down to see Gao Yang holding onto a crab. She screamed and fell on her bottom, the seawater almost submerging her to the head.

    She shot to her feet with a ssh and wiped her face, chasing and swinging her fists at Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gao Yang cast the crab aside and ran while holding his head. The siblings started fighting again.

    ...

    When the night fell, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin returned to the vi.

    Gao Yang had a quick shower and got changed before heading to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce on the jet ski he rented.

    The sea was dark and lonesome at night, and the Fairytale Vi floated on the pitch ck water, brightly lit like a small fantastical castle.

    From what Gao Yang remembered, Wang Zikai always kept the light on at night wherever he was staying.

    He couldn¡¯t be afraid of the dark given the kind of person he was. Perhaps it was because he was deeply lonely at heart that he instinctively chased warmth and shied away from anything that would bring about a lonesome atmosphere.

    Gao Yang left the jet ski at the pier and locked it before opening the front door of the vi.

    ¡°Wang Zikai...¡±

    He paused as soon as the name was out of his mouth.

    In the living room, Wang Zikai had his back to Gao Yang, and he knelt behind the sofa busy with something. Only half of his body was visible.

    He stood up as soon as he heard Gao Yang¡¯s voice.

    That was when Gao Yang saw it¡ªthere were drops of blood on Wang Zikai¡¯s face.

    Three sharp bone ws protruded from the back of his right hand, and they were drenched in blood too; so were the chest area of his shirt.

    ¡°Here you are, Gao Yang.¡± He smiled. There was a burnt-out look to his expression that Gao Yang couldn¡¯t decipher.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?!</i>

    <i>No, don¡¯t jump to conclusions!</i>

    <i>It can¡¯t be what you¡¯re thinking!</i>

    He tried his best to convince himself, but then his gaze lowered, and instantly, his scalp went numb, and it felt as if his blood was going the opposite direction.

    Silver hair could be seen behind the sofa, and the owner of the hairy on the floor, unmoving.

    <i>Fresh Snow!</i>

    ¡°Wang Zikai, you...¡± Gao Yang nched, his voice trembling. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Wang Zikai smiled and retracted his bone ws swiftly. ¡°You came at just the right time. I was just finished with the kill.¡±

    Gao Yang wished that he had heard it wrong, that the red on Wang Zikai¡¯s body was nothing but tomato juice like in those funnymercials.

    But he smelt blood. While it didn¡¯t smell human, it was no tomato.

    Wang Zikai killed Fresh Snow!

    <i>But why? Even if Fresh Snow had left the room instead of listening to me, Wang Zikai would only be surprised, not consider her an enemy.</i>

    <i>No, Fresh Snow has been in a strange statetely. Could it be that she lost control and turned into a real ghost, going after Wang Zikai?</i>

    <i>Or has Wang Zikai¡¯s monsterhood finally awakened?</i>

    Wang Zikai walked up to him with a smile, and Gao Yang immediately backed away.

    Wang Zikai paused, noticing Gao Yang¡¯s fear and shock.

    He put on a pleasing smile and wiped his bloodied hands on his shirt. ¡°Are you mad, bro? I¡¯m sorry. I promise that next time...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess. Anger, shock, regret, fear, pain, and a myriad of other emotions rushed to his head. A secondter, he tapped into the energy in his body.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Gao Yang teleported to Wang Zikai and mmed into him. He didn¡¯t want to hurt him, but he had to stop him.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Caughtpletely off guard, Wang Zikai mmed through the window with a yell and fell into the sea.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡±

    Gao Yang then rushed to the back of the sofa to check if Fresh Snow was still breathing. He had even started to n in his head how he should bring her back. Within 24 hours of her death, Vermilion Bird would be able to resurrect her! It would be worth a try no matter the price! And if she wouldn¡¯t do it, there was also Fresh Snow¡¯s sister!

    Weren¡¯t the Spectres able to bring people back to life? They would have a way.

    But how should he go about contacting her sister?

    Gao Yang hurriedly helped Fresh Snow up, only to find to his shock that Fresh Snow, having changed into arge, white t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts, didn¡¯t have any blood on her. She was wholly intact.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡± Gao Yang called out again.

    She opened her eyes by a crack sleepily. ¡°...Gao Yang?¡±

    She giggled, looking a little weak. ¡°You¡¯re back. Hm, when did I fall asleep again?¡±

    <i>What? Fell asleep?!</i>

    Gao Yang came to his senses suddenly.

    <i>What just happened?!</i>

    He picked Fresh Snow up and ced her on the sofa. Then he looked around and rushed to the kitchen, face ashen. Immediately, he caught sight of the unknown fish that was almost a meter long, having been cut open and into pieces.

    Realization struck him.

    What had happened the past few days left him with an almost pathological paranoia. It didn¡¯t help that he was an overly cautious and imaginative person by nature.

    <i>What the hell did you do, Gao Yang?!</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Wang Zikai, drenched from head to toe, swam back from the sea. He kicked the door open and wiped the water off his face, stalking up to Gao Yang angrily. ¡°What the fuck was that...¡±

    He trailed off.

    Gao Yang had quickly walked up to a matt on the living room floor and dropped to his knees with a thud.

    ¡°Brother Kai! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Huuuuuh...??¡±

    Wang Zikai gaped at him, his anger suddenly evaporated. He rushed up to Gao Yang and helped him up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, bro, seriously.¡±

    ¡°I made a mistake. I misunderstood. Hit me or curse me, I¡¯ll take it!¡±

    ¡°Geez, bro. It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯ll consider that a quick bath to wash off the fishy smell...¡±

    Ten minutester, in the living room.

    Wang Zikai had three pieces of fatty fish skewered on his bone ws, while Gao Yang roasted the fish by conjuring fire with one hand and seasoning the fish with the other hand.

    Fresh Snow knelt on the sofa with her arms around her knees, staring at the almost-done fish with her red eyes. ¡°Whoa, it smells good! Gao Yang, can I have a bite?¡±

    ¡°Just one bite,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± She nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯ll open my mouth this big...¡±

    ¡°A <i>small </i>bite,¡± Gao Yang cut her off.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Fresh Snow was a little disappointed, but quickly broke into a smile. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll have a small bite.¡±

    While they roasted the fish, Gao Yang heard about what had happened.

    Fresh Snow had a good nap throughout the afternoon in the room on the second floor. When she woke up, the sun had already set. She saw the note Gao Yang left her.

    But she was practically illiterate.

    So she rushed downstairs excitedly, running into Wang Zikai, who had just returned to the hotel.

    Wang Zikai was surprised by her sudden appearance, but quickly epted it when he heard that she had followed them secretly.

    The two of them yed a fighting game on the sofa for a while. Wang Zikai, again, lost the matches to her, but he refused to admit defeat, and they started arguing.

    To prove that he was strong, Wang Zikai somehow started talking about catching fish, and as a cat, Fresh Snow was naturally interested in fish; she asked Wang Zikai to catch her one.

    Wang Zikai did. He jumped into the sea and caught a fish in less than ten minutes, and a big one at that.

    He returned to the kitchen and cut the fish open with difficulty, getting blood all over himself. When he walked out, Fresh Snow had somehow rolled off the sofa and fallen asleep on the floor behind it.

    Wang Zikai was going to wake her, and just when he knelt down, the door opened, and Gao Yang showed up.

    That was when Gao Yang conjured a terrible murder entirely in his head and mmed Wang Zikai out of the window with a teleport.

    The rest was history. Wang Zikai swam back angrily, but before he couldy in on Gao Yang, Gao Yang had already knelt down out of survival instinct...

    A mouthwatering smell came from the fish once it was done.

    Wang Zikai cut it into small pieces and ced them on a te, adding some additional seasoning and the juice of a lemon slice.

    He used his bone ws as a fork and had a piece. ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s so good!¡±

    He jumped up and rushed to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m getting drinks! It¡¯s gonna be perfect!¡±

    Gao Yang picked up a piece with a fork and handed it to Fresh Snow. ¡°Come on. Have this. But only this.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Rather than taking the fork herself, Fresh Snow opened her mouth and waited for Gao Yang to feed her.

    He shook his head in resignation, shoving the fish into her mouth.

    ¡°Hm...hmm!¡±

    She put her hands on her cheeks, her eyes glinting with content. ¡°So good!¡±

    She quickly swallowed the fish. ¡°Gao Yang! I want more!¡±

    ¡°We agreed on only one bite.¡± Gao Yang reasoned with her patiently. ¡°You¡¯re a ghost. It¡¯s bad for you to have more.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Fresh Snow didn¡¯t argue. She leaned into Gao Yang and nuzzled his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s y, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but you have to answer my questions first.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Did your sister know you¡¯ve snuck out toe to me?¡± Gao Yang asked seriously. ¡°I want the truth.¡±

    Fresh Snow wouldn¡¯t meet Gao Yang¡¯s eyes as she shook her head.

    ¡°Your sister is gonna be worried when you¡¯re so far away from home.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Fresh Snow turned away, fuming.

    Gao Yang had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Fresh Snow, did you get into a fight with your sister?¡±

 Chapter 280: Real and Cruel

    <h4>Chapter 280: Real and Cruel</h4>

    ¡°Here, have some!¡±

    Wang Zikai came over with a small tin bucket filled with broken ice and a few bottles of drinks.

    cing the bucket on the tea table, he plopped himself down beside Gao Yang, opening a bottle of c and tipping his head to have arge gulp.

    ¡°Ha...that feels good!¡± He let out a long sigh.

    Then he picked up another piece of fish with his bone w and was just about to pop it in his mouth when he paused, noticing the strange looks on Gao Yang¡¯s and Fresh Snow¡¯s faces.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? Why aren¡¯t you eating the fish?¡±

    Gao Yang pulled a long face like an adult scowling at a child, while Fresh Snow turned away with her face flushed like a child throwing a tantrum.

    ¡°You should eat, Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I have things to talk to Fresh Snow about. Be right back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai paused.

    Without saying another word, Gao Yang grabbed Fresh Snow by the hand and dragged her upstairs.

    ¡°Wait, the fish isn¡¯t gonna be as good once it¡¯s cold!¡± Wang Zikaimented the effort he had put in. ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to catch such a big fish!¡±

    Gao Yang went to the room on the second floor with a brooding Fresh Snow in tow, locking the door behind them.

    They sat cross-legged on the bed, facing each other in silence.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and softened his voice, saying seriously, ¡°It was my bad, Fresh Snow. I shouldn¡¯t have scolded you. I apologize.¡±

    Fresh Snow nced up at Gao Yang before lowering her head again, her lips still pursed.

    ¡°Good friends don¡¯t fight, and they make up right after even if they do.¡±

    Seemingly convinced, Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang gently coaxed, ¡°Good friends don¡¯t keep secrets from each other. I have something to tell you, and you have something to tell me.¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded again.

    ¡°Would you tell me then why you fought with your sister?¡±

    Fresh Snow said like she felt wronged, ¡°Sister scolded me.¡±

    ¡°Why though? Did you do something to make her unhappy?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Fresh Snow burst out before deting, tugging at her hair anxiously. ¡°She told me to eat people. I didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. ¡°Because they taste bad?¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded.

    ¡°But...¡± Gao Yang tried to see things from Fresh Snow¡¯s perspective. ¡°You can¡¯t keep starving yourself.¡±

    Fresh Snow lowered her head, looking a little dejected. ¡°Sister said that if I kept refusing to eat, I would be stuck as a cat. And...¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll die soon.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at her. ¡°Really?¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting weaker and weaker, and I stay as a cat longer and longer.¡±

    True, Fresh Snow was clearly much weaker today than thest time they met.

    She looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Sister told me that as long as I eat you, I won¡¯t have to worry about food for the next five years. I said I wouldn¡¯t do it, that I wouldn¡¯t eat you even if Sister grabbed you for me.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned speechless.

    So that was why the sisters fought.

    The only food Fresh Snow could stomach was Gao Yang, but she was unwilling to eat him.

    The conflict between the sisters was one that couldn¡¯t be resolved, and they fought.

    Fuming, Fresh Snow left home and sought out Gao Yang, only to find out that he was going to Naldives. So she snuck onto the ne and hid in the cargo hold beneath the passenger cabin.

    Her sister must be worried. She might be looking all over for her, actually. However, Fresh Snow had run away too far, and her sister couldn¡¯t immediately find her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gao Yang.¡± Fresh Snowforted him instead when he fell quiet. ¡°I won¡¯t eat you. Good friends don¡¯t eat each other!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say. He picked himself up and smiled, ruffling Fresh Snow¡¯s silver hair.

    If Fresh Snow were a Vampire who needed Gao Yang¡¯s blood to survive, he wouldn¡¯t mind providing her with some regrly to sustain her.

    With a sudden thought in mind, he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you bite Fat Jun, Fresh Snow? And he didn¡¯t die, did he?¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s crimson eyes shifted as she wondered what Gao Yang was getting at.

    ¡°I mean that I may not die even if you eat my energy. You just have to control yourself.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no!¡± Fresh Snow shouted vehemently and pushed him away.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I, I did bite Fat Jun, but I didn¡¯t eat him,¡± Fresh Snow said hurriedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± In Gao Yang¡¯s mind, biting someone was part of eating them; it was the first step of eating.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Fresh Snow frowned, trying to find the right words to exin. ¡°I¡¯m actually not picky. It¡¯s just that when something tastes bad, I cannot eat it even if I try...¡±

    ¡°Sister thought I was just picky at first, and she forced me to eat. When I bit Fat Jun, though, I couldn¡¯t eat him. It¡¯s the same for everyone else.¡±

    Gao Yang got it now.

    For other Spectres, foodes in different quality, but even the worst-quality food was still food. They could eat any awakener.

    Fresh Snow, however, was different. She couldn¡¯t eat food she didn¡¯t like, and it wasn¡¯t about her willingness, but an objective truth.

    When she bit Fat Jun and Jiang Hao, a member of the Hundred Rivers Union, she found that she couldn¡¯t eat them, and she left behind a curse that was harmful to an extent.

    For Fresh Snow, the only food she wanted to eat and could eat was Gao Yang.

    So objectively speaking, Fresh Snow could eat Gao Yang, but she wasn¡¯t willing to do so.

    She continued, ¡°When ghosts like us eat people, we cannot stop until they are dead. It¡¯s not something we can control.¡±

    Gao Yang broke out of his reverie. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just how ghosts are.¡±

    A baseless thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind.<i> Perhaps Fresh Snow isn¡¯t like the other Spectres. Perhaps she can stop herself when she eats me.</i>

    It shocked him that he would think that way.

    He didn¡¯t say anything.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Fresh Snow. I¡¯m not so noble that I¡¯ll risk my life. I have my family and friends. I still need to take revenge. I want to learn about the truth of the Mist World. There are too many reasons that I can¡¯t die yet.</i>

    Fresh Snow seemed to have read his thoughts, and she slowly shifted to rub his arm with her head.

    ¡°Gao Yang, good friends will never, never eat each other.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt a deep helplessness rising in his chest.

    For some reason, he was reminded of Li Weiwei and Wan Sisi at that moment.

    If only he hadn¡¯t awakened. Then Li Weiwei and Wan Sisi wouldn¡¯t have died, and he couldn¡¯t have been Fresh Snow¡¯s food. They wouldn¡¯t have be friends, and he wouldn¡¯t havee to care about her.

    Then Fresh Snow¡¯s fate would have nothing to do with him. He wouldn¡¯t be feeling regret and pain for her.

    Officer Huang had said that while the world was fake, love was real.

    But he neglected to add that it was exactly because of its realness that made losing it so cruel.

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go downstairs and y games with Wang Zikai.¡±

    Gao Yang made himself brighten up. The only thing he could do now was to leave Fresh Snow with more happy memories.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded vehemently, her eyes curved into a pair of bright crescent moons.

 Chapter 281: Rendezvous

    <h4>Chapter 281: Rendezvous</h4>

    Gao Yang called his family and told them that he would be spending the night at Wang Zikai¡¯s ind vi. His family agreed.

    He and Wang Zikai yed games with Fresh Snow until two o¡¯clock in the morning. Then he forced the two kids having too much fun to go to bed like a strict parent.

    Once they were asleep, Gao Yang snuck away to the Falling Star Ind on his jet ski.

    It was a famousndmark of Naldives that consisted of three Inds, linked by piers. From a bird''s eye view, the inds looked like a star falling across the sky with a burning tail, hence the name.

    As soon as he came ashore, he locked the jet ski and headed to thergest hotel on the main ind, telling the receptionist that he was here to meet up with his friend, Mr. Wu.

    The receptionist made a call for confirmation before leading the way.

    Late at night, Gao Yang went across a tropical forest in a shuttle and made it through a long narrow road, arriving at a private water vi.

    The private ind was almost ten thousand square meters big, enough for 24 people to live together. Even during off season, it would cost hundreds of thousands per night.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have to think to figure out that it took the richest man in Li City, Mr. Wu, to go for such an expensive ce.

    Soon, Gao Yang arrived at the rectangr modern architecture located on the milk-white sandy beach. It was brightly lit with an extravagant and dignified design, but it was quiet, seemingly unupied.

    Right ahead was a blue swimming pool, above which was therge balcony protruding from the second floor of the vi, installed with a diving tform.

    There were also two loungers on the balcony, one of them imed by a topless man in beach shorts. His face was covered by a magazine with erotic pictures. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

    Gao Yang smiled and didn¡¯t raise his voice. ¡°Mr. Wu.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Wu Dahai sprang up dramatically. The magazine covering his face fell into the swimming pool below and disturbed the calm water.

    He wiped the drool off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. ¡°Dark...Seven Shadow, we¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡±

    He stood up and swept his staticky hands through his floppy hair. His broom head returned with full aplomb.

    ¡°Come up here. Everyone else has arrived.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to make sure that the car driving him here had departed.

    With a light jump, he got onto the diving tform, walking to the balcony on the second floor and following Wu Dahai to the living room.

    Wu Dahai picked up a remote from the tea table and made a click.

    All the heavy curtains draping down the floor-to-ceiling windows closed slowly. Wu Dahai turned on the brightest light in the living room. Now with a clear view, Gao Yang could see that indeed, everyone was here.

    On the main sofa nearest to Gao Yang sat four people: Vermilion Bird, Can, Ronnie, and a thin, effeminate man.

    He appeared to be twenty-five or so with short grayish blue hair. He had fine, light makeup on, entuating his nted eyes. His nails were long, and his skin was fairer and more youthful than that of an average woman.

    Scarlet Fox, sixth team leader and a Protector. He was Vermilion Bird¡¯s right-hand man.

    Gao Yang had met him once, and the man¡¯s androgynous gender expression left asting impression.

    Vermilion had told him that Scarlet Fox was 100% a straight man though, only one who took care of himself and had a more sensitive disposition.

    Gao Yang had guessed that Vermilion Bird would bring Scarlet Fox with her, but he didn¡¯t expect Can and Ronnie.

    ¡°What are the two of you doing here?¡±

    Can smiled at him. ¡°Hehe, Captain, the fifth team is worried about you, but everyone outside of me and Ronnie are busy with something else. Uncle Bear let use in their stead.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little moved, but he still shot them a re with feigned anger. ¡°Who told you that you could make the decision yourself? Go back.¡±

    ¡°Alright, they¡¯re here already,¡± Vermilion Bird cut in. ¡°Let them stay with us.¡±

    Chen Ying piped up from the side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Joker has given all of us the impression of a wanderer. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to see the other long sofa upied by the three members of the Hundred Rivers Union: Chen Ying, Green Tea, and Joker.

    Joker had disguised himself as a middle-aged man with brown curled hair and tanned skin¡ªthe masseur who had worked on Gao Yang earlier.

    He grinned. ¡°How will you rate my service during the day, Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    Earlier in the afternoon, Joker had disguised himself as Gao Yang¡¯s masseur and wrote on his back to tell him the key information. That was why Gao Yang had found his way here.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°There¡¯s room for improvement.¡±

    Then Gao Yang turned to the dining table away from him. There were two cups of coffee and some desserts on the table, where White Rabbit and Qing Ling sat.

    They nced at Gao Yang in lieu of a greeting.

    Although they both had an impassive look on their faces, the emotions they conveyed were different.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised.

    It didn¡¯t surprise him that White Rabbit would take Wu Dahai to Naldives. The man was rich, and it made perfect sense for someone like him toe here on a vacation.

    But Qing Ling?

    Given her personality, shouldn¡¯t she be training day and night in preparation for the Crimson Tide?

    <i>Oh, I almost forgot. War Tiger has gone to the Snow Nation for a mission. She wouldn¡¯t have a teacher around even if she stayed to get stronger.</i>

    As for the other members, Songstress would still be reeling from the pain of losing Ghost Horse, and Lovely Lamb was too young. Moreover, she was the treasure of the organization, to be protected at all cost.

    Officer Huang, Heavenly Dog, Dead Pig, and Mischievous Monkey all had their own family and friends. They must be eager to spend more time with their loved ones and put some countermeasures in ce before the Crimson Tide.

    Inparison, Qing Ling was the best candidate given that she had no attachments.

    Gao Yang went through the list of people here.

    From the Qilin Guild, there were Vermilion Bird, Scarlet Fox, Can, Ronnie, and himself.

    From the Twelve Zodiac Signs, there were White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Wu Dahai.

    And from the Hundred Rivers Union, there were Chen Ying, Green Tea, and Joker.

    A total of eleven people was quite the group of delegates, befitting the fifth-ranking awakener, X.

    Vermilion Bird tookmand of this operation. She stood up and announced with proper authority, ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, let me exin the situation briefly.¡±

    All eyes were on her.

    ¡°I encountered X once a long time ago. I was trying to recruit him back then too.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled wryly, seemingly remembering an unpleasant memory. ¡°He rejected me, saying that the Guild wasn¡¯t showing enough goodwill.¡±

    ¡°Not showing enough goodwill?¡± White Rabbit was curious as the one-woman HR department of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He didn''t say.¡± Vermilion Bird shrugged. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s a strange man.¡±

    ¡°He lives on the F Ind and wouldn¡¯t take visitors during nighttime. We¡¯re visiting him again tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. <i>What a coincidence. Isn¡¯t F Ind the one my family is staying on?</i>

    ¡°Do we send a few people, or go together?¡± asked Chen Ying.

    ¡°We go together.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too much?¡± Gao Yang questioned.

    Vermilion Bird arched an eyebrow and smirked. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m aiming for. Almost a dozen people from the three major organizations are asking him to join us. He can¡¯t say that we haven¡¯t shown enough goodwill this time, can he?¡±

    ¡°I feel like that was just an excuse,¡± Wu Dahai countered. ¡°Maybe with such arge group, he would reject us because he feels burdened by too much goodwill.¡±

    Amused, Vermilion Bird said, ¡°We¡¯re asking him for help this time, after all. Let¡¯s do what we can. If he wants something in return, we satisfy him to the best of our ability.¡±

    ¡°Here, this is a picture of X.¡± Vermilion Bird took out her phone and left it on the table.

    The others went up to look at the waist-up photo.

    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s him?¡± Wu Dahai gasped. ¡°He¡¯s got quite the reputation.¡±

 Chapter 282: The Aurora Town

    <h4>Chapter 282: The Aurora Town</h4>

    The Aurora Town, Northern Snow Nation, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The night sky extended like a deep, richly ck drape, under which sat the snowy mountain range. And at the foot of the mountain range, hundreds of modern houses arranged into dense rows to form an isted town.

    Amid the pouring snow, the town quietly slumbered. Save for the streetmps lining the main road and the lighting from the two bars, the windows of all the other houses looked into darkness.

    Three figures walked in the snow storm. Their every step squelched as their feet sunk into snow that was half a meter tall.

    They were all wearing long, ck down jackets and winter boots, and fleece-lined hats covered their ears and faces, revealing only their eyes.

    Taking the lead, War Tiger grumbled, ¡°This damn ce snows even in summer.¡±

    ¡°The northern part of this nation snows throughout the year,¡± Azure Dragon said in a low voice. He nced back at Colorless, who wasgging behind a little. ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Colorless¡¯ androgynous voice had a hint of resentment to it. ¡°I hate the cold.¡±

    War Tiger patted on his puffed up jacket pocket. Inside was a military liquor sk half filled with local spirit.

    ¡°Want some? It¡¯s gonna keep you warm from head to toes.¡±

    ¡°Did I not make myself clear?¡± Colorless said in a steely voice. ¡°I said I hate the cold, not that I am cold.¡±

    War Tiger shrugged at the cold shoulder and kept trudging forward. Dusting snow off his fat, he looked up at the houses on the sides and mumbled, ¡°No. 103. We¡¯re only at no. 31. There¡¯s still a long way to go...¡±

    It all started two days ago.

    After the meeting of the big three in the Mouse Room, Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Colorless immediately booked a ticket for the next evening, which was the earliest flight to the Snow Nation.

    ording to the information they had¡ªmainly from the Qilin Guild¡ªall leads pointed to one particr location, the Aurora Town in the northern part of Snow Nation.

    It was Lilia¡¯s hometown and where the Godbearer Cult originated from.

    In the Aurora Town, though, the Godbearer Cult had another name that was better known: the Otherworld Order.

    Most residents of the Aurora Town were followers of the denomination. They believed that all devout followers of their Lord would go to the blissful otherworld where they would be happy forever, free from the eternal struggle of reincarnations, which trapped them in the misery of the mortal world.

    It sounded like a moderate denomination no different from the other mainstream ones.

    However, that was but the front of the Otherworld Order, hardly representable of the whole thing like the tip of an iceberg. And its true face, the Godbearer Cult, was therge ice under the tip.

    The night ck Tortoise was killed, Vermilion Bird immediately questioned his body.

    She and Azure Dragon hadpiled a list of twenty questions. Due to the cadaver having been severely damaged, though, they only got a little more than one minute for the interrogation, and they extracted answers to only half of their questions.

    They deduced the basic doctrines of the Godbearer Cult based on the answers,pleting them with their own interpretations.

    Put simply, the founder of the Godbearer Cult was the Heavenly Godbearer the followers referred to. She was mysterious, dignified, and powerful, never showing her true self to the world.

    She imed that there was an ultimate creator of the universe and the one true god, and that God was evesting.

    Their form shall not be observed, and their name shall not be uttered.

    The Heavenly Godbearer imed to be the incarnation of part of God¡¯s divinity, which represented God¡¯s mercy and care.

    She also imed that the Heavenly Way people had felt the presence of wasn¡¯t what people perceived it as, but an embodiment of another part of God¡¯s divinity.

    It represented God¡¯s authority and cold judgment.

    The Heavenly Way was a divine punishment God imposed on the world, for all lives in this world had been corrupted by ¡®_ _¡¯.

    ¡®_ _¡¯ were two sybles ck Tortoise¡¯s body couldn¡¯t utter even though he had opened his mouth. And because his lips and chin were malformed from how he had been killed, ck Tortoise and Azure Dragon couldn¡¯t read his lips.

    There were two possibilities: one, ck Tortoise didn¡¯t know what it was either; second, ck Tortoise couldn¡¯t utter the two sybles because of an unknown power.

    Anyhow, the Cult believed that the current Heavenly Way would one day meet its end, which would be the Apocalypse.

    And the Heavenly Godbearer, as an incarnation of the merciful and caring part of God¡¯s divinity, was here to save those who were worth saving, be it humans, monsters, or other forms of lives.

    As long as one became her devout followers and gave her their everything, their corrupted soul and blood would be purified. Only then would the followers go to the blissful otherworld with the Heavenly Godbearer when Apocalypse arrived with the end of the Heavenly Way.

    And the Gates of Closure, naturally, was the only entrance to the blissful otherworld.

    Those who had be God¡¯s true subject would enjoy eternal happiness, while all other living beings would disappear with the Heavenly Way at the end of the world, bing the eternal entropy and void that could not beprehended or changed.

    One would be hard-pressed to deny how well-thought-out and convincing the doctrines were.

    Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon were stunned when they first heard about it.

    ording to ck Tortoise¡¯s body, the man wasn¡¯t actually wholeheartedly devoted to the Heavenly Godbearer, but he did believe that the Mist World would one day meet its end, and that the Heavenly Godbearer would be able to take him to another world.

    That was why he was willing to join the Godbearer Cult and served her.

    ...

    After a fourteen-hour flight, Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Colorless arrived at the airport of the Snow Nation in the morning, the third day after the meeting.

    Without rest, they took a bus to the northmost part of the Snow Nation, the Aurora Town. This was the only official route to the town.

    They arrived in the evening and imed to bendscape photographers from other countries, settling down at a small inn.

    To avoid attracting attention, they waited until after midnight to head to where Lilia¡¯s mother lived.

    Their investigation told them that Lilia¡¯s only family was still alive¡ªher mother, Sarah. The woman was 44 years old and lived on her own in the town, at no. 103.

    She was a devout follower of the Otherworld Order. One day, she went mad for a mysterious reason.

    The three decided to start with her.

    The town wasn¡¯t big, and soon, they reached the fringe of it.

    Before themy a frozen stream. On the other side were about a dozen run-down cabins that belonged to the previous century, now abandoned.

    One of the cabins, however, seemed to have been regrly maintained. At least the rooftop remained intact, and the snow in front of the door had been cleared. Under the roof, there was a pile of freshly chopped firewood, covered by a tarpaulin.

    They approached the cabin and saw the que on the door lintel, which said, 103.

    They exchanged a nce.

    War Tiger went up to the door and gently knocked on it.

    <i>Rat-at-tat.</i>

 Chapter 283: Sarah

    <h4>Chapter 283: Sarah</h4>

    There was no response.

    Thiste at night, Sarah could be asleep.

    <i>Rat-at-tat.</i>

    War Tiger knocked thrice again, more forceful than thest time.

    Thirty secondster, no one answered the door still.

    War Tiger cleared his throat and called out awkwardly in thenguage of the Snow Nation, ¡°Sarah, we¡¯re friends of Lilia¡¯s, here to visit!¡±

    All they got was silence.

    War Tiger was getting impatient. He nced back at Azure Dragon. ¡°What now?¡±

    Azure Dragon thought about it and said bemusedly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Before Azure Dragon could finish, Colorless charged up to the door and kicked the unsturdy door open.

    The two men gaped, a figurative crow croaking over their heads.

    ¡°Get in already. I hate snow.¡± Colorless said in an irritable, chilling tone, and without turning around, she stalked inside.

    War Tiger and Azure Dragon quickly followed, raising their guard.

    The house wasn¡¯t big, and it was barebone and dimly-lit. In the corner was a firece covered in ck ashes. The firewood inside had been burned to charcoal, radiating lingering warmth.

    A worn-out sofa sat in front of the firece, apanied by a wooden rocking chair on the side. There was a half-finished red sweater on the seat. The chair creaked as it rocked gently.

    There was the smell of canned food in the air, mixed with the smell of rotting wood.

    It was obvious that Sarah lived here.

    Azure Dragon looked around. ¡°She should be in the bedroom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check...¡±

    As soon as Colorless headed toward the bedroom, the door mmed open, and a frail woman rushed out swinging a wood-chopping ax with both hands at Colorless, screaming.

    Colorless was startled but quickly sprang to action, easily catching the handle of the ax. The woman¡¯s speed and method of ambush¡ªor theck thereof¡ªboth marked her as an amateur.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    The frail woman continued to struggle, but the ax remained unmoving in Colorless¡¯ grasp.

    The three of them got a good look at her.

    She was slim in a sickly way, and her brown hair was thin and messy, her cheeks sunken. Her deep-set blue eyes appeared unfocused, and her cheekbones almost seemed ready to protrude from her skin, the darkplexion of which made her look much older.

    Colorless raised her hand. Forced to let go of the ax, the woman fell to the floor, knocking into a stool.

    Her rage and agitation were reced by fear. She shrunk into a corner in the room with her hands holding her head, trembling all over. It looked like she was panicking and breaking from the seams.

    The three of them all knew a little of thenguage of the Snow Nation, and they could make out a few snippets of her muttering.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t hurt me...don¡¯t...¡±

    Then she suddenly screamed out loud in remembrance. ¡°My daughter! My little girl!¡±

    She stumbled to her feet and lunged at Colorless. ¡°Give me my girl! Give her back to me...¡±

    Colorless dodged to the side and grabbed the woman¡¯s wrist, sending her falling onto the sofa with a yank.

    ¡°Pin her down,¡± she said.

    War Tiger and Azure Dragon paused, unsure what she was up to.

    ¡°Do it!¡± Colorless raised her voice.

    Azure Dragon was the captain of this temporary team, and War Tiger the vice-captain. Moreover, the two of them outranked and overpowered her by a good margin.

    Now, however, they were ordered around like inexperiencedckeys.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t really care, and Azure Dragon was magnanimous by nature and simply smiled wryly.

    They walked up to the sofa and each pinned down one of the woman¡¯s hands.

    She was still struggling as she looked at War Tiger and Azure Dragon in panic, shouting, ¡°Save me! Save me, Lord... I don¡¯t want to go to hell. Take me. Take me to the otherworld...¡±

    ¡°She must be Sarah.¡± Colorless leaned in and closely inspected the woman. ¡°Her mental state makes it impossible tomunicate with her normally. I¡¯ll try to hypnotize her.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡± War Tiger was surprised.

    ¡°My Talent belongs to the Psyche-type. Although it isn¡¯t a Talent for hypnosis, there is some simrity, and I taught myself how to do it. I hope it works on her.¡±

    She took out a tiny syringe from her pocket. It was a sedative developed by the Hundred Rivers Union, specifically for hypnosis and interrogation.

    She uncapped the syringe and jabbed Sarah in the neck.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t hurt me...don¡¯t...stop...¡± Sarah quickly calmed down.

    Her bloated, wrinkly double eyelids rose and fell as her heaving chest settled.

    War Tiger and Azure Dragon let go of Sarah¡¯s arms, moving behind Colorless.

    At some point, Colorless had taken out a pocket watch with a silver chain. She held it up to Sarah and swung it from side to side, speaking the localnguage perfectly as she guided the woman. ¡°Rx, take deep breaths. Feel your heartbeat and your breathing...¡±

    ¡°Good, you¡¯re feeling a little drowsy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re safe now.¡±

    ¡°You feel at ease, rxed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your most trusted friend.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re chatting.¡±

    ¡°You can tell me anything.¡±

    ...

    Sarah slowly closed her eyes, her breathing evening out. Her sunken, prematurely old face lost the tension, and her knitted brows rxed.

    ¡°Hello, Sarah. How have you been?¡± Colorless spoke in a friendly, caring tone like she was actually Sarah¡¯s friend.

    War Tiger and Azure Dragon watched her with some amazement. She had gotten into her role quickly.

    ¡°Not good, not good...¡± Sarah¡¯s voice grew a little sad.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sarah?¡±

    ¡°I, I miss my girl. I miss her every second every day...¡±

    ¡°Lilia? Where did she go?¡±

    ¡°I, I can¡¯t tell you...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t tell me. I¡¯m your best friend. We tell each other everything.¡±

    ¡°Lilia...she¡¯s God¡¯s daughter. She, she¡¯s going to the blissful otherworld...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Lilia¡¯s your daughter, Sarah. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡± Sarah sounded pained, deeply conflicted, and her brows drew close together again. ¡°Lilia is God¡¯s daughter, only born into this world through my body... I¡¯m honored. I <i>should </i>be honored...¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re in great pain.¡±

    ¡°Because, because I miss Lilia...¡± Sarah¡¯s closed eyes trembled before tears leaked out from her canthi, quickly filling the divots around her eyes.

    ¡°Sarah, have you been lied to...¡±

    ¡°No! No!¡±

    Sarah started shouting. ¡°The otherworld exists! We will all go there. I will see my girl. We won¡¯t be in pain anymore...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Sarah,¡± Colorless quickly cated her. ¡°You and Lilia will reunite in the otherworld.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes...¡± Sarah calmed down a little, but then she seemed to remember something. ¡°But, but I was abandoned by God. I can¡¯t make it to the otherworld... I¡¯ve been corrupted...¡±

    Colorless paused and looked over her shoulders at Azure Dragon and War Tiger.

    The two men nodded.

    Colorless took a deep breath. ¡°What corrupted you, Sarah?¡±

    Sarah shook her head, pained.

    ¡°Sarah, do you know the Heavenly Godbearer?¡±

    She kept shaking her head with increasing intensity.

    ¡°I heard that the Heavenly Godbearer is the Otherworld Order¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Sarah cried out.

 Chapter 284: Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 284: Surprise</h4>

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Followed by her sudden scream, Sarah¡¯s limbs went taut for a moment, her eyes widened and her pupils dted with earthworm-like vessels emerging in the whites. Dark blood streamed down from her nostril. Then her chest bulged like a balloon to the point that it threatened to burst.

    Colorless was stunned into inaction.

    ¡°Move it!¡± War Tiger and Azure Dragon immediately rushed up to pull Colorless away.

    Sarah¡¯s head snapped back, her neck almost broken. She opened her mouth and uttered a litany of sybles that blurred together, her throat shifting violently.

    ¡°O omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Godbearer the great and merciful overlord of all forgive my ignorance and purify my blood save me from this weakness and these sins of mine grant me the sacred blood and great power I swear to forever follow you submit to you devote myself to you I will give you my all and follow you to the blissful otherworld...¡±

    No pauses, no emotions, like a machine voicing words in fast-forward.

    She soon finished the prayer of the Godbearer Cult.

    During the process, her bulging chest slowly deted like a leaking beach ball. The utteranceing from her throat lost all forms and morphed into strange groans.

    Then she grew silent altogether.

    Sarah¡¯s body wentx, and she slowly closed her eyes with ck blooding out of the corner of her mouth.

    Her pale face was drained of all life.

    Colorless couldn¡¯t believe it. She went back up to the woman and put a hand under her nose. Then she put two fingers on the woman¡¯s neck to feel the pulse.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡±

    Without hesitation, War Tiger opened the door and walked into the violent embrace of the snow storm.

    Azure Dragon stayed where he was, keeping an eye out for threats and enemies that could emerge.

    After close to a minute, War Tiger returned to the cabin, dusting snow off him. ¡°The perimeter''s clear.¡±

    Meanwhile, Colorless had checked on Sarah. ¡°She¡¯s likely to have died of a curse, one that triggered when she spoke a keyword.¡±

    War Tiger and Azure Dragon nodded. They had guessed as much.

    Some Miracle-type Talents inflicted curses through speech. There was usually a time limit, ranging from three days to a week. The longest was usually no more than ten days.

    During the period of time, as soon as the target uttered a specific keyword, they would be hurt, dominated by the caster, or even killed.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel like a Talent of awakeners,¡± Azure Dragon said.

    ¡°It can be a monster¡¯s doing, or a Spectre¡¯s.¡± Colorless frowned slightly. ¡°The energy is insidious.¡±

    She looked at Sarah with a hint of pity shing through her eyes. ¡°Moreover, when I hypnotized her, I established a weak, temporary psychic link with her. Sarah was likely a human, although I¡¯m not 100% sure.¡±

    ¡°Human?¡± Azure Dragon was surprised. ¡°Do you mean...¡±

    Colorless added, ¡°Unawakened human.¡±

    Through the open door, a gust of chilling wind swept in, bringing along snow. Even thest remaining warmth in the cabin was drained.

    The winter boots Colorless was wearing did nothing to stop the chill from shooting up from the soles of her feet.

    Many years ago, she spent about six months in the Snow Nation for a mission to identify the borders of the Mist World. It was a nation of beautiful aurora, rxing hot springs, snowy mountains and natural skiing sites, potent alcohol that made your heart burn and delicious sausages, and good-looking men and women with blonde hair, blue eyes, and unbridled passion.

    However, Colorless had never developed any affection for the ce. For some reason, she always disliked the nation; she would even go so far as to call her feeling hatred.

    Awakeners around her with greater psychic power shared her feelings to varying degrees, but they couldn¡¯t exin why.

    Azure Dragon took out his phone and called White Tiger. ¡°I¡¯ll have White Tiger bring Sarah¡¯s body to Vermilion Bird for questioning. As long as it¡¯s within the next twenty-four hours, she will get something out of the body.¡±

    ¡°Why not tell Vermilion Bird toe?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°She has her mission.¡±

    ¡°This is a corpse we¡¯re talking about,¡± Colorless said with surprise. ¡°How is he going to take her on a flight?¡±

    Azure Dragon wasn¡¯t worried. ¡°White Tiger¡¯s Talent could be used to conceal it. The security won¡¯t notice anything.¡±

    ...

    Private Water Vi on the Falling Star Ind, Naldives.

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon the next day, Vermilion Bird got a call from White Tiger.

    She had finished lunch with everyone else and would soon set out for a visit to X. With a sheet mask on her face, she sat on a lounger applying sunscreen on her long, straight calves as she waited.

    She was busy with putting on sunscreen as she talkedzily into the phone pressed between her face and shoulder, ¡°You¡¯reing here today? Arriving in the evening...why? Giving me a surprise? Oh, what surprise?¡±

    ¡°You xxxxxxx!¡±

    Vermilion Bird snarled, her good mood down the drain.

    Everyone in the living room looked over at her.

    Feeling awkward, she peeled off the sheet mask on her face and rose to walk to the balcony with her phone.

    She said in a lowered voice, ¡°Why, thank you, Old White! Do you think I don¡¯t have enough on my te? You¡¯re bringing me a <i>body</i>? And a cursed one at that... You better exin yourself...¡±

    Vermilion Bird scowled as White Tiger gave her the rundown from the other end of the line.

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, I get it. I¡¯ll be at the vi after ten o¡¯clock tonight. Juste straight here.¡±

    She hung up and took a deep breath against the ocean wind. ¡°How refreshing the air is, and how beautiful the scenery! You shouldn¡¯t be this angry, Xia Li. It¡¯s bad for you, bad for you...¡±

    Having regainedposure, she returned to the living room and looked over at everyone. ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ...

    Waterfront Vi, F Ind.

    Gao Yang and his family slept in until eleven in the morning. They leisurely enjoyed their lunch, courtesy of the hotel. Then they discussed what they were going to do in the afternoon.

    Gao Yang, who was rarely the decision-maker, made a suggestion today. ¡°Let¡¯s go surfing!¡±

    ¡°Surfing?¡± Gao Xinxin wasn¡¯t interested. ¡°Don¡¯t you do enough of that on the inte?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Gao Yang insisted. ¡°This is the beach. Real men should surf on real waves!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Son!¡± His father was the first to voice support. ¡°Real men should conquer the ocean!¡±

    ¡°I get all that, Dad, but...¡± Gao Xinxin nced at his wheelchair. ¡°You can¡¯t conquer the ocean now.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± His father didn¡¯t seem mad as he took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea with goji berry in his thermos. ¡°I can always enjoy the wind on the beach, watching the ocean, the waves, and the...¡±

    He shut his mouth.

    ¡°And the beautiful blonde women in bikinis, right?¡± His mother gave his father an ¡®understanding¡¯ smile. ¡°Keep going. Why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°Ahem...¡± His father choked on the tea and vehemently defended himself, ¡°Don¡¯t you know me, darling? Foreigners aren¡¯t really my type...¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± His mother¡¯s smile grew cold. ¡°Then who¡¯s the one always watching international women¡¯s volleyball?¡±

    His father hurriedly gave Gao Yang a look. <i>Save me, Son.</i>

    Gao Yang steered the conversation back to the main topic. ¡°Let¡¯s split up, Mom. Dad and I will go to the beach in the afternoon for some surfing time. You should do what you want to do. In the evening, we¡¯ll meet up at the vi and have dinner together.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right!¡± His father was quick to agree. ¡°We still have a few more days here. No reason to stick together all the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good with that,¡± his mother said.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Gao Xinxin winked at his grandmother. ¡°This afternoon, we are having a women¡¯s day!¡±

    <i>Sess!</i>

    Gao Yang sighed in relief.

 Chapter 285: Swimsuit

    <h4>Chapter 285: Swimsuit</h4>

    Everything was going ording to n. With his family splitting up, it would be much easier for Gao Yang to sneak away halfway.

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang pushed his father to the part of the beach specifically meant for surfing.

    He lifted his father and ced him on a beach lounger shaded by trees, ordering him a ss of iced drink.

    His father patted him on the back. ¡°Go surf, Son. Don¡¯t mind me. But be careful. Don¡¯t go where the water is too deep. It¡¯s dangerous!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    <i>I can¡¯t go there even if I want to</i>, Gao Yang grumbled to himself. <i>While the ocean looks vast, the border of the Mist World isn¡¯t actually too far off.</i>

    He rented a surfboard at a shop and changed into a ck wetsuit before going into the water.

    Gao Yang had never surfed, and he rarely watched surfing programs. As an awakener, though, his body had much better coordination, and he got used to the motions after practicing a dozen times, starting from observing and mimicking the experienced surfers around him.

    After a few tries, he could already ride a wave forward in proper form.

    Proud, he waved at his father, who was sitting on the beach. But then he lost bnce and fell backward into the water.

    His father started, but soon saw Gao Yang¡¯s head pop out of the water. He burst outughing.

    Gao Yang surfed for quite a while. When he turned around, his father had already fallen asleep on the lounger.

    He immediately came ashore and returned the surfboard and wetsuit, changing into casual clothes before leaving.

    He was five minuteste. When he arrived at the meeting point on another part of the beach, the others were already there.

    He was surprised to find everyonemitting to the roles of tourists, which mainly came in the form of their attires.

    Most men were wearing patterned shirts and shorts like the locals.

    And the women had changed into swimsuits that left little to imagination.

    Among the men, Green Tea was the fittest. He was topless with a simple pair of ck shorts. His big, wide build and toned muscles couldn¡¯t look manlier, and added with his sunny-looking appearance, he drew quite a lot of attention from the female visitors.

    A good number of blonde women even took the initiative to greet him and winked at him.

    Scarlet Fox was another who drew the eyes. His usual style was more feminine and androgynous, making him look a little frail. Once his clothes were off, however, the body revealed was actually surprisingly well-built.

    He was dressed in a light white shirt with a quiet allure to it and a pair of low-rise shorts. The eye-catching abs and the Adonis belt that peeked out from the waistband were proof of the training he had been doing regrly. He was quite an attractive man.

    Of course, he would have to keep his mouth shut to keep up the image. As soon as he opened his mouth, the image would be shattered.

    Joker didn¡¯t take on his true form, but instead transformed into a local tour guide with tanned skin, dense curls, and a dad bod with a bit of a beer belly. His lips were pulled into a friendly smile.

    Ronnie, who was usually the one with the loudest style, had an unusually simple look today.

    He was wearing a ck tank top and a pair of simple linen shorts. The gothic makeup that gave him a dark, broody presence was gone, reced by a clean, even bashful face of a young man. The long half of his hair wasbed back. The earrings lining his ear were the only stubborn remnants of his usual look.

    As for Wu Dahai, he was neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, and he had no muscles nor grace.

    To cover his robotic arm, he put on a gray, long-sleeved swimming top and a pair of swimming shorts made with quick-drying material. Even his trademark broomhead was floppy from the heat.

    Among the men, he made the worst first impression.

    Nevertheless, Wu Dahai was excited. He ran up to Gao Yang with a skip to his steps. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, bro! I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡±

    Gao Yang gave him a polite yet awkward smile. <i>Since when are we such good friends? And I¡¯m a member of the Qilin Guild now. Even though we¡¯re working together at the moment, you should know not to act too close.</i>

    Wu Dahai didn¡¯t care about Gao Yang¡¯s feelings at all. He shoved his phone into Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on! Take pictures for me! This is my first visit to heaven! I need some keepsakes!¡±

    He rushed back to the women in swimsuits.

    <i>I knew it. A horndog never changes its horny ways.</i>

    Gao Yang raised the phone.

    The one who stood out the most was Qing Ling. She was wearing a set of light blue bikinis with a simple design, which entuated her voluptuous figure and curves, and her long legs were captivating.

    Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, giving her a clean, neat look. From her fair, swan-like neck, two strands of silky ck escaped from the hair band and fell on her delicate corbones, softening her image and making her look more vibrant.

    Her years of training in wielding des showed in the brisk way she carried herself. Contrasted with her youthful yet aloof face, her beauty was one of manyyers.

    Almost no one could walk past her without looking her way, regardless of genders.

    Vermilion Bird, the head of this ad hoc team, was no less attractive than her.

    With a pair of sunsses perching on her head, she was wearing a translucent gauze shirt and an open-back bikini underneath, the dark color of which paired well with her brown hair.

    The hem of her shirt was tied together at her fair, slim waist. Somewhat obscured by the translucent fabric, her fine shoulders and corbones drew attention in a quiet way. She exuded the charm of a mature woman.

    White Rabbit, on the other hand, was wearing a ck headband, her hair running down the back of her head and neck.

    She was dressed in sporty swimsuits. The form-fitted shorts and cropped, long-sleeved top that left her t abdomen uncovered made her petite but well-built body look healthy and energetic. She resembled a beautiful tennis yer Gao Yang knew of.

    Chen Ying was ever the reserved one. Her long hair was parted on the side, a safe choice. And her dark blue tank swimsuit¡ªa rtively conservative design¡ªcovered most of her alluring figure under a monochrome block.

    As a man, Gao Yang could somewhat understand Wu Dahai¡¯s excitement after looking around.

    <i>This...is indeed heaven.</i>

    Wu Dahai had already approached the girls shamelessly, undeterred by the eyerolls thrown his way. ¡°Seven Shadow! Pictures! What are you waiting for?¡±

    Gao Yang was going to take a picture¡ªnot of Wu Dahai, but everyone.

    Doing the headcount a few times, though, he realized someone was missing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Can?¡± Gao Yang realized who it was.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m here...¡± Can said weakly from behind Ronnie. When she dragged her feet and walked out, she looked awkward andcking in confidence.

    Her small, thin frame was wrapped in a navy-colored tankini, revealing her soft, petite shoulders.

    Her bob hair had grown a little longer, tied into a small ponytail. Her bang and the hair running down her temples framed her small face, making it seem even smaller. And herrge, ck eyes shifted like those of a scared fawn. She looked like a highschooler who had just finished her swimming ss, radiating youthfulness.

    While she didn¡¯t look as beautiful and attractive when standing by the other women, she had her own charm.

    ¡°Go stand by Sister Xia, Can.¡± Gao Yang had the phone up as he instructed people to move, considering theposition of the photo.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna!¡± Can insisted with her head lowered.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t push. ¡°Go stand with Ronnie then.¡±

    They each took their spot while Wu Dahai knelt at the very front, extending his arms with an expression that shamelessly imed everyone as part of his harem.

    <i>Click</i>. Gao Yang took a picture.

 Chapter 286: Cross

    <h4>Chapter 286: Cross</h4>

    After taking the picture, Gao Yang returned Wu Dahai¡¯s phone to him.

    Wu Dahai stared at the screen while holding his phone with both hands. ¡°Shit! I¡¯m gonna photoshop all the men out and make 100 copies to cover the walls in my ce!¡±

    ¡°Try it if you want to die young!¡± White Rabbit shot daggers at him with her eyes.

    Wu Dahai sent the picture to everyone.

    Following Vermilion Bird, they headed to a private vi built at a good location, facing a small sandy beach.

    A group of fit, skimpily-dressed men and women were enjoying a barbecue, having the time of their life with thepany of music, champagne, and warm sunlight. They painted the perfect picture of a hedonistic gathering, reveling in the joy of material life.

    At the pier on the beach, a blonde young man with tanned skin was ying flying trapeze. Feet attached to two waterjets, he flipped round and round in the air, propelled by water.

    He was holding arge bottle in his hands, making it rain champagne as he pulled out stunts.

    ¡°Hahahaha¡ª¡±

    Heughed confidently, hisughter reaching a far distance.

    Vermilion Bird sighed and lifted her chin to indicate the flying man. ¡°That¡¯s X.¡±

    Wu Dahai took off his sses and grinned. ¡°Shit! What a fucking showoff, more so than I am.¡±

    White Rabbit said with her hands on her hip, ¡°You became richter in life, which makes you a simple big-spender. He grew up rich, which makes him more foppish than anything.¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± Green Tea nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯replimenting me, or <iplimenting </i>me.¡± Wu Dahai twisted her meaning on purpose.

    White Rabbit was right.

    X¡¯s father was filthy-rich. Half of the hotels in Naldives belonged to his old man.

    As a rich second generation, X spent his days drinking and chasing thrills, living like he was in a fever dream. He often held parties that should not be mentioned in politepany, and he was often featured in scandalous news, his fame matching some of the most popr celebrities.

    Before all this, Gao Yang didn¡¯t care for X.

    After learning that the man was the fifth-ranking awakenerst midnight, though, Gao Yang had a newfound appreciation for the man. The life of absurd extravagance turned out to be a cover.

    Soon, X lost his bnce midair and mid-flip, falling head-first into the ocean.

    He emerged from the water andughed, taking off the equipment before heading back to the beach. He took the towel a server handed him to wipe his face, draping it on his shoulder.

    Hebed his long blonde hair back, revealing a handsome but frivolous-looking face.

    ¡°Aha,¡± he said as he approached Vermilion Bird. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Sister Xia?¡±

    He gave her a toothy grin with a flirty edge, reaching out to brush the hair falling to Vermilion Bird¡¯s cheek.

    Vermilion Bird cocked her head and moved away easily. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, X.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    The man suddenly snarled, his expression twisted with emotions.

    The partying men and women fell silent, their smiles frozen as they turned to X. There was a timidness and sense of inferiority in their gazes. The upbeat music ringing in the air seemed suddenly out of ce.

    X had a dark look on his face.

    But two secondster, he broke into an even brighter smile. ¡°Are you doing it on purpose, Sister Xia? I told you that it wasn¡¯t X as in the alphabet, but a cross.¡±

    X crossed his two fingers and leaned toward Vermilion Bird. ¡°Cross! As in a checkmark or a cross! Remember?¡±

    He broke intoughter again and shouted at the others, ¡°What are you doing? Keep the party going!¡±

    Like robots receiving instructions, everyone on the beach sprang into actions and continued with their fun-seeking.

    ¡°Mr. Cross,¡± White Rabbit said. ¡°Is it really alright for you to talk about your alias so openly?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re nothing but a group of braindead white faces. It¡¯s fine.¡± X spoke derisively, his gaze shifting to White Rabbit and giving her a once-over. ¡°Hello, pretty girl.¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit, Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± White Rabbit gave him a stiled smile that was all business.

    Without responding to her, X turned to Chen Ying, then Qing Ling and Can, and finally Green Tea, Scarlet Fox, Ronnie, and Gao Yang.

    He lit up visibly. ¡°Tsk, tsk, what a group of beautiful people. It¡¯s my first time seeing so many hotties at once!¡±

    He must be referring to awakeners.

    ¡°I¡¯d die happy if I could have an orgy with all of you here!¡± He made a depraved statement without a stutter.

    It should be offensive, yet none of them were offended.

    It was because X didn¡¯t seem lecherous when he said that; in fact, he didn¡¯t seem to mean his words.

    <i>X must not be thinking with his lower head as much as he acts like he is,</i> Gao Yang thought.<i> This is only a cover.</i>

    Wu Dahai was the only one who hadn¡¯t noticed X''s disingenuous act. After a moment of stunned silence, he gave X a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re a real one, man! Inparison, I¡¯m nothing but an innocent boy!¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± X turned to Wu Dahai. ¡°No need for humility, my friend. I can tell that you¡¯ve got limitless potential!¡±

    ¡°Stop that!¡± Wu Dahai got nervous. ¡°I¡¯m the pure-hearted kind. Don¡¯t tarnish my reputation. How am I gonna find someone otherwise?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two keep each otherpany?¡± White Rabbit said with a thin smile. ¡°You¡¯re a perfect match.¡±

    ¡°Enough already. Let¡¯s stop the chit-chat.¡± Vermilion Bird got back to business and lowered her voice. ¡°X...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Cross! <i>Cross</i>!¡± X corrected her again vehemently.

    ¡°Ahem, Mr. Cross.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s voice grew serious. ¡°On behalf of the Qilin Guild, the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the Hundred Rivers Union, we hereby invite you...¡±

    ¡°No deal,¡± X cut her off.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t told you what we¡¯re here for!¡± Vermilion Bird was irritated. She was an Elder, for crying out loud; she should be shown proper respect.

    ¡°I know it must be nothing good.¡± X smirked.

    Chen Ying took a step toward him. ¡°Mr. Cross, why don¡¯t we move the conversation to a more private ce? We¡¯ll exin the pros and cons. Then you can make the decision.¡±

    X narrowed his eyes at Chen Ying, his close scrutiny unsettling her.

    Suddenly, he reached out to brush Chen Ying¡¯s hair.

    He was so quick that Chen Ying didn¡¯t even have the time to move away. She frowned in irritation.

    X put the hand that had touched her hair to his nose. ¡°Hm, your shampoo smells good. Fine, I¡¯ll give you ten minutes for this beauty¡¯s sake.¡±

    <i>What does he think he is, Casanova?!</i>

    Chen Ying tamped down her anger.<i> Forget it. At least we¡¯re getting somewhere.</i>

    X took them to his vi, into the basement.

    The ce had been renovated into a small casino, dimly lit with warm light.

    ¡°This is a safe ce. You may speak openly.¡±

    X went up to a casino table as he spoke and sat down in the dealer¡¯s seat, resting his feet on the table with his legs crossed. At the same time, he fidgeted with a few chips in his hands.

    ¡°The one whose hair smells good, you talk.¡±

    Chen Ying nced at Vermilion Bird, who nodded at her.

    The others each sat down around the table.

    With an impassive face, Chen Ying got to the point. ¡°I¡¯ll be brief. The Crimson Tide ising in seven days.¡±

    X¡¯s fingers paused for a moment as he twirled the chips. Without looking up, he asked casually, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Our leader has Talent: Prophet.¡± Chen Ying exined the way Surnamed Li¡¯s Talent worked.

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s insane!¡± X grew a little more interested. ¡°Keep going, pretty one.¡±

    ¡°We want you to join us and fight the Crimson Tide together.¡±

    X¡¯s expression turned disinterested again. ¡°It¡¯s the Crimson Tide. Been there, done that. We just have to hole up on our own.¡±

    ¡°Things are different this time. We¡¯ll all die.¡±

    X paused and said with a smile, ¡°Are you trying to scare me, darling?¡±

    Chen Ying patiently exined what Surnamed Li had foreseen in her dream and the conclusions the three organizations hade to.

    ¡°His heart gets carved out?¡± X smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°You sure go in an epic way, buddy.¡±

    Gao Yang stared ahead and grumbled inwardly, <i>Why don¡¯t you have it if you like it so much?</i>

    X turned back to Chen Ying and pointed at his own nose with excitement. ¡°How about me, darling? How will I die?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Chen Ying turned away. She didn¡¯t even want to spare him another nce.

    She had always preferred those who took things seriously and detest those who were careless and flippant, thinking it was fun to treat people lightly and offend them. The fact that it was an act on X¡¯s part to protect himself didn¡¯t make a difference to her.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t fear death, Cross, we¡¯ll go at once. Pretend we were never here.¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t going to waste more time. ¡°If you aren¡¯t as fearless as you seem, however, consider joining us. This isn¡¯t something you can tackle on your own.¡±

    ¡°Living is no fun to me.¡± X flipped the chips in his hand. Theynded on the table before rolling to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t want to die so easily.¡±

    He pulled his feet back and stood up, stretching his upper body. ¡°How about this? We¡¯ll leave everything to fate.¡±

    They turned to X in question.

    X flipped his silky blond hair with a smile that was frivolous yet charming. ¡°Let¡¯s have a match. If you win, I¡¯ll join you.¡±

 Chapter 287: Beach Volleyball

    <h4>Chapter 287: Beach Volleyball</h4>

    ¡°A match?¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s heart sank. The man sure was strange and unpredictable. Was this really the time for a fight?

    One on one, none of them would be his match.

    If they fought him together, though, it would be a dishonorable victory even if they won.

    While Vermilion Bird agonized over the matter, X said bluntly, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s have a match of beach volleyball!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Vermilion Bird paused, wondering if she had heard him wrong. ¡°Are you...being serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    X gave her a confident, charming smile. ¡°Look at all of you and your nice bodies. It¡¯d be a waste to not y beach volleyball!¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t help but chime in. ¡°Objectively speaking, he is right.¡±

    ¡°You know me, my friend!¡± X gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. ¡°I told you that you had limitless potential.¡±

    Vermilion Bird ignored the idiot Wu Dahai and exchanged a look with White Rabbit and Chen Ying, quicklying to a decision.

    ¡°Alright, how do you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. There are twelve of us, the right number to form six teams. If one of yours ends up winning, I¡¯ll join you. If I end up winning, deal¡¯s off.¡±

    White Rabbit thought of a few issues with the arrangement. ¡°Given what we are, the matches will hardly be fair.¡±

    ¡°There are rules, of course.¡± X swung his arm. ¡°First, no Talents can be used, but the physical enhancement they grant doesn¡¯t fall under the limitation¡ªit¡¯s impossible to take it away anyway.¡±

    White Rabbit smirked. <i>I¡¯ve got the upperhand!</i>

    ¡°To address the issue of some of us being too strong physically, though, there¡¯s an additional rule,¡± X added expertly. ¡°You may y however you want, but if the volleyball breaks, the pair that has the ball is automatically eliminated.¡±

    Gao Yang filed that in his head. The rule could determine the result of the matches.

    ¡°Alright. How do we split the teams?¡± Chen Ying seemed confident.

    ¡°We leave it to chance.¡± X took a deck of pokers from the casino table and split it into two decks, holding one in each hand. With practiced ease, he shuffled the cards with long, delicate fingers and pulled out twelve cards like he was showing off his skills. He then shuffled the twelve cards.

    Half a minuteter, he ced the cards in the center of the table. ¡°Here. Each of you takes one.¡±

    Everyone reached out to pick a random card.

    Gao Yang chose the one closest to him and flipped it. King of Spades.

    After everyone had gotten their cards, X picked up thest one and revealed it on the table¡ªAce of Spades.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ace of Hearts?¡± X asked with a smile.

    Following a two-second silence, Chen Ying, who was closest to him, frowned in distaste. She threw her card on the table. It was Ace of Hearts.

    ¡°Darling!¡± X was pleased. ¡°We¡¯re meant to be a team!¡±

    ¡°You may call me Miss Chen.¡± Chen Ying tamped down the urge to request a swap, giving X a nod as a response.

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak frankly, Miss Chen, you must not go easy on our opponents on purpose.¡± X pointed at his own eyes before pointing at Chen Ying. ¡°If you do so, I¡¯ll notice, and the game will be obsolete.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Chen Ying had a serious look on her face. ¡°I always honor my end of the deal.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± X gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I prefer women who are serious to a fault about everything. I like them vtile!¡±

    Gao Yang gaped at them.

    X and Chen Ying seemed to be pr opposites personality-wise. Chen Ying hated X, while X seemed to be attracted to her. It was an instance where themon belief that opposites attract didn¡¯t apply.

    ¡°I¡¯m Queen of Hearts!¡± Wu Dahai said excitedly, ncing at the women.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m Queen of Spades,¡± Can said quietly with a card in hand.

    ¡°Ugh, why you?¡± Wu Dahai deted. He was expecting to team up with beautiful women like Vermilion Bird or White Rabbit if not Qing Ling!

    ¡°You, you, you watch yourself!¡± Can flushed red. ¡°You think I want to team up with you?!¡±

    White Rabbit sighed in relief. It was a good thing that the two unsporty ones ended up a team. At least the pair wouldn¡¯t drag other people down, and their chance of winning would be higher.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jack of Hearts.¡± White Rabbitid down her card.

    ¡°Jack of Spades.¡± With the card between his two fingers, Joker sent the card flying to the table before White Rabbit with precise control.

    <i>Good</i>, White Rabbit smothered a smile. <i>Joker seems like the agile type. His disguise as a middle-aged, out-of-shape local is interfering with my judgment though.</i>

    ¡°Can you change your look, Joker?¡± White Rabbit was open about her disapproval.

    ¡°What¡¯s your type?¡±

    ¡°Good-looking young man with a sunny disposition. The sporty kind.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wu Dahai teased.

    White Rabbit retorted, ¡°Your opposite.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Joker searched through the database of people in his head, covering his face with both hands.

    Five secondster, Joker lowered his hands, having transformed into a handsome young man with pronounced facial features.

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Wow, nice.¡± White Rabbit was quite satisfied. ¡°Change your voice too, and your hair. I like xen blond.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Joker put his hands on his forehead before brushing his fingers through his hair, and instantly, his hair turned xen.

    Then his Adam¡¯s apple shifted slowly until his voice turned into a rich lower baritone, speaking with a slight ent. ¡°And now?¡±

    White Rabbit marveled, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m doing character creation in real life.¡±

    ¡°Joker, I¡¯ve got an idea...¡± Wu Dahai cackled.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± White Rabbit red at him. The pervert was embarrassing as apanion.

    ¡°Mine¡¯s Ten of Hearts.¡± Vermilion Bird shook the card in her hand.

    ¡°Mine¡¯s Ten of Spades.¡± Green Tea followed suit and gave Vermilion Bird a friendly yet respectful smile. ¡°Let¡¯s work hard together, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled in response.

    ¡°Nine of Spades,¡± Ronnie said, looking at the three remaining teammates, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Scarlet Fox.

    Scarlet Fox held his card with his pinky extended, speaking in a voice that was just a little too gentle and high-pitched, ¡°Mine¡¯s nine too.¡±

    He sighed softly, eyeing Vermilion Bird with intive, nted eyes. ¡°If you had picked the card on the left, Elder, we would¡¯ve ended up as a pair.¡±

    ¡°And why would I want that?¡± Vermilion Bird huffed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve always been the perfect duo, Elder!¡± Scarlet Fox sounded a little wounded, but his tone was also brimming with pride he couldn¡¯t hide.

    ¡°That¡¯s when fighting, not ying sports.¡±

    Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes curved as he nced at Green Tea. ¡°Volleyball requires flexibility. Your teammate is going to be a worse choice than me, Elder.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Vermilion Bird saw his point and threw Green Tea a questioning look. ¡°Green Tea, are you...¡±

    Green Tea smiled regretfully. ¡°I¡¯m a pro in weight training, but sports? I¡¯m a total amateur.¡±

    Vermilion Bird facepalmed. ¡°Alright. It seems that we can already call it quits.¡±

    That left Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling cast him the King of Hearts in her hand. Gao Yang caught it easily with a smile.

    ¡°Pleasure working with you, Green Snake.¡±

    Qing Ling said with an impassive face, ¡°Just keep up.¡±

 Chapter 288: Good Girl

    <h4>Chapter 288: Good Girl</h4>

    Five minutester, X walked out of the basement to the small pier on the side of the vi, where a few jet skis were.

    X jumped onto the first one. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to the volleyball court.¡±

    Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to pat on the backseat and turned to Chen Ying, not hiding his ulterior motive at all. ¡°We¡¯re partners now, Miss Chen. Shall we take this chance to get to know each other?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Chen Ying didn¡¯t even spare him a nce before getting onto another jet ski and turned to the others. ¡°Who¡¯s with me?¡±

    White Rabbit jumped onto her jet ski and put an arm around her waist, raising her other hand to point forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    X and Chen Ying set out.

    Green Tea and Joker took one jet ski, while Ronnie and Scarlet Fox shared the ride. Then Vermilion Bird, Qing Ling, and Wu Dahai each took one.

    That left Gao Yang and Can with the only jet ski.

    Gao Yang got on and started it, turning around to look at Can.

    Can paused and hurriedly followed suit, but she was rigid, scared to put her arms around his waist.

    Gao Yang had noticed some time ago that Can wasn¡¯t as hyper as usual, and was holding herself quite timidly.

    She was probably the ssic slow-warmer. Although she was a shameless, mischievous gremlin when she was with friends, she was timid to the point of unsociable when facing people she didn¡¯t know.

    Now that she and Gao Yang were on their own, though, what was she acting coy for?

    ¡°You¡¯ll only have yourself to me if you get thrown into the water this way,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Can nervously stuttered, ¡°Then...I¡¯ll hold onto you, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Put your hands on my shoulders and hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh oh, right.¡± Can blushed and knocked on her head. ¡°What, what was I thinking! Haha!¡±

    Her hands fell on his shoulders and slowly tightened. Gao Yang started the jet ski, catching up to the others.

    The wind was so strong that Can couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open. She took cover behind Gao Yang¡¯s wide back.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been acting strange, Can.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice was buried in the swoosh of the wind.

    ¡°Huh? Is, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± As the captain, Gao Yang paid attention to every teammate¡¯s mental state.

    ¡°Nothing! What could I be bothered about? Haha!¡±

    Can lied.

    She was bothered by something, but it wasn¡¯t anything worth mentioning.

    Although she had always known that she was far from a beautiful girl, it wasn¡¯t usually inly shown to her¡ªuntil today, when she and the other girls changed into swimsuits, putting the gap between her and them in every aspect on disy.

    She would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t envious of them, even more so if she said she didn¡¯t feel inferior, which led to her timidness before Captain Seven Shadow.

    He was strong, good-looking, gentle, and quite fit. He looked like a shining star amid a crowd, and he made a good match with Elder Vermilion Bird, Qing Ling, White Rabbit, or Team Leader Chen Ying, but...not her.

    Can regretted confessing to Captain Seven Shadow back then. If she hadn¡¯t, things wouldn¡¯t be this awkward now.

    However, everyone knew she had a crush on Captain Seven Shadow.

    When she was with the team, she could still humor everyone by ying dumb or acting shameless, but today, she was forced to reflect on herself, and a voice in her head kept reminding her, <i>You¡¯re not good enough for Captain.</i>

    Can couldn¡¯t put her feelings into words. It was strange, stuffy, ufortable, and it was something she couldn¡¯t talk to anyone about.

    When the jet ski was just about to approach an uninhabited ind, Gao Yang hesitated. He could more or less guess what Can was bothered about, and he decided to stop her spiraling.

    ¡°Be confident in yourself, Can.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Can was caught off guard. She thought she had heard him wrong.

    Gao Yang said seriously, ¡°There isn''t one standard for beauty. People are different, not better or worse.¡±

    Can gaped, and her face was flushed for a good moment.

    <i>Shit, Captain sees right through me!</i>

    <i>Ugh, I feel even more awkward now! I wanna jump into the sea and just drown!</i>

    Can¡¯s brain short-circuited for a few seconds before she reverted back to her usual tactic, putting on a careless smile. ¡°Oh boy! You¡¯re awesome, Captain! You speak so profoundly even when you¡¯reforting people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notforting you. I¡¯m speaking from the bottom of my heart.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn around, but his genuine, gentle voice made his point cross well enough. ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Can. You¡¯re no lesser than anyone.¡±

    Can stared at him. She couldn¡¯t hear anything but the wind whipping past her.

    Although she had been praised for her moments of cleverness, she had never received such gentle recognition and encouragement her whole life.

    She felt a prickle in her nose, and her eyes reddened. She had to open her mouth wide to take a deep breath so that she wouldn¡¯t burst into tears.

    Her grips on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders loosened a little unconsciously, but two secondster, she held fast.

    ¡°Thank you, Captain! I understand!¡±

    At that moment, Can quietly made an oath to herself.

    Now, she must never, ever be thrown off the jet ski.

    And from today on, she must never, ever drag Captain down.

    <i>Captain said so.</i>

    <i>That I¡¯m a good girl, no lesser than anyone.</i>

    ...

    The twelve of them made it to the uninhabited ind on jet skis and reached a beach that was smaller than a football field, covered in soft, milky-white sand.

    At the center of the beach was a volleyball court. On one side was a line of six parasols and a few beach loungers, as well as a box of bottled water and a few colorful beach volleyballs¡ªeffectively the audience seats.

    X picked up a volleyball and entered the court, raising his voice as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll repeat the rules. First, no Talent allowed. Second, the volleyball must remain intact. Whoever has the volleyball when it breaks loses.¡±

    X then thought of something. ¡°Oh, and the ball can¡¯t fly over the ocean, or it¡¯ll count as a loss as well.¡±

    Gao Yang made a rough calction. The free zones around the volleyball court are about six meters in length. Another three meters, and it was the shoreline.

    This was a rule to address an awakener¡¯s power too.

    At full strength, they could break the ball or hit it too far away from the court, both of which would disturb the match.

    ¡°Any question?¡± X turned to them.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    White Rabbit raised her hand. ¡°My Talent is Jump, which allows me to jump as high as I can. To what extent would I be considered having used my Talent? I can¡¯t just not jump, can I?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to jump all you want, pretty girl. No foul will be called.¡± X gave her a confident smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, cute guy.¡± White Rabbit responded with a harmless smile, but there was a fierce look in her eyes.

    Gao Yang started getting ideas too. It seemed that the actual rule wasn¡¯t against them using any Talent, but Talents outside of those granting strength or explosive power.

    A few examples being Element-type Talents, or Support or Time-Space Talents that would obviously break the rules and fun of a volleyball game.

    It was something that could be exploited.

    X lifted the ball with one hand and twisted his wrist, making the ball rotate on the tip of his middle finger. He got into the nitty-gritty of the match.

    ¡°This is a single-elimination tournament. When six groups are reduced to three, the two winning teams with lower scores will have another match. Then the winner will y the team with the highest score.¡±

    ¡°As long as my team doesn¡¯t win top ce, I¡¯ll consider it your win.¡±

    ¡°Every match is decided by only three ys.¡±

    When he finished, the ball on his finger had also stopped spinning. ¡°Any other question?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯ll decide the order of the matches?¡± asked Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°I do,¡± X said. ¡°Pairing up the high and the low, Team Ace against Team 9, King against 10, and Queen against Jack. Since our cards are selected by random, this should be fair.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good with it.¡± Vermilion Bird shrugged.

    No one said anything else.

    X looked up at the sky with a half smile. ¡°Then let us begin. It seems that it¡¯ll rain soon. We¡¯ll finish as quickly as possible.¡±

 Chapter 289: Team Matches

    <h4>Chapter 289: Team Matches</h4>

    First match was Team A against Team 9.

    Team A: X, Chen Ying

    Team 9: Ronnie, Scarlet Fox

    The others rested and spectated from where the beach loungers were.

    Chen Ying kicked off the sandals she was wearing and tied her long hair into a neat ponytail with a rubber band. Bending down to pick up a bottle of water, she twisted off the cap to take a sip before closing it. Then she jumped on the spot and stretched her limbs, doing warm-ups.

    ¡°Miss Chen.¡± Vermilion Bird had a bad feeling about this. ¡°You look quite experienced.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled wryly. ¡°To tell you the truth, I was a member of the volleyball club in college.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Wu Dahaiy on his side on a lounger, propping his head up with a hand.

    He didn¡¯t hide the fact that he was gawking at Chen Ying¡¯s pronounced, healthy curves as she stretched her arms. ¡°Can¡¯t you go easy on us? Make a couple mistakes?¡±

    ¡°No, X will notice immediately.¡± Chen Ying responded seriously. ¡°And once I get into a game, I forget everything else.¡±

    ¡°Still, beach volleyball is different from indoor volleyball. There are fewer yers on court, and the indoor floor is different from a sandy beach. There¡¯s also the environmental factors, including the wind and the sunlight...¡±

    Chen Ying looked at X, who was waiting in the court, and sighed softly. ¡°I hope that those factors will make me a worse yer.¡±

    <i>Miss Chen</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>Your analysis alone makes you seem like a grade A student ying down her ability before the exams. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll do better than you say you would!</i>

    Ronnie and Scarlet Fox were already dreading the game when they saw the way Chen Ying held herself.

    ¡°Have you yed volleyball before?¡± Scarlet Fox turned to Ronnie and said frankly, ¡°I haven¡¯t. I rarely watch any sports, let alone beach volleyball.¡±

    Ronnie thought for a moment. ¡°Does a video game count?¡±

    Scarlet Fox gave him a strange look and joked, ¡°Is it an adult...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a normal volleyball, game!¡± Ronnie hurried to exin.

    ¡°Forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Scarlet Fox smiled bitterly and turned to Vermilion Bird, looking like a martyr. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you on the other side, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°At least try to win, Little Fox!¡± Vermilion Bird chided. ¡°Even if you¡¯re gonna be cannon fodder, drag things on so that we can collect more information on our opponents.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Scarlet Fox answered with renewed spirit.

    Soon, Ronnie and Scarlet Fox entered the court, standing side by side with poor coordination.

    Meanwhile, on Team A¡¯s side, Chen Ying and X had each taken the front and the back without the need to talk to each other.

    Standing before the, Chen Ying crouched slightly with her feet apart, the muscles in her lower body taut, ready to take on the volleyball that would fly her way.

    X, taking the position behind her, stood with a rxed stance that exuded confidence, as if the whole outer court was under his control.

    ¡°Um.¡± Vermilion Bird pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°I can¡¯t watch this.¡±

    Ronnie took the volleyball and thought back to the way volleyball yers served in televised games.

    He took a deep breath and threw the ball, swinging his right arm to hit it.

    No matter if it was out of nerves or his right heel sinking into the sand, though, he lost his bnce and didn¡¯t hit the ball as he had intended.

    The volleyball flew weakly for a short distance before hitting the.

    ¡ªOne point for Team A.

    Vermilion Bird sighed and nced at Green Tea. ¡°Get ready. It¡¯ll be our turn soon.¡±

    Ronnie was a member of the fifth team, and as the fifth team captain, Gao Yang was hit with secondhand embarrassment.

    He smiled wryly at Qing Ling.

    Understanding his unspoken words, Qing Ling rose from the lounger and started warming up.

    Wu Dahai lost interest in the game immediately and turned to the side, watching the captivating way Qing Ling¡¯s body stretched and flexed.

    White Rabbit had had enough of it. She grabbed a towel and dropped it on his head, covering his unweed leering.

    ¡°Hey hey hey, what was that, White Rabbit?!¡± Wu Dahai snapped and yanked off the towel, but he had already missed the best part.

    Meanwhile on the court, it was X¡¯s turn to serve.

    He made a powerful serve easily. Scarlet Fox took two steps back and held his arms together to carefully bounce the ball. Ronnie immediately rushed forward to get the ball up toward the, which, clearly, was the most he could do.

    Seizing the chance, Scarlet Fox stepped forward and leapt hard, making a killing smash.

    Simultaneously, a slim figure leapt into action on the other side of the. It was Chen Ying.

    Having predicted that Scarlet Fox would go for a smash, she extended her arms and put up a block.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The ball hit Chen Ying¡¯s arms before bouncing onto the sandy beach.

    Ronnie¡¯s jaw dropped. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to save the ball.

    Two points for Team A.

    Scarlet Fox turned around and nced at Vermilion Bird. She was alreadying to the court with Green Tea.

    That bruised his ego, and a weight fell on his chest.

    It was Ronnie¡¯s time to serve again. He identally made a float serve.

    X quickly moved and lowered his body with his arms tracking the ball, catching it deftly. And he made a pass to the most ideal position for a smash, right at the.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t let the opportunity go. She jumped up high and raised her arm to make a swing.

    Having foreseen it, Scarlet Fox jumped up as well with his arms extended, aiming to block the ball.

    He was a quick-learner. His lips curved into a smile, thinking he was going to score.

    However, his smile soon froze.

    Chen Ying had predicted the fact that he would have predicted a smash, and instead of hitting the ball with her right hand, she retracted her arm.

    At some point, X had moved behind her¡ªhe was quick!

    <i>Bam!</i>

    He smashed the ball in another direction.

    Scarlet Fox could only watch the ball fly the other way with his arms up like an idiot.

    Caught off guard by the coordinated move of his two opponents, Ronnie hadn¡¯t moved to defend the court, and thus he was too far to do anything as the ball hit the ground.

    Three points for Team A. A perfect victory.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Xnded and shed Chen Ying a charming smile, lifting his hand to highfive her.

    ¡°<i>Yes</i>!¡± Lost in the joy of victory, Chen Ying almost did highfive him. She barely managed to stop herself halfway.

    She quickly pulled a long face and turned to leave the court.

    When she walked back to the loungers, Can said with admiration, ¡°That¡¯s so cool, Sister Chen!¡±

    ¡°Cool?¡± Wu Dahai snorted. ¡°How are we going to win when you y like that, Sister Chen?¡±

    Chen Ying was troubled as well. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t pull back when I¡¯m in a game. It¡¯s all instinct.¡±

    Two minutester, Gao Yang and Qing Ling from Team K entered the court with Vermilion Bird and Green Tea from Team 10.

    Green Tea handed Vermilion Bird the ball. ¡°I¡¯ll take the front, and you the back.¡±

    Which meant that Vermilion Bird would serve and save the ball when it got to the back of the court, while Green Tea would be in charge of the front, mainly blocking and smashing.

    ¡°You sure?¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t really get it.

    Usually, with men¡¯srger frame and longer limbs, they would be more suitable for the backcourt. On the other hand, women were agile and were better at the front. That was how X and Chen Ying yed.

    ¡°I promise it¡¯ll work, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Green Tea smiled confidently.

 Chapter 290: Team Matches 2

    <h4>Chapter 290: Team Matches 2</h4>

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll trust you this time.¡± Vermilion Bird took a few steps back with the ball and made a power serve.

    Tracking the ball, Gao Yang quickly crouched down and extended his arms under the ball. Without using any force, the ball naturally bounced up, flying to the side.

    Thending point wasn¡¯t ideal, and Qing Ling got the ball up again.

    Moving his position, Gao Yang then passed the ball to near the.

    Good cement.

    Qing Ling leapt up, her body arching back with her waist as the pivot, her legs curled. Under the sunlight, her beautiful form drew a clean curve in the air.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Qing Ling made a perfect smash. Her form could only be described as beautiful.

    Among the audience, Wu Dahai, X, and Can eximed with differing emotions.

    ¡°So cool!¡± Can was in love.

    ¡°Nice,¡± X said in approval.

    ¡°I can fucking watch a game like this all day,¡± said Wu Dahai.

    Qing Ling¡¯s smash was powerful and precise.

    Green Tea was surprised by how well she yed. He threw hisrge body toward where the volleyball was quicklynding, extending an arm to dig the ball, but only barely managed to do it.

    The volleyball bounced up high toward the free zone.

    Vermilion Bird dashed out of the court, chasing after the flying volleyball. Just when the ball was going to fly out of the free zone andnd on the beach, Vermilion Bird made a powerful jump, saving the ball after flying more than two meters in the air.

    Clearly, the jump was beyond what a regr human was capable of, but since no particr Talent was used, it didn¡¯t count as a foul.

    ¡°Nicely done!¡±

    Green Tea was already waiting at the center of the court.

    Seizing the right timing, he jumped up high and made a powerful smash.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The ball was quick. Tapping into the energy in his body, Gao Yang lunged to get the ball up.

    At thest second, though, he hesitated and didn''t extend his arms.

    The volleyball mmed into the ground like a bullet, bringing up a puff of fine white sand before rolling over half a meter.

    Qing Ling turned to look at him questioningly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save it?¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. ¡°If I did, we would¡¯ve lost.¡±

    Qing Ling paused and looked at the ball. Indeed, it was leaking and had already deted into an oval.

    Gao Yang smiled as he exined, ¡°Green Tea¡¯s smash exceeds a regr man¡¯s capacity. That made me cautious. As expected, he had done something. If I had saved the ball, it would¡¯ve been considered my responsibility that the ball broke.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Green Tea said in a surprised tone. ¡°How did you notice?¡±

    Vermilion Bird walked back to the court from the surrounding beach. She shook her head and sighed. ¡°I was wondering why you wanted to be at the front. So this is what you were nning.¡±

    Green Tea chuckled. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, Elder Seven Shadow and Miss Green Snake are natural volleyball yers given their physical abilities. If we y fair, we can¡¯t win.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I don¡¯t intend on winning.¡± Vermilion Bird cracked a smile too. ¡°But at least we can y a little longer as their training partners.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t help much.¡± Green Tea disagreed. He turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I hadn¡¯t hidden my intention well, Elder Seven Shadow, and you saw through me easily. If someone pulls the same trick on youter, you should be extra careful.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Gao Yang understood what he was getting at. It seemed that Green Tea and Vermilion Bird had bet on him and Qing Ling at the very start.

    Team 10 was eliminated for breaking the volleyball. Team K automatically won.

    The third game was between Team Q and Team J.

    Team Q: Wu Dahai, Can.

    Team J: White Rabbit, Joker.

    It seemed like a match that was already decided. Were this televised, the audience would¡¯ve changed the channel already.

    Wu Dahai sauntered into the court and passed Can the ball. ¡°Go serve.¡±

    Can took the ball that was bigger than her head with her frail hands, looking helpless. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know how.¡±

    ¡°And I do?¡± Wu Dahai retorted unabashedly.

    ¡°Then, then I¡¯ll just do it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re just ying to be eliminated anyway.¡±

    Although Wu Dahai was a man with many undesirable traits, one would be remiss to call him arrogant. He knew that the unsporty ones, meaning him and Can, were only here to fill the numbers.

    Can couldn¡¯t be more nervous. Rigidly, she threw the volleyball high and made a forceful swing, but ended up missing the ball. It fell on her head.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Can held her head with both hands. When she realized what just happened, the ball was already gone.

    It should¡¯ve been funny, but none of the spectators reacted.

    ¡°For some reason, I knew that was how things would go,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    The others nodded.

    Can missed her serve. One point to Team J.

    It was Team J¡¯s turn to serve. Joker made a powerful one. Wu Dahai rushed to save the ball with both hands, but perhaps due to his one arm being robotic, the volleyball didn¡¯t return to the center of the court as he had intended, but instead flew to the free zone.

    Can tried her best to keep the y going, leaving deep and shallow footprints on the sand before she tackled toward the ball. However, she was just a little short of reaching it.

    Can fell face first into the sand. The volleyball was just before her, and it rolled away.

    There was still noughter from the audience.

    ¡°Christ, this...is hard to watch.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s heart ached a little for the girl.

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. What little confidence he had given Can would be shattered in the volleyball game.

    Feeling ashamed, Can became all red from her face to the bottom of her neck.

    She shouldn¡¯t have tried. She should¡¯ve given up like Electric Mouse.

    Can stood up and picked up the ball, walking back to the court with her head lowered. She looked at Electric Mouse and said¡ªno, begged, ¡°Why don¡¯t you make thest serve?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, whatever. Just do it already.¡± Wu Dahai was getting impatient.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Can quietly went back to her position.

    ¡°Come on, Can! You can do it!¡± Ronnie raised his voice to cheer on his teammate without making any strange pause.

    Can stopped to look at him, then at Gao Yang, who was standing by Ronnie¡¯s side.

    Without even a hint of mockery on his face, Gao Yang reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry, Can. Swing your arm only after you¡¯ve gotten a good look.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Can nodded seriously.

    Can closed her eyes and took a deep breath, repeating Gao Yang¡¯s words in her mind.

    <i>Swing your arm only after you¡¯ve gotten a good look.</i>

    <i>Swing your arm only after you¡¯ve gotten a good look!</i>

    She opened her eyes and gently threw the ball up.

    One second, two seconds.

    Can kept her breathing slow and steady.

    Eyes following the trajectory of the ball, Can swung her arm.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The volleyball made it over the, toward the court on the other side.

    Joker caught it easily, making a pass to White Rabbit.

    Leaping high into the air, White Rabbit smashed the ball, which flew right at Wu Dahai¡¯s face.

    Wu Dahai didn¡¯t even get to react. The ball hit him in the face before flying out of the court, and he fell with a scream.

    White Rabbit had done it on purpose. Serve him right for being so impatient with Can.

    The match ended.

    Team J won without losing points.

    ¡°I, I did it!¡± Can didn¡¯t even care about their loss, still overjoyed from the sessful serve.

    She turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I did it, Captain!¡±

    ¡°You did it!¡± Gao Yang praised with a smile.

    ¡°Nice serve, Can!¡± Vermilion Bird encouraged her as well.

    Ronnie pped and even whistled in excitement.

    ¡°Good job!¡±

    ¡°Nicely done!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good serve for a first attempt!¡±

    ...

    They all offered praises to Can generously. Standing where she was, Can felt a prickle in her nose, her eyes reddening again.

    At that moment, the feeling of inferiority and difort in her heart evaporated.

    She was d that she hade to Naldives on a mission with everyone!

 Chapter 291: Final

    <h4>Chapter 291: Final</h4>

    In about ten minutes, they had the winning teams: Team A, Team K, and Team J.

    SInce Team K had won with a rule vition on the part of the opposing team after one y, X considered Team K the one with the highest score, and they would go straight to the final.

    Team A and Team J would have a semifinal round. The winning team would go against Team K to determine the champion.

    No one disagreed with him; in fact, they couldn¡¯t be happier since their chance of winning would be higher this way.

    The four yers entered the court for the semifinal. Without wasting their breath on chit-chat, they got right into the game.

    X made a float serve.

    Joker got the ball, but it ended up flying out of the court.

    White Rabbit chased it down and saved it. Trusting her speed, Joker made a high pass.

    And indeed, White Rabbit quickly made it back into the court and jumped with ease, raising her arm for a smash.

    On the other side of the, Chen Ying responded quickly and put up a block with both arms.

    White Rabbit, however, stopped putting force into the swing of her arm and opted for a tip instead. The ball flew over Chen Ying¡¯s hands lightly before falling to her side.

    Having been ready for a feint, X appeared right behind Chen Ying and dug the ball, passing it to Chen Ying.

    She jumped again as soon as shended and smashed the ball to the right corner of the opponent¡¯s court.

    While Joker was quick, he was aplete newbie in volleyball, and he didn¡¯t have the instinct to predict where the ball would fall; hence he couldn¡¯t make it in time.

    But White Rabbit could!

    With Jump, she shot toward the ball like a bullet and dug it.

    Joker made a pass toward the. White Rabbit quickly picked herself up and jumped again, smashing the ball over the powerfully with impressive speed.

    Chen Ying dove toward it and made ast-second save.

    With perfect timing, X jumped and smashed the ball, aiming at Joker.

    Joker lowered his body and dug the ball with both arms. Instead of flying up as he expected, though, the ball ended up sliding away from his arms and falling onto the ground like a slippery fish.

    One point to Team A.

    All those who didn¡¯t know about volleyball were surprised.

    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Can¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°There was a spin,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°I get all that, but it¡¯s ridiculous for the ball to spin so much,¡± Wu Dahai grumbled.

    ¡°We¡¯re awakeners.¡± Green Tea smiled. ¡°The move isn¡¯t that unimaginable, is it?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Wu Dahai said with a hint of resentment. ¡°You fighter type will never understand the problems we spellcasters face. In terms of physical capability, we are not much stronger than regr humans.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, my knees hurt.¡± That also hit a nerve for Can, a Support-type.

    ¡°Keep working hard to level up.¡± Vermilion Bird patted Can on the shoulder. ¡°Even those with non DPS Talents will be physically much stronger once their Talents reach a high enough level.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Can asked with renewed hope.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Vermilion Bird gave her a confident smile. ¡°I¡¯m the living proof of that.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought. <i>True, take Guildmaster Qilin¡¯s level 7 Eidos as an example, the Talent not only grants significant bonuses to Willpower and Charisma, but also 500 in all other stats.</i>

    Vermilion Bird yed the role of a doctor or a healer, and her Talent was most likely the top Life-type Talent. When she was ying in her match, though, her inhuman jump proved that her Agility must be quite high.

    In Gao Yang¡¯s moment of distraction, X¡¯s side had already earned the second point.

    Although the two teams kept up quite a long rally with the second y, White Rabbit failed to dig X¡¯s spinning ball.

    She had observed the curved trajectory of the ball to determine the way it was spinning, but she wasn¡¯t able to offset the spin with her arms. She absolutely would be able to after a few more practices, but she wasn¡¯t given the chance.

    Both White Rabbit and Joker had an impassive look on their faces, covering the frustration burning in their hearts.

    For thest y, White Rabbit went all in on the offense. Chen Ying could barely keep up, but she still ended up finding an opening.

    Chen Ying jumped and moved to smash the ball. White Rabbit didn¡¯t immediately put up a block.

    And indeed, Chen Ying¡¯s jump was only a feint. X showed up behind her to make the smash instead, the ball spinning powerfully as it flew toward Joker.

    Joker caught it with his arms put together.

    At the same time, White Rabbit dashed to Joker¡¯s right, having predicted the direction the ball was spinning ording to its trajectory.

    However, she was half a second toote.

    The ball skittered sideways on Joker¡¯s arms, and White Rabbit only made it to the ball the moment it hit the ground.

    3-0.

    Team A had another perfect victory.

    For a moment, White Rabbit couldn¡¯t ept defeat. She picked herself up and dusted sand off her arms, waist, and legs before walking to the audience, looking down.

    ¡°You yed well, Rabbit,¡± Wu Dahai offered. ¡°X is just too sneaky.¡±

    White Rabbit wasn¡¯t in the mood to respond. She took a bottle of water and uncapped it with more force than necessary, tipping her head back for arge gulp.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    She crushed the bottle with her grip, turning to Qing Ling. ¡°Get revenge for me!¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Confidently, Qing Ling took big strides toward the court. After taking two steps, she stopped. Her partner wasn¡¯t following.

    She frowned at Gao Yang, who was still sitting on a beach lounger.

    Gao Yang would like to get into the court already, but Green Tea had an arm around his shoulders and was giving him a sales pitch like a gym trainer.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a nice foundation, Elder Seven Shadow. Even without systemic training, the lines of your abs are visible. Just train with me and have three cups of protein shake per day. I guarantee you that you¡¯ll be as fit as I am in a year.¡±

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m good. I¡¯m satisfied with the way I am now.¡± Gao Yang gave him an awkward smile.

    ¡°No! Men should be masculine!¡± Green Tea patted himself on his hard, toned pecs. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you¡¯re past 25. A pretty face isn¡¯t going to get you some. The cougars go for hunks!¡±

    ¡°Green Tea!¡± Chen Ying was getting inpatient in the court. ¡°You done?¡±

    Green Tea let go of Gao Yang reluctantly. ¡°Alright. Go have your game. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    Finally freed, Gao Yang scrambled to his feet and went up to Qing Ling.

    ...

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang each took the front and the back of the court.

    At some point, the zing sun had disappeared behind the looming dark clouds, and the beach was getting windy. It was going to rain.

    The afternoon showers always came and went suddenly in Naldives.

    ¡°This is thest match. I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± X smiled at Chen Ying with confidence. ¡°Miss Chen, you have to y properly.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything, but her serious gaze was an answer in itself.

    With the ball in hand, she took a deep breath, considering the wind sweeping against her. She made a strong serve with elegance.

    Gao Yang took two steps and easily dug the ball with his arms. The ball flew toward Qing Ling in a parabolic line.

    Qing Ling moved forward two steps and raised her arm to make it look like she was going for a smash, but once she got Chen Ying jumping for a block, she opted for a tip.

    Having been ready for a feint, X easily dug the ball and passed it to Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying saved the ball again afternding, returning the ball to X.

    Without missing a beat, X made a perfect smash.

    A spinning ball!

    Qing Ling was ready for it.

    She rushed to where the ball wouldnd and quickly crouched down, her arms pressed together. To offset the spin as much as possible, she shifted her center of gravity to the direction the ball was moving toward and adjusted the tform of her forearms.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    She managed to control the direction the ball went, and it flew into the sky.

    <i>She did it!</i>

    Gao Yang crowed inwardly,<i> As expected of level 4 God of des. Her arms and wrists are ridiculously agile and flexible.</i>

    Chasing the ball, Gao Yang made a high jump at the right time and swung his arm for a smash.

    They had won.

 Chapter 292: Green Teaâ€™s Clever Plan

    <h4>Chapter 292: Green Tea¡¯s Clever n</h4>

    Seeing Gao Yang getting ready for a smash, Chen Ying jumped up to block it.

    It was a feint, however, and Gao Yang quickly slowed his swing, making a light tip.

    X was no stranger to the trick, and he had been waiting behind Chen Ying. Taking two steps forward, he dug the ball with his arms held together.

    The moment the ball made contact, though, X stilled for half a second. While the ball did fly toward Chen Ying, it was strangely weak.

    Chen Ying noticed too. She came to a halt and watched the ball fall at her feet. It didn¡¯t roll for long before it deted quickly with the air inside leaking.

    The volleyball was broken.

    ¡°Haha, it works!¡±

    Green Tea had been watching with bated breath. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold it in and jumped up in excitement. ¡°Fucking A, Captain Seven Shadow!¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Green Tea and gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°One-inch Punch is a great Talent.¡±

    The n was actually initiated by Green Tea. Gao Yang merely executed it sessfully.

    While Green Tea was physically fit, he wasn¡¯tcking in intelligence.

    During his game with Gao Yang and Qing Ling, he had shown Gao Yang his Talent on purpose.

    He had made his intention clear with his overexaggerated movement. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t so stupid that he wouldn¡¯t see that the ball he hit was already on the verge of breaking.

    Gao Yang had seen through Green Tea¡¯s n, and on the surface, it seemed like Green Tea had exposed his trump card, failing to make it to the final to the benefit of X.

    But actually, the move ended up making X less careful.

    Gao Yang had noticed that Green Tea was up to something, especially since the man gave him a pointed look right after the match.

    While Gao Yang rested on a beach lounger, Green Tea sat by him on purpose and started selling him on weight training, when in truth it was an excuse to have physical contact with Gao Yang.

    His intention couldn¡¯t be clearer. Gao Yang immediately replicated his Talent¡ªlevel 5 One-inch Punch.

    One-inch Punch, serial number 36, Damage-type.

    By balling one¡¯s hand into fist, one would be able to hit their target with impressive prating and damaging power. Once reaching level 5, the Talent could be activated with even the lightest touch.

    Gao Yang realized then what Green Tea was nning.

    One might ask why Green Tea didn¡¯t use the trick on X himself. It was because he couldn¡¯t do it.

    Under normal circumstances, he and Vermilion Bird couldn¡¯t defeat Gao Yang and Qing Ling. One of them had level 4 God of des, and the other, level 3 Teleportation. They were too agile and flexible.

    Green Tea would have to cheat with One-inch Punch in order to win the match.

    However, that would tell X about the trick.

    Then X would be keeping an eye out during the final. He would be extra careful when he saw Green Tea touching the ball with his hand balled into fist, and he might choose to not touch the ball.

    That would result in a psychological battle where X had to bet on if Green Tea had used One-inch Punch, while Green Tea bet on if X would take the chance to touch the ball.

    The chance of victory would be fifty-fifty.

    Green Tea never got into a battle he couldn''t win. He wasn¡¯t someone who would go for a fifty percent chance of winning.

    So he picked someone to work with¡ªthe only one who could execute the n.

    Green Tea cheated so obviously that Gao Yang would notice, at the same time rxing X¡¯s guard.

    Then he found the chance to ¡®teach¡¯ Gao Yang One-inch Punch.

    As soon as Gao Yang replicated the Talent, he understood the in and out of it. He didn¡¯t need to use a lot of force to trigger its effect.

    Thus, Gao Yang seized the chance when he was tipping the ball to clench his fist, using One-inch Punch on the ball.

    Usually, yers hit a ball with their palm or set it with their fingers. One wouldn¡¯t hit it with a fist under normal circumstances.

    While X wasn¡¯t watching out for the trick, though, he didn¡¯t notice the split second Gao Yang made the move.

    And so the ball, on the verge of breaking due to One-inch Punch, flew toward X.

    X noticed that there was something wrong with the ball as soon as he dug it, but since he had already made contact, the ball was his.

    It was he who made the rules; he could only ept defeat.

    ¡°Hey! How could you cheat?!¡± Chen Ying snapped. ¡°That¡¯s poor sportsmanship!¡±

    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>.¡± Gao Yang reminded her subtly. ¡°We¡¯re here on a mission, Miss Chen. Professionalism is more important in this case.¡±

    Chen Ying paused and came to her senses. ¡°Oh, we won! We seeded, haha!¡±

    She gave Green Tea a thumbs-up. ¡°Good job, Green Tea!¡±

    Vermilion Bird walked up to X with a smile. ¡°X...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Cross!¡± X shouted, looking dejected. It seemed that he was still reconciling with the fact that he lost.

    ¡°We won, Mr. Cross.¡± Vermilion Bird arched an eyebrow, enjoying his misery. ¡°You made the rules yourself. You aren¡¯t getting back on your words, are you?¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha...¡±

    Suddenly, X broke intoughter with a hand covering his face.

    The sudden change in mood caught everyone by surprise.

    It took a while for him to settle down. He nced at Vermilion Bird, then those around her, scanning everyone present.

    Finally, he let out a long sigh. ¡°Perhaps this is fate.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Vermilion Bird frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡± X¡¯s expression was calm again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll work with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°What? Another?¡± Wu Dahai strode up to him angrily. ¡°What is the volleyball game then? Just a farce? What¡¯s all the hard work we¡¯ve put in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, right, but do you have anything to do with our win?¡± White Rabbit came up to p Wu Dahai on the head.

    ¡°Beautiful women, swimsuits, and beach volleyball. Didn¡¯t you enjoy your time spectating?¡± X cracked a flippant smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong...¡± Wu Dahai felt caught. Then he put on a serious look. ¡°But that¡¯s a lowly trick. Why didn¡¯t you tell us you have another condition?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never imed to be an honest man.¡± X shrugged carelessly. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Take it or leave it. We may go our separate ways.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hear you out first.¡± Vermilion Bird stopped X.

    X tugged his lips at her. ¡°I¡¯ll just tell you that you¡¯ll benefit from it too. But if you want me to tell you more, you have to agree to help.¡±

    ¡°Sure, go on.¡± White Rabbit smiled. It was apparent that she didn¡¯t take his words seriously.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Lightning struck, and droplets of rain fell, quickly evolving into a downpour.

    X¡¯s smile turned cold. ¡°I meant what I said, pretty girl. If I tell you about it and you refuse to help then, I¡¯ll kill all of you. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll show you mercy just because you¡¯re cute.¡±

    White Rabbit fell silent.

    Gao Yang started. X was serious.

    Unfazed, Vermilion Bird responded with a scoff, ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡±

 Chapter 293: Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 293: Invitation</h4>

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯ll be hard for me to kill all of you.¡± X had a lopsided smile on his face like he was talking about the weather. ¡°Still, I¡¯m pretty sure I can kill half of you, at least. What do you say?¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression darkened. It was an important decision to make.

    ¡°I have to bring this to Guild...¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll give you one minute. Past that, and the deal¡¯s off.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s you fucking pro...¡±

    Green Tea covered Wu Dahai¡¯s mouth before he could finish his sentence, worried that X wouldn¡¯t even give them the minute otherwise.

    ¡°55 seconds to go.¡± X shook his wet hair in the pouring rain.

    Vermilion Bird turned to Gao Yang reflexively.

    ¡°Seven Shadow...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. You¡¯re the one in charge.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to make any decision since he didn¡¯t want the responsibility that woulde with it.

    However, Vermilion Bird hadn¡¯t been in her ce for so long for nothing. She demanded, ¡°This is an order. Tell me what you think.¡±

    ¡°Another 50 seconds.¡± X continued to count down.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and clearly expressed his opinions at a faster pace. ¡°I¡¯ll say yes. The Crimson Tide is on the horizon. Our deaths are all foretold. If we are to fight fate, we muste together as one. Even if X¡¯s request is going to be risky, we have to make the bet.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I agree.¡± Vermilion Bird turned to Chen Ying and White Rabbit. ¡°And you?¡±

    Chen Ying stayed silent. Losing the entire second team at the Cattle Farm Station had made her timid.

    Without hesitation, White Rabbit said, ¡°I say we take the gamble.¡±

    She hade to Naldives for the mission Dragon entrusted to her, and she would not disappoint him.

    Vermilion Bird turned to X. ¡°Alright, we agree to your condition. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± X¡¯s smile was gone, and his eyes turned serious. ¡°Tonight at midnight, bring another awakener here to meet up with me. Help me explore the Rune Cave.¡±

    ¡°A Rune Cave?¡± Chen Ying said in surprise, what had happened before shing through her mind. ¡°Is it going to be dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± X didn¡¯t mince words. ¡°The only thing I can say for sure is that thirteen awakeners have to be gathered to enter the Rune Cave, and inside is the Poison Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°Because I have the top Poison-type Talent and can sense its presence. It¡¯s a faint resonation of sorts,¡± X said nonchntly.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve been staying here all these years for the Rune Circuit?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a big part of it.¡± X smiled. ¡°Although my Talent is among the top, it¡¯s only level 3. I want to get the Rune Circuit to level it up. I¡¯ve tried many different ways, but I can never enter the Rune Cave on my own. It seems that it¡¯s a requirement for thirteen awakeners to be present.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t trust you.¡±

    White Rabbit shot back, ¡°And now you can?¡±

    ¡°No, but the Crimson Tide ising. You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    The others exchanged a look.

    While X appeared to be a foppish trust fund boy, he was actually shrewd and careful with a healthy distrust of others.

    ¡°Go to the Rune Cave with me, and I¡¯ll give you the Poison Rune Circuit after I get my Talent to level 4. You may do with it as you want. With me getting stronger, I¡¯ll be able to better help you and increase our chance of survival, no? It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded and turned to White Rabbit and Chen Ying. ¡°If we acquire the Poison Rune Circuit, the three organizations will sign an agreement on its joint ownership.¡±

    White Rabbit and Chen Ying nodded.

    Still, Chen Ying was concerned. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get some better teammates? The current team is all over the ce...¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°White Tiger is arriving at Naldives for me tonight. That¡¯ll make us thirteen. If anyone¡¯s going to leave the Li City for Naldives, they¡¯ll only arrive after midnight anyway.¡±

    ¡°I believe in destiny.¡± X turned to walk to the shoreline and hopped on a jet ski. ¡°Remember, bring twelve awakeners herees midnight. This is your only chance. I won¡¯t wait for you.¡±

    X started the jet ski and quickly vanished into the fog of rain above the ocean.

    ¡°Fuck, he¡¯s the one asking for help, but he acts like he¡¯s in charge.¡± Wu Dahai grumbled.

    ¡°It¡¯s raining too hard. We¡¯ll return after it relents a little.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s hair was all drenched from the rain. She turned to take cover under a parasol, sitting down on a lounger.

    Gao Yang followed her, hurriedly asking, ¡°I¡¯ve got to go, Sister Xia. My father is waiting for me. If I don¡¯t go back, he¡¯ll be worried.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Vermilion Bird waved him away. ¡°Come on your own this midnight. Don¡¯t bete.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang rushed into the rain and jumped onto a jet ski.

    ¡°Be careful, Captain!¡± Can waved at him in the rain, her small face covered in water droplets.

    ¡°Later.¡± Gao Yang nodded and started the jet ski, quickly disappearing.

    The other ten took shelter under the parasols, some standing and others sitting.

    Wu Dahai¡¯s eyes shifted around. He said tentatively, ¡°Joker, how long is the impression you left on us going tost?¡±

    Joker said, ¡°48 hours.¡±

    Wu Dahai raised his voice. ¡°Good. There¡¯s still a long time until midnight. We are free to go around!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better we return to the vi,¡± Vermilion Bird said. ¡°We don¡¯t want idents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no fun. We didn¡¯t always have the chance to go on a vacation. Better make it count.¡± Wu Dahai started fueling the spark of interest.

    The young ones, Green Tea, Ronnie, Can, and Scarlet Fox, were swayed. They looked at each other, feeling the urge to speak up.

    Who knew if they could survive the Crimson Tide and had fun again? Now that they hade to a famous vacation site, they should be experiencing it to the fullest. What were they waiting for?

    Their reactions hadn¡¯t escaped Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes. She could tell what they were thinking.

    She sighed softly. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the others, but you are under my charge. You may leave and do what you want, but text me every half an hour, and you must return to the vi at eight o¡¯clock in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Hooray!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Elder Vermilion Bird!¡±

    They were overjoyed.

    Scarlet Fox looked at her with smile in his eyes, saying in a gentle voice, ¡°May I have some of your time, Elder Vermilion Bird? I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Vermillion Bird gave him a guarded look. ¡°Attention without a clear reason muste with ulterior motives.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s a simple dinner invitation.¡±

    ¡°Give up, Scarlet Fox. You¡¯re not my type.¡± Vermilion Bird joked.

    ¡°And you¡¯re not mine!¡± Scarlet Fox blurted out, but then realized his reaction could be taken the wrong way. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. You¡¯re attractive, Elder. It¡¯s just that...¡±

    Vermilion Bird interrupted him with a smile. ¡°I know. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±

    She only remembered then that it was Scarlet Fox¡¯s twenty-fourth birthday today.

    He had a sudden awakening at 17. Unfortunately, his stepfather turned out to be a wrath monster, and he was forced to kill his family with his Talent that day, while he himself barely survived the experience.

    He only lived because Vermilion Bird had found him and taken him back to the Qilin Guild.

    For the next six months, Scarlet Fox never said a word to anyone. It was Vermilion Bird¡¯s continuous effort to bring him along and treating him like a real brother that finally allowed him to open up to her.

    To Scarlet Fox, Vermilion Bird was not only his leader and teacher, but also his sister, his only family in the world.

    Therefore, he had spent every birthday with her, and Vermilion Bird always prepared a gift for him.

    This time, she had forgotten about it because of the Crimson Tide.

    Vermilion Bird felt bad about it. She knew that Scarlet Fox liked perfumes. She should get him one as his birthday gift before dinner.

    While they talked, the rain relented a little.

    Suddenly, Wu Dahai shouted, ¡°Green Snake!¡±

    It came out of nowhere and made everyone jump.

    Qing Ling frowned in lieu of a response.

    Wu Dahai continued to shout at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together!¡±

 Chapter 294: Grown Up

    <h4>Chapter 294: Grown Up</h4>

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she show any emotion on her face. She could be considering his words, or she could be ignoring him.

    Wu Dahai came prepared. He spoke up, ¡°I made a reservation! The seafood hot pot is to die for! You¡¯ll like it!¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± White Rabbit couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°I¡¯d refrain from saying anything about you shouting your invitation, but at least make it a candlelight dinner. What¡¯s with a seafood hot pot?¡±

    Wu Dahai didn¡¯t deem that a response. <i>What do you know! I sought out Teacher War Tiger for advice! He¡¯s said that if I want to take her to dinner, I should focus on the food rather than the extraneous things around it.</i>

    Since he knew that Qing Ling loved mtang and hot pot, he decided to start with that.

    Originally, he hadn¡¯t had much hope that it would work, but Scarlet Fox had seeded in inviting Vermilion Bird to dinner! That gave him hope that he could secure a date as well. He immediately invited Qing Ling when the mood seemed right.

    ¡°It¡¯s really good, I promise,¡± Wu Dahai said earnestly. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to lose, right?¡±

    The others turned to him. Although none of them liked the guy, they couldn¡¯t help but pity him a little at this moment. It was so obvious that he was chasing after Qing Ling while wagging his tail.

    Qing Ling thought for a few seconds. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    Wu Dahai paused. <i>Wait, what¡¯s happening?</i>

    Qing Ling said yes!

    <i>Fuck, I¡¯m not dreaming am I? Did she just say yes? So easily?</i>

    ¡°What, what did you say? Would you say that again?¡± Wu Dahai nervously asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Qing Ling repeated.

    ¡°YES!¡±

    Wu Dahai clenched his fist, overjoyed. ¡°That¡¯s a date then. I¡¯m going now. See youter!¡±

    Then he rushed into the rain in excitement and jumped onto a jet ski, speeding into the humid fog over the ocean.

    He was so excited that his heart threatened to jump out of his throat!

    He had to head back to the vi at once for a shower and some hairstyling. Then he would change into better-looking clothes! Ah, he should call War Tiger too. He needed advice from the man on the next steps to take in order to win Qing Ling over.

    The others stayed under the parasols as Wu Dahai left, feeling conflicted.

    ¡°Green Snake.¡± White Rabbit was a little worried. ¡°Are you...troubled by something?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°I know that you and Dark Horse used to date, but the damn bastard abandoned you and joined the Guild, breaking your heart.¡± Her tone was earnestly concerned. ¡°But you can¡¯t just give up on yourself and go for Electric Mouse!¡±

    ¡°Do you think that by choosing someone who isn¡¯t as good as Dark Horse, he¡¯ll be angry and turn around? No, you¡¯re only hurting yourself!¡±

    ¡°Men are all pigs! It doesn¡¯t matter what you do when he doesn¡¯t like you anymore. What you should do now is love and respect yourself, living the best time of your life! Only by living even better will he regret his decision for real!¡±

    Qing Ling stared at White Rabbit in confusion. She tried to stop her many times, but White Rabbit insisted on continuing with her spiel.

    Only after White Rabbit was done did Qing Ling get the chance to exin, ¡°I just want to have seafood hot pot.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± White Rabbit blinked.

    ¡°Little Qing Ling too,¡± Qing Ling added.

    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡± White Rabbit¡¯s jaw dropped. So in the end, she only agreed to the invitation for the food?

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Vermilion Bird, having been listening in on the conversation, perked up at the exciting revtion. ¡°You and Seven Shadow were a thing, Green Snake?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Ying¡¯s curiosity was piqued as well.

    ¡°No.¡± Qing Ling denied.

    ¡°Haha, be honest with me!¡± Vermilion Bird gave her a prying smile. ¡°Hey, how¡¯s Seven Shadow? Tell me. Why does my radar register him as somewhat of a yboy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what Captain Seven Shadow is!¡± Can yelled vehemently.

    ¡°Do you like him too, Can?¡± Vermilion Bird nced at her and grinned. ¡°Whoa, the boy sure is popr.¡±

    ¡°What, what do you mean?¡± Can came to the realization. ¡°Are there other people in the Guild who like Captain?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s instinct as a matchmaker was tingling. ¡°There are so many girls who asked me about Seven Shadow, telling me or implying to me that they want to be introduced. I have to be careful with this, of course. I can¡¯t have the girls getting hurt because of my matchmaking.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Seven Shadow is a yboy.¡± Chen Ying thought back to the time Gao Yang saved her. She had a good impression of him. ¡°Still, it¡¯s surprising that Seven Shadow and Green Snake used to be a thing.¡±

    ¡°I told you we weren¡¯t,¡± Qing Ling denied again.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s smile grew suggestive. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Green Snake. The three major organizations are now one big family. Why don¡¯t you tell your sisters about it? Perhaps there¡¯s a way for you to get him back...¡±

    ¡°<i>Get him back?!</i>¡± White Rabbit interjected angrily. ¡°Let¡¯s not! Dark Horse is free to break more hearts in the Qilin Guild...¡±

    The women chattered away around Qing Ling, somewhat against her will.

    Green Tea, Ronnie, Joker, and Scarlet Fox shared a look. It was a conversation they couldn¡¯t get into at all.

    Green Tea picked up a volleyball from under one of the loungers and turned to the other three. ¡°It¡¯ll take some time for the rain to stop. Why don¡¯t we y some volleyball in the rain?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°I, agree.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The four men happily rushed into the pouring rain.

    ...

    When Gao Yang returned to the beach he had been surfing at earlier, it was still raining, and there was no one around.

    His father had gotten back onto his wheelchair with the help of some other tourists, returning to the lobby of the hotel with them to take shelter from the rain.

    When Gao Yang rushed into the lobby, his father was wheeling around through the crowd, his expression panicked and anxious. He grabbed everyone he passed by the hands and forced them to hear him out.

    ¡°Hello, hello! My son is missing! Will you help me look for him...¡±

    None of them could understand thenguage he was speaking, so they shook their heads at him apologetically.

    The thought that Gao Yang might not have returned to the hotel at all and might have gotten swept into the sea made his eyes turn red.

    Helplessly, he called out and searched around. ¡°Gao Yang! Where are you, Gao Yang! Gao Yang...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s nose prickled, on the verge of tears.

    Where had the father with a wide back, bright and confident personality, and a penchant to start a conversation with anyone and everyone gone? When did he turn into such a frail-looking man?

    Gao Yang rushed up to him. ¡°Dad! I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    His father almost broke into tears when he saw him.

    Then his face darkened, and he snapped, ¡°Where the heck did you go? Why didn¡¯t you pick up your phone? I was just taking a nap, and you were gone when I woke up. Do you think you¡¯re your own man just because you¡¯ve grown older? If you run off again like you did today, we¡¯ll never take you on any trip!¡±

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Gao Yang smiled apologetically. ¡°I got a stomach ache when I was surfing, so I went to the restroom. And my phone¡¯s dead...¡±

    His father had always been good-tempered, and he lost all his anger after reprimanding him a little.

    He went up to grab Gao Yang¡¯s hands tightly, his body still shuddering. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go back to the vi, son.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still raining outside. Why don¡¯t we wait...¡±

    ¡°No, we go back now. Xinxin and your mom and granny have gone back too.¡± His father sounded old at that moment.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang pushed him out of the lobby.

    Soon, they returned to the vi, walking along the long, narrow road to their temporary home, located on the left side of the end of the road.

    Although the rain had let off significantly, there was still quite a humid fog by the sea, brought to them by the sweeping wind.

    His father had been silent all the way. Gao Yang knew that he had done something wrong, and he wasn¡¯t sure what he should say.

    Only when they were about to get home did his father look up suddenly and say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yang Yang.¡±

    ¡°No, I was the one in the wrong.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t...angry with you,¡± his father said hoarsely, sounding remorseful. ¡°I was angry with myself. Dad can¡¯t do anything now. I can¡¯t take care of you properly...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an adult now, Dad.¡± Gao Yang put his hands on his father¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one taking care of you from now on.¡±

    Silence lingered for three seconds.

    ¡°Haha, brat. That¡¯s bold of you to say.¡±

    His father reached out to pat Gao Yang¡¯s hand with a smile.

    Then he fell silent. He worried that if he opened his mouth and said another word, he would burst into tears again.

 Chapter 295: Confession

    <h4>Chapter 295: Confession</h4>

    When Gao Yang and his father returned to the hotel, both of them werepletely drenched, which, of course, got them a good scolding from Gao Yang¡¯s mother.

    The father and son took turns taking showers. When Gao Yang reemerged from the bathroom, the rain had stopped.

    Outside the window walls, the setting sun at the horizon seemed especially gentle and refreshed after the cleansing rain. Cool breeze swept into the vi from the sea, clinking the wind chimes.

    A server of the hotel brought them their provided dinner on a small cart. The family sat around the table and enjoyed it together. Gao Xinxin proudly boasted that Wang Zikai had invited her to scuba dive this afternoon, and they had taken pictures underwater.

    She showed the photos in her album to Gao Yang and his father. Then his father showed everyone the pictures of Gao Yang surfing.

    All the excitement in the afternoon left Gao Yang starving. No sooner had he gotten two spoonfuls of curry with rice into his mouth, though, his phone began to vibrate.

    He looked down to see that it was from Wu Dahai.

    He shot to his feet and lied, ¡°Um, it¡¯s Wang Zikai.¡±

    He walked to the balcony and closed the window.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Wu Dahai greeted him by his real name. ¡°I have a request. You will say yes if you¡¯re a real man!¡±

    This couldn¡¯t be anything good.

    ¡°You...tell me what it¡¯s about first.¡±

    ¡°No, you must agree first.¡± Wu Dahai sounded worked up. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll jump into the sea.¡±

    <i>Then do it!</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed his retort and said patiently, ¡°Calm down. Tell me what it is. I¡¯ll agree if it¡¯s something I can do.¡±

    ...

    Half an hour before.

    Donning a formal white shirt, suit pants, and ck bow tie, Wu Dahai fancied himself a proper gentleman. To others, however, he looked more like a waiter working at a western restaurant than anything.

    Qing Ling, on the other hand, changed into casual clothes after the mission¡ªloose, light-gray t-shirt, denim shorts, and flip flops. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail because of the heat, and she looked as at home as the locals.

    The contrast between their attires drew the eyes.

    In his excitement, Wu Dahai made a reservation with the most high-ss service, their seat located on a quiet private beach.

    When they arrived, thest ray of the setting sun was almost disappearing under the horizon.

    An extravagant red carpet wasid down on the sandy beach, above which were roughly a dozen stic arches, adorned with countless small flickering light bulbs, painting quite the dreamy scene.

    On the other side of thest arch was a dining table and a set of chairs in the western style. On the table was...an enormous, three-tiered hot pot, surrounded by small tes of fine seafood.

    And rose petals had been scattered all around the table.

    Not far away, a graceful, blonde middle-aged man yed the violin with full devotion, dressed in a tailcoat.

    Gentle waves apanied the elegant melody. One would be hard-pressed to describe the scene as anything but romantic.

    Wu Dahai led Qing Ling through the arches to the table.

    ¡°Here, have a seat.¡± Wu Dahai was a little nervous, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.

    Rather than sitting down, Qing Ling looked over at the violinist.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If you don¡¯t like the song, I¡¯ll have him y a different one.¡±

    Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°He¡¯s noisy. I want to eat in peace.¡±

    Wu Dahai immediately snapped his fingers and waved at the man. The man bowed before politely taking his leave.

    Qing Ling sat down and nced at the hot pot. The broth was hot enough.

    She picked up a bowl of minced shrimp balls and poured them into the pot.

    <i>Sizzle.</i>

    Qing Ling leaned toward the steaming pot, staring at the shrimp balls rolling in the broth with an awe-struck look on her face.

    Wu Dahai paused. None of the lines he had rehearsed would work now.

    Then he thought back to the advice Teacher War Tiger had repeated to him: <i>stay calm and act naturally without trying too hard!</i>

    Wu Dahai hurriedly picked up the slotted serving spoon. ¡°It¡¯ll be done in a little more than ten seconds. Here, I¡¯ll pick them up for you.¡±

    He picked up a few shrimp balls and put them in Qing Ling¡¯s bowl.

    Qing Ling epted the offer easily. Then, realizing that she hadn¡¯t made dipping sauce, she poured seasoning straight into her bowl. She was especially generous with the vinegar, practically adding half of the small bottle.

    Qing Ling looked at the steaming-hot, tender-looking white shrimp balls being dyed into the brown of the sauce with content, her usually cold expression rxing.

    Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t an observant man by nature, but he noticed the change.

    His heart ached.

    He had given up on Qing Ling before.

    Outside of his impressive wealth, Wu Dahai¡¯s greatest strength was his urate evaluation of himself.

    He knew that he wasn¡¯t handsome, nor was he talented, and he was far from emotionally intelligent. He didn¡¯t understand women, and no women liked him.

    However, he really wanted a rtionship, one that fate refused to give him.

    At some point, Wu Dahai¡¯s mentality became twisted. And he started to think that if he couldn¡¯t win a girl¡¯s heart, he would make do with having her body!

    That was how Wu Dahai became a shameless pervert.

    Which, however, made him even less attractive to girls, and women ended up avoiding him like the gue.

    War Tiger once told Wu Dahai that Little Qing Ling would never let him have his way with Qing Ling; at the time, Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t too heartbroken.

    He decided to give up on Qing Ling and sought out his next target. That was how he had done in the past.

    White Rabbit was the first he went for. After getting rejected by her, he shifted target to Songstress. Then after yet another rejection, he started eyeing Qing Ling.

    He should¡¯ve given up on Qing Ling for another girl this time, too.

    However, he found himself disinterested.

    He found himself thinking about Qing Ling all the time still.

    He thought about her aloof expression, the awesome way she moved as she swung her Tang Dao with blood on her, the way she held herself unconcernedly, like she didn¡¯t know she was beautiful, and even...the way she looked at him with distaste. Everything about her was lovely to him.

    During those few days, Wu Dahai had trouble sleeping and eating.

    He felt ill, so he sought out his only mentor in life again, War Tiger.

    After hearing him out, War Tiger sighed heavily. ¡°You¡¯re doomed, Haizi. You¡¯ve fallen in love.¡±

    It took some time for Wu Dahai to ept that he had fallen for Qing Ling for real. However, it was a fact that Qing Ling would never return his feelings.

    What should he do then?

    War Tiger gave him a simple piece of advice. ¡°Stop wallowing in self-pity and indecision. Man up and tell her your feelings.¡±

    ¡°I told her many times, but she always ignored me!¡± Wu Dahai said petntly.

    ¡°And did you feel for her genuinely before? You just wanted to sleep with her!¡± War Tiger scoffed. ¡°Do it right this time. Confess to her. Get it?¡±

    ¡°What if she rejects me?¡± Wu Dahai asked, down.

    ¡°At least you will have tried your best!¡± War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. ¡°No one can get everything they want. There is always something that doesn¡¯t go our way. Still, we should at least make sure that we have no regrets.¡±

 Chapter 296: Decision

    <h4>Chapter 296: Decision</h4>

    Wu Dahai thought about it the whole night carefully. Although he did find War Tiger¡¯s argument convincing, he hesitated.

    Then a few dayster, Qing Ling and Officer Huang got dragged into the mess with ck Tortoise when going on a mission. Ghost Horse¡¯s true identity was revealed, only for him to be killed in the fight.

    Three dayster, the organization held a funeral for Ghost Horse.

    To tell the truth, Wu Dahai and Ghost Horse weren¡¯t close, and they hadn¡¯t talked much.

    Ghost Horse¡¯s death did sadden Wu Dahai and make him feel regret, but the more overpowering emotion was shock.

    The shock made Wu Dahai think.

    Ghost Horse loved Songstress, but after his death, he had forever lost his chance to confess to her.

    <i>And I like Qing Ling. Although she doesn¡¯t like me, I¡¯ll forever lose the chance to tell her if I die.</i>

    The thought alone made Wu Dahai¡¯s chest tighten.

    It was a strange feeling. Not exactly pain, but a weight on his chest. It made him feel ill at ease like he had lost half of his soul.

    That wasn¡¯t the end of it, though. That very night, Surnamed Li invited the leaders and high-ups of the three major organizations out of the blue and announced the looming arrival of the Crimson Tide.

    Wu Dahai learned of the terrible prophecy that the Crimson Tide would end up iming all of them after the meeting, which left his mind nk.

    Death suddenly felt much closer than before.

    He was very likely to die in ten days.

    The first thing that shed through his mind when his head started working again, surprisingly, was Qing Ling¡¯s face.

    At that moment, Wu Dahai realized that what he felt for her was love.

    <i>Ah, so even a lowly pervert like me can feel something as precious as love.</i>

    That night, he begged War Tiger, ¡°I heard that Qing Ling is going to Naldives with White Rabbit, Teacher. I want to go with them. I want to confess to her before I die.¡±

    For the first time, War Tiger didn¡¯t mock him, nor did hefort him with the empty promise that he wouldn¡¯t die.

    Instead, War Tiger patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ve finally grown up, Haizi.¡±

    ...

    Thinking back to all that, Wu Dahai felt suddenly mncholy, but also calmer.

    Qing Ling was busy eating shrimp balls with her head lowered, her fine, fair profile lit up by the flickering string lights wrapped around the arches.

    Wu Dahai watched her quietly without doing or saying anything.

    Night wind came, rustling the white tablecloth on the table and Qing Ling¡¯s hair, making a mess of Wu Dahai¡¯s heart.

    It felt right, this moment.

    Qing Ling looked up from her food with a pause. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡±

    Wu Dahai shook his head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Qing Ling continued to eat.

    ¡°Hey, Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I have feelings for you.¡±

    Qing Ling paused, her eyes flickering. She wasn¡¯tpletely clueless; she simply didn¡¯t care enough to pay attention. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Not like before...¡± Wu Dahai scratched the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°Real feelings. I¡¯ll still like you even if I can¡¯t have you.¡±

    This time, Qing Ling didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Would you give me a chance?¡±

    Wu Dahai spoke carefully. ¡°If that¡¯s impossible, we can start from being friends... Maybe you¡¯ll then find me not so terrible.¡±

    Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s blunt!¡± Wu Dahai called out.

    ¡°Little Qing Ling doesn¡¯t like you.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t just let it go. ¡°Have you taken even a tiny bit of liking to me?¡±

    Qing Ling thought for a moment before meeting Wu Dahai¡¯s gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t like you either.¡±

    Wu Dahai lowered his head and smiled sadly, feeling a little hurt. ¡°I knew I was easy to hate.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you either,¡± Qing Ling added.

    ¡°Haha, really?¡± Wu Dahai felt a little better.

    ¡°But Little Qing Ling really hates you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to add that part.¡± Wu Dahai wasn¡¯t sure if he should cry orugh.

    Then he noticed that Qing Ling had stopped eating. Instead, she sat quietly without moving her hands.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve rejected you,¡± Qing Ling said seriously. ¡°Can I keep eating?¡±

    Wu Dahai blinked. It turned out that he wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed, so had Qing Ling, no longer the girl who only cared about herself and would do anything to achieve her goal.

    When had she learned to be polite?

    Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw the serious look on her face. ¡°Eat. Eat as much as you want!¡±

    Qing Ling looked back down and started eating again.

    For some reason, Wu Dahai felt another pang in his heart.

    <i>Shit, even now, I still find her incredibly cute!</i>

    <i>It seems that I¡¯m not getting together with a girl like her in this life.</i>

    <i>I hope that in my next life, You will give me a chance to be the protagonist, God, you jerk!</i>

    ¡°Eat. I¡¯m gonna go get some air.¡±

    Wu Dahai stood up.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t answer, too focused on her food.

    Wu Dahai walked onto the beach and felt the wind hitting his face, collecting himself. Then he took out his phone and found Gao Yang¡¯s number. The cool light of the screen illuminated the sad look on his face.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°I have a request. You will say yes if you¡¯re a man.¡±

    ¡°You...tell me what it¡¯s about first.¡±

    ¡°No, you must agree first. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll jump into the sea.¡±

    ¡°Calm down. Tell me what it is. I¡¯ll agree if it¡¯s something I can do.¡±

    ¡°Qing Ling¡¯s having seafood hot pot, on her own. Come join her.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®huh¡¯? Such a pretty girl is having hot pot by the beach with no one to share the food with. Are you going to let her be alone? Don¡¯t you feel a pang of conscience? I¡¯m sending you the address. Come ASAP!¡±

    ¡°Wait, why is she having hot pot on her own...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Wu Dahai cut him off angrily. ¡°If you ever get together with Qing Ling, you must treat her right! Or I¡¯ll never forgive you! You hear me?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just friends...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said, ¡®<i>if</i> you get together with her.¡¯ You get it?¡±

    Without waiting for Gao Yang to respond, Wu Dahai ended the call with an angry jab at the screen.

    He wasn¡¯t so dense that he wouldn¡¯t know that if Qing Ling was going to fall for someone, it would be Gao Yang.

    Even though he was already out of the picture, he still wished for Qing Ling to be happy.

    ...

    Gao Yang hung up and contemted as he gazed at the calm water of the ocean.

    Letting out a sigh, he turned to go back to the living room. ¡°Dad, mom, Wang Zikai just ordered take out, and he asked me to join him. I¡¯ll keep himpany.¡±

    ¡°That idiot,¡± Gao Xinxin retorted. ¡°I told him to join us for dinner, but he said he didn¡¯t like the food.¡±

    His father said, ¡°Hey, he grew up having the finest food. It makes sense that he¡¯ll be picky.¡±

    ¡°Little Kai? It¡¯ll be good if you join him.¡± His grandmother chimed in.

    ¡°Go.¡± His mother had some rice before lowering her spoon and saying with some concern, ¡°Don¡¯t go near the water at night, you two. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Gao Yang got changed and put on his shoes, leaving the vi.

    Checking the address Wu Dahai sent him, he quickly made his way there.

    When he arrived at the restaurant five minutester, though, his phone rang again, and this time, it was Wang Zikai who was calling.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank, feeling ominous.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang! Get your ass over my ce!¡± Wang Zikai said urgently. It was clear from his tone that he was feeling out of his depth.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Fresh Snow! Something¡¯s wrong with her...¡±

 Chapter 297: Salmon

    <h4>Chapter 297: Salmon</h4>

    Gao Yang tightly held onto his phone. Not far from him was the restaurant Wu Dahai told him about, which sat right by a private beach. With his improved vision, he could see arches adorned with colorful, flickering string lights, as well as the dining table he could faintly make out.

    Sitting at the table was the backlit figure of a girl. She was eating on her own.

    On the other end of the call, Wang Zikai continued, ¡°Come on! She¡¯s gonna kill herself at this rate. I¡¯m going insane...¡±

    ¡°Settle her down! I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Gao Yang hung up and turned to leave.

    ¡°<i>Achoo</i>¡ª¡±

    Qing Ling, still eating shrimp balls, sneezed with a glint in her eyes.

    Then she quietly looked at the hotpot. The salman slices she had put in had already floated to the surface of the silky broth. She quickly picked up two slices and dropped them in her bowl.

    During the sneeze, her sister had taken over the body.

    <i>Sister, you should¡¯ve taken the salmon slices out sooner. It¡¯s a little overdone.</i>

    <i>Oh, you turned down Wu Dahai, didn¡¯t you?</i>

    <i>Although you said it was troublesome, I still believed it was necessary to make him give up. Then he would stop bothering you, and you could train without the distraction.</i>

    Little Qing Ling talked to her sister in her mind as she nibbled on the salmon.

    Although her sister couldn¡¯t respond now, what she had spoken to herself would be conveyed to Qing Ling like voice messages when she took over. That was how the sisters had alwaysmunicated with each other.

    Little Qing Ling took a few more bites. The salmon was fresh.

    Still, she felt like something was missing. She couldn¡¯t finish all the food on her own, which was such a waste.

    She took out her phone and snapped a shot of the hot pot.

    Then she paused.

    <i>Why did I take the picture?</i> she asked herself. <i>Who am I going to share it with?</i>

    She had one friend: Li Weiwei, who had passed away.

    Now, the only person who mattered to her was her sister, Qing Ling, but there was no need for her to show anything to her sister since their memories could be shared.

    Who was she taking the photo for?

    Or who would she show the photo to given the chance?

    Suddenly, Gao Yang¡¯s face came to mind.

    The young man¡¯s delicate facial features, his half-covered eyes under his hair, his ever-changing gaze that was gentle sometimes and sharp other times, and the tolerant, faint smile he had on his face whether he was scolded, taunted, or humiliated... Something about him inspired trust and the urge to depend on him.

    Qing Ling¡¯s hands twitched like they had been electrocuted. She hurriedly put down her phone and shoved it into her pocket.

    <i>No, that¡¯s not it!</i>

    <i>I swear, Sister, that he¡¯s not my type!</i>

    <i>I just, I just thought of him for some reason.</i>

    Her panicked gaze froze for a moment before the look in her eyes became fierce again.

    Qing Ling was back in control.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    Qing Ling picked up another slice of salmon and blew at it to cool it, muttering to herself, ¡°And I like my salmon a little overdone.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how long it had taken him, but he rushed to the ind vi Wang Zikai was staying at as quickly as he could.

    The door was open. He dashed straight in.

    What he saw made him freeze. The living room was a mess with the table and chairs toppled, the sofa damaged with scattered white foam, and almost all the decorations smashed.

    Standing at the center of the living room, Wang Zikai implored, ¡°Holy mother of god would you get down here and stop messing around?¡±

    Fresh Snow was perching on the fridge like a cat, her back arched. Under the loose ck t-shirt she was wearing was a pair of slim, fair legs. Her expression was fierce and her eyes even more intensely red, her messy silver hair almost standing on end.

    Baring her teeth, she looked enraged and pained, like she was suffering from acute stress.

    ¡°Ugh...ah...¡±

    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re finally here!¡± Wang Zikai looked at Gao Yang like he was his savior. ¡°I¡¯m ready to throw hands here!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Gao Yang slowly approached them.

    ¡°How should I know?¡± Wang Zikai whined. ¡°I came home to y games with her, and we had fun. But then she suddenly started rolling around screaming all over the ce like she¡¯d lost her mind.¡±

    Gao Yang calmly went up to the fridge and called out, ¡°Fresh Snow?¡±

    Fresh Snow continued to make strange groans, ncing at Gao Yang from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Fresh Snow, it¡¯s me, Gao Yang...¡± He tried to wake up her rational mind.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s eyes widened suddenly like a predator spotting prey.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    With a cry, she lunged at Gao Yang from on top of the fridge.

    She was as fast as a leopard, and Gao Yang ended up tackled to the floor, unable to get away in time.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    His head mmed into the floor, making him see stars.

    When he recovered from the spell of disorientation, Fresh Snow had already torn through his shirt and sliced his chest with the sharp nails extended from her fingers.

    Mouth wide, she seemed to have lost her mind altogether.

    A secondter, she bit at Gao Yang¡¯s neck without hesitation.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang reflexively raised his hand to push Fresh Snow away. Strangely, however, he came to a sudden halt when Fresh Snow was going to sink her teeth into his neck.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to push her away, or that he didn¡¯t have the strength to.

    What stopped him was a strange loss of memory, like he had forgotten how to push anyone away.

    His rational mind was screaming, <i>Get her off you! You¡¯ll die!</i>

    Yet his brain couldn¡¯t retrieve information on the motion required to push her off, and his body remained prone on the floor.

    ¡°Hey, enough! Get up already!¡± Standing behind him, Wang Zikai didn¡¯t stop her, assuming that Fresh Snow was ying with Gao Yang.

    <i>Shit, I¡¯m going to get eaten.</i>

    That was Gao Yang¡¯s only thought.

    He felt a stab of pain in his neck from the bite, but it didn¡¯t go deep.

    A few secondster, Fresh Snow pulled her hands off Gao Yang¡¯s chest, and her teeth parted from Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

    She was shuddering all over with her face unusually pale and her eyes bloodshot; the silver lining was that her gaze seemed a little warmer, and there were even tears in her eyes.

    She was fighting her urge to hunt despite how painful it was, she was fighting the all-consuming hunger inside her body.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Fresh Snow screamed and jumped off Gao Yang.

    Then, like a derailed train, she rampaged about in the room.

    ¡°Whoa! She¡¯s gone mad again!¡± Wang Zikai yelled.

    <i>Bam! Bam, bam! ng!</i>

    She mmed into the toppled sofa that was almost falling apart, then she shattered the TV cab and finally a window wall, falling into the seawater outside.

    She plunged down and down without any fight in her.

    At that moment, her hunger finally quieted, reced by the pain of the abuses her body had taken and an empty sort of sadness.

    All around her was the same deep blue. The cold seawater enveloped her.

    She was scared, but even more overwhelming was her exhaustion. She was so tired.

    She wanted nothing but to sleep soundly.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    A sound came from above.

    Fresh Snow forced her eyes open by a crack to see someone plunging down through the water, as if breaking a deep blue mirror to reach the cold world of despair she belonged to.

    The figure swam toward her with struggle and reached out to her.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s vision blurred gradually. Finally, she got a good look at him.

    <i>Gurgle.</i>

    His name was at the tip of her tongue, but she ended up getting an involuntary gulp of water.

    Despite the burn in her throat, she reached back to him with a smile.

    A heartbeat. Then her hands were grasped.

    ¡ª<i>Pinkies, then thumbs! The promise willst a hundred years.</i>

 Chapter 298: Stargazing

    <h4>Chapter 298: Stargazing</h4>

    Fresh Snow woke up to find herself lying on therge, soft bed in the room on the second floor, her hair and clothes almost dried.

    The light was off, leaving the room illuminated by the moonlighting from the window. In the soft spotlight sat Gao Yang.

    ¡°You awake?¡± Gao Yang asked quietly.

    Fresh Snow opened and closed her mouth before croaking, ¡°Gao Yang...I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang cracked a smile. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s eyes reddened, her weak voice brimming with guilt. ¡°I almost ate you... I don¡¯t deserve to be your good friend...¡±

    She rolled to her side and curled into herself, not knowing how she should face Gao Yang.

    Under the moonlight, her pale shoulders trembled as she sobbed silently.

    Staring at her from the back as she med herself, Gao Yang said after a pregnant pause, ¡°It must be really painful when you starve, Fresh Snow.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Does this happen every time?¡±

    Still no answer.

    ¡°We¡¯re good friends. Good friends don¡¯t keep secrets from each other.¡± Gao Yang pulled the ultimate trick.

    After a good moment of silence, Fresh Snow spoke weakly, slowly, ¡°It didn¡¯t used to be so bad, but recently, it¡¯s been getting worse and worse. Sister said that I was close to my limit...¡±

    ¡°Your limit?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t live long, and we die if we starve.¡±

    Gao Yang got closer to her. ¡°How old are you, Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 27.¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked. <i>How can that be? You look no older than 17!</i>

    Fresh Snow could tell what he was thinking. ¡°My sister and I are twins, but I turn into a cat often and sleep for a long, long time, and while I sleep, I don¡¯t age or feel hungry.¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang.

    Under normal circumstances, Fresh Snow should¡¯ve grown up at the same pace as her sister. However, she was special in that she could turn into a white cat, and the white cat was sort of a state of hibernation. The good part was that hibernation stopped her from feeling hungry; the bad part was that during hibernation, she stopped growing physically and mentally.

    That was why Fresh Snow was still effectively a young girl despite her being 27.

    ¡°Gao Yang...¡± She still had her back to Gao Yang, and the tremor in her shoulders never stopped. She choked out with childlike petnce, ¡°If only I weren¡¯t ghosts...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened.

    There was a time when he had thought that way, too.

    If only Li Weiwei weren¡¯t a monster, if only Wang Zikai weren¡¯t a monster, if only Wan Sisi hadn¡¯t died, if only his family would all turn out to be human...

    But ¡®if only¡¯ was the most pointless phrase in this world.

    The reality was that Fresh Snow was faced with the choice between eating people, or starving to death.

    Gao Yang was human. He believed eating people was a sinful, terrible act.

    Fresh Snow, however, was a Spectre, and humans were food to Spectres. What ce was there for moral judgment in a creature eating what they considered food?

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess, and he felt torn.

    He couldn¡¯t find a middle ground between fighting for humanity and feeling for Fresh Snow.

    He had never been this confused.

    He wanted to do something, but whatever he did would seem hypocritical.

    Then, at least, he could make Fresh Snow happy.

    Hey down by Fresh Snow¡¯s side with his hands pillowing his head. ¡°Fresh Snow, do you want to look at the stars? Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Fresh Snow gradually stopped crying.

    She said in a weak voice, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go out. Don¡¯t wanna go anywhere...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know magic. I can make stars appear for you.¡± Gao Yang put on a mysterious act.

    Curious like a small animal by nature, Fresh Snow immediately perked up and turned to Gao Yang, staring at him seriously with herrge, tears-pricked eyes, her heartbreak forgotten for the moment.

    ¡°First, you lie down like me and close your eyes,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow wiped the tears on her face and meeklyy down, closing her eyes.

    Gao Yang grabbed the remote on the nightstand and made a click.

    ¡°Okay, open your eyes.¡±

    Fresh Snow did.

    <i>ck, ck.</i>

    The wooden ceiling of the room slowly opened sideways into a skylight. On the other side was the deep night sky and the brilliant stars.

    Moonlight fell upon their faces like a gentle embrace.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Fresh Snow looked more innocent than ever, and her beautiful ruby eyes lit up slightly, recovering a fraction of her usual spirit.

    ¡°So pretty!¡± Fresh Snow couldn¡¯t be happier.

    ¡°Fresh Snow.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at the sky and suddenly remembered what his grandmother had told him when he was young. ¡°When we die, we return to the stars, so don¡¯t be scared. One day, we will see each other again up there.¡±

    Fresh Snow thought about it before pointing at the brightest star in the sky. ¡°Gao Yang, I like that one.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s call it Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow gave him an earnest smile and leaned in to nuzzle his arm with her head. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you on the star, Gao Yang. You have to visit me someday.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile froze.

    For some reason, he felt an intense urge to burst into tears at that moment.

    He didn¡¯t dare look at Fresh Snow, so he kept his eyes on the brightest star, named Fresh Snow, until his eyes were sore.

    After about ten seconds, Gao Yang spoke up with honest feelings.

    ¡°Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    She turned to him with questions in her eyes.

    <i>Eat me, now.</i>

    <i>I may regret it in a minute, but at least at this moment, I want you to live.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ve led a blessed life. I have so much more than you do.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t want you to return to the stars before I do. I don¡¯t want you to wait up there on your own, so far away and so lonely...</i>

    <i>Buzz.</i>

    The sound jerked him out of his thoughts and returned to him his rationality.

    He rolled to a sitting position and checked his phone. It was a message from Vermilion Bird, telling them to meet up for the mission.

    Gao Yang patted Fresh Snow on the head. ¡°I¡¯m going outside, Fresh Snow. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded quietly, shing Gao Yang a smile.

    ...

    Private Water Vi, Falling Star Ind of Naldives, eleven o¡¯clock at night.

    When Gao Yang arrived, the others were already there.

    They each had their weapons of choice and a supply bag on their backs. Green Tea stood out in particr, dressed in military camouge with a submachine gun on his back. Hanging across his chest were magazines, and two grenades dangled on his waistband.

    Gao Yang wondered how he had even brought all those gears here.

    Still, he believed Green Tea was doing it right. Although the possibility was slim, there was still a chance that they could be put into a crisis like the total silence they faced in the Eleventh High School. Then firearms would be incredibly useful.

    Inside the living room, White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Wu Dahai sat around a dining table, talking about something quietly.

    Ronnie and Can sat on the sofa, both visibly nervous, evident in the way their eyes kept shifting.

    Chen Ying, Green Tea, and Joker imed the other sofa, and the three of them were talking about something in a low voice too.

    Scarlet Fox stood before the bedroom door, his hands sped together as he kept watch with an impassive expression.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Elder Vermilion Bird?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°In the room,¡± Scarlet Fox said concisely. ¡°Questioning a body.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little taken aback. ¡°Whose?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Elder White Tiger brought it here...¡±

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The door opened. Scarlet Fox immediately stepped to the side, and Vermilion Bird and White Tiger filed out of the room.

    Vermilion Bird looked a little tired. The usually cynical look on her face was even more pronounced now, and there was a line of worry between her brows.

    White Tiger still looked as rxed as ever. He talked into his phone with his other hand on his hip. ¡°Alright, yeah, yeah. Stop dallying about and move. We¡¯re setting out too. Yeah, I will. You guys be careful too.¡±

    He hung up and turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°What do we do with the body?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it back to base after the mission.¡± Vermilion Bird waved a dismissive hand at him before walking toward the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash my hands. We¡¯ll set out ASAP.¡±

 Chapter 299: Late Night Stroll

    <h4>Chapter 299: Late Night Stroll</h4>

    Aurora Town, Snow Nation, one thirty in the morning.

    There was a two-hour time difference between the Aurora Town and Naldives.

    It was one o¡¯clock in the morning when Azure Dragon got a call from White Tiger and Vermilion Bird.

    He, Colorless, and War Tiger were crammed in a small inn room, the atmosphere tense. The call from Vermilion Bird and White Tiger was put on speaker as the two questioned Sarah¡¯s body.

    Although the body wasn¡¯t too damaged, there remained residue of a foreign energy¡ªthe curse. Vermilion Bird tried her best, but still only got a minute out of the body.

    With the questions Azure Dragon and the other two had prepared beforehand, Vermilion Bird went through the list in the order of importance, and she only got answers from Sarah regarding a third of the questions.

    A minuteter, the interrogation ended.

    Azure Dragon exchanged a few words with White Tiger before hanging up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Sacred Mountain Church,¡± Azure Dragon said. He walked up to the coat stand and quickly put on the ck down jacket and the fleece-lined trapper hat.

    War Tiger and Colorless had been listening to Vermilion Bird¡¯s interrogation of Sarah¡¯s body, and they agreed with the decision. They started putting on warm clothes as well.

    Once they were ready to go, they looked up where the Sacred Mountain Church was on their phone before quietly leaving the inn.

    The snow had stopped in the Aurora Town during the day. They even saw a few hours of sunlight.

    Once night fell, however, a snow storm returned to the region, freezing everything between heaven and earth.

    The Sacred Mountain Church was once a base for the Otherworld Order.

    Located at the foot of the northern mountain of the town, it wasn¡¯t that far from Sarah¡¯s ce.

    Following the map, the three reached the end of the main street and crossed a frozenke. Then they made it through an area of abandoned old cabins and a small grove before arriving at their destination.

    During the walk, they pieced together what had happened ording to the information Vermilion Bird had extracted.

    Sarah¡¯s parents had always been followers of the Otherworld Order. When Sarah was six, her parents died in an avnche, and Sarah was taken to the Sacred Mountain Church.

    In addition to being the homebase of the Otherworld Order, the ce also served as an orphanage, and Sarah grew up with a few other orphans there.

    When Sarah was eighteen, the Otherworld Order arranged a marriage between her and a man she didn¡¯t know at all, a foreigner.

    After that, she got pregnant and gave birth to Lilia a yearter.

    It wasn¡¯t long until Sarah¡¯s husband died in an ident, which warranted further investigation.

    Sarah stayed at the Sacred Mountain Church to raise her daughter while working, and naturally, the mother and daughter were followers of the denomination.

    The year Lilia turned eighteen, the higher-ups of the Otherworld Order suddenly announced that Lilia was the daughter of God, that she had to execute the mission God assigned her.

    Lilia was thus taken from Sarah, and the mother never got to see her daughter again.

    In the beginning, Sarah held true to the doctrines of the denomination; she believed that Lilia was the reincarnation of the daughter of God, and that she wasn¡¯t actually Lilia¡¯s mother.

    As her yearning for her daughter grew in intensity, however, she could no longer keep fooling herself. She begged the Church to let her see her daughter, but she was turned away.

    Since then, Sarah¡¯s mental state had been deteriorating, and it took only two years for her to fully lose her mind.

    ording to what the Qilin Guild knew, Lilia went abroad to Li City for study and awakened with Talent: Detonation. At the time, the Qilin Guild took notice of her and nned to recruit her, but she turned them down.

    Not long after, Lilia disappeared.

    ording to the statement provided by Elder Seven Shadow, the Godbearer Cult had sent an awakener named Mad Red after the Twelve Zodiac Signs for their Rune Circuit. The operation ended up a failure.

    After a few days, Mad Red retaliated, and before Seven Shadow killed Mad Red, the man had mentioned a sister¡ªthat was very likely Lilia.

    In theory, Mad Red must have gotten Detonation after Lilia¡¯s death.

    However, before getting killed by Seven Shadow, Mad Red had made clear his drive to save his sister, which meant that Lilia must have still been alive.

    Then how did Mad Red acquire Detonation? That was a question they couldn¡¯t answer yet.

    War Tiger took the lead. He pulled back the face cover of his trapper hat to gulp down some liquor. Then he shared his conclusion, ¡°Based on what we¡¯ve learned so far, we can make the educated guess that both Sarah and her husband were humans.¡±

    ¡°And most likely unawakened humans,¡± Colorless added from the middle of the line.

    ¡°But Lilia awakened.¡± War Tiger smiled, turning to Colorless. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Union publish a paper on the conditions for awakening recently?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We believe that regr humans have a chance of awakening when theye into contact with an awakener. It¡¯s a necessary condition, but whether it¡¯s a sufficient condition is another story.¡±

    Azure Dragon said in a low voice from the back. ¡°From what we know about the Godbearer Cult, they have a variety of members, including monsters, humans, half-humans, and Spectres. Lilia¡¯s awakening must be part of the Cult¡¯s n.¡±

    ¡°But what for?¡± Colorless asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know. But Lilia must be the key.¡± War Tiger paused and snorted. ¡°Since when have I started to state the obvious?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask an obvious question: where do humanse from?¡± Colorless asked.

    Azure Dragon was silent for a few seconds. The foretold mutual doom made it a wise choice to share information, at least some of it. ¡°The Guild has two hypotheses. First, humans are born into Li City between humans.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s obvious.¡± Colorless nodded. The Hundred Rivers Union had a lot more members, and the birth of a child wasn¡¯t that rare an asion. For example, Old Wang and Sha Ye had a daughter.

    ¡°However, the Heavenly Way maintains a human poption of about four hundred in Li City,¡± continued Colorless. ¡°Given the rate at which awakeners die, we can¡¯t produce enough offspring to supplement the number.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°And most humans have monsters as family, which is at odds with the hypothesis.¡±

    ¡°That leads me to the second hypothesis,¡± said Azure Dragon. ¡°A bigger percentage of humans have been brought to the Mist World.¡±

    War Tiger pressed, ¡°Is it a hypothesis, or something the Guild has confirmed.?¡±

    ¡°I can only tell you that there¡¯s more spection to it than proven facts.¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s answer was quite vague.

    ¡°The Union has considered the possibility as well, but who can be transporting the humans?¡± Colorless was unconvinced. ¡°The Heavenly Way is intangible. It¡¯s not an actual being. It can¡¯t be the one doing something like this.¡±

    Worried that she might not have made herself clear, she added, ¡°I mean it¡¯s aplicated, cumbersome process to bring a human infant to the world and ce them in a family of newly-wedded wanderers, having them raise the child as their own. The Heavenly Way can¡¯t do that, can it?¡±

    War Tiger nodded, understanding her point.

    He turned to Azure Dragon and suggested, ¡°Can it be that that is exactly what the Heavenly Way has been doing? But not on its own, but assigning others to do the work. For example...¡±

    ¡°Monsters,¡± Colorless interjected.

    Azure Dragon was silent.

    ¡°I believe it can be either the pride monsters, life monsters, or death monsters.¡± War Tiger continued to specte. ¡°And aren¡¯t the pride monsters split into a hostile faction and a neutral faction? It¡¯s entirely possible that is the case.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never encountered any life monsters or death monsters,¡± said Colorless.

    ¡°They must be real if the Qilin Guild says so.¡± War Tiger directed the conversation to Azure Dragon on purpose.

    Azure Dragon smiled. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing, War Tiger. All I can tell you is that life monsters and death monsters do exist.¡±

    War Tiger grinned at him. ¡°We¡¯re now on the same boat, Old Dragon. Why don¡¯t we speak openly?¡±

    ¡°How about this?¡± Azure Dragon made some concessions. ¡°After the mission, I¡¯ll bring the issue to Guildmaster Qilin. If he believes that what we¡¯ve discussed is rted to the Godbearer Cult or the Crimson Tide, he¡¯ll tell everyone about it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I sure hope so.¡±

    War Tiger took another swig. ¡°At the moment, survival takes priority. If you have any tricks up your sleeves, use them.¡±

 Chapter 300: Sacred Mountain Church

    <h4>Chapter 300: Sacred Mountain Church</h4>

    Not long after, Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Colorless exited the main street of the Aurora Town and crossed the bridge above the frozen river, walking past Sarah¡¯s cabin.

    Sarah had died at home yesterday, and her body trafficked away by White Tiger. Even now, her death hadn¡¯t attracted any attention from the townspeople.

    Thinking of that made Colorless sigh. The poor woman had led a life of deceptions and conspiracies, being one-sidedly exploited. She could only lie to herself forfort, and there had never been a day of peace and salvation for her until the moment of her death.

    The three of them walked across the cluster of old cabins and entered the fir forest.

    Without any streetmps, the forest was pitch ck.

    They lit the way with their shlights and walked on the thickyer of snow. No one said anything. They were all keeping a wary eye out for any potential threats.

    Soon, they made it out of the forest and reached the bottom of a steep snowy range.

    There sat a towering church with a dark-colored exterior. The design was all straight lines and sharp angles, the pointy rooftop piercing into the night sky like a thorn.

    No light came from the inside of the church. Most of the stained ss windows had been shattered, painting a bleak picture amid the stormy snow.

    The three of them went up to the front entrance, facing the arched door.

    On the door hung a symbol of two conjoined circles. It looked like the number 8 at a right angle, or the infinity symbol in math.

    That was the symbol of the Otherworld Order.

    They exchanged a nce.

    War Tiger went up to open the door¡ªit wasn¡¯t locked.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The heavy door made a dull groan as it opened.

    They entered. Presented before them was arge, empty hall. On the sides were arched windows with stained ss, and the floor was lined with orderly rows of long benches, totalling a few dozen. An aisle divided the seating area into two halves, leading to the tform at the end.

    On the tform was a small podium. The wall behind it was adorned with arge symbol of the Otherworld Order.

    It was no different from the average naves.

    ¡°Clear.¡± War Tiger scanned the surroundings with his shlight and made his initial observation. The empty space created a weak reverb.

    ¡°Let¡¯s split up and look for clues. Remember to not stray too far in case something happens.¡± Azure Dragon shook off the snow on his down jacket and walked to the room on the left.

    ¡°Alright.¡± War Tiger took the room on the right.

    Holding her shlight, Colorless made it to the left of the farside of the hall. There was a door that most likely led to the living quarters in the church.

    She opened the door, and indeed, it led to a corridor, the left of which was a small garden with a fountain, while the right was a row of joined short buildings.

    Colorless opened the first door. It was a small ssroom.

    On the floor was a mess of blocks, old dolls, and other toys. There was also a small ckboard on the side with the symbol of the Otherworld Order drawn on it, and the basic doctrines of the Order were written in thenguage of the Snow Nation.

    Colorless frowned and didn¡¯t enter.

    Then she went to the second room and opened the door. It was a dorm room with eight little wooden beds. The bedsheets were pristine white with the symbol of the Order printed on each of them.

    Colorless pictured an orphanage in her head.

    Children at the age of four and five woke up every day at the same time and washed up, had breakfast, and prayed before heading to the small ssroom, subject to brainwashing in the name of education.

    During their short break, the children were allowed to y with toys in the ssroom, or they would go to the small garden to y tag.

    This was where Sarah and Lilia spent their childhood.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, Colorless heard the cry of an infant. It was short and sudden, like the child had been scared awake from their sleep.

    Colorless quickly collected herself and put all her attention on locating the source of the sound.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    A few secondster, there was another cry,ing from the end of the corridor.

    ¡°Azure Dragon, War Tiger!¡± Colorless shouted.

    The two rushed to her in less than ten seconds.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it?¡±

    ¡°Hear what?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°An infant. I heard an infant crying.¡± Colorless paled.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    The sound came once more as soon as she said that.

    ¡°It happened again!¡± Colorless turned to War Tiger and Azure Dragon, but neither reacted in any way.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t, didn¡¯t you hear that?!¡± Colorless asked in disbelief.

    The two men shook their heads. They hadn¡¯t heard anything.

    ¡°It came from that direction.¡± Colorless pointed at the end of the corridor, where no light could reach.

    ¡°Did you hear it wrong?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°No,¡± Colorless insisted.

    ¡°The ce has been unupied since six years ago,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    The three of them had looked up the Sacred Mountain Church. Six years ago¡ªnot long after the Otherworld Order took Lilia from Sarah¡ªan avnche had hit and imed many lives. Although the church itself wasn¡¯t damaged, the experts believed that there was a risk of another avnche hitting in theing years. Thus, the order moved to a safe location and built another church, while the Sacred Mountain Church was abandoned shortly.

    ¡°Yes, but I know what I heard.¡± Colorless didn¡¯t waver.

    ¡°It may be a psychic attack.¡± War Tiger¡¯s shlight cast half of his face in shadow. ¡°Colorless noticed before we do because she is mentally more sensitive than us.¡±

    Azure Dragon agreed with the spection. ¡°Very likely. Then there must be another awakener here.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Colorless¡¯ expression darkened. ¡°It can also be a monster.¡±

    Azure Dragon and War Tiger knew that elite monsters had ess to powers simr to Talents too.

    ¡°That means we¡¯vee to the right ce.¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s gaze was sharp. ¡°There¡¯s something to be unearthed here.¡±

    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± War Tiger grinned and took out his sk to empty it. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Colorless hesitated, feeling a tinge of anxiety. ¡°Are the three of us good enough for that?¡±

    War Tiger paused. He had almost never met any enemies capable of pushing him to a corner, so he rarely considered such questions.

    Azure Dragon thought for a moment. ¡°Yes, we may not be their match if we run into the leader of the Godbearer Cult. Moreover, this is their territory.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s unreasonable to call the main force here from Li City,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°Our mission is to investigate the ce. If we can¡¯t win, we run.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°Yes, our main goal is to investigate. Be careful, and be ready to give our lives.¡±

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    Colorless scowled. Here came the wail again, and it was more agitated than before, like the owner of the voice desperately wanted Colorless to respond.

    Tamping down the difort, Colorless started walking. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    They made it to the end of the corridor. On the right was a dark corner. Only when they lit it with their shlights did they see that it was a stairway of tes, leading down into a cer.

    ¡°A cer. The creepiest ce in a horror film...¡± War Tiger joked.

    Colorless didn¡¯tugh. She couldn¡¯t find it in her to.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take point.¡± War Tiger went down the stairs and kicked the wooden door of the cer open with a bang.

    He shone his shlight in, scanning around. ¡°All clear. Come on.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Colorless followed.

    It was a small cer, filled with an assortment of stuff and barrels of wine. There was dust and spiderwebs everywhere, and the air permeated with the cold, wet smell of mold.

    The three of them looked around again with their shlights. Nothing seemed amiss.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    Another burst of wail broke the silence.

 Chapter 301: Wail

    <h4>Chapter 301: Wail</h4>

    Colorless felt her heart seize up, her anxietypounding.

    She pointed at the wall on the left side of the cer. ¡°The sound came from that way.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± War Tiger went up and gently knocked on the wall. The sound was dull. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be a secret chamber on the other side.¡±

    ¡°I heard it from there,¡± Colorless said with certainty.

    ¡°Then it means the wall is thick, at least a meter in depth,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    War Tiger stroked his chin. ¡°That¡¯ll make it difficult to destroy.¡±

    ¡°Give me some room.¡±

    Azure Dragon took off the unwieldy down jacket and threw it onto the wooden barrel on the side.

    War Tiger and Colorless backed away.

    Azure Dragon took a deep breath, balling his right hand into fist and pulling it to the side of his torso, nting his feet firmly on the ground. His body seemed to slowly tense up with the fist as the point of focus.

    He was still for two seconds.

    Then in the blink of an eye, he took a step forward and made a lightning quick punch at the stone wall.

    There was no Talent or fanfare involved. It was a simple, unassuming punch.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Violent corrents whipped past his fist. For a moment, the entire cer shuddered as dust rose and shards of stone scattered.

    Instantly, the stone wall over one-meter thick was shattered, leaving a two-meter wide hole.

    Amid the puff of dust, Colorless held her breath and lowered the arms she had raised to shield her face, her expression shocked.

    What incredible power!

    War Tiger didn¡¯t look that surprised, but his gaze showed a newfound respect for the man. Facing such absolute power, all shy tricks would be rendered obsolete.

    Azure Dragon must have a weakness, and he had to figure out what it was as soon as possible.

    Although they were teammates on the same boat at the moment, there was no telling if they would end up as enemies in the future. Even he would think twice before fighting such a monstrous man.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The cer was on the warm side. Azure Dragon didn¡¯t bother to put the down jacket back on. He entered the hole first with his shlight raised.

    It led to a long, dark tunnel.

    Colorless didn¡¯t hear the same wail again, but she was increasingly certain that they were on the right track. There was a subtle change to the air around them. She could sense something like a psychic corruption she couldn¡¯t put into words.

    The three of them went further into the tunnel until they reached the end, where there was a stone staircase to the right, leading downstairs. They went down until they reached another flight of stairs, leading to the right again.

    In five minutes, they turned right seven or eight times, and the stretch of stairs shortened for each interval.

    They knew that they were going deeper down in a spiral.

    Finally, they saw a door five meters in height and three meters in width. Through the crack, white light seeped out.

    They were taken by surprise. Was there someone on the other side?

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    There was the wail again. Colorless stared darkly ahead. ¡°It came from the other side of the door.¡±

    Azure Dragon knew that Colorless and War Tiger didn¡¯t have great defense. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead. I¡¯ll tell you toe in after making sure it¡¯s all clear.¡±

    ¡°What if there are threats?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°Thene in and help me, or get out of here immediately,¡± Azure Dragon said without any change to his expression. ¡°You make the call.¡±

    War Tiger smiled faintly. <i>He¡¯s a good teammate. What a shame that he already follows someone else.</i>

    Colorless and War Tiger took a few steps back. Azure Dragon went up and slowly opened the door rimmed with white light. At first, he hadn¡¯t noticed the material the door was made of because it was backlit. Now that he had touched it, though, he realized to his shock that it was ck Gold!

    What a luxury to be able to create a door thisrge with ck Gold. With this amount of material, how many Talent-amplifying weapons could be made, and how many jinwu would it be?

    This wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such questions, of course.

    Azure Dragon opened the door by half a meter before squeezing himself in.

    On the other side was a bright underground space. Or it would be more urate to call it an underground pce hall.

    It was the size of half a sports arena, surrounded by four walls made withrge boulders. The walls were cool and hard, but finely polished and etched with beautiful dark patterns.

    At the center of the underground pce hall was a towering stone pir with a strange shape, seemingly propping up the entire space.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t spot any threat. He gingerly went up to the pir.

    Soon, he realized that it wasn¡¯t one stone pir, but abination of twelve dark red pirs.

    They intertwined and interlocked to form one structure, yet each of the pirs was distinctive. And they weren¡¯t lifeless straight lines, but strands of living energy that were soft, winding, and covered in divots like vines, sprouting toward the dome of the pce hall from the same starting point.

    At the dome, the twelve vines scattered into an explosion of countless capiries, covering the entire ceiling.

    And the capiries glowed, illuminating the entire space like energy-saving light.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s gaze shifted from the pir at the center to the wall of the far end, on which was arge colored relief of the Godbearer Cult¡¯s symbol¡ªa twisted golden sun consisting of sharp lines. At its center was a vertical crimson eye, slightly lowered like it was looking down on all mortals.

    At the bottom of the wall was a hexagonal altar slightly protruding from the floor.

    There was something that looked like a stone bed at the center. Dried blood stains could still be made out.

    Azure Dragon walked closer and got a better look. The stone bed was lined with grooves, connected to the grooves on the altar, which then led to the twelve dark red pirs at the center of the pce hall.

    Azure Dragon pictured what an evil cult would do.

    They must be offering sacrifices to their so-called God here. Their sacrifice of choice would be tied to the stone bed before their heart was pierced by a metal stake¡ªjust like what had happened with the serial murder.

    The sacrifice¡¯s blood would be drained through the grooves, supplying the twelve pirs, allowing them to slowly grow into what they were today.

    Lilia could be one such sacrifice. And there might be many more before her.

    What was the true reason this ce was abandoned?

    Could it be that the ritual had seeded? Perhaps that had led to the Godbearer Cult identifying a bug in the Heavenly Way and making the Crimson Tide arrive early.

    Azure Dragon was momentarily lost in thought. When he broke out of his reverie, War Tiger and Colorless had alreadye up behind him.

    ¡°Why did you follow me in already?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    War Tiger snorted shrewdly. ¡°We didn¡¯t get your signal for quite a while, and there was no sound of a battle taking ce. Might as welle in to check if you have found something precious and want to keep it to yourself.¡±

    Colorless didn¡¯t say anything, but she shared the same sentiment.

    As a representative of the Hundred Rivers Union, she had to make sure that the Union was up to date as the other organizations.

    Azure Dragon paused for a few bemused seconds before sharing his spection. ¡°This should be the ce the Godbearer Cult held their evil sacrificial rituals, but it¡¯s been abandoned for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    ¡°Waaaaah¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, there were the sounds of infants crying again. The chorus of wails was clear and overwhelming, sweeping Colorless like waves.

    ¡°Here ites again!¡±

    Colorless started.

    This time, War Tiger and Azure Dragon tensed up as well. They heard.

    War Tiger¡¯s keen senses picked up on the iing threat. The killing intent originated from above them.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    With a shout, he pushed Colorless away.

 Chapter 302: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 302: Encounter</h4>

    Azure Dragon noticed the danger at the same time and quickly jumped away.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Where the three of them had been, somethingnded and exploded.

    Pushed a few meters away, Colorless fell on the floor and rolled to a standing position. She turned to check what it was while her heart was still pounding. It turned out to be the body of an adult man.

    It didn¡¯t have a head, and its flesh was grayish pale and bloated, covered in rust-like mold spots.

    As soon as itnded, it burst and sttered thick viscous dark-brown blood like a sausage with cheese filling.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    Another headless body with mold spots fell, sttering the same eerie blood next to the first body. This one looked like an adult woman.

    <i>Bam, bam bam!</i>

    <i>Bam bam bam!</i>

    One after another, headless bodies fell from the dome ceiling, exploding upon collision.

    Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Colorless backed away while looking up, breaking into goosebumps. They saw the ¡®cocoons¡¯ at the center of the ceiling peeled off, and the countless bodies that had been stuck together fell in quick session.

    During the next half a minute, a macabre rain of cadavers ravaged the center of the pce hall.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam, bam.</i>

    More and more bodies fell and exploded.

    In an instant, a pile of bodies had formed in the center of the pce hall, the viscous dark-brown blood spreading in all directions.

    The three of them retreated again, shock overtaking their expressions.

    ¡°Azure Dragon!¡± War Tiger shouted.

    Azure Dragon said decisively, ¡°Get out of here!¡±

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    Another infant cry hit.

    The three of them should be running away, yet their rational minds instantly crumbled. They couldn¡¯t move their feet and ended up stuck where they were.

    ¡°Waaaaah¡ª¡±

    The wail intensified, growing in volume and falling into disarray.

    At that moment, there was nothing the three of them could do. All they could think of was to scream at the top of their lungs and break down into tears, or even drop to their knees to beg for mercy.

    Suddenly, the crying stopped.

    Theplete silencested three seconds.

    During those three seconds, they looked up at the pile of bodies not far from them, face pale.

    It wasn¡¯t that they wanted to look at it, but that a strange, irresistible power was forcing them to.

    It was as if the grim reaper was holding their chin and keeping their eyes open with their skeletal fingers, forcing them to keep watching.

    Countless headless bodies shuddered, and the thick, brown blood stopped spreading. In fact, the pool of blood was retracting as if time was being reversed.

    With the blood as glue, the bodies assembled without rhyme or reason, forming a monstrous abomination in three seconds.

    It had an enormous head, a bloated body, and crawled on its limbs.

    Covered in rust-like mold, it had a giant, vertical red eye at the center of its skull, which shifted around before lowering slightly, the dark crimson irises reflecting the faces of despair of the three paralyzed humans.

    The abomination opened itsrge bloody maw at them. Writhing bodies could be seen at the back of its throat.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    The wail came from inside the abomination, projecting an eerie presence that disoriented and corrupted.

    Azure Dragon bled from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth before he copsed without a sound, losing consciousness.

    Having high Willpower, Colorless didn¡¯t immediately break down, but at the same time, she was subject to greater pain and disorientation more keenly.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Holding onto her head and covering her ears, she dropped to her knees in pain, feeling like she was torn asunder.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    Holding onto thest strand of his consciousness, War Tiger raised his hands and pped his own ears with great force.

    The powerful impact shattered his eardrums in an instant, and he bled from his cochleas. Without his hearing, War Tiger felt the clutch around him lessening even though he could still sense the multidimensional corruption from the evil cry.

    To make an analogy, he had been trapped in a marsh with no way to even move, and the more he struggled, the faster he would sink.

    Now, though, it felt more like a couple ghosts were haunting him. Although he still couldn¡¯t quite move freely, he could at least put up a fight.

    Calming himself, War Tiger drew a long, slim dao from his back.

    The ck Gold de was light silver, a stark contrast with the ck hilt, at the bottom of which was a brand of a green dog¡¯s fangs.

    In the past, he only ever used the weapon when it was a life-and-death situation between him and his enemies.

    War Tiger¡¯s face was deathly pale, yet he was grinning, his eyes zing with a terrible madness.

    Killing Expert.

    At full force!

    <i>Thud.</i>

    There was an explosion of air bursting. Then War Tiger shot toward the abomination of cadavers at supernatural speed, diving between its legs.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Air seemed to go still for half a second, and the abomination¡¯s two left legs were cut off at the thighs, sttering dark blood like a blown-up jelly.

    ¡°Wah¡ªwah¡ª¡±

    The abomination lost its bnce, and its wails became disjointed.

    Finally, Colorless was granted a short reprieve right when she was on the verge of breaking down.

    The abomination¡¯s two cut legs fluttered around on the ground like fish out of water before each quickly growing four bloody, slim legs, turning into two independent abominations. One rushed toward War Tiger, while the other targeted Colorless.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    War Tiger rushed at the smaller abomination like a high-speed bullet again.

    Without even slowing down, he cut the abomination in half with his de before charging toward the main body.

    Then with a precise dive, he cut the abomination¡¯s other two legs.

    He returned to Colorless¡¯ side.

    His down jacket had long been broken by his unusual range of motions, and it was entirely coated in thick corrupted blood.

    He pulled off the jacket, revealing his well-built muscles and countless scars left by ded weapons under the ck tank top.

    With his eardrums shattered, War Tiger couldn¡¯t hear his own voices. He thus sounded a little strange as he said, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. Give me a gesture if you can still fight.¡±

    Face pale, Colorless made an OK gesture at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the three small ones to you.¡± With a twist of his wrist, War Tiger¡¯s Green Dog Demon de vibrated. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    <i>Bam.</i>

    Colorless felt an explosion of air currents on her side. War Tiger had already charged toward the legless abomination like a phantom.

    Meanwhile, the three smaller ones transformed from the legs War Tiger had sliced off lunged at Colorless.

    ¡°Wah¡ªwah¡ª¡±

    The crying continued, but weakened.

    Colorless drew a dagger from her waist and stabbed it into her thigh, the pain further pulling her mind out of the chaos and disorder.

    She forced herself to concentrate by pinching her lower face.

    Her eyes widened and quickly became bloodshot, and her red hair flew into the air and danced around madly, each strand moving like the head of a red snake.

    ¡°Petrify!¡±

 Chapter 303: One Serious Punch

    <h4>Chapter 303: One Serious Punch</h4>

    The air suddenly grew still, a sign that the space was filled with Colorless¡¯ mental power. Instantly, the three abominations charging at her stopped at the same time, pinned to the ground by an intangible force.

    They screeched faintly like insects getting stomped.

    No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn¡¯t break free as their bodies went still part by part.

    Soon, their skin hardened and turned into a light gray texture that resembled eggshell, the change further spreading to the blood and then the bone marrow.

    In a matter of thirty seconds, the three abominations had turned into fragile stones.

    Losing their bnce, they fell and shattered into pieces.

    Colorless panted heavily, bleeding from her nose before her knees buckled, and she copsed.

    Petrify, serial number 17, Psyche-type.

    It allowed one to infiltrate the mind of a living organism and manipte it, thus changing the target¡¯s physiology and gic makeup to turn them into stone.

    A little more than a month ago, she was able to level up the Talent to level 4 with the Psyche Rune Circuit the Hundred Rivers Union got from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    And at thest moment, her Talent reached level 5.

    ¡°Wah¡ªwaaah¡ª¡±

    The abomination¡¯s psychological corruption persisted while War Tiger fought it.

    Zigzagging and leaping quickly around the abomination, War Tiger left long, thin cuts on its bloated body. From afar, he looked like an annoying fly hovering over a pile of rotting dead meat, aiming to slowly devour it.

    However, the lump regenerated quickly.

    No matter how many cuts War Tiger made, it healed within ten seconds.

    The corruption inflicted by the wails had been dragging War Tiger down, and after pushing himself to attack at his peak speed for close to a minute, his movement slowed gradually.

    His years of battle experience told him that he needed to end the fight as soon as possible.

    ¡°Colorless!¡± War Tiger shouted. He instructed with the knowledge of what Colorless¡¯ Talent did, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it busy. You deal with it!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Colorless was just about to stand up when her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees.

    ¡°Waaah¡ªwaaaaah¡ª¡±

    The monster seemed to have seen through their n to eliminate it together, and it cried with increasing intensity.

    Clenching his jaw, War Tiger charged at the abomination.

    Leaping into the air, he held onto the hilt of the Green Dog Demon de and stabbed at the red vertical eye on the abomination¡¯s head. Once he was within a certain distance, he sensed an intangible maic field surging to stop him, hitting him with a reckless psychic attack.

    It felt like countless evil spirits were grabbing onto him, yanking his hair, tearing and biting his skin and flesh, and wing at his eyeballs, doing everything to stop War Tiger.

    However, a Killing Expert feared no pain.

    The more pain he was inflected with, the more recklessly he fought, and the more he craved blood!

    ¡°Ahh¡ª¡±

    A booming growl of unstoppable rage burst out from War Tiger¡¯s chest. Without pause, he buried the de into the crimson eye.

    <i>St.</i>

    It wasn¡¯t anything special but a lump of organism, an eyeball consisting of muscles, blood vessels, and nerve endings.

    <i>Mortal.</i>

    War Tiger scoffed silently, moving to pull his de out.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    The abomination went quiet for a short second before it wailed like a floodgate had been opened.

    ¡°Waaaaah¡ª¡±

    Even without his hearing, War Tiger could sense the overpowering malice and chaos from such a short distance. All he wanted to do was get off the abomination, abandoning his weapon.

    But he couldn¡¯t.

    His hands kept shaking, and he felt like a baby swaddled in a nket. For the first time in twenty years, he remembered his mother¡¯s face.

    Tears fell, not out of sadness or despair, but vulnerability and helplessness.

    Colorless was no different. She knew that the moment War Tiger stopped the wailing with a stab at the eye was her only chance, and she had rushed toward the abomination and met the red vertical eye, about to activate Petrify.

    However, when the devilish wail hit again a secondter, Colorless found herself falling to her knees, unable to do anything but sob.

    Her wrecked mind remembered a line: thou shalt not look at God.

    What they were facing was no God, but an evil abomination, yet its presence was like that of a deity¡ªcold and unfeeling, unknowable and irresistible.

    In fact, the abomination could no longer put up a fight physically in order to kill the three humans.

    However, it only had to keep crying, and that would be enough to destroy and crush their minds and wills.

    One minute was all it would take to render the three humans into effectively infants with no thoughts, and their souls would be nk sheets of paper; they would be thoroughly ¡®cleansed¡¯.

    The abomination was going to win.

    At that moment, though, a figure slowly climbed to his feet.

    Azure Dragon.

    His face was pale and exhausted, yet his gaze clear and determined.

    ¡°Waaaah¡ª¡±

    The wail continued.

    Azure Dragon kept walking toward the abomination at a deliberate pace like he hadn¡¯t heard it.

    When he walked past Colorless, who was crying helplessly on her knees, he grabbed her and threw her away, putting some distance between her and the source of the wails.

    Then he came face-to-face with the abomination.

    Looking up, he grabbed War Tiger by the ankle and threw him about a dozen meters away.

    Feeling weak and helpless, War Tiger rolled across the ground before the increased distance allowed him to regain consciousness somewhat with a gasp.

    But his eyes were still widened with tears streaming down. He couldn¡¯t move his body at all.

    ¡°Waaah¡ª¡±

    Sensing the fatal threat, the abomination cried out in greater intensity in a desperate attempt to stop Azure Dragon.

    Despite his darkplexion, Azure Dragon remained unyielding, his gaze focused.

    He took a deep breath and held his right fist by his waist, lowering his head and leaning forward as he drew strength from his entire body to his right fist, also concentrating the energy circting inside him.

    Charge.

    Charge.

    Charge.

    Three secondster, Azure Dragon looked up, his sharp eyes radiating a blinding gold light; it was the result of his energy overflowing from his body.

    He took a step forward and made a serious punch.

    In any of the battles he had fought, no enemy would stay unmoving for him to charge his energy before making such a punch.

    The current circumstances, however, seemed arranged to wee the attack. He wouldn¡¯t miss this chance no matter what.

    ¡°Waaaaah¡ª¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Lying prone, War Tiger and Colorless couldn¡¯t see anything as a gust swept toward them and threw them off the ground.

    In an instant, the wailing stopped.

    War Tiger immediately regained control over his body midair, and with a twist of his waist, hended on one knee.

    Colorless, having taken more time to recover, cushioned her fall with two hands before rolling across the ground due to inertia. Then she finally got to pick herself up.

    They looked toward Azure Dragon.

    Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t moved after making the punch. The abomination that was at least the size of a truck waspletely gone, leaving only a sttered pool of blood and a three-meter wide shallow trench on the ground, as if it had been plowed.

    Azure Dragon pulled his fist back and let out a long breath.

    He turned to War Tiger and Colorless, speaking in a steady tone, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

 Chapter 304: Paper Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 304: Paper Tiger</h4>

    War Tiger shouted, ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you!¡±

    Azure Dragon paused and turned to Colorless. ¡°What happened to him?¡±

    Instead of answering immediately, Colorless took out the two syringes of Medicine C she carried with her and uncapped them, injecting the thigh she had stabbed with a dagger with one shot. She frowned before her expression gradually rxed.

    Then she threw the other syringe to War Tiger, smiling wryly. ¡°He broke his own eardrums.¡±

    Azure Dragon caught on immediately, gaining a newfound respect for War Tiger¡¯s decisiveness and quick reaction.

    Catching the syringe, War Tiger inserted the needle into the back of his ear, administering a third of the medicine before doing the same with his other ear.

    Then he dropped the syringe and squatted down, covering his temples with both hands. ¡°Ughhhh it¡¯s so itchy...¡±

    After thirty seconds, War Tiger shook his head, getting to his feet.

    He turned back to Azure Dragon and said with his usual cadence. ¡°What did you say earlier?¡±

    ¡°I said you saved me.¡± Azure Dragon gave him a grateful smile.

    ¡°And you me.¡± War Tiger waved a dismissive hand at him and walked away. ¡°I¡¯ll call us even.¡±

    Colorless looked ashamed. ¡°But I alone dragged you down.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say that.¡± War Tiger picked up his weapon. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t heard the wail before we did, I wouldn¡¯t have known that I could defend against the effect by destroying my hearing.¡±

    Colorless paused. The man was more considerate than she had expected.

    War Tiger then sheathed his weapon and turned to Azure Dragon with a smirk. ¡°Ha, I should¡¯ve known that you are the ¡®Superman on Paper¡¯ people talk about. After all, you¡¯ve been fighting on the frontline for the Qilin Guild, participating in missions of all scales.¡±

    Azure Dragon stroked his beard and said self-deprecatingly, ¡°And on paper my power stays. I¡¯m nothing but a paper tiger.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being way too humble. Sooner orter, you¡¯re going to be invincible.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Colorless was confused. She didn¡¯t get what they were talking about at all.

    ¡°Haha.¡± War Tiger looked at Azure Dragon. ¡°Can I tell her?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead since you¡¯ve guessed it.¡± Azure Dragon didn¡¯t hesitate.

    War Tiger grinned at Colorless. ¡°We¡¯ve been through a life-and-death situation together. I¡¯ll give you an S-ss intel for free.¡±

    He pointed at Azure Dragon. ¡°This guy¡¯s Talent is the rumored Greatest Evolution!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Limitless Evolution,¡± Azure Dragon corrected. ¡°But same difference.¡±

    Colorless was still befuddled. Regarding the top ten Talents, the Hundred Rivers Union had failed to collect even snippets of information.

    ¡°Limitless Evolution, serial number 6, the top Buff-type Talent.¡± War Tiger exined further. ¡°Basically, the more he fights, the more powerful he bes.¡±

    Azure Dragon smiled. ¡°Whenever a Talent fails to kill me, I¡¯ll gain a 60% immunity and resistance to it after I recover, as well as acquire a small part of the Talent owner¡¯s energy for my own use.¡±

    ¡°At the moment, my Limitless Evolution is level 6, which allows me to extract 3% to 5% of the target¡¯s energy. Of course, it can only be done once for each target.¡±

    Colorless finally understood. ¡°So you¡¯ll sooner orter be unrivaled by fighting different people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why the Talent creates a theoretical superman,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Ha, that fits.¡± Colorless felt a hint of dread.

    It was no exaggeration to say that with enough preparation, Azure Dragon would be able to erase the entire Hundred Rivers Union on his own.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been hit by a psychic attack of the type before.¡± Azure Dragon looked at his right hand and slowly balled it into fist. ¡°But now, the same trick won¡¯t be able to stop me.¡±

    ¡°Old Dragon, you could¡¯ve asked all the high-level awakeners to spar with you before your Talent is widely-known. Won¡¯t it be awesome to be the most powerful being secretly?¡±

    ¡°First, would any of you be willing to spar with me?¡± Azure Dragon smiled wryly. ¡°Second, my Talent only triggers when I¡¯m fighting someone to the death. A spar where both parties are restraining themselves doesn¡¯t work.¡±

    War Tiger didn¡¯t say anything. <i>Good, I¡¯ve learned something useful.</i>

    Azure Dragon had long seen through his intention.

    ¡°If you want to kill me, War Tiger, you only have one chance,¡± Azure Dragon said confidently with a half smile. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll never be able to defeat me.¡±

    ¡°Why would an assassin like me duel you? Of course I¡¯m gonna resort to schemes!¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t sound ashamed at all.

    Azure Dragonughed. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting one, Brother Tiger.¡±

    Standing between the two bigshots, Colorless suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°I get that men like you loveparing sizes and exchanging barbs, but can we please get out of here first?¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded and scanned the ce. ¡°We should look around a little more and see what we can find out.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Colorless took out her phone and took pictures of the church. All these would be intel collected during the investigation, to be brought back to Li City when they returned.

    ...

    Naldives, on a private beach near the F Ind.

    After the shower, the night sky was clear, providing the backdrop for the flickering stars. The sea was calm as well. Awash in the moonlight, the soft sandy beach looked like white jade.

    A few jet skis were parked by the beach.

    Under the parasols, twelve people sat on or stood by the beach loungers, including:

    Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Seven Shadow, Scarlet Fox, Ronnie, and Can from the Qilin Guild.

    White Rabbit, Green Snake, and Electric Mouse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Chen Ying, Green Tea, and Joker of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    They couldn¡¯t afford to bete, so they gathered here half an hour early. Still, X was nowhere to be seen.

    It was less than five minutes from the time they agreed on. And people were getting agitated.

    ¡°Is heing?¡± White Rabbit turned to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic. She frowned at the vast ocean. ¡°X is a strange and unpredictable man. It¡¯s entirely possible for him to pull a trick on us.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We aren¡¯t gonna lose anything.¡± White Tiger was unfazed. He was holding a thermos filled with chrysanthemum and goji berry tea.

    Sitting on a lounger, he opened the thermos and took a drink.

    ¡°Elder White Tiger,¡± Wu Dahai said with barely-suppressedughter. ¡°You¡¯re drinking hot tea in such hot weather?¡±

    ¡°You brat,¡± White Tiger shot back without heat, his attitude down-to-earth. ¡°You¡¯ll know the importance of taking care of yourself once you¡¯re my age.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll be fine with anyone else saying this, but you¡¯re Elder White Tiger, ranked ninth in the power ranking!¡± Wu Dahai still had trouble reconciling the image with the man. ¡°That¡¯s so uncool.¡±

    ¡°Cool?¡± White Tiger snorted and shot back a series of sharp questions. ¡°Is being cool going to keep me fed? Support my livelihood? Allow me to stay healthy until the age of ny?¡±

    Keeping up a poker face, Gao Yang gave White Tiger a thumbs-up in his head. <i>Well said!</i>

    ¡°But...¡±

    Wu Dahai was going to say something, but he shut up when the rumble of a jet ski¡¯s engine came from a near distance.

    They all looked up to see a white jet ski disturbing the calm water and the serene night, speeding toward the uninhabited ind.

    Half a minuteter, X reached shore.

    He was dressed in a patterned shirt and a pair of patterned shorts, his blonde hair pushed back with an alice band. On his neck was a ne of heavy gold chains.

    With his hands in his pockets, he sauntered toward them with a smile. ¡°Ah, and here I was worrying if you¡¯de.¡±

    Vermilion Bird said, ¡°Twelve awakeners, no more, no less.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Satisfied, X snapped his fingers. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±

 Chapter 305: Sir Zuo

    <h4>Chapter 305: Sir Zuo</h4>

    After snapping his fingers, X turned to leave.

    It didn¡¯t take more than a few steps for him to notice that the others weren¡¯t following him. He said irritatedly, ¡°What are you waiting for? Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± Vermilion Bird asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s nearby. Just follow me.¡± X hopped back onto his jet ski as he spoke.

    Exchanging a nce, they got onto the jet skis in pairs or alone, following X into the water.

    Setting out from the uninhabited ind, X didn¡¯t drive toward the ocean further; everyone knew that further out was the border of the Mist World, where an invisible barrier would stop them from approaching.

    Instead, X drove parallel to the barrier for about a minute until he slowed down.

    Right behind him, Gao Yang was the first among the others to see a figure on the water, not far from them.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Can, riding with him, saw the figure too. ¡°Is that a human? How is he standing on water?¡±

    Gao Yang whispered, ¡°Be careful. Go invisible if things seem dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Can tightened the hands she rested on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders.

    Soon, everyone saw the strange figure standing on water, going alert. Under X¡¯s lead, they stopped around the figure at a short interval, almost making a circle, ready to fight at any time.

    Under the clear moonlight, Gao Yang considered the stranger.

    It was an old man whose hair had gone white and face was covered in wrinkles. He looked short and thin, no taller than 1.6 meters, and his back was hunched. Dressed in a gray, old-fashioned shirt and a pair of straight pants, he held his hands behind his back.

    He had a gentle smile on his face. His wrinkly eyes were a muddled, strange grayish white with no irises. He appeared to be blind.

    X said in a familiar tone, ¡°I¡¯vee, Sir Zuo.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Little Crossy, here you are.¡± Sir Zuo¡¯s voice was surprisingly strong and booming, a stark contrast from his hunched, frail-looking figure.

    Little Crossy.

    <i>Sounds like a eunuch¡¯s name</i>[1], Gao Yang grumbled inwardly.

    Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t help but snort. He must have been thinking the same thing.

    ¡°Sir Zuo.¡± X had a hand on the handlebar of the jet ski while he brushed his other hand through his silky blonde hair. ¡°I get it now. I can¡¯t defeat you on my own, so I bring friends!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.

    Delicate brows furrowed, Vermilion Bird stared at X. ¡°What? We¡¯re fighting this man?¡±

    Sir Zuo chuckled. ¡°With these many of you, how is an old man like me going to win a fight?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± X nced at Vermilion Bird before looking over at the others in turn. He exined in a rxed tone, ¡°This is Sir Zuo, an observer.¡±

    An observer! Pride monster!

    They were all surprised, but thinking about it, things fit.

    X continued, ¡°I¡¯ve known him for years. Sir Zuo has been guarding the Rune Cave, and he alone is able to open the entrance.¡±

    X sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to get in, but Sir Zuo gave me two options. Either I defeated him in a one-on-one fight, or I took twelve awakeners to him and yed a game with him.¡±

    Chen Ying frowned slightly. ¡°And you¡¯ve never defeated him all these years?¡±

    X shrugged and easily admitted, ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve tried everything. Want a go?¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything. If even the fifth-ranking awakener failed to defeat the pride monster, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    ¡°We have a lot more people now,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    In other words, they could go after Sir Zuo together; one pride monster wouldn¡¯t be their match.

    X gave Qing Ling a wry smile. ¡°Defeating him doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll be let into the Rune Cave, pretty girl. If he doesn¡¯t want to let us enter, killing him won¡¯t change anything. Do you think he¡¯ll open the entrance for us if we gang up on him?¡±

    Sir Zuo smiled in lieu of a response, effectively a silent agreement.

    ¡°Sir Zuo.¡± White Rabbit put on the look of a harmless girl. ¡°What game are we ying?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say, can¡¯t tell you.¡± Sir Zuo¡¯s head remained slightly lowered, his line of sight leveled ahead rather than toward White Rabbit. He must be truly blind. ¡°y if you agree to the condition, and return if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Gao Yang would like to ask if the game was going to be life-threatening, but then he felt like there was no point in asking.

    X smiled carelessly. ¡°That¡¯s the deal. You decide.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you have one minute.¡± Sir Zuo was still smiling, but the water under his feet started rippling all of a sudden, and he started sinking gradually.

    Gao Yang caught on immediately. They only had a minute to make the decision before Sir Zuo would bepletely submerged and disappear entirely; then they would lose their chance tonight.

    No wonder X gave them only a minute to make the decision earlier as well. He was preparing them for Sir Zuo¡¯s strange way of doing things.

    All eyes were on Vermilion Bird, the one inmand for this mission.

    Her expression was tense. In only ten seconds, Sir Zuo¡¯s calves were already underwater.

    She nced at Gao Yang reflexively, but there was no answer on his face.

    At that moment, Gao Yang was relieved that he wasn¡¯t in charge of this team; he didn¡¯t need to shoulder the great pressure of potentially making the wrong decision.

    Vermilion Bird then turned to White Rabbit and Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything. She had always been risk-averse. She didn¡¯t want to lose anotherpanion. However, she couldn¡¯t possibly say that they should give up when they hade this far.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, there¡¯s no turning back,¡± White Rabbit coolly reminded her and nced at X.

    Vermilion Bird knew what she was getting at: they had made a promise to X. If they got back on their word, a fight would inevitably break out between them and X, who had dered that he would kill all of them if they turned him down after learning his secret.

    Vermilion Bird made up her mind. ¡°We¡¯ll y, Sir Zuo.¡±

    The pride monster was now chest deep in the water. He stopped sinking when he got Vermilion Bird¡¯s answer, and he quickly floated onto the water surface. Shockingly, his body was entirely dry, not getting even a drop of seawater on him.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Sir Zuo¡¯s grayish white eyes stared into nothing. His voice came from all directions, shaking them to the core with a dignified presence.

    ¡°The game is on. The contract is made. There is no end until there are victors.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. So there was a fighting if his tone was anything to go by, which meant there would be casualties.

    Still, some of them would still die when the Crimson Tide hit even if they avoided it now.

    From the very start, they didn¡¯t have a choice even though it might seem like they did.

    Sir Zuo¡¯s voice faded while the water under his feet rippled again, sending waves of strange white light to under everyone¡¯s jet ski, illuminating this part of the ocean for the moment.

    Then one or two white orbs emerged before each of their jet skis, radiating intense light. It looked like a teleportation device from a sci-fi movie.

    ¡°Get on and start the game.¡± Sir Zuo chuckled, the sound rxed and carefree, but there was no telling if it was benevolent or malevolent.

    It was clear that the awakeners were still hesitant. They reflexively turned to their most trustedpanions and exchanged nces.

    Qing Ling turned to Gao Yang. He gave her a nod.<i> Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s no turning around.</i>

    X was the first to get off his jet ski andnded on the glowing white orb.

    Something strange happened then: he stood on the water like he was standing onnd.

    Standing amid the light, he called out to the others, ¡°What are you waiting for? Don¡¯t you want the Poison Rune Circuit?¡±

    Vermilion Bird took a deep breath and became the second to jump onto the glowing orb.

    The others followed one after another, standing amid the white light.

    Gao Yang and Can were thest to do so.

    Her small figure was awash in light. Scared, she turned to look at Gao Yang. His encouraging nce put her somewhat at ease.

    All thirteen yers were ready.

    In the ten seconds where they were silent, it was as if the only things that existed were the moonlight above them, the night wind gliding along the ocean, and the feeling of the unknown in their hearts.

    Suddenly, Sir Zuo¡¯s muddled white eyes shone brilliantly.

    Gao Yang¡¯s consciousness slipped, then his feet lost purchase. He plunged into the ocean, enveloped by cold water and thick darkness.

    He wanted to struggle, but in less than three seconds, he cked out.

    1. The raw is <i>xiao-cha-zi</i>, with <i>¡®xiao¡¯</i> meaning ¡®little¡¯ and <i>¡®zi¡¯ </i>amon suffix for nouns, and ¡®cha¡¯ is cross. <i>Xiao-OOO-zi</i> is a naming convention for eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty. ?

 Chapter 306: Prison

    <h4>Chapter 306: Prison</h4>

    Gao Yang jerked awake. He hadn¡¯t yet pieced together what had happened before he sat up on reflex, getting ready for a fight with energy concentrated in his hands.

    He only rxed after he confirmed that there was no danger, two secondster.

    He found himself in a small space less than ten square meters big. The dim room was blocked by sturdy, dark-gray stone walls.

    He was sitting on a hard single bed with metal frames and thin nks of wood. The bed sheet was in, and the nket a patchwork of fabrics.

    In the corner across from him, he saw a crude, dirty wash basin and toilet, the years of unuse apparent. From above came a cool blue light. Gao Yang looked up to see a small skylight. It was unclear what was on the other side, the scenery seemingly obscured by white fog.

    Gao Yang looked to the left and was a little surprised to find a metal grid door rather than a wall. Only then did Gao Yang realize that this was a single prison cell.

    He looked down to find himself dressed in inmate uniforms of ck and white stripes. He was barefooted, and around his ankles were a pair of thick, heavy ck shackles.

    Gao Yang stood up. The shackles clinked, the sound bright.

    He essed his system immediately.

    There was no notification, and his Luck points didn¡¯t spike. There was no immediate danger.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Suddenly, a short and heavy sound came from outside his cell. Gao Yang went up to the metal door and looked out.

    There was a main hall of more than a hundred square meters in size, at the center of which was arge circr stone table and thirteen high-back stone chairs with antique design. Before each of the stone chairs was a bronze candle stand, the candles lit to form a circle of thirteen weak, warm blooms of candlelight, illuminating the space so that the outlines of things could be made out.

    The circr main hall was surrounded by standalone single cells, the cell Gao Yang upied being one of them.

    The earlier noise came from the single cell right across from Gao Yang¡¯s, and it was likewise upied.

    ¡°Green Tea!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s hoarse voice echoed in the empty prison hall.

    Hearing his voice, Green Tea shot to his feet and went up to the metal door, holding onto the metal bars. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow! d to know you¡¯re here! I thought I was on my own.¡±

    He balled his right hand into fist and lifted his foot, punching the shackle on his left ankle.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Another ringing noise rang in the prison hall.

    Green Tea asked in confusion, ¡°What is going on? Is my One-inch Punch not working?¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t regr shackles,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°Stop wasting your energy.¡±

    Gao Yang looked to the left from the door. As expected, Vermilion Bird had changed into ck and white uniform as well, standing at the door of her cell.

    ¡°So everyone''s here!¡± Wu Dahai said. ¡°Good. I thought I was alone.¡±

    <i>Clink, clink. Clink.</i>

    Then noises came from another single cell, apanied by sputters of sparks.

    It was Qing Ling. Holding her Tang Dao with both hands, she shed at the shackles on her ankles as hard as possible, but to no avail.

    ¡°Is this the restraint inflicted by the Rune Cave?¡± Chen Ying asked. She had never entered a Rune Cave, but she had heard quite a lot about them.

    ¡°Rune Caves differ in rules,¡± Gao Yang raised his voice to say. ¡°Some allow the use of Talents, others don¡¯t.¡±

    Vermilion Bird concluded, ¡°It seems that in this Rune Cave, we won¡¯t be able to challenge its rules even though we can use our Talents.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re as good as useless,¡± Wu Dahai said, dejected.

    ¡°But why?¡± Scarlet Fox¡¯s thin voice was confused.

    ¡°Why else? Because it¡¯s the rules of the game.¡±

    The one who answered was X. He sat cross-legged at the door of his cell with his head cocked. ¡°Remember, my friends, that we¡¯ve entered a game.¡±

    ¡°You sure are calm.¡± White Rabbit sat with her back pressed against the metal door. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that Sir Zuo is going to harm us?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll do you harm.¡± X smiled carelessly. ¡°But if he wants to hurt me, he would¡¯ve done it already.¡±

    ¡°What now? Do we just wait?¡± Green Tea was getting agitated.

    ¡°Are you there, Sir Zuo?¡± Gripping the metal bars of the door with both hands, Can shouted at the prison hall, attracting the eyes of everyone else.

    Embarrassed, Can said in a smaller voice, ¡°I, I just feel like that if we¡¯re ying a game, we should be told the rules first, right?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Sir Zuo¡¯sughter came from all directions like surround sound. ¡°This is a game of Werewolf.¡±

    <i>Werewolf?!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s breath hitched. He had expected the game to involve enemies and challenges, but he didn¡¯t expect them to be pitted against each other!

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    <i>Fuck, fuck, fuck!</i>

    <i>Is Sir Zuo really an observer? Isn¡¯t this how a shadowstalker should act?</i>

    ¡°Do we die in real life if we die in the game, Sir Zuo?¡± Vermilion Bird was the first to ask the most important question everyone wanted to know.

    ¡°The game is on. The contract is made. There is no end until there are victors.¡± Sir Zuo repeated what he had said.

    Everyone was holding their breath.

    That was as good as a silent confirmation!

    It seemed that this wasn¡¯t a simple game of Werewolf, but a game where they had to risk their lives!

    ¡°I¡¯m not ying!¡± Wu Dahai was clearly someone who had yed the game. He lost his calm and shook the metal door in agitation. ¡°I regret it! I¡¯m not ying! Let me out! I¡¯m going back!¡±

    Sir Zuo didn¡¯t say anything.

    Wu Dahai continued to curse for the next thirty seconds.

    Having had enough, X said, ¡°Stop it already. It¡¯s just a game.¡±

    ¡°<i>Just</i> a game?¡± Wu Dahai shot back angrily, his usually hidden intelligence showing. ¡°Do you think the old bag got so bored that he gathered all of us here for a simple game?¡±

    X shrugged and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I get it now!¡± Wu Dahai spat out words without thinking them through. He pointed an using finger at X. ¡°You must be in cahoots with the old man! You lured us into the Rune Cave to get us killed!¡±

    ¡°You willingly followed me here. I¡¯ve never forced you.¡± X snorted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to me me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care...¡±

    ¡°Electric Mouse!¡± White Rabbit interjected. ¡°Stop it. Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!¡±

    Wu Dahai¡¯s face twisted with emotions. He looked ready to burst into tears. ¡°It¡¯s Werewolf! Among the thirteen of us, one will be the moderator, and of the other twelve, four will be werewolves!¡±

    ¡°Be honest, will the four werewolves voluntarily kill themselves? They¡¯d have to be saints!¡±

    ¡°The werewolves have to kill one side to win, either going after the four vigers or the four with special roles. Then let me ask you this, will either group be willing to sacrifice themselves?¡±

    ¡°Do you get it now? Among the thirteen of us, at least four have to die for the game to end!¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s the best-case scenario. Who would wee death? Would you? ...I sure don¡¯t. I¡¯ll never kill myself. Then the werewolves and the good side will surely be at each other¡¯s neck! No matter who ends up winning, at least half of us will be dead. There may even be only three or four survivors in the end!¡±

    Wu Dahai had never spoken so much in one breath. At the end, his eyes were red, and his expression despairing.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Wu Dahai kicked the metal door hard.

    No one said anything in response. Wu Dahai¡¯s words felt like a stab in the heart with a sharp dagger.

    Silence.

    Unease and fear quietly spread in the strange silence in the prison.

    Even X, who had started out the most rxed, stopped talking. He pulled a long face, seemingly deep in thought.

 Chapter 307: Werewolf

    <h4>Chapter 307: Werewolf</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He had yed Werewolf with his ssmates before. He knew the implications that came with the game: among the thirteen of them, only the moderator was exempt from the risk of dying.

    ¡°Electric Mouse is right,¡± Vermilion Bird said in a steely voice, breaking the silence. ¡°That¡¯s very likely what we¡¯re facing.¡±

    ¡°Maybe this is a regr game,¡± Chen Ying brought up, hoping against hope.

    ¡°This is a Rune Cave, not a tabletop game!¡± Wu Dahai shouted. ¡°Stop fooling yourself!¡±

    Vermilion Bird scanned the prison through the metal door of the cell. Most of them had a grave look on their faces.

    She took a deep breath and shouted into the air, ¡°Sir Zuo, what happens if we don¡¯t y?¡±

    ¡°All of you,¡± Sir Zuo said with an old, deliberate voice, leaving no room for argument, ¡°Shall be eliminated.¡±

    ¡ªIn a game of life and death, elimination would mean death.

    ¡°Easy for you to say! Try it then! Try to kill me now. I¡¯d like to see you...¡± Wu Dahai¡¯s taunt was cut short, and he shuddered, his face went sheet white as he copsed to the ground in obvious pain, pressing his hands to his chest.

    An intangible power seized his heart, on the verge of crushing it.

    ¡°Electric Mouse? Electric Mouse, you okay?!¡±

    White Rabbit grabbed the metal bar and shouted, ¡°Sir Zuo! Don¡¯t kill him! We¡¯ll y! We¡¯ll y the game!¡±

    Sir Zuo didn¡¯t respond. Wu Dahai was already on the floor, curling into himself. His eyes were wide with despair and veins could be seen popping up on his face and neck. He couldn¡¯t breathe.

    ¡°Electric Mouse!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Take back your words!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll...y...¡± It took everything for Wu Dahai to squeeze the words out. ¡°...the game.¡±

    Instantly, the power squeezing his heart vanished.

    Wu Dahaiy prone on the ground, struggling to breathe as his chest heaved. If that went on another seven to eight seconds, he would¡¯ve suffocated.

    ¡°Everyone is eliminated,¡± Sir Zuo spoke up again in the same calm, cool tone. ¡°Or you y the game until the victors are decided.¡±

    ¡°You have five minutes.¡±

    He fell silent, and so did the prison atrge.

    ¡°...Don¡¯t do anything reckless. Take some time to calm yourself.¡± Vermilion Bird spoke weakly. She was regretting her decisions. If she had known what would happen, she wouldn¡¯t have said yes to X.

    However, regret wouldn¡¯t change anything.

    Gao Yang stopped standing around the door like an idiot and dragged his feet to the single bed in the corner, the heavy shackles clinking as he walked.

    Gradually, the clinks quieted, and the prison was plunged into a dim silence.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

    But he couldn¡¯t.

    He had once thought that the Rune Cave was like a game. That as long as he took the time to think and did his best, he would find an optimal solution where casualties were minimized; it might even be possible for everyone to survive.

    But Rune Caves were no game. They were like the real world, absurd, merciless, and followed no logic.

    Sometimes things were easy. Sometimes death was inevitable. And other times people were maliciously forced to kill each other.

    It all depended on luck who would get to survive.

    <i>Ha, luck.</i>

    Gao Yang took out his phone. There was no signal. The time was one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Again, he tamped down the urge to leave a note with his phone¡¯s memo and put his phone back into his pocket.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have a total of 111 Luck points.]

    ¡ªPut everything into Luck. That¡¯s the only thing I can depend on now.

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]

    [Willpower: 500 Charisma: 500]

    [Luck: 565]

    [Luck exceeds 500. Enter the inbetween state before leveling up.]

    ¡ªWhat do you mean?

    [You have made contact with the Miracle Rune Circuit.]

    ¡ªYes, and I felt an electric current entering my body. I thought it was simple energy resonation.

    ¡ªDo you mean the energy will help me level up?

    [There is too little energy to level up the Talent. Please acquire more.]

    ¡ªEasy for you to say. I don¡¯t have the Rune Circuit. How am I supposed to do that?

    [A. Rune Circuit]

    [B. Potential Breakthrough]

    ¡ªWait, I got the first one, but what do you mean by the second option? Go into more detail.

    [A fragile seed dies even in a greenhouse, and a strong one sprouts even in a desert.]

    ¡ªHuh, you¡¯re even making analogies.

    ¡ªDo you mean that the little energy the Miracle Rune Circuit gave me has essentially nted a seed, and if I¡¯m strong enough, I would be able to level up?

    ¡ªBut what would count as being strong?

    ¡ªAm I strong for not bursting out crying after kicking my pinky toe on the foot of a bed?

    ¡ªOr does not breaking down after getting trapped in a Rune Cave that forced us to kill each other count?

    [Telling jokes does not constitute being strong.]

    ¡ªThen what fucking counts as being strong, pray tell?

    [A desperate situation often triggers great potential.]

    ¡ªRight. Then I get it. It¡¯s like how you reach level 5. The more dire the situation, the more likely I¡¯d be able to level up.

    ¡ªAlright then. That¡¯s it for now. Let¡¯s cross this bridge first.

    [ess ends.]

    Five minutes flew by, during which Gao Yang went through the best-case and worst-case scenarios in his head, his heart feeling more and more heavy.

    ¡°Time¡¯s up,¡± Sir Zuo announced.

    They each returned to the metal door of their respective cell. None of them said anything, their dour mood apparent.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Suddenly, the metal door before Gao Yang opened to the side. Then the same thing happened to the other twelve cells.

    ¡°Those who are participating in the game,e out. Those who are opting out, stay.¡±

    Wu Dahai, who had beenining the loudest, was the first to walk out of his cell. Noticing everyone¡¯s gaze, he said bluntly, ¡°What are you looking at me for? If I y, I at least stand some chance of surviving. It¡¯s guaranteed death if I don¡¯t. There¡¯s no choice at all.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± X saunted out of his cell. ¡°At least you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±

    In the next thirty seconds, they walked out of their cells one by one, dragging the heavy shackles with them.

    Can was closest to Gao Yang. She came up to him nervously and fearfully. ¡°Captain...¡±

    She trailed off and lowered her head, standing as close to Gao Yang as she could.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s going to be fine.¡± Gao Yang made a weak attempt at reassuring her.

    ¡°The gamemences. Please take a seat.¡± Sir Zuo¡¯s voice rang again.

    X took big strides to the stone chair closest to him and sat down, while the others looked around rather than immediately taking a seat.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t miss the chance to observe the environment, either, hoping to find Sir Zuo. It would be the most optimal scenario if they could find the pride monster and kill him, which should get them out of here.

    He noted that the prison was an enclosed, circr structure simr to the colosseum of Ancient Rome, only with a dome ceiling.

    At the center was the circr hall with the thirteen single cells surrounding it. He saw no hiding ces. It was as if Sir Zuo didn¡¯t exist in this space at all, or at least not in physical form.

    Gao Yang reluctantly gave up on the idea.

    The pride monster must be powerful and well-prepared given he managed to bring them into the Rune Cave and had shown to be able to easily kill them.

    Outside of Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Green Tea hadn¡¯t taken a seat either.

    Some were trying to break the dome. Some were looking for hidden rooms. Some were attempting to break the walls. However, none of them seeded. Their Talents failed to break anything in this space.

    Sir Zuo seemed to have anticipated their desperate struggle; he neither stopped them nor spoke up against them.

    His silence made clear his dominance over the situation and his pride.

    Finally, Gao Yang sat down on a stone chair nearby, and Can quickly took the seat beside him, worried that someone else would im the spot.

    Can knew that it was unbing of her to follow him around like that, but she didn¡¯t have the luxury to care.

    Before entering the Rune Cave, she had thought the game would involve a fight with monsters. Then she would at least be able to offer some help while staying safe.

    Facing a game of Werewolf where they would be forced to kill each other, though, she had already epted it as a fact that she would be the first to go.

    During the past five minutes, she had been a nervous wreck and sobbed secretly.

    Now, she only hoped to be closer to the person she liked before her death. Then it wouldn¡¯t be so scary.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were much simpler.

    Pushing aside the fear and despair in his heart, he quietly sat on the chair with his hands resting on the stone table, feeling the hard, cool material.

    Soon, the others gave up on their fruitless struggle and took their seats.

    Since it was a circr table, their order was rtive with no definite starting point. Starting from Gao Yang¡¯s right, it was Can, Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Chen Ying, Green Tea, Joker, Qing Ling, Wu Dahai, White Rabbit, and X.

    ¡°This is a game of Werewolf with 12 yers, broken down into 4 special roles, 4 vigers, and 4 werewolves,¡± Sir Zuo said. ¡°1 seer, 1 witch, 1 hunter, 1 guard, 4 vigers, 3 werewolves, and 1 white alpha.¡±

    Gao Yang had yed the game before, and he quietly went over the rules in his head.

    ¡°The rules will be exined in more detailter. The cards are drawn first.¡±

    <i>Swish.</i>

    A chilly gust put out the candles on the table, and instantly, a strange, thick darkness descended.

 Chapter 308: Roles

    <h4>Chapter 308: Roles</h4>

    A few seconds after the darkness descended, thirteen weak glows bloomed on the stone table at each seat.

    Gao Yang looked down to find a glowing card. When he picked his up, the others had done the same as well. The faint glow dispersed the darkness slightly, lighting each of their faces.

    They looked like ghosts awash in shadow.

    ¡°Remember your role.¡± Sir Zuo¡¯s omnipresent voice spread like water in the dark.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and checked his card. The drawing was of an unassuming man dressed in simple clothes. Viger.

    Gao Yang was disappointed.<i> I¡¯ve pushed my Luck beyond 500, but this is what I get? The viger card without any information? Is this supposed to be a good draw?</i>

    In his moment of distraction, the card in his hand dissolved into glowing particles before vanishing into the darkness.

    Then all the candles on the stone table lit up again, and the prison hall recovered the same degree of brightness where the yers were able to make out each other¡¯s faces clearly.

    Gao Yang scanned the table and observed the minute changes to everyone¡¯s expression. If he had to put it into words, he would call the emotions putting a frown on everyone¡¯s face rm and wariness.

    The thirteen of them had never been a united front to start with. Each belonging to a different organization, they only came together temporarily for amon mission.

    And now, they were forced to participate in a game of mutual suspicion and destruction.

    The moment they were assigned their roles, their positions changed. Even those they had trusted before would be enemies who could kill them.

    One had to question and suspect everyone in order to live. One mistake could turn out to be fatal.

    In the truest sense, hell was other people.

    Perhaps what Sir Zuo, the observer, was looking to observe was the way human nature operated in extreme situations.

    After a moment of collective silence, Sir Zuo spoke up. ¡°Let us begin, moderator.¡±

    Chen Ying slowly rose to her feet, her eyes flickering. ¡°I got the moderator card.¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Why wasn¡¯t it me?¡±

    Wu Dahai didn¡¯t even bother to hide his jealousy. In fact, he wasn¡¯t the only one shooting Chen Ying pointed looks.

    After all, the moderator was effectively invincible. No matter how the game went, the moderator would stay on the sideline, safe from any danger.

    Chen Ying was conflicted. On one hand, she was relieved to have been exempt from the game; on the other hand, she felt guilty.

    Moreover, she would be forced to witness herpanions go after each other with lies and cheats from start to finish, which was a form of torture in itself.

    ¡°What do I do?¡± Chen Ying asked. ¡°Do I just call the arrival of the night?¡±

    ¡°Exin the rules of the game,¡± Sir Zuo said, his voice still upying the entire space.

    Chen Ying nodded and calmed herself, speaking in a neutral tone like a referee would. ¡°There must be some among us who haven¡¯t yed the game Werewolf. I¡¯ll exin the rules. It¡¯s of the utmost importance, so please listen.¡±

    ¡°In the game, there are two teams¡ªthe good team, consisting of the four special roles and the vigers, and the bad team, consisting of the four werewolves.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll start with the werewolves. Every night, the wolves are allowed to kill a person of their choice, including one of their own. And among the four of them, there is one white alpha. Not only is the alpha allowed to kill someone at night, they may also choose to expose themselves during the day in order to kill one yer at the cost of their life.¡±

    Chen Ying paused to give the newbies some time to digest the information.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll go into the special roles. First, there¡¯s the seer. Every night, the seer is allowed to confirm the identity of one yer to find out if the yer is a werewolf or a member of the good teams. However, the specific role of the yer will remain unknown.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s the witch. The witch has a healing potion and a death potion. The healing potion allows the witch to save someone who dies during the night, while the death potion allows them to poison anyone of their choice.¡±

    ¡°Hunter can shoot before their death to take someone with them. However, they cannot do so if they are poisoned by the witch.¡±

    ¡°Finally, there¡¯s the guard. Each night, the guard may choose to protect someone, including themselves. Whoever is protected won¡¯t die even if they are chosen as the werewolves¡¯ target. However, they will still die to the witch¡¯s death potion should the witch choose to kill them. Additionally, if the witch uses a healing potion on the yer the guard chooses to protect, the yer will die instead.¡±

    Chen Ying paused and looked around. ¡°Any question?¡±

    Since no one posed any question, she said after a pause, ¡°The third group is the vigers. They cannot do anything. When the nightes, they close their eyes. When the dayes, they vote for the yers they believe to be werewolves to eliminate them.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s also thest words. During the first night, yers who die because of whatever reason may leave theirst words. On subsequent nights, the yers who die cannot leave theirst words, but can reveal their roles.¡±

    ¡°And those who have been eliminated during the day are allowed to leave theirst words, but not reveal their roles.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Vermilion Bird piped up. ¡°When I yed, I remember the rule goes that no matter if it''s the day or the night, the dead aren¡¯t allowed to reveal their roles.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is one version.¡± Chen Ying made the decision for a reason: if it was impossible to avoid killing each other, it was her hope that the good team would win; best-case scenario, they would only need the four werewolves dead.

    If the four werewolves ended up winning, they couldn¡¯t have killed only one group without losing any fellow werewolves. Then, at the end of the game, they would have lost many more.

    Allowing those who died during the night to reveal their roles would make it much easier for the good side to find the werewolves, increasing their chance of winning.

    ¡°Sir Zuo,¡± Chen Ying said to the air. ¡°Which version of the rules are we ying with?¡±

    ¡°It is at the discretion of the moderator.¡±

    ¡°Then we will go with what I said.¡± Chen Ying hardened herself.<i> I¡¯m sorry, whoever gets the four werewolf cards. Hate me if you will.</i>

    She continued, ¡°After the first night, you may run for sheriff. I¡¯ll exin further when you reach that point of the game. Makes it easier for those who haven¡¯t yed to keep up.¡±

    She thought for a moment. This should be enough for now. She turned to the others. ¡°Any question?¡±

    No one said anything.

    Ten secondster, Sir Zuo said, ¡°Please return to your cell, everyone. Moderator, please stay.¡±

    They didn¡¯t immediately move, but instead exchanged a look with each other.

    Even at this point, they held onto the slim hope that they didn¡¯t have to y the game, that there was some way to turn things around, such as finding Sir Zuo and killing him together before getting out of here with the Rune Circuit, that one of them might find out that their Talent could counter Sir Zuo¡¯s strange power and get them out of here.

    However, none of the above happened during the long minute.

    They didn¡¯t dare drag things on further. There was a limit to Sir Zuo¡¯s tolerance. If they didn¡¯t y along, they would be eliminated.

    Finally, Qing Ling stood up and walked into her cell in big strides.

    <i>ng.</i>

    The cell door shut automatically, trapping her inside.

    Qing Ling sat down on the single bed with her Tang Dao ced by her. She closed her eyes and rested.

    Teacher War Tiger had taught her that even when facing pure despair, she must do her best to remain calm and preserve strength. She could never go wrong with doing that.

    ¡°Fuck it!¡± Wu Dahai was the second to stand up. He looked over at the others. ¡°There¡¯s no bad blood between us, and none of us want this to happen! But I¡¯m not dying here. I won¡¯t show any mercy!¡±

    He entered the cell next to Qing Ling¡¯s.

    <i>ng.</i>

    A few secondster, his cell door closed too.

    X was the third to rise to his feet. He stretched with his usual careless smile. ¡°I know you all must hate my guts and want nothing but to kill me.¡±

    Vermilion Bird spat, ¡°I would¡¯ve killed you if that¡¯d get us out of here.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± X turned around to enter his cell, waving his hand. ¡°Face the music, people. How does the saying go again? Life is like getting whipped. If you can¡¯t fight it, enjoy it.¡±

    White Tiger, who had been silent throughout, rose and sighed. He had tried his Talent many times, but none of his attempts worked.

    ¡°We can only y along.¡±

    ¡°Even if we survive this, we¡¯re likely to die in the Crimson Tide.¡± White Rabbit stood up. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make the situation easier to swallow?¡±

    Vermilion Bird swore under her breath before making it to her cell.

    Finally, the others stopped hesitating and entered their respective cell, epting the cruel reality.

    The metal doors shut one after another. The game was officially a go.

    As soon as Gao Yang sat down on the cold, hard bed, he heard Chen Ying¡¯s neutral yet somewhat grave voice.

    ¡°Night has fallen...please close your eyes.¡±

    Suddenly, a gray fog permeated the whole space, so thick that it obscured everything within the area. The fog shifted and flowed, as if countless fish were swimming amid it, serving as an effective cover.

    ¡°Guard, open your eyes.¡±

    <i>Click.</i>

    A metal door opened.

    Gao Yang tried to determine the general direction of the guard based on the sound of the door opening, but it was impossible. Just like Sir Zuo¡¯s voice, the sound came from everywhere.

    ¡°Guard, point out the one you wish to protect,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Thirty seconds passed.

    ¡°Understood. Please return, guard.¡±

    Another thirty seconds.

    ¡°Please open your eyes, werewolves.¡±

    <i>ck, ck.</i>

    One after another, the doors opened. Again, the sounds seemed toe from all directions, giving no clue as to who the werewolves were.

    Chen Ying spoke up again, this time, her calmness seemed a little forced. ¡°Werewolves, please confirm yourpanions.¡±

    Gao Yang thought, <i>That means there is someone Chen Ying doesn¡¯t wish to be werewolves among them, which would be Green Tea or Joker, herpanions</i>.<i> That¡¯s why she lost control of her emotions for a moment and had to tamp it down.</i>

    He spected as he walked up to the door, trying to make out the four werewolves amid the fog. And he did see the blurry silhouettes near the roundtable.

    However, the figures shifted like fire, changing in height and width without showing any consistent characteristics.

    The four seemed to be conversing, but all Gao Yang could hear was a rumble.

    Evidently, the mysterious gray fog had ¡®encoded¡¯ their identities, making it impossible for them to identify the werewolves based on information outside the game.

    That was to be expected. Gao Yang stopped wasting time and returned to his bed.

    After about a minute, the four werewolves had finished their discussion.

    ¡°Werewolves...¡±

    There was a prolonged pause. Then Chen Ying announced with some difficulty, ¡°Please pick your target.¡±

 Chapter 309: First Night

    <h4>Chapter 309: First Night</h4>

    Immediately after Chen Ying made the announcement, the faint figures of the four werewolves disappeared from the gray fog, having been concealed by the strange power of the Rune Cave.

    Gao Yang held his breath. The four werewolves must have decided who to kill during the first night after careful discussion. Were he in their shoes, who would he go after?

    When everyone¡¯s role was unknown, the choice would be random, but not entirely so.

    First, the werewolves would like to avoid going after those they were close to.

    However, the four werewolves were likely members of different organizations; when everyone wanted to protect their own, no one could.

    They would havee to an agreement. For their survival, they had to eliminate as much risk as possible. And in a game of Werewolf, the quick-minded ones were the bigger threats.

    Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t say that he was the smartest among the thirteen of them, but he was on the clever side, which was also the image he presented to others.

    He would very likely be considered the first-tier threats, to be eliminated first.

    Vermilion Bird, White Rabbit, and Green Tea would be candidates as well for being the smart or cunning ones.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted, and he started.

    At some point, four zing ck shadows had appeared in the gray fog outside his cell. They wavered and shifted without a concrete mass like two-dimensional geometric shapes.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded. <i>Shit, the werewolves areing for me!</i>

    One figure reached out toward his cell, the shadow slowly morphing into ck smoke and flying toward Gao Yang.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Gao Yang reflexively activated Fire in order to destroy the ck smoke, but it was to no avail. The fire went through the smoke immediately, not stopping its approach at all.

    Then Gao Yang activated Teleportation, but again, it was a fruitless attempt. He couldn¡¯t get out.

    Face pale, Gao Yang backed away until his back hit the wall. There was no way to go.

    The thread of ck smoke swirled toward Gao Yang at a deliberate pace, seemingly considering Gao Yang. After a few seconds, it morphed into a wolf¡¯s paw with five sharp ws.

    Gao Yang held his breath, his heart racing.

    <i>I¡¯m gonna die! I¡¯m gonna get killed!</i>

    <i>No, don¡¯t give up yet. I still have hope. The witch can save one person!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded. He tried his best to ovee his fear byforting himself.

    Two secondster, the werewolf wed at his chest.

    Gao Yang reflexively raised his hands to defend himself, but the w-shaped smoke dispersed after burrowing into Gao Yang''s chest.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but cry out, scrambling to unbutton his shirt. Indeed, on his chest, where his heart was, five ck gashes had been left.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t want to die here!</i>

    Gao Yang gasped for breath and tapped into his energy as much as he could, trying to offset the damage that would be inflicted on him. But it was no use. A strange power continued to weave into his chest.

    Gao Yang shuddered. He dared not keep moving.

    Like an invisible hand, the chilling power grabbed onto his heart, only it hadn¡¯t applied any force, as if waiting for the finalmand to be issued.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    The four wavering figures disappeared.

    A few secondster, Chen Ying said, ¡°Werewolves, please return.¡±

    There was a twenty second silence.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The metal doors mmed shut. The four werewolves had returned to their cells.

    Inside his cell, Gao Yang found himself drenched in cold sweat. He still had his back pressed to the wall, too fearful to move even a muscle. His sole focus was on the force around his heart, which had his life in its grasp.

    ¡°Witch, pleasee out,¡± Chen Ying continued to lead the progress of the game.

    ¡°This person is the one killed. Would you like to save them?¡±

    <i>Herees the witch!</i>

    Gao Yang prayed inwardly. <i>Save me! Please save me!</i>

    The ten seconds or so crawled by like the worst torture. Then a fire-like figure appeared outside Gao Yang¡¯s cell, concealed by the gray fog.

    Gao Yang almost burst into tears.<i> Thank God the witch decides to save me! I¡¯m safe!</i>

    He quickly calmed down, and upon reflection, this was only to be expected.

    Were he the witch, he would choose to save the victim this time as well.

    Although with more experienced yers, it wasn¡¯t unusual for werewolves to target themselves to make the witch use the healing potion, this was a game where death was real. No one would be reckless enough to risk killing themselves just to rob the witch of a potion!

    <i>Outside of Ghost Horse, of course.</i>

    Therefore, the werewolves¡¯ victim must be a member of the good team, and the witch had no choice but to save them.

    Even the newbies among them would be able to think this far should they get the witch card. Thus, there was no telling who the witch was just yet.

    Gao Yang continued to analyze the situation quietly.

    The shifting ck shadow reached into the cell, morphing into a small chunk of ck fog in the shape of a vial, hovering beside Gao Yang.

    A few secondster, the vial flew into Gao Yang¡¯s chest, and the force seizing his heart vanished instantly.

    Gao Yang immediately opened his cors. The w print on his chest was gone.

    <i>Thank heavens! I¡¯m not dying just yet!</i>

    When Gao Yang looked back up, the ck shadow had already disappeared.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s voice rang from all over the gray fog. There was a hint of relief and exhaustion in her tone.

    Of course, Gao Yang only noticed because he was the one targeted. The others might not have sensed it at all.

    ¡°You have a death potion, witch. Do you use it? If so, who do you use it on?¡± Chen Ying continued speaking her line.

    A minuteter, she said, ¡°I understand. Please return, witch.¡±

    Gao Yang soon heard the sound of a cell door closing.

    ¡°Seer, please show yourself.¡±

    <i>Click.</i>

    ¡°Seer, please pick one person to check their role.¡±

    Chen Ying was now able to keep her voiceposed like an impartial judge should.

    Ten secondster, she asked, ¡°Do you confirm the target?¡±

    The seer must have said something, but Gao Yang couldn¡¯t hear it.

    Ten secondster, another shifting figure appeared outside of Gao Yang¡¯s cell.

    He started.

    <i>Seriously, the seer ising to me too?</i>

    <i>Is it because they consider me a big threat that they confirm my identity first?</i>

    ¡°Their role,¡± Chen Ying paused, ¡°Has been revealed.¡±

    Ten seconds passed.

    The figure disappeared.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The seer soon returned to their cell.

    Gao Yang was filled with a myriad of feelings.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry for doubting you earlier, system. I am truly lucky this time. On the first night alone, I got targeted by the werewolves, saved by the witch, and then checked by the seer. That gave me a silver water and a gold water</i>[1]<i>.</i>

    <i>Although I¡¯m only a viger, I¡¯ll immediately be the most known good member at this table.</i>

    <i>In the short term, the werewolves won¡¯t target me, but will instead consider winning me over; the same is true of the good team. Thus, I¡¯ll get to live for a long time.</i>

    ¡°Hunter, pleasee out to let me see you.¡± Chen Ying continued the procedures.

    Thirty seconds passed.

    ¡°Hunter, please return.¡±

    Another thirty seconds.

    ¡°The day has arrived.¡±

    The thick gray fog permeating the prison hall quickly dispersed. Chen Ying was still sitting on a stone chair by the roundtable, her head slightly lowered and her expression somewhat dejected. But overall, she was calm.

    The metal doors of the twelve single cells opened automatically. Everyone was eager toe out after the tortuous night.

    ¡°Please have a seat,¡± Sir Zuo said.

    They each found their seats and sat down.

    ¡°Captain...¡± Can turned to him from the right side and whispered. ¡°You alright...?¡±

    ¡°No under-the-table discussion,¡± Sir Zuo immediately warned. ¡°Your first mistake is forgiven, but if there is a second time, the game will be over, and all will be eliminated.¡±

    Many pairs of eyes shot daggers at Can.

    Knowing that she had almost made a fatal mistake, Can looked down in shame, her face nching and flushing in turn.

    Gao Yang was conflicted. Although Can had made a mistake, she had revealed some information at the same time.

    She was unlikely to be a werewolf; she wasn¡¯t cunning enough to react like that were she one.

    ¡°Please continue, moderator,¡± Sir Zuo prompted.

    Taking a deep breath to collect herself, Chen Ying stood up and announced, ¡°Last night was a peaceful night, everyone. No one dies.¡±

    There was a slightmotion. Judging by the way everyone shifted their postures, they were all relieved to hear that.

    Gao Yang suddenly realized just how difficult things were for the four wolves.

    In order to live, they had to not only choose to kill theirpanions, but also act and lie to mislead the other eight yers.

    If he had gotten a werewolf card, how tormented would he have been?

    ¡°Those who would like to run for sheriff, please raise your hands.¡±

    1. In the Chinese circle, yers refer to the act of the seer revealing someone as a member of the good team as ¡®giving out gold water¡¯, while ¡®silver water¡¯ refers to the witch saving you. Basically, gold water confirms you as a member of the good team as long as the seer is the real deal, and silver water means you¡¯re very likely to be a member of the good team. ?

 Chapter 310: Sheriff

    <h4>Chapter 310: Sheriff</h4>

    White Tiger, Joker, and Qing Ling were likelyplete newbies in Werewolf, and they threw Chen Ying a questioning look, but remained silent due to what had happened with Can.

    Chen Ying started exining without missing a beat, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what it means to run for sheriff.¡±

    ¡°The elected sheriff is effectively the opinion leader among the yers, able to decide the order in which yers make their statement, and the sheriff¡¯s vote counts as 1.5 votes, giving them a bigger voice.¡±

    ¡°If the sheriff is on the good team, it¡¯ll increase their chance of winning; conversely, it¡¯ll be dangerous for a werewolf to be the sheriff. Please choose your side with care and don¡¯t mess around.¡±

    <i>Who¡¯s gonna mess around when our lives are at stake?</i> Gao Yang grumbled inwardly.

    ¡°Alright. If you want to run for sheriff, please raise your hand.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t.

    He looked around quietly and saw that four people had raised their hands: Vermilion Bird, Wu Dahai, Green Tea, and X.

    Chen Ying nodded slightly. ¡°A total of four candidates are running for sheriff. We¡¯ll start from right to left. Vermilion Bird, you¡¯re up first.¡±

    Vermilion Bird often yed Werewolf on her phone, and her statement was well thought out. ¡°It isn¡¯t toote for you to pull out of the election. I¡¯m a special role who has information. I want to lead the good team to victory as the sheriff.¡±

    As soon as she finished, Green Tea lowered his hand, pulling out of the election.

    ¡°Alright, next,¡± Chen Ying said. ¡°Electric Mouse.¡±

    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m the seer. Last night, I checked Green Snake, and she¡¯s a good one. I gave her gold water...¡±

    Chen Ying hesitated before interrupting him, ¡°Old yers at the table, please refrain from using jargon so that the new yers won¡¯t be left out.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Wu Dahai shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m the seer. I checked Qing Ling¡¯s identityst night. Her role is on the good team. Listen to me and let me be the sheriff. I¡¯ll give you urate information. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Qing Ling, the one brought up, remained as impassive as ever. She didn¡¯t even spare Wu Dahai a nce, making it impossible to read anything from her.

    Wu Dahai lied.

    Gao Yang knew that very well since he was the one the seer had checkedst night.

    Speaking of which, ording to the original rules, the yers who were killed, checked, and saved should¡¯ve been kept in the dark about what happened, yet Sir Zuo had changed the rules, perhaps to make the game more exciting.

    Anyhow, back to Wu Dahai. Although he lied, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he was a wolf acting in support of the good team. There was too little information at the moment. It was better to wait and see.

    Chen Ying nodded. As the moderator, she did her best to not let her stance show. ¡°Okay, next, Mr. Cross...¡±

    ¡°Call me X.¡± The man interrupted her with a smile.

    Chen Ying frowned slightly. What the hell was the man up to? Wasn¡¯t he the one insisting on being called Cross?

    ¡°Now I feel like X is a cooler name that¡¯ll increase my chance of survival.¡± X looked up and called out to the air, ¡°Sir Zuo, that doesn¡¯t count as talking about the game under the table, does it? I just want to change my name.¡±

    Sir Zuo didn¡¯t say anything. That didn¡¯t constitute a vition of the rule, it seemed.

    ¡°Please make your case, Mr. X,¡± Chen Ying said instead.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze shifted to X, who looked as frivolous as ever with his legs crossed and his fingers tapping on the cold, hard stone table rhythmically. He gave Wu Dahai a look.

    ¡°Electric Mouse, is it? It¡¯s not toote to pull out now. Stop messing around here. I¡¯ll give you three seconds. If you insist on running for sheriff, I¡¯ll consider you a wolf for certain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pulling out! I give up on running for sheriff!¡± Wu Dahai shouted, his survival instinct ring in his head. ¡°I was lying out of my rear end just to test the water.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Pleased, X turned right to look at Gao Yang with a smile. ¡°This isn¡¯t some high-level game, everyone, so I¡¯ll be frank with you. I¡¯m the seer. Last night, I checked this guy next to me...¡±

    X thought for a good while, but couldn¡¯t remember Gao Yang¡¯s name.

    ¡°Seven Shadow,¡± Chen Ying reminded him.

    ¡°Right, Seven Shadow. He¡¯s a member of the good team. I give him gold water.¡±

    X stopped tapping on the stone table and rubbed at his lips. ¡°As for why I chose him...well, he¡¯s sitting right next to me, for one. I can¡¯t rest easy until I know what he is. And he¡¯s a clever one, evident in the way he defeated me in the volleyball match through schemes. I consider him a big threat, and so I checked his role.¡±

    It was a reasonable exnation.

    Still, Gao Yang secretly activated Lie Detection on X on the off chance that it might work, but it didn¡¯t. It seemed that no Talents were allowed to break the rules of the game.

    <i>Fine, I¡¯ll have to rely on myself.</i>

    ording to the information he had at the moment, Gao Yang came to a tentative spection.

    X was the seer. He confirmed Gao Yang¡¯s role and decided to lead the good team.

    Vermilion Bird was the witch. She saved him and had gained quite some information. She wanted to lead the good team too.

    Of course, both of them could be werewolves pretending to be special roles, but then where did the good guys go? Why didn¡¯t any of theme out to go against the two?

    Could it be that the newbies were the ones getting the good roles, and they didn¡¯t know how to y the game? Or perhaps they were too scared of death to take a stand?

    That was a possibility.

    As for Green Tea and Wu Dahai, they were simply testing the water. There was no telling what their roles were yet.

    ¡°The two candidates have made their speech.¡± Chen Ying raised her voice slightly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s put it to a vote. Elect the sheriff between Vermilion Bird and X. You¡¯re free to give up on your vote, too, and if everyone abstains from voting, there will be no sheriff.¡±

    ¡°Those who choose Vermilion Bird as the sheriff, please raise your hands.¡±

    Gao Yang abstained. He observed the votes quietly.

    Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, and Wu Dahai voted for Vermilion Bird. Vermilion Bird herself did as well, of course.

    ¡°Four for Vermilion Bird.¡± Chen Ying quickly made a note. ¡°Those who choose X as the sheriff, please raise your hands.¡±

    Gao Yang kept watching. Green Tea was the only one who voted X.

    X clicked his tongue, displeased with the results. Due to the rules of the game, though, he couldn¡¯t say anything now.

    ¡°For fairness, I¡¯ll give the two candidates thest chance to speak up and ask for votes. This time, we¡¯ll start with X.¡±

    Chen Ying waved at him.

    ¡°I know that this is a table of inexperienced yers, but I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be such noobs!¡±

    X shot them a look that said, ¡®I can¡¯t carry all of you losers.¡¯

    ¡°Hello, this is a game, and you should y by the rules. You can¡¯t vote for her just because she¡¯s your leader, and I¡¯ve only known you not long ago.¡±

    ¡°What if she¡¯s a wolf? She¡¯s gonna kill all of you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one true seer in this game. How is the good team going to win if you don¡¯t follow me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t turn this around. I¡¯ll just make three points. If you want to live, think about it carefully.¡±

    ¡°First, other than ck Tea...¡±

    ¡°Green Tea,¡± Chen Ying corrected.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± X shrugged flippantly. ¡°First, other than ck Tea, none other voted for me. That wouldn¡¯t have happened if I were a wolf, would it? My fellow wolves would¡¯ve given me more votes. They couldn¡¯t have decided to let the good guys win at the cost of their lives, could they? Ha, do you think anyone at this table is noble enough to do that?¡±

    ¡°That should tell you that I¡¯m not a wolf, and in that case, I can¡¯t be a viger either. I have to have a death wish to im the seer role to protect the real one. Thus, I must be the actual seer. That¡¯s why I came out to run for sheriff.¡±

    ¡°Second, Vermilion Bird is likely a special role. There¡¯s also the possibility that she¡¯s a werewolf since they have more information too. Anyhow, it¡¯s not that she can¡¯t be the sheriff, but the risk will be higher than me being it.¡±

    ¡°Third, whoever bes the sheriff, the werewolves are definitely going to target the seer, me, theing night. I don¡¯t know if the witch still has the healing potion, but if you do, don¡¯t save me. Let the guard protect me tonight. Then I¡¯ll be able to check the role of one more person and increase our chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done, moderator.¡±

    X¡¯s statement wasn¡¯t exactly wless in terms of logic, but there was no significant problem with it. Moreover, he seemed open, showing no signs of nervousness or guilt that would mark him as a liar.

    The other yers wavered, agonizing over their judgment of him. One one hand, X was likely to be the seer, but emotionally speaking, it was difficult for them to trust the man. After all, they wouldn¡¯t be here if X hadn¡¯t urged them to follow him to the Rune Cave.

    ¡°Please make your case, Vermilion Bird,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Vermilion Bird nced at X, trying to glean some insights from his expression.

    Then she turned to the others, her tone moreposed than X. ¡°First, I¡¯d like to thank you for trusting me. Regarding what X just said, I can¡¯t spot anything wrong at the moment.¡±

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think X is necessarily the seer. There are quite a lot of newbies here, and this is a game of life and death.¡±

    ¡°Were I the seer, I might not have the courage to reveal it. After all, the seer is the prime target for the wolves. It makes sense that they would be too scared to take a stand considering human nature.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, the werewolves don¡¯t have such concerns. Thus, X could be a wolf spy. Essentially, a werewolf pretending to be a special role in order to run for sheriff. Of course, I¡¯m only saying that there is a chance for that to be the case. You may make the judgment yourselves. Tonight, all of us have to live with our own decisions.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Basically, the good team¡¯s chance of winning will double if the true seer bes the sheriff, but if the false seer bes the sheriff, most of us will die.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I believe you should choose me as the sheriff, which is the safestpromise. We¡¯ll find the werewolves together and, even though it sounds cruel, if possible...¡±

    Her voice grew icy. ¡°I hope that we¡¯ll walk out of the Rune Cave with only four members short.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s face darkened, and the air thickened with tension.

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    She meant that it was best to end the game with only the four werewolves sacrificed, minimizing the loss the group suffered.

    However, that was nigh impossible. And there was always a chance that Vermilion Bird was a werewolf, and that she was pretending to be a good role.

    Gao Yang shocked himself when the thought shed through his mind.

    <i>Shit, I¡¯m getting cold-blooded and starting to second-guess and suspect everyone at the table now, even though we¡¯ve beenpanions only half an hour ago.</i>

    <i>Human nature is not to be tested against survival. Is this what Sir Zuo wants to observe?</i>

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the final vote. Please make your decision carefully.¡± Chen Ying scanned the table.

    This time, Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, and Wu Dahai still voted for Vermilion Bird, with the added vote from Can.

    When it was X¡¯s turn, no one voted. Even Green Tea, who was his only supporter, abstained from voting.

    ¡°I announce that Vermilion Bird is the sheriff.¡±

    A badge suddenly appeared before Chen Ying. She picked it up and walked up to Vermilion Bird.

    Vermilion Bird took it and put it on her chest.

    ¡°Please decide the order in which the yers will give their statement, Sheriff.¡±

    Vermilion Bird looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s start with my right.¡±

 Chapter 311: First Round

    <h4>Chapter 311: First Round</h4>

    The one sitting on Vermilion Bird¡¯s right was White Tiger.

    White Tiger had never yed Werewolf before. Although he had paid close attention to Chen Ying¡¯s exnation of the rules, he didn¡¯t grasp them fully. He could only y along. Andbined with the image of a mild-tempered middle-aged man he projected, he might as well be announcing to the world that he was a newbie.

    He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that I couldn¡¯t protect all of you as the Chief of Security of the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°White Tiger, any conversation unrted to the game is strictly prohibited,¡± Chen Ying nervously reminded him, worried that Sir Zuo would eliminate them all if they vited the rules.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop.¡± White Tiger got back to the game. ¡°I just heard Xia...Vermilion Bird and X make their case. I find both of them making some sense, and I don¡¯t know who I should trust. To not make things even harder for everyone, I¡¯ll quietly listen to all of you.¡±

    To White Tiger¡¯s right was Chen Ying, the moderator. She was skipped.

    Then it was Green Tea.

    Green Tea had yed Werewolf before and was eager to speak up. He immediately said, ¡°Just to be clear, I¡¯ve yed the game before. Although I¡¯m no expert, I believe I¡¯m far from a newbie either.¡±

    ¡°First, I¡¯ll tell you my role. I¡¯m a viger.¡±

    ¡°When I ran for sheriff, I was simply testing the water. Those who have yed before should know what I meant.¡± Green Tea nced at Wu Dahai, who nodded and gave him an understanding look.

    ¡°I pulled out when I heard Elder Vermilion Bird say that she had information. Then Electric Mouse continued to feel out the table by making false statements, which prompted X to im the seer role. And Electric Mouse pulled out too.¡±

    ¡°At the time, I thought X was more likely to be the seer, so I voted him to be the sheriff.¡±

    ¡°After listening to Vermilion Bird¡¯s speech, though, I agree with her more. This isn¡¯t a game we¡¯re ying, but everyone¡¯s life. Were I the seer, I wouldn¡¯t necessarily have the courage to make a stand. Although it may not be the most optimal move for winning the game, it makes sense in terms of human nature.¡±

    Many of them nodded unconsciously while listening.

    ¡°So I began to suspect that X is a false seer, and I abstained from voting in the second round.¡±

    Green Tea paused and said earnestly, ¡°I¡¯d like to take the chance to say something: if X isn¡¯t the seer but a wolf making a im of the role, I hope that the real seer will muster the courage to take a stand and not fear death.¡±

    ¡°As long as you do so and earn everyone¡¯s trust, the guard will definitely protect you the following night, and you won¡¯t die. If you don¡¯te out, and X is indeed a wolf spy, things will be bad for the good team. And when the good team loses, the seer will die as well.¡±

    ¡°Of course, if there¡¯s no one else iming to be the seer, then X must have been telling the truth. I¡¯ll wait and see if X is trustworthy.¡±

    ¡°That is all.¡±

    Green Tea¡¯s statement was logically sound.

    ¡°Your turn, Joker,¡± Chen Ying said.

    Joker had a half smile on his face as he scanned the table with a sharp but cold gaze. He uttered, ¡°Pass.¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback. <i>How does he dare to not say his piece at all?</i>

    <i>Isn¡¯t he worried that he¡¯ll be considered a lurking wolf and get voted out? Then he¡¯ll die! Isn¡¯t he worried about that?</i>

    <i>Wait, does that mean he¡¯s got a special role on the good team, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s so carefree?</i>

    Qing Ling sat on Joker¡¯s right.

    She had been observing everyone¡¯s expressions and reactions, trying and failing to find some clues.

    ¡°I¡¯m on the good team. You better not kill me. Next.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s statement was brief but concise.

    Gao Yang felt a ray of light shining into his gloom-filled heart.

    Qing Ling wasn¡¯t a good liar. She wouldn¡¯t react like that were she a wolf.

    And ¡®you better not kill me¡¯?

    The way she put it warranted some consideration.

    Basically, she was insinuating that it would be unwise of them to vote her out. She was very likely to have gotten a special role for her to speak so assertively.

    Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief knowing that Qing Ling was likely on the same side as him, and that they didn¡¯t have to go against each other.

    On her right was Wu Dahai.

    Wu Dahai grumbled anxiously, ¡°I¡¯m a fucking viger without any info, fuck my luck! Whoever the four wolves are, I¡¯m warning you! Don¡¯t kill me, or I¡¯ll haunt you to death even after I be a ghost! Next!¡±

    Chen Ying turned to White Rabbit.

    After a moment of consideration, White Rabbit looked at Gao Yang, then at X and Vermilion Bird.

    It was obvious that she was most focused on the three of them.

    ¡°Although I can¡¯t tell much just yet, I¡¯m leaning toward trusting Vermilion Bird. Call that a hunch.¡± After a pause, she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t vote for Vermilion Bird, but going forward, I¡¯ll tentatively take her side. I¡¯d like to hear her out first. Next.¡±

    Then it was X¡¯s turn.

    ¡°Everyone!¡± X pointed at his own head, sounding frustrated. ¡°Think about it with your little brains. Aren¡¯t things clear enough now? Does it make sense for me, the true seer, to have no support at all?¡±

    ¡°As for Vermilion Bird, I do think she¡¯s on the good team. However, the four wolves among us have been muddling the water, putting up an act in order to turn members of the good team against each other. How insidious of them!¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m urging the guard to protect me tonight, or I¡¯ll be killed for sure. If I survive, I¡¯ll check Vermilion Bird tonight to see what role the sheriff ys. Then the good team can work together without reservation, and the four wolves will soon show their hands. We¡¯ll be able to quickly finish the game.¡±

    ¡°If I die, the good team copses. And none of you will survive without my support. Get it?¡±

    ¡°As for Vermilion Bird, the sheriff, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll get killed tonight. Even if she does, the witch can save her with the healing potion. I suggest the guard protect me and the witch save Vermilion Bird. Remember, newbies, the guard and the witch must not try to save the same person, or that will kill the person instead. Understand?¡±

    <i>The witch saved me. They don¡¯t have a healing potion.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. <i>Still, the wolves don¡¯t know if I was protected by the guard or saved by the witch¡ªneither does the good team, of course, save for the witch and me.</i>

    ¡°Our brains are valuable assets. Please do use yours.¡± X crossed his arms. ¡°That¡¯s all I have.¡±

    Gao Yang was on his right.

    Seeing Chen Ying nodding at him, Gao Yang said, ¡°I didn¡¯t vote during the sheriff election because I couldn¡¯t make a judgment. Now, I¡¯ll share my opinions for your reference.¡±

    ¡°First, X imed that he¡¯s the seer, and that I¡¯m on the good team, giving me gold water.¡±

    He considered X for two seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll ept the gold water since I am on the good team. His im as the seer, though, I don¡¯t fully trust.¡±

    ¡°The wolves know that I must be on the good team. If X is a wolf making a false im, it makes sense for him to give me gold water to win my support.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird is likely a special role. Since she¡¯s not the seer, she¡¯s more likely to be the witch or the guard. She must have saved or protected the right person, thus giving her information.¡±

    ¡°I hope that Sheriff Vermilion Bird will talk about who she savedter. Even though it may expose her role, as long as she¡¯s telling the truth, I believe the yer she saved, the silver water, will support her. Then we can further narrow down the suspected wolves, which will benefit the good team.¡±

    Gao Yang was trying to confirm what Vermilion Bird was. If she said that she had saved Gao Yang, it would more or less prove her to be the witch.

    If she said she saved someone else, she would be lying.

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    Next up was Can. She had listened to everyone talk carefully, but the more she heard, the more confused she was.

    ¡°Everyone is making sense to me. I¡¯m just a viger, and I know nothing. Still, I have a feeling that Elder Vermilion Bird and Captain Seven Shadow are the good guys. I don¡¯t know about everyone else.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m done.¡± Can lowered her head.

    Then it was Ronnie.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a, viger. I don¡¯t have, information. The one I trust most now, are Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Ronnie then nced at Scarlet Fox.

    Scarlet Fox cleared his throat, his voice soft and high-pitched. ¡°I¡¯m a viger too, and I¡¯m not good at deduction. I don¡¯t see any problem with everyone¡¯s statements at the moment. Still, my instinct told me that Elder Vermilion Bird is on the good team, so I support her.¡±

    He turned to Vermilion Bird.

    She met his eyes and held it. Both were trying to read the other.

    Finally, it was the sheriff¡¯s turn. She thought for a moment with her head lowered, going through everyone¡¯s words and making analysis in her head.

    After a good while, she slowly looked up with a sh of guilt in her eyes. She announced in a serious tone, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the conclusion first. Today, I n to vote for either Can or Green Tea.¡±

 Chapter 312: First Round 2

    <h4>Chapter 312: First Round 2</h4>

    Can and Green Tea turned to Vermilion Bird, taken aback.

    For a moment, they forgot about the rules and were going to ask why, but as soon as they opened their mouths, an intangible power constricted their throats and prevented them from speaking.

    The others turned to Vermilion Bird, their expressions shifting into one of doubt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go through my reasoning.¡±

    Vermilion Bird did her best to speak without emotions. ¡°First, there are three people who have been supporting me throughout: Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, and Electric Mouse. White Rabbit is giving me tentative support. The four of them may be on the good team, or they may be wolves putting on an act. Given they¡¯re willing to follow the good team, though, I¡¯ll put them aside for now.¡±

    She then turned to X. ¡°You¡¯re the most controversial yer at this table. You imed to be the seer and made a passable statement, but the others are unwilling to ce their trust in you.¡±

    ¡°Considering the factors outside the game, it¡¯s natural for the table to dislike you. Still, I believe in intuition, and thus I have a healthy dose of suspicion of you. If you can provide us more information to prove that you¡¯re the seer after the second night, I¡¯ll consider trusting you. Also, I suggest you not check my role if you are the seer; it¡¯s only going to be a waste.¡±

    ¡°Now, Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird turned to Gao Yang. ¡°X gave you gold water. Whether he¡¯s the real seer or a false one, the fact that he¡¯s trying to win your support means that you should be a member of the good team.¡±

    ¡°Still, I have to remind you that your statement earlier is a dangerous one. You urge me to reveal my role in order to quicken the game, thus showing your aggression. Although you may simply be eager to win the game and minimize casualties, your action would¡¯ve made me suspect you as a wolf if not for the gold water given to you.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart jumped. He didn¡¯t agree with Vermilion Bird¡¯s judgment, but her warning did ring true.

    It would be unwise for him to be too aggressive. This wasn¡¯t a game of newbies, neither was it a game of expert yers. Instead, it was a gamble that would determine their survival. Principles that applied to a game didn¡¯t necessarily apply when human nature was involved. He would be attracting danger if he got too impatient.

    ¡°Green Snake, Joker, and White Tiger have revealed too little. I can¡¯t judge them yet.¡±

    ¡°Can, Green Tea.¡± Vermilion Bird met their eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m leaning toward eliminating one of you.¡±

    Green Tea and Can still looked shocked, confused, and wronged.

    As for if they were showing their genuine feelings or putting on an act, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°The reasons...¡± Vermilion Bird paused. ¡°First, it is because the two of you changed your votes. Green Tea went from voting X to giving up, while Can went from not voting to voting for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more likely for wolves to waver. They adjust their tactics ording to the current situation.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, although you¡¯ve offered an exnation for your change in stance, you¡¯ve been way too eager to be a viger. You even urged the true seer to take a stand if X wasn¡¯t the real deal. It sounds like you were trying to identify the seer for your fellow wolves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no newbie, so you should know how important the seer is for the good team. That¡¯s why I suspect you more.¡±

    ¡°Now, Can.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°You didn¡¯t make any logical deduction, Can. You simply said that you felt like Seven Shadow and I are good.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s irresponsible. I can only interpret that as you being a wolf who isn¡¯t good at lying. That¡¯s why you just said whatever to get by.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I suspect you of being a wolf too.¡±

    After the analysis, Vermilion Bird turned to Green Tea and Can and repeated, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Can paled, her eyes reddening and her lips pursed.

    She knew how cruel a game of life and death would be, but she didn¡¯t expect Elder Vermilion Bird to turn against her.

    ¡°Everyone.¡± Vermilion Bird scanned the table. ¡°I¡¯ve shared my thoughts without bringing in any prejudice from outside the game. Your lives are your own. Please make a judgment for yourselves.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Chen Ying stood up and announced, ¡°To make the voting process easier, I¡¯ll give you each a number. Gao Yang is number 1. Then from left to right, Can is number 2, Ronnie, 3, Scarlet Fox, 4, Vermilion Bird, 5, White Tiger, 6, Green Tea, 7, Joker, 8, Green Snake, 9, Electric Mouse, 10, White Rabbit, 11, and X, 12.¡±

    ¡°The sheriff¡¯s statement is merely a reference. You may choose whoever you want to vote out, including yourself.¡±

    ¡°Please raise your hand at the same time and indicate the number you¡¯re voting for.¡±

    Chen Ying took a deep breath. ¡°Three, two, one. Please vote.¡±

    Gao Yang abstained, along with X, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger.

    He was a little surprised that Vermilion Bird would abstain when she had shared with everyone the yers she suspected. It seemed that she didn¡¯t want to influence the votes, or perhaps she was waiting to see which bandwagon the wolves would hop on.

    Those who voted for Green Tea, number 7, were Wu Dahai, Ronnie, White Rabbit, and Can.

    And those who voted for Can, number 2, were Scarlet Fox, Joker, Qing Ling, and Green tea.

    No other yer had received a vote.

    Gao Yang memorized who had voted for whom.

    ¡°A tie.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s voice sounded grave. ¡°Next, I¡¯d like to ask the two of you to make your final defense. Please decide the order, Sheriff.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, you go first,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    It seemed that Green Tea had been holding back for quite a while. He shot to his feet with great intensity. ¡°First! I don¡¯t wanna die! If I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯ll be killed on the battlefield! Here? I refuse! Fuck!¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, please calm down.¡± Chen Ying found it hard to look at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯ll calm down...¡± Green Tea ced his hands on the table, trembling all over. He took a deep breath before turning to Vermilion Bird. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird¡ªno, Sheriff Vermilion Bird, I¡¯m now at your mercy. You can sentence me to death with a single word.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m begging you to think carefully: when X imed the seer role, no one supported him. Does that make sense? If X were a wolf, and I his ally, where were the other wolves? Why didn¡¯t they vote for him to make him the sheriff? Why would I support him on my own like an idiot and then flip side? Wouldn¡¯t I be digging my own grave by doing that?¡±

    ¡°The wolves must have discussed their strategy during the first night. It¡¯s clear that they are all disguising themselves as the good guys to stir up trouble. Because everyone fears death! If anyone dares make a move, they¡¯ll get poisoned or shot!¡±

    Green Tea did his best to maintain hisposure and licked his lips. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s fine to consider Vermilion Bird a good sheriff based on what we know at the moment, but more will be revealed the second day. Many things can change.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m one of the few at this table who know how to y the game. If you vote me out, have you considered what you¡¯re going to do on the off chance¡ªand I do mean the off chance¡ªthat Elder Vermilion Bird turns out to be a wolf? The good team will fall apart at once! You shouldn¡¯t vote me out for that alone if nothing else!¡±

    ¡°As for Can, while I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s a wolf or a viger, she¡¯s never given us any valuable information throughout the game. If I may speak the cold truth, her death will do you less harm than mine, and the risk will be lower. If she¡¯s a wolf, we benefit greatly. If she¡¯s a viger, we can still carry on with the game.¡±

    He cast Can a guilty look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Can. I don¡¯t want to die, and I don¡¯t want more people to die. You¡¯re the only choice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    Green Tea fell back onto his seat like he had lost all his strength, looking resigned and dejected.

    X gave them a pointed look with a lopsided smile, as if he was saying, <i>See, this is what you get for not electing the seer as the sheriff.</i>

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Can,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Face pale, Can said in a trembling voice, her fear and helplessness on full disy, ¡°I, I can¡¯t talk as well as Green Tea do. I don¡¯t often go for brainy stuff, so I rarely y Werewolf. It¡¯s true that I can¡¯t really defend myself properly. Still, I really am not a wolf. I, I don¡¯t wanna die either...¡±

    She turned to Gao Yang imploringly. ¡°I meant it when I said I trust Sheriff Vermilion Bird and Elder Seven Shadow. The sheriff herself said that intuition is important. I don¡¯t wanna die either, Green Tea. I can only vote for you. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really, really sorry!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s it for me.¡±

    She lowered her head.

    Amid the thickening tension, Chen Ying forgot her duty as the moderator for a moment.

    ¡°The game continues,¡± Sir Zuo urged.

    Chen Ying broke out of her thoughts and took a deep breath, speaking with difficulty, ¡°Please vote again, everyone. This time, you may only vote between Green Tea and Can. This will determine the one eliminated. Please think carefully before making the decision.¡±

 Chapter 313: Ostracized

    <h4>Chapter 313: Ostracized</h4>

    ¡°Three, two, one. Please vote.¡±

    Everyone raised their hands at the same time.

    Wu Dahai, Ronnie, White Rabbit, Can, and Gao Yang voted for Green Tea.

    And Scarlet Fox, Joker, Qing Ling, and Green Tea voted for Can.

    Gao Yang was surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and X to abstain from voting a second time.

    The three of them were nning on only observing the voting patterns of the others. It seemed that they each held a special role, ones that would determine the way the game went.

    Given that the others had voted the same way, Gao Yang ended up the decisive vote that eliminated Green Tea.

    Green Tea turned to Gao Yang in disbelief. He couldn¡¯t understand why Gao Yang would vote for him.

    Gao Yang met his eyes, seeing a sh of resentment.

    It wasn¡¯t an easy decision, and it weighed on Gao Yang like a physical weight, but he didn¡¯t regret it.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Green Tea. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a wolf, but my instinct tells me that Can isn¡¯t one.</i>

    Moreover, Green Tea was an experienced yer. If he was a wolf, he would pose a bigger threat than Can. Can, even if she turned out to be a wolf, would blindly follow Gao Yang in the beginning stage of the game, and Gao Yang was on the good team. They would essentially have her support, which would do them more good than harm. There was no need to vote her out just yet.

    Of course, there was a third reason: he didn¡¯t want Can to die. She was a member of the fifth team, which made her one of his.

    ¡°Green Tea, number 7, you...¡± Chen Ying did her best to announce the result calmly, but she couldn¡¯t. Her eyes were brimming with tears. It was all she could do to continue, ¡°...are ostracized.¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Green Tea mmed the table and stood up. ¡°Everyone! Let¡¯s fight back! Let¡¯s not keep ying! We¡¯ll fight...¡±

    Suddenly, he grasped his chest and dropped to his knees.

    ¡°Green Tea...¡± Chen Ying was just about to go help him up, but she halted after taking a single step, her face pale.

    Likewise, the others found themselves bound by a great intangible power as soon as they tried to make a move. They couldn¡¯t do anything but breathe. They couldn¡¯t even blink.

    Gao Yang tapped into his energy, but it was no use. It was as if he had been hit in an acupuncture point and paralyzed.

    ¡°The one ostracized, return to your cell and await your destiny.¡± Sir Zuo spoke up again, his cold, authoritative voice left no room for argument or resistance.

    Curling up on the ground, Green Tea suddenly was able to breathe. He gasped for breath with cold sweat drenching his clothes before he stood up shakily.

    During the ten seconds or so when his heart was in a tight grasp, he realized that resistance was futile.

    He only had two options: face death with dignity like a man, or get killed like a coward.

    After reconciling with the fact that he was doomed, he calmed down enough to slowly rise to his feet, sorting out the cors of his uniform and his hair.

    He looked up with a wry smile at everyone. ¡°I¡¯m going first. Whoever survives this, please take revenge for me.¡±

    No one said anything. Even if there were some who would like to talk, they couldn¡¯t.

    At thest moment, Green Tea turned to Chen Ying. ¡°Sister Ying, my brother is still young. Please take care of him.¡±

    Chen Ying, the moderator, couldn¡¯t say anything in response, either. All she had to show was a drop of tear falling from her reddened eyes.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    Green Tea swore before turning away to walk into his single cell.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The metal door mmed shut as soon as he entered.

    Standing at the door, Green Tea stared at everyone with a tragic look on his face. In two seconds, his expression froze, and he pressed his hands to his chest, dropping to his knees.

    At that moment, everyone felt their hearts stop.

    Be it fortune or mercy, they were spared the sight of his death.

    A swarm of gray fog emerged to fill Green Tea¡¯s cell. Then, the figure amid the fog started shifting, wavering like fire.

    The fog thickened. Then in an instant, Green Tea¡¯s figure vanished like a weak candlelight extinguished by a cold gust of wind.

    Green Tea was gone.

    Silence stretched and lingered.

    ¡°The game continues,¡± said Sir Zuo. Everyone heard a hint of satisfaction in hisposed tone.

    Chen Ying cried silently. She suddenly realized that she could move.

    Wiping her tears off her face, she turned to the others. ¡°Green Tea was eliminated during the day, which means his role remains a secret. Now, the night has fallen.¡±

    Everyone had recovered their ability to move, but they still couldn¡¯t speak.

    After looking around for a few seconds, they each turned around and returned to their respective cell.

    Gao Yang sat down on the single bed, his fists clenching so hard that his knuckles went white.

    They killed Green Tea, and he was among those who had cast a stone. In fact, he was the final straw.

    Guilt, pain, anger, and a helpless sort of frustration and humiliation haunted him.

    The moment they stepped into this ce, there was no turning back.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Green Tea. You are free to resent me.</i>

    Soon, Chen Ying continued to lead the game amid the gray fog just like she had done during the first night.

    ¡°Please close your eyes. Guard, show yourself... Choose the target of your protection.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Werewolves, pleasee out... Choose your target.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Seer, pleasee out... Are you sure you want to check this person?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Witch, pleasee out... Do you wish to save this person... Do you wish to poison someone...?¡±

    ...

    That night, no one showed up outside Gao Yang¡¯s cell. It seemed that the wolves weren¡¯t going toe after him anytime soon, which was to be expected.

    ¡°The day has arrived.¡±

    At that, the gray fog dispersed from the prison hall, and the metal doors opened at the same time.

    Finding the tension in the air unbearable, they rushed out of their cells and took a seat like they were being chased.

    Gao Yang looked around, feeling a weight on his chest. Wu Dahai¡¯s seat...was now empty.

    Noticing the same thing, the others turned to the cell Wu Dahai had been in.

    Ayer of mysterious gray fog permeated the cell, and Wu Dahai was nowhere to be seen. Just like Green Tea, he had been ruthlessly killed and erased, like he had never lived in the first ce.

    ¡°Last night, Electric Mouse, number 10, got killed. ording to the rules, he left nost words, but his identity will be revealed.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s expression was one of pain, but also fury. She was furious with Sir Zuo, also with herself for not being able to do anything but watch.

    They turned to Chen Ying.

    ¡°He¡¯s a viger,¡± Chen Ying announced.

    Gao Yang heard a ring in his head.

    Electric Mouse was dead. Wu Dahai, the horny coward, the man who had escaped death in Mad Red¡¯s ambush, the one who had warned him to treat Qing Ling right if they ever got together...

    Dead, just like that.

    He didn¡¯t get to say a final word. He didn¡¯t get to even say goodbye.

    Gao Yang clenched his fists, doing his best to hold himself together.

    <i>This isn¡¯t the time to dwell on it! The cruel game is just getting started!</i>

    <i>Calm down, calm down! Find the werewolves, or more will die!</i>

    Gao Yang quickly observed everyone.

    White Rabbit¡¯s face was pale, and her shoulders were trembling, her lips pursed. The hand she ced on the table clenched into fist, her nails digging into her palm.

    Qing Ling had an impassive look on her face, but her eyes were zing with fury.

    X sped his hands behind his head with his legs crossed, acting like a mere spectator enjoying the show.

    The others looked equally depressed. None acted suspiciously.

    ¡°Please decide the order in which the yers speak, Sheriff.¡±

    Vermilion Bird said with her head lowered, ¡°Start from my right.¡±

    Again, White Tiger was the first to speak. After a few seconds of silence, he said in a lost and mncholy tone, ¡°To tell the truth, this is my first time ying the game, and I¡¯m still clueless. However, two have been eliminated. I can¡¯t keep doing nothing like this.¡±

    Mind made up, he mmed on the table, ¡°To hell with it! Everyone, I¡¯m the guard. I protected myself the first night because I didn¡¯t know who¡¯s friend and who¡¯s foe.¡±

    ¡°On the second night, I protected X because I felt like he could be the seer and should be protected. The wolves must have guessed it and went for someone else instead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I¡¯m not going to make a deduction since I don¡¯t know anything else.¡± He turned to the others at the table. ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    For some reason, Gao Yang had a feeling that Elder White Tiger didn¡¯t lie.

    Green Tea, who had sat right next to him, was ostracized the first day. It was thus Joker¡¯s turn.

    Again, he only said one word, ¡°Pass.¡±

    The others frowned.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it either. It would be fine for him to do nothing the first day, but why would he keep going now that it was the second day, and two had been eliminated?

    What was he thinking? Wasn¡¯t he afraid of death?

    After his turn was Qing Ling¡¯s.

    She eyed Can coldly. ¡°If there¡¯s no other suspect, I vote Can. Vermilion Bird has exined the reason.¡±

    Wu Dahai was out too, so the next one up was White Rabbit.

    It seemed that she was quite shaken by Wu Dahai¡¯s elimination.

    She took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°During the past round, Electric Mouse and I have voted for Green Tea throughout. Last night, Electric Mouse got killed. Green Tea is likely a wolf.¡±

    ¡°If that is the case, there may be a wolf among those who voted for Can the previous round because they wanted to save their ally. In case some of you have forgotten, I¡¯ll repeat the list.¡±

    ¡°Those who voted for Can in the previous round were Scarlet Fox, Joker, Green Snake, and the eliminated Green Tea.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Green Snake is a wolf, though. I didn¡¯t say that because she¡¯s apanion of mine, but because she sounds assured. I have a feeling that she¡¯s a good special role.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. Next.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. White Rabbit had made a solid point, and it aligned with what Gao Yang thought.

    It fit Qing Ling¡¯s personality to vote for Can just because she found Can useless, rather than because she was a wolf trying to save her ally.

    Therefore, Joker and Scarlet Fox were more suspicious.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when X started pontificating, ¡°Everyone, I checked Vermilion Birdst night, and she¡¯s a good role. You may follow the sheriff. Although she told me not to waste a chance on her, it is important for the sheriff to be on the good team. I couldn¡¯t have made any other choice.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯d like to thank White Tiger for protecting mest night. That¡¯s how you y the game. It¡¯s very likely for the good team to win now. Let¡¯s end this game in three rounds, or many will die.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over the good team. Other than me, Seven Shadow is my first gold water, and Vermilion Bird the second. White Tiger is likely telling the truth when he imed the guard role.¡±

    ¡°My suggestion is for us to eliminate Joker for doing nothing since the start of the game. Tonight, I¡¯ll check Can, or whoever the sheriff wants me to check.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me. Next.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Your turn, Seven Shadow.¡±

 Chapter 314: Second Round

    <h4>Chapter 314: Second Round</h4>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t speak up in a hurry but instead took the time to think.

    If White Tiger hadn¡¯t lied, and that he did choose to protect himself the first night, then the witch, who saved Gao Yang with the healing potion the first night, was very likely to be Vermilion Bird.

    She had said that she was a special role with information when running for sheriff.

    Since she was neither the seer nor the guard, and the hunter was given no information, she had to be the witch. She saved Gao Yang and thus gained some information. However, she didn¡¯t want to expose herself.

    The werewolves must have guessed that Vermilion Bird was the witch, and that she had used up her healing potion.

    The logic was simple. During the first night, the wolves went after Gao Yang, but White Tiger just said that he had protected himself. Thus, the witch must have used her healing potion on Gao Yang. Only then would he have survived the night.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and decided to get by with an empty statement. ¡°I¡¯m a viger. I have too little information to speak much, so I¡¯ll keep following Sheriff Vermilion Bird. I agree that if no other ims the seer role, X is most likely the seer. The good team stands a chance of winning. I¡¯m done.¡±

    Then it was Can¡¯s turn. She looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll continue to follow Sheriff Vermilion Bird and Elder Seven Shadow. Although the sheriff suspects me, I still believe that both of them are on the good team.¡±

    She turned to Qing Ling. ¡°You¡¯ve been trying to vote me out with the same reason as Elder Vermilion Bird, Green Snake, and I can¡¯t say otherwise. Still, I am a viger. I hope that X will check me tonight and prove my innocence.¡±

    She stopped running away and continued with a serious look in her eyes. ¡°All of you may see me as a useless yer who doesn¡¯t propose any theories, but I have the right to live. And as a member of the good team, my survival is the best help I can offer. I won¡¯t give up easily and let the werewolves get their way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    Qing Ling seemed unfazed, not swayed by Can at all.

    Then it was Ronnie¡¯s turn. He didn¡¯t immediately speak up. After a few seconds, he looked up at Gao Yang slowly and said with certainty, ¡°Everyone, Captain Seven Shadow is definitely one of the good team members and can be trusted.¡±

    <i>Wait, he¡¯s not stuttering?!</i>

    Gao Yang started. Ronnie must be a special role that gave him information.

    ¡°As for X, don¡¯t believe a word out of his mouth! He¡¯s a wolf! I¡¯m the seer. I checked...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll expose myself!¡± X shouted, interrupting Ronnie.

    Instantly, the intangible power returned to restrict everyone at the table. They could arrange their facial muscles into different expressions and look around, as well as breathe and blink. However, they couldn¡¯t move or say anything.

    Gao Yang felt his head overheating.

    <i>What?!</i>

    <i>X is a wolf running a long con! And he¡¯s the alpha!</i>

    <i>He¡¯s effectively killing himself by exposing himself!</i>

    <i>Isn¡¯t he afraid of dying?</i>

    Still, even when no one waspeting with X for the im on the seer role, X had trouble earning everyone¡¯s trust. Now that Ronnie, the true seer, had made himself known, the others would surely follow Ronnie, and X would die of getting ostracized!

    X knew that he was doomed the moment Ronnie came out of hiding. That was why he dragged someone with him before his death!

    <i>The lunatic!</i>

    ¡°The game continues,¡± Sir Zuo said with increasingly noticeable satisfaction.

    It seemed that he was getting the show he was looking for.

    <i>The bastard!</i>

    <i>We should¡¯ve killed Sir Zuo together before the game even started!</i>

    Chen Ying was taken by surprise. It took a long while for her to calm down, yet her voice still trembled as she said, ¡°Alpha, who...are you going to take with you?¡±

    Even though X was facing his death, he remained fearless, his gaze cold. With a smirk, he said, ¡°I¡¯m taking...Ronnie.¡±

    <i>No!</i>

    The yell was right at his tongue, but Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make a sound.

    He could only stare at Ronnie with wide eyes, and Ronnie held his gaze.

    Ronnie¡¯s eyes were red. It seemed that he would like to say something, but couldn¡¯t. All he managed to do was blink.

    A puff of gray fog emerged above the center of the stone table. Then it morphed into a wolf¡¯s w and shot into Ronnie¡¯s chest with a swoosh, vanishing into thin air.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best, my fellow wolves. y til the end on your own. Don¡¯t give up easily.¡± X rose to his feet with a smile and took big strides into his single cell, his head held high.

    Once inside, he turned around. ¡°What a shame I can¡¯t see such a fun game to its end. Haha, hahahaha...¡±

    X covered his face and burst intoughter like a mad man.

    The gray fog descended, devouring the cell he upied. Then there was an insidious burst of energy. X fell amid the fog before vanishing instantly.

    At the same time, Ronnie realized that he could move now, but he couldn¡¯t speak.

    He knew that there was no fighting the rules. In fact, he had prepared to die when he exposed himself as the seer.

    He stood up and gave Gao Yang and Can a yearning look, his lips curved into a smile. What a shame. He would never know whaty beyond the Gates of Closure.

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    Gao Yang tried his best to fight the power that restrained him, but it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Pinned to his seat, he could only watch as Ronnie walked into the cell and copsed while holding his chest. Then the gray fog imed him and erased his body in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Chen Ying realized with a start that she could speak and move now. She propped herself up with both hands on the stone table, gasping for breath while her chest heaved violently.

    It was a long timeing, but finally, she broke down. She red at the air and yelled, ¡°I¡¯m not ying the moderator any longer! Kill me now...¡±

    Before she could finish, she felt her heart seized by the mysterious power, and she held her hands to her chest.

    ¡°There is no game without a moderator, and everyone will be out.¡± Sir Zuo issued a cold warning. ¡°This is yourst chance. Think before answering.¡±

    Lying prone with her face pressed to the ground and her hair a mess, Chen Ying clenched her fists.

    Even without seeing her face, everyone could sense her ire, humiliation, and heartbreak.

    How long had it been? Chen Ying found her fists rxing. Sir Zuo had spared her.

    She slowly rose to her feet and wiped the tears off her face, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her gaze became sharp and steely, like broken shards of ice.

    ¡°Everyone.¡± She took a deep breath and made the announcement. ¡°The night has fallen. Please close your eyes.¡±

    Instantly, the yers regained their mobility, but not their voice.

    Can looked at Gao Yang, teary-eyed, seekingfort.

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t look at her. Face dark, he turned to get into his cell.

    The others also silently returned to theirs.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what the others were thinking, but he knew that there was no turning back.

    There was no point in wallowing in pain and anger. Neither was there a ce for dignity and pride.

    They were all pawns on this chessboard. All they could do was do whatever it took to win and get out of here. Then they would avenge those who had died in this absurd game!

    Sitting on the cold single bed, Gao Yang quietly waited for the third night toe.

    ¡°The night has fallen. Please close your eyes. Guard, pleasee out... Choose the one you want to protect.¡±

    ......

    ¡°Werewolves, pleasee out... Choose your target.¡±

    ......

    ¡°Seer, pleasee out... Are you certain you are checking the person¡¯s role?¡±

    ......

    ¡°Witch, pleasee out... Do you save this person? Do you wish to poison someone...?¡±

    ...

    Again, no wolves came after Gao Yang tonight.

    Chen Ying stuck to the rules to a T. Although everyone knew that the true seer, Ronnie, had died, those who were out during the day wouldn¡¯t have their roles revealed. Thus, there was always a slim chance that Ronnie wasn¡¯t the real seer.

    That was why Chen Ying still went through the standard questions during the night.

    ¡°The day has arrived.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s cell door opened.

    It took only a minute for the rest of the yers to return to the table.

    Gao Yang looked around and found another seat empty. It belonged to Joker.

    Howughable that he didn¡¯t feel any sorrow, but instead let out a sigh of relief. It was just because he didn¡¯t share much of a history with the dead.

    In an extreme game like this, human nature was so malleable.

    <i>Isn¡¯t this what you want to see, Sir Zuo? Are you satisfied now?</i>

    <i>If I ever get out of here, I¡¯lle for you.</i>

    ¡°Last night, Joker, number 8, died. He was a viger.¡± Chen Ying made the announcement without any emotion. All herpanions were gone.

    At this point, she was nothing but an emotionless machine going through the motions, her heart closed to the outside world.

    Gao Yang focused. Two vigers had died.

    Were Green Tea a viger, that would make the death toll three, leaving him the only surviving viger.

    Then Can couldn¡¯t have been a viger, and she lied.

    However, if Green Tea was a werewolf instead of a viger, there would be a higher chance for Can to be a viger than a wolf.

    What he knew now was that Ronnie was the real seer, X was the alpha, Vermilion Bird was likely the witch, White Tiger the guard, and Electric Mouse and Joker were vigers.

    The surviving special roles were Vermilion Bird the witch, who still had a death potion, White Tiger the guard, and the unknown hunter, who still had a bullet.

    The surviving viger was Gao Yang, and there might or might not be another. If there was another viger, it was likely Can.

    As for the werewolves, there were at most three, at least two.

    Things weren¡¯t looking good. Many could die before the game ended.

    ¡°Sheriff, please decide the order.¡±

    ¡°Again, start with the right.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression was calm, as if this was a simple game.

    Just like Chen Ying, she was also on the verge of breaking down, and she could no longer think rationally. However, she knew that things would only get worse if she let it be.

    White Tiger had the same thought. He forced himself to focus on the game. ¡°I believed the wolf wouldn¡¯te after me, so I didn¡¯t protect myself. I was going to protect Vermilion Bird, but thinking that the wolves would¡¯ve guessed that, I protected Can.¡±

    ¡°I did that because I have a feeling that Can and Green Tea are on opposite sides, and I suspect Green Tea of being a wolf. X¡¯s exposing himself further cemented my suspicion. I believe Can isn¡¯t a wolf, but a member of the good team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I know.¡± White Tiger thought for a moment before adding, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. I am the guard. Please believe me.¡±

    Then it was Qing Ling¡¯s turn. Her face was as impassive as ever. ¡°I¡¯m still voting for Can. Just like before, I believe both Green Tea and Can are suspicious, and both should be taken out.¡±

    She paused and continued, ¡°X said that he was going to vote Joker out and checked Can¡¯s role. It clearly meant that he was going to eliminate Joker before killing another during the night to keep Can alive. Can is his fellow wolf, pretending to be on the good team. She¡¯s kept so that the wolves will have an additional vote to eliminate the good team during the day.¡±

    ¡°However, X didn¡¯t expect Ronnie to risk his life iming the seer role despite not doing so during the first round. Left with no choice, X exposed himself to take out the seer.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t often that Qing Ling would say so many words in one breath. She must have thought her decision through.

    And her reasoning made sense. Even Gao Yang, who had believed Can to be a viger, couldn¡¯t help but waver.

    He nced at Can. Could she really be a wolf? Had the wolves been nning on keeping Can, who seemed like a newbie through and through, as a spy?

    Sensing Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, Can met his eyes before quickly lowering her head.

    Then it was White Rabbit¡¯s turn. She had also put on a poker face, and like a true yer, she said with a cold, practiced expression, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s continue this game with our hands on the table. Things are clear now. I just want to end the game.¡±

    She quickly looked over everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll review the game for you.¡±

 Chapter 315: Second Night

    <h4>Chapter 315: Second Night</h4>

    In the empty prison hall, White Rabbit¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°First, Vermilion Bird is the witch, and she saved Seven Shadow with the healing potion during the first night.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow was the wolves'' first target. I¡¯d have done the same were I one. He¡¯s quick and poses a significant threat. White Tiger, the guard, protected himself. It was a peaceful night without death.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird knows who she saved, and with the information, she chose to run for sheriff.¡±

    ¡°X, getting the alpha role, naturally came out to im the seer role. However, he hadn¡¯t expected factors outside the game to prevent him from gaining our trust. Even the other wolves didn¡¯t dare vote for him for one reason or another.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, an experienced yer, was the only one who voted for X, but it ended up exposing him. Although he chose to give up his vote during the second round, it was already toote.¡®

    ¡°Electric Mouse and Joker are both vigers. They died during the night and had their identities revealed, so there¡¯s no need to talk about them.¡±

    ¡°Among the survivors here, I believe Can stands the highest chance of being a wolf.¡±

    She turned to Can. ¡°Why? ording to my logic, Green Tea, who had experience with the game, was the only one who voted for X when he ran for the sheriff pretending to be the seer.¡±

    ¡°Which means that among X¡¯s fellow wolves, two were too scared to vote for him, which would stem from timidnessmonly seen with new yers.¡±

    ¡°Here, at this table, the only new yers are White Tiger and Can. Green Snake and Scarlet Fox are somewhat new, but not entirely. Since White Tiger is pretty much confirmed to be the guard, the process of elimination would dictate that Can is the most suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we should vote Can, the most suspicious one, out during the day, which would leave only one wolf.¡±

    ¡°I think thest wolf would be between Green Snake or Scarlet Fox.¡±

    White Rabbit stared at Qing Ling and Scarlet Fox. ¡°One of you should be the hunter, and the other the wolf. I don¡¯t know which is which, but I believe Green Snake is more likely the hunter given how assertive and confident she¡¯s been.¡±

    ¡°Lastly, I¡¯ll talk about my role. Like Seven Shadow, I¡¯m a viger. We are thest two vigers, in fact. Protect one of us tonight, White Tiger. From the perspective of the wolves, their shortest path to victory is to eliminate all vigers. With three special good roles left, it¡¯d be unlikely for them to kill all three.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it. I wee you to correct me if you think otherwise.¡±

    Gao Yang apuded her inwardly. Her deduction was almost identical to his.

    In Gao Yang¡¯s opinion, she could be a wolf in deep cover too, but he had to admit that Can was most likely to be a wolf given the current situation.

    Because Can¡¯s role had been too debated throughout the game.

    Based on his previous experience, that usually meant she was either a wolf or a special role. Since Can was definitely not a special role, though, she was very likely to be a wolf.

    ¡°Number 1, speak.¡± Chen Ying had foregone names altogether to call them by numbers.

    Gao Yang nodded and tried his best to analyze the situation without letting his emotions get in the way. ¡°I more or less agree with White Rabbit. We¡¯re almost ying with our roles out in the open. I¡¯m not wholly convinced that Can is a wolf though. There is a chance that she is, but I don¡¯t think her suspicion is greater than that of White Rabbit, Scarlet Fox, or Green Snake.¡±

    ¡°And Elder White Tiger, please do protect me tonight. I know it¡¯s selfish of me to say this, but I¡¯m the only viger given a gold water by both the seer and the alpha. I¡¯m basically confirmed to be on the good team. To ensure the wolves won¡¯t eliminate a whole group, you must protect the surviving vigers.¡±

    ¡°Although there¡¯s a slim chance for that being the case, I¡¯d be thest viger standing if Green Tea wasn¡¯t a wolf. I do believe he is, though, so there should be two vigers among us.¡±

    ¡°Among Can, White Rabbit, Scarlet Fox, and Green Snake, there is a hunter, a viger, and two wolves, but I don¡¯t know who is what.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡± Gao Yang leaned back.

    Chen Ying prompted, ¡°Number 2, please speak.¡±

    Can stopped crying. She had be much calmer after the rollercoaster of emotions.

    She tugged at her lips and earnestly defended herself, ¡°I¡¯ve made my case. I¡¯m a viger. I¡¯ve never lied once from start to finish. I¡¯m not smart. I don¡¯t know how to deduce anything. I don¡¯t dare suspect anyone. You may call me out for beingzy, but I don¡¯t wanna die.¡±

    She was quiet for a long time.

    Just when Chen Ying thought she was done with her statement, she suddenly looked up at everyone. ¡°However, you can vote for me if you don¡¯t know who to vote for in this round. I only wish that my death won¡¯t be in vain, that my death will help you root out the wolves.¡±

    She looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, you must win. Avenge me and Ronnie!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart seized up.

    <i>Shit, calm down!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t let your emotions get the better of you. Don¡¯t break down. Close your heart!</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Your turn, number 4,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank. I¡¯m the hunter. Whoever votes for me, I¡¯ll shoot and bring you with me.¡±

    Gao Yang started, and the others showed varying degrees of surprise too.

    ¡°As for myself, I vote Can. Although we belong to the same organization, I do think she¡¯s suspicious. Everyone has shared the reasons why.¡±

    ¡°Outside of Can, I¡¯m also suspicious of Green Snake. She¡¯s never said if she¡¯s a viger, and she never ims any special role. I think she may be a wolf and is ying by the ear.¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit also seems suspicious to me. Her statement is fine, but as a viger, she knows too much and makes too perfect a deduction. That stands out to me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Scarlet Fox turned to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Sheriff.¡± Chen Ying turned to her too.

    After a moment of silence, Vermilion Bird turned to Can apologetically. ¡°I agree with White Rabbit. I¡¯m sorry, Can. If I have to pick someone today, I¡¯ll pick you. You¡¯re the most suspicious and the most controversial yer at the table. It¡¯s a miracle that you¡¯ve survived this long.¡±

    ¡°As for Scarlet Fox, Green Snake, and White Rabbit, you should be a wolf, a hunter, and a viger respectively. I can¡¯t tell which is which, and I don¡¯t dare vote for either of you yet. I¡¯ll put you aside for now.¡±

    ¡°If I have to choose, though, I am more inclined to think that the wolf is between Green Snake and Scarlet Fox.¡±

    ¡°My reason is that Green Snake and Scarlet Fox had insisted on voting Can out before, likely to keep Green Tea around. It¡¯s a little suspicious for them to so firmly maintain their stance when we had almost no information.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    Vermilion Bird lowered her head and didn¡¯t look at anyone¡ªshe didn¡¯t dare to.

    As the sheriff, her hands were already covered in the blood of herpanions, but the damn game continued.

    ¡°Please vote and decide the yer to be eliminated.¡± Chen Ying started counting down. ¡°Three, two, one.¡±

    A few hands raised at the same time.

    Gao Yang counted. Three voted for Can: Vermilion Bird, White Rabbit, and Scarlet Fox.

    Qing Ling was the only one voting for Scarlet Fox, changing her stance.

    Gao Yang, Can, and White Tiger abstained.

    ¡°Number 2.¡± Chen Ying turned to Can and announced in a cool voice. ¡°You¡¯ve been ostracized. Your role won¡¯t be revealed, but you may leave with yourst word.¡±

    Everyone else was paralyzed and silenced.

    Having foreseen her fate, Can didn¡¯t seem particrly sad or scared.

    She slowly rose to her feet and looked around, her gaze finallynding on Gao Yang. ¡°You haven¡¯t voted for me until the end, Captain. Thank you.¡±

    Gao Yang clenched his teeth, struggling and failing to break free of the invisible restraint.

    He had closed his heart, he had...tried. Still, he felt a dull pain in his chest.

    He wanted to yell, to shout, to hurl the worst curses at Sir Zuo.

    However, all he could do was watch Can turn around and walk into her cell, like a helpless fool.

    Her figure was so slim and tiny, looking so lonely.

    She stopped at the door suddenly and looked back with hesitance, casting Gao Yang onest nce and a sad but bashful smile, her eyes red.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to know you, Captain.¡±

    Then she entered the cell without another look back.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The metal door shut. Then the gray fog followed. The petite girl wavered for two seconds in the fog before copsing and disappearing.

    Gone.

    The deadweight, the tterer, the bundle of joy on their team. The one who couldn¡¯t do much but pulled all the mischievous antics, the one obsessed with games, the one with avoidant attachment personality, the one who couldn¡¯t y sports well for the life of her, the one who was insecure about her boyish figure, the one who found so much joy in a sessful serve during a volleyball game.

    The gremlin who chased him around, calling out, ¡®Captain, Captain!¡¯ The girl who broke into a smile just because he had given her a word of encouragement.

    Who had always cared about everyone on the fifth team.

    Gone.

    ¡°Please return to your cell.¡±

    This time, Sir Zuo spoke up before Chen Ying did.

    Gao Yang instantly recovered control over his body, but he did nothing. He simply returned to his cell.

    Sitting down on his bed, he covered his face with both hands without moving, without making a sound.

    But quietly, the gaps between his fingers became damp.

    ¡°The night has fallen. Close your eyes. Guard, pleasee out...¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know if White Tiger protected him tonight, but the wolves didn¡¯te after him.

    Then Chen Ying spoke up.

    ¡°The day hase.¡±

    <i>Click.</i>

    The metal door opened. Gao Yang walked out and sat down on a high-back stone chair before the stone table. The seat that had belonged to Can was now empty.

    He looked up to scan the table. To his surprise, no one diedst night.

 Chapter 316: Third Round

    <h4>Chapter 316: Third Round</h4>

    ¡°Last night was a peaceful night where no one died,¡± Chen Ying announced. ¡°Sheriff, please decide the order of making statements.¡±

    ¡°My right.¡± Vermilion Bird rested her chin on her sped hands, her eyes lowered rather than looking up at anyone.

    White Tiger brushed back the hair before his forehead and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Seven Shadow. Last night I took a gamble and didn¡¯t guard you.¡±

    ¡°I thought the wolves would have guessed that, which meant they wouldn¡¯t go after you.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. White Tiger had done the right thing.

    He had openly urged White Tiger to protect him on purpose so that the wolves wouldn¡¯t waste their chance on him.

    There was little fight left in White Tiger¡¯s eyes. He had to force himself to focus. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it hard. There are three special roles left with only one wolf. It¡¯s toote for the surviving wolf to kill the special roles. Thus, Vermilion Bird and I should be safe. Between Green Snake and Scarlet Fox, I can¡¯t tell who is the good role and who the wolf.¡±

    ¡°But I believed White Rabbit was very likely the viger, so I took the chance and protected her. It seems that I¡¯ve made the right bet. The wolf must have gone after White Rabbit, but they failed, and no one died during the night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    Chen Ying announced, ¡°Number 9, please speak.¡±

    It was Qing Ling.

    She stared at Scarlet Fox coldly. ¡°You lied. I¡¯m the hunter. Don¡¯t think about pretending to be me. Eliminate Scarlet Fox today, everyone, and the good team will win.¡±

    She scanned the table, her gaze stopping on Gao Yang. ¡°Believe me.¡±

    That was it for her.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart burned with anxiety. He had a feeling that Qing Ling wasn¡¯t lying, and he trusted her. Nevertheless, her statement wouldn¡¯t do her any good. She wasn¡¯t being emotional and provocative enough. It wouldn¡¯t convince the others.

    ¡°Number 11, your turn.¡±

    White Rabbit had lost her intensity. With everything seemingly settling down, she said tiredly, ¡°Things are clear now. Gao Yang and I are vigers, Vermilion Bird is the witch, and White Tiger the guard. That means Green Snake and Scarlet Fox are each a hunter and a wolf.¡±

    ¡°If we manage to vote the wolf out, the good team wins. If we end up eliminating the hunter, the hunter can fire to take the wolf with them, and the good team will still win. However, we¡¯ll lose one more good one. I hope that we¡¯ll make the right pick.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s turn. Hands trembling, he tried his best to be impartial, be rational. ¡°I more or less agree with White Rabbit. Now, it¡¯s a pick between the two. Green Snake and Scarlet Fox must be a wolf and a hunter, and I believe Green Snake is the hunter. When she first spoke, she said, ¡®You better not kill me.¡¯ I believe only the hunter would be assured enough to say that. It seems to me that Scarlet Fox is the wolf ying by the ear. He imed to be the hunter in order to frame Green Snake.¡±

    ¡°I suggest we vote Scarlet Fox out, and the game should end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Scarlet Fox.</i>

    Logically speaking, both Qing Ling and Scarlet Fox could be the wolf, but instinctively, Gao Yang trusted Qing Ling. He could always tell from her eyes. They had an understanding between them.

    Even if Qing Ling and Scarlet Fox were equally likely to be the wolf, Gao Yang would still choose to protect Qing Ling without hesitation.

    Were Scarlet Fox the wolf, ostracizing him would end the game, and Qing Ling wouldn¡¯t die in vain.

    Were Scarlet Fox the hunter, he could still bring Qing Ling down before getting ostracized, and the good team would win. Of course, he would then be an unnecessary casualty.

    Gao Yang knew he was being selfish, but he couldn¡¯t not be.

    Anyone could die, but not Qing Ling!

    ¡°Sheriff, please speak.¡±

    It was Vermilion Bird¡¯s turn.

    She looked up with tears in her eyes. ¡°Scarlet Fox, Green Snake, to me, both of you are suspicious, and I can¡¯t tell who¡¯s the wolf.¡±

    After a five-second pause, she continued, ¡°But personally, I want Scarlet Fox to live.¡±

    Scarlet Fox looked at her with reddened eyes, but he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Green Snake,¡± Vermilion Bird added apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m going to vote for you. If you¡¯re the wolf, the game ends. If you¡¯re the hunter, please take Scarlet Fox with you.¡±

    White Tiger couldn¡¯t speak, but he sighed and looked at Qing Ling with guilt in his eyes.

    <i>He¡¯s going to vote for her too!</i>

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>No, no!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s not happening!</i>

    Gao Yang was silenced. He knew about the bond Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox shared, so there was no changing her mind.

    He turned to White Rabbit instead. <i>Don¡¯t vote for Qing Ling! You must not! She¡¯s not the wolf! I¡¯m certain she isn¡¯t!</i>

    ¡°Three, two, one. Please vote.¡± Chen Ying didn¡¯t give him more time. She started the vote.

    The six of them raised their hands at the same time.

    Three voted for Qing Ling: Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Scarlet Fox.

    The other three voted for Scarlet Fox: Gao Yang, White Rabbit, and Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hand remained in the air. He forgot to drop it. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze at that moment, and his mind nked at the realization.

    <i>Qing Ling¡¯s out.</i>

    <i>She¡¯s gonna die.</i>

    Whoever won the game no longer had any bearing on Gao Yang. Even the world around him no longer mattered.

    <i>No, this isn¡¯t real. This must be a dream!</i>

    <i>Qing Ling can¡¯t die. She¡¯s so strong. She works so hard. She¡¯s supposed to be the protagonist of an underdog manga. She should be the one surviving til the end. How can she die a dog¡¯s death here?!</i>

    <i>This is absurd!</i>

    <i>It doesn¡¯t make sense!</i>

    Like a robot, Chen Ying calmly announced, ¡°Vermilion Bird, being the sheriff, has 1.5 votes, which means that with 3.5 votes against her, Green Snake is ostracized.¡±

    Vermilion Bird and White Tiger turned to Chen Ying, waiting for her to announce the result.

    Both of them wished for the game to end here.

    That would tell them that they had made the right call. That Green Snake hadn¡¯t died in vain. Although their hands would still be covered in the blood of theirpanions, at least they would feel less guilt.

    ¡°The game...¡±

    Facing their heated, imploring eyes, Chen Ying, despite the bleakness that had overtaken her heart, couldn¡¯t help but show pity, her mouth opening and closing hesitantly.

    ¡°...continues.¡±

    ¡°Green Snake is the hunter.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s hands dropped.

    He was right. Qing Ling was the hunter. She didn¡¯t have to die!

    He knew that Vermilion Bird and White Tiger had chosen to save Scarlet Fox for the same reason that he chose Qing Ling, and that there was no right and wrong, only where their hearts leaned.

    But at this moment, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t stop himself from transferring his rage toward Sir Zuo to the two of them.

    ¡°Hunter, do you fire?¡± Chen Ying turned to Qing Ling.

    ¡°Fire.¡± Qing Ling stood up, speaking calmly. ¡°Kill Scarlet Fox.¡±

    Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes were red. His mask fell, revealing a face of pain and guilt, but the more empowering emotion was relief.

    Instantly, a clump of gray fog emerged above the roundtable. None of them could move. They weren¡¯t even allowed to blink.

    Sir Zuo wanted them to witness Scarlet Fox¡¯s execution.

    A few secondster, the fog morphed into a hunter¡¯s rifle.

    Bang!

    No, the gun fired, but it was silent. The sound was merely their imagination.

    The bullet of gray fog hit Scarlet Fox in the chest before dispersing.

    ¡°Please return to your cells, the two eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, I¡¯m sorry for betraying your trust.¡±

    Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°I wanted to tell you who the wolves are, but Sir Zuo stopped me. He warned me that everyone would be killed if I did that.¡±

    Unable to move or say anything, Vermilion Bird looked back at him with pale lips and bloodshot eyes.

    ¡°I...¡±

    Scarlet Fox was going to say something, but he was silenced.

    After a pause, he gave Vermilion Bird a deep bow, his expression one of pure yearning. <i>Thank you for caring for me all these years.</i>

    He turned to enter his cell. As soon as the door closed, he fell, and the gray fog emerged to im him.

    After that, Qing Ling was allowed to move.

    Without even ncing at Vermilion Bird and White Tiger, who had sentenced her to death, she lowered her head and pulled off the Twin Bracelet on her wrist, pushing it toward Gao Yang on the stone table.

    The bracelet reached him.

    She looked up to hold Gao Yang¡¯s gaze for a moment. Then she turned to leave without a word.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t go, Qing Ling!</i>

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    <i>Move, move now! You useless piece of shit!</i>

    Blood streaked down from the corner of Gao Yang¡¯s mouth, the capiries in his eyes bursting.

    He struggled, risking his life to resist the power restraining him. He was going to chase after her, after the girl who was getting farther and farther from him. No one was taking her away!

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang screamed, copsing to the ground with his hands clutching at his heart.

    Sensing his resistance, Sir Zuo had subjected him to punishment.

    Again, the strange power seized Gao Yang¡¯s heart, ready to crush it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...go...¡±

    Gao Yang reached out toward Qing Ling, trying to make it to her even if he had to crawl the whole way. However, it felt as if Mount Tai itself was keeping him down, preventing him from moving even an inch.

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    A few secondster, Gao Yang gave in, screaming and yelling with his body curled together. The pain in his heart almost made him lose consciousness.

    ¡°Stop it, idiot. Live.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t turn around. In Gao Yang¡¯s blurry vision, he could only see her determined and unwavering figure taking big strides into her cell.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door shut.

    Just when Qing Ling was going to copse, the gray fog emerged to erase her, quicker than ever before.

    Sir Zuo did that on purpose as punishment for Gao Yang¡¯s disrespectful resistance.

    Whoever he wanted to keep would only disappear faster.

    Gao Yangy prone on the ground. The intangible grasp around his heart was gone.

    Sir Zuo didn¡¯t kill him. For the pride monster, the show was finally reaching its climax. It would be a shame to kill Gao Yang now.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how long he had stayed on the ground. When he picked himself up, his eyes were dead, a mix of coldness and numbness.

    He returned to his seat without a word.

    ¡°The game continues,¡± Sir Zuo said, his tone pleased.

    The table waited for the moderator to announce the end of the game, but then they noticed that Chen Ying didn¡¯t look right.

    Tears streamed down her face. She was silently sobbing.

    At that moment, she wished for her to have died during the first round.

    ¡°The game...¡± Her voice was trembling.

    ¡°...continues.¡±

    Their hearts fell into a deep pit.

    There was another wolf!

    Among Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and White Rabbit, there was another wolf!

    <i>Hell is other people.</i>

    ¡°The night has fallen. Please close your eyes.¡± This time, Sir Zuo took over as the moderator.

    Gao Yang returned to his cell, plopping down onto the bed. Like a dead man walking, he didn¡¯t move at all.

    He kept telling himself that this was just a dream, nothing but a dream.

    That there was no awakener or monster, that he was still an average highschooler who had just taken the entrance exam and was going to college, that he had a loving family, and a bright future of dreams and hard work awaited him.

    That he would graduate, get a job, get married, have children, retire, and finally pass away on a warm winter afternoon.

    That this was all a nightmare; when he woke up, the absurdity would be gone.

    But why, why did his heart hurt so much in a dream?

    Gao Yang looked down to find Qing Ling¡¯s Twin Bracelet in his tight grasp. It was hard and cold, devoid of her warmth.

    <i>¡®Do you like men or women?¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®I don¡¯t care about you.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®A soul will only slow down my de.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®Worry about yourself.¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®Don¡¯t die.¡¯</i>

    ¡°The day has arrived,¡± announced Chen Ying.

    Gao Yang jerked up.

    Strange, why hadn¡¯t he woken up from the dream if the day hade?

    <i>Click.</i>

    The metal door opened. Gao Yang dragged himself to the seat like a walking dead.

    Other than him, the only ones left at the table were White Rabbit and Vermilion Bird.

    White Tiger¡¯s cell was empty save for the gray fog. The man was gone.

    Yet Gao Yang felt nothing.

    ¡°White Tiger, number 6, diedst night. Nost word.¡± Chen Ying became numb again. She no longer cared about how the game ended.

    ¡°Sheriff, please decide the order for giving statements.¡±

    Vermilion Bird red at White Rabbit with hate and said through clenched teeth, ¡°My right.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± White Rabbit shouted as soon as the permission was given. ¡°Vote for Vermilion Bird!¡±

 Chapter 317: End of the Game

    <h4>Chapter 317: End of the Game</h4>

    White Rabbit shot to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m the witch! I saved you the first night and poisoned Joker the third night! I didn¡¯t expose Vermilion Bird at first because I thought she was a viger covering for me. That was why I pretended to be one while she yed the witch, acting as each other¡¯s cover. You should know that it¡¯s amon tactic in a game of experienced yers.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t foresee that the game would still continue after Scarlet Fox¡¯s death!¡±

    White Rabbit stared at Gao Yang. ¡°Think about it, Seven Shadow. If Vermilion Bird were the witch, she should still have a death potion. Why didn¡¯t she kill me in that case? That¡¯s because she isn¡¯t the witch! She¡¯s the wolf! I¡¯m the witch!¡±

    ¡°She knew that White Tiger would definitely protect youst night since you¡¯re the only viger, so she killed White Tigerst night! As long as she convinced you to vote me out during the day, she would win!¡±

    ¡°I was protected by White Tiger and confirmed to be a member of the good team, Seven Shadow! But Vermilion Bird? Where¡¯s her gold water? X, the false seer, was the only one who said he checked her role! What about Ronnie? He didn¡¯t check her. The first night, he confirmed your role, and the second night, X¡¯s. No one has ever checked Vermilion Bird¡¯s role throughout the game!¡±

    ¡°I thought X was trying to win over the good team, and that was why he lied that he had checked Vermilion Bird as a seer, but now I knew that X was giving his fellow wolf, Vermilion Bird, a fake gold water to confuse us. I¡¯ve believed her to be the viger covering for me, the witch, throughout. I never thought to expose her!¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird¡¯s the wolf! Don¡¯t let her fool you!¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s chest heaved. She had made her case with cutting words, emotional tone, and well-thought-out logic.

    ¡°Please make your case, number 1,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Head lowered dourly, Gao Yang muttered in a hoarse voice, his lips barely parted, ¡°Pass.¡±

    Chen Ying said, ¡°Sheriff.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow!¡± Vermilion Bird stood up urgently as well. ¡°I made a great mistake. I did have a death potion, but I didn¡¯t use it, not evenst night. I should¡¯ve poisoned White Rabbit, and the game would¡¯ve ended.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use it because there¡¯s something I can''t figure out, a great inconsistency: why did White Tiger give White Rabbit a silver water? He must be the guard. There was no reason for him to lie to us.¡±

    ¡°Could White Rabbit have chosen to kill herself, betting on the chance that White Tiger would protect her? That¡¯s too unlikely! At the time, there were many other White Tiger could¡¯ve chosen to protect. Were White Rabbit the wolf, she was unlikely to have killed herself on the chance that he chose her.¡±

    ¡°While I hesitated, the time was up. I didn¡¯t know there was a time limit! I should¡¯ve poisoned White Rabbit!¡±

    ¡°Now that White Tiger was killed, and you¡¯ve been confirmed a good one since I saved you the first night, and the true seer checked you before, White Rabbit must be the wolf since I am the witch!¡±

    ¡°Think about it, Seven Shadow! I saved you the first night. I¡¯ve always trusted you. Although I might have made some mistakes throughout the game, I¡¯ve been doing the right thing most of the time. Were I the wolf, I could¡¯ve won a lot more easily as the sheriff. Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Green Snake, but Scarlet Fox was like a little brother to me. When I could only make a blind choice, I would choose to protect Scarlet Fox no matter how many times time rewinds, just like you would choose to save Green Snake every time. You may hate me all you want, but you must understand me.¡±

    ¡°White Rabbit is the wolf, Seven Shadow! You have to trust me this time! If you vote me out, you¡¯ll get killed by White Rabbit tonight!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was still lowered.

    Chen Ying, the only one knowing the truth as the moderator, averted her gaze. She couldn¡¯t bear to listen further.

    After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°Three, two, one. Please vote.¡±

    Gao Yang raised a fist, not making any number.

    White Rabbit and Vermilion Bird voted for each other.

    They turned to Gao Yang, waiting for him to cast the crucial vote.

    At this moment, where their fate would be decided, Gao Yang realized that he was given the right to speak.

    Staring at Vermilion Bird coldly, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, Vermilion Bird, but I¡¯ll never forgive you. Green Snake didn¡¯t have to die.¡±

    Vermilion Bird couldn¡¯t speak. She looked at him with red, teary eyes, her expression remorseful.

    ¡°White Rabbit.¡± Gao Yang nced sideways at her with a bitter smile. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you. I know you don¡¯t have a choice. Goodbye. I¡¯ll avenge you.¡±

    Gao Yang raised his other hand too. His right hand¡¯s forefinger and middle finger were crossed, while his left hand had extended the index finger. Number 11.

    ¡°I vote 11.¡±

    White Rabbit stared at Gao Yang in disbelief, her widened eyes seemingly asking him why.

    Gao Yang coolly exined, ¡°You almost got me, White Rabbit, but then I remembered a rule the moderator had neglected to exin: werewolves are allowed to not kill anyone.¡±

    ¡°Sir Zuo hasn¡¯t given us the reminder. Perhaps he considers the moderator part of the table, and it¡¯d make the game even more exciting if the moderator was allowed to make a mistake too.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill yourself thest second night, White Rabbit. You didn¡¯t go after anyone. No matter who White Tiger protected, no one would die. White Tiger thought that he had protected the right person and given you silver water, which confused Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°She must have forgotten that werewolves were allowed to not kill anyone since it¡¯s a rare urrence, which led to a conflict in her logic. Her hesitation made her miss the chance to poison you.¡±

    ¡°Youy low first before acting like you were ying for the good team, White Rabbit. You¡¯ve offered logical theories and you¡¯ve been lucky, but your y isn¡¯tpletely wless.¡±

    White Rabbit turned to Gao Yang, having recovered her calm.

    ¡°During the secondst night, between Scarlet Fox and Green Snake, you didn¡¯t say you would protect Green Snake even though you¡¯d paid some lip service.¡±

    ¡°You only supported Green Snake with me after making sure that Vermilion Bird and White Tiger would take Scarlet Fox¡¯s side. You knew that with 1.5 votes as the sheriff, Vermilion Bird would ensure Green Snake¡¯s elimination even though we had two votes. You siding with Qing Ling was meant to win me over so that I would go after Vermilion Bird with you.¡±

    Suddenly, White Rabbit was allowed to move and speak as well.

    She stood up and smiled faintly at Gao Yang. ¡°Good for you, Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    Then she turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°You¡¯ve hit the jackpot by recruiting Seven Shadow into the Qilin Guild.¡±

    Vermilion Bird still couldn¡¯t speak. When she held White Rabbit¡¯s gaze, her eyes were no longer hateful, but filled with aplicated sort of ruefulness.

    White Rabbit hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. She simply suffered the bad luck of drawing the wolf role, and she tried her best to survive.

    She turned to return to her cell.

    Before entering, she paused and looked over her shoulder at Gao Yang. ¡°Seven Shadow, for the sake of the time we spent as colleagues, please bring my message to Captain.¡±

    Now silenced, Gao Yang quietly met her eyes.

    ¡°Good luck, Captain. White Rabbit has been and will always be your number one fan.¡± White Rabbit had a smile on her face, but it was clear in her eyes that she was reluctant to leave her captain. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    She walked into the cell without turning around.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The metal door closed, the gray fog emerged. White Rabbit copsed before vanishing.

    Thest remaining three were freed at the same time.

    Chen Ying fell back onto her chair like the long-coveted release was finally here. ¡°The gamees to an end. The good team...wins.¡±

    The word ¡®wins¡¯ was as heavy as a behemoth mountain.

    Sir Zuo spoke up, ¡°The game¡¯s finished. Now, I¡¯ll go over the rounds.¡±

    Thest thing Chen Ying, Vermilion Bird, and Gao Yang wanted was a review of the game. It was effectively another ten thousand stabs in the wounds that were already left on their chests, but they had no choice but to listen, enduring the humiliation.

    Perhaps that was Sir Zuo¡¯s idea of a fun time.

    ¡°The four good roles are Seer Ronnie, Witch Vermilion Bird, Hunter Green Snake, and Guard White Tiger.¡±

    ¡°The four vigers are Seven Shadow, Can, Electric Mouse, and Joker.¡±

    ¡°The four wolves are White Rabbit, Scarlet Fox, Green Tea, and the alpha, X.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his numb heart.

    So Can was a viger. Just like Qing Ling, she didn¡¯t have to die.

 Chapter 318: Review

    <h4>Chapter 318: Review</h4>

    Sir Zuo¡¯s voice came from all directions.

    ¡°The first night, the werewolves went after Seven Shadow. The witch, Vermilion Bird, saved him with the healing potion, and the seer, Roonie, checked his role. White Tiger, the guard, protected himself.¡±

    ¡°The first day, Green Tea, a wolf, was voted out.¡±

    ¡°The second night, the werewolves killed Electric Mouse, a viger. Ronnie checked X¡¯s role, and White Tiger protected X.¡±

    ¡°The second day, Ronnie came out as the seer, while X, the alpha, exposed himself and took Ronnie with him.¡®

    ¡°The third night, the werewolves killed Joker, a viger, and White Tiger protected Can, another viger.¡±

    ¡°The third day, Can was ostracized.¡±

    ¡°The fourth night, the werewolves killed no one, and White Tiger protected White Rabbit, a werewolf.¡±

    ¡°The fourth day, Green Snake, the hunter, was ostracized, taking Scarlet Fox, a werewolf, with her.¡±

    ¡°The fifth night, White Tiger protected Seven Shadow, a viger, and White Rabbit killed White Tiger.¡±

    ¡°The fifth day, White Rabbit was ostracized, leaving Vermilion Bird, the witch, and Seven Shadow, a viger, alive. The game ends with the good team winning.¡±

    ¡°Haha, what a good show.¡± Sir Zuo chuckled. ¡°You may leave¡ª<i>ack, ack</i>...¡±

    He got into a coughing fit, taking Gao Yang by surprise.

    Throughout the game, Sir Zuo had been the absolute authority in the Rune Cave, having everyone dancing on his palm like God, yet he showed such a weak side now.

    Gao Yang clenched his fists. <i>Good. You¡¯re dead as soon as we get out of here...</i>

    <i>ck.</i>

    Suddenly, there was the sound of metal doors opening.

    Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, and Chen Ying jumped to their feet, turning around.

    <i>Click, click, click.</i>

    One after another, the metal doors opened, and at the same time, the gray fog permeating the prison dispersed quickly, revealing theirpanions in the cells; some were standing by the doors, some leaning against the walls, and some sitting on the beds cross-legged.

    They were all alive!

    Gao Yang¡¯s jaw dropped, unable to say anything while tears welled up in his eyes.

    He staggered and had to prop himself up with his hands on the stone table, gasping for breath as his lips curled into a smile.

    ¡°Hmph...¡±

    He covered his mouth tightly, a hysterical growl bursting out of his chest.

    The greatest joy in life was none other than recovering what one thought they had lost.

    <i>Sir Zuo!</i>

    <i>You¡¯re the most perverted, insidious, cunning, lowly, and insane observer!</i>

    <i>But thank you, fucking thank you for giving them back safe and sound.</i>

    ¡°Goddamnit, god fucking damn it!¡±

    Wu Dahai was the first to cry out. He rushed out of his cell, choking, and grabbed onto Gao Yang while sobbing andughing. ¡°Gao Yang! I¡¯m alive! I¡¯m not dead! Hahaha, can you believe it? I¡¯m still alive! It¡¯s great to be alive, it¡¯s fucking great!¡±

    Gao Yang hurriedly wiped the tears off his face, feeling helpless for a moment. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Thank heavens you¡¯re alright...thank heavens...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being embarrassing!¡±

    White Rabbit walked out of her cell, throwing Wu Dahai a derisive nce, but her eyes were bright with joy.

    ¡°Shut up, you evil woman!¡± Wu Dahai turned around angrily. ¡°Although I was kept in my cell, I could hear all of you. White Rabbit, oh Miss White Rabbit, the Academy owes you an award! You¡¯re best actor material! Trying to fool my Yang Yang til the very end!¡±

    <i>Would you not call me Yang Yang? </i>Gao Yang grumbled inwardly. <i>We¡¯re not that close.</i>

    ¡°You think I want to be a wolf?¡± White Rabbit didn¡¯t regret how she had yed at all. ¡°If you had gotten a wolf card, what would you do? Admit you were a wolf and waited for death? Even if you really nned to do that, would Sir Zuo allow it?¡±

    Wu Dahai fell silent.

    ¡°I tried, but I was stopped,¡± said Scarlet Fox. He, along with White Tiger, Ronnie, and Can, walked up to Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang.

    ¡°Little Fox!¡± Vermilion Bird rushed to him, almost bursting into tears of joy.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Scarlet Fox looked away, shamefaced.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± She held his hands before reaching up to touch his face like an adult would a child. ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay. It¡¯s just a game. It¡¯s not real. It¡¯s over, all over...¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    Can and Ronnie came up to Gao Yang. Can¡¯s voice was soft, and her eyes were red. She tried her best to swallow her sobs. ¡°I thought, I thought...¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯d never get to see me again?¡± Gao Yang had regained hisposure as their captain. ¡°How many times have you said that, Can? Stop it. It''s a bad omen.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Can nodded vehemently, breaking into a beam.

    ¡°Good work, Ronnie.¡± Gao Yang turned to Ronnie. ¡°You were brave.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t y, well.¡± Ronnie was still ming himself. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have checked, X the second round. He had to, be a wolf. I wasted, a chance...¡±

    Gao Yang assured him with a smile, ¡°You yed well for a new yer.¡±

    He extended a hand. ¡°Here.¡±

    Can and Ronnie put their hands on his.

    When there were so many people around, all three of them were feeling a little shy, so they whispered quietly, ¡°May the odds be with us.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to find Qing Ling staring at him with an unreadable look.

    He paused, suddenly timid. He was overjoyed that she was alright, but for a moment, he couldn¡¯t find the words to say to her. He smiled instead.

    Gently, he threw the Twin Bracelet back to its owner.

    Qing Ling caught it and put it back onto her wrist, her gaze piercing. ¡°Hey, why did you vote for Scarlet Fox rather than me? How did you know I wasn¡¯t a wolf?¡±

    ¡°My hunch,¡± Gao Yang admitted. And his trust in her, of course.

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°If you had voted for me, I would¡¯ve shot you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang smothered augh. ¡°I was confirmed to be on the good team by the seer, the absolute gold water. Even if I did make the mistake of voting you out, you shouldn¡¯t kill me. That would be a wrong move.¡±

    ¡°Anyone could vote for me.¡± Qing Ling coldly turned away, her long hair whipping. ¡°But not you.¡±

    <i>Because we never betray each other.</i>

    Gao Yang added silently with a smile.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± ying nonchnce, Vermilion Bird came up to Gao Yang and pped him on the back hard, making him jump.

    ¡°Seven Shadow, my boy, you¡¯ve got something going on with Green Snake.¡± She smirked. ¡°Speak, did you two get back together secretly? Oh, the rotten smell of love in the air. I caught it from a mile away!¡±

    Gao Yang said wryly, ¡°We¡¯ve never been a thing. There¡¯s no getting back together.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s right,¡± Can chimed in hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°<i>Elder Vermilion Bird, I don¡¯t hate you, but I¡¯ll never forgive you</i>.¡± Vermilion Bird imitated Gao Yang in an exaggerated manner. ¡°<i>Green Snake didn¡¯t have to die...</i>¡±

    ¡°Sister Xia, please stop! Please!¡± Gao Yang begged with his hands pressed together. ¡°Please let that go. I¡¯ll serve you like a loyal dog.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Vermilion Bird raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna take it personally. Were I to make the choice again, I¡¯d still save Little Fox, and I know you¡¯d save Green Snake.¡±

    She sighed softly. ¡°Fate can be cruel and force us to make an impossible decision.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope we never run into such a decision,¡± Gao Yang prayed earnestly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded.

    Chen Ying was beside herself as well. She grabbed Green Tea and Joker with each of her hands like an old mother and her two adult sons. ¡°Thank lord, you¡¯re both alright. That¡¯s good. Or I wouldn¡¯t know how to face everyone...¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, my heart sank when I saw that you were a wolf. I thought either you or Joker would have to go, but I didn¡¯t expect both of you to...¡±

    Green Tea smiled with a deep sense of relief. ¡°Yeah, thankfully it was only a game. I¡¯ve lied many times in my life, but never to mypanions, never like tonight. To be frank, it was quite difficult for me...but I didn¡¯t want to die. My little brother is still so young...¡±

    Chen Ying offered, ¡°You did what you had to, Green Tea. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡±

    Joker numbly pulled his hand out of Chen Ying¡¯s grasp; he wasn¡¯t used to Chen Ying¡¯s open show of affection, and he disliked unnecessary physical contact.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Chen Ying realized she had been acting inappropriately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

 Chapter 319: Fate

    <h4>Chapter 319: Fate</h4>

    Joker shook his head and covered his face with both hands. In three seconds, he became a young man with a sunny disposition.

    Putting on a friendly smile, he said, ¡°Thank you for caring about me, Sister Ying.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled. Joker seemed to have trouble showing his true feelings as himself. Perhaps it was impossible to take off a mask after it had stayed on for so long.

    White Tiger dropped back onto his stone chair with relief. ¡°Ugh, finally, it¡¯s over. I was getting a heatstroke back in the cell.¡±

    ¡°Elder White Tiger, was that really your first time ying Werewolf?¡± Can showered him with praises. ¡°You yed much better than I did.¡±

    White Tiger chuckled and said like her elderly, ¡°Observe more and think more. Don¡¯t lose your calm, and you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    In the prison hall, the twelve of them exchanged reassurances and reveled in their survival from what they had thought to be a life-and-death situation.

    X alone stood away from the bustling crowd.

    He had his hands in his pockets, his eyes glinting withplicated emotions. It seemed like envy, but underneath, there appeared to be a cold aloofness.

    ¡°Can we get out of here now, Sir Zuo?¡± X asked the air impatiently.

    That reminded everyone of their circumstances.

    ¡°Yeah! Let us out!¡± Wu Dahai was the first to shout. ¡°And the Rune Circuit! Don¡¯t think about keeping that from us, you damn geezer!¡±

    Sir Zuo chuckled. ¡°Have a seat, everyone.¡±

    They exchanged a nce before sitting around the table.

    ¡°The game ended. The contract is done. The victors are decided. <i>All is fate</i>.¡±

    As soon as he said that, the entire prison began to shake, along with the floor underneath them. Then the scene around them started crumbling into countless particles, revealing a boundless darkness.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Cold, dark seawater swarmed up to them along with gray fog, the sight horrifying.

    Gao Yang felt as if the prison was nothing but a fragile crystal ball, and now that the crystal ball was getting closer and closer to the bottom of the sea, it finally caved under the increasing pressure and shattered.

    Thus, the dark seawater rushed in, sweeping over all of them.

    Gao Yang felt exhaustion hit him. Then he lost consciousness.

    ...

    When he came to, Gao Yang heard the gentle waves. Under him was something soft and cool, and he could faintly smell the sea.

    He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the beach, face pressed against the milky white sand.

    He propped himself up and looked around. He was back on the uninhabited ind with a volleyball court.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m dizzy...¡±

    Lying by Gao Yang¡¯s side, Green Tea slowly sat up with a hand on his head.

    He grinned at Gao Yang. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good that everyone seems fine.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and went up to Can and Ronnie, who were a few meters away from him.

    The two hadn¡¯t woken up yet. He squatted down and patted them on the face.

    Slowly, they opened their eyes, still recovering.

    Can, especially, was still a mess in the head. ¡°I¡¯m tired... I¡¯m not going to ss today... Answer the roll call for me...¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed an exasperatedugh and said, ¡°Can,e y HOK with me.¡±

    Can opened her eyes wide and felt around the beach. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone? Quick, help me up...¡±

    Not far from them, Vermilion Bird and White Tiger had long woken up. As expected of top-ranking awakeners, they regained consciousness earlier than the others and were already waking them up.

    In a minute, all twelve of them had recovered.

    They turned to look at the edge of the beach, where two men sat under the clear moonlight.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Vermilion Bird waved the others over as she went up to the two figures.

    They followed.

    Gao Yang soon realized that those were X and Sir Zuo.

    Sitting on the beach, Sir Zuo¡¯s face was pale and sickly. The muddled white of his eyes turned a lifeless gray. He seemed to have lost all vitality.

    ¡°Hey, old man! Where¡¯s the Rune Circuit?¡± Wu Dahai stalked up to them.

    Sitting crossed-legged across from Sir Zuo, X had his back to them. He raised his hand and waved the Poison Rune Circuit around. ¡°Here. ording to our deal, I¡¯ll give it to you after reaching level 4. Or do you want it now? You¡¯re wee to try.¡±

    X sounded as careless as ever, but there was an underlying hint of intimidation to his voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll honor our end of the deal,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± X put the Rune Circuit away.

    After a moment of silence, he said with a hint of sorrow and reluctance, ¡°Why went to such length, Sir Zuo?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m gonna die anyway. Might as well watch onest show to honor my role as the observer. <i>Ack, ack...</i>¡± Sir Zuo got into a coughing fit.

    This time, everyone could tell that Sir Zuo was soon meeting his demise.

    ¡°You lied, Sir Zuo. That wasn¡¯t a Rune Cave,¡± Gao Yang said suddenly.

    Vermilion Bird started and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°You sure?¡±

    Something had been nagging at Gao Yang. Now he realized what it was: the system didn¡¯t give him a notification.

    Before, the system always told him that his luck point acquisition rate had doubled upon entering a Rune Cave, but that didn¡¯t happen when he found himself in the prison.

    ¡°Yeah, I have a feeling that it wasn¡¯t a Rune Cave.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t give a definite answer since he couldn¡¯t exin to the others that he had a system.

    ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re good, kid. You noticed,¡± Sir Zuo said weakly in starts and stops. ¡°The prison...is nothing but a special subspace I created.¡±

    ¡°Subspace?¡± White Tiger was intrigued.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin for you, Sir Zuo. Have some rest.¡± X rose and turned around to look at them.

    Gao Yang noted with some surprise, <i>So X is on Sir Zuo¡¯s side!</i>

    ¡°Pride monsters have their own brand of Talents too, and Sir Zuo¡¯s is Pride Realm, allowing him to create a subspace.¡±

    ¡°One is a regr subspace that those with great willpower will be able to break out of, while the other is a contract subspace, the one we just entered. Thetter requires consent from the targets. Unless the targetsplete their missions ording to the rules, it¡¯ll never be broken. In other words, Sir Zuo will effectively be God in the contract subspace, free to do anything.¡±

    ¡°However, it required an immeasurable amount of energy to create a contract subspace, especially since he had contracted with all thirteen of us at the same time.¡± X¡¯s voice turned grave. ¡°Sir Zuo went in ready to die for it.¡±

    Everyone was shocked.

    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it good to be alive?¡± Wu Dahai didn¡¯t get it. ¡°If you want to watch people y Werewolf so much, go online. There are lots of shows you can watch.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, a game of Werewolf where the yers think they are betting their lives isn¡¯tmon.¡± Sir Zuo chuckled. ¡°And I¡¯ve lived long enough. It¡¯s time for me to turn in my answer sheet.¡±

    ¡°Answer sheet?¡± Vermilion Bird frowned.

    ¡°We pride monsters...<i>ack, ack ack</i>...¡± Sir Zuo coughed out blood before he could finish.

    ¡°Sir Zuo!¡± X rushed up to him and crouched down to support him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let me finish...¡± Sir Zuo waved a hand and rested for a few seconds before calmly continuing, ¡°We pride monsters are the examinees, and you humans the questions.¡±

 Chapter 320: Answer Sheet

    <h4>Chapter 320: Answer Sheet</h4>

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± White Rabbit frowned slightly. She didn¡¯t like Sir Zuo¡¯s analogy.

    The others were surprised and confused too.

    ¡°Pride monsters are born with a cause¡ªto give our answers.¡±

    Sir Zuo paused and slowly continued, ¡°You differentiate us between lightbringers, shadowstalkers, and observers, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s ording to our answers, haha.¡±

    ¡°In other words, we pride monsters aren¡¯t hostile toward each other. We simply give out the answers we believe to be right, even if they stem from our prideful assumptions, misunderstanding, and one-sided belief...¡±

    His voice thinned and weakened as he reached out a trembling hand, resting it on X¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve given my answers, my boy. You have to walk the rest of the path on your own.¡±

    ¡°Is this really worth it, Sir Zuo?¡± X sounded lost, even fragile at this moment.

    Like a child.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sir Zuo¡¯s wrinkled mouth was tugged by a smile. His hand, covered in earthworm-like veins, quietly dropped. ¡°I¡¯m just a pride monster after all.¡±

    He fell into X¡¯s arms, which wrapped tightly around him.

    For a long, lingering moment, none of them said anything.

    The world between heaven and earth was silent save for the gentle rustles of the wind and the quiet waves.

    Two minutester, X gingerlyid down Sir Zuo¡¯s body.

    He stood up and turned around, his eyes a little red. ¡°You should go. I¡¯ll bury Sir Zuo before heading to Li City to find you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but there are questions I have to ask you now.¡± Vermilion Bird had gleaned some information from the conversation between X and Sir Zuo.

    ¡°Go on.¡± X seemed honest. ¡°But I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Sir Zuo?¡± White Rabbit interjected with a question first.

    ¡°He was the butler of my family.¡± X smiled awkwardly. ¡°I awakened on my fourteenth birthday. I told my parents, intending for it to be a grand surprise...¡±

    He paused. ¡°I was forced to kill my mother that day. My father lived. He was a delusion monster and forgot everything when he woke up.¡±

    ¡°Sir Zuo helped me that day, or I wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat my mother, a ughterer.¡±

    X shrugged, indicating that he had said enough on that.

    Gao Yang took a step forward and asked for confirmation, ¡°Are pride monsters able to recognize all humans, be it awakeners or unawakened ones?¡±

    ¡°Yes, pride monsters know everything about what the humans are up to.¡± X¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Sir Zuo always said that humans were the questions, and pride monsters the examinees.¡±

    ¡°ording to my own interpretation, the Heavenly Way is the examiner, and under the rules of the Heavenly Way, pride monsters turn in the answers they believe to be right.¡±

    ¡°When they protect, kill, observe, toy with humans, they are each giving their answers, and their beliefs may change. Today, they may think that the right answer is to protect humans, and the next day, they maye to believe that humans should be killed.¡±

    X had dropped a bombshell of a revtion, which warranted a confirmation whether he was telling the truth.

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    He didn¡¯t lie.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. Before he could ask another question, Vermilion Bird spoke up, ¡°What is Sir Zuo¡¯s answer?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s between him and me.¡± X refused to tell her.

    Vermilion Bird frowned, considering if she should press for an answer, but ultimately decided against it.

    Chen Ying, who had been listening, posed a practical question, ¡°How many pride monsters are there, and how many of them are shadowstalkers?¡±

    In other words, how many enemies would the awakeners face?

    X nced at her and hesitated before saying, ¡°There were 14 at first. Now that Sir Zuo¡¯s gone as well, there are only 9.¡±

    ¡°So 4 had died before him. How?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Last century, a war between the awakeners and the pride monsters broke out. Three shadowstalkers sought to kill all awakeners, and one lightbringer helped the awakeners defeat them, ending up losing their life in the process. Of course, the awakeners also suffered a great loss.¡± X shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s all I know. I¡¯m not clear on the details.¡±

    ¡°And you think we¡¯d believe that? You must be hiding something!¡± Wu Dahai raised his voice. ¡°The Crimson Tide ising, buddy. Stop keeping things from us.¡±

    ¡°<i>Buddy</i>.¡± Xughed flippantly. ¡°Sir Zuo is an observer, not a lightbringer. You think he¡¯ll tell me everything? Even the Poison Rune Circuit took me eight years of begging, and he still didn¡¯t just give it to me.¡±

    Wu Dahai fell silent.

    X turned around and picked up Sir Zuo¡¯s frail body. ¡°If you have any more questions, askter. I¡¯m going.¡±

    Vermilion Bird looked around and sighed. ¡°Alright. We¡¯re heading back to the vi first.¡±

    She gave X a look. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll hold up your end of the deal.¡±

    X didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, he headed straight to the jet skis parked along the coast with Sir Zuo¡¯s body in his arms.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. <i>Huh, the jet skis have all returned to the beach. Did they get transported here by Sir Zuo¡¯s subspace?</i>

    Pride Realm was indeed powerful, but the price the user had to pay was great as well.

    In thest stage of his life, Sir Zuo exhausted the remaining years he had in him for a game of Werewolf.

    ...

    At midnight, Vermilion Bird returned to the vi on the Shooting Star Ind.

    Gao Yang quickly headed back as well. Before returning to his family, he decided to check on Wang Zikai first. He was a little worried about how Fresh Snow was doing.

    The F Ind wasn¡¯t big. Gao Yang made it around half of the ind and reached the Fairytale Vi Wang Zikai was staying at¡ªor what had once been the brightly-lit vi. Above the sea in the silver embrace of the moonlight, the building was nowhere to be seen.

    Yes, it waspletely gone, leaving only an ind of tnd.

    On the surrounding water, broken shards of wood, windows, and all kinds of furniture floated.

    Gao Yang gradually slowed down, weaving through the floating wreckage toward the ttened ind.

    What happened?

    Was there a tsunami?

    No, if a natural disaster had hit, the whole Naldives should¡¯ve been swallowed rather than F Ind alone.

    Moreover, Naldives was merely a small isted ind in the Mist World. Would the Heavenly Way really simte arge-scale disaster like a tsunami?

    All sorts of possibilities shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind. Suddenly, he sensed the jet ski shaking slightly.

    He looked down to find the water rippling violently, the currents hurried and chaotic. At the same time, Gao Yang felt a great wave of energy underwater.

    The system¡¯s warning sounded in his head.

    ¡ªLuck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times!

    Startled, Gao Yang quickly made a jump toward the ttened ind with both legs, using the jet ski as the stepping stone.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A great torrent of water shot out where he had been. The jet ski was gone.

    After seven to eight seconds, the torrent subsided, the water poured down on the ind.

    Gao Yang raised his hands to shield his face, but it was futile. He was immediately drenched like a drowned chicken.

    Suddenly, he caught a figure hovering above him, under the moon in the night sky.

    More specifically, the figure was standing on a small stream of water that resembled a fountain.

    It was a beautiful woman with silver hair and red eyes. She was dressed in a quaint long red dress that belonged in a pce, hugging her pronounced curves to entuate her sensuous appeal without looking gaudy. She cut an elegant and ssy figure.

    Her silky long silver hair reached her waist with gentle curls, dancing slightly in the breeze.

    Carefully, she held a sleeping white cat in her left arm.

    Although she had just shot out from underwater, she waspletely dry; so was the white cat, of course.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask who she was.

    He could tell at first nce that she was Fresh Snow¡¯s sister.

    He could even picture Fresh Snow being identical to the woman if she looked ten years older.

    They were indeed twin sisters.

 Chapter 321: White Dew

    <h4>Chapter 321: White Dew</h4>

    ¡°White Dew?¡± Gao Yang said tentatively.

    ¡°It seems that Fresh Snow has told you about me.¡± White Dew¡¯s voice was gentle, but there was a cold hostility to it; the contrast gave Gao Yang a curious feeling.

    Head lowered, White Dew nced at Fresh Snow, who had fallen asleep in her arms, her eyes brimming with a loving ache for her younger sister.

    When she looked up at Gao Yang a few secondster, there was only an icy killing intent in her eyes. ¡°I should¡¯ve had Snow eat you back then. And things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a conflicted betterness in his heart.

    When Gao Yang was still weak, he might not be nutritious enough to sustain Fresh Snow for long, but at least she would get something out of eating him.

    Now that he had be her good friend, though, Fresh Snow would never willingly eat him.

    ¡°What the hell are you looking at?!¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked to hear Wang Zikia¡¯s voice.

    A wooden frame sofa floated on the sea, standing on which was Wang Zikai, entirely drenched by seawater and struggling to maintain bnce. He wiped his face and dered, ¡°I¡¯m your opponent, you damn witch! I haven¡¯t had enough yet!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± Surprise shed through White Dew¡¯s eyes. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! That was as good as a jacuzzi for me! Let Fresh Snow go, and I¡¯ll consider letting you live!¡±

    ¡°You? <i>Letting </i>me live?¡± White Dew scoffed.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Wang Zikai clenched his fists, three bone ws extending from the back of each of his hands.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    With a powerful stomp, the sofa underneath him sank three to four meters underwater, while he propelled himself toward the woman hovering midair.

    White Dew already had her right hand aimed at him, and she syed her fingers wide.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Countless rays of water shot out from the surface of the sea, aiming at Wang Zikai from all directions. Under the moonlight, they looked like translucent wires.

    Although the jets couldn¡¯t prate Wang Zikai¡¯s body, they were strong enough to pin him in ce.

    ¡°Again? Is this all you can do?¡± Wang Zikai was irritated to find himself restrained midair. He couldn¡¯t break free no matter how he struggled. ¡°Are you such a coward that you don¡¯t daree at me in person, you damn woman?¡±

    White Dew clenched her right hand in lieu of a response.

    All at once, the streams of water turned into sharp, violet ice cones, closing in on Wang Zikai.

    Then one after another, violet ice crystals bloomed all over him.

    In the blink of an eye, he turned into a human specimen preserved in violet amber, his wide open mouth suggesting he was in the middle of shouting something.

    Then the huge violet ice crystal plopped down into the water, floating on the sea.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang tapped into Teleportation, moving to save Wang Zikai, but he stopped himself the instant he noticed the countless drops of water hovering around him. Densely surrounding him, the droplets looked like a downpour frozen in time.

    Each droplet shook slightly like it had a life of its own. The light violet looked strange under the moonlight.

    Was this White Dew¡¯s power?

    It seemed to be abination of the water and the ice elements, and her control at least rivaled an awakener with level 6 Element-type Talent.

    To make things worse, they were currently above the sea, the perfect battlefield for White Dew.

    Although Gao Yang had gotten much stronger than the time he rode a ferris wheel with Fresh Snow, he was still no match for White Dew.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two options, Gao Yang.¡±

    White Dew¡¯s voice was soft and sweet, but her tone was icy. ¡°First, die having countless holes put into you without even a body to be buried. Second, let my sister eat you. Then at least your death will do some good, and your friendship will be honored.¡±

    Gao Yang silently tapped into the energy inside him.

    White Dew frowned. As a Spectre, she could easily sense the movement of energy in Gao Yang¡¯s body; a predator could always tell if one made a good prey.

    ¡°You know you don¡¯t have a choice, Gao Yang. Why would you rather die in vain than do something good for my sister in yourst moment in life?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gao Yang held White Dew¡¯s gaze, his tone apologetic yet firm. ¡°There are reasons that I must live.¡±

    So he would fight til thest moment even if he only had a one in ten thousand chance of living.

    After two seconds, White Dew slowly raised her right hand. ¡°Then farewell.¡±

    She made to clench her fist.

    In a second, the tens of thousands of violet water droplets would be as hard as steel and as sharp as nails, turning Gao Yang into a hedgehog and injecting him with the curse power that was uniquely the Spectres¡¯.

    Unlike Wang Zikai, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t harden his skin, and it would be impossible for him to endure the attack.

    Even with Teleportation, he couldn¡¯t possibly escape the barrier of water droplets around him.

    He was doomed if nothing changed.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    However, White Dew wasn¡¯t able to clench her right fist. At some point, Fresh Snow had woken up, and she bit her sister on the left wrist.

    Immediately, an insidious crimson pattern bloomed on the skin.

    ¡°Fresh Snow...¡±

    White Dew was shocked. She couldn¡¯t believe that her sister would go so far as to use her curse power to stop her from killing Gao Yang.

    After the bite, Fresh Snow lost consciousnesspletely.

    White Dew was heartbroken and furious, but even more overpowering was her resignation and a mncholy sense of loss.

    Her sister had grown up, and she no longer hung on her every word.

    With a thought, White Dew concentrated her energy to stop Fresh Snow¡¯s curse power from spreading.

    Soon, the red pattern on her fair skin contracted to the bitten part until finally, even the bite mark was gone.

    During the process, the violet water droplets around Gao Yang turned translucent again, and they fell like regr water to form a pool on the ground.

    Without dy, Gao Yang seized the opening to teleport three times to Wang Zikai, who was trapped in the violet ice crystal and floating on the sea like arge jelly.

    Gao Yangnded on the crystal and ced his hands on it.

    He immediately sensed a strange, deep chillingness, which attempted to burrow through his skin and into his flesh and bones like countless worms.

    That was the curse power inherent to Spectres!

    ¡°Fire!¡± There was no time for Gao Yang to dwell on it. Exhausting his power, he tried to melt the violet crystal with high heat.

    <i>It¡¯s working!</i>

    The ice crystal began to melt, exuding a thick, faintly-fragrant violet fog, spreading and permeating the air like a smokescreen.

    When White Dew looked down after concentrating on dealing with Fresh Snow¡¯s curse, Gao Yang had already disappeared from the ind.

    On her nine, violet fog obscured the view above the sea. She could vaguely make out the flickering red light at the center of it.

    It didn¡¯t take more than a split second for her to put two and two together.

    She raised her right hand at the violet fog.

    ¡°Water snakes!¡±

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Three white snakes of water shot out, hissing with dark violet tongues. They slithered into the fog and ran amok.

    Instantly, the fog dispersed, yet White Dew didn¡¯t see Gao Yang and Wang Zikai.

    She felt something grasping her ankle all of a sudden.

    To her shock, Wang Zikai had gotten close to her without her noticing, his right hand mping down on her fair ankle.

    On his back, there was Gao Yang.

 Chapter 322: Brothers in Arms

    <h4>Chapter 322: Brothers in Arms</h4>

    Five seconds ago, Gao Yang rescued Wang Zikai from the violet ice crystal.

    With perfect teamwork, Wang Zikai pulled Gao Yang onto his back and leapt up into the air with the ice crystal as the foothold, dodging the three water snakes in time and approaching White Dew.

    Unfortunately, White Dew was a little too high up for him to reach with Gao Yang on his back, but that could be remedied with Gao Yang¡¯s level 3 Teleportation, and Wang Zikai managed to grab White Dew¡¯s ankle in three seconds.

    His vise-like grip wasn¡¯t so easy to break out of, and Wang Zikai was determined to hold onto White Dew like an ornament, refusing to let go.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang teleported again, this time to above White Dew¡¯s head.

    Hands syed, he shot fire at the top of White Dew¡¯s head. ¡°Fire!¡±

    White Dew had reacted as quickly as she could, raising her right hand to summon an umbre of violet ice crystals, which rotated at high speed.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Two torrents of powerful mes shot out of Gao Yang¡¯s palms, intertwining into a zing pir and pouring down on White Dew. It hit the quickly rotating umbre of ice instead and scattered in all directions. At the same time, the umbre of ice melted under the high heat, sending countless shards loose.

    A small storm of fire and ice crystals emerged on the sea.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t nned to defeat White Dew with his fire. He knew a Spectre wouldn¡¯t be so easily dealt with.

    His seemingly aggressive attack was nothing but a distraction.

    The real ace of this fight was Wang Zikai.

    One hand holding the unconscious Fresh Snow and the other hand summoning the umbre of ice to shield them from the fire attacks, White Dew didn¡¯t have the attention to spare for another source of attacks.

    Still gripping White Dew¡¯s ankle, Wang Zikai extended the three bone ws of his other hand.

    Although he was ashamed of himself for taking advantage of the situation, there was no ce for honor under the circumstances.

    ¡°Get this!¡±

    The bone ws pierced through White Dew¡¯s calf.

    Imbued with energy, White Dew¡¯s body was capable of defending against regr physical attacks. Facing Wang Zikai¡¯s bone ws, which could cut steel like butter, however, her calf was as fragile as a scallion.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    White Dew screamed. Her calf bled from the wounds.

    For the first time, fear crept up on her. Who was this young man? Why was he able to pierce through her calf? Wouldn¡¯t her heart be his next target?

    Finally feeling the threat to her life, White Dew pulled back her right hand, and the umbre of violet ice crystals, now losing the power imbuing it, quickly dissolved under the torrent of fire. It wouldn¡¯tst for more than two seconds.

    Two seconds, nevertheless, was enough for White Dew. She held onto Fresh Snow with both hands and closed her eyes. ¡°Water form!¡±

    Instantly, White Dew¡¯s body turned malleable and translucent.

    It took less than two seconds for her to transform into a lump of violet liquid. Her red pce dress scattered into streams of water without form.

    The ankle Wang Zikai had been holding onto, naturally, had turned into water as well.

    In seven to eight lumps, the violet liquid fell onto the sea, two among which carrying the white cat along.

    Losing the anchor, Wang Zikai plopped down into the water, and Gao Yang followed in three seconds.

    It was dangerous for them to be in the water. Without hesitation, Gao Yang swam to Wang Zikai and held onto him from the back, teleporting in quick session to reach the nearby ind.

    As soon as they were onnd, they got ready for a fight.

    But White Dew didn¡¯t follow.

    After about a minute, lumps of violet liquid converged toward the floating red dress in the distance.

    Slowly, the water filled the dress and gradually morphed into the form of an adult woman.

    White Dew reappeared after a little more than ten seconds, still holding onto the white cat, Fresh Snow.

    This time, however, the sisters were both drenched by seawater, looking pitiful.

    Gao Yang looked at the cat in White Dew¡¯s arms. He felt a pang in his heart when he took note of the way Fresh Snow¡¯s hair stuck together in strands.

    He looked down to find White Dew¡¯s right calf bleeding.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s attack had worked.

    White Dew¡¯s Water Form seemed to have drained her of most of her power. She got increasingly pale, and her chest heaved dramatically.

    She hade to kill Gao Yang to vent her anger. Now that she realized that she couldn¡¯t kill him, she didn¡¯t hesitate to leave.

    ¡°Stay alive, Gao Yang. We¡¯ll meet again.¡± She raised a hand, and following the motion, a screen of water rose from under her feet, obscuring her from their view.

    When the screen fell back down, White Dew and Fresh Snow were nowhere to be seen, and the sea awash in the silver moonlight was calm again.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately rx. He quietly checked his system to make sure that the luck point bonus no longer applied. It seemed that White Dew had indeed left.

    Still, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about Fresh Snow.

    In her state, she wouldn¡¯t hold on for long. They didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye properly.

    ¡°Whew¡ª¡± Wang Zikai exhaled a long breath and looked over at the sea with his hands on his hip. ¡°That damn woman¡¯s the real deal.¡±

    Wang Zikai rarely paid anyonepliments. It seemed that he recognized White Dew as a truly formidable opponent.

    If Gao Yang hadn¡¯t been here to help him tonight, and if Fresh Snow hadn¡¯t acted against her sister at the key moment, it would¡¯ve been a one-sided defeat on his side.

    Still, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t overly pessimistic.

    White Dew was in her favorable terrain this time. Were the location different, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai should be able to match her as long as they were prepared.

    In the past two months, Gao Yang had grown exponentially.

    Yet it seemed insignificantpared to the rate at which the Mist World was deteriorating.

    ¡°Hey, is she really Fresh Snow¡¯s sister?¡± Wang Zikai broke Gao Yang out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°What did she mean when she talked about eating you?¡± Wang Zikai had heard White Dew.

    Gao Yang hesitated. Logically speaking, it would be safer for him to keep hiding the truth from Wang Zikai ande up with a lie.

    For some reason, though, he wanted to tell his friend the truth at this moment.

    He had been bothered by the matter with Fresh Snow for a long time. He needed an ear to hear him out, and at the end of the day, Wang Zikai was the best choice if he wanted to consult with someone.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, Fresh Snow is a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai paused. ¡°Ghost? What ghost? A spirit? A demon?¡±

    In the next few minutes, Gao Yang told Wang Zikai all about Spectres and what set Fresh Snow apart.

    Wang Zikai listened closely, his expression bing strangely bemused.

    After a good while, he knelt down and rubbed at his temples with both thumbs. ¡°It¡¯s a little messy. Let me think, let me think...¡±

    Then thirty secondster, he got back to his feet and pped on his thigh. ¡°I get it now. So Fresh Snow is a ghost, and she has to eat people to survive, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow is special. She can only eat you, and not anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow will die if she doesn¡¯t eat you, but if she eats you, you will die.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow doesn¡¯t want you to die, while Fresh Snow¡¯s sister doesn¡¯t want her to die. So Fresh Snow doesn¡¯t want to eat you, but her sister wants her to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Wang Zikai surprised even himself. ¡°Holy shit! I get all of it!¡±

    ¡°What would you do if you were in my ce, Wang Zikai?¡± It was the first time Gao Yang had ever shown his helpless and lost side to Wang Zikai.

    Surprised, Wang Zikai gaped and pointed at his own nose. ¡°You¡¯re asking for <i>my </i>advice, bro?¡±

    Gao Yang noddeed.

 Chapter 323: Scheming at Night

    <h4>Chapter 323: Scheming at Night</h4>

    ¡°Haha!¡± Wang Zikai pped Gao Yang on the shoulder, pleased. ¡°Youe to the right person!¡±

    He stroked his chin and thought for a few seconds seriously, or he acted like he did.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± He turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Do you want to die, bro?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Then does Fresh Snow want to eat you?¡± Wang Zikai cut him off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, or she would¡¯ve done it already.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s it!¡± Wang Zikai pped.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No fucking but!¡± Wang Zikai interjected again. ¡°You¡¯re a good guy, bro, but you always think yourself into a corner!¡±

    Gao Yang paused.

    ¡°A fruit cut off prematurely won¡¯t be sweet, and a meal forced down your throat isn¡¯t going to taste good! Even if you do sacrifice yourself and let Fresh Snow eat you, is Fresh Snow going to be happy about it? No, she¡¯s gonna live in guilt and pain her whole life. Do you really think that¡¯s worth it?¡±

    Gao Yang was taken by surprise.

    He never expected Wang Zikai to say something so insightful. Was it because he could see more clearly as a bystander?

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Gao Yang held Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes and for the first time in his life, he gave up on thinking. ¡°What should I do then?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. If Fresh Snow does die, you cry and mourn her, and you eat and live like you¡¯ve always done. At the end of the day...¡± Wang Zikai turned to the sea with a serious look on his face.

    Then he abruptly looked back at Gao Yang and broke into a grin, ¡°You¡¯re gonna wake up the next day the same dog!¡±

    Gao Yang gave him a confused look.

    ¡°Hahahah, isn¡¯t that funny hahaha?¡± Wang Zikai was stillughing.

    ¡°How is it funny?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s lips twitched.

    ¡°Hahaha you¡¯re still gonna be a dog! Ahahahaha!¡± Wang Zikai held onto his belly andughed even harder. ¡°You¡¯re a dog hahaha! Woof, woof!¡±

    Finally, Gao Yang burst outughing too. He punched Wang Zikai in the chest. ¡°You really have a few screws loose in your head. You¡¯re the dog hahaha, hahaha...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha woof, woof!¡±

    ¡°Woof, woof! Woof!¡±

    The two stood amid the ruins on the ind, barking like dogs whileughing like idiots.

    ...

    White Dew picked up her sister and fought to her heart¡¯s content before leaving behind a great mess for Wang Zikai to deal with.

    Came morning, Wang Zikai struggled to find an exnation for how the Fairytale Vi disappeared overnight.

    Therefore, he decided to not try at all. He insisted that he didn¡¯t know anything, and that when he woke up, the building was already gone, and he was lying on the ground, the stars greeting him when he opened his eyes.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t step in and yed ignorant. After all, Wang Zikai wouldn¡¯t attract too much suspicion as a monster; if Gao Yang intervened, on the other hand, trouble woulde knocking.

    He returned to the vi his family was staying at before the day broke and got three hours of sleep.

    The rest of the day, he kept his familypany as they enjoyed the vacation.

    Due to the destruction of the Fairytale Vi, Wang Zikai was questioned by the local police and didn¡¯t return until night fell, looking drained.

    Since he had lost his amodation, and the F Ind didn¡¯t have a room for him until the day after tomorrow, he had to turn to Gao Yang for a ce to stay the night.

    Gao Yang¡¯s family weed him with open arms, and they sympathized with Wang Zikai for the incredible misfortune that befell him.

    That evening, they had a pleasant meal together, chatting as they ate.

    And when it waste, Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother, parents and sister retired to their rooms.

    Wang Zikai and Gao Yang squeezed themselves onto the sofa in the living room, chatting away. They talked about going to college. The results of the college entrance exams would be announced in a little more than twenty days, and Gao Yang would fill out his enrollment wishlist.

    Wang Zikai wanted to go to the same college as Gao Yang, which would require the help of his old man, of course, and he didn¡¯t know if he would get what he wanted.

    Whatever the result, Wang Zikai had made up his mind. He didn¡¯t care if he would get a degree out of his time investment; he would be content with apanying Gao Yang for the next four years. He didn¡¯t have anything to do by staying at home anyway.

    Gao Yang was moved, but also rueful.

    He would be applying for college after the Crimson Tide. Who knew if he would live to do that?

    Then they talked a little more until exhaustion crept up to Gao Yang. He fell asleep.

    Since his awakening, his sleep time had halved, and he rarely dreamed. Even when he did, his dreams were more disjointed streams of consciousness than concrete images. This time, however, he had an unusually clear dream.

    Therge, oppressive blood moon hung low in the sky. The entire Li City was covered in crimson blood fog.

    Standing on an empty street, Gao Yang was surrounded by the bleeding bodies of hispanions.

    A hand grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

    Having trouble breathing, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t make out the person¡¯s face no matter how hard he tried to open his eyes.

    Then the person¡¯s other hand pierced through his chest easily.

    ...

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened. Although he was suddenly awake, he didn¡¯t make any sound, nor did his body move.

    He was still lying on the unfolded sleeper sofa calmly, and Wang Zikai, who should be sleeping beside him, was gone.

    Where did he go? Didn¡¯t he need to sleep?

    Just when the thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind, he heard faint noisesing from the open balcony outside. Two people were talking.

    With a Charisma of 500, his senses were keen enough for him to focus and pick up the conversation with enhanced hearing.

    His heart pounded and raced¡ªit was Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°No, I have to eat this instance,¡± Wang Zikai said willfully.

    ¡°I told you to wait. Be patient.¡± Gao Xinxin¡¯s tone wasposed, but demanded obedience.

    ¡°I can''t wait any longer. I¡¯ve waited enough!¡± Wang Zikai grew anxious. ¡°This isn¡¯t what we agreed on!¡±

    ¡°Quiet, you¡¯re gonna wake him up.¡±

    Wang Zikai said confidently, ¡°No, he¡¯s dead asleep.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think he won¡¯t notice? You don¡¯t know how cunning he is.¡± Gao Xinxin scoffed. ¡°Then this will be all for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we just eat...¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang appeared before the floor to ceiling window leading to the balcony and parted the curtains, catching the two conspirators off guard.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai were squatting on the balcony, their shockpounded by their guilty conscience.

    <i>Ha, again? </i>Gao Yang scoffed inwardly.<i> I¡¯m not making the same mistake a third time! I¡¯m not going to overthink myself into a frenzy once more!</i>

    ¡°You two! What are you doing here, all sneaky?!¡± Gao Yang acted like he just caught them red-handed.

    ¡°No-nothing...¡± Gao Xinxin sprang to her feet, trying to hide the low tea table behind her.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t know where to put his hands in his panic. ¡°Haha, we couldn¡¯t sleep, so we had a chat...¡±

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed Gao Xinxin by the elbow and pulled her to his side. ¡°Gao Xinxin! It¡¯s past midnight, and you¡¯re a girl. Aren¡¯t you worried...¡±

    He trailed off.

    On the wooden tea table were two cups of instant noodles that hadn¡¯t had enough time to steam yet, and next to them was an opened can of spam, thest one of those Gao Yang had brought on this trip!

    Gao Yang had been saving it like his life depended on it! He had been reluctant to finish it!

    ¡°My, my spam!¡± Gao Yang felt true heartbreak at that moment.

    ¡°Um, hey bro, Wang Zikai and I got hungry at midnight, and instant noodles were a little in on their own, so we borrowed your spam...¡±

    ¡°<i>Borrowed</i>?¡± If his parents and grandmother weren¡¯t sleeping, Gao Yang would¡¯veid it on them properly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer! I¡¯m digging in!¡±

    Throwing shame out of the window, Wang Zikai grabbed the can of spam and chucked it into his bowl of instant noodle, making a run for it.

    ¡°Hey,e back!¡± Gao Xinxin chased after him with her own cup of instant noodles. ¡°Half of that is mine!¡±

    ¡°Stop! I¡¯m having some too! You¡¯re gonna each give me half of your cup!¡± Gao Yang ran after them too.

 Chapter 324: Moment of Pleasure

    <h4>Chapter 324: Moment of Pleasure</h4>

    Nine o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang and his family sat around the dining table, dressed in loose pajamas andzily having the breakfast provided by the hotel¡ªWang Zikai included.

    They talked about where they were going to have fun in the morning as they ate, the familiarity of their interactions made it seem like Wang Zikai had be part of the family.

    Chewing on the curry fritters like a robot going through the motions, Gao Yang red at Wang Zikai sulkily.

    He was still hung up on the fact that Wang Zikai had conspired with Gao Xinxin to steal hisst can of spam. And he didn¡¯t expect Wang Zikai to be the mastermind between the two!

    Feeling guilty under the using gaze, Wang Zikai picked up a piece of bacon with his fork and dropped it on Gao Yang¡¯s te. ¡°Here, bro, Have some bacon...¡±

    ¡°Eat that yourself.¡± Gao Yang stabbed at the bacon and threw it back into Wang Zikai¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Yang Yang, Little Kai, did you get into a fight?¡± His father opened the can of worms he shouldn¡¯t touch.

    ¡°No!¡± Wang Zikai denied vehemently. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Uncle Gao! We¡¯re the tightest bros! Why would we fight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re so tight that even if there is only one can of spam left in the world, we¡¯ll leave it to the other.¡±

    ¡°Enough already!¡± Gao Xinxin burst out, fed up. ¡°It¡¯s just a can of spam. It¡¯s not worth that much. How long are you gonna be hung up on it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of the spam itself, but the fact that you didn¡¯t get my permission...¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly shot to his feet, his expression tense. Casting his knife and fork aside, he dashed into the restroom and mmed the door shut.

    ¡°Yang Yang, why did you lose your temper? Ugh, this kid!¡± His dad yelled after him.

    Gao Xinxin snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. This brother of mine is just going through a bted rebellious phase.¡±

    Gao Yang locked the door and flushed the toilet, crouching down with his body curled up while muffling his mouth with both hands.

    ¡°Hmph¡ª¡±

    Despite his best effort, moans still leaked out of his mouth. Thankfully, the sounds were covered up by the flushing noises.

    <i>Holy fuck, that felt too good.</i>

    Having two Talents level up at the same time overwhelmed him with the most intense of pleasure. He felt like he had ascended to heaven ande back in that split second.

    Replicate and Lie Detection reached level 4 at the same time.

    It was thanks to his keen six senses that he noticed the minute change in his internal energy beforehand, allowing him to hide in the restroom before the moment hit.

    Otherwise, things would¡¯ve been troublesome.

    Over the past few days, hiding the Rune Circuit on him had always been a headache, especially after Vermilion Bird handed him the second Rune Circuit.

    It was fine for Wang Zikai to see it. As a special brand of monster, he would likely ignore the Rune Circuit even when staring at it straight.

    Gao Yang¡¯s family, though, was another story. During the week they stayed in Naldives, they had been spending time in a vi that wasn¡¯t terribly big day and night. He didn¡¯t have his own bedroom or any personal space to start with. It was difficult to keep something hidden, and a misstep could lead to great disaster.

    For that, Gao Yang had gone all out.

    He kept wearing cropped pants despite the smothering weather, and the two Rune Circuits were attached to his inner thighs withyers of scotch tape, one on each thigh.

    It was...a little disgusting, but the safest hiding ce he could think of.

    When he fell asleep during the night, he always kept his legs pressed together unconsciously, lest anyone take notice.

    ¡°You okay, bro? Don¡¯t be mad at me. I¡¯ll buy you spams once we get home. I¡¯ll buy you a box¡ªno, ten boxes!¡± Wang Zikai knocked on the door outside.

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you. I was messing with you. It¡¯s just diarrhea.¡± Gao Yang flushed the toilet again. ¡°I¡¯ll be done in a minute. Go back to eat first.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, you should¡¯ve told me earlier.¡± Wang Zikai audibly perked up.

    <i>This guy is so easy to cate.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed with a smile and essed his system.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have a total of 183 Luck points.]

    ¡ªLook up level 4 Replicate.

    [Level 4 Replicate: Allow one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 15.]

    [Method: Touch the target¡¯s body for 0.7 second.]

    [Number of Talent Replicated: 1. Storage Duration: 5 hours.]

    [Use Duration: 20 seconds. Cooldown: 6 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 4 Replicate: Willpower + 400, Charisma - 100.]

    ¡ªLook up level 4 Lie Detection.

    [Level 4 Lie Detection: Allow one to determine if the target is lying and if the lie is benevolent or malevolent once every 24 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 4 Lie Detection: Willpower + 80, Charisma + 40.]

    [Status screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]

    [Willpower: 730 Charisma: 480]

    [Luck: 565]

    ¡ªWait, is the math right?

    ¡ªOh, it is. The bonuses for each level up don¡¯t stack, do they? So only the differences between the bonuses granted are added.

    [The system does not make mistakes.]

    ¡ªLook at you being all arrogant.

    [ess ends.]

    ...

    The weather was nice in the morning. The family decided to cruise all the inds that made up Naldives on a yacht, including not only themercial areas, but also the aboriginal settlements.

    Everyone was excited, save for Gao Yang¡¯s mother. The treasurer of the family was worried about their budget.

    The problem was swiftly dealt with by Wang Zikai. He insisted on paying for everyone as payment for them letting him stay the night.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother was the only one who didn¡¯t easily ept it. It took some convincing.

    The six of them had a productive and fun day.

    In the evening, they had dinner together, and the family decided toze about in the vi. Saying that he wanted to take a stroll on the ind alone, Gao Yang left.

    Gao Xinxin was naturally unhappy about it, but having foreseen her reaction, Gao Yang had Wang Zikai deal with her.

    And Wang Zikai did not disappoint. Under his shameless begging, Gao Xinxin caved and yed a mobile game with him.

    Gao Yang walked around the F Ind to make sure that he wasn¡¯t followed before heading to the private water vi on the Shooting Star Ind in secret.

    The extravagant vi, reserved for ten days by Wu Dahai, was still brightly-lit with music ring from the inside, making it seem like there was a big party going on.

    In reality, only Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox remained. Everyone else had returned to Li City on different flights.

    Gao Yang easily vaulted the metal gates and made it across the deep blue open swimming pool. Then with a series of parkour moves, he made it up to the balcony on the second floor.

    When he entered the living room, he was greeted with the sight of Scarlet Fox drinking coffee and Vermilion Bird ying with her phone.

    Alerted, they looked up and only rxed when they saw his face.

    Vermilion Bird asked, ¡°What is this about?¡±

    ¡°Is everything going well?¡± Gao Yang asked instead of answering.

    ¡°The others have gone back first. Little Fox and I are waiting to leave for Li City with X.¡± Vermilion Bird thought for a moment. ¡°We should be getting on the flight tomorrow morning if nothing goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang gave Scarlet Fox a pointed look before looking back at Vermilion Bird.

    Understanding his unspoken words, Vermilion Bird smiled and said, ¡°Just talk. Little Fox is my right-hand man. You can trust him.¡±

    Scarlet Fox didn¡¯t say anything, but there was a look of pride on his face.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang rxed his guard and walked up to Vermilion Bird while taking off his pants.

 Chapter 325: Body

    <h4>Chapter 325: Body</h4>

    Vermilion Bird was momentarily stunned. Then she quickly covered her eyes, but the gaps between her fingers were a tad too wide. ¡°Ah, Seven Shadow! What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gao Yang quickly exined. ¡°I¡¯m wearing something underneath.¡±

    He quickly took off his cropped pants, revealing a pair of tight ck swimming shorts that reached his knees. Taped to his left inner thigh was a Rune Circuit wrapped in ck stic bag.

    He peeled off theyers of scotch tape and detached the Knowledge Rune Circuit from his thigh, taking it out of the ck stic bag to hand it to Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Vermilion Bird frowned and didn¡¯t take it. Instead, she nced at Scarlet Fox.

    Scarlet Fox hesitated as well, looking at Gao Yang with a reluctant expression on his face. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, you...don¡¯t have an infectious disease, do you?¡±

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t!¡± Gao Yang felt a stab of anger and hurt. ¡°And I kept it in a stic bag. I care about hygiene very much!¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re so cautious that it makes you unattractive.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°As long as I can make sure that no one notices, I¡¯d even happily tuck it in my...¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Vermilion Bird cleared her throat, indicating for Gao Yang to stop talking.

    With a disgusted look on his face, Scarlet Fox gingerly took the Rune Circuit from Gao Yang with the tips of his two fingers, and he immediately turned around to make a dash for the bathroom, most likely to clean the Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang put his pants back on and said with a smile, ¡°Sister Xia, my Replicate and Lie Detection have both reached level 4. I don¡¯t need the Knowledge Rune Circuit anymore, so you should have it for safekeeping.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed as much.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°Congrats on getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the Time-Space Rune Circuit with me. Hopefully, my Talent will level up before the Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°Let me give you a gift, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°A moment.¡±

    She went into a room and emerged with something in her hand a minuteter; it was an arm pocket that was very close to skin color.

    ¡°Come on, take off your shirt.¡± Vermilion Bird smirked, her eyes twirling around.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even pause before grabbing the hem of his t-shirt and quickly pulling it off his head, revealing his upper body. While he was on the slim side, his muscles were well-defined.

    ¡°Whoa.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stared at his abs, the smile on her face deepening. ¡°You¡¯re more fit than I thought.¡±

    She tipped her chin up. ¡°Raise your hand.¡±

    Gao Yang raised his right hand. Vermilion Bird came up to him and put the arm pocket on the inner side of his arm, under his armpit.

    Gao Yang looked down at it. The arm pocket didn¡¯t stand out. Once he put his t-shirt back on, it would be practically invisible.

    ¡°See, isn¡¯t this much better?¡±

    Vermilion Bird took a step back and gave Gao Yang¡¯s youthful body an appreciative look. She said with a smile, ¡°The Guild has long considered the ease of carrying Rune Circuits around. This is a custom-made arm pocket the back office provides for free. I thought you knew about it.¡±

    Gao Yang put on his t-shirt and grumbled, ¡°How would I know? No one ever told me, and I¡¯ve never been to the back office since I joined the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Haha, this is the arm pocket I used to carry the Time-Space Rune Circuit here.¡± Vermilion Birdughed. ¡°I don¡¯t have a new one. You¡¯ll have to make do with it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sister Xia!¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be more grateful. He didn¡¯t even stop before he started taking off his pants once more.

    ¡°Whoa, what are you doing now?!¡± Vermilion Bird staggered back. She almost covered her eyes again.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem to care at all. ¡°I¡¯m swapping the Rune Circuit to the arm pocket. It¡¯s ufortable taping it to my leg. And it¡¯s hot!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you even kept it on for so many days¡± Vermilion Bird sighed and waved him away. ¡°The restroom is that way. Take care of it inside. This is inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Gao Yang headed to the restroom.

    Vermilion Bird smiled wryly at Gao Yang¡¯s back.<i> Seven Shadow, just when I felt a little attraction for you, you ruined it.</i>

    <i>Wait, did he do it on purpose?</i>

    Vermilion Bird paused, her eyes curving for a fleeting moment.

    After a few minutes, Gao Yang and Scarlet Fox each came out of the restroom and the bathroom respectively.

    ¡°Done.¡±

    They said at the same time before stopping to exchange a nce.

    Gao Yang had already taken off his swimming shorts and peeled off the scotch tape wrapped around his thigh, putting the Time-Space Rune Circuit in the skin-color arm pocket. He felt much better now, his steps lighter.

    On the other hand, Scarlet Fox had the Knowledge Rune Circuit wrapped in a white handkerchief. He had washed, disinfected, and wiped the Rune Circuit many times.

    <i>Clean freak!</i> Gao Yang grumbled inwardly.

    While Scarlet Fox thought, <i>Slob!</i>

    They each picked on the other silently.

    Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Vermilion Bird waved at them while holding a cup of ck tea in her other hand.

    ¡°Come, have a seat.¡±

    They obliged.

    Vermilion Bird took a sip. ¡°Seven Shadow, Scarlet Fox, I just got a call from Guildmaster. He¡¯s meeting Alcoholic with Surnamed Li tonight.¡±

    ¡°I hope everything goes well,¡± said Scarlet Fox.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that it will.¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic. ¡°Alcoholic seems like a strange character too.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever met Alcoholic?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Vermilion Bird shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a he or a she.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get it. ¡°The power ranking is done by the Qilin Guild, and Alcoholic ranks fourth. That must mean the Guild knows something about them.¡±

    ¡°Ha, the ranking is actually based off of an old list from the previous century. At the time, there were a good number of powerful awakeners, Alcoholic being one of them. However, most of them have died over the years. I think Alcoholic is the only one still alive.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°After the Qilin Guild was established, Alcoholic has stayed among the top five on the list as a prominent awakener from her time out of our respect for those who came before us.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. <i>So that¡¯s what happened. Then Alcoholic must be quite old.</i>

    Gao Yang had only met two older awakeners since his awakening. One being Madam Li, who looked younger than her actual age, and the other being Mischievous Monkey from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Awakeners were a risky job. Their life expectancy was quite low.

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird turned to Gao Yang. ¡°After Scarlet Fox and I leave, you¡¯ll be on your own. Will you be alright?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Fresh Snow had been taken away by White Dew, and he only had the Time-Space Rune Circuit on him now. Besides, very few even knew he had a Rune Circuit with him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t think there was anything else that would get him in trouble here.

    And even if he did get in trouble, there was Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll see you in Li City.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted, and her voice softened. ¡°Enjoy your time with your family.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ...

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t stay at Vermilion Bird¡¯s ce for long. When he returned to the F Ind, it was ten o¡¯clock at night.

    He walked past the beach where he had surfed before. There were still quite a lot of tourists around. Young men and women in beach shorts and bikinis hung out on the beach. There were even people lighting fireworks.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    A thunder crackled through the night sky, and droplets of rain fell. Such was the weather of Naldives during the rainy season. There was no telling when a shower woulde.

    The visitors rushed toward the hotel onshore, shielding their heads with their hands while loudlyining about the literal rain on their parade. Soon, Gao Yang was the only one left on the beach.

    Walking in the pouring rain, Gao Yang suddenly realized that he stood out this way. He should¡¯ve sought shelter too.

    But he was in a contrarian mood. He had always liked walking in the rain.<i> Whatever, I¡¯ll just head back to the vi. It¡¯s not far away.</i>

    He brushed his wet bang back. After taking a few steps, he caught something from the corner of his eye. He stopped to look to the side.

    On the beachy a body!

 Chapter 326: The Elusive Sect

    <h4>Chapter 326: The Elusive Sect</h4>

    Green Lotus Park, Shanqing District, Li City.

    Late at night, a ck limousine slowly drove through the gates of the park amid the drizzle. Due to the weather, the park seemed lonesome without any visitors.

    Being one of the top three parks in Li City, the Green Lotus Park was filled with thriving greenery and wonderful natural scenery, the most famous of which was the Green Lotus Lake. Every summer, lotuses bloomed all across theke, painting a vibrant picture.

    With the picturesque sight as backdrop, a picture taken on the octagonal pavilion in the heart of theke would look surreal in its beauty. The ce was thus a popr photoshoot spot for those who loved the aesthetics of the ancient period.

    Now, the ck limousine was heading toward theke with four passengers.

    The driver was a middle-aged man in a mask, a pair of sunsses, and a baseball cap, almost covering his entire face. His body was simrly covered by a set of formal ck suits and a pair of ck gloves. He was showing almost no skin.

    He was Goldthread, the sixth team leader of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Goldthread, a traditional medicine, was known for its bitterness, which reflected the man¡¯s miserable life.

    Not long after his awakening, he was spotted by a wrath monster. At the time, he was a firework maker at a firework factory.

    That night, he was forced to blow up the entire factory in an attempt to take the wrath monster with him. As a result, he suffered from burns that covered arge part of his body and was ina for an entire month. It was thanks to the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s help that he came back from the mouth of hell. Since then, he had been a member of the Union to repay the debt.

    The one riding shotgun was a quiet little boy, Little Tian of the third team.

    Dressed in boys¡¯ suits with the seatbelt on, he closed his eyes and activated Sensory, making sure that no suspicious living organisms were within the one kilometer radius.

    The backseat of the limousine was a small booth-likepartment. Surnamed Li and Qilin sat across from each other on two small couches; between them was a fixed ss tea table with a number of magazines and teas.

    The driver drove steadily. It felt as if the two of them were sitting inside a house rather than a car.

    Holding onto his cane with both hands, Qilin said with a smile, ¡°I thought it was Mr. Alcoholic, but it turned out to be Miss Alcoholic.¡±

    ¡°<i>Miss</i>?¡± Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°It¡¯s 2018. If my memory serves me right, she should be 96 years old now.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s 96? She¡¯s led a longer life than I expected.¡± Qilin was quite surprised. He added in a measured tone, ¡°Especially for an awakener.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°She¡¯s the most long-living awakener in the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li, how did you and Alcoholic know each other?¡± Qilin was curious.

    ¡°Oh, she was the one who guided me into this world.¡± Surnamed Li lowered her eyes with a hint of admiration in her gaze. She reminisced, ¡°And a founding member of the first organization that I joined.¡±

    Qilin quietly thought for a moment, a name from a bygone era surfacing in his mind. ¡°The Elusive Sect.¡±

    It was an awakener organization from a long time ago, established in the 40s in the past century. At the time, the world of awakeners was not yet divided into three main factions as it was now; the Elusive Sect could be described as the organization that ruled all awakeners.

    Even the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the longest running organization at the moment, was established twenty years after the emergence of the Elusive Sect.

    However, since the Gates of Closure and the Rune Circuits had not been discovered yet at the time, no one was able to push their Talents beyond level 3, and the awakeners as a whole were weaker.

    There wasn¡¯t much record about the Elusive Sect. The most well-known incident was the White Disaster, which happened 38 years ago.

    It was said to be a war between awakeners and elite monsters, led by a few pride monsters. Whether the information was urate, though, remained a mystery due tock of evidence.

    After the White Disaster, the Elusive Sect fell apart, and a good portion of awakeners died.

    Surnamed Li nodded with a chuckle. ¡°I joined the Sect in the 70s, when I was 15 years old. Thinking back, the ten years that followed felt more like a dream.¡±

    Qilin drew the timeline in his head. ¡°Madam Li, the Elusive Sect was destroyed ten years after you joined?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What was the White Disaster, exactly?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Surnamed Li shook her head. ¡°At the time, my Prophet was level 3 with limited capabilities, and I wasn¡¯t abatant for the frontlines.¡±

    Her voice turned mournful. ¡°That winter, allbatants of the Elusive Sect were sent on an important mission. At midnight, Alcoholic rushed in covered in blood and seriously injured. She told me that everyone sent on the mission was dead, including her husband, the founder of the Sect.¡±

    She paused. It seemed that recalling the memory itself was painful for her, and she needed time to collect herself.

    Qilin waited patiently.

    ¡°That night, Alcoholic decided to flee with me, but elite monsters caught up with us, and we were ambushed. I don¡¯t know what happened afterwards since I¡¯d lost consciousness.¡±

    ¡°When I came to, I¡¯ve lost mobility in my lower body, and I was somewhere I didn¡¯t know. Alcoholic was nowhere to be seen.¡±

    ¡°Ind Nation.¡± Qilin had guessed where she was.

    ¡°Yes, it was a tiny isted ind of the Mist World. I stayed there for three years, during which a local awakener took care of me. Heter became my husband.¡±

    Qilin nodded.

    ¡°Three yearster, myte husband and I returned to Li City. I looked for Alcoholic and all members of the Elusive Sect, but found nothing. It was as if the Sect had already be history.¡±

    ¡°A yearter, I established the Hundred Rivers Union. Then my husband passed away. After that, I saw Alcoholic again.¡±

    ¡°When the White Disaster hit, Alcoholic was 58, but she still looked no older than someone in her thirties. Yet when I saw her again in the year 2000, 18 years ago, she looked just like her age at 78. I couldn¡¯t even recognize her at first nce. Time is cruel.¡±

    ¡°She refused to say anything about the Elusive Sect or the White Disaster. All she told me was that there was no changing the past, and that we had to live for the future.¡±

    ¡°I wanted Alcoholic to join the Hundred Rivers Union. I even thought about having her lead the Union, lead the awakeners atrge. Ever since you discovered the Rune Circuits two decades ago, awakeners had been getting stronger, and I believed the future awaiting us to be a bright one.¡±

    Qilin could guess what happened then. ¡°But Alcoholic rejected you.¡±

    ¡°Yes. She said that she was old, and the future of awakeners no longer concerned her. She wanted nothing but to enjoy thest few years of her life.¡±

    Surnamed Li let out a drawn-out sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not something I expected to hear from her. If you¡¯ve met her in her prime, you¡¯d know how ambitious and idealistic she was.¡±

    ¡°What has she been doing?¡± Qilin asked curiously.

    ¡°Nothing. She drinks every day until she¡¯s wasted.¡± Surnamed Li sighed again. ¡°Thest time she allowed me to visit her, it was a year ago, and she had run out of money to buy more alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that she agreed to meet you this time because she¡¯s run out of the money you gave herst time?¡± Qilin joked.

    Surnamed Li smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps that is the case.¡±

    The car stopped.

    With a hoarse voice that sounded more like a hiss, Yellowthread said, ¡°Madam Li, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±

 Chapter 327: Alcoholic

    <h4>Chapter 327: Alcoholic</h4>

    Qilin turned to look out of the car window. They were on a patch ofwn by the Green Lotus Lake.

    ¡°Wait in the car, Little Tian,¡± Surnamed Li said gently.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Tian blinked with hisrge, clear eyes before closing them, keeping his senses extended.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Goldthread,¡± Surnamed Li added.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Goldthread got out of the door and opened a long ck umbre, walking to the tail of the car to open the truck and retrieve the folding wheelchair.

    He quickly returned to the left side of the car and set up the wheelchair before opening the door. One hand holding the umbre, he extended his other hand to Surnamed Li, who was in the backseat.

    Her body immediately became light, and she floated slowly out of the car,nding on the wheelchair.

    Still holding up the umbre, Goldthread pushed the wheelchair forward with his other hand.

    Qilin followed after them, his gaze sharpening.

    Goldthread¡¯s Talent was likely Gravity, serial number 31, Time-Space-type. It allowed the user to manipte the gravitational pull of themselves and everything around them.

    Most members of the Hundred Rivers Union had a Talent outside the top 100, but there were formidable awakeners among their team leaders. It seemed that the Union wasn¡¯t as weak as generally believed to be.

    Holding a long ck umbre with one hand and his cane in the other, Qilin slowly caught up with them.

    A spacious, worn-down RV parked by the Green Lotus Lake. It must have been there for a long while. A canopy had been set up at the tail of the car, under which was a small table and a folding stool.

    A varying assortment of things were stacked around the car, mostlymonce cans and bottles, including ones for beer, distilled spirit, grape wine, and medicinal wine. It looked like the collection of an alcohol bottle fanatic.

    Goldthread pushed Surnamed Li to the RV, while Qilin followed with his cane, his movement a little uncoordinated despite his best effort.

    For a moment, Qilin wondered how pathetic they must look.

    Two people with disabilities were seeking the help of an alcoholic who got wasted every day in order to save all humanity. What an absurd story.

    ¡°Alcoholic,¡± Surnamed Li called out.

    There was no response from the RV. Rain continued to y a stato on the car windows while misty wind swept over the rundown exterior. The picture painted was quite a sorry one.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it impolite to call an elderly woman Alcoholic?¡± Qilin asked with a smile.

    ¡°She¡¯s only gonna lose her temper if anyone dares to use honorifics with her,¡± Surnamed Li exined with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s always been defiant in the face of aging.¡±

    ¡°Alcoholic!¡± Qilin called out too now that he knew it wasn¡¯t a concern.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Amotion came from the RV. Then orange light lit up on the other side of the window. The old, sorry-looking car gained a lived-in sort of warmth.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked an old woman¡¯s voice. It was hoarse and cranky, but spirited.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Muzi[1],¡± Surnamed Li answered loudly. ¡°I¡¯m with Qilin. We¡¯ve arranged to meet up tonight.¡±

    The owner of the RV quieted for a moment, seemingly in a struggle to remember the arrangement.

    Then she said irritably, ¡°I¡¯m sleeping. Come back tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°You agreed to meet us tonight, Alcoholic.¡± Surnamed Li started ying the pity card. ¡°It¡¯s pouring outside. I¡¯m in a wheelchair, and he¡¯s walking with a cane. It¡¯s not easy for us toe all the way here. Are you really going to turn us away?¡±

    Qilin felt even more pitiful.

    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m not meeting you. I¡¯m going to sleep...¡± The voice grew even more irritated.

    Qilin had a box under the arm holding the umbre. ¡°Alcoholic, knowing that you¡¯re a drinker, I brought you an aged bottle from 1995.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± A pleased, livelyugh came from the car. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring a gift with you. Come on in.¡±

    A few secondster, the door opened to the side, and a slope was extended down to the ground.

    Surnamed Li and Qilin shared a resigned look.

    Alcoholic was a mischievous elderly woman.

    ¡°You should head back to the car, Goldthread.¡± Surnamed Li nced at Qilin. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Goldthread took his leave. Putting away his umbre, Qilin pushed Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair up into the RV.

    The RV was quite big. The front part was a living space with a dining table and a couch, while the back was divided into the kitchen and the elevated bedroom with a bathroom underneath it.

    The kitchen sink was filled with unwashed utensils, and the floor covered in clothes, everyday items, and empty bottles and cans. Qilin almost didn¡¯t have room to take his steps.

    The owner of the RV was a frail old woman with frayed white hair and sunken, wrinkly face. The oversized men¡¯s t-shirt of well-worn ck fabric looked like a stretched dress on her. On her veiny feet were a pair of dirty flip-flops. It was an understatement to call her a mess.

    Sitting on a recliner, she scratched her head with a foot on the seat, bleary-eyed. ¡°Sit wherever.¡±

    Surnamed Li was saved the trouble since she was already sitting on the wheelchair. Meanwhile, Qilin had the difficult task of scanning the interior for a ce to sit.

    In the end, he found a low stic stool and sat down awkwardly, his limbs pressed together in an unfamiliar manner. He felt like an idiot.

    Alcoholic¡¯s yellowish skin hung loosely on her bones, and her eyes were so swollen that it looked like there were two waterskins dangling underneath, leaving her eyes two narrow slits. What could be seen through the slits, however, weren¡¯t muddled, but sharp.

    As soon as Qilin sat down, Alcoholic extended her bony hand to him. ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    Qilin handed her the box.

    She took it excitedly and made quick work of the sophisticated box, her awakened state made obvious by the way she easily tore through the container.

    Inside was a bottle of fine <i>baijiu</i>[2]. She uncapped it with her teeth with a pop.

    Rubbing her reddened nose, she leaned in and took a whiff at the mouth of the bottle. A look of satisfaction smoothed out the wrinkles on her face. ¡°Nice! What a fine fragrance! I can smell the years it¡¯s gone through!¡±

    She lifted the bottle and was going to take a gulp directly.

    ¡°Alcoholic,¡± Surnamed Li hurriedly stopped her. They couldn¡¯t allow her to get drunk so soon tonight. They had to pace her and seized the time to talk business.

    She smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it boring to drink such fine liquor on your own? Why don¡¯t we share?¡±

    ¡°Muzi, you¡¯ve finally started drinking too?¡± Alcoholic was taken by surprise. Then she said happily, ¡°Great! You¡¯ve learned! What else can we do with our troubles but to drink them away?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making an exception today.¡± Surnamed Li nced at Qilin. ¡°Mainly to keep you twopany.¡±

    Alcoholic turned to Qilin. ¡°Are you a drinker too, young man?¡±

    Qilin nodded and said humbly, ¡°I do drink red wine every now and then.¡±

    ¡°Haha, good!¡± Alcoholic brightened up. ¡°Let¡¯s not stop until we¡¯re drunk tonight. Look at the rain outside. What great weather for drinking.¡±

    She put down the bottle and looked around. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have cups.¡±

    ¡°Bowls will do,¡± Surnamed Li suggested.

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll drink with bowls...wait, I haven¡¯t washed them.¡±

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Qilin stood up and, without his cane, limped his way to the sink in the small kitchen in the back. He opened the tap and waited for the water to fill the sink. In the meantime, he first took care of the messy counter, throwing empty cans and take-outs into a trash bag and tying it up.

    Holding the bottle of <i>baijiu </i>in her hands, Alcoholic watched Qilin do her chores and chuckled. ¡°What an honor to have the leader of the Qilin Guild do my dishes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one of the founding members of the Elusive Sect. It¡¯s only right for me to do this.¡± With his back to Alcoholic, Qilin talked her up in a humble tone.

    ¡°Good man!¡± Alcoholic¡¯s mood brightened further. She turned to Surnamed Li and said straightforwardly, ¡°Tell me, Muzi, why are you here?¡±

    1. The character <i>mu </i>Ä¾ and <i>zi </i>×Ó are the two parts of her surname, <i>li</i> Àî. ?

    2. A colorless Chinese liquormonly distilled from fermented sorghum. It looks like the Korean <i>soju</i>, but is much more potent, with an alcohol content between 35% and 60%. ?

 Chapter 328: Drink and Chat at Night

    <h4>Chapter 328: Drink and Chat at Night</h4>

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be frank with you.¡± For the next few minutes, Surnamed Li went into details about the uing Crimson Tide.

    Alcoholic cradled the bottle in her hands and took a whiff every once in a while; only she knew if she was listening or daydreaming.

    Five minutester, Surnamed Li turned to Alcoholic to check her reaction, having exined the situation.

    Alcoholic put down the bottle and looked up at her, saying in a tonepletely devoid of surprise, ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡±

    Surnamed Li paused and broke into a resigned smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that dire enough?¡±

    ¡°Who knows how many more days I¡¯ll live in this state?¡± Alcoholic said self-deprecatingly. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll get drunk and never wake up another day. Why should I care so much?¡±

    Surnamed Li didn¡¯t deem that a response. She knew Alcoholic wasn¡¯t being genuine.

    ¡°Besides, I can barely stay on my two feet. Do you really expect me to fight monsters?¡± Alcoholicughed harder. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a struggle to even cheer you on!¡±

    Qilin limped his way back with two white porcin bowls he¡¯d washed and a white porcin saucer filled with peanuts. ¡°I saw a pack of peanuts. It¡¯s not past the expiration date yet. It¡¯ll make a good pair with the drink.¡±

    ¡°Nice! Nicely done!¡± Alcoholic¡¯s eyes lit up in joy. She beckoned him over. ¡°Come,e!¡±

    Qilin put down the bowls. Alcoholic poured both of them some liquor. Then she drank straight from the bottle.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Alcoholic leaned back into the couch with the bottle in her arms, content. ¡°As expected of a <i>baijiu </i>from 1995. It feels like I¡¯m taken back to that year...¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li each picked up a bowl and took a sip.

    Surnamed Li immediately frowned, while Qilin managed to keep a straight face despite the burn in his throat.

    Alcoholic visibly perked up after getting some drink in her; even her yellowishplexion gained a hint of red.

    She sat up and popped a peanut into her mouth, crunching it. ¡°To tell you the truth, Muzi, I¡¯ve long known about the Crimson Tide you dreamed of.¡±

    Both Surnamed Li and Qilin were shocked.

    A few secondster, Qilin asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have the ability to predict the future too, do you, Alcoholic?¡±

    ¡°Haha, no, I don¡¯t.¡± Alcoholic took another swig before mming the bottle onto the table, pounding on her chest in a way reminiscent of her once ambitious self. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Qilin acted down-to-earthly now that he was with an awakener more senior than he was.

    ¡°You were with me for ten years, Muzi.¡± Alcoholic turned to Surnamed Li. ¡°Do you know what my Talent is?¡±

    Surnamed Li shook her head.

    Alcoholic¡¯s Talent had been a closely-kept secret. Although Surnamed Li had a personal connection with Alcoholic, she wasn¡¯t a core member of the Elusive Sect and thus wasn¡¯t privy to the information.

    ¡°Hoho, and do you want to know?¡± Alcoholic¡¯s wrinkly face arranged into a mischievous smile like a lovable old witch.

    Surnamed Li nodded.

    ¡°Drink! Drink and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Surnamed Li shook her head resignedly, picking up the bowl with a frown to take a small sip.

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Alcoholic was beside herself. She nced at Qilin. ¡°You too, young man! Drink, and I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    ...

    F Ind, Naldives, ten o¡¯clock at night.

    Gao Yang was right. There was a body on the beach.

    He hesitated between taking his leave or going up to check the body. In the end, he chose thetter.

    Of course, he made sure to ess his system to determine that there was no danger at the moment.

    He marched toward the body before slowing to a cautious walk. It was a woman dressed in a blue t-shirt and a ck skirt that covered the knees. On her legs were a pair of white long socks, and she was wearing a ck dress shoe¡ªthe other shoe had fallen off and was nowhere to be seen.

    She must have drowned and gotten washed up to the shore.

    And she dressed like a college student from the past.

    Gao Yang hesitated before carefully flipping the body. She looked young. Her hair was tied into two braids, entuating her meek temperament and the gentleness of her heart-shaped face. Although her face was pale, it wasn¡¯t lifelessly so, and her skin wasn¡¯t bloated.

    Shocked, Gao Yang quickly checked her breathing. <i>She¡¯s still alive!</i>

    The downpour continued, and waves crashed upon the shoreline, submerging Gao Yang¡¯s feet and the girl¡¯s body.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to be indecisive. He picked up the girl and ced her down on the sandy beach further in.

    ¡°Hey, wake up.¡± Gao Yang patted her on the face.

    She didn¡¯t say anything. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, and a weak moan escaped her lips.

    Gao Yang leaned down to take a closer look. The girl¡¯s shirt was torn on the side, where there was a long gash. Submerged in seawater, the gash had turned white, almost bled dry.

    She was seriously injured and had lost too much blood!

    Could she have gotten attacked by a shark or something while swimming in the ocean?

    Gao Yang quickly pushed aside the ridiculous guess. What mattered now was to save her.

    Gao Yang reached into his pants pocket. Just in case, he had been carrying two shots of Medicine C with him. He didn¡¯t expect them to be of use.

    The girl could either be a wanderer, a regr human, or an awakener.

    Were she a wanderer, he wasn¡¯t sure if Medicine C would work on her, but since Fat Jun¡¯s Healing did have some effect on Wang Zikai, Medicine C should work too.

    Were she a human or an awakener, he couldn¡¯t just leave her unattended as a fellow human.

    Gao Yang looked around to make sure that no other people were around. Sneakily taking off the cap of the syringe, he lifted the tattered fabric sticking to the girl¡¯s side and felt around the gash. Then he injected her with the whole shot.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    The girl groaned again.

    After about thirty seconds, the girl¡¯s pale, wet face regained some color. Gao Yang took a close look. The long gash on her side was healing at an observable speed.

    He kept watch on her for a few minutes until her visible injury had more or less healed, leaving only a pink scar.

    She twitched before slowly opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was Gao Yang¡¯s blurry face.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Gao Yang had a lot to ask her. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here? What attacked you?¡±

    The girl stared as her consciousness slowly awakened. Looking lost and terrified, she whispered weakly, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Save me, help...¡± She held onto Gao Yang¡¯s hand with her cold hand. ¡°He, he was trying to kill me...¡±

    ¡°Who? Who wanted to kill you?¡±

    ¡°Pops, pops[1] tried to kill me...¡± The girl¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. Other than fear, there was also a look of sadness on her face.

    <i>Pops? Her father?</i>

    Gao Yang was getting increasingly confused. It seemed that it would take longer for him to figure out the situation.

    He looked up and scanned around. Just then, two young men and two young women came their way, running and messing around in the rain with beer in their hands, seemingly drunk.

    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    The girl quietly tried to get to her feet, but she was still feeling weak.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Gao Yang grabbed her arm and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you.¡±

    He got her onto his back and quickly walked away from the four young strangers, moving in the opposite direction.

    Gao Yang believed that the girl should be a human. Were she a wanderer, she wouldn¡¯t have reacted like that. And she couldn¡¯t have been an elite monster, or she would¡¯ve lost her human form with the degree of injury she¡¯d suffered.

    It would draw attention for two humans to be seen together in Naldives, especially since one of them was injured. They could be exposed.

    Gao Yang decided to go to a ce where they would be alone to question the girl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one¡¯s going to hurt you. You¡¯re safe now.¡± Gao Yang offered gentle reassurance when he felt the girl on his back trembling. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    After about ten seconds, the girl lost thest of her caution and said honestly, ¡°Huai Wei.¡±

    ¡°Good name,¡± Gao Yang said without meaning it, continuing forward.

    A momentter, the girl asked quietly, ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Me...¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Qi Ying.¡±

    1. The word used here is <i>die </i>µù, which is a more archaic version of ¡®dad¡¯. Suggest a closer rtionship. ?

 Chapter 329: Huai Wei

    <h4>Chapter 329: Huai Wei</h4>

    With Huai Wei on his back, Gao Yang walked to a part of the beach on the F Ind that was all skerries; the ce saw fewer visitors, and it was practically empty thiste at night.

    The rain stopped then.

    Sitting on a rock, the two of them allowed the wind to dry their hair and clothes.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah, much better.¡±

    Huai Wei touched her side, where there should be a gash, and said in disbelief, ¡°How, how did you heal me? Are you a celestial being? Do you know magic?¡±

    Gao Yang paused, unsure where to even start.

    Now he was more or less certain that the girl was human, but there were still questions to answer.

    ¡°Huai Wei, I¡¯m going to ask the questions now. Please be open with me.¡±

    Huai Wei nodded. She was naturally unguarded with her savior.

    ¡°You said that your pops tried to kill you. Why?¡±

    Panic returned to Huai Wei¡¯s eyes. She lowered her head, hands holding together tightly. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know... Pops was always caring with me, but tonight, he suddenly turned into...into a demon.¡±

    <i>Demon?</i>

    Gao Yang considered the choice of words, alreadying to a tentative conclusion.

    Huai Wei was still reeling from the experience. She shook her head vehemently. ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t my pops. He must have been attacked by the demon. Then the demon came after me...¡±

    ¡°Huai Wei, have you ever considered why the demon attacked you?¡± Gao Yang presented the question in the way Huai Wei framed things.

    ¡°That¡¯s what demons do.¡±

    ¡°I know, but why you, specifically?¡± Gao Yang nudged her in the right direction. ¡°Could it have something to do with your experience?¡±

    Huai Wei paused before her eyes lit up. She looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Is it because I can do magic just like you?¡±

    Gao Yang gave her an inquisitive look. ¡°What magic can you do?¡±

    ¡°I think...I can go from one ce to another ce,¡± Huai Wei said with uncertainty.

    Gao Yang started. Could it be a Time-Space Talent? Something that would allow her to teleport?

    ¡°When did you learn it? Can you tell me in more detail?¡±

    Huai Wei looked down, her fine facial features arranged into a hesitant look.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to, but I don¡¯t know how to help you as it is.¡± Gao Yang conceded, when in truth was pressing her to open up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Huai Wei worried her plump lower lip between her teeth, trying to find the right words. ¡°A month ago, Pops¡¯ lung problem rpsed, and I went to the apothecary to get him medicine. It waste when I headed back home. Two hoodlums came at me then.¡±

    ¡°I was scared. I tried to run, but they kept chasing after me. Then they dragged me into a deep alley. I was terrified and yelled for help as I fought them. No one showed up...¡±

    ¡°At the time, I thought about my home, my pops, wishing that I could be there with him already... Then like a dream, I was home the next moment, lying on my bed.¡±

    ¡°I thought I had fallen asleep and had a nightmare at first. Only when I saw the pack of medicine the apothecary gave me did I realize that it wasn¡¯t a dream.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought. From the way she spoke, it seemed that she was indeed not from this era.

    The wind was quite strong by the sea, tousling the hair on the side of her face. She tucked the strand behind her ear. ¡°That night, I cooked the medicine for my pops. He was surprised by how quickly I returned home, so I told him. I told him that a celestial being must have taken pity and sent me back. Pops didn¡¯t say anything else afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Mother passed away when I was young, and it¡¯d been me and my pops ever since. He was a teacher at a <i>sishu</i>[1], and he was a caring father. We weren¡¯t well-off, yet he insisted on sending me to a girls'' school. He said that be it boys or girls, knowledge could change one¡¯s fate...¡±

    Realizing that she had digressed, Huai Wei went back to the topic. ¡°What I meant to say was that Pops and I were close, but ever since that day, he¡¯d been odd, and he looked at me oddly.¡±

    ¡°There had been very many times when he demanded if I knew magic, if I had flown back home the night I got medicine for him.¡±

    ¡°I thought it preposterous. Why would I be able to fly? So I said I didn¡¯t know, that I was just suddenly home like I had a dream.¡±

    ¡°Tonight, Pops got sick again. He kept coughing, and we ran out of medicine. I was so concerned about him that I rushed out to get more, but it waste, and I was worried that the apothecary had closed shop. I wanted to hurry there. Then the next moment, I was at the front door of the shop.¡±

    Huai Wei smiled bitterly and stared at her hands. ¡°At that moment, I realized that I did know magic, that I could suddenly show up in a different ce.¡±

    ¡°I was happy. I got my pops medicine and went home with magic, and I told him about it happily. I said that perhaps I knew other spells too, and I¡¯d be able to cure him.¡±

    ¡°Pops suddenly stopped coughing. He got off the bed and came up to me. His eyes were horrifying. I¡¯d never seen him like that, and his body transformed...¡±

    Gao Yang finished her story for her. ¡°He turned into a monstrosity you¡¯ve never seen and tried to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and he...he called me...¡± Huai Wei thought back to the unfamiliar word. ¡°<i>Awakener</i>.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. As expected.

    ¡°Pops¡ªno, the demon¡¯s hand turned into a glinting de and stabbed at me. I tried to avoid it, but still got hit in the side. I was scared and wanted nothing but to flee. That was where my memory stopped. When I came to, you were the one I saw.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, having pieced together the story. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something very important, Huai Wei, and I¡¯m not going to repeat it. You must listen carefully.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Huai Wei nodded.

    ¡°Your pops isn¡¯t your real father, but a...¡±

    <i>Gurgle.</i>

    It was supposed to be a serious moment, but Huai Wei¡¯s stomach made an untimely protest.

    ¡°Apologies.¡± Huai Wei¡¯s awkward gaze flitted about. ¡°Please keep going. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    Gao Yang nced at her face. It was pale. She had just recovered from serious injury and she was exhausted. She did need to fill her stomach.

    Gao Yang turned around to look at the hotel not far away. On the first floor was a twenty-four hour convenience store.

    ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll get you food. Be right back.¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m not that...¡±

    Her stomach protested again. Huai Wei covered her face with both hands and fell silent.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Gao Yang smiled. Her body was more honest than her.

    ...

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to take too long, so he quickly walked into the convenience store and grabbed some snacks and drinks at random, paying at the cashier.

    A few minutester, he rushed back to the remote skerries and saw four strangers circling Huai Wei, pushing her around roughly.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    <i>I knew something would happen!</i>

    Gao Yang ran up to them with the bag of snacks. Once he got close enough to get a good look, he realized that the four strangers were the young tourists who had been having fun in the rain on the beach earlier, two men and two women.

    Judging by their appearance, they were likely tourists from Li City, and they practically breathed alcohol with the amount of drinks they had had.

    ¡°Hey, pretty girl. Are you cosying?¡± The young man with a middle part yanked Huai Wei toward him in a lecherous manner, going so far as to circle her supple narrow waist.

    ¡°Let go! What, what are you...¡±

    Huai Wei struggled, but her hands were grabbed by the drunk man with a shaved head. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,dy. Why don¡¯t we have some fun?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t pretend to be a prude.¡± The two girls scoffed derisively, watching from the sidelines like it was an entertaining show.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Gao Yang ran up to them.

    The man with a middle part nced up at Gao Yang. ¡°Ha, is this your little pet, pretty girl?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡± The woman with a tapered chin spoke up. ¡°Rx, cutie. Let¡¯s all y together.¡±

    ¡°Let her go!¡± Gao Yang raised his voice, his gaze turning fierce as he stalked up to the four of them.

    The two girls realized that things weren¡¯t going the way they expected and sobered up somewhat, keeping their mouths sealed.

    The man with a shaved head let go of Huai Wei¡¯s hands too.

    Only the man with a middle part was still holding onto Huai Wei, giving Gao Yang a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes.

    ¡°Brother Shuang, forget it. Let¡¯s go,¡± the man with a shaved head said.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s getting angry. He¡¯s not getting the joke.¡± The girl with a tapered chin urged too. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have more fun ourselves.¡±

    However, Brother Shuang, the man with a middle part, did not let go of Huai Wei. He suddenly took out a swiss army knife from his pants pocket and pressed it to Huai Wei¡¯s pale neck.

    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer! Or I¡¯m going to kill her right now!¡±

    1. An informal private school in older times, usually with only one teacher, run at the teacher¡¯s own ce. ?

 Chapter 330: Weaves of Fate

    <h4>Chapter 330: Weaves of Fate</h4>

    "Ah!¡± The girl with a tapered chin jumped. ¡°Are, are you out of your mind?!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing, bro?¡± The man with a shaved head started too, staggering a few steps back. ¡°Drop the knife. Do you want to go to jail?!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± The man with a middle part suddenly grew fierce, and he shouted at Gao Yang, ¡°If you take another step, I¡¯ll slit her throat!¡±

    Huai Wei stopped struggling when the swiss army knife pressed under her chin and left a shallow cut on her neck. She went so still that she was barely breathing, let alone move.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gao Yang hurriedly dropped the bag of snacks and raised both hands, showing the man that he wasn¡¯t armed and meant no harm.

    ¡°Turn around!¡± The man growled. ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. As long as you don¡¯t hurt her.¡± Gao Yang slowly turned away from them.

    Without pause, three thick flexible tentacles shot out and wrapped around Gao Yang¡¯s waist, armpits, and neck. The more Gao Yang struggled, the tighter the tentacles strangled him, keeping him in ce.

    ¡°Ahhhh help!¡±

    ¡°Monster...¡±

    Gao Yang heard the man and women scream.

    ¡°Haha, haha! It must be my lucky day! Two awakeners. Two...¡±

    Gao Yang was lifted off the ground and slowly turned around. He was thus allowed the sight of the man¡¯s two arms having each morphed into three thick tentacles, restraining him and Huai Wei and lifting them into the air.

    A devourer!

    And the two women and one man with him were all wanderers. They had fainted after screaming, and when they woke up, they would forget everything about what happened, their memory automatically modified.

    ¡°Mine, all mine...¡± The devourer¡¯s face twisted unnaturally under the dim, grayish moonlight, its eyes glinting with a cold desire.

    Slick tiny tentacles grew out of the threerge tentacles, reaching toward Gao Yang¡¯s head and were about to burrow into his orifices.

    ¡°How, how did you know?¡± Gao Yang asked begrudgingly, hands dropped to his sides like he had given up on struggling.

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s her wound. Her wound on her side smelled like awakeners.¡±

    Ah.

    So it had checked the wound that had just healed under the guise of harassing her.

    It seemed that Medicine C retained the energy of Dead Pig¡¯s Talent, and it left a strong enough trace in the short term that a devourer could smell it in short distance.

    He filed that away in his head for future reference. He had to be more careful going forward.

    <i>Alright, I should stop ying.</i>

    Gao Yang grabbed the tentacle around his neck. ¡°Fire!¡±

    <i>Whoosh! </i>mes climbed along the tentacle to reach the devourer¡¯s main body. It screamed as the fire devoured it, and its hold on Gao Yang loosened.

    Gao Yang used Teleport as soon as his feet hit the ground.

    He appeared right before the devourer, his right hand tightening around its neck. With a crack, he broke its cervical spine.

    With a shudder, the devourer dropped to its knees and copsed.

    The tentacles of the monster¡¯s other arm retracted quickly and morphed back into human form. Although traces of its monster form could still be observed on the skin of its fingers, it wasn¡¯t obvious.

    Kneeling on the ground, Huai Wei held onto her neck and got into a coughing fit.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m alright...¡± Huai Wei looked up in terror. ¡°Ah! You, you killed a man!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a man, but a monster. Just like your...¡± Gao Yang swallowed the word ¡®pops¡¯ and looked around, letting out a sigh. ¡°This isn¡¯t a safe ce for conversation. Let¡¯s move.¡±

    Just when Gao Yang turned around, he felt something loosen around his arm, and a weight dropped down from his shirt.

    Gao Yang felt around and found the arm pocket empty.

    The devourer¡¯s tentacles had applied great pressure when strangling him. Although Gao Yang could easily take it with his enhanced physical abilities, the same couldn¡¯t be said about his clothes and the arm pocket.

    Gao Yang turned around. Indeed, the Time-Space Rune Circuit had fallen off.

    ¡°What is this...¡±

    Huai Wei was just about to stand up when she spotted the circr metal tablet on the skerry. She reached out to pick it up, examining it under the moonlight.

    It was cool and smooth to the touch, the craftsmanship sophisticated. The finely-etched indentations glowed, and at the center of the tablet was an abstracted pattern of an hourss.

    Suddenly, she was hit with a strange sense of familiarity and resonation. The unexinable warmth climbed up her fingers and spread to other parts of her body, converging in her chest.

    Then the energy rushed into her head.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Huai Wei felt her consciousness waver. She closed her eyes and toppled backward.

    Gao Yang teleported to her and caught the Rune Circuit before it could hit the ground; at the same time, he caught Huai Wei with his other arm around her waist, preventing her from hitting the rocky ground.

    ¡°Huai Wei? You okay?¡±

    Gao Yang called out to her, but she had fainted.

    ...

    Green Lotus Park, Shangqing District, Li City. Eleven at night inside the RV.

    The rain had relented somewhat, but it continued to drizzle. The lotuses in theke covered the water in a patch of vibrant green and elegant blooms, painting a picture of serenity and quietness.

    By theke, the RV was lit up with warm orange light. Laughter could be heard every once in a while.

    Alcoholic, Qilin, and Surnamed Li sat around a small wooden table inside the crowded RV. On the table were two bowls of liquor and a saucer filled with peanuts.

    Half of the peanuts were eaten, and the two bowls were almost empty.

    With a bottle in her hand, Alcoholic thought back to her past. ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating. Back then, I was a well-known beauty among awakeners. My suitors could line up from the south gate of this park to the north gate.¡±

    ¡°There were less than 200 awakeners. How could they possibly form such a long line?¡± Surnamed Li lost her usual reserved nature and acted like a contrarian child before Alcoholic.

    ¡°What do you know, young woman? Monsters count too! As beautiful as I was back then, even dogs wagged their tails at me, and monsters were naturally no exception!¡±

    Her old eyes glinted with satisfaction. ¡°My husband beat up everyone at the awakeners sparring tournament in order to pursue me. It was a grand confession.¡±

    ¡°Then we got married and started the Elusive Sect...¡± Her eyes suddenly dimmed, and a long sigh escaped her lips. ¡°Better not get into it. Nothing good happened afterwards.¡±

    Qilin picked up his porcin bowl and said in an admiring tone, ¡°You and your husband founded the organization to explore the Mist World all those years ago. Your courage and foresight were impressive. Allow me to salute you as ater.¡±

    He downed thest of the liquor.

    Alcoholic paused. This brat was taunting her.

    <i>You mean I¡¯m a sorry shadow of my once ambitious self, don¡¯t you?</i>

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Alcoholic started talking Qilin up too. ¡°We were nothing inparison to you. Don¡¯t we look like three-year-olds in your eyes? Twenty years ago, when you discovered the Rune Circuits, you ignited the hope for all awakeners. Why would you need an old hag like me when you are so powerful?¡±

    Surnamed Li paused. Alcoholic had always hated being seen as old, yet she was using her age to mock herself now.

    ¡°Alcoholic.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s voice softened. ¡°This time, all awakeners are at stake¡ªno, all of humanity is.¡±

    Alcoholic stared at the almost empty bottle and sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve suffered so much because I¡¯ve lived too long. Thankfully I have alcohol to keep mepany. It¡¯s a fine thing. Our ancestors were right. Drinking can drown all our worries.¡±

    She tipped her head up and emptied the bottle, her bold act shocking both of them.

    She burped and wiped her mouth roughly, casting the bottle behind her carelessly.

    ¡°Muzi, Qilin, do you...¡± She paused. ¡°Do you believe in fate?¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li were taken aback. They had thought they could now get into business. Why did she bring up something else?

    ¡°Hoho, fate is an unpredictable mistress,¡± Alcoholic drawled with a slight buzz. ¡°What day is it today?¡±

    ¡°June 13th, 2018.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    Alcoholic blurted out with wide eyes, ¡°Today! It was today! It¡¯s all meant to be!¡±

 Chapter 331: Qi Ying

    <h4>Chapter 331: Qi Ying</h4>

    Qilin and Surnamed Li were dumbfounded.

    Alcoholic turned to Qilin, getting worked up. ¡°Qilin, is there a young man in your Guild named Qi Ying? He¡¯s eighteen or neen, no older than twenty.¡±

    ¡°Qi Ying?¡± Qilin paused before breaking into a bemused smile. ¡°There is someone like that, but Qi Ying is a fake name. He¡¯s an elder of the Guild, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Alcoholic was suddenly angry. ¡°He lied to me! He didn¡¯t even tell me his real name! But I, I admired him so much back then!¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Surnamed Li was confused. ¡°You...admired Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    ¡°I did. Qi Ying saved my life!¡±

    Qilin was shocked too. ¡°He saved your life? When?¡±

    ¡°Right now, at this moment.¡± Alcoholic burst outughing. ¡°Fate sure works in a mysterious way!¡±

    ...

    F Ind, Naldives, eleven o¡¯clock at night.

    ¡°Huai Wei, wake up.¡± Gao Yang gently patted the girl on the face.

    She slowly opened her eyes.

    ¡°You suddenly fainted for about thirty seconds. You feeling alright?¡±

    Huai Wei sat up, still not fully recovered from the fainting spell. ¡°I...all of a sudden, I felt like I was flying. It was...strange.¡±

    <i>Did her Talent level up?</i>

    <i>Seriously, from one touch?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to think further. He helped Huai Wei up and picked up the bag of snacks and drinks he had dropped on the ground.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    With Huai Wei in tow, Gao Yang ran to the pier of a recreational area.

    Seizing the chance when there was no one else around, he ¡®borrowed¡¯ a jet ski and took Huai Wei to X¡¯s ce¡ªthe private ind with the volleyball court.

    Huai Wei had never seen such a vehicle. She held onto Gao Yang¡¯s torso tightly and marveled, ¡°Heavens! This is wondrous! It runs on the water!¡±

    ¡°Is this the ocean? It¡¯s my first time seeing the ocean. It¡¯s vast!¡±

    They arrived at X¡¯s private ind in less than ten minutes.

    Gao Yang parked the jet ski and sat down on the beach loungers under the parasols.

    He took a pack of potato chips out of the bag and tore it open. ¡°Here, have some.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Huai Wei looked at the chips, not recognizing what it was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s food.¡±

    Huai Wei nodded and reached into the pack of chips, popping a piece into her mouth and chewed on it.

    A few secondster, her eyes lit up. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s good. It¡¯s so, so...¡± Huai Wei struggled to find the right words to describe it. ¡°It¡¯s such a magical taste. All sweet and crunchy. And there are vors I don¡¯t know. What is this called?¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Chips.¡±

    ¡°Chips?¡±

    ¡°Made of potatoes.¡±

    ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t taste like potatoes. How incredible!¡± Huai Wei was surprised. She took another bite. ¡°Is this made with magic?¡±

    Gao Yang wordlessly took out a box of chocte sandwich cookies and opened it.

    ¡°Cookies! I know what it is!¡± Huai Wei picked up one and took a small bite. ¡°Hm, chocte!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve had chocte.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Huai Wei said proudly. ¡°Pops bought some for me on my fourteenth birthday...¡±

    Her smile slid off as soon as she thought of her father, and her gaze turned sorrowful again.

    ¡°Stop thinking and eat. Once you¡¯ve had some food, I still have many questions to ask you.¡±

    Huai Wei nodded and started eating, her sorrow tranting into hunger.

    Gao Yang was getting thirsty too. He fished out a can of drink and took a gulp, considering his next moves.

    His first thought was to find out more about Huai Wei.

    Vermilion Bird was on the Shooting Star Ind, some distance away from this ce. And Gao Yang and Huai Wei had just gotten discovered by a devourer.

    To be on the safe side, it was better to wait until the energy imprint of Medicine C faded from Huai Wei before taking her to the vi Vermilion Bird was staying at. Then they would discuss what to do.

    Huai Wei was starving, but she still chewed properly as she ate without making a sound, acting like a properdy.

    After getting half a box of cookies and a pack of chips down her stomach, she was full.

    She nced at the drink in Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Is that water?¡±

    ¡°Something like that, but there¡¯s vor.¡±

    Gao Yang picked a random drink and threw it to Huai Wei.

    Huai Wei considered the blue pull-tab can in her hand. ¡°How do I open this?¡±

    ¡°See the tab?¡± Gao Yang pointed it out to her. ¡°Just pull it open.¡±

    Huai Wei did so easily. She said with excitement, ¡°I did it! It¡¯s so interesting!¡±

    Mimicking Gao Yang, she pressed the opening to her lips and tipped her head up for a drink.

    ¡°Ack...¡± She coughed, her brows furrowed. ¡°It tastes...so strange!¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. Shouldn¡¯t drinks be sweet? And no one would find sweetness weird even if they had never tasted it, right?

    ¡°Hm, it is strange, but not a bad strange.¡± Huai Wei licked her lips, savoring the taste. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll have another.¡±

    She took another gulp, and this time, she didn¡¯t cough. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good!¡±

    Gao Yang curiously found another of the same drink from the bag. When he took a closer look, he gaped. ¡°Ah, sorry! I wasn¡¯t paying attention and didn¡¯t realize that it was beer!¡±

    ¡°Beer?¡± Huai Wei paused and examined the can in her hand before breaking into a smile. ¡°So this is what beer tastes like!¡±

    She took yet another gulp, her ck eyes glinting like she was seeing a whole new world.

    Gao Yang asked weakly, ¡°Um, you¡¯re over eighteen, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I turned eighteen this year.¡± She then asked Gao Yang, ¡°What about you, Mr. Qi Ying?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about your age,¡± Gao Yang said vaguely.

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed as much.¡± Huai Wei smiled. As the sea breeze swept through her hair, her two braids loosened somewhat, and a few strands fell on her fair dainty cheek. There was a purity and innocence to her gaze that set her apart from those living in this era.

    ¡°Huai Wei, do you know what year it is?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Huai Wei didn¡¯t understand why he would ask. ¡°It¡¯s the year of 29.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his shock. <i>The year of 29! So she is from the past century.</i>

    Gao Yang thought back to the history of this world. The year of 29 in the old calendar would be 1940.

    It seemed that Huai Wei¡¯s Talent not only allowed her to jump through space, but also time! She had the ability to time-travel!

    Awakened in 1940, Huai Wei was found out by her father and attacked. In the moment of crisis, her Talent activated and took her through the flow of time, arriving at Naldives in 2018.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Huai Wei noticed the look on his face. ¡°By the way, where is this ce? I¡¯ve never been here. I¡¯ve never seen the ocean.¡±

    ¡°Huai Wei, I¡¯m going to tell you something. I hope you¡¯ll take it well.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s the year of 2018 here.¡±

    ¡°2018?¡± It was a measure of time unfamiliar to Huai Wei.

    ¡°Basically, you¡¯re 78 years into the future.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Huai Wei shot to her feet and looked around. ¡°That, that can¡¯t be! How did I end up 78 into the future? I...I must be dreaming...¡±

    She fell back onto the beach lounger and nced at the can of beer beside her. She picked it up to down it.

    Finally, she regained someposure and slowly looked up. ¡°Is this really 78 yearster?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Huai Wei stopped talking, reconciling with the reality of her situation.

    ¡°Listen to me carefully, Huai Wei.¡±

    Gao Yang patiently exined, ¡°Just like you, I¡¯m an awakener too. And those who attacked you, including your father and the man from earlier, weren¡¯t demons, but a creature known as monsters.¡±

    ¡°As for the reason you came here and the reason I could conjure fire earlier, it¡¯s not because of magic. Those are Talents we have as awakeners.¡±

 Chapter 332: Promise

    <h4>Chapter 332: Promise</h4>

    For the next twenty minutes, Gao Yang told Huai Wei all he knew about the Mist World.

    She stared into the distance with a grim look on her face, a storm ongoing in her head.

    ¡°Huai Wei? Huai Wei?¡± Gao Yang waved a hand before her. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    Huai Wei slowly looked up and took another can of beer out of the bag, opening it and taking arge gulp.

    ¡°Stop drinking.¡± Gao Yang grabbed the beer from her. ¡°Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°I do!¡± Huai Wei lost herposure, raising her voice. ¡°My family, friends, teachers, and ssmates are likely all monsters! I¡¯ve been living in a fake world! I¡¯m a human and I wasn¡¯t born between my parents. I don¡¯t know where I came from either! I¡¯ve awakened now, and I have a Time-Space Talent that brought me 78 years into the future, running into you by chance!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why. Why is the world the way it is?¡± Huai Wei covered her face and her reddened eyes with both hands, losing herself into confusion and dejection again. ¡°What...should I do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But the fact that you¡¯vee here means that you must be able to go back. Do you know the name of your Talent?¡±

    Huai Wei paused. After a few seconds, she said like she had remembered something, ¡°When I cked out after touching the Rune Circuit, I heard a voice in my head.¡±

    ¡°What voice?¡±

    ¡°It seems to be saying...three times...space spirit? Yeah, three times space spirit.¡±

    ¡°Three times space spirit,¡± Gao Yang repeated and tried to decipher it. ¡°Three times...no, three, time space spirit.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s serial number 3, Time-Space Spirit!¡±

    <i>So that¡¯s how things work.</i>

    Gao Yang had been wondering how awakeners knew of their Talent and serial number without a system before the definite list of Talents was made.

    It turned out that they could hear the information when their Talents leveled up.

    ¡°Serial number 3?¡± Huai Wei had heard about the 199 Talents from Gao Yang. ¡°Do you mean my Talent is ranked third? Whoa, am I that good?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, serial number 3. And you just leveled up. Your Talent is Time-Space Spirit, now level 4.¡±

    Gao Yang hid hisplicated feelings. Who would¡¯ve thought the girl he ran into would turn out to be such a bigshot?

    Still, she had only been forced to use her Talent a few times before, yet her Talent had already reached level 3 before touching the Rune Circuit?

    There were ample precedents where humans awakened boundless potential in moments of crisis though, and perhaps there was something special about the top Talents; for example, they might be able to skip levels.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t I feel anything?¡± Huai Wei stared at her hands.

    ¡°Close your eyes and feel the energy inside you.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s something you have to learn yourself.¡±

    Huai Wei closed her eyes and frowned, looking constipated.

    Half a minuteter, she opened her eyes and sighed. ¡°I think...I still can¡¯t feel it.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated before reaching out. ¡°Here, give me your hand.¡±

    Huai Wei nodded andplied.

    Gao Yang took her hand. ¡°Close your eyes and focus on the feeling.¡±

    Gao Yang tapped into his energy and sent it to his palm.

    Eyes closed, Huai Wei felt Gao Yang¡¯s palm get warmer all of a sudden¡ªnot actually increasing in temperature in the physical sense, but a feeling of warmth.

    Huai Wei didn¡¯t know that it was the resonation of energy between two awakeners, but she was able to form a concrete idea of the phenomenon when the warmth reached her palm.

    And with it, she quickly found the strange energy in her own body. It differed from Gao Yang¡¯s and was uniquely hers.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to recognize the energy. Then slowly but surely, she became aware of the meridians in her body and integrated her body and will.

    Two minutes passed in silence.

    When Huai Wei slowly opened her eyes, she was effectively a new woman, and even her tone becameposed and confident.

    She gave Gao Yang a grateful look. ¡°I found it. It¡¯s been in me all this time. I can now control it.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good.¡± Gao Yang let go of Huai Wei¡¯s hand. He hadn¡¯t been sure if it would work, actually; he made the attempt only because there was nothing to lose.

    Huai Wei looked at Gao Yang. They were simr in age, but he was much more mature and knew a lot more. After saving her life, he also guided her to gain control over her Talent¡¯s energy.

    She suddenly developed a newfound admiration for the young man.

    ¡°Qi Ying, you¡¯re my savior and teacher. May I call you teacher?¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. It was his first time being called a teacher, and he wasn¡¯t sure he could live up to the title.

    Still, Huai Wei was being too earnest for him to turn her down. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled at Gao Yang. ¡°Teacher Qi Ying, I think I have to go back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang paused. He was going to take her to Vermilion Bird.

    But thinking back, it made sense for Huai Wei¡¯s time travel toe with restrictions in terms of duration, number of uses, and other aspects. Otherwise, the Talent would be too powerful.

    ¡°Yeah, I can sense it now. The energy that brought me here was pulling me back...¡± Huai Wei smiled faintly, her gaze conflicted. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my time.¡±

    ¡°You must be careful once you¡¯re back. Don¡¯t trust anyone. If you can¡¯t kill your father, you must stay away from him forever and live as a different person.¡±

    Huai Wei nodded. ¡°I will. I know what I have to do.¡±

    After a moment of thinking, she said seriously, ¡°Teacher Qi Ying, may Ie back to visit you?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly after a moment of surprise. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you, but it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Huai Wei didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Because you may not find me in the future.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The Crimson Tide ising in seven days, and all awakeners could die.¡±

    Huai Wei was silent for a few seconds before she looked up at him with determination. ¡°No, you will survive the crisis, Teacher, and we will see each other again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You too. Stay alive in your time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a promise.¡± Huai Wei extended a hand.

    Gao Yang took it, and they shared a smile.

    Gradually, Huai Wei turned translucent, and a strange energy field radiated from her.

    Gao Yang felt a swoosh of explosive gust, messing up his hair and forcing him to close his eyes for half a second.

    The hand he was holding disappeared, so did Huai Wei.

    The dim moon hung in the night sky after rain. By the serene ocean, all that was left was the gentle night wind and the sounds of waves. It was as if the eighteen-year-old girl from the previous century had never been here.

    After a quiet moment, Gao Yang took out his phone and called Vermilion Bird.

    She picked up quickly. ¡°It¡¯ste. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Sister Xia, I have a question for you. Do you know an awakener named Huai Wei?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°A powerful awakener, but from thest century.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never heard of someone with the name.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gao Yang sighed, feeling a pang in his heart. Could it be that Huai Wei hadn¡¯t survived?

    But then he realized his mistake. Huai Wei wouldn¡¯t be using her real name after her return. She must havee up with a codename for herself. He wondered what it would be.

    He chuckled at his phone. ¡°Sister Xia, a strange thing happened to me earlier. I have to tell you in person.¡±

    ...

    Green Lotus Park, Shanqing District, Li City.

    At midnight, all the streetmps in the park had turned off, making the world seem even quieter. The only spot of warmth in the chilling veil of rain was the orange lighting from the inside of the RV by theke.

    After Alcoholic retold her first experience of time-travel, the inside of the car was silent for close to a minute.

    Qilin held onto his cane with both hands and concluded, ¡°So you can travel in time, and an hour ago, the eighteen-year-old you met Elder Seven Shadow from the Guild in Naldives. Touching the Time-Space Rune Circuit by chance, your Talent ended up reaching level 4?¡±

    Qilin pulled his lips into a strange smile. He would rather take that as nonsense Alcoholic spouted in drunken confusion.

    ¡°What?¡± Alcoholic was annoyed. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Qilin was just about to say something when Surnamed Li interrupted him with a smile. ¡°A call ising for you. Pick it up first.¡±

    And indeed, his phone rang right after that.

    Qilin checked the caller ID. It was Vermilion Bird.

    He openly took the call. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something I feel like I should report to you immediately. It¡¯s about Seven Shadow. He said that he ran into a girl tonight, and she was from 78 years ago.¡±

 Chapter 333: Hundred Years of Solitude

    <h4>Chapter 333: Hundred Years of Solitude</h4>

    For the next two minutes, Qilin quietly listened to Vermilion Bird talk about the whole matter.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qilin lowered his phone and turned to Alcoholic. ¡°I believe you now.¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡± Alcoholic swung the empty bottle around and burst outughing, her voice cracking. ¡°Oh, fate, what a wondrous thing it is...¡±

    Sheughed for a good while before turning to her two drinkingpanions with content. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯ve finished the bottle, I¡¯ll tell you. My Talent is Time-Space Spirit, serial number 3.¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li shared a look. That must be the top Time-Space Talent.

    Alcoholic sounded quite proud. ¡°As for what it can do...well, you only have to know two of them: spatial teleportation, and time travel.¡±

    Alcoholic cackled. ¡°But it isn¡¯t as powerful as you would think. There are many restrictions. I can only teleport once every fortnight, and once every year for time travel, and for only one hour. Moreover, I cannot go to the same day twice.¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li were bemused.

    Soon, Qilin said, ¡°Alcoholic, I have a question...¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to ask,¡± Alcoholic interrupted her. ¡°I cannot teleport through the mist, which means my range of movement is limited to Li City and the other isted inds.¡±

    Surnamed Li then chimed in, ¡°I also have a question...¡±

    Alcoholic cut her off again, ¡°Do you want to know if I¡¯ve gone to the future?¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded with a smile.

    ¡°I did. And not only the future, I¡¯ve gone to the past as well.¡± Alcoholic¡¯s voice dropped low as she trailed off. Her eyes looked suddenly ancient, and she leaned into the couch, letting out a long sigh.

    ¡°There is no past, nor is there a future.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s heart sank, catching onto what she meant.

    Surnamed Li fell silent too.

    ¡°This damn world has neither a past or a future.¡± Alcoholic scoffed. ¡°Do you catch my drift?¡±

    Of course Qilin and Surnamed Li understood what she was saying, but it wasn¡¯t easy for them to ept the truth.

    In a much quieter voice, Alcoholic said with bone-deep tiredness, ¡°The earliest point in time I¡¯ve gone to is the year 1920. I cannot go any further into the past.¡±

    ¡°And thetest point in time I¡¯ve gone to is thest night of the Crimson Tide. I cannot go any further into the future no matter what I try.¡±

    ¡°From 1920 to 2018.¡± Surnamed Li looked up. ¡°A total of 98 years.¡±

    ¡°No, a hundred years.¡± Qilin¡¯s voice grew colder. The conclusion shocked him to the core.

    Surnamed Li started before quickly catching on.

    That was right. It should be a hundred years.

    If the Crimson Tide hadn¡¯t arrived early, it should¡¯vee two yearster. It was exactly a hundred years from 1920 to 2020.

    In other words, the duration of the Mist World¡ªor the lifespan of it, so to speak¡ªwas one century.

    And due to the machination of the Godbearer Cult and the pride monsters, the end of the world woulde two years earlier.

    At that moment, Surnamed Li finally understood why Alcoholic turned from a strong, determined woman into an old drunk who spent more time wasted than sober.

    Aging wasn¡¯t the main cause.

    The loss of hope was.

    Alcoholic had long learned the limit and the end of the Mist World. No awakeners or monsters could escape the Heavenly Way and destiny. They were all birds in a cage.

    The three of them fell silent, and the RV was dead quiet save for the sounds of rain hitting the car windows.

    Alcoholic seemed tired. She closed her eyes andy down on the couch, breaking into a song suddenly. In her old age, her voice had be hoarse and bleak, yet there were remnants of youthful rity and innocence to it.

    ¡°<i>The you I saw from the back was real, but you were not. There is no lingering attachment. A hundred years ago, you were not you, and I wasn¡¯t I...</i>[1]¡±

    Qilin wasn¡¯t pessimistic by nature. He wasn¡¯t going to give up easily.

    ¡°Alcoholic, you¡¯ve been to thest night of the Crimson Tide. Tell us, who won?¡±

    Alcoholic shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t get to see the end of it...¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li realized that while Alcoholic had traveled to that day, she wasn¡¯t able to witness the fight to the end due to time constraint or other factors.

    Alcoholic¡¯s eyes were still closed, and her voice grew weak as she continued to sing, ¡°<i>Sorrow is real, and tears are false. There is no cause and effect. A hundred years ago, you weren¡¯t around, and neither was I.</i>¡±

    Surnamed Li nched suddenly. She opened her mouth, but couldn¡¯t say anything.

    She had foreseen it.

    Qilin was still pondering, and only when he noticed Surnamed Li¡¯s expression with a start did he lean in to check Alcoholic¡¯s breathing.

    Three secondster, he pulled back. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    Surnamed Li, who had always protected an image of elegance and grace, showed visible heartbreak and vulnerability. She shut her eyes and bit her lip. For a long moment, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Outside, it was still raining.

    Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and the passenger¡¯s seat, Goldthread and Little Tian had been watching the RV by theke, keeping their eyes on the warm orange light.

    Suddenly, a sorrow and grimness that shouldn¡¯t belong to someone of Little Tian¡¯s age surfaced in his clear eyes.

    He could clearly sense a life that was both tremendously powerful and tremendously fragile meet its end.

    Ten secondster, the lighting from the RV went off.

    The drizzle continued. The quietly blooming lotuses in theke looked lonely in their grace.

    ...

    F Ind, Naldives.

    On thest day of their vacation, Gao Yang and his family hadn¡¯t had anything nned.

    They slept in until ten o¡¯clock in the morning. After having a leisurely breakfast with Wang Zikai, they each packed up for the return trip.

    Originally, Wang Zikai had the most luggages, but along with the vi, everything had been reduced to nothing and sunk into the ocean due to the fight with White Dew.

    The silver lining was that Wang Zikai, knowing how unorganized he was, had left his passport to Gao Xinxin for safekeeping when arriving at Naldives, which ended up a lifesaver. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to go home until muchter.

    Their flight was nine o¡¯clock at night.

    In the afternoon, Gao Yang and his family, plus Wang Zikai, strolled in the tropical forest on the ind. Came evening, they watched the beautiful sunset on the beach, feeling the sea breeze hitting their face.

    They promised that three yearster today, the summer Gao Xinxin graduated from highschool, they woulde back here, along with Wang Zikai.

    They were all happy when they made the promise¡ªexcept Gao Yang. He didn¡¯t know if he could even live another three years.

    After dinner, they took a seane to the airport and caught the flight back to Li City. Arriving at dawn the next day, they went back to their actual home, and Wang Zikai returned to his.

    They caught up on some sleep. It was already noon when they woke up.

    Since there was no time to prepare a proper lunch, Gao Yang¡¯s mother made everyone a bowl of noodles with tomatoes and stir fried eggs.

    They slurped on noodles around the table. His father sang the chef praises, ¡°Hm, so good! Not even the most luxurious meals made of the most expensive ingredients couldpare to noodles made by my dear wife!¡±

    His mother shot his father a cool look. ¡°Shut it and eat. You don¡¯t have to prove to us that you can speak.¡±

    ¡°The greatest value of going on a trip is to make you realize that no ce is better than home.¡± Gao Yang blurted out the line he had seen online.

    ¡°Geez, you¡¯re so cheesy, bro!¡± Gao Xinxin smirked. ¡°You must have gotten a girlfriend. You¡¯re bing a bigger sap day by day!¡±

    Rather than protesting, Gao Yang opted to y along this time. ¡°Yeah, I found you a sister-inw who¡¯s got fair skin, a pretty face, and long legs. I¡¯ll bring her back home someday.¡±

    1. Faye Wong¡¯s <i>Hundred Years of Solitude</i> ?

 Chapter 334: Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 334: Preparation</h4>

    ¡°You, you you you...¡± Gao Xinxin mmed her chopsticks down on the table. ¡°Mom! He got a girlfriend while at school! You should stop him!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother chuckled. ¡°Yang Yang is going to be a college student soon. Mom isn¡¯t going to make decisions for him now.¡±

    ¡°Dad, tell him!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will!¡± His father shot him a re without heat. ¡°Son, why didn¡¯t you tell us about your girlfriend? That¡¯s your mistake! Bring her home for a meal tomorrow. You hear me?¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡± Gao Xinxin was ready to stomp on the floor.

    ¡°Ah, Dad, Mom...¡± Gao Yang seized the chance to give them the cover story he had spent quite some time on. ¡°The day after tomorrow, Wang Zikai is going to train at a club.¡±

    ¡°Club?¡± Although his mother hade to see Wang Zikai in a different light, she still had a healthy distrust in him. ¡°What club?¡±

    ¡°An e-sport club,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°He ys quite well, and a club took notice and asked him to join as a professional yer. Still, he had to go through a one-week training and trial period, and he asked me to keep himpany since I yed games with him a lot.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a little guilty. <i>Me and Wang Zikai? We¡¯ll be better off massaging the yers¡¯ hands. I won¡¯t even joke about us ying professionally. Still, my family doesn¡¯t know anything about games.</i>

    ¡°Sure.¡± His father didn¡¯t think too much of it and continued to eat the noodles. ¡°Go keep Little Kaipany. It¡¯s good for a young man to have a dream.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think too. We¡¯ve been under his care during the few days we spent in Naldives. I¡¯ll consider this repayment for that.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s an isted training that¡¯llst a week.¡±

    His mother looked up at him fiercely. ¡°So you won¡¯t be home for the next week?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The club will provide the food and amodation. You don¡¯t have to worry, Mom.¡±

    His mother didn¡¯t look convinced, but she didn¡¯t say otherwise.

    Gao Yang quickly took out his phone. ¡°Look, Mom. This is the club.¡±

    All his family leaned in to look at the phone screen.

    ¡°Wow, not bad.¡± His father was the first to show support.

    And the club did exist, and it had been training a group of young yers. It was just that Wang Zikai had nothing to do with it.

    Nevertheless, Gao Yang had edited the contact information to ones of the administrative department of the Qilin Guild. There would be professionals answering the calls even if his mother did call to ask questions.

    If they wanted to act, they had to make it believable. And Gao Yang would be staying with a wanderer, Wang Zikai, making him much less likely to rouse suspicion.

    Of course, there was no perfect excuse, but it was the best Gao Yang coulde up with.

    ¡°I¡¯ll agree if everyone else does.¡± Finally, his mother relented.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. His mother was the hardest to convince. Once she gave her agreement, the others would follow.

    ¡°Dad?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    His father had always been supportive. ¡°Go, Son. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Sis?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± And she didn¡¯t seem to care.

    Gao Yang turned to his grandmother. ¡°Granny?¡±

    ¡°Hoho, why would granny disagree?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯d do something bad?¡± Gao Yang asked with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I trust Yang Yang. Yang Yang is the goodest boy.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Granny.</i>

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    Gao Yang let out a sigh in relief. <i>Thank God. It seems that Granny doesn¡¯t suspect me either.</i>

    During the two months since Gao Yang¡¯s awakening, he had once held onto the wishful thinking that all his family would turn out to be all humans, but now he understood how naive and willfully ignorant he had been.

    He no longer hoped for his family to be all humans, but all wanderers, which wouldn¡¯t be too much to hope for. Wanderers ounted for the majority of monsters. ording to the statistics calcted by the Qilin Guild, the ratio between elite monsters and wanderers was roughly 1 to 100.

    With the Crimson Tide on the horizon, Gao Yang not only had to prevent others from hurting his family, but also considered the possibility that one or some of his family could turn out to be elite monsters.

    His grandmother had shared a room with histe grandfather and witnessed his death, which made her the most likely to be an elite monster.

    Thus, Gao Yang took the chance to use Lie Detection on his grandmother, and it was confirmed that she hadn¡¯t lied, that she was benevolent to him.

    At that moment, Gao Yang was genuinely thankful for his luck.

    ...

    Gao Yang stayed at home that afternoon and evening, doing his best to act like he always did. Late at night, he spent an hour doing basic physical training in his room. Although what little progress he could make would be nothing to theing crisis, he had to exhaust all options at hand.

    After that, Gao Yang took a shower, and as soon as hey down on his bed, he received an encoded message from Qilin.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, he put on a mask and a baseball cap before sneaking out through the window, taking a ride to the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic.

    Outside of Qilin, Gao Yang was the first to arrive.

    In the next ten minutes, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon showed up one after another.

    The curtains were drawn in the therapy room, leaving the soft light of the wallmps to illuminate the space.

    Qilin was in his psychiatrist get-up and sitting on the main seat. One hand holding his cane and the other hand adjusting his sses, he said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s start with the group session. Who¡¯s going first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Azure Dragon spent more than ten minutes going into the details about what happened in the Snow Nation.

    The others didn¡¯t immediately offerments.

    Then Vermilion Bird bowed slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll go next.¡±

    In the next twenty minutes, Vermilion Bird described everything that had happened in Naldives, including the Rune Cave¡ªwell, it wasn¡¯t a Rune Cave per se, but Sir Zuo¡¯s Pride Realm.

    Again, they refrained from makingments and kept their curiosity in check.

    Qilin turned to White Tiger. ¡°Anything you¡¯d like to add?¡±

    ¡°No, Little Xia has made it clear.¡± White Tiger held onto a thermos and scratched his belly. ¡°You know what¡¯s happened on my end. I helped Brother Azure Dragon carry Sarah¡¯s body to Vermilion Bird for questioning. Then I entered the realm created by Sir Zuo with Vermilion Bird, having a game of Werewolf. After that, I brought the body back. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Qilin nodded before turning to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang said openly, ¡°The second tost night in Naldives, I met a girl called Huai Wei. She was an awakener from 78 years ago with Talent: Time-Space Spirit. I told Vermilion Bird about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve looked it up,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°I didn¡¯t find an awakener called Huai Wei.¡±

    ¡°Is time-travel really possible?¡± White Tiger questioned.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t say anything. He considered Gao Yang¡¯s words with doubt.

    ¡°That¡¯s been proven.¡± Qilin had a strange smile on his face. ¡°Huai Wei was Alcoholic, whom Surnamed Li and I visitedst night.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang blurted out at the same time.

    After a stunned moment, Gao Yang cracked a smile. ¡°I should¡¯ve known. She does have a penchant for drinking. The first time she had beer, she fell in love with it.¡±

    Then Qilin told them about Alcoholic, including what she had found out: the Mist World¡¯s lifespan was only a hundred years long. Then he told them about her death.

    Gao Yang was shocked and saddened.

    Alcoholic had passed away. However, she had exceeded most awakeners by living to an old age. She must have led an epic life without regret.

    And Gao Yang couldn¡¯t quite see the two as one person. The one who passed away was an old woman named Alcoholic, while the one he knew was a girl named Huai Wei.

    It was a strange feeling.

    The other three Elders were each reeling from varying degrees of shock.

    Even Azure Dragon, who had been around for a while, couldn¡¯t help but pinch his brows and sighed. ¡°So even if we ovee the Crimson Tide, humanity only has another two years.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qilin¡¯s voice was calm, but with a hint ofment.

 Chapter 335: Visiting Old Friends

    <h4>Chapter 335: Visiting Old Friends</h4>

    ¡°But if the Mist World is going to end after 100 years, what¡¯s going to happen afterwards?¡± White Tiger pped. ¡°Is it just gonna disappear with a bang?¡±

    The question was clearly meant for Qilin, but Qilin, holding his cane with both hands, turned to Gao Yang rather than giving an answer.

    Gao Yang thought about it and made a bold guess. ¡°Perhaps the destruction of the world won¡¯t be the actual end, and things will start anew.¡±

    ¡°Like aputer rebooting?¡± Vermilion Bird proposed an analogy.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the pattern the universe follows, isn¡¯t it?¡± White Tiger said. ¡°The Big Bang would be followed by the Big Crunch. Rinse and repeat.¡±

    Azure Dragon turned to Qilin,ing up with a possibility. ¡°ording to the doctrines of the Godbearer Cult, the Heavenly Way will reach its end, and the world will be reduced to nothingness in its doom. Only those who believe in the Heavenly Godbearer may meet salvation, entering the blissful otherworld through the Gates of Closure, the only way out.¡±

    ¡°It seems the doctrines aren¡¯tpletely baseless, but supported by some facts.¡± Vermilion Bird leaned down, resting a thumb on her lower lip. ¡°No wonder ck Tortoise willingly did the Cult¡¯s bidding and acted as a spy in the Guild.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all for survival.¡± Azure Dragon said pensively. ¡°It¡¯s just that everyone survives in different ways.¡±

    A silence followed. They pondered on their own, their thoughts straying without a clear aim.

    <i>ck.</i>

    Qilin knocked on the floor with his cane to break everyone out of their reverie.

    ¡°Friends, our priority now is still to face the Crimson Tide. Once we ovee it, we¡¯ll have two years to figure things out. Everything will be meaningless if we can¡¯t survive the immediate crisis.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Dragon, Surnamed Li, and I have reached an agreement,¡± said Qilin. ¡°Before the Crimson Tide hits, all awakeners, including members of the three major organizations and the friendly unaffiliated individuals, will gather in the White Tiger branch so that we may face our enemies together and make preparations.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster,¡± Gao Yang said worriedly. ¡°There may be some among the pride monsters who can make wide-range attacks. It¡¯s going to be dangerous for all of us to stay together.¡±

    White Tiger smiled. ¡°Hoho, Brother Seven Shadow, have you forgotten about me?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Right, White Tiger¡¯s the Chief of Security. He must have an impressive Talent.</i>

    ¡°Can I tell him, Guildmaster?¡± White Tiger nced at Qilin.

    ¡°Go ahead. He¡¯s one of ours.¡±

    ¡°My Talent is Absolute Defense, serial number 9, the top Guard-type Talent. Although it¡¯s only level 3 at the moment, it¡¯s sufficient.¡±

    White Tiger smiled as he exined. ¡°One of my abilities is to create a safe barrier that will cover the whole floor. It cannot be destroyed, and it can be moved. Nothing can get in from the outside, but what¡¯s inside can go out.¡±

    ¡°Not even the blood fog can get through?¡± Gao Yang thought about the fog that was supposed to ignore all rules.

    ¡°Haha, it can¡¯t,¡± White Tiger said with pride.

    ¡°That good?¡± Gao Yang admitted that he was envious. As someone who valued his life, it was his dream Talent.

    ¡°There are a lot of restrictions though. For one, the duration is short. I can only make itst 10 minutes before I have to rest for an hour. Still, it should be enough in case of arge-range attack as you mentioned.¡±

    He continued, ¡°I¡¯ll have a member with sensory and detection ability stand watch. As soon as a threat is detected, I¡¯ll put up the protective barrier.¡±

    ¡°Now I understand.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with relief,menting in his mind,<i> It¡¯s a shame that his Absolute Defense is kept at level 3 since the Guard Rune Circuit hasn¡¯t been found.</i>

    If White Tiger¡¯s Talent could reach, say, level 7, perhaps he would be able to keep up the barrier for hours. Then he could rest during the day and put up the barrier during the night, allowing them to all survive the Crimson Tide by holing up together.

    ¡°White Tiger is ourst line of defense, meant to make sure that the enemies wouldn¡¯t get us in one fell swoop.¡± Qilin broke Gao Yang from his overly idealistic daydream.

    ¡°To change fate, we must make a proactive move,¡± Azure Dragon added.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qilin nodded and turned to the four Elders. ¡°All of you will be our corebatants. Please do prepare yourselves for taking the final stand.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± They answered together.

    ...

    The secondst day before the Crimson Tide would arrive, Gao Yang woke up early.

    Seven o¡¯clock in the morning, he left home and took a ride to the flower shop on the Sunfacing Road in the Daxu District, <i>Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers.</i>

    He opened the door to find Songstress, dressed neatly in a gardening apron with her tied hair resting on her left shoulder, making a bouquet of roses in the shop.

    ¡°Wee. Have a look.¡± Songstress was focused on the work at hand and didn¡¯t look up, her profile beautiful and gentle.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for some flowers.¡±

    Recognizing his voice, Songstress paused and then looked up with a smile. ¡°Ah, dear customer. What are you looking for?¡±

    Although she was smiling, there was a sh of loneliness and sorrow in her eyes.

    Gao Yang knew his visit had dredged up memories of a particr someone.

    ¡°I¡¯m visiting friends who have passed away. Do you have a rmendation?¡±

    ¡°For men or women?¡± Songstress asked in a natural tone.

    ¡°Both.¡±

    After a pause, Songstress said with a smile, ¡°For men, I¡¯d rmend white chrysanthemums, forget-me-nots, or baby¡¯s breaths. For women, I¡¯d rmend carnations, tulips, or lilies. Of course, you may also consider their favorite flowers before their passing. Offering flowers is about the heart, not the conventions.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a while. ¡°Please give me a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, baby¡¯s breaths, and lilies each.¡±

    Songstress was momentarily taken aback. She didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to buy three bouquets.

    ¡°Of course. A moment, please.¡±

    ...

    At around eight o¡¯clock, Gao Yang arrived at the Taiping Bridge Cemetery.

    The air was refreshing in the morning, and the coolness of the previous night lingered in the breeze sweeping over the mountain range.

    Gao Yang climbed up the mountain halfway holding three bouquets of flowers with both hands. Traversing the rugged rocky path, he found Li Weiwei¡¯s tomb.

    The girl in the photo was pretty and gentle, her smile vibrant like flowers.

    Gao Yang ced the lilies on her tomb.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Li Weiwei, for not visiting you until now,¡± Gao Yang said with grief and regret. ¡°So many things have happened during the past few months.¡±

    Before awakening, he and Li Weiwei had been childhood friends who talked about anything and everything, yet now, even though he should have a lot to share with her, the words were stuck in his throat.

    After half a minute of silence, Gao Yang smiled resignedly. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ve been well. I¡¯ll visit you again if there¡¯s a next time.¡±

    He rose to his feet and walked in the opposite direction for a while, taking the other side of the fork to find Wan Sisi¡¯s tomb.

    This time, he offered the baby¡¯s breaths.

    He stared at the photo on the tomb. The girl was smiling shyly, her gaze equally bashful.

    Gao Yang felt a dull pain in his heart.

 Chapter 336: Overlord

    <h4>Chapter 336: Overlord</h4>

    ¡°Wan Sisi, I¡¯m here to visit you.¡±

    Gao Yang picked himself up and smiled. ¡°Many things have happened since you left. Ah, I avenged you, by the way. Well, not properly. There are more immediate troubles I have to deal with at the moment, so your revenge will have to wait a little longer...¡±

    Gao Yang realized his hypocrisy at that moment.

    For Wan Sisi, Mad Red¡¯s death would be a proper closure. Would she really care about the destruction of the Godbearer Cult?

    At the end of the day, Gao Yang simply needed an excuse. An excuse to not forgive, to keep being angry, to get stronger and stronger still until he met the ending fate drafted for him.

    He smiled self-deprecatingly, saying in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Wan Sisi. If I had been a little more careful and a little stronger, you wouldn¡¯t have died.¡±

    ¡°You told me that if not for me, you wouldn¡¯t be who you were.¡±

    ¡°Now I understand a little. If not for you, I won¡¯t be who I am today, either. Life is strange, but also cruel.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I still have to lose, and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be someone¡¯s loss.¡±

    ¡°As long as I live in this world, though, I¡¯ll never, ever forget about you.¡±

    He stood up and took a long hard look at the girl in the photo before turning to leave.

    A few minutester, Gao Yang found the tomb of thest friend he was visiting¡ªit was also the newest tomb, Ghost Horse¡¯s.

    To his surprise, a frail-looking figure was already sitting before the tomb.

    He had long ck hair and was dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His slightly pale face was beautiful to the point of appearing androgynous, and his heterochromatic eyes were deep and quiet.

    As soon as Gao Yang recognized him, Dragon noticed Gao Yang¡¯s approach as well.

    Still staring at the tomb before him with his profile to Gao Yang, Dragon said in a gentle voice with a hint of exhaustion, ¡°Here you are, Dark Horse.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, Mr. Dragon.¡± Gao Yang pretended to be distant with him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one else around. You don¡¯t have to keep your guard up.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. He trusted Dragon¡¯s powerful Talent.

    He ced the white chrysanthemums on the tomb and tapped on the tombstone before sitting down beside Dragon, speaking in a respectful tone. ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°How did the trip to Naldives go?¡± Dragon asked faintly.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t tell if he was actually concerned about him or simply asking for intel.

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Captain, should I brief you on Naldives?¡±

    ¡°Qilin has told me and Surnamed Li. Of course, he must have kept things from us, but I don¡¯t need you to fill in the nks.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated, but still decided to ask the question in the end. ¡°Do you know about Alcoholic too?¡±

    Dragon chuckled. ¡°Have you forgotten? I¡¯ve lived to this day by hibernating. If we¡¯re going to get technical, I¡¯ve lived long enough to be your grandfather.¡±

    Gao Yang was silent.

    Dragon continued, ¡°How did you think Alcoholic survived the White Disaster that doomed all of the Elusive Sect?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did you save her, Captain?¡±

    Dragon lowered his head and sighed. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs paid heavily too.¡±

    ¡°What is the White Disaster?¡±

    ¡°Put simply, three pride monsters tried to kill all awakeners, but failed.¡± Dragon blinked. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. No need to talk about it. Let¡¯s look at the future.¡±

    <i>That fits what X had said about the pride monsters.</i>

    Then something else urred to Gao Yang. ¡°Did you know that the Mist World will onlyst a hundred years too, Captain?¡±

    Dragon didn¡¯t answer, but his silence implied confirmation.

    At that moment, Gao Yang finally understood why Dragon had gone to the length to put himself in hibernation. Given his age, he would be too old if he lived to 2020 regrly.

    Therefore, Dragon hibernated to keep himself young, at his prime. It was all to face the doom of the world.

    Dragon was a fighter who would give his all for his goal!

    If there was anyone who would be able to live to the day the Gates of Closure opened, it would be Dragon! He was the protagonist handpicked by destiny!

    Gao Yang¡¯s admiration and fear for the man grew.

    Composing himself, Gao Yang then voiced the questions that surfaced his mind, ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Captain.¡±

    Dragon nced at him. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve known so much, why did you send me to the Guild to go undercover? It seems to me that what I¡¯ve found out is no match for what you already knew.¡±

    ¡°No, I knew little about the Godbearer Cult.¡± Dragon smiled faintly. ¡°And I sent you to the Qilin Guild for your benefit too.¡±

    ¡°I...don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known about Lucky, Dark Horse.¡±

    Gao Yang felt his hackles raised. It was all he could do to not let his shock show.

    He didn¡¯t say anything in response. He didn¡¯t know what to say. It seemed that his only option was to stay silent.

    Dragon¡¯s voice was as calm as ever, almost monotone. ¡°The Qilin Guild has the Miracle Rune Circuit. From what I know about you, you would¡¯ve tried to get your hands on the Rune Circuit after joining the Guild. Given how weak you were at the time, Qilin was likely to rx his guard around you. I¡¯m different. He¡¯ll never allow me to even touch the Miracle Rune Circuit.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned. Dragon had anticipated everything!

    But how did Dragon know about Lucky? He had never told anyone.

    <i>Does he read minds? No, Blue Dolphin has the Talent, and he¡¯s dead. Did Dragon acquire Mindreading after Blue Dolphin¡¯s death?</i>

    <i>Forget it. That¡¯s not the important thing here.</i>

    <i>I need to properly admit my guilt!</i>

    ¡°Captain, I didn¡¯t mean to hide it...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Dragon smiled. ¡°High-ranking Talents are an awakener¡¯s hidden weapon. We¡¯ve all been hiding ours. It¡¯s only fair for you to hide yours.¡±

    ¡°But Lucky isn¡¯t a high-ranking Talent.¡±

    Instead of responding to his question directly, Dragon looked back at Ghost Horse¡¯s tomb and said, ¡°Gao Yang, do you know the true nature of Talents?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. The fact that Dragon had addressed him with his real name must mean that he was going to say something important.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, either, but my theory is that Talents are one entity¡ªa kind of energy we don¡¯t yet understand¡ªonly split into 199 parts, which corresponds to the twelve types, namely the twelve Rune Types.¡±

    ¡°The energy is all connected.¡± Dragon paused. ¡°Here¡¯s a trivia for you. Serial number 1 to 12 are each the top Talent of their type.¡±

    Gao Yang started. <i>That¡¯s not trivial at all!</i>

    It was true that the high-ranking Talents Gao Yang knew of, Eidos, Time-Space Spirit, Puppeteer, Absolute Defense, Killing Expert, and House, was each the top Talent of the Psyche-type, Time-Space-type, Summon-type, Guard-type, Damage-type, and Support-type.

    <i>Does that mean Dragon¡¯s Talent is the top Miracle-type Talent?</i>

    Dragon continued, ¡°The owners of the top Talents of the twelve Rune Types could tell if someone has a Talent of the same type through physical contact.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember me going up to you and asking if you¡¯re alright after executing Ghost Horse in the Mouse Room?¡±

    Gao Yang paused, surprised. ¡°But you didn¡¯t touch me then.¡±

    Dragon smiled. ¡°No, I touched your shoulder. I simply didn¡¯t let you notice.¡±

    Gao Yang realized, <i>it must be his Talent¡¯s doing.</i>

    ¡°So you knew about Lucky then?¡±

    Dragon nodded.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°But how did you know for sure that it¡¯s Lucky, rather than any other Miracle-type Talent?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I believe Talents are one single entity, an energy.¡± Dragon turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I didn¡¯t base that on nothing.¡±

    ¡°Talents are connected between the head and the tail. I¡¯m the head, and you the tail. Or I¡¯m the tail, and you head. Talents are oneplete circle.¡±

    He extended a hand. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated, but he couldn¡¯te up with a reason to reject Dragon, nor would he be able to.

    He took Dragon¡¯s hand.

    He sensed it then. A strange energy rushed into him, but at the same time, part of his energy seemed to have been taken by Dragon.

    It was a strange feeling.

    Three secondster, Dragon let go.

    ¡°You have touched the Miracle Rune Circuit, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Now both of us have the seed of the Miracle Rune Circuit in us. It¡¯ll depend on us whether the speed will sprout.¡±

    ¡°Serial number 1, Overlord, the top Miracle-type Talent.¡± Dragon held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze, his heterochromatic eyes glinting. ¡°You¡¯re the first one to learn of my Talent. Consider that my reward to you forpleting the mission.¡±

    Gao Yang was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak.

    Complete the mission!

    So that was the true objective of Operation: the Moon is Beautiful!

    Ghost Horse¡¯s task was merely part of it.

    The even more hidden goal was for Gao Yang to acquire the seed of the Miracle Rune Circuit for Dragon.

    Dragon knew that Qilin was wary of him, that Qilin must have suspected him of having the top Miracle-type Talent. Therefore, Qilin would never allow Dragon to get hold of the Rune Circuit, or evene into contact with it.

    However, Qilin didn¡¯t foresee that Dragon could gain the seed of energy of the Miracle Rune Circuit from Gao Yang as a medium.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a foolproof n. In fact, there was arge element of chance to it.

    If anything had gone wrong on Gao Yang¡¯s end, Dragon wouldn¡¯t have gotten what he wanted. However, Gao Yang managed to survive the Rune Cave against all odds and made great contributions, allowing him toe into contact with the Miracle Rune Circuit.

    Dragon had told Gao Yang that he was the only one who couldplete the mission.

    That wasn¡¯t encouragement, but a simple statement of facts.

 Chapter 337: Orphans of the World

    <h4>Chapter 337: Orphans of the World</h4>

    Gao Yang fell silent. Following the shock was a deep sense of defeat.

    Facing Dragon, he felt entirely out of depth in both intelligence and power.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you, Gao Yang.¡± Dragon openly admitted.

    Gao Yang shook his head and quickly collected himself, holding himself with dignity despite the gap between them. ¡°I¡¯d kept my Talent a secret. I¡¯ll consider us even.¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re even.¡± Dragon nodded.

    ¡°You once said that I was simr to you.¡± Gao Yang held his gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree at the time, but I think differently now.¡±

    Dragon blinked at him with interest. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re both gamblers at heart.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly.

    Dragonughed. ¡°Yes, and we¡¯re not the only ones. Who in this world isn¡¯t gambling? We have very few chips on the table and limited time. To be the winners and avoid elimination, we all throw decorum out of the window.¡±

    A sharp insight.

    Gao Yang sighed and looked down at Ghost Horse¡¯s tomb, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

    He hade to visit the man, but he ended up talking about work with Dragon.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gao Yang then thought of something. ¡°Since I¡¯vepleted the ultimate mission you entrusted me, can Ie back?¡±

    ¡°You may decide for yourself.¡± Dragon still had a smile on his face. ¡°I can tell that your bond with yourpanions is genuine.¡±

    Gao Yang admitted, ¡°They¡¯re good guys.¡±

    Dragon nodded. ¡°If you want to stay or even join the Guild for real, I¡¯ll respect your decision.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed quiet.

    Dragon continued, ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that awakeners are going to end up on the same path.¡±

    Then his smile dropped. ¡°Other than Qilin and Surnamed Li, of course.¡±

    Gao Yang started. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Dragon looked at him. ¡°I may not be in the ce to say this, but as a show of my gratitude, I¡¯ll bepletely honest with you. While Qilin and Surnamed Li may not be our enemies, they are inherently different from us.¡±

    Gao Yang considered his words.

    ¡°Do you mean that while they¡¯re walking the same path as we do right now, Captain, they have a different destination in mind?¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡±

    ¡°What are they nning then?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand.

    Dragon shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it will be revealed sooner orter.¡±

    That furtherpounded Gao Yang¡¯s confusion.

    Should he trust Dragon? Although he had seemed open and earnest whatever he said and did, hadn¡¯t he used Gao Yang as well?

    Perhaps this was meant to drive a wedge between Gao Yang and Qilin too so that he would take Dragon¡¯s side.

    If Dragon couldn¡¯t be trusted, though, what about Qilin and Surnamed Li?

    None of the three were to be underestimated. The more he knew about them, the less he knew them.

    For some reason, Gao Yang was reminded of what Officer Huang had said to him.

    <i>¡®We¡¯re all orphans in this world, abandoned by God.¡¯</i>

    Gao Yang grumbled silently withplicated feelings, <i>Why are you so quotable, Officer Huang? It¡¯s the world¡¯s loss that you aren¡¯t a writer.</i>

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang left the Taiping Bridge Cemetery.

    Instead of essing his system immediately, he first went home and had lunch with his family before returning to his room with the excuse of taking a nap, locking the door and closing the curtains.

    Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he took a deep breath and confirmed that the energy Dragon left in him had dispersedpletely.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªLook up Overlord! Use whatever Luck points required! Hurry!

    [Information unavable.]

    ¡ªWhy? Didn¡¯t I know the name of the Talent and have sort of experienced the power? Wouldn¡¯t that count as me having explored the Talent?

    [The target denies you.]

    ¡ªWhat? Come again?

    [The target denies you.]

    ¡ªDo you mean that Dragon¡¯s Talent allows him to set up a firewall to stop you from looking him up?

    [You may understand it that way.]

    ¡ªHow? Is it because his Talent is the top Miracle-type Talent and you belong to a Miracle-type Talent that you are restricted?

    [Please find the answer on your own.]

    ¡ªYou¡¯re no help!

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

    Dragon was too unknowable, mysterious, and powerful.

    Still, Gao Yang¡¯s top priority at the moment was the Crimson Tide.

    That afternoon and evening, Gao Yang stayed at home to spend time with his family, maintaining the appearance of normalcy.

    Later that night, he quietly did physical training in his room before taking a shower and retiring to bed.

    When he woke up, it was nine o¡¯clock in the morning. Came evening, the Crimson Tide would hit.

    At ten o¡¯clock, he received an encoded message from the Qilin Guild, repeating thrice that every member was advised to gather at the White Tiger branch before night fell, and absolutely noter than midnight.

    During lunch, Gao Yang was unusually enthusiastic since it could be thest meal he shared with his family.

    ¡°Here, Yang Yang.¡± His father picked up a piece of braised short rib and dropped it in his bowl. ¡°Your favorite.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Dad!¡± Gao Yang took arge bite and chewed on it. ¡°Hm, so good!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re acting strangely, bro,¡± Gao Xinxin said with doubt.

    ¡°Am I?¡± Gao Yang felt a little guilty.

    His mother smiled tenderly. ¡°I think so too. You¡¯ve been talking more than usual.¡±

    ¡°Haha, he must have been too excited.¡± On the wheelchair, his father smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re going to the club with Little Kai and can finally leave home, away from our watchful eyes.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, how did you know?¡± Gao Yang yed along.

    ¡°Hmph, brat,¡± his father said. ¡°You¡¯ll know how good home is once you¡¯re away from it.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled and continued to eat.

    After lunch, Gao Yang really wanted to go to the kitchen to do dishes for his mother, but he stopped himself. It would be too out of character for him.

    He sat on the couch and watched TV without really paying attention.

    His grandmother walked out of her bedroom and sat down next to him.

    ¡°Yang Yang, are you leaving soon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Little Kai ising to pick me up.¡± Gao Yang nced at his phone. ¡°He should be here soon.¡±

    His grandmother chuckled and took his hand. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down to find her handing him two hundred yuan.

    ¡°Granny, what are you...¡±

    ¡°Granny doesn¡¯t have a lot, so don¡¯t think I¡¯m being stingy. Here. Buy anything you want to eat once you¡¯re there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, Granny!¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t want the money. ¡°I¡¯m not going far or anything. I¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Take it!¡± his grandmother insisted. ¡°It¡¯s Granny¡¯s gift for you.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and stopped resisting, epting the allowance with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve always taken such good care of me, Granny.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, as I should. You¡¯re my beloved grandson.¡± Then his grandmother reached a hand into her pocket with a mysterious look on her face.

    Two secondster, she took out an osmanthus cake wrapped in tin foil. ¡°Look what this is.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gao Yang had guessed what it would be, but he still pretended to be pleasantly surprised and put it in his pocket. ¡°Thank you, Granny!¡±

    ¡°Haha, have it on your way there.¡± His grandmother winked at him and joked, ¡°Don¡¯t let your sister know.¡±

    That brought Gao Yang back.

    His grandmother loved sweets, and when Gao Yang was little, she always had all sorts of desserts in her pockets, one of them being osmanthus cake.

    Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin had fallen in love with it after trying it once, and they had always craved for more.

    At the time, though, his sister couldn¡¯t have sweets since she had cavities, and his grandmother only snuck sweets for Gao Yang because of that.

    Once, Gao Yang¡¯s scores dropped by a lot, and his father scolded him in anger.

    Fuming, Gao Yang locked himself in his room and refused to have dinner even though his stomach was protesting.

    Late at night, once everyone else had retired to bed and while Gao Yang twisted and turned, unable to fall asleep, his grandmother knocked on his door.

    Sitting by his bed, she petted his head tofort him and took out an osmanthus cake wrapped in tin foil. Gao Yang took it and wolfed it down. That was the best osmanthus cake he had ever had.

    Then he found that Gao Xinxin had shown up at the door at some point.

    ¡°Granny gave brother a cake, but not me! Granny only likes her grandson!¡±

    ¡°Hush...quiet!¡± Caught, his grandmother pulled his sister into the room and shut the door, taking out another osmanthus cake from her pocket and giving it to his sister.

    Only then did Gao Xinxin stop whining and dig in happily.

    Then the siblings grew up. They had had hundreds and even thousands of different sweets, thus losing their love for osmanthus cakes. They were way too sweet and powdery, sticking in the mouth and bing difficult to swallow.

    However, his grandmother only ever bought the sweets they would consider ancient.

    Whenever she gave Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin sweets, they epted happily but left them somewhere nearby, rarely actually eating the treats.

    And his grandmother knew. However, it had be a habit of hers to give him and his sister osmanthus cakes when she was showing them her love.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The doorbell pulled Gao Yang out of his thoughts.

    Gao Xinxin answered the door. Outside, Wang Zikai was carrying arge suitcase with a bright smile and boundless energy. ¡°Yo, Xinxin. Where¡¯s your brother? We¡¯re going!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Brother, your <i>BFF </i>is here!¡± Gao Xinxin sassed.

    Gao Yang quickly got up and picked up his duffle bag, walking up to the door. ¡°You¡¯re on time!¡±

    ¡°Of course! Come on, I¡¯m reporting to the club at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. I don¡¯t want to bete!¡± Wang Zikai had gotten good at acting. ¡°Bro, how likely do you think I¡¯ll go pro for real?¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Gao Yang lied without batting an eye. ¡°Seventy percent!¡±

    ¡°Haha, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around. ¡°Granny, Dad, Mom, Sis, I¡¯m going.¡±

    His grandmother smiled kindly at him from the couch. ¡°Go. Don¡¯t bete.¡±

    In his wheelchair, his father was watering the potted nts on the balcony. He turned to face the entryway with some difficulty. ¡°Take care, Yang Yang.¡±

    Having just finished the dishes, his mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on the apron. ¡°Safe trip. And don¡¯t start any trouble!¡±

    ¡°Just go. Then I¡¯ll have theputer to myself!¡± Gao Xinxin stood by the watercooler with a cup, a scowl on her face.

    ¡°See you all.¡±

    Changing into shoes, Gao Yang closed the door with a smile.

 Chapter 338: Medicine D

    <h4>Chapter 338: Medicine D</h4>

    Gao Yang and Wang Zikai got to the bottom floor and jumped into Wang Zikai¡¯s sports car, heading to the building where the club was to take a few pictures together before driving to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce.

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be more excited. He cast the suitcase aside as soon as he entered the door and kicked off his shoes. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking genius, Gao Yang. For the next week, we can y until we ck out without anyone bothering us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang humored him while taking out a big roll of hemp rope and a few zip ties from his duffle bag.

    Wang Zikai shot him a curious look. ¡°What are those for?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I used them when I went on an earlier mission.¡±

    Gao Yang came up with a lie without much thought.

    Wang Zikai dropped it easily.

    Then the two of them spent the whole afternoon ying games, and they ordered takeouts.

    The evening crept up to them.

    During summer, night didn¡¯t fall until eight o¡¯clock in Li City.

    Gao Yang had learned the nitty-gritty of the Crimson Tide¡ªall information collected by awakeners before him.

    Upon the arrival of night, the moon would begin to turn red, but not at a noticeable rate. Thus, the regr humans and wanderers would be none the wiser.

    Then they would start reacting to the Tide, meaning they would start getting sleepy.

    A small percentage of regr humans and wanderers would quickly fall asleep in a few minutes, which was what had happened to Gao Yang before his awakening. And arger percentage would get drowsy and lose interest in everything before falling asleep in the next three hours.

    Only an extremely small percentage would remain awake.

    Came midnight, the moon would be giant and crimson red, and the blood fog would emerge.

    That was when the few regr humans and wanderers would be put to sleep forcefully, while the monsterhood of the elite monsters would awake.

    The Crimson Tide thus descended officially, and it wouldn¡¯t end for the day until the sun came out.

    The sky was gradually getting dark.

    Gao Yang stood up and walked up to the window, looking out at the sky. The light yellow moon was gaining a hint of pink, but it took close observation to notice the change.

    ¡°What should we do at night?¡± Wang Zikai was brushing his teeth. He had just finished takeout and couldn¡¯t stand the garlic smell lingering in his mouth.

    ¡°What about karaoke?¡± Gao Yang carelessly suggested.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve practiced two songs recently. I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve got!¡± Wang Zikai said proudly. In his excitement, a drop of toothpaste stained his t-shirt.

    That evening, they sang until they were tired of it. Then they went back to ying games.

    Gao Yang had been paying attention to the time throughout. Finally, it was 11:40, 20 minutes from the turning point.

    Gao Yang grew increasingly anxious. Why wasn¡¯t Wang Zikai getting sleepy? Was he really a wanderer?

    Thankfully, he had prepared a n B.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Someone rang the door.

    ¡°Haha, here¡¯s ourte night snacks!¡± Wang Zikai jumped to his feet and ran to answer the door excitedly, but he came to a halt when he saw the pair standing outside. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    There was a man and a woman.

    The young man was in his twenties. He had gentle facial features and was dressed like a college student, with a ck messenger bag on his shoulder and a white headphone around his neck. His hair was tied into a small ponytail behind his head. It looked like he hadn¡¯t had enough sleep.

    With a hand in the pocket, he waved with his other hand. ¡°Hello.¡±

    The young woman was pale and petite, dressed in a yellow t-shirt and a loose, light-blue denim overall. Her puffy bob cut framed her heart-shaped face, her eyesrge and her smile mischievous.

    ¡°Hiya, you must be the noob named ¡®Brother Kai Dominates the Valley¡¯!¡±

    Wang Zikai was surprised. ¡°Huh?! How did you know my ID for HOK?¡±

    Gao Yang had gotten to the entryway too. ¡°You¡¯vee, Heavenly Dog, Can.¡±

    ¡°Who are they, bro?¡± Wang Zikai asked. He had actually met Heavenly Dog back in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, but he didn¡¯t remember at all.

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°My colleagues, here on a mission.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes sparked with interest. ¡°As expected of you, bro. I knew something would happen this week! Haha,e on. Let¡¯s have an epic fight together!¡±

    They were racing against time, so Gao Yang didn¡¯t even humor Wang Zikai. He exchanged a nce with Heavenly Dog and Can. ¡°Did you bring what I asked for?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Can patted on the bulging waist pack she was carrying.

    ¡°Come on in first.¡±

    Heavenly Dog and Can immediately walked in.

    Wang Zikai was confused when he was ignored. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the mission? Tell me.¡±

    Gao Yang waved Can over as soon as they were inside. ¡°Give me one.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Can unzipped the waist pack and took out a syringe resembling that for Medicine C.

    Gao Yang took it and examined it closely. Inside was a translucent, dark brown solution.

    It was Medicine D, a potent sedative developed by the Qilin Guild. A shot would put anyone to sleep for forty-eight hours, be it humans or monsters; greed monsters and wrath monsters were no exception.

    Gao Yang had applied for five shots, which should be enough for a week.

    He took off the cap and gently pushed the plunger. A drop of brown liquid leaked from the needle.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wang Zikai came up to him and asked.

    ¡°Good stuff.¡±

    Gao Yang shot Can a look.

    Without missing a beat, Can walked up from behind Wang Zikai and patted his shoulder. ¡°Newbie, I¡¯m the girl who yed a mobile game with you before, the one who yed a mean Daqiao.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh oh, that¡¯s you!¡± Wang Zikai stared at her for a few seconds before he remembered.

    Can grinned at him. ¡°You¡¯re so bad at the game. Why don¡¯t I teach you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why would I want you to...¡±

    Before he could finish, Gao Yang had already jabbed him in the neck and administered him with Medicine D.

    Wang Zikai blinked. He reached up to feel his neck, but couldn¡¯t even lift his hand properly, and before he could figure out what was happening, he had already lost all his strength, and he copsed.

    Gao Yang reached out to catch him and pulled out the needle, handing the syringe to Can. Then with his arms wrapped around Wang Zikai¡¯s waist, he easily lifted him onto his shoulder, turning to leave. ¡°To the basement.¡±

    A few minutester, Gao Yang, Can, and Heavenly Dog went down to the basement, tying Wang Zikai up with thick hemp ropes as well as sturdy zip ties. Only then did they allow themselves to rx.

    ¡°Whew.¡±

    Can tied a pretty ribbon with the rope before standing up and dusting her hands. ¡°Done!¡±

    Gao Yang looked at the way Wang Zikai slept on the chair with his head drooping, feeling a little guilty.

    n B had been taking shape in his head for a while.

    To be frank, Gao Yang could no longer be certain if Wang Zikai truly was a wanderer at this point.

    If he was, he should¡¯ve fallen asleep during the few hours after night fell.

    However, it didn¡¯t happen to Wang Zikai. Then he was likely an elite monster Gao Yang didn¡¯t yet understand, and his monsterhood would wake up past twelve o¡¯clock.

    There would be no turning back for Gao Yang and Wang Zikai then.

    That was something Gao Yang would do anything to avoid. To prevent the worst from happening, Gao Yang decided to put Wang Zikai to sleep anyway possible if Wang Zikai didn¡¯t fall asleep on his own, keeping him unconscious until the end of the Crimson Tide.

    Gao Yang had told Qilin about his n, and Qilin agreed.

    To a special wanderer like Wang Zikai, the Guild¡¯s response was to observe first, and if he became too much of a risk, kill him.

    Gao Yang had promised Qilin that he would minimize the risk to the best of his ability, and that he would shoulder all consequences, whatever they were.

    He was then provided five shots of Medicine D.

    His n was simple. Since daytime was the safe period, Gao Yang would give Wang Zikai a shot of Medicine D every day, having him sleep through the seven days. Given Wang Zikai¡¯s physical prowess, he would be able to endure seven days without food and water.

    When he woke up, it would be the end of the Crimson Tide, and they would still be the best of friends.

    <i>If </i>Gao Yang could live through the Crimson Tide, that was.

    And if he died, Wang Zikai would be fine. He would think Gao Yang had disappeared, still believing Gao Yang as his best friend.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can nced at Wang Zikai before turning to Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten to such length. You must really care about this noob.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly, but said in a serious tone, ¡°He¡¯s saved me many times, and he trusts me wholeheartedly. If possible, I never want to hurt him.¡±

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Can took a big step back and eyed Gao Yang strangely, saying with a smirk, ¡°If it¡¯s him, Captain, I wouldn¡¯t mind giving up on you¡ª¡±

    Can got a p to the head for thement. ¡°Not the head, Captain! I¡¯m not smart to start with!¡±

    Gao Yang pulled a long face. ¡°Stop bbering and go back to the White Tiger branch.¡±

    ¡°Fellows,¡± Heavenly Dog said tensely. ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking good.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s face darkened as soon as the word was out of his mouth, and his heart almost stopped.

    Sitting on the chair, Wang Zikai, who should have stayed unconscious, was waking up.

 Chapter 339: The Arrival of the Tide

    <h4>Chapter 339: The Arrival of the Tide</h4>

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m dizzy...¡±

    Wang Zikai opened his eyes with difficulty, only to find to his shock that he was tied tightly to a chair. ¡°Whoa, what, what¡¯s going on...?¡±

    He looked up to see Gao Yang, Can, and Heavenly Dog standing before him, stunned and face ashen.

    ¡°What is this, bro? Why did you tie me up?¡± Wang Zikai shouted at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Wang Zikai! Calm, calm down and listen...¡±

    Gao Yang was takenpletely by surprise. He hadn¡¯t anticipated this scenario.

    Although he had considered the possibility of Medicine D being less effective on Wang Zikai given his unique nature, and thus he might not stay asleep for as long, how could Medicine D, which could keep an elite monster unconscious for 48 hours,st only ten minutes on Wang Zikai?

    It was absurd!

    <i>What monster are you, Wang Zikai?!</i>

    ¡°You better fucking exin to me, Gao Yang!¡± Wang Zikai was a little angry.

    He suddenly turned to Can and Heavenly Dog fiercely. ¡°You two, it must be your idea!¡±

    He got worked up and started struggling against the restraint. ¡°You are not driving us apart!¡±

    Can nched and staggered back reflexively.

    Heavenly Dog also stepped back and raised his hands, prepared to activate his Talents at any time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gao Yang shot Heavenly Dog a pointed look and said in a low voice, ¡°Heavenly Dog, Can, leave.¡±

    Can paused. ¡°Captain, we don¡¯t have time...¡±

    ¡°Out!¡± Gao Yang ordered in a more forceful tone.

    Can clenched her teeth and hesitated a few seconds before leaving the basement. Heavenly Dog followed quietly with a final look at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Hey! You are not getting...¡± Wang Zikai continued to taunt them.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door to the basement mmed shut, leaving Gao Yang and Wang Zikai alone.

    Under the dim light, the two of them shared a silent moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Wang Zikai. This is my idea.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Why did you tie me up for nothing, bro?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Gao Yang racked his brain for an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s meant as a special training!¡±

    Wang Zikai paused. ¡°Special training?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Training!¡± Gao Yang tried to calm himself despite the sweat covering his palms. ¡°Do you remember Surnamed Li of the Hundred Rivers Union? The woman who bought us dinner at the Sea View Tower?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. What about her?¡± Wang Zikai was getting pulled into Gao Yang¡¯s story.

    ¡°She could see the future, and she foresaw a powerful viin, the ultimate final boss!¡±

    He walked up to Wang Zikai slowly and said with feeling, ¡°The viin is OP! Neither of us is their match, and both of us will end up killed. Not even you can rival them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t yet convinced. ¡°That can¡¯t be. I¡¯m the chosen one.¡±

    ¡°You should be able to defeat them, but not when your ultimate potential hasn¡¯t been fully awakened.¡±

    Gao Yang patted Wang Zikai on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to give you special training this week. Tying you up was only the first step to awakening your full potential.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Wang Zikai bought it. ¡°I knew there was more to the week!¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Gao Yang sighed in relief. It seemed that he had managed to convince Wang Zikai.

    ¡°What¡¯s the training?¡± Wang Zikai sounded eager. ¡°Am I supposed to break free on my own? Well, it¡¯s nothing. Just wait.¡±

    He took a deep breath and balled his hands into fists, tightening his jaw with veins popping out in his forehead. ¡°Hmph...¡±

    A few secondster, his skin turned bronze and his muscles bulged dramatically, his body doubling in size.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    With a flex, Wang Zikai broke the hemp ropes and zip ties like they were as fragile as noodles, and they sttered all over. A broken piece hit Gao Yang in the cheek like a whip, leaving a burning red imprint.

    ¡°Haha! Whew¡ª¡± Wang Zikai panted and stood up, stretching his arms. ¡°This isn¡¯t much of a training, bro. You have to make things harder. This doesn¡¯t even count as a warmup.¡±

    Gao Yang stood rooted to the spot, his mind nking.

    This was his closest friend, someone he knew like himself.

    At this moment, however, Wang Zikai was so strong that he seemed wholly unfamiliar.

    <i>No, Wang Zikai is no wanderer!</i>

    <i>He must be some kind of elite monster in deep slumber.</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Can pushed the door open with Heavenly Dog in tow. Both of them were anxious.

    ¡°Captain! It¡¯s 12. We can¡¯t wait any longer!¡± Can was close to begging.

    Gao Yang felt a shudder in his chest then, as if an intangible finger had plucked at his heart.

    Then he sensed it: an all-epassing, overflowing pressure.

    Can and Heavenly Dog felt the strange warning sign to varying degrees, too.

    The three of them had never experienced the Crimson Tide as awakeners before, and inside the basement, they didn¡¯t witness the arrival of the Tide.

    Those at the White Tiger branch, though, had witnessed the strange phenomenon from the very start.

    Late at night, Li City seemed no different from usual save for the fact that there were seventy to eighty percent fewer lights on in the residential and office buildings, and there was little traffic, making it clear that most of the city residents had fallen asleep.

    Then as soon as midnight came, all streetmps and other lights in public areas went off. The jungle of concrete plunged into darkness.

    The full moon in the sky grewrge at an observable rate and turned a deep crimson red. It hung unnaturally low in the sky, looking down on all parts of the world like an eye of the evil god.

    The red light was as intense as sunlight in day time, casting the whole city in an oppressive red.

    Then the blood fog emerged on the horizon and the surface of bodies of water, quiet yet violent.

    It started out like a red trembling line, but then everyone began to get a better look. The thick blood fog rolled and roared like a tide on steroids, spreading in all directions across the city.

    In an instant, the blood fog had covered allnd, reaching half a meter tall.

    In fact, it didn¡¯t only cover thend. No matter what floor one was on in a building, the blood fog would extend like red vines and climb up and through any obstacles to pool evenly at their feet.

    Unless one could stay hovering in the sky, none could escape the fog that didn¡¯t discriminate between targets.

    In the basement of Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, Gao Yang, Can, and Heavenly Dog were still stunned into inaction. About ten seconds after the initial shock, the blood fog had already seeped in through the crack under the door, spreading at their feet.

    Gao Yang looked down to find his feet obscured by the fog.

    He paled and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn¡¯t make a sound. It was all he could do to look at Wang Zikai, helpless and confused.

    It seemed that Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t see the fog, or he didn¡¯t care.

    He was still smiling. ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Cap...captain...¡±

    Can shook in fear, but instead of running away, she mustered the courage to take a step forward.

    No matter what happened, she must not be a deadweight this time. She had to fight alongside Captain Seven Shadow.

    Heavenly Dog quietly reached into the cor of his shirt with his right hand, crushing the deep blue button.

    Then he raised his hands at Wang Zikai, readying his energy to activate level 4 Spatial Dissection.

    <i>No, no.</i>

    <i>This is not supposed to happen.</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, and his head was a mess. His rational mind was yelling at him to stop standing around, that the boy before him was extremely dangerous; he must either run, or fight.

    But Gao Yang couldn¡¯t do it. The past he had shared with Wang Zikai overflowed in his head, threatening to break his mind.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Two secondster, three sharp bone ws extended from the back of Wang Zikai¡¯s hand.

    He took a step forward slowly. In the basement awash in an oppressive red, his smile looked strange, and he drawled in anguid tone.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to train? What are you waiting for?¡±

 Chapter 340: Donâ€™t Make Me

    <h4>Chapter 340: Don¡¯t Make Me</h4>

    White Tiger Branch, 52nd floor.

    The White Tiger branch was arge five-star hotel named the White Lake Hotel. From the ground floor up to the 44th floor were run like a regr hotel; 45th floor and above was the White Tiger branch of the Qilin Guild, which could only be reached by riding the member-exclusive elevators.

    In addition to dorm rooms allocated to each member, the branch was also home to specialized spaces for recreation, entertainment, and training, as well as storage for arge amount of equipment and supplies. Its counterpart would be the underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower.

    The 52nd floor was the top floor of the hotel, arge space built into an emergency shelter, divided into the east, west, south, north, and central zones.

    The central zone was themand center and meeting room for the core members.

    The east zone was the living quarters set up with a hundred and more capsule beds¡ªnow increased to 200, divided for men and women.

    The west zone housed the public washrooms and toilets. Due to the limited space, they were all small, narrow stalls.

    The east zone was the canteen with a kitchen area. Food and drinking water enough to sustain 200 people were stored there, as well as canned food, snacks, and all sorts of drinks.

    The north zone was a resting ce with sofas and seats, the wall arge, fan-shaped floor-to-ceiling window that served as an observatory.

    White Tiger was stationed at themand room in the central zone. In case of danger, he would activate Absolute Defense to cover the entire 52nd floor in his barrier.

    To face theing crisis, members of all three major organizations had gathered here, including a few unaffiliated awakeners.

    The total number were 156, almost the entirety of awakeners in all of the Mist World.

    Ten minutes before the Crimson Tide arrived, close to a hundred people gathered in the resting area in the north zone, standing before the window wall to witness the descent of the blood moon and the emergence of the blood fog, their hearts pounding.

    Despite them being on the 52nd floor, blood fog reached half a meter at their feet in less than ten seconds.

    It was everywhere. None could escape it.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang stood before the window, their expressions dark like the other awakeners.

    Officer Huang¡¯s phone was left on, and he was focused to the point of being neurotic.

    He had lied to his wife that he had been assigned a secret mission for the next seven days, instructing her to not contact him unless there was an emergency. She didn¡¯t seem to suspect anything.

    Midnight had passed, and the Crimson Tide arrived.

    He was terrified that he would get a call or a message from his wife, which could mean either of the two:

    His wife was an elite monster.

    Or an elite monster close to him suspected him of being an awakener and used his wife to set him up.

    Officer Huang had considered installing hidden cameras at home to watch her during the night. If his wife fell asleep before twelve, she must be a wanderer. If she didn¡¯t, however...

    Officer Huang couldn¡¯t bear to follow the thought. In the end, he didn¡¯t have the courage to test her.

    At this moment, it was all he could do to keep his phone in a tight grasp while praying that it would stay quiet from midnight to the break of dawn.

    If it did ring, of course, he would make up his mind and go even if he would be marching to his death.

    Qing Ling stared at the city cast in crimson red, her hands balled into fists.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t returned.

    She knew that because Heavenly Dog hadn¡¯t returned, and Gao Yang had asked for his help. After they did whatever they were doing, they should¡¯ve rushed back to the 52nd floor of the hotel before twelve o¡¯clock.

    It seemed that the mission hadn¡¯t been aplished. Something had gone wrong.

    ¡°Green Snake! Yellow Ox!¡±

    White Rabbit quickly came up with a tablet running a location tracking application. On the screen was the 2D map of Li City and the concentric circles of radar. There was a blinking red dot.

    Qing Ling noticed it immediately.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog is in danger!¡± White Rabbit said.

    Without a word, Qing Ling turned to leave, and Officer Huang and White Rabbit followed.

    They came to a halt after taking a few steps.

    Arms crossed, War Tiger hade up to stop the three of them. Wordlessly, he gave them a strange smile.

    ¡°Out of the way,¡± Qing Ling said harshly.

    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯ll have to defeat me first.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Tiger, Heavenly Dog is in danger!¡± White Rabbit was anxious.

    ¡°During the Crimson Tide, members who leave for their own personal reasons must be ready to face death,¡± War Tigermented. ¡°That is the rule.¡±

    White Rabbit raged. ¡°Heavenly Dog was called away by Seven Shadow!¡±

    War Tiger was unfazed. ¡°And he chose to help him.¡±

    ¡°I volunteer to go to Heavenly Dog¡¯s rescue,¡± Qing Ling responded coolly. <i>And Gao Yang</i>, she didn¡¯t say.

    War Tiger shook his head with regret. ¡°It¡¯s toote, Green Snake. Whatever danger there was would¡¯ve already happened, and someone Seven Shadow and Heavenly Dog failed to deal with must be a pride monster or a Spectre, who would easily kill you. I can¡¯t let you die in vain.¡±

    <i>ng.</i>

    Qing Ling swung her Tang Dao in the blink of an eye, and War Tiger blocked it with his shortsword.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me.¡± Qing Ling stared at him fiercely.

    War Tiger sighed heavily. ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    ...

    Wang Zikai¡¯s basement, the riverside residential area.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to train? What are you waiting for?¡±

    With that, his smile dropped altogether.

    He took a step forward, and immediately, Gao Yang, Can, and Heavenly Dog took a step back.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>This isn¡¯t the Wang Zikai I knew.</i>

    <i>Do something!</i>

    <i>Now!</i>

    <i>Shit, stop standing around! Attack him!</i>

    Gao Yang yelled at himself in his head, but he couldn¡¯t do it.

    Knowing that they must not wait any longer, Can grabbed Gao Yang and Heavenly Dog with each of her hands.

    Instantly, the three vanished.

    Wang Zikai started. ¡°Hmph? Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, where, where are you...¡± Wang Zikai took another step forward, but this time, his speech slowed, and his legs were wobbly.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    His bone ws retracted on their own as he fought his falling eyelids. His eyes closed and then opened with difficulty before closing again. And he wavered like a drunk man walking.

    ¡°Come on...train...¡±

    Wang Zikai staggered forward.

    Breaking out of his invisibility, Gao Yang came up to catch him with both arms, Wang Zikai¡¯s chin resting on his shoulder.

    Tightening his arms around his friend, Gao Yang maintained hisposure for the benefit of the others, but in his heart, he was celebrating.

    <i>Great!</i>

    <i>Wang Zikai¡¯s a wanderer! Even though he¡¯s unusually strong, he¡¯s still a wanderer!</i>

    It wasn¡¯t the Medicine D that had put him to sleep, but the rule of the Crimson Tide. And he had spoken strangely not because of an awakening monsterhood, but because of his mind slowing to a halt.

    Gao Yang carefully supported Wang ZIkai lest he woke him up. He crouched down and was going toy Wang Zikai on the floor, but thick blood fog hade up high enough to submerge Wang Zikai.

    Wouldn¡¯t that suffocate him?

    Although Gao Yang knew he was probably overthinking, he still picked Wang Zikai back up.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the living room.¡±

    With Can and Heavenly Dog following him, Gao Yang walked out of the basement to the living room, cing Wang Zikai on a couch, away from the blood fog.

    He let out a long sigh as he watched Wang Zikai¡¯s sleeping face.

    Although it hadn¡¯t exactly been smooth sailing, all was well as long as it ended well. Thank heavens for the way things turned out.

    Heavenly Dog was on his phone in the meantime. ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. Yeah, there¡¯s no danger. We¡¯ll be back at once... Hm? You got into a fight? You alright? Uncle Tiger beat all three of you...well...¡±

    ...

    A minuteter, Heavenly Dog carried Gao Yang and Can in each arm and flew out of Wang Zikai¡¯s ce through a window.

    Under the crimson blood moon, they glided across theke covered in blood fog.

    ¡°Invisibility.¡±

    Can called out, and the three of them disappeared instantly.

    From the empty sky came Can¡¯s voice. ¡°This is genius, Captain! This is the safestbo there is! Oh, Brother Dog, please don¡¯t get too high up. I, I¡¯ve got acrophobia.¡±

    ¡°The higher we get, the safer,¡± said Heavenly Dog.

    ¡°Can, do you want to have some fun?¡± Gao Yang was in a good mood.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering what will happen if I teleport to speed us up while we fly.¡±

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    ¡°Eep! Stop ying, Captain...¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± Heavenly Dog said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you teleport us while I dive down?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Brother, Brother Dog, Captain, please calm down¡ªhelp!¡±

 Chapter 341: Spring

    <h4>Chapter 341: Spring</h4>

    The first night of Crimson Tide.

    Xijing District, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The blood moon hung low, casting the dense forest area in a vibrant red, making it look like a strange forest fire had broken out, and all trees were silently burning.

    Deep in the woods, a white two-story mansion could be made out, and the light was on.

    Usually, the mansion would be enveloped in obscuring magic to make it blend with the naturalndscapes, and since there was no path leading up the mountain around the mansion, it was nigh impossible for anyone to spot it.

    During the Crimson Tide, though, the owner of the small mansion deemed it unnecessary to keep the building hidden.

    For the next seven days, the awakeners were the prey who should be running around hiding.

    The living room of the mansion was renovated with the old western pces in mind, with arge crystal chandelier, heavy, luxurious dark-colored curtains, soft rug with beautiful patterns, high-ss furniture lovingly-crafted by hand, and walls of oil paintings done by masters.

    A boy dressed in ck tuxedo sat on an extravagant host seat. He looked to be seven or eight with a small, frail figure. His feet, wearing white socks and handmade dress shoes, didn¡¯t even reach the floor.

    His silver hair was parted in the middle with short, curved bangs. His crimson eyes were equal parts adorable and pensive,bining the contrasting temperaments perfectly.

    His right eye was adorned with a mole.

    Although he had a lovely face that would make him instantly likable, the air about him was heavy and grave, and his slight frown seemed to embody all the worries in the world.

    He sighed.

    As the patriarch of the family, he was under great pressure.

    ¡°Master Spring, White Dew and Fresh Snow are back.¡±

    Standing behind the little boy was a tall middle-aged man dressed in a tailcoat. His silver hair was short and spiky, and his eyes were the same deep red. On his angr face, his wide chin had a dimple in the middle.

    The boy addressed as Master Spring nodded slightly and said in a worried tone, ¡°It seems that White Dew still hasn¡¯t found a new prey for Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°Worry not, Master Spring. The Crimson Tide is our time. We¡¯ll have ample opportunities in the next few days.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being way too optimistic, Waking Insects[1]. Fresh Snow is special, more so than any of us. It isn¡¯t easy to find her prey.¡±

    Waking Insects nodded slightly and fell silent.

    Spring sighed again. The weight on his shoulders was so heavy.

    He was the founder of the Spectres and the first Spectre in the Mist World. His origin and age remained a mystery he never told anyone about, and while he appeared to be a young boy, he was an old man who had lived through long, long years.

    It¡¯d been long since Spring started looking for newly-bornpanions, expanding the influence of the Spectres.

    His name derived from Beginning of Spring of the twenty-four sr terms.

    Spring represented hope, and no species needed hope more than the Spectres.

    Every new member after him would adopt the next term of the twenty-four sr terms. Of course, they were free to make changes to their name.

    Twenty-seven years ago, White Dew and Fresh Snow were born as twins, and since then, the Spectres hadn¡¯t weed new members.

    Originally, Fresh Snow should be named after Autumn Equinox, but disliking the name, she changed her own name to Fresh Snow when she was three, based on the sr term Lesser Snow.

    Spring agreed. After all, Fresh Snow was the youngest of them all, and to Spring, she was like a beloved granddaughter, the precious pearl to be protected and cherished.

    At its prime, the Spectres had eleven members.

    But now, they only had four: Spring, Waking Insects, White Dew, and Fresh Snow.

    To awakeners, Spectres were powerful, terrifying, and bloodthirsty, which wouldn¡¯t be that far off from the truth given their diet of awakeners¡¯ energy and vitality.

    However, Spectres were also incredibly fragile.

    Simr to expensive purebred pets, born with all sorts of inherited diseases under the beauty and grace, each Spectre had a different curse circting in their body.

    While the curse granted the Spectre great power and a different form, it was also a terrible chronic disease that could im the Spectre¡¯s life at any moment.

    Eating regrly only sustained a Spectre and did nothing to stop the curse from spreading and worsening. There was no rhyme or reason to when the curse would im their life.

    Spring looked up at the photo coge on the wall.

    The pictures were of the family members they had lost, all with silver hair and red eyes, and all way too young to pass from the world. They beamed innocently and carefreely. Only a small percentage of them were killed. The rest were taken away by their own curses.

    About twenty years ago, the Godbearer Cult sought out the Spectres.

    They imed to be able to supply the Spectres with food regrly, and that they could cure the curses that gued Spectres. In exchange, they wanted the Spectres to work with them.

    Spring wasn¡¯t so naive that he would fully trust the Godbearer Cult, but he believed they had nothing to lose in striking a deal.

    Thus, they started working together.

    Over the years, the Spectres were given simple tasks such as assassinating a few awakeners, or resurrecting some of them with Fresh Snow¡¯s power.

    And the Godbearer Cult had supplied them with food regrly, but not fulfilled their promise to cure the Spectres of their curses, iming that the time hadn¡¯te.

    Thinking about that, Spring couldn¡¯t help but sigh again.

    Fresh Snow couldn¡¯t have regr food because of the special curse she was inflicted with.

    Now that she had found a special food she could eat, though, she refused to, but instead be friends with the food. What an absurd turn of events.

    Could the curse have made her more of a stubborn fool?

    Watching Fresh Snow grow weaker and weaker, her sister, White Dew, became increasingly anxious. It was all she could do to go around catching unaffiliated awakeners even though she knew Fresh Snow couldn¡¯t eat them.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door opened. White Dew returned with Fresh Snow in cat form.

    Her beautiful, elegant face showed a hint of exhaustion and frustration. She put the sleeping white cat in a pink cat house.

    Marching to the couch, White Dew threw herself onto it and closed her eyes, forgetting proprietary altogether.

    ¡°White Dew,¡± Spring said. ¡°We can¡¯t keep this on.¡±

    ¡°I know, but Snow refused to eat that awakener called Gao Yang,¡± White Dew said resentfully with her eyes closed and her chest heaving slightly.

    ¡°She will.¡± Spring turned to look at Fresh Snow with caring eyes. ¡°She¡¯s stubborn, but no stubbornness can overpower the instinct to survive and eat.¡±

    ¡°The three major organizations are huddling together now. We don¡¯t have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Be patient.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time!¡± White Dew shot to her feet and yelled, sounding pained. ¡°Fresh Snow can die any moment!¡±

    White Dew didn¡¯t want to live in a world where her sister was gone. She had nothing in this world but her sister.

    Spring sighed again and took a name card out of his breast pocket. ¡°Contact him, White Dew.¡±

    White Dew syed her hand, and the name card flew between her long, slim fingers. She took a look at it. ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°The one who found the special food for Fresh Snow. Contact him. Perhaps he would be willing to help us again. If he wants something in return, we¡¯ll do it as long as it doesn¡¯t touch our bottom line.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hope lit up in White Dew¡¯s crimson eyes.

    Then she frowned slightly. ¡°Is he an awakener? Why would he help us?¡±

    Spring shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s a pride monster. Although he¡¯s no friend, he isn¡¯t our enemy either.¡±

    1. The Spectres are named after the 24 Sr Terms, a traditional way to split the seasons. <i>Jingzhe</i>, the waking of insects, is the first half of March, when animalse out of hibernation. ?

 Chapter 342: Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 342: Trouble</h4>

    The second day of the Crimson Tide.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s living room, nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Wang Zikai woke up on the sofa bleary-eyed and saw Gao Yang sitting by his side, looking down at him with an inquisitive edge to his gaze.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Wang Zikai yelled, suddenly wide awake. He sat up while scratching his head. ¡°When...did I fall asleep? What are you doing, bro? You almost gave me a heart attack!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed with feigned concern. ¡°The special training didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai paused before his memory came back to him, and he pped himself on the thigh. ¡°Oh, right! Special training! We were going to do thatst night, weren¡¯t we? How did I fall asleep?¡±

    ¡°That was the special training.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai was bbergasted.

    Gao Yang sighed again. ¡°To tell you the truth, Can, the girl fromst night, has a Talent called Sleeping Beauty. It¡¯s a powerful curse-like Talent.¡±

    Wang Zikai blinked.

    ¡°She used Sleeping Beauty on you. The special curse will put you to sleep past midnight.¡±

    Wang Zikai gaped. ¡°Holy shit! That¡¯s strong!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang sighed the third time. ¡°So you must fight it somehow. If you can ovee the curse of Sleeping Beauty, you¡¯ll be able to fight the strongest viinter without being subdued by their hypnotic attacks. Then you¡¯ll surely win!¡±

    Wang Zikai came to a realization. ¡°Bro, you...you¡¯ve thought so far for me! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t disappoint you. I won¡¯t fall asleep tonight!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good for you to have the fighting spirit. Sleeping Beauty is powerful, though. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to ovee it quickly. Still, given your innate potential, I believe you should be able to do it after about a week.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t need a whole week!¡± Wang Zikai dered with confidence. ¡°Give me five days¡ªno, three days!¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet and nced at the tea table on his side. ¡°I bought breakfast for you. Eat up. I¡¯m off to take care of something.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Wang Zikai called out after him. ¡°What should I do during the day if you leave now?¡±

    ¡°Training!¡± Gao Yang put on a reprimanding look. ¡°How are you going to fight Sleeping Beauty during the night if you don¡¯t train hard? This is your special training! Keep in mind that this is for the ultimate fight!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Zikai was all pumped up.

    ¡°Right, I have preparations to make for the fight between you and the final boss. I¡¯ll contact you once I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°You got it!¡± Wang Zikai picked up a cup of soy milk and took a sip. ¡°I¡¯ll get started after breakfast! Don¡¯t worry, bro. I¡¯ll defeat the Sleeping Beauty in three days. Just watch!¡±

    ¡°Work hard. You¡¯re the best.¡±

    Pleased, Gao Yang nodded at him with a smile.

    ...

    Gao Yang returned to the 52nd floor of the White Lake Hotel and spent the whole day in the base.

    He and Officer Huang checked their phones every thirty seconds, even when they were eating.

    Their lunch partner, White Rabbit, had had enough of it. ¡°Yellow Ox, would you stop already? If you take another look at your phone, I¡¯m gonna confiscate it!¡±

    ¡°Me checking my phone isn¡¯t going to stop you from eating.¡± Officer Huang smiled bitterly.

    ¡°But you¡¯re stopping me from enjoying the food!¡± White Rabbit lost her temper somewhat, and Gao Yang felt vicariously called out.

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Qing Ling added from beside White Rabbit.

    ¡°You have notification turned on. What¡¯s the point of being glued to your phone? If you keep this on, something will happen even if it wasn¡¯t supposed to.¡±

    <i>She¡¯s got a point,</i> Gao Yang thought and quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, swearing not to take another nce at it.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, don¡¯t jinx it!¡± Officer Huang shot White Rabbit a re before putting away his phone, focusing on eating.

    At midnight, the Crimson Tide arrived on time.

    The blood moon emerged along with the blood fog that permeated everywhere. The expanding sense of pressure returned like a smog, enveloping everyone¡¯s heart.

    The three major organizations had formed a temporary alliance. They sent two teams of three to patrol around the city.

    One consisted of Heavenly Dog, Can, and Little Tian. It was a teamposition that minimized risks, where Heavenly Dog would bring along Can, who could turn them invisible, and Little Tian, who could sense powerful living organisms in a wide range, and scout from high in the sky.

    The other awakeners, with nothing to do, could only wait.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang sat on the beanbags before the window wall, holding their phones tightly without saying a word, looking like empty husks with their souls running astray.

    If there was anyone who could read minds in their proximity, they would hear the two men repeating, ¡®God bless me! Don¡¯t ring, phone! Come already, morning!¡¯

    Indeed, some awakeners¡¯ phones did ring during the night.

    Every time, Gao Yang and Officer Huang would nch with their hearts racing, only to realize btedly that it wasn¡¯t their phones.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to find Green Tea walking up to him with a phone in his hand, his expression dark.

    Gao Yang quickly connected the dots and shot to his feet. ¡°Your phone rang?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Green Tea spoke urgently at a faster pace.

    ¡°It was my younger brother¡¯s girlfriend.¡± His eyes flickered, and he added in wishful thinking, ¡°She may not be a monster, but an awakened human.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. That was a possibility, but the possibility was as slim as winning a lottery.

    ¡°She and my brother rented a ce outside their college,¡± Green Tea continued. ¡°She woke up at midnight to find my brother unconscious, and she couldn¡¯t wake him up. She was worried that he had fallen ill, but the emergency call didn¡¯t go through. She then called me.¡±

    Gao Yang could guess what Green Tea was asking for. ¡°You want to check on them and would like me to go with you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Green Tea tightened his grip around his phone. ¡°I can¡¯t just do nothing. Even if she is a monster and is using my brother to lure me in, I have to go.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you could¡¯ve just asked another member of the Union. Why turned to Seven Shadow?¡± Officer Huang, who had been listening, didn¡¯t want Gao Yang to get into danger for Green Tea. ¡°You aren¡¯t that close, are you?¡±

    Green Tea stared at Gao Yang. ¡°We¡¯ve gone on a mission together. I consider us friends. And I¡¯ve asked a Union member, Joker. With the three of us going together, I¡¯m certain nothing will go wrong.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    He was surprised that someone as aloof as Joker would be willing to take the risk.

    Green Tea sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to deal with an elite monster on my own, but if she takes my brother hostage, I¡¯ll be in trouble without friends.¡±

    He turned to Gao Yang and said in an imploring tone, ¡°Joker can differentiate between monsters and humans to confirm their identities, and you, Elder Seven Shadow, have Teleportation and a bright mind. You¡¯re my only option if there¡¯s a hostage to rescue. My little brother is all I¡¯ve got, Elder Seven Shadow. Please help me. I¡¯ll repay you...¡±

    ¡°Enough already,¡± Gao Yang cut him off. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Green Tea paused. He didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to agree so readily. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gao Yang decided to help Green Tea for two reasons.

    First, he had been the key vote that outed Green Tea during the Werewolf game run by Sir Zuo. Although it turned out to be a simple game, Gao Yang still felt guilty about it, and he offered his help to make amends.

    His second reason was a selfish one: should the same thing happen to him for the next few nights, he might need Green Tea¡¯s help.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Officer Huang stood up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Gao Yang turned him down. ¡°The more isn¡¯t always the merrier.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°What if your phone rings?¡±

    That immediately convinced Officer Huang. He sighed. ¡°Alright, just be careful.¡±

    Green Tea and Gao Yang went to the back office for basic medicines and equipment before heading to the elevator to the exit. Joker had been waiting beside it for quite a while.

    He had transformed into a mundane young man with no features standing out.

    The three of them left the White Lake Hotel and hopped into Green Tea¡¯s car, heading to the A College.

    Green Tea, burning with anxiety, drove quickly.

    In the passenger seat, Joker didn¡¯t say much as he looked out of the window, keeping an eye out for potential threats.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang was still holding his phone and worrying about it ringing. The three of them didn¡¯t say anything during the drive.

    The city in slumber saw no traffic on the roads. Soon, Green Tea reached an apartment building near the A College, where many student couples rented a room together.

    The three of them walked into the lobby. The security guard manning the front desk had fallen asleep in the chair.

    They quickly went into the elevator and made it to room 1003.

    Green Tea rushed up to the door. Gao Yang essed his system to check for dangers. No warning as of yet, which meant there was no immediate danger waiting on the other side of the door, not that they weren¡¯t stepping into a trap.

    Green Tea hesitated to open the door. He turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang nodded slightly.

    Taking a deep breath, Green Tea rang the doorbell.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Three secondster, the door opened.

    On the other side stood a young woman in pajamas. She had a round face, signifying a life of abundance.

    However, she had an exhausted look on her face at this moment, and her hair was a mess, her eyes red and swollen. There were dried tear stains on her cheeks. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re finally here...¡±

    Noticing Gao Yang and Joker standing behind Green Tea, she asked curiously, ¡°And they are...¡±

    ¡°Friends. We happened to be hanging out, and they offered to help.¡± Green Tea hade up with an excuse beforehand.

    Rather than asking another question, the girl opened the door fully to allow them entrance. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Withpanions watching his back, Green Tea walked in without hesitation, unconcerned if his sister-inw would attack him suddenly.

    Gao Yang and Joker entered with a purposeful dy, trailing after Green Tea and the girl.

    ¡°Brother, when I woke up at midnight, I noticed something wrong with Xiaojun...¡±

    The t wasn¡¯t big, and they could see the end of it upon entrance. On the far side of the room was a bed, on whichy a young man in pajamas.

    ¡°Xiaojun¡¯s so deep asleep that I can¡¯t wake him up... I was going to call an ambnce, but no one picked up. Since I couldn¡¯t carry him on my own, I thought about asking for my neighbor¡¯s help. However, I knocked on a few doors and no one responded... I, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    She rattled off, clearly feeling anxious.

    Expression grave, Green Tea strode up to the bed to guard his unconscious brother.

    The girl was going to follow, but Green Tea stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The girl was confused. ¡°What are you doing, Brother? Don¡¯t dally around. Let¡¯s take Xiaojun to the hospital at once...¡±

    She trailed off, noticing the change in atmosphere.

    Slowly turning around, she saw Joker blocking the entryway with his arms crossed. That was the only way out of the t.

    Gao Yang was keeping distance from her as well, his expression cold and his stance wary.

    The t was eerily silent with an undercurrent of tension.

    The girl¡¯s anxious and confused look gradually hardened. Two secondster, her eyes glowed a faint green.

    <i>Growl¡ª</i>

    Almost instantly, her mouth split open to her jaw, and viscous light-green liquid streamed down from the ugly maw. She lunged at Green Tea, who was closest to her.

    A freerider, looking to make Green Tea its host.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Prepared for an ambush, Green Tea quickly grabbed a pillow and shoved it into the open maw of the freerider.

    That only stopped it for a short moment, but it was enough. Green Tea activated One-inch Punch with his other hand and hit the freerider in the chest.

    The freerider flew off with the pillow in its mouth, crushing the ss of the tea table with a loud ng.

    For a moment, white down and ss shards scattered all over the floor.

    ¡°Ugh¡ª¡±

    The freerider didn¡¯t have the time to care about its almost shattered organs. Knowing it wasn¡¯t Green Tea¡¯s match, it scrambled to its feet and turned to lunge at Gao Yang instead.

    The only thought in its head was to bite someone.

    As long as it did, its energy, consciousness, and some of its memories would live on in a different form inside the awakener¡¯s body, forming a symbiosis of sorts.

    But it didn¡¯t manage to get Gao Yang since Gao Yang had already teleported behind it.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    He pierced the freerider from the back with the dagger he carried with him.

    The freerider screamed.

    Pushing with more force from his arm, Gao Yang pierced the freerider¡¯s heart with the dagger.

    It stopped screaming and copsed to the ground.

    Blood quickly formed a pool. The freerider twitched while lying in it and slowly reverted back to its human form. However, traces of the transformation remained around her split mouth.

    Joker slowly came up and drew a dagger he had on him, crouching down to put a hole into the freerider¡¯s head. It was to make sure that it wasn¡¯t feigning death to ambush them.

    Things were dealt with swiftly, not even a moment wasted.

    If Green Tea hade on his own, though, he might have fallen victim to the freerider.

    After all, the freerider clearly wasn¡¯t trying to hurt Green Tea by setting up a trap or threatening him with his brother. Its n was distracting Green Tea with the unconscious Xiaojun so that it could catch Green Tea off guard, biting him and thus making him its host.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Green Tea said with relief and gratitude. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this.¡±

    Joker didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Green Tea rose to his feet and turned to nce at his brother, saying in a heartbroken tone, ¡°How is Xiaojun going to face his dead girlfriend when he wakes up tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Warning...¡±

    Since he had been watching out for it, Gao Yang used Teleport on reflex as soon as he heard the system.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Between one blink and the next, Green Tea found himself teleported to a corner of the room, held by Gao Yang.

    Three long, sharp white bone stings shot out to where he had been, by his brother¡¯s bed, and the bone stings were his brother¡¯s fingers.

    Green Tea¡¯s mind nked.

    He knew what it meant, but he couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t follow the thought.

    ¡°No!¡± he screamed.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    The bone stings shot at Gao Yang and Green Tea again. They teleported to the entryway, standing by Joker.

    ¡°No, no, no. Why...why did this happen?¡± Green Tea sounded tortured.

    The young man called Xiaojun sat up coldly and didn¡¯t rush into the next move.

    Gao Yang got a good look at him. The young man had a short, small face, fine and soft ck hair, and gentle facial features, making him look harmless.

    And Green Tea¡¯s brother was a good boy. The brothers had depended on each other throughout their lives.

    His little brother had always been meek and considerate. He trusted and respected Green Tea, even asking for Green Tea¡¯s opinions before he started dating in college.

    ¡°Big brother.¡±

    Xiaojun sat on the bed with his hand on his knees. Head lowered, he said ruefully, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me kill you and eat you? Then we¡¯ll be together forever.¡±

    An overtaker.

    Gao Yang tapped into his energy with both hands. In his experience, overtakers were the strongest and most cunning monsters outside of pride monsters and the illusive life monsters and death monsters.

    ¡°Xiaojun, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Green Tea said with guilt. ¡°I¡¯ve been too careless. I should¡¯ve hidden myself better. Then you wouldn¡¯t have suspected me...¡±

    ¡°Brother.¡± Xiaojun stood up and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You may be able to fool other monsters, but I¡¯m an overtaker. How can you possibly fool me?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Xiaojun scoffed, half of his face awash in darkness.

    ¡°To talk yournguage, my monsterhood is able to differentiate between regr humans and awakeners even when in slumber. It was simply suppressed by my personhood and the Heavenly Way.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°So my monsterhood was bound to awaken when the Crimson Tide hit. This day was predestined toe.¡±

    <i>Good!</i>

    Gao Yang knew he was being apathetic, even shameless.

    But at that moment, his first thought was of his family.

    It seemed that he could at least rule out there being an overtaker among them.

    If there was one, the overtaker would be able to tell awakeners from humans no matter how well Gao Yang had been hiding himself, only they wouldn¡¯t break free of the constraint of their personhood and the Heavenly Way until the Crimson Tide came.

    ¡°Big Brother.¡± Xiaojun smiled at Green Tea while saying apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I love you so much. You are the dearest family to me. I remember all you¡¯ve done for me... But for some reason, I¡¯mpelled to kill you. I cannot stop myself...¡±

    ¡°I beg you, Brother, please let me eat you and let us be whole. Then we¡¯ll be together forever. I promise you that it¡¯ll be quick, and you won¡¯t feel any pain.¡±

    ¡°Brother.¡± The overtaker still wore the face of Green Tea¡¯s brother, and he reached out with a yearning look. ¡°I know. I know you won¡¯t give up on me. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°You said that you would take care of me. You¡¯re the only one who can save me now. I don¡¯t want to die. Let me eat you. Then I¡¯ll be a half-human. We¡¯ll be together and live as a human...¡±

    ¡°Xiaojun...¡± Green Tea wavered and took a step forward.

    ¡°Wake up!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not your brother! You¡¯re brother¡¯s dead! It¡¯s a monster!¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡± Xiaojun got riled up as well and said with reddened eyes. ¡°I¡¯m your brother. I¡¯m only telling the truth. When have I ever lied to you? He is the one lying. He wants to drive us brothers apart...¡±

    ¡°You are not Green Tea¡¯s brother,¡± Joker suddenly said, breaking his silence.

    Xiaojun paused, unsure why Joker would say that. ¡°That¡¯s baseless.¡±

    ¡°His brother wouldn¡¯t hurt him, just like he wouldn¡¯t hurt his brother,¡± Joker droned.

    Gao Yang was taken by surprise. He had thought Joker would say something like, ¡®I can sense your energy,¡¯ but instead, Joker went for a reason rooted in human nature.

    Green Tea shuddered like he had woken up from a dream. <i>That¡¯s right. Xiaojun wouldn¡¯t have hurt me.</i>

    He dropped the hand he had extended.

    Tears fell from his eyes. He couldn¡¯t just let go, so he asked tentatively for onest time, ¡°Is there really no turning back, Xiaojun? Once the Crimson Tide ends, and your monsterhood goes back to sleep, we¡¯ll still be brothers. Just like before...¡±

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    <i>ng, ng.</i>

    Three bone stings shot out suddenly. Gao Yang blocked two with his dagger, while one burrowed into Green Tea¡¯s shoulder, the blood sttering on his face.

    Green Tea remained unmoving.

    ¡°Move!¡± Gao Yang growled.

    It was right for him to make this trip.

    Tonight, he learned a valuable lesson: an awakener¡¯s biggest enemy was never the monsters, but their own weakness!

    ¡°Stop being naive, human. There is no turning back.¡± Xiaojun, or the overtaker with his face, smiled. This time, it called Green Tea ¡®human¡¯ rather than ¡®brother¡¯.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure if he had seen it right, but at the moment, he seemed to have caught a hint of regret in the overtaker¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°...Why?¡± Green Tea didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°It¡¯s already time to choose sides, and all of you must die.¡±

    Dark violet scales quickly sprouted out of its body and covered it from head to toes.

    Its ten fingers morphed into bone stings, exuding an overwhelming killing intent.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 2700 times.]

    ¡°Let us do this.¡± Gao Yang sighed and took a step forward. ¡°Come on, Joker.¡±

    Joker put his left hand on his face. When he let go, he had already turned into Gao Yang with 50% of Teleportation¡¯s power and stats bonuses.

    When he touched Gao Yang earlier, he had sensed Teleportation, Fire, Replicate, and Lie Detection.

    Given Shapeshifter only allowed him to imitate one Talent at the moment, he chose Teleportation.

    ¡°No.¡± Green Tea stopped Gao Yang and Joker, his eyes sad yet determined. ¡°That was my brother. I should be the one to kill him.¡±

    ...

    Five o¡¯clock in the morning, half an hour before sunrise.

    A sedan drove toward the White Lake Hotel.

    Joker was the one driving. Green Tea, taking the passenger seat, was wholly covered in blood. There were dried blood stains on his face and hair as well.

    The five fingers of his right hand were all broken, and there were stabbing wounds of varying degree of seriousness in his abdomen, thighs, and right chest. Since he had been administered Medicine C in time, the injury didn¡¯t pose a danger to his life.

    Xiaojun, the overtaker and Green Tea¡¯s younger brother, had its heart broken by Green Tea¡¯s One-inch Punch. It went without suffering much.

    Green Tea didn¡¯t deal with the body, but simply erased the traces left by himself and hispanions.

    He had to wait until morning to call the police and tell them that his brother and his brother¡¯s girlfriend had been killed by a burr. Then he had to break down crying like he had just learned the bad news,pleting the act.

    In the car, Green Tea¡¯s face was ashen. He stared at his feet with a distant gaze and said nothing.

    He was wearing a pair of blue and white sneakers, which had been dyed a dark brown by blood.

    It was a birthday gift from his brother and his brother¡¯s girlfriendst month.

    The young couple had bought the several thousand yuan sneakers, made famous by online celebrities, with money they earned from part-time jobs.

    ¡°Xiaojun,¡± Green Tea said with a smile in reminiscence. ¡°Thest time he celebrated my birthday, he said, ¡®Brother, I¡¯ve got a girlfriend. You should find me a sister-inw quickly too...¡¯¡±

    Gao Yang and Joker didn¡¯t say anything. They knew Green Tea was simply speaking because he needed to speak.

    ¡°I asked him why. And he said, ¡®Brother, I¡¯m all grown up. I can take care of myself. You should take care of yourself better...¡¯¡±

    Green Tea fell silent.

    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Joker stared ahead with a tight grip on the steering wheel. ¡°Cry if you want to cry.¡±

    Green Tea burst into tears. The man towering over 6 feet 3 bawled until he was out of breath with tears and snots running down his face, like a kid who had lost his way.

    ...

    The awakeners managed to survive the second night without major loss.

    But not without <i>any </i>loss.

    Five awakeners had been contacted on the phone. One among them didn¡¯t pick up, while the other four did and left the 52nd floor, ready for death.

    In the end, three of them returned, with two suffering some injuries.

    One among them, however, didn¡¯t return and had gone off the radar.

    It was a member of the Hundred Rivers Union. Surnamed Li suggested for a searching team to be organized and deployed once day broke to look for theirpanion. Two hourster, the team tracked down part of the body and bagged it, sending it to the Northbound Funeral Home for storage before heading back to the 52nd floor.

    Early in the morning, Gao Yang went to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce alone.

    Naturally, he had failed to stay awakest night.

    When he woke up to the sight of Gao Yang staying watch on his side, he ruffled his messy hair in embarrassment. ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t seedst night. I fell asleep at some point. But don¡¯t worry, bro, I¡¯ll keep training. I will ovee it tonight.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t rush. Impatience can lead to worse failure.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got quite the shadow under your eyes today.¡± Wang Zikai noticed his sicklyplexion. ¡°Did you not sleepst night?¡±

    <i>How could I, when my family could call me anytime?</i>

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°Bro!¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t be more touched. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to keep watch on me the whole night!¡±

    <i>Wait, I didn¡¯t say I did.</i>

    ¡°You must have been cheering me on until sunrise! I¡¯ve disappointed you by sleeping through the night! I¡¯ve let your training go to waste!¡±

    <i>Hey, hey. If you have to learn something, don¡¯t learn overthinking things from me!</i>

    <i>Ring, ring, ring.</i>

    The moment Gao Yang heard his phone ring, his face nched, and he took his phone out of his pocket with trembling hands.

    He told himself it was okay, that a call during the day meant nothing.

    It was Gao Xinxin.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare to pick up the call when he saw the name.

    He handed his phone to Wang Zikai. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s my sister. Pick up for me.¡±

    ¡°Look at your face!¡± Wang Zikaiughed and picked up the call. ¡°Hey, Gao Xinxin. Didn¡¯t I tell you that we¡¯re training? It¡¯s best not to bother us for the next few days. I¡¯m gonna be a pro gamer... <i>What?!</i>¡±

    He shot to his feet and yelled, ¡°For real?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Something had gone wrong.

 Chapter 343: Missing

    <h4>Chapter 343: Missing</h4>

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai arrived at the police station in a rush.

    Gao Xinxin was sitting on a bench in the lobby, her eyes red and her face covered in streaks of tears.

    She shot to her feet when she saw Gao Yang and Wang Zikai, and she rushed toward Gao Yang, holding onto his arm.

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± Gao Yang caught her hands. ¡°What did the police say?¡±

    ¡°The case was filed and the investigation started. They told me to go home and wait for updates. Mom...mom¡¯s gonna be okay, right?¡± Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke.

    ¡°She will,¡± Gao Yang reassured her with confidence he didn¡¯t feel.

    For the next ten minutes, Gao Xinxin told Gao Yang and Wang Zikai about the disappearance.

    It all started on the first day of the Crimson Tide.

    Things were fine when Gao Yang and Wang Zikai left home for the club. At seven, the rest of the family had dinner together before going on a stroll. After a while, they started feeling drowsy and decided to go back home.

    It was then Gao Yang¡¯s mother remembered that they had run out of soy sauce, and she went out alone to the supermarket to get a new bottle, telling the others to go home first.

    It shouldn¡¯t have taken her long.

    But she never returned.

    Half past seven, his father and grandmother had already retired to their bedrooms. Gao Xinxin was feeling sleepy as well, but since mom wasn¡¯t home yet, she called her.

    She told Gao Xinxin that she had run into a highschool ssmate she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time in the supermarket. They used to be close, and his mother decided to stay the night at her friend¡¯s ce.

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t think too much of it, falling asleep on the couch.

    The next morning, the family woke up to find that his mother still hadn¡¯te home.

    His father called her, only to find her phone shut off.

    His father was a little worried, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal for an adult to visit a ssmate; perhaps her phone had simply run out of battery.

    However, his mother was still missing by the evening, and her phone stayed dead.

    Only then did the family recognize how strange the situation was. They considered calling the police. Since she had been unreachable for twenty-four hours, the situation met the criteria for a missing person case to be filed.

    Strangely, even though they were all worried about his mother, they fell asleep and didn¡¯t wake up until the day came.

    His mother was still nowhere to be seen when they woke up, and their call didn¡¯t get through to her phone. They decided to turn to the police.

    It would be difficult for Gao Yang¡¯s father to go to the station in a wheelchair, and the same was true of his grandmother, whose old age had caught up with her. Thus, Gao Xinxin went on her own and told the police everything.

    The police¡¯s first theory was that his mother¡¯s ssmate might have joined a pyramid scheme or a scam syndicate, and his mother had been fooled in some way or even imprisoned.

    The police started an official investigation and were now going over the surveince footage of themunity. They told Gao Xinxin to stay at home, and should his mother call, she must record the call from the very beginning and notify the police.

    Gao Xinxin called his father and grandmother, telling them to not worry and wait at home.

    Finally, Gao Xinxin settled down somewhat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brother. I know you¡¯re keeping Wang Zikaipany as he trains...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Wang Zikai cut her off vehemently. ¡°Your mother¡¯s missing. With something like that happening, how am I supposed to keep training?¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t being a pro gamer your dream?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got loads of dreams. Failing one isn¡¯t a big deal!¡± Wang Zikai added, ¡°Besides, there¡¯s always tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai¡¯s right,¡± Gao Yang reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mom will be alright.¡±

    Gao Xinxin nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go look for her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Zikai said. ¡°Get into my car. We¡¯ll look for her together.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡± Gao Yang thought differently. ¡°We don¡¯t even know where to start. Let¡¯s go home and wait for updates from the police. Then we¡¯ll look together.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Wang Zikai nodded.

    Gao Xinxin was radiating anxiety the whole drive, and Wang Zikai keptforting her.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, was too deep in his thoughts to say much.

    He was worried about his mother too, but there were two possibilities he had to consider.

    First, his mother was an elite monster, and learning that Gao Yang was an awakener, she set things up to lure him out.

    Second, the ssmate his mother ran into was an elite monster. She had imprisoned his mother in order to lure Gao Yang out.

    Both were possible, but not likely to be the case.

    If an elite monster would like to lure Gao Yang out, it should¡¯ve contacted him and given him a time and ce. His mother was missing, though, which didn¡¯t fit the MO of an elite monster hunting down an awakener.

    Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and Gao Xinxin went home to find his father and grandmother in panic. Gao Yang had to calm them down.

    After that, they waited at home aimlessly, forgoing lunch altogether.

    It wasn¡¯t until five o¡¯clock in the afternoon that two police officers visited with wiretap equipment.

    They said that they had gone over the surveince footage of themunity and the supermarket by the street fromst night, where the suspected crime urred.

    And indeed, the missing person had bought a bottle of soy sauce at the supermarket before running into a middle-aged woman wearing a mask and a sun hat. They had a pleasant chat before leaving the supermarket arm in arm. Then they left in a taxi.

    Tracking the car through the cameras, they found out that the taxi had gone to the suburban area in the Xijing District.

    There, many crossroads weren¡¯t installed with surveince cameras. The police had found the taxi driver and learned of the location the passengers had gotten off at, but searching through the area, they hadn¡¯t found anything.

    It was possible that Gao Yang¡¯s mother had been kidnapped or trafficked.

    The police suggested the family wait at home patiently. If it was a case of kidnapping, the kidnapper would call to ask for ransom, and the police would wiretap their calls and track the source of the signal.

    If it was a case of trafficking, however, they would have to wait for the police to track down the culprit.

    For the next hour, the atmosphere at home was heavy. They each had their phone in hand, waiting for a call toe. Time crawled excruciatingly slowly.

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Xinxin shot to her feet and handed her phone to her father, looking determined. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for mom!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Gao Yang stood up and handed his phone to his father too, having turned on safe mode. ¡°Wang Zikai, you drive.¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡± Wang Zikai agreed readily. He wasn¡¯t one to sit around doing nothing. He had been itching to move already.

    ¡°Dad, Granny, stay and wait for a call,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go out and look.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± his father croaked, nodding like his soul had left his body.

    The two officers suggested they wait at home together, but they couldn¡¯t stop Gao Yang, Gao Xinxin, and Wang Zikai when they insisted on going out and searching. After all, it wasn¡¯t yet confirmed if the missing person had been kidnapped.

    ...

    An hourter, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin rode on Wang Zikai¡¯s car to the suburban area of the Xijing District, at the crossroad where his mother had gotten off the taxi.

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about it.¡± Wang Zikai pondered as he drove. ¡°Were we the scammers or the kidnappers, where would we hide her?¡±

    Gao Yang attempted an analysis. ¡°It has to be a ce that doesn¡¯t attract attention, doesn¡¯t require ID, doesn¡¯t have so many cameras that they can¡¯t stay unseen, and is conducive to hiding.¡±

    Gao Xinxin called up the map on Wang Zikai¡¯s phone, looking for ces to hide in anding up with many.

    They started their search, grabbing a few bites on the way.

    Time flew by, and it was half past ten at night when they realized it.

    During the past few hours, Gao Xinxin had been sleepy, and she did fall asleep many times in the car but quickly jerked awake. Wang Zikai, on the other hand, had been wide awake.

    Since the Crimson Tide wasing, Gao Yang suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we call it a day? Gao Xinxin, go home. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°The Gu¡¯s Mountain Retreat!¡± Gao Xinxin suddenly shouted, pointing at the map on the phone. ¡°Here! It was supposed to be a retreat where visitors can enjoy farm life, but the construction was neverpleted. Could mom be hidden there?¡±

    The possibility was slim, and Gao Yang wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic. Still, he couldn¡¯t just douse her hope.

    Facing despair, people would reach for the slimmest possibility.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible! Come, let¡¯s go look!¡± Wang Zikai gave her his full support. He made a U-turn and drove at full throttle.

 Chapter 344: Guâ€™s Mountain Retreat

    <h4>Chapter 344: Gu¡¯s Mountain Retreat</h4>

    Following the map, the three of them went down the highway and turned into an old road. After ten minutes, they got on a wide concrete path that led to the rural area; the way it stood out in its surroundings made it clear that the path was newly-constructed.

    With moonlight illuminating the way, the car drove through arge plot of farnd and finally arrived at the row of unfinished vis at the bottom of the mountain¡ªthe Gu¡¯s Mountain Retreat.

    Wang Zikai parked on an unpaved clearing that served as a temporary parking lot. On the left was ake. The rough shapes of a pavilion and railings could be seen, which must have halted construction not long after it started. And on the right, about a dozen Chinese-styled vis sat at the bottom of the mountain; only the rough frame had been built.

    Gao Yang checked Wang Zikai¡¯s phone. It was already eleven o¡¯clock.

    In an hour, the Crimson Tide woulde.

    Both Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai would be put to sleep¡ªat least Gao Xinxin said that she had fallen asleep the past two days, and the way she kept dozing off tonight fit how a wanderer or a human should react to the Tide.

    Of course, there was always a possibility that she was an elite monster, but it was unlikely.

    Since Gao Xinxin was here, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t use their supernatural power to climb walls and jump between roofs; the three of them searched through the vis the mundane way.

    Each would require them about two minutes, and it took them half an hour to go through all of them.

    Gao Yang was worried about his mother on one hand, and about theing Crimson Tide on the other hand.

    Soon, they returned to the temporary parking lot.

    Gao Xinxin was standing by theke, using Wang Zikai¡¯s phone to call father and grandmother.

    Standing before the car with Gao Yang, Wang Zikai said in a lowered voice, ¡°Bro, it¡¯s gonna be midnight in thirty minutes. If I can¡¯t resist the power of Sleeping Beauty, am I going to fall asleep again?¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡±

    ¡°Then you should drive.¡± Wang Zikai handed him the car key. ¡°It¡¯ll be bad if I fall asleep halfway. The two of us will be fine, but your sister is a regr person. We don¡¯t want her to get hurt.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Since when has Wang Zikai be so considerate and thoughtful?</i>

    Gao Yang was moved, but also uneasy.

    Thoughtful, smart, considerate¡ªit wasn¡¯t a good omen for these positive descriptors to apply to Wang Zikai.

    Finishing her call to home, Gao Xinxin came back with her head lowered. ¡°Brother, Dad still hasn¡¯t gotten any call.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Zikai frowned. ¡°Is it not kidnapping?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Xinxin lost her calm again. ¡°Has Mom been hurt by the woman? Could it be that the woman was jealous of Mom and...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Gao Xinxin,¡± Gao Yang cut her off. ¡°It¡¯ste. There¡¯s no point in running around blind. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Gao Xinxin paused and fumed. ¡°Are you giving up, Brother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, but doing this isn¡¯t going to help.¡± Gao Yang tried to exin to her calmly. ¡°We should trust the police...¡±

    Gao Xinxin raised her voice to a shout. ¡°I¡¯m not going home! Go back on your own!¡±

    ¡°Gao Xinxin, stop being stubborn!¡± Gao Yang grew serious and grabbed her hand. ¡°Things are messy enough as they are. Stop stirring up trouble ande home with us!¡±

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Gao Xinxin broke free of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not stirring up trouble. I have to find Mom! I won¡¯t go home until I do!¡±

    There was no time. Gao Yang made up his mind and bodily carried his sister away, turning to go back to Wang Zikai¡¯s car. ¡°Wang Zikai, drive!¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, right...¡± Wang Zikai hurried into the car.

    ¡°Let me go! Let go!¡± Gao Xinxin struggled.

    Gao Yang cried out in pain when his sister bit his hand, forcing him to let go. She turned around and bolted as soon as her feet touched the ground.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡±

    His sister ran along the path wrapping around theke. On the other side was a short mountain, on which rough structures of the retreat could be seen, meaning it had been part of the halted construction.

    Gao Xinxin quickly disappeared up the mountain.

    Anxious and regretful, Gao Yang turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯m going to get her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Gao Yang tried his best to chase after her at regr human speed and opted out of using Teleportation. He didn¡¯t want to risk having Gao Xinxin witness him using his Talent. After all, there was no telling if she was a regr human or a wanderer.

    Gao Yang followed the rocky path. There were no streetmps on the hill, and the dense bamboo woods obscured the moonlight. It was too dark to see clearly.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡± Gao Yang shouted as he went up the mountain, his voice echoing.

    He thought about calling Heavenly Dog and Can. There was no way he would return to the White Lake Hotel before the Tide came tonight. If Heavenly Dog and Can came to pick him up, though, he would be able to return safely even with the Tide ongoing.

    However, he suddenly realized that he didn¡¯t have his phone with him. He gave up on the idea.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin! I¡¯m sorry! I was wrong! Come here. We¡¯ll keep looking for Mom, okay?¡± Gao Yang tried to coax her out.

    Outside of the echoes of his own voice, though, there was no response.

    Soon, Gao Yang reached the top of the mountain.

    Built on the rtively tnd was a concrete observatory a few hundred square meters in size, at the center of which was a tower, but only three stories had been built before the construction was stopped short.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡±

    Gao Yang called out again. The moon in the sky had already turned pink.

    <i>No, I have to get things done now. It¡¯s going to be midnight soon, and the blood moon and blood fog areing!</i>

    ¡°Gao Xinxin! Mom¡¯s home, Mom¡¯s alright! I just got a call from Dad. Come on, let¡¯s go home!¡±

    Gao Yang had no choice but to lie.

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s voice came from the unfinished tower.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡±

    Gao Yang looked at the tower not far from him. Surrounding the unfinished building were scaffoldings that hadn¡¯t been torn down, and at the bottom was a dark doorway.

    A few secondster, a frail, bright figure ran out.

    It was Gao Xinxin. She rushed toward Gao Yang and held onto him, burying her face into his arms.

    Gao Yang hugged her close. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xinxin. I was wrong...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared, Brother...¡± Gao Xinxin cut him off with a trembling voice, her face still pressed to his chest. ¡°There¡¯s, there¡¯s something in the tower. It caught me...¡±

    ¡°What thing?¡± Gao Yang hurried out.

    [Warning! You are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

    Startled, Gao Yang pushed Gao Xinxin away hard.

 Chapter 345: Pride Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 345: Pride Spirit</h4>

    Gao Yang pushed Gao Xinxin to the ground. It was the first time in his life that he¡¯d ever been so rough with his sister.

    It was an act of survival instinct, and it was thanks to his quick reaction that he avoided death.

    He staggered two steps back, covering his abdomen with his right hand. Blood dyed his shirt red and leaked from between his fingers, dripping down to the ground.

    Gao Xinxin had a small and sharp silver dagger in her hand. She slowly rose to her feet, looking at Gao Yang with a numb expression on her face.

    If Gao Yang hadn¡¯t pushed her away in time, the dagger would¡¯ve gone in deeper.

    ¡°...Why?¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked and confused, but he didn¡¯t sit around and do nothing. While asking the question, he had taken out the Medicine C he carried with him and given himself a shot in the side with his right hand.

    With the medicine administered, his pain quickly subsided, and the bleeding stopped. The wound gradually healed.

    Gao Yang cast away the empty syringe and took two steps back, keeping a safe distance from his sister while concentrating energy in his hands.

    Although his body had gotten ready for a fight, he hadn¡¯t reconciled with what was happening emotionally.

    His sister¡¯s monsterhood had awakened, and she was turning against him.

    ¡°Why, sis?¡± Gao Yang asked again, his voice broken and his gaze anguished.

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t say anything. Face impassive, she stared at Gao Yang with dim eyes like she was transfixed.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded.

    <i>Wait, something¡¯s not right</i>

    This wasn¡¯t his sister with her monsterhood awakened. Besides, the Crimson Tide hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Even if his sister was an elite monster, it wasn¡¯t time for her to awaken yet.

    Gao Yang calmed himself down and concentrated on his six senses.

    Finally, he got a good look at the almost transparent lump of energy floating behind Gao Xinxin. It was humanoid, like a spirit haunting her.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Gao Yang called out loudly. ¡°What are you doing to my sister?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quick,¡± Gao Xinxin said, monotone like a robot. ¡°You caught me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking again, who are you?!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes zed with killing intent. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone hurt Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Fu. ording to human convention, you may call me Sir Fu,¡± Gao Xinxin continued to drone.

    <i>Sir Fu?!</i>

    Gao Yang was immediately reminded of Sir Jiang and Sir Zuo.

    ¡°You¡¯re a pride monster.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m what you call an observer.¡±

    ¡°No, observers don¡¯t hurt humans.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstood. We don¡¯t care if we¡¯re hurting humans or not. We¡¯re simply answering questions, and we each have our own method.¡±

    That was aligned with what Sir Zuo had said.

    Humans were the questions, and a pride monster¡¯s calling was to answer them.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. ¡°Are you responsible for my mother¡¯s missing? So that you can lure me out?¡±

    ¡°She will be fine.¡± Gao Xinxin raised the dagger and took a step forward. ¡°Your sister will be fine, too. I promise you.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to achieve?¡± Gao Yang stared at the spirit behind Gao Xinxin¡¯s back, racking his brain for a way to kill Sir Zuo without hurting his sister, but came up empty. He didn¡¯t know a thing about Sir Fu¡¯s ability.

    Gao Xinxin took another step back. ¡°I want you to do one thing. It¡¯s simple...¡±

    ¡°Be my sister¡¯s food.¡±

    The gentle, elegant voice of a woman came from above him. Gao Yang looked up to find a familiar figure standing on top of the scaffolding around the observatory tower. Under the moonlight, her silver hair danced along the wind, the luxurious red pce dress hugging the curves of her body.

    ¡°White Dew!¡± Gao Yang called out in shock.

    Curling in White Dew¡¯s arm, Fresh Snow, in her cat form, was unconscious.

    Night wind swept through the top of the mountain, ruffling White Dew¡¯s silver hair and revealing a pair of sharp, determined crimson eyes. ¡°Gao Yang, you will be Fresh Snow¡¯s food tonight.¡±

    Gao Yang would like to ask, ¡®And why would I do that?¡¯

    But he went silent before he opened his mouth.

    He knew what White Dew and Sir Fu were going to do.

    As he had anticipated, Gao Xinxin, under Sir Fu¡¯s maniption, suddenly raised the dagger and pressed the de to her fair neck.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t hurt her...¡±

    The sharp dagger soon cut the skin of her neck open, and a trail of blood streamed down along the de.

    ¡°Gao Yang, my answer is Fresh Snow,¡± Sir Fu said with a numb look in his eyes, manipting Gao Xinxin. ¡°Fresh Snow must not die. You have to be her food. To that end, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    Gao Yang red.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a smart one, but don¡¯t get any ideas. My power is Pride Spirit. I can possess any living creature whose willpower is weaker than mine. Unless I voluntarily left her body, you won¡¯t be able to stop me from making your sistermit suicide.¡±

    ¡°Not only will I kill your sister, I¡¯ll also go after all your family, friends, and whoever is important to you... Even if I can¡¯t do that, the Spectres will do it.¡±

    ¡°As long as you volunteer to be Fresh Snow¡¯s food, though, I promise that your family and friends will be alright.¡±

    Gao Xinxin then lifted her head, pressing the de of the dagger further into her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Gao Yang answered without hesitation.

    ¡°Good. You¡¯re decisive.¡± Gao Xinxin took a few steps back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will hold up my end of the deal. Your death won¡¯t be in vain.¡±

    White Dew floated down from the scaffolding with Fresh Snow in her arms. She walked up to Gao Xinxin from behind.

    Two secondster, Gao Xinxin¡¯s body went limp, and the dagger fell from her hand. White Dew caught her and wrapped a hand around her frail neck.

    It was meant as a warning for Gao Yang: White Dew could easily break Gao Xinxin¡¯s neck. He would be wise to not do anything funny.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t move at all, and he didn¡¯t intend to.

    A few secondster, an old man in patient garb of blue and white stripes slowly walked out of the tower.

    He was so thin that it looked like his skin was hanging off his bones, and hisplexion was deathly gray, his skin covered in age spots. His hair had almost all fallen off. He looked terminally ill.

    ¡°Hoho, surprised?¡± Sir Fu looked at Gao Yang, his hoarse voice sounded more like a hiss. ¡°I¡¯m a pride monster, but I¡¯m also ate-stage cancer patient.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, and his expression remained unchanged. He had lost interest in everything after deciding to be Fresh Snow¡¯s food.

    Nothing mattered anymore, not the Mist World, pride monsters, life monsters, death monsters, or Gates of Closure.

    In the end, what he wanted most was for his loved ones to be safe and sound.

    For that, he could give up anything and everything, including his life.

    <i>The world may be fake, but love is real.</i>

    And with love, his life wouldn¡¯t be in vain.

    <i>Ha, at the end of the day, we¡¯re not so different, Officer Huang.</i>

    ¡°We¡¯ve lived for a long, long time, having one foot in the coffin.¡± Sir Fu took Fresh Snow from White Dew, his movement deliberate.

    Then he sat down on the ground cross-legged.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been watching you, thinking and looking for answers. However, our wisdom has limits, and so does our time. It is time to turn in our answer sheet.¡±

    ¡°I hope that my answer is the right one.¡±

    He stopped speaking. His head suddenly dropped, and his eyes became all muddled white.

    At the same time, the white cat in his arms opened its eyes, the emerald green looking possessed.

    Fresh Snow was now under the control of Sir Fu¡¯s Pride Spirit.

    <i>Meow.</i>

    Fresh Snow¡¯s white fur began to expand and extend in all directions before melting into white smoke, enveloping her form.

    About ten secondster, a young girl with skin as fair as jade and wless purity stood in the smoke, her petite, delicate body slightly obscured.

    <i>p.</i>

    White Dew threw her arge cape with one hand. Fresh Snow caught it and covered herself before the smoke dispersed.

    Her emerald eyes had turned crimson, but the dazed look remained. Behind her was the spirit of Sir Fu, in energy form.

    She slowly walked up to Gao Yang and said in an emotionless yet ethereal voice, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat you, Gao Yang. Are you ready?¡±

 Chapter 346: Good Friends

    <h4>Chapter 346: Good Friends</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything, Gao Yang!¡±

    With her gentle voice, White Dew spat the most malicious curse in the world. ¡°If my sister dies, I¡¯ll tear your sister to pieces here and now! Then I¡¯ll kill all of your family! I mean it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Gao Yang raised his hands. ¡°Come on. I won¡¯t fight it.¡±

    He had tried his best. He couldn¡¯te up with a solution this time.

    His sister and mother had been taken hostage, and his father and grandmother were threatened, so were his friends.

    Losing Fresh Snow would mean losing everything for White Dew, and a mad woman with nothing to lose would surely take everything from Gao Yang as revenge.

    Gao Yang had to die to stop all that from happening.

    Fresh Snow hade up to Gao Yang and held onto his waist with both arms, standing on her toes and opening her mouth to bite his neck.

    Gao Yang slowly closed his eyes. <i>Granny, Dad, Mom, Sister, Wang Zikai, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Fat Jun, War Tiger, Can, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Ronnie, Nine Frost, Vermilion Bird...</i>

    <i>Sorry, I can¡¯t finish all your names.</i>

    <i>Goodbye, everyone.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m d to have known you, d to have been brought to this world.</i>

    A sting came from his neck, apanied by the soft touch of Fresh Snow¡¯s lips. It wasn¡¯t a terrifying experience.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang lost all strength in his body and toppled backward like he had been electrocuted.

    Fresh Snow followed him down, the mouth that hadtched onto his neck starting sucking¡ªnot his blood, but the energy inside him.

    Her throat shifted slightly, her arms tightening around Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang wasn''t in pain. All he felt was exhaustion and sleepiness, and soon, he couldn¡¯t hear anything. He had lost all his senses, in fact.

    ...

    It seemed like a dream.

    There was a vast, boundless darkness, and he was falling.

    How long had he been falling? And how much longer was he going to fall? His body seemed to get lighter and thinner, like a snowke that had melted before it could touch the ground.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    He heard a series of dull sounds, like someone was knocking on a thick, heavy door.

    Gao Yang came to and found himself lying on the floor. He felt so cold.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    The same sounds came from beneath him.

    He slowly sat up to find himself sitting on a vast frozenke, the end beyond his sight.

    And under the frozen surface was a girl with silver hair and crimson eyes.

    Her hair spread like white seaweeds. With fists clenched to the point that the knuckles went white, she knocked on the ice, bubblesing out of her open mouth.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡± Gao Yang was both shocked and d to see her.

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ming to save you!¡±

    Kneeling on ice, Gao Yang mmed the hard surface with his fists.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Although the ice was thick and hard, it cracked under the impact.

    With renewed hope, Gao Yang took a deep breath and raised both fists to make another swing.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The crack widened and spread in all directions.

    For thest time, Gao Yang put all his strength into the punch.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The frozen surface split into a gap that wasn¡¯t that big, but enough for Fresh Snow to pop her head out of the cold water, saved.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± she shouted happily. ¡°You saved me!¡±

    ¡°Come on! Take my hand!¡± Gao Yang carefullyy on the ice and reached out to the girl.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow took his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pull you up...¡±

    Suddenly, Gao Yang could no longer hear his voice. His head rang incessantly, and his body was unusually cold.

    <i>Gurgle.</i>

    He was just about to say something when icy water rushed into his mouth.

    At that moment, he realized that he was the one submerged under the frozenke, while Fresh Snow was up there, still holding onto his hand and struggling to pull him out.

    However, Fresh Snow wasn¡¯t strong enough, and Gao Yang¡¯s hand continued to slip from her hold; he slowly sank underwater.

    His memories came back to him in a rush.

    <i>Ah, I remember now. I¡¯ve given in and be Fresh Snow¡¯s food. I¡¯m going to die.</i>

    <i>This is nothing but the illusion my brain conjured at thest moment of my life.</i>

    <i>So be it then. I¡¯m tired.</i>

    Gao Yang gave up on fighting and slowly closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into the deep, dark abyss.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    A sound came from the surface of theke.

    Fresh Snow had jumped into the water and was swimming toward Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, confused.

    Wading through the heavy water, Fresh Snow caught Gao Yang¡¯s hand again.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Suddenly, the water was gone, and all around them was a pitch ck void.

    Fresh Snow and Gao Yang were pulled to the top and the bottom while their hands stayed linked, their bodies pulled into a straight line.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gao Yang was surprised.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go, Gao Yang!¡± Fresh Snow shouted.

    ¡°Let me go! You can¡¯t save me!¡± Gao Yang said hurriedly. ¡°Eat me and live! Then my family and friends will...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Fresh Snow cried out. ¡°No, no, no, no!¡±

    Gao Yang paused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die. I don¡¯t want it. I don¡¯t...¡± Fresh Snow burst into tears.

    Pain overwhelmed Gao Yang suddenly, shooting from all parts of his body.

    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡±

    He screamed. He looked down to find that at some point, half of his body had sunk into a malicious marsh of headless bodies. Countless ckened, rusty-looking pale hands grabbed onto Gao Yang, the sharp nails digging into his flesh.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Fresh Snow screamed in pain too.

    Gao Yang looked up. Dangling upside-down in his eyes, Fresh Snow was in the grasp of vines with sharp thorns and red eyes. They tightened around Fresh Snow and continued to pull her up, uncaring if they were hurting her.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Or we¡¯ll both die!¡±

    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Wanna!¡±

    Blood had covered her body, streaking down her arm to the back of her hand and finally Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    Then blood dripped down on Gao Yang¡¯s face, even flowing into the corners of his eyes and his mouth.

    Gao Yang could no longer talk, his body ravaged and tormented by the countless pale hands. He had lost everything, including his sense of pain.

    In the final moments, he saw Fresh Snow.

    Her crimson eyes zed brilliantly, and her pretty face became twisted with veins popping up, making her look like a little devil.

    ¡°Good friends...don¡¯t betray...good friends...¡±

    ¡°Pinkies, then thumbs... The promise willst...<i>a hundred years!</i>¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Fresh Snow screamed in rage, shattering the evil vines wrapping around her and the pale hands tearing at Gao Yang.

    They broke down into particles before vanishing into the void.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    The darkness broke like a mirror, letting in a ray of light through the crack.

    Awash in light, Fresh Snow yanked Gao Yang toward her before gently embracing him.

 Chapter 347: No Regret

    <h4>Chapter 347: No Regret</h4>

    In the real world, the Crimson Tide had just arrived with the red moon upying the sky and the blood fog permeating.

    Under the observatory tower, Fresh Snowy on Gao Yang¡¯s body. Suddenly, she stopped feeding on him, and her possessed gaze shed before regaining the usual glint. The corners of her eyes started twitching.

    Not far from her, Sir Fu, sitting cross-legged, shuddered violently, his expression shocked and his muddled white eyes stiffening.

    Soon, a small streak of blood came down from his nostril.

    Pride Spirit was met with great struggle and resistance!

    Meanwhile, White Dew was carrying Gao Xinxin to the tower.

    Sensing Sir Fu¡¯s unusual reaction, she shouted, ¡°Endure it! Let her finish eating him!¡±

    Sir Fu bled from his other nostril too. His ashen face became even grayer, and his sickly body was running out of energy. He tapped into his deepest reserve of strength. This time, he had truly gone all in.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s body went still for a moment before obediently biting down on Gao Yang¡¯s neck with more force. However, her throat didn¡¯t move, and she refused to suck energy from her food.

    She fought Sir Fu¡¯s Pride Spirit.

    Fresh Snow began to tremble with increasing intensity. About ten secondster, she slowly opened her mouth, her bloodied lips moving away from Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

    Then her head and back gradually straightened, as if nothing would stop her from getting upright, be it a spirit or a whole mountain.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Finally, she opened her arms wide and howled at the sky in rage.

    Powerful energy rippled outward from her.

    Sir Fu threw up a mouthful of blood as the shockwaves mmed him into the scaffolding, and he fell onto the ground.

    Fresh Snow lost consciousness after that, lying prone on Gao Yang¡¯s body.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡±

    White Dew rushed up to her and helped her up, one hand touching her face while the other hand feeling her heartbeat.

    Two secondster, White Dew burst into tears of joy.

    She was back. Her healthy and energetic sister was back. As the other twin, she could clearly sense the energy rushing in her sister¡¯s body.

    After a pause, White Dew looked at Gao Yang, whoy unmoving with a pale face on the ground.

    She checked his breathing, and to her surprise, he was still alive!

    How could this be?!

    White Dew couldn¡¯t be more surprised. There had been no precedent of a ghost¡¯s food surviving the feeding process.

    She turned to look at Sir Fu, who was lying in the blood fog bleeding from all seven orifices, dying. But there was no fear on his face.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡± Sir Fu burst outughing with thest of his strength. ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Mine is the right answer. Mine...hahahaha...¡±

    Sir Fu stared at the blood moon in the sky with wide eyes. A smile of great content hung on his frail, sunken face, slowly bing stiff.

    He was dead, gone with no regret.

    ...

    Gao Yang slept long and deep, without any dream.

    When he woke up, he didn¡¯t know where he was.

    He opened his eyes and saw the night sky.

    Only when his vision cleared did he realize that it wasn¡¯t the sky, but a ceiling, painted deep blue with a littering of yellow stars and a wane moon.

    Beside one of the stars, what looked like a child¡¯s handwriting jotted down, <i>Fresh Snow Star</i>.

    And next to a star nearby, it was written, <i>Gao Yang Star</i>.

    Gao Yang looked around and realized that he was in a rococo-style room, lying on a soft bed with a faint fragrance covered in all sorts of dolls. Through the light fabric of the canopy, he could see the fine wallpaper of flower bouquets.

    Gao Yang moved his fingers, slowly regaining control over his body.

    After about ten seconds, he sat up and almost jumped off the bed.

    On the quaint high-back chair across from the bed sat a young boy who looked to be seven or eight years old. Dressed in a ck, formal attire, he had silver hair, red eyes, and a face that looked cute at first nce, but old beyond his apparent age upon closer inspection.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± The boy cleared his throat. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    Gao Yang kept his guard up, but due to the weakness of his body, he didn¡¯t intend to fight.

    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t even be allowed to wake up if the other meant him harm.

    ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± That was the most urgent question for Gao Yang.

    ¡°Three days.¡±

    ¡°Three days?!¡± Gao Yang started and looked out of the window. The oppressive red greeted him. And when he looked down, he saw ayer of blood fog covering the floor, as he had expected.

    It was the secondst night of the Crimson Tide!

    Gao Yang immediately thought of Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai.

    ¡°My sister! And my friend...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re fine.¡± The boy then added, ¡°That¡¯s what White Dew said.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. As expected, the boy was a Spectre too, apanion of White Dew. It seemed that he was now in the territory of the Spectres.

    He rxed a little. At least Sir Fu and White Dew seemed to have honored their words, leaving his family and friends alone.

    ¡°And who are you?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Spring.¡± The boy smiled. ¡°The leader of the Spectres, but I¡¯d prefer being known as the patriarch of the family.¡±

    <i>You? The leader? The patriarch?</i>

    <i>You look more like the baby of the group.</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed hisments and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well. She¡¯d been staying by your side until earlier. She¡¯s now resting.¡± Spring cracked a slight smile. ¡°As the patriarch of the family, I must have a chat with you first.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    <i>Good, Fresh Snow and I are both alive, and my family and friends are alright too.</i>

    <i>This is the best possible oue. I got lucky.</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Spring fake-coughed again and extended a finger. ¡°To be the husband married into the family, there are rules you must abide by. First and foremost, you must stay loyal. Keep yourself pure before marriage, and don¡¯t ever think about ying around in wedlock...¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s ears pricked up at the strange turn the conversation had taken. ¡°Husband married into the family?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Spring said like it was to be expected, but there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes. In his boyish voice, he continued to speak like an elderly, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, brat. One can join the Spectres, but none will leave. If you want to be with her, you must marry into the family...¡±

    Gao Yang awkwardly exined, ¡°Wait, Spring...sir, you¡¯ve misunderstood. Fresh Snow and I are just friends.¡±

    ¡°<i>Friends?</i>¡± Spring jumped off the chair, his shock tranting into audible rage. ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t need friends!¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t need friends!¡± Spring repeated seriously. ¡°We only need family! If you¡¯re not joining the Spectres, I can¡¯t keep you around...¡±

    Spring¡¯s eyes zed with killing intent, and a strong presence radiated from him, robbing Gao Yang of his breaths.

 Chapter 348: Mysterious Energy

    <h4>Chapter 348: Mysterious Energy</h4>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door mmed open, and Fresh Snow, wearing gauze pajamas, rushed in shouting, ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    She jumped onto the bed and held onto Gao Yang, radiating joy. In his weakened state, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t take the enthusiastic greeting at all and ended up tackled to the bed with a shout.

    Fresh Snow nuzzled his chin with her head. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Gao Yang! I¡¯m so happy!¡±

    ¡°Gentle, Fresh Snow...¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed a cry and sat up with difficulty. Still holding onto his neck, Fresh Snow turned to Spring and snapped, ¡°You¡¯re not hurting him!¡±

    White Dew sauntered into the room soon after with a gentle, alluring smile on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, White Dew?¡± Spring asked with visible confusion. ¡°This boy isn¡¯t going to be my son-inw? You lied to me! I¡¯m the patriarch of the family!¡±

    White Dew gave him an apologetic smile. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t lied, Master Spring, you wouldn¡¯t have agreed to save him.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s hurting Gao Yang! Not even Master Spring!¡± Fresh Snow let go of Gao Yang and arched her back, baring her teeth at Spring.

    After a few seconds, Spring shook his head resignedly and let out a long sigh. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up and gotten rebellious.¡±

    ¡°Master Spring,¡± White Dew said gently. ¡°This human boy saved Fresh Snow after all, and he¡¯s half a ghost now. Even if he doesn¡¯t join us, there¡¯s no reason for us to kill him as long as he doesn¡¯t turn against us.¡±

    Spring turned back to Gao Yang, feeling regretful.

    Indeed, he could sense the energy of a Spectre from the awakener. Otherwise he would¡¯ve killed him then and there when White Dew carried him back three days ago.

    He had thought the Spectres would finally wee another member, but it seemed that it had been his wishful thinking.

    Spring sighed again and slowly walked out of the room with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Master Spring,¡± White Dew pressed. ¡°Have you decided to let him go?¡±

    Spring waved a hand without turning around. ¡°I¡¯ll let him off the hook this time for Fresh Snow¡¯s sake, but the next time we meet, we¡¯ll be enemies.¡±

    He closed the door, leaving Fresh Snow, White Dew, and Gao Yang in the room.

    Fresh Snow happily held onto Gao Yang, nuzzling his chin nonstop.

    Gracefully, White Dew went up to the bed while lifting the hem of her dress, sitting down on the chair Spring had been seated in and leveling Gao Yang with a calm gaze. ¡°I know you must be in a hurry to return to the White Lake Hotel, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.<i> She knew about the White Lake Hotel.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The awakeners haven¡¯t run into any great danger yet. You might as well wait till the day breaks before leaving. It¡¯s going to be safer.¡±

    Gao Yang still didn¡¯t say anything.

    White Dew leaned in and crossed her legs, resting her sped hands on her dress-covered thighs. ¡°Listen carefully to what I¡¯m going to say.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow did eat you, but she stopped halfway, and you miraculously survived. It¡¯s a first for a ghost and their prey.¡±

    White Dew smiled bitterly. If she had a choice in feeding on people without killing them, she would opt for that, too, but she didn¡¯t. Now that her sister was given the choice though, she saw it as the rare fortune it was.

    White Dew stared at Gao Yang, scrutinizing him. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as you being lucky enough to live, though. The real reason you survived was the part of Fresh Snow¡¯s curse that flowed into your body.¡±

    ¡°Curse?¡± Gao Yang noted the key information.

    ¡°We ghosts are each born with a curse. It empowers us and grants us special ability, and it gives us our second form.¡±

    Second form?

    Gao Yang put two and two together immediately. Fresh Snow could turn into a cat, and White Dew could turn into water. Those must be their second forms.

    ¡°Of course, the cursees with a heavy price.¡± White Dew¡¯s eyes glinted with frustration. ¡°It can im our lives without any warning.¡±

    Gao Yang started. <i>That would be as good as a timebomb. Do I have one in my body as well?</i>

    ¡°Now, you have part of Fresh Snow¡¯s curse. The good thing is you may be granted the ability of the curse and be stronger. The bad thing is you may die any moment.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Gao Yang epted it readily. Compared to getting eaten by Fresh Snow, each day he lived would now be a gift to him.

    ¡°Why did you tell me all this?¡±

    Gao Yang was curious. Spring had the right idea. There was no peace between awakeners and Spectres.

    To a Spectre, it was the right thing to do to kill Gao Yang. Even if the Spectres didn¡¯t kill him, Gao Yang could end uping after the Spectres with other awakeners.

    ¡°What else can it be?¡± White Dew smiled wryly. ¡°My silly little sister treasures you.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re good friends! Sister, you don¡¯t get it!¡± Fresh Snow interjected proudly.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I don¡¯t get it,¡± White Dew said with fondness. ¡°Leave as soon as the sunes up, Gao Yang. We¡¯ll be enemies going forward. Still, I wish for you to live longer. After all, Fresh Snow is relying on you as her long-term food supply.¡±

    <i>Why, thank you!</i>

    <i>So you¡¯ve spared me for Fresh Snow. That makes much more sense.</i>

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be off by daylight.¡±

    White Dew slowly rose to her feet. ¡°Master Spring has prepared human food for you. Come out and have some if you¡¯re hungry. Comes morning, Waking Insects will see you off.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    White Dew didn¡¯t lie, and her stance was neutral, neither benevolent nor malevolent.

    It wasn¡¯t a trap then.

    Waking Insects must be a Spectre too. In total, Gao Yang now knew the name of four Spectres. It seemed that they were named after the 24 sr terms. Gao Yang filed the information in his head.

    White Dew left the room. Having recovered basic mobility, Gao Yang stroked Fresh Snow¡¯s head. ¡°Wait for me outside, Fresh Snow. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Fresh Snow said petntly.

    ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Fresh Snow jumped off the bed and went up to the door. Then she suddenly turned around and added with a beam, ¡°I bought spam, your favorite!¡±

    ¡°Spam is best pan-fried,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s eyes twirled around. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have Master Spring fry it for you!¡±

    <i>Don¡¯t. I¡¯m worried that Master Spring would kill me in a fit of anger for making demands.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice his worry.

    He waited a while after Fresh Snow closed the door. Then he closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 410 Luck points.]

    ¡ªCheck my status screen.

    [Constitution: 21 Endurance: 32]

    [Strength: 613 Agility: 910]

    [Willpower: 582 Charisma: 411]

    [Luck: 565]

    ¡ªHoly shit! That¡¯s bad!

    ¡ªAlthough I¡¯ve guessed that my stats would drop after getting fed on by Fresh Snow, my Constitution and Endurance almost hit rock bottom! And my other stats have decreased significantly as well.

    ¡ªSystem, this isn¡¯t permanent, is it?

    [It is permanent.]

    ¡ªIt is my blood and soul that I¡¯ve lost!

    [Moreover, there is now a mysterious energy inside your body.]

    ¡ªMust be the curse from Fresh Snow. Can I look it up?

    [Information unavable. You must trigger it first.]

    ¡ªHow?

    [Please find the answer on your own.]

    ¡ªAgain with the infinite loop.

    ¡ªUse all my Luck points to get my Constitution and Endurance up first.

    [Constitution: 226 Endurance: 237]

    [Strength: 613 Agility: 910]

    [Willpower: 582 Charisma: 411]

    [Luck: 565]

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang took a deep breath, feeling his energy slowly imbuing and strengthening his body.

    Two minutester, his pale face gained some color, and his weakness and exhaustion subsided somewhat.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door opened. Fresh Snow popped her head in. ¡°The spam is done! Master Spring said he wanted you to reconsider marrying into the family again. What does he mean?¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. Again with that?

 Chapter 349: Truth of Disappearance

    <h4>Chapter 349: Truth of Disappearance</h4>

    In the extravagant pce-style living room of the mansion, Gao Yang enjoyed a dinner banquet prepared personally by Spring.

    Although Spectres didn¡¯t need human food and excessive consumption could be harmful, they could have some every once in a while.

    As the patriarch of the family, Spring, to make the home feel like home, would prepare a big meal for new years and holidays like humans did. Unfortunately, his cooking skills left something to be desired.

    Gao Yang nervously ate the full dinner prepared by Spring, including the slightly charred spam. Again and again, he promised Spring that he would consider the matter of marrying into the family, worried that rejection could be taken personally.

    Came morning, Gao Yang bade a reluctant Fresh Snow farewell and put on a blindfold. Waking Insects then whisked him away.

    He lost his focus for a moment after Waking Insects grabbed him. Ten secondster, he took off the blindfold and found himself standing at a crossroad he didn¡¯t know, Waking Insects nowhere to be seen.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have his phone with him, so he rushed to Wang Zikai¡¯s ce first thing. Having just woken up, Wang Zikai was shocked and d to see Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang used his phone to report to the Guild.

    Gray Bear¡¯s shout of joy was so loud that it almost broke his eardrums.

    During the three days Gao Yang was away, the fifth team had been on pins and needles, unable to eat or sleep easily due to their worry that something had happened to Gao Yang.

    Although no major crisis had happened, every night, there were awakeners who voluntarily left the 52nd floor and didn¡¯t return safely.

    Up until today, six had died, and nine injured.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t give Gray Bear a proper exnation during the call. He hung up and spent half an hour talking to Wang Zikai, learning about what had happened the past few days.

    ording to Wang Zikai, he had failed to ovee Sleeping Beauty back in the Gu¡¯s Mountain Retreat and ended up falling asleep in the car. When he woke up, Gao Xinxin was asleep in the passenger seat, but Gao Yang was missing.

    Since Wang Zikai had served as a cover for Gao Yang many times, he immediately concluded that Gao Yang must have been off on a mission and left his sister in the car before taking off.

    Thus, Wang Zikai came up with some excuses for Gao Yang and fooled Gao Xinxin.

    Lightheaded from sleep, Gao Xinxin only remembered rushing to the bottom of the mountain in a fit and nothing else¡ªit seemed that she had been possessed by Sir Fu¡¯s Pride Spirit at that moment, and the one rushing up the mountain was already not her.

    Wang Zikai drove Gao Xinxin home. On the way, she got a call from his father, who happily told her that his mother had called. It wasn''t a kidnapping, but an ident.

    Half an hourter, Wang Zikai brought Gao Xinxin to the hospital.

    In the inpatient ward, his mother had a cast on her leg and injuries on her body and face.

    Lying by her side was a woman simr in age to her; she was his mother¡¯s highschool ssmate. Her injury was quite serious, and her body was wrapped in bandages.

    This was the friend his mother had encountered when going to the supermarket for soy sauce. They had been close before. Meeting after so many years, they started chatting enthusiastically.

    Her name was Zhuang Mei. Gao Xinxin called her Auntie Mei.

    Auntie Mei got a divorce ten years ago and sold her house in the city, building a farmhouse in the rural area of Xijing District to nt her own produce and keep chickens and ducks, living a reclusive life of self-sufficiency. She rarely even came to the downtown area.

    Hearing about her life, his mother grew intrigued and asked to visit her ce and spend a night so that they could catch up properly. She would return home the next day.

    The two women called a ride to Auntie Mei¡¯s ce.

    Auntie Mei took her friend around the farmhouse. In the evening, before the night fell properly, she took her to the mountain in the back to collect mushrooms, nning to make braised chicken with mushrooms tomorrow.

    Then for some reason, Gao Yang¡¯s mother suddenly felt dizzy mid-climb and fell. Hurrying to catch her, Auntie Mei ended up falling down the mountain with her.

    When the two of them woke up, it was already noon the next day.

    Having fallen into a ditch with their legs broken and their phones without signal, there was nothing they could do, and no prayers would reach the heavens. They almost thought they were going to die in the ditch.

    Fortunately, an old farmer there to cut wood found them, and they were taken to the hospital.

    Although the whole thing sounded twisted and surreal, even absurd, at least Gao Yang¡¯s mother was alright. The family couldn¡¯t wish for more.

    For the next three days, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t shown up. Since he had left his phone at home, they couldn¡¯t call him.

    Although Wang Zikai tried his best to exin his absence away, Gao Xinxin was still mad.

    Hearing the story from Wang Zikai, Gao Yang had more or less figured out the whole thing.

    His mother and Auntie Mei must be the rare cases of wanderers or humans who became drowsy as soon as the night fell, and they ended up falling into a ditch, cut off from the outside world. That was how the farce of a ¡®kidnapping¡¯ urred.

    But was it really an ident? Or had Sir Fu orchestrated the whole thing?

    Even if it hadn¡¯t been Sir Fu, he must have used the ident against Gao Yang.

    This wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on the question though. There was still one night of Crimson Tide to endure. That was what Gao Yang should be focused on.

    ...

    At noon, Gao Yang rushed to the hospital his mother was staying at.

    Gao Xinxin was there as well. She was holding up a phone by her mother¡¯s side, on video call. The screen showed his wheelchaired father. It would be too much trouble for him to visit the hospital, so they videochatted every day.

    ¡°Darling, remember to have the short rib soup Mother made for you. That¡¯ll help your bones heal quicker.¡± His father¡¯s voice sounded a little distorted through the call.

    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ve told you many times. Quiet. I¡¯m gonna hang up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± His mother was half lying on the bed. Her cast leg was lifted, and her injured arms bandaged.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Gao Xinxin noticed Gao Yang at the door and shot to her feet angrily. ¡°Oh, look who¡¯s here! I thought you had forgotten about your family!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom!¡±

    Gao Yang came in with a bag of fruit and dropped it before the nightstand. ¡°I was preupied the past three days, Mom. My girlfriend was threatening tomit suicide. I had to stay with her twenty-four seven in case something happened. She¡¯s finally calmed down. I don¡¯t have my phone with me, so I couldn¡¯t call you.¡±

    In his mind, he was cursing Wang Zikai¡¯s out. <i>What the hell is this lie? Only you woulde up with a cover story like this!</i>

    It was fortunate that Wang Zikai was a monster. It was doubly convincing for a monster to make excuses for a human.

    ¡°Huh? Suicide?¡± His mother was worried. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I...wanted to break up, but she refused.¡± Gao Yang hade up with his part of the story.

    ¡°Why would you want to break up all of a sudden?¡± His mother was even more confused. ¡°You¡¯re going to college soon, and you¡¯re free to be a couple in theing years. Isn¡¯t that good?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s going abroad. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to keep the rtionship going.¡± Gao Yang put on a look of pain and lost. ¡°It¡¯s better to cut off the wounded part than let it fester.¡±

    His mother sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you young people are doing, but if you still have feelings for each other, it¡¯s better not to give up easily. There¡¯s always more solutions than difficulties. It¡¯s cowardly of you to just talk about breaking up. Still, the girl overreacted...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve talked it out. It¡¯s fine.¡± Gao Yang made it seem like he didn¡¯t want to go into it. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Wang Zikai, Mom. How¡¯s your leg?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± His mother sounded a little guilty. ¡°It was on me. I was too careless and fell into a ditch while climbing a mountain.¡±

    ¡°It was on me,¡± said the middle-aged woman on her side. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t suggested we go to the mountain to collect mushrooms.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to her. The woman was his mother¡¯s age. She was thin, and with a middle part, her long hair ran down to her shoulders. There was an air of ease,posure, and down-to-earthness to her.

    Her skin was in good condition, but without proper care, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth were a little pronounced, making her look older than Gao Yang¡¯s mother.

    His mother said with a smile, ¡°Gao Yang, this is Auntie Mei, my highschool ssmate. She was the ss leader back then, and I was the study leader[1]. We were close.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Auntie Mei.¡±

    Gao Yang greeted her with a smile. He would very much like to get some information out of her and use Lie Detection to identify what she was. Unfortunately, he had just used the Talent on White Dew and couldn¡¯t use it again at the moment.

    Afterward, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin chatted with their mother and Auntie Mei for a little longer. Then they had lunch together at the hospital.

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang took Gao Xinxin home before chatting with his father and grandmother. Then they had dinner together.

    At about half past seven, when his family was beginning to doze off, Gao Yang, knowing the Crimson Tide was having an effect, left home with the excuse of visiting Wang Zikai.

    This time, he rushed straight to the White Lake Hotel.

    An hourter, Gao Yang took the member elevator to the 52nd floor. He was shocked when the door opened.

    1. As many of you already know, in China and many Asian countries, students are allocated to specific sses from elementary to high school, and every semester or every year, a selected few are voted to hold certain positions. The ss leader is usually the line ofmunication between the homeroom teacher and the students (And the one instructing the students to greet and bow to the teachers when sses start). In China, there is also the study leader, usually a position held by straight-A students, tasked with everything rted to studying, such as handing out and collecting homeworks, or telling the teachers the difficulties students are having in learning. ?

 Chapter 350: Warning

    <h4>Chapter 350: Warning</h4>

    The elevator led to the main hall. More than a hundred people, packed full in a fan shape, stared at Gao Yang like they were weing an important guest.

    In truth, Seven Shadow returning to base safely after losing contact for three days meant a lot to the awakeners.

    If even Elder Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild, ranked 15th on the power ranking list, ended up killed outside, he must have run into a formidable enemy, which would be a sign of major crisis.

    Now that they were going to face thest night of the Crimson Tide, some awakeners were getting optimistic. Perhaps Surnamed Li¡¯s prophecy had gone wrong. Or perhaps they had already changed the future.

    One more night, and the Crimson Tide would be over. They were staring at hope right before their eyes.

    ¡°Captain Seven Shadow!¡±

    Can pushed past the crowd and rushed toward him, followed by Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Ronnie, and Nine Frost.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    A voice stopped the fifth team.

    The crowd parted to make way for Vermilion Bird, who walked up to Gao Yang.

    ¡°I have to examine your body to ensure that you¡¯re not a half-human, Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird eyed him warily. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Vermilion Bird took a step forward, while White Tiger came up to her from behind, prepared to protect her when necessary.

    She reached out to take Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    Soon, a strange energy burrowed into his palm before spreading throughout his body.

    Five secondster, the energy left Gao Yang. Vermilion Bird pulled back, her expression darkening.

    ¡°You were critically injured three days ago and almost died.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I almost got eaten by a Spectre, but I lived and escaped,¡± Gao Yang said frankly.

    The crowd erupted into chatters.

    Vermilion Bird had never met a case like his, so she couldn¡¯t confirm if he was telling the truth.

    She took a step back. ¡°Given your situation, I cannot confirm if you¡¯re the Seven Shadow we knew.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I may have to keep you locked up.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But is there no other way to confirm my identity?¡±

    Vermilion Bird hesitated before turning back and hollering, ¡°Any of you able to confirm what he is?¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± Joker walked out of the crowd and calmly exined with a numb expression, ¡°I can fake a monster¡¯s impression and also identify a monster. Those who have been possessed by a greed monster will show a discrepancy in their energy within half a month. I can tell between an awakener and a half-human by tasting their blood.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t immediately convinced.

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Chen Ying nodded. ¡°Joker can tell.¡±

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Lithe Snake threw Gao Yang a dagger. Gao Yang caught it easily.

    He twirled the dagger around and cut the tip of his index finger shallowly, drawing a drop of blood.

    Joker came up to catch the blood with his index finger before tasting it.

    A few secondster, he pulled back and said with certainty, ¡°There¡¯s no energy of a greed monster in his blood. He¡¯s not a half-human.¡±

    Vermilion Bird sighed in relief, her gaze softening. ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Gao Yang smothered a relieved sigh himself. He had Fresh Snow¡¯s curse in him, but it seemed that Joker couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Can rushed up to him in joy. ¡°I told your fortune earlier, Captain. I knew you would be alright.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fortune teller now?¡± Gao Yang was amused.

    ¡°Tee-hee, I yed a game of HOK and subtract the headcounts of my side from the headcounts of the opponent¡¯s side. If the result is an even number, it¡¯s a good omen. If it¡¯s an odd number...¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s quite enough.¡± Gao Yang knew he shouldn¡¯t expect proper pearls of wisdom from her.

    The other members of the fifth team came up to him, equally pleased.

    Among the crowd, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and Fat Jun watched silently rather than join in.

    Officer Huang let out a long breath, while Qing Ling turned away without a change to her impassive face.

    ...

    Afterwards, Gao Yang and the fifth team spent some time catching up on what had happened.

    Nine Frost and Lithe Snake were the least in danger. They had always been lone wolves even in the mundane world, and they had simple rtionships with only a small number of people. During the past few days, they simply kept their phone off and wentpletely off radar.

    Gray Bear had more of aplex socialwork due to his work, and he was likely to attract suspicion by using his yearly leaves.

    Thus, he went and got his leg broken, getting himself admitted to the hospital before going home for bed rest, when in truth he had been hiding on the 52nd floor of the White Lake Hotel.

    With the help of Medicine C and the healers of the Guild, his leg had more or less fully recovered.

    Can and Ronnie were still students, but they weren¡¯t particrly close to their ssmates, and with divorced parents, they weren¡¯t that close to their family, either.

    They kept their phones on and remained active on social media tforms. So far, they hadn¡¯t attracted any attention, and neither had they gotten any calls.

    Eleven o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang and his team had coffee in the dining area.

    Wearing a sensuous low-cut ck dress and a pair of high-heels, Liu Qingying came up with a cup of tea.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Her voice was tender like a lover¡¯s caress, and she enthralled everyone with a simple greeting; those around couldn¡¯t help but be captivated.

    Even Can held her breath involuntarily, her eyes glued to Liu Qingying¡¯s seductive presence.

    ¡°Ahem!¡± Gray Bear fake-coughed dramatically and shot Gao Yang a smirk before rising to his feet with his coffee. ¡°Let¡¯s go, fellows.¡±

    They followed suit in understanding, smiling strangely.

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll.<i> Gray Bear, why are you obstinate when you should be sensitive, and considerate when it¡¯s not warranted? Are you looking to create a weird scandal about me?</i>

    After his teammates had left, Liu Qingying sat down across from Gao Yang and smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Gao Yang returned the smile and took a sip of his coffee. ¡°Speaking of which, I don¡¯t think I saw you around the first two days of the Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°I came here on the fourth day,¡± she admitted easily. ¡°Haha, ording to past experience, the first few days wouldn¡¯t be that dangerous.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. She was insinuating something.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope thest night passes uneventfully,¡± said Liu Qingying.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Liu Qingying continued with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely. I¡¯ve been feeling ill at ease since I woke up today. I have a feeling that something will happen...¡±

    Gao Yang looked up and lowered his voice. ¡°Please be frank with me given the circumstances, Miss Liu.¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow is quick.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled and leaned in, revealing even more fair skin under the low-cut dress. She whispered in a voice that only Gao Yang could hear, ¡°Watch out for a certain someone tonight.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Yang frowned.

    Liu Qingying looked around to make sure that no one was around. Then she nced at Gao Yang¡¯s right hand.

    Gao Yang extended a hand without missing a beat, allowing Liu Qingying to write a word on his palm.

    He pulled back with a grave look on his face. ¡°Is the intel reliable?¡±

    Liu Qingying stopped smiling. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but ording to what I know, the person has been hiding something and has shown a discrepancy between their words and actions. You can never be too careful.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±

    Liu Qingying sauntered away with her tea.

 Chapter 351: Crisis on Horizon

    <h4>Chapter 351: Crisis on Horizon</h4>

    At midnight, the blood moon appeared on time, followed by the blood fog.

    Thest night of the Crimson Tidemenced.

    In twos or threes, patrols set out to scout the Li City. The others were left on the 52nd floor of the White Late Hotel. Due to the significance of thest night of the Tide, the three organizations forbade all awakeners from leaving the base for personal reasons.

    Time crawled slowly, and many felt varying degrees of torment in the process.

    Finally, it was three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang was naturally among those who couldn¡¯t sleep. He stood before the window wall of the resting area and stayed vignt during thest three hours before day broke, apanied by many awakeners.

    The sky cast in red from the crimson moon and the city enveloped by the blood fog looked quiet and eerily beautiful.

    More than four million wanderers and about two hundred regr humans were deep asleep.

    The hundred fifty and more awakeners, on the other hand, were awake and huddling together forfort.

    The elite monsters with their monsterhood awakened, meanwhile, had been doing nothing but pulling little tricks during the first six nights, as well as the first half of thest night. It was as if they had no ns and had been doing whatever took their fancy, which didn¡¯t make sense.

    They must be brewing something in secret and waiting for the right time to strike. It was likely that they were going tounch an all-out assault against the awakeners at thest moment of the final night to catch them off guard.

    No one wanted a storm to hit.

    However, most awakeners believed it would with a healthy dose of pessimism.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to find Officer Huang standing beside him, looking out of the window like he had been doing.

    ¡°My phone hasn¡¯t rung once.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang was genuinely happy for him.

    ¡°I think so too.¡± Officer Huang nodded with a smile. ¡°Were my wife an elite monster or were there an elite monster around me, they would¡¯ve done something already.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and my phone hasn¡¯t rung either,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Good.¡± Officer Huang felt relieved for him too. ¡°Then we¡¯ll only have to worry about ourselves.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Officer Huang asked, ¡°Which team are you allocated to?¡±

    ¡°Fourth team, the leader.¡± Gao Yang then joked on purpose, ¡°Still, I think I¡¯ll do better in the rear.¡±

    ¡°Brat.¡± Officer Huang punched him in the shoulder lightly with augh. ¡°Thinking aboutying low even now.¡±

    The leaders of the three organizations weren¡¯t going to naively believe that things would be uneventful tonight. Thus, they had already divided the awakeners into thebatants and those in the rear.

    Thebatants totalled 80 with each team consisting of 20 awakeners, all those with Talents forbat or support.

    Among the four teams ofbatants, Gao Yang was the leader of the fourth team.

    Officer Huang, Qing Ling, and Fat Jun were on the second team.

    Before the Tide came, Fat Jun¡¯s Healing had reached level 4, and he joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs officially as the new Horse, codenamed Adept Horse.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette but didn¡¯t immediately light it. ¡°If¡ªand I do mean if¡ªsomething happened to me...¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯ll have to do.¡± Gao Yang gave him a meaningful look. ¡°And you¡¯ll do the same for me.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Officer Huang nodded. They pumped fists with mutual understanding.

    The man walked away after having his cigarette.

    Gao Yang was left standing before the window on his own, his gaze distant. He was broken out of his thoughts by a notification sound.

    He jumped and quickly took out his phone, only to realize that it was a message from Qing Ling.

    <i>What the hell, I almost had a heart attack! I thought it was from my family!</i>

    Grumbling inwardly, Gao Yang clicked into the message and saw a photo of a sumptuous seafood hot pot.

    Taken aback, Gao Yang turned to find Qing Ling, White Rabbit, and Songstress sharing a sofa not far from him.

    White Rabbit and Songstress were chatting, while Qing Ling was on her phone. She nced up at Gao Yang before looking down and clicking on her screen.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang again. This time, it was a text message.

    Qing Ling: I¡¯m the younger sister. Let¡¯s have hot pot together after the Crimson Tide.

    Gao Yang: Sure.

    Qing Ling: Promise.

    Gao Yang: Promise.

    Gao Yang put away his phone with a smile. Just then, a voice called out to him, ¡°Seven Shadow!¡±

    Gao Yang looked up to find Vermilion Birding up to him from the centralmand. ¡°Come here for a sec!¡±

    Heart sinking, Gao Yang rushed up to her.

    He followed her into themand room, where Qilin, Dragon, Surnamed Li, War Tiger, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Chen Ying, Colorless, and X were.

    Sitting in a wheelchair, Surnamed Li trembled all over with a nket on her, her face unusually pale.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gao Yang turned to the others.

    ¡°I had a short rest and saw, saw...¡± Surnamed Li said weakly. ¡°Tonight, many die...¡±

    Those in the room scowled.

    ¡°Did you see anything concrete?¡± Qilin asked.

    Surnamed Li shook her head. ¡°The dream¡¯s too short. But I remember seeing arge red light beam. I don¡¯t know what it is...¡±

    War Tiger¡¯s phone rang then.

    He looked at the screen. The call was from Heavenly Dog. A few seconds after he picked up, his expression darkened further.

    ¡°Did the patrol find something?¡± asked White Tiger.

    ¡°Grab your binocrs ande to the rooftop.¡± War Tiger stalked out of themand room.

    The others followed.

    They entered the elevator and went to the rooftop. The enormous blood moon hung low in the sky, as if it was right above their heads. The strong night winds swept over them and messed up their hair and clothes.

    They looked around, quickly seeing the strange urrences.

    In the east, south, west, and north of the Li City, arge white light beam could be seen shooting into the sky.

    War Tiger looked at one of them through his binocrs, noticing that the blood fog on the ground was morphing into countless tendrils and climbing up along the light beam. Instantly, the four light beams had turned into eerie-looking pirs of blood.

    ¡°What the hell are those?¡± War Tiger lowered the binocrs and smacked his lips. ¡°Look evil, I must say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Surnamed Li lowered her binocrs too. ¡°I saw a pir of blood in my dream. I thought there was only one, but there were four...¡±

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Dragon spoke up, his voice sounding bleak against the whooshing wind. ¡°You said before that we would all die in a disaster.¡±

    ¡°The disaster didn¡¯t hit the city, but killed only the awakeners,¡± Qilin added.

    ¡°The blood fog will rise and rise until it swallows everything...¡± Colorless finished, fear shing through her eyes.

    ¡°They,¡± Gao Yang sucked in a breath and shared his spection, ¡°Are holding some kind of disaster summoning ritual.¡±

    No one said otherwise. They had all gotten to the same conclusion.

    The four pirs of blood in the four cardinal directions were put up for some kind of disaster or curse ritual. Once it reachedpletion, the disaster would hit, and the blood fog would rise without limit until it devoured everything, killing all awakeners.

    It all fit with Surnamed Li¡¯s prophecy.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure what they¡¯re doing.¡± War Tiger rubbed his nose with a thumb. ¡°But we can¡¯t sit around doing nothing. We have to stop this, whatever this is!¡±

    War Tiger turned to Dragon. ¡°Make the orders, Captain!¡±

    Dragon turned to Qilin instead and said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re themander-in-chief for tonight, Qilin.¡±

    After three seconds of silence, Qilin issued the orders decisively.

    ¡°Team Azure Dragon!¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Azure Dragon took a step forward.

    ¡°Take your team to the east and destroy the pir and everything rted to it at all cost.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Team War Tiger!¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± War Tiger stretched his neck as he answered.

    ¡°Go to the south. Your mission is the same.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Team Vermilion Bird!¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡±

    ¡°You take the north.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    ¡°Team Seven Shadow!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Take the west.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Dragon, X, and White Tiger, we¡¯ll stay to protect the rear in case the enemies are trying to draw us away to pick us off.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± White Tiger answered.

    Dragon and X nodded.

    ¡°For survival!¡± Qilin dered.

    ¡°For survival!¡± Everyone else echoed in a thunderous chorus.

 Chapter 352: Four Directions

    <h4>Chapter 352: Four Directions</h4>

    3:26 in the morning.

    From the underground parking lot of the White Lake Hotel, eightrge ck cars sped out, each carrying ten awakeners who were armed to the teeth. Each team was split into two cars, and they headed to the east, south, west, and north of the city respectively, tasked to destroy the pirs of blood and stop the disaster ritual that might be taking ce.

    The two cars belonging to Team Seven Shadow raced along the empty road, heading to the pir in the west.

    Driving the leading car was Gray Bear, and Lithe Snake, taking the passenger seat, watched out for iing ambushes.

    Riding in the backseat were Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Ronnie, Can, Heavenly Dog, and three other young awakeners.

    Although Heavenly Dog was a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he was assigned to the fourth team¡ªGao Yang¡¯s team¡ªin order to make up for the power difference.

    The other three young awakeners were members of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s fifth team, under Green Tea¡¯s Leadership. Green Tea and his other nine team members were riding in the second car.

    In theory, the Union¡¯s fifth team would be under Green Tea¡¯smand, but for this operation, Gao Yang held the highest authority over the fourth special team.

    ¡°The second car is all clear,¡± Green Tea said, his voice reaching Gao Yang through the small earpiece.

    Gao Yang responded, ¡°Roger that. The first car is all clear.¡±

    Can, with a tablet in her hand, was looking at the map. ¡°Captain Seven Shadow, the red pir should be located in the Western Suburban Park of the Xijing District.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and called out to Gray Bear. ¡°How much longer is it going to take?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s little traffic. I¡¯ll try to get there in half an hour.¡± Gray Bear sounded confident.

    Gao Yang stopped speaking.

    No one knew what they would face an hourter.

    Without thinking, Gao Yang touched the Time-Space Rune Circuit in his pants pocket. After getting fed on by Fresh Snow, his stats had dropped significantly. It would be nice if his Teleportation reached level 4 before they arrived at their destination. Then he would recover a little more of his original ability.

    ¡°Captain Seven Shadow,¡± the young man sitting across from Gao Yang called out.

    Gao Yang collected his thoughts and turned to him.

    The young man was tall and slim, his hair shaved on the side with the blond middle part tied into a small braid, making his long face seem even longer.

    ¡°I¡¯m Three Strings, a good friend of Zhang Wei.¡± He grinned, his small eyes glinting. ¡°May I ask for your autograph?¡±

    ¡°Three Strings, this isn¡¯t the time for that!¡± chastised the short, chubby guy next to him. He was dressed in hip-hop style with a ck baseball cap. He quickly took off the cap and looked at Gao Yang with deference. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, I¡¯m AK47. Just call me Old Seven. I¡¯m a friend of Zhang Wei as well. Please do give me an autograph!¡±

    Gao Yang eyed the two young men and didn¡¯t immediately respond.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a lot of fans, Captain!¡± Gray Bear guffawed as he drove.

    Can corrected with a smile, ¡°We call people like them fanboys.¡±

    ¡°What fanboys?¡± The young woman next to Old Seven interjected. She had short gray hair, her delicate features in stark contrast with the vibrant red of her lipstick. ¡°They¡¯re just superstitious!¡±

    ¡°Stop it, Citrus!¡± Three Strings said guiltily.

    ¡°<i>The guy has gone to three Rune Caves ande back alive every time, and he became an Elder in two months. Plus he has four Talents. He must be the protagonist of this dimension! We¡¯ll stand a better chance of surviving by getting some of his luck!</i>¡±

    Citrus mimicked herpanion before turning to Three Strings. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you said?¡±

    Three Strings¡¯ face alternated between sheet pale and feverish red.

    ¡°So I¡¯m superstitious, so what?¡± Old Seven said, unabashed. ¡°Is it embarrassing to fear death? Who among us doesn''t? Still, we choose to bravely put up a fight. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± Gray Bear hollered.

    ¡°Hand me a marker.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll sign for you, but I make no promise about the effectiveness.¡±

    ¡°Me first!¡± Three Strings immediately took out a marker from his pocket and handed it to Gao Yang, presenting his arm. ¡°Here. Just the words ¡®Good luck and safety¡¯ is enough!¡±

    Gao Yang finished writing ¡®good luck¡¯, but when he got to the third word, the marker had run out of ink.

    ¡°Seriously?!¡± Three Strings turned to Old Seven and Citrus urgently. ¡°Quick! Find me another marker!¡±

    The two shared a look. It was clear that they didn¡¯t make it a habit to carry markers with them.

    ¡°Shit! This...this is a bad omen...¡± Three Strings¡¯ face fell. It seemed that he was the most superstitious of the bunch.

    ¡°Need a dagger?¡± Lithe Snake yed with the dagger in his hand with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Let our captain cut the words into your skin. Won¡¯t that be more effective?¡±

    ¡°Um, forget it.¡± Three Strings chuckled awkwardly before getting back to his seat.

    Gao Yang snorted inwardly, <i>You¡¯re the superstition buster, Lithe Snake.</i>

    ¡°Three String, is it? Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Gray Bear lit a cigarette with a smile.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you quit, Uncle Bear?¡± Can chimed in.

    ¡°Quit my ass. I got it thest time we went into a Rune Cave. Who knows how long we¡¯re going to live? Life is too short for us to not enjoy it.¡± Gray Bear took a drag. ¡°Stop interrupting me, Can. Let me finish.¡±

    Gray Bear nced at Three Strings through the rearview mirror. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Three Strings. We have a ritual of sorts for good luck. We¡¯ll do it together to ensure safe¡ª¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    It all happened too suddenly. Gray Bear saw a shadow drop down from the sky, mming into the hood of the car.

    A secondter, Gray Bear got a good look. It was a young, strongly-built ughterer about two meters tall.

    ¡°¡ªty.¡±

    Gray Bearpleted the utterance reflexively.

    ...

    3:40 in the morning. The road to the Dongyu District was all clear. The two cars of Team Azure Dragon sped toward their destination.

    In the leading car were Elder Azure Dragon and his nine subordinates, the first and second teams of the Qilin Guild.

    In the other car were the ten members of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s fourth team, led by Joker.

    Driving the first car was Azure Dragon¡¯s right-hand man, Fourteen Rainbow, Protector and leader of the first team. Most people called him Four Rainbow.

    He was thirty-one with a sculpted nose and manly facial features, his sharp brows and bright eyes standing out. He looked like the kind of confident but hotheaded protagonists seen in TV dramas.

    And that was exactly the kind of person he was.

    Sitting in the passenger seat, Azure Dragon had a hand on the window, his expression serious and his gaze sharp as he focused on detecting all possible dangers.

    Soon, the car got onto an overpass. As their altitude rose, the light beam surrounded by blood fog grew closer.

    When they first set out, the light beam looked only as big as a pinky, but now, it was fist-sized in their view.

    ¡°Ten minutes to go,¡± said Four Rainbow.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Azure Dragon spoke into the earpiece. ¡°ETA ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Joker responded numbly before cutting the contact.

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon.¡± Four Rainbow looked ahead and tightened his grip around the steering wheel. ¡°We will win, won¡¯t we?¡±

    Azure Dragon hid his surprise. Even Four Rainbow, who was usually brimming with confidence, was unsettled.

    ¡°We do our best and let fate decide the rest,¡± Azure Dragon said calmly.

    Four Rainbow nodded. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Captain, mute the mic. I have some personal matters to discuss with you.¡±

    Azure Dragon obliged.

    Four Rainbow then said in a lowered voice, ¡°Joker isn¡¯t reliable. Don¡¯t ce your full trust in him.¡±

 Chapter 353: Ambushed

    <h4>Chapter 353: Ambushed</h4>

    ¡°Why?¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that Joker was a conman before his awakening, and he had gone to jail for it. Moreover, he had been the deputy fourth team leader of the Hundred Rivers Union, and only after the former leader died of an unknown cause in a mission three years ago did he take over. He¡¯s not to be trusted.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded slightly and didn¡¯t make anyments.

    Four Rainbow stopped talking about Joker. The car had gotten off the overpass.

    Then Four Rainbow remembered something. He nced up at the jade pendant hanging off the rearview mirror. His fiancee had gotten it for him as a safety charm.

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, although this may be a g, if I don¡¯t get through this alive, please...¡±

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Azure Dragon quickly reached out and turned the steering wheel a fifth to the right.

    The car made a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding a small sedan flying their way.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The sedan hit the ground, sputtering sparks as it plowed through the road, mming into the second car.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The two cars collided. Therger ck car knocked the small sedan into the curb, both crashing through the disy window of a clothes shop.

    ...

    Meanwhile, the two cars of Team War Tiger were speeding toward the Li City University in the Nanji District, where a pir of blood was estimated to be.

    In the leading car were the members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    White Rabbit was driving with War Tiger riding shotgun. In the back were Green Snake, Yellow Ox, Songstress, Dead Pig, Electric Mouse, Lovely Lamb, Mischievous Monkey, and Adept Horse.

    In the other car were the ten members of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s sixth team, led by Goldthread.

    Sitting by Songstress, Lovely Lamb had fallen asleep with her head drooping. Usually, she would¡¯ve been slumbering in her bed and already had a few dreams.

    Scowling, White Rabbit said with her gaze fixed ahead, ¡°I still think it¡¯s a mistake to bring Lovely Lamb with us.¡±

    With half a cigarette in his mouth, War Tiger said with narrowed eyes, ¡°Lovely Lamb is still young, but her Talent is useful. With her and Dead Pig around, I can rest a little more easily.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Rabbit,¡± War Tiger cut her off coldly. ¡°Do you really think anyone is exempt from the fight tonight? If we all die, do you think Lovely Lamb would be able to live by hiding?¡±

    White Rabbit fell silent. She knew he was right, but in her heart, she couldn¡¯t ept the reality.

    Lovely Lamb was so very young, yet she was forced to participate in a mission at this scale.

    This fight would be much more dangerous and desperate than any other.

    The air was heavy in the car.

    Wu Dahai hooked an arm around Fat Jun¡¯s neck. ¡°Follow me closely, Adept Horse. Hear me? Your brother¡¯s gonna protect you.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll follow Teacher War Tiger.¡± Fat Jun looked away, feeling guilty.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Wu Dahai raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me? Who¡¯s gonna heal me when I get hurt if you don¡¯t follow me?¡±

    ¡°Showing your true spot, Electric Mouse?¡± Officer Huang teased.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid of dying. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Wu Dahai retorted.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Officer Huang didn''t deem that a response but turned to the sleeping Lovely Lamb. ¡°I¡¯ll be protecting Lovely Lamb.¡±

    ¡°Pot calling kettle ck,¡± Qing Ling made ament suddenly while resting with her eyes closed, her hand holding her Tang Dao.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡± Wu Dahai was moved. ¡°That was for me, wasn¡¯t it? I knew you cared about me!¡±

    ¡°Hoho, I believe Green Snake is ridiculing both of you if these old ears of mine are working right,¡± Mischievous Monkey said slowly.

    ¡°Sir Monkey, it¡¯s rough, let live, okay?[1]¡± Wu Dahai grumbled.

    ¡°What?¡± Mischievous Monkey didn¡¯t understand inte ng.

    ¡°Life is rough enough. Let him live in delusion,¡± Dead Pig exined in a nasal voice.

    ¡°Rough.¡± Mischievous Monkey felt the weight of the word on his tongue, his wrinkly face arranged into a tired smile. ¡°Yes, life is rough.¡±

    ¡°Be careful! Enemies iing!¡±

    White Rabbit sounded a warning.

    Instantly, they all tensed up, and Songstress woke Lovely Lamb. ¡°Cute Little Lamb, wake up. Time to fight.¡±

    ¡°Hmph...¡± Lovely Lamb rubbed her eyes, reluctantly getting up.

    White Rabbit slowed down the car, while War Tiger contacted Goldthread¡¯s unit through radio.

    Three figures appeared on the road, about a hundred meters away, too far to see clearly.

    White Rabbit¡¯s eyes twitched, noticing the blinding green light shooting from the figures¡¯ heads.

    ¡°Freeriders,¡± War Tiger immediately recognized.

    White Rabbit didn¡¯t hear anything as her vision shed, and three deadly green rays shot at them.

    ...

    Botanical Garden, Beiyong District, 3:56 in the morning.

    The two cars of Team Vermilion Bird sped through the road at full throttle, not slowing down even when facing the locked metal gates of the botanical garden.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The leading car¡¯s sturdy head mmed through the metal gates, allowing free entrance for the following car.

    Inside was arge plot ofnd covered in a variety of flowers, beyond which was a gentle slope. The light beam was halfway up the slope.

    In the leading car sat Elder Vermilion Bird and her subordinates¡ªthe sixth team¡ªas well as three members of the Hundred Rivers Union. All three were Colorless¡¯ people, from the Union¡¯s first team.

    Scarlet Fox, Protector and sixth team leader of the Guild, was the driver, while Vermilion Bird took the passenger seat.

    ¡°Almost there,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± One hand holding onto the steering wheel, Scarlet Fox took out a bottle of perfume with his other hand and applied some to his wrist.

    Vermilion Bird paused. It was her birthday gift to Scarlet Fox when they were in Naldives for a mission.

    Scarlet Fox put the perfume away and nced at Vermilion Bird, his expression calm but his gaze flickering with a hint of shyness. ¡°It smells nice. I like it a lot.¡±

    ¡°You can always trust my taste,¡± Vermilion Bird said confidently.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Scarlet Fox spoke in a gentle, small voice as he stared at the road ahead. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you...¡±

    ¡°I decline.¡±

    ¡°Elder...¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll stop ying around.¡± Vermilion Bird got serious. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Why did you save me then?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Vermilion Bird was taken aback.

    ¡°I was like a walking dead at the time, and I refused tomunicate with anyone. Moreover, my Talent stopped working.¡± Scarlet Fox was being earnest. ¡°Why did you even bother with me?¡±

    Vermilion Bird pursed her lips and thought for a few seconds, her tone serious and gentle. ¡°I had a little brother. I loved him very much. However, I lost him to an ident. As soon as I saw you, I considered you my little brother and swore to take care of you until death.¡±

    Scarlet Fox paused, his eyes reddening. Before he could say something, though, Vermilion Bird snorted.

    ¡°Haha, is that the story you¡¯re fishing for?¡±

    ¡°Elder...¡± Scarlet Fox looked embarrassed and a little vexed. ¡°That¡¯s not funny at all!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to disappoint you, Little Fox. I simply saved you out of curiosity. There had never been a case where an awakener lost their Talent after a serious trauma.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°So me taking care of you and observing you every day was only part of my job.¡±

    ¡°That...so.¡± Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    1. The original, ÈË¼è²»²ð <i>ren jian bu chai</i>, is a shortened version of a line from Yoga Lin¡¯s song, <i>Fairy Tale</i>, which basically means we don¡¯t have to point out the hard truth when life is difficult as it is. ?

 Chapter 354: Strange Ritual

    <h4>Chapter 354: Strange Ritual</h4>

    ¡°Little Fox, this is what we call projection in psychology.¡±

    Vermilion Bird looked out of the window with a hand propping her head up, speaking in a cool voice. ¡°After you awakened, you were forced to kill your beloved stepfather. With all the pain, guilt, and loneliness weighing you down, you have to anchor yourself somehow in order to survive. I happened to appear then, and you projected all your feelings on me. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s my projection,¡± Scarlet Fox said somewhat petntly. ¡°What¡¯s so wrong with that?¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°What¡¯s so shameful about that?¡± Scarlet Fox huffed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel pressured, Elder Vermilion Bird. Although I consider you my family, you¡¯re free to treat me as a simple subordinate or even a tool. It doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care about what you feel. My feelings are my own.¡±

    ¡°Scarlet Fox.¡± Vermilion Bird opted for his full codename this time. ¡°You misunderstood.¡±

    Scarlet Fox paused.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that to hurt you.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°I simply wanted to tell you that humans are strong. Even if I¡¯m gone one day, even if you¡¯re going to be alone again, you can survive on your own.¡±

    Scarlet Fox bit his lip, eyes reddening.

    ¡°Do you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I hear you, Elder Vermilion Bird!¡± Scarlet Fox said it like an oath.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Colorless¡¯ fake cough came from the earpiece. ¡°That was very moving, but a little forced on all of us in the other car. Remember to mute the mic next time you¡¯re having a heart-to-heart.¡±

    ¡°Fxxk!¡± Vermilion Bird cursed, her face flushed. ¡°Ugh, kill me. I forgot about the mic...¡±

    ¡°Elder!¡± Scarlet Fox kicked the brake. ¡°Look.¡±

    Vermilion Bird looked out of the window on Scarlet Fox¡¯s side, frowning immediately.

    There was a garden built on a gentle slope, as big as a ser field. Sunflowers covered the entire garden, while blood fog reaching half a meter in height submerged half of the stems, making it look as if the crowding sunflowers were growing out of a sea of blood, the sight beautiful in a macabre way.

    Therge white beam of light, wrapped around by countless tendrils of blood fog, rose from the center of the garden of sunflowers.

    Eyeing it, Vermilion Bird estimated that it was at least fifteen meters in diameter.

    ¡°Get off and ready for a fight.¡±

    Vermilion Bird made the order through the earpiece.

    The two cars parked on a shaded path, and the doors opened at the same time. Well-trained awakeners quickly filed out in order.

    Divided into two lines of ten, they stood back to back to cover each other¡¯s blindspots.

    Vermilion Bird waved. They carefully walked into the garden of sunflowers, parting the nts that were tall enough to reach their waist while they made their way to the strange pir of blood.

    Colorless called out to the frail blue-haired girl with a ponytail among her group. ¡°Grass, scout ahead.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The girl closed her eyes and muttered under her breath.

    In less than ten seconds, the air around them grew turbulent, and faint buzz could be heard, the sounds numerous in sources.

    Butterflies, bees, dragonflies, anddybugs continued to fly out of the garden, hovering over Grass¡¯ head in a dense pack. Soon, they headed toward the pir of blood not far from them.

    Moreover, there were rustling soundsing from under their feet.

    Although the ground was now covered in blood fog, Vermilion Bird could make the educated guess that thend-dwelling insects were deployed in droves as well.

    Grass¡¯ Talent must be Insects King, serial number 64, allowing one to control all insects in a certain area.

    The army of insects headed toward their destination. In Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes, they looked like a colorful fog gliding over the garden awash in the blood moon¡¯s light, moving toward the light beam.

    At first, the army of insects attempted to enter the light beam, but soon they started to hover around it instead, keeping a distance.

    After about half a minute, the insects scattered and disappeared.

    Eyes wide and face pale, Grass said in a trembling voice, ¡°The insects broke out of my control and fled.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Colorless asked.

    Grass shook her head. ¡°They...were afraid.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s expression darkened.

    Although they had anticipated the danger and made up their mind to risk their lives, they couldn¡¯t stop their fear of the unknown from rising in their hearts.

    Vermilion Bird took a deep breath and tightened her fists, taking the lead. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Scarlet Fox trailed right after her, and the others followed suit.

    A minuteter, all members of Team Vermilion Bird got close to the light beam wrapped in blood fog.

    Up close, it looked majestic like a pir connecting heaven and earth.

    Glowing at the bottom was a one-meter-tall makeshift stone altar, on which the blood fog was sparser.

    A group of people surrounded the altar, or it would be more urate to call them a pack of monsters in human form.

    They each wore a loose white robe and knelt on the ground, holding their hands together before their chest with their heads lowered, looking humble.

    They were muttering something¡ªan evil chant, perhaps, and the chorus of sounds gave off an oppressive feeling.

    Vermilion Bird and the others saw the macabre scene clearly: each monster had a dagger in its abdomen, its blood staining its white robe and flowing into the grooves under its feet, allowing the monsters to fill the grooves on the altar with their blood.

    The groovesbined to form arge symbol, the very symbol that represented the Godbearer Cult, abstract and evil. It looked like a vertical eye surrounded by something that resembled the sun.

    Vermilion Bird felt a wave of disgust. She didn¡¯t know what they were up to, and she wasn¡¯t interested in finding out.

    ¡°Destroy them!¡± she called out.

    Behind her was a burly man with tanned skin and dreadlocks, dressed in modern tactical outfit with a submachine gun and all sorts of bombs on him.

    Without a word, he took three grenades off his waist and pulled the safety pins, hurling them at the altar.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    The grenades exploded at the same time with unusual destructive power.

    The altar was blown up at once, and stone shards, clumps of earth, and the flesh, blood, and broken limbs of the robed monsters flew in all directions. Therge white beam shooting up from the altar instantly vanished.

    Without support, the tendrils of blood fog that had wrapped tightly around the light beam slowly fell, and many dispersed midair before even hitting the ground.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    The burly man in camouge was Crimson Scorpion, Talent: Explosives Expert, serial number 78, Damage-type.

    He was adept at all explosive weapons and traps, and his damage output doubled when using them.

    Most monsters in white robes had been killed then and there. The few that had survived dragged their torn and bloodied bodies toward the altar like walking dead without souls. It seemed like they were going to resume the evil ritual or die trying.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    A gust swept over them, apanying a ck Gold triangr boomerang asrge as a ceiling fan. It spinned at high velocity and decapitated the surviving monsters in an arch before returning to its owner¡ªa tall, slim woman with long limbs.

    Her pink hair was cut short, and her tanned skin covered by a ck tank top and a pair of fittedbat pants. The muscles in her neck, shoulders, abdomen, and hip were firm, the lines elegant.

    She was Amon, Colorless¡¯ deputy, with Talent: Arm Strength, serial number 76, Buff-type.

    Her arms were incredibly strong, granting her double damage when using throw weapons and other buffs.

    The decapitated monsters copsed among the flowers silently, the body soon submerged by the blood fog.

    ¡°That was...it?¡± Grass said quietly, in disbelief.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Crimson Scorpion crossed his arms and scoffed derisively. ¡°What the hell. I thought they were gonna be se¡ª¡±

    His voice was suddenly cut off, and his smile went still, as if someone had paralyzed him by hitting his acupuncture point.

    The others noticed his strange change.

    ¡°Crimson Scorpion?¡± Scarlet Fox made to walk up to him, but Vermilion Bird stopped him, her expression grave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    The man remained paralyzed. A teardrop of fear and despair fell from his widened eyes.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    A secondter, a bloodied sunflower bloomed right out of his mouth.

 Chapter 355: Skirmish

    <h4>Chapter 355: Skirmish</h4>

    Team Seven Shadow, 3:41 in the morning.

    ¡°¡ªty¡±

    Gray Bear got a good look at the attacker as soon as he uttered thest syble.

    It was a ughterer in the form of a two-meter tall lizardman, jumping onto the head of their car from high above.

    It was so sudden that everyone in the car was stunned for a second.

    ¡°Duck!¡±

    The one who shouted was, surprisingly, Old Seven.

    Neither Gray Bear and Lithe Snake had their seatbelts on, allowing them to quickly duck down instinctively before their brains registered the instruction.

    With bare hands, Old Seven snapped his fingers at the ughterer outside the car, shooting two invisible air bullets instantly, breaking the window and hitting the ughterer in the chest and the shoulder.

    The ughterer growled in pain, flying off the hood and mming onto the road.

    Despite his chubby physique, Old Seven was quick to react. His Talent was Finger Strength, serial number 90, Buff-type.

    His fingers could not only shoot powerful air bullets, but also conjured great prative and destructive power with coins, cards, or other small items.

    The moment the ughterer was thrown off by the air bullets, Lithe Snake and Gray Bear kicked the doors open and jumped out of the car.

    ¡°Get ready!¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door on his side and teleported to the top of the car the moment he was out.

    The others quickly got out of the car as well.

    Green Tea¡¯s unit was also quick to move. All ten awakeners had gotten out of their car and made a protective circle, covering each other.

    Standing on the car, Gao Yang scanned around. The road was lined with five-story residential buildings, and the ce was unnaturally quiet.

    However, Gao Yang had already sensed the killing intent and heard the warning sounded by the system.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    Two secondster, the windows of the residential buildings shattered as countless dark figures jumped out toward them.

    Midair, Gao Yang caught sight of them under the crimson moonlight. They were all powerful young ughterers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Gao Yang shouted and jumped to face a ughterer descending upon him.

    It stabbed at him with its sharp ded arms, but ended up missing as Gao Yang teleported behind it.

    Both feet stepping on the ughterer¡¯s back, Gao Yang brought it down with two hands on the back of the monster¡¯s head. <i>Thud!</i> The ughterer hit the ground with Gao Yang pinning it down, keeping it from moving.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    mes shot out of Gao Yang¡¯s hands, spreading from the ughterer¡¯s head to the rest of its body.

    It screamed in pain amid the zing mes. Meanwhile, other ughterers had jumped off from the floors above and got into a bloody fight with the awakeners.

    Three ughterers rushed at Gao Yang. Sensing the killing intent, Gao Yang pushed his Fire to the max rather than move away. And<i> boom!</i> Powerful pir of mes and overwhelming heat currents kept the three ughterers at bay.

    <i>Growl!</i>

    On all fours, a giant gray bear charged fiercely while tearing off what little fabric remained, lunging at the closest ughterer.

    The ughterer towered over regr humans at more than two meters tall; facing a strongly-built giant bear at simr height, though, the monster seemed frail inparison.

    Gray Bear caught the ughterer¡¯s ded arm with one hand while grabbing its head with the other hand, clenching his fist to crush it.

    Without giving him the chance, though, the ughterer whipped Gray Bear in the side with its flexible tail, covered with razor-sharp scales. The scales ended up drawing blood despite Gray Bear¡¯s thick skin and fur.

    ¡°Agh...bastard!¡±

    Gray Bear grimaced, his hold on the ughterer¡¯s head and ded arm going ck. He opted to grab the long tail wrapping around his waist with both hands instead, twisting it like he was making pastry twists.

    It was the ughterer¡¯s turn to cry out in pain.

    Gray Bear twisted the tail in his grasp with mad abandon, turning the ughterer into a pendulum hanging off its twisted tail, intimidating the ughterers approaching him.

    ¡°Hahaha, ahahahaha!¡± Gray Bear was having fun again.

    Hearing his booming guffaw while burning the ughterer under his feet, Gao Yang smiled wryly.

    Gray Bear had always been good at raising morale if nothing else.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t counted, but he estimated roughly that the ughterers ambushing them totalled at least forty!

    A couple ughterers weren¡¯t going to pose much of a problem, but over <i>forty </i>young, hale, and bloodthirsty ughterers were nothing to sneeze at.

    The others were each engaged in a fierce fight too.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Lithe Snake cast three throwing knives, two hitting the ughterer he was fighting in the hard scale covering its face, while one hit its fragile eye.

    The ughterer stopped attacking, reflexively reaching up to pull out the throwing knife in its right eye.

    Without letting the chance slip, Nine Frost ducked into the ughterer¡¯s space and made three quick punches at its heart.

    Weak Point activated!

    After a dy of half a second, the air condensed, and the ughterer¡¯s torso arched before it flew away.

    However, three quick jabs weren¡¯t enough to destroy its heart.

    Having just defeated a ughterer, Green Tea happened to be going Nine Frost¡¯s way, and he made a swing at the back of the ughterer flying towards him.

    One-inch Punch activated!

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The ughterer was sent flying for another few meters, rolling on the ground after falling.

    It quickly scrambled to its feet while grimacing, attempting to get back into the fight, but two secondster, its chest blew open, sttering blood everywhere, and it copsed to the ground with a twitch, dead.

    <i>Pew, pew, pew!</i>

    Old Seven continued to shoot air bullets to prevent ughterers from approaching him, but his attacks weren¡¯t strong enough to kill them.

    Meanwhile, Can and Ronnie were firing nonstop at the ughterers surrounding them to keep the monsters at bay, holding their guns with both hands.

    Then Three Strings knelt before a dead ughterer, cing both hands on its body and muttering.

    Ten secondster, the ughterer stood back up, its eyes glinting a possessed red as it growled furiously, charging at its fellow monsters with even greater speed and biting at them like a mad dog.

    Three String¡¯s Talent was Corpse Herder, serial number 84, Summon-type.

    He could reanimate any body for three minutes, sending it into a frenzy against his enemies until the time was up or the body lost its ability to move. However, the body couldn¡¯t use its power from before its death.

    ¡°Support! I need some support!¡± After a minute of fun, Gray Bear was losing his ability to enjoy the fight again.

    Facing seven ughterers, even a tank like him was struggling to keep up.

    A ughterer seized the chance to tackle him to the ground from the side.

    Two ughterers followed, stabbing at Gray Bear¡¯s neck with their ded arms.

    The other ughterers, on the other hand, moved away rather than staying to fight him, targeting other awakeners instead.

    <i>Plop, plop.</i>

    Two blue water balloons flew his way and exploded on the chest of the two ughterers keeping Gray Bear down.

    The unexpected attacks left the ughterers bbergasted. After a stunned moment, they realized that those couldn¡¯t have been normal water balloons. Outside of the water left on them, however, nothing happened.

    Caught by surprise, Gray Bear had a look of disbelief and despair on his face. <i>Seriously? What braindead awakener would use water balloons as weapons?</i>

    <i>My pelt ain¡¯t gonna stop the ughterers¡¯ des any longer, no matter how thick it is!</i>

    Gray Bear¡¯s heart sank, seeing his doom in his head.

    Although he was unlikely to be decapitated outright, his carotid arteries were going to be cut for sure.

    If hispanions managed to reach him and administer Medicine C in a minute, perhaps they would still get to save a bear¡¯s life.

 Chapter 356: Skirmish 2

    <h4>Chapter 356: Skirmish 2</h4>

    Recovering from the surprise, the two ughterers swung their ded arms at Gray Bear. However, they didn¡¯t realize that their movements had slowed down noticeably, like they alone were in slow motion at one fourth speed. Their sharp des pressed toward Gray Bear¡¯s neck inch by inch, painting a strange picture.

    The water balloons were from Citrus, the girl with gray hair and vibrant red lips.

    Her Talent was Slow, serial number 94, Poison-type.

    With the slowing agents inside her blood, anyoneing into contact would be unusually slow for ten seconds to three minutes. However, the effect couldn¡¯t be applied to the same target within an hour.

    Citrus wasn¡¯t one for melee battles. To utilize her power, she opted to prepare water balloons beforehand with her blood added to the water.

    Her Slow was only level 3, and the blood content was low, resulting in lesser debuff. As a result, the ughterers were only slowed down for six seconds.

    The six seconds, however, were precious time for theirpanions toe to their aid.

    Two throwing knives buried into the eyes of the two ughterers with precision, the blood sttering all over Gray Bear¡¯s face.

    The ughterers didn¡¯t even cry out in pain since their sense of pain had been dulled and slowed as well.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang teleported over to grab the two knives buried into the ughterers¡¯ eyes, pushing them further until the des pierced through their heads. Then he followed that up by shooting mes out of his palms, the fire instantly devouring the monsters¡¯ heads and pushing them off their feet.

    With their heads still on fire, the ughterers copsed on the ground, unmoving.

    Gao Yang turned to offer a helping hand to Gray Bear, who epted the help and stood up.

    They didn¡¯t waste their time talking. Gao Yang immediately teleported away, while Gray Bear wiped the blood off his face and charged toward where the ughterers were most densely packed. ¡°Sons of bitches, your grandfather is back!¡±

    Team Seven Shadow seemed to be struggling.

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, and Green Tea wouldn¡¯t really be threatened if they took care of only themselves, and Can could go invisible with Ronnie to survive.

    The rest of the awakeners, however, were too weak in a holistic perspective, and they were in great danger as the ughterers swarmed them in a chaotic fight.

    Beside a car, Three Strings were sneaking toward a dead ughterer, nning to activate Corpse Herder.

    A ughterer came out of nowhere and jumped onto the top of the car, leaping down to lunge at Three Strings.

    In the split second, Old Seven fired an air bullet at the ambusher. His bullets, however, had be weaker due to the prolonged fight.

    While it hit the ughterer in the chest, it failed to stop the monster¡¯s attack, but only offset the impact.

    A secondter, the ded arm easily pierced Three Strings¡¯ back, lifting his body upward like a harpooned fish before going through the chestpletely.

    Three Strings¡¯ blood streamed down the ughterer¡¯s thick arm as more blood sttered like a fountain, raining down on the ughterer.

    It tipped its head up and opened its mouth to enjoy the crimson shower.

    ¡°Three Strings!¡± Green Tea shouted with rage and pain, but upied by two ughterers, he couldn¡¯t make it to hispanion in time.

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Old Seven screamed, raising his hands to fire two air bullets at the enemies. Before he could do that, however, his eyes were momentarily blinded by the light reflected off a monster¡¯s de, descending from above. When he realized it, his arms were already gone.

    He cried out as he copsed, blood spurting out of his cut arms. ¡°My hands! My hands...¡±

    ¡°Old Seven!¡±

    Citrus, who had gone invisible with Can, failed to control her emotion, and her shouts allowed three ughterers to locate Can¡¯s general whereabouts; the monsters rushed toward them.

    ¡°Yiyayiya, yiyayaya¡ª¡±

    Ronnie knew it was time for him to use his Talent.

    The moment the scale tipped toward their enemies, he used his Disorientation to break up the fight forcefully.

    Afterwards, the awakeners would be able to recover and make a move a second earlier, allowing them to turn the tide.

    Amid Ronnie¡¯s strange high-pitched scream, all awakeners and ughterers stopped fighting, disoriented.

    In less than ten seconds, Ronnie¡¯s voice stopped. He wasn¡¯t able to keep his Disorientation going for long.

    And he had exposed himself, Can, and Citrus as a result.

    Unfortunately, the tide of the battle didn¡¯t turn. The three ughterers quickly recovered and resumed their charge at the three of them. None wasing to their rescue.

    Everyone was trapped in their own fight, too upied to help theirpanions.

    There were too many ughterers. Their offense, defense, agility, and explosive power were all impressive. Without a wide-range Talent with great damage output, it would be impossible to kill them all quickly.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    At thest moment, Can reached out to push Ronnie, who was on her left, and Citrus, who was on her right, away.

    Due to their targets suddenly scattering, the three ughterers paused for a second, failing to get into their next moves immediately.

    Having killed a ughterer, Gao Yang teleported to dodge the other ughterers in his area and threw three fireballs Can¡¯s way. That was the most he could do to help them.

    While the three fireballs weren¡¯t that strong, they drew a lot of attention, and the three ughterers dodged on instinct, their flows broken again.

    Seizing the few seconds, Ronnie quickly reloaded his gun and emptied the magazine at the ughterers.

    While the bullets failed to prate their sturdy armor of scales, they did inflict some damage and stop the monsters from closing in.

    Then Citrus threw the water balloons with her blood again, hitting two ughterers and slowing them down.

    The three of them knew that they were merely buying time, dying their eventual death a little.

    ¡°Everyone!¡±

    The voice of a young man came from above.

    Gao Yang looked up to see a figure hovering in the air.

    Heavenly Dog!

    Right, he had disappeared at the start of the battle, but things had been too hectic for Gao Yang to dwell on it.

    Heavenly Dog syed his hands at the battleground below with clumps of light gray energy swirling around his palms¡ªa sign that his energy was overflowing from his body.

    ¡°Duck!¡± he shouted.

    Knowing what Heavenly Dog¡¯s Talent did, Gao Yang was the first to lower himself, and he repeated, ¡°Duck down!¡±

    Many had been too caught off guard to react to Heavenly Dog¡¯smand, but Gao Yang¡¯s following shout managed to reach them. Disregarding the ughterers they were fighting or the other sources of dangers, they ttened themselves to the ground without exception.

    ¡°Spatial¡ªDissection!¡±

    A secondter, Heavenly Dog used Spatial Dissection on an incredibly wide area.

 Chapter 357: Sir Jin

    <h4>Chapter 357: Sir Jin</h4>

    When the ughterers first appeared, Heavenly Dog had fought alongside the others, but to disappointing effect. There were too many ughterers scattered in too wide an area, and they were quick and grappling with his teammates, making it difficult for Heavenly Dog to use Spatial Dissection, and the risk of friendly fire was high.

    Thus, Heavenly Dog came up with a bold n.

    He took flight and attempted to use Spatial Dissection near the ground in a wide range, like cutting a cake horizontally near the bottom.

    However, he would need time to gather energy, at least thirty seconds.

    And during the process, Ronnie had used Disorientation. Although Heavenly Dog was farther from the battlefield, he was still influenced by the Talent, resulting in some dy.

    Now, Heavenly Dog had finally finished casting his Talent.

    He activated level 4 Spatial Dissection at the entire road, and the Talent reached level 5 the moment it activated!

    Lying on the ground, Gao Yang felt the space around him freeze for a second. Then a meter above his head, there was a strange, almost imperceptible sense of something splitting. He saw the cut surface of the disced space like the gap of a broken ss, disappearing after a short second.

    Then the space of the entire road returned to normal.

    All awakeners were lying on the ground, while the standing ughterers had stopped fighting.

    Two seconds passed.

    The majority of ughterers split in half, some at the thighs, some at the waist, some at the chest, and some¡ªwhile in motion¡ªended up cut diagonally.

    Three ughterers alone survived the onught.

    All other ughterers copsed like toppled building blocks, their blood sttering before pooling and painting the entire road red, forming streams of blood.

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Ronnie, and Green Tea were the first to rise to their feet. They rushed toward the three surviving monsters and made quick work of them.

    Heavenly Dog slowly descended on a car.

    <i>ck.</i>

    With a shudder, the top of the car leaned slightly to the side. It was clear that it had been cut in half as well, and the top part had slipped from the bottom part.

    Heavenly Dog gasped for breaths. The move had exhausted almost all his power, but given the result, it was worth it.

    If he hadn¡¯t made the move to ughter most of the ughterers, at least one third of Team Seven Shadow would die in the fight.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Old Seven, with his arms cut, leaned against the curb, crying out in pain.

    ¡°Help him!¡± Green Tea shouted, wiping blood off his face.

    ¡°Citrus, give me a hand!¡± A blonde frail girl with a ck newsboy cap and a first aid bag picked up Old Seven¡¯s two arms.

    Citrus took them and pressed them to Old Seven¡¯s stumps. The girl in a newsboy cap then took out two shots of Medicine C and used them on Old Seven¡¯s stumps. Half a minuteter, the arms started stitching back together, but at an incredibly low speed.

    cing her hands on his arms, the girl muttered under her breath.

    Soon, Old Seven¡¯s arms went limp like rubber, but properly reattached.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine in five minutes,¡± said the girl.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Rain River. Go save Three Strings!¡± Old Seven was still worried about Three Strings despite his sickly condition.

    The girl named Rain River shook her head with pain shing through her eyes, the dark look on her face darkening further. ¡°His heart was pierced. I can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Old Seven cursed, bursting into tears of guilt. ¡°It was on me. It was all on me... If only my air bullets were a little stronger, Three Strings wouldn¡¯t have died!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! Damn it!¡± Old Seven couldn¡¯t move his arms just yet, so he mmed his head against the concrete walkway behind him instead.

    ¡°Old Seven.¡± Green Tea hade up to him at some point, and he cushioned Old Seven¡¯s head with a hand. ¡°I know you and Three Strings were close like brothers, and I won¡¯t stop you from seeking death. But not now, not when you still have to avenge Three Strings.¡±

    With snot and tears running down his face, Old Seven nodded vehemently. ¡°Revenge! I¡¯ll get him revenge! I¡¯ll ughter these sons of bitches!¡±

    The encounter left them with one dead, two seriously injured, and six lightly injured. Their cars had been destroyed by the wide-range Spatial Dissection, no longer drivable.

    Thankfully, there was a bus parked by the bus stop nearby. The driver was most likely on hisst trip, and unable to resist the urge to sleep, he parked by the road before cking out.

    Gray Bear carried the driver off the bus before starting the engine. The others hopped on, making their way to the Western Suburban Park.

    ...

    Team Azure Dragon, 3:45 in the morning.

    The car Joker was riding in mmed into the disy window of a clothes shop.

    The grating rm of the shop red, while the car smoked.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Joker kicked the door of the passenger seat open, jumping out of the car.

    A few secondster, the door in the back opened as well, and the other team members filed out. Outside of one whose forehead was bleeding, the others were rtively unscathed.

    ¡°Stand behind me!¡± Azure Dragon, having gotten out of the other car, shouted from the center of the road.

    The others followed his instruction, crowding behind him, while Four Rainbow and Joker stood on his right and left.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one enemy, but they¡¯re strong.¡± Azure Dragon had already sensed the presence. ¡°Here theye.¡±

    No sooner had he said that than a dark figure appeared in the sky.

    Azure Dragon looked up. From his perspective, the backlit figure happened to be at the center of the blood moon, as if they had jumped off from there.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The figurended twenty meters before Azure Dragon, crushing the ground beneath their feet and scattering countless shards of rock, the resulting shockwaves strong enough to force their eyes close.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes twitched.

    The enemy was an old man with white hair, long braid, and a face covered in beard. The wrinkles on his face looked as if they had been etched with a knife. His killing intent was razor-sharp, and his eyes bright with fighting spirit.

    He was wearing nothing but a pair of ck pants and kung fu shoes, revealing his well-built muscles.

    ncing at Azure Dragon, he dered in a booming voice, ¡°Your name!¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon, Qilin Guild,¡± Azure Dragon answered without fear. ¡°And you?¡±

    After a two-second pause, the old man said, ¡°Sir Jin, shadowstalker, pride monster.¡±

    Azure Dragon scoffed. At least the old man was being open.

    Hands clenched into fists, he got into a fighting stance with one hand in the front and the other pulled back. ¡°Come on.¡±

    Sir Jin barked out augh. ¡°So you¡¯re Azure Dragon. I¡¯ve wanted to fight you for a long time. What a shame. A real shame. The one I¡¯m looking for tonight isn¡¯t you.¡±

    He dropped to one knee with two hands on the ground, like a sprinter getting ready to take off.

    Two secondster, he shot out like a bullet and disappeared, leaving a burst of powerful currents in his wake, the ground cracked and sunken.

    Outside of Azure Dragon, everyone was shocked by the disy of power.

    Was this the level a pride monster was at?

    ¡°Do we give chase, Elder Azure Dragon?¡± Four Rainbow asked with uncertainty. If they wanted to catch up, they would have to take a helicopter.

    Azure Dragon thought for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s heading toward the White Lake Hotel. Don¡¯t bother. We¡¯ll continue with our mission.¡±

    Four Rainbow was still worried. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Fret not.¡± Azure Dragon cut him off with a smile. ¡°While Sir Jin is strong, he isn¡¯t Guildmaster¡¯s match.¡±

 Chapter 358: Earth

    <h4>Chapter 358: Earth</h4>

    Team War Tiger, 3:47 in the morning.

    White Rabbit saw a sh, then three strange green rays shot toward her.

    It was thanks to War Tiger¡¯s timely warning that she turned the steering wheel and stepped on the brake before the deadly rays could hit. She knew freeriders well; she knew that one of the possible forms was able to shoot highly-corrosive green rays from its mouth.

    Three rays cut along the center of the road vertically, but White Rabbit had already driven away, mming into the curb.

    War Tiger had kept the radio on, so Goldthread, hearing the warning as he drove too, managed to make a sharp turn and slow down to dodge the attacks.

    The two units of awakeners immediately got out of the cars.

    War Tiger noticed by then that there were dozens of figures standing on the buildings on the sides of the road. Some were wrath monsters, and others greed monsters, among which were mostly freeriders with a small number of overtakers.

    There were at least ten freeriders who were able to shoot deadly rays from their mouths.

    ¡°Stick close to Sir Monkey!¡± War Tiger made the call without hesitation.

    The team had gotten to know each other beforehand, so everyone knew he was referring to Mischievous Monkey of the Twelve Zodiac Signs and did as War Tiger instructed.

    Dressed in a Tang suit, Mischievous Monkey looked like a celestial descending to the mortal world. He pped his hands together before his chest and growled, quickly dropping down to put his palms to the ground.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Chunks of concrete, with a mix of soil, protruded from the road, turning into four walls to shield all of them before a ceiling was created as well. In an instant, they found themselves protected by a sturdy bastion of earth elements.

    Roughly a dozen green deadly rays shot toward them, only to be blocked by the sturdy bastion.

    While the corrosive green liquid apanying the green rays slowly ate away the surface of the bastion, more earth elements were supplemented to repair the walls.

    Mischievous Monkey¡¯s Talent was Earth, serial number 28, Element-type.

    It allowed him to manipte earth elements in a fight. Its strength was in its universal usefulness, requiring no specific environment due to the abundance of earth elements everywhere.

    It was a shame that the awakeners hadn¡¯t yet found the Element Rune Circuit, and Mischievous Monkey¡¯s Earth was left stagnating at level 3.

    Deadly rays continued to bombard the bastion. A few overtakers, meanwhile, had sprouted violet scales to arm themselves while approaching the bastion, raising their hands to ready their extendable bone stings for an assault.

    Since the bastion was tightly sealed, it was pitch ck inside. Someone turned on the shlight of their phone to illuminate the ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my style to take hits passively.¡± War Tiger drew his Green Dog Demon de, giving out instructions. ¡°Songstress, get ready to sing.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Dead Pig, stay and work with Mischievous Monkey, keeping Adept Horse, Lovely Lamb, and Songstress protected.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Dead Pig¡¯s nasal voice made it sound like he was speaking through a boom box.

    ¡°Yellow Ox, take the enemies in the longest range.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Huang drew the two guns holstered at his waist.

    ¡°White Rabbit, Green Snake, we¡¯ll deal with the overtakers around us.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± White Rabbit was holding her personal weapon¡ªa baseball bat made of ck Gold, while Qing Ling conjured her Tang Dao.

    ¡°Hide well and cover us, Electric Mouse.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Wu Dahai moved his robotic arm around, pumped for the fight. He wasn¡¯t worried about the small fries. He would take this chance to impress Qing Ling.

    ¡°What about us?¡± Goldthread asked.

    ¡°You do you and prioritize survival.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t have the time to also make orders for Goldthread¡¯s unit. He could only trust them to know what to do.

    Goldthread nodded and instructed his teammates, ¡°n A.¡±

    ¡°Copy!¡± the nine awakeners answered at the same time.

    War Tigermanded, ¡°Songstress, sing!¡±

    Hands sped together, Songstress knelt down on the ground with her eyes closed, opening her mouth to sing like she was praying earnestly.

    At the same time, small holes opened up in the walls of the earth bastion.

    Songstress¡¯ singing reached outward through the small holes, her voice gentle, ethereal, yet brimming with a strangepelling power that was meant to rx. It swept through every single monster within a hundred meter radius like a gentle breeze.

    In less than ten seconds, the mentally weaker ones fell to the ground without making a sound.

    The more strong-willed monsters were getting distracted as well, and attacks from the freeriders shooting deadly rays from the tall buildings slowed.

    The few overtakers with greater willpower covered their ears by making the scales on their faces grow, shielding themselves from Songstress¡¯ Requiem to the best of their abilities.

    Level 5 Requiem allowed Songstress to differentiate between friends and foes. Herpanions, therefore, grew serene and at ease under the influence of her singing voice, but they weren¡¯t put to sleep outside of the infrequentpses in attention.

    War Tiger pped himself in the face to clear his mind, and he shouted, ¡°Wake up and let¡¯s go!¡±

    Broken out of their trance, many others followed suit one after another, the pping sounds ringing clearly.

    White Rabbit and Qing Ling, as expected, opted to pinch their arms instead to the same effect.

    ¡°Sir Monkey!¡±

    Mischievous Monkey pulled his hands back from the ground, and instantly, the earth bastion started crumbling.

    A phantom-like figure dashed through the still crumbling bastion and sped toward an overtaker ten meters from him.

    The overtaker failed to react in time, and catching it off guard, the man whipped past it while making a fierce sh, decapitating it. The monster¡¯s sturdy armor of scale didn¡¯t even slow him down.

    The other overtakers nearby quickly shoot sharp bone stings at War Tiger.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Activating Jump, White Rabbit reached one of them with an incredible speed that rivaled War Tiger¡¯s, her baseball bat mming into the overtaker¡¯s head.

    It flew away spinning.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    The other overtaker didn¡¯t manage tond a hit on War Tiger, either. A Tang Dao had already reached it and swung toward its neck.

    The overtaker quickly cocked its head to the side to block the de with its hardy scales, trapping it between its neck and shoulder. To its surprise, however, Qing Ling reached it at the next second.

    With a dive, she held onto the hilt of the Tang Dao, and a faint blue de aura burst out from her weapon.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    The Tang Dao sliced through the overtaker¡¯s neck. Thebination of level 3 Metal and level 5 God of des wasn¡¯t something the overtaker could defend against with its scales alone.

    Qing Ling¡¯s God of des had reached level 5 during the fight with ck Tortoise! Her Tang Dao could now cut metal like butter, almost like Wang Zikai¡¯s bone ws.

    She didn¡¯t stop after killing the overtaker. With a twist of her body, she charged at her next target, and the monster rushed at her too, shooting three bone stings at her.

    <i>ng!</i>

    She parried the bone stings with her de, entering a battle of strength with the monster.

    ¡°Watch out, Qing Ling!¡± Wu Dahai called out from behind her.

 Chapter 359: Zero Casualty

    <h4>Chapter 359: Zero Casualty</h4>

    While War Tiger charged into the fray, Wu Dahai hadn¡¯t been sitting around doing nothing. He summoned lightning to strike the elite monsters in the area. While they had dodged the lightning strikes, Wu Dahai was meant to simply break their formation and flow.

    And his main focus was covering for Qing Ling.

    Thus, he noticed before anyone the freerider perching on a condenser unit on the third floor of a building. Its chest bulged and mouth opened, shooting a deadly ray at Qing Ling.

    ¡°Watch out, Qing Ling!¡± Wu Dahai was too far from the freerider to stop it, so he called out instead.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang quickly made two shots, hitting the freerider in the throat. Although that didn¡¯t stop it, the angle of its deadly ray was knocked awry, ending up shooting to Qing Ling¡¯s left and cutting a devourer nking her.

    The devourer¡¯s three tentacles were cut like noodles, the cut surfaces spurting blood and oozing thick, light-green corrosive smoke.

    The devourer howled in pain.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A violet lightning as thick as a thigh came down from the sky, putting it out of misery.

    Wu Dahai raised his hands and smirked, pleased with himself. <i>Hmph! You¡¯re courting death by touching the woman I love!</i>

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    Another two deadly rays shot from the rooftops of a building on each side of the road. Mischievous Monkey raised his hand, and a concrete wall rose from the ground just in time to barely block the attacks. However, the corrosive green fluid the rays brought sttered and almost hit Lovely Lamb¡¯s face.

    Dead Pig shielded her with hisrge palms.

    Immediately, the skin of his palm and arm sizzled as the green fluid ate away his flesh. Dead Pig was entirely unfazed. The corrosion stopped in less than ten seconds, and his skin started healing.

    ¡°Brother Pig! I¡¯ll treat you...¡± Fat Jun rushed to Dead Pig, finally spotting a chance to prove himself useful. When he looked down, though, Dead Pig¡¯s arm had already healed.

    Caught by surprise, he awkwardly scratched his head before going back to taking cover behind Dead Pig, as he should be doing.

    Bone Man, the one in a fitted ck battlesuit from Goldthread¡¯s unit, aimed a hand at a freerider on a rooftop. On his ck mask was a macabre-looking neon skeletal mouth. ¡°Lock on!¡± He syed his fingers. A secondter, he shouted, ¡°Disce!¡±

    In the blink of an eye, Bone Man disappeared and reappeared on the rooftop, where the freerider had been, while the freerider was where Bone Man had been.

    His Talent was Discement, serial number 46, Time-Space-type.

    It allowed him to instantly swap ces with his target <i>and </i>impose aprehensive debuff.

    Disced, the freerider was stunned for a moment before quickly reacting. Instead of shooting deadly rays, it lunged at Goldthread.

    As long as it managed to bite Goldthread, it would be part of him, existing in his body as energy and consciousness at the price of abandoning its original body.

    Then Goldthread would acquire part of its power, but also be subject to the after effect it brought, same as what had happened to the freerider, Officer Liu[1].

    However, the freerider was stopped short before it could reach Goldthread, floating in the air without control over itself.

    Goldthread had activated Gravity, making its surrounding area weightless.

    Meanwhile, War Tiger had returned after a killing spree, whooshing past the floating freerider like a phantom and cutting off its head on his way to another group of elite monsters, even finding the time to say, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me!¡±

    Instantly, the decapitated freerider disappeared, and Bone Man reappeared, having swapped ces with it again.

    Three minutes had passed.

    The three minutes dragged for some of them, such as Fat Jun and Lovely Lamb. For others, however, it was incredibly short. War Tiger, having been ughtering monsters left and right, felt like he had just finished warming up.

    After finishing the song, Songstress opened her eyes. The road and buildings were in ruins, and the bodies of elite monsters scattered with their blood pooling into streams.

    Thest devourer standing was then pierced in the chest by Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao.

    She turned around and pulled out the knife before vanishing it, one motion flowing to the next smoothly. That marked the end of the battle perfectly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going!¡±

    War Tiger sheathed his Green Dog Demon de and walked up to the cars parked by the road. The other members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs quickly followed.

    Goldthread and his teammates watched them go, gued byplicated feelings.

    They were incredible.

    Although Goldthread didn¡¯t find the skirmish too hard to deal with, it was still absurd to the point of horrifying that they managed to kill more than fifty elite monsters, including powerful overtakers, in only three minutes, and without any casualties at that.

    At that moment, Goldthread felt a little more confident about the ultimate battle on the horizon.

    Perhaps many would die tonight, including himself, but humanity wouldn¡¯t easily go extinct.

    Just like the fire that had almost killed Goldthread years ago, they would meet their demise if they failed to endure it, but if they did, they would be reborn anew.

    Humans might be weak, foolish, and prone to mistakes, but deep in their souls, there was always the courage and determination to face the fire that would bring them rebirth.

    They were in no way great, but neither were they insignificant.

    ...

    Team Vermilion Bird, 4:07 in the morning.

    Sunflower Garden, Botanical Garden in the Beiyong District.

    A bloodied sunflower bloomed out of Crimson Scorpion¡¯s mouth!

    It happened so suddenly and in such an eerie way that everyone was stunned for a second.

    ¡°Brother!¡± A young man with round face belonging to the sixth team rushed toward the dead man. His name was Crimson Bee. Having grown up together in the same orphanage with Crimson Scorpion, they were close like brothers and joined the Qilin Guild together, getting matching codenames as well.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Vermilion Bird grabbed Crimson Bee.

    ¡°Save him, Elder Vermilion Bird!¡± Crimson Bee shouted.

    Vermilion Bird shook her head gravely. She could no longer sense vitality from the man.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°No, impossible...¡±

    As if to prove Vermilion Bird right, Crimson Scorpion¡¯s body split open in all parts, from where bloodied sunflowers bloomed.

    One of the flowers had bloomed out of his chest with his no longer beating heart taking the ce of the pistils and stamen. Under the red moonlight, the sight was eerie in a devilish way.

    Not even gods would be able to save him, let alone Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°No!¡± Crimson Bee cried out in heartbreak.

    ¡°Here ites!¡± Grass warned panickedly, her face pale. ¡°Eight o¡¯clock! 50 meters...30 meters...¡±

    She had activated Insects King to send her scouts out to look for the enemy, and she got an urate ping.

    Turning to her eight, they saw only the dense sunflowers and the half-a-meter tall blood fog that obscured the roots of the stems. They served as effective cover for whatever wasing their way.

    Thirty meters from them, the sunflowers shook and rustled, as if some creature was approaching while staying low on the ground.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Colorless shouted at her teammates. ¡°Back off!¡±

    With a battle cry, Amon threw therge boomerang in her hand with full force.

    It spinned at high velocity near the ground, cutting and scattering the green stems and yellow petals of the sunflowers everywhere like awn mower.

    Just when the boomerang was going to reach the target, however, clusters of sunflowers writhed and intertwined, the flowers and leaves changing shapes at the same time.

    In less than two seconds, the flowers had turned into a straw man.

    The boomerang got stuck in it.

    Amon looked in shock. Impossible. Even whenbined, regr leaves and flowers shouldn¡¯t be able to stop her boomerang!

    She didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it, however. The unknown creature continued to rush at them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    His rationality evaporated due to his brother¡¯s death, Crimson Bee charged at the creature, the nails of his two hands transformed into long dark brown stings.

    1. Gray Bear¡¯s once colleague, whom Gao Yang and his team fought at the end of the murder investigation. ?

 Chapter 360: Pride Flowers

    <h4>Chapter 360: Pride Flowers</h4>

    Before Crimson Bee could take more than a few more steps, someone quickly rushed up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, throwing him backward. It was Vermilion Bird.

    Rather than rushing toward the unknown creature, Vermilion Bird ran up to Crimson Scorpion, who had already be a ¡®flower man¡¯, and touched something by his waist, pain and guilt shing through her face.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    With a yell, she lifted the man with both hands, putting her back into it, before hurling him toward the unknown creature.

    The body fell toward the creature slithering through the flowers. Although it hadn¡¯t hit the creature directly, it blew up as soon as itnded.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom¡ª</i>

    All explosives on Crimson Scorpion blew up at the same time, the powerful shockwaves throwing everyone off their feet, and all that was left in the part of the garden was arge crater.

    A few secondster, they picked themselves up.

    ¡°Brother...¡± Crimson Bee wailed. He didn¡¯t me Vermilion Bird for being cold. In fact, he would very likely have been killed by the creature if Vermilion Bird hadn¡¯t stopped his reckless move.

    But he was heartbroken. Crimson Scorpion had died with his body blown to ashes. He didn¡¯t even get to see his brother off properly.

    The explosion had rendered countless sunflowers to pieces as well. The embers scattered in the sky.

    Standing amid the fire, members of Team Vermilion Bird looked toward the same direction.

    Although the enemy hadn¡¯t died, they¡ªshe had been forced to show herself.

    It was a woman wearing a dress of flower patterns. She was old, ancient even, withyers of wrinkles and silver white hair put up with a hair pin and adorned with a small red flower.

    She hovered in the air, or it would be more urate to say that she was standing on her toes atop an erected pir of sunflower stems.

    She looked elegant and at ease. Vermilion Bird could picture the beauty she used to be.

    ¡°Shadowstalker?¡± Vermilion Bird struck up a conversation.

    ¡°I am,¡± the old woman said quietly, her deep-set eyes light blue. ¡°Surnamed Miao with no first name. My ability is Pride Flower. Young ones who knew their etiquette called me Grandma Miao...¡±

    Her eyes darkened as butterflies, bees, and dragonflies of different kinds appeared around her, among which were deadly killer bees and hos.

    ¡°Hoho, it seems you need to be taught some manners.¡±

    With a faint smile, Miao opened her hands, and countless sunflowers rose up from the blood fog, the flowers turning into armor and donning Miao to turn her into a flower fairy.

    The leaves and stems of sunflowers spinned at high speed around her like razors, rendering the countless insects into pieces.

    In an instant, the dense swarm was exterminated.

    She didn¡¯t stop there. The leaves around her continued to spin, conjuring a green tornado with her at its eye.

    The tornado descended from the sky, sweeping toward Vermilion Bird and the others.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Amon had retrieved her boomerang. She lowered herself and concentrated her power, nning to make a full-power throw.

    Vermilion Bird quickly came up to her and put a hand on her right arm. ¡°Equivalent Exchange!¡±

    Suddenly, Amon¡¯s right arm was rejuvenated with new power, making her three times stronger.

    <i>Huh?!</i>

    Amon didn¡¯t have the time to think about it.

    With a shout, she continued to concentrate her power.

    ¡°Bee Venom!¡±

    Crimson Bee rushed up and raked the des of the boomerang with the stings morphed from his fingernails, applying potent poison.

    His Talent was Bee Venom, serial number 80, Poison-type.

    His nails could transform into stings and apply poison by stinging his target, and he could generate venom to induce paralysis, illusion, poison, or madness.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Amon threw the boomerang.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Like the rotor of a helicopter, the giant boomerang spinned quickly while generating great currents and offensive power, flying toward the green tornado above.

    Made of ck Gold, the boomerang was much sturdier than any vegetation, and with Amon¡¯s Arm Strength increased three times in effectiveness, the boomerang tore through the tornado nonstop, heading toward the figure at its center.

    In the crimson night sky, the giant boomerang bisected Miao¡¯s body.

    Did they win?!

    Everyone looked up at the sky to confirm the enemy¡¯s death.

    ¡°It¡¯s a substitute!¡±

    Vermilion Bird was the first to realize that something was amiss. When the boomerang cut through the figure, there had been no blood.

    Indeed, they saw soon that the figure cut in half was but a straw man consisting of the stems and roots of sunflowers.

    ¡°Help, help...¡±

    Vermilion Bird whirled around. Ten meters from her, Grass nched with eyes wide with terror.

    At some point, Miao had shown up behind Grass.

    She leaned in. Her face, all loose skin and age spots, was right by Grass¡¯ ear, and her mummy-like right hand rested on her shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fear death, young woman. Beauty is evesting.¡±

    Countless crimson lilies bloomed from Grass¡¯ body.

    ¡°Grass!¡±

    Colorless growled in fury, eyes shooting dagger at the pride monster behind Grass.

    Her red hair flew back as red spots appeared in her eyes, and her canthi began to bleed. She had pushed her willpower to 200%!

    Petrify, at full power!

    Miao¡¯s old face shuddered violently as she sensed a deadly psychic attack entering her brain through her eyes, almost distinguishing her consciousness.

    While she was old, though, her willpower was no lesser than that of Colorless.

    She defended against the first psychic attack and quickly closed her eyes, cutting the contact to decrease the effect of Petrify. At the same time, she sent Grass flying toward Colorless with a wave of her hand.

    That distracted Colorless for a moment, and her Petrify let off slightly, allowing Miao to take cover in the sea of flowers.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Vermilion Bird rushed to tackle Colorless, holding onto her waist and bringing her five to six meters away.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Grass¡¯ body exploded, sending countless des of flowers and leaves flying, as well as organs, bones, and flesh. The destructive power could rival that of a hand grenade.

    ¡°Keep it upied for five seconds!¡± Scarlet Fox shouted. ¡°Leave the rest to me!¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted. They only had one option. It was Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox¡¯s trump card.

    ¡°Colorless, would you mind being unconscious for the next month?¡± Vermilion Bird asked icily.

    ¡°As long as I can kill this damn hag, I¡¯ll be willing to sleep for a year, let alone a month!¡± Colorless¡¯ sole purpose now was to avenge herpanions.

    Vermilion Bird reached out to ce a hand on Colorless¡¯ forehead. ¡°Equivalent Exchange!¡±

 Chapter 361: Equivalent Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 361: Equivalent Exchange</h4>

    For a moment, Colorless felt her willpower screaming at her like boiling water, entering a frenzy that came with great power.

    She turned to Vermilion Bird in surprise, wondering what she had done to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Vermilion Bird said instead of answering, her frosty eyes searching for Miao in the sea of sunflowers.

    ¡°Team Leader!¡± Old Mo, the short, stocky middle-aged man on Colorless¡¯ team, shouted out.

    Without missing a beat, Colorless rushed at him. Then Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox followed suit.

    ¡°Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!¡±

    The short-haired man tipped his head up andughed rhythmically, his bizarre, strangely infectiousughter ringing across the garden.

    In response, there was a rustle amid the sunflowers thirty meters from him. Miao was rushing toward him.

    Old Mo¡¯s Talent was Jeer, serial number 143, Support-type.

    It allowed him to taunt enemies into attacking him, thus disturbing their pace and rxing their guard.

    Vermilion Bird and Colorless immediately rushed over. Old Mo was stillughing, ensuring himself would be Miao¡¯s target.

    She, however, came to a halt ten meters from him and recovered from the trance, not falling for the trap.

    Six vines of intertwining stems and roots shot out of the garden, aiming at Old Mo.

    He started, not taking into ount the possibility of a long range attack.

    He swung his machete to cut the vinesing his way, but one string managed to sneak up on him by sticking low to the ground, suddenly wrapping around his ankle.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Old Mo was shocked. Before he could do anything, the vine yanked and threw him into the air, flying toward where Miao was hiding.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    She leapt up toward him from the garden, her arms wrapped in green vines and colorful flowers and her ten fingers morphing into sharp, dark brown tree branches. Then her branch-like fingers stabbed into Old Mo¡¯s chest as he flew to him.

    In a second, bloodied roses bloomed all over Old Mo.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    His body exploded into sttering blood and red rose petals.

    ¡°Old Mo!¡±

    Miao activated Petrify at Miao while she was still in the air.

    This time, even Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox could sense the twisted tension in the air in her proximity, which was a sign of extremely powerful willpower overflowing from the body.

    Stepping on her vine, Miao suddenly halted, and without dy, the skin of her face began to turn into stone and crack, her left arm almost losing all senses.

    Miao reacted quickly. She endured the psychic attack from Colorless and quickly lifted her right hand, sending a dozen vines flying toward Colorless.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Vermilion Bird pushed Colorless away, which interrupted her Talent, but saved her life.

    The vines ended up wrapping around Vermilion Bird¡¯s body, repeating the same move of throwing her into the air.

    This time, Miao was much more cautious. The vines remained tight around Vermilion Bird while bringing her to Miao, keeping her in a dead grip.

    Miao¡¯s right hand fingers turned into sharp branches, stabbing at Vermilion Bird¡¯s chest.

    In two seconds, Vermilion Bird would turn into a cadaver blooming with flowers like Crimson Scorpion, Grass, and Old Mo.

    Vermilion Bird scoffed. She had allowed Miao to grab her on purpose.

    Equivalent Exchange!

    To the max!

    Instantly, the energy in her body surged, and her battle power increased to five times!

    ¡°Hah!¡± she shouted and flexed her arms, breaking free of the vines.

    Miao was taken by surprise. Where did the monstrous raw powere from?

    And in addition to her power, her agility had also quintupled.

    Vermilion Bird lunged at Miao, eyes glinting with gold light as her punchnded on Miao¡¯s face before Miao could attack.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Miao fell into the garden in a diagonal trajectory, bringing up countless broken pieces of sunflowers. Even the blood fog was momentarily dispersed before reemerging.

    Vermilion Birdnded, her chest heaving. She could stay in this state for at most half a minute.

    Talent: Equivalent Exchange, serial number 10, the top Life-type Talent.

    The mechanism of the Talent was quiteplicated. First, there were the four active abilities:

    1. Buff her for a short time at the price of exhausting the energy of her future self.

    For others, she could at most buff them by 3 times, exhausting the energy of their future selves for the next 1-2 months.

    For herself, she could apply a buff of 5 times, exhausting the energy of her future self for the next 3 months.

    2. Heal herself and others at the price of exhausting part of her energy.

    3. Interrogate bodies at the price of exhausting part of her energy.

    4. Resurrect bodies at the price of exhausting all her energy.

    Then there were the two passive abilities.

    1. Her body had incredible regenerative power.

    2. She could preserve 12 months worth of energy at the most.

    The energy could be considered some sort of vitality. With it exhausted at once, her regenerative power would go dormant, necessitating the same length of time to recover.

    By interrogating a body, Vermilion Bird would be exhausting one month worth of vitality.

    The amount needed for healing others, on the other hand, would depend on their degree of injury, varying from 1 to 9 months worth of vitality. As long as she didn¡¯t reach her limit, however, Vermilion Bird would be able to recover her vitality at a quickened rate with her enhanced regenerative power.

    As for resurrecting the dead¡ªtheir hearts and brains must be rtively intact¡ªit would exhaust a whole year worth of vitality.

    In other words, she would be in a deepa for theing year as a result.

    At this moment, Vermilion Bird had buffed herself five times for 30 seconds by exhausting three months worth of vitality.

    She still had nine months worth left, allowing her to buff herself for 30 seconds another three times.

    However, Vermilion Bird¡¯s brows remained furrowed.

    While the punch had been cathartic, she knew that she hadn¡¯t inflicted serious damage on the enemy. She couldn¡¯t kill Miao even if she kept the fight going.

    And Colorless would lose consciousness in about half a minute. Such was the price of having her power tripled. All exchanges must be equivalent.

    Then with the two most powerful awakeners here disabled, the whole team would be doomed.

    It took her only a couple seconds to think through all that. Then Miao stood back up¡ªno, she had lifted off the ground with countless sunflowers and their stems and roots surrounding her.

    She had blooding out from a corner of her mouth, yet she was smiling. She raised her arms with colorful flowers blooming all over her body, the sight eerily beautiful.

    ¡°Let us all turn into evesting beauty together.¡±

    All at once, the wind stopped, and the air went still.

    Tens of thousands of vines shot out from the ground, forming a green cage that trapped all of them, obscuring the sky.

    Vermilion Bird started. Miao was aiming for mutual destruction!

 Chapter 362: House

    <h4>Chapter 362: House</h4>

    ¡°Scarlet Fox!¡± Vermilion Bird shouted.

    ¡°Invitation seeded!¡± Scarlet Fox said confidently. At some point, he had appeared behind Miao.

    After being thrown to the ground by Vermilion Bird¡¯s punch, Miao had used nts to protect herself without moving, in case Vermilion Bird made a follow-up attack.

    That, however, made her neglect Scarlet Fox.

    When Miao realized that there was someone behind her after a few seconds, she hadn¡¯t paid it much attention, having made up her mind to bring her enemies down at the cost of her life.

    She didn¡¯t know for how long the buff on Vermilion Bird and Colorless wouldst. It could be a short moment, or it could be a long time, and Miao didn¡¯t stand a chance if thetter was true.

    She wasn¡¯t going to bet on that. She came here for a mission, and she wouldplete it no matter what.

    Therefore, she quickly made the decision to bring mutual destruction, and she believed she could do it.

    She, however, had underestimated Scarlet Fox.

    The cage of green vines locked everyone in. Demonic flowers were supposed to bloom along the vines to kill everyone.

    But they never did.

    Miao could no longer move, nor could she manipte her energy further.

    Gold light shone from Scarlet Fox¡¯s eyes. He shouted at Miao.

    ¡°House!¡±

    A translucent golden barrier extended from Scarlet Fox¡¯s feet, forming a hemisphere to trap himself and Miao.

    Inside, five golden chips in energy form appeared, floating between the two of them.

    House, serial number 12, the top Support-type Talent.

    After Gao Yang acquired the Summon Rune Circuit and the Support Rune Circuit, Scarlet Fox had used the Support Rune Circuit to level up House to level 4.

    As long as he stayed within ten meters from the target and kept it unmoving for 5 seconds, he could trap anyone in House¡¯s domain, forcing the target to gamble five times with him. He, the dealer, was allowed to make the rules, and his winning rate was 51%.

    The ability might as well be useless when facing an enemy who could rival him alone, but it could be incredibly effective facing someone weaker than him¡ªor in this case, Miao in her weakened state.

    ¡°First round, coin tossing!¡±

    Scarlet Fox extended his left hand. ¡°Token: left hand! Make your bet!¡±

    Miao stared coldly at Scarlet Fox without saying anything.

    She wanted to kill him, but realized that she couldn¡¯t move a muscle.

    A giant coin in energy form appeared between them. It spinned madly for a few seconds before stopping.

    Head.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Miao¡¯s left arm exploded, scattering blood and flesh everywhere, painting half of her wrinkly face red.

    Miao swallowed her shout of pain, but her face paled instantly.

    Scarlet Fox announced, ¡°The yer made no bet. The house wins!¡±

    ¡°Second round, coin!¡±

    Scarlet Fox extended his right hand. ¡°Token: right hand! Make your bet!¡±

    ¡°Head.¡±

    Miao understood now that she could not resist the rules, that she had to y the game.

    The energy coin glowing gold appeared again, spinning quickly before stopping after a few seconds.

    Tail.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Miao¡¯s right hand exploded as well.

    ¡°Hmph¡ª¡±

    This time, she couldn¡¯t help but make a sound in pain.

    She had lost her two arms in quick session, her body covered in blood and bing even more hunched.

    She lowered her head and panted, her face bloodied, yet a derisive smile tugged at her lips. ¡°Is this House? Interesting. Again!¡±

    ¡°Third round, coin!¡± Scarlet Fox touched his left lung. ¡°Token: left lung! Make your bet!¡±

    ¡°Head.¡± Miao made the bet.

    The golden coin appeared and spinned before stopping.

    Head.

    Scarlet Fox threw up a mouthful of blood.

    Losing the round, his left lung had beenpletely destroyed.

    ¡°Scarlet Fox!¡±

    Vermilion Bird had been watching from outside the domain, her heart burning with anxiety.

    She told herself that it was okay, that it would only take four months worth of energy to repair Scarlet Fox¡¯s lung, and she still had enough.

    Scarlet Fox grinned and wiped his mouth. ¡°Keep going!¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s!¡±

    Miao felt no fear. She had already decided to die with her enemies in the sea of flowers, turning into an evesting beauty.

    Now, she allowed fate to make the decision. Perhaps that was a more fitting end for a pride monster.

    ¡°Fourth round, coin!¡±

    Scarlet Fox pointed at his own eyes. ¡°Token: eyes! Make your bet!¡±

    ¡°Head,¡± Miao called out without hesitation, continuing the game.

    The coin appeared and spinned before stopping.

    Tail.

    Blood gushed out of Miao¡¯s now empty eye sockets. Her eyes had been cruelly taken from her by an intangible power.

    Her face was even paler, but the pain was no longer a threat to her, and she said with some regret, ¡°I lost again.¡±

    ¡°Thest round...¡± Scarlet Fox paused, unable to go into the bet immediately.

    ¡°Hoho, keep going, kid.¡±

    The now armless Miao stood where she was, staring at Scarlet Fox with her bloodied eye sockets.

    Scarlet Fox was still silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re afraid. I can sense it.¡± Miao smiled with her bloodied face. ¡°It¡¯s thest round. You better make it big. If you let me survive the game, I¡¯ll ensure I take everyone with me.¡±

    She burst outughing. ¡°Come, let¡¯s bet on our life. What about the heart, or the brain? That¡¯s the only way for you to save yourpanions!¡±

    ¡°Either you win, or we die together! Let¡¯s leave it to fate!¡±

    Face dark, Scarlet Fox looked up slightly at Vermilion Bird through the barrier.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Scarlet Fox!¡± Vermilion Bird yelled. ¡°We¡¯ll win! Leave the rest to us! We can defeat her...¡±

    Scarlet Fox smiled at her. He knew she was lying.

    They couldn¡¯t win if he didn¡¯t. As soon as Miao survived the game, and the barrier disappeared, she would immediately take everyone to hell with her.

    ¡°No! Stop!¡±

    Vermilion Bird rushed up to the barrier and knocked on it hard, but it was futile.

    She shouted, ¡°Stop! That¡¯s an order! Scarlet Fox, that¡¯s an order, you hear me?!¡±

    Colorless had lost her consciousness. Supporting her, Amon stood near their otherpanions, unsure what to say at this moment. All around them was the cage of densely intertwined vines, and their lives were in Scarlet Fox¡¯s hands.

    Scarlet Fox looked back at Miao. ¡°You underestimate House, you damn crone!¡±

    When he shouted again, his voice was¡ªfor the first time in his life¡ªdignified and booming rather than gentle and soft, ¡°Last round, coin!¡±

    ¡°Token: heart! Make your bet!¡±

    ¡°Head!¡± Miao was getting excited.

    A coin appeared between them. It spinned quickly before it started to wobble. Just when it was going to fall on head¡ª

    ¡°Force stop! Take away all bets!¡±

    Veins popped out of Scarlet Fox¡¯s forehead, and blood burst from his eyes. He shouted at the top of his lungs, House reaching level 5 at that moment.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    The coin disappeared.

    Blinded, Miao couldn¡¯t see anything, but could sense the strange flow of energy. A look of confusion shed through her face. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Ha, the house always wins. As long as the game seems fair, I alone have the final say.¡±

    He smiled, his face pale. ¡°Thest round is thrown. All tokens are taken. That¡¯s fair.¡±

    Miao stopped talking. She knew what was happening already.

    She let out a soft sigh. At thest moment of her life, she was suddenly feeling conscious of her hair. She wondered if the flower she wore was askew.

    What a shame. She couldn¡¯t make it right without her hands.

    Scarlet Fox slowly looked up at Vermilion Bird with eyes full of yearning. He opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t voice his words.

    Still, Vermilion Bird read his lips loud and clear.

    <i>¡ªGoodbye, Sister.</i>

    <i>Boom, boom!</i>

    Miao¡¯s and Scarlet Fox¡¯s hearts exploded at the same time, blowing up their chests as well. Clumps of blood scattered and spread like fog.

    They toppled down silently, the golden barrier around them disappearing. All the while, the cage of vines retracted to the ground before vanishing altogether.

    ¡°Scarlet Fox!¡±

    Vermilion Bird rushed at him.

    Amon, on the other hand, grabbed her boomerang and rushed up to cut Miao¡¯s head off afterying the unconscious Colorless on the ground. Then she cut the other vital parts of the pride monster, making sure that Miao could nevere back to life.

    Meanwhile, Vermilion Bird was on her knees, pulling Scarlet Fox¡¯s body into her arms.

    ¡°Why! Why did you do that?!¡± Vermilion Bird demanded, the pain so great that it threatened to hollow her chest. ¡°Why! You were always such a disobedient kid. And you¡¯re still the same now. Why didn¡¯t you listen to me?!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you die, Little Fox. Just wait. Sister is going to bring you back...¡±

    Vermilion Bird hugged him tight.

    She knew that Scarlet Fox¡¯s heart had been crushedpletely, that she didn¡¯t have enough reserved vitality to save him, that she might not be able to bring him back even if she gave her life¡ª

    But she didn¡¯t care. What kind of sister would she be if she couldn¡¯t even save her little brother?!

    ¡°Equivalent Exchange!¡±

    Vermilion Bird injected Scarlet Fox with all the vitality she had in her.

    Suddenly, however, she felt a sting in her neck.

    Two secondster, she slumped down on the ground, cking out.

    Standing behind her, Crimson Bee had tears running down his face, his expression twisted with guilt. He had injected Vermilion Bird with a paralytic poison. It wasn¡¯t lethal and would only make her lose consciousness.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elder Vermilion Bird. I can¡¯t let you do something foolish. The living still need you.¡±

 Chapter 363: Pride Marionette

    <h4>Chapter 363: Pride Marite</h4>

    New Cemetery, Dongyu District, 4:10 in the morning.

    Team Azure Dragon rushed toward the pir of blood they were charged to destroy.

    Just like what Team Vermilion Bird had seen, a makeshift altar had been set up on the clearing under the hillside cemetery, surrounded by kneeling monsters in white hood and robe. They each had a dagger in their abdomen to fill the grooves on the altar with their blood, drawing a crimson symbol of the Godbearer Cult.

    Giant beam of white light shot toward heaven from the altar, while red tendrils of blood fog climbed along the beam to turn it into an eerie pir of blood.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t have the others get involved. With his energy concentrated to his fist, he went up to destroy the altar with one serious punch, then he killed the robed monsters.

    The beam of light disappeared.

    Half a minute after the mission waspleted, however, the enemies showed up.

    Roughly a hundred elite monsters of different kinds swarmed up to them from all directions. Unable to flee, Team Azure Dragon was forced to put up a fight.

    The bloody battlested twenty minutes.

    Every awakener fought elite monsters to the best of their abilities, and when the battle came to an end, the clearing was covered in piles of dead bodies. The survivors ached and raged, but all that was left in the end was an exhausted silence.

    Among Azure Dragon¡¯s nine subordinates, one was killed, one seriously injured, and one mildly injured.

    Among Joker¡¯s subordinates, five were killed, two seriously injured, and one mildly injured.

    Azure Dragon walked up to the body of an adult man. He had died from getting his heart pierced by an overtaker¡¯s bone stings while protecting anotherpanion.

    Azure Dragon knelt down to close the man¡¯s eyes, saying mournfully, ¡°We¡¯ll bring the bodies back to...¡±

    Before he finished, he noticed something, his brows furrowed.

    His deadpanion suddenly widened the eyes he had just closed, and the eyes were flickering with a strange blue light.

    ¡°Get away from the bodies!¡± Azure Dragon shouted, while the body had already picked itself up and lunged at Azure Dragon.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s hand shot out to grab the body by its neck, keeping it from moving.

    What he felt made him tense up. The neck in his grip wasn¡¯t flesh and bones, but hard, smooth wood that was cool to the touch.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?!</i>

    With a swing of his arm, Azure Dragon threw the body away from him.

    It flew for a few meters before hitting the ground. Then two secondster, it climbed to its feet, its body going stiff and its joints bing crackly.

    Under the crimson moonlight, everyone saw that the body had turned into a wooden marite.

    It cocked its head and opened its mouth to cackle strangely. A closer look revealed the two vertical cracks by its mouth as the jaw moved up and down, like the mouth of a marite would.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    ¡°Back off!¡±

    Their other deadpanions stood up one after another, having turned into strange marites¡ªno, the killed elite monsters had stood up and turned into marites as well, their movements stiff and unnatural.

    <i>Kya, kya, kya.</i>

    The marites¡¯ eyes glowed a cold blue as their squarish mouths opened and closed, theirughter a chorus of unnerving cackles.

    All the while, their hands and feet were transforming into sharp, pointed wooden stakes.

    ¡°Prepare for a fight! Don¡¯t pull back!¡±

    Azure Dragon made the order decisively.

    All fourteen surviving awakeners, including the three suffering serious injury, moved toward Azure Dragon.

    On the clearing, more than a hundred marites staggered to surround the awakeners, their movements bizarre. They cackled loudly while their stiff bodies shook violently.

    The chorus ofughter was strangely oppressive and anxiety-inducing. They also found themselves losing the rity of their minds.

    Ten secondster, theughter stopped abruptly.

    Two thirds of the marites charged at the awakeners at the same time.

    Rather than running in straight lines, the marites danced a strange dance of twirls and jumps, alternating between approaching the humans and moving away from them.

    Not even the marites themselves could predict their next moves, it seemed. It was as if they were merely dancing in a mad state.

    The seemingly random moves, however, concealed the most insidious killing intent.

    One dancing marite had its back to Four Rainbow a second before, yet its head and limbs rotated 180 degrees the next second and stabbed at Four Rainbow¡¯s face with its stake of a hand.

    Conjuring a glowing sword of light, Four Rainbow cut it in half without mercy.

    Light, serial number 15, Element-type. It allowed one to manipte the light elements.

    ¡°Max luminance!¡±

    With a shout, he raised his other hand to the sky.

    Suddenly, light converged above his head before morphing into an oval glowing orb, tinted with red under the blood moon.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    <i>Swish, swish, swish!</i>

    All at once, the orb exploded, turning into countless arrows of light and shooting at the marites like rain.

    Marites copsed one after another, getting hit by the arrows like walking targets.

    Four Rainbow¡¯s eyes glinted with pleasant surprise. It seemed that light-element attacks worked on the marites...

    Just when the thought shed through his mind, however, his sharp eyebrows knitted back together as the felled marites picked themselves back up, their bodies shaking as they cackled madly, as if mocking Four Rainbow for the wasted effort.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the arrows of light to be shaken off. The few that remained in their bodies did nothing to slow them down. In fact, the arrows became their weapons and made them more dangerous.

    To make things worse, even the marite Four Rainbow had cut in half moved to piece itself back together, slowly rising to its feet.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work,¡± Azure Dragon said in a grave tone. ¡°We must destroy thempletely.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± It was the first time in his life that Four Rainbowmented the fact that his Talent wasn¡¯t Fire. If he had Fire, he would be able to burn all the marites in one fell swoop.

    The marites continued their mad dance, while the awakeners started ughtering them.

    Four Rainbow continued to swing his sharp sword of light, cutting the marites approaching him into halves or thirds. However, they quickly reassembled.

    Azure Dragon, on the other hand, was having a better time. His punches were so powerful that he could shattered a marite into small pieces with raw power, preventing them from getting back together.

    However, it was still too slow.

    While Azure Dragon could protect himself, hispanions would die in the endless battle of attrition sooner orter.

    And on his own, it would take at least twenty minutes for him to render all hundred and some marites into wooden shards, and he would exhaust much of his stamina.

    In a minute, he already heard hispanions scream, hurt.

    Someone came up to Azure Dragon then. It was Joker.

    ¡°I smelled a pride monster, our three!¡±

    Azure Dragon turned to look at the dozen marites in that direction. Indeed, one of them stood out.

    While the other marites were dancing in frenzy, it alone was barely moving.

    To control more than a hundred marites of cadavers to fight, Azure Dragon believed the maritist must be here, in close proximity. It should be nigh impossible for them to be controlling the marites from a long range.

    Azure Dragon destroyed the marite suddenly lunging at him and took a deep breath. Leaping with both feet, he shot toward the suspected marite like a bullet.

    It took him only two seconds to move thirty meters, almost as fast as War Tiger with Killing Expert pushed to the limit.

    Knocking off the marites attempting to intercept him, Azure Dragon charged toward the almost stationary marite.

    ¡ªGot you!

 Chapter 364: Joker

    <h4>Chapter 364: Joker</h4>

    The marite was much shorter than the others, and its limbs less stiff, clearly a living creature pretending to be a marite.

    Noticing Azure Dragon¡¯s approach, it dodged to the side quickly.

    Having predicted the move, however, Azure Dragon adjusted the angle of his punch, hitting it in the chest in half a second.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Rendered into pieces, the marite scattered in the air.

    <i>ck, ck, ck.</i>

    All at once, the marites on the clearing disassembled into different parts and fell on the ground.

    <i>Is it done?</i>

    Azure Dragon was just about to sigh in relief when an rm red in his head.

    Without him noticing, countless thin threads had been tied to his body, the other ends connected to the disassembled parts of the marites.

    A trap!

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    The thousands of wooden parts flew toward Azure Dragon, aiming at him with their sharp stakes. Azure Dragon had long hardened his muscles with his energy, making sure that the marite parts weren¡¯t going to hurt him.

    However, more and more parts were drawn to him, and in the blink of an eye, he had turned into a giant ball of haphazard wood pieces.

    The other half of the marite parts reassembled anew and continued to dance and kill, keeping the other awakeners upied.

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon!¡±

    Noticing Azure Dragon¡¯s condition, Four Rainbow summoned another rain of arrows at the marites.

    Seizing the time when the marites were on the ground, Four Rainbow conjured a greatsword of light and rushed toward the giant wooden ball.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    He raised the greatsword, its de radiating energy.

    The next second, he swung the sword to shoot out a light-element aura, destroying the wooden ball and freeing Azure Dragon.

    <i>St.</i>

    At some point, though, Joker hade up from behind and pierced through his heart, his hand protruding from his chest, all bloodied.

    Four Rainbow shuddered violently. The greatsword he wielded scattered into light particles before vanishing.

    ¡°Joker...you...¡± Four Rainbow¡¯s pupils dted as he turned around, blood streaking down a corner of his mouth. He was shocked, enraged, and frustrated, but there was nothing he could do but to face death.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you stop the Marite Burial, or I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    ¡®Joker¡¯ pulled out his hand from Four Rainbow¡¯s chest, reverting back into his true form¡ªa frail, white-haired old man with a dark gaze.

    Meanwhile, the marites hit by the arrows stood up again, cackling as they rushed toward the other awakeners with renewed vigor.

    ¡°You¡¯re...not Joker...¡± Rainbow, lying in a pool of his own blood, exhausted his energy to say.

    ¡°Yu, shadowstalker. My ability is Pride Marites.¡±

    After croaking out the words, he slowly turned to the ball of wooden parts.

    Azure Dragon had been his target from the very beginning. He knew that by killing the man, he would be securing victory.

    He raised both hands at the giant ball before him.

    He had long learned about Azure Dragon and the man¡¯s Talent. If he failed to kill Azure Dragon on the first try, he would never be able to kill him. And if he fought the man openly, Yu didn¡¯t stand much of a chance.

    However, Yu was confident now.

    While Azure Dragon was strong, the twisted grievances and wills of so many corpses were a formidable force. Not even Azure Dragon would be able to fight the assimting power.

    ¡°Marite Burial...¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The moment before Yu activated his power, a dagger pierced through his back.

    He started, his old muddled eyes shed with confusion and shock.

    Who could it be?

    He slowly looked to the side to find a marite. Its face soon morphed into Joker¡¯s.

    It turned out that Joker had taken advantage of the chaos and concealed himself as a marite at the start of the battle, giving himself the energy of a corpse and seeding in blending in.

    He nned to locate Yu secretly, but to his surprise, Yu had turned into himself to fool Azure Dragon and then ambush Four Rainbow.

    Joker didn¡¯t recklessly go up to stop the pride monster. He knew howcking he was, and he knew that he was an assassin with only one chance to attack. He must only move when the time was right.

    Even though hispanions were getting killed, even though Four Rainbow ended up stabbed in the back by Yu.

    Disguised as a marite, Joker remained unmoving.

    It wasn¡¯t time yet.

    He had to wait until Yu was mostcent for him to approach the monster undetected¡ªwhen Yu activated Marite Burial.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Joker...¡± Yu looked at him with a cold sneer on his face. ¡°What a...clown.¡±

    Joker sensed a killing intent that was going to drag him down to hell with it. He was going to move away, only to find himself already trapped by countless threads.

    ¡°At least...¡± Yu bled from a corner of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Instantly, some of the marite parts forming therge ball detached and flew toward Joker and Yu, wrapping around them to form a smaller ball.

    Trapped inside, Joker knew that he was going to die.

    At that moment, he felt no fear, but instead let out a long sigh of relief. <i>I¡¯ve fought to survive as long as I could, Sis. Finally, I can be reunited with you.</i>

    ¡ªMarite Burial!

    Yu used his most powerful skill.

    Instantly, blue blinding light shot out from the center of the ball, the light devouring the entire clearing and even lighting up the sky.

    A few secondster, the ball that had trapped Yu and Joker turned into a giant marite, lifeless.

    It sat on the ground, hunched and head lowered. Its mouth was split into an amusing smile, while its eyes were sad. It was a clown.

    Azure Dragon, having been trapped by marite parts, sensed the restraint around him weakening. With a shout, he broke free, scattering wooden pieces everywhere.

    The first thing he saw was Four Rainbow, already dead in a pool of blood.

    ¡°Four Rainbow!¡± Azure Dragon shouted in grief, his eyes zing with rage.

    He looked up at the giant marite near him. It was a clown with its head lowered.

    Azure Dragon quickly realized that it was no enemy, but a dead thing without vitality.

    The other marites on the clearing had disassembled into parts until finally, with the energy drained, they turned back into pieces of flesh and bones.

    The fight hade to an end, but no one cheered in triumph. All that could be heard were cries of pain and heartbreak. Then there was silence.

    Morepanions had left them forever.

    Azure Dragon fell silent. He had pieced together what happened.

    The Joker before was a fake. The real Joker had never encountered a pride monster before. How could he possibly identify a pride monster by smell?

    Things had been too hectic for Azure Dragon to think properly, and thus he fell into Yu¡¯s trap.

    The real Joker must have disguised himself as a marite to approach Yu. Then he killed the monster at the price of his life.

    Azure Dragon went up to Four Rainbow and picked up his body. Then he noticed a ck wallet on the ground.

    He picked it up. It wasn¡¯t Four Rainbow¡¯s.

    He opened it to find a few bills and IDs. There was also a photo.

    To check who the wallet belonged to, he took the photo out.

    In the backdrop were the flowerbeds outside a hospital. The sky was blue and the clouds fluffy white. It was a sunny day.

    A young man who looked like a college student was pushing a wheelchair, and sitting on the wheelchair was a sickly girl in a patient gown, her bald head covered by a sun hat. Her face was pale, and there was an oxygen tube in her nose, yet she was smiling, her eyes bright.

    Azure Dragon flipped the photo around. In neat handwriting, someone had written,

    <i>I¡¯ve been dragging you down this whole life, Brother, and I can only pay it back in my next life. When you are released, don¡¯t me yourself and don¡¯t hate the world. Live. Live well.</i>

    <i>Love always, your little sister.</i>

 Chapter 365: Pride Blade

    <h4>Chapter 365: Pride de</h4>

    Li City University, Nanji District, 4:16 in the morning.

    When Team War Tiger rushed to the running track of the university, they saw the same evil altar, robed monsters oftering themselves as sacrifices, and the crimson light beam shooting into the sky.

    Wu Dahai didn¡¯t let the chance to show off go. The robed monsters were effectively living targets that didn¡¯t move.

    He summoned lightning to strike down on the altar and its surrounding area, killing the robed monsters. Then Mischievous Monkey manipted earth elements to flip the altar upside down. The beam of light instantly disappeared.

    Missionpleted, just like that.

    The moment everyone wondered if things were too easy, War Tiger, Qing Ling, and White Rabbit sensed a powerful killing intent quickly approaching from the side.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t even have the time to warn the others. He leapt to the side, grabbing Wu Dahai and Fat Jun by their waists, bringing them to safety roughly but efficiently.

    Qing Ling dodged to the right as well, tackling Songstress to the ground.

    Activating Jump, White Rabbit grabbed Lovely Lamb and leapt more than ten meters away.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    The moment the three sprang to action, an invisible current shed vertically. The others didn¡¯t have the time to react¡ªthey didn¡¯t even know what happened. All they sensed was the air around them twisting suddenly.

    Goldthread stood among hispanions, turning to see one of them standing at the heart of the twisted air.

    The man stared ahead wide-eyed, expression stunned and body unmoving.

    ¡°Old Xie?¡± Goldthread called out softly lest he triggered a terrible cmity.

    The man named Old Xie didn¡¯t say anything, nor did he show any reaction.

    Then he split, literally, having been bisected from his head to under hisher region like firewood cut in half by ax.

    Blood sttered in all directions, hitting all those around him and painting their vision red.

    ¡°Old Xie!¡± Goldthread shouted.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Another sharp current came, but horizontally.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Arms crossed before his chest, Dead Pig crouched down and shielded Goldthread and the others with hisrge, strongly-built body.

    They heard the sound of des cutting flesh open. Dead Pig scowled, but maintained his position.

    Under the moonlight, his powerful muscles were as hard as metal.

    Yet the next second, his steel-like body was torn open, sttering blood everywhere.

    On his thick strong arms was arge, ugly gash, the skin and flesh torn to reveal the bones underneath.

    Dead Pig couldn¡¯t be more shocked. Not even bombs could do anything to him given his high defense, yet such a serious injury had been inflicted on him.

    His arms dropped to his sides, useless. It would take at least three minutes for them to recover.

    ¡°Scatter!¡±

    Goldthread yelled, breaking out of his stunned paralysis.

    There was no time to mourn those they had lost. They scattered in different directions.

    Meanwhile, War Tiger had drawn the Green Dog Demon de from his back.

    He looked at their enemy.

    From the end of the running track, a hundred meters away, a dark figure walked slowly toward them. Dressed in ck ancient-style clothes, he was wearing a ck bamboo hat missing half of its brim, a <i>dao</i>, a single-edged sword, tied to his waist.

    Night wind swept, rustling the hems of his ck shirt and the string tied to his bamboo hat.

    He looked like a swordsman from ancient times.

    Taking deliberate steps, he stopped twenty meters from War Tiger.

    War Tiger got a clear look of the lower face under the bamboo hat. It was an old man with deeply-etched wrinkles and facial features that showed his age, yet his presence alone exuded unstoppable killing intent.

    ¡°Shadowstalker?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°Wei, Pride de.¡± The old man didn¡¯t seem eager to talk.

    War Tiger suddenly put on a servile smile. ¡°There¡¯s no bad blood between us, Sir Wei. Why don¡¯t we call it a day? We¡¯ll get out of here, promise.¡±

    Holding Lovely Lamb in her arms, White Rabbit was stunned.

    When a teammate had been killed and Dead Pig seriously injured, War Tiger still attempted to talk peace.

    That meant the pride monster was incredibly dangerous, so much so that even War Tiger wasn¡¯t confident that he could win, and he didn¡¯t want more people to be killed.

    ¡°Either you all die, or I do,¡± Wei responded concisely.

    ¡°No deal then.¡± War Tiger raised his weapon at Wei, revealing his murderous aura.

    Left hand holding the sheath, Wei took a step back and crouched slightly to hold the hilt of the sword with his right hand.

    It was red all around them, the running track covered in ayer of blood fog. Three seconds crawled by silently as the night wind blew.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    War Tiger charged at Wei like a ghost.

    At the same time, Wei unsheathed his weapon.

    Not even White Rabbit, who was fifty meters from Wei, was able to see the motion of him drawing the de. All she caught was a sliver of cold, fierce arc of light.

    She activated Jump immediately and tackled Fat Jun.

    Narrowly dodging Wei¡¯s sh, War Tiger continued to charge at the pride monster.

    The sh, however, continued far to reach Fat Jun. He would¡¯ve died if not for White Rabbit.

    <i>ng!</i>

    A secondter, War Tiger¡¯s de collided with Wei¡¯s.

    A current burst from their feet, dispersing the blood fog for a short moment.

    In terms of endurance, War Tiger was no match for the fighter type, but he was confident in not losing to anyone in terms of short-term explosive power.

    Wei, however, had blocked his de perfectly while standing in his spot, and it didn¡¯t seem like he had exerted himself much.

    Were all pride monsters like him?

    What ridiculous power.

    From a short distance came Songstress¡¯ gentle, ethereal singing voice. She had activated Requiem.

    Under the brim of his hat, Wei¡¯s eyes twitched. War Tiger could sense the de blocking his ease off a little.

    Yet it was only for a fleeting moment. A secondter, Wei exerted even greater power and threw War Tiger off bnce. With a side step, he made a swing at an incredible speed.

    The de aura shot toward Songstress, catching herpletely off guard. When she sensed the danger, there was only one second left for her to react.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    A secondter, she vanished.

    After the aura flew past where she had been, it was Bone Man who appeared.

    At thest moment, Bone Man had saved Songstress with Discement, taking advantage of the dy in his reappearance.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Yet half a second after he reappeared, an aura hit him horizontally and cut his chest open.

    Bone Man fancied himself a bold but careful man. He rarely made mistakes, let alone a fatal one like this.

    How?

    What went wrong?

    His eyes were brimming with shock, confusion, and frustration. He slowly looked down. Blood spurted out of his chest inrge volume, dyeing his clothes red.

    Diagonally, his chest split. Blood gushed out along with still-warm internal organs. While his torso hadn¡¯t beenpletely cut in half by the de aura, it was a close thing.

    He copsed to the ground, eyes wide even after his death.

 Chapter 366: Near Death

    <h4>Chapter 366: Near Death</h4>

    Bone Man didn¡¯t know how he died. He hadn¡¯t seen that the moment Wei pushed War Tiger off, he had made two shes at Songstress, vertically then horizontally.

    With a gap of half a second, the perpendicr shes made it significantly more difficult for the enemies to dodge the attack.

    ¡°Bone Man!¡± Goldthread screamed, his rage burning away his rationality, and he shouted at his otherpanions, ¡°Fight!¡±

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs had long joined the battle.

    Outside of War Tiger, the only one who could fight Wei at close range without getting killed immediately was Qing Ling.

    Holding her ck Gold Tang Dao, she rushed toward Wei and War Tiger.

    With level 5 God of des, she was a threat to Wei, andbined with the relentless deadly attacksing from War Tiger, Wei was forced to parry their des with one hand holding his sword and the other hand holding the sheath, too upied to make another long-range attack like the cross sh earlier.

    The three of them fought on the running track cast in a crimson light. Their des crossed and collided in a flurry, making it difficult to make out which de was whose.

    Officer Huang wielded two guns, his eyes sharp like those of an eagle. While Wei was moving at great speed with War Tiger and Qing Ling doggedly attacking and nking him, making the risk of friendly fire high, level 4 God of Firearms granted Officer Huang the ability to predict the target¡¯s movements with high uracy.

    <i>Bang bang, bang.</i>

    Spotting an opening, Officer Huang made three shots in a row.

    Wei parried Qing Ling¡¯s forward thrust before turning to dodge War Tiger¡¯s vertical sh. At that moment, bullets shot at him from the side. He swung the sheath in his left hand upward.

    <i>Clink, clink.</i>

    He managed to block two bullets.

    The third bullet, however, came half a secondter, and at a different angle¡ªas Officer Huang had intended.

    The powerful bullet ended up brushing past Wei¡¯s left arm. While it hadn¡¯t gone through his arm, it had cut and injured the muscles.

    He jumped five meters backward.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    With tremendous speed, Wei made a double cross sh at Officer Huang, sending four arcs of de aura his way, leaving no room for Officer Huang to dodge the attack.

    Mischievous Monkey, as if he had foreseen the move, put his hands on the ground and conjured an earth wall that was close to half a meter thick, shielding Officer Huang.

    A secondter, the four shes hit, cutting the wall into pieces instantly, the force barely offset.

    Officer Huang felt gusts of wind hit him in the face, chest, and shoulder, followed by a burn. Even after being mostly offset, the shes still managed to slice his skin open like razors.

    Officer Huang¡¯s eyes widened. He was dozens of meters from the pride monster, and the shes had first gone through the thick earth wall, yet its remaining force was still cutting. What a formidable power!

    He couldn¡¯t help but worry over War Tiger and Qing Ling. How dangerous it must be to fight Wei in melee range!

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    When Wei jumped five meters away to attack Officer Huang with a double cross sh, Wu Dahai knew it was his chance. Without the concern of friendly fire, he summoned lightning with one hand. The violet lightning strikes that were each as thick as a man¡¯s thigh came down upon Wei.

    It was so sudden that Wei had to make a backflip to dodge the hit. While midair, he sensed a shadow mming down on him.

    It was a car.

    Goldthread had manipted its gravity and hurled it at Wei.

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    Twisting half a circle in the air, Wei made a cross sh, cutting the car into four pieces and sending them flying.

    Just when he made thending, the lightning came again.

    Wei dodged to the left. Then War Tiger charged at him out of nowhere, his movement twice as fast and his killing intent twice as fierce, leaving Wei with no way to get away in time.

    Had the man been hiding his real strength?

    For the first time, Wei lost hisposure and felt the threat keenly. He had no presence of mind to care about the potential lightning, bullets, cars, or other range attacks that mighte his way. Instead, he put his full concentration and strength in blocking War Tiger¡¯s attack.

    Five seconds before.

    When Wei made a double cross sh at Officer Huang, War Tiger recognized the problem they were facing.

    If things went on, they would lose over half of theirpanions even if they ended up winning, and that was the kind of victory War Tiger didn¡¯t want.

    Thus, War Tiger came to a decision. It was a tactic he had considered but never carried out.

    Self muttion!

    Yes, he hurt himself on purpose!

    His Talent made him stronger the closer he was to death!

    Taking out a shortsword, he stabbed himself in the chest without hesitation, only narrowly missing his heart.

    He didn¡¯t pull out the shortsword; that would only make him bleed faster and increase the danger.

    At that moment, the energy in his body screamed at him, going berserk.

    Killing Expert, in dying state.

    ¡ªAll in!

    His eyes radiated gold light. All he could see was Wei.

    He dashed at a speed that surprised even himself. It didn¡¯t feel like he was running, but teleporting.

    Like the hand of the god of war, his right hand made an unstoppable, unavoidable sh with unrivaled precision and power.

    Wei, simrly, made the most powerful sh he had ever made.

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    Their des collided like two streaks of lightning. For half a second, even the sky seemed to dim and lose its color.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    At the moment of collision, powerful shockwaves burst out in all directions.

    Qing Ling, who was the closest to the two of them, dug her Tang Dao into the ground, yet she still ended up thrown off her feet for a few meters.

    The others, who were more than ten meters from the two men, were pushed back and ended up losing their bnce too.

    When they recovered, War Tiger was already standing behind Wei, his body leaning forward and his head lowered, maintaining the posture after making the sh.

    Wei stood where he was with his right foot forward and his right hand holding his single-edged sword. He had stopped moving after attacking as well.

    The two of them had their backs to each other, standing ten meters apart.

    Two secondster, War Tiger¡¯s right arm spurted out blood in an arc, and the same was true of Wei.

    They both lost their de-wielding arm wholly, and blood gushed out of the stumps like springs.

    War Tiger dropped to his knees, holding onto the stump of his right arm with his left hand, unable to fight any longer.

    While losing an arm wasn¡¯t fatal to him, he had inflicted a serious injury on his chest earlier, and forcing himself to fight would damage his heart further and cause his death.

    Wei had been seriously injured as well, but he could still fight.

    Tapping into his energy, he did his best to slow the bleeding from his missing arm.

    Then with the tip of his foot, he brought his sword up to hold it with his left hand instead, making a cross sh at Goldthread without hesitation. While his left hand wasn¡¯t as powerful as his right, the attack was still formidable.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    White Rabbit tackled Goldthread with Jump, saving him. Then she quickly picked herself up to activate Jump again, rushing to War Tiger.

    She had to bring War Tiger to Fat Jun and Lovely Lamb, who were protected by Dead Pig.

    With the two of them together, it would only take two minutes for War Tiger to recover enough to keep fighting. Then Wei would lose for sure.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang.</i>

    Officer Huang fired at quick session.

    <i>Cang, ng, ng.</i>

    Wei blocked the bullets with quick shes, the de sputtering sparks as it collided with the bullets.

    Then lightning came down upon Wei from above. Wei, with only one arm, zigzagged to dodge the lightning strikes while approaching the biggest threat to him at the moment, Wu Dahai.

    Songstress started singing again.

    Wei didn¡¯t pay it any mind. While Requiem did cause some distraction, the pain shooting from the stump of his arm kept him clear-minded, offsetting most of the effect of the Talent.

    Wei had reached him too quickly. Wu Dahai couldn¡¯t run away in time.

 Chapter 367: Level 6 God of Blades

    <h4>Chapter 367: Level 6 God of des</h4>

    Wu Dahai raised his robotic right arm reflexively.

    <i>ng!</i>

    His arm blocked Wei¡¯s de, and with a yell, he was thrown off his feet for seven to eight meters. He quickly scrambled to his feet, nervously touching his chest to check it. Thankfully, it was fine.

    He felt a burst of relief.<i> Shit! As expected of the prosthetic arm I¡¯ve spent 600 jinwu on! The quality is insane! Being rich is the most dependable superpower when it matters!</i>

    Collecting himself, he turned back to the battlefield.

    Two closebat fighters from Goldthread¡¯s unit and Qing Ling had started fighting Wei.

    Before, War Tiger and Qing Ling had been the only ones capable of even approaching the pride monster.

    Now missing an arm and losing arge part of his power, though, the other fighters were able to join with Officer Huang providing cover fire to distract Wei.

    Wu Dahai knew that victory would be theirs sooner orter, but it wasn¡¯t time to becent yet. A cornered dog was the most dangerous.

    Slowly, he approached the battlefield with energy concentrating in his left hand, his eyes tracking Qing Ling, ready to attack Wei with lighting at any time.

    He thought with some guilt, <i>I¡¯m sorry, you two. A man should try to protect the woman he loves. You¡¯re on your own.</i>

    Among the three awakeners fighting Wei in close range, Qing Ling was of course the biggest threat to him. Her technique was impressive, and her de aura fierce. She would be able to inflict a fatal injury if shended even one hit.

    Wei didn¡¯t have the time to deal with Officer Huang, Songstress, and Goldthread, who were in the distance. The two annoying flies harassing him in close range, however, were his prime targets if he was to give Qing Ling his full focus.

    When the thought shed through his mind, Wei parried a few quick shes from Qing Ling while blocking the bullets Officer Huang had fired sneakily, all the while dodging two strikes of lightning.

    Wei stood where he was for a second.

    Then his left hand shook with the sword in its grip. Suddenly, the sword multiplied. The two swords had thinner des and were sharper and lighter. He held the other one in his mouth, his eyes shing with powerful killing intent under the brim of his bamboo hat.

    Knees bent, he leaned forward and made a charged jump, spinning at high speed as he flew toward Qing Ling.

    The swords in his left hand and mouth twirled in a spiral, cutting the arm of one of the awakeners and the head of the other.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    The one losing an arm screamed in pain, while the other, who had been decapitated, copsed to the ground without making a sound.

    Unable to evade in time, Qing Ling swung her Tang Dao to block the consecutive shesing from Wei¡¯s two swords.

    With great momentum, Wei spinned and spinned in the air, making fierce shes with the two des and forcing Qing Ling to stagger back as she parried the attacks.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Finally, Qing Ling spotted an opening. She held her Tang Dao with both hands and blocked the sword in Wei¡¯s left hand.

    Wei had run out of momentum. He followed the natural trajectory of his fall andnded on both feet, turning his neck to swing the sword between his teeth toward Qing Ling¡¯s fair neck.

    Qing Ling had foreseen a time when she would need an additional weapon.

    When parrying Wei¡¯s attacks, she had spared some energy to activate Metal, looking for War Tiger¡¯s Green Dog Demon de.

    It was a fine weapon. Qing Ling had been eyeing it for a long time.

    At thest moment, the Green Dog Demon de flew over and blocked Wei¡¯s horizontal sh for Qing Ling.

    Level 3 Metal, however, couldn¡¯t generate enough power while wielding the weapon. Qing Ling quickly shot out her left hand to grab the hilt and blocked theing attack. Still, she had underestimated Wei¡¯s raw power.

    <i>ng.</i>

    With a twist of his neck, Wei exerted more power into the swing and sent Qing Ling flying.

    Shended on the grass field covered in blood fog about seven meters away, rolling two times and failing to hold onto the two des in her hands.

    She rolled to a stop, activating Metal instinctively to recover her weapons.

    However, Wei didn¡¯t give her the chance. He had already made a cross sh at her, the de aura shooting toward Qing Ling.

    While the attacks weren¡¯t as powerful as the ones he had made with his right hand, they were more than enough to cut someone of flesh and blood.

    But Qing Ling lived.

    Someone who had been keeping an eye on her had foreseen hering doom and rushed to her with a speed he had thought himself incapable of.

    If he could pick Qing Ling up and save her like a hero without sacrificing himself, he would, a hundred percent.

    But it was beyond him.

    It was all he could do to reach Qing Ling in time.

    At that moment, he realized his ipetence.

    At that moment, he realized that not everyone was in the ce to say something cool like, ¡°A good man should make sure the woman he loves doesn¡¯t even get a scratch on her.¡±

    At that moment, he reconciled with the fact that he was no protagonist.

    The most he could do was open his arms wide and shielded Qing Ling as much as possible.

    It didn¡¯t look cool at all. In fact, he seemed like an idiot.

    <i>St.</i>

    His left arm was sliced clean off, and his chest burst out into arge cavity, his ribs flipping outward like a blooming flower, his heart and lungs almost cut in half.

    Hot blood hit Qing Ling on one side of her face.

    Wu Dahai copsed at her feet.

    Qing Ling stared at him, stunned. She couldn¡¯t say a word.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang.</i>

    Officer Huang fired.

    Meanwhile, Songstress had increased the power of her singing at the cost of disturbing herpanions.

    Then Goldthread and Mischievous Monkey joined the fight.

    The four worked together to keep Wei upied.

    Foams of blood leaking from the corners of his mouth, Wu Dahai looked to the side at Qing Ling. ¡°May I...touch your hand...?¡±

    Qing Ling paused, staring at Wu Dahai.

    He didn¡¯t have a hand, not anymore. His left arm had been cut off by Wei¡¯s de aura, and was submerged in the pool of blood a meter away.

    Qing Ling nodded, shuddering slightly. She held onto Wu Dahai¡¯s cold robotic arm tightly and stared down at him, still struggling to find the words to say.

    Wu Dahai¡¯s eyes dimmed. He couldn¡¯t feel anything from his prosthetic, but he still put on a happy smile.

    ¡°Is this...the hand of a girl? It¡¯s soft, smooth, feels good...ha, haha...¡±

    The prosthetic went limp and fell from Qing Ling¡¯s hand, bing nothing but a lump of metal.

    Qing Ling stared at Wu Dahai¡¯s face. It was covered in blood. His eyes were widened, and his hair floppy. He didn¡¯t look cool at all.

    She reached out to close his eyes for him.

    Then she rose to her feet, an impassive look on her face, half covered in blood. She syed her hands, and the Tang Dao and Green Dog Demon de returned to her.

    Wielding both weapons, she rushed toward Wei.

    Sensing the killing intent approach, Wei quickly whirled around.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Radiating a cold blue aura, her Tang Dao cut with ferocity.

    Wei raised his left hand to block it. Then he twisted his neck to swing the sword in his mouth at Qing Ling¡¯s face.

    <i>ng.</i>

    Qing Ling blocked it with the Green Dog Demon de in her left hand.

    A secondter, the second weapon burst into a blue aura as well, and light blue light swirled in Qing Ling¡¯s eyes, a sign of overflowing energy.

    God of des had reached level 6!

    She had learned dual-wielding.

    Wei¡¯s eyes darkened. His opponent had gotten stronger!

    <i>ng, ng! ng, ng, ng!</i>

    The two of them, with four des between them, were locked in a fight to the death.

    The flurry of shes and quick exchanges of blows brought about ripples of powerful shockwaves, dispersing the blood fog at their feet to reveal the grass field of the running track.

    Torn by their de auras, grass scattered all over, along with the blood sprinkling from the stump of Wei¡¯s arm. The sight of it was bizarre, to say the least.

    They were both in a zone. Nothing else but their and their opponent¡¯s weapons existed in their world.

    Officer Huang lowered his guns. Goldthread, Mischievous Monkey, and all others gave up on trying to assist as well. Even Songstress had stopped singing lest she disturbed Qing Ling.

    At this moment, Qing Ling and Wei had effectively signed a contract of life and death with the lord of hell. There was no turning back.

    The victor and the dead would be decided in a split second.

    All the others could do was wait.

 Chapter 368: Donâ€™t Look Back

    <h4>Chapter 368: Don¡¯t Look Back</h4>

    <i>ng, ng.</i>

    Qing Ling and Wei swung their des with increasing speed, ferocity, and reckless abandon, veering to the realm of madness.

    Neither gave an inch as they pushed themselves and the other to the limit, putting their lives on the line.

    With Lovely Lamb and Fat Jun¡¯sbined effort, War Tiger¡¯s condition had stabilized.

    In a minute, he would be able to take over and defeat their enemy decisively.

    At this moment, though, he could tell that there was no need for him to step in. The victor would be decided in ten seconds¡ªno, seven seconds.

    Qing Ling was his best student, and her techniques hade to resemble his.

    Ghost Horse had died, so had Electric Mouse. More would follow in the future; he was no exception to the possibility.

    Thetering waves were pushing the waves before them forward, and they continued even when their predecessors stopped. One day, a way would be forged through the Mist World.

    Qing Ling and Wei had pushed themselves to the limit, both looking for an opening tond a decisive hit amid the flurry of des.

    Finally, such an opening presented itself.

    Qing Ling and Wei took a small step forward simultaneously, making horizontal shes. Their des crossed and sparked. The collision sent the Demon de flying out of Qing Ling¡¯s hand, and the longsword in Wei¡¯s mouth fell too.

    Neither stopped attacking. They stabbed at the other with their other weapons.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    The tips of their des collided with precision before ncing away.

    Wei¡¯s longsword left a cut on Qing Ling¡¯s right cheek first. Then Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao pierced through Wei¡¯s heart.

    Under the tattered bamboo hat, Wei¡¯s old eyes glinted with a hint of confusion.

    He never made mistakes with his techniques. At thest moment, however, his de missed the mark, as if an intangible power had changed its trajectory.

    And he was right. Qing Ling had activated level 3 Metal and disturbed his swing at thest half a second.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Qing Ling pulled out her Tang Dao. Wei staggered two steps backward, dropping to one knee while he twisted his wrist to bury his sword into the ground, propping himself up. He died silently, his head lowered.

    But he wasn¡¯t down, not even after his death.

    He was their enemy, but also an admirable swordsman.

    Covered in blood, Qing Ling breathed heavily as she put away her Tang Dao, her chest heaving. Not far from her, White Rabbit crouched down by Wu Dahai, pulling his iplete body into her arms.

    ¡°You asked for a hugst birthday, Electric Mouse, and I said no. Sorry for that, for being stingy. I¡¯m giving you that hug now...¡±

    ¡°You pervert. Sometimes I really didn¡¯t want to admit you¡¯re mypanion...¡± White Rabbit held tight onto him and smiled, but tears were welling up in her eyes and falling. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could die though... With you gone, who am I going to roast in the future...?¡±

    On the other hand, Goldthread¡¯s unit had lost threepanions, Old Xie, Bone Man, and Discipline.

    Among them, Old Xie¡¯s son was only a week old, Bone Man¡¯s girlfriend had just epted his proposal, and Discipline, having his thirty-sixth birthday today, didn¡¯t even get to have cake before setting out.

    Goldthread and his subordinates looked at the three brothers they had lost mournfully.

    Then an ethereal, gentle singing voice resounded, with none of the hypnotizing power that came with the Talent, but all emotions and inconsble sorrow.

    <i>I fear that I won¡¯t have the chance</i>

    <i>To say goodbye to you.</i>

    <i>Because I may not see you again.</i>

    <i>Tomorrow I¡¯m leaving</i>

    <i>The familiar ce and you.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m leaving.</i>

    <i>My tears drop.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll treasure the yearning you gave me.</i>

    <i>These days will stay with me always.</i>

    <i>I cannot make promises</i>

    <i>That I wille back.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t look back.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t look back but keep going.</i>[1]

    ...

    Western Suburban Park, Xijing District, 4:19 in the morning.

    The neen members of Team Seven Shadow charged into the Western Suburban Park on the bus, reaching theke at the center, which Gao Yang and Wang Zikai had investigated before.

    The giant pir of blood came from the ind at the heart of theke.

    Before, there had been a wood cabin right out of a fairytale on the ind, but it was now reced by a makeshift altar.

    Theke was covered in ayer of blood fog, looking like a strange celestial realm, only all red.

    At its center, about a dozen monsters in white robes knelt around the altar, holding a sacrificial ritual with their own blood. A white light beam shot toward the sky from the altar with countless tendrils of blood fog climbing along it.

    Gao Yang stood by theke and watched, while his other teammates covered for him.

    Then Heavenly Dog flew Gao Yang over theke, stopping right above the altar on the ind.

    Gao Yang burned the altar and the robed monsters without mercy like methrowers. The monsters screamed as they burned, plopping into theke one after another.

    Heavenly Dog then activated Spatial Dissection a few times in a row, cutting the altar into random pieces like a slice of pizza a mischievous kid had torn apart with a knife and a fork.

    As expected, the white beam disappeared instantly.

    Gao Yang and Heavenly Dog returned to thekeside.

    ¡°Captain, are we done?¡± Can asked in disbelief. It was easier than she had expected.

    Gao Yang was quiet for two seconds. ¡°In theory, yes.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back.¡± Gray Bear turned to the White Lake Hotel. ¡°I still think this is only a distraction to draw us away. I feel like the enemies¡¯ true target is our HQ.¡±

    ¡°I, agree,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°The big guns are staying at the base. It should be alright.¡± Old Seven wasn¡¯t entirely certain. He was a little worried about their nobatants in the rear.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± Green Tea assured them. ¡°But just to be safe, let¡¯s go back immediately.¡±

    They quickly hopped back onto the bus.

    Gray Bear started the engine and drove the bus out of the park, soon going past an amusement park.

    Suddenly, the bus made a sharp turn onto a grass field, hurtling toward the amusement park.

    Caught off guard, the ones standing almost fell.

    Gao Yang gripped a railing and turned to the driver. ¡°Gray Bear, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    With the steering wheel in a tight grip, Gray Bear kicked the brake hard, his expression grave. ¡°Fuck, the bus is out of control!¡±

    Their surroundings lit up all of a sudden; all the rides in the amusement park were turning on, including the merry-go-round, rollercoaster, pirate ship, and swinging hammer.

    Boisterous music started as well. The dreamy neon light seemed eerie under the crimson moonlight.

    The bus stopped at the center of the amusement park.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    Citrus, sitting by the window, had spotted something.

    They looked out to see the rollercoaster running on the elevated track not far from them speeding up dramatically, rushing toward them.

    ¡°Out of the car!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    1. <i>Goodbye</i> by A-Yue ?

 Chapter 369: Pride Telekinesis

    <h4>Chapter 369: Pride Telekinesis</h4>

    Green Tea, standing in the middle of the bus, kicked the door, while Old Seven, in the back of the bus, threw himself at the window.

    Something strange happened then.

    Green Tea had almost folded the door with his kick, yet it didn¡¯t open, and Old Seven had failed to break the window.

    None of that should happen given the physical strength granted from awakening.

    With a shout, Gray Bear leapt up and quickly transformed into arge, strong bear, swinging a punch at therge windshield of the bus.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The ss shattered into pieces, but they didn¡¯t fall.

    The ss shards remained connected in the shape of the windshield, as if ayer of transparent barrier was holding them together.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Old Seven cursed, shooting air bullets at the window with his now recovered arms.

    It didn¡¯t work. The ss shattered, but created no opening.

    ¡°Seems like a barrier of sorts,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°The ride! The ride ising!¡± Citrus shouted. Above them, the rollercoaster train speeding toward them went off the rail with a loud ng, flying toward the bus.

    Gao Yang could tell where it wouldnd.

    ¡°To the back!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Shield us from the front, Gray Bear!¡±

    They rushed to the back of the bus.

    Gray Bear had full trust in his captain. Having transformed into a bear, he opened his arms and stood at the midsection of the bus, acting as a shield for hispanions.

    Both hands pressing into the rear windshield of the bus, Gao Yang took a deep breath and activated Teleportation.

    ¡°Ahhhhh¡ª¡±

    His figure blurred and flickered, like poorly transmitted footage.

    The ss should have shattered, but it wouldn¡¯t be so easily broken with the entire bus sealed in ce.

    With Teleportation, Gao Yang managed to push the bus back for two meters.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The roller coaster train fell down diagonally and crashed into the bus. The barrier sealing the bus vanished all of a sudden.

    Originally, the train should¡¯ve gone through the middle of the bus, but with Gao Yang¡¯s effort, it ended up mming into the head.

    ¡°Haaaaah¡ª¡±

    The giant bear who had be as hard as a boulder stopped the head of the roller coaster train with his hands, pushing himself to offset the remaining momentum.

    He only managed to hold on for three seconds.

    However, that was enough time for Gao Yang to shatter the window after the barrier was gone, allowing everyone to jump off the bus.

    When Gao Yang grabbed Ronnie and Can and teleported out of the bus, Gray Bear could no longer hold on.

    Like an enormous serpent, the roller coaster train mmed through the bus with tremendous power and shot out of the tail of it, sending Gray Bear flying tens of meters into a short building, toppling it.

    Gao Yang was worried. Although Gray Bear would surely live given his high defense, he must have been seriously injured, out ofmission in the short term.

    Everyone was still reeling from the near death experience.

    ¡°Help him!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    Green Tea shot his teammate a look, ¡°Rain River!¡±

    ¡°I got it!¡± Rain River rushed into the now ruined building with her medicine kit.

    ¡°Watch out, the enemy is here,¡± Heavenly Dog warned with a wariness to his usuallyzy tone.

    They all turned to follow his gaze. Twenty meters from them, on the brightly and colorfully-lit merry-go-round sat a petite woman wearing a purple princess dress and a ssy cocktail hat. And she was holding a teddy bear.

    One would assume her to be an innocent little girl judging by her outfit alone.

    When Gao Yang got a clear look of her face, the starkly different appearance left a strong impression.

    She was extremely old. The skin of her face dangled from her skull, the wrinkles deep like valleys. And her facial features looked like those of a wax sculpture melting under high heat.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here,¡± she said, her hoarse voice paradoxically pure like a little girl¡¯s, furtherpounding the eeriness of the situation.

    ¡°You¡¯re...a pride monster?¡± Gao Yang asked coldly. ¡°A shadowstalker?¡±

    The old woman floated down from the merry-go-round without actually touching the ground, hovering over the blood fog.

    She looked even smaller and frailer in a standing position. She seemed to be around 140 centimeters tall.

    ¡°Surnamed Tong, no first name. I¡¯m the youngest. Everyone calls me Tong Tong.¡±

    She spoke like a child despite her age, smiling as she looked at them¡ªif that could even be considered a smile. ¡°My ability is Pride Telekinesis.¡±

    Pride Telekinesis¡ªshe could move objects with her mind!

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded as he quickly racked his brain for a solution. All the while, he asked with aposed look on his face, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s dance, big brothers and big sisters.¡±

    She raised the teddy bear in her hand while holding up her princess dress, twirling.

    She looked so innocent and joyous that it was as if she was truly here to attend a ball thrown in a fairytale.

    Suddenly, the air around Gao Yang became heavy and oppressive, and the sky and earth began to distort. The others also sensed the same pressure.

    Therge rides in the amusement park lifted into the air, including the smashed bus and roller coaster train. Instantly, it seemed like the whole amusement park was weightless, the only exceptions being the awakeners and Tong.

    Then therge rides started spinning without rhyme or reason, hiding killing intent in the seemingly random movements.

    With keen senses, Gao Yang could immediately detect the minute change in the air.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    He teleported to Old Seven to whisk him away. Half a secondter, the pirate ship mmed into where Old Seven had been.

    Missing its mark, the distorted pirate ship took flight again and spinned, joining the other rides in the chaotic dance.

    Large objects continued to fly toward the awakeners.

    Their formation waspletely broken as they were forced to jump around to flee, as if they were trying to survive a meteor shower.

    Soon, the first victim was imed. Having witnessed it, Old Seven cursed out in rage.

    Gao Yang no longer had the attention to spare for other people. He, Nine Frost, Heavenly Dog, and Lithe Snake were the most agile of the group, and they started moving.

    Jumping between the hovering rides, Lithe Snake quickly took cover behind the swinging hammer.

    When the hammer drew near Tong, he shot three throwing knives at the dancing pride monster, but the knives were stopped by telekinesis one meter from Tong before falling down.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    The throwing knives were only distractions though, and Lithe Snake appeared right above Tong, bringing the sharp shortsword in his hand down on Tong¡¯s head.

    But the same thing happened. He was forced to stop a meter away from her.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s chest tightened, feeling a powerful will overwhelming him. No matter how hard he tried, the de refused to go an inch closer.

    Tong stopped dancing, albeit unwillingly.

    She looked up at Lithe Snake, who had tried to ambush her. Her drooping lips curved into a mischievous, mocking smile.

    ¡°Bad brother, you shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    She extended her right hand and balled it into a fist lightly.

    Lithe Snake cried out in pain, the shortsword falling from his grip as an invisible force closed around him like a giant¡¯s hand, breaking many of his bones andpressing his internal organs. He might as well be an ant about to be crushed by the giant.

    ¡°Spatial Dissection.¡±

    Midair, Heavenly Dog had flown quietly to Tong¡¯s blindspot, activating his Talent at her.

 Chapter 370: Shut Up

    <h4>Chapter 370: Shut Up</h4>

    The entire amusement park was shrouded in Tong¡¯s telekinesis power. Even with Heavenly Dog in her blindspot, she could still sense the danger approaching.

    She turned to the side agilely. The space where she had been was momentarily disced, the blood fog on the ground splitting as well before quickly going back to normal. With a ck, the telephone booth flying behind her had been cut in half.

    Tong twirled and waved her hand lightly, sending Lithe Snake flying toward Heavenly Dog. Catching the unconscious man, Heavenly Dog took him to safety andid him down.

    While Tong was distracted, Nine Frost hade up to her from the side, making a straight punch at her face.

    He was so quick that his fist was only stopped by telekinesis when it had almost touched Tong¡¯s face. The force of the punch lifted the veil of the hat, revealing Tong¡¯s darkplexion and old, loose skin, her thin white hair hanging down.

    Tong came to a sudden halt, panic and shame shing through her eyes. It seemed that she didn¡¯t want others to see her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± she growled furiously, ¡°Bully me!¡±

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang rescued Nine Frost with Teleportation.

    Half a secondter, a wave of powerful telekinesis force tore the merry-go-round behind Nine Frost into pieces.

    ¡°No!¡± Citrus cried out.

    Gao Yang, having just saved Nine Frost, started.

    He turned around to see a young man missing his lower body.

    He was Chu Feng, Citrus¡¯ boyfriend. He had been hiding behind the merry-go-round in order to sneak up on Tong, but unexpectedly, the killing force Tong had sent Nine Frost¡¯s way ended up catching the merry-go-round.

    While Chu Feng had jumped away immediately, he was a step toote, and he ended up torn in half.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. No, they must end things swiftly, or they would all die here.

    ¡°Ronnie!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    At that moment, Can and Ronnie showed up behind a tree.

    ¡°Look for a chance!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Ronnie responded.

    After the three organizations decided to form an alliance, all Rune Circuits outside of the Miracle Rune Circuit were temporarily shared between the organizations, and Ronnie managed to level up Disorientation to level 4.

    Now, he could differentiate friends and foes to some degree.

    Basically, his Talent had worked 100% on friends and foes alike in the past, but now, it would be 120% effective on the enemies while only 80% effective on hispanions.

    ¡°Can, get on!¡± Gao Yang had replicated Nine Frost¡¯s Weak Point. He was going to repeat the same trick he had pulled when killing ck Tortoise.

    Can quickly rushed over and hopped onto his back. They disappeared from Tong¡¯s view.

    Gao Yang teleported.

    A fireball came out of nowhere and flew toward Tong. With a simple look, the fireball scattered and dispersed before it could reach her, but it was merely a feint. A distorting power that could cut the space came at her again.

    Tong could sense the direction and the trajectory the energy was going in, and she easily dodged to the side by predicting its motion.

    At that moment, however, she sensed powerful killing intent from her left. It came so quickly that Tong failed to detect the trajectory.

    It was only natural. Teleportation, at its core, was an ability that made one jump space. And with Can¡¯s Invisibility, Tong couldn¡¯t see them. Not even her telekinesis power could alert her in time.

    Gao Yang swung his fist at Tong''s chest with Weak Point.

    He thought he was going to seed.

    However, his fist still stopped a few centimeters from Tong¡¯s chest.

    An invisible barrier of telekinesis had caught his fist, but failed to offset the force of it. Tong ended up thrown off bnce, falling onto the ground.

    Like a kid getting pushed down by an adult, she cast the teddy bear in her hand away angrily and kicked her feet in the air, throwing a tantrum.

    ¡°Wah¡ªyou¡¯re terrible... I¡¯m gonna kill you...¡±

    As she cried, the telekinesis power around her doubled in strength.

    She gave up on her control over therge objects, leaving them falling to the ground. Instead, shepressed her telekinesis to thirty meters in her radius.

    The power was dense and all-epassing. Gao Yang felt suddenly weighed down, unable to even lift his feet, and his internal organs twisted and turned like they were going to be crushed by the invisible power.

    Even Heavenly Dog, flying above Tong, ended up falling to the ground.

    Invisibility had deactivated. Can, unable to endure the oppressive force of the telekinesis power, fell from Gao Yang¡¯s back.

    Ronnie activated Disorientation without hesitation then.

    Everyone¡¯s mind was plunged into chaos, but at the same time, the overwhelming power had lifted significantly as well.

    ¡°Ugh...¡± Tong covered her ears. ¡°It¡¯s noisy! So noisy!¡±

    A few secondster, the telekinesis power gained the upper hand again, retaliating against Ronnie¡¯s psychic attack.

    Ronnie threw up blood and dropped to his knees.

    ¡°Spatial Dissection!¡±

    Lying prone on the ground, Heavenly Dog syed his hands and activated his Talent again. The disturbance from the telekinesis power skewed his aim, however, and he ended up cutting the sleeves of her dress and a small part of her skin.

    Tong wailed in pain. Like a child, she couldn¡¯t take pain at all.

    However, her power grew even stronger at the same time.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t even stand up, forced to drop to one knee.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>Everyone¡¯s gonna die if this goes on!</i>

    ¡°Teleportation!¡±

    With a scream, he pushed himself to the limit to teleport to Tong¡¯s back, shooting energy out of his hands.

    ¡°Fire...¡±

    His Fire stuttered.

    Shoulder bleeding, Tong angrily raised her hands and tapped into her full power, her gaze venomous.

    ¡°I¡¯m...going to kill all of you!¡±

    Tong shrieked. Gao Yang felt invisible hands closed around him, attempting to crush him then and there. He tapped into all his energy to resist it, but his effort would only dy his death.

    ¡°Captain...you can¡¯t die...¡±

    Ronnie propped himself up with both hands, his mouth full of blood and his eyes bloodshot.

    Pulling his lips into a smile, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll entrust Xiran and my dream to you...¡±

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t just say that, Ronnie!</i>

    <i>Go to the Gates of Closure yourself! I¡¯m not bearing the weight for you! I have enough on my shoulders already!</i>

    Ronnie looked up and concentrated all his energy to his chest, pushing it out through his throat.

    At that moment, his Disorientation reached level 5, making the Talent 150% effective against enemies, while 70% effective against hispanions.

    Everyone covered their ears, their heads threatening to explode.

    ¡°Stop screaming. Shut up, shut up, shut up!¡± Tong could no longer take it. She pulled her hands back to cover her ears, her telekinesis power retracting to her instantly.

    Gao Yang was thus saved, but severely disoriented, he couldn¡¯t yet move, and he could barely think.

    ¡°Shut. Up!¡±

    Two secondster, Tong retaliated. She had pulled back her power from around her and honed it to target the source of the noises, Ronnie.

    Ronnie stopped screaming immediately, throwing up a mouthful of blood. Even the blood remained in the air, defying gravity.

    Restrained by powerful telekinesis power, Ronnie was lifted off the ground.

    At thest second of his life, he looked at Gao Yang with bloodshot eyes, his gaze brimming with the reluctance to part with hispanions and his gentle farewell.

    <i>Boom!</i>

 Chapter 371: May the Odds be with, Us.

    <h4>Chapter 371: May the Odds be with, Us.</h4>

    Ronnie exploded. Or it would be more urate to say that his body had been torn into countless pieces, and with the telekinesis force pulled back, the pieces of flesh and blood rained down, leaving only a gust of blood fog behind.

    ¡°Aghhh!¡±

    Gao Yang screamed and shot fire at Tong.

    Two torrents of fierce mes enveloped her but failed to hurt her, creating a circr wall of fire around her. Still, the scorching heat was enough to disturb and significantly distract her.

    Ronnie had bought time for hispanions with his life, allowing Green Tea to sneak close. He jumped from high above, behind Tong, aiming for the top of her head with One-inch Punch.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work.

    Noticing the threat in time, Tong defended against the fire with telekinesis with one hand and raised her other hand to ¡®grab¡¯ Green Tea.

    With a clench of her fist, Green Tea¡¯s strongly-built body twisted and tensed.

    Green Tea screamed, along with a girl.

    Tong looked up and chuckled. ¡°Are you ying hide-and-seek, Sister?¡±

    Yes, Green Tea was carrying a girl on his back, Citrus.

    Rather than hiding herself, Citrus rested her head on Green Tea¡¯s shoulder, her right wrist sliced open at some point. The blood stained Green Tea¡¯s arm and dripped down from his fist.

    <i>Plop.</i>

    A drop of bloodnded on Tong¡¯s forehead.

    Citrus scoffed, her eyes zing with the pain and hate of losing a loved one. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate us.¡±

    Tong paused, suddenly slowed. The whole world seemed to decrease in speed around her. To her, Citrus was speaking like a sloth.

    <i>¡°Don¡¯t¡ªunder¡ªestimate¡ªus.¡±</i>

    Three secondster, the world turned back to normal.

    Tong was going to crush Green Tea and Citrus with telekinesis, but she suddenly lost all the strength in her body, and she felt a chill in her chest. Something cold and sharp had pierced into her heart.

    Then she felt an overwhelming pain and a bottomless fear.

    She couldn¡¯t even turn around to check who the culprit was before she copsed without making a sound.

    Hand gripping a bloodied dagger, Can shuddered all over, her face deathly pale.

    Her widened eyes brimmed with disbelief. It wasn¡¯t a dream. She had just...killed a pride monster.

    Tong¡¯s telekinesis was incredibly terrifying. If not for her child-like mindset, if she had been cautious and level-headed enough, she could¡¯ve wiped out Team Seven Shadow entirely.

    At the same time, however, Tong was incredibly fragile. Without the protection of her telekinesis, even Can was able to kill her with a stab.

    Gao Yang rushed over to take the dagger from her, making another three stabs at Tong¡¯s heart.

    He only cast away the dagger after essing his system to make sure that the threat had been eliminated.

    He rose to his feet, turning around with his face covered in blood. Can, standing by his side, had tears running down her face.

    ¡°Captain, I, I avenged Ronnie...¡±

    ¡°Good work,¡± Gao Yang said simply.

    ¡°But why, why does it hurt so much still...¡±

    ¡°Revenge is necessary.¡± Gao Yang had had the same experience before. He tried his best to tamp down the sorrow permeating in his heart. ¡°But revenge isn¡¯t going to change much.¡±

    ¡°So, so that is it...¡± Can covered her face with both hands. Her control cumbled, and she burst out crying.

    Citrus had gone up to Chu Feng. He was missing his lower body from waist down. Another teammate of theirs had covered him with clothes.

    Citrus held her dead boyfriend and bawled hoarsely. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t leave me. You promise, you promise that you won¡¯t die before me... Wake up! Wake up...¡±

    Nine Frost came up while holding his injured shoulder. He had gotten hit by arge projectile for protecting a teammate, thus taken out of thest stretch of the fight.

    Injected with Medicine C, Lithe Snake had recovered with difficulty. He limped his way to where Ronnie had died.

    Supporting the injured Gray Bear, Rain River came up to them as well.

    Soon, all members of the fifth team were standing before the body parts in the pool of blood. None of them said anything, but in their silence, they could hear the voice that always did their rallying cheer a little differently.

    <i>May the odds be with us.</i>

    <i>May the odds be with, us.</i>

    ...

    52nd floor of White Lake Hotel, 4:25 in the morning.

    Dragon, Qilin, and Surnamed Li, the leaders of the three major organizations, had been sitting before the window wall in the break room for a good while.

    Holding his cane with one hand, Qilin looked out with deep, profound eyes under his sses.

    Tucking himself into a bagbean, Dragon held his legs between his arms and looked out at the city at night like a beautiful young manzing about at home.

    In her wheelchair, Surnamed Li looked ahead with a calm gaze, but between her brows were lines of worry.

    It had been close to half an hour after thest light beam in the south disappeared. During the time, news of theirpanions being killed in action came. All four teams had encountered powerful enemies, and all four teams had won the fight with great difficulty.

    ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t they seed on their own?¡± X came over with a hand in his pocket and his other hand holding a beer, drinking as he walked. ¡°If I had known it would be so easy, I wouldn¡¯t have...¡±

    He stopped abruptly, his gaze darkening.

    The other three reacted as well.

    ¡°White Tiger,¡± Qilin spoke up.

    Having been resting with his eyes closed on a nearby sofa, White Tiger opened his eyes and went up to the window, looking down. ¡°Ha, of course it wouldn¡¯t be this easy.¡±

    On the ground floor outside the hotel was a za, bordering a busy crossroad.

    And a figure had appeared on the empty za, looking up at the 52nd floor of the hotel quietly.

    She was young, dressed in a ck windbreaker. Her long red hair ran down her back, and her eyes were each ocean blue and dark red.

    She had a gentle and delicate appearance, yet somehow, she exuded an air of quiet sorrow and icy bleakness, the contrast standing out.

    She stared at the hotel for a full minute, a faint smile tugging her lips.

    Then with a wave of her hand, a cyclone emerged under her feet, propping her up in the air until she was leveled with the 52nd floor of the hotel, her long red hair flying and her windbreaker fluttering. There was less than thirty meters between her and the window.

    Behind Dragon, Qilin, Surnamed Li, X, and White Tiger were dozens of awakeners who had little to nobat power, including Sha Ye, Chen Ying, and Zhang Wei of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    rm red in Sha Ye¡¯s mind. She eyed the red-haired woman outside warily and instinctively held her daughter tight in her arms, praying silently.

    ¡°Lilia.¡± Qilin was the first to recognize her.

    Dragon didn¡¯t say anything. He knew who she was.

    Surnamed Li frowned slightly, quickly recalling the name. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡±

    Hovering, Lilia was superimposed onto the giant blood moon in the night sky. Lit from the back by the crimson moonlight, she had an unreadable smile on her face. It seemed from her slightly upcurved lips that she was smiling faintly, yet it also looked like she would break down in tears the next moment.

    Suddenly, the wind stopped, and her red hair and windbreaker draped down.

    She lifted her right hand elegantly, sying her fingers at the interior. Energy emerged from her palm, flickering a strange red light, a deadly mix of multiple elements.

    Sensing the danger, White Tiger pped his hands together without hesitation.

    ¡°Absolute Defense!¡±

 Chapter 372: Mob

    <h4>Chapter 372: Mob</h4>

    Instantly, a cluster of strange energy flickering a gold light emerged under White Tiger¡¯s feet. Like living paint, it spread quickly across the floor and climbed onto the walls and ceiling.

    The entire 52nd floor was covered in the energy barrier of Absolute Defense.

    Two secondster, Lilia attacked.

    If someone were standing by her side right now, they would see that the air around the woman hovering high in the air was tinted with a red, flowing light.

    A great beam of deadly red light burst out of her palms, casting the space between heaven and earth in a bleak dark red.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The light devoured the 52nd floor whole, hitting the lower floors as well. The upper floors of the White Lake Hotel instantly melted, leaving behind arge cavity, under which was the awakeners¡¯ dorm rooms, cut diagonally in half. From the bed, one would see the night sky and stars without any cover.

    Awakeners gathering on the 52nd floor, however, survived.

    Although the deadly ray had melted the other floors, the space under the protection of Absolute Defense remained intact.

    The translucent golden square hovered in the sky like a spaceship, the passengers unhurt.

    Lilia still had the same faint smile on her face, unfazed.

    She wasn¡¯t in a rush to make the second wave of attack, but instead waited quietly and patiently. Although she didn¡¯t know the details of White Tiger¡¯s Talent, she knew that the irrationally unbreakable defense wouldn¡¯tst long.

    She wasn¡¯t in a rush. Time was on her side.

    Qilin knew that too, so he made the decision quickly.

    ¡°Take everyone and leave, White Tiger,¡± Qilin said without turning around, his gaze calm. ¡°Dragon, X, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dragon had risen to his feet and walked up to Qilin, soundingposed.

    <i>ng</i>. X crushed the empty beer can with one hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see what she¡¯s got!¡±

    Total Defense allowed no entrance, only departure.

    The three men left the barrier and stepped on air, falling quickly to the ground.

    Their fall slowed before they reached the ground, and theynded gracefully.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Qilin smiled. With his limp, it would be difficult for him tond with grace from such a high ce. As the temporary leader of the awakeners, he needed to maintain some dignity before the leader of the pride monsters.

    Dragon said carelessly, ¡°It isn¡¯t much.¡±

    X didn¡¯t thank him. With a hand in the pocket, he narrowed his eyes, facing forward.

    As soon as the three of themnded, White Tiger flew away with the barrier of Absolute Defense¡ªthe Talent not only allowed him to block all attacks, but also moved the barrier like an actual airship.

    Lilia knew that the three men on the za were her true enemies, and that those who had fled were nothing but ants. She slowly descended to the ground.

    She still wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make a move, but instead observed the three of them from less than a hundred meters away.

    Dragon, Qilin, and X didn¡¯t initiate an attack either, taking the time to observe their enemy.

    After about a minute, X was the first to lose his patience. ¡°Hey, are we fighting or not? I¡¯m gonna go to bed otherwise.¡±

    Qilin smiled faintly without a word. <i>It¡¯s about keeping the appearance of having the upperhand, X. Simple as that.</i>

    Dragon didn¡¯t really care about appearance. His heterochromic eyes seemed careless; he was either thinking about something, or simply distracted.

    Suddenly, X noticed something. ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect you to be this cautious, sending theckeys to feel us out first.¡±

    Elite monsters appeared around the za and on the buildings near the crossroad. They rushed toward the three of them, charging and leaping.

    Dragon, Qilin, and X approached Lilia at the same time, walking with deliberate steps like they were going on a stroll at night.

    Dozens of ughterers reached them first, the quickest and most bloodthirsty of the monsters.

    When they were ten meters from them, however, they stopped moving, eyes widened like they were seeing something unusual.

    They had entered the illusory realm Qilin prepared for them.

    Walking forward with his cane, Qilin raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

    ¡°Hatred.¡±

    The dozens of ughterers suddenly went berserk and tore into each other, attacking their fellow monsters with great ferocity and the most venomous of rage.

    The three of them continued, walking past the ughterers tearing each other apart like they were walking past a boisterous ball, and the monsters were dancing.

    Dragon and X could¡¯ve moved faster, but they chose to slow down to match Qilin¡¯s pace, who was walking with the help of a cane.

    The next wave of monsters swarmed up to them, mostly devourers and overtakers. The devourers¡¯ hands transformed into tentacles, while the overtakers¡¯ morphed into sharp bone stings.

    This time, they kept their eyes closed and attacked from a distance, wary of Qilin¡¯s illusion-inducing power.

    Countless tentacles and bone stings flew toward them from ten meters away, only to be stopped five meters away like someone had hit the pause button.

    Dragon slightly looked up as he walked.

    The over hundred tentacles and bone stings pulled back, and many monsters reverted back to their human forms. Two secondster, their eyes widened, put in a strange possessed state.

    Then they dropped to their knees at the same time, bowing to Dragon with their hands on the ground like devout followers.

    A few secondster, the dozens of elite monsters died quietly while maintaining the posture of deference.

    There were a good number of freeriders on the buildings in the distance as well. Their chest bulged and their throats shifted before they shot out green deadly rays, aiming at the three men.

    A dark wind swept by suddenly.

    Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t wind, but a poisonous current of countless ck particles. The moment the particles flew past the freeriders, the deadly ray charging in their mouths went out.

    They fell from the buildings and hit the road, holding their necks with both hands and struggling with a pained look on their faces. The first to pop up were the blisters. Then pus leaked out and flesh rotted. In less than half a minute, the monsters seemed like they had died for more than half a month.

    Pestilence, serial number 8, the top Poison-type Talent.

    One of the Talent¡¯s abilities was to summon a current of poison. Hit for more than two seconds or inhaled for more than half a second, all organisms would die.

    In only a short minute, the hundred and some elite monsters were wiped out, while Qilin, Dragon, and X continued to march toward Lilia.

    Finally, there was only ten meters between them.

    Qilin started a conversation with a surprising opener, ¡°Must we fight?¡±

    ¡°We must.¡± Lilia nodded, her voice clear and frosty.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we been staying away from each other the past Crimson Tides?¡± Qilin argued.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to turn in the answer sheet,¡± Lilia said concisely.

    ¡°You¡¯re an awakener too,¡± Dragon said. ¡°Why did you betray humans?¡±

    Lilia paused, seemingly remembering something from a distant past.

    Broken out of her thoughts, she smiled with youthful innocence and sorrow. ¡°Because being a human makes one unhappy.¡±

    They were taken aback by the response. Her answer seemed earnest, but absurd in its trivial nature.

    ¡°What...are you now?¡± Qilin frowned slightly.

 Chapter 373: Descent of the Overlord

    <h4>Chapter 373: Descent of the Overlord</h4>

    Lilia thought for a moment and quietly answered, ¡°In your words, I¡¯m a half-human, but not the lowly kinds that were taken over by overtakers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thebination of pride monster and awakener, in body and soul. I¡¯m Epilogue, but also Lilia.¡±

    Realization dawned on Qilin.

    Epilogue was the pride monster, and Lilia the awakener.

    It seemed that the pce hall under the Sacred Mountain Church was indeed holding an evil ritual.

    Lilia wasn¡¯t the first sacrifice. The Godbearer Cult had attempted the ritual many times¡ªLilia was simply the only one to survive.

    Somehow, the Cult had merged Lilia and Epilogue, the head of pride monsters.

    It might be a long process. That was why Lilia had lived as herself for a while after the sess of the ritual, sent to Li City on an exchange program. She declined Qilin Guild¡¯s invitation andter went missing.

    It was possible that Lilia had been merged with Epilogue after her disappearance, of course. That was something Qilin couldn¡¯t know for sure.

    The point still stood though: Lilia was both a pride monster and an awakener, which meant she was neither a pride monster or an awakener, and the Heavenly Way could not restrict her.

    They could do anything.

    Then why did Lilia choose to make a move during thest night of the Crimson Tide?

    In theory, Lilia could attack anytime.

    Perhaps it was because the other elite monsters could only attack humans when the Crimson Tide came. Perhaps there was another scheme involved.

    With the questions in mind, Qilin asked tentatively, ¡°You¡¯ve defied the Heavenly Way. Aren¡¯t you worried about the punishment?¡±

    ¡°What of the Heavenly Way?¡±

    Lilia¡¯s smile dropped, her eyes turning prideful and dark like she had switched personalities. ¡°I have a more important mission toplete¡ªto wipe out all humans.¡±

    Not just the awakeners, but <i>all</i> <i>humans</i>.

    That was Epilogue¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Dragon¡¯s eyes glinted coldly, ¡°I¡¯d like to live a little longer to open the Gates of Closure and take a look.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s no deal...¡± X stretched his arms and smirked. ¡°Let us fight.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lilia vanished instantly.

    <i>She¡¯s quick!</i>

    Qilin started. Although he wasn¡¯t that strong in closebat, his eyes were keen, and even he only caught a fleeting glimpse of her moving figure.

    A secondter, she appeared behind him.

    ¡ªnk.

    Qilin thought, tapping into his full Willpower to influence the mind of all organisms three meters from him.

    Lilia, who was just about to pierce through Qilin¡¯s heart, felt all the emotions, thoughts, and logic in her mind draining quickly. She even forgot who she was and why she was standing there.

    A secondter, she regained control over her mind.

    With a quick leap, she retreated to twenty meters away.

    Qilin whirled around, his keen eyes searching for Lilia to use Eidos on her.

    Lilia, however, didn¡¯t give him the chance. She disappeared again before reappearing before Dragon a secondter, her right hand, morphing into a crimson de, stabbing into Dragon¡¯s chest.

    Dragon stood where he was, his heterochromic eyes twitching, radiating a strange force field around him to stop Lilia¡¯s attack.

    Moreover, the pressure was growing in intensity, the weight on her doubling.

    Feeling the great threat, Lilia broke free of Dragon¡¯s forcefield with an explosive power that even dwarfed other pride monsters, flying twenty meters back.

    The moment she steadied her footing, an intangible poisonous wind swirled about her.

    ck particles enveloped her, but the dense cover they formed couldn¡¯t really make contact with Lilia.

    Long foreseen X¡¯s attack, Lilia had conjured a transparent wall of wind element around her.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A secondter, the wall exploded and scattered the tens of thousands of poisonous particles. When the current quickly emerged again, Lilia was already gone.

    She leapt over the three men, the fingers of her right hand syed.

    Countless red pirs of light fell from the sky and shot into the ground, trapping them in a red cage. Then the ground cracked. Red crystals shot out like blooming flowers of red ice, breaking the prison and freezing the three men.

    Without hesitation, she shot a giant beam of red light from her palm, sweeping over the red crystal flowers and melting everything. The entire road was destroyed, plowed into a ditch. The shopping mall not far from here had a hole put into it as well.

    Was it done?

    Lilia looked ahead, her eyes shaking.

    She finally realized then.

    This was an illusion!

    ...

    In reality.

    The moment Qilin said, ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he had trapped Lilia with an illusion secretly. Although Lilia had fought the three men for close to a minute in the illusion, it had only been two seconds in the real world.

    Lilia woke up then.

    But it was toote. The two seconds had been enough for Dragon to activate his Talent with her as the target.

    ¡°Good work. Leave the rest to me.¡±

    Dragon walked up to her.

    The night wind lifted his long hair, revealing his beautiful face. Under the moonlight, his heterochromic eyes look eerie.

    ¡°The Overlord descends. All will kneel in submission.¡±

    The world seemed to dim, and a forcefield powerful to the point of absurdity swarmed up to Lilia from all directions, sacred and dignified in a divine way.

    Nothing else existed around Lilia but herself and Dragon.

    All she could see was gray fog. It seemed to be flowing, but also still; silently lonesome, but also boisterously noisy.

    It was a space of iprehensible contradictions.

    Lilia frowned, extending her right hand and shooting a deadly red ray that was doubly powerful. That, however, disappeared immediately, or it would be more urate to say that it was seized and absorbed by the gray fog.

    She was suddenly reminded of a line from mythologies: when the world first started, there was chaos.

    This felt like being in a world of chaos.

    A chair consisting of the fog that embodied chaos appeared behind Dragon. He quietly sat down and leaned in with his hands on the armrests, one hand propping his head up like a god with a careless attitude.

    At this moment, Dragon was the overlord of this world.

    ¡°Let the judgment begin.¡±

    His voice was quiet, but deep, ancient, and dignified like the sound of the world.

    Then the chaos dispersed.

    The world around them became a deste wastnd of gray. The sky was all muddled and gray as well, making the line between the sky andnd obscured.

    On the wastnd stood an ancient stone tform for judging sinners. Two bronze pirs rose into the sky with ck chains wrapping around them, tying Lilia¡¯s two arms.

    An intangible power forced her to kneel, but she refused to and remained standing.

    ¡°Rain,¡± Dragon said.

    Soon, cold, sharp gray rain fell quickly from the sky, the droplets hitting Lilia in all parts like deadlysers.

    The raindrops didn¡¯t inflict physical damage on her, nor did they do psychic damage. It felt like they were cutting away Lilia¡¯s essence of existence, slowly melting it away.

    It didn¡¯t feel like dying, but disappearing.

 Chapter 374: Goalkeeper

    <h4>Chapter 374: Goalkeeper</h4>

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Lilia screamed. There was nothing she could do but endure the torturous pain one-sidedly.

    Time passed¡ªno, time was meaningless here.

    The gray rain finally stopped. Lilia had ovee the first judgment.

    She looked up to find to her surprise that the world had changed again. Rolling dark clouds filled the sky, and the once deste wastnd saw shoots of green. That was the color of life.

    Lilia felt as if the vitality hade from her body, that she was bearing the torment to body and soul God felt when creating the world.

    Dragon, lying on the divine seat, didn¡¯t seem fazed. He had expected her to endure the first judgment.

    Three secondster, his eyes glinted, and he raised his left handzily, calling down the second judgment.

    ¡°Thunder.¡±

    The dark clouds rolled and writhed as rumbling thunder boomed from the sky like theing of war. Soon, like countless sharp des, gray lightning struck down on Lilia, tied to the judgment tform.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    <i>Boom.</i>

    The pain shot through Lilia¡¯s head before spreading to other parts of her body, finally leaving through the soles of her feet.

    Again and again, her very essence was relentlessly abused, her cries of pain drowned out by the booming thunder.

    She felt like she couldn¡¯t go on, and she felt the urge to drop to her knees.

    But she didn¡¯t. A voice in the depths of her heart warned her that if she knelt and submitted herself, what awaited her would beplete elimination.

    At some point, thriving nts and flowers had taken over thend. The dark clouds dispersed, leaving the deep blue sky clear above thend brimming with life.

    Still, Lilia remained on her feet.

    She looked up at Dragon, as prideful as ever with a cold sneer tugging her lips, as if she was saying, <i>The torment God went through when creating the world? It¡¯s nothing.</i>

    Dragon remained unfazed and unsurprised. There were some people who could endure the second judgment; not a lot, but some.

    In Dragon¡¯s life, he had never met anyone who could endure the third judgment.

    And with his Overlord at level 3, that was his limit.

    He lifted his head slightly and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Four oceans.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, White Tiger carried the dozens of nobatants of the rear toward the Walled City of Ten Dragons, his defensive barrier acting as a golden airship.

    Soon, the ship slowlynded. Then the golden barriers melted and returned to White Tiger¡¯s body.

    Staying in ce, the barrier of Absolute Defense couldst more than ten minutes. With so many people moving at such high speed, however, it could onlyst three minutes.

    Still, it was a tradeoff worth taking.

    If they had stayed, Lilia¡¯s tremendous destructive power would¡¯ve put them in danger. Even though she was facing Qilin, Dragon, and X, some stray hits would stillnd on them.

    White Tigermented his bad luck.

    If they had found the Guard Rune Circuit, he would¡¯ve been able to level up his Talent and serve his duty as the Chief Security Officer much better.

    Everyone was fighting, yet he couldn¡¯t do much to help.

    He was suddenly reminded of the ser match he had been unable to attend because of the Crimson Tide. He was finally off the bench, yet he missed the game.

    He was a goalkeeper on the team. Looking back, he seemed to have always been on the defensive side all his life. Never had he initiated an offense.

    He recalled what Electric Mouse had said, that he wasn¡¯t cool at all.

    Well, it was true.

    Reaching middle age, people woulde to realize that the world didn¡¯t revolve around them. Everyone dreamed of being a hero one day, but it was difficult enough to just survive.

    He wondered how the young man was doing.

    ¡°Are we safe?¡± Sha Ye asked, standing among the crowd with her daughter in her arms.

    ¡°For the moment. I¡¯ve sent a signal to Team Azure Dragon and Team War Tiger. They are on their way...¡±

    ¡°Watch out, White Tiger! The enemy ising, and they¡¯ll appear from above you,¡± Surnamed Li interrupted him, having foreseen the future in ten seconds.

    Panic erupted among the crowd.

    With a frown, White Tiger quickly turned to look up at the sky, spotting the quickly approaching enemy. With a shout, he raised his hands to conjure a giant translucent golden shield above his head.

    <i>ng.</i>

    A topless old man with a braid fell from the sky,nding a punch on the giant golden shield. The air exploded into shockwaves, rippling outward in the za, shattering the windows of the buildings around them.

    The dozens of awakeners behind White Tiger remained safe, feeling not even a little wind. White Tiger, on the other hand, felt his arms go numb and his body shaking; his bones threatened to fall apart, and his feet had sunk into the ground. While there was a distance between him and the giant shield, the energy of it was closely connected to him.

    There were very few as good at taking hits as White Tiger was.

    However, the old man¡¯s punch from the sky had almost broken through White Tiger¡¯s defense. The power was formidable.

    The pride monster named Jin hadnded on the ground. He was all muscles and raw power, his old face sunken and sharp with killing intent.

    ¡°Shadowstalker, Sir Jin, Pride Fist,¡± he dered with his hands balled into fists. ¡°You, your name!¡±

    ¡°Qilin Guild, White Tiger.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re White Tiger?¡± Sir Jin scoffed. ¡°Finally, I found you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± White Tiger asked while sneakily rxing his numb arms and fingers.

    ¡°Yes, Epilogue told me to kill you.¡±

    White Tiger was surprised, somewhat pleasantly so. <i>I didn¡¯t expect to be important enough for the pride monsters to send a tough one after me.</i>

    ¡°Just die. I¡¯m in a rush.¡± Sir Jin readied his stance. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you and everyone behind you before looking for Azure Dragon. He¡¯s a worthy opponent.¡±

    White Tiger¡¯s lips twitched.<i> Fuck, I¡¯m being looked down on.</i>

    Without turning around, he took a step forward and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere and stay behind me.¡±

    ¡°Elder White Tiger, I can fight...¡± Zhang Wei was just about to walk up.

    ¡°Stay behind me!¡± White Tiger shouted. It was the first time he had broken out of his usual personable attitude to make a serious order.

    He didn¡¯t have the time to exin to the kid how powerful Sir Jin¡¯s punch had been. If he hadn¡¯t blocked the punch but instead avoided it, the indirect force of it alone would kill two thirds of the nobatants. To Sir Jin, they were insects he could easily crush with one finger.

    At this moment, the only one who could protect them was White Tiger, but that was all he could do.

    As a goalkeeper, he would never be able to defeat a star attacker like Sir Jin.

    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to. All he had to do was safeguard the goal, and in terms of defense, White Tiger was an expert.

    Sir Jin shot out with incredible speed like the head of a speeding train, his momentum imbuing his punch as he aimed at White Tiger.

    Hands balled into fists, White Tiger crossed his arms before his chest, conjuring a translucent golden shield before him.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The strongest spear of the pride monster went head to head with the strongest shield of the awakeners.

    The resulting shockwaves were powerful enough to shake the entire Walled City of Ten Dragons. Like a river getting split by skerry, the force of his powerful punch split and rushed to the sides. While those behind White Tiger were fine, the small gardens and trees on their sides were torn down like a typhoon had hit.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Sir Jin got excited facing a formidable opponent. ¡°Let¡¯s see how many more punches you can take!¡±

    Leaping with both feet, he flew tens of meters into the sky with his right fist clenched and his body tensed, plunging down toward the central za of the Walled City of Ten Dragons like a falling star.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    White Tiger rushed into the crowd and raised his hands above his head.

    <i>Clink!</i>

    Energy continued to rush out of White Tiger¡¯s hands, quickly spreading to form a hemisphere of golden barrier, shielding everyone.

    The punchnded on the barrier, the fierce raw energy rippling in all directions. The one-meter thick barrier cracked, close to shattering.

    White Tiger threw up a mouthful of blood, his feet sinking into the asphalt ground by half a meter.

    But the awakeners around him, who had waited for death toe in the arms of their loved ones, were safe and sound.

    They didn¡¯t even hear the wind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...look down on me!¡± White Tiger growled with blood filling his mouth, pushing his hands upward to reverse the golden barrier.

    Like a golden lotus, the barriers closed like flower petals, trapping Sir Jin inside.

 Chapter 375: Goal Kept

    <h4>Chapter 375: Goal Kept</h4>

    White Tiger jumped, his feet breaking out of the asphalt path he had sunk into. While manipting the flowers trapping Sir Jin with both hands, he made a wild swing, sending the flower flying quickly through a row of joined buildings like a wrecking ball.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The walls crumbled, having a hole put into them.

    Panting, White Tiger wiped blood from the corners of his mouth and muttered to himself, ¡±Nice...save...me...¡±

    He copsed to the ground with both hands propping himself up, throwing up another mouthful of blood.

    He had blocked Lilia¡¯s attack with Absolute Defense before, exhausting a great amount of energy. His shes with Sir Jin further drained him.

    <i>Damn it, what¡¯s taking Azure Dragon and War Tiger so long?!</i>

    ¡°Hahaha! Hahahaha!¡±

    Sir Jin¡¯s satisfiedughter came from the ruins of the buildings.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    He rushed out of the rubbles.

    ¡°Keep going! Keep going!¡±

    Sir Jin charged at White Tiger with his hands balled into fists, covered entirely in blood. Relentless quick jabs flew toward White Tiger in a flurry of movements, creating tens of hundreds of afterimages.

    With a shout, White Tiger crossed his arms before his chest, fists clenched. The golden barrier he conjured with energy this time had be noticeably thinner.

    Sir Jin was giving his all as well. He had wanted to preserve strength to have a fight to the death with Azure Dragon, but he underestimated White Tiger. Who would¡¯ve thought that it would be this thrilling to one-sidedly attack a punching bag?

    Theirs was the battle of raw strength in its purest form.

    White Tiger took one step back after another, his energy long run out. Now, he was exhausting his vitality.

    The golden barrier cracked, and powerful punchesnded indirectly on White Tiger, the fierce force leaving his arms and chest torn and split, his blood staining his shirt.

    <i>It¡¯s so tiring! It hurts!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s so hard, how long is this going to go on? Why hasn¡¯t the whistle to end the game sounded?</i>

    <i>Are you doing this on purpose, referee?</i>

    <i>I¡¯m not gonna be able to keep guarding the goal!</i>

    <i>But I don¡¯t wanna lose this game! I¡¯m the Chief of Security of the Qilin Guild, with dozens of people depending on me for their survival, some of them elderly, women, and children!</i>

    <i>They¡¯re putting their hopes in me!</i>

    <i>But I¡¯m sorry...I¡¯ve done my best.</i>

    <i>Clink.</i>

    The golden barrier shattered into countless golden energy particles.

    In truth, Sir Jin, having made tens of thousands of jabs, was at his limit as well. His fists were covered in blood, and the power and speed of his punches had dropped significantly.

    Sir Jinmented the fact. Were it twenty years ago, he would¡¯ve had so much more fun. He would¡¯ve been able to kill White Tiger and then Azure Dragon.

    Now, however, it took him eighty percent of all his strength dealing with White Tiger alone.

    Age caught up with everyone.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The moment the golden barrier shattered, Sir Jin made thest punch, hitting White Tiger in the chest squarely.

    White Tiger¡¯s ribs broke, and his internal organs shattered, his back arching as the force of the punch shot through his back, the gust of blood marking his tragic end hitting the dozens of people behind him.

    ¡°Elder White Tiger!¡± Zhang Wei shouted, tears covering his face. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ming for you even if I¡¯ll die trying!¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t want Zhang Wei to get himself killed for nothing, so she grabbed him tightly.

    ¡°Uncle White Tiger...¡± Sha Ye¡¯s daughter, held by her mother, hadn¡¯t stopped crying. She had broken into tears out of fear, and now, out of heartbreak.

    Half an hour before, the man with a friendly smile had given her an orange-vored lollipop.

    With blooding out of all his orifices, White Tiger could no longer hear the voicesing from behind him. With a thud, he dropped to his knees.

    Before his death, he felt a powerful gust of wind.

    Finally, Azure Dragon made it here. He charged at Sir Jin like a bullet and made a furious punch at Sir Jin¡¯s face, shattering the pride monster¡¯s jaw. Sir Jin didn¡¯t even get a good look at his assant before he was thrown off his feet, hurtling into the side of the joined buildings and breaking through three walls.

    Sir Jin copsed among the ruins, sputtering blood and seeing stars, at thest inch of his life.

    He struggled to stand up.

    Then a dark figure descended from above, piercing his heart with a de and twisting it for a full rotation quickly.

    Two secondster, War Tiger pulled out the Demon de. Sir Jin had taken hisst breath with his eyes widened.

    War Tiger looked at the dead pride monster at his feet, and then the za outside.

    He said regretfully, ¡°We¡¯re toote.¡±

    ¡°Old White! Old White!¡±

    In the center of the za, Azure Dragon held White Tiger in his arms.

    White Tiger could no longer open his eyes. Despite all the blood filling his ears, he managed to barely make out Azure Dragon¡¯s voice.

    He spoke with blood foamsing out of the corners of his mouth, a hint of pride tinging his frail voice, ¡°I¡¯ve kept...the goal guarded.¡±

    He took hisst breath.

    ...

    Meanwhile, White Lake Hotel.

    The za was covered in dead elite monsters. Amid the bodies, two men stood by a strange giant grayish orb. It was about the size of a hot air balloon and about a meter off the ground. Tendrils of blood fog wrapped around the orb, attempting to burrow their ways in, but to no avail.

    The gray orb was the realm Dragon had created with his Talent, Overlord. Inside was infinite space and time, and Dragon was the ruler of all. The target could not leave once they entered the realm.

    There were only three possible ways it could end:

    First, the target undergoing the judgments died.

    Second, the target underong the judgments survived.

    Third, the judgments were forced to stop.

    Thest one was a possibility, and it was easy to do. Someone simply had to destroy the realm from the outside.

    Inside, the realm was strong to the point of ignoring causality and the rules of the universe. Nothing could break it.

    Outside, on the other hand, the realm was as fragile as eggshell. Even a little pebble could shatter it.

    Qilin and X stood guard outside in case of an ident.

    X, who had been silent, paused, seemingly sensing something.

    He turned to Qilin. ¡°Can Dragon kill the pride monster?¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t turn to look at him, but stared at the orb of Overlord¡¯s realm with a strange look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s my first time seeing his power.¡±

    ¡°Serial number 1, Overlord, possibly the top Miracle-type Talent,¡± X said thoughtfully. ¡°What a smug name.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t respond.

    He was still staring at the realm before him, bemused, already picturing the scenarios in which he and Dragon came into conflict. It took two seconds to activate Overlord, which was quite a long time for him. If they ever fought, there would be no clear victor...

    His thought derailed at that moment as something cold entered his chest. He parted his lips, eyes confused as he slowly looked down. At some point, X hadpressed his poisonous wind into a small dagger. It pierced through Qilin¡¯s back and protruded from his chest.

    ¡°What...why...¡±

    Qilin turned to X with disbelief, face pale.

    Hands in his pockets, X narrowed his eyes at the gray orb rather than looking at Qilin, his profile grim. ¡°Don¡¯t me me. We all have our own path, and there¡¯s no turning back once the choice is made.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Qilin could no longer speak as the poison burrowed into his body. In two seconds, his body began to melt and crumble into a pile of repulsive rotten meat, the flesh sticking to the clothes.

    X took a step forward and lifted his chin, pulling the poisonous wind from the rotten meat and sending it to the gray orb.

    He was going to stop Dragon¡¯s judgment and save Lilia.

    Suddenly, he felt a dull pain in the back of his head. He started, expression twisted. <i>It¡¯s an illusion!</i>

    A secondter.

    X¡¯s dazed eyes recovered their light in the real world. He felt a great pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw that a cane had pierced through his heart.

 Chapter 376: Poison of Hell

    <h4>Chapter 376: Poison of Hell</h4>

    Qilin stood before X with his cane in his left hand. He pulled it from X¡¯s heart.

    With eyes filled with regret, he said, ¡°So you¡¯ve betrayed humanity.¡±

    Blood sputtered from X¡¯s chest. He copsed to the ground, kneeling by Qilin¡¯s feet. ¡°When...did you...¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I need direct eye contact to give you an illusion?¡± Qilin adjusted the sses perching on his nose. Under the slight re of the lenses, his eyes were deep and cold. ¡°No, I only need to see you from the corner of my eyes.¡±

    ¡°And I can sense the changes in emotions in those around me, however slight. With no enemies around us, you suddenly exude killing intent. The only possible target is me.¡±

    Qilin paused, his lips curled into a bitter smile. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s thanks to Seven Shadow¡¯s warning. He told me to be wary of you before setting out, so I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you.¡±

    X toppled to the ground with a thud, the blood fog around him dispersing for a short moment. With blood streaking down his mouth, he said, ¡°What...a shame... Almost...seeded...¡±

    Qilin eyed him with cold scrutiny. ¡°Why did you betray us?¡±

    ¡°I told you...¡± X said weakly, his eyes squeezed shut, seemingly an attempt to reject Qilin¡¯s illusion at his dying moment. ¡°We all have our own path... Once a choice is made, we must get to the end of the path even if we have to crawl our way there...¡±

    Suddenly, Qilin sensed a strange disturbance behind him. He whirled around to find a slight crack on the light gray orb. The poisonous wind had morphed into a long stake and pierced through it.

    Why was he still able to use his poisonous wind?!

    At that moment, X, with his eyes closed, jumped more than ten meters backward, putting a safe distance between them.

    He then opened his eyes and scoffed at Qilin. ¡°I wasmenting your failure, Qilin. You almost seeded.¡±

    His chest stopped bleeding then.

    Qilin started. How? He had pierced X¡¯s heart with his cane. He had felt the heart crushing. What went wrong?

    Soon, X gave Qilin the answer. His chest bulged suddenly and writhed like a fermenting dough, as if there was life hidden within.

    ¡°Freerider!¡± Qilin made the guess.

    X nodded. ¡°Yes, I have a freerider in me. Now, I have two hearts, and my other heart can be shifted at will.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve aligned yourself with the monsters,¡± Qilin said with derisive disapproval.

    ¡°It¡¯s all toplete Sir Zuo¡¯s cause and follow the righteous path. You won¡¯t understand...¡±

    X¡¯s tone was colored by sorrow. He closed his eyes and extended his arms, his poisonous wind lifting him slowly to the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the n, Qilin. From the moment Surnamed Li prophesied the fate of you awakeners¡ªno, from even way back, you have been pawns on the chessboard.¡±

    ¡°Still, I¡¯ve only decided my path when you came to me in Naldives.¡±

    ¡°Just now, thest sacrifice, White Tiger, had died. The contract remains binding. I can sense it.¡±

    ¡°Watch, Qilin, as history¡ªno, as the world changes.¡±

    A Rune Circuit suddenly appeared in his hand. It was the Poison Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give you a freebie? This is how you use a Rune Circuit!¡±

    Suddenly, the Poison Rune Circuit melted in his hand and turned into energy in ck liquid form, which burrowed into his body through his fingers.

    When he opened his eyes again, his irises and scleras were both ink ck.

    Level 7 Pestilence had resonated perfectly with the Poison Rune Circuit, reaching the top level, level 8!

    Activate the most powerful form of Pestilence, Poison of Hell.

    ¡°Arghhhhh¡ª¡±

    X opened his mouth unnaturally wide and made a piercing shriek.

    It seemed as if tens of thousands of vicious spirits were undergoing the torment of purgatory inside him, and ck poison oozed out of his orifices nonstop, forming clouds of poison that covered the sky and obscured the moon, robbing the road of all light.

    Then it blew up, shooting four clumps of energy in four directions, searching for the sacrifice that had given their life and soul to hell¡ªWhite Tiger, Ronnie, Electric Mouse, and Joker.

    The giant clown doll that stayed stubbornly on the clearing under the hilltop cemetery in the Dongyu District.

    The body parts and blood pool on the grass field in the amusement park of the Western Suburban Park.

    The body bag Wu Dahai was carried in that had just been brought back to the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ base.

    White Tiger, whose body had been covered by a white cloth, on the central za in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    The four bodies¡ªor what remained of them¡ªexuded an evil ck energy at the same time.

    ¡°The body... Something''s wrong!¡±

    Nearby, Sha Ye noticed the strange change White Tiger¡¯s body was undergoing. Hit with a terrible premonition, she turned and shouted to the crowd, ¡°Get away from the body! Now!¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A great burst of poisonous energy came down from the sky and dove into White Tiger¡¯s body. The other three sacrifices were quickly found as well.

    Suddenly, the remains disappeared,bined with the poisonous energy and turning into four giant ck coffins in energy form.

    <i>ck.</i>

    The lids of the coffins slowly opened, making the sound of teeth grinding.

    Then a ck substance between gas form and liquid form poured out and seeped into the blood fog, like the condensed solution of all the corruption and malice in the world.

    Under the effect of the strange catalyst, the blood fog turned dark brown and continued to swell and rise like the foams of beer. In only a minute, the fog had risen to a hundred meters in the sky and deep underground. None in the Mist World could hide from it.

    Another half a minute passed, and the fog reverted to its original state, staying low on the ground at about half a meter. And the four insidious ck coffins were gone.

    It was as if nothing had happened.

    However, a gue had indeed hit, iming all awakeners as its victims.

    Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Surnamed Li were the first to feel it. The strange energy invaded their bodies and greedily wolfed down their energy like countless nktons. While the energy was foreign to their bodies, it cunningly bypassed the bodies¡¯ defense system. Like a virus from a different dimension, there was no understanding or countering it.

    Qilin was hit with the same feeling on the za under the White Lake Hotel.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Qilin looked at X with shock.

    ¡°In ten minutes, all awakeners would die of Poison of Hell.¡± X slowlynded, his face pale and his voice tinged with an exhaustion he couldn¡¯t hide.

    ¡°How...did you do it?¡± Qilin felt the energy in his body quickly draining. He could barely stay on his feet, but he fought to stay upright.

    X didn¡¯t exin. It wasn¡¯t something he could exin in a couple sentences. And there was no point in telling Qilin.

    This was all for Sir Zuo¡¯s answer.

    X hadn¡¯t lied about who Sir Zuo was. He was an observer and had served X¡¯s family as their butler.

    Rather than his parents, X had been raised by Sir Zuo. To him, Sir Zuo wasn¡¯t a servant, but his real family.

    When X awakened and exposed himself, almost getting killed, it was Sir Zuo who saved him.

    Based on that action alone, Sir Zuo would be considered a lightbringer.

    But Sir Zuo insisted that he was an observer.

    Because he wasn¡¯t actually on the awakeners¡¯ side, and he didn¡¯t think helping the awakeners was the right answer.

    He had his own answer, and the first step was to help X grow.

    That was why X had been an unaffiliate awakener throughout his life rather than joining any organization.

    Instead of treating X like a pawn or a puppet, Sir Zuo had told X his true goal and allowed X to make the decision on his own.

    Sir Zuo believed that there was only one solution: kill all awakeners outside of X and prevent any other awakeners from emerging. Then X wouldprehend all Talents there were sooner orter and became infinitely close to godhood, allowing him to open the Gates of Closure.

    What then? Sir Zuo didn¡¯t know. His answer ended at opening the Gates. He believed that having be a god, X would know where to go naturally, as well as how the fate of the world should develop.

    At first, X didn¡¯t agree with Sir Zuo¡¯s extreme answer.

    Gradually, however, X saw no alternatives, and he wavered. He became confused,pletely lost.

    That was until the three organizations sent their delegates to him before the Crimson Tide and told him Surnamed Li¡¯s prophecy, asking him to join. It all went ording to what Sir Zuo had wanted.

    The Godbearer Cult¡¯s schemes, the pride monsters¡¯ answers, and the awakeners¡¯ resistance¡ªthey all came together to bring about the future prophesied by Surnamed Li.

    That was fate, it turned out.

 Chapter 377: Pursuit of Godhood

    <h4>Chapter 377: Pursuit of Godhood</h4>

    At that moment, X realized that he was standing at the crossroad of fate. He was thest and most important puzzle piece, and he would determine if the cogs of fate would start turning.

    Thus, X asked for a volleyball match to make the decision.

    It might sound like an absurd joke, as frivolous as determining the future of the world with a coin toss.

    But to X, that was exactly the beauty of it.

    <i>I¡¯ve been lost for so long withouting to an answer. Now that it¡¯s time to make a decision, why don¡¯t I leave it all to fate?</i>

    In the end, the awakeners won the volleyball game and made the decision for X.

    He was the kind of person who didn¡¯t look back once he had made up his mind.

    At that moment, he officially became Sir Zuo¡¯s partner in crime. He lied to the awakeners that there was a Rune Cave, and that thirteen people were required to get the Poison Rune Circuit.

    That, however, was only bait.

    X¡¯s Pestilence had long reached level 7, and Sir Zuo hadn¡¯t kept the Rune Circuit from him.

    Finally, everyone agreed to enter Sir Zuo¡¯s pride realm.

    <i>The game is on. The contract is made. There is no end until there are victors.</i>

    The thirteen of them started a game of Werewolf, believing it to determine their survival.

    The game itself wasn¡¯t the important part. What mattered was that the yers had willingly entered a contract with X, ready to give their lives.

    As the alpha, every victim his fellow werewolves imed had effectively signed the contract.

    That was the hidden aspect of Sir Zuo¡¯s Pride Realm. Within the realm, he was able to quietly transfer the power of contracts to X¡¯s Poison of Hell, making the awakeners willing sacrifices with them none the wiser.

    <i>The game ended. The contract is done. The victors are decided. All is fate.</i>

    Ronnie, Electric Mouse, Joker, and White Tiger were the yers killed by the werewolves, and thus they had all entered a contract with X.

    They would be the perfect sacrifices. When they died during a certain period of time, their bodies and souls would be offered to summon Poison of Hell, spread through the red fog to im all living organisms that belonged to the same species as the sacrifices. None would be exempt.

    Yes, not even X, who had activated the poison.

    That was why he allowed a special freerider to enter his body. No longer a pure awakener, he wouldn¡¯t be a target of Poison of Hell.

    The four pirs of blood were merely set up for a fake evil ritual to draw the awakeners out, making sure that the pride monsters could kill the contracted sacrifices.

    Only three sacrifices had to be killed to activate Poison of Hell, but the poison would be less potent ande into effect slower. While awakeners would be given some time to put up thest struggle, though, the only ending awaiting them was death.

    To X¡¯s surprise, the pride monsters had sessfully killed all four sacrifices.

    At that moment, he knew that the path to godhood Sir Zuo had paved for him wasing together.

    ¡°I will be God.¡±

    That was the only thing X said to Qilin.

    Qilin shuddered, having guessed what X was nning: he would kill all awakeners and im all Talents for himself to be infinitely close to godhood.

    ¡°So you¡¯d go so far as to work with the pride monsters?¡±

    ¡°Epilogue¡¯s answer is to kill all humans and awakeners, while my goal is to kill all awakeners. We¡¯re merely using each other.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve betrayed humanity, while the monsters will never wee you with open arms,¡± Qilin said coldly.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said,¡± X enunciated every word deliberately, ¡°I. Will. Be. God.¡±

    The energy of the Poison Rune Circuit left X¡¯s body, returning to his hand in concrete form.

    He yed with the Rune Circuit with his long fingers. ¡°Sir Zuo, the old man, had picked a path of great loneliness for me.¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha, hahahaha...¡±

    He suddenly tipped his head up and howled withughter until he was shuddering all over, tears of joy streaking down his face. ¡°No, no, no no no no...¡±

    X entered a state of hysteria. ¡°That¡¯s wrong. That¡¯s not the case. It wasn¡¯t the old man¡¯s choice, but my own!¡±

    ¡°Only now do I realize that I¡¯ve always wanted to walk this path! I simply didn¡¯t dare to admit it, didn¡¯t dare to admit that I¡¯m a freak who doesn¡¯t need family, friends, or fellow humans...¡±

    ¡°Yes, only now, when I¡¯m going to make the step,¡± X turned to Qilin, his mad smile fading and his eyes turning fierce. ¡°Only now do I realize that this is what I¡¯ve always wanted! I want to be a god and kill God!¡±

    Then the light gray orb, Dragon¡¯s realm, shattered.

    When X damaged the realm of Overlord with his poisonous wind from the outside, Dragon had sensed the realm shake and crumble. He tried his best to keep it together, at least for a little longer, until he executed Lilia.

    And he should¡¯ve been able to do it.

    However, through the cracks, the blood fog burrowed in, and X wasted no time to activate Poison of Hell, which spread to every single awakener quickly without discrimination. Even Dragon, the overlord of his realm, couldn¡¯t escape the same fate.

    He immediately sensed a strange thing greedily eating away the energy in his body.

    Finally, Dragon lost the ability to maintain his realm, and Lilia avoided death.

    Once the realm crumbled, Dragon and Lilia appeared on the za at the same time. Two secondster, Dragon threw up a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.

    To judge a life as the overlord, he had to endure the mantle of the overlord himself, which was incredibly taxing to Dragon.

    Then he tried to keep the realm intact and waster inflicted with Poison of Hell. There was no longer any energy left in him.

    Lilia dropped to one knee, face pale and breathing hurried. While she didn¡¯t have any external injury, her vitality had taken a great blow.

    It was a narrow escape. Not even she knew for how long the judgment wouldst and how much more she could endure.

    Without X, she would¡¯ve died.

    It seemed that working with him had been the right choice.

    Pride monsters recovered quickly. In a minute, Lilia would recover sixty to seventy percent of her power. Then it would be easy for her to deal with the enemies¡ªwell, there were no other enemies to deal with. X¡¯s poison was going to kill every single one of the awakeners.

    They had won.

    It was then Qilin toppled to the ground quietly, no longer able to hold on. Poison of Hell had already spread to all parts of his body.

    With a hand in his pocket, X looked down at Qilin, who had lost consciousness on the ground. ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve been a little better at our job than they were.¡±

    Lilia picked herself up. ¡°All mypanions are dead.¡±

    Pride monsters could sense each other¡¯s presence, and she could tell that all five shadowstalkers had died.

    ¡°And my formerpanions are going to die soon.¡± X smiled without it reaching his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re the same.¡±

    Lilia turned around. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to kill all humans.¡±

    X chuckled and shrugged carelessly. ¡°Be my guest...¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    A shortsword stabbed into X¡¯s back,ing out from his chest.

    It was Gao Yang!

    His voice trembled with uncontainable rage. ¡°What the fuck have you done?!¡±

    X slowly turned around with a look of confusion on his face. ¡°Why are you up and running, Seven Shadow?¡±

    After a pause, he broke into a smile. ¡°Ah, I get it now. You¡¯re not a pure awakener anymore either, are you?¡±

    Gao Yang was shocked. How could X speak so smoothly when his heart had been pierced? He didn¡¯t seem like a dying man at all.

    Having just arrived at the scene, Gao Yang didn¡¯t know that there was a freerider inside X, and that his heart could now be shifted at will.

    Suddenly, he felt a strange ck wind closing in on him quietly. With Teleportation, he quickly moved away.

    <i>St.</i>

    The shortsword was spat out from X¡¯s back. Then his chest and back bulged and writhed before recovering anew, as if a living bug was hiding inside and had been disturbed for a moment.

    X turned to look at Gao Yang, his eyes shing with killing intent. ¡°An existence like me must be erased.¡±

    Or there would be apetitor in his pursuit of godhood

 Chapter 378: The Promised Visit

    <h4>Chapter 378: The Promised Visit</h4>

    Half an hour ago, Team Gao Yang had defeated the powerful pride monster with telekinesis, Tong.

    Without the time to wallow in their loss, they left the injured ones to watch over their deadpanions, while those who could still fight ¡®borrowed¡¯ two cars in the park and headed back to the White Lake Hotel.

    Gao Yang had a feeling that the battle had not yet ended. Nothing was certain until the day broke.

    Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Green Tea, Heavenly Dog, and Old Seven shared a car and were leading the way. When the car was five minutes away from the White Lake Hotel, they sighed in relief seeing that the hotel ahead was intact, but then their breaths hitched.

    A small dot of red light flickered outside, midair.

    Then a giant beam of deadly ray shot out, almost devouring the upper floors whole.

    At that moment, everyone in the car was rendered speechless, then a bone-deep fear followed.

    How formidable must the enemies they were facing be?

    ¡°We, we can¡¯t win...¡± Old Seven had a mental breakdown, crushed under the weight of fear. He held onto his head with a pained look on his face. ¡°We¡¯ll all die, we¡¯ll all die! The prophecy is real...¡±

    ¡°Look!¡± Nine Frost shouted.

    Hope ignited in everyone.

    Although the 52nd floor of the hotel had been utterly destroyed, White Tiger had created a golden cube with the barrier of his Absolute Defense, keeping everyone protected. Then the golden cube flew quickly away like an airship.

    ¡°Faster!¡± Nine Frost urged.

    ¡°This is the fastest it can go.¡± Heavenly Dog held onto the steering wheel with both hands while stepping hard on the elerator.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed after that since every minute and every second felt like a year.

    Soon, their cars reached the crossroad closest to the White Lake Hotel. The sky suddenly darkened¡ªunbeknownst to them, X had activated Poison of Hell, and clouds of poison were filling the sky.

    A few secondster, the poison split into four clumps of energy and quickly found the four sacrifices, turning into four ck coffins and releasing Poison of Hell.

    Stimted by the poison, the blood fog rose quickly up until it enveloped the entire Li City.

    Heavenly Dog was forced to stop the car. None of them knew what was going on. The blood fog had quickly reverted to the original height like nothing had happened.

    Yet everyone outside of Gao Yang was already poisoned.

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right...¡± Nine Frost held onto his chest, face ashen, sensing his energy draining.

    Green Tea and Old Seven could no longer speak. Theyy limply on the seat like fish dying out of water while panting quickly, drenched in cold sweat.

    The driver, Heavenly Dog, had dropped his head on the steering wheel, his eyes wide and his face pale, appearing confused and shocked.

    Gao Yang stared at them, unsure what was happening.

    A few secondster, he kicked the door open and rushed toward the White Lake Hotel. He knew that there was nothing he could do by staying. He couldn¡¯t cleanse everyone of the poison or curse, and his instinct was shouting at him that someone at the White Lake Hotel must be responsible, that he had to deal with them.

    Half a minuteter, Gao Yang reached the za under the hotel and was stunned by the piles of dead elite monsters. A terrible fight must have broken out.

    Then he saw a light gray orb at the center of the za, while Qilin and X were facing off by the orb.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare make a reckless move and get between the two big shots, so he snuck closer and waited for the moment to strike.

    With his keen six senses, he caught bits and pieces of the conversation between Qilin and X, then he heard X¡¯s hystericalughter.

    Following that, the gray orb crumbled and disappeared, revealing Dragon and Lilia. The two seemed to have gone through a heated fight.

    Dragon threw up blood and copsed, while Lilia crouched down.

    Then Qilin copsed, too.

    X and Lilia shared a few words.

    X must have done something!

    Liu Qingying had warned Gao Yang, and Gao Yang had discreetly warned Dragon and Qilin. How did X still manage to catch them off guard? And was it X¡¯s Talent that poisoned everyone when the blood fog rose suddenly? Was there really a Talent powerful enough to do that? How?

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was cluttered with thoughts, but he didn¡¯t have the time to untangle them.

    Spotting an opening, he teleported behind X and stabbed him in the back.

    However, like Qilin, he hadn¡¯t expected X to be a host of a monster and thus gaining a second heart.

    ¡°Something like you?¡± Gao Yang was increasingly confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Ha, stop acting. You¡¯re not a pure awakener, either, are you?¡± X took a step forward. ¡°Or you would¡¯ve been poisoned.¡±

    Gao Yang was at first shocked, then realization dawned on him.

    The quickly-rising blood fog was an attempt to kill all awakeners with poison. He had avoided the same fate because he was no longer a pure awakener with Fresh Snow¡¯s curse inside him.

    As the thought shed through his mind, Gao Yang felt the same ck wind sweep toward him.

    <i>Teleport!</i>

    Gao Yang dodged to the side.

    Before he came to a stop, a figure appeared right before him as if waiting for him to show up.

    <i>How?!</i>

    Lilia, having recovered seventy percent of her strength, had predicted where Gao Yang would move to and approached him with a speed that rivaled Teleportation.

    She reached out to Gao Yang.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to dodge it. He opted to shoot fire at Lilia from his palms. However, Lilia didn¡¯t fear his me at all, and she reached through the mes, grabbing him by the neck.

    <i>Teleportation!</i>

    Gao Yang teleported on instinct to break free of her, but failed to disappear after his form blurred for a second, still seized by Lilia¡¯s right hand¡ªshe was so strong that she even overpowered his Talent!

    Lilia lifted Gao Yang and stared at him darkly with her blue and red eyes.

    Two secondster, Lilia smiled faintly. ¡°You don¡¯t have a freerider in you, but the energy of a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± X was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Lilia thought for a moment. ¡°But if awakeners and monsters can bypass the Heavenly Way and merge, it is possible that awakeners and Spectres cane together to some degree.¡±

    ¡°Ha, interesting.¡± X narrowed his eyes. ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Lilia nodded. She was about to twist Gao Yang¡¯s neck, but in the blink of an eye, the human in her right hand was gone.

    Lilia arched an eyebrow. <i>What happened?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know, either. His mind nked for a moment before he was suddenly away from Lilia, supported by a hand on his shoulder from his side.

    ¡°Finally, I made it in time.¡±

    The woman let go of Gao Yang and smiled confidently.

    Gao Yang looked sideways at the woman. She was dressed in gender neutral suits with her full head of ck hair tied into a ponytail. Herrge silver earrings clinked brightly. The character that meant ¡®alcohol¡¯ was tattooed onto the pale skin of her nape. On her face was a ckce mask that covered her eyes, making her look valiant and mysterious.

    Gao Yang found her familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite put a name to her.

    ¡°Have you forgotten about me in only a few days, Teacher Qi Ying?¡± the woman said with a smile.

    ¡°Huai Wei!¡± Gao Yang blurted out in surprise.

    Huai Wei chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m now Alcoholic, one of the founding members of the Elusive Sect.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°I was too weak when I was eighteen. For today, I¡¯d waited ten years.¡±

    Gao Yang was both shocked and pleasantly surprised, feeling a burst of warmth in his chest.

    Huai Wei was now 28, at the prime of her life. She knew that today was incredibly important, so she chose toe offer her help at this point in time.

    To Gao Yang, they had only been apart for two days, but to Huai Wei, they had parted ways ten years ago.

    Lilia and X didn¡¯t immediately initiate offense, cautious of the mysterious awakener.

    ¡°Alcoholic.¡± With a wary eye on the enemy not far from him, Gao Yang spoke quickly. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but outside of me, all awakeners had been hit by the man¡¯s poison. We must kill him now. Perhaps that¡¯ll save everyone.¡±

    ¡°Would I get poisoned too?¡± Alcoholic asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You haven¡¯t arrived at this point of time then,¡± Gao Yang spected.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Alcoholic hade to a conclusion with her vast experience. ¡°The red-haired woman is too strong for us. Let¡¯s go after the man together first...¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t stand by and do nothing,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice.

    ¡°Leave it to me...¡±

    Before Alcoholic could finish, a dense web of deadly rays came down from the sky like rain, and countless red beams shot out of the ground around them, trapping them like a cage.

    ¡°Time-Space Spirit!¡±

 Chapter 379: Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 379: Pursuit</h4>

    Alcoholic activated her Talent, pushing the Time-Space force field to the max.

    Instantly, within her twenty meters radius, the world turned a strange hue of gray blue¡ªdue to the bizarre-looking light particles hovering in the air arranged in dotted lines like beaded curtains.

    Lilia¡¯s elemental attacks almost crawled to a stop like video in slow motion, while Gao Yang and Alcoholic moved at regr speed, allowing them to easily dodge the elemental attacks and escape the siege of the red light beams.

    Two secondster, countless deadly rays rained down on where Gao Yang and Alcoholic had been a moment before.

    However, Alcoholic had gone up to Lilia¡¯s side and was charging at her. Lilia twisted around to face her, moving so quickly that it looked like she had teleported. Her arms, having morphed into sharp des wrapped in red elements, swung toward Alcoholic¡¯s neck.

    Alcoholic¡¯s lips quirked up.

    <i>Time-Space Spirit, activate!</i>

    Two secondster, Lilia¡¯s time slowed by three times.

    Alcoholic dropped down and dodged Lilia¡¯s sh, putting her hands on the ground.

    <i>Space gap, open!</i>

    Suddenly, four gray blue walls of space-time rose from Lilia¡¯s feet like a phone booth from another world, locking Lilia inside.

    Then the phone booth distorted quickly and shrunk into a ck dot in the blink of an eye, vanishing with a swoosh.

    Alcoholic panted, beads of sweat popping out of her forehead.

    The move took her arge amount of energy, but she knew that it was their only choice.

    She shouted at Gao Yang. ¡°I can only keep her locked up for two minutes!¡±

    Gao Yang knew what she meant: they must kill X in two minutes, or they would lose for sure.

    By then, X had already extended his right hand at Alcoholic.

    When Alcoholic imprisoned Lilia in the space gap, X¡¯s poisonous wind had quietly converged around Alcoholic.

    Gao Yang teleported Alcoholic away.

    X stood where he was, his eyes twitching.

    Poison of Hell had exhausted arge amount of his energy, and it wasn¡¯t a once and done deal; he was still actively using the skill.

    It would take another five minutes for him to drain the awakeners of all their energy. Then X had to use the Poison Rune Circuit again to summon the four ck coffins and close the lids to finish the move.

    If X died in the next five minutes, however, the ritual would halt prematurely, and the poison inside the awakeners¡¯ bodies would stop devouring their energy, rendering the whole ordeal a failure.

    X had little effort to spare for a fight, and losing Lilia, a powerful ally, while the opponent gained Alcoholic, a formidable enemy, X knew that he couldn¡¯t keep up. He wouldn¡¯t evenst two minutes, let alone five.

    X cursed under his breath. Who would¡¯ve thought that on his first day in pursuit of godhood, he would find himself in such a pickle?

    He closed his eyes and opened his arms, muttering to himself, ¡°Come.¡±

    A secondter, X¡¯s body bulged and writhed and distorted, quickly breaking his shirt and turning two times stronger, covered in stringy, deep purple muscles.

    A bowl-sized purple eye appeared on his chest. Like an insidious bug, it shifted all over X¡¯s upper body, making gurgling sounds. Sometimes it popped up on his left chest, sometimes his right abdomen, and other times his arms.

    The purple eye ended up on X¡¯s right palm.

    It blinked, shooting a thin yet deadly purple ray at Gao Yang and Alcoholic.

    Alcoholic and Gao Yang jumped at the same time, dodging the deadly ray that could cut even metal in half.

    Meanwhile, X bolted.

    Gao Yang and Alcoholic were both taken aback. They hadn¡¯t expected X to flee.

    But on second thought, that was the most reasonable n. X didn¡¯t even have to escape sessfully; he only needed to buy two minutes for Lilia to be released, and he would win.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Gao Yang and Alcoholic ran after him at the same time.

    Having surrendered his body to the freerider, X had be strong and agile. He ran for tens of meters and leapt with both feet onto a three-story building, breaking through a window.

    Alcoholic had a troubled look on her face. Although her physical abilities were decent as a whole, she was neither the fighter type nor the agile hero type, and she couldn¡¯t jump three floors at once. While she could move to a specific space with her Talent, she didn¡¯t know where X would run to; thus, that wasn¡¯t an option.

    Gao Yang had considered her difficulty. He could catch up to X, but he needed Alcoholic¡¯s help to ensure victory. Slowing down as he ran, he turned his back to Alcoholic. ¡°Get up!¡±

    Alcoholic paused. <i>As expected of Teacher Qi Ying. Although I¡¯m now ten years older than you are, I still admire you so much!</i>

    She jumped onto Gao Yang¡¯s back and wrapped her arms around Gao Yang tightly.

    With her on his back, Gao Yang jumped onto the condenser unit on the second floor before teleporting to the third floor.

    Inside the building was a mall, and X was running for his life.

    While dashing at full speed, Gao Yang shortened their distance with consecutive uses of Teleportation.

    Sensing the enemy¡¯s approach, X sent the purple eye on his chest to his back, making gurgling sounds. Then a secondter, he fired five to six deadly rays that shot out in distorted curves like slim snakes.

    Gao Yang had been fully focused on catching up to X, and caught off guard, he didn¡¯t leave enough room to dodge the sudden attacks.

    It was then the time in the area slowed, so did the deadly rays.

    With Alcoholic on his back, Gao Yang zigzagged around with ease to dodge the attacks.

    <i>Rumble!</i>

    Two secondster, the passage of time went back to normal, and the ground behind Gao Yang blew up.

    X hadn¡¯t expected the enemies to be this difficult to deal with. With a sharp turn, he threw himself through the window. Gao Yang quickly followed with Alcoholic on his back.

    Beforending, X shot a deadly ray at their heads.

    Having been ready for it this time, Gao Yang teleported midair and easily dodged the attack.

    X rolled when hended. He was going to rush across the street, but as soon as he reached the sidewalk, Gao Yang was already there to block his way.

    X jumped. How were they so quick?!

    In truth, it wasn¡¯t that Gao Yang had be quicker, but that X had be slower.

    When Gao Yang got closer to X, Alcoholic had immediately hit him with Time-Space Spirit, shrouding him with her forcefield and slowing him down by three times.

    To X, Gao Yang had thus be three times quicker. X couldn¡¯t keep up at all. He couldn¡¯t even see the motion of Gao Yang swinging his fist.

    The heavy punchnded on X¡¯s lower abdomen.

    X was thrown off his feet. Then he felt a dull pain in his abdomen.

    While he was still midair, Gao Yang teleported again and punched him in the face. X continued to fly backward, knocking a streemp awry before falling on the ground.

    X¡¯s purple eye had shifted to his left shoulder.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    The deadly ray shot at Gao Yang, but it was toote.

    Alcoholic had climbed down from Gao Yang¡¯s back, keeping close to him to activate Time-Space Spirit at any time.

    Gao Yang easily dodged it and teleported to X.

    Sensing the great threat, the purple eye on X¡¯s shoulder attempted to run on instinct. However, it could only move within the constraint of X¡¯s upper body.

    As soon as it shifted to X¡¯s chest, Gao Yang grabbed it with bare hand, fingers piercing into his flesh. The eye was X¡¯s real heart.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang clenched his fist to crush the eye, but to his surprise, it was sturdier than he had expected.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Change of n. Gao Yang opted to activate Fire.

    mes burst out of Gao Yang¡¯s palms, burning inside X¡¯s chest before spreading to other parts of his body.

    ¡°Aghhhhh¡ª¡±

    X cried out in pain, struggling with all he had. To Gao Yang, though, his struggle was in slow motion, and his shout dragged and lingered like it was yed at lower speed.

    With the zing fire burning him, X looked like a joke.

 Chapter 380: Good Friends are Consistent

    <h4>Chapter 380: Good Friends are Consistent</h4>

    This time, it wasn¡¯t that X had be slower, but that Gao Yang had be faster.

    Alcoholic activated Time-Space Spirit to the max, hasting his movements by three times!

    One second Gao Yang burned X had a three-second effect, and soon, X was burned to a crisp, unable to fight back. And losing the protection of its host¡¯s energy, the purple eye in Gao Yang¡¯s grasp became nothing but a lump of human tissue, incredibly fragile.

    <i>St.</i>

    Gao Yang easily crushed the eye like crushing a viscous jelly.

    Two secondster, X toppled to the ground without a sound. There wasn¡¯t even pain in his eyes, only confusion.

    <i>Why?</i>

    <i>Why did things end up like this for me?</i>

    <i>Sir Zuo, you seem to have gotten the wrong guy.</i>

    <i>It seems that I¡¯m not the one chosen by fate, that I¡¯m not the one to be God.</i>

    <i>I can¡¯t ept this. Things can¡¯t end like this!</i>

    At hisst moment in life, X, having been burned to charred flesh and blood, pushed his eyes open and gave Gao Yang a final look with his quickly dimming eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s all fate... You...can¡¯t win...¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahahaha...¡±

    His madughter came to a sudden stop.

    X was dead.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t look joyous as the victor. Instead, his expression grew darker, having understood X¡¯s unspoken words.

    From Surnamed Li¡¯s prophecy of the Crimson Tide to what all the awakeners had done up to this point, everything seemed to be bringing about the fate that had been foretold.

    Even their resistance was part of fate.

    After X¡¯s death, his Poison of Hell stopped, and the poison inside the awakeners'' bodies subsided.

    Most awakeners would live, but not without a great toll taken. They had lost consciousness and wouldn¡¯t wake up until muchter.

    The restraint on Lilia, however, would onlyst two minutes.

    When she was released from the space gap, there would be no one around who could be her match.

    Gao Yang quickly dropped down, finding the Poison Rune Circuit on X¡¯s body and putting it away.

    ¡°Teacher Qi Ying!¡± Alcoholic called out to him.

    Gao Yang got up and turned around. Lilia had reappeared.

    From above the empty crossroad, a gust of wind elements supported her and brought her slowly down on the ground.

    Under the blood moon, her red hair danced. Combined with her eerie, different-colored eyes, she looked like a fallen angel.

    The final fightmenced officially.

    ¡°Teacher Qi Ying...¡±

    Gao Yang looked to the side. Alcoholic was already turning translucent.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t stay and fight with you... My time here is running out,¡± Alcoholic said with frustration.

    Gao Yang was taken by surprise by how short her stay was, but thinking back, it made sense.

    Time-travel itself required a great amount of Alcoholic¡¯s energy. ording to what Qilin said, Alcoholic could only travel in time once every year, and she could not travel to the same period of time twice.

    Earlier, Alcoholic had opened up a space gap, which consumed a great amount of energy, and then she helped Gao Yang kill X. All that left her with too little energy to stay in this period of time.

    Alcoholic chuckled. ¡°Over the past ten years, so many things have happened. I¡¯d love to have a good chat with Teacher.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Many things have happened over the past ten days on my end.¡±

    ¡°Teacher Qi Ying, we would see each other again, right?¡±

    Would they?

    Gao Yang asked himself how he was going to defeat the powerful enemy before him. He wasn¡¯t even in the same league as Lilia. To make an analogy, the gap between them was that between the gold rank and the diamond rank.

    ¡°We will see each other again.¡± Gao Yang pushed aside the thoughts and gave her groundless reassurance.

    ¡°Good¡ª¡±

    Alcoholic didn¡¯t get to utter ¡®bye¡¯ before she disappeared. A gentle and lonesome energy rippled around her.

    Gao Yang no longer had an ally.

    Would he have to fight on his own now?

    From a short distance, Lilia slowly walked toward him.

    Gao Yang raised his voice and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Mad Red to you? Why did he call you sister?¡±

    Lilia paused but didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°Back when we were both humans, we called each other brother and sister. Many test subjects had died, leaving only me and him alive.¡±

    ¡°To facilitate the perfect merging of Epilogue and me, Mad Red sacrificed half of his soul, but he was rewarded ordingly.¡±

    So that was why Mad Red seemed to have a few screws loose in his head. He had sacrificed himself. And when he said that his sister had died, it wasn¡¯t that Lilia had actually died, but merged with a pride monster.

    If Gao Yang had known nothing about the evil deeds the Godbearer Cult had done, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make sense of the story.

    ¡°Was Mad Red¡¯s reward your Detonation?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lilia nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t need Detonation anyway given I have Elemental.¡±

    ¡°Elemental, serial number 4, the top Element-type Talent, which allows the maniption of multiple elements and thebination of them to form new elements.¡±

    ¡°Explosion is naturally part of it.¡±

    Her hand lifted, Lilia snapped her fingers at Gao Yang.

    With a start, Gao Yang teleported immediately.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Half a secondter, the ground at Gao Yang¡¯s feet blew up as if a fewndmines had been buried underground and detonated.

    Gao Yang dodged to the air, shocked. When did she inject the road under my feet with energy? How did she trigger an explosion from such a long distance with a snap of her fingers?

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Three long, thin, twisted red snakes of light shot toward Gao Yang. He barely dodged it with another teleport.

    As soon as hended, Lilia quickly approached at incredible speed, kicking at him.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang crossed his arms before his chest to block the kick. It felt like getting hit by a car, and Gao Yang flew away.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Gao Yang flew into a vending machine by the road and fell, rolling on the ground. His arms felt numb from the impact. Perhaps the bones had been broken, but he didn¡¯t have the time to care.

    The moment he stood up with his teeth clenched, Lilia was already hovering above his head, and there was a cage of red light beams around him, preventing Gao Yang from teleporting away.

    Lilia syed her hand at Gao Yang, about to shoot arge deadly ray at him.

    There was no way to go. He would be doomed if she fired!

    Lilia, however, didn¡¯t manage to make the shot.

    Her eyes glinted sharply. At some point, the fire hydrants on the road had all burst open, and water gushed out inrge volume, dyed red by the moonlight. The entire road was covered in a thinyer of water. With the red fog at half a meter tall obscuring the road, though, it was difficult to notice at first nce.

    A dense wall of purple water droplets appeared around Lilia like a downpour frozen in time, trapping Lilia and leaving her with nowhere to go.

    ¡°Mist Burial!¡±

    White Dew spoke in her gentle voice, yet the emotions she conveyed were aggressive.

    At that moment, tens of thousands of sharp, hardy purple droplets converged toward Lilia, hitting her like bullets and sputtering blinding purple sparks.

    As if countless firecrackers had blown up around Lilia, purple mist spread.

    Then a cloaked figure gracefullynded by Gao Yang¡¯s side. Gao Yang turned to look and realized that it was Fresh Snow.

    ¡°Gao Yang, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Fresh Snow grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s elbow. With a simple swing of her hand, the cage of red light beams instantly cracked without a sound.

    Gao Yang teleported Fresh Snow away.

    ¡°Why are you here, Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang was pleasantly surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to save you!¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s excited smile had an innocence to it, as if all this was but a fun game. ¡°Good friends should be consistent!¡±

 Chapter 381: Elemental Angel

    <h4>Chapter 381: Elemental Angel</h4>

    White Dew, who was facing off Lilia, wasn¡¯t in the mood to smile.

    Dressed in a quaint, ssy long dress, she raised both hands and manipted countless purple droplets to bury Lilia, daring not to rx for a second.

    At first, White Dew had vehemently disagreed when Fresh Snow said that she wanted to help Gao Yang.

    Spectres and monsters had always stayed out of each other¡¯s way, but she could never convince her little sister, and if Gao Yang died, how was her sister going to find another food source?

    Spring had also been paying attention to what was happening tonight and had Waking Insects keeping an eye out in secret. When he learned that the leader of the pride monsters had be one with Lilia, the awakener, and that they were nning to kill all awakeners and humans alike with X¡¯s cooperation, Spring could no longer stay on the sidelines.

    Awakeners were food to Spectres. Even though the current members of the Spectres could survive for another two to three years without eating or drinking, they would be awaiting their death afterwards should all awakeners get ughtered.

    Depriving someone of their food was akin to killing one¡¯s parents!

    Thus, Spring made the order for the Spectres to join the fight.

    However, Spring only wished to prevent the pride monsters¡¯ scheme froming into fruition, and he was only going to ensure that awakeners and humans wouldn¡¯t go extinct.

    He didn¡¯t want a total war with elite monsters. It was in the Spectres¡¯ best interest for monsters and humans to keep each other in check.

    White Dew knew that pride monsters were stronger than she was, and she had readied herself for the worst-case scenario.

    When she saw Lilia and sensed the strange tremendous energy from her, though, she realized she had underestimated the matter.

    <i>No, this monster can¡¯t be allowed to live!</i>

    The Mist Burialsted half a minute and wasing to an end. Above the center of the crossroad, arge puff of purple mist rose.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    White Dew¡¯s long hair and the hem of her dress flew. Red light radiated from her two eyes as she lifted both her hands with force.

    The pool on the road rose and morphed into two purple water dragons. Howling, they hovered and intertwined, surrounding the pride monster in the purple mist.

    ¡°Twin Dragons ying Pearls!¡±

    White Dew didn¡¯t pull back at all, using her full force.

    The two giant purple dragons wed and bit at each other, grappling.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Purple energy rippled outward, rushing along the two perpendicr roads.

    When the purple smoke dispersed, a violet crystal tombstone asrge as the screen of a theater was erected at the center of the road. In the heart of it was Lilia, frozen like an insect identally trapped by purple amber.

    ¡ªIs this it?

    White Dew¡¯s chest heaved under the red pce dress, a drop of sweat streaking down her delicate, beautiful fair face.

    Her thin eyebrows furrowed slightly and remained knitted. A few secondster, her frown deepened.

    ¡ªNo, this isn¡¯t it.

    Trapped in the ice crystal, Lilia remained unmoving like her time had been frozen, but a strange light shed through her blue and red eyes.

    Then colorful lines appeared on her skin like capiries, quickly spreading to all parts of her body.

    <i>ck, crackle¡ª</i>

    The tombstone of crystal splintered, the cracks quickly spreading.

    At first, only a thin ray of colorful light had shot out of the crystal tombstone. Then countless rays followed.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The tombstone shattered into pieces. Lilia was wholly intact as shended with grace.

    ¡°There¡¯s no use.¡±

    Lilia smiled. ¡°I have the Element Rune Circuit. No elemental attacks work on me.¡±

    The Rune Circuit appeared in her hand as she spoke.

    Level 7 Elemental had reached perfect resonance with the Element Rune Circuit and gone up to level 8, the top level, triggering the Talent¡¯s most powerful form.

    Elemental Angel!

    The Rune Circuit melted in Lilia¡¯s hand and turned into a ray of colorful, scintiting light, quickly spreading to all parts of her skin. Even her red hair had turned multicolored.

    Her body was suddenly flickering with light of different colors like she was covered in body paints¡ªa living, moving body paints at that.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Two secondster, a pair of colorful elemental wings emerged behind Lilia¡¯s back. Under the moonlight, she looked beautiful in a grim way.

    ¡°Why turn against me?¡± Lilia took a step forward.

    ¡°Without food, we¡¯ll die sooner orter.¡± White Dew had to force herself to stand her ground as Lilia¡¯s presence overwhelmed her. She met Lilia¡¯s eyes straight.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Lilia smiled slightly with some surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve almost forgotten that Spectres need to feed on people.¡±

    After a bemused moment, Lilia lifted her right hand. ¡°Alright, Spectres as an existence is a mistake, too. It¡¯s better for you to disappear as well...¡±

    Suddenly, a great pressure came down from above.

    Lilia¡¯s right hand dropped¡ªnot out of her own will. Her body had suddenly be so heavy that she couldn¡¯t keep her arm lifted.

    <i>Crack¡ª</i>

    Moreover, the ground beneath Lilia¡¯s feet had broken intorge cracks. Chunks of road protruded before sinking.

    Lilia¡¯s feet had sunk down as well, as if someone had hammered her into the ground inch by inch like a stake.

    Gao Yang, Fresh Snow, and White Dew felt the great pressure. It increased gradually with Lilia at the center before spreading in all directions.

    Gao Yang teleported Fresh Snow to a safe distance.

    White Dew quickly jumped backward as well.

    Sensing the source of the pressure, Lilia looked up with great difficulty by wrapping ayer of elements around herself. There, hovering in the air was a little boy withrge eyes, wearing a ck tuxedo and a red bowtie, his silver hairbed neatly with a middle part. He syed his hands at Lilia, his expression grave.

    It was Spring, the patriarch of the Spectres.

    In a clear,posed voice, he said, ¡°If you refuse to let us be, there¡¯s no reason for us to let you live.¡±

    His red eyes radiated a blinding light as his hair and clothes fluttered, flying upward. His bowtie fell off his cors and flew into the sky.

    From under his feet, a tremendous energy poured.

    ¡°Heavenly Might!¡±

    <i>ng!</i>

    Another wave of great pressure weighed down on Lilia and the road around her, doubly powerful.

    Lilia could no longer lift her head. With her head bowed, she was forced to drop to one knee. She shuddered as she struggled to stand up, trying to escape the forcefield.

    <i>ng.</i>

    The pressure doubled again.

    The ground continued to sink down as the cracks in the area continued to deepen. Like an earthquake had hit, the ss windows of all the buildings on the sides of the road shattered, and the walls crumbled.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    Lilia¡¯s elemental wings shattered into particles.

    <i>ng.</i>

    The pressure doubled once more.

    The center of the road sankpletely, forming a crater. Lilia copsed and was pushed into the depth at the heart of it, her clothes long torn to pieces, and even the elemental power wrapping around her was caving.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡± Spring shouted from up in the air.

    ¡°Watch me, Gao Yang!¡± Fresh Snow shot Gao Yang a confident smile before jumping into the crater.

    In an instant, a translucent green orb appeared around her. Fresh Snow¡¯s left eye turned from crimson to a dark green.

    The green orb took her slowly to the heart of the crater, ignoring the gravitational pull that had been increased several thousands times.

 Chapter 382: Reaperâ€™s Scythe

    <h4>Chapter 382: Reaper¡¯s Scythe</h4>

    In no time, Fresh Snow was hovering over Lilia¡¯s head.

    ¡°Reaper¡¯s Scythe!¡±

    Within the green orb, Fresh Snow looked up while extending her forcefield. A strange green energy with quickly-flickering gray spots emerged from her green eyes, morphing into a tall grim reaper in spirit form.

    It looked like a woman, and the ck hood of the cloak obscured half of her face, revealing only silver long hair and a pale chin, as well as red lips that looked frosty despite the blood covering them.

    At the same time, a red energy containing the same flickering gray spots emerged from Fresh Snow¡¯s red eyes. It turned into a scythe with a long snath, the de crimson and sharp.

    Fresh Snow slowly looked down at Lilia, who was below her feet. When she raised her right hand, the giant grim reaper behind her, tethered, raised the scythe in her hands as well.

    There was no defending against the scythe given it was in spirit form. It didn¡¯t damage the body, but reap the soul.

    Just when Fresh Snowmanded the grim reaper to raise her scythe, though, elemental wings grew anew behind Lilia¡¯s back, bigger than ever before.

    ...

    Thirty seconds ago, Lilia had been pinned to the bottom of the crater by Spring¡¯s overwhelming power, the elemental armor on her cracking.

    She didn¡¯t know how long Spring¡¯s Heavenly Might wouldst, but she knew her own elemental armor was close to its breaking point, and once that happened, it would be impossible for her physical body to endure the terrifying pressure.

    During the next few seconds, Lilia conversed with Epilogue.

    <i>I¡¯m going to lose.</i>

    <i>No, I¡¯ll sacrifice myself.</i>

    <i>Think it through. I¡¯m a human.</i>

    <i>We¡¯ve long be one. Even if I disappear, you¡¯re no longer human.</i>

    <i>Alright.</i>

    <i>Kill all humans and turn in the answer sheet for me. From then on, you¡¯ll decide your own path.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll do my best.</i>

    <i>O Almighty Creator, take my flesh and blood, my soul and fate. Please grant me power, so I may finish the mission entrusted to me.</i>

    <i>Pride Sacrifice.</i>

    <i>Three hundred percent. Death begot life. Blood and soul came together!</i>

    Thick blood gushed out from Lilia¡¯s blue and red eyes nonstop, undeterred by the gravity enhanced by thousands of times.

    A few secondster, only hollow eye sockets were left, while a deep purple vertical eye appeared on Lilia¡¯s forehead, between her eyebrows.

    The elemental armor around Lilia¡¯s body regenerated anew, and beautiful, fully-grown scales covered Lilia from head to toes.

    Even more elemental power overflowed from Lilia¡¯s limbs and spread, quickly covering the entire crater to turn it into an elemental circle, igniting a blinding light.

    A pair of wings regrew out of her back,rger than before. With the wings¡¯ support, Lilia picked herself back up.

    Spring, White Dew, Gao Yang, and Fresh Snow both looked bbergasted and confused. Under Fresh Snow¡¯s control, the Reaper¡¯s Scythe was already swinging toward Lilia.

    But it wasn¡¯t quick enough.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Large elemental pir of seven colors shot out of the crater like a volcano erupting, instantly devouring Fresh Snow.

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡±

    Gao Yang and White Dew cried out at the same time.

    Spring, who was right above the crater, was within its range as well, almost swept away by the beam of elements shooting toward heaven.

    For a moment, the beam illuminated the entire Li City like the Tower of Babel casting light upon the whole world; even the great blood moon in the sky paled inparison.

    Ten secondster, the beam disappeared.

    Gao Yang and White Dew stared, rooted to the spot. They didn¡¯t even have the time to mourn when a figure shed to them like a ray of light.

    It was Waking Insects. He was holding an unconscious Spring in one arm, and Fresh Snow in the other.

    Half of his face and his whole body had been¡ªin a manner of speaking¡ªburned by the elemental beam, turning the skin into a strange bluish purple. Some parts of the skin had fallen off, and the flesh had melted, revealing the bones underneath, which were embedded with colorful particles that seemed to be elemental power in crystal form.

    ¡°Hmph...¡±

    Waking Insects was the fastest among all known living creatures with a maximum speed of over seven hundred meters a second, double the speed of sound.

    At thest moment, Waking Insects had rushed into the elemental pir and rescued Fresh Snow and Spring in a second, taking the brunt of the attack for them.

    He dropped to his knees, cking out.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± White Dew couldn¡¯t afford to dwell on their naturally opposing natures. With a determined gaze, she said, ¡°Take them. I¡¯ll keep the monster upied.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t think it was a good idea.

    Run? Where would he run to?

    Free of the restraint of the Heavenly Way, Llia could kill all awakeners and humans as she wished.

    But there was still hope.

    X¡¯s Poison of Hell had been stopped short. The powerful ones like Dragon, Qilin, Azure Dragon, and War Tiger would surely wake up sooner than regr awakeners. Once they regained consciousness, they had a winning chance.

    ¡°You go.¡± Gao Yang took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ll keep her busy.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± White Dew sounded both surprised and derisive.

    ¡°She has the Element Rune Circuit. Your power isn¡¯t going to work on her,¡± Gao Yang analyzed calmly. ¡°In terms of speed, you aren¡¯t even my match. Who do you think will be able to upy her better?¡±

    White Dew¡¯s expression darkened. She didn¡¯t have a counterargument for that.

    ¡°Go. Don¡¯t drag me down,¡± Gao Yang snapped.

    White Dew didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    She summoned water elements to carry Fresh Snow, Spring, and Waking Insects and quickly left.

    When Gao Yang looked up, Lilia had already gotten out of the crater and was flying toward Gao Yang and White Dew. She reached out to White Dew¡¯s fleeing figure.

    Someone suddenly showed up and blocked her view. Gao Yang had jumped up and teleported to Lilia, stabbing at her chest with the dagger he carried with him since Fire wouldn¡¯t work at all.

    However, the dagger instantly dissolved into metal particles. Gao Yang quickly pulled back with a start and teleported away from Lilia. Still, the few seconds he bought had allowed White Dew to put some distance between them. Mission aplished.

    Now, he just had to keep Lilia busy with Teleportation...

    Pain shot through his legs, taking him by surprise. At some point, ayer of hard red crystals had encased them.

    Gao Yang was shocked. The moment he attempted a melee attack, Lilia had activated two different elemental powers, dissolving his dagger while quietly freezing his legs.

    Such was the power of Elemental Angel. It allowed her to manipte elements however she wished.

    The Rune Circuit was terrifyingly powerful!

    Level 8 Talents did exist, it turned out, but it wasn¡¯t a level one could reach on their own, but made possible by incorporating the corresponding Rune Circuit into one¡¯s body temporarily to create the Talent¡¯s most powerful form.

    All those thoughts shed through Gao Yang¡¯s head almost instantaneously.

    He hadn¡¯t stopped moving. Shooting mes from his hands, he melted the crystals to free himself at the price of inflicting mild burns on his legs.

    A secondter, dozens of slithering red rays poured down from the sky like fireworks.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

 Chapter 383: Yun

    <h4>Chapter 383: Yun</h4>

    A dense cluster of explosions hit arge area around Gao Yang, sending shards of rock everywhere while the light of the mes pierced through the sky.

    Gao Yang had teleported twice to the top of a newsstand, but not without suffering some injury given howrge the scale of the attack was.

    Merely a brush from the red ray had left the muscles of his left arm torn and bleeding nonstop. Fishing out a syringe of Medicine C with one hand, Gao Yang took off the cap with his teeth and gave himself a shot in the left arm.

    As soon as he finished doing that, he sensed killing intenting from behind him.

    It was Lilia.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart stuttered in shock.

    He had been keeping an eye on Lilia, and she was still a short distance ahead of him. Immediately, though, Gao Yang realized that the Lilia he saw was nothing but a temporary illusion created with elements.

    At the same time, translucent walls of wind elements appeared in front, above, left, and right of Gao Yang, preventing him from teleporting away.

    She was too quick!

    In addition to her mastery over elements, Lilia was also unrivaled in her physical abilities. Her speed could almost match his Teleportation.

    At that moment, Gao Yang realized how naive he had been.

    He had thought that he would be able to buy at least ten minutes, but now it seemed even a minute would be a tall task.

    He didn¡¯t have the time to turn around and block the iing attacks. Neither could he teleport his way out of here.

    He could already see it¡ªin half a second, Lilia¡¯s hand, having turned into a sharp de, would easily pierce through his back and protrude from his chest, carving his heart out.

    <i>Is this it for me?</i>

    <i>Is fate impossible to change?</i>

    Suddenly, there was an explosion. Gao Yang sensed a gust sweep over him from behind, the irresistibly powerful currents almost throwing him off his feet. And the walls of wind elements around him dispersed.

    Then, there was the sound of a building copsing. Gao Yang whirled around to find Lilia lying prone amid the rubbles of a crumbled wall. Before her stood a figure.

    That must be the one who hade out of nowhere and mmed into Lilia with tremendous speed, catching her off guard.

    Gao Yang looked closer and realized that it was a white-haired elderly woman, still dressed in a homely pajama with cute bear patterns; it was a birthday gift from her granddaughterst year.

    She was barefooted. On her messy hair was a pink, girly hairpin the shape of a strawberry cake, making clear her love for sweets.

    She slowly opened her mouth, her old voice booming with fury.

    ¡°You are <i>not </i>hurting my Yang Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang was both shocked and overjoyed. <i>Granny!</i>

    She was a pride monster, and a lightbringer at that! She¡¯d always known what he was!

    With the help of her elemental wings, Lilia quickly stood up from the rubbles. She didn¡¯t seem too surprised, not because she had predicted the turn of events, but because her indifference allowed her to easilye to terms with any possibilities.

    She didn¡¯t seem in a hurry to fight back. She coldly said, ¡°It seems that you have your answer, Yun.¡±

    Yun, Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother, answered in a low voice, ¡°Yes, this is my answer.¡±

    With her empty eye sockets, it was the purple vertical eye on Lilia¡¯s forehead that glinted with curiosity. ¡°To protect awakeners and allow them to cling onto their lives?¡±

    Yun chuckled. ¡°Hoho, I don¡¯t care about awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you care about? A fake grandson?¡± Lilia said with some regret. ¡°Were Epilogue still around, they would¡¯ve felt sorry for you.¡±

    ¡°I am the one feeling sorry for Epilogue. They¡¯d be more and more lost in their old age and ended up cornering themself.¡± Speaking of her oncepanion, Yun sighed. ¡°Be it human or monster, I¡¯ve learned only one thing after living to this age.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lilia didn¡¯t understand despite having once been a human.

    Rather than giving her an answer immediately, Yun turned to Gao Yang with an approachable, kind smile.

    Gao Yang opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t say anything.

    He had considered the possibility that his grandmother could turn out to be an elite monster, and he had mentally prepared himself for it, but the fact that she was a lightbringer still shocked him to the core.

    He was beside himself with surprise, but also with relief. There was warmth to theplicated feelings hitting him too.

    He looked at the old woman who was both utterly familiar yet totally strange to him. The countless words he struggled to saye out simply as, ¡°Granny¡±.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    His grandmother responded with a smile before slowly turning back to answer Lilia¡¯s question.

    ¡°Family matters most.¡±

    ¡°Family?¡± Lilia was disappointed. ¡°So your answer is to fool yourself.¡±

    ¡°The one fooling herself is you, child,¡± she said ruefully.

    Those who walked on different paths could not journey together.

    They shared a quiet look for three seconds.

    In an instant, Yun turned into a ball of mes and shot toward Lilia¡ªit wasn¡¯t in the metaphorical sense. She had turned into demonic mes that were deep purple at the heart and deep blue on the peripheral.

    Her power was Pride Demon.

    The vertical purple eye on Lilia¡¯s forehead flickered as her giant elemental wings shot to the sides, sending countless magnificent elemental des at the demonic mes.

    The fire scattered instantly into about a dozen rays of light and agilely dodged the des before converging, turning back into Yun the moment she reached Lilia.

    With fist covered in beautiful fire, Yun punched Lilia in the face. Lilia lifted her right hand, wrapped in elemental power, to take the punch, but failed to offset the power.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The two figures grappled and mmed through a wall, into the mall inside. The pitch-ck interior was quiet for a second. Then rays of blue, red, and multiple colors flickered in quick session. Explosions continued to wreak havoc in the building.

    Gao Yang would like to fight for his grandmother, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

    The battle between the leader of the lightbringers and the leader of the shadowstalkers wasn¡¯t one he could intervene.

    <i>ng, ng.</i>

    Thirty secondster, an eerie blue figure and a dark red one mmed through the top of the building one after the other.

    They were so quick that they looked like two phantoms in energy form, jumping quickly between the buildings lining the crossroad with long trails behind them.

    They chased each other at high speed, grappling as all kinds of elemental powers sputtered and blew up like two elemental spirits running amok, triggering a festival of fireworks that filled the three-dimensional space.

    Gao Yang stood at the crossroad, feeling helpless. With shimmering, changing lights cast on his face, he looked up at the fireworks of elements, praying that at the end of the show, the one to survive would be his dear grandmother.

    The battle between the two pride monsterssted a minute. Then the two trailing phantoms intersected above the crossroad like colliding shooting stars.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A giant cluster of energy blew up in the air with particles of all elements. Gao Yang raised his hands and tried to maintain bnce, and he managed to stay on his feet, but only barely.

    As soon as the explosion ended, the two phantoms intertwined and rose like fireworks. Then a giant, extravagant-looking multi-colored wings expanded, filling the sky. The rippling light shrouded the entire street block.

    Those were Lilia¡¯s wings!

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    The ringing scream threatened to break eardrums. From under the multi-colored wings, a cluster of blue demonic fire quickly expanded and spread like a spider lily blooming at Lilia.

    <i>ng.</i>

    The world paled for a few seconds.

    When Gao Yang¡¯s vision cleared, the night sky had turned back to crimson.

    The two figures were in free fall, dropping quickly down into the crater Spring had left on the ground in intertwining trajectories.

    ¡°Granny!¡±

    Gao Yang rushed toward the crater.

    At the center of it, both pride monsters were covered in injuries. Yun, especially, was entirely covered in open wounds deep enough to reveal the bones, embedded with elemental particles of different colors.

    Even so, Yun seemed to have the upper hand at the moment, and she straddled Lilia with both hands on Lilia¡¯s chest, her face horrifyingly twisted with elemental burns.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    Howling, Yun yanked upward hard, and the elemental armor shrouding Lilia and the elemental wings on her back retracted to her chest, peeled off by Yun like snake shedding and quickly turning into a cluster of elemental energy.

    Yun transformed into demonic fire again to take the elemental energy from Lilia.

    A secondter, the fire returned to Gao Yang¡¯s side, converging as Yun, still covered in injury.

    The elemental power she carried had reverted back into the form of a Rune Circuit. Yun put it in Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    He took it. The Rune Circuit was covered in his grandmother¡¯s blood.

    She threw up blood and copsed to her knees.

    ¡°Granny!¡±

    Gao Yang crouched down to help her up. The fight had exhausted thest of Yun¡¯s vitality and energy.

    She slowly reached out her torn, bloodied hands, covered in elemental particles. She wanted to touch her grandson¡¯s face, but slowly pulled back when she thought about how dirty her hands were.

    Gao Yang grabbed her hands and ced them on his face.

    ¡°Yang Yang, don¡¯t be scared... Granny isn¡¯t a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Granny, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t leave me...¡± Gao Yang held her hands tightly and sobbed. ¡°You must live past a hundred. There are still so many delicious sweets you haven¡¯t had. You must not...¡±

    ¡°Granny loves you.¡±

    Her eyes quickly lost their light, and with her lips still curved into a smile, her bloodied hands fell from Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    <i>No!</i>

    <i>This isn¡¯t happening!</i>

    <i>Granny isn¡¯t going to just die like this! It can¡¯t be real!</i>

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The familiar sound of tinnitus returned, filling his head.

    <i>¡°Granny doesn¡¯t have a lot, so don¡¯t think I¡¯m being stingy. Here. Buy anything you want to eat once you¡¯re there.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Our Yang Yang has gotten more and more dependable. One day, you¡¯ll be an even more sessful man than your dad!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Granny doesn¡¯t need to live that long. As long as Yang Yang and Xinxin grow up safely and the family continues to live happily, Granny can leave in peace.¡±</i>

 Chapter 384: Fire Punch

    <h4>Chapter 384: Fire Punch</h4>

    ¡°Aghhhh!!!¡±

    Gao Yang tightened his arms around his grandmother, shouting at the sky. His growl, brimming with heartbreak, burst out from his chest with powerful energy resonation.

    [Teleportation levels up.]

    [Level 4 Teleportation: Allow one to teleport 10 meters. Cooldown: 0.8 second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 4 Teleportation: Strength + 500, Agility + 900.]

    [Added Perk: may go through simple obstacles and walls.]

    [Fire levels up.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 4 Fire: Willpower + 400, Charisma + 80]

    [Maximum temperature increases to 1500 degrees Celsius. Grants full immunity to regr fire damage.]

    [Comprehended: Fire Punch.]

    [Status Screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 226 Endurance: 237]

    [Strength: 813 Agility: 1210]

    [Willpower: 782 Charisma: 441]

    [Luck: 565]

    [You have a total of 785 Luck points.]

    ¡ªPush Constitution and Endurance to 500. Put the rest in Luck.

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 813 Agility: 1210]

    [Willpower: 782 Charisma: 441]

    [Luck: 813]

    Gao Yang gentlyid down his grandmother¡¯s body and closed her eyes for her. Then he brushed her frayed white hair neatly, putting the pink strawberry cake hairpin back on.

    He stood up and instantly disappeared.

    Lilia had lost the buff from the Element Rune Circuit, and her consecutive fights with Dragon, the Spectres, and Yun had taken a great toll on her.

    Even so, with the perfectbination of the physique of Epilogue, the head of the pride monsters, and level 7 Elemental, Lilia was still incredibly strong.

    She had entered a temporary weakened state after the Element Rune Circuit was taken by Yun by force, but soon, a wave of wind elements brought her off the ground.

    She didn¡¯t immediately attack Gao Yang, not because she was giving Gao Yang time to say goodbye to Yun, but because she needed time to get used to her physical condition¡ªafter losing the Rune Circuit.

    Just when she recovered somewhat, Gao Yang howled with heart-wrenching pain, sending energy rippling outwards from him.

    Lilia could sense that he had be quite a lot stronger.

    Unfortunately for him, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Rather than going after Lilia, Gao Yang did something strange: afterying Yun down, he took out something wrapped in tinfoil, gingerly opening it. The white sweet had long been rendered into powder.

    He opened his mouth and popped the powdered sweet in, chewing carefully, unwilling to let even a little spill out.

    Only after that did he get to his feet and look up at Lilia, a coldness shing through his eyes.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Gao Yang teleported to Lilia.

    The fire wrapping around his fist reached 1500 degrees Celsius, nearing the melting point for steel. A simple touch would¡¯ve melted a body of regr flesh and bones.

    Which Lilia¡¯s body wasn¡¯t. Without ess to Elemental Angel, however, she was no longer immune to all elements. Thus, she didn¡¯t recklessly take the attacks head on, but instead dodged the punch by quickly leaping back.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    While Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch hadn¡¯tnded on Lilia, the mes around his fist shot out and licked at her.

    Indeed, Gao Yang could now manipte mes around him with precision.

    Lilia was taken by surprise, but her quick reflex allowed her to dodge to the side before the mes could devour her. The mes continued to chase her doggedly and even take a turn with her before reluctantly dispersing.

    Without the protection of elemental armor, Lilia¡¯s cheek had a pink burn left on it.

    Wasting no time, Gao Yang teleported to Lilia again. This time, both his fists were wrapped in zing mes.

    Lilia stopped dodging. Dragging this on would only make her lose her upperhand. The real threat to her wasn¡¯t Gao Yang, but Dragon and Qilin, who could wake up anytime.

    While the n to kill all awakeners with Poison of Hell had failed, she simply needed to kill the two men before they recovered. Then she would be able to erase all awakeners and humans.

    She must kill Gao Yang while he had yet to master his abilities and was overall weaker than she was, taking the Element Rune Circuit back.

    The purple eye on her forehead widened, unleashing all the energy left in her.

    Five kinds of elemental power rippled outwards from Lilia¡ªblue wind, cyan fire, purple lightning, white ice, and red light. The elemental energies swirled quickly around her and converged in her hands endlessly, while the remaining elemental power built a translucent elemental wall behind Lilia to stop Gao Yang from teleporting behind her.

    Gao Yang knew that retreating wasn¡¯t an option.

    This would be the final exchange, the final attack he would make!

    In an instant, the mes around Gao Yang disappeared as he concentrated his energy to his right fist.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Gao Yang teleported and swung his fist at Lilia.

    ¡°Elemental Light!¡±

    The five elemental powers unleashed from Lilia¡¯s hands, converging into one giant beam of lush elemental light and shooting at Gao Yang.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Red mes collided with the multi-colored elemental light.

    In an instant, the crossroad paled, and powerful elemental gusts rippled, the various elemental powers running amok. Sharp shards of fire, ice, lightning, and light flew everywhere.

    Three secondster, it was Gao Yang¡¯s fire that disappeared first.

    Lilia¡¯s elemental light had swallowed him whole and sent him flying tens of meters away.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    He mmed hard into a sedan parked by the road; the body of the car caved in, and its rm red piercingly.

    Gao Yang was covered in injuries and bleeding everywhere. Embedded in the open gashes were elemental particles. He was almost cking out.

    Lilia¡¯s chest heaved violently as blood trickled down a corner of her mouth. She collected herself and moved quickly to Gao Yang¡¯s side in three seconds.

    She reached out to grab Gao Yang¡¯s neck with her right hand, slowly lifting him off the ground.

    Gao Yang¡¯s face was seriously burned, and his mouth filled with blood. One of his eyes had be fused with his melted eyelid, keeping it shut. His other eye narrowed slightly, barely making out Lilia¡¯s figure.

    <i>No, I haven¡¯t lost yet! I can still fight!</i>

    With thest of his strength, he raised his right hand and balled it into fist with difficulty, trying to make a swing at Lilia.

    <i>St.</i>

    Without hesitation and allowing no chance for resistance, Lilia thrust her left hand into Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

    Then she carved his heart out.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump...</i>

    The crimson heart was still pounding in Lilia¡¯s hand.

    The pain was so great that Gao Yang¡¯s senses became dull and distant instead. His brain didn¡¯t register the feeling, and he didn¡¯t have the strength to scream in an undignified way even if he wanted to.

    Hands dropping and one eye narrowed, he looked at his own heart weakly.

    Their lives shed behind their eyes¡ªthat was what people said would happen before one¡¯s death.

    However, the only thought that shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind at this moment was a meaningless one.

    <i>So this is what my heart looks like. It¡¯s so ugly.</i>

    Lilia crushed his heart.

 Chapter 385: Daybreak

    <h4>Chapter 385: Daybreak</h4>

    ¡°Wah...wahhh...¡±

    ¡°Wahhhhh...¡±

    <i>So noisy. Can¡¯t you let me sleep for a little longer?</i>

    He was sleepy and so very tired. He just wanted to keep sleeping, but the girl¡¯s crying voice wouldn¡¯t let him. It was irritatingly difficult to ignore.

    Finally, he sighed and opened his mouth, only to realize to his surprise that he wasn¡¯t in his bed, sleeping in, but lying in a world of darkness.

    He stood up and looked around. There was nothing.

    ¡°Wahhh...¡±

    The girl was crying again.

    Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up not far from him, illuminating a corner in the darkness. He walked toward it and came to make out a child¡¯s bed, a wardrobe, a shut door, and a shut window. Since there was no wall and it was all pitch ck around him, the window and door appeared to be floating in the air.

    By the bed, a girl sat on the floor.

    She looked to be three or four, and her unusually small figure made clear her malnutrition.

    Her silver hair was messy, and she wore a loose red dress that didn¡¯t fit her frame. In her arms were a patchwork of a doll. She sobbed with sorrow and helplessness.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He went up to her.

    The girl stopped crying and sniffed, her red nose twitching. She looked up at him with her swollen big eyes, crimson in color.

    ¡°Big sister¡¯s gone. I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your sister?¡±

    The girl shook her head. ¡°She said she would be home by nightfall, but she hasn¡¯te back.¡±

    He assured her, ¡°Your sister will be back. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The girl nodded before looking back at him. ¡°Who are you, Big Brother?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± He paused. He couldn¡¯t remember his name.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gao Yang, aren¡¯t you?¡± the girl said.

    <i>That¡¯s right</i>, Gao Yang realized with a start. <i>I¡¯m Gao Yang.</i>

    ¡°How did you know my name?¡±

    The girl wiped her tears and smiled a little bashfully. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, my future friend. Sometimes, I dream of you.¡±

    ¡°Friend?¡± Gao Yang was taken aback, but then he remembered. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re Fresh Snow, when she was little.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow beamed.

    <i>Rat-tat-tat.</i>

    Suddenly, someone knocked. Fresh Snow shot to her feet and ran to the door excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s Sister!¡±

    She opened the door without a wall. Behind it wasn¡¯t darkness, but a brightly-lit world.

    It was as if the door connected two different spaces at different times.

    Outside the door wasn¡¯t Fresh Snow¡¯s sister, White Dew, but a little boy in white t-shirt, denim shorts, and sandals. Rested on his shoulder was a blue bug.

    ¡°Fresh Snow, let¡¯s catch some cicadas.¡± The boy smiled happily.

    Gao Yang paused.<i> Wasn''t that me when I was a child?</i>

    The boy seemed to have noticed Gao Yang too. He was confused at first. Then he broke into an innocent and friendly smile. ¡°Are youing with us, Big Brother?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. <i>Why not?</i>

    He slowly walked to the door and looked out into the world on the other side. It was a familiar courtyard with many children ying around. The sky was blue and the clouds white. The afternoon breeze rustled the thriving camphor tree, apanied by the constant chirps of the cicadas.

    ¡°Don¡¯t run around. It¡¯s gonna be time for dinner soon.¡± He could vaguely hear the dorm keeper calling out.

    It was...the orphanage he grew up in!

    The urgency rising in his heartpelled him to walk faster, before he could step out of the door, however, Fresh Snow, who was already outside, shouted.

    ¡°No!¡±

    She grabbed the little boy¡¯s hand and looked at Gao Yang seriously. ¡°You must note out.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang felt a strong nostalgia for his childhood, and he really wanted to go catch cicadas with them.

    ¡°Have you forgotten, Gao Yang?¡± Fresh Snow asked seriously.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You died.¡± Fresh Snow blinked. She didn¡¯t seem particrly sad. ¡°You were killed.¡±

    The memories came back to him all at once.

    <i>Yes, I¡¯m dead.</i>

    <i>Although everyone and I have done our best and fought to thest breath, fate did not change.</i>

    <i>I died. My heart was carved out and crushed by Lilia.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s all over.</i>

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°Yeah, I died.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gao Yang,¡± the little girl said from outside the backlit door, grabbing his hand. ¡°We¡¯re good friends. Good friends don¡¯t let each other die. This will be the first andst time, though. I can¡¯t protect you another time.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t speak. Everything around him vanished all of a sudden, leaving only the door and the world on the other side of the door. Even the space he was in was gone. The white light was going to sweep over everything.

    The little boy and the little girl waved at Gao Yang.

    Then the little boy, before disappearing into the light, looked at Gao Yang and smiled at him. ¡°Forget me, Big Brother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever look back, okay?¡±

    ...

    Having crushed Gao Yang¡¯s heart, Lilia looked for the Element Rune Circuit he should have on him.

    After two seconds, though, Gao Yang¡¯s injured right hand, which had dropped lifelessly, lifted all of a sudden to seize Lilia¡¯s wrist.

    Lilia started. <i>How is this possible?!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s empty chest started mending, and a heart grew anew, both flesh and blood¡ªit was a red heart filled with eerily beautiful ck curses.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s curse could resurrect a life once.

    Gao Yang had half of her curse in his body, which was the mysterious power the system had sensed in him. Now, the energy had been triggered.

    In the blink of an eye, the rib cage and muscles regenerated too. Even the other injuries on Gao Yang¡¯s body and face were quickly recovering.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes widened, radiating golden light.

    [Lucky levels up.]

    [Level 4 Lucky: maximum stats increase to 1000.]

    [Willful Power granted: allow the reallocation of all stats outside of Luck, ignoring the limit of maximum stats. The statests for 10 seconds, with a cooldown of 48 hours.]

    [Teleportation levels up.]

    [Level 5 Teleportation: Allow one to teleport 15 meters. Cooldown: 0.7 second.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Teleportation: Strength + 700, Agility + 1300.]

    [Added Perk: may go through special obstacles and walls outside of barriers and realms.]

    [Fire levels up.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Fire: Willpower + 650, Charisma + 130]

    [Maximum temperature increases to 2100 degrees Celsius. Grants full immunity to regr fire damage.]

    [Fire Punch¡¯s damage output doubles.]

    [Replicate levels up.]

    [Level 5 Replicate: Allow one to replicate any Talent with a serial number greater than 10.]

    [Method: Touch the target¡¯s body for 0.6 second.]

    [Number of Talent Replicated: 2. Storage Duration: 8 hours.]

    [Use Duration: 20 seconds. Cooldown: 4 hours.]

    [Stats Bonuses of Level 5 Replicate: Willpower + 700, Charisma - 200.]

    [Status Screen updated.]

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 1013 Agility: 1610]

    [Willpower: 1332 Charisma: 391]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn,¡± Gao Yang said impassively.

    Lilia suddenly felt a killing intent and will that were powerful enough to tear her to shreds in an instant. She was going to back off, but Gao Yang was still holding onto her wrist.

    Without hesitation, she let go of Gao Yang¡¯s neck and transformed the hand into a sharp de, cutting her left hand off. She went as far as amputating herself to run from Gao Yang.

    But it was toote.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s fist mmed into Lilia¡¯s chest at tremendous speed, sending her flying through the air.

    Midair, she curled her fingers while enduring the pain of her heart almost getting shattered, attempting to summon elements to protect herself.

    But Gao Yang was already there, by her side.

    Shock and fear shed through the purple eye on Lilia¡¯s forehead. How? How was he so fast? Not even at her prime would her speed and power be his match.

    She would never know the answer to the question: Gao Yang had activated Willful Power.

    In the next ten seconds, his stats had been temporarily adjusted.

    [Constitution: 1 Endurance: 1]

    [Strength: 1902 Agility: 1610]

    [Willpower: 1831 Charisma: 1]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s tightly-clenched right fist collided with Lilia¡¯s chest with overwhelming fiery energy, shattering her bones and flesh and prating her chest.

    <i>Growl.</i>

    A giant fire dragon roared and sunk its fangs into Lilia, soaring into the night sky, leaving a trail of crimson red that was so vibrant that it hurt to look at. Like a shooting star in reverse, it cast the whole city in a bright light, as if ready to burn a hole into the dome.

    At that moment, even the blood moon paled inparison.

    More than ten secondster, the dragon gradually dispersed, and Lilia was gone without leaving even a corpse behind. She had been rendered into nothing.

    Epilogue, the leader of pride monsters, was dead.

    So was Lilia, a former awakener.

    Gao Yang stood where he was and waited for his stats to go back to normal. Panting, his almost blinded eyes started picking up on the colors and light around him, and his almost deaf ears caught the piercing car rms. He also came to smell the burnt and metallic smell in the air, feeling the breeze with his almost numb face.

    He was back in this world, yet his brain was still nk.

    He slowly sat down, folding his legs together.

    In his sight was a street block, or what remained of it. None of the roads, public facilities, or houses was intact, like the aftermath of a barrage of missiles bombing the ce.

    He closed his eyes and sat quietly, unmoving like a piece of rock.

    Then at some point, the blood moon above him was gone, and the blood fog near the ground dispersed.

    Sensing something, he slowly opened his eyes. On the horizon at the end of the road came the first ray of the day, the orange light shining warmly on his face.

    Overwhelming exhaustion had been sweeping over him since the moment the battle ended, but Gao Yang held on, fighting to stay conscious.

    For this exact moment.

    The day broke.

    The Crimson Tide ended, and humanity hadn¡¯t gone extinct.

    Gao Yang allowed his eyes to fall shut.

    His only thought was to sleep, to fall into a long, deep slumber.

    Outside of death, it would be the longest he ever slept in his life.

    [End of Act 3]

 Chapter 386: Black and White Walls

    <h4>Chapter 386: ck and White Walls</h4>

    [Act 4]

    Gao Yang pped his wings, trying his best not to plunge into the depth of the void. He suddenly realized that he had turned into a white butterfly at some point.

    This must be a dream.

    With the thought in mind, Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel too much anxiety or unease.

    He continued to p his wings and flew forward. His vision cleared up gradually, his surroundings lighting up.

    Gao Yang turned to the side and saw a white wall¡ªor something with dream-like white light rolling and fluctuating on its surface.

    It looked endlessly tall and long without an end, or a boundary, like a great wall erected in the universe.

    Across from it was a wall of pitch ck. Its height and length were also limitless, and its surface boiled with strange fluctuating ck energy.

    Gao Yang had never seen such a deep ck. His mind faltered when he stared at the wall. Although he was far from it, it felt as if his body and soul would bepletely sucked in the next second.

    The two giant walls were parallel to each other, forming a strange cosmic corridor, at the center of which was an incredibly wide river.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t quite a river since the surface of it was a viscousyer of dark brown liquid. It looked more like a marsh filled with the corrupted and the evil.

    It looked icily cold, yet it seemed to be boiling, gurgling with bubbles popping up on the surface before breaking.

    Moreover, many deep red eyes of different sizes floated on the marsh. Some asrge as a whale, and others as tiny as a small shrimp.

    In their eyes were the ck and white walls. They opened and then closed their eyes at high frequency.

    In addition to the densely-packed eyes, pale arms shot out of the marsh every once in a while, seemingly reaching for something in a desperate and futile attempt like a drowning man grasping for a lifeline, but ended up sinking back down.

    Gao Yang pped his wings hard, scared that he would fall into the terrifying river too.

    Like the two walls on the sides of the corridor, however, the river extended endlessly without a stopping point. Gao Yang flew for a long, long time, feeling exhaustion catching up to him, and his wings became heavy. He wanted nothing but a ce to perch on.

    Thankfully, there was an ind in the center of the river ahead.

    A closer look revealed that it wasn¡¯t an ind, but arge tree reaching into the sky growing out of the marsh.

    Its roots must be at the bottom of the river, while the light gray trunk rose out of the water, long leaves hanging down from the dense webs of branches in strands like a great waterfall running down a cliff, split into countless smaller streams of water by rocky skerries.

    What a behemoth tree.

    <i>It seemed ten times bigger than the one I¡¯ve seen in the Time-Space Rune Cave. It wasn¡¯t so much a tree but a bastion.</i>

    Gao Yang marveled at the sight as he flew toward it.

    He was startled by what he saw.

    The strands hanging down from the branches were no leaves, but light gray strands of hair, wrapping around the branches while writhing like snakes.

    Gao Yang felt a numbness in his scalp. That, however, wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. From the trunk and branches, countless people grew.

    Most of them were vaguely visible figures wrapped in thick gray membranes¡ªthe bark; others had broken out of the membranes, revealing their faces and bodies, but their skins hadn¡¯t fully grown, and their red muscles and fine tendons were still visible.

    The closer Gao Yang flew to the tree, the more scared he became.

    He wanted to just turn around and fly away, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to do so. His body seemed ready to fall apart.

    He would have to choose between perching on the tree and sinking into the river of eyes and pale hands.

    In the end, he chose the tree.

    He flew to arge branch and hung perpendicrly on a slowly writhing strand of hair. Given his almost imperceptible weight, he didn¡¯t attract any attention or attack.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief.

    ¡°Hey, wake up!¡± a girl¡¯s voice called out.

    Startled, Gao Yang looked around.

    The branch beside him suddenly split to the sides, and the face of a girl popped out of the slit.

    While there were parts of her face that remained skinless, with the red muscle tissues revealed, her face was morepletepared to the other ¡®people¡¯.

    She looked to be thirteen or fourteen with seaweed-like long auburn hair. Under her full, fair forehead were a pair of nted grayish blue eyes, which were a little more apart than average. There was an innocent wildness to her.

    ¡°Hey! Wake up! Wake up, wake up!¡±

    She kept shouting, sounding incredibly excited. Her voice echoed in the lonesome space.

    She struggled to break free as she shouted, and her torso gradually emerged from the bark, revealing the curves of a girl. Her body, however, was still covered in a thickyer of gray membrane. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t break freepletely yet.

    Gao Yang realized then that the girl wasn¡¯t talking to him. Thus, he waited quietly rather than doing anything.

    <i>Hiss.</i>

    Soon, the branch next to the girl split as well, and a girl at simr age popped her head out. Having evolved more fully, her face was fair and wless.

    She had long, silky ck hair and a pair of deep beautiful ck eyes. Her facial features were delicate, and the angles of her face smooth and refined. It was clear that she would grow up to be a beautiful woman.

    While she was still young, she had grown out of the innocence and childlike temperament of a young girl. Instead, she was reserved and gloomy like an adult would be.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± the ck-haired girl asked coldly, a hint of tiredness in her voice.

    ¡°Hey, I had another dream!¡± the girl with nted grayish blue eyes and auburn hair shouted in excitement.

    ¡°That so?¡± The ck-haired girl humored her.

    ¡°I dreamed of being a highschooler. You know what that is, right? They are humans studying at a certain point in their lives...¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± the ck-haired girl cut her off. She wasn¡¯t interested in the meaningless bbering.

    ¡°The most handsome boy at school pursued me openly and asked me to be his girlfriend, saying that he fell in love with me at first sight. I told him that I needed some time to think, but he didn¡¯t give me the time. He pushed me to a wall, giving me a <i>kabedon</i>. You know what that is, right...¡±

    ¡°I know¡ª¡± The ck-haired girl drawled, making her irritation clear.

    ¡°Haha, my heart was racing and pounding so hard!¡± The auburn-haired girl smiled adoringly. ¡°He¡¯s so handsome! When it seemed like he was going to kiss me, I slowly closed my eyes... Do you know what happened then?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± The ck-haired girl yawned and pulled back, the gray membranes wrapping tightly around her. It looked like she was going back into the branch.

    ¡°Hey, heeeeey, don¡¯t go! Listen to me!¡± the auburn-haired girl urged.

    ¡°Shockingly, what came to me wasn¡¯t a loving kiss, but a knife! The handsome boy stabbed me in the chest and said, ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m an awakener!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Holy fxxk!¡±

    Getting way too into her story, the girl grew increasingly agitated, her chest heaving violently against the gray membrane. ¡°How could he, how could he! He honey-trapped me! That was a foul move! Awakeners are the worst! Once I¡¯m there, I¡¯m gonna kill them all!¡±

    ¡°Shut up shut up shut up!¡± Then another girl popped out of the branch under the two.

    She looked to be eleven or twelve, with medium-length blond hair and emerald green eyes. It was clear that her growth had been slow. Most of her face was skinless, revealing dark brown muscle tissues.

    Even so, it was clear from her facial features that she would be a pretty girl.

    ¡°When are you gonna get out of here?¡± she snapped, irritated. ¡°You¡¯ve been disturbing my sleep every day!¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee, it¡¯s gonna be our turn soon,¡± the auburn-haired girl said proudly, looking down at the grumpy blond girl. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t miss us too much once we¡¯re there.¡±

 Chapter 387: Highschool Girl

    <h4>Chapter 387: Highschool Girl</h4>

    ¡°Miss my ass!¡± The blonde girl was still cranky from getting woken up. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this shithole though. I want to go sooner too.¡±

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s continue to be friends once we¡¯re there,¡± the auburn-haired girl suggested enthusiastically, pressing a finger to her chin. ¡°Hm, let me think. We can open a coffee shop...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a coffee shop?¡± the blonde girl interjected.

    ¡°Seriously? You haven¡¯t dreamed of a coffee shop?¡±

    ¡°Coffee is a beverage. It¡¯s ck and most tastes really bitter,¡± the ck-haired girl exined. ¡°Coffee shops make coffee.¡±

    ¡°What is bitterness?¡± the blonde girl, the youngest among them, continued to ask. She had just developed taste not long ago, and she had only tasted sweetness and sourness in her dreams. She liked sweet things.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange.¡± The ck-haired girl, on the other hand, had had coffee in her dreams. She spoke like she didn¡¯t really care. ¡°Some like it, others hate it. I don¡¯t feel anything particr about it.¡±

    ¡°Stop cutting me off! Listen!¡± The auburn-haired girl directed the topic back to her. ¡°The three of us should open a coffee shop. We¡¯ll go to work during the day, and at night, we¡¯ll be cool cat burrs specialized in stealing expensive art pieces! Then a silly police officer will chase after us but ends up getting turned around every time. In the end, he falls for me!¡±

    ¡°Boring. It must be another boring story written by some human!¡± The blonde girl didn¡¯t care for the story. Then her eyes lit up with a hopeful look. ¡°Once I¡¯m there, I¡¯llplete Master¡¯s mission.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, missions are boring.¡± The auburn-haired girl shot back with distaste. ¡°Besides, where does your confidencee from? Our older sisters were so strong, but they failed. What makes you think that you¡¯ll be any different?¡±

    ¡°Because I am. I¡¯m the special one!¡± The blonde girl looked proud. ¡°I dreamed of Master, and They said that I¡¯m the most special.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what a coincidence. I dreamed of Master telling me the same thing.¡± The auburn-haired girl snickered. ¡°Did Master tell everyone the same thing? Whoa, wouldn¡¯t that make Master a <i>yer</i>? You know what that is, right...¡±

    ¡°You lied!¡± The blonde girl lost her temper. ¡°How, how dare you insult Master! You¡¯ll fail! You¡¯ll get divine punishment!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not scared.¡± The auburn-haired girl didn¡¯t look afraid at all. She turned to the ck-haried girl beside her. ¡°Hey, have you ever dreamed of Master?¡±

    The ck-haired girl shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Never?¡± The auburn-haired girl was a little surprised.

    ¡°Never,¡± the ck-haired girl said, neither sad nor happy.

    ¡°Poor thing. You¡¯ve been abandoned by Master,¡± the blonde girl said with some schadenfreude.

    ¡°That so?¡± The ck-haired girl smiled. She was about to say something when she suddenly frowned, looking somewhere above the auburn-haired girl¡¯s head. On a strand of gray hair perched a butterfly glinting with a faint white light.

    ¡°Butterfly,¡± the ck-haired girl said with a hint of joy.

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± The auburn-haired girl hadn¡¯t caught on.

    ¡°I see a butterfly.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams?¡± The blonde girl got curious too. She had heard that butterflies were beautiful, but she had never dreamed of one.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s right here, right now. It¡¯s pretty.¡±

    The ck-haired girl smiled. It surprised Gao Yang that the aloof girl would have such a gentle smile. In fact, there was something about it that made her seem strangely familiar.

    He soon broke out of his reverie and realized with surprise, <i>She can see me! I thought none of them could.</i>

    <i>No, I can¡¯t stay here any longer. </i>Gao Yang pped his wings, having decided to fly away.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Suddenly, a pale hand shot out of nowhere and caught him, crushing him into pieces.

    ...

    Fifteenth High School, Shanqing District, Li City. September 23rd.

    The Fifteenth High School was an art high school in Li City. In addition to regr students, there were also art and music students.

    In the evening, once the afternoon sses hade to an end, the students had a one-hour break time. Those who lived on campus weren¡¯t allowed to leave, while thosemuting to school could go home and have dinner.

    Not long after the school bell rang, students swarmed out of the school gates in groups of three to five, some of them walking with their bicycles. They would either go home for dinner or look for a dining ce in the area.

    If they were quick enough, they could earn themselves thirty minutes of free time, going to nearby bookstores, snack shops, milk tea shops, luxury shops, or even inte cafes with their friends.

    At the school gate, a pretty girl with a slim figure and fair skin walked among the crowd.

    She was dressed in a white shirt, a navy blue pleated skirt, white socks, and square toe dress shoes. Although she was simply wearing uniforms, the attire looked especially bright and youthful on her, making her look like the kind of cute girls featured in the music videos of love songs.

    Carrying arge, heavy canvas, she looked even smaller inparison, arousing a loving sort of pity in others.

    Her long hair was tied into twin tails, revealing her fair face and delicate neck, like those of a ceramic figurine.

    Her eyes wererge and ck, and her heart-shaped face was lovely. However, there was an air of aloofness around her that kept people at arm¡¯s length, the contrast striking.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡±

    A boy with shaved head, sses, and some pimples on his forehead jogged up to her, looking bookish and shy.

    He tried his best to act friendly in a natural way. ¡°Are you going home for dinner?¡±

    His name was Guang Huan. He was Gao Xinxin¡¯s ssmate and had a crush on her.

    Well, it was a crush, but not so much a secret one. After all, half of the boys in their ss had developed a crush on Gao Xinxin at first sight on the first day of military training. Even without him, she already had an army of admirers.

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t even spare Guang Huan a nce. One hand holding onto the strap attached to her canvas, she walked faster with her head lowered. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Hospital? Haha, what a coincidence. I¡¯m heading the same way...¡± Guang Huan smiled a little awkwardly, embarrassed. ¡°Oh, right, you haven¡¯t eaten, have you? I know a really good ce for oil noodles. Why don¡¯t I buy you...¡±

    ¡°Guang Huan.¡± Gao Xinxin stopped walking and turned to him coldly, looking at him like an adult eyeing a little kid, like she could read all his thoughts.

    ¡°Find someone else to chase after. You¡¯re not my type.¡± After a bemused moment, Gao Xinxin added, ¡°And I don¡¯t have time for campus romance.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t lying. Her grandmother had passed away, and her brother was in a vegetative state. With her father still bound to a wheelchair, she and her mother had to effectively support the family on their own.

    They held a funeral for her grandmother and paid her brother¡¯s medical bills for his treatment and hospitalization. After all that, the family had little savings.

    There was also her brother¡¯s college tuition, of course. Her mother had set aside the expense since the university had kept him on the roster. Her mother would never give up on Gao Yang.

    After the sudden tragedy, her mother found a job.

    While going to school, Gao Xinxin continued to work as an online model and promote products for as many sellers as she could. Her ID, ¡®Xinxinughing while the guillotine de falls¡¯, had been changed to ¡®Everything will be alright¡¯.

    She had chosen to be an art student for her side gig as well.

    With an art education, she would be able to better do her own makeup, photoshoots, and costume coordination. Being an online model wasn¡¯t easy these days. The fiercepetition had pushed everyone to do better.

    Gao Xinxin needed money. In addition to her studies, the most she thought about was how she could earn more money.

    ¡°Ahaha, haha...¡± Guang Huan didn¡¯t expect her to be so blunt. He awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I just...want to be friends with you...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need friends.¡± Gao Xinxin turned away and continued ahead. ¡°I¡¯m busy. Go look for someone else.¡±

 Chapter 388: Company

    <h4>Chapter 388: Company</h4>

    Gao Xinxin quickened her steps and walked toward the bus stop nearby with her head low, standing by it. The golden light of the setting sun hugged her gently, yet it only made her seem more rueful and down.

    Guang Huan¡¯s heart spasmed. Yes, he had feelings for Gao Xinxin. He had been drawn to her the moment he saw her in the crowd during military training, the first day of school.

    And it was because she was such a wonderful girl, yet she was always frowning, pulling a face that said she wasn¡¯t happy at all.

    There seemed to be a lot on her shoulders. While she didn¡¯t seem to care about anything, it was a front to protect herself. She had shut the world away and drew herself a circle to stay in.

    Lovely and brooding, prideful and sensitive, artistic and mysterious...

    Everything about her was intoxicating to Guang Huan. She was his dream girl.

    He wanted to get close to her and find out more about her. He wanted to enter her world.

    Her family must be having difficulty. Perhaps something serious had happened to them.

    She had led a difficult life like a lily in the wild, beautiful and strong. Quietly, she weathered the difficulties; quietly, she yearned for love and warmth, for someone who could actually understand, appreciate, and empathize with her...

    <i>Vroom.</i>

    Suddenly, the enthralling rumble of a car engine broke Guang Huan out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a race car speeding from the end of the road. It was worth at least twenty million yuan.

    The driver was a handsome young man with blond hair.

    The car soon stopped by Gao Xinxin. The young man took off his sunsses and waved at her.

    She got into the car with an impassive expression and shut the door.

    <i>Vroom.</i>

    A few secondster, the car sped away, disappearing at the other end of the road, the only proof of its existence being the lingering sound of the engine.

    Guang Huan stood rooted to the spot, gaping. What just happened? Did he just...see something he shouldn¡¯t have seen?!

    In the speeding sports car, both Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin were quiet.

    Awkwardly, Wang Zikai broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯ve paid for your brother¡¯s bill forst month.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay you back next month.¡± Gao Xinxin was speaking in an overly polite tone.

    ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t be necessary. Gao Yang¡¯s my brother. I should do something for him...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s <i>my </i>brother, my family,¡± Gao Xinxin cut him off coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him. I appreciate the thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Gao Xinxin!¡± Wang Zikai sighed in resignation, feeling a headache brewing. ¡°Why are you being so stubborn?¡±

    Gao Xinxin fell silent.

    During the time her brother was unconscious, she found herself stuck in her own obstinate thoughts, as if she was in a fight with someone. She didn¡¯t know what had gotten to her, either.

    Only muchter did she realize that she was fighting life itself, that she was fighting fate.

    She had had a wonderful family, yet overnight, she lost her grandmother forever, and her brother had fallen unconscious, entering a vegetative state.

    It was all because of a goddamn natural gas explosion.

    On June 23rd, a road had sunk down in the early morning, leading to the copse of many buildings and a natural gas explosion, triggering a serious fire. The casualties totaled several hundreds.

    The rescue effortsted three days, during which the citizens were plunged into great collective heartbreak.

    It had been the headlines on many social media tforms for a long time. People talked, demanded answers, and made usations. Over time, however, the incident gradually faded from public consciousness.

    After all, life went on for most people.

    To the families of the victims, however, the pain and damage inflicted remained looming over them. It would take years to heal.

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s family was one of them.

    Her grandmother had been killed in the disaster, and her brother had been unconscious ever since. Up until today, he had stayed in a hospital ward for three months.

    ording to official investigation, things went like this:

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s grandmother slept little due to her age, and she woke up early every morning, catching a bus with her welfare card to the park for a stroll or to the market for groceries.

    Early in the morning, the bus she was riding on happened to drive past the road where the incident took ce. The explosion led to lines of cars crashing into each other, and her grandmother ended up thrown out of a window, killed on site.

    Gao Yang, who should¡¯ve been staying the night at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, was on the bus too for some reason.

    Gao Xinxin could only specte. Perhaps he had pulled an all-nighter at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce and took his leave early the next morning. On his way home, Gao Yang ran into her grandmother, who was leaving home, so he rode the bus with her and ended up getting caught in the explosion and the resulting car idents too.

    There were some external injuries on Gao Yang, but none were that serious.

    The doctor said that he might have fallen unconscious due to concussion, and there was no telling how long it would take for him to wake up. It could be days, or it could be a lifetime.

    Gao Xinxin and her family knew what the doctor was insinuating: Gao Yang had entered a vegetative state.

    ...

    As she dwelled on her thoughts, Wang Zikai had already parked by the road across from the hospital.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gao Xinxin got out of the car with the canvas on her back.

    Wang Zikai wanted to say something, but decided not to follow her in the end.

    Due to Gao Yang¡¯s condition, Gao Xinxin had asked for special permission from her homeroom teacher as soon as school started.

    Every day, she would forgo evening self-study to spend time with her brother at the hospital, doing physical therapy massages and talking to him. At night, she would go home and sleep. The next morning, she would go to school early and start the morning self-study.

    Since Wang Zikai had all the time in the world, he volunteered to drive Gao Xinxin around, picking her up after school and driving her home at night.

    It wasn¡¯t safe for a girl to walk home on her own sote at night.

    With Gao Yang unconscious, his sister was Wang Zikai¡¯s sister. Wang Zikai felt the responsibility to take care of her.

    Sitting in the car, Wang Zikai watched as Gao Xinxin crossed the road with a crowd, looking sad even though she had her back to him. He let out a long sigh. <i>Why haven¡¯t you woken up, Gao Yang? What happened that night? Who was responsible for your condition? I have to avenge you!</i>

    <i>I can ovee the curse of Sleeping Beauty now. We¡¯ve promised to save the world together. You must honor your word!</i>

    ...

    <i>Click.</i>

    Gao Xinxin opened the light blue door leading to the ward. It was a room for two people, but the other bed was currently unupied, leaving Gao Yang on his own.

    Gao Xinxin took off the canvas on her back and ced it in a corner along with her painting kit, looking right at home.

    She turned to walk up to the window, parting the curtains halfway to allow a stream of soft sunlight in. The setting sun cast her face in a warm red. The cool autumn breeze rustled her hair, bringing in a faint smell of cooking.

    Gao Xinxin stood by the window, facing the boisterous yet serene city outside. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath like she was sorting through her feelings, or maybe she was praying.

    Three secondster, she opened her eyes with a rxed, joyous smile.

    ¡°Brother!¡± She skipped her way to the bedside. ¡°I¡¯vee to visit you.¡±

 Chapter 389: Wake Up

    <h4>Chapter 389: Wake Up</h4>

    Gao Yangy on the bed with a loose, blue and white striped patient garb, his face somewhat pale. His hair had grown out, his bang almost covering his eyes. There was an IV drip connected to the back of his hand, the skin of which was dry with obvious veins due to his weight loss.

    ¡°Let me tell you, your sister is <i>so </i>popr! I friendzone someone else today¡ªwell, in a manner of speaking.¡± Gao Xinxin grabbed a stool and sat down by Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    ¡°Hoho, I¡¯ve already rejected three boys during the first month of school,¡± Gao Xinxin said proudly.

    She reached out to brush her brother¡¯s bang to the sides. ¡°Your hair has gotten long, Brother. I¡¯ll give you a trim tomorrow. Haha, don¡¯t panic. I¡¯ve been trimming my own bang these days. I¡¯m a certified hairdresser now!¡±

    As she spoke, she leaned in to grab Gao Yang¡¯s arm and massage it.

    The doctor had said that patients in vegetative state required frequent massages to promote cirction. And the body should be flipped regrly to move the muscles, preventing atrophy and necrosis.

    ¡°Brother, Dad has decided to transfer all the shares of the food processing factory to Uncle Qing and pulled out of the partnership,¡± Gao Xinxin said as she massaged Gao Yang. ¡°Given Dad¡¯s condition, he can¡¯t run around doing business like before, leaving all the weight on Uncle Qing¡¯s shoulders, which was unfair to him.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qing was kind enough to give Dad arge sum, so you don¡¯t have to worry about us. Besides, Dad is now attending a training course for those with physical abilities. He will soon start working.¡±

    ¡°As for your college, we¡¯ve kept you on the roster. You¡¯re a student of Li City College, majoring inputer science.¡±

    ¡°After all, you don¡¯t really have a hobby outside of ying games, and Dad said that it¡¯s easy for an IT major to find a job nowadays. Even if you don¡¯t like it, you can always transfer to another department.¡±

    Gao Xinxin stood up and started massaging Gao Yang¡¯s right leg.

    With difficulty, she bent his leg and massaged the acupuncture points on his calf. ¡°Oh, right, Mom¡¯s stopped working part-time at the supermarket. Her friend referred her to work as a salesperson at a gold jewelry shop. Although they never hire anyone above the age 35, the owner made an exception for Mom since she looked good and gave a good impression.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, all¡¯s well. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Xinxin nced at his feet and frowned. ¡°Your toenails grow so quickly, Brother. Ah, I didn¡¯t bring a clipper with me today. I¡¯ll do it tomorrow.¡±

    She rattled off whatever came to her mind as she massaged the acupuncture points in different parts of Gao Yang¡¯s body. Then she fetched a basin of warm water, getting a towel damp to wipe her brother¡¯s face and neck. After that, she reced the water and wiped his body with another towel, leaving the parts that would be inappropriate for her to clean to Wang Zikai.

    When all that was done, night had already fallen.

    Gao Xinxin ced all the washing tools in the basin and put it under the bed. She washed her hands before turning around to close the curtains.

    Back at her brother¡¯s bedside, she elevated the bed and took a bottle of milk and a toast out of her backpack.

    She finished them quickly, and that was it for her dinner.

    She wiped her mouth and took out her phone, going back to the story she had started reading yesterday. ¡°I¡¯m gonna continue the story tonight, Brother. Let me see. Where was I...¡±

    She sat upright and cleared her throat, getting started in a gentle voice.

    ¡°¡®You are beautiful, but you are empty,¡¯ he went on. ¡®One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you¡ªthe rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the ss globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpirs (except the two or three that we saved to be butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is...¡¯[1]¡±

    Halfway into the reading, Gao Xinxin stopped suddenly, her slightly open mouth trembling and her eyes widened with force. Involuntarily, her tears dropped, wetting her sickly-looking face.

    ...

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Half an hourter, Wang Zikai barged through the door, panting and sweating as he rushed in.

    When he got Gao Xinxin¡¯s text, he had just had dinner and was driving to the hospital, but got trapped in a jam at a crossroad.

    He couldn¡¯t wait for even a second, so he opened the door and ran all the way here.

    His eyes were red and his face ashen. His brain nked as he stared at Gao Yang, already covered by a white cloth on the bed.

    ¡°No, no no no...¡±

    He took a few steps forward and dropped to his knees. ¡°This can¡¯t be, this can¡¯t be!¡±

    Wang Zikai looked pained. He shouted at Gao Xinxin, ¡°What happened? I visited him this afternoon, and he was fine. How did he suddenly, suddenly...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t utter the word ¡®die¡¯. Death could happen to anyone, even himself, but not his best friend and brother.

    Standing by Gao Yang¡¯s body, Gao Xinxin shut her eyes and bit her bottom lip hard, unable to say anything.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Wang Zikai let out a heart-wrenching scream, scrambling his way to the bed and lifting the white cloth covering Gao Yang¡¯s face. ¡°Fucking wake up! You hear me? Wake up now!¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai...¡± Finally, Gao Xinxin spoke, her voice trembling. ¡°The doctor, the doctor said that...my brother went in peace, that he wasn¡¯t in pain...¡±

    ¡°Fuck going in peace! No pain my ass!¡± Wang Zikai snapped at Gao Xinxin. ¡°Gao Yang can¡¯t be gone! Get the doctor here! His heart isn¡¯t beating? Then get him back! If my brother¡¯s not saved, I¡¯ll burn the hospital down!¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai, stop, stop it...¡± Gao Xinxin covered her face with both hands.

    ¡°You can¡¯t die, Gao Yang! I won¡¯t allow it!¡± Wang Zikai grabbed him by the shoulders and cried hot tears of pain, the tears dripping down on Gao Yang¡¯s pale face.

    ¡°We...we¡¯re the 94 Duo! We¡¯ve promised to get rid of those liz...¡±

    Gao Yang opened his eyes wide and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not dead!¡±

    ...

    Half an hour ago.

    When Gao Xinxin looked up, unbidden, she realized that her brother had regained consciousness, sitting up.

    Face pale and eyes unfocused, he looked weakly at Gao Xinxin.

    After a long while, Gao Yang found the strength to manage a smile, asking in a voice that was hoarse to the point of sounding modted, ¡°Why...did you stop...¡±

    ¡°Because she is...¡± Gao Xinxin shuddered and breathed quickly, sniffing while doing her best to finish the line, ¡°Because she is...my rose.¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡± Gao Xinxin cast her phone away and threw herself into Gao Yang¡¯s arms, bawling.

    Gao Yang would like to open his arms to hold her and ruffle her hair, but he didn¡¯t yet have the strength.

    Gao Xinxin sobbed as she said in starts and stops, ¡°Brother, brother, you¡¯re finally awake... I knew...you wouldn¡¯t abandon us. I knew it...¡±

    ¡°Let me...look at you...¡± Gao Yang struggled hard to say.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Gao Xinxin immediately sat upright and wiped her tears roughly, looking at Gao Yang while crying andughing.

    ¡°Xinxin,¡± Gao Yang said in an aching tone, his lips barely parting. ¡°You¡¯ve...lost so much weight.¡±

    1. Katherine Wood¡¯s trantion of Antoine de Saint Exup¨¦ry¡¯s <i>Little Prince</i>. ?

 Chapter 390: Prank

    <h4>Chapter 390: Prank</h4>

    The atmosphere in the ward was a little awkward.

    Wang Zikai was still holding onto Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders with tears running down his face, and the heartbroken look on his face froze little by little.

    The sudden turn of events had left his not so intelligent brain short-circuiting.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, Gao Xinxin told me to y dead when I woke up. It¡¯s...it¡¯s a prank...¡± Gao Yang smiled with his pale face. ¡°It seems that I y a good corpse. Ha, haha...¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Covering her face with both hands, Gao Xinxin lost it and broke into loudughter. ¡°I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t. It¡¯s so hard to stop myself fromughing. Hahaha!¡±

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯tugh. He let go of Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders and took a staggering step back, letting out a sigh of relief.

    Then he slowly turned away and didn¡¯t say anything.

    <i>Shit</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>We¡¯ve crossed a line.</i>

    He had disagreed, but Gao Xinxin insisted on pranking Wang Zikai. It was partly a revenge out of suppressed anger. She med Wang Zikai a little for what happened to her brother. If Wang Zikai hadn¡¯t had Gao Yang stay the night at his ce, perhaps Gao Yang would¡¯ve been fine. Wang Zikai was partly to me for what happened¡ªthat was what she thought.

    Of course, her anger was wholly misced.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, I¡¯m sorry...¡± Gao Yang immediately apologized.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you two?!¡± Wang Zikai suddenly turned back and shouted at Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin. The siblings were stunned. Even those walking past the room outside jumped in surprise.

    ¡°Is this something you should joke about?¡± Wang Zikai wiped his tears away. ¡°Did you get water into your brains? No, did you get fucking poop in your head?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a prank. There¡¯s no need to be so angry...¡± Gao Xinxin knew she had crossed the line, and she lowered her head guiltily, but reflexively, she retorted.

    ¡°There is a need!¡± Wang Zikai felt wronged, and he shouted at her, ¡°Gao Xinxin, I¡¯ve stayed with your brother every day for just as long as you have! I want your brother to wake up even more!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of anything in the world, and I¡¯ve never been a believer of gods and ghosts. But I was the fool who prayed to the bodhisattva. I knelt for three fucking hours, praying for bodhisattva to bless Gao Yang...¡±

    Face flushed with anger, Wang Zikai fished out a wooden lucky charm from a pocket of his jeans. ¡°Like a damn idiot, I had your fortune told and got this...¡±

    He threw the lucky charm at Gao Yang. ¡°And you! The first thing you did when you woke up was lie to me with your sister!¡±

    He pounded on his chest and stomped his foot. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?! Is this how you treat your best friend?!¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the lucky charm on the nket. It was a rectangr sandalwood pendant with ¡®Gao Yang¡¯ etched on one side and ¡®safety¡¯ on the other side.

    His fingers pinching the lucky charm trembled slightly, and he sniffled.

    He had always known that Wang Zikai was a good friend, but he never expected Wang Zikai to go to such lengths.

    On the other hand, he owed Wang Zikai too much.

    Gao Yang felt a heavy pang of guilt, and at the risk of sounding sentimental, he said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Wang Zikai, truly. You¡¯re so worried about me, yet I lied to you to pull a prank. I...I¡¯m the worst.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for taking care of me and Xinxin the past few months. I¡¯ll surely repay you for what you¡¯ve done for us.¡±

    Wang Zikai scowled, seemingly still fuming.

    After five to six seconds, though, he pped his thigh suddenly and barked outughing. ¡°Hahaha you¡¯ve been yed! Hahaha...¡±

    It was Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin¡¯s turn to gape.

    ¡°I got this lucky charm after having ten cups of milk tea!¡± Wang Zikai was stillughing. ¡°Hahaha, look at you being all fidgety, hahaha...¡±

    Gao Yang snorted. <i>Wang Zikai, you vengeful bastard.</i>

    After a good while, when Wang Zikai hadughed for long enough, he turned back to Gao Yang with pure joy on his face and a childlike sparkle in his eyes. ¡°Hey, did you mean it?¡±

    ¡°Mean what?¡± Gao Yang yed dumb.

    ¡°That you¡¯d repay me!¡± Wang Zikai said vehemently. ¡°You¡¯re not getting yourself out of it! I heard you!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled resignedly. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll do whatever as long as I can do it.¡±

    Wang Zikai grinned. ¡°Then y games with me for a week!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Gao Yang thought he had heard wrong.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Zikai sounded pleased with himself. ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think. All seven days, you muste to y with me whenever I call. No abandoning me outside of special circumstances. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Gao Yang pumped himself up.

    ¡°And you!¡± Wang Zikai red at Gao Xinxin. ¡°You¡¯re calling me Brother Kai from now on and treat me with respect. You hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah.¡± Gao Xinxin stuck her tongue out at him.

    Her phone rang then. She picked up and made a few sounds of assent before hanging up and turning to Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Wang...Brother Kai, my dad and mom are going to be at the entrance of the hospital soon. You know Dad needs help with his wheelchair. Would you go downstairs and give them a hand?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯ve just pranked me, and you dare to order me around?¡± Wang Zikai pretended to be angry and crossed his arms.

    ¡°Alright, Brother Kai, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gao Xinxin spoke in a cutesy voice and phoned it in. ¡°I know Brother Kai is the best and takes the best care of me...¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop already, don¡¯t do that to me. I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡± Wang Zikai shot her a disgusted look and strode out of the room.

    Once the door was closed, the siblings were left alone.

    After a brief moment of silence, Gao Xinxin looked at Gao Yang and held his gaze seriously. ¡°You¡¯ve just woken up, Brother, and I didn¡¯t want to tell you and hurt you, but after thinking about it, I believe I should tell you first thing.¡±

    Gao Yang was silent. He knew what Gao Xinxin was going to say.

    ¡°Granny...passed away.¡± Although it had been three months, Gao Xinxin still couldn¡¯t talk about their grandmother without choking up, her eyes reddening again.

    Gao Yang pretended to be surprised, but what followed was true heartbreak.

    Whileing to terms with the pain, he listened to Gao Xinxin talk about the disaster that had killed hundreds: the road had sunk down and triggered a natural gas explosion, leading to a pile-up and fire.

    Gao Yang was both shocked and befuddled. Who was the one cleaning up the mess?

    All awakeners had cked out from the Poison of Hell and wouldn¡¯t have woken up until the day broke. They didn¡¯t have the time or the power to do a cover job of this scale andplexity.

    Putting all things aside, the act of bringing all the dead elite monsters across Li City to one street alone would be an impossible task.

    Yet all elite monsters and awakeners who had been killed at thest night of the Crimson Tide had been arranged to be victims of arge-scale ident. All traces left of the multiple battles were erased, fooling the slumbering wanderers.

    Who could¡¯ve done that?

    Gao Yang could only think of one possibility: the Heavenly Way.

    Just like the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, which had been brought underground overnight, reced by a perfect replica, the ces where serious fights had taken ce must have been repaired anew with Heavenly Way¡¯s impressive replicating power. As a result, it seemed like nothing had happened. And the road where the final battle with Lilia had taken ce was disguised as the site where the ground had sunk down and a natural gas explosion had happened.

    Of course, there was someone else who could¡¯ve done that¡ªSir Jiang.

    He was the only surviving pride monster. As an observer, he had refrained from making an appearance till the very end.

    Still, Gao Yang believed the Heavenly Way was the more likely answer.

    With the Crimson Tideing to an end, the Heavenly Way¡¯s ruling and governing power would have regained the upperhand, and it was the Heavenly Way¡¯s purpose to maintain the order of the surface world.

    ¡°Brother?¡± Gao Xinxin called out when she noticed Gao Yang losing himself in his head. ¡°Are you...are you alright?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t hide his confusion, but instead yed along and pretended to think back to the past. ¡°I remember staying outside at an inte cafe with Wang Zikai overnight before going home in the early morning. As soon as I entered our gatedmunity, I ran into Granny. Then...then I remember nothing after...¡±

    He held onto his head. ¡°Ugh, my head hurts...¡±

    ¡°Brother,¡± Gao Xinxin said nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. What happened happened. Remembering it isn¡¯t going to change anything.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded quietly.

    At that moment, the door to the ward opened, and his mother, wheelchaired father, and Wang Zikai, who was pushing the wheelchair, appeared outside.

    ¡°Yang Yang, you¡¯ve woken up!¡±

    His mother had her hair pinned up and wore light makeup, dressed in the red uniform and red high heels required for a salesperson at the gold jewelry shop that employed her. On her chest was a glinting gilded name que.

    As soon as she saw Gao Yang, she strode up to the bed, reaching out to hold him, but decided at thest second to grab his hands tightly instead, afraid of hurting him. She opened and closed her mouth, her eyes red.

    ¡°Mom, Granny¡¯s gone. Sister told me,¡± Gao Yang started the conversation.

    His mother couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and started sobbing while muffling her mouth.

    Gao Xinxin broke into quiet sobs as well, while his father wiped at his eyes silently.

    Wang Zikai paused before pushing the wheelchair to Gao Yang¡¯s bedside.

    ¡°I...I have something else to take care of. Later.¡± That was all he said before fleeing the room and closing the door behind him.

    He hadn¡¯t actually left, though. He stood outside and listened to the family of four crying and conversing, their sorrow and joy projecting through the door. His eyes reddened too.

    Sniffing, he wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. For the first time since forever, he thought of his parents.

 Chapter 391: Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 391: Surprise</h4>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s parents had been divorced for years, and both had started their own family. On social media, Wang Zikai saw pictures detailing their lives every now and then. Both his half-brother on his father¡¯s side and his half-sister from his mother¡¯s side were receiving the best education and performing well. They were well-mannered and polite, and they had a bright future ahead of them.

    Unlike Wang Zikai. As his father had said, he was a prodigal son who couldn¡¯t be redirected to the right path. While he would neverck money in life, he wasn¡¯t expected to do anything. The best thing he could do was to stay out of trouble and avoid embarrassing his father.

    Wang Zikai remembered his childhood. Back then, his parents hadn¡¯t gone into business and climbed up the social stairs. They had been employees of a chemical nt, and the three of them lived in a small dorm room.

    Every evening, when Wang Zikai went home from school, he would see his father watching TV on the sofa and his mother busying about in the kitchen. In the air was the familiar smell of cooking. The days were mundane, but warm.

    At the time, Wang Zikai had wanted to study well and be a scientist, starting his own family and raising his children while taking care of his parents.

    At the time, Wang Zikai still had a home.

    Wang Zikai was lost in his thoughts when a doctor rushed over. He just finished a surgery and heard that a patient had woken up from vegetative state after three months, so he rushed over to check on the patient.

    Wang Zikai quickly stopped him. ¡°Wait.¡±

    The doctor paused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Give them a few minutes. It¡¯s not a good time.¡±

    The doctor didn¡¯t immediately catch on, but then he heard the faint sounds of Gao Yang and his family crying. He nodded in understanding. ¡°Of course, I¡¯lle backter.¡±

    ...

    Inside the ward, Gao Yang and his family had had a good cry in each other¡¯s arms, releasing the pent-up pain they had been bottling up over the past few months.

    Not long after, the physician in charge examined Gao Yang to make sure that he was alright. Still, he had to stay at the hospital for observation a little longer and do physical therapy.

    Late at night, his parents and sister had gone home, and the whole in-patient ward was in the dark with the lights turned off. Gao Yang went back to bed.

    The room was quiet. The clear moonlight shone through the gap between the curtains and drew a long, narrow silver trail on the ceiling like a wound in the darkness.

    Gao Yang stared up at it and thought back to everything that had happened during thest night of the Crimson Tide. It felt surreal, like a fever dream.

    He remembered feeling dead tired after getting resurrected and killing Lilia, but he fought to stay conscious until the day came. He hadn¡¯t expected to sleep for three months.

    That must be the price of his resurrection.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 124 Luck points.]

    ¡ªWait, it¡¯s been three months. I should¡¯ve umted at least two thousand points even without anything happening.

    [The vegetative state is closer to death than the normal living state.]

    ¡ªDon¡¯t be so strict. Can¡¯t you give me some leeway?

    ¡ªOthers¡¯ systems give them all sorts of benefits, but you¡¯re always so stingy with me.

    [I am simply the objective presentation of Talent: Lucky and your quantified abilities, not an actual cheat code.]

    ¡ªLook at you, you know what a cheat code is.

    ¡ªForget it, show me my Status Screen.

    [Constitution: 466 Endurance: 473]

    [Strength: 1003 Agility: 1560]

    [Willpower: 1302 Charisma: 371]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡ªWait, this doesn¡¯t seem right. Aren¡¯t my stats a little lower?

    [Every time you use Willful Power, 3% to 5% of your stats will be consumed.]

    ¡ª****!

    ¡ªCalm down, calm down.

    ¡ªLife is a y. We¡¯re here because of fate. If I get angry for something this trivial and get sick, no one¡¯s gonna pay...

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang took a few deep breaths before his emotions settled down.

    <i>ck.</i>

    Suddenly, the door slowly opened.

    Gao Yang was immediately alerted. Looking over, there was no one outside.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Gao Yang called out, readying himself to fight.

    It was then something small appeared outside the door and slowly floated to Gao Yang, stopping a meter away from him.

    It was a party popper.

    It popped, shooting colorful paper strands and golden particles at him.

    ¡°Surprise!¡±

    Can, who was holding the party popper, showed up by Gao Yang¡¯s side with a beam. Judging by her red, swollen eyes, she must have been crying.

    Learning of the news that their captain had woken up made her cry tears of joy, but she wanted to visit him with a happy smile rather than bring down the mood.

    Having guessed who it was, Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°The others are here, too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Can nodded vehemently, staring at Gao Yang¡¯s face. She needed confirmation that their captain had indeed woken up, and this wasn¡¯t a dream.

    Gray Bear and Nine Frost walked in with a basket of fruit each.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for a long time, Captain.¡± Gray Bear ced his basket on the nightstand. ¡°But I¡¯ve always had faith that you would wake up!¡±

    ¡°I bet on that too.¡± Nine Frost narrowed his eyes, his lips curved up. ¡°Thanks to you, we each won 10 jinwu.¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee, we¡¯ve won big!¡± Canughed.

    <i>p.</i>

    The curtains lifted. Lithe Snake jumped through the window on the side with a bouquet of white carnations in his hands. Without a word, he put the flowers in the empty vase before the window.

    ¡°It seems that Lithe Snake is the loser.¡± Gao Yang put two and two together.

    With the flowers settled in the vase, Lithe Snake turned to Gao Yang with a lopsided smile. ¡°I thought about killing you in secret. It¡¯s 30 jinwu after all, two months worth of sry.¡±

    ¡°Is that how little my life is worth?¡± Gao Yang said self-decrepatingly.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Gray Bear rested his hands on his hip and said in a booming voice. ¡°You¡¯re now the 6th ranking awakener on the list. You¡¯re worth at least 3000 jinwu, let alone 30.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He didn¡¯t have to ask to figure out who the top five awakeners were: Qilin, Dragon, Surnamed Li, Azure Dragon, and War Tiger.

    ¡°Keep it down,¡± Lithe Snake said. ¡°This is a hospital, not your own ce.¡±

    ¡°Good point.¡± Gray Bear nced at Lithe Snake. ¡°Stand watch outside. We¡¯re having a good chat with Captain.¡±

    ¡°Why me?¡± Lithe Snake frowned, vexed. In terms of status on the team, even if he ranked lower than Gray Bear and Nine Frost, shouldn¡¯t Can take the bottom ce? He shouldn¡¯t be allocated guard duty.

    ¡°You talk the least and ain¡¯t gonna say anything even if you stay here.¡±

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t have aeback for that. With a scoff, he sauntered out of the room with a hand in his pocket, closing the door behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, Captain. We¡¯ve been waiting for you every day.¡± Can sat down beside Gao Yang. The room was dim without the light on. Can¡¯s eyes, blinking asionally, glinted softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep for too long.¡± Gao Yang sighed softly and turned to Gray Bear. ¡°Anything happened during the past three months?¡±

    ¡°Many, but nothing big.¡± Gray Bear fished out a cigarette and was just about to light it before he paused and put his lighter back. The cigarette remained dangling in his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to start.¡± He grabbed a chair and sat down. ¡°What do you want to know, Captain? I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it and got right to the question he was most concerned with.

    In a lowered voice, he asked, ¡°That night, how many were lost?¡±

 Chapter 392: Trade Restriction

    <h4>Chapter 392: Trade Restriction</h4>

    Gray Bear and Nine Frost exchanged a nce and a wry smile.

    They had anticipated the question from their captain and prepared for it.

    Gray Bear took out a folded piece of paper from the breast pocket of his leather jacket, saying concisely, ¡°The list.¡±

    Gao Yang realized it was the list of awakeners who had been killed that night.

    He took it and unfolded the paper, looking for the dead of the Twelve Zodiac Signs immediately.

    There was only one name: Electric Mouse.

    Gao Yang paused, conflicting feelings warring in his mind. He was thankful that Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and Fat Jun were fine.

    But Wu Dahai was dead.

    He thought back to his first meeting with the man. In a rundown arcade, the pervert who dressed loudly and spoke frivolously had tried to harass Qing Ling every chance he got.

    Gao Yang had disapproved of him then, even hated him.

    After joining the Twelve Zodiac Signs, though, he saw the man at his most extravagant and most dishonest, as well as the inferiorityplex and loneliness hidden deep in his heart.

    During their trip to Naldives, Gao Yang got a call from Wu Dahai. The man told him to treat Qing Ling well, ying out a love triangle on his own in spite of Gao Yang¡¯s and Qing Ling¡¯s intentions.

    Then they ¡®killed each other¡¯ in the Werewolf game and survived it...

    Without realizing, Gao Yang hade to see Wu Dahai differently and even cared about the man a little.

    ¡°How did Electric Mouse die?¡± Gao Yang was curious. War Tiger was incredibly strong, and there was thebo of Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig. How did Wu Dahai die despite all that?

    ¡°I heard that Team War Tiger ran into a pride monster named Wei, a powerful master of single-edged swords.¡± Gray Bear thought back to the information he had gotten. ¡°Electric Mouse seemed to have gotten his body cut in half when taking a sh for Green Snake. There was no saving him.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart clenched, and his fingers pressed together until his knuckles were a little white with the list between them.

    <i>You¡¯re a real man, Electric Mouse.</i>

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang took a deep breath and looked down at the list of deaths from the Qilin Guild. A total of ten had been killed, including Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, and White Tiger.

    ¡°Scarlet Fox and Elder White Tiger...¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°They were killed too?¡±

    ¡°Scarlet Fox took down a pride monster at the price of his life...¡± Can sounded a little down. ¡°And Elder White Tiger...he...he fought to thest moment to protect those at the rear...¡±

    Gray Bear spent two minutes exining what he had heard about the situation.

    Gao Yang stayed quiet, reconciling with the tragedy and the feelings it brought him.

    Then Gao Yang looked at the ones the Hundred Rivers Union had lost. There were a total of 36, including Joker, with whom Gao Yang had gone on a mission.

    The Union had suffered the most. It seemed that although the Poison of Hell had been stopped short, some weaker awakeners had been imed by it still.

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°How many do we have left?¡±

    He was talking about the entirety of awakeners.

    ¡°Including the newly awakened ones in the past three months, there are a total of 102 awakeners among the three organizations and the unaffiliated ones.¡± Then Nine Frost added, ¡°That is ording to the survey conducted by the Guild. It may not be wholly urate.¡±

    Only half of all wakeners had survived.

    Compared to the total wipe out Surnamed Li had prophesied, though, it was already a better result.

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Manipting energy, he ignited the list in his hand at once, the fire illuminating everyone¡¯s face.

    With a casual wave of his hand, he sent the burning list to the trash can like a will-o¡¯-the-wisp, and the paper burnedpletely to ashes a second before falling into the trash can.

    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s like magic.¡± Can marveled at the disy. ¡°Captain, are you able to manipte fire elements with precision now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my Fire has reached level 5.¡± Then Gao Yang thought of something. ¡°By the way, the Rune Circuits on me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not gone,¡± Gray Bear answered. ¡°From what I know, Guildmaster Qilin, Elder Azure Dragon, Dragon, and War Tiger had woken up while you were unconscious. By then, the Heavenly Way seemed to have almost finished with the cover job. Guildmaster and Dragon found you and took the Rune Circuits on you...¡±

    ¡°Where did the three Rune Circuits each go?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Nine Frost¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°The three organizations each took one. The Time-Space Rune Circuit is with the Guild, the Element Rune Circuit with the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the Poison Rune Circuit with the Hundred Rivers Union¡ªbut in names only. The Rune Circuit is actually managed by all three organizations. If the Union wants to use it, it has to be done under the watch of the other two organizations.¡±

    Gao Yang immediately thought of Qing Ling and Mischievous Monkey. With the Element Rune Circuit, Qing Ling¡¯s Metal and Mischievous Monkey¡¯s Earth must have reached level 4.

    What a shame that Wu Dahai had been looking for the Element Rune Circuit to level up Lightning and even put a bounty on it, only to die before he could get his hands on it.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gray Bear gave him a shrewd, meaningful smile. ¡°We all know that you¡¯re quite close with some of your former colleagues from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but allow me to remind you: you should keep a distance from them from now on.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, hearing the unspoken words. ¡°We¡¯re in this together, Gray Bear. Be frank with me.¡±

    ¡°Captain is the straightforward sort.¡± Gray Bear smiled. ¡°Let me preface this by saying that it¡¯s only my personal observation. Originally, I thought the three organizations would be more of a united front after the Crimson Tide, but things seem to have been developing in the opposite direction the past three months.¡±

    ¡°I share the feeling,¡± said Nine Frost.

    Can blinked. ¡°Huh? Really? I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡±

    Ignoring Can, Gray Bear continued, ¡°My friend from the back office told me that the trade for Rune Circuits had be much stricter, with a lot more red tapes and precautions than before.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. Why would that be?

    Then realization dawned on him. He knew the answer.

    It was because of Talents¡¯ level 8!

    Dragon, Qilin, and Surnamed Li must know of the existence of level 8 Talents now. Thus, the Rune Circuits were no longer simple tools to help awakeners reach level 4 with their Talents, but powerful and terrifying weapons that warranted caution.

    ¡°Is the Psyche Rune Circuit still with the Hundred Rivers Union?¡± Gao Yang immediately asked.

    ¡°No, the Twelve Zodiac Signs have it,¡± Gray Bear said. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs traded for it with the Support Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Then does the Guild still have the Knowledge Rune Circuit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Can was confused. ¡°Why did you ask, Captain?¡±

 Chapter 393: Go Independent

    <h4>Chapter 393: Go Independent</h4>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t exin. He went over the information he just learned in his head. Having been unconscious for so long, his brain still wasn¡¯t working at the usual efficiency.

    At the moment, the Qilin Guild had four Rune Circuits: Miracle, Time-Space, Knowledge, and Summon.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs had four as well: Psyche, Element, Life, and Buff.

    The Hundred Rivers Union had three: Support, Damage, and Poison¡ªthe Poison Rune Circuit could only be used under the watch of all three organizations.

    Qilin¡¯s Talent was level 7 Eidos. The Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union would never allow him to get his hands on the Psyche Rune Circuit. They would do everything to stop him from essing level 8 Eidos.

    However, the Hundred Rivers Union wasn¡¯t strong enough to keep the Psyche Rune Circuit safe, so they traded it for the Support Rune Circuit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, which was the right choice.

    As for the Damage Rune Circuit, the Hundred Rivers Union would never trade it away to the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    War Tiger¡¯s Killing Expert must have reached level 6 during the Crimson Tide. One more level-up, and he would be able to merge with the Damage Rune Circuit and reach level 8, which was something the Hundred Rivers Union had to prevent from happening.

    As for the Qilin Guild, they kept the Miracle Rune Circuit and Knowledge Rune Circuit in order to prevent Dragon¡¯s Overlord and Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet from reaching level 8.

    Meanwhile, the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ Buff Rune Circuit and Life Rune Circuit were kept from Azure Dragon¡¯s Limitless Evolution and Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange.

    The Time-Space, Element, and Summon Rune Circuits didn¡¯t pose immediate threat at the moment given the top Talent of each type had already died, and no awakeners hadprehended them just yet.

    However, Qilin must have traded two Rune Circuits for the Time-Space Rune Circuit with the Twelve Zodiac Signs because he was unwilling to let others have it.

    Alcoholic¡¯s Time-Space Spirit was a formidable Talent. Reaching level 8, it would be a trump card that could determine the victor, and even change fate.

    After thinking through all that, Gao Yang slowly lifted his head to find Gray Bear, Nine Frost, and Can looking at him.

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    The three smiled, sharing the same thought.

    ¡°Captain, you seem different after waking up,¡± Can said carefully.

    ¡°Ha, I agree.¡± Gray Bear stroked the bushy bear on his chin. ¡°Is it because you¡¯ve gotten stronger and thus projected the same presence as the top awakeners?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what Can meant,¡± Nine Frost said bluntly. ¡°Captain seems less like a boy and more like a man now.¡±

    ¡°Is this what people mean when they say, ¡®Growing up isn¡¯t a gradual process, but a leap?¡¯¡± Can cackled.

    ¡°Enough with the teasing.¡± Gao Yang smiled tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ve been unconscious for three months. It¡¯s only natural that I¡¯ll seem different after waking up. I¡¯m tired. You should go. Don¡¯t stay too long.¡±

    Gray Bear rose to his feet. ¡°Alright. Come back to the Guild soon, Captain. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re heading out, Captain.¡± Can seemed a little reluctant to leave. Thinking of something, she asked, ¡°Ah, are you still going to college, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°My family submitted the application for me. I¡¯ll be aputer science major at Li City University. Considering my circumstances, the school keeps me as their student.¡±

    ¡°Awesome, we¡¯re schoolmates!¡± Can said with barely contained excitement. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be your senior from now on, Captain! Tee-hee, your senior is gonna take you under her wings!¡±

    ¡°The disrespect!¡± Gray Bear patted her on the head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Once the fifth team left, the room quieted again.

    Gao Yang leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes slowly, his mind cluttered with concerns.

    Granny had passed away, so had some of hispanions. In exchange, the Mist World would enter a temporary reprieve.

    The Prophecy of Seven had been postponed by the Crimson Tide, but the fact that Rune Circuits could push a Talent to level 8 had further driven the three organizations apart and fueled their hostility.

    An internal war seemed inevitable.

    For now, though, they shared a great enemy in the Godbearer Cult, and with only two years left for them to tackle the problem of humanity¡¯s survival, the war wouldn¡¯t immediately break out.

    Gao Yang wished for all awakeners to form a united front more than anyone, but the leaders of the three major organizations might not share the same sentiment.

    Dragon¡¯s ultimate goal was to open the Gates of Closure. For that, he was willing to give and sacrifice everything.

    Qilin¡¯s and Surnamed Li¡¯s ambitions remained a mystery, but it was clear that they had different goals than Dragon. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be so wary of each other. The tension between Qilin and Dragon was especially high.

    If Qilin and Surnamed Li weren¡¯t working to open the Gates of Closure though, what could their goals be? Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the faintest idea.

    And Gao Yang¡¯s goal had be increasingly clear to him¡ªhe would protect his family andpanions at all cost. He wanted those important to him to live, safe and sound. If the Mist World was going to end, a world where they could build a life must be found.

    To that end, Gao Yang and Dragon shared the goal of opening the Gates of Closure.

    Whaty behind and whether their paths would diverge from then on was another story.

    Gao Yang sighed. Those he depended on could leave, and the organization he had the support of could crumble. In the end, he had to rely on himself.

    It was time to consider breaking away and starting anew.

    At the moment, those he trusted included Wang Zikai (although he was a monster), Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Fat Jun, Gray Bear, Can, Nine Frost, and Lithe Snake.

    It would be unwise for such a small group to break away from their original organizations to form a new faction.

    For one, they would make an enemy out of their original organizations. And with limited power, they would struggle to even protect themselves should a civil war break out, let alone thinking about promoting peace and harmony by uniting everyone.

    He must not rush. Haste did make waste, as they said.

    He needed time to get stronger, as well as looking for more trustworthypanions who shared his ideal.

    That was it then. He should rest.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and meditated to clear the thoughts in his head and the emotions in his heart. Slowly, he fell asleep.

    ...

    The next day, one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The temperature had dropped. Sitting in an automatic wheelchair, Gao Yang headed to the fountain at the center of the garden of the inpatient building. Bathed in the warm sunlight and cool autumn wind, he felt at peace.

    It had been eighteen hours since he woke up. His body had been recovering well, and the energy lying dormant for the past three months had awakened and settled down.

    He could move normally without the help of a wheelchair.

    Just to be safe, though, Gao Yang decided to y weak and stayed at the hospital for a few more days, doing physical therapy.

    After all, it would be too suspicious for a patient who had stayed unconscious for three months to immediately be on his feet, running around all healthy and getting discharged from the hospital.

    Still, he couldn¡¯t stay long, either. Time was too precious to waste.

    He would try to go from using a wheelchair to a cane in a week and get himself discharged, getting back on track with his life.

    A voice broke him from his thoughts. ¡°Brother!¡±

    Gao Yang turned to look over his shoulder. It was Gao Xinxin.

    She was still wearing her white and blue summer uniform with a small backpack. Her twintails jumped as she skipped her way to him with a beam, her face flushed.

    ¡°Why are you here, Gao Xinxin?¡± Gao Yang was happy, but put on a disapproving look. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at school?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s lunch break. I can¡¯te to keep youpany after the evening self-study from today on, so I visited at noon.¡± Gao Xinxin handed Gao Yang a bag of takeout. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang took it. It was a box of <i>takoyaki</i>.

    ¡°I bought it on the way here and had two. The other two are for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I haven''t had lunch yet.¡± Gao Yang picked up a bamboo stick and popped a takoyaki into his mouth.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Gao Xinxin seemed to have remembered something. ¡°You¡¯re a patient, Brother. It¡¯s bad for you to have oily food, right? I¡¯ll have the rest.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gao Yangughed as he ate. ¡°This is your brother you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Gao Xinxin giggled and went up to push Gao Yang¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to your room, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gao Xinxin pushed Gao Yang back into the inpatient building and entered an elevator. Once inside, she bbered on about the fun things that had happened to her at school. Gao Yang listened happily as he ate.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    The elevator door opened. Gao Yang looked up to find that they had reached the top floor of the building.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Xinxin seemed to only realize then that she had pressed the wrong button, and she hurriedly reached out to remedy her mistake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Gao Yang stopped her with a smile. ¡°Might as well get some fresh air on the rooftop.¡±

    ¡°Sure. If you want to get some fresh air, we¡¯ll do that.¡± Gao Xinxin was especially gentle and meek with her brother today. Perhaps it was because he had just woken up.

    She pushed Gao Yang to the rooftop.

    White bed sheets were hung all around the rooftop, looking pristine white under the sunlight and fluttering in the wind.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice with the cool breeze.¡±

    Gao Xinxin let go of Gao Yang¡¯s wheelchair and skipped her way to the railing of the rooftop with her hands held behind her back. Then she held onto the railing and popped her head over to take a look below, kicking around her calves, which were covered in white socks.

    Gao Yang smiled without a word.

    Time passed. Gao Xinxin turned around with a smile, her bang ruffled by wind.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a question, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°When did you awaken?¡±

 Chapter 394: Empress

    <h4>Chapter 394: Empress</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile froze, and he was silent for a long time. The scene was so familiar to him, a dream he had once had.

    But this wasn¡¯t a dream, nor was it an illusion.

    Gao Xinxin took a step forward, still smiling, as if she had just asked about the weather.

    ¡°What did you say, sis?¡± Gao Yang yed dumb.

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s smile dropped suddenly, and her eyes grew icy. ¡°Do you know, Brother? I want you to wake up more than anyone, but at the same time, I want you to never wake up more than anyone.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Only then would you be my brother forever. But you woke up. Do you know how heartbroken I was at that moment?¡±

    ¡°Gao Xinxin...¡± Gao Yang said hoarsely, holding onto the armrests of the wheelchair tightly. ¡°I told you that whatever happened, we¡¯d always be...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Gao Xinxin cut him off with a smile.

    Gao Yang paused.

    ¡°The moment you awakened, Brother, I stopped being your sister. The Gao Xinxin you know is already dead.¡±

    Gao Xinxin took another step forward with her chin lifted, her tone cold and prideful. ¡°What you¡¯re seeing right now is the embodiment of Heavenly Way, leader of all monsters, the maker of all rules, the weaver of fate, and the only descendent between the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, Nai, the Thorn Empress.¡±

    She lifted her right hand at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Goodbye, Brother.¡±

    Gao Yang disappeared from the wheelchair the next second.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Before Gao Xinxin could react, Gao Yang had already grabbed her by her thin, frail neck, knocking her and a bedsheet hanging off a wire rope into the wall of the water tank. The bedsheet fluttered as it slowly fell, draping over the two of them.

    Under the sunlight shining through the pristine white bed sheet, Gao Yang¡¯s expression was cold, his eyes glinting with piercing killing intent. His grip around Gao Xinxin¡¯s neck tightened a little, ready to break her bones any second.

    Meanwhile, he had seized her two slim wrists with his other hand and pinned her hands to the wall above her head, making sure she couldn¡¯t fight back.

    ¡°Who are you, and why did you pretend to be my sister?¡± Gao Yang asked coldly.

    The girl disguising herself as Gao Xinxin scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re good, mortal. When did you see through this Empress¡¯ disguise?¡±

    ¡°From the very beginning.¡± Gao Yang stared at her coolly. ¡°There¡¯s <i>wasabi </i>in the takoyaki, and Gao Xinxin hates it.¡±

    ¡°People¡¯s preferences change, just like the hearts of themon people. Only this Empress, the incarnation of order, truth, light, and justice, may defend against the corruption of dark power and save all people in the world...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another reason,¡± Gao Yang cut her off. ¡°Your earlier introduction and what you just said are way too chuuni, and my little sister hates that the most.¡±

    ¡°What, what¡¯s so chunni about that?!¡± The girl¡¯s aloof front dropped, and she got immediately worked up like Gao Yang had hit a nerve. ¡°How dare you mortal insult¡ªargh! Ouch, o...¡±

    Gao Yang had lost his patience. He tightened his grip and demanded, ¡°Start making sense.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m on your side!¡±

    Gao Yang scoffed. ¡°So you can talk like a normal person.¡±

    ¡°I, I was...the vice-captain of the Guild¡¯s second team, Nainai, now joining the fifth operations team. I¡¯m here...to report to duty.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    Gao Yang loosened his grip a little rather than letting gopletely. ¡°What¡¯s your Talent? Why are you able to turn into my sister?¡±

    Sensing that she was no longer in danger, her expression turned arrogant again. ¡°How dare you! This Empress¡¯ divine power isn¡¯t one to be glimpsed by a mortal¡ªo... My Talent is Scale, andst month, I acquired Shapeshifter.¡±

    Scale, serial number 35, Support-type. It allowed one to increase and decrease the size of their body at will.

    Meanwhile, Shapeshifter had belonged to Joker from the Hundred Rivers Union. It seemed that after Joker¡¯s death, the Talent had been allocated to Nainai, allowing her to disguise herself as his sister.

    Gao Yang let go of her and lifted the white bed sheet covering them, going back to his wheelchair.

    Nainai broke free of the bed sheet as well. She was still dressed in his sister¡¯s highschool uniform, but her appearance had turned back to her own.

    She looked young, about his sister¡¯s age, with pale face and shoulder-length grayish purple hair with curls, her puffy, diagonal bang covering her left eye. Her right eye was ink ck with pronounced shadow under it, almost as if she had put smokey eye makeup on. She had a small nose, full lips, and an upcurved mouth. From the gap between her lips, pearly white bunny teeth could be seen.

    Gao Yang sat back down on the wheelchair and eyed her inquisitively. ¡°Did Elder Azure Dragon send you?¡±

    ¡°No, Guildmaster Qilin appointed me,¡± Nainai said proudly before adding, ¡°The two teams under Elder Azure Dragon are now one team, while this Empress is sent to the fifth team to assist you.¡±

    ¡°What about those under Elder White Tiger?¡±

    ¡°They joined Elder Vermilion Bird¡¯s team.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it for a moment. Many were lost in the Crimson Tide, leaving only three surviving Elders. It made sense for the Guild to restructure the organization.

    Whether Qilin had sent Nainai to help him or to watch him, however, was another story.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Ha, this Empress has brought Guildmaster Qilin¡¯s decree!¡±

    She reached back to grab a piece of A4 paper from the side pocket of her bag, on which were terribly handwritten words. It was clear that Nainai had jotted down the line herself with a marker.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, receive the decree...¡±

    Before she could finish, Gao Yang teleported to her and grabbed the piece of paper from her, making her jump.

    It said, ¡®Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Blue House, group session.¡¯

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The paper was immediately burned into ashes and scattered in the wind. Gao Yang returned to his wheelchair and took a deep breath, ying a regr patient and giving her a gentle smile. ¡°Please take me back to my room, Miss Nainai. Thank you.¡±

    Nainai paused before crossing her arms with a scoff. ¡°Hmph, since you¡¯ve asked so sincerely, mortal, this Empress will grant you the wish...¡±

    ¡°Nainai,¡± Gao Yang stroked his chin with some exasperation and said in concern, ¡°Have you always been like this, or did you start today?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Nainai didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°Hm, nothing.¡± It was better not to ask for trouble. Gao Yang decided to keep his mouth shut.

    ...

    In the afternoon, Wang Zikai visited Gao Yang at the hospital.

    He knew that Gao Yang was perfectly fine, but he still kept up the act with Gao Yang and watched the nurses help Gao Yang with physical therapy. It took him all his self control to not burst outughing while Gao Yang pretended to be weak, his face so flushed that it looked purple.

    Around seven o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang¡¯s mother, getting off work from the gold jewelry shop, brought some home-cooked food in thermal lunch boxes. Knowing that Wang Zikai was at the hospital too, she prepared two portions.

    Wang Zikai dug in with gusto and praised her cooking to heaven and back, speaking so sweetly his mouth might as well be dripping honey. Gao Yang¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t stop smiling.

    She had taken a liking to Wang Zikai over time, the grievances she held against him long forgotten.

    Ten o¡¯clock at night, Gao Xinxin left evening self-study early to visit Gao Yang, buying somete night snacks on the way. They ate as they videochatted his father.

    Gao Yang told his family that he had been making good progress with his PT, and he would be able to get out of bed in a week and go to school.

    Half an hourter, the light went off in the building. His mother, sister, and Wang Zikai took their leave. The room became quiet again.

    Gao Yang took a short nap before rolling off the bed, taking off the patient gown and inhaling deeply. Time to train!

 Chapter 395: Work Allocation

    <h4>Chapter 395: Work Allocation</h4>

    Gao Yang started by doing warmups for a few minutes before going into more advanced exercises, making sure to train every muscle group. After an hour of exertion, he wiped his sweat with a towel and changed into the casual clothes Wang Zikai brought him, putting on a ck baseball cap and a ck mask before opening the window and jumping out.

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang arrived at Qilin¡¯s Blue House Psychiatric Clinic.

    Qilin, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird had been waiting in the counseling room for a while.

    Qilin wore a beige wool v-neck and a pair of brown rimmed sses. His slightly curled hair had grown longer, and while he was as graceful as ever, he seemed less like a schr and more like an artist now. With both hands holding onto his cane, he sat in the main seat lookingpletely at ease.

    On the double sofa on the left, Vermilion Bird was dressed in a light-blue crew-neck sweater and a pair of dark-colored wide-fit pants, an old-school checkered octagonal hat keeping her fluffy curls down, framing her fair face. One hand holding a cup of milk tea and the other hand clicking on her phone, she sat cross-legged and rxed like she was sitting in her living room.

    Sitting across from Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon was dressed in an old-fashioned jacket, his eyes fierce and his mustache trimmed neatly. He sat with his back upright and his expression serious.

    ¡°d to see you up and about, Seven Shadow. We¡¯ve all been worried about you.¡± Qilin smiled genuinely. ¡°For many reasons, I haven¡¯t been able to visit you in person. Forgive me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang sat down by Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost quite some weight, Seven Shadow.¡± Vermilion Bird looked up at him from under the hem of the cap, her gaze careless. ¡°But you seem to have gotten a lot stronger too.¡±

    ¡°My Talents leveled up,¡± Gao Yang said honestly.

    ¡°Did you kill Lilia?¡± Azure Dragon had guessed it already, but he wanted a confirmation from Gao Yang.

    ¡°I did, but many had contributed to the fight. I simply made the final blow.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Tell us what had happened since we lost consciousness, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    For the next half an hour, Gao Yang did his best to go into details about what had happened from his perspective since X activated Poison of Hell, including Alcoholic¡¯s help, Spectres¡¯ involvement, and what his grandmother, the leader of lightbringers, had done. Then he talked about his Talents leveling up in his rage, allowing him to kill Lilia.

    There were two things Gao Yang left out:

    First, his rtionship with Fresh Snow and the curse that had entered his body, which resurrected him after his heart was carved out, thus enabling him to kill Lilia.

    Second, his Talent, Lucky, and the fact that he had acquired Willful Power once it reached level 4.

    Gao Yang was certain that Dragon, the only one who knew about Lucky, wouldn¡¯t have told Qilin.

    Qilin, Vermilion Bird, and Azure Dragon listened intently from start to finish without a word.

    Actually, they had already made an educated guess about the overall story based on the traces left from the fight and the subsequent investigations and confirmations.

    Still, listening to Gao Yang exin everything as the actual party involved left them with a myriad of feelings.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your grandmother,¡± Qilin said.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything but nodded slightly.

    Vermilion Bird put down the cup of milk tea in her hand and righted her posture. ¡°X mentioned 14 pride monsters. Isn¡¯t there still one?¡±

    ¡°Yes, an observer named Sir Jiang. I saw him once and never again.¡± Gao Yang gave an honest answer, but omitted Officer Huang.

    ¡°What is Sir Jiang¡¯s answer?¡± Azure Dragon turned to Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°But he left me with a piece of advice.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Qilin and repeated the words at a deliberate pace, ¡°Do not open the Gates of Closure.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s deep-looking eyes glinted under the sses, but there was no change to his expression. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

    About thirty secondster, Qilin turned to Gao Yang.

    ¡°Seven Shadow, you must know that Rune Circuits can push an awakener¡¯s Talent to level 8.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Qilin smiled wryly. ¡°When X activated Poison of Hell, Dragon was fighting Lilia inside his realm. I thought he wouldn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    After a pause, he continued with a darker look in his eyes. ¡°Dragon and I woke up almost at the same time. When we found you, you were already unconscious.¡±

    Gao Yang waited quietly.

    ¡°There were three Rune Circuits on you. Dragon took the Element Rune Circuit and told me that he would have the Buff Rune Circuit and the Support Rune Circuit permanently in exchange for letting us have the Time-Space Rune Circuit, while the Poison Rune Circuit would be left to the Hundred Rivers Union rightfully for the great sacrifice they had made. However, the Poison Rune Circuit could only be used under the watch of the three organizations.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird scowled.

    ¡°What an arrogant man,¡± Vermilion Bird said irritatedly.

    ¡°He sure is.¡± Qilin smiled. ¡°Dragon wasn¡¯t making a suggestion, but a decision.¡±

    ¡°And you agreed, Guildmaster?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    Qilin nodded. ¡°I did. At that moment, I was certain that he knew about the secret of level 8 Talents, too. And his decision is one that the three organizations agree with.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. It was as he had guessed.

    The greatest value of Rune Circuits was to push Talent to level 8, which would undoubtedly escte the tension between the organizations.

    ¡°Perhaps Dragon could hear your conversation with X inside his realm,¡± Azure Dragon stroked his mustache and spected. ¡°Or he may have learned of the fact during his fight with Lilia.¡±

    ¡°Whatever the case, the intel may as well be an open secret.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°Dragon knows it. The core members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs must know too. And with Prophet, Surnamed Li would easily guess it based on the known facts.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Qilin agreed. Then he turned to Gao Yang. ¡°During the three months you were unconscious, Seven Shadow, we¡¯ve been making our moves. Tonight, I¡¯m adding you to the effort and assigning you your future tasks.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    Qilin picked up a cup of tea on the table and took a sip. ¡°If the spection that the Mist World can onlyst a hundred years is true, we only have 21 months left.¡±

    ¡°What we¡ªand all awakeners atrge¡ªmust prioritize is finding all twelve of the Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°Are we going to open the Gates of Closure?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a matter for another day.¡± Qilin didn¡¯t give a direct answer.

    Gao Yang stopped talking.

    Qilin turned to Azure Dragon. ¡°I¡¯ll leave looking for thest Rune Circuit, the Guard Rune Circuit, to you.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you two should also pay attention to any clues you maye by and report any findings immediately.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird nodded at the same time.

    Vermilion Bird said after a bemused moment, ¡°There¡¯s something that¡¯s been bothering me¡ªSir Jiang, thest observer, and his answer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is important and may be linked to the truth of the Mist World. The investigation is mainly being conducted by the Hundred Rivers Union.¡± Qilin turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°Join them, Vermilion Bird. Make sure that things are under our control.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Qilin turned to Gao Yang. ¡°That leaves us with what I think is the most urgent matter at the moment.¡±

 Chapter 396: Heavenbreaker

    <h4>Chapter 396: Heavenbreaker</h4>

    ¡°Godbearer Cult.¡± Gao Yang knew the answer already.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are many machinations linked to the Godbearer Cult, and they are up to much evil, posing a great threat to us. They must be erased. And I believe the Cult would lead to many answers about the Mist World.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird nodded in agreement.

    Qilin looked at them calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust the mission to you, Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    This time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t talk himself down or excuse himself.

    He was the person for the job considering his power-up and the old scars and new wounds between him and the Godbearer Cult.

    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Dragon and Surnamed Li about the matter,¡± Qilin said. ¡°They can¡¯t fully entrust the mission to the Guild and insist on getting involved.¡±

    ¡°Ha, they just want to keep tabs on us.¡± Azure Dragon narrowed his sharp eyes, his eyes crinkling.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same,¡± Vermilion Bird said carelessly. ¡°The Godbearer Cult is a treasure trove of an organization. Much treasure and intel will be unearthed in the process. Of course they¡¯ll want a finger in it.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°But I didn¡¯t reject them. It¡¯s good to have allies when facing the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow, the fifth operations team will be in charge of investigating the Cult with the help of the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union. Operation: Heavenbreaker, you will flush out the Cult and its leader, the Heavenly Godbearer, at all cost.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Who have the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union sent?¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs sent Green Snake, Yellow Ox, and Heavenly Dog, while the Union sent Chen Ying and Amon.¡±

    Gao Yang quirked his lips. ¡°I thought the Twelve Zodiac Signs would¡¯ve sent War Tiger for something this important.¡±

    ¡°War Tiger seems to be looking into something else.¡± Vermilion Bird narrowed her eyes and curled her lips bemusedly. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs sure are doing a lot under the table.¡±

    ¡°Pay them no mind.¡± Qilin tapped on the floor with his cane. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster, Nainai came to find me this afternoon,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Qilin asked with a smile, ¡°Are you content with the new member assigned to you?¡±

    ¡°Outside of her chuuni tendency, everything¡¯s alright,¡± Gao Yang said honestly.

    ¡°I have Nainai join you mainly because her Talent is a good fit for your mission.¡±

    ¡°Nainai grew up autistic and read manga all day in her room, so she¡¯s got a bit of a quirk,¡± Azure Dragon added, speaking like a caretaker. ¡°But the girl is bright. She never makes mistakes when it matters. That you can be assured of.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. True, Scale and Shapeshifter are perfect for tasks involving stealth, disguise, and investigation. When going on a mission, she could also conceal everyone as wanderers and greatly decrease the risk of exposure.

    Besides, Nainai had put up an almost perfect disguise when she pretended to be Gao Xinxin, which proved that she could do her job well when it mattered. It was only after she got exposed by Gao Yang that she gave in to her chuuni tendencypletely.

    ¡°Would you give me a few days, Guildmaster?¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve been in vegetative state for three months. I can¡¯t be up and about immediately. I¡¯ll spend a few days on physical training and then report to my university, getting reassimted to my mundane identity.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I¡¯ll have the intelligence department give you the contact information of the other members of the investigation team. You may make the arrangements yourself and report to me anytime.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I have no other question.¡±

    ¡°And you two?¡± Qilin turned to Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon.

    Both shook their heads.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s it for today¡¯s group session.¡± Qilin stood up with the help of his cane. ¡°Outside of special circumstances, we¡¯ll hold a meeting every month.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The three answered at the same time and stood up, leaving the clinic and going downstairs.

    Before they parted ways, Vermilion Bird stopped Gao Yang and offered him a ride.

    Gao Yang took the offer without hesitation.

    The car moved smoothly along the quiet road at night. Gao Yang sat in the passenger seat. Neither of them said anything for a while, each deep in their own thoughts.

    After a while, the car stopped at a red light, and Vermilion Bird asked, ¡°I want a smoke. That alright for you?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Vermilion Bird rolled the window down and fished out a pack ofdy¡¯s cigarettes, putting one in her mouth. Just when she was going to reach for her lighter, the light turned green, and Vermilion Bird had to go back to driving.

    Gao Yang made a curl with his finger, igniting the cigarette for Vermilion Bird.

    She lifted her chin slightly. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°When did you start smoking?¡± Gao Yang asked casually.

    ¡°I started when I was in college. Then I met Scarlet Fox and he nagged me whenever I smoked. I got irritated into quitting.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled, her voice drifting a little. ¡°Now that no one¡¯s nagging me, I can smoke again.¡±

    ¡°My condolences.¡±

    ¡°Ha, didn¡¯t expect you to be the oneforting me.¡± Vermilion Bird took a drag of the cigarette between her fingers gracefully, exhaling smoke slowly with a hazy look in her eyes. ¡°My condolences to you too.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    The two of them fell silent. A mncholy song from the past was ying on the radio, as if quietly mourning the ones who had passed away.

    Finishing the cigarette, Vermilion Bird put out the cigarette butt in the ashtray between the seats. ¡°Last month, the Qilin Guild held a funeral for all thepanions we have lost.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, catching on immediately. ¡°You¡¯ve made up your mind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She smiled. ¡°Their bodies have been kept there because I kept thinking I could bring them back one day with Equivalent Exchange, but it doesn¡¯t seem likely now. The world is ending in two years. Among those who could be resurrected, there wasn¡¯t any I¡¯d be willing to bring back at the cost of falling into aa for a year.¡±

    She paused, her smile colored by sadness. ¡°And the one I¡¯m willing to pay a year for, I cannot bring back.¡±

    Such as White Tiger and Scarlet Fox. Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t spell it out, but Gao Yang knew who she was talking about.

    ¡°And Guildmaster agreed?¡±

    ¡°He respected my decision.¡± Vermilion Bird nced sideways at him. ¡°So, the Guild held a proper funeral for them as farewell.¡±

    ¡°There will only be more such asions in the future,¡± she said in a distant tone. ¡°Be ready, <i>Elder Seven Shadow</i>.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. It was the first time Vermilion Bird ever called him Elder Seven Shadow. She was keeping him at arm¡¯s length.

    It seemed that she was already increasing the emotional distance between her and others in preparation for the farewells that were toe.

    It was a universal truth that losing someone wouldn¡¯t be as painful and hard as long as one didn¡¯t care about them as much.

    ¡°This is my stop, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Gao Yang gave her a polite smile. ¡°Thank you for giving me a ride.¡±

 Chapter 397: College Registration

    <h4>Chapter 397: College Registration</h4>

    The next few days, Gao Yang put on a lifetime performance and sped up his recovery while doing PT, thus sessfully getting himself discharged from the hospital.

    The morning that day, he walked out of the hospital with a long walking stick under his left arm and Wang Zikai supporting him.

    Meanwhile, his mother and sister were carrying his daily necessities, both radiating joy. His father didn¡¯te since traveling was troublesome in a wheelchair.

    As soon as Gao Yang arrived at home, he went to his grandmother¡¯s room and walked up to the old-school crimson cupboard, on top of which was a photo of his grandfather and grandmother with a small censer before it.

    Gao Yang put his walking stick aside and offered his grandparents three incense sticks, kneeling down to kowtow to them three times.

    Rather than getting up immediately, he remained on his knees and looked around his grandmother¡¯s room. It was left as it had been when his grandmother was alive. There was a hard bed, quaint brown two-door wardrobe, a broken sewing machine, and a calendar on the wall that had yellowed with age.

    In the corner were an assortment of containers that didn¡¯t offer much use, as well as an old electric fan and other trinkets. His grandmother was always reluctant to throw anything away, thinking it a shame, but in truth, those things held no value other than upying the space.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. It felt as if he could still smell the sweetness in the air.

    He thought back to his childhood. He and Gao Xinxin often came to their grandmother¡¯s room and imed her bed, listening to her tell them the strange and wondrous stories about the world.

    Halfway through, the siblings would whine about wanting sweets. Their grandmother would pet them on the heads and tell them to wait before going outside. They would sit on the bed swinging their legs in excitement and anticipation. And not long after...

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door would open.

    Their grandmother stood on the other side with colorful candies in her hands, smiling at them. ¡°Yang Yang, Xinxin, have some candies.¡±

    Gao Yang stared, his eyes reddening.

    ¡°Are you done paying tribute, Yang Yang? Come and have lunch.¡±

    But the one standing outside wasn¡¯t his grandmother, but his mother.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang reached out for his walking stick and got to his feet with feigned difficulty, closing the door behind him.

    To celebrate his return, his mother had prepared a big lunch, all dishes Gao Yang loved. It looked like their table on the eve of Lunar New Years. They chatted while eating, avoiding the unhappy topics out of unspoken agreement.

    In the afternoon, Wang Zikai came. He was here to drive Gao Yang to his university for registration.

    His mother and sister would like to escort Gao Yang, but one had work, and the other had school, and both had only gotten a half-day off. Thus, the ever dependable Wang Zikai was entrusted with the task.

    Holding his admission letter and the bank card with his tuition and living allowance, Gao Yang hopped on Wang Zikai¡¯s sportscar.

    They arrived at the Li City University in an hour.

    The university had been around for a long time, or so it appeared to be. Gao Yang knew its long history was but a false tale since the lifespan of the Mist World was only a hundred years.

    Located in the Nanji District, the Li City University ranked third among the schools in the city. There were about a dozen colleges with more than fifty departments. The total number of students, faculty, and other staff members amounted to close to twenty thousand.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s expensive car drew too much attention, so Gao Yang had him stop at a nearby crossroad rather than drive into the school.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t there yet,¡± said Wang Zikai. ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off inside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take care of the rest. I¡¯ll call you.¡± Gao Yang opened the door and got out of the car.

    ¡°Alright, let me know if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you too. And don¡¯t y around every day. Train well at home.¡± Gao Yang had drafted a substantial training course for Wang Zikai, worried that he woulde to school to visit him too often otherwise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll train hard!¡± Wang Zikai pounded on his chest and drove away.

    Gao Yang walked with a walking stick and his messenger bag hanging off his other shoulder. The sandalwood lucky charm Wang Zikai gave him was tied onto his bag.

    Standing by the road, he called Can.

    Can picked up in seconds, speaking panickedly. ¡°Is there an emergency, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Not really...¡±

    ¡°Give me a minute! I¡¯m getting onto the hignd. My teammates need me!¡±

    The call ended.

    Gao Yang rolled his eyes. A minuteter, Can did call back. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m the MVP of this match. Hehe!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost at the school gates.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Can was surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wereing tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I came early.¡± Gao Yang originally nned to get discharged today, rest at home, and then register at the school tomorrow.

    But he couldn¡¯t wait to put his life back on the right track and made progress with Operation: Heavenbreaker. He had been unconscious for three months, already too much time to have wasted.

    ¡°Wait! I...I¡¯ll be right there...¡±

    Can was in such a rush that she forgot to hang up. There was a buzz. Then Can hollered, ¡°Where are my socks? They were here yesterday... Sister Zhou, help! I don¡¯t have time to wash my hair. Please lend me your hair dry powder for my bang... Whoa, where did the pimple on my chine from?! Is my perioding? Sister Zhou, concealer! Where¡¯s your concealer...¡±

    Gao Yang hung up, letting out an exasperated sigh.

    Ten minutester, Can rushed over to the school gates.

    She was wearing a loose, oversized gray jumper that almost reached her knees, and most of her hair and face were hidden under a baseball cap and a mask, leaving only her tworge bright eyes visible.

    <i>Can, it seems that your roommate''s hair powder and concealer don¡¯t work well, or is there no helping the oil your hair umted after days of unwash and the pimples on your chin?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice his thoughts or let them show.

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯m...I¡¯m here...¡± Can panted with her hands on her knees. It seemed that she had run here.

    Gao Yang nodded and said with purposeful politeness, ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Senior. Please show me the way to register.¡±

    ¡°Haha, just call me Orange at school,¡± Can said a little bashfully. ¡°Then I¡¯ll...call you Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± Can said, breaking into an infatuated smile under the mask. <i>Ah, it¡¯s my first time calling Captain his name. It feels like we¡¯re much closer.</i>

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Remembering something, she took a ne with a red crystal pendant from her pocket. ¡°Would you put this on?¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Gao Yang took the ne.

    ¡°Just put it on first. You¡¯ll knowter.¡±

    Gao Yang put on the ne and hid it under his shirt.

    Can led him to the campus and past a few buildings before reaching a teaching building. ¡°Before registration, I have to take you to another ce.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Gao Yang asked curiously.

    Can said cryptically with a grin, ¡°It¡¯s just a club.¡±

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang found himself on the top floor of the teaching building.

    The ssrooms on the floor were emptied and turned into spaces for the school clubs. Past a long corridor, Gao Yang and Can reached a door at the end. It looked like a small storage. Above the door was a ck que. The words ¡®Witch¡¯s Club¡¯ were written on it with red paint.

    Under the que was a hand-drawn poster of all sorts of strange symbols and arcane patterns, and in colorful but terrible handwriting, the keywords that describe the club were scribbled.

    Love, death, robots, cyberpsycho, spiritual poetry club, fallen angel no-hunting zone, thend abandoned by god, the abyss sealed by the crimson eye of the evil lord, the sanzu river with equinox flowers found in the cold celestial realm at the end of the world...

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t bear to continue reading. The strings of words barely made sense, and the chuuni content was off the charts.

    <i>Really? That girl? Surely not, right?</i>

    Can walked up to the door and knocked on it thrice, suddenly eximing in a serious tone, ¡°This is Orange, here for an audience with the descendent between the Creator Witch and First Fallen Angel, the dark guardian of the world, the forger of order, truth, and fate, and the supreme existence beyond the six paths, Your Majesty the Empress Nainai!¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. <i>Shit, it is her!</i>

 Chapter 398: Witchâ€™s Club

    <h4>Chapter 398: Witch¡¯s Club</h4>

    Gao Yang looked at Can, lips twitching in exasperation. ¡°Is this really necessary, Orange?¡±

    Can took off her mask, revealing a pink pimple that the concealer failed to conceal. It was sorge that it looked like a mosquito bite.

    She smiled bitterly. ¡°I tried. If we just knock, she won¡¯t open up. It¡¯s easier to do things her way.¡±

    <i>Click.</i>

    A few secondster, the door opened, followed by the sound of someone turning and running away.

    Then from the other end of the room came Nainai¡¯s voice, affecting a mysterious and haughty tone. ¡°Hmph, this Empress has been waiting. Come in.¡±

    Can and Gao Yang entered the room, closing the door behind them.

    It was indeed a storage, the space a little cramped and dim. The window on the other end of the room was covered by heavy curtains, almost blocking all the sunlight.

    The only source of illumination was the burning candle on the brass candle stand at the center of the wooden table serving as an altar, beside which were ¡®magical items¡¯, including a forecasting crystal ball, tarot cards, and magic books.

    Behind the table was a translucent ckced curtain. A figure could be made out on the other side.

    A few secondster, the person emerged.

    The petite girl was wearing a ck cape and an eyepatch with red fake vampire fangs. She was holding a grim reaper¡¯s scythe in her right hand, her right arm wrapped in bloodied bandages. Hanging on her neck was a light silver cross. And in her left hand was an open book for dark magic, on which perched an evil-looking prop skull.

    Gao Yang gaped. How many chuuni elements did she have on her?!

    On his side, Can had already taken off her baseball cap and stepped forward, dropping to one knee and ying along. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress Nainai, this is mypanion and your loyal servant, here for an audience with Your Majesty. Please inject his crystal with magic. We swear to defend the sacrednd against the invasion of the dark forces...¡±

    Gao Yang blinked in confusion. <i>Wait, aren¡¯t you way too into it, Can? Why do I feel like you¡¯re enjoying the act?</i>

    ¡°Ha.¡± Nainai swung her scythe. ¡°The Ragnarok ising, mortals. Don¡¯t be afraid or struggle to find your path. This Empress, the descendent of the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, the forger of order, truth, and fate, will surely lead you to...whoa!¡±

    Nainai had finally recognized Gao Yang, and she staggered in startlement, dropping her magic book and scythe. The stic skull tumbled to Gao Yang¡¯s feet too.

    Gao Yang picked it up and cleared his throat. ¡°Empress Nainai, I¡¯m in a rush. Would you be quick with it?¡±

    He threw the skull back to her. She caught it hurriedly.

    ¡°Ha, haha, hahaha!¡± Nainaiughed to dispel the awkwardness. ¡°So you¡¯re the boy chosen by fate. Come forward. This Empress will grant you the power to fight the evil god and protect your homnd, thus forging your future!¡±

    Can shot him a pointed look. ¡°Captain, quick. Give her the crystal ne.¡±

    Gao Yang took off the red crystal ne and threw it to Nainai.

    Catching it with one hand, Nainai closed her eyes and seemed to be drawing her energy while holding the crystal. Then she blew at the crystal and threw the ne back to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang caught it and took a nce, asking with a smile, ¡°How long will the impression of a wandererst?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, how did you know, Captain?¡± Can was surprised.

    <i>Do you think everyone is as dense as you are, Can?</i>

    Gao Yang had guessed what this was about when he saw the Witch¡¯s Club.

    Nainai had acquired Shapeshifter, granting her the power to disguise awakeners as wanderers, and there were a little too many awakeners in the Li City University at the moment.

    Outside of Gao Yang, Can, Heavenly Dog, and Nainai were also attending this school. The four of them would inevitably meet up from now on, which would arouse the suspicion of elite monsters.

    The pride monsters had almost all been dealt with, and the life monsters and death monsters remained a mystery yet to make an appearance. Moreover, Gao Yang believed he would be able to easily deal with greed monsters and wrath monsters even if he drew the attention of one.

    However, there could be summoners on campus, and should his identity get exposed, he might be forced to wipe out the school, which was something Gao Yang would do everything in his power to avoid.

    Can, Heavenly Dog, and Nainai had be students of the university as humans, and they started out as strangers who never crossed paths, thus they never got into trouble.

    It would only be more suspicious if they were suddenly disguised as wanderers.

    Thus, the one who should be putting on a pretense was Gao Yang, the new student.

    From now on, Gao Yang would wear the ne at school to y a wanderer. When he returned home, he would take off the ne. Then both sides would be none the wiser.

    The problem was that the energy of a wanderer couldn¡¯t be stored in the ne for long, and he had toe to Nainai regrly for resupply.

    ¡°Three days,¡± Can told Gao Yang. ¡°After Nainaiprehended...¡±

    ¡°Call me Empress!¡± Nainai corrected vehemently.

    ¡°Um, after Empress Nainaiprehended Shapeshifter, she went to the Twelve Zodiac Signs for training and reached level 5.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Although the three organizations had now stopped the trade of Rune Circuits, there were still ways for awakeners to level up their Talents, only there were more redtapes. They had to go to the base of the organization that owned the Rune Circuit they needed and hold the Rune Circuit under the organization¡¯s close watch, leaving after leveling up¡ªwithout the Rune Circuit, of course.

    Gao Yang looked at Nainai, the strange chuuni girl. She had reached level 5 within a month afterprehending her new Talent. She was more than what met the eyes.

    ¡°Ha, mortal, now that you¡¯ve acquired this Empress¡¯ magic, you¡¯ve taken on the sacred mantle of saving the world. There is no turning back once you walk on the treacherous path of thorns and blood!¡±

    <i>Here she goes again.</i> Nainai covered her face with one hand and howled with a strangeughter, her head tipped up.

    <i>Rat-a-tat.</i>

    Someone knocked.

    The three of them went silent and looked over at the door. A few secondster, the visitor still hadn¡¯t made a chuuni deration. They must not be from the Guild.

    Nainai¡¯s expression turned instantly fearful. Not only had she dropped her act, she also took cover behind Gao Yang. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t open the door! Don¡¯t ever think about opening it...¡±

    Gao Yang looked at Can. Can looked equally confused. She didn¡¯t know who else would visit the Witch¡¯s Club at this time.

    Gao Yang essed the system. There was no danger at the moment. But he still readied himself for a fight with energy concentrated to his hands, his eyes locked on the door.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Two secondster, the door was kicked open violently.

 Chapter 399: Registration

    <h4>Chapter 399: Registration</h4>

    Gao Yang got a good look. The one standing outside the door was Qing Ling.

    It was clear that she had just finished her sprint training. She was wearing a pair of gray running pants and a ck tank top, her hair tied into a high ponytail with a towel around her fair neck. Her body was covered in beads of sweat.

    The smooth curves and well-built muscles of her tall, slim body was pleasant in a healthy way. She was holding a half-filled bottle of water in one hand and a red crystal ne in her other hand.

    Just as she was about to say something, she met Gao Yang¡¯s eyes.

    Both of them were surprised to see the other.

    Gao Yang immediately connected the dots. Qing Ling had enrolled in the Li City University too and came to Nainai regrly to disguise herself as a wanderer.

    After two silent seconds, Qing Ling threw the crystal ne at Nainai, who jumped up to catch it.

    This time, Nainai got to work immediately rather than spouting chuuni nonsense and putting on airs. At first, Nainai had treated Qing Ling the same way, but was swiftly convinced by Qing Ling¡¯s de to never act out her tendency before her.

    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    Gao Yang answered, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a few days.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s expression remained frosty.

    ¡°White Rabbit and Adept Horse visited me the second day,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile. ¡°I thought they told you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been at school and haven¡¯t gone back to the Millennium Tower.¡± Qing Ling gazed over Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder at Nainai with an impassive look on her face, speaking in a cold, slightly impatient tone. ¡°Hurry.¡±

    ¡°A sec, just a sec...almost done.¡± Nainai¡¯s tonended somewhere between fear and humility. After injecting the ne with the energy of a wanderer, she threw it to Qing Ling, not wanting to waste even a second of Qing Ling¡¯s time.

    Qing Ling grabbed the ne with one hand and turned to leave.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door shut.

    ¡°Hmph, what a fool!¡± As soon as Qing Ling left, Nainai¡¯s chuuni side returned in full force. She crossed her arms and reached for excuses to cover up her earlier cowardice.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been fooled by my perfect acting again. I¡¯ll let you be conceited for a few days. When the power of the crimson eye of the evil lord awakens fully, it¡¯ll be your death. Muhaha, muhahahaha...¡±

    <i>Ding ding!</i>

    <i>Ding ding!</i>

    <i>Ding ding!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang three times, interrupting Nainai¡¯sughter.

    Both Can and Nainai turned to Gao Yang.

    Ignoring their gazes, he took his phone out of his pants pocket, pausing when he saw that the messages were from Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling: Hot pot!

    Qing Ling: Let¡¯s have hot pot!

    Qing Ling: I want to have hot pot!

    Gao Yang snorted. It seemed that Qing Ling¡¯s sister had taken over.

    Noticing that Can was trying to sneak a nce, Gao Yang quickly put away his phone and said, ¡°Senior Orange, please take me to register now.¡±

    ...

    Can and Gao Yang left the Witch¡¯s Club to go through the registration process at the faculty building, paying the tuition and getting Gao Yang¡¯s textbooks. In the process, Can gave Gao Yang a tour for free, telling him the basic information of the school and finally leading him to the third boys¡¯ dorm of theputer science department.

    ¡°Alright, Cap...Gao Yang.¡± Can nced at the dorm. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it. If you insist on inviting me, of course, I won¡¯t mind...¡±

    ¡°Thanks for today.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a meal.¡±

    ¡°Haha, sure.¡± Canughed too. ¡°Then...I want to have hot pot!¡±

    ¡°How about something else?¡±

    ¡°Well...barbecue?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang waved at her, entering the door to the dorm with the nket, basin, and other everyday necessities the school provided.

    ...

    Gao Yang¡¯s dorm room was 509. Climbing onto the fifth floor with arms full of things, he quickly found his room.

    The door was locked. Gao Yang opened it with the key given to him.

    Inside was a rectangr room. At the far end was arge window, letting in sufficient sunlight. It was a room for four with two beds on each side¡ªelevated ones with wooden desks and cabs underneath the beds as one piece of furniture.

    Among the four beds, only the one closest to the door was still empty.

    Well, it was unimed, rather. Both the bed and the desk and cab below were stacked with all sorts of things.

    It was three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. There was no one else in the room. His roommates must be in ss.

    Gao Yang sighed and started sorting his belongings. As soon as he started, though, light shone in from behind him as the door opened.

    Gao Yang turned around to see someone standing outside.

    The boy was around his age. He was about 1.7 meters tall with a pair of thick sses, looking bookish and frail in unfashionable dark gray casual clothes and a pair ofmonce sneakers.

    His ck short hair was soft and smooth with some curls, flopping on his forehead. His skin was clear but a little yellowish with faint spots of white around his temples, seemingly a result of malnutrition during childhood.

    He was holding arge lidded water bottle and a package.

    He paused when he saw Gao Yang before giving him a reserved but gentle smile. ¡°Are you...Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled politely. ¡°That¡¯s me, yeah.¡±

    ¡°You woke up?¡± The boy was stunned.

    ¡°Yes, I got into an ident and had been unconscious for a while. I didn¡¯t get discharged untilst week.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard.¡± The boy walked around Gao Yang and ced the water bottle and package he was holding on his table, turning around. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll help you clean up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I can do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I should help. There is quite a lot of my stuff on your bed too. I¡¯m embarrassed.¡± He smiled and adjusted the sses perching on his t nose, then he rolled up his sleeves. ¡°I¡¯m Mi Shi. The others of the room call me Old Shi.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t that old,¡± Gao Yang said casually.

    ¡°Hoho, I entered schoolter than others. I¡¯m turning 20 soon. I¡¯m the oldest of this room.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You can call me Little Gao.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Nice to meet you, Little Gao.¡±

    Mi Shi was shy but friendly. After helping Gao Yang clean up the bed, heid down the bedsheet and wiped the dust off the desk with a damp rag. Then he helped Gao Yang sort out his daily items.

    Only after that did Mi Shi open his package. It was a simple DIY shoe rack.

    Returning the favor, Gao Yang helped put together the shoe rack and ced it outside the door, sorting the mess of shoes belonging to their roommates on the rack.

    With that done, Mi Shi pped his hands in satisfaction. ¡°Whew, much better.¡±

    <i>Seems like you¡¯ve been bothered by it for a while</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Suddenly, the door was kicked open. Gao Yang and Mi Shi jumped, looking up to see a tall slim boy outside. His red wine-colored hair was parted on the side, and he wore a fancy dark pink shirt and a pair of fashionable ck cropped pants. His shoes were special edition white sneakers.

    His skin condition was quite good. With his almond-shaped eyes, tall nose bridge, thin lips, and well-ced facial features, he was on the handsome side, but that was it.

    Putting aside everything other than appearance, Dragon would be a 9.5, Wang Zikai a 8.8, and this boy a 7.5.

    He had a hand in his pocket and his other hand holding a can of beer, pulling a long face with a mix of frustration, humiliation, and anger.

    He tipped his head up and downed thest of his beer, lips twitching and curling into a sneer. ¡°Ha, I fell for someone for the first time since forever, but I lostpletely...¡±

    Then he hurled the can at the floor. ¡°Dang it!¡±

 Chapter 400: Roommates

    <h4>Chapter 400: Roommates</h4>

    ¡°Dang it!¡±

    The boy threw a tantrum, the empty can hitting the floor with a ng and bouncing twice before tumbling to Gao Yang¡¯s feet.

    An awkwardness permeated the room.

    The boy stalked in angrily before finally noticing a new face. He paused and turned to Mi Shi. ¡°Old Shi, who is this?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Mi Shi bent down to pick up the empty can and throw it into the trash can, smiling at Gao Yang. ¡°This is Globy, our roommate.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± The boy¡¯s anger evaporated, reced by visible shock and curiosity as he came over to pat Gao Yang on the shoulder.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Gao Yang. Didn¡¯t you be vegetable after a car ident? You woke up? That¡¯s like seeing a pig flying on a rocket!¡±

    <i>Why, thank you!</i>

    Gao Yang smiled awkwardly but politely.

    ¡°I¡¯m Qiu Qiu, the first Qiu as in Qiu Qianchi, and the second Qiu as in hill.[1]¡±

    ¡°Hello, Globy, just call me Little Gao,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Little Gao! A narrow escape from death is always followed by great fortune!¡± Qiu Qiu said happily. He quickly took out his phone. ¡°Wait, I have to call our room leader back[2]. Tonight, we wee Little Gao to our room and celebrate!¡±

    While he was saying that, the door opened again, the light hitting them from the outside.

    Qiu Qiu turned around and broke into a peel ofughter. ¡°Oh, speaking of the devil.¡±

    A boy with a shaved head entered with two thermos.

    He was about 1.75 meters, not that tall, but strongly built with lithe muscles covering his body. With his pronounced brows, bright eyes, meaty nose, and thick lips, he projected a kind and down-to-earth image.

    ¡°Globy, you forgot your thermos downstairs again. I got hot water for you...¡± He trailed off, his gazending on Gao Yang.

    ¡°Dajian, this is Gao Yang,¡± Mi Shi introduced them with a smile. ¡°He woke up and came to school.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you woke up? That¡¯s great! Congrats!¡± The boy put down the two thermos and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hands with a friendly smile. ¡°I¡¯m Lin Dajian, just call me Dajian or room leader. Either is fine with me.¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t expect his roommates to be this friendly. It caught him by surprise.

    ¡°Holy mother of god!¡± Qiu Qiu shouted. ¡°I just got rejected by my goddess today, and Little Gao became a student officially. Blessingse in twos!¡±

    Mi Shi smiled wryly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what the saying means, Globy...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m eating to my heart¡¯s content and drinking until I¡¯m wasted today! Brother Qiang¡¯s Stall on Degenerate Street, let¡¯s go! I¡¯m buying!¡± Qiu Qiu swung his arm, flexing his wealth.

    ¡°Look at the time, Globy. It¡¯s not even dark outside!¡± Lin Dajian chuckled.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Mi Shi turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯ll show Little Gao around and introduce him to the counselor. At six o¡¯clock, we¡¯ll meet on Degenerate Street. Be there or be square.¡±

    ¡°Works for me.¡± Lin Dajian nodded and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I may be the room leader, Little Gao, but Old Shi is the top student among us. The teachers may not have time to help you catch up, but Old Shi sure does.[3]¡±

    ¡°Room Leader, we deduct points for puns!¡± Qiu Qiu snickered. ¡°You¡¯re drinking three sses first thing tonight!¡±

    ¡°Haha, why not? I¡¯ll still drink you under the table.¡± Lin Dajian sounded confident.

    Gao Yangughed too. <i>So this is college life. A little different from what I expected, but not bad.</i>

    ...

    Mi Shi showed Gao Yang around and took him to the counselor, who asked after Gao Yang and added his contact on WeChat, inviting him into the ss group chat. The other students in the group chat sent messages to wee him.

    Before six o¡¯clock, Mi Shi took Gao Yang to Degenerate Street.

    Gao Yang had heard that each college would have a street like this, consisting of restaurants, food stands, inte cafes, karaokes, boutiques, cheap hotels, and othermercial storefronts, making it the main area of entertainment and consumption for college students.

    The four of them stopped at a ce named Brother Qiang¡¯s Stall, ordering barbecue and beer and iming a table in the red tent set up outside the storefront.

    Night fell. The street was packed with people. Amid the smoke and fire and boisterous chatters, one had to raise their voice to be heard.

    Soon, Qiu Qiu finished several skewers of roastedmb and two cans of beer, his face flushed and his emotions running high.

    Shaking his side-part wine-colored bang to the side, he mmed the beer can on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I¡¯ve got looks. I¡¯ve got personality. I¡¯ve got money. And most importantly...¡±

    He pounded on his chest and turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang gave him a confused look, unsure what he was getting at.

    ¡°Most importantly, I¡¯m 1.8 meters tall!¡± Qiu Qiu shouted at the top of his lungs like he wanted everyone on the street to hear. ¡°1.8 meters! Are any of you 1.8 meters?!¡±

    The other three lowered their heads.

    Mi Shi was the shortest at 1.7 meters. Lin Dajian was a little taller at 1.75 meters.

    Gao Yang was 1.78 meters, but given he was only 18, he still had time to grow taller.

    ¡°That woman! She rejected me, who had the looks, the personality, the money, and 1.8 meters!¡± Qiu Qiu said in disbelief. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense! Scientifically!¡±

    ¡°Globy, I¡¯ve got to be honest with you.¡± Lin Dajian was holding a skewer of roasted fish, having taken two bites. ¡°You¡¯re a catch, but the girl is a goddess at tier 0! She¡¯s got to be a UR card in a gacha game. It¡¯s not surprising that she doesn¡¯t take a fancy to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The picture of her profile someone sneaked on the first day of military training has been circting in all the group chats at school.¡± Mi Shi adjusted his sses and put down his chopsticks with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s at least an army of people who have a crush on her.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much?¡± Gao Yang drank his c with augh as he listened¡ªthe others had forbidden him from drinking alcohol since he had just regained consciousness.

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s the real deal, definitely A-list star material. I¡¯ve kept the photo.¡± Lin Dajian took out his phone and showed it to Gao Yang. ¡°Here, take a look.¡±

    Gao Yang sputtered the c in his mouth and got into a coughing fit.

    The picture in Lin Dajian¡¯s album featured Qing Ling, dressed in military camouge.

    It was noon, and the sun was zing. Standing among the crowd, she stood out with her tall, slim figure and fair skin, her sweat drenching a few strands of hair by her ears. Her gaze shifted toward the camera. There was an air of aloofness and distance around her that suggested she didn¡¯t know how beautiful she was. Her eyes seemed to piece into the soul of all onlookers.

    ¡°Hahaha, look at this kid...¡± Lin Dajian guffawed. ¡°He¡¯s so green.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t crush on her, buddy!¡± Qiu Qiu let out a long sigh. ¡°Trust me, trying to get close to her would only bring heartbreak. I¡¯m the best example.¡±

    ¡°Damn woman.¡± He gulped down beer. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful, but without a soul!¡±

    <i>Ding ding. Ding ding. Ding ding.</i>

    Just then, Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang.

    He put down the c in his hand and took out his phone. The messages were from Qing Ling¡ªor Little Qing Ling, to be more precise; she was the one who would send three messages in a row.

    Qing Ling: The day after tomorrow!

    Qing Ling: 7 p.m.!

    Qing Ling: Big Fish Hot Pot!

    Gao Yang responded with an emoticon that said ¡®OK¡¯ before quickly shoving his phone into his pocket, pretending that nothing had happened.

    1. His name is ôÃÇð, both characters are pronounced <i>qiu</i>, but in different tones. Qiu Qianchi is a character from <i>The</i> <i>Return of the Condor Heroes</i>. And his nickname, ÇòÇò, pronounced <i>qiu </i>in the same tone as his family name, means ball. ?

    2. In China, each dorm room has a designated room leader, who¡¯s responsible for the safety of their roommates and the condition of the room. ?

    3. Old Shi in raw is pronounced the same as teacher, <io shi</i>. ?

 Chapter 401: Light Out

    <h4>Chapter 401: Light Out</h4>

    The four of them stayed at the food stall until 9:30 at night and paid the bill.

    Qiu Qiu wasn¡¯t that good a drinker, and he was far from a graceful drunk. Wasted, he kept losing control and had to be grabbed and supported by Lin Dajian and Mi Shi to stay on the right track. On their way back to campus, he continued to make trouble.

    Seeing a long-haired girl walking their way, he charged at her shouting, ¡°Oh, Qing Ling, it¡¯s fine for me to not be part of your world. You should be happy on your own! Qing Ling, how am I supposed to live without you? Take me away, Qing Ling...¡±

    Scared witless, the girl almost called the police.

    Thankfully, Qiu Qiu didn¡¯t end up hurting the girl, and instead stumbled and fell into a drunken stupor. Seemingly used to it, Lin Dajian got him onto his back and kept walking.

    Once they were in their dorm room, Qiu Qiu woke up for a brief moment to vomit his guts out in the bathroom. Then he cked out on his bed, face down.

    Lin Dajian rolled out a yoga mat and stretched. Then he started doing push-ups, sit-ups, and nks. He seemed to be a gym rat.

    Gao Yang would like to join, but considering his image of a frail boy who had just woken up from a vegetative state, and that he was now doing the advanced exercises, he might shock his roommates to death with 100 reps of one-hand push-ups, so he stopped himself.

    After taking a shower, Mi Shi returned to his desk and turned on hisptop, opening his book to start studying. As expected of a straight A student.

    The light went off in the room at 10:30.

    Qiu Qiu was already snoring.

    Lying on his bed after taking a shower, Lin Dajian put on his earphones and started browsing Tok Tik.

    Mi Shi turned on his chargeable deskmp and continued to study.

    Thest to take a shower, Gao Yang got onto his bed and, for a brief moment, felt like a regr college student; there were no monsters or aing apocalypse.

    Past midnight, Mi Shi and Lin Dajian retired to bed too.

    Gao Yang extended his senses, confirming with his keen hearing that his three roommates had entered a deep slumber with steady breathing.

    He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 292 Luck points.]

    ¡ªEnter the Talent Pantheon.

    Gao Yang had been thinking about his path to greater power for a while.

    Now that his Lucky had reached level 4, his maximum stat was 1000. His Strength, Agility, and Willpower had all exceeded 1000 with bonuses from his various Talents. There was no room to push those stats further at the moment.

    On the other hand, his Constitution, Endurance, and Charisma still had a long way to go. Roughly speaking, he would need about 1600 Luck points to push them to 1000, which was quite a lot.

    Luck didn¡¯t seem to have a ceiling.

    ording to the studies and analysis done by the Hundred Rivers Union, however, it was concluded that Talents outside of the top 100 could at most reach level 4.

    Whether that was the case needed testing to find out.

    If Lucky remained at level 4 even after he pushed Luck to 1500 or even 2000, it would suggest that level 4 was as far as the Talent could go. The ordeal, however, would take him 1200 Luck points.

    That was arge sum, too.

    Upon deliberation, Gao Yang thought he should quicklyprehend new Talents as soon as possible.

    Many awakeners had died during the Crimson Tide, releasing their Talents back into the pool at the Talent Pantheon.

    Even half of the top 12 Talents had been released. If he couldprehend one and push it to level 4, the Talent itself and the bonuses it came with would bring him significant growth.

    If he was too slow, the Talents would be imed by other awakeners or newly awakened awakeners. Nainai, for example, had gotten Joker¡¯s Shapeshifterst month.

    Gao Yang felt a strong sense of regret. If only he hadn¡¯t been out of it for three months.

    On second thought, though, it was his greed speaking.

    That night, he hade back to life after getting his heart crushed thanks to the curse from Fresh Snow, thus allowing him to kill Lilia, and his Lucky had reached level 4 in the process, raising the ceiling of his stats and granting him Willful Power. The only price he paid was bing unconscious for three months. It was a great bargain.

    Speaking of which, he wondered how Fresh Snow was doing.

    She probably didn¡¯t know that he had woken up yet, or she was stopped froming to him by her sister.

    <i>Let¡¯s push that aside. I still have a lot on my te, and the rtionship between awakeners and Spectres is a whole can of worms. I¡¯ll try to reach out to her when I get the chance.</i>

    With a head full of thoughts, Gao Yang arrived at the Talent Pantheon.

    To his surprise, he didn¡¯t return to the orphanage, and neither did he see the lonesome cosmos and the twelve pirs of light beyond the orphanage. Instead, he found himself standing in an empty arcade.

    All around him were arcade machines, dance machines, and small karaoke booths, flickering with colorful light. The mix of games¡¯ sound effects and joyful music filled the space, vying for attention.

    Before Gao Yang were twelve w machines, but inside weren¡¯t dolls, but glowing orbs of energy particles that resembled nebs.

    Each machine was painted with a cute pattern, including the world tree for Life, the g for Support, the fangs for Poison, the fist for Buff, the shield for Guard, the flower for Summon, the urchin shape for Damage, the eye for Psyche, the fire for Element, the book for Knowledge, the hourss for Time-Space, and the hexagram for Miracle.

    ¡°It will take you 480 Luck points to attempt toprehend a Talent. You do not have enough at the moment.¡± A gentle voice spoke from behind Gao Yang.

    ¡°I know. Is there anything wrong with window shopping?¡±

    Gao Yang turned around irritatedly and jumped. The system had taken the form of White Dew!

    Unlike her usual regal image, she was dressed in a sexy ck bunny uniform. Her captivating curves could make one¡¯s blood boil. On her full head of silver hair were two furry white rabbit ears, the left one slumping down.

    She was wearing a pair of bright red stilettos, and her long legs were wrapped in fis stockings...

    He should stop. He felt the guilt and shame of when he did bad things behind his parents¡¯ back in his childhood.

    He turned away. ¡°Why do you look like this?¡±

    ¡°Everything is but the projection of your rationality, emotions, and imaginations...¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be it!¡± Gao Yang cut the system off vehemently. ¡°I¡¯ve never pictured this!¡±

    The system didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Gao Yang came to a realization. ¡°Could it be Fresh Snow?¡±

    It was possible. Fresh Snow had left him with half of her curse. Perhaps the special energy retained some of her will and memories.

    Fresh Snow had said that her sister often yed games with her. Maybe she took her to arcades often too.

    Arcades held activities regrly. It made sense that Fresh Snow would see a pretty and sexy bunny girl or two. Perhaps she thought that her sister, White Dew, would look better in the outfit and even pictured it in her head.

    <i>Fresh Snow, oh Fresh Snow, I didn¡¯t expect you to be a sister like this.</i>

    Gao Yang grinned. As the bunny girl White Dew that was the system walked up to him, he kept his gaze on the twelve w machines before him.

    Soon, he frowned slightly.

 Chapter 402: Eureka

    <h4>Chapter 402: Eureka</h4>

    Gao Yang originally nned to pull from the Time-Space, Poison, Element, and Support-type once he had umted enough Luck points; Alcoholic¡¯s Time-Space Spirit, X¡¯s Pestilence, Lilia¡¯s Elemental, and Scarlet Fox¡¯s House were now released back into the pool.

    Well, White Tiger¡¯s Absolute Defense and ck Tortoise¡¯s Puppeteer were, too, but he excluded the former since the Guard Rune Circuit hadn¡¯t been found, meaning the Talent would be stuck at level 3, while thetter worked in such an insidious way that it went against Gao Yang¡¯s moral code to choose it.

    Looking at the w machines of Time-Space, Poison, and Element, however, Gao Yang realized how many unimed Talents there were.

    Even the one with the least Talents, the Time-Space machine, had five small neb-like clusters of energy floating inside.

    ording to his past experience, it would take on average three attempts for him toprehend a Talent sessfully, which would take him 1440 Luck points!

    Even though his Talent had leveled up and thus his chance of sess increased, it would still take him two times at least, which would require 960 Luck points, not an amount he could just squander.

    If he had gotten a Talent outside the top 100 instead of a powerful one, he would suffer great loss.

    The Support-type w machine did have fewer Talents left¡ªthree, one of them must be House.

    Gao Yang had learned from Vermilion Bird about the mechanisms of House. Combined with Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange, it was a Talent with remarkable abilities. If his Luck had an effect inside the realm of House, too, it would be a game-breakingbo.

    <i>Think about it, if I run into an enemy who¡¯s much more powerful than I am, and I use House to forcefully make our odds even, betting part of our lives and hurting them at the cost of hurting myself, won¡¯t my teammates get to make the final blow, while I get healed by Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange? That¡¯s the perfect strategy, isn''t it?</i>

    And Vermilion Bird and Scarlet Fox had pulled off the same trick many times. Unfortunately, Miao had already made a move that would ensure mutual destruction back then, which couldn¡¯t be stopped even if Scarlet Fox critically injured Miao. Therefore, he could only take Miao with him to stop the skill from triggering.

    Nevertheless, it took a few seconds for House to activate.

    It was far from easy to restrain an opponent for a few seconds in a fight between powerful individuals.

    No matter how amazing a Talent House was, at the end of the day, it was a move to trap someone in one¡¯s energy realm. An opponent at the level of a pride monster would be able to easily detect the energy disturbance when a realm was formed and avoid it.

    The enemies Gao Yang would face in the future would be no lesser than pride monsters. Thus, while House sounded powerful on paper, there were many variables to consider in a real fight.

    <i>Wait, am I thinking aboutbos now?</i>

    <i>Ha, Teacher War Tiger, I¡¯m following your example in the end.</i>

    Gao Yang looked at the three clusters of energy inside the w machines and made up his mind.

    As soon as he had enough Luck points saved up, he would attempt toprehend a Talent. If the other types of Talents remained as numerous as they were now, and House was still unimed, he would pull for a Support-type Talent, trying his luck on the one in third chance.

    The three organizations were getting increasingly wary of each other though. There was no telling if whoeverprehended a top 12 Talents would let others know about it. It was likely for such people to keep their Talents hidden as a trump card.

    Gao Yang sighed. He felt a headache brewing. It was so very difficult for someone to get stronger quickly without turning to the dark side.

    Things were much easier for psychopaths like X. He simply resorted to the insidious n of killing all awakeners with poison so that he could take his timeprehending all the Talents.

    What an irony that the rule-abiding ones had to struggle, while the rulebreakers often got what they wanted.

    However, could those who had broken rules and forsaken principles and morals still be considered humans? Or were they worse than monsters?

    The nature of humans.

    The nature of monsters.

    ...

    Realization struck Gao Yang suddenly, and he broke into goosebumps.

    Could the correct answer pride monsters were looking for be the divine nature?

    How could the divine nature be found in the Mist World, where human nature and monsters¡¯ nature ran rampant?

    Was that why Sir Zuo wanted to help X be God? Because the pride monster believed that by acquiring the power of a god, X would gain the nature of one too?

    <i>Hm, that¡¯s a possibility.</i>

    Overjoyed with his eureka moment, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t wait to share it with his only witness. When he turned around, however, bunny girl White Dew wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°System, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± White Dew¡¯s gentle, careless voice came from another direction.

    Gao Yang turned to the source of the voice, only to see White Dew standing before a pool table.

    Under the hazy, disorienting light, she bent down with a cue stick, her sensuous body pressed to the table. With one eye closed, she adjusted the angle of the stick.

    The arousing movement, the captivating posture, the dignified presence, the alluring air... She wasn¡¯t hitting the ball into the pockets, but Gao Yang¡¯s virgin heart.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang turned away awkwardly. ¡°Nothing. Go on.¡±

    <i>Dear Fresh Snow, what kind of memories do you have in that little head of yours?</i>

    ...

    The next morning, Gao Yang woke up at seven o¡¯clock. He had been sleeping a lot less ever since his awakening.

    To his surprise, Mi Shi was awake before him. He stood on the balcony outside, doing <i>tai chi </i>under the warm morning sun.

    After the exercise, he returned to the room to find Gao Yang already washing up. Surprised, he asked softly with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m heading out for breakfast. Are youing with, or should I get takeout for you?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Gao Yang wanted to get to know the campus better.

    Mi Shi and Gao Yang went to the cafeteria for breakfast, getting two portions of takeout back to their room.

    Lin Dajian had woken up by then, leaving Qiu Qiu the only one lying prone on his bed with a massive hangover, speaking in a pained voice that could be confused with sleep-talk. ¡°My...my head hurts. I can¡¯t get up... Answer the roll call for me...¡±

    At eight o¡¯clock, Gao Yang, Mi Shi, and Lin Dajian went to their core ss together.

    Having missed a month''s worth of sses, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be more confused, but he did his best to take notes and cram the information into his head, nning to look to Mi Shi for some private tutoring.

    Came noon, the three of them went to the cafeteria for lunch.

    Still hungover, Qiu Qiu showed up too in full getup, looking well put together¡ªif a little overdressed. He sauntered over their table and sat down.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t eating anything?¡± asked Lin Dajian.

    ¡°No, I asked ady out. We¡¯re having steak.¡± Qiu Qiu flipped his hair casually.

    ¡°You got rejected yesterday, and now you¡¯re on to your next target?¡± Lin Dajian teased. ¡°Are you a yboy or what?¡±

    ¡°What do you know? This is what we call stop loss!¡± Qiu Qiu took out his phone and opened a picture on his social media. ¡°Look, this is my date. She¡¯s a sophomore. Isn¡¯t she hot?¡±

    Everyone put down their chopsticks and leaned in for a look. Gao Yang nced at his screen too and almost choked on rice.

    It was a fit girl with tanned skin and bright, confident smile, dressed in a tight yoga shirt and pants and taking a selfie with her phone before a full-length mirror.

    Underneath the picture was a popr meme, ¡®Do you even lift, boy?¡¯

    <i>Isn¡¯t this Zhou Jing, Can¡¯s roommate?</i>

    Gao Yang had met the girl back when they went to the Eleventh High School at night with Niu Xuan and hisckeys. Thinking back, that felt like a lifetime ago.

    ¡°She¡¯s fit, but her face and overall look are far from Qing Ling¡¯s level.¡± Lin Dajian was blunt.

    ¡°Beauty is multi-faceted, bro,¡± Qiu Qiu insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t me you for not having the eyes to spot it. Old Shi would¡¯ve understood...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lin Dajianughed even harder.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what was so funny about all that, and he looked confused.

    Lin Dajian nced at his phone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Wednesday. Old Shi, it¡¯s time for the elective ss taught by your goddess!¡±

    Mi Shi¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Stop telling jokes like that! It¡¯s inappropriate! I just like her sses.¡±

    ¡°Old Shi!¡± Qiu Qiu smirked. ¡°You¡¯re a good guy, but you can be so fake sometimes! Hunger and lust are but parts of human nature. What¡¯s so wrong about liking women? What¡¯s so wrong about having a crush on a married woman? While Cao Mengde may be dead, his spirit lives on...[1]¡±

    ¡°Enough already.¡± Mi Shi¡¯s face darkened, his gaze turning threatening.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll stop. You know I run my mouth a lot. I¡¯ll stop joking.¡± Qiu Qiu grinned and looked at his phone again. ¡°Folks, my date is calling me. I¡¯m off. Wait for my good news!¡±

    After he left, Mi Shi turned to Gao Yang suddenly. ¡°Do you want toe with me to the elective ss, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised by the invitation. He asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s the ss?¡±

    1. It¡¯s sort of a running gag in China that Cao Cao had a thing for married women, and those who covet married women are often called <i>cao zei</i>, literally a thief with the surname Cao. ?

 Chapter 403: Elective Class

    <h4>Chapter 403: Elective ss</h4>

    ¡°ssical Music Appreciation,¡± Mi Shi said.

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. Mi Shi, the down-to-earth straight A student, didn¡¯t seem like someone who would be interested in ssical music.

    Still, a book couldn¡¯t be judged by its cover. Anyone could have a ssy hobby.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang agreed readily.

    ¡°Globy and Dajian aren¡¯t interested, but I have a feeling that you¡¯ll like the ss,¡± Mi Shi said gently, visibly happy.

    After lunch, the three of them returned to their room first. Taking a seat before his desktop, Dajian booted up <i>Elder Scrolls</i>.

    Gao Yang asked Mi Shi for help with the sses he had missed. Mi Shi forgot about time while tutoring him, and the two of them ended up rushing out of the door at four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, hurrying to the multimedia ssroom for the elective ss.

    When Gao Yang and Mi Shi arrived, the ssroom was already packed full of students, most of them boys.

    They entered through the back door, hunching, sitting in the corner inconspicuously.

    Gao Yang looked up to see a ck piano by the podium. Sitting by it was a young woman, her lower body covered by the piano.

    She was beautiful, her silky ck hair running down like a waterfall. She was wearing a gray cardigan for autumn, her make-up free face gentle and graceful in a serene way.

    She struck Gao Yang as familiar. He seemed to have seen her somewhere, but couldn¡¯t recall the memory.

    Head slightly cocked, the woman yed a song on the piano with full focus.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know much about music, but he could feel the tenderness, mncholy, and mournful feelings of the music, as well as an undercurrent of something else, as if a fateful misfortune was on the horizon. While it was a misfortune, though, it didn¡¯t trigger anxiety or fear, but a willing eptance of a beautiful tragedy.

    Gao Yang found himself immersed in the wonderful music, and he wasn¡¯t alone. The other students listened quietly with a look of enjoyment as well.

    Only when the song came to an end did Gao Yang break out of his reverie.

    The ssroom was quiet. Everyone was still savoring the experience that they forgot to p.

    The teacher spoke in a mannerly, gentle voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s the first movement of <i>Moon Sonata</i>, written by a renownedposer a few hundred years ago. The first movement has been described by a poet as a small boat floating on a moonlitke like a leaf.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, <i>Moon Sonata</i> was a piece theposerposed for his lover. It was said that he paid heavily for his loveter on.¡±

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s hear the second movement. It¡¯s lighter than the first and serves as a bridge between the first and the third movements, described by other musicians as a flower between two steep bluffs.¡±

    The teacher yed on her piano while telling them the stories of different important figures in ssical music, and two hours passed like that quietly.

    The sky had turned red outside the windows. It was evening.

    ¡°And that¡¯s the end of this week¡¯s ssical music appreciation. I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± She closed the lid of the piano gingerly. Then she propped herself up with one hand while supporting her side with the other hand, standing up with some difficulty.

    Gao Yang started. Only then did he notice her protruding belly under the loose white dress with elegant patterns. She was pregnant!

    <i>Ah, it¡¯s her!</i>

    Gao Yang finally remembered. The beautiful, elegant, and well-mannered teacher was Officer Huang¡¯s seven-month pregnant wife!

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± Mi Shi called out to him.

    Gao Yang turned to him nonchntly. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Give me a minute. I have questions I¡¯d like to ask Ms. Su.¡± Shi Mi took out a ssical music album from his backpack.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Mi Shi quickly went up to the podium. By then, the teacher was already surrounded by many students, and she was having a pleasant chat about music with them.

    Mi Shi joined them. It was clear that he was nervous and bashful, his gaze admiring when he looked at her.

    Then someone sidled up to Gao Yang. Noticing it immediately, Gao Yang turned to find that it was Qing Ling.

    She didn¡¯t have training today. With her hair running down her shoulders and her wearing a red and white jersey and a short ck skirt that entuated her long legs, she pulled a long face that deterred everyone¡¯s approach.

    ¡°Qing Ling? When did you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here from the start.¡± Qing Ling turned to Teacher Su and said in a voice only Gao Yang could hear, ¡°I saw you when you came in. You didn¡¯t see me.¡±

    When Gao Yang and Mi Shi came in, the ssroom was already packed, and they had been hurriedly looking for seats before getting transfixed by the piano performance. Thus, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t noticed Qing Ling.

    To Qing Ling, however, it was only natural that she would notice two people barging into the ssroom, and one of them was a familiar face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be into music.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I thought you were only interested in getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like music,¡± Qing Ling said coldly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if not for Officer Huang.¡±

    Gao Yang paused before quicklying to a realization. Officer Huang¡¯s wife, Teacher Su, came to Li City University for the elective ss every Wednesday. Worried about her, he asked Qing Ling to keep an eye on her.

    As expected of the man whose defining trait was his love for his wife.

    As they spoke, Mi Shi returned with a look of content and excitement on his face. His jaw dropped when he looked up and saw Qing Ling by Gao Yang¡¯s side. <i>Isn¡¯t that the UR goddess Qiu Qiu had chased after?</i>

    He didn¡¯t dare to voice his thoughts, of course, but instead looked at Gao Yang nervously, fidgeting. ¡°You know each other, Little Gao?¡±

    ¡°High school ssmates.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say itst night given Globy¡¯s state. I didn¡¯t want him to have a meltdown.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right.¡± Mi Shi nodded. He didn¡¯t even dare to nce at Qing Ling. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t good at interacting with a pretty girl his age. ¡°Then you...¡±

    ¡°You should go first. I¡¯d like to catch up with her.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling both appeared as wanderers now, so he acted earnest and open. Being evasive and putting distance between them on purpose would only attract attention.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m going to the cafeteria for food.¡±

    Once Mi Shi was gone, Qing Ling turned to Gao Yang. ¡°How are you recovering?¡±

    ¡°Basically fully recovered.¡± Gao Yang was a little moved. <i>Sniffle, she¡¯s even learned to ask after her friend.</i>

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started with Operation: Heavenbreaker already,¡± Qing Ling said in a low voice.

    <i>...And that¡¯s what you¡¯re actually concerned about.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Chen Ying has already gotten started with the investigation. We¡¯re having a meeting at five o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon.¡± Gao Yang hadn¡¯t been sitting around the past few days. The work was already ongoing. Before he could tell her the ce for the meeting, a familiar voice came from the podium.

    ¡°Qing Ling, Gao Yang!¡±

    Both of them turned around, unsurprised.

    Officer Huang was dressed in a casual ck leather jacket with a white V-neck t-shirt and a pair of dark-colored jeans, his style refreshing. Standing by Ms. Su, he had a hand on her shoulder. They looked like a match made in heaven.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked up to the loving couple naturally.

 Chapter 404: Visit

    <h4>Chapter 404: Visit</h4>

    ¡°Haha, what a coincidence. Are you both students here?¡± As expected of an experienced adult, Officer Huang put up an act with ease.

    ¡°Hello, Officer Huang,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile.

    Qing Ling blinked in lieu of a greeting.

    ¡°Good for you. What did I say before? Focus on your study rather than your rtionship.¡± Officer Huang patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, looking pleased. ¡°See where that got you? You came to college together and can now be lovey dovey all you want. After graduation, you can get married and have a child, just like my wife and I.¡±

    Gao Yang was still smiling, but inside, he was grumbling, <i>It¡¯s fine for you to unt your rtionship, Officer Huang, but don¡¯t pile more storylines on Qing Ling and I. We aren¡¯t as good at acting as you are.</i>

    Officer Huang seemed to be in a good mood, and he turned to his wife. ¡°Darling, remember the case of a highschool girl getting robbed I told you about? They were ssmates with the victim. That was how I knew them. I didn¡¯t expect them to be your students. Isn¡¯t that fate?¡±

    Ms. Su smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just the instructor of an elective ss. Stop saying nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, Qing Ling.¡± Officer Huang turned to them. ¡°This is my wife¡¯s eighteenth birthday. I got a day off to pick her up from work. Why don¡¯t youe with us to our ce? Let¡¯s celebrate your teacher¡¯s birthday.¡±

    Ms. Su huffed out augh and looked at Officer Huang with resignation. ¡°That¡¯s too sudden, Old Huang. They may have other ns.¡±

    ¡°What ns can the love birds have? Go to an inte cafe or karaoke? The kid Gao Yang is a sly one. Perhaps he¡¯ll dy things on purpose at night and take the girl to a hotel...¡±

    <i>I¡¯m a conservative man, thank you! Don¡¯t just twist my image like that!</i>

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t that just like you back then?¡± Teacher Su arched an eyebrow delicately, deftly turning things around.

    Officer Huang got into an awkward coughing fit and quickly nced at his wife. <i>Don¡¯t say that! I have a reputation to maintain!</i>

    He put a forceful arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to our ce. Promise I¡¯ll take you back to school before lights-out.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang agreed readily.

    Qing Ling nodded. Of course she would go. Only an idiot would say no to a free meal.

    ...

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat in Officer Huang¡¯s car as he drove home, noticeably slower than his usual driving speed.

    Ms. Su was in the passenger seat. Officer Huang kept talking to her, asking her about what happened today at school, telling her about the case he was working on, and how they should raise their kid once they were born.

    He had never once talked to Gao Yang or Qing Ling, as if the two of them didn¡¯t exist.

    Ms. Su, on the other hand, was considerate and thoughtful enough to direct the conversation to their studies and life, encouraging them to chime in.

    Half an hourter, Officer Huang¡¯s personal car drove into the underground parking lot of a gatedmunity in the Shanqing District. The four of them got out of the car and rode the elevator to a higher floor.

    It was over three hundred square meters big with three bedrooms and two living spaces, the design modern and the color soft and warm.

    Once they were inside, they changed into slippers and sat down on the fabric sofa in the living room.

    Officer Huang went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. On their way home, he had swung by a supermarket for quite a lot of ingredients.

    Ms. Su gave Gao Yang and Qing Ling each a cup of honey lemon tea, paired with a te of cookies she had baked herself.

    Qing Ling had one. Then liking the taste, she reached out for another, only to be stopped by Gao Yang.

    ¡°Leave some room for dinner and cake.¡±

    Qing Ling thought for a moment and agreed, putting the cookie back.

    A few minutester, Ms. Su emerged from the bedroom, having changed into loosefortable pajamas.

    With herrge belly weighing her down, she slowly sat down on the sofa with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s more convenient to be in pajamas as a pregnant woman. I¡¯ll forgo trying to stay dignified before you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We don¡¯t mind,¡± Gao Yang said, holding a cup of tea.

    ¡°I¡¯m Su Xi, Xi as in the light of dawn. I¡¯m not that much older than you are. You can call me Sister Xi.¡±

    ¡°Sister Xi,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile.

    Qing Ling nodded but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Gao Yang, your girlfriend is a little quiet.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s slow to warm up to people. She¡¯s different with people she knows.¡± Gao Yang exined for Qing Ling since they were now a couple in Su Xi¡¯s eyes.

    Su Xi chuckled and nced at Qing Ling, her eyes twinkling. ¡°Who¡¯s the one pursuing the other?¡±

    ¡°He is,¡± Qing Ling said immediately.

    <i>Wait, I know you hate losing, but is this where you should getpetitive?</i>

    Gao Yang rubbed his head,ughing with feigned embarrassment. ¡°Yeah, I asked her out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed as much.¡± Su Xi smiled. ¡°She¡¯s so pretty. She must have a lot of suitors.¡±

    ¡°She does. Thankfully, I got there first.¡± Worried that they would be caught lying, Gao Yang quickly shifted the topic to Su Xi instead. ¡°Sister Xi, I heard from Officer Huang that you met each other in high school, and that you were each other¡¯s first love. That¡¯s just like us.¡±

    Su Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly in reminiscence. She brushed her hair back and picked up her cup of tea to have a sip. ¡°We were schoolmates in high school, but we didn¡¯t cross paths much. We didn¡¯t get together until college.¡±

    ¡°Sister Xi, would you tell us your love story?¡± Gao Yang was genuinely interested.

    Qing Ling put down her tea cup too to look at Su Xi. It seemed that she was curious too.

    Su Xi paused. She didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to shift the conversation to her. She smiled wryly. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s not much to tell. It¡¯s the same old story.¡±

    ¡°It must be different,¡± Gao Yang insisted. ¡°Officer Huang loves you so much and often talks to us about you. I bet you have an epic love story.¡±

    Su Xi waved a hand in denial. ¡°Oh, no. We¡¯re a mundane couple.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know too,¡± Qing Ling chimed in.

    Su Xi was surprised by their insistence. Perhaps they were looking for lessons to learn from an older couple¡¯s story.

    Su Xi turned to look into the kitchen. Officer Huang had taken off his jacket and put on an apron. Standing at the counter, he hummed as he peeled shrimps.

    Su Xi waved Gao Yang and Qing Ling over. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s take this to the study.¡±

    Su Xi slowly stood up with herrge belly and led them to the study. It was a spacious room with arge bookshelf and a window wall, before which was an expensive-looking grand piano.

    Su Xi sat down before it. ¡°Old Huang gets embarrassed easily. He doesn¡¯t like me talking about his dark past.¡±

    ¡°Haha, now I¡¯m even more curious.¡± Gao Yang chuckled.

    Qing Ling quickly nodded too.

    Su Xi reminisced about how the two of them got together.

    Back in high school, Su Xi was in the music ss, while Officer Huang was in the regr ss.

    Then, Su Xi was the undisputable school flower. She was beautiful and yed piano well. Every year, at the evening gathering on New Year¡¯s Day, she would perform a piano solo.

    It was no exaggeration to say that Su Xi received at least one love letter from the boys at school almost every week. Due to the strict upbringing of her family of schrs, though, she would never have a rtionship when in high school.

    Her army of secret admirers, however, didn¡¯t include Officer Huang.

    Huang Qi had been a troubled student back then. A student of a regr ss, he got terrible grades and was a delinquent who got into fights every day. Matters of the heart wasn¡¯t even a concept he could grasp then.

    Normally, the two of them should never cross paths.

    Then in their third year of high school, the gears of fate stuttered, and something straight out of a soap opera happened.

    On her way home, Su Xi got stopped by three delinquents from another school. The leader among the trio had been eyeing her for a while, wanting her to be his girlfriend for the acknowledgement that would win him.

    Su Xi rejected him, of course, and in a fit of anger, the boy pushed her around, cursing her out for not knowing what was good for her.

    It was then a hot-headed eighteen-year-old highschooler appeared, beating the three delinquents up and sending them fleeing.

    It was, of course, Huang Qi.

 Chapter 405: Huang Qi

    <h4>Chapter 405: Huang Qi</h4>

    When rescuing the girl like a hero, Huang Qi got bruises on his face and nosebleed dripping down to his mouth. Unfazed, he wiped the blood with the back of his hand and turned to leave.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really get it then.¡± Su Xi lowered her head slightly, gliding her fingers along the smooth surface of the ck lid of the piano. ¡°At the time, I¡¯m quite selfish despite my good grades. If I see a stranger in danger, I would surely stay far away, hoping that the trouble wouldn¡¯t get to me.¡±

    She looked up with soft eyes, continuing with her story.

    The eighteen-year-old Su Xi watched Huang Qi turn to leave. After a few seconds of shock, she chased after him.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you... May I ask why you saved me?¡±

    Huang Qi turned around. He had spiky, thick hair, tall and slim frame, and a stubborn, youthful face that made people think twice before provoking him.

    Blood streamed down his nose again. He wiped it away. ¡°No reason.¡±

    Su Xi was even more confused.

    It would make sense to her if Huang Qi had beef with the three delinquents, if Huang Qi wanted to win her over by saving her, or if there was any other reason.

    But no, Huang Qi¡¯s answer was that there wasn¡¯t any reason.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why did you help me then?¡±

    It was Huang Qi¡¯s turn to frown in confusion. In his world, it was only natural for one to help those in need. Why should there be a reason?

    ¡°I told you, there¡¯s no why.¡± Huang Qi was getting irritated. With his hands in his pockets, he turned on his heels, his back hunched.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t just go!¡± Su Xi caught up with him. ¡°You...you¡¯re hurt. I¡¯ll buy medicine for you.¡±

    Su Xi didn¡¯t understand what she was thinking back then.

    Perhaps she simply didn¡¯t want to owe him a favor. Or perhaps she had be interested in the boy who was pr opposite to her without noticing.

    That day, Su Xi bought Huang Qi medicine, and Huang Qi, without saying thanks, left with the medicine, as aloof as ever.

    Since then, Su Xi had been secretly paying attention to Huang Qi.

    Truthfully, she was a little disappointed to find out that Huang Qi was a problem student who had been giving all their teachers headaches. He never did homework and was alwayste to school. He was so hot-tempered that he got into conflicts with other students for the smallest things and would end up given the punishment of running on the track by teachers.

    Then Su Xi found out that Huang Qi was orphaned.

    In his fourth year in elementary school, he lost his parents to a car ident. Since then, he had been staying with his uncle.

    His uncle was a gambling addict. After umting too much debt to pay off, the man ran away, leaving an empty, rundown house to Huang Qi. The boy only got to pay his tuition with the help of his neighbors.

    The debt collectors came to harass him once every few days. That was how Huang Qi turned himself into a hedgehog with his spikes aimed at the outside world. To survive, he had to learn to fight, and he had to appear aggressive.

    He had grown up in such a terrible environment, yet maintained a heart of gold that prompted him to help people thanks to his hobby: reading manga.

    He spent much of his time reading manga for free at rental shops. He found a kindred spirit in the protagonists from shonen manga. Many shared his past of losing their parents young, and thus Huang Qi rted to them much better than others.

    At the time, protagonists from shonen manga always had a strong sense of justice. No matter how much difficulty they had gone through, no matter how lonely, desperate, and misunderstood they were, they maintained their moral codes, upholding justice and helping the weak against the oppressors.

    That was how Huang Qi grew up.

    ¡°I get it now! Then you fell for him!¡± Gao Yang came to a conclusion. <i>So this is the story of ady from a rich family and a delinquent boy. The romance novels haven¡¯t lied.</i>

    Su Xi shook her head with a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s not the case. Although I kept an eye on him, it was more out of curiosity for someone living in apletely different world. Up until we graduated from high school, we only ever had one brief conversation.¡±

    It was another day¡¯s afternoon. Su Xi was bringing test papers to the teachers¡¯ office.

    There was no one there save for Huang Qi, all beaten up and sitting at a teacher¡¯s desk, busy with writing a letter of self-reflection.

    Su Xi didn¡¯t even have to think to figure out that Huang Qi must have gotten into a fight again and gotten scolded and punished by his homeroom teacher.

    When Su Xi ced the test papers on her teacher¡¯s desk, walking past Huang Qi, she tilted her head to nce at him.

    Noticing another¡¯s gaze, Huang Qi reflexively covered the sheet of paper and shot her a re. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Su Xi said nonchntly, ¡°Why did you like fighting so much?¡±

    ¡°Who said that I liked fighting?¡± Huang Qi retorted stiffly.

    Su Xi cocked her head. ¡°The facts speak for themselves.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t sit by when someone¡¯s doing bad things, but the teacher said I was being nosy.¡± Huang Qi huffed.

    Su Xi paused. Before, she would¡¯ve thought he was stepping in where he wasn¡¯t needed, butst time, if he hadn¡¯t intervened, the three delinquents would likely get their way with her.

    Perhaps Huang Qi had gotten into every fight for justice, only his method was wrong.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got such a strong sense of justice, why don¡¯t you be a police officer?¡± Su Xi blurted out. ¡°Then being nosy will be your job.¡±

    When Su Xi said that, she saw Huang Qi looking up at him.

    She would never forget the way his eyes looked at that moment. It was as if he had been walking in a dark tunnel for a long long time before finally spotting a ray of light.

    Su Xi, at present time, sighed softly. ¡°After that, I hadn¡¯t said another word to Huang Qi. A monthter, an ident hit my family. My parents died in a fire at a hotel, leaving me behind.¡±

    ¡°I became orphaned overnight and stopped pursuing music. Instead, I got into a regr college and got a degree with a schrship.¡±

    ¡°It was my third year in college when Huang Qi came to me.¡± Su Xi smiled. ¡°It was the evening gathering on New Year¡¯s Day. I performed a piano piece. When I got off the stage, I saw a young man smiling at me.¡±

    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize him. He was so different, almost a changed man. That night, we walked along the running track of the university and talked about everything, about the tragedy that hit my family, about the path he had gone through.¡±

    Su Xi dove back into her memory.

    In that office many years ago, her casual words had hit Huang Qi like a ray of light, a divine decree, waking him up from his aimless wander.

    After that, Huang Qi started studying hard with the goal of bing a police officer.

    He was bright, and he quickly caught up with his studies. Performing surprisingly well at the entrance exams, he got into a good police academy.

    Three years in the academy stripped him of his bad temper and made him into a sessful young man who was just, mature, and well-mannered.

    And he had woken up to his feelings. He realized that he couldn¡¯t forget the girl who had changed his life.

    He asked around about her.

    Su Xi, who should¡¯ve walked smoothly on the path to a music major and then a remarkable pianist, became an orphan and got into a regr college, selecting a regr major for greater job opportunities in the future with the highest schrship, all the while working part-time to support herself.

    Her only chance to y the piano was at the New Year gathering.

    She was still beautiful and still had legions of admirers, but Huang Qi felt bad for her. She should¡¯ve flown farther and higher.

    Finally, Huang Qi mustered the courage to seek out Su Xi, at the New Year gathering in their junior year.

    Looking up at the beautiful girl in white dress sitting in the spotlight on stage, ying the <i>Moon Sonata</i> gracefully like a princess from fairy tales, Huang Qi had many thoughts in his mind.

    It all came down to one conclusion in the end: <i>I love her.</i>

 Chapter 406: Test

    <h4>Chapter 406: Test</h4>

    The study was quiet. Gao Yang and Qing Ling listened intently.

    While Su Xi and Huang Qi¡¯s story wasn¡¯t that dramatic or gripping, it made one want to listen further.

    ¡°We talked a lot that night and exchanged numbers,¡± Su Xi said. ¡°We became friends.¡±

    ¡°Just friends?¡± Gao Yang asked with a smile.

    Su Xi nodded, chuckling. ¡°While Old Huang can be frivolous right now, he was very serious back then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cut her off,¡± Qing Lingined.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Su Xi looked at Qing Ling. ¡°We did have feelings for each other, but neither of us confessed, staying as friends with a little something between us.¡±

    ¡°A year passed then. On my twenty-second birthday, Huang Qi asked me to have dinner with him, saying it was for my birthday.¡±

    That day, Huang Qi took Su Xi to the tallest building in Li City at the time, having candlelit dinner at the restaurant on the top floor.

    For the meal, Huang Qi spent half a month worth of living expenses, and he had made the reservation a month early.

    It was Huang Qi¡¯s first time having western food. He didn¡¯t even know how to use a fork and a knife well, and he was awkward when cutting the steak, even clumsy.

    That, however, only endeared him to Su Xi.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have toe to a ce this expensive,¡± Su Xi said. ¡°A meal anywhere is fine.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t posturing,¡± Huang Qi said honestly. ¡°It¡¯s just that the birthday gift I¡¯d like to give you is here.¡±

    He looked at his watch again¡ªhe had been checking the time during the meal.

    He put down his knife and fork with a mysterious look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m giving you the gift now. Close your eyes.¡±

    Su Xi didn¡¯t know what Huang Qi was nning, but she closed her eyes with a smile all the same.

    Then Huang Qi quietly parted the curtains covering the window wall. On the other side, half of the entire Li City was on full disy. The sun had set, the sky darkening. Only a couple lights were on across the entire city. It was the time of day when the city was darkest.

    Su Xi paused when she opened her eyes and saw that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look away, don¡¯t blink. It¡¯sing.¡± Huang Qi looked out of the window at the dim Li City with Su Xi, counting down, ¡°Five, four, three, two, one.¡±

    Suddenly, the entire city lit up.

    Su Xi knew that every day at seven o¡¯clock in the evening, the streemps and the lights of other public facilities would lit up at the same time. This had nothing to do with Huang Qi.

    Under his careful arrangement, though, it seemed as if the city lighting up was a grand, romantic magic trick he had prepared for her.

    ¡°Only you would think of...¡± Su Xiughed and trailed off suddenly.

    Huang Qi had gotten down on one knee with a beautiful silver ring. ¡°I can¡¯t afford a diamond ring yet, Su Xi, but when we get married¡ªif you are willing to be with me, I mean¡ªI¡¯ll give you everything you deserve. I, Huang Qi, will never disappoint you.¡±

    The ring, the candlelit dinner, the thoughtful confession¡ªalthough she was happy, something seemed to be missing.

    Until Huang Qi said the words that shook her to the core.

    Looking outside at the beautiful city, at the countless lightsing alive, Huang Qi said, ¡°I used to love sitting somewhere high at this time to look at the windows lighting up. I said to myself that one day, I would have a family too.¡±

    ¡°Would you be my family, Su Xi? Let¡¯s build one together. Then every day at night, ours will be one of the windows lighting up.¡±

    Two secondster, Su Xi broke into tears silently.

    She offered her right ring finger. Huang Qi gently put the ring on her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise,¡± said Su Xi.

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise,¡± Huang Qi answered.

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Su Xi finished with their story. ¡°We got together then, building a rtionship, graduating from school, finding a job, getting married, and saving for a house. Our days pass in mundane and trivial moments, and without us noticing, we¡¯ve gotten so far.¡±

    Su Xi looked at her pronounced belly and stroked it tenderly, her expression loving. ¡°Once the child is born, Old Huang and I will have a real family. His promise will be reality.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling fell silent for a moment.

    Both Officer Huang and Su Xi had be orphans at different points in their lives, and they both craved a family.

    They were going to have one.

    If Officer Huang hadn¡¯t awakened, he would¡¯ve been incredibly happy, for certain.

    His awakening, however, changed everything.

    Could humans and monsters really have children? It was a question that had been bothering Officer Huang, and Gao Yang too.

    ¡°You must really love Officer Huang, Ms. Su,¡± Gao Yang said with feigned envy.

    Su Xi paused. She didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to be so blunt, and she smiled bashfully. ¡°We¡¯ve been together too long to talk about love.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target lied, and she was benevolent.

    It seemed that Su Xi did love Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang let out a silent sigh of relief. <i>Sorry, Ms. Su. As apanion of Officer Huang, I can¡¯t not test you even though you¡¯re the person he loves.</i>

    ¡°Time for dinner,¡± Officer Huang called out from the kitchen. ¡°Hm? Why did you run off to the study?¡±

    ¡°I was showing them the marriage gift you gave me back then,¡± Su Xi raised her voice to answer from another room.

    When she walked out of the study, she turned to look at Gao Yang and Qing Ling, saying quietly, ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about his past as a problem student during dinner. He gets embarrassed easily.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Officer Huang was quite a good cook, and he made a table full of his specialty dishes.

    The four of them ate. Officer Huang talked a lot, mostly about how talented and charismatic his wife was, about how well and efficient he was in investigation, and his glorious achievements in catching viins and thugs¡ªwith a healthy dose of embellishment, of course.

    Su Xi didn¡¯t expose him.

    Gao Yang yed along and chimed in every once in a while.

    Even Qing Ling showed appreciation, but for Officer Huang¡¯s cooking instead.

    From start to finish, she ate with single-minded focus, one hand holding the bowl and the other hand holding the chopsticks, her back upright and her expression devoted. Her mouth had not been doing anything but eating.

    When she finished a bowl of rice, she nced at Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang immediately stood up and took her bowl. ¡°I¡¯ll fill it for you.¡±

    ¡°Have more,¡± Su Xi said with a smile. ¡°Gao Yang, you eat too little. Even Qing Ling eats more than you do.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a student athlete and consumes a lot of energy,¡± Gao Yang exined.

    Qing Ling took the bowl full of rice from Gao Yang and went back to eating without saying thanks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just talk about them, darling. You should eat more too. You¡¯ve got a heavy burden on you and are eating for two.¡± Officer Huang picked up a piece of steamed sea bass and plopped it into Su Xi¡¯s bowl.

    Seeing them being all lovey-dovey, Gao Yang was reminded that he and Qing Ling were an item in their eyes too. He quickly picked up a piece of braised short rib and put it in Qing Ling¡¯s bowl. ¡°Here. Have more.¡±

    Qing Ling paused, looking at the short rib in her bowl before turning to Gao Yang, her movement a little stiff and her expression strange.

    <i>Shoot, she¡¯s not angry, is she?</i>

 Chapter 407: Shabby Hotel

    <h4>Chapter 407: Shabby Hotel</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded. He shouldn¡¯t have improvised when he wasn¡¯t asked to.

    In truth, though, Qing Ling was merely caught off guard. A few secondster, she realized that was what a couple would do with her sister¡¯s exnation.

    She hurriedly picked up a piece of pork liver and put it in Gao Yang¡¯s bowl. ¡°You should eat more too.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief before smiling awkwardly. <i>I¡¯m d that you¡¯re willing to y along, Qing Ling, but have you forgotten that I don¡¯t like pork liver?</i>

    <i>I remember all your favorite food! Would you please keep in mind my preferences too like a good actor would?</i>

    <i>Wait...you don¡¯t like pork liver, either, do you?</i>

    <i>Huh, so you¡¯re just trying to leave more of your favorite food for yourself? Is this how you treat someone who¡¯s been through life-and-death situations with you? Don¡¯t you have a conscience?</i>

    The dinner left Gao Yang feeling unloved.

    After dinner, Officer Huang went to the kitchen to do dishes, while the three of them watched TV in the living room and chatted until nine o¡¯clock.

    Then Officer Huang served the birthday cake, and they celebrated Su Xi¡¯s birthday together simply. After they sang her the birthday song, Su Xi made wishes and blew the candles.

    When it was time to share the cake, Qing Ling followed the earlier examples and continued to ¡®show her love¡¯, leaving the cake part she didn¡¯t like to Gao Yang and the cream and fruit she liked to herself.

    About ten o¡¯clock, Su Xi was getting tired and retired to bed first.

    Officer Huang gave Qing Ling and Gao Yang a ride back to the university.

    It wasn¡¯t until a little into the ride that they put their awakener hat back on.

    ¡°What did my wife tell you while I was cooking?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Gao Yang snickered. ¡°Just the fact that after your parents¡¯ death, you got abandoned by your gambling addict of an uncle and became a problem student. Then you turned to the light side and entered a police academy...¡±

    ¡°Alright I get it stop.¡± Officer Huang thought embarrassedly, <i>She¡¯s told them all about my dark past!</i>

    After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask, ¡°Did you use Lie Detection on my wife?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. So that was why Officer Huang invited them to his ce.

    ¡°I did,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°The result is good, right?¡± Officer Huang asked tentatively. ¡°If it¡¯s not good, you would¡¯ve found a way to let me know immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, your wife loves you, and her attitude to you is benevolent.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Officer Huang said in a gentle voice. ¡°It¡¯s important to me.¡±

    Soon, the car stopped at a traffic light. Officer Huang added, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s expected to give birth mid November.¡±

    Gao Yang calcted it in his head. ¡°One and a half months away.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang sighed, sounding worried.

    ¡°Did War Tiger make any progress in his investigation?¡± Gao Yang asked, curious.

    Officer Huang knew he was talking about the procreation between a human and a monster. He looked up at Gao Yang through the rearview mirror. ¡°Guess why I joined Operation: Heavenbreaker?¡±

    Gao Yang realized immediately, ¡°It has something to do with the Godbearer Cult?¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°War Tiger found that decades ago, the Godbearer Cult had already started studying the procreation between humans and monsters and came to some conclusions. The information is confidential even among the Cult. To figure things out quickly, the best choice is to get my hands on their records.¡±

    ¡°How did War Tiger find out?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°He said he had a reliable source of information, but nothing else.¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it. Could there be a spy within the Cult nted by War Tiger?

    It was unlikely. Even Ghost Horse had failed to infiltrate the inner circle of the Godbearer Cult. nting a spy wasn¡¯t an easy task.

    War Tiger was more likely to have gotten the information through other channels and means. Perhaps Dragon was involved in the process. After all, Dragon was from the era of the Elusive Sect. He knew a lot.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise to Gao Yang that the Godbearer Cult was studying the procreation of humans and monsters, though. After all, the Cult was behind the merging of Epilogue, the leader of shadowstalkers, and Lilia, an awakener.

    What exactly was their ultimate goal?

    The green light came. Officer Huang stepped on the elerator to start the car. ¡°There¡¯s something else that may be rted to what I want to find out.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about Old Man Liu.¡±

    Gao Yang tensed.

    Old Man Liu was Mischievous Monkey¡¯s twin brother, the owner of the <i>mtang </i>stand that Officer Huang frequented.

    While Mischievous Monkey was an awakener, Old Man Liu, his twin, was a wanderer, which didn¡¯t make sense at all.

    Mischievous Monkey had joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs to get to the bottom of the mystery. It seemed that progress had finally been made in that regard.

    ¡°Keep going.¡± Gao Yang waited for him to continue.

    ¡°No rush.¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll make the report in the operation meeting tomorrow. Let¡¯s do things by the book, and I don¡¯t have to repeat the same thing twice.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t disagree.

    It wasn¡¯t long until Officer Huang¡¯s car reached the gates of the Li City University. The light of the dorms would soon go off. Gao Yang and Qing Ling got out of the car and hurried to the school gates.

    Before they entered, though, Gao Yang came to a sudden halt and thought for a few seconds, giving Qing Ling a pointed look. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go elsewhere rather than returning to campus?¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Get a room at a hotel.¡±

    Qing Ling held his gaze. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling grabbed his hand and turned to leave.

 Chapter 408: No.10

    <h4>Chapter 408: No.10</h4>

    Just like a young couple, the two of them crossed the street and entered an alleyway, at the mouth of which was a food stand and further in were a few cheap hotels.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling went inside, looking up to see a signboard that said, ¡°Goodnight Hotel.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    They went in and registered their name at the front desk. Gao Yang even spent some time bargaining and ended up getting a 10 yuan discount.

    Arms in arms, they entered their room. Gao Yang closed the door behind him, while Qing Ling went up to the windows to draw the curtains without missing a beat.

    They exchanged a look before sitting down on the bed.

    Gao Yang took out his phone quickly and typed a message, handing his phone to Qing Ling.

    Having a nce, she rose to her feet and went to the bathroom, opening the shower.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, took the remote control on the headboard to turn on the television, adjusting the sound to maximum volume.

    Then they returned to sitting on the bed with their weapons drawn, waiting quietly. All the while, Gao Yang had been paying attention to his system.

    About three minutes passed.

    Gao Yang heard the system¡¯s warning. He quickly threw Qing Ling a nce.

    She decisively rushed to the door and stabbed her Tang Dao through it. Frowning, she could tell from the sensation that there was no one outside.

    A secondter, she and Gao Yang realized almost at the same time that the enemy was outside the window.

    While yanking her Tang Dao out, Qing Ling whipped her left wrist, sending the three ck Gold darts hidden in her long sleeve flying toward the curtain-covered window, as quickly as bullets.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The three darts shot through the curtains and shattered the ss. Gao Yang extended his six senses, faintly hearing the sounds of darts stabbing into a body of flesh.

    Gao Yang teleported immediately through the window to the outside, standing on the condenser unit. He looked down to find that indeed, drops of blood had been left on the signboard on the side. Their enemy must have been hurt by Qing Ling¡¯s darts.

    Qing Ling had jumped out of the window by then.

    ¡°Gone?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Ten minutes ago, Gao Yang and Qing Ling were just about to return to their university when Gao Yang sensed someone following them.

    Immediately, Gao Yang decided to take her to a small hotel and left an opening purposefully to lure their enemy out.

    Knowing that he must be up to something, Qing Ling yed along, and that was how things unfolded.

    With her eyes closed, Qing Ling extended her senses for two seconds before opening her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    She jumped down agilely from more than ten meters up from the ground floor. Gao Yang caught up with her by teleporting and ran out of the alleyway with her.

    During the process, he didn¡¯t forget to call Can and have her clean up the mess they left.

    ¡°Oh boy! Captain, why, why, why...would you go to a hotel with Green Snake?!¡± Can lost it on the other end of the call.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to waste his breath exining, so he hung up.

    It waste at night, but there were still many pedestrians and shops and stands still doing business. Gao Yang and Qing Ling didn¡¯t dare to show their speed as awakeners. Instead, they chased after their ambusher at normal human speed.

    Ten minutester, they reached a park in the west and stopped at a grove.

    ¡°Did we lose them?¡± Gao Yang asked while looking around.

    Silently, Qing LIng took a few steps forward and dropped to one knee, discovering a bloodied ck Gold dart on the pile of fallen leaves at her feet.

    After the Twelve Zodiac Signs acquired the Element Rune Circuit, Qing Ling¡¯s Metal had quickly reached level 4.

    Her ability to control metal had seen exponential growth. Not only had the maximum weight and range of her maniption doubled, she could now inject ck Gold weapons with energy to maintain a link with them.

    Among the three darts, one had buried into the target¡¯s body and remained inside. That was how Qing Ling had tracked the rough location of the dart to this ce.

    Now, it was clear that the enemy had drawn them here on purpose.

    Sying her hand, Qing Ling summoned the ck Gold dart back to her. With a simple flick of her wrist, the droplets of blood disappeared, and the dart was good as new.

    Qing Ling stood up and looked at Gao Yang, who was standing behind her. ¡°They led us here on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t too surprised.

    With his six senses extended, Gao Yang scanned their surroundings. Suddenly, he felt a slight disturbance and quickened flow in the air on his left, like the signs of an explosion.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A secondter, a sleeping gas bomb hidden among the tree exploded, making a puff of purple smoke permeate the grove. Inhaling it for three seconds would knock one unconscious, and even one second of exposure would slow one down significantly and put one in great danger.

    However, Gao Yang had already grabbed Qing Ling by the waist and got her out of the grove with Teleportation.

    He dropped her. The two of them looked at the path outside the grove shoulder-to-shoulder. Under the streemp stood a man.

    Under the dim light, his short, fat figure could be made out. He was bald, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and long pair of pants with ck and white stripes, his feet bare and his left hand wearing a ck Gold dog tag with the number 10.

    He looked both like an inmate and a patient.

    His head was covered in lumpy bumps, and his face barely looked human with fleshy pink scars. His swollen, ck lips made it seem like he was poisoned.

    His voice was cold and slimy like writhing worms, repulsive.

    ¡°Hehe, as expected, you¡¯re awakeners. I¡¯m gonna take you as my toys, hehe... I¡¯ll treat you properly, hehe.¡±

    As he spoke, yellowish saliva dripped down from the corners of his mouth.

    Although the park was quiet, it wasn¡¯tpletely empty.

    Outside the grove was a small artificialke, and a group of college students sat on thewn by theke. Judging from the two tents they had put up, they seemed to be here to camp.

    Witnessing all that, they fainted, meaning they were likely wanderers.

    One girl was an exception, however. She dropped the poker cards in her hand and slowly stood up, her body shuddering violently as fangs grew out in her mouth. Thick, hard hair gradually covered her body, and her face distorted. Soon, she had turned into something resembling a wolf.

    <i>Shit, a summoner!</i>

    Gao Yang shouted at Qing Ling, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him. You deal with the...¡±

    Before he could say the word ¡®summoner¡¯, Qing Ling was already rushing toward the ugly, repulsive mouse of a man with her Tang Dao.

    <i>Hey, can¡¯t you show me some respect as your temporary supervisor?</i>

    While grumbling inwardly, Gao Yang activated Teleportation.

    The summoner¡¯s monsterhood had awakened. Without hesitation, it tipped its head up and was about to howl to awaken all the wanderers in the area, triggering their frenzy.

    Unfortunately for it, Gao Yang had already teleported to it and grabbed its throat before it could make a sound.

    It thrust its sharp ws at Gao Yang. Before it could exert its strength, Gao Yang broke its neck with a crack.

    At the same time, Gao Yang drew the dagger he brought with him and stabbed the monster in the heart, making sure it was dead.

    With a shudder, the body in his grasp went ck, its head and limbs drooping.

    Gao Yang slowlyid the summoner down on the ground, pulling the dagger out. The dead summoner reverted back to its human form.

    She looked just like a regr girl.

    Before her monsterhood awakened, she could¡¯ve been a student attending the Li City University. Perhaps she hade camping with her ssmates, having snacks, ying cards, drinking beer, and ying truth or dare. Perhaps one of the boys was her crush, and her friends were trying to set them up...

    Yet an ident woke her monsterhood and turned her into a summoner, leading to her getting killed by an awakener, thus ending her life.

    Was it a misfortune, or a release?

    <i>I¡¯m sorry.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed softly and closed her eyes.

    He then turned to Qing Ling and jumped in shock.

 Chapter 409: Sane Abomination

    <h4>Chapter 409: Sane Abomination</h4>

    Gao Yang was surprised.

    Although he trusted Qing Ling¡¯s strength now and didn¡¯t think she would lose, he hadn¡¯t expected her to win so easily, either.

    Not far from him, the short, fat man with a number 10 dog tag was pinned to a tree by several metal arrow signs, his head cut off and rolling to his feet.

    Gao Yang could picture in his head: Qing Ling activated level 4 Metal to uproot the metal signs and stab the enemy with them, all the while rushing to him and decapitating him.

    Gao Yang took out his phone, calling the back office of the Guild to clean up the mess while walking to Qing Ling.

    She whipped her Tang Dao, quickly hiding it.

    ¡°You killed him?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling said impassively, ¡°I was gonna spare him. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so weak.¡±

    Gao Yang sweated. <i>Dear Qing Ling, can it be that you¡¯re too strong?</i>

    ¡°No worries. Vermilion Bird can question the body.¡± Gao Yang considered the body. ¡°Is he a monster?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like one,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°There¡¯s no sign of transformation.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. Although pride monsters didn¡¯t show signs of transformation either, someone socking in power couldn¡¯t have been a pride monster.

    ¡°So he¡¯s human?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°An awakener?¡±

    ¡°Possibly, but he¡¯s so weak.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m being looked down on...¡±

    Gao Yang started. The voice hade from the head on the grass field. Mouth open, the face covered in fleshy scars arranged into an ugly, skeezy smile.

    The headless body pinned to the tree raised its hands and pulled out the road signs, sttering only a little viscous blood. Then it took two steps and bent down to pick up its head, putting it back onto its neck.

    Soon, the skin started mending, and the head reattached to the neck. Due to overactive regeneration, however, a line of fleshy pink scar was left on the skin.

    Neither Gao Yang or Qing Ling attacked immediately, but instead stayed vignt with a fighting stance. How did the man survive having his heart pierced and his head cut off? What manner of monstrosity was he?

    Gao Yang eyed him while trying to gather information.

    ¡°Who are you exactly?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m No.10, hehe.¡± The man drooled as heughed.

    ¡°Are you human or a monster?¡±

    No.10 took a step forward and said with a hint of pride, ¡°Of course I¡¯m human. Just like you, I¡¯m an awakener, hehe.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡± Qing Ling frowned. <i>Neither have I seen such a Talent.</i>

    ¡°Hehe, of course you have never seen me. You people don¡¯t hang out with lowrankers like me...¡± The fat man¡¯s smile went stiff, a perverted sort of hatred shing through his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why, hehe, I¡¯m going to turn all of you into my toys...¡±

    ¡°What organization do you belong to?¡± Gao Yang pressed.

    No.10 paused and thought for a few seconds before shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. Boss said that it¡¯s not yet time for Tails to make an appearance yet... Hehe, we¡¯re gonna give you¡ªall of you¡ªa big surprise then. Hehehe...¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll. <i>Didn¡¯t you say it already? It seems your intelligence and mental states aren¡¯t terribly stable.</i>

    Tails?

    It was his first time hearing the name. He should ask Liu Qingying about it. Perhaps she would know something.

    ¡°Why did you follow us?¡± Qing Ling asked, the Tang Dao back in her hand.

    ¡°Why?¡± Repulsive yellow drool leaked out of the corners of No.10¡¯s mouth. He mumbled, ¡°Because I like pretty boys and girls. I¡¯m turning you both into toys. Hehehe...¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao vibrated.

    ¡°Hehe, hehehe.¡± No.10 was still grinning. ¡°You¡¯re pretty, so pretty...¡±

    A breeze swept over theke, and Gao Yang smelled the familiar strange fragrance.

    His heart thumped. At some point, No.10 had taken out a small syringe with his left hand and injected the outside of his thick thigh.

    Godbearer Cult!

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 4500 times.]

    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±

    No.10 yelled in excitement and pain. Instantly, his ribs opened up like a blooming flower, the organs and flesh and blood inside spinning clockwise before transforming into a bloated, vortex-shaped ck heart. Surrounding it were thick, insidious-looking blood vessels that controlled No.10¡¯s entire body.

    Strange flowing ck spots appeared on No.10¡¯s body. His muscles started bulging, and his skin became tanned and thick. Countless sharp white bone stings protruded from his bald head, turning his head into a literal hedgehog.

    In the blink of an eye, the short fat ugly man had been reced by a strong three-meter tall abomination.

    ¡°Toys, hehehe. You¡¯re both my toys...¡±

    Transformed, No.10 dripped ck saliva from the corners of his mouth, his expression distorted and ugly with desires, his eyes glinting with a dark red.

    A chill shot from Gao Yang¡¯s soles to the rest of his body.

    Someone granting a 4500 times bonus shouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to Gao Yang now, and with Qing Ling helping, who had level 6 God of des and level 4 Metal, he could take the monstrosity down easily.

    What instilled fear in Gao Yang¡¯s heart was that unlike the Cult members Gao Yang had encountered before, who lost control after injecting themselves with the strangely fragrant solution, turning into bloodthirsty, mindless abominations, No.10 retained his intelligence¡ªalbeit not that high to start with.

    It seemed that the Cult¡¯s insidious transforming solution had been improving.

    Although the three organizations had sabotaged many of the Cult¡¯s schemes, it hadn¡¯t stopped moving, but instead continued to take incremental steps toward their ultimate goal.

    Qing Ling, on the other hand, didn¡¯t think as much as Gao Yang did.

    To her, No.10 was simply a rare chance for her to get stronger through real battle, a big walking XP pack!

    Eyes glinting sharply, she lifted the three metal signs on the road behind her, while the three small but sharp ck Gold darts hovered around her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Qing Ling said in a low voice.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s my line. </i>Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>Please do let your temporary supervisor have some say.</i>

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    The metal signs and ck Gold darts flew toward the now transformed No.10 at the same time, going after him doggedly like agile, annoying flies, leaving small cuts all over his body. In an instant, he was covered from head to toes in wounds.

    However, No.10¡¯s regenerative power was impressive, even more so than that of Dead Pig. In a matter of two seconds, his wounds had healed seventy to eighty percent.

    Qing Ling curled the index finger and middle finger of her left hand suddenly.

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    Imbued with the blue aura of level 6 God of des, the two ck Gold darts shot into No.10¡¯s two eyes. Blood gushed out from his eye sockets.

 Chapter 410: In Sync

    <h4>Chapter 410: In Sync</h4>

    <i>Roar...</i>

    No.10 howled like a monster, insidious energy bursting out of his chest. Gao Yang felt a shockwave of translucent ck wind sweep over him, shaking the trees and grass, as well as the earth.

    The two darts buried into No.10¡¯s eyes were spat out, yanking out two bleeding ck eyes.

    Soon, the ck eyes, attached to the eye sockets by nerves, retracted back into the eye sockets, recovering anew in a few seconds.

    Qing Ling¡¯s delicate brows furrowed. The Tang Dao in her hand vibrated. If hitting the vitals didn¡¯t work, then she would cut the man to pieces. That would surely stop him froming back to life.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Just when she was going to make a move, though, No.10 vanished into thin air from ten meters away, leaving only an afterimage.

    Qing Ling started. <i>He¡¯s quick!</i>

    As quick as the thought shing through her mind was the giant dark figureing down on her from above.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    No.10¡¯s feet stomped on the grasnd, sttering chunks of soil and torn grass, leaving a crater that was half a meter deep, igniting a strange ck fire.

    Ten meters away, Gao Yang put Qing Ling down.

    He had teleported Qing Ling away and narrowly escaped No.10 sudden attack.

    The two of them turned to the enemy. The strange, flowing ck spots on his body seemed to be radiating heat, able to ignite ck mes on what was around him.

    ¡°The ck fire must be dangerous,¡± Gao Yang warned. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught in it.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes sharpened as she considered their next move.

    ¡°Regr attacks didn¡¯t seem to work that well given his great regenerative power.¡± Gao Yang hade up with a n. ¡°Try to keep him busy. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t know what he was nning, but she trusted him. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Manipting the darts to distract No.10, she rushed at him with her Tang Dao at the same time.

    Seeing her approach, No.10 made a heavy swing at her.

    Qing Ling quickly dodged to the side and made a backhanded swing, leaving a gash on No.10¡¯s forearm, deep enough to reveal the bones.

    Enduring the pain, No.10 swung his other fist at Qing Ling, the ck spots on his body shifting to his hand.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The punch ended up putting a hole into the ground, sending soil and grass flying, burning with strange ck mes.

    This time, Qing Ling opted to jump up instead of to the sides, escaping the attack that could¡¯ve been fatal.

    While No.10 wasn¡¯t terribly intelligent, he was quite an experienced fighter, and having predicted where she wouldnd, he made a swing toward the air.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A torrent of ck mes shot out of his fist, but it didn¡¯t hit QIng Ling, who should¡¯ve fallen his way.

    No.10¡¯s head jerked up. Qing Ling was hovering half a meter above his fist rather than falling down, her feet propped up by two ck Gold darts.

    With her body shifted to the side, she held her Tang Dao with a reverse grip and concentrated her power for a second, the sharp silver de rippling with waves of blue de aura.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    The space seemed to dim around her, and the blue de aura shed like a lightning splitting the darkness.

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    No.10¡¯s arms fell to the ground, the cut surfaces spurting arge volume of dark ck blood.

    When Qing Ling made the charged sh, No.10 had reacted with unusual speed that didn¡¯t fit his appearance, raising his thick arms and crossing them to protect his chest and heart, thus avoiding the fate of getting bisected at the torso.

    Midair, Qing Lingunched herself from the darts and made a backflip.

    At the same time, the two darts shot into No.10¡¯s eyes once more with precision.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    No.10 let out a blood-curdling scream, having lost both his arms and eyes.

    Qing Lingnded lightly. Then a gust of wind hit her from behind.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    Gao Yang teleported Qing Ling forward.

    A secondter, they appeared behind No.10. Qing Ling dove down and made two swings, cutting No.10¡¯s calves.

    With a thud, No.10 copsed to the ground, temporarily losing his mobility. Now, it would take at least five minutes for him to recover his calves, arms, and blinded eyes.

    That was more than enough for Gao Yang.

    He teleported above No.10.

    He didn¡¯t use Willful Power. While it would allow him to kill No.10 with one hit for certain, it would attract too much attention and risk alerting the wanderers and elite monsters outside the park, thus making it more difficult to clean up the mess; moreover, 3% to 5% loss to his stats was too great a price to pay.

    Besides, with Willful Power, his Fire Punch would likely render No.10 to ashes, which meant Vermilion Bird wouldn¡¯t have a body to question.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Gao Yang made a swing at No.10¡¯s head as he knelt prone on the ground, using only seventy percent of his power lest he destroyed the bodypletely.

    Blinding red mes wrapped around Gao Yang¡¯s right arm, turning into a small dragon of mes and biting at No.10¡¯s head.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The fire dragon bit off No.10¡¯s head without mercy. Rather than bursting into a pir of light shooting heavenward, it triggered a ripple of bright red energy near the ground, burning the grass field around No.10 into a charred wastnd.

    Gao Yang pulled back and walked up to No.10¡¯s body.

    No.10¡¯s head and neck had melted, leaving a headless body charred by the ripples of mes, bing melty like a failure of a wax sculpture.

    Qing Ling came over with her Tang Dao. She nced at the charred body and then at Gao Yang, her usual cold voice tinged with a hint of approval. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Qing Ling had gotten much stronger, both in terms of her Talent and her battle experience.

    If Gao Yang¡¯s memory served him right, she was now the 10th-ranking awakener on the power ranking list¡ªthe ranking didn¡¯t mean much now, though.

    ¡°It¡¯s far from enough.¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t being humble. Her goal was to be the strongest.

    Gao Yang nodded. Before he could say something, however, he heard a whistle.

    It was smooth and pleasant to the ear, but it didn¡¯t mean to please.

    If Ronnie¡¯s Disorientation jumbled the brain like a stick and stopped one from thinking, the whistle tied up one¡¯s nerves gently, making one¡¯s thoughts jump and leap without rhyme or reason.

    Yes, he could still think, but his brain refused to stay on one track.

    Just when he was wondering where the whistle wasing from, the next second, he found himself thinking that the porridge he had for breakfast was a little too salty.

    Noticing his derailed train of thoughts, he forced himself to focus, but in a second, his mind strayed again, wondering how many eyshes there were on Qing Ling¡¯s left eye.

    <i>What the hell?</i>

    The same thing was happening to Qing Ling. Her mind made the most random leaps.

    Gao Yang tried his best to block out his hearing, slowly beginning to ovee the influence of the whistle.

    Qing Ling, simrly, had brought herself back by covering her ears.

    By then, therge, charred headless body had alreadye back to life, its limbs regenerated. It quickly crawled into the woods.

    It scrambled fast with twitchy movements, andbined with its charred body, it looked like a giant headless cockroach.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling were going to chase it down, but the whistle became stronger then, forcing them to fight the effect with more effort. No.10 vanished into the woods under their watch.

    Then the strange whistle quieted too.

    ¡°Do we follow?¡± Qing Ling turned to Gao Yang, frustrated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang shook his head cautiously. It was clear that No.10 had a friend¡ªor multiple friends, and there was something unusual about his Talent. With the enemies staying unknown while they were out in the open, it would be too risky to give chase recklessly.

    Qing Ling stopped talking. She understood Gao Yang¡¯s concern.

    Gao Yang took out his phone, about to report to the Guild on what happened tonight.

    Qing Ling pulled out her phone too and made a call.

    Surprised, Gao Yang asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re reporting back too?¡±

    Qing Ling shook her head with a serious look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask War Tiger how I should kill an enemy like that in the future.¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. <i>As expected of you.</i>

 Chapter 411: Tabletop Game Cafe

    <h4>Chapter 411: Tabletop Game Cafe</h4>

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling each finished their calls. Soon, those the Qilin Guild had sent to clean up the mess came.

    Since the dorms had long closed, the two of them couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. Gao Yang decided to head to the location for their meeting tomorrow, and Qing Ling went with him.

    They went to the still bustling Degenerate Street, arriving at a five-story renovated building at the end of it. The first four floors had been transformed into a cheap hotel. Many food stands forte night snacks crowded the street, beside which was an automated store for sex toys, the light a suggestive pink.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling quickly went to the hotel. Without stopping at the front desk, they rode the elevator to the fifth floor.

    The door soon opened, not to a hotel, but to a tabletop game cafe with flickering neon light. The interior was done in a futuristic sci-fi style that was both dreamlike and trendy.

    On the door was arge, rusty metal signboard. With fake prosthetics, the name of the shop was written: Borderrunners.

    ¡°This is the meeting ce?¡± Qing Ling was visibly surprised.

    Gao Yang nodded and opened the door.

    ¡°Wee,¡± said the lilting voice of a girl,ing from the front desk.

    The receptionist was a young woman dressed in sleeveless <i>qipao</i>. Her medium-length hair was a gradient from white to pink, and herrge, bright eyes were turned a grayish blue with colored contact lenses. Under her left eye was a barcode, which could very well be a sticker rather than a tattoo¡ªher look reminded Gao Yang of a certain girl whose name started with L from a certain cyberpunk animation.

    ¡°Hello, do you have a reservation?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m looking for your owner,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s in space shuttle 3.¡± The girl grinned mischievously. ¡°But she may be a little busy right now.¡±

    Gao Yang said with fake familiarity, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We go way back.¡±

    He and Qing Ling walked past the reception hall. On the sofas sat a few college students waiting for shared tables. They were busy with their phones, their heads lowered, and none of them paid any attention to the two awakeners masquerading as wanderers.

    The two of them found the third room. The light silver door looked like a high-tech cabin door.

    They opened it. Indeed, the room was made to resemble a spaceship.

    Two people sat on the gray, futuristic couch, one of them being Amon, the deputy leader of the first team of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Dressed in a set of sharp, streamlined suit with her short pink hair slicked back, she held a ss of red wine with one hand while putting her other arm around a cute petite ck-haired girl, who had a petnt look on her face.

    Amon¡¯s lips curled slightly, looking equal parts leering, frivolous, and assertive.

    ¡°I can¡¯t give you love, babe, but I can promise to give you a good time. Nothing matters in the world but that.¡±

    <i>Holy!</i>

    <i>A yer!</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat.

    Amon looked up and saw Gao Yang and Qing Ling outside the door. She paused, but was entirely unfazed. Leaning slightly, she patted the girl on the shoulder and said, ¡°I have business to deal with. Be a good girl and give us some space.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± The girl rose to get out of the room, coquettishly vexed.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling entered the room. Gao Yang closed the door behind him and looked around. ¡°Is this a good time for a chat?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Amon crossed her legs and lifted her chin. ¡°Make yourself at home.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat down on the couch across from Amon. Gao Yang spent two minutes briefly exining what they encountered tonight.

    Amon listened quietly, her expression turning serious. ¡°What should I do now?¡±

    ¡°Brief the Union and provided Qing Ling and I a resting ce. Tomorrow afternoon, Team Heavenbreaker will hold a meeting at the agreed time.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Amon took out her phone and threw a ring of keys to Gao Yang. ¡°Go to my bedroom for a rest if you don¡¯t mind. Room 9.¡±

    Gao Yang took the keys. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t normally sleep at night.¡± Amon smirked. ¡°Those ying through the night sometimes would be short a yer, and I have to make up for the number.¡±

    ¡°Such is the devotion of someone running their own business,¡± Gao Yang said casually.

    ¡°Not really.¡± Amon stood up with a hand in her pocket. ¡°I only go for tables with pretty girls.¡±

    Then she shot Qing Ling a wink and a smirk. ¡°Little Green Snake, have you be prettier? Do you have a boyfriend now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you widen your perspective and consider batting for other teams?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Facing Amon¡¯s teasing, Qing Ling remained as cold as a boulder.

    Amon stopped trying to warm her up and went off to greet the customers at her shop.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling headed to Room 9, Amon¡¯s bedroom. Gao Yang opened the door with a key. As soon as he stepped in, he smelled a sensuous, alluring fragrance of incense.

    The room wasn¡¯t that big, and the light was dim. In the space with retro designs, there were all kinds of sculptures and paintings that boldly depicted the beauty of human bodies. The extravagant circr bed was covered by a pink canopy made of light fabrics. The whole room oozed lust, like the private bed chamber of an Egyptian queen.

    For a moment, Gao Yang felt as if he was back to the love hotel he had gone to with Qing Ling for their mission. He didn¡¯t even know where he should sit.

    Qing Ling, on the other hand, waspletely at ease. She kicked her sneakers off and entered the standalone bathroom, closing the door.

    Soon, her clothes were draped on the tall door, and the sound of water hitting the ground came from the bathroom. From the cracks of the door, humid vapor seeped out and crawled along the floor.

    Gao Yang sat on a rocking chair beside the bed, resting with his eyes closed to soothe his exhaustion while dwelling on his thoughts.

    Ten minutester, Qing Ling opened the door and walked out.

    She was dressed in the same tank top, but she hadn¡¯t put her jacket back on. Her fair shoulder and cor bones were on full disy.

    With beads of water remaining on the smooth skin of her swan-like neck, she raised her hands to tie her slightly damp hair, the lines of her neck, shoulders, and arms pleasant to the eyes.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± she said.

    ¡°Later.¡± Gao Yang took out a small stic box for earplugs from his pocket, only what was inside weren¡¯t earplugs, but a white petal with a red fingerprint.

    The day Gao Yang left the hospital, Liu Qingying had asked someone to send him a bouquet of flowers. One of the petals had a fingerprint on it.

    Gao Yang knew what Liu Qingying meant, but hadn¡¯t found the time to meet up with her in her dream.

    When Qing Ling was showering, he had sent Liu Qingying an encoded message and deleted it, asking her for a meeting. She responded with a simple OK.

    Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling. ¡°I¡¯m taking a nap. About half an hour. Wake me up then.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t even ask why. Lifting her right hand, she called the Tang Dao on the table to her. With her de in hand, she sat down cross-legged on the soft bed, acting as his bodyguard.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gao Yang put the white petal to his lips for a second.

    Then he closed his eyes and meditated to clear the thoughts in his head, making himself fall asleep.

    ...

    ¡°Congrattions on your recovery, Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    In the dream, he heard Liu Qingying¡¯s gentleugh.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and gave Liu Qingying a polite smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Miss Liu.¡±

 Chapter 412: Information Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 412: Information Exchange</h4>

    In the dream, Gao Yang found himself sitting in a red convertible. The car was driving quickly, and he felt dry, warm wind hitting him in the face.

    Right ahead was an expansive desert of red and brown rocky mountains, reaching toward the sky like giant bamboo shoots, and the ground was covered in rough patches of wild grass.

    Cutting the desert in half was a ck road, leading toward the horizon in the distance.

    The orange setting sun lookedrge in the sky, casting a ring of faint crimson around it.

    Gao Yang looked down to see that he was dressed in a suit of blue and white vertical lines, the shirt and necktie messed up.

    His hair was slicked back with hair wax. A strand of hair jumped free and hung down over his forehead, swaying in the wind.

    On his right wrist was an expensive quartz watch, and he was wearing two shy golden rings on his fingers. The cigar in his hand was half done.

    Liu Qingying, the driver, was wearing a simple white overall dress that left little to imagination and a pair of ck Martens. Her puffy auburn hair was cut to medium length, and she had a leather choker on her neck.

    Unlike her usual seductive charm, she looked youthful and wild.

    Gao Yang suddenly remembered the costumes from a crime movie. A couple had robbed a bank and gotten pushed to the corner with no way out. Thus, they started their reckless celebration of theirst days.

    He had to admit that Liu Qingying had always carefully created an intriguing scenario with her Sweet Dream.

    While the convertible raced along the road, Gao Yang asked on purpose, ¡°Where are we heading?¡±

    ¡°To the end of the world, to anywhere as long as we can get the damn cops off our tails!¡± Liu Qingying was immersed in her role.

    As soon as she said that, Gao Yang heard sirens ring and ovepping. He turned to check the side mirror, and indeed, there were five police cars chasing them.

    ¡°Haha, you won¡¯t catch me!¡± While holding the steering wheel with one hand, Liu Qingying grabbed a wad of dor bills and threw them backward, scattering them like flowers.

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°If your Sweet Dream could turn dreams into movies, you could be a famous director.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I did think about being a director before I awakened.¡± Liu Qingying cocked her head and winked at Gao Yang. ¡°For adult films.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to business. I only have half an hour.¡± Gao Yang directed the conversation back to the matter at hand.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liu Qingying snapped her fingers, and the annoying police cars vanished.

    Then she let go of the steering wheel, allowing the convertible to race along the endless road running across the desert.

    Gao Yang was the first to speak up. ¡°You provided key information on thest night of the Crimson Tide. How do I thank you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all on the same boat that night, and it was because I helped you that I was saved. I¡¯ll call us even.¡± Liu Qingying smiled in gratitude.

    Gao Yang nodded. After a bemused moment, he asked, ¡°There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand, though. How did you know there was something wrong with X? He¡¯d been away from Li City and only ever had onepanion, Sir Zuo. Their ns couldn¡¯t have been leaked to a third party.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about their n, but I noticed some inconsistency in X¡¯s words and actions.¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s rted to my source of information.¡± Liu Qingying pursed her lips apologetically. ¡°Just know that no secret can be kept forever. If one doesn¡¯t want others to know what they do, the only way is to not do it.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled and shared his spection openly, ¡°Do you have an arrangement for information exchange with an elite monster?¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted imperceptibly, her red lips curling up. She reached out to take the cigar from Gao Yang and conjured a burning dor bill to light the cigar, taking a deep drag. Then she turned to Gao Yang and asked, ¡°What leads you to the conclusion?¡±

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t think of another possibility,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°There are three options: elite monsters, Spectres, or the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled in lieu of a response.

    ¡°From what I know, the Spectres didn¡¯t know about X and Sir Zuo¡¯s n, while the Godbearer Cult seems to be a faction you only learned of after I did...¡±

    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Liu Qingying cut him off. ¡°I realizedter that I¡¯d gotten information about the Cult before, only I didn¡¯t know it was the Godbearer Cult you crossed paths withter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning your expertise.¡± Gao Yang smiled apologetically.

    Liu Qingying chuckled, pleased. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, I think it¡¯s unlikely that you have an arrangement with the Godbearer Cult based on the conflicts between factions. You probably know that Lilia had merged with the leader of pride monsters with the Cult¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°That means the Cult was working with the pride monsters, and the pride monsters were working with X. There was no reason for the Cult to inform you and lead you to suspect X, thus foiling his n with the pride monsters. They weren¡¯t going to harm their own interests.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Liu Qingying agreed.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s only one possibility. You got your information from an elite monster.¡±

    ¡°My work ethics prevent me from answering you, Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Liu Qingying smiled gently. ¡°But I promise you that my source of information isn''t hostile to you and doesn¡¯t pose a threat to you for the moment.¡±

    ¡°For the moment?¡± Gao Yang considered the choice of words.

    ¡°Haha, nothing is definite.¡± Liu Qingying blinked. ¡°In the Mist World, anyone can turn into your enemy outside of yourself. Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. He knew he wouldn¡¯t get anything by pressing.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for a meeting tonight for that alone, did you?¡± Liu Qingying looked at him expectantly.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into the Godbearer Cult recently. If you have any information on them, please tell me. I¡¯ll pay you with either jinwu or intel.¡±

    ¡°Deal. But I have information to confirm with you, too. It will help with my investigation.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve more or less learned about what happened thest night of the Crimson Tide.¡± Liu Qingying paused. ¡°But there¡¯s an A-ss intel I¡¯d like to confirm with you.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Level 8 Talents are achieved through Rune Circuits, and it¡¯s only possible with the top twelve Talents.¡± Liu Qingying held her gaze. ¡°Is that the case?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t think that was much of a secret.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°And I¡¯ll give you a tidbit. Talents from serial number 1 to 12 are each the top Talent of the twelve Rune types.¡±

    Liu Qingying beamed. ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t thought about that.¡±

    <i>The top twelve Talents have mostly be an open secret after the Crimson Tide. You would¡¯vee to the same conclusion once you learned of them. Might as well tell you now to earn myself some goodwill.</i>

    ¡°And there¡¯s no telling whether Talents outside the top twelve can reach level 8 with Rune Circuits. Maybe it¡¯s possible, only no one¡¯s tried it before.¡±

    Gao Yang chose his words carefully. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s unlikely.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Liu Qingying asked.

    Gao Yang was going to say that it would be a B-ss intel, but he didn¡¯t really need the money now, so he continued generously, ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union concludes with their study that Talents outside the top 100 can only reach level 4.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that,¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°So it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I believe Talents can be divided into different tiers. With Talent 1 to 12 being the top tier, able to reach level 8 with Rune Circuits, Talent 13 to 99 being the second tier, able to reach level 7, and Talent 100 to 199 being the third tier, limited to level 4. Those are only my spections, of course, so take it with a grain of salt.¡±

    Liu Qingying hummed and sucked in a satisfied breath. ¡°I¡¯ve made a good decision trading with you. You¡¯re a treasure trove.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡± Gao Yangplimented her in kind.

    ¡°As a show of my gratitude, I¡¯ll give you an A+ intel for free,¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°In fact, it has something to do with the Godbearer Cult too.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

 Chapter 413: Tails

    <h4>Chapter 413: Tails</h4>

    ¡°You told me before that theposition of the Godbearer Cult is quiteplicated, including awakeners, half-humans, and elite monsters, and they have exchanged with the Spectres too. That prompted me to go over the intel I have at hand. I realized that I knew something about the Cult, only I didn¡¯t realize it then.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at her impassively. <i>Please stop beating around the bush and tell me, Miss Liu.</i>

    ¡°Actually, there is a lesser known but dangerous group of awakeners in the Mist World. They have done their share of evil deeds, including assassinations.¡±

    ¡°Blue Dolphin, the member the Guild lost to assassination, was likely killed by a member of the group.¡± Liu Qingying smiled shrewdly. ¡°That¡¯s a free bonus for you.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into deep thought.

    Even Vermilion Bird, who had been around, had never encountered the kind of curse that killed Blue Dolphin. She thus spected that it was a Spectre¡¯s doing.

    Based on what Gao Yang knew about the Spectres, though, none seemed to fit the MO.

    It turned out that Blue Dolphin was assassinated by an awakener.

    And it made more sense: Three Air had been killed by Mad Red. There was no reason for the Godbearer Cult to ask a Spectre to assassinate Blue Dolphin instead. It would onlyplicate the matter unnecessarily to involve two different factions.

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°More or less.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°There aren¡¯t many members in the group, and each of them is quite unstable. Some of the members call themselves the Tails...¡±

    The Tails!

    <i>Isn¡¯t that the group No.10 belongs to?</i>

    <i>Ha, what a coincidence. ¡®Lucky¡¯ me.</i>

    Gao Yang quickly stopped the thoughts to prevent Liu Qingying from reading too much from him. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I know at the moment since my other sources of information have never killed or captured a member of the Tails. Those are merely my spections. Take them at your own discretion.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    The wind swept Liu Qingying¡¯s auburn hair back. ¡°At first, I wasn¡¯t too convinced. Even before the Crimson Tide hit, there were only about 160 known awakeners in the Mist World, and most took sanctuary at the White Tiger branch. If the Tails areposed of awakeners, where did theye from?¡±

    That was Gao Yang¡¯s question, too. Indeed, where did theye from?

    ¡°But then I have a guess.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°I believe they are trash people have no use for. Of course, whether they are actually trash is another story.¡±

    A thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind, and he had an inkling what she was getting at. But he waited for her to continue.

    The cigar in Liu Qingying¡¯s hand turned into a Talent list suddenly. ¡°This is the list aspiled by the Guild. I added some information. Take a look.¡±

    Gao Yang took the list. The block of text detailed the Talents from serial number 12 to 199, including descriptions of their uses. Some were detailed, while others were brief.

    Moreover, each Talent was appended with the name of its owner.

    Gao Yang found ¡®Seven Shadow¡¯ written after Replicate, Fire, Teleportation, and Lie Detection.

    Thest night of the Crimson Tide, many awakeners had died, and thus, their names were grayed out beside their Talents.

    Soon, Gao Yang noticed a section where most of the Talents weren¡¯t followed by a name¡ªthe bottom 15 Talents.

    Liu Qingying leaned in and exined gently, ¡°It¡¯s a consensus that the closer to the top of the list a Talent is, the stronger it is. Thus, almost no awakeners pay any attention to the bottom Talents.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything but simply nodded.

    ¡°I originally thought the awakeners with bottom-of-the-list Talents must have gotten killed by monsters as soon as they awakened, or left unaffiliated since the three organizations didn¡¯t want them, and they would soon be killed. Suffice to say that they are an ignored bunch.¡±

    Liu Qingying pointed at the secondst Talent. ¡°Look, even the Hundred Rivers Union, which takes in awakeners almost without discrimination, recruits only one awakener with a bottom Talent.¡±

    Gao Yang looked over at the Talent above Lucky.

    Confidence, serial number 198, Psyche-type.

    Description: a confident person.

    Gao Yang started. The Talent was owned by Zhang Wei.

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°From what I know, Zhang Wei¡¯s Confidence has reached level 3, but other than his body being a little stronger than that of a regr human, his Talent seems to grant him no other ability. His personality fits his Talent, though. He¡¯s confident¡ªperhaps overly so.¡±

    Gao Yang chewed on the information.

    ¡°That got me thinking,¡± Liu Qingying continued. ¡°If the awakeners with lowest-ranking Talents never register on anyone¡¯s radar, how did their Talents end up on the list?¡±

    ¡°I looked into it further and found that the earlier Talent list dates back to the era of the Elusive Sect.¡± Liu Qingyingmented, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t find out more given how long it¡¯s been.¡±

    Gao Yang stared at the Talent list in his hand, a thought forming in his head, but he didn¡¯t allow it to stay for too long.

    Liu Qingying said at a deliberate pace, ¡°Thus, I came to a different conclusion about the Tails. Perhaps these awakeners aren¡¯t as weak as people believe them to be. Perhaps they¡¯ve been around for a while and formed their own group, secretly serving the Godbearer Cult and thus staying out of the major organizations¡¯ notice. Given their Talents are near the bottom of the list, they call themselves the Tails.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Very likely so.¡±

    ¡°Yes, or it wouldn¡¯t make sense.¡± Detecting a disturbance in Gao Yang¡¯s mind, Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°What do you think, Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±

    He leaned into the seat and closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    <i>She¡¯s good. As expected of a professional information broker. She may even be an elite spy, only serving someone I don¡¯t know.</i>

    Her spection was very likely the truth, which would exin many things.

    Dragon had said that the 199 Talents were one entity. The head was the tail, and the tail the head.

    Based on that, perhaps other than Overlord and Lucky, the other top eleven Talents corresponded with the bottom eleven Talents too.

    Zhang Wei¡¯s Talent was Confidence, serial number 198, Psyche-type.

    It corresponded with Qilin¡¯s Eidos, serial number 2, Psyche-type.

    Gao Yang projected Liu Qingying¡¯s list inside his system. Indeed, the 197 to 188 Talents were respectively Time-Space, Element, Knowledge, Buff, Summon, Poison, Guard, Life, Damage, and Support-type, which corresponded with the number 3 to 12 Talents.

    <i>It seems that I¡¯ve uncovered a great secret!</i>

 Chapter 414: Zhang Wei

    <h4>Chapter 414: Zhang Wei</h4>

    Inside his system, Gao Yang continued with his musing.

    <i>I have Lucky, so I know that the Talent isn¡¯t actually bad; it just needs time to grow. Used well, it¡¯s just as good as any of the top twelve Talents.</i>

    Based on the hypothesis that the head and the tail were connected, the other 11 low-ranking Talents must be powerful as well. At least, they shouldn¡¯t be described as weak, or they would have unusual powers.

    <i>Then why hasn''t anyone with the bottom Talents show themselves other than me and Zhang Wei? It doesn¡¯t make sense.</i>

    Now, the answer was clear.

    As Liu QIngying spected, they had been around, serving the Godbearer Cult in the dark¡ªthe Tails!

    Gao Yang thought back to what No.10 had said.

    <i>¡°Hehe, of course you have never seen me. You people don¡¯t hang out with lowrankers like me...That¡¯s why, hehe, I¡¯m going to turn all of you into my toys...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I can¡¯t tell you. Boss said that it¡¯s not yet time for Tails to make an appearance... Hehe, we¡¯re gonna give you¡ªall of you¡ªa big surprise then. Hehehe...¡±</i>

    No.10.

    Gao Yang checked the tenth lowest Talent.

    Cockroach, serial number 190, Life-type.

    Description: a cockroach.

    <i>It fits!</i>

    No.10 was the owner of the number 190 Talent.

    Cockroaches were known for being difficult to kill. Wasn¡¯t that the perfect description for No.10¡¯s ridiculous power?

    Even after getting his heart pierced by a sharp object, his head cut by Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao, his head destroyed again by Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch after No.10 went berserk with the Godbearer¡¯s Cult insidious solution, he remained alive.

    Then like a headless cockroach, he fled quickly.

    Gao Yang looked up at the bottom Talents in order.

    Lucky, serial number 199, Miracle-type.

    Description: a lucky person.

    Confidence, serial number 198, Psyche-type.

    Description: a confident person.

    Painter, serial number 197, Time-Space-type.

    Description: a person who loves painting.

    Firework, serial number 196, Element-type.

    Description: a person who loves releasing fireworks.

    ke Out, serial number 195, Knowledge-type.

    Description: a person who often kes out.

    Strong, serial number 194, Buff-type.

    Description: a strong person.

    Buy Off, serial number 193, Summon-type.

    Description: a chatan.

    Patient, serial number 192, Poison-type.

    Description: a patient.

    Unreachable, serial number 191, Guard-type.

    Description: an unreachable person.

    Cockroach, serial number 190, Life-type.

    Description: a cockroach.

    Grumpy, serial number 189, Damage-type.

    Description: a grumpy person.

    Strange, serial number 188, Support-type.

    Description: a strange person.

    <i>Yes, Tails must beposed of awakeners with the lowest-ranking Talents.</i>

    <i>Outside of me and Zhang Wei, they are likely to have all joined Tails and served the Cult.</i>

    Something was bothering Gao Yang, though. The list had been around since the time of the Elusive Sect. Who could¡¯ve been the one topile the list?

    One possibility was Alcoholic.

    Perhaps she had acquired the Talent list when traveling to the future and brought the list back to her time. However, that would create the grandfather paradox.

    Another possibility was that the list came from a lightbringer or an observer of the pride monsters.

    Officer Huang, for example, had gotten the list from Sir Jiang. Although it wasn¡¯t a hundred percent urate, it wasn¡¯t that different from the now formalized list.

    <i>Alright, let¡¯s stop here.</i>

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and saw that Liu Qingying had parked the car in front of a gas station.

    She had gotten out of the car and was leaning against the car door. Under the setting sun, the evening wind lifted her dress and revealed her long legs.

    Gao Yang got out of the car too and went up to Liu Qingying. ¡°I¡¯ve sorted out what I know. I¡¯ll give you my conclusion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± Liu Qingying smiled.

    ¡°I believe your spection is right. The Tails consist of awakeners with number 199 to 188 Talents. Outside of Zhang Wei, member of the Hundred Rivers Union, that is.¡±

    <i>And me, but I¡¯m not gonna tell you that.</i>

    ¡°Those awakeners are no weaklings, and they each have very special power.¡±

    <i>Of course. No.10 may as well be unkible. The other members of the Tails must be formidable in their own way too.</i>

    As for Zhang Wei, who had Confidence, there was no telling if he had simply not found his potential, or if he was pretending to be weak on purpose.

    Gao Yang turned to Liu Qingying. ¡°I¡¯ll give you something else. You better look into Zhang Wei. He could be¡ªand I do mean ¡®could¡¯¡ªa spy the Godbearer Cult nted in the Union.¡±

    Although from what Vermilion Bird had learned from ck Tortoise, Dust, the spy nted in the Union, was a woman, Zhang Wei seemed like the most likely suspect at the moment. There was a possibility that he was also a member of the Tails and had joined the Union to spy on them.

    Gao Yang then added, ¡°Please contact me as soon as you find anything. Your help will be rewarded handsomely.¡±

    Gao Yang was now in charge of Operation: Heavenbreaker, thus granting him a lot of authority. As long as it was rted to the investigation into the Godbearer Cult, the fund he could ess was basically limitless.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Liu Qingying nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll consider this an A+ intel. If there¡¯s more to it, it¡¯ll be S-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t hesitate.

    The world suddenly dimmed like God had taken back the light. There was nothing save for Gao Yang, Liu Qingying, and the convertible beside them.

    Then Gao Yang felt something gently knock him on the forehead.

    ¡°It seems your time¡¯s up.¡± Liu Qingying smiled.

    ¡°Until next time,¡± Gao Yang said simply.

    ¡°Until next time, Elder Seven Shadow,¡± Liu Qingying said with a reluctance to part¡ªit could be her genuine feeling, or it could be an act.

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and saw that it was a ck Gold bracelet that was knocking his forehead, gently and rhythmically.

    Once, twice, thrice.

    ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± Gao Yang said a little hoarsely.

    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Qing Ling lifted a hand and syed her long, slim fingers. The ck Gold bracelet flew back to her in a whoosh.

    Then she untied her ponytail and brushed her long hair back, lying down and rolling to her side with her back to Gao Yang. ¡°Wake me up in half an hour.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Ah, you thought we¡¯re taking turns keeping watch. You sure are cautious, not rxing your guard even at Amon¡¯s ce.</i>

    ¡°Sleep. I¡¯ll wake you up in thirty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Qing Ling made a small sound before falling silent.

    <i>I lied. Rest well until morninges.</i>

    Gao Yang looked at Qing Ling softly from the back.

 Chapter 415: Heavenbreaker Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 415: Heavenbreaker Meeting</h4>

    Room 9 of Borderrunners, seven o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Qing Ling remained on her side. She had slept through the night without even turning slightly.

    While Room 9 had good sound instion, it was still inside the tabletop game cafe, andte at night, the ruckus yers made in excitement or other reasons could be heard. Still, Qing Ling hadn¡¯t been woken up. With Gao Yang guarding her, her subconscious stayed rxed and filtered the background noises out.

    Thus, Qing Ling didn¡¯t wake up until day broke.

    <i>ck.</i>

    The door opened.

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes fluttered open, and she curled her fingers subconsciously, lifting three ck Gold darts into the air, ready to beunched toward the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Amon hurriedly said, detecting the danger.

    After a pause, Qing Ling rolled to a sitting position and lifted her left hand, calling the three darts back.

    Amon entered the room with take-out breakfast for two.

    Gao Yang had been resting on the rocking chair in the room with his eyes closed but staying awake. He opened his eyes.

    Realizing what Gao Yang had done¡ªor not done¡ªQing Ling wordlessly took a rubber band off her wrist and started tying her hair.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Amon put the breakfast on the table with a smile. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, you¡¯re even more of a square than I thought. I was expecting to see something exciting, but you didn¡¯t even sleep on the same bed.¡±

    <i>Exciting? What about gory?</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed thement and said, ¡°We¡¯re heading out after breakfast. Come afternoon, we hold the meeting on time. Make the necessary preparations.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Amon gestured at him and took her leave.

    After getting washed up, Gao Yang and Qing Ling had breakfast before going back to the Li City University at different times.

    Staying outside overnight would of course attract his roommates¡¯ curiosity and teasing. Gao Yang lied that he had gone home. Mi Shi, who had guessed that Gao Yang was with Qing Ling the whole night, didn¡¯t expose him.

    Nothing much happened during the day in ss.

    Five o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang went to Amon¡¯s cafe on Degenerate Street rather than going back to his dorm room.

    On the door hung a sign that said, ¡®closed¡¯. The door was slightly ajar. Gao Yang pushed it open and saw the receptionist with a cyberpunk style.

    ¡°Back again, cutie?¡± She recognized Gao Yang. ¡°Here for our owner?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Room 1, moon base.¡± The girl propped her head up with a hand on her chin, her lips curled into a slight smile. It seemed that she was a wanderer with quite a stable temperament.

    When Gao Yang arrived at Room 1, the others were already there.

    He was a little surprised. He hade five minutes early, but he was still thest to arrive. Was this the doing of his aura of authority as their leader?

    The room was also done in a futuristic style with lifelike murals on the walls, depicting arge porthole looking out into the surface of the moon, all pitch-ck cosmos, vast yellow desert, craters of different sizes, and the various buildings making up the moon base.

    There was a roundtable with eleven chairs.

    The main seat nearest to the door was left to Gao Yang, their leader, while the other seats had been imed. From Gao Yang¡¯s left, there were Can, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, Nainai, Chen Ying, Amon, Heavenly Dog, Officer Huang, and Qing Ling.

    Eleven in total, including Gao Yang.

    <i>Oh? Nainai seems uncharacteristically quiet today.</i>

    She was dressed like the girl next door without much essory or strange sticker tattoos. She hadn¡¯t made any chuuni statements like she usually did, either. She seemed like a normal young girl.

    <i>Ah, it¡¯s because Qing Ling¡¯s sitting right across from her, her natural bane.</i>

    Gao Yang sat down and got to business immediately. ¡°The meetingmences. Let¡¯s start with reporting the current results of your investigation.¡±

    Chen Ying had light makeup on. She looked like a white-cor worker dressed in formal clothes with her hair pinned up.

    She was the first to speak up. ¡°My people have spent a month investigating the Snow Nation. The Otherworld Order is still running, but the Godbearer Cult behind it has long moved away secretly. Based on what we¡¯ve found, the Godbearer Cult¡¯s homebase had been moved out of the Snow Nation two years ago, leaving only the local followers with little involvement in their core activities. There isn¡¯t much to be found.¡±

    ¡°Where did the Cult move to?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. The Cult¡¯s higher-upsmunicate one-sidedly. Whatever orders they make, the subordinates execute. And they are too cautious to leave any clues. Perhaps they have gone to another isted ind. Perhaps they are hiding in Li City.¡±

    <i>So you¡¯ve found nothing. Isn¡¯t the Union known for your investigation prowess? You fail to live up to your reputation.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t let his disappointment show. He nodded and turned to Officer Huang, who represented the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Officer Huang put on a savvy, rxed smile. ¡°We have found something, but purely by ident.¡±

    The others looked over at him, waiting for him to continue.

    ¡°It was Mischievous Monkey who found the clue. He should¡¯vee to the meeting himself, but his brother got sick and is staying at the hospital. He¡¯s taking care of him.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Officer Huang picked up the disposable cup before him and took a sip of the tea. ¡°I¡¯ll briefly tell you about Mischievous Monkey. He¡¯s over seventy years old. He only awakened nine years ago, and he has a twin brother, a wanderer.¡±

    ¡°A <i>wanderer</i>?¡± Amon gasped. ¡°How can that be?¡±

    Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, Can, and Chen Ying each showed varying degrees of surprise.

    ¡°Yes, it seems absurd.¡± Officer Huang curled his lips. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why Mischievous Monkey joined us, to find the truth.¡±

    Gao Yang raised a hand, indicating for him to continue.

    ¡°Last week, Mischievous Monkeyprehended a new Talent, Memory.¡± Officer Huang exined patiently. ¡°Serial number 130, Knowledge-type. It grants photographic memory and makes one remember almost everything that has happened.¡±

    <i>Of course</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>With so many awakeners dead, there would be more awakeners with multiple Talents.</i>

    In theory, X¡¯s evil path to godhood was entirely viable.

    ¡°Havingprehended Memory, Mischievous Monkey recalls many things he had forgotten, including snippets from when he was merely an infant.¡±

    The smallmotion in the room died down. They knew Officer Huang was getting to the point.

    ¡°Mischievous Monkey vaguely remembers being submerged in a translucent growth tank in his infancy. It was ab. Three adult men in white coats walked around every day, observing Mischievous Monkey and making records. They seemed to be some sort of researchers.¡±

    ¡°Mischievous Monkey remembers two things clearly. One is the pattern on the chest of the scientists¡¯ white coats, consisting of two circles.¡±

    Officer Huang took out his phone and opened an album. ¡°Look, this is what Mischievous Monkey drew.¡±

    The others rose to look at the drawing on the screen. Two circles sat side by side like the number 8 flipped by 90 degrees.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find this pattern familiar?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    Gray Bear eximed, ¡°The Godbearer Cult!¡±

 Chapter 416: Heavenbreaker Meeting 2

    <h4>Chapter 416: Heavenbreaker Meeting 2</h4>

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang put away his phone and sat back down. ¡°It¡¯s very simr to the symbol of the Godbearer Cult, the ouroboros. It is likely the earlier iteration of the Cult¡¯s symbol.¡±

    The others sat down too and started discussing among themselves.

    A minuteter, when the others had quieted, Officer Huang said, ¡°The second thing Mischievous Monkey recalled is a ck and white television on the desk of one of the researchers. It was always ying a silent film. Since the screen was facing right at Mischievous Monkey¡¯s growth tank, he remembers it well.¡±

    Heavenly Dog addedzily, ¡°We spent days watching silent films with Mischievous Monkey and finally found the movie he was talking about, Mr. Chaplin¡¯s <i>Modern Times</i>.¡±

    ¡°About seventy years ago, a ck-and-white TV showing Mr. Chaplin¡¯s silent film...¡± Lithe Snake crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°Ha, it was in the West Nation.¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to the information on the Mist World. Indeed, the West Nation was the only ce that fit the description.

    West Nation was the secondrgest isted ind in the Mist World with an expansive fictionalnd, when in truth the area of activity was no bigger than ten thousand square kilometers, and the poption, consisting mostly of wanderers and elite monsters, amounted to more than five hundred thousand.

    There were awakeners in the West Nation too, but very few; they were either killed, or had moved out to join the three major organizations in Li City.

    ¡°We believe it was the West Nation too.¡± Officer Huang nodded. ¡°We have a tentative hypothesis: seventy years ago, while Mischievous Monkey was an infant, he became the Godbearer Cult¡¯s test subject. The Cult conducted some sort of experiment on him¡ªperhaps he was cloned, or a wanderer infant identical to him was created.¡±

    ¡°Then the ¡®twins¡¯ were sent to a family of wanderers in Li City to be raised, until nine years ago, Mischievous Monkey awakened and realized that his brother was a wanderer, thus beginning his pursuit of the truth.¡±

    ¡°Why would the Cult do that?¡± Nine Frost asked in a low voice. ¡°What¡¯s their goal?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just bored,¡± Gray Bear joked. It wasn¡¯t really meant to be funny.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s gaze turned serious. ¡°Monsters don¡¯t have proper reproductive systems. How do they procreate, and where did humanse from? Perhaps we¡¯ll find the answer to the questions that have been guing us from Mischievous Monkey.¡±

    <i>And perhaps it¡¯ll exin how my wife got pregnant.</i>

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t voice that thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s all we have.¡± He turned to Gao Yang.

    The others fell silent.

    Gao Yang thought for thirty seconds,ing to a rough n.

    He turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Yellow Ox,pile the information from Mischievous Monkey and hand it to Chen Ying.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Chen Ying, send intelligence agents to the West Nation to investigate. Since the Godbearer Cult had ab in the West Nation seventy years ago, there should be much to be found. The Cult may even still be hiding there.¡±

    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t venture into the tiger den yourselves. Just gather information, even indirect information. Leave the rest to the team.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Ying nodded.

    Gao Yang paused and thought of something else. ¡°It¡¯s best for those going to the West Nation to know theirnguage, which won¡¯t be easy on such short notice.¡±

    ¡°Since Mischievous Monkey hasprehended Memory, it should be possible to create medicine to enhance memory in the short term with his help. Gray Bear, work with Yellow Ox on this. Make sure to create the medicine in a week.¡±

    A member of the Qilin Guild¡¯s back office had Pharmacist, serial number 86, Knowledge-type.

    And a member of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s back office had cksmith, serial number 85, Knowledge-type.

    Most special medicines and ck Gold equipment of the world of awakeners were made by the two.

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± said Gray Bear.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The rest of you, keep looking into the Godbearer Cult. Report to me ASAP when you find something. You don¡¯t have to wait until the weekly meeting.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± the others responded at the same time.

    Gao Yang hardened his voice. ¡°And watch out for a group that calls themselves the Tails. They serve the Cult and each member has their own strange, dangerous Talent. Do not make a reckless move when you run into one of them on your own. Ask for support immediately. I¡¯ll send information on the Tails to the encoded group chatter. Remember to check your message.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Heavenly Dog spoke up, remembering something. He took out a small metal box from his pocket and opened it. Inside were eleven buttons of different colors.

    ¡°These are our improved SOS buttons. Wear it and crush it when you¡¯re in danger. The support members of each of the three organizations will receive the alert immediately with precise location, enabling them to send reinforcements.¡±

    Qing Ling curled her finger. The metal box moved to the center of the table. They each took one button and wore it on their clothes.

    Can picked a white one for herself and then a ck one for Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang wore his button and scanned the table. ¡°Anyone would like to add something?¡±

    No one said anything.

    Gao Yang nodded and announced, ¡°That¡¯s it for today. Leave separately and don¡¯t attract attention.¡±

    They rose to their feet one after another.

    Then Gao Yang remembered something and added, ¡°Green Snake, stay here.¡±

    Qing Ling nced at him before sitting down.

    Can was already out of the door when she heard her captain tell Green Snake to stay. She stopped and popped her head back into the room, looking over at the two of them curiously.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Gray Bear patted Can on the head and dragged her away.

    Heavenly Dog was thest to leave, and he closed the door behind him, leaving Gao Yang and Qing Ling alone.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Gao Yang checked his phone. It was a little over six o¡¯clock, dinner time.

    He asked with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me out?¡±

    Qing Ling paused. Right. Her sister had asked Gao Yang to have hot pot with her.

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere nearby. I just entered the school and don¡¯t know a lot about Degenerate Street. Do you have a rmendation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask her.¡± Qing Ling closed her eyes. About thirty secondster, she opened them. ¡°Don¡¯t Stop Drinking.¡±

    It seemed that the sisters had discussed the matter thoroughly.

    ¡°A hot pot ce?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do we go now, orter?¡±

    Qing Ling closed her eyes again. This time, it only took her two seconds. ¡°Now.¡±

    <i>Huh, they¡¯re quick to reach a decision this time.</i>

    ...

    Ten minutester, the two of them left Borderrunners. The night had already fallen, and Degenerate Street was packed full of college students looking for food or fun, crowding the restaurants and food stands lining the street. Amid the permeating smoke and boisterous hubbub, it seemed as if one could smell the degenerate atmosphere of hedonistic pursuit.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling weaved through the crowd, arriving at Don¡¯t Stop Drinking, a hot pot ce on the second floor.

    It wasn¡¯t big, clearly renovated from a residential building. Outside of the load-bearing walls, all the other walls had been torn down, the space divided into about a dozen tables with wooden screens.

    The design was retro and lived-in. The smell of fresh meat and other ingredients filled the air.

    ¡°Wee, table for two?¡± A friendly waiter came up to them.

    ¡°Three,¡± Qing Ling said.

    ¡°Yeah, we came first to look for a seat,¡± Gao Yang added without missing a beat.

    ¡°Of course. There is a table for three here. This way.¡± The waiter led them through the main hall to a small space isted by a screen.

    Gao Yang chuckled. It was an open balcony. They sure didn¡¯t waste any space.

    <i>Just as well. It¡¯s small, but rtively quiet. And it¡¯s a good vantage point overlooking the artificialke of the university.</i>

    The two of them sat down. The waiter brought them a disposable menu and handed Gao Yang a pencil. ¡°Call me anytime after you¡¯ve marked your order.¡±

    Once the waiter left, Gao Yang gave Qing Ling the pencil. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

 Chapter 417: Yin Yang Hot Pot

    <h4>Chapter 417: Yin Yang Hot Pot</h4>

    Qing Ling nodded and took the pen and menu, asking casually, ¡°Yin yang hot pot[1]?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gao Yang remembered that Qing Ling loved spicy food, but she didn¡¯t just order a spicy pot.

    <i>Good girl. You¡¯ve learned to consider other people.</i>

    Qing Ling drew a check mark after the ying yang hot pot before looking over the menu seriously, her pretty face arranged into a look of devotion. She marked every order after careful thinking.

    Gao Yang quietly essed the system to make sure that no bonus applied. Then he pushed his six senses to confirm that there was no threat around them before finally allowing himself to rx.

    He leaned over to nce at the menu in Qing Ling¡¯s hand. She had ordered a portion each of premium beef, cuminmb,yered omasum tripes, shrimp balls, basa filets, citron daylilies, baby chinese cabbage, yam, thousandyer tofu, corn, and wide mung bean noodles.

    They were all food Gao Yang liked.

    Afterward, Qing Ling went over the order again with a slight frown, like she was debating something.

    A few secondster, she removed the check mark after basa filets with the eraser on the pencil, marking the spam instead.

    Gao Yang was moved. <i>She¡¯se so far. She remembers that I love spam.</i>

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to erase it. We can order both.¡±

    Qing Ling looked up at him and shook her head. ¡°No need.¡±

    Gao Yang paused before remembering something.

    Since Little Qing Ling was the one arranging the meal, she would be paying.

    And Qing Ling was always tight with money, which had been the case when she was in high school. Now that she had entered college as a student athlete, she got discounted tuition, but still didn¡¯t have a lot of money to spare.

    Gao Yang was even more touched by her gesture, but also felt a pang of sympathy.

    ¡°Qing Ling.¡± Gao Yang lowered his voice. ¡°Do you know that the ck Gold coins can be exchanged for real money?¡±

    Qing Ling was now an outstanding member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, meaning she received a monthly pay of 8 <i>jinwu</i>. She could very well use 1 <i>jinwu </i>to support herself financially.

    After all, 5 <i>jinwu </i>could be exchanged for two million yuan, which meant she would get four hundred thousand yuan with 1 <i>jinwu</i>.

    While it wasn¡¯t easy to make the trade, she could turn to a broker for help. Even if the broker charged amision of fifty percent, she would still get two hundred thousand with 1 <i>jinwu</i>.

    That was enough for Qing Ling to live in abundance for the next four years in college¡ªording to Alcoholic, the Mist World would onlyst another two years though.

    ¡°I know,¡± Qing Ling answered. ¡°I¡¯m saving money. I still need a lot more.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I need weapons,¡± Qing Ling said in a much lower voice. ¡°The more the better.¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. With level 6 God of des and level 4 Metal, Qing Ling would be stronger the more ck Metal weapons she had.

    <i>Think about it. If she can use multiple ck Metal des¡ªeven a dozen of them¡ªher power will be terrifying. Not only will the enemy have to face her head-on, but they will also have to watch out for attacks from the other des.</i>

    And Qing Ling would be able to switch between various weapons as she fought, making her moves much more flexible and varied; she would be the actual God of des!

    Although regr weapons could be manipted with Metal, too. They were too fragile in a real fight for awakeners.

    Moreover, ck Gold weapons could resonate with their wielder through prolonged contact, doubling their power. Case in point, Qing Ling couldn¡¯t use de aura with regr weapons like she did with her Tang Dao.

    ck Gold weapons, however, were incredibly expensive. It cost a fortune to gather raw material and have awakeners with cksmith and Enchantment manufacture the weapons!

    Take Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao as an example, it would cost at least 300 <i>jinwu </i>in the market¡ªthat was excluding the cost of manufacturing. Given Qing Ling¡¯s current sry, she would have to work two and a half years at the Twelve Zodiac Signs to be able to afford it.

    The world would¡¯ve long ended.

    However, Qing Ling was no longer the girl who would do anything to be stronger, so robbery wasn¡¯t an option.

    To Qing Ling, every coin was precious.

    Gao Yang was lucky in that regard. His current Talents didn¡¯t really rely on ck Gold weapons or items.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you apply to the organization for weapons?¡±

    ¡°I did. The three ck Gold darts were given to me by the organization. The material cost 150 <i>jinwu</i>, and the manufacturing and enchantment cost 30 <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    A total of 180 <i>jinwu </i>wasn¡¯t a small number.

    The stingy Twelve Zodiac Signs was generous for once.

    The organization couldn¡¯t be med, though. They didn¡¯t have any source of ie, and it cost a fortune to loan Rune Circuits, create one-use items, and buy intel; moreover, there were the daily expenses and maintenance cost.

    With Wu Dahai killed in action, the Twelve Zodiac Signs lost a benefactor. The loss was significant.

    He heard that Wu Dahai had transferred the secret base on the underground sixth floor to the organization properly, though, so at least they wouldn¡¯t be left on the street.

    Moreover, Wu Dahai had generously gifted the race car to Wang Zikai, as detailed in the will he drafted before the Crimson Tide.

    Wu Dahai had considered leaving all his wealth to the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but he thought better of it since it would attract too much suspicion.

    It was said that when he found the note, War Tiger hadmented, <i>The boy was a real man.</i>

    As an Elder at the Qilin Guild, Gao Yang had a monthly sry of 50 <i>jinwu </i>and was given bonuses when he sessfullypleted a mission. In total, he had a saving of more than 200 <i>jinwu</i>.

    The Guild had continued to pay him the usual sry even during the three months he was unconscious. The employee benefits were incredible.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling nonchntly. ¡°Come to me tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you your pay.¡±

    ¡°What pay?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Gao Yang pretended to be surprised. ¡°Since Operation: Heavenbreaker was organized by the Qilin Guild, every member on the team receives pay.¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s paid ording to their strength. As for you...¡± Gao Yang mused. ¡°You¡¯re getting an annual sry of 200 <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    ¡°200 <i>jinwu</i>?¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes glinted.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said in a serious tone. ¡°Everyone receives a different amount, so do keep it a secret from others, and don¡¯tpare pay with them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling nodded.

    She was happy. Although her expression was as impassive as ever, joy was dancing in her eyes.

    ¡°Congrats. You¡¯re getting another good de.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Come on. Order a portion of basa. I like it.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and put a checkmark after basa filets, but then she turned the pencil around and erased the checkmark after shrimp balls.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Gao Yang was ready to pop a vessel from how obstinate she was being.

    He grabbed the menu and pencil from her and continued to order while saying, ¡°I forgot to tell you. For ease of the operation, each member is granted a monthly subsidy of 1000 yuan.¡±

    Gao Yang gave a moderate number lest she got suspicious.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Qing Ling acquiesced.

    Gao Yang ordered five more dishes before he was satisfied. He raised his hand and made a gesture.

    ¡°Waiter.¡±

    1. Yuan yang hot pot, also known as yin yang hot pot, is hot pot with different broths on each of the two sides. Usually, one would be spicy, and the other a milder broth. ?

 Chapter 418: Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 418: Boyfriend</h4>

    Soon, the yin yang hot pot and all sorts of ingredients were served.

    While the broth was boiling, Qing Ling stood up to make her own dipping sauce. After taking two steps, she turned around and asked, ¡°Should I make one for you too?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang was feeling toozy to stand up.

    Through the gaps between the screens, he saw Qing Ling¡¯s tall, slim, and beautiful figure walking through the main hall hazy with steam, attracting nces from other male patrons left and right.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts strayed.

    Given his current savings, it would be easy for him to exchange one <i>jinwu </i>for cash to support his family.

    Ever since his grandmother passed away, and he fell unconscious for three months, his family had been having a hard time making ends meet. His sister had lost weight, and his mother had be sickly. Even his wheelchaired father had been looking for jobs, and he applied for a free training course for those with physical disabilities.

    Still, it would be too suspicious for him to give his family arge sum at once.

    He should give them some every month and told them that he earned the money from part time jobs.

    Soon, Qing Ling returned with two dipping bowls in each hand, her fingers syed for support like she was putting on a show.

    When she ced the four dipping bowls on the table, Gao Yang asked with a smile, ¡°This many?¡±

    ¡°My sister and I like different vors.¡± Qing Ling sat down and leaned in to look at the bubbling broths. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you like, so I make one each.¡±

    <i>Whoa, she¡¯s being so thoughtful.</i>

    Gao Yang looked at the two dipping bowls before him.

    The dipping sauce on the left was more spicy and sour, mixing chili oil, chili powder, bird¡¯s eye chili,tro, spring onion, and aged vinegar.

    The one on the right was sweet and spicy, mixing chili oil, sesame paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced spring onion, and garlic.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°The one on the left is done by you, and the one on the right is done by your sister.¡±

    With the shared chopsticks, Qing Ling first dropped the corn, which would take longer to cook, into the clear broth, nodding. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Then she suddenly looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°Which do you like?¡±

    <i>Huh, is this a trick question?</i>

    Gao Yang yed nonchnce as best he could. ¡°I like both. I¡¯m not picky.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Qing Ling looked back down and started putting the other ingredients into the pot, her expression unreadable.

    They both started enjoying the hot pot.

    Qing Ling was very particr when eating, putting her sole focus on the meal and saying almost nothing.

    Gao Yang quietly savored the food too. To avoid favoritism, he alternated between the two dipping sauces.

    The broths boiled gently while steam rose, filling the air with the aroma of fresh food. From behind the wooden screen came theughter and chatters of the other customers. Sitting on the balcony, the table was visited by the asional lonesome breeze of an autumn¡¯s night.

    Everything seemed just right.

    <i>If only I were a simple college student.</i>

    Gao Yang grew sentimental, but only for a moment.

    When he looked up again, the girl before her had swapped out the sour and spicy sauce for the sweet and spicy one. With the shared chopsticks, she put the shrimp balls into the pot.

    One by one, the shrimp balls plopped into the clear broth. A drop sttered on the back of her hand.

    ¡°Agh.¡±

    She flinched.

    Gao Yang smiled. It was the sister¡¯s turn.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Gao Yang stood up and took the te of shrimp balls from her. ¡°You should eat.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Little Qing Ling epted the help and nibbled on a piece of cooked corn with her head lowered, looking a little more reserved and quiet.

    Soon, the shrimp balls floated to the surface of the broth, having turned milk white.

    Gao Yang picked up a few with the slotted spoon and put them in Little Qing Ling¡¯s bowl. ¡°Here. They¡¯re done.¡±

    Then he thought of something and picked up a few more, dropping them into the dipping bowl with sour and spicy sauce. Those were for Qing Ling.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Little Qing Ling said politely.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    ¡°You should eat too,¡± Little Qing Ling said. ¡°I¡¯m buying. You ordered too much for me to finish on my own.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang sat back down. After some hesitation, he said with a smile, ¡°Qing Ling, pretend I never said anything if I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Little Qing Ling looked up, her gaze a little nervous.

    ¡°It feels like you¡¯ve...be more gentle.¡± Gao Yang was simply curious. Did something happen?

    Little Qing Ling paused, her face flushed red as she shot him a re. ¡°Watch your mouth!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gao Yang lowered his head and hurriedly went back to eating.

    ¡°Ha, men are all pigs. You take a mile when you¡¯re given an inch.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Survival instinct forced Gao Yang to lower his head further. His face was almost buried in his bowl.

    Little Qing Ling was in a good mood this evening, so she wasn¡¯t actually mad. They started chatting.

    Little Qing Ling had much more to say than her sister, and she actually wanted to say them. Since she was in charge of the mundane side of Qing Ling¡¯s life, she mostly talked about the everyday matters.

    Such as how difficult and monotonous sprint training was, her concern with having to reject people every few days¡ªshe wasn¡¯t boasting, definitely not¡ªand also her conflicts with her roommates¡ªdue to her multiple personalities, her roommates considered her somewhat of a freak.

    Qing Ling sighed softly, holding the chopsticks with one hand while propping her head with her other hand, staring at the steaming hot pot. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get a boyfriend? I¡¯ve had enough of boys chasing after me.¡±

    Eating a piece of thousandyer tofu, Gao Yang looked at her with surprise. ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Qing LIng frowned when she noticed the smile on his face. ¡°What are youughing at? What¡¯s so funny about that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that...¡± Gao Yang waved a hand and exined, ¡°Do you know that back in high school, there was a widespread rumor that you were...into girls?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not into girls,¡± Qing Ling said seriously. ¡°I just hate men.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Little Qing Ling lowered her head, moving the chopsticks around in the dipping bowl. She seemed to be debating if she should tell him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t intend to press her.

    Little Qing Ling said in a distant voice, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can tell you.¡±

 Chapter 419: Taller

    <h4>Chapter 419: Taller</h4>

    Little Qing Ling put down her chopsticks, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes fixed on the steaming hot pot before her. ¡°After my parents passed away, my aunt took me in. She wasn¡¯t married and went through boyfriends quickly. None of the rtionshipssted long.¡±

    ¡°The summer after my first year in middle school, she took a man home. He was lecherous and often made dirty jokes. He looked at me in a disgusting way, too. Late one night, I woke up to someone picking the lock of my bedroom. I quickly hid under the bed, and the door opened. It was him...¡±

    ¡°He was after you and you managed to escape.¡± Gao Yang made an educated guess. ¡°You came to hate men since then.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Little Qing Ling¡¯s story made a sudden turn. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a sexual predator, but a devourer. He suspected me of having awakened and wanted to eat me. To this day, I¡¯m not sure how I got exposed.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a little awkward. <i>You¡¯re not following the trope, sis.</i>

    ¡°That night, my sister killed it.¡±

    Gao Yang started. <i>Indeed a fierce girl Qing Ling was. She managed to kill a devourer on her own when she was so young.</i>

    ¡°After the devourer died, and the body turned back, Sister disguised him as having fallen off the building. The second day, the police came...¡± Little Qing Ling paused. ¡°Anyway, no one suspected me. Auntie was so heartbroken that she stopped seeking thepany of men for many years.¡±

    Gao Yang listened quietly. He swallowed the grumble that none of what she said had anything to do with why she hated men.

    Realizing that she had digressed, Little Qing Ling continued, ¡°Over the years, Auntie has had many boyfriends. They started out treating her nicely, speaking sweet nothings and coaxing her into a rtionship. But soon, they grew tired of her. Despite them living at her ce and spending her money, they beat her when they got drunk, and some even turned their eyes to me. With my sister, though, I don¡¯t fear them.¡±

    Little Qing Ling sighed softly, her tone colored by sympathy. ¡°In her life, my aunt has never met any good men.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    ¡°So, men are all pigs,¡± Little Qing Ling concluded. ¡°Even without a rtionship and a marriage, Sister and I will be fine.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated, deciding to correct her extreme belief in the end. ¡°Your aunt is unlucky and all the men she met turned out to be terrible, but there are good men in the world. There¡¯s no need to dismiss all of them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a good man.¡± Little Qing Ling narrowed his eyes with a slight curve to her lips.

    ¡°I don¡¯t count.¡± Gao Yang was a little embarrassed. ¡°But my dad is a good man. He loves my mother and treats his children very well.¡±

    ¡°Old Wang was a good man too. So is Officer Huang. You must have seen how well he treats Ms. Su.¡±

    Little Qing Ling thought about it.

    Then she came to a sudden halt, her eyes glinting.

    Qing Ling was back. Swapping in the sour and spicy dipping sauce, she continued eating, adding with a mouth full of food, ¡°Eat already. Or the meat is gonna be overdone.¡±

    ...

    They spent an hour having hot pot. Both...no, all three of them had eaten to their hearts¡¯ content.

    After paying, Qing Ling left first.

    Gao Yang went to the restroom before leaving the restaurant.

    It waspletely dark outside. For the young people, the night was only starting. Walking out of the crowded Degenerate Street, Gao Yang decided to go back to his dorm room.

    Passing by the artificialke on campus, the pleasant autumn wind and the beautiful moon prompted Gao Yang to stop and take a stroll to digest the food filling his stomach. Walking along the pebbled road around theke, he allowed his thoughts to wander.

    Then he stopped, tensing up when he noticed someone quickly approaching him.

    There was no malice to it, though, and judging from the familiar, hurried footsteps, it had to be...

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Fresh Snow tackled him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck and jumping onto his back.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Fresh Snow, pleasee from my front the next time you¡¯re greeting me.¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee, I knew you would wake up!¡± Still holding onto Gao Yang, Fresh Snow rested her small chin on his shoulder. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me when you woke up, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°I would like to, but you don¡¯t have a phone. How was I supposed to contact you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Fresh Snow came to the realization. ¡°I used to sneak into the hospital to check on you, but I wasn¡¯t able to recently because of some stuff. I didn¡¯t expect you to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Get off my back first.¡± Gao Yang patted Fresh Snow on her arms, which were still wrapped around his neck.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow jumped off his back. Gao Yang turned around, his eyes lighting up when he saw her.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing the oversized cloak she used to wear, but arge brown sweater that came down to her thighs. Her silver hair was tied into two loose braids with a ribbon at the end of each, the braids hung gently down on her chest.

    Under the sweater were her slim, jade-like legs. She was wearing ck medium-length socks and a pair of canvas shoes. She looked like an energetic, pretty girl next door.

    It was rare for Gao Yang to describe anyone as a <i>bishoujo</i>[1]<i> </i>since they had to be young, pretty, and youthful in the sense of being innocent, cute, and endearing. Fresh Snow, however, embodied the term perfectly.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Fresh Snow stared at Gao Yang¡¯s face for a few seconds, feeling a pang in her heart. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight!¡±

    Gao Yang stroked her hair. ¡°Have you gotten taller, Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee!¡± Fresh Snow raised her right hand proudly and made a gesture with her index finger and thumb. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten one millimeter taller.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. <i>Wait, I was just saying whatever to have something to say, but you actually got taller?</i>

    ¡°Sister told me that if I eat you another two times, I¡¯ll be just like her.¡± Fresh Snow looked innocently expectant.

    Gao Yang felt his dder clench, and his sweat drenched his back. <i>Let¡¯s not do that anytime soon. My stats growth can¡¯t keep up with your appetite!</i>

    <i>And you look good like this. There¡¯s no need to turn into an elegantly beautiful woman like White Dew.</i>

    Fresh Snow stared at Gao Yang with clear crimson eyes. Her smile suddenly dropped.

    She went up and leaned toward Gao Yang¡¯s chest to sniff his clothes, raising her voice in agitation. ¡°There¡¯s someone else¡¯s smell on you! Who were you with?¡±

    ¡°A friend,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°We had hot pot together.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°Qing Ling. You must have seen her before.¡± Gao Yang racked through his brain. ¡°The first time you saw me, when Old Man Zhang[2] mutated.¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯srge ruby-like eyes shifted. Finally, she remembered, and she opened her mouth wide. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s her! The ck-haired girl!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°Is she...is she your good friend too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang added silently, <i>Not only a friend, but arade in arms.</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang! Why do you have so many good friends?¡± Fresh Snow puffed out her cheeks, vexed. ¡°I don¡¯t like it!¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow.¡± Gao Yang was a little troubled. He tried to exin things to her. ¡°We can have more than one good friend. Wang Zikai¡¯s my good friend too, but you don¡¯t mind him, do you?¡±

    Fresh Snow thought about it. It made sense to her.

    Still, something wasn¡¯t right, yet her brain couldn¡¯te to an answer.

    ¡°But, but I only have you as my one good friend!¡± Fresh Snow felt a little wronged.

    1. A Japanese term that refers to youthful pretty girls,monly seen in manga/anime context. ?

    2. The wanderer who turned into something like a mutated flower. Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang ran into it after leaving the old arcade where Wu Dahai tested them. ?

 Chapter 420: Around the World

    <h4>Chapter 420: Around the World</h4>

    Gao Yang looked at Fresh Snow. It might be inappropriate, but he realized that Fresh Snow was too much like a pet of his.

    He was reminded of a line: <i>one may have many friends, but a pet only has its owner.</i>

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t want Fresh Snow to be like a pet. It might seem like kindness, but was actually condescension.

    Fresh Snow was a higher life form of blood and flesh, emotions, intelligence, and soul¡ªhis equal.

    Although it might be a little difficult, Gao Yang decided to exin theplicated concepts to Fresh Snow, helping her grow.

    ¡°Fresh Snow, human emotions areplicated...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not human.¡± Fresh Snow pouted, cutting him off petntly. ¡°I¡¯m a ghost!¡±

    ¡°Um, humans or ghosts, our emotions are allplicated.¡± Gao Yang exined patiently. ¡°Familial love, friendship, romantic love, and many other types of bond. For example, your older sister and you are family, while you and I are friends.¡±

    Fresh Snow didn¡¯t understand fully.

    ¡°In our lifetime, we encounter many people and develop different feelings. No matter how much you care about someone, you shouldn¡¯t monopolize them. It¡¯s not right.¡±

    Outside of romantic love, of course. That was tooplicated for Fresh Snow, though, so he shouldn¡¯t go into it.

    ¡°But, but...¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow, if I force you to make a choice between your sister and me, the other leaving you forever, who would you choose?¡±

    Fresh Snow imagined the scenario earnestly and immediately frowned, struggling with great agony. ¡°No, I don¡¯t wanna choose...¡±

    ¡°If you want me to choose between you, Wang Zikai, and Qing Ling, it¡¯ll be difficult for me too...¡±

    Fresh Snow lowered her eyes, nodding. ¡°I, I think I understand.¡±

    But why did she still feel a little unhappy about it?

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Fresh Snow turned away, pouting. ¡°Then I want new friends too!¡±

    Gao Yang smothered augh. <i>What a kid. She¡¯s throwing a tantrum.</i>

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t opposed to it.

    ¡°Hey, pretty girl.¡± At that moment, a blond man in fashionable, extravagant style came over. ¡°Is this your boyfriend?¡±

    Fresh Snow nced at Gao Yang and shook his head. ¡°No, we¡¯re good friends.¡±

    ¡°Oh, friends.¡± The man¡¯s eyes glinted with unreadable emotions, his smile suggestive. ¡°I¡¯d like to be your friend, too. Is that okay?¡±

    Fresh Snow paused for two seconds before nodding with a smile. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t a student here, are you, pretty girl? With your looks, you would¡¯ve be famous if you were, and I would¡¯ve seen you around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m...I¡¯m from a nearby school,¡± Fresh Snow lied, still smiling.

    Seeing his chance, the man¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it said that the best time is now? Are you free tonight? I have a few more friends. Why don¡¯t we go to a bar together...¡±

    ¡°A bar?¡± Fresh Snow had never been to a bar. She took a step forward. ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gao Yang pulled Fresh Snow behind her with a cold look on his face, facing off the blond man.

    ¡°What about next time? We have other things to do.¡±

    The blond man hid his irritation and put on a forced smile, taking out his phone. ¡°Sure, pretty girl. Why don¡¯t we add each other as contacts? Let¡¯s take a raincheck.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Gao Yang shot him down again.

    The blind man was at the end of his patience. His smile dropped and he pushed Gao Yang away. ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are, getting into business that isn¡¯t yours? You¡¯re too much of a wuss to get the girl, but you dare stop me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bully Gao Yang!¡±

    Fresh Snow rushed up and pushed the blond man away.

    The blond man staggered to the ground. He didn¡¯t expect Fresh Snow to be so strong.

    He scrambled to his feet angrily. ¡°Drop your act, bitch! I¡¯ve slept with enough sluts like you...¡±

    He wasn¡¯t able to continue. Gao Yang leveled an icy gaze on him, eyes shing with a hint of true killing intent.

    The blond man was suddenly stricken with overwhelming fear. It felt like an instinct of sorts, beyond reason or logic. He shouldn¡¯t be this afraid, but he was, so much so that his body trembled and his teeth ttered.

    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Gao Yang spat.

    ¡°Just, just you wait...¡± The blond man bit back, but he ran faster than a dog.

    Gao Yang watched him flee, making sure that he didn¡¯t show any signs of transformation. He was likely a simple wanderer.

    He sighed in relief and turned to Fresh Snow, warning her seriously, ¡°I¡¯m not against you making friends, Fresh Snow, but you have to be picky. There are many bad people in the world...¡±

    ¡°I know he¡¯s a bad one.¡± Fresh Snow smiled mischievously, her big eyes curved into crescents.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang was caught off guard.

    ¡°He smells bad.¡± She hooked an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s elbow and buried her face into his chest. ¡°You smell good.¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. He almost forgot that Fresh Snow¡¯s second form was a cat, and cats had their own way of detecting danger and differentiating between good and bad people.

    ¡°Why did you agree to his invitation then?¡±

    ¡°I did it on purpose.¡± Fresh Snow snickered.

    Gao Yang gaped. <i>Dear Fresh Snow, so you¡¯ve not only gotten taller in the past three months, but also gotten shrewd.</i>

    He ruffled her hair. ¡°There¡¯s no next time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow was still holding onto his elbow. She said petntly, ¡°Gao Yang, you had hot pot with her! I want to have hot pot too!¡±

    <i>Really? You¡¯re still on that?</i>

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. <i>I don¡¯t mind treating you to hot pot, but I¡¯ve just had dinner. I can¡¯t stomach more.</i>

    ¡°Next time, yeah? I¡¯ll treat you to roasted fish.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Fresh Snow agreed happily. Then her eyes twirled around. ¡°I want something now too. I don¡¯t care! Whatever she has, I want it too!¡±

    Gao Yang knew she wouldn¡¯t drop it without getting something.

    A thought urred to him.. Gao Yang took out two mint candies from his pockets. ¡°Here.¡±

    Fresh Snow took them excitedly. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Candies, for you.¡± Gao Yang assured her. ¡°She hasn¡¯t had it. It¡¯s only for you.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Fresh Snow tore a pack open and popped it into her mouth.

    ¡°Hm...so good. It¡¯s refreshing and sweet!¡± Fresh Snow balled her hands into fists, leaping in ce happily, her silver braids following the movement.

    After having hot pot, Gao Yang had the habit of grabbing two mint candies at the counter to cleanse his mouth.

    But Qing Ling didn¡¯t like mint, so the candies were only for Fresh Snow. Gao Yang didn¡¯t lie.

    <i>Sorry for humoring you this time, Fresh Snow</i>, Gao Yang thought as he watched Fresh Snow jumping up and down.<i> I¡¯ll buy you a big meal next time.</i>

    Fresh Snow said with a candy in her mouth, mumbling, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡±

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s turn to be disappointed. <i>You always stay for a while when you visited me before. Why did you leave after only a short chat this time?</i>

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯m going around the world with Sister, Master Spring, and Uncle Waking Insects. I¡¯lle back and seek you out after that.¡±

    ¡°Go...around the world?¡± Gao Yang thought he had heard her wrong.

    ¡°Master Spring wants to show us the world.¡±

    <i>The Mist World isn¡¯t that big. What is there to show?</i>

    <i>Hm, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t say that. If the world only has two years left, it makes sense to take a good look around, our once home.</i>

    <i>What a surprise, Master Spring. You¡¯re a hipster boy¡ªno, hipster elderly.</i>

    ¡°Okay. Godspeed,¡± Gao Yang said genuinely.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m already learning how to write. I¡¯ll write you!¡± Fresh Snow promised him and extended her pinky.

    Gao Yang extended his pinky too. ¡°Alright, I look forward to it.¡±

    They made a pinky promise.

    Fresh Snow still had the mint candy in her mouth. She was reluctant to swallow it.

    She smiled with her lips pursed and waved at Gao Yang, skipping away happily like she was simply a lovely high school student.

 Chapter 421: Setting Out

    <h4>Chapter 421: Setting Out</h4>

    For the next few days, nothing major happened. Gao Yang went to school during the day like any student and asked Old Shi for tutoring in his free time, catching up to his other ssmates.

    Midnight, once his roommates fell asleep, Gao Yang snuck out of his room, heading to an old auditorium of the school and asking Qing Ling for help in fighting.

    Repetitive muscle training wouldn¡¯t do much in increasing Gao Yang¡¯s overall strength now. What he needed was sparring with real weapons.

    And Qing Ling was the best trainer for melee fighting.

    After getting a 200-<i>jinwu</i> ¡®paycheck¡¯ from Gao Yang, Qing Ling had War Tiger seek the Qilin Guild out and order a ck Gold single-edged sword. The material cost around 200 <i>jinwu</i>, and the manufacturing cost around 30 <i>jinwu</i>. Qing Ling was still a few coins short after using up her savings, so War Tiger paid the rest.

    The weapon was modeled after <i>Xiu Chun Dao</i>[1], so it was named Xiu Dao.

    The Xiu Dao was shaped like a bamboo leaf¡ªlight, slim, and narrow. With its incredibly sharp de, it could be used for stabbing and cutting, perfect for close range fight.

    Qing Ling handed her Tang Dao to Gao Yang while she fought with Xiu Dao. On one hand, it was a training for Gao Yang¡¯s benefit; on the other hand, she was also getting used to her new weapon.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t use any of his Talents but fought Qing Ling with the weapon alone as a student. Naturally, he ended up getting crushed by Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling learned from War Tiger and was just as strict a teacher. Every night, she beat Gao Yang thoroughly and left him battered. Thanks to her tough love, though, Gao Yang had made much progress in improving his skills in fighting close range. Even without using Teleportation, he had be much more agile.

    A week flew by. Gao Yang had gotten used to college life.

    Five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Team Heavenbreaker held their second weekly meeting at the tabletop game cafe, Borderrunners. Everyone was in attendance.

    The first to make his report was Gray Bear. He threw a ck briefcase onto the meeting table and said proudly, ¡°Captain, after days of working overtime, we finally finished what you asked for. The back office calls it Medicine M.¡±

    Gray Bear opened the briefcase. Inside were three rows of small vials with light blue medicine. There were even straws on the side.

    ¡°Finish this, and you¡¯ll effectively acquire Memory from Mischievous Monkey for the next three days. You¡¯ll remember everything you see and hear without forgetting it. It¡¯s best for cramming sessions.¡±

    ¡°The effect will fade in a week, however. And you¡¯ll lose the knowledge you cram in the past few days.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Can quickly took a vial. ¡°With this, I won¡¯t have to worry about failing a ss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cheating, Can.¡± Officer Huang smiled.

    ¡°Would you give me a few more vials?¡± Heavenly Dog was eyeing the medicine too. ¡°CET-4 and CET-6 are so difficult.[2]¡±

    Gray Bear scoffed. ¡°Stop dreaming. Even this much exhausted Sir Monkey and those in the back office.¡± Gray Bear looked at them. ¡°You¡¯re each getting only one vial. Don¡¯t waste it on nothing.¡±

    ¡°Keep it safe and only drink it before going on the mission,¡± Gao Yang added.

    ¡°Well, it seems we¡¯re drinking it soon.¡± Chen Ying smiled.

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve made progress in the West Nation.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen Ying nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already found where the Godbearer Cult is hiding in the West Nation.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°Not a hundred percent, but the ce is very suspicious. On the surface, it seems like the storage of a beverage factory, but it¡¯s safeguarded by armed mercenaries from the syndicates. There would be no need for such a level of defense if arms or drugs aren¡¯t being smuggled. My people suspect that it can be ab of the Cult.¡±

    Chen Ying opened the briefcase she carried with her and took out some printed materials. ¡°Everyone, this is the detailed report. What the factory used to be and its many connections are suspicious.¡±

    Everyone took the documents and passed them around.

    Chen Ying continued, ¡°My people don¡¯t dare to investigate further since it can be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°It is quite suspicious for a beverage factory to be defended by armed mercenaries. How mysterious.¡± Gray Bear stroked his stubbled chin. ¡°It¡¯s worth investigating no matter what.¡±

    Gao Yang finished reading the documents and held the same opinions as Gray Bear.

    After some thinking, he decided, ¡°Lithe Snake, Nainai, Green Snake, Yellow Ox, and Chen Ying. Get ready. We¡¯re heading to the West Nation in three days.¡±

    ¡°What about us, Captain?¡± Can pointed at herself with disappointment. Why didn¡¯t Captain bring her? She wasn¡¯t a dead weight anymore. Her Invisibility had reached level 4, enough to be useful in a real fight.

    ¡°Yeah, what about us?¡± Gray Bear was surprised. Forget Can. Why would the vice captain be left behind as well?

    The other vice captain, Nine Frost, didn¡¯t have much to say. He was the type to do things by the book. Once he approved of Gao Yang as the captain, he would listen to him unconditionally.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be unwise to bring too many people,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I have my reasons. You should stay and keep looking into the Cult in secret.¡±

    Too many people would attract too much attention, which would risk alerting the enemies. Thus, Gao Yang took only half the team.

    Lithe Snake had been a mercenary. He was an expert in tracking, interrogation, and reconnaissance.

    Nainai¡¯s Scale and Shapeshifter were useful for stealth and disguise.

    Chen Ying was needed since she was their connection to the intelligence agents in the West Nation, and her Psychometry could be of use. Moreover, she hadprehended a new Talentst month, Skeleton Key.

    Skeleton Key, serial number 83, Support-type.

    It allowed one to open any regr locks, as well as break down regr energy barriers.

    In terms ofbatants, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and Lithe Snake would be enough. Even when facing enemies as strong as pride monsters, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t be too worried as long as there weren¡¯t more than threeing at them at once.

    There was another reason he asked Qing Ling and Officer Huang toe with him, of course.

    He had to start thinking about creating his own organization. Qing Ling and Officer Huang were his most trustedpanions. He wanted to use this opportunity to talk to them.

    ...

    At night, Gao Yang went back to his bedroom and took Medicine M, granting him photographic memory that would allow him to remember everything once seen or heard. He had more than enough time to spend three days studying thenguage of the West Nation and keep it in his head for a week.

    For the next three days, Gao Yang went to school during the day, and after midnight, instead of sparring with Qing Ling, he dragged her to Nainai¡¯s Witch¡¯s Club and watched TV shows from the West Nation.

    Gao Yang believed that three days were too short to learn thenguage systematically, and it wasn¡¯t necessary anyway. Better to watch TV shows and memorize the phrases that could be used in conversations.

    The next three nights were the most painful time for Nainai.

    The Witch¡¯s Club had been forcefully imed by Gao Yang and Qing Ling. The heavy curtains were drawn. On the prayer table etched with a pentagram, the chuuni tribute items were put aside, reced by aptop and a few bottles of energy drinks.

    Theptop was turned on, ying <i>Friends</i>, a si from the West Nation.

    Nainai didn¡¯t dare to move, stuck between Gao Yang and Qing Ling, the two bigshots.

    Cannedughter came from the television. Nainai would like tough too, but she had to maintain her cold, mysterious, and ssy image of an empress. And she was dreading the terrifying woman beside her, worried that Qing Ling would press a de to her neck without warning. She could only smother herughter throughout no matter how difficult it was.

    Gao Yang would like tough too, but since he was their leader, and the two girls weren¡¯tughing, it would be strange for him to be the only one losing it. He thus swallowed theughter.

    Late at night, the three of them crammed into the small dark room of the club and watched the hrious si together while keeping a straight face. The picture they painted couldn¡¯t be stranger.

    At the end of the day, they got good results. With Medicine M enhancing their memories, they were able to learn to speak thenguage of the West Nation to a high level. Now, they could talk in thenguage properly.

    Three dayster, Gao Yang took half his team to catch a ne to the West Nation.

    Before their departure, Gao Yang asked for a one-week leave from his counselor with the excuse of going back to the hospital for checkup and physical therapy. Due to his past of being in a vegetative state for three months, the counselor didn¡¯t suspect him and immediately granted him the leave.

    1. A single-edged, slim, and slightly curved sword from ancient China. It was the weapon of choice for imperial guards in the Ming Dynasty. ?

    2. The national College English Tests in China. ?

 Chapter 422: Trip to West Nation

    <h4>Chapter 422: Trip to West Nation</h4>

    With the imprint of wanderers, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Lithe Snake, Nainai, and Chen Ying boarded the ne at nine o¡¯clock at night and arrived at the West Nation airport at eleven in the morning.

    The one weing them at the arrival hall was a blond man with average appearance but a pair of deep, captivating grayish blue eyes. He was all dressed up in suits with a brand name watch and his blond hair neatlybed, cutting the figure of an elite worker.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, wee to West Nation!¡± He spoke in authentic West Nationnguage, his smile friendly.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Chen.¡± He opened his arms to give Chen Ying a hug, only to remember the difference in culture when Chen Ying remained unmoving and opted to shake her hand instead.

    Chen Ying took his hand and answered in the samenguage, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dick.¡±

    She let go and turned to introduce the man, ¡°He¡¯s Dick, a West Nation native and a member of the Union¡¯s intelligence department. He¡¯s been spending most of his time here, and he¡¯s the head of this investigation.¡±

    ¡°Can he be trusted?¡± Lithe Snake asked in their ownnguage.

    ¡°He can,¡± Chen Ying said.

    ¡°Dick, this is the head of Operation: Heavenbreaker, Elder Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild,¡± Chen Ying introduced Gao Yang separately.

    ¡°Your reputation precedes you, Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Dick offered a hand.

    ¡°Well met.¡± Gao Yang nodded and took his hand.

    ¡ªDetected Talent: Tracking. Do you wish to replicate it?

    Tracking, serial number 125, Support-type.

    The Talent allowed one to locate an object they had touched within a certain period of time.

    That made the man a human tracker and locator, perfect for intelligence work.

    Chen Ying then briefly introduced the other members. With that out of the way, Dick led them to the parking lot, where there was an eight-passenger white van.

    It drove out of the airport, entering Zone 1 of A City in an hour.

    Zone 1 was the city center with towering skyscrapers, interwoven traffic, and dense poption. On the streets, a hodgepodge of cultures could be observed.

    It was hard to imagine that the megacity boasting tens of millions of people housed only five hundred thousand in actuality.

    Gao Yang had to admire the director¡ªthe Heavenly Way¡ªfor the impressive mise-en-scene, as well as the professionalism shown by the extras¡ªthe wanderers.

    Soon, the van drove out of the prosperous Zone 1 to Zone 3.

    Gao Yang noticed the obvious decrease in pedestrians. Some streets even seemed bleak, like part of an abandoned city.

    Not even the most adept cook could make a good meal with no ingredients. It seemed that the Heavenly Way had its limit.

    Dick parked the car on an old street. They got out and pretended to be a small tourist group, settling down at an inn that had obviously been around for a while.

    Three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the seven of them gathered in Gao Yang¡¯s room, discussing their n for the evening mission while having take-out hamburgers, fries, and iced c.

    Dick took out a map for the city and pointed at the border area. It was Zone 5, the old district with the poorest and smallest poption.

    Dick made a circle around Zone 5 with a marker.

    ¡°This is where the beverage factory is. It¡¯s very suspicious,¡± Dick said. ¡°One of the warehouses is guarded by armed mercenaries. I looked into it. The warehouse doesn¡¯t have any wares in it, nor is there contraband being smuggled. Every two to three days, though, a ck sedan drives into the warehouse and leaves in the early morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s suspicious, but not necessarily a base of the Godbearer Cult,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Dick smiled, revealing his orderly white teeth. ¡°That alone doesn¡¯t say much, but I asked a friend from the intelligence agency to look into the predecessor of the factory. In the 40s of the past century, the ce was a private biopharmaceuticalpany. Itter dissolved, and all employees went missing for unknown reasons. Although the incident was covered up, traces were left.¡±

    ¡°Look. This was the logo of thepany.¡± Dick took out his phone and called up a ck-and-white photo in the album.

    The logo was identical to the one Mischievous Monkey had seen in his infancy, the previous iteration of the Godbearer Cult¡¯s symbol.

    ¡°Ha, then we¡¯re at the right ce.¡± Officer Huang was now convinced.

    Chen Ying smiled proudly. ¡°Dick is a pro in intelligence work.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dick turned to her with a grateful smile.

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    Gao Yang tested him secretly. He didn¡¯t lie, and he was benevolent.

    While drinking c, Nainai got to her feet and smirked, speaking in choppy West Nationnguage, ¡°Ha, what a pity. The one this Empress had defeated survived since Ragnarok, yet ended up in thend of the abandoned. This time, allow this Empress to wield the spear of fate to execute...¡±

    Chewing on her hamburger, Qing Ling looked up at Nainai coldly.

    Nainai immediately fell silent, gnawing on the straw in her c and sitting back down without a word.

    ¡°What did she say?¡± Dick looked confused. ¡°Did I miss something important?¡±

    ¡°No, she was expressing approval for your findings,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°Nothing more.¡±

    Dick chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s a cultural difference?¡±

    <i>No, it¡¯s the difference between a normal person and a chuuni patient.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice thement.

    They spent another ten minutes discussing the n beforeing to a consensus.

    Gao Yang made the official announcement. ¡°We¡¯ll sneak into the warehouse at three o¡¯clock in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t that be dangerous?¡± Chen Ying was a little worried. It was the Godbearer Cult after all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It can¡¯t be their main base, but merely a small branch office.¡± Gao Yang was certain of it.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Officer Huang agreed. ¡°Their main base wouldn¡¯t stand out so much with all thoseckeys guarding it.¡±

    ¡°The priority of the mission is stealth. We do this cleanly and grab only the key figures. Do not attract too much attention, or we¡¯ll alert the enemies in hiding.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Rest in the afternoon. We set out at night.¡±

 Chapter 423: Suspicious Warehouse

    <h4>Chapter 423: Suspicious Warehouse</h4>

    Dick took his leave first. The others got a few hours of sleep in preparation for the mission at night.

    In the evening, the six of them had take-outs in Gao Yang¡¯s room. Again, the meal consisted of high-calorie food like hamburgers, fried chickens, french fries, mac and cheese, and apple pies, paired with sd.

    Chen Ying felt guilty after finishing the meal. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, sheined, ¡°How many sets of HIIT workouts do I have to do to offset all the calorie intake?¡±

    Herment garnered no agreement. She looked at them with confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about losing weight?¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Lithe Snake, Nainai, and Officer Huang didn¡¯t really concern themselves with diet. They ate whatever they wanted to eat, but maintained a healthy weight.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be young,¡± Chen Yingforted herself. ¡°You¡¯ve got a quick metabolism.¡±

    ¡°First, I¡¯m not young.¡± Officer Huang bit off a chunk of meat from the piece of fried chicken in his hand. ¡°Second, recent studies show that teenagers and adults share simr metabolism.¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang, how did you get your wife to be with you when you have no tact with women?¡± Chen Ying joked rather than getting angry.

    ¡°You misunderstood, Miss Chen,¡± Officer Huang said glibly. ¡°What you need to find true love is heart.¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to the man Su Xi remembered Huang Qi to be. How did he end up like this? Time sure was a sharp chisel. It could change someone so dramatically.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, they changed into stealth suits and hopped into Dick¡¯s car.

    The car drove to Zone 5 and parked in a remote area two blocks away from the beverage factory. Then the seven of them crossed the mostly abandoned old street with the night as their cover, moving to the side behind the factory.

    The warehouse guarded by armed mercenaries was located in the southeastern side of the factory, behind which was a stream the wastewater was released into.

    Gao Yang and his team crouched behind the cover on the other side of the stream, observing their destination with binocrs.

    Through the tall wire fences, they could see arge warehouse with a blue rooftop and yellow walls. The front door was manned by about a dozen mercenaries armed with submachine guns. They didn¡¯t wear formal uniforms. Most of them were dressed in ck tank tops and camouge pants, their skin covered in tattoos.

    Only the three mercenaries on the rooftop of the warehouse were standing watch with full attention. The others gathered on the clearing outside the warehouse, sitting around a few small tables while smoking, ying cards, cursing, and exchanging dirty jokes.

    ¡°Lithe Snake, draw their attention,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout ahead.¡±

    Dressed in a stealth suit, Lithe Snake nodded and rushed across the wastewater stream, approaching the wire fences. He quickly vaulted the fences and disappeared.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The noise came from behind a cargo box not far from the front door of the warehouse.

    ¡°Who is it?!¡±

    The mercenaries on the rooftop were immediately alerted. They called out to their colleagues, and the ones gathering outside the warehouse rose to their feet, throwing away the cards in their hands and spitting out the cigarettes in their mouths. Raising their submachine guns with their fingers on the triggers, they slowly surrounded the cargo box.

    Waiting on the other side, Gao Yang immediately teleported through the fences.

    He quickly ran to the side of the warehouse, pressing his ear to the wall and enhancing his hearing. It was dead silent inside.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang teleported again into the warehouse.

    His eyes quickly got used to theck of light. There were rows of long, empty shelves. While there weren''t any bottled drinks, there was nothing suspicious, either.

    Walking in between the shelves, Gao Yang quickly noticed that two of the shelves were further apart than the others.

    He thought back to what Dick had found¡ªevery two to three days, a car would drive into the warehouse and wouldn¡¯t leave until early morning.

    Gao Yang eyed the gap between the shelves. It was wide enough for a car to fit through.

    He quickly turned into the aisle, reaching the end. Soon, he noticed the three meter wide square metal door under his feet.

    He knelt down and knocked on the automatic door. Judging by the bright sound, there was an underground space.

    Gao Yang tried to teleport inside, but his body remained where he was after blurring for a second.

    <i>There¡¯s a barrier,</i> Gao Yang realized with a start. <i>There¡¯s an awakener here!</i>

    Of course, Gao Yang could very well destroy the door with Fire Punch, but that would draw too much attention, which would be at odds with their intention of conducting an investigation secretly.

    Moreover, there could be powerful awakeners or elite monsters underground. Gao Yang might not be able to deal with them on his own.

    After some deliberation, he decided to call in the team and had Chen Ying open the door with Skeleton Key.

    Three minutester, Gao Yang returned to the other side of the stream, where his teammates were hiding.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the warehouse, but under the warehouse is an underground space. The entrance is sealed with a barrier.¡±

    ¡°I can open it,¡± Chen Ying piped up.

    Gao Yang nodded, saying into his earpiece, ¡°Lithe Snake, buy us another two minutes. We¡¯re going in.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Lithe Snake answered concisely.

    Soon, noises came from around the warehouse. Outside of the guards on the rooftop, the other moved toward the source of the noises, cursing and taunting as they went.

    ¡°Get ready.¡± Gao Yang waved his hand.

    Nainai covered half of her face with one hand. ¡°Haha, mortal, this Empress will give you a chance to serve me...¡±

    Gao Yang red at her. ¡°Start making sense.¡±

    Nainai quickly corrected herself. ¡°I...I can shrink myself and stay in your pocket.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly caught on. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Nainai activated Scale and shrunk herself like one would in a sci-fi movie. In less than three seconds, she became thumb-size.

    Gao Yang bent down and extended his hand. She jumped onto his palm.

    He put her in his breast pocket. Nainai, now shrunk, popped her head out of his pocket, muttering something too quiet for others to hear. Safe to assume that she must be speaking her embarrassing chuuni lines again.

    ¡°Wow, my god! It¡¯s amazing!¡± As someone with low-ranking Talent, Dick had never seen strange powers like hers.

    The others weren¡¯t too surprised.

    With Lithe Snake drawing the mercenaries away, they vaulted the wire fences stealthily and avoided the watchful eyes of the guards on the rooftop, entering the warehouse through a small window on the side.

    Gao Yang could teleport through a wall, but he couldn¡¯t take his teammates through the wall with him. Moreover, level 5 Teleportation was capped at 30 uses in half an hour. Since they could get into a fight soon, he tried his best to save more uses forter.

    Without stopping, they reached the entrance to the underground space.

    Chen Ying crouched down and ced her hands on the metal door under their feet.

    Two secondster, she said with certainty, ¡°There¡¯s a barrier, but it isn¡¯t strong. I can open it. You should stay back.¡±

 Chapter 424: Basement

    <h4>Chapter 424: Basement</h4>

    They quietly backed away. Chen Ying¡¯s hands were still on the metal door beneath her feet. She closed her eyes and muttered under her breath.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang sensed two energies warring under her. The victor was decided in ten seconds.

    Chen Ying¡¯s long hair flew into the air as a ripple of energy shot outward. The metal door glowed a milk white, illuminating the warehouse before fading in two seconds.

    ¡°Done.¡± Chen Ying let out a long breath and exined gently, ¡°The barrier came with a curse. Going through it directly would be dangerous. It seems that an awakener is involved in this. It must be the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    Gao Yang quietly thought, <i>Level 5 Teleportation sure is useful. It can help me avoid dangers too. If I encounter a barrier I can¡¯t teleport through, it''s better to not break through it.</i>

    Chen Ying kept her hands on the door. Five secondster, the sound of gears turning could be heard.

    She stood up and backed away.

    The metal door slowly opened to the sides, revealing a slope heading underground.

    Gao Yang essed his system reflexively to confirm that there was no danger before heading in.

    The others followed. Still hiding in Gao Yang¡¯s pocket, Nainai bbered quietly, making sounds that resembled a mosquito.

    The underground tunnel was about four meters wide with voice controlled lights at the top, which lit up as they headed in. It was easy to picture the car driving into the warehouse going down the slope.

    It took them less than a minute to reach the end of the tunnel.

    Gao Yang estimated that it was less than twenty meters underground, the scale much smaller than that of the underground grand hall Azure Dragon had discovered under the Sacred Mountain Church in Snow Nation.

    At the end of the tunnel was an automatic metal door. Chen Ying opened it easily.

    The space the door led to was dim, almost pitch ck. They could vaguely tell that it was a two-level basement about the size of an indoor basketball court, filled messily with tables.

    They took a few steps forward. Gao Yang was the first to notice something unusual. The pungent smell of rotten meat and metallic blood assaulted his senses.

    Soon, the other frowned and paled as well.

    Without a word, Qing Ling conjured her Tang Dao and Xiu Dao.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. Be careful.¡± Officer Huang held his two guns, his eyes sharp.

    ¡°Chen Ying, Dick, stay behind me,¡± Gao Yang said in a lowered voice, concentrating energy in his fists.

    Suddenly, the numerous energy-saving lights above them turned on at the same time, lighting up the entire basement.

    Gao Yang and his team were exposed with nowhere to hide.

    He looked up around, frowning.

    On the left side of the several hundred square meter basement, there were a few surgical beds with shadowlessmps, beside which were a few small carts. There were bloodied scalpels, tweezers, pliers, steel nails, and other tools on them.

    On the right side of the basement was a blood-stained iron wall covered in torture devices. More tools for interrogation and torture were simrly piled by the wall.

    Gao Yang looked up at the numerous iron cages hanging down from the ceiling, each imprisoning one or two wanderers. They were naked and covered in injuries, varying in age and sex.

    Most of their bodies were stuck in a state between human and monster, their eyes possessed, numb, terrified, or despairing. It was clear that they had gone through tremendous torture to their bodies and minds.

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Officer Huang looked ahead and was ready to pop a vein.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Chen Ying covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes reddening instantly¡ªnot out of fear, but shock and heartache.

    The other saw it then. Right before them was a white wall. It was covered in the dismembered limbs and heads of wanderers. The drained, almost rotting body parts hung to form a giant ¡®wee¡¯.

    It was a trap!

    The walkway on the second level of the underground space was suddenly crowded with dozens of people, about seventy to eighty mercenaries from the organized crime world. They each had a different firearm in hand and were aiming at Gao Yang and his team from above.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    The leading man ordered without hesitation.

    All sorts of gunshot noises resounded in the basement, the bulletsing at them without leaving a gap.

    ¡°Metal!¡±

    Qing Ling had already sprung to action a second before the man made the order, sying her hands and balling them into fists, making a pulling motion.

    Instantly, six surgical beds flew over to form a barricade before them.

    The next second, countless bullets hit the beds.

    Gao Yang was going to teleport to the upper level to deal with theckeys, but decided against it.

    It would take at least half a minute for him to kill so many enemies, which would be too long for the surgical beds to endure.

    In fact, Chen Ying and Dick had been hit in the calf and the arm respectively, and a bullet had left a gash on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder.

    It would be too embarrassing for six awakeners to get killed by a group of wanderers pelting them with bullets.

    ¡°Metal!¡±

    Gao Yang had replicated Qing Ling¡¯s level 4 Metal and Officer Huang¡¯s level 5 God of Firearms before entering.

    He syed his hands before holding them together and yanking.

    About a dozen submachine guns held by the mercenaries stopped firing and flew out of their hands,ing to Gao Yang.

    Without missing a beat, Qing Ling raised a hand and used Metal in the same direction, pulling in another dozen guns.

    ¡°Yellow Ox!¡± Gao Yang shouted. Officer Huang realized what he was nning.

    <i>Ha, I¡¯ll show you what God of Firearms is!</i>

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡±

    Gao Yang called out again.

    Qing Ling had caught on as well. She grabbed Chen Ying and Dick, quickly ducking down. At the same time, the barricade of surgical beds lowered to a height that was just enough to keep everyone shielded.

    Officer Huang and Gao Yang had knelt down as well, their backs pressed together. The thirty something guns controlled by Metal hovered around them.

    Gao Yang activated the replicated level 5 God of Firearms.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Hundreds of bullets fired in a second, instantly killing the enemies on the higher level. The sounds of bullets shooting out of the chambers squeezed into a second of explosive chorus.

    It looked as if the guns had turned into a flickering orb, the orange muzzle shes radiating in all directions. A secondter, the light died down like nothing had happened, but the mercenaries had either copsed to the ground, shot, or fell off the railings and hit the lower level.

    If there had been a high speed camera catching the moment, though, it would capture Gao Yang and Officer Huang moving their hands at a speed too quick for the naked eye to see like the thousand-hand buddha, pulling the triggers of the guns around them almost instantaneously, hitting the hearts and heads of the wanderers with great precision.

    The whole ordeal ended in a matter of a second, and the mercenaries died without making a sound or even registering what had happened.

    Only the three elite monsters hiding among them survived the hail of bullets.

    Amid the bodies of their fellow monsters and pooling blood, they rose to their feet and quickly transformed, charging at Gao Yang and his team.

 Chapter 425: Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 425: Old Friend</h4>

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang exchanged a smile, unbothered by the three surviving monsters. Instead, they helped the injured Chen Ying and Dick stand up.

    Qing Ling charged at the three monsters with her two des while manipting the three sharp ck Gold darts, moving swiftly yet elegantly as she swung her des, decapitating the three elite monsters with quick shes.

    ¡°That brought me back,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°Thest time we fought together was the Gu Family¡¯s Vige.¡±

    ¡°Wasn''t it the chemical nt?¡± Gao Yang responded with a smile.

    ¡°That time, Qing Ling and I went to your rescue. We didn¡¯t fight together. Don¡¯t confuse the two.¡± Officer Huang arched an eyebrow. ¡°You were all beaten up by ck Tortoise by then.¡±

    ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s all in the past.¡± Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>I have a reputation to maintain here.</i>

    Nainai jumped out of Gao Yang¡¯s pocket then and turned into normal size. She put on the disposable gloves in the medical supply bag she carried, shrinking down her two fingers into tweezers to extract the bullets from Chen Ying¡¯s calf and Dick¡¯s arm. Then she injected their gunshot wounds each with a third of a shot of Medicine C.

    Clenching her teeth to endure the pain, Chen Ying said with a pale face, her forehead covered in cold sweat, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Nainai quietly disinfected her wound and patched her up.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. The girl was dependable as long as she didn¡¯t open her mouth.

    He said, ¡°We¡¯re exposed. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± The voice came from the tunnel. They turned to see Lithe Snakeing up to them.

    He was holding a bloodied shortsword with crimson stains covering his face. ¡°I heard gunshots and guessed that you must have gotten ambushed, so I dealt with the guards outside.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what expression he should put on. <i>As expected of Brother Lithe Snake, silent but deadly.</i>

    ¡°Well then.¡± Gao Yang looked up at the poor wanderers trapped in the metal cages. ¡°Release them and make an anonymous call to the police.¡±

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang nodded. They jumped onto the higher level of the basement and found the control panel, lowering the metal cages. Qing Ling then cut the locks open with her des.

    Once the cages opened, the wanderers cowered fearfully rather thane out.

    Officer Huang and Qing Ling exchanged a nce, deciding not to intervene further.

    Nainai had finished bandaging Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying stared at Dick and demanded, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Dick? Were you made?¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know.¡± Dick suddenly lost his confidence, his expression nking.

    Gao Yang watched him. Something wasn¡¯t right.

    He had used Lie Detection on the man, which ruled out the possibility of him being a spy. Everything they found in this basement, however, made it clear that the enemies had known that they wereing andid down a trap.

    Dick was an outstanding intelligence agent with good counter-recon skills. It was unlikely for him to make such a mistake.

    Kneeling on the floor, Dick suddenly picked up a submachine gun and pointed it at Gao Yang, Chen Ying, and Nainai, about to pull the trigger.

    A dart pierced into his arm then. Dick cried out in pain, dropping the gun.

    Gao Yang teleported to him and grabbed his neck, mming him into the wall behind.

    Dick wasn¡¯t much of a fighter. Instead of resisting, he covered his right arm, pierced by the dart, his expression fearful and confused.

    Gao Yang questioned icily, ¡°Did you join the Godbearer Cult?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I haven¡¯t joined them...¡± Dick struggled, the pupils of his grayish blue eyes dting. ¡°I didn¡¯t betray you!¡±

    ¡°You just tried to kill us. What do you say about that?¡±

    Dick paused. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t remember what he had just done at all. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I...I don¡¯t know what¡¯s with me... I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. <i>Is Dick acting? Does he have schizophrenia or something?</i>

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lithe Snake said in a cold voice. ¡°He¡¯s not gonna live for long.¡±

    Gao Yang started, noticing the strange evil energy emerging in Dick¡¯s chest.

    Gao Yang let go of him and took a few steps back.

    Face suddenly pale and distorted with pain, Dick dropped to his knees, holding onto his chest. ¡°Ugh, help... Help me... I...I don¡¯t feel well... I don¡¯t wanna die...¡±

    ¡°Aghhh!!¡±

    He widened his arms and howled in pain.

    Fire burst out from the center of his chest, burning through his shirt and smoking thickly. The fabric wasn¡¯t set on fire, however. It seemed more like an invisible branding iron had branded him.

    Two secondster, Dick copsed to the ground, bleeding from the corners of his mouth, eyes widened with lingering regrets.

    ¡°Dick...¡± Chen Ying said hoarsely. She couldn¡¯t believe that he would just die like that.

    Gao Yang made sure there was no danger before going up to the man, crouching down to lift the shirt from his chest. He was surprised to find a gory brand mark at the center. It was the dor symbol.

    It must be some sort of binding curse.

    Dick was likely to have been controlled by a Talent of the maniption or curse type, resulting in him losing control over his own action. He didn¡¯t even know that he was under control.

    That was why Lie Detection had failed to find anything wrong.

    <i>The Talentes with many limitations. I shouldn¡¯t rely on it too much, or I¡¯ll get myself killed sooner orter.</i>

    ¡°Dick...what happened to him?¡±

    With a trace of sorrow in her eyes, Chen Ying walked up to Lithe Snake and held his gaze.

    ¡°He was controlled,¡± Lithe Snake said with certainty. He lifted his head and looked around. ¡°When I got here, I realized at first nce how familiar the sight was. It turns out that it was him.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Yang turned to him.

    ¡°An old friend,¡± Lithe Snake said with ice-cold, venomous hatred. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for him for years.¡±

    <i>An old grudge</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°I have a request, Captain.¡± Lithe Snake looked at Gao Yang with fierce eyes. ¡°I will be the one to make the final strike to kill him.¡±

 Chapter 426: Lithe Snakeâ€™s Past

    <h4>Chapter 426: Lithe Snake¡¯s Past</h4>

    Gao Yang believed it would be unwise to stay here for long.

    He turned to Lithe Snake. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here first and talk on the way.¡±

    ¡°What do we do with him?¡± Officer Huang looked at Dick¡¯s body.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to take him with us and bury him when there¡¯s time,¡± said Chen Ying.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t disagree.

    Chen Ying was going to lift Dick¡¯s body. Officer Huang sighed. ¡°Allow me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Chen Ying nodded, taking off Dick¡¯s watch.

    They quickly left the warehouse of the beverage factory and returned to Dick¡¯s car, cing his body in the trunk. They drove to another street block.

    On the way, Chen Ying called the police with a burner phone, sending them to rescue the wanderers in the basement under the warehouse.

    They left the car hidden in a rundown alleyway without surveince cameras before getting out, entering a bar crowded with a mixed crowd to change their clothes in the restrooms. Then they left the bar.

    With Shapeshifter, Nainai turned into a local woman and used the fake ID they had prepared beforehand to book a room for two at a small hotel.

    Nainai went in and closed the door, drawing the curtains before opening the window. Lithe Snake jumped in, followed by Qing Ling and Officer Huang. Then Gao Yang teleported to the window while supporting Chen Ying by her arm.

    Once they were settled down in the temporary safehouse, Nainai ordered some food. Ten minutester, milk, coffee, and sandwiches were delivered to the door.

    Drinking coffee, Gao Yang got right to the point. ¡°Lithe Snake, tell us about your old friend.¡±

    With one hand in his pocket, Lithe Snake leaned against the window while ying with a dart. The dim yellowmp on the wall illuminated one side of his sculpted face. The long scar running from his left eye to his right cheek was half hidden in shadow.

    ¡°Twenty years ago, I...¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Chen Ying couldn¡¯t help but cut him off. ¡°Twenty years ago? How old are you now?¡±

    ¡°Thirty-nine.¡± Lithe Snake frowned. He didn¡¯t know why she would ask that.

    ¡°What?!¡± Chen Ying was shocked. ¡°I thought you were no more than thirty.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right.¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette and kept it between his fingers, not in a hurry to light it. ¡°Perhaps those with Life-type Talents age more slowly?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Gao Yang remembered something. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird isn¡¯t young, but she looks to be around twenty-five.¡±

    ¡°Ha, ignorant mortals.¡± Nainai sat on a high-back chair in the corner in a pretentious posture, her upper body awash in shadow. ¡°This Empress has lived thousands of years, yet still retains the youthful appearance of an eighteen-year-old...¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to the topic.¡± Gao Yang pped.

    ¡°Let me finish, hey!¡± Nainai jumped up, vexed. She had finally found the chance to chime in. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me...¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Qing Ling snapped.

    Nainai immediately closed her mouth.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes turned cold as he reminisced in a low voice, ¡°Twenty years ago, I was a merc in Rogue Cape. You know Rogue Cape, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The others nodded.

    Gao Yang had never been to Rogue Cape, but he had long heard of it.

    It was the most dangerous ce in the mundane world, thend divided by warlords and ravaged by wars. The economy was built upon drug trades, humantrafficking, and gunrunning. Criminals called it home, and regr people would never go there unless they didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Lithe Snake spoke in monotone like he was telling someone else¡¯s story. ¡°My parents did borderline illegal business in the Rogue Cape and died in a local riot. I was twelve when I got taken to a ntation for forcedbor.¡±

    ¡°Three yearster, a group of mercs destroyed the ntation. I got saved, and their leader took a liking to me, keeping me around and raising me. I became a member of the group then.¡±

    ¡°Benson was the name of the leader. He treated me like a brother. His deputy was Hyena, the one responsible for the weing gift tonight.¡± His tone grew sharp with unbridled hatred when he spat out thetter¡¯s name.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same old story. I stayed with the group for four years. We were either killing people, on the way of killing people, or on the way of getting killed. We would take any job as long as it paid¡ªbut Benson had a rule. We didn¡¯t go after innocent people, the old, weak, and disabled. Those we killed were criminals themselves.¡±

    ¡°Hyena was a two-faced man. He seemed friendly on the outside, but was in truth cunning and cold-blooded. He was our bookkeeper and took jobs for us. He seemed to have a strange charisma that made every negotiation for a job and its pay go smoothly. Onlyter did I learn that it was because of his Talent.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean,¡± Officer Huang took a drag of his cigarette, ¡°That Hyena was already an awakener then, while you were still a regr human, and the other mercs were wanderers?¡±

    Lithe Snake nodded, turning to Gao Yang. ¡°I told you before that a friend of mine took joy in torturing wanderers, and that I once visited his ¡®wondend¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Hyena?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Among our group, Benson and Hyena earned the most, but Benson always took the boys outside for alcohol and entertainment, splurging as much as he had earned for instant gratification. He thus never had much savings.¡±

    ¡°Hyena was different. He rarely came with us to our outings and instead bought arge mansion for himself with a big basement. That was where he imprisoned and tortured wanderers. That was his idea of a fun time.¡±

    ¡°Once, Hyena made the mistake of exposing himself and almost got killed by a devourer. I happened to be there and shot the monster to save him.¡±

    Lithe Snake paused, his gaze pained. ¡°That was the biggest mistake I¡¯ve ever made in my life.¡±

    ¡°Seeing that I neither went berserk nor lost consciousness, Hyena realized that I was human too, only I hadn¡¯t awakened. He told me about the truth of the world and gave me a tour of his wondend. When I got home, I spent the night having nightmares.¡±

    ¡°A few dayster, we got another job to assassinate a rich man. He was a well-known human trafficker. That night, we killed the rich man and his bodyguards. Then we found many ves getting tortured in his basement.¡±

    ¡°One of the cages seemed different. Inside were a pair of twins who looked about six or seven. They had silver hair and red eyes. I remembered them well. Unlike the other ves, who had been tortured, they looked like purebred pets carefully watched over, locked in arge birdcage made with special metal, which was made to resemble a cabin from a fairytale.¡±

    ¡°It was clear that the rich man didn¡¯t darey a hand on them. He kept them well taken care of, which must be for a different reason.¡±

    ¡°Seeing the twins, Hyena perked up and said that he would give up the pay. He wanted the twins instead.¡±

 Chapter 427: Lithe Snakeâ€™s Past 2

    <h4>Chapter 427: Lithe Snake¡¯s Past 2</h4>

    Lithe Snake¡¯s gaze turned hateful. ¡°I could guess what the son of a bitch was thinking. I didn¡¯t allow him to get his way. I let the twins go.¡±

    ¡°It was the first time Hyena lost his temper. He even raised his gun at my head. Benson stopped him and released the other ves,plimenting me for doing the right thing.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. Could the twins be Fresh Snow and White Dew?

    White Dew was 27 years old, which meant she was 7 twenty years ago. It would fit the timeline.

    ¡°How did the twins escape?¡± Gao Yang pressed.

    Lithe Snake paused. He didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to care about the little detail.

    He tried his best to recall the memory. ¡°I remember Hyena chasing after them as soon as they ran out of the cage, but he lost them. Only their clothes were left at the door. The twins seemed to have vanished into thin air.¡±

    <i>It was them!</i>

    <i>One turned into a cat, and the other water, thus escaping easily.</i>

    Never would Fresh Snow and White Dew imagine that their savior back then was actually food to them.

    Still, how did they end up in the hands of the trafficker? It didn¡¯t make sense. Even though they were only seven at the time, it should be easy for them to deal with regr people¡ªor untransformed monsters for the matter.

    Lithe Snake hadn¡¯t noticed Gao Yang¡¯s bemusement. He continued, ¡°That was only an interlude to Hyena. Afterward, he acted like his usual self, maintaining a pleasant rtionship with others on the surface in order to rake in more money, while under the table, he had been looking into the faction behind the trafficker.¡±

    ¡°He traced the trafficker to the Godbearer Cult.¡± Qing Ling made an educated guess.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Thinking back, he must have formed a connection to the Godbearer Cult at that time. The twins were likely Spectres, and the rich man was watching over them for the Cult. Perhaps the Cult was looking to tame them or experiment on them, but we threw a wrench into their n.¡±

    ¡°Where exactly did Spectrese from?¡± asked Officer Huang.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet.¡± Chen Ying shook her head and frowned in thought. ¡°The Cult may know. That was how they captured young Spectres.¡±

    ¡°Very likely,¡± Gao Yang said, directing the conversation back to the matter at hand. ¡°Let Lithe Snake finish first.¡±

    Lithe Snake continued, ¡°A monthter, Hyena sought me out, saying that he was going to leave the mercenary group for a stronger and more interesting organization. He asked if I wanted to go with him. Although I hadn¡¯t awakened my Talent then, I was human at the end of the day.¡±

    ¡°I hesitated. Benson and the other mercenaries were like brothers to me, but they were wanderers. We were fundamentally different species.¡±

    ¡°So you left with Hyena?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    Lithe Snake shook his head. ¡°I debated with myself that night and decided to stay in the end.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Officer Huang was pleased. ¡°It seems we¡¯re kindred spirits.¡±

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t look at him. Instead, he lowered his head, his gaze burning with even more intense hatred. ¡°The day Hyena left, he invited everyone to have a drink at his mansion as farewell.¡±

    ¡°We all got wasted. I was vomiting in the restroom when I heard gunshots. When I went back to the living room, all my brothers had been killed with shots in the heads, their blood pooling on the floor.¡±

    ¡°Hyena stood amid the bodies with a pistol, sneering. I thought it was all a fever dream. I asked him why he killed ourpanions.¡±

    ¡°<i>Companions? Don¡¯t be absurd. They¡¯re animals. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re allowed to live, but you, a human, developing attachment to them and seeing them as family? How repulsive. That¡¯s why I decided to kill all of you before I leave, or I¡¯m gonna feel disgusted every time I remember you in the future.</i>¡±

    ¡°That was what Hyena had said.¡± Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. ¡°I remember every word.¡±

    The others fell into an enraged yet helpless silence. They wanted nothing more but to go back to the scene twenty years ago and kill Hyena personally.

    Gao Yang suddenly remembered Lithe Snake¡¯s attitude to wanderers when they first met¡ªhe was indifferent, even resentful.

    Perhaps the one he resented was his past self, who had failed to protect his family.

    ¡°Hyena shot me but didn¡¯t kill me. He knew how to make things hurt the most. He nted timed bombs around the mansion. I could only lie on the floor, watching Benson and the others grew stiff¡±

    ¡°Half a minuteter, the mansion exploded. I tried my best to crawl my way to the balcony. I ended up blown up into three pieces and flying off the mansion. However, I survived.¡±

    ¡°It was...your Talent?¡± Chen Ying said.

    ¡°Yes, Iprehended Gecko and regrew my missing body parts. I was unconscious for a month. The one who saved me was one of the ves we freed back in the rich man¡¯s basement.¡±

    ¡°When I woke up, I was determined to seek revenge, but Hyena seemed to have disappearedpletely. I couldn¡¯t find anything on him.¡±

    ¡°I spected that he must have joined the world of awakeners, so I came to Li City and joined the Qilin Guild. Over the years, I¡¯ve been looking for Hyena nonstop, but to no avail. Ha, didn¡¯t expect the bastard to have joined the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°The snakes and mice sure gather in the dirtiest corner.¡± Officer Huang halted after saying that and quickly gave Qing Ling and Lithe Snake an apologetic smile. ¡°No offense. It¡¯s just a saying.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Neither did Lithe Snake.

    ¡°What¡¯s Hyena¡¯s Talent?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lithe Snake shook his head. ¡°But the dor sign seems to be a running theme. He had it tattooed on his chest and often etched it on the wanderers he tortured.¡±

    ¡°Before Hyena turned on us, he had shown me his ability to control wanderers through etching the dor sign on them.¡±

    Chen Ying frowned. ¡°It¡¯s likely a Summon-type Talent. Something simr to ck Tortoise¡¯ Puppeteer, perhaps?¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang.

    <i>Is it Buy Off, serial number 193?</i>

    As one of the bottom twelve Talents, it corresponded with the top Summon-type Talent, Puppeteer.

    Then it was basically a certainty that Hyena was a member of Tails, the group serving the Godbearer Cult.

    Chen Ying thought of something then. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Although this may not be the right time, there¡¯s something that¡¯s been bothering me.¡±

 Chapter 428: Dick

    <h4>Chapter 428: Dick</h4>

    ¡°Go on,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°ording to your description, Rogue Cape is quite arge region.¡± Chen Ying sounded a little confused. ¡°But seven years ago, when the Union sent surveyors to the ce, it was fairly small.¡±

    Lithe Snake answered, ¡°I know. Six years ago, I went back to Rogue Cape to attend the funeral of the trafficked victim who saved me. I noticed then that the ce had gotten a lot smaller.¡±

    Officer Huang hissed in surprise. ¡°Do you mean that the Mist World shrinks?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other ces, but there were many offshore inds around Rogue Cape. The merc group I belonged to went there and hid in the tropical woods whenever we got in trouble with the wrong people. When I went back for the funeral, though, many of the inds had be unreachable, blocked by the barrier of the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Chen Ying was shocked. ¡°Did you tell the Guild?¡±

    ¡°I told ck Tortoise, and he asked me to keep it a secret. I¡¯m not sure if he had told Guildmaster Qilin.¡±

    Gao Yang fell into thought.<i> Is it that the Mist World atrge has been shrinking, or only the area around Rogue Cape? Does it have something to do with the Mist World only having a hundred-year lifespan?</i>

    Both were questions not yet answered.

    Gao Yang took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Guildmaster that and what happened tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll report back too.¡± Officer Huang took out his phone and looked for War Tiger¡¯s contact information.

    ¡°Same here.¡± Chen Ying followed suit.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>Ha, and this is where the rivalry between the three organizationses into y. None is willing to be left behind in the information war.</i>

    ¡°We¡¯d have to trouble you, Chen Ying,¡± Gao Yang said politely. ¡°Find out more through Dick¡¯s watch with your Psychometry. The focus is on Hyena and the Godbearer Cult behind him.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Chen Ying nodded. She had taken off Dick¡¯s watch to do exactly that.

    ...

    It only took a few minutes for them to brief their respective organizations. Meanwhile, Nainai voluntarily cleaned up the mess they left after eating.

    Chen Ying took Dick¡¯s watch to the bathroom, ncing at the others before closing the door. ¡°I need ten minutes. Please try to keep it down.¡±

    They nodded.

    Chen Ying entered the bathroom andid clean towels on the toilet lid before sitting down, putting Dick¡¯s watch on.

    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drawing the energy in her body to her wrist to examine and explore the watch.

    Her Psychometry was now level 6, and she quickly got into the right state.

    Her consciousness and willpower weaved through the turbulent flows of information, opening the door of time and space with the watch as the medium. She found herself in what seemed like a theater consisting of information and energy, able to make one relive an experience.

    Countless snippets of memory from the watch¡¯s point of view were presented to her, hovering before her like a slideshow. Each depicted a period of Dick¡¯s life¡ªhis work, leisure time, meals, showers, sleeps, and more¡ªtracing all the way back to twelve days ago.

    In the form of consciousness and energy, Chen Ying quickly browsed through the snippets. Whenever one caught her attention, she would dive into it and experience the memory as Dick¡¯s watch.

    The first five days were uneventful.

    Dick yed his mundane identity well¡ªa single man and an unknownwyer with little ambition.

    At night, he would go to a bar near thew firm with his colleagues to get a drink. If he hit it off with a woman he liked, he would take her to his ce. Sometimes, he went for ady of the night offering the right price.

    Every Wednesday night, he made an encoded call to the HQ of the Hundred Rivers Union at Li City, spending about five minutes briefing the Union on his everyday work.

    Eight days ago, Dick got an instruction from Chen Ying, telling him to collect information on the Godbearer Cult and conduct an investigation locally.

    Thus, Dick decreased his workload during the day and started a secret investigation utilizing his job title.

    In the next two days, he found about a dozen suspects and narrowed it down to three. Then he asked a friend in the intelligence agency out for a few drinks, asking him to look further into the suspects.

    Of course, Dick couldn¡¯t tell his friend that he was looking into the Godbearer Cult, so he made up a lie that their client was trying to unearth the skeletons in the closets of the three rivalpanies, nning to attack them with scandals. It was the mostmon trick in businesspetition.

    His friend did what he was asked for with the right pay and didn¡¯t ask much.

    The next few days, while waiting for results, Dick went to the bar to get a drink and look for information through other channels. He also took a prostitute home. While enjoying her service, he tried to get intel out of her, too.

    During the time, Dick called Chen Ying once to brief her on his progress.

    Three dayster, Dick got the information his friend found, confirming that the beveragepany¡¯s predecessor was linked to the Godbearer Cult.

    He contacted Chen Ying again and waited for Team Heavenbreaker toe.

    With limited time and energy while sifting through the turbulent memories in consciousness form, Chen Ying couldn¡¯t possibly read every snippet in detail. Browsing through the memories quickly, she found nothing suspicious about his next few days.

    That was until the memory of the watch reached thest day, ten hours before Dick went to the airport to pick them up. Chen Ying caught a strange, suspicious figure.

    Without thinking much, Chen Ying dove into the memory.

    It was one o¡¯clock in the morning, at the studio t Dick lived in.

    As his watch, Chen Ying could see his arm and the two unfamiliar men towering over him.

    One was an average-sized man in fine blue suits, an expensive white fountain pen in his breast pocket. Upon closer look, she realized that it was made of ck Gold.

    He was wearing a white mask with no eyebrows, the mouth split into a strange, disingenuous smile.

    The other man¡ªor she believed them to be a man¡ªwas wearing arge, heavy white spacesuit and a translucent round orange helmet. The re was too pronounced for the face to be made out. All she could see was the helmet getting fogged up by puffs of strange dark brown mist.

    ¡°Who...who are you... Ugh...¡± Dick held his chest and fell to his knees, throwing up.

    Chen Ying saw from the watch¡¯s point of view that he had vomited ck blood clots that looked like rotten tofu.

    While she was only a watch in the memory, she could sense an indescribable pressure and difort, as if an evil corruption was violently assaulting her.

    ¡°Mr. Dick,¡± said the man in the fake-smile mask, his voice smooth and shrewd, but phony. He bent down and took out a white handkerchief, handing it to Dick. ¡°Here, wipe your mouth.¡±

    Dick didn¡¯t take it. He asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Who...who are you...and what did you want from me...?¡±

 Chapter 429: Man with a Smiley Mask

    <h4>Chapter 429: Man with a Smiley Mask</h4>

    ¡°Apologies for thete visit, sir.¡± the man with a smiley mask said in a slimy voice, being unnaturally polite. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been looking into us. Pray tell, is that true?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about...¡± Dick vomited another mouthful of ck blood clots, feeling an overwhelming pain throughout his body and a quiet burn in his internal organs.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we both be a little more honest to the other, Mr. Dick?¡±

    The man took the handkerchief back. ¡°You¡¯re an awakener, a member of the intelligence department of the Hundred Rivers Union in Li City, and you¡¯re looking into the Godbearer Cult¡¯s work in the West Nation. I, on the other hand, am the sales manager of the Godbearer Cult in this country.¡±

    Dick nched and stopped trying to y dumb, shouting, ¡°Come on! Kill me if you will, you piece of shit!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Dick.¡± The masked man chuckled. ¡°If you think death is the worst fate that can befall someone, I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯re sorely mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Ugh...ack, ack...¡±

    Dick started throwing up continuously. Writhing brown worms could be found amid the ck blood clots on the floor.

    Chen Ying felt a numbness in her scalp even though a watch didn¡¯t even have a head.

    The next few minutes, Dick cried out in pain while throwing up blood. Chen Ying couldn¡¯t bear to keep watching, and she was running out of time with her Psychometry, so she fast-forwarded the memory.

    Ten minutester, Dick started begging, unable to endure the torment. ¡°Please, kill me...please...¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no, Mister Dick.¡± The masked man smiled coldly and politely at the awakener curling into himself with pain at his feet. ¡°I¡¯m a businessman, not an executioner. Killing is too savage an act for me. What do you say about a deal?¡±

    ¡°A deal...okay... Go on, go on...¡± Dick caved. He only wanted the pain and torment to end.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy. You¡¯ll keep working, and I¡¯ll allow you to be healthy again. You only need to...¡±

    ¡°No, I...can¡¯t betray mypanions...¡± Dick¡¯sst strand of rationality prompted him to hold onto his principle.

    ¡°You¡¯re not betraying them. You¡¯re not lying or hurting them. You only have to finish your job.¡±

    ¡°No...I must...I must notify...them...¡± Dick¡¯s gaze lost its focus, and his mind was on the verge of breaking.

    ¡°What is your job, Mister Dick? Answer me.¡± The masked man¡¯s voice plunged suddenly, a strange mind-altering psychic energy radiating from him.

    ¡°Investigate...the Godbearer Cult...¡± Dick said honestly.

    ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m...telling the organization.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re telling the organization. Then your work is done. Tortured by the disease, however, you cannot finish the job. I can make you healthy again and allow you to continue your work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes...¡± Dick was ¡®persuaded¡¯.

    ¡°I only ask for your life. Isn¡¯t that a generous offer?¡± the masked man said calmly.

    ¡°Life? Generous...¡± Dick seemed confused, and he wavered. What was left of his rational mind tried to stop him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone dies sooner orter. What difference does it make to die sooner? So life isn¡¯t precious in itself, but it¡¯s bad to leave a job unfinished. You¡¯re an outstanding agent of the Hundred Rivers Union. You mustplete your work outstandingly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I plete my work...¡± Dick had lost himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you finish your mission. The price is your life. Do you take the deal?¡±

    ¡°I do, I take the deal.¡± Dick¡¯s eyes looked possessed. He had been persuaded by the masked man¡¯s absurd way of negotiating.

    ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Dick. You¡¯ve made a wise choice.¡±

    The man took the ck Gold fountain pen from his breast pocket and yanked Dick¡¯s shirt open, drawing a dor sign on his chest.

    ¡°The deal is made. Pleasure working with you.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Chen Ying screamed inside the bathroom.

    Qing Ling immediately rushed up to open the door.

    Sitting on the toilet, Chen Ying panted hurriedly with tears running down her face, her eyes widened.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gao Yang and the others had gone up too.

    ¡°It was the Godbearer Cult. There were two of them... Their abilities were terrible...¡± Chen Ying¡¯s voice trembled. Although she was reading the memories of an inanimate object, she had witnessed Dick¡¯s terrible torture like she had been there.

    Five minutester, Chen Ying was sitting on the bed, holding a cup of hot tea, having exined what she saw through Psychometry.

    ¡°The man with a smiley mask was Hyena.¡± Lithe Snake scowled. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the absurd way of negotiating, but it¡¯s even more unreasonable now than before. His Talent must have leveled up.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Officer Huang crossed his arms and tapped his chin with a finger, ¡°That Dick was in great pain with his mind holding onto a strand, which made it easier for Hyena to take advantage of him.¡±

    Lithe Snake nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Now we can be certain that once the target epted a deal with Hyena and got marked with a contract with his fountain pen, they would be his puppets.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment before adding, ¡°Hyena¡¯s control over his puppets runs deep, allowing him to modify and delete parts of their memories, changing their behavior while the puppets are none the wiser. That¡¯s why my Lie Detection didn¡¯t work right on Dick.¡±

    It was Buy Off, for sure.

    ording to the order of the Talents, Hyena must be No.7 among the Tails.

    <i>Wait, does that mean Tails don¡¯t have No.1 and No.2? Since neither Zhang Wei nor I have joined them.</i>

    Anyhow, Hyena hadpanions. This mission was more troublesome than expected.

    ¡°How should we look for Hyena?¡± Nainai gnawed on the straw in her bottled yogurt. ¡°The West Nation is big, and we ain¡¯t the IBF. We can¡¯t possibly knock on every door openly, can we?¡±

    The others looked at Nainai with strange looks on their faces.

    Nainai was surprised by the attention. ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡±

    ¡°So you can speak normally.¡± Officer Huangughed.

    Nainai put her hands on her hip and stood up. ¡°How dare you mortals question how this Empress speaks and acts...¡±

    Gao Yang ignored her <i>chuuni </i>remark and turned to Chen Ying. ¡°Have you noticed anything else in your reading? We have to find Hyena and the...¡± He tried to find an appropriate descriptor. ¡°Astronaut.¡±

    Chen Ying shook her head. ¡°Neither of them show their faces or reveal any personal identifiable information.¡±

    ¡°Can you use Psychometry again?¡± asked Lithe Snake.

    Chen Ying¡¯s face, which had finally regained some color, paled again. ¡°Yes, I can read an item twice or even thrice, but the second time won¡¯t be as efficient, and more information will be lost. Besides, I¡¯m not sure if I can relive Dick¡¯s experience once more.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go back to that night,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Chen Ying was a little surprised.

    Gao Yang exined, ¡°Hyena and Astronaut must have gone to Dick fully prepared. It¡¯s clear from them keeping their faces obscured that they didn¡¯t want to and wouldn¡¯t have left any clues for us.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°But the fact that Hyena had found out about Dick¡¯s investigation into the Godbearer Cult and gone after him means that Dick must have exposed himself somehow.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment beforeing to a conclusion. ¡°Read the watch again, Chen Ying. Focus on two people in particr. One is Dick¡¯s friend from the intelligence agency, and the other is the woman Dick had taken home. They are the most suspicious. Find their information from the memories, and we¡¯ll start from there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try.¡± Chen Ying let out a long breath and stood up, putting on Dick¡¯s watch and going back to the bathroom.

 Chapter 430: Three Groups

    <h4>Chapter 430: Three Groups</h4>

    In the room, everyone waited quietly, either standing or sitting.

    In less than ten minutes, Chen Ying opened the door to the bathroom.

    This time, she didn¡¯t look panicked and pale like before, but only a little tired. ¡°I got information on Dick¡¯s friend from the intelligence agency, but I only got a fake name on the prostitute.¡±

    Officer Huang said, ¡°Makes sense. People with such jobs usually use fake names.¡±

    ¡°Can you draw the two of them, Chen Ying?¡± Gao Yang paused and added, ¡°And give us the detailed address to where we¡¯ll find Dick¡¯s friend from the intelligence agency.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Ying grabbed her briefcase and took out the sketchbook and pencil she always carried with her, starting to draw their portraits. Psychometry significantly improved her ability to draw from her memory.

    Twenty minutester, the portraits were down. The sketches were lifelike and vivid.

    Gao Yang checked his phone. It was five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    He thought for a moment and looked up at Qing Ling and Officer Huang. ¡°Let¡¯s split up. Green Snake, Yellow Ox, go back to the warehouse and stake out nearby. The chance that Hyena and Astronaut show up is slim, but perhaps we¡¯ll get lucky. Remember to maintain your distance and prioritize safety.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Qing Ling nodded.

    Gao Yang turned to Lithe Snake and Nainai. ¡°The two of you, go to Dick¡¯s friend at the intelligence agency. Nainai, make sure if he¡¯s a regr human, awakener, wanderer, or elite monster with Shapeshifter. If he is a wanderer, Lithe Snake, question him like you would a regr person and have him speak the truth.¡±

    ¡°I know what I have to do,¡± Lithe Snake said.

    Nainai scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll show you this Empress...¡±

    Without waiting for her to finish, Gao Yang turned to Chen Ying, ¡°Follow me to Dick¡¯s apartment and look for clues, Chen Ying.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Ying nodded.

    Gao Yang pped lightly. ¡°Keep your phone on and keep in contact.¡±

    The others voiced their acknowledgement before splitting up.

    Nainai quickly shrunk down and jumped into Lithe Snake¡¯s breast pocket. Lithe Snake opened the window, jumping out, followed by Qing Ling and Officer Huang.

    Holding Chen Ying¡¯s elbow, Gao Yang went up to the window and made it to the empty alley on the side of the hotel with two teleportations.

    They left the alley and hailed a taxi, heading to Dick¡¯s ce, the exact location of which Chen Ying had found out with Psychometry.

    Twenty minutester, the two of them got out of the car.

    Again, Gao Yang grabbed Chen Ying¡¯s elbow and teleported twice to Dick¡¯s window. With Skeleton Key, Chen Ying unlocked the window easily.

    They vaulted in. The light was off, but they could make out the generalyout of the t thanks to the moonlight. It was a rectangr studio t with no division between the living, dining, and sleeping areas. What one saw at first nce was all there was to the t.

    It was obvious that the tenant was an unmarried man. Jackets and pants were left on the sofa in messy heaps, and the table was covered in empty beer cans and an ashtray filled with cigarette butts.

    On the kitchen counter was a half-filled bowl of milk and cereal. It must be his breakfast.

    ¡°Look around,¡± Gao Yang said as he went off to check the desk and drawers in the room.

    Chen Ying turned to examine the bookshelf and paused for a couple seconds.

    On the shelf was a framed photo of Dick and his friends and professors when he graduated. He was dressed in ck bachelor gown and a square academic cap. Due to his big build, he stood in the back of the group, his bright smile carefree.

    Having looked through the desk, Gao Yang went up to Chen Ying. ¡°What did you find?¡±

    Chen Ying shook her head. ¡°I just remembered something.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask and instead turned to search the other ces.

    Chen Ying started flipping through the books on the bookshelf, saying at the same time, ¡°Seven years ago, Dick was an international student in Li City. I was his upperssman. We met at a group date, and he started pursuing me...¡±

    Chen Ying paused. Why would she talk about that?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That has nothing to do with the mission.¡±

    ¡°It may not be totally unrted. Keep going.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t interested in gossip, but there might be unexpected clues to be found in their stories.

    Chen Ying was grateful. She did want to talk to someone about it. She didn¡¯t want to keep all of it bottled up.

    ¡°Dick wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer, and I went from feeling troubled to feeling worried. I¡¯m scared that Dick might be an elite monster, and that he was testing me because he suspected me of being an awakener... To be safe, I asked Joker to check for me. It turned out Dick was an unawakened human.¡±

    She smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps humans feel an inherent attraction to one another, and that was why Dick thought he had fallen for me at first sight.¡±

    ¡°At the time, the Hundred Rivers Union sought not only awakeners who shared the same goal, but also regr humans. After all, humans could awaken at any time.¡±

    Chen Ying bent down slightly to look over the second row of the shelf, smiling bitterly with self-mockery. ¡°Ha, how pathetic. But the Hundred Rivers was too weak. We didn¡¯t have a choice...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything to that. Each organization and each individual had their own way to survive. There was often no right or wrong, only different sides.

    ¡°I debated with myself before finally telling Dick the truth. He awakened half a monthter,¡± Chen Ying continued. ¡°Then he graduated. Before going back to the West Nation, he asked me to have a meal with him. He said that he was grateful to me, that he didn¡¯t regret awakening.¡±

    Chen Ying lowered her head, her tone rueful. ¡°I wonder if Dick felt regret and resentment for me before his death. He wouldn¡¯t have died if not for me.¡±

    ¡°I often asked myself the same question in the past.¡± Gao Yang started checking the bed. ¡°But I stopped.¡±

    Chen Ying said from behind him, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We mistakenly believe that we can change other people¡¯s fate. It¡¯s actually...¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment and remembered what Dragon had once said. ¡°Arrogant of us.¡±

    ¡°Arrogant.¡± Chen Ying chewed on the word.

    ¡°We all have our own fates, and the changes others bring are part of it. So don¡¯t me yourself. If something happens to you, you aren¡¯t going to me others, are you?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Chen Ying felt a little better after hearing that.

    Then she chuckled in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this pessimistic. I thought you were the optimistic type.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m neither pessimistic nor optimistic.¡± Gao Yang started with the pillow and was now checking the mattress, his tone somewhat distracted. ¡°I believe in fate, but I don¡¯t submit to fate.¡±

    Chen Ying paused and looked back at Gao Yang.

    At that moment, she felt a sense of security and a charisma that inspired trust and loyalty from him, as if following him would lead one to the right path sooner orter.

    The young man was only eighteen, but he seemed to have matured much since theyst met.

    What changed someone wasn¡¯t simple passage of time, but experience.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Gao Yang put down the mattress and turned to Chen Ying, holding a small ck device.

    Chen Ying came over after a beat and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a bug.¡±

 Chapter 431: Blonde Woman

    <h4>Chapter 431: Blonde Woman</h4>

    ¡°The prostitute Dick took home must be Hyena¡¯s subordinate,¡± said Chen Ying.

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Gao Yang crushed the bug and threw it on the bed. ¡°She¡¯s unlikely to be one of Hyena¡¯s, but an insignificant informant, an amateur even.¡±

    ¡°What made you think so?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s unprofessional. She didn¡¯t even take the bug afterward.¡±

    After a bemused pause, Gao Yang continued, ¡°And were the woman Hyena¡¯s subordinate, Hyena and Astronaut would¡¯ve taken the bug with them after entering Dick¡¯s t, erasing their traces as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Unless they didn¡¯t know about the bug.¡± Chen Ying caught on. ¡°They learned from their subordinate that Dick was looking into the Godbearer Cult, but they didn¡¯t know how their subordinate learned the information, that their subordinate had sent an amateurish informant to nt a bug.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, professionals could have a more difficult time getting what they wanted. Dick would¡¯ve spotted them.¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°The amateur, perhaps counterintuitively, made Dickcent.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I know which bar Dick met the prostitute. We can go there and have a look.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The bar isn¡¯t open during the day. We¡¯ll have to wait until the night.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s check the t some more and make sure there¡¯s no other clue.¡±

    Gao Yang and Chen Ying spent a little more time searching, not even leaving out the kitchen and the bathroom, but there was nothing.

    Before the day fully broke, they headed back to the hotel¡ªthrough the window, of course.

    After washing up, they each took a bed and rested for a while.

    At noon, Qing Ling and Officer Huang came back. They staked out near the warehouse of the beverage factory, but only the police showed up to deal with the aftermath of their conflict. There was no one suspicious who could be Hyena or Astronaut, or a member of the Godbearer Cult.

    Gao Yang and Chen Ying yielded the beds to Qing Ling and Officer Huang so that they could take a nap.

    Four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Nainai and Lithe Snake came back.

    Lithe Snake wasn¡¯t one for finesse. He pretended to be part of the mafia and kidnapped Dick¡¯s friend at the intelligence agency. After Nainai made sure that the man was a wanderer, they first checked his body. There was no dor sign that would signify a contract with Hyena.

    Then Lithe Snake interrogated and intimidated him like he would a regr person, thus getting an answer easily. The man had nothing to do with Dick¡¯s death, and he wasn¡¯t an informant of the Godbearer Cult.

    Then Qing Ling and Officer Huang left the room to Nainai and Lithe Snake.

    Nainai, however, didn¡¯t need to rest. She had gotten enough sleep in Lithe Snake¡¯s breast pocket.

    Seven o¡¯clock in the evening, the rest of the team had some food and stood by at the hotel, while Gao Yang and Chen Ying went to the bar Dick frequented as a couple, looking for the prostitute.

    They dressed locally and arrived at the bar together. There were few patrons at the moment. Gao Yang ordered a ss of whiskey, and Chen Ying ordered a specialty cocktail.

    They sat under the suggestive light in a corner, drinking while observing.

    At about nine o¡¯clock, the bar was getting boisterous.

    A few burly men covered in tattoos drank beer as they spouted lecherous words, raising their voices.

    The two tables at the center of the bar were put together. A small group of eight young men and women were watching a sports game from there.

    In another corner, a young couple were busy necking, showing so little reservation that they might as well be in their own bedroom.

    Chen Ying and Gao Yang tried their best to fit in. They drank as they looked around the bar, waiting until eleven o¡¯clock in the evening. The blonde woman was still nowhere to be seen.

    They were both on their third ss.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s showing up,¡± Chen Ying said in their mother tongue.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering,¡± Gao Yang responded in their mother tongue too. ¡°Could the woman have disappeared? Or forced to disappear, to be precise?¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s face darkened as she nodded. ¡°Very likely.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡± Gao Yang took out his phone and sent an encoded message to Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Alright. We don¡¯t have much to do if we go back, anyway.¡± Chen Ying smiled wryly. ¡°But we can¡¯t drink more. It¡¯ll be troublesome if we get drunk.¡±

    Chen Ying had had a little too much alcohol once, and ording to Colorless, she...wasn¡¯t exactly a graceful drunk.

    The two of them stayed at the bar past midnight. During the time, Chen Ying got hit on by many male patrons, and even Gao Yang got hit on by a man once.

    The patrons came and went. The bar remained crowded with people.

    Gao Yang and Chen Ying stayed.

    <i>ck.</i>

    The ss door with a wooden handle opened. A blonde woman with a voluptuous body walked in. She looked to be in her thirties, her makeup heavy. She was wearing a sexy ck low-cut sling dress, fis stockings, and red high heels, carrying a shiny fish scale handbag with a fashion cigarette in her left hand.

    She drew many eyes from the patrons as soon as she showed up¡ªmainly the men.

    Swaying her hip as she walked, she weaved through the crowd and sat down at the bar, taking a drag of her smoke before waving at the bartender. ¡°Margarita.¡±

    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am.¡±

    The bartender started making her order.

    The blonde woman sat on the tall stool with her legs crossed, smoking as she looked around like a predator looking for prey. Soon, her eyes met Gao Yang¡¯s.

    Her eyes glinted before she turned to look at others, like nothing had happened.

    ¡°It¡¯s her,¡± Chen Ying said with certainty. She had gotten a good look at the woman¡¯s face.

    Gao Yang nodded with his ss in hand, unhurried.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chen Ying was going to stand up, but Gao Yang stopped her.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Chen Ying asked with confusion.

    ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t exin.

    The blonde woman looked around, seeing only second rate patrons with no one catching her eyes. Visibly disappointed, she smashed the cigarette butt in the ashtray and let out a soft breath.

    ¡°Your margarita, ma¡¯am.¡± The young bartender handed her a ss of blue cocktail with a slice of lemon on the rim.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The blonde woman lifted the ss and took a sip, frowning slightly.

    ¡°Courtesy of my employer, ma¡¯am.¡± The young bartender pointed at the table.

    The woman looked down and only realized then that there was a small piece of paper she hadn¡¯t noticed because it had been under the ss. She took it quietly and had a look, her lips curving up with pleasant surprise she couldn¡¯t contain.

    Without hesitation, she put down the ss and left a dor bill on the bar counter.

    ¡°I wish you luck tonight, ma¡¯am.¡± The bartender took the dor bill.

    ¡°And good luck to you too.¡±

    The woman walked around the bar, hurriedly heading toward the kitchen in the back.

    As soon as she entered the dark corridor, a man¡¯s hairy arm shot out and muffled her.

    ¡°Help...hmph...¡±

    Shocked, the woman tried to struggle, but the man didn¡¯t give her the chance to, quickly dragging her into the storage room and locking the door.

 Chapter 432: No Choice

    <h4>Chapter 432: No Choice</h4>

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Inside the dark storage room, the blonde girl got pushed against the wall.

    She looked up and got a clear look at the one who grabbed her¡ªa middle-aged man with brown hair and round blue eyes, his waist thick and his back strong. His squarish face was covered in curled facial hair, and he had rosacea over hisrge nose. He gave the woman a threatening look.

    The blonde woman stopped screaming, staring at the man coldly. Before she could say anything, the man cut in.

    ¡°Dammit, Anna! Didn¡¯t I tell you to get out of here, as far away as possible?¡± The man leaned in and tried his best to lower his voice, but he couldn¡¯t tamp down his rage. ¡°Why did youe back?!¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you went to the casino again!¡± The man looked irritated with his hands on his hip. ¡°Fuck, I would¡¯ve killed you then if not for our history!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I...¡±

    ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡± The man red at her, his eyes growing cold. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your excuses. You shouldn¡¯t show up here! I told them that I killed you. If they learn that I lied to them, dear lord, I will die too!¡±

    He took out a silenced handgun from the holster under his armpit.

    ¡°God, what...what are you doing?!¡± The woman widened her mouth, seemingly in disbelief that the man would point a gun at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Anna. Don¡¯t me me. You asked for this...¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Fear vanished from the woman¡¯s face, reced by mockery. ¡°The one you¡¯re going to kill is Anna. What does that have to do with me?¡±

    The man started, realizing the blonde woman had been reced by a girl he didn¡¯t know. She had a soft, youthful face, and under the dim light, her blonde hair slowly turned a grayish purple.

    Was this the face-changing technique, or magic?

    The man was terrified, but he didn¡¯t ck out. It seemed that he was a more stable wanderer, having modified his own thinking and perception automatically.

    Scared, he was going to fire his gun, but pain shot through his wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon.

    One hand gripping the man¡¯s wrist while the other hand catching the gun, Gao Yang shoved the gun into the man¡¯s mouth, preventing him from screaming in pain. The man panicked, making muffled noises.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do the asking, and you do the talking,¡± Gao Yang said in West Nationnguage. ¡°It¡¯s up to you if you live, get it?¡±

    Face pale and covered in sweat, the man blinked hard, daring not to even move.

    Gao Yang let go of his wrist and pulled the gun with silencer out of the man¡¯s mouth, turning to unlock the storage room.

    Seizing the chance, the man tackled Gao Yang, grabbing for the gun. Gao Yang quickly shot out a hand and pressed the gun to the man¡¯s chin.

    With his back to the man, Gao Yang opened the door while saying coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not a saint. I won¡¯t give you another chance.¡±

    ¡°Have...have mercy...¡± Seeing Gao Yang¡¯s ruthless side, the man dropped to his knees and raised his hands. He no longer had the courage to resist.

    <i>ck.</i>

    The door opened. Chen Ying walked in and gingerly closed the door.

    With a look of surprise, she turned to Nainai. ¡°Good work. You even fooled me.¡±

    ¡°Good acting, Nainai,¡± Gao Yang praised.

    ¡°Ha, you dare have this Empress y such a lowly role. How humiliating. Get on your knees in gratitude at once...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t shut up now,¡± said Gao Yang, ¡°I¡¯ll have you share a bed with Green Snake tonight.¡±

    Nainai shut her mouth immediately.

    Gao Yang looked down at the owner of the bar. He was on his knees, trembling, already wetting his pants.

    <i>Tsk, aren¡¯t you too much of a coward?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s a good thing though. Save me the trouble of getting violent.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the question, and you will talk.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes...¡± the man bbered.

    ¡°Your name.¡±

    ¡°Richard.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Anna?¡±

    ¡°Friends...¡± Looking up and seeing Gao Yang¡¯s sharp gaze, Richard quickly added, ¡°And she works for me. She...she¡¯s my informant...¡±

    ¡°Did you have Anna nt the bug in Dick¡¯s ce?¡± Gao Yang got right to the point.

    ¡°...I did.¡±

    ¡°Who do you serve?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t tell you...please...¡± Richard put his hands together and begged quietly. ¡°They...they will kill me.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll kill you now if you don¡¯t talk.¡± Gao Yang tightened his hand around the grip of the gun, his index finger slightly curling around the trigger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯ll talk. I¡¯ll tell you everything...¡± Richard continued to beg. ¡°I don¡¯t know his real name. He...he called himself a phnthropist... Two years ago, I became indebted to loan sharks because of gambling. He paid the debts for me, but it came with a condition...¡±

    Gao Yang nced at Chen Ying.

    Reading his thoughts, Chen Ying went up to Richard and tore his shirt open. As expected, there was a dor sign at the center of his chest, which looked like a ck tattoo.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Gao Yang said coolly.

    ¡°In exchange, I have to get him a prey every week. He gave me specific demands, for young girls, strong men, and sometimes old people, even children... Fuck, children were the biggest hassles. No children would visit my bar...¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I would find a way to knock the prey out and drop them here. Before the day broke, someone would drive here and take the pray away through the back door... Something like this must be done discreetly without leaving any trace.¡±

    It seemed that Richard had supplied the wanderers Hyena had brutally ughtered in the basement under the beverage factory.

    ¡°What else?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°And, and...¡± Richard rattled off, ¡°Much information could be learned at a bar. I have another five informants like Anna. The phnthropist told me that I must report to him as soon as possible if I heard someone looking into him. And he told me to spread false information to lure in those who wanted to track him down.¡±

    ¡°What false information?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s...about an organization named the Godbearer Cult,¡± Richard said honestly.

    Gao Yang and Chen Ying exchanged a look.

    ¡°What more do you know about the phnthropist?¡± Gao Yang demanded.

    Richard shook his head dejectedly. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ve only met him twice. He was wearing a mask every time...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds.¡± Gao Yang pressed the gun to his temple. ¡°Think.¡±

    ¡°Wait, please wait...¡± Richard shuddered with his face twisted and eyes widened in fear. He tried his best to recall his meetings with the phnthropist.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Richard called out before quickly lowering his voice, realizing that he¡¯d been too loud. He looked up at Gao Yang with a servile smile.

    ¡°Dress shoes. The phnthropist wore handmade dress shoes. I knew the ce. It was a workshop of tailors and shoemakers with a long history. Their clients are all rich people. I believe there won¡¯t be too many visiting the shop for custom-made clothes and footwears. You...you can head there for clues.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and he was neutral.

    Gao Yang nced at Chen Ying. She took out a pen and a small notepad from her pocket. ¡°Write down the address.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Richard stayed on his knees and quickly jotted down the address.

    Chen Ying checked it before putting the pen and notepad away.

    ¡°What else can you remember?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s all. I swear! I¡¯m not hiding anything else...¡± Richard looked at him with pathetic earnestness.

    Gao Yang nodded, his eyes turning cold. ¡°Anyst word?¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t kill me... I told you everything...¡± Richard despaired and started begging again. ¡°Please, have mercy...¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many you¡¯ve killed?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t kill them. I didn¡¯t know where they would be sent to!¡± Richard argued. ¡°The phnthropist is the killer! I...I didn¡¯t have a choice! I was forced to do it!¡±

    ¡°Those you¡¯ve victimized didn¡¯t have a choice, either.¡± Gao Yang raised the silenced gun. ¡°There¡¯s a saying in my home country, ¡®Karma always catches up to people.¡¯ This is your karma.¡±

 Chapter 433: No.7 Winery

    <h4>Chapter 433: No.7 Winery</h4>

    ¡°Walk slowly on the way to theherworld. I promise you that the phnthropist will be right with you soon.¡±

    Gao Yang pulled the trigger.

    A muffled gunshot rang. Richard fell silently, his blood sttered on the wall behind him.

    Nainai stood on the side, lips parted and eyes widened.

    Gao Yang stood up and took out a napkin to wipe the fingerprints on the gun before putting the gun in Richard¡¯s stiff hand.

    Even if he didn¡¯t kill him, Richard would¡¯ved died soon of Hyena¡¯s binding curse like Dick had. It was better to make him regret his sins before his death and meet a quick, less painful end.

    Gao Yang rose to his feet. Nainai waspletely still, her expression strange. He asked, ¡°What? Haven¡¯t you killed a wanderer before?¡±

    ¡°No, no...¡± Nainai finally came back to her senses. She looked at Gao Yang with bright eyes. ¡°How did youe up with the line? It¡¯s my personal goal to sound like that! It¡¯s elegant, so elegant!¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°What line?¡±

    Chen Ying facepalmed. ¡°The one about theherworld. It does sound a little <i>chuuni</i>.¡±

    Gao Yang humored Nainai carelessly, ¡°It¡¯s easy. Forget about techniques and tap into your emotions.¡±

    Nainai didn¡¯t entirely understand, but she was shaken. ¡°Can...can you teach me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to show that you deserve it.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang, Chen Ying, and Nainai quickly left through the back door of the bar, walking into the narrow and dark alley filled with garbage.

    In the shadow at the corner, Lithe Snake was wearing a gray windbreaker and a checkered deerstalker, his sunken face looking cold and unapproachable. He looked like a veteran turned private eye.

    Leaning against a telephone pole, he yed with a throwing knife.

    ¡°Done?¡± Lithe Snake asked Gao Yang when he spotted him.

    Gao Yang handed him the slip Richard had written the address on. ¡°Hyena had shoes made at this shop. Go interrogate them with Nainai. You may find something.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Lithe Snake took the slip of paper and had a look before waving Nainai over.

    Nainai rushed toward him, jumping while quickly shrinking and diving into the pocket of Lithe Snake¡¯s windbreaker with precision.

    Lithe Snake turned around and leaped, stepping between the walls before disappearing.

    ¡°How about us?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the hotel and wait for their findings.¡±

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang and Chen Ying returned to the hotel. They briefed Officer Huang and Qing Ling on what had happened. Then Gao Yang, Officer Huang, and Chen Ying each reported back to their respective organization.

    Afterwards, they had some food and turned in.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang shared a bed, while Qing Ling and Chen Ying shared the other.

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Lithe Snake still hadn¡¯t returned.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t actually fallen asleep, but merely resting with his eyes closed.

    He opened his eyes and confirmed that Chen Ying was asleep before quietly patting Officer Huang¡¯s shoulder. Officer Huang woke up, alert.

    Gao Yang made a gesture to hush him, reaching over the gap between the beds to pat Qing Ling¡¯s shoulder.

    Her eyes fluttered open, glinting faintly in the dark.

    Gao Yang hushed her too, gesturing at them to follow him. Then he went up to the window and opened it.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang got out of bed, following him.

    Gao Yang grabbed each of their elbows and took a deep breath, using Teleportation.

    The three of them disappeared from the room.

    Five secondster, Gao Yang had taken Officer Huang and Qing Ling to the rooftop with three teleportations. It was quiet save for the soft breeze. With the night settled in, the city seemed like an impressionistic painting.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why the secrecy?¡± Officer Huang took out a pack of cigarettes. It took him a few tries to light one up.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond. He extended his senses and searched through the rooftop and its surroundings to make sure there were no unwanted eyes. Only then did he say, ¡°I have a long-term n I¡¯d like to talk to you about...¡±

    ¡°Let me guess.¡± Officer Huang stopped him by raising a hand. ¡°Are you thinking about starting your own organization?¡±

    Gao Yang paused before breaking into a smile. ¡°Is it that obvious? Do I have that written on my face?¡±

    ¡°Haha, not necessarily, but I know you, better than the back of my hand.¡± Officer Huang knocked him on the shoulder with a fist.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, waiting for Officer Huang to express his stance.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve long gone down that path, Gao Yang.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s eyes were determined. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    ¡°And you, Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang turned to her.

    Rather than giving a direct answer, Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°I can¡¯t learn much more from War Tiger. Outside of his de, there¡¯s nothing I want.¡±

    Gao Yang smothered augh. <i>You sure are honest.</i>

    ¡°Haha, Teacher War Tiger is gonna be heartbroken if he hears you,¡± Officer Huang teased before turning to Gao Yang. ¡°Why now?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough and didn¡¯t know enough about the Mist World, so I wanted to grow stronger while keeping a low profile.¡± Gao Yang looked at the two of them in turn.

    ¡°Even now, I still don¡¯t think I¡¯m strong enough, but I can¡¯t wait much longer. I¡¯m pretty certain that the three organizations have different end goals in mind. Once the Guard Rune Circuit, thest Rune Circuit, is found as well, a civil war is inevitable.¡±

    ¡°Dragon is willing to sacrifice anything for his dream, the Twelve Zodiac Signs likely included. Qilin seems proper in every way, but he¡¯s mysterious and must be hiding something. I still don¡¯t know what his goal is. Surnamed Li is a cunning fox too and isn¡¯t as friendly as she seems. None of the three organizations is a good ce for us.¡±

    ¡°Ha, we agree on that.¡± Officer Huang shook off some ash from his cigarette.

    Qing Ling nodded.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°The only ones I can trust are the two of you¡ªand Wang Zikai, but unfortunately, he¡¯s a monster, and there¡¯s no telling what will happen going forward. As for Fat Jun, we¡¯ll have to observe him more.¡±

    ¡°What do you need us to do?¡± Officer Huang asked bluntly.

    ¡°Start making preparations. I¡¯m not going to force a split unless absolutely necessary.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. One did not simply antagonize both the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild.

    ¡°Do you mean we should start keeping an eye out for those who may share our views?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Remember, quality over quantity.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll list some criteria for ourpanions. Let me know what you think.¡±

    Officer Huang stroked his chin bemusedly for a while before extending a finger. ¡°First, no killing the innocent and no starting a fight without reason, be it with humans or monsters.¡±

    ¡°Second, work for survival without sacrificing the harmony of the group. Securing victory and survival through selling out, using, cheating, and sacrificingpanions is strictly prohibited.¡±

    ¡°Third, opening the Gates of Closure is merely a means to an end rather than an end itself.¡±

    In case Qing Ling didn¡¯t understand, Officer Huang exined with a smile, ¡°Although we believe at the moment that only by opening the gates would we survive, if it turns out that not opening the gates will better ensure our survival, we leave the gates closed. Whatever we do, we do it for survival, rather than an elusive end goal.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Qing Ling had pursued strength in order to protect her sister and survive. She was curious about whaty behind the Gates of Closure, but that was it.

    ¡°I agree too.¡± Gao Yang nodded. While he was also interested in the world behind the Gates of Closure, his priority was protecting hispanions and family. Everything else came after.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°Then we¡¯ll keep an eye out for potentialpanions with the criteria.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I hope that things won¡¯t get to that point, but if it does, we¡¯ll go independent.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Officer Huang nodded. So did Qing Ling.

    Officer Huang scratched his cheek with the hand holding a cigarette. ¡°Among the Twelve Zodiac Signs, in addition to Fat Jun, I think Heavenly Dog, Songstress, and Mischievous Monkey may be recruitable, but not Dead Pig, White Rabbit, Lovely Lamb, or War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the Qilin Guild, I can probably take my team, but not the others.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t have much to offer at the moment, either.

    ¡°What about the Hundred Rivers Union?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Officer Huang joked, ¡°Maybe you can seduce Amon into joining.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t deem that a response, and she didn¡¯t find it funny.

    ¡°Chen Ying would make a goodpanion,¡± Gao Yang said regretfully. ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s loyal to Surnamed Li. It won¡¯t be easy to recruit her.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Officer Huang seemed to have remembered something. ¡°Can Lithe Snake be trusted?¡±

    ¡°Although he always looks and sounds like he¡¯s eaten a fly, he¡¯s dependable.¡± Gao Yang turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Why? Do you find him suspicious?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something strange about him.¡± Officer Huang curled his lips. ¡°When we got here, I noticed him cutting off his pinky secretly and dropping it into a trashcan.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. ¡°With Gecko, he could regenerate his appendage. But why would he cut off his pinky for no reason? What¡¯s that for?¡±

    ¡°Two possibilities.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°First, he¡¯s a masochist. Second, he¡¯s leaving clues for the enemies, selling us out.¡±

    ¡°The second is unlikely to be the case.¡± Gao Yang had used Lie Detection on Lithe Snake before, and the fifth team had been through life-and-death situations together.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to drive a wedge between you.¡± Officer Huang sighed. ¡°Anyway, be careful.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±

    Then Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang. It was an encoded message from Nainai.

    Gao Yang looked up with a faint smile. ¡°Lithe Snake found Hyena¡¯s hideout.¡±

    ...

    Four o¡¯clock in the morning, they ¡®borrowed¡¯ a car parked by the road and drove to Zone 4.

    They were briefed on the way.

    Lithe Snake had found the clothes shop and easily gotten his hands on the list of clients who had ordered custom-made dress shoes over the past two years. Based on the types and sizes of the shoes, he narrowed the list down and found the phnthropist¡ªHyena.

    It was said that the poor old tailor Lithe Snake had grabbed for interrogation at midnight was so terrified that he spilled out all he knew without having a handid on him.

    ording to the tailor, the phnthropist was a mysterious middle-aged man. He visited the shop only once with a mask on, and he asked the tailor to take measurements for him, ordering shoes, suits, pants, shirts, vests, tailcoats, tuxedos, fedoras, and umbres to be custom made here. He was polite and generous when paying. The tailor thought he was a magnanimous man.

    Afterward, the phnthropist would always send two bodyguards in ck to the shop to pick up his clothes and shoes at the agreed times.

    Once, the old tailor had failed to finish a tuxedo because of personal matters. As a result, the two bodyguards pointed their guns at him and had him quickly finish the order.

    That day, the two bodyguards talked for three hours while watching him work. They identally let loose where the phnthropist lived.

    As the tailor remembered, it was a ce called No.7 Winery.

    Chen Ying opened the map and quickly found No.7 Winery, located in Zone 4 of A City. It seemed that the ce wasn¡¯t covered up, but left in in sight.

    Zone 4 was a suburban area with many ranches. A lot of rich people built luxurious private mansions there.

    The team drove to their destination.

    Gao Yang was in a dark mood. Although it was merely an ident, it felt like a bad omen for his codename, Seven Shadow, to share the same number as the bastard Hyena¡¯s winery.

    <i>That left a bad taste in my mouth. I¡¯m gonna destroy you.</i>

 Chapter 434: Missing the Forest

    <h4>Chapter 434: Missing the Forest</h4>

    Officer Huang was driving, with Lithe Snake riding shotgun.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Chen Ying took the backseat while Nainai, having turned into doll size, sat on Chen Ying¡¯s thighs, so it wasn¡¯t a difficult fit.

    ¡°What level is your Scale, Nainai?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Level 5.¡± Nainai syed her right hand.

    ¡°Is there a time limit to it?¡±

    ¡°I can stay small as long as I want,¡± Nainai said proudly, her voice matching her size. ¡°If I turn big, though, the bigger I get, the shorter the duration.¡±

    ¡°How big can you get?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Nainai thought about it. ¡°Like a mecha? But it¡¯llst no more than thirty seconds.¡±

    ¡°Incredible. It¡¯ll be at least ten meters big, right?¡± Officer Huang marveled. ¡°You can turn into a giant!¡±

    After a moment, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Do you have special abilities once you get bigger? Like hardening your body or using other skills?¡±

    ¡°No, and there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Nainai seemed pleased with herself. ¡°Once I¡¯m that big, I can just stomp on and crush a monster.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>That¡¯s right. With such a great size advantage, everything else is merely a bonus.</i>

    <i>Alright, I¡¯ve gotten to know her power. We¡¯ll y by the ear as things unfold.</i>

    ¡°Actually, I have a question.¡± Chen Ying smiled bashfully. ¡°Nainai, do your clothes get bigger and smaller as you do, too?¡±

    ¡°Of, of course!¡± Nainai said weakly.

    Lithe Snake scoffed from the passenger seat. ¡°Really? I heard that your Talent was quite unstable before reaching level 4, and many times...¡±

    ¡°You, you, you...shut up!¡± Nainai flushed red. ¡°Stop running your mouth! This Empress doesn¡¯t have a dark history like that!¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed. <i>You¡¯re confirming it yourself, Nainai.</i>

    Having started the conversation, Chen Ying quickly changed the topic for Nainai. ¡°Your God of Firearms has reached level 5 too, right, Yellow Ox? Can you make bullets turn?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but I can make bullets curve,¡± Officer Huang said honestly before allowing his imagination to run wild. ¡°Level 6 may allow the bullets to turn, and level 7 may give me the ability to make tracking shots.¡±

    ¡°What about level 5 Gecko, Lithe Snake?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°Why are you going into such detail?¡± Lithe Snake retorted. ¡°Testing your enemies?¡±

    Chen Ying sputtered and pulled a long face, arguing seriously, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that it¡¯s Elder Seven Shadow trying to get to know everyone¡¯s Talent? I¡¯m simply asking the question for him. You¡¯re being paranoid. Are members of different organizations necessarily enemies? We¡¯re now on the same team going on the same mission. Knowing each other¡¯s Talents allows us to work together better and increase our chance of survival.¡±

    ¡°Chen Ying¡¯s right.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°This time, you aren¡¯t missing the forest for the trees, Lithe Snake.¡±

    ¡°Wait until you get backstabbed one day, Captain. Being magnanimous isn¡¯t going to save you.¡±

    Lithe Snake spoke firmly, but he still responded to Chen Ying¡¯s question. ¡°Level 5 Gecko grants greater regenerative power and strength and agility, but no special skills.¡±

    ¡°Ha, mortals. You¡¯re no match for this Empress, a descendent of the divine races!¡± Nainai finally found the chance to retaliate, her lines as <i>chuuni </i>as ever.

    Lithe Snake huffed and didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    ¡°Alright, I know enough.¡± Gao Yang ended the topic and closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a short rest.¡±

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 968 Luck points.]

    ¡ªGood. Enough to draw Talents twice.

    ¡ªAlthough I only attemptedprehension after saving enough for three pulls in the past, with half of all Talents released back into the pool, and awakenersprehending Talents naturally, my chance of getting a Talent should be higher too. Let¡¯s give it a try.

    ¡ªVisit the Talent Pantheon.

    This time, Gao Yang returned to the cosmos he had seen the first time. Before him was the magnificent Pirs of Creation, and at his feet was an ancient circr tform, the twelve beams of light surrounding him.

    A woman with fine facial features and gentle eyes stood in front of him, dressed in pristine-white dress with her hair tied at the end and resting on her left shoulder. Taking the form of the dorm keeper at the orphanage, she smiled faintly at Gao Yang.

    ¡°There are sixty unimed Talents in the Pantheon currently.¡±

    Gao Yang checked each of the Rune Types and said with a start, ¡°There were five Damage-type Talents before, but now there are only four?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one wasprehended two days ago.¡±

    ¡°As expected.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang of loss. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He shouldprehend new Talents now, or they would be taken by others.

    He looked at the beam for Support-type Talents. Inside were three clusters of energy.

    <i>Good, House is still unimed!</i>

    ¡°I¡¯mprehending Support-type Talent.¡±

    ¡°Attemptprehension for a Support-type Talent. Do you confirm?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    The woman waved her hand gently, and the beam for Support-type Talents disappeared. As if drawn by a mysterious force, one of the three energy clumps flew toward Gao Yang.

    <i>Come!</i>

    <i>Come on!</i>

    <i>Come to daddy!</i>

    Gao Yang clenched his fists and teeth, shouting in his mind.

    Like a fish, the foggy energy clump swam around slowly like it was looking around, approaching Gao Yang until there was only half a meter between them.

    Suddenly, however, it turned back like a fish refusing to bite the bait at thest second.

    The light beam reappeared, trapping the three clumps of energy.

    If the system weren¡¯t looking at Gao Yang gently in the form of his once caretaker, he would¡¯ve cursed up a storm.

    ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°Attemptprehension for a Support-type Talent. Do you confirm?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The light beam disappeared again. The energy clump in the middle swam toward Gao Yang like it was drawn to him.

    Gao Yang held his breath, staring at the clump of energy, his eyes almost bulging.

    <i>Come on!</i>

    <i>Come on already!</i>

    With flickering golden light, the energy clump slowly flew toward Gao Yang, moving two paces back after moving three paces ahead while straying left and right, testing Gao Yang¡¯s patience.

    <i>I shouldn¡¯t have entered the Talent Pantheon. I should¡¯ve just had the system pull for Talents in the background. Good or bad, the results woulde in seconds.</i>

    <i>At the Talent Pantheon, the process is made concrete and drawn out. I¡¯m just asking to be teased.</i>

    Finally, the flickering clump of energy reached Gao Yang. It paused for two seconds and wavered like dying candlelight. Gao Yang¡¯s heart almost stopped. <i>My Luck points! What I¡¯ve earned through bleeding and sweating!</i>

    Fortunately, the energy clump hadn¡¯t gotten extinguished, and neither did it turn back. With a whoosh, it dove into Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but yell, not because he felt energy streaming into his body, but simply because of the joy and excitement of winning a prize.

    ¡°Congrattions.¡± The woman blinked with a smile. ¡°You have justprehended the Support-type Talent...¡±

 Chapter 435: Double

    <h4>Chapter 435: Double</h4>

    ¡°Double.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t hide his disappointment before the system. ¡°It¡¯s not House. Am I not supposed to be lucky? But I can¡¯t even win the jackpot with a one in a third chance?¡±

    ¡°How can you be sure thatprehending Double is unlucky?¡± The dorm keeper cocked her head and smiled.

    <i>Ugh, you¡¯re being cryptic again, system.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed. Forget it. He should be content withprehending a Talent with only two tries.

    ¡°Tell me about Double, system. The Talent list doesn¡¯t have detailed information.¡±

    ¡°Double, serial number 65, Support-type.¡± The dorm keeper started exining. ¡°Level 1 Double allows the creation of 1 double for 10 seconds.¡±

    ¡°Level 2 Double allows the creation of 1 double for 30 seconds.¡±

    ¡°Level 3 Double allows the creation of 1 double with concrete form for 1 minute.¡±

    ¡°Level 4 Double allows the creation of 1 double with concrete form, and the double has 15% of the owner¡¯s stats. It willst 1 minute provided it isn¡¯t destroyed by enemies.¡±

    Gao Yang grasped the key information quickly. ¡°So the double created with level 3 Double can act, and that of level 4 Double can even put up a fight.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What about level 5?¡±

    ¡°In addition to what¡¯s possible with level 4 Double, double created once the Talent reaches level 5 will be able to use the other Talents of the owner with 20% stats and 20% Talent power.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good Talent.¡± Gao Yang felt better about the Luck points he had used.

    ¡°Stats bonuses of level 1 Double: Constitution + 10, Endurance + 10, Attack + 10, Agility + 10, Willpower + 10, Charisma + 10. Status Screen updated automatically.¡±

    With a wave of her hand, she conjured a translucent screen.

    [Constitution: 476 Endurance: 483]

    [Strength: 1013 Agility: 1570]

    [WIllpower: 1312 Charisma: 381]

    [Luck: 813]

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m off.¡±

    ...

    When Gao Yang opened his eyes, the car was quiet. His teammates were resting with their eyes closed as well.

    After twenty minutes, they arrived somewhere near their destination.

    Against the bluish ck backdrop of the night sky, the winery could be made out not far away, the light on.

    Officer Huang drove the car into a small grove. They got out of the car and walked, avoiding the main road and approaching the winery from the side.

    Gao Yang told Chen Ying to stand by in the car, but Chen Ying insisted on moving with them.

    While her Talent didn¡¯t give her much battle power, she was much stronger than regr humans overall. She wouldn¡¯t drag them down.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t insist.

    The six of them snuck toward the wall on the side of the winery with the night as their cover. Indeed, there was a watchtower behind the wall, where two armed mercenaries kept watch. They didn¡¯t chat, but instead looked over the area with full concentration. It seemed that the patrols here were much more professional than the armed guards at the beverage factory¡¯s warehouse.

    Still, they were nothing when facing awakeners.

    Gao Yang teleported to the watchtower and easily dealt with the two guards.

    The others vaulted over the wall.

    Gao Yang took Chen Ying to the watchtower, having her keep an eye on the whole winery from the vantage point, while the other five of them slowly approached the mansion at the center of the premise.

    Meanwhile, Chen Ying helped them avoid the patrols through a small earpiece. Despite their caution, however, they still ran into two guards who were on their way to relieve themselves. They were just going to shout when Lithe Snake silenced them with two throwing knives.

    Officer Huang and Gao Yang immediately went up to drag the bodies to a dark corner.

    Pausing every once in a while to take cover, the five of them finally reached the garden before the winery.

    ¡°Duck,¡± Gao Yang ordered quietly, having sensed something.

    His five teammates quickly dropped down and hid behind a juniper at the heart of the garden.

    Through the branches and leaves, they could see six armed guards standing watch outside the front door to the mansion. A ck sedan parked by the path.

    An extravagant red carpet draped the stairs leading to the door. Three people walked out from the living hall of the mansion.

    At the center was a middle-aged man in dark-blue suits with a ck Gold fountain pen in his breast pocket. He wasn¡¯t wearing a smiley mask, revealing a t, average-looking face with no remarkable features under his brown hair. His lips were curled into a half smile. No one would even spare him a nce in a crowd.

    If someone knocked into him identally, he would likely lower his head and apologize. He seemed like the typical middle-aged office worker with no rough edges.

    Yet he had a corrupted, twisted, and insidious heart.

    On the suited man¡¯s left was a short, fat bald man with an ugly face covered in scars. There were lumpy bumps all over his head.

    On the right was the one in a heavy white spacesuit, face obscured by the dome-shaped helmet.

    Gao Yang immediately recognized them as Tails¡¯ No.10, Hyena, and Astronaut from left to right.

    Lithe Snake recognized his sworn enemy at first nce too. Face dark with burning rage, he quickly drew the shortsword sheathed by his waist.

    ¡°Patience.¡± Gao Yang kept Lithe Snake¡¯s arm down, making him a promise. ¡°I¡¯ll let you have your revenge, but first, we must learn as much about them as possible.¡±

    Officer Huang added, ¡°You¡¯ve been looking for him for twenty years, Lithe Snake. Another few minutes aren¡¯t long inparison.¡±

    The fire in Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he calmed down quickly, putting the shortsword back.

    Gao Yang enhanced his hearing to the limit, but still couldn¡¯t make out what the three of them were saying.

    ¡°Dammit, we¡¯re too far. I can¡¯t hear them.¡±

    Gao Yang paused and turned to look at Nainai.

    Nainai knew what he was thinking. ¡°I can shrink myself down, but we¡¯re too far from them. Once I reach them, they will have already finished talking.¡±

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Qing Ling curled her fingers, and a ck Gold dart flew in front of Nainai.

    Nainai¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Oh, right. That works.¡±

    She shrunk down to the size of a pinky and jumped onto the dart hovering near the ground, making a cool posture like a cultivator flying on a sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°You better hold on tight,¡± Qing Ling warned her in a low voice.

    Immediately intimidated, Nainaiy down on the dart instead, putting her arms and legs around it.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    The dart, with Nainai riding on it, quickly flew across the ground, quietly approaching the three people at the front door.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    Nainai felt as if she was on a rollercoaster ride. She screamed, but her scream was no louder than a mosquito and didn¡¯t attract any attention.

    About three secondster, the dart had already found a shadow to hide in near the three.

    Their conversation reached Nainai.

    ¡°This is thest time,¡± Hyena said irritatedly.

 Chapter 436: Holy Water

    <h4>Chapter 436: Holy Water</h4>

    ¡°No, no!¡± No.10 said petntly like a child. ¡°Without holy water, I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll be useless. I don¡¯t wanna be a real tail...¡±

    ¡°Even with holy water, you aren¡¯t that useful.¡± Hyena still had a fake smile on his face, but his words were cutting. ¡°I told you not to bother the awakeners in Li City.¡±

    Astronaut¡¯s voice sounded cold and monotone through the helmet, like it wasing from some device. ¡°The three organizations are working together to look for us, and yet you provoked them actively. Do you have a death wish, No.10?¡±

    No.10 lowered his head, his ugly face looking even uglier, while his eyes shone with stubborn dark desires. ¡°But I really want new toys...¡±

    Hyena said derisively, ¡°If No.12 hadn¡¯t saved you, you would¡¯ve be <i>their </i>toy. Remember, No.10, you may be difficult to kill, but you aren¡¯t actually unkible.¡±

    No.10 looked at thest bottle of ck solution in his hand. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll control myself.¡±

    ¡°Just wait. Once we catch a living white phoenix, we will have an endless supply of holy water¡ªand it¡¯ll be fresh. Then the Tails won¡¯t be vermin being chased down. You¡¯ll have all the toys you can wish for.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take all that should belong to us.¡± Astronaut¡¯s monotone voice was colored by devotion and deference. ¡°Heavenly Godbearer blesses us.¡±

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer blesses us,¡± Hyena repeated.

    Then No.10 also followed suit. ¡°Heavenly Godbearer blesses us.¡±

    ¡°No.7.¡± Astronaut said to Hyena. ¡°The awakeners havee to the West Nation. You¡¯ll soon be exposed. You should move base.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± said Hyena. ¡°I¡¯ll extract thest batch of holy water and blow this ce up before moving out.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be off first,¡± Astronaut said before diving into the ck sedan with his short, fat, and uglypanion, No.10.

    Qing Ling manipted the hidden ck Gold dart carrying Nainai with Metal,ying it down on the top of the car secretly, nning to have Nainai hitchhike to keep tracking the two men, but the car ignited too suddenly, and with a sudden turn, Nainai was thrown off the car, and Qing Ling¡¯s ck Gold dart had gotten out of the maximum range she could exert her control, unable to catch up.

    ¡°We¡¯ll lose them,¡± said Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang said quietly into his earpiece, ¡°Go back and get the car, Chen Ying. Once you see a car leaving the winery, do your best to track it. Remember, safety first.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Ying cut the call.

    Gao Yang quickly thought about what to do.

    Their top priority was to find out more about the Godbearer Cult.

    Astronaut¡¯s power was yet not known, and No.10 was quite a formidable enemy once injected with the ck solution. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t certain that they would win if the three Tails members stayed together; he worried that there could be casualties.

    It was a good thing that Astronaut and No.10 had left first.

    They could focus on dealing with Hyena, and they had a very good chance of winning.

    As Gao Yang thought, Hyena had already turned around and gone back into the main hall of the mansion.

    Holding onto the ck Gold dart, Nainai flew back.

    She jumped off the dart and turned back into normal size, quickly repeating what the three men had said. Thanks to the enhancement of Medicine M, she was able to recite them almost word for word.

    The others fell into thought.

    Gao Yang identified the two key points: holy water, and living white phoenix.

    Based on No.10 and Hyena¡¯s exchange, Gao Yang was certain that the holy water they were talking about was the insidious ck solution that could turn people into terrible abominations. With Cockroach, No.10 gained formidable power without losing control after injecting himself with holy water.

    Last time, No.10 used holy water to go after Gao Yang and Qing Ling. However, he failed to defeat them and ended up rescued by his teammate.

    Tonight, No.10 sought Hyena out for more holy water, but Hyena told him that it was thest bottle; they had almost run out.

    Which meant that holy water was produced, and the ingredient was something precious. ording to what they had said, they had almost run out.

    Then Hyena mentioned living white phoenix.

    What was it? Could it be an elite monster?

    A life monster? A death monster?

    Hyena mentioned fresh holy water, which was most likely holy water made with living white phoenix.

    Judging by what they said, the holy water would be more premium and bring about greater power. Once consumed, the Tails would be top awakeners.

    The way they put it, the Tails might be as powerful as those with the top 1 to top 12 Talents.

    But what did Astronaut mean by taking what should belong to them?

    Dragon had said that the head and tail of the Talents were connected. Could it be that the Tails could take the top 1 to 12 Talents¡¯ power for themselves through fresh holy water?

    How? Like X, were they going to kill the awakeners andprehend the Talents themselves? Or was there a special way to go about it?

    There were too many unanswered questions.

    But they could just catch Hyena and take the time interrogating him. Even if they failed to catch him alive, they could have Vermilion Bird question his body.

    Gao Yang looked up to make sure that the car Astronaut and No.10 were in had left the winery.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gao Yang waved a hand. ¡°Remember, safety first. We don¡¯t necessarily have to catch Hyena alive.¡±

    That was what Lithe Snake had been waiting for. He was the first to rush toward the mansion.

    When the six bodyguards noticed the agile figure leaping out of the garden, two of them had already gotten silenced by two throwing knives buried into their throats, while three ck Gold darts had stabbed three of the other four bodyguards in the chest.

    Thest surviving bodyguard also failed to make a shot. Gao Yang had already teleported to him and punched him in the chin with an upper hook, sending him flying and lying prone on the ground.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gao Yang led the way into the mansion.

    The main hall was extravagant and magnificent. Gao Yang and the others went in and ran into two young men in servant uniforms. They must be wanderers.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t kill them. Nor did he use his Talents.

    He simply rushed to them and knocked one of them out with a punch, grabbing the other in the throat at the same time to stop him from shouting.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯t kill me... Please...¡± The young man was terrified. Face flushed and body going limp, he dropped to his knees.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your master?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°In, inside the basement...¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    The young man pointed to the right. ¡°Go straight there and turn left before turning right. At the end of the corridor is a door...but a passcode is required... I don¡¯t know the passcode...¡±

    Qing Ling came up to the young man from behind and knocked him out with a knife-hand strike.

    Gao Yang let go, allowing the wanderer to fall on the ground. Stepping over him, Gao Yang headed to the direction the young man had pointed him to. The others quickly followed.

    A minuteter, the five of them reached the door to the basement following the young man¡¯s instructions.

    There were two armed guards outside the door. Officer Huang dealt with them easily with two bullets.

    Lithe Snake found a keycard on one of them. He opened the door and led the way in.

    Gao Yang nced at Officer Huang. ¡°Keep watch here. We¡¯re going in.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Officer Huang pointed his two guns at the end of the corridor, looking out for iing enemies. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Nainai followed Lithe Snake into the underground tunnel behind the door.

 Chapter 437: Organ

    <h4>Chapter 437: Organ</h4>

    The tunnel didn¡¯t go deep. At the end of about a dozen steps was a metal door. It was unlocked.

    Gao Yang entered the system to make sure that there was no danger or ambush before opening the door.

    The four of them came to a stunned halt.

    The basement was a cold blue, about a few hundreds square meters in size. At the center was an enclosed translucent growth tank filled with light blue liquid, the tank about ten meters in diameter. The bottom of the growth tank was connected to the experimentation facilities by countless pipes.

    Inside the growth tank, arge chunk of dark red flesh floated.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly one big chunk, but flesh rotting and dissolving into pieces, barely kept together by skin tissue.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what it was, but his first guess was an internal organ of somerge creature.

    Was it an organ of the white phoenix they talked about?

    Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to therge organ in the giant growth tank. They couldn¡¯t help it. Although it was an ugly lump of dead meat, there was something strangely captivating about it that drew the eyes, evenpelling the minds into obeying and submitting to it.

    It wasn¡¯t the sort of divine authority that demanded deference, but the call of mother nature, so gentle and merciful that it conjured the image of sunlight, grasnd, breeze, and fields of dandelions. It wasfortable, serene, and fulfilling.

    Gao Yang wanted nothing but to fall asleep, bing one with nature and the world atrge...

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it!¡±

    Gao Yang broke out of his reverie with a start and immediately shouted to wake the others. They came back to their senses like they were waking up from a dream.

    Hyena emerged from behind the giant growth tank then.

    He had changed into a long white coat and was wearing specially made safety goggles that obscured the top half of his face. In his hand was a vial, filled with bubbling dark gray liquid.

    Gao Yang first smelled the familiar strange fragrance. There was an eerie depth to it. But the fragrance was much less pronounced than what he had smelled before. It must be because it wasn¡¯t yet finished.

    So it was the holy water they were talking about, as he had guessed.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes zed with uncontainable rage. ¡°It¡¯s been twenty years, Hyena! I¡¯ve finally found you!¡±

    Hyena started, the vial falling to the ground.

    Through the goggles, he stared at Lithe Snake for a few seconds, his shock slowly reced by aposed fake smile. ¡°It¡¯s you. You¡¯re still alive? Haha, rabid dogs sure live long.¡±

    ¡°Hyena, you¡¯re meeting your death today.¡± Lithe Snake drew his shortsword.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m no longer known as Hyena. I¡¯m an archbishop of the Godbearer Cult. The grand achievement I¡¯m bringing about is beyond the understanding of a rabid dog like you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how powerful Hyena was, but he had a feeling that the man wouldn¡¯t be that strong.

    Gao Yang nced at Qing Ling. <i>Let¡¯s go.</i>

    Qing Ling blinked. <i>We nk him from both sides.</i>

    Sensing that his enemies were going to make a move, Hyena quickly took out a controller from his pocket and pressed the yellow button.

    The metal door on the left of theboratory opened, and four ughterers charged out, eyes red. They were powerful, their chests tattooed with the dor signs of binding contract, arge dog cor on each of their necks.

    Qing Ling and Lithe Snake charged at them with their weapons, dealing with the ughterers, while Gao Yang teleported toward Hyena.

    When Hyena pressed the controller, though, a capsule elevator inside the wall behind him had dropped down. He quickly dove in, and the door closed. Through the translucent elevator door, he sneered at Gao Yang, mouthing something at him.

    Gao Yang teleported again and reached the elevator shaft, but he was a second too slow. The elevator had already shot upward and disappeared. It must be some sort of emergency escape pod.

    Gao Yang looked up, contemting if he could teleport through the ceiling and chase Hyena to above ground.

    [Warning...]

    But then the system¡¯s warning sounded in his head, and two images shed through Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    The first was Hyena mouthing something at Gao Yang from inside the capsule elevator. It looked like ¡®goodbye¡¯.

    The second was Nainai repeating the conversation between Hyena, Astronaut, and No.10 to them. Hyena had said, <i>¡°I know. I¡¯ll extract thest batch of holy water and blow this ce up before moving out.¡±</i>

    Gao Yang jumped. <i>Shit, this ce is blowing up! Hyena knows the four ughterers aren¡¯t enough to deal with us. He¡¯s merely buying time!</i>

    He teleported back to Qing Ling and Lithe Snake and shouted at Nainai. ¡°The ce is blowing up! Get bigger!¡±

    Nainai had gone on many missions with Azure Dragon, going through many life-and-death situations as a result. She had a wealth of experience under her belt, allowing her to catch on immediately.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Nainai shouted and quickly turned into a giant. In less than two seconds, her head crashed through the ceiling of the basement.

    At the same time, she extended her giant hands toward herpanions.

    Gao Yang teleported to Qing Ling, who was still shing at the ughterers, and jumped onto Nainai¡¯s left palm with her.

    The agile Lithe Snake threw a throwing knife to slow down a ughterer before jumping onto the same hand.

    Nainai quickly closed her left hand while her right hand dropped down with the five fingers curled slightly, covering the three of them without leaving a gap.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    A secondter, Gao Yang heard a series of powerful explosions.

    Safely shielded inside Nainai¡¯s hands, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Lithe Snake felt as if they were riding an elevator, going through a bumpy and turbulent stretch.

    The explosions died down in less than ten seconds, and the shaking subsided.

    Nainai¡¯s giant hands unfurled above and below them. Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Lithe Snake saw light again. They quickly jumped off her hand.

    Gao Yang looked up. Nainai was still a giant. She had crashed through the basement and made a hole leading above ground, reaching the garden behind the mansion.

    Now, her feet and legs had been blown apart and charred all the way to her thighs, and she was bleeding from her head, too, most likely a result of her knocking through the ceiling of the basement.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    Nainai could no longer hold on. She dropped to her knees before toppling to the ground, shaking thend and bringing about gusts of wind. Gao Yang felt as if a skyscraper had fallen before him.

    Then Nainai started shrinking at observable speed.

    It took her less than ten seconds to turn back into the frail girl she was. Her lower body had been all blown up, some of the wounds deep enough to reveal the bones. The sight alone would provoke sympathetic pain.

    ¡°Aghhh...¡± The pain registered in her head btedly, doubly overwhelming. Nainai cried out, her face pale.

    Gao Yang felt a pang of guilt, but also relief. Azure Dragon was telling the truth when he said that Nainai was dependable when it mattered.

    ¡°Hyena!¡± Lithe Snake spotted Hyena fleeing toward a barren hill behind the winery. He gave chase immediately.

    ¡°You alright?!¡± Officer Huang rushed over from not far away. He had avoided the explosion since he was keeping watch outside.

    ¡°Treat Nainai!¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to exin before chasing after Lithe Snake. Qing Ling followed with her weapons.

    Officer Huang went up to Nainai and saw her terrible condition.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± he cursed.

 Chapter 438: Animal

    <h4>Chapter 438: Animal</h4>

    Officer Huang quickly took out two shots of Medicine C and injected Nainai¡¯s calves each with one shot. Due to the seriousness of her injury, Officer Huang judged that a full dose was needed for each leg.

    With the medicine administered, Nainai¡¯s cries of pain slowly subsided, and the wounds and burns left by the explosions healed little by little, resulting in a different kind of pain. Nainai¡¯s breathing quickened as she clenched her teeth to endure it.

    Officer Huang realized to his surprise that Nainai had not shed a single tear despite the great torment.

    ¡°Feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Ha, muhaha...¡± Nainai¡¯s voice was weak and shaky, but she didn¡¯t drop her <i>chuuni </i>act. ¡°This fatal wound is nothing to this Empress. Once my magic recovers and my bloodline awakens, the power of the evil eye will be unsealed¡ªow, owow...¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t have the time to humor her. He lifted her blood-drenched bang and checked the injury on her forehead.

    ¡°No, it needs another half dose.¡± Officer Huang took out another syringe and pulled off the cap with his teeth. ¡°Brace for it. It¡¯s gonna hurt a little to inject your forehead.¡±

    ¡°Haha, what is a little pain to the bodypared to the humiliation of this Empress getting sealed for a thousand years¡ªow ow ow...¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang and Qing Ling had chased Lithe Snake to the bottom of the hill. The break of dawn saw the eastern sky turning a slight gray, transitioning into the deep blue of the lingering night.

    Dim moonlight showered the barren hill before them. It was all ashennd with no sign of life. Countless chunks of what looked like strange white jade paved a road leading to the top of the hill, resembling the bones of arge fish and the spine of a giant creature.

    Qing Ling rode on her de while Gao Yang ran quickly. There was a limit to the number of times he could use Teleportation, so he didn¡¯t dare waste them, or he would be at a disadvantage in a fight.

    They followed the white jade-like path to the top of the hill. On the way, they saw many more white jade stones of different shapes protruding from the gray soil, each a different shape, but most sharp and slim like bamboo shoots reaching toward the sky.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to dwell on them, but instinctively, the jade stones unnerved him.

    They must have been around for many years, yet they seemed so clean, smooth, and clear. Under the moonlight, they glowed faintly in a sacred manner.

    They stood out on the barren hill. They didn¡¯t belong to the same world¡ªno, the same dimension.

    Thirty secondster, Gao Yang reached the top of the hill.

    There was a clearing with a grayish green altar about a few dozen square meters big at the center.

    Drenched in blood, Hyena crawled along the altar, moving toward its center while shouting without even a shred of dignity, ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯t kill me... Spare me. Let me live...¡±

    ¡°Spare you?¡±

    Lithe Snake stood behind Hyena with a bloodied shortsword, his expression furious. ¡°Tell Captain Benson! Tell the twelve brothers you killed!¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling stopped at the same time rather than approaching. They had promised Lithe Snake that they would leave him to finish Hyena off.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised that Lithe Snake was having little difficulty in dealing with Hyena.

    Hyena¡¯s Talent controlled others through contracts. He wasn¡¯t the fighter type, so without the time to prepare powerful puppets to fight others, Hyena himself was quite weak.

    And Gao Yang believed that the members of Tails had their Talents stagnating at level 4.

    No.10 hadn¡¯t been able to put up a fight facing Qing Ling. Only by consuming holy water did he grow strong enough to trigger a 4500 times bonus to his Luck points acquisition.

    Even so, No.10 was no match for Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

    ¡°You...you¡¯re...out of your mind...¡± Hyena continued to crawl forward. ¡°They were wanderers, animals...no different from livestocks¡ªahhhh...¡±

    Lithe Snake made another swing and cut off Hyena¡¯s left hand. The blood sttered on Lithe Snake¡¯s face. ¡°In my eyes, you¡¯re the animal. No, you¡¯re something even worse.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me... Let¡¯s...have a deal aghhh...¡±

    A throwing knife burrowed into his right thigh, making blood gush out.

    It seemed that Lithe Snake wanted to make thisst. It would be too easy to just kill Hyena when the resentment in his heart ran so deep.

    ¡°Listen, listen...¡± Enduring the pain, Hyena rolled his bloodied, tattered body over and crawled backward in fear, raising his right hand. ¡°Another two years, and we¡¯ll...we¡¯ll all die... The Heavenly Godbearer is our only hope... I¡¯m...I¡¯m an archbishop. I can introduce you into the group¡ªaghhh...¡±

    Lithe Snake made another ruthless swing, cutting off his right hand.

    For one, it was meant to inflict more pain. For another, it was to stop Hyena from pulling any trick.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t kill me... I...I don¡¯t wanna die...¡± Now armless, Hyena continued to struggle. He even burst into tears, dignity long forgotten. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Without me, without holy water, we¡¯ll all die...¡±

    ¡°Hyena, you call monsters animals, the most filthy and lowly creatures that disgust you.¡± Lithe Snake raised his shortsword and took a step forward, looking like the ruthless grim reaper with the moonlight lighting him from behind.

    ¡°But holy wateres from monsters too, doesn¡¯t it? Do you think calling the source a white phoenix is going to change anything?¡±

    Hyena paused, forgetting his pain.

    ¡°The animals you despise are the tools you rely on to survive and find your ce in the world. Who¡¯s the dirty and lowly one here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worse than monsters, Hyena. I look down on you. All humans and monsters look down on you too. You¡¯re nothing, even worse than a worm in a pile of feces.¡±

    Back then, Hyena knew the exact way to break Lithe Snake, and now, Lithe Snake knew the exact words to say as retaliation.

    Sometimes, one¡¯s worst enemies knew them the best.

    Hyena paused. Fear was now gone from his widened eyes, reced by zing fury. It was the worst humiliation and dismissal he had ever been subject to in his life, and he resented his helplessness.

    ¡°Son of a bitch! I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill...¡±

    Lithe Snake stabbed Hyena¡¯s heart with his shortsword.

    Pinned to the altar, Hyena¡¯s blood quickly flowed into the grooves under the altar.

    Lithe Snake paused. Gao Yang and Qing Ling frowned too.

    The grooves filled by blood formed a pattern¡ªa phoenix flying with its wings extended.

    No, it would be inurate to call it a phoenix. It was arge flying creature with its wings extended, its bodyrge and round with what looked like tentacles as tails. Its head was a long, squashed oval, at the center of which was an eye.

    The symbol looked sacred, somehow.

    ¡°You¡¯re right... There¡¯s no white phoenix, only a disgusting life monster...¡± Hyena, facing his death, stared at the sky with blood foamsing out of the corners of his mouth, his eyes dark with fierce hatred.

    ¡°How repulsive... Die...all of you...¡±

    With thest of his strength, he broke a fake tooth in his mouth, within which was high-concentration holy water. The liquid went down his throat.

    The next second, Hyena died with his head drooping to the side.

    Standing on the altar, Gao Yang sensed a strange change to the force around him, as if the air was breathing.

    Soon, the altar and then the hill atrge started trembling slightly.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Qing Ling frowned. The air grew increasingly turbulent and rustled her ponytail.

    ¡°Back away!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    Immediately, Hyena¡¯s tattered body slowly flew into the air and hovered above the heart of the altar. ck spots emerged all over him, and two secondster, Hyena opened his eyes, which radiated blinding white light.

    ¡°Aghhh¡ª¡±

    He opened his mouth, letting out a strange, grating shriek like a soprano singing in hysteria.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Lithe Snake backed away while covering their ears, feeling like their heads were going to explode.

    The piercing screams rang across the hill, rippling through the night sky.

    At the same time, Hyena¡¯s body melted and dissolved. Outside of his skull, the rest of his body turned into dense thin ck lines and shot out of the altar in the form of energy particles, spreading along the ground of the hill.

    The thin ck lines stayed away from Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Lithe Snake and slithered down in search of the pieces of white jade stones like they were alive.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang at that moment, making him shudder.

    This hill was a burial site, one for a life monster!

    Therge white jade stones that looked like bamboo shoots and the jade stone path that resembled a spine were all bones, part of the skeleton of a life monster!

    And the giant clump of flesh in the growth tank in theb was its organ!

    Godbearer Cult extracted their holy water from a life monster!

 Chapter 439: White Phoenix

    <h4>Chapter 439: White Phoenix</h4>

    ¡°The white phoenix ising alive!¡± Gao Yang shouted his spection. It wasn¡¯t so much it wasing back alive, though, but that the life monster¡¯s body still retained some function even after its death like a millipede, and with the blood sacrifice of Hyena and the holy water, the body was reanimated.

    That was what Gao Yang believed, anyway, and he hoped that he was right. If the life monster was actuallying back to life, they would most likely all die here.

    Qing Ling and Lithe Snake had guessed what was going on too, and they readied themselves for a fight.

    <i>ck, ck, ck.</i>

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    Countless white bones shot out of the ground and flew toward the altar on the top of the hill. The white path leading up the hill, too, protruded from the ground and revealed the entirety of the spine, moving toward the altar while bringing up clumps of stones and sand like stairs leading to heaven.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Gao Yang teleported Qing Ling and Lithe Snake away from the giant spine hurtling their way.

    Due to the suddenness of everything, the three of them ended up falling halfway down the hill, onlying to a stop after a few rolls. Once they got to their feet, they looked back at the top of the hill.

    Gao Yang felt numbness spreading across his scalp. His mind nked.

    Perching on top of the hill was a behemoth of numerous giant bones. Its skull was long with a strange vertical socket in the middle, the bottom of the skull connected to a giant spine weaving throughrge circr rib bones, ending at countless small tail bones. On the sides of the rib cage were two sets of extended wing bones that suggested a wingspan great enough to cover the sky.

    Looking closely, one could see Hyena¡¯s skull attached to the inside of the rib cage by a ck substance, protected byyers of bones.

    The white phoenix was as big as amercial ne. It seemed that the loss of flesh and feathers had prevented it from taking flight. Instead, it perched on the hill, looking down at Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Officer Huang had arrived on site. Naturally, he saw the giant on top of the hill, too. His voice was shaky as he eximed, ¡°What manner of monstrosity is that?!¡±

    ¡°Life monster,¡± Gao Yang said impassively.

    ¡°<i>Life monster?!</i>¡± Officer Huang was stunned. The elite monsters they knew at least retained their humanoid form, but the life monster before them looked like a primordial creature.

    Lithe Snake added coolly, ¡°The body¡¯s resurrected by Hyena¡¯s blood and holy water.¡±

    ¡°You call this being resurrected?!¡± Officer Huang couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. ¡°It¡¯s creepy as hell is what it is!¡±

    ¡°Is this the time for chit-chat?¡± Qing Ling conjured her two des. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    [Warning, Luck acquisition increases to 7000 times!]

    Gao Yang heard the system¡¯s warning.

    Somehow, he found it in himself to feel relief. <i>Not too bad. A bonus of 7000 times isn¡¯t too bad. We still stand a chance.</i>

    Looming shadow came down on them as onerge white skeletal wing swung at them, bringing about a deadly gale.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    Gao Yang teleported to Officer Huang and flung both of them to the side.

    He went for Officer Huang because he believed Qing Ling and Lithe Snake would be fine on their own. Indeed, Lithe Snake dodged to the right, and Qing Ling activated Metal while jumping, the two ck Gold des lifting her into the air.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    Two secondster, the giant skeletal wing hit the ground, bringing about a violent burst of dust. The hill trembled again.

    That would have rendered a regr person to paste.

    Rather than lifting back up, the giant wing swung horizontally near the ground instead, resulting in rolling waves of dust and turbulent currents of air.

    Gao Yang grabbed Officer Huang by the elbow again and jumped, using Teleportation at the same time. Theynded on the skeletal wing two secondster. It felt as if they were standing on top of a speeding train.

    ¡°Stay safe!¡±

    Gao Yang let go of Officer Huang and jumped between the tube-like bones thatposed the wing. Teleporting thrice, he approached the connecting joint between the wing and the skeleton.

    His thinking was simple. To defeat the skeleton of the white phoenix, they had to disassemble it part by part and turn it back into a pile of bones.

    Gao Yang decided to go for the joints of the wings first to break them off.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    His right hand burst into radiating mes, his eyes glowing a golden light.

    Wrapped in fire intense enough to melt steel, his fist mmed into a joint.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The Fire Punch hit the giant joint squarely. Fierce fire rippled outward from his hand, spreading in all directions and casting the bones nearby in a dazzling golden light.

    From a bird¡¯s eye view, though, one would see that the fire had merely licked at the joint connecting the wing and the body of the giant skeletal bird before going out.

    Gao Yang pulled back three secondster, feeling his entire arm going numb.

    However, the giant joint looked almost unscathed. The force of the heavy punch itself and the fire that could melt steel left only a slight crack on the surface, far from destroying the jointpletely.

    Under the moonlight, the lifeless white bones seemed like a pristine, sacred tombstone, with an authoritative presence that shall not be defiled or challenged.

    <i>How...can it be?!</i>

    Back then, once Lilia lost the protection of the Element Rune Circuit, she had gotten melted into nothing by Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch despite the sturdy scales armoring her¡ªthat punch had been imbued with Willful Power, though.

    Still, Gao Yang had never encountered something this hardy outside of Wang Zikai¡¯s bone ws.

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    The skeletal wing swung again, the powerful currents throwing Gao Yang into the sky. Midair, Gao Yang found a chance to teleport back to the midsection of the hill. Beside him, Officer Huang raised his two guns, looking desperate.

    If even Gao Yang¡¯s level 5 Fire failed to damage the bones, the bullets he shot with level 5 God of Firearms were unlikely to do anything but scratch the surface.

    Meanwhile, Qing Ling and Lithe Snake had been on the move, too.

    Wielding her Tang Dao while riding on her Xiu Dao, Qing Ling flew toward the head of the white phoenix.

    On the other hand, Lithe Snake jumped between the white phoenix¡¯s bones agilely like he was climbing a steel tower, utilizing the stickiness of his hands and feet granted by Gecko. In no time, he got to the neck of the monster.

    Riding on her Xiu Dao, Qing Ling reached the monster¡¯s head first. With a powerful leap, she descended from high in the sky with the moon lighting her from the back. The Tang Dao she held with both hands radiated a frosty blue aura, looking like it had split the moon in half.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    With an unstoppable de aura, she brought the Tang Dao down on the white skull of the giant bird.

    The de aura hit the skull first, making a blue ripple. Then her sharp Tang Dao followed, cutting into the bone.

    The next second, Qing Lingnded on the giant skull.

    She had managed to cut the white bone, but only for a few inches, leaving a long, thin crack.

    Qing Ling was caught off guard. She had pictured her de going all the way through, halving the entire skull.

    The spine and tails of the white skeletal bird started writhing. The countless thin bones of the tails rose and stabbed at Qing Ling like water snakes¡ªthey were thinpared to the main body, but to humans, the bones of each tail were as thick as a telephone pole.

    Sensing a turbulent current assaulting her from below, Qing Ling quickly jumped off, daring not to linger a second longer. Halfway through her freefall toward the hill, her Xiu Dao flew to her while spinning and caught her feet. She rode her de, weaving through the countless tails like she was surfing on waves.

    The numerous tails missed her by a hair. None managed to hurt her.

    Attached to one of the tails was Lithe Snake.

    Mid-climb, he had seen countless tails whipping at Qing Ling, and he jumped onto one as they flew past him, getting on the ride.

    Seizing the chance, Lithe Snake jumped off the thin tail andnded on the monster¡¯s white skull. He thrust his ck Gold shortsword into the crack Qing Ling had left with all the strength he could muster, burying it down to the hilt.

 Chapter 440: Nasty

    <h4>Chapter 440: Nasty</h4>

    ¡°Aghhh¡ª¡±

    Veins popped up on Lithe Snake¡¯s arms as he yanked his ck Gold shortsword to the right, attempting to use it like a crowbar to erge the crack in the bone so as to destroy the skull.

    <i>nk.</i>

    But it was a naive n. The skull didn¡¯t crack further, while the shortsword broke at the hilt.

    <i>Roar!</i>

    From the chest of the white skeletal bird came a powerful roar. Its body dove down forward suddenly, and caught off guard, Lithe Snake fell off from high in the sky.

    As he fell, he suddenly realized that they couldn¡¯t deal with this monstrosity like they would a creature of flesh and blood. It was more like a giant robot made of material harder than metal. It had no sense of pain and couldn¡¯t be destroyed through regr physical attacks.

    Before he hit the ground, a Tang Dao flew to him.

    He quickly grabbed its hilt, stopping his fall.

    Adjusting his posture, Lithe Snake jumped andnded on the ground safely, returning to Qing Ling, Gao Yang, and Officer Huang.

    ¡°What do we do with this thing?!¡± Officer Huang shouted. ¡°Should we run?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°Run? Can you outrun it?¡±

    As he spoke, the white skeletal bird perching on the hill extended itsrge wings, enveloping the entire hill, instantly trapping them inside the prison of white bones.

    Gao Yang had lost count on how many times he had been in such dire danger.

    He didn¡¯t panic. After thinking for a few seconds, he realized that they had been going about it wrong from the very start. What they should go after wasn¡¯t the lifeless skeleton, but what was controlling the skeleton.

    ¡°Officer Huang, you can make bullets curve, right?¡± he asked.

    ¡°What should I hit? Tell me!¡± Officer Huang asked urgently. He couldn¡¯t die here. His wife was giving birth next month!

    Gao Yang looked up at the chest of the white skeletal bird. Inside the rib cage, Hyena¡¯s head could be made out, under which were countless ck veins. And the veins, attached to the spine and spreading to the skull, wings, and tails, were what controlled the giant ¡®mecha¡¯ of white bones.

    ¡°The life monster isn¡¯t resurrected,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s simply a skeleton manipted by Hyena¡¯s lingering consciousness and the power of the holy water. We just have to destroy the control center.¡±

    ¡°I get it! Aim for Hyena¡¯s head!¡± Officer Huang raised his guns and aimed high.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± Qing Ling warned in a low voice.

    More than ten tentacle-like white skeletal tails swept near the ground,ing after the four of them. Gao Yang grabbed Officer Huang from behind and teleported away.

    Relying on their agility, Qing Ling and Lithe Snake jumped around to avoid the attacks.

    In their eyes, the monster was a giant they couldn¡¯t destroy, while the monster saw them as annoying flies it couldn¡¯t catch.

    Officer Huang shouted, ¡°The gaps between the ribs are too small. We have to get closer!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± answered Gao Yang.

    Midair, Gao Yang teleported again andnded on the giant skeletal bird¡¯s lifted wing, still holding onto Officer Huang. Meanwhile, Officer Huang held onto his guns while staying as still as a stone statue.

    Gao Yang felt as if he was holding onto a bodhisattva figure. There was something absurd about the situation.

    Officer Huang had pushed aside all thoughts, entrusting his life to Gao Yang fully. While they moved, he did his best to aim at his target¡ªHyena¡¯s head, protected by the rib cage. It could be considered the brain of the white skeletal bird.

    Everything quickly whipped past him and even became upside down every now and then. He could hear gusts of wind assaulting his eardrums.

    He continued to take aim and kept getting interrupted, sometimes because of Gao Yang teleporting to avoid an attack, and other times because of the movement of the giant skeletal bird.

    Finally, ten secondster, Officer Huang found a half-second opening.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    He made three shots each from his two guns in that half a second.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    Unfortunately, five of the bullets ended up hitting the hardy rib cage, not even making a spark, let alone leaving a scratch.

    Thest bullet, however, managed to dive through the gap between the bones in a slight curve with impressive precision, almost hitting Hyena¡¯s head.

    But it missed by a hair, hitting the ck veins under Hyena¡¯s head instead.

    ¡°Aghhh!¡±

    Another pained scream burst out of the skeletal bird¡¯s chest, and the skeletal bird toppled to one side of the hill like a bluff of bones.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Officer Huang was ready to take aim again, but Gao Yang grabbed him and teleported twice to escape from the area of impact.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The giant skeletal bird fell, the aftermath resembling that of a bomb going off, the dust rolling along the hill.

    Gao Yang returned to Qing Ling and Lithe Snake, dropping Officer Huang. He panted with sweat covering his forehead. He had used Teleportation too many times in the past half an hour. He was almost reaching his limit!

    ¡°What a shame! Give me another ten seconds, and I¡¯ll make a headshot!¡± Officer Huang said, frustrated.

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Qing Ling could tell that Gao Yang was running out of Teleportation uses. She let go of her des and concentrated, lifting her hands.

    Her two ck Gold des glided to Officer Huang¡¯s feet, hovering near the ground.

    Catching on immediately, Officer Huang stepped onto the des like he was riding skiboards. Then the two des flew up toward the skeletal bird.

    Unlike Qing Ling, Officer Huang wasn¡¯t familiar enough with the des to ride them freely like a cultivator. Instead, he wavered and wobbled like a drunk. It was all he could do to barely maintain his bnce, and many times, he almost fell.

    The giant skeletal bird slowly propped itself up. Officer Huang had been lifted to the air by the des as well. Holding his guns, he took aim with full concentration and quickly identified the right trajectories.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang fired six bullets in half a second.

    He was confident this time. He would surely...

    <i>Clink, clink, clink!</i>

    All six bullets hit white bones.

    <i>How?!</i>

    Officer Huang was shocked, but then he saw it!

    Thin, dense bone stings grew from the rib cage in the chest area like thorns,pletely sealing the small gaps between the rib bones.

    <i>You scumbag!</i>

    Officer Huang was ready to pop a vein. Hyena had been a cunning, insidious man in life, but even in death, he managed to be nasty.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s shout alerted Officer Huang to the iing danger.

    Although he knew how high in the air he was, he jumped. A secondter, a skeletal tail the thickness of a telephone pole brushed by his shoulder, leaving a deep gash on his left arm and tearing his muscles.

    ¡°Gah...¡±

    Officer Huang cried out in pain, falling down while sttering droplets of blood, about to fall off the hill.

    Gao Yang jumped and stepped on the ck Gold darts Qing Ling had lifted into the air. Then he leaped again and teleported, finally reaching Officer Huang to hold onto him from behind.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang made a safending with the help of the Tang Dao sent to him in time. He lowered the injured Officer Huang to the ground, his expression dark.

    Things were getting tricky. They had to get things over with now.

    That was when his eyes lit up. He saw hope!

 Chapter 441: Cool for only Three Seconds

    <h4>Chapter 441: Cool for only Three Seconds</h4>

    Their hope was Nainai.

    After getting treated with Medicine C and recovered most of her injury, she rushed over immediately. While the hill had been entirely circled by skeletal wingsrge enough to obscure the sky, it posed no difficulty to Nainai, who could increase and decrease her size at will.

    She quickly went up the hill and reached Gao Yang and the others.

    ¡°This Empress hase!¡± There were pink scars on Nainai¡¯s legs, a result of elerated recovery of the wounds. It would take at least half a month for the scars to fade.

    Her bang had gotten stuck to her forehead in strands by congealed blood, under which was a ck bandaid with insidious looking patterns.

    ¡°Nainai! Follow my lead!¡± Gao Yang shouted, jumping and teleporting to reach a wing bone. Then he jumped again, his right hand balled into fist and swinging toward the chest of the giant skeletal bird.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡± Gao Yang shouted, his fist bursting into blinding red mes.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    A thin bone shot out from the side, piercing through Gao Yang¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Qing Ling screamed and was about to rush over with her des, but Lithe Snake grabbed her.

    She paused, calming down quickly.

    They all saw then that the Gao Yang getting pierced by the bone hadn¡¯t bled or cried out in pain. It was only a double.

    The real Gao Yang was already standing on the thin bone piercing at him.

    Using it as a springboard, he leapt with both feet while teleporting, getting close to the skeletal bird¡¯s chest.

    He had just about exhausted his uses of Teleportation.

    When he was only two meters from the bird¡¯s chest, hemented, <i>And I¡¯m gonna lose 3% to 5% of my stats again.</i>

    But there was no other way.

    <i>Willful Power!</i>

    [Constitution: 1 Endurance: 1]

    [Strength: 3000 Agility: 1]

    [Willpower: 2231 Charisma: 1]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡°Fire¡ªPunch¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s right fist flickered with golden light. Then his right arm and his entire body erupted into a cape of golden mes.

    The mes quickly morphed into a giant pair of burning wings, attached to Gao Yang¡¯s back. They expanded with the night sky as backdrop, scattering embers.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    In a split second, the airpressed dramatically, making a deep, rough rumble.

    The wings of mes that were no lesser than those of the skeletal bird converged to Gao Yang¡¯s right fist instantly.

    His Fire reached level 6 at that moment!

    Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Lithe Snake, and Nainai saw a roaring fire dragon shoot out of Gao Yang¡¯s right fist, colliding with the mountainous skeletal bird.

    <i>Crackle, boom!</i>

    The giant dragon tore into the bird¡¯s chest, lighting up the night sky like it was day.

    However, the Fire Punch still failed to melt and destroy the terrifying white bones. Instead, the mes scattered into ripples of scorching golden energy, spreading across the hill like waves of flowing magma from a volcano eruption.

    Carrying Officer Huang on his back, Lithe Snake dodged the burning energy ripples, while Qing Ling flew away on her de with Nainai in her arms.

    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡± Nainai¡¯s hair and dress fluttered from the ripples of energy. Thest time she witnessed such a dramatic scene in a battle was when Elder Azure Dragon used a furious punch.

    <i>Growl¡ª</i>

    The giant bird growled in pain like a meteorite had knocked it on the chest. Losing its bnce, it toppled down.

    Gao Yang started plunging after throwing the punch. With his stats still shifted, he was almost blind and deaf to the world, and he couldn¡¯t sense anything.

    Still, he shouted, ¡°Nainai, tear its chest open!¡±

    Nainai caught on immediately, and so did Qing Ling.

    Without hesitation, she threw Nainai down at the prone skeletal bird. Nainai screamed as she fell. ¡°Aghhhhh...¡±

    At the same time, Qing Ling rode on her de to chase after Gao Yang, catching him before he hit the ground¡ªin a bridal carry.

    Gao Yang¡¯s six senses slowly returned to him. He sensed a pair of arms catching him, the embrace soft and the fluttering long ck hair smelling of a familiar fragrance.

    A few secondster, he got a clear look at Qing Ling¡¯s face.

    She looked down at him with cool eyes, her lips slightly curved upward with a hint of mockery. Gao Yang could almost read her mind: <i>loser, you can¡¯t be cool for more than three seconds.</i>

    Meanwhile, Nainai, who had been dropped by Qing Ling, was falling toward the giant bird.

    Pushing aside all her reservations, she extended her arms and legs, braving the currents with a determined gaze. ¡°This Empress has arrived! Shake in fear, world!!!¡±

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    There was a sudden violent ripple.

    Nainai had transformed into a fifteen-meter tall giant in a second. While she was still smaller than the skeletal bird, she was almost half its size.

    Her Scale reached level 6 at that moment, decreasing the time it took for her to turn into a giant from 3 seconds to 1 second.

    <i>Boom, boom!</i>

    Her two feet stomped on the bird¡¯s two wings.

    For a moment, the entire hill seemed to shake, the resulting gusts sending stones and dust flying everywhere, the impact disastrous and tremendous.

    Nainai didn¡¯t hesitate. Given she had turned into a giant before, her transformation wouldst even shorter this time.

    She reached out toward the giant skeletal bird¡¯s chest with both hands. The rib bones had been cracked and disced visibly by Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch, and the mes had melted all the thin bone stings between the rib bones.

    Nainai thrust her ten fingers through the gaps created by the Fire Punch, but that was as far as she could go. She couldn¡¯t reach into the center of the chest.

    ¡°Huh...hahhh...¡±

    Pushing herself to the limit, Nainai pried the giant skeletal bird¡¯s rib cage open.

    The giant bird pinned down by her struggled with all its might, its shriek reaching heaven.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Nainai struggled to keep it down. Although she had exhausted all her power, she still wasn¡¯t able to pry the rib cage open wholly. It was the most indestructible thing she had ever encountered in her life.

    ¡°No, this Empress...this Empress is reaching her limit...¡± Nainai felt her strength drain from her, and her giant body started shrinking.

    ¡°It¡¯s good enough.¡±

    She heard someone speak. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Lithe Snake standing on her shoulder.

    He was holding a ck Gold shortsword with his right hand while grasping a yellowed photo in his left hand. Half of the photo was arge head going out of frame, while the other half upied by about a dozen mercenaries.

    The photo was taken twenty years ago in the Rogue Cape, in the tropical forest on one of the inds. The group stirred up a ho¡¯s nest and had toy low.

    They put up tents in the forest and endured the assaults of mosquitoes and other insects and the smothering humid heat, eating canned food and sour fruit. Only on the rare asions when they hunted a game did they open up a bottle of spirit.

    One afternoon, when the boys were getting bored out of his mind, Benson suggested they sing to pass the time. Butchering an edible snake with a dagger, Lithe Snake started singing a song from his home country.

    The other mercenaries slept on the hammocks or in the tents, some drinking, some smoking, and some maintaining their firearms. They all stopped to y beats for Lithe Snake, stealing a moment of fun in their time of misery.

    Holding a camera, Benson, their leader, took a selfie and captured the moment.

    It was their only group photo. Hyena was included too. At the time, he yed the beat with the others as well. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    Staring at the giant skeletal bird with piercing eyes, Lithe Snake, showing no sign of hesitation, swung his ck Gold shortsword with a reverse grip and cut off his entire left arm.

 Chapter 442: Cannon Salute for the Empress

    <h4>Chapter 442: Cannon Salute for the Empress</h4>

    Instantly, blood gushed out and sttered on Lithe Snake¡¯s chest and one side of his face, covered in a long scar. Nainai got a few drops on her shrinking face as well.

    <i>Whoa, is he crazy?</i>

    <i>Why did he mutte himself all of a sudden?</i>

    <i>He¡¯s more chuuni than I am!</i>

    Nainai didn¡¯t understand, and from a distance, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and the injured Officer Huang were shocked as well.

    What was Lithe Snake doing?! Had he gotten lost in hatred ande to resent his helplessness?

    Soon, they got the answer.

    After cutting off his own left arm, Lithe Snake dropped the shortsword in his right hand to catch his fallen left arm instead, hurling it down at the skeletal bird.

    A few secondster, his left arm, still holding onto the photo, fell through the gap created by thebined effort of Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch and Nainai¡¯s raw power, reaching the chest cavity.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A secondter, a tremendous explosion triggered inside the skeletal bird¡¯s chest, the blinding golden light seeping through the gaps between the rib bones.

    Nainai jumped off the skeletal bird in time while quickly shrinking. Both she and Lithe Snake got hurled into the air by the resulting shockwaves.

    Gao Yang squeezed one more use out of Teleportation and caught Lithe Snake, now missing an arm. Theynded safely.

    Qing Ling followed shortly, having ridden her de to catch Nainai, who was now normal size.

    The explosionsted only a few seconds. Hyena¡¯s head was rendered into ashes.

    Without the center of control, the giant skeletal bird quickly fell apart, the bones scattering all over the hill like arge-scale storm of white hails. They dodged the projectiles until thirty secondster, the hailstorm died down.

    The reanimated white phoenix ¡®died¡¯ again.

    The battle was over.

    Holding onto his bleeding stump, Lithe Snake had an impassive look on his face.

    Supporting him, Gao Yang asked calmly, ¡°When did you acquire Self-Detonate?¡±

    ¡°Two days ago,¡± Lithe Snake said hoarsely, his face pale from the excessive blood loss.

    Gao Yang fell silent. He had more or less put things together.

    The one who acquired a Damage-type Talent two days ago was Lithe Snake, and the Talent was Self-Detonate, serial number 112!

    Officer Huang said that Lithe Snake had been cutting off his pinky. Now it all made sense.

    Lithe Snake wasn¡¯t a pervert who took joy in mutting himself, neither had he been leaving behind clues to sell them out. Instead, he had been experimenting with detonating parts of his body to level up Self-Detonate.

    Judging by the power of the explosion, his Self-Detonate must have reached level 3.

    Originally, Self-Detonate was as good as useless, but it had surprising synergy with Lithe Snake¡¯s Gecko. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but admire him.

    <i>That¡¯s real nasty, Lithe Snake!</i>

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally gotten your revenge, Lithe Snake.¡± Officer Huang went up to him and let out a long sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that revenge only leaves one feeling more empty.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°I disagree. I feel quite good.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, unsure of what to say.

    Right then, Lithe Snake threw up a mouthful of blood.

    ¡°Lithe Snake?¡±

    Gao Yang crouched down to help him up.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡± Lithe Snake grinned. ¡°Just tired. I¡¯ll be alright after getting some sleep.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. The mad man must have been cutting off his fingers nonstop the past two days to quickly level up Self-Detonate to level 3, all for getting his revenge.

    ¡°Medicine C,e on!¡± Gao Yang reached out to his teammates.

    Nainai limped toward him and offered the half dose left after her treatment. ¡°This is thest we have.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡±

    Gao Yang took the syringe and injected Lithe Snake¡¯s shoulder. Soon, the stump of his left shoulder stopped bleeding, and white bones slowly grew like a sprout breaking out of soil.

    It would take quite some time for Lithe Snake to regenerate his left arm wholly.

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang were exhausted as well. They plopped down on the ground and panted, dignity be damned.

    Nainai sat down with some difficulty too.

    Still supporting Lithe Snake, Gao Yang turned to Nainai. <i>The girl''s MVP tonight.</i>

    With a smile, he suddenly eximed, ¡°Gratitude and praise to the Empress, the only descendent of the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, the forger of order, truth, and destiny, the only savior of the universe!¡±

    ¡°The glory of victory belongs to Your Majesty! Let us offer Your Majesty a cannon salute!¡±

    He swung his right hand and threw a small fireball into the air.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Now able to manipte fire from a range, he made the fireball scattered into a firework above their heads. They all looked up at the spectacle, the brilliant light scintiting over their profiles.

    Nainai stared up at the makeshift firework, light and shadow dancing on her face, dirtied with blood stains and dirt.

    Her eyes reddened, unbidden.

    She shot to her feet and turned around, breaking into brightughter with her arms akimbo. ¡°Muhahaha! Mortal, this Empress epts your praises! The glory of the victory belongs to you too!¡±

    Dawn broke then as if in response to her exmation.

    The first ray of light emerged from the horizon of grayish blue sky, lighting up the now barren hill and everyone¡¯s face.

    Gao Yang smiled softly.

    The day had arrived. The sunrise was stunning.

    He could never get tired of the sight.

 Chapter 443: Group Chat

    <h4>Chapter 443: Group Chat</h4>

    The great fight had drained Gao Yang and the other four and left them covered in wounds. They roughly patched themselves up and took some rest, discussing their next move.

    Now, Hyena¡¯s corpse had been rendered into nothingness, the altar on the top of the hill had broken into pieces from getting plowed, and the countless bones of the giant skeletal life monster were scattered in the area, protruding from the ground like white tombstones.

    The underground basement of the winery had no doubt been blown up entirely as well, leaving little clue to be found.

    ¡°The operation is getting bigger in scale, but not our findings.¡± Officer Huang took out a cigarette, feeling anxious. Su Xi was expected to give birth soon.

    ¡°At least life monsters are proven to be real,¡± Gao Yang offered.

    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s true.¡± Officer Huang lit up the cigarette and took a drag with practiced ease. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a life monster, albeit only the skeleton.¡±

    ¡°Same for me,¡± said Gao Yang.

    It was a first for everyone here.

    That prompted Lithe Snake to take out his phone and snap two photos of their surroundings. A few secondster, their phones rang at the same time.

    Gao Yang took out his phone. Lithe Snake had sent the photos to the encoded group chat called ¡®Team Heavenbreaker ??????¡¯. And he added ament to humble-brag.

    Lithe Snake: Just killed a life monster. I¡¯m beat.

    A secondter, messages exploded in the group.

    Gray Bear: !!!!!!!

    [Gray Bear] nudges [Lithe Snake]

    Gray Bear: Life monster? You¡¯re talking out of your ass!

    Lithe Snake: Your jealousy is unbing.

    Can: Whoa! Seriously?! Life monster!

    Can: It looks epic. Did Captain get hurt? Are you all alright?

    [Can] nudges [Seven Shadow]

    Seven Shadow: It¡¯s difficult, but we alle out alright. Everything¡¯s fine.

    Nine Frost: As long as you¡¯re all okay.

    Heavenly Dog: Cool.

    Amon: +1

    Nainai: (Scoffing with dignity) A mere life monster dared challenge this Empress. It got what it deserved!

    Chen Ying: Elder Seven Shadow, I was made and lost them.

    Seven Shadow: Come right back.

    Chen Ying: Okay.

    [Gray Bear] nudges [Lithe Snake]

    Gray Bear: Hey, what¡¯s that about the life monster? Tell me in detail, you bastard!

    ...

    Qing Ling went off to deal with the other bodyguards at the winery, while the rest of them sat amid the ruins on the hill, bathing in the clear sunlight of dawn. They killed time waiting for Chen Ying to arrive by chatting on their phones. The group chat was crowded with messages.

    Gao Yang could understand their reaction. It was the first time awakeners came into direct contact with a life monster.

    Before, life monsters and death monsters existed only in rumors.

    To Gao Yang¡¯s knowledge, there had only been two awakeners who could say for sure that life monsters and death monsters existed.

    One of them was Qilin, but the man knew how to keep secrets; he hadn¡¯t gone into details about the Gates of Closure or life monsters and death monsters.

    The other being Baili Yi, who was the ultimate riddler and the master of cryptic talk. He showed up out of nowhere and gave Gao Yang a cryptic spiel before disappearing just as suddenly.

    Gao Yang had even suspected if he had dreamed the man, and the words lingered in his mind.

    Tonight, a life monster made its grand appearance, albeit the skeleton of one that had been long dead.

    ording to Hyena, however, they were nning to catch a living white phoenix, which meant there was a living life monster somewhere in the world.

    But where could a monster this big be hiding? Could it be slumbering inside a cavern filled with gold coins like dragons, away from prying eyes?

    There was another more likely possibility: life monsters could transform at will.

    After all, Nainai had the ability to increase and decrease in size. It stood to reason that the powerful life monsters would be able to do the same.

    Perhaps they had been masquerading as wanderers, hiding in in sight.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lithe Snake broke Gao Yang out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Gao Yang turned around. Lithe Snake had regrown a third of his arm.

    ¡°We can set up an ambush. Astronaut and No.10 maye back to help.¡±

    ¡°Lithe Snake.¡± Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°You¡¯ve got spirit, but do you really think we can do another fight in this state?¡±

    Lithe Snake said derisively, ¡°That¡¯s why I suggested we ambush them.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point,¡± Gao Yang said with certainty. ¡°They won¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The reason is twofold. First, when they noticed Chen Ying, they opted to shake her rather than turning back to deal with her.¡±

    Officer Huang and Lithe Snake nodded slightly.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Second, Hyena didn¡¯t contact them when he saw us, and he fled to the hill in the back rather than the front gates of the winery after escaping the undergroundb. Why?¡±

    Lithe Snake caught on. ¡°Hyena knew that Astronaut and No.10 wouldn¡¯te back to save him even if they learned that he was in trouble.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Based on their conversation, the three of them felt quite threatened by the three major organizations. Astronaut and No.10 didn¡¯t know how many of us there were or how strong we were. They wouldn¡¯t take the chance.¡±

    ¡°Ha, the one who sold out others his whole life ended up abandoned by his teammates.¡± Officer Huang smacked his lips with a smile. ¡°Karma catches up to everyone. No sin is ever left unpunished.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s Chen Ying.¡± Lithe Snake looked down at the bottom of the hill.

    Chen Ying had arrived in her car, and Qing Ling, having dealt with the other bodyguards at the winery, was in the passenger seat.

    Chen Ying got out of the car. She was shocked to see the hill and then herpanions. The hill looked like it had been bombarded by fighter jets, and herpanions were all wounded, tattered, and drained.

    She jogged up to them. ¡°You alright? What happened here?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled wryly. ¡°Didn¡¯t we say it in the group chat? We killed a life monster.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were joking. Weren¡¯t you going after Hyena? Where did the life monstere in?¡± Chen Ying felt like a reader who hadn¡¯t been paying attention and thus missed several chapters.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk on our way back.¡± Gao Yang had taken enough rest. He stood up slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s gather the group first.¡±

    ...

    With theckeys cleaned up, the six of them returned to No.7 Winery and imprisoned the servants, turning it into a temporary base.

    During the day, they took turns patrolling and resting.

    Past midnight, Azure Dragon arrived with three subordinates. As representatives of the Hundred Rivers Union and the Twelve Zodiac Signs respectively, Chen Ying and Officer Huang stayed behind to help Azure Dragon clean up the mess at No.7 Winery and conduct follow-up investigation.

    Nainai, with Shapeshifter, was the go-to cover-up specialist for group missions, so she stayed too. Lithe Snake was also left in the West Nation to recover since he was the most seriously injured.

    As a result, Gao Yang and Qing Ling were alone in catching a flight back to Li City at three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The two freshmen did have to return to school. Their leave wasing to an end.

    Disguising as a young foreign couple with the impression of wanderers and matching red crystal nes, they went to the airport and waited for their flight at the departure gate.

 Chapter 444: Sisters

    <h4>Chapter 444: Sisters</h4>

    At midnight, the departure gate was empty and quiet. There were only a handful of passengers scattering around the benches, either resting with a sleeping mask on or using their phones.

    Outside therge window walls was the wide expanse of the ramp, covered in the deep blue shroud of the night. Every once in a while, a ne would take off ornd, the red aviation lights flickering and trailing faintly in the night sky.

    Gao Yang could tell that Qing Ling had been acting strangely since getting through security.

    While she spoke little, she had always been open and confident in everything she did, putting up no pretense. Now, however, she seemed a little agitated. While she was as expressionless as ever, she fidgeted often. It looked like she was either in a fight with someone, or bottling up feelings she couldn¡¯t resolve.

    The boarding time was half an hour away. The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder, in awkward silence.

    After a moment of hesitation, Gao Yang asked tentatively, ¡°Little Qing Ling?¡±

    Since their names were pronounced the same, Gao Yang had always differentiated between the sisters by adding ¡®little¡¯ to her name, and Little Qing Ling had approved of it with silent acknowledgement[1].

    Little Qing Ling paused, turning around to look at Gao Yang. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. How did you know it¡¯s me?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s quite obvious.¡±

    Although they shared the same body, their presence was night and day.

    ¡°How so?¡± Qing Ling pressed.

    ¡°You just feel different.¡±

    ¡°Feel different? Exin in more detail.¡± Little Qing Ling stared at Gao Yang, getting a little pushy.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t expect her to care so much. After careful thinking, he answered, ¡°With Qing Ling, she always feels like she¡¯s ready to pick up her des and fight at any time.¡±

    Outside of when she was asleep, of course.

    ¡°How about me?¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Gao Yang considered his words. He couldn¡¯t find a more fitting descriptor than the one he had in mind, so he said boldly, ¡°You¡¯re more gentle.¡±

    Little Qing Ling paused, a soft light shing through her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t get angry or snap at Gao Yang for being glib.

    She lowered her head and only responded after a moment, ¡°I had a fight with my sister.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang was curious. He didn¡¯t expect the sisters to get into fights.

    ¡°She¡¯s angry with me.¡± Qing Ling sounded a little down.

    ¡°With you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Qing Ling held tightly onto her skirt like a kid having made a mistake. ¡°I came out during the fight.¡±

    Surprised, Gao Yang thought back to their fight with the life monster. Qing Ling¡¯s moves had been smooth throughout. He didn¡¯t remember Little Qing Ling evering out.

    ¡°When your...¡± Little Qing Ling looked around to make sure there was no one in earshot before saying in a low voice, ¡°Double...got stabbed.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    He had been too focused on fighting to notice, but thinking back, he had heard Qing Ling calling out to him when his double got stabbed.

    So it was Little Qing Ling.

    ¡°I went back immediately and didn¡¯t interrupt the fight...¡±

    Qing Ling felt a little hurt. ¡°But sister is still angry. She said that everything can be fatal in a fight. Not only could I get her killed, but also others...¡±

    Gao Yang sighed softly. Although the truth would hurt, he still had to say it. ¡°She¡¯s right, Little Qing Ling. You should never be stubborn like that again.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being stubborn. I was just worried that...¡± Little Qing Ling¡¯s head jerked up, but she stopped herself when she met Gao Yang¡¯s eyes.

    She turned away and scoffed quietly. ¡°So you consider me a troublesome burden too...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Gao Yang cut her off seriously. ¡°You must know why your sister is angry. She¡¯s gotten this far and has been constantly improving herself in order to protect you.¡±

    Little Qing Ling gnawed at her bottom lip, her voice softening. ¡°But without me, Sister would be better off...¡±

    ¡°Little Qing Ling,¡± Gao Yang continued. ¡°Your sister¡¯s purpose is to protect you. If you¡¯re gone, she won¡¯t know what to do with her life.¡±

    Little Qing Ling shuddered, looking up at Gao Yang with a lost look.

    ¡°Both of you must stay safe and sound. Don¡¯t ever think like that again, you hear me?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s gaze was zing.

    He never wanted to experience losing her like he did during the Werewolf game ever again.

    ¡°I get it.¡± Little Qing Ling turned away to look everywhere but at Gao Yang, pretending to be irritated. Her cheeks felt hot, and her heartbeat had gotten quicker. She tucked her hair behind her ear with a mess of thoughts in her head.

    Following her gaze, Gao Yang saw a cakery glowing a warm, orange light, and the design of the shop reflected the feeling. The ss cab was filled with various desserts with beautiful or cute designs, attracting the eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Gao Yang said on purpose.

    Little Qing Ling paused, rubbing her stomach. ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to get?¡± Gao Yang asked before adding, ¡°All expenses during the working trip will be reimbursed.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Qing Ling stood up and walked toward the cakery, her hands held behind her back. The ck Gold bracelet on her right wrist jumped as she skipped her way to the shop.

    She bent down to check the desserts seriously. After a good moment of careful consideration, she came to a decision.

    She turned back to Gao Yang, proiming, ¡°I¡¯m having matcha cake, and my sister wants ck forest.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang took out his phone to pay the bill.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t finish both. Isn¡¯t that going to be a waste?¡± Little Qing Ling was a little hesitant.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get another fork, and I¡¯ll finish the rest.¡±

    ...

    When Gao Yang and Qing Ling arrived at the airport in Li City, it was already near evening. Gao Yang headed back to his dorm. His three roommates asked after his health. Gao Yang told them that he had more or less recovered fully, and the results were good.

    To celebrate, he went out and got barbecue and drinks with his roommates, only going back to their dorm room when it was almost time for light-out.

    The second day, he went to sses normally. Nothing happened.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, after making sure that his three roommates were sound asleep, Gao Yang teleported out of his dorm and headed to the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic.

    It was two o¡¯clock when he arrived. He found the front door half open. The receptionist, of course, had long gone off work.

    He dove through the opening without rustling the windchimes. The door to the therapy room in the back was ajar. The light was on inside, and clear voices could be heard.

    ¡°You promised me, Guildmaster!¡± Vermilion Bird said vehemently, sounding equal parts imploring and threatening.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Little Xia. I don¡¯t think I can do it...¡± Their Guildmaster, the embodiment of grace and confidence, sounded hesitant and intimidated.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be the end of the world in two years, Guildmaster, and if we die, won¡¯t you regret it?¡±

    ¡°A little, but...¡±

    ¡°Trust me. Here, look at my eyes. You¡¯re not running away again... Yes, that¡¯s right... I promise you that I¡¯ll be quick and gentle...¡±

    It sounded like Vermilion Bird was coaxing Qilin.

    ¡°No, I still think I can¡¯t...¡± Qilin¡¯s voice tightened, and he sounded a little dejected. ¡°I can¡¯t control my body...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Guildmaster. Rx and take a deep breath. It¡¯s always like this the first time. Don¡¯t worry. You are in control. Once you¡¯re used to it, it¡¯ll feel natural and good...¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s tone got softer and softer.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we stop here, Little Xia...?¡± Qilin, on the other hand, seemed increasingly on edge. ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯sing. It¡¯s inappropriate for him to see...¡±

    <i>Holy shit, what the hell are they doing?</i>

    <i>It can¡¯t be that, can it?!</i>

    1. In the raw, Gao Yang calls both of them Qing Ling, but pronounces <i>ling </i>in different tones despite both characters having the same tone in Mandarin. He uses the second tone to refer to Qing Ling the older sister, and the third tone to Little Qing Ling. ?

 Chapter 445: Interlude

    <h4>Chapter 445: Interlude</h4>

    As someone who had started out as a regr member in one organization andter climbed to the managerial role of an Elder in another organization, Gao Yang had rich experience both in the workce and on battlefields, and he knew that he should go in a littleter and pretend he had heard nothing.

    Judging by how Qilin was acting, things...would probably end very quickly.

    <i>But I¡¯m so curious! Are they really doing it?!</i>

    <i>Life is precious, but gossip even more so!</i>

    Clenching his teeth, Gao Yang quickly pushed the ajar door open and strode in, pretending to be in a rush.

    The air seemed to freeze.

    Gao Yang immediately saw Qilin, dressed in a loose gray crew-neck sweater with his hair disheveled and his expression a mix of awkwardness, nervousness, and fear, lying down on a sofa, his limbs syed. He was holding onto his ck-rimmed sses with his left hand and holding onto a pillow with his right hand.

    Dressed in a cardigan the color of pale dogwood and a longer beige jumper dress, Vermilion Bird stepped on the sofa between Qilin¡¯s syed legs with her stockinged right foot, the high-heel taken off.

    She was leaning into Qilin¡¯s space, her left hand pressing against Qilin¡¯s forehead to force him to look at her, stopping him from moving around.

    On the long middle finger on her right hand was something small and clear.

    In that suggestive posture, they turned to look at the door when they heard it open, their faces going still as they shouted at the same time.

    ¡°Let me exin...¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Gao Yang raised a hand and stopped them. ¡°Guildmaster Qilin, you have always wanted to try contact lenses, but every time, you got too scared to actually put them on. Having had enough of it, Elder Vermilion Bird swore to put them on for you with her pride on the line tonight, but things aren¡¯t going great, it seems.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t right, but exactly right!¡± Vermilion Bird smiled, pleased. She jutted her chin at Gao Yang. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come help! Pin Guildmaster¡¯s hands down for me. I¡¯m doing this tonight one way or another!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Gao Yang rolled up his sleeves and went up to them.

    ¡°Rx,¡± Qilin uttered.

    Instantly, Gao Yang felt his body gox, and his brain became muddled. He felt toozy to do or think anything, so he followed the urge to sit down on the sofa next to him, staring into space.

    Gao Yang could sense himself getting manipted. While he could try to resist, it would take too much willpower and attention, so he didn¡¯t. He allowed the power to take over.

    Vermilion Bird climbed down from on top of Qilin, too. With a flip, she plopped herself down on the sofa, her expression nk and numb like nothing in the world interested her.

    Qilin let out a sigh of relief and righted his posture.

    He wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead, putting his sses back on and sorting the slight curls of his hair. Then he grabbed his cane before finally snapping his fingers.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird immediately recovered.

    Vermilion Bird jumped up from the sofa, hollering, ¡°Guildmaster! You disappointed me!¡±

    Qilin smiled wryly. ¡°I give up. I can¡¯t do it.¡±

    Sitting on the sofa, Gao Yang changed sides. ¡°Guildmaster doesn¡¯t want to put them on. You shouldn¡¯t force him, Sister Xia.¡±

    <i>Qilin¡¯s eyes were key to activating Eidos, which would make them more important to him than his heart. That¡¯s why his body feels an instinctual aversion¡ªeven fear¡ªto anything approaching his eyes. Of course it¡¯ll be hard to ovee the resistance.</i>

    ¡°But don¡¯t you think Guildmaster will look hotter without sses?¡± Vermilion Bird insisted. ¡°I think Guildmaster should change his image! Now, he looks like a gentlemanly per...I mean, he looks too gentlemanly to be imposing. He doesn¡¯t look like a leader!¡±

    ¡°Enough already.¡± Qilin knocked on the floor with his cane, recovering his authority as the guildmaster. ¡°Let¡¯s forget this little interlude and get back to business.¡±

    Vermilion Bird still felt a little vexed. She put the contact lens on her middle finger back into the case, grumbling, ¡°A pair costs 230 yuan. Remember to pay me back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be reimbursed, and I¡¯ll buy you milk tea for a week aspensation.¡± Qilin gave her aposed smile, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll make you coffee. A moment.¡±

    A few minutester, the three of them started the session while drinking coffee.

    Gao Yang spent twenty minutes going into details about the work Team Heavenbreaker had done and their progress, including what happened in the West Nation and the existence of Tails.

    Qilin gave everything a quick thought and nodded slightly. ¡°Azure Dragon called me. No more clues were found at No.7 Winery. Hyena cleaned everything up thoroughly.¡±

    ¡°As for the remains of the white phoenix, meaning the bones of the life monster, they are entirely lifeless with no vital energy at all. Although the bones are incredibly hardy, they can¡¯t be forged, and they won¡¯t make good weapons since they don¡¯t resonate with Talents like ck Gold. Still, Azure Dragon will try to bring back some for archiving purposes.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. He had expected as much.

    Vermilion Bird briefed them on their investigation into Sir Jiang. They got no concrete clues and made little progress.

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang hesitated before posing the question he had been thinking about. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird told me that there is indirect evidence proving the existence of life monsters and death monsters.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qilin nodded.

    ¡°What¡¯s the evidence?¡± Gao Yang asked openly. He believed he was now entitled to the knowledge.

    Qilin nced at Gao Yang and admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a record about life monsters and death monsters, in a manner of speaking.¡±

    That was as good as nothing.

    Gao Yang pressed, ¡°Does the record fit the life monster we encountered?¡±

    ¡°Truthfully, no.¡± Qilin smiled wryly.

    ¡°No?¡± Vermilion Bird was surprised, but then something urred to her. ¡°Life monsters may have more than one form though. Some monsters have both a human form and a monster form, for example.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Qilin didn¡¯tment on that. After a bemused moment, he stood up and said, ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to show you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes lit up. She had heard Qilin talk about it, but never saw it.

    ¡°Show us what?¡± Gao Yang paused before quicklying to a guess. ¡°Are you talking about the Gates of Closure?¡±

    Qilin nodded with a soft smile. ¡°But I can¡¯t show you the actual thing now. Let¡¯s go for a reenactment for the moment.¡±

    Gao Yang caught on immediately.

    ¡°Look at my eyes and don¡¯t fight it.¡± Qilin lowered his head slightly, looking at Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang met his eyes, feeling like a cool fluid energy was flowing into his head and pooling and settling down in the back of his head.

    The sensation was slight and natural, almost imperceptible.

    Compared to before, though, Gao Yang could at least sense the invasion of Qilin¡¯s Willpower this time¡ªthe hundreds of Luck points he put into his Charisma hadn¡¯t been in vain.

    It would still be too tall a task for him to fight Qilin¡¯s Eidos, but at least he had made progress.

    He was told that Lilia had woken up two seconds after falling into Qilin¡¯s illusion, which showed that her Willpower and Charisma were much higher than Gao Yang¡¯s.

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts strayed. Qilin was already at the door to the storage room. He opened it and walked in. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Sitting on the sofa, Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird exchanged a look before quickly getting to their feet and following him.

 Chapter 446: Gates of Closure

    <h4>Chapter 446: Gates of Closure</h4>

    Inside wasn¡¯t a small storage room, but a wholly unfamiliar world.

    Although Gao Yang knew this was an illusion created by Qilin, the vividness of it still shocked him.

    Like an Anywhere Door[1], the storage door stood on thend of gray earth on its own. All around it was a vast, endless wastnd. The sky was a thick, muddled dark blue. It could be dawn before the first ray broke, or night right after the sunset.

    The blurred line between the sky and the earth evoked an empty and deste feeling.

    Gao Yang looked up ahead and was stunned by what he saw.

    A pair of gates.

    A pair of giant light gray gates made of ck Gold stood before him like a towering mountain. Gao Yang eyed it and estimated that it was at least a hundred meters tall with a width of over seventy meters. He couldn¡¯t tell how thick it was since he was right before the gates.

    Under the gates was the same gray earth, and surrounding it was a circle of faint blood fog, rising and falling silently like breaths exhaled by the gates.

    ¡°The Gates of Closure,¡± Vermilion Bird uttered with deference and awe, looking up at it.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qilin walked toward it with his cane. ¡°Let¡¯s get closer.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird followed him.

    After a good while, they reached the Gates of Closure and finally got a good look at the patterns on them. Gao Yang enhanced his vision to inspect the gates closely.

    The gates were etched with abstract reliefs. The center of the gates, especially, was covered densely in all sorts of monsters.

    They tangled together with differing expressions, looking like they were both at each other''s throats and huddling together. The monstersbined to form a circle.

    Within the circle, delusion monsters were the most numerous, resembling humans of different sexes and ages. They were eitherughing in joy, crying in heartbreak, scowling in anger, or lookingpletely numb.

    Among them was a summoner in the form of a wolf, howling with its head tipped up. Its howl might be the reason for the range of emotions the delusion monsters were feeling.

    And many delusion monsters¡¯ necks and limbs were wrapped by tentacles¡ªthe devourers among wrath monsters were attacking them.

    ughterers in lizardman form had also joined in the orgy of violence. With their arms and legs transformed into des, they stabbed at the other monsters and sttered blood everywhere.

    There were also frog-like greed monsters¡ªfreeriders¡ªtipping their heads up in an amusing manner with their distortedrge maw widened, sttering blood onto all monsters like fountains. Meanwhile, the overtakers, covered from head to toe in smooth scales, pierced the other monsters with bone stings morphed from their fingers.

    There were also the pride monsters, of course. Circling the monsters along the border, they watched them with an impassive look on their faces. The other monsters rained down attacks on each other, but never at them.

    Gao Yang stared at the sculpted relief of a myriad of monsters. He could almost hear the cacophony of excited, chaotic, and mournful cries, like the monsters had been thrown into a massive cauldron in hell.

    And it looked like it too.

    The grappling monsters formed a circle, and above the circle was arge standalone relief, portraying a feminine face with a gentle, loving smile. Her hair scattered in all directions like seaweeds, while she extended her long arms to embrace the monsters tearing at each other, as if she was embracing her own womb¡ªin the form of a see-through circle.

    Under the womb was another humanoid monster.

    There was no determining its sex since there was only a skeleton left. It extended its arms fully too to prop up the womb filled with delusion, wrath, greed, and pride monsters.

    Notably, the skeletal hands had seven fingers, four on the left hand, and three on the right hand.

    That was what the reliefs on the Gates of Closure portrayed.

    The light gray reliefs looked chaotic, distorted, mad, but also sacred and dignified in a way that exerted pressure, reminiscent of the mysterious, cold, and absurd universe.

    Gao Yang felt shaken to the core in a way he¡¯d never experienced before.

    ¡°The woman at the top...¡± Vermilion Bird softened her voice instinctively, as if she was worried about alerting the reliefs. ¡°Is that a life monster?¡±

    ¡°And the skeleton...¡± Gao Yang chimed in, his tone colored by a hint of dread. ¡°Is that a death monster?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qilin said calmly. ¡°At least that¡¯s what I believe.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster, did you name the life monsters and death monsters?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    With his back to Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird, Qilin shook his head slightly. ¡°Of course not. ¡®Greed, wrath, delusion, pride, life, and death.¡¯ That was long known in the world of awakeners. I only realized that the words were referring to the six types of monsters when I saw the Gates of Closure.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. <i>Could it be Baili Yi?</i>

    Who exactly was Baili Yi? It felt like he was the true observer or the one pulling the strings behind the scene, nudging the way the Mist World developed.

    Perhaps Baili Yi had said what he said to Gao Yang to different people at different times and locations. Gao Yang was merely one of the many pawns on Baili Yi¡¯s board, and with each pawn acting as a node, the web of fate would be weaved.

    Gao Yang fell into thought again.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get closer.¡± Qilin continued to walk with one hand holding his cane.

    A minuteter, the three of them were standing ten meters from the gates.

    Only then did Gao Yang feel the enormity and presence of the Gates of Closure, as well as the sacredness that deterred anyone from challenging or defiling them.

    Standing at the center and looking up at the gates that werepletely shut, Qilin had conjured a Rune Circuit at some point¡ªthe Miracle Rune Circuit.

    He raised his hand, and soon, the Miracle Rune Circuit radiated an eye-catching but airy golden light, which looked like energy in motion.

    Then the Rune Circuit flew up from Qilin¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t stop until it reached the relief at the center of the Gates of Closure, the circr womb held by the life monster and the death monster.

    At the center of the monsters tearing into each other was the howling summoner. A circr notch appeared on its throat, like its Adam¡¯s apple.

    The Miracle Rune Circuit slowly fit itself into the notch. It was a perfect fit.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The gates seemed to tremble. Gao Yang knew it wasn¡¯t a trick of the eye. Triggered by the energy from the Rune Circuit, the Gates of Closure started generating ripples of intangible resonating energy.

    The reliefs on the gates disappeared at that moment like a wrinkled sheet of paper getting smoothed out, and the reliefs disappeared from the giant ck Gold gates.

    Where the Miracle Rune Circuit had fit into, a giant hexagram appeared. Then a vertical line of light split the pattern into symmetrical halves, like a gap between the gates.

    Eleven symbols emerged around the hexagram, the lines flickering in golden light, each depicting the world tree, g, fangs, fist, shield, flower, urchin-shape, eye, fire, book, and hourss.

    1. A gadget in the manga/anime <i>Doraemon </i>that can lead to any location of your choice. ?

 Chapter 447: Strange Occurrence

    <h4>Chapter 447: Strange urrence</h4>

    The eleven symbols surrounded the hexagram. A few secondster, the hexagram in the center started spinning at high speed, quickly forming a circr rim of light with energy rippling outward across the entire Gates of Closure.

    Qilin held eleven Rune Circuits in his hands like he was holding a handful of chips.

    The Rune Circuits soon lifted off and found their own corresponding symbols, fitting themselves into the gates.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird watched with bated breath.

    Perhaps the gates would open to and of serene naturalndscape that would make a perfect home to humans, or it could be a terrible purgatory hostile to lives, or a world from a different dimension that was beyond theirprehension.

    Whatever it was, they wanted to see it. Their purest, rawest form of curiosity triumphed over all other emotions.

    But they were met with disappointment.

    Even after the twelve Rune Circuits each found its own ce, the Gates of Closure remained unmoving.

    Only then did Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird remember that none of what they saw was real, but vivid illusions created from Qilin¡¯s memory and experience.

    The objective truth was that Qilin hadn¡¯t been able to collect all twelve Rune Circuits and opened the Gates of Closure, and thus he couldn¡¯t reenact what had not happened.

    For a moment, Gao Yang felt a pang of disappointment, but also relief.

    Curiously, it felt as if he was finally opening the gift that he had been looking forward to unwrapping, hoping that it would surprise him while dreading that it would disappoint him.

    ¡°This is all I can show you.¡± Qilin turned around and smiled apologetically at them.

    Still thinking about the experience, Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Qilin chuckled. ¡°Close your eyes. Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird reluctantly took one final look at the spectacle before them. Then they closed their eyes.

    Qilin made a clear snap with his fingers.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird slowly opened their eyes. They found themselves standing in a small dimly-lit storage.

    Qilin opened the door and went outside. Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird exchanged a look before quietly following.

    Qilin sat back down on a sofa and put aside his cane, picking up his now cold coffee. ¡°That¡¯s it for today. Forgive me for not walking you out.¡±

    Vermilion Bird brushed her hair back and smirked at Qilin. ¡°Guildmaster, why don¡¯t we try the contact lenses again...¡±

    Qilin¡¯s hand twitched, almost spilling the coffee. He shot her a look. ¡°If you keep this up, I¡¯m going to personally send you off.¡±

    ¡°Bye!¡±

    Vermilion Bird grabbed her handbag and fled.

    ¡°See youter, Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang immediately followed suit.

    The two of them went downstairs. Vermilion Bird took out a pack of cigarettes and her car key from her bag, ncing at Gao Yang. ¡°Need a ride?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t say no to the offer.

    They got into her car and drove toward Li City University.

    Vermilion Bird seemed to be in a good mood today, and she started a conversation. ¡°A few days ago, I joined a random group to y escape room with strangers.¡±

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°Thrilling!¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°I thought things would be awkward with strangers, but now I think differently.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know each other. Even if they all die in the game the next second, it has nothing to do with me. And my death isn¡¯t going to break their hearts, which means I can scream and enjoy the game to my heart¡¯s content.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled in lieu of a response.

    ¡°You should stop dwelling on the past too.¡± Vermilion Bird narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice softening a little. ¡°I think I prefer the slightly cowardly smartass you were before.¡±

    Gao Yang huffed wryly. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what you said. You told me that I was undesirable like that.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Vermilion Bird shrugged.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if you deny it.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, I think you were cuter back then. Now, you¡¯ve be a square through and through. While it does make you seem more respectable, you also seem less approachable.¡±

    She stroked her chin with a hand and made an analogy. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. I thought you¡¯d look good in a certain type of clothes, but only after you put them on did I realize that your original clothes fit you better.¡±

    ¡°A woman¡¯s heart is a deep ocean of secrets, indeed.¡± Gao Yang teased flippantly.

    ¡°Cut that out. You...¡± Vermilion Bird trailed off, quickly hitting the brake with a look of alert.

    Gao Yang realized something was wrong from the passenger seat almost at the same time.

    They weren¡¯t in the downtown area of Li City, and it was three o¡¯clock in the morning. The roads were empty of pedestrians and cars.

    Yet not far from them, there was a dense crowd at the crossroad.

    ¡°What are they?¡± Vermilion Bird frowned.

    Gao Yang enhanced his vision and took a closer look for two seconds. ¡°People.¡±

    ¡°Wanderers, or elite monsters?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Shall we check?¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. Worst-case scenario, they were all elite monsters. But as long as they weren¡¯t all at the level of pride monsters, Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird would be able to deal with them.

    Push came to shove, they could always run.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of the car.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang was caught off guard. ¡°Can¡¯t we just drive over to them?¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Vermilion Bird red at him. ¡°The car¡¯s expensive, and it¡¯s not insured. If it¡¯s smashed, are you gonna pay for the repair?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have aeback for that.

    They parked by the road and got out, quickly making their way to the crossroad ahead.

    All the way, they kept themselves on high alert in case there was an ambush or a trap.

    Soon, they got close to the crossroad and had a better look. There were more than a hundred people, varying in genders and ages. They were all dressed in pajamas or casual clothes, barefooted. It looked like a gathering of sleep-walking patients.

    Standing at the crossroad, they looked up with widened eyes, unblinking.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird followed their gazes. The moon was obscured by clouds in the dark night sky. There was nothing to look at.

    The two of them exchanged a nce before getting closer.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Vermilion Bird called out to the crowd.

    There was no response. They continued to look up with a dazed look on their faces, as if they were all statues.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t gotten any warning from his system, but he felt strange, ill at ease.

    Was there a Rune Cave in the area, which influenced the wanderers?

    That was a possibility. Given thest undiscovered Rune Circuit was the Guard Rune Circuit, perhaps the wanderers were gathered here to protect something.

    But it didn¡¯t seem like it. The hundred and more wanderers seemed to be waiting for something instead.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Suddenly, a middle-aged man hollered.

    His voice was brimming with strong emotions¡ªpure awe and deference.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Then a young girl followed suit, her face distorted with dramatic ecstasy.

    ¡°Mother! Mother! Mother...¡±

    The others started screaming too, looking all pumped up with powerful emotions, their pupils dted and their lips stretched into unnaturally wide smiles.

    Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang felt their hackles raise.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    The middle-aged man who was the first to call out stretched his arms toward the sky. ¡°Mother! Mother, I¡¯m here! Mother, take me...¡±

    He was increasingly worked up, his body trembling violently and quickly. His eyes were bloodshot with blood trickling down from his nostrils and ears.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    He slowly rose into the air.

 Chapter 448: Mysterious Woman

    <h4>Chapter 448: Mysterious Woman</h4>

    The man soon lifted into the air, breaking off from the packed crowd. As he soared through the sky, he became increasingly excited, and he kept shouting, ¡°Mother!¡±

    The sight was familiar to Gao Yang.

    Back in the Eleventh High School, Niu Xuan had called out to a ¡®mother¡¯ as he flew into the air, his body twisting until bursting into blood fog.

    ¡°Back off,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice.

    Sensing the danger, too, Vermilion Bird quickly moved a few meters back.

    Gao Yang stared at the hysterical crowd. The middle-aged man who had been picked by their ¡®mother¡¯ was still shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice ringing across the empty road.

    A wave of great mysterious force converged from all directions toward the crowd at the center of the road, propping them up from the bottom.

    Soon, the second person lifted in the air. It was the young girl.

    Then the third.

    In only a little more than ten seconds, all hundred and more of them took flight and continued to soar. In a collective hysteria, they kept calling out to ¡®mother¡¯, the ecstatic look on their faces unnerving.

    ¡°Mother, mothermothermother...¡±

    The overwhelming chorus of calls poured out, making Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird feel waves after waves of pressure and disgust.

    Vermilion Bird took out her phone. She had a feeling that whatever they were going to face would be way out of her and Gao Yang¡¯s league. She had to notify their guildmaster immediately.

    Suddenly, the calls stopped altogether.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    <i>Bam, bam.</i>

    Those lifted two to three meters into the air started dropping one by one, hitting the ground with a thud and losing consciousness.

    The strange, insidious ritual was stopped short.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Vermilion Bird looked at Gao Yang, her face pale.

    ¡°There, our enemy.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s mouth was dry. He looked at the top of the building right before the crowd. At the edge of the rooftop stood a person.

    At some point, the clouds obscuring the moon had dispersed, and serene clear moonlight illuminated the person.

    Gao Yang could faintly make out an adult woman with a slim figure. Her hair was rimmed with a faint gold by moonlight.

    Unfortunately, both her face and body were in shadow due to the backlight, and she was too far for Gao Yang to get a clear look of her.

    ¡°Did you call Guildmaster?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I sent him our location,¡± Vermilion Bird said, her tone severe. ¡°What are you nning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to feel her out.¡± Gao Yang took a step forward.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He went through their current situation in his head.

    Going at full speed while using Teleportation, he would be able to get to the top of the building in five seconds. If the woman attacked him, he would keep her upied with Teleportation until Qilin came to help.

    If the woman fled, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t give chase, but as long as he could get a good look at the woman¡¯s face, they would have gotten some intel out of the whole ordeal, making it worth it.

    Gao Yang dashed and teleported above a hovering wanderer. Using its shoulder as a stepping stone, he propelled himself further up, teleporting again to reach a condenser unit on the eighth floor. Then he jumped up once more, about to use Teleportation.

    He would soon get close enough to the woman to glimpse her face.

    [Warning...]

    But then following the system¡¯s warning, Gao Yang felt a tremendous intangible force crashing into him from above, simr to Spring¡¯s Heavenly Might in power, but with a quicker initiation that left him with no time to react.

    Instantly, Gao Yang felt his body be hundreds of times heavier, and the pressure was still growing.

    The muscles and bones of his entire body threatened to break apart, and his chest was so constricted that breathing became as difficult as inhaling stones.

    Moreover, the energy inside Gao Yang cut out suddenly under the pressure.

    At that moment, there was nothing he could do but watch the backlit figure grow in distance from him. Her hair flew in the night wind. She looked so graceful and at ease, as if she had brought the tremendous power down on him with nothing but a gaze.

    <i>What is she?!</i>

    In his head, the system continued the warning in monotone.

    [...You are under extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition bonus increases to 9000 times.]

    Thest time Gao Yang sensed such tremendous power, it was from Qilin, when he interrogated him.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gao Yang plunged down into the road, making a four to five meter deep crater. The resulting powerful currents and scattering of stone shards sent the wanderers in the area flying. He felt like a bowling ball knocking down the hundred and more pins.

    ¡°Seven Shadow!¡±

    The few seconds it took Vermilion Bird to rush to Gao Yang, she had thought everything through.

    Now, Gao Yang was stronger than she was overall.

    While Vermilion Bird would surely have better stats should she temporarily increase her power by five times with Equivalent Exchange, Gao Yang had a lot of Talents, making him a better fighter in real battles.

    If even Gao Yang had gotten taken out in a second, she would surely be no match for the enemy.

    Only Guildmaster Qilin would be able to deal with the woman.

    However, it would take at least 3 minutes for Guildmaster to get here considering how far they were from the clinic... No, that was still too optimistic an estimation.

    <i>Guildmaster has a limp! He may be strong in a fight, but he¡¯s worse than a third-rate awakener in rushing anywhere. We¡¯ll be lucky if he gets here in 5 minutes!</i>

    How were they going to survive 5 minutes?

    Vermilion Bird despaired, but she didn¡¯t give up on the slim chance that they could seed.

    Gao Yang must have been seriously injured even if not dead. It was a gamble she must make.

    If Gao Yang died, she would bring him back with Equivalent Exchange. Even if she went into aa for a year, at least Gao Yang would be able to take her away with Teleportation.

    With her mind made up, Vermilion Bird reached the crater.

    She gaped.

    Lying at the center of the crater, Gao Yang didn¡¯t look injured at all, not even the slightest. The only evidence of the great impact were his tattered clothes and tousled hair.

    Unbeknownst to her, Gao Yang had given it his all to activate Willful Power a second before hitting the ground, increasing his Endurance to the max, over 5000.

    That was how he managed to take the hit without getting injured.

    Lying prone in the crater, Gao Yang panted heavily, his face pale.

    Vermilion Bird jumped to his side. ¡°You alright?¡±

 Chapter 449: Pro

    <h4>Chapter 449: Pro</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s six senses slowly returned. He looked at Vermilion Bird. ¡°I¡¯m okay...¡±

    ¡°Then get up already!¡± Vermilion Bird reached out to help him up.

    Gao Yang said weakly, ¡°It¡¯s fine...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°She left.¡±

    Gao Yang was certain of it since the luck point bonus no longer applied.

    Although he had endured her first attack, given her obviously great power and the ease with which she knocked him down, she could¡¯ve gone for another few hits, while Gao Yang would only be able to endure for another seven to eight seconds.

    Once Willful Power ran out, he would surely die.

    Her power had vanished the moment he hit the ground, though, which meant that the attack was only meant to stop Gao Yang from approaching. The enemy didn¡¯t intend to take his life.

    With his stats reverting back to normal, Gao Yang let out a rough breath.

    Vermilion Bird helped him up. The wanderers, having fallen to the ground, stood up with difficulty too, waking up from their ¡®dreamwalking¡¯. Fortunately, they were all wanderers. There was no elite monster among them.

    Some of them screamed when they saw the scene and fell unconscious again.

    ¡°Ah, it hurts...¡±

    ¡°Somebody help...my legs, my legs are broken...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hurt too, I¡¯m bleeding...¡±

    ¡°Quick! Call 120!¡±

    The wanderers who hadn¡¯t cked out again had modified their memories automatically. Many of them were injured from the fall, and they sat on the ground crying and groaning in pain.

    A handful of them were uninjured. They looked around, confused about how they had gotten here and what had happened. Given the circumstances, though, they started helping the others hurriedly.

    It was as if Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird had chanced upon the site of a great earthquake and luckily survived it.

    Head lowered, the two of them weaved through the chaotic crowd and made their way out of the scene of the incident. It was then a number of cars showed up by the road. The drivers quickly parked the cars and got out to help the victims.

    ¡°Ah! He...is he dead?¡± A girl screamed.

    ¡°Move, move...I¡¯m a doctor...¡± A man hurried up to the dead man, and the body was soon surrounded by people.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird happened to walk past them. Through the gaps amid the people, they saw that the man who seemed to have died was the middle-aged man who first called out ¡®mother¡¯.

    He was bleeding from all his orifices, his eyes widened and his lips still curled into a wide smile. His fingers were distorted, and his body was already stiffening.

    Vermilion Bird and Gao Yang sighed inwardly, staying silent.

    A minuteter, they got away. Vermilion Bird reached her car.

    Before they got in, a strong beam of light came from the side. They turned around and narrowed their eyes, getting ustomed to the brightness.

    It was Qilin.

    He was speeding along the empty road on an electric moped, his curled bang tied up into a cute little top knot, his face still covered by a sheet mask.

    He was wearing silk pajamas the color of a mboyant purple, and in too much hurry to put on shoes, his one foot was bare, and the other foot wearing a white sock. Perhaps he had dragged his sock against the ground too hard when running, a hole was left on it, from which his toe popped out.

    Ten secondster, Qilin¡¯s moped slowed while making rumbling noises, running out of battery.

    Without hesitation, he hopped off his moped and limped his way to the two of them without his cane.

    He only stopped after taking more than ten steps.

    Ten meters from him, Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird stood by the road, their mouths agape in disbelief.

    Their impression of their guildmaster was undergoing a tectonic shift.

    Qilin, the gentle, graceful, strategic, decisive man who could kill hundreds of elite monsters with a nce, who could dominate all creatures in a certain range with a snap of his fingers, who took the top ce in awakeners¡¯ power ranking... The image changed <i>a great little bit </i>in Gao Yang¡¯s and Vermilion Bird¡¯s minds.

    Qilin was embarrassed too. He awkwardly coughed twice and slowed down to walk gracefully toward them, peeling off the sheet mask on his face and pulling off the rubber band tying his hair, allowing his bang to fall down naturally.

    ¡°Did you run into a powerful enemy?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°Very strong...¡± Gao Yang smothered augh. ¡°But wee out unhurt...¡±

    ¡°What is the enemy?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t get a clear look. We only know it was a woman...¡± Vermilion Bird broke. ¡°I can¡¯t, Guildmaster. Can I take a moment tough? I can¡¯t keep it in any longer...¡±

    ¡°Me, me too...¡± Gao Yang lowered his head and averted Qilin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Although I¡¯m a pro...¡±

    ¡°<i>Calm</i>,¡± Qilin softly uttered.

    Instantly, Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird stopped finding what they saw funny. Their minds were so calm that they might as well be stone statues with no emotions and desires.

    Qilin turned around and opened the car door to the backseat. ¡°Give me a ride back, Vermilion Bird. Seven Shadow, brief me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The two answered at the same time.

    They calmly got into the driver¡¯s seat and the passenger¡¯s seat respectively, closing the doors and the windows.

    Soon, the car started and drove away from the scene of the incident.

    Inside the car, Qilin snapped his fingers, making a bright sound.

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±

    Laughter from a man and a woman rang in the car, loud even through the windows.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird were back at Qilin¡¯s clinic with him.

    Qilin went to his bedroom and changed into respectable formal attire before returning to the therapy room, holding a short meeting on the sudden incident.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say that he had run into a terrible enemy who gave a 9000 times bonus, of course. He simply described the power and strength the enemy had shown¡ªher power rivaled that of Spring, the leader of Spectres, if not greater.

    Combining the terrible fate that had befallen Niu Xuan back in the Eleventh High School and the fact that the hundred and more wanderers at the crossroad had sacrificed themselves in unsound mind, Gao Yang spected that the woman was either an awakener utilizing the power of a Rune Circuit, or an elite monster greater than a pride monster¡ªof course, she could also be an elite monster using a Rune Circuit.

    Vermilion Bird frowned. ¡°I think it was an elite monster.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I didn¡¯t see her face.¡±

    ¡°Is she young?¡± Qilin asked.

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t see any details with the lighting from her back. Judging from her figure, she¡¯s not a child, teenager, or an old woman, but most likely an adult.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll rule out Sir Jiang.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°Could it...really be a life or death monster?¡±

 Chapter 450: Letter

    <h4>Chapter 450: Letter</h4>

    The spection was a reality check to Gao Yang. He felt a bted fear and dejection.

    Every time he felt like he had grown enough to deal with enemies he had encountered before, more terrifying enemies woulde to his doorstep and crush him, making him realize how insignificant and weak he was.

    Was he really lucky?

    Qilin looked at Gao Yang calmly. ¡°Given the way things ended, she wasn¡¯t there for the two of you, but happened to be spotted by you when holding some ritual. Seven Shadow tried to feel her out, and she gave him a warning before leaving easily.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she didn¡¯t seem intent on fighting.¡± Gao Yang nodded. <i>Or Vermilion Bird and I would most likely be dead.</i>

    ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union is the most skilled at finding people, Vermilion Bird. Ask them to check the surveince footage near the crossroad or any other way necessary to track the woman down.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded.

    ¡°Seven Shadow, continue with Operation: Heavenbreaker.¡± Qilin added after some thinking, ¡°Be careful going forward. While the woman didn¡¯t seem outwardly hostile to you, you did foil her n. Perhaps she will retaliate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± said Gao Yang.

    He swore that he would get up and run if he encountered her again, and he was at least confident in his ability to flee.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s end the meeting here.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird rose to their feet. Then Qilin thought of something.

    ¡°Ah, tonight, about the moped...¡±

    ¡°What moped?¡± Vermilion Bird knew the right thing to say. She didn¡¯t want Qilin to erase her memory. The sight of Qilin with his hair in a top knot while wearing a sock with a hole in it was one to be kept dear until her death. She would recall it every once in a while for her enjoyment!

    ¡°Yeah, what moped?¡± Gao Yang had gotten much better at acting.

    ¡°Hoho.¡± Qilin nodded in satisfaction before adjusting the ring sses on his nose with a middle finger. ¡°Nothing. You may go.¡±

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird entered the elevator without a word, going to the ground floor and getting into her car.

    When they were one street block away...

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    They burst into loudughter again.

    ...

    It was close to five o¡¯clock in the morning when Gao Yang snuck back to his dorm room. He slept for two hours, weing the arrival of the day.

    He got out of bed and went to have breakfast with Mi Shi. They brought food for their roommates before heading to ss.

    In the afternoon, Gao Yang checked the chat group, Team Heavenbreaker ??????. Lithe Snake and Nainai had returned to Li City as well.

    He sent a message each to Can, Nainai, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog¡ªthe four members attending Li City University¡ªand told them to attend a quick meeting at the Witch¡¯s Club after dinner.

    He was mainly going to tell them about the woman who triggered a 9000 times bonus, warning them to be careful these days.

    If the woman dide after Gao Yang, he didn¡¯t want them to get dragged into it.

    Gao Yang and his roommates had dinner at the cafeteria. Then he excused himself from returning to the dorm and headed to the Witch¡¯s Club instead, opening the door with a spare key.

    The small room was empty. Gao Yang was a little surprised. He was the first to arrive today.

    He turned on the light, looking around the room with interest. More manga series showed up in the paper boxes in the corner. Two books were dropped on the ground.

    And the number of magical items on the tribute table had increased as well, including another set of tarot cards, fanned out on the table. The one on the top was the Fool, followed by the Hangman, Justice, Sun, Magician, Moon, and Hermit.

    Beside the cards was an old three by three rubik¡¯s cube. The purple side and the blue side were done.

    On the prop rack next to the table were a variety of weapons from anime. In addition to the stic grim reaper¡¯s scythe Nainai was holdingst time, there was also a cool chainsaw helmet, arge <i>zanpakuto</i>[1], a big shovel, a stun-gun watch, a fire spear, and many other weapons.

    Gao Yang could picture Nainai, an autistic child, holing up in her room reading manga and novels, imagining herself as all sorts of <i>chuuni </i>characters and muttering to herself for self-entertainment.

    <i>Rat-a-tat.</i>

    Someone was knocking.

    Gao Yang jumped, looking at the door warily. It must not be a member of the team. The door wasn¡¯t actually closed. There was no reason to knock.

    He called out to the door coolly, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Mr. Gao Yang,¡± said the polite, low voice of an adult man.

    It struck Gao Yang as familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite put a name to it.

    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    The man seemed to hesitate for a moment. In the end, he didn¡¯t say his name, but gave Gao Yang a roundabout hint. ¡°Your inw.¡±

    Gao Yang facepalmed.

    He opened the door. Standing outside was a tall middle-aged man with short, thick and hard silver hair, sculpted facial features, and a hint of a chin dimple.

    It was Waking Insects from the Spectres.

    Instead of an old-fashioned tailcoat, he was dressed in a dark green double-breasted trench coat and pants of the same color. He wore a pair ofmonce ck dress shoes with a square ck messenger bag on his left shoulder.

    Immediately, Gao Yang thought of a mail carrier.

    ¡°You¡¯re here for me?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Fresh Snow wrote you a letter, Mr. Gao Yang,¡± said Waking Insects. ¡°And she told me to make sure to deliver it to you.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Aren¡¯t you going around the world?</i>

    But then he realized, <i>With him being twice as fast as the speed of sound, it won¡¯t be difficult for him to moonlight as a mail carrier while touring the world.</i>

    Gao Yang popped his head out to make sure there were no unwanted eyes before mumbling, ¡°Come in.¡±

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    He felt a gust of wind, and Waking Insects disappeared from the door, already sitting on a small chair in the room when he looked.

    Gao Yang closed the door and reached out to Waking Insects. ¡°The letter, please.¡±

    Waking Insects opened the buckle of his ck bag and took out a postcard, handing it to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang took it. One side of the postcard was a photo of a vast grasnd. On the other side was messy handwriting with blobs of ink, and the sentences were mixed with <i>pinyin </i>and emoticons.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time writing a letter. I¡¯ll be inyourcare.¡±

    Well, thest part of the sentence was all squashed together.[2]

    ¡°There are horses on the grasnd, Gao Yang. I <i>rode</i>[3]<i> </i>horses with Sister. I¡¯m so happy. (*^¨Œ^*)¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re called <i>Dark </i>Horse, Gao Yang, so I <i>rode </i>on a <i>ck </i>horse.¡±

    ¡°The beef jerky is good, but not the goat milk.¡ñ©n¡ñ¡±

    ¡°I miss you so much, Gao Yang. You should miss me too.¡±

    <i>¡°Looking forward</i> to your response.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s lips curled up. It was like a letter written by a child who didn¡¯t know many words.

    He nced at Waking Insects. ¡°I¡¯ll write her a response. Give me a moment.¡±

    Waking Insects hade prepared. He produced a fountain pen. Gao Yang took it and started writing on the empty part of the postcard at the desk.

    ¡°Hope all is well.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to any grasnds. Once you¡¯re back, tell me about the scenery there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have too much human food. It¡¯s bad for your health.¡±

    ¡°I miss you too. Looking forward to your next letter.¡±

    Considering that members of Team Heavenbreaker could show up at any time, Gao Yang didn¡¯t dare to spend too much time on the letter. He handed the postcard back to Waking Insects.

    ¡°Please take this back to Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°As I should.¡± Waking Insects nodded with a smile.

    The door opened then. Can spoke from the outside, ¡°Whoa, someone¡¯s here already...¡±

    A gust of wind whipped past her. She stood at the door for two seconds before recovering, looking inside at Gao Yang. ¡°What, what just happened?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Gao Yang yed dumb.

    ¡°There seemed to be a gust...¡±

    ¡°Can, the pimple on your chin is recovering quickly.¡± Gao Yang changed the subject.

    ¡°Huh? Is that so? Tee-hee.¡± Can smiled a little bashfully. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping a lighter diet, but well, it¡¯s mostly the concealer...¡±

    1. From the manga/anime series <i>Bleach</i>. ?

    2. In the raw, the word ¶à was split into Ï¦Ï¦ since Fresh Snow wrote the two parts of the character a little too far apart. ?

    3. The italicized words in the letter henceforth are parts where Fresh Snow used pinyin rather than actually writing the words since they are quite hard to write, like òT in this case. ?

 Chapter 451: A Head Shorter

    <h4>Chapter 451: A Head Shorter</h4>

    Can and Gao Yang talked for a few minutes at the Witch¡¯s Club. Then Nainai, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog arrived one after another.

    Gao Yang closed the door, briefly exining that a mysterious woman had held some sort of evil ritual at midnight, and that they should all be careful.

    Then Nainai, in an uncharacteristically normal manner of speech, briefed them on the follow-up investigation she had helped Azure Dragon conduct on the No.7 Winery in West Nation.

    After that, she supplied Gao Yang¡¯s and Qing Ling¡¯s red crystal nes with the impression of wanderers, thus marking the end of the meeting.

    Nainai stayed in the room. The Witch¡¯s Club had be her second dorm room.

    Heavenly Dog, on the other hand, was called away by his ssmate, and Qing Ling also left to attend to some business. It seemed that she was returning to the main base of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Soon, Gao Yang was left with Can in the hallway outside the club room.

    On their way back, Can kept bringing up random topics.

    Noticing it, Gao Yang offered, ¡°Just tell me what it is.¡±

    Can paused before smiling with embarrassment. ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t you forget something, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡±

    Disappointment shed through Can¡¯s eyes. She waved at him with an awkward smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you don¡¯t remember, you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang finally remembered. ¡°I owe you barbecue.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah!¡± Can perked up immediately, nodding happily for a few times.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°You want to go tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure sure.¡±

    ¡°But we just had dinner.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can walk around to digest the food before going to get barbecue as ate night snack!¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment before making up his mind. ¡°Alright. Come with me to do something then. After that, I¡¯ll buy you barbecue.¡±

    ¡°Okie-dokie!¡±

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Can and Gao Yang emerged from an underground station to reach a crossroad in the Nanji District. They ordered a cup of fruit tea at a shop by the road, waiting nearby.

    Behind them was a shop for women¡¯s clothes. The photos of models in the disy window were tall and slim. They had changed into newly designed winter¡¯s clothes before the season arrived.

    Holding onto her cup of fruit tea with both hands, Can looked at one of the models. The ck-haired woman was wearing a fashionable red coat with polished design.

    Can stared at her, looking envious. <i>If only I looked good in clothes like that too.</i>

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Gao Yang asked casually.

    Can nodded. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Then buy it. Winter ising soon.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about, Captain?¡± Can had no delusion about herself. ¡°It¡¯s a coat on her, but wearing it will turn me into a human mop.¡±

    Gao Yangughed. ¡°You aren¡¯t that short. You should be able to wear it with high heels.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Can wavered a little. She walked up to the disy window and stood on her tippy toes with her back pressed to the window, trying her best to match the model¡¯s height. ¡°Captain, check for me how much difference there is between us...¡±

    ¡°Hm, not too bad,¡± Gao Yang said with some difficulty, his eyes flickering. ¡°You¡¯re just a little shorter.¡±

    ¡°How much is a little?¡± Can pressed.

    ¡°Not much, just a little.¡±

    Can insisted, ¡°Tell me the truth, Captain! I can take it!¡±

    ¡°A head.¡±

    The air was quiet for two seconds.

    ¡°Ha, haha.¡± Can covered up her awkwardness withughter. ¡°I¡¯ll stick to oversized jumpers. The money is better spent on buying skins for my Da Qiao.¡±

    A silver sedan parked by the road then. The window rolled down. Chen Ying, dressed in a professional outfit, was the driver, while Little Tian, dressed in suits for children, was in the passenger seat.

    ¡°Hop in.¡± Chen Ying waved at them with a smile.

    ¡°Hello, Brother Seven Shadow, Sister Can,¡± Little Tian said politely like the good boy he was.

    Gao Yang and Can smiled in response, getting into the car.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°Do I have to put on a blindfold this time?¡±

    Chen Ying chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    Twenty minutester, the car arrived at the headquarters of the Hundred Rivers Union, located underground in a forest in the suburban area.

    Under Chen Ying¡¯s lead, Gao Yang and Can walked across therge hall office. The desks were sparsely upied by about a dozen members of the back office.

    Compared to thest time he was here, there were even more empty desks, the personal belongings put away. They once belonged to those who had gotten killed in action during the Crimson Tide.

    Soon, Gao Yang and Can entered the reception room.

    Not long after Chen Ying left, Colorless, the first team leader, and Goldthread, the sixth team leader, showed up.

    As always, Goldthread was wearing suits, a baseball cap, sunsses, a mask, and a pair of ck leather gloves, covering as much of his skin as possible. He was holding a small briefcase made of ck Gold.

    Colorless had a ck suit jacket draping on her shoulders, under which was a white crop tank and a ck high-low pleated skirt, one side reaching her calf while the other side was short enough to reveal her alluring thigh. And her ck boots were long enough to reach her knees.

    Her red mullet had grown quite a lot longer, therge curls giving her an air of careless seduction. Combined with her well-ced facial features and fiery red lips, she looked beautiful and cool.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Elder Seven Shadow,¡± Colorless greeted them in aposed voice, sitting down across from Gao Yang. Without a word, Goldthread sat down beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Team Leader Colorless,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°And this is?¡± Colorless looked at Can, who was next to Gao Yang.

    It was Can¡¯s first time seeing Goldthread and Colorless. They were cool both in terms of the way they dressed and their presence, making Can feel nervous and inferior. She had looked it up on the inte; it was a phobia against fashionable people.

    ¡°He-hello! I¡¯m an Elite of the fifth operations team of the Qilin Guild. I¡¯m now, now a member of Team Heavenbreaker. I-I-I¡¯m Can.¡± The more Can tried to introduce herself smoothly, the more she stuttered.

    Corloress¡¯ lips quirked up. ¡°Rx. I don¡¯t bite.¡±

    Can¡¯s face became flushed red. She picked at her jeans with her hands, unsure of where to even look.

    Colorless turned to Gao Yang and got into business. ¡°I heard that you want to use our Support Rune Circuit to level up your Talent?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Talent?¡±

    ¡°Double, serial number 65, Support-type. It¡¯s level 3 and needs the Rune Circuit to reach level 4.¡±

    ¡°Alright, please demonstrate it for us,¡± Colorless exined calmly. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t trust you, but it¡¯s standard procedure. You get the drill.¡±

    The Gao Yang sitting on the sofa said calmly, ¡°I am demonstrating it.¡±

    The moment he said that, he became translucent and vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Whoa! Cap-captain...¡± Can jumped. How did a person just disappear from her side?

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s voice came from behind her. Can whirled around to see Gao Yang holding a disposable cup before the watercooler in a corner.

    Colorless was much moreposed. She nodded slightly and nced at Goldthread.

    Goldthread put the ck Gold briefcase on the tea table, putting in the code to open it. Inside was the Support Rune Circuit, the upper side etched with an abstracted g.

    Colorless said, ¡°ording to the rules, Elder Seven Shadow, you have to stay in the special monitored room at the Union the next few days, strictly following...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly, going up to her with his cup of water.

 Chapter 452: A Fatherâ€™s Blessing

    <h4>Chapter 452: A Father¡¯s Blessing</h4>

    Gao Yang sat back down on the sofa and nced at Colorless. ¡°May I touch it now?¡±

    Colorless hesitated for a moment. ording to the rules, he shouldn¡¯t touch the Rune Circuit until he went to the monitored room, but Colorless knew that he was strong enough to touch or even grab the Rune Circuit by force, and she and Goldthread wouldn¡¯t be able to do much.

    Thus, she believed there was no need to be stuck on the details and risk getting on the bad side of an Elder from the Qilin Guild.

    ¡°You may.¡±

    Gao Yang took the Support Rune Circuit and felt its weight. Instantly, he could sense the energy inside the Rune Circuit spreading at his fingertips, triggering a strange resonation.

    Now, he could understand and resonate with a Rune Circuit much more keenly and deeplypared to other awakeners¡ªperhaps it was a result of Gao Yang leveling up multiple Talents during his fight with Lilia, or it could be a hidden effect of level 4 Lucky.

    It was nothing to write home about, though.

    When ck Tortoise got the Summon Rune Circuit, he had leveled up Puppeteer to level 4 overnight, and Huai Wei had reached level 4 with Time-Space Spirit simply by touching the Time-Space Rune Circuit once.

    Dragon, even more impressively, had acquired the Miracle Rune Circuit¡¯s energy seed without direct contact, but through Gao Yang as a medium.

    All that told Gao Yang that awakeners with higher-ranking Talents or multiple Talents were able to reach level 4 much more easily.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and sensed the energy radiating from the Rune Circuit. He got a hunch and opened his eyes. ¡°Half an hour to an hour from now, I¡¯ll reach level 4 with Double.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Colorless couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. She had to admit that she was impressed by Seven Shadow just now.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a certainty yet. Let me try,¡± Gao Yang said humbly. ¡°If I fail, I¡¯ll go to the monitored room with you.¡±

    Colorless thought for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±

    The next few minutes, the four of them sat across from each other and exchanged awkward looks, the atmosphere stiff.

    Having had enough of the torture, Can mustered the courage to invite all of them to y HOK with her. To her surprise, Colorless and Goldthread agreed immediately.

    Once the game started, Can was no longer the awkward and nervous small fry with inferiorityplex, but a bigshot who roasted people like it was her nature.

    On the other hand, Gao Yang, Colorless, and Goldthread became newbies willingly submitting themselves to humiliation. The three of them mumbled their words and struggled to find where to ce their hands, getting crushed by the opponents while getting verbally abused by Can.

    Can poured in all her effort to turn the tides, but still lost two matches.

    Frustration tranted into determination. The four of them reflected on their failure and started another match.

    Like they had been born anew, they were on track to winning the match. During an important group fight in theter stage of the game, however, Gao Yang was suddenly hit with a sensation; a part of his energy had been reborn.

    Forgetting about his teammates in the game altogether, he dropped the phone and closed his eyes, tamping down the pleasure that came with the level-up.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang opened his eyes and let out a long breath. ¡°Level 4 Double.¡±

    Rather than congrattion, however, what he got were matching angry res from Can, Colorless, and Goldthread, who were holding their phones.

    Gao Yang looked down at his screen. The five yers in the game had been killed. The opponents had turned the tide, and they were sending mocking messages as they destroyed their base.

    Gao Yang smiled awkwardly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we y another match?¡±

    Sensing that they were still furious, he quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m ying support this time.¡±

    The four of them yed another game. Oveing difficulty with the pride of awakeners on the line, they finally got their first win.

    Satisfied, Colorless and Goldthread put away their phones, leaving with the ck Gold briefcase containing the Support Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang and Can were about to take their leave too when an adult woman opened the door to the reception room.

    She had ck, medium-length hair and a youthful face with small chin and fair skin. She was dressed in a tapered brown trench coat made of light fabric, a pair of skinny jeans, and ck high heels.

    While she seemed serious and sophisticated, there was a softness to her expression.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, we meet again.¡±

    Gao Yang recognized her and smiled at her. ¡°Ms. Sha Ye.¡±

    ¡°I heard about you waking up. It seems you¡¯re recovering well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright.¡±

    Gao Yang then spotted a girl who looked to be three or four hiding behind Sha Ye. Her soft, medium-length ck hair was tied into a small ponytail. On her flushed, round face were a pair of glinting ck eyes. Bashfully, she popped half of her head out, sneaking nces at Gao Yang and Can.

    ¡°Little Yan,e on, greet brother and sister.¡± Sha Ye patted her daughter on the shoulder.

    The little girl timidly walked out from behind Sha Ye and greeted quietly, ¡°Hello, Big Brother, Big Sister.¡±

    ¡°Little Yan!¡± Can went up to her enthusiastically and crouched down to take her hand. ¡°What¡¯s your name? How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Wang Weiyan, four and a half years old.¡± She spoke a little louder after sensing Can¡¯s goodwill and enthusiasm.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a pretty name!¡± Can gently pinched her face. ¡°I¡¯m Can. Have you ever had it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had canned orange...¡±

    Gao Yang had seen Wang Weiyan before, on the 52nd floor of the White Lake Hotel during the Crimson Tide.

    There had been too many people, though, and everyone was too busy dealing with theing crisis, so he didn¡¯t greet her.

    Can and Wang Weiyan got on quickly. Can took out the choctes she always had with her and gave Wang Weiyan one. ¡°Here, one for you.¡±

    Wang Weiyan looked back at her mother. Only after Sha Ye nodded at her did she happily ept the sweet.

    ¡°Has she awakened?¡± Gao Yang asked in a low voice.

    Sha Ye nodded. ¡°Thest night of the Crimson Tide, we all lost consciousness. She wasn¡¯t an awakener yet, so she didn¡¯t get poisoned, and she quietly watched over me. She only started crying when I woke up. She awakened not long after.¡±

    Gao Yang could picture it.

    ¡°What¡¯s her Talent?¡±

    Sha Ye smiled, her eyes glinting softly. ¡°Iron Skin.¡±

    Gao Yang paused for two seconds before breaking into a smile. ¡°With Old Wang¡¯s blessing, she will grow up safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°I believe that too.¡± Sha Ye nodded, her tone determined.

    Can lifted Wang Weiyan into her arms, ying with her. It seemed that the two were already friends.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    The door opened then. Chen Ying, in a professional outfit, came over with a few colored printed photos, looking a little confused. ¡°Why are you still here? I thought you would be in the monitored room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve leveled up my Talent. I¡¯m going back.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Chen Ying almost screamed. ¡°You leveled up? Already?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Back when Chen Ying leveled up her Talent with a Rune Circuit, she had carried it with her for days, even when she was taking showers. She went so far as to buy various trinkets for luck on the inte. In fact, she hired a <i>feng shui </i>expert to adjust theyout of her bedroom. Only then did she level up.

    Yet Gao Yang¡¯s Talent leveled up while he lounged on their sofa, before the seat even got warm? For real?

    <i>Comparison can really kill someone with jealousy.</i>

    The more Chen Ying thought about it, the angrier she got. She even forgot the matter at hand for a moment.

    ¡°What do you need me for?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Chen Ying broke out of her thoughts. ¡°We found something on the suspicious woman you encountered.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± It was Gao Yang¡¯s turn to be shocked.

    <i>Seriously, it¡¯s been less than a day. Isn¡¯t the Hundred Rivers Union too good at tracking people?</i>

    <i>Comparison can really kill someone with jealousy.</i>

 Chapter 453: Unexpected Help

    <h4>Chapter 453: Unexpected Help</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Little Yan. Don¡¯t bother Brother and Sister when they are working.¡± Sha Ya knew that both Chen Ying and Gao Yang were members of Team Heavenbreakers, and she willingly kept her distance.

    Hearing herself referred to as a sister, Chen Ying broke into a smile; even the way she waved became a little pretentious without her realizing. ¡°Bye, Little Yan.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Brother and Sister.¡± Little Yan waved at Gao Yang and Can. Then she turned to wave at Chen Ying. ¡°Bye, Auntie Chen.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s smile froze, and she became unmoving like a statue, as if she would shatter into pieces of stones the next second.

    Soon, Gao Yang was left alone in the reception room with Can and Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying closed the door, handing the photocopies in her hand to Gao Yang. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang took it and had a look. Can sidled closer to him to look at the photo as well.

    It was the rooftop of a building. With moonlight providing illumination, it wasn¡¯t too dark. A faint figure could be made out near the railing of the rooftop, her back to the camera.

    It was an adult woman. Her most pronounced feature was her dark red hair, fluttering in the wind. She was dressed in a form-fitted ck long-sleeved sweater and a ck gauze dress, entuating her tall, slim figure.

    Gao Yang recognized at first nce that it was the woman he and Vermilion Bird had run into at the crossroad, at three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    ¡°Where is this from?¡± Gao Yang was curious.

    Chen Ying responded with a strange smile, ¡°All the surveince cameras at the crossroad had been broken, but luckily, a camera had been installed secretly on the rooftop by a resident of the building, and it was left intact.¡±

    ¡°The building is for both business and residence. When the weather is good, the residents hang their clothes on the rooftop to dry, but recently, the women¡¯s undergarments kept going missing. They suspect there to be a pervert stealing small clothes, so someone installed a hidden camera to catch the thief, but ended up getting a shot of the woman.¡±

    Can marveled, ¡°Whoa, the pervert ended up being a great help.¡±

    Gao Yang snorted silently. <i>Isn¡¯t the resident looking to catch the pervert the one being of help? How do you reach that ridiculous conclusion?</i>

    He stared at the blurred figure of the woman¡¯s back in the photo. Then he flipped to the next one.

    The woman had tilted slightly to the side, revealing part of her profile. The wind was too strong on the rooftop that night, though, and her messy hair obscured most of her face; her appearance remained a mystery.

    In the next photo, the woman was gone. Only a blurred figure in motion was caught in the shot. He had to look closely to even make it out.

    Chen Ying pointed at the blurred figure. ¡°This building is called the Li River Building. ording to where the woman disappeared to, she was likely to have leapt out of the frame...¡±

    Chen Ying took out another set of photos. ¡°We went there to survey the area and looked for clues under three presumptions: that she could jump ten meters, thirty meters, or fifty meters with one leap. Indeed, we found her footprint on the nearby Xiangxi Building thirty meters away. Look.¡±

    Gao Yang took the photo. On the dust-covered beams connecting to a signboard was half a footprint.

    Chen Ying continued, ¡°This is likely her first foothold after jumping. Then she entered the Xiangxi Building through a window near the signboard, leading to the 26th floor corridor. She easily made it out of there.¡±

    ¡°Amon had looked into the surveince footage of the elevators and main hall of the Xiangxi Building, but didn¡¯t find a woman resembling her. The target could have left through the stairs or put on different clothes before leaving at a different time, but those are unlikely to be the case. Someone so strong wouldn¡¯t waste time and energy on something this trivial.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is the possibility that she has abilities in the veins of going through the walls, teleportation, invisibility, or changing her appearance or even her sex.¡±

    Can gaped.<i> Sister Chen Ying is such a pro. Her presence screams a strong, charismatic professional woman.</i>

    ¡°And the footprint on the signboard was left from a leather t Mary Jane shoes. It¡¯s amon design for women and gives little information.¡±

    Gao Yang quietly filed away the information before burning the photos to ashes.

    ¡°Thank you for the hard work. Please keep investigating.¡± Gao Yang gave her an approving nod before adding, ¡°But don¡¯t forget about the work for Operation: Heavenbreaker.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Ying nodded and turned to Gao Yang and Can. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride back. It¡¯s difficult to hail taxis in this area.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang epted the offer easily.

    ...

    Chen Ying drove Gao Yang and Can to a crossroad near the Li City University. They got out of the car and returned to campus.

    Can walked slowly on the way, looking up at Gao Yang every once in a while. Whenever Gao Yang tilted his head, though, she quickly looked away. She might as well have written on her face the question, <i>Have you forgotten something, Captain?</i>

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Barbecue?¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah!¡± Can hurriedly nodded, breaking into a beam. She would be wagging her tail if she had one.

    ¡°Any rmendations?¡±

    ¡°Yep yep!¡± Can took out her phone excitedly and showed Gao Yang the review app she had opened.

    ¡°How about this? There¡¯s a special menu for couples. Don¡¯t take it the wrong way, Captain! I don¡¯t mean it like that! The set menu offers a twenty percent discount, and it offers a wide variety of ingredients in small portions. We¡¯ll get to taste many different things without wasting food.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhou and I often order the couple set menu. There¡¯s also free pumpkin soup. They make a mean pumpkin soup! Everyone who has had it only has praises for it!¡±

    Can rattled off quickly, like she had rehearsed the lines many times. Then she looked at Gao Yang, nervous but expectant, worried that he would say no.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Can paused. She didn¡¯t expect things to go so well. She actually had many backup ns prepared.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Okie-dokie!¡± Can sprang into action and started jogging forward like she was worried that Gao Yang would change his mind. ¡°It¡¯s right ahead. We¡¯ll get there soon.¡±

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang and Can arrived at the barbecue ce.

    The restaurant wasn¡¯t big, and it was a little old, but it was approachable like the typical mom-and-pop ces and saw quite a lot of patrons.

    The two of them sat down at a table for four, ordering a couple set named Couple<i> </i>BBQ te.

    The waiter turned on the smokeless grill andid down the aluminum foil, brushing it with ayer of oil before serving them arge te of proteins, paired with fresh greens and two bowls of thick golden pumpkin soup.

    ¡°Try the soup first, Captain!¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the bowl and had a small sip, maintaining a poker face.

    Can held her breath.

 Chapter 454: Dream Broken

    <h4>Chapter 454: Dream Broken</h4>

    A few secondster, Gao Yang nodded in approval. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s good. Sweet but not overly so, and the texture is smooth.¡±

    He took another spoonful. The pumpkin soup was good.

    ¡°Right?¡± Can let out a sigh of relief, feeling warmth bloom in her chest, and the back of her ears itched a little. She felt happier now than when she first tasted the pumpkin soup herself.

    She looked at Gao Yang with glinting eyes as he enjoyed the soup, breaking into an adoring smile.

    <i>I¡¯m lucky to be able to have dinner with Captain alone.</i>

    Can was short and skinny. She got mediocre grades and didn¡¯t have much to boast about talent-wise. Her whole life, she had been a nobody, at others¡¯ mercy. It wasn¡¯t until she reached adulthood and entered college that she became a little prettier.

    As a result, she suffered from low self-esteem, and she had no illusion about herself. She had a secret...well, a not so secret crush on Gao Yang, but she wasn¡¯t greedy. She never dared to even dream that the goddess of fortune would grant her the luck of having her feelings requited.

    She had made up her mind. It was good enough for her to be able to spend time with Captain like she was now.

    If she got to have more alone time with him before he got a girlfriend, eating and ying games with him, she would consider that a great fortune!

    Can smothered a smile and picked up a pair of tongs to start flipping the slices of meat. ¡°Try the pork belly, Captain. Paired with some greens, it¡¯s really...¡±

    ¡°Orange!¡± A familiar voice interrupted her.

    Can paused, the hand holding the tongs stopping midair.

    <i>Why?</i>

    <i>Why now?!</i>

    <i>I¡¯ve hoped against hope and finally get to spend some quality time alone with Captain, but my dream is so quickly shattered!</i>

    ¡°Whoa, what a coincidence!¡±

    Zhou Jing strode into the restaurant. She had healthy tanned skin,rge eyes, and thick red lips, therge curls of her chocte brown hair running down her shoulders, parted in the middle.

    The gray jumper dress she wore hugged the curves of her hip, leaving her shoulders and long legs revealed.

    The first thought Gao Yang had when he saw her was, <i>It¡¯s autumn. Aren¡¯t you cold without even putting on stockings?</i>

    ¡°Sister Zhou.¡± Can quickly hid her disappointment and put on a look of pleasant surprise. ¡°What a coincidence!¡±

    Zhou Jing strode up to them with confidence and sass, her eyes glinting with glee when she recognized Gao Yang at first nce. ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t this the boy from before...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± Can said. ¡°He¡¯s now attending Li City University too, at a lower year than us.¡±

    ¡°Not bad, Little Orange.¡± Zhou Jing smirked, her brows and eyes curving. ¡°You¡¯ve got such a cute guy as your boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke like that, Sister Zhou. We¡¯re just friends!¡± Can blushed, but inwardly, she was singing Zhou Jing¡¯s praises, <i>Sister Zhou, you should write a book given how well you speak! And where should I get your book? I¡¯m gonna smash a bookstore if it doesn¡¯t sell your work!</i>[1]

    Zhou Jing sat down next to Can, crossing her legs and leaning forward while propping her head up with a hand. She looked at Gao Yang openly, even with an edge of scrutiny, making Gao Yang squirm a little.

    Three secondster, Zhou Jing slightly narrowed her eyes, her smile gone and her gaze chilled. ¡°You¡¯re a sly one, Gao Yang.¡±

    The polite smile on Gao Yang¡¯s face went stiff.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Only then did he remember that back in the Eleventh High School, he had met Zhou Jing as a human, but now, he had the impression of a wanderer on him.

    Zhou Jing would¡¯ve noticed were she an elite monster!

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang pretended to not understand, while the hand under the table was already drawing energy in secret.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few months, but your skin has be so clear!¡± Zhou Jing said with envy. ¡°Tell me, have you been using skin care products? What¡¯s the brand? Tell your senior!¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. <i>Would you please not pause so dramatically when you speak? If you had gone even a little slower, I might have twisted your neck!</i>

    ¡°No, I just wash my face with clean water,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. Then he added in case Zhou Jing didn¡¯t believe him, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I get my beauty sleep.¡±

    <i>Yep,</i> <i>for three months.</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Then another voice came from the door. Gao Yang turned around and saw that it was his roommates, Qiu Qiu, Mi Shi, and Lin Dajian. They were carrying drinks and beers.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Qiu Qiu came over and put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You didn¡¯t respond to the messages we sent to the group chat, but it turned out you¡¯re on a secret date!¡±

    He nced at Can. ¡°Hello, Sister-in-Law, I¡¯m Gao Yang¡¯s roommate. We¡¯re gonna be family from now on.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m just a friend of Gao Yang¡¯s.¡± Can rified while waving a hand, but in her mind, she was overjoyed. <i>I¡¯m gonna publish a book for you too, friend!</i>

    ¡°Orange is my roommate.¡± Zhou Jing put an arm around Can¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What a small world. Why don¡¯t we share a table?¡±

    ¡°I was just gonna say that!¡± Qiu Qiu immediately swung his arm. ¡°Owner, we¡¯re getting a table together!¡±

    The six of them quickly moved to arge table and had barbecues together. Qiu Qiu was paying, and he generously made a big order.

    They chatted while they ate, and Gao Yang caught up on what was going on.

    Qiu Qiu was pursuing Zhou Jing. They were now at the flirting stage and had not yet put a name to their rtionship, but it was a close thing.

    Tonight, Qiu Qiu asked Zhou Jing out to have barbecues together before going to an escape room. Worried that there might not be enough people for a game, he also invited Lin Dajian and Mi Shi.

    His roommates rejected Qiu Qiu in the beginning, but Qiu Qiu offered too good a price.

    As long as he managed to cement his rtionship with Zhou Jing tonight, Qiu Qiu would give Lin Dajian 10 pulls in the gacha game he yed, as well as pay for Mi Shi¡¯s breakfast for the next month.

    Zhou Jing was friendly and outgoing, and Qiu Qiu was sort of a ss clown. Can, when she was with friends, was quite talkative too. They enjoyed the food in a warm atmosphere.

    They were full with alcohol and food at the end of the meal.

    ¡°Little Gao, Orange,¡± Qiu Qiu turned to Gao Yang and Can. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with us?¡±

    ¡°Huh? But...¡± Can hesitantly turned to Gao Yang.

    Just when Gao Yang was wondering how he should reject them politely, Lin Dajian cackled. ¡°Qiu Qiu, you¡¯re being insensitive. They have business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°What business?¡± Qiu Qiu, surprisingly, didn¡¯t catch on immediately.

    ¡°Whoa, you aren¡¯t going to a hotel for <i>private tutoring</i>, are you?¡± Zhou Jing¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s like I didn¡¯t know you, Orange.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit! Already?¡± Qiu Qiu then said somewhat jokingly, ¡°Good for you, Little Gao. But you¡¯ve just recovered. You should watch your health!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just friends, for real! Don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡± Can was bothered this time, even a little agitated.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny, Globy.¡± Gao Yang pulled a straight face as well.

    ¡°Sorry, I have a habit of running my mouth.¡± Qiu Qiu apologized with a grin and lightly pped his own mouth. ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the escape room together,¡± Zhou Jing seized the opportunity to say.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go together!¡± Qiu Qiu took out his phone and showed them the review app. ¡°Look, this is the ce. It¡¯s a new store. It¡¯s said to be really exciting!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired today,¡± Gao Yang said with a smile, but then his gaze fell on the address of the escape room.

    Can quickly added, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m also a little tired...¡±

    ¡°But no matter how tired I am, I shouldn¡¯t rain on your parade.¡± Gao Yang turned to Can. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Ah...right, right!¡± Can was bbergasted. <i>You¡¯re a fickle one, Captain!</i>

    1. It¡¯s amon meme in China. And the whole thing is shortened to thest part, ÊéÎÞµêÔÒ, I¡¯m gonna smash a bookstore if it doesn¡¯t sell your book. ?

 Chapter 455: Random Group

    <h4>Chapter 455: Random Group</h4>

    Gao Yang changed his mind because he saw the address of the escape room, 26th floor of the Xiangxi Building in Feiyang District, which was the location the mysterious woman had been found to go past when leaving, as Chen Ying had told him.

    Could it really be a mere coincidence?

    With level 4 Lucky, Gao Yang hade to learn the magical effect of the Talent, and he valued and paid attention to coincidences more than others.

    Although the woman wouldn¡¯t be there, perhaps he would get lucky and find some clues.

    The six of them hailed two taxis to get to their destination. Gao Yang, Can, and Mi Shi shared a car, while Qiu Qiu, Zhou Jing, and Lin Dajian rode in the other car.

    Mi Shi took the passenger seat, and Gao Yang and Can stayed in the backseat.

    Can leaned toward Gao Yang and typed a line with her phone, showing it to Gao Yang discreetly.

    Can: I remember now, Captain, isn¡¯t the escape room located where Sister Chen Ying talked about? Are we going to investigate? Is it going to be dangerous?

    Gao Yang took out his phone to type a response and showed it to Can.

    Gao Yang: Don¡¯t worry. Just y like regr patrons and investigate along the way.

    Can nodded and typed ¡®understood¡¯, handing her phone to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang looked down and paused for a second, expression awkward.

    Confused, Can quickly took her phone back and only realized then that Zhou Jing had just sent a message to her. Gao Yang happened to see the notification.

    Zhou Jing: Seize the opportunity, Orange. Let¡¯s hope for losing your v-card tonight hahaha.

    Can blushed from her face all the way to the back of her ears. She wanted nothing more but to find a ce to hide. She shouldn¡¯t be in the car, but under it.

    ...

    The next twenty minutes were the most awkward, difficult twenty minutes in Can¡¯s life.

    Finally, they arrived at their destination and got out of the car by the road.

    The lower floors of the Xiangxi Building were used for business. Facing a crossroad that saw great traffic, there was a shopping mall, as well as various restaurants and bars.

    The six of them entered a narrow alleyway on the left and made it to the back of the Xiangxi Building, riding an elevator to the higher residential floors.

    Although the upper floors were supposed to be for residential purposes, most of the ts had been turned into recreational establishments, including arcades, tabletop bars, roley murder mysteries, and escape rooms.

    They reached the 26th floor. It was an escape room ce named Silent Town.

    The front desk was manned by a voluptuous woman dressed in white nurse uniform with the cors unbuttoned, the fabric covered in dust and oxidized blood stains. On her face was a faceless mask, and she was holding a stic scalpel. It was clear that she was cosying as a character from some horror game.

    ¡°Holy...¡± Lin Dajian, the resident console gamer among the group, was getting excited. ¡°Who...who¡¯s gonna be able to resist this?¡±

    ¡°Have you made a reservation?¡± The receptionist had a sweet voice and a friendly attitude, the contrast with her appearance stark.

    ¡°Yes, we booked the No.9 Hospital, for a shared group,¡± said Zhou Jing.

    ¡°Oh, No.9 Hospital, a medium-sized escape room for 9 yers. The runtime is 1 hour. Two of the yers who will be joining you are already here. There¡¯s only one spot left to fill. Here, sign the agreement first.¡±

    Qiu Qiu generously paid for everyone. The receptionist handed them six risk agreements to be signed.

    Gao Yang browsed it quickly. Most of the stiptions weremonce derations and rules; at the bottom, there was a ck boldfaced line:

    No humiliating, beating, scaring, pranking, or harassing the NPCs!

    Gao Yang sucked in a breath. It seemed that it was quite amon urrence.

    After signing the risk agreements, the six of them walked into the resting area inside. The walls were stered with posters of horror films and games. The dim light created a somewhat scary atmosphere.

    Gao Yang looked around. Sitting on the double sofa in the corner were two people. They must be the ones who were going to y the escape room with them.

    One was a young girl who appeared to be a college student, and the other an older man who was 55 or older.

    The college girl was average through and through. Her longer hairstyle was a safe choice, and while her facial features were gentle, they were too average to leave an impression. She was also dressed unassumingly in a regr blue jumper, a pair of jeans that was neither tight nor loose, and a pair of gray sneakers.

    If she was walking on a street packed with people, she wouldn¡¯t need a Talent to be invisible.

    The older man beside her, on the other hand, stood out a lot more.

    He was wearing a white oxford shirt with a tie, a pair of fitted suit pants, and a light brown double-breasted vest, paired with a fashionable pair of oxfords, making him look like the perfect embodiment of a gentleman.

    His thick blond hair wasbed to the back, revealing a smooth forehead. His eyes were a deep ocean blue, and his blond goatee was trimmed neatly.

    While there were wrinkles on his face, he didn¡¯t look old, but charming like a bottle of finely aged wine.

    One would assume he was a well-studied, cultured, and friendly college professor at first nce.

    Gao Yang and the other five sat down on the main sofa in the center of the room.

    Zhou Jing and Qiu Qiu acted all lovey-dovey and flirted like they didn¡¯t exist, while Gao Yang, Can, Lin Dajian, and Mi Shi sat on the side like the world¡¯srgest third wheel. They started talking aimlessly in order to lessen the awkwardness.

    ¡°What do you think their rtionship is, Little Gao?¡± Lin Dajian nudged at Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder with his elbow, speaking in a low voice.

    Gao Yang thought about it.

    The pair was strange. Neither the girl nor the old gentleman seemed like the type toe to an escape room.

    ¡°Probably father and daughter,¡± Mi Shi said softly. It turned out that he had been eyeing the pair, too.

    ¡°They can¡¯t be.¡± Lin Daijian smiled strangely. ¡°They don¡¯t dress like that, and they don¡¯t look simr.¡±

    ¡°Can they be...¡± Can had a bold guess, but she was too embarrassed to say it.

    ¡°Lovers,¡± Gao Yang said in a voice that only the group could hear.

    ¡°For real?¡± Mi Shi felt like the floor was shattering underneath his feet. Although the man looked well put together and quite charming, there was arge age gap between the two.

    ¡°The rings,¡± Gao Yang added.

    The three looked over and indeed, both of them were wearing a tinum ring on their left middle finger, which must be a pair for a couple.

    The man and girl noticed the attention. The girl lowered her head and started using her phone, while the man nodded at them easily, unfazed, shooting them a friendly smile.

    That left the four feeling guilty.

    ¡°Um, hey, why don¡¯t we y HOK?¡± Lin Dajian quickly changed the subject to smooth the atmosphere.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Can immediately agreed.

    Just then, a young woman appeared at the front desk.

    ¡°I¡¯mte. I¡¯ve made a reservation for No.9 Hospital,¡± she said.

    The receptionist responded, ¡°The others are all here. With you here, the group is good to go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got dyed.¡±

    Thest yer to join the group entered the waiting room.

    She was dressed in a navy blue checkered dress and a beige cardigan, wearing light makeup. Her brown airy curls were tied loosely into braids, a few strands breaking free by her cheeks mischievously. Her slightly down-curved eyes and lips made her delicate face look cynical.

    ¡°Seven...Gao Yang?¡± Vermilion Bird was surprised.

    ¡°Sister Xia.¡± Gao Yang smiled with a hint of resignation. ¡°What a coincidence.¡±

 Chapter 456: No.9 Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 456: No.9 Hospital</h4>

    ¡°Little Gao, do you know...this beautifuldy?¡± Lin Dajian¡¯s limbs went stiff, his eyes glued to Vermilion Bird. He almost couldn¡¯t control his tongue to speak properly.

    The woman checked all the boxes for his dream girl. She was so perfect to him that she might as well have been a manifestation of his imagination.

    At that moment, Lin Dajian, in his neenth year in life, finally understood what love at first sight was.

    Without waiting for Gao Yang to answer, Vermilion Bird said, ¡°We yed two escape rooms together and added each other as friends.¡±

    She turned to Can, pretending to not know her. ¡°Are you all Gao Yang¡¯s schoolmates?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re Little Gao¡¯s roommates,¡± Lin Dajian said in an earnest tone. ¡°The two girls are sophomores. We go to the same college.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sister Xia. I¡¯m Orange.¡± Can put on an act.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled. Lin Dajian started introducing the others for her without being asked to. ¡°I¡¯m Lin Dajian, the room leader of Little Gao¡¯s dorm room. Just call me Dajian, haha. This is Qiu Qiu. He¡¯s Mi Shi. And she¡¯s Zhou Jing.¡±

    Just when Lin Dajian finished the introduction, the couple in the corner sofa came up to them.

    Vermilion Bird looked over, reaching a conclusion quickly with her keen observation. She thought with surprise, <i>Ha, that¡¯s quite an age gap for a couple.</i>

    ¡°Greetings, I¡¯m Edmond,¡± the older gentleman with blond hair and blue eyes said with a graceful smile, his voice velvety smooth.

    He nced at the young girl beside him. ¡°This is my friend, Miss Ke Yo.¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡± The girl, Ke Yo, smiled with her lips pursed. She could be feeling bashful, or she could be putting on a smile she didn¡¯t feel. It was difficult to read her expression.

    Gao Yang thought, <i>The girl may look and feel average, but her name is unusual</i>

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen.¡± The moderator, a young man, came over then. ¡°In three minutes, we¡¯re going to enter the escape room and have an adventure. Please hand in your phones and your personal belongings. Pick two people to hold the walkie-talkies. If you encounter any problem, you may contact me with the walkie-talkies, but bear in mind that it¡¯s best to explore on your own to enjoy the escape room to the fullest...¡±

    They handed in their personal belongings. Vermilion Bird and Edmond each took a walkie-talkie.

    Soon, they followed the moderator to a rusty metal door. In red paint, the words ¡®No.9 Hospital¡¯ were written, under which was the runtime of the game: 60 minutes.

    ¡°The nine of you are a group of paranormal fanatics. You arrived at a hospital that has been closed down for three years. It¡¯s said that the ce is haunted.¡±

    The moderator introduced the background story of the game concisely. ¡°As soon as you entered the hospital, you realized that you were locked inside. You must try your best to escape and find the truth about the haunting.¡±

    ¡°Are there ghosts inside?¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted as she held onto the walkie-talkie, looking equal parts excited and scared.

    The moderator didn¡¯t give her a direct answer. ¡°I¡¯ll refrain from giving you spoilers.¡±

    Vermilion Bird got even more excited and scared.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The moderator opened the metal gate. It was dark inside.

    ¡°Please, this way.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s scary!¡± Zhou Jing acted timid on purpose.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Jing Jing. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll protect you!¡± Qiu Qiu took Zhou Jing¡¯s hand and headed in first.

    Edmond and Ke Yo entered the room shoulder-to-shoulder, looking at ease but not terribly intimate. Following them were Lin Dajian and Mi Shi.

    As soon as Gao Yang took his step, he was suddenly sandwiched by Can and Vermilion Bird. Both looked stiff and nervous, seemingly having conjured countless horror films in their heads and were ready to hold onto Gao Yang and scream.

    <i>Wait, it¡¯s not even started</i>, Gao Yang thought, exasperated.<i> Can acting like this is one thing, but Vermilion Bird, you¡¯re an Elder. Don¡¯t you care about your image as a leader?</i>

    Once all nine of them entered the escape room, the metal door mmed shut with a bang, and they suddenly found themselves shrouded in pure darkness.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    The girls screamed.

    Gao Yang lost his elbows to the two women on his side.

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    Two secondster, the light above their heads turned on, and the four hands holding onto Gao Yang¡¯s two elbows let go.

    Holding the walkie-talkie, Vermilion Bird pretended to be looking elsewhere, while Can averted her gaze and yed with her bang like nothing had happened.

    Gao Yang would rather not go into it. He started looking around.

    The light bulb was a low voltage one, and thus the room was only dimly lit with flickering light, creating an oppressive and creepy atmosphere.

    The room that was half as big as an average ssroom was an operating theater. Behind the bloodied light blue curtains, the surgical bed had a big patch of dried blood on it. Next to it was a small cart with surgical instruments for child delivery.

    Clearly, it was a delivery room. The mother had just received C-section and ended up losing excessive blood.

    <i>Bam, bam bam.</i>

    Qiu Qiu was bold. He went up to the other door and found a passlock. It must be the door leading to the next room.

    ¡°We need a passcode,¡± Zhou Jing stated the obvious, following Qiu Qiu closely.

    ¡°There¡¯s a movement puzzle on the door lintel,¡± Edmond said in his rich voice.

    They looked up at the puzzle. It was about the size of a desktop screen, and the pictures of the puzzle were mixed up.

    ¡°Let me try!¡± Lin Dajian didn¡¯t miss the chance to make himself look good. He noticed that the beautifuldy named Sister Xia was quite a scaredy cat, and that she had been sticking close to Gao Yang.

    That must be because Sister Xia only knew Gao Yang here. Lin Dajian believed that he would be able to win her goodwill by showing how brave, smart, dependable, and reliable he was. Then she would be clinging to him instead.

    With his wealth of experience in solving puzzles in console games, Lin Dajian quickly solved the puzzle on the door.

    It was a childish doodle of a man, a woman, and a little girl having turkey together. At the bottom was a name and a date: Anna, 11.25.

    ¡°The passcode is four digits,¡± Vermilion Bird voiced her finding. ¡°This can¡¯t be the passcode, can it?¡±

    <i>Of course not</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>The suggested runtime is 1 hour. We¡¯ll be kept here for a while.</i>

    Lin Dajian quickly tried 1125. It was the wrong passcode.

    ¡°In reverse, maybe?¡± Can suggested.

    Lin Dajian tried as she said, but again, it was the wrong passcode.

    ¡°Then it must be a misdirection,¡± said Mi Shi. ¡°We should look around the room. There must be other clues.¡±

    The others agreed, and they split up to look for clues.

    Although there were many props in the room, to lower the difficulty, they had all been made in a way to make it obvious what were valuable clues and what were only there to set up the scene.

    For example, there was a cab with many patient dossiers, but they were all fake; the folders couldn¡¯t even be opened.

    ¡°I...I think I found it!¡± Can called out excitedly.

 Chapter 457: Clues

    <h4>Chapter 457: Clues</h4>

    They immediately went up to Can, who was holding a bloodied diary.

    Can opened the diary before them. Most of the pages were stained by rust-colored blood, leaving only part of the entries visible.

    Can flipped the diary page by page, quietly reading the words.

    ¡°The doctor said that I was expected to deliver the baby on December 24th. I can¡¯t wait to meet the child. I¡¯ll be a good mother...¡±

    ¡°I had a dream about my husband, who I lost to war. He told me that the child would be a girl, and that we should name her Lisa. Lisa. I like the name.¡±

    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be... Lisa is so healthy...¡±

    ¡°I miss you, Lisa. I can¡¯t live without you... Mother ising to see you. Our family is finally reuniting...¡±

    That was all there was. Can closed the diary.

    Vermilion Bird stroked her chin, analyzing the obvious clues. ¡°It seems that the passcode should be December 24th. That¡¯s 1224...¡±

    The fluorescent light went out suddenly, plunging the room in pure darkness.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    The sudden change made the girls scream.

    Gao Yang felt two gusts of wind hitting him. Then he lost his two elbows to Can and Vermilion Bird again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s okay!¡± The boys started calming them down.

    Soon, the screaming stopped, and they regained theirposure somewhat.

    But then an infant¡¯s cry came from all around them.

    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±

    ¡°A ghost!¡±

    The screaming started again. Even the boys were crying out loud in fear this time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯t panic!¡± Lin Dajian tried his best to maintain order.

    ¡°Wah...wah...wah...¡±

    The infant¡¯s cry grew increasingly louder, apanied by a soft rustle, like they were crawling toward the yers from a dark corner.

    Even Gao Yang broke into goosebumps. No one could deny that the escape room had spent a lot of effort in scaring the yers.

    ¡°Punch in the code! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Edmond was one of the few who still retained the ability to think.

    ¡°The door! There¡¯s the door!¡± Qiu Qiu shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s rush there!¡±

    The sun on the puzzle Lin Dajian had solved was fluorescent, the only source of light in pitch darkness. They supported each other as they stumbled toward the passlocked door. Lin Dajian opened the lid of the lock blindly, and the lock lit up.

    <i>Beep, beep, beep, beep</i>...passcode incorrect.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Zhou Jing screamed.

    ¡°I put in the wrong code, I put it in wrong...¡±

    ¡°Wah, wah wah wah¡ª¡±

    The wailing had gotten so loud and so urgent that it seemed like the infant was almost at their feet.

    ¡°Hurry! Hurry now!¡± The girls shouted. Gao Yang felt like his elbows were going to be torn off.

    <i>Beep, beep, beep, beep¡ª</i>passcode correct.

    Lin Dajian pushed the door open hurriedly, and they all dove in.

    Gao Yang was thest to enter. He quickly closed the door.

    They entered the second enclosed room, narrowly escaping whatever wasing for them. The experience left them pale and panting.

    <i>Bam! Bam, bam!</i>

    ¡°Wah wah wah¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, the loud bangs of someone mming on the door came from the previous room. The infant was still wailing.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Another wave of screams. Gao Yang¡¯s eardrums almost bled.

    Fortunately, the banging on the door soon stopped, and so did the infant¡¯s wailing. The scare came to an end.

    They calmed themselves and scanned the second room closely.

    It was even dimmer, the light an oppressive red. The rectangr room wasn¡¯t big. Lining by a wall were a row of nine baby incubators, each marked with a number from 1 to 9.

    This must be the nursery at the hospital. At the far side of the room was a closed metal door. There wasn¡¯t a passlock.

    ¡°Go look, Globy.¡± Zhou Jing, who was on the braver side, was getting timid from the earlier scare.

    Qiu Qiu swallowed and nced at Lin Dajina. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Dajian!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lin Dajian mustered his courage and went up to the incubators with Qiu Qiu. <i>My goddess is watching me. I can¡¯t back down!</i>

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Qiu Qiu cried out involuntarily, triggering another wave of screams thatsted more than ten seconds..

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay... Don¡¯t panic...¡± Lin Dajian said soothingly.

    Gao Yang went up to them and found that the incubators were all empty. While there were no infants, however, there was a feeding bottle containing red liquid that looked like blood.

    That must be what had startled Qiu Qiu.

    Looking through the incubators, Gao Yang found a cassette tape in one of the incubators. He took it and examined it.

    ¡°Look, everyone.¡± Edmond had found something on a workbench on the side.

    Their curiosity triumphing over their fear for a moment, Vermilion Bird and Can slowly approached Edmond. It was an old tape recorder.

    ¡°Tape recorder,¡± Can said. ¡°Must be a clue.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a cassette tape here.¡± Gao Yang came over with the cassette tape and handed it to Edmond. ¡°Let¡¯s have a listen.¡±

    The others came up to them. Edmond put in the tape and pressed y. Indeed, it still worked.

    There was a lot of background noises, and the recording yed in starts and stops. Not long after, there was the voice of a middle-aged man. He sounded tired, like he was finally free from something.

    ¡°April 1st, it¡¯s been three years. The mad womanmitted suicide... Finally, I don¡¯t have to worry about the secret being known. Ha, perhaps it¡¯s the best ending for all of us...¡±

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    ¡°April 8th, a newborn at the hospital died... Strange, I checked this morning, and he was healthy...¡± The man sounded befuddled and exhausted.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    ¡°April 17th, another newborn died. It¡¯s the fourth one to this day. It¡¯s driving me mad!¡± The man sounded extremely panicked.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    ¡°April 19th, I heard the mad woman¡¯s voice today... No, it can¡¯t be. She¡¯s dead... It must have been an illusion. I¡¯ve been too tired these days...¡± The man¡¯s voice became unfocused, his breathing hurried.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    ¡°April 21st, it¡¯s the eighth infant death. Everyone¡¯s scared... The hospital is closing down soon. I¡¯ll lose my job... Damn it, I regret it now. I shouldn¡¯t have done that in the beginning...¡± The man sounded regretful and worried.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    ¡°April 24th, it¡¯s her, it¡¯s really her. She¡¯sing to seek revenge. Haha, it¡¯s all karma, karma...¡± The man sounded mad and desperate.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The recording stopped.

    The yers were silent for a moment.

    The overall story was roughly revealed to them. Mi Shi thought about it and said, ¡°Does it mean that the woman had gone mad after losing her newborn andmitted suicide three yearster, but then she started going after the hospital as revenge...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but the male doctor must have done something bad,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, the wailing started again.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    There was another wave of screams. The girls eachtched onto another person, and Gao Yang¡¯s elbows were imed by a right hand and left hand woman each.

    Fortunately, the wailing didn¡¯t continue. It was more of a reminder and scare telling them to hurry with solving the puzzle.

    Lin Dajian tried the door. It was locked on the other side. He said with some irritation, ¡°How are we gonna open this?¡±

    They tried a few things on the door and found no solution.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try to piece together the story first?¡± Vermilion Bird suggested, shaking the walkie-talkie in her hand. ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll ask the moderator for clues.¡±

    Gao Yang agreed, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s continue to look for clues.¡±

 Chapter 458: Truth of the Story

    <h4>Chapter 458: Truth of the Story</h4>

    They looked around the nursery and found clues one after another.

    Gao Yang found a check for arge sum in a drawer, made to someone named Jack.

    Then Zhou Jing found a name tag on the incubatorbeled no.1. The name Lisa was written on it¡ªthe infant the poor mad woman had given birth to and lost.

    Edmond found something too not long after. There was a Christmas card in a book with words of blessing written on it.

    <i>Dear Uncle Jack, thank you for the birthday gift. Happy Christmas to you too.</i>

    <i>¡ªAnna</i>

    ¡°Wait!¡± Can realized something. ¡°Anna? Isn¡¯t that the name signed on the puzzle in the first room?¡±

    ¡°What is Anna¡¯s rtionship with Dr. Jack?¡± Zhou Jing asked.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Vermilion Bird thought back while stroking her chin. ¡°The drawing seems to be Anna¡¯s, and it¡¯s of her and her parents having turkey on Christmas Eve.¡±

    ¡°It was Christmas Eve, but also her birthday,¡± Gao Yang added his analysis.

    ¡°But wait, aren''t the main characters of the story the mother who¡¯s gone mad and her daughter Lisa?¡± Lin Dajian grumbled. ¡°The clues of the escape room are all over the ce. It doesn''t make sense!¡±

    With Lin Dajina¡¯s reminder, Gao Yang had a eureka moment and pieced together a story.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it, everyone.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. The others turned to him one after another.

    Gao Yang went over the story in his head before telling the tale. ¡°The poor woman¡¯s husband died in war. She was bearing his child when her husband told her in her dream that it was a girl, and they should name her Lisa.¡±

    ¡°The woman was expected to deliver the child on December 24th, the Christmas Eve. Tragically, her newborn passed away soon¡ªbut in truth, her girl hadn¡¯t died. The one who passed away was someone else...¡±

    ¡°Ah! Lisa was Anna!¡± Vermilion Bird caught on.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened!¡± Can got it too.

    ¡°Now I understand!¡± Lin Dajian also came to the realization. He quickly chimed in, ¡°The newborn named Anna was the one who died. Her parents were likely rich, and they bribed Dr. Jack into swapping the babies after the wife gave birth to a dead child on December 25th.¡±

    ¡°Thus, Lisa died suddenly on December 25th, while the parents¡¯ girl Anna came back to life.¡±

    ¡°The next three years, Anna grew up in a rich family and had a good life, keeping in contact with Dr. Jack. Lisa¡¯s mother, however, led a life wallowing in pain and eventually lost her mind, taking her own life in the end.¡±

    ¡°That should be it,¡± Edmond continued, speaking at a deliberate pace. ¡°The mother turned into a wraith and lingered in the world. Mistaking the newborns at the hospital as her own, she took them away, thus killing them. Tortured by great panic and regret, Dr. Jackmitted suicide, too. It¡¯s a tragedy through and through...¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Before Edmond could finish, something fell from above.

    It was a body dressed in a bloodied white coat, a hemp rope tied around his neck, hanging him from the beam above. The face was pale and bleeding from all orifices, the rope creaking as the body swayed.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Aaaaah help!¡±

    ¡°Ghost! A ghost...¡±

    The scare dragged another bout of hysterical screams out of the yers.

    Although it was only a mannequin, the suddenness of it made Gao Yang''s hackles raise.

    Again, Vermilion Bird and Cantched onto Gao Yang as quickly as possible, sandwiching him like the meat patty between buns. Zhou Jing also threw herself into Qiu Qiu¡¯s arms, crying out in fear.

    Even Ke Yo, who had been silent throughout, was terrified into hiding behind Edmond without thinking.

    Lin Dajian and Mi Shi were left exchanging a nce. In the end, their awkwardness overpowered their fear, and they didn¡¯t hold onto each other.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s just a prop...¡±

    Lin Dajian tried tofort them, but he was seething with jealousy inside. <i>Why didn¡¯t you go for me, Sister Xia? Don¡¯t I look much bigger and more dependable than Gao Yang?</i>

    Just when they were going to calm down, the passlock door of the first room creaked open. A woman¡¯s bloodied hand reached out through the gap, pping onto the floor.

    ¡°My girl. Give me my girl back...¡± The woman spoke in a mournful, resentful voice, chilling them to the core.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Help, mom! Save me...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ying anymore! I¡¯m getting out of here!¡±

    ¡°Quick! Let¡¯s get out of the room!¡±

    There was a panicked chorus of screams as they rushed toward the door on the far side of the room. Lin Dajian started throwing himself against it.

    ¡°Wah! Wah! Wah...¡±

    But then the intense cries of an infant came from the other side of the door.

    <i>What the hell?!</i>

    They were nked on both sides by enemies. Whoever made the escape room was morally bankrupt! They would do anything to scare the yers!

    They quickly backed off, but turning around, a head coveredpletely by damp ck hair was already slowly popping out of the gap of the door.

    Compared to the strange crying sounds, the vicious ghost before them was clearly more terrifying.

    ¡°What do we do? It¡¯sing!¡± Can¡¯s voice broke.

    ¡°Help! Help...¡± Vermilion Bird held tightly onto Gao Yang¡¯s neck and squeezed her eyes closed, hanging off him like a ko.

    ¡°Forget it! m through the door!¡± Lin Dajian said decisively. ¡°What the hell is this escape room?!¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    This time, Lin Dajian smashed through the door easily.

    It turned out that the door had been secretly unlocked at some point. The owner wanted to give the yers an immersive experience of running for their lives.

    They rushed through the door and mmed it shut. The third room was well-lit and warmly designed. It was a child¡¯s room.

    At the center of the room was a baby stroller, on which was a prop baby.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The walkie-talkies Vermilion Bird and Edmond were holding crackled to life at the same time. The moderator spoke through them.

    ¡°Attention, you¡¯ve now entered the dream of the mother, Lisa. Lisa was a poor woman. You must resolve her grudge in order to save her. Here, you¡¯ll¡ªfind¡ªout¡ªabout¡ªher¡ª¡±

    The moderator¡¯s voice slowed like it¡¯d been stretched. In fact, the whole space distorted visibly.

    A few secondster, everything went back to normal, but the walkie-talkies quieted.

    ¡°Hello? Hey!¡± Vermilion Bird shook the walkie-talkie in her hand, befuddled. ¡°Is there no signal?¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly heard the system¡¯s warning.

    [Warning, you are in extremely great danger.]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

 Chapter 459: Word Chain

    <h4>Chapter 459: Word Chain</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He felt a strange, unfamiliar energy quickly converge around them. He would like to teleport out of the room at once, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to take his friends andpanions with him. The hesitation robbed him of the chance to escape altogether.

    He looked at Vermilion Bird and Can. The timidness was immediately gone from Vermilion Bird. Her gaze sharpened as she sensed some sort of energy surrounding them.

    Can didn¡¯t have the sharpest senses, but she could vaguely tell that something was wrong.

    Since there were quite a few monsters around them, the three didn¡¯t let their thoughts show. Face dark, Gao Yang walked up to the door that should¡¯ve been the exit, discreetly pushing it with power that exceeded a regr human.

    But the door stayed firm.

    There wasn¡¯t even a little give. Indeed, it must be some sort of barrier.

    ¡°Haha, I knew we hadn¡¯t gotten to the end.¡± Oblivious to the real situation, Qiu Qiu still looked excited. Although the second room was terrifying, it was thrilling when he remembered it. More importantly, the scares had brought him and Zhou Jing closer together. It was worth him taking everyone here.

    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be another jump scare for sure. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Lin Dajian raised his voice for Vermilion Bird¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°Hello, can you hear me?¡± Edmond continued to talk into the walkie-talkie, trying to contact the moderator.

    Meanwhile, Ke Yo held her hands tightly into fists with her head lowered, looking scared.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    They all felt a sudden hit of difort, and they staggered, almost losing their bnce. It was the sort of weightlessness one would feel the moment the elevator started.

    Then the room lit up.

    More precisely, the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered by a translucent multi-colored energy like the rainbow-colored reflection of a bubble.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Gao Yang shouted in warning. He couldn¡¯t afford to be hesitant now. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Wee to the Strange Realm.¡±

    A trembling, modted voice that didn¡¯t sound like a man or a woman echoed around them like it wasing from a surround sound system. Gao Yang was hit with a sense of familiarity. Back when Sir Zuo held the Werewolf game with Pride Realm, his voice had sounded like this.

    ¡°Ha? Strange Realm?¡± Qiu Qiu was still befuddled. He grabbed the walkie-talkie from Edmond. ¡°Hey, moderator, have you gotten your stories mixed up?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the voice of the moderator,¡± Mi Shi said, feeling ominous.

    ¡°The game for this round is: Strange Word Chain.¡±

    ¡°Runtime: 3 minutes.¡±

    Following the voice, a strange pixted rainbow-colored light appeared in the room, atplete odds with everything around it.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>The pixted multicolored light flew toward Vermilion Bird, shrouding her like a magical barrier.

    Vermilion Bird was experienced enough to not fight it. Warily, she tried to tap into her energy, but failed to draw anything.

    She cursed inwardly, <i>****! It¡¯s a rule-based realm again!</i>

    ¡°Starting from you. Please say the starter word.¡± The voice started ying the moderator.

    Vermilion Bird hesitated.

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡± The voice counted down, quietly threatening.

    ¡°Do it!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    Although he wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, his instinct and experience told him that it was best to y along when trapped in a rule-based realm.

    Catching on, Vermilion Bird blurted out, ¡°<i>Milk Tea</i>.[1]¡±

    <i>Boom.</i>

    Suddenly, a puff of colorful pixted smoke burst under Vermilion Bird¡¯s feet. Once it dissipated, a cute cup of milk tea was revealed¡ªit was cute since it was a pixted drawing, too.

    At the same time, the rainbow light flew toward Qiu Qiu, shrouding him instead.

    Stunned, Qiu Qiu¡¯s mind nked. <i>What¡¯s going on? Am I dreaming?</i>

    ¡°Five...¡± The countdown started.

    ¡°Follow up with the next word!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    ¡°Four, three, two...¡±

    ¡°<i>Tea...teeeeea oil!</i>¡± Qiu Qiu finally thought of something.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A barrel of yellow tea oil appeared on the floor. Again, it was pixel art.

    Then the rainbow light flew toward Can.

    ¡°<i>Oil paint!</i>¡± Can shouted without hesitation.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    An oil painting appeared on a wall, portraying Can with an exaggerated blond wig that was half a meter tall while dressed in a pce dress that cinched at the waist and emphasized the breast. The face was pale like a zombie.

    The rainbow light only stayed on Can for a short moment before moving to Zhou Jing.

    Zhou Jing didn¡¯t understand what was going on, either. ¡°What...what is this? Can I stop ying...¡±

    ¡°Five, four, three, two...¡±

    ¡°The next word!¡± Qiu Qiu shouted.

    ¡°<i>Paint...painter (hua jia)!</i>¡± Zhou Jing cried out.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A puff of smoke emerged at the center of the room. Then a pixted man appeared after it dissipated. He was sitting on a small stool with a paint brush and a palette, making an oil painting on a canvas, portraying Zhou Jing, in yoga outfit, doing exercises to lose weight.

    ¡°Ahhh ghost!¡±

    Zhou Jing screamed and stumbled, falling to the ground.

    Qiu Qiu immediately went up to help her up, trying to convince himself. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! It must be holograms. It¡¯s just a prank...¡±

    The game continued. The rainbow light moved from Zhou Jing to Lin Dajian.

    Lin Dajian was terrified, too, but he didn¡¯t dare to not follow the rule, and he shouted, ¡°<i>Furniture (jia ju)!</i>¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A pixted lounge sofa appeared, making the room that wasn¡¯t that big to start with even more cramped.

    Then it was Mi Shi¡¯s turn.

    ¡°<i>Furniture...furniture...</i>¡± Mi Shi¡¯s brain stuttered to a half. The others panickedly tried toe up with a word for him, too, but the more anxious they were, the more difficult it was for them to think of anything.

    ¡°Five, four, three, two, one...¡±

    ¡°<i>Concrete (ju ti)!</i>¡± Gao Yang finally thought of something for Mi Shi.

    But it was toote.

    <i>Boom! </i>Mi Shi burst into a puff of white smoke. Once it dissipated, Mi Shi had already exploded into pixels of different colors like a pile of small lego blocks.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Zhou Jing screamed again.

    Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian were also scared witless. Edmond and Ke Yo paled too.

    Now, they finally realized how dangerous things were like Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, and Can.

    ¡°Countdown restarted. Three minutes.¡±

    The moderator of the realm spoke again. This time, the rainbow light went to Edmond first.

    ¡°You¡¯re going first. A word, please.¡±

    ¡°Say something small!¡± Gao Yang reminded him before Edmond could speak.

    Edmond paused, catching on immediately.

    1. I tried toe up with word chains in English while keeping the meaning, but it gets impossible going further with the meaning of the words being crucial to the story, and I don¡¯t actually want to rewrite the whole thing. So I opted to stick to the original words in the raw and add the pronunciation in parentheses when I think it¡¯s needed. ?

 Chapter 460: Word Chain 2

    <h4>Chapter 460: Word Chain 2</h4>

    They had to continue the chain for three minutes without making a mistake to end the game. If anyone failed to think of a word, the person would die, and the game would restart.

    Every word they said would turn into concrete form or manifest in other unpredictable ways, having an effect on those inside the realm.

    It seemed now that the realm was limited in space. If they kept saying words referring torge items, the space would quickly be filled up, which wouldn¡¯t be ideal to them.

    ¡°Three, two, one.¡±

    ¡°<i>Cigarettes (xiang yan)!</i>¡±

    Edmond calmly said the word at thest second to minimize the times they had to keep up the game.

    Three minutes, that was 180 seconds. If they all uttered the word at thest second, they would only have to chain words 36 times.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A pixted cigarette appeared on the ground, taking up basically no space.

    Then the rainbow light flew to Ke Yo.

    ¡°<i>Tobo (yan cao).</i>¡±

    She said the word when the moderator counted down to two. A green nt sprouted at her feet.

    The rainbow light moved to Gao Yang, shrouding him. He sensed an irresistible strange power dominating over him. While it wasn¡¯t forceful, it was impossible to fight it.

    ¡°Five, four, three, two, one...¡±

    ¡°<i>Straw shoes (cao xie)</i>,¡± Gao Yang said at thest second.

    A pair of pixted straw shoes appeared.

    ¡°<i>Shoe box,</i>¡± Vermilion Bird said after five seconds.

    ¡°<i>Boxed rice,</i>¡± Qiu Qiu said after five seconds.

    ¡°<i>Rice ball (fan tuan),</i>¡± then Can did the same.

    ¡°Ah...ah...¡± Zhou Jing had been panicking, and she stuttered, finallying up with a word at thest second, ¡°<i>Together (tuan jie)!</i>¡±

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    Suddenly, an intangible force pulled the eight of them together. They pressed against each other with their limbs intertwined like braids, falling on the pixted sofa.

    ¡°Ahhhh...¡±

    ¡°Calm down... Calm down...¡± Gao Yang squeezed out, struggling.

    Like a ma, Can¡¯s body was stered against Gao Yang¡¯s back.

    Vermilion Bird was in an even worse state. She had resisted reflexively when the force pulled her over. She thus ended up almost upside down as she flew toward the others. As a result, her calves were crossed like a scissor pressing against Gao Yang¡¯s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.

    ¡°...R...r...¡± Lin Dajian¡¯s mind went on overdrive, ¡°<i>Release!</i>¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Instantly, they were released from the invisible power tying them together.

    ¡°Five, four...¡± Before they could take a breath, the countdown mercilessly continued.

    ¡°l...¡± Edmond was stuck.

    ¡°Three, two, one...¡±

    ¡°<i>Tie up (shu fu)!</i>¡± Edmond finally thought of a word.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡ª</i>

    Instantly, countless zip ties appeared around the eight of them and quickly tied them up, forcing the eight of them back together.

    ¡°Ah! Hmph...¡±

    There were pained cries everywhere.

    When Gao Yang recovered, Can¡¯s right cheek was pressed to his left cheek, and Vermilion Bird ended up sitting on his abdomen. Their limbs twisted together in an awkward, tangled mess

    Ke Yo stuttered while trying to think of a word.

    Gao Yang cursed in his head. <i>What¡¯s a possible word chain? I can¡¯t think of any.</i>

    ¡°Three, two, one...¡±

    ¡°<i>Shabby abode (fu mao)!</i>¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The entire room of the realm transformed into a shabby straw house that was even smaller.

    Gao Yang marveled quietly, <i>You¡¯re quite well-learned, thinking of such an obscure word.</i>

    The rainbow light jumped to Gao Yang again.

    Gao Yang shouted immediately, ¡°<i>rity of Mind (mao se dun kai)!</i>¡±

    The first thing Gao Yang thought of was actually <i>mao fang</i>, toilet, but if he did say the word, the space would likely get even smaller, and it would smell terrible.

    So Gao Yang went for a four-word idiom as an experiment. If it didn¡¯t work, he would go for <i>mao fang</i>.

    It turned out that a four-word idiom was allowed.

    He suddenly felt his mind bing refreshed and stimted, his brain working better than normal, allowing him to think of more words and four-word idioms.

    The others experienced the same thing.

    ¡°<i>O...open (kai fang)!</i>¡± Vermilion Bird, sitting on Gao Yang¡¯s stomach, uttered the word.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    The zip ties tying them together were released immediately.

    They were allowed temporary reprieve.

    ¡°<i>Relief (fang xin)!</i>¡± Qiu Qiu continued with the word chains. With the help of ¡°rity of mind¡±, his thinking became much more flexible.

    Conceptual words didn¡¯t take up space and posed no danger, while they could apply buffs on them. Thus, Qiu Qiu decided to go for positive conceptual words.

    Indeed, everyone became much calmer, their panic and fear lessening.

    After Gao Yang and Qiu Qiu went for conceptual words, Can learned from their examples and shouted at thest second, ¡°<i>Wish (xin yuan)!</i>¡±

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    There was a short, low rumble, and the game came to a pause.

    A magicmp embedded with emeralds appeared. From the tapered opening came a puff of blue smoke, which morphed into a glinting blue genie.

    It looked at Can and asked with a smile, ¡°Did you summon me?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Can answered.

    ¡°Good. I can grant you one wish.¡±

    ¡°Resurrect Mi Shi! End the game!¡± Can had the wishes in mind already.

    ¡°That¡¯s two.¡±

    ¡°Bring back Mi Shi!¡±

    ¡°What a kind-hearted girl. Hoho, I¡¯ll grant you your wish.¡±

    <i>Puff!</i>

    Themp and the blue genie disappeared. At the same time, the pixels scattered on the ground lifted up and reassembled like time was being rewound.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Mi Shi touched his chest and then his face. ¡°I¡¯m alive! I¡¯m back alive!¡±

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡±

    The moderator droned. The game continued. It was now Zhou Jing¡¯s turn.

    Zhou Jing didn¡¯t want to wait even a second. She immediately shouted, ¡°<i>Desire (yuan wang)!</i>¡±

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The game came to another stop.

    The rooftop of the straw house got upended by a gust of wind. Outside was the deep night sky. There was a giant divine dragon hovering up there.

    It gave off a tremendous presence, its head approaching the topless house, eyes serious, whiskers floating, and breaths swirling. ¡°Did you summon this one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me!¡± Zhou Jing waved her hand vehemently.

    ¡°Tell me, what is your wish? This one will grant it.¡±

    ¡°End the game! End this **** game!¡± Zhou Jing cursed out.

    ¡°This one will grant your wish.¡±

    The divine dragon was gone. A gust of wind forced them to close their eyes, sweeping away many of the small objects in the house.

    ¡°Is it done?¡± Can asked quietly.

    ¡°Should be,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    Just when they were going to let out a sigh of relief, the familiar voice of the moderator started counting down again.

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡±

 Chapter 461: Word Chain 3

    <h4>Chapter 461: Word Chain 3</h4>

    The rainbow light flew to Lin Dajian. For a moment, they were all shocked and confused.

    Why?

    The wish the genie granted worked, but not the divine dragon?

    Gao Yang was the first to figure it out: Zhou Jing¡¯s wish dide true. The game would end, but Zhou Jing hadn¡¯t specified when the game would end! So the game continued regrly, and it would end after three minutes!

    <i>That¡¯s a foul move!</i>

    With the buff to clear their minds and calm their emotions, the others came to the same conclusion.

    ¡°<i>Telescope!</i>¡± Lin Dajian said the word at thest second, resigned.

    ¡°<i>Lens,</i>¡± Mi Shi followed.

    ¡°<i>Moment (pian ke).</i>¡± Then Edmond.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    Followed by the notification, the moderator said, ¡°A moment has passed. The game is shortened by 30 seconds.¡±

    <i>You¡¯re a fucking genius, Edmond!</i>

    Gao Yang threw the man an admiring nce. Edmond epted the silent praise with a smile.

    ¡°Ke...ke...¡± Ke Yo stuttered, then she said, ¡°<i>Memorable like bones getting cut and heart being stabbed (ke gu ming xin)</i>.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. <i>Good job. </i>

    Ke Yo had managed toe up with something ending with <i>xin</i>, heart. That meant they would be able to make another wish.

    But his joy was premature.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    For a moment, everyone held onto their chest and copsed to the ground in pain.

    <i>It hurts.</i>

    <i>It hurts so much!</i>

    It felt as if every single one of their bones were being gnawed at by worms, and their hearts were cut and sliced by countless des. The great pain robbed them of their ability to think.

    The rainbow light jumped to Gao Yang.

    ¡°<i>Wish (xin yuan)!</i>¡± Gao Yang shouted. Fortunately, he had been thinking about repeating the word, so he was able to call it out on instinct without thinking.

    ¡°Five, four, three..¡±

    But the moderator hadn¡¯t stopped counting down.

    <i>Is it that repeated words aren¡¯t allowed?!</i>

    ¡°Two, one...¡±

    At thest second, Gao Yang tamped down the pain and racked his brain for a word. Finally, he thought of something that could relieve them of the torment. ¡°<i>Burst of joy (xin hua nu fang)!</i>¡±

    Instantly, the pain was gone. Kneeling on the floor, Gao Yang felt a strong wave of indescribable joy.

    ¡°Haha!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha...¡±

    It was the same for the others. Although they were ying a game for survival, they couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡±

    Vermilion Bird continued the game whileughing. Without even thinking about it, she blurted out, ¡°Haha, <i>fang</i>...haha...<i>herding cattles (fang niu)</i>...¡±

    <i>Moo¡ª</i>

    Arge buffalo appeared in the house. On its back was a child herding the buffalo.

    ¡°Hahaha...¡±

    ¡°Hahaha...¡±

    Inside the realm, theirughter ovepped.

    It was Qiu Qiu¡¯s turn. Heughed in joy. ¡°Hahaha, <i>fucking A (niu bi)</i>...¡±

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡±

    It seemed that swear word didn¡¯t count.

    ¡°<i>Milk (niu nai)...</i>haha, hahaha...¡± Qiu Qiu quickly said another word.

    A secondter, a bottle of milk appeared in the room.

    ¡°Haha, <i>nai...nai</i> haha...¡± Can was going to say <i>nai yo</i>, butter, but her uncontrobleughter had left her breathless, and she ended up repeating the same syble, uttering <i>nai nai</i>, grandmother.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A pixted old woman appeared on the sofa in the room.

    ¡°Haha...¡±

    Gao Yang was stillughing uncontrobly, but two secondster, his eyes reddened.

    Although the old woman¡¯s face and body were pixted and thus didn¡¯t have the details, Gao Yang could still recognize at first nce that it was his grandmother.

    She had a handful of candies in her hand as she reached out to Gao Yang, smiling kindly at him.

    <i>Calm down!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s not real! It¡¯s only a projection of my feelings!</i>

    Gao Yang continued tough.

    Then Zhou Jing said the word after five seconds. ¡°Haha, <i>dairy cow (nai niu)</i>, hahaha...¡±

    <i>Moo¡ª</i>

    A dairy cow appeared in the room, further filling up the realm.

    <i>Another cow?!</i>

    Whileughing, Lin Dajian decided to go with a different kind of word in order to break them out of this strange loop, thinking outside the box. ¡°Haha, <i>bull market (niu shi)</i>.¡±

    Suddenly, the nine of them lifted into the air, drawn by a gravitational pull in the opposite direction.

    ¡°Whoa...¡±

    They flew out of the topless house until they hit the ceiling of the realm, leaving a trail of a red arrow.

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>So it¡¯s a bull market. We¡¯ve be limit-up stocks! At least we¡¯ve finally broken out of the forcedughter. Now we can think calmly.</i>

    ¡°<i>Shi...</i>¡± Mi Shi paused for two seconds. ¡°<i>Mayor (shi zhang)!</i>¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A pixted suited middle-aged man appeared beside them, holding a megaphone as he dered, ¡°Li City is our home. Being civilized relies on everyone...¡±

    Five secondster, Edmond said, ¡°<i>Chang...Changjiang</i>[1].¡±

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    Arge volume of water rushed into the house through the window, quickly filling the house by half. It was thanks to the nine of them soaring to the top of the realm that they avoided the fate of getting drowned.

    But the water continued to rise. Soon, it would fill the entire realm.

    Gao Yang had been keeping time though. There were 180 seconds in 3 minutes, and they had been saying a word every 5 seconds. In total, they would need to chain words 35 times.

    Thanks to Edmond¡¯s word, moment, they shortened the game by 30 seconds, which meant that they only needed to chain 30 words.

    From Edmond¡¯s cigarette to <i>Changjiang</i>, they had chained 26 or 27 words already. Soon, the game would end. They just had to seed four or five more times. They must seed!

    ¡°<i>Jiang...jiang...</i>¡± It was Ke Yo¡¯s turn again. She was going to say<i> jiang he</i>, river, but that would make the water rise faster. If the water filled the space fully, they wouldn¡¯t be able to talk and thus wouldn¡¯t be able to continue the game.

    Pressed for time, it seemed that she couldn¡¯t think of a better word, and she ended up blurting out, ¡°<i>Out of ideas (jiangng cai jin)!</i>¡±

    The next second, a limit was imposed on all of them. While they could still think flexibly, they couldn¡¯te up with any words or idioms ending with <i>jin</i>.

    The rainbow light jumped to Gao Yang.

    ¡°Five, four, three...¡±

    <i>Shit, I¡¯m dead! I can¡¯t think of anything!</i>

    <i>You¡¯ve cornered me, Ke Yo!</i>

    <i>Oh, I almost forgot. I still have my dear system!</i>

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired...]

    ¡ªGot it!

    [ess ends.]

    ¡°<i>Do your best (jin li er wei)!</i>¡±

    Instantly, their condition changed from being at wit¡¯s end to doing their best.

    It was now Vermilion Bird¡¯s turn. She quickly said, ¡°<i>Serve as an example like a teacher</i> <i>(wei ren shi biao).</i>¡±

    Their condition changed again. Their vocabry increased once more, bing well-educated.

    Five secondster, Qiu Qiu shouted, ¡°<i>The book matches the cover!</i>¡±

    Then Can followed suit, ¡°<i>Godspeed!</i>¡±

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    They fell to the floor.

    Everything that had been conjured during the game vanished, and the space turned back into the enclosed room they had been in.

    ¡°The game ends. The Strange Realm lifted.¡±

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Gao Yang felt his head be suddenly heavy, like he had been hit with a club.

    He cked out.

    1. The<i> ¡®zhang¡¯ </i>of mayor is the same Chinese character as the ¡®<i>chang¡¯ </i>for <i>changjiang</i>, the longest river in China ?

 Chapter 462: No Malice

    <h4>Chapter 462: No Malice</h4>

    After a momentary loss of consciousness, Gao Yang¡¯s survival instinct woke him up, and he jerked awake. He was lying in the same room. The others were with him.

    The system¡¯s warning had stopped. It seemed that he was out of danger.

    While he was full of questions, he didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it.

    ¡°Wake up!¡± He shook Vermilion Bird and Can.

    The two quickly startled awake.

    Almost at the same time, Edmond slowly came to as well.

    ¡°Ke Yo!¡± he called out. Ke Yo, lying next to him, slowly opened her eyes.

    Edmond helped her up. ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be alright after sleeping.¡± Ke Yo¡¯s face was pale, looking weak and exhausted.

    ¡°You did what you weren''t told to do again. Don¡¯t forget about our mission!¡± Edmond admonished her.

    Ke Yo smiled faintly. ¡°But the story of the escape room is so boring. Ha, motherly love, motherly love, as if all mothers in the world are great and kind, that there isn¡¯t one who is vicious and selfish... It¡¯s so boring. My game is better...¡±

    The presumed wanderers, Zhou Jing, Qiu Qiu, Lin Dajian, and Mi Shi, had all lost consciousness.

    While they had been dragged into a strange realm and yed a game, once they were out, their wanderer side would put them to sleep, forcibly erasing the bizarre encounter from their memory.

    The same wasn¡¯t true of awakeners, though.

    Gao Yang could tell that Edmond and Ke Yo were more than met the eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? That my game is more interesting?¡± Ke Yo didn¡¯t seem intent on covering the truth. She turned to Gao Yang, Can, and Vermilion Bird and asked the question seriously.

    The three of them stared at Edmond and Ke Yo coldly.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t recklessly make an attack given how strange the other¡¯s power was. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Edmond sighed, helping Ke Yo up. ¡°Apologies. We meant you no harm. We ran into you today purely by ident.¡±

    Vermilion Bird scoffed. ¡°You pulled us into a realm and almost killed us. That what you called you meant us no harm?¡±

    ¡°And the phrase that emptied my mind purposefully. Wasn¡¯t that malicious?¡± Gao Yang added.

    ¡°Allow us to introduce ourselves properly.¡± Edmond was still smiling politely. Something about him made it difficult to get angry at him. ¡°I¡¯m Edmond, No.9 of Tails. This is Ke Yo, No.12 of Tails.¡±

    Gao Yang tensed; it all fit.

    The bottom ninth Talent, serial number 191, was Unreachable, Guard-type.

    And the bottom twelfth, serial number 188, was Strange, Support-type.

    <i>Ha, now I get it.</i>

    The girl with Talent: Strange didn¡¯t look strange at all, though. In fact, she couldn¡¯t be more mundane.

    Gao Yang judged the situation they were in. The fact that the system hadn¡¯t issued a warning meant that the two didn¡¯t n to make a move.

    However, he had to pay them in kind for dragging them all into a realm and toying with them. Besides, Tails served the Godbearer Cult, the arch enemy of the three awakener organizations. There was no reason for them to let the two go now that they ran into each other.

    They were indoor, though, which would limit what they could do. Fighting without reservation would end up attracting trouble, and this building was located in a bustling downtown area. There were a lot of people going about at this time. It would be messy if they alerted a summoner.

    Gao Yang sighed. <i>If only I had a Talent for creating a realm like House. Then I can easily defeat them with Vermilion Bird¡¯s help.</i>

    Vermilion Bird thought the same. After a few seconds of staring each other down, Vermilion Bird turned to Gao Yang, waiting for him to make a decision.

    <i>We fight</i>, Gao Yang thought, <i>but not going all out here.</i>

    Ke Yo had just created a realm and exhausted much of her energy, leaving her with almost no strength to fight. And facing three awakeners, Edmond was unlikely to stand any chance.

    Thus, the two would most likely run away. Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, and Can would chase after them while keeping a safe distance until they reached somewhere with much fewer people. Then they would deal with the two.

    ¡°Can,¡± Gao Yang called out.

    Catching on, Can reached out both hands to ce them on Gao Yang¡¯s and Vermilion Bird¡¯s shoulders.

    A secondter, the three disappeared.

    Level 4 Invisibility allowed one to turn something invisible and maintain invisibility for another three seconds after the contact was broken.

    While invisible, Gao Yang teleported to Edmond.

    Edmond sensed a killing intenting toward him, but he didn¡¯t dodge it, nor did he block it. Instead, he smiled and faced the attack without moving.

    Gao Yang hesitated for a brief moment. What was the old man doing? Was this a bluff?

    The system didn¡¯t sound a warning, and Gao Yang didn¡¯t sense any killing intent, forcefield, presence, or psychic invasion from the man.

    Without stopping, Gao Yang threw a punch at Edmond¡¯s chest. Given they were indoors, he didn¡¯t use Fire Punch. He would first find out what the enemies were made of.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A strange thing happened. Gao Yang¡¯s fist went through Edmond¡¯s chest, and then the rest of his body went through Edmond; he lost his bnce because of the inertia of charging and swinging his fist.

    Startled, Gao Yang quickly teleported back. His invisibility lost its effect then. It had been three seconds.

    During the three seconds, the invisible Vermilion Bird had attacked Ke Yo, but the same thing happened. Her fist and then her entire self went through Ke Yo.

    Vermilion Bird was naturally quite shocked. She jumped backward, returning to Can and Gao Yang¡¯s side. She was no longer invisible.

    Edmond chuckled, giving them a rxed smile.

    Gao Yang looked at him closely. Edmond was radiating a gentle, soft light green glow, making him look like a ghost. The same was true of Ke Yo.

    However, it was the ring on her middle finger that was flickering with a strong green light.

    Gao Yang connected the dots then. They weren¡¯t wearing tinum couple rings, but special ck Gold rings that allowed them to share their energy.

    Edmond¡¯s Unreachable allowed him to turn himself and someone near him into incorporeal spirits, which made them immune to all attacks. However, he couldn¡¯t attack others in this state, either, or he would¡¯ve retaliated.

    To conclude, the two of them were both invincible right now. No one could do anything to them. That was why they were so calm.

    Edmond chuckled. ¡°I apologize to the three of you on Ke Yo¡¯s behalf. The sh allowed us to know each other. We¡¯ll see you in the future.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang called out.

 Chapter 463: Boat Ticket

    <h4>Chapter 463: Boat Ticket</h4>

    Edmond looked at Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°Why did you serve the Godbearer¡¯s Cult?¡±

    Gao Yang knew he couldn¡¯t keep Edmond here. While Edmond was an enemy, though, he didn¡¯t seem like a viin per se. Perhaps it would be possible to start a conversation and get some information out of the man.

    It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try.

    Edmond thought for a few seconds and said honestly, ¡°Put it this way. The end of the world ising, and the Godbearer Cult has a boat ticket. That¡¯s what we need.¡±

    Gao Yang started. That was simr to ck Tortoise¡¯s reasoning.

    ¡°How can you be so sure that the Cult hasn¡¯t lied to you?¡± asked Vermilion Bird. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re all being used.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Edmond didn¡¯t waver, but instead asked calmly, ¡°and how do <i>you </i>know that you aren¡¯t being used?¡±

    Vermilion Bird paused before saying quickly, ¡°At least our organization has been doing the right thing and walking the righteous path.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Edmond nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true that most things the Godbearer Cult does are considered evil by themon standard.¡±

    <i>So you know</i>, Gao Yang grumbled inwardly.

    ¡°But soon, everything is going to cease to exist. Good and bad, kind and cruel, what bearing would the worldly standards have then?¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression darkened. She wasn¡¯t in the mood for a philosophical debate.

    Gao Yang almost got dragged into a different conversation, but he quickly found his way back to the matter at hand.

    ¡°Although we¡¯re all fighting for survival,¡± he argued, ¡°We can still choose between good and bad...¡±

    ¡°Kid,¡± Edmond cut him off and sighed. ¡°I know people are an end rather than a means, but the fact is that there are a limited number of tickets, and there is someone I must protect.¡±

    Edmond nced at Ke Yo, his gaze loving¡ªnot in a romantic way, but in a way a father would look at his daughter.

    Gao Yang paused. For a moment, he saw Edmond as somewhat of a kindred spirit.

    <i>Calm down and sort out what I learned.</i>

    Edmond meant that the Mist World was facing destruction, and the Godbearer Cult imed to be able to help them escape, only there was a limit to the number of people they could take. Those who worked for the Cult worked for the tickets.

    ¡°Is the way to escape doomsday entering the Gates of Closure?¡± Vermilion Bird asked after a brief pause. It was the question Gao Yang and all other awakeners cared about the most.

    Edmond curled his lips and didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he bowed politely at Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, and Can. ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯m afraid we must depart now.¡±

    Edmond turned to leave, and Ke Yo quietly followed. Like ghosts, they easily went through the wall and disappeared.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t give chase. While Unreachable was in effect, Edmond and Ke Yo seemed able to go through any walls and obstacles, perhaps even go underground. It would be all too easy for them to shake any pursuers.

    There must be a time limit to Unreachable.

    Judging by Edmond¡¯s calm,posed mannerism, though, the Talent was likely tost a long time.

    ¡°Whew.¡± Once their enemies were gone, Can, who had been tense from the beginning, finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, Elder Seven Shadow, what do we do?¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his roommates and Zhou Jing, who were lying unconscious on the floor, and sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for them to wake up.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°The staff of the escape room are likely wanderers too, and they would¡¯ve lost consciousness after seeing the surveince footage. Can, go wipe the surveince footage and clean up the mess.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    Can left the room at once and started cleaning up the mess.

    Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird phoned Qilin and told him about their encounter with Tails.

    Two o¡¯clock in the morning, Qiu Qiu, Lin Dajian, Mi Shi, and Zhou Jing woke up one after another, as did the employees of the escape room. They had all forgotten about the surreal sights they had witnessed.

    Although it was a little far-fetched that they would all be so terrified that they cked out while ying escape room, wanderers naturally justified everything that happened to them, and they didn¡¯t pay it much mind.

    The group went to a tabletop game cafe afterwards, starting a PVP game and going after each other until early morning the next day.

    Before leaving, Lin Dajian mustered the courage to ask for Vermilion Bird¡¯s number.

    Came morning, Lin Dajian and Qiu Qiu went back to their dorm room and slept, while Gao Yang and Mi Shi dragged their sleepy bodies to ss. Their batteries ran out in the afternoon, and they returned to their room to catch some sleep.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t wake up until evening came.

    He looked at the date. It was Saturday tomorrow.

    Gao Yang jumped and was suddenly wide awake. Time sure flew by. He almost forgot something important.

    He called Gao Xinxin immediately. She picked up after only a few rings.

    ¡°Remember what we¡¯re doing tonight, sis?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. I just got off school...¡± There were quite a lot of background noises on Gao Xinxin¡¯s end. Gao Yang thought he heard someone calling out to her.

    ¡°Okay,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the Dawan Square in an hour.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± She hung up.

    Gao Yangy back down.

    <i>Hm, I still have time. I should take a shower and wash my hair before catching a subway train there.</i>

    And before that, he would spend two minutes sorting things out in the system.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 597 Luck points.]

    ¡ªStatus Screen.

    [Constitution: 461 Endurance: 418]

    [Strength: 948 Agility: 1502]

    [Willpower: 1547 Charisma: 426]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡ªI¡¯ve used Willful Power twice after waking up, which cost me 10% of my stats, about 500 points.

    ¡ªDouble leveling up from level 1 to 4 earned me about 250 stat points.

    ¡ªThen level 6 Fire grants me about 300 Willpower and 60 Charisma.

    ¡ªWillful Power was quite harsh. The cost was calcted by percentage. The higher my stats, the more points I would lose.

    ¡ªWhile it¡¯s a powerful move, the cost is too high. I should refrain from using it unless it¡¯s a life-and-death situation.

    [ess ends.]

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and continued with his musing.

    His path forward would beprehending new Talents. With enough of them, the level-ups would grant substantial stats,plimenting the Luck points he put directly into his stats.

    It would take 960 Luck points to pull for another Talent now, though.

    Gao Yang had two options.

    First, save up enough Luck points and continue to pull for House.

    Second, pull for a new Talent from the Life or Psych-type.

    His reasoning was that his six stats were quite unbnced. His Constitution, Endurance, and Charisma were too low. If he couldprehend a Talent of the Life or Psyche-type, the stats bonuses granted from level-ups should make up for his shorings.

    It would take some time for him to save up enough Luck points, though. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to make the decision then.

    Gao Yang rolled off the bed. <i>Shower, then I¡¯m off.</i>

 Chapter 464: Unprecedented Emergency

    <h4>Chapter 464: Unprecedented Emergency</h4>

    Gao Yang took a shower and dried his hair, parting his hair to the side before putting on the autumn clothes he ordered online, which had arrived not long ago.

    He wore a ck t-shirt with a puffy, short brown jacket, paired with casual gray cargo pants. He shouldered a khaki messenger bag, looking a little on the slim side, but upright. While he still retained his boyish look to some degree, he didn¡¯t look childlike.

    Gao Yang considered his own reflection in the mirror. <i>Good, I¡¯m now a college student. I should have a new look.</i>

    He left and took a subway train to Dawan Square.

    Night had fallen. The light and the neon sign boards in the city lit up one after another. People crowded the square on the ground floor of the mall, bustling with activities.

    Gao Xinxin showed up at about seven, still wearing the white shirt and skirt of her summer uniform. She looked small carrying arge canvas on her back.

    It was October, well into autumn. The difference between temperatures during the day and at night was big. It was still over twenty degree Celsius during daytime, but the temperature dropped to the tens once night fell. With the sweeping wind, a singleyer of clothes wasn¡¯t warm enough.

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s small face was pale from the wind, and she shook slightly.

    Gao Yang frowned, going up to her and taking off his jacket to throw it to Gao Xinxin. Then he took the canvas on her back from her, chiding her, ¡°You airhead. Why didn¡¯t you bring a jacket with you? What if you catch a cold?¡±

    ¡°You think everyone¡¯s like you? You¡¯re such a wimp that you stayed in bed for three months after copsing.¡± Gao Xinxin retorted, but her behavior was honest. She draped Gao Yang¡¯s jacket around her shoulders, feeling herself warming up.

    Gao Yang was just about to say something when a voice came from behind Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°Hello, Brother Gao!¡±

    Gao Yang looked up to see a highschool boy in uniforming up to them.

    The bespectacled boy was about 175 centimeters tall with an average physique and shaved head. And he had a backpack on his back while he held onto Gao Xinxin¡¯s bag. He looked a little nerdy.

    Gao Yang¡¯s radar buzzed.

    <i>¡ªBeep! Beep! Beep!</i>

    <i>¡ªLevel 1 emergency!</i>

    Gao Yang pulled a long face and nced at Gao Xinxin. ¡°Is this your ssmate, Xinxin?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Xinxin said nonchntly. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend now.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Brother!¡± The boy came up to him earnestly and nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Guang Huan. You can just call me Little Huan.¡±

    rm red in Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    ¡ªAn unprecedented emergency!

    Gao Yang maintained a poker face and smiled slightly. ¡°Hello, Little Huan.¡±

    Gao Yang patted Gao Xinxin on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll shop around the mall to buy something. Then we¡¯ll have dinner together with your boyfriend.¡±

    Guang Huan quickly caught up with the two of them, breaking into a gullible smile.<i> Gao Xinxin¡¯s brother is quite easy to get along with. Whew, didn¡¯t expect meeting the family to go so well.</i>

    Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin walked at the front. He asked coolly, ¡°When did you get a boyfriend? You didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°Justst week,¡± Gao Xinxin said carelessly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you ain¡¯t gonna date in high school?¡±

    ¡°That was the n.¡± Gao Xinxin pouted and shrugged. ¡°You were unconscious back then. Of course I wouldn¡¯t be in the mood for romance. But now you¡¯re awake, and Guang Huan keeps chasing after me. I think he¡¯s a good guy, so I said yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you like him, are moved by him, or are you just ying around?¡±

    ¡°Is that important?¡± Gao Xinxin asked.

    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but speak in a harder tone. ¡°You¡¯re young, sis. You should be careful with matters of the heart.¡±

    ¡°Many of my ssmates are dating. I¡¯m just having a casual rtionship so that I¡¯d have things to talk to the other girls about.¡± Gao Xinxin put on a careless look. ¡°Stop being nosy.¡±

    Gao Yang almost choked, but it would be inappropriate to get into it with an outsider here. He tamped down his grievances.

    ¡°It¡¯s Mom¡¯s fortieth birthday tomorrow, and it¡¯s Saturday. We¡¯ll find a good gift for her and celebrate her birthday,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money. I¡¯ve been working part time at a milk tea shop, and I asked for the month¡¯s pay in advance.¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Gao Xinxin gave him a haughty look. ¡°Who are you looking down at? I may be earning more than you are now. We¡¯ll each pay half.¡±

    Gao Yang huffed inwardly. <i>Making more than I do? I can exchange one jinwu for what you¡¯ll need to advertise countless dresses to earn. You¡¯ll be so tired of putting on dresses at the end of it.</i>

    ¡°Good for you. You¡¯ve grown.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    They spent the next thirty minutes looking around the shopping mall. Of course, they skipped the luxury brands, but they checked out many of the shops for regr brands.

    While Guang Huan was Gao Xinxin¡¯s boyfriend, he might as well not exist. He followed them around like a little errand boy.

    In the end, the siblings both settled their eyes on a brown wool scarf.

    Gao Yang touched it. The texture was soft and refined,fortable to the skin. It was 880 yuan, though, a little expensive.

    <i>It¡¯s gonna be winter soon. Mom gets cold easily. She¡¯s been working night and day at the gold jewelry shop. The wool scarf will keep her warm, and she¡¯ll look good with it.</i>

    The siblings bought the scarf, having the employee wrapped it up and put in a birthday card with blessings written on it.

    Gao Yang paid 480 yuan, and his sister 400 yuan.

    Mission aplished. Gao Yang treated his sister and the son of a bitch called Guang Huan to dinner.

    Gao Xinxin picked a trendy restaurant frequently visited by online KOLs. There were many cats kept in the restaurant. They either slept in their beds orzed around on the cat trees, calmly letting the customers pet and harass them like true professionals.

    While waiting for the dishes to be served, Gao Xinxin went off to pet the cats, making sure to snap many pictures.

    Guang Huan was itching for some cat petting, too, but the moment he stood up, Gao Yang stopped him with a pointed look.

    Guang Huan froze.

    Gao Yang looked at him impassively. ¡°Sit, Little Huan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Guang Huan nervously sat down, his heart pounding and racing with burning anxiety. <i>Wait, why does Brother Gao Yang seem like a different person? It looks like he¡¯s gonna skin me alive.</i>

    Gao Yang eyed Guang Huan closely, leaning forward to reach his right hand across the table, grabbing Guang Huan¡¯s three fingers. He said in a cold voice, ¡°Oh, your electric watch looks good. Let me see.¡±

    ¡°Ow...¡± Guang Huan whined, feeling stabs of pain from the three fingers in Gao Yang¡¯s grasp.

    Gao Yang rxed his grip a little, but notpletely. He leveled Guang Huan with a sharp icy gaze like he was interrogating a criminal. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the question, and you¡¯ll answer.¡±

 Chapter 465: Donâ€™t Even Think about It

    <h4>Chapter 465: Don¡¯t Even Think about It</h4>

    Guang Huan only recognized the threat then, and he nodded vehemently.

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with my sister?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a couple ow...¡± Guang Huan nched, feeling like his fingers were breaking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance.¡± Gao Yang leveled Guang Huan with a dark gaze. He didn¡¯t even bother to use Lie Detection. ¡°Be honest with me.¡±

    ¡°Friends, we¡¯re friends...¡± Guang Huan chickened out immediately.

    ¡°Why did you lie?¡± Gao Yang pressed.

    ¡°Xinxin¡ªahhhh...¡±

    ¡°Do you think you have the right to call her Xinxin?¡± Gao Yang said grumpily. ¡°Call her by her full name.¡±

    ¡°Gao Xinxin...she asked me to put on an act with her...¡± Beads of sweat dripped down from Guang Huan¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Xin...Gao Xinxin said that she couldn¡¯t lose when you¡¯ve got a girlfriend, so she told me to y her boyfriend...¡±

    <i>Do you have holes in your brain, Gao Xinxin? Is this where sibling rivalry should apply?</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t let go of Guang Huan¡¯s fingers. ¡°Let me ask you this: do you have a crush on my little sister?¡±

    Guang Huan was taken aback; he forgot about the pain and mustered the courage to say with a flushed face, ¡°Yes, I have feelings for Gao Xinxin.¡±

    <i>Good, you¡¯ve got a backbone.</i>

    <i>Still, you aren¡¯t good enough for her.</i>

    ¡°Although she doesn¡¯t like me now...¡± Guang Huan said with a look of determination, immersed in his role as a romance lead in his head. ¡°But I believe that faith can move mountains. I¡¯m willing...willing to wait for a miracle!¡±

    <i>Miracle my ass!</i>

    <i>Do you know that love can¡¯t be forced?!</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang tamped down the urge toy into the boy and instead yed along, letting go of Guang Huan¡¯s hand. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that there¡¯s a slim chance, and you¡¯re free to like whoever you want. I won¡¯t intervene.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Guang Huan held onto his aching fingers, his eyes glinting with rekindled hope.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded, speaking in an earnest tone. ¡°I think you¡¯re quite dependable.¡±

    Guang Huan was ttered by Gao Yang¡¯spliment.

    ¡°But I believe there are quite a lot of people chasing after my sister, and unlike you, most of them aren¡¯t dependable.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Guang Huan got angry thinking about it. ¡°Some of them don¡¯t even actually like Gao Xinxin! They¡¯re just vain, shallow boys salivating over Gao Xinxin¡¯s beauty. They only pursue her because they think it¡¯ll make them look good!¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>Pot calling kettle ck!</i>

    ¡°So, if you ever see someone unreliable trying to get close to my sister,¡± Gao Yang held Guang Huan¡¯s gaze, speaking in a severe tone, ¡°You must tell me as soon as possible.¡±

    Guang Huan was excited. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect her well!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang nodded with satisfaction and took out his phone. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s add each other as friends.¡±

    The two exchanged contacts.

    Gao Xinxin happened to return to the table then. She was in a good mood. ¡°Brother, the orange cat is so cute!¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes shifted. She meekly sat down next to Gao Yang and held onto his arm in a cutesy way. ¡°I have something to talk to you about, Brother...¡±

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    ¡°How could you just say that! I haven¡¯t even told you anything...¡± Gao Xinxin pouted.

    Gao Yang rolled his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s all on your face.¡±

    ¡°You have school. I do too. If you have a cat at home, Mom and Dad are gonna be the ones taking care of it. They are tired enough as it is. Don¡¯t put more burden on them.¡±

    Gao Xinxin sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°You want a cat, just get one once you are able to take care of it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Okaaaay.¡± Gao Xinxin was easily convinced.

    Guang Huan stared at her, mouth agape. <i>So Xinxin has a cute side. She acts petntly and pouts.</i>

    <i>I knew it. I knew her aloofness was a front she put on to protect herself.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m d. I feel like I know her a little better. I¡¯m one step closer to her true self, and one day, she¡¯ll turn back to me...</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Gao Yang could tell from Guang Huan¡¯s expression that he was daydreaming the impossible again.

    <i>Don¡¯t even think about it, you brat!</i>

    The dishes were served one after another. Gao Yang knocked on the table and red at Guang Huan. ¡°Eat.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Guang Huan picked up his bowl and lowered his head.

    ¡°Have three bowls, you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Guang Huan started digging.

    ...

    After dinner, Gao Yang sent Guang Huan away and escorted Gao Xinxin home. Then he went back to his dorm with the present they had gotten for their mother. They would give their mother a surprise tomorrow.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang went to the old auditorium on campus to meet up with Qing Ling, having a thirty-minute sparring session with des.

    After some time, Qing Ling noticed Gao Yang¡¯s distraction and seized an opening to kick the Tang Dao out of his grip, pressing the Xiu Dao to his neck.

    Displeased, Qing Ling said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste time if you don¡¯t want to train.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled apologetically. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count. Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Qing Ling knew Gao Yang well.

    Gao Yang had been agonizing over how to start the conversation. It surprised him when Qing Ling brought it up unprompted. He sighed softly. ¡°Well, Can you do me a favor tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°What favor?¡± Qing Ling turned to walk to the balcony, opening a bottle of water and taking a sip.

    ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s birthday. I¡¯d like to take you home for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t think there was a reason to say no to free meals.

    ¡°Um, but you¡¯ll being as my girlfriend,¡± Gao Yang added.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Gao Yang went up to her and said honestly, ¡°I used you as a cover story a few times. My parents have always wanted to see you. I can find an excuse for you, of course.¡±

    ¡°But I still think that if they meet you, it¡¯ll be more believable when I use you as a cover story next time, and they¡¯ll be less likely to suspect me. You get what I mean?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang knew Qing Ling wouldn¡¯t say no, but he didn¡¯t expect her to say yes so easily.

    ¡°Can we start training now?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Um, a moment.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°We have to make sure our stories match first.¡±

    ¡°What stories?¡± Qing Ling frowned.

    ¡°There¡¯s some backstory.¡± Gao Yang opened his bottle of water and drank from it. ¡°I have to tell you in detail, or we¡¯re gonna get exposed tomorrow.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s brows furrowed further.

    ¡°We were ssmates and only started dating officially after the college entrance exams. Then, during the Crimson Tide, we almost broke up. You nned to go abroad. Feeling pessimistic about a long distance rtionship, I asked for a breakup. You couldn¡¯t ept it and threatened to kill yourself.¡±

    ¡°During those days, I¡¯ve been staying with you tofort you. You¡¯re a sensitive, fragile, and sentimental girl who loves me so much that you cannot lose me...¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s expression darkened. She syed her right hand, and the two des flew back to her with a whoosh, reflecting cold, fierce light under the moon.

 Chapter 466: Rent-a-Girlfriend

    <h4>Chapter 466: Rent-a-Girlfriend</h4>

    ¡°Let me exin first!¡±

    Gao Yang quickly took two steps back, making sure that he was outside Qing Ling¡¯s attack range. ¡°I know you hate that kind of character, but it was made up on spot, and I didn¡¯t make up the story. It was Wang Zikai...¡±

    <i>So go cut Wang Zikai if you want! He¡¯s got a thick enough skin toe out unscathed.</i>

    Qing Ling put away her des, still looking furious. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Right, then we decided to give each other some space.¡± Gao Yang continued with the story. ¡°You were still going to West Nation to study. Then after a few days, I fell into a vegetative state. You happened to be setting out for West Nation then, nning to go there ahead of time to get ustomed to the environment.¡±

    ¡°Knowing what happened to me, you immediately went through the procedures toe back to Li City. Something went wrong and dyed the process, though. When you finally returned, you didn¡¯t dare meet my family, so you always visited me at the hospital in secret. Then I woke up miraculously not long after. That seemed like a sign of fate to you, and you stayed, canceling your n to go abroad. You attended Li City University with me instead...¡±

    The more Qing Ling heard, the angrier she got. What kind of lovesick nonsense was that?

    Qing Ling stated, ¡°I can¡¯t y a character like that.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, having foreseen the response. ¡°I thought so. Forget it. I won¡¯t force you...¡±

    ¡°My sister will do it,¡± Qing Ling cut him off.

    Gao Yang was overjoyed. <i>I knew you wouldn¡¯t leave me high and dry, Qing Ling!</i>

    Qing Ling closed her eyes as she spoke.

    Five or six secondster, Little Qing Ling opened her eyes, staring at Gao Yang¡¯s face and pulling her lips into a meaningful sneer. ¡°Good for you, finding a girlfriend who loves you so much that she threatens to take her life for you...¡±

    ¡°Ha...haha.¡± Gao Yangughed awkwardly.

    Little Qing Ling took a step back, resting her lower back against the window sill and crossing her arms, scowling. ¡°Who would want to y that kind of character? Disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Um...¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t have aeback for that.

    ¡°But,¡± Little Qing Ling smiled slightly, her eyes glinting mischievously. ¡°I can do it if it¡¯s work.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s work!¡± Gao Yang agreed.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of rent-a-girlfriend?¡± Little Qing Ling asked.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I know a thing or two.¡±

    Little Qing Ling raised her right hand, extending one finger. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be your rented girlfriend for a day, but not for free. You¡¯re paying me.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gao Yang agreed immediately, worried that Little Qing Ling would change her mind.

    ¡°Hm, let me think.¡± Little Qing Ling blinked. ¡°Although I¡¯ll be ying your girlfriend, my sister¡¯s body will be forced to y along. Thus, You have to pay us double.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± To Gao Yang, problems that could be solved with money weren¡¯t problems at all. ¡°State your price.¡±

    ¡°Let me talk to my sister first.¡± Little Qing Ling closed her eyes. About ten secondster, she opened her eyes. ¡°My sister asks for 1 <i>jinwu</i>, and I want you to buy me a meal.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Gao Yang grumbled to himself,<i> I thought it¡¯s gonna be expensive, but that¡¯s dirt cheap.</i>

    ¡°Patience. I¡¯m not done yet,¡± Little Qing Ling continued. ¡°That¡¯s only the price for the basics¡ªying your fake girlfriend and meeting and eating with your parents.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Gao Yang blinked.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not,¡± Little Qing Ling said seriously. ¡°Since we¡¯re gonna be a fake couple, we¡¯ll have to act, right? If we just sit there, your family will get suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Hm, makes sense.¡±

    ¡°So.¡± Little Qing Ling pursed her lips. ¡°The additional acts should receive additionalpensation.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more.¡± Gao Yang was curious.

    ¡°Acting cutesy to you before your family costs an additional 1 <i>jinwu </i>and a meal.¡±

    ¡°Holding your hands before your family costs an additional 2 <i>jinwu </i>and two meals.¡±

    ¡°Snuggling before your family costs an additional 3 <i>jinwu </i>and three meals.¡±

    ¡°And kissing or staying the night are out of the question.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, if I get red envelopes from your parents, we split the money in half. Consider that added bonus for my hard work. As for the gifts I¡¯ll have to prepare for meeting your parents for the first time and your mother¡¯s birthday, you¡¯ll be the one paying.¡±

    She thought for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s it for now. I¡¯ll tell you more when I think of any.¡±

    Gao Yang huffed. <i>That¡¯s nothing!</i>

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll do things your way.¡±

    ¡°Then pay me half of it in advance!¡± Little Qing Ling reached out to Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have <i>jinwu </i>with me right now.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Little Qing Ling pulled back. ¡°Then pay my part of the price first.¡±

    Little Qing Ling¡¯s sweat had dried. Clear moonlight streamed in from the window behind her, casting the back of her neck and her corbones in a snowy white glow.

    She reached behind her head to untie her ponytail, allowing her silky ck hair to fall and sway gently.

    She shook her head, having her strands cascading down her shoulders in a looser, smoother manner. Then she gave Gao Yang a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s get <i>mtang</i>.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang treated Little Qing Ling to some cheap and tasty <i>mtang </i>on Degenerate Street. Then the two of them strolled around the artificialke on campus to help with digestion while ironing out the details of their scripts for tomorrow, making sure that nothing would go wrong.

    About three o¡¯clock in the morning, the two of them parted and went to their respective dorms.

    Gao Yang woke up at nine in the morning. After quickly washing up, he went to the school gates with the boxed gift prepared for his mother, meeting up with Little Qing Ling.

    Not long after, Little Qing Ling showed up.

    Her long hair was permed, the loose curls resting on her shoulderszily, making her fair heart-shaped face seem even smaller.

    She was wearing a soft light pink sleeveless cardigan with heart patterns, a long white dress that went down below her knees, and a pair of light blue tform shoes, a bear-shaped crossbody bag on her shoulder. Around her neck was the red crystal ne with wanderer energy, the pendant resting on her chest. At first nce, she looked like your typical girl next door with a sweet temperament.

    Gao Yang paused. It was his first time seeing such a soft side of Qing Ling.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Little Qing Ling jogged up to Gao Yang with a bright smile, waving and calling out to him, her curls dangling before her face. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be more shocked. Not only did she look different, she might as well have be a different person.

    Gao Yang was about to say something, but then Little Qing Ling¡¯s gentle smile suddenly dropped, and she asked seriously, ¡°Does that work? Does it fit your description? Sensitive, fragile, and drunk on love.¡±

    ¡°Impressive!¡± Gao Yang gave her a thumbs-up earnestly. ¡°As expected of a professional rented girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing.¡± Little Qing Ling lifted her chin haughtily like she fully deserved the praise.

    Gao Yang took Little Qing Ling to go shopping first. Little Qing Ling picked ab as his mother¡¯s birthday gift. Then Gao Yang bought a box of expensive tea leaves as Qing Ling¡¯s gift for her first meeting with his parents since his father had quit smoking and drinking, and his mother didn¡¯t really have a hobby.

    Once all that was done, Gao Yang took his ¡°girlfriend¡± home at eleven o¡¯clock.

    The door was slightly ajar. From inside came the voices of his family.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Brother returned yet? He must have slept in again!¡± Gao Xinxin said irritatedly.

    Then his father said, ¡°Hoho, what¡¯s the rush? It¡¯s not lunch time yet.¡±

    Gao Yang looked back at Little Qing Ling. ¡°Ready?¡±

    Little Qing Ling took a deep breath and gave him an okay gesture, breaking into a sweet smile.

    Gao Yang opened the door.

 Chapter 467: Daughter-in-Law

    <h4>Chapter 467: Daughter-in-Law</h4>

    ¡°Dad! Mom! Sis! I¡¯m back!¡± Gao Yang called out from the entryway as soon as he entered the door.

    ¡°Haha, speaking of the devil.¡± His father was watching TV in his wheelchair. With the remote in his hand, he turned around and came to a stunned halt.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± His mother¡¯s voice came from the kitchen.

    It was her birthday, but just as usual, she was dressed casually with her long hair in a simple up-do, the strings of the apron tied behind her neck. She wiped her wet hands on the apron and walked out of the kitchen. She also paused when she saw Gao Yang.

    His parents looked at the girl standing behind him.

    ¡°Brother, why did you onlye...¡± Gao Xinxin was dressed in her pajamas. Her hair, which hadn¡¯t been washed for a few days, was put into a bun. She froze as soon as she walked out of her bedroom like she had been struck by lightning.

    ¡°Uncle, Auntie, Xinxin, nice to meet you,¡± Little Qing Ling greeted them in a friendly tone, beaming. ¡°I¡¯m Gao Yang¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Qing Ling.¡± Gao Yang yed along. ¡°Just call her Little Ling.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you finally brought her home!¡± His father was overjoyed. ¡°Come here, Little Ling. Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, make yourself at home. It¡¯s a little messy inside. I haven¡¯t had the time to clean up.¡± His mother broke into a smile, throwing Little Qing Ling a few soft looks.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Xinxin quickly closed the door to her bedroom.

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile froze. <i>What¡¯s wrong with this girl? Even if she doesn¡¯t like Little Qing Ling, she doesn¡¯t have to be so obvious about it.</i>

    Little Qing Ling felt a little awkward too. She quickly changed the subject and entered the house with a gift box. ¡°Auntie, happy birthday. This is my gift for you. Here, it¡¯s tea leaves. Nice to finally meet you...¡±

    ¡°Ah, you only have to show up. There¡¯s no need for gifts...¡± His mother took the gifts from Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang then came up to her. ¡°Happy birthday, Mom. This is what Xinxin and I gave you. I wish you health and good luck with your work. You¡¯ll be eighteen forever!¡±

    ¡°Good boy. Both you and Xinxin are being so considerate.¡± His mother epted the gift happily.

    Little Qing Ling said sweetly, ¡°Auntie, you seem so young. I would¡¯ve thought you were no older than thirty if you didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Ah, aren¡¯t you a sweetheart?¡± His mother smiled with crinkling eyes. ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll prepare dinner for you. I¡¯ve made quite a lot today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help, Auntie,¡± Little Qing Ling said earnestly.

    ¡°Oh, no. That won¡¯t be right. You¡¯re a guest today. I can take care of it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, really. It¡¯s your birthday today!¡± Little Qing Ling held onto her elbow enthusiastically and went to the kitchen with her.

    ¡°Son!¡± His wheelchaired father patted on the sofa beside him. ¡°Come have a seat!¡±

    Gao Yang sat down beside his father. His father grabbed his elbow and pulled him close, whispering to him, ¡°Good for you, boy. You got such a pretty daughter-inw for your parents!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only dating at the moment, Dad. We haven¡¯t thought that far.¡±

    ¡°I heard that she threatened to kill herself for you?¡± His father sighed inment. ¡°Such a good daughter-inw she would be. She¡¯s pretty, considerate, gentle, and loves you with her whole heart. Did you save the universe or something in your past life?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Dad,¡± Gao Yang retorted. ¡°You spoke like I¡¯m a toad coveting a swan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the toad!¡± His father was quite worked up. ¡°Son, Dad¡¯s got a good eye for things like this. The girl¡¯s the one. You won¡¯t find anyone better than she is! I¡¯ll pick a good day for the two of you, and you should get married as soon as you¡¯re old enough![1]¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cut me off! Let your old man finish!¡± His father got so into it that he bbered while sttering spit.

    ¡°You just entered college. You don¡¯t know how bad thepetition is or how difficult life can be. You thought the world revolved around you, that you were the protagonist of a TV drama, that you¡¯d be a CEO and marry a rich, beautiful girl with fair skin easily, bing the top 1% of the world.

    ¡°Wrong! Totally wrong! You¡¯ll know how insignificant you are after you graduate for a few years and undergo the reality of the society, the exploitation of the vicious capitalists, and the hidden rules of interpersonal interaction!¡±

    ¡°Little Ling is innocent enough to be with you, but only for now. Once she graduates and gets exposed to the wider world with more people pursuing her, you¡¯ll only get to be with her in your dreams!¡±

    ¡°Dad...¡±

    ¡°Hush!¡± His father nced at the kitchen. His wife and daughter-inw were already chatting amicably.

    He continued to educate his son. ¡°Take your mother as an example. She¡¯s a whole package. Even now, there are many who would want to take her from me, let alone twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to me making a move quickly with precision that we¡¯re here today; she would have be way out of my league if I had waited a few years.¡±

    The man seemed proud of himself, and hemented, ¡°The greatest thing I¡¯ve done in my life is marry your mother, Son. That¡¯s something I can boast about my whole life!¡±

    ¡°I understand, Dad. I¡¯ll treasure her.¡± Gao Yang nodded and decided to be obedient¡ªor at least pretend to be.

    ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± His father patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Trust me. When has your old man ever done wrong by you?¡±

    Little Qing Ling was helping with dinner in the kitchen. Gao Yang chatted with his father for half an hour. Wondering why Gao Xinxin was still holing up in her room, Gao Yang¡¯s father told him to knock on her door.

    Gao Yang walked up to his sister¡¯s room. He was just about to knock when the door opened.

    Gao Yang gaped, lost for words.

    Gao Yang had changed from her pajamas into a ck and redced lolita dress, the upper part fitted to her torso, and the fabric sewn with delicate discrete patterns. The lower part was a puffy dress with aplex design. The gothic style entuated her youthful charm while making her seem ssy and mysterious.

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t have the time to wash her hair, so she opted to put on a dark red wig with <i>hime</i>-cut[2], and her makeup sharpened her facial features. She looked like a vampire princess residing in a dark, ancient castle, her haughty elegance deterring others from approaching her.

    <i>You sure hate losing, sis</i>, Gao Yang grumbled inwardly.

    ¡°Do I look good?¡± Gao Xinxin asked icily.

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°How do Ipare with your girlfriend?¡± Gao Xinxin pressed.

    Gao Yang said honestly, ¡°Your styles are totally different. How am I supposed topare the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t push. She walked out of her room.

    Gao Yang¡¯s father spilled the tea in his mouth when his daughter showed up, totally transformed. ¡°What are you doing, Xinxin? Working again?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gao Xinxin sat down on the sofa, patting on her dress. ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood and feel like dressing up.¡±

    His father finally put two and two together. <i>The girl¡¯s exerting her dominance to intimidate her sister-inw.</i>

    ¡°Prepare the table. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± His mother emerged with a smile with Little Qing Ling in tow. Seeing how overdressed Gao Xinxin was, Little Qing Ling paused in surprise.

    ¡°Your dress is so pretty, Xinxin,¡± Little Qing Ling said with a smile, trying to break the ice.

    But Gao Xinxin rejected the show of goodwill and turned away, huffing.

    ¡°Call me Gao Xinxin. We aren¡¯t that close.¡±

    1. In China, the legal marriage age is 22 for men and 20 for women. ?

    2. A haircut said to trace back to ancient Japan, consisting of neatly cut front fringe and cheek-length sidelocks, while the rest of the hair is long and straight. ?

 Chapter 468: Zhuang Mei

    <h4>Chapter 468: Zhuang Mei</h4>

    ¡°We met before, Xinxin. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Little Qing Ling still had a warm smile on her face, but her tone had a taunting edge to it.

    ¡°Ha, how could I forget?¡± Gao Xinxin scoffed. ¡°You fooled my brother into going to a love...¡±

    ¡°Eat!¡± Gao Yang shot to his feet and rubbed at his stomach in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Haha, Qing Ling and I haven¡¯t had breakfast. I¡¯m starving. Let¡¯s get started!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± His father yed along. ¡°I¡¯m hungry too. My metabolism has been quite active recently. Come on, eat!¡±

    He then turned to shoot Gao Xinxin a re. <i>What do you have to be unsatisfied with when your brother has found you such a good sister-inw? Stop throwing a tantrum!</i>

    <i>Ding-dong.</i>

    The doorbell rang.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get that.¡± Gao Yang took the opportunity like a lifeline and quickly fled the battlefield.

    He was surprised when he opened the door, but he put on a happy smile rather than letting it show. ¡°Auntie Mei!¡±

    The one standing outside the door was his mother¡¯s old schoolmate, Zhuang Mei.

    The woman in her forties had long ck hair, dressed in a brown long-sleeved sweater and a pair of gray corduroy long pants. She didn¡¯t have makeup or essory on, and she looked gentle and natural, clean in a down-to-earth way. She was holding tworge bags.

    Gao Yang called out over his shoulder, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s Auntie Mei!¡±

    Zhuang Mei had a lilting voice. She walked into the entryway and said with a smile, ¡°It seems I¡¯m not toote for your birthday celebration, Lin Yue.¡±

    ¡°Zhuang Mei!¡± His mother was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly went up to wee her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand that you¡¯re visiting?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re one to talk. You didn¡¯t invite me to celebrate your fortieth birthday.¡± Zhuang Mei huffed with feigned anger. ¡°Thankfully, I remember.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just a birthday. I want to celebrate it simply, so I didn¡¯t invite any friends.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s mother, Lin Yue, smiled. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect you to remember my birthday. That makes me happy.¡±

    ¡°Here, my gift to you.¡± Zhuang Mei handed the gift in her right hand to Lin Yue before handing the bag in her left hand to Gao Yang. ¡°Take this, Yang Yang. These are pickled mustard green and cured meat I made myself. Some free-range chicken eggs too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Mei.¡± Gao Yang took the bag and turned to go to the kitchen. He put the food in the fridge and took a deep breath.

    For some reason, Zhuang Mei always gave Gao Yang a strange feeling. He didn¡¯t sense malice or threat from her, but she unnerved him, like misfortune would be knocking on his doorstep once she showed up.

    <i>I have to use Lie Detection on her when I have the chance, but I can¡¯t just force a relevant conversation, or my intention will be too obvious, and I¡¯ll alert her if she¡¯s an elite monster.</i>

    Gao Yang quickly reverted back to his mundane self and walked out of the kitchen.

    Zhuang Mei and Lin Yue went to Gao Yang¡¯s grandmother¡¯s room. Zhuang Mei lit three incense sticks as tribute to the woman who had passed away.

    The good friends talked about it in the room.

    At the time, Lin Yue was still hospitalized for her injury. It felt like the sky had fallen when she learned that her mother-inw had passed away, and her son had gone into a vegetative state. She didn¡¯t know how she had gotten through those days. She was lucky to have Zhuang Mei keeping herpany.

    Lin Yue¡¯s eyes reddened as she talked.

    Zhuang Mei patted her on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. It must be his grandmother¡¯s blessing that Yang Yang woke up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I believe so.¡± Lin Yue sighed. ¡°If Yang Yang had ended up suffering the same fate, I¡¯d...I¡¯d...¡±

    It¡¯s your birthday today. Let¡¯s not talk about something miserable.¡± Zhuang Mei changed the subject with a smile. Then she asked quietly, ¡°Hey, is that girl Yang Yang¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they got together during summer vacation.¡± Lin Yue¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Don¡¯t you know a thing or two about physiognomy? What do you think about her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a good girl. She¡¯s pretty and has a bright future ahead of her.¡± Zhuang Mei smiled strangely and added, ¡°However...¡±

    ¡°However?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s likely someone with a strong personality deep down, while your son is too soft and kind-hearted. If they get married, he¡¯s gonna be at her beck and call, just like your husband haha.¡±

    Lin Yue paused before breaking into a smile, making to hit Zhuang Mei. ¡°I should know you¡¯re teasing me!¡±

    ¡°I know you.¡± Zhuang Mei chuckled. ¡°While you seem gentle, you¡¯re as stubborn as a mule.¡±

    ¡°Enough already. Let¡¯s have dinner.¡± Lin Yue shook her head with a smile and turned to leave the room.

    Back in the living room, Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling had already set the dining table. The family sat down and dug in. Gao Yang¡¯s father was the most talkative. He always knew the right thing to say and when to urge others to speak more, and with his effort, even Gao Xinxin and Little Qing Ling were getting along better.

    They enjoyed the food while chatting, the atmosphere warm and fuzzy.

    Zhuang Mei talked a lot about the past she shared with Gao Yang¡¯s mother when they were at the same school. She suddenly turned to Gao Yang¡¯s father. ¡°Speaking of which, you have me to thank for your marriage, Old Gao.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father was chewing on a piece of half-eaten chicken butt.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you...¡±

    Lin Yue shot her a re. ¡°Zhuang Mei, don¡¯t speak nonsense here.¡±

    ¡°Haha, but I will!¡± Zhuang Mei was getting excited. She turned to Gao Yang. ¡°When we were going to the same school, your mother and I had a crush on the same boy.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s father was stunned. He and Lin Yue were each other¡¯s first love, but it turned out his wife had once had feelings for someone else.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gao Xinxin smirked, feeling a newfound admiration for her mother. ¡°Good for you, Mom!¡±

    Lin Yue denied it. ¡°Don¡¯t believe her. I didn¡¯t have a crush on him. She had a crush on him.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that so?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father sighed in relief.

    Zhuang Meiughed. ¡°I was a naive girl who fell easily for a pretty face. Back then, there were many girls who liked him, and I did too. I wanted to make him my boyfriend, so I dragged Lin Yue to watch him y basketball every day. Soon, I became friends with him, and we became something a little more than friends...¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± Little Qing Ling was drawn. She had her bowl in her hand, but she had stopped eating.

    ¡°Things couldn¡¯t be more soapy then.¡± Zhuang Mei smiled. ¡°He only got close to me for Lin Yue. He knew that Lin Yue and I were best friends, so he wanted to get to Lin Yue by winning me over first.¡±

    ¡°Ha, pig.¡± Gao Xinxin scoffed.

    ¡°Seconded.¡± Little Qing Ling agreed with Gao Xinxin in this regard.

    Gao Yang¡¯s father was worked up too. ¡°Wanna get together with my wife? Only in his dream!¡±

    ¡°Use your mouth to eat. Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed speaking like that?¡± Lin Yue shot him a re.

    ¡°Haha, I was so heartbroken then that I held onto Lin Yue and bawled my eyes out. Not long after, the heartless boy transferred away.¡±

    Zhuang Mei turned to Gao Yang¡¯s father. ¡°Do you know, Old Gao? I only learned afterward that the bastard sought out your wife before transferring away, and he confessed to her, saying that he would stay at our school as long as Lin Yue epted her. What do you think happened?¡±

    ¡°My wife rejected him, of course!¡±

    ¡°Ha, aren¡¯t you a little too confident? He was so handsome back then.¡± Zhuang Mei thought back to the time with a smile. ¡°And he was a smoothtalker adept ating up with lies. He could point at a deer and call it a horse, and people would believe him. It was hard for girls to resist him.¡±

    She paused, giving him a strange smile. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear it, I won¡¯t tell you.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s father scowled, his heart pounding and spasming. He wanted to hear it, but he didn¡¯t dare to.

 Chapter 469: Farmhouse

    <h4>Chapter 469: Farmhouse</h4>

    ¡°Tell us!¡± Gao Xinxin made the decision for her father.

    ¡°Lin Yue said in a very gentle voice,¡± Zhuang Mei looked around with a smile, leaving the line hanging for a suitably long time, ¡°Get as far away from me as you can!¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± Gao Xinxin was proud of her mother.

    ¡°Haha! I knew it!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father couldn¡¯t be happier, and he sang his wife praises in hindsight. ¡°My wife¡¯s too brilliant to be coaxed by a yboy!¡±

    Lin Yue smiled with what could be embarrassment or resignation. ¡°Let me tell a story too, about Zhuang Mei¡¯s first failed marriage...¡±

    ¡°Lin Yue! You¡¯re not telling them that!¡± Zhuang Mei got nervous.

    Lin Yue ignored her warning. ¡°Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°I am!¡±

    ¡°Go on!¡±

    ¡°I can have three bowls of rice with the story!¡±

    The others teased whileughing.

    The birthday celebration became a gathering to expose each other¡¯s dark history.

    Gao Yang listened to the stories of misadventures from when his parents were young. For the first time, he realized keenly that his father and mother didn¡¯te into this world as fully matured adults. They had been children and then teenagers, and they had many precious memories, as well as aing of age phase filled with unfulfilled wants and needs, but one they didn¡¯t regret.

    After dinner, Gao Yang went to the kitchen to do the dishes, all the while thinking of excuses to take Little Qing Ling away.

    Gao Xinxin said from the living room, ¡°Hurry, Brother. We¡¯re going out soon.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang was taken aback. He hurried out of the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯re going out in the afternoon?¡±

    His mother had changed into beautiful autumn¡¯s clothes and put on light makeup. ¡°We¡¯re going to Auntie Mei¡¯s farmhouse and spending the night there.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Gao Yang put on a happy smile before turning to Little Qing Ling. ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you have things to take care of in the afternoon?¡±

    Little Qing Ling responded without missing a beat, ¡°It¡¯s nothing urgent. I can deal with it another day.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but you have ns in the evening...¡±

    ¡°My friends ked out on me.¡± Little Qing Ling didn¡¯t even pause before lying.

    <i>Wait, Little Qing Ling, this isn¡¯t what we agreed on.</i>

    <i>If you¡¯re going to Zhuang Mei¡¯s ce, too, you¡¯ll be spending the night with me. Isn¡¯t that beyond your job description?</i>

    Seemingly reading Gao Yang¡¯s mind, Little Qing Ling added, ¡°Auntie Mei¡¯s ce has a few empty rooms, enough for all of us to stay the night.¡±

    ¡°Stop faffing around, Son. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s father was holding onto the birthday cake, still sealed within its box. He was visibly excited. Due to his mobility issue, he had been trapped at home for a good while. He had wanted to get some fresh air for a long time.

    ¡°Alright, a minute.¡± Gao Yang stopped insisting. He turned around and went back into the kitchen, doing the dishes at a faster pace.

    ...

    Gao Yang, his father, mother, sister, Little Qing Ling, and Zhuang Mei took a seven-passenger taxi to the rural area of the Xijing District. They had a pleasant chat on the way, like they were going on a field trip. In the back, Gao Yang, Little Qing Ling, and Gao Xinxin were sitting together.

    Every once in a while, Gao Xinxin would look over, eyeing her brother and sister-inw with a strange gaze.

    The indescribable pressure made Gao Yang worry that his fake rtionship would be exposed if he and Little Qing Ling didn¡¯t interact like a couple should, so he extended a hand and rested it behind her, making it seem like he was putting his arm around her shoulder while in truth, his hand was rested on the back of the seat. It was as intimate as he dared to get.

    Little Qing Ling paused for two seconds before initiating physical contact, pressing their arms together and resting her head on his shoulder. They looked more intimate and natural this way.

    Then Little Qing Ling quietly took out her phone.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang felt his phone vibrate. He took it out for a quick look.

    Qing Ling: This counts as snuggling.

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>Clever you. You made it more obvious because you didn¡¯t want me to negotiate out of paying you, right? It¡¯s just 3 jinwu. You¡¯re looking down on me by doubting me!</i>

    An hourter, the six of them arrived at a remote area.

    They got out of the car and walked along a narrow asphalt path weaving across arge field, going past a small vige before reaching the bottom of a mountain with thriving vegetation. There sat a farmhouse, before which was a concrete front yard; there, sardines wereid out to be sundried.

    On the left of the farmhouse was a small pond, and on the right was a fenced chicken pen. Next to it was a plot of farm, where six or seven varieties of produce were grown.

    Zhuang Mei led the way while she told them about her life. ¡°I woke up at six every day to feed the chickens, cut the grass to feed the fish, and then went to the farm to exterminate the bugs. Every week, I exchanged chicken eggs, duck eggs, and dried sardines for rice with the vigers, getting some extra money too. I¡¯m more or less self-sufficient here.¡±

    ¡°Every once in a while, I¡¯ll go to the city to buy everyday necessities, as well as vegetable seeds, pesticide, and fertilizer.¡±

    Gao Yang was in the back while pushing his father¡¯s wheelchair.

    His father was in a good mood, saying while looking around, ¡°Look, the water is turquoise, the mountain so beautiful... It¡¯s so nice. We used to live in the countryside too, and the air is much fresher.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Mei, don¡¯t you get bored living on your own?¡± Gao Xinxin took photos of thendscapes with her phone.

    Zhuang Mei said, ¡°No, I have so much to do every day. Why would I be bored?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared sleeping on your own at night?¡± Little Qing Ling asked. She couldn¡¯t imagine enduring nights without the protection of her sister.

    ¡°A little at first, but you get used to it.¡± Zhuang Mei smiled. ¡°This is quite a remote area. If there¡¯s any stranger, the dogs in the vige bark. And the vigers take good care of me.¡±

    A few minutester, they entered the farmhouse.

    The living room was quite in. There was not much decoration or furniture outside of a square table, a few wooden chairs, an energy-saving light, and a ceiling fan.

    ¡°Apologies, I don¡¯t have a sofa here. You¡¯ll have to sit on the chairs.¡± Zhuang Mei headed into the kitchen while she talked. ¡°Make yourselves at home. I¡¯ll make tea for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have no use for a sofa anyway,¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father said self-deprecatingly in his wheelchair.

    Soon, Zhuang Mei returned with tea, as well as plums and some dried fruit and snacks she made herself.

    They chatted while having tea, mostly listening to Zhuang Mei talk about the difficulties and fun things that happened in her life of self-sufficiency. It was all new to them.

    Then they helped Zhuang Mei make the beds in the three rooms,ying down nkets and pillows.

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother would be sharing a room with Gao Xinxin, and Gao Yang with his father. Little Qing Ling would have a room for herself.

    Time snuck by, and it was four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was time to prepare dinner.

    Zhuang Mei asked Lin Yue to go forage for mushrooms with her in the mountain in the back. Autumn was the season for mushrooms. They would then ughter a chicken and braise it with mushrooms as the main dish for dinner.

    rm red in Gao Yang¡¯s head. He was immediately nervous when he heard that they were going foraging.

    During the Crimson Tide, Zhuang Mei had taken Gao Yang¡¯s mother to forage in the mountain, but then they ended up falling into a ditch. The incident had always struck Gao Yang as suspicious.

 Chapter 470: Rainbow

    <h4>Chapter 470: Rainbow</h4>

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going with you.¡± Gao Yang decided to join them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Little Qing Ling also seemed interested.

    ¡°I¡¯m going with you too!¡± Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t want to be left behind when her brother and sister-inw were going.

    Zhuang Mei was pleased. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s all go together.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s father, the only one with mobility issues, volunteered to stay at the farmhouse.

    A few minutester, they got changed and put on shoes before setting out excitedly with wicker baskets. Gao Yang turned around to see his father moving the wheelchair from the living room to the front yard, seeing them off.

    ¡°Be careful and don¡¯t be toote!¡± his father called out.

    He looked like a little puppy left behind to watch the house.

    The sight made Gao Yang feel a pang of pity in his heart, but at the same time there was something amusing about it.

    <i>No, I shouldn¡¯tugh, or I¡¯m gonna lose ten years worth of good karma over this.</i>

    The five of them climbed up the mountain in the back via the pebbled road, quickly getting halfway to the top. They rested in a rundown stone pavilion. Zhuang Mei pointed at a small fork where roads had formed through repeated treading.

    ¡°Once further in, look under the trees. There should be plenty of mushrooms. Do be careful though, and stay away from the steeper slopes, or you¡¯ll likely fall.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Gao Xinxin had changed into a jacket and a pair of long pants that were easy to move in. She took the lead, shaking around the small wicker basket in her hand. Then she thought of something, and she turned around to ask, ¡°Auntie Mei, are there gonna be poisonous mushrooms?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s unlikely. Just avoid the ones with vibrant colors.¡± Zhuang Mei took Lin Yue¡¯s hand. They walked along the path together. ¡°Even if you do, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll check your finds onest time before cooking.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put any fruit you find in your mouth,¡± Gao Yang called out, worried.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve got sponge for brain?¡± Gao Xinxin turned around to shoot back.

    Gao Yang smiled. <i>Ha, I didn¡¯t say that for your benefit.</i>

    Trailing behind Gao Xinxin, Little Qing Ling felt a jab to her sister.

    They walked along the path for a few minutes before soon reaching a lower depression. The ce didn¡¯t see a lot of sunlight. A faint smell of decay permeated the air amid the pine trees.

    With gloves and boots on, they walked in the dim pine forest, looking for mushrooms amid the roots.

    ¡°Look! There¡¯s a big one!¡± Gao Xinxin eximed in excitement, holding up a matsutake mushroom covered in soil and pine needles. ¡°Is this edible?¡±

    ¡°It is. Forage away,¡± Zhuang Mei responded from not far away with a smile. Their voices resounded in the forest.

    Little Qing Ling started foraging seriously with her wicker basket too. Gao Yang wasn¡¯t too worried about her since she had her older sister. Thus, he went up to Gao Xinxin.

    Gao Xinxin had already found a few mushrooms, mostly matsutakes.

    Gao Yang stopped before a toppled, decaying tree trunk, about to pick a mushroom.

    ¡°Stop! I saw that first!¡± Gao Xinxin rushed up to grab the mushroom before he could, putting it in her basket and turning to leave, huffing.

    Gao Yang smiled in resignation and followed her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me around. Don¡¯t take my mushrooms!¡± Gao Xinxin snapped.

    Gao Yang asked with a smile, ¡°Are you angry, sis?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be?¡± Gao Xinxin yed dumb.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°Because I took Qing Ling home.¡±

    ¡°Ha, what¡¯s there to be angry about?¡± Gao Xinxin pretended to be nonchnt. ¡°You¡¯ve entered college. It¡¯s normal for you to get into a rtionship. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll graduate and get married, even having children.¡±

    ¡°I have a boyfriend too, and we¡¯ll both start our own families. We¡¯ll only visit each other during Lunar New Years and send each other texts. Isn¡¯t that how things go for everyone?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt a pang of loss in his heart.

    He quietly followed his sister, looking at the petite but stubborn girl from behind. A memory from their childhood came to him.

    During one spring, after a drizzle, their mother took the two of them to a stream to collect bamboo shoots. Wearing boots and hats, they followed their mother with Gao Yang holding his sister¡¯s hand.

    Before sunset, his then three-year-old sister saw a rainbow, and she jumped up and down in joy.

    But then the rainbow disappeared not long after. She was heartbroken and wouldn¡¯t stop crying.

    ¡°The rainbow¡¯s gone. I want rainbow...I want rainbow...¡±

    ¡°Rainbows are natural phenomena. It always disappears.¡± Gao Yang exined to his sister proudly. He had started taking science ss at school.

    His sister wouldn¡¯t hear it though, and she kept whining that she wanted the rainbow back.

    Irritated, Gao Yang shook off his sister¡¯s hand. ¡°If you keep crying, I¡¯m gonna drop you here. I¡¯m not taking you home...¡±

    He walked away, pretending to leave her behind. His sister immediately stopped crying and ran up to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind, Brother... I...I don¡¯t want rainbow anymore. I want Brother...¡±

    She even tripped and fell, getting mud all over her.

    Gao Yang was still immature then. He wasn¡¯t so much feeling bad about his sister getting hurt, but terrified that their mother would scold him for not taking care of her properly.

    He immediately rushed back to help his sister up, wiping the mud from her face. ¡°Stop crying, stop crying...¡±

    His sister wailed even harder. ¡°The rainbow doesn¡¯t want me. Brother doesn¡¯t want me either...wah...¡±

    ¡°Stop crying.¡± Gao Yang panicked. ¡°The rainbow doesn¡¯t want you, but Brother wants you. I will always be with you, okay?¡±

    Finally, Gao Xinxin slowly stopped crying.

    After collecting bamboo shoots, their mother took the siblings home. She couldn¡¯t stop smiling after hearing what had happened.

    She gave Gao Yang five cents and told him to buy skittles for his sister.

    His sister couldn¡¯t make herself eat the candy, and she hid it under her pillow for a long, long time until it melted into spoiled syrup, sticking to the pillow and refusing to get off even after washing.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know why he suddenly remembered that.

    Perhaps his sister had thought since then that he would be her exclusive rainbow forever, that no one would take him away from her.

    The siblings collected more mushrooms until there wasn¡¯t any to be found in the area. They started heading back.

    Little Qing Ling had gotten quite a harvest too. The three of them met up in the woods before going to find Zhuang Mei and Lin Yue.

    The two women were about finished, too.

    They stood on top of arge boulder, chatting while resting. The setting sun shone a ray of light at an angle through the dense forest, the golden light rimming their silhouettes.

    Gao Yang, Little Qing Ling, and Gao Xinxin walked toward them.

    ¡°Mom! I¡¯m awesome! Look how many I¡¯ve got!¡± Gao Xinxin happily skipped forward, leading the way.

    Lin Yue and Zhuang Mei stopped talking, turning to look at them.

    For a moment, Gao Yang froze, heart pounding and back drenched in cold sweat. It felt as if the world was spinning around him.

 Chapter 471: Xing Kong

    <h4>Chapter 471: Xing Kong</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Little Qing Ling turned to look when she noticed Gao Yang stopping. Gao Yang¡¯s expression was dark.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling took over. Gaze alert, she asked in a low voice, ¡°Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang came to his senses, but he didn¡¯t exin. Instead, he called out to Gao Xinxin, ¡°Sis, I need to go to the toilet. I¡¯m heading back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Xinxin turned around in disbelief.

    ¡°Come with me, Qing Ling.¡± Gao Yang grabbed her hand and took the path they hade from. He could hear his sister grumbling about him from behind, but he couldn¡¯t afford to care.

    They made it out of the pine tree forest and reached the pavilion at the midsection of the mountain. Only after making sure that there was no one around did Gao Yang let go of Qing Ling. ¡°Qing Ling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She looked at him impassively. ¡°Hand Holding costs one <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    <i>Is this the time to get hung up on the pay?!</i>

    Although there was no one around, Gao Yang still unconsciously lowered his voice as he said, ¡°I may have discovered something serious, Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That...¡±

    <i>Buzz.</i>

    Gao Yang was just about to respond when his phone vibrated. He paused, taking his phone out of his pocket. It was a call from his father.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Call the police, Son... Agh...¡±

    <i>Beep, beep, beep.</i>

    He heard his father scream. Then the phone seemed to have been taken and hung up.

    Face dark, Gao Yang turned to run down the mountain.

    He had only taken two steps when Qing Ling called out from behind him, ¡°Hop on!¡±

    Gao Yang turned to see Qing Ling flying toward him on her Tang Dao, extending a hand to him.

    He took her hand and jumped onto the Tang Dao. The de flew with such stability that it felt as if he was standing on t ground.

    Gao Yang was surprised by Qing Ling¡¯s fine control over metal.

    Qing Ling¡¯s Metal had reached level 5 back in the fight with the white phoenix.

    Level 5 Metal: maximum detection distance of 600 meters, maximum control distance of 50 meters, and maximum control weight of 300 kilograms. It also granted one the ability to change and reshape metal to some degree, with ck Gold being an exception.

    ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao propped them high into the air.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to hesitate. He held onto Qing Ling¡¯s waist tightly from behind.

    Three secondster, the de flew out of the woods, and their vision opened up.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang felt inertia throwing his body backward as the Tang Dao they were riding on shot toward Zhuang Mei¡¯s farmhouse like a bullet. Qing Ling could travel at an impressive speed with her de, but the technique was only good for a short distance; it would take too much energy to travel a long distance this way.

    In less than thirty seconds, the two of them reached the farmhouse, hovering above it.

    On the concrete front yard, Gao Yang¡¯s fathery prone on the ground, his wheelchair toppled. A bald topless man with tanned skin towered over him.

    Expression pained, Gao Yang¡¯s father reached out, struggling to crawl forward. The bald man kicked him in the abdomen.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    He cried out, his body rolling a few times.

    ¡°Told you to y along. You¡¯re asking for punishment!¡± The bald man hadn¡¯t had enough. He rushed up to him and stepped on his face.

    ¡°Hmph...¡± Face pressed into the rough concrete floor, Gao Yang¡¯s father couldn¡¯t let out the shout stuck in his throat.

    The bald man spat on him. ¡°Piece of trash. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll kill youter...¡±

    Before the bald man could finish, he sensed a wave of killing intent pouring down upon him. He scoffed, <i>That¡¯s quick.</i>

    He didn¡¯t even look up before crouching down quickly and grabbing Gao Yang¡¯s father, holding the man above his head as a shield.

    Having jumped down from high in the air, Gao Yang quickly dispersed the fire wrapping his fist and teleported to change his trajectory,nding before the bald man and his father instead.

    The bald man lowered his father, gripping his neck.

    ¡°Let him go!¡± Gao Yang shouted, his voice brimming with panic.

    Qing Ling hadnded beside Gao Yang too. Without a word, she curled her finger slightly, about to ambush the man with her ck Gold darts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, bitch!¡± The bald man sneered. He seemed to know Qing Ling¡¯s weapons well. ¡°Your little toys aren¡¯t as quick as my hand. I can break his neck in a second.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned, straightening her fingers, and the three darts returned to hover behind her.

    Gao Yang forced himself to rx. He considered the enemy before him.

    The bald man had an angr face and a pair of gloomy eyes, his bushy eyebrows thick and messy, but sharp like two des. He was about 1.75 meters tall with a burly, strongly-built body. He seemed to be in his thirties.

    ¡°Forget about me! Call the police...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s father seized the chance to shout. The bald man squeezed his throat, and his face instantly became flushed, his breathing difficult.

    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give a damn about who the son of a bitch was at this moment, but it was never a bad idea to start a conversation to buy time. The more time he could buy, the more likely the enemy would reveal their weaknesses.

    It was human nature to boast about their own prowess. It was hard for people to tamp down their urge to express themselves.

    Indeed, the bald man responded.

    ¡°No.11 of Tails, Xing Kong.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly went over what he knew of the Talent. Serial number 189, Grumpy.

    The man didn¡¯t respond to Gao Yang¡¯s second question. He scoffed at Gao Yang. ¡°So you are Seven Shadow. That means the de-wielding bitch beside you must be Green Snake.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. She calmly looked for an opening.

    ¡°Did No.7 die at your hands?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Ha, that piece of shit.¡± Xing Kong¡¯s eyes glinted withplicated emotions; it wasn¡¯t so much anger, but a mix of jealousy and resentment.

    He looked up at the mountain behind the farmhouse. Then suddenly, he punched Gao Yang¡¯s father in the stomach.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    His father fainted from the pain.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gao Yang shouted nervously.

    Xing Kong ignored him and threw his father over his shoulder, turning around and bolting. Running and leaping, he made it across therge farm fields, rushing toward the asphalt road outside the vige.

    He was quick, but no quicker than Gao Yang, who had Teleportation, and Qing Ling, who was riding on her de.

    Worried that Xing Kong would hurt the hostage, though, the two of them didn¡¯t dare make a reckless attack, but instead followed the man closely to look for a chance.

    Carrying Gao Yang¡¯s unconscious father, Xing Kong ran along the rural asphalt road for a few minutes, away from the vige Zhuang Mei lived near.

    Xing Kong suddenly moved away from the main road and rushed toward the top of a mountain. Gao Yang and Qing Ling didn¡¯t know what Xing Kong was nning. They had no choice but to keep chasing the man.

    The mountain wasn¡¯t tall. Gao Yang and Qing Ling soon reached the top.

    Gao Yang started. <i>I¡¯ve been here before!</i>

 Chapter 472: Madam Wu

    <h4>Chapter 472: Madam Wu</h4>

    On top of the hill was arge tform, where a half-built observatory was. Even the scaffolding remained. The construction had been halted prematurely.

    Wasn¡¯t this the Gu¡¯s Mountain Retreat Gao Yang, Gao Xinxin, and Wang Zikai had tracked his missing mother to during the Crimson Tide?

    It was here that Gao Yang fell into Sir Fu and White Dew¡¯s trap, coerced into willingly offering himself as food to Fresh Snow. He ended up surviving the affair and even got an extra life.

    Xing Kong was still carrying Gao Yang¡¯s father on his shoulder. Standing below the observatory, he stopped running, turning to Gao Yang and Qing Ling with a sneer that suggested he had gotten what he wanted.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. They were ready for a fight.

    It was actually what Gao Yang wanted to be away from Zhuang Mei¡¯s farmhouse. After all, his mother, sister, and Zhuang Mei would soon return from the mountain. It would be troublesome for them to see a fight between awakeners.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Xing Kong? Why did you bring them to our temporary base?¡± an androgynous voice said from above them.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling looked up slightly. There was a tall, backlit figure standing on the rooftop, shrouded in the glow of the setting sun.

    ¡°Change of n!¡± Xing Kong shouted. ¡°I ran into two awakeners. They were the ones who killed No.7.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The backlit figure seemed pleased. ¡°Is this Seven Shadow from the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m avenging No.7.¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahaha!¡± The backlit figureughed like Xing Kong had told a funny joke. ¡°When have you ever cared about anyone¡¯s death, Old Xing?¡±

    Exposed, Xing Kong broke outughing too. ¡°Alright, I admit it. I just feel like killing people. What do you say? We¡¯ll each take care of one. Leave Seven Shadow to me, and you¡¯re free to do what you want with the girl.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, if that¡¯s what you propose...¡± The backlit figure jumped down from the top of the tower,nding beside Xing Kong with one knee bent, feet stomping on the concrete floor and cracking it.

    Rising to her feet, the woman said with perverted excitement. ¡°...I¡¯m game.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling got a good look at the tall, slim woman. She was a head taller than Xing Kong, about 1.9 meters. She had a wild mane of long golden brown hair, her facial features androgynous with all the sharp angles. Her grayish eyes seemed like prosthetics rather than human eyes.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes because there was no need to.

    She was all smooth light gray metal under her head, looking like a cold robot.

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes sharpened. With level 5 Metal, she could immediately tell that the woman was 95% ck Gold. And the ck Gold achieved perfect resonation with the woman¡¯s energy, allowing her to control the ck Gold body like she had been born with it.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t sense it as keenly as Qing Ling did, but he could more or less figure it out.

    ¡°Before killing you, allow me to introduce myself.¡± The woman with a ck Gold body couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. ¡°No.6 of Tails, Madam Wu.¡±

    Gao Yang thought quickly. The bottom sixth Talent was serial number 194, Strong.

    <i>So this is how she¡¯s strong.</i>

    She had reced most of her body with ck Gold prosthetics.

    The corresponding Talent in the top ranks, Azure Dragon¡¯s Limitless Evolution, enhanced the human body, while Madam¡¯s Wu¡¯s Strong changed the body. The two Talents were on two ends of the spectrum.

    Qing Ling quickly nced at Gao Yang. <i>I¡¯ll deal with the woman. Go save your dad.</i>

    Gao Yang nodded. <i>Okay.</i>

    ¡°Green Snake, Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Qing Ling took a step back with her two des in her hands.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Green Snake.¡± Madam Wu stared at Qing Ling with her gray, emotionless ck Gold eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve got such pretty hair, but it¡¯ll soon be mine.¡±

    Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold hands morphed into sharp des as she charged at Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang heard a series of violent, bright clinks¡ªthe sounds of Qing Ling¡¯s des shing with Madam Wu¡¯s ded hands. He focused on dealing with Xing Kong. Since the man was carrying his unconscious father, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t just make a reckless move.

    ¡°I can tell that you care a lot about the wanderer.¡± Xing Kong sneered, his brooding eyes brewing with schemes.

    ¡°Let him go. I¡¯m the one you¡¯re fighting.¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course we¡¯re gonna fight, but why don¡¯t we make things more interesting?¡±

    Xing Kong lifted Gao Yang¡¯s father off the ground with his hand around his neck.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart clenched. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    Without stopping, Xing Kong made a knifehand and pierced through the hostage¡¯s chest, the blood sttering on his face.

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang screamed, blood rushing to his head in his fury.

    He charged at Xing Kong, who threw his father toward him violently. Pulling back his fist, Gao Yang caught his father andid him down gingerly.

    There was a bleeding hole in his father¡¯s chest. It wasn¡¯t too big, but the blood had already drenched his shirt. Gao Yang¡¯s mind nked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t kill him.¡± Xing Kong gave him a taunting smile. ¡°He should live for another two minutes. That¡¯s all you¡¯ve got. Clock¡¯s ticking.¡±

    Gao Yang felt his father¡¯s heartbeat. Indeed, Xing Kong hadn¡¯t made a fatal blow.

    He stealthily took out the Medicine C he carried with him. He was going to give his father a shot when the man dashed toward him at impressive speed.

    Gao Yang was forced to stop treating his father. Raising his other hand at Xing Kong, he shot out a stream of fire.

    Xing Kong swiftly dodged the fire, continuing to approach Gao Yang. Gao Yang had to leave his unconscious father behind and went head-to-head with Xing Kong.

    Xing Kong threw quick straight jabs at Gao Yang, guffawing. ¡°Hurry. You¡¯re running out of time.¡±

    Gao Yang knew that Xing Kong wouldn¡¯t give him the chance to treat his father. His only choice was to deal with the man quickly!

    Killing intent shed through his eyes.

    ¡°Haha, good!¡± Xing Kong could sense Gao Yang getting serious.

    The next second, energy rippled from Xing Kong¡¯s body, and all his muscles became stronger and harder, glowing with faint blue energy.

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 3000 times.]

    Gao Yang was momentarily confused. Why was the man so confident when his power only triggered a 3000 times bonus?

    Gao Yang and Xing Kong charged at each other. The moment they both threw a punch, Gao Yang teleported behind Xing Kong and grabbed at his nape.

    Gao Yang had wanted to grab his hair and lit him up. It would only take two seconds to melt his flesh and bones then, and only five seconds to burn him to ashes.

    s, Xing Kong didn¡¯t have hair, so Gao Yang could only go for the next best n.

    Xing Kong was quick to react. Before Gao Yang could touch his neck, he ducked down and made a powerful swing with his right elbow, aiming for Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 473: Fury

    <h4>Chapter 473: Fury</h4>

    Gao Yang was forced to pull back the hand about to grip the man¡¯s neck, but he didn¡¯t stop attacking. He shot out a torrent of fierce mes from his hand to burn XIng Kong¡¯s upper body instead.

    Xing Kong pulled back his elbow too, dropping down to dodge the mes. Then with a roll and a jump, he got out of Gao Yang¡¯s attack range.

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. Xing Kong was more agile than he had expected. To quantify it, he would say the man¡¯s Ability was over 1000.

    Xing Kong leisurely nced at Gao Yang¡¯s father, who was lying not far from him. ¡°You should hurry, Elder Seven Shadow, or your mother is going to be a widow, haha!¡±

    Fury overflowed from Gao Yang¡¯s chest. He conjured a double and nked Xing Kong from both sides.

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 4000 times.]

    Gao Yang started. Had Xing Kong been hiding his power?!

    In the split second, Gao Yang and his double approached Xing Kong from both sides. Meanwhile, the faint green glow around Xing Kong had turned a faint blue.

    The Gao Yang on the right got to Xing Kong a second earlier, throwing an upper hook at Xing Kong¡¯s chin. Xing Kong, rather than dodging it, lifted his hand to easily catch Gao Yang¡¯s fist.

    Xing Kong could sense how weak the fist was, and the punch wasn¡¯t imbued with fire.

    With a slight squeeze, the fist cracked audibly while Gao Yang remained expressionless, like he didn¡¯t have a sense of pain.

    It must be the double!

    Xing Kong ignored the double and pulled his hand back, readying himself for the real Gao Yang¡¯s attack.

    The Gao Yang on the left swung his fist, hand wrapped in radiant fire. ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Xing Kong didn¡¯t move away. He opened his arms and pushed his chest out, about to catch the punch head-on. The faint blue glow shrouding all his body converged to his chest in an instant.

    Xing Kong scoffed inwardly, <i>Good, he¡¯s not gonna hurt me no matter how powerful his punch is.</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s fistnded on Xing Kong¡¯s chest, doing no damage.

    But Xing Kong tensed.<i> Something¡¯s not right. It¡¯s too weak, and the fire doesn¡¯t actually do anything. It¡¯s an illusion!</i>

    When Xing Kong realized it, it was already toote.

    The Gao Yang on the right, whose fingers had been broken by Xing Kong, was the real one!

    He had pretended to be the double, maintaining a perfect poker face even when his five fingers were broken. The great pain almost made him break, but thankfully, he was quite experienced in taking a beating. Moreover, Qilin¡¯s trial of pain when interrogating him had significantly increased Gao Yang¡¯s ability to endure pain.

    He had fooled Xing Kong in order to catch him off guard!

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    The real Gao Yang swung his left fist at Xing Kong¡¯s side. He only had a split second to make the attack, seizing the fleeting opening. Without the time to tap into more energy, his Fire Punch was only 40% effective.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Fire burst out on Xing Kong¡¯s side, sending him flying more than ten meters away. He rolled a few times before managing to get to his feet with difficulty. His side was a gory mess of charred flesh and melted skin and muscles, the bones revealed.

    He threw up blood. The injury was quite serious.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately chase after the man. He had something more important to take care of.

    His right hand fingers were all broken, immobile, so after teleporting to his father, he took out a shot of Medicine C with his left hand and bit off the cap, administering his father¡¯s chest with a shot, emptying the syringe.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡± Xing Kong held onto his injured side while picking himself up,ughing even harder. ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡±

    Gao Yang stood up too, frowning.

    ¡°So you really think I¡¯ll give you the chance?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long poisoned your father. He¡¯s gonna die hahaha!¡±

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Something snapped in Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    Overwhelming fury, heartbreak, and regret coursed through his body, into his head and overriding his sanity. It felt like the world was spinning, and his soul was breaking out of his body.

    Xing Kong¡¯s voice became faint, like the voice was traveling through heavy seawater.

    ¡°Hahaha, once I kill you, I¡¯ll kill your mother and sister. Oh, no, no. Your sister¡¯s a cute one. No.10 will love her. I¡¯ll give her to him for a few days...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s soul returned to his body. It was empty of anything other than a fury that boiled his blood and ate his bones.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang disappeared and reappeared above Xing Kong, tightening his left fist to make a Fire Punch at full power.

    The mes raidated blinding golden light, shrouding Xing Kong and threatening to melt him the next second.

    ¡°Ha¡ª¡±

    Despite Xing Kong¡¯s serious injury, he remained fearless. He opened his arms and shouted, the faint blue light around his body turning a faint golden color.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 6000 times.]

    Confusion shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind when he heard the system¡¯s warning.

    How did he get stronger again?

    Had he sealed away even more of his power before?

    ...

    <i>Clink, clink. ng.</i>

    Meanwhile, Qing Ling and Madam Wu were locked in a relentless fight.

    Qing Ling¡¯s de techniques were masterful, her weapons almost an extension of her hands.

    However, Madam Wu had a cheat power. While she wasn¡¯t as skilled as Qing Ling was, her limbs were all ck Gold weapons with incredible flexibility, making her even more agile than Qing Ling was by a small margin.

    Qing Ling had tried to control Madam Wu¡¯s body with Metal, but failed.

    ck Gold resonated with the energy of its owner, and the longer they had been together, the more resilient the connection, evolving into a psychic bond of sorts.

    It would be impossible for Qing Ling to manipte Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold body unless her Willpower was much greater than Madam Wu¡¯s.

    They exchanged dozens of blows, and Qing Ling wasn¡¯t gaining the upper hand at all.

    It was the first time Qing Ling met her natural bane.

    Madam Wu wasn¡¯t that strong. She was far from the level of War Tiger and Wei, Pride de. However, she was a bad match for Qing Ling.

    No matter how sharp Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao was and how strong her de aura was, none of her shes even left a scratch on Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold body.

    It was as if she was shing at a ck Gold statue with two ck Gold des, no different from both sides choosing rocks again and again when ying rock, paper, scissor. Qing Ling was only wasting her energy.

    Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold body was more or less invincible to physical attacks, while Qing Ling was still flesh and bones. None of her attacks worked on Madam Wu, but Madam Wu could take Qing Ling¡¯s life with one strike.

    Madam Wu¡¯s only weakness seemed to be her head; at least it looked like her head still had human flesh and bones.

    Things would only get worse for Qing Ling if the fight dragged on.

    An idea came to Qing Ling¡¯s mind. She jumped up high with a cold blue de aura imbuing her des. She made a cross sh at Madam Wu¡¯s face.

 Chapter 474: Synthetic Ascension

    <h4>Chapter 474: Synthetic Ascension</h4>

    Madam Wu crossed her arms and raised them, blocking Qing Ling¡¯s attack.

    Qing Ling pushed down with great power and momentum, forcing Madam Wu to bend her back slightly, her feet sinking into the concrete ground and breaking it.

    However, it wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Madam Wu. The power generated from her waist spread to the rest of her body, and she pushed Qing Ling off with a strong push from her arms.

    It was then two shes came from Madam¡¯s Wu¡¯s right. The two ck Gold darts aimed at her head. Qing Ling had staged a sneak attack by distracting Madam Wu.

    Madam Wu tilted her head to one side, but didn¡¯t manage to dodge the darts. The sharp darts brushed past her face.

    <i>Did I get her?</i> Qing Ling frowned when she got a good look. <i>No.</i>

    Madam Wu slowly turned around to face Qing Ling. The ck Gold darts had left deep gashes on her right cheek and nose bridge, but didn¡¯t draw blood.

    Qing Ling saw it then. The skin was merely lifelike synthetic tissues, under which was a light gray ck Gold skull.

    A shudder ran down Qing Ling¡¯s spine.

    Madam Wu had even reced her skull for a ck Gold one!

    Was it really possible with the current technology level? Regr humans wouldn¡¯t have survived the transformation!

    Yet Madam Wu managed with Talent: Strong.

    ¡°What does it mean to be strong?¡±

    Madam Wu grabbed the torn synthetic skin on her face and peeled it off, revealing half of the ck Gold skull and theplicated webs of synthetic tissues.

    ¡°To be strong is to evolve at whatever price!¡± Madam Wu screamed in hysterical excitement.

    ¡°You¡¯re no longer human,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Haha, why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Madam Wu smiled. ¡°Haven¡¯t humans evolved from single-cell organisms? Who is to say that the future of humanity doesn¡¯t lie in synthetic ascension?¡±

    Her tone grew hateful and frustrated. ¡°What a shame. I can¡¯t swap out my brain yet, but I believe I¡¯ll reach true evolution by reaching max level with Strong!¡±

    But it wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    First, she would have to acquire the Buff Rune Circuit and reach level 4. Then she would have to kill the awakeners with top-ranking Talents. They were the ones stopping the Tails from leveling up their Talents.

    That was exactly why Madam Wu worked for the Godbearer Cult.

    <i>It¡¯s more or less what I thought</i>, Qing Ling quietly nned. <i>Her only weakness is her brain. Find the right opening, and I¡¯ll win!</i>

    She took a deep breath and readied her des, rushing at Madam Wu.

    It was then a burst of powerful, scorching waves threw Qing Ling and Madam Wu off their feet. Gao Yang¡¯s father, lying unconscious on the ground, rolled about seven meters away too.

    ...

    A second ago, Gao Yang had used Fire Punch at full power.

    Without fear, Xing Kong swung his left fist too, the faint golden light converging to the fist, stopping Gao Yang¡¯s attack perfectly.

    When the two fists collided, the zing mes rippled out, blended with the golden energy. A pir of mes shot into the sky, making the sky dyed red by the setting sun pale inparison.

    Gao Yang was shocked¡ªnot because Xing Kong had suddenly gotten stronger and blocked his Fire Punch, but because Gao Yang could sense that their punches were identical in power.

    Xing Kong had retaliated with such perfect control that the punch was no stronger or weaker than Gao Yang¡¯s. It was as if Gao Yang was fighting himself. Was he somehow matching his power?

    A few secondster, mes dispersed from Gao Yang¡¯s left fist, and Xing Kong came out unscathed.

    Their fists remained pressed together for a second.

    Then Xing Kong pulled back, jumping backward while mocking with a despicable expression, ¡°Trash. That''s all you got? And you want to avenge your father? At this rate, your mother and sister are gonna be No.10¡¯s toys hahaha...¡±

    The furious punch hadn¡¯t hurt Xing Kong, but it did release the anger welling up in Gao Yang, and his brain calmed for a moment.

    <i>Wait, something¡¯s not right! Think, think...</i>

    Finally, Gao Yang peeled away the distracting surface and figured out the truth, seizing the strand of clues amid the tangled mess of thoughts.

    Xing Kong was fueling Gao Yang¡¯s anger on purpose.

    He had grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s father and run in order to draw Gao Yang and Qing Ling to Tails¡¯ temporary base, fighting them alongside Madam Wu, hispanion.

    That made sense.

    However, why didn¡¯t Xing Kong kill Gao Yang¡¯s father? Why did he injure Gao Yang¡¯s father instead and announce that his father would at most live for another two minutes?

    Just for the hell of it?

    No, it was to break down Gao Yang¡¯s self control.

    Anxious to save his father, Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to think of anything else.

    Then Xing Kong and Gao Yang exchanged blows. The man ended up getting tricked by Gao Yang¡¯s Double, and the punch thatnded injured him seriously.

    Gao Yang seized the chance to save his father with a shot of Medicine C.

    Then Xing Kong suddenly changed his story, iming that he had poisoned Gao Yang¡¯s father, and that his father would die sooner orter.

    Thinking about it, though, Gao Yang realized that Xing Kong didn¡¯t have the chance to do that, and he wasn¡¯t an awakener with Poison-type Talents. It was a simple lie.

    Why did he do that though? To anger Gao Yang and prevent him from calming down, of course.

    Family was Gao Yang¡¯s weakness. He did fall for the trick and be possessed with anger, overlooking all the discrepancies.

    In fact, Xing Kong had been humiliating and taunting Gao Yang throughout their fight, like he wanted nothing but to anger Gao Yang.

    The angrier he was, the better.

    <i>Grumpy!</i>

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang at that moment. He now knew why Xing Kong¡¯s threat level kept increasing, as if he had sealed away his true power.

    Every time he became stronger, it was after Gao Yang had gotten more furious.

    It turned out that Grumpy didn¡¯t make the awakener stronger as they got angrier, but as their <i>enemy </i>grew angrier.

    Xing Kong¡¯s energy came from the energy his enemy radiated when furious.

    At first, the aura around Xing Kong was a faint green. It turned blue after Gao Yang raged for the first time, then a light gold after Gao Yang grew even more furious.

    Xing Kong had been sneakily absorbing Gao Yang¡¯s energy and using it against him. The more agitated and angry he was, the easier it was for Xing Kong to take his energy to arm himself.

    Thus, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t fighting Xing Kong in that state, but his own limit.

    Gao Yang quickly regainedposure, checking the energy inside him. Indeed, he had used up double the energy as he should.

    A bead of cold sweat streaked down from his forehead. <i>That¡¯s close. I almost fell for it.</i>

    In the short span of time, Xing Kong had reached Gao Yang¡¯s full strength in his usual condition, making him a formidable enemy.

    Gao Yang made up his mind. <i>I¡¯ll have to use it.</i>

    He swallowed a scoff.<i> I¡¯ve seen through you now, while you know nothing about my trump card.</i>

 Chapter 475: Trump Card

    <h4>Chapter 475: Trump Card</h4>

    Feigning ignorance, Gao Yang tightened his left fist and maintained an angry expression on his face, shouting, ¡°Xing Kong! I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡±

    Xing Kong continued to taunt him, ¡°Haha, you wanna kill me? You, a useless piece of trash?¡±

    Gao Yang charged at Xing Kong, and Xing Kong met him head-on. Without using any Talent, Gao Yang fought Xing Kong with fists. Bothnded punches on the other in their exchanges of blows. After more than ten exchanges, they were still in a stalemate, both having suffered injury.

    Xing Kong was patient. To him, getting a draw was winning. After all, he had been fighting without suffering costs. He could match his opponent¡¯s strength perfectly, and in no time, Gao Yang would run out of energy.

    Then Gao Yang would be so weak that he could take him out with a single hit. The boy wouldn¡¯t know what had hit him even when facing his death.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Gao Yang seized the chance to throw a punch at Xing Kong.

    The punch wasn¡¯t quick, but it was fierce, making it clear that he had gone all out.

    Xing Kong scoffed, quickly concentrating his light golden aura to his left fist¡ªall power he had absorbed from Gao Yang. He would match Gao Yang¡¯s power and get a perfect draw again.

    Right before their fists collided...

    ¡ªActivate Willful Power!

    [Constitution: 1 Endurance: 1]

    [Strength: 5297 Agility: 1]

    [Willpower: 1 Charisma: 1]

    [Luck: 813]

    Xing Kong sensed the sudden violent surge in Gao Yang¡¯s energy, but it would take at least two seconds for his body to absorb and convert the energy, and that was two seconds he didn¡¯t have.

    It was why in every fight, Xing Kong maintained a certain distance and made sure to anger the other before closing in; he was giving his body time to absorb and convert energy.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The collision of fists sounded like an explosion.

    Xing Kong was bbergasted. He felt as if his left fist was as fragile as an egg, while Gao Yang¡¯s was as hard as a bombshell.

    <i>St. </i>The insanely great power tore him apart from his left fist all the way to his left shoulder.

    Were time slowed by 30 times, one would see the flesh and bones of his fist break segment by segment before his entire arm became twisted like a braid, making explosive cracking sounds as it twisted. Then finally, his arm broke into countless tiny bones, pieces of flesh, and blood fog, sttering everywhere.

    It took less than one second for Xing Kong¡¯s entire left arm and shoulder to vanish. The shockwave threw his tattered body flying like a bullet.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    He crashed through the midsection of the observatory before flying out of the other side, ending up hanging off a pine tree like a bloodied rag. He looked destroyed, if not dead.

    Gao Yang stood where he was and heaved, deactivating Willful Power immediately. He waited for his stats to go back to normal, and for his six senses to recover.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Qing Ling was still locked in a fight with Madam Wu.

    After getting thrown off by Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch, they continued to exchange dozens of blows. Qing Ling had obviously exhausted much of her stamina. Sensing her chance, Madam Wu grabbed Qing Ling¡¯s des when Qing Ling made her swings at noticeably slower speed.

    With an upward swing, Madam Wu sent Qing Ling flying, forcing her to let go of her weapons. Then she tried to attack Qing Ling while she was midair, only to find that the two des refused to cooperate.

    Madam Wu realized then that the two ck Gold des were still under Qing Ling¡¯s control. Midair, Qing Ling stomped on Madam Wu¡¯s chest hard.

    Madam Wu staggered back. She wouldn¡¯t have fallen down if the des in her hands hadn¡¯t pushed her backward.

    She toppled to the ground head first.

    Qing Lingnded gracefully, propelling herself toward Madam Wu with a powerful jump. Madam Wu felt a vibration in her hands. Then the two des quickly broke out of her grip and flew to Qing Ling¡¯s hands.

    With a low growl, Qing Ling put all her power into stabbing Madam Wu in the eyes with the tips of her des.

    Sitting prone on the ground, Madam Wu quickly reached out to grab the iing des, clutching onto the tips. The de aura swept over Madam Wu¡¯s hair with a whoosh, bringing up a wave of dust along the ground.

    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±

    Veins popped out from Qing Ling¡¯s forehead. She put everything into pushing the des down, and Madam Wu did her best to stop the des from piercing her eyes.

    They reached a stalemate. The tips of the des were still a little away from Madam Wu¡¯s eyes, neither budging nor advancing.

    Qing Ling¡¯s lips curled into a sneer. It was a distraction.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    The ck Gold darts that had been in wait stabbed into Madam Wu¡¯s eyes precisely.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    Stunned, Madam Wu quickly closed her eyes, shaking her head in an attempt to shake off the ck Gold darts.

    She knew very well that although her eyes had been reced with ck Gold ones, there were no ck Gold bones acting as shields underneath, but only fragile synthetic tissues. The ck Gold eyes weren¡¯t enough to fill the eye sockets wholly.

    If the ck Gold darts pushed a little further in, they would go through the eyes and damage the neurons of her brain. Then she would die for certain.

    Qing Ling had already exhausted her power to pin Madam Wu¡¯s hands to the ground, and she had to manipte her des with Metal as support in order to match Madam Wu¡¯s raw force.

    At this moment, Qing Ling had very little power to spare for the ck Gold darts, and Madam Wu was struggling and turning her head. It was difficult to push into the eye sockets with precision.

    With Qing Ling¡¯s finesse in controlling her ck Gold darts, though, it was only a matter of time before she would seed, and the victor would be decided in a few seconds.

    She was going to win.

    But then all of a sudden, her chest tightened, followed by an indescribable sense of disgust. Her strength quickly drained from her body.

    Qing Ling threw up a mouthful of blood onto Madam Wu¡¯s chest, viscous and dark with ck blood clots.

    ¡°Finally!¡±

    Madam Wu knew she had dodged a bullet. The long swords in her hands had lost their power, and the ck Gold darts in her eyeballs were no longer under Qing Ling¡¯s control.

    With a swift move, Madam Wu pushed the des to the sides and made a strong kick in Qing Ling¡¯s lower abdomen.

    Qing Ling flew away.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡±

    Gao Yang had just dealt with Xing Kong and recovered his stats, only to turn around and see Madam Wu kicking Qing Ling into the air.

    Qing Ling flew seven to eight meters away beforending and rolling, stopping near Gao Yang''s unconscious father.

    Gao Yang teleported to her side, about to help her up, but then a sharp pain hit his chest, and he threw up a mouthful of thick ck blood clots involuntarily.

    He lost all the strength in him, dropping to his knees beside Qing Ling.

 Chapter 476: Blood Amber

    <h4>Chapter 476: Blood Amber</h4>

    <i>¡ªWhat¡¯s going on?</i>

    Gao Yang was confused, but at the same time, what was happening seemed familiar to him. He seemed to have heard someone describe it.

    <i>Ah, isn¡¯t this what happened to Dick as he was tortured, as Chen Ying described?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s the Astronaut!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s head jerked up. As expected, a figure in a heavy white spacesuit emerged from inside the observatory, taking off the orange opaque helmet and tucking it under the armpit.

    Gao Yang started. Astronaut was a woman!

    Her soft blue hair was on the thin side, and herplexion was dark, her face so sunken that the cheekbones almost protruded from the skin. It was difficult to tell her exact age, but she should be no older than 30.

    Her eyelids were thin but swollen, her eyes covered in earthworm-like capiries. Her eyes were pure ck, like two lifeless ink stains.

    The inside of her spacesuit was connected to numerous oxygen tubes and IV tubes; the former went to her nostrils, while thetter went to the veins in her neck.

    She didn¡¯t have to introduce herself for Gao Yang to figure out who she was. He had spected that the Astronaut could be the owner of Talent: Patient.

    He was right.

    The woman carried with herself a terrible virus, necessitating her istion from the outside world with the spacesuit, or the virus in her body would infect all beings within a certain radius indiscriminately.

    Now it seemed that the effective range of the virus was within fifty meters.

    However, it would take time for the infection to happen, and how long it took would differ on an individual basis, but no longer than three minutes. That was why she had stayed hidden in the observatory tower rather thaning out to help herpanions even when they were struggling.

    Of course, Patient must be greatly harmful to herself, too. That was why she needed the treatment system inside the spacesuit to sustain her life.

    ¡°No.8 of Tails, Blood Amber.¡± Without speaking through the filter of the helmet, the woman¡¯s voice was surprisingly soft and serene.

    ¡°Enough already. Put your helmet back on.¡± Madam Wu gave her a disgusted look. ¡°Or I¡¯m not gonna be able to take it either.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Blood Amber put the helmet back on.

    In two seconds, Gao Yang felt his physical condition stop worsening. However, he still felt weak, his chest tight and the urge to vomit overwhelming. He tried to tap into the energy in his body, but ended up throwing up another lump of ck blood clot.

    It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep fighting in the short term. In fact, he might not survive if he didn¡¯t get treatment immediately.

    Inparison, Madam Wu, who had been almost fully reced by ck Gold outside of her brain, could resist the virus much better, thus maintaining half of her fighting power.

    Confidently, she sauntered over to Qing Ling, her now skinless lips curving into a cold smile. <i>The damn woman puts me in such a pathetic state. I won¡¯t rest easy until I kill her.</i>

    Qing Ling was still lying prone on the ground, her hair messy and her face pale. Dark blood streaked down from the corners of her mouth. She had lost her ability to movepletely.

    Having read Madam Wu¡¯s intention, Gao Yang tried his best to move toward Qing Ling while on his knees, shielding her with his body.

    ¡°Ha, trying to y hero at thest moment of your life?¡± Madam Wu towered over them, her right hand morphing into a sharp de. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hero¡¯s death!¡±

    She stabbed at Gao Yang¡¯s face with her de hand, already picturing it piercing through Gao Yang¡¯s mouth anding out from the back of his neck.

    But it didn¡¯t happen.

    Madam Wu¡¯s hand froze midair, like an intangible force had stopped her.

    She was caught off guard. Soon, she realized that a translucent golden barrier had blocked her hand. It came into formation with difficulty, flickering due to the unstable energy.

    Gao Yang sensed then that the barrier had been conjured with energying from behind him.

    He looked back in disbelief. His father had woken up at some point, his shirt torn and bloodied, while his chest had more or less healed. Medicine C had done its magic.

    With one knee on the ground, he raised a hand and syed it at Gao Yang, golden light scintiting in his eyes.

    He was furious, but his gaze was determined.

    ...

    Ten minutes ago.

    Gao Shou thought it was all an absurd nightmare.

    The family was on an outing. They should¡¯ve spent a pleasant day at the farmhouse in the rural area, amid the pleasant nature and fresh air. His wife and kids had gone to the mountain in the back to forage mushrooms. He just had to kill time until his family returned.

    But then a bald man who looked like trouble showed up out of nowhere, asking him about Zhuang Mei, the owner of the farmhouse, as well as any rtives Zhuang Mei might have.

    Gao Shou had an ominous feeling. Had Zhuang Mei be indebted to a loan shark, and the man was here to collect the debt?

    Instead of answering the question, Gao Shou asked who the man was, and what business he had with Zhuang Mei.

    The bald man lost his temper immediately, toppling Gao Shou¡¯s wheelchair with a kick before raining punches and kicks down on him.

    There was no chance for a man with physical ability to endure the abuse, and Gao Shou howled with pain while begging for mercy.

    The bald man ordered Gao Shou to call Zhuang Mei, telling him to lure her to a specific location. Gao Shou, however, only pretended to y along, and he called Gao Yang instead, telling him to call the police.

    The bald man caught on and quickly grabbed the phone, beating him up again.

    The thug was strong. Gao Shou felt like he was going to get beaten to death.

    Soon, his son and his daughter-inw showed up¡ªin a waypletely unimaginable to him. They flew over on a de! Like they were characters from some <i>xianxia </i>drama!

    Then Gao Yang jumped down from more than ten meters up in the air. Ten <i>meters</i>, not ten centimeters! A normal person would¡¯ve gotten crippled, if not killed.

    Yet Gao Yang, his dear son, wasn¡¯t injured at all. He even got mes burst out of his fist like a magic trick.

    Things got increasingly surreal. The bald man demonstrated unnatural raw power and shed with Gao Yang, having a conversation that didn¡¯t make sense to Gao Shou at all.

    Then the bald man knocked him out.

    When Gao Shou came to, disoriented, he was somewhere else, his neck in the bald man¡¯s tight grip and his breathing difficult. From his half-closed eyes, he could only see an observatory the construction of which had halted.

    A sharp pain stabbed at his chest, like someone had pierced through it with a de.

    The great pain knocked him unconscious again. Before he cked out, he heard Gao Yang shout, ¡°No!!¡±

    At thest moment of his consciousness, Gao Shou thought, <i>Ha, don¡¯t panic. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just having a nightmare.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s right! I must still be bathing in the sun and waiting for my wife and kids to return from the mountain. The sun was warm, and I fell asleep at some point, having a dream.</i>

    <i>Dreams are always the opposite to reality, right? So I don¡¯t have to worry. Everything¡¯s gonna be fine once I wake up. Perhaps Zhuang Mei will have already finished making a fragrant dish of braised chicken with mushrooms. Then my dear Lin Yue will wake me up, and we¡¯ll eat together...</i>

    Some time passed. When Gao Shou opened his eyes again, he wasn¡¯t in his wheelchair before the farmhouse, dammit, and the nightmare hadn¡¯t ended.

    His chest hurt, and he didn¡¯t have any strength in his body. He could hear the clinks and nks of des shing. Then there were explosions...

    <i>Wait, I¡¯m not on a battlefield, am I?</i>

    <i>Hm, something isn¡¯t right.</i>

    Gao Shou realized with a start that he could feel things in his legs.

    Moreover, he could move them!

    He didn¡¯t have the time to find joy in the revtion. As soon as he rolled to an upright position, he saw his son kneeling on the ground, throwing up ck blood, while his daughter-inw was also lying prone, covered in injury.

    Finally, Gao Shou epted the truth he should¡¯ve epted long ago: <i>it¡¯s all real!</i>

    Then a blonde woman who looked like a robot transformed her right hand into a sharp de, walking up to Gao Yang to stab his face without hesitation.

    Gao Shou felt as if his blood was flowing in reverse. He couldn¡¯t make it in time to block the attack for his son, but he had to do something, <i>anything</i>.

    At that moment, a strange energy rushed up in his body. It was foreign to him, but at the same time, it felt like something recovered after a lifetime, distant, grand, and ancient.

    The energy activated his brain and spread through his body, forging brand new paths while granting him unusual intuition and battle instinct.

    He awakened.

    The gears of fate slowly turned, but he didn¡¯t know what it meant at that moment yet.

    Without thinking, he syed his right hand at his son, and energy came out of the tips of his fingers naturally, conjuring a translucent golden barrier to block Madam Wu¡¯s fatal strike.

    <i>Ah! Did I do that?</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but that¡¯s kinda cool, isn¡¯t it?</i>

    He was pleased with himself, but also furious with his enemy. He growled at the robotic woman before him.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid! I¡¯m the one you shoulde after!¡±

 Chapter 477: Like Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 477: Like Mountain</h4>

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid! I¡¯m the one you shoulde after!¡±

    Gao Shou shouted and pushed his syed right hand forward. The translucent golden barrier turned into a golden wall, suddenly pushing Madam Wu a few meters away before scattering into crystal-like golden energy particles.

    Gao Yang looked at what was happening in disbelief, tears brimming his eyes instantly.

    At that moment, not even the threat to his life could stop the tremendous joy rising in his chest.

    <i>Fuck, my dad¡¯s an awakener!</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Son. Your dad¡¯s gonna protect you!¡±

    Gao Shou clenched his teeth and slowly straightened his kneeling legs. The man who had been bound to a wheelchair, stripped of his mobility, finally stood on his two feet again.

    At that moment, his father seemed taller and greater than ever before to Gao Yang, like he had been when Gao Yang was little.

    Back then, his father would take him and his sister to the park on Children¡¯s Day.

    Gao Yang would ride on his father¡¯s shoulder and beamed happily with a pinwheel, while Gao Xinxin was fast asleep in his father¡¯s arms after exhausting herself ying.

    His father was so great then; he was incredibly strong and walked so fast it seemed like he was flying. Like Superman, he was never exhausted.

    Gao Shou hurried to shield Gao Yang and Qing Ling with his body, his back as wide as a mountain, heavy and secure.

    Madam Wu couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.

    <i>So the piece of trash is a human, and he awakened at thatst second?</i>

    Even so, he should have been infected with Blood Amber¡¯s Patient. How could he still exert this much strength?

    While Madam Wu couldn¡¯t quite wrap her mind around it, Gao Yang, with his personal knowledge of the high-ranking Talents, immediately figured it out.

    His father had acquired Absolute Defense, serial number 9!

    Even at level 1, the top Guard-type Talent granted significant bonuses in Constitution and Endurance, and judging by how his father had behaved, his Talent must have reached level 2 immediately, or even level 3.

    That was the kind of cheat high-ranking Talents were. Huai Wei, for example, had reached level 3 after a few uses of her Talent, and she broke through to level 4 as soon as she touched the Time-Space Rune Circuit.

    His father could now resist Patient as well as Madam Wu, if not better.

    ¡°Blood Amber!¡± Madam Wu called out.

    Standing watching from a long distance, Blood Amber lifted her hand and pressed the button on the left side of her helmet immediately.<i> ck.</i> The orange visor lifted, revealing Blood Amber¡¯s lower face.

    She was breathing a little hurriedly, faint ck energy exhaled from her mouth.

    ¡°Use Absolute Defense!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Your Talent!¡±

    Gao Shou paused.

    His awakening had happened so suddenly that he didn¡¯t hear the name of his Talent in his head, as would happen to all awakeners.

    As soon as Gao Yang shouted the reminder, the energy path inside his body becameplete like the painting of a dragon getting its eyes inked.

    His mind cleared. He acquired even more instinctual knowledge on how he could use his power.

    <i>p! </i>Gao Shou pressed his hands together and shouted, ¡°Absolute Defense!¡±

    Liquid golden energy rose from under his feet, spreading outward quickly until it covered Gao Yang and Qing Ling before rising from the ground, folding together.

    Instantly, the three were put into the protection of a translucent energy barrier flickering golden light, several cubic meters in size. Nothing else could enter the barrier from then on.

    <i>Clink!</i>

    Refusing to believe it, Madam Wu rushed over to throw a punch at the golden box. It stood there like an impregnable bastion, unwavering and indestructible.

    Madam Wu didn¡¯t give up. Her instinct told her that such a powerful barrier wouldn¡¯t stand for long. After all, Gao Shou had been infected by Patient, and sooner orter, the poison woulde into effect.

    <i>Clink, bam!</i>

    Madam Wu tested the barrier with attacks. Some distance away, Blood Amber dropped the visor again. Her Patient wouldn¡¯t do her enemies more harm now, but it would harm Madam Wu.

    Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold body granted her great resistance against the virus, but not full immunity. The poison could still infiltrate her brain, only it would take more time.

    Inside the barrier of Absolute Defense, Gao Shou breathed heavily, feeling lightheaded. He forced himself to stay upright, looking back at Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling. ¡°Son, Little Ling, you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed Qing Ling¡¯s wrist. Her heartbeats were steady, her condition not life-threatening.

    Although Medicine C couldn¡¯t cleanse poison, Gao Yang still took out another shot of Medicine C and injected Qing Ling¡¯s kicked abdomen with half a dose. He only wished that the great regenerative power of the medicine would help her resist the virus for a little longer.

    They could survive this if they bought more time. Before the fight started, he had already sent the SOS signal for Team Heavenbreaker with the button transmitter, and help should be on the way.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Son. Dad will protect both of you...¡±

    Gao Shou threw up blood and copsed to the ground before he could finish.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang knew it was his father¡¯s resistance to the virus reaching a breaking point. He looked up to see the golden barrier protecting them dissolving.

    Madam Wu barked out augh and shouted in excitement, ¡°Let me see what else you¡¯ve got!¡±

    Blood Amber could sense the barrier breaking down as well. She lifted her visor again and quickened her breathing.

    After a few seconds, once the golden barrier waspletely gone, Madam Wu dashed toward Gao Shou, swinging her sharp ded hand to decapitate him.

    ¡°Hah!¡± At thest moment, Gao Yang shouted and exhausted thest of his energy to teleport before his father.

    ¡°Son!¡± Gao Shou screamed, but it was already toote to push Gao Yang away.

    Then a phantom-like figure rushed past Gao Shou and Gao Yang like a gust of wind.

    Madam Wu was taken aback by the figure appearing suddenly from behind Gao Yang¡¯s back. When she managed to react btedly, a fierce sh was alreadying for her forehead.

    On pure reflex, she crossed her arms to shield her face.

    <i>ng!</i>

    The Green Dog Demon de thrust toward Madam Wu¡¯s arm like a spear. Since both were made with ck Gold, the de naturally failed to pierce through her arm, but the terrifying power behind the thrust wasn¡¯t offset.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Madam Wu¡¯s crossed arms were propelled back and ended up hitting her face, inflicting her brain with a heavy blow. She flew off her feet with a whoosh, mming into a pine tree and breaking the trunk. The tree, standing more than ten meters tall, toppled to the side.

    Madam Wu copsed to the ground, unable to stand up. Although she didn¡¯t look injured, her head had been shaken by a heavy impact. It felt as if her brain had been blended into a thick pulp.

    What formidable explosive power!

    Madam Wu didn¡¯t know that the man was War Tiger with level 6 Killing Expert, but she knew she wasn¡¯t his match.

    While the man¡¯s weapon couldn¡¯t injure her, the power he exerted with his weapon was impossible to defend against. Another hit, and her brain would truly be mush.

    Standing before Gao Yang, War Tiger had a hand in his pocket while resting his narrow de on his shoulder.

    He turned around leisurely with a toothpick in his mouth, shing Gao Yang a teasing grin.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it Elder Seven Shadow? It¡¯s only been a few days. How did you be such a loser already?¡±

 Chapter 478: Second Time

    <h4>Chapter 478: Second Time</h4>

    ¡°Teacher War Tiger!¡± Gao Yang was overjoyed. Since there was no one but those he trusted around, he didn¡¯t have to act distant.

    <i>Thank God, he made it.</i>

    When Gao Yang and Qing Ling chased Xing Kong to the top of the mountain, he had guessed that a difficult fight was inevitable. Thus, he crushed the button on his cor immediately, but to his surprise, the one who showed up first wasn¡¯t a member of Team Heavenbreaker, but War Tiger.

    He immediately reminded War Tiger, ¡°Kill Astronaut first! She can release poison!¡±

    War Tiger, with his wealth of experience, looked at the figure in a spacesuit not far away and immediately put two and two together.

    He smirked derisively. Although he was an assassin looked down on by fighters, it didn¡¯t stop him from looking down on the even more insidious poisoner.

    In two seconds, he rushed to Blood Amber.

    She didn¡¯t move at all. The moment War Tiger¡¯s eyes locked on her, she knew she would die.

    There was no running away.

    She might as well embrace death openly, and things would end more quickly. She could even picture the devices sustaining her life getting cut along with her head, which smelled of decay and medicine.

    But when War Tiger¡¯s de actually swung toward her, it ended up going through her without inflicting damage, like he had cut through an illusion.

    At some point, an elegantly-dressed older gentleman had shown up behind Blood Amber, his left hand resting on Blood Amber¡¯s shoulder.

    Both of them had turned into translucent spirits without physical form.

    ¡°They¡¯re invincible in that state, but they can¡¯t attack us either.¡± Gao Yang recognized Edmond and warned War Tiger.

    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s a foul move!¡± War Tiger had been around for quite a long time, yet he was stunned by the strange Talent.

    Then Madam Wu quietly lifted Xing Kong, who was dying with his left arm lost, and ran toward Edmond, reaching out quickly.

    Edmond took her hand with his other hand.

    Instantly, Madam Wu and the man she was carrying on her shoulder both became unreachable as well.

    ¡°Hey!¡± War Tiger widened his mouth with childish ire. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡±

    ¡°Die!¡± War Tiger swung his de at the four ¡°spirits¡± carelessly. ¡°Die, die, die...¡±

    The four unreachable Tails members had an awkward look on their faces, watching the powerful man jumping up and down while iling around like a monkey on speed.

    Gao Yang facepalmed, feeling regret. <i>I shouldn¡¯t have called you teacher. You¡¯re being embarrassing.</i>

    After his absurd way of testing the ability, War Tiger finally confirmed and epted that the four of them were now beyond his reach.

    He put away his de and crossed his arms, staring at Edmond. ¡°It pisses me off to just let you go!¡±

    Edmond chuckled and smiled politely. ¡°I apologize to you for my teammates¡¯ reckless behavior.¡±

    ¡°Apologize? What¡¯s that gonna do?¡± War Tiger raged and pointed at Gao Yang and the unconscious Qing Ling. ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done to my precious disciples!¡±

    ¡°My teammates haven¡¯t fared much better,¡± Edmond said resignedly.

    War Tiger looked at the mess Madam Wu and Xing Kong were, feeling somewhat appeased. Xing Kong had lost an arm and cked out from the injury, and Madam Wu had gotten disfigured and suffered from a concussion.

    ¡°You¡¯re Tails?¡± War Tiger asked. He had been looking into Tailstely and caught traces of them, which was why he had been nearby.

    He was surprised when he learned from White Rabbit that Gao Yang had sent an SOS signal, and he ended up being the first toe to their rescue.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Edmond nodded.

    ¡°And you work for the Godbearer Cult?¡±

    ¡°We do,¡± Edmond said honestly.

    ¡°What are you up to in Li City?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a mission I cannot tell you about, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Edmond gave him a friendly smile. ¡°But I can promise you that we don¡¯t intend to dere war against the three organizations. This is merely a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°<i>Misunderstanding</i>?¡± War Tiger¡¯s brows furrowed dramatically. ¡°I¡¯d be collecting their bodies if I had arrived even a littleter. You call that a misunderstanding?¡±

    Edmond chuckled, his smile as gentle as ever, but self-mockery colored his voice as he said, ¡°We¡¯re mice living in the sewer, and we long to be like awakeners with high-ranking Talents. We longed so strongly and bottled the feeling up for so long that it turned into fierce jealousy. We¡¯re pathetic ones consumed by that jealousy, which leads to extreme behavior. I hope you understand.¡±

    War Tiger smacked his lips. Edmond had evenpared themselves to mice residing in the sewer. It would be unbing to insult them further.

    ¡°Still, I am sorry for what happened today.¡± Edmond bowed deeply. ¡°I failed to keep my teammates in line. I apologize again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah.¡± War Tiger picked at his ear with his pinky. He knew he wouldn¡¯t get more answers out of the man. ¡°Whatever you say. I can¡¯t kill you anyway.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our leave.¡±

    ¡°Piss off.¡±

    Edmond held onto Madam Wu¡¯s and Blood Amber¡¯s hands. They turned around in a cautious, awkward way before walking away in unison. Soon, their translucent figure moved through the dense forest until they disappeared entirely.

    War Tiger sheathed his de and turned to look at Gao Yang, his father, and Qing Ling.

    ¡°Little Yang Yang, this is...¡±

    ¡°My dad,¡± Gao Yang said weakly. ¡°He just awakened with Absolute Defense.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± War Tiger was happy. ¡°Like son, like father!¡±

    Gao Shou was confused. There were so many questions in his head, but he didn¡¯t want the answers now; all he cared about was the safety of his son and his daughter-inw.

    ¡°You alright, Son? I think you got poisoned...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°The clerics will be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Clerics?¡± Gao Shou was befuddled.

    ¡°The medics,¡± Gao Yang exined in a way his father would understand.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± His father had yed<i> Red Alert </i>before, so he got what that meant.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    A familiar scream resounded from the forest. They looked up to see White Rabbit jumping amid the trees while grabbing onto Fat Jun¡¯s hand. Soon, they were right before them. Level 6 Jump granted formidable speed.

    As soon as White Rabbit let go of Fat Jun, he copsed to his knees and threw up. It felt like he had gotten on a rollercoaster ride ten times in a row; all his internal organs were a mess.

    Ignoring Fat Jun, White Rabbit strode up to them quickly and spotted Gao Yang at first nce.

    She paused before breaking into a sweet smile brimming with schadenfreude. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it Elder Seven Shadow? It¡¯s only been a few days. How did you be such a loser already?¡±

 Chapter 479: Cover-up

    <h4>Chapter 479: Cover-up</h4>

    About ten minutester, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Gao Shou had more or less recovered with the help of Fat Jun¡¯s level 5 Healing.

    Virus from Talent: Patient didn¡¯t kill quickly like X¡¯s Pestilence, but its widespread contagion could slowly and quietly imed a higher life form, making it a perfect Talent for assassinating the target while making sure the target was none the wiser; when the target realized what was happening, they had already been poisoned.

    With the source of the virus stopped and the help of healing-type Talents, though, it wouldn¡¯t take long for the victims to recover.

    When Dick was inflicted by Patient, he would¡¯ve been in tremendous pain and kept vomiting blood under the influence of the Talent if nothing was done. There was no worse torture than that.

    ¡°Whew!¡± Fat Jun let go of Gao Shou¡¯s hand and wiped the sweat on his forehead with his chubby arm. ¡°Done. You¡¯re...you''re all fine. You just have to rest well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Shou marveled at the magical healing technique while staring at Fat Jun, who was entirely drenched in sweat.

    Although he was still quite bbergasted, he hade to terms with one fact: his son, daughter-inw, and these neers all had magic, or whatever the power was.

    Gao Shou had watched his fair share of <i>xianxia </i>dramas with his wife, so he wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with the concept.

    Now that everyone was in no danger of dying, he could no longer tamp down his curiosity. ¡°Yang Yang, what¡¯s going on...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take time for me to exin to you, Dad,¡± Gao Yang cut him off. ¡°I''ll tell you everythingter. Now, please believe me and do as I say.¡±

    Gao Shou paused before nodding. ¡°Okay, I trust you!¡±

    Meanwhile, White Rabbit had told Heavenly Dog and the other members of Team Heavenbreaker that the trouble had been dealt with, and that they weren¡¯t needed here.

    ¡°Uncle!¡± She put away her phone and went up to Gao Shou with a friendly demeanor. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±

    Gao Shou paused before nodding at her with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    White Rabbit extended a hand and broke the ice. ¡°I¡¯m White Rabbit, Gao Yang¡¯s friend and former colleague. I belong to the same organization as Qing Ling.¡±

    Gao Shou shook her hand and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Gao Shou. Just call me Uncle Gao.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Gao, congrattions on bing an awakener.¡±

    ¡°Awakener?¡± Gao Shou could guess that she was referring to those who could use magic.

    White Rabbit took out her name card, printed with the title of lobby manager of the Millennium Tower. ¡°I¡¯m the HR head of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. The name card is a fake, but the contact information is real.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Gao Shou took the name card and read it seriously.

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs have been recruiting new members recently. You¡¯re wee to join us.¡±

    ¡°Rabbit!¡± War Tiger had to step in. ¡°He¡¯s Seven Shadow¡¯s dad, and you want to recruit him?¡±

    White Rabbit shot War Tiger a re. ¡°Why not? Is there a rule that says father and son must belong to the same organization? Besides, what if both his dad and his girlfriend are members of our organization? Perhaps Seven Shadow will want toe back to us then. I won¡¯t hold a grudge against him.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>White Rabbit, you never change.</i>

    ¡°Haha, thank you for the offer, Miss White Rabbit. I¡¯ll consider it,¡± Gao Shou said politely before putting the name card into his pocket.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow.¡± War Tiger curled his finger at Gao Yang. ¡°A word, please.¡±

    Gao Yang followed War Tiger and put some distance between them and the others.

    War Tiger asked quietly, ¡°So? Anything we didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Gao Yang said honestly, ¡°Nothing yet. Team Heavenbreaker¡¯s findings are shared with all three organizations.¡±

    War Tiger nodded, stroking his chin.

    ¡°How are things going on Yellow Ox¡¯s end?¡± Gao Yang was quite worried about Officer Huang since Su Xi was giving birth soon.

    War Tiger sighed softly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem good. Mischievous Monkey gave us a start, but you didn¡¯t find much after going to the West Nation for investigation.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a little shamefaced. He smiled bitterly. ¡°At least we confirmed that life monsters do exist.¡±

    War Tiger looked into the distance. ¡°I was gonna grab the two Tails members to interrogate them. See if I can find something. But they ran away.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± It was a shame to Gao Yang too.

    ¡°From what I know, though, they have been quite active in Li City recently. We still have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang nodded. Then he thought of something. ¡°How¡¯s Captain?¡±

    ¡°Asleep again.¡±

    ¡°He went into hibernation again?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. <i>Was this really the time to go to sleep?</i>

    War Tiger¡¯s lips twitched. He nced at Gao Yang. ¡°He went to sleep not long after the Crimson Tide ended. He said that he had to be ready for the crisis that maye in the future.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t get into it. Dragon seemed to have a n, and outside of getting caught off guard by X during the Crimson Tide, it seemed that his ns had never gone wrong before.

    Gao Yang looked up. Night would soon fall, and the sky was going to get dark.

    ¡°We have to go, Teacher War Tiger.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°My mom and sister are waiting for us to return. My family came here today to have some quality time.¡±

    ¡°Sure, keep in touch.¡± War Tiger turned around and called out to White Rabbit and Fat Jun. ¡°We¡¯re done here.¡±

    It hadn¡¯t been that long since they started talking, but White Rabbit was already sitting on the ground and painting her toenails. She didn¡¯t even look up as she said, ¡°My shoes are broken. I want reimbursement.¡±

    ¡°Alright, put that on Electric...¡± War Tiger paused, correcting himself. ¡°On my ount.¡±

    A few minutester, War Tiger, White Rabbit, and Fat Jun departed.

    By the now ruined observatory on the top of the mountain, Gao Yang was left alone with his father and Qing Ling.

    Gao Shou looked at his bloodied shirt and the two kids covered in injuries. He frowned. ¡°What do we do? How are we gonna exin to your mother and Xinxin? We can¡¯t tell them that we fought a few bad guys, could we?¡±

    Gao Yang had been through this many times, and he already had a n in mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯ve called someone for cover-up.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Shou was surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve got people for that? Is it an established system or something?¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s a cover-up expert.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    ...

    Half an hourter, Wang Zikai arrived in his sports car on the dim rural path. Gao Yang, Gao Shou, and Qing Ling stood by the crossroad, having been waiting for a while.

    Wang Zikia parked the car and opened the door, taking three bags of clothes from the passenger seat. ¡°Here, I picked them out quickly, so noints about the designs.¡±

    Gao Yang and Gao Shou changed out of the bloodied and torn clothes then and there, while Little Qing Ling took over and knelt down behind the car with the clean clothes, getting changed out of their view.

    After making themselves presentable, Gao Yang pped and said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s agree on a story.¡±

 Chapter 480: Consummate the Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 480: Consummate the Rtionship</h4>

    The other three looked over at Gao Yang.

    He articted, ¡°In the evening, I got a stomach ache and went back to Auntie Mei¡¯s ce to take care of it. Qing Ling went with me. Afterwards, Qing Ling and I took Dad on a stroll. When we got to the stone bridge by the river, the railing on the left broke off suddenly, and Qing Ling and Dad fell off together.¡±

    ¡°Wait, the bridge is fine,¡± Gao Shou said.

    ¡°That will be remediedter.¡± Gao Yang gave his father a pointed look. ¡°Please don¡¯t interrupt me.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°In a panic, I jumped into the river to save Qing Ling, unable to give Dad a hand too. Compelled by the will to live, Dad realized that he could move his legs.¡±

    He lifted the dirtied clothes in his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll wash off the blood by the river.¡±

    ¡°When we got back tond, Dad celebrated his recovered mobility in his legs. Wang Zikai called then. Knowing that we were spending the night at Auntie Mei¡¯s farmhouse, he insisted on joining, and on the way, he got new clothes for us.¡±

    ¡°We waited for Wang Zikai toe, worried that he would drive past the ce and get lost. The signal is bad here, so we didn¡¯t receive the calls from Mom and Gao Xinxin.¡±

    He thought for a moment. That should cover everything. ¡°Any question?¡±

    ¡°Son.¡± Gao Shou blinked. ¡°That¡¯s quite a far-fetched story.¡±

    Gao Yang eyed his father. ¡°You¡¯ve got a better idea, Dad?¡±

    Gao Shou gave it some thought before shaking his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do as I said.¡± Gao Yang pointed at his father¡¯s legs. ¡°Mr. Gao Shou, it is time for you to put on a performance.¡±

    Gao Shou realized what he was insinuating. He huffed in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯re more cunning than I thought, Yang Yang.¡±

    Gao Shou rested an elbow on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. Wang Zikai went up to them without missing a beat and supported his other elbow.

    Gao Shou pretended to limp as they headed to the farmhouse, making a call to Gao Yang¡¯s mother on the way. Walking past the stone bridge over the river, Wang Zikai broke the railing with a kick before washing their bloodied clothes in the water.

    Twenty minutester, the four of them returned to Zhuang Mei¡¯s farmhouse.

    Lin Yue, Gao Xinxin, and Zhuang Mei were all standing around the concrete front yard, waiting for them.

    ¡°Honey!¡± Gao Shou, supported by Gao Yang and Wang Zikai, were genuinely overjoyed. It wasn¡¯t an act. ¡°I¡¯m good now! Look! I can walk...¡±

    Sensing his excitement, Gao Yang purposefully stumbled forward, and the two of them almost fell.

    ¡°Hey! Be careful...¡±

    Lin Yue had been angry. Gao Yang, Gao Shou, and Qing Ling had disappeared for half an hour and never picked up their phones. She was so worried that her heart burned. When she saw her husband almost falling, though, she couldn¡¯t think of anything but to go up to him and catch him.

    ¡°Are your legs...really okay now?¡± Lin Yue couldn¡¯t believe it. She had been ready for her husband to be bound to a wheelchair the rest of his life.

    ¡°My legs started itchingst week, but I thought it was all in my head. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint you, so I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Gao Shou said proudly, ¡°But when I fell into water today and panicked, I realized I could move my legs!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Gao Xinxin happily ran up to him. Her father¡¯s recovery was the best birthday gift to her mother.

    ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Dad!¡± The miracle prompted Gao Xinxin to say something immature. ¡°You¡¯re the chosen boy...no, the chosen middle-aged man!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    Everyoneughed. Wang Zikai¡¯sughter was especially loud.

    ...

    Once back to the farmhouse, Gao Shou sat down on his wheelchair to rest. Wang Zikai¡¯s presence made the atmosphere even livelier.

    Lin Yue and Zhuang Mei prepared dinner together. They sat around the dining table and had dinner in a buoyant mood.

    Gao Xinxin savored the food since she had foraged the mushrooms herself. She stole a piece from Gao Yang''s bowl. ¡°I found this one!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled in lieu of a response.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Wang Zikai had to intervene when his best friend was getting bullied. ¡°The mushrooms all look the same. That one doesn¡¯t have your name on it.¡±

    ¡°Then all cars are all a tin can with four wheels,¡± Gao Xinxin argued with unsound logic. ¡°Why do you insist on driving a good car?¡±

    ¡°What do you know? My old man said that a real man must have a good car!¡± Wang Zikai gesticted passionately with his chopsticks. ¡°It''s a sign of a man¡¯s riches, reputation, and taste, as well as a manifestation of his personality...¡±

    ¡°Qing Ling, have some chicken.¡± Gao Yang picked up a piece of chicken and put it in Qing Ling¡¯s bowl.

    Wang Zikai trailed off, gaping at them.

    ¡°If I gain weight, you have to take responsibility.¡± Little Qing Ling lived up to her title of a professional rented girlfriend, giving Gao Yang a cute smile. They looked like a couple in passionate love.

    Gao Yang quickly responded with a cheesy line, ¡°I¡¯m feeding you on purpose so that there will be fewer people trying to take you from me.¡±

    Wang Zikai lost his appetite.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?! It¡¯s only been a few days. What did he do behind my back?</i>

    <i>Has he really gotten together with Qing Ling? Fuck, we agreed to be single together forever! Whoever breaks the promise is the loser!</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang, did you get together with Qing Ling?¡± Wang Zikai shouted in shock.

    Gao Yang paused.<i> Shit, I made a mistake. I forgot to exin to Wang Zikai.</i>

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know already, Wang Zikai?¡± Gao Xinxin put down her chopsticks and eyed him suspiciously.

    In Gao Xinxin¡¯s perspective, Gao Yang had been unreachable during the first few days their mother stayed at the hospital because he had tofort Qing Ling, who was threatening to kill herself over a potential breakup. In fact, it was Wang Zikai who told Gao Xinxin that.

    However, it sounded like Wang Zikai didn¡¯t know that his brother was with Qing Ling.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because...¡± Gao Yang was going to talk his way out of it.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Gao Xinxin interrupted him, turning to Wang Zikai and coldly demanding, ¡°Brother Kai, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah...¡± Wang Zikai panicked. ¡°Actually...¡±

    ¡°Actually?¡±

    Wang Zikai finally came up with something. ¡°Actually, Gao Yang did break up with Qing Ling, and I didn¡¯t know they had gotten back together. That¡¯s why I was so surprised. Haha, haha.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Shou got nervous.

    Line Yue was surprised too. She turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Is that true, Yang Yang?¡±

    <i>Do you know what you¡¯re talking about, Wang Zikai?</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed hisint, but quickly yed along. ¡°Yeah, we broke up after that time Qing Ling threatened to kill herself. I didn¡¯t know what to say to you, so I lied.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Little Qing Ling lowered her head and med herself, ¡°It was selfish of me to threaten Gao Yang like that. Once I calmed down, I decided to let Gao Yang go... But I didn¡¯t expect him to get into an ident only a few dayster, and he lost consciousness... Only then did I realize that I¡¯d only ever have feelings for him. I wanted to be with him forever...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, same for me.¡± Gao Yang smiled with embarrassment. ¡°After everything, I realized how deep my feelings for Qing Ling ran too...¡±

    ¡°Ugh, stop already!¡± Gao Xinxin made a disgusted face. ¡°I¡¯m getting goosebumps. Do you think you¡¯re ying out a drama or what?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Xinxin,¡± Gao Shou said with feelings. ¡°What¡¯s most precious is a love that¡¯s weathered storms.¡±

    ¡°Son, Daughter-in-Law...¡±

    Before Gao Shou could continue, Lin Yue hit his hand with a chopstick.

    Little Qing Ling smiled shyly. She was a great actress.

    Gao Shou quickly corrected himself. ¡°Son, Little Ling, it¡¯s not easy for you to get here today. You must treasure your rtionship. It takes ten years of good karma for two people to share a ferry, and a hundred years for two people to share a bed...¡±

    ¡°Enough, seriously. They¡¯re still young. You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself.¡± Lin Yue couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Eat.¡±

    ¡°Haha, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief, shooting his father an approving look. <i>You¡¯re good, Dad. You ended the conversation so easily.</i>

    Gao Shou¡¯s eyebrows jumped up, and he responded with a pointed look while thoroughly misunderstanding his son. <i>You wanna consummate your rtionship tonight? Sure! Dad has your back!</i>

 Chapter 481: Wind Rises

    <h4>Chapter 481: Wind Rises</h4>

    After dinner, Gao Yang volunteered to collect the eating utensils and help Zhuang Mei clean up the kitchen. Meanwhile, Lin Yue and Gao Xinxin were supporting Gao Shou as he strolled slowly around the front yard for rehabilitation, which had the added bonus of promoting digestion.

    The kitchen at the farmhouse was the old school type with an earthen stove. Arge pot would be ced on top with fire started underneath, mainly with firewood.

    Zhuang Mei cleaned the pot on the stove with a brush, while Gao Yang did the dishes on the side.

    ¡°It must be difficult to live on your own, Auntie Mei,¡± Gao Yang asked casually. ¡°You have so much to do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult at first, but you get used to it,¡± Zhuang Mei sounded just as casual.

    ¡°Do you regret your divorce? I still think everyone should have a family.¡±

    Zhuang Mei paused before continuing cleaning the pot, looking a little lonesome. ¡°Not every married couple could stay in love like your parents, Yang Yang. Those like me aren¡¯t fit for marriage, and divorce actually brought relief. I¡¯m doing okay now. I¡¯m free to do whatever or not do anything, and I don¡¯t have to take responsibility over anyone. We all have our own way of life.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve asked a silly question.¡±

    Zhuang Mei chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re young. Of course your perspective would be limited. You¡¯ll learn through experience.¡±

    After doing the dishes, Gao Yang walked out of the kitchen and didn¡¯t see Qing Ling around. He asked his father, who was in the front yard. ¡°Dad, where¡¯s Little Ling?¡±

    Gao Shou answered, ¡°She said she had eaten too much and was going on a stroll. She should be nearby.¡±

    Gao Xinxin clicked her tongue with a disapproving look on her face. ¡°They aren¡¯t even married yet, and they already can¡¯t stay far from each other. Brother¡¯s gonna forget about us in the future.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. That¡¯s not the kind of person your brother is.¡± Lin Yue patted Gao Xinxin on the forehead. ¡°It¡¯s how it is with new couples. You¡¯ll know once you get a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be like them,¡± Gao Xinxin insisted.

    With a smile, Gao Yang walked out of the front yard. Soon, he spotted a slim figure by a nearby pond.

    The full moon shone a clear light, its reflection floated on the pond. The night wind was gentle in this rural area, creating ripples in the pond. Qing Ling, standing by the pond, was awash in the gentle silver light, her long hair dancing in the air. Her profile was soft and serene, and a spot of light on the tip of her nose livened up her face.

    She tilted her head slightly upward and closed her eyes, enjoying the caress of the wind.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Gao Yang rustled the grass as he took a step, and Little Qing Ling opened her eyes slowly, cocking her head to look over at him. When she saw that it was Gao Yang, her eyes sparkled like stars, and she smiled.

    Gao Yang blinked. Although Little Qing Ling did smile on a regr basis, it was more often than not cold, mocking, taunting, disingenuous, or disapproving.

    It was the first time he saw such a natural and gentle smile from her.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Little Qing Ling waved him over.

    Gao Yang walked up to her. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes. Come on.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask why. He closed his eyes.

    ¡°Do you feel it?¡± Little Qing Ling asked quietly.

    ¡°The wind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the wind is best at times like this.¡±

    Gao Yang savored the feeling without a word. The breeze on an autumn night was cool, carrying the scent of withering nts and trees, lonesome yet gentle.

    ¡°Yeah, it feels good.¡± Gao Yang nodded, keeping his eyes closed to enjoy the moment of reprieve.

    ¡°There¡¯s a saying that Sister and I like a lot.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The wind is rising, we must try to live.[1]¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart trembled. A stubborn scar deep in his heart seemed to melt at that moment. He felt a serene beauty, and he was reluctant to lose it. It would be nice if time stopped then and there.

    Suddenly, a hand took Gao Yang¡¯s gently but determinedly, like it knew the right way to go.

    Gao Yang shuddered, his heart skipping.

    ¡°This one is for free,¡± Little Qing Ling said.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t want to let go of the hand, but he didn¡¯t have the courage to tighten his grip, either.

    He was afraid.

    Strange, it was such a beautiful moment, and he had felt joy and even happiness a second ago, yet he was scared now.

    Little Qing Ling let go of Gao Yang ten secondster.

    They opened their eyes almost at the same time and shared a look. Then Little Qing Ling looked away like nothing had happened. She tilted her head to tuck a strand of ear behind her ear. ¡°Are you here for my sister?¡±

    Gao Yang yed ignorant too and nodded. ¡°Yes, I have things to talk to her about. It¡¯s a little urgent.¡±

    Little Qing Ling pursed her lips and closed her eyes. ¡°A minute.¡±

    Five secondster, Qing Ling opened her eyes.

    Under the moonlight, she leveled Gao Yang with a cool stare. Gao Yang felt a little guilty under her scrutiny.<i> Why should I feel guilty? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.</i>

    ¡°Something you need to talk to me about?¡± asked Qing Ling.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice lowered. ¡°Something important.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    Gao Yang looked back at the farmhouse nearby, a little worried. Without missing a beat, Qing Ling grabbed his elbow and leaned toward him. Although she didn¡¯t do it as naturally as her sister, they looked enough like a loving couple from afar. ¡°Let¡¯s take a stroll.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked across the fields and past a rural path, finally stopping at a small stone bridge over a ditch. They were far from Zhuang Mei¡¯s farmhouse, away from unwanted ears.

    Qing Ling let go of Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Talk.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and said severely, ¡°I¡¯ll be frank. Don¡¯t be too surprised.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded.

    Without making a sound, Gao Yang mouthed the words.

    Qing Ling read it easily, and her eyes widened. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°I was only suspicious,¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice shuddered amid the night wind, ¡°But now I¡¯m basically 100% sure.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± It wasn¡¯t that Qing Ling didn¡¯t trust Gao Yang. She simply believed that it was a matter that required careful confirmation.

    Gao Yang nodded and shared his reasoning. ¡°What happened when we ran into the cockroach No.10 the first time, the conversation we overheard between No.7, Hyena, and No.8, Blood Amber, back in the West Nation, what happened the time No.9, Edmond, and No.12, Ke Yo, ran into us in the escape room, and what happened today all led to one conclusion.¡±

    ¡°The Tails have been going on missions in Li City recently, but their targets aren¡¯t the three major organizations. In fact, they are trying to stay away from the three organizations.¡±

    ¡°However, many members of the Tails harbor jealousy and resentment for us, so they easily lost control when they ran into us.¡±

    ¡°Including No.10, No.12, and the two members we met today, No.11, Xing Kong, and No.6, Madam Wu.¡±

    ¡°Edmond, Hyena, and Blood Amber should be the rtivelyposed members of Tails.¡±

    ¡°I understand all that.¡± Qing Ling nodded. ¡°But what are you getting at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to say that Tails crossed paths with us so many times when doing missions for a reason. It¡¯s not a simple coincidence.¡±

    1. A line from the French poet Paul Valery¡¯s work, <i>Le Cimetiere Marin (The Graveyard by the Sea)</i>. It¡¯s used in Miyazaki¡¯s film, <i>The Wind Rises.</i> ?

 Chapter 482: Sleepless Night

    <h4>Chapter 482: Sleepless Night</h4>

    That was enough to help Qing Ling connect many dots. ¡°Go on.¡±

    Although they should be safe from unwanted ears, Gao Yang still lowered his voice unconsciously. ¡°I told you before about the powerful mysterious woman Vermilion Bird and I ran into at a crossroad. She was able to throw me off with a single move.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a good look of her face, but through Chen Ying¡¯s investigation, we found some clues, including the path through which she left. She went past the 26th floor of the Xiangxi Building.¡±

    Qing Ling caught on. ¡°The second day, you went to the escape room there with your ssmates at night and ran into Ke Yo and Edmond.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Yes, that wasn¡¯t a coincidence. Edmond and Ke Yo must be after the mysterious woman too, so they took their chances and went there. To their surprise, they ran into other awakeners, namely me, Vermilion Bird, and Can. Ke Yo lost control then and conjured a realm, forcing us to y a game of life and death.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded, blinking at him to continue.

    ¡°Today, Xing Kong led us to the top of the mountain and fought us. My dad said that Xing Kong had actuallye here to look for Zhuang Mei.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. ¡°To conclude, the Tails were looking for the mysterious woman Vermilion Bird and I ran intote at night, and she¡¯s Zhuang Mei.¡±

    Qing Ling was convinced, but to y the devil¡¯s advocate, she asked, ¡°Is that enough to reach a definite conclusion? And the woman in the surveince footage has red hair, while Zhuang Mei has ck hair.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something called hair dye.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Qing Ling, remember that I took you away to tell you something in the evening after we foraged mushrooms?¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°You already suspected Zhuang Mei then?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Gao Yang sighed softly. ¡°Coincidentally, when you and I were looking up at Zhuang Mei and my mother from a lower ground, both of them were backlit by the setting sun, and Zhuang Mei¡¯s silhouette looked identical to that of the woman on top of the building when backlit that night.¡±

    Qing Ling fell silent. She knew things were getting troublesome.

    Gao Yang continued with his spection. ¡°The third day of Crimson Tide, Zhuang Mei sought out my mom and made her go missing for two days in order to lure me out.¡±

    ¡°Now it seems that Zhuang Mei is an elite monster in kahoot with Sir Fu, and they nned the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°However, Zhuang Mei can¡¯t be a pride monster since there¡¯s only one surviving pride monster now, Sir Jiang.¡±

    ¡°So.¡± Gao Yang came to his final conclusion¡ªwhat he had mouthed at Qing Ling earlier. <i>Zhuang Mei is a life monster.</i>

    She was the living white phenix Hyena and the whole Tails were looking to capture alive.

    ¡°What do we do with her?¡±

    That was what Qing Ling was most concerned about. Back in the West Nation, the reanimated skeleton of a life monster had given them so much trouble. How would she and Gao Yang deal with a living life monster?

    ¡°You should¡¯ve told War Tiger,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°If War Tiger knew, Dragon would know, and Dragon could deal with her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t n to make a move on Zhuang Mei just yet,¡± Gao Yang told her.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°There are many things that don¡¯t make sense.¡± Gao Yang nodded and lowered his eyes. ¡°There were many times Zhuang Mei could have killed me. When I ran into her at the crossroad at night, she knocked me out with a move, yet spared me in the end.¡±

    ¡°The fact that she hasn¡¯t killed you doesn¡¯t mean that she won¡¯t.¡± Qing Ling hardened her voice. ¡°She¡¯s a monster.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang held Qing Ling¡¯s gaze. ¡°That¡¯s why I started a random conversation when I was doing dishes and used Lie Detection on her. I didn¡¯t dare to ask a specific question to test her, or I may alert her.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°She lied, but her stance was neutral.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t say anything. She knew what Gao Yang was thinking.

    If pride monsters were divided into observers, lightbringers, and shadowstalkers, perhaps life monsters were divided into different factions too, or they might not be hostile to humans at all.

    The fact that no life monster had shown up and attacked awakeners despite how strong they were was the best proof.

    If Zhuang Mei was neutral to them at the moment, there was no need to expose her and sh with her.

    Qing Ling was still concerned. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to just leave her be.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, Qing Ling.¡± Gao Yang clenched his fists unconsciously. ¡°If we anger Zhuang Mei, she may retaliate against me and my family, and I¡¯m not confident that I can protect them at the moment.¡±

    Qing Ling was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°What do you n to do then?¡±

    ¡°Have others do the dirty work.¡± Gao Yang used a saying that was perhaps a little inappropriate in the context.

    Qing Lint thought about it, her eyes glinting. ¡°You mean we should lead the three organizations to discover Zhuang Mei¡¯s identity on their own. Then Zhuang Mei won¡¯te after us even if she turns out to be an enemy.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a little despicable, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same.¡±

    Gao Yang was grateful to her. It was good to have her around. She always had his back.

    ¡°Then we y dumb tonight. After we split up with Zhuang Mei tomorrow, I¡¯ll try to leak the information to Qilin and Dragon. We should refrain from doing that for a couple days, though, or Zhuang Mei may still suspect us.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep tonight and be careful,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Gao Yang broke into a smile. ¡°But you needn¡¯t worry too much. Remember, we have the greatest bodyguard with us.¡±

    ...

    ¡°<i>Achoo!</i>¡±

    Wang Zikai sneezed.

    ¡°What the heck!¡± Gao Xinxin was a little angry. She had things to talk to Wang Zikai about, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention.

    Wang Zikai rubbed his nose. ¡°Go on. I¡¯m listening.¡±

    They were sitting cross-legged on the bed in Gao Xinxin¡¯s room, like rtives chatting on a heated floor.

    ¡°Are my brother and Qing Ling really that close?¡± asked Gao Xinxin.

    Wang Zikai paused before nodding. ¡°Of course! They are close!¡±

    Gao Xinxin let out a long sigh. ¡°I should be d that he¡¯s got a girlfriend, but I¡¯m so worried.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Look at him. He¡¯s only thinking about his girlfriend now! He doesn¡¯t care about me anymore! And when my dad and Qing Ling fell into a river at the same time, he went to save Qing Ling first! If my dad hadn¡¯t suddenly recovered his ability to walk, he would¡¯ve drowned! If my brother is already as heartless as he is now, what do you think will happen once he gets married?¡±

    ¡°Um...¡± Wang Zikai suddenly thought she had a point.

    In order to make Wang Zikai empathize with her sense of loss, Gao Xinxin gave him some examples. ¡°Think about it. When you ask him to y games with you in the future, he¡¯ll get a call from Qing Ling and leave before the seat¡¯s even warm, and you can¡¯t keep him. He won¡¯t even stay a little longer.¡±

    ¡°When you hang out with him, he¡¯ll always bring Qing Ling around. Even when he doesn¡¯t, he will talk about her all the time.¡±

    ¡°Gradually, your call to him will end after a few words, and he will be really slow in responding to your messages, or he won¡¯t respond at all. He won¡¯t care about you. He won¡¯t be interested in your life.¡±

    ¡°On the rare asion that he visits you, it¡¯ll be because he has a fight with Qing Ling. You talk your mouth dry trying tofort him and console him, happy that your friendship is back, but then Qing Ling calls, and he leaves just like that. You¡¯re nothing but a joke...¡±

    ¡°Fuck, stop it already!¡± Wang Ziaki clenched his fists. It was such a vivid image that he was getting angry now.

    ¡°You know him, Brother Kai!¡± Gao Xinxin continued to fan the fire. ¡°He¡¯s only got romance in his head when he¡¯s in love! With a girlfriend, he¡¯s got no time for us. Both family and friends are nothing to him!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Wang Zikai was agitated. ¡°That¡¯s not fucking happening! We can¡¯t have that!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We can¡¯t have that!¡± Gao Xinxin grabbed his hands. ¡°We must do something, Brother Kai!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we must do something!¡±

    ¡°Break apart the love birds! Family first or death!¡±

    ¡°Break apart the love birds! Friend first or death!¡±

    ...

    ¡°<i>Achoo!</i>¡±

    Gao Yang sneezed.

    ¡°Got a cold?¡± Qing Ling asked coolly.

    They were on their way back to the farmhouse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± Gao Yang rubbed at his nose and smiled. ¡°Maybe someone¡¯s talking behind my back.¡±

    He looked up at the farmhouse. The light was still on. ¡°Be careful tonight.¡±

 Chapter 483: Father and Son

    <h4>Chapter 483: Father and Son</h4>

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling returned to the farmhouse. With the light turned off, they celebrated Lin Yue¡¯s birthday, singing the birthday song and cutting the cake.

    In no time, it was eleven at night. They took turns taking showers and brushing their teeth before retiring to their respective rooms.

    Since Wang Zikai had joined them suddenly, there was no other room left for him. He thus settled down in the same room as Gao Yang and his father, sleeping on a foldable bed set up at thest minute.

    The three of them chatted a while before turning in.

    Wang Zikai, ever the carefree one, started snoring not long after. With his eyes closed, Gao Yang pretended to be asleep while his system ran, making sure that he would spot the danger immediately should something happen.

    His father¡¯s breathing was shallow. It was obvious that he was still awake too.

    In the dark, Gao Yang asked softly, ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡±

    Gao Shou opened his eyes immediately and turned to look at his son, whispering, ¡°Yeah, what happened today...is like a dream. It still feels so surreal to me... Pinch me, son. I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I reacted simrly.¡±

    Gao Shou¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement, eager. ¡°Son, my ma...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ste, Dad. Let¡¯s sleep.¡± Gao Yang stopped him in time.

    They were under the same rooftop as Zhuang Mei now, and they didn¡¯t know her power. It would be troublesome if she had particrly keen hearing. It was best to be careful.

    Gao Shou hadn¡¯t thought that far, but he could tell from his son¡¯s tone that he didn¡¯t want to go into it now.

    Gao Shou trusted his son unconditionally, and in the world of awakeners, his son was his senior.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sleep.¡± Gao Shou turned around and stopped talking.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief, closing his eyes to keep pretending to be asleep.

    On the other side of the wall, Qing Ling didn¡¯t sleep, either. In fact, she hadn¡¯t even stripped down before going to bed. Under the light nket were her two des. She was ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice.

    The night passed uneventfully.

    Eight o¡¯clock in the morning, they woke up one after another and had simple breakfast before calling a car to take them away. Only when the car drove out of the vige, away from Zhuang Mei¡¯s farmhouse, did Gao Yang allow himself to rx.

    Qing Ling reacted simrly. She tilted her head to rest it on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder, deciding to have a nap.

    Once they were back to the Shanqing District, Wang Zikai drove his car to give Qing Ling a lift home before heading back to his ce. Gao Yang¡¯s mother went straight to the gold jewelry shop for work, and Gao Xinxin got off halfway, saying that she had ns to go shopping with her ssmates to make the most of the rare off days.

    Gao Yang went home with his father, pushing the wheelchair for him. They didn¡¯t say anything on the way.

    As soon as they entered the house, his father jumped up from the wheelchair and shut the door. ¡°You can tell me now, can¡¯t you, Son?¡±

    Gao Yang knew that his father must be dying to ask questions. For a second, he felt the urge to lie to his father, wanting to shield him from the cruel reality.

    But his father had awakened. He had the right to know the truth of the world. And he would run into danger sooner orter if he was left in the dark.

    A stark contrast from Gao Shou¡¯s visible excitement, Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem enthused at all. He sat down on the sofa and looked up at his father, speaking in a tired voice.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t actual father and son, Dad.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Shou¡¯s smile froze. He had been waiting for his son to talk about superhumans awakening, helping the weak by going after the strong, the secret missions, or the call to save the world.

    But what his son said first left Gao Shou bbergasted.

    <i>What do you mean we aren¡¯t father and son?</i>

    ¡°I mean we aren¡¯t biological father and son,¡± Gao Yang exined.

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not possible!¡± Gao Shou shouted vehemently. ¡°Your mom...your mom will never cheat on me...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Dad.¡± Gao Yang sighed. ¡°Calm down and hear me out first.¡±

    Gao Shou was still reeling when Gao Yang dropped another bombshell. ¡°And you aren¡¯t Granny¡¯s biological son. Gao Xinxin isn¡¯t your biological daughter, either...¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be! That cannot be!¡± Gao Shou was losing his mind. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about, Gao Yang?!¡±

    ¡°I know. I know very well.¡± Gao Yang sighed, holding his father¡¯s gaze. ¡°We¡¯re all orphans of the world, long abandoned by God, Dad.¡±

    Gao Shou was stunned. He stared at his son without moving.

    It was absurd. Ridiculous.

    Suddenly, Gao Shou broke into hystericalughter and said like he had realized the truth, ¡°You¡¯re testing your old man, aren¡¯t you, you brat! You must be nning to recruit me into your organization, and this is the trial I have to pass! You¡¯re a good actor. I almost bought it...¡±

    ¡°Dad.¡± Gao Yang interrupted him seriously and earnestly. ¡°Everything I say is the truth.¡±

    ...

    From ten o¡¯clock in the morning to three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang spent five hours catching his father up. First, his father had to know about the one to ten thousand ratio of humans and monsters in the Mist World.

    Then Gao Yang talked about the greed, wrath, delusion, pride, life, and death monsters, as well as the twelve Rune Types, 199 Talents, Crimson Tide, Gates of Closure, the three major organizations, the Godbearer Cult, and the Spectres...

    Gao Yang followed that with his own story, starting from his eighteenth birthday six months ago. He ran into an allegedly mentally-ill man, almost got killed by Li Weiwei, awakened with Talent: Lucky, then passed the test of the Twelve Zodiac Signs with Qing Ling and Officer Huang, thus joining the world of awakeners officially.

    Gao Yang left out nothing.

    Gao Shou was at first stunned, confused, and doubtful. Then he was scared, sad, pained, and resistant. In the end, he was silent.

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    Finally, Gao Yang was done with his exnation.

    Gao Shou sat bonelessly on the sofa, his head lowered. He held onto his right thumb tightly with his left hand, his knuckles white.

    After a long while, he finally looked up with reddened eyes, looking lost and helpless like a child losing their way on a street they didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°What should I do now?¡±

    Gao Yang said with sympathy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad. Your answer is yours to find.¡±

    ¡°What about your answer?¡± His father then thought of something. ¡°You¡¯re still here, with us. Is this...your answer?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Then your mother and sister...¡± Gao Shou mustered the courage to ask. ¡°Are they monsters?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to know.¡±

    ¡°A one in ten thousand chance isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Gao Shou said with wishful thinking. ¡°See, both of us are awakeners. Perhaps your mom and sister are too. Perhaps you and your sister are actually born between me and your mom...¡±

    ¡°Dad,¡± Gao Yang interjected. ¡°I have a teammate who can differentiate between humans and monsters. If you want to check Mom¡¯s and Sister¡¯s identity, I can introduce her to you.¡±

    Gao Shou paused. He suddenly realized that like his son, he didn¡¯t want to face the reality, either.

    ¡°My answer is the same as Granny¡¯s at the end of the day. Whatever happens, you¡¯re my family.¡± Gao Yang tried tofort his father. ¡°You¡¯ve just awakened, Dad. Your head must be a mess. It¡¯s been a long and difficult process for me to figure things out since my awakening.¡±

    Gao Shou nodded. His head was a mess.

    Even now, he still loved his family deeply, but thinking of the possibility that his wife and daughter, who he spent all his time with, could turn out to be different species from him¡ªand monsters who could eat him at any time at that¡ªhe couldn¡¯t ept it.

    It was ridiculous, surreal.

    ¡°When my legs recovered yesterday, I was overjoyed.¡± Gao Shou covered his face with both hands, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Now, I¡¯d rather I were still crippled and ignorant...¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Then both of us would¡¯ve gotten killed by the Tails.¡±

    Gao Shou paused, looking up at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s fate,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Maybe you were bound to awaken and save me.¡±

    Gao Shou¡¯s lips trembled. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    They were silent for a while.

    Then Gao Yang thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, Dad, did you see it in person when Mom gave birth to me and my sister?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Gao Shou shook his head. ¡°I was waiting outside the delivery room. I couldn¡¯t enter.¡±

    ¡°Was there anything strange?¡±

    Gao Shou thought back to it seriously. ¡°Not really, but it did take quite long for your mom to give birth to you. I waited outside the whole night and was so worried that your mom was undergoing an obstructedbor. I kept calling out for them to save the mother first through the door...¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and didn¡¯t ask anything else.

    He rose to his feet and advised his father, ¡°I¡¯m going back to my college dorm tonight. You¡¯re gonna be on your own. Remember to y your role well and not expose yourself. It¡¯s for you, for me, and for Mom and Xinxin.¡±

    Gao Yang was being earnest. ¡°You can do it, can¡¯t you, Dad?¡±

    Gao Shou looked at him with determined eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Son. Leave it to me. You must contact me if you run into danger. Don¡¯t push yourself, okay? Dad will protect you.¡±

    ¡°Promise.¡±

    Gao Yang offered a fist.

    Gao Shou pumped his fist.

 Chapter 484: Boasting

    <h4>Chapter 484: Boasting</h4>

    In the evening, Lin Yue and Gao Xinxin went home. Gao Shou acted like he usually did.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang visited the barbecue ce in the Walled City of Ten Dragons before returning to his college dorm. Eight o¡¯clock in the evening, someone knocked.

    Gao Yang was the closest to the door, so he got it without being asked to. To his surprise, the one standing outside was Waking Insects.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Lin Dajian, who was ying RDR2, turned to look at the door, so did Qiu Qiu and Mi Shi.

    ¡°Why are you here, Third Uncle?¡± Gao Yang reacted quickly, calling out in a pleased voice.

    Waking Insects wasn¡¯t the best actor, and he smiled stiffly. Thankfully, his voice sounded natural enough. ¡°I was in the neighborhood and swung by to visit you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, have you eaten? You haven¡¯t? Let¡¯s go have food!¡± Gao Yang raised his voice on purpose and turned to tell his roommates, ¡°I¡¯m taking my third uncle to dinner.¡±

    He took Waking Insects out of the dorm and didn¡¯t stop until they were somewhere with no one around. ¡°Letter?¡±

    Waking Insects nodded, slowly taking a postcard out of his bag. The photo was of a majestic snowy mountain, at the bottom of which was a hotel.

    Gao Yang took the postcard and flipped to the back.

    ¡°The snowy mountain is soooo cold. I don¡¯t like it here. (¡Ñ©n¡Ñ)¡±

    ¡°Sister taught me how to ski, but I¡¯m an idiot and can¡¯t learn it...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use any <i>pinyin </i>this time. Ain¡¯t I awesome? (??????)??¡±

    ¡°I miss you so much, Gao Yang. Do you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Looking forward to your response.¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. Fresh Snow hadn¡¯t changed. With a smile, he asked Waking Insects, ¡°Do you have a pen with you?¡±

    Waking Insects came prepared. He gave Gao Yang a ck fountain pen.

    Gao Yang looked around before walking up to a bench on the side of the road, squatting down to draft a response to Fresh Snow.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t an idiot, Fresh Snow. We all have things we¡¯re good at and things we aren¡¯t good at.¡±

    ¡°Your writing has gotten neater. You¡¯re awesome.¡±

    ¡°Remember to put on extra clothes if the mountain is cold. Ghosts may also catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°I miss you too. Looking forward to your next letter.¡±

    Gao Yang handed the postcard to Waking Insects, saying, ¡°The next time youe to me...¡±

    <i>Whoosh. </i>Like a gust of wind, Waking Insects disappeared.

    Gao Yang was left standing there awkwardly. <i>At least let me finish!</i>

    At night, Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian didn¡¯t return to the dorm since they were going to a role-y murder mystery overnight, while Mi Shi had retired to bed before eleven with his unchanging biological clock.

    After light-out, Gao Yang meditated and quickly entered Sweet Dream.

    He opened his eyes to a pleasant breeze sweeping over his face, the air refreshing. The sun was bright and clear, and the sky blue like that of a painting. Before him was a short hill covered in cherry trees, the thriving blossoms forming a pink ocean.

    Wind rustled the pink ocean and triggered waves after waves, scattering petals in the sky.

    Under onerge cherry tree knelt a woman in a blue and white sailor school uniform. It was Liu Qingying.

    Although she was mature and seductive, the highschool uniform looked good on her. She had her hair tied into a high ponytail, and her makeup made her facial features sharp and handsome. She had a binder on, making her look tall and slim. She looked like an upperssman in the kendo club from some anime.

    With her legs pressed together, she knelt on a light-colored checkered pic nket, on which were an assortment of pretty snacks, including sakura mochi[1], <i>hanami dango</i>[2], cherry blossom <i>yokan</i>[3], and <i>taiyaki</i>[4].

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, Gao Yang. Let¡¯s watch the cherry blossoms together.¡± Liu Qingying waved at Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang walked up to her while grumbling inwardly, <i>You just can¡¯t stop acting, can you, Miss?</i>

    Liu Qingying offered him a skewer of<i> hanami dango.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t take it. He sat down. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    Liu Qingying put away the snack and smiled faintly. ¡°I can sense anxiety from you.¡±

    <i>How could I not be anxious, when there¡¯s a powerful life monster with unclear intentions in my close social circle?</i>

    Gao Yang quickly pushed away the thought so that Liu Qingying wouldn¡¯t read it. He held Liu Qingying¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°You first.¡±

    Liu Qingying rested the cup of cherry blossom tea she was holding with both hands on herp. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the two pieces of intel I¡¯m looking for. Consider selling them to me if you know them.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Where is the Gates of Closure? What does it look like?¡± Liu Qingying asked. ¡°That¡¯s an S-ss intel.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°That¡¯s two questions.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right. Then consider it an S+ ss intel.¡±

    That was the highest ss there was.

    Indeed, what could be more important to awakeners than the Gates of Closure?

    Unfortunately, Gao Yang had only seen the projection of it rather than the real thing.

    ¡°I won¡¯t trade that with you.¡± Instead of saying that he didn¡¯t know, he said that he wouldn¡¯t trade the information, leaving room for Liu Qingying¡¯s imagination to run wild.

    Liu Qingying chuckled and nodded like she had expected the response. ¡°Pleasee to me anytime if you ever change your mind.¡±

    ¡°What else do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°The second intel is A ss: how did thete wife of Dead Pig of the Twelve Zodiac Signs die?¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. Why would Liu Qingying care about Dead Pig¡¯s wife?

    No, she might not be the one who wanted the information. She was an information broker. Where there was a need, there was supply. Perhaps it was her client who wanted to know the answer.

    Gao Yang said honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if I ever learn of the information, I¡¯ll consider trading with you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liu Qingying smiled slightly. ¡°I have two pieces of information you may be interested in, one about the Tails, the other about Zhang Wei.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the Tails first.¡±

    ¡°They have been quite active in Li City recently, seemingly looking for something,¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°That¡¯s an A-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°I already know. Actually, I may know more than you do.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Oh?¡±

    Gao Yang said bluntly, ¡°But I can¡¯t tell you yet.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just about where they stood; the safety of Gao Yang and his family was on the line.

    Liu Qingying was smart enough to not press. ¡°Again,e to me if you ever change your mind.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at her. ¡°Tell me about Zhang Wei.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a B+ intel.¡±

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll pay you with <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always generous, Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°On thest night of the Crimson Tide, when X activated Poison of Hell and poisoned all awakeners, Zhang Wei was the one awakener who wasn¡¯t affected.¡±

    Gao Yang started. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not sure, or it wouldn¡¯t just be a B+ intel.¡± Liu Qingying was a little resigned.

    ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Wei boasted about it himself when he got drunk with his colleagues, so it¡¯s not exactly reliable information.¡±

    <i>You call that intel? </i>Gao Yang grumbled silently.

    ¡°Still,¡± Liu Qingying added, ¡°That night, no one saw Zhang Wei wake up.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, catching on.

    ¡°Back in the Walled City of Ten Dragons, Elder White Tiger saved all of us, but we quickly cked out from the poison. When I came to, Zhang Wei was already awake.¡±

    ¡°From what I know, the first to wake up were Elder Azure Dragon and Madam Li. When I regained consciousness, about seven people were already up and running, including Zhang Wei.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Gao Yang narrowed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    <i>Zhang Wei¡¯s Talent is ranked 198, the second lowest on the list. Outside of his body being a little stronger than a regr human, he doesn¡¯t really have any special abilities.</i>

    Those who had woken up first from Poison of Hell were awakeners with high-ranking Talents with strong physique and high willpower. Although Liu Qingying couldn¡¯t prove that Zhang Wei was immune to Poison of Hell, her statement did prove that Zhang Wei had woken up early, which was at odds with the assumption that he was weak.

    Perhaps he really was immune and hadn¡¯t fallen unconscious at all.

    <i>I should ask Elder Azure Dragon about it. If Zhang Wei was already awake when he did, it would mean Zhang Wei wasn¡¯t boasting after drinking, but telling the truth.</i>

    There was more to Confidence than met the eyes.

    [ess ends.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you next time,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°No rush.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated before turning to Liu Qingying. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s someone I¡¯d like to look into, but it may be dangerous, so it¡¯ll at least be an S-ss intel. Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted. She seemed very interested.

    Before Gao Yang could say Zhuang Mei¡¯s name, the world started shaking, and the air grew turbulent, sending the cherry blossoms flying in the sky. The scene around him shattered like a mirror, revealing a dark void.

    ¡°You¡¯re in a rush today...¡± Liu Qingying was a little surprised.

    Gao Yang was surprised too. His phone must be ringing. Although it was put on silent, the vibration alone would wake him if someone called.

    On second thought, it might be better to not send Liu Qingying to look into Zhuang Mei. The risk was too great.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end things here.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Until next time.¡± Liu Qingying nodded.

    ...

    When Gao Yang woke up from Sweet Dream, it was only a little over eleven at night. He took his vibrating phone from under his pillow and checked it. Officer Huang was calling.

    An ominous feeling rose in his heart. He picked up the call and said softly, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang,e to my ce now!¡± Officer Huang¡¯s voice trembled slightly with panic. ¡°There¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    1. A chewy, light pink glutinous rice ball filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in an edible pickled cherry blossom leaf. ?

    2. Skewered dumplings of different colors made with rice flour and glutinous rice flour. ?

    3. Gelled sweet bean paste made chiefly of red beans, sugar, and agar-agar ?

    4. A fish-shaped cake with sweet red bean filling. ?

 Chapter 485: Tracking

    <h4>Chapter 485: Tracking</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there ASAP.¡±

    Gao Yang hung up and quickly put on clothes, socks, and shoes. After making sure that Mi Shi was still sound asleep, he teleported outside.

    His phone vibrated again. It was a message this time.

    Qing Ling: Rooftop.

    It seemed that Qing Ling had gotten a call from Officer Huang too.

    With a double jump, Gao Yang made it to the rooftop of the boys¡¯ dorm. Qing Ling was already there.

    Her long hair flew amid the night breeze as she rode her Tang Dao. ¡°Hop on.¡±

    Li City University was quite far from Officer Huang¡¯s ce. It would take a lot of energy for Qing Ling to carry them there with her de, and she could run out on the way. However, it was the fastest option.

    Gao Yang jumped onto Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao and grabbed onto her waist. They lifted off the rooftop and headed toward Officer Huang¡¯s ce.

    After traveling a little more than a hundred meters, a familiar voice came from above them. ¡°Hey, need a ride?¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling looked up to see Heavenly Dog flying above them at a noticeably faster speed. As he spoke, he produced a sturdy white cloth from his right sleeve. Qing Ling grabbed it immediately.

    ¡°Hold on tight.¡±

    At full throttle, Heavenly Dog¡¯s level 6 Fly was almost as quick as a helicopter.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang immediately felt that they were going faster, and the wind swept over them. Gao Yang felt as if he and Qing Ling were surfing on the ocean, while Heavenly Dog was pulling their surfboard along with a helicopter.

    It only took a few minutes for them to rush to Officer Huang¡¯s ce.

    They entered through the balcony adjacent to the living room, where Officer Huang was pacing around, face ashen and anxious. As soon as he saw the three of them, he came up and said, ¡°My wife¡¯s missing!¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. They had guessed that it could be the case. ¡°Go into more details.¡±

    Officer Huang handed a white phone to Gao Yang, speaking quickly, ¡°When I came home, she wasn¡¯t around, and she didn¡¯t bring her phone. It¡¯s strange. She¡¯s usually asleep at this time. Even when she gets hungry, she orders takeout. She¡¯d never go out without her phone.¡±

    ¡°Have you called Chen Ying?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°She¡¯s the first I called.¡±

    <i>Rat-at-tat.</i>

    Someone knocked.

    Heavenly Dog answered the door. It was Chen Ying and Little Tian.

    Chen Ying had only put on a bathrobe and a pair of sandals before rushing here, her hair still damp and her expression hurried, panting heavily.

    It was easy to picture that she had drawn a hot bath after work, nning to have a rxing time, but then Officer Huang called, and she rushed out after only putting on a bathrobe, in too much of a hurry to dress properly.

    Chen Ying had heard about what happened on the way. Without changing into slippers, she strode up and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your bedroom?¡±

    ¡°This way.¡± Officer Huang opened a door.

    ¡°Please stay quiet.¡± Chen Ying rushed in, closing the door behind her.

    Officer Huang waited outside, worried that he would distract Chen Ying, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t tamp down his anxiety, and the emotions and energy he radiated were distracting.

    Gao Yang went up to him and patted him on the shoulder, signaling at Officer Huang to follow him to the balcony.

    The night wind calmed Officer Huang down a little. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Finally, the tremor in his hands subsided a little.

    ¡°Any idea?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Officer Huang scowled. ¡°My wife has never made any enemies, and she has few friends. I can¡¯t think of anyone who would hurt her.¡±

    ¡°So we exclude the possibility that this is a mundane matter,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°That leaves us with the world of awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Which awakeners could my wife have attracted the attention of?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Su is special,¡± Gao Yang suggested.

    Officer Huang had thought about the possibility, only he wasn¡¯t willing to admit it.

    After taking another deep drag, he mustered the courage to say, ¡°You think this has something to do with Tails?¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Officer Huang swore under his breath.

    ¡°The Godbearer Cult has been studying the rtionship between humans and monsters and conducted many experiments. To them, your wife is a valuable...¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed the words ¡°test subject¡±. It would be cruel.

    ¡°My wife has been pregnant for more than a couple days, though. Why haven¡¯t they sought her out before? Why now?¡± Officer Huang still couldn¡¯t ept it.

    <i>Because she¡¯s close to delivery, perhaps.</i>

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang decided not to say it.

    Their top priority was to rescue Su Xi; agitating Officer Huang wouldn¡¯t help.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The bedroom door opened. Chen Ying reemerged. Gao Yang and Officer Huang immediately ran up to her.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Long story short.¡± Chen Ying looked at him with a grave look. ¡°Half an hour before, your wife was asleep when suddenly, a strange whistle knocked her outpletely.¡±

    She pointed at the bay window of the bedroom. ¡°There was a man and a young girl. They entered the room through the bay window, going through it directly like ghosts. When the man picked up Su Xi, she turned incorporeal as well, and the three left through the window.¡±

    ¡°Edmond and Ke Yo,¡± Qing Ling recognized. ¡°Members of Tails.¡±

    ¡°So it was the Tails!¡±

    Officer Huang mmed his fist on the wall, having lost hisposure and his ability to think calmly.

    Gao Yang quickly analyzed the clues. ¡°When in the Unreachable state, Edmond could go through all obstacles. They were very likely to have taken the shortest route unconsciously¡ªa straight line, that was. Given they had left through the bay window, their base must be in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Chen Ying nodded and looked at Heavenly Dog and Qing Ling. ¡°I¡¯m no good in a fight, so I¡¯ll stand by. Heavenly Dog, you should take them to track Tails down.¡±

    ¡°Little Tian¡¯s level 6 Sensory can sense awakeners within two kilometers. Fly in this direction. None of the Tails members are weak. If they are together, Little Tian will be able to sense them immediately.¡±

    That seemed viable to Gao Yang too. Outside of the bases of the three major organizations and the teams sent out on missions, it was very rare for more than five awakeners to gather in one ce in Li City. Little Tian only had to find a ce with several awakeners to locate the Tails.

    ¡°Then what are we waiting for?!¡±

    Officer Huang opened the bay window, and the night wind swept in.

    Heavenly Dog carried Little Tian on his back while holding onto Gao Yang and Officer Huang, flying out of the window.

    Qing Ling quickly caught up with them on her flying de.

 Chapter 486: Smoker

    <h4>Chapter 486: Smoker</h4>

    Li City sparkled with light at night, the neon colors catching the eyes. A few figures flew high in the sky. Carrying the weight of three people, Heavenly Dog¡¯s flying speed was slowed somewhat.

    Holding onto Heavenly Dog¡¯s neck tightly, Little Tian closed his eyes and concentrated on Sensory.

    After about ten minutes, when they were going to leave the Shanqing District, Little Tian opened his eyes, which glinted with a deep blue light. ¡°Got it!¡±

    Heavenly Dog stopped flying.

    Holding onto Heavenly Dog¡¯s hands, Officer Huang and Gao Yang both looked up at Little Tian. Officer Huang was burning with worry, but he didn¡¯t want to distract Little Tian, so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I sensed them. One, two, three...¡± Little Tian closed his eyes again, frowning. ¡°There are seven in total.¡±

    Gao Yang started. Seven? Tails had sent half of its members this time.

    Little Tian continued, ¡°Brother Heavenly Dog, they¡¯re on our two, about a kilometer away.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Heavenly Dog immediately flew in that direction, asking faintly, ¡°Can we really defeat them with such a small number?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t answer. Eyes narrowed, he looked down below. It was the oldest train station in Li City, having been abandoned for years. Over the past two years, there had been ns to turn it into a tourist sight, but the construction kept getting dyed.

    There were about a dozen railways and eight rusty train cars, surrounded by wire fences. And that was all there was to the old station. The wire fences had been long broken, though, and the train cars became shelter to the homeless and old scrap collectors.

    Gao Yang called Gray Bear. The phone was picked up with reluctance, and the man said hoarsely, ¡°Hello...¡±

    ¡°The old train station in the Shanqing District,e with reinforcements immediately!¡±

    Gray Bear jerked awake, ¡°Now? How many should I bring?¡±

    ¡°As many as possible. We¡¯re eliminating the Tails.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Gao Yang hung up. The five of them were now right above the station. Heavenly Dog quickly descended. When they were about two hundred meters away from the ground, Little Tian called out, ¡°Watch out, Brother. Someone¡¯sing...¡±

    ¡°The Tails?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°No, not them.¡± Little Tian shook his head, looking a little confused. ¡°It seems to be a wanderer, but it¡¯s strange...¡±

    ¡°Here theye!¡±

    Riding on her de, Qing Ling was the first to spot a figure lifting off and flying toward them. Two secondster, everyone got a clear look at the old scrap collector. He was frail, bony, and dressed in tattered clothes and covered in grimes. On his thin, sickly face, his eyes widened with terror. His face was covered in sweat.

    Body stiff and lips twitching, he seemed to want to say something, but couldn¡¯t form the words.

    Gao Yang could sense that the poor old man had been lifted into the air by an invisible force.

    The old man was still quickly approaching them, almost reaching their altitude. Gao Yang pushed his six senses to the max and finally made out what he was muttering.

    ¡°Save...save me...¡±

    [Warning...]

    The moment the system warning sounded, a thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind. He remembered one of the bottom Talents¡ªFirework.

    ¡°Scatter!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A secondter, the scrap collector blew up into a brilliant and captivating firework of elements, the destructive power no lesser than that of a small bomb. It looked like colorful paints had been sshed onto the ck canvas that was the sky.

    One second before the explosion, Gao Yang, still holding onto Heavenly Dog¡¯s hand, had teleported Heavenly Dog, Officer Huang, and Little Tian fifteen meters away. Qing Ling had sprang to action too, jumping down quickly to avoid the dangerous elemental bomb.

    Qing Ling fell toward the train station, not in a rush to summon her Tang Dao to catch herself. Meanwhile, Heavenly Dog and the others saw about seven people rushing toward them¡ªall homeless people and old scrap collectors under the Talent¡¯s control.

    <i>Badstard!</i> Gao Yang cursed in his head, shouting, ¡°Heavenly Dog, protect Little Tian!¡±

    Then he grabbed Officer Huang¡¯s arm, and without missing a beat, Officer Huang let go of Heavenly Dog.

    Gao Yang had already replicated Heavenly Dog¡¯s Fly. He carried Officer Huang toward the ground, while Heavenly Dog flew with Little Tian on his back.

    <i>Boom, boom boom!</i>

    Beautiful elemental fireworks continued to shoot through the night sky. Heavenly Dog and Gao Yang dove and turned and soared like two fighter jets, avoiding the exploding wanderer bombs amid the brilliant elemental power, the flickering light casting light and shadow on their faces.

    On top of a train car in the old train station stood a man.

    He had long limbs and cruel facial features. His brown hair was unusually thick, and so was his brown body hair, making him look like a chimp that hadn¡¯t fully evolved into a human.

    He was wearing colorful shorts, a white sleeveless shirt, and a pair of flip-flops, as well as a floppy ck fisherman¡¯s hat on his head. On his nose perched a pair of small brown circr sunsses.

    Hands raised toward the sky, he manipted the wanderer fireworks while grinning, revealing his yellowed teeth.

    ¡°Art! This is art! You¡¯re gonna appreciate it or else!¡±

    Below the train car stood No.10, Cockroach, No. 6, Madam Wu, and No.11, Xing Kong.

    ¡°Fireworks! Fireworks! I wanna y too...¡± No.10 drooled and pped like someone with a mental disability.

    Xing Kong¡¯s missing arm had been reced by a robotic prosthetic. He stared up at the sky with a half-smile.

    Scowling, Madam Wu muttered to herself, ¡°Smoker, the mad monkey!¡±

    Smoker, No.4 of Tails, Talent: Firework.

    He could freely manipte the elements inside the body of those he had touched for more than one second or those who had stayed within his twenty meters radius for more than five seconds.

    His hobby was turning enemies into fireworks,unching them into the sky and detonating them. He believed that to be the ultimate art of life.

    ¡°Fireworks! More fireworks!¡± Smoker continued to shout.

    ¡°There¡¯s no other outside of us here!¡± Madam Wu said crankily. ¡°Wanna detonate all of us too?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, great! Blow up, my art...¡± Smoker had lost his mind to his work.

    Madam Wu cursed under her breath. ¡°The crazy monkey. The spectacle is going to attract all three of the organizations.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± said Xing Kong. ¡°With Edmond here, they can¡¯t do anything to us.¡®

    ¡°What is Edmond doing? Why grabbed the pregnant woman?¡± Madam Wu nced at the abandoned train car nearby, confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s an order from the higher-up,¡± Xing Kong said carelessly. ¡°How should I know?¡±

    Smoker continued to dance and shouted on the train car, while the fireworks had run out.

    He sensed a wave of killing intenting from above. Two little things were stabbing at the back of his head.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see them with his naked eyes, he could sense them. He tried to manipte them, only to find that he couldn¡¯t¡ªthe only element he couldn¡¯t control was ck Gold.

    Smoker dodged out of the way. The two ck Gold darts ended up burying into the top of the train car, nging.

    As soon as Smoker rolled to a stand, Qing Ling rushed into his space and made a sh at him, the de glinting a silver light.

    Smoker was more agile than he seemed. With a back flip, he dodged the sh that should¡¯ve bisected him while reaching toward Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling froze, feeling the cells of her entire body halting before boiling quietly.

    Smoker smirked in satisfaction. <i>In two seconds, you¡¯ll be mine!</i>

    <i>What a pretty girl. You¡¯ll make the most beautiful firework!</i>

 Chapter 487: 4V4

    <h4>Chapter 487: 4V4</h4>

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    Gao Yang teleported Qing Ling out of the range of Firework, and Qing Ling¡¯s condition returned to normal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get close to him.¡± Gao Yang let her down and shared his guess. ¡°The man can manipte elements. If you stay too close, you¡¯ll end up like the wanderers getting blown into fireworks.¡±

    Qing Ling understood immediately.

    ¡°You again! The word is too small!¡± Xing Kong, Madam Wu, and Cockroach hade up to Smoker, while Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang moved up to Gao Yang and Qing Ling too. Little Tian, on the other hand, had gotten into hiding as soon as hended.

    Gao Yang thought quickly. Eight people. They were four on four.

    However, Little Tian had sensed seven people on Tails¡¯ side. Edmond, Ke Yo, and Blood Amber must be around. They had to make it quick.

    Gao Yang spoke in a rush, ¡°Heavenly Dog, deal with the one in a fisherman¡¯s hat. Don¡¯t get too close to him. He can manipte elements.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in charge of Cockroach, Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°You deal with the bald man, Officer Huang. Don¡¯t get near him and don¡¯t get riled up by him, or he¡¯ll absorb your energy.¡±

    Gao Yang would take care of Madam Wu.

    Su Xi could be killed at any time. The clock was ticking. Gao Yang was the first to act, teleporting to Madam Wu.

    Smoker reached out his hands, but suddenly hit by a strange feeling, he dodged to the side. The space where he had been distorted slightly, and a crack emerged on the ground.

    Heavenly Dog had locked onto him with Spatial Dissection.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang fired at Xing Kong¡¯s head. Xing Kong raised his prosthetic arm to block the bullets, jumping behind a pile of concrete pipes to take cover.

    Qing Ling charged at Cockroach with her long de.

    ¡°Haha, pretty girl, we met a...¡± Before he could finish, fierce shes decapitated his ugly head. It fell to the ground and rolled, all the while, he was still shouting, ¡°Toy. I¡¯m turning you into...my toy...¡±

    His body hadn¡¯t stopped moving. He had already injected his thigh with holy water.

    ¡°Toy!¡±

    Cockroach¡¯s head shouted, flying back to his hand immediately. He reattached his head to his neck in a rough manner, his body quickly bulging and mutating.

    His ribcage burst outward, and his heart turned into a powerful vortex-shaped engine. Strange ck mes zed all over his body.

    In the blink of an eye, Cockroach had turned into a burly, ugly three-meter tall giant.

    ¡°Toy!¡± He shouted, his voice assaulting everyone¡¯s eardrum.

    He dropped down and grabbed the railways under his feet, uprooting them and whipping them like he was shaking a rug.

    <i>ck, ck, ck.</i>

    The rusty screws keeping the railways in ce shattered and scattered, while Qing Ling, standing on the other side of the railways, was thrown into the air.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Cockroach stomped on the ground tounch himself toward Qing Ling, leaving a small crater. He opened his ck me-shrouded thick arms and tried to embrace Qing Ling tightly, his eyes zing with ck fire of desires.

    She was his toy! He wanted to break all her bones and reassembled them to his liking. Then he would put a lovely dress on her.

    Midair, Qing Ling had long predicted his next move. A second before Cockroach leapt toward her, she activated Metal at full force.

    The uprooted railways continued to rise like adder, moving to under her feet.<i> ck. </i>Cockroach¡¯s arms ended up tightening around the railways rather than Qing Ling.

    Stepping on the railway, Qing Ling jumped again, flying over Cockroach¡¯s head. Twisting her body midair with her two des in her hands, she pushed her arms together and turned herself into a spinning top in suspended motion.

    After two seconds of gathering her force, she pushed God of des to the max and whipped her arms out, her body spinning along with the des enveloped by cold blue aura, turning into a blue top with blue des.

    She had learned the trick from Wei, Pride de.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    The ded top she turned into cut at Cockroach¡¯s head like a meat mincer, scattering blood, flesh, bones, and ck mes everywhere.

    In less than three seconds, Cockroach had been cut in half from the head all the way to his chest, the momentum only stopping then. Like he couldn¡¯t feel any pain, however, Cockroach¡¯s arms moved swiftly to hold onto Qing Ling despite the state he was in.

    Qing Ling tucked her legs in to dodge Cockroach¡¯s arms, activating Metal to propel herself backward with her des.

    She steadied herself and panted slightly. Along the cut surface bisecting Cockroach, the flesh, bones, and tendons in his chest were already linking to mend the body.

    Qing Ling thought back to what Teacher War Tiger had said:

    <i>¡°To deal with an enemy with unusual regenerative power, there is only one tip: be quick!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You cannot rest. A second you stop attacking is worth an hour of rest for the enemy.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°It¡¯s a test of your explosive power. Either you cut them into minced meat in one go, or you get exhausted to death.¡±</i>

    How should she make the most shes in a short time while using the least stamina? The best solution Qing Ling came up with was the spinning top. The move utilized inertia so that every sh connected to the next without any pause.

    Qing Ling adjusted her breathing and crossed her de-wielding hands, tucking them close to her body in preparation for the spinning top move.

    <i>Thud. </i>Leaping with both feet, Qing Ling shot toward Cockroach, spinning quickly.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Cockroach extended his arms to shield his chest, but it was impossible for him to block Qing Ling¡¯s relentless shes. In two seconds, his arms were sliced off, and the spinning top continued to extend the cut in his chest, cutting down further.

    Soon, the cut had reached his abdomen.

    Qing Ling jumped back and gasped for breaths.

    She couldn¡¯t give him time to recover. She had to cut him in halfpletely like a firewood until he lost the ability to resist. Then she would turn him into minced meat!

    <i>One, two, three.</i>

    Qing Ling charged at him again.

    ...

    Officer Huang¡¯s battle was going much easier for him.

    Hiding behind the pile of concrete pipes, Xing Kong tried to approach Officer Huang many times, but Officer Huang¡¯s eyes were sharp like those of an eagle, and it took him only 0.1 second to make a shot.

    While Xing Kong was quite agile, he wasn¡¯t agile enough to dodge the bullets Officer Huang fired, and he ended up hit in the elbow, abdomen, and calf.

    Xing Kong didn¡¯t fear regr bullets, but these were bullets fired with level 5 God of Firearms, which was nothing to sneeze at.

    Holding onto his bleeding abdomen, Xing Kong was forced to take cover behind the pile of concrete pipes again. If he couldn¡¯t get in range, his Grumpy couldn¡¯t be activated.

    To make things worse, even if he managed to activate Grumpy and absorbed half of Officer Huang¡¯s energy, he wouldn¡¯t be the man¡¯s match. After all, God of Firearms could only exert its full power with the appropriate weapons.

    The two ck Gold handguns Officer Huang was holding weren¡¯t going to magically transfer to Xing Kong.

    While Xing Kong seemed agitated, he was calm inside, and he immediately concluded, <i>He¡¯s a bad match for me. I¡¯ll lose.</i>

    Rather than stubbornly fighting back, Xing Kong suddenly jumped away from the concrete pipes onto an abandoned train car, quickly closing the metal door.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang.</i>

    <i>nk, nk, nk.</i>

    Officer Huang fired quickly, the bullets piercing through the wall of the train car and leaving a few holes.

    Xing Kong braced himself in the dark train car, not moving at all with his hands holding his head.

    He had thought it through. Officer Huang was good at fighting at long range, so he wouldn¡¯t recklessly get close. Let them stay in this stalemate with one attacking in the open and one hiding in the dark. He would leave the rest to his teammates.

    And indeed, Officer Huang didn¡¯t intend to get close to the train car. He would be at a disadvantage in a small dim space, and his priority wasn¡¯t the fight anyway.

    While keeping an eye on Xing Kong to stop him from helping his teammate, Officer Huang looked for Su Xi.

    She must be nearby. Perhaps she could be hiding in one of the train cars.

    Where would she be? Where...

    Suddenly, Officer Huang looked up at the sky, his face twisted with terror.

 Chapter 488: White Shooting Star

    <h4>Chapter 488: White Shooting Star</h4>

    With Gao Yang¡¯s reminder, Heavenly Dog could more or less figure out the mechanism of Firework, and he chose to fight from a long range.

    Flying into the sky, Heavenly Dog maintained a safe distance while attacking Smoker with Spatial Dissection. Smoker, however, was sensitive to the flow of elements around him, and through his mastery over the air elements, he could predict the use of Spatial Dissection and thus dodge the attacks easily.

    The two ended up in a stalemate. Neither could hurt the other, and both were feeling urgent.

    Heavenly Dog wanted to make it quick. They weren¡¯t here to fight, but to rescue someone.

    Smoker wanted to make it quick too. He was mad, but not stupid. He knew that soon, the reinforcements from the three organizations would arrive.

    Heavenly Dog sighed dejectedly, his expression troubled.

    <i>It seems that I¡¯ll have to use that. I¡¯ll let the others do the rest.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t lose, or I¡¯ll be waiting for my death afterward. Well, I¡¯m not really averse to that. After all, living is so troublesome. Studying, tests, socializing, working, eating, sleeping... Oh, sleeping isn¡¯t troublesome. Sleeping while listening to music is the best.</i>

    His thought strayed for a moment as white light shed through his eyes. Night wind swept up the ck hair on his forehead. He syed his hands at Smoker, who was below him.

    A secondter, Smoker sensed the air elements around him bing unusually turbulent. He backed off but then came to a sudden halt¡ªhe realized that he had been trapped from all directions.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Suddenly, Officer Huang shouted at Heavenly Dog, who was closest to him.

    ...

    Not far away, Gao Yang had heard Officer Huang too. He was crushing Madam Wu at the time.

    Although Madam Wu wasn¡¯t weak, Gao Yang¡¯s Talents happened to be her natural banes. Her ck Gold body had high defense, but War Tiger had proved with his raw attack that Madam Wu had a weakness: the still organic brain inside her ck Gold skull.

    The limit of level 3 Strong prevented her from achieving true synthetic ascension. Thus, she could be killed by destroying her organic brain.

    It was difficult for Qing Ling, but easy for Gao Yang.

    Madam Wu attacked Gao Yang relentlessly like a beast, crushing the train car with a punch and breaking the ground with a stomp. Having sparred with Qing Ling one-on-one, though, Gao Yang was able to dodge the attacks easily.

    After about a dozen exchanges, Gao Yang had figured out her attack patterns.

    With the right timing, he teleported and swept his leg to bring Madam Wu to the ground. Then he followed that up with a Fire Punch to her chest, which didn¡¯t hurt her, but the impact rendered her unable to resist for a short moment.

    Then pinning her down with both legs, Gao Yang grabbed her head. ¡°Fire!¡±

    A pir of me rose to burn Madam Wu ruthlessly. Despite ck Gold¡¯s stable nature and good resistance to heat, it couldn¡¯t inste heatpletely, and Gao Yang¡¯s level 6 Fire could generate heat at 2600 degree Celsius, enough to melt most regr things.

    While Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold skull wouldn¡¯t melt, the brain tissues inside would soon boil.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    Her brain heated up quickly, depriving her of her ability to think and will to live. All she could do was scream.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    But then Gao Yang heard Officer Huang shout.

    Gao Yang paused, stopping Fire and looking over at Officer Huang. Officer Huang was rushing at him while pointing at the sky.

    At that moment, Qing Ling, Heavenly Dog, and all members of Tails¡ªoutside of the almost bisected Cockroach¡ªsaw it.

    Above the old train station, a giant cluster of energy radiating a blinding white light hurtled toward them like a white shooting star. No one knew what it was, but their first reaction was the same: danger!

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to stay and kill Madam Wu. He jumped off of her and teleported to Qing Ling, grabbing her and teleporting again.

    Heavenly Dog stopped his attack at Smoker too and flew toward Officer Huang, diving toward him and carrying him further.

    A momentter, members of the Tails started fleeing the falling shooting star as well.

    When Gao Yang and the others had reached the wire fences surrounding the old station but hadn¡¯t vaulted over, it happened.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The white shooting starnded on an abandoned train car.

    <i>Ripple.</i>

    It exploded into a blinding mushroom cloud, which quickly morphed into a sacred and beautiful white phoenix with its wings extended. At the same time, white energy rippled outward and spread across the train station, reaching Gao Yang and the others in less than a second.

    Gao Yang sensed a sh behind his back. Then the white shockwave shot through his body, spreading a numbness. His legs buckled, and his arms went ck. Both him and Qing Ling fell to the ground.

    Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang also fell from five to six meters in the air.

    Gao Yang almost thought he had died, but he didn¡¯t. He realized that he had simply lost all his energy and strength the moment the white shockwave shot through him. A few secondster, his body went back to normal.

    ¡°You...okay?¡± Gao Yang slowly stood up, extending a hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Qing Ling had recovered too. She grabbed his hand and stood up, sying her hands to call her two des back from nearby.

    Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang got to their feet too. They turned around in disbelief and shock.

    The white shooting star had been so majestic that they thought they would surely die, but outside of silencing them for a couple seconds, it didn¡¯t inflict any damage.

    The old train station remained how it had been, and the giant white phoenix that had lit up the night sky and obscured the moon gradually disappeared.

    The world was plunged back into darkness.

    Meanwhile, Smoker, Xing Kong, Madam Wu, and Cockroach hadn¡¯t been able to run that far before the white shockwaves knocked them off their feet. They picked themselves up one after another, bbergasted.

    Smoker stared at the train car the shooting star had fallen onto, looking terrified. ¡°Edmond...is dead!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xing Kong blurted out in disbelief while holding onto his bleeding abdomen. ¡°That can¡¯t be. Edmond is unreachable!¡±

    ¡°Hurts. My head hurts...¡± Cockroach¡¯s body had recovered from almost getting bisected, but losing the buff of holy water, he had turned into his ugly and chubby self, a pink fleshy scar added to his bisected head.

    Tails lost their de facto leader, Edmond, which sent them into panic.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± Blood Amber, who had been hiding in the dark, showed up as well. She took off her helmet, bleeding from a corner of her mouth.

 Chapter 489: Emergency

    <h4>Chapter 489: Emergency</h4>

    ¡°Cover us, Blood Amber. Let¡¯s go!¡± Madam Wu ordered decisively and bolted.

    None of her teammates objected. They all followed her quickly. Blood Amber, dressed in her spacesuit, vomited a blood clot from her mouth.

    Like a living worm, the blood clot writhed and struggled on the ground until two secondster, it exploded with a bang, spreading ck smoke like a gas grenade, and a poisonous one at that.

    Gao Yang and the other three didn¡¯t chase down the Tails members. They were wary of Blood Amber¡¯s virus grenade, for one, and their main goal was to save Su Xi.

    Hearing what Smoker said, Officer Huang turned to where the white shooting star hadnded. That must be where Edmond was. He rushed in without hesitation.

    ¡°It can be dangerous,¡± Heavenly Dog reminded him faintly, but Officer Huang didn¡¯t seem to hear him.

    Exchanging a nce, Gao Yang and Qing Ling ran after Officer Huang, while Heavenly Dog followed after some deliberation.

    Gao Yang and Officer Huang reached the door to the train car first. When Officer Huang was about to hop on, Gao Yang grabbed him by the shoulder.

    ¡°Allow me.¡±

    After making sure that the system didn¡¯t sound a warning, Gao Yang took a deep breath and jumped onto the train, opening the heavy door while getting ready to teleport away at any time.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The door opened. Gao Yang frowned.

    ¡°So? Is Su Xi there?¡± Officer Huang was anxious. He quickly hopped on as well.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. In the dim train cary two people. He couldn¡¯t see them clearly.

    Officer Huang¡¯s heart was in his throat. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t dare to walk up and check their identities.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. A ball of mes lit up in Gao Yang¡¯s palm, illuminating the train car. Gao Yang sighed in relief, and so did Officer Huang. Neither was his wife, Su Xi.

    While it wasn¡¯t ideal that Su Xi wasn¡¯t here, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing, either.

    Gao Yang walked up to the interior of the train car and recognized the two on the floor, Edmond and Ke Yo.

    Gao Yang cautiously knelt down and called out, ¡°Edmond?¡±

    ¡°Ugh...¡± Edmond groaned in pain, holding onto thest strand of his life.

    Gao Yang immediately flipped him over, and his heart pounded. While Edmond didn¡¯t have any visible wound on him, his face was eerily pale, and he was bleeding from all his orifices, barely holding on.

    Gao Yang could sense his energy and vitality fading. He was going to die.

    ¡°Edmond! Where¡¯s Su Xi?¡± Officer Huang rushed over and pressed his gun to Edmond¡¯s head. ¡°Tell me, where is she?!¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head at him. Edmond was dying. Death wasn¡¯t much of a threat to a dying man.

    Officer Huang paused and slowly lowered his gun, feeling helpless.

    Gao Yang asked gently, ¡°Tell me, Edmond. Where¡¯s Su Xi?¡±

    ¡°Promise, promise me...and I¡¯ll...tell you...¡±

    Gao Yang knew what he meant. He had a condition.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to agree to it. He could wait until Edmond died and had Vermilion Bird question the body, but they couldn¡¯t afford to waste even a second to rescue Su Xi.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Gao Yang said. It didn¡¯t hurt to make an empty promise.

    ¡°Ke Yo, the kid...has never killed...or done anything wrong... Take care of her for me...¡±

    Gao Yang turned to look at the unconscious Ke Yo. She was seriously injured too, but she could be saved.

    ¡°I promised you,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Swear...it...¡± Edmond grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand and said through clenched, bleeding teeth, ¡°Swear it!¡±

    ¡°I swear that I won¡¯t hurt Ke Yo, and I¡¯ll take care of her for you,¡± Gao Yang said calmly.

    ¡°Thank you...¡± Edmond smiled with relief, his eyes dimming. ¡°The Ind Nation... Perhaps it won¡¯t be toote yet...¡±

    Then his head drooped, and he died.

    ¡°Ind Nation!¡± Officer Huang finally got the clue he wanted. He asked urgently, ¡°How do we get there?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a flight every three days, so the next flight is tomorrow night. The other official channel is by the sea. It¡¯ll take 20 hours. No visa needed.¡± Heavenly Dog came through the door and nced at his digital watch. ¡°There¡¯s a cruise setting out at twelve tonight. We can make it if we hurry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Officer Huang rushed out immediately.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yangid Edmond down and followed them out of the train car. Little Tian hade out of hiding and approached.

    ¡°Little Tian,¡± Gao Yang instructed. ¡°Keep watch here. Once reinforcementse, have them save Ke Yo and lock her up. Leave Edmond¡¯s body to Vermilion Bird.¡±

    Little Tian nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Heavenly Dog grabbed Officer Huang¡¯s and Gao Yang¡¯s hands, while Gao Yang held onto Qing Ling with his other hand. The four of them flew away.

    They rushed to the harbor downstream of the Li River, having booked their tickets with their phones to board a seven-day luxurious cruise tour. It would depart from the harbor, going past several isted inds on the way, the Ind Nation being one of them.

    There were only two premium suites left on the cruise, which cost a fortune. As an Elder of the Qilin Guild and the head of Team Heavenbreaker, though, Gao Yang could more than afford it.

    Past midnight, the four of them barely made it to the cruise. They got their tickets checked and were led to the premium cruise on a higher deck.

    Officer Huang shared a room with Heavenly Dog, and Gao Yang with Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang opened the door and entered. The cabin looked like a hotel with light blue and white as the main colors, the air faintly fragrant. The rug was soft, and therge bedfortable. There were also beanbags, home theater system, fridge, washing machine, and microwave, whatever they would need during the trip. Therge fan-shaped window wall led to an open balcony with a beach lounger. The view was incredible.

    Shutting the door, Gao Yang drew the curtains closed. Qing Ling took off the jacket Gao Yang had lended her.

    Her clothes had gotten stained with blood when fighting Cockroach. That was why she needed something to cover them up.

    She couldn¡¯t wait to get into the bathroom and start showering, her captivating figure faintly visible through the frosted ss before white steam fogged up the ss.

    Gao Yang opened the fridge and grabbed a can of c, taking arge gulp to get some energy and sugar in him. Finally, he felt alive again.

    It had only been an hour since he received Officer Huang¡¯s call, but it didn¡¯t feel like it since they had investigated Officer Huang¡¯s ce, fought Tails at the old train station, and now caught a luxurious cruise. Gao Yang was exhausted.

    After a quick shower, Qing Ling changed into a bathrobe and threw her clothes into the washing machine. Once washed and tumbled dry, she hung them on the balcony.

    Half an hourter, Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang came knocking.

    They looked less tired than before, and Officer Huang was calmer; he realized that Su Xi must be alive at the moment. If Tails aimed to kill her, they would¡¯ve done it already rather than going through all the trouble.

    Gao Yang made each of them a cup of instant coffee and turned on the television, switching to a sports channel and turning up the volume.

    The four of them sat in a circle, discussing their next move.

 Chapter 490: Speculation

    <h4>Chapter 490: Spection</h4>

    ¡°We¡¯ll reach the Ind Nation tomorrow night, but reinforcements have to catch the next flight or cruise and won''t be with us until at least the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow?!¡± Officer Huang had finally calmed a little, but what Gao Yang said made him agitated again.

    Gao Yang offered, ¡°Patience. We need to spend time looking for Su Xi once we get to the Ind Nation anyway. We won¡¯t run into enemies immediately.¡±

    ¡°My wife...¡± Officer Huang hesitated. ¡°Was she grabbed by the shooting star?¡±

    ¡°Likely so.¡± Gao Yang thought back to it. ¡°First, we can be sure that it wasn¡¯t a member of the Godbearer Cult since whoever it was had killed Edmond and taken Su Xi.¡±

    ¡°But Edmond should be in his Unreachable state,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Ha, only to us. The Talent didn¡¯t work facing a stronger enemy, apparently. He got what he deserved.¡± Officer Huang reveled in the misery of his enemy.

    Qing Ling thought about who the enemy could be. She shared her spection, ¡°Was the shooting star a life monster¡¯s doing?¡±

    The others nodded in agreement.

    ¡°You saw the phoenix in the sky, right?¡± asked Officer Huang. ¡°It¡¯s quite simr to the life monster we ran into in the West Nation. It must be a life monster.¡±

    Then Officer Huang asked in confusion, ¡°But why did the life monster grab my wife? She had no qualms with life monsters, and my wife is a monster too. Why would a monster want to hurt another monster?¡±

    ¡°Like Tails, the life monster could be after her for the same thing,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Officer Huang stared at him.

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Officer Huang, it¡¯s just my spection. It may not be...¡±

    ¡°Just say it. I can take it!¡± Officer Huang got worked up again.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang sighed softly, ncing at the others. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while, and I¡¯ll get to my conclusion first. I believe that there¡¯s always been a slim chance for a human and a monster to have a child, and there have been cases like that before¡ªmore than one.¡±

    Officer Huang, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog waited for him to continue with bated breath.

    ¡°Spectres,¡± Gao Yang said.

    The room was silent for three seconds.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Officer Huang called out,ing to a realization. ¡°That¡¯s right! Yes! Lithe Snake said that he saved two Spectres twenty years ago...¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Yes, that was how I got to the guess.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t monsters not have actual reproductive systems?¡± Heavenly Dog asked.

    ¡°There can always be exceptions even though we don¡¯t know how it happens,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Let¡¯s assume that exceptions do exist.¡±

    Heavenly Dog quieted.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Suppose that the Godbearer Cult knew that there is a slim chance for a human and a monster to have a child. The child, abination of both species, has aplete personality and doesn''t flip out and get bloodthirsty as soon as they see a human like monsters do. However, they still need an awakener¡¯s energy in order to sustain their life. Moreover, they are born with vtile curses that empower them, but can take their lives at any time¡ªthe Spectres.¡±

    Officer Huang clenched his fists, his face pale. It would be both good news and bad news.

    The good news was that his child would be born into this world safely rather than die in the womb or suffer something even worse; the bad news was that his child might need to feed on awakeners in the future. Officer Huang would be willing to give the child his life, but what about after his death?

    He didn¡¯t dare to follow the thought.

    Gao Yang gave them some time to think before continuing, ¡°The Godbearer Cult had long known about the secret, and they had thus been capturing Spectres.¡±

    ¡°Twenty years ago, Lithe Snake released a pair of twins with silver hair and red eyes in the basement of a human trafficer¡¯s mansion in the Rogue Cape. The Cult could be behind the Spectres¡¯ capture.¡±

    ¡°To the Cult, who wanted to make use of Spectres, it would be better to capture them as young as possible.¡±

    ¡°After years of experience in capturing Spectres, the Cult refined their method and figured out the best time to go after them¡ªwhen the Spectre was still in their mother¡¯s womb.¡±

    ¡°The Tails went after my wife because she was going to give birth soon!¡± Officer Huang clenched his teeth, his rage tearing at his chest and overwhelmed him with great pain.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Tails might have discovered your wife recently, or they might have known for long and had been waiting patiently until they made a move earlier, all for the child in her womb, a Spectre.¡±

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Officer Huang tugged at his hair, needing a target to unleash his rage at but finding none.

    ¡°Then why did the life monster want Su Xi?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t get it. ¡°What use would a life monster have for a Spectre?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We know almost nothing about life monsters,¡± Gao Yang lifted his head and said dejectedly. ¡°I¡¯ll list what we know about life monsters. Let¡¯s see if we can brainstorm our way to some clues.¡±

    ¡°First, life monsters are incredibly strong, and they have at least two forms: a human form and a giant bird form.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, life monsters¡¯ blood or some other parts can be used to produce holy water, which triggers an awakener¡¯s berserk state and turns them into a powerful but mindless abomination.¡±

    ¡°Thirdly, there are very few life monsters, and they aren¡¯t outrightly hostile to humans. There have been no cases of life monsters actively hurting awakeners or humans atrge.¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to the evil ritual¡ªor what he assumed it to be¡ªat the crossroad that night. He added, ¡°Moreover, wanderers hold an instinctual deference to life monsters. They call life monsters mother.¡±

    ¡°I remember what you said about Niu Xuan...¡± Officer Huang recalled his conversation with Gao Yang. ¡°He was calling out for mother before his death.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°You spected that wanderers could be produced by a Monster Supreme.¡± Qing Ling turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Could life monsters be that?¡±

    ¡°They must be!¡± Officer Huang looked pained. ¡°But I still don¡¯t understand why a life monster would grab my wife.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid only the life monster could tell us that.¡± Gao Yang tried to assure Officer Huang. ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried. Ms. Su isn¡¯t expected to give birth until more than ten dayster. She should be safe until then.¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t say anything. His rational mind did agree with the spection.

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang thought of something. ¡°Your mother is from the Ind Nation, right, Heavenly Dog? You¡¯re familiar with the ce, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Heavenly Dog paused and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Although the Ind Nation isn¡¯t big, it¡¯ll be difficult for so few people to find Su Xi without any leads. The task will be nigh impossible if the life monster hides on purpose.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right. We have to think about it in reverse.¡± Officer Huang forced himself to calm down and think like a police officer. ¡°First, why did the life monster take my wife to the Ind Nation rather than any other ce? For example, the Snow Nation or the West Nation? Won¡¯t a bigger nation be better for hiding?¡±

    The other three agreed.

    Officer Huang rubbed at his temple before adding, ¡°There¡¯s another thing. Why would Edmond know that the life monster that killed him was taking my wife to the Ind Nation? The life monster couldn¡¯t have told him. Edmond must have known it somehow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s crucial.¡± Gao Yang caught on. ¡°That means there¡¯s a concrete reason the life monster must go to the Ind Nation.¡±

    ¡°It could be for something, or someone,¡± suggested Officer Huang.

    ¡°Perhaps an altar?¡± Qing Ling suggested coolly.

    Gao Yang paused beforeing to a realization. ¡°Do you mean...an altar like the one on the mountain behind the No.7 Winery, in West Nation?¡±

    Officer Huang called out in realization. ¡°The altar in the West Nation is the burial site for a life monster. The dead life monster got reanimated there!¡±

    ¡°Could it be...¡± Gao Yang felt a shudder run down his spine. He boldly spected. ¡°That the life monster wants to resurrect their fellow life monster?¡±

 Chapter 491: Arrangements

    <h4>Chapter 491: Arrangements</h4>

    Officer Huang broke into cold sweat, heart pounding and voice trembling slightly in fear. ¡°Do you...do you mean...the life monster intends to use my wife and child as sacrifices to resurrect another life monster...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡± Gao Yang almost turned away from Officer Huang, unable to bear looking at him.

    ¡°A very likely possibility,¡± Qing Ling bluntly concluded. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s an altar in the Ind Nation too, and a life monster has died there. Tonight, the life monster grabbed Su Xi in order to use the Spectre in her womb as a sacrifice to bring back its fellow life monster. The Tails wanted Su Xi too, but ended up losing her to the life monster.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s hands kept trembling. A rational voice in his head told him that it was the most likely conclusion.

    ¡°We have a lead!¡± Officer Huang turned to Heavenly Dog. ¡°You must know a lot about the Ind Nation. Do you know where an altar like that may be?¡±

    Heavenly Dog stayed silent.

    Gao Yang had long noticed that Heavenly Dog had been acting strange since boarding the cruise. Although he had always been the quiet type, he was usually rxed and leisurely, rather than radiating tension and a strange stubbornness like he was now.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Heavenly Dog said coolly.

    ¡°Wait...¡± Officer Huang said anxiously. ¡°Didn¡¯t you grow up there? Think about it. Don¡¯t just jump to conclusions!¡±

    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Know.¡± Heavenly Dog repeated, his tone resistant, even with a slight edge of resentment.

    ¡°You...¡± Before Officer Huang could say more, Gao Yang stopped him.

    ¡°Yellow Ox, I¡¯m calling Chen Ying now. The Hundred Rivers Union are the most well-versed in investigation. They have stationed members on many isted inds.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Huang nodded.

    Gao Yang called Chen Ying immediately, asking her to contact their stationed members in the Ind Nation and find out if there was an altar simr to the one at the mountain behind No.7 Winery there.

    Chen Ying told Gao Yang that they no longer had a member in the Ind Nation.

    More than ten years ago, the Hundred Rivers Union had sent members to the Ind Nation to survey the area, collecting a good amount of urate information, including the nation¡¯s actual area of activity and the state of unaffiliated awakeners.

    However, the awakener in charge of surveying the Ind Nation hadn¡¯t survived X¡¯s Poison of Hell during thest night of the Crimson Tide.

    Chen Ying would have to head back to HQ to look through their archives for relevant clues.

    ¡°Please look for it now! Please!¡± Officer Huang couldn¡¯t help but add.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you as soon as I find anything.¡± Chen Ying was a woman of action. She quickly hung up.

    Gao Yang did too, and he nced at Officer Huang. ¡°Go back to your room and have some rest. Be ready for getting onto the ind tomorrow.¡±

    Before Officer Huang could say something, Gao Yang interrupted him, ¡°You, especially, get some sleep. Ms. Su is waiting for you to rescue her. You must preserve your energy.¡±

    Officer Huang relented. He sighed and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back to my room and rest. Let me know as soon as Chen Ying finds anything.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Quietly, Heavenly Dog left the room after Officer Huang.

    Gao Yang walked them out. He noticed that instead of following Officer Huang to their room, Heavenly Dog had put on his earphones from his pocket and headed to the deck broodingly.

    Without a word, Gao Yang closed the door.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling were left in the suite on their own. Gao Yang first made an encoded call to Qilin, telling him in detail about what happened tonight and his spection. He believed a living life monster had taken Su Xi, but he didn¡¯t tell Qilin that Zhuang Mei could be the life monster.

    Qilin was quiet for a moment. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said decisively. ¡°The energy cluster of white phoenix created by the shooting star looked identical to the reanimated skeleton of a white phoenix in the West Nation.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Qilin paused and said seriously, ¡°Continue your operation, and I won¡¯t send reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand. They were facing a life monster. The four of them alone wouldn¡¯t be its match.

    ¡°I have my reasons, Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin seemed to have made up his mind, and he didn¡¯t exin further.

    Catching the unspoken rejection, Gao Yang didn¡¯t press. ¡°Understood.¡±

    Once he hung up, he continued to wonder, <i>Why don¡¯t Qilin send reinforcements for me? Has he overestimated my power, or does he question my loyalty to the Guild, and thus sees this as an opportunity to get me killed?</i>

    <i>No, it¡¯s unlikely. There¡¯s no reason for him to go through all these troubles to get me killed. He could just kill me. Qilin must have other ns, but for whatever reason, he can¡¯t let me know yet.</i>

    Then he could only press forward. Officer Huang¡¯s family was at stake. Even without reinforcements from the Guild, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing.

    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Qing Ling listened to Gao Yang finish his call before asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Qilin about Zhuang Mei being a life monster?¡±

    Gao Yang responded with a question, ¡°Do you think Zhuang Mei was the one who grabbed Ms. Su tonight?¡±

    Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°She better be, or it¡¯ll mean that there is another life monster.¡±

    Gao Yang shuddered at the thought. One life monster alone was formidable enough. If there was another one, could awakeners really survive to the day the Gates of Closure opened?

    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it now. We should rest first.¡± Gao Yang nced at Qing Ling. ¡°You take the bed. I¡¯ll take the sofa.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t reject the offer out of politeness, but plopped herself down on the bed and rolled to have her back to Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading out for a moment.¡± Gao Yang walked toward the door. ¡°Be right back.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t ask what Gao Yang was doing, but answered in a muffled voice, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang turned off the main light in the room for Qing Ling, switching on the dim, orange wallmp instead. Once out of the suite, he went left and walked out of the corridor connecting the suites, heading to the higher deck.

    The cruise was silent at one in the morning. There was no other passenger on the deck save for Heavenly Dog, who was sitting cross-legged before the railing circling the deck, his headphones on.

    Tonight¡¯s moonlight was a grayish blue, casting a sttering of light on the pitch-ck surface of the ocean. Wind caressed Heavenly Dog¡¯s hair, which wasn¡¯t tied into a small pony tail like it usually was. The ck strands flew behind his head. His youthful, delicate facial features seemed particrly lonesome now.

    Quietly, Gao Yang went up to Heavenly Dog and slowly sat down beside him, feeling the ocean breeze sweep over him.

    After about a minute, Heavenly Dog tilted his head and pulled off one earphone to offer it to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang took it silently, putting it in his ear.

    The previous song had just ended, followed by a song Gao Yang recognized by the intro¡ªan Ind Nation song titled, <i>The Reason Why I Thought I¡¯d Die</i>[1].

    It was bursting with emotions, bringing to mind a mncholic sort of rebirth with hope stubbornly persisting despite being smothered by oppressive sorrow.

    After the song came to an end, Gao Yang returned the earphone to Heavenly Dog.

    Heavenly Dog pulled off his end too. Staring into the distant horizon, he said in his signaturezy voice, ¡°You think I should be familiar with the Ind Nation since my mother was from there, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Is that not the case?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Heavenly Dog shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°All I know about the Ind Nation, I learned from the inte. I <i>hate </i>the ce, but I pretend to know it, as if I had actually lived there with my mother.¡±

    Heavenly Dog tilted his head to look at Gao Yang. ¡°Isn¡¯t that pathetic?¡±

    1. Nakashima Mika¡¯s song. Highly rmend this version: <u>Mika--ƒW¤¬ËÀ¤Î¤¦¤ÈË¼¤Ã¤¿¤Î¤Ï/The Reason Why I Thought I''d Die (Eng)</u>. It was sung after she lost most of her hearing. (Fortunately, she did recover afterwards.) ?

 Chapter 492: Heavenly Dogâ€™s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 492: Heavenly Dog¡¯s Secret</h4>

    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand.

    Heavenly Dog lowered his head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Gao Yang leaned back and propped himself up with his hands on the deck. He could just enjoy the breeze.

    Heavenly Dog would¡¯ve stayed quiet in the past.

    He had thought about visiting the Ind Nation to see for himself his mother¡¯s home country. Twice, he even booked the ticket, but he copped out in the end.

    The emergency tonight left him with no time to think about it, though, and when he realized it, he was already onboard a cruise.

    Nothing in the world waited for one to be ready for it, it turned out.

    He might as well tell the secret he had kept hidden at the bottom of his heart to a teammate he wasn¡¯t particrly close to, but seemed dependable to him, right?

    Heavenly Dog looked up at Gao Yang with an honest expression, still dragging his words as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want others to know that I¡¯ve lost my mother.¡±

    He got into his story.

    It wasn¡¯t a long one, and he finished in the span of two songs.

    In Heavenly Dog¡¯s memory, his father and mother were night and day from the husband and wife in TV dramas. Those couples respected each other, were inseparable, weathered difficulties together, and stayed by each other¡¯s side until death did them apart. His parents, however, fought every day.

    They fought hysterically, exchanged insults and barbs, and even got physical.

    When Heavenly Dog was four, his parents¡¯ rtionship broke down entirely, and his father moved out, settling down with another woman, while Heavenly Dog and his mother stayed in their original t.

    Did his mother treat him right?

    Not at all, when he thought back to it.

    Sometimes, his mother would spend a day and a night at a mahjong ce, leaving Heavenly Dog starving to the point of getting lightheaded, and he had to rummage the trash can for spoiled bread crumbs to fill his stomach.

    He remembered eating until his stomach almost burst every meal when he was little because he didn¡¯t know for how long he¡¯d have to go until he had another meal.

    Sometimes, his mother would get so wasted that she vomited all over the floor and fell asleep on the sofa, dead to the world. At four years old, Heavenly Dog would clean up the mess with a broom and then a mop, both taller than he was.

    Then his mother would wake up suddenly at midnight, howling that there was no point in being human, spouting nonsense that she would rather be a dog than a person in her next life. His neighbor would call the police, and she would be taken away for disturbing the peace at midnight.

    There were a few asions where his mother took young handsome men home, all faces he didn¡¯t know. In the beginning, his mother and the man she took home would talk sweetly like they were in love, but in a few days, they would fight like his mother used to fight with his father, and his mother would throw the man out, thus ending the rtionship.

    Heavenly Dog¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t good at being a mother.

    Strangely, though, Heavenly Dog always remembered the good his mother had done for him.

    Sometimes, when his mother won money in her mahjong game, she would order hamburgers, french fries, and c, lying on the sofa and watching <i>Jerry and Tom</i> with Heavenly Dog.

    While wolfing down high-calorie food, the mother and son watched Jerry lead Tom on a merry chase,ughing out loud.

    Sometimes, when his mother saw Heavenly Dog get bullied by the mischievous kids of their neighbors, she would p them on the heads and get into fights with the kids¡¯ parents on the street. The argument wouldst an hour, and she hurled all sorts of insults and swear words at the other, the perfect embodiment of what some would call a shrew.

    Sometimes, his mother would wake up suddenly at midnight, barging into Heavenly Dog¡¯s bedroom and weeping while holding onto a still drowsy Heavenly Dog. She would continue on and on about her being lost and helpless, about how she didn¡¯t know where to go in this miserable life.

    Heavenly Dog was too young to understand her, so he could only hold onto her tightly.

    He vowed to grow up quickly in order to protect his mother, so that his mother would never be sad and heartbroken again.

    On his fourth birthday, his mother bought him arge cream cake.

    That night, she lit the candle and had Heavenly Dog make a wish, blowing the candle out.

    Then his mother smiled at him, looking unusually calm. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Little Ran.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Heavenly Dog.

    His mother thought for a moment. ¡°To the Ind Nation.¡±

    At four, Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t know where Ind Nation was. He thought his mother would be right back, just like when she headed out to the mahjong ce, supermarket, noodle shop, or park.

    ¡°When are youing back, Mom?¡±

    His mother picked up a stic fork and slowly cut the cake for him. ¡°Mom¡¯s noting back.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Because Mom¡¯s going back home and can¡¯t bring you.¡±

    ¡°Mom...¡± Heavenly Dog finally understood the gravity of the issue. ¡°I...I promise that I¡¯ll never ck out again. I won¡¯t ask for toys anymore. I won¡¯t get bullied by Little Zhi... I won¡¯t make you angry again, Mom. Don¡¯t leave me...¡±

    Heavenly Dog¡¯s eyes reddened, but he didn¡¯t dare to let his tears fall.

    ¡°Be good, Little Ran.¡± His mother was still smiling, and she stroked his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t cry and don¡¯t chase after me, understand?¡±

    Heavenly Dog sat on the sofa impassively, still wearing a paper birthday hat. He watched as his mother stood up and walked to the entryway, closing the door behind her.

    Before heading out, his mother always washed and dried her hair, put on a pretty dress, and applied lipstick in front of the mirror before grabbing her wallet, keys, and cigarettes.

    This time, however, his mother didn¡¯t take anything with her, as if she was only heading downstairs to buy a lighter.

    Heavenly Dog wanted to cry. He wanted to chase after her, but he stopped himself.

    He was an obedient kid. He had to listen to his mother. He would not cry, and he would not chase after her.

    He told himself that his mother was testing him, that he must have done something wrong and angered his mother.

    That must be it.

    So he had to be a good kid. Only then would his mother return.

    Heavenly Dog blinked back his tears and took big bites of the slice of birthday cake his mother had cut for him. Then, thinking the cake was sweet and tasty, he finished the whole thing like he always did, leaving only a slice for her.

    His stomach was full, and his belly felt heavy. He kept huping.

    That night, his mother didn¡¯te home.

    Neither did she return the second day.

    It was on the third day that his father showed up to take Heavenly Dog away. By then, he was starving so badly that he almost cked out. On the table was the slice of now spoiled cake he had saved for his mother.

    Heavenly Dog started living with his father and stepmother then. The next year, the couple gave birth to Heavenly Dog¡¯s little sister.

    His parents were close, just like the loving couple in TV drama, and they didn¡¯t treat Heavenly Dog¡¯s half-sister better than they did him. The two children were both raised with love.

    Heavenly Dog grew up in a happy family, for which he was grateful and content. However, his earlier years left something at the bottom of his heart¡ªthe scar his mother gave him on his fourth birthday, which had never healed.

    He always wondered how his mother had been after returning to the Ind Nation. Had she started another family? Was she happy? Did she still wake upte at night and cry helplessly? Did she ever think about Little Ran, the boy who was waiting for her toe home?

    He didn¡¯t know any of the answers.

    The only thing he could do was to learn about the Ind Nation and imagine her life there. Sometimes, he even imagined a different fate for a different him in a parallel world. That Little Ran had been taken to the Ind Nation by his mother, and he led a different life there.

    Thus, whenever someone asked about his mother and the Ind Nation, he always responded smoothly like he had grown up there.

    He simply didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he had long lost his mother.

 Chapter 493: Torment

    <h4>Chapter 493: Torment</h4>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t make anyment after Heavenly Dog finished his story. It didn¡¯t feel right to say that he understood, neither did it feel right to offer himfort and encouragement, or make a joke to lighten the mood.

    He looked at the deep blue ocean in the distance with Heavenly Dog. Triangr wakes trailed after the cruise before the surface of the ocean smoothed out again, erasing the tracks left by the vessel.

    After a good moment of silence, Gao Yang asked, ¡°Do you still think about her?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Heavenly Dog looked up, propping himself up with his hands on the deck. He drawled, ¡°I think about her all the time. I think about that when I see her again, I have to ask her...¡±

    He narrowed his eyes, his gaze mncholy, but his lips curved upward. ¡°Why don¡¯t you love me?¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang returned to his suite. He opened the door to the bedroom gingerly to see a bathrobed Qing Ling lying on her side on therge bed, lit by the softmp light above. Gao Yang only had to look at her to know that she hadn¡¯t actually fallen asleep.

    Her posture wasn¡¯t rxed enough, and her breathing was flighty. She had merely closed her eyes.

    Gao Yang opted not to bother her. He closed the door and went into the bathroom, taking a shower to wash away his exhaustion while going over what had happened the past few days.

    Twenty minutester, Gao Yang changed into a bathrobe and dried his hair with a towel as he walked out. He nced at Qing Ling, who was lying on the bed, and paused in surprise. Although she was still lying in the same posture as before, he was certain that she was now asleep.

    In fact, judging by her slow, much more settled breathing, she was sleeping quite soundly.

    Gao Yang felt himself rxing too.

    For some reason, every time he saw her, a girl severelycking in a sense of security, enjoying food or sleeping soundly, he feltforted.

    It was as if she was living proof that no matter how hard life was, there would always be moments that made it worth it.

    Gao Yang dried his hair andy down on the sofa, slowly closing his eyes and whispering, ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ...

    The four of them woke up early. They headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

    There were all sorts of facilities for entertainment on the cruise, but none of them were in the mood to use them, and they returned to their suites to keep waiting.

    Officer Huang stood on the balcony, having cigarette after cigarette. He kept calling Chen Ying, waiting less than half an hour between each call. He wished she would give him something concrete the next second so that he could go rescue his wife as soon as they disembarked.

    It got to the point that Chen Ying got fed up and stopped taking his calls.

    Officer Huang knew how annoying he was being, but the wait was torturous, and not long after, he started calling Chen Ying with Gao Yang¡¯s phone to urge her.

    That very effectively made Chen Ying turn off her phone.

    During the time, Gao Yang had contacted Vermilion Bird and asked about Ke Yo and her interrogation of Edmond¡¯s body. Vermilion Bird sounded tired in the call.

    ¡°The girl is still unconscious, but she¡¯s in no danger of dying. I have someone watch over her.¡±

    ¡°You can seek out Liu Qingying for help. She may be able tomunicate with Ke Yo with her Sweet Dream. Perhaps she¡¯ll find something.¡±

    ¡°No, Ke Yo is in a deepa, while Miss Liu¡¯s Sweet Dream only works with a target sleeping regrly. It cannot connect to a target¡¯s deeper consciousness.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡±

    Vermilion Bird continued, ¡°With Edmond, I can¡¯t interrogate his body at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The energy that killed him is strange, and it lingers in his body. If I force the interrogation, the energy may go wild, and I¡¯ll fail. Every corpse can only be questioned once. I can¡¯t take the risk.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Officer Huang, who had been listening in by Gao Yang¡¯s side, was burning with anxiety. ¡°We need clues. We¡¯re running out of time!¡±

    ¡°In theory, the energy should not linger for more than a couple days. We have to wait.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Contact me as soon as you find something.¡± Gao Yang hung up.

    ...

    Ten o¡¯clock at night, the cruise docked at a harbor of the Ind Nation. Gao Yang and the others disembarked amid a group of tourists.

    Chen Ying hadn¡¯t responded, and they couldn¡¯t just look around blindly. After a short discussion, they decided to head to Zone D of the Ind Nation.

    It was a prosperous region with well-connected traffic, and it was at the center of the area of activity in the Ind Nation, so once there was any clue, they would be able to head to the location of interest in the shortest time.

    Although only two of them appeared as humans¡ªGao Yang and Qing Ling were wearing the red crystal ne that concealed them with the energy of wanderers¡ªZone D had a dense poption. To avoid attracting suspicion, especially that of a summoner, the four decided to split up.

    They didn¡¯t find amodation at a hotel. Instead, they went to a popr inte cafe at different times.

    The inte cafe offered single rooms for living, as well as free drinks, mangas, and public bathrooms. Since the price was cheaper than single rooms at a hotel, quite a lot of young people even stayed in the inte cafe long-term.

    With his phone tranting for him, Gao Yang had a simple conversation with the staff at the inte cafe and reserved a single room to stay the night. It was simr to a capsule hotel with only enough space for a single bed, the mattress of a smooth material like ck leather, making it easier to clean.

    At the head of the bed were the desk and theputer, and on the walls on the sides were hooks for clothes and a small recessed wall cab. With a venttion system, it didn¡¯t feel too stuffy in the room.

    Gao Yangy down, but sleep seemed to elude him.

    There was nothing he could do but wait back on the cruise, and he was able to rest properly. Now that they had reached their destination, though, it was tortuous to not be able to make a move.

    Gao Yang nced at the time. It was two in the morning. He decided to take a stroll.

    He found himself stopping in the area offering free manga. Like a small library, the rows of bookshelves were filled with manga books. A few young people weaved through the shelves, looking for a book they would like to read.

    After a while, Gao Yang spotted a familiar figure in a corner.

    Officer Huang stood before a bookshelf, looking through the collections.

    Sensing someone approaching, he turned around, and he smiled wryly when he saw Gao Yang. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep and couldn¡¯t stop myself from overthinking, so I came here to check out the manga.¡±

    Gao Yang was reminded then that Officer Huang used to love manga when he was young. He had gotten his sense of justice from the shonen manga.

    Gao Yang asked without thinking much, ¡°Can you understand it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to read the lines, just look at the drawing.¡± Officer Huang was holding a manga from a long time ago. ¡°I¡¯ve read this so many times back then that I know it by heart.¡±

    Gao Yang checked the cover. He had read the work back in middle school, too. It was about a swordsman.

    The swordsman used to be a coldblooded killer. Heter fell in love with a woman, but he didn¡¯t know that the woman was here for revenge, having lost her fiance to the swordsman''s de.

    Then, even though he knew he was walking into a trap, the swordsman pushed aside all reservations and went to save the woman, but ended up killing her by ident.

    The story was full of twists and angst, not a good omen for what they were doing now.

    Officer Huang seemed to remember that part of the story then, and he quickly shoved the book back onto the shelf.

    He turned to Gao Yang, his eyes bloodshot. ¡°My wife and kid will be alright, won¡¯t they, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll save them.¡±

    <i>Buzz.</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s phone vibrated. He took it out and checked the screen. It was Chen Ying.

 Chapter 494: Fox Deity

    <h4>Chapter 494: Fox Deity</h4>

    Gao Yang picked up Chen Ying¡¯s call and didn¡¯t say a word but quietly listened. Two minutester, he said a quick ¡°got it¡± and then hung up.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Officer Huang asked urgently.

    Gao Yang nced at Officer Huang. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Mount Tamaougi[1]. Let¡¯s talk on the way.¡±

    Mount Tamaougi was the most well-known active volcano in the Ind Nation. The vibrantly green mountain range soared through the clouds with a snowy peak. From a distance, it looked like a fan hanging upside down from the sky, hence the name.

    There were two official channels linking Zone D and Mount Tamaougi: the subway, and the bus.

    The bus line ran twenty-four seven every three hours. The four of them headed to the bus station after leaving the inte cafe. They booked the tickets at three in the morning for a bus departing at four.

    It was midnight, so the bus was almost empty. Gao Yang and the other three took the seats at the very back of the bus, conversing quietly in their native tongue.

    Chen Ying had found a disorganized mess of information on the Ind Nation in their archive. There was so little order that even though she had spent the night looking through it, she didn¡¯t find clues about an altar simr to the one in West Nation.

    However, there were records of the tradition of worshiping gods for those who lived near Mount Tamaougi, simr to the Aurora Town in Snow Nation. If there was an altar for the white phoenix in the nation, Mount Tamaougi and its surrounding area were a good ce to start.

    While it was a little too wide a scope, it was their only lead before Vermilion Bird could question Edmond¡¯s body.

    Seven in the morning, the four of them got off the bus at a small town near Mount Tamaougi. They checked into a hot spring hotel first. The owner was a petite local woman in her fifties. She was dressed in a blue and white yukata with her ck hair put into a bun, her smile friendly in a way a business woman¡¯s would be.

    Heavenly Dog knew thenguage of the Ind Nation, and he conversed with the owner without issue.

    They reserved two rooms for two as tourists. The interior of the hotel was mainly done with wooden materials, and the ce looked quaint in a ssy way.

    After having the local specialty ramen as breakfast, the four returned to their rooms to discuss their next move.

    During breakfast, Heavenly Dog had found out what he could from the owner.

    ¡°She said that there are a lot of single-day tours in the area, led by many part-time tour guides. The tour guides take the individual tourists to have delicious food, enjoy hot springs, and go camping in the mountains. Starting from nine, a group can be formed with five people or above.¡±

    ¡°There are tours for visiting the shrines around Mount Tamaougi, as well as tours for climbing the mountain.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. Then he took off his red crystal ne and threw it to Officer Huang. ¡°Let¡¯s split up. You and Heavenly Dog should go up the mountain, and Qing Ling and I will visit the shrines in the area. If you find anything, contact me at any time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Huang wore the ne, the red crystal resting on his chest.

    Gao Yang checked his phone. ¡°There¡¯s still some time until the tours start. Let¡¯s have a short rest.¡±

    ...

    At half past eight, the four of them left the hotel and went to the za at the town. Indeed, there were many local part-time tour guides looking for customers. They each raised a sign with the itinerary of the single-day tour they offered.

    Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang joined a tour to climb Mount Tamaougi. The group set out after gathering seven people.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling joined a tour to visit the shrines as a couple. The tour guide was a young chubby woman. It turned out that she was an international student from Li City, and she was working part-time here.

    Soon, another two pairs of couples from Li City joined, and the six of them set out.

    They had udon together before catching a train going around Mount Tamaougi.

    At ten o¡¯clock in the morning, the train rumbled and shook as it ran. Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat shoulder-to-shoulder, listening to the tour guide giving them an enthusiastic introduction to the ce while enjoying the scenery outside.

    The closest were the pretty residential buildings at different heights, surrounded by rivers, bridges, and nts. In the backdrop was Mount Tamaougi. It slowly drew closer as the train moved. With the clear sunlight and the clean sky, the colors were so vibrant that the scene looked like a painting.

    Without him realizing, Gao Yang became rxed and started enjoying his time.

    If he wasn¡¯t on an important mission, it would be a good trip.

    The tour guide exined where the name of the mountain came from, and she chuckled in the end with dimples on her chubby face. ¡°Every time I look at it though, it seems more like ice cream to me.¡±

    The others allughed. Gao Yang noticed that even Qing Ling was nodding in agreement earnestly.

    After getting off the train, the tour guide took them to the shrines in the area. Gao Yang took pictures of the scenery with his phone, as well as snapping shots of his fake girlfriend, Qing Ling, ying his role to the fullest.

    The tour guide told them story after story with ease. The shrines worshiped a great variety of deities, some from mythological stories, some were their ancestors, and some were nature, animals, or nts. Anything could be gods here.

    The shrine they were visiting now worshiped a fox deity, located on a small hill.

    At the bottom of the hill was a scarlet <i>torii</i>[2]. Before walking through it, the tour guide bowed slightly. She exined that it was proper etiquette.

    Then they walked along the pebbled road and soon reached the shrine on the top of the hill. It was a small one built with wood, at the center of which was the stone sculpture of a fox. A short pine tree grew on the side of the shrine, hung with many ribbons for good wishes.

    Gao Yang and the rest of the group followed the tour guide to a pond built with stones, the water clear. A woodendle was ced beside it.

    The tour guide took thedle to clean both her hands, exining, ¡°To pray at a shrine, you must be earnest. Thus, we first use the divine water to wash away the grimes of the mortal world here...¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling followed the process along with the rest of the group. Then they followed the tour guide to the fox sculpture. Before it was a donation box with wood grids.

    ¡°In the Ind Nation, foxes are said to be messengers of the gods, and they¡¯re referred to as Master Fox. You may pay tribute to Master Fox to please them. Then they will carry your messages to the gods, and the gods will fulfill your wishes.¡±

    They all voluntarily took out their wallets and put some money into the donation box.

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>Isn¡¯t that just bribery? One can never escape from such under the table dealings.</i>

    1. Since the Ind Nation is obviously based on Japan, I opt for the Japanese pronunciation of the <i>kanji </i>rather than the Mandarin pronunciation of the words. The characters, ÓñÉÈ, meant jade and fan respectively. ?

    2. Traditional Japanese gates found at the entrance of a shrine or inside a shrine. It¡¯s said to connect the world of the mortal and the world of the deities. ?

 Chapter 495: Wish

    <h4>Chapter 495: Wish</h4>

    The tour guide was good at her job. It was clear that this was far from her first tour. Walking up to the shrine, she pped her hands a few times before holding them over her head, bowing slightly and making a wish with her eyes closed.

    Then she reached out to pull the thick hemp rope hanging from the beam with her right hand. A clear, lilting sound came from the bell on top.

    ¡°After making a wish, pull the rope, and that¡¯ll be the end of the whole process. If your wish doese true, remember to pay it back.¡±

    The other two couples started doing the same without wait. Gao Yang and Qing Ling followed suit, too.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t believe in such things, but he was here as a tourist, and he had to y the part. Thus, he pretended to be praying, when in truth he wasn¡¯t thinking about anything.

    About ten secondster, he opened his eyes to see Qing Ling¡¯s hands still pressed together, her eyes closed, like she was actually making a wish.

    A stream of clear sunlight lit her from above, shining on her thick darkshes. She blinked, and hershes fluttered, the sttering of light dancing.

    Breeze swept across the mountain and rustled her bang. At that moment, she looked gentle and sentimental in a youthful way.

    After making a wish, she tugged at the hemp rope by her side.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Only after that did she realize that Gao Yang was ncing sideways at her. She hurriedly averted her eyes.

    ¡°Little Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang noticed the shift.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Little Qing Ling fake coughed and exined, ¡°Sister thinks it¡¯s a bother, so she had me deal with the situation.¡±

    That was what Qing Ling would do.

    Gao Yang asked casually, ¡°Have you made a wish?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here already. Might as well.¡± Qing Ling shrugged and spoke the doctrine of everyone back home.

    ¡°What wish did you make?¡±

    Little Qing Ling red at him. ¡°Why are you getting nosier and nosier?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled awkwardly at the jab. Just when he was going to say something, his face darkened.

    He had a strong feeling that someone was staring at him, and it was someone powerful.

    He whirled around. There was no one and nothing behind him save for the old pine tree covered in ribbons for good wishes, the branches and ribbons swaying in the wind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Little Qing Ling asked, noticing his reaction.

    Gao Yang stared at the tree, his thoughts straying. It wasn¡¯t an overreaction. There had been someone standing by the tree.

    Gao Yang quietly essed his system, checking and re-checking. His Luck points hadn¡¯t spiked.

    He broke out of his thoughts and turned to Little Qing Ling. ¡°Stick close to me and don¡¯t go on your own.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Little Qing Ling didn¡¯t ask why. She went up to him and held his arm like a couple would.

    ...

    Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling followed the tour guide around the whole day, taking photos and buying souvenirs as they visited shrines at different scales and listened to mythical stories told by the tour guide. However, they didn¡¯t find anything about a white phoenix altar.

    Eight o¡¯clock in the evening, Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling took a train back to the hot spring hotel.

    After about half an hour, Officer Huang and Heavenly Dog returned too. They reached the spot halfway up the mountain where most people took pictures and posted them to their social media, which was also the highest point a tourist was allowed to go.

    During their free time, Officer Huang went around talking to people and gathering information, while Heavenly Dog secretly used Fly to look around the top of the mountain. He didn¡¯t find anything resembling an altar.

    The four of them spent a whole day investigating, feeling exhausted and a little dispirited.

    The owner of the hotel prepared sushi for them as dinner. While they ate, the owner urged them to try the outdoor hot spring provided by the hotel, saying that it could soothe their tired body and promote health and beauty.

    Officer Huang wasn¡¯t in the mood, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t want him to stay in the room and think himself into a corner, so he dragged him to the hot spring.

    The outdoor hot spring was in the backyard of the hotel, divided into the women¡¯s part and the men¡¯s part.

    Gao Yang, Heavenly Dog, and Officer Huang took off their clothes in the changing room and put a white towel around their waists. Wearing geta sandals, they entered the hot spring with a small wooden basin where they put their towels and phones.

    The hot spring wasn¡¯trge. It was surrounded by bamboo, a thick screen lining one side of the hot spring. Judging by theyout, the other side must be the women¡¯s hot spring.

    In other words, they actually shared the same pool.

    The four of them monopolized the hot spring, perhaps due to it being off season. The three men chatted in their mother tongue while rxing in the hot spring. During the time, Gao Yang called Vermilion Bird again and finally got some good news: the strange energy inside Edmond¡¯s body had more or less dispersed, and she estimated that she would be able to question the body around midnight.

    Officer Huang called Chen Ying too, hoping that she would let Little Tiane to the Ind Nation to search around with Sensory.

    Chen Ying denied the request, arguing that Little Tian¡¯s Sensory wasn¡¯t a magic bullet. He had managed to track down Tails easily only because it hadn¡¯t been long since Tails made their move, and the general direction they had escaped in was identified. Besides, there were seven of them, making them a big target.

    The life monster, on the other hand, was on its own. It would be nigh impossible to search across the whole Ind Nation and find it. Moreover, the life monster must have the ability to conceal its energy and presence, or something as powerful as a life monster would¡¯ve been discovered by awakeners long ago.

    There was another reason: under Surnamed Li¡¯s direct order, Chen Ying was told to not help Gao Yang and the other three for the moment.

    That made Gao Yang think. It was clear that Qilin had reached an agreement with Surnamed Li.

    Gao Yang still didn¡¯t understand why Qilin wouldn¡¯t send help.

    ¡°What the hell?! Are you just gonna let us die?¡± Officer Huang was furious. ¡°We¡¯re very likely facing...¡± He managed to swallow the word ¡°life monsters¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to follow orders.¡± Chen Ying sounded guilty.

    Officer Huang stopped wasting his breath and hung up. Disappointed, he said, ¡°Turns out no one can be depended on when it matters. We only have ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s voice came from the other side of the screen.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Gao Yang was a little embarrassed. They were all naked in the same hot spring.

    ¡°Come over for a sec.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Yang thought he had heard wrong. ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°Yes,e here.¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t in the mood to joke.

    ¡°That¡¯s...inappropriate, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no one else here but me.¡±

    <i>Wait, that¡¯s not the point! You¡¯re missing the point!</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Officer Huang tugged at his lips resignedly. ¡°Although this really isn¡¯t the right time, you and Qing Ling are young. It¡¯s a rare chance and a rare asion for you to have some fun. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    ¡°And me.¡± Heavenly Dog rested his hands on the side of the hot spring, a wet towel ced on his face.

    ¡°No! We aren¡¯t <i>having fun</i>. And I¡¯m not in the mood¡ªno, that¡¯s not right! We aren¡¯t a thing...¡±

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Qing Ling was getting inpatient. ¡°It¡¯s business.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath and teleported through the screen, getting into the women¡¯s hot spring. Since he had teleported over while bending low, he reached the other side with the water submerging him from chest down. With an added person suddenly showing up, though, Qing Ling still got sshed in the face.

    She was submerged in the hot spring to her corbones, her hair tied up and her expression cool. Faint red dusted her fair skin due to the heat of the hot spring. Her neck was covered in sweat with a few ck strands of hair sticking to it.

    She stared at Gao Yang seriously. It seemed that she had something to say.

 Chapter 496: White Crane Shrine

    <h4>Chapter 496: White Crane Shrine</h4>

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Turn around,¡± Qing Ling said.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Gao Yang slowly turned around in the water, facing the thick screen separating the women¡¯s and men¡¯s areas.

    ¡°Look at the screen,¡± Qing Ling instructed.

    Gao Yang looked up to see andscape painting done in the style of ukiyo-e[1]. The main subject of the painting was the red <i>torii </i>erected on top of a steep slope. Through the <i>torii</i>, the not so distant Mount Tamaougi could be made out.

    The scope of the painting was vast, thendscape quiet and wistful with a hint of dignity and solemnity.

    ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Qing Ling shook her head. ¡°It must be a mountain near Mount Tamaougi. Is this a shrine?¡±

    ¡°Although there is only one <i>torii</i>, it should be a shrine.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t go there today.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, catching on to what Qing Ling was getting at. He was reminded then of what the tour guide had said:

    <i>¡°Torii is a distinct architectural structure in this nation. It¡¯s the entrance to the divine realm. Past the gate is the realm of the deities. It only takes a single step...¡±</i>

    As soon as Gao Yang remembered that, he heard the sound of the wooden door getting pulled open.

    It was the hotel owner. She walked over, holding a wooden basin with a towel inside. In awkward Li Citynguage, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve fetched a towel for you.¡±

    She looked at Qing Ling. Qing Ling¡¯s hands were underwater at an awkward angle, and there were bubblesing up before her chest.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Qing Ling lifted a hand from the water and pointed at the screen. ¡°Where is this ce?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the White Crane Shrine on Mount Kei,¡± the owner exined with a smile. ¡°Heh, it¡¯ll take an hour to climb up the mountain. The path is muddy and difficult to walk on. At this time, there are very few visitors there. It¡¯s beautiful to look at Mount Tamaougi from there in winter.¡±

    ¡°What god does the White Crane Shrine pay tribute to?¡±

    ¡°There are many versions of the story. One is that a crane ascended and became a celestial guarding Mount Kei throughout generations, and another tells of a white, phoenix-like giant bird rather than a crane. My grandmother said that she had seen Them once and made a wish, thus giving birth to my mother the next year. Haha, everyone thinks she made it up...¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling ended the conversation after getting what she wanted.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± The owner put down the wooden basin and the towel before taking her leave in small elegant steps, closing the wooden door behind her.

    <i>Ssh! </i>Gao Yang popped his head out of the hot spring. Fortunately, he was quite good at holding his breath, or he would¡¯ve drowned.

    ¡°<i>Ack, ack!</i>¡± Gao Yang coughed. ¡°Qing Ling, you...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to get discovered.¡±

    ¡°I get that.¡± Gao Yang felt a little wronged. ¡°But have you forgotten that I can teleport?¡± He could¡¯ve just returned to the men¡¯s area.

    Qing Ling paused. Although she knew Gao Yang was right, she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m quicker.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll.<i> And now you¡¯re refusing to acknowledge your mistake like your sister does.</i>

    ¡°What is it? You got a clue?¡± Officer Huang was anxious on the other side of the screen.

    Gao Yang responded, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the White Crane Shrine on Mount Kei. It¡¯s very likely an altar for the white phoenix. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Qing Ling, ever the woman of action, stood up from the hot spring right before Gao Yang and turned to put on her clothes.

    Startled, Gao Yang screamed and teleported back to the men¡¯s area. Officer Huang and Heavenly Dog had put on their towels and were rising to leave then.

    They saw Gao Yang nking out with a panicked expression and a flushed face, like he had been shaken to the core.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    Heart pounding, Gao Yang said, ¡°No-nothing. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ...

    They changed into casual clothes and quietly left the hot spring hotel, heading to Mount Kei, near Mount Tamaougi.

    Suffice to say that Heavenly Dog¡¯s Fly was perfect for rushing from ces to ces. The muddy path that would¡¯ve taken them half an hour to traverse took them only around five minutes.

    The mountain wasn¡¯t that tall, dwarfed by Mount Tamaougi inparison. From high above, it looked like a tiny umbre next to a giant umbre.

    The four of themnded on the top of the mountain, on a t, empty muddy ground the size of a ser field. It was surrounded on three sides by dense forest, while the open front led to a steep cliff.

    On the edge of the cliff was a red <i>torii </i>less than three meters tall.

    The four of them headed to the torii afternding. Through the red gate, they could see Mount Tamaougi against the backdrop of the beautiful night sky and the clear moon.

    It would be midnight soon. The mountain was serenely quiet save for the gusts of wind. The four of them looked at the ancient and lonesome <i>torii</i>, feeling a sense of indescribable mncholy.

    ¡°This is it,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see an altar.¡± Qing Ling held onto her two des.

    ¡°Me neither.¡± Heavenly Dog narrowed his eyes with his hands in his pockets.

    Gao Yang continued to ask, ¡°Can any of you sense anything? A strange force field perhaps?¡±

    Officer Huang shook his head and went up to touch the red pirs of the <i>torii</i>, going through it and walking around it tentatively for a good few minutes, but nothing happened.

    He sighed dejectedly.

    He had been more anxious to get here than anyone, but deep down, he had a feeling that things were going too smoothly, and it didn¡¯t seem right.

    Gao Yang disagreed. For some reason, his instinct told him that this was the ce.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll look further...¡± Gao Yang was interrupted by his phone.

    ...

    Five minutes ago.

    The special necropsy room at the Northbound Funeral Home in Li City was a barebone square room, at the center of which was a rectangr altar made of ck Gold. Edmond¡¯s corpsey on the altar, entirely naked and only covered in a piece of white cloth.

    Qilin, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird stood by the altar.

    Vermilion Bird was the closest to Edmond¡¯s body. She took his cold, stiff hand. Three secondster, Vermilion Bird said with certainty, ¡°The energy¡¯s just about gone. I can interrogate the body.¡±

    Qilin nodded slightly, his eyes calm and deep under the sses. ¡°How long can you get out of him?¡±

    Vermilion Bird shook her head, not feeling optimistic. ¡°Thirty seconds. No longer than 45 seconds.¡±

    Azure Dragon sighed, clearly dissatisfied. ¡°It seems we won¡¯t get to ask all the questions we list.¡±

    Qilin said, ¡°We have to pick from the list. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Okay. Hold my hand.¡±

    Qilin went up to take Vermilion Bird¡¯s other hand.

    Before they started, Vermilion Bird reminded him, ¡°Remember, he¡¯ll stay silent if he doesn¡¯t know the answer. Don¡¯t wait. Just ask the next question. Moreover, the body gives an answer based on his knowledge, but there¡¯s no telling if the answer is correct or objective. What he knew before his death could be iplete, even wrong.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± Qilin didn¡¯t have any more questions.

    Vermilion Bird took a deep breath and held Edmond¡¯s hand with her other hand.

    Eyes closed, she tapped into the energy inside her body and muttered, ¡°Equivalent Exchange.¡±

    1. A genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. ?

 Chapter 497: Defying Order

    <h4>Chapter 497: Defying Order</h4>

    In an instant, the vitality saved in Vermilion Bird¡¯s body was injected into Edmond¡¯s lifeless corpse. Two secondster, the ck Gold altar under the corpse glowed faintly of a gray light.

    Edmond slowly opened his eyes, which glinted with the same faint gray.

    He didn¡¯t move, but opened his eyes slightly.

    ¡°Answer the questions, Edmond,¡± Vermilion Bird spoke at a hastened pace but in an authoritative tone that demanded obedience.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Edmond¡¯s tone was devoid of emotions, the cold, hoarse voice squeezed out of the throat like an echo from the abyss, chilling.

    ¡°Do wanderers and humans give birth to Spectres?¡±

    Qilin had learned of Gao Yang¡¯s hypothesis, and he asked the first question.

    ¡°They do not,¡± Edmond responded.

    Qilin paused. Had Gao Yang guessed wrong?

    Without wasting any time, he asked a different question, ¡°Where do Spectrese from?¡±

    ¡°Life monsters,¡± Edmond responded.

    Spectres came from life monsters!

    Qilin was shocked. That was entirely different from what Gao Yang had spected.

    He quickly asked, ¡°What part of a life monster does the holy watere from?¡±

    ¡°Amniotic fluid.¡±

    Amniotic fluid.

    It seemed that not only did life monsters give birth to lives, they were mammals like humans, hence they had amniotic fluid.

    Then back at the No.7 Winery in West Nation, therge organ Gao Yang had found in the giant growth tank in the basement must be a life monster¡¯s uterus.

    It was a mystery how the life monster died.

    ¡°What is the rtionship between life monsters and wanderers?¡± Qilin continued with a question they hade up with beforehand.

    ¡°One sows seeds in the other.¡± Edmond¡¯s response was concise and abstract.

    ¡°How?¡± Qilin pressed.

    ¡°Crimson Tide...¡± Edmond¡¯s parted lips paused for two seconds. He seemed to be processing information. During those two seconds, Qilin barely managed to tamp down the urge to pose another question.

    Edmond sorted out his thoughts and continued, ¡°Wanderers turn into seeds after death, and life monsters send seeds back into wanderers via the blood fog... Seeds, wanderers, reincarnation...¡±

    So that was the truth!

    Qilin was shocked. It all made sense now!

    It was true that monsters didn¡¯t have proper reproductive systems. To ensure the cycles of life, life monsters were in charge of sowing the seeds.

    Every ten years, using the red fog of the Crimson Tide as a medium, life monsters put the seeds the dead wanderers turned into back in the bodies of female wanderers. Then the female wanderers would ¡°give birth to¡± new wanderers at a certain time, thus creating the facade of procreation.

    Female wanderers thought they had carried and given birth to children normally, while the children were allocated to them by life monsters.

    It was likely that the elite monsters, namely monsters outside of wanderers, didn¡¯t have the ability to give birth, which would exin why wanderers were put to sleep during the seven nights of the Crimson Tide, but not the elite monsters.

    It also exined how elite monsters differentiated between wanderers, regr humans, and awakeners during the Crimson Tide.

    While regr humans would fall unconscious too, their bodies naturally repelled the seeds in the red fog. Perhaps the seeds were only visible to elite monsters, and not even awakeners could see them.

    That was how elite monsters went after awakeners in a frenzy during the Crimson Tide.

    In truth, Qilin hadn¡¯t gotten through all those thoughts in such a short time. With a rough idea in mind, he wasted no time to keep asking questions.

    ¡°What other abilities and duties do life monsters have?¡±

    ¡°Give birth,¡± said Edmond.

    ¡°To what?¡±

    ¡°Forlorn ghosts...¡± Edmond seemed to have uttered something else after that, but he didn¡¯t make any sound.

    Forlorn ghosts must be the Spectres.

    ¡°What else?¡± Qilin quickly asked.

    Edmond stopped answering, and the gray light in his eyes dimmed and quieted. He slowly closed his eyes, all of the injected vitality drained from the body. He was gone forever.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s face was covered in sweat, and she panted. She never expected it to be so difficult to question a body for 35 seconds. As expected of a corpse contaminated by the energy of a life monster. She had never encountered something like it.

    Life monsters were terrifying beings.

    She let go of Edmond¡¯s hand and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯ve done my best.¡±

    ¡°Good work.¡± Qilin didn¡¯t question or me her.

    ¡°Guildmaster!¡± Vermilion Bird turned to Qilin, her gaze imploring. ¡°We must support Seven Shadow. The life monster is too strong. They aren¡¯t its match.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°The life monster must be looking to use the child in Su Xi¡¯s womb toplete a scheme,¡± Vermilion Bird added.

    Azure Dragon chimed in, ¡°Perhaps life monsters create forlorn ghosts or something even more terrifying with sacrifices like Su Xi. We have to stop it.¡±

    Qilin remained silent.

    ¡°Guildmaster! We must send reinforcements now, or tell Seven Shadow to stop investigating!¡±

    Qilin¡¯s expression remained cold, and he didn¡¯t voice his stance.

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t understand it. She turned to Azure Dragon, ¡°Say something, Azure Dragon!¡±

    Azure Dragon had a troubled look on his face. Although he did believe they should help Seven Shadow, he trusted and obeyed Qilin¡¯s orders unconditionally.

    ¡°Seven Shadow will die!¡± Vermilion Bird was on the verge of losing it. ¡°We can¡¯t lose more people!¡±

    ¡°I have my n.¡± Finally, Qilin broke his silence.

    ¡°Guildmaster! All these years, I¡¯ve never once defied your orders because you¡¯re right every time, but this time, I disagree.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird, we should trust Guildmaster...¡±

    ¡°How?!¡± Vermilion Bird cut him off. ¡°This is a life monster we¡¯re talking about. Why aren¡¯t we allowed to help? Okay, let¡¯s say we don¡¯t go to Seven Shadow¡¯s rescue, but we can¡¯t just let important intel about life monsters slip, can we?¡±

    Azure Dragon fell silent. He didn¡¯t understand Qilin¡¯s true intention either.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Guildmaster. I¡¯m calling Seven Shadow. I can¡¯t just let apanion march to his death.¡± Vermilion Bird took out her phone, determined.

    Qilin sighed softly rather than stop her. ¡°It¡¯s your choice.¡±

    Vermilion Bird called Gao Yang.

    ...

    Meanwhile, at the White Crane Shrine on top of Mount Kei, Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang. He nced at the screen and saw that it was an encoded call from Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Gao Yang picked up immediately.

    ¡°Seven Shadow! Hurry...<i>crackle</i>...¡±

    <i>Beep, beep, beep¡ª</i>

    Vermilion Bird only got three words out before the signal cut off with a disturbance. Confused, Gao Yang was about to call back when Qing Ling shouted.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head jerked up. In the sky, a brilliant white shooting star emerged, flying above the peak of Mount Tamaougi toward the White Crane Shrine on Mount Kei. That must be the source of signal disturbance.

    The white shooting star fell unusually quickly. Gao Yang estimated that it wouldnd in less than ten seconds.

    He had never felt such overwhelming anxiety and pressure before, and the others felt the same.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hands started trembling uncontrobly. He tightened his fists and forced himself to calm down.

    ¡°Get ready, everyone.¡±

    A bead of cold sweat streaked down from his forehead.

 Chapter 498: Not Really

    <h4>Chapter 498: Not Really</h4>

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Leaving a sparkling, sacred trail across the night sky, the white shooting starnded before the red <i>torii</i>, sending ripples of white shockwaves in all directions, too quick to avoid.

    The four of them were hit. A familiar numbness spread through their bodies, and their energy short-circuited for a second.

    Compared to thest time, the white shooting star¡¯snding was quite gentle.

    A few secondster, the four of them got a clear look at the neer.

    It was a woman with long auburn hair, dressed in ck, fitted long-sleeved turtleneck, ck gauze dress, and a pair of t ballet shoes. Wearing all ck, she stood tall and upright, her figure slim, looking elegant, mysterious, and dignified. Under the moonlight, she reminded one of a graceful ck swan.

    Gao Yang recognized at first nce that she was the woman he had seen holding an evil ritual at a crossroad at midnight, captured by the hidden camera on the rooftop.

    He got a clear look at her face.

    Not only wasn¡¯t her identity a surprise to him, it made so much sense that it almost felt surreal.

    She was Zhuang Mei, a living life monster.

    Zhuang Mei recognized Gao Yang at first nce too. She smiled faintly at him as a greeting, her impassive face shrouded in foggy white light, making her look holy.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t find the words to say. He looked up to see an unconscious woman hovering above Zhuang Mei¡¯s head.

    She was dressed in blue pajamas, her feet bare, and she hovered in the air like she was being carried on the palm of an invisible hand, her arms, legs, and ck hair hanging down naturally. Her protruding belly was noticeable, as well as her sicklyplexion.

    ¡°Su Xi!¡± Officer Huang shouted. He felt a fury stronger than ever before, but he didn¡¯t dare to make a reckless move.

    He knew that Su Xi was at Zhuang Mei¡¯s mercy.

    Paying the four of them no mind, Zhuang Mei slowly turned around and raised her right hand, lowering Su Xi to the center of the <i>torii</i>.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Ancient white patterns appeared on the red gate, glowing a sacred white. A circr altar suddenly emerged from the graynd around the <i>torii</i>, flickering in the same color. The pattern at the center of the altar was the familiar white bird.

    <i>Swish, swish, swish.</i>

    The white patterns on the <i>torii </i>broke free of the wooden structure and morphed into snaking white chains, wrapping around Su Xi and tying her to the center of the gate in a syed posture.

    It seemed clear that Su Xi and the child she carried had been chosen by Zhuang Mei as sacrifices for some ritual, and the pregnant woman was going to give her life.

    Officer Huang could never allow that to happen.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang fired, emptying the two guns in two seconds, the bullets aimed at all the vital parts of Zhuang Mei¡¯s body. However, the bullets crumbled as soon as they hit Zhuang Mei like flies flying to their deaths, falling silently to the ground.

    Zhuang Mei continued to move, as if she didn¡¯t even feel the attacks.

    A few secondster, Zhuang Mei slowly turned around, having finished the initiation process. She looked at Officer Huang. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my wife!¡± Officer Huang quickly reloaded his guns, shouting, ¡°Let her go.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Zhuang Mei sounded intrigued. ¡°An awakener risking his life for a monster. Wonders never cease.¡±

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang made ten shots in a row, aiming for Zhuang Mei¡¯s weakest parts this time: her eyes.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    However, the bullets clinked brightly like they had hit a pair of indestructible marbles before falling to the ground. Zhuang Mei didn¡¯t even blink.

    At that moment, Gao Yang was hit with an indescribable despair.

    Zhuang Mei¡¯s body seemed as invincible as the white skeleton they had fought back in No.7 Winery.

    Zhuang Mei ignored Officer Huang and turned to Gao Yang, speaking naturally like an adult stopping a neighbor¡¯s child from doing something foolish. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get involved, Yang Yang. Go back.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Zhuang Mei turned to the others. ¡°You too. Just go. I won¡¯t kill you.¡±

    She paused, her eyesnding on Heavenly Dog¡¯s face and stopping for two seconds.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Her smile was a mix of surprise and interest. ¡°Little Ran.¡±

    Heavenly Dog was silent, his eyes long reddened. He had recognized at first nce that the life monster was the mother who had abandoned him.

    ¡°Mom...¡± he said hoarsely, trying to control the emotions running wild in his heart. He asked the question that had been tormenting him the past eighteen years, ¡°Why did you abandon me?¡±

    Zhuang Mei blinked, still smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve awakened already, Little Ran. You should know that I¡¯m not your real mother.¡±

    ¡°But you are.¡± Heavenly Dog¡¯s gaze glinted with heartbreaking stubbornness.

    Zhuang Mei sighed softly. ¡°I was naive and tried to be human once, tried to live a normal life, but I was only fooling myself.¡±

    Her gaze was difficult to read. ¡°Humans are too troublesome to be. I couldn¡¯t do it, so I gave up.¡±

    ¡°So you aren¡¯t from Ind Nation.¡±

    ¡°From Ind Nation?¡± Zhuang Mei paused. ¡°When have I ever said that I was?¡±

    ¡°You said that you were going to Ind Nation, that you were going home and couldn¡¯t take me with you...¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Zhuang Mei finally remembered. ¡°I wasing here to deal with something. I didn¡¯t mean it when I said that I was going home. Silly boy, you took me at my word.¡±

    Heavenly Dog stared at Zhuang Mei in disbelief. He couldn¡¯t ept that this was the answer he had been waiting for the past eighteen years.

    His mother wasn¡¯t from Ind Nation. What he had been doing all these years was foolish,ughable.

    He had been nothing but a joke the past eighteen years.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang had been tamping down his fear and quickly thinking. The summer eighteen years ago would be the Crimson Tide before the previous one. Zhuang Mei said that she had matters to attend to; did that have something to do with her being a life monster?

    Heavenly Dog clenched his fists, his reddened eyes broken yet fierce. ¡°All these years, have you ever loved me, Mom? Even for a second?¡±

    Zhuang Mei seemed surprised by the question.

    She smiled faintly like she was saying something trivial. ¡°Not really.¡±

    Heavenly Dog paled.

    ¡°But well, I don¡¯t hate you. You were an obedient kid who didn¡¯t cry or make trouble, like a meek little puppy. Who doesn¡¯t like puppies?¡±

    Zhuang Mei was still smiling.

    Heavenly Dog stood rooted to the spot. The distant memories that had been etched into his mind burned inside him, scorching his chest and boiling his blood.

    <i>¡°Little Ran is the most obedient!¡±</i>

    <i>[I¡¯m not your real mother.]</i>

    <i>¡°Little Ran, Mom doesn''t have anything but you. I only have you.¡±</i>

    <i>[I didn¡¯t mean it when I said that I was going home. Silly boy, you took me at my word.]</i>

    <i>¡°When Little Ran grows up, you should protect Mom.¡±</i>

    <i>[You were an obedient kid who didn¡¯t cry or make trouble, like a meek little puppy.]</i>

    <i>¡°Mom loves you, Little Ran.¡±</i>

    <i>[Not really.]</i>

    <i>Mom loves you. Not really. Mom loves you. Not really. Mom loves you not really mom loves you not really mom loves you not really...</i>

    <i>No.</i>

    <i>Never loves you.</i>

    <i>Mom¡¯s never loved you.</i>

    ...

    Spatial Dissection reached level 6!

 Chapter 499: Looking for Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 499: Looking for Weakness</h4>

    <i>Shing.</i>

    Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t even raise his hands. A wave of energy burst out from him.

    Zhuang Mei¡¯s eyes sharpened. She could sense the space around her neck distorting.

    To Gao Yang and the others, the space under Zhuang Mei¡¯s neck seemed to have shifted for a split second before returning to normal, like the air had rippled once. It was so imperceptible that one wouldn¡¯t notice without closely observing it.

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. Heavenly Dog¡¯s Spatial Dissection had gotten quicker and more discreet.

    While Zhuang Mei hadn¡¯t moved, her head didn¡¯t end up sliced off like they had hoped. Still, the white glow around her body did fluctuate for a second, like the reflection of the moon in ake getting disturbed by a pebble.

    A thin bleeding line was left on Zhuang Mei¡¯s fair neck.

    Gao Yang found hope in that. Life monsters could be hurt. Her body wasn¡¯t truly indestructible.

    However slight and insignificant, the gash gave the other three enough hope to fight Zhuang Mei.

    Qing Ling stopped hesitating and charged at Zhuang Mei, her two ck Gold des and three ck Gold darts stabbing at Zhuang Mei before she reached her.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    Just like the bullets Officer Huang had shot, the ck Gold weapons failed to prate Zhuang Mei and nced off her body like they had hit a hardy boulder.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t stop charging. The deflected Tang Dao returned to Qing Ling¡¯s hand. She exerted her full power from her feet, legs, waist, shoulders, and then her wrists, the momentum traveling through her body and imbuing the Tang Dao with de aura, the power concentrated to the sharp tip of the de.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The Tang Dao shot toward Zhuang Mei¡¯s forehead, drawing a glittering streak in the air and triggering a powerful current.

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    Wild, tentacle-like white strands of energy burst from Zhuang Mei¡¯s forehead like stray currents triggered by a disturbance. Then things settled down again. Just like Heavenly Dog¡¯s earlier attack, Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao left only a small red dot on Zhuang Mei¡¯s forehead, like a mosquito bite on her skin.

    Qing Ling felt lost.

    She had gone all in, yet still failed to break through Zhuang Mei¡¯s energy barrier. How could they possibly defeat her?

    Zhuang Mei remained standing where she was, staring at them quietly with what seemed like an amused tolerance, reminiscent of a pet owner watching her kitten and puppy y fight.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    The next second, Gao Yang teleported to Zhuang Mei¡¯s right, energy morphing into a single wing of mes and illuminating the top of the mountain. Without hesitation and reservation, he activated Willful Power, shifting all his stats to his Strength and Willpower.

    Gao Yang knew that if they were going to defeat the monster, their only chance¡ªthe slimmest possibility¡ªwas to fight with their lives on the line while Zhuang Mei still looked down on them.

    Instantly, the giant wing of mes converged to Gao Yang¡¯s right fist.

    Zhuang Mei sensed a real threat this time. She lifted her right hand and syed it to catch Gao Yang¡¯s punch.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A fire dragon that could vaporize regr creatures instantly shot out of Gao Yang¡¯s fist, swallowing Zhuang Mei whole and shooting out of her back, leaving a charred ditch that was more than ten meters wide.

    The dragon rushed into the woods, burning down numerous trees before soaring into the sky, turning into a red shooting star and gradually dispersing.

    Qing Ling had backed away beforehand, but still ended up thrown off her feet by the scorching heat wave. Heavenly Dog and Officer Huang were also forced to move a significant distance.

    In less than ten seconds, the Fire Punch came to an end, leaving the area burning with fire. Gao Yang and Zhuang Mei stood where they had been. Gao Yang panted heavily with his fist tucked back, face pale and eyes unfocused. His stats were in the process of recovering.

    Zhuang Mei hadn¡¯t moved after blocking the punch with her right hand. The sleeve covering her right arm had been charred, and serious burns were left on her right hand and forearm, but that was the extent of her injury.

    Soon, faint white light glowed around her anew, making her look sacred.

    Watching Gao Yang pant, Zhuang Mei said with some regret, ¡°Your mother will be heartbroken.¡±

    [Warning! Luck acquisition rate increases to 9500 times.]

    <i>Pew.</i>

    A thin ray of whiteser shot out of Zhuang Mei¡¯s burnt forefinger, prating through Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    Mouth agape, Gao Yang didn¡¯t manage to get even a word out before toppling to the ground backward.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Qing Ling raised her de and charged at Zhuang Mei.

    Officer Huang rained bullets on her. ¡°Bastard!¡±

    Heavenly Dog took flight and syed his hands, activating Spatial Dissection.

    She had no choice but to get serious. It would take longer for the ritual on Su Xi to bepleted. The ritual must not be interrupted, or all her hard work would be for nothing.

    Standing before the <i>torii</i>, Zhuang Mei stood where she was with white energy rippling under her feet like springsing up from underground. She raised her injured right hand slightly, and countless soft, thin strands of white energy shot out, seemingly moving without order when in reality, they were blocking every sh made by Qing Ling and every bullet shot by Officer Huang precisely.

    Zhuang Mei raised her left hand over her head, shooting thin, quick whitesers at the hovering Heavenly Dog, forcing him to avoid the attacks and preventing him from using Spatial Dissection.

    They were in a stalemate.

    In half a minute, Officer Huang had exhausted his bullets, and Qing Ling¡¯s shes slowed even though she had been pushing herself to her limit nonstop.

    Midair, it was all Heavenly Dog could do to dodge the whitesers, and still it had been a dangerous ordeal. Both his arms and waist had been hit.

    On the other hand, Zhuang Mei was still as graceful as ever, leisurely even.

    Her smile dropped. It wasn¡¯t that she felt threatened, or that she was tired. No, she was simply feeling bored and indifferent once she no longer found any amusement in the fight.

    Simply put, she had had enough.

    Suddenly, she held her hands together before her chest and pped at impressive speed. <i>Pop!</i> The white spring under her feet morphed into a small-scale shockwave and shot outward quickly.

    Hit by the shockwave, Qing Ling felt numb and lost control over her body, her energy sealed for a second. She shuddered, and her Tang Dao fell to the ground.

    When she recovered her control a secondter and was going to jump away, Zhuang Mei had already shot a ray of white light at her, aiming at her heart.

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    Theser hit the charred ground near her rather than prating her heart.

    Caught off guard, Zhuang Mei paused for a second.

    About ten meters away, Gao Yang, having carried Qing Ling out of range, put her down. Qing Ling quickly connected the dots. The one killed was his double. He had created a substitute immediately after using Fire Punch.

    Since he was alive, though, why hadn¡¯t Gao Yang helped immediately, but had instead left her and Officer Huang struggling for half a minute?

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t ask. She knew Gao Yang must have his reason.

    And Gao Yang¡¯s reason was simple: he had been watching from the side to analyze and identify Zhuang Mei¡¯s weakness, making a move only when Qing Ling was in danger.

    Now, he had an answer.

 Chapter 500: Light

    <h4>Chapter 500: Light</h4>

    Finally, Heavenly Dog spotted an opening, and he made three attacks with Spatial Dissection at once. The white energy spring under Zhuang Mei¡¯s feet instantly vanished, retracting back to armor her entire body.

    Three ripples of distortion hit the air before Zhuang Mei¡¯s chest¡ªor space, to be more precise. A secondter, the space returned to normal. All that was left on Zhuang Mei were the three little cuts on the chest area of her turtleneck jumper.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang and Qing Ling returned to Officer Huang. The three of them maintained a safe distance from Zhuang Mei.

    Gao Yang quickly exined, ¡°She¡¯s not truly invincible. The white energy can be used for offense and defense, but not at the same time.¡±

    Qing Ling and Officer Huang caught on quickly.

    While Zhuang Mei stood unmoving, she was in defensive mode. Thus, their attacks could only inflict slight damage; even Gao Yang¡¯s all-in Fire Punch with Willful Power only barely injured her.

    And Zhuang Mei could shoot energy shockwaves that could temporarily silence and paralyze her enemies, which prated through barriers and couldn¡¯t be defended against through normal means.

    Even Edmond, in Unreachable state, couldn¡¯t escape the effect. That was how he got killed by her.

    However, when Zhuang Mei used her energy for offense, her body would lose the protection of the white energy; that was when she could be hurt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gao Yang teleported toward Zhuang Mei.

    Through real battles, Gao Yang hade to learn more about Double.

    Firstly, Double¡¯s cooldown was about two minutes, and he could quickly switch between his real form and his double, which could be a lifesaver.

    Earlier, he had created a double before he attacked with Fire Punch, hiding the double nearby. Right when Gao Yang was about to get his heart pierced by Zhuang Mei¡¯s whiteser, he had quickly swapped himself with his double, thus escaping death narrowly.

    For the next minute, though, his Double would still be in cooldown. Without hisst resort for escape, he had to be extra careful.

    <i>Pew, pew.</i>

    Two rays of light shot toward Gao Yang, so quick that it would be difficult to dodge. Gao Yang, however, had seen theming, and he dodged out of the way with Teleportation, all the while throwing a fireball at Zhuang Mei.

    Keeping her distance, Qing Ling attacked Zhuang Mei with her Tang Dao, Xiu Dao, and three ck Gold darts, distracting Zhuang Mei like irritating flies.

    Hovering midair, Heavenly Dog eyed the battlefield carefully, looking for a chance to activate Spatial Dissection.

    Officer Huang alone stood from a distance, holding onto his now empty guns. Having run out of bulletspletely, he was left standing around like a fool.

    <i>Dammit!</i>

    <i>My wife and kid are waiting for me to save them, but I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m useless!</i>

    Clenching his teeth, Officer Huang charged at Zhuang Mei. Although he was never one for melee battle, he had to do everything in his power, until he was entirely drained of stamina and blood.

    The stalemate dragged on, and Zhuang Mei looked increasingly done with everything.

    She would have dealt with them quickly if she wasn¡¯t dragged down by her concern of the ongoing ritual. Frowning, she seized an opening to p her hands before her chest again.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The white shockwaves that could silence and paralyze enemies rippled outward with her at the center, hitting everything within more than her ten meters radius. It was impossible to dodge it.

    Both Gao Yang and Qing Ling got hit by the shockwave. The numbnesspelled them to drop to one knee, their attacks cut short.

    Zhuang Mei quickly lifted her burnt right hand, taking the brunt of Heavenly Dog¡¯s Spatial Dissection at the price of losing two fingers. At the same time, she quickly shot two rays of light from her left hand.

    The two rays hit Gao Yang and Qing Ling respectively, but not hitting their vitals. At thest moment, Gao Yang had pushed Qing Ling away, sending them flying to opposite sides.

    As a result, Qing Ling got hit in the right shoulder, and Gao Yang the left arm. Blood sttered from their wounds.

    White energy emerged from under Zhuang Mei¡¯s feet again, shooting out thin winding strands of white, which rained down on Gao Yang and Qing Ling like a willow tree¡¯s catkins or a firework.

    Officer Huang saw all of it while charging at Zhuang Mei.

    <i>Shit! Why am I so weak? Why can¡¯t I be stronger?</i>

    Anger, helplessness, and pain cut at Officer Huang¡¯s dignity. At that moment, a strange, powerful energy descended upon him like a ray of light shining on him from heaven, breaking through thickyers of clouds.

    Faintly, he heard an ancient voice that demanded attention and respect.

    [Fifteen, Light.]

    Golden light flickered from Officer Huang¡¯s guns. Countless light particles gathered in the chambers, forming dense clusters of light elements.

    It all happened so naturally that it didn¡¯t require his thinking.

    As if led by an ancient deity, he pulled the trigger.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A golden bullet of light elements shot toward Zhuang Mei¡¯s forehead. Sensing the threat, Zhuang Mei pulled the white firework that was about to bury Gao Yang and Qing Ling back into her body at incredible speed.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The golden bullet exploded on her forehead, blooming into blinding strands of golden light. White glow enveloped Zhuang Mei¡¯s body. Her forehead remained uninjured.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Another three golden bullets shot out. Zhuang Mei took a step to the side to dodge them.

    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±

    The moment heprehended Light, Officer Huang felt the fury that had been bottling up inside him detonated at once.

    He didn¡¯t care about anything else. Didn¡¯t matter if he lost his life! No one was touching his family!

    Light reached level 2!

    The light elements loading Officer Huang¡¯s guns seemed to never run out, and he fired ten bullets at Zhuang Mei every second.

    Zhuang Mei dodged and blocked the bullets with her hands, avoiding some while those she couldn¡¯t avoid burst into sttering golden strands on her hands or her body.

    She looked more and more done with the fight, the emotion solidifying into deep anger.

    It was as if she had run into a mischievous brat who kept shooting water at her with a water gun. While it didn¡¯t injure her, it left her in a mess.

    Light reached level 3!

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Officer Huang dropped the gun in his left hand and held the other gun with both hands, wild golden light flickering in his eyes.

    He was going all-in this time.

    A tremendous cluster of light elements gathered and spinned at the barrel of his gun. The world around him seemed to lose its light for a moment, dimming dramatically.

    A secondter, it became so bright it was as if day had broken.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A giant golden bullet flew toward Zhuang Mei like a train of light, colliding with her and rushing off the cliff, flying for a good distance before hitting the midsection of Mount Tamaougi. A golden flower bloomed.

    Having exhausted his energy, Officer Huang dropped to his knees with a thud, blood streaking down from a corner of his mouth.

    Zhuang Mei remained standing, unmoving. There were some burns on her face, and parts of her ck jumper and dress were damaged, but that was it.

    Level 3 Light was nothing to Zhuang Mei while she was in her defensive mode.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Gao Yang shouted and leapt into the air, activating Fire Punch at Zhuang Mei. At the same time, Qing Ling sent her two ck Gold des spinning and cutting at Zhuang Mei¡¯s side.

    Lifting her right hand slightly, Zhuang Mei moved the white energy to freeze the two des, reaching a precarious bnce with Qing Ling¡¯s level 5 Metal. Then with her left hand, he shot three rays of light at Gao Yang.

    The light hit him in the heart, forehead, and abdomen.

    Like a flying bird getting shot by a hunting rifle, he froze, the fire wrapping around his fist dispersed as he fell to the ground.

 Chapter 501: Life Monster

    <h4>Chapter 501: Life Monster</h4>

    <i>Wait! </i>The moment Zhuang Mei shot Gao Yang, she realized that something was wrong. The boy she shot didn¡¯t move away or attempt to block the attacks at all. That wasn¡¯t the real Gao Yang, but another double!

    But she realized it toote.

    <i>ck, ck.</i>

    The space around her shattered like a mirror.

    ...

    A minute ago.

    After injuring Gao Yang and Qing Ling, Zhuang Mei followed thesers up withrge scale white fireworks, leaving them with nowhere to hide. Fortunately, Officer Huang hadprehended Light in time and shot light element bullets at her to stop her attacks short. Then he made relentless attacks and kept Zhuang Mei busy for quite a while.

    Before the fight started, Gao Yang had replicated Heavenly Dog¡¯s Spatial Dissection.

    He shouted at Heavenly Dog, ¡°Use that move!¡±

    Gao Yang could look up Talents he replicated, and thus he knew that Heavenly Dog had a card up his sleeve¡ªa powerful but dangerous trick.

    Back in the abandoned train station in Li City, Heavenly Dog was going to kill Smoker with the technique, but ended up not having the chance to.

    It would render him useless for quite a long time; he would be waiting for death if he couldn¡¯t kill his enemy once and for all.

    Heavenly Dog understood what Gao Yang was suggesting. This was their final chance.

    After firing at Zhuang Mei nonstop, Officer Huang had exhausted his energy to shoot a great golden bullet. Although he still failed to inflict significant damage on Zhuang Mei, who was on defense, he had bought valuable time for Gao Yang¡¯s Talent to cool down.

    Gao Yang thus activated Double again and rushed at Zhuang Mei, and Qing Ling sent her two des to nk her.

    Being harassed by Officer Huang had pushed Zhuang Mei¡¯s patience to the breaking point. As a result, she lost her calm when she saw Gao Yang charge at him, thus shifting to offensive mode to quickly kill Gao Yang, only to find that the one she killed was merely a double.

    During that fleeting moment, Zhuang Mei was no longer in her practically invincible state.

    Gao Yang and Heavenly Dog seized the chance.

    ¡°Spatial Shards!¡±

    Gao Yang made the same move from the ground as Heavenly Dog from the air, targeting Zhuang Mei. In that instant, the space around her turned into a three dimensional mirror before shattering into hundreds of pieces. Zhuang Mei, too, seemed to have gotten cut into small pieces.

    It looked as if Zhuang Mei had been trapped in a mirror, and when the mirror shattered into piercing shards, she did too.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Two secondster, the mirror space disappeared. Numerous deep gashes burst from Zhuang Mei¡¯s body and sttered blood. She looked like a red humanoid fountain.

    A single tear of sorrow streaked down Heavenly Dog¡¯s cheek. Having exhausted his energy, he slowly closed his eyes and fell from high in the sky. Gao Yang, too, had used up most of his energy. His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees, gasping for breaths.

    Riding on her Tang Dao, Qing Ling grabbed Heavenly Dog by the hand and took him to the ground.

    The battle seemed over.

    Qing Lingid down the unconscious Heavenly Dog and looked over at the life monster not far from her. Her pupils contracted, feeling a chill rising from the soles of her feet.

    Zhuang Mei¡¯s bloodied figure reflected in her eyes.

    She hadn¡¯t been cut into pieces, and she hadn¡¯t copsed. In fact, the gushing wounds on her body had stopped bleeding. Covered in long gashes with her face distorted, she looked like a blood demon.

    On her twisted bloodied face was unrelenting rage. Her tone was coldly derisive as she spat, ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like humans. You should be kittens and puppies, but you bite.¡±

    She looked up and extended her arms. Great white energy rippled from under her feet again, seemingly having a life of their own as they expanded and contracted with Zhuang Mei at the center like a breathing jellyfish. A few secondster, all of her white energy returned to her body.

    Shrouded by the white light, Zhuang Mei flickered brilliantly before melting in the glow.

    Yes, there was no other word for it. She had melted into a cluster of white shimmering light.

    It grew quickly toward the night sky until transforming into a giant white birdrge enough to obscure the sky and the moon, the light illuminating the space between heaven and earth.

    At that moment, Gao Yang experienced for the first time what a nirvana after bloodbath was.

    He looked up at the white bird rivaling argemercial ne in size. It looked like a phoenix, only it didn¡¯t have feathers. Instead, its body was all smooth curves and surfaces, the sacred-looking skin seemed soft like snow but also hard like ck Gold.

    Its head was the shape of a vertical oval, like a standing mirror. There was no other facial feature outside of a vertical, pure-ck eye with no pupil. It looked like an abyss with countless thin strands of ck energy snaking outward and shimmering wildly, like flickering electric currents.

    Its giant wings extended to the sides, resembling two white fans that were beautiful yet deadly. Its belly was a t circle, etched with an abstract ck pattern like a fetus curling into themself in a womb.

    The tails under the abdomen consisted of countless long and soft white tentacles, resembling the tails of a phoenix or the tentacles of a jellyfish.

    That was the true form of a life monster.

    What had been Zhuang Mei slightly lowered its head, looking down at the four awakeners like they were ants; they should know their ce better.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 14000 times!]

    The system sounded a cold warning. Gao Yang remained on his knees, having lost the power and will to fight.

    All that was left in his heart was a quiet despair.

    <i>Whoop.</i>

    The life monster pped its wings, letting out a high-pitched shriek that was strangely pleasant and sacred. The piercing sound sent ripples through the four awakeners, ¡°cleansing¡± their bodies and souls.

    <i>ng.</i>

    Qing Ling, the only one still standing, let go of her weapons and dropped to her knees, unable to put up a fight. At that moment, she felt like a fetus surrounded by amniotic fluid in a mother¡¯s womb, so helpless that she almost forgot how to breathe. There was nothing she could do but to rx and surrender herself, returning to the embrace of the mother of earth.

    Gao Yang had much higher resistance than Qing Ling, yet he only managed to hold onto himself for another seven seconds. Then he quickly lost his mind and stopped resisting too, returning to his most naive, fragile, and lost state like an unborn child.

    The life monster continued to shriek, the voice rippling across the mountain.

    In fact, Gao Yang and Qing Ling weren¡¯t alone. All people¡ªmonsters¡ªaround Mount Tamaougi had reverted back to an infantile state of innocent helplessness.

    Hearing the call of their ¡°mother¡±, they jerked awake from their sleep and looked up toward the White Crane Shrine with possessed eyes, muttering hysterically.

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m here. Take me!¡±

    ¡°Mother, <i>mothermothermother</i>...¡±

    The only trace of rationality left in Gao Yang¡¯s mind urged him to quickly ess his system, to utilize his system¡¯s cheat-like ability to block out all outside influence like the time he had resisted Qilin¡¯s Eidos, preventing the life monster from invading his mind and brainwashing him.

    But he couldn¡¯t do it.

    He was lost in a pitch-ck room, not even able to see his hands. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t find the figurative light switch.

    <i>Is this it? Am I going to die?</i>

    <i>Will there be no miracle this time?</i>

    ...

    ¡°Overlord descends. All will submit.¡±

 Chapter 502: Judgment

    <h4>Chapter 502: Judgment</h4>

    The voice was gentle, longsting, and authoritative, like a divine decree from heaven. In an instant, it suppressed the life monster¡¯s brainwashing power.

    Gao Yang jerked awake.

    Dragon!

    He was dressed in an elegant, tapered gray trench coat with his ck hair tied into a simple braid, his hair on the sides hung softly by his slightly pale cheeks and reached down to his chest. He was abination of masculine handsomeness and gentle femininity.

    At some point, he had reached the <i>torii </i>and saved Su Xi.

    Holding the weak, unconscious woman, he slowly walked up to Gao Yang, ignoring the giant life monster towering over them.

    Once he reached Gao Yang, heid Su Xi down and smiled softly at him. ¡°Take them. Get as far away as possible.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Good work. Leave the rest to me.¡±

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang grabbed Su Xi and shouted at Qing Ling, who had recovered her ability to move. ¡°Take Officer Huang!¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t waste her time talking before rushing toward an unconscious Officer Huang, grabbing his hand while riding on her de, flying away at full speed.

    Holding Su Xi, Gao Yang teleported to Heavenly Dog and grabbed his hand to replicate Fly, catching up to Qing Ling quickly.

    Neither of them turned around. They couldn¡¯t afford to waste even a second as they quickly flew away from Mount Kei.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Gao Yang sensed himself going through an invisible wall, like he was swept by a strange substantial wind from the front.

    Qing Ling felt the same.

    They both paused to look over their shoulders, their jaws dropping in shock.

    ...

    Dragon watched Gao Yang and Qing Ling go. He slowly turned around. The giant white bird above him¡ªZhuang Mei¡ªspoke up then.

    ¡°Dragon, serial number 1?¡±

    Her voice was low like a waterfall running down a valley between mountains, a prative rumble echoing.

    ¡°I am.¡±

    Dragon looked up at the life monster, his beautiful, androgynous face illuminated by the sacred light the life monster radiated. It was wless like a piece of art.

    His heterochromic eyes glinted with a hint of joy. ¡°So life monsters do exist.¡±

    Zhuang Mei could sense that Dragon was strong, but she didn¡¯t know how strong he was.

    Her attitude remained haughty. She didn¡¯t have the time to waste on him. She had to take Su Xi back andplete the ritual.

    Actually, she should¡¯ve stopped Dragon from taking Su Xi away, yet strangely, she did nothing but watch as Gao Yang and Qing Ling left with Su Xi.

    <i>Wait. Is that Dragon¡¯s power too?</i>

    <i>Whatever the case, he isn¡¯t getting away with more tricks.</i>

    ¡°You can¡¯t defeat me, Dragon.¡± Zhuang Mei looked down at the small ant-like figure on the ground. ¡°I won¡¯t give you the chance to create your realm...¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dragon cut her offzily. ¡°What made you think you¡¯re outside of it?¡±

    Zhuang Mei started.

    Instantly, thendscape around them disappeared, reced by an endless void of mysterious gray fog. Dragon¡¯s trench coat fluttered as he rose into the air, his long hair dancing. He didn¡¯t stop until he was at Zhuang Mei¡¯s eye level¡ªno, until he was slightly above her.

    ¡°Judgment...¡±

    Gray fog morphed into an ancient stone chair behind him. He sat down, leaning to the sidezily with a hand propping his left cheek. He opened his mouth.

    ¡°Begins.¡±

    ...

    When Gao Yang and Qing Ling turned around, Mount Kei was gone, reced by a strange light gray hemisphere, the realm having enveloped the entire mountain.

    Still riding on her Tang Dao while carrying Officer Huang, Qing Ling frowned slightly. She slowly approached the realm, feeling the urge to touch it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gao Yang eximed. ¡°Watch over it, Qing Ling. Don¡¯t let anything such as birds knock into it!¡±

    His concern wasn¡¯t warranted, actually.

    When Zhuang Mei let out the brainwashing shriek, she had put all creatures within more than five kilometers in radius into a deep slumber. They wouldn¡¯t wake up in the short term.

    That was why Dragon was confident enough to create such arge realm with Overlord, quietly trapping Zhuang Mei inside. When he showed up, Zhuang Mei was already in his realm without realizing it.

    Exhausted, Gao Yangid the unconscious Heavenly Dog and Su Xi on the ground. The replicated Fly had run out of its use duration then. He sighed in relief once he made sure that both Su Xi and Officer Huang were alright. He got to his feet with some difficulty, looking back at therge Overlord realm. Suddenly, realization dawned on him.

    Qilin did this on purpose!

    It didn¡¯t make sense that Qilin would insist on not sending help when he knew Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t be a life monster¡¯s match, going so far as to reach an agreement with Surnamed Li to prevent the Hundred Rivers Union from sending reinforcements.

    It was all to force the Twelve Zodiac Signs to make a move!

    Officer Huang must have updated the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and he, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog were all members of the organization¡ªin fact, even Gao Yang was a member too.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs couldn¡¯t possibly stay on the sideline.

    Who, however, would have the ability to deal with a life monster? Not even War Tiger was strong enough. Dragon would have to take matters into his own hand.

    Qilin was betting on Dragon rushing to their rescue.

    Speaking of which, Gao Yang had sensed someone following him back when he and Qing Ling visited the shrine for fox deity during the day. It turned out to be Dragon!

    But why must Qilin force Dragon to make a move? Did Qilin not have the confidence to face a life monster?

    No, Qilin was strong, and he was confident. With Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon¡¯s help, he would be able to deal with a life monster. Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange could triple Qilin¡¯s and Azure Dragon¡¯s power, which would make them a terrifying trio.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯te to a conclusion just yet, so he didn¡¯t waste his energy on it.

    Staring at therge hemisphere and Qing Ling, who was patrolling the area above it with full focus, Gao Yang sighed.

    <i>You must win, Dragon!</i>

    ...

    Inside the Overlord realm, Dragon sat leisurely on the stone chair of gray fog, amid the deep blue water of the dark bottom of the sea. Rain, thunder, and the four seas... Three judgments had been brought down.

    Seven giant chains of gray fog pierced through the giant white bird, locking it in cepletely. The damage inflicted by the immeasurable water pressure burrowed into every inch of Zhuang Mei¡¯s skin like countless nktons, sucking on her blood, flesh, and bone marrow.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    She let out a blood-curdling cry, the soundnding somewhere between human and monster-like. She was under tremendous pain, dissolved and picked apart at a fundamental level.

    Damages could be roughly put into five categories.

    Physical damage, elemental damage, psychic damage, spiritual damage, and rule-based damage.

    The damage Overlord inflicted on the target¡¯s vitality itself was in a league of its own,bining the five types of damages. It wielded the power of the creator; God created all lives, and thus They could erase lives.

    Not even an existence as powerful as a life monster could resist it.

    During the fight of the Crimson Tide, under the threat to his life, Dragon had reached level 4 with Overlord, the seed of energy he acquired finally sprouting.

    He raised his right hand, opening it before balling it into a fist, bringing down the fourth judgment.

    ¡°Stars.¡±

    Instantly, the world turned into a deep starry sky. All around Zhuang Mei was a sttering of tens of thousands of brilliant stars, which started to rotate quietly.

    The speed increased further and further until almost reaching the speed of light, and a smooth, light blue halo was formed, resembling the beautiful ring of a as observed through a telescope.

    Then something strange happened.

    The giant life monster in the middle of the ring started distorting, getting pulled apart by the gravitational force of the ring and ended up dragged into it in liquid form, reminiscent of white paint getting spread on a palette.

    Zhuang Mei couldn¡¯t even scream. She felt pain, despair, and fear, but even more overpowering was an all-consuming nothingness.

    Then she lost all senses. She was no longer herself.

    In another ten seconds¡ªno, five seconds¡ªZhuang Mei would¡¯ve crossed the threshold to the ultimate death.

    Unfortunately, the fourth judgment came to an inopportune stop then.

    The judgment of stars ended.

 Chapter 503: Sun and Moon

    <h4>Chapter 503: Sun and Moon</h4>

    Zhuang Mei¡¯s consciousness returned. She hadn¡¯t died, but had instead returned to the form of a giant bird getting restricted by chains. She was on the verge of death, but managed to barely hold on.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡±

    The weak giant white bird burst outughing, the voice derisive and judging. ¡°That¡¯s it for the famed Overlord?¡±

    ¡°A mere human dares to try to be God?¡±

    After the four judgments, Zhuang Mei lost her mind to a hysteria. ¡°All humans are alike, prideful, foolish, ignorant, disingenuous, greedy, lowly, not knowing their ce...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Sister. What¡¯s so good about humans...¡±

    The giant white bird trailed off, realizing that the realm of Overlord showed no signs of dissolving.

    The gray chair disappeared from behind Dragon. He hovered, his braid loosening and his long ck hair flying in the air, his trench coat fluttering.

    He looked unusually pale, his heterochromic eyes glinting brilliantly in a sacred way.

    ¡°Who told you...¡± He smiled elegantly. ¡°...That the judgment has ended?¡±

    He lifted his hands to his chest with his four fingers pressed together horizontally, keeping his hands parallel and ten millimeters apart, crossing them slowly.

    Lips parted, he brought down the fifth judgment.

    ¡°Sun and moon.¡±

    Instantly, absolute darkness consumed the world. Zhuang Mei was plunged into a bone-chilling loneliness and fear. Then soon after, two spots of brilliance appeared on her two sides.

    The one on the right radiated golden light like it was burning, while the one on the left glowed a cold blue like frost was forming.

    The two celestial bodies started spinning and increasing in size. Zhuang Mei felt both an incredible heat and an incredible chill before her body started to dissolve into countless strands of energy, getting absorbed into the celestial bodies in burning form and frozen form respectively.

    Like greedy ck holes, the two celestial bodies ate away Zhuang Mei.

    They grewrger andrger, taking the rough form of a sun and a moon, while Zhuang Mei¡¯s giant bird form shrunk down further and further.

    ¡°No...no...¡±

    ¡°No!!!¡±

    Zhuang Mei lost all shred of dignity as she shrieked in struggle. Thest trace she left in the world was one of despair, but even her despair was quickly erased.

    A zing red sun and a cold gray moon hung alone in the boundless darkness; gone was the giant white bird that had been between them.

    Then the two celestial bodies approached each other while spinning quickly, radiating brilliant light and entangling like a spinning pattern of yin and yang.

    Finally, they started merging and became smaller and smaller, until they became one dim spot.

    All the while, Dragon¡¯s hands had been pressing toward each other until they ovepped before his chest.

    The dim spot of light quickly flew to the small space between his hands. p. Dragon pressed his hands together, and the spot disappeared like a crushed firefly.

    The world returned to absolute nothingness and darkness.

    Zhuang Mei, the life monster, was erased.

    Her existence had returned to the void of the beginning of the world, flesh and blood, soul, and causality erasedpletely.

    Three secondster, the realm of Overlord dissolved into countless light gray particles, scattering in the wind.

    Mount Kei was visible again.

    Dragon slowly descended before the <i>torii</i>. His face was pale as blood streaked down a corner of his mouth. His beautiful eyes dimmed like they were muddled by dust. And his silky ck hair had gone all white¡ªtemporarily, of course.

    He slowly sat down, resting her hands on his thighs and lowering his head.

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    Having recovered some of his energy, Gao Yang rushed back as soon as the realm dissolved, dashing and teleporting to Dragon¡¯s side.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gao Yang supported Dragon.

    Dragon didn¡¯t open his eyes. He parted his lips slightly, barely making a sound.

    Gao Yang paused before putting his ear to Dragon¡¯s lips, finally catching Dragon¡¯s words.

    He was at first shocked. Then two secondster, his shock melted into eptance.

    ¡°I promise you.¡±

    Hearing Gao Yang¡¯s answer, Dragon finally allowed himself to fall unconscious, his head tilting as he fell into Gao Yang¡¯s arms.

    Qing Ling injected Officer Huang and Heavenly Dog with special adrenaline shots, waking them up and restoring part of their ability to move. The three of them slowly came up to Gao Yang. Officer Huang was carrying an unconscious Su Xi in his arms.

    Officer Huang burst into tears of relief,ing up to Gao Yang with such strong emotions that he seemed to be short-circuiting. He couldn¡¯t even speak properly.

    ¡°Thank heavens my wife didn¡¯t die. My child, my child is fine too... And you all are fine. We live. We all live. I¡¯m not dreaming. Tell me, Gao Yang, tell me I¡¯m not dreaming...¡±

    Gao Yang smiled tiredly. ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Captain.¡± Heavenly Dog nced at Dragon, who was in Gao Yang¡¯s arms.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Thanks to Captain.¡±

    Even the ever stubborn Qing Ling gave Dragon an admiring look. It seemed that she still had a long way to go to be the strongest being in the world.

    Looking at the now unconscious Dragon, Gao Yang felt a mix of feelings. Who would¡¯ve thought that the most powerful awakener in the Mist World worked like a phone that had to charge for two hours to make a five-minute call?

    Dragon would enter a long hibernation again, and Gao Yang, to pay Dragon back for saving his life, had made up his mind.

    If what Dragon foresaw would happen did happen before Dragon woke up from his hibernation, Gao Yang would honor his promise with his life on the line.

    Tonight, they fought to thest inch of their lives and weathered dangers and twists, surviving a deadly encounter.

    It was far from Gao Yang¡¯s first time.

    Once again, he felt keenly what it meant to be lucky.

    The joy of victory was short-lived, leaving all of them with a bone-deep exhaustion and a mncholy and sadness that refused to melt from their chest.

    Gao Yang gave them five minutes to rest before they would depart.

    Going up to the <i>torii</i>, Heavenly Dog sat down cross-legged and opened the music app on his phone, putting on his earphones.

    Coincidentally, the song <i>The Reason Why I Thought I¡¯d Die </i>was ying again.

    Heavenly Dog listened to the song quietly, going through all the time he had shared with his mother¡ªthe happy time, the sad time, the moments of content, the moments of hurt, when she was tender, when she was angry, when he felt afraid, when he felt wronged, when he was left in the dark...

    Five minutester, the song ended.

    He heard hispanions calling out to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Heavenly Dog.¡±

    Heavenly Dog took off his earphones and slowly got to his feet. Braving the night wind, he looked at Mount Tamaougi through the torii, then at the deep night sky behind the mountain, seeing a yearning and sorrow that were even more distant than the sky.

    <i>I still love you, Mom, but I¡¯ll never miss you again.</i>

    <i>Goodbye, Mom.</i>

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Heavenly Dog turned around with a hand in his pocket and a hand scratching his face, lookingzy like he usually did.

    He quietly picked up his pace, catching up to hispanions.

 Chapter 504: Matching Stories

    <h4>Chapter 504: Matching Stories</h4>

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, at the hot spring hotel at the foot of Mount Tamaougi.

    When Gao Yang and hispanions returned to the hotel, it was unusually quiet. The owner had copsed on the recliner behind the front desk, still holding an ounting book. She seemed to have been doing books before she lost consciousness.

    Suffice to say that all the wanderers in range had cked out and wouldn¡¯t wake up any time soon. Although Zhuang Mei had died, the impact of her psychic shockwaves lingered.

    Officer Huang carried his unconscious wife back to his room, while Heavenly Dog, Gao Yang, and Qing Ling went to another room.

    Lying on a bed, Dragon had fallen into a deepa, his face pale and breathing faint, body cold like he was close to dying.

    Gao Yang was a little worried. He turned to Heavenly Dog. ¡°Can Captain live until he goes into hibernation in the Millennium Tower?¡±

    Heavenly Dog shook his head with a helpless expression. He didn¡¯t know more than Gao Yang did.

    After some consideration, Gao Yang leaned in to unbutton Dragon¡¯s gray trench coat and feel around Dragon¡¯s chest, making both Heavenly Dog and Qing Ling jump.

    <i>He must be looking for Rune Circuits</i>, Qing Ling thought.

    <i>He must be trying to cop a feel</i>, Heavenly Dog thought.

    A few secondster, both were disappointed to see Gao Yang fish out a sophisticated-looking ck lipstick; on the lid, the word ¡°SOS¡± was printed.

    He twisted the lid off. It turned out that the lipstick was an emergency syringe masquerading as lipstick. It must contain adrenaline shot or some sort of energy supplement specially made for Dragon.

    He gave Dragon¡¯s neck a jab, and the solution was injected automatically.

    A few secondster, Dragon¡¯s long darkshes fluttered, and his pale face regained some color. His breathing had slowed and settled down. Looking at his face alone, he seemed like the sleeping beauty from a fairytale.

    Gao Yang peeled off Dragon¡¯s trench coat and tucked the man under the nket. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

    He turned to Qing Ling and Heavenly Dog. ¡°Take care of yourselves. We¡¯ll have a meeting in twenty minutes.¡±

    ...

    They each patched themselves up simply and got washed, changing into clean clothes. Then they gathered in the room where Dragon was sleeping.

    Officer Huang hade. He imed a beanbag with his eyes squeezed shut, looking exhausted. He had severely drained his energy in the earlier fight, and it would take quite some time for him to recover.

    ¡°How¡¯s Ms. Su?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Head tilted upward, Officer Huang said hoarsely, ¡°Still unconscious. I hope she doesn¡¯t wake up until I take her back to Li City.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    Su Xi had gotten grabbed by Tails and then taken to the Ind Nation by Zhuang Mei. Who knew if she had woken up during the process? Whatever the case, though, she would automatically modify her own memory were she a wanderer. Still, it would be best if she woke up at home. Then she would think she had fallen unconscious for two days and had a nightmare she couldn¡¯t remember clearly.

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang grabbed a chair and sat down, pointing at the chair across from him and looking at Heavenly Dog. ¡°Have a seat, Heavenly Dog.¡±

    Heavenly Dog sat down, waiting for Gao Yang to continue.

    Gao Yang asked seriously, ¡°Can I trust you, Heavenly Dog?¡±

    Heavenly Dog blinked his delicate eyes, looking confused.

    From the beanbag, Officer Huang exined, ¡°He meant that what he was going to talk about is top secret, so you have to swear your allegiance first.¡±

    ¡°Can Dragon and I trust you?¡± This time, Gao Yang brought up Dragon, too, worried that he might not seem authoritative enough on his own.

    Heavenly Dog thought about it before nodding. ¡°I suppose.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and he was benevolent.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be frank,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯m actually still a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    He didn¡¯t lie. Although he had considered starting his own organization, he hadn¡¯t yet betrayed the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the fact that Dragon hade to their rescue modified Gao Yang¡¯s n somewhat.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Heavenly Dog¡¯s eyes glinted, his mouth slightly agape. He quickly put two and two together. ¡°So that¡¯s what everything is about.¡±

    ¡°The ones who knew about it were Dragon, War Tiger, Green Snake, and Yellow Ox.¡± Gao Yang nced at Heavenly Dog. ¡°And now you.¡±

    Heavenly Dog looked serious for two seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the secret.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    For the next few minutes, Gao Yang exined how Qilin hade to an agreement with Surnamed Li and refrained from sending help.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Have you been made?¡± Officer Huang was a little worried. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just return to the Twelve Zodiac Signs? I don¡¯t think you should stay at the Qilin Guild. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling and Heavenly Dog.

    Qing Ling lowered her eyes slightly. Personally, she did want Gao Yang to return to the Twelve Zodiac Signs or just go independent. She wanted her people to stay close to her; only then could she rest easy.

    Thinking about it rationally, though, she hade to a different conclusion. ¡°Qilin might not have refrained from sending help because he suspected you.¡±

    ¡°Seconded.¡± Heavenly Dog had reached the same conclusion. ¡°Qilin might have done it to get Captain.¡±

    Officer Huang caught on quickly. ¡°Do you mean that Qilin and Surnamed Li had stayed back in order to force Dragon to make a move?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Heavenly Dog nodded. ¡°A long time ago, the vice-captain told us that Qilin and Surnamed Li were somewhat wary of Captain.¡±

    <i>Of course they would</i>, Gao Yang grumbled to himself. <i>Dragon has dealt with a life monster all on his own. I would be wary of him too were I in their shoes.</i>

    Gao Yang had also figured things out. Qilin¡¯s main goal was to test Dragon. He wanted to know how powerful Overlord was, and if the Talent had reached level 4.

    Moreover, if Qilin had known the fact that Dragon worked like a power bank, then this could be a n to exhaust Dragon¡¯s power too.

    Gao Yang had been outside the realm then, so he didn¡¯t know what had happened inside the realm.

    Speaking of the result alone, though, Dragon had covered the entire Mount Kei with his realm and erased a life monster triggering a 14000 times bonus. No one would possibly believe that his Overlord hadn¡¯t reached level 4.

    After all, back when they fought Lilia, she had triggered only a bonus around 10000 times with the sacrifice of Epilogue, the leader of shadowstalker, as well as being armed by Elemental Angel.

    If Qilin learned that Dragon had reached level 4 with Overlord, Gao Yang would be in great danger.

    In the Mist World, Qilin seemed to be the one with the most information. Gao Yang had to assume that Qilin knew about the head and tail of the Talents being connected. Then as soon as he learned of Dragon¡¯s Overlord reaching level 4, he would figure out that Gao Yang had given Dragon the energy seed of the Miracle Rune Circuit.

    That would lead to one conclusion: Gao Yang wasn¡¯t loyal to him and should be eliminated as a great potential risk.

    Gao Yang looked up at the three of them. ¡°I need you to give a modified story so that I can stay at the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just leave?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Gao Yang said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s not yet time to turn on them openly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Qing Ling. Gao Yang must have his reason.¡± Officer Huang trusted Gao Yang¡¯s judgment. While Gao Yang had made mistakes in the past, they were negligiblepared to the countless correct decisions he had made, and given Gao Yang¡¯s position, he must know a lot more about their current situation than they did.

    Qing Ling fell silent.

    Gao Yang smiled faintly and didn¡¯t exin further. ¡°So, let¡¯s make sure our stories match.¡±

 Chapter 505: Furious

    <h4>Chapter 505: Furious</h4>

    The hotel was quiet. The group sat on the tatami floor around a small wooden table.

    Taking a sip of instant coffee, Gao Yang spent some time clearing up his thoughts.

    ¡°First, a life monster is slightly stronger than Lilia.¡±

    ¡°How strong was Lilia?¡± Officer Huang asked, and Qing Ling and Heavenly Dog looked over at him.

    Gao Yang realized a little awkwardly that none of them had faced Lilia before.

    ¡°Hm, think of Lilia as two War Tigers.¡± Gao Yang made a rough analogy. ¡°The life monster we ran into today was as strong as at least three War Tigersbined, but keep that between ourselves.¡±

    The others nodded, now having a frame of reference.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Second, we¡¯ve fought Zhuang Mei to an inch of our lives and exhausted half of her strength when Dragon arrived in time, creating a realm with Overlord to kill Zhuang Mei. The hemisphere wasn¡¯trge, the diameter no greater than ten meters. Remember that detail. Don¡¯t get it mixed up.¡±

    ¡°The realm was no greater than ten meters in diameter,¡± Qing Ling repeated, trying her best to erase her memory of the realm that had enveloped the entire Mount Kei.

    ¡°Third, Dragon hadn¡¯t fallen unconscious after killing the life monster. He told us that he had matters to attend to and took his leave rather thaning with us.¡±

    Gao Yang then turned to Heavenly Dog. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of sneaking Dragon back to base, Heavenly Dog. Remember, it must be kept a secret from everyone save for War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Heavenly Dog said hesitantly, ¡°There are only two official channels we can take to return to Li City, the ne, or the cruise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it,¡± Gao Yang assured. ¡°We¡¯ll take the cruise back. I¡¯ll tell you the detailster.¡±

    Heavenly Dog nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a call shortly after and give Qilin this version of the story.¡± Gao Yang turned to Officer Huang. ¡°Tell the Twelve Zodiac Signs the same thing. Then find an excuse to call Chen Ying to leak parts of the story to the Hundred Rivers Union, but don¡¯t make it obvious.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Officer Huang took out his phone.

    Then Gao Yang thought of something and added, ¡°As for the truth of what happened tonight, you should talk to War Tiger alone after returning to base.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure we are the only ones who know about what happened tonight?¡± Qing Ling stared at Gao Yang. ¡°Qilin and the Hundred Rivers Union might have sent members to keep an eye on us.¡±

    ¡°That was impossible.¡± Gao Yang spoke with certainty and shared his reasons. ¡°First, Qilin had tomit to the act. If he sent someone to keep an eye on us, Dragon would¡¯ve noticed even if we didn¡¯t. Qilin wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk.¡±

    ¡°Second, almost no one could endure the brainwashing power Zhuang Mei unleashed in life monster form. Even if there were unwanted eyes in the area, they would¡¯ve fallen unconscious.¡±

    ¡°Third, once Dragon created his realm, he would know everyone and everything inside it. If there had been other awakeners in Mount Kei, Dragon would¡¯ve noticed.¡±

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t have a question.¡± Qing Ling was convinced.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    No one said anything.

    ¡°Then we follow the n.¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet and walked out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m calling Vermilion Bird. Qilin must still be with her.¡±

    Officer Huang propped himself up tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll call War Tiger.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang went to the hot spring in the back of the hotel, sitting down on a small bamboo bench by the hot spring. When he turned on his phone, there were about a dozen missed calls from Vermilion Bird.

    He took a deep breath and called back. She picked up almost immediately. ¡°Hey! Seven Shadow, why didn¡¯t you pick up? What¡¯s going on there? Stop investigating this instant! Life monsters are too dangerous for you to deal with...¡±

    Vermilion Bird poured out everything she had been bottling up and gave Gao Yang no chance to respond. He listened to her as she prattle on, touched.

    After a while, Vermilion Bird realized that she had been too urgent. ¡°Hey, you still there, Seven Shadow? Say something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± Gao Yang smiled resignedly. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Elder Vermilion Bird. We¡¯re all alive.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Vermilion Bird was shocked. ¡°You ran into the life monster, didn¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang spoke in an exhausted tone that suggested he had just survived a deadly encounter, which wasn¡¯t an act at all. ¡°We killed it.¡±

    The next ten minutes, Gao Yang went into details about their two days in the Ind Nation. Of course, he gave them the modified version of the story when he got to the great battle with the life monster.

    Vermilion BIrd sighed in relief after hearing the exnation. ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine... Don¡¯t hang up yet, Seven Shadow. A minute.¡±

    There was a rustle. It was obvious that the phone was muffled with a hand on the other end.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have to think to figure out that Qilin and Azure Dragon must be listening in, and Vermilion Bird was talking to them.

    Half a minuteter, Vermilion Bird continued, ¡°Make it back as soon as you can, Seven Shadow. We¡¯ve questioned Edmond and found out quite a lot. I¡¯ll give you the gist of it now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Three minutester, Gao Yang finished the call and hung up. He was still sitting on the small bench. Smoke came up from the hot spring at his feet and obscured his vision.

    Tightening his grip around his phone, he broke into cold sweat, and his hands wouldn¡¯t stop trembling.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    A familiar voice came from behind him. It took a long while for him toe to his senses. He shot to his feet. It was Qing Ling.

    ¡°Done with the call?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. His gaze was unfocused; he could be looking at Qing Ling, or nothing.

    Noticing his strange reaction, Qing Ling took two steps forward and grabbed his wrist. ¡°You¡¯re shaking.¡±

    Finally pulling himself out of his shock and confusion, Gao Yang extracted his hand from Qing Ling¡¯s grip and walked around her, heading back to the hotel. He said in a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m probably just a little tired. I¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡±

    Qing Ling turned around, staring and frowning at Gao Yang¡¯s back.

    ...

    Past midnight, the wanderers at the hotel woke up one after another, and the whole area around Mount Tamaougi went back to normal. Most continued to sleep, while a smaller number of people forewent sleep and started the next day, thinking they were suffering from insomnia.

    Gao Yang and the others had slept for two to three hours too. They checked out of the hotel before day broke and took a bus back to Zone D, arriving at the harbor to board the cruise.

    Since they had to hide an unconscious Dragon, they resorted to hiding him in arge suitcase even though it seemed a little cruel. At eight in the morning, Gao Yang, Officer Huang, Qing Ling, and the still sleeping Su Xi boarded the cruise normally and settled down in the three suites they had booked beforehand.

    Heavenly Dog followed the cruise secretly with the heavy suitcase after it departed. Then he flew to the empty deck and found his suite.

    He opened the suitcase, moving Dragon to the bed. Then he waited. Four o''clock the next morning, the cruise would reach the harbor downstream Li River. Then Heavenly Dog would quietly disembark with Dragon in the suitcase and quickly soar to his maximum flying height, carrying Dragon back to the Millennium Tower without leaving any trace.

    The hassle over the past two days and the difficult fight with Zhuang Mei left them exhausted. They each rested in their suites; Officer Huang shared a room with Su Xi, Heavenly Dog with Dragon, and Gao Yang with Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling retired to bed not long after having the meal the staff brought them. With Gao Yang by her side, she slept well, and it was already ten o¡¯clock at night when she woke up.

    She rolled to a sitting position and tied her messy long hair into a ponytail. When she looked up, Gao Yang was staring at the floor with his back hunched, looking miles away.

    Qing Ling frowned. He had been acting strange since calling Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept for two days.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes remained fixed on the floor, and his voice was hoarse.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t get it. Everything went well. They got Su Xi back, and they seemed to have hidden the truth from Qilin.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Gao Yang humored her before his thoughts strayed again.

    A zing fury she didn¡¯t understand rushed up in her chest suddenly. She hated, <i>hated </i>Gao Yang like this.

    Without even putting her slippers on, she strode up to Gao Yang and lifted a barefoot to Gao Yang¡¯s chest, pinning him to the sofa. With a wave of her left hand, her Tang Dao shed into existence, pressing into Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 506: Crucial

    <h4>Chapter 506: Crucial</h4>

    ¡°Stop with the dead look on your face. If you really want to die, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    A thin bleeding cut was left on Gao Yang¡¯s neck by the cold de. He slowly looked up, the corners of his eyes slightly red, looking helpless and lost.

    Qing Ling paused. She had never seen Gao Yang like this.

    A few secondster, she pulled her Tang Dao back with a swoosh, lifting the foot pinning Gao Yang down and sitting down cross-legged beside him.

    Qing Ling wordlessly scowled.

    The ocean windte at night poured through the floor-to-ceiling window, making the hangers with their clothes ck. Neither of them said anything.

    A long time passed. Gao Yang finally opened his mouth, and in the dark, he spoke quietly, ¡°I have a question for you, Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°Ask,¡± Qing Ling said irritatedly.

    ¡°If one day, you find out that I¡¯m an enemy, will you kill me?¡±

    Qing Ling side-eyed Gao Yang. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I meant it literally.¡± Gao Yang repeated in a hollow voice, ¡°If one day, you find out that I¡¯m an enemy, will you kill me?¡±

    Qing Ling turned to him, her gaze unwavering. ¡°I will.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond. He had expected the answer.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll ask you why first,¡± Qing Ling added.

    Gao Yang paused slightly. ¡°Is that important?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Qing Ling said with determination.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. It is important...¡± Gao Yang seemed to havee to a conclusion at that moment. He smiled at Qing Ling. ¡°Thank you. I think I know what I should do.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded, her body rxing somewhat, and her voice softening a little. ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡± With what had been bothering him resolved, Gao Yang felt exhaustion sweeping over him like ocean waves.

    ¡°Get your ass to the bed,¡± Qing Ling snapped. ¡°The sofa¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet and dragged his heavy body to the bed, plopping himself down face-first.

    Qing Ling¡¯s warmth and the fragrance of her hair lingered on the soft nket. Gao Yang closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

    ...

    Gao Yang was dreaming.

    In his dream, he was back to the orphanage he had spent the first few years of his childhood at. He stood alone in the courtyard. It was mid-summer, and the courtyard was bustling with activities. The children yed, jumping ropes, throwing sandbags, stacking blocks, riding seesaws, and swinging on swings...

    There were so many of them, and they were so happy, yet none of them invited him. It was as if he was air.

    He felt wronged, lonely, and he knelt down, breaking down into tears.

    Not long after, their young and beautiful dorm keeper came up to him and asked kindly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, no one...no one would y with me.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s face was covered in tears and snots. He kept trying to wipe them clean with his small hands.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they y with you?¡± the woman asked with a smile.

    <i>Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t they? Why? What have I done wrong?</i>

    <i>No, that¡¯s not it. There¡¯s a different reason.</i>

    ¡°Because, because...¡± The answer was right there, an elusive thought that was about to take shape.

    But then the ship horn red, and his thoughts derailed.

    ...

    Gao Yang woke up from the dream. He quickly opened his eyes and saw Qing Ling¡ªor Little Qing Ling, to be precise.

    Kneeling by the bed, she leaned toward him with her back slightly bent, considering Gao Yang¡¯s face seriously. It seemed that she was worried about her long hair touching Gao Yang¡¯s face and waking him up, so she had her hair in a loose grip behind her head in a temporary ponytail.

    She looked careful, nervous, and sentimental the way a young girl would be. Gao Yang would never in his wildest dream think that Little Qing Ling had been counting the number ofshes on his left eye¡ªall because she just saw a post about fortune telling that said that men with even numbers ofshes on their left eyes were more loyal in love.

    Compelled by a mix of boredom, curiosity, and the urge to find the truth, she quietly approached Gao Yang, counting theshes on his left eye to see if there were an even number or odd number of them.

    Halfway through, though, the horn sounded and woke Gao Yang up. They ended up staring at each other in awkward silence.

    Little Qing Ling was caughtpletely off guard. She heard a ring in her head, and it stuttered to a stop.

    Soon, there was another long horn sound. Little Qing Ling stood up with an impassive expression and turned around to sit down on the sofa, her legs pressed together. She picked up her phone and started scrolling, pretending that nothing had happened.

    It took only a nce for Gao Yang to know that Little Qing Ling had taken over.

    He didn¡¯t press, but slowly sat up and asked, ¡°Are we at the harbor now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was gonna wake you up, but you woke up yourself.¡± Little Qing Ling thought Gao Yang hadn¡¯t noticed, and she spoke like her sister would.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wash my face.¡± Gao Yang shook his slightly heavy head and rose to walk to the bathroom, opening the tap.

    Sitting on the sofa, Little Qing Ling started breathing quickly, her face instantly flushed. She covered it with both hands and cursed at herself in her head, feeling regretful.

    A minuteter, Gao Yang emerged from the bathroom. Qing Ling had taken over again.

    ¡°We do as we nned,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling stood up. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ...

    Four o¡¯clock in the morning, when the cruise had not yet moored at the harbor, Heavenly Dog soared as high into the sky as he could with therge heavy suitcase until the harbor and the cruise became small dots in his sight. Only then did he start flying toward the Millennium Tower.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang disembarked normally.

    Officer Huang carried Su Xi in his arms openly with a nket covering her. Once they left the harbor, Gao Yang parted ways with his twopanions from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, getting into different cars.

    Vermilion Bird had personally driven here to pick Gao Yang up, while Officer Huang and Qing Ling got into the car with White Rabbit driving and War Tiger riding shotgun.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Heavenly Dog?¡± asked White Rabbit.

    ¡°He was feeling toozy to take a car, so he flew back,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Level 6 Fly sure is convenient,¡± White Rabbit said with envy. ¡°Must be liberating to just fly everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Can you take me home first?¡± Officer Huang looked at the still unconscious Su Xi with a soft gaze. ¡°My wife may wake up at any time. Once she¡¯s awake, I¡¯d like to admit her to the hospital for full checkups.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± War Tiger had a cigarette between his fingers, but since there was a pregnant woman present, he didn¡¯t light it. ¡°Protect your wife well in theing days. We¡¯ll send you a bodyguard too.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Captain, Lovely Lamb, and Adept Horse are out, but you can pick anyone other than them.¡±

    Officer Huang thought about it. ¡°What about Sir Monkey?¡±

    War Tiger didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Sure. Sir Monkey it is.¡±

    There were a few reasons Officer Huang picked Mischievous Monkey. First, his Earth had reached level 5, allowing him to be on offense and defense with flexible techniques. And given the abundance of earth elements, he would be a perfect bodyguard.

    Moreover, Mischievous Monkey¡¯s twin brother, Old Man Liu, had been staying at the hospital for health problems, and it was the same hospital as the one Su Xi would be staying at until her delivery. Mischievous Monkey would be able to take care of his brother while ying bodyguard, killing two birds with one stone.

    Lastly and most importantly, Mischievous Monkey was merely a regr member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and Officer Huang didn¡¯t have to be too wary of him.

    While Officer Huang was a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, at the end of the day, his loyaltyy in Gao Yang. Staying with shrewd people like White Rabbit and War Tiger every day, he would have to stand on his toes and watch his every word, which was tiring.

    And he didn¡¯t pick Qing Ling in order to avoid attracting suspicion. Everyone knew that Yellow Ox and Green Snake from the Twelve Zodiac Signs were close.

    ¡°Okay,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°I¡¯ll call Sir Monkey.¡±

 Chapter 507: Unexpected Gains

    <h4>Chapter 507: Unexpected Gains</h4>

    ¡°Now?¡± Officer Huang was a little surprised. It was four in the morning.

    ¡°Elderly people sleep less, and he¡¯s an awakener at that.¡± War Tiger smiled. Indeed, Mischievous Monkey picked up quickly.

    ¡°What are you up to, Sir Monkey? Oh, just woke up and are doing tai chi? Right, we have a mission for you. It¡¯s about Yellow Ox¡¯s wife...¡±

    Half an hourter, White Rabbit parked at the gates of themunity Officer Huang lived in. By the road stood a white-haired old man. He was dressed in loose ck clothes for tai chi, looking like a celestial from the mythical tales. It was none other than Mischievous Monkey.

    Officer Huang carried Su Xi out of the car. Mischievous Monkey smiled with relief. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened, Young Huang. I¡¯m d that you all made it back safely.¡±

    ¡°Only barely.¡± Officer Huang shook his head and sighed with feelings. Then he thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Old Man Liu¡¯s doing?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯ste stage cancer. He doesn¡¯t have that many days left in him.¡±

    Officer Huang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°We¡¯ve lived long. Whether we live or die, fall ill or stay healthy, we can only go along with it.¡± Mischievous Monkey had great perspective in life, and heforted Officer Huang instead.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Officer Huang nodded, ncing at his wife. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside.¡±

    He carried Su Xi through the gates, apanied by Mischievous Monkey. White Rabbit and War Tiger didn¡¯t start the car until the two of them disappeared from their view.

    After driving some distance away, War Tiger lit a cigarette and took a drag, then fished out a keyboard-size bundle wrapped with gray sackcloth and hemp rope from beside the passenger seat.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Without turning around, he handed the bundle to Qing Ling, who was sitting in the back.

    Qing Ling had been resting without falling asleep. She opened her eyes and looked at the package, her eyes lighting up. Jerking upright, she stared at the package and raised her fists, sying her hands.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    The two items in the bundle cut the sackcloth open, flying to Qing Ling¡¯s hands. They were two single-edged shortswords finely crafted with ck Gold.

    ¡°These are Butterfly Twin des.¡±

    War Tiger smoked as he introduced the weapons. ¡°The des are as long as your forearms, allowing you to hide them in your sleeves or boots, or tucked them by your sides. The des were thick and wide, perfect for parrying, backhanded shes, and straight thrusts. I¡¯ll teach you two sets of hand-to-handbat techniques. Combine them with your de techniques, and you¡¯ll be unrivaled in melee fights.¡±

    Qing Ling examined the Butterfly Twin des. They looked light, butbined, they were actually as heavy as her Tang Dao. There was no curved crossguard on the hilt, making it easier to thrust and block with the des.

    At the bottom of the hilts was the pattern of a coiled snake. The weapons were custom made for Qing Ling.

    They would cost at least 400 <i>jinwu</i>.

    Qing Ling was taken by surprise. Were they the rewards the organization gave her for the great merit of helping kill the life monster?

    ¡°Is this from the organization?¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t one to make blind guesses. If she wanted to know something, she asked.

    ¡°Ha, of course not.¡± War Tiger snorted. ¡°The organization is dirt poor. We don¡¯t have the money to give out gifts.¡±

    ¡°So this is from you?¡± Qing Ling continued to ask. Had War Tiger realized that she had been eyeing his weapon? So he decided to give her something just as good?

    That couldn¡¯t be it. She had been hiding her intention well.

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s even less likely!¡± War Tigerughed more brightly. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten myself a new weapon for years.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. That was true. War Tiger only had two ck Gold weapons worth noting: a ck Gold shortsword, and his Green Dog Demon de.

    He stroked his chin, his other hand reaching out of the window to shake off some ash. He said in excitement, ¡°However, my Dragonying Giantsword is going to be finished soon. I¡¯ll show you what a real weapon looks like then!¡±

    ¡°The Dragonying Giantsword?¡± Qing Ling stared at him. Could it be the kind of great sword with a long and wide de? How much would that cost?

    ¡°That¡¯s what I named it.¡± War Tiger could read her thoughts, and he humble-bragged, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that expensive. The materials, smithing, and enchantment cost only 6000 <i>jinwu </i>in total.¡±

    ¡°What? <i>6000?!</i>¡± White Rabbit, who was driving, shouted before Qing Ling could voice her surprise. ¡°I ***** **** you *****!¡± She blurted out a litany of curses. ¡°I¡¯m running out of money to pay everyone¡¯s sry. So it¡¯s you embezzling our funds!¡±

    ¡°Rabbit, what do you take me as?¡± War Tiger defended himself, a little worked up. ¡°I¡¯ve never taken a penny from the organization. It was an unexpected gain.¡±

    ¡°From what?¡± Qing Ling pressed. Why hadn¡¯t she had an encounter like that?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I go to the Snow Nation to look into the Godbearer Cult? There was an underground pce hall under the church that used to house the Cult. The gates leading into the pce hall were made purely of ck Gold. We found a way to get the gates back here. It was worth twenty thousand <i>jinwu </i>in total. The three organizations split it.¡±

    He sounded pleased with himself. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a greatsword, so I sent the Hundred Rivers Union the blueprint andmissioned their cksmith for a weapon. It took longer than I expected though. I¡¯ve been waiting for months.¡±

    ¡°Have you no shame?!¡± White Rabbit got even angrier. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you hand that to the organization?¡±

    ¡°I earned that on my own. Why should I surrender it?¡± War Tiger said bluntly. ¡°I almost died then. Consider thatpensation for my trauma.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not worth 6000 <i>jinwu</i>!¡± White Rabbit was still stuck on it. ¡°This won¡¯t do. Your pigying giantsword belongs to the organization. You only have the right to use it!¡±

    War Tiger stuck out his tongue. ¡°No can do!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling Captain!¡±

    ¡°<i>I¡¯m</i> telling Captain!¡± War Tiger imitated her. ¡°Snitch! <i>Blep...</i>¡±

    ¡°You...you¡¯re asking for a beating!¡±

    White Rabbit and War Tiger continued to bicker. They even started fighting with one hand like children.

    Qing Ling stared into the distance in the back, overwhelmed with regret. What was she doing when War Tiger went to the Snow Nation? Well, she had a meaningless beach volleyball match in Naldives, had a pretty good seafood hot pot...

    She should¡¯ve gone to the Snow Nation with War Tiger instead!

    Finders keepers. She could¡¯ve gotten 3000 <i>jinwu </i>at least; with each de costing 300 <i>jinwu</i>, she would get ten weapons out of it. <i>Ten!</i> That would make her the shiest fighter in the Mist World!

    She nced at the Butterfly Twin des in her hands, getting back on track. ¡°So who are these from?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± War Tiger remembered what they were talking about too. ¡°They¡¯re from Electric Mouse.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. Wu Dahai¡¯s inheritance had been long distributed. The business and regr money were left to his rtives and friends in the mundane world, while the <i>jinwu </i>he had saved up were left to the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Where did the two dese from? She had never heard about them.

    War Tiger could guess what Qing Ling was wondering. He exined, ¡°These were made with his prosthetic arm. The cksmith managed to keep the material imbued with the remnant of his Electricity, which can add to the weapons¡¯ power. That¡¯s why it took longer to forge the arm into weapons. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t like it. The Electricity enchantment willst at most six months.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡± Qing Ling asked coldly.

    War Tiger shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what Haizi instructed in his will.¡±

    Qing Ling stared at the two des. They wouldpliment her close-ranged fighting perfectly, and the des were imbued with Electricity, a significant bonus. She really liked the weapons.

    A few secondster, she looked up and returned the Butterfly Twin des to War Tiger seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t want them.¡±

 Chapter 508: Cool

    <h4>Chapter 508: Cool</h4>

    War Tiger held the cigarette between his fingers and smiled like he had expected her response. Instead of taking the weapons from her, he produced a folded light blue letter. ¡°Make the decision after reading this.¡±

    After some hesitation, Qing Ling took the letter and unfolded it.

    It was penned with ck ink, the handwriting neat and done with strong, sharp strokes, clearly written by someone with a calligraphy background.

    Who would¡¯ve thought that Wu Dahai, with such a dirty mind, would have such beautiful handwriting?

    ¡°Qing Ling, if you¡¯re reading this, I must have died, and you¡¯ve survived.¡±

    ¡°Congrats. Great fortune always follows a close call.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to apologize to you for, but I can¡¯t put it into words. Hence, the corny letter.¡±

    ¡°I was quite a jerk back when we first met in the arcade. I¡¯m sorry. I wished we¡¯d met each other a few years earlier. I was much less twisted back then. At least I would have left you with a normal impression.¡±

    ¡°After awakening, there was a time when I hated the world. I didn¡¯t treat monsters as people, didn¡¯t treat mypanions as people, and I didn¡¯t even treat myself as a person.¡±

    ¡°I told myself that it was all a stupid game, that I could do whatever I wanted. That was how I survived.¡±

    ¡°After meeting you, though, I¡¯ve be a person again. After so long, I realized that it¡¯s still more fun to be a proper person.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang promised me that he would protect you, but I don¡¯t trust him fully. He¡¯s much too soft. That¡¯s why I decided to offer my help too. I¡¯m giving you these two des to make you stronger, and then it will be easier for Gao Yang to help keep you safe.¡±

    ¡°So don¡¯t make a big deal out of it. These are not my gifts to you, but tools to make sure Gao Yang honor his word.¡±

    ¡°Still, I hope that you¡¯ll live longer and use these des to kill more enemies.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t that be cool?¡±

    Qing Ling was silent for a moment.

    Then she folded the blue sheet of paper and tucked it into her breast pocket, looking up at War Tiger. ¡°I need two sheaths.¡±

    ¡°Leave that to the organization.¡± War Tiger gave her an OK sign.

    ...

    Gao Yang had thought that Vermilion Bird would drive straight to the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic for a meeting with Qilin and Azure Dragon, but it turned out that Qilin didn¡¯t deem that necessary; he had learned enough from Gao Yang through the call.

    Vermilion Bird joked while smoking and driving, ¡°Guildmaster doesn¡¯t have a thick skin. He¡¯s too embarrassed to meet you in person just yet.¡±

    Gao Yang tugged at his lips and offered ttery, ¡°Guildmaster saw the future clearly and guessed that Dragon woulde to our rescue.¡±

    ¡°Enough with that.¡± Vermilion Bird nced at Gao Yang, who was in the passenger seat. ¡°You must resent Guildmaster a little for not sending help.¡±

    ¡°That would be inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°Geez!¡± Vermilion Bird called out dramatically. ¡°You¡¯re an Elder already, Seven Shadow. There¡¯s no need to be so cautious. It makes you less charming.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that,¡± Gao Yang deflected with a smile. ¡°If I change as you said, you¡¯ll tell me next time that you like the old me better.¡±

    Vermilion Bird huffed out augh, letting the issue slide.

    ¡°Home, or college?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    ¡°Home.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice softened, and his gaze cooled.

    ...

    Four forty in the morning, Gao Yang stood at the door to his home. He took a deep breath and inserted the key, unlocking the door and entering.

    Standing at the entryway, Gao Yang paused before he changed out of his shoes. The softmplight in the living room was on. Wearing navy blue cotton pajamas with her hair loosely pinned up, her mother was sitting on the sofa, staring nkly at the clock on the wall.

    ¡°Mom?¡± Gao Yang called out softly.

    ¡°Yang Yang?¡± Lin Yue blinked, surprised. ¡°Why did youe home at this time?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have school tomorrow, so I went to a murder mystery with friends tonight. We just finished the game.¡± Gao Yang smiled as he exined and bent down to change into slippers. ¡°Why are you still up?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I couldn¡¯t sleep for some reason. It¡¯s been a while since Ist had trouble sleeping.¡± His mother smiled with resignation. ¡°Thest time was during the two days of your college entrance exams.¡±

    Having changed into slippers, Gao Yang walked up to sit down on the single sofa across from his mother. He asked casually, ¡°Dad and sis?¡±

    ¡°Sleeping.¡± His mother smiled with her lips pursed, speaking gently. ¡°You should go to bed too. Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll be sitting here for a while. It¡¯s going to be morning soon anyway.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his fingers rather than standing up.

    After a few silent seconds, he looked up. ¡°Mom...¡±

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± His mother cut in suddenly. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to fall asleep on an empty stomach. Why don¡¯t I make a bowl of noodles for you? You should go to sleep after eating.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang swallowed the words that were almost out of his mouth, rubbing his belly. ¡°I am a little hungry.¡±

    ¡°Wait here.¡± His mother stood up and walked into the kitchen, closing the ss sliding door.

    Soon, the sounds of pots and utensils clinking could be heard, as well as the thuds of chopping spring onions on a cutting board, the gurgle of water boiling, the sizzle of oil being poured into a frying pan, the crack of an egg, and the rumble of the range hood.

    All familiar sounds that had apanied Gao Yang for years. He knew all about the rhythms and ebbs and flows of it.

    Gao Yang listened to his mother busying about in the kitchen without looking her way, his mind straying, almost having an out-of-body experience.

    A little more than ten minutester, his mother ced a bowl of noodles on the tea table.

    It was a simple bowl of noodles, paired with some vegetable, mustard green, and a fried egg. The steam rose, carrying the pleasant aroma of the noodles.

    Gao Yang picked up his chopsticks and had a bite. The taste was familiar.

    ¡°Good?¡± his mother asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Too salty?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not too salty.¡±

    ¡°The egg is a little too done.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just right.¡±

    The mother sat on the sofa and threw out questions without thinking while watching her son eat, and the son wolfed down the noodles while answering the questions without thinking.

    It took only a few minutes for Gao Yang to finish the bowl. He drank two sips of the soup too.

    ¡°Is this enough? Should I make more?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Gao Yang drew a tissue and wiped his mouth.

    His mother didn¡¯t immediately put the chopsticks away. She looked at Gao Yang with a smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have something to say to me?¡±

    Gao Yang averted his eyes and stared at the bowl with some soup remaining.

    <i>Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.</i>

    Five o¡¯clock in the morning, the clock on the wall rang five times.

    At the end of it, Gao Yang looked up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Yue¡¯s smile stiffened in surprise. ¡°Why are you suddenly apologizing?¡±

    ¡°I lied to you.¡±

    ¡°You lied to me?¡± Lin Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, confused. ¡°About what?¡±

 Chapter 509: Lied to You

    <h4>Chapter 509: Lied to You</h4>

    ¡°Do you remember sending me to Children¡¯s Pce[1] to learn math for the olympiad when I was in my fifth year in elementary school?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Lin Yue smiled. ¡°Your homeroom teacher said that you had talents in math and would be a good student, so I applied to the math olympiad ss at Children¡¯s Pce for you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like math at all.¡±

    Lin Yue was still smiling. ¡°I know. You stop getting top scores in math after getting into middle school.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t go to Children¡¯s Pce on the weekends. I went to the arcade to y games instead.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I knew already. Were you apologizing for that?¡± Lin Yue sighed in relief. ¡°Do you think you could hide that from me?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I knew as soon as I looked into your eyes.¡± His mother¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar. It shows in your eyes every time you lie, just like your dad.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised again. ¡°Do you know that Dad lied to you too?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Lin Yue smiled wryly. ¡°Later, I asked him to take you to Children¡¯s Pce to make sure you didn¡¯t skip ss, but he went to the arcade with you instead, and you lied to me together.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang lowered his head. ¡°Dad told me that I didn¡¯t have to go if I didn¡¯t want to, and he told me it would be a secret between two men, that I should hide it from you, Granny, and Xinxin.¡±

    His head remained low as he added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I didn¡¯t want to lie to you, but I really didn¡¯t likepetitive math.¡±

    Lin Yue sighed. ¡°I know, silly boy.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you pretend to not know?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you scold me or beat me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the heart. You¡¯re my little boy,¡± Lin Yue said. ¡°But I hope you understand that I have to be a good mother to you. If I indulge you like your dad and granny did, you¡¯d never grow up.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Look where you¡¯re now.¡± Lin Yue smiled, satisfied. ¡°Our Yang Yang is all grown up. You¡¯ll be a sessful adult in the future. I don¡¯t regret anything I¡¯ve done for you.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened. His mood quickly took a downturn. ¡°But Mom, have you ever considered the possibility that I don¡¯t want to be sessful? I¡¯m so tired...¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything but watched him with eyes curved in a smile.

    Gao Yang felt like a fifth-grader again. His nose prickled, and he burst into tears, sobbing. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m so, so tired...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± His mother was a little taken aback. She quickly stood up toe up to him, holding him gently. ¡°What happened, Yang Yang? Did someone do something to you...¡±

    Gao Yang could no longer keep his emotions in check. He threw his arms around his mother and broke down, bawling. ¡°Mom, math olympiads are so difficult. I can¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t want to go to the ss. Can I not go? Can I not learn it...¡±

    His mother¡¯s eyes turned red as well. She stroked his hair, letting out a long sigh. ¡°Silly boy.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang had a good cry in his mother¡¯s arms. At the end of it, he felt lighter than he had felt for a long time.

    Then he washed up and went to bed, sleeping soundly until noon.

    It was lunch time when Gao Xinxin knocked on his door, barging in and kicking his butt through the nket. ¡°Wake up, you sleepyhead! The sun¡¯s high up already!¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± Gao Yang struggled to wake up, his voice weak. ¡°I rarely stayed at home. Won¡¯t you be a little gentler with me...?¡±

    ¡°Ha, go look for your girlfriend if you want to be treated gently,¡± Gao Xinxin retorted. ¡°She¡¯s gonna be gentle and careful with you for sure.¡±

    Gao Yang threw off the nket and sat up, smirking. ¡°Makes sense. I should ask her to go to the theater with me this afternoon...¡±

    Gao Xinxin grabbed the pillow and mmed it into Gao Yang¡¯s face. ¡°Stay at home today and don¡¯t go anywhere! Spend more time with Mom and Dad, you hear me?!¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye¡ª¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s mother had taken a day off today. She spent the morning busying about in the kitchen, preparing a full lunch.

    Sitting at the dining table, Gao Yang¡¯s fatherplimented his wife¡¯s cooking as usual before starting a conversation. ¡°I had a dreamst night. It was really strange. I heard someone crying in the dream. They cried like they were totally heartbroken...¡±

    ¡°<i>Ack, ack, ack...</i>¡± Gao Yang almost choked on rice.

    ¡°When I got closer, I saw that it was amb.¡± Gao Shou looked at Lin Yue. ¡°Sweetheart, I saw you holding themb andbing its coat while it wailed. It was shouting at the same time, ¡®<i>It¡¯s too hard. I don¡¯t know how to solve the problem...¡¯</i>¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all over the ce.¡± Gao Xinxin couldn¡¯t make heads or tails about the dream.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s utter nonsense.¡± Gao Shou seemed confused too. ¡°Why would I have such a strange dream?¡±

    He then turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to interpret dreams, Son? Exin it to me.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed an eyeroll and quietly shoved some rice into his mouth, rattling off casually, ¡°Not every dream has a deeper meaning. Sometimes, we simply dream about what we¡¯ve been thinking during the day.¡±

    ¡°Themb you dreamed about must be the birthday gift sis and I gave Mom. The scarf is made of wool. The fact that Mom wasbing themb coat must mean that Mom loves the scarf, right?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense!¡± Gao Shou blinked. ¡°But why did themb speak, and what problems was it solving...¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been watching <i>The Awesome Brain</i> or whatever it¡¯s called every day and ying along with the contestants? Perhaps that leaves an impression on your subconscious.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Shou seemed convinced. ¡°That makes total sense.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief.

    After lunch, Gao Yang did the dishes. Then the family went strolling together as physical therapy for Gao Shou.

    It had only been a few days, but his legs had recovered well¡ªit was all an act, of course.

    The four of them walked around the gatedmunity. Then Lin Yue and Gao Xinxin went to a new snack shop for some food, while Gao Shou and Gao Yang rested on a public bench by the road.

    Watching his wife and daughter walk away, Gao Shou narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°What happenedst night, Son?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it. You cried so loudly in your mother¡¯s arms. I couldn¡¯t not get woken up.¡± Gao Shou smiled. ¡°Did something happen? Tell Dad. I can help you.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed and said quietly, ¡°Auntie Mei died.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Shou was a little surprised. He looked around before leaning toward Gao Yang. ¡°She died? How?¡±

    ¡°I guessed right. She¡¯s a life monster.¡± Gao Yang summarized what had happened the past two days as simply as he could, recing the keywords with euphemisms since they were in public.

    Gao Shou¡¯s expression grew heavy as he listened.

    Realization dawned on him. His pupils contracted.

    1. A public facility in China where children engage in extracurricr activities. ?

 Chapter 510: Really Really Really

    <h4>Chapter 510: Really Really Really</h4>

    However, Gao Shou didn¡¯t want to follow the thought, and he couldn¡¯t.

    When he saw Gao Yang hesitantly open his eyes, he quickly stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me anything. I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, then sighed in relief. <i>Heh, now I know where my bad habit of running away from my problems came from.</i>

    ¡°Your mother and I are having our twentieth anniversary in ten days, Son.¡± Gao Shou changed the subject.

    Gao Yang remembered it. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s going to be November 11th soon.¡±

    Gao Shou chuckled. ¡°We picked the day back then for the good omen of one spouse for one life and being devoted to our love. But surprise, surprise. The day is now known as Singles'' Day.¡±

    Gao Yangughed too. ¡°Singles¡¯ Day is out of fashion now too, Dad. Now it¡¯s known as the Double Eleven shopping day.¡±

    That got Gao Yang thinking. ¡°What are you nning to give Mom as a gift?¡±

    ¡°Haha, your dad is doing something grand this year!¡± Gao Shou sounded confident. ¡°But I¡¯ll need some help from you and my daughter-inw.¡±

    ¡°Um, just <i>some </i>help?¡± Gao Yang had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°No rush. I¡¯ll tell you about itter.¡± Gao Shou was cryptic on purpose. ¡°Give me your afternoon next Tuesday.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t press.

    ...

    Nine at night, Gao Yang returned to the Li City University. As soon as he reached the door to the dorm building, a gust of wind swept up to him, and he looked to the side to see his ¡°third uncle¡± here to deliver him a letter.

    Gao Yang took Waking Insects to the artificialke on campus, taking the postcard from him. This time, it depicted a blue sky and blue ocean, the shore littered with white houses at different heights.

    ¡°The Aiqing Sea is so beautiful! I love it here! ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨¡±

    ¡°But why is it named <i>aiqing</i>, romantic love, and not <i>youqing</i>, friendship?¡±

    Gao Yang snorted. Well, can it be that it¡¯s not the <i>Aiqing </i>Sea, but the <i>Aegean </i>Sea[1]?

    ¡°The Friendship Sea would¡¯ve been more beautiful than the Romance Sea! Just like my friendship with you, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°I had the second best fish in the world here. The best fish I¡¯ve ever had is the fish I had with you, the one Idiot Kai caught for me.¡±

    ¡°How are you doing, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°I really really really miss you. Do you miss me?¡±

    Using the marble railing of theke as a desk, Gao Yang drafted Fresh Snow a short response under the moonlight.

    ¡°Perhaps there is a Friendship Lake somewhere in the world. We¡¯ll go there one day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright here.¡±

    ¡°I miss you too. Once you¡¯re back from your trip around the world, I¡¯ll have Idiot Kai catch you another fish, one bigger and tastier than the one we hadst time.¡±

    ¡°Looking forward to your next mail.¡±

    Gao Yang finished writing on the postcard and handed it back to Waking Insects. Before Waking Insects could take it, Gao Yang quickly pulled back. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t go just yet. I have a question for you.¡±

    Waking Insects looked at him with a polite smile.

    ¡°What have you been doing, for real?¡±

    ¡°Going around the world.¡±

    Gao Yang exposed him, ¡°I have the Talent to tell lies.¡±

    ¡°Noment.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed, changing the way he asked about it. ¡°Is whatever you¡¯re doing dangerous?¡±

    Waking Insects thought for a good second before putting the polite smile back on. ¡°Who within the Mist World isn¡¯t in danger?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have a counter for that.

    ¡°Keep Fresh Snow safe.¡±

    Waking Insects nodded, saying tly, ¡°If anyone wants to hurt Fresh Snow, they¡¯ll have to go through Master Spring, White Dew, and me.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, handing the postcard to Waking Insects.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Waking Insects disappeared in a gust of wind. Gao Yang stood where he was, staring nkly at the shimmeringke.

    After a good while, he picked himself up. <i>No time to waste. Time to work!</i>

    He unlocked his phone and sent a message to the group chat, Team Heavenbreaker???: 3 in the morning, we¡¯re having a meeting at the same ce.

    Gao Yang returned to his dorm room and shared a few words with his roommates. They asked about his three-day absence, and Gao Yang lied that he had felt ill and gone to the hospital before resting two days at home.

    His roommates were all worried about him, and they told Gao Yang to take care of himself. Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian, especially, reflected on themselves seriously and dered that they would stop dragging Gao Yang to drink with them or stay up overnight. Gao Yang was quite touched.

    Past midnight, his roommates retired to bed one after another. Pretending to sleep, Gao Yang waited until his roommates were all in deep slumber before essing his system with a thought.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have acquired 2239 Luck points.]

    ¡ªOpen Status Screen.

    [Constitution: 431 Endurance: 438]

    [Strength: 1128 Agility: 1872]

    [Willpower: 1747 Charisma: 416]

    [Luck: 813]

    ¡ªI¡¯ve used Willful Power once when fighting Xing Kong and another time when fighting Zhuang Mei, losing about 6% of my stats, meaning a total loss of about 350 points.

    ¡ªDuring the fight with Zhuang Mei at Mount Kei, Teleportation and Replicate reached level 6, and Double reached level 5. All stats saw different amounts of gains.

    Level 6 Teleportation: the distance he could travel didn¡¯t increase, but the cooldown reduced to 0.5 seconds, and the number of times he could use the Talent in half an hour doubled.

    Level 6 Replicate: he was still limited to replicating Talents with a serial number greater than 10, and the use duration was still 20 seconds; however, he could now replicate 3 Talents, and the Talents could be stored for 50 hours, a significantly longer time.

    Level 5 Double: the double could be maintained for 70 seconds, and the double could use his Talents at 20% power, which was another significant improvement.

    ¡ªEnter the Talent Pantheon.

    Gao Yang started to slowly fall, and he found himself lying on something. He opened his eyes to see that the Pantheon had taken the form of the Rabbit Room of the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ base, the recreational quarters.

    <i>Interesting</i>. He was sitting on a beanbag in therge living room done in the Northern European style. On the tea table before him were all sorts of drinks and snacks, as well as a console, a controller, and an assortment of game disks.

    On the screen before him, the power ranking of awakeners was projected. It was the first version Gao Yang had seen in the past. Back then, he was still a nobody, not even ranked within the top 100.

    He turned to find the system, taking the form of Li Weiwei.

    She was dressed in a light green cardigan and a white pleated skirt¡ªthe clothes she had worn on their first date. Her long hair, tied into small braids, rested gently on her shoulders. She smiled at Gao Yang sweetly, her slight dimples greeting him.

    Gao Yang jumped.<i> Is this the projection of my rationality, emotions, and imaginations too? That can¡¯t be. It¡¯s been a long time since I thought of Li Weiwei.</i>

    <i>Let¡¯s not think too much of it. Maybe the system of Lucky just loves taking on different appearances like Liu Qingying loves putting on different costumes.</i>

    ¡°Check the Talents.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Please look at the screen.¡± Li Weiwei lifted her hand.

    The screen lit up, showing an orderly table of data, clearly listing the patterns of the twelve Rune Types and the number of unimed Talents under each type.

    Gao Yang checked the Support-type Talents first. The number under the type was 3.

    <i>Huh, still 3?</i>

    <i>Oh, right. Dick¡¯s Tracking must have returned to the Talent Pantheon after his death.</i>

    <i>Whatever. I¡¯ve given up on spending all my points trying to get House.</i>

    Gao Yang had changed his mind for two main reasons:

    First, Gao Yang started to feel like that theprehension rate of the top twelve Talents might be lower than that of other Talents, which would cost him more Luck points. There was one piece of indirect evidence supporting that hypothesis¡ªamong the awakeners with the top twelve Talents, none had acquired a second Talent.

    Second, after the fight with Zhuang Mei, Gao Yang realized that he had overestimated Talents that created realms.

    In theory, after creating a realm, the awakener would be the master within the realm. It was true for House and Strange, and especially true for Overlord, which turned one into an omnipotent god within the realm.

    However, the Talents came with many limitations.

    First and foremost, it required good teamwork to buy enough time to activate the Talents.

    Take Dragon¡¯s Overlord as an example. While an incrediblyrge realm could be created, it had many weaknesses. For one, it was easy to destroy the realm from the outside. For another, the side effects of using the Talent was so great that regr people wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it.

    For those reasons, Gao Yang had adjusted his n to get stronger.

    1. The Aegean Sea is named <i>aiqin </i>in Mandarin, which is pronounced very simrly to <i>aiqing</i>, romantic love. ?

 Chapter 511: Idiot

    <h4>Chapter 511: Idiot</h4>

    At the moment, Gao Yang saw his poor resistance to psychic damage as his biggest weakness. The brainwashing shockwave Zhuang Mei unleashed in life monster form, for example, was so powerful that outside of Dragon and Qilin, no one could endure it for more than half a minute.

    Considering that he could be antagonistic and even hostile with Qilin at any time, it was imperative that Gao Yang improved his psychic resistance as soon as possible.

    Although Gao Yang had more than 2000 Luck points at the moment, Level 4 Lucky allowed for only a maximum 1000 points in each stat, and 1000 in Charisma was not enough to resist Qilin¡¯s Eidos or a psychic attack from an enemy at the level of a life monster.

    Gao Yang thought for a while and looked at the number under Psyche-type: 4.

    ¡°It will take you 960 points to try toprehend a new Talent,¡± the system, in Li Weiwei¡¯s form, said gently. ¡°Do you confirm an attempt toprehend a Psyche-type Talent?¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. <i>As expected of my system, I only have to nce at you for you to get me.</i>

    ¡°I confirm.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Comprehending.¡± Li Weiwei waved her hand.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>The number 4 spinned quickly like the spinning symbols of a slot machine. <i>Ding. </i>Five secondster, the number stopped at 4 again.

    ¡°Unfortunately, theprehension fails.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡± Li Weiwei lifted her hand.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>The number 4 started spinning quickly again until it was a blur. <i>Ding! </i>The number became 3 after five seconds.

    ¡°Congrattions,¡± Li Weiwei said with a smile. ¡°You haveprehended Psychic Armor.¡±

    Gao Yang was d. He had gotten exactly the Talent he wanted!

    Li Weiwei started to go into the Talent in detail. ¡°Psychic Armor, serial number 82, Psyche-type.¡±

    ¡°It grants a certain level of resistance to all psychic damage and can temporarily buff, adjust, and close off one¡¯s mind and emotions.¡±

    ¡°Level 1 Psychic Armor, grants 5% resistance to psychic damage and may shield one¡¯s mind and emotions for 10 seconds with a cooldown of 120 seconds. Stats bonuses: Willpower + 20, Charisma + 30.¡±

    ¡°Level 2 Psychic Armor, grants 10% resistance to psychic damage and may shield one¡¯s mind and emotions for 20 seconds with a cooldown of 90 seconds. Stats bonuses: Willpower + 40, Charisma + 60.¡±

    ¡°Level 3 Psychic Armor, grants 15% resistance to psychic damage and may shield one¡¯s mind and emotions for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 60 seconds. Stats bonuses: Willpower + 60, Charisma + 90.¡±

    ¡°Level 4 Psychic Armor, grants 20% resistance to psychic damage and may shield one¡¯s mind and emotions for 45 seconds with a cooldown of 40 seconds, as well as grants the skill: Idiot. Stats bonuses: Willpower + 100, Charisma + 150...¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Gao Yang noticed the key point. ¡°What kind of skill is Idiot?¡±

    ¡°In the literal sense, it will turn you into an idiot for a short duration.¡±

    <i>The skill hurts me? But everything exists for a reason. Perhaps it¡¯ll be of use one day.</i>

    Li Weiwei continued to exin the detailed mechanisms of the Talent, and Gao Yang fell into thought.

    It would take 1920 points toprehend a Talent next time. The cost was getting higher and higher. With more unimed Talents in the pool of the Talent Pantheon, though, the odds ofprehending a Talent would be greater too, and he had a chance to acquire a Talent with a single pull.

    That would be a great temptation to viins without a moral code. For survival and ambition, they would certainly choose to go after other awakeners in pursuit of power.

    Gao Yang sighed.

    ¡°Take me back, System.¡±

    ...

    Late at night, Gao Yang quietly left his dorm room and went to Degenerate Street. It was three in the morning. There were a lot less pedestrians, and most shops and restaurants had closed down. Without the usual hubbub, the ce seemed dirty and deste, the street only filled by trash that hadn¡¯t been cleaned.

    Wearing a gray hoodie with the hood on, Gao Yang walked toward Amon¡¯s boardgame cafe with his hands in his pockets.

    Since there was still time, he swung by a twenty-four seven convenience store to get energy-boosting drinks for himself and the rest of the team.

    ¡°Wee.¡±

    Gao Yang walked in. The automatic door rang. Inside the brightly-lit store, the cashier was using her phone at the counter, looking drowsy.

    Gao Yang walked to the shelves of drinks with a basket, picking up drinks and throwing them in. Instinctively, he noticed someone near him.

    He nced to the side and saw a young girl in ck baseball cap; the shorter hair revealed under the cap was a gradient of pink and white. She was dressed in an oversized oldschool baseball jacket with the number 4 sewn on the back, going down to the thighs and leaving her slim calves uncovered. Her shoes were a pair of converse.

    Half of her profile was covered by the hem of her cap and her pink to white hair, revealing only her delicate chin and full pink lips. She had a lollipop in her mouth as she browsed the unpackaged snacks.

    She picked up a chocte stick and twirled it twice in her hand like a pen. Instantly, the chocte stick vanished.

    If Gao Yang hadn¡¯t had his keen vision, he would¡¯ve thought she was doing magic.

    She continued to browse the unpackaged snacks casually, picking up a snack every once in a while, including a pack of dried clove fish, a pack of dried plum, and a small cookie.

    They all vanished seconds after she picked them up.

    Soon, she walked away from the snack shelves, satisfied, and walked out of the convenience store like nothing had happened.

    Gao Yang paid for the drinks at the counter with his phone, adding 10 yuan extra. Then he quickly walked out.

    On the dirty, bleak street, the girl with a baseball cap walked in front of him with her hands behind her back, skipping her way and humming a song in a good mood.

    <i>I couldn''t wait for you toe and clear the cupboard</i>

    <i>But now you''re gone and leaving nothing but a sign</i>

    <i>Another evening I''ll be sitting reading in between your lines</i>

    <i>Because I miss you all the time...</i>[1]

    She stopped singing when she noticed someone following her. An elongated shadow cast by themplight approached from behind.

    She turned around to see Gao Yang catch up to her openly.

    She took off her cap, her bright grayish blue eyes blinking. The barcode tattoo under her left eye curved with the folds under her eyes.

    ¡°Ah...you¡¯re!¡± The girl recognized Gao Yang. ¡°A friend of Boss.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Gao Yang introduced himself. ¡°Freshman of Li City U, theputer engineering department.¡±

    ¡°Wang Shu, fresh out of college,¡± the girl responded easily. ¡°Work night shifts at Borderrunners.¡±

    1. <i>I Really Want to Stay at Your House</i> from the animated series, <i>Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.</i> ?

 Chapter 512: Wang Shu

    <h4>Chapter 512: Wang Shu</h4>

    ¡°Hello, Wang Shu.¡± Gao Yang extended a hand politely. ¡°A chocte stick, a pack of dried clove fish, a dried plum, a cookie with blueberry filling, and a small pack of pistachios. I¡¯ll make that 10 yuan for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Shu covered her mouth with a hand and gave Gao Yang a once-over with widened eyes, curling her lips upward like she was impressed. ¡°Were you stalking me?¡±

    ¡°No, I just happened to spot you,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Stealing isn¡¯t right.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t want to either.¡± Wang Shu argued in a petnt tone. ¡°But paying is such a hassle.¡±

    ¡°I paid for you. Just wire me the money.¡±

    ¡°But I forgot my phone when I left home today.¡± She spread her hands. ¡°Bringing my stuff is such a hassle.¡±

    <i>Breathing is a hassle too</i>, Gao Yang grumbled. <i>Why are you still alive?</i>

    ¡°Here, take this.¡± Wang Shu produced a small cookie with filling and shoved it into Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Now we¡¯re aplices.¡±

    She didn¡¯t wait for Gao Yang to react before turning away and continuing forward, humming with her hands behind her waist.

    <i>So, get away</i>

    <i>Another way to feel what you didn''t want yourself to know</i>

    <i>And let yourself go</i>

    <i>You know you didn''t lose your self-control</i>

    <i>Let''s start at the rainbow</i>

    <i>Turn away...</i>

    Gao Yang sighed and caught up with her, grabbing her hand.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Surprised, Wang Shu turned to look at Gao Yang, her grayish blue eyes widened. She looked at Gao Yang¡¯s face for a few seconds before breaking into a mischievous smile. ¡°Anything else, Freshman?¡±

    ¡°Why did you steal?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I told you I forgot my phone. It¡¯d be a hassle to go back and grab it.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t nosy by nature. It was just that Wang Shu worked at Amon¡¯s ce, and running into her doing something strange, he wanted to make sure that she wasn¡¯t an elite monster just to be safe.

    He let go of her hand. ¡°Alright. I believe you. Stealing is wrong, though. Don¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°Say.¡± Wang Shu leaned toward him and tilted her head, looking up at him with her face almost touching his chin. ¡°Are you after something?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang paused beforeing to a realization. ¡°Do you think I was hitting on you?¡±

    Wang Shu smirked. ¡°Tsk, now you admit it. But I don¡¯t do rtionships. It¡¯s too much of a hassle.¡±

    <i>You sure are full of yourself. Whatever, as long as you¡¯re happy.</i>

    ¡°Is there anything you don¡¯t consider a hassle?¡± Gao Yang saw that Wang Shu was going back to the board game cafe too, so he struck up a conversation.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Shu skipped ahead without ncing at Gao Yang.

    ¡°Such as?¡±

    ¡°Going weightless.¡±

    Gao Yang tensed, energy concentrating in his hands as he readied for a fight. He immediately thought of Goldthread¡¯s Talent, serial number 31¡¯s Gravity. He thought Wang Shu was going to use some sort of realm-type Talent on him.

    Three secondster, though, nothing happened, and his system didn¡¯t sound an alert. Only then did Gao Yang quietly rx his guard.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gao Yang stared at Wang Shu¡¯s back.

    ¡°Weightlessness.¡± Wang Shu didn¡¯t turn around as she responded. ¡°It must feel good to be weightless. Everything will be light and floaty, not troublesome at all.¡±

    What a strange girl, with a strange way of thinking.

    Soon, they reached the building where the board game cafe was. Before walking through the door, Wang Shu turned around to smile imploringly and mischievously at Gao Yang. ¡°Would you do me a favor, Freshman? Don¡¯t tell Boss about what happened tonight, or she will surely fire me.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing to not have to work?¡± Gao Yang half-joked. ¡°Isn¡¯t work a great hassle?¡±

    ¡°It is, but being jobless is even more troublesome.¡± Wang Shu nced at Gao Yang. ¡°A carefree college student like you won¡¯t understand.¡±

    <i>Ha, carefree? I don¡¯t even recognize the word anymore after my awakening.</i>

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But you¡¯re not stealing stuff again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t go around stealing stuff, I swear. I just forgot my phone today and went the easy route.¡± Wang Shu smiled. ¡°And you paid for me. Consider that you buying me snacks. I¡¯ll repay you once I get my sry.¡±

    Gao Yang responded, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

    ...

    The Moon Room, Board Game Cafe Borderrunners, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Outside of Officer Huang, all members of Team Heavenbreaker had arrived.

    As the team leader, Gao Yang exined what had happened during the trip to Ind Nation¡ªwith some modifications and omissions, of course.

    The members each reacted differently. Gray Bear, Nine Frost, and Lithe Snake, for example, were quite worked up, Gray Bear especially so. The fact that his long-time partner Lithe Snake had fought the reanimated corpse of a dead life monster in West Nation had made him so jealous that he couldn¡¯t sleep for three days. What men could boast of were their achievements, and since he had never even caught a glimpse of a life monster, he had been unable to keep his chin up before Lithe Snake.

    Now, Seven Shadow had gone to Ind Nation with Green Snake, Yellow Ox, and Heavenly Dog and fought a living life monster, and they won.

    Captain Seven Shadow was one thing. He should be awesome. Yellow Ox was about the same age as Gray Bear, so he could ept it. But Green Snake and Heavenly Dog? Their status on Team Heavenbreaker had skyrocketed. It was like a student going abroad and returning much more respected. As the vice-captain of the original fifth team, Gray Bear felt incredibly frustrated.

    ¡°Captain, won¡¯t you take me on your next mission?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    Gao Yang could tell what he was thinking. He swallowed augh and pulled a long face on purpose. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m...¡± Gray Bear swallowed the word ¡°vice-captain¡± and continued, ¡°I¡¯m the first tank of the team. I can take attacks and be on the offense too. I believe I can be an asset when facing a life monster, andckeys like Tails are no problem to me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    Meanwhile, Chen Ying and Can seemed worried.

    Life monsters. What formidable enemies. Pride monsters already put them in great enough danger, and they barely survived the encounters. Now that they were facing life monsters, beings in apletely different league, their future seemed grim.

    Chen Ying was conflicted. On one hand, she felt like she had been contributing too little to the organization and humanity atrge without a Talent forbat. At the same time, she was relieved because of it. She had avoided the frontlines altogether, or the grass before her tombstone might have reached knee height already.

    Meanwhile, Can was scared, but even more worried about Gao Yang. Their captain was always at the very frontline, risking his life for one thing or another.

    After a pregnant pause, Gao Yang told them the main agenda for today¡¯s meeting. ¡°Now, we talk about the future ns of Team Heavenbreaker.¡±

 Chapter 513: Captainâ€™s Trust

    <h4>Chapter 513: Captain¡¯s Trust</h4>

    ¡°This is a decision straight from the leadership of the three organizations.¡± <i>But they did consider my opinion</i>, Gao Yang didn¡¯t say.

    ¡°In the future, Team Heavenbreaker will be split into two units. The one in charge of continuing the investigation into the Godbearer Cult is the Investigation Unit.¡±

    ¡°The other in charge of looking into everything about life monsters is the Action Unit.¡±

    Gao Yang scanned the room and added, ¡°We¡¯ve found a life monster altar in both the West Nation and the Ind Nation. ording to what we¡¯ve learned, the Godbearer Cult is also after life monsters, so we¡¯re looking into life monsters to advance our investigation into the Cult indirectly.¡±

    ¡°The team will be divided as follows.¡±

    ¡°Due to special circumstances, Yellow Ox has temporarily left the team.¡±

    ¡°The Investigation Unit are Chen Ying, Amon, Can, and Nainai, joined by White Rabbit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs and Colorless from the Hundred Rivers Union. Chen Ying is the unit leader, and White Rabbit the deputy.¡±

    ¡°The Action Unit are me, Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, Green Snake, and Heavenly Dog, joined by War Tiger from the Twelve Zodiac Signs as my deputy.¡±

    Gray Bear clenched his fists discreetly. <i>Fuck, it¡¯s finally my turn to take the stage!</i>

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can hesitated for a moment before raising her hand. ¡°I...I justprehended Gale two days ago.¡±

    Gale, serial number 27, Element-type. The Talent of her former captain, Three Air.

    Gao Yang got a little sentimental. It seemed that there was an ineffable connection between a Talent and an awakener, like some sort of legacy.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Gao Yang was going to congratte her, but considering the formal nature of the meeting, he nodded in approval instead.

    It was clear that Can wasn¡¯t satisfied with the response. She mustered the courage to say, ¡°I can fight now too, Captain. I want to join the Action Unit.¡±

    Under the table, Can clutched her jeans tightly unconsciously with both hands. Although life monsters were terrifying, worrying over Captain while not being around him was an even greater torment to her.

    Moreover, everyone else from the original fifth operations team had joined the Action Team, while she alone had been allocated to the Investigation Team. That brought her back to the time in school when she was isted and marginalized.

    Can¡¯s expression was serious, and her gaze fiery. She was waiting for Gao Yang to grant her request.

    Gao Yang could more or less understand her disappointment, but he had thought long and hard about the arrangement.

    Can and Nainai¡¯s Talents were better suited for investigation. The joining of White Rabbit and Colorless was meant to improve the unit¡¯s overall strength.

    Once they found anything on the Godbearer Cult, the Investigation Team wouldn¡¯t need to go to the frontlines on their own; Team Azure Dragon would join and take over.

    Gao Yang¡¯s Action Unit, on the other hand, would be venturing into great danger since they could encounter life monsters. Thus, they needed experiencedbatants as members. That was why a veteran like War Tiger was joining them.

    ¡°Stay with the Investigation Unit and do your job, Can. You should consider yourself lucky.¡± Gray Bear crossed his arms and spoke like an adult chiding a child. ¡°Life monsters are no joke. We all have our heads on our belts, likely to lose our lives at any time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of dying!¡± Can raised her voice, getting worked up. ¡°I can fight too!¡±

    ¡°Who among us fears death?¡± Lithe Snake retorted.

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Death isn¡¯t a problem, but we have to make our deaths worthwhile. We each have our job. Don¡¯t take things too personally.¡±

    ¡°Ha, mortals will all face death in the end. Only this Empress...¡± Nainai silenced herself when she met Qing Ling¡¯s icy gaze.

    ¡°But...¡± Can was going to say something, but Gao Yang snapped at her.

    ¡°This is an order, Can.¡±

    Can paused and slowly lowered her head, her voice quiet. ¡°As youmand, Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded slightly, leaning into the seat. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    No one said anything.

    ¡°Then this is it for tonight,¡± he announced. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡±

    They each rose to their feet and left with their belongings. When Can stood up, Gao Yang called out, ¡°Stay, Can.¡±

    Can was caught off guard. She thought she had heard it wrong. Pointing at her own nose, she asked, ¡°Me?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Heavenly Dog was thest to leave the room. Like thest meeting, he considerately closed the door behind him.

    Gao Yang and Can were left alone. It was suddenly silent in the room.

    Can sat down meekly next to Gao Yang with her eyes lowered, avoiding Gao Yang¡¯s gaze. She was ready for Gao Yang toy into her. It was wrong to openly disobey the leader¡¯s arrangement during the meeting.

    Without anyone else here, Gao Yang took off his leader¡¯s hat and said in a softer voice, ¡°Do you know how dangerous being on the Action Unit will be, Can?¡±

    Can lowered her head further. <i>I know, and that¡¯s why I want to join.</i>

    Gao Yang said both to advise her and to confide in her, ¡°If not for Dragoning to our help at thest moment, our trip to Ind Nation would¡¯ve been thest mission for the four of us.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to do the right thing for me, Captain. You don¡¯t want me to be in danger...¡± Can said with a hint of hurt. ¡°But I¡¯d rather be with everyone. If something happens to all of you, and I¡¯m the only one left alive...¡±

    ¡°Can.¡± Gao Yang believed it was now the right time. ¡°Look at me.¡±

    Can lifted her head, her eyes red.

    Gao Yang held her gaze. ¡°Can I trust you?¡±

    Can paused. She didn¡¯t understand why he was asking that.

    ¡°I mean can I trust you even if I¡¯m no longer Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    Can finally caught on. She hurriedly wiped the corner of her eyes and nodded vehemently. ¡°Yeah, you can trust me, Captain! Elder Seven Shadow or not, Captain will always have me!¡±

    Realizing how her words could be taken the wrong way, Can waved her hands in embarrassment, blushing. ¡°No no no, I mean, no matter where Captain is, I¡¯ll always be with you!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I mean...no, I meant to say...¡± Can was digging herself into a hole. She was ready to pull her hair out.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Gao Yang cut her off with a smile. ¡°I believe you.¡±

    Still, he had to do what he had to do. Once Lie Detection¡¯s cooldown ended, he would use it on Can.

    He put a gentle hand on Can¡¯s frail shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m d that youprehended Gale, Can. Among the members of the fifth team, you are the one I trust the most.¡±

    Can¡¯s lips parted. She couldn¡¯t find the words to say.

    ¡°I trust Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, and Nine Frost too, but not as much as I do you.¡± Gao Yang was being honest. ¡°That¡¯s why I have to take them with me and learn more about them. When the time is right, I¡¯ll determine if they are worthy of the same level of trust.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Can nodded vehemently.

    ¡°We¡¯re truepanions now, Can,¡± Gao Yang said encouragingly. ¡°Now, do you understand why I put you on the Investigation Unit?¡±

    ¡°I do!¡± Can was ttered. She lowered her voice unconsciously. ¡°Rest assured, Captain, if the Investigation Unit hides anything from you or does anything unusual, I¡¯ll let you know immediately.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang was pleased. Can had grown not only in terms of power.

    After some consideration, he added, ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t the only sources of danger in this world, Can. You must watch everything you say and do.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Can met his gaze. ¡°You must stay safe too. Please, please be safe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve told our fortune.¡±

    Can blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°I yed a match of HOKst night. The difference in headcounts between me and the opponent is an even number, which means everything will be alright.¡±

    Can knew Gao Yang was teasing her on purpose, but augh still escaped her mouth.

 Chapter 514: King of Assassination

    <h4>Chapter 514: King of Assassination</h4>

    Fifth floor of the inpatient building, Shangqing Hospital, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The day had yet to break. The corridor connecting the wards was dark and quiet with the light off. At the end of the corridor stood an old man with silver hair, dressed in ck tai chi clothes. He had his eyes closed as he pressed his hands together with a leg lifted over his other leg, bending his standing leg until he was crouching.

    Mischievous Monkey had been maintaining the posture of a chicken standing on one leg for more than ten minutes.

    The door to a single ward opened. Officer Huang walked out and went up to Mischievous Monkey on the right side.

    Mischievous Monkey opened his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re up already, Young Huang?¡±

    Officer Huang smiled bitterly. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Su Xi was expected to give birth in a little more than ten days. To be safe, Officer Huang admitted her into the hospital beforehand and used up his annual leaves so that he could stay with his wife every second every day.

    Su Xi thought he was overreacting, but Officer Huang insisted. Nothing mattered more than life and death, and giving birth was the most important of matters in the world.

    As a bodyguard sent by the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Mischievous Monkey stayed with his charge without ever getting far, but usually, he stayed outside Su Xi¡¯s ward.

    They sat down on the bench in the corridor. Officer Huang was chewing gum. He had quit smoking for a while. Whenever he felt the urge, he had to chew gum as a substitute.

    ¡°How¡¯s Old Man Liu?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Same old. He whines about hurting every day...¡± Mischievous Monkey said in a rxed voice. ¡°Yesterday, he suddenly felt like having stinky tofu and named an old restaurant in the Feiyang District. I couldn¡¯t leave, but I didn¡¯t know how to use a phone well. I had to ask a young nurse for help, and she ordered takeout for me. He only had one bite before stopping though. He said that it didn¡¯t taste the same.¡±

    He spoke at a deliberate pace. ¡°I tried it too, and he was right. It can¡¯t be helped. The original owner has passed away, and it¡¯s the grandson who¡¯s running the business now. While he¡¯s learned the craft, different people still make different tasting food...¡±

    Officer Huang felt the passage of time and the change of the world keenly, and he was hit with a pang of unexinable sorrow.

    ¡°Sir Monkey.¡± Officer Huang hesitated for a moment. ¡°You joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs to figure out your rtionship with Old Man Liu, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Given Old Man Liu¡¯s condition...¡± Officer Huang smiled bitterly. ¡°Do you still consider that important?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Mischievous Monkey lifted his head slightly and thought about it. He didn¡¯t answer the question directly. ¡°Our parents passed away when we were young, and we became orphans when we were in primary school. Back then, my brother got better scores than I did, but he dropped out willingly, working at a small restaurant to support me as I continued school.¡±

    ¡°Although I only finished primary school, being literate could change one¡¯s lifepletely.¡±

    ¡°My brother was a foodie and liked cooking, so he went around selling <i>mtang </i>with a rundown cart. Who would¡¯ve known that he would end up doing that his whole life?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my brother, my only family in this world. Nothing is going to change that.¡± Mischievous Monkey narrowed his eyes slightly, the wrinkles on his face smoothing somewhat. ¡°I want to know about us not to satisfy my curiosity. Once you get to my age, Young Huang, you¡¯ll know that being ignorant can be a bliss.¡±

    ¡°I only seek to find out more about us because I want to be prepared. I want my brother to meet a good death rather than seeing his life end in tragedy. I¡¯m worried that he would turn into a monster before his death and realize he wasn¡¯t human at thest moment of his life, that he had lived his life in vain... I don¡¯t want that to happen. For that, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    Officer Huang paused, asking, ¡°Anything?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey nodded. ¡°Anything.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the wrong thing to do?¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the wrong thing to do,¡± Mischievous Monkey said openly. ¡°However, you¡¯ll have to live with the consequences.¡±

    Officer Huang fell silent. A few secondster, he leaned into the wall and closed his eyes gently, letting out a long breath. When he opened his eyes, his gaze was bright. ¡°I leveled up.¡±

    Mischievous Monkey looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s quick. It¡¯s only been two days.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it happened sooner than I expected.¡±

    Officer Huang took out his phone and was about to call White Rabbit toe get the Element Rune Circuit. The Twelve Zodiac Signs had had Officer Huang carry the Rune Circuit with him after learning that he¡¯dprehended Light. And just then, his Light reached level 4.

    The moment he found White Rabbit¡¯s contact, though, he realized with a scowl that his hands couldn¡¯t move.

    So did Mischievous Monkey. When he realized it, a strange cold energy had already bound his body from head to toes like a cool, slimy boa constrictor.

    Both of them had Element-type Talents, and they realized at the same time:

    It was Phantom!

    Indeed, a thin, rope-like shadow had approached them quietly from the floor and climbed up the bench, blending into their shadows and restraining them with them none the wiser.

    As expected of the king of assassination among the Element-type Talents. Neither of them had detected anything.

    While they hadn¡¯t lost their ability to resistpletely, they didn¡¯t make a reckless move. For one, the phantom keeping them bound hadn¡¯t moved to strangle them, but had instead been content with keeping them immobile. For another, the user of the Talent hadn¡¯t shown themself, and thus they didn¡¯t have a clear target to attack.

    Soon, Officer Huang realized another two things: first, the surveince cameras in the corner had been damaged at some point, and second, the shadow on his chest was inching slowly.

    It had turned into a ck tentacle and found the Element Rune Circuit in the inner pocket of his jacket, and it was dragging the Rune Circuit, intending on taking it.

    Without further hesitation, Officer Huang parted his lips. ¡°Shadowless Light.¡±

    In half a second, ten glowing orbs emerged around Officer Huang and Mischievous Monkey, radiating brilliantly at the same time like ten cameras had taken a picture with the sh on from different angles.

    At that moment, the shadow bounding them vanished¡ªwell, not actually vanished per se, but it had be so faint that it might as well not exist.

    Officer Huang easily broke out of the restraint and grabbed the Element Rune Circuit. Mischievous Monkey stood up too and readied himself for a fight. He didn¡¯t just use his Talent though. This was the hospital after all. It would create too much of a ruckus if he drew on the earth element now.

    ¡°Show yourself.¡± Officer Huang looked ahead. At the corner of the stairway twenty meters from him, a light-element orb hovered. It was the scout he had sent ahead.

    A few secondster, a tall, slim figure emerged from the corner.

    It was a young man with the figure of a model, his head smallpared to the rest of his body. He was dressed in a gray t-shirt and a set of loose, casual ck suits, paired with dirty sneakers and a ck baseball cap.

    With his hands in his pockets, he lifted his palm-sized face slightly. His fair, tight skin had a healthy tan, and he had small bright eyes, a tall nose, and thin lips.

    Half of his face was illuminated by the light orb. He looked like a yboy who was hot but frivolous.

    With a slight curve to his lips, he said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Yellow Ox.¡±

 Chapter 515: Somewhat like Before

    <h4>Chapter 515: Somewhat like Before</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re...¡± Officer Huang¡¯s eyes glinted with recognition. ¡°A member of Goldthread¡¯s team?¡±

    Back when the three organizations fought to survive the Crimson Tide together, the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred River Union¡¯s Team Goldthread had headed to the running track of the Li City University to destroy the altar. They ended up having a difficult fight with Sir Wei. This young man was among the team.

    Officer Huang hadn¡¯tpletely forgotten about him, but it was a surprise that he hadprehended a high-ranking Talent like Phantom.

    ¡°How could you forget my name, Yellow Ox? We had been through a life-and-death situation together.¡± The man smirked. It was difficult to tell if he was joking, or actually felt vexed.

    ¡°You¡¯re Zhong He, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mischievous Monkey remembered. ¡°Your Talent is Keen Hearing.¡±

    Keen Hearing, serial number 111, Buff-type. It granted one extraordinary hearing.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Zhong He was still staring at Officer Huang. ¡°See? Even Sir Monkey has better memory than you.¡±

    Officer Huang¡¯s expression darkened, his tone cold. ¡°What you did was dangerous. I could¡¯ve killed you for breaking the protocol on Rune Circuits as agreed by the three major organizations.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding,¡± Zhong He said carelessly. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to retaliate against those who looked down on me after rising in power.¡±

    <i>But you are. Look at your face.</i>

    Officer Huang patiently spected about his intention. ¡°You¡¯re here to borrow the Element Rune Circuit for leveling up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve gone through the necessary process with White Rabbit from your organization. She told me that you had the Rune Circuit, and that I should get the Rune Circuit from you.¡±

    ¡°She told you to get the Rune Circuit from me, not make a grab for it.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstood again, Yellow Ox.¡± Zhong He came up to Officer Huang with his hands in his pockets. ¡°I just heard. You reached level 4 didn¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t it then be my turn? ording to the rules, I had to demonstrate my Talent so that you¡¯d know I didn¡¯t lie. I was just following SOP.¡±

    Officer Huang stared at Zhong He. The man was a real piece of work. He said coldly, ¡°A moment.¡±

    Officer Huang called White Rabbit. It took a few rings for her to pick up. It seemed from her drowsy voice that she wasn¡¯tpletely awake. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Zhong He from the Hundred Rivers Union came to me to borrow the Element Rune Circuit. Is that a thing?¡±

    ¡°He went to you already? I was gonna tell you tomorrow.¡± There was a rustle on the other end of the call. She seemed to have rolled on the bed.

    ¡°To borrow a Rune Circuit to level up, shouldn¡¯t he go to our base to do it under monitoring?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we¡¯re all busy right now. There aren¡¯t more than a couple people at the base. We can¡¯t have Cute Little Lamb monitor him, can we?¡±

    Officer Huang was silent for a moment. Then after a bemused pause, he asked, ¡°So we just hand the Rune Circuit to him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, do it.¡±

    ¡°But.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Uncle Tiger said that if the guy fails to return the Rune Circuit in three days, he¡¯s gonna go fetch the Rune Circuit himself and take some added interest. An arm, for example.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Officer Huang hung up and took out the Element Rune Circuit, throwing Zhong He a look. ¡°Catch.¡±

    He threw the Rune Circuit.

    Zhong He didn¡¯t lift his arm. A shadow appeared over his chest at some point and morphed into a hand quickly, catching the Rune Circuit and tucking it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zhong He sat down next to Officer Huang, crossing his legs and scrolling on his phone.

    Officer Huang was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re staying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a mission.¡±

    ¡°What mission?¡± Officer Huang noticed after the words left his mouth that there was a red crystal ne on Zhong He¡¯s neck. He put two and two together quickly. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union sent you to monitor Su Xi?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put it like that. I¡¯m sent here as a bodyguard.¡± Zhong He didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Your wife is special, and Tails have been eyeing her. We should naturally keep a close eye on her.¡±

    Officer Huang ground his teeth. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Sir Monkey and I are more than enough.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no use for you to tell me that, Officer Huang. If you¡¯ve got anything to say, go to my boss.¡±

    Then he seemed to have remembered something, and he looked up at Officer Huang. ¡°Oh, right. The Qilin Guild is sending someone to protect Su Xi, too. Do you y mahjong? The four of us can fill a table.¡±

    Officer Huang didn¡¯t say anything. A cold look shed through his eyes. He took a deep breath to keep his emotions under control before he sat down.

    A few secondster, havinge to terms with the circumstances, he asked coldly, ¡°Your cover story.¡±

    Zhong He responded without flinching, ¡°I¡¯m a model. Once, I sought out sexual service and happened to be there when you cracked down the establishment. I ended up locked up for two days, and that''s how we knew each other. This time, I had an affair with a married woman and ended up caught by her husband. The man broke my leg, so I had to stay in the hospital.¡±

    Zhong He lifted his suit pants. His left leg was wrapped in bandages.

    ¡°That¡¯s not believable at all.¡± Officer Huang scoffed. ¡°A broken leg should be put in a cast, no? Why don¡¯t I offer you some help? I¡¯ll break your leg for free.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks.¡± Zhong He¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go for a different health problem?¡±

    ¡°How about this? You¡¯ve slept around too much in a short time and taken pills without thoughts. As a result, you became impotent. You just had surgery today for that, and you have to stay a week at the hospital for observation.¡±

    Rather than getting riled up, Zhong He epted the cover story easily. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go with that.¡±

    ...

    After the meeting at Amon¡¯s ce, Gao Yang snuck back to his dorm room and slept for three hours, waking up at around seven.

    Something didn¡¯t feel right, and he immediately realized that the room was too quiet today.

    Usually, Mi Shi would¡¯ve woken up and washed up, but he was still sleeping on his bed, and he was sleeping quite soundly. It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to wake up.

    Thinking that Mi Shi might be feeling unwell, Gao Yang didn¡¯t wake him up. After getting out of bed and washing up, he headed straight to the cafeteria to have breakfast. Then he went to ss.

    Neither Mi Shi, Qiu Qiu, or Lin Dajian showed up that morning, which put Gao Yang in quite a pickle. He wished he could create a double to answer the roll call for them.

    At noon, when Gao Yang returned to the dorm room, Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian were nowhere to be seen, while Mi Shi wasbing his hair in front of a mirror. Unlike his usual self, he had put on some new clothes¡ªa ck and white striped sweater, light blue straight leg jeans, and a pair of white sneakers.

    ¡°Hey, you got new clothes,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mi Shi hurriedly put down theb in his hand and smiled shyly.

    ¡°It''s well-fitted,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°And it suits you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I just grabbed them without thinking much.¡± Mi Shi was even more embarrassed, and he bashfully tugged at his sweater.

    ¡°Are you feeling unwell today?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Mi Shi paused. ¡°Not really.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°But you slept in.¡±

    In Gao Yang¡¯s memory, Mi Shi never slept in. He didn¡¯t need to set an rm, and it didn¡¯t matter howte he went to bed. He always woke up at around seven in the morning.

    Mi Shi had said himself that he had always maintained a regr schedule since his youth. Outside of a few sick days, he had never woken upte.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what happened today. I didn¡¯t wake up until after ten.¡± Mi Shi sounded surprised with himself. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I slept in.¡±

    ¡°How did it feel?¡±

    ¡°Quite good, haha. I feel refreshed.¡± Then Mi Shi added, ¡°Ah, Gao Yang. You know Ms. Su is going to give birth soon, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 516: Freedom

    <h4>Chapter 516: Freedom</h4>

    ¡°Who?¡± Gao Yang pretended to not remember for a moment.

    ¡°Ms. Su, who taught the music appreciation ss,¡± Mi Shi reminded him.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Gao Yang put on a look of realization. ¡°She¡¯s giving birth?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Ms. Su told the ss about the day she was expected to deliver before. I heard that she¡¯s at the hospital now.¡± Mi Shi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit her. Do you think I should?¡±

    <i>No, you shouldn¡¯t!</i>

    <i>She¡¯s just the instructor of an elective ss you took. You aren¡¯t that close, are you?</i>

    Gao Yang swallowed hisments and put on a careless expression. ¡°If you wanna go, go.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s a little inappropriate for me to visit on my own, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mi Shi was a little embarrassed. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me, Little Gao? It¡¯ll be more natural for two people to visit.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated a little.

    Mi Shi chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Gao Yang decided to speak honestly. ¡°Ms. Su just teaches our elective ss. We aren¡¯t that close to her, are we?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Mi Shi nodded. ¡°But for some reason, the first time I saw Ms. Su, I took an instant liking to her. It¡¯s as if she¡¯s my mentor in life.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gao Yang hid his increasing wariness.

    ¡°Ever since I was a child, my parents told me that I had to study hard and be sessful. I didn¡¯t dare to rx for even a second, and outside of eating and sleeping, I was always studying. Finally, I got into a good college as I wished...¡±

    Mi Shi smiled bitterly. ¡°I continued to study hard after entering college. I had to find a good job and earn enough to buy a property in the city. Then I¡¯d find a wife and have a kid. Only then would I be sessful.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed quiet.

    ¡°However...¡± Mi Shi¡¯s gaze seemed a little lost. ¡°Lately, I started to feel like that wasn¡¯t what I wanted, but what my parents and those around me wanted me to strive for. What is it that I want? I don¡¯t know...but not that. It¡¯s disheartening when I realize that my life seems prenned.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°Yeah, that would be disheartening.¡±

    ¡°Meeting Ms. Su and attending her ss, though, I feel like I¡¯ve found an answer.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gao Yang was tense again.

    ¡°Every time I went to her ss and listened to her y the piano, I was happy, I felt satisfied from the bottom of my heart, like I¡¯ve found my purpose in life.¡±

    ¡°I realized suddenly that I don¡¯t have to work every moment every day, that I don¡¯t have to keep leaping forward like a clockwork frog. I don¡¯t have to live my life as nned.¡±

    Mi Shi got increasingly excited, his eyes glinting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to wake up at seven every day. I can sleep in like you do. I don¡¯t have to be frugal on my living expenses in order to buy study materials; I can afford to buy new clothes for myself. I can spend a day not doing anything and simply wasting time. I can do whatever I want to do. I don¡¯t have to live ording to the rules I set myself...¡±

    Gao Yang encouraged, ¡°That¡¯s good. You should enjoy your life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about enjoying my life. It¡¯s about how I see my life. I can¡¯t put it into words. It¡¯s just that every time I listen to Ms. Su y piano, I¡¯m reaffirmed that life...can be lived more freely.¡±

    Realizing that he had gotten too worked up, Mi Shi smiled bashfully. ¡°Haha, sorry for all the nonsense.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°No, you make a lot of sense.¡±

    Mi Shi had been acting strangely today. Gao Yang would like to use Lie Detection on him, but unfortunately, he had used the Talent on Wang Shu earlier, and it was still in cooldown.

    ¡°When are you going to visit Ms. Su, Old Shi?¡±

    ¡°This afternoon.¡± Mi Shi pumped himself up with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hesitate. I¡¯m going to do what I want to do.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go with...¡±

    Just to be safe, Gao Yang decided to go with Mi Shi. Before he could finish, though, his phone rang. It was a call from Vermilion Bird.

    Gao Yang turned away from Mi Shi and took the call.

    ¡°Can you talk?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo woke up.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He turned back to Mi Shi. ¡°I¡¯ve got a family emergency, Old Shi. I have to go home today. Why don¡¯t we visit Ms. Su tomorrow? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Mi Shi looked at his reflection in the mirror, seemingly in a good mood.

    ...

    Leaving the Li City University, Gao Yang took a ride to the ck Tortoise Branch in the Walled City of Ten Dragons in the Feiyang District.

    When he walked into the lobby, he didn¡¯t see the familiar receptionists in ck and white <i>qipao</i>, and the other staff members were gone, too, leaving the building empty and quiet.

    Since ck Tortoise¡¯s death, the wanderers under control had been set free without the influence of Puppeteer. At first, it did undermine the operation of the Qilin Guild. Awakeners had gotten used to having wanderers providing the basic services, and they were momentarily lost when they had to do everything themselves.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to get used to it though.

    Gao Yang headed to one of the monitoring rooms on the second floor. Outside the door, Vermilion Bird, dressed in a long white coat, stood leaning against a wall with a hand in her pocket and the other hand holding a cigarette.

    Hearing his approaching footsteps, she looked sideways at him, shaking some ash off her cigarette. ¡°Here you are.¡±

    ¡°Got anything out of her?¡±

    Vermilion Bird shrugged. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand. Even if Ke Yo didn¡¯t want to open up to them, Qilin should be able to easily interrogate her with Eidos, and Ke Yo would cave.

    Vermilion Bird could tell what he was thinking. Instead of giving him a straight answer, she said, ¡°You can talk to her.¡±

    Pushing aside his confusion, Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Does she know about Edmond?¡±

    Vermilion Bird shook her head.

    Gao Yang opened the door and entered.

    In the white, enclosed room, Ke Yo sat on a white bed, dressed in a simpleyer of light blue patient garb. Her head hung low, and her hands and feet were put in ck Gold shackles with special enchantment, keeping her Talent sealed.

    She didn¡¯t react at all when the door opened, as if she was a mannequin without life. On her pale face, her eyes seemed nk, or lost.

    ¡°Ke Yo.¡± Gao Yang went up to the bed and pulled a foldable chair, sitting down. ¡°We meet again.¡±

    Ke Yo quietly looked up at him, looking numb.

    Gao Yang lied, ¡°If you don¡¯t want Edmond to die, you better answer my question.¡±

    Ke Yo didn¡¯t react in any way, like she didn¡¯t care whether Edmond lived or died.

    Gao Yang knew a thing or two about reading microexpressions, and his instinct told him that she wasn¡¯t acting.

    A few secondster, Ke Yo opened her mouth, speaking in a soft, hoarse voice. ¡°Who¡¯s Edmond?¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. He quickly came to a realization.

    Ke Yo had lost her memory.

 Chapter 517: Perhaps

    <h4>Chapter 517: Perhaps</h4>

    Ten minutester, Gao Yang walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind him, having learned nothing.

    Vermilion Bird seemed troubled too. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s actually lost her memory, or is she pretending?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s acting,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°What about your Lie Detection? I didn¡¯t call you here to hear about your gut feeling.¡±

    ¡°I used ittest night. It¡¯s still in cooldown.¡±

    Vermilion Bird sighed, raising the long, slim fingers holding a cigarette to rub at her temple. ¡°If all things fail, we¡¯ll have to kill her and question her body.¡±

    ¡°Will that work?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never questioned a body that has lost their memory. Perhaps I¡¯ll get nothing. Moreover, Edmond seems to have kept her well-protected. He might not have let her know too much about the Godbearer Cult. I won¡¯t kill her unless absolutely necessary.¡±

    ¡°We agree on that.¡±

    Gao Yang suppressed a relieved sigh. He didn¡¯t want to kill Ke Yo. He had promised Edmond that he wouldn¡¯t hurt her. It was an empty promise made under time pressure, yes, and someone as rational as Edmond would¡¯ve known that.

    However, Edmond didn¡¯t have a choice. In order to protect Ke Yo, he had to try even when there was a one in ten thousand chance. He was betting that there was an innocent kindness left at the bottom of Gao Yang¡¯s heart, however little.

    That humanity was a brilliant miracle, as well as the most dangerous weakness.

    ¡°Let me use Lie Detection on herter,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°And let¡¯s keep an eye on her. Perhaps she will regain her memoryter.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    ...

    VIP ward, Shanqing Hospital, six o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The night wind lifted the white gauze curtain, allowing a stream of light from the setting sun to pour in like golden waves, casting the room in ayer of soft red.

    Dressed infortable pajamas, Su Xi sat on the bed, half lying down. Her ck hair ran down her shoulders like soft silk. Her makeup-free face was clear and fair, beautiful in an elegant way. She rested her hands on her protruding belly, gently caressing it.

    ¡°Sweetheart.¡± With no other people in the room, Su Xi spoke in an endearing tone.

    Officer Huang was peeling an apple by the bed. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I think I felt our baby move.¡± Su Xi¡¯s eyes were expectant.

    Officer Huang chuckled. ¡°It seems that the child is getting impatient and wants to greet us.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s going to be a boy or a girl?¡± Su Xi asked softly. It was something they had talked about countless times.

    ¡°A girl,¡± Officer Huang said with certainty.

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Su Xi¡¯s eyes curved with a smile.

    ¡°I have evidence, of course.¡± Officer Huang didn¡¯t immediately continue. Cutting the apple into small pieces and putting them into the bowl on the nightstand, he picked up a small piece with a toothpick and fed it to Su Xi.

    Su Xi opened her mouth to eat the piece of apple.

    Watching her, Officer Huang said, ¡°The proof is that you¡¯ve be even more beautiful, darling.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Xi didn¡¯t understand his reasoning.

    ¡°I heard that a mother would be less pretty when pregnant with a boy, and prettier when pregnant with a girl.¡±

    ¡°You can never be serious for one second!¡± Su Xi huffed and reached out to swat him.

    Officer Huang was about to say something when the door opened. He turned around in a natural manner, when inwardly, he was immediately alerted.

    Standing outside the door was a stranger, a petite woman shouldering a brown satchel. She had a youthful face, but her makeup was done in a mature style, the white shirt and suit looking a little ill-fitted on her. Her shorter xen hair was tied into a braid, the bang parted on the side with a hairpin that said, ¡°SL.¡±

    She looked young, like someone fresh out of college and just started working. There was an innocent nervousness to the way she held herself that she couldn¡¯t cover up.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted with disingenuous enthusiasm. ¡°Perhaps you like Issem[1]?¡±

    Officer Huang suppressed an eyeroll. <i>That¡¯s an outed conversation starter even for a middle-aged man like me.</i>

    ¡°I like Onor[2] better,¡± Officer Huang said on purpose.

    The young girl paused, her poker face breaking. She obviously didn¡¯t know the ser yer well, but she had to stick with her act. ¡°Haha, he¡¯s good too. I watched his game recently...¡±

    ¡°What are you selling?¡± Officer Huang interrupted her impatiently. The girl might as well have the words ¡°green salesperson¡± written on her face.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± The young girl could only follow along. Like a freshman receiving military training getting her name called by the trainer, she took a hurried step forward and fished out a name card from her breast pocket, offering it with both hands.

    Officer Huang took it and had a quick nce. Hong Xiaoxiao, a salesperson for some sort of skin care product.

    Hong Xiaoxiao nced at him. When he didn¡¯t immediately shut her off, she gave him the sales pitch she had rehearsed until she could recite it even in her sleep. ¡°Our skin care product contains YCA, extracted with the most advanced technology. It received the level one certificate from the international cosmetics association...¡±

    ¡°It can effectively stop mnin synthesis in the mnocytes and keratinocytes, thus preventing pigmentation and promoting metabolism, facilitating the shedding of keratinocytes. It also helps slow aging, improve skin protection, mitigate es, and stimte blood cirction in hair follicles!¡±

    ¡°Most importantly, it¡¯s 100% safe, even for pregnant women. If you still have doubts, please refer to our website...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it,¡± Officer Huang interrupted.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao gaped. She had been kicked out before she could finish her spiel more than once, but it was her first time selling a product before she even finished.

    What a saint!

    ¡°Oh, right, yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly took out a set of skin care products from her satchel. ¡°How many are you getting, sir?¡±

    ¡°One set. I¡¯ll ask for more if the result is good.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly handed Officer Huang a boxset.

    Officer Huang took it and ced it on the nightstand without another nce, taking out his phone to pay for the product. Then he shot Hong Xiaoxiao a cool look.

    Without missing a beat, Hong Xiaoxiao said, ¡°Do contact me if you like it. I¡¯ll stop bothering you. Have a good day, sir. Goodbye...¡±

    The door closed, and the room quieted again.

    ¡°That¡¯s a waste of money,¡± Su Xiined softly. ¡°I haven¡¯t used up the skin care products at home yet.¡±

    ¡°She must be having a difficult time freshly graduated from college.¡± Officer Huang smiled. ¡°And if I don¡¯t buy it, I¡¯ll have to spend time rejecting her. Even if I had the patience to do that, it¡¯d be bothersome to you and the baby.¡±

    ¡°You really...¡± Su Xi started. ¡°Ah, the baby moved again.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Listen.¡± Su Xi waved at him.

    Officer Huang immediately leaned in to press his ear to Su Xi¡¯s protruding belly. He soon broke into a smile and said softly, ¡°Hey, kiddo. I¡¯m Dad. Be a good kid and stay calm. We¡¯ll see each other soon.¡±

    <i>ck. </i>The door opened then.

    1. A y on the ser star, Messi. ?

    2. A y on Ronaldo. ?

 Chapter 518: Of Course

    <h4>Chapter 518: Of Course</h4>

    Officer Huang quickly lifted his head off Su Xi¡¯s belly, moving so suddenly that he almost pulled a muscle in his side. Pretending that nothing had happened, he held his right fist to his mouth and fake-coughed twice.

    ¡°You must be thirsty. I¡¯ll pour you some water...¡± While speaking, Officer Huang nced to the side to see a young man he didn¡¯t recognize standing at the door. He was dressed in a ck and white striped sweater and a pair of jeans, wearing sses. He looked down-to-earth and shy.

    Officer Huang had thought that it would be Mischievous Monkey or Zhong He. Why were there so many strangers visiting today?

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Ms. Su.¡± Mi Shi was holding a heavy basket of fruit in his hand. It looked expensive.

    Standing at the door, he said awkwardly, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m...I¡¯m Mi Shi, a student of Ms. Su¡¯s. I often attend her music ss...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Lounging on the bed, Su Xi remembered the boy in her ss. She adjusted her posture and said with a smile, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Mi Shi smiled. ¡°I heard you are at the hospital waiting for your delivery, Ms. Su. I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I swung by to visit you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very kind of you.¡± Su Xi was a little touched.

    ¡°Haha, here. Have a seat.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s expression softened a little when he heard that the boy was a student of his wife¡¯s. He took the fruit basket from Mi Shi and found him a chair. Then Officer Huang walked back to the window with his hands on his hip, his rxed stance belying his readiness to make a shot at any time should something happen.

    No matter how quick Mi Shi could move, he believed his level 6 God of Firearms would be quicker.

    ¡°I and the rest of the ss really miss you without your ss, Ms. Su.¡±

    Su Xi chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d like to go back to school as soon as possible. It gets boring staying at the hospital all day.¡±

    Mi Shi said with enthusiasm, ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it, Ms. Su. With the substitute teacher, the ss gets only a third of the usual number of attending students. That shows how popr you are.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Xi couldn¡¯t hide her pleasant surprise.

    ¡°Really.¡± Mi Shi nced at her pronounced belly. ¡°When is the babying out, Ms. Su?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said it should be next week,¡± Officer Huang chimed in.

    Mi Shi smiled at him. ¡°Is it going to be a boy or a girl?¡±

    Su Xi stroked at her belly. ¡°Old Huang and I didn¡¯t ask. We want to give ourselves a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Officer Huang. ¡°Boy or girl, we¡¯ll love them all the same.¡±

    Then Su Xi and Mi Shi talked about school, the conversation light and pleasant. Officer Huang offered a fewments every once in a while, slowly rxing.

    Su Xi had been stuck in the room for days, not moving a whole lot with only Officer Huang and the nurses to talk to¡ªMischievous Monkey and Zhong He mostly stood guard outside. Officer Huang considered it a good thing for her to have a chance to chat with her student.

    The conversation shifted from school to music, and half an hour passed like that. Su Xi was feeling a little tired, while Mi Shi only grew more and more excited like he had no shortage of topics to talk about.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Officer Huang was attentive to his wife¡¯s condition. ¡°Hey, Little Shi.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Mi Shi turned around to look at Officer Huang, still smiling.

    ¡°My wife needs her rest now. Why don¡¯t you continue the chat next time?¡±

    It was obvious that Mi Shi wanted to chat longer, but he felt embarrassed for overstaying his wee. ¡°Yes, yes. I talk too much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good chat.¡± Su Xi smiled. ¡°But I do get tired easily these days. You know, I fainted suddenly a few days ago and didn¡¯t wake up for two days... My husband was terrified. That was why he insisted on bringing me to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Have a good rest, Ms. Su.¡± Mi Shi stood up, his gaze lingering on her. ¡°Once you¡¯ve delivered your child safely, I...and the other schoolmates wille visit you...¡±

    Su Xi nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    Mi Shi took his leave.

    Officer Huang walked him out, gently closing the door behind him. On the bench outside, Mischievous Monkey and Zhong He sat quietly. Mischievous Monkey had his eyes closed, resting, while Zhong He was staring down at his phone. They both looked distracted, when in truth they were on high alert.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you here,¡± said Officer Huang.

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have to walk me out. Goodbye, Officer Huang.¡± Mi Shi turned to leave, but he stopped after taking two steps like he had just remembered something.

    Calmly, Officer Huang moved his hands to the guns holstered by his sides.

    Mi Shi didn¡¯t turn around. Neither did he do anything unusual. He simply stood there, silent.

    ¡°Little Shi?¡± Officer Huang called out softly, taking a step back to maintain a safe distance.

    Rather than answering, Mi Shi, with his shoulders gently shaking, lifted his right hand and wiped his face. Then he did it again.

    Officer Huang realized that he was crying.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice...¡± Mi Shi didn¡¯t turn around. While sobbing, he muttered, ¡°Ms. Su is happy. I...can I be happy like her? Can I be free like her...?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can,¡± Officer Huang said while drawing his guns.

    ¡°Yes, I can, I will. Just like...¡± Mi Shi¡¯s tone grew determined, and he slowly turned around.

    His eyes had melted into two empty holes, from which brown viscous fluid gushed out. It looked like a mix of blood and some green liquid. His face split into pieces like a shattered mirror, the cracks flickering an eerie green light.

    Twisted into a strange smile, his mouth moved to finish the sentence.

    ¡°...Like a human!¡±

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Officer Huang made three shots without hesitation, hitting Mi Shi in the eyebrow, chest, and kneecaps. Green fluid sttered out from the three wounds.

    However, Mi Shi merely shuddered rather than copsing¡ªhe was no regr freeriders, but the freerider prime, meaning he was half as powerful as a pride monster.

    He growled, and a powerful ripple of air currents shot out, throwing Officer Huang off his feet. Just before he could smash through the window at the end of the corridor, the floor curved with a crack, morphing into a sturdy wall to catch Officer Huang. Meanwhile, walls emerged to block off the doors to the other wards and the stairways like a concrete seal.

    At the same time, two snake-like shadows had shot across the floor, quickly seizing Mi Shi¡¯s feet before climbing along his body, restraining and strangling him.

    Mi Shi screamed, unleashing waves after waves of powerful currents, apanied by highly-corrosive green fluid; it was like a downpour of sulfuric acid.

    ¡°Sacred Shield!¡±

    Officer Huang summoned a giant translucent light element shield to cover himself and his two fellow awakeners. <i>Hiss</i>. The corrosive fluid sttered on the light shield like sulfuric acid raining on a ss window, quickly melting it and generating light green poisonous gas, which spread through the corridor in no time.

    The three of them immediately held their breaths. Still, the poisonous gas burned where it came into contact with their skin.

    Officer Huang threw reservations out of the window, consequences be damned.

    There was only a single thought on his mind: kill Mi Shi!

 Chapter 519: And Perhaps

    <h4>Chapter 519: And Perhaps</h4>

    It would take too long for Level 3 Phantom to strangle the monster and for level 5 Earth to crush the monster. Su Xi was in more and more danger every passing second!

    Standing behind the light shield, Officer Huang wielded two guns and tapped into all the energy in his body to quickly load the guns with dense light elements.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Countless tiny light orbs were sucked into the gun barrels in an instant,pressed into a stable, blindingly bright golden orb.

    The light scattered, and the shield crumbled. A powerful light element shockwave shot out of the guns like a radiant high-speed train, hurtling through the tunnel that was the hospital corridor, unstoppable.

    <i>Boom! </i>If anyone were outside, they would see the inpatient building dimmed for a second, as if all the light had been absorbed by a ck hole. Then radiant golden light exploded from the fifth floor of the building, the light beam shot through the wall on the side like aser and hit the distant mountain a few kilometers away, triggering a burst of surging fire. It looked like the aftermath of a missile bombardment.

    Back in the inpatient building, the fifth floor corridor had been charred by the light element shot. It was fortunate that no innocent victims had been imed thanks to Mischievous Monkey sealing all doors, elevators, and stairways of the floor with earth elements, as well as Officer Huang limiting the diameter of the lightbeam.

    Panting, Officer Huang looked at Mi Shi, who was ten meters from him. His pupils contracted.

    In his mind, Mi Shi should¡¯ve beenpletely melted by the light element attacks, but no. While Mi Shi¡¯s head and half of his chest had been melted, making him look like a half-burned wax figure, most of the body remained intact thanks to Phantom, which was supposed to restrain him, but ended up blocking most of the attack like hard armor.

    That was something no one had anticipated.

    Having been seriously injured, Mi Shi drew all the power left in his tattered body, opening up a twistedrge maw in his abdomen and concentrating all his green ray to ready a light beam. He was aiming at the room on his left¡ªSu Xi¡¯s room.

    <i>Hiss.</i>

    ¡°No!¡±

    Officer Huang rushed up.

    <i>Boom! </i>A giant beam of green deadly light shot out, breaking Phantom¡¯s restraint and prating the door sealed by earth elements, shooting into the room.

    <i>Bam! </i>Outside the inpatient building, the green light could be seen shooting through the wall, leaving a strange green trail under the crimson setting sun, scattering down across the city as low-concentration sulfuric acid rain.

    It all happened so suddenly that Zhong He, who wascking in battle experience, btedly came to his senses and retracted Phantom. Mi Shi¡¯s body had copsed to the floor bonelessly like a lump of flesh, having exhausted its vitality and energy.

    Officer Huang rushed over to the destroyed door and looked into the room¡ªif it could even be called a room.

    Face pale, he slowly walked in. On the wall was a two-meter wide hole, and that was where Su Xi should have been on her bed. Now, she and the bed were nowhere to be seen, like they had never existed in the first ce.

    Outside the hole was Li City, shrouded in the light of the setting sun to paint a beautiful picture. The crimson sunlight shone on Officer Huang¡¯s deathly pale face. The despair in his eyes froze over before his gaze zed with tremendous fury.

    Mischievous Monkey and Zhong He had reached the room too then.

    ¡°I...¡±

    Before Zhong He could say anything, Officer Huang whirled around and punched Zhong He in the face. Zhong He staggered backward.

    Officer Huang charged at him and pinned him to the wall, pressing his gun to the man¡¯s chin.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>Zhong He immediately armored himself from head to toe with a ck, bullet-proof vest with Phantom. Level 3 Phantom might not be able to stop bullets shot with level 6 God of Firearms, though, especially when imbued with level 4 Light.

    ¡°Stop it, Yellow Ox!¡± Mischievous Monkey shouted.

    ¡°Why did you have to intervene?!¡± Officer Huang growled. ¡°If not for you, I would¡¯ve killed it! My wife and kid wouldn¡¯t have died!¡±

    Zhong He retorted, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t restrained the monster, you wouldn¡¯t have the time to kill it, would you?¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you retract Phantom at thest moment?!¡± Officer Huang demanded.

    ¡°I forgot, alright! Iprehended the Talent not long ago. I didn¡¯t have the experience...¡±

    ¡°You fucking piece of trash!¡± Officer Huang shuddered with fury. It was all he could do to stop himself from pulling the trigger.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a piece of trash! I couldn¡¯t protect my teammates during the Crimson Tide. I could only watch as they died. Now that I''ve acquired Phantom, I still ended up doing more harm than good!¡±

    Zhong He¡¯s voice was brimming with guilt. He clenched his teeth and pulled all the shadow back into his body.

    ¡°Come on! Shoot me and rid the world of a piece of trash!¡± Zhong He screamed, his eyes red. ¡°Then you canprehend Phantom and save the world! You aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s lost something. I lost all five of my family members. I lost all my close friends. I¡¯ve wanted to die for a long time!¡±

    The fury in Officer Huang¡¯s eyes cooled little by little, reced by thick guilt and pain. A few secondster, he dropped the gun and staggered back, scanning the mess the room was in with sagging shoulders.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± He scoffed.

    He quickly lifted his gun to his temple.

    Mischievous Monkey started. ¡°Don¡¯t...¡±

    <i>Bang!</i>

    A bullet shot through Officer Huang¡¯s temple, the blood sttering on Mischievous Monkey¡¯s old face.

    Officer Huang copsed without making a sound.

    Time seemed toe to a halt then. Zhong He was still standing against the wall, and he stared at the dead man at his feet, stunned. He couldn¡¯t reconcile with what had just happened.

    Mischievous Monkey froze, too. Things had gonepletely out of hand.

    It had been alright only a minute ago. How did they get to this point? Where did things go wrong?

    It took ten seconds for Mischievous Monkey toe back to his senses. He wiped the blood off his face with a wrinkly hand, turning to Zhong He. ¡°Call the Union. Have someone clean up the mess.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay...¡± Zhong He took out his phone.

    Mischievous Monkey walked out. ¡°I¡¯ll have a look outside.¡±

    If there was an elite monster in the building, especially if there was a summoner, he had to take it out as soon as possible, or things would get even more troublesome.

    Just when he was going to step through the door, a thin, short woman appeared.

    Mischievous Monkey paused. He had sealed all the doors and entryways leading to this floor. How did she get here?

    ¡°Perhaps, do you like Onor?¡±

    Dressed in an ill-fitted work suit, Hong Xiaoxiao clutched at the strap of her satchel, smiling a little awkwardly.

 Chapter 520: Star Salesperson

    <h4>Chapter 520: Star Salesperson</h4>

    Mischievous Monkey remembered immediately. ¡°You¡¯re...the salesperson?¡±

    ¡°You got it. That¡¯s me.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was still smiling. She leaned forward and craned her neck to take a look into the room. What she saw made her jump. ¡°Whoa! That bad?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey asked darkly. ¡°You¡¯re an awakener?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir Monkey. I¡¯m on your side.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao walked into the room and jumped around on her toes, making it across the debris on the floor. She turned to Zhong He, her gaze nervous. ¡°Please leave the room for a moment, Cutie. Let me help them first before I exin everything.¡±

    Zhong He hesitated. He didn¡¯t really trust the woman, but things couldn¡¯t get worse than they were now. He quickly left the room.

    Hong Xiaoxiao walked up to therge hole in the wall. The bed was gone, but half of the nightstand remained. With its other half corroded by green deadly rays, the nightstand toppled to the ground, and the box of skin care products Hong Xiaoxiao had sold Officer Huang rolled to the corner.

    ¡°It¡¯s a silver lining.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao sighed in relief. ¡°If this were gone too, there would be nothing I could do.¡±

    She knelt down and ced her hands on the box of skin care products. The box disassembled immediately, and the cans and bottles inside scattered, revealing a Mobius strip hidden among them. It was about the size of two ringsbined, and it flew onto Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s palm with a whoosh.

    Putting her two thumbs through the Mobius strip, Hong Xiaoxiao closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

    <i>Hum. </i>The Mobius strip flickered a strange white light, and its texture changed, the strip turning into a flexible white rubber band.

    ¡°Time Reset!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao dered softly, pulling the strip to two sides like she was ying cat¡¯s cradle.

    White energy weaved amid her ten fingers before quickly splitting into countless white strands. The white strands flowed and spread quickly like seaweeds, filling the room in no time and beginning to restore everything.

    It wasn¡¯t rewinding like a video tape, but resetting in its truest sense. Without discriminating between targets, everything and everyone in the room was being reset all at the same time.

    The walls, bed, furniture, curtains, and Su Xi¡¯s body reemerged in the form of white energy first before slowly being revealed. Su Xi returned wholly intact. The same happened to Officer Huang¡¯s body. He was first enveloped by energy, and the blood on the floor quickly disappeared.

    Everything reverted back to normal in thirty seconds.

    Su Xi remained on the bed, sound asleep and entirely intact.

    Officer Huang remained lying on the floor. The bullet hole in his temple was gone; he was now simply unconscious.

    He and Su Xi weren¡¯t resurrected, but reverted back to their states three minutes ago. It was a side effect of Time Reset that they fell unconscious.

    ¡°Whew.¡±

    The Mobius strip in Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s hand vanished entirely. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her bang drenched.

    Mischievous Monkey had left to clean up the mess. Zhong He, on the other hand, had witnessed everything from the outside. He looked at the restored room in disbelief. ¡°How...did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao dusted his pants and stood up, speaking in a friendly yet nervous tone. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hong Xiaoxiao. In the mundane world, I¡¯m an intern salesperson, but I¡¯m actually the vice-captain of Team Vermilion Bird at the Qilin Guild. I only joinedst month, having newly awakened. My Talent is Gamer, serial number 16, Miracle-type.¡±

    After Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s earnest self-introduction, Zhong He reacted in kind. ¡°I¡¯m the vice leader of the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s sixth team, Zhong He. My Talents are Phantom and Keen Hearing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know you.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao blinked with herrge eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the basic dossier on all awakeners, and your ID photos are included.¡±

    She was a bit vain with men and remembered cute guys well, especially the young ones. In her mind, she kept a list of men who caught her eyes: Elder Seven Shadow from Qilin Guild, Dragon and Heavenly Dog from Twelve Zodiac Signs, and Zhong He, the man before her, from the Hundred Rivers Union. Among them, Zhong He left the deepest impression on her because she had a thing for cute guys with small eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one the Qilin Guild sent here to keep an eye on Su Xi?¡± asked Su Xi.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hong Xiaoxiao admitted easily. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird said that there was no need for morebatants here. I, with my special ability, was sent here as insurance. I didn¡¯t expect to be of use.¡±

    ¡°You can resurrect people?¡± Zhong He stared at Hong Xiaoxiao without blinking, making her feel bashful.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao only awakened not long ago and thus didn¡¯t have her guard up. She had a particrly hard time keeping her mouth shut when dealing with a hot guy. ¡°Gamer¡¯s main ability is saving and loading.¡±

    ¡°I marked the room half an hour ago. Since then, an autosave would have been made every three minutes in this space, which is the limit of level 3 Gamer.¡±

    Zhong He came to a realization. ¡°So you were loading a save, making everything in this room return to its previous state three minutes ago?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao smiled. ¡°I got lucky. If Officer Huang hadn¡¯t killed himself inside the room, or if he hadn¡¯t bought the skin care products from me, I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to mark the room and have a save to restore to.¡±

    Zhong He sweated. That was way too close. It was indeed incredible good luck on Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s part. Could it be beginner¡¯s privilege at y?

    ¡°Still, I won¡¯t be able to use the ability on them for the next three days. I¡¯ll have to rely on you to protect Ms. Su during this time.¡±

    Zhong He nodded and went up to help the unconscious Officer Huang up, cing him on a chair. Then he turned around and held Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s gaze seriously. ¡°I owe you one, Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s my job.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao brushed away the bang covering her eyes. ¡°Oh, would you like to try our skin care products?¡±

    Zhong He paused.

    Hong Xiaoxiao stood on her toes and leaned toward Zhong He. ¡°Although your skin condition is good, it¡¯s a little on the dry side. You¡¯ll get wrinkles as you grow older. It¡¯s necessary to take care of your skin.¡±

    ¡°We happen to sell a hydrating sheet mask that¡¯ll be perfect for you. Combined with other skin care products, it¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy three sets. Once I use them up, I¡¯ll contact you.¡± Zhong He didn¡¯t want to hear the whole spiel. He took out his phone and opened the payment app.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°How much do three sets cost?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right. I¡¯ll take them out. With three sets, you¡¯ll get a twenty percent discount... Let me see. A moment.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao hurriedly rummaged through her satchel.

    She was celebrating in her mind. <i>He bought three sets before I even finished introducing the products! Another saint!</i>

    <i>I¡¯m so lucky...no, luck is part of my strength. I¡¯ll be a star salesperson in no time!</i>

 Chapter 521: Gaze at the Stars

    <h4>Chapter 521: Gaze at the Stars</h4>

    The next day, Gao Yang¡¯s Lie Detection had cooled down at three o¡¯clock in the morning. He immediately went to the special ward to talk to Ke Yo and used the Talent on her. The result was that she didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    She was actually benevolent. Incredible.

    It seemed that Ke Yo had truly lost her memory and forgot everything, even herself, and she wasn¡¯t a bad person by nature.

    Gao Yang walked out and told Vermilion Bird the result. She seemed to have expected it.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Vermilion Bird stood by the window with a cup of milk tea in her hand, half of her face illuminated by the cool moonlight. The scene would¡¯ve looked even more cinematic if she lit a cigarette.

    ¡°Perhaps Liu Qingying could help,¡± Gao Yang suggested.

    Vermilion Bird considered it. The way Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream worked wasn¡¯t a secret, and she had heard about the fact that the Talent¡¯s first invasion into one¡¯s mind always triggered a nightmare.

    ¡°True. Maybe she will get something from the nightmare Ke Yoes up with subconsciously.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded and came to a decision. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll keep her locked up here for the moment and try every option.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let me know when you make any progress.¡±

    His phone rang as soon as he said that. He checked the caller ID. It was Officer Huang. He picked up immediately.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°I have updates, Gao Yang.¡± Officer Huang sounded tired. ¡°I should¡¯ve reported it sooner, but things are a littleplicated, and we¡¯ve been cleaning up the mess until now. Hong Xiaoxiao hasn¡¯t had the time to report to Vermilion Bird, either.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao.

    A new member Team Vermilion Bird had recruited. Her Talent was on the higher-ranking side, and it was of the Miracle-type. Gao Yang remembered her somewhat.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°Did something go wrong on your end?¡±

    ¡°Something did happen, but...we barely got out of it alright.¡± Officer Huangughed bitterly. ¡°If I remember right, the college boy called Mi Shi is your roommate, isn''t he?¡±

    ¡°He is.¡± Gao Yang started, hit with an ominous feeling. ¡°What happened to him?¡±

    ¡°He visited my wife this evening, and...¡± Officer Huang paused. ¡°He woke up. He was a freerider, and a particrly strong one at that.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°We took care of it,¡± Officer Huang spoke apologetically. ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Officer Huang hung up. Gao Yang was still clutching onto his phone and standing where he was, at a loss. He could tell that something was wrong with Officer Huang, but the man didn¡¯t seem eager to talk about it, and Gao Yang was too preupied with the tragedy that befell Mi Shi to go into it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Vermilion Bird came up to him.

    Gao Yang slowly turned around and put away his phone. ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao will brief you.¡±

    Vermilion Bird sighed. She could tell that it must be another downer of an urrence, and she didn¡¯t press. She would be told sooner orter, and she preferred being toldter.

    ¡°Do you still have cigarettes?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Vermilion Bird thought she had heard wrong.

    ¡°Give me one.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s chest felt tight, and he wanted to do something.

    Vermilion Bird took out the pack of cigarettes in her pocket. Just when Gao Yang was going to take it, though, she pulled back with a slight smile.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hand stopped midair. He looked at her in confusion.

    ¡°Trust me, smoking isn¡¯t going to solve anything. It¡¯s only going to give you an unhealthy bad habit.¡± Vermilion Bird took a step forward and patted Gao Yang on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me.¡±

    <i>ck, ck. </i>Vermilion Bird left, her red stilettos cking on the floor.

    ...

    At noon, Gao Yang returned to his dorm room.

    Lin Dajian and Qiu Qiu had pulled an all-nighter ying games and only woke up then. The burly Lin Dajian was rinsing his mouth, wearing a tanktop, a pair of shorts, and flip flops. Meanwhile, Qiu Qiu was stillzing on the bed, his thighs holding onto the nket as he browsed Tok Tik for videos of pretty girls dancing.

    ¡°You went home for the night again yesterday?¡± Lin Dajian asked unclearly as he brushed his teeth.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang put on a forced smile.

    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s good to be near home.¡± Lin Dajian spat toothpaste foam into the sink. ¡°Where¡¯s Old Shi? I didn¡¯t see himst night.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gao Yang lied. ¡°I didn¡¯t see him either.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, Old Shi is a sneaky one. Perhaps he¡¯s got a girlfriend without us knowing.¡± Qiu Qiu, sleeping on his bunk bed, rolled to his side. ¡°Maybe he went to a hotel with a girl. I have to get the answer out of him once he¡¯s back.¡±

    ¡°Haha, yeah.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    <i>No,</i> <i>you won¡¯t be able to.</i>

    <i>Mi Shi is a mutated freerider more powerful than the regr ones, and he woke up, ended up killed and erased from the world by awakeners.</i>

    <i>Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at thetest, police wille knocking, telling us that Mi Shi have gone missing. He can¡¯t be found anywhere, and he¡¯s unreachable on his phone.</i>

    <i>We¡¯ll worry over him and ask around, and we¡¯ll have the hardest time for the next week. In half a month, however, we¡¯lle to ept the fact that Mi Shi is gone.</i>

    <i>The next few months, he¡¯ll be the one thing we talk about the most often. We¡¯ll think of him and ask ourselves, Where did Mi Shi go exactly?</i>

    <i>The pessimists among us will think that he¡¯s dead, either killed by someone or himself, but they won¡¯t say it out loud.</i>

    <i>The optimists will think that just like the protagonist of Stars and Six Coins</i>[1]<i>, he¡¯s gotten tired of his current life and lost his way after twenty years of frugal, extremely disciplined life with nothing but studying, and thus he left to live under a different identity, starting a second life that¡¯s crazy, degenerate, or epic.</i>

    <i>Then it will pass, and we¡¯ll forget about Mi Shi.</i>

    About ten minutester, Lin Dajian and Qiu Qiu went to have lunch. Gao Yang stayed, telling them that he had eaten.

    <i>Bam.</i> The door closed, leaving only silence in the room.

    The sun was too high up at noon for the light to shine into the window, and the room was a little dark. Gao Yang looked up to nce at the desk under Mi Shi¡¯s bed. On the desk were arge pile of textbooks and reference books, a cheapptop that was closed, a small chargeable deskmp forte night study, a lidded ss water bottle, and a box of cooling essential oil.

    When he studiedte at night, Mi Shi would put some under his nose whenever he was getting drowsy, waking himself up.

    The smell was strong and permeated the air. Qiu Qiu had roasted him many times about it and urged him to drink coffee instead.

    Every time, Mi Shi gave him an apologetic smile, but didn¡¯t change his way. Because the essential oil was cheaper.

    Gao Yang rose to walk up to Mi Shi¡¯s desk and sat down. On the wall before the desk were various post-it notes and tables, including his ss schedule, calendar, weekly study n, monthly study n, semester n, and words to encourage himself with.

    ¡°Why sleep in when we¡¯ll fall into an eternal slumber after death?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t work hard only when you see hope. You¡¯ll only see hope if you work hard.¡±

    ¡°Even a bug in a ditch should look up at the starry sky.¡±

    Gao Yang read every note and felt the weight on his chest grow heavier and heavier. He took a deep breath, telling himself to stop wallowing.

    The boy who woke up early every morning, cleaning the room and sorting out the shoes his roommates had left in a messy heap, who remembered his roommates¡¯ preferences and didn¡¯t need a reminder when bringing them food, who tutored his roommates for free and patiently exined a problem to them dozen of times, who ordered less when his roommates were buying and urged his roommates to order more when he was buying despite being tight on money, who avoided eye contact due to lower self-esteem, yet his kind and gentle nature were in in sight when one cared to look at his eyes...

    He no longer wanted to be a bug at others¡¯ mercy. He was now gazing up at the stars.

    <i>Don¡¯t mourn him, Gao Yang. Wish him good luck.</i>

    1. Tranted literally from the raw, ÐÇÐÇÓëÁùÍ­°å, but I can¡¯t seem to identify what it¡¯s a reference to. ?

 Chapter 522: Pay by Days

    <h4>Chapter 522: Pay by Days</h4>

    The second day after Mi Shi¡¯s disappearance, the police came to the dorm to investigate, as Gao Yang had expected. Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian were at first shocked. Then they were anxious, looking everywhere for their friend to no avail.

    Gao Yang yed the role of a worried friend during the day and worked as a member of Team Heavenbreaker during the night. Time passed quickly like that, and Tuesday came.

    Four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling showed up at Happy Zhou Gold Jewelry in Shanqing District, dressed in matching ck and white jumpers. Standing at the street outside the gold jewelry shop, they looked so serious that it was as if they were walking onto the battlefield.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Little Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang took a deep breath. Then he remembered something. ¡°Wait.¡±

    Little Qing Ling side-eyed him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well, can I pay for the renting service another way?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because...it¡¯s a little expensive.¡± Gao Yang admitted the truth with a wry smile.

    He had thought the pay wasn¡¯t much, but he didn¡¯t expect how frequently Little Qing Ling would act cute, hold his hands, and hug him. When he got the bill Qing Ling sent him, his jaw almost dropped in his shock. It had cost him his monthly sry!

    It wasn¡¯t that he was stingy. He had willingly given Qing Ling 200 <i>jinwu </i>under the pretense of sry after all. He wouldn¡¯t get paid the next month until quite a whileter, though, and he was running low on savings.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you 20 <i>jinwu </i>per day, and I¡¯ll buy you all the meals you want whenever we have time.¡±

    Little Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m good with that. I¡¯ll ask my sister.¡±

    She closed her eyes for half a minute before opening them. ¡°She said okay. We¡¯ll ask for half a day¡¯s pay for today¡¯s work, so that¡¯s 10 <i>jinwu</i>. I have a condition though. I¡¯ll initiate contact from now on. You only have to y along.¡±

    Gao Yang got what she meant. She would improvise and initiate contact as she deemed necessary. He just had to follow his lead.

    <i>She must be worried that I¡¯ll take advantage of her now that I¡¯m paying by day rather than number of contacts.</i>

    <i>Ha, what kind of person do you think I am?</i>

    ¡°Deal,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Little Qing Ling brushed her hair back with both hands before holding onto Gao Yang¡¯s elbow in an intimate manner, pulling him toward the shop.

    ¡°Wee.¡± The young salesperson at the entrance opened the ss door for them, giving them a friendly smile.

    Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling spotted Lin Yue at first nce.

    ¡°Mom!¡± Gao Yang called out.

    Little Qing Ling waved with a sweet smile. ¡°Auntie.¡±

    Lin Yue was dressed in the shop¡¯s uniform¡ªa red fitted dress suit and a pair of ck stilettos. She had a ck silk scarf around her neck, her hair put up in an elegant hairdo, her makeup light and graceful.

    Standing at the counter, she was introducing a golden bracelet to a middle-aged woman who dressed expensively. When she heard Gao Yang¡¯s voice, she looked up at the entrance, pleasantly surprised.

    With an apologetic smile, Lin Yue entrusted her young colleague with the client and moved up to the door with small steps. Smiling, she asked, ¡°Yang Yang, Qing Ling, why are you here?¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°We don¡¯t have ss this afternoon, and we happened toe to the neighborhood when we were shopping, so we swung by.¡±

    ¡°Sister Lin, is this handsome boy your son?¡± The short-haired salesperson in her thirties looked at Gao Yang.

    Lin Yue nodded with a smile. ¡°This is Sister Li, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sister Li,¡± Gao Yang greeted her with Little Qing Ling.

    ¡°This is Little Ling, Yang Yang¡¯s girlfriend,¡± Lin Yue introduced. ¡°They were ssmates.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a match made in heaven!¡± Sister Li spoke a few more friendly pleasantries before going back to work.

    ¡°Mom, I wanted to buy a ring for Little Ling as a birthday gift,¡± Gao Yang exined why he was here.

    ¡°Ring?¡± Lin Yue was a little surprised. Gold rings were expensive. Where would her son get that kind of money?

    Gao Yang could read her thoughts, and he exined, ¡°I¡¯m getting a silver ring. Do you sell them here?¡±

    ¡°Silver rings? Yeah, but there aren¡¯t many designs.¡± Lin Yue smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll show you. Family of employees also get a discount.¡±

    Lin Yue took Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling to a ss disy in the corner, where a few silver essories were. Little Qing Ling leaned in to look over the essories closely through the ss. Lin Yue considerately made a few rmendations and took some out for Little Qing Ling to try on.

    ¡°How is this one?¡± Little Qing Ling put on a simple silver band, twirling her fingers before Gao Yang.

    ¡°Looks good.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put this on too, Auntie? I¡¯m curious how it looks on others.¡± Little Qing Ling took off the silver band naturally.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Lin Yue took the ring and put it on her ring finger.

    ¡°It looks good,¡± said Little Qing Ling. ¡°You¡¯ve got such beautiful hands, Auntie. You can be a hand model.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you still speak so sweetly.¡± Lin Yue took off the silver ring with augh.

    Later on, Little Qing Ling spent more time looking over the rings, asking Lin Yue to put many of them on. In the end, Little Qing Ling settled on a ssic design, and Gao Yang paid for it.

    They said goodbyes to Lin Yue and exited the shop, going left before turning another left at the crossroad. Little Qing Ling let go of Gao Yang¡¯s elbow.

    Gao Shou had been waiting for a while. He hurried up to them. ¡°How is it? Does it go well?¡±

    ¡°Pretty well.¡± Gao Yang smiled and nced at Little Qing Ling. ¡°We have Mom¡¯s size, but you¡¯ll have to ask Little Qing Ling about the style. I don¡¯t really get it.¡±

    ¡°There are two designs Auntie quite likes. I took pictures. I¡¯ll send them to youter, Uncle.¡± Little Qing Ling smiled. ¡°When you¡¯re looking for the diamond ring, reference the two designs.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Gao Shou smiled, his eyes crinkling. ¡°I knew I could depend on you!¡±

    Then he asked after a pause, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling exchanged a nce before nodding. They hadn¡¯t had a proper lunch, and they were feeling hungry.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll buy you two hamburgers.¡±

    The three of them walked into a hamburger ce and picked a seat near the window. Gao Yang¡¯s father ordered a family set.

    ¡°Eat as much as you want. I¡¯ll order more if it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    Gao Shou ced the basket full of food on the table, obviously in a good mood. ¡°You¡¯ve done well today. Now the prep work is done. We only have to wait for the right time! I¡¯ll also need your help then.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Little Qing Ling nodded. It seemed like she quite looked forward to that.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t told Gao Shou about him and Little Qing Ling being a fake couple since he believed it was better to have one less loose end. Thus, Little Qing Ling maintained her act as his loving girlfriend.

    ¡°Hm? Why is there one straw short?¡± Gao Shou went to the counter to grab a straw.

    Little Qing Ling dropped her sweet smile immediately and focused on eating, not sparing Gao Yang even a nce.

    She opened the small red box and picked up a french fry, ncing at Gao Yang. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±

    Gao Yang tore open a pack of ketchup. Little Qing Ling dipped her fry into it and took a small bite. Then she picked up a cup of iced c and nced at Gao Yang. Gao Yang opened the pack of a straw immediately and put the straw into her cup of c.

    Satisfied, Little Qing Ling took a sip. Then Gao Shou returned.

    Gao Yang huffed inwardly. Revenge should be served hot, in less than ten seconds!

    ¡°Little Ling, I¡¯d like some roasted wings.¡±

    Little Qing Ling smiled brightly and quickly picked up a roasted wing, holding it to Gao Yang¡¯s mouth. ¡°Here, have some.¡±

    Gao Yang took a bite and nced at the c in her hand. ¡°I¡¯m a little thirsty.¡±

    Little Qing Ling quickly held the c to him. ¡°Here, have this.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep sip, feeling refreshed and delighted.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so close.¡± Gao Shou was pleased.

    ¡°Not really.¡± Little Qing Ling was still smiling, but she stomped on Gao Yang¡¯s foot under the table. ¡°We also fight sometimes.¡±

 Chapter 523: How I Met Your Mother

    <h4>Chapter 523: How I Met Your Mother</h4>

    Gao Yang winced and almost cried out in pain. He hurriedly grabbed a napkin to muffle his mouth under the guise of wiping it.

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s only natural,¡± Gao Shou said. ¡°Rtionships take work to maintain, and arguments are part of it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really n to propose to Mom on your anniversary, Dad?¡± Gao Yang changed the subject.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Gao Shou meant what he said.

    ¡°Why now, so suddenly?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not sudden at all. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for years.¡±

    Gao Shou spoke like it was obvious. Then he sighed with guilt. ¡°Back in our time, proposals simply weren¡¯t a thing, and we got married in a hustle. Then we had you and Xinxin. With all my time put into earning money to support the family, we got here without realizing how long it¡¯s been.¡±

    ¡°You know your mother. Even if she wants something, she¡¯ll never say it.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always been one for doing things the proper way, and I owe her the proposal. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been regretting.¡±

    Gao Shou took a sip of his drink and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever told you how I got together with your mom, Son.¡±

    ¡°You did,¡± Gao Yang teased. ¡°You went after her quickly and decisively, and you snatched Mom before others could.¡±

    Gao Shou almost sputtered out the c in his mouth. ¡°<i>Ack, ack</i>. You brat! I was boasting, and you took it seriously?¡±

    Little Qing Ling¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Tell me, Uncle. I want to know.¡±

    ¡°Haha, sure.¡± Gao Shou put down the c and rubbed his nose proudly. ¡°The story of Lin Yue and I is something straight out of a romance movie¡ªno, not even the movie would have such a story...¡±

    Gao Shou lived in the rural area. He was introduced by a friend of his father¡ªGao Yang¡¯s grandfather¡ªand started working at a local textile mill after graduating from middle school.

    Although Gao Shou¡¯s mother wanted him to go to high school, Gao Shou didn¡¯t like studying despite having a bright mind. Moreover, it was a dream job to work at a textile mill at the time due to the stable ie. Gao Shou¡¯s older brother had started working at the same textile mill as soon as he graduated too.

    At the textile mill, workers worked three shifts, but Gao Shou had entered the mill through nepotism, and his older brother was there too. Thus, Gao Shou was excluded from the night shift, allowing him to work from eight to five, going between the factory, canteen, and dorm. His life was so regr that it was boring.

    Every evening, after having dinner at the canteen, Gao Shou would go to a little shop run by an olddy outside the factory with a few other workers. The group of young men would buy a bottle of soda each and share snacks such as peanuts and seeds, sitting on the curb outside the shop and looking at the pretty girls walking around.

    Across from the shop was the only high school in the town. Gao Shou and his colleagues would wait for the high school students to get off school, watching the girls.

    They paid particr attention to the pretty ones and gave them nicknames and scores among themselves.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you nothing but louts then?¡± Gao Yang had a disgusted look on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re a lout. Your whole family are...¡± Gao Shou stopped himself when he realized what he was saying. ¡°I had a proper job. What was so wrong about looking at pretty high school girls after a day of hard work?¡±

    ¡°And I was only seventeen. Isn¡¯t it human nature for a teenage boy to be curious about the opposite sex?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t harass the girls. We didn¡¯t even dare make cat calls. We only looked at them from afar. How was that louts¡¯ behavior?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. My mistake. Calm down, Dad.¡± Gao Yang snorted.

    Little Qing Lingughed.

    ¡°Little Ling.¡± Gao Shou nced at her. ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s mother was pretty like you. She was tall and slim, her skin fair and her hair long and dark. However, she wasn¡¯t outgoing like you. She was quiet and always had a cold look on her face. We nicknamed her Snowy...¡±

    Every time Lin Yue showed up, Gao Shou¡¯s colleagues would push him and say, ¡°Look, Old Gao. Your Snowy¡¯s here.¡±

    Sitting on the curb, Gao Shou would forget to even drink his soda; gnawing on the straw, he would stare at Lin Yue as she emerged among the crowds of students.

    In summer, the high school girls were dressed in white shirts and blue skirts. Lin Yue stood out among them. Her long hair was tied into a braid. She usually left school with her two ssmates, always walking on the inside.

    She would nod slightly, speaking little, only cracking a small smile every once in a while when her two friends yed aroundughing.

    And every time she smiled, Gao Shou¡¯s heart would feel like ake rippled by spring breeze.

    He had imagined hitting on Lin Yue and telling her jokes to make herugh like a blooming flower countless times, but in reality, he remained on the curb, watching as Lin Yue disappeared into the corner with her ssmates, a backpack on her shoulder.

    Sometimes, she would stay at a food stand by the road or a bookstore with her friends, which was always a pleasant surprise to Gao Shou.

    Gao Shou followed the routine for a year.

    His colleagues had stopped going after the initial excitement passed. They preferred going to the dance club to dance disco and meet the passionate girls already out of school. Like the celebrities in the magazines, they put on patterned shirts and bell bottoms, styling their hair with wax and doing what adults did¡ªsmoking, drinking, hooking up with girls.

    Gao Shou was quite good looking. He sometimes went to the club to dance too, and he had attracted his fair share of girls, but Gao Shou wasn¡¯t interested. His heart was already upied by someone, Snowy, who he had never talked to.

    Even when his colleague no longer apanied him, he went to the small shop every day at the same time, having a can of soda and waiting for Lin Yue to get off school before watching her leave.

    ¡°That¡¯s what a pervert would do, Dad! You didn¡¯t stalk Mom, did you?¡± Gao Yang was increasingly disappointed. <i>Please don¡¯t let this be a story of Dad stalking Mom and he just so happened to save Mom when she got into trouble, thus she paid him back by giving herself to him.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to listen to the rest of the story.

    ¡°Is that the kind of person your dad is in your mind?¡± Gao Shou got worked up. ¡°Besides, my attention didn¡¯t seem one-sided, but reciprocated!¡±

    Little Qing Ling was already invested. ¡°Uncle, ignore Gao Yang. Keep going.¡±

    Gao Shou continued with his reminiscence.

    Back then, he had continued to go to the shop for a year because his attention seemed reciprocated. He noticed that every time Lin Yue walked out of the school gates, she always threw a nce his way.

    At first, Gao Shou thought it was all in his head, but then he came to conclude that Lin Yue had noticed him.

    Every day after school, she would tuck her hair behind her hair nonchntly and look up at Gao Shou. A single nce, no more, no less.

    Then she would pretend nothing had happened and disappeared at the street corner with her friends.

    Once, Gao Shou arrived ten minuteste because he had things to take care of, and when he made it to the small shop, Lin Yue had long left school.

    Gao Shou thought he might get lucky. Perhaps Lin Yue had left schoolte, too.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t end up seeing Lin Yue.

    Feeling down, Gao Shou was just about to leave when a sudden downpour trapped him in the shop. He bought a can of soda and waited for the rain to let off.

    The olddy running the shop was small and frail, a little sickly. Face covered in wrinkles, she sat on a small wicker stool and drove away the flies hovering on the shelves with a ragged wicker fan.

    She and Gao Shou knew each other because he came to the shop every day, but the olddy was usually busy with work, and Gao Shou would only stay for ten minutes before leaving; thus, they rarely talked.

    Today, a downpour kept Gao Shou in the shop, and there were no other customers around.

    The olddy chuckled and initiated a conversation, ¡°You came every day at the same time, young man, and you always left after having a can of soda. Is the soda that good?¡±

    ¡°The soda you sell is different from those sold by the other shops, Granny. It¡¯s magical. I can¡¯t not drink it for a day without feeling strange and too dispirited to work.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I¡¯m old, not blind.¡± Sheughed. ¡°What¡¯s magical isn¡¯t the soda, but a girl from the school across the street, right?¡±

 Chapter 524: How I Met Your Mother 2

    <h4>Chapter 524: How I Met Your Mother 2</h4>

    Exposed and embarrassed, Gao Shou instinctively denied the truth, but the olddy was too bright to be fooled. Gao Shou had no choice but to admit it.

    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re a big boy, but you¡¯ve beening here for a year without the courage to even say a word to her. What a wimp.¡± The olddy didn¡¯t hide her disapproval.

    Gao Shou insisted, ¡°Our rtionship is a spiritual one. It¡¯s the tonic ideal. You don¡¯t get it!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in denial!¡± The olddy got curious. ¡°What does the girl look like? Perhaps I know her.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gao Shou wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been running this shop for more than ten years. I won¡¯t im to know every student of the school, but I should be able to recognize half of them.¡± The olddy sounded proud of that.

    Gao Shou was unconvinced, but he still described Lin Yue to her.

    Hearing the description, the olddy thought for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s Lin Yue. She sometimeses to my shop with her friends to buy food. I remember her.¡±

    ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t she pretty?¡± Gao Shou boasted like he felt vicariously proud of her beauty.

    ¡°Is she? She¡¯s always got such a sour face.¡± It seemed that the olddy didn¡¯t like Lin Yue much.

    Gao Shou said vehemently, ¡°You don¡¯t get it. She¡¯s elegance personified!¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±

    The olddy let the issue slide. ncing at the pouring rain, she turned to grab a ck umbre in the shop. ¡°The rain won¡¯t stop anytime soon. No customers areing here. Time to close down shop and go home.¡±

    Gao Shou nced at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s pouring. Where do you live, Granny? I¡¯ll walk you home. I don¡¯t want you to fall.¡±

    ¡°Hoho.¡± The olddy nced at Gao Shou. ¡°You have an ulterior motive, don¡¯t you? You want me to y matchmaker for you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Gao Shou said earnestly and smiled bashfully. ¡°Even if you are willing to introduce us, I don¡¯t have the courage to be introduced to her, or I wouldn¡¯t havee here for a year straight.¡±

    The olddy chuckled and handed the umbre to him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I have the time.¡±

    Gao Shou helped her close the wooden door to the shop. Then he walked her home with the umbre.

    The olddy lived in a rammed earth house at the foot of a mountain outside the town. To make it to the house, they had to walk across a farmfield. It was a little far.

    Gao Shou walked her to the door. The olddy invited him in for some tea and shelter from the rain. Since Gao Shou didn¡¯t have to work the night shift, he dly took the offer.

    The moment the olddy opened the door, Gao Shou gaped.

    In the living room was an old square table for eight and a few wooden chairs. A girl was sitting at the table doing homework.

    From the door, Gao Shou saw her side profile, her slim figure a little too thin, nketed by her silky long ck hair. With her fair skin, she looked bookish and quiet.

    It was Lin Yue, for whom he had been pining over the past year.

    Lin Yue looked up and saw the olddy before spotting Gao Shou standing in the back. She shot to her feet warily, her brows furrowed. ¡°Granny, who...is he?¡±

    ...

    Little Qing Lingughed at Gao Shou¡¯s expense. ¡°Why is it so funny?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I find it funny thinking about it now, too.¡± Gao Shou popped a fry into his mouth. ¡°But back then, I was stunned. I wanted nothing but to find a hole to hide my head in.¡±

    ¡°Lin Yue¡¯s maternal grandmother insisted on keeping me for dinner to thank me for walking her home. I¡¯d eaten at the canteen already, but I stayed for another meal. I heard a lot from Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother and learned quite a lot about Lin Yue.¡±

    ¡°They have had it quite hard.¡± Gao Shou let out a drawn out sigh. ¡°Lin Yue¡¯s parents got divorced when she was little. Her mother ran away with her lover, and her gambler father gambled away all the savings and then the house. In the end, he ran after umting a great debt. Lin Yue had been living with her grandmother since she was young. They only had each other.¡±

    ¡°Her grandmother was quite old. They only had a storefront in the town, and her grandmother opened a small shop, which was their only source of ie. After Lin Yue entered high school, her grandmother told Lin Yue to not greet her after school, pretending they were strangers; she didn¡¯t want Lin Yue¡¯s ssmates to mock her after finding out about her family¡¯s financial situation.¡±

    ¡°Lin Yue did as her grandmother said. Every day after school, she would only nce at the small shop across the street to check on her grandmother.¡±

    Gao Shou rubbed his nose. ¡°Pfft, I misunderstood then and thought she was looking at me.¡±

    Gao Shou continued with his story.

    After dinner, Lin Yue and Gao Shou were both embarrassed, but under her grandmother¡¯s urging, they still tried to be friends.

    Of course, her grandmother had her reason.

    Her grandmother had been having health problems, and there was no telling when she would be buried six feet under. Based on her observation the past year, she thought Gao Shou was a pretty good guy, and more importantly, his family¡¯s financial condition was good. Both his parents were alive, and Gao Shou had a good job.

    If Lin Yue had feelings for Gao Shou too, she would entrust her granddaughter to him after Lin Yue graduated. If Lin Yue felt nothing for Gao Shou, he could still be her support as a friend going forward.

    Moreover, Lin Yue had be prettier with age. On her way home after school, she sometimes got harassed by adult men, which worried her grandmother. Thus, her grandmother wanted Gao Shou to be Lin Yue¡¯s bodyguard.

    When Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother made the request in a roundabout way, Gao Shou was all pumped up, feeling like a loyal knight swearing allegiance to his master. He immediately agreed.

    Lin Yue, however, was furious. She thought her grandmother was overstepping. Time had changed. Why would her grandmother pick a random guy to give her away to?

    She dropped the bowl and chopsticks and rushed to her room, mming the door shut.

    Gao Shou¡¯s shoulders sagged. It seemed that not only didn¡¯t Lin Yue have any feelings for him, she disliked him.

    Her grandmother assured him, ¡°That¡¯s how Little Yue is. She doesn¡¯t trust people easily, but once she does, she never wavers. If you¡¯re serious about her, kid, you must show your genuine care and perseverance.¡±

    That night, Gao Shou returned to the dorm of the textile mill. He couldn¡¯t sleep at all. The thoughts of Lin Yue filled his head.

    Finally, he came to a decision. He would prove his feelings and unwavering loyalty.

    The next day, he had a quick meal after work and rushed to Lin Yue¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s shop.

    ...

    Getting to the part of the story, Gao Shou put down the fry in his hand and lowered his head, letting out a heavy sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Little Qing Ling was immersed in the story. She could guess what happened next. ¡°Did Auntie¡¯s grandmother...get into an ident?¡±

    Gao Shou nodded. ¡°She passed away.¡±

    ...

    When Gao Shou arrived in the evening, the street corner by the shop was crowded with people and cars.

    Gao Shou¡¯s heart sank. He rushed over and squeezed his way through the crowd, stunned.

    A three-wheeled car carrying coal had mmed into the shop, knocking the shelves down like dominoes, and the shop was covered in ss shards and coals for residential use.

    Outside the door was Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother. She was covered in blood, lying on the ground. A few pedestrians had just saved her from the debris.

    ¡°Out of the way! Move!¡±

    Lin Yue had just gotten off school, and as soon as she noticed themotion, she rushed through the crowd, spotting the dying old woman.

    ¡°Granny!¡± Lin Yue shouted and rushed up, dropping to the ground to help her grandmother up.

    A helpful older man stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t! It¡¯ll make things worse. Let her lie there...¡±

    ¡°Granny!¡± Lin Yue sobbed silently, grabbing onto the man¡¯s leg. ¡°Save her, please save my granny. I only have her! I can¡¯t...I can¡¯t live without her...¡±

    ¡°Calm down, girl. I¡¯ve called the ambnce. It¡¯ll be here soon...¡±

    Gao Shou stood rooted to the spot. The world spinned around him as his ears rang. It felt like a fever dream.

    The silver-haired old woman had a kind smile. She always wore an old-fashioned leaf-green shirt with cropped sleeves, holding an old wicker fan, and whenever he bought peanuts from her, she gave him an additional handful.

    She had been joking with him and invited him to have dinner at home only yesterday. She had held his hand and had a serious private conversation with him.

    How did things turn out like this in only a day?

    Covered in blood, the old womany on the ground, face ashen, blood streaking from the corners of her mouth.

    And she was no longer moving.

 Chapter 525: How I Met Your Mother 3

    <h4>Chapter 525: How I Met Your Mother 3</h4>

    It was the first time Gao Shou realized clearly how fragile life was and how fickle fate could be.

    Only afterward did Gao Shou learn that a three-wheeled car carrying coal had made a sharp turn to avoid a kid running across the street out of nowhere, which was how it ended up mming into the shop. Unfortunately, the owner of the shop happened to be sitting at the entrance then, thus resulting in the tragedy.

    And she had been sitting there because it was time for students toe out of the school across the street¡ªbecause she wanted to look at her granddaughter...

    ¡°I remember that the ambnce arrived quickly and took Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother away. Lin Yue got into the ambnce as well.¡±

    Gao Shou said in a grave voice, ¡°Iter heard that her grandmother had passed away before arriving at the hospital. And in her dying moment, she clutched Lin Yue¡¯s hand, trying to say something but couldn¡¯t.¡±

    Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling didn¡¯t know what to say, so they listened.

    The story continued.

    The next few days, Lin Yue didn¡¯te to school because she had to deal with her grandmother¡¯s affairs.

    Overnight, everyone at school learned that the beautiful, aloof Lin Yue actually came from a poor family, and that she only had her grandmother. Out of a sense of vanity, she pretended to not know her grandmother after school. Now that her grandmother had passed away, she became an orphan. Her aunt showed up and imed ownership over the rammed earth house and the storefront in town, fighting for the inheritance.

    Gao Shou didn¡¯t care about the rumors. He waited for Lin Yue to leave school every day after work like he always did, and he walked her home quietly while maintaining distance, making sure that she didn¡¯t get harassed by adult men. Only after she reached home safely would he leave.

    Because it was his promise to Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother.

    Lin Yue knew Gao Shou had been secretly escorting her every day, but she never talked to Gao Shou. She never even spared him a nce. It was as if they were strangers.

    Gao Shou didn¡¯t find any fault in that. In fact, he felt partly responsible for Lin Yue¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s passing. If he had gone to the shop earlier, perhaps he would be able to prevent the tragedy from happening. It only made sense for Lin Yue to resent him.

    Soon, Lin Yue graduated from high school.

    The evening the college entrance exams ended was thest time Gao Shou would walk Lin Yue from the school to her home.

    He thought that Lin Yue would walk into the house and shut the door behind her like she always did, but instead, she stopped at the rural path leading to her ce, looking at the house from a short distance.

    Gao Shou would never forget that summer evening. The earlier drizzle had cleansed the air. The sky was red on the horizon. The frogs inhabiting the fields croaked loudly. His skin felt sticky and itchy with the warm breeze drying his sweat.

    Gao Shou stopped a little more than ten meters from her, watching her from the back. He didn''t know what Lin Yue was thinking for the next silent thirty seconds.

    He would never have expected Lin Yue to make a decision that would change his life, and even the fate of the world.

    Lin Yue dropped her backpack into the field. When she turned around, her gaze was more determined and heated than ever before.

    She strode up to Gao Shou. Heart racing, Gao Shou looked at her nkly, at a loss of what to do.

    ¡°Do you like me?¡± Lin Yue came up to him and stared at his eyes.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Shou jumped. ¡°I, I...I made a promise to your grandmother to protect you, so I walked you every day. If you don¡¯t like me, I¡¯ll see if my friend...¡±

    ¡°I like you,¡± said Lin Yue.

    Gao Shou gaped.

    Lin Yue took a step forward and stood on her toes, hooking her arms around Gao Shou¡¯s neck to kiss him.

    During those two seconds, Gao Shou felt like he had died, and the world was gone.

    Then he came back to live, and he was back in the world again.

    Under the setting sun, Lin Yue¡¯s long ck hair danced with the wind, her ck eyes glittered with sparkling light, beautiful to the point of looking surreal.

    Lin Yue said calmly, ¡°The house is now my aunt¡¯s. I don¡¯t have a home anymore. May Ie home with you? I¡¯ll find a job tomorrow, and we¡¯ll get married when we¡¯re of age. I want to have a child with you. My grandmother wants me to be happy. We <i>will </i>be happy.¡±

    Gao Shou finally came to his senses, and he pped himself hard in the face, sputtering, ¡°Not a dream...not a dream...¡±

    Lin Yue still looked as collected as ever. She stared at Gao Shou for a few seconds before augh escaped her mouth. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re a giant idiot, Gao Shou, and I like you that way.¡±

    ...

    Gao Shou was a little bashful after the story. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to talk about this when my son is listening.¡±

    Gao Yang was just getting into the story. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it? What happened next? Did you just bring Mom home? And Grandpa and Granny just agreed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I took your mother home, and your grandparents weed her after I told them what happened.¡±

    Gao Shou chuckled. ¡°Especially your grandpa. He dragged me into his room that night and told me that it was rare for a treasure to just fall onto myp, that I must seize the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°After that, your grandpa had a drink with his friend and gave his friend a red envelope, and your mother started working at the textile mill too. Your mother was beautiful and well-educated. The number of workers who had a crush on her could form a line from the canteen to the dorm.¡±

    ¡°The textile mill closed down due to poor revenue two yearster, and the workers lost their jobs. Your grandfather¡¯s health declined. He got ill, and we lost most of our savings to that.¡±

    ¡°Many rich men pursued Lin Yue then, but she stayed with me through thick and thin. We got married. Due to our financial situation, we didn¡¯t hold a wedding. Never mind a proposal, I didn¡¯t even get her a ring.¡±

    ¡°Since we had to take care of your grandfather, we couldn¡¯t go to the big city for better-paying jobs. Thus, we opened a small shop in the rural area to support ourselves. We had you a yearter, then your sister. The rest is history.¡±

    Gao Shou sighed again. ¡°All these years, your mom has given up too much for the family. If not for me, she could¡¯ve led a much better life.¡±

    ¡°Uncle.¡± Little Qing Ling looked at Gao Shou. ¡°Don¡¯t think like that. The fact that Auntie chose you means that this is the best life in her mind.¡±

    Gao Shou paused, breaking into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, Little Ling.¡±

    Little Qing Ling smiled too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle. The proposal will be sessful.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s reassuring!¡± Gao Shou was d.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Then he remembered something. He lifted his cor and took a circr white jade pendant out. The jade pendant was smooth with a quaint pattern, the years it had been through evident in its appearance.

    Gao Yang knew that it was a lucky charm of his father¡¯s, and his father never took it off.

    ¡°This jade pendant was a gift from Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother, Son.¡±

    He stroked the jade pendant andmented, ¡°Unexinable things happen sometimes. Back then, her grandmother seemed to have foreseen her looming death, which was why she was in such a rush to introduce Lin Yue to me. She entrusted me with the jade pendant, telling me that this would be Lin Yue¡¯s dowry should we get together. And if we didn¡¯t, this would be a thank-you gift to me for taking care of Lin Yue.¡±

    ¡°Wearing this, I feel like her grandmother is still watching over the whole family.¡±

    Gao Yang reached out to grab it.

    Gao Shou quickly pulled back. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say all that as a prelude to you giving it to me?¡± Gao Yang said like it was obvious. That was how the TV dramas went.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Gao Shou responded with exaggerated surprise. ¡°This is my treasure!¡±

    He smirked and stroked his chin. ¡°I may consider giving the jade pendant to you once you and Little Ling get married. That¡¯ll be a family heirloom, and it¡¯ll be passed down properly. You get it?¡±

    Gao Yang huffed in exasperation. ¡°Keep it. I don¡¯t want it.¡±

 Chapter 526: Reputation to Maintain

    <h4>Chapter 526: Reputation to Maintain</h4>

    After the three of them finished the family set, Gao Shou left to pick Lin Yue up from work, while Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling headed back to the Li City University together. Just when they were going to enter the subway station, War Tiger called.

    Gao Yang tapped on his phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?¡± War Tiger sounded like he was in a good mood.

    ¡°Bad news.¡±

    ¡°Heavenly Dog left Team Heavenbreaker for the moment to go on a mission I assigned him. Do you grant permission?¡±

    <i>You¡¯ve done it already</i>, Gao Yang grumbled, <i>and you ask me for permission now, just to look proper?</i>

    ¡°Permission granted.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t ask what mission Heavenly Dog was sent on. If he could know, War Tiger would¡¯ve told him.

    ¡°And the good news?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got clues about life monsters,¡± War Tiger sounded pleased with himself. ¡°I heard from an old friend.¡±

    ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°The Spice Nation.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for two seconds. ¡°Have all members of the Action Unit gather on your end.¡±

    ¡°You want me to notify the members?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to send the message to the encoded group chat.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m the deputy captain of the Zodiacs and your former supervisor and teacher. How can you order me to do something like this?¡± War Tiger sounded a little vexed. ¡°I have a reputation to maintain.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Tiger, I¡¯m the leader of Team Heavenbreaker. I can¡¯t be the one doing it, can I?¡± Gao Yang was a little exasperated. He had a reputation to maintain, too.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Have someone else do it!¡± War Tiger hung up.

    Gao Yang awkwardly nced at Little Qing Ling.

    Having heard their conversation, Little Qing Ling took out her phone and typed away with a disapproving look on her face. ¡°Men are all children.¡±

    ...

    In half an hour, all members of the Action Unit of Team Heavenbreaker¡ªsans Heavenly Dog¡ªgathered in the Mouse Room on the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower. When Gao Yang and Qing Ling opened the door and entered, War Tiger, Gray Bear, Nine Frost, and Lithe Snake were already there.

    Gao Yang paused, noticing the framed picture on the wall of the meeting room; it was the photo they had taken together back in Naldives.

    Electric Mouse was crouching at the very front with his arms extended, looking not so much overbearing like he wished to, but punchable in a somewhat endearing way. Behind him were hispanions in swimsuits. standing from left to right were Joker (disguised as a local), Green Tea, Scarlet Fox, Can, Ronnie, Vermilion Bird, White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Chen Ying.

    The sky was blue and the clouds were white. With the beach and the ocean as backdrop, the good looking men and women had yed beach volleyball in swimsuits. It all felt like a dream.

    Many of those in the picture were now gone. Electric Mouse, despite having dered that he would photoshop all the men out of the photo, hadn¡¯t actually done so.

    Gao Yang activated Psychic Armor topartmentalize his emotions, quickly calming himself down.

    ¡°Now that Elder Seven Shadow is here, too, let¡¯s start the meeting.¡± War Tiger took the main seat with his legs crossed and propped on the conference table, as if he was the one in charge here.

    Gao Yang let that slide, finding a seat with Qing Ling.

    ¡°Report,¡± Gao Yang said concisely while reinstating his authority.

    War Tiger smothered a pleased smile. <i>You¡¯ve grown, Yang Yang.</i>

    He held a cigarette and twirled a square gas lighter in his other hand. It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to light it just yet.

    ¡°I have an unaffiliated friend, Dr. Jia, with Talent: Genius. He lives in the Spice Nation.¡±

    ¡°Dr. Faker[1]?¡± Gray Bear snorted. ¡°Nice name.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to contribute, just shut up,¡± Lithe Snake retorted with his arms crossed, scowling. ¡°The pun isn¡¯t funny.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Nine Frost added.

    ¡°Keep going.¡±

    Gao Yang shifted the conversation back to the matter at hand and thought back to the information provided by the Talent list: Genius, serial number 56, Knowledge-type. It granted supernatural intelligence.

    War Tiger said, ¡°You should know him quite well. The mathematical model predicting a civil war among awakeners and the Prophecy of Seven are his doing.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s him.¡± Gray Bear realized.

    ¡°The encoding on our phones and other cutting edge techs are all thanks to him, too, so is the development of most ck Gold equipment,¡± War Tiger added.

    ¡°He didn¡¯te to the White Lake Hotel during the Crimson Tide for shelter.¡± Lithe Snake was good at remembering those he had met, and he didn¡¯t remember a Dr. Jia.

    ¡°I notified him, and he agreed toe.¡± War Tiger scratched his cheek with the hand holding a cigarette. ¡°Then he failed to show up.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Gray Bear was curious.

    ¡°No, he said he simply forgot.¡± War Tiger scoffed. ¡°He always gets so invested in his damn research that he forgets to eat or drink for days until he passes out. Then he¡¯ll get taken to the hospital by his butler.¡±

    That was a loaded response. The man was far from mundane.

    ¡°Get to the point,¡± Gao Yang got back to the track.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± War Tiger shrugged and lit his cigarette.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Gray Bear was confused. ¡°What about life monsters? What¡¯s the clue?¡±

    War Tiger took a drag of his cigarette and blew a perfect smoke ring. He exined at a deliberate pace, ¡°This noon, I called him and asked him for another batch of SOS buttons since we¡¯ve run out. Then I mentioned life monsters, asking him if he had any clues. He said he did, but he would only tell us if we visited.¡±

    ¡°He could be lying,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°That is a possibility,¡± War Tiger admitted. ¡°But we have nothing to lose, right? We¡¯ll consider that a little trip abroad.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know much about the Spice Nation other than the rumor that the air smelled like spice there, and that thergest river wasn¡¯t the cleanest and really shouldn¡¯t be drunk from directly unless one fancied a trip to the ICU.

    He nced at Nine Frost, who was sitting across from him. ¡°Check the ne tickets to the Spice Nation.¡±

    Nine Frost took out his phone and quickly looked up the information. ¡°The earliest flight is tomorrow morning at eleven.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Gray Bear. ¡°Have the back office send us some Medicine M. We¡¯ll have a cramming session for the speakingnguage of Spice Nation tonight, and we set out tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡± Gray Bear made the call.

    Gao Yang nced at Qing Ling. ¡°Go to Nainai and have her prepare a few more nes, Green Snake.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Qing Ling nodded.

    Gao Yang raised his voice. ¡°Tomorrow at seven, we meet in the Walled City of Ten Dragons and head to the airport together.¡±

    He turned to War Tiger, ¡°Deputy Leader, anything you''d like to add?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Okay, then the meeting¡¯s dismissed.¡±

    1. The surname <i>Jia </i>is pronounced the same as the word for ¡°fake¡±. ?

 Chapter 527: Spice Nation

    <h4>Chapter 527: Spice Nation</h4>

    The members of the Action Unit took Medicine M and left the Millenium Tower to each start their preparation. Gao Yang and Qing Ling headed back to their college and went to the Witch¡¯s Club at midnight, using Nainai¡¯s notebook to practice speaking Spice Nation¡¯snguage by watching the ssic films from the country.

    Thenguage was difficult to learn and quite the tongue twister. Moreover, the characters in the movies broke into songs and dances without warning, which was surreal to say the least.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Nainai watched the movies all night; they learned more dance moves than they did thenguage.

    Eleven in the morning, the Action Unit boarded a flight to the Spice Nation as a small group of tourists. War Tiger, Gao Yang, and Qing Ling sat together. On the way, they talked about the Mist World without using the actual terms.

    War Tiger revealed that Dr. Jia had spent most of his time doing research in the Spice Nation, and over the past twenty years, he came to one conclusion: the Mist World was quietly shrinking.

    The area of activity in the Spice Nation, for example, had be a third of its original size over the past few decades, and the number of wanderers had decreased by twenty-five percent¡ªas had happened to Rogue Cape, where Lithe Snake once lived.

    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t Li City gotten smaller?¡± Gao Yang asked in a low voice.

    He used to live in the fringe rural area of Li City, and the ce still existed when he went to his old home. It seemed that Li City hadn¡¯t been shrinking.

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°You can ask Dr. Jia once we meet him.¡±

    ...

    Five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the nended.

    The airport was spacious and extravagantly designed, looking as expensive as a pce. That, however, made the area outside the airport look even more rural and underdeveloped.

    The six of them went up to a yellow taxi without rear-view mirrors. War Tiger took the lead and bargained with the driver in awkward Spice Nationnguage. He told the driver their destination before asking for the price.

    ¡°2000.¡± The driver was a slightly overweight middle-aged man. He had dark skin and ck, bushy beard, his head tightly wrapped in an orange headdress.

    ¡°500,¡± War Tiger offered.

    ¡°No no no, 1000 at the lowest.¡± Through the window, the driver started shaking his head, or he might be nodding.

    ¡°250,¡± War Tiger said impassively.

    ¡°No no no no no, no can do. Absolutely not.¡± The driver frowned and waved his hand while bobbing his head. ¡°At least 500.¡±

    ¡°150...¡±

    ¡°Then 250. Come on,e on!¡± The driver quickly hopped off the car and opened the door for them. ¡°Get in, get in!¡±

    Gray Bear gaped. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone haggle like this!¡±

    War Tiger smiled shrewdly. ¡°You¡¯re a big guy, Gray Bear. Take the passenger seat. We¡¯ll sit in the back.¡±

    ¡°But there are six of us!¡± Gray Bear was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t this illegal?¡±

    Having visited the country a few times, War Tiger said dismissively, ¡°Six aren¡¯t many. It can even take double the number! Haven¡¯t you heard of the saying? In Spice Nation, don¡¯t ever guess how many passengers there are in a car.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I thought that was an exaggeration.¡± Gray Bear took the passenger seat, and the five other people squeezed into the backseat.

    Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, and War Tiger were on the slim side, and they just about fill the car by alternating between leaning forward and sitting back. Qing Ling, on the other hand, had to sit on Gao Yang¡¯sp.

    ¡°Is there really a need to be this stingy?¡± Gray Bear asked in confusion, using their nativenguage. ¡°We¡¯re saving the world. This is unbing.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know the way,¡± said War Tiger. ¡°If we take two cars, who knows where the driver will take you to?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gray Bear huffed and fell silent.

    The car left the airport and headed toward the city, going past rural areas where underdeveloped viges, rundown thatched houses with tapered rooftops, and herds of cattles andmbs were.

    Soon, they entered the urban area. While there were quite a lot of tall buildings, the nning of it left something to be desired. The poption was dense, and the streets and alleyways a maze to navigate.

    The driver parked by a crossroad, letting the passengers get out of the car.

    As soon as they did, they attracted the eyes of the locals. And they didn¡¯t sneak nces at them, no. The locals openly stared at them like they were zoo animals.

    Qing Ling felt unnerved, thinking they had exposed themselves. She almost drew her de.

    War Tiger stopped a tragedy from happening by exining that it was just the way people in Spice Nation were.

    They made it across the chaotic marketce. The great variety of strange delicious food drew the eyes. Qing Ling stared when she saw two young men throwing a pita bread between them at a pita stand.

    Alerted, Gao Yang quickly dragged Qing Ling away. ¡°Banish the thought. It¡¯s risky.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned, displeased. ¡°I was just looking. I wasn¡¯t gonna have any.¡±

    War Tiger hailed a seven-seater three-wheeled car after leaving the market. Once he agreed on a price with the old driver, the others hopped on.

    Twenty minutes passed in bumpy driving. Then they finally reached the rich neighborhood.

    It was like a different world from the regr residential areas. Here, the environment was beautiful, and the streets were wide and clean. The six of them went up to a modern looking light gray mansion.

    War Tiger rang the doorbell. Soon, a strange grating voice came from the inside. It didn¡¯t sound human at all.

    ¡°Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?¡±

    ¡°War Tiger, a friend of Dr. Jia.¡±

    The other party seemed to think for a moment before repeating, ¡°Friend, open the door, friend, open the door...¡±

    A few secondster, the automatic metal door opened.

    The six of them walked across thewn of the front yard and the outdoor swimming pool, reaching the entryway. The door wasn¡¯t closed. War Tiger strode in before his face darkened.

    Gao Yang got ready for a fight immediately, checking his system for a warning.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gao Yang asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. Be careful.¡± War Tiger walked into the house quickly, and the others followed.

    The interior was spacious, the design simple yet sophisticated, and the space well-illuminated. The floor was a smooth marble that was cool to the touch, and the walls were white. The heavy curtains were gray. The main color palette was a subdued hue of brown.

    Below the crystal chandelier was arge gray rug with Persian style patterns, on which was a beige leather sofa. The blood sttered on the sofa seemed to have dried.

    They lightened their steps and held their breaths as they approached, taking in the scene of death.

    A naked dead man with curled hairy on the rug, his limbs syed. The pool of blood he was lying in had congealed, and a small ck Gold dagger was buried in his abdomen¡ªthe only object on his body.

    War Tiger rushed up to him and grabbed a sleeping robe from the sofa to cover the body. Then he crouched down to feel the man¡¯s breath.

    A few secondster, he pressed his fingers to the man¡¯s neck to check his pulse.

    Standing up, War Tiger sighed. ¡°Dr. Jia¡¯s gone.¡±

 Chapter 528: Tastes Strange

    <h4>Chapter 528: Tastes Strange</h4>

    Gao Yang frowned.

    It seemed quite clear that Dr. Jia was killed with the ck Gold dagger, but it was strange. This was the living room, not the bathroom. Why would he diepletely naked? Did the killer have some perverted interest, or was this meant to be some sort of evil ritual?

    It didn¡¯t seem to be the case based on the crime scene and the condition of the body.

    War Tiger slowly extracted the dagger from Dr. Jia¡¯s abdomen, making an initial observation. ¡°He should be dead for no longer than five hours, so that¡¯s noon today.¡±

    ¡°Could someone have killed him knowing we¡¯reing?¡± Nine Frost asked.

    War Tiger crouched by the body and stroked his chin while fiddling with the dagger. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t have happened. Ourmunications are all encoded, which should be safe from breaching. Otherwise, information about the three major organizations will have long be open secrets.¡±

    ¡°That leaves us with one possibility,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°Someone among us has leaked the intel.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± said Gray Bear. ¡°Maybe it''s amon burry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. The murder weapon is a ck Gold dagger,¡± Gao Yang analyzed. ¡°The killer might have opted not to kill him with Talent because they didn¡¯t want to leave any clues.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Nine Frost nodded.

    War Tiger¡¯s gaze darkened, taking in each of the members in turn. Tension ran high. Gray Bear felt a shudder run down his spine when he met War Tiger¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not right.¡± Gao Yang corrected himself. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility we¡¯ve omitted.¡±

    The others turned to him. Gray Bear was d to see the return of their captain in detective mode.

    ¡°Dr. Jia killed himself,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°He killed himself?¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t get it.

    Just when Gao Yang was going to exin, a half-meter tall parrot flew down from the second floor of the mansion. It pped its wings, perching on the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. ¡°Dr. Jia died! Dr. Jia died! Dr. Jia died!¡±

    Then it opened its wings to glide down to Gray Bear¡¯s shoulders.

    The parrot was gray with short tail feathers and a round head, the face covered in long feathers with a nted patch of white bare skin around the eyes.

    It wasn¡¯t scared of strangers at all, and it looked around at everyone in a friendly manner.

    It started crying out again soon, ¡°Liar! Liar! Dr. Jia¡¯s a liar!¡±

    So Dr. Jia did fake his death.

    Gao Yang had noticed something strange because of the parrot.

    The parrot had answered the door when they rang the doorbell. At first, Gao Yang had thought it was the voiced response of a smart automatic lock, but after some thinking, he realized it was more likely the voice of a parrot.

    The parrot was smart enough to open the door. If Dr. Jia had been killed, it wouldn¡¯t have been so calm.

    War Tiger quickly figured things out. He looked at the gray parrot on Gray Bear¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dr. Jia faked his death?¡±

    ¡°Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!¡± The gray parrot repeated the response three times before pping its wings to fly onto Lithe Snake¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Holy, the parrot is like a human!¡± Gray Bear was surprised.

    ¡°Trained well, parrots can be as smart as a seven-year-old,¡± said Lithe Snake.j

    ¡°So it¡¯s a false alert.¡± Nine Frost went up to pet the parrot.

    ¡°False alert! False alert! False alert!¡±

    After mimicking the words, the parrot flew to a tall tea table where a small ceramic bowl filled with nuts was. It dug in and stopped paying attention to them.

    War Tiger took out an almost empty pack of cigarettes. ¡°That¡¯s it then. We just have to wait.¡±

    The others rxed and started walking around the mansion.

    They explored Dr. Jia¡¯s house. It looked like the residence of a regr rich man. The door to the basement was locked though, which most likely led to his privateboratory.

    Night soon fell, and they were feeling so impatient that they each found something to do to kill time. War Tiger and Gray Bear went to the second floor. After taking a bath, they changed into bathrobes and found the stash of whiskey and cigars at Dr. Jia¡¯s ce. Enjoying the loot, theyy down on the sofa in the home theater and started watching a boxing match.

    Nine Frost and Lithe Snake were ying foosball in the recreational room. They had each won a couple rounds and were now ying the final.

    Perching on Nine Frost¡¯s shoulder, the parrot watched the match with full attention. Whoever lost, it would p its wings happily and loudly repeat, ¡°Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!¡±

    Words didn¡¯t break bones, but they did hurt.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling went to the kitchen and used the ingredients in the fridge to make a meal. Gao Yang first made rice with the rice cooker. Then he used curry paste, chicken filets, and some vegetables to make chicken curry for Qing Ling.

    After eating a spoonful, Qing Ling coughed until her face was flushed.

    ¡°That bad?¡± Gao Yang felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think I was a bad cook.¡±

    ¡°No, the curry here is just too spicy.¡± Qing Ling took another spoonful, her expression much more rxed this time. Savoring the food, shemented, ¡°Tastes strange.¡±

    ¡°Um...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have another bite.¡± Then she put another spoonful into her mouth.

    She seemed to have gotten used to the taste, and she started eating in gusto. Sitting upright, she held the te with one hand and the spoon with her other hand, looking devoted as she ate.

    Propping his head up with a hand, Gao Yang stared at Qing Ling, thinking, <i>She¡¯ll go viral if she bes a streamer who does eating shows.</i>

    ¡°Ugh...hm...¡± Suddenly, a man¡¯s groaning came from the living room.

    Dr. Jia hade back alive!

    Gao Yang shot to his feet and rushed into the living room, hollering at the second floor, ¡°Dr. Jia woke up!¡±

    ¡°Woke up! Woke up! Woke up!¡±

    The gray parrot was the first to fly down the stairs from the second floor,nding beside Dr. Jia.

    Covered by a bathrobe, Dr. Jia opened his eyes and slowly sat up, covering the wound on his abdomen with a hand. He couldn¡¯t help but cry out, ¡°Ahh...it hurts...¡±

    His wound was bleeding again, and the blood quickly drenched the bathrobe.

    When he looked up, he saw Gao Yang and Qing Ling watching him. Stillposed, he asked, ¡°Got any Medicine C? One shot will suffice. It hurts so much.¡±

    Gao Yang fished out a Medicine C he carried with him and threw it to Dr. Jia. Dr. Jia caught it and took off the cap, giving his abdomen a shot with a grunt. Hisplexion recovered substantially.

    By then, the others hade down from the second floor. Dr. Jia put on the bathrobe properly and picked himself up, sitting on the sofa and letting out a long breath.

    ¡°What are you up to this time, Dr. Jia?¡± War Tiger asked with a chuckle.

 Chapter 529: Dr. Jiaâ€™s Guess

    <h4>Chapter 529: Dr. Jia¡¯s Guess</h4>

    Dr. Jia collected his breaths and exined, ¡°I extracted some energy essence from the guy with Talent: Feigned Death. Combined with the blood of awakeners with self-recovery and healing Talents, I created a medicine for faking death. I tested it on myself. Based on the result, I must have seeded, but there¡¯s room for improvement.¡±

    War Tiger smacked his lips. It was what Dr. Jia would do. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about your experiment failing?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t. I calcted that the chance of failure was only 0.01%.¡±

    ¡°What if it did happen?¡±

    ¡°If I failed, Vermilion Bird would save me.¡±

    War Tiger snorted. ¡°Why would you think so?¡±

    ¡°Am I not worthy of being resurrected?¡± Dr. Jia spoke like it was obvious. ¡°I¡¯m the most intelligent human, the greatest legacy in the world of awakeners...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± War Tiger picked his ear with his pinky. ¡°The greatest legacy, why did you strip yourself naked doing an experiment? When I came in, I thought a necrophile had had their way with you.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to observe the change in the human body when feigning death.¡± Dr. Jia pointed at the crystal chandelier above. ¡°There¡¯s a camera there.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± War Tiger smiled wryly. ¡°Make yourself presentable, and we¡¯ll talk about life monsters.¡±

    ¡°A moment.¡±

    Dr. Jia turned to walk into the bathroom. When he emerged ten minutester, he was dressed in a loose whiteb coat, just like the researchersmonly seen in West Nation films.

    With the blood on his face washed away, he looked no older than fifty with a full forehead and soft facial features, the lines of his face smooth and round. It was the kind of face that would be described as auspicious back home.

    His hair was thick and curly and his beard bushy, the strands of white a hint of his age.

    ¡°You look younger than I expected, Dr. Jia,¡± Gray Bear said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve taken yourselves well.¡±

    ¡°I never do anything special,¡± Dr. Jia said proudly. ¡°Compared to skin care, I believe it¡¯s more effective to maintain a rxed and carefree attitude in order to stay youthful.¡±

    ¡°I keep an irregr schedule and always go for high calorie food, and I pull all nighters all the time yet never do physical training or healthy dieting. I¡¯m turning 38 this year. It doesn¡¯t look like it, does it?¡±

    The room was silent for a moment.

    Lithe Snake looked visibly awkward. He was 38 too, and he could pass as Dr. Jia¡¯s son.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it! Doesn¡¯t look like it!¡± A few secondster, it was the gray parrot that broke the silence.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang fake-coughed. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business, Dr. Jia.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Dr. Jia looked at Gao Yang. ¡°You must be Elder Seven Shadow from the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°You know me?¡±

    ¡°I know all awakeners.¡± Dr. Jia looked at Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯ve got all your information.¡±

    ¡°Do you know Tails too?¡± asked Nine Frost.

    ¡°No, but Hyena had worked as my assistant for a few months before joining Tails. I only learned about his joining recently.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. It seemed that Hyena had learned quite a few things from Dr. Jia, which allowed him to develop holy water.

    ¡°Life monster,¡± War Tiger shifted the conversation back.

    Dr. Jia said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a life monster altar like the one you told me about, War Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Is it in Spice Nation?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°Oh, it''s not.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you call us here?¡± Gray Bear was bbergasted. He had spent a night learning the Spice Nationnguage. He almost pulled his tongue in the process.

    Dr. Jia said carelessly, ¡°I¡¯m going with you, but I don¡¯t know how to catch a flight. My butler resigned. That¡¯s why I called you to pick me up.¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed a sigh. <i>Did this man walk right out of a West Nation film?</i>

    ¡°Where¡¯s the altar then?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°The Ni Nation,¡± said Dr. Jia.

    Nine Frost looked up the flight information on his phone without being asked to. ¡°There¡¯s a direct flight at three in the morning. Takes five hours. No visa needed.¡±

    War Tiger said, ¡°Book the tickets. We¡¯ll take the flight.¡±

    ¡°How about this parrot?¡± Gray Bear said. ¡°Is it okay without anyone taking care of it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Dr. Jia. ¡°It¡¯ll take care of itself, and I gave it a fake death pill. It¡¯ll be fine for a short time.¡±

    ¡°Fine! Fine! Fine!¡± The parrot repeated proudly.

    ...

    They got prepared and called a nine-seater car to take them to the airport. It was a service only avable to those in the rich neighborhood. Once in the car, they started talking in their nativenguage.

    Gao Yang asked the question he had been agonizing over. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been studying the shrinking of the Mist World, Dr. Jia. ording to what I know, Li City hasn¡¯t gotten smaller, while Spice Nation and Rogue Cape have. Why does each isted ind differ?¡±

    ¡°Good question.¡± Dr. Jia fiddled with the two carved walnuts in his hands. They were a dark reddish brown with a shine to the surface like ayer of oil had formed, which made it apparent how long they had been yed with[1].

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my conclusion first: the more awakeners there are, the slower the isted ind shrinks¡ªslower, not suspended altogether. Even Li City has been shrinking, only very slowly. You¡¯ll only see the change by measuring every thirty or even fifty years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just your guess.¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°You¡¯re 38.¡±

    <i>Even though he looks 50,</i> Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°The universe is billions of years old. Do we have to live that long toe to any conclusion about it?¡±

    ¡°Ignore him, Doctor. He¡¯s just being contrarian,¡± Lithe Snake said.

    ¡°I¡¯m ying devil¡¯s advocate,¡± Gray Bear retorted.

    ¡°I have arge amount of data backing my conclusion up,¡± Dr. Jia continued. ¡°The truth is that the more awakeners there are on an isted ind, the slower it gets eaten away by the mist. There¡¯s a strong corrtion between the two.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± Dr. Jia fidgeted with the walnuts more quickly, his excitement apparent. ¡°But I believe that all awakeners¡¯ Talents are one, which is divided and allocated randomly and thus assigned a serial number.¡±

    Gao Yang started. That was exactly what Dragon had said.

    Everyone fell silent in bemusement.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a somewhat strange analogy to help you understand.¡± Dr. Jia spoke at a quicker pace. ¡°The total energy of Talents goes into 199 light bulbs. Each light bulb differs in voltage, and the more light bulbs there are, the greater the area they can illuminate, and the slower the invasion of darkness.¡±

    ¡°Some isted inds only have a few light bulbs, or even none. Without the light, darkness closes in. That¡¯s the border of the Mist World as we know it.¡±

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s an easily understandable analogy,¡± War Tiger praised.

    ¡°Is that a guess too?¡± Gray Bear was being contrarian again.

    ¡°Not a guess, but a hypothesis,¡± Dr. Jia corrected. ¡°Speaking of which, I have a great hypothesis. Wanna hear it?¡±

    1. In China, there¡¯s a tradition of carving and processing walnuts to y with them in your hands. Through long years, they change in colors and textures, and they be expensive antiques for collectors. ?

 Chapter 530: Dr. Jiaâ€™s Hypothesis

    <h4>Chapter 530: Dr. Jia¡¯s Hypothesis</h4>

    ¡°Tell us,¡± Gao Yang said without hesitation.

    The others were interested too, and they leveled their gazes at Dr. Jia.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the conclusion first.¡± Dr. Jia put the carved walnuts back into his pocket and adjusted his posture. ¡°The Heavenly Way isn¡¯t the referee, but an ally.¡±

    That dropped like a bombshell, stunning everyone into silence for a good moment.

    Pleased with the reaction, Dr. Jia continued, ¡°I believe the Heavenly Way is protecting humans.¡±

    He paused to give others time to think.

    Half a minuteter, he said, ¡°I specte that the Heavenly Way is a higher form of energy, originated from the same source as the energy of awakeners¡¯ Talents, but in a greater dimension. The rtionship between the energy of the Heavenly Way and the energy of Talents can be that between twins, mother and child, or supervisor and subordinate.¡±

    ¡°The main difference is that one is static, and one is dynamic,parable to nature and the higher life forms in nature. You get it?¡±

    Gao Yang had a eureka moment. His perspective opened up substantially.

    Dr. Jia lived up to his Talent, Genius. He was able to tackle a question from vastly different angles.

    Why did all awakeners believe Heavenly Way to be either a god ruling over all or a coldblooded, heartless referee? Because they were all trapped, assuming the Mist and the Heavenly Way to be one and the same. And yes, they did share manymonalities; they were unknowable, irresistible, coldly powerful, and dominant over all living creatures.

    No one had ever considered that the Mist and the Heavenly Way might be different forces!

    ¡°Do you mean that the Heavenly Way is humans¡¯ ally, while the Mist...is our enemy?¡± Qing Ling had caught onto what Dr. Jia meant.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Dr. Jia was confident. ¡°It¡¯s still a hypothesis, but if true, it¡¯ll exin many things.¡±

    ¡°I think I get it too.¡± Nine Frost had been carefully thinking, and he shared his thoughts. ¡°The Mist has been slowly devouring all isted inds, while the Heavenly Way has been protecting them and maintaining the facade of a normal world. Us humans, who live on the isted inds, are naturally the subjects of the Heavenly Way¡¯s protection. That exins why the Heavenly Way prohibits elite monsters from hurting regr humans unprovoked.¡±

    War Tigerughed. ¡°Old Jia, now I do believe that Vermilion Bird may save you if you die one day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be the smart move,¡± Dr. Jia epted the praise easily.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right.¡± Lithe Snake identified a w in the logic. ¡°If the Heavenly Way has been protecting us, why doesn¡¯t it just erase the monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t entirely convinced, either. ¡°If the Heavenly Way is capable of making monsters follow its rules, shouldn¡¯t it be easy for the Heavenly Way to just erase monsters? Even if not total erasure, further restriction should be possible.¡±

    ¡°Who told you that monsters are our enemies?¡± Dr. Jia asked with a smile.

    ¡°Are they not?!¡± Gray Bear eximed, being so loud that the driver jumped. Although the driver couldn¡¯t understand what his passengers were saying, he got the impression that they were discussing something serious.

    ¡°Monsters go after all awakened humans. If that doesn¡¯t make them enemies, what are they?¡± Gray Bear thought he hade to understand the matter they were discussing, but he found himself getting even more befuddled. ¡°There are a minor group of monsters taking the sides of humanity, such as the lightbringers, but most monsters are enemies...¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what this is about,¡± Dr. Jia interrupted Gray Bear. ¡°I mean monsters are neither friend nor foe. The framework doesn¡¯t apply to them at all.¡±

    The car fell silent.

    Dr. Jia was losing them.

    ¡°Monsters are...¡± Before Dr. Jia gave them his answer, his head drooped suddenly, and he fell asleep. It happened so quickly that one had to question if he was acting.

    ¡°Hey, Dr. Jia!¡± Gray Bear was ready to throw hands. ¡°Finish your sentence!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± War Tiger snorted. ¡°I forgot to tell you. Dr. Jia has a sleeping disorder, and he can fall asleep any time without warning.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s called narcolepsy,¡± Nine Frost said.

    ¡°He did this to himself,¡± War Tiger said. ¡°He experiments on himself all the time and ends up giving himself many health problems. He should be thankful that he¡¯s an awakener rather than a regr human, or we¡¯ll be sweeping his tomb now.¡±

    ...

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, the Action Unit boarded the ne carrying the sleeping Dr. Jia, heading to the Ni Nation.

    Dr. Jia had slept through the flight, and the flight attendants asked about him. Gao Yang had to patiently exin to them that the man had narcolepsy.

    Like a reader who had read through all the book save for the ending, Gray Bear checked if Dr. Jia had woken up every few minutes like he had bugs crawling all over his skin. He was so anxious he felt like he was on a mania episode.

    When they arrived at the Ni Nation, it was nine in the morning.

    Finally, Dr. Jia woke up, but he was still drowsy and lightheaded like he was drunk, his body weak and his thoughts messy.

    Gray Bear carried Dr. Jia on his back. Every few steps, he would ask, ¡°You awake, Dr. Jia? What are monsters?¡±

    ¡°The summer...the summer sneaks away...leaving its little secret...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Thunders. It¡¯s raining. Time to take the clothes inside...¡±

    ¡°Start making sense. What are monsters?¡±

    ¡°3.14159265358979323846.¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°Leave it, Gray Bear. Ask him when he¡¯s in the right mind.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll just die like that. I hate people who don¡¯t finish their sentences! It¡¯s a sin worthy of the death of their parents!¡±

    They walked out of the airport. The first thing they noted was how dry the air was. All around them was a muddled yellow.

    They took a taxi to Zone K, the center of Ni Nation. It wasn¡¯t even half as prosperous as Li City with mostly short buildings only a few stories tall; some were historic buildings, and others modern apartments. There were also many illegally constructed houses, some with precarious structures.

    Most of the roads were narrow, and the traffic was bad with all sorts of stands lining the roads and crowds crossing without a care of the cars, looking confident and leisurely.

    The driver didn¡¯t find it unusual at all, and he weaved through the crowd, stopping every three meters.

    The sounds of car honking, people chattering, stand owners holleringbined to form a chaotic hubbub with its own rhythm. It was apletely foreign experience to them.

    Finally, they arrived at Zone K and checked into a hotel. With memory enhanced by Medicine M, they had a cramming session that was a few hours long for the localnguage, enough for them to hold basic conversations.

    Four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Dr. Jia woke up fully.

    Gao Yang sent a message to the group chat for Team Heavenbreaker, telling everyone to go to the buffet on the first floor of the hotel. They would set out after having a meal.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake shared a room, and they were thest to arrive.

    Seeing that Dr. Jia was eating a chicken burrito with greens, Gray Bear immediately rushed up to the table and asked, ¡°Dr. Jia, what are...¡±

    ¡°Gray Bear,¡± Gao Yang interrupted, not even looking up from the roasted pigeon he was disassembling for Qing Ling. ¡°Eat.¡±

    Although they were speaking in their ownnguage, there were quite a lot of tourists in the restaurant. The risk of exposure was significant.

    Moreover, he had been feeling like they were being followed. It was only his hunch, though. He didn¡¯t have any proof.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter. I¡¯m starving.¡± Dr. Jia took a big bite of his burrito, his mouth smeared with cheese sauce.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna lose consciousness suddenly again, are you?¡± War Tiger was a little worried too.

    ¡°Based on my past experience, I only ck out once every week, and it won¡¯t happen in short session.¡± Dr. Jia wasn¡¯t too concerned.

    Gao Yang smiled and lifted his ss of orange juice. He paused before he drank it. He remembered the ss being clearly translucent. Had it gotten a little tinted now?

    He wasn¡¯t too sure.

    He enhanced his six senses to the limit and surveyed his surroundings. He didn¡¯t spot anyone suspicious in the restaurant, and his system hadn¡¯t sounded an alert.

    Just to be safe, he lowered his ss of orange and continued to eat the other food.

    Then he got worried that Qing Ling would drink his orange juice since she was overly passionate about food, and Gao Yang was the one person she didn¡¯t maintain any distance from.

    Thus, Gao Yang found the chance to discreetly dispose of the orange juice.

    His concern seemed unwarranted though. Nothing happened even when they finished the meal.

    Half an hourter, with their hunger and thirst satiated, they left the hotel for the most famous tourist site in Zone K¡ªthe Triangr Towers.

 Chapter 531: Garbage Collector

    <h4>Chapter 531: Garbage Collector</h4>

    The seven of them arrived at the tourist site and bought tickets to go to the desert. All that met the eyes was yellow sand, the scenery bleak yet magnificent in its beauty. Over the horizon sat numerous triangr towers, looking mysterious and ancient.

    The distance to the towers was too great for them to traverse on foot, and the desert was not only scorching hot, but also difficult to walk on. Most importantly, they had to y the part of tourists. Thus, they opted to ride on camels like the other tourists.

    The merchant providing camel renting service was a middle aged man named Amo. He had an average build with pronounced facial features, his skin tanned and reddened from the element and his bushy beard thick and hard. He was dressed in a x long robe with white headdress on his head, and he was friendly to them.

    He had four adult camels for renting, just enough for seven people.

    Gray Bear, being a big guy, rode alone and took the lead, while War Tiger and Dr. Jia, Gao Yang and Qing Ling, and Nine Frost and Lithe Snake each shared a camel.

    Amo pulled on the rope tying all four camels together at the very front, heading toward the triangr towers. Some had a triangr base, and others a square base. There were also a few with other polygonal-shaped bases. And the sides were mostly triangles and trapezoids, tapering into a pointy top.

    The towers were all built withrge stone blocks, reaching as high as forty floors by modern standards with the center of gravity resting near the base. The higher parts of the towers used less materials to effectively defend against natural disasters. It was said that even a small knife would have a hard time inserting through the gap, which showed the wisdom of the ancient Ni people.

    Most of the triangr towers were tombs for the rulers and nobles of the ancient Ni Nation, and their bodies were processed into mummies.

    The rulers back then believed themselves to be mortal sons of the supreme god, and the state of preservation of their bodies would determine whether they could return to their Father.

    Listening to Amo pontificate about the history and legends of the ancient nation, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he would feel like the world was turned upside down if he knew that all that was fabricated by the Heavenly Way, and that the world would onlyst a hundred years in total.

    Qing Ling was riding in front of Gao Yang, her back pressed against his chest. The bumpy ride made the strands of hair under her headdress fly up and tickle Gao Yang¡¯s nose every once in a while, the faint fragrance pleasant.

    Leading the way, Amo started talking about the unofficial history of the pharaohs and queens.

    Disinterested, Qing Ling leaned forward and tugged at the reins to stop the camel¡¯s mindless advance. It lifted its long neck.

    She touched its furry head with her left hand.

    The camel harrumphed in an adorable way.

    Satisfied, Qing Ling rxed the reins and patted the camel on the neck. It lowered its head slowly before continuing to travel forth.

    Gao Yang chuckled and asked quietly, ¡°Little Qing Ling?¡±

    Little Qing Ling¡¯s silence was an answer in itself. She looked over her shoulder at Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s so obedient.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re gentle animals.¡±

    Little Qing Ling took out her phone and handed it to Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s take a selfie with the camel. It has to be in the picture!¡±

    Gao Yang was a little exasperated, but at the same time, it was typical tourist behavior. He took the phone and tilted his body to the side, raising the phone and aiming the camera at his back. ¡°Look at the camera.¡±

    Little Qing Ling turned around and made a peace sign at the camera, beaming carefreely.

    <i>Click. </i>The picture captured half of Gao Yang¡¯s face, Qing Ling¡¯s entire face and half of her body, and the back of the camel¡¯s head, as well as the distant desert and triangr towers.

    ¡°Dr. Jia!¡±

    Now that there were no other tourists around, Gray Bear could no longer take it. He shouted in their native tongue, ¡°What the fuck are monsters?!¡±

    Amo, leading the way, didn¡¯t react at all. It seemed that he didn¡¯t understand thenguage, and even if he did, he would most likely be a mere wanderer.

    Dr. Jia was taking pictures with his phone, having long forgotten about the conversation.

    He casually said, ¡°Battlefields.¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡± Gray Bear pped his own face. ¡°He lost his mind again.¡±

    Dr. Jia put away his phone and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m wide awake. You¡¯re just not smart enough.¡±

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t lose his temper. ¡°Say that again. What are monsters?¡±

    ¡°Battlefields,¡± Dr. Jia repeated.

    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m not smart enough either,¡± Nine Frost said self-deprecatingly.

    ¡°I mean it literally. Monsters are battlefields, territories. Get it?¡±

    Gao Yang chewed on the response. He seemed to have gotten what Dr. Jia meant, but couldn¡¯t immediately put it into words clearly.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him toe up with a more urate analogy though. ¡°The chessboard. Monsters are the chessboard!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good analogy!¡± Dr. Jia gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°In that vein, the Heavenly Way and the Mist are the chess yers, and we humans¡ªmainly the awakeners¡ªare the chess pieces, while the monsters are the chessboard.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I get it.¡± Gray Bear said in realization, but then he quickly frowned. ¡°Wait! No, no, no. Shouldn¡¯t monsters be chess pieces too?¡±

    ¡°No, monsters are the chessboard.¡± War Tiger smiled. He had understood as well.

    ¡°My unproven guess is that monsters are a byproduct of the sh between the Mist and the Heavenly Way.¡± Dr. Jia nced at Amo, their guide. ¡°Have you yed a game called <i>Garbage Collector 4</i>[1]?¡±

    They exchanged a nce. None of them had yed the game.

    ¡°Hm, think of it this way: the Heavenly Way and the Mist are two powerful nations, and they waged wars and dropped nuclear bombs on the world, resulting in global nuclear contamination. Monsters are the embodiment of the resulting environmental damage.¡±

    ¡°We awakeners are the scouting teams of the Heavenly Way, picking up trash to fight for survival in the hostile environment of nuclear contamination.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again,¡± Dr. Jia repeated for emphasis. ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t our enemies, but a representation of the irreversible environmental damage. It is inevitable for awakeners to be contaminated and hurt in our fight to survive in the hostile world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said that monsters aren¡¯t enemies, but the battlefield. The unawakened ones among humans are the reserve force hiding in underground bunkers, while the awakeners¡ªthe scouting teams¡ªare responsible for picking up trash above ground to collect resources. In the process, we get contaminated by radiation, and to fight radiation, the Heavenly Way assigns us with equipment randomly, which are the Talents.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t call radiation our enemies since our real enemy is the one casting the nuclear bomb, the Mist. The radiation is merely a product of the war. The monsters are the radiation, the territory and the chessboard. We are the chess pieces sent by the Heavenly Way, but both the Heavenly Way and the Mist are now moving us as chess pieces.¡±

    Dr. Jia sighed. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I can¡¯t make it clearer.¡±

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. The hypothesis was simr to his guesses in concept.

    The nature of humans and monsters, and the divine nature.

    Combined with the analogy, couldn¡¯t it be said that the fight between divine natures had resulted in the uncontrolled surge in monsters¡¯ nature? And the remaining human nature was struggling in the marsh of monsters¡¯ nature...

    Gao Yang¡¯s thoughts were entangled. He stopped himself from getting overly philosophical.

    ¡°Fuck, I feel confused.¡± Gray Bear frowned. ¡°But I also feel like I¡¯ve understood something.¡±

    The others were in the same boat.

    ¡°If that is the case, what are the two major nations, the Heavenly Way and the Mist, doing right now?¡± Little Qing Ling had been listening intently. She had to brief her sisterter to make sure she didn¡¯t be a hindrance, or her sister wouldn¡¯t let her take over again.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. They are still fighting.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± asked Lithe Snake.

    ¡°For territory, for resources, for authority, or just for the hell of it. Who knows?¡± Dr. Jia spread his hands. ¡°Anyhow, the fact that our areas of activity have been shrinking means that the Heavenly Way is losing to the Mist, and we¡¯ll face doom sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you conclude that the world only has a hundred-year lifespan? I think it¡¯ll cease to exist then, wholly devoured by the Mist. Don¡¯t ask me what the Mist is though. I¡¯m a genius, but not God.¡±

    Gray Bear said in irritation, ¡°You! Would you not say something so terrifying in such a casual tone?¡±

    ¡°Firstly, it¡¯s just my guess,¡± Dr. Jia said. ¡°Secondly, if the Mist wins, it wins. Whatever happens, we¡¯re all parts of the vast universe. We¡¯ll continue to live in a different form. Join them if you can¡¯t beat them. There¡¯s no shame in that. Widen your perspective.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Gray Bear huffed, but he couldn¡¯t find aeback to that.

    ¡°Ha.¡± War Tiger lit a cigarette. ¡°Such philosophical debate is too abstract. I¡¯m ayman who only cares about the present.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± Gray Bear gave War Tiger a thumbs-up for putting his thoughts into words. ¡°That¡¯s what having perspective really looks like!¡±

    1. A reference to <i>Fallout 4</i>. It¡¯s a meme among yers that you¡¯re basically just picking up trash to advance the game. ?

 Chapter 532: Wait

    <h4>Chapter 532: Wait</h4>

    As they chatted, they arrived at a dune with their camels. From the vantage point, they could take in all nine triangr towers in the desert, the view awe-inspiring.

    Dr. Jia shared a few words with Amo. They didn¡¯t rush toward the towers, but instead got off their camels and took advantage of their roles as tourists, taking quite a lot of pictures from above the dune.

    Including, of course, the ssic forced perspective funny photos where they propped up a tower with one hand or swallowed one whole.

    The setting sun hung low above the horizon like a red te, casting the whole desert in red. It looked bleak, magnificent, and tragically beautiful.

    ¡°I heard that there was a ce where the nine triangr towers seemed to line up, Amo,¡± Dr. Jia asked when he deemed it appropriate.

    ¡°Um.¡± Amo seemed a little reluctant. ¡°I do know the ce...¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we go?¡± Gray Bear came over, his heavy boots creaking on the sand.

    ¡°You can.¡± Amo smiled shrewdly. ¡°But that¡¯ll be a different price.¡±

    War Tigerughed. ¡°We¡¯ll pay. Lead the way.¡±

    They got back onto their camels and continued their journey. After a while, the night fell with the sun setting in the west. The clouds looked like they were burning above the triangr towers, beautiful like andscape painting from a long time ago.

    They reached arge dune and stood at the top, seeing the cluster of towers of different sizes, like a whole family of them.

    It wasn¡¯t that incredible a sight.

    Since they were here, though, they might as well take some more pictures.

    ¡°Alright, Amo. You should head back.¡± Dr. Jia took out two paper bills. ¡°Keep the rest as tips.¡±

    Amo was surprised. ¡°We haven¡¯t gone to the towers, and without camels, it¡¯ll be difficult for you to head back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± Dr. Jia insisted.

    Amo continued to argue, ¡°It¡¯s going to be night. It¡¯ll be freezing. You...¡±

    He copsed before he could finish.

    Lithe Snake had gone up to Amo from behind and knocked him out with a knife-hand strike. ¡°No need to waste your breath. Just put him to sleep.¡±

    Gao Yang huffed. <i>You¡¯re a man of action, for sure.</i>

    Lithe Snake lifted Amo onto a camel and put clothes on him to keep him warm, urging the camel to head back where they came from.

    Dr. Jia didn¡¯tment on that. He looked over at the triangr towers in the distance. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The seven of them walked for more than ten minutes, making it across seven or eight t ins to reach a small basin under a dune. It was about half the size of a ser field, looking no different from the surrounding area.

    Gray Bear was the first to make it down and look around. ¡°I don¡¯t see an altar.¡±

    ¡°This is the ce,¡± Dr. Jia said with confidence. ¡°Eight years ago, I came here to survey the border of the Mist World. Then I cked out suddenly. When I came to, it was already night. I discovered this altar by ident.¡±

    <i>No wonder he asked about where the triangr towers seemed to line up first. That was how Dr. Jia memorized the exact location, or it would be difficult to find his way back in a desert, where every ce looks the same.</i>

    ¡°I remember it was midnight. The altar showed up all of a sudden. My head was a little hazy, but it¡¯s unlikely to be a dream. I remember that the pattern on the altar resembled a bird.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell everyone that earlier?¡± asked Gray Bear.

    ¡°There are many strange things in the Mist World, and no one knew the pattern had something to do with life monsters back then. I was gonnae back to investigate, but I forgot about it not long after.¡±

    Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t believe that from anyone else, but it made senseing from Dr. Jia.

    War Tiger nced at his watch. ¡°There¡¯s still a long time until twelve. Let¡¯s wait.¡±

    They sat down under the dune and took off their backpacks, having some biscuits and water as they waited.

    Night fell, the sky lit by brilliant stars and the grayish blue moonlight. Shrouded in darkness, the triangr towers looked dignified yet lonesome.

    Rather than sitting around, Lithe Snake and Gray Bear worked together to dig a hole about two meters deep with bare hands.

    ¡°So?¡± Lithe Snake asked from outside the hole.

    Gray Bear climbed out and dusted his butt. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    War Tiger smiled, having anticipated it. ¡°If the altar were simply buried under the sand, it would¡¯ve been long discovered.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Gray Bear turned to Gao Yang. ¡°When you went to the shrine in Ind Nation, the altar wasn¡¯t there at first, was it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The altar was hidden. It didn¡¯t show up under our feet until Zhuang Mei made an appearance.¡±

    ¡°Then would the altar note out without a life monster this time?¡± Gray Bear was a little worried.

    ¡°Possibly.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic.

    They all turned to Dr. Jia then, who was fidgeting with the carved walnuts in his right hand, sitting cross-legged. ¡°What? I saw itst time. Didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d see it again this time.¡±

    ¡°When you saw the altarst time, did something happen that you remember clearly?¡± asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°I remember seeing a white phoenix flying above my head.¡± Before the others could perk up, Dr, Jia said, ¡°Are you expecting me to give a clue like that? Of course that wasn¡¯t the case. I was lightheaded at the time. Consider it lucky that I even remember the ce.¡±

    ¡°Are we gonnae all the way here without getting anything?¡± Gray Bear put his hands on his hip, feeling anxious.

    War Tiger, on the other hand, was patient. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until twelve o¡¯clock first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, perhaps a life monster will show up then.¡± Lithe Snake curled his lips at Gao Yang. ¡°Just like what happened with Captain.¡±

    Everyone fell silent, the atmosphere tense.

    Lithe Snake looked them over. ¡°That was a joke.¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled silently, <i>And you canugh about a life monster with a danger level of 14000 times?</i>

    ¡°Ah, shit.¡± War Tiger had a half-finished cigarette in his mouth. ¡°We should¡¯ve brought healers here. We¡¯ll be in big trouble if we are fighting a life monster.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just here to investigate the altar,¡± Gray Bear said a little weakly. ¡°We¡¯ll at most find the remains of a life monster, right? We aren¡¯t fighting a living one, are we?¡±

    ¡°Anything can happen,¡± said Qing Ling.

    Gray Bear felt a shudder down his spine. He turned to Nine Frost. ¡°Old Frost, do we have enough Medicine C?¡±

    ¡°Medicine C isn¡¯t good enough.¡± Dr. Jia took out a small blue bottle of pills from his pants pocket, shaking it. ¡°Try my new invention. Once consumed, you¡¯ll have one chance toe back to life if you die within the next twenty-four hours. As long as the heart and brain aren¡¯t seriously damaged, that is.¡±

    ¡°Come on! Give me a pill!¡± Gray Bear urged.

    ¡°I¡¯m the weakest, while my life has the most value. I¡¯ll have one.¡± Dr. Jia opened the bottle and poured out a blue pill, popping it in his mouth.

    Then he put the rest of the pills on his palm. ¡°There are three more. Split it however you agree on.¡±

    Gray Bear took one, but stopped before putting it in his mouth. He looked at the pill and thought for a moment before turning to Gao Yang. ¡°You should have it, Captain. Your life is more...¡±

    Lithe Snake suddenly showed up and grabbed Gray Bear¡¯s hand to bring it to his mouth. Caught by surprise while he was speaking, the pill went down Gray Bear¡¯s throat before he could react.

 Chapter 533: Captain Detective

    <h4>Chapter 533: Captain Detective</h4>

    ¡°<i>Ack, ack...</i>¡± Gray Bear coughed while holding onto his neck. ¡°What the hell, Lithe Snake?! You¡¯re making me into a cowardly bastard! Do you see me as a wimp who fears death?¡±

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t even spare him a nce before taking the other two pills from Dr. Jia, having one himself while giving Nine Frost the other. Nine Frost tipped his head up and swallowed it.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Gray Bear was stunned.

    ¡°The three of us are the weakest on the team,¡± Lithe Snake exined.

    ¡°And that gives us the right to do this?¡± Gray Bear was even more confused.

    ¡°Lithe Snake is right.¡± War Tiger crossed his arms and smiled. ¡°If we run into a powerful enemyter, the weakest are the most likely to die, and if it¡¯s something not even I, Seven Shadow, and Green Snake can deal with, things will surely end in total party kill, and it won¡¯t matter who¡¯s had the resurrection pills.¡±

    Gray Bear had a moment of realization. ¡°That makes sense!¡±

    The next few hours, Lithe Snake was on look out, while the others waited where they were.

    Gray Bear kept asking Dr. Jia questions, and Dr. Jia was more than happy to answer, but what he said was eitherpletely uncharted territory to them or too abstract to understand, and he might as well be singing a luby.

    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±

    Qing Ling held up her phone, the greenish light of the screen illuminating her face.

    The others checked their phones too. It was finally midnight.

    They stopped talking without needing to be asked to, either sitting down or standing up as they stared at the grayish blue desert basin under their feet.

    Ten seconds passed.

    Then thirty seconds.

    A minute...

    ¡°There¡¯s no reaction at all!¡± Gray Bear was the first to lose his patience, agitated.

    ¡°It¡¯s only expected.¡± Lithe Snake crossed his arms.

    Gray Bear shot him a re. ¡°Hindsight is twenty-twenty.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Qing Ling nced at Gao Yang and then at War Tiger.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He was still thinking.

    War Tiger scratched his face. ¡°It¡¯s a little frustrating if we just go back without gaining anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve even taken a resurrection pill. It can¡¯t go to waste, right?¡± Gray Bear sighed. ¡°All medicines are toxins in some way. There must be a significant side effect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather the pill go to waste.¡± Lithe Snake was much more rational than he was.

    Nine Frost smiled. ¡°Same here.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps there is a side effect. After all, I¡¯ve only used it on myself.¡± Dr. Jia¡¯s upational curiosity was piqued. ¡°If you experience any negative reactions to the medicine, remember to tell me...¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia.¡± Gao Yang had finished thinking and grasped some clues. ¡°When did youst see this altar?¡±

    ¡°Eight years ago.¡±

    ¡°Be a little more precise.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Dr. Jia tried his best to recall the memory. ¡°It should be summer. It¡¯s scorching hot during the day and quite cold at night...¡±

    ¡°Eight years ago, summer,¡± Gao Yang repeated the keywords.

    ¡°The Crimson Tide?¡± Qing Ling guessed what Gao Yang was thinking immediately.

    Gao Yang nodded and turned to look at everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my spection.¡±

    ¡°Captain¡¯s deduction time mayete, but it alwayses.¡± Lithe Snake walked down from the dune.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Gray Bear pped his thigh. ¡°I almost forgot that our captain has another identity, Jin Tiannan the great detective!¡±

    Once the words were out of his mouth, he felt a pang of mncholy. There had been five people who got the inside joke, and now there were only three, and the only surviving little one who knew the joke wasn¡¯t here.

    Gao Yang looked down at the sand at his feet, speaking at a deliberate pace, ¡°Based on what we know at the moment, this isn¡¯t a regr altar, but a manifestation of energy that¡¯s sealed and doesn¡¯t show up without a proper trigger. Every time one shows up, it¡¯s rted to a life monster, so we believe life monsters to be keys to activating an altar.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°The first life monster altar we saw was the one in the mountain behind the No.7 Winery in West Nation. The altar was in in sight because the remains of a life monster covered the entire mountain, which effectively left the key inserted. That was why the altar didn¡¯t need to be activated to be visible.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± War Tiger approved, stroking his chin.

    ¡°The second altar is in the Ind Nation. There¡¯s the White Crane Shrine on Mount Kei, standing beside Mount Tamaougi. We went there and didn¡¯t see an altar, but then...¡±

    ¡°Zhuang Mei showed up,¡± Qing Ling said in remembrance.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang turned to Qing Ling. ¡°As soon as Zhuang Mei showed up, the life monster altar appeared under her feet. It was an energy field that got activated.¡±

    He shifted his gaze to Dr. Jia. ¡°When youst saw the altar, Dr. Jia, it should be around thest Crimson Tide.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion BIrd got a few things out of Edmond¡¯s body. Life monsters have two main duties: first, they produce Forlorn Ghosts and two other beings. The Forlorn Ghosts are Spectres, and Edmond didn¡¯t say what the two other beings were. It may be that he¡¯d run out of time, or he had been unable to voice the answer. It¡¯s not too far-fetched that he would be censored by the life monster¡¯s energy after death when he was killed by one...¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Gray Bear was shocked. ¡°Is that all true?¡±

    Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were shocked too. They didn¡¯t know any of that.

    War Tiger smiled. As one of the leaders of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he was naturally informed about discovery. He nced at Gao Yang. ¡°Is it alright for you to just say it?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem concerned. ¡°Everyone will know sooner orter. There¡¯s no reason to keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± War Tiger said carelessly.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Life monsters¡¯ second duty is sowing seeds. All dead wanderers turn into energy seeds...¡±

    ¡°What energy seeds?¡± Dr. Jia was interested.

    ¡°This is just one school of thoughts. You may consider it the gic makeup of a clone.¡± Gao Yang used a different analogy.

    Dr. Jia understood immediately. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Gao Yang went on with his exnation. ¡°The energy seeds return to the Gates of Closure or some other ce¡ªthe life monster altars, for example. And during the decennial Crimson Tide, the seeds will be nted into wanderers through the blood fog, empowered by life monsters and the altars. The wanderers with the energy seeds were none the wiser as they became adults and started families, giving birth to children like regr humans...¡±

    Dr. Jia concluded excitedly, ¡°They don¡¯t actually procreate, but reincarnate. Or it¡¯d be more urate to say they are replicating themselves!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Haha, how interesting!¡± Dr. Jia took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ve got to note all of that down. I¡¯ll go over everythingter.¡±

    The others chewed on what Gao Yang had said.

    Gao Yang waited for half a minute. When Gray Bear¡¯s eyebrows rxed somewhat, Gao Yang continued, ¡°Based on all that, my guess is that Dr. Jia had seen the altar not out of simple happenstance, but because it was right before or right after the Crimson Tide, and the energy in the altar hadn¡¯t faded.¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°Dr. Jia being lightheaded back then could be a result of the Crimson Tide too.¡±

    Nine Frost spoke up, ¡°Crimson Tides don¡¯t put awakeners to sleep, but awakeners can be affected in some way. Dark Li, my teammate in the past, reacted to the previous Crimson Tide like he was drunk. He felt terrible and threw up in response. Dr. Jia could be responding to the energy of the altar because he was too close to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll exin it,¡± Dr. Jia said approvingly.

    War Tiger sighed. ¡°We may have figured things out, but we can¡¯t activate the altar without a life monster... Wait, that¡¯s not right...¡±

    He pped himself on the head. ¡°We came to the altar looking for a life monster. If a life monster shows up, why did we evene all the way here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Nine Frost let out a soft sigh.

    ¡°Are we really fighting a life monster?¡± Gray Bear smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Actually,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I may be able to activate the altar.¡±

 Chapter 534: You Know Me

    <h4>Chapter 534: You Know Me</h4>

    Everyone turned to Gao Yang.

    ¡°How?¡± Gray Bear¡¯s face darkened as soon as he asked the question. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to lure a life monster here, are you, Captain?¡±

    ¡°How am I going to do that?¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly, turning to War Tiger. ¡°Deputy, a word in private.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± War Tiger smiled brightly and put an arm around Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders in a friendly manner. They walked to the side.

    ¡°Can I trust you, Uncle Tiger?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    War Tiger narrowed his eyes at Gao Yang with a profound smile. ¡°Did Dragon tell you something when he went to Ind Nation?¡±

    Gao Yang started. As expected of the man Dragon trusted the most. He caught on quickly.

    With a serious expression, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, but I promise you that we¡¯re on the same boat.¡±

    <i>At least until we open the Gates of Closure.</i>

    ¡°Listen to you.¡± War Tiger arched an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ve always been on the same boat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear, Uncle Tiger.¡± Gao Yang let out a long sigh. ¡°Can Dr. Jia be trusted?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± War Tiger said without thinking.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not malicious,¡± War Tiger said with resignation, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t know what a secret is, and he answers all questions anyone asks him.¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to the way the man acted, and indeed, that was the case.

    ¡°Okay, then please have him leave for a moment.¡±

    Gao Yang and War Tiger went back to the group. War Tiger nced at Dr. Jia. ¡°Dr. Jia, give us some space. We have things to discuss.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. <i>And you just told him that? I thought you would find an excuse.</i>

    ¡°Sure.¡± Dr. Jia didn¡¯t seem to care. He turned and left.

    Once he was far enough away, Gao Yang turned to his teammates. ¡°Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost.¡±

    The three turned to him.

    ¡°Can I trust you?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    The three of them paused. They didn¡¯t expect their captain to ask the question like they weren¡¯t a team.

    But they weren¡¯t so obstinate that they wouldn¡¯t realize that this was an important conversation.

    ¡°You know me, Captain.¡± Gray Bear was the first to speak up. He pounded on his chest. ¡°We¡¯ve been through many life-and-death situations together. Although I¡¯m years older than you, I trust and defer to you. I¡¯ve long entrusted you with my life.¡±

    ¡°And you know me, Captain.¡± Lithe Snake sneered. ¡°I joined the Qilin Guild to take revenge on Hyena. Now that it¡¯s done, I have no reason to stray anywhere.¡±

    ¡°You know me too, Captain.¡± Nine Frost¡¯s eyes glinted with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t care about anything other than erasing the Godbearer Cult. I believe you to be a man of his word.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang was moved, but he still used Lie Detection.

    Since they gave simr responses, the Talent applied to all of them together, but the results were given separately: Gray Bear didn¡¯t lie, and Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were benevolent to him.

    That should do.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Then you are my people now. I¡¯ll be frank with you, I¡¯m nted by the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    The three of them paused, but weren¡¯t too surprised.

    Gao Yang added, ¡°However, I¡¯ve never done anything harmful to the Qilin Guild. I¡¯m mostly an eye for the Zodiacs.¡±

    ¡°Haha, started out as an eye and became an Elder in two months.¡± Gray Bear gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°As expected of Captain!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what organization you serve,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°But why did you tell us that all of a sudden? Were I you, I wouldn¡¯t have told the truth now.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Nine Frost said. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to tell us the truth so soon, Captain. Everyone who knows is a risk.¡±

    Gray Bear said, ¡°Captain trust us, Nine Frost.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Nine Frost was a meticulous one. ¡°But if one of us gets killed, and Vermilion Bird questions the body, won¡¯t Captain Seven Shadow get exposed?¡±

    Gray Bear hissed. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that.¡±

    ¡°So you better live.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I was going to wait for the right time to tell you the truth, but there¡¯s something I must tell you now, or I can¡¯t proceed with the next step.¡±

    He turned to War Tiger. ¡°Since I¡¯m with people I can trust, I¡¯ll be honest. All this time, I¡¯ve had contact with the Spectres.¡±

    ¡°The Spectres?¡± War Tiger frowned.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang then told them about the four Spectres, including his involvement with Fresh Snow and White Dew.

    That was a great revtion to them all.

    ¡°Do you mean that you have half of Fresh Snow¡¯s curse energy in you now, Little Yang Yang?¡± War Tiger concluded.

    ¡°Yeah, but I got resurrected once after Lilia carved out my heart. I¡¯m not sure if I have any curse left in me.¡± Gao Yang looked at his right hand. ¡°Still, I want to give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡± Qing Ling could guess what Gao Yang was up to.

    ¡°Haha.¡± War Tiger had caught on too. ¡°Do it then. There¡¯s no harm in that.¡±

    ¡°Catch.¡± Lithe Snake drew his ck Gold dagger and threw it to Gao Yang. ¡°Captain, you better make yourself a weapon to carry on your person. It¡¯s unwise to rely on your Talent too much.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang agreed. ¡°Thanks for the gift.¡±

    Lithe Snake paused. <i>Seriously?</i>

    ¡°That¡¯s a joke. I¡¯ll pay you once I get paid.¡± Gao Yang walked to the center of the basin with the dagger.

    ¡°Ah, I get it now.¡± Gray Bear finally came to the realization. ¡°Your blood, right? Spectres are born from life monsters, and Captain carries the curse of a Spectre, making him half a Spectre in a sense. Then Captain¡¯s blood may contain a life monster¡¯s energy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Gao Yang sliced his left palm open and lowered his hand, allowing the blood to drip to the sandy ground under his feet.

    ¡°My blood may activate the altar.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±

 Chapter 535: Wish Hor Dash

    <h4>Chapter 535: Wish Hor Dash</h4>

    Outside of Dr. Jia, who had been sent away, all members of the Action Unit looked down at the ground around Gao Yang¡¯s feet, waiting with bated breath.

    A pool had formed at some point, the blood soaking into the yellow sand and turning it into viscous brown clumps.

    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Qing Ling walked up to Gao Yang with Medicine C.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna lose too much blood...¡±

    <i>Hum.</i>

    Suddenly, there was the sound of energy resonating. With Gao Yang¡¯s feet as the center, a circle of translucent milky energy rippled outward across the yellow sand. They all felt a devilish force pass through their bodies, triggering a numbness that silenced the energy in their bodies. The recovery came a secondter.

    ¡°It works!¡± Gao Yang said with joy. It seemed that his blood could be used as a spare key.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Qing Ling grabbed his bleeding hand and injected it with a quarter dose of Medicine C.

    The basin transformed.

    White energy emerged from below Gao Yang¡¯s feet like an underground spring, spreading outward in five beams of light and quickly drawing the precise form of an altar: a circle with ancient holy patterns, at the center of which was the symbol of a flying giant bird with round abdomen.

    ¡°The altar! It¡¯s an altar!¡±

    Gray Bear was brimming with excitement and quickly took out his phone to make a recording. He had missed it when this happened in the West Nation and the Ind Nation. This time, he was finally present to witness it. He had to record it.

    ¡°Just like the two altars we¡¯ve seen.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s face looked pale with the light of the altar hitting him from below.

    ¡°Now that the altar is here, what do we do?¡± War Tiger came up to Gao Yang with his hands in his pockets.

    That was a question Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how to answer. They hade all the way here looking for an altar and the relevant clues in order to find out more about life monsters and the Mist World.

    ¡°Call Dr. Jia back and have him study the altar. Perhaps he¡¯ll figure something out.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± War Tiger was just about to turn around when his head suddenly sunk down.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one reacting. They all felt a powerful pressureing from above. Nine Frost and Lithe Snake were the first to drop to one knee, unable to stand up, followed by Gray Bear and Qing Ling. They propped themselves up with both hands on the ground, struggling to resist the terrible gravity.

    ¡°Ah...what¡¯s going on...¡± Gray Bear clenched his teeth and tried to look up, but couldn¡¯t.

    Gao Yang and War Tiger were the only ones still standing, but only barely.

    Muscles tensing as he tapped into his energy, Gao Yang slowly looked up to have a look at the source of the pressure above. But then with a whoosh, the sandy ground beneath his feet sunk, and he fell.

    The ground beneath him had turned into turbulent quicksand. Gao Yang immediately used Teleportation to escape, but it failed with the pressure weighing down on him.

    Soon, the cool, fine quicksand submerged him. He lost his foothold, and he could no longer see or struggle. He was helpless against the quicksand quickly pulling his body down.

    It was only after twenty seconds that he could see again.

    He had gotten out of the quicksand and was falling into a deeper abyss.

    With a snap of his finger, a ring of brilliant mes circled him, illuminating his surroundings.

    ¡°Metal!¡±

    The next second, Gao Yang heard Qing Ling¡¯s voice. He turned around to find Qing Ling standing stably on her Tang Dao, diving toward Gao Yang in a diagonal trajectory.

    Gao Yang reached out to take Qing Ling¡¯s hand, hopping onto her Tang Dao and putting his arms around her.

    ¡°Holy!¡±

    Gray Bear cried out from ten meters below them.

    Gao Yang brought him and Qing Ling closer to Gray Bear with a teleport, grabbing Gray Bear¡¯s hand.

    Gray Bear looked up to see his captain saving him. He was just about to express his thanks when a pair of hands grabbed his face, pulling his nose into an upturned one that resembled a pig¡¯s nose.

    It was Lithe Snake. He barely stopped his fall by stepping onto Gray Bear¡¯s back and grabbing his face with both hands.

    ¡°Leash Shake...you fucking...wish hor dash...¡±

    Gray Bear was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even speak clearly.

    ¡°Here!¡±

    A voice came from behind them. Qing Ling turned around to see War Tiger grabbing onto Nine Frost and falling quickly.

    She turned the de around to rush diagonally over to them. Gray Bear calmed himself and grabbed War Tiger. Finally, all six members were safe.

    Qing Ling was at her weight-carrying limit. Dragging five teammates, she tried her best to slow their flow. A few secondster, War Tiger let go first, jumping down from twenty meters and made a safending.

    The others followed suit, jumping down at a height they could handle.

    Finally, Qing Ling and Gao Yangnded easily with the Tang Dao.

    They made a circle and collected their breaths. Gao Yang raised his hand to conjure a small, hovering fireball, which illuminated their surroundings like a re.

    They saw with difficulty that it was arge, empty underground cavern. They could vaguely make out a number of stone pirs and stone statues.

    ¡°We sank down through the sand for no more than thirty seconds, followed by a freefall of a little more than ten seconds.¡± Lithe Snake made a rough estimation. ¡°This is at least 200 meters underground.¡±

    ¡°A Rune Cave?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Reasons being?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°My intuition.¡±

    The actual reason was that the system didn¡¯t give him a notification, but he couldn¡¯t say that.

    ¡°Could this be the underground mausoleum of the rulers of ancient Ni Nation?¡± Nine Frost spected.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve agreed with you if I didn¡¯t know the Mist World onlysts a hundred years.¡± War Tiger moved his shoulders around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look around,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Qing Ling immediately started walking. Gao Yang grabbed her. ¡°Move to the center.¡±

    Qing Ling thought for a moment and didn¡¯t argue.

    Gao Yang took point, giving out orders. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way. Follow after me, Lithe Snake. Qing Ling and NIne Frost would stay in the center. Gray Bear and Uncle Tiger stay in the back.¡±

    ¡°Good call.¡± War Tiger approved Gao Yang¡¯s decision.

    Gao Yang had the system giving him warning. If they ran into danger, he would react a second before the others. And with Teleportation, he was the one most suited for being the pointman.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s Gecko gave him night vision, allowing him to detect dangers better than others. Following Gao Yang, he would be an effective scout.

    Gray Bear was a tank who could take damage, and War Tiger was strong. The two of them would watch out for ambushes in the back.

    Raising his right hand, Gao Yang maintained a stable fireball above his palm, lighting up the twenty meters radius.

    They walked a few minutes before they came to a stop.

    Before them was a doorway consisting of two giant stone pirs.

 Chapter 536: Obelisk

    <h4>Chapter 536: Obelisk</h4>

    The stone pirs were etched with ancient Ninguage. Unfortunately, their resident genius Dr. Jia wasn¡¯t here, and they couldn¡¯t decipher the writings. Nine Frost took out his phone to take pictures of the pirs forter studying.

    They walked through the stone pirs gateway to the path that was about ten meters wide, which was two meters lower in height. On the sides were slope tforms that resembled a levee, on top of which were stone statues the size of a bus.

    Each statue was abination of a human head and the body of different mammals. With their feet pressed together, they crouched low, facing the path and looking down at their feet like two rows of dignified yet insidious guards.

    The path was about a hundred meters tall, leading to an ascending stairway. Beside it was a decayed wooden boat.

    ¡°This ce could be above ground in the past,¡± Gao Yang guessed. ¡°The path was a small river, and a boat had to be taken to reach the other side.¡±

    They all nodded, picturing it in their heads:

    The ancient Ni citizens took the head and the tail of a wooden boat, rowing to make it across the river. On the sides of the river, the stone statue crouching at water level lowered their heads, eyeing each person with authority as they crossed the river.

    The six of them walked through the now dried bed, reaching a rampart built with countlessrge stone bricks. With the underground space enveloped by darkness, the rampart seemed to extend endlessly to the top, left, and right.

    At the center of the rampart was a narrow corridor less than two meters wide. The end was beyond their sight.

    It looked like a long, narrow valley made by a giant swinging an ax.

    Gao Yang made sure his system hadn¡¯t issued a warning before walking into the corridor. The others followed in order. Within the corridor, Gao Yang was hit with a curious feeling. On his sides were thick, sturdy walls, and when he looked up, he could only see an oppressive-looking dark gap.

    It was as if he was having a nightmare, lost in a suffocating and bizarre supernatural corridor.

    ¡°This ce unnerves me.¡± Gray Bear ced his hand on the rough wall, his fingernails making strange scratchy sounds as he walked.

    ¡°Stop. That only makes it worse,¡± Lithe Snake shot back.

    ¡°This space is bigger than I thought,¡± Nine Frost marveled. ¡°And it seems real.¡±

    War Tiger heard his unspoken words. ¡°Are you thinking that the ancient Ni Nation in history could have existed for real?¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°This looks like the ruin of the ancient Ni Nation. Based on our spection, the Mist World only exists for a hundred years, and the past history is fabricated. Why, then, did the Heavenly Way go through the trouble to create a ruin like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gray Bear had the same question. ¡°In theory, the triangr towers above ground should make things believable enough. There¡¯s no reason to create such a great ruin underground. Whose benefit is this for? Wanderers don¡¯t need further proof, and awakeners won¡¯t normally have a chance to see this ce.¡±

    Gao Yang found it illogical as well. It seemed like wasted effort.

    ¡°We¡¯ll y twenty questionster,¡± War Tiger urged. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the present.¡±

    They ended the conversation and continued to walk further in on full alert.

    A few minutester, the six of them finally made it out of the long narrow corridor, and their vision opened up.

    Gao Yang moved his energy and threw the fireball in his hand into the air. Like a small sun, the fireball slowly rose before scattering with a bang, lighting up the whole ce for a moment.

    They saw clearly that they had reached arge circr clearing.

    It was shaped like a fried egg. The six of them were currently in the egg white area, arge forest of stone pirs. And the egg yolk area was therge, t circr court. Due to their sights being obstructed, they couldn¡¯t make out more, but it was clear that the egg yolk area was located at the heart of the underground space.

    They weaved amid the stone pirs, feeling like a flea walking on the scalp of an animal.

    Each stone pir was carved with ancient writings and abstract symbols. Walking in the center of the line, Qing Ling and Nine Frost made recordings here and there with the light from Gao Yang¡¯s fire.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to make it out of the forest of stone pirs and arrive at the central court. Again, Gao Yang fired a fireball as re.

    The court was about the size of a ser field. The only architecture they could see was the ck obelisk erected at the heart of it, which was about three meters in diameter.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Gao Yang said in a low voice, leading the way.

    When they went up to the obelisk, the re above them had just about scattered.

    Gao Yang felt the tip of his foot drop. He looked down to see a trench about a few centimeters wide, in which was a thick brown substance that seemed like oil.

    After some thinking, he conjured a small fire at his fingertip. With a curl of his finger, the fire fell into the trench.

    <i>Crackle. </i>The brown oily substance was ignited instantly, the mes spreading quickly in two lines at increasing speed and bifurcating further. In three seconds, the mes drew a delicate pattern on the circr za.

    It was bright like daytime. They stood amid the burning pattern and quickly recognized it as the pattern of a life monster. The whole court was an altar.

    Their faces darkened in response.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get out of here?¡± Gray Bear wasn¡¯t a coward, and he always enjoyed a good fight or a good adventure.

    However, he considered it foolish to walk into a fight he couldn¡¯t win, where his death wouldn¡¯t even be a glorious one.

    ¡°How?¡± Lithe Snake retorted. ¡°Go back the same way and crawl up the quicksand?¡±

    ¡°All you know is stating the fucking obvious!¡± Gray Bear snapped, riled up. Looking around, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can say the same thing when a life monster shows up.¡±

    ¡°Rx, Old Bear.¡± War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll burn the bridge when we get to it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll <i>cross </i>the bridge,¡± Qing Ling corrected.

    War Tiger was just about to say something when his eyes glinted. He hurried his steps and went up to Gao Yang. ¡°Found something, Leader?¡±

    Gao Yang was standing in front of the obelisk, where a ck stone coffin was erected. The coffin was 3 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide.

    On the obelisk was a mural, the colors dark and the texture rough.

    Gao Yang scowled at it.

    War Tiger went up to take a look. The mural portrayed a white bird¡ªit had to be a life monster. And the white bird¡¯s wings were twisted like they had been broken. Its expression was pained, if a head with only an eye could be considered to have an expression.

    On its protruding round belly, a slit appeared where its belly button should be, from which emerged countless thin ck lines. They looked like congealed strands of blood, or some sort of evil dark magic.

    The ck strands extended outward to another side of the obelisk. Gao Yang and War Tiger walked to the left to see another side.

    Indeed, the second mural was a continuation of the first one.

 Chapter 537: Open Coffin

    <h4>Chapter 537: Open Coffin</h4>

    In the mural, an unclothed child sat amid countless thin ck lines. They appeared to be three or four, and they had ck hair and ck eyes. The way they sat kept their genitalia covered. They radiated bright light with a pure smile on their face.

    Although the paint used for the mural was dark and desaturated, the end product looked unusually holy.

    Gao Yang noticed that the ck lines hadn¡¯t touched the kid, but instead shied away from them and spread to other directions, extending to the third side of the obelisk.

    By then, the others had all gotten drawn by what was depicted by the murals, and they moved left around the obelisk together.

    Amid the strange ck lines was another three or four years old child crawling on the ground. Their sex was still impossible to determine. Unlike the first child, they had silver hair and red eyes, the corners of their mouth downturned, looking sad and dejected.

    The ck lines didn¡¯t grapple the child, but one line did pierce through their heart like a needle.

    ¡°Spectre,¡± Qing Ling identified. The silver hair and red eyes were too identifiable.

    ¡°Forlorn Ghost.¡± Lithe Snake spoke their full name.

    ¡°Yeah, must be one.¡± War Tiger concluded the same thing. ¡°Edmond said that life monsters can give birth to three different creatures, which must be what are depicted by the obelisk.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t Spectres born with curses?¡± Gray Bear noticed the line. ¡°Is the ck line piercing them the curse?¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Seems so.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart pounded, his face pale. He had to quietly use Psychic Armor to calm himself down.

    He continued forward, finally getting to the fourth side of the obelisk, the final mural.

    It also depicted a crawling child at three or four whose sex couldn¡¯t be told, but the child wasn¡¯t a normal creature, but a shape consisting of the ck lines¡ªor they could be said to be the ck lines themselves.

    Their face, formed by ck lines, had only a pair of empty white eyes and a mouth. It was abstract, yet Gao Yang could sense their fury, madness, hatred, and malice.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart quickened, and the blood in his body cooled.

    ¡°Gao Yang?¡± Qing Ling called out to him. He jerked out of his thoughts.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked with a frown.

    Gao Yang shook his head and smiled faintly. ¡°Nothing. I just lost myself in it for a moment.¡±

    ¡°The child looks different from the other two.¡± Gray Bear frowned.

    ¡°Looks evil,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    Nine Frost was also unnerved. ¡°Like the devil.¡±

    War Tiger made a thoughtful sound. ¡°Everyone, my guess is that the corpse of a life monster is left inside the stone coffin, a life monster in human form.¡±

    They exchanged a look and agreed with the guess to a certain extent.

    ¡°Fellows.¡± War Tiger smirked. ¡°Uncle Tiger has a tentative proposal.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to open the coffin?¡± Gray Bear had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°I do.¡± War Tiger turned to the others. ¡°Who¡¯s with me, and who¡¯s against it?¡±

    Qing Ling and Lithe Snake didn¡¯t seem to care.

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no other path here. It¡¯s a gamble we have to make.¡±

    Gao Yang seemed bemused, and he didn¡¯t say no.

    ¡°Wait, you...really are gonna open the coffin?¡± Gray Bear couldn¡¯t believe it. He was known for his recklessness, but it turned out hispanions were more reckless than he was! Was there any normal guy on the team?

    ¡°Majority rules.¡± War Tiger smiled at Gray Bear. ¡°If you will, my friend.¡±

    Gray Bear paused and pointed at his own nose. ¡°I¡¯m doing it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest among us.¡± War Tiger drew the long sword on his back and looked at the sarcophagus. ¡°I can do it too, but my way would be a little violent, perhaps disrespectful to the dead. If I trigger some trap, I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gray Bear stopped him. ¡°Allow me. Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, cover me...¡±

    Gray Bear turned around. Lithe Snake and NIne Frost took about ten steps back to stand behind War Tiger.

    ¡°Captain, cover...¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed Qing Ling¡¯s hand and teleported to a safe distance.

    They all looked at Gray Bear like he was the man for the job.

    Gray Bear swallowed a curse. <i>Yes, I can take a beating better, and I¡¯ve taken a resurrection pill, but aren¡¯t you being way too shameless now?!</i>

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Gray Bear shouted, transforming instantly into a giant bear covered in gray hair, his powerful muscles breaking his shirt. With a light tug, the shirt broke into pieces like stic wrap.

    Topless, he went up to the sarcophagus under the obelisk and observed it for a few seconds. There was a relief carved into the lid, depicting a beautiful empress dressed expensively with all sorts of jewelry. With her hands pressed together before her chest, she looked dignified and at peace.

    He moved to the side of the sarcophagus and ced his hands on the heavy lid, giving it a strong push.

    <i>ck, ck, ck.</i>

    The lid moved to the side like the hour hand of the clock moving from twelve to one. Through the small gap that was created, they could only see darkness.

    Gray Bear backed away as soon as he moved the lid. He had seen his fair share of tomb raiding movies, and he was worried that lethal gas could be released from the coffin, or perhaps a swarm of countless flesh-eating beetles.

    But there was nothing.

    Gray Bear waited more than ten seconds before he rxed. Then he moved up again and crouched down, holding onto the bottom of the coffin lid, his arm muscles bulging dramatically.

    ¡°Hahhh!¡±

    He lifted the ck coffin lid, which weighed a few tons, and moved back to ce it on the side.

    <i>Bam!</i> The lid dropped to the ground, bringing up dust, the sound of impact echoing around the court.

    With firelight illuminating the inside of the coffin, they finally had a clear look of what was inside: a female mummy whose arms were crossed before her chest. In contrast to her slim body, her abdomen protruded unnaturally.

    Gao Yang had seen pictures of mummies on the inte. The bandages wrapping around their bodies always looked dirty, significantly decayed, yet this mummy looked new, untouched by time.

    The white bandages were pristine white, even glowing faintly in a sacred way. On the bandages were lines of ck ancient sigils.

    Gao Yang¡¯s face paled instantly. He noticed that the ck sigils were moving like countless ck worms.

    ¡°Gray Bear! Come back here!¡±

 Chapter 538: Melt Flat

    <h4>Chapter 538: Melt t</h4>

    Gray Bear bolted, feeling a chilling from behind his back¡ªin the literal sense. As soon as he took his second step, the mummy inside the coffin unleashed a ripple of translucent white energy that spread across the court.

    It was familiar. It hit all of them immediately, numbing them and silencing their energy for a second.

    Then they regained control over their bodies, backing away and raising their guard.

    Inside the coffin, the ck sigils covering the mummy morphed into countless ck worms and crawled toward the mummy¡¯s protruding belly, forming a ck dot where the belly button should be. It looked like the worms had burrowed into the mummy''s abdomen.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    A short eerie and chilling cry of an infant came from the mummy¡¯s abdomen, the sound sweeping every single hair on their skin like flowing water, the strange tactile sensation triggering a deep fear.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    The white bandages covering the mummy started falling off, the ones around the belly dropping especially quickly, fluttering outward like white seaweeds underwater.

    A few secondster, they all saw the pale body of a woman split at her abdomen. An unnatural viscous ck liquid gushed out like a squid''s ink.

    ¡°Wah.¡± There was another cry; the sound seemed to seize all of their hearts. Then <i>st!</i> A dark red hand reached out through the gash on the body¡¯s abdomen. Then another hand. The two hands wed at the flesh on two sides and forced the belly open.

    [Warning, you are under extremely great danger!]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 8000 times!]

    <i>Whoosh.</i> A visible translucent crimson force shot out from the sarcophagus, giving them no time to react before enveloping the entire court at the heart of the space.

    Watch out! Gao Yang shouted to warn his teammates, but all he could hear was a gurgle that sounded like boiling water, which dampened all other sounds.

    Then the world distorted around him.

    The obelisk and the sarcophagus, the stone floor under his feet, the burning pattern on the altar, and his fivepanions¡ªthey all distorted, not objectively, but subjectively.

    Everything seemed to have turned into floppy jelly. Gao Yang lifted his right hand, and indeed, his hand seemed distorted to him as well.

    His energy struggled to move to his palm, stuttering like a badly transmitted signal. The inconsistency was stark.

    Gao Yang was reminded of a game he had yed before, <i>Human Melt t</i>[1].

    They were just like the rubber men in the game, who walked like they were boneless.

    The only ones who weren¡¯t affected was the abomination crawling out of the dead life monster¡¯s protruding belly.

    It was a meter tall with arge head and slim limbs, its figure frail. Were it a human, it would be about three years old, but malformed due to serious malnutrition.

    It didn¡¯t have hair, nose, or ears, and its eyes were two empty sockets. Its mouth opened unnaturally wide like the maw of a wild beast.

    Its body was slick, dripping with grease-like dark red liquid. Crimson bubbles burst every once in a while with a pop, like its body was boiling.

    ¡°Hah...hah...¡±

    It panted as it crawled on the ground. Strange crimson force field undted around it, the disorienting effect continuing without weakening.

    Soon, it managed to prop itself up with two frail hands on the ground.

    It stumbled and staggered in an attempt to walk forward, and after a few steps, it began to walk with steady footing. Then it ran toward Gray Bear.

    Every step it took unleashed a greater ripple of crimson energy around it, disorienting everyone on the court repeatedly.

    In beast form, Gray Bear tightened his fists in a defensive stance, but his body swayed weakly without any strength like he was drunk, while the red little abomination ran more and more quickly, having gotten used to the crimson force field. In a twisted yet consistent posture, it charged at Gray Bear.

    In the blink of an eye, it had moved more than ten meters to reach Gray Bear.

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Like a drunkard, Gray Bear swung his fist at the abomination¡¯s head with difficulty. The abomination dodged the punch easily, its right hand quickly melting and taking the shape of a red stake, piercing into Gray Bear¡¯s abdomen.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The crimson force field flowed into Gray Bear¡¯s body like an electric current, wreaking havoc inside him. The melting power instantly grew five times stronger, making a mess of all his internal organs.

    Gray Bear threw up a mouthful of blood, copsing bonelessly.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A greenish purple sh came down on the little abomination from above. It didn¡¯t even manage to turn around before its body was cut into two halves like firewood.

    It was War Tiger.

    As expected of a veteran fighter, with the help of Killing Expert, he was the first to get used to his condition and could now fight at half of his usual efficiency.

    He had a fifty percent chance of saving Gray Bear, but he chose not to so that he could make a lethal strike at the little abomination for certain.

    Gray Bear had taken Dr. Jia¡¯s medicine anyway. As long as his heart and head weren¡¯t seriously damaged, he woulde back to life. And the little abomination was only a meter tall. Given Gray Bear was close to two and a half meters tall in beast state, the little abomination was unlikely to damage his heart and head.

    War Tiger had thought through all that in two seconds.

    Then he managed to cut the little abomination in half.

    Without giving the little abomination any chance, War Tiger dropped down and whirled around as soon as hended, making a backward swing to cut the little abomination horizontally, further splitting it into four pieces.

    <i>St. Thud.</i>

    The four pieces scattered, sttering slick red liquid. However, the little abomination was clearly inhuman, and it lived.

    The four pieces rolled on the ground twice before converging like they were pulled by a powerful maic force, attempting to assemble anew.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    1. A reference to the game, <i>Human: Fall t</i> ?

 Chapter 539: Concerted Effort

    <h4>Chapter 539: Concerted Effort</h4>

    Gao Yang was the second to get used to the crimson force field. Activating level 3 Psychic Armor, he sealed all his negative emotions and quickly calmed down, getting used to the strange effect the force field had on his body and relearning how to move.

    When War Tiger ignored Gray Bear¡¯s plight so that he could dissect the little abomination while it was drawn to Gray Bear, Gao Yang, having calmed down enough, immediately figured out what War Tiger was nning, and he had tomend the man for being the cool-headed king ofbat veterans.

    And Gao Yang could guess that the little abomination wasn¡¯t going to just die.

    He teleported to the body part nearest to him and hit it with Fire without hesitation. Although his energy stuttered, he still managed to use his Talent.

    <i>Boom!</i> An unstable small pir of fire rose. The body part of a thigh and a quarter of abdomen writhed like a loach struggling on a frying pan.

    Usually, Gao Yang should¡¯ve heard the scream of the little abomination and the crackle of the burning fire, and the sounds were objectively there. But he couldn¡¯t hear them within the crimson force field, his hearing already monopolized by the gurgling white noise.

    As expected of an abomination born from a life monster. Fire that could evaporate flesh and bone in a second failed to melt the body part even after three seconds.

    The body part still managed to break out of the fire, flying toward the other three body parts.

    The little abomination reassembled, only its right thigh and abdomen were seriously burned like red wax distorted by high heat.

    War Tiger raised his de and charged.

    The little abomination bent its slim legs and leapt into the air, dodging War Tiger¡¯s horizontal sh.

    Gao Yang, despite being calmer than anyone here, was a little surprised. The little abomination had onlye to this world for less than thirty seconds, yet it had already evolved from a crawling infant to a being who could walk, run, and jump.

    It was growing up!

    Indeed, he heard the system warning.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 9000 times!]

    The little abomination had jumped high into the air, not yetnding.

    His sh missing, War Tiger leapt with both feet without hesitation, flying toward the little abomination midair with fierce de aura like a blue marble.

    Midair, the little abomination immediately tucked its arms and legs inward to curl itself into a ball. At the same time, the crimson force field around it contracted instantly and morphed into a strange eerie red amber of thick, viscous substance, enveloping it.

    A momentter, War Tiger¡¯s Green Dog Demon de stabbed at the little abomination, but it distorted the moment the de approached the red amber.

    The momentum was offset, and the de aura gone. Even War Tiger¡¯s weapon and arm distorted like rippling reflection on ake.

    War Tiger started. He had an ominous feeling about it.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang teleported to War Tiger at max distance and barely managed to push him away hard. <i>Rumble. </i>A short 0.3 secondster, the red amber doubled in size and swallowed Gao Yang.

    The melting effect tripled in force. Gao Yang felt lightheaded. All he could hear was a chorus of gurgling. His body, especially his limbs, lost their shapes like ribbons flying in the wind. Then he felt a dull pain in his chest, which fluctuated every second like an electric current with bad contact.

    War Tiger made a safending and looked up. Gao Yang, who had been devoured by the red amber, was pierced in the chest by the red de the little abomination¡¯s arm had morphed into.

    War Tiger hissed. The abomination was learning and evolving nonstop! The longer the fight dragged on, the lower their chance of winning!

    He wasn¡¯t too worried about Gao Yang. His disciple wasn¡¯t going to die so easily.

    Two secondster, the Gao Yang that got stabbed evaporated, while the real Gao Yang had already seized the chance to move to Gray Bear¡¯s side, injecting the wound on Gray Bear¡¯s abdomen with Medicine C.

    It had no effect, however. Gray Bear¡¯s body was already stiff, and his heart had stopped beating¡ªthe little abomination¡¯s attack came with a lethal curse, and the mere contact could kill!

    With Psychic Armor shielding his mind, Gao Yang felt no pain. He could only wish for Dr. Jia¡¯s resurrection pill to have an effect.

    In theory, Talent: Feigned Death should apply to all types of damage. As long as the brain and heart weren¡¯t severely damaged, it should allow one toe back to life within a certain time.

    ¡°Gray Bear¡¯s gone!¡± Gao Yang seized the chance to shout when the crimson force field was pulled back, thus allowing sounds to be heard again.

    Everyone grasped what he meant.

    They must not allow a direct hit from the little abomination tond, or they would die.

    Meanwhile, what seemed like confusion appeared on the little abomination¡¯s red face despite having no proper facial features.

    It didn¡¯t know what Double was, but as a killing machine, it quickly recorded what had happened and, in a manager of speaking, input it into its battle system.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The little abomination hovering midair extended its limbs, and the strange crimson force field extended again, spreading across the entire court.

    The passive effect of making everything seem melty returned, and they all moved like rubber men again, their hearing obstructed by gurgling.

    Two ck Gold darts and two flying knives shot toward the little abomination from different directions, aiming for its eyes and head.

    The force field, however, distorted their trajectories, and the weapons ended up hitting the little abomination¡¯s shoulder and chest.

    ck Gold weapons seemed to be its natural bane. While the darts and flying knives hadn¡¯t inflicted proper damage, they had a paralyzing effect.

    The little abomination shuddered and went into free fall.

    Mid fall, the four ck Gold weapons were spit out of the little abomination¡¯s body, and it quickly regained control over himself. A second before it would hit the ground, it made a front flip and stopped half a meter above ground.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Lithe Snake made an imperfect jump under the influence of the crimson force field, plunging toward the little abomination and thrusting the ck Gold shortsword in his hand at its head.

    The little abomination quickly lifted its left hand, morphing it into a red longsword to pierce at Lithe Snake.

    Lithe Snake had foreseen it. He raised his left hand to block it, and the red longsword pierced through his forearm. It was about to inflict a quintupled melting curse to distort Lithe Snake¡¯s blood, flesh, bones, and internal organs. Then he would die just like Gray Bear.

    Without giving the curse time toe into effect, Lithe Snake swung his shortsword without hesitation to cut off his entire arm.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang had figured out Lithe Snake¡¯s n beforehand since it wasn¡¯t his first time seeing the move. As soon as Lithe Snake cut off his arm, Gao Yang teleported Lithe Snake away from the little abomination.

    ¡°Self-Detonate!¡±

    Lithe Snake yelled.

 Chapter 540: Quick Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 540: Quick Evolution</h4>

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Lithe Snake¡¯s right arm blew up, the fire zing and emitting thick rolling smoke. The crimson force field shrouding everyone disappeared for a moment.

    Lithe Snake held on the stump of his arm as blood gushed out, his face pale.

    Nine Frost ran up to him and administered his shoulder with a shot of Medicine C without dy. He turned to the explosion not far from him. ¡°Is it dead?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. The fight is only starting.¡±

    War Tiger narrowed his eyes slightly and tightened his grip around his weapon rather than loosened it. Since Gao Yang¡¯s Fire could hurt the little abomination, Lithe Snake¡¯s Self-Detonate naturally could, too. However, it would be naive to think that a medium-level explosive would be able to kill the evil spawn of a life monster.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Nine Frost frowned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± War Tiger said in a grave tone. ¡°Should be one of the three children painted on the obelisk. Can¡¯t tell which for certain. It doesn¡¯t seem like any of them.¡±

    ¡°Should be the third one, but it mutated after death,¡± Qing Ling guessed.

    ¡°Likely so.¡±

    They thought simrly.

    First off, it must not be a Forlorn Ghost. It was stronger than a Spectre, for one, and it didn¡¯t have the signature silver hair and red eyes.

    Moreover, Spectres grew up in a simr way as a human, while this monster¡¯s quick evolution during fight didn¡¯t make any logical sense.

    It was unlikely to be the child in the second mural, either. That child radiated golden light, looking holy and friendly.

    The little abomination seemed most simr in temperament to the child consisting of ck lines on the fourth mural: evil, angry, and resentful of everything.

    Gao Yang scowled, hearing another warning in his head.

    [Luck acquisition increases to 10000.]

    ¡°Here ites!¡± he shouted.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    An insidious crimson force field emerged from the fire, dispersing the mes and the thick fog before shrouding the entire court again, pressuring everyone.

    Above the still burning ground, the little abomination hovered in the air. It had learned to fly.

    Its distorted, sickly thin body was covered in injuries left by the explosions and fire, the charred flesh and skin mixing with fat-like red liquid. The word ¡°ugly¡± wasn¡¯t even enough to describe it.

    Its empty eye sockets seemed darker still, the air of chillingness piercing.

    <i>Hiss. Hiss.</i>

    The little abomination divided.

    Like a thin sheet of paper, it split from head to pelvis into symmetrical halves like it had been torn by an invisible hand. Then the two halves each grew a limb and a leg, and their half a head grew into a smaller,plete head.

    In seconds, the little abominations had divided into two entities.

    Gao Yang started. It was imitating his Double in its own way!

    ¡°Gao Yang and I will take one!¡± War Tiger made the call decisively. ¡°You take the other!¡±

    It made sense. At the moment, the only Talents they knew to do any real damage to the little abominations were Fire and Self-Detonate, so Gao Yang and Lithe Snake had to be on different teams.

    On War Tiger¡¯s side, he would be in charge of keeping the little abomination busy, while Gao Yang would be in charge of attacking.

    On the other side, Qing Ling and Nine Frost would be upying the little abomination, while Lithe Snake attacked¡ªhe would have to sacrifice an arm or even a leg, but with level 6 Gecko enhancing his vitality, he would be able to regrow his limbs.

    Without hesitation, they did their best to adapt to the crimson force field¡¯s aversive influence on their mobility and each charged at their targets.

    While the force field did have a significant impact on War Tiger¡¯s mobility, he was still quick.

    With his flexible body, he charged at one little abomination and made a cut near the ground, sending a crescent of cool indigo de aura at it.

    The duplicate bent backward with impressive speed. It seemed that it had very few bones, if any, and it was able to bend backward at a right angle, dodging War Tiger¡¯s de aura.

    War Tiger scoffed.

    <i>Thud. </i>He jumped with both feet at his full power, giving himself a sudden boost, allowing his ¡°melting¡± body to move like rubber and fly toward the little abomination.

    The little abomination was just about to straighten its back after dodging the sh when War Tiger reached right above it in a strange, stretched-out posture.

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    At the price of tearing the muscles in his waist, War Tiger twisted his body suddenly in the air, making a beautiful sh with his Green Dog Demon de and decapitating the little abomination.

    War Tigernded a few meters away, tumbling twice before picking himself up unsteadily. He held onto his side, grimacing. ¡°Ow, ow ow...¡±

    Seizing the opening, Gao Yang teleported to the target the moment War Tiger decapitated it.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    He didn¡¯t dare to get too close, so he threw a punch at the little abomination¡¯s chest from half a meter away. Although his energy was stuttering inside him, he still managed to shoot out a fierce torrent of mes.

    The mes should¡¯ve devoured the little abomination, but the zing torrent became askew and only burned half of its body, which was to be expected. Under the influence of the crimson force field, Gao Yang¡¯s arm might as well be melting ydough. His uracy waspromised significantly.

    The little abomination still took serious damage. It quickly jumped out of the fire and soared into the air. All the while, the head it lost flew back to its neck.

    It stayed in the air, keeping a safe distance from them. With its arms and legs tucked in, it balled up and reeled in the crimson force field in a defensive stance.

    Gao Yang and War Tiger suddenly felt as light as a swallow, recovering their prime condition.

    ¡°Ugh...ugh...¡±

    Hovering above the court, the little abomination made quiet sounds that could be groans or sobs.

    Gao Yang and War Tiger didn¡¯t approach immediately. The crimson force field around the little abomination was too dense, and War Tiger had experienced what it could do.

    ...

    On the other side of the court, Qing Ling, Lithe Snake, and Nine Frost were fighting the little abomination¡¯s other duplicate.

    Now with only one arm, Lithe Snake threw a throwing knife in an attempt to upy and pin down the little abomination, while Qing Ling did the same with her ck Gold darts. Their efforts weren¡¯t too effective due to the disturbance of the crimson force field, however.

    The little abomination took the offensive, transforming its right hand into a two-meter long crimson spear and thrusting it at Qing Ling¡¯s forehead.

    Qing Ling dodged it by a hair with a sidestep. At the same time, she swung her two des upward to cut the crimson spear into three pieces.

    That, however, was a feint from the abomination. Its other hand had turned into a crimson whip at some point, and it was just about to grapple Qing Ling¡¯s waist.

    Qing Ling was caught off guard, but she didn¡¯t panic at all.

 Chapter 541: Master Match

    <h4>Chapter 541: Master Match</h4>

    In terms of pure melee fighting, Qing Ling¡¯s techniques had reached the top through nonstop hellish training and real fights. Even War Tiger praised that she was unrivaled to those weaker than he was, and could take out someone above War Tiger¡¯s level at the price of her life.

    Through her keen battle instinct, Qing Ling did three things in half a second: let go of the two des in her hands, activate Metal to thrust the des at her target, and drew the Butterfly Twin des from her outer thighs.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh. </i>The Butterfly Twin des cut the whip wrapping around her waist into three pieces at incredible speed. At the same time, the two long des pierced through the little abomination¡¯s shoulders under the control of Metal.

    Originally, Qing Ling nned to pierce through the monster¡¯s arms in order to better restrain the little abomination, but the des were skewed by the crimson force field.

    Not by much, though.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t give the little abomination the chance to react. While the force field hadpromised her coordination, swinging her arms in such short range, Qing Ling could still attack with seventy percent of her power.

    Utilizing a close range hand-to-handbat technique, Qing Ling made shes, cuts, stabs, and upward swings with the Butterfly Twin des in reverse grips, every movement flowing to the next perfectly.

    Although every injury she left was shallow, her attack speed was incredible, hitting so many points that she damaged an entire area, the attacks spread out and leaving the enemy with no time to counterattack.

    From a distance, it looked like a slim, elegantwn mower was harvesting red baileys relentlessly.

    Moreover, the energy of level 3 Electricity lingered in the Butterfly Twin des, and every two to three shes, a violet current would be triggered, applying a paralyzing effect.

    Like a heartless killing angel, Qing Ling rained down attacks at the little abomination, uracy be damned.

    Red flesh and blood scattered amid crackling violet currents. The little abomination howled with pain as it backed off, but none of the sounds reached Qing Ling.

    In ten seconds, she inflicted more than a hundred gashes on the little abomination.

    Spotting an opening, she quickly drew her des back and thrust at the little abomination¡¯s eyes.

    She suddenly shuddered, sensing the melting debuff intensifying; the crimson force field in the area was contracting toward the little abomination.

    She quickly pulled back her des and jumped backward, but with her movement slowed by the force field, she couldn¡¯t get out of range in time.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Lithe Snake had gotten close at some point, blocking the thrust with his right hand. His right palm was pierced through, bleeding profusely and quickly turning into jelly.

    The curse came into effect quickly. In two seconds, it would spread through Lithe Snake¡¯s body, and he would die.

    Without thinking, Qing Ling swung her Butterfly Twin des to cut off Lithe Snake¡¯s forearm, jumping backward to put some distance from the little abomination.

    When the pain hit, Lithe Snake thought with pleasant surprise, <i>You read my mind, Green Snake!</i>

    Enduring the pain, he jumped to the side and shouted, ¡°Self-Detonate!¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Lithe Snake forearm blew up, the power no lesser than that of a small bomb.

    This was the second time. The monster extended an arm forward and tilted its head back, shielding it with its other hand, doing its best to lessen the damage the explosion would do.

    A secondter, it still got thrown off its feet by the explosion.

    ¡°Weak Point!¡±

    Nine Frost had been waiting for it. He hadn¡¯t been doing nothing, but had approached Gray Bear and took off the man¡¯s belt to wrap around his right hand, waiting for a chance to attack¡ªhe had thought about using his own, but then it would be ridiculous for him to worry about his pants falling off as he fought.

    Now, his chance wasing.

    With his belt-wrapped right hand, Nine Frost made a heavy punch at the back of the little abomination flying his way, sending it flying toward Lithe Snake.

    Now armless, Lithe Snake jumped forward and kicked the little abomination in the chest with both feet. Caught off guard, it flew back to Nine Frost like a shuttlecock.

    Then Nine Frost made another swing, the second punch hitting the monster¡¯s back in the same spot. Due to the disturbance of the crimson force field, his punch didn¡¯tnd at the right angle, and the little abomination flew toward Qing Ling.

    ¡°Metal!¡±

    Qing Ling raised both hands to control the two Gold de weapons still buried in the monster¡¯s shoulders. Propelled by the great force, the two des quickly dragged the little abomination back to Nine Frost.

    ¡ªActivate level 6 Weak Point!

    ¡ª36 times!

    Fist clenched, Nine Frost charged at the little abomination and made the third punch. He could already picture its chest bursting and then its whole body twisting and spiraling before blowing up into pieces.

    Even if it could still reassemble, it would take a long time, during which Captain Seven Shadow would surely burn the pieces into a pool of blood with his signature methrowing.

    But that didn¡¯t happen.

    Nine Frost¡¯s belt-covered fist went awry before it couldnd a punch, the momentum offset somewhat. The punch ended up hitting the monster¡¯s abdomen, and it didn¡¯t trigger a 36 times bonus.

    Nine Frost started. The force field had returned to the monster at some point, applying a tripled melting effect. Once hit, the monster flew about seven meters away, rolling twice on the ground, but generally unhurt.

    <i>St.</i>

    The two des were spat out from the little abomination¡¯s shoulders. It quickly took flight and flew toward the other duplicate. As soon as they collided, they merged into one with a gurgle like two red jellies.

    It seemed to have realized that the duplicate tactic it learned from Gao Yang wasn¡¯t the way to go.

    Turning back to the malformed child, it hovered in the air, surrounded by an amber-like dense crimson force field.

    With its legs tucked and its arms around them, its head buried between its knees, it looked like a bullied child cowering and sobbing in a corner.

    At that moment, Gao Yang felt an indescribable pity for it.

    <i>Don¡¯t be silly, Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s not human, but an abomination that¡¯s bloodthirsty, evil, and terrifying.</i>

    <i>It just killed Gray Bear and will go on to kill all of you!</i>

    Gao Yang wiped away the unnecessary sentimental thoughts with Psychic Armor, regaining his rationality.

    And he was right to do that.

    ¡°Gahhh¡ª¡±

    A few secondster, the little abomination flew into a rage. It tipped its head up and made a furious shriek that could pierce through eardrums.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 11000 times!]

 Chapter 542: Hat Trick

    <h4>Chapter 542: Hat Trick</h4>

    After the insidious scream, the little abomination radiated bright red light like a steel ingot reaching its melting point.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The crimson force field expanded again. They all staggered and lost their bnce, the disorientating effect greater than before.

    With the help of their respective Talents, War Tiger and Gao Yang were the first to adapt to the force field, and they barely recovered their mobility. The others took longer to get used to the situation.

    Gao Yang knew they must end things now!

    The most terrifying aspect of the little abomination wasn¡¯t its strange power or unusual survivability, but its capability to quickly evolve during fights.

    Although with Lucky, Gao Yang also gained Luck points in fights, which allowed him to keep growing stronger, the little abomination grew much more quickly, at least ten times his growth rate.

    With a few more exchanges of blows, it would¡¯ve be nearly as powerful as Zhuang Mei in her life monster form! Then things would be <i>really </i>bad!

    The enhanced crimson force field covered the entire court. The little abomination ¡°melted¡± into five long round creatures, resembling giant leeches. Carrying terrifying distorting power, they rushed toward the five humans with incredible speed like they were swimming.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart clenched. He, War Tiger, and Qing Ling might be able to deal with one leech each, but Lithe Snake, now armless, and Nine Frost, who could only fight close range with his fists, would certainly die.

    Even though Lithe Snake and Nine Frost coulde back to life with the resurrection pills they had taken like Gray Bear, Gao Yang, War Tiger, and Qing Ling would have a difficult time killing all five leeches under the circumstances, with the crimson force field restraining them.

    And if they failed to kill them all, the leeches would merge again and evolve.

    Gao Yang clenched his fists, his mind on overdrive. He must use Willful Power and hit all five leeches with Fire Punch to destroy all of thempletely. However, given everyone¡¯s Talent and their way of fighting, they wouldn¡¯t be able to create the chance for him.

    <i>Damn it!</i>

    At the split second, a giant red leech shot toward Gao Yang. <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> Two ck Gold darts were thrown, but they were slowed by the force field around the red leech, and the leech dodged the darts easily by twisting its body, continuing to fly toward Gao Yang without even slowing down.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    The red leech suddenly stopped two meters from Gao Yang. Or it would be more precise to say that it had knocked into something.

    Gao Yang was surprised and d. It was a translucent barrier with light purple ripples.

    White Dew!

    <i>Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.</i>

    At the same time, the other four red leeches hit the translucent barrier, too.

    Two secondster, White Dew showed up.

    Dressed in bright red extravagant royal dress, her silver hair flew in the air, her crimson eyes captivating.

    With her legs pressed together, she stood on the tip of the obelisk on her toes, her arms extended as she manipted special water elements, which took the shape of about a dozen translucent purple walls that hovered above the za.

    White Dew tugged at her sensuous red lips, speaking with a soft, gentle voice but in a slightly prideful tone, ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the son-inw of Spectres? It¡¯s only been a few days. How did you be such a loser already?¡±

    Gao Yang almost choked. He was touched, but also irritated.

    <i>I haven¡¯t wronged any of you! And...</i>

    Before he could grumble further, a gust of wind swept through him, and when he realized it, he was already standing before the woods of stone pirs at the edge of the court.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Dressed in an old-fashioned tuxedo, Waking Insects also had an arm around the topless Gray Bear. Gray Bear¡¯s belt was taken off, and his pants dropped down as he was whisked away at ultrasonic speed, revealing a yellow underpants with the patterns of a certain blue cat, the round curve of his butt on full disy. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant sight, to say the least.

    While Waking Insects was quite weak as a fighter, he was the fastest known creature in the Mist World.

    It was the first time War Tiger, Qing Ling, Nine Frost, and Lithe Snake witnessed such speed, and they stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide and jaw dropped with shock, their hair messed up.

    They were all wondering the same thing: what happened, who were they, and where were they?

    ¡°Good work. Leave the rest to the Spectres.¡±

    Waking Insects gentlyid Gray Bear down and bowed at them politely.

    As he spoke, White Dew had been making moves.

    Manipting the dozen translucent water walls, she condensed them into sturdy violet ice crystals and pulled them together toward the heart of the court. Threatened, the five red leeches fled like headless flies, but ended up hitting the crystal walls; even when they turned around for a way out, they hit another wall.

    <i>She¡¯s gotten much stronger too</i>, Gao Yang marveled to himself.

    Then he wondered,<i> Where did she get all the water elements from? Has she extracted this much from the air so quickly? No, that¡¯d be absurd.</i>

    <i>Or maybe she¡¯se here with a sprinkler truck...nah, that¡¯s even more ridiculous.</i>

    <i>Wait!</i>

    Gao Yang suddenly remembered the riverbed they had walked along to get to this temple. It seemed that the river hadn¡¯tpletely dried, only the water had been taken by White Dew.

    That meant White Dew had found the temple before them, but she hadn¡¯t opened the sarcophagus or woken up the abomination inside the belly of the mummy.

    With Waking Insects¡¯ tremendous speed, the Spectres had avoided Gao Yang and his teammates, hiding in the dark and waiting for them to trigger whatever there was at the temple, biding time to make a move or not make a move.

    <i>That¡¯s dirty!</i>

    <i>ck.</i>

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    As Gao Yang mused, the violet crystal walls hade together to form a sturdy polygonal prison. Within it, the five red leeches continued to knock into the walls at increasing speed until they became red afterimages to the human eyes, shooting around like a firework of tadpoles.

    s, they could never break out.

    epting reality, the little abomination returned to one entity, pulling the crimson force field back to protect itself.

    With its legs tucked in and its arms around its knees, it buried its face into its knees.

    ¡°<i>Sniffle...sniff...</i>¡±

    It started to sob again in heartbreak, but Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to be fooled this time. It was thinking, evolving, and soon, it would be stronger with even more lethal moves.

    ¡°Heavenly...¡±

    A clear voice roughened by years came from above.

    Spring was here, looking like a seven or eight year old boy in a ck tuxedo and red bowtie, his soft silver hair parted in the middle and covering half of his forehead.

    Hovering in the air, he syed his hands downward, his eyes glinting with fierce red light.

    ¡°...Might!¡±

 Chapter 543: Exorcize Souls, Banish Spirits

    <h4>Chapter 543: Exorcize Souls, Banish Spirits</h4>

    One second passed. Then three.

    Nothing happened on the court.

    As someone who had seen Spring create a crater on the road during the Crimson Tide, Gao Yang was at first pumped up, and then embarrassed.

    <i>Wait, Master Spring, don¡¯t make a mistake when it matters most! You¡¯ve called out the name of your move, then nothing?!</i>

    But Gao Yang realized that things weren¡¯t what they seemed, and his eyes glinted.

    <i>ck, crackle.</i>

    The polygonal prison made of violet crystal cracked, and the cracks grew and spread like quickly growing vines until covering the entire walls. There was a bright clink, followed by a powerful shockwave, forcing everyone to close their eyes.

    The prison of crystal shattered instantly into countless clear pieces, dreamy like a fantastical violet snow.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Nine Frost cursed in concern. Now that the prison was broken, the little abomination woulde out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Yang, on the other hand, was relieved.

    Midair, the curled-up little abomination remained unmoving¡ªnot because it didn¡¯t want to move, but it couldn¡¯t.

    Spring¡¯s Heavenly Might applied not only from the top to the bottom, but also from all directions; however, it would take some time.

    That was why White Dew had bought him time with the violet crystal prison. Spring was allowed to pin the little abomination to a single point along with the prison walls by contracting his Heavenly Might around it.

    His ten fingers curled little by little until his hands were balled into fists.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> A powerful current rippled out. It seemed like nothing had happened, but closer observation would reveal that the little abomination¡¯s curled-up body was going tense again, and the dense crimson force field around it was distorting and quickly shuddering.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Three secondster, the pressure doubled.

    Gusts of wind swept outward near the ground. Gao Yang and his teammates had to narrow their eyes.

    ¡°Aghhh¡ª¡± The little abomination screamed in a cowering posture, the dense force field around it crumbling into red gas and retracting into its body.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    The pressure doubled again, reaching the limit.

    The little abomination was squashed to the point of losing its form, resembling a ball of flesh. Flickering an insidious red light, it fought hard against the terrifying pressure that couldpress a body of flesh and bones into a small marble.

    Their power reached a precarious bnce.

    If Spring could apply a little more power, the little abomination would burst into blood and getpressed into a small crimson ping pong ball; simrly, if the little abomination had a little more power, Spring¡¯s Heavenly Might would¡¯ve crumbled and failed.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 12000 times!]

    Gao Yang started. <i>What?! It¡¯s still growing and evolving even at the verge of its death?!</i>

    <i>That¡¯s not a simple monstrosity, but the devil!</i>

    <i>ck, ck.</i> Excited footsteps sounded. Gao Yang was d to hear it. Before he could turn around, a supple body jumped onto his back, and a pair of arms found their way around his neck.

    Rubbing Gao Yang¡¯s cheek with hers, Fresh Snow spoke in a choked-up voice brimming with both joy and petnce. ¡°Gao Yang! I miss you so much...¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to say something when White Dew cut in gently yet angrily, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you this? Don¡¯t give one-sidedly, or you¡¯re gonna end up with nothing!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, wolfing down hot tofu is gonna burn your mouth. There¡¯s a method to getting someone to marry into the family... Geez, hurry! I can¡¯t hang on for much longer!¡± Spring clenched his teeth. His hands, unable to ball into fists properly, started trembling.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Fresh Snow jumped down from Gao Yang¡¯s back and ran toward the court. She was wearing a hooded red cape and running barefooted. Midway, she turned around to wink at Gao Yang. ¡°Watch me, Gao Yang!¡±

    She skipped her way like a little kid ying around, but she was quick, and she reached the heart of the court in no time.

    She crouched down with both hands on the ground, jumping gracefully like a small cat. The hood fell back, and her cape fluttered. Her soft silver hair danced around. Her crimson eyes glinted brilliantly like gems.

    ¡°Exorcize Souls!¡±

    She extended her right hand with four fingers pressed together, pushing it toward the balled-up little abomination.

    <i>Swoosh. </i>A strange intangible wind swept toward the little abomination, and its translucent blue spirit was forced out, incorporeal.

    The spirit paused, looking at its body in confusion, at a loss.

    Yet its instinct to kill remained. Since it could still move, it charged at Fresh Snow without hesitation even though it was now a spirit.

    ¡°Banish Spirits!¡±

    Fresh Snow twirled gracefully and scattered a force field of spiritual energy with both hands like flower petals. Instantly, three incorporeal ancient bronze gates appeared at the little abomination¡¯s back, left, and right, locking it down.

    The little abomination raged, but it couldn¡¯t move.

    The three gates were shut but not locked. The left and right handles were respectively the hideous heads of an ox and a horse, looking ruined and bleak like artifacts from theherworld.

    Facing the little abomination¡¯s spirit, Fresh Snow lifted her right hand and moved it around casually, without rhyme or reason.

    Every wave of her hand summoned a cool green lightning out of nowhere.

    ¡°Dead Dog.¡±

    ¡°Hidden Arrow.¡±

    ¡°Yin Sparrow.¡±

    ¡°Thief Swallower.¡±

    ¡°Flying Poison.¡±

    ¡°Filth Removal.¡±

    ¡°Stinking Lung.[1]¡±

    Fresh Snow chanted slowly, without emotion.

    The seven lightning came down one after another, hitting the monster in the head, chest, abdomen, two hands, and two feet.

    Every time a lightning strike, a green energy would burst out of the little abomination¡¯s body and turn into twisted, struggling skeletons, wailing in pain before dispersing into green smoke.

    After the seven strikes, the little abomination became translucent and thin, like it would fade into air.

    Fresh Snow extended her right hand toward it and made a clear snap.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Compelled by their master, the three bleak ancient bronze gates creaked.

    Fresh Snow continued to bring down thest three judgments carelessly.

    ¡°Fetus Light.¡±

    ¡°Bright Spirit.¡±

    ¡°Secret Mind.[2]¡±

    The three gates quickly opened, revealing an endless darkness where choruses of pained screams came from.

    The little abomination¡¯s spirit was disassembled into countless thin strands, sucked into the three gates.

    <i>Thud. Thud. Thud.</i>

    The three gates shut after five seconds, merciless.

    Fresh Snow slowly descended and turned around, her silver hair slowly dropping.

    ¡°End.¡±

    The three bronze gates dissolved instantly into crystal-clear particles before dispersing quietly. Fresh Snow¡¯s pretty face seemed pale, her expression a mix of exhaustion and aloofness. She looked like a girl from theherworld, dangerous and not to be challenged.

    But then she looked up at Gao Yang, who wasn¡¯t far from her.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    She broke into a smile with her eyes curved into crescent moons, running happily toward him.

    1. In the Daoist belief, a person has three <i>hun</i>, souls, and seven <i>po</i>, spirits. And these are the seven spirits, which govern the physical body. ?

    2. And these are the three souls, which governs the intangible part of a person. ?

 Chapter 544: Ignorance

    <h4>Chapter 544: Ignorance</h4>

    During the few seconds Fresh Snow ran to Gao Yang, the little abomination¡¯s physical body, which was still hovering in the air, stopped flickering a strange red light, having lost all signs of vitality.

    <i>Plop. </i>It fell to the ground, unmoving like a pile of dead meat. Its three souls and seven spirits had been destroyed. It was erased on a spiritual level.

    Gao Yang had always known that Fresh Snow was the most powerful spiritual attacker, and he witnessed it now.

    Overwhelmed with joy, he strode toward Fresh Snow, and seeing Gao Yang approaching her, Fresh Snow opened her arms with a widened smile and was just about to throw herself into his arms.

    Two secondster, she threw herself into nothing and almost fell.

    Gao Yang had teleported to the little abomination behind her a second before she could embrace him.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Although the little abomination was likely dead, he found it necessary to ensure its death. In seconds, the body was burned into ck ashes. There was no chance for it toe back to life.

    Only then did Gao Yang sigh in relief. He chided himself silently, <i>I may not be a good enough fighter, but I should make sure to do my part in cleaning up the mess.</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang turned around. This time, he didn¡¯t move away, and Fresh Snow flew into his arms directly.

    ¡°Miss me? Did you miss me? Tell me! Did you miss me...¡± Fresh Snow buried her face in his chest and nuzzled it hard, greedily breathing in his smell.

    ¡°I did...¡± Gao Yang was just about to answer when he noticed something wrong. Something was tightening around his waist.

    He looked down and almost stopped breathing in shock.

    Under herrge cape, Fresh Snow had wrapped her slim fair legs around his waist.

    <i>Wait...what¡¯s the deal with the posture?</i>

    ¡°Fresh Snow!¡±

    White Dew quickly came up to them and peeled Fresh Snow off Gao Yang. ¡°Stand on your feet! That¡¯s inappropriate!¡±

    She sighed inwardly. Fresh Snow had been asking her insistently about what romantic love was, and thinking it was time for Fresh Snow to grow up, White Dew watched a few romance movies with her, attempting to make her understand.

    Last night, Fresh Snow used White Dew¡¯sptop to y a movie called <i>God of Comedy</i>, finishing it. In the film, the female lead always hugged the male lead with her legs around his waist.

    Afterward, Fresh Snow said excitedly to White Dew, ¡°I know what love is now, Sister! I don¡¯t want friendship. I want to be Gao Yang¡¯s romantic love.¡±

    White Dew almost fainted from anger. <i>Romantic love? You love-sick girl¡¯s gonna count the money for Gao Yang after getting sold by him.</i>

    And as expected, Fresh Snow called out urgently, ¡°I¡¯ve decided, Gao Yang! We won¡¯t be friends. We¡¯re gonna be...hmph...¡±

    White Dew muffled her just in time.

    Fresh Snow swung her hands around and quickly quieted, blinking. Then her head drooped. She had fallen asleep.

    The body under the cape quickly evaporated into white fog that smelled like milk.

    Instantly, the fog dispersed, and the cape fell. Fresh Snow was reced by a white cat, curling up in deep slumber in White Dew¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Is she alright?¡± Gao Yang was a little worried.

    White Dew was used to this happening. ¡°She used too much energy. She¡¯ll be fine after getting some sleep.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gao Yang sighed, but he felt a little strange.<i> Is this how powerful people are? They have to charge for two hours before they can make a five minute call?</i>

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt a chill from his side. He turned to see Qing Ling eyeing him frostily.

    Gao Yang broke into goosebumps and introduced with a smile, ¡°Qing Ling, they are the Spectres. This is White Dew, and the cat¡¯s Fresh Snow. You¡¯ve seen her.¡±

    ¡°Did you know that the Spectres had been following us?¡± Qing Ling¡¯s voice grew icy. How dared he keep that from her?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t...¡± Gao Yang nced at White Dew, silently urging her to support his im.

    ¡°Pleasure working with you, Gao Yang.¡± White Dew smiled mischievously.

    <i>Swoosh. </i>Qing Ling¡¯s Tang Dao kissed Gao Yang¡¯s neck. ¡°And you said you didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Truly! I didn¡¯t know at all!¡± Gao Yang raised his hands and made faces at White Dew.

    White Dewughed, enjoying his plight for a good moment before slowly exining, ¡°I was joking. He didn¡¯t know.¡±

    Qing Ling wasn¡¯t entirely convinced.

    A few secondster, she put the de away, her frown rxing a little. Although it infuriated her to be used by the Spectres, at least Gao Yang wasn¡¯t in on it. Given the Spectres had helped them, she would let the issue slide.

    With a whip of her right hand, she made the longsword disappear.

    Not far from them, Spring and War Tiger were talking.

    Gao Yang had told War Tiger about the Spectres beforehand, so War Tiger wasn¡¯t hostile to them at the moment.

    Like a street thug, War Tiger crouched down and held the little boy¡¯s gaze. ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the Spectres?¡±

    ¡°I prefer being known as the patriarch,¡± said Spring.

    ¡°Oh dear!¡± War Tiger ruffled Spring¡¯s hair. ¡°Acting all mature.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Spring took a sudden step back, humiliated. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± War Tiger found it unfair. ¡°I pat a kid¡¯s head to show my goodwill?¡±

    ¡°Kid? I¡¯m old enough to be your grandfather!¡± Spring was mad. He quickly smoothed his hair and put on airs. ¡°Ahem, since it¡¯s your first mistake, and you¡¯re apanion of our son-inw, I¡¯ll let things slide. There won¡¯t be a next time!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bold.¡± War Tiger wasn¡¯t intimidated at all. He smiled bemusedly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna let things slide.¡±

    Spring paused before breaking into a smile. ¡°It was a coincidence that we ended up using you. We were looking for life monsters too.¡±

    ¡°Although you walked with Gao Yang, Spectres and awakeners are natural enemies at the end of the day. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t make myself known recklessly.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you step in at the end?¡±

    ¡°We share the target of killing the Cursed Offspring,¡± Spring exined in a nonchnt tone, but he was thinking, <i>If we didn¡¯t act then, we wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the enemyter.</i>

    ¡°So it¡¯s called the Cursed Offspring.¡± War Tiger thought about the name.

    ¡°It may not be what it¡¯s actually called.¡± Waking Insects moved up to behind Spring like a wind.

    ¡°Holy!¡± War Tiger jumped. ¡°You¡¯re way too fast, buddy. How do you do it? Can you teach me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m born this way. I can¡¯t teach you.¡± Waking Insects nodded politely. ¡°Simrly, I can¡¯t learn your Talent.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right.¡± War Tiger looked down at Spring. ¡°Little one...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Master Spring to you!¡± Spring cut him off.

    ¡°Ahem, Master...Spring, when did you start following us?¡± War Tiger asked.

    Gao Yang went up to them and chimed in, ¡°Must have been as soon as we arrived at the Ni Nation.¡±

 Chapter 545: Mystery upon Mystery

    <h4>Chapter 545: Mystery upon Mystery</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± White Dew sauntered over with Fresh Snow in arms.

    Gao Yang nced sideways at her. ¡°Back in the hotel cafeteria, did you do something to my orange juice?¡±

    ¡°I did something to your ss, to be precise.¡± White Dew curled her finger, and a ball of thin violet threads appeared around it. ¡°I connected your ss and another with a thread, which allowed me to eavesdrop on your conversation. Haha, you almost got me.¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled to himself, <i>It was because you weren''t hostile to me that I didn¡¯t notice, or my system would surely find out.</i>

    ¡°Through that, you learned of our n to go to the triangr towers and guessed our goal.¡± War Tiger put two and two together. ¡°Then you watched as we activated the altar.¡±

    White Dew¡¯s wordless smile was an answer of itself.

    ¡°You created the pressure that dragged us down, didn¡¯t you?¡± War Tiger looked down at Spring.

    Spring admitted easily, ¡°I simply gave you a hand, or you would¡¯ve never found this ce.¡±

    ¡°Gave us a hand?¡± War Tiger stroked his chin and smirked. ¡°It was because you didn¡¯t have the confidence to go after the Cursed Offspring on your own that you used us as vanguards.¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Exposed, Spring felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Without us, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to deal with it, either.¡±

    <i>The Cursed Offspring was indeed formidable</i>, Gao Yang thought. <i>If we hadn¡¯t dealt with it swiftly, who knew how much stronger it would evolve, and if there was even a limit? It could even be stronger than a life monster.</i>

    War Tiger smiled. He knew when to back off, and he let the issue slide.

    ¡°We came here to find out more about life monsters. It was an ident that we ran into the Cursed Offspring.¡± War Tiger¡¯s smile turned thin. ¡°But you...you came for it.¡±

    Spring didn¡¯t deem that an answer.

    ¡°Why?¡± War Tiger pressed. ¡°Why must you kill it?¡±

    Spring thought for a moment before breaking into a smile. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to tell you.¡±

    ¡°You must know that we once coborated with the Godbearer Cult and have done a few things for them. In exchange, they provide us with food regrly and promise to erase our curses for us.¡±

    ¡°We know.¡±

    Gao Yang had told them about that.

    ¡°However, the Cult didn¡¯t honor their promise. They couldn¡¯t erase our curses. To cate us, they revealed some truth, which shocked us and took quite some time for us to ept.¡±

    Gao Yang could guess it. ¡°You learned of your origin.¡±

    ¡°So you know that too.¡± Spring looked at Gao Yang with bright, experienced eyes, letting out a bitterugh. ¡°Ha, it turns out that ghosts are born between a life monster and a human, and we are born with curses.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the life monster will die at our birth.¡±

    That surprised Gao Yang and the others. They didn¡¯t know that.

    War Tiger, ever theposed one, lied with a straight face, ¡°We know all that too. Tell us something new.¡±

    Spring sighed. ¡°The Godbearer Cult doesn¡¯t know where life monsters came from, but they are certain that a number of life monsters show up every twenty years, charged with the responsibility to sow the seeds and give births.¡±

    ¡°We know that too,¡± said War Tiger.

    ¡°Then do you know what else can life monsters give birth to other than the ghosts?¡± Spring asked.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t say anything. A few secondster, he admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Spring said seriously, ¡°We know something else they can give birth to.¡±

    ¡°The Cursed Offspring.¡± Gao Yang caught on. ¡°What we encountered today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Spring nodded. ¡°The Cult believes that a ghost¡¯s curse came from the Cursed Offspring given birth to by a life monster, and that we can erase our curses by killing it.¡±

    Gao Yang asked, ¡°So you¡¯ve been going around the world looking for it?¡±

    White Dew said softly, ¡°We looked for many clues and went to many ces, but found nothing. The Ni Nation was ourst stop. It was a surprise to run into you.¡±

    War Tiger grinned. ¡°Ha, that¡¯s fate.¡±

    Gao Yang immediately asked, ¡°Now that the Cursed Offspring was killed, have your curses disappeared?¡±

    If so, the Spectres wouldn¡¯t have to worry about dying anytime, and perhaps they wouldn¡¯t have to eat awakeners to survive.

    Naturally, Gao Yang was concerned about it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Spring raised his right hand and considered it for a few seconds. ¡°Changes did happen to my body after it was killed, but my curse remains.¡±

    He looked up at White Dew and Waking Insects. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Still there,¡± White Dew answered calmly.

    Waking Insects nodded.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll take some time, or maybe it doesn¡¯t work at all.¡± Spring wasn¡¯t too disappointed since he wasn¡¯t that hopeful to begin with. Still, he had to try when he knew there was a possible solution.

    Gao Yang sighed. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.

    There was something else Gao Yang had been wondering, and Nine Frost had pointed it out.

    ¡°This life monster.¡± Gao Yang turned to the mummy inside the stone coffin. ¡°Is it really from our time?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Spring didn¡¯t get his question.

    Gao Yang nced at War Tiger. ¡°Can I tell them about the hundred-year thing?¡±

    War Tiger nodded. ¡°Go on. There¡¯s no reason to hide it. Consider it an exchange of intel.¡±

    Qing Ling and the others didn¡¯t disagree, either.

    ¡°We specte that the Mist World onlysts a hundred years. It doesn¡¯t have a past or a future, and in two years, the world will end. Everything will disappear or get swallowed by the Mist.¡±

    Silence stretched.

    It was Spring, White Dew, and Waking Insect¡¯ turn to be surprised.

    The next two minutes, Gao Yang went over Alcoholic¡¯s finding briefly.

    Spring¡¯s face darkened.

    Now he knew what Gao Yang was asking. If the Mist World only had a lifespan of a hundred years, this ruined temple of the ancient Ni Nation under the desert shouldn¡¯t exist.

    In the history fabricated by the Heavenly Way, the ancient Ni Nation had been around for thousands of years, while the true history of the Mist World had,ughably, been going for less than a hundred years.

    There was no reason for the Heavenly Way to create a fake ancient ruin, and based on what they had seen, the mummy inside the stone coffin and the unborn child would have to be part of the awfully convincing job of fabrication.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Spring shook his head. ¡°If the world is only going to be around for a hundred years, nothing here makes any sense.¡±

    Gao Yang had expected the answer.

    There were other unanswered questions. For example, how did the mummified life monster die with an unborn child? Who killed it? Who sealed it away? And why was the Cursed Offspring alive even though the life monster was dead?

    There were too many mysteries.

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess. He had a feeling that they were missing something crucial, something that would unveil the shroud covering the mysterious world.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Then a familiar voice interrupted their thinking.

 Chapter 546: Business

    <h4>Chapter 546: Business</h4>

    They all turned to Gray Bear, who was lying a few meters from them. The resurrection pill hade to effect, and he lived.

    He had turned back to man from beast, his naked upper body covered in bushy hair. With his jeans dropped, his butt was raised. He was wearing a pair of yellow underwear printed with a fat blue cat.

    He rolled to his side with difficulty, pressing a hand to his not yet healed injury, expression pained.

    ¡°My head...it hurts...¡± Gray Bear covered his face with his other hand and slowly sat up. He noticed the mess around him. A serious fight had taken ce.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s mind cleared up instantly. He remembered now. They were fighting the little bastard, and he got stabbed and lost consciousness. No, he probably died.

    ¡°It¡¯s...done?¡± Gray Bear looked at them in disbelief.

    ¡°Congrattions on literally winning while lying down.¡± Lithe Snake had been waiting to mock him.

    ¡°Holy shit...¡± Gray Bear jerked up, pulling the wound on his abdomen and sucking in a breath. ¡°The body...where¡¯s the bastard¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°Captain incinerated it for free.¡± Nine Frost bit down augh and threw the belt back to Gray Bear. ¡°Put your pants back on first.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Gray Bear looked down and hurriedly pulled his pants up, expression panicked. ¡°Why did you take off my pants?! What the hell did you do to me?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter.¡± Nine Frost went up to help him to his feet.

    ¡°Whatever. Take me to the remains first...¡± Gray Bear took his phone out of his pocket. The screen was cracked. ¡°I¡¯m taking a picture.¡±

    Nine Frost helped him to the pile of ash the Cursed Offspring had been reduced to. Gray Bear was disappointed, but he still took a few pictures of it, as well as taking two shots of the obelisk.

    ¡°What¡¯s the son of a bitch¡¯s name?¡± Gray Bear asked. ¡°A child of a life monster. Is it...¡±

    ¡°The Spectres call it the Cursed Offspring.¡± said NIne Frost.

    ¡°Spectres? What Spectres?¡± Gray Bear was still a little disoriented. He turned around, and only then did he notice three strangers standing by War Tiger: a kid, a tall man, and a beautiful woman holding a white cat. All of them had silver hair and red eyes.

    ¡°They are the Spectres?!¡± Gray Bear jumped.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    <i>I¡¯ve missed so much!</i>

    Gray Bear felt his heart burn, but he put aside his curiosity. <i>Forget it. Let¡¯s get to business first.</i>

    He clicked around on his phone and broke into a pleased smile. ¡°Dr. Jia¡¯s tech is great. The phone¡¯s connected even here.¡±

    Three secondster, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Lithe Snake, and Nine Frost all heard their phones ring.

    Gao Yang checked his and saw that Gray Bear had sent two pictures of the scene to the group chat, Team Heavenbreaker???.

    Gray Bear: Just fought the Cursed Offspring. Got a little injured.

    Can: Whoa! What¡¯s a Cursed Offspring?

    Can nudges Seven Shadow.

    Can: Captain, is everyone alright?

    Gao Yang: The odds are with us.

    Gray Bear nudges Can.

    Gray Bear: An abomination produced by a life monster. It was stronger than a Spectre!

    Heavenly Dog: Cool.

    Amon: +1

    Chen Ying: It seems to be another terrible fight. As long as you¡¯re all fine.

    Nainai: (Coldly) Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it.

    Lithe Snake: It was quite strong. Gray Bear got taken down before he could even get a clear look of it, and he didn¡¯t wake up until we were finished.

    Gray Bear nudges Lithe Snake.

    Gray Bear: That was tactic, tactic! I bought precious time for my teammates!

    Nine Frost: I can attest to that. Gray Bear had a good nap.

    Gray Bear: Piss off!

    ...

    Gao Yang put away his phone and turned to Gray Bear. ¡°Stop texting. Can you move now?¡±

    ¡°I can! I¡¯m good now!¡± Gray Bear put away his phone, too.

    It was clear from the way their phones kept ringing that the others in the group chat were far from done with the conversation.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wrap up and get out of here,¡± said Gao Yang.

    They took a short rest and treated the injured. Then they looked around the whole temple ruin and took pictures, packing up what seemed to be important evidence.

    Half an hourter, they left the temple through the way they hade from.

    Spring took flight, sending a powerful force to the ceiling above them, creating a temporary skylight through the quicksand. Carrying two people at once, Waking Insects flew out¡ªtechnically, he couldn¡¯t fly, but his ultrasonic speed allowed him to walk up walls, which was as good as flying in this case.

    In only ten seconds, after a few gusts, all members of Team Heavenbreaker and the Spectres had returned to above the desert.

    One o¡¯clock in the morning, on top of the dune not far from the triangr towers, Dr. Jia sat on the sandy ground, calling Chen Ying from the Hundred Rivers Union. He spoke vehemently, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. War Tiger asked me to leave for a moment, so I did and wandered around. When I came back, lo and behold, all six of them were gone... How did I know where they went...¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia.¡± War Tiger and the others went up to Dr. Jia from behind.

    ¡°Shut it. I¡¯m on a call!¡± Dr. Jia shot back impatiently. Then he paused and jumped in surprise. ¡°Whoa! Where did you go?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± War Tiger grinned.

    ¡°Wait, who are these three? Why¡¯s there a cat? It¡¯s pretty. What¡¯s the breed? Let me take it and study it...¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia.¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°Calm down. These three¡ªno, four¡ªare Spectres...¡±

    ¡°The Spectres?¡± Dr. Jia got even more excited. ¡°Awesome! I finally see living Spectres! Please doe back to myb with me. Let me study your bodies!¡±

    His eyes shifted to White Dew. ¡°Hm, let¡¯s start with you.¡±

    ¡°You should be d that I¡¯m not hungry yet, old man.¡± White Dew, holding her sister, scowled. ¡°Or you would be dead already.¡±

    ¡°<i>Old man?!</i>¡± Dr. Jia got hit with a truth bomb. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty girl, but your manners arecking!¡±

    ¡°<i>My</i> manners arecking?¡± White Dew¡¯s lips twitched. She considered herself an elegant, beautiful, and dignified woman. She could ept it when people called her evil, but she would not hear anyone criticize her manners.

    ¡°Repeat that if you dare! I don¡¯t mind having a meal that tastes like trash...¡±

    Gao Yang felt a headache brewing. He rubbed at his forehead and walked along. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Uncle Tiger.¡±

    War Tiger lit a cigarette and took a drag, walking away without turning around. ¡°Deal with it, Green Snake.¡±

    Qing Ling nced at Nine Frost icily. ¡°Do it.¡±

    Nine Frost turned to Lithe Snake, but he was gone already. He could only turn to Gray Bear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave it to me.¡± Gray Bear had been waiting for it. He grabbed Dr. Jia and said, ¡°Leave it, Old Jia. Let me tell you where we went earlier. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll interest you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Dr. Jia¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°After you walked away, we activated the altar, but then we encountered quicksand. Let me tell you. It was dangerous...¡±

    ¡°Surprisingly, there was a ruin underground, and it was a temple of the ancient Ni Nation. It was so magnificent...¡±

    ¡°There was a mummy in the stone coffin, and it turned out to be a life monster. It was pregnant...¡±

    ¡°Whoa was the cursed one strong. I was well-trained though, and I took the lead to pour attacks upon it...¡±

    ¡°When I had just about reduced it to nothing, the Spectres stepped in. They had been following us, it turned out...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± Gray Bear concluded his story.

    Dr. Jia blinked. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than I expected, Old Bear.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the most important part.¡± Gray Bear lit a cigarette and breathed out smoke with practiced ease. ¡°It¡¯s about my rich experience umted from countless fights. I¡¯ve concluded the three deciding factors for a victory. I¡¯ll tell you in detail...¡±

 Chapter 547: Princess Bath

    <h4>Chapter 547: Princess Bath</h4>

    Gray Bear and Dr. Jia talked the whole way. Gao Yang caught bits and pieces of their conversation, and outside of the right names being mentioned, Gray Bear might as well be drafting apletely different story. Thanks to him, though, Dr. Jia didn¡¯t get into more conflict with the Spectres.

    It was already two in the morning when they left the triangr towers.

    Since humans and ghosts didn¡¯t belong together, Spring and the awakeners parted ways aftering to an agreement to keep what happened a secret.

    Before they did, War Tiger stubbornly tried to get information on the Godbearer Cult from Spring.

    Spring told him that the Spectres had been in contact with Edmond, and now that Edmond was dead, their contact with the Cult was gone too. If the Cult turned to the Spectres again, and the three major organizations made an attractive enough proposal, Spring would consider a coboration.

    Meanwhile, White Dew pulled Gao Yang to the side and reluctantly gave him a postcard with a photo of the desert and the triangr towers. ¡°Fresh Snow spent the whole night writing this to you.¡±

    Gao Yang was touched, but also felt bad for Fresh SNow. It was a short letter, yet it took Fresh Snow the whole night to write it. He could almost picture Fresh Snow leaning over the table and chewing on the pen, trying to string together the words like Gao Yang had when writing an essay as a child.

    He looked down at the postcard.

    ¡ªThe sun is so bright and it¡¯s so hot. I sweat so much and get thirsty all the time. I don¡¯t like deserts. (¡Ñ©n¡Ñ)

    ¡ªSister said that we were vampires. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t like the sun.

    ¡ªI don¡¯t like the sun, but I like Gao Yang[1]. Tee-hee. (*^¨Œ^*)

    ¡ªGao Yang, I really really really miss you. Do you miss me?

    Gao Yang finished reading the letter. He was just about to open his mouth when White Dew passed him a fountain pen without being asked.

    cing the postcard on his left hand, Gao Yang wrote the response.

    ¡ªI don¡¯t like deserts, either, but I¡¯m d to run into you.

    ¡ªYou saved me again, Fresh Snow! You¡¯re amazing!

    ¡ªThe trip hase to an end. You should rest well at home.

    ¡ªI¡¯ll visit you when I have the time and treat you to some tasty food.

    He reached out to ruffle Fresh Snow¡¯s little head, folding the postcard and tucking it by her side. The white cat woke up for a moment to hold onto the postcard with her soft paws before falling asleep again.

    Cute.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile, his gloomy mood taking a slight upturn.

    When he raised his head, though, he was immediately met with White Dew¡¯s deadly re.

    He shuddered and pulled his hand back.

    ¡°Goodbye.¡± White Dew turned away with a dark look.

    ...

    After returning to the hotel, Gao Yang and the others had a short meeting without Dr. Jia. They came up with a version of the story they could tell the three organizations. Then Gao Yang called Qilin, giving a detailed report.

    Qilin simply said that he understood and told Gao Yang to be careful.

    Neither of them mentioned what happened in Ind Nation out of unspoken agreement, as if nothing had happened.

    They decided to spend a few hours sleeping at the hotel. Then they would catch a flight back to Li City at noon.

    To be safe, the seven of them split into three rooms based on their strength so that each room would have enough power to protect themselves. War Tiger stayed with Dr. Jia. Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear stayed in one room. And Gao Yang and Qing Ling took thest room.

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang and Qing Ling washed up before each iming a bed.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes to rest. Ten minutes passed, and Qing Ling¡¯s breathing still hadn¡¯t evened out. He knew that she was awake.

    After a while, he heard a rustle in the dark.

    He opened his eyes to see Qing Ling, wearing a silk night robe, rolling to her side with a hand propping her head up and the other hand resting on her thigh. She stared at him with scrutinizing eyes.

    ¡°Qing Ling?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Qing Ling¡¯s wordless response was confirmation enough.

    After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Something¡¯s bothering you.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He knew he couldn¡¯t hide it from her, just like he always knew if something was bothering Qing Ling.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    Qing Ling asked bluntly, ¡°You¡¯ve been acting weird since seeing the murals on the obelisk. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    She was 100% right. Gao Yang sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you, Qing Ling, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Gao Yang thought about it and made an analogy that seemed out of context given their circumstances. ¡°It¡¯s like I discovered a math problem, but only half of it. Thus, I can¡¯t begin to solve it. I want to find the entire problem first before telling you so that you can help me.¡±

    Qing Ling thought for two seconds before saying seriously, ¡°Then tell me the half part.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°I want to help you,¡± QIng Ling cut him off.

    Gao Yang was taken aback, both moved and surprised. Qing Ling wasn¡¯t a nosy person, and it was the first time she was being so proactive about someone else¡¯s problem.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Gao Yang acquiesced. ¡°Once we¡¯re back to Li City tomorrow,e with me to do something, and then I¡¯ll tell you. You should sleep. I¡¯ll just think about it a little more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t press since Gao Yang had relented. She rolled back, and a few minutester, her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep.

    Lying in the dark, Gao Yang thought for a good while, his heart filled with bleak emotions.

    He rolled to the side and looked at Qing Ling, who was sound asleep. Then he slowly closed his eyes.

    ...

    The trip back went smoothly. Dr. Jia went to Li City with War Tiger too, deciding to stay a while.

    Eleven o¡¯clock at night, Gao Yang and the others left the Li City Airport. Gao Yang pulled Dr. Jia aside to chat with him for a few minutes, being all secretive.

    When they returned to the group, Dr. Jia shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re too cunning, Seven Shadow. You almost dug out all my secrets.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Thanks, Dr. Jia. I owe you one.¡±

    Before getting into the car, Gao Yang thought of something and called out to War Tiger, ¡°Let me borrow fire from you, War Tiger.¡±

    War Tiger paused before quickly catching up, extending his hand for Gao Yang to hold it and replicate Killing Expert.

    War Tiger leaned over and smirked. ¡°Since we¡¯re friends, I¡¯ll ask for only 3 <i>jinwu</i>.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay youter.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>Why did you sumb to your disciple¡¯s bad influence and be stingy like her?</i>

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang took the same taxi to Li City University. It was past midnight when they arrived, and Gao Yang took Qing Ling to a <i>mtang </i>stand across from the school gates.

    Getting some food into his stomach, Gao Yang suddenly said, ¡°I remember that Chen Ying loves taking baths. On days she doesn¡¯t need to work overtime, she always takes a bath before going to sleep.¡±

    Qing Ling was eating a fish ball with her head lowered. She frowned, not understanding what Gao Yang was on about.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she must be taking a bath now.¡±

    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Qing Ling was bbergasted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it to a test.¡± Gao Yang took out his phone and made a call to Chen Ying.

    Qing Ling lowered her chopsticks, looking at Gao Yang like he had grown a second head. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    The call went through. Gao Yang picked up a piece of green that was just done and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°Are you taking a bath?¡± Gao Yang affected an urgent tone.

    ¡°...I am.¡± Chen Ying sounded a little awkward.

    ¡°Come to the entrance of Li City University right now!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hurry! Lives are on the line!¡± Gao Yang quickly hung up and turned off his phone.

    Qing Ling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t exin, but instead waved at the stand owner. ¡°I¡¯d like three bowls of beef offal noodles, sir.¡±

    ¡°A moment!¡±

    After about ten minutes, a small car appeared at a nearby crossroad. It drifted before stopping at the gates of the university.

    Chen Ying jumped out of the car. As expected, her hair was damp, and she was wearing only a bathrobe and a pair of slippers, her expression anxious. An ignorant bystander would¡¯ve conjured all kinds of stories in their head when they saw her.

    ¡°This way, Chen Ying.¡±

    Across the road, Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat at a <i>mtang </i>stand. Gao Yang waved at Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying paused, taking quick steps across the road and going up to Gao Yang, giving the stand owner a wary nce. She asked in a lowered voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re truly a bath lover. You should be called Princess Bath.¡± Gao Yang smiled carelessly on purpose and patted the bench on his side. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Chen Ying sat down next to him with a dark look on her face.

    Gao Yang pointed at a bowl of beef offal noodles. ¡°I ordered this for you. It¡¯d get cold if you cameter.¡±

    ¡°This is what you meant by ¡®lives are on the line¡¯?¡± Chen Ying¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang said flippantly. ¡°You¡¯ll know how good it is once you have a bite. It¡¯s so tasty. Have it in the morning, and one can die without regret in the evening.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± Chen Ying lost her temper and shot to her feet, prepared to leave. There was nothing she hated more than a frivolous person, and whatever goodwill she felt toward him evaporated.

    ¡°Chen Ying.¡± Gao Yang stopped his act. ¡°I¡¯ll stop joking and get to business. Have a seat.¡±

    Chen Ying gave him a questioning nce, calming and sitting back down.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Can I trust you?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Surprised, Chen Ying looked up at the owner of the <i>mtang </i>stand. Since Gao Yang had asked the question so openly, he must have made sure that the owner was a wanderer.

    She had been around long enough to hear Gao Yang¡¯s unspoken words, so she asked openly, ¡°Are you trying to recruit me, Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    Gao Yang was honest with her. ¡°Would you consider it?¡±

    ¡°Do you represent the Qilin Guild,¡± Chen Ying paused, her voice getting lighter, ¡°Or the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    ¡°What if I tell you that I¡¯m speaking for myself?¡±

    Chen Ying fell silent, staring down at the steaming beef offal noodles.

    ¡°What are you pursuing, Chen Ying?¡±

    ¡°Survival.¡± Chen Ying didn¡¯t even hesitate before giving the answer. Then, after a moment of bemusement, she added, ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to live freely with dignity and a sense of security.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for simr things,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Same for me.¡± Qing Ling stopped eating her noodles for long enough to chime in.

    ¡°Do you think the three organizations will stick together and fulfill our wishes?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    That struck a chord in Chen Ying.

    She had weathered storms with Gao Yang the past few days too, and she did admire him for his character and way of doing things. Pushing reservations aside, she sighed, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not feeling optimistic.¡±

    ¡°Allow me to be frank with you.¡± Chen Ying held her gaze. ¡°Madam Li can¡¯t fulfill your wish, either.¡±

    1. The sun is<i> tai-yang</i>; there¡¯s a bit of a wordy with Gao Yang. ?

 Chapter 548: Princess Malatang

    <h4>Chapter 548: Princess Mtang</h4>

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    Chen Ying looked up to meet Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, determined. ¡°But she saved my life, and she saw me as family. I owe her. I will never betray her and the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded slightly, indicating for Chen Ying to continue.

    ¡°Maybe you can join us, and we¡¯ll be stronger,¡± Chen Ying said earnestly. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union has always been democratic. You¡¯re strong, Elder Seven Shadow, and you¡¯ve established yourself. Once the time is right, Madam Li will give away her mantle as the leader. You must know that she¡¯d wanted Alcoholic to take over the organization.¡±

    So Chen Ying knew that the Hundred Rivers Union was weak, but she had a line she wouldn¡¯t cross. That was why she came up with the middle ground.

    <i>Hah, and she recruited me instead.</i>

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Gao Yang now knew Chen Ying wouldn¡¯t be a viable recruit, so he gave lip service.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll consider it seriously.¡± Chen Ying paused before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell anyone about tonight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you may as well have some food,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Chen Ying hesitated. Late night snacks were always the best. She smiled bashfully. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have some.¡±

    She split the disposable chopsticks and picked up a piece of steaming beef offal, putting it in her mouth.

    ¡°Hm!¡± Her eyes glinted. ¡°It¡¯s heavenly!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Gao Yang was pleased. ¡°This is approved by Qing Ling, our certified Princess Mtang.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t even look up from her food and epted thepliment easily. ¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s good...¡± Chen Ying had the chopsticks in one hand and covered her mouth with her other hand, looking conflicted. ¡°I feel guilty. All the exercises I¡¯ve done tonight are moot.¡±

    ...

    It was toote for Gao Yang and Qing Ling to return to their dorms after finishing the <i>mtang</i>, so they stayed the night at Amon¡¯s shop. First thing in the morning, they went back to school.

    Lin Dajian and Qiu Qiu were still worried about the missing Mi Shi. Gao Yang pretended to not know the truth as he worried and brainstormed with them.

    Nothing happened in the morning. At noon, Gao Yang found time to be alone and essed the system, checking his stats to prepare for the dangers that woulde.

    [You have umted 782 Luck points.]

    [Constitution: 451 Endurance: 458]

    [Strength: 1148 Agility: 1892]

    [Willpower: 1837 Charisma: 526]

    [Luck: 813]

    [Teleportation Lv6]

    [Replicate Lv6]

    [Fire Lv6]

    [Psychic Armor Lv3]

    [Double Lv6]

    [Lie Detection Lv4]

    [Lucky Lv4]

    ...

    In the evening, Gao Yang and Qing Ling headed to the Shanqing Hospital together to visit Ms. Su and meet up with Officer Huang.

    Carrying some fruit, Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked out of the elevator into the quiet corridor. By the window at the left end of the corridor stood a young man and woman.

    The man was dressed in dark-colored casual suits, looking slim and handsome with tanned skin and mono-lidded eyes. He had a hand in his pocket while he held a cigarette outside the window with his other hand to vent the smell. With his hip pressed against the window sill, he painted the picture of an effortlessly cool and frivolous man.

    The woman was petite, wearing an ill-fitted office outfit with a satchel that seemed typical for an insurance salesperson. She had her hands behind her back like a star-struck fangirl.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been single since your birth? No way. I don¡¯t buy it...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao blushed, her eyes bright with excitement and a hint of nervousness.

    ¡°What? Do I look like a yboy to you? It¡¯s wrong to judge a book by its cover.¡± Zhong He smirked charmingly.

    ¡°But you¡¯re so handsome. There must be many girls chasing after you...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was about to say something when Gao Yang and Qing Ling walked out of the elevator. She jumped, quickly standing in attention. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow! Miss Green Snake!¡±

    Gao Yang snorted silently. <i>As expected of a salesperson. She memorized all our names after only reading the basic dossiers.</i>

    ¡°Brother Seven, Sister Snake.¡± Zhong He put out his cigarette against the window sill and threw it into the trashcan nearby.

    <i>We¡¯ve met during the Crimson Tide, but we aren¡¯t that close, are we?</i>

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Did anything happen the past few days?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao started her briefing. ¡°All¡¯s been well since what happenedst time, and I¡¯ve made a save to be safe.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around and walked toward the VIP ward with Qing Ling. On the bench outside the room sat a silver-haired old man in training clothes, Mischievous Monkey.

    It was deep into autumn, yet he still wore a singleyer, looking spirited and hearty despite his age.

    ¡°Sir Monkey,¡± Gao Yang greeted him.

    ¡°Dark Horse, Green Snake, here you are. Did everything go okay?¡± Mischievous Monkey was still used to calling Gao Yang Dark Horse.

    ¡°It went well.¡± Gao Yang nced at the door. ¡°Is this a good time?¡±

    Mischievous Monkey nodded.

    Gao Yang went up to knock on the door.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    ¡°Me,¡± Gao Yang answered. ¡°Qing Ling too.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling opened the door and went in.

    Inside, Officer Huang was helping Su Xi walk around the room.

    ¡°Slowly, slowly... Careful...¡± Officer Huang supported her like she was ss; he couldn¡¯t be more gentle.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re just walking a little around. I¡¯m pregnant, not disabled. You¡¯re overreacting.¡± Su Xiined, but her voice was soft. Seeing Gao Yang and Qing Ling, she exined with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been sleeping after eating and eating as soon as I wake up. I¡¯m gonna be bored to death.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Officer Huang said nervously. ¡°That¡¯s a bad omen. You¡¯re giving birth soon. After that, the three of us will go wherever you want to go and have all the fun in the world.¡±

    He only had his wife in mind, and hepletely ignored Gao Yang and Qing Ling.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang reminded him of their presence awkwardly.

    Only then did Officer Huang look up at him. ¡°Sit. Why are you still standing? We know each other well. Just pour yourselves some water...¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly, grabbing two chairs for himself and Qing Ling.

    Officer Huang helped Su Xi walk a few times around the room before resting.

    After having a short chat with Su Xi, Gao Yang and Qing Ling took their leave.

    Officer Huang walked them out. To get away from unwanted eyes and ears, they stopped at a quiet corner in the stairway.

    ¡°I heard about what happened.¡± Gao Yang nced at Officer Huang. ¡°You were reckless. If not for Hong Xiaoxiao...¡±

    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s all in the past.¡± Officer Huang smiled bitterly, unwilling to talk about it. His gaze became determined. ¡°Two days, and my wife¡¯s giving birth. I will not let anything go wrong again.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Qing Ling asked bluntly.

    Officer Huang¡¯s face darkened. He understood what Qing Ling meant.

    ¡°No.¡± It sounded like he had thought it through. ¡°Be it a human, a monster, or a Spectre. Whatever my wife gives birth to, I¡¯m prepared.¡±

    He looked at the two of them and smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°I¡¯ve always been worried and afraid, trying to find out the truth, but when the timees, I be calm.¡±

    ¡°No matter what happens, it won¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re family.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I understand your feelings.¡±

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t quite rte, but she nodded too. ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your mind.¡±

    Gao Yang then said, ¡°We¡¯lle here to help you tomorrow night, Officer Huang, until Ms. Su gives birth.¡±

    Officer Hunag smiled. ¡°Good. With you around, I can rest easy.¡±

 Chapter 549: Reward

    <h4>Chapter 549: Reward</h4>

    Happy Zhou Gold Jewelry, November 11th, 6:30 in the evening.

    Wearing a suit dress and light makeup with her hair in an updo, Lin Yue stood at the counter, ncing at her watch every once in a while. Despite her calm expression, she actually felt quite anxious.

    It was her and Gao Shou¡¯s twentieth anniversary. Gao Shou had made a reservation at a high-end restaurant, the couple nning to have a romantic candlelit dinner. The reservation was 6:30 in the evening, and Lin Yue would be able to easily make it on time after getting off work at six.

    However, Little Li, who worked the night shift, waste since she had to take her kid to her mother¡¯s house first. She had yet to arrive at the shop at 6:35.

    ¡°Sister Lin, I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Finally, Little Li entered the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. As long as you¡¯re here.¡± Lin Yue immediately took off the name que on her chest and took quick strides into the changing room inside. It took only a few minutes for her to get changed.

    Her slim figure was hugged by a soft, light beige wool turtleneck and a brown fitted wool skirt, and she wore a pair of white heels and, holding a small white bag.

    Her hair was let down naturally, the tips slightly curled, permed in the morning before she came to work.

    She looked elegant and beautiful in a reserved way.

    ¡°How do I look?¡± Lin Yue asked Little Li.

    Little Li gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You look no older than thirty! Your husband is gonna fall head over heels for you again tonight!¡±

    ¡°Stop it.¡± Lin Yue was a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m going now...¡±

    ¡°Lin Yue!¡± Sister Ho came up to her with an anxious expression, holding a gift bag. ¡°Here, take this to President Tan. You know, she¡¯s the richdy we received togetherst week.¡±

    ¡°Sister Ho, I...¡±

    ¡°Quickly! Or she¡¯s gonna be mad. She¡¯s an important client of ours. Whatever n you have, deliver this to her first!¡± Sister Ho insisted and produced a name card. ¡°This is the address and the contact. Hurry!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Yue didn¡¯t dare dy things further, and she grabbed the bag and left.

    She nced at the namecard. At least the address wasn¡¯t far from here. Since there was bound to be heavy traffic at peak hour, Lin Yue called Gao Shou while walking.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Old Gao, are you there yet?¡±

    ¡°I just arrived.¡± Gao Shou sounded a little apologetic. ¡°I was gonna pick you up, sweetheart, but I have toe to the restaurant first, or we¡¯ll lose our reservation. I was in too much of a hurry. I¡¯ve made the order. How much longer is it going to take you...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there as soon as possible. Later...¡± Lin Yue hung up.

    She went up to the shared electric bicycles by the road and rented one with her phone, hopping on it. She used to ride bicycles all the time when she was young, but rarely an electric one. Thus, she wasn¡¯t very skilled with it and kept wobbling, almost hitting a few obstacles.

    Slowly, though, she got used to it and started having fun. Picking up pace, she rode against the pleasant night wind, feeling a little like a superhero.

    Night had fallen, and the city lit up with light. Lin Yue rode along the riverside scenic route.

    <i>Boom!</i> Suddenly, she heard a loud bang from her side. Then the dark night lit up like daylight a secondter.

    She jumped and slowed the bicycle while keeping the head steady, turning to the side.

    On the shoal by the river, someone was releasing fireworks, and ones that wrote words in the sky at that. Lin Yue looked up to see the message: Lin Yue!

    Lin Yue started, braking without thinking.<i> My name?</i>

    She turned to the shoal and broke into a smile, seeing her answer in the man standing by the river. He had his back to her, and she couldn¡¯t make out his appearance in the dark.

    ¡°Old Gao?¡± Lin Yue called out, a little hesitant.

    The man didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he crouched down and seemed to be lightning up something with a lighter.

    <i>Pew¡ª</i>

    Two secondster, cool white sparks sputtered at his feet before shooting to the sides, drawing a giant heart on the shoal to encircle Lin Yue too.

    The man stood up and turned around, smiling at her.

    It was Gao Shou.

    He was dressed in a fitted white shirt and suit pants with his hairbed to the back, holding a bouquet of red roses. The flickering cold light of the fireworks illuminated his face.

    Unlike his usual shameless self, he looked serious and earnest as he walked up to Lin Yue. There were still traces of the young man he used to be on his face.

    Lin Yue was going tough and tease him for getting cheesy after they had been married for so long, but when she parted her lips, she couldn¡¯t say anything, and she felt her eyes prickle.

    ¡°The first time I saw you, Lin Yue, I fell in love.¡± Gao Shou came up to her. ¡°In white uniforms, you looked as beautiful as a painting. At the time, I thought shamelessly to myself, <i>if only the girl would fall for me too.</i>¡±

    ¡°Thank you for choosing me, Lin Yue, and for building a family with me, sticking with me through thick and thin. I¡¯ve been so happy all these years.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve never said to you properly over the past twenty years, however, and I have to say it now.¡±

    Gao Shou handed the rose bouquet to Lin Yue.

    She epted it nkly. Then Gao Shou took the gift bag from her, inside which was a rose red ring box.

    Gao Shou dropped to one knee, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

    ¡°Will you marry me, Lin Yue?¡±

    Lin Yue looked down at him, unable to speak.

    ¡°Say yes!¡± someone shouted.

    It was Guang Huan. Holding a phone to record everything, he ran out in excitement, followed by Gao Xinxin, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, as well as Lin Dajian, Qiu Qiu, Can, and Zhou Jing.

    Originally, Gao Yang was going to call Wang Zikai to witness this festive moment, too, but in the end, he decided against it and made an excuse for Wang Zikai, convincing his sister out of the idea too.

    The group called out enthusiastically, ¡°Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!¡±

    ¡°You never cease to surprise me, Old Gao...¡± Lin Yue cried andughed at the same time. Wiping the tears on her face, she took a deep breath and looked down at Gao Shou with a serious look in her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I will marry you.¡±

    She extended her left hand to him.

    Gao Shou took her hand and put the diamond ring on her ring finger.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting a cavity here!¡±

    The group shouted one after another.

    <i>Bang, bang bang!</i>

    Gao Yang lit the line of fireworks by the river, and theyunched into the air with fizzing sounds, blooming into colorful flowers of sparks.

    ¡°Kiss!¡± Zhou Jing hollered.

    ¡°Yeah, kiss!¡± Can chimed in.

    ¡°Enough already, children! Don¡¯t ask for something you shouldn¡¯t see!¡± Gao Shou blushed.

    ¡°Geez, we¡¯re all adults! And we¡¯ve spent so much effort on the proposal n. You should reward us with something only adults can see!¡± Qiu Qiu yelled shamelessly. He was here only to witness the whole affair, and the n had nothing to do with him.

    Lin Dajian got into it too. ¡°That¡¯s right! You have to kiss!¡±

    Making up his mind, Gao Shou pulled Lin Yue into his arms and turned around, pretending to kiss her. Lin Yue blushed from her face all the way to the back of her ears, covering her face, too embarrassed to look at the young ones around them.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count! We didn¡¯t see anything!¡± Zhou Jing whined in disappointment.

    ¡°Stop it!¡± Gao Shou waved them away. ¡°I¡¯m taking my wife to a candlelit dinner. Have fun on your own. Come to our ce for a meal someday, and I¡¯ll let you have my wife¡¯s cooking.¡±

    Amid the chatter andughter, Gao Shou took Lin Yue away.

    Watching his parents walk up the levee lovingly, Gao Yang broke into a satisfied smile.

    After a moment, he turned to the others. ¡°Thanks for tonight. Come on, I¡¯ll buy you dinner.¡±

    Qiu Qiu was the first to respond. ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 550: Continuation of Past Dream

    <h4>Chapter 550: Continuation of Past Dream</h4>

    Gao Yang bought everyone barbecues. Then they went to a karaoke and sang until eleven at night.

    Afterwards, Gao Yang took Gao Xinxin home. In the taxi, his sister stayed silent and looked out of the window. Gao Yang was thinking about something as well, and the siblings stayed quiet in their bemusement.

    They were close to home. Gao Xinxin suddenly spoke up in a faint voice, ¡°I have something to tell you, Brother.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Guang Huan and I are just friends. We lied to you.¡±

    ¡°I could tell at first nce.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°But why?¡±

    Gao Xinxin puffed out her cheeks before letting out a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just bothered me that you got a girlfriend, and I feltpetitive.¡±

    ¡°What is there topete over? You¡¯ll start dating once you enter college too.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Gao Xinxin nodded and smiled. ¡°Watching Mom and Dad today makes me long for a rtionship too. I want to find a man who¡¯s as good as Dad.¡±

    ¡°You will.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°You must treat Sister-in-Law well, brother.¡± Gao Xinxin pouted. ¡°Although I still don¡¯t like her that much, I can tell that Sister-in-Law really cares about you. It¡¯s all in the way she looks at you. She adores you.¡±

    Gao Yang paused.

    Two secondster, he put on a natural smile. ¡°Of course she does. You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Gao Xinxin threw him a disapproving nce. ¡°The fact that she likes you now doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯ll like you tomorrow. Women change, I tell you!¡±

    Gao Yang ruffled her hair. ¡°You¡¯re too young to say that.¡±

    Two minutester, the taxi parked at the entrance to the gatedmunity they lived in. Gao Yang was going to walk Gao Xinxin home, but Gao Xinxin stopped him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Brother. It¡¯s close. I¡¯ll walk home on my own.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang lied that he would return to school, when in truth he was heading to the Shanqing Hospital.

    He had helped his father with his dream. Now, he and Qing Ling would help Officer Huang protect Su Xi until she gave birth. No more idents.

    It would take twenty minutes to drive to the Shanqing District. Gao Yang decided to take a short rest to restore some strength. Through meditation, he quickly fell into a shallow sleep.

    He dreamed, which was unusual for when he was only resting.

    It was a lucid dream. He didn¡¯t rush to wake himself up, but instead allowed himself to stay immersed in the ocean of his consciousness, allowing the flow to take him away.

    At some point, he had turned into a butterfly.

    He remembered having a simr dream once.

    Gao Yang had thought it was merely a messy projection his subconscious conjured while he was in aa, but now it seemed the dream could have a deeper connection to the real world than he had thought.

    He was back to the ce with two walls seemingly standing in the cosmos, one ck and one white, between which was a gray marsh floating with eyes of different sizes and countless bobbing pale hands.

    At the heart of the river before him was a giant tree reaching into the sky, the branches wrapped by living gray hair and bearing lives¡ªon the outside, at least, they looked like human girls.

    Gao Yang pped his wings and reached the bottom of the tree. Aplicated webs of giant roots covered the surface of the flowing marsh, and every divot was big enough to be a dark brown shoal.

    On the shoal sat three naked young women, their torso covered by their long hair. Their skin was fair like snow and glowing faintly, making them look holy like angels.

    Behind them on the side, Gao Yang could see their slim figures and a third of their profiles.

    The ck-haired girl had her legs pressed together, sitting on the left. She was pretty and broody, expression cool as she looked down at the gray marsh like she was pondering something.

    The auburn-haired girl sat at the center with one leg propped up on her other leg, leaning backward with her hands behind her head like she was bored.

    The blond girl was the youngest, about eleven or twelve, and she was cranky.

    Pale hands continued to reach out from the marsh not far from them, forming dense twisted white waves nonstop, rushing insistently upon the three of them.

    ¡°Get away from me! Don¡¯t be a bother!¡±

    The blond girl shouted, and sensing her thunderous rage, the pale hands shuddered and shook, crashing back into the marsh river like white foams.

    Not long after, though, the pale hands reemerged and came rushing again like they wouldn¡¯t tire of it.

    ¡°Haha, thest sister from the previous attempt died too.¡± The auburn-haired girlughed carelessly. ¡°It¡¯s going to be our turn soon.¡±

    ¡°Are we thest attempt?¡± the ck-haired girl asked faintly.

    ¡°I think so. There are no other sisters on the tree.¡± The auburn-haired girl crossed her calves, her toes wiggling mischievously. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t wait! I wanna go to school now and date the hottest boy...¡±

    ¡°Lame.¡± The blond girl scoffed.

    ¡°The one who talks about Master all the time isme,¡± the auburn-haired girl retorted. ¡°Be patient, girl. You¡¯re still underaged by human standards, and you can only have a child after you turn eighteen.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me,¡± the blond girl said proudly. ¡°I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of death?¡± the auburn-haired girl questioned. ¡°We¡¯ll die after bearing a child with a human.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll only happen to you.¡± The blond girl was confident. ¡°We only die when we fail, and I¡¯ll seed. I¡¯ll be a mother.¡±

    ¡°Haha, since you¡¯re so pumped up, I can rest easy and have fun.¡± The auburn-haired girlughed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give birth?¡± The ck-haired girl turned to the auburn-haired girl, cocking her head.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not.¡± The auburn-haired girl didn¡¯t even have to think. ¡°I have a long life ahead of me, and I can do whatever I want to do. If I feel lonely, I¡¯ll find a man. If I feel bored, I¡¯ll get a child to raise, or kittens or puppies. I want to be free, unbound and unbothered by anyone...¡±

    ¡°Lame,¡± the blond girlmented to express her disapproval again.

    The auburn-haired girl ignored her and turned to the ck-haired girl. ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°Dunno.¡± The ck-haired girl watched the waves of pale hands roll toward her. With a wave of her hand, the waves dispersed into white foam.

    She said honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought it through.¡±

    ¡°Thought what through?¡± The auburn-haired girl blinked.

    ¡°The purpose.¡± The ck-haired girl smiled faintly. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of our existence?¡±

    ¡°Whoa! I know what you can do, sis.¡± The auburn-haired girl¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°There¡¯s a job humans do. What¡¯s it called again...a phnthropist?¡±

    ¡°A philosopher,¡± the blond girl corrected.

    ¡°Yeah, a philosopher. It¡¯s perfect for you!¡±

    In the dream, Gao Yang didn¡¯t think too much of the real life elements they had mentioned. He simply thought they were quite interesting and would like to listen to them talk for a little longer.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Then an explosion woke him up.

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and jerked up. The taxi driver had hit the brake.

    He looked out of the window on his side. From a road not far from him, fire and smoke had risen to the sky like a missile hadnded. Gao Yang realized with a start that it was the inpatient building of the Shanqing District.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>He couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate before he teleported out of the taxi and made a mad dash toward the site of the explosion.

    Thiste at night, there weren¡¯t many people on the road. Gao Yang ran into an alley and leapt after teleporting,nding on the roof of a seven-story apartment building. Running and jumping between rooftops, he managed to reach the site of the explosion in less than half a minute.

    Gao Yang was stunned to see that half of the inpatient building of Shanqing Hospital had crumbled, like a giant had stomped on it. Fire and smoke ran amok, and some elemental particles could be detected amid the ruins of the building.

    Smoker! He triggered arge-scale elemental explosion!

    Gao Yang jumped down from the tall building and ran.

 Chapter 551: Wrong Way

    <h4>Chapter 551: Wrong Way</h4>

    Many ran out of the building calling out for help. They were all wanderers, and with their logic and perceptions modified, they thought they were hit with a missile or a natural gas explosion. Since it was a hospital, many doctors and nurses were already rushing out of the other buildings to save lives.

    Amid the surging mes, Gao Yang saw Officer Huang and Mischievous Monkey running towards him, the former carrying an unconscious Hong Xiaoxiao while thetter carried an unconscious Zhong He, escaping the bombed inpatient building with a crowd of people.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Gao Yang rushed over to them.

    Officer Huangid Hong Xiaoxiao on the ground, shouting at Mischievous Monkey, ¡°Call Adept Horse and Lovely Lamb here!¡±

    Then he picked himself up while holding onto his bleeding abdomen,ing up to Gao Yang. In a lowered voice, he said, ¡°Su Xi¡¯s taken!¡±

    Gao Yang could guess it was the Tails. He whispered back, ¡°Where did they go?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they left through the front door.¡± Officer Huang¡¯s voice was trembling.

    <i>The front door. That¡¯s right behind me.</i>

    As soon as the thought shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind, he heard an explosioning from behind him, the sound rumbling and heavy like thunder, and it sounded far.

    He turned to see a burst of me in the distance.

    The top of the Green Mountain.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Green Mountain!¡± Gao Yang shouted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Officer Huang was going to give chase immediately, but in his haste, he pulled the wound on his abdomen. ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Gao Yang nced at him. ¡°You¡¯re seriously injured.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll live!¡± Officer Huang paled and took out his car key. ¡°Get the car! Now!¡±

    Gao Yang stopped hesitating and grabbed Officer Huang, throwing reservation out of the window and teleporting amid the crowd, vanishing instantly.

    The two wanderers witnessing this were stunned. One fainted then and there, while the other blinked and forgot what they saw, continuing shouting, ¡°Help! There was an explosion. Help...¡±

    In less than ten seconds, Gao Yang had taken Officer Huang away from the hospital, reaching the car parked by the road.

    ¡°Get in!¡±

    Gao Yang opened the door. Officer Huang clenched his teeth and dove in while holding his abdomen.

    <i>Whoosh!</i> A gust of wind preceded Qing Ling¡¯s arrival on her flying de. The road was almost empty of pedestrians at midnight, but it was still bold of her to fly here out in the open. Nevertheless, she could guess something had happened to Officer Huang, so she couldn¡¯t waste any time.

    As soon as shended, she got into the car.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even put on his seatbelt before he started the car and kicked the elerator.

    ¡°Something happened?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Heavenly Dog?¡± Officer Huang asked instead of answering. Were Heavenly Dog here, they would be able to travel much more quickly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps he¡¯s back at base,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Su Xi was taken by the Tails,¡± Gao Yang exined while speeding through a few red lights, heading toward the explosion.

    It was then Vermilion Bird called. Gao Yang put her on speaker.

    ¡°Seven Shadow, head to the Green Mountain at once.¡±

    ¡°I saw,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°My wife was taken by the Tails!¡± Officer Huang shouted. ¡°Save her!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Vermilion Bird said confidently. ¡°The three organizations have sent people there, including Guildmaster. We must take them all out this time.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, quickly putting two and two together.

    Given how special Su Xi was, it was only sufficient to have Officer Huang, Mischievous Monkey, and Hong Xiaoxiao keep watch on her. Were Gao Yang in Qilin¡¯s ce, he would at least send Elder Azure Dragon, and were he War Tiger, he would¡¯ve watched over her himself.

    Yet they didn¡¯t.

    Now it seemed that Qilin and War Tiger did it on purpose. Having guessed that the Tails would attempt to take her again, they purposefully allowed the kidnapping to happen in order to trace them and erase them all; it would be even better if they could track them to the Godbearer Cult, which was pulling the strings behind the scene, thus finding out about what made Su Xi special.

    That was why Vermilion Bird had noticed only a few minutes after the Tails took Su Xi.

    No, it probably wasn¡¯t Vermilion Bird, but Heavenly Dog and Little Tian, the best scoutingbo. So that was the new mission War Tiger assigned him.

    Judging by the explosion on the Green Mountain, the battle was likely to have started.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go as quickly as I can!¡± Gao Yang twisted the driving wheel and made a sharp turn at the crossroad ahead.

    ¡°Hmph...¡±

    Taking the passenger seat, Officer Huang took out the Medicine C he carried with him and gave himself a shot in the abdomen, groaning.

    ¡°Still alive?¡± Qing Ling rolled down the window to allow a cool gust in, rustling her hair but clearing her head.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Medicine C started toe into effect. Officer Huang collected his breath and suddenly punched the car. ¡°Fuck, I let the Tails get away!¡±

    ¡°Patience. Tell us what happened.¡± Gao Yang continued to drive, speaking calmly.

    ¡°The four of us split into two teams and patrol the whole building every twenty minutes...¡± Officer Huang said in a regretful tone. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect the maniacs to blow up the whole building!¡±

    ¡°Must be Smoker,¡± Qing Ling said.

    ¡°Must be.¡± Officer Huang sucked in a breath. ¡°His power is terrifying. The explosion took all of us by surprise.¡±

    He found a napkin and wiped the blood on his hands. ¡°Sir Monkey quickly protected the ward with earth elements, and Zhong He reinforced the wall with Phantom. We made it out narrowly...¡±

    Gao Yang took another turn without slowing down.

    ¡°But we still got ambushed...¡± Officer Huang took out his gun to check the ammos. ¡°Astronaut had been hiding nearby, and we all got poisoned...<i>ack...</i>¡±

    He coughed and wiped away the blood around his mouth. ¡°This is the wrong direction! Gao Yang, you took the wrong turn!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll go somewhere else first before heading to the Green Mountain.¡±

    ¡°Are you mad?!¡± Officer Huang shouted. ¡°We should save her first. Everything else can wait...¡±

    ¡°Su Xi isn¡¯t on the mountain,¡± Gao Yang cut him off.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Officer Huang asked.

    Qing Ling said from the back, ¡°This is a distraction. The Tails used the explosion to lure us there.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡± Officer Huang sounded calmer. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, but how did you know? Have you sent someone to follow Tails in the dark?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°No, the Tails moved discreetly.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you so certain?¡± Officer Huang was confused.

    ¡°Because the Tails would only take Su Xi to one ce,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Where.¡±

    ¡°The altar.¡±

    Officer Huang started. ¡°Do you mean a life monster¡¯s altar?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is there an altar in Li City?¡± Officer Huang frowned. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyone spotted it?¡±

    ¡°The altar is merely a mark on an important and special site...¡± Gao Yang said bemusedly. ¡°Think of it as a mine shaft of energy. A life monster has the key to the trapdoor. Every Crimson Tide, a life monster opens the trapdoor and sows seeds with the energy of the mine shaft, through the red fog as medium.¡±

    Officer Huang nodded. ¡°Keep going.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at the rearview mirror to meet Qing Ling¡¯s eyes. ¡°Two days ago, we went to a desert in the Ni Nation and found an altar, which indirectly supports my theory.¡±

    Qing Ling exined further, ¡°Gao Yang used his blood to activate the altar. Before, it had been a dune with nothing.¡±

    ¡°Blood?¡± Officer Huang sounded increasingly dumbfounded.

    Qing Ling continued, ¡°Gao Yang survived a Spectre¡¯s feeding and ended up with half the curse of a Spectre, and now we know that Spectres are born between life monsters and humans.¡±

    ¡°Wait, when did you get bitten by a Spectre, Gao Yang?¡± Officer Huang was stunned. He turned to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Let¡¯s first...¡±

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Without warning, Officer Huang raised his gun and pressed it to Gao Yang¡¯s temple, making three consecutive shots in 0.1 second.

 Chapter 552: Secret

    <h4>Chapter 552: Secret</h4>

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Light element bullets pierced through Gao Yang¡¯s skull and came out the other temple, sttering blood and sprinkles of light particles and shattering the car window on the left.

    <i>Creak. </i>Without the driver¡¯s control, the speeding car swirled sharply and mmed through the railing of the road, hitting a thick wall on the side. The head of the car ended up crushed in half, the hood flying open and emitting smoke.

    <i>Beep¡ªbeep¡ªbeep¡ª</i>

    Piercing alerts rang at the silent crossroadte at night. Inside the car, Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were widened in disbelief, his skull shattered and the gray matter sttering as hey on the steering wheel, dead.

    Three bullet holes were left in the backseat, smoking, but Qing Ling wasn¡¯t dead.

    She had been ready for it. The moment Officer Huang drew his gun to make a sudden attack at Gao Yang, she had dove out of the window and escaped narrowly.

    Landing at the center of the road, she rolled to a stand.

    ¡°Metal!¡±

    With her shout, six ck Gold weapons appeared to shield Qing Ling, joined by two metal manhole covers nearby that had sprung up and hovered before Qing Ling.

    It was to defend against further firing from Officer Huang. She was confident that she would secure a win in a melee fight, but at long range, she was greatly disadvantaged.

    <i>Thud! </i>A few secondster, Officer Huang kicked the door open from the passenger seat. Holding a ck Gold gun in each hand, he looked tortured with reddened eyes and face covered in tears.

    ¡°Why?!¡± Officer Huang cried out. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you two be a little more ignorant? Why couldn¡¯t you turn a blind eye?!¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s expression turned frosty, and her icy voice belied a hint of reluctance. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to stop now,<i> Huang Qi</i>. Gao Yang and I won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Officer Huang was surprised to find another person appearing behind her: Gao Yang, who was wholly unhurt.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    He was both surprised and d. For a moment, he wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel happy or frustrated.

    <i>¡ªThank God, I didn¡¯t kill him.</i>

    <i>¡ªDammit, why haven¡¯t I killed him?</i>

    ¡°Brat, you used Double beforehand.¡± Officer Huangughed bitterly. ¡°You had your guard up against even me? For real?¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice trembled a little, his expression pained. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to stop. Neither Qing Ling nor I want to lose you. You¡¯re our closest friends.¡±

    ¡°And you two are my closest friends.¡± Officer Huang lifted his head slightly, preventing his tears from falling from the corners of his eyes. ¡°But there¡¯s no turning back. Ever since I shot at you...no, since Su Xi told me everything, there¡¯s no turning back...¡±

    ¡°Wake up!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°Su Xi¡¯s using you...¡±

    ¡°No! She loves me!¡± Officer Huang growled. ¡°She loves me and wants to have a child with me, she wants to give me a home! What¡¯s wrong with that?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not giving birth to a normal child or even a Spectre. She...¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Cursed Offspring?¡± Officer Huang huffed.

    Gao Yang was taken aback. So he knew.

    ¡°How did <i>you </i>know?¡± Officer Huang asked Gao Yang.

    ¡°We found an obelisk with murals depicting the three creatures a life monster could give birth to, back in the temple ruin under a Ni Nation desert.¡±

    Gao Yang lied. The murals were important clues, but he had another more important source of information.

    Officer Huang shouted, ¡°Then you should know that Su Xi can give birth to a Blessed Child too! A real human!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze was tortured. He knew that they couldn¡¯t drag this on further, and Officer Huang was simply buying time.

    He nced at Qing Ling. ¡°Go. You must stop Su Xi.¡±

    Qing Ling shot Officer Huang aplicated look before ncing at Gao Yang. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    She turned around and ran.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang bang bang!</i>

    Six or seven bullets shot at Qing Ling. She shielded herself with the manhole covers and her ck Gold weapons, seeding in making an escape.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Officer Huang aimed at Qing Ling with both guns, quickly charging them with light elements.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>Gao Yang teleported to him with brilliant mes wrapping around his fists.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    ¡°Sacred Shield!¡±

    A secondter, Gao Yang made an all-in punch, and Officer Huang was forced to let Qing Ling go in order to conjure a light element bulwark, blocking Gao Yang¡¯s fist and fire.

    <i>ng! </i>Hitting the shining light shield, the fierce mes split to the sides and left two charred trenches on the road behind Officer Huang.

    Officer Huang¡¯s light was only level 4. Of course he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand Gao Yang¡¯s level 6 Fire. His arms went numb, and the light shield was close to crumbling.

    ¡°Unbridled Light!¡±

    The moment the light shield shattered, Officer Huang conjured a golden cloud above him, shooting out countless arrows of light.

    Gao Yang retracted his fire and teleported out of the range of attacks. Then he rolled to a stand and threw two fireballs at Officer Huang.

    Officer Huang clenched one fist and raised it.

    Countless light arrows that had buried into the ground were pulled out, sent flying toward Gao Yang in a dense pack to scatter the two fireballs and attack Gao Yang.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Without pulling back, Gao Yang swung his fist, and a fire dragon flew out of his arm, growling and melting the arrows instantly.

    Instead of trying to tank the attack, Officer Huang jumped to the side to dodge the charging fire dragon. A secondter, the fire dragon hit the house behind him, blowing it up.

    With the fire lighting his figure from the back, Officer Huang looked around at high alert, looking for Gao Yang with his two guns ready.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>A few secondster, Gao Yang reappeared by Officer Huang¡¯s side.

    Having been prepared for it, Officer Huang twisted his wrist at an incredible speed with level 6 God of Firearms, making two shots at Gao Yang¡¯s heart and forehead.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    They missed the targets!

    One bullet ended up brushing past Gao Yang¡¯s hair, and the other hit Gao Yang in the left side. Gao Yang had grabbed Officer Huang¡¯s wrists at the same speed to twist them away.

    Officer Huang was shocked!

    He hadn¡¯t expected Gao Yang to secretly replicate his God of Firearms before getting into the car. With level 6 God of Firearms, Gao Yang moved as quickly as Officer Huang did.

    Having grabbed both of Officer Huang¡¯s hands, Gao Yang could¡¯ve shot a pir of fire to burn Officer Huang to death from close range, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, he quickly lifted his feet to kick Officer Huang¡¯s injured abdomen¡ªhe had been stabbed by Zhong He¡¯s Phantom, and Gao Yang had long noticed it.

    Gao Yang could picture that Officer Huang had ambushed Zhong He and Hong Xiaoxiao while Mischievous Monkey wasn¡¯t around, making it seem like Su Xi had been taken with the Tails bringing explosion and chaos.

    Officer Huang hadn¡¯t killed the two awakeners. His only goal was to allow Su Xi to give birth at the altar.

    <i>Bam! </i>Like a bullet fired at high speed, Officer Huang mmed into a billboard at a shop by the road, falling to the ground.

    He was going to pick himself up quickly, but failed. With one knee on the ground, he threw up blood.

    Gao Yang went up to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to stop! <i>Huang Qi!</i>¡±

    It was the first time Gao Yang called him by his name. ¡°Su Xi is going to give birth to a Cursed Offspring!¡±

    ¡°Ha, you...you¡¯re no God. Who gives you the right to determine what my child will be...¡± Huang Qi threw up more blood.

    ¡°It¡¯s not decided by anyone, but fate.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in fate!¡± Huang Qi growled in fury. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes were red, and his lips trembled. He didn¡¯t want to lose the man as a friend, and he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Listen to me, Huang Qi.¡± Gao Yang revealed his secret, one that he had only told Qing Ling before, and now he was telling his friend.

    ¡°My mother...is a life monster.¡±

 Chapter 553: Collaboration

    <h4>Chapter 553: Coboration</h4>

    On top of the Green Mountain, a great fire zed and died half of the night sky red. There were many wilted trees in the mountain this deep into autumn, and they were perfect fuel for the fire, which was going to burn the entire mountain down.

    A minute before, Tails created arge explosion¡ªnot an elemental explosion triggered by Smoker, but a result of detonating the two tons of dynamite they had stored halfway up the mountain beforehand.

    Their n was to make as much noise as possible to lure the awakeners of Li City, thus drawing them away from the real target.

    The reason they chose Green Mountain was twofold: first, it was tall and would allow all to see the explosion, and second, the mountain wasrge, thus conducive to their escape.

    ¡°We¡¯re all done here. Should we go?¡± Xing Kong, whose eyebrows were as sharp as des, came over, the tanned skin of his topless body gained a hint of red from the zing mes.

    ¡°We wait til we make sure they¡¯re all here,¡± Madam Wu said seriously. She was now the leader of the Tails, and to be frank, she didn¡¯t like the title much.

    Edmond had been their leader, and he was good at it. With Hyenaing up with the concrete ns for Edmond¡¯s decisions, the others executed the ns, and the team had been doing well.

    While Tails served the Godbearer Cult, they were independent, and each teammate had different goals and ambitions. However, Edmond could always bring all of them pack of mad dogs together, and he cleaned up the mess when they got in trouble.

    Now, though, both Edmond and Hyena were dead, and Madam Wu had to take on their mantle. After all, she was the rtively normal one among the surviving members.

    ¡°I¡¯vee to believe that it isn¡¯t a good idea to work with a life monster.¡± Xing Kong, the deputy, had more or less figured out Edmond¡¯s secret mission.

    It turned out that under the Cult¡¯s order, Edmond had decided to work with a life monster.

    Su Xi.

    She had sought out Edmond of her own initiative. She had known that the Tails had been creating holy water with the body of a life monster and were nning to find and hunt a living one. Su Xi proposed a coboration in exchange for protection.

    She admitted that during pregnancy, she was weak and had less than tenth of her usual strength. To prove her goodwill, Su Xi told Edmond parts of the truth about life monsters¡ªwhile it would be naive to just take her at her word, the Godbearer Cult had concluded that she was telling the truth based on what they had learned.

    After Edmond¡¯s death, Xing Kong and Madam Wu had learned those facts about life monsters, too, and after some discussion, they decided to continue the dangerous mission Edmond left them with.

    ording to Su Xi, life monsters came from another world, but she hadn¡¯t said what it was and where it was.

    Every twenty years, three life monsters would enter the Mist World with a mission: to sow seeds and to give birth.

    For the former, the life monsters would go around the world during the decennial Crimson Tide to activate the power of the altars, sowing the energy seeds of dead wanderers through the blood fog to imnt them in the living wanderers. Then the wanderers would, in a manner of speaking, give birth at a certain time to produce monsters.

    With all three life monsters working together, they could sow all the seeds in one night.

    However, a pregnant life monster couldn¡¯t take on the work, and in the worst-case scenario, there could be only one life monster capable of sowing seeds; then the ordeal would take seven days.

    That was why a Crimson Tidested seven days.

    Regarding the mission of giving birth, the life monsters were allowed to choose their partners¡ªthey must be an awakener or a regr human¡ªand they would have a child at the price of the life monster¡¯s life. Throughing together with a human, a life monster could get pregnant and give birth.

    They could produce three kinds of offspring: Divine Scion, Forlorn Ghost, and Malediction.

    More simply, they were known as the Blessed Child, Lost Ghost, and Cursed Offspring.

    A life monster was most likely to give birth to Forlorn Ghosts, and there was a 50% chance for twins to be born. The life monster could immediately sense it if she was pregnant with Forlorn Ghosts since they were neither human or monster, but cursed outliers.

    During the pregnancy, the life monster would usually go into hiding to avoid being detected by awakeners or elite monsters, giving birth secretly before weing her death.

    Why? Perhaps a life monster woulde to love her child like a human mother would for some inexplicable reason, and not wanting her child to be killed by elite monsters or awakeners immediately after birth, they had no choice but to hide.

    As a result, Forlorn Ghosts often came to this world without parents, without name, and they grew up alone and lost, oveing great difficulties. They didn¡¯t know where they came from, and neither did they know where they were going.

    All they had was their hunger and the instinct to feed on awakeners¡¯ energy. One meal was enough tost them for years.

    Still, Forlorn Ghosts were inexplicably linked and drawn to each other, and they found their way to their kins forpanionship. That was how the Spectres were formed.

    Spring was most likely the first Forlorn Ghost of the Mist World, the first child of the first life monster.

    And Su Xi was among thest trio of life monstersing to the Mist World, and she was the youngest and thest to be pregnant.

    She knew that she wasn¡¯t pregnant with a Forlorn Ghost, which meant she would either give birth to the Divine Scion or the Malediction.

    All life monsters before her had failed, giving birth to Forlorn Ghosts, while Lin Yue and Zhuang Mei had be lost in their false lives in the Mist World, fearing death too much toe together with a human. Thus, they didn¡¯t get pregnant and give birth to children. That was how they survived and retained the great power of a life monster.

    Now, Su Xi was pregnant. She believed she must be pregnant with the Divine Scion.

    It was fated to happen. It was the will of God. No one could change that.

    Lin Yue didn¡¯t react to Su Xi¡¯s pregnancy, while Zhuang Mei became jealous and afraid. Thus, she decided to stop Su Xi and even tried to kill the unborn child.

    While pregnant, Su Xi was no match for Zhuang Mei. To protect her unborn child, Su Xi had no choice but to work with the Godbearer Cult.

    She asked the Tails to take her away and hide her well until she gave birth. In exchange, she would provide Tails with real holy water.

    That was an offer the Tails and the Cult couldn¡¯t resist, especially the Tails.

    They believed that by consuming true holy water, they would be able to ovee the level limit of their Talents and reach level 7, or even level 8. Then they would stop being vermin to be driven away or the undesirable bottom listers, but the top 1%.

    A deal was struck through the Cult. Edmond sent all members of Tails to kidnap Su Xi.

    To their surprise, though, Seven Shadows and hispanions had quickly tracked them down, and Zhuang Mei yed the oriole to the mantis capturing the cicada.

    Zhuang Mei was more powerful than they had expected.

    With her ability to silence Talents, she had caught Edmondpletely off guard and grabbed Su Xi, heading to the Ind Nation to kill Su Xi¡¯s child with the power of the altar.

    Thankfully, the awakeners stepped in.

    It was said that Dragon, with the top Talent, had killed Zhuang Mei.

    It was terrifying that Dragon was capable of killing Zhuang Mei on his own. Perhaps only the Heavenly Godbearer would be able to deal with him.

    ¡°Fire! Such great fire! Muhahaha! It¡¯s burning. It¡¯s all burning...¡±

    Cockroach¡¯s excited shouting broke Madam Wu out of her thoughts.

 Chapter 554: Ex

    <h4>Chapter 554: Ex</h4>

    The short, overweight, ugly, and mentally challenged man jumped around in front of the fire sweeping across the mountain, holding a burnt piece of wood in his short, thick, and rough hand, unbothered by the fact that the heated wood was burning his skin and flesh.

    ¡°We¡¯vee this far. There¡¯s no turning back.¡± Madam Wu responded before turning to Cockroach. ¡°You saw how Cockroach was the only one who could survive consuming the holy water Hyena made, and his intelligence decreased after every consumption. We would surely lose control if we took the holy water. Then I¡¯d rather die.¡±

    Xing Kong cursed and said hesitantly, ¡°Will Su Xi really give us true holy water after giving birth to the Divine Scion?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Madam Wu said honestly. ¡°Without true holy water, we won¡¯t be able to level up past our limit, and we¡¯ll always be vermin in the ditch, to whom the Godbearer Cult wouldn¡¯t spare a ticket for. We have to take the gamble.¡±

    ¡°Look!¡± Xing Kong looked up, noticing something.

    High in the air in the nearby city, a private helicopter could be seen.

    ¡°Ha, theye quickly.¡± Xing Kong stood up. ¡°We can go now, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, take Blood Amber and go west down the mountain. I¡¯ll take Cockroach and go east. We¡¯ll meet each other at our usual meeting spot.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Xing Kong quickly left.

    Madam Wu turned around and called out impatiently, ¡°Stop ying, Cockroach. Time to go home and eat!¡±

    ¡°Eat! Yay! Eat...¡± Cockroach threw away the wooden stick in his grasp and turned to go to Madam Wu.

    ...

    Blood Amber was hiding in a dark cavern. It had been a tourist sight on the Green Mountain before, but after andslide, it was blocked off, which made it a good hiding spot.

    Red light flickered from outside the cavern. It seemed that the zing fire was spreading quickly.

    ¡°Why¡¯s taking them so long?¡± Blood Amberined in her spacesuit.

    As thest resort of the team, she rarely showed up with the others, but would instead hide somewhere near their base. If her teammates were at a disadvantage, they would discreetly message her, and she would take off her helmet and breathe.

    Yes, all it took was for her to breathe for a moment, and all intelligent lives around her would be infected with her virus, going weak and starting vomiting blood in great pain.

    What others didn¡¯t know, however, was that breathing normally without her helmet hurt her just as much.

    Every intake of air felt like sulfuric acid, burning her throat and lungs and making a mess of her organs like a saw.

    She missed her old life.

    Back then, she hadn¡¯t awakened, and she was nothing but a regr girl. She grew up in a family where both parents worked, and just like most girls, she looked average and got average scores.

    When she was little, she loved anime like <i>Sailor Moon</i>, and in middle school, her obsession shifted to shojo manga and romance novels. In high school, she started going to concerts and got obsessed with celebrities. Going into college, she remained single and spent her days writing fanfics of her favorite couples. Once she had enough savings from her part-time jobs, she would go to concerts with her ssmates or travel to a city with great inte fame, enjoying tasty food and milk tea, as well as taking pictures at famous sites.

    After graduation, she started working as a copywriter at an adpany, doing overtime and attending meetings every day with no time for anything but sleeping.

    It did ur to her that such a life was boring, and she wanted to resign to go on an impromptu trip, but she never mustered enough courage.

    One day, Blood Amber ordered delivery, and the young man delivering her meal waste. She was so hungry that her stomach hurt, and in a moment of anger, she left the first negative review she had ever written in her life.

    When the delivery man arrivedte and apologized to her, both his face and body were covered in wounds.

    He said that his cat passed away yesterday, and he hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep the previous night. Today, when riding his motorcycle, he thought he had heard the meows of his cat, and distracted, he fell. That was why he waste.

    Blood Amber wasn¡¯t sure what to do. She quickly retracted the negative review and hurriedlyforted him, giving him an orange.

    The young man in his twenties took the orange in the hallway and burst out crying. His cat was named Orange.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry, really, I¡¯m so sorry...¡±

    Blood Amber didn¡¯t know why she was apologizing, and so many times at that.

    What then?

    They added each other as friends on WeChat and texted each other every once in a while, making small talk and asking after each other.

    And then?

    They became friends, going out to eat or go to an expo every now and then,ining to each other about their lives as a little cog in a big corporate machine.

    And after that?

    They got together. Neither of them started the conversation, but one night, when the young man walked Blood Amber home, they walked past the green belt of amunity, the air smelled faintly of the fragrance of osmanthus. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder, and their moving hands found each other, unbidden. Once their fingers intertwined, neither of them let go.

    What about even after that?

    The young man moved into Blood Amber¡¯s studio, and they kept a stray cat they picked up in themunity as a pet, naming it Pomelo.

    Every morning, the young man would wake up at seven to prepare simple breakfast and milk for Blood Amber. After feeding the cat and cleaning the litter, he would wake Blood Amber up and put on a helmet, leaving home to make deliveries.

    Blood Amber would wake up to the cute purrs their cat made, washing up and having breakfast before getting changed for work. Then she would catch a subway to herpany.

    After work, whoever returned home earlier would prepare dinner¡ªmore often than not, it would be her boyfriend.

    They would sit on the sofa with their bowls and turn on theptop to put on a lighthearted drama that didn¡¯t require thinking, which would serve as their electronic side dish. They would watch the drama as they ate andughed every once in a while.

    Then it would bete. They would wash up, feed the cat, clean up the mess, and go to bed in each other¡¯s embrace. Before going to sleep, they chatted, mostly about the mundane matters in life, but also their dreams about the future; they wanted to go to the Snow Nation to see the aurora in three years, go to the Ind Nation to watch cherry blossoms, and go to Naldives to enjoy the sight of the ocean.

    Half a year into their life of cohabitation, they were suddenly driven out of the t by thendlord, and the two moved out in a hurry, feeling tired, wronged, and pathetic.

    So they started saving. They nned to save up enough to buy a house in two years. They wanted to have a home in Li City.

    Things seemed to be getting better, and they were filled with hope.

    But one day, Blood Amber got sick.

    At first, she was simply feeling nauseous and dizzy, running a low fever. Then she started suffering from constant vomiting and diarrhea, which severely undermined her normal life.

    She went to the hospital for blood tests, scans, and all sorts of check-ups, but no one could ever give her a diagnosis.

    She remained sick, and her condition fluctuated without a pattern. She lost her job soon and became bedridden at home. Her pain grew more and more, and her condition declined nonstop.

    Later, even her boyfriend had to stay at home to take care of her, unable to work.

    That put Blood Amber under greater pain and guilt, and she lost control of her emotions. She threw a tantrum all the time and refused to eat, threatening to kill herself... Finally, her boyfriend had enough, and he left after mming the door shut.

    Sickly, Blood Ambery on the bed crying. She was soon wallowing in regret and fear. She felt like she was going to die, and she called her boyfriend to apologize to him, asking him toe back and not abandon her.

    He relented, saying that he would be back in a bit, and that he would buy her favorite egg tarts on the way.

    Not long after, the doorbell rang. Blood Amber dragged her hurting body to the door to open it. Outside stood a graceful older gentleman.

    He said unceremoniously, ¡°Ma¡¯am, ording to my observation, your Patient is reaching level 2 soon, and it will hurt you and those around you. You have two options.¡±

    ¡°First, you maye with us and work for us. We can help reduce your pain and allow you to live with dignity.¡±

    ¡°Second, you may stay here and wait for your boyfriend to return, but then your Patient will kill him, or he can turn into a monster and kill you.¡±

    Back then, Blood Amber didn¡¯t understand what Edmond was talking about at all, but strangely she believed he was telling the truth.

    During her days of illness, she had a strange feeling that she was different from others, that she was special¡ªeven though her being special only brought her endless pain.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You may call us the Tails,¡± the man answered with a smile.

    Blood Amber decided to leave. She grabbed a post-it note and wrote a message, sticking it to the fridge: I¡¯m gone. Don¡¯t look for me. Consider me dead.

    Later, she often asked herself if she regretted the decision.

    Living with dignity meant being trapped in a special device that merely sustained her basic functioning and lessened her pain somewhat twenty-four seven. It looked like she was always wearing a heavy spacesuit.

    But then she realized that no matter if she regretted it, she hadn¡¯t had a choice back then.

    Six years passed. Her ex-boyfriend must have forgotten about her. Perhaps he had married a normal girl, and they worked different jobs while keeping a cat and paying the mortgage together.

    Would he still wake up at seven o¡¯clock every day to heat toast and milk, feed the cat, clean up the litter, and wake up his wife before going to work?

    Was Pomelo still alive? Did he still remember Blood Amber, the ex who had suddenly gone missing?

    ¡°Blood Amber.¡± Xing Kong walked into the dim cavern.

    ¡°Are we going?¡± Blood Amber broke out of her reverie and asked through the helmet of the spacesuit.

    ¡°Ha, look who¡¯s here?¡±

    As if in response to the words, a man walked out from behind Xing Kong.

 Chapter 555: Recovered

    <h4>Chapter 555: Recovered</h4>

    Blood Amber came to a halt, feeling like her blood had frozen. Behind Xing Kong stood a tall, slim man with short hair, tanned skin, and pronounced nose.

    It had been six years since theyst saw each other, and he had be much more mature, his once sunken cheeks filled in, but his eyes and brows were still the same, looking soft and clear like a gentle stream.

    ¡°Qi Hao!¡± Blood Amber couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Why, why are you here?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you all these years, and it¡¯s been difficult.¡± The man named Qi Hao took a step toward her. He was her boyfriend from back then.

    Blood Amber took an involuntary step back. Whether she was wary or intimidated by what she had yearned for when faced with it, she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a monster. I know what you¡¯ve been through,¡± Qi Hao exined. ¡°I awakened not long after you left and joined the QIlin Guild. I¡¯ve been looking for you. I didn¡¯t expect you to have joined the Tails.¡±

    <i>Wonderful! Qi Hao¡¯s human too!</i>

    Overwhelmed by great joy, Blood Amber choked out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qi Hao... Forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. I didn¡¯t have a choice. I didn¡¯t want to hurt you...¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Qi Hao took another step toward her. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now. I¡¯ll follow wherever you go. This time, you¡¯re not abandoning me.¡±

    ¡°Good for you, Blood Amber.¡± Xing Kong smirked with his arms folded. ¡°I thought you were boasting, but you actually had a boyfriend before.¡±

    ¡°You used my old game ID. You haven¡¯t forgotten me.¡± Qi Hao smiled. ¡°I only guessed that the Tails member with Patient could be you when I heard the name Blood Amber.¡±

    Inside the helmet, Blood Amberughed and cried at the same time. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten me, either, have you?¡±

    ¡°I could never. I could never forget you...¡±

    ¡°Ahem. This isn¡¯t the time for you pair of love birds to catch up,¡± Xing Kong reminded. ¡°Time to get the hell out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! The Elders areing here soon. We¡¯ve got to go!¡± With a serious look on his face, Qi Hao took out a vial of medicine scintiting with golden light. ¡°Blood Amber, this is thetest medicine developed by the Qilin Guild. It will help treat the side effects of Patient. You don''t need the suit anymore. Take it off, and we¡¯ll be able to run faster.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Blood Amber took off her helmet and injected her neck with the medicine. Instantly, she felt a long-forgotten sense offort, serenity, and warmth. She felt light, like she was floating in a hot spring.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Qi Hao asked.

    ¡°Great! I don¡¯t feel any pain at all!¡± Blood Amber took a deep breath. The air had never felt so fresh, and the world seemed to have regained colors.

    ¡°Good!¡± Qi Hao seemed overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t help but reach out and touch Blood Amber¡¯s pale, sunken cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight, Blood Amber... It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all in the past. You¡¯ve recovered, and we¡¯re together again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Blood Amber called out to Xing Kong. ¡°What are you waiting for? Help me take this off. I¡¯ve wanted to cast it for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s an honor.¡± Xing Kong quickly went up to release the special buttons and zip outside the space suit. Immediately, it clicked and fell to the sides like a blooming white flower.

    Dressed in undergarments, Blood Amber yanked off the drips connecting to her body and stepped out of the suit.

    Qi Hao had already taken off his jacket, and he put it around her, supporting her with both hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Smiling, Blood Amber snuggled further into Qi Hao¡¯s arms, relishing the lingering warmth on his jacket. They walked out of the cavern together.

    The fire had stopped at some point, and a bright, warm white light washed over everything.

    ...

    Qilin, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, and Little Tian stood outside the cavern.

    Blood Amber, who had been hiding inside, broke into a smile brimming with happiness as soon as she met Qilin¡¯s eyes.

    Then, smiling, she took off her spacesuit and pulled out the drips sustaining her life on her own. Eyes shining with tears of joy, she kept calling out to Qi Hao.

    In less than ten seconds, she dropped to her knees, her breathing weakening and quickening, yet her pale face gained a flush of red, and her eyes lit up like never before.

    She put her wasted, bony arms and hands around her shoulders, feeling the warmth of Qi Hao¡¯s jacket in the illusion. The light in her eyes slowly dimmed until she stopped breathing.

    She died with a smile, killed by false hope.

    Qilin sighed. He had taken Blood Amber out in the most merciful way possible.

    ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with the biggest threat,¡± Azure Dragon said, ncing at Little Tian. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, kid.¡±

    Little Tian didn¡¯t look happy at all. His eyes were sad and broken.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, or the sister¡¯s fault.¡± Vermilion Bird pulled him into a hug and patted his head. ¡°We each do what we have to do.¡±

    Qilin nced at Blood Amber¡¯s body and adjusted his sses, turning to walk away with his cane. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the Green Lotus Park.

    It waste, and the park was silent with few visitors, their number no more than a hundred. Most were here to have ate night jog, date, or camping.

    It started drizzling at some point, which was a surprise. The weather forecast said that it wouldn¡¯t rain today.

    Those in the park mumbled audibly or inwardly inint, looking for shelter from the rain. After taking a few steps, though, they came to a halt like their acupuncture points had been hit.

    A few secondster, they looked up at the sky at the same time, their eyes dazed, their pupils dted, and their lips parted. A meandering, mncholy, and immeasurably tender tune yed on a piano came from the center of the park. It washed over all of them like the exhale of mother nature.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Someone called out first.

    ¡°Mothermothermother!¡±

    Then all of the wanderers in the park followed.

    Theke at the center of the park was still covered in blooming lotuses, but they weren¡¯t as thriving and vibrant as they were in the summer, but showing a sad hint of decay. Sitting in the octagonal pavilion at the heart of theke was a slim woman.

    She was dressed infortable pajamas, her skin fair to the point of glowing, and her blond hair ran down like a waterfall. Her eyes were like a pair of captivating emeralds. Her pregnant belly was pronounced.

    That was how Su Xi actually looked like.

    Under her feet, white energy bloomed in the form of spider lilies, crowding before her and forming a fantastical white piano.

    With her eyes closed, she reached out and yed the third movement of <i>the Moon Sonata</i>.

    The stormy and fast-paced melody portrayed a furious, prideful, and surging ambition, while also being grandly tragic and majestic like a fate approaching its end.

    At that moment, Su Xi¡¯s joy peaked.

    She could sense clearly that the Divine Scion inside her wasing out!

    A love child between her and her lover and a gift from God. Her child would give her and the Mist World a perfect ending.

    As she yed the piano, the lotuses in the Green Lotus Lake started flying up, along with arge volume of water. After a slow ascent, the water rained down like a localized drizzle in the park.

    Soon, theke dried.

    At the bottom of the three-meter deepke, arge circr pattern appeared amid the gray mud; the pattern of a life monster was flickering with white light.

    The altar wasrger than the three altars in the West Nation, Ind Nation, and Ni Nationbined. It was the centermost altar in the Mist World, and the most important one as well.

    Su Xi would give birth to her child here, and her child would be the child of God!

    Suddenly, she stopped ying the piano.

    She pulled her hands back and slowly turned to the side. On the small stone bridge leading to the pavilion over the now driedke, a woman stood tall, slim, and deadly.

    Qing Ling¡¯s hair and clothes had been drenched from the ¡°rain¡±. Holding a de with both hands, her face was pale and her eyes were fierce.

    ¡°Qing Ling?¡± Su Xi seemed a little surprised, and she spoke like they were having a small talk. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

 Chapter 556: Cursed Offspring

    <h4>Chapter 556: Cursed Offspring</h4>

    ¡°Ms. Su,¡± Qing Ling said coldly. ¡°You can¡¯t give birth to the child.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Su Xi paused, her smile dropping. ¡°This is my and Old Huang¡¯s kid. How can you say something so cruel? He promised to give me a family, and we¡¯re going to have one.¡±

    Su Xi lowered her head and stroked her protruding belly gently, lovingly.

    Qing Ling was silent for two seconds before killing intent shone in her eyes. She raised her two des and took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Su. If you want someone to me, me fate.¡±

    ¡°Fate?¡± Su Xi slowly stood up with her hands supporting her belly. ¡°Why should I resent fate when fate has given me this happiness? I should thank it instead.¡±

    Su Xi took two steps toward Qing Ling, and Qing Ling immediately felt threatened.

    While Su Xi was significantly weakened now, she was still a life monster.

    ¡°Still, I¡¯m curious. When did you notice?¡± Su Xi smiled with interest, sounding confident. ¡°Old Huang would never betray us.¡±

    Qing Ling admitted, ¡°He didn¡¯t. Gao Yang noticed.¡±

    ¡°How did he find out?¡± Su Xi asked.

    On her way here, Qing Ling had messaged Gao Shou. What she had to do now was to buy time for reinforcements toe.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you want to know.¡±

    Qing Ling exined things concisely.

    Up until Dragon killed Zhuang Mei, Officer Huang had kept up the act well.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling had never once suspected him, and never in their dream would they imagine that the kidnapping was all an act put up by Officer Huang, Su Xi, and Tails.

    Still, Officer Huang wasn¡¯t only acting. After all, no one expected Zhuang Mei to suddenly show up.

    Officer Huang knew that Zhuang Mei was going to induce a miscarriage, and his worry, fear, anxiety, impatience during the trip were all real, as well as his anger when he made a final attempt to attack Zhuang Mei.

    Zhuang Mei¡¯s biggest mistake was her disappointment in humans.

    Disappointment begot resentment, and resentment brewed contempt.

    Her contempt made her unwilling to exin to Gao Yang what she was going to do.

    If Zhuang Mei had taken her time to exin her intention, Gao Yang would¡¯ve had a moment of realization even if he wasn¡¯t entirely certain, and he woulde to suspect the kidnapping to be an act put up by Officer Huang and Su Xi.

    However, Zhuang Mei didn¡¯t exin. She believed that no one could stop her.

    To her surprise, though, Dragon intervened, and the most powerful awakener in the Mist World erased her existence.

    Despite not getting any clue from Zhuang Mei, though, Gao Yang got a call from Vermilion Bird after the fight, and she told him everything she had gotten from Edmond. Learning about the missions of sowing seeds and giving births,bined with what he knew about himself, Gao Yang was able to deduct much.

    First, Gao Yang believed there was a high chance for his mother, Lin Yue, to be a life monster.

    When the Crimson Tide hit, Zhuang Mei hadn¡¯t taken Lin Yue to help Sir Fu and White Dew lure Gao Yang out. It was merely a coincidence, and that was why Sir Fu hadn¡¯t answered Gao Yang when he asked, but simply told him that Lin Yue was safe.

    The truth was that both Zhuang Mei and Lin Yue were life monsters, and during the two days of the Crimson Tide, they had left to fulfill their duty of sowing seeds.

    After that, they found an excuse to return.

    Even getting to the conclusion almost broke Gao Yang. He was lost and hurting, not knowing what he should do. Under Qing Ling¡¯s encouragement, he decided to confront his mother when he got home.

    When he returned to Li Cityte at night, his mother was waiting for him in the living room.

    Lin Yue was zoning out on the sofa. She could sense Zhuang Mei¡¯s death and was mourning her.

    When Zhuang Mei decided to take Su Xi to the Ind Nation, she had told Lin Yue about it. And Lin Yue had tried to stop Zhuang Mei. She believed that whatever Zhuang Mei did would be in vain. Su Xi¡¯s child woulde to this world. It was fate as well as God¡¯s will.

    But Zhuang Mei didn¡¯t believe in fate.

    She had always been the disobedient one, and she ignored their master¡¯s will. Aftering to the Mist World, she wandered around doing whatever took her fancy, refusing tobine with a human to fulfill her duty to give birth.

    In the end, Zhuang Mei failed to stop Su Xi, and she died for her cause.

    When Gao Yang came home, Lin Yue only had to look at him to know that her son had figured out what she was.

    That night, Lin Yue made Gao Yang noodles. After having noodles, her son started talking about what happened when he was a child, and he ended up wailing in her arms.

    The mother and son said nothing, but also everything.

    In the end, Lin Yue stroked his hair and said tenderly, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. You¡¯re my child, and I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Gao Yang knew that his mother must have a reason, so he didn¡¯t press.

    After that, Gao Yang had naively thought that everything would be alright. His mother was a life monster, and she should be powerful enough to deal with whatever came their way, or at least dealt with their current crisis.

    He held onto the belief until he went to the desert in Ni Nation and activated the altar, barging into the underground temple ruin and seeing the ancient murals on the obelisk, as well as the abomination inside the mummified life monster¡¯s belly.

    At that moment, he realized what Lin Yue actually meant.

    <i>You¡¯re my child.</i>

    Gao Yang was Lin Yue¡¯s child, the child she had given birth to for real.

    He felt like the world was shattering around him.

    After dealing with what should be a Cursed Offspring, Gao Yang calmed himself with Psychic Armor and sorted out his thoughts, specting and guessing to arrive at a conclusion.

    He concluded that he was the child Lin Yue, a life monster, had given birth to with Gao Shou, a human.

    He was neither a Forlorn Ghost or the Malediction. He was the glowing child depicted in the second mural on the obelisk¡ªthe Divine Scion, the Blessed Child.

    That would exin why Fresh Snow could only feed on Gao Yang, and how Gao Yang survived the feeding.

    Fresh Snow must be the one Forlorn Ghost most like a Divine Scion. While she was great, she was still wed. That was why Gao Yang, theplete work, drew Fresh Snow on an instinctual level.

    Based on that, he could make further deductions.

    After giving birth to Gao Yang, Lin Yue became weak, but she didn¡¯t die like other life monsters. Instead, she became a real mother and continued to live, but she didn¡¯t tell anyone about it.

    Yun, the leader of lightbringers, discovered the secret, and she had her answer then.

    She decided to keep the secret for Lin Yue.

    Three yearster, Yun found a wanderer infant and disguised her as a child of Lin Yue¡¯s: Gao Xinxin, Gao Yang¡¯s sister.

    She was meant as a smokescreen to protect Lin Yue¡¯s secret so that the elite monsters, especially her fellow life monsters, Zhuang Mei and Su Xi, would believe that Lin Yue had never had a child with a human, but had instead found a human infant and a wanderer infant to keep up an act, just like Zhung Mei had done.

    However, Gao Yang¡¯s grandfather¡ªa summoner¡ªhad discovered Gao Yang¡¯s true identity.

    Yun quickly took care of him and continued to hide LIn Yue¡¯s secret.

    Although Gao Yang had chanced upon his grandmother taking care of his grandfather as he woke up to use the toilet, he had been too young to remember it, and he thought he simply had a nightmare.

    It wasn¡¯t until his eighteenth birthday, when he knocked into the awakener who was said to be mentally-ill, that he started to awaken and remembered what he saw.

    He was a secret Yun and Lin Yue had been guarding for years.

    And at that moment, the secret learned about himself.

 Chapter 557: Companion

    <h4>Chapter 557: Companion</h4>

    Gao Yang was a Divine Scion.

    While feeling thankful for his ¡°luck¡±, he immediately came to a terrible conclusion: Officer Huang and Su Xi¡¯s child wasn¡¯t the Divine Scion or a Forlorn Ghost, but the Malediction.

    First, the murals on the obelisk told him that life monsters could and would give birth to three kinds of children. The Mist World was nearing its end, and Lin Yue, Zhung Mei, and Su Xi were thest three life monsters.

    Zhuang Mei didn¡¯t have a child and got erased by Dragon.

    Lin Yue secretly gave birth to the Divine Scion, Gao Yang.

    The little abomination he encountered was likely not the Cursed Offspring of the Mist World. The ce itself was suspicious, a living contradiction to what Gao Yang knew about the Mist World. Moreover, the curses guing the Spectres didn¡¯t disappear with the little abomination¡¯s death. And the little abomination was all red, while the Cursed Offspring portrayed in the mural was ck.

    And Su Xi would¡¯ve sensed it if she was pregnant with a Forlorn Ghost. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Lin Yue and Zhuang Mei being jealous of her. The fact that she didn¡¯t sense anything meant that she was either carrying the Divine Scion or the Malediction due to their different nature.

    Su Xi didn¡¯t know that Lin Yue had already given birth to the only Divine Scion there would be. That was why she was so convinced that she was pregnant with the Divine Scion.

    After the realization, Gao Yang forced himself to calm down despite his reluctance to ept reality.

    Thatpelled him to suspect Officer Huang: the man likely knew the truth about Su Xi and had been in on the act, and once suspicion took roots, the signs supporting the theory surfaced.

    The first thing Gao Yang did after returning from Ni Nation was call Chen Ying at midnight. His talk to recruit her was merely tacked on; his true purpose was to test how quickly Chen Ying could get there.

    The distance between Chen Ying¡¯s ce and Officer Huang¡¯s ce was about the same as the distance between Li City University and Officer Huang¡¯s ce, or perhaps a little further.

    There was basically no traffic thatte at night, so there wouldn¡¯t be a traffic jam.

    Even though Officer Huang had called Chen Ying first before calling Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog, the time they set out would be no more than two minutes apart.

    While taking a bath at home, it would take Chen Ying at least ten minutes to drive to Officer Huang¡¯s ce even if she didn¡¯t waste even a second, which Gao Yang had confirmed by calling her to have <i>mtang </i>with him and Qing Ling.

    The night Su Xi was kidnapped, however, Gao Yang and the group had taken only five minutes to move from the university to Officer Huang¡¯s ce with Heavenly Dog¡¯s Fly, yet no sooner had they reached Officer Huang¡¯s ce than Chen Ying arrived as well¡ªwhich would mean it had taken Chen Ying only six minutes to get there, and that didn¡¯t make sense.

    It didn¡¯t make sense unless Officer Huang had waited five minutes after he called Chen Ying to call Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Heavenly Dog.

    Had Officer Huang done nothing during those five minutes? That would be odd.

    If it was all an act, though, it would exin everything.

    Officer Huang wanted them to arrive at almost the same time so that they would immediately start tracking the Tails down, making them less likely to spot any inconsistency. With Edmond¡¯s Unreachable, the Tails should be able to easily escape even if they were found; in fact, that would make the story more convincing, and it would be more unlikely for Officer Huang and Su Xi to be suspected.

    And indeed, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t doubted what happened for a second, partly out of his trust in Officer Huang, and partly because of the urgent nature of the matter.

    Unfortunately to Officer Huang, Zhuang Mei showed up out of the blue and threw a wrench in their n, leading to the trip to the Ind Nation.

    Actually, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything if Chen Ying hadn¡¯t rushed to Officer Huang¡¯s ce in a bathrobe. Had she been dressed in a business suit, he would¡¯ve assumed that she was attending to matters nearby, and thus managed to reach Officer Huang¡¯s ce quickly.

    However, she had been in such a rush to save Su Xi that she didn¡¯t even put on proper clothes first, leaving Gao Yang with the impression that she had rushed to Officer Huang¡¯s ce from home, thus allowing him to remember the particr detail when he thought about itter.

    With that, Gao Yang confirmed that Officer Huang had lied to Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and the three organizations for Su Xi.

    On one hand, he was hurt, but on the other hand, he could understand Officer Huang¡¯s choice.

    After finishing <i>mtang</i>, he told Qing Ling about his spection.

    Qing Ling asked him what he was going to do, and he said, ¡°If the three organizations learn about this, Officer Huang and Su Xi will be swiftly dealt with.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s ourpanion,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°He can¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so we do this ourselves,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°We¡¯ll go to Officer Huang and Su Xi and find a chance to confront him, making him face the reality.¡±

    ¡°Do you think Officer Huang will listen to us?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t like their odds.

    ¡°What about Su Xi?¡± Qing Ling asked. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant with the Cursed Offspring. We can¡¯t just leave her be.¡±

    Gao Yang was silent for ten seconds, his eyes going cold little by little.

    ¡°We take her out.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the end of it. Gao Yang had another spection.

    They headed to Amon¡¯s tabletop cafe that night. Pulling out a world map and unfolding it on the table, Gao Yang marked the altars in the West Nation, Ind Nation, and Ni Nation, drawing lines between them to form a narrow upside-down triangle.

    ¡°What do you think this represents?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°The uterus?¡± Qing Ling guessed.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Dr. Jia has studied symbolism in the Mist World, and he told me that a narrow upside-down triangle represents the uterus.¡±

    He then marked where the Li City was, and the city happened to sit a little above the heart of the triangle.

    ¡°I believe the most important life monster altar is located in Li City,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°That was why Su Xi hadn¡¯t gone into hiding, but had instead stayed in the city.¡±

    ¡°Where will it be?¡±

    ¡°The Green Lotus Park.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°On the map, the park is at the heart of Li City, and...¡±

    Gao Yang recalled his memories. ¡°All these years, my mom has never once gone to the park. Every time we talked about going to the Green Lotus Park to have fun, something always happened to her. She would get a stomach ache, suddenly remember an appointment, or have a fight with my dad. She¡¯s never set foot in the park.¡±

    Qing Ling caught on. ¡°She¡¯s worried about getting exposed, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I believe so. The altar will be activated as soon as a life monster approaches, and outside of the decennial Crimson Tide, they never get close to any of the altars.¡±

    Qing Ling was quick to put the theory to test. ¡°Let¡¯s go there now.¡±

    Before the day broke, the two of them headed to the Green Lotus Park and went around it. When they got close to theke at the center of the park, Gao Yang was suddenly hit with a hunch.

    Walking to thekeside, he took out a dagger to cut his finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall into theke.

    Two secondster, the water at his feet flickered slightly and saw a white ripple.

    Gao Yang felt a strange energy resonation. He quickly pulled back. ¡°Yes, this is the ce.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. They sat by theke and stared at it for a long silent moment.

    ¡°If possible, I don¡¯t want to kill Officer Huang.¡± Qing Ling broke the silence.

    ¡°Me neither,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°But if he¡¯s going to kill us.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes became icy. ¡°I will kill him.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    He wasn¡¯t as strong and determined as Qing Ling was. He had always been indecisive, even weak-minded.

    He never had an answer until he was at the crossroad.

 Chapter 558: Like an Ant Trying to Shake a Tree

    <h4>Chapter 558: Like an Ant Trying to Shake a Tree</h4>

    Su Xi didn¡¯t seem surprised at all after listening to Qing Ling¡¯s exnation. Her expression was as gentle as ever, but underlying it was a contempt stemming from pride and indifference.

    ¡°Qing Ling.¡± She was still smiling. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling me. I know I¡¯m pregnant with the Divine Scion.¡±

    Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°It seems that epting reality is more difficult than lying to yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ha, Gao Yang is the one lying to himself.¡± Su Xi took another step forward. ¡°Have you ever considered if he would be so weak were he the Divine Scion?¡±

    Qing Ling paused. She had to admit that she was shaken for a moment.

    But a secondter, she tightened her grip.

    She trusted Gao Yang.

    Su Xi¡¯s smile never dropped. ¡°I was chosen by God ever since my birth. I exist and live solely for this day toe. You¡¯ll never understand that feeling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Everyone who seeks to hurt my child must die.¡± Su Xi¡¯s smile dropped.

    Qing Ling took a deep breath. Why hadn¡¯t Gao Yang and Gao Shou arrived? She couldn¡¯t buy more time.

    She raised her des and prepared for theing fight.

    Suddenly, she sensed someone approaching, which put a frown on her face. She was surprised to see that it was Smoker, a member of Tails.

    The man had messy hair and dense body hair, dressed in white sleeveless shirt, shorts, and sandals. A brown trench coat with light fabric draped around his shoulders, and perching on his nose was a pair of sunsses with small circr lenses.

    Qing Ling immediately turned around, nning to take out Smoker first.

    ¡°Not so soon, pretty girl.¡± Smoker grinned. ¡°Turning you into fireworksester, Do you wanna know whates first?¡±

    Qing Ling said with a scowl, ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°First,¡± Smoker raised his right forefinger and put it on his nose, ¡°We kill the damn liar Su Xi!¡±

    In the pavilion, Su Xi paused, but didn¡¯t panic. ¡°That¡¯s not what we agreed on.¡±

    ¡°We protect you until you give birth, and you give us true holy water. That is the deal. However...¡± Smoker turned to Su Xi and was silent for three seconds. Then he shouted, ¡°But goddammit we didn¡¯t know you¡¯re pregnant with the Malediction!¡±

    Su Xi was a little disappointed. ¡°You¡¯d rather believe her than me?¡±

    Smoker yanked at his messy hair like he was going to pull it out. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing nothing but bad since I was young. My hobby is going against good people. That¡¯s why no one knows them better than I do...¡±

    He nced at Qing Ling before tugging at his hair again. ¡°This beauty and Seven Shadow are clearly good people.¡±

    ¡°Good people, I hate good people the most...¡± Smoker tore off a strand of hair and screamed, ¡°But good people are more trustworthy!¡±

    Su Xi¡¯s emerald eyes glinted.

    Qing Ling fell silent. While he was despicable, Smoker did have an honest evaluation of himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying...¡± Smoker crouched down and started yanking at his hair more violently, his face twisting in pain as he approached madness. ¡°Annoying, annoying, annoying!¡±

    ¡°I thought we¡¯re getting actual holy water! And I¡¯d be able to release more beautiful fireworks... I knew you bitch was lying to us!¡±

    His head jerked up, his lips curling into a cruel smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Fireworks made from a life monster should be beautiful too!¡±

    He stood up and syed his hands at the sky.

    Qing Ling was shocked to see countless dark figures flying into the sky from all over the Green Lotus Park, converging toward theke and filling the sky in a dense pack. They were all wanderers plucked from across the park. Their eyes were dazed and their bodies stiff, having been marked by Smoker¡¯s Firework and turned into elemental bombs he could detonate any time.

    Yet their minds were still prone to the brainwashing effect of a life monster, and they continued to chant, ¡°Mother, mothermothermother...¡±

    It was eerie to say the least, and Qing Ling broke into goosebumps.

    ¡°Stop, Smoker.¡± Su Xi¡¯s expression was calm, but there was a trace of wariness in her eyes. ¡°It is fate for the Divine Scion to be born. You would be an ant trying to shake a tree.¡±

    ¡°Haha, stop acting!¡± Smokerughed in excitement. ¡°If you really were that strong, why would you need the protection of Tails? You¡¯re a weakling now!¡±

    ¡°I hereby announce, the firework festival...¡± Smoker tipped his head up to relish the moment and swung his arms, hollering, ¡°Officiallymences!¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the street outside the Green Lotus Park.

    <i>Beep¡ªbeep¡ªbeep¡ª</i>

    The car, having mmed into a wall, was still ring a piercing rm.

    During the one minute after Gao Yang told the truth, two ughterers had woken up and crashed through the window from the houses by the street, rushing at Gao Yang and Officer Huang respectively.

    They dealt with the monsters easily.

    After hearing Gao Yang¡¯s confession, Officer Huang didn¡¯t seem surprised at all.

    He smiled like he had expected it. ¡°Haha, I knew you would say that. Su Xi had expected it from you.¡±

    ¡°Huang Qi!¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°When have I ever lied to you? You¡¯re mypanion and the person I trusted the most!¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re the person I trust the most.¡± Huang Qi lifted his head slightly and smiled. ¡°You should know me. You know how much I want a family.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. At that moment, he finally understood.

    ¡°You...don¡¯t even care?¡±

    Su Xi hadn¡¯t been brainwashed by Su Xi, no. He simply didn¡¯t care if his child was a Forlorn Ghost, the Divine Scion, or the Malediction. The child was his, and that was all that mattered.

    Rather than answering, he asked, ¡°Were you in my ce, Gao Yang, would you stand by as your wife and kid get killed?¡±

    Gao Yang opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°There are things you have to do even though they are the wrong things to do.¡± Huang Qi raised his gun.

    No argument mattered at that moment.

    A gust of chilling wind swept over them.

    Five secondster, they made a move at the same time.

 Chapter 559: No Choice

    <h4>Chapter 559: No Choice</h4>

    The moment Gao Yang disappeared, three bullets shot through the air.

    Gao Yang teleported to Huang Qi, who twisted his body to trail Gao Yang with his gun. Before he could pull the trigger, though, two fireballs were already nking him from left and right.

    Firing two shots, he jumped back to avoid the fireballs. Then Gao Yang teleported again behind him, fist wrapped in brilliant mes.

    Huang Qi had been one of Gao Yang¡¯s closestpanions, and he knew Gao Yang¡¯s attack pattern and Talents like the back of his hands. He had already foreseen that Gao Yang woulde at him from the back.

    Having been waiting for it, he conjured a blinding, sharp light sword with his left hand and made a swing backward.

    The light sword swung toward Gao Yang¡¯s waist. With Teleportation still in cooldown, he could only back away as quickly as possible.

    While his reflex was keen enough for him to dodge the de, however, the fierce de aura caught him.

    <i>Hiss.</i> The golden arc cut Gao Yang¡¯s abdomen open, and blood sttered. Gao Yang flinched backward reflexively.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang! </i>Without hesitation, Huang Qi made three shots in a row and hit Gao Yang in the right knee, heart, and forehead. The bullets struck true, and the force of the shots sent Gao Yang flying for two meters.

    It took only half a second for Huang Qi to realize that something was wrong.

    Muscles tense, he tapped into his energy and shouted, ¡°Sacred Shield!¡±

    Countless light element particles converged to encircle him, taking the form of an umbre-shaped golden shield above his head.

    <i>ng!</i> The real Gao Yang descended from above, hitting the golden shield with Fire Punch. Fierce mes devoured the golden umbre whole before quickly getting scattered into multiple streams of fire. They rushed toward the ground and bounced upward into the sky, blooming into brilliant red equinox flowers.

    The fire continued to pour down, and in the end, the golden umbre failed to withstand the pressure and ended up crushed under the downpour. The blooms of mes turned into a zing pir, shooting up into the sky and illuminating the whole street block.

    Five secondster, the pir dispersed; embers and golden light particles scattered in the sky like falling snow.

    After using Fire Punch at full power, Gao Yang quickly backed away to widen his distance from Huang Qi.

    Huang Qi dropped to his knees, covered in serious burns where his flesh and skin were melted. The ground around him was charred, mixed with some broken shards of light elements.

    He threw up a mouthful of blood, having reached his limit.

    In terms of both the number of Talents and their levels, as well as his six stats, he was far below Gao Yang¡¯s level. He couldn¡¯t win this fight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me do this, Huang Qi¡± Gao Yang shouted. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you again!¡±

    He clenched his fists. He didn¡¯t have time. He must go to the Green Lotus Lake to help Qing Ling.

    ¡°Ha, you brat...¡± Huang Qi slowly picked himself up. ¡°What did I tell you? I should stay far away from someone like you...or I¡¯ll die early...¡±

    He panted, wiping the blood at a corner of his mouth.

    ¡°As your friend, Gao Yang, I¡¯ll give you onest lesson...¡± Huang Qi smiled bitterly again, yet his eyes were glinting with solidified killing intent.

    ¡°The soft ones won¡¯t get to be thest oneughing.¡±

    Gao Yang started. He smelled the familiar strange fragrance, like that of the Godbearer Cult¡¯s holy water!

    But upon closer discernation, it was different. The fragrance wasn¡¯t as thick, yet it ran deeper and seemed more insidious, serene and gentle in an enthralling way.

    Huang Qi had crushed the tiny vial he hid in his mouth, and some of the ck holy water leaked from the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang shouted, but it was toote.

    Two dark pits quickly swallowed Huang Qi¡¯s eyes, the melted ck liquid streamed down his burned face like ink, leaving two empty eye sockets. His chest burst through his shirt and tore it to pieces, his blood, flesh, internal organs, and bones rearranged into a ck spiral-shaped flower, insidious. It pounded, the strong beat pushing energy to the rest of his body through his ck veins.

    Huang Qi didn¡¯t increase in size, but maintained the basic shape of a human.

    ck sigils appeared on his body, as if there were countless small bugs crawling under his skin.

    He had consumed the holy water Su Xi gave him, giving his energy a significant boost while he maintained part of his rational mind and his Talents as an awakener.

    In that instant, his God of Firearms reached level 7, and Light reached level 5.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 7500 times!]

    Shock and pain shed through Gao Yang¡¯s face before it became impassive again, and a single tear fell from his one eye.

    ¡ªActivate Psychic Armor.

    The gut-wrenching pain in him was decreased to 4.9%, while a cool calmness took up 95.1% of his mind.

    ¡°Die!¡± Huang Qi growled. His hands, covered in ck sigils, started to expand and lost their shapes before morphing into two hive-like gun barrels.

    <i>Rat-tat-tat-tat¡ª</i>

    The two machine guns rotated at high speed as hundreds of light element bullets shot out from his hands every second. Empowered by level 7 God of Firearms, the bullets locked on and tracked their target.

    A hail of light bullets rained down on Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang quickly jumped and teleported into a building by the street. <i>Rumble! </i>Some of the bullets exploded upon hitting the ground, while more bullets managed to make a sharp turn and track Gao Yang into the building.

    In less than ten seconds, the building crumbled.

    Huang Qi stopped firing. He knew that Gao Yang could teleport through walls and must have taken hiding in a different building. He had to watch out for an ambush.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Thirty secondster, Gao Yang rushed out of a window of another building, as he had expected.

    <i>Bang! </i>Golden elements mixed with ck mes shot out of Huang Qi¡¯s split mouth, the speed of it incredible.

    Midair, Gao Yang twisted his body to dodge the attack.

    The shot cut through the streetmp, billboard, and house behind him.

    Once Gao Yangnded, he didn¡¯t even have the time to steady his footing before a dense swarm of light bullets came at him from all directions¡ªHuang Qi had made tracking shots from his gun barrel hands again!

    Gao Yang dodged the relentless attacks with Teleportation, moving to the top of the signboard on the side of a building. The next second, countless light bullets followed. They wouldn¡¯t give up until they got their target.

    Gao Yang ran and jumped as well as using Teleportation at thest moment to move between telephone poles, signboards, and condenser units, moving between walls and rooftops.

    It seemed as if Huang Qi would never run out of ammo and could continue to shoot light element bullets nonstop.

    Hands syed, he turned to track Gao Yang with his gun barrel hands like a golden top making sweeping shots with wild abandon. The downpour of bullets changed trajectory and rose and fell, turned and twirled like a swarm of golden birds, chasing Gao Yang doggedly but always hitting his shadow, being a second toote.

    After a minute, the entire street had been bombarded by light.

    Countless concrete pieces and ss shards sttered everywhere, apanying the scattering light elements. Buildings after buildings fell, and fire after fire surged. It was pure chaos.

    Gao Yang continued to jump and dodge the attacks with the help of Teleportation, maintaining a precarious stalemate as he looked for an opening to get close to Huang Qi.

    After close to a minute, as Huang Qi stood at the center of the ruins of the street, his relentless shooting spree finally started to weaken. However, Gao Yang was going to run out of Teleportation uses, too.

    He seized the chance to teleport behind Huang Qi, making a Fire Punch.

    While Huang Qi was now blind, his senses were keen, allowing him to lock on Gao Yang during the fight and track him closely.

    With an impossibly quick turn, Huang Qi faced Gao Yang, his gun barrel hands morphing back into ck human ones instantly. Raising his right fist, he caught Gao Yang¡¯s punch.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Fire intense enough to evaporate flesh and bones instantly devoured Huang Qi, and Huang Qi was slowly getting scorched, but he wasn¡¯t even close to getting melted. Moreover, he didn¡¯t have any sense of pain.

    Gao Yang tensed. It was toote for him to run now.

 Chapter 560: Stopping Point

    <h4>Chapter 560: Stopping Point</h4>

    Even while being burned, Huang Qi grasped Gao Yang¡¯s fist tightly. At some point, he had raised his right hand, and he balled the hand into fist.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    The light element bullets still flying in the air turned into thin, narrow cones and shot toward Gao Yang. The hundreds of projectiles turned him into a hedgehog.

    At the same time, a ck Gold dagger pierced through Huang Qi¡¯s ck heart from behind¡ªit was the ck Gold dagger Lithe Snake had gifted Gao Yang.

    Huang Qi threw up blood. Only then did he realize that he had been fooled by Gao Yang¡¯s double again.

    But...how?

    He had been keeping his eye on Gao Yang. When did Gao Yang conjure a double and swap with it? He knew that while Gao Yang was swapping with his double, he couldn¡¯t use another Talent, yet Gao Yang had continued to use Fire Punch until then; while the attack wasn¡¯t strong, it was the skill he knew.

    Realization hit Huang Qi. Gao Yang had hidden in the building on purpose, and he had been waiting for Double to cool down.

    The Gao Yang rushing out of the window was already his double, while the real Gao Yang had been hiding throughout, not making any move.

    Level 6 Double allowed him to sustain his double for 90 seconds, which would have 25% of his stats and could use his Talents to 25% their original strength.

    The distance his double could teleport was shorter, and the number of times it could teleport in a short time frame was lower. However, Huang Qi had failed to notice all that since he was too preupied with shooting at Gao Yang.

    To fool his opponent, Gao Yang had gone head-to-head with Huang Qi with his double for a full minute.

    And indeed, Huang Qi didn¡¯t suspect the one he was fighting to be a double for even a second.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t think the stab in the heart would be enough to kill Huang Qi. While his mind was at its most coldly rational, he didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot fire elements into Huang Qi¡¯s chest through the ck Gold dagger, burning Huang Qi¡¯s heart mercilessly.

    ¡°Aghhh...¡±

    Huang Qi screamed in pain. Gao Yang didn¡¯t stop.

    Five secondster, a small fire dragon growled and shot through Huang Qi¡¯s chest. The man stopped screaming. The ck heart in his chest was gone, leaving only a charred and gory hole, through which an expressionless Gao Yang could be seen.

    He fell to his knees and toppled to the side.

    Gao Yang went up to him to catch him.

    ¡ªDeactivate Psychic Armor.

    Gao Yang¡¯s emotions and rational thoughts regained the original bnce. He stared at the pale man in his arms, his hands trembling. He didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Huang Qi¡¯s eye sockets were empty, and he bled ck blood from his nose and mouth.

    With difficulty, he moved his lips, extending a hand.

    Gao Yang paused before clutching Huang Qi¡¯s hand. It was cold and rough, like a stone at the bottom of ake. He remembered that the first time he shook Huang Qi¡¯s hand, it had been warm and strong, giving one a strong sense offort and security.

    ¡°...Was I...a goodpanion?¡± Huang Qi said weakly.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Was I...a good husband...?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Was I...a good father...?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡± Huang Qi smiled contently, without regret. ¡°I can¡¯t walk with you further.¡±

    His smile stiffened, and his hand went ck, slipping from Gao Yang¡¯s grip and falling to the ground. The wedding band on his charred ring finger glittered under the crackling fire.

    Gao Yang shook violently, his stomach twisting, overwhelmed by the powerful urge to throw up.

    Heid down the body and nkly picked himself up.

    He turned around and took a step forward, yet his legs were shaking. He was going to fall.

    ¡ªActivate Psychic Armor.

    ¡ªSeal all emotions.

    His pale face regained color, and his eyes, which had be unfocused with pain, lit up again, his emotions calmed. His body stopped shaking, and his steps picked up.

    He walked with increasing speed until he was running as quickly as he could.

    He didn¡¯t turn around.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on top of the Green Mountain, the fire was zing with greater intensity. At the entrance to the sealed tourist site, Xing Kong quickly jumped over a burning tree trunk to make it to the cavern Blood Amber was hiding in.

    He came to a sudden halt.

    A drop of cool rain fell on his nose. It hurt a little.

    He looked up and wiped his face, realizing that it was a melting piece of ice.

    <i>Plop, plop, plop.</i>

    A localized downpour of hails rained down on him, which couldn¡¯t have happened naturally in Li City duringte autumn. It must be artificial.

    Xing Kong narrowed his eyes, and indeed, there was a cluster of grayish blue clouds high in the sky, from where rain and hails poured down to douse the fire ravaging the forest.

    There were two people amid the clouds.

    Heavenly Dog hovered high in the sky with white headphones around his neck. From his left sleeve hung a sturdy white bandage, which was wrapped around a girl¡¯s waist to hold her.

    She was in her twenties, dressed in a loose witch outfit consisting of white shirt and red dress, her grayish blue hair in a <i>hime </i>cut. Her facial features made her seem aloof. Her skin was as fair as jade, and her figure was slim andcked curves.

    She syed her hands, her deep blue eyes glinting as blue energy rippled out of her. She had summoned a hailstorm to put out the fire at the top of the mountain.

    She was an Elite under Azure Dragon, now a Protector called Six Rime.

    Six Rime¡¯s Talent was God of Water, serial number 33, Element-type. With the Element Rune Circuit borrowed from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, her Talent had reached level 4 and then quickly went up to level 5.

    A month ago, she also acquired Frost. She didn¡¯t need the Rune Circuit to level up a Talent of the same Rune Type; thus, the Talent quickly reached level 5 too.

    ¡°Miss Six Rime.¡± Heavenly Dog¡¯s teeth had started ttering. ¡°It¡¯s so cold. How long is it going to take?¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes.¡± Six Rime¡¯s voice was soft like a young girl¡¯s would, but her face waspletely devoid of emotions like a robot.

    ¡°<i>Achoo</i>¡ª¡± Heavenly Dog sneezed. <i>You should¡¯ve told me, and I would¡¯ve put on a down jacket. Would I bepensated for catching a cold at work?</i>

    ...

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Xing Kong cursed before continuing to rush to the cavern. He didn¡¯t take more than two steps before he stopped again, however. Someone was standing in his way.

    He took a good look.

    It was a middle-aged man with a tall, wide, but lithe build, dressed in ck shirt and pants that were easy to move in. On his back was a long de, and there was a shortsword at his waist.

    He had sunken cheeks, an unkempt beard, and messy natural curls. On his left temple, the word ¡°tiger¡± was tattooed in green.

    His dark brown eyes were on the small side, but bright and piercing, which marked him as a threat.

    When he grinned, though, the killing intent he radiated instantly evaporated.

    ¡°We meet again, my friend.¡±

 Chapter 561: Only a Fool

    <h4>Chapter 561: Only a Fool</h4>

    War Tiger picked his curl-covered ear with his pinky. ¡°You¡¯re Xing Kong, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s your Talent? I think it corresponds to mine, right?¡±

    Xing Kong took two steps back to keep a safe distance, on high alert. War Tiger was not an enemy to be trifled with. With his top Damage-type Talent, Killing Expert, he had put Madam Wu down with a simple move.

    <i>He¡¯s a melee fighter, though</i>, Xing Kong thought. <i>My Talent will allow me to match his power, and it¡¯ll work better if I anger him.</i>

    ¡°What the hell.¡± Xing Kong taunted with a derisive nce. ¡°I was wondering who would be sent to take me, but it turns out to be a skinny monkey suffering from malnutrition.¡±

    War Tigerughed carelessly. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to rile me up, it¡¯s not going to work.¡±

    Xing Kong started.<i> He¡¯s onto me! Right, the boy called Seven Shadow has figured my power out before. Of course he¡¯ll tell this man.</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your effort. When I fight, I only feel one emotion...¡± War Tiger drew the Green Dog Demon de from his back. ¡°...And that is excitement.¡±

    A great pressure swept toward Xing Kong.

    <i>Calm down. I must calm down. Even if he doesn¡¯t get riled up by me, I can still absorb his energy. It¡¯ll just take longer. And if I can buy enough time, I¡¯ll be able to match him.</i>

    War Tiger wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make a move. ¡°I know you vermin living in the sewer always want to face off the awakeners with the top twelve Talents, thinking we are beneath you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case?¡± Xing Kong curled his lips and scoffed. ¡°Our Talents are only level 3, yet we manage to face you off. If our Talents reach level 7, you¡¯ll be nothing to us.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± War Tiger drew the shortsword by his waist with his left hand. ¡°You¡¯re ambitious, man. I like it!¡±

    ¡°How about I give you a chance to prove yourself?¡± War Tiger raised his right hand to hand his Green Dog Demon Sword to Xing Kong.

    ¡°Take this. I¡¯ll only fight you with my left hand wielding this shortsword. If I can¡¯t kill you in 10 seconds, I lose, and I¡¯ll surrender myself to you. Fair, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Ha, you make the offer yourself.¡± Xing Kong hid his smile. <i>This stupid dog. I¡¯ll make you regret it. You¡¯ll pay the greatest price for underestimating your enemy!</i>

    ¡°Of course. An honorable man keeps his word!¡± War Tiger threw his Green Dog Demon de toward Xing Kong with his right hand. ¡°Catch.¡±

    Xing Kong reached out to catch it.

    Then War Tiger¡¯s shortsword pierced through Xing Kong¡¯s throat.

    Xing Kong was distracted for only a split second while trying to catch the weapon, but then he felt a pain in his neck, and War Tiger was already right before him like a phantom, holding the shortsword by its hilt to make a backhanded swing.

    An arc of blood sttered on War Tiger¡¯s face.

    Xing Kong¡¯s head fell off, and the world became upside down in his eyes before shaking twice. His head had fallen to the ground.

    ¡°You...¡± He stared at the towering figure of War Tiger with confusion and grievance, unable to say another word.

    War Tiger picked up his Green Dog Demon de and sheathed it.

    He didn¡¯t even spare Xing Kong a nce before turning and leaving, saying carelessly, ¡°Only a fool gets stuck up on honor.¡±

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s raining. It¡¯s raining...¡± Cockroach shouted in disappointment. ¡°The fire¡¯s out, out...¡±

    Not long after Xing Kong left, the downpour of hails started. Madam Wu looked up and spotted the grayish blue clouds.

    With the fire put out, there was no chaos to mask their escape, and they would have a harder time getting out of here.

    ¡°Cockroach! Don¡¯t just stand there. Let¡¯s go!¡± Madam Wu shouted. As soon as she turned around, though, she froze. Three figures had shown up at the start of the path leading down the mountain.

    Two men and one woman. They were all strangers to Madam Wu.

    The man in the middle was taking the lead. Holding a cane with his right hand, he was tall and slim, dressed in a ck sweater with dark patterns, a pair of ck pants, and ck dress shoes, covered by a brown woolen coat. On his left chest was a ck Gold brooch in the shape of a <i>qilin</i>.

    The lines of his face were on the soft side, but his facial features were pronounced, his chestnut hair parted on one side. A pair of ck-rimmed sses perched on his tall nose. He looked like a proper gentleman with a bookish and artistic temperament.

    The woman walking on the left looked young, around twenty-six or twenty-seven. She had brown curls and a delicate face with a cynical look.

    She was wearing ab coat that reached below her knees, buttoned, under which were a pair of well-shaped calves. Her red heels matched the red scarf around her neck.

    On her left chest was a diamond qilin brooch.

    The man on the right looked older, in his forties. He was tall and strongly-built, dressed in a ck leather jacket and dark-colored jeans, paired with military boots.

    His face was sculpted, and his eyes as sharp as those of an eagle, his beard trimmed neatly into an O. His expression was serious, radiating the cool authority of an older person.

    Based on what Madam Wu knew, she could guess that they were Qilin, Vermilion Bird, and Azure Dragon from the Qilin Guild.

    <i>Haha, what an honor. The biggest of bigshots of the world of awakeners havee personally. It seems that our n to draw them away works very well.</i>

    When the thought shed through her mind, though, the three of them were suddenly only ten meters from her.

    <i>Wait, what? They were thirty meters away, but then they were suddenly much closer.</i>

    It felt like she had jumped ten seconds ahead, like a film skipping due to a stutter.

    Madam Wu wouldn¡¯t know that it was Qilin who had twisted her perception of time through psychic influence, making her feel like her time had been stolen.

    Adjusting his sses with his left hand, Qilin said, ¡°Are you the leader of Tails?¡±

    ¡°What if I am?¡± Madam Wu said with less confidence than she would like, suddenly feeling a fear she didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You¡¯re afraid.¡± Qilin could sense her change, and a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes tugged at his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an ultimatum. Be honest, and we¡¯ll be merciful. Resist, and we won¡¯t pull back.¡±

    Madam Wu didn¡¯t say anything, still weighing her options.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Qilin sighed, obviously feeling impatient. ¡°I don¡¯t mind questioning your body.¡±

    As soon as he said that, Vermilion Bird walked up to Cockroach.

    She curled her lips. ¡°Are you No.10, Cockroach from Tails?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Cockroach, with Talent: Cockroach...¡± Disgusting brown drool leaked from a corner of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m an unkible bug. Haha, you¡¯re so pretty, Young Miss. Be my toy. I have many pretty skirts... But you may not be able to put them on...¡±

    Then he took another step forward. ¡°Haha, I can make them smaller for you. Hahaha...¡±

    Vermilion Bird felt repulsion rise in her chest. She didn¡¯t expect the awakener with a corresponding Talent to hers to be such a disgusting, braindead man.

    Thanks to Seven Shadow¡¯s report, she knew the way Cockroach worked very well.

    Putting on a sweet smile, she took a step toward him and pulled her right hand from her coat pocket, which was covered in a red glove. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be your toy and y with you.¡±

 Chapter 562: What Gives You the Right

    <h4>Chapter 562: What Gives You the Right</h4>

    Cockroach paused. He was already holding a syringe with his left hand, which was filled with holy water Xing Kong left him, and he was going to give himself a shot. To his surprise, the pretty woman actually agreed to be his toy.

    It was the first time someone ever volunteered to y with him.

    ¡°Yay! Great!¡±

    Instead of injecting himself with the syringe, Cockroach ran up to Vermilion Bird and grabbed her hand.

    Vermilion Bird tamped down her disgust. Thank God she put on gloves to go with her scarf today.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡±

    Cockroach held onto Vermilion Bird¡¯s hand and was about to crush her fingers, but then a strange feeling hit him. He sensed his energy surge and scream suddenly; his heart was pounding, and all the blood in his body seemed to be boiling.

    ¡°What...what¡¯s going on...¡± Cockroach didn¡¯t understand what was happening to him.

    ¡°y with yourself.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s smile dropped. She took off her gloves and cast them aside, turning on her heels without even giving him another look.

    And she was smart to do that. What happened next was vomit-inducing.

    Vermilion Bird had buffed his Cockroach by three times with her Equivalent Exchange.

    Due to his long-term dependence on holy water, not only had his intelligence suffered, he also had poor control over his energy, and it went wildpletely. His Cockroach overreacted, his regenerative power going berserk.

    As a result, his cells multiplied at unnatural speed, and his blood and flesh gurgled as they grew. Like a balloon, he increased in size at observable speed, turning into arge ball of flesh more than three meters in diameter in less than ten seconds.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t...don¡¯t...¡±

    He slowly lost his ability to speak, his head drowned by his overgrowing flesh.

    <i>Pop, pop. </i>Once his growth exceeded the limit of his body, his skin and flesh started to burst, sttering disgusting blood. Then the parts where the flesh burst open started overly regenerating again.

    Tissues grew, burst, and then regenerated. The three processes continued to repeat.

    In the end, Cockroach turned into a pile of rotten flesh and blood, which was still writhing and rolling, bursting and sticking back together. The sight could give one nightmare after a single nce.

    Madam Wu stared nkly at his teammate.

    She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around what had happened even after Vermilion Bird went back to Qilin¡¯s side. She felt her blood cool, and what little hope she had in her heart evaporated. She could guess that Xing Kong and Blood Amber had very likely been killed.

    <i>Edmond, the Godbearer Cult lied to us!</i>

    <i>The awakeners with the top twelve Talents are too powerful. They are in another league of their ownpared to vermin like us.</i>

    <i>Even if we can surpass level 4 with holy water and even reach level 7, we¡¯re unlikely to defeat them, aren¡¯t we?</i>

    ¡°Where¡¯s Su Xi? And what¡¯s your goal?¡± Qilin stared at her. He didn¡¯t know where Su Xi was yet, and he didn¡¯t want to waste any more time.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡±

    Madam Wu broke intoughter of despair. Only then did she realize how naive she had been. All this time, the Tails had been enduring and struggling, but it turned out their effort was nothing but a joke.

    Nothing mattered to her anymore. She knew that to these three people, she was no better than a dirty rat.

    <i>Even so, I must bite you with the greatest malice!</i>

    ¡°Ah!¡± Madam Wu screamed, rushing at Qilin with her hands transformed into ck Gold des.

    Regret shed through Qilin¡¯s eyes.

    <i>ng! </i>Azure Dragon moved in front of Qilin and raised his left arm to block Madam Wu¡¯s all-in attack. Madam Wu was taken aback. <i>He took my attack with his body? How physically strong must he be!</i>

    Azure Dragon had already balled his right hand into fist by his waist. Quickly pushing his strength into his hand, he made a punch at Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold chest.

    That caught her off guard. She didn¡¯t fly off her feet immediately, but a secondter, when the hidden power of the punch hit btedly, a shockwave rippled out from Madam Wu¡¯s chest, and she shattered and scattered into ck Goldponents.

    Azure Dragon knew that he couldn¡¯t simply destroy her ck Gold body no matter how powerful his punch was. That was why he injected all his power into Madam Wu¡¯s body through the punch.

    While she was made of ck Gold from head to toes, the joints were connected with high-quality fiber to ensure that she could maintain the flexibility and agility of a human body, which were exactly what Azure Dragon aimed to destroy with his attack.

    Now that Madam Wu had been disassembled into dozens of pieces of metal trash, her head flew high like a ball andnded in Cockroach¡¯s still generating pile of flesh, about to get swallowed up by the writhing meat.

    ¡°No! No, I don¡¯t want to die in this pile of rotten flesh...¡± Madam Wu¡¯s head shouted in despair.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you onest time. Where¡¯s Su Xi, and what do you want?¡± Qilin demanded coldly, holding her gaze.

    His grace andposure made Madam Wu lose itpletely. She even forgot about the humiliating death facing her and her fear.

    <i>What gives you the right? What entitles people like you to be strong and respected without working for it? Why are you standing at the top, while we can only wait for our erasure like some disgusting, pathetic mice? And even when facing death, we are subject to such a humiliating method of interrogation.</i>

    <i>Why?!!</i>

    She crushed the holy water hidden in her mr.

    <i>Gurgle. Plop.</i>

    Her two ck Gold eyes fell from her eye sockets. Then a small amount of ck blood flowed out.

    ck energy rippled from her head, turning into ck sigils that resembled earthworms and spreading across the repulsive mountain of flesh.

    Under the power of the ck sigils, the writhing flesh stopped regenerating, but instead started to twist and change shapes, reassembling like a devil was molding a hellish fiend with the most malicious imagination.

    Ten secondster, a hideous abomination of flesh and blood emerged, standing taller than four meters and burning with ck mes.

    It didn¡¯t have a proper head, and on its chest were Madam Wu¡¯s ck Gold skull and No.10¡¯s fleshy head, stuck together like a pair of malformed conjoined twins.

    ¡°Human! Human, human, human...¡± Madam Wu had turned into a monstrositypletely.

    ¡°Toys! You¡¯re all my toys...¡± No. 10, on the other hand, still retained what little intelligence he had. It was his first time being the smarter onepared to his teammate.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Azure Dragon took a step forward, about to make a serious punch after imbuing his fist with his strength.

    Qilin stopped him. ¡°Allow me.¡±

    If Azure Dragon made the punch, he would end up giving the mountain a trim in the middle, making the fire spread further. Then the fire fighting duo of Six Rime and Heavenly Dog would exhaust themselves to the point of tears.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Azure Dragon stepped back.

 Chapter 563: Land of Eternity

    <h4>Chapter 563: Land of Eternity</h4>

    Qilin stepped forward. The trees around him were still burning, but much of the fire had been doused by the hail downpour. Standing before the zing mes was the backlit figure of an abomination.

    <i>Grrrr.</i> The abomination growled, the resulting gust swept through and messed up Qilin¡¯s hair and coat, apanied by mes, hails, and an insidious pressure.

    Holding his cane with one hand, Qilin lowered his head slightly and took off his sses.

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird flinched, quickly taking two steps back and closing their eyes at the same time¡ªif they didn¡¯t, they could still suffer psychic damage even without direct eye contact with Qilin.

    The man wasn¡¯t actually short-sighted. The sses stayed on simply because his eye technique was too powerful, and without something to limit it with, it would be difficult to control his power.

    He hung his sses on the breast pocket of his coat.

    Looking up, Qilin uttered before the abomination could move, ¡°Land of Eternity.¡±

    Instantly, Qilin¡¯s eyes became ck spots without any texture or detail. Then the ck spots started spinning before symmetrical sparkles of deep green, deep blue, deep purple, and deep red emerged, like an enigmatic and enthralling kaleidoscope.

    Now turned into a monstrosity, No.10 was just about to move when his vision went pitch ck, and his body became light. He realized that he was himself again.

    Before he could find joy in that, though, his body started plunging.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡±

    No.10 cried out. The freefall left him dizzy and nauseous, the urge to vomit overwhelming.

    He found himself falling into a bottomless pit, and it kept going.

    He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed until a white spot appeared below him. It was the exit.

    Soon, he fell out, but he didn¡¯t touchnd; he continued to fall toward a blue ocean, where a white cruise ship was sailing.

    He fell toward the ship without any control, and he would soonnd.

    Good. He was tired of falling. It was fine even if he got smashed into paste. He wouldn¡¯t die anyway.

    Just when he was going to fall on the deck of the ship, he saw a girl in a sun hat sitting there, working on an oil painting with a palette and a brush, which was of a frozen world of snow and ice.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>No.10 fell into the oil painting and entered the frozennd. He was still up in the sky, and he continued to fall.

    ¡°No, stop...ahhhh...¡±

    No.10 suffered greatly. The feeling of continuous freefall threatened to break him. He wanted nothing but for the torment to stop.

    Soon, he was going tond again. Below him was a tundra, where a pr bear was standing on two feet. It looked up at the falling No.10, its eyes reflecting a starry sky.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>No.10 fell into the pr bear¡¯s eyes and found himself in space.

    It didn¡¯t make sense in terms of physics, but he was still falling even in space.

    How long had he been falling? He spotted something, a pirate ship sailing toward him.

    He was about to fall onto the ship, and the sail of the flying ship was printed with the picture of a.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>No.10 fell into the picture and found himself above Jupiter.

    His endless fall continued. Below him was a great terrifying storm of red vortex...

    ¡°No! Stop! Stop already...stop...¡±

    No.10 wailed. He had never been this scared and helpless.

    It was the first time he wished for death. Would the torment stop once he died?

    Yet he couldn¡¯t even meet his end.

    What awaited him was an endless freefall that didn¡¯t make rational sense, like he had been sucked into a ckhole¡¯s event horizon.

    ...

    Qilin took a white silk handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the fogged-up lenses of his ck-rimmed sses. When he put them back on, his eyes turned back to a dark green, looking cold and deep.

    ¡°Done,¡± said Qilin.

    Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon opened their eyes. The abomination before them had stopped moving, and the ck mes were put out, revealing the reddish brown flesh underneath.

    The two conjoined heads embedded in the abomination¡¯s chest looked nk, their thoughts havinge to a halt. Madam Wu¡¯s eye sockets had been empty to start with, and Cockroach¡¯s eyes had turned into inky spots. Viscous brown fluid streamed down from his parted lips.

    He would never wake up again, until his body deteriorated and his energy ran out, his heartbeat stopping¡ªeven then, his mind would never meet release. In the Land of Eternity, a momentsted forever.

    ¡°Su Xi¡¯s not here,¡± said Qilin. ¡°We have to question the body.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t question a body like this,¡± Vermilion Bird said darkly.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone else.¡± Azure Dragon remembered. ¡°His name¡¯s Xing Kong, and he should be a core member of Tails.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, I just killed him.¡± War Tiger came up to the trio.

    Qilin, Vermilion Bird, and Azure Dragon whirled around to look at him.

    War Tiger paused,ing to a realization. ¡°Wait. You haven¡¯t gotten any clues out of them?¡±

    Vermilion Bird rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible to question something like that?¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± War Tiger pped his own head. ¡°I left him behind. Is the fire there put out? Or the body¡¯s gonna get burned to nothing.¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Vermilion Bird called out in disapproval. ¡°Go save the body!¡±

    ¡°Right, right!¡± War Tiger ran.

    ...

    Meanwhile, at the Green Lotus Lake, white energy flickered at the bottom of the driedke. It was arge life monster altar, and Su Xi stood in the pavilion at the heart of the altar. Faint white strands of energy emerged from under her feet like the tentacles of a jellyfish. Above her, more than a hundred wanderers marked with Firework hovered strangely.

    ¡°Mother, mother...¡±

    Radiant blue light shone out of one wanderer¡¯s eyes, flickering. <i>Whoosh!</i> It plunged toward her like an elemental missile.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> Then one after another, the wanderers shot toward Su Xi in the same way. Explosions rang out in quick sessions. Every wanderer blew up at the heart of theke and unleashed colorful elemental energy.

    The elemental energy sttered, assimting everything by force, be it water weeds, fish, or even stones. Pastel colors spread. All things were destroyed and made the same by the chaotic explosion of elemental energy, bing one mere part of the whole.

    Standing by theke, Qing Ling was almost blinded by the explosions. She had to raise her hands to cover her eyes.

    It felt to her like the wholeke was a giant wok filled with oil, and God was throwing pop rocks of different colors into the wok, watching them pop and crackle.

    ¡°Explode!¡±

    ¡°Hahahah, this is true art!¡±

    Smoker iled his arms around like the conductor of an orchestra immersed in the performance. Colorful lights flickered before him with overwhelming visual stimuli, and his backlit figure seemed mad amid the chaos¡ªQing Ling realized then that Smoker had worn his sunsses so that he could appreciate what he called his art.

    The explosions continued for a minute.

    When Qing Ling finally opened her eyes, the Green Lotus Lake was made anew into an elementalke of radiant colors, filled with elemental crystals like a mine pitke.

    The pavilion was nowhere to be seen, and an artificial mountain of elemental crystals appeared where Su Xi had been, having buried her. Her figure could be faintly made out.

 Chapter 564: For Tomorrow

    <h4>Chapter 564: For Tomorrow</h4>

    ¡°Huff...huff...¡±

    Having drained his energy, Smoker dropped to his knees. He tried his best to stand up. ¡°Not, not yet... Take me to her, pretty girl. Now¡¯s the main course. I¡¯m turning the life monster into fire...¡±

    He trailed off, his expression tensing when he noticed something wrong.

    Qing Ling was hit with the same feeling.

    It was a cold and chilling feeling that couldn¡¯t be more insidious, and for a moment, the wind around them sounded like whispers of the devil.

    Countless thin strands of ck energy shot out of the elemental mountain at the center of the Green Lotus Lake. From afar, they looked like the hair of a witch, and the hair grew in number and density.

    Suddenly, the elemental mountain shattered into sttering gems of different colors. Su Xi...lived.

    She had lost her clothes to the explosions, yet her body was entirely unscathed, glowing a sacred hazy white like a saintess from myth.

    She slowly took flight and hovered a few meters off the ground.

    Qing Ling and Smoker saw it then: the insidious ck energy strands hade out from the belly button of her protruding belly.

    ¡°Child, my dear child...are you protecting Mom?¡± Su Xi¡¯s emerald eyes seemed possessed, and her happy smile twisted.

    ¡°What a good kid. As expected of Mom¡¯s goodest child...¡±

    ¡°Ah...ah ahhhhh!!!¡±

    She started screaming in pain, and her eyes melted instantly, from which countless thin ck strands gushed out. The same thing was happening to her mouth, nose, and ears. As the ck strands threatened to tear her apart, her face twisted to the point of losing its form.

    The ck strandsing out of her belly button were still the most numerous. They were alive, and they were furious and wild.

    The strands converged into irregr clusters, which morphed into hundreds of different shapes in a single second, seemingly looking for the right form to take through tens of thousands of trials and errors before descending upon the world properly.

    ¡°...Ahhh!!¡±

    Su Xi¡¯s body, like aputer overclocking, endured the torturous pain of the countless mistakes.

    Qing Ling had never heard such a blood-curdling cry of pain. It was the kind of shout that would go on to haunt one¡¯s dream yearster, making one jerk out of the nightmares covered in cold sweat.

    And the scream contained thest of the life monster¡¯s energy with its silencing property, paralyzing Qing Ling and Smoker.

    Even at this moment, Su Xi, as a mother, retained part of her mind and burned thest of her life to prevent enemies from approaching, protecting the child that would kill her.

    Was this what motherly love was?

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t know, and she didn¡¯t want to know.

    Clenching her teeth, she raised her des and marched up to Su Xi, nearing delivery. Every step was difficult to take. Her instinct told her that something terrible was going to happen, and she might be the only one who could stop Su Xi.

    But she couldn¡¯t make it in time.

    When she was less than ten meters from Su Xi, Su Xi stopped screaming.

    The world was terrifyingly silent, as if all sounds had been muted.

    Qing Ling no longer felt paralyzed. Su Xi¡¯s energy waspletely gone.

    The mother¡¯s belly sank down, and the body that had seemed holy and radiant turned sickly, decayed, deathly, and covered in ck livor mortis.

    Like a wilted falling leaf, she dropped to the ground.

    A smile remained on her aged, distorted face.

    At herst conscious moment, Su Xi hoped to open her eyes and take one look at her child, but she no longer had eyes, and she couldn¡¯t see anything.

    What a shame. It would probably be her only regret in life.

    As her mind wandered, she seemed to hear the voice of her husband, Huang Qi, and the voice took her back to a leisurely afternoon in her memory¡ªthe sun was bright, and the couple had just had lunch. Theyzed about on the sofa in their living room. Huang Qi rested his head on Su Xi¡¯sp

    ¡°A penny for your thought, darling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering if our baby is going to be a boy or a girl, and what name we should give the child.¡±

    ¡°Heh, what a coincidence. I¡¯m thinking about that too.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it then.¡±

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t just jump to a decision. Let¡¯s each think about it a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It makes me happy thinking about the child¡¯s name, and I want the happiness tost longer.¡±

    ¡°Is this what people call hope?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is.¡± Huang Qi opened his eyes and looked at her face. Suddenly, he said like he couldn¡¯t help it, ¡°I love you, my wife.¡±

    Su Xi smiled. ¡°You said that in the morning.¡±

    ¡°This is for the afternoon.¡± Huang Qi smiled too. ¡°I love you. This is for the evening.¡±

    ¡°I love you too. This is for tomorrow.¡±

    ...

    Su Xi died, and the Malediction was born.

    Qing Ling stared at the wicked creature consisting of ck energy strands in disbelief. For a moment, she forgot to move¡ªno, she couldn¡¯t. A terrifying pressure had prevented her from resisting.

    The fluctuating form slowly calmed until the ck strands turned into a figure that looked about four years old, but the ck strands that made the body were still shaking and pulling at high frequency, and the creature looked like a doodle drawn with charcoal.

    It didn¡¯t have a nose, ears, or mouth, but only a pair of empty circles that were the eyes.

    The child slowly looked up at Qing Ling.

    <i>Hum¡ªhum¡ª</i>

    The ck strands taking the form of a child became messy again, and two secondster, it turned into a tall, slim girl with long hair, just like Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling¡¯s scalp went numb, and a shudder ran down her spin. It felt as if she was looking at her own shadow.

    Based on their encounter with the abomination in the ruin in Ni Nation, Qing Ling could guess that the abomination known as Malediction must have the ability to quickly evolve as well. By imitating those it met, it was thinking and growing.

    However, it seemed that the Malediction didn¡¯t like Qing Ling¡¯s form, and it quickly turned back into a child.

    While it didn¡¯t have a mouth, it uttered a syble.

    It didn¡¯t belong to any humannguage, yet Qing Ling could understand it in her head.

    <i>Die.</i>

    The moment the utterance left the Malediction, Qing Ling found that she could move again. She was just going to charge at it when she paused.

    <i>Wait, something¡¯s not right!</i>

    <i>Why is the bnce of my body so unfamiliar? Why can¡¯t I feel my de in my left hand?</i>

    <i>No, I can¡¯t feel my left hand altogether.</i>

    Qing Ling quickly looked down to find her entire left arm gone.

    Large volume of warm blood gushed out of Qing Ling¡¯s left shoulder, painting the left side of her face red.

 Chapter 565: Hell

    <h4>Chapter 565: Hell</h4>

    Now missing her entire left arm, Qing Ling was stunned into inaction. She didn¡¯t even have the time to feel the wrenching pain.

    Fearful, lost, and despairing, she didn¡¯t know how it happened, or when. Why hadn¡¯t she noticed at all? Why had her eyes not caught anything?

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    A secondter, she dropped to one knee with a cry, her right hand letting go of her Tang Dao involuntarily to hold onto the stump of her left shoulder, but she couldn¡¯t stop therge volume of blood gushing out.

    She needed time to collect herself, and she turned to Smoker reflexively, hoping that the man would be able to keep the enemy upied for a while, only to meet greater despair.

    Smoker¡¯s head was gone, and his headless body fell to the ground two secondster, bleeding profusely from his neck and forming a pool on the ground.

    If there had been a high-speed camera shooting over 250 frames a second on the side, it would¡¯ve captured everything that happened: three seconds ago, the moment the Malediction uttered the word that meant ¡°die¡±, countless ck vortexes had appeared on its body, which shot out more than a hundred ck deadly rays in all directions like a round disco ball.

    The deadly rays melted every living being they touched.

    The attacks were so quick that they took less than a fraction of a second, beyond what Qing Ling could perceive when she was the closest to the Cursed Offspring.

    Had she known beforehand and watched out for the attacks with her full attention, perhaps she would be able to see it, but that was all she would be able to do; she didn¡¯t stand a chance in dodging it.

    It wasn¡¯t that the Malediction had gone easy that Qing Ling survived while Smoker had died; it was simply killing all those around it at random.

    Qing Ling was lucky to have lost only her left arm, and she wouldn¡¯t be so lucky next time.

    Three secondster, the Malediction¡¯s skill finished cooling down. It turned its empty white eyes to Qing Ling. The human¡¯s survival surprised it.

    The Malediction hated all living creatures by nature. It would erase her.

    ¡°Die.¡±

    This time, Qing Ling saw the attack, but that was all she could do.

    The pitch-ck figure seemed to flicker, and in a fraction of a second, more than a hundred deadly rays shot out from its body, killing every living being around it randomly.

    Qing Ling vanished.

    A pool of blood and a few ck Gold weapons were all that was left in the spot, including her Tang Dao, Xiu Dao, Butterfly Twin des, and two darts.

    The Malediction discovered the ck Gold weapons and became curious for a second.

    <i>Hum. </i>The thin ck energy strands its body consisted of morphed into the shapes of the weapons. Again, the Malediction seemed dissatisfied with the forms, and it turned back into a child.

    It was like a kid who was curious about everything but also quickly lost interest. It would continue to try and imitate everything before destroying all.

    In the end, it would destroy the world before losing itselfpletely to a meaningless boredom. Then it would destroy itself.

    Such was the ultimate fate of the Cursed Offspring.

    It was a curse on all meanings in the world.

    ...

    Qing Ling wasn¡¯t dead.

    Face pale, shey prone in Gao Yang¡¯s arms.

    Gao Yang had arrived just in time to teleport her away, both of them escaping the Malediciton¡¯s barrage.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Qing Ling screamed in pain, which didn¡¯t stem from his lost arm, no. It did hurt, but not unbearably so. The greatest torture was from the ck curse left on the stump of her shoulder. It took the form of slowly burning ck mes, devouring Qing Ling¡¯s body little by little.

    In no time, earthworm-like ck sigils covered her neck, corbones, and chin, and they continued to spread to the rest of her body. Left untreated, she would surely die.

    Gao Yang sealed away his emotions. He was as rational as a robot at this moment.

    Without even a wince, he cut his palm open with a ck Gold dagger, the blood quickly covering his entire hand, and he pressed it to Qing Ling¡¯s left shoulder.

    ¡°Ahhh...¡±

    Qing Ling felt like salt and oil were rubbed into her injury,pounding her pain. She struggled, the pain overwhelming. Unable to endure it further, she twisted her neck to bite Gao Yang¡¯s arm.

    Gao Yang quietly took it.

    A few secondster, the ck sigils covering Qing Ling retracted and vanished.

    Qing Ling regained some of her mental faculty. She let go of Gao Yang and pushed him hard with her only hand. ¡°Go! Leave me...¡±

    Gao Yang wordlessly continued with what he was doing, biting off the cap of a syringe of Medicine C and gave Qing Ling¡¯s left shoulder a shot, stabilizing her condition.

    Even with Psychic Armor suppressing his emotions, Gao Yang still felt a sense of guilt. Qing Ling¡¯s left arm would be forever gone, and it was all his fault. If only he hade earlier.

    Heid Qing Ling down and picked himself up.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>Gao Yang returned to where Qing Ling had been.

    Now, he was only ten meters from the Malediction. He knew he was not its match, yet there was no fear on his face.

    As soon as Gao Yang arrived at the Green Lotus Lake, he witnessed the Malediction killing Smoker and seriously injuring Qing Ling. At that moment, he felt some sort of energy shooting to his head, and as if he had been bestowed with a divine revtion, he gained instincts and experiences he couldn¡¯t exin.

    It was then he knew with certainty that he was the Divine Scion, the enemy of the Malediction.

    There had to be darkness for light to exist, and Gao Yang, seeing his shadow, confirmed his existence.

    He came to two conclusions: first, he was the Maledicton¡¯s natural bane, and second, his blood could be used to hurt the Malediction as well as cure the curse the Malediction inflicted.

    The murals on the obelisk had hinted at it; the thin ck strandsing out of the life monster¡¯s body had given the shining child on the second mural a wide berth, which represented the Malediction¡¯s fear for the Divine Scion.

    Darkness disappeared when being shone on by light.

    Simr to how Gao Yang had reacted to it, the Malediction didn¡¯t immediately attack when it saw Gao Yang, but was instead drawn and quickly came to many realizations. Finally, it found its most appropriate form.

    The cluster of ck strands of evil energy slowly settled down from the various forms it had gone through in a frenzy, taking the form of an eighteen-year-old boy.

    Gao Yang looked at the Malediction like he was looking at his own shadow.

    The shadow gained details, forming actual hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, internal organs, bones, flesh and blood, and skin.

    It turned into an entity identical to Gao Yang, only covered in ck sigils with eyes that were all ck.

    Face impassive, the Malediction raised its right hand and uttered a syble from its slightly parted lips, in a humannguage.

    ¡°Die.¡±

    ...

    [Warning, you are in hell!]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 30000 times.]

 Chapter 566: Seven Shadowâ€™s Cry of Blood

    <h4>Chapter 566: Seven Shadow¡¯s Cry of Blood</h4>

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    A giant ck deadly beam shot out of the Malediction¡¯s right hand. Wherever it hit, vegetation was wiped, lives were lost, and mountain and earth shattered and cracked.

    Three secondster, the light beam disappeared, leaving a chasm of more than ten meters in width from the center of the Green Lotus Lake all the way to the border of Li City, as if the giant ax of God had swung down and hit thend.

    Gao Yang had teleported away before it hit.

    Wielding Qing Ling¡¯s two ck Gold long des, Gao Yang stared impassively at his shadow. He took a deep breath, and his absolute rationality quickly came to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t stand a chance, and that he should flee.

    But he didn¡¯t.

    There were things one had to do even though they were the wrong thing to do.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Gao Yang conjured a double, which took the ck Gold Xiu Dao. Then both him and his double sliced their left hands open to smear the des with their blood.

    After that, Gao Yang and the double took each of Qing Ling¡¯s ck Gold darts and thrust it into their chests, almost hitting their hearts.

    <i>You told me before that I had a protagonist aura and would bring bad luck to everyone around me, Officer Huang. I didn¡¯t believe you before, but I do now.</i>

    <i>Nevertheless, I would be the greatest loser of a protagonist were I one. After all the defeats I¡¯ve met, shouldn¡¯t I have my moment for once?</i>

    <i>Watch me, Officer Huang.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s gonna be cool.</i>

    <i>Ah, I don¡¯t have a name for the move yet. What would you call it?</i>

    <i>How about Seven Shadow¡¯s Cry of Blood?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s chuuni, isn¡¯t it? Doesn¡¯t it sound like a move from those shonen manga you¡¯ve read?</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s lips curled up like he just remembered a happy memory, the corners of his mouth stained with blood.

    [Put all Luck points into Luck.]

    [Activate Willful Power.]

    [Constitution: 1 Endurance: 1]

    [Strength: 3200 Agility: 3167]

    [Willpower: 1 Charisma: 1]

    [Luck: 1777]

    Activate Replicate.

    Level 6 God of des, to the max.

    Level 6 Killing Expert, to the max.

    ...

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Both Gao Yang and his double vanished at the same time before suddenly appearing by the Malediction¡¯s sides, making a horizontal indigo sh at the same time. <i>Clink</i>. The des swung toward the Malediction¡¯s neck, but were stopped by its quickly raised arm.

    <i>Hiss, hiss.</i>

    The blood-stained des started corroding the Malediciton¡¯s body like deadly poison. Messy ck strands burst out from the skin and flesh like living water weeds, twisting and screaming in pain as they lost part of the form they had settled into.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    The Malediction¡¯s ears turned into two small ck vortexes, unleashing ck soundwaves to the sides, which were powerful enough to shatter one¡¯s brain and organs into a pool of blood.

    Gao Yang and his double had long teleported away.

    As soon as theynded, they both stomped on the ground and left a deep hole. Like two phantoms, they charged at the Malediction again.

    A hundred and more ck rays shot out from the Malediciton¡¯s body in random directions. The two Gao Yangs foresaw the attacks and teleported again, dodging the firing spree at thest moment by taking advantage of the short time their forms disappeared altogether as they teleported.

    <i>Clink, clink.</i>

    Two indigo shes imbued with blood came at the Malediction from the front and the back. This time, it didn¡¯t have the time to block the des, and ended up hit squarely in the back and the chest.

    <i>Hiss, hiss. </i>The Maledicton¡¯s human form was damaged again, and countless ck strands burst out, vibrating at high frequency as they threatened to revert back into an unstable clump.

    The Malediction pulled the ck strands back into its body to maintain the form identical to Gao Yang. It was crucial to it.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give it more time.

    In fact, he only had 10 seconds anyway.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh. Clink, clink.</i>

    Gao Yang and his double became faster and faster. With Killing Expert, he would be more powerful the closer he was to death.

    Watching from afar, Qing Ling saw two figures keeping the Cursed Offspring busy, making relentlessly quick shes. A few secondster, she couldn¡¯t even catch the figures.

    Gao Yang and his double teleported around, leaving countless afterimages as they made hundred and more indigo shes every second, hitting the Malediction in all parts of its body. Every time an attacknded, ck energy strands erupted messily.

    During the first few seconds, the Malediction could still attempt to resist, but soon, it became a punching bag to Gao Yang. Under the mad flurry of shes, its human form started to twist, distort, and disassemble, turning back into a messy clump.

    Amid the flurry of des, chaotic energy rippled outward across the crater the Green Lotus Lake had been rendered into. Holding her armless shoulder, Qing Ling watched without blinking, her hair flying backward. She stared at the intense battle intently for the next ten seconds.

    <i>Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>Win.</i>

    <i>You must win!</i>

    ...

    Ten seconds passed like ten days, years, or centuries. Gao Yang had long gone past the limit of Teleportation. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had teleported and how many times he had cut the Malediction. At some point, even his rationality was almost gone, let alone his other emotions. He had surrendered himself to his instinct.

    During thest half a second, Gao Yang felt his energy starting to decline. Willful Power was nearing its end.

    He became one with his double and held one de with his right hand, smearing it with blood with his left hand. Then he thrust at the Malediction¡¯s chest in a glinting blur¡ªif the entangled ck strands could even be called a chest.

    <i>Clink. </i>The tip of the de buried into the clump of ck strands, which shot out in all directions like they were pulled out by a great force, threatening to tear the Malediction into pieces of nothingness.

    Yet the Malediction struggled stubbornly.

    ¡°Aghh!!¡±

    Gao Yang held his weapon with both hands and growled, exhausting thest of his strength and energy, even his soul.

    Finally, the bloodied Tang Dao pierced through the Malediction¡¯s chest.

    Time seemed to freeze for a second.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Then great ck energy rippled out from the Maledicton¡¯s body, throwing Gao Yang off his feet.

    Qing Ling jumped to catch Gao Yang. They fell and rolled away a good few meters in each other¡¯s embrace. Missing an arm, Qing Ling quickly crawled up despite how pale she looked, supporting Gao Yang with one hand.

    Gao Yang¡¯s face was white like a sheet, and his eyes were dim, his body cold.

    Without hesitation, Qing Ling quickly extracted the ck Gold dart from his chest and administered the shot of Medicine C she had kept ready.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t react at all. His pale face didn¡¯t recover any color, and the wound on his chest was still bleeding. It didn¡¯t seem like the injury was healing at all.

    ¡°Gao Yang, get it together!¡±

    Shaking, Qing Ling took out the special adrenaline shot she had with her and bit off the cap, injecting it into Gao Yang¡¯s chest and emptying the syringe.

    Gao Yang remained unmoving, and his heart wasn¡¯t beating.

    It seemed that the moment Willful Power came to an end, he had already exhausted all vitality and energy in a way that was deadly, without reservation.

    He died.

 Chapter 567: I Love You

    <h4>Chapter 567: I Love You</h4>

    Qing Ling froze, her eyes reddening as she grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s cor with one hand and shook him strongly. ¡°Wake up! You hear me, Gao Yang?!¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Wake up! Wake up now!¡±

    Qing Ling clenched her right fist and pounded Gao Yang on the chest. ¡°You loser! Get up! You¡¯re not dying, got it?! You¡¯re not!¡±

    She panted, the rubber band tying her hair snapped, and her ck strands fell to cover her pale face. Head lowered, she was still clenching her right fist, her knuckles white and her hand shaking.

    A drop of tear fell on her fist.

    Suddenly, she lifted her head with widened eyes, quickly reaching into Gao Yang¡¯s breast pocket to find a small blue pill bottle.

    <i>Isn¡¯t this...Dr. Jia¡¯s resurrection pill?</i>

    She suddenly remembered Gao Yang pulling Dr. Jia to the side for a few minutes when they left the Li City airport. When Dr. Jia returned, he had seemed disgruntled.

    Gao Yang must have guessed that Dr. Jia had left himself with a pill and ¡°borrowed¡± it from the man, taking it before the battle.

    Relief washed over Qing Ling. She slumped down to the ground.

    After a good moment, she finally said through tight lips, ¡°Bastard.¡±

    ...

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Suddenly, a dark red shimmering light flicked across the ground. Qing Ling felt her body grow suddenly heavy, and her blood threatened to freeze.

    With difficulty, she looked up, her eyes filled with despair.

    Although the Malediction had lost its form due to Gao Yang, it hadn¡¯t died.

    Sealed by Gao Yang¡¯s blood, it could no longer change form and imitate others in order to curse all beings in the world. Skipping that, though, it reached the ultimate stage where it was going to destroy everything.

    The ball of entangled ck energy strands rotated at high speed, the sound made terrifying, eerie, and iprehensible. At the heart of the ck ball was a flickering dark red orb, which flickered like a pounding heart; it was the core of the Malediction.

    With the core as the center, countless dark red blood sigils that were almost ck came to form a giant curse pattern, expanding beyond the crater on the ground and almost covering the entire Green Lotus Park.

    At that moment, everything between heaven and earth turned an oppressive crimson.

    Within the Malediction¡¯s self-destructive force field, Qing Ling felt her energy draining, her vitality declining and wilting. With thest of her energy, she supported Gao Yang with one hand in an attempt to take him away.

    One, two... Before she could even take the third step, she fell with Gao Yang.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The dark red force field continued to expand in waves in tandem with the beating red heart of the Malediction. Face pressed against the cool rough ground, Qing Ling couldn¡¯t muster any more strength, and her eyes fell close despite her resistance.

    Suddenly, there was a sh of golden light, and the pressure and pain evaporated instantly.

    Qing Ling¡¯s blood started flowing again, and her heartbeat recovered its usual pace. Energy slowly returned to her body.

    She heard footsteps. With difficulty, she turned to look at the source of the sounds.

    A man and a woman were walking toward her, the former wearing suit pants and dress shoes, and thetter wearing high heels and a long dress.

    Qing Ling managed to recover enough strength to prop herself up with a hand on the ground, getting a clear look at the neers¡ªGao Shou and Lin Yue.

    There was a translucent golden barrier the size of a phonebooth around her, protecting her and Gao Yang. It was created with Absolute Defense.

    Past level 4, Absolute Defense could create three barriers of different sizes at the same time.

    Just when Qing Ling was going to say something, Lin Yue cut in.

    ¡°Qing Ling, the Malediction is going to destroy itself,¡± Lin Yue said in a cool tone. ¡°Gao Shou and I must stop it, and we alone will be able to stop it. Otherwise, Li City will be razed to the ground.¡±

    ¡°You...knew already?¡± Qing Ling voiced her question.

    ¡°I only knew a few days ago.¡± Gao Shou nced at Lin Yue with a smile. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that I¡¯d get to be a hero too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve foreseen this day since giving birth to Gao Yang.¡± Lin Yue sighed softly. ¡°The birth of the Divine Scion is bound to be followed by the birth of the Malediction. It is fate.¡±

    ¡°So whatever we do, it¡¯s all meaningless?¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t ept it.

    ¡°You, Tails, Zhuang Mei, and even Yun and I had failed to escape fate despite our best effort, but it¡¯s not in vain. I believe there¡¯s a meaning to our actions.¡±

    Lin Yue looked down at Gao Yang with gentle eyes, who was in a state of apparent death beside Qing Ling. ¡°Child, tell Yang Yang for me that his mom loves him.¡±

    ¡°His dad loves him too.¡± Gao Yang looked at Gao Yang gently, his gaze filled with the yearning to stay longer.

    ¡°No,¡± Qing Ling said. She could guess what was going to happen. And no, things must not turn out that way. Gao Yang had worked so hard with his life on the line in order to not lose his family.

    <i>How am I going to tell him everything once he wakes up? This is exactly what I most hate to do, what I most dread to do, and what I am worst at doing.</i>

    Having recovered some of her strength, Qing Ling rushed toward them, only to be stopped by the barrier of Absolute Defense.

    ¡°Come back!¡±

    Qing Ling clenched her right fist and pounded on the translucent golden barrier.

    ¡°I¡¯m not telling him what you said. You tell him yourselves...¡±

    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t go...¡±

    Amid the oppressive and evil dark red force field, Gao Shou and Lin Yue walked toward the Malediction hand-in-hand, not hesitating or turning around once.

    Gao Shou pulled off the circr jade pendant he had worn for years from his neck.

    It was a gift from Lin Yue¡¯s grandmother, and Gao Shou could never anticipate that the old woman had manipted his future since then.

    Still, Gao Shou had to thank her.

    If not for her, Gao Shou wouldn¡¯t have found such a beautiful and gentle wife and raised two extraordinary and kind-hearted children, leading a life of no regret in the Mist World.

    Yes, he had no regrets.

    Even his one regret of not having proposed to Lin Yue properly had been amended tonight with the help of their children.

    Gao Shou turned to Lin Yue. ¡°Do you have something to say to me, my dear wife?¡±

    Lin Yue smiled and wrapped an arm around Gao Shou¡¯s neck, standing on her toes to kiss him.

    At that moment, she gave Gao Shou all the life monster energy left in her. Only the life monster who had given birth to the Divine Scion had the true holy water without any impurity¡ªthe holy water the Tails had been seeking.

    Time seemed to rewind to the midsummer twenty-two years ago. The sky was a gentle orange red at sunset. On the rural path surrounded by the chirps of cicadas, warm breeze rustled Lin Yue¡¯s hair and muddled Gao Shou¡¯s gaze.

    Lin Yue let go of Gao Shou with blood streaking down from one corner of her mouth. She smiled. ¡°I like you.¡±

    This time, Gao Shou didn¡¯t freeze in shock like he had in the past, and he hadn¡¯t pped himself to make sure that he wasn¡¯t dreaming.

    He knew this wasn¡¯t a dream, but the life he had lived through.

    Eyes loving and tone gentle, he said, ¡°I love you.¡±

    As soon as he said that, his eyes quickly became bloodshot before turning a pure, clear white. The jade pendant in his hand floated, the surface melting away to reveal its true form. It was a Rune Circuit made of ck Gold, etched with delicate lines that resembled a circuit board with the pattern of a shield at the center.

    It was thest among the twelve Rune Circuits to be found, the Guard Rune Circuit.

 Chapter 568: Chain of Fate

    <h4>Chapter 568: Chain of Fate</h4>

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    Golden light burst out of the Guard Rune Circuit. Cast under the dark red force field, it looked like a branding iron heated to the point of appearing red. It flew toward the center of Gao Shou¡¯s chest, attempting to brand him.

    An energy flower bloomed from Gao Shou¡¯s chest, the thin petals quickly covering most of his body like a golden, glinting armor. At that moment, Gao Shou¡¯s level 4 Absolute Defense had jumped to level 7 with the holy water as catalyst, andbined with the Guard Rune Circuit, it reached level 8 and gained the most powerful defensive skill.

    ¡°Chain of Fate!¡±

    Gao Shou pped his hands together, and instantly, an endless supply of golden energy sprang from under his feet like fierce waves, rumbling and growling as it swept toward the Malediction.

    <i>Ssh! </i>The golden wave overwhelmed the Malediction as well as the centermost area of the crater.

    <i>Rumble. </i>Then the golden energy morphed into a behemoth pir that reached toward the sky like it was going to prop the sky up.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i> Golden two-dimensional barriers appeared all around the golden pir, and countless golden chains shot out through the barriers. Some wrapped around the Malediction tightly to tie it to the golden pir, while others intertwined to create a golden cage that obscured the outside world.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    Now in the form of a ball of ck strands, the Malediction struggled wildly and let out terrifying shrieks, the waves of its power containing curse power that could kill a regr man in an instant.

    Outside the golden cage, Gao Shou and Lin Yue linked their hands and watched things y out calmly. Their eardrums had been shattered and were bleeding. Then the corners of their eyes and mouth bled too.

    Yet they remained determined and unwavering.

    The golden pir, too, stood strong, and the chains restraining the Malediction continued to tighten around it.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    <i>Clink!</i>

    Following a dignified solemn bell ring, a thin golden thread appeared out of nowhere to pierce through the Malediction¡¯s chest. It was the thread of fate.

    The end was defined.

    Within the barrier, there was no escape for all living beings, including Gao Shou and Lin Yue, and all things, including fate itself.

    While the lockdown onlysted a minute, it was more than enough.

    The Malediction was going to destroy itself, and it stopped struggling.

    Tied to the pir of fate, it became quieter than ever before, and soon, it turned back into the young child that resembled a charcoal doodle.

    ¡°Wah...¡±

    ¡°Wah...¡±

    It cried.

    Seven secondster, it stopped crying.

    The world lost its sounds and colors.

    ¡°Wah¡ª¡±

    It all happened too fast. A pure, absolute ck filled the golden cage and swallowed everything inside. Even outside the cage and shielded by a small barrier created with Absolute Defense, Qing Ling ended up hit by the absolute ck. She had to close her eyes, or the ck would destroy and erase her body and soul.

    But she couldn¡¯t control herself to close her eyes.

    Thankfully, her body¡¯s defense mechanism kicked in, and she copsed, cking out.

    ...

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    A minuteter, Gao Yang cried out, jerking up and waking from his state of suspended motion. He came back to life, and Qing Ling also regained consciousness due to his shout.

    ¡°Qing Ling...¡±

    Gao Yang slowly got to his feet to help Qing Ling up, but then he started. Not far from him was an abyss with a diameter of about fifty meters. It was bottomless, and remnants of ck fog remained inside.

    Standing by the abyss were a man and a woman, holding hands while extending their other hands to the sides, like a hug or an attempt to shield someone behind them.

    Gao Yang recognized his parents at first nce.

    ¡°Dad? Mom?¡±

    He stood up and stumbled toward them, breaking into a smile and crying hot tears of relief. ¡°Thank God, Dad, Mom... We won. We...¡±

    His smile stilled.

    As he approached, he realized that his parents¡¯ figures were a strange light gray, and they looked t, like cardboard cutouts.

    <i>What happened?</i>

    <i>No, no no no no no...</i>

    <i>This isn¡¯t real! My blood worked on the Malediction! I stabbed it in the heart! I killed it, I wasn¡¯t useless this time!</i>

    <i>Why?</i>

    ¡°Dad...Mom...¡±

    <i>Please answer me! Turn around and look at me!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t stay quiet! Don¡¯t pretend to not notice me!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t joke with me like this!</i>

    <i>Please!</i>

    <i>Please, please, please, please, please, please...</i>

    A gust of wind swept through the light gray figures reduced to two-dimensional existence, and they scattered like ashes, gonepletely.

    Gao Yang¡¯s hand froze midair. He wasn¡¯t able to touch them yet.

    He fell to his knees with a thud.

    Face pale and hands shaking, he couldn¡¯t say anything, and he couldn¡¯t stand up. It felt as if his legs had be boneless.

    He crawled forward, digging his fingers into the charred ground by the abyss. There were remnants of the white powder¡ªhis parents¡¯ ashes.

    Shuddering, Gao Yang dug and gathered more and more ck charred soil to his chest like the most precious treasure.

    ¡°Gao Yang, don¡¯t...¡±

    Qing Ling slowly went up to him. Now missing an arm, her movement was a little awkward.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t hear anything. He opened his mouth to speak, but it felt like a stone was stuck in his throat.

    He continued to gather soil to his chest.

    ¡°They¡¯re dead, Gao Yang. They died to contain the Malediction¡¯s self-destruction. They saved us...¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t continue. She realized that nothing she said would do anything now.

    Gao Yang was still silent.

    Suddenly, he grabbed the charred soil and shoved it into his mouth. His chest suddenly felt empty, and it hurt. He had to fill the cavity with something, anything, until it was full again, or he would surely die...

    Qing Ling started and went up to grab Gao Yang. ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Hm, hmph...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s mouth was already filled with soil. Like an idiot, he threw a tantrum and struggled on the ground, his mind solely focused on eating more soil.

    ¡°Stop...stop now!¡± Qing Ling couldn¡¯t stop him. With a growl, she kicked him to the ground. Gao Yang rolled to the side.

    She went up and pinned him down with a knee on his chest, pinching Gao Yang¡¯s bulging cheeks. ¡°Throw it up! Throw it all up!¡±

    ¡°<i>Ack...</i>¡±

    Gao Yang pushed Qing Ling away and rolled around, vomiting.

    <i>It hurts! It hurts so much!</i>

    <i>Activate Psychic Armor.</i>

    <i>Seal all emotions!</i>

    <i>Fail.</i>

    <i>Activate Psychic Armor.</i>

    <i>Seal all...</i>

    <i>Fail.</i>

    <i>Seal...</i>

    <i>Fail.</i>

    It was unstoppable, unavoidable, unshakeable.

    Violent waves of pain caught up to him in the end.

 Chapter 569: Fall into a Dream

    <h4>Chapter 569: Fall into a Dream</h4>

    ¡°Hah...<i>ack...ack...</i>¡±

    Like a mute person who had just learned to make a sound, Gao Yang bawled.

    Sitting by the ck abyss, he broke down and wailed, face covered in tears and blood, helpless like a child.

    ¡°I lost my mom and dad again...¡±

    ¡°I finally...had a mom and a dad...¡±

    ¡°What do I do...somebody help...someone...help me...¡±

    Qing Ling stumbled forward and knelt down before Gao Yang, reaching out with her right hand to grab Gao Yang¡¯s head, pulling him into her embrace and resting her chin on his head.

    She looked up at the night sky filled with sparkling stars, her voice gentle and hoarse with a hint of exhaustion as she stroked Gao Yang¡¯s head and sang a luby she remembered from her childhood¡ªit was one of the few pleasant memories she had about her parents.

    <i>A tiny cradle, to and fro.</i>

    <i>The night sky is so beautiful.</i>

    <i>Mom¡¯s the stars, and Dad¡¯s the moon.</i>

    <i>Stay with me until I fall into a dream.</i>

    <i>La,.</i>

    <i>Stay with me until I fall into a dream.</i>

    ...

    Time passed. Gao Yang¡¯s wails gradually quieted, and following the pain was a flood of exhaustion. It put Gao Yang to sleep.

    He dreamed again.

    He became the same white butterfly in his dream, wandering along the magnificently vast, boundless cosmic corridor.

    Soon, he reached the giant ancient tree.

    The three girls he had seen before were wearing sacred-looking white robes, on the back of which, a circr pattern of a flying white bird was sewn. Barefooted, the three girls walked on a branch wider than an average road, each holding a softly glowing greenntern.

    The light gray hair wrapping around the branches parted to the sides, making way for the three girls.

    The auburn-haired girl was the most excited. She happily led the way and turned to urge the ck-haired girl and blond girl along every few steps. ¡°Hurry, the two of you!¡±

    ¡°What, are you in a rush to your next life?¡± The blond girl retorted derisively with a human expression.

    ¡°Haha, my next life. That¡¯s a good way to put it.¡± Then the auburn-haired girl thought of something. ¡°By the way, we each need a name when we get there, right?¡±

    The ck-haired girl nodded. ¡°Our surname will depend on the family we settle into.¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡± The auburn-haired girl seemed a little disappointed, but then her eyes lit up. ¡°What about our first name? We can decide that for ourselves, right? Master won¡¯t care, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± The ck-haired girl wasn¡¯t entirely certain.

    ¡°Master won¡¯t care about something this trivial,¡± said the blond girl.

    ¡°Then I wanna be Mei!¡± The auburn-haired girl sounded excited. ¡°I like plum blossoms! The flowers represent independence and autonomy amid the noises of the mortal world, perfect for me, haha!¡±

    ¡°Ha, whatever makes you happy.¡± The blond girl showed pity to herpanion for her poor taste.

    ¡°You should name yourselves, too!¡± The auburn-haired girl urged them.

    The blond girl¡¯s emerald eyes shifted. She already had a name in mind. ¡°Xi.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± The auburn-haired girl paused.

    ¡°It means daylight.¡± The ck-haired girl nced at the blond girl. ¡°That¡¯s the <i>xi </i>you¡¯re going for, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± The blond girl lifted her chin. ¡°The sunlight in the morning represents hope. I willplete Master¡¯s mission and be everyone¡¯s hope.¡±

    ¡°You sure are confident. Good luck to you then.¡± The auburn-haired girl humored her before turning to the ck-haired girl. ¡°How about you?¡±

    The ck-haired girl thought quietly for a few seconds.

    ¡°Yue.¡±

    ¡°As in the moon?¡± asked the auburn-haired girl.

    The ck-haired girl nodded. ¡°I like the moon.¡±

    The three of them chatted as they walked, and before they realized it, they were already at the tip of the branch.

    The giant branch extended into the white wall. Clearly, the three girls were going to enter the world behind the white wall.

    They stood before the wall, their expressions turning deferential and pious.

    Theyid down theirnterns and lowered their heads, putting their hands together in prayer, their faces fair and pure under the light.

    ¡ªMom!

    ¡ªDon¡¯t go, Mom!

    Gao Yang pped his wings as hard as he could, flying toward the ck-haired girl, but he couldn¡¯t get any closer. He realized then that it was just like the supernatural barrier at the border of the Mist World. One could never approach the border no matter how hard they ran.

    Suddenly, the ck-haired girl seemed to have sensed something. She slowly turned around and looked at where Gao Yang was.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing? It¡¯s starting...¡± The auburn-haired girl opened one eye and whispered a reminder.

    The blond girl ignored them, her eyes already closed, devoted.

    The ck-haired girl broke into a small smile after two seconds.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    She turned back and put her hands together before her chest, closing her eyes.

    Soon, a crack appeared on the white wall before the three girls. It was the portal leading to the other side.

    They chanted simultaneously in a devoted tone, and as they prayed, they walked through the crack, quickly overwhelmed by the white light streaming from the other side.

    Their prayers lingered and echoed in the empty corridor between the ck and white walls.

    ¡°Everything has a beginning, and everything has an end.¡±

    ¡°It is unknowable, and there is no need to fear.¡±

    ¡°Fate has a n for all.¡±

    ...

    [Congrattions, Lucky has reached level 5!]

    [End of Act 4]

 Chapter 570: Abyss

    <h4>Chapter 570: Abyss</h4>

    Green Lotus Lake in the Green Lotus Park, early morning.

    Overwhelmed with heartbreak and exhaustion, Gao Yang fell asleep in Qing Ling¡¯s arms. Just then, a helicopter hurried over from the Green Mountain, piloted by Goldthread and carrying Qilin, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, War Tiger, Surnamed Li, and Little Tian. After putting out the fire razing the top of the mountain, Heavenly Dog and Six Rime quickly came as well.

    Qilin and the others had just finished fighting in the Green Mountain when they saw a ck light threatening to carve heaven and earth shoot out from the center of the Green Lotus Park. They were stunned by the sheer destructive power of it. They had never seen anything like it.

    When they arrived at the scene a few minutester, the battle had already ended.

    The Green Lotus Lake had turned into a giant crater covered in elemental crystals and charred soil, at the center of which was a ck abyss with a diameter of a few dozen meters. By the abyss, Qing Ling, missing an arm, held onto an unconscious Gao Yang. It seemed that the two had just had a deadly encounter and were lucky enough to live to tell the tale.

    War Tiger was the first to jump out of the helicopter,nding before Qing Ling and Gao Yang.

    ¡°What happened here?¡±

    ¡°The Malediction,¡± Qing Ling said hoarsely.

    War Tiger paused. ¡°The Malediction?¡±

    ¡°The Cursed Offspring,¡± Qing Ling went for another term. ¡°Su Xi gave birth to the Cursed Offspring.¡±

    ...

    Ten minutester, they all stood before the abyss, daring not to approach. Although the Malediction was dead, the abyss it left after its self-destruction still radiated an unnerving evil energy.

    Under Vermilion Bird¡¯s treatment, Qing Ling recovered some strength, but her arm couldn¡¯t be regenerated.

    After a few tries, Vermilion Bird gave up, and she said apologetically, ¡°Your arm¡¯s noting back. At least I can¡¯t bring it back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Qing Ling wasn¡¯t fazed. She had expected it. After all, her arm wasn¡¯t so much cut but melted by the deadly ray, which contained a terrifying curse. If not for Gao Yang¡¯s blood, she wouldn¡¯t even be alive.

    Vermilion Bird looked at Gao Yang, who was held by Qing Ling. She put a hand on Gao Yang¡¯s forehead and closed her eyes. A few secondster, she sighed. ¡°His energy is seriously drained. I¡¯ll restore some of it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Qing Ling stopped her.

    Vermilion Bird caught on a secondter and pulled back. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll let him sleep for a little longer.¡±

    He would only be in greater pain if he woke up now.

    Before the abyss, Qilin stood with his cane, and Surnamed Li was in her wheelchair. Standing behind them were Azure Dragon, Heavenly Dog, Six Rime, Goldthread, and Little Tian.

    Qing Ling had given them a brief but urate report of what had happened over the past ten minutes.

    Qing Ling hadn¡¯t lied to them. Given the circumstances, it would be almost impossible to fool the three organizations. And they had arrived too quickly for her to think of a convincing version of the story.

    As for the history between Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang, as well as how they had gotten to their conclusion, it was too difficult to exin in a few words. Since the more she spoke, the more could be used against her, she simply said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other stuff. You should ask Seven Shadow once he wakes up.¡±

    ¡ªDivine Scion, Forlorn Ghost, and Malediction.

    They all chewed on the three terms and fell into deep thought.

    After a while, Qilin nced to the side at Surnamed Li. ¡°Have you not dreamed of what happened tonight, Madam Li?¡±

    Surnamed Li said calmly, ¡°In theory, I should¡¯ve dreamed of a cmity as great as the self-destruction of the Malediction.¡±

    ¡°Could the Malediction block your forecasting?¡± Azure Dragon proposed.

    ¡°Possibly.¡± Surnamed Li narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡°However, ording to what Green Snake said, I think it¡¯s more likely a result of Gao Shou¡¯s Talent.¡±

    ¡°The Chain of Fate?¡± Qilin immediately caught on.

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°As the name suggests, the skill locks even fate inside the realm, which Talent: Prophet is meant to glimpse into. Once chained, I cannot see it.¡±

    ¡°So you would¡¯ve seen what happened tonight if Gao Shou hadn¡¯t used Chain of Fate,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Surnamed Li smiled bitterly. ¡°Then the Malediction would¡¯ve razed Li City to the ground with its self-destruction, and a cmity like that would have appeared in my dream.¡±

    Qilin nodded, having wrapped his mind around everything.

    He turned to look at the sleeping Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯ve always known that Seven Shadow is special, but it turns out he¡¯s the Divine Scion.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Qilin, is there really a god in the world?¡± Little Tian couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Qilin paused. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s simply how monsters address their leader.¡±

    ¡°I believe so.¡± Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°Real god should be omniscient and omnipotent. Not all powerful beings we don¡¯t understand are gods.¡±

    ¡°Haha, perhaps ants consider us gods, too.¡± War Tiger stroked his chin and smiled. ¡°And if they defeat us one day, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re nothing they imagine us to be.¡±

    ¡°Brother Tiger.¡± Azure Dragon gave him a meaningful smile. ¡°You sure are arrogant.¡±

    ¡°Haha, there won¡¯t be anything more fun than fighting God.¡± War Tiger crossed his arms with a joyful look on his face.

    Azure Dragon dropped the topic and turned to Qilin. ¡°What do we do with Seven Shadow, Guildmaster?¡±

    Qilin understood what he was getting at. No matter how noble the title ¡°Divine Scion¡± sounded, there was no changing the fact that Gao Yang was born between a life monster and a human, and in terms of bloodline, he was half monster rather than pure human.

    His identity and position were thus put under scrutiny, and they all had to reevaluate him as apanion.

    Qilin thought for a moment before making his judgment. ¡°Tonight, Seven Shadow and his family saved all of us. Even monsters differ in their standing, let alone the Divine Scion. I believe Seven Shadow is still an awakener, and thus ourrade.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Surnamed Li nodded and looked at Gao Yang. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union will remember what Seven Shadow has done for us.¡±

    ¡°So will the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± War Tiger took out his phone and walked away as he pretended to make a call. ¡°Keep going. I¡¯m gonna report to Dragon.¡±

    After the three organizations had made their positions known, Qilin turned to Qing Ling. ¡°This may be a bad time, but I have to ask: where is the Guard Rune Circuit?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is what I woke up to. I didn¡¯t see a Rune Circuit.¡±

    Vermilion Bird frowned slightly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t destroyed by the Malediction, was it?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± Qilin said with certainty. ¡°Rune Circuits are indestructible. They only change forms.¡±

    ¡°Has it fallen into the abyss?¡± Goldthread suggested.

    ¡°Hm, it¡¯s possible,¡± Azure Dragon agreed.

    With holy water and Rune Circuit, Gao Shou pushed his Talent to level 8 and locked the Malediction in the realm of the Chain of Fate. The evil destructive power, unable to crash through the barrier, ended up burrowing and spreading downward to form an abyss.

    When the Chain of Fate came to an end, the energy of the Rune Circuit reverted back to its original concrete form, and it fell into the abyss.

    They arrived at the same conclusion.

    Qilin turned around to look at the abyss, focused.

    The others were silent too.

    ¡°Should we send someone down there?¡± War Tiger had finished his ¡°call¡± to Dragon, and he sauntered back to the group.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal pit.¡± Qilin could sense the insidious energying from the abyss.

    ¡°We would have to jump in even if it were a burning pit.¡± War Tiger seemed excited. ¡°It¡¯s thest Rune Circuit! Right before us!¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything, and Surnamed Li didn¡¯t oppose the idea.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog.¡± War Tiger turned to the young man. ¡°Dare to get in?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Without hesitation, Heavenly Dog lifted off the ground and was about to dive into the abyss when War Tiger stopped him. ¡°Wait. We need some security measures.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Heavenly Dog syed his hand, and a white cloth shot out of his sleeve. War Tiger grabbed it and grinned.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Heavenly Dog flew over the abyss, slowly descending toward it while standing.

    A few secondster, his head entered the abyss too.

    ¡°Come back!¡±

    Surnamed Li had already seen his future after ten seconds.

 Chapter 571: Exploration

    <h4>Chapter 571: Exploration</h4>

    As soon as Surnamed Li said so, Heavenly Dog became in contact with the ck fog inside the abyss, and like he had been electrocuted, he spasmed and went still, falling toward the abyss.

    War Tiger quickly yanked the white cloth and jumped backward. Heavenly Dog fell to the ground after getting pulled out.

    ¡°Ah...ugh...¡±

    He rolled around in great pain. It felt as if countless bugs were devouring his flesh and blood.

    War Tiger went up to him to see Heavenly Dog¡¯s chest covered in countless small and insidious ck sigils, which were spreading toward his neck and was going to im his whole face.

    Qing Ling syed her right hand to call her ck Gold dart. ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s blood will cure him!¡±

    Vermilion Bird quickly took the dart and made a cut on Gao Yang¡¯s palm, letting out blood. As soon as War Tiger rushed over with Heavenly Dog, she grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand and pressed it to Heavenly Dog¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Aghhh!¡±

    Heavenly Dog¡¯s pain doubled, but the ck sigils disappeared in three seconds, and Heavenly Dog stopped crying out. He took a breath with difficulty before closing his eyes.

    Now that Heavenly Dog was cured, Vermilion Bird took Gao Yang¡¯s cut hand with both hands, and the wound on his palm healed.

    Everyone was in shock, and they became even more convinced that Green Snake hadn¡¯t lied.

    Gao Yang was the Divine Scion. His blood was the only thing that could counter the Malediction¡¯s curse. Although the Malediction had died, the curse power it left behind was still formidable.

    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± War Tiger smacked his lips and reached out to Heavenly Dog, troubled. ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°...Yeah.¡± Heavenly Dog was feeling better. He took War Tiger¡¯s hand and stood up.

    ¡°How¡¯s your body?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Heavenly Dog shook his head. ¡°My energy was sealed as soon as I touched the ck fog. Then it felt like bugs were nibbling me.¡±

    Qilin thought about it with a serious expression. Then he turned to Azure Dragon. ¡°Call ck Fish.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡± Azure Dragon took out his phone.

    Qilin turned to War Tiger. ¡°If possible, call Mischievous Monkey from your organization here.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± War Tiger made the call and didn¡¯t ask what it was for.

    Surnamed Li was thest one Qilin turned to. ¡°Madam Li, the Heavenly Way may not be able to properly clean up the whole mess tonight. We have to take matters into our own hands.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Leave it to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡± Surnamed Li nced at Goldthread. ¡°Call Chen Ying. Have everyone lock down the Green Lotus Park.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Goldthread took out his phone too to make the call.

    They waited around the Abyss. Qilin, Surnamed Li, and War Tiger asked Qing Ling more questions to find out more details. During the time, five elite monsters had been drawn by the earlier chaos, but were swiftly dealt with.

    About twenty minutester, a wild, piercing sound of an engine rang out, and they all turned to look at the source.

    <i>Vroom</i>. A ck bike flew over the crater, the rider dressed in ck leather and wearing a ck helmet like a dark rider.

    Three secondster, the bikended, making a dramatic slide to the side beforeing to a steady stop.

    The rider stopped the bike properly, taking his helmet off with his left hand and tucking it under his armpit, making a salute by moving his forefinger and middle finger from his temple. ¡°Guildmaster Qilin, Elite ck Fish, report to duty!¡±

    Qilin nodded in response.

    Qar Tiger narrowed his eyes. The man had short, spiky ck hair, blue eyes, and a longer face. His smile was bright and confident with a re of dramatics.

    War Tiger had heard about him while ck Fish was on his way here. ck Fish was Azure Dragon¡¯s subordinate. His Talent was irvoyance, serial number 98, Buff-type. It gave him an incredible sight that could see everything within one kilometer with rity, and he could see through obstacles to some degree.

    Some time ago, he acquired Spider Venom and got promoted to an Elite, changing his name to ck Fish.

    His mundane identity was a stunt rider.

    ¡°What can I help you with, Boss?¡± ck Fish ced his helmet on the head of his bike and went up to Azure Dragon.

    Azure Dragon pointed at the abyss. ¡°Look what¡¯s inside. Be careful not to get too close. The ck fog is dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ck Fish had long noticed the strange ck abyss. He tamped down his curiosity and didn¡¯t ask further.

    He went up to the abyss quickly and leaned slightly forward, looking down at it. Before he could activate his Talent, Qilin stopped him. ¡°Wait.¡±

    ck Fish turned to him. ¡°Yes, Guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°Close one eye.¡±

    ck Fish understood after a beat. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    He covered his right eye and activated irvoyance.

    His blue left eye immediately lit up and shot a ray of blue light into the abyss below. It was blocked by the ck fog inside, but soon pierced through it and reached somewhere further down.

    The others waited quietly.

    ck Fish was no longer seeing in the regr sense from his left eye; it felt more like looking into a telescope with a narrow focus. As theser shot through increasingly thicker ck fog, his mind started to wander, and he felt like his left eye was a sensor plunging toward the mysterious and unknown deep sea.

    His senses of himself and his sight blurred. Then everything seemed so much more vivid that it was as if his soul had been sucked into the deep sea sensor, bing one with it as it sank deeper and deeper down the abyss.

    The thick ck fog started to thin, and ck Fish saw with more rity that the abyss was circled by smooth, dark green stone walls, covered in ck symbols.

    ck Fish would like to memorize a couple of them, but the symbols kept changing like wavering shadows cast by candlelight. There was no pattern to it, and he couldn¡¯t memorize any of them.

    ck Fish stopped getting hung up on that. He continued downward until he reached the bottom.

    Hended after however long it had been.

    Under his feet was a textureless ck. It wasn¡¯t rock, nor was it soil. It was soft, and his steps made quiet creaks.

    It felt like stepping on snow.

    ck snow? Why would there be ck snow?

    ck Fish focused his mind. What little rationality remained reminded him that he wasn¡¯t actually at the bottom of the abyss. It was merely an illusion he got while his irvoyance scouted out the abyss.

    Still, it must have stemmed from the clues his Talent had detected. He decided to remember everything he could remember about the bottom of the abyss. Then he would report everything.

    ck Fish moved his fake presence forward. Soon, he saw the only thing in the abyss.

    A door.

    It was an old-fashioned metal door painted in green, and the paint had been peeled off by the long years, revealing brown rust. On the door were numerous ads and flyers, for lockpicking, piping, AC maintenance, security window panels, real-estate agency, training courses, gyms, free bandwidth for topping up mobile phones, and many more.

    ck Fish was taken by surprise. Strange, why would there be a door at the depth of the abyss?

    And it was just a door. Nothing more.

 Chapter 572: Door

    <h4>Chapter 572: Door</h4>

    There was no house or even a wall, but a lone door. ck Fish took about a dozen steps toward it, yet found himself no closer to the door. It remained more than ten meters from him.

    He quickened his steps and started running, but his distance from the door remained unchanged, as if he was chasing the horizon.

    He realized then that it was simr to the border of an isted ind in the Mist World.

    He took a deep breath and decided to see beyond the door with irvoyance, and it worked! The door turned translucent. He held his breath, waiting quietly.

    Four to five secondster, he started seeing the rough lines of the interior of the room. He was surprised to find a room that looked nothing special. Why would it be a simple room?

    The bed, nightstand, wardrobe, and desk all looked quite old. White light streamed through the window covered in light blue curtains. Based on the intensity of the light, it was most likely a midsummer afternoon.

    The walls were covered in colorful posters. ck Fish attempted to memorize them, but strangely couldn¡¯tmit any details to memory.

    ck Fish paused.

    A blurry figure appeared in the room out of nowhere. She was sitting on the swivel chair in front of the desk, using an old-schoolputer with a bulky, square monitor.

    Suddenly, the blurry figure sensed a gaze from outside the door, and she slowly turned around.

    ...

    ck Fish covered his right eye as he stood by the abyss, looking down at it.

    It had been an hour. ck Fish was silent throughout. Qilin kept tabs on ck Fish¡¯s emotions, and it seemed that he hadn¡¯t encountered any danger.

    They waited patiently. No one talked for the past hour.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Then ck Fish suddenly shouted, flying off his feet backward. It was as if a sniper rifle had shot a bullet out of the abyss, hitting ck Fish in the left eye. The eyeball burst out, sttering blood everywhere.

    ¡°My, my eye...¡±

    ¡°Agh! It hurts!¡±

    ck Fish pressed his hand against his bleeding eye socket, but soon, he couldn¡¯t even do that. He rolled around on the ground, the piercing pain burning through him.

    From his blinded left eye, malicious ck sigils sprang to life and spread across his face, corroding his body and soul.

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    Vermilion Bird had been prepared. Her hand was still covered in Gao Yang¡¯s blood, and she quickly went up to press her palm to ck Fish¡¯s blinded left eye.

    <i>Hiss.</i>

    ¡°Aghh!!¡±

    ck Fish cried out in pain, while the sigils on his face melted at contact with the blood and evaporated into ck smoke, dispersing in the air.

    Finally, ck Fish was free of the torture to his mind. He panted heavily, looking around confusedly with only his right eye.

    ¡°ck Fish.¡± Azure Dragon crouched down before him and spoke in a low voice. ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± ck Fish seemed lost. ¡°What?¡±

    Azure Dragon paused. ¡°The abyss. What¡¯s inside the abyss?¡±

    ¡°What abyss? What, why am I here? Didn¡¯t I...¡± ck Fish had lost his memory. He covered his left eye again. ¡°Ugh, my eye...what happened...what happened to my eye...¡±

    Qilin watched ck Fish lose hisposure. Although Qilin couldn¡¯t detect lies, he could sense confusion and fear from ck Fish. The man didn¡¯t seem to be acting.

    ¡°Calm down, ck Fish. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll heal you.¡±

    Vermilion Birdforted him and stopped his left eye socket from bleeding. The wound healed quickly, yet the eyeball he had lost wasn¡¯t going to regenerate.

    ¡°Tsk, this is bad.¡± War Tiger turned to Qilin andughed bitterly. ¡°I say we stop taking unnecessary risks. Seven Shadow may be the only one who can enter the abyss.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Vermilion Bird sounded concerned. ¡°Even though his blood can counter curses, it doesn¡¯t mean he can venture into the abyss ande back safely with the Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. No one knows what else is in the abyss,¡± Surnamed Li said. ¡°We have no right to make the decision for him.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything.

    The others turned to him, waiting for him toe to a decision.

    Ten secondster, Qilin looked up. ¡°We stop exploring for now. Once Seven Shadow wakes up, we leave the decision to him.¡±

    Qilin turned to War Tiger. ¡°Please have Mischievous Monkey seal the abyss once he¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡± War Tiger gave him an OK sign. Mischievous Monkey could do it easily with level 5 Earth.

    ¡°Six Rime.¡± Qilin looked at the blue-haired girl with a frosty expression. ¡°Once the abyss is sealed, refill the Green Lotus Lake with water.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± said Six Rime.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with the rest,¡± Surnamed Li said from her wheelchair.

    ¡°Thank you. This is it then.¡± Qilin turned to leave with his cane.

    After taking two steps, he seemed to have remembered something, and he turned to War Tiger. ¡°Isn¡¯t Dragon going toe and have a look?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s attending to business and isn¡¯t in Li City,¡± War Tiger responded with a smile, but he was worried. Qilin must have guessed that Dragon was likely in hibernation, only he couldn¡¯t be certain of it. After all, Dragon had always worked in mysterious and unpredictable ways, and he was a great threat in Qilin¡¯s eyes.

    Qilin nodded and turned to leave.

    Azure Dragon and ck Fish followed. Vermilion Bird nced at Qing Ling and Gao Yang. ¡°Should I take Seven Shadow, or...¡±

    ¡°Leave him to Green Snake.¡± War Tiger took out a cigarette. ¡°He just lost his parents. What he needs is for someone to support him and keep himpany, and his ex-girlfriend can do that better than a colleague like you.¡±

    Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°Oaky.¡±

    War Tiger lit his cigarette and took a deep breath. Only when members of the Qilin Guild were gone did he turn to Heavenly Dog. ¡°Give Green Snake and Seven Shadow a ride.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± Heavenly Dog asked.

    War Tiger snorted. ¡°Where else? The hospital, of course.¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang slowly opened his eyes, waking up.

    It was five o¡¯clock in the morning. The day had not yet broken, and the room was dim. It seemed from the interior that it was a special care ward.

    Gao Yang was still physically exhausted, and thanks to his exhaustion acting like a sedative, he was able to maintain his calm with Psychic Armor controlling his emotions.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Qing Ling said from his left. A hazy orange light came from the nightstand by the bed.

    Gao Yang slowly rolled to his side to find another bed on his left, blocked by a light blue curtain. The silhouette of a woman was sitting cross-legged, missing her left arm.

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart, like a soft ripple brought about by a wind sweeping over the calm surface of ake.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Qing Ling asked through the curtain.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Gao Yang said hoarsely. He slowly sat up and tried to move his fingers, then his arms.

    He reached out to pull the curtain, but Qing Ling stopped him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Gao Yang paused, his hand freezing midair.

    On the other side of the curtain, Qing Ling had taken off her shirt. Her chest and the stump of her left arm were wrapped inyers uponyers of bloodied bandages.

    She didn¡¯t want Gao Yang to see her¡ªnot because of their genders, but because she simply didn¡¯t want him to see her at her weakest.

    ¡°Reach your hand over here,¡± Qing Ling said.

    Gao Yang leaned forward to reach through the gap of the curtains.

    Two secondster, a slightly cool hand found his hand and grasped it.

 Chapter 573: Bad News

    <h4>Chapter 573: Bad News</h4>

    A few secondster, having made sure that Gao Yang was physically alright, Qing Ling let go of his hand and pulled back.

    Gao Yang asked calmly, ¡°The cover story?¡±

    ¡°An arsonist had set the Green Mountain on fire, and more than two hundred tourists in the mountain failed to escape, many of their bodies burned beyond retrieval, including your parents.¡±

    Qing Ling paused before adding, ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union locked down the Green Lotus Park and is now doing their best to restore it. The Guard Rune Circuit is spected to have fallen into the abyss left by the Malediction. Heavenly Dog tried to get in and almost got killed by the lingering curse. ck Fish scouted it with irvoyance and ended up with one blinded eye, his memory erased. Both were cured by your blood.¡±

    Face impassive, Gao Yang shifted his gaze.

    After a few silent seconds, Qing Ling asked, ¡°How are you going to tell Gao Xinxin?¡±

    Gao Yang had a story in mind. ¡°Mom and Dad couldn¡¯t sleep and went to the Green Mountain to watch the sunset, but ended up caught by the fire.¡±

    ¡°Would your sister buy it?¡± Qing Ling wasn¡¯t convinced.

    With Psychic Armor nearing cooldown, Gao Yang¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°My dad was once diagnosed with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. After that, my mom would go night running by the river with him every day. Adults have their ways of expressing love.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t have any other question.

    Gao Yang clenched his fist until his knuckles were white and closed his eyes, doing his best to enter a meditative state.

    Enduring a long moment, Gao Yang then activated Psychic Armor again before looking up at Qing Ling through the curtain.

    ¡°What are you going to do with the arm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get a prosthetic,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°The three major organizations will pay for the materials, and Dr. Jia will custom-make it for me.¡±

    Gao Yang then asked, ¡°Can¡¯t your original arm be grown back?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Dr. Jia will extract energy and blood from Lithe Snake and Dead Pig and develop a medicine first, but he isn¡¯t optimistic about the sess rate. The Malediction¡¯s curse is different from regr damage.¡±

    Before, Gao Yang would¡¯ve encouraged her with a ¡°it¡¯ll be alright¡±, but he didn¡¯t want to say anything now.

    Things didn¡¯t always get better, and effort and optimism rarely saw results.

    In fact, the harder he tried, the worse things seemed to go. Facing fate, he was like a clown.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Ni Nation with Dr. Jia. That¡¯s where hisb is.¡± Qing Ling stood up as she spoke.

    ¡°For how long?¡±

    ¡°About ten days.¡±

    ¡°Take care,¡± Gao Yang said hoarsely.

    ¡°You too.¡±

    A few secondster, the door closed, and the room quieted.

    Psychic Armor was in cooldown again.

    Gao Yang¡¯s breathing quickened. He dug his nails into his palm and lowered his head, his shoulders shaking.

    There were no tears or sobs, only the rustle of cool breeze swaying the curtains before dawn broke.

    ...

    The Fifteenth High School, November twelfth, ten o¡¯clock at night.

    Not long after the bell rang for the end of the evening self-study, a good many highschool students swarmed through the gates, dressed in their autumn uniform of long-sleeved shirts and pants and shouldering their backpacks. They left the school in groups of three to five, some pushing their bicycles as they walked.

    Gao Xinxin walked quickly among the crowd with a tote bag for painting instruments, her hair tied into twin tails.

    Guang Huan had a bag on his shoulder as well, following her with a pleasing smile. ¡°We have a day off tomorrow, Gao Xinxin. Why don¡¯t we go to a movie in the afternoon with your brother?¡±

    Gao Xinxin was just about to say she didn¡¯t have time when she heard ¡°your brother¡±, and she changed her tune, ¡°What movie?¡±

    ¡°The Wandering Blue[1]. I heard it¡¯s really good!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Xinxin said.

    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s invite your sister-inw too. I¡¯ll buy you...¡± Guang Huan trailed off when Gao Xinxin shot him a re. Had he said something wrong?

    ¡°My sister-inw isn¡¯t free tomorrow. Just buy three tickets,¡± said Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°Of course. Yeah! I¡¯ll buy the tickets!¡± Guang Huan took out his phone. He always put his phone on airne mode when he was at school and didn¡¯t dare to use it, worried that his phone would be confiscated by the teachers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush it.¡± Gao Xinxin took out her phone too, turning it on. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my brother first.¡±

    They walked to the bus stop.

    Gao Xinxin was just about to make the call when Gao Yang called her. She picked up with a smile. ¡°Hey, brother. Do you have time tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Look up, Gao Xinxin,¡± Gao Yang cut her off in the call.

    Gao Xinxin looked up to find Gao Yang across the road. ¡°Brother, why did youe...¡±

    ¡°Get over here. There¡¯s something I have to tell you,¡± Gao Yang interrupted her again and hung up.

    Gao Xinxin paused. Something wasn¡¯t right. His brother looked tired even from across the road. Under the dim yellow streetmp, his face was pale and stiff.

    It didn¡¯t seem like he was angry, but drained of emotions like a robot.

    <i>What¡¯s with him today? He¡¯s being weird.</i>

    Gao Xinxin grumbled to herself and nced at Guang Huan. ¡°My brother¡¯s picking me up.¡±

    Guang Huan had spotted Gao Yang too. He grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you.¡±

    ¡°No need. Go home first.¡± Gao Xinxin looked left and right before quickly crossing the road when there was no traffic. She turned to remind Guang Huan after taking a few steps, ¡°Buy the tickets for tomorrow afternoon. Remember, just buy three!¡±

    ¡°You got it! See you tomorrow!¡±

    Guang Huan waved at her happily and watched as Gao Xinxin jogged up to Gao Yang. He opened the ticketing app, clicking into an afternoon screening tomorrow for <i>Wandering Blue</i> and picking the seats. Would Gao Xinxin prefer sitting near the front or the back? He couldn¡¯t make a decision, and he decided to ask her.

    He looked up and was just about to call out when he stopped himself.

    Across the road, Gao Xinxin and Gao Yang were acting strangely.

    It was then a few students waiting at the bus stop started chatting while scrolling on their phones.

    ¡°Whoa, no way. The Green Mountain was on firest night!¡±

    ¡°What?! Show me... Holy! Half of the mountain¡¯s gone!¡±

    ¡°Many visitors didn¡¯t make it out. The death toll is bad!¡±

    ¡°How did this happen? It¡¯s scary...¡±

    Across the road, Gao Yang was saying something to Gao Xinxin with an impassive expression, and Gao Xinxin¡¯s smile froze.

    She quickly started to smile again, holding onto the strap of her bag with one hand while pounding Gao Yang in the chest with her other hand, saying something.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t smile, but simply looked at her.

    A few secondster, Gao Xinxin¡¯s smile froze before sliding off altogether. They shared a few words with dark looks on their faces.

    The bus arrived then. The students waiting at the bus stop hopped on and paid with their cards.

    Guan Huan hesitated and ultimately decided not to get on.

    After a moment, the bus drove away, and the siblings started acting even more strangely.

    1. A reference to <i>The Wandering Earth</i>, a Chinese movie released in 2019. ?

 Chapter 574: Tattlers

    <h4>Chapter 574: Tattlers</h4>

    Guang Huan noticed the ashen look on Gao Xinxin¡¯s face, like she had just heard about a great tragedy. Her thin frame started shaking violently, and she almost couldn¡¯t stay upright. Eyes red, she kept shaking her head and backing away.

    Gao Yang stepped forward to support her, only to have his hand pped away.

    Gao Xinxin turned on her heels. Gao Yang caught up with her with two big steps and grabbed her hand.

    Gao Xinxin started screaming hysterically. Guang Huan could catch a few snippets even across the road. ¡°Let go...liar...can¡¯t be...¡±

    Guang Huan panicked. What happened? Did they get into a fight? But that didn¡¯t seem likely. The siblings were close. Gao Yang sent him a message to ask about his sister every two or three days, and Gao Xinxin could never say more than three sentences without mentioning Gao Yang.

    Last night, Guang Huan had joined the siblings and helped their father propose. They had dinner and went to the karaoke together. Everything had seemed fine. Why were they fighting now?

    Guang Huan hesitated, debating with himself if he should mediate between them, but his instinct told him that this was serious.

    Indeed, Gao Xinxin lost itpletely and started hitting Gao Yang with her tote bag. When Gao Yang grabbed it from her, she took off her backpack and threw it at him. He didn¡¯t move away.

    The backpack fell to the ground, but Gao Xinxin wasn¡¯t done. She clenched her fists and pounded Gao Yang as hard as she could. Gao Yang didn¡¯t even attempt to dodge, but stayed where he was like a punching bag.

    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that Gao Xinxin from the art ss?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the cute guy? Her boyfriend from another school?¡±

    ¡°Ha, must be. Are they fighting?¡±

    ¡°He must be here to break up with her. Tsk, even a haughty girl like her gets dumped...¡±

    ¡°Hurry, hurry. Take a picture of them. This is huge!¡±

    Across the road, Gao Xinxin suddenly dropped to her knees like she had lost all her strength. Gao Yang knelt down too and pulled her into his arms, silent and emotionless like a robot.

    Gao Xinxin buried her face into his chest, her sobs quieting.

    ¡°Heck, it¡¯s like they¡¯re ying out a drama.¡±

    ¡°Picture! Hurry!¡±

    Guang Huan felt a stab in his heart. He put away his phone, which he had used to buy movie tickets, and he blocked the two girls¡¯ view. ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The girl raising her phone looked irritated.

    ¡°Must be anotherp dog of Princess Gao,¡± the other girl mocked. ¡°He¡¯s trying to be her knight in shining armor...¡±

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Guang Huan, who had never lost his temper with anyone for his eighteen years of life, growled; his expression could only be described as fierce.

    Terrified, the girls almost dropped their phones. They grumbled a few words before quickly walking away.

    ...

    Gao Shou and Lin Yue didn¡¯t even have ashes to be buried. The only thing that could prove that they had climbed up the Green Mountain was a blurry snippet of surveince footage captured at the bottom of the mountain, in which they entered the shot one after the other.

    Nainai had fabricated it with Shapeshifter, which was enough to fool Gao Xinxin.

    The siblings took a three-day leave. They put their parents¡¯ clothes into a small paper box in ce of their parents¡¯ bodies. Since the tragedy happened so suddenly, they didn¡¯t have proper mourning portraits of their parents. Going through their phones, they found a good two-shot of their parents when their father proposed to their mother on November eleventh. They turned the photo ck-and-white and used it as the mourning picture.

    Early morning on the thirteenth, the siblings took a car to the countryside and had a traditional funeral with the help of their uncle, Uncle Qing, and a few other family friends.

    In the Mist World, some didn¡¯t hold a funeral for the dead, choosing instead to incinerate the bodies. Gao Yang only realizedter that it was because the dead were elite monsters, and the bodies would¡¯ve retained obvious traits of their monster forms. That would trigger a wanderer¡¯s logic modification and self-preservation mechanism, and they ended up choosing to quickly incinerate the bodies so that everything would quickly go back to normal.

    Gao Yang¡¯s parents didn¡¯t even have a body left, and thus the funeral could be held normally.

    Their uncle hired a funeral service to build a mourning hall and hold a banquet. The siblings knelt on the sides of the altar in white funeral apparels, kowtowing to every visitor amid the cacophony of percussion and firecrackers. Came night, they attended a ritual held by a taoist, circling the coffin inside the mourning hall, seeing off their parents¡¯ spirits.

    The taoist mumbled words in strange tones like a nonsensical drunken spiel or off-tune singing, yet the heartbreak of being separated from the dead it conveyed still put tears in people¡¯s eyes.

    Gao Yang had once been doubtful of the purpose of a funeral. The dead were gone. No matter how boisterous and grand the funeral was, it would have nothing to do with the dead. Perhaps the dead would even find it noisy.

    But in the past three days, Gao Yang came to realize that he had been wrong.

    Funerals were meant to mourn the dead, but also to save the living.

    Many, including Gao Yang, couldn¡¯t ept the heartbreak of losing their loved ones, and having tasks toplete had be a lifeline.

    That was the point of a funeral.

    The past three days, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t dwelled on his thoughts even once, and he didn¡¯t have the time to. He kowtowed when he saw a visitor, and there were so many traditional rituals to go through that he woke up early in the morning and ended the dayte without realizing the passage of time, falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

    After the three-day long funeral, Gao Yang realized that he no longer needed Psychic Armor to live with his pain.

    It turned out that outside of death, nothing was insurmountable.

    Humans were cold by nature, for sure.

    His parents were buried in a mountain cemetery in the rural area with his grandmother, and his grandfather was also buried there.

    The day of the burial, the weather was pleasant as a typical autumn day, and the sun warm.

    Gao Xinxin and Gao Yang knelt at a hill covered in freshly-dug soil, watching their uncle, Uncle Qing, and a few hired help bury the coffin with shovels, then a small mound was created.

    Their uncle put away the shovel and wiped his forehead, saying in gratitude, ¡°Thank you all for your help the past few days. Don¡¯t leave just yet. I¡¯ll treat you to food and drinks at noon.¡±

    The cemetery quickly became empty save for Gao Yang, Gao Xinxin, and their uncle.

    The siblings remained on their knees before the burial mound, their expressions numb.

 Chapter 575: Nagging

    <h4>Chapter 575: Nagging</h4>

    ¡°I had consulted a taoist. The feng shui here is good.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s uncle lit a cigarette and took a drag with practiced ease. He was a little overweight, and his hairline somewhat receding. Over the past few days of work, he had visibly aged.

    ¡°After the seventh day of death, I¡¯ll have someone build a concrete tform and put on the tombstone with the etchings done. Then we¡¯ll nt two cypresses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sweep the tomb every holiday and Lunar New Year. You should visit them too whenever you have the time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the past few days, Uncle,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°We would¡¯ve been lost without you.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re family. This is my responsibility.¡± The man sighed. ¡°I was going to ask you toe live with me, Yang Yang, Xinxin, but your mom and dad had moved to the city so that you could go to a good school.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°We can take care of ourselves. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle.¡±

    His uncle patted him. ¡°You¡¯ll be the pir of the family going forward, Yang Yang. Take good care of Xinxin and ask for help when needed. You can call me any time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He nced at Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin. ¡°The altar will be taken down, and the funeral service is waiting for their final payment. I¡¯ll take care of it. Don¡¯t stay here too long. We¡¯ll go through the white envelopes and the expenses this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    His uncle left. Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin remained on their knees, staring nkly at the mound that had just been created with freshly-dug soil.

    Their parents were gone. It all felt surreal, not even like a nightmare, but an absurd joke.

    After some time, Gao Xinxin spoke up in a distant tone, ¡°Brother, do you think that our family will finally reunite if we die too?¡±

    ¡°...Gao Xinxin!¡± Gao Yang pointed at the mound. ¡°How could you say that before Mom and Dad? Do you want them to hold regrets even in death?¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes turned red, her voice shaking. ¡°But, but it¡¯s so hard...¡±

    Gao Yang softened his voice. ¡°You must be okay, Xinxin, you hear me?¡±

    ¡°You too, Brother. I only have you.¡± Gao Xinxin broke into tears again.

    ¡°Yeah, we have to live well, the both of us. As long as we remember Mom, Dad, Granny, and Grandpa, they haven¡¯t actually left.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gao Yang pulled Gao Xinxin into his arms, hiding his face from her.

    Deactivate Psychic Armor.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

    <i>I¡¯ve thought about taking my life, too, Xinxin.</i>

    <i>But I don¡¯t want you to think the same. You have to be strong, you have to move on, you have to be happy.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t ever submit to fate.</i>

    ...

    The siblings knelt before their parents¡¯ burial mounds for a long time. Then they visited their grandparents¡¯ tombs to kowtow to them. Only after that did they go down the mountain.

    After lunch, Gao Yang and his uncle took care of the rest of the matters before going back to the city with Gao Xinxin.

    At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gao Yang took Gao Xinxin to school.

    She was dispirited and wanted to take a few more days of leave, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t let her.

    He knew that he must not leave Gao Xinxin home alone to wallow in her thoughts. He had to give her things to focus on so that she could move on from the heartache as soon as possible.

    The autumn afternoon, the two of them sat in the back of the bus as it moved in starts and stops.

    Gao Yang considered and reconsidered the matter before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you move into the dorm, Xinxin?¡±

    Gao Xinxin had beenmuting to school from home, and every day, she went home to sleep at night and went to school for morning self-study early. It was quite tiring. Although it¡¯d been the better option when their parents were home, now that they were gone, and the house was empty and bleak, Gao Yang was worried that his sister would end up getting triggered by the familiar environment when she went home on her own.

    He thought that his sister would disagree, but she epted easily. ¡°Okay.¡±

    It seemed that Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t want to face their home on her own, either.

    ...

    As Gao Xinxin¡¯s custodian, Gao Yang talked to her homeroom teacher, who expressed regrets and condolences for the tragedy that befell their parents and agreed to let Gao Xinxin move into the dorm halfway through the semester.

    Gao Yang made the payment and got the everyday necessities before walking Gao Xinxin to her dorm. At the ground floor, Gao Xinxin took the nket from him and said, ¡°You should head back, Brother. I¡¯m alright.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Call me anytime if something happens.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got holidaysing up, tell me in advance. I¡¯lle pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold. Dress warmer.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°The food at the cafeteria won¡¯t be as tasty as the food at home, but you shouldn¡¯t be picky. You¡¯re in your growing phase. I¡¯ll send you foodter, too.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You may sh with your roommates. Don¡¯t start trouble but don¡¯t be afraid of confrontation, either. If anyone hurts you, tell me...¡±

    ¡°Brother,¡± Gao Xinxin interrupted him. ¡°You¡¯re nagging.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. Since when did he nag so much?

    He put on a bright look and a smile, patting his sister on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, you should go to your room.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Xinxin nodded, going upstairs with her belongings.

    ...

    Gao Yang left the Fifteenth High School and went home. Deep into the autumn, the day wasn¡¯t long, and the sun was already setting at five. He pushed the door open. The living room was empty, the curtains drawn and blocking the setting sun from shining in. Still, a red glow seeped in and rimmed everything in the living room.

    Gao Yang changed into slippers and entered the entryway. On the dining table were unfinished buns and half a ss of soy milk. The buns were spoiled, and the soy milk curdled.

    Gao Yang could imagine the night on the eleventh, his parents, knowing that they wouldn¡¯t being back, prepared breakfast for Gao Xinxin beforehand so that she would have something to eat the next morning.

    When Gao Xinxin woke up the early morning of the twelfth, she rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the already heated breakfast, having two bites before heading out.

    She never imagined that her parents were gone already.

    She must have thought that Mom had headed to the market to buy groceries, and Dad was sleeping in. She would¡¯ve closed the door gingerly in case she woke him up.

    Gao Yang stopped himself. It was a bad habit of his to overthink everything. He should change it.

    He turned to the door to his parents¡¯ bedroom. After a minute of struggle, he opened the door and entered.

    The old double bed was sandwiched by two nightstands. On the one on the left were a small mirror, a few bottles and cans of skin care products, a few rubber bands, and a light pink doll of the moon bunny. It was the first doll Gao Xinxin ever got from a w machine, and she gifted it to Mom.

    On the nightstand on the right were a couple finance magazines and books for the ways to sess, a multipurpose shlight, a thermos, and a name brand watch that had seen many years. Dad had bought it a long time ago in order to do business better.

    At the center of the wall behind the bed was an old-fashioned heart-shapedmp, above which was his parents¡¯ wedding photo¡ªdespite not having had a wedding.

    Hair slicked back, Dad was dressed in a blue casual suit with a wide frame, while Mom wore a white alice band on her curled hair, a patterned shirt with light colors, and a yellow long dress. Both of them were dressed fashionably for the time.

    They stood in a photo studio with a famousndscape painting as the backdrop, smiling a little reservedly, but eyes shining with unbridled joy.

    ced near the wall on the left was a red oak closet. A coat stand stood in the corner, disying Mom¡¯s hats and coats, as well as the birthday gift she had gotten not long ago¡ªthe woolen scarf.

    Memories rushed up to Gao Yang¡¯s mind, breaking through his mental barrier again.

    Gao Yang activated Psychic Armor, quickly walking up to part the curtains and open the window. Crimson sunlight poured into the room¡ªMom had always liked bathing in the sunlight and airing the room by opening the window.

    Gao Yang walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

    He felt a little lightheaded. Only then did he realize that he hadn¡¯t eaten anything the whole day. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were eggs, milk, some produce, and sauces inside.

    Gao Yang took out eggs, spring onions, and some cabbages to make noodles for himself.

    After he was done cooking, he took out the ss bottle of pickled mustard greens and put a spoonful into the bowl. Then he sat down at the dining table and took tworge bites.

    He chewed and chewed, but couldn¡¯t swallow it.

    The ingredients were the same, the method was the same, the condiments were the same, but why did his cooking taste different?

    <i>Hum.</i> He heard familiar voices in his head.

    <i>¡±Hm, so good! Not even the most luxurious meals made of the most expensive ingredients couldpare to noodles made by my dear wife!¡±</i>

    <i>¡±Shut it and eat. You don¡¯t have to prove to us that you can speak.¡±</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s head jerked up. There was no one else around the table. The only thing he could see was the elongated shadow he cast on the wall.

 Chapter 576: Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 576: Punishment</h4>

    Group support session at the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Attendees: Qilin, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, Seven Shadow.

    Gao Yang was thest to arrive. Qilin had made coffee for everyone by then. Vermilion Bird helped take the coffee to the table, and they each took a seat.

    ¡°Sorry for your loss, Seven Shadow,¡± Qilin was the first to speak up. Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon followed.

    ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded slightly.

    ¡°This may seem intrusive for you,¡± Qilin said earnestly. ¡°But I¡¯m a psychiatrist. If you have trouble moving on, I can offer you counseling.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Guildmaster,¡± Gao Yang said politely. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Qilin picked up his cup of coffee and took a small sip. ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    Azure Dragon took over, turning to Gao Yang, who was sitting across from him. ¡°Yellow Ox, Su Xi, and your mother Lin Yue. We only got the gist of it from Green Snake. Hopefully you can exin in detail.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang exined from start to finish without any emotions. He had omitted nothing but his rtionship with the Spectres.

    Twenty minutester, the exnation came to an end.

    Vermilion Bird felt conflicted. ¡°So you¡¯ve guessed that your mother was a life monster, Seven Shadow, but you didn¡¯t tell the organization.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°Then you learned of Yellow Ox¡¯s betrayal, but you didn¡¯t say anything,¡± added Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow,¡± Azure Dragon, ever the blunt one, pointed out in a serious tone. ¡°Although you and your parents ended up saving us all, and I am grateful to you on a personal level, considering how you got here, your method was senseless and childish. It can even be considered a betrayal to the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Azure Dragon continued with his questioning. ¡°It¡¯s the same as what happened with ck Tortoise. You¡¯ve always been extreme and failed to see the big picture. If you¡¯d told the Guild beforehand, we could¡¯ve faced everything together, and things might not turn out this bad.¡±

    ¡°I was selfish and overestimated myself,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°I selfishly wished for my family andpanions to be alright. I overestimated myself and believed that I could take care of everything. But I failed.¡±

    Azure Dragon was taken aback by how readily and earnestly he admitted to his mistake.

    ¡°Seven Shadow follows his heart, Azure Dragon,¡± Vermilion Bird said. ¡°We see things more clearly as outsiders. Yes, he did have more reasonable options, but he did what he had to do as the one intimately involved. We are in no ce to judge him, and he did save us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a separate issue,¡± Azure Dragon argued. ¡°Rules exist for a reason. There¡¯s a great element of luck involved in his sess, and things can turn out differently the next time...¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Qilin chimed in.

    The room fell silent.

    Qilin thought carefully for more than ten seconds before looking up. ¡°Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang met his gaze.

    ¡°You held important information but didn¡¯t report it. That¡¯s your mistake. You risked your life to stop the Malediction. That¡¯s your merit.¡±

    ¡°On a personal level, I understand and thank you, but as the leader of the Guild, I have to punish you to make an example.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll willingly ept it,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°First, Elder Azure Dragon will take your ce as the leader of Team Heavenbreaker from now on.¡±

    ¡°Second, you shall not leave Li City in the short term, and your location will be tracked by the Guild.¡±

    ¡°Third, you will help the three organizations acquire the Guard Rune Circuit. Then we¡¯ll talk about reinstating your rights and positions, as well as your rewards.¡±

    ¡°Any question?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll do as the Guild demands.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask where the Guard Rune Circuit is?¡±

    ¡°Green Snake told me that it fell into the abyss left by the Malediction. My blood can counter the Malediction¡¯s curses. I should be able to enter the abyss.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow,¡± Vermilion Bird coaxed. ¡°There¡¯s no knowing what dangers await you inside the abyss, and you¡¯ll be going on your own. You may end up getting killed without acquiring the Guard Rune Circuit. You should think carefully.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Azure Dragon sighed. ¡°However, thest Rune Circuit is right within our reach, and we¡¯re running out of time. If Seven Shadow doesn¡¯t do this, no one can.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin looked at him calmly. ¡°You may think about it.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m going.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°But please give me some time.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°But for what?¡±

    ¡°I want to go to the Twelve Zodiac Signs and level up Psychic Armor to level 4 and then push it up to level 6 first. Then I¡¯ll be more confident in making the trip.¡±

    There was a gap between level 3 and level 4 for a Talent, and another gap between level 6 and level 7. Reaching level 8 would require the corresponding Rune Circuit, and there could be other requirements that needed to be fulfilled.

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°A life monster radiates great psychic corruption. As an offspring of a life monster, the Malediction could¡¯ve left corrupting energy or monsters inside the abyss, which is proven by the fact that ck Fish had gotten injured and lost his memory. It¡¯s right for Seven Shadow to level up Psychic Armor.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Vermilion Bird said in a strange tone, ¡°You really have beenprehending new Talents much more quickly than others, Seven Shadow. Is it because you¡¯re the Divine Scion?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°That¡¯s decided then,¡± Qilin said.

    The four of them then talked about their other work, including the investigation into the Godbearer Cult, Sir Jiang, and the death monsters, as well as the coboration and check and bnce between the three organizations.

    At five in the morning, the group session came to an end.

    Before leaving, Azure Dragon took out a bracelet made with ck Gold, putting it on Gao Yang¡¯s wrist.

    It worked like an electronic tag, but for awakeners, and it would be tracking Gao Yang in real time. If Gao Yang took it off by force or destroyed it, or if he used any active Talents while the bracelet was on, Azure Dragon would know.

    In other words, Gao Yang was free as long as he didn¡¯t leave Li City and didn¡¯t use Talents. It could be considered a suspended sentence.

    Qilin did this to prevent Gao Yang from acting before reporting, on one hand, and to make sure they had an eye on something as special as the Divine Scion, on the other hand.

    Gao Yang knew all that, but he allowed the bracelet to be put on without showing any resistance or negative emotions.

    He walked out of the building to find Vermilion Bird smoking by the road. Night wind rustled her hair and scattered the white smoke she exhaled. Face slightly pale, she looked elegantly tired like a working woman would.

    She turned around and offered naturally, ¡°A ride?¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Gao Yang.

    The car started. Vermilion Bird put out the cigarette and rolled the window up. ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°The Li River Community.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes shifted. Themunity housed a cluster of vis at the midstream of Li River, and the residents were all rich people. She had given Gao Yang a few rides before. He either headed home or to his school. Why would he head to the vi area thiste at night?

    But then she put two and two together, and she smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯re visiting the special wanderer?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I miss him,¡± Gao Yang said simply, turning to look out of the car window.

    Vermilion Bird nodded as she drove. ¡°It¡¯s good to have a chat with your friend.¡±

    She noticed that Gao Yang had changed quite a lot again.

    His bone-deep reservation and caution were gone. It wasn¡¯t that he had be arrogant, but that he no longer cared as much.

    And underneath the indifferencey a more well-concealed mind.

    Before, Gao Yang was like a small boat floating on ake in pouring rain. Although only barely, one could see the shaking boat trying to reach shore with difficulty.

    Now, Gao Yang was like a thick fog.

    Shout, and one would get a response from the fog, but there was no telling if there was ake or a boat in the fog, and one couldn¡¯t even tell if the response hade from a person.

    Vermilion Bird felt a sense of loss.

    She had been a mix of a colleague and a friend to Seven Shadow. Sometimes they were closer, and sometimes they were more distant, but in the end, they both knew there was a bond between them.

    Now, they truly were nothing but colleagues.

    Neither of them talked any more during the drive. Soon, the car reached the gates to the residentialmunity.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang got out of the car and closed the door gently.

    Without turning back, he walked into the night, his lonesome figure quickly disappearing.

 Chapter 577: I Donâ€™t Want It

    <h4>Chapter 577: I Don¡¯t Want It</h4>

    The two-story modern vi before Gao Yang was well-lit. It seemed that the lights in every room were turned on.

    Wang Zikai was the same as ever. There was nothing in the world he feared but loneliness, and the darkness of thete night cultivated loneliness.

    Gao Yang stood at the door, pondering if he should ring the doorbell or go through the window.

    <i>Click. </i>The door opened then. Dressed in cotton pajamas with standing cors of a fashionably old-fashioned color, Wang Zikai emerged with a bag of trash, his other hand reaching under the hem of his shirt to scratch his back.

    They both paused for a second.

    ¡°Gao Yang?!¡±

    Wang Zikai broke into a beam, but quickly thought better of it and schooled his expression, standing there nkly, at a loss of what to say.

    Wang Zikai had been worried about Gao Yang the past few days.

    When he heard about the tragic passing of Uncle Gao and Auntie Li, even Wang Zikai had broken down in tears, thinking about how terrible Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin must be feeling.

    He wasn¡¯t so dumb that he wouldn¡¯t realize that the two had died of something other than fire. It must have been an enemy. If Wang Zikai knew who it was, he would¡¯ve torn them to pieces and ground their bones to ashes.

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything about it. He said that he had to take care of his parents¡¯ funeral first.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t know what to do, and he didn¡¯t know who to turn to for advice. In the end, he thought of Fat Jun.

    Fat Jun knew about what happened, too, and they talked on the phone.

    <i>¡°Brother Kai, you¡¯re the best at fighting, but you don¡¯t know how to deal with people as well as I do.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Cut the crap. Tell me what to do!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°It¡¯s simple. Don¡¯t do anything.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°What? My brother lost his parents to some bastard, but I should just watch and do nothing?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I know you¡¯re furious, Brother Kai, and I¡¯m heartbroken too. But Brother Yang must be the one hurting the most! Even if you ughter ten thousand lizardmen and take out their leader, is it gonna bring Brother Yang¡¯s parents back?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°...No.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°So there¡¯s no thing you can do. Brother Yang has to mourn and move on by himself. Whatever you say will only be annoying noises to him.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°So I just do nothing?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Yes, nothing. Once he¡¯s sorted himself out and epted reality, he wille to you. Then whatever he asks for, even the moon or the stars, you get it for him at whatever cost.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°That makes some fucking sense. Alright, I¡¯ll do that!¡±</i>

    Wang Zikai hung up and stopped himself from doing anything but wait at home.

    He checked his phone dozens of times every day, checking Gao Yang¡¯s and Gao Xinxin¡¯s social media pages as well as the texts and messages, waiting for the siblings to seek him out.

    There had only been radio silence the past few days.

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He called Fat Jun again, and Fat Jun told him the same thing, but broke it down in more detail.

    Wang Zikai decided to give Gao Yang three days, no more than that.

    He was too preupied with his thoughts about Gao Yang tonight to fall asleep, so he stayed on the sofa ying video games without actually enjoying any of it. It was then he noticed a strange smell. Looking to the side, he saw the take-outs he had gotten a few days ago. It¡¯d spoiled after being ignored for a few days. He brought the trash downstairs, and as soon as he opened the door, Gao Yang was standing outside.

    Wang Zikai was pleasantly surprised.<i> You really do know people, Fat Jun!</i>

    He was d to see Gao Yang, but remembering that Gao Yang had just lost his parents, he felt like he shouldn¡¯t be smiling, and he froze.

    ¡°Why, why are you here?¡± Wang Zikai managed to say.

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡± Gao Yang said coolly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not it! Staaaaaay!¡± Wang Zikai quickly grabbed Gao Yang with his right hand and threw the trash bag with his left hand, which flew across the front yard and fell right into the trash can by the road.

    He let go of Gao Yang and wiped his hands on his pajama pants. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance? I would¡¯ve preparedte night snacks.¡±

    ¡°I just finished with the funeral,¡± Gao Yang said tiredly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stay at home on my own, and my mind kept wandering. I came here to y games with you.¡±

    ¡°Sure! <i>It Takes a Duo</i> is fun. I¡¯ve just bought it. Let¡¯s y together!¡± Wang Zikai grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s elbow. ¡°Come on! Come on in!¡±

    At an incredible speed, Wang Zikai cleaned up the mess in the living room like a cyclone before plopping himself down by Gao Yang¡¯s side, turning on the console and the screen and picking up a controller.

    Gao Yang picked up a controller too and watched the opening animation. He realized suddenly that he didn¡¯t want to y games at all, and his brain refused to process the moving pictures.

    He lowered the controller and nced at Wang Zikai. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±

    ¡°Whatever is fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll roast two chicken wings for you and make a bowl of spicy chicken instant noodles!¡±

    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡±

    ¡°No need for that!¡±

    Wang Zikai dropped the controller and rushed into the kitchen. A wild series of clinks and nks could be heard. It soundedpletely different from when Gao Yang¡¯s mother cooked.

    Gao Yang slowlyy down and took a deep breath.

    His chest was still empty, but it didn¡¯t hurt as much.

    He reached into his pocket and took out a gray circr tablet the size of apact mirror. It was the Guard Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang examined it closely. It was the jade pendant his mother¡¯s grandmother had given his father, and it had been his father¡¯s lucky charm to be passed down as family heirloom.

    Now, it was in Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    <i>¡°Didn¡¯t you say all that as a prelude to you giving it to me?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°What are you talking about? This is my treasure!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Keep it. I don¡¯t want it.¡±</i>

    Memories lurked up to him like a venomous snake, striking when he least expected it. Gao Yang immediately activated Psychic Armor, his heaving chest calming slowly.

    Yes, Gao Yang had lied to Qilin.

    The Guard Rune Circuit had been in his pocket during the meeting, yet he lied without even batting an eye.

    Before, Gao Yang would¡¯ve been a nervous and fearful wreck, and he would¡¯ve hidden the Guard Rune Circuit before the meeting. Now, though, he was doing things like he didn¡¯t care.

    That night, Gao Shou and Lin Yue sacrificed themselves to contain the Malediction¡¯s self-destruction. Afterwards, the Guard Rune Circuit returned to its original shape andnded on the edge of the abyss, covered by charred soil.

    When Gao Yang woke up from his semi-death, he had lost his mind to pain and started rolling around on the ground, then he gathered soil to shove into his mouth.

    Qing Ling went up to stop Gao Yang. It was then she noticed the Guard Rune Circuit.

    She picked it up and hid it.

    It was incredibly bold of her. Sheter lied with a straight face to the bigshots of the three organizations.

    Thanks to the Malediction leaving behind a dangerous and eerie abyss, drawing everyone¡¯s attention, Qing Ling didn¡¯t attract any suspicion.

    Everyone was blindsided by their past experiences. They thought that something important must be earned with difficulty, and thus they would have to venture into the dangerous abyss to find the Guard Rune Circuit¡ªjust like how they had explored Rune Caves and defeated powerful enemies to acquire the other Rune Circuits. It had be a shared assumption.

    Later, Qing Ling went to the hospital with Gao Yang. They woke up in a few hours. When she told Gao Yang to extend his hand so that she could take it, she handed him the Rune Circuit.

    She couldn¡¯t say it out loud because of the risk. There was no telling if they were under the scrutiny of an awakener with Talents like Keen Hearing or irvoyance. Thus, it was best to give him the Rune Circuit under guise.

    Gao Yang recognized immediately what she had given him, and he kept it hidden.

    Then Qing Ling told him that the Guard Rune Circuit had fallen into the abyss. Gao Yang knew that she was making sure that their stories matched.

    Gao Yang decided to hide the Rune Circuit first rather than tell the three organizations; he had his reasons.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    He paused, realizing that he had gotten distracted.

    He looked up to see Wang Zikai standing behind the sofa with two bottles of c. It would take two minutes for the roasted wings and instant noodles to be done. When Wang Zikai came over with the drinks, he spotted what was in Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What are you...¡± His expression turned serious. ¡°...holding?¡±

 Chapter 578: Trio

    <h4>Chapter 578: Trio</h4>

    Gao Yang was still holding the Guard Rune Circuit. He stared at it, in disbelief.

    <i>What are you doing, Gao Yang? Why would you make such a stupid mistake? Haven¡¯t you lost enough since your awakening? Do you want to lose Wang Zikai, too? Wait, no. Given Wang Zikai¡¯s strength, you¡¯ll be losing your life instead.</i>

    <i>Hurry, think about how you should talk your way out of it. Perhaps he¡¯ll be fooled.</i>

    The rational voice in Gao Yang¡¯s head told him that, but at the same time, he was so tired of it, and the feeling overwhelmed his rationality.

    ¡°Rune Circuit,¡± Gao Yang said, feeling no fear.

    <i>Might as well. I¡¯ll stop acting.</i>

    <i>Come on, Wang Zikai. Wake up if you¡¯re a hidden elite monster and give me a quick end. It doesn¡¯t matter who kills me anyway. Better to just die at your hands.</i>

    <i>If the Mist World is a novel, I¡¯ve lost my patience with it. I just want to get to thest page.</i>

    Wang Zikai was still staring at Gao Yang, his expressions changing and his gaze unreadable.

    ¡°Gao Yang...¡±

    After a two-second pause, Wang Zikai smiled suddenly. ¡°Is this a gift for me?¡±

    Gao Yang blinked and yed along. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good luck charm, right?¡± Wang Zikai vaulted over the sofa and sat down next to Gao Yang, taking the Guard Rune Circuit from him. ¡°I gave you onest time, so you got me one too.¡±

    ¡°Ha, yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s to keep you safe.¡±

    Wang Zikai weighed it in his hand before biting on it. ¡°Shit! What is this made of? It¡¯s hard!¡±

    ¡°ck Gold.¡±

    ¡°ck Gold?¡±

    ¡°A special metal,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s good for killing monsters. Qing Ling¡¯s weapons are made of ck Gold.¡±

    ¡°Monsters?¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°An umbre term for lizard people. Well, lizard people are actually only one type of monster,¡± Gao Yang exined calmly. ¡°Monsters are what you have to kill to save the world.¡±

    ¡°Monsters.¡± Wang Zikai tested the word at his tongue, his furrowed brow quickly rxing. ¡°Whatever. They¡¯re all bad things to be taken out.¡±

    Like a child who had just gotten a new toy, Wang Zikai considered the Rune Circuit in his hand. ¡°Why isn¡¯t my name on it? Can a hole be put into it? I want to wear it like a ne.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±

    Wang Zikai clenched his right fist. Three sharp bone ws shot out of the back of his hands, and he tried to make etchings on the Rune Circuit.

    Sparks sputtered and piercing sounds tortured their eardrums, but no marks were left on the Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Holy shit! This is dope! Much better than the lucky charm I gave you. I got a good bargain!¡± Wang Zikai quickly gave up on putting a hole into the Rune Circuit. Carefully, he tucked it in his pants pocket. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose it,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°There are only twelve of them in the entire world, and this is one of them.¡±

    ¡°Haha, worry not.¡± Wang Zikai pounded on his chest and lowered his voice on purpose to roughen it. ¡°I¡¯ll never part with the lucky charm as long as I¡¯m alive!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    <i>Ding</i>. The sound came from the microwave in the kitchen.

    Wang Zikai rushed into the kitchen. ¡°Ah, the wings are done. A sec.¡±

    Gao Yang sat on the sofa, lost in his thoughts.

    He had been so worried about Wang Zikai¡¯s monsterhood waking up for so long, and many times it seemed like it was going to happen, and all hell would break loose. He didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way.

    Wang Zikai was a monster, but he would never hurt Gao Yang, it seemed.

    ¡ªYou told me that it was fate for the Divine Scion and the Malediction to be born, that fate couldn¡¯t be stopped.

    ¡ªWas it fate too for there to be Wang Zikai, an unreasonable yet warm existence?

    A smile appeared on Gao Yang¡¯s slightly pale face. It was the first time he had ever smiled the past few days. There was a mocking abandon to it and a hint of fearless madness.

    <i>Whatever card you have up your sleeve, fate, use it.</i>

    <i>Whoever backs down is the loser.</i>

    ...

    ¡°The wings are here...¡± Not long after, Wang Zikai walked out of the kitchen happily with the roasted chicken wings and spicy chicken noodles. He quickly shut himself when he nced at the sofa.

    Gao Yang had fallen asleep, sinking into the sofa.

    He hadn¡¯t slept properly for many days, but he was sleeping soundly now, even looking quite cozy with his brows rxed.

    Wang Zikai ced the food on the side and tiptoed to the sofa, picking up the nket and covering Gao Yang with it. Then he turned off the screen with the remote control on the tea table.

    Noises came from the window then. Wang Zikai quickly looked up to see a girl wearing arge red cape vaulting in. It was Fresh Snow.

    Her eyes lit up. ¡°Gao...¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Wang Zikai moved so fast that it looked like he had teleported to the window, and he muffled Fresh Snow, almost making no noises.

    ¡°Hmmmm...¡±

    ¡°Hush. He just fell asleep...¡± Wang Zikai said quietly.

    ¡°Hm!¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s eyes moved, and she nodded.

    Wang Zikai slowly let go. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I came to hang out with Gao Yang...¡± Fresh Snow whispered. ¡°He¡¯s not home, and he¡¯s not at school. This is the only ce he could be.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve gotten smarter.¡± Wang Zikai praised with a smirk.

    Fresh Snow made a face at him. It didn¡¯t make her happy at all to beplimented by Stupid Kai.

    They gingerly made it to the sofa and knelt before Gao Yang, holding their knees as they stared at Gao Yang¡¯s sleeping face with full attention.

    After a moment, they both smiled fondly.

    Wang Zikai noticed that a strand of hair had jumped out from the top of Gao Yang¡¯s hair. He reached out to brush it to the left, and the strand of hair leaned left, but still popping a little out rather than joining the rest of the hair.

    Fresh Snow looked at it and moved the strand of hair to the right, but it didn¡¯t seem like it belonged there, either. It still stood out a little rather than blending with the other part of Gao Yang¡¯s hair.

    ¡°<i>Pfft...</i>¡±

    They quickly smothered theirughter.

    Fresh Snow stood up and carefully sat down on Gao Yang¡¯s right, pressing her legs together and resting her head on his shoulder.

    She fell asleep in less than ten seconds.

    Wang Zikai paused. <i>Seriously? She just fell asleep? What about me?</i>

    He sat down on Gao Yang¡¯s left, picking up the controller and starting ying the game for a while in silence, colorful lights dancing on his face.

    After a while, he was getting sleepy too, and he kept yawning.

    His eyes fell close, and his head drooped, falling on Gao Yang¡¯s other shoulder.

    Outside the window, the dawn was just breaking the gray blue sky, a band of warmth gently lifting the shroud of the night. Pleasant morning breeze rippled the shimmering surface of the river, sweeping over the shoal and the garden to sneak into the vi.

    Inside the messy living room, three people snuggled on the sofa, sleeping soundly andfortably.

    The moment was serene like a rest in the turbulent tune of fate.

 Chapter 579: Clear Mirror

    <h4>Chapter 579: Clear Mirror</h4>

    Nameless Lake on Apple Ind, Dongyu District, two hours ago.

    The night wind was strong, and theke rippled toward the same direction. Dark clouds filled the night sky, which flowed and fluctuated hurriedly. Every once in a while, the silver moon would peek out of the clouds, shining a stream of moonlight down on the ground like a giant glowing worm crawling on the wastnd, and it quickly crawled to the namelesske.

    Instantly, theke shimmered and scintited with cool light like it was bathed in the divine blessing from heaven, a beautiful miracle.

    Standing by the reeds next to theke was a tall, slim man. He was wearing a gray tattered cape that had be so dirty that there was no telling what its original color was. His wrinkled leather boots shone with years of wearing, and the shoces were tied messily into countless dead knots, as if the shoes were part of his feet.

    His hair was thick and oily, running down to his lower back in rough strands that resembled seaweeds.

    He looked like a homeless man who hadn¡¯t washed himself for years.

    He slowly lifted his head. Moonlight illuminated his grimy face. Hisplexion was dark, and his face covered in a messy bushy beard. His pronounced grayish blue eyes alone stood out, as clear as the surface of theke before him.

    Standing by theke, his cape and hair swayed in the wind, while he remained unmoving and unblinking like a stone statue.

    After some time, his eyes suddenly shifted to the left slightly.

    Someone was here.

    The reeds rustled and parted to the sides to make way. A figure walked elegantly through the reeds, shrouded by colorful dust particles that looked like nebs. Closer inspection would make out a woman¡¯s figure amid the dust particles, but since the particles were changing nonstop, her figure shifted between tall and short, fat and slim; there was no defining feature to be discerned.

    As expected of the spy nted in the Hundred Rivers Union, she was cautious. Even when meeting with someone from her side, she maintained her disguise.

    She came up to theke and turned to the unkempt, rough-looking homeless man.

    ¡°Clear Mirror.¡± Her voice sounded crackly and rough, as if it wasing through a radio with a bad signal. It was clear that her voice was modted somehow.

    The man named Clear Mirror called out her codename in a low, icy voice, ¡°What can I do for you, Dust?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Dust said. ¡°The Heavenly Godbearer needs you.¡±

    Clear Mirror was silent for a moment, his expression impassive. ¡°The body¡¯s hidden at the bottom of theke?¡±

    ¡°Yes, or I wouldn¡¯t have called you here,¡± Dust spoke at a deliberate pace, her tone a little distant. ¡°Thete Archbishop stole twelve bodies from the Qilin Guild, and the most special one was hidden at the bottom of theke. He was going to use the body when it was the right time, but he lost the chance to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring it back,¡± Clear Mirror said with the same monotone. ¡°What¡¯s the mission?¡±

    ¡°The Divine Scion has emerged. Kill him.¡±

    Clear Mirror¡¯s eyes glinted, his gaze sharpening.

    ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you,¡± said Clear Mirror.

    ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you,¡± Dust repeated.

    Clear Mirror walked toward theke, the water submerging him little by little. Soon, only slowly spreading ripples could be seen on the surface.

    Dust waited by theke, the colorful dust particles fluctuating quickly like a tree of fireworks, the reflection dancing on the surface of theke.

    At some point, the dark clouds had covered the moon again, and theke plunged back into darkness.

    <i>Hum</i>.

    A fleeting dull sound came from the bottom of theke. From the center of it, a strand of gray blue energy shot out, instantly dividing into two branches and turning a right angle to split theke in half horizontally.

    In an instant, the wind blowing at the surface of theke stopped. Even the air seemed frozen.

    <i>Ssh</i>. An intangible power cut theke all the way to the bottom, creating a deep valley that was four meters in width. The cut surfaces were smooth and even, as if the water had been frozen in ce by an intangible, evenly-spread force.

    Dust looked down at the bottom of theke to check the progression. Then she turned to leave.

    Wind returned to theke, rustling and swaying the reeds.

    ...

    Gao Yang had another dream. It wasn¡¯t something to be surprised about, but the ce he dreamed of did take him by surprise.

    By a road in the small town stood a two-story concrete building built by the residents themselves. Before the door was a small concrete front yard, by which stood a ginkgo tree.

    The weather was pleasantly cool deep into autumn. A breeze rustled the tree, and golden leaves fell like rain.

    Gao Yang walked across the concrete clearing covered in fallen leaves and saw the familiar little shop. Outside was a ss disy with a variety of cigarettes, and inside were two shelves filled with all sorts of snacks and everyday necessities.

    The wall on the left disyed children¡¯s toys, including mini 4WDs, small air guns, ying cards, yoyos, dress up stickers, hopters, magic bubble glue, tamagotchis, and more. On the wall on the right were andscape calendar and a few award certificates¡ªall brought back from school by Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin.

    Under the award certificates were twelve sheets of paper with the crayon doodles of the twelve Rune Types. It looked childish in an unnerving way.

    A familiar voice came from his side. ¡°You have umted 339 Luck points. It takes 1920 points for you to attemptprehension of another Talent.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to find, unsurprisingly, his once caretaker with a gentle smile on her face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t summon you.¡± Gao Yang scowled. He hadn¡¯t entered the system for days.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The dorm keeper smiled. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming.¡±

    ¡°Then am I in a dream, or in the system?¡±

    ¡°You entered the system unconsciously in a dream.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. <i>Is this what luck is? A luck I can¡¯t escape from?</i>

    ¡°Brief me,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Congrattions on Lucky breaking through to level 5.¡± The dorm keeper spoke in a lilting voice. ¡°With level 5 Lucky, the limit of your stats is increased to 2000.¡±

    ¡°Willful Power¡¯s use time increases to 15 seconds, the cooldown shortened to 24 hours, and the loss to stats decreased to 1%.¡±

    ¡°The passive increase of Luck points increases to 2 points per hour.¡±

    ¡°Promoted from a Spectator to an Honored Guest, acquiring the privilege of fair treatment.¡±

    Gao Yang remained silent.

    The dorm keeper continued to exin despite not being prompted to, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll have an equal chance toprehend all Talents. In other words, the lowerprehension rates of top and bottom Talents no longer apply to you.¡±

    Before, Gao Yang would¡¯ve jumped up and down in excitement, but he didn¡¯t feel pleased at all now; he had learned the source of Lucky.

    After a moment of silence, he looked up at the dorm keeper seriously. ¡°What is the Divine Scion, System?¡±

    ¡°As the name would suggest, it¡¯s the child of God.¡± She gave a useless response.

    ¡°What is God?¡±

    ¡°Please explore on your own.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised. He had thought the system worked like a user manual in the past, but now it seemed more like a dictionary to him. Although the dictionary contained the definition of all basic words, when he was trying to find the answer to most questions, he would have to look up andbine the words on his own.

    ¡°That¡¯s it then. I¡¯m getting out.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    The dorm keeper disappeared, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t wake up from his dream.

    He paused before walking up to a shelf, grabbing a few packs of instant noodles that could be eaten without cooking. He sat down on the concrete steps before the shop, tearing one pack open and taking out a circr stic disk printed with the pattern of a small squirrel. He tucked it gingerly in his pocket. Then he started munching on the snack.

    Leaves fallen from the ginkgo tree towering over him. Gao Yang took bites after bites and made a crunching sound every time, as if he was back to his carefree childhood.

 Chapter 580: Wang Xiaoxiu

    <h4>Chapter 580: Wang Xiaoxiu</h4>

    It was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when Gao Yang woke up. He felt lighter despite still feeling empty inside. There was no one else in the living room, but he could vaguely hear Wang Zikai¡¯s voiceing from outside the window, as well as...Fresh Snow¡¯s voice.

    He rose and walked to the open balcony, narrowing his eyes due to the bright sunlight. Wang Zikai and Fresh Snow were ying badminton in the front yard, dressed in ck and white sportswear. They were both agile, and they went back and forth in an even match.

    Gao Yang followed the shuttlecock with his eyes, his head swinging along the movement of it like a pendulum.

    Fresh Snow was the first to spot Gao Yang on the balcony, and she forgot to make a swing because of it. The shuttlecock fell on her head with a quiet thud, but she didn¡¯t feel any pain.

    ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s up!¡± Fresh Snow threw away her racket and took two steps before leaping elegantly onto the balcony, throwing herself into Gao Yang¡¯s arms and nuzzling his chin.

    She was covered in sweat from the exercise, and her hair smelled faintly of milk.

    ¡°Fresh Snow, when did you get here?¡± Gao Yang managed to put on a smile, lifting Fresh Snow off him.

    ¡°Last night...no, tonight...that¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°This morning?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this morning. You were asleep when I arrived. You slept for so long. How could you sleep more than I did...¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s smile dropped. Her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fresh Snow said unhappily. ¡°Are you feeling bad, Gao Yang? It smells like it.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. It seemed that Fresh Snow didn¡¯t know what had happened to him. Yes, it made sense. The Spectres might not have learned of the incident, and Fresh Snow, the scatterbrain among them, naturally wouldn¡¯t know.

    ¡°There are just many things on my mind. But I¡¯m okay now.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t get into it. He asked instead, ¡°Has your curse disappeared, Fresh Snow?¡±

    Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What about your sister and Master Spring...¡±

    ¡°Not for them, either.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised. With the Malediction dead, the curses guing the Forlorn Ghosts should be gone, too. Was it because of the abyss the Malediction left behind? It seemed that he would have to explore it one way or another.

    ¡°Gao Yang! Let¡¯s have a big meal!¡± Fresh Snow didn¡¯t care about the curses at all. She jumped up and down in excitement. ¡°You promised me!¡±

    ¡°This ce!¡± She reached into the pocket of her pants and took out a flier. ¡°I want to have roasted fish here!¡±

    Gao Yang nced at the flier. The restaurant was located at the Dawan Mall.

    ¡°How do you know about the restaurant?¡±

    ¡°Idiot Kai rmended it!¡±

    Wang Zikai was still standing in the front yard, one hand in his pocket and the other hand resting his racket on his shoulder. ¡°The food is good. You should give it a try.¡±

    Despite his nonchnce, he was actually thinking to himself,<i> Gao Yang¡¯s still in pain. He should go out to get some more fresh air. It¡¯ll be more difficult for him to say no to Fresh Snow. Shit, I¡¯m a genius for taking advantage of the situation!</i>

    Gao Yang saw through his intention, but didn¡¯tment on it. Turning to Fresh Snow, who looked expectant, Gao Yang nodded after a few seconds. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have some fish.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Fresh Snow was beside herself. She turned around and was going to jump off the balcony, but Gao Yang stopped her. ¡°No rush. I have a mission for you. We¡¯ll go have roasted fish in the evening.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Fresh Snow asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know,¡± Gao Yang said cryptically, turning to call out to Wang Zikai. ¡°Mind getting some stuff for me?¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, Wang Zikai returned with bags of different sizes. Gao Yang and Fresh Snow had been waiting on the sofa in the living room.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got everything?¡± Gao Yang stood up and asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll get started then.¡±

    Wang Zikai had bought strong hair dye, colored contacts, and all sorts of girls¡¯ clothes.

    Gao Yang was going to dye Fresh Snow¡¯s hair.

    He had thought Fresh Snow would be unwilling, but she couldn¡¯t be more excited as soon as she heard what they were doing. She had long wanted to dye her hair, only her sister had forbidden her from doing it.

    Between ck, auburn, and blond, she chose blond.

    Gao Yang washed Fresh Snow¡¯s hair and put conditioner on it. After drying it, he put a stic cape on her. Meanwhile, Wang Zikai had been mixing and testing the hair dye ording to the manual. Although he seemed a little clumsy with it, he put in a lot of effort.

    Gao Yang applied the dye to Fresh Snow¡¯s hair before putting a hood on her. Then Wang Zikai heated her hair with a hairdryer.

    Fresh Snow started out excited, but then she got bored and fell asleep.

    Two hourster, Gao Yang woke Fresh Snow up. He washed her hair and dried it for her. When Fresh Snow stood before the mirror, her hair was a beautiful blond.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty!¡± Fresh Snow iled her arms around happily. ¡°Like a princess!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Wang Zikai was pleased with himself. ¡°You¡¯re in the hands of a real master. Of course you¡¯ll turn out like a princess on the run from Thisney!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Fresh Snow turned to Gao Yang, batting her eyes in anticipation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a princess on the run from the Spectres.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Now¡¯s time for colored contacts.¡±

    Wang Zikai put his hands on his hip. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve gotten ones for ck, brown, blue, gray, green, and <i>mangekyo sharingan</i>[1]...¡±

    Fresh Snow was curious. ¡°What¡¯s <i>sharingan</i>?¡±

    ¡°Shit! I knew you¡¯d like that...¡± Wang Zikai perked up and was ready to give her the whole spiel, but Gao Yang stopped him in time.

    ¡°Blue. Blue looks good with blond hair.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the blue ones.¡± Fresh Snow went with Gao Yang¡¯s pick readily.

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t just give up. ¡°But <i>mangekyo...</i>¡±

    ¡°I want the blue ones,¡± Fresh Snow repeated.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Gao Yang pointed at the sofa, and Fresh Snow immediately took a seat.

    ¡°Lift your head.¡±

    Fresh Snow tilted her head toward Gao Yang.

    ¡°Open your eyes wide.¡±

    She tried her best to open her eyes.

    Gao Yang cleaned his forefinger with eyewash and picked up one blue contact lens, moving it toward Fresh Snow¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Ah, it feels strange...¡±

    Fresh Snow couldn¡¯t help but blink when the cool, soft lens came into contact with her eye. Tears leaked out, and she couldn¡¯t stop moving her head.

    Gao Yang quickly ced his other hand on Fresh Snow¡¯s forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Fresh Snow. Look at me.¡±

    ¡°Where should I look...¡±

    ¡°Wherever.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s gaze was quickly drawn to Gao Yang¡¯s eyshes.

    His eyshes were dark and long, fluttering in tandem with his breathing. Slowly, Fresh Snow¡¯s gaze shifted to the eyes under the darkshes. They were soft and ck like a tender vortex, drawing closer and threatening to suck her in. And his breaths scattered on her skin like a breeze sweeping across ake or a butterfly gliding over grass, enchanting.

    Fresh Snow lost herself to the strange feeling somewhere between sleepiness and dizziness. Her heart pounded more quickly against her ribcage, and her skin felt hot.

    <i>Huh?</i>

    <i>Strange, what¡¯s happening to me?</i>

    <i>Am I sick? No, ghosts don¡¯t get sick!</i>

    Fresh Snow was going to dissect the cause of the strange feeling when Gao Yang lifted his hand off her forehead, and his beautiful eyshes, soft eyes, and warm breaths drew far too.

    ¡°Done.¡±

    Fresh Snow broke out of her reverie to feel something cool and awkward on her eyes, but she soon got used to the feeling.

    She blinked, beaming excitedly at the mirror. ¡°Looks good!¡±

    Her joy washed away the strange feeling that hit her earlier.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re gonna put on some new clothes,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang rummaged through the pile of clothes Wang Zikai had bought and ended up picking a brown woolen sweater and a beige long skirt.

    When Fresh Snow returned in the new clothes and a bear backpack, she looked like a college girl with a bright, sweet temperament. No one would suspect her of being a Spectre.

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang nodded in satisfaction for a job well done.

    ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t wait.

    ¡°A sec. We need a cover story.¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Fresh Snow, you¡¯ll be Wang Xiaoxiu[2] when you¡¯re out and about from now on. You¡¯re a distant cousin of Wang Zikai¡¯s and have spent more of your life abroad.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Fresh Snow stuck out her tongue at Wang ZIkai. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be Stupid Kai¡¯s sister!¡±

    ¡°Ha, I¡¯m stupid?¡± Wang Zikai made faces at her before turning to Gao Yang. ¡°Be honest, bro. Who¡¯s the stupid one between us...¡±

    Gao Yang paused. He couldn¡¯t choose.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat. ¡°Fresh Snow, I won¡¯t take you with us if you don¡¯t y along.¡±

    Fresh Snow debated with herself for two seconds before quickly submitting, ¡°Hmph, then I¡¯ll be Wang Xiaoxiu.¡±

    Worried that Gao Yang would go back on his word, she quickly rushed up to take Gao Yang¡¯s elbow, shouting over her shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Stupid Kai!¡±

    ¡°Call me Brother Kai! You¡¯re my little sister!¡±

    Fresh Snow smiled mischievously. ¡°Alright, Stupid Kai. I¡¯ll call you that once we¡¯re outside.¡±

    ¡°You better!¡±

    ...

    Night fell. The three of them arrived at the roasted fish ce at the Dawan Mall. Wang Zikai was used to splurging, and he ordered the most expensive dish at the restaurant, the Supreme Roasted Fish Combo.

    After a while, two servers came over, carrying a sedan chair between them, followed by a few people who dressed like the chefs. Amid the choruses of percussion, therge bowl of roasted fish was served.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t so much a bowl but a basin, one that reminded Gao Yang of the baby basin he used to take bath in.

    Everyone at the restaurant stared at them as the dish was served, and Gao Yang realized then what made the dish supreme.

    It was effectively the global announcement following the acquisition of a five-star monster in a gacha game. It was about flexing, simple as that.

    Gao Yang sighed inwardly. It was right for him to disguise Fresh Snow, or someone would target her sooner orter.

    Fresh Snow was a typical paper tiger. She was the one whining about getting roasted fish all the way here, but once started, she got full after a few bites.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have an appetite, either, and he only ate a little.

    Wang Zikai gaped at therge basin of roasted fish. ¡°You¡¯re done already? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Gao Yang sipped on the buckwheat tea.

    ¡°I¡¯m full too!¡± Fresh Snow grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s elbow with both hands and started snuggling him.

    Wang Zikai frowned. ¡°What do we do then? It¡¯s too much of a waste!¡±

    <i>So you know it¡¯s a waste. Would you please pay attention to the added note in the parentheses the next time you order? It says the dish is for ten people.</i>

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    A deep, velvety voice of a man called out then.

    1. From the manga/anime <i>Naruto</i>. ?

    2. <i>Xiao</i> means little, and <i>xiu </i>means snow. ?

 Chapter 581: Greatest of All Time

    <h4>Chapter 581: Greatest of All Time</h4>

    Gao Yang looked up to see Green Tea walking over from the entrance of the restaurant. The tall, strongly-built man was dressed in casual sportswear.

    ¡°Haha, I thought you looked familiar. So it is you.¡±

    As he spoke, a few of hispanions entered the restaurant too. Gao Yang recognized them as members of the fifth team of the Hundred Rivers Union. The one leading the group was a chubby guy wearing hip hop clothes and a baseball cap, Old Seven, with Talent: Finger Strength.

    Following him was a young girl in an oversized sweater and jeans, her gray hair cut to medium length. Her facial features were delicate, but her lipstick of choice was a bold red. It was Citrus, with Talent: Slow.

    Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with her was a girl with light blond hair, wearing a ck octogonal hat and a retro brown corduroy suit. While she was skinny, she seemed mature and dependable.

    Gao Yang remembered that her name was Rain River, with Talent: sticine, serial number 87, Life-type.

    They were followed by an older middle-aged woman with a chubby figure, dressed in a ssy cropped jacket and a long dress that went down below the knees. Her brte hair was slightly curled, and her round face under heavy makeup looked personable.

    She was Sister Ling, Talent: Praise, serial number 176, Support-type.

    If Gao Yang remembered correctly, her Talent allowed her to give her teammates a boost in their confidence by praising them and in turn buffed all of their stats by a small margin. She could also praise her enemies to make them getcent, slightly increasing their chance of exposing their weaknesses and making a mistake.

    Back in the market for awakeners the Hundred Rivers Union organized in a haunted house, she was the one who sold Qing Ling the Twin Bracelet.

    Thest to enter the restaurant was a young man with an average build and narrow shoulders, dressed in a fitted ck casual suit, wearing ck sunsses and a gold ne. He looked like a thug full of himself with a hand in his pocket while chewing gum.

    Gao Yang remembered something about him too. The man called himself ¡°First Firelord¡±, with Talent: Six Senses Judge, serial number 154, Support-type.

    The Talent allowed him to deprive his enemies within a certain distance of two senses at the price of depriving hispanions with one sense, including himself.

    All members of the fifth team were here. They must have sought out Nainai for a wanderer imprint given how openly they were acting.

    ¡°What a coincidence. You¡¯vee to have a meal too?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah, the team has a meal together every week.¡± Green Tea nced at those behind him, making a simple introduction. ¡°Old Seven, Citrus, Rain River, Sister Ling, and First Firelord. You¡¯ve seen them before.¡±

    ¡°Seven...¡± Old Seven quickly corrected himself. ¡°Evening, Brother Yang.¡±

    The others greeted him too.

    ¡°And these are?¡± Green Tea looked at Fresh Snow and Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Wang Zikai, my best mate,¡± Gao Yang said naturally before turning to Fresh Snow. ¡°This is Wang Xiaoxiu, his cousin. She grew up abroad.¡±

    After two seconds, Gao Yang added in a lower voice, ¡°They¡¯re on our side.¡±

    Green Tea heard the unspoken words and rxed his guard.

    Seeing the girl sticking so close to Gao Yang, Green Tea smirked. ¡°You¡¯re bold, Gao Yang, going after someone close to you like that. Aren¡¯t you worried that Qing Ling will find out?¡±

    Gao Yang was going to exin that he and Wang Xiaoxiu weren¡¯t an item, but he and Qing Ling weren¡¯t dating, either. Since he couldn''t easily exin the situation, he chose not to waste his time.

    ¡°You¡¯re all beautiful people,¡± Sister Ling said with envy. ¡°Look at you, your faces are practically glowing, notcking in cogen at all. It¡¯s good to be young.¡±

    Gao Yang knew she was simply ttering them, but it still made him feel good. As expected of someone with Talent: Praise.

    ¡°Friends! You came at the right time! Come on, share this with us!¡± Wang Zikai had just been concerned about the leftovers¡ªnot that he was worried about the waste. He simply didn¡¯t want to admit that he had made the wrong order.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Green Tea agreed easily. ¡°It¡¯ll be a shame to not finish this much food.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. He had expected Green Tea to take his leave after greeting him. After all, the fifth team was having a gathering tonight.

    It seemed that Green Tea needed something from him.

    ¡°Waiter! Get us six more pairs of chopsticks and bowls. And we need the menu. We¡¯re putting tables together!¡± Old Seven called out before quickly iming the seat next to Gao Yang. The others each grabbed a chair too.

    ¡°Seven...Brother Yang.¡± Old Seven lowered his voice and spoke with an excited look on his face, opting to talk in metaphors. ¡°I heard that you went one-on-one with a great boss in the game, and it was stronger than a birdy. Is that right?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Holy***! Mother****!¡± Old Seven couldn¡¯t help but curse. There was no other way to express his admiration. ¡°Brother Yang, you¡¯re the GOAT! You¡¯ve punched a doggy and kicked a bird...¡±

    ¡°Eat.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°Talking about the game isn¡¯t fun.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Old Seven understandingly dropped the topic.

    Meanwhile, Wang Zikai was met with Green Tea¡¯s enthusiastic attempt to befriend him. With an arm around his shoulder, Green Tea crowed, ¡°You¡¯ve got a good physique, bro. It¡¯s clear that you¡¯re talented.¡±

    Wang Zikai smiled confidently, basking in the praise. ¡°Of course. Who doesn¡¯t know about my Talent?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Talent with a capital T, but talent in physical training.¡±

    Wang Zikai blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Weight training! Build your muscles!¡± Green Tea¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°You know how popr shoulders as wide as a two-door fridge have be? If you can widen your shoulders through training, I promise that you¡¯ll be the most popr guy wherever you go...¡±

    Meanwhile, Fresh Snow had gotten caught by Citrus and Rain River.

    ¡°You''ve won a gic lottery, Xiaoxiu.¡± Citrus stared at Fresh Snow¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t look away.

    Rain River smiled like an aunt looking at her niece. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re like a Super Dollfie.¡±

    Fresh Snow was still holding onto Gao Yang¡¯s arm. She blinked and swallowed what she wanted to say. Instead, she looked up at Gao Yang and asked, ¡°What¡¯s a gic lottery, and what¡¯s a Super Dollfie, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang exined simply, ¡°They¡¯re saying that you¡¯re pretty.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Fresh Snow smiled happily at Citrus and Rain River. ¡°Thank you, SIsters, you¡¯re gic dollfies too.¡±

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Citrus held onto her chest and pretended to be lightheaded. ¡°I can¡¯t. She¡¯s so cute!¡±

    Rain Riverughed. ¡°Same. I want to steal her.¡±

    ¡°Count me in.¡± First Firelord crossed his legs and smiled flirtatiously, still chewing his gum.

    Citrus rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Then Green Tea seemed to remember something, and he rose to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some drinks.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Citrus extended a hand. ¡°I want...¡±

    ¡°Avocado milk tea,¡± Green Tea interrupted her with a smile. ¡°Rain River wants orchidtte, Old Seven, c, Sister Ling, oolong tea, and First Firelord, honey pomelo tea. I¡¯ve got all your orders.¡±

    Gao Yang watched Green Tea walk away, sighing with feeling. ¡°Your leader¡¯s considerate.¡±

    ¡°Haha, yeah, Team Leader¡¯s been treating us so well. Ever since his brother passed...¡±

    Citrus froze and fell silent.

 Chapter 582: Donâ€™t Ever Talk About It Again

    <h4>Chapter 582: Don¡¯t Ever Talk About It Again</h4>

    Rain River didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with the topic. She put down her teacup and chimed in openly, ¡°Ever since his brother passed away, he treated us even better, taking us out for food and buying us gifts every once in a while.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say. He was there when Green Tea¡¯s brother died. He was involved in it, in fact.

    ¡°Everyone needs something to hang on.¡± Sister Ling sighed. ¡°Team Leader lost his family, and now we¡¯re his.¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop! Can¡¯t we talk about something more fun when we¡¯re hanging out?¡± Old Seven hollered.

    First Firelord said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better to talk about where we should go and have fun after the meal!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ...

    Soon, Green Tea returned with sses of different colors. As soon as he sat down, he heard Citrus suggest, ¡°Hey, there are nine of us tonight. Why don¡¯t we have a game of Werewolf?¡±

    Green Tea shot Citrus a re.

    Citrus jumped, unsure what she had said wrong.

    ¡°Citrus,¡± Green Tea said coolly and mmed the avocado milk tea on the table before her. ¡°Good idea. Don¡¯t ever talk about it again.¡±

    ¡°But Werewolf is fun.¡± Citrus wasn¡¯t going to just ept it. She turned to Gao Yang, looking for support. ¡°Brother Yang, you...¡±

    She jumped. <i>What¡¯s going on?! Why does Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s gaze look even more terrifying? What have I said wrong?</i>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go singing.¡± Rain River knew a little about what had happened, and she proposed a safe alternative.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Zikai was the first to agree. He had practiced a few more songs at home recently, and this would be the perfect chance to show it.

    None came up with better ideas, and the decision was made.

    ...

    After dinner, they went to a karaoke.

    To Gao Yang¡¯s surprise, everyone was quite a good singer.

    Some of them were probably born with the talent, while others had be better at it after awakening with the added Charisma, like Gao Yang.

    Wang Zikai and First Firelord sang powerfully, and they always picked grand, epic songs with heated, hyper emotions. It felt like they were going to march onto a battlefield to shed blood after every song.

    Green Tea and Old Seven were surprisingly hipster, and they went for folk. They sang with their eyes closed on tall chairs, holding the microphones with both hands like professionals.

    Citrus and Rain River were the sentimental types. They took off their shoes and sat on the sofa with their legs tucked in and an arm around their knees, holding the microphones with the other hand. And they went for tragic love songs.

    Citrus, especially, couldn¡¯t go more than two lines before her eyes turned red, remembering the boyfriend she had lost.

    Gao Yang and Sister Ling were there to cheer everyone on and almost never picked any songs, only singing a few lines with others when the microphones were passed to them.

    Fresh Snow, on the other hand, followed whatever Gao Yang was singing. There were songs she had never heard, but she insisted on singing with Gao Yang and waspletely off tune.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Fresh Snow fell asleep, all curled up. Gao Yang picked her up andid her down on the sofa in the corner, taking off his jacket to cover her. Then he sat down by her side, watching everyone having a great time with a distant look.

    Then Green Tea came over to him with a half-empty can of beer.

    He nced at Fresh Snow, who was sound asleep by Gao Yang¡¯s side. ¡°Can we talk?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. He could guess that Green Tea had something to talk to him about, and he had been waiting.

    Green Tea sat down and rotated the can of beer in his hands, either hesitating or trying to find the right words.

    ¡°Green Snake has multiple personalities, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°She does.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me about it in more detail?¡±

    Gao Yang became wary. ¡°What are you trying to find out?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not asking about her specifically,¡± Green Tea exined with a smile. ¡°I just want to learn more about the condition.¡±

    ¡°You can look it up online or ask a doctor.¡±

    ¡°I know, but that¡¯s information about regr people. Perhaps things work differently with an awakener.¡± Green Tea sounded earnest. ¡°I was going to ask Green Snake, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be in Li City, and I don¡¯t know her well. She may not give me the time of day.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±

    Green Tea¡¯s expression turned wary too. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, at least not until I figure things out. However, it¡¯s not something that concerns you or Green Snake, and I¡¯m not trying to do anything bad.¡±

    He raised his right hand. ¡°I can swear...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    The target didn¡¯t lie, and he was benevolent.

    Gao Yang said coolly, ¡°Ask. I know Green Snake quite well. I¡¯ll try my best to answer your questions.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Green Tea licked his lips. ¡°First, do her two personalities know of each other¡¯s existence?¡±

    ¡°Yes, for Green Snake.¡±

    Green Tea nodded. ¡°Then can the two personalities share information?¡±

    ¡°To my knowledge, they can¡¯t share information in real time.¡± Gao Yang thought back to it. ¡°They can¡¯t show up at the same time, and what one experience is her experience alone, but the information can bemunicated to the other personality.¡±

    ¡°Green Snake¡¯s two personalities work well together andmunicate efficiently. As long as it¡¯s not something tooplicated, themunication can be done in seconds, or even in the blink of an eye.¡±

    So Little Qing Ling sometimes showed up without warning.

    That, Gao Yang didn¡¯t say.

    ¡°I get it now.¡± Green Tea tried his best to understand it. ¡°So no matter how well the two personalities work together, they still need tomunicate with each other rather than simply sharing experiences.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the case for Green Snake,¡± Gao Yang said with qualifications.

    ¡°Then,¡± Green Tea thought for a moment, ¡°Is it possible for one personality to be in control while the other personality takes the subconscious?¡±

    Gao Yang frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I get you.¡±

    Green Tea scratched his head and exined further, ¡°I mean is it possible that while two personalities cannot show up at the same time, they can still exist and think at the same time in a different way. I¡¯ll make an analogy...¡±

    ¡°For example, Green Snake¡¯s eating, and she¡¯s thinking that the dish is a little salty. Meanwhile, her other personality is thinking about something else in the subconscious, such as she has to cram tonight for tomorrow¡¯s test...¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°You¡¯re asking if the other personality is running or sleeping in the background while the other personality runs in the front.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Green Tea pped his thigh. ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°ording to what I know about Green Snake, though, I think it¡¯s more likely for her other personality to be sleeping in the background.¡±

    ¡°That so...¡± Green Tea slowly nodded, bemused.

    ¡°Green Tea, have you...¡± Gao Yang paused before continuing in aposed voice, ¡°Gotten into trouble?¡±

 Chapter 583: Cultivation Method

    <h4>Chapter 583: Cultivation Method</h4>

    Green Tea paused and quickly waved his hands. ¡°Oh, no. What trouble can I get into?¡±

    He took a sip of his beer nonchntly. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll think about it myself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll keep the secret for me, right?¡± Green Tea asked.

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°I trust you. Thanks.¡± Green Tea rose to his feet and patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, returning to the group.

    Gao Yang watched bemusedly as Green Tea started singing again.

    ...

    They didn¡¯t part until eleven at night. Citrus and First Firelord got wasted. One bawled and cried out the name of her dead boyfriend, while the other cursed out the heaven¡ªthe Heavenly Way¡ªand challenged it to a duel.

    The other members of the fifth team muffled them and manhandled them away.

    Gao Yang carried a still sleeping Fresh Snow on his back. Wang Zikai had to go to the underground parking lot to get his car, and since the way was a littleplicated, he had Gao Yang wait by the road outside the ground floor.

    Gao Yang was just about to walk out of the mall when he heard Fresh Snow say in a tired, soft voice, ¡°...Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°w...machine...¡± she said drowsily.

    Gao Yang thought she was sleep talking, but when he turned to look, there were indeed a row of w machines. He said with a smile, ¡°Maybe next time.¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Fresh Snow insisted. ¡°Do it...for me... I want a doll...¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°Alright. Which do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want Snowy Panda[1]...¡± Fresh Snow said.

    ¡°Alright, wait a bit.¡±

    Gao Yang went up to one w machine and paid for five tries with his phone. He looked at the doll pandas in the machine through the ss.

    ¡°Which one do you want?¡±

    Fresh Snow cracked her eyes open, her breaths scattering on Gao Yang¡¯s nape. ¡°I want...the chubbiest one...¡±

    ¡°The second on the left?¡± Gao Yang spotted it immediately.

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Gao Yang moved the joystick, and the w inside the machine started moving while making cking noises. The w swung around with too much give. It seemed unlikely that he would pick up the doll.

    But Gao Yang was lucky, and he miraculously got the doll with one try.

    He bent down and picked up the panda from the box. ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow smiled with content and fell asleep.

    ...

    Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, Li River Community, nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang woke up to the doorbell ringing. He had fallen asleep on the sofa again, and his arms were numb from Wang Zikai and Fresh Snow using him as pillows.

    When they got homest night, Fresh Snow was wide awake from the nap, and she insisted on Wang Zikai ying games with her. Stuck between them, Gao Yang was forced to y judge, and he fell asleep at some point.

    Gao Yang rose to open the door. He was surprised to see the youthful-looking girl dressed in an ill-fitted office suit, her hair parted on the side and tied into a small ponytail. Her hairpin was blue today, still in the shape of ¡°SL¡±.

    Her smile was a little reserved, but her gaze had a hint of excitement to it, like she was looking forward to her mission today.

    ¡°Morning, Elder Seven Shadow!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao straightened her back.

    Gao Yang nodded slightly. ¡°Did Vermilion Bird send you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here to apany Elder Seven Shadow to the Twelve Zodiac Signs today.¡±

    Gao Yang waited quietly.

    As expected, Hong Xiaoxiao immediately took off the blue hairpin on her head and smoothed out her bang. Then she bowed slightly and handed Gao Yang the hairpin like she was handing an important client her name card.

    Gao Yang took it and could immediately sense the energy filling it to the brim. Like a thinyer of intangible fog, it enveloped his body.

    It seemed to be an enchanted ck Gold hairpin, but painted to conceal its material.

    ¡°Please keep this on you, Elder Seven Shadow,¡± Hong Xiaoxiao said. ¡°I¡¯ll mark you and make saves in real time to ensure...your safety.¡±

    ¡°Oh, safety, you said? I thought you were here to monitor me.¡± Gao Yang shot back without emotion.

    Hong Xiaoxiao flushed red, not knowing what to say.

    Gao Yang put the hairpin on his breast pocket so that Hong Xiaoxiao could easily see it. ¡°This works?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao nodded without pause.

    ¡°Come on in. You can keep your shoes on.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao followed him in and was stunned by the interior of the house. As expected of the residence of a rich man. It looked grand enough outside, but even more so inside.

    <i>Whoa, the crystal chandelier is luxurious.</i>

    <i>Whoa, the white jade pixiu</i>[2]<i> was an antique, right?</i>

    <i>Whoa, is the tiger pelt rug real?</i>

    ...

    Wang Zikai had woken up by then. With a toothbrush in his mouth, he scratched his messy blond hair with a hand. When he saw Hong Xiaoxiao, he demanded, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao paused. So there was someone else at Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s ce.

    <i>Whoa, although the boy isn¡¯t my type, he¡¯s good-looking too.</i>

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Then a sleepy, petnt voice of a girl came from the sofa. Hong Xiaoxiao looked over to see a blond girl lying there, looking at her darkly.

    <i>Whoa, the girl is so pretty, like a porcin doll.</i>

    ¡°Wang Zikai, Wang Xiaoxiu, they¡¯re cousins and both are my friends,¡± Gao Yang introduced simply. ¡°This is Hong Xiaoxiao, a colleague of mine.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao put on her professional friendly smile.

    Wang Zikai nced at her. He felt no goodwill for the Guild that ordered his best friend around. Fresh Snow, simrly, yawned and rolled to her side before going back to sleep.

    Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s smile froze awkwardly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out today. I¡¯ll be backter.¡± Gao Yang added a warning. ¡°Stay at home and don¡¯t run around.¡±

    Wang Zikai turned to holler at Fresh Snow, ¡°You hear that? We¡¯re going out today. Don¡¯t run around.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re staying too. I¡¯m worried about leaving Xiaoxiu here on her own.¡±

    Wang Zikai said reluctantly, ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ...

    Underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower, an hourter.

    War Tiger and White Rabbit weed them when Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao visited. Since there was a stranger around, War Tiger acted quite politely.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Gao Yang got right to the point. ¡°I¡¯m here to borrow the Psyche Rune Circuit from your esteemed organization. Yesterday, I made an application to Miss White Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°I got the mail,¡± White Rabbit said with a long face. ¡°Psychic Armor, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Although everyone¡¯s getting multiple Talents now, Elder Seven Shadow, the speed at which you¡¯re getting new ones is still absurd.¡± War Tiger smirked. ¡°Teleportation, Fire, Replicate, Double, Lie Detection, and now Psychic Armor. That¡¯s six. How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°I got lucky,¡± Gao Yang said. It was the truth.

    War Tiger raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do I look like an idiot to you?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t fool you.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°I actually have a cultivation method that I don¡¯t teach anyone. It increases the chance ofprehending a Talent just like Aptitude.¡±

    ¡°Shit! I knew it!¡± War Tiger raised his voice. ¡°Come on, teach me!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang said without batting an eye. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work for most people, though. I taught Green Snake before, and it didn¡¯t work for her. You can ask her if you want to learn it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, sure. I¡¯ll ask her once shees back from abroad.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡± White Rabbit chimed in. ¡°ording to the SOP, you are to demonstrate Psychic Armor for us.¡±

    ¡°Demonstrate it...¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Is Songstress here?¡±

    ¡°She is.¡± White Rabbit understood what he was suggesting.

    Ten minutester, the group had migrated to the karaoke in the Chicken Room.

    Songstress sang a song to Gao Yang with a microphone. He tried his best to stay awake for a good while before his eyelids started to fall, and the urge to sleep grew stronger and stronger.

    Even White Rabbit and War Tiger, who were deemed Songstress¡¯panions rather than target, were struggling visibly too. Hong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had already curled up on the sofa and fallen asleep.

    Songstress lowered the microphone with a smile. ¡°The only thing that¡¯ll exin Edler Seven Shadow¡¯s resistance is a Talent shielding him from psychic attacks.¡±

    War Tiger pped himself to wake himself up. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s done.¡±

    1. A reference to the mascot of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. ?

    2. A mythical creature that¡¯s believed to bring in fortune. ?

 Chapter 584: Cannot Take It

    <h4>Chapter 584: Cannot Take It</h4>

    White Rabbit pinched her own hand discretely before shaking Hong Xiaoxiao awake in a polite manner. Hong Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, confused. Then she jerked up suddenly, looking guilty like she had been caughtzing around at work.

    ¡°Done?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The first step¡¯s done.¡± White Rabbit swallowed augh.

    War Tiger turned to Gao Yang. ¡°If it¡¯s another Rune Circuit, I¡¯ll let you go with it, but not the Psyche Rune Circuit. You have to do it under close scrutiny.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Gao Yang knew the reason very well. The Psyche Rune Circuit corresponded to Qilin¡¯s Eidos. The Twelve Zodiac Signs would never allow anything to happen to it.

    A few minutester, War Tiger took Gao Yang to a single cell set up with an energy barrier. Inside was a bed, a chair, amp, a washing basin, and a toilet. Nothing else.

    Gao Yang put on ck Gold handcuffs and shackles, locked in the cell along with his watch, Hong Xiaoxiao, who was put under the same restraints.

    Finally, War Tiger handed Gao Yang the Psyche Rune Circuit and shut the door. Grabbing a stool, he sat outside the cell, smoking and keeping watch.

    Inside, Gao Yang sat crossed-legged on the bed, holding the Psyche Rune Circuit with his eyes closed.

    Hong Xiaoxiao imed the chair, her legs pressed together and her hands rested on herp, fidgeting with her nails. For some reason, she was a little nervous, and she couldn¡¯t stop her mind from wandering.

    <i>It¡¯s my first time sharing a room alone with a cute guy, and he¡¯s somewhat of a supervisor to me. I¡¯m nervous.</i>

    <i>When I¡¯m nervous, I want to go to the toilet. Ah, I shouldn¡¯t have drunk so much water.</i>

    <i>By the way, how long is it going to take Elder Seven Shadow to level up? Can¡¯t be a whole day, right?</i>

    <i>Dang it, I won¡¯t make it that long. But I can¡¯t just use the toilet here, not even if Elder Seven Shadow kept his eyes closed throughout. It¡¯s humiliating.</i>

    <i>Ah, Hong Xiaoxiao. What are you even thinking about? You can ask to be let out of the cell. You don¡¯t have the Rune Circuit with you.</i>

    <i>But won¡¯t that make me seem fussy? Unprofessional? War Tiger doesn¡¯t seem like the easygoing type.</i>

    <i>What should I do? I¡¯m getting more and more nervous, and my urge to use the toilet is getting stronger too.</i>

    <i>Shit, shit, shit. I failed the missionst time with Su Xi. What if I fail again...</i>

    ¡°Done.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao, who had been arguing with herself, looked up jerkily, thinking she had heard wrong.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and got off the bed. ¡°I leveled up.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao gaped. <i>Isn¡¯t that too soon?! You¡¯re making me seem like an idiot, Elder Seven Shadow.</i>

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± She jumped to her feet and turned to knock on the door. ¡°Mister War Tiger, we¡¯re done.¡±

    Soon, there was a click from the metal door of the cell. Standing outside, War Tiger looked surprised with an unfinished cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang lightly threw the Psyche Rune Circuit to War Tiger.

    War Tiger weighed it in his hand, checking several times that it hadn¡¯t been swapped before putting it in his pants pocket. Then he took out the keys for the handcuffs and shackles and threw them to Gao Yang.

    Freeing themselves from the restraints, Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao took their leave without dy. White Rabbit saw them off to the elevator.

    Walking out of the lobby of the Millennium Tower, Gao Yang took Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s blue hairpin off his breast pocket. ¡°Here.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao was just about to take it when Gao Yang curled his fingers and pulled it back. ¡°Do you have time? I¡¯ll buy you lunch.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao paused. Hm? Was he talking to her?

    ¡°Yeah, I have time.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Gao Yang returned the hairpin to Hong Xiaoxiao. She took it and put it on her hair, brushing her bang. She didn¡¯t know why she was nervous.

    The green light was on. Gao Yang crossed the road, while Hong Xiaoxiao trailed after him with her head lowered, another storm brewing in her head.

    <i>Oh my god! I¡¯m not dreaming, am I? Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s buying me lunch.</i>

    <i>Although I prefer those like Brother Zhong He, Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s a catch too, tee-hee.</i>

    <i>Stop! What are you thinking about, Hong Xiaoxiao? A manager only buys their employees a meal for business...</i>

    Hong Xiaoxiao was distracted when a hand yanked her by the elbow, and she fell into Gao Yang¡¯s arms with a cry of surprise.

    <i>Vroom</i>. A car sped away. It had almost hit Hong Xiaoxiao.

    ¡°Watch it.¡± Gao Yang let go of her.

    ¡°Thank, thank you.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao felt helpless and awkward. She couldn¡¯t help but brush her already neat bang again.

    Gao Yang calmly took the lead and asked in a casual tone, ¡°Anything you¡¯d like for lunch?¡±

    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine by me,¡± Hong Xiaoxiao said honestly.

    ¡°How about steak?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao sat at a booth seat by the window in a high-end western restaurant. The interior was elegant and serene with a pianist in a tailcoat ying the piano live. The waiters were all neatly dressed and polite, maintaining a smile on their faces.

    Gao Yang waved one of them over and flipped through the menu, ordering a sirloin steak and choosing from the provided sides and desserts.

    It was Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s first time eating at a restaurant this ssy, and she felt nervous, the feeling furtherpounded when the young, handsome waiter looked at her. And she blurted out the universal order.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have what he has.¡±

    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. A moment, please.¡± The waiter took the menus and turned to leave.

    Gao Yang stayed silent. Hong Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking. She wanted to use her phone, but at the same time she was worried that it would be considered disrespectful. To ease her awkwardness, she took a sip of her lemon water. Not long after putting it down, she picked it up again to take another sip.

    Then the mushroom soup was served first. Hong Xiaoxiao sighed in relief. She finally had something to do.

    She picked up her spoon and was about to drink the soup when Gao Yang suddenly spoke to her.

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao jumped, the spoon falling from her hand and almost spilling the soup.

    ¡°How many people are there in the family?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao doubted her ears. She pointed at her nose.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking about my family?¡±

 Chapter 585: Unlucky

    <h4>Chapter 585: Unlucky</h4>

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang stared right at Hong Xiaoxiao quietly like he was staring into her soul. Hong Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t dare to treat him lightly.

    ¡°There are five people in my family. I have a grandmother, both parents, and a younger brother. He¡¯s just entering high school this year.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s right pinky trembled slightly on the table.

    Eyes glinting, he asked, ¡°Did anything change after your awakening?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao paused before lowering her eyes and smiling bitterly. ¡°Of course. I waspletely out of my depth and didn¡¯t know how I should face my family. It¡¯s getting better now, but I still lock my door every night I sleep at home. I never did that before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d suggest you not do that,¡± Gao Yang warned. ¡°It¡¯s suspicious if you¡¯ve changed too much after awakening.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao came to a realization.

    ¡°Do you still love them?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Hong Xiaoxiao nodded. ¡°I think so, but I¡¯m afraid, too. I can¡¯t put my feelings into words.¡±

    ¡°How did you awaken?¡± Gao Yang softened his voice.

    ¡°I started working at an insurancepany after graduating. I was quite unlucky. I bought an electric moped in installments and it broke down after only a few days. I went to the shop and argued with the owner, but he refused to let me exchange it for a new one. He said it was my problem, and I needed to pay for the repair...¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao cocked her head and tugged at her lips, speaking quietly, ¡°I had just spent the day selling insurance and failed to sell even one product. I was hungry and tired, and I had to pay 300 yuan to fix the moped.¡±

    ¡°That night, I rode my moped home, and I fell, scraping my palms and twisting a foot. I felt like the world was crashing down. I started bawling by the curb. Not long after, I heard a voice in my head. Iter learned that it was my Talent and its serial number. Then my body glowed, and my injury healed instantly. I was stunned.¡±

    ¡°It was then a bus stopped by the road. The driver rushed out to kill me. Six Rime happened to be on the bus. She saved me and had someone clean up the mess, taking me to the Walled City of Ten Dragons. I met Elder Azure Dragon and Elder Vermilion Bird then. After that, I became a member.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Then he nced at Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Drink your soup first, or it¡¯ll get cold.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao lowered her head and started having the soup, grumbling to herself, <i>Why did he ask those questions? To find out more about me? Just to show his concern for a subordinate? Should I ask about Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s family in exchange? Or it¡¯ll be rude of me, won¡¯t it?</i>

    ¡°Elder Seven...¡±

    ¡°Just call me by name.¡±

    ¡°Gao...Gao Yang.¡± As a new member, there were many things Hong Xiaoxiao wasn¡¯t allowed to know. ¡°How many people are there in your family?¡±

    ¡°Just me and my sister. My grandmother died during the Tide, and my parents died a few days ago.¡±

    The air was suddenly silent.

    Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s smile froze, and she felt like cutting her own belly open in apology.

    Thankfully, their two servings of sirloin steak arrived at just the right time to save her. The waiter poured ck pepper sauce on the steaks for them, the sauce sizzling and sttering with oil.

    They ate in silence for a long time, neither saying a word.

    Gao Yang sliced the steak as he ate, while Hong Xiaoxiao sliced her steak into pieces first seriously like she was doing homework, and afterwards, she smiled with satisfaction.

    <i>Whoa, I¡¯ve never had such premium steak. It must taste good.</i>

    She picked up a piece and was just about to eat it when Gao Yang spoke up.

    ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao paused. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Your n for the future.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao put away her fork. ¡°The economy¡¯s in recess now, and graduation is often followed by unemployment. I finally got myself a job, so I want to quickly be an official employee and earn money to support my family, lessening the burden on my parents. Once I get paid, I want to buy my grandmother a basin to soak her feet in, as well as a pair of sneakers for my younger brother.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. It seemed that Hong Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t know that <i>jinwu </i>could be exchanged for money. That made sense. In the past, there were receptionists like Xiaoya onboarding the new recruits and exining things to them, but now, no one was in charge of the process. There was a lot ofmon knowledge about the Mist World that Hong Xiaoxiao wouldn¡¯t be immediately told about.

    ¡°Is that your n?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao smiled bashfully. ¡°Most of the time, I only make ns for theing two months. There¡¯s no use nning further ahead.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re now in a different position,¡± Gao Yang reminded her.

    ¡°I know.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. ¡°But I feel like it¡¯s not something I should be worried about. I¡¯m just a nobody, and there are bigshots like you keeping the world from falling apart when the skyes crashing down. I just have to do my job.¡±

    Gao Yang was taken aback. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should praise her for being level-headed or chide her for looking away from reality.

    Considering that she was a new member with a great Talent, and that she hadn¡¯t developed loyalty to the Guild, Gao Yang was thinking about recruiting her. Now, though, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t sure about her path yet. It wasn¡¯t the right time.

    ¡°Eat.¡± Gao Yang decided to drop the topic.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao had been waiting for that. She picked up her fork and was about to pop it into her mouth.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Someone interrupted her. Holding her fork and the square piece of steak, she turned around at the same time as Gao Yang.

    The neer was a tall, slim man who seemed to be over 1.9 meters tall, wearing a distressed blue suit jacket and a ck V-neck henley, paired with blue jeans and brown leather boots.

    He had longer dark brown hair with slight curls, parted in the middle. His facial features were pronounced, and his cheeks hollowed, dotted with messy stubbles. There was an air of mncholy about him.

    His voice was hoarse but velvety, and he looked at Gao Yang with a sharp gaze. ¡°You¡¯re the Divine Scion?¡±

    A waiter carrying a bottle of red wine happened to hear him and copsed to the floor like he had been electrocuted, the wine bottle shattered.

    Hong Xiaoxiao gaped, eyes widened and caughtpletely off guard.

    Gao Yang, though, wasposed and unfazed. He slowly responded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll have a duel to the death with you,¡± the man continued to say. ¡°It¡¯s one on two, though, which isn¡¯t fair. So, ept my...¡± He raised his right hand and balled it into a fist. ¡°Judgment.¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Great energy exploded beside Gao Yang, vanishing as suddenly as its emergence, unable to be caught or predicted. Then warm blood sshed on one side of Gao Yang¡¯s face and his chest.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn around. He could tell what had happened by what he saw out of the corner of his eye: Hong Xiaoxiao, sitting across from him, was gone, rendered into a pool of viscous blood, just like a tomato getting crushed into pulp by a blender.

    Hong Xiaoxiao died, and she didn¡¯t even know what had killed her.

    Gao Yang felt no shock or fear with level 4 Psychic Armor keeping him absolutely rational.

    ¡°Aghhh!¡±

    Screams rang out across the restaurant. Wanderers copsed in twos or threes, and the middle-aged pianist alone stood up coldly, quickly transforming into a monster. It was a summoner.

    Without dy, the suited man pointed at Gao Yang with his right hand again. ¡°Judg...¡±

    Gao Yang flipped the table and threw it toward the suited man with one hand, hiding a zing fireball behind it. Sensing theing danger, the suited man quickly dodged to the side, and the table hit the piano behind him, causing an explosion that threw the newly transformed monster off its feet.

    Gao Yang seized the opening to bend down and grabbed the first thing he felt on the floor before teleporting to the summoner. Before the summoner could get back to its feet, a knife pierced through its right eye socket, hitting its brain.

    It copsed with a spasm.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even turn around to check his enemy before teleporting through the wall to escape. The suited man watched him go. He didn¡¯t give chase because he knew he couldn¡¯t catch up with Gao Yang.

    Standing where he was, he looked around at the unconscious wanderers lying prone on the ground, bemused.

    He¡¯s lucky. As expected of the Divine Scion.

    <i>I¡¯ve failed the first assassination attempt. Now it¡¯ll be much more difficult to take him out.</i>

    The suited man walked to another table and picked up a white napkin, wiping the blood Hong Xiaoxiao had sttered on the back of his hand. Then he walked away.

 Chapter 586: Right Time

    <h4>Chapter 586: Right Time</h4>

    As soon as Gao Yang teleported out of the restaurant to the alleyway, he created a double and had it rushed out along the main road, while he himself teleported again through the wall into a building next to the restaurant.

    It was a recreational center. Gao Yang found himself in a dim room for feet washing. Luckily, there were no patrons inside. He closed the door and threw the bloodied ck Gold hairpin onto the massage bed, essing Replicate.

    ¡ªActivate level 3 Gamer.

    ¡°Time Reset,¡± he muttered, sying his hands.

    A secondter, the bloodied hairpin radiated a white light, melting and dividing into countless soft tendrils, connected to Gao Yang¡¯s ten fingers. He swiftly moved his fingers and manipted the white tendrils at incredible speed, and like a 3D printer, he slowly created the rough shape of Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s body, then the details.

    In less than thirty seconds, the Hong Xiaoxiao from three minutes ago appeared lying on the massage bed, unconscious.

    Gao Yang let out a long breath, a bead of sweat streaking down his forehead. Time Reset took a lot of energy.

    Half an hour ago, when Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao left the Millennium Tower for lunch, and Gao Yang stopped her from getting into a car ident, he had seized the chance of their brief physical contact to replicate Gamer.

    He had always been curious about her Talent, and by replicating it, he would be able to learn of its detailed mechanisms in case he ever had to face it.

    Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer worked in two ways. First, she could mark a space less than 50 cubic meters big, and everything inside the space could be reset to their conditions three minutes ago.

    Second, she could mark a higher life form specifically. Then she could revert the target back to a save forcibly, meaning the target could be reset to their condition from three minutes ago, and they would lose consciousness after that.

    When Hong Xiaoxiao handed Gao Yang the marked hairpin and told him to carry it with him, it was to make saves on Gao Yang every three minutes. Then, if Gao Yang did anything dangerous or vited the rules when borrowing a Rune Circuit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Hong Xiaoxiao would be able to reset Gao Yang and knock him out by force, thus achieving the purpose of watching him and stopping him.

    Nothing went wrong during the use of the Rune Circuit, though, and when Gao Yang returned the ck Gold hairpin to Hong Xiaoxiao, the mark had returned to her.

    Then Gao Yang replicated her Talent, and they got assaulted by the suited man.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how the man¡¯s strange Talent worked, but he could guess that between him and Hong Xiaoxiao, one of them would be randomly judged and punished.

    Luckily, Hong Xiaoxiao was the one who died.

    Gao Yang came to two conclusions immediately: first, it was better not to go head-to-head with the enemy when he didn¡¯t know how the enemy¡¯s Talent worked, and second, the priority was saving Hong Xiaoxiao.

    Thus, he pretended to fight back to buy himself precious time to kneel down and pick up the ck Gold hairpin, taking out the summoner at the same time. Then he teleported away and saved Hong Xiaoxiao a minuteter.

    As soon as Hong Xiaoxiao was saved from the mouth of hell, Gao Yang¡¯s phone rang. It was Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Gao Yang answered in a low voice.

    ¡°Did you just use your Talent?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s tone was a mix of worried and interrogative.

    Gao Yang summarized briefly, ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao and I got attacked. We ran.¡±

    ¡°Anyone hurt?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the enemy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him. He¡¯s middle-aged, likely an awakener. His Talent was a rule-type one that works in a strange way, and I was his target. He knows I¡¯m the Divine Scion.¡±

    There were a few seconds of silence. ¡°Is Hong Xiaoxiao with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°But she¡¯s unconscious and isn¡¯t waking up just yet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go to you at once.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t tell him the address. Azure Dragon could locate him through the tracking bracelet.

    After ending the call, Gao Yang extended his six senses to the fullest to take in all the minute movements around him, making sure there was no threat.

    Then he called Wang Zikai. He picked up quickly. ¡°Bro,e back if you¡¯re done with what you¡¯re doing. I can¡¯t babysit the youngdy any longer...¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai, I got attacked,¡± Gao Yang interrupted him.

    ¡°What?!¡± Wang Zikai eximed. ¡°Who was it? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. He¡¯s not my match.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°But I need you to do something for me from now on. It can be a little difficult...¡±

    Wang Zikai cut in impatiently, ¡°Geez, just tell me! Stop wasting time!¡±

    ...

    Gao Yang hung up after telling Wang Zikai what he had to say. Hong Xiaoxiao was still unconscious on the massage bed.

    He walked up to her and pinched her philtrum.

    ¡°Hm...¡±

    A few secondster, Hong Xiaoxiao slowly opened her eyes. She was still a little disoriented. ¡°Perhaps you like Ssime...¡±

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao,¡± Gao Yang called out to her.

    ¡°Ourpany, ourpany¡¯s products...are super effective in repairing...¡±

    Exasperated, Gao Yang patted her face twice. ¡°Wake up, Hong Xiaoxiao!¡±

    ¡°Agh!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao recovered her mind and jerked up into a sitting position, breathing heavily and panickedly. ¡°Where, where am I? What happened...agh! That man! He, he...¡±

    <i>You were just rendered into paste, and I reset you.</i>

    Gao Yang was going to say that, but it would be troublesome, and it was better for Hong Xiaoxiao to not remember the terrifying memory.

    ¡°You were knocked out. I took you and ran.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao pressed a hand to her chest, her breathing slowing somewhat. ¡°The world of awakeners is so dangerous. I got a bullet through my lungsst time, and now I got knocked out...¡±

    She reached for the hairpin on her head reflexively, only to find it gone.

    Her eyes widened. The memory right before her death rushed into her mind.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao shouted, covering her mouth with both hands and shuddering all over. ¡°No, no! I...I died...¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    ¡°You...you saved me, didn¡¯t you? But how did you have my Talent... Ah, you have Replicate...¡±

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. The girl was quick-minded.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow! Thank...thank you...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears, her voice breaking due to fear. ¡°If not for you, I would have died... No, I have to resign! This isn¡¯t a job for a regr person. I will die. I will die sooner orter...¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll surely die. I¡¯m done. I don¡¯t want the job anymore...¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao was having a mental breakdown.

    ¡°Breathe deeply, Hong Xiaoxiao. Calm down...¡± Gao Yang coaxed her gently.

    Hong Xiaoxiao gradually stopped sobbing, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. After repeating the motion for a few times, she finally got a hold of herself.

    Gao Yang looked at her pale face and dejected expression. He realized that it was now the right time.

 Chapter 587: Seize the Chance

    <h4>Chapter 587: Seize the Chance</h4>

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao,¡± Gao Yang said in a serious tone, expression solemn. ¡°I believe you should know how dangerous the Mist World is now. Not only do you have to face dangerous monsters, you also have to deal with the treacherous ones among the awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao nodded, wiping her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s each person for themselves. No one really cares about whether other people live or die. It¡¯s the same for the Guild. You¡¯ve just joined, yet you¡¯re already sent on a dangerous mission. Last time, you almost got killed by Yellow Ox. This time, you straight-up died. If I hadn¡¯t replicated your Gamer, not even Elder Vermilion Bird would have been able to save you. You should know that all resurrection Talents require the bodies to have an intact brain and heart...¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao remembered the moment she was killed again, and she nched, shaking all over. Her death was real.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give her the time to take a breath. ¡°Even if you resign from the Guild now, you can¡¯t go back to the past. You¡¯ve awakened. You¡¯re faced with dangers every moment every day, be it monsters, awakeners, or the Godbearer Cult. The bad apples among the awakeners, especially, will go after your Talent. You know how Talents are recycled, right?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao nodded.

    ¡°You have a special Talent. There must be many people who want to kill you so that they will have a chance to acquire your Talent.¡±

    ¡°What...what should I do?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao had never felt so helpless and confused. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I...I just graduated and worked so hard to get a job. My dad¡¯s not the most healthy, and my grandma¡¯s getting old. My younger brother has just entered high school. My family needs me...¡±

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao.¡± Gao Yangforted her. ¡°Everyone in the Mist World is walking on thin ice, but you¡¯re luckier than others.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was lost. <i>I¡¯m not lucky at all. I¡¯m super unlucky.</i>

    ¡°Because you met me,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Your only way out is to trust me.¡±

    She paused.

    ¡°See, I have Replicate. I can replicate your Gamer and store it for as long as 50 hours. Isn¡¯t that convenient?¡±

    ¡°When we go on a mission together, you should stick close to me. Then if you get killed, even if your brain and heart are damaged, I¡¯ll be able to bring you back. Simrly, if I die without living an intact body, you¡¯re the only one who can save me.¡±

    Hope lit up in Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s right. We can save each other, just like what happened today.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°Employment is temporary, but friends are forever. Today I may be Elder Seven Shadow, but who knows? Tomorrow I may be Octopath Traveler instead.¡±

    ¡°What we can say for sure is that you don¡¯t want to die, and neither do I, and our Talents make us the perfect duo for keeping both of us alive. We should work more closely together.¡±

    Although Hong Xiaoxiao was inexperienced, she wasn¡¯t stupid. She immediately understood his unspoken words, and she nodded. ¡°Yeah, I...I get it now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then from now on, we¡¯ll be friends through life and death.¡± Gao Yang offered her a hand. ¡°Can I trust you?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao hesitated a little, but a few secondster, she clenched her teeth and took Gao Yang¡¯s hand, nodding vehemently. ¡°You can!¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    ¡ªThe target didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    Gao Yang let go of Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s hand and nced at his phone. ¡°Elder Azure Dragon will be here soon. He¡¯s going to ask you what happened in private. Just tell him the truth.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but not what we just talked about, right?¡±

    Gao Yang asked instead of answering, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao blushed. ¡°Pretend...I didn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    She was just going to say something when her stomach gurgled. She felt awkward and dejected. She hadn¡¯t gotten even a bite of her premium steak.

    Gao Yang could read her like a book. He smiled gently. ¡°Are you free this evening?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao looked up. ¡°Yeah, I am. I took a leave and don¡¯t have to go to work today.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the Walled City of Ten Dragons with Elder Azure Dragon. After we make our report, I¡¯ll treat you to barbecues at Miss Liu¡¯s ce.¡±

    Gao Yang was going to have an intel exchange with Liu Qingying, anyway.

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao agreed readily, forgetting the trauma of her earlier death for a moment. <i>One should have a dependable senior at work! I¡¯m not that unlucky in this regard.</i>

    ...

    Second floor of the ck Tortoise Branch, Walled City of Ten Dragons, early morning.

    Outside the special cell at the end of the corridor, a woman in a long white coat stood with her back pressed to the wall, her head slightly tilted as she elegantly took a drag of herdy cigarette.

    Grayish blue moonlight poured in, rimming her delicate profile with a faint white glow.

    <i>Puff</i>. Vermilion Bird exhaled a puff of white smoke, her tongue resting against the inside of her teeth. She lowered the hand holding the cigarette and shook off some ash.

    <i>Click</i>. The door opened. Liu Qing Ying emerged.

    Her long silky silver hair glowed coldly under the moonlight. Her light green sweater dress hugged the curves of her hip, leaving her shoulders revealed. There was a slight seductive sway to her hip as she sauntered. She was enthralling.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    In the morning, Vermilion Bird gave Ke Yo food that Liu Qingying had marked. An hour ago, while Ke Yo was asleep, Liu Qingying invaded her dream for the first time to trigger a nightmare.

    For the greatest effect, Liu Qingying had used Sweet Dream right by Ke Yo. Then the rm she had set woke Ke Yo up, and Liu Qingying left the dream too.

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t immediately respond, but lifted her chin and blinked at Vermilion Bird.

    Without missing a beat, Vermilion Bird took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of herb coat.

    Liu Qingying lit it and took a drag, leaning against the wall with her left hand holding onto her right elbow and the cigarette raised to her sensuous red lips by her right hand. She parted her lips to speak.

    ¡°I saw Ke Yo¡¯s childhood through her nightmare.¡± Liu Qingying cocked her head and smiled. ¡°And it¡¯s an unfortunate one.¡±

 Chapter 588: Number 2 Body

    <h4>Chapter 588: Number 2 Body</h4>

    Vermilion Bird nodded slightly, waiting for Liu Qingying to continue.

    ¡°Her mother¡¯s a hopeless addict, and she sold a four-year-old Ke Yo to a trafficking group at 800 yuan. Ke Yo ended up locked up in a small house along with other children and was raised like a dog.¡±

    Liu Qingying sighed softly. ¡°After a week of torture to make sure that they were obedient and wouldn¡¯t dare to run away, they were assigned different tasks. The smart ones were told to steal, the pretty ones were told to lie, the stupid ones got their limbs broken or their eyes blinded so that they could beg on the street.¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo was neither smart nor pretty, so the traffickers decided to break her legs. When she got dragged into the room and saw what terrible things had happened to the previous child, she lost it and awakened.¡±

    ¡°She dragged all the traffickers into the Strange realm and started ying hide-and-seek with them. In the past, her mother used to y the game with her. Ke Yo would hide herself and wait for her mother to find her, and she always waited for so long that she fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°Actually, her mother had simply been hit by her addiction, and she told her daughter to hide because she didn¡¯t want Ke Yo to see her do drugs. After a while, though, she couldn¡¯t even do that...¡±

    Realizing that she had digressed, Liu Qingying got back to the topic, ¡°Anyway, Ke Yo hid inside her realm, and no one found her. They all died.¡±

    ¡°The second day, Edmond found the children, as well as Ke Yo, who was dying in a broken wardrobe. They became father and daughter.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°That¡¯s all you saw in the nightmare?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the information is fragmented.¡± Liu Qingying pulled at her lips. ¡°What I told you is what I¡¯ve gathered from the fragments. I can say for sure that Edmond had kept Ke Yo well protected, though, and she had no contact with the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I didn¡¯t really help.¡± Liu Qingying then asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°There is one thing.¡±

    Liu Qingying turned to her. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡± Vermilion Bird got right to it. ¡°Are you going to keep staying unaffiliated? You know the Qilin Guild will wee you into our fold anytime.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the kind offer, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s smile was gentle yet distant. ¡°Still, I prefer my freedom.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t actually the Guild¡¯s HR member, and she had simply made the offer because the opportunity presented itself. She didn¡¯t press.

    They exchanged a few words. Then Liu Qingying took her leave after finishing a cigarette.

    Vermilion Bird leaned against the wall ponderously for a while. When she was going to leave, she got a call from Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday afternoon, Seven Shadow and Hong Xiaoxiao got attacked,¡± Azure Dragon said in aposed voice. ¡°I just finished dealing with it. I¡¯ll update you.¡±

    ¡°By whom?¡± Vermilion Bird asked in surprise.

    ¡°Seven Shadow said that he didn¡¯t know the man, but ording to him, the man had a strange, rule-based Talent, which doesn¡¯t fit anyone I¡¯ve encountered before.¡±

    Vermilion Bird was even more surprised. ¡°So we¡¯ve got nothing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but he was after Seven Shadow. He knew Seven Shadow was the Divine Scion.¡±

    ¡°The Godbearer Cult?¡± Vermilion Bird spected.

    ¡°Very likely. We can¡¯t exclude the possibility of it being a death monster, but the chance of that being true is low.¡±

    ¡°The reason being?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never encountered a death monster, but it¡¯ll surely be stronger than a life monster. Were it a death monster, Seven Shadow and Hong Xiaoxiao wouldn¡¯t have survived the encounter.¡±

    Vermilion Bird rxed somewhat. ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, they may go after those around Seven Shadow. You should be careful, too.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m hanging up for now.¡±

    ...

    A few minutester, Vermilion Bird walked out of the empty ck Tortoise building. The Walled City of Ten Dragons wasn¡¯t as boisterous as it had been in the past now that the puppeteered wanderers who served as staff were gone, and half of the awakeners had gotten killed.

    Most of the shops had closed down. The wilted tree wrapped with colorful lights at the center of the za stood alone, the neon colors flickering and changing. The remnant of what the ce had been only furtherpounded the lonesome atmosphere.

    Vermilion Bird walked to the exit of the Walled City of Ten Dragons, taking out her car key from the pocket of herb coat. Her heels cked on the brick path as she walked.

    Suddenly, Vermilion Bird came to a halt, frowning.

    A secondter, the lights on the tree short-circuited and blinked out.

    Vermilion Bird whirled around to see a man standing by the tree. He was tall and slim, wearing a suit jacket, jeans, and leather boots, looking worn and shrouded in thick gloom.

    Vermilion Bird was at first alerted. Then her eyes widened in shock.

    She recognized him! No, she recognized the body.

    Vermilion Bird didn''t say anything. She quietly drew upon her energy, ready to strengthen herself five times with Equivalent Exchange at a moment¡¯s notice. Her instinct told her that the man was extremely dangerous. Were a fight to break out, things would be decided in an instant.

    After a few seconds of strange stillness, the night wind swept up the man¡¯s hair. He said in a low hoarse voice, sounding aloof, ¡°It seems the Divine Scion isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stared at him wordlessly, on high alert.

    She wasn''t his target. The man quickly disappeared behind the wilted tree, not dying one bit.

    Vermilion Bird stared at where he had gone from, already calling Qilin.

    Soon, Qilin picked up.

    ¡°Guildmaster, I need to talk to you and Azure Dragon. Now.¡±

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Vermilion Bird had briefed Qilin and Azure Dragon in a meeting room at the ck Tortoise branch.

    Azure Dragon frowned slightly, stroking the beard on his chin. ¡°The man must be the one who attacked Seven Shadowst afternoon. He tracked Seven Shadow to the Walled City of Ten Dragons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s the number 2 body!¡± Vermilion Bird raised her voice. She knew every corpse from the Guild, and she was certain she wouldn''t make a mistake in this.

    ¡°So the number 2 body got resurrected?¡± Azure Dragon nced at Vermilion Bird. ¡°But other than you, who else can bring back a body that¡¯s been gone for over 24 hours?¡±

    Vermilion Bird fell silent. She would like to know the answer too.

    Qilin silently took off his sses and wiped the lenses with his silk handkerchief, putting the sses back on. His green eyes looked like a deepke under the moonlight at night.

    He sighed softly.

    ¡°Vermilion Bird¡¯s right. The Talent belonged to the number 2 body.¡±

 Chapter 589: Judge

    <h4>Chapter 589: Judge</h4>

    Azure Dragon turned to Qilin. ¡°Was he good?¡±

    Back then, ck Tortoise had worked with Ghost Horse to steal twelve bodies from the Northbound Funeral Home, including body number 2, 4, 7, 21, Three Air, Blue Dolphin, Xiran, Dark Li, Xiuyi, Old Joe, ck Sparrow, and Yellow Butterfly. Among them, body number 2 alone was still missing. Although Azure Dragon had sent someone to look for it, he hadn¡¯t paid particr attention to the matter.

    Number 2 body had been there when Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon joined the Qilin Guild decades ago. They didn¡¯t know the senior member, or the man¡¯s Talent.

    And Qilin rarely mentioned him, simply referring to the man as an old friend.

    Now that the old friend had been resurrected, though, Qilin had to take the matter seriously.

    ¡°His name was Luqi, one of my oldestpanions. He died a year before the Guild was founded.¡±

    ¡°How did he die?¡± asked Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Suicide,¡± Qilin answered.

    That took both Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon by surprise.

    ¡°Luqi suffered from serious depression. He¡¯d been a friend before he awakened, and he was my patient.¡±

    Qilin continued in a mournful voice, ¡°His condition improved and deteriorated in turns. When he finally chose to part from this world, my Eidos was level 3. Had I been stronger back then, perhaps I would¡¯ve been able to help him recover.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. Then Azure Dragon spoke up. ¡°What was his Talent, Guildmaster? It seems powerful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not only powerful, but also special.¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°I even suspected Luqi¡¯s depression as a side effect of the Talent.¡±

    ¡°Is it...¡± Azure Dragon had a guess. ¡°Judge?¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Judge, serial number 100, Miracle-type.¡±

    ¡°It creates arge realm, covering an area of fifty meters in diameter. And the realm exists passively with no need for activation. It¡¯s easy for one to step into the realm without realizing it, and all things must be fair inside the realm.¡±

    ¡°And fairness...¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°...is defined by the user?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qilin said. ¡°He¡¯s the judge, but not God. He cannot disobey the rules of fairness himself and the general perception of fairness. However, he can make use of the rules at his discretion. This afternoon, he gave Seven Shadow a random judgment that way, and there was a 50% chance for him to have killed Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow got lucky...no, they both did...¡± Vermilion Bird broke into a cold sweat. Had she kept an eye on Gao Yang herself or sent anyone else, they would¡¯ve lost one member.

    Qilin sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring up Luqi because he was my regret, and I didn¡¯t trust you enough when you first joined the Guild. I didn¡¯t want you to know how powerful Judge is as a Talent.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird nodded in understanding.

    Vermilion Bird said, ¡°But there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. Why didn¡¯t ck Tortoise control Luqi when he first got his hands on the body? Luqi was obviously more powerful than the other bodies.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it.¡± Qilin turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°There are three possibilities.¡±

    ¡°First, ck Tortoise didn¡¯t know how powerful Luqi¡¯s Talent was. After all, it was amon perception that the lower a Talent ced on the list, the weaker it was. Perhaps ck Tortoise believed Judge to be a weak Talent and chose not to prioritize controlling the body. He could manipte at most ten bodies at once, leaving Luqi¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely to be the case.¡± Azure Dragon shook his head. ¡°It was obvious that Luqi¡¯s body was hidden, which meant ck Tortoise saw great value in it. He knew Luqi was special, at the very least.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qilin continued. ¡°There¡¯s another possibility: ck Tortoise was going to keep Luqi¡¯s body for a more critical time since there was a limit to how much use he could get out of a body.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Azure Dragon leaned toward thetter. ¡°I believe the contracted bodies to be expendables that didn¡¯t have unlimited uses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed as much.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a question: after an awakener¡¯s death, their Talents would be acquired by other awakeners eventually, yet the bodies ck Tortoise controlled could still use their Talents. That¡¯s inconsistent. We all know there are a constant number of Talents, and no Talent can be owned by two or more awakeners. Of course, Replicate and Shapeshifter are exceptions in a way, but Talents copied that way onlyst for a certain period.¡±

    Vermilion Bird crossed her legs and adjusted her posture to get morefortable. ¡°Then I realized: although the manipted bodies can still use their Talents from when they were alive, there¡¯s a limit to the duration and number of uses. Once depleted, there¡¯s no replenishing them. It works simrly to Replicate and Shapeshifter.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me of something else.¡± Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°ording to Seven Shadow¡¯s report, Ghost Horse had lost Telepathy aftering back alive, leaving only Teleportation.¡±

    ¡°From what I know, Telepathy was already acquired by a young man from the Hundred Rivers Union then. He didn¡¯t make it through the Crimson Tide, though.¡±

    ¡°Can Ie to this conclusion then...¡± Azure Dragon thought for a moment. ¡°ording to thew of conservation for Talents, an awakener¡¯s Talents will beprehended by others sooner orter after their death. If no one has when they are resurrected, though, they will recover their original Talents; conversely, if someone doesprehend their Talent before their resurrection, the resurrected will lose the Talent.¡±

    ¡°I believe so,¡± Vermilion Bird agreed.

    ¡°I think so too.¡± Qilin slowly lowered his cup of coffee. ¡°I¡¯ll make another spection. Level 4 Puppeteer may not be enough to control Luqi¡¯s body. While Judge is the number 100 Talent, it is special, perhaps no weaker than the top 12 Talents.¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s piercing eyes glinted. ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s level 6 Replicate can¡¯t replicate the top 10 Talents yet. While ck Tortoise¡¯s Puppeteer is strong, it just reached level 4 at the time, and he might not have been able to control Luqi¡¯s body. That could be why he had hidden the body forter use once his Talent leveled up.¡±

    They came to a rough conclusion and fell into thought.

    Soon, Azure Dragon broke the silence. ¡°Has someoneprehended Puppeteer and controlled Luqi?¡±

    Qilin shook his head. ¡°The Summon Rune Circuit is in my hand. Even if someone didprehend Puppeteer, it would be no more than level 3. If ck Tortoise couldn¡¯t do it at level 4, one couldn¡¯t do it at level 3.¡±

    Vermilion Bird added, ¡°Luqi was resurrected. That I¡¯m certain of. The energy of a living person differs from that of a dead body. I can tell.¡±

    She said with more gravity, ¡°But other than me and the Spectres, no one can bring back a body. Besides, the Spectres can only bring back a body within 24 hours of its death. My Equivalent Exchange is the only way to resurrect someone without a time limit.¡±

    ¡°Can it be that someone among the Godbearer Cult can resurrect a body without limit?¡± Azure Dragon spected.

 Chapter 590: Smoking Friend

    <h4>Chapter 590: Smoking Friend</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s inconsistent with what we know,¡± Qilin said. ¡°If the Godbearer Cult could bring back bodies, they wouldn¡¯t have to seek the help of the Spectres.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Azure Dragon nodded and continued with his spection. ¡°Can it be the Tails then? There are three other awakeners with the bottom Talents we haven¡¯t encountered. Perhaps one of their Talents can resurrect people after leveling up.¡±

    He listed the Talents, ¡°Lucky, Painter, ke Out. Given the name, ke Out seems the most likely to be a Talent for resurrection.¡±

    ¡°ke Out, serial number 195, Knowledge-type.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right. Resurrection should be the ability of a Life-type or Miracle-type Talent. Even a Time-Space-type barely fits the criteria.¡±

    ¡°Think outside the box, Vermilion Bird,¡± said Azure Dragon. ¡°There are limitless possibilities. For example, Madam Wu¡¯s Strong, Buff-type. If she had reached machine ascension and thus gained immortality, it could be considered a form of resurrection too. Take Knowledge-type as another example, if Dr. Jia, with Genius, seeds in developing true resurrection pills, that¡¯s another means to the same end.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop the guessing game here.¡± Qilin concluded the meeting. ¡°We''ll only learn the truth from Luqi himself. Be careful from now on. Our priority is to help Seven Shadow acquire the Guard Rune Circuit from the abyss and open the Gates of Closure as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird nodded.

    ¡°Speaking of Seven Shadow.¡± Qilin¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m being paranoid. I feel like he¡¯s changed. It¡¯s be more difficult for me to understand him.¡±

    ¡°I feel the same,¡± Azure Dragon chimed in. ¡°I considered him a good colleague. Bold yet shrewd, but he did live by certain principles. Now, though, I feel like he¡¯s getting ideas.¡±

    ¡°He lost his grandmother, parents, and a team member. It¡¯s a great blow to him. Seven Shadow¡¯s always been the sentimental type.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°I think he¡¯s reconsidering his path going forward.¡±

    She said with an edge ofint in her tone, ¡°You choosing not to save him back in Ind Nation must have hurt him, too, Guildmaster.¡±

    Qilin let out a bitterugh. ¡°In that, I did use him, and he has every right to hold a grudge for that. However, I thought Seven Shadow was someone with a broader perspective.¡±

    He shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid being his enemy, if possible. Outside of Dragon, he¡¯s the greatest threat.¡±

    Vermilion Bird hid her surprise. If Qilin said that to her and Azure Dragon, he must have be deeply wary of Seven Shadow.

    The thought that they could be bitter enemies gave Vermilion Bird a pang ofmentation.

    She thought back to the time she had spent with Seven Shadow, and her mind settled on a specific moment they had shared:te at night, Gao Yang had asked Vermilion Bird for a cigarette after a call. He looked exhausted then, as well as sad and lost.

    She was suddenly feeling regretful. She should¡¯ve given him a cigarette.

    In this damn world, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have another tender soul as a smoking friend.

    ¡°Azure Dragon.¡± Qilin decided on the future arrangements after a brief moment of consideration. ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s strong. Luqi may not seed in killing him. Still, to be safe, we should assign more people to keep an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°The tracking bracelet is already an eyesore to him. Is it really right to have more eyes on him?¡± Vermilion Bird was worried. ¡°Let¡¯s not push him to a corner.¡±

    ¡°What about assigning members of the fifth team?¡± Azure Dragon suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯ll work,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°He¡¯ll feel better with friends.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡± Qilin came to a decision. ¡°We take the bracelet off and send people to protect him instead. You¡¯ll decide on the members, Azure Dragon.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. No ident shall happen before we help Seven Shadow acquire the Guard Rune Circuit.¡± Qilin rose to his feet and knocked on the floor with his cane. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡±

    ...

    Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers, the Sunfacing Road in the Daxu District, early in the morning.

    The morning saw a thin fog permeating the city. A sprinkler drove through, and the damp road reflectedrge patches of the warm red light of the rising sun.

    A delicate beauty was watering the potted nts outside the flower shop with a watering can, dressed in a beige oversized sweater, straight-leg jeans, and a brown apron.

    The green light came up across the road. A tall, slim woman crossed the crosswalk and headed to the flower shop. She was wearing a white short tweed jacket and a long ck coat with a straight cut, her light gray hair tied into braids and resting on her left chest from the back of her head. Her pearl earrings were bright. Her style was muted in general, but the details were eye-catching.

    While bending down to water the nts, Songstress heard footsteps approaching. She tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear and looked up, breaking into a smile. ¡°Miss Liu, are you here for some flowers?¡±

    Liu Qingying returned the smile. ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°White lilies again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like a bouquet, please.¡±

    On the same day every year, Liu Qingying would buy a bouquet at Songstress¡¯ shop and then visit a long-lost friend in the Taiping Bridge Cemetery.

    Liu Qingying took out her phone to make the payment when arge, tall shadow loomed over her like a mountain. Then the nasal voice of a man said, ¡°And a bouquet of white roses for me.¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t even have to turn around to know that it was Dead Pig.

    ¡°A moment.¡± Songstress wasn¡¯t surprised at all. She walked inside with a smile. ¡°I was wondering where you were, but you showed up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sister Liu.¡± It was deep into autumn, but Dead Pig didn¡¯t seem bothered by the chill at all. He wore a custom-made gray linen shirt and ck linen shorts, walking on a pair of thick wooden sandals.

    Liu Qingying roasted him in the softest voice, ¡°How did you be even fatter, Dead Pig?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s unavoidable going into middle age.¡± Dead Pig was entirely unfazed, his tone still pleasant.

    ¡°You¡¯ll end up not fitting into an elevator alone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll work on losing weight. Starting from tomorrow.¡± Dead Pig was still smiling. He had said that a million times.

    They had been friends for years. As they exchanged barbs, Songstress returned with two bouquets. One of white roses, for Dead pig, and the other of white lilies, for Liu Qingying.

    They took the flowers and headed to the nearest subway station without a word, as if they had rehearsed it.

 Chapter 591: At night in the Ba Mountains

    <h4>Chapter 591: At night in the Ba Mountains</h4>

    Taiping Bridge Cemetery, an hourter.

    Liu Qingying and Dead Pig stood before a tombstone halfway up the mountain cemetery, cing down each of their bouquets.

    Liu Qingying took two steps back and produced three short incense sticks and a lighter from her retro handbag, lighting them before handing them to Dead Pig. ¡°These are yours. I know you won¡¯t bring any.¡±

    ¡°Haha, thanks.¡± Dead Pig epted the incense sticks with a smile.

    She then took out another three incense sticks and lit them. The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, praying to the tombstone thrice before offering the incense.

    After that, Dead Pig started uprooting the weeds around the tomb barehanded, painting the picture of a burly farmer tending to his farm. All the while, Liu Qingying stood by the side, smoking a light cigarette.

    On the tombstone etched the dead¡¯s name and years of birth and death:

    1982-2009

    Ba Qiuchi

    The ck-and-white photo embedded in the tombstone was of a short-haired girl with a bright smile, her facial features sharp on her heart-shaped face. She looked like one of those upright and handsome female generals who were no lesser than their male counterparts from period dramas.

    The name Ba Qiuchi came from an ancient poem, penned by her father¡¯s favorite poet[1].

    She awakened when she was eighteen. Before, she had been Liu Qingying¡¯s high school schoolmate and only friend, and, fortunately, she still was after awakening, since Liu Qingying had awakened then too.

    When she was twenty-three, Ba Qiuchi fell in love with a man and married him; the man was Dead Pig. Notably, he hadn¡¯t been asrge as he was now.

    Two yearster, their marriage came to an end, and they got divorced. Ba Qiuchi resigned from the Twelve Zodiac Signs and joined the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Her reason was simple: there were many weaker awakeners among the Hundred Rivers Union, and they needed more help. She had always been a kind-hearted woman with a strong sense of justice.

    No one would¡¯ve expected her to die suddenly a year after joining the Union. The culprit remained unidentified to this day.

    Many mourned her death, but over the years, her name faded from their memories, too.

    Dead Pig and Liu Qingying were the only ones holding onto her.

    ¡°Any clues on Ba¡¯s death?¡± Dead Pig asked as he pulled out weeds.

    ¡°No.¡± Liu Qingying tugged at her lips dejectedly. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if the culprit is already dead. It¡¯s been nine years, and people don¡¯t live long in the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°If the culprit¡¯s alive, I want them alive. If they¡¯re dead, I want the body. Even if there are only ashes left, I will personally ground the ashes further into powder.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so obsessed with it,¡± Liu Qingying said halfheartedly. ¡°Qiuchi no longer loved you when she passed away, and she had little to do with you. Why make yourself out to be the tragic male lead?¡±

    She shook off some ash from her cigarette. ¡°I say you should find a woman and start a new life with her.¡±

    ¡°Ha, men like me.¡± Dead Pig righted himself and looked at the photo on the tombstone. ¡°Only a silly woman like Ba would fall for me. A shame that she didn''t realize her mistake until she had already wasted her time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was foolish of her.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°There are many good men in the world, but she had to pick a piece of shit to settle on.¡±

    Dead Pig was entirely unfazed. He continued to clean up the tomb.

    <i>Ring</i>.

    When his phone rang, he nced at the screen and moved to the side to make sure the camera wouldn¡¯t capture Ba Qiuchi¡¯s tomb before picking up the video call.

    He chuckled. ¡°You woke up early today, Cute Little Lamb.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Dead Pig.¡± The girl¡¯s cute, petnt voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°I had a nightmare... I dreamed that Uncle Dead Pig was gone...¡±

    ¡°Haha, why would I be? I¡¯m okay.¡± Dead Pig nced at White Rabbit through the screen. ¡°Tell Lovely Lamb that dreams are the opposite of reality, Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°I told her, but she wouldn¡¯t listen. She wouldn''t settle down until she called you.¡± White Rabbit sounded resigned. ¡°She called Heavenly Dog too, saying that he was also gone in her dream.¡±

    Dead Pig chuckled. ¡°Cute Little Lamb, Uncle will be back soon. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±

    ¡°I want ice cream!¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t,¡± White Rabbit reprimanded. ¡°Have you forgotten about your stomach ache fromst time?¡±

    After a few exchanges, Dead Pig hung up.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been happy with the Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± Liu Qingying said in an indecipherable tone.

    ¡°Yeah, it feels like another home.¡± Dead Pig shot Liu Qingying a look. ¡°You should join us too, Sister Liu. Humans are social animals. You don¡¯t have to punish yourself by living like this. You¡¯re not responsible for Ba¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to know everything about me,¡± Liu Qingying scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m content with my life. Mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°Haha, okay. Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Dead Pig didn¡¯t press.

    After a while, Liu Qingying nced at her watch. ¡°I have business to attend to. Later.¡±

    Dead Pig still had weeds in his grasp. He looked up as Liu Qingying walked away, letting out a soft sigh.

    ...

    Wang Zikai¡¯s home, Li River Community, nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang woke up on the sofa to find Fresh Snow lying on the rug, dressed only in his t-shirt, which was toorge for her. In her hands were a pen and a sheet of paper. She seemed to be writing something in secret.

    After the ambushst noon, Gao Yang asked Wang Zikai for a favor. Wang Zikai hung up and left home with what he needed. Then Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao returned to the Walled City of Ten Dragons to give Azure Dragon a detailed report, after which he treated Hong Xiaoxiao to barbecues at Liu Qingying¡¯s restaurant, reaffirming their freshly forged bond.

    When Gao Yang went home at night, he called Gao Xinxin. Then he yed games and watched movies with Fresh Snow.

    Later in the night, he and Fresh Snow took turns keeping watch. Fresh Snow went to bed first while Gao Yang stayed vignt. Then Gao Yang went to sleep under Fresh Snow¡¯s watch.

    Fresh Snow was reluctant at first, insisting on going to bed with him. Gao Yang had to tell her about the attack for her to take the matter seriously.

    Now, Fresh Snow was giggling and counting to herself as she swung her slim smooth legs back and forth. ¡°One, two, three, four...nine more...¡±

    Gao Yang went up to sneak a nce. She was writing on a letter sheet with her signature chicken scrawls. It looked like a bucket list.

    Her head blocked most of her wishes, so Gao Yang could only see the first few lines:

    Have roasted fish with Gao Yang¡Ì

    Watch fireworks with Gao Yang¡Ì

    y w machines with Gao Yang¡Ì

    Go to a cinema with Gao Yang

    ...

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Noticing Gao Yang watching from her back, Fresh Snow quickly covered the letter. ¡°No look-see! Turn away, Gao Yang!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Gao Yang yed dumb. ¡°What are you writing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Fresh Snow weakly said with an awkwardugh, quickly folding the letter and tucking it under the t-shirt, only to have it slip down and fall to her feet.

    She hurried to pick it up and grasp it in her hand like it was a great treasure.

    Gao Yang facepalmed. ¡°Get changed. Pick something with a pocket.¡±

    ¡°Don''t wanna.¡± Fresh Snow pouted.

    ¡°Be good and put on proper clothes,¡± Gao Yang coaxed. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to a movie.¡±

    1. <i>Letter On a Rainy Night to a Friend from the North</i> by the poet Li Shangyin. The line the name is based on is ¡°At night in the Ba Mountains rain fills a pond of autumn over the brim. (<i>ba shan ye yu zhang qiu chi</i>).¡± ?

 Chapter 592: Tag Along

    <h4>Chapter 592: Tag Along</h4>

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Fresh Snow dashed into the walk-in closet. With Gao Yang¡¯s continuous effort and repeated reminders, Fresh Snow finally developed a basic understanding of gender differences. She knew now that she should put on human clothes after turning from a cat to a girl, and that she should mind her privacy and physical boundaries in human form.

    After Gao Yang washed up, Fresh Snow reemerged in a white jumper.

    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡±

    Gao Yang looked at her slim bare legs and sighed.<i> Fresh Snow doesn¡¯t mind the cold, so let¡¯s forget about putting socks on her.</i>

    After some hesitation, Gao Yang asked with lingering worry, ¡°Have you put on undergarments?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow grinned.

    ¡°Pants?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow grabbed the hem of her jumper with both hands and lifted it, revealing a pair of jean shorts and her bare belly.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Gao Yang averted his gaze and turned away to grab ab from the vanity. ¡°Come here. I¡¯llb your hair, and we¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°I want braids, Gao Yang!¡± Fresh Snow obediently sat down, looking expectant. ¡°The kind of braids Sister does for me!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled fondly. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give it a try. No promises...¡±

    <i>Ring</i>.

    The doorbell rang.

    ¡°Idiot Kai¡¯s back!¡± Fresh Snow jumped to her feet happily and skipped her way to the entryway.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Gao Yang grabbed her. ¡°Stay behind me.¡±

    Blocking her and keeping a distance from the entryway, Gao Yang called out warily, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Captain Seven Shadow!¡± Can responded excitedly from outside the door. ¡°We¡¯re here to visit you!¡±

    Gao Yang said coldly, ¡°Door¡¯s unlocked.¡±

    The door opened.

    Can was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with horizontal stripes and a denim overall. Her bob hair had gotten long, parted softly on the side and covering her ears, running down to her slim, fair neck.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Can came up to him with a beam.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Gao Yang snapped coldly.

    Can¡¯s smile froze, and she came to a sudden halt, feeling awkward. She didn¡¯t know what she had done wrong.

    ¡°Prove that you¡¯re you,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Can caught on. ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    A secondter, she disappeared. Then a gust of wind hit Gao Yang and swirled around him.

    Gao Yang rxed. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    It was too unlikely for someone to be able to disguise themself as Can and use Invisibility and Gale.

    Can reappeared and rushed up to Gao Yang. ¡°We¡¯re here to visit you, Captain.¡±

    <i>We?</i>

    Gao Yang looked up to see Lithe Snake, wearing camouge and a ck beret, walking into the door, followed by Nine Frost, who was dressed in the fifth team¡¯s uniform. Then Hong Xiaoxiao came in, looking left and right nervously. Thest to enter was Six Rime in the traditional witch outfit of white robe and red dress, her impassive face looking cold like ice.

    She closed the door behind her. That was the entire group.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Lithe Snake had been smiling a second before, but then he threw a throwing knife at Gao Yang¡¯s eye. Gao Yang raised his right hand and caught it easily with two fingers.

    He ¡°returned¡± the throwing knife to Lithe Snake, and the man caught it easily too, putting it back into its sheath.

    ¡°I¡¯ve proven myself, Brother Lithe Snake,¡± said Can. ¡°No need for you to do the same.¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about proving myself?¡± Lithe Snake nced at Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯m checking if it¡¯s the real Captain.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s...¡± Can was going to blurt out the word ¡°paranoid¡±, but managed to say instead, ¡°...cautious of you.¡±

    ¡°There are many who can catch your knives,¡± Gao Yang said on purpose. ¡°This doesn¡¯t prove anything.¡±

    ¡°Of course it does.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Everyone moves and reacts differently.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. It seemed that Lithe Snake had memorized the way every teammate moved and reacted.

    Nine Frost looked around before turning to Fresh Snow, asking in a raised voice on purpose, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    It was for Hong Xiaoxiao and Six Rime¡¯s benefit, of course. Can was one of their own, and Lithe Snake had already told her about the Spectres and Fresh Snow.

    ¡°Wang Xiaoxiu,¡± Fresh Snow answered for herself. ¡°I¡¯m Wang Zikai¡¯s cousin. Are you Gao Yang¡¯s friends?¡±

    Gao Yang was pleased with her reaction. Although he had told Fresh Snow about how she should react in different scenarios, her readiness still caught him by surprise.

    Gao Yang answered Nine Frost, when in truth his response was meant for Hong Xiaoxiao and Six Rime. ¡°She¡¯s a white face with a stable temperament. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be frank.¡± Nine Frost put aside his reservations. ¡°Captain, after your attackst afternoon, Elder Azure Dragon sent us to protect you. Gray Bear has to go to work, and he¡¯s better at taking hits than protecting people. Thus, the five of us are assigned.¡±

    <i>It¡¯s to protect but also to watch me.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice his thoughts but simply nodded. ¡°Thank you. Make yourselves at home.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Fresh Snow finally realized the situation, and her eyes widened. ¡°Are we not going to the cinema, Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go another day.¡±

    ¡°We can all go together.¡± Fresh Snow didn¡¯t want to ept it. She had thought she could put another checkmark on her bucket list today.

    ¡°There are too many people in the mall and too little space. Our lines of sight will be obstructed, which makes it easier for an ambush to happen. Better to stay here.¡± As expected of a former mercenary, Lithe Snake was a pro in the work of a bodyguard. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch outside with Six Rime. The rest of you should stay with Captain.¡±

    He nced at Six Rime. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon ordered me to stay right by Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Six Rime remained where she was, her expression unchanged.

    Lithe Snake wasn¡¯t surprised. He had wanted to get Six Rime out of here. Hong Xiaoxiao would be easy to deal with since she was new. Then the other members of the fifth team would have a chance to talk to Gao Yang in private.

    However, it seemed that Elder Azure Dragon had anticipated that, which was why he sent Six Rime.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Nine Frost didn¡¯t want Six Rime to suspect them, so he made the offer voluntarily.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Lithe Snake leaped out of the window.

    Nine Frost used the stairs to get to the rooftop instead.

    That left Gao Yang with Fresh Snow, Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Six Rime.

    Can had learned about Gao Yang¡¯s parents and Officer Huang. After some hesitation, she mustered the courage to say, ¡°We texted you, Captain. You didn¡¯t reply...¡±

    ¡°I got them.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Sorry. I haven¡¯t been feeling welltely.¡±

    His mood was one thing. Another reason Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond to the texts from any member of Team Heavenbreaker was to avoid suspicion.

    The messenger app on all Guild members¡¯ phones was encoded. In theory, the Guild could be monitoring all themunications. Gao Yang didn¡¯t think it was worth it to take the risk. Even private conversations could make the Guild think that they were getting other ideas.

    And Gao Yang was right to be careful. After his parents¡¯ funeral, Qilin immediately relieved him of the leadership position of Team Heavenbreaker, and there were discreet signs that Qilin had be wary of him.

    ¡°We...we understand.¡± Can wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°We¡¯re just...worried.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gao Yang said in a distant tone. ¡°Sit. I¡¯ll make coffee for you.¡±

    He walked into the kitchen. Fresh Snow immediately followed, and so did Six Rime.

    Gao Yang sighed. Six Rime followed the order to shadow him to a T.

    Unhappy, Fresh Snow pouted and stared at Six Rime. ¡°Stop following him like a pest!¡±

    Six Rime was unfazed. ¡°I¡¯m doing my job.¡±

    Two secondster, she coldly retorted, ¡°You¡¯re the pest.¡±

 Chapter 593: Hell Will Break Loose

    <h4>Chapter 593: Hell Will Break Loose</h4>

    ¡°You!¡± Fresh Snow pointed at Six Rime, filled with surging frustration. ¡°Gao Yang and I are friends. You¡¯re the pest following him along!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on a mission. You¡¯re not.¡± Six Rime retorted in an unhurried tone. ¡°You¡¯re the pest.¡±

    ¡°You, you, you...¡±

    Fresh Snow became flushed in the face. She didn¡¯t know how to argue against that. Then she remembered the phrase her sister, White Dew, had used in the past in arguments. ¡°Bullshit!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Gao Yang quickly ruffled her hair. ¡°Be good and go y games with Can.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, pest!¡± Fresh Snow shouted with lingering anger before running away, worried that Six Rime would have anothereback.

    Six Rime didn¡¯t even spare Fresh Snow a nce. Her eyes were on Gao Yang.

    While boiling water, Gao Yang pointed at the cupboard at his feet. ¡°The coffee is on the first shelf. Thanks.¡±

    Six Rime paused before crouching down to open the cupboard, finding the instant coffee. She asked coolly, ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Five.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, Nine Frost and Lithe Snake stood back-to-back on the rooftop, watching out for potential enemies in the area.

    ¡°I have a feeling that something¡¯s gone wrong between Captain and Qilin, Old Frost,¡± Lithe Snake said in a controlled voice.

    ¡°Yeah, I feel the same.¡± Nine Frost frowned slightly. ¡°Team Heavenbreaker is now under the full control of Azure Dragon. It¡¯s bad.¡±

    ¡°Ha, Captain¡¯s joined the Guild for less than six months, during which he¡¯s found several Rune Circuits, unearthed information on the Godbearer Cult, the Spectres, and the life monsters, and then he turned out to be a mix. What¡¯s it called again...¡±

    ¡°Divine Scion, I think.¡±

    ¡°Divine Scion.¡± Lithe Snake felt the words roll on his tongue. ¡°Captain¡¯s achieved too much and overshadowed Guildmaster. He¡¯s acquired six Talents and killed the Malediction to save all awakeners in Li City. Were you Qilin, would you be able to stay in your seat leisurely? Wouldn¡¯t you feel the threat to your position?¡±

    Nine Frost put himself in Qilin¡¯s shoes. ¡°Were I Qilin, I wouldn¡¯t mind continuing working with Captain as long as our goals align, but if not, I would consider making a move.¡±

    Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Just wait. Once thest Rune Circuit is found, all hell will break loose.¡±

    ¡°Lithe Snake¡¯s right.¡±

    Both Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were taken aback. Gao Yang had appeared beside them without them noticing.

    ¡°Captain, you...¡± Lithe Snake put two and two together, breaking into a grin. ¡°A double?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a double, but I can still talk to you.¡±

    Gao Yang had intentionally asked Six Rime to grab the instant coffee for him so that he could conjure a double and have it teleport to the roof during the fleeting moment her eyes weren¡¯t on him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll be brief.¡± Gao Yang quickened his pace. ¡°I¡¯m going independent. It¡¯s dangerous and requires preparations. During the following week, stay awake from ten in the morning to three in the early morning and keep your phone on. Wait for my signal.¡±

    He went up to whisper a few words to Lithe Snake.

    Lithe Snake nodded. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll tell the others.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s double faded and vanished into thin air.

    ...

    Meanwhile, the water was boiling in the kitchen. Gao Yang, with his back to Six Rime, dispersed his double. A discrete sh of energy flicked through his eyes.

    He picked up the kettle to pour the hot water into the coffee cups. His hand shook ¡°identally¡± with the third cup, and the hot water was going to spill onto the counter, but it immediately stopped and turned into a small clump before slowly moving into the cup.

    Gao Yang quietly thought, <i>Six Rime¡¯s quick, and she has fine control over the water elements. Her God of Water is at least level 6. Frost is likely at the same level too. She¡¯ll be a formidable enemy if she bes one.</i>

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gao Yang turned around.

    Six Rime blinked in response rather than opening her mouth.

    ...

    During the morning, Can taught Fresh Snow how to y mobile games.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know how Fresh Snow was doing with the game itself, but she had learned quite a lot of phrases for ¡°greeting¡± her opponents, which worried him.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had received information on herpany¡¯stest product and was memorizing the sales pitch. She even rehearsed the lines on Six Rime, pretending that she was a client. Six Rime remained silent throughout, her eyes never leaving Gao Yang.

    Came noon, Gao Yang rummaged through the fridge and made seafood sandwiches for everyone with salmon, shrimp, mayonnaise, leafy greens, spam, and toast.

    Can took two sandwiches and two cartons of milk to the rooftop for Nine Frost and Lithe Snake.

    Fresh Snow was known for hollering for food the fiercest while eating the least. She gave her unfinished sandwich to Hong Xiaoxiao.

    Hong Xiaoxiao smiled bashfully. ¡°I woke up too early this morning and haven¡¯t had breakfast. I am a little hungry.¡±

    Afterward, Gao Yang went to the kitchen to do the dishes. Six Rime watched while controlling the speed at which the water hit the bowls, increasing his efficiency.

    In the afternoon, Gao Yang, Can, and Hong Xiaoxiao yed Monopoly with Fresh Snow. The three of them tried their best to y badly, and finally, they managed to have Fresh Snowe out as the winner.

    Fresh Snow jumped up happily and gave each of them a hug. Even Six Rime, who was merely spectating, got one. She didn¡¯t react at all, showing no positive or negative feelings.

    Night soon fell. They were getting so bored that they started singing. Then Can and Hong Xiaoxiao got hungry again and suggested they order delivery.

    Gao Yang agreed, ordering fried chicken, roasted skewers, c, and beer¡ªall high-calorie food that could make people happy.

    Half an hourter, the delivery came. There was enough food to fill the table. Can reached out to make a grab for it, only to be deterred by Gao Yang¡¯s re.

    He asked in an icy tone, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done wrong, Can?¡±

    Can lowered her head and mumbled, ¡°I...I shouldn¡¯t just make a grab. I should let you have it first, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The reason being?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re our leader, and we should respect you,¡± Can said without thinking.

    Gao Yang sighed, visibly disappointed.

    He wordlessly reached out to Hong Xiaoxiao. Hong Xiaoxiao paused for a couple of seconds before her eyes glinted, and she quickly picked up a skewer of roasted beef tendons to offer it to Gao Yang, speaking in a respectful tone, ¡°Captain Seven Shadow, please have it first.¡±

    Gao Yang rolled his eyes and almost fainted from frustration.

    <i>You both have a few screws loose in your heads. It¡¯s gonna take work to lead the group in the future.</i>

 Chapter 594: Like a Dog

    <h4>Chapter 594: Like a Dog</h4>

    There was an awkward silence.

    Exasperated, Gao Yang said, ¡°The hairpin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao finally caught on. She took off the ck Gold hairpin on her head and marked it before handing it to Gao Yang.

    Putting the pin on his sleeve, Gao Yang tasted every type of food in a sanitary manner, including the drinks, keeping his eyes closed to focus on his senses.

    Half a minuteter, he opened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all safe. You can dig in.¡±

    Can finally understood what he was doing then, and she felt both ashamed and moved. Their captain wasn¡¯t the type to care about hierarchy; he voluntarily tested the food out of his concern for everyone¡¯s safety.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to kill me right now, and he may do it in every way possible. Keep that in mind.¡±

    The others nodded.

    ¡°Should I go get Nine Frost and Lithe Snake?¡± Can remembered the two teammates braving the cold winds while on guard duty, and she couldn¡¯t just sit there.

    ¡°I¡¯m not against it,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Neither am I.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t think it would be too big a deal. ¡°It should be fine for them toe in for a few minutes, right?¡±

    Sitting upright, Six Rime thought for a few seconds before standing up. ¡°Come to the kitchen with me, Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I can give them a few hours to rest, but I need to go to the kitchen.¡± Six Rime nced at Gao Yang. ¡°I can¡¯t allow you out of my sight.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang stood up, thinking, <i>Learn from her, Can, Hong Xiaoxiao. This is what a pro should be. The attention to detail is important.</i>

    He followed Six Rime to the kitchen. She opened the tap in the sink. The stream of water made a sudden twist and dove out of the window like a snake, sttering onto thewn in the yard and forming a pool. The pool continued to spread in all directions, and as it covered the walls and rooftop outside, the water froze over.

    In three minutes, a thinyer of frost covered the vi''s hundred meters radius.

    Six Rime adjusted her breathing and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll be able to detect anyone approaching in the next three hours.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Thank you for the hard work.¡±

    Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were relieved of their duty under the elements. They plopped down on the sofa and enjoyed the beer and roasted wings, looking leisurely like two office workers who had just gotten off from work.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Xiaoxiu want to watch a movie? Why don¡¯t we do it now?¡± Can, after filling her stomach, suggested. She had quickly taken a liking to the pretty girl throughout the day.

    Most importantly, Fresh Snow was the only one whose intelligence was at her level, and she found a kindred spirit in her.

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s watch a movie!¡± Fresh Snow was the first to agree, and the others weren''t opposed to the idea.

    Gao Yang turned on the stereo system. After going through the collection, they ended up picking Tales of the Journey to the West, a ssicedy with incredible reyability, starring Steven Chow[1].

    ¡°Oh, I know him!¡± Fresh Snow called out in excitement. She had seen the man¡¯s God of Comedy[2], and she recognized the actor immediately.

    There was the original movie and the sequel. The first movie was an absurd parody and a hriousedy. Can and Hong Xiaoxiao reacted especially well to it. Although they had rewatched the movies many times, they still rolled aroundughing whenever a ssic bit came up. Even Lithe Snake, the king of sourface, and Six Rime, with the range of emotions of a robot, cracked a smile every once in a while.

    Fresh Snow watched the movie more seriously than everyone else with her legs tucked and her arms around Gao Yang¡¯s elbow. Although sheughed every once in a while too, she was more affected by the mood than really feeling theedy. In fact, she didn¡¯t really understand the punchlines, and there were many parts she didn¡¯t get at all.

    In the beginning, she asked Gao Yang what was going on nonstop, and Gao Yang always exined to her patiently, but everyone got immersed in the movie, including Gao Yang; Fresh Snow slowly stopped asking.

    Then they put on the sequel. Although there were still funny bits, there were many more solemn moments. They were not so muchughing along as feeling regretful for the love story between the protagonist and his love interest.

    At the end of the movie, the protagonist put on the tightening spell voluntarily and lost his love[3].

    Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Fresh Snow were all tearing up.

    Fresh Snow was both sad and happy. She was saddened by the tragic love story, but happy that she was finally fitting in.

    Thest scene was of the protagonist¡¯s reincarnation standing on top of the city wall, looking at the back of Sun Wukong andughing as he said, ¡°He looks like a dog.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a ssic scene.¡± Nine Frost sighed.

    ¡°Some people say the movie was made for that line alone,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Even Six Rime broke her silence to make ament.

    ¡°I only knew tough when I watched the movie as a kid.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. ¡°When I watched it as a student though, I cried every time. Now that I¡¯ve started working, what impressed me the most is the single line.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± even the always upbeat Can said solemnly with a hand propping her chin. ¡°Who among us isn¡¯t a dog?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Fresh Snow was confused. She turned to Gao Yang. ¡°He¡¯s Sun Wukong. Why is he a dog?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. It wasn¡¯t easy to exin, but he tried. ¡°I think it¡¯s because those who cannot escape fate are like dogs.¡±

    ¡°Heaven and hell are cruel, and all creatures in the world are treated like dogs,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Ugh, stop it, Brother Lithe Snake,¡± Can said. ¡°My good mood is gone.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Fresh Snow asked insistently. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    Can said, ¡°You¡¯re young, Xiaoxiu. You¡¯ll understand once you grow up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t dwell on it. It¡¯s time for kids to go to bed.¡± Lithe Snake stood up and nced at Nine Frost. ¡°Back to our post?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nine Frost emptied his beer and rose to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wash my mouth.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao stood up and headed to the bathroom.

    ¡°I¡¯m going too. My mouth tastes like cumin.¡± Can followed her.

    Six Rime returned to a seat in the corner quietly, continuing to keep an eye on Gao Yang.

    The living room fell silent.

    Gao Yang patted Fresh Snow on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go to...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±

    Fresh Snow shook off his hand suddenly, jumping and dashing up the stairs to the second floor, huffing.

    1. A reference to Stephen Chow¡¯s <i>Journey to the West</i>. ?

    2. A reference to his <i>King of Comedy</i>. ?

    3. The protagonist of the actual movie is Zhi Zuen Bao, a reincarnation of Sun Wukong. He didn¡¯t realize he was in love with Zixia until it was toote, and in the end, he chose to put on the tightening spell to be Sun Wukong to save her, thus losing his chance to be with her. ?

 Chapter 595: Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 595: Kiss</h4>

    Gao Yang was taken aback. It seemed to be the first time Fresh Snow had ever gotten angry at him, and she was truly mad.

    But why?

    After a moment of silence, Gao Yang stood up, havinge to a conclusion.

    Six Rime immediately rose to follow him, sticking close to him. Then Gao Yang headed to Fresh Snow¡¯s room, knocking on the door three times.

    ¡°You there, Xiaoxiu?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Go away! I¡¯m fine! Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Fresh Snow shouted angrily from the room.

    Gao Yang twisted the doorknob gently. It wasn¡¯t locked; Fresh Snow never knew to lock the door.

    He nced at Six Rime. ¡°Are youing in too?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be at the door.¡± Six Rime¡¯s mission was to keep an eye on Gao Yang to make sure he didn¡¯t spend any time alone with members of the fifth team, while Wang Xiaoxiu wasn¡¯t part of her job.

    Still, considering that Gao Yang could teleport through walls, she emphasized, ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch of the whole room to protect you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t point out her true intention. ¡°Alright.¡±

    He took a deep breath and opened the door.

    The bedroom was dim. Ayer of white fog permeated the floor as gray blue moonlight streamed through the window, painting an ethereal picture. Walking amid the fog, every move Gao Yang made was under Six Rime¡¯s watch.

    Fresh Snow wasn¡¯t on the bed. Gao Yang turned to the closet on the side and reached out to open the door, but the door was kept shut from the inside.

    ¡°Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang called out gently.

    ¡°Go away! Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Fresh Snow was still angry. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping here!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly and softened his voice. ¡°We agreed that good friends don¡¯t hold grudges overnight, Fresh Snow.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. When Gao Yang tried the door again, Fresh Snow didn¡¯t hold it close.

    She had her arms around her legs as she curled up in the closet. Herrge eyes were swollen from crying, and her face was covered in tears.

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his chest. He took out the clothes by Fresh Snow¡¯s side and bent down to squeeze himself into the closet, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her. Then he closed the door.

    Faintly blue moonlight and hazy fog seeped in through the crack of the closet door, illuminating Fresh Snow¡¯s eyes and the tip of her nose, as well as Gao Yang¡¯s chin and Adam¡¯s apple.

    ¡°We were wrong to dismiss you, Fresh Snow,¡± Gao Yang apologized earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Fresh Snow shook her head, her tone hurt. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m a ghost, and you¡¯re human. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t understand your movies and what you¡¯re talking about. I...I¡¯m an idiot.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow, you aren¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°No, I am.¡± Fresh Snow lowered her head and tried her best to keep her voice from breaking. ¡°If only I weren¡¯t a ghost...¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart clenched. It was the second time Fresh Snow had said those words.

    He turned to the side to find Fresh Snow¡¯s hand in the dark, holding it tightly. ¡°Look at me, Fresh Snow.¡±

    Eyes still brimming with tears, Fresh Snow turned away, avoiding Gao Yang.

    ¡°Look at me,¡± Gao Yang said in a harder tone.

    She paused before looking up, meeting his eyes in the dark.

    ¡°Fresh Snow, your mother was a life monster, and your father a human, right?¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded.

    ¡°My mother was a life monster, and my father was a human, too, right?¡±

    She nodded again.

    ¡°Then we¡¯re the same.¡±

    Fresh Snow paused.

    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s anything different between me and the others, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Six Rime?¡±

    Fresh Snow shook her head.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not different. We all have souls, have different emotions, and we all think and love,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Is that not the case?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s gaze grew more determined.

    ¡°We¡¯re the same, too, so just like us, you have a soul, have different emotions, and you think and love.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Fresh Snow nodded vehemently, finally without hesitation.

    Gao Yang tightened his grip around Fresh Snow¡¯s hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t understand the movie tonight not because you were different, but because you¡¯re young. You have too little knowledge and life experience. Once you¡¯re your sister¡¯s age, you¡¯ll understand everything.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, I think I get it now...¡±

    Fresh Snow spoke with certainty, her eyes glinting with tears.

    She stared at his face, feeling the exchanges of their breaths. Her heart started pounding again at a quicker pace, and she realized that she wanted to lean in¡ªnot to nuzzle Gao Yang¡¯s chin with her head, but to do something even more intimate.

    She remembered then what she had seen in the movie. There was something only a couple would do to each other: they pressed their lips together.

    A kiss, it was called.

    Fresh Snow felt lightheaded. She gently closed her eyes and was going to follow her instinct, but then <i>ring</i>! Gao Yang¡¯s phone interrupted her. She jumped, and the strange urge possessing her was gone.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t noticed the rollercoaster of emotions she had gone through. He looked down at the caller ID and frowned. It was Green Tea.

    He opened the closet and walked out, picking up the call. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, have you gone to sleep?¡± Green Tea asked with a smile.

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a stroll outside. Why don¡¯t we have a drink? Is this a good time?¡± Green Tea spoke with purposeful nonchnce, which only made an rm re in Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    He knew that Green Tea couldn¡¯t havee for a simple drink, but it didn¡¯t make sense for him toe all the way here to talk about multiple personalities.

    Gao Yang¡¯s instinct told him that this was urgent.

    ¡°Sure, but I have a few friends with me,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°If you want a drink, you¡¯ll have to drink with all of us.¡±

    Green Tea was a bright one, and he immediately caught on that Gao Yang was under watch.

    After a few seconds, the man on the other end of the line seemed to have reached a decision. ¡°Alright. Then we¡¯ll all drink together. The more the merrier.¡±

    ¡°Thene over.¡± Gao Yang gave him the address.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    When Gao Yang hung up, Fresh Snow had already crawled out of the closet. She wasn¡¯t crying anymore, but her eyes were still a little swollen.

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, the big guy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, him.¡± Fresh Snow had just shared a meal and gone to a karaoke with the group, so she remembered. ¡°Is heing to hang out with you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he wanna talk.¡± Gao Yang ruffled her hair. ¡°You should go to sleep first.¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s bright eyes shifted. ¡°No, I¡¯m staying up until you go to bed.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 596: Wall of Lamentation

    <h4>Chapter 596: Wall of Lamentation</h4>

    Once out of the room, Gao Yang was just about to open his mouth when Six Rime spoke up first. ¡°Who called you?¡±

    ¡°Green Tea, the fifth team leader of the Hundred Rivers Union,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°He¡¯sing to visit me.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°For a drink.¡±

    Six Rime fell into a bemused silence.

    Gao Yang, Fresh Snow, and Six Rime went downstairs together and told everyone about the visit. Can immediately called Nine Frost and Lithe Snake back into the house, and they waited a little more than twenty minutes on high alert.

    The doorbell rang.

    ¡°It¡¯s not locked,¡± Gao Yang said.

    As soon as Green Tea opened the door and came in, a stool flew toward his face, interrupting what he was about to say. Facing the sudden threat, he made an instinctual punch and broke the stool into pieces, which was obviously done with One-inch Punch.

    He gave Gao Yang and the others in the room a wry smile. ¡°Is this how you wee guests, Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to confirm who you are. Nothing personal.¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°Someone¡¯s after me.¡±

    ¡°Ha, no wonder you¡¯ve got so many bodyguards.¡± Green Tea nced at the others before walking in through the entryway. He was dressed in a tank top and a pair of running shorts, wearing running shoes with a towel around his neck. It seemed that he had run here.

    Indeed, he wiped the sweat on his face with the towel and said, ¡°I needed a half-hour aerobic session, so I decided to run here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯te for a drink with me, did you?¡± Gao Yang asked bluntly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Green Tea spread his hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t even bring alcohol.¡±

    He let out a dryugh and gently closed the door. ¡°There¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but they¡¯ll be listening too.¡± Gao Yang nced at Six Rime, who was standing by his side.

    ¡°So be it then.¡± Green Tea sighed in resignation. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to be cautious.¡±

    Fresh Snow suddenly grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s elbow. Gao Yang turned to see her body going stiff and her pupils dting, her gaze fixed on Green Tea in alert.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Fresh Snow shook her head and wordlessly kept her grip on Gao Yang.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow,¡± Green Tea said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something important, but you must give me a promise first.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I need protection.¡±

    Gao Yang paused in surprise. He had guessed what this must be about.

    Softly, he asked, ¡°Did you find out who Dust is?¡±

    Dust was the spy the Godbearer Cult had nted in the Hundred Rivers Union ten years ago, said to be a woman.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to talk to a smart guy like you.¡± Green Tea looked around to make sure the ce was safe before taking a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the conclusion. Dust is...¡±

    When he finished, though, he realized that Gao Yang and the others didn¡¯t show any reaction.

    He stared. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you react at all?¡±

    ¡°So who¡¯s Dust?¡± Lithe Snake asked impatiently.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Dust is...¡± Green Tea repeated.

    This time, Gao Yang became certain it wasn¡¯t that Green Tea had cut himself short, but that the name had been encoded, in a manner of speaking. While Green Tea thought he had spoken normally, the word never left his mouth.

    Nine Frost¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who is Dust?¡±

    ¡°I told you. It¡¯s...¡± Green Tea opened and closed his mouth two more times, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound. Stunned and confused, he sputtered, ¡°How did this happen? I did, I did...¡±

    Gao Yang came to a quick realization. <i>It¡¯s a curse! One triggered by words!</i>

    He shouted, ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao, give him your hairpin!¡±

    Caught off guard, Hong Xiaoxiao panickedly took off her hairpin and threw it to Green Tea, but it was already toote.

    Green Tea nched, copsing to the floor while holding onto his neck, face twisted with pain. Gao Yang was going to pick up the hairpin and put it on Green Tea, but his rational mind told him that it was toote to make a save now. Green Tea had already triggered the curse. Moreover, Fresh Snow was holding tightly onto him to stop him from approaching.

    ¡°Aghh¡ª¡±

    Two secondster, Green Tea¡¯s head jerked up, the force of it threatening to break his neck. Colorful dust-like particles gushed out of his eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth, crystal-clear.

    The energy particles swirled above Green Tea¡¯s head, forming a neb in seconds. Drained, Green Tea toppled to the floor, turning into a lifeless body.

    ¡°Wall of Lamentation!¡±

    Fresh Snow rushed past everyone and widened her arms. A translucent dark green wall of spirits emerged from under her feet, looking like it had been built with countless immaterial bricks. At the center of the wall was an androgynous face. Its eyes were brimming with quickly flickering ck and white spots.

    It opened its empty mouth. It looked like a vortex that would suck one into the darkest abyss.

    <i>Bam! </i>The neb swirling above Green Tea¡¯s head exploded into countless dust particles, which didn¡¯t do any physical damage, but would spread through the house like poisonous gas and contaminate and corrupt everyone¡¯s soul.

    Thankfully, it was blocked by the Wall of Lamentation as soon as it scattered.

    The vortex-like mouth on the wall left no dust particles behind. In three seconds, the exploding neb disappeared, wholly sucked in by the ck hole of a mouth.

    ¡°Seal,¡± Fresh Snow uttered.

    Instantly, the dark green wall scattered into countless spiritual particles like fireflies flying around the house. The use of her ability left her awash in her energy, and her glossy blond hair turned back into its original bright silver; the contact lenses fell off, revealing a pair of gem-like crimson eyes.

    Her chest heaved slightly, her small face pale to the point of looking translucent.

    A few secondster, she turned around and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay now, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang was stunned, and so were the others.

    On one hand, they were shocked by Green Tea¡¯s strange sudden death; on the other hand, they were shocked by Fresh Snow¡¯s formidable power.

    In fact, everyone save for Gao Yang would¡¯ve been contaminated by the dust neb if Fresh Snow hadn¡¯t intervened; Gao Yang could teleport out of the house, but the others wouldn¡¯t have made it out in time.

    Lithe Snake picked up the ck Gold hairpin on the floor and grasped it. Getting close to Green Tea¡¯s body, he reached out to check the man¡¯s breathing and pulse. A few secondster, he nced back at Gao Yang. ¡°He¡¯s gone, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Please save him, Fresh Snow.¡± Gao Yang knew that Fresh Snow could resurrect someone once within twenty-four hours as long as their heart and brain weren¡¯t seriously damaged.

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± said Fresh Snow.

    Gao Yang asked in surprise, ¡°Why?¡±

 Chapter 597: Emergency Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 597: Emergency Meeting</h4>

    ¡°His body is fine, but his soul is broken.¡± Fresh Snow looked down at Green Tea¡¯s body on the floor. ¡°Once the soul¡¯s broken, no one can save him.¡±

    The atmosphere turned icier.

    ¡°Was that...a spiritual attack?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow nodded and exined in her own way, ¡°The big one¡¯s soul became a bomb, and its explosion would blow up everyone¡¯s soul.¡±

    ¡°So you saved us,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow blinked proudly. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Gao Yang. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. While feeling relieved, he nced at Green Tea¡¯s body.

    Although they weren¡¯t particrly close, it was still shocking to see a friend die before him so suddenly. His memories about Green Tea were about to surface in his mind. He quickly activated Psychic Armor to stop the surge of remembrance. There were more important matters to attend to now.

    Six Rime was going to open her mouth. Gao Yang interrupted her, ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to ask. We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡±

    He turned to Fresh Snow. ¡°You knew there was something wrong with Green Tea, didn¡¯t you, Fresh Snow? That was why you insisted on meeting him with me, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°Thest time I saw him, he smelled strange to me, but I wasn¡¯t sure.¡±

    ¡°Smell? The smell of his soul?¡± Nine Frost tried to decipher her words.

    Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow set the high bar for spiritual damage. She can smell everyone¡¯s soul,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°It seems that Green Tea¡¯s soul has been long contaminated.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simr to Firework?¡± Lithe Snake said with a scowl. ¡°Firework turns human bodies into bombs, while whatever this is turns human souls into bombs.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment before adding, ¡°Not only that, there was also a curse. The explosion of soul was triggered by the utterance of a keyword.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean...¡± Can pushed aside her fear and tried her best to contribute to the conversation. ¡°Dust, the spy nted in the Hundred Rivers Union, knew that Green Tea had discovered them, so they made a move first? As soon as Green Tea said Dust and their identity, his soul would blow up?¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Seems to be the case.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible, Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Yeah, soul bombs can be made.¡± Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°But she¡¯d have to touch his soul.¡±

    Lithe Snake frowned slightly. ¡°I get physical contact, but how does touching the soul work?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about the conditions required to curse someone¡¯s soul, Fresh Snow?¡± Gao Yang tried to understand.

    ¡°Yeah. Within three days, they had to have touched his body and talked to him for more than a minute, and they had to know his real name and date of birth. Also had to call his name and get a response.¡± Fresh Snow mused. ¡°I think that¡¯s it.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. <i>Thankfully, the power isn¡¯t so OP that it doesn¡¯t have limitations. It¡¯s difficult to implement and takes an insider to use it properly. Still, it¡¯s perfect for a spy assassinating their targets.</i>

    ¡°Do you know how to make a soul into a bomb, Fresh Snow?¡± Lithe Snake suddenly asked, his eyes glinting coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s tooplicated. The woman¡¯s good.¡±

    Lithe Snake fell silent, the cold look in his eyes fading.

    ¡°Woman?¡± Gao Yang noticed the key information. ¡°How do you know it was a woman?¡±

    Fresh Snow pointed at her own nose. ¡°The big guy¡¯s soul smelled like her. Hm, it was used as the fuse of the bomb...¡±

    ¡°Can you find her through the smell?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Fresh Snow shook her head. ¡°She was cautious. The smell was modified. I only know that it was a woman.¡±

    Gao Yang was a little disappointed, but it made sense. Dust must be extremely cautious to have stayed undercover in the Hundred Rivers Union for so long, not even discovered by Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet. Other people could only change their appearances, while she could change even the smell of her soul.

    After getting a grasp on the overall situation, Gao Yang nced at Six Rime and then looked at everyone else. ¡°As you can see, I lied to you. Wang Xiaoxiu isn¡¯t Wang Zikai¡¯s cousin, but a ghost named Fresh Snow.¡±

    ¡°You even lied to us, Captain!¡± Can pretended to be hurt.

    ¡°Ha, how many more secrets are you keeping from us?¡± Lithe Snake was a much better actor.

    Nine Frost chimed in too. ¡°I knew there was more to the girl, but never expected her to be a Spectre.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, but no word came out. Everything happened so suddenly. Green Tea died with a boom. Then a Spectre came up and saved everyone. Then there was all the talk about a soul bomb, curses, and the spy nted in the Hundred Rivers Union...

    Her thoughts were a tangled mess like yarn messed up by a kitten. Still, she had reaffirmed one thing: she hadn¡¯t picked the wrong boss!

    <i>Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s awesome! He¡¯s surrounded by bigshots!</i>

    And Fresh Snow, the Spectre, could bring people back to life, which further increased her chance of survival.

    Six Rime stared at Fresh Snow and gave her a onceover. She didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°While Fresh Snow is a Spectre, we¡¯re close. And she¡¯s never fed on an awakener or hurt a human. She¡¯s not our enemy.¡±

    Six Rime remained silent.

    Gao Yang turned to the others. ¡°Fresh Snow saved us tonight. I won¡¯t stop you if you¡¯re going to report to the Guild, but if the Guild decides to kill Fresh Snow, we¡¯ll be repaying her kindness with ungrateful cruelty.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s difficult...¡± Can stroked her chin, pretending to be stumped, but she was actually thinking, <i>I¡¯ll give you ten out of ten for the guilt tripping, Captain!</i>

    ¡°I don¡¯t care enough to do that,¡± Lithe Snake said, being himself. He really didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care either,¡± said Nine Frost.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao looked at everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you said.¡±

    Gao Yang then turned to Six Rime. She now had the final say.

    Six Rime didn¡¯t immediately respond. She remembered something. ¡°During the previous Crimson Tide, you said that you survived getting bit by a Spectre. Was that her?¡±

    ¡°I have a name! I¡¯m Fresh Snow!¡± Fresh Snow shot Six Rime a withering re. ¡°You pest!¡±

    ¡°It was her,¡± Gao Yang admitted.

    ¡°You knew her then, but you never reported to the Guild,¡± said Six Rime.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem fazed. ¡°Fresh Snow¡¯s a friend I made in private. She poses no threat to the Guild or any awakeners, so I didn¡¯t deem it necessary to report to the Guild.¡±

    Six Rime was silent.

    Her mission was to protect Gao Yang and to stop Gao Yang from having private interaction with his fifth team. Whatever Gao Yang befriended in his private life had nothing to do with her mission.

    However, her loyalty to Elder Azure Dragon was absolute, and she wouldn¡¯t hide anything from him.

    She made the decision. ¡°I¡¯ll report the truth.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang could guess that Six Rime wouldn¡¯t keep the secret, but it didn¡¯t hurt to try. More importantly, it was meant to avoid the fifth team members getting suspected.

    Personally, Gao Yang would like to keep Fresh Snow¡¯s identity a secret, but there was no changing what had happened.

    The silver lining was that Qilin wouldn¡¯t do anything to him even after learning the fact. Not when he needed Gao Yang to ¡°find¡± the Guard Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang threw Green Tea¡¯s body another nce and let out a soft sigh. ¡°I¡¯m applying for an emergency meeting, Six Rime.¡±

    Six Rime asked, ¡°Time, ce, and attendees.¡±

    ¡°Now, here, the leaders of the three organizations.¡±

 Chapter 598: Clues

    <h4>Chapter 598: Clues</h4>

    Six Rime took out her phone and called Elder Azure Dragon, her eyes still fixed on Gao Yang.

    He turned to Fresh Snow.

    ¡°Fresh...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Fresh Snow raised her voice and shouted as soon as he opened his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re not kicking me out!¡±

    ¡°Fresh Snow,¡± Gao Yang said seriously. ¡°I¡¯m not kicking you out. Those who areing may not like you. I¡¯m worried that they¡¯ll hurt you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of them.¡± Fresh Snow puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll drive them all away!¡±

    ¡°But I am scared.¡±

    Fresh Snow paused before taking Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be, Gao Yang. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Gao Yang managed to put on a smile. ¡°But you can¡¯t protect me forever. There will be times when you¡¯re not with me, right? What then?¡±

    Fresh Snow lowered her head. She was going to say something else, but Gao Yang stopped her.

    ¡°Go home, Fresh Snow. I promise that I¡¯ll go find you soon.¡±

    Fresh Snow thought long and hard before looking up at Gao Yang. ¡°Will they hurt you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    <i>At least not when they still need me.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice that part of his thought. He ruffled Fresh Snow¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Go. Your sister must miss you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Fresh Snow shot him another lingering nce. ¡°Goodbye, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    Fresh Snow went up to the window. She couldn¡¯t help but turn around and look at Gao Yang again. All she could see was him. ¡°Gao Yang, you must think about me.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Gao Yang waved at her gently.

    With an easy jump, Fresh Snow went out of the window.

    Just when everyone thought she was gone, she popped back into their view. ¡°You must miss me!¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡± Gao Yang waved at her again.

    Finally, Fresh Snow left.

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile dropped. He said in an aloof tone, ¡°Nine Frost, clean up the mess. Lithe Snake, keep watch outside. Hong Xiaoxiao, report to the Guild. Can, go make a few cups of coffee.¡±

    Six Rime had finished her conversation with Elder Azure Dragon by then. ¡°They¡¯ll be here in twenty minutes.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and sat down on the sofa, closing his eyes to get some rest.

    ...

    In twenty minutes, the leaders of the three major organizations arrived. Qilin and Azure Dragon were driven here by Vermilion Bird, while Heavenly Dog had flown War Tiger here from the Millennium Tower. Surnamed Li, on the other hand, had taken a helicopter, piloted by Goldthread.

    Using his Talent, Gravity, Goldthread lowered the wheelchaired Surnamed Li, apanied by Colorless and Chen Ying, safely to the front yard of the vi. Only after that did he fly the helicopter away.

    Outside the door, Gao Yang, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and the others gathered.

    ¡°Green Tea¡¯s killed?¡± Surnamed Li looked stunned, and Chen Ying, who was pushing her wheelchair, paled with reddening eyes, forcing down her welling sadness.

    ¡°My condolences,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the body.¡± Lithe Snake stood on thewn. At his feet was a body covered by a piece of white cloth.

    Sorrow shed through Surnamed Li¡¯s eyes. She nced at Colorless. ¡°Check the body.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Colorless went up to Green Tea¡¯s body and lifted the white cloth, her expression dark. After spending some time examining the body, she turned around and said, ¡°No physical injury.¡±

    ¡°He died of a soul explosion,¡± Lithe Snake said coolly.

    ¡°What explosion?¡± Colorless¡¯ brows furrowed. She thought she had heard it wrong.

    ¡°Soul. Explosion.¡± Lithe Snake repeated.

    Colorless cursed in her head. <i>I don¡¯t know what a soul explosion¡¯s supposed to be, but my head¡¯s gonna explode. What the hell is all this?!</i>

    Chen Ying pursed her lips as she pushed Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair into the house. Gao Yang called out to stop her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Chen Ying.¡±

    Surprised, Chen Ying nced at Surnamed Li and got an approving nod.

    ¡°Wait outside,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Chen Ying let go of the wheelchair and went up to join Colorless. She mustered the courage to take a look at the body on the ground. Her hand found her mouth, and her body started shuddering.

    Colorless rose to her feet after examining the body. She knew that Chen Ying and Green Tea were quite close. She was going to offer words offort, but decided against it. Instead, she turned around and spat out a curse.

    ¡°Do you know who the killer was?¡± Chen Ying turned to Lithe Snake and asked in a furious tone.

    ¡°Noment,¡± Lithe Snake said simply, ncing at the vi. ¡°Wait for their conclusions.¡±

    Gao Yang helped Surnamed Li inside, while Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird stayed outside.

    Azure Dragon ordered, ¡°Circle the house and keep your distance.¡±

    Meanwhile, Qilin and War Tiger had imed a sofa in the living room. Gao Yang pushed Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair to a spot nearby before taking a seat on a single sofa.

    ¡°Did Dragon note?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    ¡°He¡¯s on a work trip outside Li City.¡± War Tiger crossed his legs with a cigarette between his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m in charge when he¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang nced at Qilin. ¡°I¡¯ll make a detailed report for tonight, Guildmaster.¡±

    Qilin nodded, hands rested on his cane. ¡°Please do.¡±

    The next ten minutes, Gao Yang told Qilin everything that had happened tonight, including Fresh Snow and what she could do. His report was consistent with Six Rime¡¯s.

    War Tiger was an experienced actor. He put on a slight look of surprise when he heard about Fresh Snow, but only just the right amount of surprise.

    Surnamed Li remainedposed and didn¡¯t make anyment.

    Qilin seemed to have expected the reveal as well. He had guessed that Gao Yang had some connection with the Spectres, and he would let it slide as long as Gao Yang hadn¡¯t crossed a line.

    After the report, War Tiger made an obvious observation.

    ¡°Cearly Green Tea was silenced by Dust.¡±

    ¡°Based on Fresh Snow¡¯s evaluation, Dust must be someone with a high-level ability to deal spiritual damage.¡± Gao Yang looked at the three leaders in turns. ¡°Have you seen any Talents like that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± War Tiger said without hesitation.

    Qilin shook his head too. ¡°The Talent list only provides basic information, and for many Talents, the higher the level, the moreplicated the mechanisms.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve encountered it before, either,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be difficult to find any clues based on the Talent.¡± Gao Yang gave Surnamed Li a look. ¡°I have some guesses, Madam Li, about Green Tea.¡±

    ¡°Please be frank,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°It happened two days ago. I ran into Green Tea while hanging out with friends at the mall. Green Tea asked me about dissociative identity disorder.¡±

    ¡°Dissociative identity disorder?¡± Surnamed Li didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why would he be curious about that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand at first, either,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Then he patted me on the shoulder, and I replicated his Talents¡ªI did that in order to make sure he hadn¡¯t done me any harm. I was worried that he had used a Talent to curse me...¡±

    Gao Yang spent some time exining himself. ¡°I almost got killed by Mad Red¡¯s Detonation once, so I¡¯m more wary of physical contact.¡±

    ¡°Another reason is my memory of ying volleyball with X back in Naldives. At the time, Green Tea allowed me to replicate One-inch Punch through intentional physical contact, which led to our victory. That was why I thought that again, Green Tea might have been trying to send me a message by letting me replicate his Talents.¡±

    ¡°We will never know now that he¡¯s gone, but anyway, when I detected his Talents with Replicate, I did find out something.¡±

    Qilin, War Tiger, and Surnamed Li held their breaths and looked at him.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°I found that in addition to level 5 One-inch Punch, Green Tea also had level 3 Mindreading.¡±

    Surnamed Li was surprised. ¡°Heprehended a new Talent?¡±

    War Tiger stroked his chin. ¡°Haha, it seems the young man didn¡¯t update you.¡±

    Surnamed Li stayed silent.

    ¡°Still, I would¡¯ve also kept quiet about it were I him.¡± War Tiger smiled. ¡°There¡¯s still a spy in the Union. If Green Tea was found out to have acquired Mindreading, it would only be a matter of time before he was taken out. Dust remained a mystery, while Green Tea was out in the open. It would be difficult for him to protect himself.¡±

    Qilin nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Based on that fact,¡± Gao Yang continued, ¡°I could guess that Green Tea would seek me out sooner orter. However, I didn¡¯t realize that he had already been made and inflicted with a curse. He tried to tell me the truth tonight, but ended up killed.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t hee to me?¡± Surnamed Li asked.

    ¡°No offense, Madam Li.¡± War Tiger twirled the cigarette in his hand. ¡°Dust is quite strong, and members of the Union may not be able to deal with her. I would¡¯ve also sought outside help were I in his shoes. Seven Shadow¡¯s strong and quick-witted, and he had some history with Green Tea. He was the perfect option.¡±

    ¡°That is true.¡± Surnamed Li sighed bitterly. ¡°Even if Green Tea had told me, I would¡¯ve had no choice but to seek you out for help.¡±

    ¡°Keep going, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Qilin knew he was only getting started.

 Chapter 599: Narrow down the Suspects

    <h4>Chapter 599: Narrow down the Suspects</h4>

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I believe Dust has some way to lie to or brainwash herself. In other words, she can fool others because she¡¯s fooled herself.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± War Tiger smiled.

    Surnamed Li seemed to be thinking.

    Qilin lowered his head to take a sip of his coffee, raising his hand slightly.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Green Tea had Mindreading. Although he hadn¡¯t identified Dust immediately, he must have heard another voice from Dust during their interaction, which didn¡¯t make Green Tea think she was the spy, but did rouse his suspicion. She seemed like someone with two personalities to him.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea started paying attention and suspected her of being a spy, but he didn¡¯t know for sure. The night he ran into me, he asked me about multiple personalities.¡±

    ¡°What I told him was at odds with what he had observed, which cemented his suspicion of her being a spy. He thought she had been undercover in the Hundred Rivers Union by brainwashing herself and maintaining a fake personality to hide her true personality.¡±

    ¡°Green Tea decided to investigate further. He told me that he would seek me outter. Before leaving, he patted my shoulder to give me a hint.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°Green Tea must have been looking into Dust the past two days. Unfortunately, Dust was too smart and noticed his suspicion. She put a curse on his soul, which led to what happened tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, makes sense,¡± War Tiger said.

    Qilin agreed.

    Surnamed Li turned to Gao Yang in worry. ¡°Have you narrowed down the suspects?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯vee to three rough conclusions,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°First, Dust is a woman. Vermilion Bird got the information from ck Tortoise¡¯s body, and Fresh Snow came to the same conclusion based on the smell of the soul.¡±

    ¡°Second, it no longer makes sense to limit the suspects to those who have joined for less than ten years.¡±

    Gao Yang nced at Surnamed Li. ¡°Chen Ying and Colorless have joined the Union for over ten years, but I don¡¯t think that alone proved their innocence. The spy may have been a member of the Godbearer Cult long ago and only be active at a certain time like a sleeper agent. Moreover, if they have the ability to brainwash themselves, you may stay with them for years without noticing anything.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded.

    ¡°Third, Dust hase into contact with Green Tea over the past three days, having had physical contact and friendly conversation with him.¡±

    Surnamed Li sighed in relief. ¡°Then Chen Ying at least is excluded. She had gone to Ind Nation with me to attend to a personal matter, and we only returned to Li City two hours ago. She had never once left my side.¡±

    She pressed a button on her wheelchair. Not long after, Chen Ying opened the door and came in. She asked in a respectful tone, ¡°Madam Li, what may I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Look into where Green Tea had gone the past three days and find out which female Union members he hade into contact with. Keep this a secret.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Ying took her leave.

    The room fell silent. The four of them were each in their thoughts.

    A minuteter, Qilin made a decision. He put down the coffee cup and sighed softly. ¡°We can¡¯t drag this on any longer, Seven Shadow. We must get our hand on the Guard Rune Circuit now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have to speed things up.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°How do people describe it again? A storm is brewing. We can tell from the underlying turbulence.¡±

    ¡°Give me a little more time,¡± Gao Yang said with an impassive expression. ¡°Level 6 Psychic Armor is out of the question. I¡¯ll go down the abyss as soon as I reach level 5.¡±

    ¡°Is one more day enough?¡± Qilin asked.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go down the abyss tomorrow at eight at night. Does that work for you?¡±

    ¡°It does.¡± Qilin looked at the other attendees. ¡°Please do show up then.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± War Tiger said.

    Surnamed Li added, ¡°Yes, my Prophet may be of use.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gao Yang said bluntly. ¡°I do need your help, Madam Li.¡±

    No one knew what awaited Gao Yang in the abyss. Surnamed Li¡¯s ability to see the next ten seconds would be crucial.

    Gao Yang had a rough n of how he should explore the abyss. He would have a rope tied to him with a bell tied to the other end. If he ran into any danger, he would yank at the rope to alert those outside the abyss so that they could pull him up.

    Of course, Gao Yang could very well be dead already then.

    However, Surnamed Li would foresee the bell ringing ten seconds earlier and thus save Gao Yang early. Then he would stand a good chance of surviving.

    After agreeing on the time to explore the abyss, the four of them talked a little more about other matters, including the investigation into the Godbearer Cult and their n after collecting all twelve Rune Circuits and opening the Gates of Closure.

    Twenty minutester, Chen Ying knocked and came in.

    She made a brief report calmly. ¡°The female members Green Tea hade into contact with over the past three days include Colorless, Amon, Sha Ye, and Wang Weiyan from the first team, Chestnut from the third team, Rain River, Citrus, Sister Ling from the fifth team, and Harvest Song.¡±

    Gao Yang felt like clicking his tongue. Although it was disrespectful to judge the dead, Green Tea really was a social butterfly.

    Excluding Wang Weiyan, who couldn¡¯t have been the culprit, there were eight suspects.

    Lie Detection wouldn¡¯t work on Dust. She could brainwash herself, and thus she wouldn¡¯t think she was lying.

    Gao Yang was going to give a warning when Qilin opened his mouth first. ¡°Madam Li, it¡¯s better that you avoid any physical contact with those on the list before we catch Dust.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡± Surnamed Li nced at Chen Ying. ¡°Please take care of it.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Chen Ying left.

    Qilin nced at them. ¡°Shall we end the meeting now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± War Tiger already had a cigarette in his mouth, giving in to his urge to smoke.

    ¡°Fine by me me.¡± Surnamed Li nced at Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯m for it too.¡± Gao Yang thought for a moment before asking Qilin, ¡°Am I staying here, or going back to the Guild, Guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°You may decide for yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here then. The five of them will continue with their guard duty.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± said Qilin.

    Gao Yang walked QIlin, War Tiger, and Surnamed Li out. The others took their leaves too.

    Six Rime, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, Can, and Hong Xiaoxiao quickly returned to the house.

    ¡°How was it, Captain?¡± Can couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity. ¡°Do you know who Dust is now?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head, listing the suspects Chen Ying had zeroed in on. ¡°Watch out for these people. Don¡¯t seek them out and don¡¯t share any physical contact with them. It¡¯s better safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Can nodded vehemently.

    The othersmitted the list of suspects to mind too.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had been listening quietly, but in her mind was a storm of thoughts. <i>So scary! Is this the world of the awakeners? Thank God I decided to follow the right guy! I¡¯ve dodged so many bullets!</i>

    Gao Yang sat down on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m taking a nap. Make yourselves at home.¡±

    Two days ago, when Gao Yang treated Hong Xiaoxiao to barbecues at Liu Qingying¡¯s restaurant, he had gotten a gummy marked by Sweet Dream. He nned to exchange information with her tonight, so he had eaten it when he got the chance to.

    He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

    Things happened one after another. If he had known he would be so busy today, he would¡¯ve postponed the meeting.

 Chapter 600: Big Offer

    <h4>Chapter 600: Big Offer</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes and frowned slightly.

    Before him was the underground temple ruin of the ancient Ni Nation, but it differed a little from the actual ruin he had been to. Instead of a burning life monster altar embedded in the floor of the central courtyard, tworge torches lit up the entire underground space.

    The obelisk at the center of the courtyard was still there, but there wasn¡¯t a sarcophagus under it, but an ancient throne that resembled a stone bed.

    A beautiful womany on the throne. Her shoulder-length ck hair was tied into numerous little braids with golden bands tied at the tips. Her bang drew a curve over her forehead, neatly cut into an even length. Her pronounced makeup entuated her beauty.

    Covering her voluptuous body was a light ethereal dress with a deep V cut, theyers of fabric resembling extravagant feathers. The parts that draped down from the shoulders looked like a pair of golden wings, which further emphasized the charm and air of nobility and mystery of an empress.

    Liu Qingying smiled, her long legs crossed and her hands holding a short scepter with a gold snake head. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Gao Yang sat down on the stone chair next to the throne, speaking calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve already learned about the temple ruin of the ancient Ni Nation. You¡¯re well-informed, Miss Liu.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re too kind.¡± Liu Qingying slowly sat upright. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen a few pictures of the scene. I had to fill in the nks with my imagination. I hope I haven¡¯t made a fool of myself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well,¡± Gao Yang ttered nonchntly.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, I¡¯m sorry for what happened to your family.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang remained calm like he was hearing a story about someone else. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Liu Qingying lowered her scepter and flicked the braids resting on her shoulder, the gold feather decorations clinking brightly.

    ¡°As always, I¡¯ll tell you the information I¡¯m looking for, and you may answer me at your discretion.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded softly.

    ¡°First, anything about the Gates of Closure.¡±

    ¡°Second, anything about the death of Dead Pig¡¯s ex-wife.¡±

    ¡°Third, anything about what happened at the Green Lotus Park that nightst week.¡±

    ¡°Four, something seems to have happened tonight on your end. I¡¯d like to know anything about it.¡±

    Gao Yang put on a rxed smile on purpose. ¡°You¡¯re asking for a lot. Are you sure you can afford it all?¡±

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to tell me everything. Might as well ask for more, and I¡¯ll pay for as much as I can afford.¡±

    ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll give you special treatment for being a loyal customer.¡± Gao Yang paused, lowering his tone. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about all those topics.¡±

    Liu Qingying was shocked. Pleasant surprise shed through her eyes, but was quickly reced by wariness. ¡°What¡¯s the special asion that you¡¯ll make me such a big offer? Elder Seven Shadow, is this trade arranged by your organization?¡±

    ¡°Clock¡¯s ticking. We both have to make the best of our time.¡± Gao Yang gave her a vague response, leaving room for her imagination to run wild.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Outside of information of the same worth, Miss Liu, I wish to get something extra from you.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Tell me what you want first. I¡¯ll give it to you if I can.¡±

    ¡°You must promise me first that you don¡¯t belong to the three major organizations. If you lie,¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes turned frosty. ¡°We¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    He said ¡°we¡± on purpose to mislead her and to appear stronger than he was.

    ¡°Haha, I was wondering what it could be.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t seem nervous at all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That I can promise you.¡±

    It was a shame that Lie Detection didn¡¯t work in Sweet Dream.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all I know about intel number 1, 3, and 4.¡±

    Gao Yang spent ten minutes telling Liu Qingying everything, omitting only 5% of what he knew. Liu Qingying listened with full attention, not making anyment.

    It wasn¡¯t until Gao Yang was done that Liu Qingying broke her silence. ¡°So outside of Qilin, no one has seen the actual Gates of Closure, or knew where the Gates are.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Can you picture the Gates of Closure in your head? I¡¯d like to get a rough idea.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯ll cost you extra.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Liu Qingying. ¡°I keep a detailed ount of all our trades.¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes and pictured the Gates of Closure in his head, trying his best to remember every little detail. One minute passed in silence.

    ¡°That¡¯ll do it. Thank you.¡± Liu Qingying blinked in satisfaction. Through Gao Yang¡¯s description and what she could sense from the picture he conjured, Liu Qingying had finally gotten a more concrete understanding of the Gates of Closure.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Liu Qingying said wistfully. ¡°I¡¯d like to see it for myself.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see it once the Twelve Rune Circuits are gathered,¡± Gao Yang said on purpose.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted mischievously. ¡°It won¡¯t be so easy, will it? There¡¯s the Prophecy of Seven and the agreements on the Rune Circuits held by the three major organizations. I¡¯ve heard a thing or two about them.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed quiet.

    Liu Qingying leaned in with a hand propping her chin, looking closely at Gao Yang¡¯s face. ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, I¡¯ve always known that you¡¯re going to be somebody. Still, I never expected you to be the Divine Scion.¡±

    <i>Liu Qingying is well-informed.</i>

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t change what you think of me because I¡¯m a mix.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Liu Qingying covered her mouth as she chuckled. ¡°I never care about one¡¯s identity. As long as there¡¯s information to be gained, and they follow the rules, I never turn anyone away.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got an impressive perspective, Miss Liu.¡±

    ¡°Haha, not as impressive as your destiny.¡± Liu Qingying raised a delicate brow. ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll soon collect thest Rune Circuit and lead us to victory.¡±

    ¡°I wish for that to be the case.¡±

    ¡°Alright. What do I owe you?¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°Information on the Gates of Closure is S+ ss. What you¡¯ve learned at the moment is only S ss though. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree.¡±

    ¡°About the Divine Scion, I¡¯ve already learned parts of it. That¡¯s a S- intel.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve long known that there is a spy in the Hundred Rivers Union, and I learned that she was nted by the Godbearer Cult some time ago. Knowing that Green Tea¡¯s death has led to the narrowing down of the suspects, though, is valuable to me. I¡¯ll consider it an S- intel.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°One S ss intel and two S- ones. A great fortune.¡± Liu Qingying clicked her tongue. ¡°I wonder what I can give you.¡±

    Gao Yang had something in mind. ¡°A few days ago, there was an attempt to kill me...¡±

    He described the situation and the suited man¡¯s ability. ¡°Look into him for me. That¡¯ll be an S- intel.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Oh, him? I happen to know a thing or two about him.¡±

 Chapter 601: Relative

    <h4>Chapter 601: Rtive</h4>

    ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t appear too surprised.

    ¡°The man was Luqi. He was Qilin¡¯s friend, and he died.¡±

    ¡°How did he die?¡±

    ¡°Suicide is what the rumor says.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s beautiful eyes glinted. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that it¡¯s the truth, though. Qilin may be the only one who knows the answer.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his Talent?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Judge, serial number 100, Miracle-type. I don¡¯t know how it works exactly, but it¡¯s said to have something to do with fairness. You may keep an eye out for that.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. He awakened with a Miracle-type Talent, and he knew how difficult to deal with a Miracle-type Talent could be. The man would remain a great threat so long as he was after him.

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªLuqi died. How did hee back to life?

    ¡ªDid Vermilion Bird bring him back and send him to kill me?

    ¡ªNo, that doesn¡¯t make sense. The Qilin Guild doesn¡¯t have a reason to kill me yet. Qilin still needs me to go down the abyss for the Guard Rune Circuit.

    ¡ªWait, the body! ck Tortoise had gotten Ghost Horse to steal twelve bodies. Including the one with Self-Detonate, I¡¯ve only encountered eleven bodies. Could Luqi be the one left?

    ¡ªDid the Godbearer Cult resurrect Luqi and send him to kill me? But didn¡¯t they seek out Fresh Snow for help because they didn¡¯t have anyone with resurrection ability? And Fresh Snow could only bring those who have died within 24 hours back. Luqi died years ago.

    [ess ends.]

    ¡°How did Luqie back alive?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± Liu Qingying responded. ¡°I¡¯m curious about that too. If you learn the truth, you may tell me. It¡¯ll be an A+ intel.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°What I¡¯m going to ask for next is an A+ intel, but if you¡¯re willing to tell me the truth, I¡¯ll consider it a S- one.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Tell me first.¡± Liu Qingying was patient.

    ¡°I asked War Tiger about Dead Pig¡¯s ex-wife. She was Ba Qiuchi. She divorced Dead Pig 11 years ago, joined the Hundred Rivers Union 10 years ago, and died of an unknown cause 9 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Qingying was still smiling, but her gaze sharpened.

    ¡°I suspect that Ba Qiuchi was killed by Dust,¡± Gao Yang concluded.

    Liu Qingying paused, narrowing her eyes.

    ¡°Dust is a master of dealing spiritual damage. She goes after the soul and leaves no physical wounds. Even now, there are only a handful of awakeners who can deal spiritual damage, let alone back then. If I hadn¡¯t seen Green Tea¡¯s soul explode with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out his cause of death based on his body alone. Nine years ago, Ba Qiuchi¡¯s strange death might have been caused by damage to her soul.¡±

    ¡°That is a possibility,¡± said Liu Qingying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Miss Liu.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Ba Qiuchi? Did she join the Hundred Rivers Union back then to look into Dust? Was that the information you were looking for?¡±

    Liu Qingying looked up slightly, her eyes entuated with light gray-blue makeup. A hint of aggressive want glinted in her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re a smart one, Elder Seven Shadow...and it¡¯s quite attractive.¡±

    Unfazed, Gao Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ll consider that apliment.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Liu Qingying admitted easily. ¡°Ba Qiuchi was my high school ssmate and best friend. She joined the Hundred Rivers Union to find out something, but she didn¡¯t know about the Godbearer Cult back then, I don¡¯t think. I, of course, knew nothing of the Cult.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to find the culprit who killed Ba Qiuchi and avenged her. Once I see a client as being capable and consistent enough, I ask them to look into Ba Qiuchi¡¯s death. You are not the first I ask.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the honesty.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been so generous with me tonight.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°How can I possibly humor you?¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s S-,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°You still owe me an S-ss intel.¡±

    ¡°It seems there are other things you¡¯re curious about.¡± Liu Qingying could guess it.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang eyed her icily. ¡°Who is Ba Qiuchi and your benefactor? I don¡¯t believe you could¡¯ve survived to this day as an unaffiliated awakener.¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow, that¡¯s two questions.¡± Liu Qingying batted her eyes shrewdly. ¡°First, do Ba Qiuchi and I belong to the same group? Second, if so, who¡¯s our support?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Two questions they are, then. I¡¯ll say one¡¯s A+ and the other¡¯s S. How about it? If you give me an answer, I¡¯ll pay you for the A+ intel.¡±

    Liu Qingying curled her lips into a half smile. ¡°What a bad boy you are, Elder Seven Shadow. I¡¯ve never tried to find out about your greatest secret, yet you keep trying to look into mine.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m really curious if you¡¯re a friend or a foe.¡±

    ¡°Friends or foes, right or wrong. It¡¯s all rtive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liu Qingyingughed delicately. ¡°How about this? If you may ce your trust in me, I¡¯ll owe you an S-ss intel.¡±

    Gao Yang knew he wouldn¡¯t get an answer from her. He thought for a moment. ¡°If necessary, can I have a favor instead?¡±

    ¡°Of course. However, there¡¯s a limit to what I can do. Please don¡¯t expect me to be of much help.¡±

    <i>Well, it¡¯s never a bad thing to have one more friend and one less enemy.</i>

    ¡°That¡¯s it for today.¡±

    Liu Qingyingy back down with a hand propping her head up, her posture disying her figure in the most alluring way, and her dress was moments away from revealing the curves of her breasts. ¡°The night is long. Perhaps...¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the thoughts, but I¡¯ll wake up soon with the rm I set.¡± Gao Yang excused himself.

    ...

    An hourter, Gao Yang woke to his phone¡¯s vibration. He opened his eyes. The living room was quiet, and Hong Xiaoxiao and Can had fallen asleep squeezing onto a sofa on the side, each holding a pillow.

    Six Rime sat on the high back chair across from Gao Yang with her eyes closed in rest. Her breathing was light, which made it clear that she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep, but was instead keeping watch on Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang turned off his rm and closed his eyes.

    He woke up again at eight in the morning. Since his sleep was light, he slept for a longer time.

    The living room was filled with a faintyer of mist, which was especially dense around Gao Yang. As soon as he moved, the mist gently dispersed.

    Six Rime immediately opened her eyes, waking up from a light sleep. She stared at him with herrge blue eyes that were a little dry, fulfilling her duty to track Gao Yang¡¯s every move.

    Then she waved her hand and sent the mist in the living room out of the window. It disappeared.

    <i>What a tough job</i>, Gao Yang thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. You?¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet.

    Six Rime nodded and stood up from the chair. She was going to follow Gao Yang to the bathroom when she suddenly said, ¡°Wait.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Give me ten seconds.¡± Six Rime remained expressionless. ¡°My legs are numb.¡±

    Gao Yang choked. So she wasn¡¯t actually a robot.

    ...

    Came morning, Can went out to get breakfast. This time, it was Can who put on Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s marked hairpin and tested the food for everyone.

    After breakfast, Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were going to stand watch outside. Lithe Snake was just about to jump out the window when Gao Yang stopped him.

    ¡°A moment, Lithe Snake.¡±

    Lithe Snake turned to him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Is it okay for you to go without rest?¡±

    ¡°My record is going 16 days without sleep.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded and waved him over, patting the sofa beside him. ¡°Have a seat, Lithe Snake.¡±

 Chapter 602: What Do You Take Me For

    <h4>Chapter 602: What Do You Take Me For</h4>

    Lithe Snake eyed Gao Yang suspiciously and hesitated a few seconds before sitting down on the sofa, keeping some distance from him cautiously.

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Am I that scary?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lithe Snake looked tense. ¡°You¡¯re acting strangely, which means you must be up to no good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still your captain,¡± Gao Yang said for Six Rime¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°You¡¯re also the Divine Scion with six Talents, born between a life monster and a human, a bas...¡± Lithe Snake paused. ¡°...A mix.¡±

    <i>Lithe Snake, I prefer it when you¡¯repletely disrespectful.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point. I want to level up Psychic Armor to level 5 today,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to look for monsters on the street, and those under the level of pride monsters will pose little threat to me now; they will be little help in increasing my level.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to do it?¡± Lithe Snake frowned.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve considered everyone. You¡¯re the only one who can pose a threat to me and really try to kill me.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯ll help me level up if you attempt to assassinate me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡± Lithe Snake stood up coldly and went up to the window.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you take me for, Captain?¡± Lithe Snake snapped before jumping out of the window without turning around.

    Gao Yang sighed. So it was too difficult to try to kill apanion even for someone as aloof as Lithe Snake. Did he really have to look for elite monsters on the street?

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 4000...]

    <i>Whoosh</i>. A ck Gold knife flew in through the window. Gao Yang was caught so off guard that he didn¡¯t even have the time to activate Teleportation.

    Thanks to the system¡¯s warning and his high Agility, though, he managed to roll to the side instinctively, and the de brushed past his cheek before burying into the sofa.

    <i>Lithe Snake, you little...</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have the time to roast Lithe Snake when he caught from the corner of an eye that there was a severed hand on the throwing knife buried into the sofa.

    After the fight with the little abomination in the Ancient Ni Nation temple, Lithe Snake had leveled up Self-Detonate to level 6, and even one severed hand could do as much damage as several hand grenades.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The explosion rendered furniture and walls in the living room into flying pieces, the powerful shockwaves and the scorching mes shattered the windows on the first floor.

    Gao Yang teleported out of the window as quickly as he could, only managing to take Can with him.

    Can had been ying a mobile game while slouching on a sofa. She heard a bang. Then when she realized it, she was already out in the front yard of the vi, in a bridal carry with a hand each propping her armpit and the inside of her knees.

    ¡°Cap-captain?!¡±

    Can was shocked and d to be carried by Gao Yang, her face flushed. ¡°This, this, this...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything, his expression tight.

    He quickly lowered Can and turned around to enter the blown-up vi. He only sighed in relief when he saw a lotus of frost the size of a phone booth amid the ruins of the living room. The giant petals slowly opened up to reveal Six Rime and Hong Xiaoxiao, who were unscathed.

    It seemed that Six Rime had remained on high alert and managed to save Hong Xiaoxiao in time.

    ¡°What, what happened...?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was so stunned that her voice cracked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lithe Snake was helping me train,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°You¡¯ve made a save of the living room, haven¡¯t you, Hong Xiaoxiao?¡±

    ¡°I did, I did.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly nodded.

    ¡°Load it then.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao said with some difficulty, ¡°I...I only have two Mobius strips and two hairpins, and they are valuable. I¡¯ll have to apply for more from the Guild if I run out...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make the report.¡±

    <i>I don¡¯t feel sorry for the Guild for losing ck Gold items, but I can¡¯t exin to my best friend if I leave his home destroyed like this.</i>

    ¡°Oh, right. Then please move out for a sec.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao went up to the firece in the living room and found the Mobius strip she had ced inside. She used Time Reset.

    When Gao Yang and Six Rime went to the front yard of the vi, Lithe Snake¡¯s severed stump was already regenerating white bones, followed by new tissues. As expected of level 6 Gecko, his regenerative power was impressive.

    Gao Yang nced at Lithe Snake and said in approval, ¡°That works well. Let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°I tried this with Gray Bear before, and it¡¯s not effective. Gray Bear couldn¡¯t hold any murderous intent against me, and I could only do it for a brief moment. Once my killing intent fades, continuing fighting would only be a waste of energy. It wouldn¡¯t help level up Talents at all.¡±

    Gao Yang agreed. Indeed, the system¡¯s warning no longer applied.

    Lithe Snake said, ¡°I¡¯ll attack you three times throughout the day. Every time, I¡¯ll try to kill you. You must not have Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s hairpin on you. You have to leave yourself with no contingency.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang was pleased. Lithe Snake was always dependable.

    ¡°Remember, you only have three chances.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°If you die for real, don¡¯t hold a grudge against me.¡± Lithe Snake easily leaped onto the rooftop of the building.

    ¡°Ha, haha.¡± Canughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°Um, I¡¯ll be sunbathing in the front yard today. I don¡¯t want to be a deadweight to you, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, stay outside with Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    Throughout the day, Gao Yang stayed in the living room with Six Rime. Gao Yang was ready to activate Psychic Armor at any time, and he used the Talent as soon as the cooldown ended. At noon, in the afternoon, and at night, he faced a sneak attack from Lithe Snake.

    Since Gao Yang was prepared, he easily dealt with the three attempts, and his Talent didn¡¯t level up.

    He was disappointed, but not surprised.

    Just when he was going to give up, though, Lithe Snake suddenly made an unexpected attack. Fooled by Lithe Snake¡¯s earlier deration, Gao Yang only got away narrowly and almost lost his left arm to Lithe Snake. He bled enough to form a pool on the floor.

    At that moment, Gao Yang felt a numbness in his scalp. His Psychic Armor finally leveled up.

    Minimizing his sense of pain, Gao Yang smiled in satisfaction. ¡°You were really trying to kill me, weren¡¯t you, Lithe Snake?¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s gaze remained murderous, and he coolly sheathed his bloodied shortsword. ¡°If I manage to kill the Divine Scion, it¡¯ll be a lifetime achievement to boast to Gray Bear about.¡±

    <i>If you die so easily, you don¡¯t have the right to be my boss.</i>

    With Six Rime here, Lithe Snake didn¡¯t voice his real thoughts.

    ¡°You bled so much, Captain! Are you alright?!¡± Can rushed into the living room, taking out a shot of Medicine C to inject his hand. Meanwhile, Hong Xiaoxiao had run inside, too, reaching out to put a marked ck Gold hairpin into Gao Yang¡¯s pocket.

    Gao Yang thought with feelings, <i>These two may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they are loyal.</i>

    ¡°My Psychic Armor reached level 5.¡± Gao Yang allowed Can to patch him up. He turned to Six Rime. ¡°I¡¯ll go down the abyss tomorrow night at eight.¡±

    Six Rime nodded.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°I have a lot to take care of. I want to go to my college tomorrow afternoon to apply for suspension. It¡¯ll be inconvenient to take a whole entourage with me. Why don¡¯t you and Cane with me? Can has Invisibility, and I have Teleportation. We¡¯ll be able to quickly get away even if we run into powerful enemies.¡±

    Six Rime thought for a moment before blinking. ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 603: True Light

    <h4>Chapter 603: True Light</h4>

    The next morning, the sky was blue, the sunlight clear, and the breeze pleasant.

    Leaving Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, Gao Yang, Six Rime, and Can got a ride to Li City University.

    During the ride, Gao Yang closed his eyes and pretended to rest while he essed his system to check his stats.

    [You have umted 549 Luck points.]

    [Constitution: 441 Endurance: 448]

    [Strength: 1108 Agility: 1872]

    [Willpower: 1817 Charisma: 636]

    [Luck: 1777]

    [Teleportation Lv6]

    [Replicate Lv6]

    [Fire Lv6]

    [Double Lv6]

    [Psychic Armor Lv5]

    [Lie Detection Lv4]

    [Lucky Lv5]

    ...

    Getting out of the car, Gao Yang, Can, and Six Rime went to the teachers¡¯ offices together, seeking out Gao Yang¡¯s counselor. Can waited outside the office, while Six Rime, in in clothes, apanied Gao Yang as his cousin.

    The counselor knew that Gao Yang¡¯s parents had tragically passed away in the fire at the Green Mountain and wasn¡¯t particrly surprised by Gao Yang¡¯s decision to pull out of the school, but still tried to persuade him. ¡°Gao Yang, you should mourn and move on. You get quite good grades for your required sses. It¡¯ll be a shame for you to give up now...¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang smiled gratefully. ¡°But I only have my sister now, and she¡¯s studying art, which is quite expensive. I have to work to earn money...¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s...¡± The counselor was sympathetic and resigned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once my sister¡¯s in college, I¡¯ll return to school.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The counselor didn¡¯t press. After a brief chat, Gao Yang signed the paper and got the signatures of two other teachers before heading to his dorm room to pack up. Qiu Qiu and Lin Dajian had pulled an all-nighter the previous day and were sleeping in.

    Gao Yang¡¯s visit woke them, and seeing the tall, slim, and pretty girl following him, they became wide awake, quickly putting on clothes and getting out of their beds.

    ¡°You¡¯re back, Little Gao!¡± Qiu Qiu held his pants up and climbed down from his bed.

    Gao Yang nced at Six Rime. ¡°This is my cousin, here to apany me while I finish the procedure to withdraw from school. I¡¯m no longer a student here starting today.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Dajian was surprised, but it made sense once he remembered what had happened to Gao Yang¡¯s parents. Losing both, who the hell would want to continue school?

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t have to quit school.¡± Qiu Qiu understood but was still taken aback, and he was reluctant to lose a friend. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a little more time, Little Gao?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°I¡¯m d to have known you and Old Shi. Keep in touch.¡±

    Lin Dajian sighed, at a loss for words.

    They helped Gao Yang pack up and walked Gao Yang to the ground floor of the dorm.

    ¡°I have other things to take care of, so I won¡¯t buy you food.¡± Gao Yang nced at the two of them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to walk me further.¡±

    ¡°Alright. You...you should take care of yourself.¡± Qiu Qiu¡¯s eyes were a little red. After two seconds of hesitation, he gave Gao Yang a brief hug. ¡°Stay in touch, my friend.¡±

    ¡°Stay in touch and don¡¯t forget about us.¡± Lin Dajian hugged him too and patted him on the back.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m going.¡± Gao Yang turned around with his bags of belongings.

    Leaving the boys¡¯ dorm, Gao Yang walked past a teaching building. He shot Can a discreet look.

    Can, who was carrying textbooks for Gao Yang, quickened her steps and tripped convincingly, falling with a yelp. The books she was holding fell to the ground.

    Six Rime nced at Can before shifting her gaze back to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang quickly dropped his belongings to help pick up the books. Holding a studying note, hemented, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my college life to end like this.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought?¡± Can agreed. ¡°There are many exciting things about college life you haven¡¯t tried.¡±

    Six Rime hadn¡¯t attended college, and she wasn¡¯t interested in anything in the mundane world.

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang¡¯s double had made it to the top floor of the teaching building with consecutive teleportations, rushing to the small storage room at the end of the corridor.

    The door to the Witch¡¯s Club was locked.

    Inside, the thick curtains were drawn close. The dim room was illuminated only by a burning candle, held by an ancient-looking bronze stand on the tribute table covered in arcane items.

    Standing before a full-length mirror, Nainai was wearing a long grayish-blue wig, a pair of bunny ears, a ck bunny girl uniform, gray stockings, and short ck heels.

    She leaned forward with her hands dropped in a rxed manner, cocking her head to smile at her reflection. She was cosying the female lead of a romance anime.

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t go well with romance stuff...¡± Nainai held onto her low-cut uniform and pulled it upward, but that did nothing to make her curves more pronounced. ¡°Bunny senpai¡¯s got the best body. Even this Empress cannot embody...¡±

    ¡°Embody what?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s double had quietly teleported into the room, standing before Nainai.

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    Nainai screamed and dashed to hide behind thece curtains behind the tribute table. Grabbing a loose grim reaper¡¯s ck robe, she covered herself and shouted with a flushed face, ¡°You insolent peasant! How dare you peep into this Empress...¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty! The gears of fate are turning!¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to exin properly, so he dropped to one knee and made his deration, catching Nainai by surprise.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Please make your choice!¡±

    ¡°Hm? What, what...¡±

    ¡°The Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel are at odds in the end. While you are the descendent of the two and the chosen one, it is time for you to make a choice.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to lead the subjects of the Creator Witch to a false victory, or lead the people of the Fallen Angel to the real light?¡±

    ¡°Please make a choice, Empress Witch!¡± Gao Yang looked up at Nainai, his gaze determined and heated.

    Nainai stared at him, her pupils dted and her lips parted. She opened her mouth and closed it, and then did it again.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Finally, Nainai clenched her teeth and yanked off the ck robe covering her. Dressed in the bunny suit, she had never burned with a greater and wilder <i>chuuni </i>spirit than she did now.

    Nainai scoffed elegantly. ¡°This Empress has long gotten tired of the false life of a witch, subject of the fallen angel. Let us pursue the real light. This Empress will bestow upon you the holiest blessing.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    ¡ªThe subject didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    ¡°You have my utmost gratitude, Your Majesty.¡±

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. He had made the right gamble, it seemed.

    A few secondster, his double disappeared slowly, leaving a small slip of note on the floor.

 Chapter 604: Milk Tea or Cigarette

    <h4>Chapter 604: Milk Tea or Cigarette</h4>

    After withdrawing from school, Gao Yang returned to his home. At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Vermilion Bird came to take over Six Rime in preparation for the trip to the abyss at night.

    Vermilion Bird bought Gao Yang milk tea and a pack of cigarettes, letting Gao Yang choose between the two.

    Gao Yang picked the milk tea. Vermilion Bird smirked with some disappointment. ¡°Ah, I shouldn¡¯t have stopped you from smoking back then. It feels like I¡¯ve lost my only chance.¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Smoking is bad for health. You should quit too.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Vermilion Bird took out a cigarette. ¡°I¡¯ll quit after this one.¡±

    She crossed her legs and lit the cigarette, taking a graceful drag with her eyes fixed on Gao Yang. ¡°The abyss is going to be dangerous, Seven Shadow. You don¡¯t have to push yourself if you don¡¯t wanna go. We¡¯lle up with another way.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I have to go. Not just for the Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Then what for?¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling that something¡¯s waiting for me,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s a hunch.¡±

    ¡°The Divine Scion¡¯s hunch?¡± Vermilion Bird asked with a smile.

    Gao Yang lowered his head to take a sip of his milk tea. ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    Vermilion Bird fell into thought.

    In their shared moment of silence, Vermilion Bird finished her cigarette, and Gao Yang finished half of his milk tea.

    Vermilion Bird dropped the cigarette butt into a disposable paper cup. ¡°You may find thisment unwanted, Seven Shadow, but I still want to tell you that I like the old you better.¡±

    Gao Yang put away his cup of milk tea and didn¡¯t meet her eyes. ¡°And I like you when you haven¡¯t picked up smoking again.¡±

    ¡°Is there no going back?¡± Vermilion Bird asked ruefully.

    ¡°There¡¯s no going back,¡± Gao Yang responded in an even tone. ¡°Life pushes us along. The only things we have a say in are trivial choices like the one between drinking milk tea or smoking.¡±

    ¡°So be it then.¡± Vermilion Bird twisted her lips into a thin smile. Then she took out another cigarette and lit it, taking a deep inhale. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent for ten seconds before looking up. ¡°Xia Li...¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Vermilion Bird cut him off coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t try to tempt someone much older than you, brat. I bite.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Gao Yang shut his mouth.

    Eight o¡¯clock at night, Gao Yang arrived at the Green Lotus Park on time, apanied by Vermilion Bird. The area had been ced under lockdown by members of the Hundred Rivers Union. The Green Lotus Lake, which had been restored days ago¡ªor made to seem like how it had been¡ªwas opened up again.

    Six Rime had emptied the water, and Mischievous Monkey removed the cover he had personally ced above the abyss. The pit filled with eerie ck smoke reemerged in view.

    Qilin and War Tiger stood near the abyss, while Surnamed Li sat in her wheelchair. Behind them were Azure Dragon, Six Rime, Heavenly Dog, Mischievous Monkey, Goldthread, Colorless, and Chen Ying.

    Heavenly Dog was holding a bundle of rope made of ck Gold fiber.

    ¡°Here they are.¡± Azure Dragon was the first to notice the neers.

    The others turned around at that. Gao Yang and Vermilion Bird came over from not far away.

    ¡°How are you doing, Seven Shadow?¡± War Tiger grinned.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t waste his breath on chit-chat. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    Qilin said, ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, Seven Shadow. Call for help if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang went up to Heavenly Dog as he spoke. Without missing a beat, Heavenly Dog tied the rope around his waist, and Gao Yang replicated Fly in case he needed it.

    Once that was done, Heavenly Dog flew up above the abyss with the bundle of rope. A bell was tied to the other end.

    Surnamed Li looked up at Heavenly Dog and activated Prophet; she would be able to see ten seconds ahead at any time.

    Gao Yang walked to the edge of the abyss, looking down at the unknowable pit with swirling ck smoke. After making sure that the system hadn¡¯t sounded a warning, he took a deep breath and jumped in.

    With controlled speed, Heavenly Dog slowly lowered the rope, and Gao Yang descended below ground level, his limbs touching the ck smoke. The smoke converged toward Gao Yang quickly like it was alive, the gas-form tendrils curling around Gao Yang but quickly scattering in the wind.

    Gao Yang made an OK sign to Heavenly Dog before pointing down.

    Heavenly Dog got the message and lowered him further.

    Soon, Gao Yang disappeared into the ck fog, his figure obscured. War Tiger took a few involuntary steps forward to look down at the heart of the abyss. He even forgot about the cigarette in his mouth.

    Vermilion Bird stared at the abyss with a serious expression, waiting with bated breath.

    Chen Ying appearedposed, but her hands were clutching the back of Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair, her palms covered in sweat.

    They all stayed silent with their ownplicated thoughts, save for Heavenly Dog and Six Rime. Heavenly Dog still seemed half awake, but he was dutifully lowering the rope, while Six Rime, having changed into her usual witch outfit, had an impassive look on her face like a robot awaiting new input.

    At this time, Gao Yang could no longer see anything in the abyss. He didn¡¯t know how far he had descended, only that the ck fog around him had be thicker and thicker.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt himself plunge. He was falling!

    Outside the abyss, Surnamed Li started and shouted at Heavenly Dog. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡±

    Caught by surprise, Heavenly Dog quickly pulled the rope and soared into the sky. In the next two seconds, though, the rope in his grip fell uncontrobly, and despite Heavenly Dog¡¯s best effort to hold onto it, the rope ended up cutting his palm and shooting down like a cold, vicious snake,pelled by an irresistible force.

    <i>Thud.</i> War Tiger sprang into action, jumping toward the hovering Heavenly Dog, grabbing him with one hand and the rope with the other hand. He brought them to the other side of the abyss in two seconds.

    There was a gust, and then Azure Dragon was already there, holding onto the rope along with War Tiger.

    <i>Ring</i>.

    The bell rang. Although the two of them had steadied the rope, the force pulling the rope down on the other end disappeared after a few seconds.

    War Tiger quickly pulled the rope up in surprise, moving so quickly that his hands blurred like a rotating fan.

    It only took him a few seconds to reel in the rope running over a hundred meters long. His face darkened when he saw the end of it.

    The rope was cut.

    Vermilion Bird was holding a tablet, and the screen showed that the signal was dead, too. She turned to Qilin with anxiety she couldn¡¯t mask. ¡°Guildmaster, the tracking device on Gao Yang was dead.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t seem surprised. He said calmly, ¡°We wait.¡±

    Vermilion Bird swallowed her words and let out a sigh.

    Palms covered in red gashes, Heavenly Dog said in regret, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not to me. The abyss is he strange.¡± War Tiger patted him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Seven Shadow¡¯s quite hard to kill, to the point of being unreasonable.¡±

    Azure Dragonughed wryly. ¡°You¡¯re right about that, Brother Tiger.¡±

    Seven Shadow only awakened half a year ago, yet he had helped collect arge part of the Rune Circuits and discovered the existence of pride monsters, life monsters, the Divine Scion, and the Malediction. What he had learned about the Mist World almost surpassed their collective knowledge.

    Azure Dragon had fancied his Talent as overpowered, but his ability paled inparison to Seven Shadow¡¯s. Limitless Evolution granted him an observable and tangible aura, in a manner of speaking, while Seven Shadow¡¯s luck could be considered a special destiny, not to be exined with reasons.

    The Divine Scion, the son of God.

    So God yed favorites, too.

 Chapter 605: Cocky

    <h4>Chapter 605: Cocky</h4>

    Gao Yang fell quickly down the abyss. All around him was ck. He couldn¡¯t tell if the ck fog was simply too thick for him to see through it, or if he had reached the part of the abyss where there was no light.

    He did panic a little when he first started free-falling, but he calmed himself with Psychic Armor and realized that there was nothing he could do but count the seconds of his fall.

    He counted to a minute, meaning he had roughly fallen 3.3 kilometers.

    Was the abyss left by the Malediction¡¯s self-destruction really this deep?

    It wouldn¡¯t be too far-fetched. After all, the Malediction was going to blow up the entire Li City.

    Finally, Gao Yang felt thend approaching. He quickly created a double as his stepping stone and jumped off it, breaking his fall and making a safending.

    His double smashed into the ground, but wasn¡¯t too hurt.

    Gao Yang noticed that the ground was soft. It felt like it was covered in ck snow, and every step he took made a soft squelch. When he looked down, though, he couldn¡¯t see any detail, which was strange.

    Stranger still was the fact that he could make out the rough lines of his surroundings like he was in a dim room, when there was no source of light at all.

    Gao Yang considered if he should light up the ce with a fireball when a door appeared before him, making him jump.

    It was a metal door that belonged to those older apartment buildings, covered in blotches of rust andyers uponyers of all sorts of fliers and ads, the colors varying without coordination.

    There was no building, though, nor was there even a wall. All around him was a dark gray void, and the door stood out like a sore thumb.

    Gao Yang went up to the door with only a few steps. His system didn¡¯t warn him.

    He realized that even without Psychic Armor, he didn¡¯t feel any fear, only curiosity. He knocked on the door politely.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± said azy and casual voice. It sounded like a girl.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± That was the only response Gao Yang coulde up with.

    ¡°Finally. Come on in. It¡¯s not locked.¡± The girl spoke like they were old friends, and she had been waiting for him for a long time.

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang opened the door.

    Inside was a room that was a little more than ten square meters in size. The windows were shut and covered by blue curtains without patterns, under which was a wooden single bed. The bedding was checkered, the colors ck and white, and the nket and bed sheet were a little messy.

    Across from the bed was an old closet and a desk. On the desk stood an unhealthy-looking potted cactus, a few fashion magazines, snacks, and a bulky white monitor with a white mechanical keyboard, looking awkward and old.

    All around the space were colorful anime and movie posters, as well as portraits,ndscapes, animals, and abstract symbols.

    They existed around the space rather than covering the room since the room didn¡¯t have walls or a ceiling. It only seemed like a square bedroom based on theyout of the furniture and items.

    Above them was a hovering fan and an energy-saving light, both covered in dust.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    The voice said. Gao Yang was surprised to find the desk now imed by a thin, bony girl. She had her back to him, her grayish purple hair running down to her shoulders, one of which was revealed under the loose white t-shirt, so was a strap of her undergarment. She was wearing a pair of stic gray running shorts with ck decorative stripes. Legs curled, she rested her feet on the ck swivel chair.

    Scratching her foot with one hand and holding a small pudding popsicle with her other hand, she ate the popsicle while staring at the screen, the green light dancing on her face.

    Gao Yang turned to the screen first, but saw nothing but a cluster of shimmering neon lights.

    When he turned to the girl, he was surprised by her profile.

    ¡°Nainai!¡±

    The girl leaned into the chair and turned the chair to him, speaking in a lilting tone, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what you see me as?¡±

    Gao Yang immediately caught on. ¡°This is only my projection?¡±

    ¡°More or less. I didn¡¯t show you my true appearance because you may not be able to take it.¡± She opened her mouth wide to suck on the popsicle. ¡°Hm...this is good.¡±

    <i>I visited Nainai today to recruit her, making a gamble. That¡¯s why she left a strong impression on my short-term memory.</i>

    Gao Yang pictured the form the system usually took instead¡ªthe dorm keeper of his old orphanage.

    In the blink of an eye, Nainai was gone, reced by a woman with long braided hair, dressed in a patterned long dress with a whistle around her neck. She had her usual gentle smile on her face.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Her voice changed too, but she was still holding onto her popsicle and sitting in the same, rxed posture. She looked down at herself. ¡°To be honest, I still prefer the previous form.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not used to it,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s go with this.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you brat. You sure are full of yourself.¡± The woman¡¯s gentle face rearranged into a mocking expression. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you afraid of me at all?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are.¡±

    ¡°And the unknown is the most terrifying, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Who are you, and what do you want?¡± Gao Yang was getting impatient. If she wanted to kill him, he would be dead already. He was alive because she didn¡¯t intend to take his life for now, and he didn¡¯t have to treat her with deference.

    ¡°Good question.¡± She licked the popsicle again, getting some white cream on a corner of her mouth. ¡°I was born between the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, and...what is it again? I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°Do you fancy yourself aedian?¡± Gao Yang scoffed.

    Instantly, the woman was reced by Cockroach, the chubby and hideous Tail member with a face covered in pink scars and fleshy lumps.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Drooling brown saliva, ¡°Cockroach¡± jumped, dropping the popsicle in shock. ¡°You better fucking show me some respect. I¡¯m...¡±

    Cockroach quickly swallowed the words that almost fell out. ¡°Turn me back, now!¡±

    ¡°Respect goes both ways.¡± Gao Yang turned Cockroach back into his dorm keeper with a thought.

    ¡°Fine! Be as cocky as you want!¡±

    She shot to her feet and went up to the nightstand, picking up a sheet of paper and a pen and handing them to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang took the paper. It was filled with ck symbols resembling earthworms, and the symbols kept morphing. There was no deciphering the writing.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A ve contract.¡± Sheughed. ¡°Or abor contract, to put it nicely.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Gao Yang frowned.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t sign it, you die.¡± She grinned. ¡°Sign it, and I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    ¡°What am I giving by signing it?¡±

    ¡°A lot. Why, are you scared?¡± She shot him a mocking look. ¡°Weren¡¯t you being all cocky? And you didn¡¯t even hesitate before choosing between milk tea and cigarettes, did you? Why are you hesitating when signing a simple contract? Are you a man or not?¡±

    Gao Yang scoffed, grabbing the pen and paper to sign the contract.

    ¡°Haha, good boy.¡± She took the contract with a smile, but her smile went stiff a secondter.

 Chapter 606: Out

    <h4>Chapter 606: Out</h4>

    ¡°Who¡¯s Qi Ying?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Do you not like it? Then I can use a different name. I¡¯ve got a lot. Dark Horse, Seven Shadow, Jin Tiannan, Little Gao, Subject of the Fallen Angel...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. This will do.¡± The woman waved a hand, and the contract turned into a white butterfly, flying into the open drawer of the nightstand before unfolding back into a smooth sheet, and the drawer closed with a thud.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°No.¡± The woman sat back on the swivel chair with her legs crossed and rested on the desk. A pudding popsicle returned to her hand. She started licking it with enjoyment.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t take her doing all that in the image of the dorm keeper, and with a thought, he turned her into aedic character named Ruhua[1].

    ¡°Again? You disrespectful brat.¡± The woman shot him a withering re, her eyes glinting fiercely. ¡°Out.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s vision went dark, and he cked out.

    ...

    ¡°Seven Shadow!¡±

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow...¡±

    Gao Yang heard voices around him. He slowly opened his eyes and recovered consciousness in a second, quickly sitting up and activating Psychic Armor. Scanning his surroundings calmly, he realized that he was lying in a crater. Yes, a crater rather than a bottomless pit they had called the abyss.

    It wasn¡¯t deep, only about four meters in depth and a couple dozen meters in diameter, looking like a swimming pool in the shape of a hemisphere that had been dug into the ground but not yet tiled.

    Gao Yang was confused. Why was he here?

    <i>Oh, right. I went down to explore the abyss, but what happenedter? It feels like I¡¯ve fallen asleep.</i>

    ¡°You okay, Seven Shadow?¡± Vermilion Bird called out from outside the crater, and the others looked over with concern.

    The rope tied to Gao Yang had suddenly plunged quickly and broke after he entered the abyss, and all the others could do was wait. They waited three hours, from eight o¡¯clock at night to eleven o¡¯clock.

    Then the ck fog in the abyss thinned before dispersing altogether.

    Without the cover of the ck fog, they realized to their surprise that the ¡°abyss¡± was merely arge crater, and its depth didn¡¯t even reach five meters. Gao Yangy in the center of it, looking unscathed with his chest rising and falling regrly, as if he had just fallen asleep.

    Still, they didn¡¯t dare to enter the crater recklessly after what had happened to Heavenly Dog and ck Fish. This could very well be a trap in disguise.

    So they stayed outside and called out to Gao Yang.

    Indeed, Gao Yang woke up after a few calls. Judging by his reaction, he seemed lost, too.

    ¡°Elder Seven Shadow,¡± War Tiger said with a sarcastic smile. ¡°How¡¯s the trip? Is the scenery good?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately respond. He slowly rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. Then he tapped into his energy to make sure there was no threat around.

    He teleported out of the crater, returning to the group.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± Gao Yang said honestly.

    Qilin¡¯s eyes sharpened. The same had happened to ck Fish.

    ¡°Are you joking?¡± War Tiger¡¯s eyebrows jumped up. He was unconvinced.

    ¡°I remember nothing, really,¡± repeated Gao Yang.

    Vermilion Bird went up to take Gao Yang¡¯s hand, and a gentle stream of energy circted through Gao Yang¡¯s body. She pulled back, turning to Qilin and Azure Dragon.

    ¡°He¡¯s not hurt, and his energy¡¯s stable.¡±

    Qilin stayed silent, while Azure Dragon frowned slightly.

    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Three hours,¡± Qilin answered.

    Gao Yang quietly essed the system to check his Luck points. He had gained no points at all. In theory, even without any bonus, he should¡¯ve gotten 6 Luck points after three hours. Could it be that the passage of time was different inside the abyss? Or did Luck points simply not increase there?

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t remember what he had seen or encountered at all, but he felt like he had done something important, some sort of trade.

    His head was throbbing. He said again, ¡°I don¡¯t remember a thing, for real.¡±

    ¡°I believe you.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°Mind if we search you, Seven Shadow? There¡¯s a possibility that you¡¯ve found the Rune Circuit but forgotten about it because of outside force.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Gao Yang said readily.

    Qilin nced at Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Forgive the offense, Seven Shadow.¡± Azure Dragon went up to him.

    Gao Yang opened his arms like he was going through security at an airport. Azure Dragon searched him thoroughly, and he found no Rune Circuit.

    He shook his head at Qilin.

    Confusion shed through Qilin¡¯s eyes. Rune Circuits were the most stable objects in the world. They couldn¡¯t be destroyed, and they wouldn¡¯t just disappear. Where had the Guard Rune Circuit gone? And why hadn¡¯t Dragone when so much was at stake? Could it be that Dragon had foreseen that the Guard Rune Circuit wasn¡¯t in the abyss?

    ¡°Whatever the case, Elder Seven Shadow has erased the insidious abyss,¡± Surnamed Li said gratefully from her wheelchair. ¡°Tonight¡¯s adventure still bore fruit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± War Tiger agreed with a smile.

    Qilin nodded and stopped dwelling on things. He turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Good work today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only right,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Please clean up the mess, Six Rime, Mischievous Monkey.¡± Qilin continued to give orders. ¡°Let¡¯s end things here tonight. We¡¯ll discuss the matter of the Rune Circuit at ater time.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, I got excited for nothing. I¡¯m off.¡± War Tiger turned to leave with his hands behind his head.

    ¡°Guildmaster,¡± Gao Yang called out.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Qilin turned to him.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯d like to have a private conversation with you.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t mind saying that when others could hear him.

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°Whenever¡¯s good for you.¡±

    Qilin thought for a moment. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk tonight at my clinic. Vermilion Bird, give us a ride, please.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Azure Dragon nced at Six Rime. ¡°After you¡¯re done cleaning up, go to Elder Seven Shadow to resume your guard duty.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Six Rime responded.

    1. A recurring character in Stephen Chow¡¯s movies, a purposefully ugly woman yed by a male actor. ?

 Chapter 607: Seven Shadowâ€™s Suggestion

    <h4>Chapter 607: Seven Shadow¡¯s Suggestion</h4>

    Vermilion Bird drove, and Gao Yang took the passenger seat while Qilin took the backseat. None of them said anything during the drive.

    Vermilion Bird tapped her long fingers on the driving wheel in a stato. She remembered the three of them chatting andughing a few months ago, debating if Gao Yang was charming with his overly cautious nature. Back then, Qilin even handed him two Rune Circuits, showing great trust and expectations.

    How did they get here?

    Perhaps it was the night Qilin didn¡¯t go to Gao Yang¡¯s rescue, or it could be earlier than that. Often, mundane matters could reveal to be the building blocks of a certain fate in hindsight.

    Vermilion Bird swallowed a sigh. The worst scenario she could imagine was Gao Yang resigning and returning to the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    He could go independent too, but while his growth was impressive, it was still too early for him to start anew on his own; it would be unwise of him.

    Vermilion Bird felt anxious with thoughts warring in her head.

    The silence unnerved her. She turned on the radio to a song.

    <i>It''s been a long day without you my friend</i>

    <i>And I''ll tell you all about it when I see you again</i>

    <i>We''vee a long way from where we began</i>

    <i>Oh I''ll tell you all about it when I see you again</i>

    <i>When I see you again</i>

    ...

    <i>Damn radio. This is a bad time for this song!</i>

    Vermilion Bird quickly turned off the radio.

    For the rest of the drive, she had two cigarettes,ined about three long stops, tapped on the driving wheel with her right fingers 886 times, and then finally, they arrived at the building where the clinic was.

    Vermilion Bird was about to get out of the car when Qilin nced at her and said, ¡°You should head back first.¡±

    She paused, waving a hand. ¡°Alright. See you tomorrow.¡±

    It waste. Qilin and Gao Yang walked across the quiet lobby and entered an elevator, quickly reaching their destination. Qilin unlocked the door to the clinic with his key. The wind chimes sang as he opened the door.

    The receptionist wasn¡¯t around, of course. Gao Yang and Qilin walked into the counseling room.

    Qilin took off his woolen coat and turned to shoot Gao Yang a faint smile. ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll make coffee for you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t reject the offer. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    Qilin walked into the pantry.

    Gao Yang looked around. He hade here for a meeting several times but never took the time to properly observe theyout of the room. The rectangr room was connected to two smaller side rooms on the left: the pantry and the storage. On the right was a small bathroom.

    The bay window looked out into the road in the west, and on the far end of the road was the riverside scenic area and the Li River.

    It was a shame that the curtains were drawn. He couldn¡¯t see the beautiful night view outside.

    ¡°Coffee¡¯s here.¡±

    Qilin emerged from the pantry with two cups of coffee, limping slightly due to his bad leg. Gao Yang rose to take the cups, cing them on the tea table.

    They sat down at the same time. Qilin picked up the cane he had left on the sofa and held it with both hands, turning to Gao Yang. ¡°What do you want to talk to me about?¡±

    [ess granted.]

    ¡ªPut all my umted Luck points into Charisma.

    ¡ªAutomatically allocate all the Luck points I¡¯m going to gain into Charisma until I say stop.

    [Constitution: 441 Endurance: 448]

    [Strength: 1108 Agility: 1872]

    [Willpower: 1817 Charisma: 1207]

    [Luck: 1777]

    [ess ends.]

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang turned to Qilin. ¡°I¡¯d like to resign.¡±

    Qilin wasn¡¯t at all surprised. He smiled slightly, having guessed it. ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°There are many reasons,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°Mainly personal ones.¡±

    Qilin nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you want to leave the Qilin Guild, but I respect your decision.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Guildmaster.¡±

    Qiling then asked, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Gao Yang said, mixing lies with truths. ¡°To be honest, my parents¡¯ death is quite hard on me. Although the Mist World leaves us with little time, there are things stopping me from moving forward if I can¡¯t figure them out...¡±

    ¡°I understand. Everyone has their problems to solve.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°How about you go to Azure Dragon tomorrow for your resignation and turn over your responsibilities? You may need to sign a few NDAs too. I hope you¡¯ll cooperate.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Qilin asked.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment before taking a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s something else I believe I should tell you.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°When Dragon went to Ind Nation to save us, he left me a message.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes grew icy under his sses.

    ¡°He said that after the Rune Circuits are collected,¡± Gao Yang slowly looked up at Qilin, ¡°You must not be the one to open the Gates of Closure.¡±

    ¡°What did he mean?¡± Qilin was confused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°My understanding is that after the Rune Circuits are collected, he wants someone everyone can trust to open the Gates of Closure under our watch, rather than leaving you to do it.¡±

    Qilin was silent for a few seconds. ¡°And Dragon believes you are the right man for the job?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be that person.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I agree with Dragon partly. I believe the one opening the door must not be Dragon, you, or Surnamed Li, and definitely not me. We have to pick someone we all trust and have them open the Gates of Closure with the twelve Rune Circuits, and we will be there with them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve thought of someone, haven¡¯t you?¡± Qilin adjusted his sses.

    ¡°I have.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo.¡±

    Qilin thought for a few seconds and nodded. ¡°She is a good candidate.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s lost her memory, and she¡¯s kind by nature. That¡¯s been confirmed by me and Liu Qingying. Moreover, she doesn¡¯t know the Mist World at all, and she has no connection with any factions. She¡¯s like a nk sheet of paper. I can¡¯t think of a better person for the job.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Qilin sighed. ¡°But have you considered that opening the door will trigger a powerful energy resonation, which will be dangerous? Ke Yo may not be able to take it.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s lost her memory, not her Talent and energy,¡± Gao Yang said bluntly. ¡°I believe thatpared to the risk of other people opening the door with the twelve Rune Circuits, Ke Yo¡¯s facing much less risk.¡±

    Qilin smiled faintly. ¡°The rate of your growth surprises me, Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t respond.

    After a brief moment of silence, Qilin said with regret, ¡°Your suggestion is a good one, Seven Shadow, but I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t agree to it.¡±

 Chapter 608: Important Decision

    <h4>Chapter 608: Important Decision</h4>

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang had expected Qilin to reject the idea, but he was still curious.

    ¡°I discovered the Gates of Closure, and I alone know where it is. All these years, I¡¯ve been working to open it.¡± Qilin sounded determined. ¡°I believe I¡¯m entitled to open the Gates.¡±

    ¡°Is the question of who gets to open the Gates really that important?¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°It is.¡± Qilin¡¯s gaze was serious. ¡°Things aren¡¯t as simple as you think, Seven Shadow. Dragon is simply trying to mislead you in a way that you¡¯ll be susceptible to, making you think that you¡¯re making the right decision on your own and have you insist on your position.¡±

    ¡°Think about it carefully. Can the Gates really be opened by a nobody?¡±

    Qilin slightly lowered his eyes. ¡°Just like the exploration of the abyss tonight. Can it be done by anyone other than you? Heavenly Dog and ck Fish both tried, and look where that got them. Different people would get different results by opening the Gates. The Gates of Closure isn¡¯t a simple doorway. I cannot leave such an important task to someone else.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    Qilin said in an earnest tone, ¡°I can make concessions on anything, Seven Shadow, anything but that. The Gates have to be opened by me, and I¡¯m willing to give my life for it.¡±

    ¡°Even after you¡¯re no longer a member, I hope that you¡¯ll understand and support me in that.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent. He was thinking.

    His head was a mess. He needed time to calm himself. He looked up and said, ¡°May I use the bathroom?¡±

    ¡°Be my guest.¡±

    Gao Yang headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Opening the tap, he sshed water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror for ten seconds.

    Then he walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him and sitting back down on the sofa.

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡± Gao Yang looked at Qilin seriously, speaking in a determined tone. ¡°Thank you for all you¡¯ve done for humanity, and thank you for your trust in me and your support.¡±

    He took a deep breath. ¡°Still, I insist that the Gates should be opened by Ke Yo or another impartial individual.¡±

    The room grew silent.

    Qilin¡¯s expression grew tired. He sighed softly and took off his sses, looking at Gao Yang with clear eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until just then that I realized I might have made a mistake, Seven Shadow. I was fooled.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The Guard Rune Circuit hasn¡¯t gone missing. It¡¯s been with you to start with.¡±

    Gao Yang started.

    <i>Activate Tele...</i>

    <i>Tele...what?</i>

    The Gao Yang hiding in the bathroom had forgotten the name of his Talent, and at the same time, the flow of his energy slowed to a halt, the route blocked off. Moreover, his other Talents had gone dormant, and he lost all his experience and skills in fighting and fleeing.

    Then all his memories, emotions, thoughts, and knowledge faded from his mind, too.

    Like a quickly fading old photo, Gao Yang¡¯s brain became a nk sheet of paper in seconds, emptied. While his physical body and brain remained intact and his heart was beating normally, signifying that he was still alive, he was, in a manner of speaking, dead.

    The existence known as Gao Yang, including all the information and memories he had gotten over the past eighteen years, was erased. His brain was emptier than that of an infant.

    Save for Hong Xiaoxiao, no one would be able to restore his brain.

    Unfortunately, Hong Xiaoxiao wasn¡¯t with him, and she hadn¡¯t marked Gao Yang with Gamer.

    Inside the bathroom, Gao Yang copsed to the floor with a thud, his body spasming and his dder and bowel losing control. He had lost even his memory and experience of his most basic functions, and he couldn¡¯t do anything but breathe instinctually¡ªhe didn¡¯t know how to.

    The system continued to repeat the same warning in his head, yet he could no longer understand the words.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 14000 times.]

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 14000 times.]

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 14000 times.]

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Seven Shadow.¡± Small, imperceptible white spots appeared in Qilin¡¯s green eyes. He had used the skill he acquired with level 7 Eidos, the trump card he had never used on a human before¡ªBrain Formatting.

    Its effective range was small, but it was discreet, quick, and dangerous.

    If one were to divide psychic attacks into close-ranged and long-ranged moves, Brain Formatting would be equivalent to a de hidden in one¡¯s sleeve. It caught the target by surprise and made a fierce, merciless attack without pulling back.

    Qilin ignored Gao Yang¡¯s double, which remained unmoving on the sofa. He stood up and walked to the bathroom with his cane.

    He slowly crouched down and reached out to search Gao Yang¡¯s armpit. Normally, Rune Circuits would be hidden in a bag tucked under the arm. While he didn¡¯t know how Gao Yang had evaded Azure Dragon¡¯s search, his instinct told him that the Guard Rune Circuit must be with Gao Yang, and the abyss was nothing but a red herring.

    Suddenly, he tensed.

    The body didn¡¯t feel right. It was melting¡ªno, it was vanishing...

    Qilin didn¡¯t even waste his time to turn around before he unleashed a mental shockwave at thergest range he could manage. However, the ¡°double¡± on the sofa was already gone.

    ...

    Three seconds before.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Yang teleported from the sofa through the bay window, shing into existence outside. He started free-falling from the neenth floor, and still he needed to go faster. He teleported himself downward to speed up his fall, and in two seconds, he hit the ground.

    With a roll forward, he broke his fall. He quickly jumped up and teleported through the dark road and the riverside scenic area, diving into the Li River and heading toward the bottom of it.

    It took less than five seconds for him to escape.

    Five secondster, Gao Yang activated Willful Power without hesitation at the bottom of the river, putting most of his stats into Charisma. Only then did the rigidness and dullness of his brain fade, and he slowly recovered.

    <i>That¡¯s insane!</i>

    After taking off his sses, Qilin had used Brain Formatting on Gao Yang¡¯s double in the bathroom rather than Gao Yang himself, yet the psychic damage that spread to his real body still almost killed him.

    Yes, the Gao Yang in the bathroom was his double, and the one sitting before Qilin was the real deal.

    During the ten seconds he hesitated before the mirror above the wash basin, he wasn¡¯t agonizing over whether he should support or resist Qilin; he had made the decision already.

    He must not allow Qilin to acquire all twelve Rune Circuits!

    What he had been thinking about during the ten seconds was whether he should hide his real self in the bathroom or have it go outside.

    He had a strong feeling that Qilin wouldn¡¯t let him go tonight.

    Qilin had already decided to kill him, and he was likely to have guessed that the Guard Rune Circuit was in Gao Yang¡¯s hands¡ªwhich he had actually handed to Wang Zikai for safekeeping already.

    Lying to Qilin on something this fundamentally important would surely be punished by death.

    Whether Gao Yang agreed with or disagreed with Qilin, the man was never going to trust him again, and he wouldn¡¯t allow a threat like Gao Yang to survive.

    That much was apparent when Qilin first interrogated Gao Yang. He was terrifyingly determined and wouldn¡¯t mind getting his hands dirty for his goal.

    Thanks to the points Gao Yang put into his Charisma, he sensed a psychic pressure that would be unleashed once triggered as soon as he walked into the bathroom. Like countless intangible strands, the psychic power went through the wall and quietly encircled Gao Yang, touching the hair on his skin.

    No matter if Gao Yang chose to attack or escape, he would be hit by Qilin¡¯s psychic attack immediately.

    To Gao Yang¡¯s knowledge, Qilin¡¯s maximum attack range was thirty meters in diameter, which meant Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the range with one teleport. His only choice was to create a distraction with Double.

    However, Qilin must have guessed that Gao Yang had gone to the bathroom under the excuse of thinking in order to attempt an escape with Double. Qilin was the kind of person whose shrewdness couldn¡¯t be overestimated.

    After debating with himself for more than ten seconds, Gao Yang decided to take the risk and did the counterintuitive thing: after activating Double, his real self walked out of the bathroom to face Qilin, while his double remained hidden inside, making it seem like it was ready to escape at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Moreover, Gao Yang had left a tiny crack when closing the door gingerly, acting as naturally as he could, and the gap allowed Qilin to see the mirror in the bathroom, which reflected a small part of the shadow the double cast on the wall.

    In the end, Qilin fell for it.

    He took off his sses and made a deadly move, using Brain Formatting on the double inside the bathroom. Gao Yang¡¯s true self was sitting before Qilin, and the secondary impact of the move turned his brain rigid and deprived him of much of his memory, experience, and emotions.

    Even with 1200 points in Charisma, the resistance he could put up before Qilin broke down easily.

    If his mental resistance had been paper thin, it was now at most as thick as cardboard, and Qilin¡¯s willpower pierced through it like a dagger.

    Doing his best to contain the damage done to his mind, Gao Yang teleported away from the sofa.

    Five secondster, having plunged into the dark cold depth of the river, Gao Yang activated Willful Power to push his Charisma to 6000 temporarily, allowing him to fight the lingering impact of Brain Formatting.

    Without hesitation, he took out his waterproof cellphone and sent the group message he had set up beforehand.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The message was sent sessfully.

 Chapter 609: Captainâ€™s Summon

    <h4>Chapter 609: Captain¡¯s Summon</h4>

    Inside an unfinished building in a suburban area. The bare structure was all rough concrete walls and concrete floor covered in dust. There was no door, and the window was a simple square hole, the inconsistently cut rebars protruding.

    There was only a mattress and a foldable stool in the barebone room. On the stool were two phones, a power bank, arge bottle of water, and a half-finished pack of hardtacks.

    Dressed in abat outfit with dark-colored camouge and equipped with various cold weapons, Lithe Snake stood upright with his arms crossed, his eyes closed in rest.

    However, he was hanging down from the ceiling like a bat.

    <i>Buzz</i>. His phone rang. It was a message from ¡°Boss¡±.

    He opened his eyes in the dark, his lips curled into a cold smile.

    ...

    Late at night, on the bar street bright and bustling with nightlife in the downtown area, a panicked-looking man knocked his way through the packed crowds, eliciting screams after screams from the pedestrians.

    ¡°Out of the way! Out...¡±

    ¡°Agh! What the hell are you...¡±

    He had a ck waist pack in his hand as he fled recklessly. Soon, he ran out of the alley and was about to dive into a car parked by the road, but then a strong, hairy arm shot out to snake around his neck.

    Gray Bear smirked and pulled his arm back, sending the man falling to the ground. The man cried out in pain and saw stars.

    Gray Bear crouched down with a half-finished cigarette in his mouth, smiling as he patted the panicked man¡¯s face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a break, buddy? Do you really think you can shake us with your short legs?¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s two colleagues¡ªin in clothes¡ªcaught up with them, rushing out of the bar street. ¡°Where¡¯s the guy? You got him?¡±

    ¡°I got him,¡± Gray Bear called out to them.

    ¡°How are you so quick, Old Bear?¡± His colleagues panted as they ran up.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Gray Bear pointed at his own head. ¡°Cracking down crimes is about the brains. This is foresight.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the veteran here.¡± His colleagues offered ttery.

    Gray Bear was pleased. He took off the handcuffs at his waist and cuffed the man¡¯s wrists behind his back. <i>Ring</i>. His phone, tucked in the back pocket of his pants, rang.

    Gray Bear paused and took out his phone. It was a message from ¡°Captain Seven¡±, and the message was a short one.

    A thrill shooting down his spine, he spat out the cigarette in his mouth and jumped to his feet.

    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± His colleagues called out to him.

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t hear them at all. He took the suspect¡¯s car key and opened the car door, hopping in.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking your car!¡± That was all he said before driving away.

    His two colleagues and the suspect were left exchanging awkward nces.

    ...

    Late at night, inside the rundown boxing gym that saw few visitors, the old drunkard who owned the cey prone on a sofa, drinking beer and watching a boxing match.

    <i>Thud, thud. Thud. Thud, thud, thud...</i>

    Topless, Nine Frost¡¯s well-built muscles were on full disy. He wore a pair of boxing shorts and red boxing gloves, making powerful punches at arge 500-kilo sandbag. The sandbag shook quickly like it was filled with feathers.

    The rebar where the sandbag hung down from hummed and rumbled. The whole ce seemed to shake slightly in response, as if a weak earthquake had hit.

    <i>Ding</i>. The phone inside his pocket rang.

    Nine Frost was just getting into it, and with a powerful hook, he tore the sandbag. Countless fine grains of sand sshed out from the opening, pooling on the floor.

    ¡°Fuck! How many times have you done this this month? You little bastard!¡± The old man on the sofa turned around and cursed. Although Nine Frost could break his head with a single punch, he didn¡¯t fear Nine Frost at all.

    He had been part of the organized crime world for decades, after all, and he had met his fair share of vicious people.

    ¡°You think I can¡¯t pay you for it?¡± Nine Frost shot back coldly, taking off his boxing gloves and fishing out his phone. A nce told him that it was a message from ¡°Team Leader¡±.

    His eyes sharpened. He turned around and grabbed his jacket, draping it around his shoulders. Then he took out a bank card from his pocket and threw it onto the old man¡¯s sofa with a simple twist of his wrist.

    ¡°There¡¯s a few hundred thousand in the ount. Renovate this ce so that you¡¯ll get some customers. And drink less. Your liver¡¯s gonna fail on you soon.¡±

    The old man was surprised. ¡°Brat, what did you get yourself into? Don¡¯t just run. You can hide here. I¡¯ll shelter you.¡±

    Nine Frost sighed with a smile and strode out of the boxing gym, waving at the old man with his back to him. ¡°My trouble isn¡¯t something you can deal with.¡±

    ...

    Late at night, in the girls¡¯ dorm at Li City University, Cany on her bed dressed in light pink coral fleece pajamas, holding her phone up with both hands as she yed HOK. Her legs were busily peddling in the air at the same time for muscle training.

    Her match was going well. She was carrying the team and running wild with her prowess and skills. Naturally, her mouth was running a mile a second, too.

    ¡°Join the group fight. What are you doing, polishing the crystal?¡±

    ¡°Hey, buddy, you¡¯re some help, but not much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get some oranges in the jungle. Stay in the midne and don¡¯t wander around...¡±

    <i>Buzz</i>.

    Suddenly, she got a message from ¡°Captain Seven Shadow¡±, and the ringtone she had chosen specifically for him sounded. It was a sound effect that was quitemon for fantasy movies when the protagonists suddenly had a holy light shine on them, signifying them being chosen by fate. It felt like a miracle had happened.

    At this moment, Can¡¯s God descended.

    She flipped to a sitting position with some difficulty and quickly quit the game, going offline when the most important group fight was starting.

    She rarely went AFK on her teammates, but this time, she didn¡¯t even hesitate.

    She jumped out of her bed and quickly got changed, putting her shoes on and running out of the door with the small backpack she had prepared long ago.

    ¡°Orange, where are you going thiste at night? The dorm¡¯s locked down.¡± Zhou Jing emerged from the bathroom in alluring silk pajamas, her face covered in a sheet mask.

    ¡°Somethinges up,¡± Can said carelessly. Then she thought of something and quickly went up to Zhou Jing¡¯s vanity, grabbing a box of concealer and powder to remove oil. ¡°I can have these, right?¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing...¡±

    ¡°Love you, Sister Zhou! Bye! <i>Mua</i>!¡± Can sent her a careless kiss before mming the door shut behind her.

    She jumped, leaping down from the corridor on the third floor,nding safely with Gale.

    ...

    Late at night, at the Witch¡¯s Club, a yellow light lit up the dark room,ing from a ck scented candle. The mysterious, otherworldly smell permeated the air. Dressed in a blue and white sailor suit, Nainai wore a ck eye patch with a ck tattoo sticker on the back of her hand. The pattern looked like an equinox flower from theherworld.

    Lying on a soft mat printed with a hexagram, she held her phone with both hands, reading the novel White Rabbit had rmended to her: <i>My Buddy is the Chosen One</i>.

    ¡°It¡¯s...it¡¯s just angsty fluff...¡± Nainai¡¯s eyes became moist with tears, and her voice trembled. ¡°You think this will hurt this Empress? Wait for this Empress¡¯ judgment, you arrogant author...¡±

    <i>Ding</i>.

    Her phone rang. It was a message from ¡°Loyal Servant Seven Shadow¡±.

    After a pause, Nainai sprang to her feet and grabbed the grim reaper¡¯s cape to drape around her, pulling on the hood to cover half of her face, her lips curled into a mysterious smile.

    ¡°Ha, the day has finally arrived.¡±

 Chapter 610: One-Man Cavalry

    <h4>Chapter 610: One-Man Cavalry</h4>

    Late at night, Hong Xiaoxiao walked out of the ATM room, heart pounding like she had done something wrong.

    Well, she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, but it was still an insane move for her.

    Under Lithe Snake¡¯s suggestion and advice, Hong Xiaoxiao, who had just received her sry for the month, did something bold: she exchanged two <i>jinwu </i>for about three hundred thousand cash through Lithe Snake¡¯s connection.

    It was more than three hundred thousand yuan. Hong Xiaoxiao had never seen that much cash in her life, not even in her dream. Once, she dreamed about winning a hundred thousand yuan from the lottery, and she was depressed for so long after waking up.

    Her briefcase was heavy with wads of dor bills, and as she walked on the road, it felt like everyone was eyeing her suspiciously, and she worried that they would pull out a kitchen knife to rob her.

    ording to Lithe Snake¡¯s instruction, Hong Xiaoxiao saved the money in an ount, and every month, a certain sum of money would be wired to her mother''s bank ount in the name of Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s sry. It wasn¡¯t arge sum, but enough for Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s family to pay for their living expenses.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had resigned from her job as a salesperson, but she told her parents that she was going on a work trip to the West Nation, and that she wouldn¡¯t be home for quite a while.

    Thinking that she had done all she had to do, she made up her mind to enter the world of awakeners for real.

    She would be lying if she said she didn¡¯t feel any regret or reluctance. She hadn¡¯t figured out if she was going to embrace her familypletely or cut them off.

    She envied those who had awakened early or would never awaken. They either had more time to think and deal with the predicament, or didn¡¯t have to think about it at all. It could be considered a happy life to live and die in ignorance.

    ¡°Wake up!¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao patted herself in the face and took a deep breath. ¡°Live, live well...¡±

    <i>Ding</i>.

    Her phone rang. Hong Xiaoxiao hurriedly took her phone out of her pocket. It was a message from ¡°Elder Seven Shadow.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao jumped. Ever since Lithe Snake told her the code phrase in secret, she had anticipated the day, but she didn¡¯t expect it toe so soon.

    Her mentor back when she worked in sales told her once, ¡°Sales is about first impressions. If you see someone and think at first nce that they can be it, don¡¯t hesitate and don¡¯t be scared. Be confident and determined. Make the first step with the belief that you¡¯ll seed in selling the products to them...¡±

    <i>I¡¯ve chosen Elder Seven Shadow. That¡¯s my first step. There¡¯s no turning around.</i>

    Hong Xiaoxiao tightened her grip on her phone and rushed to the head of the street. On her still-lit screen was a short message, consisting of five words and two punctuation marks.

    ¡ªThe odds be with, us.

    ...

    Girls¡¯ dorm, Fifteen Highschool, early morning.

    The light had gone off for quite a while, and most students had fallen asleep.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin.¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s mind was hazy from sleep when she heard someone call out to her. The voice was unfamiliar, and the tone unfriendly and irritated.

    She opened her eyes to find two men standing by her bed.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Gao Xinxin jumped, suddenly wide awake. Clutching her nket, she scooted to a corner of the bed.

    ¡°Who...who are you... Help, help!¡±

    Gao Xinxin screamed, but no one responded. Her roommates had all lost consciousness.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> The man on the right lifted a hand, and his fingers turned into two brown vines, wrapping around Gao Xinxin¡¯s neck to stop her from calling for help. He had expected her to lose consciousness, but instead, she kept struggling.

    ¡°It¡¯s the type of wanderer that can modify its logic,¡± said the man.

    Gao Xinxin tamped down her fear and thought, <i>What¡¯s a wanderer? Me? What manner of monsters are they? Why are they attacking me? What are they gonna do to me?</i>

    Moonlight shone through the window, allowing Gao Xinxin a good look at the two men. The man tying her up was tall and thin. His long brownish-green hair was tied into oily dreadlocks, resembling seaweeds. He had tanned skin, a long face, and light green eyes. A string of green leaves was tattooed on his chest all the way to his Adam¡¯s apple like a spine.

    He was Forest Crane, an elite of Team Azure Dragon. His Talent was nt, serial number 34, Element-type, which allowed him to manipte wood elements at will.

    Hispanion was a man with shaved ck hair, round face, fleshy nose, and short stocky figure, looking about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in a red long-sleeved jersey and pants with ck stripes.

    He was Crimson Bee, a member of Team Vermilion Bird at the Qilin Guild. With his Talent, Bee Venom, he had knocked out the other girls in the room.

    ¡°You¡¯re Gao Yang¡¯s little sister?¡± Crimson Bee demanded bluntly. ¡°Blink once if you are, twice if you aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Gao Xinxin wed at the brown vines strangling her neck with both hands, her face flushed and her eyes brimming with tears of fear.

    She blinked twice.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Crimson Bee scoffed. ¡°She can¡¯t even lie properly. It¡¯s her. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Forest Crane raised his right hand to lift Gao Xinxin off her bed. He wasn¡¯t going to go easy on her just because she was a girl, and he decided to strangle her until she lost consciousness before taking her away.

    Three minutes ago, all members of the Qilin Guild received an internal emergency notification:

    Seven Shadow had betrayed them. His sister was to be taken to the ck Tortoise branch, and all members would prepare for a fight.

    Attached to the end of the notification were Gao Xinxin¡¯s picture and information on her ss and dorm room.

    Forest Crane and Crimson Bee were the two members closest to the Fifteen Highschool at the time, so they were the first to arrive and sneak into the girls¡¯ dorm, grabbing Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°Hm, hmph...¡±

    Lifted off the ground, Gao Xinxin struggled as hard as she could, kicking Forest Crane with both feet, but the man didn¡¯t even budge.

    A few secondster, she started to slip into unconsciousness from theck of oxygen.

    Crimson Bee turned to the window. It was then he suddenly saw a dark figure flying toward them at incredible speed like a cannonball.

    ¡°Watch¡ª¡±

    Before Crimson Bee could utter the next word, the figure had already smashed through the window, throwing a punch at Crimson Bee.

    Crimson Bee didn¡¯t even have the time to react.

    Forest Crane was much stronger than Crimson Bee, and he reacted quickly. Before Crimson Bee even shouted the warning, he had already sensed a wave of killing intent from outside the window.

    In response, he quickly let go of Gao Xinxin and activated level 6 nt, transforming his arms into countless thick, sturdy dark brown vines to form a shield on his side, held to cover Crimson Bee.

    <i>ng</i>! Wang Zikai¡¯s punchnded on the center of the vine shield, the power concentrated since he didn¡¯t want to hurt Gao Xinxin and the innocent bystanders by ident.

    A hole the size of a wash basin was put into the 50-centimeter thick shield, the force of the attack hitting Forest Crane in the chest.

    <i>Bam</i>!

    Armored by wood elements, Forest Crane took the hit head-on. He ended up mming through the wall on the far end of the room like a fastball, flying out of the building and falling onto the running track, only stopping after rolling a dozen times on the ground. Blood gushed out of his mouth. He cked out.

    Crimson Bee got lucky. Since Wang Zikai had focused the force of his punch to avoid hurting the innocent, Crimson Bee only got thrown off his feet by the currents the punch brought about. His head hit the wall hard, and he seemed to have lost consciousness.

    He was actually still awake, but he decided to y dead.

    As a mediocre awakener, he had survived to this day not simply because of his luck. His experience told him that whoever the neer was, he would be able to kill him with a simple flip of the hand if he managed to take out Forest Crane with a punch.

    And Crimson Bee was wise to y dead.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t have the time to waste on a small fry like him. Staring at Forest Crane, who had been knocked out of the building, Wang Zikai scoffed.

    ¡°You darey a hand on my best friend¡¯s little sister? You¡¯ve got a death wish.¡±

 Chapter 611: Welcome Back

    <h4>Chapter 611: Wee Back</h4>

    ¡°Wang...Zi...Kai...?¡± Gao Xinxin gaped. It¡¯d been less than a minute, yet she had been surprised, scared, confused, and shocked. There was no room in her head for more.

    <i>Who are those two men? Who is this man? Why does he look like Wang Zikai?</i>

    <i>Wait, no way! No way, no way...</i>

    <i>It is Wang Zikai! When did the idiot be a cool superhero?</i>

    Wang Zikai made a cool turn around, his blond hair and face catching the moonlight. The rim of cold light made his profile look sharp like a sculpture. Even his eyes seemed deeper than usual.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to exin. Hop on.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Xinxin was lost.

    Without exining further, Wang Zikai grabbed her by the waist and jumped out of the window.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Xinxin felt the world spinning around her as if she were flying. When she realized it, Wang Zikai had already made a safending with her in his arms.

    It wasn¡¯t the end. He put her on the seat of a red motorcycle and put a helmet on her head.

    ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Wang Zikai shouted.

    ¡°Huh???¡±

    <i>Vroom</i>. The motorcycle made a wild deep rumble before shooting out, the tail lights leaving a long orangish red trail in the dark.

    ...

    Abandoned chemical nt, Apple Ind, twelve-thirty at night.

    Gao Yang remembered the night before his college entrance exams. He had fought ck Tortoise to the death alongside Ghost Horse, members of the fifth team, and his firstpanions¡ªQing Ling and Officer Huang.

    That night, Ghost Horse gave his life in exchange for Gao Yang¡¯s survival.

    Ghost Horse¡¯s lifelong goal was for humanity to open the Gates of Closure and escape the Mist World. For that, he followed Dragon and himself with full devotion.

    He was a pioneer and a martyr, the torchlight that had gone out before the dawn.

    When Gao Yang arrived at the abandoned chemical nt, the traces left by the battle that night were still there, including the copsed hood, fallen walls, distorted reactor, broken mess of steel pipes, cracked and sunken concrete clearing, and the charred marks left by zing mes.

    Gao Yang went up to where Ghost Horse had died. He had never forgotten the ce: under a maze of pumping pipes was a gray round reactor. Gao Yang crouched down to move a few rubbles away and dust the ground. He could still make out the faint brown blood stains, now covered by yellowed weeds.

    Gao Yang could imagine the weeds thriving came next spring. They would grow until the faint blood stains were gone like they had never been there.

    He took out a slip of paper written with the words, ¡°The moon is beautiful.¡± Folding it into a simple white flower, he ced it by the weeds.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Can was the first to show up with a full ck backpack, her forehead covered in beads of sweat as she struggled to breathe. ¡°I...I¡¯m...I¡¯m here... Whoa! Captain, why are you...all wet?¡±

    Soaked, Gao Yang got to his feet and was about to say something when a dark figure descended from above with a fierce glinting de. Gao Yang didn¡¯t bother to dodge it. Instead, he lifted his hand holding a ck Gold dagger and parried the attack.

    The shortsword was caught. The figure bounced back andnded a few meters away from Gao Yang.

    Lithe Snake sheathed his shortsword with a cold smile. ¡°When did you spot me?¡±

    ¡°From the very beginning.¡±

    ¡°Is my stealth so bad?¡± Lithe Snake frowned. ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t exin. His Charisma had reached 1200, and with his six senses pushed to the limit, he could hear Lithe Snake¡¯s heartbeats when he was close. While Lithe Snake had held his breath, he couldn¡¯t stop his heart from beating.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Gao Yang asked calmly.

    ¡°All here.¡± Lithe Snake had been hiding at a vantage point that allowed him to see the whole Apple Ind.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around, leading Lithe Snake and Can out of the metal door of the chemical nt.

    Outside was a grayish-brown clearing, awash in moonlight. On their ten, a silver car drove up to them, stopping beside Gao Yang, Lithe Snake, and Can in the blink of an eye.

    <i>Bam</i>! The door was kicked open. Gray Bear got out of the driver¡¯s seat, and Nine Frost, who had gotten a free ride, emerged from the passenger seat.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    The two men called out at the same time.

    Gao Yang nodded in response.

    He turned to look at his one, where a shared electric moped was bumbling its way here. The rider was Hong Xiaoxiao, and on her head was a thumb-sized figure, Nainai.

    She had an edgy oversized ck cape draped around her as she stood with one hand on her hip and the other hand pointing forward, facing the wind andughing. Whatever she was saying, no one could hear her.

    Hong Xiaoxiao nced at the battery disy. <i>Shoot, it¡¯s running out. How am I going to ride backter?</i>

    <i>Wait, this isn¡¯t the time for that! Why are you still thinking about that?</i>

    <i>Wake up, Hong Xiaoxiao. The real trialester. You have to live!</i>

    While reflecting on herself, Hong Xiaoxiao parked the moped before the group.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Seven Shadow...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly went up to Gao Yang and suddenly realized that she shouldn¡¯t call him that any longer. She paused and corrected herself, ¡°Octopath Traveler.¡±

    Gao Yang swallowed augh. <i>I didn¡¯t mean it literally when I said the name, Hong Xiaoxiao.</i>

    ¡°You aren¡¯t followed, are you?¡± Lithe Snake was worried about the newbie.

    ¡°I¡¯m not, for real!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao waved a hand in vehement denial. ¡°I¡¯m certain of it. I was really careful.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Just then, Nainai jumped down from Hong Xiaoxiao''s head and quickly grew in size, making a superheronding with one knee on the ground. She grabbed the ck cape with her left hand and whipped it off, revealing her sailor suit.

    She slowly rose to her feet and looked up suddenly, taking off her eyepatch. ¡°The crimson eye of the devil lord can finally be unsealed! Shake and wail. From today on, this Empress¡¯ will is going to...¡±

    Nainai fell silent suddenly, lowering her head and walking up to Gao Yang meekly. Two secondster, she backed away, hiding behind him like she was avoiding someone¡¯s deadly re.

    Gao Yang had already noticed the tall, slim woman appearing on his right. She was dressed in a ck catsuit with a ck cape draped over her, the hood concealing half of her face but did nothing to conceal her icy aura.

    Two long ck Gold des were sheathed by her waist. On the outside of her thighs were the Butterfly Twin des. And three glinting ck Gold darts flew around her shoulders like paper cranes.

    The left arm she had lost was reced.

    Can stared at her, stunned.<i> Holy, that¡¯s so cool! She¡¯s the perfect embodiment of my idea of a Valkyrie! But something¡¯s missing...right! She needs a blower for better effect!</i>

    With a light wave of her hand, Can conjured a gust of wind, lifting the hood off the de wielder¡¯s face and revealing her long hair. Under the moonlight, Qing Ling¡¯s eyes and facial features were sharp yet beautiful.

    ¡°Wee back.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    Qing Ling wordlessly lifted her hands to brush her long hair back, taking off the ck rubber band around her wrist to tie her hair into a high ponytail with ease.

    She rested her right hand on the hilt of the weapon by her waist, walking up to Gao Yang slowly.

    ¡°All here?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Only one left,¡± Gao Yang said.

    <i>Vroom</i>. As if in response, a wild resounding rumble of an engine broke the silence of the abandonednd under the night sky. They all looked over to see a sexy red motorcycle speeding toward them, the rider wearing a racer outfit and a helmet.

 Chapter 612: Chase the Dawn

    <h4>Chapter 612: Chase the Dawn</h4>

    Soon, Wang Zikai twisted the head of the motorcycle and drifted to the side for five to six meters, stopping right before Gao Yang with precision. Taking off his helmet, his soft, messy blond hair jumped out, and he grinned confidently, revealing his white teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I, bro?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just on time,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Xinxin?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve hidden her in a ce where she would be absolutely safe!¡± Wang Zikai jumped off the motorcycle and hung his helmet on the handle. ¡°You¡¯re a prophet. Gao Xinxin did get targeted.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled slightly in lieu of an exnation.

    When Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao got ambushed by Luqi, he had been worried about the man going after him in another way; for example, he could use his greatest weakness¡ªGao Xinxin.

    That was why Gao Yang had asked Wang Zikai to guard Gao Xinxin closely after that. If anyone tried to hurt her, he was to save her and hide her.

    Gao Yang believed Wang Zikai was no lesser than Azure Dragon or War Tiger, and there would be nothing to worry about unless someone of Dragon or Qilin¡¯s caliber made a move.

    Later, Gao Yang judged that he couldn¡¯t wait any longer given the situation and got ready to turn against Qilin. Wang Zikai¡¯s mission was thus adjusted ordingly: once he received the code from Gao Yang, he must take Gao Xinxin and hide her through any means necessary. Then he would meet up with Gao Yang as soon as he could.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe that Qilin would be above going after his sister.

    As Qilin had said, he would give his life to achieve his goal. And if even his life didn¡¯t matter, what else would?

    ¡°Gray Bear.¡± Gao Yang nced at him.

    Gray Bear immediately reached out to the others. ¡°Here, hand me your phones.¡±

    He took everyone¡¯s phone quickly before throwing them into the car he had driven. Then he lifted Wang Zikai¡¯s motorcycle and the shared electric moped Hong Xiaoxiao had ridden here, casting them by the car.

    ¡°Watch out...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao almost said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to pay for it if you break it,¡± but she stopped herself.

    She noticed the calm look on everyone¡¯s face. They were used to this.

    At that moment, she realized keenly that she was walking away from the mundane world and into the cruel reality of the world of awakeners.

    Gao Yang went up to the car, bemused.

    ¡°Um, Captain.¡± Can spoke up after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have a name? Now that we¡¯ve gone independent, we should think about making ourselves known!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, we already have a name!¡± Wang Zikai put his hands on his hip and dered proudly, ¡°The 94 Duo!¡±

    ¡°No, that sounds terrible!¡± Gray Bear was the first to reject it.

    ¡°This Empress cannot take it, either!¡± Nainai echoed the sentiment. She would¡¯ve thought twice about joining if she knew how bad the name of the organization was.

    ¡°What name would you like then?¡± Wang Zikai asked.

    ¡°Well, well...¡± All sorts of bombastic words rushed into Nainai¡¯s mind, but she struggled to pick one. Somethingpelled her to turn to Qing Ling then, but Qing Ling stared back impassively; she didn¡¯t care about the name at all.

    ¡°There are nine of us now. We¡¯re no longer a duo.¡± Nine Frost spoke up in opposition too.

    ¡°Yeah, at least we should be called...the 94, right?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao chimed in weakly.

    ¡°I do have an idea.¡± Lithe Snake narrowed his eyes.

    Gray Bear snorted. ¡°You? You didn¡¯t even graduate from middle school. What name can you possiblye up with?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious!¡± Can smiled at Lithe Snake expectantly. ¡°Tell us.¡±

    ¡°The <i>jiu-si</i>,¡± Lithe Snake said.

    Can gaped. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Nine Frost frowned.

    ¡°Alright, stop embarrassing yourself.¡± Gray Bear didn¡¯t seem surprised.

    ¡°This Empress is against it! I¡¯m against it!¡± Nainai stated her stance again.

    ¡°Not <i>jiu-si</i> as in 94 the number, but the words.¡± Lithe Snake repeated himself with emphasis. ¡°<i>Jiu. Si</i>.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Can¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°There are nine of us, that¡¯s <i>jiu</i>, and Captain¡¯s the Divine Scion, that¡¯s <i>si</i>. We¡¯re the Nine Scions! Whoa, that sounds epic!¡±

    Nine Frost thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°I¡¯m good with it.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! You talked for so long, but still settled on 94!¡± Wang Zikai automatically ignored the conversation and insisted on believing that they were still called the 94. In that, he really was the epitome of wanderers.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take that.¡± Gray Bear thought it was a much better name, too.

    ¡°The Nine Scions,¡± Hong Xiaoxiao repeated, breaking into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. It¡¯s my little brother¡¯s style.¡±

    They turned to Gao Yang at the same time.

    Gao Yang still had his back to them. After a moment, he spoke up calmly.

    ¡°Lithe Snake¡¯se up with a good name, but I would interpret it differently.¡±

    He turned to look at hispanions in turn, taking in each of their faces. ¡°Yellow Ox once said that we are all orphans of the world.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But no, he was wrong.¡±

    He lifted his right hand slightly. ¡°We aren¡¯t orphans of the world, but children of God. We fight for our destiny.¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>. The car started burning, the light of the mes reaching the sky. Blinding red made Gao Yang a backlit silhouette. They all looked at Gao Yang as the firelight exposed Gao Yang, shadows dancing on their faces.

    Nainai was stunned.

    At that moment, she suddenly remembered a line from the novel she had been reading. It fit the situation oddly¡ªno, it was as if the line was written for this moment!

    Like a divine revtion, the inspiration sprang into her mind, and all her cells screamed in excitement. She felt like a blooming flower nearing its death on a bluff, catching the light shining down from heaven at the evesting moment when life could be clutched right before death.

    It was her time. She had never had it, and she never would have it again.

    Her lips parted, and the words fell out of her.

    ¡°We must walk the path we must walk, and we must guard the way we must guard. The ugly war is only starting.¡±

    ¡°Burn thest of our life, and we¡¯ll have our crown.¡±

    ¡°Shed thest of our blood, and we¡¯ll be crowned.¡±

    She took a deep breath and dered in a loud voice.

    ¡°Born in the dark, the Nine Scions will chase the dawn!¡±

 Chapter 613: Mu Xing

    <h4>Chapter 613: Mu Xing</h4>

    West of Xijing District, Li City, thirty-three years ago.

    The poorly connected region was all lushly green mountain ranges, within which countless clear creeks were hidden, flowing into arger river at the foot of the mountains; that was one of the sources of the Li River.

    By the river was the famed Yuan Yang Tree. Put simply, it was a pair of old pine and cypress trees standing close to each other with their branches and leaves intertwined. Through the years, they grew into each other¡¯s embrace and came to form arge tree. Some locals prayed to the Yuan Yang Tree for love, and red ribbons hung from the many branches.

    Because of the tree, the river was also known as the Yuan Yang River.

    Downstream of the river was a dam, and when the water level was high, it formed a smallke. Every midsummer, the locals often visited theke to swim, and almost every year, theke had imed the lives of children and even adults, yet it remained a popr site.

    One dawn, thin mist encircled the mountains. A woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a pristine white shirt and navy blue pants rode arge vintage bicycle, riding quickly along the bumpy mountainous path.

    Sitting in the back was a boy at four or five, wearing a blue and white striped t-shirt, a pair of yellow shorts, and brown sandals.

    The woman riding the bicycle was twenty-five or twenty-six, and she had delicate facial features, which, however, were offset by her sunken cheeks, silky paleplexion, and deep-set eyes. She looked miserable.

    The meek and lovely boy blinked hisrge, ck eyes, shiny and crystal-clear. Head lowered, he clutched onto the back of his mother¡¯s shirt, holding a small wicker basket covered with white cloth. The basket looked heavy.

    The bicycle swayed as it climbed the mountainous path. Ahead of them was an upward slope that wasn¡¯t terribly steep, but enough to make it difficult for the woman to keep pedaling. She straightened her back and clenched her teeth as she moved her legs with force.

    The little boy said quietly, ¡°Let me down, Mom. I¡¯ll walk.¡±

    ¡°No...Mom¡¯s fine...¡± the woman responded with difficulty. To her, it would be more tiring to stop the bicycle halfway and resume riding.

    It would require her to run quite a distance with one foot on the bicycle before getting her other foot up. Then her son would have to jog to catch up with her, jumping onto the back of the seat.

    The little boy fell silent, the hands clutching onto his mother¡¯s shirt tightening.

    The mother and son reached the top of the slope. Then they traversed another bumpy path, the ups and downs of it left the little boy¡¯s butt numb, but he swallowed hisints, not daring to voice them.

    Finally, his mother stopped the bicycle. They had reached the dam of the Yuan Yang River.

    It was early, and no one hade to swim yet. The calm surface of the body of water was covered in a thinyer of mist. Thriving green trees hugged the dam. Amid the pleasant morning breeze, cicadas chirped.

    ¡°Come, Mu Xing[1].¡± The woman waved her son over while wiping the sweat on her forehead.

    Mu Xing didn¡¯t dare to waste any time. Holding the small wicker basket, he jogged up to his mother and followed her to the dam.

    Mu Xing got his name from his father.

    His father was Mu You, a self-proimed cosmology lover. However, his father became a cement mason after elementary school and knew little about the cosmos.

    His father always said that once Mu Xing started school, he must study hard to be an astronaut in the future, taking a rocket to the moon, to Mars, to a ce beyond the Sr System or even the Milky Way, roaming the vast universe.

    Every time the man talked about it, his eyes glinted brightly, but Mu Xing wasn¡¯t terribly interested.

    Mu Xing didn¡¯t understand the vastness of the universe. To him, the mountains around the vige were vast enough, and what did the stars in the sky have to do with him?

    Even going to elementary school seemed like a distant thing to him.

    Mu Xing¡¯s favorite thing to do was to y with his father.

    In spring, they harvested bamboo shoots and flew kites together; in summer, they swam and caught crabs together; in autumn, they hit to peel chestnuts and harvested wheat together; in winter, they threw snowballs and roasted sweet potatoes together.

    There were many happy things to do. The universe didn¡¯t matter.

    Untilst summer, his father died.

    It was a day just like any other day. After a nap to pass the scorching hot weather, Mu You had some time to take Mu Xing to the dam on his bicycle for a swim in the Yuan Yang River.

    The father and son stripped down and stood on the concrete dam, buck naked. They jumped into the water with a ssh like two fish returning home.

    They started racing each other to the other side, and Mu You was always in the lead. But every time, he slowed down midway so that his son could catch up, and the father and son would have a happy tie.

    This time, Mu You started out quick. Halfway through, he seemed to hear a voice calling out to him from the riverside. When he turned around, he realized that his son was gone.

    ¡°Old Mu! Your son¡¯s drowning! He¡¯s getting washed up to the dam!¡± A man he knew shouted from the riverside while stripping, jumping into the water and swimming up to him to help.

    Mu You¡¯s heart sank. He turned around and swam toward the dam...

    When Mu Xing woke up, he was lying near the river, and a neighbor was pushing his chest.

    Mu Xing threw up a mouthful of water, returning from the clutch of death.

    ¡°Dad, dad...¡± Mu Xing felt terrible and terrified, his entire body shaking. ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? I want Dad...¡±

    The older man said with a grave look on his face, his tone regretful, ¡°Mu Xing, your dad...got washed away...¡±

    To save Mu Xing, Mu You had swam toward the dam to the best of his ability. The water was quick there, and after a several-meter drop was a deep pond, which flowed into the Li River.

    Mu You had caught his son and swam backward with his life on the line, handing his son to the neighbor catching up to them. Then Mu You got a cramp, and the water pulled him to the dam.

    The neighbor had been focused on saving the child, and when he brought Mu Xing tond and turned around, Mu You was already gone.

    He went to the pond below the dam and looked around, but didn¡¯t see Mu You anywhere.

    That afternoon, everyone from the vige searched along the stretch of the Yuan Yang River that flowed into the Li River, but found nothing.

    They spected that Mu You must have gotten knocked unconscious when falling from the dam to the pond. Then the quick water swept over him and carried him to the Li River.

    The superstitious elderly suspected that Mu You had been taken by the water ghosts around the dam. Many drowned in the area every year, all because of the ghosts.

    Whatever the case, the fact was that Mu You was missing.

    A monthter, the police concluded that he had drowned to death, and that the body was unretrievable after getting carried away to the Li River.

    There hadn¡¯t been a day when Mu You¡¯s wife didn¡¯t cry, but finally, she epted her husband¡¯s death and held a funeral for him, seeing him off with a proper ritual.

    To Mu Xing, however, his mother had never really epted reality.

    His father¡¯s departure destroyed his mother. She resigned from her job and lived her day like her soul wasn¡¯t with her. She often sat on her bed staring into space with her husband¡¯s mourning photo in her hands.

    Sometimes, she would lose it and beat and scold Mu Xing, and Mu Xing took it quietly.

    He knew that he got his father killed. He deserved the punishment.

    Mu Xing was heartbroken too. He missed his father. However, he didn¡¯t even dare to cry. He killed his father. He was in no ce to cry for him.

    ¡°Mu Xing!¡± His mother called out to him, sounding impatient. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come here.¡±

    Mu Xing realized that he got lost in his thoughts again. He quickly ran over to his mother with the small wicker basket.

    1. It means Jupiter in Mandarin. ?

 Chapter 614: Good Boy

    <h4>Chapter 614: Good Boy</h4>

    On top of the concrete Dam, Mu Xing¡¯s mother took the wicker basket from him and lifted the white cloth, taking out the incense sticks, joss paper, a bowl of uncooked rice, a jug of alcohol, two drinking cups, and three bowls of cold dishes.

    Facing the dam, she lit three incense sticks and put them in the bowl of uncooked rice,ying down the dishes and getting Mu Xing to kneel with her.

    Burning the joss paper, she muttered under her breath.

    It had been a year since her husband passed away. First thing in the morning, she visited her husband and swept the tomb. Then she came here.

    After Mu You¡¯s death, she had been heartbroken to the point of hysteria and came to believe in superstitions. She was now convinced that her husband was taken by the water ghosts near the dam, and she was here to pay tribute to the river god of the Yuan Yang River, hoping that They would send her husband¡¯s spirit to heaven so that he could quickly enter his next life, rather than getting trapped here as a ghost.

    Mu Xing kept his head down, daring not to even breathe a little harder. He couldn¡¯t help but think of his father again. If only he were here. They had been a happy family of three. Mom wouldn¡¯t have be who she was today if not for his father¡¯s death. Still, his father was gone, and it was his fault...

    Mu Xing suddenly felt a dull pain in his chest. His sorrow, regret, pain... All the negative emotions he had been bottling up over the past year finally overflowed from his body.

    He looked up at his mother.

    By then, his mother had finished her prayer to the river god. She filled a cup with alcohol and raised it to pour the alcohol into the water.

    The first cup was for the river god.

    Then she refilled the cup and poured it onto the dam under her feet.

    The second cup was for the mountain god.

    The next cup she sshed toward the sky.

    It was for the heaven.

    <i>Gurgle</i>. The river before her started bubbling and rippling, the ripples growing in size. She stared, thinking she was seeing things.

    But she soon became convinced. Could it be that the river god was making an appearance? Without thinking, she clutched Mu Xing¡¯s hand tightly.

    <i>Ssh</i>.

    A few secondster, a head popped out of the water.

    ¡°Huff...huff...¡± The man gasped for breaths, wiping his face and looking up at the mother and son on the dam. He waved his hand and shouted, ¡°Xiaofang! Son!¡±

    ¡°Old Mu?¡± Mu Xing¡¯s mother, Yan Xiaofang, gaped, her widened eyes quickly brimming with tears. ¡°You, you...¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Mu You swam toward his wife and son, asking, ¡°Have you been keeping the time, Son? How long have I been holding my breath?¡±

    Mu Xing took his mother¡¯s hand and broke into a happy smile. ¡°I counted to 233...¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve gotten rusty.¡± Mu Youughed. ¡°My record was 300.¡±

    He moved his arms and feet to swim toward the dam, making sshes as he came. Then with both hands, he propped himself up ashore, making another ssh.

    Yan Xiaofang paused for a few seconds before reaching out to take one of his hands. It wasn¡¯t a hand that belonged to a body or a water monster. It was warm and strong, of a living man.

    She pulled him up to the dam with some difficulty.

    ¡°Old Mu, you, you...¡± Yang Xiaofang¡¯s face was covered in tears, and her voice trembled. Pulling a long face, sheined angrily, ¡°Where have you been the past year? You¡¯ve made things so hard for your wife and son!¡±

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Still topless, Mu You pulled his wife into his arms, as awkward as ever. ¡°Stop crying, sweetheart. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. It¡¯s my fault. You suffered because of me.¡±

    Mu You cocked his head at Mu Xing, waving at him with a smile.

    Mu Xing quickly ran up to hold onto his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s legs, and the family of three stayed in each other¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe home if you were alright, Old Mu? Do you know how the year¡¯s been for me...?¡± Yan Xiaofang sobbed in Mu You¡¯s arms, overwhelmed with bottled-up pain. ¡°There were so many times when I thought about ending things. I was going to follow you with our son...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m here now, am I not?¡± Mu You stroked her hair and let go of her. ¡°Here, let me have a look at you.¡±

    Staring at her face, Mu You frowned, aching for her. ¡°You¡¯ve lost so much weight. Stop crying. It¡¯s all fine now. I¡¯m back, and everything will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...it¡¯s all in the past. As long as you¡¯re here...¡± Yan Xiaofang cried andughed at the same time.

    Mu You reached out to wipe her tears for her, but before his hand could touch her face, he vanished.

    Yan Xiaofang¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    Her husband had disappeared before her in an instant.

    ¡°Old Mu?¡± Yan Xiaofang looked around from the top of the dam, eyes widened in panic. ¡°Old Mu! Where are you, Old Mu? Stop scaring me. Come back...¡±

    ¡°Did you hide in the water again? Stop this at once! I¡¯m angry...¡±

    ¡°Old Mu!<i> Old Mu!!</i>¡±

    Her panicked and desperate cries resounded across the empty forest.

    There was no response.

    Yan Xiaofang turned to the side and realized that something was wrong with Mu Xing. Her son¡¯s eyes had turned an emerald green, and blood streaked down from his nostrils, yet he was smiling.

    ¡°Mu Xing, you...¡± Yan Xiaofang was confused. ¡°What...what happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom...¡± Mu Xing was pale and breathing unevenly, but he was happy. ¡°Just wait a little. Dad will be back soon...¡±

    Yan Xiaofang jumped. She knelt before Mu Xing and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°Mu Xing, what did you...do to Mom?¡±

    Mu Xing said proudly, ¡°Mom, Dad will be back. Just you wait. I have a way...¡±

    Tears overflowed from Yan Xiaofang¡¯s reddened eyes. She pulled Mu Xing into her arms. ¡°Silly boy, Mu Xing, Mom¡¯s been wrong all this time. It¡¯s been so hard for me, and I didn¡¯t know what to do. That was why I took it out on you. Would you forgive me...?¡±

    Mu Xing rested his chin on her shoulder. He felt weak, but a happy grin had appeared on his face. His mother finally hugged him. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Mom. It¡¯s mine...¡±

    His mother cut him off icily, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your fault.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until then that Mu Xing btedly realized his mother¡¯s arms had turned slick and cool, and they were wrapping around him more and more tightly like she was trying to break him.

    ¡°Mom...it hurts, it hurts so much!¡± Mu Xing screamed as he struggled.

    It was toote.

    His mother¡¯s arms had turned into countless soft yet sturdy tentacles, the surface moist and slick, holding Mu Xing in a vise-like grip. The grayish-green worms writhing along the tentacles bit his skin like monstrous leeches, sucking on his blood while trying to burrow into his flesh.

    Light gray and muddled green scales grew out of her face too, and her pupils contracted, her eyes resembling dark purple marbles.

    ¡ª<i>No, this isn¡¯t my mother, but a monster.</i>

    Mu Xing thought with fear and despair.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, it¡¯s you! So Mom¡¯s going to eat you!¡± Yan Xiaofang went mad with excitement, her expression twisted and her voice trembling. ¡°Be good. Mom will make it quick, make it easy. You won¡¯t hurt. You won¡¯t be sad. It¡¯ll be like falling asleep...¡±

    ¡°Mom...save...me...¡±

    Mu Xing¡¯s airway was cut off. He could no longer make a sound.

    At first, he could still feel the cold, slick, and vicious worms eating away his flesh and blood, but even the pain blurred after a while, and he fell into the embrace of a cruel tenderness, like he had been submerged in water.

    He was melting little by little like snow under sunlight until he lost his form. All around him was a pure, silent darkness.

    Then the darkness crumbled, and strange rays shone through, lighting Mu Xing¡¯s face.

    He suddenly heard his father¡¯s voice in his head.

    <i>¡°Space is big. It¡¯s vast and boundless. There is everything and nothing in space, and we¡¯re as small as a grain of sand. Think about it. Isn¡¯t it beautiful...?¡±</i>

    ¡ªDad, I think I¡¯m seeing space.

    ¡ªYou didn¡¯t lie. It is beautiful.

 Chapter 615: House

    <h4>Chapter 615: House</h4>

    ¡°Ahhhh!!¡±

    Yan Xiaofang¡¯s scream rang in his mind. Mu Xing¡¯s consciousness returned from ¡°space¡± to his body, and he felt the unbearable pain of being lynched, but the pain was lessening.

    His mother¡¯s deadly hug was going ck.

    The slick yet cutting tentacles detached from his body, retracting into her arms, which turned back into a regr woman¡¯s arms in an instant. Yan Xiaofang bled from all orifices, the blood mixing with her hot tears, and her face distorted with despair, frustration, and confusion.

    Mu Xing would never forget the face.

    Two secondster, Yan Xiaofang copsed with a dull thud, dead at Mu Xing¡¯s feet.

    Clothes tattered and covered in blood, Mu Xing gasped for breaths, trembling in ce.

    ¡°Dead yet, kid? If you¡¯re alive, make a sound.¡± A man¡¯s voice came from behind him.

    Enduring the great pain, Mu Xing slowly turned around and saw a middle-aged man dressed like a farmer. The straw hat on his head covered half of his face. Topless and wearing a pair of blue xen pants, he stood barefooted, his skin tanned and his body thin but well-built. On his shoulder rested a hoe covered in dry yellow soil.

    ¡°Not...not...dead...¡± Mu Xing said in a trembling voice. His consciousness blinked on and off, and he thought he was having a nightmare.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to awaken at such a young age. Your mother¡¯s a devourer, and she was trying to kill you. Lucky for you, I saved you.¡±

    Mu Xing¡¯s expression remained numb. He didn¡¯t understand what the man was talking about.

    The man lowered the hoe. ¡°Don¡¯t me your mother. It didn¡¯t want to do that, but humans and monsters couldn¡¯t coexist in harmony. You¡¯ll know in the future.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t me Mom...¡± Mu Xing said, both his voice and gaze broken. Tears streaked down his face in two streams. ¡°It was my fault. If only I could let Mom be with Dad forever...¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± The man smirked. ¡°How old are you, boy, and what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Mu Xing, five,¡± Mu Xing responded honestly.

    ¡°What a miserable life you lead, kid.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Yan¡¯s my surname. You may call me Uncle Yan. You can¡¯t survive on your own. Come with me.¡±

    Mu Xing shook his head and looked down at his dead mother. ¡°I wanna be with Mom.¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s gone the moment you used your Talent on her. What¡¯s the point of staying with a body? With this heat, the body will quickly go foul and attract bugs, turning into a pile of flesh and finally bones...¡± Uncle Yan spoke bluntly. He didn¡¯t treat Mu Xing like a child at all.

    Mu Xing didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s dead, no longer here. You hear me?¡±

    Mu Xing stayed silent for a few seconds before looking up. ¡°Will I not see her again?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. You¡¯ll reunite with your mom and dad one day. We all will have a happy ending. Be patient.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Mu Xing¡¯s gaze warmed again.

    ¡°Of course. I never lie.¡± Uncle Yan nodded, breaking into a smile. ¡°So are youing with me or not?¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Home...¡± Uncle Yan paused before shaking his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not home, but we can find home.¡±

    ¡°Find...home?¡± Mu Xing didn¡¯t entirely understand.

    ¡°Yes, find a real home, where everyone can reunite with their loved ones, hahaha!¡±

    Uncle Yanughed and strode away with his hoe, singing in a good mood, ¡°<i>The river flows into the east, and the stars point to the Pris...</i>¡±

    Mu Xing watched the man leave. Then he nced at his mother¡¯s body. He clenched his fist, looking pained and troubled.

    The man¡¯s singing voice was growing distant quickly, and he would soon disappear into the forest.

    Mu Xing unclenched his fists.

    Wiping the tears and blood on his face, he stepped over his mother¡¯s body and jogged up to the man.

    ...

    Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, Li River Central Road, Feiyang District.

    Qilin opened his eyes on the single sofa in his counseling room. He didn¡¯t immediately get up, instead staying in a lying position with his sped hands resting on his abdomen.

    Every day after lunch, he would sit on the sofa and have a twenty-minute nap. He didn¡¯t need to set an rm. He always woke up on the dot.

    It was the third day after Seven Shadow was put on the wanted list.

    Qilin slept for a little longer today, to his surprise, and he had a dream.

    Ten secondster, Qilin sat up and nced at his watch. Indeed, he had overslept for four minutes.

    Hebed through his fringe with his fingers and picked up the sses hanging from his breast pocket to put them on, getting to his feet with his cane.

    He walked out of the room and reached the front desk. Behind the desk sat a young brte woman with a gentle face, Miss Qin the receptionist.

    Legs crossed, she seemed to be chatting with someone on her phone, her fingers typing away on the screen in a flurry of movements. Every tap made a bright ck.

    ¡°Miss Qin,¡± Qilin called out to her in a soft voice.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Miss Qin hurriedly put her phone away, caught red-handed for messing around during work. ¡°What, what may I do for you, Doctor Su? Do you want coffee? Need to pick up a package? Pay the utility?¡±

    ¡°None of the above.¡± Qilin smiled. ¡°Please cancel my future appointments for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course.¡± She nodded and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you busytely, Doctor Su?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qilin nodded. ¡°You may pack up and go, too.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Miss Qin panicked. ¡°Doctor Su! I...I know I shouldn¡¯t use my phone during work, but I¡¯m finished with everything...¡±

    Qilin interrupted her with a smile, ¡°You do good work, Miss Qin, and you know how to deal with people. I¡¯m satisfied with you as an employee. I see no faults in you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the problem. I am.¡±

    ¡°Doctor Su, you...¡± Miss Qin couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You¡¯re going to end your practice?¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°I need to rest for a year to rethink my life, or I¡¯ll develop mental problems myself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Miss Qin didn¡¯t know what to feel or say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you three months'' worth of sry,¡± Qilin said, taking a ck velvet box from his pocket. ¡°This is a little gift for you.¡±

    Miss Qin was caught by surprise. ¡°Doctor Su, this, this is too much...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a little something to show my gratitude. Please ept it.¡± Qilin smiled. ¡°Please, I¡¯m embarrassed already.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you!¡± Miss Qin took the box from him and opened it. Inside were a pair of beautiful, finely crafted emerald earrings, based after Jupiter.

    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s so beautiful! The design¡¯s special!¡± Miss Qin was being honest with her appreciation.

    ¡°Thank God.¡± Qilin sighed in relief. ¡°I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? You¡¯ve got good taste, Doctor Su. I like them a lot. I¡¯ll put them on often.¡±

    Moved, Miss Qin added, ¡°Thank you, Doctor Su. I¡¯m not a sweet talker, but you¡¯re the most gentle and charismatic man I¡¯ve ever met. I wish you a bright future where everything¡¯s smooth sailing for you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, and I wish you good luck too,¡± Qilin responded with a smile.

    After finishing her work, Miss Qinpleted the resignation process and took her leave.

    At four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the clinic fell silent. Qilin returned to the counseling room and rummaged through the paper boxes in the storage, finding a ssical music album. He turned on his turntable. Listening to the passionate and tragically stirring music, he ground coffee beans by hand. Time seemed toe to a half around him.

    He took the time to make three cups of coffee. The rich aroma permeated the air.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The wind chimes clinked. His visitors were here.

 Chapter 616: Bottom Line

    <h4>Chapter 616: Bottom Line</h4>

    In the pantry, Qilin turned around to find Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird already standing outside the door. Since the weather was getting cold, they were both wearing long windbreakers and scarves.

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡±

    ¡°Come on in.¡± Qilin walked out of the pantry, holding his cane with one hand and the tray with the other hand.

    They sat down on the sofas in the counseling room and exchanged small talk, sipping on the coffee leisurely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting.¡±

    Qilin got to business. Without Miss Qin here, there was no need to call this a group session anymore.

    Azure Dragon first made his report. ¡°Last night, my people found clues in the abandoned chemical nt on Apple Ind.¡±

    Vermilion Bird frowned slightly. ¡°Isn''t that where the thing with ck Tortoise happened?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°There was a private car and two bikes, all burned down. Judging by the remains of the bikes, it was a shared moped and a racing motorcycle. Inside the car were nine burned cellphones¡ªor what¡¯s left of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s them,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Azure Dragon nced at Vermilion Bird. ¡°I asked the intelligence department of the Hundred Rivers Union for help, and they found that thest person to rent the shared moped was Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s face darkened. Although she had guessed that Hong Xiaoxiao had turned on her, she still found it humiliating when facing the truth.

    ¡°The motorcycle belonged to Seven Shadow¡¯s friend, the special wanderer named Wang Zikai,¡± Azure Dragon continued. ¡°He¡¯s said to be strong. Crimson Bee and Forest Crane almost died at his hands when trying to catch Gao Xinxin.¡±

    Qilin took a sip of his coffee quietly, his eyes glinting.

    ¡°The others who had lost contact include Gray Bear, Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, Can, Nainai, and Green Snake from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes turned fierce. ¡°They are likely to have defected with Seven Shadow.¡±

    After a two-second pause, he said regretfully, ¡°I¡¯m not surprised about the others, but I didn¡¯t expect Nainai to go with them. I¡¯ve more or less raised her to be what she is today, and I¡¯ve treated her well. Yet she betrayed me too...¡±

    ¡°No offense, you¡¯ve trained and treated her kindly, but you¡¯ve never really acknowledged her.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled bitterly. ¡°That is what she needs.¡±

    Azure Dragon paused before nodding. ¡°I did find it difficult tomunicate with her. I didn¡¯t understand her, and I never tried to.¡±

    ¡°We all have our path. You can¡¯t force it,¡± Qilin said calmly. ¡°From now on, we¡¯re enemies.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird fell silent.

    Qilin put down his cup of coffee and held the cane with both hands. ¡°Continue to look for Seven Shadow and his group, Azure Dragon. If you find them, you may decide whether to capture them or kill them at your discretion.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Azure Dragon nodded.

    Qilin then turned to Vermilion Bird. ¡°Contact the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union to make our stance clear. They may cooperate or remain neutral, but if they offer Seven Shadow and his group any help, whether openly or under the table, they will be considered working against the Qilin Guild, and there will be consequences.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded, hesitant.

    Qilin picked up on it immediately. ¡°Speak your mind, Vermilion Bird.¡±

    After a few seconds of hesitation, Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°Do we really have to go this far, Guildmaster?¡±

    Qilin said seriously, ¡°Seven Shadow had always had the Guard Rune Circuit, but he hid the fact and bought time to level up Psychic Armor. On the surface, it was to prepare for the abyss, but it was actually to guard against me. He had it all nned out.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stayed silent.

    ¡°And Seven Shadow stated clearly that he wouldn¡¯t allow me to open the Gates of Closure.¡± Qiling turned to the two of them. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for close to twenty years, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird. Don¡¯t you know what my bottom line is?¡±

    They knew, of course.

    Qilin would be open to negotiation, concession, andpromise on anything, but he must be the one to open the Gates of Closure. That was why he had never told another soul where the Gates of Closure was over the past two decades.

    He made it clear more than once that anyone who tried to stop him from opening the Gates would be his and humanity¡¯s enemy. Throughout his life, he had been working for humanity¡¯s survival. It was something he had to do, and only he could do it.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t insist.

    ¡°Is Dragon against you opening the Gates, too, Guildmaster?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    ¡°That was what Seven Shadow told me.¡± Qilin narrowed his eyes. ¡°But it might not be Dragon¡¯s stance. Perhaps Seven Shadow was trying to fuel the fire so that he could benefit from our conflicts.¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± Azure Dragon sounded irritated. ¡°While Seven Shadow¡¯s young, he¡¯s shrewd.¡±

    ¡°So I won¡¯t dere the Twelve Zodiac Signs our enemies recklessly unless Dragon tells me he¡¯s against me opening the Gates in person.¡± Qilin paused. ¡°However, I talked to War Tiger, and he said that Dragon had been on the move in secret, and he couldn¡¯t reach Dragon all this while. Thus, only Dragon knows what his stance on me opening the Gates is.¡±

    ¡°Is Dragon in hibernation again?¡± Azure Dragon asked. ¡°I heard that Dragon gets his great power at the price of long hibernation. Perhaps there is truth to the rumor. His fight with the life monster in Ind Nation might have taken a toll on him.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    ¡°Do you really want to bet on that?¡± Vermilion Bird frowned. ¡°Do you want more chaos, Azure Dragon?¡±

    Azure Dragon shook his head. ¡°No. If possible, I wish for the three organizations to be at peace rather than at each other¡¯s throats.¡±

    ¡°Same for me.¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with Seven Shadow and acquire the Guard Rune Circuit first. Then we think about our next move.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°What about the Godbearer Cult?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t start anything, we leave them alone for now,¡± Qilin said. ¡°The Mist World is running out of time. Opening the Gates is more important than anything.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    They talked about other work for another half an hour. After the meeting, Vermilion Bird rose to leave, and Qilin stopped her.

    ¡°Vermilion Bird, please give me a ride.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Is it far?¡± she asked. ¡°If so, I¡¯ll have to refuel the car first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not far,¡± Qilin said.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Vermilion Bird drove Qilin to the Anliang District. Folk music was ying in the car, while the two of them stayed silent.

    Since they were near the destination, Vermilion Bird turned off the radio and said faintly, ¡°The day Seven Shadow entered the abyss, he tried to recruit me, but I said no.¡±

    She paused. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this serious.¡±

    Qilin nodded, unsurprised. ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s always wanted to go independent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not speaking for him,¡± Vermilion Bird said earnestly. ¡°But I don¡¯t think he started out with the n to go independent. He just graduated from high school, and he¡¯s been awakened for less than six months. He¡¯s ying by the ear. Excuse the dramatics, but he¡¯s been pushed along to where he is today by fate.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird.¡± Qilin took off his sses and sighed, his tone even. ¡°You¡¯re ming me.¡±

 Chapter 617: Yan Liang

    <h4>Chapter 617: Yan Liang</h4>

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Vermilion Bird nced at the rearview mirror with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just regretful that we have be enemies with our friend, and one who has saved us before.¡±

    Bemused, Qilin turned to look out of the window. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be taking this step if he hadn¡¯t touched my bottom line.¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t respond.

    Qilin continued in an even tone, ¡°I don¡¯t need loyal subordinates, butrades with the same goal, Vermillion Bird. You and Azure Dragon chose to follow me because you believed I was walking on the right path for humanity. If you no longer believe that, you¡¯re wee to leave. I won¡¯t me you, and I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you think I¡¯m afraid of dying?¡± Vermilion Bird said openly. ¡°I trust you, or I wouldn¡¯t have followed you for so many years.¡±

    Qilin said with determination, ¡°I¡¯m opening the Gates. Even if I¡¯m left on my own, I will do it. No one will stop me.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded and lifted her eyes slightly. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qilin put his sses back on, opening the door to get out of the car. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me. I¡¯ll go back on my own.¡±

    Vermilion Bird drove away. Holding his cane, Qilin looked up at the building before him. On therge blue signboard, the words ¡°Anliang Bulk Market¡± were written inrge fonts.

    It was thergest wholesale market in Li City, where a great variety of everyday products could be found. Whatever one needed, one would find it in the market.

    Qilin slowly walked through the front door. Ahead of him was a wide path. On both sides were storefronts selling simr products. Every eight storefronts made a unit, and each unit was separated by a path. Theyout was neat, and the walkways numerous and well-nned. The edge of the market seemed beyond his sight, and the rows upon rows of storefronts seemed like the endless reflections of two mirrors facing each other. Walking inside, it was easy to get lost without looking at the number ques and the direction signs.

    Qilin walked three hundred meters ahead and took a left turn to an area selling small toys. There were almost no individual customers here, only those looking to buy products inrge batches. Thus, the area saw few visitors.

    Soon, Qilin found his way to a small storefront. The wooden shelves outside were hung with all sorts of painted masks of human faces. At first nce, the masks became a colorful blur, but upon closer inspection, one would realize that the designs, expressions, and facial features of the masks all differed, each having its individuality.

    The interior of the store was covered in masks, too.

    A thin old man sat on a short bamboo stool, dressed in ck cotton pants and ck cotton shoes, his back bent. Holding a mask in one hand and a fine writing brush in the other hand, he was coloring a mask.

    His hands were bony and thin, the veins almost popping out of the skin. However, his hands remained strong and steady. When he outlined the mask, his strokes were precise like those put down by machines.

    He was wearing a mask himself, the main colors being red and blue. While the colors gave off a righteous impression, the facial features on the mask were everything but.

    The face was covered in scars, and the eyes and nose were lopsided, the mouth wide and aggressive. The mask seemed vicious and insidious. Looking at it for longer, though, it became a little amusing like the viciousness was but a front.

    ¡°Uncle Yan.¡± Qilin called out from the door in a friendly tone.

    Uncle Yan didn¡¯t look up from his work, still focusing on coloring the mask. Carelessly, he said in his old voice, ¡°Here you are. Make yourself at home.¡±

    Qilin looked around. The small space was crammed with masks and all sorts of stuff, leaving no room for him to sit down. He smiled wryly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t see a second chair.¡±

    ¡°Then stand.¡± Uncle Yan didn¡¯t even pretend to feel bad about it.

    Unfazed, Qilin stood at the door, waiting patiently. Ten minutester, Uncle Yan finished painting the mask in his hand. He put away the brush and slowly stood up, stretching his limbs. Then he walked up to the door and looked up at Qilin. ¡°You¡¯re here for something?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I need your help.¡±

    Uncle Yan was quiet for a few seconds. No one knew what his expression was under the mask.

    He sighed. ¡°Even Guildmaster Qilin needs help. It seems things are serious now.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow defected and took many members of the Guild with him. He insisted on not letting me open the Gates. The Guard Rune Circuit is in his hand.¡± Qilin summarized the situation.

    ¡°If I remember right, the boy has only awakened for half a year. What can he possibly do?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the Divine Scion,¡± said Qilin. ¡°The child of an awakener and a life monster.¡±

    Uncle Yan stayed silent for longer this time. Then he slowly turned around and grabbed the iron hook by the door. ¡°I¡¯ll close down shop first.¡±

    After that, Uncle Yan and Qilin walked toward the exit of the Anliang Bulk Market. Uncle Yan still had his mask on, and he sped his hands behind his slightly hunched back.

    He walked slowly, but Qilin¡¯s pace was far from brisk with his cane, too, and the men walked at a simr pace like they were strolling in a park.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Uncle Yan asked.

    ¡°This battle is going tost.¡± Qilin looked ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll make you an Elder and assign you the necessary manpower. I¡¯d like to ask you to go after Seven Shadow for me.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Uncle Yan didn¡¯t even hesitate. ¡°But don¡¯t expect too much from me. I¡¯m ancient.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need a name as an Elder.¡±

    ¡°Let me think.¡± Uncle Yan took a few steps before speaking up. ¡°Haha, let¡¯s go with Yan Liang.¡±

    ¡°Yan Liang as in the hot and cold attitudes of people[1]?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The older man shook his head with a smile. ¡°At my age, I can be a cold corpse at any time. I have to remind myself as well as you that time¡¯s ticking quickly.¡±

    Qilin huffed out augh. ¡°Alright, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    He took out a smartphone and handed it to Yan Liang. ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±

    ¡°Who are you looking down at, you brat?¡± Yan Liang took the phone and turned it on.

    Qilin took out his too to send a list to Yan Liang. ¡°These are the dossiers on those who will be your subordinates, Elder Yan Liang. Please have a look.¡±

    Yan Liang quickly browsed through the dossiers as he slowly walked, and he sighed while shaking his head. ¡°The young ones are getting softer year by year.¡±

    After a moment, Yang Liang asked, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the Protector named Zero Hatred. Is he new?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s justprehended Elemental and got recruited by the Guild. He¡¯s a strange one, though, and Azure Dragon is still feeling him out.¡±

    ¡°Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Since there¡¯s ack of manpower, I¡¯ll take charge of the newbie.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust him to you.¡±

    As they conversed, they made it out of the market, and Qilin raised a hand to hail a car by the road.

    Yan Liang thought of something. ¡°Ah, we have to make an official statement about Seven Shadow and the other traitors. We will im the moral high ground.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Your n is?¡±

    ¡°Take the initiative to smear him.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t immediately respond.

    Yan Liang scoffed under the mask. ¡°What you¡¯re doing will determine the fate of all humans. This is a war between species, boy, not a friendly football match. There¡¯s no ce for morals and ethics in this.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded slightly. ¡°Hesitation is a sign of weakness. I hope this is thest time you show your weak side.¡±

    ¡°It will be.¡± Qilin nodded, getting a car. ¡°Let¡¯s get in.¡±

    1. <i>Yan</i> means fire/hot, and <i>liang </i>means cool/cold. The expression <i>yan-liang </i>is used to refer to the differing attitudes of people in the world. ?

 Chapter 618: Cheers

    <h4>Chapter 618: Cheers</h4>

    Brother Qiang Stall, Changyan District,te at night.

    The open-air food stall was famous for its barbeques, and visitors abounded, filling all the foldable chairs under the canopy. Under the foldable tables were braziers filled with burning coal, providing the customers with some heating against the cold.

    A table for two was set up in the narrow alleyway beside the food stall, dimly lit and exposed to the chilling wind, like a corner forgotten by the boisterous atmosphere.

    Sitting by the table were two men. They had orderedmb hot pot and were drinking while eating.

    ¡°Here, have some.¡± The man with a round face and shaved hair downed his half ss of beer. He was Crimson Bee from the Qilin Guild¡¯s Team Vermilion Bird.

    Sharing the table was a man named Xiao Xin, another member of Team Vermilion Bird with Talent, Thick Mist, serial number 95, Guard-type.

    He was in his thirties, yet gray could already be seen among his ck hair, and his cheeks were sickly sunken, his skin yellowed, dark, and hanging loosely from the skull with deep wrinkles around the mouth. He looked old and exhausted ahead of his age.

    Holding a wine cup, Xiao Xin looked around for quite a while and didn¡¯t take a sip from his cup until he made sure there wasn¡¯t a threat. He was on high alert, his body stiff and his nerves fraying.

    ¡°Stop being so paranoid, mate,¡± Crimson Beeined. ¡°I¡¯m here to have a drink with you, but you make this feel like a meeting between spies.¡±

    ¡°Things are different now. Better safe than sorry.¡± Xiao Xin lowered his voice and nced around again without thinking. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯re already targeted by Seven Shadow¡¯s people.¡±

    Crimson Bee burst outughing, leaning toward him and speaking in a lowered voice, ¡°You overestimate yourself. We nobodies aren¡¯t even on their radar.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Xiao Xin rxed somewhat. He picked up a piece of trite and was just about to eat it, but he nervously dropped it. ¡°Still, we¡¯re members of the Qilin Guild, and the enemies are lurking in the dark. If they want their revenge, they¡¯re gonna go after small fries like us first...¡±

    Crimson Bee sighed and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re always worried about nothing. Is your anxiety acting up again? Have you stopped taking pills?¡±

    Xiao Xin averted his gaze. ¡°I can¡¯t take the pills all the time, or I¡¯ll get dependent on it. That¡¯ll be bad...¡±

    ¡°Haha, why don¡¯t I give you a sting now to calm you down?¡± Crimson Bee smirked and discreetly extended his left hand, the nail of his pinky turning into a sharp bee sting.

    ¡°Change back!¡± Xiao Xin lost his calm, practically vibrating with tension. ¡°If someone sees you...¡±

    Crimson Bee pulled back. ¡°Then focus on drinking and eating with me. Don¡¯t be a spoilsport.¡±

    Xiao Xin sighed and downed his beer. Then he had some of the steaming food, his body warming up.

    After a while, he lowered his chopsticks and said seriously, ¡°To be honest with you, Brother Bee, I want to resign.¡±

    Crimson Bee picked up a piece of mutton. ¡°You¡¯ve said that a million times.¡±

    ¡°I mean it this time!¡± Xiao Xin raised his voice. ¡°Or I¡¯m gonna die sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°You joined the Guild because you feared death, but now you¡¯re pulling out for the same reason?¡± Crimson Bee snorted. ¡°Are you gonna return to the Guild again when deathes knocking? What do you take the Guild for, a public toilet? You can juste and go as you wish?¡±

    Xiao Xin didn¡¯t say anything.

    Crimson Bee picked up his cup and took another drink, sadness shing through his eyes. ¡°I¡¯de to a realization when my brother died during the Crimson Tide. Nobodies like us are the weeds. We topple in whatever directions the wind is blowing in, and no one cares about our death.¡±

    ¡°Well, even Protector Scarlet Fox and Elder White Tiger had died without warning. We are as good as cannon fodder.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Xiao Xin¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Just wait for death?¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Brother Xiao. Stay in the Guild and enjoy its protection.¡± Crimson Bee smiled shrewdly. ¡°Whatever the leadership tells us to do, we do it, but we decide how much we put ourselves into the task and how we do it. As long as you stay out of trouble, trouble¡¯s not gonnae knocking. Then you¡¯ll stand the biggest chance of surviving. You get me?¡±

    Convinced, Xiao Xin nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll help each other from now on.¡±

    ¡°Totally!¡± Crimson Bee said brightly. ¡°Why else did you think I asked you for a drink tonight?¡±

    <i>Ding. Ding.</i>

    Crimson Bee¡¯s and Xiao Xin¡¯s phones rang at the same time. They exchanged a nce and took out their phones with their heads lowered. It was a message from the Qilin Guild, an announcement made to all three major organizations and the unaffiliated awakeners.

    ...

    To all awakeners in the Mist World.

    We¡¯re regretful to announce that Elder Seven Shadow, real name Gao Yang, has betrayed the Guild and all awakeners atrge.

    His seven crimes are as follows:

    First, Seven Shadow knew of the true identity of the two life monsters, Lin Yue and Su Xi, and he knew about the betrayal of Yellow Ox from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, yet he kept them a secret and moved on his own, almost leading to catastrophic results.

    Second, Seven Shadow has been colluding with the Spectres.

    Third, Seven Shadow has been colluding with elite monsters.

    Fourth, Seven Shadow has hidden the Guard Rune Circuit and fooled the three major organizations with lies, never intending to tell the truth.

    Fifth, Seven Shadow has lured members of the Qilin Guild and the Twelve Zodiac Signs into defecting, leveraging his identity as the Divine Scion, and he attempted to kill Guildmaster Qilin.

    Sixth, Seven Shadow has kept his Talent, Lucky, a secret, and he is actually the leader of the Tails and an elite member of the Godbearer Cult, the greatest traitor among awakeners.

    Seventh, Seven Shadow has chosen to side with monsters, turning his back on his kind.

    All of the aforementioned crimes are true and backed up by evidence.

    Seven Shadow and the Godbearer Cult behind him were the greatest enemies and threats to all awakeners and humanity atrge, as well as thest obstacles preventing us from opening the Gates of Closure.

    The Mist World ising to an end soon. We hope that all of our kind will see the right path and walk together to fight as a united front. Do not lose the big picture for trivial reasons.

    Let us fight for survival and humanity together.

    Qilin Guild

    November 25th.

    ...

    Crimson Bee and Xiao Xin quickly browsed through the message, their expressions darkening.

    ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s been in deep cover.¡± Crimson Bee put away his phone and sighed softly. ¡°He¡¯s quite something, but unfortunately, he¡¯s taken the wrong side. Guildmaster Qilin and Dragon will never let him off the hook. We¡¯ll see how things turn out.¡±

    Xiao Xin looked nervous. ¡°This...is a deration of total war.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing.¡± Crimson Bee raised his cup with a smile. ¡°Let the whales fight among themselves. There¡¯s nothing for small fries like us to do. Come, have another cup. We¡¯ll drink until we¡¯re wasted tonight.¡±

    Xiao Xin found merits in that, and he pocketed his phone, too, raising his cup.

    The two were just going to knock their cups together when the half-finished bottle of beer by their side floated into the air, knocking their cups.

    Both Crimson Bee and Xiao Xin jumped, their faces suddenly pale. If they weren¡¯t in public, they would¡¯ve been screaming.

    Lithe Snake showed up the next second.

    He held the bottle of beer with one hand and his shortsword with his other hand, pressing it to Crimson Bee¡¯s chin. The sharp de already drew blood.

    Can appeared too, one hand resting on Lithe Snake¡¯s shoulder and the other hand sying toward Xiao Xin, an arc of translucent air de locking Xiao Xin¡¯s neck in ce.

    The food stand was bustling with chatters, yet the dim alleyway beside it was brimming with such tension that the air went still, and all that could be heard was the gurgle of the boiling hot pot.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, old friends.¡± Lithe Snake sneered.

    ¡°Lithe Snake, what...are you going to do?¡± Crimson Bee licked his lips and tried his best to stay calm. Hidden under the table, the nails of his left hand had quietly morphed into five poisonous stings of different colors.

    ¡°I¡¯ll advise you to keep your hand to yourself.¡± Lithe Snake had seen through the trick. ¡°Unlike me, your arm isn¡¯t going to grow back after getting cut.¡±

    Crimson Bee felt a chill run down his spine. He deactivated Bee Venom.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me...¡± Xiao Xin was terrified to the point of tears. ¡°I...I¡¯ve already written a letter of resignation. I¡¯m going to resign tonight. Please spare me...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Uncle Xiao,¡± Can said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re just here to...¡±

    ¡°Thick Mist!¡± Xiao Xin suddenly shouted.

 Chapter 619: Smells Terrible

    <h4>Chapter 619: Smells Terrible</h4>

    Xiao Xin shouted suddenly, the pores of his entire body erged by ten times. It looked as if Xiao Xin had exploded into a puff of yellow mist¡ªand he very well might have. There was no way for Lithe Snake and Can to tell.

    It happened so suddenly that the two of them lost sight of everything. Worried that the yellow mist was poisonous, they held their breath. Still, they inhaled a little of it, and it burned their nostrils.

    Can quickly went invisible. Lithe Snake, even quicker to react, grabbed her and jumped onto the wall of the alleyway, climbing onto the rooftop.

    While invisible, the two looked down from the edge of the building. The yellow mist had filled the entire alley and was spreading to the food stand. The diners either copsed or entered a brief trance. And one ughterer transformed into a strong lizardman, rushing out of the stand.

    ¡°Gale!¡±

    Can syed her hands downward, dispersing the yellow mist with level 4 Gale. The table and hot pot at the mouth of the alley had been toppled, and Crimson Bee and Xiao Xin were nowhere to be seen.

    Feet sticking to the wall, Lithe Snake ran down from the top of the building, leaping silently andnding toward the ughterer, piercing his ck Gold shortsword through the ughterer¡¯s head.

    It didn¡¯t even get a scream out before it shuddered like it¡¯d been electrocuted, copsing to the ground.

    Can jumped down from the top of the building too, making a safending with Gale.

    ¡°They¡¯re gone, Brother Lithe Snake.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how Thick Mist works.¡± Lithe Snake knew about Xiao Xin¡¯s Talent, but they weren¡¯t part of the same team, and they weren¡¯t close. Thus, he had never seen the man use his Talent.

    Lithe Snake raised his left hand. <i>Good thing I have a contingency.</i>

    He had cut off his pinky at some point, and the stump was bleeding.

    ¡°Ah, how did you get hurt?¡± Can said with concern.

    Lithe Snake shot her a re. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that I did this on purpose?¡±

    ...

    Men¡¯s toilet at a bar, ten minutester

    ¡°<i>Huff...huff...</i>¡±

    Crimson Bee hid in the innermost stall, drenched by sweat and gasping for breaths. From the outside came the bombastic music and wild yells.

    Once Xiao Xin released the yellow mist, Crimson Bee had jerked back and toppled the table, making a run for it without turning around. He dashed as quickly as he could like he was doing a hundred-meter sprint, rushing past a few street blocks and arriving at the crowded bar street. With the crowd as his cover, he dove into a bar, making it across the dance pool where neon light flickered and the air was thick with hedonistic abandon. Then he hid in the men¡¯s toilet.

    <i>They won¡¯t find me here, will they?</i>

    Crimson Bee calmed his breath and reached into his pocket for his phone, about to report to Elder Vermilion Bird, but then he frowned, feeling something cold and sticky.

    He took it out and realized that it was a bloodied finger.

    ¡°****!¡± Crimson Bee cursed.

    <i>Why was there a finger in my pocket?! Ah! It¡¯s Lithe Snake¡¯s Gecko! He can track me through his finger! The despicable man!</i>

    Crimson Bee cast away the finger and shot to his feet.

    <i>Bam!</i> The door of the stall was kicked open. He couldn¡¯t see anyone outside, but in the blink of an eye, a translucent air de pressed into his throat, and his limbs were locked in ce by air des too, preventing him from running away.

    Two secondster, Lithe Snake and Can showed up.

    Can had a hand on Lithe Snake¡¯s shoulder, and she pinched her nose, face twisted with disgust. ¡°It smells terrible here, Brother Lithe Snake... I can¡¯t take it...¡±

    <i>Swoosh! </i>Two throwing knives stabbed into Crimson Bee¡¯s thighs, and blood gushed out of the wounds.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Crimson Bee¡¯s legs buckled, falling onto the lid of the toilet. It was all he could do not to scream in pain.

    ¡°Go. I¡¯ll take this.¡± Lithe Snake sneered.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Can didn¡¯t even wait to turn invisible.

    Lithe Snake walked into the stall and shut the door, pressing his shortsword into Crimson Bee¡¯s chin. ¡°Your phone.¡±

    Crimson Bee paled, covered in cold sweat. He tamped down his pain to take his phone out of his pocket.

    ¡°Unlock it,¡± Lithe Snake ordered.

    Crimson Bee didn¡¯t dare to disobey. He quickly unlocked his phone with his finger.

    Lithe Snake stared at him coldly. ¡°Open the Guild¡¯s group chat. I want to see all the messages.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    Crimson Bee did as he said and opened the group chat, handing his phone to Lithe Snake. Lithe Snake browsed the messages without taking the phone. There wasn¡¯t much intel to be gleaned until he saw thetest announcement the Guild made.

    Lithe Snake scoffed derisively. ¡°No one can rival the Qilin Guild in doing a smear campaign.¡±

    Crimson Bee¡¯s heart sank. <i>Shit, Lithe Snake¡¯s pissed. I¡¯m dead.</i>

    He had long heard about the man¡¯s coldblooded way. He didn¡¯t even have the will to beg for mercy. Squeezing his eyes shut, he only wished for the man to give him a quick death.

    Two secondster, the cold de pressed against his neck was gone.

    Crimson Bee opened his eyes to find that Lithe Snake had put away his weapon. He said in disbelief, ¡°You...aren¡¯t going to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sparing you this time,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    Crimson Bee wanted to know why, but he didn¡¯t dare to ask lest Lithe Snake changed his mind.

    Lithe Snake came up to him and quickly pulled out the two throwing knives buried in his thighs.

    ¡°Hmph...¡±

    Crimson Bee bit down his shout despite the pain, not wanting to get in more trouble.

    Lithe Snake wiped the blood off his throwing knives on Crimson Bee¡¯s clothes. In an icy voice, he said, ¡°Captain¡¯s order. I¡¯m not to kill any members of Team Vermilion Bird.¡±

    Crimson Bee gaped.

    ¡°You got lucky.¡± Lithe Snake backed out of the stall and shut the door.

    Crimson Bee didn¡¯t dare to move until he made sure that Lithe Snake was truly gone. Only then did he let out the breath he had been holding.

    It seemed Seven Shadow and Vermilion Bird were truly close.

    <i>When I joined the Guild, I picked Team White Tiger because I was afraid of death, but Brother Crimson Scorpion insisted on me joining Team Vermilion Bird with him because he was thinking with his smaller head. Now, both White Tiger and Big Brother are gone, yet I¡¯ve been saved by Vermilion Bird many times. What an irony.</i>

    Crimson Bee held his phone up to call Elder Vermilion Bird.

    The call went through after a few seconds.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird!¡± Crimson Bee said through clenched teeth. ¡°I was attacked. My thighs were cut, and I can¡¯t move...¡±

    ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Crimson Bee told her the address.

    ¡°Seven Shadow?¡± Vermilion Bird guessed right.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s his people. Lithe Snake and Can.¡±

 Chapter 620: Special My Ass

    <h4>Chapter 620: Special My Ass</h4>

    Underground base of Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    ¡°What gives you the right, what gives you the right to do this to me?!¡±

    Zhang Wei¡¯s holler rang through the corridor leading to the special cell. His hands and feet were both in ck Gold shackles since he wouldn¡¯t cooperate and insisted on resisting, even throwing a tantrum. In the end, his two teammates had to seize his elbows and carry him away.

    Legs lifted off the ground, Zhang Wei kicked around like a pig about to be ughtered. The man on his left was in his forties, dressed in orange clothes for mountain climbing. He was tall and strongly built, his brown hair thick and hard. His square face gave off a slightly stiff impression, but with his full forehead and bright eyes, he seemed experienced yet friendly.

    He was Wild Range, with Talent: Hunter, serial number 148, Knowledge-type. He was a member of the Union¡¯s third team, under Chen Ying¡¯s leadership.

    The man on Zhang Wei¡¯s right was in his thirties, and he was tall and thin with long grayish-green hair parted in the middle. His gray eyes were unfocused, his lips curled into a perpetual careless smile.

    He was Herb Snail, with Talent: Intangibility, serial number 79, Support-type, also a member of the third team.

    ¡°Will you stop it already, Zhang Wei?¡± Wild Range said resignedly. ¡°We¡¯re just following orders. Taking your anger on us isn¡¯t going to do anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Herb Snail seemed to be in a good mood, his expression spelling schadenfreude. ¡°Think of it as a paid leave. Isn¡¯t that awesome?¡±

    ¡°Awesome my ass!¡± Zhang Wei cursed. ¡°You''re not the one getting locked up, of course you would be able to say that. You fucking fun-seeker!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Herb Snail seemed even happier.

    ¡°Do you think I seem like a spy, Uncle Range?!¡± Zhang Wei shouted. ¡°It¡¯s so unfair!¡±

    ¡°I believe you, of course, Young Zhang. How can someone with your intelligence and ability be...¡± Noticing Zhang Wei¡¯s expression darkening further, Wild Range quickly course-corrected. ¡°Ahem, but this is a decision reached by the leadership after their meeting. For everyone¡¯s safety, please bear with it until Dust is found.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t! I¡¯m filing aint! An appeal! I want an open and fair vote on this issue!¡± Zhang Wei continued to resist, but to no avail.

    Soon, they reached the special cell, and Zhang Wei got thrown in. The cell door mmed shut.

    ¡°Let me out! I¡¯m not a spy!¡± Zhang Wei pounded on the metal door before he started kicking it, his shackles clinking as he moved.

    After a while, he exhausted himself, and his voice became hoarse. With his back against the metal door, he sat down.

    Head lowered, he cried a tear of humiliation. ¡°Fuck!¡±

    ¡°Zhang Wei.¡± A voice came from the other side of the door.

    Zhang Wei perked up. It was Chen Ying, his leader.

    ¡°Sister Ying!¡± He turned around and pressed his face to the door. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t abandon me! Quick, let me out! Tell Madam Li that I¡¯m not a spy, I¡¯m really not!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Zhang Wei.¡± Chen Ying sounded guilty. ¡°I¡¯ve never suspected you, but you¡¯ve gotten the message from the Qilin Guild too.¡±

    Zhang Wei paused. Of course he had gotten the message.

    Chen Ying sighed. ¡°Seven Shadow is a member of the Godbearer Cult and the head of Tails, and he¡¯s been hiding his Talent, Lucky. You have Confidence, and it¡¯s a Talent that¡¯s too special for us to ignore...¡±

    ¡°Special my ass!¡± That further fueled Zhang Wei¡¯s anger. ¡°The Talent¡¯s fucking garbage. It¡¯s totally useless. I¡¯ll give it to anyone who wants to have it! I¡¯ll dly exchange it for any of your Talents.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zhang Wei,¡± Chen Ying assured. ¡°You won¡¯t be here for long. Once we find Dust, you¡¯ll no longer be suspected.¡±

    ¡°What if you never find Dust? Do I have to stay locked up here? Dust¡¯s been undercover for ten years and never got discovered. You think you can just find them now?¡±

    Zhang Wei lost control of his emotions. ¡°The Mist World is only going tost for another year, and I¡¯m just gonna wait for my death in this hellhole? Does it seem fair to you? What entitles you to do this to me...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve narrowed down the suspects, Zhang Wei. Things are different now, and the Godbearer Cult is itching to make a move. We¡¯ll soon identify the traitor.¡±

    Zhang Wei wanted to argue, but he knew it wouldn¡¯t do him any good. Nothing he said would change anything. This wasn¡¯t Chen Ying¡¯s decision to make.

    His shoulders sagged. ¡°Ha, whatever. I¡¯ll stop wasting my breath. I only have myself to me. Were I not a weakling, I wouldn¡¯t be ordered around like a dog, with no dignity at all...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Zhang Wei...¡±

    ¡°Did I say anything wrong?!¡± Zhang Wei shouted at the door. ¡°The entire third team consists of weaklings, Sister Ying, and we¡¯re at everyone¡¯s mercy! Shit always rolls downhill to us! Have you forgotten how Cheng Xin¡¯s team looked down on us? Has Madam Li ever spoken up for us? No, she turned a blind eye!¡±

    ¡°Ha, what are they being all arrogant for? I may be a dog, but the Hundred Rivers Union is the kennel! All these years, haven¡¯t we taken enough shit from the other organizations? Qilin Guild can just say whatever it wants and has it be the truth. Just because they ndered Seven Shadow and called him a bad guy, the leader of the Tails, I have to be locked up as well?¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s the Divine Scion! His parents died to save us! His grandmother died too! He himself almost died. He killed the Malediction and the leader of the shadowstalkers! He found several Rune Circuits at the risk of his life!¡±

    ¡°He did all that for everyone, but just because he kept a Rune Circuit hidden¡ªand it was thest thing his father left him with¡ªQilin wanted to kill him, going so far as to make up the lie that Seven Shadow had been colluding with the Godbearer Cult. What bullshit!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say Qilin¡¯s humanity¡¯s greatest...¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Chen Ying snapped, her face pale.

    Zhang Wei closed his mouth after a pause. He knew he had crossed a line.

    He didn¡¯t actually think Qilin was a viin. All these years, while the Qilin Guild had been overbearing, they had done many things for awakeners, and their reputation wasn¡¯t earned through force alone.

    Still, Zhang Wei couldn¡¯t ept the treatment easily. The whales were weed to fight among themselves. Why must a small fry like him bear the consequences?

    ¡°Zhang Wei.¡± Chen Ying took a deep breath. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll prove your innocence as soon as I can. Give me some time.¡±

    Zhang Wei had calmed down after the outburst, and he started feeling guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister Ying. I shouldn¡¯t take it out on you and say all that...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it and rest well. I¡¯ll check up on you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s footsteps grew distant before soon quieting. Sitting against the cool door of the cell, Zhang Wei put his arms around his legs and buried his face in his knees, trembling and clenching his fists.

    After leaving the cells, Chen Ying walked across the office floor to find Little Tian waiting for her outside the elevator, dressed in a suit for boys that made him look meek.

    After losing his parents, Little Tian had been living with Chen Ying. She was like his older sister and somewhat of a mother figure. When there was no one else around, Little Tian always called her Sister.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head home, Sister.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± Chen Ying put on a smile and took his hand, walking into the elevator.

    The door slowly closed. After some hesitation, Chen Ying said, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you to do for me, Little Tian.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Little Tian readily agreed. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You must keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

 Chapter 621: Insomnia

    <h4>Chapter 621: Insomnia</h4>

    Single dorm in the Snake Room, -6F of Millennium Tower, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Dispirited, Fat Jun went to bed early, but couldn¡¯t sleep with all the thoughts in his mind. He rolled and sat up, taking out his phone and ying a simple game to kill time.

    It only made him feel more frustrated, however, and he closed the game, unable to resist the urge to go through his call history to make sure if there was any missed call or messages. There was none.

    He couldn¡¯t ept it, and he clicked into the social media app to check his private messages. Outside of a few system notifications and ads, there was nothing.

    Fat Jun cast his phone away and rolled around to bury his face in his pillow.

    <i>Brother Yang, you¡¯ve gone independent. Why didn¡¯t you call me?</i>

    <i>You told me that eggs should be put in different baskets, and I believed you, but why did you forget about me?</i>

    <i>I can¡¯t reach Wang Zikai either. He must have gone with you. You would even take a monster with you, but not me?</i>

    <i>Have you never considered me one of your people?</i>

    Someone knocked. Fat Jun started and jerked up into a seating position.

    <i>It¡¯s sote. Who can it be? Brother Yang?</i>

    <i>Very likely! Brother Yang¡¯s strong. Maybe he¡¯s snuck in with Teleportation.</i>

    Fat Jun jumped off his bed and ran up to open the door. His smile went still for a second before turning brighter in pleasant surprise. ¡°Sister Rabbit, why...are you here?¡±

    White Rabbit was wearing a cute pikachu onesie, herplexion dark and her hair messy. She looked irritated from insomnia.

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, Adept Horse,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°May I stay here for a while?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, of course!¡± Fat Jun quickly turned around. ¡°Give...give me a sec to clean up. My room¡¯s a little messy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not strangers.¡± White Rabbit walked through the door.

    Fat Jun quickly cleaned up and hurriedly turned the swivel chair at theputer desk around. ¡°Have a seat, Sister Rabbit.¡±

    White Rabbit sat down and pressed her legs together, resting her hands on her knees. She looked around with a half-smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that messy, better than Uncle Tiger¡¯s room anyway. And there¡¯s no strange smell.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Fat Jun was a little embarrassed. He wiped his palm sweat on his pajama pants. ¡°Do you want anything to drink?¡±

    ¡°What do you usually drink when you can¡¯t sleep?¡± White Rabbit asked instead of answering.

    ¡°I go for c,¡± Fat Jun said honestly. ¡°I usually get lightheaded from the sugar high and fall asleep easily. It¡¯s bad for health, but it¡¯s fine since I have Healing...¡±

    ¡°Healing only heals wounds, not treats illnesses,¡± White Rabbit exposed him for his attempt to fool himself.

    Fat Jun chuckled while scratching his head.

    ¡°Get me a can of c,¡± White Rabbit said.

    ¡°Sure. Do you want it iced, or room temp?¡±

    ¡°Room temperature,¡± White Rabbit said in a softer voice.

    Fat Jun took out a can of c each from the fridge and a paper box, handing White Rabbit the room temperature one. They sat on his bed and quietly drank, a meter apart.

    After a minute, White Rabbit lowered her can with both hands, resting it on herp and lowering her voice. She sounded down when she said, ¡°Hey, Adept Horse. I¡¯m quite useless, am I not?¡±

    ¡°Why would you be? If you¡¯re useless, what does that make me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the HR of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. This summer, I recruited Dark Horse, Yellow Ox, Green Snake, and you.¡± White Rabbit smiled bitterly. ¡°What then? Dark Horse jumped ship. Yellow Ox betrayed humanity for his life monster wife and died. Now Green Snake has followed Dark Horse to start their own group. That leaves only you.¡±

    White Rabbit looked up and stared at Fat Jun directly, her eyes reddening and filling up with tears. ¡°You aren¡¯t going too, are you, Adept Horse?¡±

    Fat Jun paused and smiled with guilt. ¡°What are you talking about, Sister Rabbit? I¡¯m here, right? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m absolutely loyal to the organization.¡±

    ¡°Adept Horse.¡± White Rabbit¡¯s smile turned even more heartbreaking. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You¡¯ve been through a life-and-death situation with them. You must have a strong bond with them.¡±

    ¡°No, no!¡± Fat Jun quickly waved his hand in denial. ¡°Truly, it¡¯s not the case. I followed them around because I didn¡¯t have a choice. Of course I would choose the organization if I could. The Twelve Zodiac Signs is powerful and treats me well, offering me training and protection like I¡¯m family.¡±

    Fat Jun wasn¡¯t technically lying. Looking back, since he became an official member, the Twelve Zodiac Signs had been treating him quite well, especially White Rabbit. She might not have nice things to say about him, but she had been taking good care of him.

    White Rabbit¡¯s voice softened,pletely unlike how she usually was. ¡°I¡¯ve been with the organization since I was little, Fat Jun, and the Twelve Zodiac Signs is my home. In my world, there are only two kinds of people: members of the family, and outsiders. Those who join are my family, and everyone else are outsiders. I only treat my family with care.¡±

    Fat Jun nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°So.¡± White Rabbit put on a forced smile. ¡°If you want to follow Dark Horse, I¡¯ll respect your decision, but don¡¯t lie to me. It¡¯ll break my heart to have a family member lie to me.¡±

    Fat Jun paused, feeling a clench in his heart.

    The pitying look on White Rabbit¡¯s face made blood rush to his head, and he threw reservations out of the window.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, Sister Rabbit, I¡¯ve been frustrated the past few days too.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± White Rabbit looked up at him like she didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Back then, I survived hell with Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Huang Qi! I thought I was one of them, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t even think of me when starting his own thing. Ha, now it seems that they only see me as a receable tool...¡±

    White Rabbit stayed silent.

    ¡°Gao Yang once told me that I should judge people by their actions rather than what I think they are thinking, and I¡¯ve been abiding by it.¡± Fat Jun looked up at White Rabbit with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°Sister Rabbit, I remember what you and the organization have done for me, and now I¡¯vee to realize how Gao Yang actually treats me.¡±

    ¡°As long as the Twelve Zodiac Signs wants me, I¡¯ll be your family. I¡¯ll devote myself to the organization...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good enough.¡± White Rabbit turned away and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡°I believe you, Adept Horse.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fat Jun finally made up his mind, and he felt so much lighter, as if the energy paths in his body were all cleared up.

    White Rabbit put down the c in her hand and went up to him, leaning so close that her hair fell on his face. She slowly lowered her head like she was going to kiss him on the forehead.

    Fat Jun froze, his heart racing and his breathing stuttering to a halt.

    Of course, White Rabbit didn¡¯t kiss him. She simply kept her face so close to Fat Jun¡¯s that their breaths mingled as she gently put a white button on his cor. ¡°This is a new SOS button. Every member keeps one on. Crush it if you get in danger.¡±

    ¡°I, I know...¡± Fat Jun¡¯s mind nked.

    After putting the button on him, White Rabbit took a step back and smiled sweetly. ¡°Thanks for the c. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    White Rabbit left the room and closed the door gently behind her.

    Fat Jun remained on his bed, eyes widened and body unmoving, as if his soul had gone with her.

 Chapter 622: Think Further

    <h4>Chapter 622: Think Further</h4>

    White Rabbit didn¡¯t return to her dorm room after leaving Fat Jun¡¯s room, but instead walked out of the Snake Door and took a right turn. She carefully made sure no one was following her until she reached the Dragon Door and unlocked the fingerprint lock. The metal door mixed with ck Gold slowly opened, and she dashed in.

    The room was dim, the metal walls glossy with a sci-fi look to them. On the far end of the room was a giant ck hibernation chamber with smooth curves, at the bottom of which were pipelines glowing with green energy.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± A red dot sparked in the shadowed corner on the left of the hibernation chamber. It was War Tiger¡¯s cigarette.

    ¡°Done,¡± White Rabbit said stiffly. ¡°Adept Horse was wavering, but he¡¯ll settle down.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re good, Rabbit. You have him eating from your palm with your feminine wiles so easily.¡± War Tiger ttered her.

    White Rabbit scowled and didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°What, still angry?¡± asked War Tiger.

    ¡°Oh, how dare I be?¡± White Rabbit scoffed.

    ¡°You¡¯re with friends, Rabbit, and no sound can leave the room. Speak your mind.¡±

    ¡°Then I will.¡±

    War Tiger grinned. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    White Rabbit took a deep breath.

    ¡°War Tiger you ****! **** you even lied to me! **** even Heavenly Dog **** knows, yet I was the only one **** in the dark. War Tiger, you ***** go ****...¡±

    War Tiger had covered his ears in preparation for the verbal barrage that was toe, and he smiled as White Rabbit cursed up a storm.

    Face flushed and chest heaving, White Rabbit closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m good.¡±

    War Tiger snickered. ¡°Cursing right in front of Dragon, Rabbit? Don¡¯t you have your image of a properdy to maintain?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m pissed!¡± White Rabbit snapped, ncing at the hibernation chamber. ¡°Captain! Why did you keep Gao Yang¡¯s undercover mission in the Qilin Guild from me?! I feel like the biggest idiot! I took every chance to insult Gao Yang whenever I met him. He must hate me so much...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡± War Tiger grinned. ¡°You acting like that prevented the Qilin Guild from suspecting him. Besides, Little Yang Yang isn¡¯t that petty.¡±

    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t understand,¡± White Rabbit said. ¡°Why must Gao Yang go independent rather than return to us? We share the same goal, don¡¯t we?¡±

    She was a little worried. ¡°He¡¯s on his own now. How can he possibly be Qilin¡¯s match?¡±

    ¡°Ha, why?¡± War Tiger walked out of the shadow and shook his head in resignation. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    White Rabbit paused and thought about it. ¡°Could it be...that Gao Yang was worried about dragging us down?¡±

    ¡°That must be one of the reasons, but not the whole picture.¡± War Tiger narrowed his eyes and took a drag of his cigarette. ¡°While Gao Yang¡¯s eighteen, Rabbit, he¡¯s been through a lot and has been dancing between the three major organizations and the Spectres. The way he thinks is like threading a needle. Don¡¯t be limited to your own perspective and position. Put yourself in his shoes and look at the big picture.¡±

    War Tiger tapped on his temple with a forefinger. ¡°Think further, Rabbit.¡±

    White Rabbit focused on her thoughts. After half a minute, she came up with some possibilities, but she still couldn¡¯t figure the whole thing out.

    ¡°Alright.¡± War Tiger was impatient. ¡°I¡¯ll talk you through it.¡±

    He turned to the hibernation chamber, addressing Dragon at the same time. ¡°That night, Gao Yang went into the abyss and came back empty-handed, without the Guard Rune Circuit. Then he asked Qilin for a private conversation, yet they turned against each other immediately after. Qilin put out a wanted notice against Seven Shadow, branding him a traitor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous,¡± White Rabbit said.

    ¡°Yeah, and two hours ago, Qilin made a serious announcement to all, stating that Gao Yang had hidden the Guard Rune Circuit, kept his Talent, Lucky, a secret, and was actually the true leader of the Tails, a high-ranking member of the Godbearer Cult, and the public enemy of humanity. The crimes listed are numerous.¡±

    White Rabbit said, ¡°Outside of hiding the Guard Rune Circuit, I don¡¯t buy any of it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, now it seems that Gao Yang had the Guard Rune Circuit from the beginning. After fighting the Malediction, the Rune Circuit had been picked up by Gao Yang¡ªno, by Qing Ling. Being loyal to Gao Yang, Qing Ling secretly handed the Rune Circuit to him, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t give it to Qilin or us. He told no one about it and continued to act, buying himself time for his n to go independent.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± White Rabbit agreed with the spection.

    War Tiger smiled shrewdly. ¡°And the im that Little Yang Yang has Lucky is very likely true.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± White Rabbit was surprised.

    ¡°First, don¡¯t you think Gao Yang has been too lucky?¡±

    White Rabbit came to a quick realization. ¡°Do you mean that Lucky is a passive ability?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Dragon once told me that Gao Yang¡¯s luck was part of his strength, too. I only realized now that he didn¡¯t mean luck in the general sense, but Talent: Lucky!¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Captain¡¯s Talent is Overlord, the top Miracle-type Talent. He would be able to sense it if Gao Yang had Lucky. Captain must have reached level 4 with Overlord given he had killed a life monster on his own, yet he¡¯s never touched the Miracle Rune Circuit at all. Could it be that Gao Yang had helped him get the energy seed...¡±

    White Rabbit trailed off, covering her mouth reflexively. <i>Holy, Captain¡¯s ying 4D chess here!</i>

    ¡°Haha.¡± War Tiger had reached the same conclusion too. He nced at the hibernation chamber. ¡°Now it seems that Qilin has figured that out, too, which is why he included Talent: Lucky as part of the usations, making Gao Yang out into the leader of Tails and a high-ranking member of the Cult, even painting him as the enemy of all humans.¡±

    In the hibernation chamber, Dragon could hear them but not answer them.

    War Tiger turned to White Rabbit. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic. What did Gao Yang talk to Qilin about that led to theplete one-eighty of their rtionship?¡±

    ¡°First possibility, Seven Shadow wanted to quit, and Qilin considered him a threat that must be eliminated, so he attacked him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too far.¡± White Rabbit shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think Qilin is mad enough to do that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, then there¡¯s the second possibility.¡± War Tiger took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth. ¡°Qilin found that Gao Yang had hidden the Guard Rune Circuit, and in a moment of rage, he flipped out.¡±

    White Rabbit shook her head again. ¡°That would be a serious matter, but Qilin has no reason to go this far for that.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± War Tiger asked on purpose.

    ¡°Because we all want to open the Gates of Closure. Once we have all the Rune Circuits, we can just open the Gates together. Why does it matter that Qilin doesn¡¯t have all the Rune Circuits? The other organizations each have a few Rune Circuits, right? And Qilin¡¯s fine with that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Therefore, the conflict between Gao Yang and Qilin must be anything but simple. Unless...¡± War Tiger smiled.

    ¡°Unless Gao Yang discovered Qilin¡¯s bottom line and ultimate goal, and he was vehemently against that. Qilin was forced to make a move¡ªa deadly move. Because it¡¯s too risky to have the Divine Scion be determined to foil his n.¡±

    Worried that he hadn¡¯t made himself clear, War Tiger made aparison. ¡°We all have our bottom line. Take Dragon for an example. He¡¯s willing to back away on everything else, but if anyone dares to stop Dragon from having the Gates of Closure opened, he¡¯ll go so far as to dig up their ancestors¡¯ graves and turn them into pittrines.¡±

    White Rabbit shot back, ¡°Captain¡¯s not gonna stoop that low.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean it literally.¡±

    White Rabbit nodded. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re getting at.¡±

 Chapter 623: Shooting for the Stars

    <h4>Chapter 623: Shooting for the Stars</h4>

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going.¡± War Tiger flipped open the lid of his gas lighter to light his cigarette, the spark illuminating his stubbled face.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Gao Yang tell Qilin he had the Guard Rune Circuit? It was because Gao Yang wanted to negotiate with Qilin, but he was worried that the negotiation would fail, leaving him with no way to back out. Thus, he bought himself time to make preparations for his independence first. As soon as the negotiation failed, he would make a run for it. And that was indeed what happened in the end.¡±

    White Rabbit nodded bemusedly.

    ¡°What could turn them against each other?¡± War Tiger raised a finger with his cigarette between his teeth. ¡°I think there¡¯s only one possibility: Qilin wants the Guard Rune Circuit, but Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t give it to him. Once that fact wasid out in the open, they realized that they couldn¡¯te to a middle ground, and all hell broke loose.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± White Rabbit frowned. ¡°Qilin doesn¡¯t really need the Guard Rune Circuit from Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Think about it more, Rabbit.¡± War Tiger gave her a hint. ¡°The bottom line.¡±

    White Rabbit thought for a moment beforeing to a realization.

    ¡°Only Qilin knows where the Gates of Closure is. He has never told anyone!¡± When that thought shed through her mind, White Rabbit put everything together.

    Her eyes glinted. ¡°Qilin¡¯s bottom line is that he must be the one to gather the twelve Rune Circuits and open the Gates personally, while Gao Yang¡¯s bottom line is that Qilin must not be the one to open the Gates. That¡¯s why Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t give him the Guard Rune Circuit, and they had a fallout.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right.¡± War Tiger nodded in approval.

    ¡°Wait.¡± White Rabbit then brought up another point. ¡°How can Qilin be so sure that the Zodiacs and the Hundred Rivers Union will allow him to open the Gates?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t. That¡¯s why he¡¯s been preparing for it.¡±

    White Rabbit sucked in a breath in shock. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Hundred Rivers Union is no obstacle at all to Qilin. He only needs to ask to ¡®borrow¡¯ the Rune Circuits from them.¡±

    ¡°But we have Captain, and Qilin doesn¡¯t dare to make a reckless move.¡±

    War Tiger nodded. ¡°Qilin has refused to lend Dragon the Miracle Rune Circuit exactly because he doesn¡¯t want Dragon to level up his Talent. And Qilin didn¡¯t go to Gao Yang¡¯s rescuest time because he wanted to force Dragon to do it, thus weakening Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Ha, Qilin has always had in mind the possibility that the Guild may go into war with the Zodiacs. I even believe that during the Crimson Tide, he had the ability to duel Lilia just like Dragon, but purposefully preserved his strength and only put Lilia under his control long enough for Dragon to deal with her. That was meant to test Dragon¡¯s true power in preparation for the civil war that was very likely toe.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, none had predicted X¡¯s betrayal. His Poison of Hell almost got all of us killed.¡±

    ¡°That man is despicable!¡±

    White Rabbit never liked the hypocritical man in the skin of a gentleman, and now her distaste of him grew greater. ¡°If Qilin hadn¡¯t preserved his strength, X¡¯s n might not have seeded, and there wouldn¡¯t be such a great death toll among the awakeners!¡±

    ¡°Based on the result, that is a cross he has to bear.¡± War Tiger then thought of something. ¡°When I went to Ni Nation with Gao Yang, he told me in private that Dragon had said something to him when going to his rescue in Ind Nation. And he promised that he was in the same boat as us. Now it seems that Dragon had told him that Qilin must not be the one to open the Gates.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang was a man who repaid his debts. He owed Dragon one for saving him, and he would repay it. That was why after the twelve Rune Circuits were all collected, he tested Qilin¡¯s bottom line for the still hibernating Dragon. And indeed, Qilin would notpromise on being the one to open the Gates. They fell off. Gao Yang fled with some members of the Guild, and Qilin¡¯s determined to take him out despite their history.¡±

    ¡°Captain won¡¯t surrender the Rune Circuits to Qilin,¡± White Rabbit said vehemently. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs are bound to sh with the Qilin Guild sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s even more imperative for Gao Yang to return to us! We must go after Qilin together, or we¡¯ll get taken down group by group.¡±

    ¡°Rabbit, oh, Rabbit.¡± War Tiger smiled wryly. ¡°You¡¯re usually smart, but not necessarily wise about the big decisions.¡±

    White Rabbit paused, quickly realizing what he was getting at.

    She felt a sudden guilt, and her heart ached a little. ¡°So Gao Yang has taken on the most exhausting dirty work.¡±

    War Tiger retreated into the shadow. The red dot of his cigarette flickered as he smoked. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs don''t stand a chance if we go into a war with the Qilin Guild now. However, Qilin can¡¯t be certain if Dragon has gone into hibernation. Thus, he goes after Gao Yang first. Then he¡¯ll think abouting after us.¡±

    ¡°The fact that Gao Yang didn¡¯t return to us serves as a smokescreen. The message conveyed to Qilin is simple: we may not share Gao Yang¡¯s belief, which means Dragon may not be against Qilin being the one to open the Gates. Therefore, there¡¯s no reason for Qilin to sh with us just yet.¡±

    ¡°If Gao Yang had returned to us, though, it would mean he aligned with Dragon on the matter, and we might as well have openly dered war against the Qilin Guild. Whether Dragon had gone into hibernation or not, Qilin would have no choice but to attack us with the Guild at his back. Then we could only congratte Qilin on making the right bet...¡±

    War Tiger knocked on the hibernation chamber. ¡°Dragon is indeed hibernating, and Qilin would be able to easily take the five Rune Circuits from us. Then he could borrow the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s three Rune Circuits and open the Gates on his own.¡±

    ¡°Only God knows whether Qilin is truly working for humanity or his own ambition, but I¡¯m never an optimist when ites to human nature.¡±

    White Rabbit felt bad about the situation. ¡°So we do nothing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we watch things unfold, which is how we¡¯ve always done things. If Little Yang Yang needs help, he will find a way to contact us in secret. If he doesn¡¯t, it means the time isn¡¯t right yet.¡±

    White Rabbit still couldn¡¯t let the issue drop. ¡°Then...what if Gao Yang died at Qilin¡¯s hands?¡±

    ¡°Then he did.¡± War Tiger shrugged. ¡°Ghost Horse died too. He died, Electric Mouse died, and many of those before us died. Why couldn¡¯t Dark Horse and we die? The point is making our deaths worthwhile.¡±

    White Rabbit didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    War Tiger let out a bitterugh. ¡°The twelve Rune Circuits are gathered. The sword of Damocles which is the civil war is hanging above all of our necks, and Gao Yang is the strand of hair holding the hilt of the sword. When it breaks, the sword will fall.¡±

    White Rabbit said hoarsely, ¡°When it falls, if Captain still hasn¡¯t woken up, we¡¯ll all die.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± War Tiger tilted his head, exhaling white smoke. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be able to kill Azure Dragon, but not Qilin.¡±

    White Rabbit turned to the hibernation chamber in the dark. Before, she only wished for Captain to wake up every day because she missed him and adored him, but now, she felt a stronger need and reliance on him than ever before.

    ¡°When will Captain wake up?¡± White Rabbit asked gently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush him.¡± War Tiger stepped out of the shadow. ¡°He told me that this would be hisst time going into hibernation, and he will wake up when he has to. Before that, though, he won¡¯t wake up no matter what happens, not even if Qilines to our doorsteps.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± White Rabbit didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Then we¡¯ll be at his mercy, won¡¯t we?¡®

    ¡°The damn gambler is going all in.¡± War Tiger looked at the hibernation with unwavering faith. ¡°He¡¯s shooting for the stars. Qilin isn¡¯t worthy enough to be his archenemy.¡±

 Chapter 624: Eat, No Talk

    <h4>Chapter 624: Eat, No Talk</h4>

    ¡°Well said! Qilin isn¡¯t worthy!¡± White Rabbit said proudly. She was happier when someoneplimented Dragon than when someoneplimented her.

    If asked what she liked about Dragon, she could list many: his godlike good look, his great power, his tender nature, his high intelligence and emotional intelligence, his elegance, his good taste, his pleasant voice...

    If asked why she <i>loved </i>Dragon, though, White Rabbit only had one answer: Dragon was a hopeless idealist, his belief so pure that she couldn¡¯t help staring at it.

    Some were born to be the stars, and others were born to chase the light.

    White Rabbit was a fly drawn to Dragon¡¯s light, and she felt proud to be able to witness his dream and glorying to fruition.

    She turned to the hibernation chamber with a determined gaze, all pumped up with fighting spirit. ¡°Rest easy, Captain. The Twelve Zodiac Signs will die to protect you!¡±

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s nice to have a fangirl.¡± War Tiger smacked his lips together in feigned envy. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not get cheesy about it. Time to work.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± White Rabbit smiled a little bashfully.

    War Tiger took out his pack of cigarettes but found it empty. He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about this, but a smart rabbit has three burrows. You should start thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    War Tiger advised, ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of the task on your own. No rush. The priority is to find a well-hidden ce.¡±

    White Rabbit gave him an okay sign.

    They walked out of the Dragon Door, and as soon as they returned to the living room, they ran into Heavenly Dog, dressed sharply with a hand in his pocket. He waved at them with his right hand. ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here at this time, Heavenly Dog?¡± White Rabbit asked.

    Heavenly Dog scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m here for Uncle Tiger.¡±

    After a moment, he added, ¡°It¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in a rush.¡± War Tiger snorted, shooting White Rabbit a look.

    White Rabbit turned to leave without missing a beat.

    Heavenly Dog went up to War Tiger and whispered into his ears. War Tiger narrowed his eyes with his lips curled.

    ¡°Alright. Go.¡±

    ...

    Rooftop of an express hotel, Sunfacing Road in Daxu District, one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    A tall, thin man stood upright at the edge of the rooftop, dressed in a windbreaker, a pair of jeans, and a ck beanie, his stubbled face half covered by a pair of sunsses.

    It was Nine Frost in disguise. Chewing on a choco stick, he looked over at the flower shop across the road¡ªLet Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers¡ªwith a pair of binocrs.

    From the vantage point, he could see through the small window on the second floor into the attic. Heavenly Dog sat on a beanbag with white headphones on, listening to music with his eyes closed. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

    Heavenly Dog often swung by Songstress¡¯ shop to sit for a while, listening to music and having a beverage, getting some sunshine. That was something Gao Yang had told Nine Frost.

    A minuteter, Nine Frost finished the choco stick; his mission waspleted.

    He put the stic wrap of the choco stick and the binocrs in the pocket of his windbreaker. Then he took out an old model cellphone from his jeans, making a call.

    The call was immediately picked up, and a modted voice said, ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done. Things went smoothly.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then we set out at night.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Nine Frost hung up and easily disassembled the phone, taking out and crushing the chip before pocketing the phone. He turned to leave.

    ...

    Mizuya Street, Zone D of Ind Nation. November 27th,te at night.

    There were many cheap B&Bs, hostels, and 24-hour libraries with capsule hotels around the area, and it saw many young backpackers from different nations. A young man with the typical West Nation appearance¡ªblond hair, blue eyes, and sculpted facial features¡ªwalked out of the bright and warm convenience store, holding three discounted lunch boxes and three bottles of water.

    He leisurely walked along the narrow street under the night sky, soon reaching a quiet and lesser tread alley. Making a turn, he went deep into the alley and climbed up an external metal staircase to the third floor of a B&B, knocking on the door.

    Three quick knocks followed by a one-second pause and then another three knocks. Then he repeated it once more to make nine knocks in total. A few secondster, the door opened to reveal a man and a girl. The girl had blond hair and emerald eyes, her facial features delicate but pronounced.

    The man was tall and slim with brown curls, olive skin, light green eyes, and a serious look on his face.

    The three exchanged looks of greetings.

    The blond man sat cross-legged before the table, cing down the three lunchboxes he had bought at a discount, each containing marbled beef, fried pork cutlet, and chicken and egg as toppings for the rice.

    He nced at the blond girl and brown-haired man, indicating for them to make their picks first.

    The blond girl sat down across from him and picked the marbled beef after a nce. The brown-haired man bent down and picked the chicken and egg one, leaving the blond man with the fried pork cutlet lunchbox.

    One standing and two sitting, they started eating quietly with disposable chopsticks.

    The air was heavy and silent. The blond girl didn''t have much of an appetite, and she ate distractedly, taking a long time to chew with every bite.

    After a few bites, she mmed down her chopsticks and looked up at the blond man across from her.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I give up, Brother. I give up, okay?¡±

    The blond man lowered his chopsticks and smiled. When he spoke, it was Gao Yang¡¯s voice that came out, ¡°You couldn¡¯t help but start talking after only how long, Gao Xinxin? And you want me to take you with us?¡±

    Gao Xinxin looked at her watch and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s only been three hours. It¡¯s too hard.¡±

    ¡°Listen to Captain, Gao Xinxin. Hide well. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to follow us around.¡± The brown-haired man spoke up. It was Nine Frost¡¯s cold and smooth voice.

    Gao Yang turned to the disguised Nine Frost. ¡°When will he arrive?¡±

    ¡°Three in the morning.¡± Nine Frost continued to eat. ¡°Nainai¡¯s disguisests more than thirty hours. That¡¯ll be tomorrow at noon.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, forming a n in his head. He resumed eating without a word.

    ¡°The girl called Nainai is awesome! She just rubbed my face and hair, and I turned into a different person.¡± Gao Xinxin shot Gao Yang a derisive look. ¡°Compared to her, you¡¯re such a loser, Brother.¡±

    ¡°<i>I¡¯m</i> a loser?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t ept that. He nced at Nine Frost. ¡°Tell her about all the glorious achievements under Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s belt, Nine Frost.¡±

    ¡°A civilized man does not speak when eating or sleeping.¡± Nine Frost wasn¡¯t in the mood to get between the siblings as they bickered.

    It all started on November 22nd. That early morning, the Nine Scions were established on Apple Ind, and Nainai made a passionate <i>chuuni </i>deration.

    The moment she said, ¡°Born in the dark, the Nine Scions will chase the dawn,¡± she felt a rush of inspiration descending upon her and entering her head; the world seemed to spin around her. She almost cked out.

    Can caught her. ¡°You...alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m...fine...¡± Nainai¡¯s chest heaved violently, and she smirked with feigned nonchnce. ¡°Ha, this Empress felt it...a new sort of chaos power mixing the divine and the demonic... This Empress¡¯ devil crimson eyes are unsealed...¡±

    In humannguage, it meant that Nainai¡¯s Shapeshifter and Scale had reached level 7 at the same time.

    Everyone was happy for her then. It was a good omen for the freshly established Nine Scions.

 Chapter 625: Five Stages for Talents

    <h4>Chapter 625: Five Stages for Talents</h4>

    At the moment, only a handful of awakeners had reached level 7 with their Talents.

    Now that the twelve Rune Circuits had all been found, it would be more difficult for one to raise their Talents from level 6 to level 7 than from level 3 to level 4.

    That day, Gao Yang had a three-hour-long conversation with Nainai, learning the details of how she had progressed with her Talents¡ªin her <i>chuuni </inguage, of course.

    Combined with Gao Yang¡¯s experience and what he had learned to this day, he spent a nighting up with the five stages of level progression for Talents.

    Level 1 to 3 was what Gao Yang would call the training stage. As the name would suggest, awakeners could quickly raise the level of their Talents through repeated uses and battles.

    Level 3 to 4 was the Rune Circuit stage. Simply put, one had to be in contact with the corresponding Rune Circuit to level up a Talent, and the time it took differed case by case, ranging from a second to several days, even a fortnight.

    Level 4 to 6 was the emotional stage. Many awakeners had had simr experiences¡ªtheir Talents leveled up when they were hit with extreme emotions, be it excitement, heartbreak, fury, fear, or despair.

    Level 6 to 7 was the belief stage. An awakener had to find a powerful belief andmit to it, which could be an ideal, an ambition, or a life goal. Only then would their Talents level up.

    Before, Gao Yang had encountered level 7 Talents in Qilin¡¯s Eidos, X¡¯s Pestilence, and Lilia¡¯s Elemental.

    The one thing the three had inmon was that they had found their path and devoted themselves to it no matter the price.

    Nainai was the same. She had found her way after making the deration: to seek the dawn from a dark origin withpanions who earnestly understood and embraced her.

    And Nainai¡¯s situation proved another point: the belief stage applied to all Talents. No matter how many Talents one had, as long as they were level 4 and above, one Talent¡¯s reaching level 7 would result in the other Talents jumping to level 7, too. Of course, it might not apply to Talents from serial number 101 to 187, which were said to cap at level 4.

    Finally, there was the merge stage from level 7 to 8.

    With a level 7 Talent, an awakener could reach its most powerful form by merging with the corresponding Rune Circuit, which had been demonstrated by X¡¯s Pestilence and Lilia¡¯s Elemental.

    Gao Yang named his hypothesis the Five Stages for Talents, and the others agreed after hearing it from him.

    Can ttered him, ¡°Make it into a paper, Captain. It¡¯ll drop like a bombshell in the awakener academia!¡±

    Reaching level 7, Nainai¡¯s Shapeshifter saw a drastic change at the core. Not only did the ability be more powerful, but she could now disguise other people.

    The next few days, Nainai pinched and prodded Can and Hong Xiaoxiao like Nuwa molding people from mud[1], turning them into men and women of different ages and builds until they were sick of it.

    Through her experiment, Nainai came to a rough estimate: with level 7 Shapeshifter, the change she made to someone¡¯s face wouldst for about two days, but the change she made to someone¡¯s body would onlyst about half a day.

    Moreover, transforming the body took a lot of work. Nainai had to touch the target¡¯s body with her hands, and for greater changes, she had to make changes to the muscles and bones and move the internal organs to achieve optimal results. Not only was the process painful to the target, but the transformationpromised the target¡¯s ability to move and fight.

    And drastic changes to one¡¯s height and build were impossible. For example, she couldn¡¯t make a 1.5-meter tall person 1.9 meters, nor could she trim a 100-kilogram person to 40 kilograms.

    There was also the gender issue. It was fine for her to transform other women, but not so much men.

    Therefore, when Gao Yang, Gao Xinxin, and Nine Frost made the short trip to Ind Nation, Nainai only changed their faces and hair colors.

    With the fake passports Lithe Snake had acquired for them, they traveled to Ind Nationte at night for two reasons: first, to ce Gao Xinxin somewhere safe, and second, to make a deal.

    Gao Yang had been incredibly cautious. Sticking to their cover as backpackers traveling on a low budget, they settled down in one of the cheapest B&Bs and bought discounted lunch boxes for the best value, making sure their cover was airtight.

    After dinner, they each washed up. Then past midnight, Gao Xinxin ran out of stamina and retired to bed.

    The past few days, Gao Xinxin had been putting on a brave front, but she was terrified; she couldn¡¯t fall asleep on her own.

    Gao Yang stood watch by her bed. Wearing earplugs and a sleep mask, Gao Xinxin clutched his hand, her whispers slowly quieting, and she fell asleep.

    Every once in a while, subway trains could be heard passing outside the window, and the whole room would shake slightly. That didn¡¯t wake Gao Xinxin, but insteadforted her and coaxed her into a deeper slumber.

    Seeing how serene she was, Gao Yang slowly let go of her hand and tucked her in properly, brushing her fringe to the side. Only after making sure that a ck Gold button marked for Time Reset was on her cor did he turn off the wallmp and tiptoe out of the door, closing the door behind him.

    In the living room, Nine Frost sat on the sofa with his eyes closed in rest.

    Gao Yang checked his phone. There was still time.

    He didn¡¯t wake Nine Frost. Sitting down on the tatami with his back to the wall, he fell into deep thought.

    <i>Ring</i>.

    As soon as the old phone on the tea table rang, Nine Frost opened his eyes and took it. There were four messages from an unknown number,bined to form a list of awakeners.

    Nine Frost smiled slightly. ¡°Lithe Snake is good. He¡¯s gotten thetest updated lists of members of the Qilin Guild and the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful.¡±

    Gao Yang trusted Lithe Snake¡¯s ability, and Can was there to help him with her Invisibility.

    Nine Frost spent a few minutes reading the messages. Then he threw his phone to Gao Yang. Gao Yang started from the top.

    Qilin Guild, a total of 23 members.

    Guildmaster: Qilin

    Elders: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Yan Liang (new)

    Team Azure Dragon: Six Rime (Protector), Flower Turtle (Elite), ck Fish (Elite), Forest Crane (Elite), Old Lion (Elite), Veggie (Member), Core East (Member)

    Team Vermilion Bird: One Stone (Protector), Raven Shark (Elite), Bumblebee (Elite), Stubborn Weasel (Elite), Crimson Bee (Member), Xiao Xin (Member)

    Team Yan Liang: Zero Hatred (new Protector), Chaos Reflection (Elite), Correcting Sickle (Elite), Subus (Elite), Nagging Mister (Elite), Small Luo (Member).

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. Most of the names were familiar to him.

    Yan Liang and Zero Hatred were new. They joined eventer than Hong Xiaoxiao. The fact that they had be an Elder and a Protector without prior achievements and experience, as well as assigned members from Team Azure Dragon and Team Vermilion Bird by Qilin, meant that both were formidable figures not to be underestimated.

    Gao Yang got to the second message, containing the basic information of the Guild¡¯s members. There was nothing about Yan Liang and Zero Hatred. It seemed Lithe Snake hadn¡¯t managed to find anything on them.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t dwell on it. He got to the third message.

    1. A Chinese goddess believed to be tied to the origin of human beings. ?

 Chapter 626: Member List

    <h4>Chapter 626: Member List</h4>

    Hundred Rivers Union, a total of 48 members.

    Union Head: Surnamed Li

    Team Leaders: Chen Ying, Colorless, Goldthread, Liao Liao (recing Green Tea)

    First team, led by Colorless: Amon (vice-leader), Sha Ye, Wang Weiyan, Great Fortune, Canary, Jing Ke, Rewind, Lin Fu, Musashi, Flower, 0618

    Third team, led by Chen Ying: Chestnut (vice-leader), Little Tian, Zhang Wei, Jiang Hao, Empty Life, Wild Range, Herb Snail, Miss, Shuang Shuang, Donxote, Buzhou

    Sixth team, led by Goldthread: Zhong He (vice-leader), Harvest Song, Quiet Book, Sunny, Lying Wood, Cold Cicada, Muzitu, Void, Deep Earth, Tall Sky, Yellow Lotus

    Fifth team, led by Liao Liao: Rain River (vice-leader), Citrus, Old Seven, Sister Ling, First Firelord, Wandering Tune, Ting Ting, Nomad, Tofu, John Doe

    Gao Yang went over the list and noticed the name Liao Liao. He didn¡¯t remember someone like that at all, yet the person had reced Green Tea to lead the fifth team. Was it a he or a she? Which team did they belong to? What was their job? What Talents did they have?

    Soon, Gao Yang reached thest message, which contained the basic information on all Union members. Gao Yang found Liao Liao in the list.

    Liao Liao, female, 19 years old, no special experience or achievement.

    Talent: Aptitude, Heart, God of Archery, Insects King.

    Gao Yang was a little surprised. She had four Talents. It seemed that Aptitude did increase the chance ofprehending Talents.

    The Hundred Rivers Union wasn¡¯t the Nine Scions¡¯ enemy at the moment, but a sh could happen in the future, and they had to be careful.

    After reading through the messages, Gao Yang threw the phone back to Nine Frost. ¡°Give every member a copy of this and tell them to memorize everything. We¡¯ll update the list as we learn new information.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Nine Frost immediately texted the members.

    ...

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost rested without falling asleep until five to three in the morning. Then they opened the living room window and ced three finished lunchboxes on the windowsill, as well as a bottle of water.

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, a dark figure descended from above on time, hovering outside the window.

    He was dressed in a ck oversized sweater with a hand in his pants pocket and his other hand holding a small ck briefcase, wearing a ck mask and a pair of ck headphones.

    ¡°Thirty-six,¡± he spoke in a youthful,zy voice.

    Gao Yang and Nine Frost stood on the sides of the window. They exchanged a look once hearing the codeword.

    While making sure that his system didn¡¯t issue a warning, Gao Yang extended his six senses to their limit to check if there was anyone suspicious around. Then he nodded at Nine Frost.

    While Gao Yang kept watch, Nine Frost went up to the window, speaking to the figure outside, ¡°Come on in.¡±

    The figure flew into the room, taking off his mask and headphones. It was Heavenly Dog.

    It didn¡¯t surprise him to see Nine Frost concealed as a foreigner. He had been informed.

    Also in disguise, Gao Yang walked out of the shadows. ¡°You aren¡¯t followed, are you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Heavenly Dog said. ¡°I flew at a great height all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang rxed. ¡°Did you bring the thing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Heavenly Dog threw the briefcase to Nine Frost, who caught it and opened it for confirmation. Then Heavenly Dog took a Rune Circuit out of his pocket and threw it to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang caught the Rune Circuit and confirmed it was the real deal. There was no sign of tampering, and he didn¡¯t detect any poison or curse.

    He turned to walk into the bathroom. The real Gao Yang walked out, taking the Rune Circuit from his double, and the double disappeared.

    Heavenly Dog paused. He didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to be this cautious. He gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Cool.¡±

    ¡°Captain¡¯s life is no longer his own,¡± Nine Frost said solemnly. ¡°It belongs to the Nine Scions. That¡¯s why I ask him to be careful.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions,¡± Heavenly Dog repeated the name with a drawl. Then he gave another thumbs-up. ¡°Cool.¡±

    The Nine Scions¡¯ contact with the Twelve Zodiac Signs could be traced back to the 22nd of the month. The night the Nine Scions were established, they went to a safe house of Lithe Snake¡¯s, resting in the building that had halted construction.

    After a nap, Nine Frost woke up and acquired Telepathy.

    Everyone was happy for him, while Gao Yang was momentarily taken aback.

    Telepathy had been Ghost Horse¡¯s Talent, and it somehow ended up with apanion of Gao Yang¡¯s. What a surprise. Even after the man¡¯s death, he owed another debt to him.

    <i>Thanks, Ghost Horse.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still walking on the path you were walking on.</i>

    Three dayster, Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy reached level 3, allowing two-waymunication within two hundred meters. It was limited to one-on-one conversation for 3 minutes, with a cooldown of 10 minutes.

    Gao Yang believed the time was right, and he asked Nine Frost to discreetly contact the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    It would be too dangerous to get close to the Millennium Tower, and the members of the Zodiacs would be on the underground sixth floor, making it difficult to reach them. Moreover, Telepathy required the user to first see the target to locate the target¡¯s brain and send the psychic energy, or the Talent was likely to fail.

    After careful consideration, Gao Yang decided to contact Heavenly Dog.

    The reasons were threefold:

    First, Heavenly Dog was somewhat of apanion of Gao Yang¡¯s.

    Second, Heavenly Dog was dependable.

    Third, Heavenly Dog stuck to a certain routine. When he didn¡¯t have ss, he often visited Songstress¡¯ flower shop and holed up in the attic, having a rxing time listening to music.

    Gao Yang had gone to the upper floor of the flower shop before. The window looked out to the express hotel across the street.

    That meant Nine Frost could see Heavenly Dog through the window from the hotel rooftop¡ªHeavenly Dog¡¯s usual seating spot was near the window, and the distance between them would be just under two hundred meters.

    Luckily, Heavenly Dog happened to visit Songstress¡¯ shop that night, and Nine Frost reached him with Telepathy.

    Heavenly Dog remainedposed. Learning Nine Frost¡¯s reason for contacting him, he responded that he couldn¡¯t make the decision without consulting War Tiger.

    To avoid suspicion, Heavenly Dog stayed at the flower shop for a while rather than taking his leave immediately. Then he went to the underground base of the Millenium Tower to report to War Tiger.

    On Gao Yang¡¯s behalf, Nine Frost expressed his intention to form a secret partnership with the Twelve Zodiac Signs. The only ones who knew about it were Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Heavenly Dog, and War Tiger.

    Gao Yang wanted to borrow the Psyche Rune Circuit so that Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy could reach level 4. The trade would be conducted on Mizuya Street in Zone D of Ind Nation.

    War Tiger agreed.

    The next afternoon, Heavenly Dog visited Songstress¡¯ flower shop again. In the span of a song, he and Nine Frost agreed on the details of the trade, which led to where they were now.

    Gao Yang handed the Psyche Rune Circuit to Nine Frost. He then turned to Heavenly Dog with an intentional smile. ¡°Does Uncle Tiger trust me this much? He even lends me the Psyche Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Tiger said that you and Qilin are now each other¡¯s worst enemies, and you will never give the Rune Circuit to Qilin.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that Qilin and I had put on the act to fool you into giving me the Psyche Rune Circuit?¡±

    Heavenly Dog paused. ¡°Oh, well.¡±

 Chapter 627: Occamâ€™s Razor

    <h4>Chapter 627: am¡¯s Razor</h4>

    ¡°Still.¡± Heavenly Dog blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s likely.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    Heavenly Dog scratched his face with a forefinger for a bemused moment. ¡°Have you heard of am¡¯s Razor?¡±

    ¡°Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.¡± Gao Yang had heard of the theory.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Heavenly Dog nodded. ¡°If you were trying to get your hands on the Psyche Rune Circuit, the ploy was tooplicated and roundabout with many unnecessary little things. And there were too many coincidences that were necessary to reach the situation now, including Nine Frost¡¯s acquisition of Telepathy. He couldn¡¯t possibly decide which Talent to get. Long story short, this doesn¡¯t seem pre-nned to me.¡±

    <i>You¡¯re theplete package, Heavenly Dog, but it¡¯s hard to recruit you.</i>

    When Gao Yang didn¡¯t speak, Heavenly Dog took a sudden step back with wide eyes. ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t really do this for the Rune Circuit, did you?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled slightly. ¡°Please wait here until Nine Frost¡¯s Talent leveled up. Then you can leave with the Rune Circuit. I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me.¡±

    Heavenly Dog sighed in relief. ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions don¡¯t owe debts,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°So I¡¯ll share with the Twelve Zodiac Signs a hypothesis that¡¯s likely to be true.¡±

    ¡°What hypothesis?¡±

    ¡°The Five Stages for Talents. Nine Frost will exin to you in detail.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to walk into the bedroom.

    Gao Xinxin was still sound asleep, tucked under the nket, with only half of her serene profile revealed. <i>ck, ck, ck</i>. Another subway train raced past the window, the light of it cast on Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyshes through the curtains, the shadows dancing on her face.

    Gao Yang went up to shake her shoulder through the nket. ¡°Wake up, Xinxin.¡±

    Gao Xinxin slowly opened her eyes, tired but wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. It took only a second for her to sit up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Gao Yang said softly. ¡°I¡¯ve done what I needed to do here. It¡¯s time to go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t ask any question. She had kept her outdoor clothes on so that she could move out at a moment¡¯s notice.

    She got off the bed and bent down to tie her shoces, her movement sluggish since she had just woken up. Gao Yang knelt down to tie her shoces for her, making two knots.

    Gao Xinxin cracked a smile. ¡°Silly brother, can¡¯t do a butterfly loop even now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang smiled. He could actually do it, but he found a butterfly loop too unreliable and easily loosened, and his biggest fear now was separation.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang stood back up and parted the curtains, opening the window. He put on a face mask and a baseball cap, shouldering the small backpack he had packed beforehand.

    Gao Xinxin had put on a fisherman hat and a face mask, too, as well as their mother¡¯s wool scarf.

    Gao Yang turned his back to her, reaching his two hands back. ¡°Hop on.¡±

    She jumped onto his back and put her arms around his neck. ¡°Where are we going, Brother?¡±

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I want to look at the ocean.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll go somewhere you can see the ocean.¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    The siblings disappeared from the small, dimly-lit bedroom.

    Another subway train whipped past, the gridded white light shining into the empty room, flickering quickly.

    ...

    North Harvest, nine o¡¯clock in the morning.

    North Harvest was a small seaside town located on the northern part of Ind Nation, only reachable through the subway as the official channel. The actual area of activity was small.

    It was already snowing here, pelting the town in white. The streets were lined with short light-colored houses, and through the narrow alleys inbetween the houses, the shallows and the sea could be seen.

    Looking ahead, the towny in the embrace of the mountain ranges on one side. Powder white clouds covered the sky above the mountain ranges, light and fluffy like strawberry-vored marshmallows.

    The trams made clinking noises as they moved. The atmosphere was serene and leisurely.

    The siblings walked on snow that wasn¡¯t too thick. Gao Xinxin was holding a paper box of <i>takoyaki </i>without <i>wasabi</i>. They blended into the environment perfectly like a normal pair of brother and sister.

    ¡°Here, Brother.¡± Gao Xinxin picked up a <i>takoyaki </i>with a bamboo skewer and popped it into Gao yang¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Hm...it¡¯s good.¡± Gao Yang gave the food a thumbs-up.

    He pulled up the map on his phone. ¡°It¡¯s right ahead.¡±

    They soon reached a three-story B&B. The walls were sky blue, and hanging above the front door was a signboard that said, ¡°Dolphin Inn.¡±

    A stocky middle-aged woman was shoveling snow in the front yard, dressed in a blue sweater, jeans, ck boots, and a leather apron.

    ¡°Miss Sato?¡± Gao Yang called out.

    The middle-aged woman lowered the shovel and wiped the sweat from her face, turning to them. She had gentle facial features and a round nose that was considered auspicious. With a friendly smile, she greeted them with a booming voice. ¡°You must be the brother and sister from Li City.¡±

    ¡°We are.¡± Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin were no longer in disguise. Gao Yang handed Miss Sato his fake ID. ¡°I¡¯m Liu Li. This is my sister, Liu Shisuo.¡±

    Miss Sato took the ID from him andpared the appearances. Then she returned it to Gao Yang. ¡°You may call me Sister Huang. I¡¯m actually from Li City, too. After working a few years in this country, I got tired of it and started this business.¡±

    ¡°Sister Huang.¡± Gao Yang nced at Gao Xinxin. ¡°My sister isn¡¯t in the best condition. She¡¯s here to rest for some time.¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s a bad time for that. The winter¡¯s cold here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the cold.¡± Gao Xinxin smiled. ¡°I like the sea and the snow.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence. I feel the same.¡± Sister Huang turned around. ¡°Come on in.¡±

    She took them to the second floor, opening the door to a room for two with sufficient sunlight and warm design. Through the small wooden door was the balcony, and it looked out to the sea.

    ¡°This balcony has the best view, and you can bathe in the sun, dry your clothes, and look at the sea here. Bathroom is that way. I¡¯ll show you...¡± Sister Huang gave them a tour. Then she asked with a smile, ¡°Is the room to your liking?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I like it a lot,¡± said Gao Xinxin. ¡°It¡¯s just like the pictures.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll book it for a month,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Of course, but I¡¯ll need a deposit.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll pay in cash.¡±

    Gao Yang reached into the inner pocket of his coat, pretending that he was fishing for his wallet when he was actually holding his ck Gold dagger. ¡°By the way, Sister Huang, are you a delusion monster or something else?¡±

 Chapter 628: Greed

    <h4>Chapter 628: Greed</h4>

    Sister Huang still had a smile on her face when she shuddered and toppled backward like she had been electrocuted. Gao Yang teleported behind her to catch her,ying her down on the bed.

    Putting away the dagger, Gao Yang took out his wallet for a few dor bills.

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky. She¡¯s a wanderer.¡± He gave Gao Xinxin a wry smile. ¡°Wake her up in a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Xinxin nodded.

    ...

    After checking in, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin walked around the neighborhood to scout it out. Then they had dinner at a ramen shop close by, getting some groceries before heading back to the B&B.

    At the front desk, Sister Huang munched on seeds as she watched a period drama on herptop, having forgotten about her spell of unconsciousness.

    After greeting her, the siblings returned to their room.

    Gao Yang spent some time chatting with Gao Xinxin. Then he checked his phone. It was about time. He pondered how he should tell his sister that when she spoke up.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    Gao Xinxin was the type of wanderers that didn¡¯t forget information, but adjusted her own logic to make things made sense. Outside of herck of fighting power, she was simr to Wang Zikai.

    Thus, Gao Yang gave Gao Xinxin a modified version of the truth of the Mist World.

    The death of their grandmother and parents had to be exined, of course, and Gao Yang put the me on viinous ¡°mutants¡±.

    Gao Xinxin looked up at him. ¡°Brother, I...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang cut her off. ¡°Stay hidden here safely. Don¡¯t let the enemies find you.¡±

    Gao Xinxin wordlessly clenched her fists.

    Gao Yang said earnestly, ¡°If something happens to you, Xinxin, Granny, Dad, and Mom would¡¯ve sacrificed themselves for nothing.¡±

    ¡°I want to avenge them,¡± Gao Xinxin said.

    ¡°Things work differently for everyone,¡± Gao Yang exined solemnly. ¡°Be patient. It had taken Wang Zikai a few months back then.¡±

    Gao Xinxin nodded and took his hand. ¡°Promise me, Brother. You must stay safe, too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a lot ofpanions. I¡¯m not fighting on my own.¡± He took her hand in his instead. ¡°Just wait. We¡¯ll avenge them for sure!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m gonna kill those viins myself!¡± Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes lit up with hatred and fighting spirit.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°You will.¡±

    He gave her a number she could contact him through in case of an emergency. Then he spent quite some time to give her pointers before taking his leave.

    He went to the first floor and put on a concerned and urgent look. ¡°Sister Huang, something happened to my family. I had to go back now. Please take care of my sister.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sister Huang was worried. ¡°Isn¡¯t your sister ill? What if something happens when you¡¯re not here...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s her mind that¡¯s ill, not her body. She came for healing after a breakup.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that so? Okay then.¡± Sister Huang didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Gao Yang left the B&B and walked along the streette at night. The snow fall had gotten heavier at some point. Standing under the dim yellow light of a streetmp, he turned to look up at the well-lit balcony of the Dolphin Inn, his gaze lingering.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang disappeared. Cloudy snow continued to fall.

    ...

    Mizuya Street, early the next morning.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    Gao Yang teleported into the living room of the cheap rented t with a bag of food, including bread and coffee for three.

    Nine Frost was sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, while Heavenly Dog sat on the tatami with his legs crossed and his back to the wall, wearing a pair of white headphones and a ck sleeping mask. Morning light poured down on his delicate face, the hazy effect making it look like a shot from aing-of-age movie.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Nine Frost opened his eyes. His disguise was gone, too.

    ¡°Hey, have some food.¡± Gao Yang took off his baseball cap and mask. ¡°Did you level up?¡±

    Nine Frost shook his head.

    Heavenly Dog woke up from a shallow sleep. Pulling his headphones and sleeping mask to his neck, he epted the coffee Gao Yang offered him, taking a small sip. ¡°Cool.¡±

    <i>Do you say cool for everything?</i> Gao Yang snorted silently.

    ¡°How many days can we have the Rune Circuit?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°At most three days, ording to Uncle Tiger,¡± Heavenly Dog replied.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°Okay. Three dayster, we¡¯ll return the Psyche Rune Circuit even if Nine Frost doesn¡¯t level up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need three days. Two is enough.¡± There was a rebellious stubbornness to Nine Frost¡¯s hardened tone.

    After having breakfast, Heavenly Dog went to the bedroom to sleep, while Gao Yang and Nine Frost stayed in the living room.

    Fidgeting with the Rune Circuit in his hand, Nine Frost used Telepathy on Gao Yang.

    <i>¡ª</i>You¡¯ve ced Gao Xinxin somewhere safe?

    Gao Yang nodded at him.

    ¡ªI¡¯ll be frank with you, Captain. Your sister¡¯s a monster, and none of what you did for her means anything.

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    ¡ªThe day the Gates of Closure opens, all monsters will die. You can¡¯t protect them or save them. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep her with you so that you can enjoy yourst moment together?

    Gao Yang extended his senses and heard Heavenly Dog¡¯s slow heartbeat in the bedroom. The young man was asleep.

    Shaking his head, Gao Yang said quietly, ¡°I agree with Dr. Jia¡¯s hypothesis. I think monsters aren¡¯t awakeners'' enemies.¡±

    ¡°But we won¡¯t be friends, either,¡± Nine Frost responded in a soft voice.

    Gao Yang said with certainty, ¡°Humans and monsters can coexist. The Gates of Closure is humans¡¯ hope, but also monsters¡¯.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Nine Frost frowned.

    Gao Yang smiled and pointed at himself.

    Nine Frost realized it then. Gao Yang was the best proof of that theory.

    He was the Divine Scion, born between a life monster and a human, which indirectly proved that there was a chance for humans and monsters to coexist.

    To make a bold assumption, if one day all humans can produce Divine Scions with monsters, won¡¯t that be true procreation for the two species? The offsprings would maintain the humanity and souls of human beings, while having ess to a monster¡¯s ability, thus making it possible to resist the Mist World¡¯s encroachment.

    Could that be what the Heavenly Way had been trying to bring into reality? Was it the Heavenly Way¡¯s true trump card to turn the tides?

    It was amazing that Gao Yang had thought that far. Nine Frost¡¯s gaze grew admiring as he looked at him.

    Gao Yang could guess what Nine Frost was thinking, and he smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m being too greedy, am I not? Not only do I want to live, I want my family and friends to survive too, no matter if they are humans, monsters, or Spectres.¡±

    Nine Frost shook his head. After a pregnant pause, he enunciated, ¡°For cowards, even an undignified survival is greed, but for the brave, forging a path through heaven and earth is a calling.¡±

    His gaze grew heated. ¡°It may be your true calling, Captain, and the calling of the Nine Scions.¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang said gratefully, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He followed that up with a sigh. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry, Nine Frost.¡±

 Chapter 629: Poaching Game

    <h4>Chapter 629: Poaching Game</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden apology?¡± Nine Frost asked.

    ¡°I took you into our fold on the condition that we would erase the Godbearer Cult.¡± Gao Yang sighed. ¡°Yet we make the Qilin Guild an enemy first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just one more thing on our to-do list.¡± Nine Frost had faith in Gao Yang. ¡°I believe you won¡¯t give up on getting revenge.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we will eliminate the Cult. it¡¯s not just for you, but also myself.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°For that, I have a thought.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I want to contact the Hundred Rivers Union in secret.¡±

    Nine Frost caught on quickly. ¡°Dust?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want to identify Dust for the Union. It¡¯ll help us track down the Cult and show our goodwill to the Union.¡±

    ¡°The Union¡¯s strength lies in their number. They stand a higher chance of acquiring strong Talents and will thus be a great power one day. Even if we can¡¯t stand together, I don¡¯t want them to see us as enemies.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s killing two birds with one stone.¡± Nine Frost agreed. ¡°Leave it to me. Once my Telepathy reaches level 4, I¡¯ll contact them in secret. Do you have a target in mind?¡±

    Gao Yang did. ¡°Chen Ying.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Nine Frost nodded. Then he thought of something. ¡°Have you read the ultimate the Qilin Guild issued about us?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Gao Yang said calmly.

    Nine Frost scoffed, seething. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Qilin to stoop so low. The Nine Scions can¡¯t just allow him to nder us, Captain. We have to make a counter move.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°But don¡¯t be impatient. The other organizations aren¡¯t foolish enough to just take Qilin¡¯s words for it. The Nine Scions will only be ying into Qilin¡¯s palm if we make a stand now. We can¡¯t win an open war with them.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°What are you nning?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a poaching game.¡± Gao Yang had a clear outlook. ¡°We recruit new awakeners and unaffiliated ones.¡±

    Nine Frost said, ¡°I heard from Lithe Snake that someone had freshly awakened with Pestilence, and the three major organizations are all trying to get him. The awakener hasn¡¯t made a decision.¡±

    ¡°Have Lithe Snake keep an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°As for unaffiliated awakeners, I have a candidate in mind.¡± Nine Frost¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Dr. Jia in Spice Nation.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled a little. ¡°I¡¯ve already made arrangements for that. However, Qilin would¡¯ve thought of him, too.¡±

    He rose to his feet and walked up to the window. The sky outside was blue, and the city was beautiful from a distance.

    Gao Yang looked down at the Twin Bracelet on his left wrist, the reflection shifting under the light.

    He muttered to himself, <i>May the odds be with you, Team Qing Ling.</i>

    ...

    City center of Spice Nation, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    On top of a modern four-story mansion in the rich neighborhood stood five figures, Nine Scions¡¯ Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, Gray Bear, Nainai, and Hong Xiaoxiao.

    They were all dressed like tourists with their faces put under disguise, and their hair was turned ck or brown to avoid standing out. Each of them was wearing a red crystal ne to make them seem like wanderers.

    Leaving the airport, the five of them had easily found their way to the rich neighborhood, but they didn¡¯t approach Dr. Jia¡¯s house recklessly. Instead, they found a taller mansion about five hundred meters away, iming it and heading to the rooftop to keep an eye on Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion through binocrs.

    Five hours went by without any movement.

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing out.¡± Gray Bear held up his binocrs with both hands, stepping on the metal railing. ¡°A man and a woman. I know the man. The woman looks familiar, but I can¡¯t remember the name...¡±

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao,¡± Qing Ling called out.

    Hong Xiaoxiao immediately went up to take the binocrs from Gray Bear.

    Through the lens, she saw two people walking across the front yard of the mansion and reaching the curb.

    The man was about 1.75 meters tall with a lithe build, wearing a brown jacket and ck pants. His facial features were on the round side, his hair already thinning at the top. He gave off a peaceful and dependable impression.

    The woman wore a blue jacket with horn buttons, gray knit pants, and white running shoes. She had a cute round face andrge eyes with pronounced double lids, her hair tied into a bun with a soft swath of banging down in a curve. The volume of her hair was worthy of envy.

    ¡°I know them.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao had read the dossiers on all members of the Qilin Guild and recognized everyone¡¯s face. ¡°They belong to Team Azure Dragon. The man is Flower Turtle, an Elite, and the woman is Veggie, a Member.¡±

    Qing Ling had memorized the intel Lithe Snake collected, and after a moment of thinking, she said, ¡°Flower Turtle, Talent: Three Heads Six Arms. Veggie, Talent: Magic Hair.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao added dutifully, ¡°Three Heads Six Arms, serial number 38, Guard-type. Magic Hair, serial number 75, Buff-type.¡±

    ¡°Two small fries.¡± Wang Zikai had been eager to move. And he rolled up his sleeves, about to jump off the building. ¡°Leave it to me! Just wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Qing Ling stopped him. Before heading out, Gao Yang had named Qing Ling the leader of the operation and warned her to be as cautious as possible.

    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Wang Zikai was feeling impatient. ¡°Just watch me do my thing!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s delicate brows furrowed. Being around Gao Yang for so long had instilled in her the habit of thinking three moves ahead. ¡°When you rescued Gao Xinxin, Wang Zikai, you faced off Forest Crane. He knew there was someone powerful around Gao Yang and must have reported to Azure Dragon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao lowered the binocrs. ¡°El...Azure Dragon couldn¡¯t have sent only these two to keep an eye on Dr. Jia. They are far from enough for us.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Naiani stood on the railing, bracing the night wind with her arms folded before her chest. ¡°This Empress has personally made a move. Even with Six Rime added into the mix, they will be mantis trying to stop a cart with its little arms.¡±

    ¡°Ho, now you¡¯re incorporating proverbs in your dramatics,¡± Gray Bear teased.

    ¡°Insolent! How dare you...¡± Nainai cut herself off, muted by Qing Ling¡¯s nce.

    ¡°Nainai¡¯s right,¡± Qing Ling said calmly. ¡°Six Rime isn¡¯t our match, either. I suspect that Azure Dragon is here, too, and he¡¯s waiting for us to step into the trap.¡±

    The air stilled.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s name alone exerted great pressure.

    ¡°What?¡± Wang Zikai, though, didn¡¯t care. ¡°Is he strong?¡±

    ¡°Not even War Tiger is confident in defeating him.¡±

    Wang Zikai remained unfazed. ¡°And War Tiger¡¯s strong?¡±

    Qing Ling suddenly remembered that Wang Zikai was an idiot, and she gave up on exining.

    ¡°So? Do we still do this?¡± Gray Bear¡¯s tone turned serious. ¡°If Azure Dragon¡¯s here, the entire team must be with him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...that¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was the first to be intimidated. ¡°Captain said that we should retreat if things are too dangerous. Why...why don¡¯t we pull back?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xiaohong! Do you have a death wish?¡± Wang Zikai could never get their names right. ¡°This is Gao Yang¡¯s first mission for me. If I return empty-handed, my brother¡¯s gonnaugh at me!¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao took cover behind Qing Ling, shutting up.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gray Bear was reluctant to give up, too. ¡°If we just retreat, I won¡¯t be able to keep my head high before Lithe Snake and Nine Frost.¡±

    They all turned to Qing Ling for her decision.

 Chapter 630: Team Azure Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 630: Team Azure Dragon</h4>

    Qing Ling felt a stab of irritation. Gao Yang and Officer Huang had been the ones toe up with ns before, while she was only tasked with fighting. Now, one of them was gone, and the other wasn¡¯t around. The idiots and newbies on her team didn¡¯t even have one tactical head between them.

    ¡°Let me think.¡±

    Qing Ling looked at Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion and fell into thought.

    Hong Xiaoxiao mustered the courage to argue with Wang Zikai. She had been timid in everything else, but when it came to survival, she was surprisingly stubborn.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re strong and brave, Brother Kai, but not us.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao argued in a quiet voice. ¡°Captain told us before our departure that while Dr. Jia is valuable, he isn¡¯t worth our lives. We are to give up if the risk seems too great...¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of, Xiao Xiaohong?¡± Wang Zikai was still confident. ¡°I¡¯ll punch Azure Dragon and kick Six Rime. Are you not even good enough to deal with the rest?¡±

    ¡°Ha, it¡¯ll be fortunate if you can even keep Azure Dragon busy, Kaizi.¡± Gray Bear lit a cigarette with a smile. ¡°We are doing this, but we need a n to catch them off guard, or we won¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the strongest.¡± Nainai chimed in with a <i>chuuni </i>remark, her moonlit figure facing away from them.

    A thought shed through Qing Ling¡¯s mind suddenly, and she came up with a strategy.

    She hadn¡¯t nned on retreating, of course not. This was the first mission Gao Yang entrusted to her after the establishment of the Nine Scions. She was already angry thinking about the cating smile Gao Yang would give her if she returned with nothing.

    ¡°Nainai.¡± Qing Ling turned to the girl.

    Nainai shuddered and almost fell from the railing like a bird getting shot.

    ¡°What...what?¡± She turned around with uncertainty, muttering to herself, <i>I only said five words. That¡¯s not a lot, right?</i>

    ¡°Come here,¡± ordered Qing Ling.

    Nainai obediently jumped off the railing and went up to Qing Ling with her head lowered, her eyes shifting like a kid who had made a mistake.

    Qing Ling turned to the others. ¡°You too. I¡¯ll only exin the n once. We move out in ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Are we really doing this, Sister Ling?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao gaped.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee to quit if you¡¯re so afraid of dying,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao.¡± Gray Bear took a few drags of his cigarette in smooth motions. ¡°We all die in the end. You know the drill.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao fell silent. Then she clenched her teeth and made up her mind. ¡°Count me in!¡±

    ...

    <i>Click</i>. The door to Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion opened inward. Flower Turtle and Veggie went in, each holding a bag.

    The thick curtains covered the windows of the living room. There were six other people inside.

    Sitting on the single sofa facing the door was Azure Dragon in ck leather. Behind him, Six Rime stood with her witch getup.

    ck Fish imed a long sofa on the side, wearing a race suit and an eyepatch on his left eye. Beside him was Forest Crane, with his full mane of brownish-green dreadlocks. The two were chatting among themselves.

    A liony on its side on the rug at the center of the living room. It was thrice the size of a regr adult lion. Despite the power brimming its body, it seemed to be having a leisurely time licking itsrge paw.

    A tall, lithe young many on the lion¡¯s belly, taking a nap. His blond hair was tied into several long braids, and green eyeshadow rimmed his eyes. With a ne made with animal teeth, he wore a V-neck brown sweater and a pair of khaki pants, barefooted. He looked like either a fashionable hipster or a man growing up in the wild.

    He was Old Lion, an Elite of Team Azure Dragon with Talent: Beast King, serial number 64, Summon-type.

    Sitting in a dark corner of the living room was a middle-aged man. He had his back against the wall. ced beside him was a ck guitar made of ck Gold.

    He was wearing a sleeveless leather jacket and a pair of leather pants, his arms tattooed with strange, insidious-looking symbols. His messy brown hair seemed to have gone unwashed for days, and his beard was equally unkempt. He looked like a brooding and cantankerous mess.

    He was Core East, a Member, with Talent: Lion Roar, serial number 92, Buff-type.

    Flower Turtle took out a pack of cigarettes from the grocery bag and threw it to Core East. Veggie approached the group with a smile, taking a few bottles of drinks from her bag. ¡°This, this is Elder Azure, Azure, Azure Dragon¡¯s coffee... This is Sister Six, Six, Six Rime¡¯s tea...¡±

    ¡°Would you please keep your mouth shut?¡± Core East tore the pack of cigarettes open impatiently. ¡°Listening to you talk fucking mess my head up.¡±

    Veggie pursed her lips rather than get angry.

    She had a stutter, and there was no end to the discrimination she had faced and would continue to face.

    After graduating from high school, she became a cashier at a convenience store and for the first time in her life got pursued by a boy. On their first date, the boy realized that she wasn¡¯t simply quiet, but had a stutter. He immediately excused himself and left her high and dry.

    Veggie cried herself to sleep that night and awakened the next day.

    Two monthster, she got recruited by the Qilin Guild and became a member of Team White Tiger. She had never been happier in her life. Then, Elder White Tiger was killed in action, and she was assigned to Team Azure Dragon.

    ¡°If you ever die and get cremated, all that¡¯s left in your ash would be your damn mouth.¡± Flower Turtle shot back, having had enough.

    Core East lit the cigarette in his mouth and flipped him off.

    Veggie handed the bottled ck tea to Six Rime. Six Rime took it and coolly said, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Veggie smiled with her lips pursed, blinking.

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon.¡± ck Fish gulped down some energy drink. ¡°I don¡¯t think the traitors areing. With you here, they don¡¯t have the guts to approach.¡±

    ¡°Haha, he¡¯s a madman who even dueled the Malediction. Do you really think hecks guts?¡± Flower Turtle sat down beside ck Fish, resting his elbow on his shoulder. ¡°Underestimating an enemy will have consequences.¡±

    ¡°The wanderer who hangs around Seven Shadow, Wang Zikai, is terrifying. You must be careful of him.¡± Forest Crane still shuddered when he thought about the monster. He opened a bottle of water and poured the water on his chest. Large swathes of green shoots sprouted, absorbing the water.

    ¡°I¡¯ll face him,¡± Old Lion said with a smile, still lying on the lion.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it.¡± Forest Crane scoffed. ¡°No, you¡¯ll die without the time to regret it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Six Rime said without emotion.

    Azure Dragon stayed silent with his head lowered, deep in thought.

    ¡°I say we take Dr. Jia with us as soon as possible,¡± ck Fish said. ¡°Or things will only be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°But he won¡¯t cooperate.¡± ck Fish stroked his chin resignedly. ¡°We aren¡¯t the mafia. We can¡¯t just kidnap him, can we?¡±

    Two days ago, Team Azure Dragon visited Dr. Jia in Spice Nation and told him what they were there for. They asked him to return to the Qilin Guild with them for protection.

    Dr. Jia rejected them. He had no interest in the sh between Qilin and Seven Shadow, and he refused to go on the grounds that hisb was here, and it would be a great hassle to move.

    Azure Dragon promised to build ab for him in the Walled City of Ten Dragons in Li City, providing him with the necessary human and material resources. He did his best to convince Dr. Jia to go with them.

    Dr. Jia did waver, but he was still hesitating, and Azure Dragon had to give him more time.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t simply waiting for Dr. Jia to make a decision. He was also waiting for Seven Shadow to bite the bait. Both he and Qilin believed that Seven Shadow and his group needed Dr. Jia much more than the Qilin Guild.

    ck Fish argued openly, ¡°Time¡¯s different. I say it¡¯s worth the risk of offending the man. It¡¯s better for him to be under our protection than to get exploited by Seven Shadow, right? What do you think, Veggie?¡±

    Veggie stood behind Six Rime with a bottle of carbonated water. Getting addressed so suddenly made her nervous. ¡°I, I, I, I think...¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Six Rime said impassively. ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡±

 Chapter 631: Hahahahaha

    <h4>Chapter 631: Hahahahaha</h4>

    The group of eight immediately went on high alert, ready for the uing fight.

    Six Rime corrected herself with an icy expression, ¡°It¡¯s not someone. Some<i>thing</i> ising.¡±

    <i>ng!</i>

    As soon as she said that, something broke the ss window and flew into the living room, rolling to a stop at their feet¡ªeight sleep gas grenades with metal cases.

    Qing Ling had flown them into the building quickly from afar with Metal.

    <i>Beep.</i>

    A secondter, ayer of frost spread across the floor and froze the grenades, preventing the sleep gas from releasing.

    ¡°Out!¡± Azure Dragon shouted and dashed out of the house, worried what followed the sleep gas would be bombs.

    Unbeknownst to him, the grenades were only props. The Nine Scionscked resources, and outside of the weapons the members always carried, they had no otherbat equipment.

    Team Azure Dragon sprang into action readily, each rushing out to the front yard in different ways.

    ¡°They¡¯re close,¡± said Six Rime.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for them.¡± Old Lion rode on his lion and sped his hands together above its head. The lion¡¯s eyes glowed blue, and it roared.

    All mammals within a thousand-meter radius¡ªincluding vermin in the sewerage, stray cats and dogs on the streets, and the pet cats and dogs in the mansions¡ªreceived an order and started searching for suspicious targets.

    ck Fish activated irvoyance with his right eye, ignoring the obstacles as he looked for possible enemies.

    ¡°Above!¡± Azure Dragon was the first to detect a threat with his six senses pushed to the limit. It was Gray Bear. Grabbing onto two ck Gold des, he flew toward the mansion like a cannonball. When he was thirty meters from the ground, he let go and plunged toward the front yard.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Gray Bear screamed, activating level 6 Beastly.

    His body increased quickly in size, his hair growing and his body breaking his clothes and dress shoes. In two seconds, he transformed into a three-meter giant bear weighing one tonne.

    <i>Bam! </i>Gray Bearnded on his limbs, leaving a crater on thewn and scattering soil everywhere.

    ck Fish couldn¡¯t dodge out of the way in time. He would¡¯ve gotten crushed into paste if Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t grabbed him.

    <i>Growl</i>. Old Lion rode on his lion, which was slightly smaller than Gray Bear, and lunged at him.

    Gray Bear was more agile than he appeared to be. With a stomp, he leaped off the crater and dodged the lion¡¯s bite, lunging at Veggie.

    Rather than staying like a sitting duck, Veggie shouted, ¡°Magic Hair!¡± And her bun loosened, her hair quickly growing longer.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> Her ck hair shot toward Gray Bear like tens of thousands of ck wires, attempting to grapple him. However, she had underestimated level 6 Beastly¡¯s defense and explosive power.

    The giant bear grabbed two handfuls of ck hair with a vise-like grip and yanked, pulling Veggie toward him. The petite girl was like a little rabbit about to fall into the bear¡¯srge, fang-filled maw. Gray Bear would be able to crush her fair neck and delicate shoulder with a bite.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Azure Dragon, who had just saved ck Fish, charged at Gray Bear at a speed that rivaled War Tiger when his Killing Expert was pushed to the max, only slightly slower than Teleportation.

    Feeling a fierce wave of pressureing from the side, Gray Bear let go of the hair in his grasp without hesitation, whirling around as quickly as he could with his arms crossed before his chest.

    Azure Dragon made a straight punch.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gray Bear¡¯s arms went numb, and the left arm that took the brunt of the attack broke, his two elbows almost getting dislocated. Even with a defense that rivaled a tank, his one-tonne body ended up thrown into the stone wall of the front yard, crashing through the wall and falling to the street.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t give chase. He knew that Gray Bear wasn¡¯t alone. Their real enemies had not made an appearance.

    He nced at Six Rime. ¡°He¡¯s yours, Six Rime. If he doesn¡¯t surrender, kill him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Six Rime ran toward Gray Bear.

    <i>Is this Azure Dragon¡¯s true power? Fucking ridiculous!</i>

    Gray Bear got to his feet and ran, enduring his pain whileughing toward the sky.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    One week before Gao Yang broke off from the Guild, Gray Bear hadprehended Jeer after getting drunk. The only one who knew about it was Lithe Snake.

    Lithe Snake suggested that he kept it a secret just like Lithe Snake had hidden his Self-Detonate, and Gray Bear listened.

    He only told others about it after the Nine Scions¡¯ establishment.

    Qing Ling incorporated his Talent into their strategy. Once Jeer activated, everyone other than the strong-willed Azure Dragon felt a rising ire in their hearts, and they wanted nothing but to kill Gray Bear as quickly as possible.

    They followed Six Rime in chasing Gray Bear.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Azure Dragon quickly stopped ck Fish, Veggie, and Core East, but Flower Turtle, Forest Crane, and Old Lion had already gotten far.

    He turned to ck Fish. ¡°Keep an eye on Dr. Jia.¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡± With Gray Bear¡¯sughter growing distant, ck Fish recovered his calm. He rushed back into the mansion.

    ¡°Veggie, Core East, you...¡± Azure Dragon trailed off when he caught a figure at the corner of his eye, the great pressure it radiated wild and explosive.

    <i>It¡¯s a strong one!</i>

    That was Azure Dragon¡¯s instinct.

    He took a step forward while turning to his side, raising his arms to take the punch his opponent threw. <i>Boom! </i>The punch was imbued with no Talent, only raw power. shing with Azure Dragon¡¯s top-level physique, the force of it unleashed a shockwave, throwing Veggie and Core East off their feet.

    They made a flip midair andnded on the ground, staggering several steps back before steadying their footing.

    Core East calmed himself and got a clear look at their opponent. It was Seven Shadow¡¯s most powerfulpanion, Wang Zikai. The terrifying wanderer had almost killed Forest Crane with a single punch before.

    Under the cold moonlight, Wang Zikai¡¯s profile looked sharp, his blond hair messy and his eyes and teeth bright.

    He pulled his fist back and narrowed his eyes, grinning haughtily. ¡°You¡¯re Azure Dragon? Good, you seem like the real deal.¡±

    Azure Dragon remainedposed, his gaze fierce. ¡°A wanderer stronger than a pride monster. How strange.¡±

    ¡°What wanderer?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s smile dropped. He pointed at his chest with a thumb, irritated. ¡°I¡¯m the chosen one. I¡¯m God!¡±

    Azure Dragon stared.

    <i>Does he even know what he¡¯s talking about?</i>

    <i>Forget it. I¡¯ll make this quick.</i>

    Azure Dragon disappeared.

    Wang Zikai was taken aback. <i>Holy, he¡¯s quick!</i>

    Azure Dragon was already on Wang Zikai¡¯s right when the thought shed through his mind, making a swing at his face.

    Wang Zikai raised his hands to block the punch, but then a fierce gust came from under his chin.

    <i>A feint!</i>

    Azure Dragon¡¯s left heel mmed into Wang Zikai¡¯s chin from below.

 Chapter 632: Fight Dirty

    <h4>Chapter 632: Fight Dirty</h4>

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A shockwave hit the ground, and Wang Zikai flew into the sky like a rocket.

    The kick to his chin shut his brain down for a brief moment, and seizing the opening, Azure Dragon jumped and soared into the sky, appearing above Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes twitched. He had just recovered control over his body, but it was toote to block the iing hit.

    Without giving him time to react, Azure Dragon clenched his right fist and made a simple punch with only half a second of gathering strength.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The punchnded on Wang Zikai¡¯s left chest, where his heart was.

    Drawing a quick trail in the air, Wang Zikai plunged into the swimming pool in the front yard. Like a torpedo had exploded, arge pir of water shot toward the sky, the water pouring on Veggie and Core East like rain.

    Core East was used to such fanfare, while Veggie gaped, stunned. <i>Elder Azure Dragon¡¯s crazy powerful!</i>

    <i>Thud</i>. Azure Dragonnded from tens of meters in height without bending his body and knees much, easily offsetting the impact of the great drop like a wooden stake shooting into the ground.

    He looked at the swimming pool with close concentration.

    His simple punch could render a regr human into a pool of blood. Powerful awakeners would have their internal organs shattered; only those with Guard-type or Buff-type Talents would survive the hit, but even they would be unconscious for quite a while. No matter how strong Wang Zikai was, he was a simple monster...

    Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes twitched suddenly.

    Two hands reached above the edge of the swimming pool, and a head with drenched blond hair popped up. Wang Zikai climbed out of the pool.

    He stretched his neck and pinched his dislocated jaw, fixing it with a pop.

    Lowering his head to spit out blood, he wiped his face.

    The punch had torn the chest area of his shirt. He discarded it with a yank, revealing his well-built and attractive muscles. The tanned skin had a cold shine to it under the moonlight.

    Wang Zikai curled up a corner of his mouth, breaking into a smile that was a mix of irritation and excitement. ¡°You fucking y dirty.¡±

    Azure Dragon silently circted his energy to tap into his full reserve.

    ¡°And I...¡± Wang Zikai clenched his right fist, holding it before his chest with three sharp bone ws shooting out of the back of his hand. ¡°Look down on those who y dirty.¡±

    ...

    Half a minute before.

    Gray Bear, in the form of a three-meter giant bear, ran along the streets of the rich area. While he wasn¡¯t that agile, he was big, and he was quick for his pursuers.

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±

    He continued to use level 3 Jeer while running.

    Six Rime was strong-willed, but she was in charge of dealing with Gray Bear to begin with. Meanwhile, Forest Crane, Flower Turtle, and Old Lion had mediocre resistance to the taunt. Although it made sense for them to be chasing their enemy, they didn¡¯t realize that they had be hotheaded and bloodthirsty.

    <i>Ssh! </i>The fire hydrant before Gray Bear suddenly burst, and a stream of water shot toward the sky, making a sudden turn and hurtling toward Gray Bear, quickly freezing into a sharp ice dragon.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡±

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t move to the side. That would only slow him down and allow his pursuers to catch up with him. Instead, he swung at the ice dragon¡¯s head with his ws.

    Not yetpletely frozen, the dragon''s head shattered into shards, sttering everywhere.

    Gray Bear continued to run with almost no dy.

    The thin shards quicklybined into three sharp ice cones, shooting toward Gray Bear.

    He ran and avoided the attacks as best he could, but still ended up hit by one ice cone. Fortunately, his hair was thick and as hardy as steel wire, and his skin and flesh were rough and difficult to break. The cut was too slight to slow him down.

    ¡°Hahahahaha...¡± Gray Bear continued tough.

    Suddenly, a shadow flew above his head. It was a ck hunting dog, which had been waiting on the balcony of the mansion ahead,manded by Beast King.

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Gray Bear swatted at it to knock it out of the way, but the moment of distraction prevented him from dodging the real threat.

    <i>Growl! </i>Old Lion, on his mount, lunged at Gray Bear from the rooftop of a three-story building. He had been jumping between rooftops and taking shortcuts.

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t have the time to get out of the way, so he opted to enhance his defense with surging energy.

    The giant lion tackled Gray Bear to the ground, its sharp ws cutting into his flesh and skin and its piercing fangs sinking into his thick neck.

    Gray Bear reacted quickly. He put his arms around the giant lion and made a powerful swing. The two beasts grappled and fought, rolling around on the ground.

    Gray Bear gained the upper hand after a moment of crisis. While he was in bear form, he could still move like a human. Wrestling the lion, he managed to get behind it with his arms locked around its neck and his legs around its torso, preventing the lion from biting him. Then he exerted more force. The giant lion screamed in pain, swinging its ws and head, but to no avail.

    Seeing that his lion was getting strangled to death, Old Lion, who had already jumped off his mount, sat down cross-legged, his eyes flickering a strange blue light.

    In an instant, part of Old Lion¡¯s soul and most of his energy entered the lion¡¯s body, and its eyes became brilliant like blue gems.

    It transformed into a lionman as strong as Gray Bear.

    With a great surge of power, the lion flipped to its feet, while Gray Bear remained attached to its back like a giant turtle shell.

    Gray Bear was stunned. The lionman had greater explosive power and raw strength than he did. His only advantage was his defensive power, which didn¡¯t matter at all in this fight.

    With his wealth of experience, Gray Bear bit the lionman in the nape without hesitation, forcing it to drop to one knee in pain. When it was going to counterattack, Gray Bear quickly let go and detached from its back, continuing to run away.

    The lionman was visibly furious. It gave chase immediately, but in this form, it was stronger yet slowerpared to its regr lion form.

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t use Jeer again. For one, his Talent was in cooldown. For another, he had done his job by buying the others at least a minute.

    All he needed to do now was run for his life!

    The end of the road was right before him. Beyond that was a river, and he would be able to escape once he reached the river. Hope was right within his reach.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> Two vines shot out to grab his legs. Gray Bear¡¯s face darkened.

    <i>Shit, the others are catching up! This is Forest Crane¡¯s nt! But you¡¯re humiliating me if you think the vines will be enough to trap me!</i>

    With a stomp, Gray Bear freed himself from the vines, continuing his run.

    Forest Crane continued to obstruct him. The leaves of the four palm trees on the sides of the road turned into countless sharp daggers, stabbing at Gray Bear.

    Gray Bear was confident in his defense, and he ignored the attacks to keep fleeing, rushing headlong toward the leaf daggers. The cuts were nothing but a pouring rain to him.

    Victory was right before him. It was right there!

    Thirty meters!

    Twenty!

    Ten...

    The joy of a job well done rose in Gray Bear¡¯s heart. He was already thinking about buying Lithe Snake and Nine Frost a drink once he returned, boasting about how dangerous the mission was and how much he had contributed with a healthy dose of embellishment.

    He couldn¡¯t wait to see the two men scowl in discontent. Can, the tterer, would be showering him with praises, and Gao Yang would give him a faint smile in approval.

    <i>That brat. He¡¯s much younger than I am. Why do I follow him so loyally...?</i>

    Suddenly, his smile stilled.

 Chapter 633: Three Heads Six Arms

    <h4>Chapter 633: Three Heads Six Arms</h4>

    <i>Wait...wait!</i>

    <i>Why am I getting slower?</i>

    Gray Bear looked down and realized to his shock that the green leaves hitting him hadtched onto his body rather than falling off, and they radiated a cold chill¡ªit was the energy of Frost!

    <i>Can¡¯t be! Why would Forest Crane have Frost?!</i>

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t have the time to figure it out. A green leaf bloomed into a beautiful crystal on his chest. Then the other leaves followed. In an instant, the ice flowers enveloped his body.

    ¡°Aghhh...¡±

    Gray Bear hadn¡¯t given up. He clenched his teeth and continued to run forward, but his steps slowed gradually and his body grew heavy as ice flowers continued to bloom all over him.

    <i>No, I can¡¯t die here!</i>

    <i>The Nine Scions is just getting started. This isn¡¯t the time yet!</i>

    <i>Is this really the end for me? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to die a trivial death?</i>

    In five seconds, thousands of ice flowers bloomed all over Gray Bear, pilingyer uponyer to form a beautiful ice coffin. A cutting chill permeated the entire street.

    Trapped in the ice coffin with only his head unsealed, Gray Bear could no longer take even one step.

    Fuck. He swore silently, tipping the only still mobile head tough at the sky.

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±

    At hisst moment, he activated Jeer once more to mock fate.

    He died with a smile.

    His giant body was entirely frozen. The ice, nearing absolute zero, quickly deprived his body of all heat, and his blood froze, the chill seeping into his internal organs and bone marrow to turn him into a lifeless amber.

    <i>Growl.</i>

    The lionman crashed into the coffin on all fours, injury be damned. Gray Bear¡¯s body shattered like ice and scattered all over the ground in parts. His head, covered in ayer of frost, rolled to Flower Turtle¡¯s feet like a frozen watermelon.

    Flower Turtle looked down at Gray Bear¡¯s body. There was no joy in his gaze for the victory, but onlymentation.

    Back in the Qilin Guild, he was quite close to Gray Bear even though they didn¡¯t belong to the same team.

    Flower Turtle¡¯s daughter had an inherited heart condition. Two years ago, she had surgery, and it was only with Gray Bear¡¯s connection that he got a famous surgeon to operate on her. It was a favor he hadn¡¯t had the chance to repay.

    Yet tonight, Flower Turtle killed the man with his own hands under the provocation of Jeer.

    ¡°Release us already,¡± Forest Crane urged from Flower Turtle¡¯s left back side.

    On his right, Six Rime maintained her usual impassive expression, but it was clear that she didn¡¯t like their current situation either.

    Flower Turtle had merged with Six Rime and Forest Crane with level 3 Three Heads Six Arms. As the name of the Talent would suggest, it granted the union of the three awakeners a 20% boost in defense, and they could use all three of their Talents, their power formidable.

    However, there was no hierarchy in their minds and energy, meaning there was no main controller among them. Thus, it was important that they already had great teamwork. If three strangers came together for the first time, the whole could be lesser than the sum of its parts.

    Two secondster, golden light shot out from Flower Turtle¡¯s back, and the three of them quickly separated, bing independent individuals again.

    Six Rime looked down at the pile of frozen body parts, emotionless as always.

    Just then, three elite monsters rushed out of different buildings. The two devourers and one freerider rushed toward Six Rime¡¯s group.

    With a simple wave of her hand, Six Rime conjured three ice spears.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh</i>. The spears pierced the elite monsters¡¯ chests, pinning them to a wall. As they struggled, thorned vines climbed along the wall and enveloped them, the thorns turning into steel needles and burrowing into them, sucking them dry. It took no time for the three monsters to turn into corpses.

    ¡°This is a distraction.¡± Flower Turtle had recovered his calm. ¡°We were taunted by Jeer.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± Six Rime turned around and ran.

    The other two quickly caught up with her, rushing to Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion.

    ...

    Front yard of Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion, a minute ago.

    Three bone ws shot out of Wang Zikai¡¯s right fist. He grinned, disappearing before Core East and Veggie¡ªit was just that he was too quick for the two to catch his movement, but Azure Dragon could see him clearly from ten meters away.

    Azure Dragon hade to a conclusion about Wang Zikai: his strength, agility, and defense were both top-tier, and as a fighter, he was almost as good as Azure Dragon.

    However, he had two shorings.

    First, hecked systematic training, and he had almost nobat experience and techniques. Without a proper way of fighting, he left many openings to be exploited.

    Second, Azure Dragon had Limitless Evolution. Endure a couple of attacks, and he could convert 3% to 5% of Wang Zikai¡¯s energy for his use permanently, and Azure Dragon would acquire a 60% resistance to Wang Zikai¡¯s melee attacks.

    Then, Wang Zikai would lose.

    Just when the thought shed through Azure Dragon¡¯s mind, Wang Zikai descended upon him from above, his three sharp bone ws glinting under the moonlight and radiating a strange red energy.

    The moment Azure Dragon raised his left arm to block the attack, a chill ran down his spine. His keen six senses and battle instinct sounded a warning to an unexinable danger.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    There was a sh of three dark red arcs. Azure Dragon retreated at thest moment and pulled his left arm back, but three long gashes were already left on his forearm. His blood gushed out and drenched his left hand.

    Azure Dragon maintained a calm front, but a storm was rising in his head.

    He had almost forgotten thest time he was hurt by a weapon. He had thought his physique was strong enough to resist most physical damage and ck Gold weapons, yet Wang Zikai had managed to cut him easily with his unassuming bone ws. If Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t pulled back in time, he might even lose his forearm.

    ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t be a wuss!¡±

    Wang Zikai rushed toward Azure Dragon, making a flurry of shes and big swings, his attacks wild and violent.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t take the attacks head-on but dodged and retreated to buy time.

    Half a minuteter, he frowned slightly. Why hadn¡¯t Limitless Evolution been triggered?

    He seized an opening to dodge an iing attack while sweeping his leg at Wang Zikai¡¯s feet. Wang Zikai jumped back and easily evaded the kick.

    They drew apart, at a standstill.

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky, Azure Dragon!¡± Wang Zikai shook his hands to shake off the blood on his ws. ¡°My brother told me not to kill you. I¡¯m gonna stop after crippling you.¡±

    Azure Dragon came to a realization. So Seven Shadow had taken into consideration his trump card. Instead of panicking, the realization eased him.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re the one getting unlucky.¡±

    Azure Dragon clenched his bloodied fists, his eagle-sharp eyes glinted a gold light.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the gap between a man with the determination to kill and a man without.¡±

 Chapter 634: Fool

    <h4>Chapter 634: Fool</h4>

    Wang Zikai burst outughing with his hands on his hip, his expression haughty. ¡°Stop boasting. I see nothing special...¡±

    In his moment of distraction, Azure Dragon was already right before him. Wang Zikai started. The man had gotten faster!

    Azure Dragon started swinging. He named the move A Thousand Simple Punches.

    It felt as if a nket of fists was closing in on Wang Zikai. He couldn¡¯t tell the real one from the afterimage. Punches varying in powernded on him like rain. Although they did little damage to him, they rendered him helpless, and he was forced to back away.

    Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t even raise his hands. Whenever he tried to draw power to his arms, he was interrupted by Azure Dragon¡¯s quick punches.

    In five seconds, Azure Dragon made a thousand jabs. No more, no less.

    Like a drummer ying an explosive tempo, the punches hit every muscle in the front side of Wang Zikai¡¯s torso, the slight damage locking him in ce. Then five secondster, the flurry of attacks vanished altogether.

    The relentless attacks left a one-second opening in Wang Zikai¡¯s defense. When he recovered control, Azure Dragon had already charged his clenched right fist for a second.

    Azure Dragon made a Charged Punch.

    Itnded on Wang Zikai¡¯s chest squarely, sending him flying. His blurred figure flew along the street with three waves of sonic explosions and shockwaves. Then he crashed into the base of a retro clocktower at the center of the za.

    Rumble. The clock tower came crashing down like a felled tree.

    ...

    Front yard of Dr. Jia¡¯s Mansion, half a minute before.

    Core East and Veggie watched from afar as Elder Azure Dragon fought Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Elder Azure, Azure, Azure Dragon is hurt...¡± Veggie was anxious.

    ¡°Stop bbering! I¡¯m not blind!¡± Core East yelled at her irritatedly. ¡°Listening to you talk gives me a headache!¡±

    Veggie shut her mouth.

    ¡°Listen, trash!¡± Core East raised his ck Gold guitar. ¡°Slow him down when you spot a chance. I¡¯ll...¡±

    Suddenly, Core East sensed a fierce gusting from behind him. As someone sensitive to the change of current, he knew that it was no regr wind.

    Without hesitation, he whirled around and strummed the strings.

    ¡°Ahhhh!!!¡±

    He screamed as the guitar cried out, the resonation unleashing a powerful sonic attack in a specific direction. He had used his Talent, Lion Roar.

    The powerful intangible soundwave scattered the ck Gold darts sneaking up on him and sending thewn, earth, water droplets, loungers, and parasols flying toward the mansion across the street. The windows of the building shattered instantly, and even the walls burst into small cracks.

    Unfortunately, the ck Gold darts were only a distraction.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Two streetmps descended from above like giant spears, thrusting toward Core East¡¯s and Veggie¡¯s head.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    This time, Veggie didn¡¯t stutter. Sensing the iing danger, she made her ck hair grow quickly. One part pushed Core East out of the way while the other shot toward the streetmping toward her, grappling it and stopping its fall.

    Core East fell a few meters away. He quickly rolled to a stand and turned to Veggie.

    Veggie¡¯s ck hair danced in the air. She broke into a relieved smile for having saved herpanion, but she hadn¡¯t rxed her guard. ¡°Quick...¡±

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A figure rushed up to her from the side so quickly that there was no way she could react to it. With a Tang Dao, the attacker sent an arc of beautiful blue de aura to her from a few meters away.

    Stunned, Veggie stared at the iing attack with eyes brimming with tears, her lips parted but making no sound.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    The de aura left a cut on her pale, fragile neck, and blood sttered everywhere.

    Without another nce at her, Qing Ling turned to rush to Core East.

    ¡°Veggie!¡±

    In the heat of the moment, Core East strummed his guitar hard and was about to activate Lion Roar. However, Qing Ling had used herself as a distraction, and while charging toward him, she curled her finger discreetly.

    Her ck Gold Xiu Dao thrust through Core East¡¯s back,ing out of his chest.

    The man copsed with his mouth still open and his expression fixed in one of fury, shock, and frustration. His blood quickly pooled on thewn.

    The ck Gold de pulled out of the body and returned to Qing Ling. With a simple flick of her wrist, she shook the blood off the de. It was smooth and cold, wrapped in blue chill.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    Three consecutive sonic explosions came from her side. Qing Ling turned around just in time to see the clock tower on the distant za copse.

    Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t given chase to finish Wang Zikai off. Instead, he turned around and saw Veggie and Core East lying in their blood. His expression darkened, his eyes glinting with killing intent.

    Qing Ling¡¯s heart sank. Wang Zikai had failed to keep Azure Dragon busy!

    Azure Dragon clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He was going to finish Qing Ling in five seconds.

    Even though she knew that she couldn¡¯t win, Qing Ling didn¡¯t back down. She raised her long de and charged at Azure Dragon.

    <i>Rumble</i>!

    Just when a fight was breaking out, a great rumble came from underground. Then thend started shaking.

    ...

    A minute before.

    ck Fish entered the mansion through the back door and rushed to the basement, reaching a high-tech metal door.

    He pounded on it. ¡°Dr. Jia! Open up!¡±

    <i>Beep</i>. A ray of light shot out from the peephole of the door, creating a hologram.

    Dressed in a whiteb coat with shorts and sandals, Dr. Jia stood by a few intricateb machines.

    Right before the machines was a small elevated tform, on top of which was a cubic culture dish that resembled a giant fish tank. There was a light blue liquid inside, and ¡°fish¡± of different colors swam in it.

    They weren¡¯t fish, of course, but the vital energy of different Talents. Like living creatures, they felt out each other, chasing and tangling, attempting toe together.

    A hundred and one times out of a hundred times, the experiment would fail.

    However, Dr. Jia had the patience to make adjustments and improvements before starting the hundred-and-second experiment.

    Fully focusing on the control panel before him, Dr. Jia muttered, ¡°Hm, the temperature is a little high. The medium¡¯s concentration is a little low. I should increase it by 2%...¡±

    ¡°Open up, Dr. Jia!¡±

    Dr. Jia didn¡¯t turn around. He snapped, ¡°I told you not to bother me. I¡¯ll finish the experiment...¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow¡¯s here to grab you! A fight¡¯s broken out!¡± ck Fish shouted. ¡°Open up, or I¡¯ll bring the door down.¡±

    ¡°Geez, you¡¯re annoying!¡± Dr. Jia put down the control panel and said, ¡°Open.¡±

    <i>ck</i>. The metal door opened to the sides, and ck Fish rushed in, looking nervous. ¡°Come with me now, Dr. Jia!¡±

    Dr. Jia said flippantly, ¡°No. I still have a lot of work...¡±

    ¡°You fool!¡± ck Fish pped his own thigh in anxiety. ¡°Nothing will matter if you die!¡±

 Chapter 635: A Serious Punch

    <h4>Chapter 635: A Serious Punch</h4>

    Dr. Jia came to his senses after a moment.

    ¡°Seven Shadow and his people would do anything. If they can¡¯t have you, they¡¯re gonna kill you for sure! You¡¯re a genius. No one would want you to fall into the hands of someone else, right?¡±

    ck Fish patiently tried to persuade him. ¡°You¡¯re humanity¡¯s greatest treasure. You can¡¯t just die here!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Dr. Jia realized the pros and cons of his options. ¡°No, I can¡¯t die here. I have lots of studies to do.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any more resurrection pills?¡± ck Fish asked.

    ¡°I only have two,¡± Dr. Jia responded.

    ¡°Then have one and follow me!¡± ck Fish said. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t safe. Even idiots will know to find you here!¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Dr. Jia took out a small blue bottle from his pocket, poured a pill out, and popped it into his mouth. Then he thought of something. ¡°Give me a minute. I need to pack...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time! Forget it!¡± ck Fish grabbed his hand and dragged him out of theboratory.

    ¡°Wait, let me take my parrot at least...¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re going now!¡±

    There was a narrow corridor outside theb, which ran more than ten meters long. Dragging Dr. Jia through the corridor, ck Fish said, ¡°We¡¯re going to the garage. I¡¯ll drive you away. Do you have any other hideout?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll find a hiding ce and then contact the others.¡± ck Fish scowled. ¡°Protector Six Rime got lured away by Gray Bear, and Elder Azure Dragon is fighting Wang Zikai. Seven Shadow hasn¡¯t shown up. He¡¯s gonnae for you for sure...¡±

    ck Fish didn¡¯t get to finish. He came to a sudden halt, his expression crumbling.

    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Dr. Jia bumped into ck Fish¡¯s back. He took a step back, confused.

    ¡°We¡¯re toote.¡± ck Fishughed bitterly.

    The corridor was dim. At some point, thin spider webs hade to fill the corridor, and ck Fish only realized that something was wrong halfway through. When he noticed the danger, he was already trapped by countless spider webs.

    A backlit man stood at the exit. He took a step forward, his face revealed when he entered the dim corridor.

    He was dressed in a blue racing suit, with short ck hair, blue eyes, a long face, and a confident smile. He was ck Fish, an Elite of Team Azure Dragon.

    ¡°I knew you would do this, <i>Nainai</i>.¡± ck Fish knew his former teammate well.

    His right fingers quickly grew into five fangs covered in dark green venom. Once he ced a fang on a spider web, dark green spread along the translucent strand and toward Nainai.

    ¡°Nainai,¡± the real ck Fish called out. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance. Surrender, or die.¡±

    Wrapped in spider webs, Nainai scoffed. ¡°A mere mortal is looking down on this Empress. How humiliating.¡±

    Brilliant golden light shot out of Nainai¡¯s eyes.

    ck Fish Froze, sensing the great power radiating from Nainai¡¯s body. <i>What, has her Talent reached level 7?!</i>

    <i>Shit, the spider webs aren¡¯t enough to trap her!</i>

    ck Fish unleashed his spider venom at maximum potency. The green venom spread toward Nainai, but it was a step toote.

    She increased in size at incredible speed and broke out of the spider webs almost instantly, breaking the corridor too as she continued to grow bigger.

    She went all in with level 7 Scale, growing to her maximum size.

    Like a tree propping up the sky, she crashed through Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion from underground. The entire rich area was shaking, the earth and stone shards scattering like a localized rain.

    Less than two secondster, a giant reaching almost thirty meters in height towered over the ruin. It was Nainai, dressed in a blue and white sailor uniform.

    With the rapid expansion of her bones and muscles, a faint golden mist swirled around her like golden qi enveloping a mountain. Gone was what had been the front yard of the mansion. And amid the ruins, Azure Dragon, Qing Ling, and the dead Core East and Veggie were nowhere to be seen.

    On top of the mansion across the street, Azure Dragon carried his deadpanions with each hand. He lowered them to the ground and looked at the giant Nainai.

    Nainai clenched her right fist and looked to the side to meet his gaze.

    Regret shed through Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes.

    Nainai looked momentarily guilty as well.

    But that was the end of it. The moment was all that their previous bond deserved.

    Without hesitation, Azure Dragon clenched his right fist and tucked it by his waist, drawing his power.

    Nainai knew what he was going to do. After a three-second charging, Azure Dragon would make an attack that threatened to terraform a whole area. Even a giant like her would be rendered into pieces.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Nainai shouted, the sound shaking thend. She took a step forward and swung her arm at the rooftop where Azure Dragon was.

    However, she was too slow in giant form, and Azure Dragon finished charging up. Eyes radiating golden light, he opened his mouth. ¡°A Serious Punch.¡±

    <i>ng!</i>

    With powerful currents and golden energy, the fist swung toward the sky. From afar, it seemed as if an arc of golden shockwave had cut through the ck sky.

    Yes, Azure Dragon¡¯s Serious Punch hadn¡¯t hit Nainai. She ¡°disappeared¡±.

    A second before Azure Dragon made a swing, Nainai had shrunk down to the size of a thumb in an instant, and Azure Dragon¡¯s hit missed like a cannonball trying to hit a mosquito.

    Nainai had pretended to attack Azure Dragon to fool him. She was immature, not stupid. She wasn¡¯t such an idiot that she would fight Azure Dragon head-on.

    It was all part of her n.

    Her job was to turn into a giant and create chaos so that Qing Ling and Wang Zikai could run away. Then Qing Ling would help her escape.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    A ck Gold dart flew toward Nainai, and she clung to it with both arms in midair.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t hesitate to ride her de away, followed by a ck Gold dart that drew little attention. It was carrying a girl, who continued to buzz like a mosquito.

    Azure Dragon looked up at Qing Ling as she made her escape. He didn¡¯t give chase, but instead turned to the ruins,nding on it with a jump. He was looking for hispanions and Dr. Jia.

    Soon, Azure Dragon found the unconscious and injured ck Fish. Like a victim of an earthquake, he was buried under a copsed wall and soil, his chest prated by a ceiling light. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t go through his heart.

    Azure Dragon quickly removed the rubbles and extracted the ceiling light, injecting ck Fish¡¯s chest with Medicine C.

    ¡°Hmph...¡±

    ck Fish¡¯s pale face slowly regained colors, and his furrowed brows rxed.

    Azure Dragon stood up and extended his senses with his eyes closed. There was no one else around.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Dr. Jia?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    Lying on the ground, ck Fish spoke in starts and stops. ¡°In...Nainai¡¯s...hands...¡±

    The moment Nainai turned into a giant, she had grabbed Dr. Jia and held him in her hand. That was all ck Fish managed to see.

    Azure Dragon frowned, quickly putting two and two together. He sighed.

    ¡°We failed to stop them.¡±

 Chapter 636: We Will Succeed

    <h4>Chapter 636: We Will Seed</h4>

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon!¡±

    Six Rime, Flower Turtle, Forest Crane, and Old Lion returned then. They had seen Nainai turn into a giant and Azure Dragon making a thunderous punch, and they thought the fight was won. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Veggie?¡± Flower Turtle asked, concerned. ¡°And Core East?¡±

    ¡°Killed by Green Snake,¡± Azure Dragon said calmly, adding after a moment, ¡°But the bodies are intact.¡±

    Flower Turtle exhaled an audible sigh of relief, dropping into a crouching position. ¡°Thank God we forced them to take Dr. Jia¡¯s resurrection pills in the morning.¡±

    ¡°They took Dr. Jia,¡± said Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Where did they go? I¡¯ll chase after them,¡± said Six Rime.

    Azure Dragon shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Old Lion jumped off his lion¡¯s back and held onto its head with both hands, pressing their foreheads together. Two secondster, the lion growled lowly and ran away.

    ¡°Little White will gather the animals in the area to help us look for them,¡± he said. Little White was his name for the lion.

    ¡°Right.¡± Azure Dragon responded nonchntly, but he had already concluded that it would fail.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry, Guildmaster Qilin. I didn¡¯t do my job properly.</i>

    ...

    Downstream of Spice River, ten minutester.

    Lining the riverbanks were regr residential areas. The clusters of short residential buildings slumbered under the starlight, while the serene river shimmered with a captivating silver glow.

    A small white boat could be seen at the heart of the river. Gray Bear sat at the tail of the boat, naked save for the thin ck cape around his body. His hairy chest could be seen from under the cape.

    He rowed the boat with both hands, looking joyful after surviving a great crisis.

    The starry sky was beautiful, and the air fresh. It would be perfect if only he had a can of beer.

    Hong Xiaoxiao sat at the head of the boat, shining a shlight at the river to look for something.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± Gray Bear, brought back with Time Reset, went over the earlier fight in his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your Talent have a maximum range?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s sole focus was still on her search, and she didn¡¯t turn around.

    ¡°How far is it?¡±

    ¡°Thirty meters.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you save me?¡±

    ording to their n, Hong Xiaoxiao would hide under the riverbank, and with a ck Gold hairpin, Gray Bear only had to make it past the end of the path for Hong Xiaoxiao to bring him back should he die. However, he hadn¡¯t made it past the path, and he should be out of range for Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Time Reset.

    ¡°Well.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao looked troubled. ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±

    At the time, she had heard the sounds of a fight while hiding under the riverbank, and she concluded that Gray Bear hadn¡¯t made it out.

    She was burning with anxiety, but she didn¡¯t dare toe out of hiding, or Six Rime and the others would¡¯ve discovered her for sure. However, it might be toote for her to rush to Gray Bear after Six Rime¡¯s group left.

    Hong Xiaoxiao wasn¡¯t willing to risk it. Clenching her teeth, she dove into the sewage pipe for wastewater beside her, crawling toward where Gray Bear must have died.

    It was only twenty meters, and it only took her one minute, yet she had vomited and broken down so many times that she lost count.

    Finally, she sensed her ck Gold hairpin at thirty meters, her Talent¡¯s maximum effective range.

    She counted the time and used Time Reset when she only had about ten seconds. No matter if Six Rime and the others had left, she had to bring Gray Bear back, or she would lose her window.

    Finally, Gray Bear came back to life, and Six Rime and the others had already departed.

    Hong Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t wait to crawl out of the sewage pipe filled with feces and wastewater. She broke down into tears and used Time Reset on herself to go back to her condition three minutes ago. Then she passed out.

    Naked and unconscious, Gray Bear soon woke up from the chill. He rushed to the riverbank and woke Hong Xiaoxiao so that they could proceed with the next part of their n.

    While Hong Xiaoxiao had reset her time, she still had a vague memory of crawling through the pipe. She retched, tasting bile in her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m really curious!¡± Gray Bear said.

    ¡°Please stop, Uncle Bear. Let it go...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao paused. ¡°Ah! There he is! Dr. Jia!¡±

    Not far from them was a floating body in ab coat and a pair of shorts. Only one foot was wearing a slipper. He was dead, thoroughly killed.

    ¡°Ha, Qing Ling¡¯s good, just as smart as Captain.¡± Gray Bear had forgotten what they were talking about. He rowed toward the body quicker.

    ...

    Fifteen minutes ago, Team Qing Ling was having a meeting on the rooftop of a mansion. The night wind messed up Qing Ling¡¯s long hair. She knelt and unfolded a map of the rich area. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you the n. You each have to do your job no matter what. There¡¯s no room for mistakes.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao immediately went up to light the map with a shlight. The others huddled up too.

    Holding a ck Gold dagger, Qing Ling pointed at Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion on the map. ¡°I¡¯ll first flush them out with prop sleep gas grenades to confirm their number.¡±

    ¡°Sister Qing, what if the whole Team Azure Dragon is there?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider the possibility.¡± Qing Ling nced at Gray Bear. ¡°Is there anyone with a scouting Talent on the team?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± Gray Bear thought back to their members.

    ¡°No, Six Rime can scout with her Talent.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao told them about how Six Rime had monitored Gao Yang.

    ¡°Speaking of that,¡± Gray Bear remembered, ¡°Old Lion can control small animals in the area to do the same.¡±

    ¡°So we have to keep our distance.¡± Qing Ling quickly made adjustments to the n. ¡°Gray Bear, I¡¯ll fly you in with ck Gold des.¡±

    ¡°On my own?¡± Gray Bear asked in surprise.

    Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Turn into a beast and lure some of them away with Jeer.¡± After a moment, she added, ¡°Try your best to act tough so that they¡¯ll take you seriously.¡±

    <i>I am tough! </i>Gray Bearined in his mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be dangerous for Gray Bear to act alone.¡± Qing Ling turned to Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Make a save for him, Hong Xiaoxiao. Hide...somewhere near this river. You have to hide well.¡±

    She pointed at the map. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time fighting after luring the enemies away, Gray Bear. Try your best to escape. If you can¡¯t do that, go to the river and let them kill you. They¡¯ll realize that you¡¯re drawing them away after you¡¯re dead, and they¡¯ll leave you alone. Then Hong Xiaoxiao can reset your time.¡±

    <i>Can¡¯t I take all of them out? That¡¯s a possibility too, right?</i>

    Gray Bear didn¡¯t let hisint show on his face. ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Go downstream once you¡¯re both well,¡± Qing Ling said.

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Gray Bear.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡± Qing Ling turned to Wang Zikai. ¡°Gray Bear won¡¯t be able to draw Azure Dragon away. He will stay at the mansion.¡±

    ¡°Haha, then it¡¯s my turn to shine.¡± Wang Zikai rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re in charge of keeping Azure Dragon busy,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Keeping him busy? I¡¯ll just take him out!¡± Wang Zikai was ambitious.

    Qing Ling shot him a re. ¡°Have you forgotten what Gao Yang told you?¡±

    Wang Zikai remembered immediately. He rubbed his nose, irritated. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m not gonna try to kill him. Consider it a sparring session.¡±

    Thest one Qing Ling turned to was Nainai. ¡°You¡¯re the key to us taking Dr. Jia away, Nainai.¡±

    Nainai affected an elegant scoff. ¡°This Empress is the star of the show, indeed.¡±

    ¡°Shrink down so that I can take you near the mansion with a ck Gold dart. Wait for Wang Zikai and I to draw everyone¡¯s attention before sneaking into the mansion. Turn into a member of Team Azure Dragon and fool Dr. Jia into opening the door for you. Take him away.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. This Empress...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done.¡± Qing Ling shot her a cool look, shutting her up.

    ¡°You have to make sure that Dr. Jia took a resurrection pill. Then turn into a giant immediately.¡± Qing Ling emphasized her point. ¡°Go as big as you can and create as big a ruckus as possible. Wang Zikai and I will make an escape then.¡±

    ¡°Why should we run away?¡± Wang Zikai retorted. ¡°We should just...¡±

    ¡°If you wanna act on your own, fine.¡± Qing Ling interrupted him and took out his phone. ¡°Tell Gao Yang yourself.¡±

    Wang Zikai choked and waved his hands weakly. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    Qing Ling put her phone away and continued to exin, ¡°After turning into a giant, Nainai, hide Dr. Jia in your hand and throw him into the Li River amid the chaos. Do you have enough control for that?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Nainai lifted her hands and left leg, twisting her waist like a pitcher. ¡°This Empress will make a fateful throw and hit the target!¡±

    Qing Ling rose to her feet. ¡°That¡¯s it. Any question?¡±

    ¡°None!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, this Empress has everything under control.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Wang Zikai was still a little confused. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    Qing Ling felt a headache brewing. It was exhausting to talk to an idiot.

    Hong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, found him cute. She exined with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll exin, Brother Kai. You can retreat once Nainai creates chaos as a giant. Nainai will quickly shrink down after throwing Dr. Jia into the Spice River. Then Sister Qing Ling will retreat with her riding her des.¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia will be quite far away after getting dropped into the river, and it¡¯ll take some time for Team Azure Dragon to find him.¡±

    ¡°The fall will have killed Dr. Jia, but his body will be intact, and he wille back to life as long as he has taken a resurrection pill.¡±

    ¡°Once I meet up with Gray Bear, we¡¯ll go downstream of the river to look for Dr. Jia¡¯s body. Then we¡¯ll each head to our secret base for a rendezvous.¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Wang Zikai feigned nonchnce. ¡°I know all that, of course. I¡¯m just worried that some of us may still be confused.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Hong Xiaoxiao.¡± Gray Bear smirked. ¡°If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t understand!¡±

    ¡°No problem, Uncle Bear.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao shared a smile with him.

    Qing Ling turned around and hopped onto the railing, her long hair flying against the wind.

    She lifted her hands, and the six sleep grenades in her handbag flew out, hovering above her head before shooting toward Dr. Jia¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    In a firm, cool voice, she said, ¡°We will seed.¡±

 Chapter 637: Master Gao

    <h4>Chapter 637: Master Gao</h4>

    Slum, Spice Nation, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    More than a thousand short concrete buildings, tin houses, and temporary tents crowded to form a puzzle of messy pieces. In the left bottom corner was a tin house with only half of its rooftop intact, under whichy a frail, thin garbage collector with tanned skin. He was a wanderer, and unconscious, hey on a few sheets of cardboard with a dirty worn rug covering him.

    Bottles and trash cluttered the house. Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, Gray Bear, Nainai, and Hong Xiaoxiao waited in the dark corners quietly, each wearing a ck cape.

    Wang Zikai was snoring, asleep. He had taken a punch from Azure Dragon and crashed into a clock tower. It hurt like hell, but he was in no danger of dying, and he hadn¡¯t lost consciousness.

    Climbing to his feet amid the rubbles, he had wanted to rush back into a fight with Azure Dragon when he saw a giant Nainai and reluctantly gave up, frustrated. He decided to control himself for the n because he didn¡¯t want Gao Yang to be angry with him.

    He easily killed a few elite monsters drawn by the ruckus and ran to their secret base in the slum to meet up with the others. When he arrived, Qing Ling and Nainai were already there.

    He cursed up a storm and fell asleep in a corner after a few minutes¡ªhis powerful physique was maintained by great energy, and he had exhausted a lot of energy during his fight with Azure Dragon. His recovery rate was impressive, though. When others would need a week of rest to recover fully, he only needed a nap.

    Not long after that, Gray Bear and Hong Xiaoxiao showed up, too, and Gray Bear was carrying Dr. Jia¡¯s body on his shoulder.

    Dr. Jia rose half an hourter.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    He groaned before rolling around, retching and throwing up river water.

    ¡°Should we take him to the ICU?¡± Gray Bear teased as he smoked.

    ¡°No need,¡± said Qing Ling.

    At the end of the day, Dr. Jia was an awakener and physically much stronger than regr humans. A few gulps of river water weren¡¯t going to kill him.

    ¡°Hmph...it¡¯s terrible, terrible...¡±

    He slowly sat up to find five people in disguise. He slurred, ¡°Who...who are you?¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia, Seven Shadow would like to meet you,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re Seven Shadow¡¯s...¡± Dr. Jia recovered his mind, and he suddenly said in heartache, ¡°Oh, myb, my parrot...¡±

    Gray Bearughed apologetically. ¡°Things were urgent, and we couldn¡¯t afford to care about all that.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck did I do wrong?¡± Dr. Jia got even angrier. ¡°I¡¯m just myself. I came abroad with my parrot to have a grand old time doing research, but then you suddenly whisked me away!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Dr. Jia.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao smiled patiently and tried tomunicate with him. ¡°Thispany...our organization means you well...¡±

    ¡°Means me well?¡± Still angry, Dr. Jia wobbly got to his feet. ¡°Care to exin what that fucking means?¡±

    Qing Ling stood up and took a step forward, standing right in front of Dr. Jia.

    ¡°You¡¯re their leader, aren¡¯t you? Give me myb back. Give me my parrot back...¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Qing Ling punched him in the right eye. He toppled to the ground and cked out.

    She turned around to look at Nainai. ¡°Disguise his face and put a ne on him. We set out in half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nainai ran up to him. ¡°What kind of face?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ...

    December first, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    In a cheap B&B on Mizuya Street in Ind Nation, Qing Ling, Nainai, and Dr. Jia sat on the tatami floor of the living room. The three had been disguised as visitors from West Nation. Qing Ling had to hold her Tang Dao to Dr. Jia¡¯s neck to stop him from cursing.

    Gao Yang sat on the only sofa in the room in a suit, crossing his legs elegantly with half a ss of wine, looking down at Dr. Jia closely.

    Behind him stood Nine Frost. He had his hands copsed before his abdomen with an impassive expression, acting like a loyal bodyguard.

    Ten hours ago, Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy had reached level 4, and Heavenly Dog had departed with the Psyche Rune Circuit.

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°We meet again, Dr. Jia.¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Master Gao for you!¡± Nine Frost snapped darkly. ¡°Before you is the leader of the Nine Scions.¡±

    Gao Yang lifted his hand to silence him.

    Shaking the wine ss in his hand, Gao Yang leaned forward and looked at Dr. Jia with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Apologies for taking you here in such a forceful way. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but hey, you wouldn¡¯t even call me Master Gao...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Dr. Jia wasn¡¯t scared at all. ¡°Stop the act. It doesn¡¯t suit you! You look so young that I won¡¯t even call you my son. Will you please speak like a normal person now? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°<i>Ahem</i>.¡± Gao Yang cleared his throat awkwardly, and Nine Frost scowled, feeling equally ill at ease.

    Gao Yang gave up on the act. ¡°I don¡¯t think this suits me, either. Put away the de, Qing Ling.¡±

    Qing Ling lowered her Tang Dao and stepped away.

    Gao Yang went up to sit down before Dr. Jia. ¡°Please help, Dr. Jia. I¡¯ve gotten into great trouble.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, why did you have to turn the Qilin Guild into your enemy?¡± Dr. Jia huffed. ¡°You thought you could afford to do that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to.¡± Gao Yang shrugged with a lightness he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°But they kept making me empty promises and forced me to work overtime. I couldn¡¯t take it.¡±

    ¡°Stop already. What do you want?¡± Dr. Jia had calmed down somewhat.

    ¡°Join us.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Dr. Jia immediately rejected.

    ¡°Qilin isn¡¯t a good person,¡± Nine Frost said icily.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± And he clearly didn¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make anyone my enemy. That will only hinder my research and prevent me from getting the resources I need, including the blood and vital energy of awakeners, as well as ck Gold, intel, and other information.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. <i>There really is no ce for loyalty in your research, Dr. Jia.</i>

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang made a different offer. ¡°Then please do me two favors, and I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about them first.¡±

    ¡°First, I¡¯d like some supply.¡± Gao Yang took out a list. ¡°Have a look.¡±

    Dr. Jia took the list: 30 shots of Medicine C, 20 shots of Medicine D, 20 shots of Medicine M, 20 Illusion Breaking Sprays, 30 shots of adrenaline shots for awakeners, 30 sleep gas grenades, 20 resurrection pills...

    Gao Yang was asking for quite a lot, but not an unreasonable amount. If Dr. Jia had ess to hisb, he could easily make that much.

    However, hisb was gone. Thinking about it was enough to anger him again.

    He scoffed. ¡°Give me ab and the raw ingredients, and I can do this for sure. While the medicines I make may not be as good as those One Stone made with Pharmacist, the difference isn¡¯t that big.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll provide part of the ingredients.¡± Gao Yang waved a hand, and Nine Frostid down a ck briefcase on the short table, opening it.

    Inside was a 1.5 L bottle of blood and three ck Gold batteries storing vital energy, provided by Dead Pig, Adept Horse, and Songstress.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. Far from it. And I¡¯ve lost myb.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°We¡¯re borrowing arrows with thatched boats.¡±

    Dr. Jia paused and broke into augh. ¡°Oh, <i>Master Gao</i>, you never nned to have me join you, right?¡±

 Chapter 638: Higher Level

    <h4>Chapter 638: Higher Level</h4>

    ¡°Haha.¡± Gao Yang went for ttery. ¡°You live up to your reputation as a genius. The Nine Scions cannot provide you with ab and the ingredients and materials for medicines and equipment. You won¡¯t be able to live up to your potential with us.¡±

    ¡°You want me to join the Qilin Guild?¡± Dr. Jia asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve written a script for you. Wanna hear it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gao Yang spoke at a deliberate pace. ¡°You were taken by the Nine Scions. They tried to coerce you into joining through persuasion and force, but you had such a backbone that you would rather die than be in cahoots with the traitors of humanity. The Nine Scions wanted to kill you, but considering how well respected you are, killing you will only anger the three major organizations and create more enemies. Thus, the Nine Scions could only let you go.¡±

    ¡°Now that yourb in Spice Nation was destroyed, and you were eager to continue your research to the benefit of humanity, you reluctantly epted the help offered by the Qilin Guild after careful consideration. You rebuild yourb in Li City and ept their protection so that you can continue your work in peace, free from disturbance.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± Dr. Jia praised. ¡°It fits my character.¡±

    ¡°Then do you agree to help us?¡±

    ¡°No. I can very well follow your script, and there¡¯s nothing you can do to me. It¡¯s the truth that you dare not kill me since that¡¯ll make enemies out of the three organizations. It¡¯ll be your loss.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Nine Frost almost gave in to his urge to kick Dr. Jia.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Gao Yang had expected it. He waved a hand to stop Nine Frost, maintaining a smile. ¡°You¡¯re a genius, Dr. Jia. Talking to you about feelings, money, and factions doesn¡¯t make sense. Let¡¯s talk about something at a higher level.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Dr. Jia narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

    ¡°The truth of the Mist World.¡±

    Dr. Jia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You found out already?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said with confidence. ¡°But I can help you find the truth.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Gao Yang yed cryptic. ¡°My second request is...¡±

    ¡°Tell me first!¡± Dr. Jia was anxious.

    ¡°I know you want the answer now, but be patient.¡± Gao Yang extended two fingers. ¡°My second request is an encoding key that will allow me to send a message to all awakeners in the Mist World on my phone. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s only single use. That¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. I can do it with a few clicks.¡± Dr. Jia couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Come on, tell me how you¡¯re gonna help me.¡±

    ¡°So you agree?¡±

    ¡°Tell me first!¡± Dr. Jia wasn¡¯t going to just fall for that. ¡°How do I know if you¡¯re lying to me otherwise?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang got to the point. ¡°You know I¡¯m the Divine Scion, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Dr. Jia was confused.

    Nine Frost clicked his tongue with a scoff, his arms folded. ¡°You call yourself a doctor, but you¡¯re ill-informed. Captain¡¯s a child between a life monster and a human, known as the Divine Scion or the Blessed Child. He¡¯s one of a kind in the Mist World.¡±

    Dr. Jia gaped.

    Gao Yang calmly added, ¡°If you doubt us, you¡¯re wee to check with those from the three organizations.¡±

    ¡°****!¡± Dr. Jia jumped to his feet. ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me something this big? I¡¯m <i>the </i>genius! Why didn¡¯t anyone update me?!¡±

    ¡°Now you know,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Dr. Jia dropped to his knees before him, grasping his hands like his life depended on it and saying in a trembling voice, ¡°No, Master Gao, please allow me to study your...¡±

    Gao Yang extracted his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some blood and energy for your study.¡±

    ¡°For real?!¡± Dr. Jia perked up.

    ¡°For real. Not only that, I¡¯ll also provide you with the blood and energy of a Spectre after the work¡¯s done so that you can study them. Moreover, I know a thing or two about where life monsters were born, and I have some understanding of the Malediction. I can share all that with you.¡± Gao Yang made a few nk checks. He would make a request to the Spectres after the fact.

    ¡°The Malediction is also known as the Cursed Offspring,¡± Nine Frost added. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a more detailed exnationter.¡±

    ¡°Master Gao! You...you are my new parent!¡± Dr. Jia had cast away his dignity, and he grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s leg while kneeling. ¡°Please, you have to give me the information!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll depend on your performance.¡± Gao Yang patted his head. ¡°Remember, finish my two requests, and your study must be kept from the three organizations or any other factions.¡±

    ¡°I promise! I swear!¡± Dr. Jia raised his hands. Then he thought of something. ¡°But I will be under the Qilin Guild¡¯s watch. Even after I finish the medicine, how am I going to deliver it to you?¡±

    ¡°Hah, leave it to this Empress,¡± said a small voice.

    Dr. Jia looked down to see a thumb-sized Nainai standing on the tea table with her arms akimbo.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Dr. Jia leaned in to take a closer look. ¡°Such an interesting Talent. Give me some of your blood...¡±

    ¡°How dare you! This Empress¡¯ divine power isn¡¯t for mortals like you to...¡±

    ¡°Nainai,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Go as small as you can.¡±

    Nainai did as he said and shrunk further until she was as small as an ant.

    ¡°Wow, amazing!¡± Dr. Jia marveled.

    Gao Yang threw Dr. Jia a thick silver ring. ¡°Put this on. Nainai will hide in the ring and follow you. The Qilin Guild will show you respect and offer you protection without treating you like an inmate. There should be no surveince inside yourb.¡±

    ¡°Once you make what we ask for, Nainai will leave with the batch. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Nainai had recorded Gao Yang¡¯s image and Talents with level 7 Shapeshifter. As long as she didn¡¯t record anyone else, she could store the Talent for twenty days. After getting the batch, she would escape through the wall with Teleportation at 50% efficiency.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t tell Dr. Jia the details.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Dr. Jia didn¡¯t ask anything else. After making sure that Nainai had hidden in the ring, he put it on.

    Gao Yang waved a hand, and Nine Frost handed him a 100-milliliter vial of blood and a ck Gold battery. It was Gao Yang¡¯s blood and vital energy.

    He put them in the briefcase and closed it, pushing it toward Dr. Jia.

    ¡°They won¡¯t check your personal belongings, will they?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Dr. Jia pounded on his chest. ¡°If they dare touch any of my stuff, I¡¯ll flip out and never work with them again!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Remember, if you turn on us, you will forever lose the blood and energy of a Spectre and the secrets of life monsters and the Malediction.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m a man of principle!¡± Dr. Jia said proudly. ¡°I don¡¯t make promises easily, but I always honor my promises.¡±

    ¡ªActivate Lie Detection.

    ¡ªThe target didn¡¯t lie, and he was neutral.

    Gao Yang was satisfied. ¡°You may go.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Dr. Jia was surprised. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna escort me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best to make the act more convincing. Find your way back on your own. It¡¯ll be better if you get injured and look like a mess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Dr. Jia took the briefcase and turned to leave.

    ¡°You better go back to Spice Nation first,¡± Qing Ling said, breaking her silence.

    ¡°Why?¡± Dr. Jia didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I should just head to Li City and find the Qilin Guild. Nothing is worth me going back to Spice Nation...¡±

    ¡°I saw your parrot flying out of your house that night. It¡¯s still alive.¡±

    Dr. Jia perked up after a surprised pause. ¡°Green Snake, you and Gao Yang are my new...no, biological parents!¡±

    Qing Ling tamped down the urge to throw darts at his face. She turned away and looked out of the window.

 Chapter 639: Compliment

    <h4>Chapter 639: Compliment</h4>

    Nanji District, Li City, ten dayster.

    Late at night, on the top floor of an unfinished apartment building with elevators.

    The barebone t was nned for three bedrooms and two living spaces. It was all concrete walls and floor with no doors or windows, and there was no utility in ce.

    Two secondhand sofas imed the living room, and a mattress was ced in each of the three bedrooms. Food that needn¡¯t be stored frozen filled the kitchen, as well as drinking water and simple everyday necessities. Buckets of clean water and washing products were ced in the bathrooms.

    Despite the sorry state of the ce, it was the Nine Scions¡¯ temporary base; it was one of their many bases, in fact.

    Gao Yang took a nap on a sofa. After his parents¡¯ passing, he had been unable to fall asleep on a bed. Only when lying on a sofa could he catch a moment of peace.

    When he woke up, Can was sitting on the sofa across from him, tucking her legs in and lowering her head as she yed a game on her phone. The brightness of her screen had been decreased to the minimum level, the soft glow illuminating her eyes and nose.

    After the Nine Scions¡¯ establishment, Can had quit HOK; it was to avoid getting tracked, but also to bid her past self farewell. Her days alternated between resting and training, and every once in a while, she went out on missions. What little free time she had, she filled by ying simple games.

    Her favorite was <i>Tetris</i>. Her father often yed with her when she was young.

    She remembered from her childhood how good her father was. Every time she was close to losing the game, she would call out to her father, and her father, who was usually drawing in his studio, would run out to take the handheld console from her, helping her with the game.

    It wouldn¡¯t take long for him to erase most of the blocks filling the screen. Then he would return the console to her with a smile. ¡°When are you gonna defeat Dad, Orange?¡±

    ¡°Just you wait!¡± Can pouted in defiance, but it never took long for her to il around and call out for her father again. ¡°Dad! Dad, hurry! I¡¯m gonna lose...¡±

    Now, Can was an adult, and she had mastered the game. The blocks fell one after another at increasing speed, the flurry of motions might as well be impossible to catch. The lines disappeared again and again. It was as if the screen would never get filled up.

    Hong Xiaoxiao saw her ying once, and she praised her for her amazing skills.

    Can merely smiled. Her dad was the amazing one. Unfortunately, he was already gone, and she would never get to defeat him in the game.

    <i>Terrible, those people we remember are. They remain unbeatable and distant, and we either miss them or resent them.</i>

    ¡°Can,¡± Gao Yang called out in a soft, hoarse voice. ¡°Have some rest in the rooms.¡±

    Can lowered the phone. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not tired.¡±

    Gao Yang knew Can was watching over him. While this was a safe enough ce, and every member of the Nine Scions was trustworthy, she still wanted to do something for her captain.

    Gao Yang gave her a pointed look.

    ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± Can rose to her feet obediently and went into a bedroom.

    On the mattress, Hong Xiaoxiao was sound asleep. Cany down and dove under the warm nket.

    The girls had gotten on like a house on fire. Can snickered, ¡°Take this... Nine Yin Skeleton w!¡±

    ¡°Hm...get your grabby hands away from me. They¡¯re freezing...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao rolled around sleepily rather than getting mad. She easily fell back asleep.

    ...

    It was Nine Frost, Wang Zikai, and Gray Bear¡¯s turn to patrol the neighborhood tonight. Lithe Snake and Qing Ling had left for reconnaissance, leaving Gao Yang alone in the dark living room.

    He sat on the sofa, entering his system.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 979 Luck points.]

    [Constitution: 441 Endurance: 441]

    [Strength: 1108 Agility: 1862]

    [Willpower: 2017 Charisma: 1517]

    [Luck: 1777]

    [Lv6 Teleportation]

    [Lv6 Replicate]

    [Lv6 Fire]

    [Lv6 Double]

    [Lv6 Psychic Armor]

    [Lv4 Lie Detection]

    [Lv5 Lucky]

    ...

    Gao Yang exited his system, letting out a soft sigh.

    The night he fled from Qilin¡¯s counseling room, his Psychic Armor leveled up, meaning all his Talents save for Lie Detection and Lucky had hit level 6. His n after that was to save up Luck points toprehend new Talents.

    Gao Yang had decided to go for Absolute Defense.

    From a sentimental point of view, it was his father¡¯s Talent, and he wanted the legacy containing his father¡¯s will

    From a rational point of view, Gao Yang had the Guard Rune Circuit and thus could push the Talent to level 8.

    If he seeded, he would be able to make good on his goal to protect those around him. Before a Talent could reach level 8, though, the threshold to reach level 7 must be ovee.

    None of Gao Yang¡¯s Talents had reached level 7.

    <i>Why? Is it because I haven¡¯te to a firm enough determination?</i>

    <i>Or is it that protecting my family and friends and ensuring our survival isn¡¯t all there is to it?</i>

    Gao Yang looked down at his hands and slowly balled them into fists.

    A trace of confusion and uncertainty lingered in his heart. It felt like he had forgotten something important, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Lithe Snake jumped in through a windowless opening in the wall. Then Qing Ling flew in on her Tang Dao through another opening.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Nothing seems suspicious on the end of the Hundred Rivers Union,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°The Qilin Guild hasn¡¯t made any noteworthy move, either,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Good work.¡± Gao Yang nodded at them.

    ¡°Snack time, bro!¡±

    In disguise, Wang Zikai sauntered through the entryway of the unfinished t with a bag of c and fried chicken, followed by Gray Bear and Nine Frost¡ªboth were in disguise, too.

    The three had finished patrolling.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. You should eat. I¡¯m getting changed.¡±

    Lithe Snake walked into the storage room. For patrol, he had to put on a wig and fix the scars on his face, putting on the uniform of the cleaning crew.

    ¡°Hoho, what a surprise that you¡¯ve fallen to this sorry state in the absence of this Empress. Pitiful! Pathetic! Laughable!¡±

    The familiar <i>chuuni </i>remark came from the balcony. Gao Yang looked over to see a slim girl in a sailor uniform, her back turned to them. She was holding a briefcase in one hand with her other hand on her waist. Although it was quite an unnatural posture, she was a little adorable like that.

    ¡°You¡¯re back too.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly, knowing that Nainai had seeded with the mission. He had been worried about her the past few days, but she was more dependable than she seemed.

    ¡°Good job, Nainai!¡± Gray Bear was d to see her. ¡°You return sooner than I thought you would!¡±

    ¡°Ha, not even the three realms and six reincarnation paths may trap this Empress. The Walled City of Ten Dragons posed no obstacles.¡±

    She turned around and threw the briefcase. Nine Frost caught it with ease before crouching down to open it. ¡°The amount matches our order. Actually, there are additional Medicine C and resurrection pills.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Wang Zikai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dr. Jia does know how to do business!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, under this Empress¡¯ authority, his loyalty is guaranteed...¡± Nainai marched into the living room proudly, only to spot Qing Ling standing against a wall. Her cold gaze shut Nainai up.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    The aloofpliment was a surprise.

 Chapter 640: Declaration of War

    <h4>Chapter 640: Deration of War</h4>

    After a stunned moment, Nainai blushed from her face all the way to the back of her ears, and her heart started racing too.

    <i>She, she, she, sheplimented me!</i>

    <i>Sheplimented me... Wait, who cares if the woman praised me?!</i>

    <i>Calm down, Nainai. She¡¯s manipting you! You¡¯re the descendent of the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel. You deserve all the praise in the world!</i>

    <i>But sheplimented you! That Qing Ling!</i>

    Nainai stood rooted to the spot as she warred with herself in her head.

    Dressed in loose cotton pajamas, Hong Xiaoxiao emerged from her room, bleary-eyed. ¡°Everyone...returns safely. Good.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xiaohong, wake Can! We should have a goodte-night snack to celebrate!¡± Wang Zikai hollered.

    Hearing about food woke Hong Xiaoxiao up properly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao was just about to return to the bedroom when the bag of food in Wang Zikai¡¯s hand opened. A can of c floated out of the bag, and a straw was put in before getting sucked on.

    Can showed up then. Holding the can of c, she cackled. ¡°Tee-hee, I¡¯ve already followed the smell out.¡±

    ¡°You little brat!¡± Gray Bear patted her on the head lightly. ¡°You¡¯re always a smartass. I told you to keep watch on Captain, but you gotzy instead.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Canbed her ruffled hair with a hand. ¡°I only went into the room when Captain woke up.¡±

    ¡°Everyone.¡± Gao Yang stood up and took out a burner phone. ¡°This is a night for celebration, but there¡¯s something we have to do before that.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Can turned to Gao Yang.

    Walking across the dark living room, Gao Yang went to the balcony lit by moonlight, looking down at the slumbering Li City.

    He raised his phone and clicked the send button for the group message he had written.

    ¡°To dere war.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, the Sea View Tower.

    Before the window wall in her private bedroom, Surnamed Li couldn¡¯t stop shuddering, her face pale and expression panicked. Despite the strong heating in the room, she felt cold.

    She had a dream earlier.

    She dreamed of a terrible future, and it was concrete rather than blurry.

    When she woke up, her Prophet reached level 7.

    <i>Ding</i>. Her phone, ced on the nightstand, rang. After a pause, she moved her electric wheelchair forward and picked up the phone. There was a message from an unknown number.

    Reading it, Surnamed Li¡¯s expression grew grave. Then she closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath, havinge to a decision.

    She called Chen Ying.

    ¡°What can I do for you, Madam Li?¡± Chen Ying picked up quickly. It sounded like she had been asleep.

    ¡°Gather all the team leaders, Chen Ying. We¡¯re holding an emergency meeting.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the closed-down Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, Qilin sat on a sofa in the counseling room, unable to sleep. He listened to a ssical piece as he nursed a cup of hand-ground coffee.

    <i>Ding</i>. The phone on the table rang. Qilin bent down to take it, seeing a message.

    His expression remained impassive as he read it.

    A few secondster, he put down his phone and took off his sses, wiping the lens carefully and thoroughly with a silk handkerchief. Then he put his sses back on.

    A bystander would assume it was a trick of the light that his green eyes seemed colder somehow under the sses, like ayer of frost forming on the calm surface of a sereneke under the moonlight.

    He remained unmoving,posed and ponderous.

    The only sound filling the room was the tragically rambunctious ssical music.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the Rabbit Room on the underground sixth floor of the Millennium Tower, War Tiger and White Rabbit were ying a game on the sofa. After Electric Mouse¡¯s death, White Rabbit had be his gaming buddy, and the two were equally terrible at games, alternating between the winner and loser.

    White Rabbit sang praises to her favorite work while ying. ¡°The story¡¯s awesome, Uncle Tiger. It¡¯s now on the fifth volume. It¡¯s more epic than <i>Doruto</i>[1]. You¡¯ll love it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the title again?¡± War Tiger asked without really paying attention.

    ¡°<i>My Buddy is the Chosen One</i>.¡±

    ¡°What kind of name is that?¡±

    ¡°Just try it! The rating¡¯s really high!¡± White Rabbit had made the rmendation to many. War Tiger¡¯s resistance had made her more insistent on selling it to him as a real fan.

    ¡°That must be all bots.¡± War Tiger snorted with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Stop wasting your time on shit like that, Rabbit. I rmend <i>The Big Three</i>. That¡¯s what we call an epic. It¡¯s on a whole nother level...¡±

    <i>Ding</i>.

    Their phones rang.

    War Tiger narrowed his eyes and quickly picked up his phone. White Rabbit put away her controller and unlocked hers.

    They both fell silent for a moment.

    War Tiger dropped his phone on the table and leaned back into the sofa, crossing his legs and taking a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaling smoke. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, but our Little Yang Yang is all grown up.¡±

    White Rabbit reacted in a more serious manner. Gaze heated, she clutched her phone and read out the message in an emotional and dramatic tone.

    ¡°To all awakeners in the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re allmbs amid a pack of wolves. We don¡¯t know where we came from or where we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Treading on thin ice, we never know whether we¡¯ll see the next day¡¯s sun. We¡¯ve all lost much, or even everything. It seems like an eternal slumber is our only end.¡±

    ¡°But we never lose hope, and we never stop.¡±

    ¡°Generation after generation, one leader after another, one by one. We throw ourselves into danger and give our lives to light up the endless night, chasing the faint dream of dawn.¡±

    ¡°Finally, we get to where we are today, having collected all twelve Rune Circuits with the Gates of Closure right before us.¡±

    ¡°The irony is that at some point, our biggest enemy is no longer the vicious monsters, but the unpredictable human heart.¡±

    ¡°Qilin, the head of the Qilin Guild, maintains an honorable and selfless front, when in truth he is ambitious and authoritarian.¡±

    ¡°As everyone knows, he has never shared the Miracle Rune Circuit with anyone or told anyone about where the Gates of Closure was over the past twenty-something years.¡±

    ¡°And now, he wants the twelve Rune Circuits for himself so that he alone may open the Gates.¡±

    ¡°A terrifying prospect it is that he may not be working for the salvation of all humanity, but for his own ambition.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, formerly Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild, found out the truth and almost got killed for it, framed with the seven sins he had notmitted.¡±

    ¡°He has awakened for around six months, serving the Twelve Zodiac Signs and then the Qilin Guild. He worked dutifully and risked his life numerous times, losing many of hispanions. During that time, he has found five Rune Circuits for the world of awakeners, but never considered keeping any for himself.¡±

    ¡°There were numerous times when he almost died in his fight against the Godbearer Cult, life monsters, and the Malediction, and he lost many morepanions and then his parents.¡±

    ¡°Like you, he has lost almost everything, but hold onto hope and his dignity and principles as a human.¡±

    ¡°Now, he is left with no choice but to start the Nine Scions withpanions who share his view.¡±

    ¡°We may be weak, but we will not submit.¡±

    ¡°We are born in the dark, but we will chase the dawn.¡±

    ¡°From now on, the Nine Scions will be officially at war with the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°As long as the Qilin Guild does not makepromises in their ambition, the Nine Scions will fight to the bitter end with our lives on the line.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°December 10th.¡±

    1. A reference to <i>Boruto</i>. ?

 Chapter 641: Path to Survival

    <h4>Chapter 641: Path to Survival</h4>

    Blue House Psychiatric Clinic, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    In the counseling room, Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird took the double sofa, while an old man sat across from them, dressed in worn ck clothes with a red and blue mask with lopsided features. He was Elder Yan Liang, newly appointed.

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird had heard Qilin mention an Uncle Yan a few times before, but it was their first time meeting the man in person.

    The atmosphere in the room was a little awkward.

    Vermilion Bird bore with it by using her phone, while Azure Dragon sat upright with a serious expression.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    A few minutester, Qilin returned with a hand holding his cane and the other hand holding a tray, on top of which were three cups of hand-ground coffee and a cup of pu¡¯er tea.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird rose to each take a cup of coffee, while Yan Liang didn¡¯t even move.

    Qilin went up and bent down to offer Yan Liang the tea.

    Yan Liang took the cup like it was the most natural thing in the world, holding the lid and the saucer while taking a sip.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes widened. Yan Liang hadn¡¯t taken off his mask, and his mouth was still covered, yet somehow, he was drinking.

    Not only had there been the sounds of sipping, but when he lowered the teacup, the tea had noticeably decreased in volume. It was like magic.

    Yan Liang looked up to meet her surprised gaze. Realizing that she had been rudely staring, she quickly lowered her head and drank the coffee.

    ¡°It¡¯s your first time meeting. I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± Qilin sat down on a single sofa. ¡°This is Uncle Yan, a new Elder of the Guild, Yan Liang.¡±

    ¡°These are Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon.¡±

    The three politely exchanged pleasantries.

    Qilin held his hands together and leaned forward. ¡°You must know why I hold the emergency meeting.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve all gotten the message from the Nine Scions,¡± Azure Dragon said seriously.

    ¡°To be honest, it is quite provocative.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled wryly.

    ¡°True.¡± Qilin agreed. Then he frowned. ¡°But why would Seven Shadow be able to send a message to all awakeners from an unknown number? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s capable of cracking Dr. Jia¡¯s encodedmunication system.¡±

    ¡°Must be Dr. Jia¡¯s doing.¡± Azure Dragon made a reasonable conclusion. ¡°He was taken by Seven Shadow and then released. He may have reached an agreement with Seven Shadow and agreed to offer help in secret.¡±

    ¡°Very likely.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded.

    ¡°Guildmaster,¡± Azure Dragon suggested. ¡°Why don¡¯t you interrogate him with Eidos?¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t respond.

    Yan Liangughed, still holding his cup of tea.

    Azure Dragon turned to him. ¡°Do you think differently, Elder Yan Liang?¡±

    ¡°Allegiance, loyalty, and faith mean nothing to Dr. Jia. All he has is the urge to seek knowledge.¡± Yan Lian spoke in an old but steady voice. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Interrogating and punishing him isn¡¯t going to do anything but push him away from us. We take him into our fold to make use of his ability, not to gain a loyal member.¡±

    Azure Dragon thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Leave him to me, Qilin.¡± Yan Liang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s time for him to work for us.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°However.¡± Yan Liang turned to Vermilion Bird with his masked face. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Elder Vermilion Bird for some vital energy and a man of hers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you my energy, but who are you asking for?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xin.¡±

    Vermilion Bird was surprised. She had thought Yan Liang would ask for a good fighter, but he wanted Xiao Xin, who had neither power nor courage.

    ¡°Alright. For how long?¡±

    ¡°Depends on how long Dr. Jia would need.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t have another question.

    Yan Liang chuckled and took another drink of his tea in his mysterious way.

    ¡°Vermilion Bird.¡± Qilin started allocating work. ¡°Negotiate with the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union. Remind them to not take Seven Shadow at his word.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon.¡± Qilin turned around. ¡°Continue to look for the Nine Scions. Once you find them, you may contact any member of the Guild for help, including me.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Remember. Our primary goal is the Guard Rune Circuit, and our secondary goal is Seven Shadow¡¯s life. The Nine Scionses third.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird answered at the same time.

    Then they hashed out the details of their work for half an hour, including what to do with Ke Yo, the death monsters, and clues on the Godbearer Cult.

    After the meeting, Vermilion Bird gave Yan Liang her energy and drove him to the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    They were silent for a long while during the drive, the mood odd.

    It took quite some time for Vermilion Bird to start a conversation. She turned down the radio and spoke in an even tone, ¡°Uncle Yan, given your age, you must be from the era of the Elusive Sect.¡±

    Yan Liangughed hoarsely. ¡°I never joined the Elusive Sect.¡±

    <i>So he had exchanges with them.</i>

    Vermilion Bird nced at the side mirror and made a slow turn. ¡°Uncle Yan and Guildmaster go way back, right?¡±

    ¡°Quite.¡±

    ¡°Even before the founding of the Guild?¡±

    ¡°Way before that.¡±

    ¡°Could it be...¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird,¡± Yan Liang interrupted her. ¡°What are you asking?¡±

    Vermilion Bird was still smiling. ¡°Nothing. Just making small talk. We¡¯re going to be colleagues after all.¡±

    ¡°I noticed it during the meeting.¡± Yan Liang was surprisingly straightforward. ¡°You hesitated. Are you swayed?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Vermilion Bird hid her surprise.

    ¡°Why did you follow Qilin back then?¡± Yan Liang took over the conversation.

    ¡°There were many reasons. The most important being his promise to lead humanity from the Mist World to our real home.¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how he put it exactly, but I was shaken when he said that. I was quite pessimistic and cynical back then. I didn¡¯t think humans could resist the terrible world, but he made me feel like we stood a chance.¡±

    ¡°Qilin didn¡¯t lie,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°He can do it, and he¡¯s been working hard for it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°So why did you sway?¡± Yan Liang pressed. ¡°Did your goal change?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m just...a little worried. Perhaps there is a better way.¡±

    ¡°I understand now.¡± Yan Liang sighed too. ¡°The path to survival is paved with blood, child. It may not seem perfect, but it¡¯s the only way in our reality. A rosy path only exists in hymns. It¡¯s fragile, and leads to nowhere but greater failure and tragedy.¡±

    Vermilion Bird fell into deep thought.

    ¡°If we do survive to see the Gates open, we¡¯ll thank Qilin,¡± Yan Liang said in a firm voice.

    Vermilion Bird smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot.¡±

    ¡°Drop me here. I¡¯ll walk the rest of the way.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Vermilion Bird parked the car. Yan Liang took his leave.

    She looked to the side at him as his sickly and frail figure stuck out like a sore thumb against the backdrop, and then he slowly blended into the colorful and boisterous scene of bars and the carnal desires they housed. Soon, he disappeared into the overwhelming streams of pedestrians.

 Chapter 642: Succubus

    <h4>Chapter 642: Subus</h4>

    Former ck Tortoise Branch, Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Wearing a mask with lopsided features, Yan Liang walked into the lobby with his hands behind his slightly hunched back. Two Guild members were in a tangled mess on a sofa for visiting guests.

    Pinned to the sofa by Subus, Xiao Xin looked panicked and embarrassed, his face and ears flushed. ¡°Miss, Miss Subus, please don¡¯t...¡±

    Subus straddled Xiao Xin¡¯s thighs. She had long blue curls with a middle part, a sensuous body with all the right curves, a captivating face, and purplish red freckles dotting her cheeks like makeup to recreate burn marks. There was a unique charm to her.

    She was wearing a tightly fitted beige jumper dress with a heart-shaped hole in the chest area, almost revealing her breasts. With both hands around Xiao Xin¡¯s neck, she pressed her body to his, her light-purple upcurved eyes enthralling.

    ¡°Haha, such a shy boy. Are you...a virgin?¡± She chuckled liltingly, her voice sultry and suggestive.

    ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m here to visit Elder Yan Liang.¡±

    She pressed a finger to his lips, whispering into his ear like she was telling a secret. Then she bit his earlobe.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Xiao Xin panicked and pushed her off with a shout.

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    Subus fell off his body,nding on the floor without making a sound like a piece of cloth, her body supple and boneless.

    Instead of picking herself up, shey down then and there, stroking her legs, covered in white stockings, and speaking in a disappointed tone, ¡°A real square... So boring.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Xiao Xin shot to his feet, pointing at Subus and breathing unevenly like he was going to say something. But then he saw Yan Liang from the corner of his eye, and he turned around, standing to attention. ¡°Elder Yan Liang!¡±

    Yan Liang nodded slightly, ncing at the woman lying on the floor. She looked like a pool of water. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Subus was still smiling, but her expression turned a little more serious.

    She got to her feet in a smooth motion, as if she had no bones.

    Subus had been a member of Team Azure Dragon. She was now an Elite of Team Yan Liang. Her Talent was Venom, serial number 39, Poison-type.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Yan Liang turned to leave. Xiao Xin and Subus followed.

    The three took a member elevator to the underground train station, got into a capsule, and disembarked after three minutes, reaching a secret station not open to most members.

    The station led to an advanced-looking door. Yan Liang called out, ¡°Dr. Jia, this is Yan Liang.¡±

    Silence stretched for a few seconds.

    The door opened with a click, and white light streamed out to illuminate their faces. Inside was a medium-sizedboratory with bright light and a simple yet ssy design, the main color palettes consisting of gray and white.

    Dr. Jia wore ab coat over his patterned shorts, his legs covered sparsely in long hair. His slippers were pink and furry. And he was staring at the giant petri dish before him, filled with light blue solution.

    Through the ss, a faint blue light shone and danced on Dr. Jia¡¯s face, theck of sleep obvious from the dark shadow under his eyes.

    At the center of the petri dish was an unusual cluster of energy. It looked like ink and milk had been mixed, but not thoroughly enough to make an even gray, neither did the contrasting colors form a meaningful pattern like the profound taichi symbol.

    Instead, the ck and white intertwined messily as if they were in conflict, and there was a sense of loneliness to it.

    Around the cluster of energy were other clusters of different colors. Like panicked fish, they swam around the ck-and-white energy cluster like they were alive and could feel emotions, and they couldn¡¯t approach because they were afraid.

    ¡°Strange.¡±

    Dr. Jia stroked his chin. <i>I thought the energy of the Divine Scion should be universallypatible, able to easilye together with any other energy, yet it¡¯s so unapproachable. It epts no others. That doesn¡¯t make sense. Something must be wrong.</i>

    ¡°Dr. Jia.¡± Yan Liang came up to him from behind.

    Interrupted, Dr. Jia turned around irritatedly. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What are you studying?¡± Yan Liang looked up at the petri dish through his mask.

    ¡°I asked Azure Dragon for energy to develop medicines with Limitless Evolution.¡± Dr. Jia didn¡¯t even bat an eye as he lied.

    He had already attempted the experiment; it didn¡¯t work at all.

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t ask in more detail. ¡°Have you received the message, Dr. Jia?¡±

    ¡°What message?¡±

    ¡°Seven Shadow, the traitor, sent an encoded message to all awakeners.¡±

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Dr. Jia turned around and went up to a workstation, picking up his phone and checking the message. It didn¡¯t take him long to read it.

    ¡°Haha.¡± He dropped his phone, looking disinterested. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Better-written than the one your Guild sent, but not by much.¡±

    Yan Liang¡¯s eyes were old, but clear and sharp. ¡°I heard that the technology to make a universal announcement is only licensed to the three major organizations, and it¡¯s only possible with a registered phone. How could Seven Shadow, a traitor, do this from an unregistered number?¡±

    ¡°Because I gave him the key,¡± Dr. Jia admitted easily.

    Yan Liang fell silent. He hadn¡¯t expected the honesty.

    Then he asked, ¡°Did Seven Shadow threaten you? You should¡¯ve told us.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dr. Jia said. ¡°That time we went to Ni Nation, Seven Shadow asked me for a key. He said that life monsters were dangerous, and if he met an untimely end, he would like to give the information to everyone before his death. So, I gave him a key. I didn¡¯t expect it to be of use like this. I didn¡¯t tell you because I didn¡¯t remember something that trivial.¡±

    Yan Liang fell silent again.

    Dr. Jia chuckled. ¡°Worry not, the key could only be used once. It¡¯s no longer viable.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded and dropped the issue. ¡°Dr. Jia, I¡¯ll leave these two to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re watching me?¡± Dr. Jia asked harshly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m asking you to develop something for us. You¡¯re free to make use of their blood and energy freely.¡± Yan Liang handed him an energy battery. ¡°This is Vermilion Bird¡¯s vital energy...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time,¡± Dr. Jia rejected coldly. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±

 Chapter 643: Humanity is Ungrateful

    <h4>Chapter 643: Humanity is Ungrateful</h4>

    Yan Liang became silent once more. <i>This man...I¡¯ve let you off the hook for the message, but you don¡¯t appreciate it.</i>

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Liang switched tactics. ¡°Alright, get back to your work and start working on our request when you have the time. These two will stay in yourb on standby.¡±

    He turned around. ¡°Hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Elder Yan Liang!¡± Xiao Xin was excited. It would at least be safe for him to hide in Dr. Jia¡¯sb. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about elite monsters and the Nine Scions.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Subus stared at Dr. Jia¡¯s face with aggression and burning passion. ¡°A genius is going to taste good, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Dr. Jia heard the unspoken words. As long as he refused to ept the request, he would have to endure the two¡¯s watch. Yan Liang was trying to annoy him into submission.

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Dr. Jia said. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Thank you in advance.¡± Yang Liang took out a piece of paper. ¡°These are what I¡¯m asking for. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±

    Dr. Jia took the list. ¡°Interesting. It¡¯s theoretically viable. Give me some time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Get out of my hair after this.¡± Dr. Jia huffed.

    ¡°Haha, I won¡¯t bother you in the near future.¡± Yan Liang turned around and left.

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang.¡± Xiao Xin called out and hesitated. ¡°Do I inform Elder Vermilion Bird about what happened here?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Liang responded harshly without turning around. ¡°Keep it a secret, or you¡¯ll bear the consequences.¡±

    Xiao Xin tensed. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ...

    Mouse Room on the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    In the meeting room, War Tiger was holding a full-member meeting regarding the deration of war the Nine Scions made to the Qilin Guild.

    They hade to a consensus: it was one man¡¯s words against another¡¯s, and they were to stay neutral when the truth was unclear.

    After the meeting, War Tiger asked White Rabbit and Heavenly Dog to stay.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Lovely Lamb stood on her toes and held onto the handle with both hands, closing the door to the meeting room with difficulty.

    The room quieted. War Tiger took his time to light a cigarette and only opened his mouth after taking a few drags. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°The deration of war must mean that Gao Yang is going to make a move,¡± said White Rabbit.

    ¡°Seconded,¡± said Heavenly Dog.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± War Tiger tapped on the table with his right hand, speaking with the cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Visit Songstress¡¯ flower shop regrly from now on, Heavenly Dog.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± White Rabbit said. ¡°Twenty minutes ago, Vermilion Bird called to ask about our stance.¡±

    War Tiger grinned. ¡°What did you tell her?¡±

    ¡°I said that it is the Guild¡¯s business, and we¡¯ll stay out of it. If they catch Green Snake alive, though, we¡¯ll be grateful to them for handing her to us.¡±

    ¡°Good answer.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°If we just cut our ties with Green Snake, it would be suspicious. It makes sense for us to want to get our hands on a traitor.¡±

    ¡°What do we do next?¡± White Rabbit¡¯s eyes zed. Her blood had been boiling since she read the Nine Scions¡¯ deration, and she was all pumped up, ready to do something.

    ¡°We do nothing.¡± War Tiger shrugged. ¡°We watch.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± White Rabbit knew it was the right thing to do, but she was still disappointed. Reality had put out the freshly ignited fire.

    ...

    Underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District, five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Inside the special cell, Zhang Wei sat cross-legged on the single bed, hands and feet in ck Gold shackles.

    Over the past few days of his imprisonment, his teammates visited him regrly and asked after him.

    Zhang Wei¡¯s anger slowly faded, and he ate after waking up, took a dump after eating, and went to sleep after relieving himself. His days were a boring blur.

    It was boring until Empty Life, his teammate, handed him a collection of books named <i>The Big Three</i>.

    Her Talent was Psychic Blessing, also known as Divine Blessing, serial number 88, Psyche-type. The Illusion Breaking Sprays the three organizations were using were made from her blood and energy.

    She was in her thirties. As a vegan with little material needs, her only habit was reading.

    She rmended Zhang Wei to read more for the betterment of his body and soul. Considering Zhang Wei¡¯sck of patience, she rmended a sci-fi novel with both entertainment value and depth.

    Zhang Wei had been uninterested at first, but he got so bored that he opened the book, and he couldn¡¯t stop. The novel opened a brand new door for him.

    He read the books almost in one sitting, forgetting about sleep and eating. Then he reread the books, going over the story numerous times.

    He felt like a man with a much broader perspective.

    From space, humanity, and even the Mist World atrge, were insignificant, a drop of water in the vast ocean. His trouble meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

    Sitting cross-legged and mediating, Zhang Wei felt as if he had reached enlightenment, with no material urges or bodily desires. Nothing would sway his mind, which had be one with the world.

    <i>Ha, what is a few days of imprisonment? What if I stay here for a few more months, a few years, or even die here?</i>

    <i>Humans are prideful beings, fools. Even if I have the power, I¡¯ll never work for humanity again.</i>

    <i>Humanity will not be thankful to me, Zhang Wei, and God doesn¡¯t care. We¡¯re all gonna end up as two-dimensional characters featured in a novel anyway.</i>

    <i>Click</i>. The cell door opened, and Chen Ying walked in.

    ¡°You¡¯re free, Zhang Wei!¡± Chen Ying was happy.

    Zhang Wei looked at her calmly and didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°The Nine Scions...Seven Shadow¡¯s organization, I mean, dered war against the Qilin Guild. It¡¯s now one man¡¯s words against another¡¯s, and the truth is unclear.¡± Chen Ying smiled. ¡°I asked Madam Li to release you on the premise that I take responsibility for you.¡±

    She took out a key to unlock the shackles. Then she fished out a tracking bracelet from her pocket. ¡°Put this on. We all have one on just in case.¡±

    Zhang Wei remained on the bed with an impassive expression, not moving an inch.

    ¡°Zhang Wei, you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhang Wei finally broke his silence, his voice a little hoarse from unuse.

    ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Chen Ying asked. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll stay here. Nothing about humans matters to me anymore.¡±

    Chen Ying paused before breaking into a smile. ¡°Alright. Then stay here.¡±

    She turned to leave, about to close the door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Zhang Wei suddenly lifted a hand. Tamping down his ecstasy for finally being exonerated, he said in a serious tone, ¡°I suddenly feel like there¡¯s still hope for humanity.¡±

    Chen Ying was exasperated and amused. ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming!¡± Zhang Wei jumped off the bed with visible joy, rushing out after Chen Ying. ¡°Sister Ying! What deration did Seven Shadow make? Let me see... Holy shit! It¡¯s epic! So fricking epic!¡±

 Chapter 644: Experienced

    <h4>Chapter 644: Experienced</h4>

    Top floor of the Sea View Tower, Nanji District, early morning.

    <i>Ding</i>. The elevator opened. Standing inside was a woman in an office outfit holding hands with a little boy in a suit, Chen Ying and Little Tian.

    Chen Ying let go of Little Tian¡¯s hand. They walked out of the elevator, switching gears from being family to being colleagues.

    They made it across the main dining area. The three elegant screens on the far end of the room were folded, and Chen Ying and Little Tian entered. Surnamed Li was there in her wheelchair, having breakfast.

    She was holding a small bowl of rice topped with raw egg. Before her was a bowl of miso soup and a few vegetable sides.

    ¡°Sorry for intruding. I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡± Chen Ying bowed, about to retreat from the booth.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m done.¡± Surnamed Li lowered the bowl and chopstick, waving a waiter over to make the table. Then the waiter poured the three of them tea.

    The three screens unfolded. The room quieted.

    Surnamed Li stared at Chen Ying without a word.

    Chen Ying took some time to speak up. ¡°Madam Li, I have something to report to you. The Nine Scions contacted Little Tian.¡±

    She twisted some of the truth. It was actually Chen Ying who asked Little Tian to contact the Nine Scions. She trusted Gao Yang and didn¡¯t believe that he would betray humanity. Thus, she wanted an answer from him. It surprised her that the Nine Scions would actually spot and contact Little Tian.

    Surnamed Li wasn¡¯t too surprised. She nodded and indicated for Chen Ying to continue.

    ¡°Nine Frost of the NIne Scions hasprehended Telepathy and reached out to Little Tian, asking for a secret coboration.¡±

    ¡°On what?¡± Surnamed Li asked.

    ¡°The Nine Scions are willing to root out Dust for us. In exchange, they wish to borrow Rune Circuits, resources, and manpower from us. If we don¡¯t agree to the deal, they ask us to at least stay neutral and not help the Qilin Guild take down the Nine Scions.¡±

    Surnamed Li sighed. It seemed that she had anticipated that.

    ¡°With the spy still atrge, the Union will never be stable and united.¡± Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll ept the deal.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Ying was confident that she would be able to convince her, but didn¡¯t expect the answer toe so readily.

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°This is between the three of us. Keep it a secret. I won¡¯t get involved, and no traces should be left. If the Qilin Guild learns of it, the consequences will be dire.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Chen Ying nodded. She had long made up her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam Li. If the truth is ever exposed, you may brand me as a traitor so that the Union won¡¯t be dragged down.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that, Chen Ying,¡± Surnamed Li reprimanded. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union and I cannot lose you.¡±

    Chen Ying paused before nodding vehemently. ¡°Understood!¡±

    Surnamed Li turned to Little Tian. ¡°I have another mission for you, Little Tian. Please continue to look for new awakeners. The Hundred Rivers Union must expand. We cannot sit around and wait for things to happen to us.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Tian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll work hard.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Chen Ying could see a stronger than ever urgency and unease in her eyes. ¡°Did you have another dream?¡±

    Surnamed Li didn¡¯t answer that. She waved at her and said, ¡°Go.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Chen Ying understood immediately. It wasn¡¯t time to tell her. She would know when she should know.

    ...

    Chen Ying walked hand-in-hand with Little Tian out of the Sea View Tower. When they were about to get into the car at the curb, Little Tian came to a sudden halt. Then after a few seconds, he turned to Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying caught on. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the car.¡±

    They got in. Chen Ying put the seatbelt on for him. ¡°He¡¯s reached out to you?¡±

    Little Tian nodded.

    After some thinking, Chen Ying came to a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll have breakfast first. What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°The Golden Arch!¡± Little Tian said, kicking his feet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Chen Ying drove to the nearest fast food ce and went in with Little Tian. They imed a seat by the window.

    Chen Ying ordered a cup of hot milk and a full breakfast for Little Tian, then a cup of hot coffee and a burger for herself.

    The ce was boisterous with upbeat music. Little Tian enjoyed the food while kicking his legs around.

    Due to his early awakening and the fact that he had encountered danger at too young an age, Little Tian was obedient but way too reserved. He rarely showed his emotions on his face.

    When he was happy, he didn¡¯t smile, but if he was sitting down, he would swing his legs around.

    His favorite time was the meals he shared with Chen Ying.

    Clear sunlight shone through the window and cast Little Tian¡¯s cheeks in a warm glow. His eyes were dark like ink. He tookrge bites of his food, getting some sauce on a corner of his mouth. Chen Ying picked up a tissue to wipe it for him.

    ¡°Take your time. Or you¡¯re gonna have digestive issues.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Suddenly, a strange breeze blew into Chen Ying¡¯s head, morphing into conceptual ideas before beingbined into concretenguage.

    [This is Nine Frost. Do you have an answer now?]

    Chen Ying continued to drink her coffee while touching and guiding the breeze in her head, turning it intonguage and sending it out of her ears.

    [We¡¯re willing to work with you.]

    Although psychicmunication done through Telepathy wouldn¡¯t leave any trace, Chen Ying still cautiously chose the word ¡°we¡± rather than ¡°the Union¡±.

    [Good.]

    [How are you nning to identify Dust? Are you going to check every suspect with Gao Yang¡¯s Replicate? Then I¡¯ll have to find a way to arrange...]

    [No. Captain¡¯s not going to take the risk. It¡¯s possible that she can damage his soul the moment he touched her.]

    [Gao Yang can use a double.]

    [He considered it, but it won¡¯t work.]

    [Double can only use Talent that exists intrinsically to him. So if Captain replicates your Psychometry first, then the double will be able to use the Talent. In other words, his double can use the Talents his main body has.]

    [However, the double cannot use Replicate on a target to find out their Talents. It requires the secondary usage of Talents. A double cannot create another double. That¡¯s a limit ced on simr Talens.]

    [What about Time Reset? You can bring Hong Xiaoxiao along and have Gao Yang check the suspects. If there¡¯s any danger, she can always go back to a save...]

    [That won¡¯t work, but I can¡¯t tell you the reason now.]

    [Alright. Then how are you going to root out Dust?]

    [We¡¯re helping you find Dust, to be precise. Every eleven o¡¯clock at night, stay a few minutes on your balcony. Doesn¡¯t matter if you flower your nts, collect your clothes, or just zone out. We¡¯ll send you messages through Telepathy every now and then. You only have to follow the instructions.]

    [That¡¯s it?]

    [Don¡¯t worry. Captain is quite experienced in finding spies. We will help you find Dust.]

    [However, you have to have unconditional trust in us. Whatever you do going forward, only you, me, and Captain shall know. Do not tell anyone, not even Madam Li.]

    [I understand.]

    [Now do as I say...]

    Chen Ying started outposed, but then she became unhappy. She frowned slightly, even mming her cup of coffee on the table.

    Sensing her change in mood, Little Tian looked up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sister?¡±

    ¡°Deal¡¯s off,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Why?¡± Little Tian was surprised.

    ¡°He asked me to steal the Union¡¯s puzzles, telling me it¡¯s part of the n to find the duck.¡± Chen Ying scoffed. ¡°Did he think I¡¯m a fool?¡±

    The puzzles referred to the Rune Circuits, and the duck referred to the spy.

    She sighed. ¡°I did wonder if the Nine Scions were actually trying to help us, but it turned out that they were simply looking to use me.¡±

    Little Tian was a little disappointed. He thought that he had helped his sister by forming a line ofmunication with Nine Frost, but now it seemed that he was happy for nothing.

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Chen Ying put on a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Little Tian nodded, resuming eating.

    ...

    [Done.]

    [Good. Now the three of us are the only ones who know.]

 Chapter 645: Differences

    <h4>Chapter 645: Differences</h4>

    50th floor of White Lake Hotel, Changyan District, two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    During thest night of the Crimson Tide, the White Lake Hotel had lost its top floors to a ¡°natural gas explosion¡±, which hadn¡¯t been repaired by the Heavenly Way.

    For the next two months, the Qilin Guild repaired the hotel. The top floors were still used as dorm rooms, recreational areas, and shelters, but having lost White Tiger as the chief of security and many members, the ce became much more deste.

    Most members lived on their own, or they were out for a mission.

    Dressed in a brown coat and beige casual pants, Vermilion Bird stood in a member elevator on red heels with a bag of four cups of hot milk tea. She was going to head back to her suite.

    <i>Ding</i>. The elevator door opened. Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes darkened when she simultaneously saw the member elevator across from her opening. Two people were standing inside. Since the particr elevator led to the underground hyperloop station, they must havee from the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    One of them was Yan Liang, still wearing ck cotton clothes and a mask with lopsided features.

    Beside him was a middle-aged man in a ck double-breasted trench coat. He was tall and slim with a wide forehead, tall nose, and square chin, his short ck hairbed back neatly. His sses were finely made and rimless. He gave off a conscientious and calm but rigid impression.

    He was Correcting Sickle, with Talent: Memory Tailor, serial number 44, Psyche-type.

    His mundane identity was the chief physician of a neurosurgery department. He resignedst month.

    His Talent allowed him to create a psychic forcefield to influence and disturb the target¡¯s short-term memory, causing debuffs like a loss of information or logic distortion.

    Through prolonged eye contact, he could even urately adjust, erase, fabricate, and rearrange the target¡¯s memories, changing the target¡¯s life experience entirely to reshape their personality.

    Correcting Sickle had been an Elite on Team Vermilion Bird, and he sometimes used his Talent to help Vermilion Bird treat their teammates¡¯ trauma. He had contributed to Scarlet Fox¡¯ oveing his despair.

    Now, he was Elder Yan Liang¡¯s subordinate.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Correcting Sickle greeted his former supervisor, speaking in a clear, low, and cool voice.

    Vermilion Bird nodded at him in response.

    The three walked out of the elevators at the same time.

    ¡°What are you here for, Elder Yan Liang?¡± Vermilion Bird had a dark look on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for Ke Yo,¡± said Yan Liang.

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she¡¯s lost her memory.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have Correcting Sickle fabricate some memory for her and turn her into a proper Guild member. Ke Yo has a nice Talent. We can make good use of her.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Vermilion Bird had guessed that he was up to no good.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to convince me with your tricks.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t mince her words. ¡°For one, it¡¯s inhumane. It¡¯s incredibly dangerous to imnt arge amount of false information in the mind of someone who has lost all memories. Without the support of real memories, if one day she recovered, a sh and a breakdown would be the kinder of the fates she may meet. She could lose her mind entirely.¡±

    Yan Liang was silent for two seconds. He nced to the side at Correcting Sickle. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Correcting Sickle said honestly. ¡°There¡¯s a sixty percent chance for the memory imnt to seed. If she recovers her original memories, there¡¯s an eighty percent chance that she could go mad.¡±

    He adjusted his sses and continued, ¡°I¡¯m better at making corrections, subtly changing one¡¯s personality and morality through adjusting the details of key memories. It¡¯ll take time, but is a much safer approach. Now, though, Ke Yo has too few memories, and there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Yan Liang thought for a moment. ¡°How great is the odds of Ke Yo recovering her memories?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no telling that. She may never recover, or she may recover the next second.¡±

    ¡°I say it¡¯s worth the gamble.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Vermilion Bird interrupted. ¡°Guildmaster put Ke Yo under my charge. I won¡¯t allow you to do that.¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, this is wartime...¡±

    ¡°So we have to stick to our principles as humans. If we lose the support of our people, we will lose the war sooner orter,¡± Vermilion Bird said with determination. ¡°If you just waltz in and modify Ke Yo¡¯s memories, are you going to do the same to us tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a strawman facy.¡± Yan Liang was unfazed. ¡°Ke Yo was a member of Tails. Being merciful to enemies constitutes cruelty to your own people.¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo isn¡¯t an enemy. She¡¯s never done anything terrible.¡± Vermilion Bird insisted. ¡°Leave her to me, Elder Yan Liang. I¡¯ll have her join the Guild in my own way.¡±

    And that was what she had been doing.

    Half of Team Vermilion Bird were problem kids, including Scarlet Fox and Raven Shark. Vermilion Bird had saved them from their mental cages and made them intopanions.

    She softened her voice. ¡°I know you¡¯re suggesting this for the Guild¡¯s benefits, Elder Yan Liang, but the method is not only inhumane but also dangerous. If Ke Yo loses it during an important mission and pulls both friends and foes into her Strange Realm, it will be a disaster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely to happen,¡± said Yan Liang.

    ¡°But it can happen.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t back down. ¡°If you insist on doing that, I¡¯ll request a meeting and vote to make a decision.¡±

    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t persuaded. In fact, he saw Vermilion Bird as immature.

    However, he knew that if he insisted, there would be a great fissure between him and Vermilion Bird even if he seeded, which would be a great danger factor and variable for the Qilin Guild in this war.

    Yan Liang nodded slightly. ¡°Alright. Do it your way, but be quick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    The two men returned to the elevator. Once the door closed, Vermilion Bird took a deep breath and collected herself.

    She carried the milk tea to Room 5021. Knocking on the door, she waited a few seconds. Then she pressed the doorbell. Still, no one answered.

    Vermilion Bird sighed. Then she sent a message on her phone.

    About ten secondster, the door opened.

    On the other side was a young man in his twenties, wearing arge pink jumper printed with a cartoon mermaid princess.

    He was small and thin, his light blue hair a messy nest of curls. His face was pale to the point of appearing malnourished, and his eyes were deep-set withrge ck irises. His gaze was somewhat unfocused, fixed on a point lower than his eye level.

    From Vermilion Bird¡¯s point of view, it would seem like he was staring at her chest.

 Chapter 646: Raven Shark

    <h4>Chapter 646: Raven Shark</h4>

    Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t angry. She knew he wasn¡¯t looking at her lecherously.

    ¡°Have you forgotten again, Raven Shark? You should look at someone¡¯s face.¡± Vermilion Bird pointed at her own face and reminded him in a gentle tone.

    Raven Shark¡¯s unfocused gaze moved up to Vermilion Bird¡¯s face.

    She stayed quiet, waiting.

    Raven Shark finally remembered that he should greet people when he met them. He said quietly, ¡°Hello, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    Vermilion Bird nodded contently, lifting the bag of milk tea in her hand. ¡°Raven Shark, I brought milk tea for you. Would you wee my visit?¡±

    Raven Shark held onto the door with both hands, his gaze falling again. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He closed the door.

    Vermilion Bird sighed softly. Raven Shark was born with serious autism, and his parents had almost given up on him. When he was fourteen, Raven Shark awakened with a strange power. Thankfully, his parents were both wanderers and automatically modified their memories and logic.

    Three monthster, Vermilion Bird found the boy suspected to be an awakener and took him away, iming to be a teacher specializing in treating neurodivergent teenagers. Under her patient care and guidance, Raven Shark took three years to slowly open himself up to the outside world. And through continuous learning and training, he could now lead a rtively normal life¡ªonly he still acted a little strangely.

    <i>Click</i>. The door opened. Raven Shark said happily, ¡°They agree.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Vermilion Bird walked in with a smile. The ce was messy with the sofa, table, and floor covered in heaps of clothes, toys, and drawings. There was almost no room for her to walk. Thankfully, the air was clear, and there wasn¡¯t the sweaty smell typical of a boy¡¯s room. Raven Shark took baths many times every day.

    The walls were stered with doodles made with crayons, featuring all kinds of marine animals ranging from small gobies torge whales, as well as jellyfish, octopi, sea turtles... There were many that Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t even recognize.

    Raven Fish didn¡¯t have art training, and his technique left something to be desired, his style childish. However, he could always capture the most identifiable features of a creature, making his drawings vivid.

    Raven Shark had named each of the fish. They were his friends. And earlier, he was asking for their permission.

    Vermilion Bird put down the milk tea, looking down at an unfinished painting on the table. It was of arge ck shark.

    Raven Shark put a straw into a cup of strawberry milk tea and picked it up to take a sip. Then he extracted the straw, reaching for another cup of milk tea.

    ¡°Wait, these three cups aren¡¯t for you,¡± Vermilion Bird stopped him.

    Raven Shark took two seconds to understand and ept it. He didn¡¯t seem unhappy at all, and he put his straw back into his cup of milk tea, enjoying it.

    ¡°I have a mission for you, Raven Shark. It¡¯s going to be difficult, but you¡¯re the only one who can do it.¡±

    Raven Shark¡¯s head remained low as he drank his milk tea, as if he hadn¡¯t heard her.

    Vermilion Bird waited for thirty seconds before Raven Shark looked up.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°Find someone for me, please.¡±

    This time, it took only a few seconds for Raven Shark to nod. Then he went back to his milk tea.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the details with our phones.¡± Vermilion Bird took out her phone and sent him the details of the mission even though they were in the same room.

    Raven Shark lowered his cup of milk tea and took out his phone, his eyes lighting up as he quickly browsed through the messages. His fingers flew across the screen, typing out a response.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s phone rang.

    [Raven Shark: Don¡¯t worry, Elder Vermilion Bird. Raven Shark willplete the mission!]

    ¡°Okay.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded with a smile. Raven Shark could talk like a regr person through text; in fact, he could get quite talkative.

    He typed away on his phone again.

    [Raven Shark: Elder Vermilion Bird, I had a dream about Brother Scarlet Fox. He said that he missed you a ton, and that you really should stop smoking.]

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s smile stiffened for a moment before smoothing out. ¡°If you have another dream of him, tell him that his sister misses him a ton, too, and that I haven¡¯t been smoking.¡±

    [Raven Shark: Got it, Elder Vermilion Bird.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll get going then.¡±

    Vermilion Bird picked up the remaining three cups of milk tea and walked out of Raven Shark¡¯s room, closing the door behind her.

    Standing in the empty corridor, she fished out a pack of cigarettes and her lighter from her coat pocket, shaking one cigarette out of the pack and popping it in her mouth. With practiced ease, she lit it.

    She took two steps back until her back pressed into the wall. Tilting her head, she looked at the window at the end of the corridor, where white light shone in. A breeze ran along the corridor, sweeping her hair. Time seemed to blur at that moment.

    Vermilion Bird quietly smoked, her head empty of any thought.

    ...

    Room 5003, 50th floor of White Lake Hotel.

    Therge suite consisted of four rooms and three living spaces, including a kitchen and a bathroom. Two floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the sunlight to shine in. Dressed in simple but elegant pajamas, Ke Yoy on the sofa with her arms widened, her hands digging into the leather of the sofa as a woman lifted her left leg and held onto her bare foot.

    The woman was in her mid-thirties. She was tall and skinny, wearing a loose sweater and wide-leg jeans.

    Her long ck hair ran down her shoulders naturally, the front of her hair lifted with a ck fringe sticker. Free of makeup, she wore a delicate pair of gold frame sses, making her look well-educated.

    Holding Ke Yo¡¯s left ankle, she balled her other hand into a fist with the middle finger¡¯s knuckle protruding, massaging the acupuncture points of Ke Yo¡¯s footsole.

    She was One Stone, with Talent: Pharmacist, serial number 86, Knowledge-type.

    She wore many hats in the mundane world: nutritionist, acupuncturist, elite massagist, and popr online novel author.

    Before Scarlet Fox¡¯s sacrifice, she had been an Elite of Team Vermilion Bird, mainly staying in the back to develop and create medicines that had been poprized. Medicine C, Medicine D, and Medicine M were all her handiwork.

    After the Crimson Tide, sheprehended Seed of Resentment, and considering her experience and contribution, she was promoted to Protector.

    One Stone went to the same school as Vermilion Bird. Vermilion Bird was her senior. With Vermilion Bird¡¯s Talent keeping her look young, though, One Stone seemed more like the senior, or even her professor.

    The two were quite close, and since they were both single, they had been living together.

    Now that Ke Yo had been let out after an observation period, she was assigned to Vermilion Bird, and she moved in. On one hand, it was to make it easier for Vermilion Bird to keep an eye on her; on the other hand, Vermilion Bird wanted to make her apanion.

    ¡°Ah, aghhh...¡± Ke Yo cried out again. ¡°Hurts! It hurts!¡±

    ¡°You have a stomach problem, don¡¯t you?¡± One Stone went easier on her.

    Ke Yo nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then you should eat less sweet, spicy, stimting, raw or cold, and pickled food. Glucocorticoids, too.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of living?¡±

    One Stoneughed. ¡°You have a point.¡±

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll do your other foot.¡±

    Ke Yo pulled her left leg back and lifted her right leg. One Stone took off her sock smoothly and started massaging her sole.

    Ke Yo started screaming again.

    ¡°Oh, did you finish the mission I gave youst night?¡±

    One Stone asked as she massaged Ke Yo¡¯s foot.

 Chapter 647: Fisherman

    <h4>Chapter 647: Fisherman</h4>

    ¡°Watch that anime?¡± Ke Yo asked.

    One Stone got excited. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°I watched two episodes. I had a good sleep,¡± Ke Yo said honestly.

    ¡°How...how did you fall asleep?¡± One Stone went hard on the massage as her emotion surged.

    ¡°Aghhhh, easy...¡± Ke Yo cried out again. ¡°But, but the story¡¯s boring. A group of men run together every day. There¡¯s no plot...¡±

    ¡°Come on! All the fresh bod...boys running together, living together, eating together, having baths together, sweating together, encouraging each other, running toward the same dream... Can you not get into the engaging and wonderful bromance?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head.

    ¡°Oh, you poor girl!¡± One Stone disapproved and pitied her. Just when she was going to give another spiel, the door opened.

    Vermilion Bird entered with three cups of milk tea. She had caught snippets of their conversation at the door, and sheined, ¡°I told you to treat her health problems, One Stone, not for you to unt your interest and corrupt the girl.¡±

    ¡°Sister Xia!¡± One Stone shot back. ¡°Again, your definition of love is too limited! True love transcends chromosomes and sexes...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t interested in another word vomit from her. She turned to Ke Yo. ¡°So, does the massage work?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head.

    During the past two days, One Stone had been trying all kinds of therapies on her to stimte her memory, but to no result.

    Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t surprised. ording to what they knew about life monsters, they were powerful and could even directly manipte and brainwash all wanderers on the isted inds through the altars. It would be unlikely for Ke Yo to recover the memories wiped by a life monster¡¯s energy.

    The three of them sat down and chatted as they drank milk tea.

    Soon, Vermilion Bird was hit with the urge to smoke, and she went to the balcony. The warm sunlight of the winter shone on her face. The wind lifted her fringe as she quietly smoked, eyes narrowed. She was scanning the neighborhood at the same time.

    Across the road was an apartment building of single rooms. On the balconies facing the White Lake Hotel, clothes and nkets were hung to be dried.

    A big golden retrievery on one of the balconies. Its owner had to work during the day. Worried that the dog would tear the t apart, it was kept on the balcony. It barked all the time due to boredom, which was annoying.

    It was quiet today, though. Sitting upright, it lifted its head slightly and enjoyed the afternoon sun.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the balcony, an invisible hand was scratching the golden retriever¡¯s chin.

    ¡°Hehe, what a good boy,¡± Can said.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Lithe Snake responded.

    Can lowered her voice further. ¡°We¡¯re so far away. She¡¯s not gonna hear us, is she?¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t hear us, but it¡¯s a bad habit.¡±

    Can epted the criticism. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s important to cultivate good habits.¡±

    A few secondster, Can spoke up again, ¡°Brother Lithe Snake, Vermilion Bird let Ke Yo out and lived with her. Is she trying to recruit Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°What else can it be?¡± Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Just making friends?¡±

    Can remembered the Strange Realm she had been put into. ¡°Ke Yo¡¯s ability is quite troublesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I don¡¯t have irvoyance or Keen Hearing. I can¡¯t hear them.¡±

    ¡°Three women won¡¯t be talking about work at home, Brother Lithe Snake. They should be talking about gossip or men.¡±

    ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s like you?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Can stopped talking.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end things here today. We risk exposing ourselves if we stay for too long.¡±

    ¡°Little Yellow, be good. We¡¯ll visit you tomorrow.¡± Her invisible hand stroked the dog¡¯s head.

    <i>Woof!</i>

    ...

    December 14th, evening.

    Old Fisherman Wharf, upstream of Li River, Xijing District.

    By the long abandoned wharf moored a dmissioned small ferry. A fisherman sat on the deck.

    He wore an orange windbreaker and a gray fisherman hat, skin tanned and face covered by a bushy beard. The upper part of his face was hidden behind an old-school pair of sunsses. It was difficult to tell his age.

    Sitting on a foldable stool he had brought, he held a ck fishing rod; beside him was a foldable stic bucket filled with water.

    The setting sun of a winter evening sshed solemn colors on the Li River, the red washing over the old ferry and the lonesome fisherman.

    The water rippled under the ferry.

    The fisherman immediately shook and lifted the rod with a whip of his wrist, and the line went taut. He knew a fish had bitten the bait. He continued to raise the rod in his direction, but the fish was stronger than he thought.

    He held the rod with both hands, lifting and pulling skillfully.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    After a tug of war, he managed to reel in the fish. It was a golden carp.

    It wasrge and fat. He had to use both arms to hold it.

    The fisherman was beside himself. He had been sitting here the entire afternoon and had gotten nothing. To his pleasant surprise, his first catch was a big one.

    He extracted the hook from the fish¡¯s mouth, cing the fish in the foldable water bucket by his side. Water overflowed. The fish was sorge that it filled the entire bucket. It whipped its tail around, struggling with all it had.

    The fisherman put on the lid of the bucket and zipped it up, cutting its escape route.

    He muttered to himself, ¡°What good luck. I¡¯ll make fish hot pot for everyone for dinner.¡±

    His voice was young.

    He checked his watch. It was about time.

    Soon, the phone in his pocket rang thrice before the call cut off. He checked the Caller ID. It was an unknown number.

    He lowered the fishing rod and took off his hat and sunsses, tearing off the fake beard. It was Gao Yang.

    He had chosen to put on disguise rather than have his appearance transformed so that the one he was meeting could recognize him from afar and feel assured.

    In ten seconds, his phone rang thrice before going quiet again.

    It seemed that the person had confirmed his identity.

    Gao Yang put the hat, sses, and fake beard back on, back to being the fisherman. Energy shed through his eyes discreetly under the cover of the sunsses.

    One second before he removed his disguise, he had activated Double and Teleportation to hide his real self in the ferry¡ªhe couldn¡¯t be a hundred percent certain that the person he was meeting wouldn¡¯t turn against him, shooting him in the head with a sniper rifle.

    He was meeting Chen Ying today.

    Last night, Nine Frost had arranged for them to meet at the wharf this evening.

    They picked the evening rather than the night because the three major organizations and the Nine Scions were closely watching each other, and the core members tended to make their moves during the night, which made it a dangerous time to be out.

    Gao Yang was meeting Chen Ying for one thing: to discuss the matter of rooting out the spy in person and exchanging intel.

    Nine Frost could very well do all that through Telepathy; it would be a hassle, but much safer and more discreet.

    Gao Yang insisted on meeting Chen Ying in person with the excuse of showing his goodwill, but it was a lie.

    He had another motive, but he couldn¡¯t tell Nine Frost, or the man would stop him for sure.

 Chapter 648: End of Deal

    <h4>Chapter 648: End of Deal</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s hidden goal was to rule out the possibility of Chen Ying being Dust once and for all. He would use Lie Detection on her when he met her first, but of course, since Dust was likely to have another personality or soul and could lie to herself, Lie Detection wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    If Chen Ying was Dust and had another personality or soul, at least Gao Yang would be able to make sure that he was talking to the personality that was Chen Ying with Lie Detection. Then, after making sure she wasn¡¯t lying and was benevolent, Gao Yang would immediately touch her and use Replicate to identify her Talents, leaving Dust with no time to react.

    If Chen Ying only had Psychometry and Skeleton Key, she was a hundred percent not the spy; if she had another hidden Talent, though, she was likely to be Dust.

    Of course, the n wasn¡¯t without risk. Gao Yang didn¡¯t know the exact way Dust¡¯s Talent worked.

    He had considered bringing Hong Xiaoxiao along.

    Her Gamer would be a good contingency. The Talent wasn¡¯t a magic bullet, though. When bringing back the same living being or resetting the same space, there had to be a three-day cooldown, and there was a limit to the number of uses.

    When Gao Yang suggested the possibility, Lithe Snake had caught a mouse for Hong Xiaoxiao to experiment on. Indeed, the injured mouse couldn¡¯t be reset again after two resets.

    It took them more than ten days and several ck Gold hairpins, but the conclusions they reached were valuable:

    Level 3 Gamer could at most reset a living being twice, while Hong Xiaoxiao could reset herself without limit.

    That was why Nine Frost rejected Chen Ying¡¯s proposal for Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao to rule out the suspects one by one.

    Nine Frost believed that the leader of the Nine Scions must not waste his chances of resurrection; they had a long way to go, and anything could happen.

    Gao Yang pretended to look around. Then a woman in a fisherman hat, a windbreaker, and jeans appeared at the levee, a pack on her back. It was Chen Ying in disguise.

    Things were going smoothly.

    Suddenly, though, a warning red in his head.

    [Warning, you are in danger!]

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 5 times.]

    Gao Yang was at first surprised, then confused.

    <i>Five times? What is that supposed to mean?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s dangerous, but not really?</i>

    Still, a danger was a danger. Without hesitation, Gao Yang looked at the figure on the levee and used Telepathy, which he had replicated from Nine Frost.

    [Change of n. Stop the deal.]

    [Roger that. Be careful.]

    Chen Ying was about to reach the stone stairs leading down the levee. She walked past it rather than making a turn or slowing down, like she was going to fish at a different spot.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. Once Chen Ying was away, all that was left for him to deal with was the enemy that posed a slight danger.

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 7 times.]

    The system sounded another warning.

    Gao Yang was increasingly confused. What was going on? Had his system gone haywire?

    [Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 10 times.]

    [12 times.]

    [18 times.]

    [29 times.]

    ...

    For the next thirty seconds, the danger level continued to rise until it reached 3500 times at a minute¡¯s mark.

    Gao Yang could now clearly sense the strange disturbance under the ferry. He spected that arge school of fish had gathered underwater.

    The fish in the area had gotten hostile to Gao Yang and gathered around, and the danger level thus climbed to 3500 times.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. He knew who he was dealing with now.

    He remained on the foldable stool with the fishing rod in his hand, like he hadn¡¯t noticed anything.

    <i>Gurgle</i>. Bubbles rose from where the line went into the water. It seemed that another fish had bitten the bait.

    Just like the previous time, Gao Yang stood up and held the fishing rod with both hands, lifting it forcefully.

    The rod broke, but the thing he caught emerged from the water.

    It looked like a giant blue whale triple the size of the ferry. As it leaped out of the water, it loomed over him and obscured the sky, the pressure tremendous as it opened itsrge maw to bite Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang saw clearly then that it wasn¡¯t a whale, but an amalgamation of countless marine animals and river water, assembled by a blue energy. Inside the ¡°whale¡± was a frail young man glowing a blue light.

    Two secondster, the ¡°giant blue whale¡± swallowed the old ferry and triggered towering waves that resembled a tsunami, leading to a downpour.

    Then everything settled down. The waves were gone, and the downpour ended. Half of the wharf and the entire ferry were gone.

    The giant whale had swept over the ferry and Gao Yang, dragging them to the bottom of the river. Then the whale broke apart into individual marine animals.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes at the bottom of the river, getting a clear look at the attacker. It was Raven Shark.

    Unclothed, Raver Shark was covered in smooth blue scales like a merman. All around him were glowing fish.

    He was less than ten meters from Gao Yang. From a distance, his gaze was unfocused, shifting down to Gao Yang¡¯s chest.

    They couldn¡¯t converse in the water. Gao Yang waited for Raven Shark to make a move.

    However, Raven Shark didn¡¯t attack him. He turned around and swam away, quickly disappearing.

    Gao Yang was a little confused. He remained where he was, unmoving.

    Only after making sure that Raven Shark was gone did he slowly vanish¡ªthe Gao Yang swept away by the whale was a double.

    An invisible man floated not far away. It was Gao Yang¡¯s true self. With the Talent reaching the end of its use time, Gao Yang reappeared.

    To prepare for possible threats, Gao Yang had replicated three Talents from his teammates before setting out today: Telepathy, Invisibility, and Gale.

    He had used two.

    Gao Yang never intended to fight Raven Shark. For one, Raven Shark was a member of Team Vermilion Bird, and the Nine Scions had agreed not to kill a member of theirs unless there was no alternative. For another, Raven Shark had level 6 Sea King, specialized for underwater battle. Without ess to Fire, Gao Yang might not be able to defeat him. That was why he fooled Raven Shark into making his move with a double.

    To his surprise, though, Raven Shark never intended to kill him, and he left after dragging him into the water.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Gao Yang to reach the river bank. After making sure it was safe, he went over what had happened.

    He came to a conclusion in a few minutes:

    <i>I got lucky.</i>

 Chapter 649: Sea King

    <h4>Chapter 649: Sea King</h4>

    Gao Yang knew the basic information of all Qilin Guild members like the back of his hand. Raven Shark¡¯s Talent was Sea King, serial number 48, Summon-type.

    Raven Shark was quite a character and rarely participated in any group missions. The former Guild members among the Nine Scions had never seen Raven Shark¡¯s Talent and thus didn¡¯t know how it worked exactly. Moreover, a Talent evolved as it leveled up.

    Gao Yang could deduce from the name of the Talent that it was specialized for underwater fights and granted control over marine creatures, at least.

    Based on what had just happened, level 6 Sea King also allowed the user tomunicate with marine creatures and use them for scouting and battles to a certain degree.

    The system¡¯s warnings were proof of that.

    The 5, 7, and then 12-time bonuses were most likely triggered by the small fish and shrimps bing hostile to Gao Yang. As the swarm increased in size, and Raven Shark rushed from underwater after getting notified by the early scouts, theirbined force then triggered a 3500 times bonus.

    Of course, that couldn¡¯t be the limit to Raven Shark¡¯s power. Raven Shark never intended to kill Gao Yang, and he left after a ¡°greeting¡±.

    That, however, posed an inconsistency. If Raven Shark never intended to kill Gao Yang, there would be no need for him to expose himself. Wouldn¡¯t that be akin to alerting the snake hidden amid the grass?

    Raven Shark had a strange personality, but he wasn¡¯t a psycho. It was said that his autism had been under Vermilion Bird¡¯s treatment.

    Gao Yang went over the whole thing and quickly came to a realization.

    First, it was proven that Raven Shark couldmunicate with marine creatures and grant them a certain level of intelligence to use them as scouts, the target being members of the Nine Scions. Of course, they were limited to the rivers in Li City, at most including the river banks.

    When Gao Yang came to the Old Fisherman Wharf, his disguise prevented the fish from recognizing him. He only took off his disguise for a short minute when meeting up with Chen Ying, during which the fish saw and recognized the leader of the Nine Scions. They then sent the information to Raven Shark, who was nearby.

    Raven Shark thus swam over from the bottom of the river.

    He must know that he wouldn¡¯t be Gao Yang¡¯s match.

    Based on what Gao Yang knew about Vermilion Bird, she wouldn¡¯t have her subordinates recklessly attack members of the Nine Scions, which meant their only job would be to monitor the group.

    Raven Shark intended to keep an eye on Gao Yang and determine what he was up to. Then he would report to Vermilion Bird.

    Raven Shark hid himself well. He never approached Gao Yang and sent only the fish to watch him. Gao Yang, indeed, was none the wiser.

    However, Gao Yang happened to be ying a fisherman and was actually fishing. While he was aplete amateur, he luckily caught arge fish, and therge fish was coincidentally one of the fish assigned to monitor the Nine Scions.

    Thus, the other fish granted some level of intelligence became hostile to Gao Yang, which triggered the system¡¯s warning. Gao Yang realized that he was under watch and called a stop to his meeting with Chen Ying, just in time to avoid getting exposed.

    What happened next was simple: Raven Shark wasn¡¯t trying to attack or greet Gao Yang, but saving his friend¡ªtherge golden carp Gao Yang had caught.

    The giant blue whale wasn¡¯t summoned to swallow Gao Yang, but to upend the old ferry and allow the golden carp to escape.

    Once that was done, Raven Shark ran.

    Anyone else would find it foolish to expose himself to save a fish, but the autistic boy with Sea King saw the carp as a real friend, even more important than colleagues he wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    Gao Yang broke into a cold sweat. He was lucky to have caught the fish, or the secret dealing between the Nine Scions and the Hundred Rivers Union would¡¯ve been exposed.

    Going forward, he must avoid all rivers, and following the logic, it would be wise to avoid areas with birds, insects, and mammals, or there would be a risk of getting found out by friends of the awakeners with the corresponding Talents.

    At the moment, it seemed that there were only two safe ways for meetings, Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy, and Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream.

    ...

    The day was short during winter. The sun was already setting when Gao Yang reached the river bank.

    He had lost his fisherman hat and sunsses when getting swept into the river by the giant blue whale, and his fake beard was drenched. The darker foundation he applied to his face was washed away as well, revealing his real skin color. And anyone would notice a drenched person like him.

    Luckily, there was a mall nearby. Gao Yang decided to get changed. He had bought the fisherman¡¯s clothes at the mall right before the meeting.

    He made it to the back of the mall, which he had scouted out. He teleported right into a changing room of a clothes shop.

    He hit the jackpot; the hoodies and jeans the previous customers had tried on were still hung in the changing room. Gao Yang shut the door and quickly changed into a dry hoodie and a pair of pants.

    The clothes were a little too big. Gao Yang put on the hood to cover half of his face. Then he walked out of the changing room, paying at the cashier with wrinkled cash¡ªhe had dried the money with Fire upon getting out of the water.

    With his hands in his pockets, he discreetly walked out of the shop, heading to the exit on the other side of the mall, which led to the home base.

    At a corner, a girl happened to be walking toward him from his blind spot, and he failed to react in time, thus knocking into her shoulder.

    ¡°Ah.¡± The girl whined.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t even look at her as he apologized and continued to walk.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± The girl recognized him, however, and she called out in pleasant surprise.

 Chapter 650: â€œSea Kingâ€

    <h4>Chapter 650: ¡°Sea King¡±</h4>

    Gao Yang paused with his back to the girl. Between continuing walking and turning around to respond, he cautiously picked thetter.

    He let out a soft breath and turned around naturally. It was Zhou Jing, Can¡¯s college roommate.

    She had light blond curls with trendy makeup that made her look like the young mistress of a chaebol, wearing a long linen dress with ck and white stripes, the fabric hugging her pronounced curves while revealing her shoulders and long, alluring legs. She had an eyecatching diamond ne on her neck. And the checkered purse she was holding belonged to the newest collection this season.

    Gao Yang¡¯s first reaction was:<i> geez, are you not cold? You¡¯re gonna have leg aches when you¡¯re old.</i>

    ¡°What a coincidence, Zhou Jing.¡± Gao Yang put on a friendly smile and pulled off the hood of his hoodie.

    ¡°Why are you here on your own?¡± With greater enthusiasm, Zhou Jing put a hand on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder and smirked. ¡°You were being sneaky. You weren¡¯t doing something bad, were you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I just watched <i>The Wandering Blue</i>. It¡¯s quite epic.¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m here for the next screening!¡± Zhou Jing frowned when she thought of something. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you live in the Shanqing District? Why did youe all the way here for a movie?¡±

    Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, <i>Why the twenty questions?</i>

    ¡°Ah, I had things to deal with in the area, so I swung by for a movie.¡± Gao Yang asked her instead, ¡°What about you? Why did youe to a screening on your own...¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Zhou Jing interrupted him. ¡°Are you still in contact with Orange, Gao Yang?¡±

    Gao Yang quickly drew energy to his fingertips, watching out for the system¡¯s warning. ¡°No. What about her?¡±

    Zhou Jing sighed. ¡°She went off one night saying that she had something urgent to attend to, but she never returned. She didn¡¯t pick up her phone, either. It¡¯s been almost a month. I¡¯m worried to death about her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Gao Yang pretended to be surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that she might have gotten into a Ponzi Scheme or something...¡± Zhou Jing looked genuinely concerned. ¡°I had a rtive who disappeared one day, only to turn out to have joined a Ponzi Scheme, having been brainwashed. Things were terrible. Fortunately, the police cracked down on the group...¡±

    ¡°Zhou Jing,¡± Gao Yang cut her off with a smile. ¡°I...well, have something urgent to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Zhou Jing didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Please tell me if Orange ever contacts you. Ah, right. I called you before, but the number is no longer valid. Why is that?¡±

    <i>She¡¯s being a real bother.</i>

    <i>If we weren¡¯t in public, I would¡¯ve just knocked you out.</i>

    Gao Yang patiently exined, ¡°I lost my phone some time ago. Since I had been considering changing my number, I reced it when I reced my phone.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s exchange numbers.¡± Zhou Jing took out her phone.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t. He was using an old model, which would arouse suspicion. Just when he was considering how he should resolve the problem, though, a voice yelled.

    ¡°Gao Yang, you fucking bastard!¡±

    A punch was going tond on Gao Yang¡¯s left cheek.

    He had noticed someone approaching, and he could easily dodge the punch, but he didn¡¯t. It was less suspicious this way.

    The furious punch didn¡¯t hurt at all, but Gao Yang still pretended to lose his bnce and fall to the ground, letting out a cry of pain.

    Pressing a hand to his face, he looked up to see Qiu Qiu.

    Face flushed with overwhelming emotions, Qiu Qiu tightened his fists and pointed at Gao Yang. ¡°I considered you my brother, Gao Yang, but you stole my woman from me? You¡¯re a real bastard!¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you out of your mind?!¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t even have time to defend himself before Zhou Jing screamed, attracting many to stop and watch.

    ¡°I¡¯m not out of my mind!¡± But he clearly was, and he shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Lose your feelings? We don¡¯t work? It¡¯s all bullshit! You cheated on me! You hooked up with someone else and made me a joke!¡±

    ¡°Globy, calm down...¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet while covering his face. ¡°You misunderstood. I just met Zhou Jing...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ll deal with youter!¡± Qiu Qiu growled, turning to Zhou Jing. ¡°There are so many men you could pick, Zhou Jing, but why did you have to pick Gao Yang? You knew he was my friend. Why are you such a bitch...¡±

    ¡°A...bitch?¡±

    Zhou Jing lost her temper too, scoffing. ¡°You¡¯re the bitch here. Are you a man or not? Do you even know the game? I simply lost interest in you, so I broke up with you. Do you know what breakup means? If you keep harassing me, I¡¯m gonna call the police...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine that you broke up with me, but you cheated on me when you were still with me! Do you think I wouldn¡¯t notice?! I knew something was wrong. What did you take me for? You were riding a donkey while looking for a stallion, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Gao Yang felt a headache brewing. Things were clear. Zhou Jing and Qiu Qiu broke up. Unable to ept it, Qiu Qiu chased after Zhou Jing, and running into her with Gao Yang, he misunderstood the situation.

    <i>Whatever. It¡¯s a mess. I should just teleport away.</i>

    <i>There¡¯s only one more year to the Mist World. I¡¯ve long detached myself from the mundane world. They are free to y out their soap opera on their own.</i>

    Gao Yang told himself that, but he couldn¡¯t make up his mind.

    <i>What if Zhou Jing and Qiu Qiu were elite monsters? If I wake up their monsterhood, it will be akin to killing who they are.</i>

    ¡°Who are these two, babe?¡±

    Gao Yang was still hesitating when another voice interrupted.

    Gao Yang and Qiu Qiu turned around at the same time to find a blond man around twenty-seven years old. He was tall and handsome, dressed like a yboy in a mboyant casual suit, holding two cups of milk tea.

    Gao Yang started. So Zhou Jing did cheat on Qiu Qiu. Her new boyfriend was, well, an upgraded version of Qiu Qiu. Given another five to six years, after Qiu Qiu got richer, had a better fashion sense, and became more experienced in flirting, he would look like this.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here, dear.¡± Zhou Jing immediately softened when she saw her boyfriend. Putting on a pitiful look, she went up to the man and held his elbow.

    ¡°This man is so annoying. We broke up, but he kept bothering me. I¡¯m scared...¡± Zhou Jing acted like she was going to burst into tears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, babe. Don¡¯t cry.¡± The new boyfriendforted her in a cheesy manner and kissed her face with his arm around her waist. ¡°Go to the theater first and leave this to me. I¡¯ll find youter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Jing took the milk tea and turned to leave.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Qiu Qiu was going to chase after her, but the new boyfriend stopped him.

    ¡°Hey, hey... Calm down, buddy.¡± The blond manughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Qiu Qiu pped his hand away, furious.

    ¡°It¡¯s just one woman, man. You¡¯re not so bad that you can¡¯t find another. This isn¡¯t a problem.¡±

    Once Zhou Jing was far enough away, the blond man put on a frivolous expression. ¡°You¡¯ve tasted her. Why not let me have her, too? I have quite a lot of good chicks to share. I¡¯ll send some to you. We can share in the future, haha.¡±

    Stunned, Qiu Qiu flew into a rage. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking lump me with you! I¡¯m serious about her! Trash like you don¡¯t deserve her!¡±

    The man¡¯s smile stiffened, derision and mockery shing through his eyes. ¡°Seriously? Now you¡¯re pretending to be a devoted male lead... Ah! I get it now. You haven¡¯t reached third base, have you? That¡¯s sad, bro. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll take her tonight and send you a few pictures...¡±

    ¡°You **** ****!¡± Qiu Qiu swung his fist at the man.

 Chapter 651: Canâ€™t Move On

    <h4>Chapter 651: Can¡¯t Move On</h4>

    The man was prepared, and he was clearly stronger and more well-built than Qiu Qiu. With a step backward, he arched his torso back to dodge Qiu Qiu¡¯s fist, transitioning into a kick in the abdomen smoothly.

    ¡°Agh...¡±

    Qiu Qiu copsed to the ground, curling and holding onto his belly like a lobster.

    ¡°Fuck, you asked for this!¡± The blond man smoothed out his suit and red at him. ¡°You¡¯ll get out of here if you know what¡¯s good for you, or I¡¯ll beat you up every time I run into you!¡±

    Qiu Qiu rolled on the ground in pain, groaning and spitting iprehensible curses. There was nothing he could do as the man walked away.

    Gao Yang watched on the sideline without getting involved. He could easily take down the man, but he didn¡¯t want to use the strength of an awakener on a ¡°regr person¡±.

    He hesitated as he watched his college roommate at his lowest, hesitating if he should just leave or help his friend up.

    After three seconds of agonizing, Gao Yang sighed and went up to him. ¡°You alright, Globy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m sorry, brother...¡± Qiu Qiu clenched his teeth, his eyes red. ¡°I misunderstood you. You should punch me too to get even...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gao Yang helped him up with a wry smile. ¡°How¡¯s the belly? You should get a CT scan at the hospital. It¡¯ll be bad if your internal organs are damaged.¡±

    ¡°No, no need...¡± Qiu Qiu sucked in stuttered breaths as he pressed a hand to his abdomen. ¡°Just help me out. There...there are so many people watching me here. It¡¯s humiliating...¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang was going to leave anyway. He helped Qiu Qiu out of the mall and go to the street outside. During the walk, Qiu Qiu¡¯s head remained low, pale and depressed.

    They waited for a taxi by the road. Gao Yang offered words offort. ¡°The man and Zhou Jing aren¡¯t good people, Globy. You¡¯re not like them. You¡¯ll find someone better.¡±

    ¡°I know. I know all that...¡± Qiu Qiu¡¯s voice trembled slightly with frustration and bitterness. ¡°I told myself that it was just a game. Don¡¯t get serious. We were just having fun... But I only realized I fell for real when we broke up... I can¡¯t help but think of her whenever I close my eyes, bro. I can¡¯t move on. I really can¡¯t...¡±

    Gao Yang sighed. Before, he would¡¯ve called Lin Dajian and bought Qiu Qiu a drink. There was nothing in a young man¡¯s life that alcohol couldn¡¯t solve. If the problem remained, it only meant they hadn¡¯t drunk enough.

    However, he was no longer a freshman of theputer science department of Li City University, but the leader of the Nine Scions, wanted by the Qilin Guild.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qiu Qiu. I have something urgent to deal with today. I¡¯ll get you a taxi. Go back and rest. Don¡¯t dwell on what happened. It¡¯ll all be alright after a sleep. It¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry about me... I¡¯m fine...¡± Qiu Qiu put on a smile. ¡°Just go. I¡¯m sorry, Little Gao. I was being a jerk. You really should punch me once, or I¡¯ll feel guilty about it...¡±

    ¡°Geez, I told you it¡¯s alright. It didn¡¯t hurt...¡±

    [Warning...]

    The system sounded a sudden warning. Gao Yang reflexively extended his six senses on high alert. A great energy wasing from his side like an invisible tsunami.

    He nced in the direction to see a frail suited man with a gloomy temperament striding toward him from the crowd, quickly raising his right hand and sying it at him.

    <i>Luqi!</i>

    [...Luck acquisition rate increases to 10000 times.]

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang grabbed Qiu Qiu and made a strong leap, using Teleportation and Gale at the same time to go up thirty meters in a second, further boosting himself up with the power of Gale.

    ¡°Judge...¡±

    Luqi didn¡¯t manage to clench his right fist before Gao Yang escaped the realm of Judge.

    A few wanderers around him had seen Gao Yang suddenly take off; some fainted, and others paused for two seconds before walking away like nothing unusual had happened.

    Judge¡¯s realm had no activation time. It was always on and covered a 30 to 50-meter radius depending on the circumstances. However, its biggest weakness was itsck of a barrier. Before Luqi made the judgment, all enemies inside the realm could escape at any time provided they were quick enough.

    Luqi had been as fast as it went, but Gao Yang escaped even more quickly.

    Since thest failed assassination attempt, Luqi had been looking for Gao Yang but never had a good opportunity to strike.

    It wasn¡¯t long until Gao Yang and Qilin turned against each other. Then Gao Yang started the Nine Scions and went into hiding, making Luqi¡¯s search even more difficult.

    His only option was to go for those around Gao Yang.

    Through his investigation, he found out that Gao Yang¡¯s most cherished family was all gone save for Gao Xinxin, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

    Luqi had to go for the second-best option: Gao Yang¡¯s college roommates. Thus, he had been stalking Qiu Qiu to see if Gao Yang would show up.

    And he did. Luqi got his chance.

    Considering that Gao Yang could go through walls with Teleportation, it would be easier for Gao Yang to escape inside the mall. Therefore, Luqi waited from a distance. He only approached amid the crowd and made a surprise attack once Gao Yang and Qiu Qiu walked out to the open street.

    Luqi had concealed his energy, yet Gao Yang discovered him from a distance immediately.

    Staring at Gao Yang as he disappeared into the sky, Luqi¡¯s mncholy facial features arranged into an expression of confusion. Could it be that Dust had given him the wrong intel? Perhaps Gao Yang had a Talent rted to sensory, and he could detect an enemy beforehand.

    ...

    ¡°Aghh! Ahhhh...¡±

    Gao Yang held onto a screaming Qiu Qiu above the city and rushed toward the rooftop of a hotel at his greatest speed.

    He didn¡¯t have to save Qiu Qiu. As long as he fled quickly enough, Luqi¡¯s attack would fail.

    In that split second, however, he didn¡¯t even have the time to think, and he acted on his instincts. When he realized it, he was alreadyunching into the sky with a grip around Qiu Qiu¡¯s elbow.

    The replicated Gale only worked for 20 seconds. He couldn¡¯t continue to fly.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh. </i>He teleported twice to a hotel¡¯s rooftop with Qiu Qiu in his arms.

    ¡°Help, help! I¡¯m scared of heights...¡± Qiu Qiu still had a dead grip on Gao Yang. He didn¡¯t dare to let go or open his eyes.

    Gao Yang sighed. It seemed that Qiu Qiu was a wanderer who could modify his logic.

    ¡°You¡¯re safe now, Globy. Let go first...¡±

    [Warning...]

    Gao Yang started.

    He pushed Qiu Qiu away with full force, reacting at the limit of his reflex. <i>Bam!</i> Qiu Qiu flew off his feet, mming into the steel stands of the giant billboard before falling to a concrete balcony.

    Gao Yang felt a great pain in his back. His jacket and shirt had been cut, revealing three long gashes. Blood quickly gushed out, but those were the lesser injuries.

    Dark red blood stained his abdomen. There were three thin yet narrow stab wounds. His stomach and pancreas had been hit.

 Chapter 652: Excuse

    <h4>Chapter 652: Excuse</h4>

    Face pale, Gao Yang quickly took out the Medicine C he had on him and inserted the needle into the surrounding area of the wounds in his abdomen, pushing all the solution in. The pain doubled in two seconds, and he almost screamed.

    Then the pain finally dulled and subsided as his flesh and internal organs quickly healed. Although the time it took for him to recover was simr to when he used regr Medicine C, the experience was much worse.

    <i>Even though Dr. Jia¡¯s incredibly capable, the Medicine C he made doesn¡¯t act as gently and smoothly as those made with Pharmaphist.</i>

    Gao Yang knew that despite the surface wounds having been quickly healed, the deeper damage to the internal organs would take more time to recover fully. With both his Constitution and Endurance at about 500, he would have to rest for two days.

    If he wanted to get better immediately, he would need Fat Jun¡¯s Healing, Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange, or Lovely Lamb¡¯s Injury Transfer.

    While the physical pain hadn¡¯t knocked him down, his regret, guilt, and frustration gnawed at him.

    Qiu Qiu slowly rose to his feet under the billboard; he had transformed into a monsterpletely.

    It was over two meters tall with thick, hard brown hair from head to toe. Its eyes glinted with a cold dark green. With a long snout, its mouth opened to reveal sharp white fangs. Its nails had turned into fierce ws.

    The neon light of the billboard flickered and changed, backlighting the strong, fierce, and cunning ¡°werewolf¡±.

    A summoner.

    Qiu Qiu stared at Gao Yang with a dark and insane look in his eyes. ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect my dear roommate to be an awakener.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at the now transformed Qiu Qiu gravely, eyes red.

    He hadn¡¯t activated Psychic Armor. He had to make himself remember this moment, this moment of great stupidity. He had repeated the mistakes, again and again, being a right fool.

    <i>Hum.</i>

    His head rang, and the world spun around him.

    The hum soon faded into the backdrop. Then the voice of a little boy took centerstage. It sounded like the little Gao Yang back in the orphanage.

    ¡ªHaha, you made another mistake. Why did you always make a mistake?

    <i>You can¡¯t me me. Luqi had appeared so suddenly that I didn¡¯t have the time to react.</i>

    ¡ªOf course you are to me! When Zhou Jing called out to you, why did you turn around? Why didn¡¯t you just go?

    <i>I was worried that she would get suspicious.</i>

    ¡ªThat¡¯s an excuse! You <i>wanted </i>to turn around. You couldn¡¯t help but get nosy.

    <i>That¡¯s not true.</i>

    ¡ªWhy bother to answer Zhou Jing? Why bother to deal with Qiu Qiu? Don¡¯t you remember? You¡¯re no longer Gao Yang. That identity no longer matters. You had so many chances to just leave, but you didn¡¯t.

    ...

    ¡ªAnswer me, Gao Yang! Why didn¡¯t you just leave?!

    <i>I wanted tofort Qiu Qiu so that he wouldn¡¯t be too sad. I did it out of kindness. I wanted to be kind...</i>

    ¡ªExcuse! It¡¯s all excuses! You just can¡¯t help being nosy!

    ¡ªYou¡¯re weak! Foolish! Overconfident! Prideful! Indecisive! Greedy! Hypocritical!

    ¡ªYou want everything! What gives you the right to have everything?!

    ¡ªBecause of you, Qiu Qiu died!

    ¡ªBecause of you, Li Weiwei died!

    ¡ªBecause of you, Wan Sisi died!

    ¡ªBecause of you, Granny, Dad, Mom, Officer Huang...all died!

    ¡ªIt¡¯s all your fault! It¡¯s your fault! <i>Yours!</i>

    ¡ªThe more you struggle, the sooner you¡¯ll lose everything!

    ¡ªHahaha! Hahahahaha!

    <i>Shut up, shut up... SHUT UP!!</i>

    Activate Psychic Armor.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    The ring faded, and so did the little boy¡¯s voice.

    His face was impassive as a single drop of tear streaked down his pale cheek.

    He turned to Qiu Qiu and spoke up in an emotionless tone.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Qiu Qiu¡¯s head jerked up. He didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Qiu Qiu¡¯s chest bulged, and his throat writhed violently.

    ¡°Do you choose forgiveness, or death?¡±

    Qiu Qiu opened his mouth to the limit, tipping his head up to howl.

    His voice, however, was stopped short. Gao Yang had teleported to him and grabbed his neck, but instead of breaking the neck, he pierced Qiu Qiu¡¯s heart with a ck Gold dagger.

    Qiu Qiu threw up blood, a few crimson drops hitting Gao Yang¡¯s impassive face.

    Gao Yang let go, allowing Qiu Qiu to slowly fall. He went up toy Qiu Qiu on the ground properly.

    Nearing death, the summoner¡¯s strong body quickly shrunk, and the fur disappeared. The face reverted to that of a human, too.

    ¡°Ah, ugh...¡±

    Blood foamed in Qiu Qiu¡¯s mouth. He panickedly held onto his chest and looked at Gao Yang. ¡°Little Gao? What...what happened to me...what...¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Am I...dying?¡± Tears of despair leaked out of the corners of his eyes. His consciousness slowly faded and blurred. ¡°Mom, Mom...it hurts... It¡¯s cold...¡±

    Gao Yang remained silent.

    Qiu Qiu raised his bloodied hand and reached out to Gao Yang with great difficulty.

    ¡°Save me... I don¡¯t wanna...die...¡±

    His hand fell, his teary eyes darkening until they became lifeless with dting pupils.

    Gao Yang closed his eyes for him.

    The next second, Psychic Armor was deactivated.

    Gao Yang stood up and took three deep breaths with his eyes closed.

    When he opened his eyes again, he calmly wiped the blood on his face and disappeared in a sh.

    ...

    Li River Community, midstream of Li River, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Most of the residents had gone to bed. The light was only on for some vis. Among one of the still-lit houses was the new base for the Nine Scions.

    The secret base hidden inside the unfinished building was no longer safe.

    Their scout, Lithe Snake, found out that members of Team Azure Dragon were quietly searching the typical hideouts in the city, including the unfinished buildings and abandoned sites. It was only a matter of time for them to find the Nine Scions.

    After some discussion, the Nine Scions decided to do the counterintuitive thing: head to themunity Wang Zikai¡¯s vi was located in and pick a house left empty due to the residents¡¯ absence, ¡°borrowing¡± it for a while.

    They took whatever they could carry with them from their temporary safe house and burned the rest, making sure that the Qilin Guild couldn¡¯t track the items to them.

    It was a real possibility. Dick¡¯s Tracking, for example, could be used for that. If someone at the Qilin Guild had acquired it, the risk would be great. Gao Yang had to eliminate all possibilities for them to be found.

    At the moment, Lithe Snake, Nine Frost, and Gray Bear were keeping watch, disguised as the security guards of themunity for the night shift.

    The others were ready to retire to bed. Gao Yang sat on the sofa. He could be pondering something or simply staring into space.

    Can and Hong Xiaoxiao were busying around in the kitchen. Wearing disposable gloves, Can stacked panfried spam, leafy green, and sd before topping them with another piece of toast and pressing it down. Then she heated it in the microwave, and a simple sandwich was made.

    She cut it in half with a knife. The bigger one was for Captain, and the smaller one was for herself.

    ¡°Hurry, hurry,¡± Can urged quietly.

    ¡°Alright, alright...¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao had made two cups of coffee.

    Can ced the sandwich on a tray and took off the gloves. Hong Xiaoxiao then ced the two cups of coffee.

    Can lifted the tray, ncing at Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Oh, wait, your bang¡¯s a little messed up.¡±

    ¡°Hurry, smooth it for me.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao sorted out her fringe and smiled. ¡°Ten out of ten!¡±

    Can knew those were only words of encouragement, but she was still happy to hear them. She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡±

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Can walked out of the kitchen quickly with the sandwich and coffee. Her feet stuck to the floor as soon as she made it across the threshold, and her smile stiffened.

 Chapter 653: A Little Hungry

    <h4>Chapter 653: A Little Hungry</h4>

    Qing Ling had walked into the living room after taking a shower. Dressed in a loose bathrobe with a waistband tied around her body, she looked quietly sensuous. While drying her hair with a towel and holding a hairdryer with her other hand, she walked straight to the sofa, where Gao Yang sat.

    ¡°Dry my hair.¡± She handed the hairdryer to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang broke out of his thoughts and took the hairdryer. ¡°Alright. Sit here.¡±

    She did.

    Gao Yang stood up and plugged in the hairdryer, going back to the sofa to dry her hair. The hum of the hairdryer filled the living room, rushing into Can¡¯s ears too.

    Standing at the door of the kitchen, she paused, her cheerful smile went stiff before melting into an awkward bitterness. She quietly retreated to the kitchen, closing the ss door.

    When she turned around, Hong Xiaoxiao was staring at her. Hong Xiaoxiao knew why Can turned back, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t waste the food. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Can put on a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao felt guilty. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have smoothed your fringe...¡±

    ¡°Geez, what are you talking about?¡± Can red at her. ¡°Captain and Sister Qing must have a business to talk about. Do you think they have free time like us...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Can...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears, and she choked a little.

    She had a bad habit. She was used to ignoring her own feelings, but felt others¡¯ like her own. Thinking how disappointed Can must be, she felt much worse than Can did, as if she was the one getting her heart broken.

    ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s with you?!¡± Canughed out of exasperation, or so she acted. ¡°Enough already. I¡¯m fine. I just wanted to make something for him to eat since Captain hadn¡¯t eaten anything sinceing back...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was near tears. ¡°It¡¯s my fault...¡±

    Can lowered the tray and threw her arms around Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Don¡¯t cry,e on. There¡¯s still next time. It¡¯s alright...¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the living room, Gao Yang had spent a few minutes drying Qing Ling¡¯s long hair and straightening it. Then he sat back down on the sofa.

    Qing Ling was satisfied with Gao Yang¡¯s skill. She raised her hands behind her head and easily tied her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her fair neck and corbones.

    Gao Yang thought she would rise and go back to her room, but she remained on the sofa and didn¡¯t seem intent on leaving.

    ¡°You¡¯re taking the sofa tonight?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Gao Yang acted nonchnt.

    Qing Ling met his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been weird since you returned. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I got discovered by Raven Shark and almost exposed our coboration with the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± Qing Ling was certain.

    Gao Yang sighed. He could never hide anything from her.

    ¡°I killed Qiu Qiu.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s eyes darkened. She knew who Qiu Qiu was. While he was nothing in her eyes, she knew he and Gao Yang were friends.

    Gao Yang briefly told her what happened.

    Qing Lingmented after hearing him out, ¡°You did nothing wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, I should¡¯ve just left.¡± Gao Yang stared down at his hands. ¡°Every choicees with irreversible consequences. I always made the wrong choice. I don¡¯t make a good leader of the Nine Scions. One day, I may doom you all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re making things up in your head.¡±

    Gao Yang looked up at her. ¡°I¡¯m making things up?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and said coolly, ¡°When Li Weiwei was gonna kill you, I didn¡¯t want to save you.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Little Qing Ling and Li Weiwei were close friends. Even though Li Weiwei¡¯s monsterhood would remain awake after killing you, she could still have her personhood take over in her day-to-day life, and her friendship with Little Qing Ling would remain. Little Qing Ling wouldn¡¯t be heartbroken for losing a friend.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°But in the end, I saved you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°When I realized it, I had already killed Li Weiwei.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent again.

    ¡°I killed my sister¡¯s only friend to save someone my sister hated. Doesn¡¯t that mean I made a wrong choice?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°Right.¡±

    Qing Ling continued, ¡°But none of this would have happened if I didn¡¯t save you. Does that mean I made the right choice?¡±

    Gao Yang blinked, realizing what Qing Ling was trying to say.

    Qing Ling knew Gao Yang understood, but she still stared at Gao Yang¡¯s eyes and said seriously, ¡°There¡¯s no right and wrong or good and bad. A choice is a choice, and we only have to make it.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s brows gradually rxed. He leaned into the sofa and let out a long breath, losing the tension in his body.

    He rubbed his belly. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly hungry. Want a bite?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve rinsed my mouth.¡± Qing Ling thought for a few seconds. ¡°But I can do that again.¡±

    ...

    Inside the kitchen, Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s emotional outburst had ended as quickly as it started. She leaned against the counter and started talking to Can.

    ¡°Why do you like Captain?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao asked. ¡°He¡¯s cute, but there¡¯s more than one cute guy in the world.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re shallow! It¡¯s not about the looks!¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao gave her a friendly shove.

    ¡°Haha, alright. I care about the looks, too, and Captain¡¯s handsome! He¡¯s smart and reliable, and he¡¯s also gentle and considerate. He ticks all my checkboxes!¡± Can smiled with infatuation.

    Then she remembered something, and her smile dropped. She sighed softly. ¡°Back in the Eleventh Highschool, everyone thought I was bitten by a rune corpse and wouldn¡¯t live. Outside of Xiran, they had all decided to give up on me; even I had given up on myself.¡±

    ¡°But not Captain. He talked to me andforted me. I was so scared. I bawled my eyes out while holding onto him.¡±

    ¡°It was dangerous. If I turned, he could get bitten without the time to react, but he didn¡¯t push me away. He didn¡¯t give up on me until the very end.¡±

    ¡°Little Hong, do you understand? Captain¡¯s like a ray of light in the dark. He lights me up. For the first time, I felt like I could die without fear.¡±

    Can broke into a happy smile again, scratching her head. ¡°Haha, I may be melodramatic.¡±

    ¡°I envy you.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Is that love? When am I going to have something like it?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be forced.¡± Can was a little proud. ¡°Is there anyone you like, Little Hong?¡±

    Hong Xiaxiao didn¡¯t expect the conversation to shift to her. She smiled bashfully. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve fallen for him, but I do have some feelings for him.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Zhong He.¡±

    ¡°The one from the Hundred Rivers Union?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao nodded. ¡°He¡¯s my type. Tall and thin with small eyes. Even though he looks a little arrogant, he¡¯s actually quite nice, and he¡¯s got a good sense of humor.¡±

    ¡°But...he feels like a yboy to me.¡± Can had met Zhong He twice, and he didn¡¯t leave a good impression on her.

    ¡°Huh, really?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was surprised.

    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s said on the inte that people like him are the most tricky yboys. You should be careful!¡±

    ¡°Ah, why should I? He¡¯s not gonna be interested in me.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hand in denial. ¡°I¡¯m just enjoying the view. My mom told me that men were all the same. Handsome or not, they all y tricks. Then I might as well find myself a hot guy. At least it¡¯ll be pleasing to my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Um, that makes a lot of sense.¡± Can felt inspired.

    <i>Click</i>. The ss door opened. Gao Yang stood on the other side. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°No! Nothing!¡± Can felt caught. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna rest yet, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Qing Ling and I are a little hungry. We¡¯re getting some food.¡±

    ¡°Ha, haha. What a coincidence!¡± Can quickly picked up the tray on the counter. ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao and I just made coffee and sandwiches. We haven¡¯t finished them. You should have them.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± Gao Yang took the tray from her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Just dig in, or it¡¯s gonna be cold.¡± Can smiled with her eyes.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang left the kitchen. Can let out a long breath.

    When she turned around, Hong Xiaoxiao was staring at her with tears in her eyes again, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

    ¡°Can...I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault...¡±

    ¡°Geez, again? I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m really fine...¡±

 Chapter 654: Mr. Gregor

    <h4>Chapter 654: Mr. Gregor</h4>

    Midsummer, the cicadas sang an aggressive chorus, and the sun was blinding to the eyes.

    In the living room, the square ck and white TV was ying <i>Jerry and Tom</i>, apanied by the cking sounds of the rotating standing fan. Warm currents hit Orange¡¯s face intermittently. Her sweat dried before she sweated more, her skin getting sticky.

    She was five. Dressed in an airy tank top and a pair of shorts, shey on a rattan chair, barefooted and knees bent. In her mouth was a small wooden popsicle stick. Five minutes ago, it had been a mung bean popsicle.

    Holding a ck and white handheld console with both hands, she yed Tetris with full concentration.

    Blocks after blocks quickly filled the screen, about to reach the top. She spat out the popsicle stick in her mouth and called out, ¡°Dad! Dad,e here! I¡¯m dying! Save me...¡±

    Every time she did that, her dad would immediatelye out of the study room and take the console from her to turn the tide. Then he would ruffle her hair proudly and say, ¡°Your dad¡¯s great, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    But this time, there was no response.

    Orange couldn¡¯t wait. She paused the game and hopped off the rattan chair, running into the study room barefooted.

    The room wasn¡¯t big. The small bookshelf was lined with professional books on architectural designs. Before the window was a tall, sturdy working table. Blueprints neatly covered the surface, along with all kinds of rulers and drawing instruments. Her dad had been designing a library recently, and the blueprint was half-finished.

    Her dad wasn¡¯t in the room. Strange. She swore he had been here a moment ago. Why was he suddenly gone?

    She felt panic rising in her chest. She cried out urgently, ¡°Dad! Where are you, Dad?¡±

    Suddenly, a figure appeared at the door.

    She turned around to see her dad standing there, dressed in a white shirt, ck pants, and sandals, covered in injuries and blood. The webs of cracks on his sses obscured his eyes.

    ¡°Dad!¡± She was shocked and scared. ¡°You...you¡¯re bleeding...¡±

    ¡°Orange.¡± The man had a nk look on his face, and his tone was chilling. ¡°Dad¡¯s going.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Dad¡¯s going.¡± The man repeated once more and turned around.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t leave me, Dad...¡±

    She dropped the handheld console and rushed to the man to grab his hand.

    ...

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡±

    Can woke up with a shout, grasping something without realizing it.

    She panted. Her blurry vision slowly came into focus. It was morning. Gao Yang knelt beside her bed in the bright bedroom. His hand was in her tight grip.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Can quickly let go, feeling awkward. ¡°Cap-captain, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I was going to wake you up, but you started shouting all of a sudden and grabbed me.¡± Gao Yang felt a little awkward too, so he made a joke. ¡°Nice. You¡¯re alerted.¡±

    ¡°Ha, haha.¡± Can ruffled her hair, sitting up on her bed. She kept her head low since her face was puffy when she just woke up, her eyes never meeting Gao Yang¡¯s. ¡°Captain, is there a mission?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I need a favor.¡± Gao Yang hesitated. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Can cut in. ¡°Leave it to me, Captain. I¡¯ll finish the mission.¡±

    ¡°I believe you.¡± Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°You won¡¯t fail.¡±

    ...

    Autumn Hill Community, Dongyu District, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The Autumn Hill was also known as the Li City New Cemetery. Themunity was divided from the wide short hill by a road and a creek, and dense orderly lines of tombs covered the hill area.

    The residents of othermunities got to look at the prosperous Li City every day they parted the curtains after waking up, or they would be treated to the beautiful view of the river. Those living in the Autumn Hill Community, however, were greeted with the view of a cemetery first thing every morning. Hardly anyone would find that appealing, and thus the price of real estate in themunity rarely saw an increase.

    The property owners regretted their purchases one after another, but the properties simply didn¡¯t sell. They could only lease their ces out.

    Over time, the Autumn Hill Community became amunity for cheap rentals, and those with lower ies flocked to the ce.

    That was why the ck car worth a million drew a lot of attention when it stopped at the gates of themunity.

    The car door opened, and a man walked out. He was wearing a ck suit, ck dress hat, ck gloves, ck sunsses, and white mask, covering himself so thoroughly that it gave him a mysterious air.

    Zong He then followed, looking like a model at 1.9 meters. He wore a warm-colored sweater, casual khaki pants, white skate shoes, and a baseball cap. With his shoulders tilted to one side, he had a hand in his pocket while he held a bag of gifts in his other hand.

    Thest to get out of the car was a man in a blue suit.

    He was in his thirties, about 1.7 meters tall. He was neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, ugly nor handsome. While he was mediocre in every aspect, though, he gave off a harmonious impression.

    He wore dark brown sses, and somehow, he seemed friendly and dependable. He was also carrying a packed gift.

    He was Lying Wood, a member of Team Goldthread. His Talent was Negotiation Expert, serial number 174, Knowledge-type.

    There were three of them, and they didn¡¯t have the impression of wanderers to disguise themselves. They thus didn¡¯t dare to stand around, but quickly entered a building of themunity, taking an elevator.

    As the elevator ascended slowly, Goldthread asked, ¡°Have you all brought greeting gifts?¡±

    Zhong He leaned against the elevator wall with a shoulder pressed to it, appreciating his handsome face in the mirror. Stroking his chin with one hand, he said casually, ¡°A pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine. One can never go wrong with those.¡±

    ¡°I bought a book.¡± Lying Wood¡¯s voice didn¡¯t have any noteworthy features, either, but it eased the mind. ¡°He should like it since he¡¯s a writer.¡±

    ¡°Ha, do you really believe that?¡± Zhong He responded flippantly. ¡°He¡¯s an unemployed man in his thirties. Of course he¡¯d call himself a writer.¡±

    ¡°Zhong He.¡± Goldthread was exasperated. ¡°We¡¯re here to recruit him, not to antagonize him. When we meet him, leave all the talking to Lying Wood.¡±

    Zhong He smirked and gave him an OK sign.

    <i>Ding</i>. They reached the 18th floor. Walking out of the elevator, they found 1801.

    Goldthread pressed the doorbell, but it was broken. He then tried knocking, but there was no response.

    He patiently tried a few more times.

    Finally, the door opened. A middle-aged man stood on the other side, wearing a blue T-shirt that had be discolored from repeated washing and a pair of pants. His beer belly was in stark contrast with his long, slim limbs.

    His hair was oily and messy like a chicken nest, and his face was dark, sickly, and covered in e scars. While his eyes were deepset, his bloodshot eyeballs popped out so much it looked like they were going to explode.

    ¡°Is this Mr. Gregor?¡± Goldthread asked politely.

    The man answered impatiently, ¡°And which organization do you belong to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Goldthread, sixth team leader of the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t your peoplee already?¡± Gregor got even more irritated. ¡°You keep visiting. Aren¡¯t you tired of it yet?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Gregor.¡± Lying Wood smiled. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re a well-known author. Fictional writing was a hobby of mine too, but I gave up since I didn¡¯t have a talent for it.¡±

    Gregor¡¯s mood improved a little.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hazard a guess that the name Gregor is based on the protagonist of Kakaka¡¯s <i>Transfiguration</i>[1].¡± Lying Wood handed out the gift as he spoke. ¡°This is thetest edition of<i> Kakaka: A Biography</i>. Please ept it as a show of our goodwill.¡±

    Gregor still had an unweing look on his face, but he epted Lying Wood¡¯s gift. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside. No need to change out of your shoes.¡±

    1. A reference to Kafka¡¯s <i>Metamorphosis</i> ?

 Chapter 655: Storyteller

    <h4>Chapter 655: Storyteller</h4>

    The three of them walked through the entryway and into the living room. The ce could only be described with one word: messy.

    There was no room for them to make their steps at all. The floor was covered in takeouts, beer cans, cigarette butts, crumbled tissue, and other everyday trash.

    ¡°Zhong He, clean up for Mr. Gregor,¡± said Goldthread.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhong He seemed like a different person. With a humble smile, he went up to part the curtains and take a quick look around, quickly finding a ce to start: the table. He was like a professional cleaner.

    Goldthread and Lying Wood followed Gregor into a study room. It was dim, and smoke permeated the air. All around them were piles of books. Before the window covered by a heavy curtain were aputer desk and a swivel chair.

    On the table was an oldptop, an ashtray filled with cigarette butts, and a few empty coffee cans.

    Theptop was open to a nk document.

    ¡°Writer¡¯s block?¡± Lying Wood started a conversation naturally.

    ¡°I wrote 200 words in the morning, but I read it a few times and deleted the whole thing. It¡¯s shit.¡±

    Gregor plopped down on the swivel chair and fished for a cigarette, but found none. He picked up a half-finished cigarette from the ashtray instead and lit it.

    ¡°Zhong He brought some nice cigarettes for you,¡± said Lying Wood. ¡°I¡¯ll have him...¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Gregor scratched his foot as he smoked. ¡°You¡¯ve got many awakeners. You don¡¯t need me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯veprehended the serial number 8 Talent: Pestilence.¡±

    ¡°Is it strong?¡± Gregor raised a hand, and a gust of poisonous wind appeared before them.

    Goldthread and Lying Wood started, faces ashen. The wind would melt them into piles of rotten meat on contact. Then no resurrection skill would bring them back outside of Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer.

    Gregor balled his hand into a fist, and the poisonous wind disappeared. ¡°I usually use this to kill mosquitoes and cockroaches.¡±

    ¡°Your Pestilence is only level 3 at the moment, Mr. Gregor.¡± Lying Wood adjusted his sses and put on a smile. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union has the Poisonous Rune Circuit. You can reach level 4 with it and be stronger. We need your strength to fight theing doom...¡±

    ¡°I told you.¡± Gregor used the hand holding the cigarette to scratch his greasy hair. ¡°I just want to write novels. I¡¯m not interested in anything else.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gregor,¡± Goldthread spoke up earnestly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You know already that your readers are mostly monsters. Is there a point in writing more stories?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is,¡± said Gregor. ¡°A novel has meanings as long as there are readers. Be it humans or monsters, my novels are going to be misunderstood, and that is the fate of a storyteller.¡±

    Goldthread became even more confused. He asked with a smile, ¡°If you¡¯re going to be misunderstood, why tell stories?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the fun part.¡± Gregorughed. ¡°I feel, I think, I express, so I exist.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s through the various misunderstandings of my expression that I be great and approach immortality in a sense.¡±

    ¡°Nothing exists in a vacuum. Everything is interconnected. All there is originates from connections. Get it?¡±

    Goldthread shut his mouth and decided to leave the talking to Lying Wood.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking on such a high level that I cannot understand fully, Mr. Gregor,¡± Lying Wood admitted. ¡°May I ask how much you¡¯ve written?¡±

    Gregor raised a hand, indicating for them to look at the screen.

    Goldthread was surprised. ¡°None?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gregor sighed. ¡°The opening is crucial. It decides whether a story works or not. I¡¯ve gone through hundreds of versions, but none satisfies me.¡±

    <i>Perhaps you¡¯re not meant for this?</i> Goldthread swallowed hisments and asked, ¡°What have you written before?¡±

    ¡°Well, many. One of my previous works is quite popr and earns me enough that I no longer have to worry about my livelihood. I can focus on expressing myself.¡±

    ¡°May I have the honor to read your previous works?¡± Goldthread was curious.

    Gregor clearly disapproved. ¡°I wrote them under a different pen name. It¡¯s all dogshit. So don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome,¡± Lying Wood said. ¡°There¡¯s only one more year to the Mist World. It¡¯ll be a real shame if you can¡¯t finish the story.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gregor frowned. ¡°I got stuck on the opening for months. One year isn¡¯t going to be enough. I think I¡¯ll need three¡ªno, five years. Then I¡¯ll finish my work. After that, I¡¯ll find a ce to meet my end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you should join us. We¡¯ll find a way out of the Mist World together so that you¡¯ll have another five years,¡± said Lying Wood. ¡°Then I want to be your first reader, reading your...no, misunderstanding your work.¡±

    Gregor wavered and lowered his head in bemusement. Lying Wood handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

    Gregor took a drag. ¡°You¡¯re right. But still, I¡¯m a writer, I don¡¯t want to do anything but write...¡±

    Lying Wood smiled. ¡°Mr. Gregor, I think you can give it a try...ah!¡±

    Lying Wood screamed all of a sudden, backing away. Gregor started and fell off his chair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shout so suddenly! I have neurasthenia...¡±

    ¡°No, yourptop..ptop...¡±

    Theptop screen behind Gregor had suddenly turned ck, and a face emerged.

    ¡°Calm down.¡± Goldthread was unfazed. He knew the man on the screen. ¡°It¡¯s not a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Come on out.¡±

    The man hesitated before emerging as a beam of white light. The screen turned back to normal.

    He was around twenty-five, thin and short with soft, fine brown hair, a narrow face, and pea-like eyes. He looked timid and numb.

    Goldthread remembered him: Chaos Reflection, with Mirror Man, serial number 40, Time-Space-type.

    Mirror Man allowed one to hide in any mirror or reflective surface, even a single drop of dew. Moreover, he could jump between them to achieve a simr effect to Teleportation. Of course, there was a limit to the range of jumping surfaces and the number of uses.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Goldthread asked in a threatening voice.

    ¡°Yeah, why are you in myptop?!¡± Gregor would like to ask the same thing.

    Chaos Reflection didn¡¯t dare to meet their eyes, and he spoke quietly. ¡°Elder Yan Liang told me to secretly protect Gregor.¡±

    ¡°Ha, <i>protect</i>?¡± Zhong He, who had been cleaning the living room, came to the door of the study room. ¡°Call it what it is: surveince.¡±

    Chaos Reflection lowered his head without a word. He looked ufortable.

    <i>Rat-a-tat.</i>

    Someone knocked.

 Chapter 656: Poisons Cancel Out

    <h4>Chapter 656: Poisons Cancel Out</h4>

    Seizing the opportunity, Chaos Reflection dove into theptop screen as a white light.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go into myptop!¡± Gregor snapped. ¡°I can¡¯t write when you¡¯re watching me!¡±

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The white light shot out of the screen and left the study room, entering the clock on the living room wall. Then there was another sh. The man had jumped to an unknown surface.

    Zhong He answered the door, breaking into a smile that said he had anticipated the visitors.

    It was a man and a woman¡ªCorrecting Sickle and Subus from Qilin Guild¡¯s Team Yan Liang. Subus had finished her mission with Dr. Jia, leaving only Xiao Xin under torment.

    Correcting Sickle was dressed in a formal suit with a long white coat. He nodded at Zhong He in greeting before walking in.

    ¡°We meet again.¡±

    Subus wore makeup that entuated her seductive nature with a pink dress hugging her pronounced curves, the fabric smooth and translucent; actually, it was beyond the realm of seduction and toed the line of fully exposing herself.

    Swaying her thin waist, she sauntered to Zhong He and touched his face with a smile.

    Zhong He didn¡¯t move, but a ck shadow appeared suddenly to cover him from head to toe, turning him into a warrior in ck armor.

    Subus paused before pulling her hand back. ¡°Don¡¯t be so scared, boy. I¡¯m not going to eat you.¡±

    Zhong He lifted her armor and affected a flirtatious tone. ¡°I simply don¡¯t like the aggressive type.¡±

    <i>What a joke! Your body itself is made of poison. Getting intimate with you isn¡¯t going to be a little death, but just death.</i>

    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Subus said coquettishly. ¡°Then...you¡¯ll take the initiative next time?¡±

    Zhong He didn¡¯t respond, and his smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.

    Subus followed Correcting Sickle into the study room.

    ¡°Mr. Gregor.¡± Correcting Sickle was polite but stiff. ¡°Have you considered joining the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Hey! What the hell¡¯s with you?¡± Gregor was impatient. ¡°Why don¡¯t your two organizations, as well as the one called the Twelve Zodiac Signs, fight and decide a winner? Stop fucking harassing me in turn!¡±

    Subus approached Gregor with a smile and suddenly pushed him back onto his swivel chair, straddling hisp and pressing her voluptuous supple body against his.

    ¡°Um, huh? What is this?¡± Gregor was forced to lean back into the chair, and the chair creaked.

    ¡°A writer¡¯s going to taste wonderful.¡± Subus leered at him. ¡°How about it? Want to have a good time?¡±

    Gregor¡¯s eyes lit up after a dy. ¡°Do you mean a <i>good time</i>?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Subus gently caressed his face.

    ¡°Mr. Gregor.¡± Lying Wood chimed in to warn him. ¡°Miss Subus¡¯ all poison. I¡¯ll suggest you be careful.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡± Gregor panted, already getting aroused. ¡°I¡¯m all poison too. It cancels out.¡±

    Subus giggled while covering her mouth, pping Gregor¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re naughty.¡±

    Goldthread swallowed a scoff. <i>He was being all philosophical with me, but he turned out to be a lecherous man thinking with his lower head. And the newly appointed Elder Yan Liang resorts to seduction in order to recruit people. That¡¯s low.</i>

    Gregor seemed to have read Goldthread''s thoughts. While putting an arm around Subus¡¯ waist, he mumbled, ¡°Women annoy me sometimes but make me yearn other times, easily breaking down my mental walls and turning me into a ve of desires...¡±

    Noticing that the others weren¡¯t leaving the room, he said, ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t be this obstinate, right? It¡¯s now my private time with Miss Subus.¡±

    Goldthread and Lying Wood weren¡¯t going to leave, of course. They were here to hinder the Qilin Guild from getting what they wanted.

    ¡°Patience.¡± Subus got up from Gregor¡¯s body. ¡°Once you join the Qilin Guild, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to have fun.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Gregor sobered up immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t need that kind of release that much. I¡¯ll just endure it. I still want to write...¡±

    Goldthread almostugh out loud<i>. I apologize, Gregor. You¡¯re a special one.</i>

    Correcting Sickle didn¡¯t think that Subus would be able to easily persuade the man, so the attempt at seduction was merely a distraction. While Gregor was distracted, he had quietly used Memory Tailor on Gregor and made slight adjustments to his memory from a few minutes ago, lowering Gregor¡¯s goodwill and trust for Lying Wood.

    Now, Gregor¡¯s impressions of them were at a bnce.

    Correcting Sickle turned to Goldthread, speaking coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to remind you, Goldthread, that the Poison Rune Circuit isn¡¯t actually the Union¡¯s possession, but simply entrusted to you for safekeeping. Its use must be under the agreement of the other two organizations, or you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    In other words, if the Union helped Gregor get Pestilence to level 4, there was the risk of the man turning against them and seizing the Rune Circuit for level 8. Then how was the Union going to remedy that?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll bear the responsibility,¡± Lying Wood said with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be capable of that,¡± Correcting Sickle shot back.

    ¡°Watch your tongue and stop running it.¡± Zhong He was cleaning with a broom and a dustpan outside the door. He just about had enough. ¡°I may not be able to defeat your boss, but I¡¯m more than enough to deal with you.¡±

    And he wasn¡¯t being overly confident. His Phantom had reached level 5 and he¡¯d umted much more experience in real fight, making him a much more formidable opponent.

    Correcting Sickle remained calm, and Subus still had a smile on her face; not only didn¡¯t she fear the young man, but she found him more attractive.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to start trouble,¡± Correcting Sickle said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m merely stating the truth.¡±

    ¡°The river east may turn into the river west in thirty years. Nothing is constant.¡±

    Zhong He smiled confidently. In his opinion, the Hundred Rivers Union had the advantage in numbers. More and more wouldprehend higher-ranking Talents, and it was only a matter of time for the Union to be an equal to the Qilin Guild.

    His confidence seemedughable to Correcting Sickle, but he understood him, even pitied him. <i>You know nothing about how terrifying Qilin is, kid.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ll say again, I don¡¯t mean to start anything...¡±

    ¡°Enough, shut up!¡± Gregor had run out of his limited patience. ¡°Your talk is giving me a fucking headache, and all my inspiration¡¯s evaporating...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gregor,¡± Lying Wood said pleasantly. ¡°About what we said...¡±

    ¡°Wait till I have the opening of the story!¡± Gregor yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not seeing anyone before that! Just get out of here, go! Or I¡¯m gonna unleash my poison!¡±

    The word ¡°poison¡± made all of them shudder.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave you to it. I hope inspirations find you and allow you to write like God¡¯s talking through you.¡± Lying Wood said his parting words before leaving with Goldthread and Zhong He.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave too.¡± Correcting Sickle nced at Subus, and they left too.

    The group of five walked out of Gregor¡¯s ce and headed to the elevator together, the air between them quiet and strange.

    <i>Ding</i>. When they reached the elevator, it opened automatically.

 Chapter 657: Useless

    <h4>Chapter 657: Useless</h4>

    There was no one in the elevator.

    The group of five entered the elevator seemingly without thought. Then the door closed, and the elevator started descending.

    About ten secondster, a figure emerged outside, Can.

    She pressed a hand to her chest and let out a long breath with a nervous expression, muttering to herself. ¡°Whew, I almost knocked into them. Thankfully I react quickly enough...¡±

    She looked around to make sure there was no one around before moving to Gregor¡¯s door.

    She was here to talk to Gregor on behalf of the Nine Scions discreetly, informing the man of another organization so that he would consider them too.

    When she reached out to press the doorbell, though, she suddenly lowered her hand.

    What was she going to do? Oh, she was going to press the doorbell.

    She lifted her hand again but failed once more.

    What was she pressing the doorbell for? Oh, she was visiting Gregor.

    There was a slight gap in her memory, resulting in her thoughts stuttering.

    A shudder ran down her spine, and she realized that her thought process was disturbed by some sort of psychic Talent. It was Correcting Sickle¡¯s Memory Tailor!

    With Gale, her mental strength had seen a great improvement. She quickly focused andposed herself, turning around quickly.

    Indeed, a group of five were right behind her: Goldthread, Zhong He, Lying Wood, Correcting Sickle, and Subus.

    ¡°You¡¯re too reckless, Can.¡± Correcting Sickle spoke coolly as her former colleague. ¡°The fact that the elevator had gone down didn¡¯t mean that we had left.¡±

    Can paled, having put together what happened.

    The moment the elevator opened to no one, the five of them had guessed that something was amiss, but they maintained their poker face and didn¡¯t let it show.

    They entered the elevator as if they had rehearsed it to make it seem like they had left, but with Goldthread¡¯s ability to manipte gravity, he could bring the elevator back up quickly halfway down, allowing them to catch Can off guard.

    In that moment of distraction, a shadow dove toward Can near the floor. It was Zhong He¡¯s Phantom!

    Can had to run.

    ¡°Gale des!¡±

    She lifted a hand and shouted. The air around her quickly condensed into translucent des and shot at the five awakeners.

    Having anticipated the attack, they dodged to the corners for cover.

    Some of the fierce des hit the walls and scattered white ashes, while others flew another way and hit the far end of the corridor, leaving a few cuts on the fire extinguisher cab.

    Can never considered facing them head-on. The attacks were only meant to buy her time. She turned to rush to the fire escape and jumped out of the window.

    ¡°Chase her!¡± Goldthread quickly gave chase, followed closely by Zhong He.

    Correcting Sickle, Subus, and Lying Wood stayed where they were and didn¡¯t move.

    The three of them weren¡¯t suitable for the job, and there had to be someone keeping an eye on Gregor. They didn¡¯t want to disturb Gregor again and lost even more goodwill, so they quietly stood guard outside.

    Meanwhile, Can had jumped to the tall building across the road. Level 4 Gale didn¡¯t allow for quick travel. She couldn¡¯t reach the speed of Qing Ling¡¯s de riding or Heavenly Dog¡¯s level 6 Fly.

    Goldthread and Zhong He reached the fire escape. Without hesitation, Goldthread grabbed Zhong He and jumped out of the window, activating level 6 Gravity. In a state of weightlessness, like they were in space, the two hurtled toward Can with the inertia they had built.

    Flying toward the building, Can turned around and realized that Goldthread and Zhong He were right behind her.

    She made a forceful push with her hands. ¡°Power Gale!¡±

    An intangible gust blew at Goldthread and Zhong He, the force rivaling a category 8 typhoon, enough to uproot a small tree.

    ¡°Shadow Orb!¡± A ck shadow extended from Zhong He¡¯s body and turned into a ck enclosed orb, covering him and Goldthread.

    The gale pushed the ck orb back to the previous building, and like a wrecking ball, they crashed through the wall. At the moment of collision, however, the shadow orb quickly exploded into a spiderweb, attaching itself to the walls and catching Goldthread and Zhong He safely.

    Can was about to reach the rooftop of the building across the road.

    ¡°Zero Gravity!¡±

    Goldthread grabbed Zhong He¡¯s arm and hurled him. They had made the move many times and worked well together. Zhong He rxed, allowing himself to beunched.

    Two secondster, he was already right above the rooftop of the building.

    With Phantom, he attached a shadow rope to the railing of the rooftop and pulled, making a safending. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Can blocked by Heavenly Dog from the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Heavenly Dog had a fierce-looking mask of a <i>tengu </i>on, his hair tied into a small ponytail. With his hands in his pockets, he hovered before Can, stopping her with the threat of Spatial Dissection.

    Zhong He scoffed.

    He knew the Twelve Zodiac Signs must have eyes on Gregor too. The three organizations all wanted to recruit the powerful new guy. After all, one more ally was one less enemy.

    Can froze, looking at a loss.

    While she had joined many fights, she was always with her teammates. She had almost never been on a mission on her own.

    Now, there were enemies before and behind her. There was no way for her to run.

    She couldn¡¯t defeat Heavenly Dog and Zhong He.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    Zhong He activated Phantom.

    The shadow under his feet snaked up to her and formed a ck circle around her in case she went invisible again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡±

    ¡°I...surrender!¡±

    Can raised her hands decisively, dropping to one knee.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me. I surrender. I¡¯ll submit...¡±

    Heavenly Dog stayed silent, hiding his relief. Thank God he didn¡¯t have to make a move.

    Zhong He controlled his shadow to climb up Can¡¯s body, restraining her without strangling her.

    Can hid a sigh of relief.

    Good, it was all going ording to n. She just had to...

    Her eyes widened, and a cold pain stabbed her.

    She slowly looked down to find a ck Gold triangr de protruding from her chest through her back, hitting her heart.

 Chapter 658: Stupid Dog

    <h4>Chapter 658: Stupid Dog</h4>

    The one sneaking up on Can was Chaos Reflection. Just like Heavenly Dog, his job was to keep an eye on Gregor. Thus, he had been hiding in a mirror in Gregor¡¯s ce. Hearing a fight outside, he secretly joined the fray.

    He jumped from Gregor¡¯s window to a window of the building across the road. Then with a few more jumps, he hid in a pool of water on the rooftop.

    When he made sure that Can was under control with no chance of resisting or dodging, he stabbed her in the back suddenly.

    Zhong He and Heavenly Dog were both caught by surprise.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Zhong He shouted.

    ¡°I...I killed her.¡± Chaos Reflection lowered his head, unable to meet his eyes. ¡°Elder Yan Liang said that all members of the Nine Scions must be killed on sight...¡±

    ¡°You fucking lunatic!¡± Zhong He yelled. He didn¡¯t know why he was so furious. ¡°I¡¯ve caught her already. Isn¡¯t it better to capture her alive? We could¡¯ve interrogated her, but you killed her. What¡¯s a body gonna do for us?!¡±

    Chaos Reflection felt wronged. He said weakly, ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird can still question her...even though she¡¯s a body...¡±

    ¡°What do you know? A body can only be questioned once! A living person can be used as a hostage! As a bargaining chip!¡± Zhong He got even more furious. ¡°You¡¯re a stupid fucking dog! A motherless son of a bitch!¡±

    As soon as Can got stabbed, Heavenly Dog reflexively looked for a Gold ck hairpin on Can, and he checked if Hong Xiaoxiao was hiding nearby.

    Both answers were no.

    ¡°Stupid dog.¡± Heavenly Dog echoed the sentiment coldly.

    Chaos Reflection couldn¡¯t take more usations from them. He felt frustrated and helpless. He didn¡¯t understand what he had done wrong by following orders. With a whoosh, he entered the pool of water at his feet. Then he disappeared after a few more jumps.

    Zhong He had recovered someposure after letting it all out. He retracted his shadow and went up to Can, getting on one knee.

    Cany in her own blood, her pupils dted with tears of despair filling her eyes. She looked pained, frustrated, and confused.

    <i>She¡¯s so young and has never hurt anyone willingly. She surrendered, for heaven¡¯s sake.</i>

    <i>How could the bastard do this to her?</i>

    Zhong He reached out to close her eyes. When he touched her face, though, the texture startled him.

    It didn¡¯t feel right.

    He quickly pulled away and took two steps back. Can¡¯s body turned translucent before vanishing in a few seconds.

    Zhong He caught on immediately. He shouted at Heavenly Dog, ¡°It¡¯s a double! We fell for it! Head back!¡±

    Heavenly Dog realized what had happened, and he gave a mental thumbs-up. <i>Cool</i>.

    He started to flyzily to the building Gregor lived in, offering Zhong He a hand when he flew past him.

    ¡°Need a ride?¡±

    Zhong He took his hand. ¡°Hurry up already! Come on!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Heavenly Dog reluctantly sped up.

    ...

    Two minutes ago, in Gregor¡¯s apartment building.

    Gao Yang had timed it and entered the elevator, going through his n in his head. At the same time, he checked the three Talents he had stored in him: Shapeshifter, Invisibility, and Gale.

    <i>Alright, this should work.</i>

    ¡ªActivate level 7 Shapeshifter.

    Shapeshifter was limited when transforming someone else¡¯s face and body, but it was easy to disguise oneself with it.

    Five secondster, Gao Yang had turned into Can in both appearance and clothing.

    And since Shapeshifter¡¯s transformation was considered a passive ability just like Gecko¡¯s limb regeneration, it didn¡¯t go by the 20-second use time limit, but the much longer storage time.

    <i>Ding</i>. A second before the elevator door opened, Gao Yang went invisible.

    He walked out of the elevator right before the group of five. He knew the group would notice the detail that the elevator was empty when it opened, and it made sense that they would pretend to not notice and make sure there was no trap before entering the elevator.

    Not long after the elevator closed, Gao Yang turned visible. It was to lure the five awakeners out by exposing himself, and it was also because the replicated Invisibility onlysted 20 seconds.

    To better imitate Can, he tried his best to think like her too. One¡¯s thoughts affected their micro-expressions after all, and to put on a convincing act and fool others, one had to fool oneself first.

    As Can, he made it to Gregor¡¯s door. When he was going to knock, he was hit by Correcting Sickle¡¯s Memory Tailor, his thought interrupted.

    Then he conjured air des to attack the group of five. While they were busy dodging the attacks, he used Double and Teleportation.

    The real him made it into Gregor¡¯s ce, while the double started fleeing. After jumping through the window, the double had flown toward the building across the road rather than simply flying away for two reasons:

    First, the replicated Gale only worked for 20 seconds.

    Second, he wanted to get caught to flush out the hidden eyes too. And indeed, both Chaos Reflection and Heavenly Dog showed up.

    Meanwhile, his real self had entered Gregor¡¯s study room.

    Without noticing his entrance, Gregor continued to write.

    Gao Yang removed his disguise and quietly approached Gregor. Looking at the screen, he read the opening Gregor had just written.

    ¡°Many yearster, when facing the Gate of Truth, humanity finally remembered the long distant nights when they were under their control...¡±

    Gregor always put himselfpletely into his writing, and when he heard Gao Yang¡¯s voice, he mistook it as his internal monologue. Stroking his chin, he said contently, ¡°Hm, that¡¯s a better opening...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a mix of many things,¡± Gao Yangmented.

    ¡°Really?¡± Gregor said before turning around in shock. ¡°Agh! Who...are...you...¡±

    He fell off his chair.

    While Gao Yang spoke, he had been injecting Gregor¡¯s arm with a small syringe of Medicine D. Carrying the man on his shoulder, he grabbed theptop and went to the living room, reaching the balcony in the opposite direction of where his double was going. In a sh, he was gone.

    At that moment, Lying Wood, Correcting Sickle, and Subus were still none the wiser outside Gregor¡¯s ce.

    ...

    Nine Scions¡¯ temporary base, Li River Community, early in the morning.

    In the small bedroom filled with the fragrance of scented candles, Can and Hong Xiaoxiao slept on the same bed. The floor heating was warm, and the two dressed lightly in pajamas with a thin nket covering them.

    Suddenly, Can opened her eyes wide and blushed hard, her heart racing.

    <i>Ahhhhh why did I remember the moment again? Stop, brain! Shut down already!</i>

    The more she tried to stop herself from thinking about it, though, the more she did. The memory of what happened during the day snuck up on her, returning to her mind.

    ...

    ¡°Yeah, I need a favor.¡± Gao Yang hesitated. ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Can cut in. ¡°Leave it to me, Captain. I¡¯ll finish the mission.¡±

    ¡°I believe you.¡± Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°You won¡¯t fail.¡±

    He stood up and closed the door gingerly, reaching out to Can. ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    Lying on the bed, Can took his hand without thinking.

    Gao Yang held her hand and leaned in, touching her face with his other hand. He tucked her messy fringe behind her ear and stroked her hair.

    Can¡¯s brain shut down. <i>What, what, what¡¯s Captain doing...? It can¡¯t be that, right?</i>

 Chapter 659: First Time

    <h4>Chapter 659: First Time</h4>

    A few secondster, Gao Yang pulled back. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Can broke out of her reverie. ¡°Oh, you were replicating my Talents?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯m borrowing your Invisibility and Gale.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to use my Talents, Captain. There¡¯s no need for the politeness.¡± Can smiled bashfully, but there was still something that confused her: the misleading touches weren¡¯t necessary for replicating her Talents.

    Then Gao Yang took out a measuring tape. ¡°Now, tell me your height, weight, three sizes, shoulder width, and leg length...¡±

    ¡°Is...is that part of the mission?¡± Can was caught off guard again.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°Nainai told me that my first time could easily fail due to nervousness. It¡¯s best to know your body first so that I can ease into it...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Can was so shocked that she shoved him away. ¡°Captain! It¡¯s too sudden! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not prepared yet...¡±

    Gao Yang blinked and broke into an awkward smile. ¡°I should¡¯ve made myself clearer. I¡¯m going on a mission as you, and it¡¯s my first time using Shapeshifter. Without prior experience, I¡¯m prone to making mistakes with only what I know by looking at you. That¡¯s why I want to know you better.¡±

    Realization hit Can like a truck. She became entirely red and wanted nothing but to hop on a spaceship and escape the sr system.

    ...

    ¡°I wanna die...¡± Can turned around with lingering embarrassment and buried her face in the pillow.

    ¡°Hm...ourpany...ourpany uses state-of-the-art technology...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao mumbled after getting woken up by Can, but then she rolled away and quickly fell back to sleep.

    ...

    When Gregor woke up, he found himself sitting in a swivel chair with nothing but darkness around him. It looked like an enclosed room.

    ¡°Hm...¡±

    He felt lightheaded. There was a bitter taste at the tip of his tongue, and his fingers felt numb.

    Suddenly, a fire ignited in the darkness before him. It came from the tip of a finger like a weak candle, behind which was a young man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Gregor,¡± Gao Yang greeted with a smile.

    ¡°Who, who are you?¡± Gregor stared at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m the head of the Nine Scions.¡±

    Gregor stared at him nkly for a few seconds before propping himself upright with his hands on the chair. He asked, ¡°Where¡¯s myptop?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s here.¡±

    Gregor sighed in relief. Hisptop stored therge volume of writing materials and research he had umted, as well as his abandoned drafts. While he had deleted those drafts, they could still be of use.

    Gregor looked at Gao Yang, whose face was illuminated by the weak fire. ¡°Speak. What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Just like the three organizations, I would like to ask you to join us,¡± Gao Yang said unceremoniously. ¡°I took you here to invite you.¡±

    ¡°Let me say this again...¡± Gregor took a deep breath and red at him with widened eyes, shouting, ¡°I just want to fucking write my novel in peace! ¡±

    ¡°If you continue to bother me, I¡¯m really gonna do it! I¡¯m gonna poison all of you fucking...¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gao Yang said decisively.

    Gregor thought he had heard wrong. ¡°What? Sure what?¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You may quietly write your masterpiece without thinking about anything. The apocalypse has nothing to do with you. Those from the three organizations won¡¯t be bothering you every day.¡±

    ¡°If we can leave the Mist World, I¡¯lle and get you. You may continue with your writing. Worste to worst, we¡¯ll all die together if we don¡¯t find a way out. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± Gregor wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°For real,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to stay here.¡±

    Gregor leaned back into the chair and frowned. ¡°Although I rarely get out, there¡¯s a big difference between staying at home willingly and being imprisoned.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a bad ce to be. There¡¯s a month¡¯s worth of food and water.¡±

    Gao Yang patiently exined. ¡°My subordinate wille by every week to resupply. If you need anything, just tell him. We¡¯ll do our best to satisfy you. Moreover, there¡¯s ess to the inte here. The IP is concealed, though, and we¡¯re monitoring all online activities.¡±

    Gregor nodded. ¡°Sounds pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Deal?¡±

    ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll consider this a writer retreat.¡± Gregor thought of something. ¡°Oh, can you send women here to spend the nights with me? I only need somepany for two to three days every month. I prefer older women who know they are sexy.¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    After two seconds of silence, he made apromise, ¡°I can¡¯t get you real women, but silicone ones I can try to procure for you.¡±

    Gregor waved him away in disappointment. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just go without. I won¡¯t let my desires break down my will.¡±

    ¡°Then I hope inspirations be with you and you¡¯ll write twenty thousand words every day.¡±

    Gao Yang stood up and walked to the side to flip the master switch on the wall. <i>Crackle</i>. The lights turned on instantly.

    Gregor was momentarily stunned. He had thought he was put in a cramped, rundown room, but it turned out to be arge basement with warm designs. Every electronic he would need was here, and there were seven rooms, alling with a bathroom.

    Gao Yang pointed at a red button on the wall. ¡°If there¡¯s an emergency, press this, and my people will rush here immediately.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t try to run away since you¡¯ve epted the deal, or I won¡¯t promise you safety.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± Gregor went up to the fridge and took a bottle of beer, already feeling at home. He turned around and asked, ¡°Cigarettes?¡±

    ¡°In the drawer of the desk in the study.¡± Gao Yang used Lie Detection on him while speaking.

    ¡ªThe target didn¡¯t lie, and he was neutral.

    A minuteter, Gao Yang left through the only exit of the basement: a waterproof metal door disguised as a wall.

    It was pitch ck outside. With a wave of his right hand, Gao Yang conjured a fireball to light up the ce.

    It was a dirty, damp, and dark sewerage with a maze of crisscrossing pipes. When the water level rose, the area would bepletely submerged, making it difficult to even get out of the basement.

    In the past, this was one of the secret bases of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but it¡¯d been abandoned for years. War Tiger made the decision to gift it to the Nine Scions.

    Gao Yang took some time to get out of the sewerage. Then he teleported through the manhole to an alleyway. It waste at night. A man stood by the road. It was Lithe Snake.

    ¡°You got a deal?¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t join us, but ept the alternative,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Visit him every week going forward. Remember to bring Hong Xiaoxiao and her hairpin just in case.¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes glinted.

    Gao Yang nced at him. ¡°Something to say?¡±

    Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just kill him? Since he won¡¯t join the Nine Scions, he¡¯s going to be a threat to us sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Even if we kill him, his Talent won¡¯t go to us. We have the fewest people and thus the lowest chance of acquiring Pestilence. We¡¯ll only be benefitting the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°And Gregor isn¡¯t a bad person. The Nine Scions do not kill the innocents.¡± Gao Yang gave Lithe Snake a look. ¡°Didn¡¯t you live by that when you were a mercenary too?¡±

    Lithe Snake smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember since it¡¯s been too long.¡±

    Gao Yang started walking. Lithe Snake followed.

    ¡°How¡¯s Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird and One Stone stick close to her. I never have the chance to approach her.¡±

    Gao Yang had an idea. ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way.¡±

 Chapter 660: Older Sister and Younger Brother

    <h4>Chapter 660: Older Sister and Younger Brother</h4>

    Inside the old, rundown rented t with two bedrooms and one living room, an older sister and her little brother were having dinner. There were three home-cooked dishes on the table: green pepper and meat stirfry, steamed egg, and stir-fried julienned potato.

    The older sister was twenty-three years old. She wore a sweater with ck and white stripes with her hair tied up and a pair of ck-rimmed sses perching on her nose. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t one for fashion.

    The younger brother was fourteen with a delicate face and a frail body. Dressed in middle-school uniform, he ate with his head low.

    The sister picked up two pieces of meat and put them in his bowl. Then she gave him a spoonful of steamed egg. ¡°Have more sides and less rice, or you won¡¯t grow taller.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The brother continued to focus on eating.

    ¡°Have you drunk your milk?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The sister stopped talking. She ate and calcted her ie for the month and the living expenses of the family.

    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± The brother lowered the bowl and chopsticks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

    ¡°Alright, go do your homework.¡± The sister talked like a parent.

    ¡°It¡¯s your birthday tomorrow, Sister.¡±

    She paused. She had forgotten about it, but she didn¡¯t really care. She continued eating.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I celebrate your birthday for you?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I need to go to the funeral home. Two bodies have been sent this afternoon. I have to touch them up tomorrow.¡± After graduating from college, the sister became a mortician at a funeral home.

    She could¡¯ve found a job with a lower workload and less stigma, but being a mortician paid well.

    The brother lowered his head and spoke with regret, ¡°Why don¡¯t you resign, Sister? I¡¯ve talked to Auntie Liu next door. I can help her at herte-night food stand. She¡¯ll pay me every month...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? You should be focusing on your study!¡± The sister cut him off, her tone severe.

    ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t let it affect my study...¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re young. Auntie Liu will be exploiting children by hiring you. If someone finds out, she¡¯ll even lose her business. Do you want to do that to her?¡± The sister mixed truth with lies to intimidate her brother from the idea.

    The brother¡¯s shoulders sagged. ¡°Alright.¡±

    The sister put down her bowl and chopsticks, softening her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m doing well, really. At first, I didn¡¯t like the job that much, but I changed my mind. It feels good to help the dead depart from the world with dignity.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Last month, a middle school girl around your age passed away in a car ident. She was dragged across the road for a few meters. When she was sent to me, her face...¡±

    She stopped herself. ¡°Anyway, I spent days fixing her face and allowed her to bid farewell to her family, friends, and ssmates with a pretty appearance. After that, her parents came to me and thanked me while crying. I felt such a sense of achievement then...¡±

    The brother broke into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Sister.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, remember that.¡± Sheughed too, picking up her bowl to continue eating.

    ¡°You aren¡¯ting home today, are you, Sister?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be too busy to. I¡¯ll stay the night at the funeral home.¡±

    The brother nodded, eyes flickering. ¡°I prepared a birthday gift for you, Sister. I¡¯ll...give it to you now.¡±

    The sister paused before giving him a resigned smile. ¡°Is it a gift if you bought it with my money? You should spend the money on study materials.¡±

    ¡°I earned the money myself, Sister.¡± The brother sounded excited.

    ¡°Oh, how?¡± She was curious.

    The brother said bashfully, ¡°Tee-hee, I did my ssmate¡¯s homework for a week...ow!¡±

    The sister knocked him in the head with the chopsticks. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that again! You weren¡¯t helping them, but harming them. You get it?¡±

    ¡°He would¡¯ve found someone else to write his homework even if I hadn¡¯t offered. Might as well let me earn the money.¡± The brother argued while rubbing his head.

    The sister snapped, ¡°Stop talking back! I don¡¯t care about other people, but you must not do this again. Alright?¡±

    ¡°I get it now.¡± The brother fumed. He shot to his feet and turned to leave.

    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°The money¡¯s dirty. Then the gift is too. I¡¯ll throw it away.¡±

    ¡°You...sit down!¡± The sister called out nervously.

    The brother came back and sat down, head drooping in dejection.

    ¡°The gift hasn¡¯t done anything wrong. It¡¯s innocent!¡± She stared at him and suddenlyughed. ¡°Alright, alright. I shouldn¡¯t have scolded you. Give me the gift.¡±

    The brother couldn¡¯t help butugh too. He took out a wrapped little box from his pocket. ¡°Here!¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± The sister was a little caught off guard. ¡°It¡¯s not a ring, is it? That¡¯s a gift for your girlfriend, not your sister. But you shouldn¡¯t date anyone when you¡¯re so young.¡±

    ¡°Stop nagging me and open it.¡±

    She unwrapped the gift and saw a white square box.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Contact lenses,¡± the brother said proudly. ¡°Rimmed sses are out of fashion now, Sister. Contact lenses are the trend... I remember your prescription. -3.00 for the left eye and -2.75 for the right eye. I get the right lenses for you.¡±

    The sister knew about contact lenses. She looked up at him. ¡°Why did you get this for me?¡±

    ¡°Stop wearing your sses, Sister. My ssmates say you¡¯re pretty, especially your eyes, but you always have your sses on and pull a long face like everyone owes you money. That¡¯s why you can never get a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°You asking for a beat-up?¡± She pretended to be angry.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll go do my homework.¡± He ran into his room with a smile.

    The sister looked at the box of contact lenses in her hands, feeling her chest filled with warmth. She turned around and called out to her brother¡¯s room, ¡°Thanks for the gift, little brother. I like it a lot.¡±

    There was no response.

    Her heart sank. She had an ominous feeling. She called out again, ¡°Do you hear me, Brother?¡±

    A shadow emerged from the room and poured on the floor. It looked strange.

    ¡°Brother?¡±

    Realizing something was wrong, the sister shot to her feet and rushed toward her brother¡¯s room, but came to a stunned halt.

    Her brother walked out, but he was now covered from head to toe in green hardy scales, and his small figure had increased to two meters in height, dragging a slick, slimy tail behind him.

    His face was covered in grayish-green fleshy lumps that writhed strangely like they were alive. His eyes were now a pair of golden marbles. And his mouth split to the sides of his jaw, his teeth reced by sharp fangs.

    Only remnants of her little brother were left.

    He opened his mouth and drooled brown saliva as he mumbled in a rough voice, ¡°Sister, do you like...my gift for you...¡±

    ...

    Vermilion Bird opened her eyes and woke up on the sofa in the ck Tortoise branch¡¯s breakroom.

    It was seven in the evening, and night had fallen outside the windows. Vermilion Bird and One Stone had taken Ke Yo to the Walled City of Ten Dragons to meet the other teammates. They chatted for the entire afternoon, and Vermilion Bird was tired. She took a nap. She would wake up for their dinner gathering.

    It was now seven, yet no one had fetched her for dinner.

    <i>Buzz</i>. Her phone was vibrating in her pocket. That was what had woken her up.

    She picked up the call. ¡°Hello...¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong! Come help us!¡± One Stone shouted.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Vermilion Bird was suddenly wide awake.

    ¡°The barbecue ce...<i> Boom! Beep, beep, beep...</i>¡±

    There was a loud noise. Then the call cut off.

    ¡°Hello? One Stone? One Stone! Dammit!¡±

    She grabbed her coat and rushed out the window.

 Chapter 661: Every One of You

    <h4>Chapter 661: Every One of You</h4>

    Vermilion Bird jumped out of the window on the third floor, rushing across the za of the Walled City of Ten Dragons. She didn¡¯t have the time to ride the slow-moving metal cage elevator. Using a small amount of her vitality with Equivalent Exchange, she doubled her physical power and jumped and climbed into Liu Qingying¡¯s restaurant.

    Her heart spasmed when she went through the window. There were signs of a big fight. The tables and chairs were toppled, and the air permeated with the smell of blood.

    Raven Shark, Bumblebee, Stubborn Weasel, and Crimson Beey prone in different parts of the restaurant, their blood pooling and their conditions difficult to tell.

    With her back to Vermilion Bird, One Stone was on her knees with her hands pressing into her abdomen. There was a pool of blood under her, too.

    ¡°One Stone!¡± Vermilion Bird shouted and rushed to her.

    Not turning around, One Stone stopped her in a pained voice, ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Vermilion Bird listened and stopped approaching her recklessly.

    ¡°Haha, here you are.¡±

    Ke Youghed.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s head jerked up. Sitting on the cashier counter was Ke Yo, her clothes and face covered in blood and her lips curled into a strange smile.

    ¡°Ke Yo!¡± Vermillion Bird couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    Ke Yo hopped off the counter easily and took two steps to Raven Shark, lifting a foot to step on his head. ¡°Nothing. I had a game with the others. It was quite fun.¡±

    Shock and anger rushed into Vermilion Bird¡¯s head. She clenched her fists but didn¡¯t dare to just go up to Ke Yo.

    <i>What happened? Did Ke Yo recover her memory? Even so, she would never do something this cruel.</i>

    <i>Had Yan Liang ordered Correcting Sickle to imnt arge volume of false memories, resulting in her losing her mind?</i>

    ¡°You came at just the right time, Sister Xia. I have a special surprise for you.¡± Still smiling, Ke Yo extended three fingers on her right hand, folding them one by one.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s heart raced on high alert. She extended her six senses and watched out for any unusual energy ripples.

    ¡°Three, two...one!¡±

    Ke Yo finished counting down and smirked.

    Nothing happened.

    There was no realm or attack. Kneeling on the floor, One Stone suddenly turned around. While her face was covered in blood, she was holding a party popper.

    She aimed it at Vermilion Bird and <i>pop</i>! Countless thin strands of ribbons and sparkling golden confetti shot out.

    Vermilion Bird gaped, stunned.

    Raven Shark, Bumblebee, Crimson Bee, and Stubborn Weasel had got to their feet, too, aiming the party poppers they had been hiding at her.

    <i>Pop, pop, pop!</i>

    Golden confetti danced in the air.

    ¡°Happy birthday!¡± they shouted at the same time.

    <i>Click</i>. The light in the restaurant went out, leaving only the kitchen illuminated. Vermilion Bird turned to see Liu Qingying, dressed in a sexy qipao, pushing a small cart to them, carrying a threeyer birthday cake with the candles already lit.

    ¡°Happy birthday to you,¡± she sang softly as she approached.

    ¡°Happy birthday to you...¡± The others sang while pping, crowding toward Vermilion Bird.

    Knowing that she had been pranked, Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t sure how to feel for a moment.

    One Stone came up to Vermilion Bird. Vermilion Bird wiped some ¡°blood¡± from her face and tasted it. It was ketchup.

    The ketchup did smell metallic like blood, though, which was as easy as a bartender making a cocktail for One Stone with Talent: Pharmacist.

    ¡°Happy birthday to you!¡±

    When the song was finished, the small cart had reached Vermilion Bird, too. She didn¡¯t even have to count to know that there were eighteen candles on the cake.

    ¡°Make a wish, Sister Xia!¡± One Stone urged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter.¡± Vermilion Bird held her hands together before her chest. ¡°First wish, I hope for world peace. Second wish, I hope for good health and safety for everyone I care about. Last wish...¡±

    She kept her eyes closed and made herst wish.

    A few secondster, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath, blowing the candles out with a strong exhale.

    ¡°Nice!¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    The ps and cheers created a celebratory atmosphere.

    ¡°Thank you for remembering my birthday. I¡¯m touched...¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s eyes glinted mischievously. She grabbed a handful of cream and threw it at One Stone¡¯s face.

    ¡°Agh!¡± One Stone cried out, caught off guard.

    Realizing that she was in danger, Ke Yo turned to run away from in front of Vermilion Bird, but plop! A blob of cream already hit her on the forehead.

    ¡°How dare you prank me!¡± Vermilion Bird grabbed two handfuls of cream. ¡°And you! You are all dead, every one of you!¡±

    ¡°Ahh! Help...¡±

    A cake fight broke out. It was chaos.

    The only one standing around was a tall, oversized young man with a fair baby face, wearing a ck T-shirt. Holding a paper te and a stic fork, he opened his mouth and closed it, unable to fit in with the crowd going wild.

    He was Bumblebee, an Elite of Team Vermilion Bird with Talent: Decaying Particle, serial number 53, Poison-type.

    ¡°Get this!¡± Vermilion Bird had gotten excited. She threw a lump of cake at Bumblebee.

    ¡°Throw it into my mouth...¡± The man opened his mouth to catch it, but plop, the cream cake hit his thick chest and fell to the floor.

    Stunned, he looked down at the piece of cake on the floor, heartbroken.

    <i>Please stop! I wanna have some cake!</i>

    ...

    After the cake fight, they cleaned up the mess and washed away the cream and ketchup they got on them, changing into the clean clothes they had prepared beforehand. They sat around the table and started having barbecues. It was to celebrate Ke Yo¡¯s official joining and Vermilion Bird¡¯s birthday.

    Unfortunately, Xiao Xin was still helping Dr. Jia with an experiment, and Correcting Sickle and Small Luo had been called away to Team Yan Liang, or they would have the full team here.

    One Stone was the one who organized the prank. She wanted to give Vermilion Bird a memorable birthday.

    And she seeded. Vermilion Bird would never forget the rollercoaster of emotions the experience gave her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Stay away!¡±

    A woman shouted at Bumblebee amid the happy chatters.

 Chapter 662: Rude

    <h4>Chapter 662: Rude</h4>

    The woman shouting at Bumblebee was Stubborn Weasel, with Talent: Hedgehog, serial number 52, Guard-type.

    It was difficult to tell her age. She had a pale face and thin, frail build, her shoulders narrow and her head big. There was something very off about her proportions, and she resembled an alien from old sci-fi movies.

    Her pitch-ck hair was pulled to the sides tightly to tie arge braid behind her head. She had a big forehead, pronounced cheekbones, small eyes, a t nose, and freckles dotted her whole face.

    With her appearance leaving something to be desired and her tendency to hurl cutting words around, she became the least popr person among Team Vermilion Bird and even the entire Qilin Guild.

    She knew people didn¡¯t like her and often mocked her and criticized her behind her back, but she didn¡¯t care; she disliked everyone else just as much.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t touch you,¡± Bumblebee mumbled, feeling wronged.

    ¡°Your fat arm touched me.¡± Stubborn Weasel gave him a look of disgust. ¡°And your body odor is getting worse. Don¡¯t sit next to me. I¡¯m throwing up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have body odor!¡± Bumblebee got worked up. ¡°That¡¯s a stereotype for a fat man. I took a shower right before leaving home today...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Both of you take a step back.¡± Vermilion Bird intervened. ¡°Bumblebee, sit next to me. One Stone will sit with Stubborn Weasel.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Bumblebee obediently stood up to exchange seats with One Stone, mumbling silently, <i>I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want to sit with you.</i>

    The atmosphere rxed again. Vermilion Bird took care of everyone like the matriarch of the family.

    ¡°You can drink, Crimson Bee, but don¡¯t get so wasted that you start trouble, or I¡¯ll knock you out.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± Crimson Bee smiled with embarrassment.

    ¡°One Stone, the pork belly¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, thank you, Sister Xia! Mua!¡± One Stone acted cute and young on purpose. While she was tall and slim, she loved fatty food. She was blessed with the genes that prevented her from getting overweight.

    ¡°Bumblebee, your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol run high, so don¡¯t have too much juice.¡± Wearing disposable gloves, Vermilion Bird made a wrap with a leafy green and beef, putting it in Bumblebee¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Thank you, Sister Xia.¡± Bumblebee was quite proud of himself. ¡°I¡¯ve already lost two kilo this month.¡±

    ¡°Good. Keep it going.¡± Vermilion Bird picked up a piece of corn and dropped it in Raven Shark¡¯s bowl. ¡°Here, have some corn, or it¡¯s gonna be too charred.¡±

    Raven Shark nibbled on the corn quietly.

    He had stopped eating meat afterprehending Sea King, and while he could take people eating meat at the same table, he could not tolerate them having seafood.

    ¡°Stubborn Weasel, your...¡±

    ¡°I have hands. I don¡¯t need your help.¡± The woman rejected the show of goodwill.

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t get angry. She turned to Ke Yo. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you like, so please, have whatever you like.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ke Yo nodded.

    ¡°Hm...this is nice!¡± One Stone took a big gulp of beer, her chees flushed and her eyes unfocused. ¡°Want a drink, Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°Stop being a bad influence to a kid,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    ¡°How old are you, Ke Yo?¡± One Stone asked.

    Ke Yo smiled uncertainly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not underaged, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Then you should drink!¡±

    ¡°Ignore her,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    ¡°It pisses me off when talking about age!¡± One Stone red at Vermilion Bird. ¡°You smoke, you drink, but you still look the same as when you graduated college. In a few years, I¡¯ll look like your aunt. It¡¯s so unfair!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m born this way. Don¡¯t envy me.¡± Vermilion Bird smoked leisurely and egged her on on purpose.

    ¡°How old are you, Sister Xia?¡± Bumblebee had always been curious.

    ¡°It¡¯s impolite to ask a woman her age,¡± said another voice. Everyone looked up to see Liu Qingying carrying a tray of drinks to them. ¡°Here. Complimentary lotus seed and lily bulb soups.¡±

    Bumblebee was immediately captivated by Liu Qingying¡¯s figure and grace. He stared.

    ¡°Do you not age, either, Miss Liu?¡± One Stone said. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed either.¡±

    ¡°Haha, aren¡¯t you sweet?¡± Liu Qingying served the soup. ¡°Have a taste. It¡¯s good for your health to drink it in winter. Supplement your energy and soothe the lungs to stop coughing.¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°Apologies, Miss Liu. We booked the whole ce for my birthday celebration, and we made a real mess.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but One Stone paid for it, and it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been this happy.¡± Liu Qingying sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯s been much quieter after the Tide.¡±

    A mncholy atmosphere took over the room at that.

    Before the Crimson Tide, more than a hundred awakeners flocked to the Walled City of Ten Dragons since it was thergest hub for them, and at the time, the former ck Tortoise still had a soft control on hundreds of stable wanderers, and they lived and worked here.

    The ce had been boisterous with activities, and Miss Liu¡¯s restaurant rarely had an unimed table.

    Now, the number of awakeners had halved, and most wanderers were released. Moreover, the three organizations were getting wary of each other, their interactions dwindling. As a result, the Walled City of Ten Dragons had almost be an empty city, bleak and lonely. Liu Qingying¡¯s restaurant saw little business. There were only four wanderers working here as waiting staff and kitchen staff.

    ¡°Enjoy, everyone. Call out to me if you need anything.¡±

    Bumblebee watched Liu Qingying go and muttered, ¡°If Miss Liu gets into cosy, she¡¯s gonna be a top cosyer,uded as the greatest sexy older sister. Her height, length of legs, looks...¡±

    Stubborn Weasel scoffed. ¡°Freak.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s intersex!¡± Bumblebee shot back vehemently, his double chin shaking. ¡°And no one in the cosy circle would care! There are many beautiful boys in drag, and girls can be really handsome as male characters. You should stop running your mouth if you know nothing about it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my mouth. I can say whatever I want. If you don¡¯t like it, piss off.¡± Stubborn Weasel didn¡¯t seem apologetic at all.

    The two got into another argument.

    This time, Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t calm them down. Still smoking leisurely, she swapped Ke Yo¡¯s bowl of soup with hers before Ke Yo could drink from it. ¡°Here. Mine has more soup in it. I can¡¯t finish it all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ke Yo didn¡¯t think much of it.

    ...

    Late at night, Ke Yo suddenly found herself in a slowly rising elevator. <i>Ding</i>. The elevator stopped at the 26th floor, opening slowly.

    Ke Yo hesitated but still walked out in the end. The corridor was dim and lined with doors. They seemed to lead to tabletop cafes, murder mystery shops, and escape rooms. The doors each had a signboard above it, varying in style but equally sparkly.

    Ke Yo found the ce familiar. She seemed to have been here before, but she couldn¡¯t remember any details.

    She continued forward and reached an escape room. The signboard above the door was rusty and covered in blood stains. Silent Town, the sign said.

    ¡°Wee.¡± A tall adult woman stood by the counter, her curvy body wrapped in a fashionable white tube-top dress. A ck rose decorated the chest area, and the long hem of the dress withplicated designs ran down to the ground. Her ck dress hat obscured half of her face and one eye. Her face was pale like that of a zombie, in stark contrast with her luscious red lips.

    She had a hand on her hip and a long thin pipe in her other hand. Smiling, she looked intimidating in a scary yet alluring way.

    Ke Yo recognized her as Liu Qingying. She must be cosying the viin of a horror game.

    It turned out that Miss Liu really was a top cosyer. If Bumblebee knew, he would down three bottles of c in excitement.

    After a moment of distraction, Ke Yo asked, ¡°Where am I, Miss Liu?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s my dream, as well as yours.¡± Liu Qingying smiled gently, but her look made her smile even more eerie.

    ¡°Why am I in your dream?¡± Ke Yo was surprised.

    ¡°A loyal client of mine would like to meet you,¡± said Liu Qingying. ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t want to leave any trace due to the sensitive nature of his identity, he asked me to organize the meeting.¡±

    ¡°Did you...enter my dream once before?¡± Ke Yo suddenly remembered her strange nightmare.

    ¡°Haha, fret not. The side effect¡¯s not happening again.¡± Liu Qingying turned to enter the lobby. ¡°Come. He¡¯s waiting.¡±

 Chapter 663: Best Policy

    <h4>Chapter 663: Best Policy</h4>

    The light in the waiting lobby was dim. All sorts of posters for horror films and games covered the dark red walls, along with the introduction posters of a few escape rooms.

    Sitting on the long bench against the wall was a man wearing a ck cape. On the back of the cape was a ray of light, symbolizing the break of dawn cutting into the darkness.

    He took off the hood. It was Gao Yang.

    Ke Yo paused. She only remembered meeting the young man once. They had a brief conversation not long after she lost her memory¡ªactually, it seemed more like an interrogation.

    He was a member of the Qilin Guild, right? But she had never seen him again after that.

    Vermilion Bird had kept Ke Yo too well protected. She wanted Ke Yo to be able to lead a normal life for a while after her rebirth. Then she would ease her into the truths of the world and the situations in the world of awakeners.

    Thus, Ke Yo didn¡¯t know about Seven Shadow¡¯s betrayal.

    ¡°You¡¯re...¡± Ke Yo didn¡¯t know his name.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself,¡± Gao Yang said in a friendly manner. ¡°I¡¯m Gao Yang, former Elder Seven Shadow of the Qilin Guild. After defecting from the Guild, I started my own organization. I¡¯m now the leader of the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°Defect?¡± Ke Yo was surprised. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±

    ¡°Difficult to exin in a few words.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°If you want to know, I¡¯ll have to start from the beginning, telling you about the Mist World, the three organizations, the Godbearer Cult, and also who you were before. I¡¯m guessing that Vermilion Bird hasn¡¯t told you much.¡±

    Ke Yo didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around. Have a seat.¡± Cosying as a duchess, Liu Qingying came over with two cups of coffee. She lifted a hand and conjured a luxurious retro red dining table and a brass candlestand with burning candles. Then three high back chairs emerged.

    Gao Yang stood up to sit at one end of the table, epting her offer of coffee. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After a moment of hesitation, Ke Yo sat down across from Gao Yang.

    Liu Qingying lifted her long dress and took the seat between them gracefully.

    ¡°If you want to ask something, just ask.¡± Gao Yang took a sip of coffee.

    Ke Yo asked what she was most curious about. ¡°Can you pull me into a dream at any time, Miss Liu?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°You need to touch or eat something I marked with my Talent. It seems that Elder Vermilion Bird was wary of me, though.¡±

    Ke Yo thought for a moment and realized, ¡°The lotus seed and lily bulb soup?¡±

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°When Miss One Stone was arranging the scene, I already tampered with your tea. The soup was only a red herring to draw Elder Vermilion Bird¡¯s suspicion. Only through her suspicion of me would she rx her guard about me.¡±

    Ke Yo fell silent. <i>Is this how an awakener works? No one is what meets the eye</i>.

    Gao Yang lowered his cup of coffee. ¡°Here, whatever you think deeply can be vaguely caught by Miss Liu, so don¡¯t let any thought stay in your head for too long.¡±

    Ke Yo started and whispered, ¡°Thanks for the tip.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bad man, Seven Shadow.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled while covering her mouth. ¡°Revealing my secret like that.¡±

    Ke Yo looked at the coffee before her. Driven by curiosity, she took a sip. She marveled, ¡°Amazing. I can¡¯t tell it¡¯s a dream.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you tter me.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Someone with keen senses will still be able to tell the difference.¡±

    Liu Qingying waved a hand and conjured some candies and snacks.

    ¡°Mr. Gao...¡±

    ¡°Just call me Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang, why did you arrange the meeting?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°I want to invite you to join the Nine Scions.¡±

    Ke Yo paused. ¡°You¡¯re recruiting me?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯ll have to start from the beginning if you want to know. I¡¯ll have to tell you everything about the Mist World.¡±

    Gao Yang held her gaze. ¡°You may say no if you don¡¯t want the truth. I won¡¯t seek you out again after this dream. You can pretend that nothing happened.¡±

    Ke Yo lowered her head in bemusement.

    After more than ten seconds, she looked up and met Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. ¡°I want to know everything, including the kind of person I was before. Still, I might not join you.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled like he had expected as much. ¡°Okay, but you have to make up your mind. There are things you¡¯ll be better off not knowing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± Ke Yo nodded. She wanted to know her past.

    Gao Yang spent half an hour telling her about what he knew about the Mist World with thepany of coffee and snacks. He included the identities of his family members and himself, the Divine Scion.

    Of course, he also talked about the three organizations, the Godbearer Cult, the Spectres, elite monsters, and even the Elusive Sect from the past century. Then he talked about the Nine Scions, too.

    When he exined what the Godbearer Cult was, he had to mention the Tails, including the person Ke Yo had been the closest to before losing her memory¡ªEdmond.

    Liu Qingying chimed in every once in a while for additional information or support. And she admitted that she had entered Ke Yo¡¯s dream at Vermilion Bird¡¯s request, thus learning about her terrible childhood.

    Organizing this meeting posed a certain risk to Liu Qingying.

    She didn¡¯t do it out of the goodness of her heart, of course. She was returning the favor by arranging the meeting and encouraging Ke Yo to join the Nine Scions at Gao Yang¡¯s request.

    Ke Yo asked questions in the beginning, but in the end, she simply listened silently.

    It took her a few minutes to digest the information. She said dejectedly, ¡°Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t tell me any of that. I thought that just like the other awakeners, I was almost killed by a monster after awakening, and that was what led to my loss of memory...¡±

    Gao Yang smiled openly. ¡°Although I¡¯m now an enemy of the Qilin Guild, Vermilion Bird is a good person. I think she will tell you the truth sooner orter. She may simply believe that it isn¡¯t yet time. You should be able to sense the kind of person she is.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded.

    Liu Qingying discreetly nced at Gao Yang. <i>Good work, Seven Shadow. Being earnest is the best policy here.</i>

    Sensing Gao Yang¡¯s earnestness, Ke Yo asked bluntly, ¡°Did you ask me to join for my Talent?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, having you with us will give us a better chance of winning. That is if we share the same goal.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°There¡¯s another thing. I hope that you¡¯ll help me root out the spy nted in the Hundred Rivers Union, Dust. You were once a member of the Tails. You will be a big help once your memory returns.¡±

    Ke Yo¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°You want me to go after my friends in the past.¡±

    ¡°Are you really friends with them?¡± Gao Yang asked instead.

    Ke Yo didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°There¡¯s another personal reason,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you want to know.¡±

    Ke Yo looked at him and blinked.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°I promised Edmond that I would take care of you.¡±

 Chapter 664: Pick Up Ware

    <h4>Chapter 664: Pick Up Ware</h4>

    The moment Ke Yo heard the name, Edmond, her heart ached like it had been stung by a needle.

    Although she remembered nothing about Edmond, the pain hit her like a muscle reflex, triggered instinctively.

    She hesitated for a good while before voicing her question. ¡°Can you tell me about Edmond?¡±

    Gao Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ve told you all I know. I¡¯ve only met him three times, and as enemies at that. I don¡¯t know him.¡±

    Ke Yo couldn¡¯t hide her disappointment. ¡°Then why did he ask you to take care of me?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps because he didn¡¯t have a choice then,¡± Gao Yang added half-jokingly, ¡°Perhaps he thought I was a good man.¡±

    ¡°What did he mean by taking care of me?¡± Ke Yo posed another question.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°He probably wanted me to protect you so that you could live. Edmond once said that he served the Godbearer Cult for the ticket out of the Mist World for you.¡±

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°All leads point to the Gates of Closure. The Gates would be the only escape out of the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The Nine Scions aim to open the Gates.¡±

    Ke Yo said, ¡°But the Qilin Guild wants that too.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But there¡¯s a difference.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Before, I made the suggestion that you should be the one to open the Gates since you were a nk sheet of paper. I believe it would be the safest and most appropriate choice. However, Qilin insisted on him opening the Gates. That was a conflict we could not resolve, and he made a move against me.¡±

    Ke Yo thought for a moment before saying doubtfully, ¡°You may be lying to recruit me.¡±

    ¡°I only tell the truth. You may make the judgment yourself.¡±

    Ke Yo fell silent again.

    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you a week to think it through. Then you give me an answer.¡± After a pause, Gao Yang added, ¡°There¡¯s something else I remember about Edmond.¡±

    Ke Yo looked back up at him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The ring you¡¯re wearing belongs to a pair. The other one was Edmond¡¯s. His body was kept by Vermilion Bird. It¡¯s unlikely to have been disposed of. You should ask her for permission to check his body. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll reject you.¡±

    Ke Yo blinked in surprise. A single word was carved into the inside of her ring¡ªnever.

    She could never figure out what it meant after losing her memory, but it turned out that there was another ring with Edmond. Perhaps his ring had a carving too, and it would give her the answer.

    Ke Yo lifted her head and said quietly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    After a moment of silence, Ke Yo said in a purposefully icy tone, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll tell Vermilion Bird what happened tonight?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Edmond said that you weren¡¯t a bad person,¡± Gao Yang said in a firm tone.

    Ke Yo felt a bted pang in her chest.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Liu Qingying covered her mouth as she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll im usible deniability even if you expose me.¡±

    She had considered her response; she would simply deny it to the end.

    The Qilin Guild wouldn¡¯t just turn against her for something without proof based only on Ke Yo¡¯s statement. After all, a neutral information broker like her wasn¡¯t easy toe by.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ke Yo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a proper consideration.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem overly eager or urgent at all. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your response.¡±

    ...

    Abandoned auto repair, southern suburban area of the Nanji District. December 19th, ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    At the center of the empty repair shop was a red modified race car with a cool and wild design, around which car parts and repair tools littered. Beside the race car was an old and dirty sofa. A woman was sleeping on it.

    A ray of sunlight streamed through the translucent skylight, hitting the sofa just so and giving her a limited-time sunbath in winter.

    She was around twenty-eight, her thick hard brown hair cut short and her skin tanned. She had handsome facial features, and she wore a blue work suit, her face and body covered in oil stains. A wrench had fallen under the sofa at some point.

    The clues pieced together a story: she had spent the night modifying the car until she was exhausted, and she passed out on the sofa.

    She snored in her slumber, unaware of any possible danger.

    A figure approached her silently, the shadow climbing onto the sofa from the floor, shrouding her face. Then the figure bent down to pick up the wrench, raising it and swinging it at the woman¡¯s head.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The wrench stopped a moment before it could crack her skull, just short of hitting her forehead. The force of it swept her hair back.

    ¡°Hm, quiet...¡±

    She rolled around drowsily, her limbs sying like a starfish as she hung off the sofa at an angle, her head drooping from the cushion.

    The strange posture caused the fly of her worksuit to open to her abdomen, revealing the ck crop top underneath. Her abdomen was t, covered in lithe muscles, and so were her chest area and her sculpted arms and shoulders. She was just as fit as any woman who trained their physique.

    The wrench twirled in the visitor¡¯s hand. A few secondster, he poked her shoulder with the wrench and covered her up with her clothes for her.

    ¡°Get lost... Don¡¯t bother my sleep...¡± She swatted the wrench away.

    Two secondster, she opened her eyes wide and fell off the sofa with a yelp. She looked up from the floor.

    War Tiger, in messy stubble, knelt right beside her with a long face, dressed in green sportswear with white stripes and the word ¡°Li City¡± on the chest. He held a wrench and a sketchbook in each hand.

    ¡°...Brother Tiger?¡± The woman rxed and zipped her worksuit up, scratching her messy hair. ¡°Would you please give me a heads-up the next time you visit?¡±

    War Tiger remained quiet. He dropped the wrench and took out a marker from his pocket, writing on the sketchbook.

    ¡ªMy ware.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just speak?¡± The woman was amused. ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡±

    War Tiger ignored her and tapped on the sketchbook, emphasizing the purpose of his visit.

    ¡°Geez, you¡¯re always being a weirdo.¡± The woman stretched and stood up. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    She was Chestnut, deputy leader of Chen Ying¡¯s third team at the Hundred Rivers Union. Her Talent was cksmith, serial number 85, Knowledge-type.

    Ever since Green Tea¡¯s death, she had another title: a spy suspect.

    Of course, Chestnut didn¡¯t know about it. She spent her days at the shop making weapons for awakeners. Thus, she rarely came into contact with other people. Most of the time, themissions came through phone calls.

    War Tiger maintained a one-meter distance from her, ensuring they wouldn¡¯t have any physical contact.

    Chestnut took out a small remote control from her work suit and pressed a button. The door of the repair shop rolled down while rumbling, making sure that no other person would enter.

    They soon reached another rolling door at the far end of the repair shop. Chestnut pressed the remote control once more. The rolling door rolled up to reveal a thick metal door. Chestnut unlocked it with her finger. The door opened to the sides.

    Inside were two smithies.

    The left one was a traditional smithy with a vacuum furnace, air hammer, wire-cut machine, bench grinder, belt sander, polisher, various metal hammers, and bellows. It was well-equipped.

    The smithy was mainly for firearms. On the worktable were two distorted ck Gold guns, which once belonged to Yellow Ox. They were to be melted and made into new weapons.

    War Tiger sighed inmentation at the sight.

    He tore off another page from the sketchbook and wrote: where¡¯s my ware?

 Chapter 665: 666

    <h4>Chapter 665: 666</h4>

    Chestnut spilled out a string ofints, but her expression said otherwise, ¡°Let me tell you, Brother Tiger, I suffered a great loss for this order. I¡¯ve never made a sword this big. My hands weren¡¯t mine once I was done with it. You really had the strangest idea...¡±

    She walked up to a weapon rack. There was arge weapon covered by a piece of gray cloth. At first nce, it looked like a covered coatstand.

    ¡°Are you ready, Brother Tiger?¡± Chestnut enthused. ¡°It¡¯s time to witness the miracle!¡±

    War Tiger¡¯s heart pounded. For so many days he had been thinking day and night about the ultimate cold weapon of his dream. The Dragonying Giantsword was finally going to make its debut!

    He grabbed his marker and wrote on the sketchbook inrge strokes: 666[1]!

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    Chestnut lifted the gray cloth, and a ck Gold giantsword made its remarkable appearance.

    It was 215 centimeters long in total, consisting of a 175-centimeter de and a 40-centimeter hilt. The de was 30 centimeters wide with a thickness of 2.5 centimeters. The entirety of it was pure ck Gold with no other materials.

    The de wasn¡¯t diamond-shaped like a typical sword, but a right triangle.

    War Tiger rushed up to it and inspected the weapon closely. He suddenly frowned, jotting down on his sketchbook: the de¡¯s not sharpened?

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± Chestnut crossed her arms proudly. ¡°With Killing Expert, you can resonate with the weapon and create a de aura that¡¯s ten times fiercer than any de. Not only is its shing power top of the game, but so is the damage output. The only shoring is its weight. It¡¯s around 250 kilos.¡±

    ¡°You can raise it for sure, but it¡¯ll be difficult to use it agilely. It¡¯ll be better if you have God of des or Metal. Then with perfect energy resonation with the weapon, you would be able to not only pick it up with ease, but also to erge and shrink it at will like the Monkey King¡¯s staff.¡±

    ¡°Still, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Seek out Jiang Hao and Goldthread and ask Jiang Hao to enchant the sword with Goldthread¡¯s Gravity. That would decrease its weight by two-thirds, and the effect willst half a year. It¡¯ll cost you only 20 <i>jinwu </i>since you¡¯ve been a loyal customer.¡±

    War Tiger nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the awakener with level 6 cksmith. She didn¡¯t stop at making the weapons her clients asked for; she also nned out the additional services ording to each client¡¯s needs.

    War Tiger tore off another page and wrote, 10 <i>jinwu</i>.

    ¡°Stingy jerk!¡± Chestnut shot him a disapproving look. ¡°Go make the bargain yourself. If you¡¯re convincing enough, maybe you¡¯ll even get the enchantment for free.¡±

    War Tiger grinned and gave her an OK sign.

    Then he wrote, box it for me.

    ¡°Do it yourself!¡± Chestnut grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s fricking heavy. I haven¡¯t even had breakfast.¡±

    War Tiger tapped on the sketchbook for emphasis.

    He felt a little bad about it, but it had to be done. <i>Don¡¯t me me for being cold, Chestnut. What if you¡¯re the spy? What if you¡¯ve injected the ck Gold weapon with a soul curse? Then I¡¯ll be done, yeah?</i>

    Just in case, he would wait a week before he touched the weapon. The curse shouldn¡¯tst that long.

    War Tiger looked around and found arge wooden box in a corner. He kicked it open and pointed at it, indicating for Chestnut to ce the weapon inside.

    <i>Why is War Tiger being so weird today? He wasn¡¯t like this.</i>

    Chestnut didn¡¯t ask. She picked up the giantsword with both hands, clenching her teeth as she moved it one step at a time. War Tiger never offered a helping hand.

    Once Chestnut boxed the sword, War Tiger picked it up and held it under his armpit, turning to leave.

    Chestnut¡¯s phone rang then.

    ¡°Hello? Sister Ying, you¡¯re here... Okay, I¡¯ll open the door.¡±

    Chestnut closed the doors of the smithy and walked to the entrance of the repair shop with War Tiger, rolling up the door. Light streamed in, illuminating Chen Ying¡¯s slim figure from the back. She was wearing a blue office suit and ck heels today, her hair running down her shoulders.

    Chen Ying paused. ¡°Mr. War Tiger, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Haha! I¡¯m here to pick up my weapon, the Dragonyer Giantsword!¡±

    War Tiger brimmed with joy. He had been dying to share the good news. He patted on the wooden box excitedly. ¡°Holy smoke it¡¯s two meters long! More than 250 kilos! Insane! It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t show you right now. I¡¯ll send you a pictureter!¡±

    Chen Ying chuckled politely. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Chestnut felt shocked and wronged. ¡°What is this, Uncle Tiger? You can talk! Why did you go all silent with me? Why, is a mere cksmith like me not good enough to talk to a bigshot like you?¡±

    War Tiger shut his mouth again. He turned to Chestnut with a smile and gave her a two-finger salute as a show of gratitude. Then he turned away and left.

    ¡°Hey, get back here! If you don¡¯t exin yourself, I¡¯ll never take another order from you!¡± Chestnut raged.

    Chen Ying went up to her with a smile. ¡°I have a favor to ask, Chestnut.¡±

    Chestnut dropped the issue once War Tiger got too far from her. She turned to Chen Ying. ¡°What is it, Sister Ying?¡±

    Chen Ying was silent for a moment. ¡°From now on, Chestnut, don¡¯t call me by name, and don¡¯t call me Sister Ying or Team Leader. Just forego addressing me altogether.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t go as far as War Tiger did, but she was still going to avoid physical contact and direct responses to her name.

    Chestnut frowned. Why was everyone acting all weird today?

    ¡°Alright.¡± She didn¡¯t ask.

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Ten minutester, Chestnut, having washed up, took out a bottle of milk from the fridge. Then she got Chen Ying a bottle of coffee, but she didn¡¯t take it.

    Chestnut sat down on the sofa. Chen Ying stood across from her, avoiding touching anything in this space.

    Chen Ying got right to the point. ¡°Did Green Tea seek you out before his death?¡±

    Chestnut sighed sadly after a moment of surprise. She nodded. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I tell you before?¡±

    ¡°There must be something you haven¡¯t told me.¡± Chen Ying said bluntly.

    Chestnut wordlessly took a gulp of her milk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Chestnut,¡± Chen Ying said seriously. ¡°Green Tea was killed by Dust, the spy. ording to what we know, you¡¯re one of the prime suspects.¡±

    ¡°What, <i>me</i>?¡± Chestnut jumped, lowering her milk. ¡°The others may not know it, but you should. I had no reason to kill Brother Tea. And how was I even going to do it?¡±

    Chen Ying sighed softly. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you more, but you must have noticed the way others have been treating you, right?¡±

    Chestnut was stunned for two seconds before she let out a bitterugh. ¡°I was wondering why no one hade to drink with me. I thought they were just busy.¡±

    Chen Ying coaxed, ¡°You must tell me what you know to prove your innocence, Chestnut. When did Green Tea seek you out, and what did you talk about?¡±

    ¡°I promised Brother Tea that I would keep it a secret.¡± Chestnut was hesitant.

    ¡°Green Tea¡¯s gone, Chestnut, killed by Dust.¡± Chen Ying sounded pained. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to find Dust to avenge Green Tea?¡±

    After a long stretch of silence, Chestnut downed her milk and crushed the carton.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    1. In China, 6 is a ng that means awesome/cool since the number 6, <i>liu</i>, is pronounced like the word that means ¡°good¡±. The more 6 that¡¯s strung together, naturally, the stronger the emphasis. ?

 Chapter 666: Hunch

    <h4>Chapter 666: Hunch</h4>

    ¡°Two days before Brother Tea¡¯s death, he sought me out.¡± Chestnut narrowed her eyes and recalled the memory. ¡°It was night. He brought me food and alcohol. We talked about nothing in particr as we ate. Then Brother Tea suddenly asked if I could make him a weapon.¡±

    ¡°Weapon?¡± Chen Ying questioned.

    ¡°I found it strange, too. His Talent didn¡¯t require a weapon. I suppose a pair of boxing gloves would work.¡± Chestnut shrugged. ¡°But he didn¡¯t ask for gloves, but a needle.¡±

    Chen Ying was even more confused. ¡°Needle?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chestnut nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve received many strangemissions, but it was the first time someone asked me for a needle.¡±

    ¡°Why did he want one?¡±

    ¡°He asked for a ck Gold needle that would seriously injure the target¡¯s soul and drive it out without hurting the body.¡±

    Bemused, Chen Ying asked, ¡°How did you respond?¡±

    ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t do it. It seemed absurd.¡± Chestnut scratched her head and hesitated. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not entirely impossible on paper. I could make a ck Gold needle and had Jiang Hao enchant it for me, on the premise that we find the energy of an awakener who can do spiritual damage. Even if I make a weapon that damages the soul, though, it won¡¯t drive a soul out of a body. It¡¯s too difficult to make into reality; I¡¯d say it¡¯s nigh impossible.¡±

    Chestnut cocked her head. ¡°Brother Tea thought it was a baseless idea, too, and he gave up.¡±

    ¡°Before he went, he told me to keep it a secret for my own good, but he died after two days. I knew he must have gotten into some serious trouble.¡±

    Chen Ying digested the information she had gathered. ¡°Did he leave anything? A note, a statement, or an object.¡±

    Chestnut shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Chen Ying had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t get more out of Chestnut. ¡°Okay. Thank you. And keep my visit a secret.¡±

    Chestnut suddenly asked, ¡°May I know who else is suspected?¡±

    Chen Ying smiled apologetically. She couldn¡¯t tell her.

    Chestnut didn¡¯t press.

    She walked Chen Ying out. Before Chen Ying left, she warned, ¡°If you trust me, Chestnut, please stay here and don¡¯te into personal contact with anyone at the Union, especially the female members.¡±

    Chestnut nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ...

    Outside the factory was an asphalt road, sandwiched by clearings filled with thriving weeds and abandoned cars. From afar, it seemed like a historical site from a bygone civilization in a post-apocalyptic world.

    Chen Ying walked along the path to the crossroad where her car was parked. She stopped halfway when she spotted someone ahead of her. It was War Tiger.

    War Tiger knelt between the wheels of her car, taking a leisurely drag with his gaze on the abandoned cars in the weed-filled clearing. By his feet was the wooden box with his giant sword.

    ¡°Mr. War Tiger?¡± rm red in Chen Ying¡¯s head. She kept her distance. ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± War Tiger shook ash off his cigarette, scratching his head as he turned to her. ¡°Let me ask you a question, Chen Ying. Do you believe in hunch?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    War Tiger cast the cigarette butt onto the hood of an abandoned car, making sparks sputter. He stood up and jumped to his feet.

    ¡°A hunch. It¡¯s a baseless belief in a certain truth that¡¯ster proven to be right,¡± War Tiger exined with a smile.

    ¡°I know what it means.¡± Chen Ying eyed him warily. ¡°But I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re suddenly telling me that.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± War Tiger took a step forward. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re rted to my hunch, of course.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s chest tightened, sensing aing danger. Her right hand was holding her phone, and it hung down naturally. She discreetly moved her thumb in an attempt to unlock the screen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± War Tiger caught the movement keenly. ¡°Not even your fingers.¡±

    Chen Ying felt her blood freeze, and her breath hitched.

    ¡°Chen Ying.¡±

    War Tiger took another step back, the killing intent he radiated paralyzing her.

    He slowly drew the Green Dog Demon de from his back. ¡°For some reason, I feel like you may be Dust. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the simr names[1]. And the fact that you are least suspected makes me feel like you¡¯re the most suspicious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the spy. Your hunch is wrong.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s voice trembled as she did her best to control her fear. ¡°War Tiger, don¡¯t do something foolish...¡±

    ¡°Haha, how is this foolish?¡± War Tiger¡¯s eyes glinted coldly. ¡°If I kill the right person, I¡¯ll be erasing a spy for the Hundred Rivers Union and eliminating a potential threat for the three organizations.¡±

    ¡°And if you kill the wrong person?¡± Chen Ying felt a shudder down her spine. Was the man out of his mind?

    ¡°Then I do.¡± War Tiger moved his right foot forward with a backward grip around the hilt, tucking his hand to his waist in the posture of <i>iaido</i>[2]. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna live til the very end anyway. There¡¯s no difference in dying early or dyingte.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± Chen Ying yelled. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union will see this as a deration of war...¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>. War Tiger made a sh at Chen Ying like a phantom. There was a sh of indigo light.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t even catch his movement before her vision blurred. A gust of wind swept her hair back, cutting and scattering strands of her hair. The cold de pressed into her neck.

    War Tiger hadn¡¯t used the de aura of Killing Expert; otherwise, Chen Ying would¡¯ve been decapitated even though the de hadn¡¯t cut into her flesh.

    Fear seized her heart. It wasn¡¯t until she made sure that her head was still attached to her neck that her heartbeat relented.

    <i>Thump...thump, thump, thump!</i>

    Fear, frustration, anger, relief... A myriad of emotions rushed up to her.

    <i>Thank God War Tiger didn¡¯t kill me. He¡¯s just trying to scare me into confessing.</i>

    ¡°Haha, good. You¡¯re strong-willed.¡± War Tiger sheathed his de. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ve proven yourself. I apologize.¡±

    A bead of cold sweat streaked down Chen Ying¡¯s cheek. She did her best to maintain herposure. ¡°War Tiger, your action...¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± War Tiger cut her off with a scoff.

    Chen Ying¡¯s eyes widened. There was a cold stab in her chest. She looked down in disbelief to see that War Tiger was holding a dagger with his other hand, and the dagger had buried into her chest.

    White hot pain bloomed like a flower, and soon, Chen Ying lost the sensation of her heart. It seemed that her heart had stopped beating after getting stabbed.

    War Tiger was still smiling at her.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Chen Ying reached out to War Tiger¡¯s face, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t do it.

    She toppled backward to the ground, blood leaking out from a corner of her mouth.

    1. Dust is <i>chen-ai</i> in the raw. ?

    2. A Japanese martial art that emphasizes quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks. ?

 Chapter 667: Fireflies

    <h4>Chapter 667: Fireflies</h4>

    ¡°¡®Hey, puppy. Why are you crying?¡¯ asked the firefly.¡±

    ¡°¡®I want to go home, but it¡¯s so dark, and I¡¯m lost,¡¯ the puppy said sadly.¡±

    ¡°The fireflyughed. ¡®Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯ll be your light and lead the way.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡®My home¡¯s far far away. Your light is so small. It¡¯ll go out soon.¡¯ The puppy shook its head.¡±

    ¡°¡®Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll gather my friends. Together we¡¯ll light the mountainous path at night for you. You¡¯ll get home safely.¡¯¡±

    ¡°The puppy was happy. It followed the firefly, and soon, many more fireflies came, lighting the way.¡±

    ¡°Although some lights went out, more fireflies always showed up to light the dangerous path. The puppy walked and walked, walked and walked, and finally, it got home.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for tonight.¡± The woman in a wheelchair had a gentle voice and a kind face. She gingerly closed the picture book and stroked the young girl¡¯s head. ¡°Sleep tight.¡±

    The girl had a nket on, half of her face and herrge ck eyes revealed. She asked worriedly, ¡°How about the fireflies? Will the fireflies that have lost their lights go home too?¡±

    The woman paused before saying with a smile, ¡°Of course. Fireflies don¡¯t lose their way at night.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The girl rxed and rolled to her side, closing her eyes. ¡°Night.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡± The woman left the room and turned off the light.

    The room became dark. The girl was just about to sleep when the bed suddenly sank, and she plunged. <i>Gurgle</i>. A mouthful of cold water rushed down her throat. She opened her eyes in panic to find herself submerged in dark water.

    She opened her mouth to call out for help, but water continued to rush in. There seemed to be a faint flickering light above her. She iled around with her head tilted up. There was an oval skylight¡ªno, it was a bathtub.

    She had fallen into a bottomless bathtub, it turned out.

    All of a sudden, she became the adult Chen Ying. She could now swim, and she struggled to break the surface, yet she could never get out of the bathtub. Finally, she ran out of oxygen. Her body grew heavier and heavier and colder and colder. She fell into an endless darkness.

    Like a firefly in the dark, her light was going out. What awaited her wasn¡¯t home, but death.

    ...

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Chen Ying shouted as she woke, her body drenched in cold sweat.

    She found herself sitting in the driver¡¯s seat of her car. The sun was bright outside, and the surroundings told her that she was in a suburban area. A few secondster, she realized that she was still outside Chestnut¡¯s shop.

    A memory struck her, and she looked down to see a dark patch of dried blood on her chest. When she felt the skin there, she realized that the injury was gone.

    <i>I¡¯m still alive!</i>

    <i>Thank God I¡¯m still alive! I¡¯m not dead!</i>

    She almost burst into tears of joy. Then a hand knocked on a car window twice.

    She turned to the side. Outside the window, War Tiger gave her a wink with a hand in his pocket and a cigarette in his mouth. Chen Ying reached for her car key, deciding to make a run for it, but found nothing.

    She looked back to the window in shock. War Tiger fished out her car key from his pocket. ¡°Looking for this?¡±

    It only took two seconds for her toe to a conclusion. She let out a long breath and rolled the window down, her expression cold. ¡°Do it.¡±

    War Tigerughed instead of answering.

    He made it to the other side of the car and opened the door, taking the passenger seat. He threw the car key to Chen Ying. ¡°Drive.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to kill me?¡± Chen Ying took the car key and gave him a confused look.

    ¡°Would you still be alive if I wanted to kill you?¡± War Tiger scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not a psycho who gets off from repeatedly killing someone.¡±

    ¡°You are a psycho in my eyes.¡± Although Chen Ying was still terrified of him, she was furious, too.

    War Tiger never stopped smiling. He took off his jacket and handed it to Chen Ying. ¡°Put this on.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to cover the blood. It¡¯s for your good.¡±

    Chen Ying saw the point in that. She patiently put on his jacket.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious how you got back to life?¡± asked War Tiger.

    Of course she was curious. She had felt her heart stop after getting stabbed, and there was noing back from that. However, she was alive now, neither in heaven nor hell.

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Chen Ying was being contrarian on purpose. She inserted the key and started the car.

    ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t actually pierce your heart. I got the spot just right. My dagger¡¯s coated with a paralyzing poison, though, and it gave you the feeling that your heart had stopped. What do you think? Isn¡¯t the false near-death experience exciting?¡±

    Chen Ying swallowed her curses and stepped on the elerator. The car shot out.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± War Tiger felt her rage as he got thrown backward.

    He stopped egging her on and fished out an almost empty pack of cigarettes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t smoke in my car,¡± Chen Ying snapped.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t light the cigarette in his mouth. He knew she had the moral high ground in this case.

    ¡°So what was that?¡± Chen Ying offered.

    War Tiger said casually, ¡°I did suspect you of being a spy, and since I happened to run into you, I decided to test you.¡±

    ¡°Happened to?¡± Chen Ying frowned.

    ¡°Yeah. After I made the decision, I called White Rabbit. She happened to be in the area with Lovely Lamb, and she rushed here with her. After I stabbed you, you could survive at least a few more minutes. I timed everything perfectly.¡±

    ¡°You...really are mad!¡±

    Chen Ying felt her scalp go numb. If White Rabbit and Lovely Lamb had arrived even a littleter, she would be dead! She had long heard about War Tiger¡¯s reputation of being a psychopath, and it turned out to be true.

    <i>Wait</i>. Chen Ying had a sudden thought. <i>Something¡¯s not adding up.</i>

    Last night, Chen Ying had just talked to Nine Frost through Telepathy, and she came to speak with Chestnut ording to his instruction, which was a secret.

    Yet War Tiger hade to get his weapon from Chestnut today, running into Chen Ying, and he just so happened to have coated his dagger with poison. He wasn¡¯t here to fight anyone. Why would he do that?

    And coincidentally, Lovely Lamb and White Rabbit were in the area¡ªwhy would members of the Twelve Zodiac Signse to the Union¡¯s turf, and a part that was in such a remote area?

    There were too many coincidences required for War Tiger to test if Chen Ying was a spy on a whim. Not even a writer would write a story like this.

    Chen Ying slowed down her driving,ing to a spection.

    <i>Thest time Gao Yang asked me to meet in person, I found it risky, but didn¡¯t ask. In the end, the meeting failed because of unforeseen factors.</i>

    <i>Did Gao Yang n to test if I was a spy through that meeting? Given how cautious he was, he wouldn¡¯t have arranged a meeting when Telepathy should more than suffice.</i>

    <i>And War Tiger suddenly tested me today. Is he in contact with Gao Yang and is helping to root out Dust? Are they working together on something else, too?</i>

    <i>If so, it¡¯ll prove that the Zodiacs and the Nine Scions are working together, and the Zodiacs are hostile to Qilin; at the very least, they aren¡¯t working together.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s a good thing for the Hundred Rivers Union. If the Zodiacs and the Qilin Guild are on the same side, the Union is bound to be divided by the two organizations.</i>

    The thoughts shed through Chen Ying¡¯s mind. She hesitated for a few seconds before asking tentatively, ¡°Do you smoke on your balcony every night?¡±

 Chapter 668: Liao Liao

    <h4>Chapter 668: Liao Liao</h4>

    ¡°Huh?¡± War Tiger blinked dumbly at her. ¡°I don¡¯t. I live on my own, and I can smoke wherever I want.¡±

    Chen Ying wasn¡¯t sure if he was ying dumb or actually oblivious.

    She asked instead, ¡°Where are you heading? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I should be going the same way as you. Take me to your main base.¡±

    Chen Ying hid her surprise. ording to what Nine Frost had said, she was to talk to Liao Liao¡ªthe fifth team leader¡ªafter talking to Chestnut, continuing her investigation into Dust.

    <i>So War Tiger did talk to Nine Frost through Telepathy. He must be answering my previous question.</i>

    Just when she had the thought, though, War Tiger pointed at the trunk with his thumb, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m asking Jiang Hao and Goldthread to enchant my baby.¡±

    Chen Ying paused. Through the rearview mirror, she could see the more than two meters long wooden case in the trunk. Since it was way too long, one side of it was put through the window, and scratches were left on the mat and the inside of the door. She could imagine how roughly War Tiger had shoved the box into her car.

    <i>He¡¯s dancing around lies and truth. I can¡¯t pin him down.</i>

    <i>Forget it. I¡¯ll assume he¡¯s contacted Nine Frost and is looking for the spy.</i>

    Chen Ying sighed softly, making a turn toward the headquarters.

    ...

    Third breakroom, underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, one thirty in the afternoon.

    In the brightly lit room, the entire fifth team gathered, joined by Goldthread and Zhong He from the sixth team.

    The thirteen of them sat around a circr meeting table covered in snacks and drinks. They were all getting worked up in a heated debate.

    Well, they were ying a game of Werewolf with twelve people. Liao Liao was the moderator.

    ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t a wolf. Why did you vote for me?!¡± First Firelord raged.

    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t help it. Zhong He was too good an actor!¡± Citrus smiled shamelessly. ¡°When he made his earnest and handsome statement, I thought he must be the seer, but it turned out he was a wolf pretending to be the seer.¡±

    ¡°The operative word being ¡®handsome¡¯, ¡± Rain Rivermented.

    ¡°You make judgments ording to looks!¡± A man in his thirties was getting worked up too. He was the real seer, but he was the first to die. He had a lot to say. ¡°The game¡¯s about logic. Don¡¯t let your emotions get the better of you! Zhong He might have spoken with passion, but his statement was full of holes! He was clearly acting!¡±

    ¡°Do you know what your biggest problem is, Old Tune?¡± Zhong He smirked with his handsome face. ¡°You were too eager and came out too strongly. You acted like everyone at the table must listen to you, which only inspired resistance.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Goldthreadughed hoarsely, his face entirely covered by his hat, mask, and sunsses. ¡°Although your logic was clearer, no one believed you.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, you put that on me?¡± The man had short blue hair, a square face, a hook nose, and thin lips. With his circr ck sses, he looked a little like an owl.

    He was Wandering Tune, with Chaos Space, serial number 99, Time-Space-type.

    In the mundane world, he had been the main coach of an e-sport club, but being a mediocre coach, he had been unemployed for two years.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start the next game.¡±

    A young girl sat at the moderator seat, shuffling cards with practiced ease.

    She was wearing a sweater with white and gray stripes, her shorter hair tied into a small ponytail. Her delicate and soft facial features made her seem approachable, and in general, she gave off a harmless impression.

    One wouldn¡¯t peg her as the new leader of the fifth team. She was Liao Liao, neen years old, with Aptitude, Follow Heart, God of Archery, and Insects King.

    She was a hacker in the mundane world, and she had been working in the Union¡¯s intelligence department.

    The department was an independent unit that didn¡¯t belong to any of the six main teams. Liao Liao kept a low profile and had little ambition. She did as little as possible at work and left right on the dot, and she never went past mere acquaintances with her colleagues. She was unmemorable.

    Over the past year, the Union lost arge number of members again and again. Thus, the Union had no choice but to reorganize the teams. And with Liao Liaoprehending two Talents, giving her some fighting power, she was assigned to Team Goldthread as the deputy leader.

    Not long after that, Zhong Heprehended Phantom, giving him a significant boost in power, and he reced Liao Liao as the deputy leader.

    Liao Liao had thought that she could be a happy sry thief again, but Green Tea met an untimely end, and she was appointed the fifth team leader.

    Liao Liao had rejected the offer. However, Surnamed Li recognized the great potential in Aptitude. She believed that Liao Liao would be somebody sooner orter and wanted to cultivate the girl.

    Moreover, Liao Liao was clever but easygoing, her disposition stable. She made a good leader for the not-so-powerful fifth team.

    Liao Liao had no choice but to take on the mantle. Knowing the list of suspects who could be Dust, she made a few rules under the guise of exerting her will as the new leader.

    First, no one was to call a teammate by name, nickname, pet name, or any other address.

    Second, no physical contact was allowed between teammates.

    Third, they are to y Werewolf once every week.

    On the surface, it was to build deeper understanding between teammates while staying as individuals, but in truth, the rules were meant for the three suspects, Citrus, Sister Ling, and Rain River.

    Werewolf was a game that testedprehensive intelligence, acting, mental will, and mutual understanding. Through the games, Liao Liao would get to know her team better. She was new and didn¡¯t have that much time to learn about everyone; Werewolf provided a means for her to do that.

    <i>Creak</i>. Just when Liao Liao was going to hand out the cards, someone opened the door and came in. Chen Ying, who had changed into clean clothes, led the way for War Tiger and Jiang Hao.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re all here!¡± War Tiger said enthusiastically. When he nced at Goldthread, his gaze resembled that of a tiger spotting prey in the forest. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, Leader Goldthread. You¡¯ve be younger!¡±

    <i>That¡¯s a shit attempt at ttery, </i>Goldthread grumbled in his mind.<i> You can¡¯t even see my face, and I seem younger to you?</i>

    War Tiger realized his mistake andughed to cover it up. ¡°I mean you seem younger in spirit. You¡¯re even ying a board game with the youngsters. I can¡¯t do that now.¡±

    Goldthread got to his feet politely. ¡°What can I do for you, Mr. War Tiger?¡±

    ¡°Geez, don¡¯t be a stranger. Just call me Brother Tiger.¡± War Tiger went up to him with a grin. ¡°Goldy, I need some help from you and Jiang Hao. Come on, let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    Goldthread didn¡¯t immediately say yes. He nced at Chen Ying, who exined, ¡°It¡¯s a private matter.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    Goldthread followed War Tiger out of the room.

    ¡°Liao Liao,¡± Chen Ying called out. ¡°May I have a few minutes?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Liao Liao lowered the cards. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± Citrus was terrible at the game, but that didn¡¯t stop her from being enthusiastic. ¡°Let¡¯s have a 9-yer game. You¡¯re the moderator, Zhong He. Stop using your masculine wiles on an innocent girl like me.¡±

 Chapter 669: Makes Sense

    <h4>Chapter 669: Makes Sense</h4>

    Chen Ying and Liao Liao went into a small meeting room. They shut the door and each found a seat.

    Chen Ying asked, ¡°How did it go?¡±

    Liao Liao smiled wryly. She knew what she was asking. ¡°Sister Ling, Citrus, and Rain River were all quite saddened by Green Tea¡¯s death, and they reacted naturally. At least I hadn¡¯t found anything wrong with them.¡±

    After a pause, she added, ¡°It¡¯s possible that I simply don¡¯t know them well enough. We were practically strangers before my appointment.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. She was going to follow Nine Frost¡¯s instruction.

    She asked, ¡°Outside of your team, do you see anything fishy about the suspects on the other teams?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Liao Liao didn¡¯t expect Chen Ying to be so blunt. She didn¡¯t want to make enemies here. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think everyone seems quite normal.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. You have to give me one suspect,¡± Chen Ying said half-jokingly.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know, Sister Ying.¡± Liao Liaoughed bitterly. ¡°If I have to say something, I¡¯ll say anyone can be the spy.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chen Ying was caught off guard. Liao Liao was smart. She must have a reason for what she said.

    ¡°I believe the criteria for suspects are wed.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Liao Liao hesitated. ¡°See. You¡¯ve looked into the members Green Tea hade into contact with within three days before his death, but is it possible that it¡¯s not limited to the people he¡¯de into contact with, but also the objects? It¡¯s known that curses can be applied to ck Gold items.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Ying couldn¡¯t believe that she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°In theory, yes,¡± Liao Liao said. ¡°You know the ck Gold batteries that store awakeners¡¯ energy, right? By using a Talent on a battery, the awakener¡¯s energy will be stored in it for a long duration.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°I know about that. It¡¯s Dr. Jia¡¯s invention.¡±

    ¡°What does that tell us?¡± Liao Liao extended two fingers. ¡°First, all Talents are energy in essence, including Talents to inflict spiritual curses. Second, ck Gold can temporarily store such energy, and ck Gold batteries, which are made for the purpose in particr, can store the energy for longer and allow for easier ess.¡±

    Chen Ying finally put two and two together. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Dust can apply her curse on a ck Gold item and make Green Tea touch it within a certain period, thus cursing him remotely?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, I¡¯ll say.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, then every female member of the Union can do it.¡± Chen Ying frowned.

    ¡°No, <i>every member</i> can do it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Chen Ying was startled again.

    ¡°The Spectre¡ªFresh Snow, right? She said that she could smell the soul of a woman, but what is a soul?¡± Liao Liao asked with a smile.

    Chen Ying couldn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to pin down. The soul¡¯s gender may differ from the sex of the body. If a man believes himself to be a woman since birth, would the soul smell like a man or a woman? The fact that the Spectre had smelled a woman¡¯s soul doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that the body is female, right?¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s heart sank. ¡°So there¡¯s no point to the list of suspects. Everyone at the Union may be the spy, including us.¡±

    ¡°I...suppose.¡±

    Liao Liao nodded, already regretting what she said.

    <i>Geez, what are you talking about? To not offend anyone, you make up this whole thing, but it makes so much sense that you end up offending everyone!</i>

    <i>What about keeping a low profile? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a lurker? And you wanna survive till the end? Only in your dream!</i>

    ¡°Um...Sister Ying. I was just running my mouth. Don¡¯t take me too seriously...¡± Liao Liao quickly amended.

    ¡°No, no.¡± Chen Ying shook her head. ¡°You make a lot of sense. We could be going in the wrong direction from the very beginning. Perhaps the spy was never on the list.¡±

    She felt a heavy weight in her chest. <i>The Hundred Rivers Union will never know peace as long as Dust remains unidentified. The seed of doubt and distrust has been sowed in everyone¡¯s heart, and what is a union without unity?</i>

    <i>Nine Frost must have asked me to talk to Liao Liao because Gao Yang said it. Why? Did Gao Yang realize how wed his criteria were, and he wanted me to find out through Liao Liao?</i>

    <i>No, Gao Yang has never mete Liao Liao. And if Gao Yang had realized his mistakes, he could¡¯ve just asked Nine Frost to tell me with Telepathy. There¡¯s no point in going about it in such a roundabout way.</i>

    Chen Ying couldn¡¯t untangle her thoughts.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    <i>Ding.</i>

    Liao Liao¡¯s and Chen Ying¡¯s phones rang at the same time. It was an internal message from the Union.

    They read it simultaneously.

    [Hundred Rivers Union: The Qilin Guild invited representatives from the Union to the Walled City of Ten Dragons to discuss important matters. Team Leader Colorless, Chen Ying, Goldthread, and Liao Liao, get ready. We¡¯re setting out in twenty minutes.]

    Chen Ying rose to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going too?¡± Liao Liao was surprised.

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re a team leader now.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Liao Liao quickly stood up. Then she remembered something. ¡°Do I have to wear a suit, too? But I don¡¯t know how to put on a tie.¡±

    Chen Ying sighed, amused. ¡°I¡¯ll tie it for you on the way. Go get changed.¡±

    ...

    Second floor of the ck Tortoise Building, Walled City of Ten Dragons, Feiyang District. Five o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The soft light of the setting sun poured through the open bullet-proof window walls, casting the whole meeting room in bright orange. Hanging on the wall right across from the window walls was the Guild¡¯s banner. The ck fabric was sewn with a gold <i>qilin</i>, dignified but delicate.

    Under the banner was a rectangr meeting table. Vermilion Bird and the masked Yan Liang took the main seats. Sitting on their left were War Tiger and White Rabbit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and sitting on the right were the three team leaders from the Hundred Rivers Union, Colorless, Goldthread, and Chen Ying.

    Vermilion Bird was the moderator of the meeting. She ced her sped hands on the table and exined in an organized manner, ¡°You must all know that Gregor, the unaffiliated awakener, has been taken by the Nine Scions through a ploy. He¡¯s been missing since then. The three organizations must be prepared for this.¡±

    ¡°I was talking to White Rabbit about it.¡± War Tiger leaned into his chair and crossed his legs. ¡°Gregor¡¯s Talent is Pestilence. It¡¯ll be tricky if he joins the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Colorless nodded.

    ¡°But Gregor is a strange character.¡± Goldthread nced at War Tiger and Vermilion Bird. ¡°We¡¯ve invited him in a friendly manner many times, and he turned us down. He will not join the Nine Scions after getting taken by them.¡±

    Yan Liang scoffed softly, his voice hoarse from long years. ¡°This is the difference between a formal organization and a team of thugs. We approached both Dr. Jia and Gregor in proper ways, respecting their freedom and will. However, the Nine Scions resorted to kidnapping. How despicable.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°Dr. Jia has a backbone and doesn¡¯t submit to either force or enticement. Thus, the Nine Scions didn¡¯t get what they wanted. However, if Gregor did respond to coercion, the Nine Scions may have gotten him under control. We have to prepare for it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just level 3 Pestilence. Is there a need to panic?¡± War Tiger yed with his gas lighter.

    ¡°It¡¯s level 3 now, but it may not stay at level 3.¡± Yan Liang turned to the three team leaders from the Hundred Rivers Union. ¡°If he gets his hands on the Poison Rune Circuit, he may even reach level 8.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe anyone...¡± He scanned the room. ¡°Would like to experience Poison of Hell again.¡±

 Chapter 670: Compromise

    <h4>Chapter 670: Compromise</h4>

    The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

    ¡°What are you insinuating, Elder Yan Liang?¡± Colorless was annoyed. ¡°Do you think the Hundred Rivers Union will just hand the Poison Rune Circuit to the Nine Scions?¡±

    ¡°Pardon the correction, Team Leader Colorless, the Poison Rune Circuit is shared between the three organizations, merely kept by the Union,¡± Vermilion Bird said firmly.

    ¡°I know,¡± Colorless responded coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t need the reminder.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning the Union¡¯s stance,¡± Yan Liang said nonchntly. ¡°However, if the Nine Scions make a grab for the Rune Circuit, are you sure that you¡¯ll be able to keep it safe?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Goldthread said with certainty.

    The Rune Circuits of the Hundred Rivers Union had been protected by the stronger team leaders, Colorless, Goldthread, and Green Tea. Now, though, Green Tea was dead, and Colorless was one of the suspects who could be Dust; she voluntarily turned over the responsibility, and Goldthread and Chen Ying were now the keepers of the Rune Circuits. Liao Liao wasn¡¯t qualified since she hadn¡¯t been a team leader for long enough.

    The meeting room fell silent again.

    Yan Liang spoke up. ¡°No offense, Team Leader Goldthread, but given your strength, you can¡¯t even defeat half of Seven Shadow¡¯s subordinates, let alone Seven Shadow himself. The Rune Circuits aren¡¯t safe in your hands.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m being looked down on!</i>

    Goldthread tamped down the anger rising in his chest and maintained hisposure.

    Yes, while his Gravity had reached level 6, with his number 31 Talent, he was far from the level of Nine Scions¡¯ core members. Actually, even his subordinate, Zhong He, was stronger on paper than he was.

    ¡°It¡¯s our business. Nothing that concerns you.¡± Colorless shot back, unable to stay out of it.

    ¡°Allow me to restate this.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°The Poison Rune Circuit isn¡¯t your property, but shared between the three organizations.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Before Colorless could lose it, Chen Ying grabbed her hand.

    She calmed herself and shut her mouth.

    Chen Ying put on a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°It seems that you already have a solution in mind. Why don¡¯t you say it?¡±

    ¡°The Poison Rune Circuit will be entrusted to the Guild temporarily,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°Until we rescue Gregor and erase the Nine Scions.¡±

    The three team leaders of the Hundred Rivers Union scoffed silently. The sounds of him making the calctions could be heard by those outside the Mist¡ªif there was anyone outside the Mist.

    Chen Ying wasn¡¯t going to say yes, of course. Colorless and Goldthread shared the sentiment. Surnamed Li would also be opposed to the proposal, naturally.

    However, she didn¡¯t immediately shoot the man down. She silently looked up at War Tiger across the table instead.

    War Tiger was shrewd enough to read the request, but instead of saying anything, he patted White Rabbit on the thigh under the table.

    White Rabbit knew that they shared amon interest, and she had beening up with a response. ¡°Elder Yan Liang, while I know the Guild means well, the proposed solution seems inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°The three organizations share the Poison Rune Circuit. It¡¯s handed to the Union for safekeeping exactly because they can¡¯t keep it for themselves. If the Rune Circuit is given to one of our organizations, won¡¯t it be at odds with our original intention?¡±

    ¡°With a formidable enemy before us, are the three organizations really going to point fingers at each other?¡± Yan Liang smiled faintly. ¡°Besides, the Qilin Guild isn¡¯t going to turn against the Zodiacs and the Union and make you our enemies simply for one Rune Circuit.¡±

    White Rabbit struggled for aeback.

    Chen Ying was stumped, too. They couldn¡¯t possibly ept the solution, but if they insisted on rejecting the Guild, they would be giving the Guild an excuse to start trouble with the Union in the future.

    ¡°I have an idea, Elder Yan Liang,¡± War Tiger spoke up with a smile.

    ¡°Please go on.¡± Yan Liang turned to him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we keep the Poison Rune Circuit safe for the Hundred Rivers Union instead? In exchange, we will hand the Union another Rune Circuit of ours as coteral. Whenever the Nine Scions are dealt with, we¡¯ll each get our Rune Circuits back.¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡± Colorless was the first to support it. <i>As expected of you, War Tiger!</i>

    ¡°I agree, too.¡± Goldthread also let out a silent sigh of relief.

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t immediately respond. He turned to Vermilion Bird for her opinion.

    Vermilion Bird was thinking about it.

    Based on what she knew of the current situation, War Tiger¡¯s idea might be the onlypromise they could all ept.

    The Qilin Guild had four Rune Circuits: Miracle, Time-Space, Knowledge, and Summon Rune Circuits. However, they couldn¡¯t possibly give any of them to the Union as coteral.

    That was apparent for the Miracle and Time-Space Rune Circuits. And Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet was Knowledge-type, so the Knowledge Rune Circuit couldn¡¯t be given to them.

    The Summon Rune Circuit corresponded to Puppeteer. Although the Talent was still unimed, given the Union had thergest number of members, they stood the greatest chance ofprehending it. And the Talent was insidious. No one knew how terrible it would be upon reaching level 8. It was a danger they had to be ready for.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs had four Rune Circuits, too: the Psyche, Element, Life, and Buff Rune Circuits.

    War Tiger would never give away the Psyche Rune Circuit since Qilin had Eidos, and the Element Rune Circuit was also out of the question since the new owner of Elemental, Zero Hatred, had already be a Guild member.

    The Buff Rune Circuit corresponded to Azure Dragon¡¯s Limitless Evolution. The Twelve Zodiac Signs couldn¡¯t risk it by handing the Rune Circuit to the Union.

    The only possible option was to exchange the Life Rune Circuit for the Poison Rune Circuit.

    The Life Rune Circuit corresponded to Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange. Even if she did get her hands on the Rune Circuit somehow and reached level 8 for some reason, the ability she gained would most likely be rted to resurrection and healing, which wouldn¡¯t be terribly destructive or aggressive.

    After a moment of silence, Vermilion Bird nodded at Yan Liang.

    Yan Liang hade to a conclusion too. He slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with the alternative.¡±

    ¡°Which Rune Circuit is the Twelve Zodiac Signs going to hand out, War Tiger?¡± Chen Ying immediately pushed forward in case Yan Liang changed his mind.

    ¡°What about the Life Rune Circuit?¡± War Tiger turned to Chen Ying.

    Vermilion Bird scoffed in her mind. <i>Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, you damn tiger?</i>

    ¡°A moment. We have to discuss it.¡±

    The three team leaders of the Union put their heads together and discussed the matter quietly, but they had alreadye to a consensus. It was merely a necessary process to go through.

    Soon, they finished their discussion.

    Chen Ying turned to War Tiger. ¡°We agree to entrust the Poison Rune Circuit to you with the Life Rune Circuit as coteral until Gregor¡¯s matter is resolved.¡±

    ¡°Nice.¡± War Tiger grinned. ¡°That¡¯s decided then.¡±

    ¡°The Guild must be present when you are making the exchange,¡± Vermilion Bird added.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡± War Tiger shrugged.

    ¡°Same for us.¡± Chen Ying agreed immediately. <i>I would be more worried if you weren¡¯t there to ensure the smooth going of the deal. While the possibility is slim, the Zodiacs may make a grab for the Rune Circuit too.</i>

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯re free to go?¡± War Tiger had been itching for a cigarette.

    ¡°There¡¯s something,¡± Vermilion Bird said seriously. ¡°We want to confirm in person your stances on the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said this before.¡± War Tiger responded flippantly. ¡°We¡¯re just gonna be spectators and stay on the sidelines. If we have any clues on the Nine Scions, we¡¯ll tell you for free, but in exchange, you¡¯re handing Green Snake to us if you ever capture her. Even if she¡¯s already dead, hand the body to us.¡±

    War Tiger smiled. ¡°After all, she knows a thing or two about our secrets. I don¡¯t want her body to be friends with a certain someone.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s lips twitched.<i> Making a jab at me, War Tiger? You should pray that you don¡¯t get on my bad side. I¡¯m gonna tear you a new one.</i>

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for the Hundred Rivers Union. We won¡¯t be a part of the war. If we have any clues on the Nine Scions, we¡¯ll tell you.¡± Colorless made the official response.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Vermilion Bird nced at Yan Liang. ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±

    ¡°And me,¡± said Yan Liang.

    Vermilion Bird was the first to stand up. ¡°Let¡¯s end the meeting here. Thank you for attending. Please send me a copy of the details of your Rune Circuits exchange once you¡¯ve reached an agreement.¡±

 Chapter 671: Take Care Of

    <h4>Chapter 671: Take Care Of</h4>

    Northbound Funeral Home, Beiyong District,te at night.

    A car drove through the front gates and across the clearing to a row of jointed buildings on the left. Vermilion Bird was the driver, and Ke Yo was in the passenger seat.

    Vermilion Bird was a little surprised when Ke Yo said that she would like to check on Edmond¡¯s body.

    After losing her memory, Ke Yo remembered nothing about her past and had shown little interest in it. Thus, Vermilion Bird rarely brought the topic up, and she only gave a brief exnation about Ke Yo being a former member of the Tails.

    Vermilion Bird believed that one¡¯s childhoodid the foundation and had a lingering effect on their entire life. If the foundation was built upon wonderful memories, no matter how much suffering and temptation they went through as an adult, they rarely strayed toward corruption or destruction. On the other hand, with a terrible foundation coloring their life, it would be easy for one to go down the wrong path.

    Ke Yo had be a nk sheet of paper after losing her memory, thus granted a chance to start over.

    Therefore, Vermilion Bird hoped to give her a rtively healthy ¡°childhood¡±. Then even if Ke Yo recovered her memories, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the girl reverting to her old self.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly want to see him?¡± Vermilion Bird asked casually. ¡°Did you remember something?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head and hid the ring on her finger unconsciously. ¡°No. I just wanted to see him. Perhaps I¡¯ll remember something then.¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t ask further. She warned, ¡°Be ready. It¡¯s always unnerving to see a body for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ke Yo took a deep breath.

    The car stopped. Vermilion Bird took Ke Yo to the morgue on the second floor with her card key. She punched in the passcodes, and the metal security door to the morgue opened. Vermilion Bird walked in and inputted numbers at the control panel in a corner. A freezer cab on the wall on the left slowly came out, inside which was a body bag.

    Vermilion Bird lifted the body bag and ced it on a tableyered with ck Gold. She nced at Ke Yo. ¡°Ready?¡±

    Nervous, Ke Yo clenched her fists without realizing it and nodded.

    Vermilion Bird unzipped the body bag. It opened to the sides, revealing the body to the heels.

    Ke Yo mustered the courage to take a look. The body belonged to an older man in a simple blue t-shirt and long pants, his face a lifeless white. The body radiated a chill unique to the dead.

    He had blond hair, a goatee, a full forehead, and deep-set eyes. With his eyes closed, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out somewhat. He looked like a gentle and well-mannered elderly.

    Ke Yo remembered nothing about the man¡¯s face.

    <i>If all dead people are like him, I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so scary about them.</i>

    Ke Yo¡¯s gaze shifted to Edmond¡¯s left hand. There wasn¡¯t a ring. Ke Yo would like to check the right hand, but it was obscured by the body from her angle.

    If she made it to the other side to look for a ring, Vermilion Bird would surely notice.

    ¡°Done?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    Ke Yo came up with an idea. ¡°Let me zip up the body bag, Sister Xia. Although I can¡¯t remember anything, I feel like doing something for him.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t turn her down.

    Ke Yo made it to the other side of the body and slowly zipped up the body bag. When she looked at Edmond¡¯s right hand, there wasn¡¯t a ring there, but there was a band of paler skin around the ring finger.

    <i>Put the ring on, Ke Yo.</i>

    <i>No, I¡¯ll take care of myself.</i>

    <i>Why don¡¯t you put it on for me then? If you don¡¯t, I can¡¯t rest easy.</i>

    <i>Alright. You¡¯re such a nag.</i>

    The snippet of memory pierced into her brain like a needle. There was no image, only a few shared words.

    Ke Yo attempted to hold onto more memories but came up empty.

    She suddenly remembered Gao Yang¡¯s words again.

    <i>¡°I promised Edmond that I would take care of you.¡±</i>

    Ke Yo¡¯s hands kept trembling. She forced herself to calm down and closed the body bag with feigned nonchnce.

    Vermilion Bird lifted the body back into the freezer cab.

    ¡°Remember anything?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Ke Yo turned away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ...

    December twenty-first, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    New Cemetery, Dongyu District.

    Once the Taiping Bridge Cemetery ran out of space for more burials, the New Cemetery was built. It was said that the location was carefully picked. It was away from the busy urban area for peace and quiet, and the fengshui was good with a creek at the front and a mountain at the back.

    The New Cemetery sat on a short hill, filled densely with white tombstones and ck coffins. The orderlyyout was quite the sight from afar.

    At the foot of the hill was a paved clearing for a parking lot and other services, including shops selling instruments for tombsweeping, dining ces, and restrooms.

    At the entrance of the cemetery, a solemn marble gate was built. The words ¡°Li City New Cemetery¡± were written on the que in calligraphy. On the sides of the gate were a couplet.

    ¡°For a millennium the mountain stays prosperous. For ten thousand years the conifers remain thriving.¡± Can¡¯s voice came from the air. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°The mountain will always be pretty. The trees will always be green,¡± Gray Bear responded in a rough voice.

    ¡°I understand the words. I¡¯m asking about the deeper meanings.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a blessing for the dead.¡± Gray Bear scoffed. ¡°If you like it so much, I¡¯ll write two lines for you too.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bear...you¡¯re mean!¡± Canined.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Gray Bear said, ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, Captain. None of the Guild members are gonnae here even if they are bored out of your mind.¡±

    ¡°I know, but you¡¯re disturbing the dead.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s tone grew colder.

    ¡°Oh, when Captain said that, I suddenly felt a chill behind my back. It¡¯s getting creepy...¡± Can was a little scared. ¡°Ghosts shouldn¡¯t be able to see us, right?¡±

    ¡°Ghosts can go invisible themselves. What do you think?¡± Gray Bear snickered. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s one standing right beside you, staring at you...¡±

    ¡°Please cut it out, Uncle Bear. I¡¯m begging you...¡±

    The three of them chatted as they walked halfway up the mountain, staying invisible.

    Gao Yang, Gray Bear, and Can were here to look for a new base tonight to hide from Team Azure Dragon. The Nine Scions never stayed in one ce for long. They had to find a new hiding spot in advance.

    Once they found a good ce, Gao Yang suddenly remembered that the New Cemetery was nearby, and he decided to visit a friendst minute. Neither Gray Bear nor Can disagreed.

    Soon, they reached a newly made tomb. They became visible with Can at the center and Gao Yang and Gray Bear on her sides. They each had a hand on her shoulders.

    Gao Yang let go of her shoulder and conjured a small fireball with a snap of his fingers. It floated slowly to the tomb, illuminating the ck and white photo put on the tombstone.

 Chapter 672: The Professional

    <h4>Chapter 672: The Professional</h4>

    The young man in the ck and white photo had longer hair part on the side, upturned eyes, a tall nose, and thin lips. His smile was bright, the lopsided corners suggested a likable sort of impatience.

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s college roommate, Qiu Qiu.

    He was narcissistic but loyal to his friends. He had a taste for alcohol but was a terrible drunk. He always made dirty jokes but apologized immediately if he offended someone. He fancied himself a yboy but acted like a pitifulp dog after a breakup.

    He had just entered college. He had a long life ahead of him, yet died at Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    Gao Yang took out a white paper flower from his pocket and ced it on the tombstone. There was nothing he could say.

    Gray Bear smoked on the side and counted the days from Qiu Qiu¡¯s death. It happened to be the seventh night, the time the dead were said to return.

    Can looked at Gao Yang¡¯s back and felt a sympathetic pang, remembering her roommate Huan Huan.

    She had always been an introvert with low self-esteem, and after entering college, Huan Huan was the first to strike up a conversation with her. Huan Huan also took her along no matter what she was doing. It was thanks to her that Can had be much more outgoing during her two years in college.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to check on Huan Huan, Captain. She¡¯s buried here too.¡±

    ¡°So is Young Liu.¡± Gray Bearughed bitterly. ¡°I might as well pay him a visit.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around and nodded.

    They first found Huan Huan¡¯s tomb.

    Can knelt before it and chatted with Huan Huan for a few minutes, reminiscing about their happy time in school until her eyes brimmed with tears. Then they found Officer Liu¡¯s tomb. Gray Bear wasn¡¯t sentimental enough to have a small talk with the dead like Can had done. He found it melodramatic.

    He lit a cigarette and took a drag before leaving it on his once colleague¡¯s tombstone. Then he patted on it, just like how he used to pat the young man¡¯s shoulder.

    Gray Bear smiled wryly. ¡°How did I not notice that Young Liu was an awakener? Thinking back, there was a time when he seemed to be in a bad condition. He took a one-week leave, and I didn¡¯t pay attention to it. He must have awakened then and got lured in by the Godbearer Cult. He¡¯s a good kid. How did he buy into their shit?¡±

    ¡°People will grab onto something when scared, even a viper,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Yeah, he just awakened and found out that the world was a lie. Who would be able to take it?¡± Gray Bear felt a little guilty. ¡°If I had been just a little more observant and offered him a helping hand, perhaps he would be mypanion now.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bear, hindsight is always twenty-twenty.¡± Can¡¯s gaze turned mournful. ¡°If I had known what would happen that night at the Eleventh High, I would¡¯ve stopped Huan Huan from going to her date even if I had to knock her out.¡±

    ¡°Right. There¡¯s no turning back time.¡± Gray Bear lit another cigarette and took a long drag. ¡°Death isn¡¯t so bad a fate. It¡¯s a conclusive ending. The living are the ones suffering.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s merit to that.¡± Can smiled awkwardly. ¡°But I still think it¡¯s better to be alive.¡±

    She snuck a nce at Gao Yang, who was still staring at Officer Liu¡¯s tomb with an unreadable expression.

    Can was worried. Ever since what happened with the Malediction, their captain had changed; he was always thinking about something on his own. While he was still gentle and made jokes every once in a while, it made her ache for him even more, and she found it more difficult to understand him.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Can called out to him softly.

    Gao Yang broke out of his thoughts and turned around with a small smile. ¡°Let¡¯s head down.¡±

    ...

    December 22nd, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Ke Yo ¡°woke up¡± to a dream and found herself standing in the lobby of a theater at a mall. The crowds walking around her had blurry faces with no details like the purposefully obscured pedestrians in games,ing and going like shadows.

    Ahead of her was the ticket check. Liu Qingying, dressed in a fitted uniform shirt and skirt, gave him a weing smile and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Here for a movie, pretty girl?¡±

    Ke Yo looked down to find a ticket in her hand.

    <i>Dion: The Professional</i>, a midnight screening[1].

    ¡°Here. Give me the ticket.¡± Liu Qingying took her ticket and tore off the stub before handing the rest back to her. ¡°The third room on the left, Children Room.¡±

    With Liu Qingying somitted to her role as the theater staff, Ke Yo found it difficult to question her. She walked in with her head low and quickly found the right room.

    The Children Room wasn¡¯trge. The colorful interior design was full of childlike wonders. A few blurry figures randomly filled the seats. The only real person was sitting in a corner of the back row. It was Gao Yang.

    Ke Yo went up to sit beside him.

    The room went dark, and the screen lit up. With the quiet start of the movie ying in the background, Ke Yo felt like she was doing a secret deal.

    ¡°Do you have an answer now?¡± Gao Yang asked bluntly.

    Ke Yo opened her mouth and closed it.

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Are you worried that Miss Liu would hear us?¡±

    Ke Yo nodded.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Liu Qingying had appeared on the screen at some point. Dressed expensively, she was drinking coffee at a dining table on a street corner.

    She looked into the camera¡ªat the audience outside the screen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take my leave soon. However, I will hear your answer before I go. It¡¯s part of the deal I have with Seven Shadow.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Your answer is considered an S-s intel, which Miss Liu will hear as the price for arranging the meeting through dreams.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Miss Liu and I share amon goal. She won¡¯t sell me out before the goal is reached.¡±

    Which was to identify the spy in the Hundred Rivers Union and the one who had killed Ba Qiuchi and Green Tea¡ªDust.

    Of course, Liu Qingying had another condition for her cooperation, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t deem it necessary to tell Ke Yo now.

    Finally, Ke Yo made up her mind. She took a deep breath and looked up at Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯m joining the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Gao Yang said calmly and didn¡¯t show any signs of excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Ke Yo nodded.

    ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°Because Edmons asked you to take care of me.¡±

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. ¡°Have you recovered your memory?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head. ¡°No, but I remember some of his words. They feel familiar to me. He must have his reason when he asked you to take care of me before his death. I trust him.¡±

    Liu Qingying walked out of the screen with augh. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the reasoning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a strange person after all[2].¡± Ke Yo smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°It¡¯s normal for me to make strange decisions, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯tment on that. ¡°Now that I have the intel, I¡¯ll bid you farewell.¡±

    ording to their agreement, that was all Liu Qingying was allowed to know. She wouldn¡¯t be listening in on the rest of Gao Yang and Ke Yo¡¯s conversation.

    With level 7 Sweet Dream, Liu Qingying could wake up willingly and leave her dream while sustaining it until all participants woke up.

    ¡°Have a good chat, dear customers.¡± Liu Qingying covered her smirk. ¡°Friendly reminder that the dream is going to be fragile after my departure, so please don¡¯t run far and don¡¯t do anything too exciting, or the dream will copse prematurely.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Gao Yang smiled at her. ¡°After waking up, you should go have a cigarette on your balcony for your insomnia, Miss Liu.¡±

    Gao Yang was going to make sure that Nine Frost could see her through binocrs and monitor her brain waves with Telepathy. He would confirm that Liu Qingying had woken up from the dream and hadn¡¯t had someone else putting on an act while she secretly hid in the dream to eavesdrop on Gao Yang and Ke Yo.

    ¡°Of course. Have a nice chat.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t need him spelling it out. She became more and more translucent until vanishing between one blink and the next.

    1. A reference to the movie <i>Leon</i>. The raw is tranted literally into ¡°The hitman is a little slow¡±, which is a y of the tranted title of the movie in China, ¡°The hitman is not that cold.¡± ?

    2. The description of her Talent, Strange, is ¡°A strange person¡±. ?

 Chapter 673: A Moment of Greed

    <h4>Chapter 673: A Moment of Greed</h4>

    Walled City of Ten Dragons, fifteen past one in the morning.

    Liu Qingying woke up in herrge soft bed.

    Her bedroom was dark and quiet, the heating sufficient enough for her to wear only a ck garter dress of thin, smooth silk. Her long silver hair ran messily on her pillow.

    She slowly sat up, her hands and thighs rustling the nket.

    The sensor light at her nightstand lit up, casting light over a small corner. There was a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a small framed photo on the nightstand. It was a two-shot of Ba Qiuchi and Liu Qingying when they were at school. Both were wearing youthful summer uniforms for their high school.

    Ba Qiuchi had a hand on Liu Qingying¡¯s shoulder while she held up a Proid camera, looking into the lens. Hair tied into twin tails, she beamed with light dancing in her eyes. Her chin looked thin as she smiled. Her bright deposition was clear in the photo.

    Liu Qingying¡¯s hair ran down to her chin with messy ends like it had been cut short messily. She had a bandaid with strawberry patterns on her nose.

    When she was sixteen, she wasn¡¯t the mature seductress she was now, but more of a tomboy.

    On her youthful face, her eyes were bashful, and her expression and posture betrayed her insecurity and awkwardness, but it was also clear that she was happy.

    Of course she would be. It was her first time making a friend in her life.

    Liu Qingying stared at the photo. She couldn¡¯t help but open the drawer and take out a blue essory box, inside which were a pair of silver earrings shaped like willow leaves[1].

    Her hands trembled. After a moment of struggle, she still failed to muster the courage to pick them up.

    <i>Click</i>. She closed the box, putting it back in the drawer.

    She grabbed the cigarettes and lighter and walked barefoot to the floor-to-ceiling window, opening it and walking out to the balcony. The chilling wind of the winter night rustled her hair and smoothed out the wrinkles of her silk pajama dress, her alluring curves on full disy.

    She knew that a man was watching her through binocrs from his hiding ce far from here, but she didn¡¯t care.

    She turned around and leaned against the railing, shielding the lighter to light up a cigarette. She took a deep drag and tipped her head up. The white smoke she exhaled quickly dispersed in the wind.

    It was cold. The wind cut her skin like razor des.

    She felt better now.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the screening room in Sweet Dream, the movie was still ying. Due to the girl¡¯s stubbornness, the hitman and the girl got kicked out of the hotel. The older man had a toolbox and a ¡°cello case¡± in his hands, while the girl was holding a potted nt and a duffle bag. They walked quickly on the road with dour faces.

    ¡°No.¡± Gao Yang rejected Ke Yo¡¯s idea. ¡°I can¡¯t just break into the White Lake Hotel and take you away.¡±

    ¡°Only Sister...Vermilion Bird and One Stone would be there to watch over me. I can disorient them with a whistle. Then you will take me away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. The White Lake Hotel and the Walled City of Ten Dragons are both the Guild¡¯s turf. There are many hidden eyes watching.¡±

    Gao Yang briefly exined the Talents of Raven Shark, Chaos Reflection, and Forest Crane. ¡°You haven¡¯t earned the Guild¡¯s trust, and there will be open and secret surveince on you. It won¡¯t be difficult for me to take you, but it will be difficult to not leave any tracks that would expose us.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    Gao Yang gave it some thought. ¡°Tomorrow...no, this afternoon, the Hundred Rivers Union and the Twelve Zodiac Signs will be exchanging Rune Circuits in the Walled City of Ten Dragons under the Guild¡¯s witness. That is true, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Vermilion Bird said so.¡±

    ¡°Will you be there?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Ke Yo said. ¡°Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon are the witnesses, and Vermilion Bird always takes me with her so that she can keep her eyes on me.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll pick you up during the trade.¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Ke Yo was shocked and confused. ¡°The three organizations will all be there, and you want to take me then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded and asked with a smile, ¡°Were you a member of the three organizations, what would you think the Nine Scions are after when they suddenly barge in?¡±

    Ke Yo paused. ¡°The Rune Circuits!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union will prioritize protecting the Rune Circuits, and the Guild will help do the same or go after the Nine Scions. No attention will be given to you.¡±

    Ke Yo narrowed her eyes as she considered the n¡¯s viability.

    ¡°Having fewer people around isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. You¡¯d be the center of attention, and it¡¯d be too obvious what we¡¯re doing by rushing to you. We¡¯d stand a lower chance to seed then, and we may even fall into a trap.¡±

    Gao Yang added, ¡°And having many people around isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Since everyone¡¯s from a different faction with different goals, the situation will be messy. And the Rune Circuits are serving as a smokescreen. You¡¯ll fade into the backdrop then.¡±

    Ke Yo was convinced. ¡°Okay. What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Many.¡± Gao Yang sounded solemn. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you the detailed n. Remember, you must follow every step, or lives will be lost.¡±

    Ke Yo hesitated before looking up at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I may be lying to you?¡±

    ¡°To be frank, I am a little worried.¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly. ¡°But I believe Edmond when he said that you weren¡¯t a bad person.¡±

    Ke Yo sighed. ¡°So it¡¯s a gamble.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you making a gamble too? Who among us isn¡¯t gambling as we try to survive until the end in this Mist World?¡± Gao Yang quoted a certain someone.

    Ke Yo stayed quiet with her head slightly lowered, her eyes shing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Yang joked. ¡°I¡¯m lucky. Even whenpeting with a professional yer with over ten years of experience at slot machines, I¡¯ll win by a small margin.¡±

    ...

    ck Tortoise Branch, Walled City of Ten Dragons. December 22nd, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Inside the restroom, Ke Yo stood before the wash basin, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

    She was wearing a ck double-breasted trenchcoat with a tinum qilin brooch on her chest. It meant that she was now an Elite of Team Vermilion Bird.

    This afternoon, alongside Elder Vermilion Bird, she would witness the exchange of Rune Circuits between two organizations. It was her first mission.

    She stared at the girl in the mirror. It was a mundane face with no noteworthy features. When walking amid a crowd, she might as well have disappeared, and no one would care or remember even if she did disappear one day.

    <i>Click</i>. The stall behind her opened, and Vermilion Bird walked out in the same ck coat. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded, following Vermilion Bird out and into therge meeting room on the second floor.

    In ten minutes, all attendees from the three organizations arrived, seated the same way as they had done during theirst meeting.

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird took the main seats with Six Rime and Ke Yo standing behind them. On the left sat War Tiger and White Rabbit, and on the right sat Goldthread and Chen Ying.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Azure Dragon announced. ¡°Please start the trade.¡±

    Chen Ying nced at Goldthread. He picked up a small ck Gold briefcase and ced it on the table, slowly opening it to reveal the Poison Rune Circuit.

    War Tiger did things much more simply. He took the Life Rune Circuit out of his pocket and waved it at them.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s heart pounded when she saw the Life Rune Circuit. It felt like an instinct. A thought shed through her mind before her rationality could catch up: she wanted to merge with the Rune Circuit and see what level 8 Equivalent Exchange did. What miracles would it be able to conjure?

    Vermilion Bird almost jumped. She realized that a strange greed had seized her for a moment.

    1. Her surname, Áø (liu), means willow. ?

 Chapter 674: Empress Stomp

    <h4>Chapter 674: Empress Stomp</h4>

    Vermilion Bird focused and quickly dispersed the thought she shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Please check the ware, Brother Azure Dragon.¡±

    War Tiger grinned and threw the Life Rune Circuit to Azure Dragon. Azure Dragon checked it carefully to make sure it was the real deal before handing it back to War Tiger.

    Then Goldthread stood up and handed the Poison Rune Circuit to Azure Dragon, who went through the same process before returning it to Goldthread.

    It was done in such aplicated way by the request of the Zodiacs and the Union.

    Although it was unlikely for the Qilin Guild to antagonize the two other organizations openly for two Rune Circuits that weren¡¯t ced top in their value, it would still be too great a temptation to put two Rune Circuits in the same person¡¯s hands, even though Azure Dragon was known for being a man of principles and a stick in the mud.

    Goldthread checked the Poison Rune Circuit again once it was back in his hand, making sure that Azure Dragon and Six Rime hadn¡¯t swapped it.

    He looked up at War Tiger and ced the Rune Circuit on the table, making a sliding motion. ¡°On the count to three, we slide the Rune Circuits to each other.¡±

    War Tigerughed. He didn¡¯t think that would be necessary. ¡°I¡¯ll hand you mine first. After making sure it¡¯s good, hand me the Poison Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°Catch.¡± He threw the Life Rune Circuit to Goldthread.

    <i>Bam! </i>Suddenly, a loud bang came from above their heads, and the entire building shook.

    ...

    Walled City of Ten Dragons, a minute ago.

    Above the ck Tortoise building, a young man with a delicate face hovered. It was Heavenly Dog. He had both hands in his pockets with white headphones around his neck. All his attention was on his senses, taking in everything in all directions.

    Another person stood on the rooftop of the building. It was Liao Liao from the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Leaning against the metal railing, she was reading a novel on her phone with her head lowered. The story she had been following was finally updated.

    While she seemed to be fooling around, though, she was doing her job.

    Upon closer inspection, one would notice an unusual number of butterflies, dragonflies, anddybugs all over the walls, windowsills, telephone poles, and tree branches in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Liao Liao was using level 4 Insects King to monitor the whole area. If any suspicious awakener approached, the insects would react, and Liao Liao would know immediately.

    Meanwhile, Forest Crane of Team Azure Dragon was on the same rooftop, too. Sitting cross-legged on the water tank and covered in small white flowers, he had transformed his arms into countless small strands of vines, spreading them in all directions to cover the entire ck Tortoise building and parts of the surrounding area.

    The soft leaves on the vines swayed gently. They were sensitive to the flow of energy and could thus detect suspicious targets well.

    <i>Sigh</i>. Liao Liao lowered her phone.

    ¡°What?¡± Forest Crane remained sitting with his eyes closed, the small white flowers on him gently swaying.

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough. I¡¯ve waited for a whole month, but I finished reading the update in an hour.¡± Liao Liao was disappointed. ¡°And it¡¯s strange. Why didn¡¯t the author go for angst this time?¡±

    Forest Crane didn¡¯t read novels, and he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Heavenly Dog lowered to the rooftop then. ¡°You aren¡¯t reading <i>My Buddy is the Chosen One</i>, are you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been reading it?¡± Liao Liao¡¯s eyes lit up, typical of a fan meeting a fellow fan.

    ¡°I read it.¡± Heavenly Dog scratched his face. <i>Sister Rabbit rmends it to me every day. How can I not?</i>

    ¡°Have you checked thetest chapter?¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡±

    ¡°Read it now...¡± Liao Liao couldn¡¯t wait to talk to someone about it, but something made her jump suddenly.

    A few dragonflies in the sky had sensed an audacious energy approaching, sending the information to her.

    ¡°Above us!¡± Liao Liao shouted.

    Heavenly Dog and Forest Crane had sensed the energying from above, too, and they looked up to see a small ck dot.

    The dot revealed to be a purple-haired girl in a blue and white sailor suit. She syed her limbs as she plunged toward the building, her hair and skirt fluttering in the air.

    ¡°Nainai!¡± Forest Crane was the first to recognize his former colleague. He shouted, ¡°Get out of the way!¡±

    Ten minutes ago, Can had carried Nainai to a few hundred meters above the Walled City of Ten Dragons with Gale and Invisibilty, hiding quietly.

    From the earpiece, she heard Gao Yang¡¯s order. She immediately dropped Nainai like the fat man bomb.

    ¡°Hahaha, you mortals!¡±

    ¡°Scream! Hurt! Confess!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the day of retribution. Receive your judgment and salvation!¡±

    When she was less than sixty meters from the rooftop, she pushed her energy to the max and activated level 7 Scale, shouting the name she had spent a nighting up.

    ¡°The Apocalyptic Titanic Scream of...¡±

    ¡°Empress Stomp!!!¡±

    <i>Hum</i>. An arc of energy exploded midair, and Nainai suddenly turned into a thirty-meter-tall giant, obscuring the sky. To her, the ck Tortoise building was but a small box of concrete blocks.

    Three seconds before her feet hit the rooftop, Liao Liao vaulted the railing and jumped off. Heavenly Dog dove down at an angle and caught her, taking her to safety.

    Forest Crane had quickly jumped off the water tank, too. Using his vine arms as ropes, he swung to another building.

    <i>Rumble</i>. Nainai¡¯s feet put tworge holes into the rooftop of the building, and the topmost two floors crumbled. Concrete rubbles and ss shards poured down like rain.

    ...

    Second-floor meeting room, ck Tortoise Branch.

    The moment the loud bang and the shockwave hit, the security windows of the meeting room shattered. Everyone was stunned. Then they realized that they were under attack from the rooftop.

    The Life Rune Circuit happened to be flying to Goldthread¡¯s hand then, but the sudden impact knocked its trajectory awry, and it flew to the side.

    White Rabbit reacted quickly.

    With level 6 Jump, she made a leap with both feet and attempted to grab the Rune Circuit with an impressive speed that could almost rival Teleportation. But then a gust of wind swept through the broken windows, changing the trajectory of the Rune Circuit again to send it to the side.

    Moreover, the wind was so strong that everyone outside of Azure Dragon got thrown off their feet. Making use of the force of the wind, War Tiger made a flip midair, stepping on the wall he was thrown into to propel himself toward the Life Rune Circuit.

    Before he could touch the Rune Circuit, though, he frowned, detecting a barrage of translucent air des flying in through the windows, making random attacks at everyone.

    War Tiger was forced to give up on grabbing the Rune Circuit. He quickly drew his Green Dog Demon de and a shortsword to make quick shes, blocking several air des that could¡¯ve cut him.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    The others either dodged or blocked the des.

    Six Rime quickly conjured ayer of frost over her body to take the attacks without suffering injury, while Azure Dragon remained standing where he was, taking the attacks with his body. The air des were sharp enough to cut through wood, yet they left only a few cuts on his trench coat.

    While everyone¡¯s attention was on the Rune Circuits, the experienced Azure Dragon searched for the attacker withpleteposure. He could tell from the strength and destructive power of Gale that he wasn¡¯t facing Can, but the leader of the Nine Scions¡ªSeven Shadow!

    In theory, the replicated Talent should be at the same level as the original Talent. Thus, level 4 Gale would stay at level 4 once Gao Yang replicated it from Can.

    However, Gao Yang¡¯s Willpower was much higher than Can¡¯s, and Willpower enhanced all Elemental Talents. Thus, Gao Yang¡¯s level 4 Gale was much more powerful than what Can could ever do.

    Gao Yang must have also used Invisibility. That was why Azure Dragon couldn¡¯t find him just yet.

    However, level 6 Replicate had a short use time. Azure Dragon only had to wait for Gao Yang to show up. Time wasn¡¯t on Gao Yang¡¯s side.

    Time didn¡¯t seem to be on Azure Dragon¡¯s side either, though.

    <i>Rumble</i>.

    The ceiling of the meeting room came crashing down. The entire building toppled.

 Chapter 675: Underestimate Us

    <h4>Chapter 675: Underestimate Us</h4>

    When Gao Yang made a sudden attack, most people in the meeting room could¡¯ve jumped out of the windows. Even those with poorer mobility like Chen Ying and Ke Yo could¡¯ve escaped with the help of theirpanions.

    However, they were all concerned about the Life Rune Circuit, and most of them were confident in facing their current situation. Thus, they made the same choice to stay in the meeting room.

    They didn¡¯t expect the ¡°explosion¡± to be Nainai stomping on the building as a giant.

    Soon, she stepped through the ceiling of the second floor. Wearing white canvas shoes, the two feet crashed down with heavy concrete and rebars, about to bury everyone.

    ¡°Reverse Gravity!¡±

    Goldthread made a move.

    When the air des hit, he tackled Chen Ying out of the way. Having already put the Poison Rune Circuit back into the briefcase, he handed the briefcase to Chen Ying, and Chen Ying crawled to a hiding spot with it without missing a beat.

    As soon as Goldthread picked himself up, the ceiling crumbled and crashed down. Without hesitation, he created a field of reverse gravity with a radius of twenty-five meters.

    Everything took flight at that moment. Like an invisible eggshell, the realm of reverse gravity blocked Nainai¡¯s feet and kept the building from crumbling further.

    Just when everyone was ¡°falling¡± toward the top of the reverse gravity field, Six Rime shot out about a dozen thin but sturdy lines of ice, covering the entire meeting room like white spiderwebs. Mid-rise, everyone caught onto a strand and steadied themselves.

    War Tiger stepped on one white thread and propelled himself toward a crushed cab above him. It had been inside the equipment storage on the third floor, and the Life Rune Circuit was right on top of it.

    Then a figure appeared above the cab, Gao Yang.

    Running out of Invisibility¡¯s use time, he appeared.

    At some point, he had teleported into the realm of reverse gravity in the meeting room. Going up to the cab, he reached out for the Rune Circuit.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. War Tiger jumped toward him without hesitation and swung the Green Dog Demon de at an incredible speed, unleashing a violet arc like a lightning strike.

    That cut off the left hand that was picking up the Rune Circuit, as well as the cab beneath Gao Yang¡¯s feet.

    The pain of losing a hand didn¡¯t distract Gao Yang. With level 6 Psychic Armor running, hisposure and calmness were absolute.

    He grabbed the cut hand with his right hand, jumped toward the window, and readied a teleport.

    Then Ke Yo whistled with Strange.

    At that moment, everyone in the meeting room felt their minds nk for a second.

    War Tiger, Six Rime, and Vermilion Bird all lost a moment of their thoughts. War Tiger, who had jumped toward Gao Yang, failed to make the second sh. And even Goldthread, who had used Reverse Gravity, almost allowed the realm to crumble in a moment of distraction.

    Unfortunately, the whistle affected both friends and foes.

    Gao Yang also lost a moment and failed to teleport.

    While Ke Yo¡¯s whistle had protected Gao Yang from getting attacked on all fronts, it had also prevented his escape. Whether it had done more harm or good was a question.

    A secondter, they all recovered their minds.

    Ice Fury!

    Six Rime¡¯s eyes glinted with blue light, and a terrible chill exploded from her body with sharp whooshing noises. A hardyer of ice quickly spread across the meeting room, turning it into an ice cavern.

    Six Rime knew what she was doing. The ice would stabilize the structure of the building to prevent everyone from getting buried. Moreover, the chill would effectively slow Gao Yang down. It worked on everyone and would make Chen Ying and Ke Yo suffer the most; it would be fine as long as they could quickly kill Gao Yang and end this fight.

    ¡°Serious Punch!¡±

    Azure Dragon made a decisive attack. After two seconds of charging, he made a destructive punch at the ceiling, where Gao Yang was.

    ...

    Walled City of Ten Dragons, three seconds before.

    Nainai the Giant kept stepping on the building like she was stepping on clothes in a washing basin. The building crumbled floor by floor until finally, she reached the second floor.

    She realized then that she couldn¡¯t continue. There seemed to be a forcefield of sorts. Nainai could tell that someone in the meeting room had made a move.

    She decided not to get reckless. She would continue to buy time for Captain like this.

    A few secondster, though, she sensed a terrifying wave of energying from the rubbles under her feet.

    <i>Shit, it¡¯s Elder Azure Dragon! He¡¯s mad!</i>

    Nainai knew her former supervisor¡¯s Serious Punch better than anyone. It would take too long for her to jump out of the way in her giant form, so she went for the usual cheat¡ªshrinking down.

    Meanwhile, Heavenly Dog was hovering more than a hundred meters up in the air, carrying Liao Liao. Neither of them seemed intent on doing anything as the giant girl stomped around on the building.

    Heavenly Dog didn¡¯t act because he trusted Gao Yang not to cross the line. Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t hurt the Twelve Zodiac Signs members, and War Tiger would protect White Rabbit well. He might as well take it easy.

    As for Liao Liao, she had stayed out of the way because she was afraid of dying and knew her limits. <i>Don¡¯t me me, Sister Chen, Brother Goldthread. There¡¯s nothing I can do when the whales are fighting. Please stay safe on your own.</i>

    Suddenly, the giant Nainai disappeared. Heavenly Dog and Liao Liao jumped before quickly realizing that she had shrunk.

    A secondter, a shockwave of golden energy shot out of the rubbles of the ck Tortoise building like a golden waterfall in reverse, rushing toward the sky.

    Although it was daytime, the waterfall was blinding, and everything paled inparison.

    The ripples of the shockwaves unleashed near the ground sent the rubbles of the higher floors flying, resulting in a rain of stones about a thousand meters in the sky.

    Carrying Liao Liao, Heavenly Dog dodged the raining stones and said, ¡°We...can stay out of this now.¡±

    ¡°No, our job¡¯s here.¡± Liao Liaoughed wryly. ¡°The punch must have awakened many elite monsters. Let¡¯s clean up the mess.¡±

    <i>Nicely done</i>, Liao Liaoplimented herself. <i>I¡¯ll be fighting while staying clear of the frontline, and I¡¯ll be able to draft a nice reportter.</i>

    Heavenly Dog blinked, realizing what she was nning.

    He gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Cool.¡±

    ...

    Azure Dragon¡¯s earth-shattering punch threatened to split the world. Like a giant flower bud, the building was going to get ttened by Nainai the Giant, but Azure Dragon, standing amid the flower bud, opened it up in an instant.

    A few secondster, the heart of the building was carved out, leaving only rubbles and concrete ash. Those in the living room got thrown away for a long distance, but not terribly hurt.

    When Vermilion Bird steadied herself, Ke Yo was gone. She looked over at Gao Yang without thinking.

    Goldthread helped Chen Ying up with the impact injury on her calves. Chen Ying was still holding the briefcase with Rune Circuit in her hand, worried that someone would grab it.

    Gao Yang had failed to make a timely escape due to Ke Yo¡¯s whistle, and hisst-second attempt to dodge the energy shockwave from Azure Dragon barely seeded. In the end, he got hit in his two calves, the bleeding gashes revealed the white bones underneath.

    With his left hand cut off and his right hand holding the Life Rune Circuit, Gao Yang sat down against a toppled wall, covered in wounds and panting.

    War Tiger quietly went up to him with his Green Dog Demon de.

    Six Rime, Goldthread, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird circled him, blocking any possible escape route.

    ¡°You¡¯ve underestimated us, Little Yang Yang.¡± War Tiger extended a hand. ¡°Here, return the Rune Circuit to me. I¡¯ll give you a quick death.¡±

    Gao Yang lifted his bloody face and scoffed. ¡°You taught me not to underestimate my enemies ever, Uncle Tiger. How can I possibly forget?¡±

 Chapter 676: Concern

    <h4>Chapter 676: Concern</h4>

    War Tiger¡¯s eyes glinted.

    A flickering red light suddenly shot out of Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, and dense webs of thin red cracks spread across the skin of his face.

    <i>Self-Detonate!</i>

    <i>It¡¯s Gao Yang¡¯s double. He¡¯s replicated Lithe Snake¡¯s Self-Detonate!</i>

    War Tiger didn¡¯t have the time to warn everyone. He whirled around as quickly as he could with Killing Expert and leaped toward the nearby Vermilion Bird with an audible step, grabbing her by the waist to take her away from Gao Yang.

    The moment she saw Gao Yang¡¯s eyes flicker, White Rabbit sprang to action, too. She jumped out of the rubble with a powerful stomp.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t run away. Instead, he grabbed Six Rime and rushed to Goldthread and Chen Ying. Understanding his intention perfectly, Six Rime conjured a one-meter-thick ice wall from under her feet on the side facing Gao Yang, creating a triangr bastion with sharp edges to shield the four of them.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gao Yang¡¯s double blew up. A blinding hemisphere of light instantly swallowed the rubble, the waves of mes and heat spreading and sweeping the za through the streets and the alleyways in between the buildings until swallowing the entire Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Heavenly Dog was going to fly away with Liao Liao when the terrible explosion drew his attention. He turned around to see the red firelight filling his vision, a gust of wind messing up his hair.

    ¡°Whoa...¡± Heavenly Dog suddenly felt guilty. While Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t cross the line, he would go very near it.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. The Life Rune Circuit flew out of the explosion site, leaving a faint trail of red in the sky.

    Heavenly Dog quickly moved to catch it with Liao Liao still in his arms.

    Due to the stable nature of the Rune Circuit, it didn¡¯t conduct heat easily. There were other burning substances on the Rune Circuit, however, and Heavenly Dog felt a sharp pain from his fingers.

    ¡°Agh...¡± He reflexively dropped the Rune Circuit.

    Liao Liao couldn¡¯t believe it. <i>Dude, that¡¯s the Rune Circuit!</i>

    She reached out to grab it, but then she screamed, ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s hot!!¡± And she threw it back to Heavenly Dog.

    Heavenly Dog endured for one second before throwing it to Liao Liao.

    Just like that, they yed catch with the Rune Circuits about a dozen times until finally, the Rune Circuit was no longer scorching hot.

    Liao Liao inspected the Rune Circuit. ¡°Is the Life Rune Circuit yours or ours now?¡±

    ¡°If the deal¡¯s done, it¡¯s yours. Or it¡¯ll be ours.¡±

    Liao Liao shot the ruin of the building and the fire and ashes covering the Walled City of Ten Dragons aplicated nce.

    She returned the Rune Circuit to Heavenly Dog. ¡°Here. I think the deal¡¯s off.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Heavenly Dog took the Rune Circuit and shoved it into his pocket.

    ...

    <i>Whoosh. Whoosh.</i>

    With Ke Yo on his back, Gao Yang quickly fled the Walled City of Ten Dragons. Once outside, he didn¡¯t wait to jump and teleport between the rooftops of the ancient culture-themed walking street.

    It was daytime. Acting like the Spiderboy in such a packed area would likely attract the attention of elite monsters, but Gao Yang couldn¡¯t afford to worry about it. Compared to members of the Qilin Guild, elite monsters under the level of pride monsters were bearable risks.

    Carrying Ke Yo, Gao Yang didn¡¯t stop until he reached Huangsong Street a few kilometers away. The area would soon be gentrified, leaving only short old buildings with no utility. The residents had long moved away.

    Gao Yang finally allowed himself to sigh in relief.

    He jumped down from a three-story concrete building with Ke Yo on his back, reaching No.121. The narrow storefront¡¯s rusty rolling door was half open. A worn piece of blue cloth was hung inside. It was the ce where Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang had done their interview to get into the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    It had been the night, and neon light flickered from the other side of the blue cloth, apanied by the sounds of all kinds of arcade machines. They met a boy with a bowl cut and a penchant for games and human females¡¯ breasts inside.

    Gao Yang wavered for a second. Then the piece of blue cloth was lifted. Wang Zikai, Qing Ling, Lithe Snake, and Hong Xiaoxiao rushed out. They had been waiting here to support Gao Yang and to help in case a fight broke out.

    Due to the mission requiring mobility more than anything, Gray Bear wasn¡¯t a good choice as a tank, and Nine Frost had another mission.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re good, bro!¡± Wang Zikai was d to see Gao Yang safely back with Ke Yo. He showered him with ttery. ¡°You¡¯re the Zhao Zilong from Mount Huang, charging in and getting out to rescue Ke Yo![1]¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Mount Chang,¡± Qing Ling corrected coldly.

    ¡°Where are Can and Nainai?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao asked.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t worried about them.

    Can could go invisible and ride the wind, while Nainai could shrink small enough to avoid detection. The two were there to cause a distraction, not to openly fight. And the explosion Gao Yang brought about at the end by detonating his double would have created an opening for them to flee.

    He nced at Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Give Ke Yo and Lithe Snake each a hairpin.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao immediately took off the two ck Gold hairpins on her hair, giving it to Ke Yo and Lithe Snake.

    Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s level 3 Gamer was limited to making saves for Time Reset for two targets. Usually, the marked hairpins were handed to the weaker members of the team.

    Lithe Snake epted the hairpin, shoving it into his pants pocket.

    He was frustrated, but had to admit that he was one of the weakest ones during this operation.

    Ke Yo didn¡¯t ask anything before taking the hairpin. She immediately sensed a strange, gentle energy wrapping around her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not safe here. Let¡¯s go.¡± Gao Yang turned to leave. The others followed.

    They walked out of the arcade and headed to the end of Huangsong Street along the empty road, where a manhole led to the sewage. From there, they could sneak to the Shanqing District, out of Qilin Guild¡¯s Feiyang District. Then they would be more or less safe.

    After that, the six of them would each find a ce to hide until night fell. And they would return to their base in the Li River Community.

    Soon, they would reach the manhole. Everything was going smoothly¡ªtoo much so for Gao Yang¡¯sfort.

    He scanned around and observed Ke Yo¡¯s expression and clothing. He hadn¡¯t had the time to spare, so he only noticed now that Ke Yo was wearing a ck watch on her right wrist.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t remember the watch from Liu Qingying¡¯s dream.

    ¡°Nice watch,¡± Gao Yang said casually.

    ¡°It was a gift from Vermilion Bird for my joining,¡± Ke Yo exined.

    1. A reference to Zhao Yun saving Liu Bei¡¯s infant son. ?

 Chapter 677: Statues

    <h4>Chapter 677: Statues</h4>

    Gao Yang¡¯s expression darkened. He immediately stopped walking. The others noticed and followed suit.

    Ke Yo¡¯s gaze sharpened. Gao Yang had Lie Detection.

    There was a moment of strange stillness as she came to a halt too. Then she used Strange Whistle¡ªcreating a Strange Realm would take two seconds, which she didn¡¯t have.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Lithe Snake threw his throwing knife just in time.

    He had never once looked away from Ke Yo. He never gave away his trust easily, not even to someone his captain had vouched for. And a moment before, Gao Yang hadplimented Ke Yo¡¯s watch in a casual tone.

    Lithe Snake realized that Gao Yang had sensed something wrong and was using Lie Detection on Ke Yo. At that moment, Lithe Snake grabbed a throwing knife.

    Ke Yo saw a sh of light in the corner of her eye. While she wasn¡¯t a fighter, she was quite quick, and there was enough distance between her and Lithe Snake for her to bend her neck. The throwing knife brushed past her cheek, leaving a deep gash.

    That dyed Ke Yo for half a second, which was enough for Gao Yang to teleport to her at an imperceptible speed. Pain followed, shooting through her body and rushing to her head, knocking her out.

    Gao Yang quickly took off her watch and threw it away, throwing her onto his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re being followed! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± Qing Ling, their vanguard, stopped.

    Gao Yang started and looked up to see an old man in ck cotton clothes and shoes standing a hundred meters from them, at the end of the road. He was skinny and had a hunchback. His hands were held behind his back, and there was a blue and red mask of lopsided features on his face.

    Yan Liang!

    Gao Yang knew nothing about Yan Liang, but his strength was clear from the fact that he would intercept the six of them on his own. Moreover, reinforcements from the Qilin Guild must be on the way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of...¡± Wang Zikai clenched his fists, itching for a fight.

    Gao Yang decisively dropped Ke Yo to the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He turned on his heels and ran away, so did Qing Ling, Lithe Snake, and Hong Xiaoxiao.

    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we gonna fight...¡±

    Wang Zikai was disappointed, but he suppressed the urge to fight and turn to catch up with hispanions.

    After a few steps, though, Gao Yang came to a stop, face ashen. The others also had a grave look on their faces.

    ¡°What now?¡± Wang Zikai was confused. He saw terror in Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, which was a rare look on his friend.

    He looked up to see a tall, thin man standing in the middle of the road, about a hundred meters away from them.

    He had brown curls and a fair, gentle-looking face, wearing a dark brown wool coat and holding a ck cane with his right hand. The perfect picture of a graceful gentleman.

    The familiar face made Gao Yang¡¯s head go nk. Qilin and Yan Liang had surrounded the five of them.

    It was Wang Zikai¡¯s first time seeing Qilin. He didn¡¯t know the man; he seemed disgustingly pretentious to him.

    It would be better if the man were wearing sses. Those eyes were too aggressive for the gentlemanly look he projected.

    Wang Zikai took a step forward, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bro. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson...¡±

    ¡°Run!¡± Gao Yang yelled.

    ...

    Three seconds ago.

    Qilin blocked the group of five from a hundred meters away, and without hesitation, he let go of his cane and stared at them, quickly rotating the ck Gold ring on his left forefinger.

    The needle hidden in the ring pierced into his finger, injecting him with a small amount of Medicine S.

    Medicine S was a new invention created with the energy of Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange¡ªit was one of the medicines Yan Liang had asked Dr. Jia to develop.

    It doubled the user¡¯s abilities for 8 seconds, after which the user would go into 7 days of deepa.

    With Equivalent Exchange, Vermilion Bird could triple someone¡¯s power for 30 to 60 seconds, followed by aa of 50 to 90 days. To Qilin, Medicine C was a middle ground that suited his purpose better.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what Qilin Was doing. He only knew that Qilin wasn¡¯t wearing sses, and he had rotated his ring.

    Although they were still a hundred meters from Qilin, although Qilin¡¯s brain formatting should be limited to ten meters, his illusion to twenty meters, and his psychic dominance to thirty meters, after many a near-death experience, Gao Yang had developed an instinct he couldn¡¯t exin, and it was telling him to run without looking back. Immediately!

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed the slowest Hong Xiaoxiao and teleported toward the line of short houses on one side of the street. Lithe Snake and Qing Ling also didn¡¯t wait to rush toward the buildings on the opposite side since they were closer to them.

    Wang Zikai alone stayed where he was, suddenly paralyzed by the choice of picking a direction.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    With Hong Xiaoxiao in his arms, Gao Yang teleported to the eaves of the window on the second floor of a building, about to jump and teleported a second time. Qing Ling had jumped onto her ck Gold de, nning to fly over the short houses. And Lithe Snake was running at full speed up a wall, about to dive into the window on the second floor of a building.

    But simultaneously, the five of them froze.

    Qilin¡¯s cold green eyes created a freeze frame like a camera, putting everything on hold. With Medicine S injected, he used his psychic dominance skill at full range in an instant: Statues.

    His eyes radiated countless powerful psychic rays like invisible shlights, hitting every lifeform within his sight. Originally, the skill¡¯s effective range was around 80 meters, and the farther something was from him, the less effective the skill was. With Medicine S doubling his power, however, the skill now had an effective range of 160 meters, and Gao Yang and hispanions, who were 120 meters from Qilin, were put under a powerful hold.

    A second passed.

    Gao Yang, who was about to teleport away with Hong Xiaoxiao, Qing Ling, riding on her de, and Lithe Snake, walking on a wall, froze and fell to the ground like birds getting shot at the same time.

    Once he hit the ground, Gao Yang felt physically heavy and mentally dull, lightheaded as if he were drunk. However, the control over him wasn¡¯t absolute like the control Qilin could exert with psychic dominance¡ªhe could still resist! He could move!

    Qilin¡¯s Statues was a crowd control skill that effectively paralyzed every target within his sight at the cost of his own mobility. If Qilin moved or took any other action, his control over his targets would be lifted. As long as he stayed unmoving, though, the targets would havepromised physical control and mental faculties, thus losing their ability to fight.

    Qilin had yed support at the cost of goinga for seven days, entrusting Yan Liang to take over the fight. It showed his absolute trust in Yan Liang.

    Everything was going ording to the two men¡¯s n.

    Not even Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird knew about it. Qilin, Yan Liang, and Ke Yo were the only ones moving in the dark, all to make sure that the n worked out without hups.

    After Gao Yang sessfully rescued Ke Yo, Qilin, and Yan Liang secretly tracked them and sent the location to Azure Dragon, having him bring reinforcements.

    For the next eight seconds, Gao Yang and hispanions would be unable to resist or run away. It would be as easy as flipping his hand for Yan Liang to kill them.

 Chapter 678: Death

    <h4>Chapter 678: Death</h4>

    Knowing how precious time was, Yan Liang didn¡¯t even waste a second before acting. The mask on his face suddenly morphed, the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, and scars turned into strange colors that shed and darted around, but never breaking out of the constraint of the palette that was the mask.

    At the same time, the space around Yan Liang distorted slightly the way scorching heat from the asphalt street distorted the air on a hot summer day.

    He lifted his hands and parted his four fingers and thumbs, aiming at Lithe Snake and Qing Ling, and Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao. From his perspective, it would seem like the angle between his thumbs and fingers was locking onto the targets gradually.

    Two secondster, he bent his thumbs, closing the gap between the fingers.

    Meanwhile, Lithe Snake had been crawling on the ground in an attempt to flee, but his movement was stiff, and his thinking slow. Looking at the wall before him, he even had to put his mind to figuring out a path of escape, which should¡¯ve been part of his instinct and would take him less than 0.1 seconds.

    Qilin made him dumb.

    Lithe Snake hated the feeling of helplessness. He jumped back onto the wall and devoted three hundred percent of his attention to gathering his energy to his hands and feet with difficulty.

    Like a gecko, he crawled toward the second floor with hands and feet.

    <i>Good. There¡¯s a window on the left. I¡¯ll vault in and...and jump out of the window in the back. Then I should...I should be able to escape the psychic control.</i>

    Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes sharpened. A strange energy hit him in the left chest.

    After a dazed moment, he felt something pulling away.

    <i>What happened?</i>

    Lithe Snake slowly looked down. His chest seemed intact, but something was missing inside.

    His heart was gone.

    It hadn¡¯t been broken by a punch, pierced by a weapon, or crushed by a hand. It vanished from his chest without being touched.

    Lithe Snake threw up a mouthful of blood, falling from the wall.

    The pale face with a long thin scar looked shocked and confused, his widened eyes staring at the sky as he met a death he refused to ept.

    The same thing happened to Qing Ling at the same time.

    Unlike Lithe Snake, though, Qing Ling didn¡¯t attempt to run. While her thoughts were slowed, she did her best to activate Metal and send her des flying toward Yan Liang to stab him.

    The next second, though, her ck Gold des vanished but remained detectable, only they had been moved.

    Realization struck. Qing Ling¡¯s dulled brain came to a spection on Yan Liang¡¯s ability.

    Something to do with spatial distortion! Or telekinesis!

    However, she didn¡¯t have the time to sort out her thoughts.

    A strange coolness hit her left chest, where her heart should be.

    <i>No. No, I can¡¯t die here.</i>

    She threw up a mouthful of blood and dropped to her knees. While she looked unhurt, a part of her chest had been emptied.

    Eyes widened, she reflexively tried to turn around but didn¡¯t have the strength to. She toppled helplessly, her face pressed to the rough surface of the ground with her eyes widened, gazing at Gao Yang¡¯s direction.

    <i>It¡¯s so dark. I can¡¯t see anything.</i>

    Qing Ling hated the feeling. It felt like she had reverted to her childhood self, who could only hide under her bed and tremble in fear.

    <i>I must get stronger. Stronger still. Much stronger.</i>

    <i>Then I won¡¯t be scared anymore.</i>

    Blood streaked down from the corners of Qing Ling¡¯s mouth and her nostrils. Her pupils dted, and her lips parted without any soundsing out. The light in her eyes faded gradually until she wentpletely still.

    ...

    While Lithe Snake and Qing Ling were taken out in an instant, Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao were hit with the same attacks.

    However, Gao Yang managed to escape the same fate.

    Without hesitation, he activated Willful Power as soon as he got hit by Qilin¡¯s Statues, pushing his Charisma to the max and activating level 6 Psychic Armor, reaching absoluteposure and rationality.

    He thus recovered seventy percent of his control over his body and mind. Grabbing Hong Xiaoxiao, he teleported back to Wang Zikai, who was still standing in the center of the road.

    The moment Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao vanished, an almost imperceptible spatial distortion hit where they had been. One had to look closely to see the slight transparent ripple in the air.

    Meanwhile, Wang Zikai¡¯s not-so-intelligent mind came to aplete halt due to Qilin¡¯s Statues. He stood where he was, feeling like he had lost his memory after binge drinking. All he could think of was who he was, where he was, and what he was doing.

    When he finally remembered a little something, a pale Gao Yang and Hong Xiaoxiao appeared beside him.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Gao Yang grabbed him by the elbow.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Yang teleported to Lithe Snake and Qing Ling with Wang Zikai and Hong Xiaoxiao. The next second, an invisible distortion followed like an obsessive grim reaper.

    Yan Liang was surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Gao Yang to be able to move so quickly even under the effect of Qilin¡¯s Statues. As expected of the Divine Scion.

    Of course, arge part of it was thanks to Gao Yang¡¯s Teleportation. Without the Talent, Gao Yang would¡¯ve died many times over.

    Yan Liang moved his hands. Instead of trying to lock onto Gao Yang, he spected the general direction Gao Yang would teleport to and used another skill, Spatial Blender.

    The skill covered a greater area with hundreds of spatial vortexes the size of a ping-pong ball, hitting everything in a certain area. While it couldn¡¯t kill with precision like how he had killed Lithe Snake and Qing Ling with a single move, it was good for catching an agile target like Gao Yang.

    With the wide range the skill covered, Gao Yang would get many holes put into him, and while losing some muscles, a bone, an eye, or a few teeth wouldn¡¯t necessarily kill a target, the target would lose much of his mobility.

    Yan Liang drew his power and pushed it to his palms, about to make a predictive move, but then something strange happened.

    Having grabbed Wang Zikai and Hong Xiaoxiao, Gao Yang stayed where he was instead of teleporting.

    He saw Lithe Snake and Qing Ling dead on the ground. Their bodies looked intact, but the lumps of tissues not far from them looked like hearts. And in his state of absolute rationality, Gao Yang realized what had happened.

    Yan Liang had carved out Qing Ling¡¯s and Lithe Snake¡¯s hearts. They were dead.

    With Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s hairpin, Lithe Snake could be brought back if they managed to flee with him, but Qing Ling didn¡¯t have a hairpin. With her heart carved out...

    What did it mean?

    It meant that Qing Ling was dead. There was no second chance. Fresh Snow couldn¡¯t save her. Vermilion Bird couldn¡¯t save her. Hong Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t save her.

    No one could bring her back.

    She was dead, gone for real. It wasn¡¯t a game, a test, an illusion, or a nightmare.

    Something broke in Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    While he should be absolutely calm and rational, and his brain didn¡¯t register any sadness, it went nk like his soul had been pulled out of his body.

    <i>Hum</i>.

    The familiar ring in his head returned.

 Chapter 679: Get the Hell Out

    <h4>Chapter 679: Get the Hell Out</h4>

    Amid the incessant ring in his head, the boy finding joy in his misery spoke again.

    ¡ªHaha, see. You made mistakes again hahaha.

    <i>It...it shouldn¡¯t turn out like this.</i>

    <i>I considered everything... The n should¡¯ve been foolproof...</i>

    ¡ªHahahaha stop making meugh! Qing Ling died! She died! You called this foolproof? You failed! Completely!

    <i>I didn¡¯t know Qilin could do that. We could¡¯ve run away safely...</i>

    ¡ªSay, you did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you? You wanted to get everyone killed, didn¡¯t you?

    <i>I didn¡¯t.</i>

    ¡ªEveryone¡¯s dead, and you¡¯re alive. Then you¡¯ll be God. Isn¡¯t that nice?

    <i>I¡¯ve never wanted that!</i>

    ¡ªYou¡¯re the Divine Scion, meant to be God. What¡¯s so wrong with sacrificing a few people on your way to godhood?

    ¡ªHurry up already! Don¡¯t bother with the dead ones. They should be your stepping stones, not obstacles that stop you from going forward.

    <i>Get out!</i>

    <i>Get the hell out of my head!</i>

    ...

    Gao Yang dropped Wang Zikai and Hong Xiaoxiao, tearing at his hair with both hands and howling at the sky like a lunatic.

    ¡°Get out!!!¡±

    <i>Hum.</i>

    Blinding white light shot out of his eyes, and white energy rippled from his chest. A hundred meters away, Qilin and Yan Liang felt a moment of numbness, their skills interrupted for a second. They didn¡¯t know that it was an energy granted by a life monster¡¯s bloodline, named the Wave of Serenity. As Lin Yue¡¯s child, Gao Yang possessed the same energy, only it had been dormant in his body.

    What Qilin and Yan Liang did know was that the energy was foreign and dangerous.

    Fortunately for them, Gao Yang didn¡¯t make any counterattacks after that. Quite the contrary, he broke downpletely, dropping to his knees and hands.

    ¡°You okay, bro?!¡±

    With Statues losing its grip and the cleansing Wave of Serenity hitting him, Wang Zikai recovered the rity of his mind instantly, realizing that Gao Yang was kneeling on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m...so dizzy...¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao fell to the ground, knees buckling.

    Her head had felt heavy since Qilin used Statues on her. Then she got teleported around multiple times, furtherpounding her dizziness.

    Qilin¡¯s face was pale a hundred meters away. The eight seconds of enhanced power Medicine S granted him came to an end. He could only leave the rest to Yan Liang.

    Qilin slowly closed his eyes and toppled backward.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The first to arrive was Azure Dragon. He came up to Qilin and caught him in time.

    <i>Now!</i>

    Yan Liang knew that it was his best and only chance. Gao Yang had broken down, and Wang Zikai and Hong Xiaoxiao were still in a moment of confusion.

    The facial features of the mask he wore distorted again. He aimed his hands at the three targets and quickly pressed his thumbs and hands together, using the kill with precise lethality, Heartstealer.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    Suddenly, Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and Hong Xiaoxiao disappeared.

    Yan Liang was caught off guard. What happened?

    Even Azure Dragon, with his keen senses, only faintly saw a gust of ck wind taking the three awakeners away. Propping Qilin up, he thought back to the report of Seven Shadow¡¯s fight with Lilia. The Spectres had joined him then, and among them was someone called Waking Insects. While he wasn¡¯t a fighter, he could go twice the speed of sound, a perfect getaway card.

    Azure Dragon gave up on giving chase.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    A few secondster, another gust of wind vanished Lithe Snake¡¯s and Qing Ling¡¯s bodies.

    Azure Dragon started, and then he let out a bitterugh.

    <i>The Spectre came and went right before me like wind, yet I couldn¡¯t do anything. What a bold taunt.</i>

    Holding Qilin, Azure Dragon walked up to Yan Liang with a serious expression.

    ¡°Why are Guildmaster and you here?¡±

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t exin. He lowered his hands and put them behind his back, taking slow steps as hemented, ¡°We were so close. Gao Yang had a contingency.¡±

    Azure Dragon soon noticed the unconscious Ke Yo nearby. He frowned. ¡°What is Ke Yo doing here?¡±

    Yan Liang chuckled. ¡°She¡¯ll be the new ck Tortoise.¡±

    ...

    Ny secondster, the Li River Vi.

    Inside the living room, Nine Frost was resting on the sofa with his eyes closed, havingpleted his mission. Gray Bear, who was also at the base, couldn¡¯t stay in one ce. He paced around the living room and kept checking his phone.

    ¡°It¡¯ll go well, right?¡± Gray Bear couldn¡¯t help but ask again.

    Nine Frost patiently repeated, ¡°Trust Captain.¡±

    ¡°Of course I trust Captain, but I¡¯m still worried!¡± Gray Bear was concerned, but also felt a little wronged. ¡°Old Frost, why didn¡¯t Captain include me? Am I not more useful than Can?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t turn invisible, and you can¡¯t fly.¡±

    Gray Bear paused before shooting back, ¡°But I can take hits! Outside of Kaizi, who among us can take hits better than I do?¡±

    ¡°This is a mission to grab someone, not fight.¡±

    ¡°I was there when we grabbed Dr. Jia!¡± Gray Bear got worked up.

    ¡°Things are different. You were in Spice Nation, but this time, we were grabbing someone on Qilin Guild¡¯s home turf.¡± Nine Frost paused. ¡°And Hong Xiaoxiao had already brought you back once.¡±

    ¡°Do I seem like the kind of person who fears death...¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    A gust of wind interrupted Gray Bear.

    Waking Insects appeared in a ck tailcoat, holding a body in each hand. It was Lithe Snake and Qing Ling.

    ¡°Lithe Snake! Qing Ling!¡± Gray Bear yelled in shock. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dead,¡± Waking Insects said regretfully.

    Heid down their bodies before vanishing in another gust of wind.

    Gray Bear and Nine Frost stared at them in shock, unable to process the information for a moment.

    <i>Lithe Snake and Qing Ling are dead? How?</i>

    <i>Weren¡¯t they supposed to be there as support? The one charging in and risking his life is Captain. Why were they the ones to die?</i>

    Waking Insects appeared about eight secondster, supporting Gao Yang and Wang Zikai with each hand while carrying Hong Xiaoxiao on his back.

    He let go of the two men andid Hong Xiaoxiao down. Then he walked to a sofa and copsed without making a sound.

    His body quickly shrunk and evaporated into a clump of light gray gas,ing out of his tailcoat.

    The gas fluctuated; it converged at the center, erupting and spreading outward before converging again. It looked like a small loop fountain.

 Chapter 680: Kettle

    <h4>Chapter 680: Kettle</h4>

    It was Waking Insects¡¯ second form. Whatever it was, not even Waking Insects had a name for it. The gray gas fountain couldn¡¯t talk or act. It couldn¡¯t even think. It had entered hibernation.

    On the way here, Waking Insects had taken turns moving the three awakeners and the two bodies, going back and forth to safely escort them back to the home base of the Nine Scions in only one and a half minutes. The ordeal exhausted his energypletely, and it would take days of sleep for him to recover.

    Yesterday, after agreeing on a n with Ke Yo in the dream, Gao Yang visited his ¡°inws¡±, the Spectres. He asked Waking Insects to be his insurance in case something went wrong.

    Spring vehemently rejected the shameless request, White Dew remained neutral, while Fresh Snow threw a fit and said that she would personally help Gao Yang if Waking Insects wouldn¡¯t.

    Spring was a doting parent to Fresh Snow, and resigned, he gave in.

    However, Spring insisted that Waking Insects must not make a move unless absolutely necessary. For one, he didn¡¯t want Waking Insects to risk himself. For another, once Waking Insects made an appearance, it would effectively make the Spectres an official enemy of the Qilin Guild. As the patriarch, Spring had to consider the safety of the family.

    Gao Yang agreed, and they came to an arrangement: Waking Insects would maintain a safe distance from Gao Yang and only make a move when Gao Yang was in danger. If nothing went wrong, Waking Insects wouldn¡¯t do anything, and he would remain unknown.

    It would be easy to Waking Insects.

    However, things did go wrong. Ke Yo betrayed them, and Gao Yang and hispanions were intercepted by Yan Liang and Qilin. Hiding in the dark, Waking Insects judged it necessary for him to make a move.

    Waking Insects couldn¡¯t save all five of them at the same time, though. He decided to wait for the group of five to split up and flee. Then he would save those moving more slowly beforeing back to grab those with greater mobility, maximizing the chance of survival for everyone.

    To Waking Insects¡¯ surprise, however, Qilin had injected himself with Medicine S and used Statues at double the power.

    While Waking Insects had been hiding inside a house, he was still within the range of Qilin¡¯s gaze, and the psychic rays of Eidos ignored obstacles. The walls did nothing to shield Waking Insects.

    While he was hidden, he still got hit by the skill along with Gao Yang¡¯s group.

    Waking Insects had low mental resistance, and unlike Gao Yang and hispanions, he had turned into aplete statue with no mobility at all.

    Then in the next eight seconds, Yan Liang went after Gao Yang and hispanions, quickly killing Lithe Snake and Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang broke down and unleashed his Waves of Serenity, interrupting Qilin¡¯s psychic dominance and Yan Liang¡¯s spatial distortion.

    Recovering his ability to move, Waking Insects rescued Gao Yang, Wang Zikai, and Hong Xiaoxiao at double the speed of sound without hesitation, dropping them two kilometers away. Then he went back for the dead Lithe Snake and Qing Ling.

    Repeating the motion, he took the five back to the Li River Community in Shanqing District in 90 seconds.

    ...

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao, save Lithe Snake!¡± Gao Yang had pulled himself out of his mental breakdown and activated Psychic Armor.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao threw herself to Lithe Snake¡¯s side, kneeling as she shouted at the ck Gold hairpin in Lithe Snake¡¯s pocket, ¡°Time Reset!¡±

    Countless strands of sacred white light emerged from her ten fingers, moving gently to Lithe Snake to wrap around him like jellyfish tentacles.

    Soon, Lithe Snake was turned into a glowing white cocoon. The entire room was cast in a hazy white light.

    After less than thirty seconds, Lithe Snake, wholly intact, was left lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling gently, unconscious but alive.

    While Hong Xiaoxiao was saving Lithe Snake, Gao Yang knelt before Qing Ling¡¯s body. He reached out to her but stopped midair, helpless. He wanted to do something, but there was nothing he could do.

    The truth was that Qing Ling had died, and there was no changing that.

    A thought entered Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    <i>I shouldn¡¯t have given the other hairpin to Ke Yo. I should¡¯ve given it to Qing Ling! Why did I do that?</i>

    <i>Because she was strong and dependable. Because she alwayspleted her mission and never let me down.</i>

    <i>But she was still flesh and blood. She was a girl who fought to be stronger and refused to give up. She was a survivor.</i>

    Gao Yang was suddenly brought back to a moment they had shared in the past. Late at night, in a dim car, Gao Yang and Qing Ling were sitting in the back while Officer Huang drove.

    Having finished a difficult fight, Qing Ling fell deep asleep with a jacket on her. When the car made a turn, her head dropped onto Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. Her long ck hair fell into his embrace.

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s first time seeing her asleep. Her brows were rxed, her eyshes long, her lips delicate, and her breathing serene.

    She was still beautiful, but not cold and fierce like she usually was. There was a vulnerability and softness to her.

    <i>¡°She¡¯s had it hard.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Ten years old. She knew nothing at that point, yet she was forced to face such a dangerous world. She must have been through a lot. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so extreme at times. At least she still has her other self as a younger sister.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Compared to her, we are quite lucky. We were both old and mature enough when we awakened, and we¡¯ve experienced love in this world.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°But the love is fake.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°No, the world is fake, but the love is real.¡±</i>

    ...

    <i>Look what you¡¯ve done, Gao Yang! Look at your stupid n that stemmed from hubris! Qilin and Yan Liang didn¡¯t kill Qing Ling. You did!</i>

    <i>No, no...things can¡¯t end like this for Qing Ling.</i>

    <i>I reject it.</i>

    <i>I reject it.</i>

    <i>I REJECT IT.</i>

    With Psychic Armor, Gao Yang calmly looked up. ¡°Where¡¯s Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°Upstairs,¡± Nine Frost responded in a low voice. Losing a teammate colored his eyes with sadness.

    Gao Yang picked Qing Ling¡¯s body up and rushed upstairs.

    <i>Bam!</i> Gao Yang knocked the door open with his shoulder.

    Fresh Snow was curled up asleep on the bed, dressed in light-colored pajamas.

    She had been waiting for Gao Yang to return and fell asleep. For some reason, she had been needing more and more sleeptely.

    Her sister said that it was a good thing. The fact that her human form needed more sleep meant that she was growing, and sooner orter, she would be just as tall and pretty as her sister.

    Themotion woke Fresh Snow. She sat up and beamed. ¡°Gao Yang! You...¡±

    Her smile stiffened when she noticed Qing Ling in Gao Yang¡¯s arms and smelled death from her. ¡°She...died?¡±

    Gao Yang went up to Fresh Snow and ced Qing Ling¡¯s body on the bed, speaking in aposed voice, ¡°Fresh Snow, save her,<i> save her</i>.¡±

    While there was no trace of sorrow on his face, his eyes were heated and broken, hiding the pain and madness of a near breakdown.

    Fresh Snow didn¡¯t understand suchplicated feelings, but Gao Yang¡¯s gaze reminded her of those old kettles.

    When she was little, she observed everything at home out of boredom. And she went through a phase when she was obsessed with the kettle.

    At first, she pitied it. It endured the fire without a sound, like a dummy.

    But its endurance had its limit.

    The kettle would suddenly scream in pain, making piercing shrieks as the water inside boiled and erupted out of the lid.

    At that moment, Gao Yang reminded Fresh Snow of the screaming kettle with boiling water.

 Chapter 681: River of Life

    <h4>Chapter 681: River of Life</h4>

    Fresh Snow felt a pang in her heart.

    She reached out to gently touch Gao Yang¡¯s blood-stained face. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Gao Yang. I¡¯ll save her.¡±

    ¡°Rea...really?¡± Gao Yang couldn¡¯t believe it. He had already lost hope.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow nodded and made a promise. ¡°I¡¯ll save her.¡±

    Gao Yang finally realized that Fresh Snow wasn¡¯t trying tofort him.

    He was confused. ¡°But her heart¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Her heart should still be there,¡± Fresh Snow said with certainty.

    Gao Yang was even more confused. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Her soul is still in her body. If her heart and brain had been damaged, the soul would¡¯ve left immediately.¡±

    Gao Yang started. Without hesitation, he pressed a hand to Qing Ling¡¯s chest, feeling around from her left chest to the right.

    Strange.

    There was a cavity on the left where her heart should be. Was Qing Ling¡¯s heart on the right?

    No, Gao Yang remembered when War Tiger tested him, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang. War Tiger had stabbed Qing Ling¡¯s left chest, only he had done it at a specific angle that narrowly missed the heart.

    Several times, Gao Yang and Qing Ling had been in contact. He could feel Qing Ling¡¯s heart beating in her left chest. When was her heart moved to the right?

    That wasn¡¯t important right now, though. What mattered was that Qing Ling still had her heart. She could stille back alive!

    With Psychic Armor entering cooldown, Gao Yang almost burst into tears of joy. The sharp des of guilt that had pierced into him were extracted at once.

    He felt like crying andughing. He could burst into song and dance now to praise and thank everything.

    He didn¡¯t have a name for his feelings then. It was salvation.

    He threw his arms around Fresh Snow to hug her tightly, crying andughing with pitiful relief. ¡°Thank you, Fresh Snow! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gao Yang...¡± Fresh Snow smiled.

    Before, she would¡¯ve nuzzled his chin with her face, burying further into his embrace to ask for more petting, but not this time.

    This time, she carefully extended her arms and put them around Gao Yang¡¯s body, resting her hands gently on his wide back like the female movie leads would do.

    <i>Is this what a proper hug is?</i>

    <i>I didn¡¯t know it could feel so good.</i>

    Fresh Snow felt lightheaded and happy. It was sweet even though she wasn¡¯t tasting anything.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang let go of Fresh Snow. ¡°Can you save her now, Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow nodded. ¡°But she could still die after I bring her back. She¡¯s seriously hurt and needs healing.¡±

    Gao Yang paused before quickly taking out the Medicine C he carried. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have this.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Gao Yang. Give me some room. I don¡¯t want to hurt your soul.¡± Fresh Snow gave him a small smile. ¡°Once I say I¡¯m done, give her the shot.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah...¡± Gao Yang nodded as he backed away with a tight grip around the syringe, muttering the same word like an idiot.

    It was Fresh Snow¡¯s first time seeing him bumbling around like this. Sheughed, finding him cute. ¡°Turn away, Gao Yang.¡±

    Gao Yang blinked. He didn¡¯t understand why.

    ¡°You told me that our bodies shouldn¡¯t be exposed to just anyone.¡± Fresh Snow chuckled. ¡°The body of a soul is still a body.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Gao Yang turned away immediately.

    On both knees beside Qing Ling, Fresh Snow pressed her hands together and ced them gently on Qing Ling¡¯s forehead. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

    Soon, a hazy translucent glow of light green enveloped Qing Ling, flickering slightly.

    When Fresh Snow spoke again, her voice became clear and ethereal under an unknown energy resonation; like thenguage of some fae, there was an old rhythm and a sacredpassion to it.

    ¡°Flower of Spring.¡±

    ¡°Cicadas of Summer.¡±

    ¡°Fruit of Autumn.¡±

    ¡°Snow of Winter.¡±

    ¡°The lost heart, the wandering soul.¡±

    ¡°The river of life, the river of choice.¡±

    ¡°Wake up, wake up...¡±

    Fresh Snow opened her eyes, and brilliant green light flickered. She lifted her hands quickly. Qing Ling¡¯s soul was pulled out like a light nket.

    Her naked soul hovered above her body in the form of translucent dark-green energy

    There was an obvious hole in her left chest, which was the fatal injury that had killed her.

    In spirit form, Qing Ling was at a loss. She frowned and looked at Fresh Snow. Then she looked down at her body, seemingly remembering what had happened.

    Then she turned to Gao Yang, who was in the room.

    He had his back to them, sitting so very straight with a tight grip around a syringe of Medicine C, his shoulders shaking slightly. He looked like a cowardly student being put on timeout by the teacher.

    Qing Ling couldn¡¯t speak as a spirit. She curled her lips instead and mouthed, <i>Idiot</i>.

    The energy in Fresh Snow¡¯s hands turned a dark green with white static. Slowly, the energy wrapped around Qing Ling¡¯s soul and entered the hole in her left chest.

    The energy that filled the cavity spread to the rest of her body like a quickly growing vine before bing one with her.

    At that moment, Qing Ling was whole again, but the soul was also a little more translucent than before.

    It was because her soul had gotten thinner. She couldn¡¯t be brought back like this again, or her soul would break down, unable to endure Fresh Snow¡¯s ¡°curse¡±.

    Fresh Snow closed her eyes and quietly chanted.

    ¡°Flower¡¯s Dew.¡±

    ¡°Cicada¡¯s song.¡±

    ¡°Fruit¡¯s shine.¡±

    ¡°Snow¡¯s rime.¡±

    ¡°All things rise. The cycle repeats.¡±

    ¡°The river of life. The river of miracles.¡±

    ¡°Sleep, sleep...¡±

    Fresh Snow opened her eyes and pressed her ovepping hands on Qing Ling¡¯s forehead. Instantly, the soul returned to the body, and enveloped by green energy, Qing Ling slowly recovered.

    ¡°It is done.¡±

    Fresh Snow¡¯s face was pale and her voice was weak; her gaze seemed a little dimmer.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t even turn around. Instead, he teleported to the bed and injected Qing Ling¡¯s chest with Medicine C, emptying the syringe. Then he took out a shot of specialized adrenaline and administered it after twenty seconds.

    He pulled her into his arms, holding onto her hand while moving his ear to her nose. Time crawled by, and finally, he felt a soft breath, and her cold palm became a little warmer.

    Gao Yang looked up to see her chest rising and falling slightly.

    <i>Thank God! Thank God!</i>

    He tamped down his joy in case he disturbed Qing Ling. Holding his breath, he gingerly ced Qing Ling back onto the bed, brushing away the bloodied strands sticking to her forehead and putting the light nket over her.

    <i>Sleep, have a good sleep.</i>

    ¡°Thank you, Fresh Snow...¡± Gao Yang turned around. Fresh Snow was gone.

 Chapter 682: Reintroduction

    <h4>Chapter 682: Reintroduction</h4>

    There was a pile of wrinkled pajamas on the floor, and a white cat curled up on it, sound asleep. A faint white fog lingered in the air.

    Fresh Snow had used up too much energy when saving Qing Ling and turned into a cat.

    Gao Yang felt a heavy guilt.<i> Once you wake up, Fresh Snow, you can have a bite of me. No, you¡¯re wee to have many bites...as long as it¡¯ll fill you up.</i>

    He knelt to gently pick Fresh Snow up, walking out of the bedroom.

    When he opened the door, Gray Bear, Nine Frost, and Hong Xiaoxiao were standing outside, looking worried.

    ¡°How did it go, Captain?¡± Gray Bear asked.

    ¡°The heart¡¯s intact. Fresh Snow brought her back.¡± Gao Yang spoke in a low voice with a calm expression, having activated Psychic Armor again.

    Gray Bear¡¯s shoulders sagged in relief. ¡°Shit, heaven has mercy!¡±

    Nine Frost and Hong Xiaoxiao let out a long breath, too.

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao, give Qing Ling a hairpin and keep an eye on her,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Will do!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao dered, marching into the room.

    ¡°Captain, today...¡±

    Nine Frost¡¯s question was interrupted by Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s not get into it now. We¡¯ll talk once Can and Nainai are back.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang walked through the gap between Gray Bear and Nine Frost, going downstairs to put Fresh Snow into the soft pink cat house. He patted her head and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Then he rose and went into the restroom, locking the door and flushing the toilet. The next second, Psychic Armor came to an end.

    Kneeling and curling up beside the toilet, he muffled his mouth with both hands as his entire body shook. Tears burst out. He bawled without making a sound.

    ...

    Room 5003, 50th floor of White Lake Hotel, nine o¡¯clock at night.

    Vermilion Bird sat on the sofa in the living room, feeling uneasy.

    In the afternoon, the ck Tortoise building had seen an attack from the Nine Scions. Gao Yang failed to seize the Rune Circuits as a lone agent, and before his escape, he detonated his double, razing the building to the ground and doing substantial damage to the entire Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Since the area bordered the downtown, the cleanup was a nightmare.

    Thankfully, Heavenly Dog and Liao Liao had taken out two summoners in time, or the consequences would be dire. Only when Vermilion Bird gathered members to clean up the mess did she realize that Azure Dragon and Ke Yo were gone. They weren¡¯t picking up their phones.

    Then she called Qilin and Yan Liang. Neither of them picked up, either.

    At that moment, she felt like a student suddenly abandoned by her close friends.

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t dwell on it. She cleared her head and focused on treating the injured members. It was fortunate that Nainai the Giant had made such a greatmotion that it acted like an rm that evacuated everyone beforehand. Thus, Gao Yang¡¯s detonation of his double didn¡¯t im any lives.

    Thinking back, Gao Yang seemed to have answered War Tiger under the guise of a taunt to warn War Tiger, which allowed those in the room more time to react to the explosion. Otherwise, even if all of them survived, a couple of them would¡¯ve gotten seriously injured.

    Vermilion Bird had a mix of feelings.

    She was d that Gao Yang was still the kindhearted college boy she knew. He wouldn¡¯t hurt his own kind unless absolutely necessary.

    On the other hand, she was worried. Kindness wasn¡¯t necessarily a good trait for a leader.

    Dealing with the elite monsters attracted by themotion and treating the injured members upied Vermilion Bird and her colleagues until night fell. Still, she didn¡¯t see and couldn¡¯t reach Ke Yo.

    Azure Dragon did pick up her call, though.

    Instead of answering her question, he simply told her to go back to the White Lake Hotel to rest. Vermilion Bird could hear the unspoken instruction: wait.

    She had been waiting at home for two hours. And she had takeout with One Stone. She didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, though, and she lowered her chopsticks after a few bites.

    Agitated, she went to the balcony for a smoke.

    One Stone came over after a while in a yoga outfit. ¡°Still thinking about Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her since the explosion.¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t hide her concern. ¡°I thought the Nine Scions were after the Rune Circuits and didn¡¯t pay attention to Ke Yo. Could it be that she was taken by Gao Yang?¡±

    ¡°Then Elder Azure Dragon would¡¯ve told you. Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s not the case.¡± One Stone offered words offort.

    ¡°Yeah. I hope I¡¯m just overthinking.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed.

    Then the door opened. Vermilion Bird perked up and turned to go to the living room. Ke Yo was back.

    ¡°See, I told you...¡± One Stone trailed after Vermilion Bird, but then her smile stiffened.

    Vermilion Bird was shocked, too. In the entryway, Ke Yo hade in with Yan Liang.

    Ke Yo was wearing a well-fitted ck coat and a diamond qilin brooch, her hairbed back and neatly tied into a short ponytail.

    For some reason, she remained the mundane-looking girl in her twenties, yet she held herself and presented herself in apletely different way. Her gaze was no longer harmless, but fierce and even vicious. Her usually pursed lips were now curled into an indecipherable cold smile.

    Vermilion Bird asked after two seconds of stunned silence, ¡°Ke Yo, where did you...¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird,¡± Ke Yo cut her off and offered her a hand. ¡°Allow me to reintroduce myself. From now on, I¡¯ll be the new Elder ck Tortoise. Looking forward to working with you.¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t take the hand. The girl might as well be a stranger. It was as if she didn¡¯t even know her.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Liang smiled under his mask. ¡°Ke Yo¡¯s done well. Through Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream, the Nine Scions attempted to recruit Ke Yo. She yed along and set the Nine Scions up. Thanks to her, we gave the Nine Scions a heavy blow today.¡±

    <i>What?!</i>

    Vermilion Bird was so shocked that she wasn¡¯t even sure where she should start.

    Yan Liang sighed andmented, ¡°What a shame. If not for the Spectres¡¯ intervention, the war would¡¯ve concluded already.¡±

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang.¡± Ke Yo turned to the side and spoke respectfully. ¡°What do we do with Liu Qingying?¡±

    ¡°No rush. She¡¯s just an opportunistic information broker. She hasn¡¯t actually joined any side. We still have use of her. We¡¯ll deal with her once things settle down.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Ke Yo hesitated for two seconds. ¡°Elder Yan Liang, although the mission isn¡¯t aplete sess, I have done my part. About the Support Rune Circuit...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll borrow it from the Hundred Rivers Union for you.¡± Yan Liang added after a pause, ¡°And I, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird will each assign a couple of our members to you for your own team.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Elder Yan Liang.¡± Ke Yo nodded with visible joy.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Guildmaster is a fair man who rewards good deeds. You should thank him.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Guildmaster? I want to see him.¡± Vermilion Bird tried her best to control her anger.

    ¡°Guildmaster has business to attend to and won¡¯t take any visitors for the next week. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be in charge of matters of the Guild.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stopped talking. One Stone remained silent, too. She didn¡¯t think she was in any ce to speak up when the Elders were conversing.

    Yan Liang said with business-like concern, ¡°You¡¯ve all done much today. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Ke Yo gave her a polite but fake smile before leaving with Yan Liang.

    Vermilion Bird watched the door close.

    Her shoulders trembled. She took a deep breath and tamped down the shock, confusion, and rage in her heart.

    <i>Calm down, Vermilion Bird. Calm down.</i>

    <i>Fuck it!</i>

    Eyes glinting fiercely, she rushed out of the door.

 Chapter 683: Looking Forward to Working with You

    <h4>Chapter 683: Looking Forward to Working with You</h4>

    ¡°Ke Yo!¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s voice rang in the corridor. She quickly caught up to Ke Yo and Yan Liang, who turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to Ke Yo in private, Elder Yan Liang.¡±

    Yan Liang nced at Ke Yo. She nodded at him.

    Without another word, Yan Liang turned to leave.

    Ke Yo looked at Vermilion Bird with the same smile. ¡°What is it, Elder Vermilion Bird?¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t speak until Yan Liang entered the elevator. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Ke Yo gave Vermilion Bird an apologetic smile, but her eyes said otherwise. ¡°I lied to you, but it was for your own good, too.¡±

    ¡°Did your memoriese back?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head. ¡°Not yet, but I did remember snippets.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang tried to recruit you. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    Ke Yo smiled rather than saying anything.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me, but you told Yan Liang?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been around me and One Stone the past few days. When did you ever have the time to meet Yan Liang?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t meet in person.¡± Ke Yo smiled and shook her phone at her. ¡°There¡¯s contact information for every member of the Guild on my phone. I sent Elder Yan Liang an encoded message, and he responded. We talked for a day on the phone toe up with a n.¡±

    Vermilion Bird hid her surprise. How bold could Yan Liang be? He didn¡¯t even talk to Ke Yo in person. Wasn¡¯t he worried that Ke Yo was lying to him? No, he wouldn¡¯t lose anything even if Ke Yo was lying, would he?

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s lips curled into a bitter smile. ¡°So you¡¯ve always considered me a springboard.¡±

    Ke Yo dropped her fake smile, her eyes turning cold. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Sister Xia. I¡¯ll tell you by honest thoughts.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stared at her.

    ¡°I know you saw me as more than a mere subordinate. You treated me as a friend and even family. You genuinely wanted to take care of me, just like how you take care of everyone else on the team.¡±

    ¡°You were just like Edmond. You¡¯re kind, and you¡¯re both givers. However, you don¡¯t know that sometimes, your kindness can be burdensome to others, shining light on the dark corners of another¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°Not all bugs appreciate it when the sun shines on them. Some may actually prefer the dark ditches.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stayed silent.

    This time, Ke Yo¡¯s smile was arrogant and taunting. ¡°The only one who can take care of me in this world is myself.¡±

    ¡°Edmond wanted me to live, and I will. Of course I will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prove to that fool that even without him, I¡¯ll be just fine.¡±

    ¡°This demonstration of loyalty to Qilin is only the first step. I¡¯ll get tough in the end as long as I have enough leverage. It doesn¡¯t matter who I¡¯m serving.¡±

    For a moment, Ke Yo seemed to have reverted to the girl with an innocent look and bashful gaze. She chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what lies on the other side of the Gates? I¡¯m really curious, so I want to survive until the end. Haha.¡±

    Vermilion Bird was stunned. Her shock and ire had turned into a great sense of defeat. She had thought she knew people and how they worked, and she earned others¡¯ goodwill by treating them genuinely.

    However, the girl had fooled and used her, leading her around.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve recovered all of your memory.¡± Vermilion Bird sneered.

    Ke Yo neither admitted nor denied it. She gave her another fake smile. ¡°Good night, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ...

    December 23rd, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Li River Community, Shanqing District.

    Inside one of the vis, Qing Ling was sleeping soundly on the bed of the second-floor bedroom. The blood on her face had been wiped clean, and her body had regained color and warmth.

    The light was off. The moonlight cut a sharp triangr shape across the nket covering Qing Ling¡¯s chest, reaching the floor beneath Gao Yang¡¯s feet.

    Gao Yang sat on a chair, his eyes closed as he rested.

    Suddenly, he opened his eyes, sensing something.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling¡¯s eyshes fluttered. She parted her lips but couldn¡¯t make a sound.

    Gao Yang rushed to her and leaned in. ¡°Qing Ling?¡±

    She slowly opened her eyes, which were still hazy with exhaustion and weakness.

    She opened her mouth again and said hoarsely, ¡°Water...¡±

    Gao Yang picked up the energy drink he had prepared beforehand, twisting the cap off and feeding her water with a hand propping her up.

    Qing Ling took two careful sips. She recovered some strength, and her mind gradually cleared.

    Then she took the bottle from Gao Yang and started gulping down the energy drink with her head tipped up until she finished it. Only then did shee back properly.

    Gao Yang watched while she drank. A genuine burst of joy filled his chest.

    Noticing his gaze, Qing Ling frowned. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Anyone dead?¡±

    Gao Yang shook his head. ¡°Both you and Lithe Snake died but came back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Qing Ling nodded. It was an eptable oue for her.

    Gao Yang said with guilt, ¡°Qing Ling, I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Qing Ling cut him off coldly. ¡°I¡¯m responsible for my own life, not you. If you had been the one to die, I wouldn¡¯t have apologized, either.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled faintly after a pause. ¡°I understand.¡±

    A few secondster, he asked, ¡°Qing Ling, wasn¡¯t your heart on the left? How did it get moved to the right? Was it Dr. Jia?¡±

    Qing Ling nodded. She exined after a quiet moment, ¡°Dr. Jia gave me two options: regenerate my original arm, or give me a prosthetic.¡±

    ¡°The mechanical prosthetic¡¯s artificial nerves would go deep into the chest from the stomp of my left shoulder, which could obstruct my heart. That was why he moved my heart to the right. But then the first option seeded instead.¡±

    ¡°Move your heart? Is that possible?¡± Gao Yang was surprised, but then he remembered a Talent. ¡°Organ Puzzle?¡±

    Organ Puzzle, serial number 164, Life-type. Allow one to move their organs around at will and slightly enhance the recovering and regeneration power of the internal organs.

    ording to Lithe Snake¡¯s intel, the Talent was owned by Donxote from the third team of the Hundred Rivers Union, led by Chen Ying.

    Qing Ling nodded slightly. ¡°Dr. Jia had been using Donxote¡¯s blood and vital energy to make Medicine O, which permanently moves an organ. He only made the medicine to solve the problem of his parrot defecating whenever and wherever. Parrots have a straightrge intestine.¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say. It was a very Dr. Jia thing to do.

    Qing Ling rested for a moment before continuing, ¡°After taking Medicine O, though, the shifted internal organ cannot be moved again. Due to the shoring, the medicine is never poprized.¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly remembered. ¡°Did the former ck Tortoise use Medicine O, too?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask,¡± said Qing Ling. ¡°But Dr. Jia did say that he knew ck Tortoise from way back, and it was ck Tortoise who introduced Hyena to him.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    What he didn¡¯t know was that Qing Ling had survived not only because of Medicine O, but also because of herst-minute reaction to save herself.

    When her ck Gold weapons suddenly disappeared, she realized that Yan Liang¡¯s ability distorted the space, so she shifted herself to the right for an inch right before the deadly attack hit.

    As a result, Heartstealer hit her an inch to the left and took her left lung and the blood vessels of her left atrium.

    That, of course, was still enough to kill her.

    When she hit the ground, she struggled to look for Gao Yang so that she could tell him what Yan Liang¡¯s attack was, helping him avoid the danger. Unfortunately, death came to her too quickly for her to form a sentence. She fell into a deep darkness.

    Once Qing Ling got some water and energy into her, sleep came to her in waves. She wanted another rest.

    When she looked down, she realized suddenly that she had been changed into clean pajamas; of course, her undergarments hadn¡¯t been reced.

    She nervously looked up and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Who did this?¡±

 Chapter 684: Small Celebration

    <h4>Chapter 684: Small Celebration</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes flickered. He said quietly, ¡°I changed your clothes.¡±

    Qing Ling sighed in relief andy down. ¡°I¡¯m getting some more sleep.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang rose to leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go yet.¡± Qing Ling had already closed her eyes. She said in a calm voice, ¡°My sister¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    Gao Yang stopped moving away.

    After less than ten seconds, Little Qing Ling opened her eyes wide. She rolled to a sitting position while gasping for breaths, her eyes brimming with tears and her face as pale as paper.

    She turned around to see Gao Yang standing by the bed.

    ¡°Gao, Gao Yang...¡± she called out in a trembling voice.

    Gao Yang quickly sat down at the head of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    Little Qing Ling reached out to seize Gao Yang¡¯s hands¡ªit felt like she was trying to crush them. Head lowered, she said in a fearful and pitiful voice, ¡°I died... I died, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°I thought I would never see you and sister again. It was so cold and dark there...¡±

    She sobbed, her body shaking violently.

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    Little Qing Ling could no longer keep it in. She bawled and threw herself into Gao Yang¡¯s arms, burying her face in his chest.

    Gao Yang went still and only reached out to gently pat her shoulders after a long moment. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m here, we¡¯re both here...¡±

    Little Qing Ling exhausted herself crying, and shey back down to rest.

    Gao Yang stayed by her side for around ten minutes until she was asleep. He tucked her in and checked the ck Gold hairpin on her hair. Then he finally stood up and left the room.

    He moved quietly. When he opened the door, he saw the others eavesdropping outside.

    Can and Wang Zikai were especially eager. They crouched down with their ears pressed to the door, and the moment Gao Yang opened the door, they fell in like balling pins.

    Hong Xiaoxiao and Nainai, on the other hand, had attached themselves to the door frame and leaned in toward the door. They jumped and quickly stood to attention.

    Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear were the better kids inparison, and they stood on the other side of the door.

    Can and Wang Zikai hurriedly shot to their feet to exin themselves, but Gao Yang cut them off with a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb her sleep. Let¡¯s talk downstairs.¡±

    A few minutester, they sat in the living room drinking coffee as they went over what had happened.

    Most of them knew how things had gone, and the process didn¡¯t take long.

    Gao Yang concluded earnestly, ¡°I take full responsibility for this. I made two mistakes.¡±

    ¡°First, I ced my trust in Ke Yo too easily, and it turned out to be a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Second, I underestimated what Qilin and Yan Liang were capable of.¡±

    ¡°For the former, I did prepare for the possibility of her turning on us. That was why I asked Waking Insects to be our contingency...¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect her to forego Vermilion Bird ande up with a scheme with Qilin and Yan Liang directly.¡±

    ¡°For thetter, Qilin¡¯s Eidos had a much greater range than I expected. I¡¯ve never seen the trick he used today.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, the cripple isn¡¯t much. He¡¯s so weak that he fainted after that move.¡± Wang Zikai refused to acknowledge the man and opted for insults.

    ¡°He fainted?¡± Gao Yang turned to Wang Zikai in surprise. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I saw it.¡± Wang Zikai had been frozen in ce after getting hit by Statues, and when he recovered his mental faculty, he saw Qilin copsing and getting caught by Azure Dragon.

    Gao Yang thought for a moment. ¡°He used some sort of drug.¡±

    Nine Frost wasn¡¯t there, but he hade to the same conclusion. ¡°Must be a medicine Dr. Jia developed with Vermilion Bird¡¯s energy, and it boosted Qilin¡¯s power. That was why he could use Eidos at such a great distance, but the side effect was losing consciousness.¡±

    Lithe Snake stood with his back against the wall and his arms crossed. He had good eyesight, and he had gotten a clear look at the man. ¡°I remember him touching his ring right before he made a move. That must be him injecting himself.¡±

    ¡°But...the price is too great, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hong Xiaoxiao said with disbelief. ¡°I remember Elder Vermilion Bird said that a buff from Equivalent Exchange would result in two to three months ofa.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that long for him,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°Qilin fainted after staring at us for less than ten seconds. It makes sense that he should be unconscious for a much shorter time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°And it¡¯s Qilin. He doesn¡¯t trust others. He won¡¯t allow himself to stay unconscious for long.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Gray Bear nodded too.

    ¡°I lost this round,¡± Gao Yang said calmly, but his guilt was clear in his tone. ¡°I lost terribly and almost got all of you killed.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Gray Bear shouted. ¡°There are always winners and losers. That¡¯s what being a leader entails. You have to make a gamble sometimes. And if someone can win every gamble, it must be God rather than a mortal.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good enough already. If I were the leader, ha, the Nine Scions would¡¯ve failed countless times and be the Nay Scions[1].¡±

    Lithe Snake shot Gray Bear a withering re. He had long given up on insulting the man for hisme jokes.

    ¡°Yeah, Captain. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡± Can offered reassurance with a smile. ¡°Things were dangerous today, but we all came back alive, right?¡±

    ¡°And we discovered the old geezer¡¯s ability and Ke Yo¡¯s true allegiance! Those would help us prevent more risks in the future. We¡¯ve gained something from the mission.¡±

    ¡°Well said, Can!¡± Gray Bear smiled.

    Wang Zikai broke into a smile and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s right, bro. If you do the math, the mission is a great sess! I say we celebrate! Fried chicken, roasted skewers, and beer! Come on!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes lit up. She had been literally carried along on today¡¯s mission, and she didn¡¯t know how the review session turned into a celebration, butte-night snacks always cheered her up.

    She smiled bashfully and sneaked a nce at the others. ¡°Then we¡¯ll...celebrate a little?¡±

    ¡°Seconded!¡± Gray Bear raised his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care either way,¡± Lithe Snake said.

    ¡°Same,¡± said Nine Frost.

    The two men exchanged a knowing nce before leaving the house to keep watch outside.

    Guilt lingered in Gao Yang¡¯s heart. He clenched his fists discreetly and put on a smile. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll have a little celebration tonight for...the Nine Scions¡¯ first failure.¡±

    ...

    December 23rd, two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District.

    Inside the grand meeting room, War Tiger and White Rabbit from the Twelve Zodiac Signs hade to trade the Life Rune Circuit with the Union again. The Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s headquarters were located a hundred meters underground withyers uponyers of security measures. And with Little Tian acting as the human radar, there was no chance for the Nine Scions to ambush them again.

    Qilin Guild sent Elder Yan Liang and the new Elder ck Tortoise, Ke Yo, as witnesses. The four Union Team Leaders, Colorless, Goldthread, Liao Liao, and Chen Ying, handed away the Poison Rune Circuit after taking the Life Rune Circuit.

    Once the two sides made sure that the traded wares were the real deal, they each put the Rune Circuits away safely.

    After the deal, those from the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild took their leave.

    Colorless, who had been scowling the whole time, called out in an icy voice to stop Yan Liang. ¡°Wait, the Qilin Guild used us and the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Aren¡¯t you even going to talk about that?¡±

    1. The original is a pun of the word ËÃ<i> </i>(<i>si</i>, fourth tone), meaning scion, and ËÀ<i> </i>(<i>si</i>, third tone), meaning dead. ?

 Chapter 685: Survival Trumps All

    <h4>Chapter 685: Survival Trumps All</h4>

    ¡°Haha, one can¡¯t capture a wolf without some sacrifice. The Nine Scions are cunning. We couldn¡¯t afford any leak beforehand.¡± Yan Liang smiled under his mask. ¡°Not even Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon knew the n.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon are your people,¡± Colorless said bluntly. ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Union aren¡¯t obligated to take the risk for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All¡¯s under our control,¡± Yan Liang said calmly. ¡°You¡¯re fine, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Colorless was going to say something else, but Goldthread stopped her.

    In sunsses and mask, he stated in a hardened tone, ¡°Don¡¯t confuse the result with the process. Whatever the case, it¡¯s a fact that you used us and put us in danger. You must make amends for that, or how will the Qilin Guild maintain your credibility and authority?¡±

    ¡°That was a special asion. I promise that the same thing won¡¯t happen again,¡± said Yan Liang. ¡°The Qilin Guild is willing topensate you.¡±

    ¡°For the next three months, the Guild will pay for the regr medicines and expendable ck Gold items used by the Zodiacs and the Union, provided it¡¯s within the reasonable amount.¡±

    Goldthread didn¡¯t say anything else. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with that, but he knew that it was the mostpensation and respect the Hundred Rivers Union could get.

    ¡°And,¡± Yan Liang turned to the other members of the Union, ¡°ck Tortoise has made a reservation to rent the Support Rune Circuit for one day within the next ten days. We¡¯ll pay triple the rent. You may decide the actual time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Colorless turned to Chen Ying. She didn¡¯t know about it.

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°I was toldst night. Madam Li has given her approval.¡±

    Colorless shut her mouth.

    Chen Ying stood up and lifted the briefcase with the Life Rune Circuit. She nced at the other team leaders. ¡°I¡¯ll go store the Rune Circuit. Please walk our guests out.¡±

    War Tiger, White Rabbit, Yan Liang, and Ke Yo walked out of the meeting room one by one. Colorless, Goldthread, and Liao Liao apanied them under the guise of sending off the visitors when they were actually keeping watch in case the four left something in the base secretly or pulled some tricks¡ªthe possibility was slim, though.

    The group rode the elevator to the ground floor. Then they walked out of the secret tunnel in the forest.

    They were silent all the way. Then Ke Yo suddenly said apropos of nothing, ¡°Team Leaders of the Union, you¡¯re all quite strong. Why don¡¯t you consider joining the Guild?¡±

    That caught Goldthread, Colorless, and Liao Liao off guard. They thought they had heard her wrong. Was she foolish or arrogant for recruiting them so openly?

    Ke Yo said bluntly with a calm expression, ¡°I used to serve the Tails and have done my share of dirty and heavy work, all to survive in this world. But at the end of the day, the Tails are merely disposable pawns to the Godbearer Cult, to be cast away after use.¡±

    ¡°Now, the Tails are all dead save for me. I¡¯m lucky that Guildmaster Qilin¡¯s willing to give me a chance to make a different choice despite my history. Personally, I believe he¡¯s the only one who can lead humanity to victory and sustain our civilization. None other can do the same.¡±

    War Tiger and White Rabbit shared a silent look.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one to mince words. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Ke Yo narrowed her eyes slightly. Her smile seemed disingenuous. ¡°I believe blind loyalty means nothing. Survival is the only doctrine to follow. We¡¯re running out of time, and there¡¯s nothing after death. You should give it a long and hard thought.¡±

    Goldthread, Colorless, and Liao Liao stayed silent.

    Yan Liang led the group with his hands behind his back. He didn¡¯t say anything about Ke Yo¡¯s remark.

    After a while, he stopped andughed quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to walk us further.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just go back.¡± War Tiger smoked leisurely as he grinned at the three team leaders. ¡°The girl has a point. If you wanna jump ships, the Twelve Zodiac Signs is a good choice.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make things worse!¡± White Rabbit red at War Tiger.

    War Tigerughed and turned around, waving at them. ¡°Bye.¡±

    Goldthread and Colorless scowled, while Liao Liao waved them goodbye with a friendly smile. ¡°Safe trip.¡±

    They watched as the four drove away. Goldthread and Colorless turned away to return to the base at the same time. Liao Liao caught up with them after a moment of surprise.

    Colorless said with a frown, ¡°Vermilion Bird asked me to treat Ke Yo with hypnosis before. She wasn¡¯t like that at the time. It¡¯s like she¡¯s a different person.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s never changed, only showing her true color now.¡±

    ¡°Possible,¡± Liao Liao agreed.

    ¡°No member of Tails should be trusted.¡± Goldthread scoffed. ¡°Were I Guildmaster Qilin, I wouldn¡¯t dare to use her. The girl is cunning and without a bottom line. It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s a traitor by nature who will happily go through three different surnames[1].¡±

    ¡°Three surnames. Haha, well said.¡± Colorlessughed. Then she remembered something. ¡°Oh, did you read the letter from Canary?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Goldthread tensed, his voice going stiff too.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Colorless elbowed him.

    ¡°I¡¯m still considering it,¡± Goldthread admitted.

    ¡°What for?¡± Colorless was surprised. ¡°Do you not think my girl¡¯s good enough? Canary¡¯s more than what you deserve given your...¡±

    Realizing that she had said something hurtful, she quickly exined, ¡°I don¡¯t mean it that way.¡±

    Goldthread didn¡¯t say anything, but he didn¡¯t get angry, either. He continued to walk forward, signifying the end of the conversation.

    The two women fell to the back.

    ¡°Sister Colorless, Canary likes Team Leader Goldthread?¡± Liao Liao was excited to learn the shocking news.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell, right? She¡¯s had a secret crush for a long time.¡± Colorless raised an eyebrow in resignation. ¡°She only revealed it because she got wasted during ourst team gathering.¡±

    ¡°Dang it!¡± Liao Liao pped her thigh. ¡°Harvest Song¡¯s got a rival.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Colorless was the one to be shocked this time. ¡°Harvest Song likes Goldthread too?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? It¡¯s been talked about.¡± Liao Liao stroked her chin and smacked her lips. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that Team Leader Goldthread is actually a ma for girls?¡±

    ¡°But why?¡± Colorless didn¡¯t get it. ¡°That guy¡¯s got his face covered all day. How is he so popr?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it. That¡¯s exactly what makes him attractive.¡± Liao Liao snickered. ¡°Without a face, anyone can imagine what they want him to be. Innocent girls are most likely to fall for an illusion they conjure for themselves, fooling themselves into falling in love.¡±

    ¡°Liao Liao,¡± Colorless said, impressed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a hacker? Do you moonlight as a rtionship expert or something?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I just read a few romance novels recently and learned something from them,¡± Liao Liao said humbly.

    ...

    December 24th, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Clover Park, Nanji District.

    Amid the camphor trees by the artificialke, Ke Yo waited quietly in a ck jumper and jeans for mobility, wearing a baseball cap, mask, and sunsses.

    Now that she was Elder ck Tortoise, she was no longer under anyone¡¯s watch and had the freedom to move as she wished. Of course, she didn¡¯t trust itpletely, so she stopped every few steps to use Strange Whistle for two seconds. If there were awakeners tracking her, she would notice immediately.

    Ke Yo was on high alert. She suddenly sensed a slight energy disturbance behind her. There was a colorful light.

    ¡°Here you are.¡± Ke Yo slowly turned around. Her sunsses reflected the shimmering light.

    Deep in the forest stood a woman enveloped by colorful dust particles. The cluster of energy particles bloomed and scattered before gathering again, as if ying out the birth and death of a neb.

    With the dust obscuring her figure, her height and build kept changing.

    She was the spy lurking in the Hundred Rivers Union, Dust.

    1. An insult for those with no loyalty, referencing Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms. ?

 Chapter 686: Silent Night

    <h4>Chapter 686: Silent Night</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for me?¡± Dust¡¯s voice was gritty and staticky, but still noticeably female.

    ¡°You¡¯re thirteen minuteste,¡± Ke Yo said irritatedly.

    ¡°I have to make sure you haven¡¯t set up an ambush.¡±

    Ke Yo scoffed. ¡°To make things short, I didn¡¯t lose my memory. This is all part of the n.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the real leader of the Tails. The n was put into motion when Archbishop ck Tortoise died. Although there were some hups here and there, I managed to join the Qilin Guild and became the new ck Tortoise.¡±

    Ke Yo lifted her chin. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ve already be the new archbishop. You are to listen to me from now on.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no proof for that. How are you going to prove that you haven¡¯t defected?¡± Dust was unconvinced. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ve turned to Qilin¡¯s side for real and are nowing after me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the only one outside of the Heavenly Godbearer who knows your identity, Dust. How is that not a good enough proof?¡± Ke Yo huffed. ¡°If I wanted to take you out, I could just expose you, and Qilin would reward me.¡±

    Dust pondered.

    After a moment, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of time. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to show even the basic etiquettes to the Archbishop?¡± Ke Yo reprimanded.

    After a few seconds of silence, Dust nodded slightly. ¡°What can I do for you, Archbishop?¡±

    ¡°Kill the Divine Scion. If he can¡¯t do it, you will.¡±

    Dust didn¡¯t immediately respond. She seemed to find the order difficult. ¡°I can¡¯t do what Luqi failed at, ma¡¯am. I can¡¯t even find Gao Yang. And given my identity, I don¡¯t have the ability or the opportunity to find him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ke Yo said with certainty. ¡°There will be a perfect chance to assassinate him in three days.¡±

    ¡°What exactly should I do?¡± Dust asked.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Ke Yo smiled cryptically. ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees. Remember, that¡¯s going to be your only chance. You should know the consequences of failure.¡±

    ¡°Worry not. I will not disappoint you.¡± Dust became increasingly differential.

    ¡°Good. You may return.¡±

    Dust raised her hand to her chest and bowed slightly. ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you.¡±

    ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you.¡± Ke Yo remained where she was.

    Dust slowly retreated into the depths of the forest, her light fading. A gust of wind swept into the woods, rustling the trees and instantly putting out the colorful particle fire.

    ...

    December 24th, Li River Community.

    Within one of the vis, Gao Yang was woken up by Fresh Snow¡¯s cries of delight. He had been on watch duty for the earlier part of the night and didn¡¯t rest until thetter half. When he woke up on the sofa, it was nine in the morning.

    He slowly opened his eyes, looking into the backyard outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

    ¡°It¡¯s snowing! It¡¯s snowing so much!¡±

    Fresh Snow had turned back into a young woman. Dressed in a beige sweater, jeans, and winter boots, she ran around in the heavy snow with a pair of white rabbit fur ear muffs, looking like a silly deer.

    She was joined by Nainai in her joyful outburst. Nainai wore a blond wig tied intorge braids and a blue princess dress,yered with a chiffon shawl sewn with what seemed like diamonds. She grabbed a handful of piled-up snow from a branch and threw it toward the sky, singing a foreign song she had tranted literally from the sourcenguage.

    ¡°Let go, let go. Not gonna stop me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Let go, let go. Turn around and m the door.¡±

    ¡°Tonight the snow will paint the forest white. No footsteps will be left behind.¡±

    ¡°This is an isted kingdom, and I will be the queen...[1]¡±

    Gao Yang was amused. His lingering sleep faded, and he found himself rxing.

    He had always hoped for a moment of serenity that would make him wish for time to linger for a little longer, and this was such a moment.

    Soon, Fresh Snow noticed his presence even though she was going wild in the snow. She turned around and immediately abandoned Nainai, rushing toward the house.

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡±

    Nainai lost her audience while she was immersed in her signing, and she said with disappointment, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go! Stay until this Empress finishes the tune!¡±

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯m listening.¡± Qing Ling, who had recovered, was standing under the eave of the house, holding a cup of hot tea with a trace of mockery in her cold eyes.

    Nainai froze, feeling like she had been struck by lightning.<i> This, this this this this woman. Why does she always show up suddenly like a ghost?!</i>

    Fresh Snow opened the window and rushed into the house. She almost threw herself into Gao Yang¡¯s arms, just like how she had done every time they met.

    She stopped at thest moment and stood before Gao Yang with an awkward smile, however, and her voice was softer when she said, ¡°You¡¯re awake, Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just woke up.¡± Gao Yang smiled. He had actually noticed Fresh Snow¡¯s change when he sought out Waking Insects before the mission.

    How should he put it? Although Fresh Snow was still innocent and outgoing, sweet and lovely, she didn¡¯t seem as carefree as she had been.

    Gao Yangplimented her for getting prettier at the time, and she was embarrassed.

    ¡°Making a wish works, Gao Yang!¡± Fresh Snow sat down beside him with uncontainable excitement. ¡°I made two wishes. The first is for snow to fall today. Because it¡¯s Christmas Eve.¡±

    ¡°You know Christmas Eve?¡± Gao Yang chuckled and brushed off the snow on her head.

    Fresh Snow lowered her head and smiled, allowing the touch but not leaning into it and nuzzling his hand like before.

    ¡°My second wish, Gao Yang, is for you to spend the night with me.¡± Fresh Snow looked up at him, clutching the sofa without realizing it. ¡°Will...will you?¡±

    Gao Yang paused. Fresh Snow had indeed grown up. She even asked for agreement now.

    He readily epted the invitation. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Fresh Snow didn¡¯t expect things to go so easily. She added, ¡°Just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fresh Snow jumped to her feet happily. ¡°Then...I¡¯ll see you tonight. I¡¯m going home first.¡±

    <i>I¡¯m gonna change into a pretty dress and ask Sister to braid my hair prettily. I¡¯ll also prepare a Christmas gift for Gao Yang. He¡¯ll like it.</i>

    Fresh Snow thought happily, her joy visible in the way the corners of her lips crept up.

    ¡°Sure. What time during the night? Where are we meeting?¡±

    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know yet.¡± Fresh Snow had to ask her sister. It had to be a beautiful and meaningful ce. ¡°I¡¯ll have Sister send you a message.¡±

    White Dew had Gao Yang¡¯s emergency number. Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Alright. Since Waking Insects is resting, I¡¯ll walk you home.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine!¡± Fresh Snow quickly waved her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll return on my own. I¡¯ll be careful. It¡¯s gonna be fine!¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t too worried about Fresh Snow since she was strong.

    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll meete rain or shine!¡±

    ¡°Rain or shine,¡± Gao Yang responded.

    Fresh Snow skipped away. Gao Yang stood before the window, watching her disappear into the snow.

    Meanwhile, Can was holding two cups of coffee at the kitchen entrance with a smile, frozen in ce for a long while.

    1. It¡¯s obviously a reference to <i>Frozen¡¯s Let It Go</i>. I didn¡¯t use the original lyrics since it¡¯s supposed to be Nainai¡¯s own rough trantion of the song. ?

 Chapter 687: When the Lips Are Gone

    <h4>Chapter 687: When the Lips Are Gone</h4>

    Can had woken up at six in the morning.

    To be more precise, she didn¡¯t get much sleep the night before. Under Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s egging, she had finally mustered the courage to ask Captain out to a movie tonight. With Nainai¡¯s Shapeshifter and the Nine Scions¡¯ck of missions recently, it wasn¡¯t an unreasonable invitation.

    Can had nned it all out in her head. Once Captain woke up on the sofa, she would make two cups of coffee and give him one. They would chat, and she would naturally bring up going to a movie together at night.

    If Captain said yes, she would give him the tickets she had bought beforehand. If he said no, she would pretend that she had merely made the invitation on the spur of the moment.

    Finally, Captain woke up. She rushed to the kitchen to make coffee. When she was going to bring the coffee back to the living room, though, she saw Fresh Snow and Captain sitting side by side chatting happily.

    Gao Yang reached out to gently brush off the snow on her hair, and he readily agreed when she made an invitation to spend the night of Christmas Eve alone with Gao Yang.

    Can happened to witness the moment.

    That was right. Fresh Snow was pretty like a porcin doll. Before, she had seemed like a child, but when they met again this time, she looked and held herself like a young woman at the right age for new love.

    Were Can a man, she would pick Fresh Snow even if she somehow went blind for a second and didn¡¯t pick Qing Ling.

    She would never have her turn. She didn''t have a pretty face, and she didn¡¯t have a nice body. She wasn¡¯t particrly strong. There was nothing special about her personality. She was neither cute nor attractive in the way women were.

    <i>Can, you silly girl. Why did you think that Captain wouldn¡¯t receive any invitation on Christmas Eve? That you¡¯ll get lucky once?</i>

    Can mocked herself silently and retreated into the kitchen.

    When she turned around, Hong Xiaoxiao was staring at her. She looked more heartbroken than Can was as Can¡¯s inexperienced dating advisor for the invitation.

    Eyes red and lips curved down in sadness, she looked ready to burst into tears. ¡°Can...¡±

    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Can lowered the coffee cups quickly tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Please don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m fine, haha. Really. Don¡¯t be so dramatic every time...¡±

    ¡°But...but you finally mustered the courage to ask out...¡±

    ¡°Hush! Stop talking about it...¡± Can muffled Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that nothing happened. Nothing happened...¡±

    ¡°Who did you ask out?¡± Gao Yang suddenly appeared outside the kitchen.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaa!!¡±

    Caught off guard, Can and Hong Xiaoxiao screamed at the same time.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Lithe Snake followed the screams in two seconds, having been patrolling on the rooftop. He popped his head through the window in the kitchen while hanging upside down. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaa!¡±

    Can and Hong Xiaoxiao whirled around, surprised again.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gao Yang said to Lithe Snake. ¡°I¡¯m asking Can something.¡±

    Lithe Snake¡¯s head quickly disappeared from the window.

    ¡°Cap...Captain...¡± Can smiled, partly out of curiosity and partly to cover up her embarrassment. ¡°You need something?¡±

    ¡°Are you going on a date with someone tonight?¡± Gao Yang had caught only pieces of what Hong Xiaoxiao said.

    ¡°No, nonono!¡± Can waved her hand quickly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a date.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao smiles weakly. ¡°Can doesn¡¯t have any date, nah!¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Gao Yang smiled a little. ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m asking for your time today.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Can thought she had heard him wrong. ¡°Captain, aren¡¯t you...¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nothing!¡± Can shut her mouth. She wasn¡¯t stupid. Captain must have an unnned mission toplete. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m free anytime.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gao Yang waved her over. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go shopping. I¡¯m buying you a holiday gift.¡±

    ¡°Shopping? Gift?¡± Can gaped. It felt like Christmas had fallen on herp in a pretty package. ¡°What gift?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know once we¡¯re there.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t give her a direct answer. ¡°It¡¯s something you¡¯ve always wanted.¡±

    ...

    Western Suburban Park, Xijing District, half past ten at night.

    It had been snowing the whole day, pelting the city in a hazy white. Under the fluffy falling snow, a car made a turn into the front entrance of the Western Suburban Park, leaving tire tracks on the white snow.

    There were three people in the car. Goldthread was driving. Little Tian took the passenger seat. Chen Ying was in the back. She didn¡¯t let her nervousness show on her face.

    Goldthread was anxious too. Once the car entered the park, he slowed down and said, ¡°Are we really doing this, Chen Ying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Ying sounded determined. ¡°It was clear from the way the Qilin Guild used us that they were losing sight of the bottom line. The teeth will feel cold once the lips are gone. Should the Nine Scions get wiped out, the Hundred Rivers Union will be the next target.¡±

    ¡°Did Madam Li order the Rune Circuit exchange with the Nine Scions?¡± Goldthread asked.

    ¡°Madam Li believes that it isn¡¯t a bad thing to the Union for the Nine Scions to get stronger.¡± Chen Ying said that instead of giving a direct answer.

    Goldthread tightened his grip around the driving wheel, saying worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s too risky. If the Qilin Guild knows...¡±

    ¡°So they must not know.¡± Chen Ying nced at Little Tian. ¡°Are we clear?¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s following us.¡± Little Tian focused with his eyes closed, his level 6 Sensory pushed to the max.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Goldthread was still worried. He asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring Colorless and Liao Liao this time?¡±

    If the Nine Scions weren¡¯t here to borrow a Rune Circuit but to grab it or pull some other malicious tricks, having two more team leaders with them would be safer.

    Chen Ying sighed. ¡°Colorless is still on the suspect list for Dust, and Liao Liao is a newly appointed leader. We are the only ones Madam Li can trust now.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Goldthread stopped asking. He drove the car into a path surrounded by trees.

    ¡°I heard from Colorless that Canary from her team wrote you a love letter?¡± Chen Ying started a small talk to ease the tension.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Goldthread admitted.

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± Chen Ying chuckled. ¡°What do you think about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still considering it.¡±

    ¡°Do men y hard to get, too?¡± Chen Ying was surprised.

    ¡°No.¡± Goldthread sighed. ¡°I¡¯m considering how I should reject her so that she won¡¯t be too heartbroken about it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like her?¡±

    Goldthread was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never considered love.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°People like me?¡± Goldthreadughed self-deprecatingly, his voice hoarse. ¡°We don¡¯t deserve love.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that about yourself.¡±

    ¡°Chen Ying.¡± Goldthread looked ahead, his sunsses reflecting the snowy path lit by the streetmps. ¡°Do you find my look cool, too?¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°If you ever see my burns, if you see the rotten wounds leaking pus, you¡¯ll throw up yourst dinner.¡±

    ¡°Love isn¡¯t about a rush of feeling. Even in the Mist World, love is about everyday life, the mundane things.¡±

    ¡°How long can you take if you wake up every day to an ugly and repulsive monster?¡±

    ¡°Once the passion fades, what¡¯s left are responsibility, exhaustion, guilt, pity... Then you regret and ask yourself, ¡®Why did I pick a man like him? Why must I torture myself with a life like a monk? I could¡¯ve picked someone better.¡¯¡±

    ¡°The fire didn¡¯t kill me, but I could be easily killed by the pity and sympathy of the person I love.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d rather not have loved at all.¡±

    Chen Ying was surprised. It was her first time hearing so much from Goldthread, and they were words he had spoken from the bottom of his heart; some could even consider his confession melodramatic.

    The thought must have been buried deep in his heart for a while.

    Chen Ying almost apologized, regretful for bringing up such a topic, but she stopped herself. There would be nothing more offensive to him than the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Thankfully, Little Tian interrupted the conversation. He opened hisrge bright eyes. ¡°I found them. There are two of them.¡±

 Chapter 688: Cold Snowy Night

    <h4>Chapter 688: Cold Snowy Night</h4>

    Chen Ying tensed and got on high alert. ¡°Be careful from now on.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for the car to reach the artificialke in the Western Suburban Park. The three of them got out.

    At the heart of theke was a small ind, on top of which sat a small wooden cabin straight out of a fairytale.

    On thest night of the Crimson Tide, the cabin had been razed down, but the Heavenly Way restored it the second day like nothing had happened.

    By theke was arge patch of reeds. None from the Nine Scions could be seen.

    ¡°They¡¯re right in there.¡± Little Tian pointed at the reeds.

    Goldthread followed Chen Ying and Little Tian with the ck Gold briefcase containing the Support Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Come on out,¡± Chen Ying called out to the reeds.

    There was no response, and snow continued to pour.

    After a while, the reeds parted to the sides. There was a squelch on the snowy ground. Then two lines of footsteps appeared, one bigger than the other.

    Gao Yang and Can made their appearance in the heavy snow.

    Gao Yang stood at the front wearing a ck double-breasted trench coat, ck pants, and ck boots, cutting a tall and handsome figure with a cold expression.

    Chen Ying was momentarily taken aback. It hadn¡¯t been long since theyst met, yet Gao Yang had changed a lot. The shrewd young man was now a real man.

    Standing behind Gao Yang, Can had a hand on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder. She was dressed in a fashionable red coat, her expression and bodynguage stiff. It was clear that despite the calm front she tried her best to put on, she was incredibly nervous.

    Chen Ying had met Can a few times. She always dressed like the girl next door. It was her first time seeing the girl wearing a coat and heels. Quite a difference it made to her overall image. Unfortunately, her control of her expression left something to be desired.

    ¡°You werete for half an hour,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Chen Ying exined, ¡°It was a bit of a travel and a hassle to retrieve the ware. It took time.¡±

    ¡°Did you bring the Rune Circuit?¡±

    Chen Ying quietly looked at Little Tian.

    The boy closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them. ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s a fake.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled after a pause. ¡°I almost forgot that I couldn¡¯t fool Little Tian with a double.¡±

    <i>Rustle</i>. Another Gao Yang walked out of the reeds.

    The double beside Can slowly disappeared. The real one came up to Can. ¡°Now?¡±

    Little Tian closed his eyes again and took a few seconds before looking up at Chen Ying. ¡°All good.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled politely. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind the precaution, Captain Gao. After all, it is a big deal for us to lend you the Rune Circuit. Nothing should go wrong.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± said Gao Yang.

    Chen Ying nced at Goldthread. He walked up to Gao Yang with the briefcase. ¡°Here¡¯s the Support Rune Circuit.¡±

    Gao Yang was just about to take it when Goldthread quickly pulled back. ¡°Remember, you only have three days, and Can will have to be our surety in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang waved a hand, and Can immediately went up to Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying took out a pair of ck Gold cuffs that could seal Talents from her coat pocket, putting them on Can. Then she took out a gun to point it at the back of Can¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. As long as you don¡¯t pull any trick, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay.¡± Can smiled. She wasn¡¯t afraid.

    Chen Ying nodded at Goldthread.

    He threw the briefcase to Gao Yang. Gao Yang quickly opened it to find the Support Rune Circuit inside. He picked it up and checked it. It was the real deal.

    ¡°Pleasure working with you.¡± Gao Yang smiled politely. ¡°Three dayster, we¡¯ll meet at the same ce. I¡¯ll return the Rune Circuit to you, and you return Can to me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s grip remained tight around the gun. She couldn¡¯t afford a moment of distraction. While the possibility was slim, Gao Yang could make a sudden move to grab Can so that the Union would have neither the Rune Circuit nor the surety.

    Gao Yang followed the deal and took a few steps back with the Rune Circuit, maintaining a safe distance. ¡°You drive...¡±

    His pupils contracted. He didn¡¯t get to finish the sentence.

    A strange insidious energy suddenly shot from the Rune Circuit to his body like an electric current, and the Rune Circuit fell from his hand, falling to the ground.

    Gao Yang was just about to grab it when an out-of-body sensation hit him.

    It was a spiritual curse, from the Rune Circuit!

    ¡°Agh...¡± Gao Yang dropped to his knees on the snow-covered ground, pressing his hands to his chest. Then his body got ignited. It wasn¡¯t the usual mes, but dark blue ones that seemed to be burning his soul.

    ¡°Ughhhhh!!¡±

    The great pain made Gao Yang roll around on the ground, attempting to put out the mes, but it was all in vain. The fire burned brighter, seemingly fueled by his soul, and the reeds, the snow, and the others¡¯ faces were all cast in a strange blue glow.

    ¡°Captain...¡±

    Can rushed over to him while shouting. <i>Bang! </i>Chen Ying pulled the trigger. The bullet seemed to pierce through Can¡¯s head, sttering a fog of blood. The girl fell to the ground with her eyes wide with unfulfilled want.

    Goldthread was stunned. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening. How did things turn out this way?

    He turned to Chen Ying and growled, ¡°Chen Ying! What are you doing?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything but quietly stared at Gao Yang with an impassive expression as he rolled around on the ground.

    He continued to burn. The eerie blue light danced on Chen Ying¡¯s face as her cold gaze gained a touch of otherworldliness. Then about ten secondster, the fire died down. Gao Yang¡¯s body remainedpletely intact, as if he had simply fallen asleep.

    But his body was cold and stiff; no vitality or soul could be sensed from him.

    Chen Ying only let out a long sigh after that.

    ¡°Chen Ying! You tampered with the Rune Circuit!¡± Goldthread finally came to a realization. He stared at Chen Ying in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s the soul curse! You...are Dust!¡±

    Chen Ying remained silent, scoffing at Goldthread.

    Little Tian hade to the same conclusion. He looked at the woman who had taken care of him as an older sister all this time, tears brimming in his eyes. It never urred to him that he should flee. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. Sister¡¯s not a bad person...¡±

    ¡°Run, Little Tian!¡± Goldthread shouted as he rushed toward Chen Ying.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± But then a sharp pain hit his chest; it felt like an invisible hand had seized his heart.

    ¡°Aghhhh!!¡±

    Goldthread cried out in pain and copsed to his knees. Then just like Gao Yang, his body was enveloped by cold blue mes.

    Unlike the fire that had slowly imed Gao Yang, though, this fire quickly surged and spread until he was consumed by it and turned into a bonfire. Goldthread tipped his head up and opened his arms wide, screaming in pain at the sky. His voice rang in the silent and cold snowy night.

    In three seconds, the fire vanished into blue embers, falling with the snow to paint a tragic yet strangely beautiful picture.

    Goldthread toppled to the ground face-first, falling into white snow.

    Chen Ying gave Goldthread a good look like she was checking something. Then she turned around to look at Little Tian.

    Face covered in tears, Little Tian finally overcame his heartbreak and fear to turn on his heels, teeth clenched.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t give chase. She quietly looked at the little boy. A few secondster, Little Tian stumbled and fell like he had been shot.

    Chen Ying remained unmoving.

    She stared at the snow before her, her face and eyes illuminated by the increasingly bright and shimmering blue fire. Then the fire slowly died down until it was gone.

    Ten seconds crawled by.

    The world seemed to settle into a stillness. The white and blue snow alone flew in the air.

    Another life burned to the death in the snow.

    Another poor soul passed in the long night.

    It was done...

    Done?

    ...

    No, the n was just put in motion.

 Chapter 689: Mission Failed

    <h4>Chapter 689: Mission Failed</h4>

    <i>Rustle</i>. Noises came from behind Chen Ying. She turned around to see Goldthread slowly pick himself back up.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t panic, as if she had already foreseen everything.

    Goldthread brushed snow off his body and removed his sunsses, revealing deep dark red eye sockets covered in dead brown muscle tissues and cold blue eyes.

    Heughed hoarsely. ¡°This is what happens to the host when an awakening is forced. Still, I don¡¯t have any other choice if I want toplete the mission.¡±

    He stared at Chen Ying. ¡°Are you a friend or a foe, Chen Ying?¡±

    ¡°Dust! So you are hidden in Goldthread¡¯s body!¡± Uncontainable rage shed through Chen Ying¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you kill Ba Qiuchi and Green Tea?¡±

    ¡°So you are no friend.¡± Goldthread scoffed, but it only pleased him further. He admitted easily, ¡°Yes, they came to suspect me, and I had to silence them.¡±

    ¡°Your ability...¡± Chen Ying¡¯s gaze turned derisive for a moment. ¡°You aren¡¯t human.¡±

    The derision enraged Goldthread¡ªor what had been hidden within him. He proudly raised his head. ¡°In yournguage, I¡¯m the king of overtaker, the overtaker prime.¡±

    <i>Greed monster, overtaker prime... So that¡¯s what this is!</i>

    Chen Ying figured out many things then.

    ¡°Goldthread¡± took a step forward. ¡°Ha, so how did you think Goldthread survived the fire? If not for me turning him into my host, he would¡¯ve died already.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t force his soul out. I shared this body with him. When he was awake, he was himself, and when he fell asleep, I took over. If I forced myself to wake up, this would happen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve long grown tired of the body. I¡¯ve always wanted a healthy, young, and beautiful body that matched my sex.¡±

    ¡°Goldthread¡± looked at Chen Ying with unbridled desire. ¡°Fret not. I¡¯ll make it quick. You won¡¯t remember anything once you wake up. You won¡¯t sense my presence. You¡¯ll be you during the day, and I¡¯ll take over during the night. Everyone will think that Dust has died...¡±

    Chen Ying took a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want your soul detonated, do you, Chen Ying?¡±

    ¡°Goldthread¡± made a threat. ¡°I saved you back in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.¡±

    Chen Ying tensed. When the ceiling came crashing down in the meeting room of the ck Tortoise building, Goldthread had tackled her out of the way, thus getting into contact with her. This meant that even when Goldthread was awake, Dust could leave a secret curse on someone they had physical contact with.

    Chen Ying noticed something then. She quickly calmed down. ¡°Give me a moment to consider it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no rush...¡±

    ¡°Goldthread¡± was going to say something when a chill came from behind. It wasn¡¯t a chilly wind of the winter, but a killing intenting from the soul.

    ¡°Goldthread¡± quickly activated Gravity as they leaped to the left.

    Face covered in blood, Can teleported behind them with a ck Gold dagger. If not for Gravity obstructing her, she would¡¯ve sliced their neck open.

    ¡°Goldthread¡± rolled to a stand, confused when they saw that it was Can. Then they realized to their shock that there was another Can behind her.

    A double!

    ¡°Goldthread¡± came to a realization. The Can holding a dagger rushed toward them again, left hand clenched into a fist and wrapped in blinding mes.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    She made a regr Fire Punch, sending a small fire dragon hurtling toward ¡°Goldthread¡±. ¡°Goldthread¡± dodged out of the way, and the attack left a small ditch on the ground.

    Can teleported again without dy, giving ¡°Goldthread¡± no time to react, but ¡°Goldthread¡± seized the brief opening to snap their fingers, activating the seed of curse inside Chen Ying¡¯s body¡ªthey would im as many victims as they could.

    A secondter, Chen Ying fell to the ground with a pained look on her face. She held onto her neck but couldn¡¯t stop her soul from turning into countless dust particles, which rushed out of her body and converged into a neb above her head.

    Three secondster, the nebr would explode.

    The other Can didn¡¯t give it the chance to.

    She had already crouched down and opened her arms wide, shouting, ¡°Time Reset!¡±

    Countless soft strands of sacred white light rushed toward the dead ¡°Gao Yang¡± and Little Tian, as well as Chen Ying, whose soul was about to explode, turning them into glowing cacoons.

    With the miracle power of Gamer, all damage was undone, ignoring the restraints of naturalws and time and space. Everything was reverted to its condition three minutes ago. Whatever positive and negative states inflicted on the targets were lifted, including Dust¡¯s curse.

    It took half a minute for Time Reset to bepleted. ¡°Can¡± clenched her teeth with a pale face as she manipted countless white tentacles with her ten fingers.

    It almost exhausted her¡ªGao Yang¡¯s energy to reset three lifeforms.

    Even Hong Xioaxiao could only reset two lifeforms at once. Gao Yang only managed to reset three at the same time with his high Willpower.

    With his energy quickly depleting, he could no longer maintain the double keeping ¡°Goldthread¡± busy. It vanished instantly.

    Having figured out that Can was actually Gao Yang, ¡°Goldthread¡± quickly rushed toward the girl saving the fallen ones. Their mission was to kill the Divine Scion at all costs!

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</i>

    Three ck Gold darts stabbed at their back from above. ¡°Goldthread¡± activated Gravity with a start, moving out of the way while slowing the darts down. After a slight dy, they continued to charge at ¡°Can¡±.

    Then countless fierce air des came from above.

    <i>What?!</i>

    ¡°Goldthread¡± could no longer continue forward. They quickly moved back and made three backflips, narrowly dodging the string of translucent air desing toward him.

    They looked up to see a tall, slim ponytailed girl in a ck outfit approaching at high speed, riding a long de. Standing behind her was a girl with medium-length hair, wearing a parka with her arms wrapped around the ponytailed girl¡¯s waist. They were the real Qing Ling and Can.

    The two of them had been hiding on the rooftop of a building three kilometers away, watching everything y out with binocrs. Once the n seeded, they would immediatelye as reinforcements.

    With Qing Ling¡¯s control of her de and Can boosting her with wind, it took only 90 seconds for them to arrive at the scene.

    Goldthread quickly put the pieces together with what they knew.

    Qing Ling, with level 6 God of des and Level 6 Metal.

    Can, with level 5 Invisibility and level 4 Gale.

    Fake Can¡ªGao Yang¡ªmay still be able to put up some fight after saving the fallen.

    After three minutes, Chen Ying, Little Tian, and Fake Gao Yang¡ªwhose real identity was unknown¡ªcould wake up.

    <i>I¡¯ll be outmatched, and now that I¡¯ve exposed myself, the mission is a failure.</i>

    ¡°Goldthread¡± bolted without hesitation.

    ¡°Hop off. I¡¯ll chase after Dust.¡± Qing Ling made a decisive call.

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Can let go of Qing Ling and jumped down to the snowy ground by the artificialke. Making a sharp turn on her Tang Dao, Qing Ling chased after ¡°Goldthread¡±.

    Five secondster, Can slowlynded beside ¡°Can¡± with powerful wind propping her from under her feet, her hair dancing.

    ¡°...Captain!¡±

    It was strange to see someone identical to her, to say the least.

    Disguised as Can, Gao Yang finally finished Time Reset. He gasped for breaths with a pale face and dim eyes with all his energy exhausted, about to pass out. Can quickly caught him and jabbed his chest with an adrenaline shot.

    ¡°Hmph...¡± Gao Yang felt a warm current shooting to his head along his spine before spreading to the other parts of his body. He had recovered much of his strength and energy.

    ¡°Go...check on the three of them,¡± he said a little weakly.

 Chapter 690: Canâ€™s Coat

    <h4>Chapter 690: Can¡¯s Coat</h4>

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Can immediately went up to check on the unconscious Chen Ying, Little Tian, and fake Gao Yang, making sure that their hearts were all beating strongly and their bodies were intact.

    ¡°All good. You did it, Captain!¡± Can gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

    Gao Yang sighed in relief. ¡°Quick. Wake them up.¡±

    He went up to Little Tian and pinched his philtrum. Can did the same thing to wake up Chen Ying and the fake Gao Yang.

    ¡°Hm, hm...¡±

    The fake Gao Yang blinked blearily, and Nainai¡¯s voice came out of his mouth. ¡°This...this Empress¡¯...fate will never...end here...¡±

    Can looked at fake Gao Yang. Although she knew Nainai was in disguise, she still couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to the face. Out of selfish reason, she touched fake Gao Yang¡¯s face as she helped Nainai up. ¡°Wake up, Nainai...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Nainai yelled as she woke up fully.

    Instantly, the pain of having her soul burned and the great despair that hit her before her terrible death rendered her a trembling mess. Her eyes quickly brimmed with tears.

    She covered her face with shaky hands and clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying. ¡°This Empress...is okay... Wait for me to recover...my true face...¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Can yed along and turned to wake up Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying¡¯s heart pounded as she regained consciousness. She had been reset before her soul could explode, though, and she didn¡¯t go through the same pain and despair Nainai had experienced. Thus, she was much moreposed.

    Realizing something, she called out, ¡°Little Tian!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Gao Yang helped Little Tian up as he came to. Then he went up to Chen Ying while supporting the boy.

    ¡°Little Tian! Thank God you¡¯re alright...¡±

    Chen Ying rushed to the boy and knelt by his side, reaching out to hug him.

    ¡°Go away! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Little Tian pushed her away in anger and terror.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have lied to you too. I didn¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯m really sorry... Please forgive me, Little Tian. Forgive your sister...¡±

    Chen Ying wrapped her arms around him tightly, and Little Tian slowly rxed in her embrace. He broke down crying. ¡°I...I thought Sister was a bad person. I thought Sister wanna kill me...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never hurt you! Never!¡± Chen Ying burst into tears too.

    ¡°Little Tian! Can you still track Dust?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Little Tian nodded as he wailed. ¡°Yeah, I can...¡±

    ¡°Hop on!¡± Gao Yang picked him up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive!¡± Chen Ying quickly wiped her tears and rushed to the car.

    The fake Can, Can, and the fake Gao Yang dove into the back seat.

    Once in the car, Nainai immediately turned back to herself with Shapeshifter, her clothes changing too. She wore a sailor uniform with a beige sweater and a checkered scarf on the top; and a pleated skirt, medium-length white socks, and dress shoes at the bottom. Her knees were red from the cold.

    She put her hands on the fake Can¡¯s face and kneaded it for about ten seconds, turning the face back into Gao Yang¡¯s, while the body remained the same for the moment.

    It proved to be quite difficult to turn the 1.79-meter-tall Gao Yang into the 1.54-meter-tall Can. Nainai did her best, and still, the result wasn¡¯t perfect. While ensuring not topromise Gao Yang¡¯s mobility and ability to fight, his height was adjusted to 1.57 meters.

    Gao Yang had a solution to that, though. He went shopping with Can during the day and bought the long red coat she had been drawn to. Putting on the red coat and heels made ¡°her¡± look much taller, and unless it was someone who knew Can very well, it would be difficult for others to notice that this Can was 3 centimeters taller.

    Considering their gender difference, Nainai hadn¡¯t touched Gao Yang¡¯s hip to thighs to transform the parts, and the long coat served as a cover for that. It was sufficient when Gao Yang was just walking.

    Anyhow, the coat helped a lot.

    Gao Yang was transformed into a 157-meter Can. The disguise waspleted by Nainai transforming his throat and vocal cords to replicate Can¡¯s voice.

    Before they set out, Gao Yang had replicated Can¡¯s Invisibility and Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer. Nainai, on the other hand, transformed into Gao Yang and gained ess to Double at lesser efficiency.

    That was the first step to Operation: Snowy Night at the Western Suburban Park.

    ...

    The car soon drove out of the park, leaving a few tracks on the road. Little Tian focused with his eyes widened. ¡°There, take a left at the traffic light.¡±

    ¡°Sit tight!¡±

    Chen Ying made a sharp turn, the car drifting on the snow-covered road.

    ¡°Take a right at the second crossroad.¡± Little Tian continued to give directions.

    Chen Ying kicked the elerator and ran a red light. When she was going to make a right turn, a figure rushed to the crossroad.

    Chen Ying started. It was Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang recognized her, too, and Qing Ling noticed the car rushing toward her as she dashed at her highest speed. She came to a stop and reached out her left hand toward the car, holding up her weapon to cover her other side.

    Gao Yang could guess that something unexpected had happened. However, he had exhausted his energy and couldn¡¯t fight.

    ¡°Go straight and elerate! Don¡¯t turn around!¡± Gao Yang shouted and teleported to the top of the car, conjuring a bright fireball in his hands.

    Two secondster, the car rushed through the crossroad, passing by Qing Ling. She jumped onto the top of the car gracefully. He caught her and supported her while casting the quite powerful fireball to the right with his other hand.

    As expected, ¡°Goldthread¡± and Luqi were chasing after them.

    Dust was indeed cautious as a spy. They had contacted Luqi beforehand to have him on standby in the area in case something happened. Luqi had been hiding three kilometers away, out of the range of Little Tian¡¯s Sensory.

    Riding on her de, Qing Ling was quick to pursue ¡°Goldthread¡±, but ¡°Goldthread¡± could adjust their gravity and make themself as light as a swallow, thus allowing a speedy escape.

    When Qing Ling chased ¡°Goldthread¡± past two street blocks, she saw Luqi waiting by the curb as a pedestrian.

    ¡°It was a trap! Help!¡± ¡°Goldthread¡± shouted at Luqi.

    At that moment, the roles of cat and mouse were reversed. Dust and Luqi decided to quickly kill Qing Ling before deciding if they were going after Gao Yang and the others.

    Qing Ling had never met Luqi, but she had heard Gao Yang talk about the man and his strange power.

    Without hesitation, she shot three ck Gold darts at the enemies and lifted her long de¡ªgetting the hell out of there.

    One nce was all it took for Gao Yang to guess that she had encountered a strong enemy. Qing Ling knew that he would decide to retreat given his condition.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling jumped onto the car, and Gao Yang threw a fireball to stop Dust and Luqi from approaching.

    When ¡°Goldthread¡± and Luqi dodged the fireball and reached the crossroad, the car was already too far out. They gave up on giving chase.

    ¡°My mission failed,¡± ¡°Goldthread¡± said with frustration.

    ¡°How did Gao Yang know that you were a spy?¡± Luqi asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Suddenly, ¡°Goldthread¡± came to a realization. ¡°Ke Yo lied to me! She wasn¡¯t the new Archbishop. The assassination was a setup to begin with.¡±

    Luqi thought for a moment before nodding slightly. ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation. You¡¯re exposed, Dust. You can¡¯t return to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Goldthread¡± looked visibly enraged and frustrated. ¡°We¡¯ll kill the Divine Scion together, Luqi!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Luqi gazed at the street under the heavy snow with mncholy eyes, deep in thought.

 Chapter 691: Good Chat

    <h4>Chapter 691: Good Chat</h4>

    Christmas Eve.

    Room 5004 of White Lake Hotel, Changyan District.

    Ke Yo closed the door leading to the entryway without any expression on her face. She didn¡¯t turn on the light, but instead went straight to the bedroom and closed the door, locking it behind her.

    She removed her coat and kicked off the heels, finally allowing herself to rx and topple to the bed.

    Finally, her day as Elder ck Tortoise ended.

    Although she hadn¡¯t done much work, the day still exhausted her. She had to y a characterpletely at odds with her true self. The woman was quick-witted, cunning, power-hungry, and good at acting, and she only acted weak when lulling others into a false sense of security. There was nothing she wouldn¡¯t do for her goals.

    Ke Yo had to consider how her eyes would look and how she uttered every word. Even when she was alone, she couldn¡¯t just rx for a moment.

    There were many things she had to be aware of, including mirrors and other reflective surfaces, nts, mammals, and marine animals. Even when she was indoors, she had to watch out for Talents that could see through walls, such as irvoyance.

    The only safe area was her bedroom in the White Lake Hotel. None of the aforementioned risks were present, and ck Fish couldn¡¯t use irvoyance here, or his eyes would be plucked out.

    Still, Ke Yo couldn¡¯t sleep easily. She couldn¡¯t stop worrying about saying things she shouldn¡¯t say in her sleep.

    Three days were enough to leave her exhausted. She didn¡¯t know for how much longer she could endure. Shey on the bed and let out a long breath. She suddenly felt like having milk tea.

    Back when she lived in Room 5003, Elder Vermilion Bird made it a mission to bring her milk tea all the time. She hadn¡¯t developed a particr liking to it back then.

    Now, though, she craved it.

    She couldn¡¯t have milk tea, though. The Ke Yo she was ying now wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would order milk tea.

    Then she realized that what she missed wasn¡¯t milk tea, but days when she had the love and care of Vermilion Bird and thepany of Team Vermilion Bird.

    <i>Do you regret it now, Ke Yo?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s safest and easiest to follow Sister Xia.</i>

    <i>However, you¡¯ve already chosen the Nine Scions, chosen the one Edmond entrusted you to. You even lied to and hurt Elder Vermilion Bird. There¡¯s no turning back.</i>

    The doorbell rang.

    Ke Yo jerked up into a sitting position. Even in the dark, the rxed and fragile look on her face was instantly gone. She frowned with her eyes turning fiercer, her lips curled into a fake smile. Quickly tying up her hair, she put her coat and heels back on, walking out of the room to the entryway.

    She opened the door. Vermilion Bird was standing outside in brown pajamas, her hair messy and herplexion a little tired.

    ¡°What can I do for you, Elder Vermilion Bird?¡± Ke Yo¡¯s chuckle sounded distant.

    Vermilion Bird smiled, too, and it was a soft smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been losing sleep these days, thinking something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Ke Yo maintained her disingenuous smile like she didn¡¯t care at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent quite some time with you always around. Over the past few days, I thought back to the Ke Yo from before andpared her to the girl you seem like now. And something¡¯s been bothering me...¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird,¡± said Ke Yo. ¡°Sorry to disappoint you. The old Ke Yo didn¡¯t actually exist?¡±

    Vermilion Bird looked at her face closely, speaking in a meaningful tone. ¡°But why do I feel like the old Ke Yo was more real?¡±

    Ke Yo tamped down her surprise and maintained a calm front. ¡°That¡¯s only in your head.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s smile suddenly turned mischievous. ¡°No, look at you now...¡±

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird, I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to rest if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Ke Yo pulled a long face.

    But then her phone buzzed.

    She nced at it before putting her phone back into her pocket. It was a message from an unknown number, consisting of five words and two punctuation marks:

    The odds are with, us.

    Ke Yo suddenly changed her tune and said in a softer tone, ¡°Sister Xia, why don¡¯t we have a chat?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I want.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded.

    ¡°Get changed. We¡¯ll talk outside.¡± Ke Yo lowered her voice. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good ce for it.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Give me a moment.¡± Vermilion Bird turned around and returned to her room.

    Once Vermilion Bird disappeared behind the door, Ke Yo took big strides into the elevator. Then she rushed across the lobby with an impassive expression and reached the road under heavy snow, making her way to the hot pot ce on her left, which was still doing businesste at night.

    When she got to the entrance of the hot pot ce, a cool wind entered her mind and morphed into Nine Frost¡¯s voice.

    [I¡¯ll show you the way. Follow the instructions.]

    [I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m being followed.]

    [Don¡¯t worry about it. Go straight and turn right. Then turn left at the second crossroad. There will be a ck car. The car te ends with 36. Quick. Start running.]

    Ke Yo bolted without hesitation.

    Running amid the pouring snow, she felt like the calctive, cunning, and cold mask on her face was slowly crumbling and disappearing. Soon, the only emotions left on her face were urgency, panic, and guilt.

    She didn¡¯t turn around. She ran faster and faster until she reached her destination and saw a ck car with a number te ending with 36.

    Ke Yo perked up and rushed up to the car, but then a figure descended from a rooftop by the street to block her way. It was Vermilion Bird, still in pajamas and furry slippers.

    Ke Yo couldn¡¯t mask her surprise in time before putting up an act again. ¡°You followed me, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°Stop acting.¡± Vermilion Bird gave her aplicated smile, eyes soft. ¡°I prefer the girl I knew.¡±

    Exposed, Ke Yo didn¡¯t say anything.

    Two secondster, the smile dropped from Vermilion Bird¡¯s face. ¡°Have you thought it through about joining the Nine Scions, Ke Yo?¡±

    Ke Yo averted her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. We each have our own path.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hurt you, Ke Yo, but as an Elder of the Qilin Guild, I have to get you back.¡±

    She took a step forward, but then two throwing knives came out of nowhere with her as the target. She noticed just in time to tilt her head out of the way.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Half a secondter, a figure came up to her from her side. Vermilion Bird got a look from the corner of her eye. The young man had messy blond hair, a handsome face with an unty look, and a pleased smile.

    <i>Bam! </i>Wang Zikai went easy on her and didn¡¯t use his bone ws. He threw a punch at her with less power than he had.

    Vermilion Bird quickly gave herself a triple buff with Equivalent Exchange, blocking the punch with her arms crossed. And still it felt like she was hit by a speeding motorcycle, and she got thrown back for about eight meters.

    With a backflip, she steadied herself, her right hand slowly drooping with her fingers curled. Blood streaked down along her arm.

    A single punch had broken the bones of Vermilion Bird¡¯s right forearm.

    What a monster.

    Holding her right arm with her left, Vermilion Bird healed her right hand with Equivalent Exchange in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Vermilion Bird, is it?¡± Wang Zikai didn¡¯t make another move. With one hand in his pocket, he pointed at the girl behind him with the thumb of his other hand. ¡°My brother wants her. If you know what¡¯s good for you, get the hell out of here. The 94 do not kill those from Team Vermilion Bird.¡±

    Surprised, Vermilion Bird immediately thought of Gao Yang¡¯s gentle face. She silentlyughed. <i>You¡¯ve grown, you damn brat. You¡¯re even acting cool before me. What did I tell you? Men should be more decisive.</i>

    ¡°Go. I can¡¯t defeat you. I tried my best.¡± Vermilion Bird said that for their but also her own benefit.

    ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird.¡± Ke Yo¡¯s eyes were red. She repeated, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled slightly, taking a dark-colored ring box from her pajama pocket. ¡°I was going to have a real talk with you tonight and give this to you.¡±

    She threw the ring box, and Wang Zikai caught it. After making sure there was nothing wrong with it, he handed it to Ke Yo.

    Ke Yo opened the box to find a ck Gold ring inside. It was identical to the one she wore.

    It was Edmond¡¯s ring. Ke Yo took it out and checked the inside of the ring. As expected, there was a word etched into the metal, ¡°lost¡±.

    Ke Yo paused. Combined, the two rings said, ¡°Never lost.¡±

    May they never be lost.

    ¡°I know this ring is important to you, Ke Yo. I was keeping it safe for when you recovered your memory.¡± Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave it on the body since there had been a body theft at the funeral.¡±

    Ke Yo froze again, tears welling up in her eyes.

    She had misunderstood Vermilion Bird. She had thought Vermilion Bird was hiding the truth from her on purpose. If only Vermilion Bird had told her sooner, if only Ke Yo had been brave enough to ask her about Edmond¡¯s ring...

    ¡°If only¡± was the most pointless question in the world.

    She had chosen her path, and she had to stick to it.

    Wiping her tears, Ke Yo put the ring back into the ring box, throwing it back to Vermilion Bird.

    Vermilion Bird caught it, confused. ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give the ring to you, Sister Xia.¡± Ke Yo cried andughed as she extended her right hand, uttering the word that was etched into her ring, ¡°Never.¡±

    Vermilion Bird stared at her nkly.

    Light snow fell on Vermilion Bird¡¯s hair, face, and eyshes which had caught some tears. Without showing any emotion, she waved Ke Yo away.

    ¡°Go. Now.¡±

    Without another word, Ke Yo turned around and ran to the already-started car with Wang Zikai.

    Vermilion Bird stood on the lonesome street under the falling snow, watching the car drive away until it was gone from her sight.

    After a long while, she opened the ring box and put on the ring, muttering the word on her ring silently.

 Chapter 692: Plan Review

    <h4>Chapter 692: n Review</h4>

    Li River Community, Shanqing District, Christmas Eve.

    Gray Bear paced around in the empty living room at a vi. The only one apanying him was the sleeping Waking Insects. To be more precise, it was a cluster of light gray gas that resembled a quiet fountain.

    Every member of the Nine Scions had gone out on a mission, save for Gray Bear.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Can, and Nainai had set out in disguise before the night fell, being all secretive, while Nine Frost had taken Wang Zikai and Hong Xiaoxiao outside. Lithe Snake was out on his own to keep an eye on the Qilin Guild. Meanwhile, Gray Bear was tasked with watching the house on the ridiculous grounds that he wasn¡¯t agile enough and had a more mature personality.

    ¡°Watch the house, watch the house!¡± Gray Bear got even angrier thinking about it. He yelled at the gray gas on the sofa, ¡°I¡¯m not a dog! I¡¯m a bear! Why should a bear watch the house?!¡±

    The gray gas fluctuated a little faster, as if in response to theint.

    Gray Bear scratched his head as he walked around the living room. ¡°Ahhhh I can¡¯t! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with them. Please be safe!¡±

    Then Gray Bear¡¯s phone rang. He quickly took it out of his pocket and found a message from an unknown number: The odds are with, us.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Gray Bear punched the air, his anxiety and grievances evaporating. All that was left was his joy that his teammates woulde back safely.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be back soon! I gotta do something. Something!¡± Gray Bear pocketed his phone and muttered to himself. Then his eyes lit up. ¡°Haha! Let¡¯s get some beer! Late-night snacks! We¡¯re celebrating tonight!¡±

    He put on a leather jacket and then a baseball cap and a mask.

    He turned around when he got to the entryway and reminded the gray gas on the sofa, ¡°Watch the house, Waking Insects! You hear me?¡±

    ...

    Snow fell on the curved road. A car drove at a faster speed, heading to the Hundred Rivers Union¡¯s secret base in the Nanji District.

    Chen Ying clutched the driving wheel with Little Tian in the passenger seat, holding onto the seatbelt with both hands as he sensed the surroundings with his eyes closed.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Can, and Nainai were in the back. Since Nainai had to use her hands, and Gao Yang needed space to recover his original body, it was easiest for Nainai to sit on Qing Ling¡¯sp.

    Nainai had started out opposing the idea in her heart, which tranted into awkward movement and <i>tsundere </iments, but her opinion didn¡¯t matter. It took only one nce from Qing Ling for her to acquiesce.

    ¡°Do it carefully, Nainai. Don¡¯t turn me into a monstrosity.¡± Gao Yang teased her on purpose.

    ¡°Ri-ridiculous! This Empress will never make such a mistake...¡± Nainai was highly tense as she restored Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. If one didn¡¯t see that she was sitting on Qing Ling¡¯sp, they would¡¯ve assumed she was sitting on a time bomb.

    ¡°We¡¯re more or less clear now.¡± Chen Ying nced at the rearview mirror. ¡°Would you tell me what¡¯s going on, Gao Yang?¡±

    Chen Ying had been following Nine Frost¡¯s instructions over the past few days. While she had had many questions during the process, she chose to do what she was told without hesitation.

    And thank heavens she had made a right bet. Dust was exposed. Goldthread met a real end¡ªwhich Chen Ying couldn¡¯t help but be saddened by even though she had been mentally prepared, and she was furious with Dust.

    At this moment, though, what mattered more to her was the truth.

    Gao Yang turned to the side. Nainai was now restoring his arms.

    He said at a deliberate pace, ¡°It¡¯s quiteplicated. I¡¯ll make it as simple as possible.¡±

    ...

    It all started on the day Nine Frost and Chen Ying developed a line ofmunication.

    Gao Yang never suspected Goldthread at the beginning, not even a little.

    His suspect list had been the same: Colorless, Amon, Sha Ye, Wang Weiyan (unlikely), Chestnut, Rain River, Citrus, Sister Ling, and Harvest Song.

    Chen Ying, despite her alibi, wasn¡¯tpletely exempt from suspicion, either.

    Thus, Gao Yang wanted to meet Chen Ying first thing to make sure she wasn¡¯t the spy. Only then could he put his full trust in her and help her identify Dust.

    Unfortunately, ns had the tendency to go wrong, and Gao Yang¡¯s secret meeting with Chen Ying was interrupted by Raven Shark from Team Vermilion Bird.

    After that, Gao Yang gave Chen Ying an instruction through Nine Frost, telling her to look into Chestnut, which involved testing her openly.

    Gao Yang wanted to know if that would alert the enemy and give them more clues.

    Then Gao Yang had Nine Frost contact the Twelve Zodiac Signs, asking War Tiger to get his Dragonying Giantsword from Chestnut ¡°coincidentally¡± at the same time¡ªthat was to justify his action and avoid suspicion.

    Thus, War Tiger tested Chen Ying seemingly on a whim and proved her innocence.

    When War Tiger learned of the n from Nine Frost, he had blithely said that he was happy to ¡°kill¡± a pretty woman and would do his best.

    War Tiger and Chen Ying had a ¡°pleasant¡± talk and encounter.

    After that, Chen Ying followed Nine Frost¡¯s instruction and talked to Liao Liao, learning more about Citrus, Rain River, and Sister Ling through the new team leader. However, the conversation revealed apletely different perspective on the range of suspects. She included every member of the Union, herself too.

    That night, Chen Ying ryed Liao Liao¡¯s words to Nine Frost, and Nine Frost immediately told Gao Yang.

    Realization dawned on Gao Yang. He was shocked¡ªLiao Liao was good!

    He reflected on himself and realized that he had been too careless when narrowing down the suspects. Perhaps the list never included Dust to start with.

    And, well, Gao Yang really was lucky.

    The seventh night after Qiu Qiu¡¯s death, Gao Yang went past the New Cemetery and decidedst minute to sweep his friend¡¯s tomb. Gray Bear and Can, who were with him, got the idea of visiting their respective friends, too.

    Can went to Huanhuan¡¯s tomb, and Gray Bear visited his former colleague, Officer Liu.

    The moment Gao Yang saw the officer¡¯s tomb, he remembered a detail about their fight, which struck Gao Yang like a truck and made him break into goosebumps.

    Thinking back, the detail should¡¯ve caught his attention, but Gao Yang had been solely focused on survival back then and had little perspective, and thus he omitted the clue.

    It was Officer Liu¡¯s Talent, Seed of Resentment.

    Seed of Resentment, serial number 55, Psyche-type.

    Officer Liu had used it to make Gray Bear, Lithe Snake, and Gao Yang fight each other.

    Gao Yang was already quite mentally resistant then, yet he still easily got manipted and enraged. Thus, Gao Yang had judged that Officer Liu¡¯s Seed of Resentment was at least level 4, or even level 5.

    He hadn¡¯t followed the thought and wondered how Officer Liu reached level 4 with Seed of Resentment. How did hee into contact with the Psyche Rune Circuit?

    The Psyche Rune Circuit was found by Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun, and they only got it after entering the Gu Family¡¯s Vige as baits.

    Not long after that, the Psyche Rune Circuit was traded for the Damage Rune Circuit with the Hundred Rivers Union, and for a long time, the Rune Circuit had been in the Union¡¯s possession.

    An unaffiliated awakener should never have the chance to touch the Rune Circuit. How did Officer Liu, as an unaffiliated awakener whoter joined the Godbearer Cult, level up his Talent?

    The answer was Dust, the spy in the Union. Dust had secretly lent it to Officer Liu to level up his Talent and make him more powerful, allowing him to better conduct his mission.

    Who among the Union, outside Surnamed Li, could do that without difficulty?

    The answer was Colorless, Goldthread, and Green Tea.

 Chapter 693: Plan Review 2

    <h4>Chapter 693: n Review 2</h4>

    Gao Yang had learned from Chen Ying that the Rune Circuits possessed by the Hundred Rivers Union had always been kept safe by Colorless, Goldthread, and Green Tea, mainly Colorless and Goldthread.

    That was in line with Gao Yang¡¯s experience. When he borrowed the Rune Circuit from the Union to level up his Double to level 4, Colorless and Goldthread were the ones who received him, and the Rune Circuit was kept in Goldthead¡¯s briefcase.

    With Green Tea getting killed by Dust, he was automatically taken off the suspect list. That left Colorless and Goldthread.

    Of course, Gao Yang could¡¯ve just told Chen Ying her conclusion and had her imprison Colorless and Goldthread for interrogation, polygraph, dream invasion, or psychic torment. There were many ways to flush out Dust.

    However, he decided against those ideas after some deliberation. He had four reasons:

    First, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t be certain that the spy was between Colorless and Goldthread.

    Second, Colorless and Goldthread were both senior members of the Hundred Rivers Union with formidable power. Antagonizing both at the same time could lead to chaos or even bloodshed, and the Union might not be able to take it.

    Third, Dust was likely to have cursed more people around her in secret. If she got cornered, she might take many down with her.

    Fourth, Gao Yang had a personal reason for helping Chen Ying look for the spy. He wanted to capture Dust alive to track down the Heavenly Godbearer pulling the strings behind the scenes. It wouldn¡¯t be ideal for him for Dust to simply fall into the Union¡¯s clutch.

    Moreover, there was a possibility that Qilin would seize the chance to intervene, having Vermilion Bird question Dust¡¯s body. He could even do something much worse, insisting that the body revealed Gao Yang to be the leader of Tails and a high-ranking member of the Godbearer Cult. Then Gao Yang would have a real difficulty defending himself.

    With all those reasonsbined, Gao Yang decided to capture Dust personally.

    It would be risky, but he had chosen the path with the greatest risk the moment he started the Nine Scions. He couldn¡¯t turn around now.

    He learned from Dragon that while strength and luck mattered, what mattered even more was the courage to go all in.

    Who among them wasn¡¯t gambling in order to pursue their goals and survive til the end in the cruel Mist World?

    An insane n took root in Gao Yang¡¯s mind.

    The key yer of the n wasn¡¯t Gao Yang, Chen Ying, or even the suspects, Colorless and Goldthread, but an insignificant character who had almost been ignored.

    Ke Yo.

    The first step of the n was to recruit Ke Yo.

    She was necessary for the n to work, and fortunately, Gao Yang had already beenying down the groundwork before the conception of the n.

    The first time Gao Yang and Ke Yo met in Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream, he went for an earnest approach to appeal to her sentimental side. In truth, he didn¡¯t have any other ways. He could only hope that Edmond and he had seen Ke Yo right: that she was kind at heart and wasn¡¯t a bad person.

    Of course, being earnest still required skills and some posturing. In that, he had learned much from Dragon.

    Gao Yang seized the chance to throw two ¡°sentimental bombs¡± at Ke Yo.

    The first was, ¡°I promised Edmond that I would take care of you.¡±

    The words made Ke Yo waver, as he had expected.

    It was clear that even without her memory, her feelings and trust for Edmond remained deeply rooted in her heart; it was almost instinctual. She felt a fleeting pang whenever she heard Edmond¡¯s name.

    The second bomb was the ring.

    Gao Yang told her that Edmond had a matching ring with hers.

    Coming from Gao Yang, the revtion gave Ke Yo a preconception that Gao Yang knew Edmond to some degree, at least better than Vermilion Bird did, and that there was an agreement between the two men.

    That was a little low of Gao Yang.

    He could guess that Vermilion Bird would most likely keep the ring a secret for the moment. That was because Vermilion Bird preferred tackling a problem step by step, and she would like to give Ke Yo the appropriate nudge when the time was right, slowly turning the girl into her own people.

    Gao Yang used that to viinize Vermilion Bird, exploiting the difference between what he knew and what Ke Yo knew.

    Indeed, Ke Yo checked on Edmond¡¯s body and realized that the ring was gone, yet Vermilion Bird had never told her about it. That further tipped the scale in Ke Yo¡¯s heart.

    She began to suspect that Vermilion Bird might not care about her as much as it seemed, that Vermilion Bird simply wanted her for her ability. Inparison, Gao Yang was at least more honest with her. And Gao Yang had made a promise to Edmond.

    A weekter, Gao Yang and Ke Yo met again in Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream. After careful consideration, Ke Yo chose to join the Nine Scions.

    For one, she believed that to be Edmond¡¯s dying wish. For another, she was leaning toward Gao Yang in the choice between him and Vermilion Bird. Finally,pared to the extreme ways of Guildmaster Qilin, the Nine Scions were more in line with her sense of justice.

    Gao Yang instinctively knew that Ke Yo hadn¡¯t lied to him, but he still used Lie Detection on her; it concluded that she didn¡¯t lie, and she was benevolent.

    It was possible because of another substantial change to Sweet Dream upon reaching level 7. Those in the dream could use any Talents and get a result like they were in reality, only that the consequences wouldn¡¯t actually reflect in reality.

    In other words, it would be a simtion.

    With Lie Detection, though, a simtion was more than good enough.

    If Gao Yang burned Ke Yo in the dream, Ke Yo would feel pain, but her body wouldn¡¯t actually be burned when she woke up.

    The result Gao Yang got with Lie Detection in the dream, though, would be the same as the one he would get in reality.

    Liu Qingying had given Gao Yang the information unprompted.

    As a reputable information broker, Liu Qingying had to confirm the uracy of any intel, and whether Ke Yo actually wanted to join the Nine Scions had to be validated, which Gao Yang could do with Lie Detection.

    Gao Yang promised Liu Qingying that he would tell her if Ke Yo was lying, but only after three days.

    Liu Qingying understood. Whether Ke Yo was joining the Nine Scions for real would merely be a rtively important intel to Liu Qingying, but it could be a deadly risk to Gao Yang and Ke Yo. The consequences of a leak would be unbearable.

    After Liu Qingying left her dream, Gao Yang had a discussion with Ke Yo and said that he would whisk her away amid the chaos while the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Hundred Rivers Union were trading Rune Circuits.

    Then Gao Yang told her his real n.

    ¡°There are two versions. One¡¯s easy mode, and the other¡¯s hard mode,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the easy mode, first. Do nothing tomorrow afternoon, and I¡¯ll take you away.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, ¡°What about hard mode?¡±

    Gao Yang broke into a faint smile. ¡°Tell Qilin about the fact that I¡¯lle to rescue you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Ke Yo was shocked, but then she came to a realization. ¡°You want to make me...a double agent?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You really are mad.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear the n or not?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted as he waited for the fish to bite the bait.

    Ke Yo nodded. The dream wasn¡¯t ending any time soon. She might as well hear him out.

    ¡°Qilin¡¯s strong and confident, smart, too. Based on what I know about him, he¡¯ll use the chance to set up a trap for me if you tell him about my n.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make the preparations to not be captured by him.¡±

    ¡°But with you demonstrating your loyalty to the Guild, Qilin will reward you or even make you the new Elder. Given your Talent, you will be good enough to be appointed the title.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think...that¡¯s likely,¡± Ke Yo said. ¡°And you said it yourself. He¡¯s smart. Why would he just put his trust in me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not out of trust that he¡¯ll make you an Elder. It can be a message and proof.¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°The three major organizations and the Nine Scions have been headhunting. I told you about Dr. Jia and Gregor.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s consider what happened with Dr. Jia a tie between us and the Guild. The Nine Scions won with Gregor. And you¡¯re our third match.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°Qilin needs to score to prove himself to others. It¡¯ll be meaningful for you to trick the Nine Scions and pledge yourself to the Qilin Guild. That¡¯ll be a humiliation to the Cult and the Nine Scions and an achievement of the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°Even if Qilin doesn¡¯t trust you, he¡¯ll reward you heavily for the act. That will impact thepetition for talent going forward, and even the war itself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I get it now.¡± Ke Yo couldn¡¯t help but admire Gao Yang a little. He seemed to be around her age, yet he was seeing many more steps ahead.

    ¡°That¡¯s only on paper, though.¡± Ke Yo wasn¡¯t feeling optimistic. ¡°You want me to be a double agent in the Guild, but I can¡¯t do it well. I cave easily under pressure.¡±

    ¡°No, I never intend for you to be a double agent. I simply want you to confuse the Guild and gain the ability to move freely.¡±

    Seeing Ke Yo getting increasingly confused, he said patiently, ¡°It is a littleplicated. No rush. I¡¯ll exin slowly.¡±

    ¡°ording to the n, you¡¯ll ¡®sell me out¡¯ and earn some trust from Qilin. Thus, you¡¯ll be able to move freely without Vermilion Bird monitoring you. And you¡¯ll have effectively proimed yourself an enemy of the Nine Scions. The news will get to the spy in the Hundred Rivers Union, Dust.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Ke Yo finally caught on. ¡°Are you...using the fact that I was a Tail member to root out Dust?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang was pleased. The girl was bright. He hadn¡¯t chosen the wrong person.

    ¡°God, you really, <i>really </i>are out of your mind!¡±

 Chapter 694: Plan Review 3

    <h4>Chapter 694: n Review 3</h4>

    ¡°Thanks for thepliment,¡± Gao Yang joked to ease the tension.

    ¡°It¡¯s not apliment!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to it,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Once you earn the Guild¡¯s trust, try toe into contact with Colorless and Goldthread. One of the two is likely Dust.¡±

    ¡°But how?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be difficult. I¡¯ll give you two options.¡± Gao Yang extended two fingers.

    ¡°First, with my intervention tomorrow, the trade for Rune Circuits will fail. The Zodiacs and the Union are going to trade again. You should be able to get Yan Liang to take you with him by acting servile to him. That will be your chance to contact Colorless and Goldthread.¡±

    ¡°Second, you ask for the Support Rune Circuit. For the n to work, you will have to act like a different person. You¡¯ll reveal yourself to be a calctive, cunning, power-hungry person who is good at acting and difficult to pin down, with little things you won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°After betraying the Nine Scions, you ask Qilin for a reward and hope to be an Elder, as well as ess to the Support Rune Circuit to level up Strange to level 4. The Support Rune Circuit is owned by the Hundred Rivers Union. When borrowing it from them, you¡¯ll have a chance to contact Colorless and Goldthread.¡±

    ¡°Let me think...¡± Ke Yo lowered her head and frowned, trying to imagine herself doing it.

    After a minute, she looked up, still hesitant. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Aftering into contact with Colorless and Goldthread, try to give them each a slip of paper. Remember, they cannot know about each other.¡±

    ¡°On each slip will be a meeting time and a ce, and the time and ce of the two slips must be different.¡±

    ¡°For example, meet one at location A at one in the morning and the other at location B at three. You don¡¯t have to give a name, only the symbol of the Cult.¡±

    ¡°Then you wait for the fish to bite the bait.¡± In the dim screening room, Gao Yang nodded slightly, his tone growing lower.

    ¡°The one who isn¡¯t a spy won¡¯t take the risk to meet you. They will be worried that you¡¯re trying to set them up or instill distrust, or it can be a trap to assassinate them. By the way, the meeting time you give them must be so soon that they won¡¯t have the chance to think or investigate. Then it¡¯ll be very likely for the innocent member to not go to the meeting ce.¡±

    ¡°Not Dust though. Dust wille to you.¡±

    ¡°For certain?¡±

    ¡°For certain.¡± Gao Yang was a hundred percent sure. ¡°When Dust receives the slip of paper, they will assume that you know their identity. After all, you were once a member of Tails, which served the Cult. It makes sense for you to know Dust¡¯s true identity.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded.

    ¡°But you betrayed the Nine Scions and openly dered your allegiance to the Qilin Guild. Were that true, Dust would be in danger. Sooner orter you would expose Dust to the Qilin Guild for your reward.¡±

    Ke Yo understood. ¡°So Dust wille to me to confirm if I¡¯m truly loyal to the Qilin Guild.¡±

    With more details being hashed out and more potential scenarios described by Gao Yang, Ke Yo came to believe that the n could work. ¡°What then?¡±

    ¡°Then when Dustes, you¡¯ll know who they are whether they show you their true appearance or not because you gave a different time and location to Goldthread and Colorless.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go after Dust on your own. It¡¯s too dangerous. Tell Dust that you¡¯re the new Archbishop and focus on fooling them first. Give them a new mission: kill the Divine Scion, me.¡±

    ¡°Will they buy it?¡± Ke Yo got worried again. Dust had been a spy for ten years. They must be cunning and cautious.

    ¡°They will.¡± Gao Yang had thought it through. ¡°The Godbearer Cult has ordered Luqi to kill me. Although I don''t know how Luqi was resurrected or why he worked for the Cult, that is a known truth.¡±

    ¡°Wait... No, there¡¯s a risk.¡± Ke Yo thought of something else. ¡°Won¡¯t Dust know I¡¯m lying if they go to their superior for confirmation?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen,¡± Gao Yang exined patiently. ¡°The former ck Tortoise, Yellow Butterfly, and the fake traitor Ghost Horse all receive their orders from the higher-ups one-sidedly. They cannot contact their superiors.¡±

    ¡°That was why the three organizations haven¡¯t been able to identify the Heavenly Godbearer all this time.¡±

    ¡°Thus, I believe Dust won¡¯t be able to confirm your identity in the short term.¡±

    Ke Yo nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to act as quickly as we can. The longer you wait, the more variables there will be.¡± Gao Yang emphasized his point. ¡°Once you see Dust, tell them that there will be a valuable chance for them to kill me in three days, and it¡¯ll be their only chance. They must seize it. If Dust asks you about the details, tell them that they¡¯ll know once the opportunity presents itself.¡±

    ¡°After that, go back to the White Lake Hotel and stay on the balcony for two minutes. Nine Frost will contact you with Telepathy. Tell him who Dust is, and we¡¯ll do the rest.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°Stay at the hotel as much as possible. Wait for a message that says, ¡®The odds are with, us.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Remember, you must immediately go to the hot pot ce on the first floor of the hotel once you receive the message. Shake your tails if there¡¯s any. My people will be there to take you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ke Yo nodded.

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re going for hard mode?¡±

    Ke Yo was silent for a few seconds before she nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no why.¡± Ke Yo lowered her eyes and said with feelings, ¡°I just want to do the right thing. I used to be a bad person, right? I want to make amends now.¡±

    ¡°Edmond said that you weren¡¯t a bad person,¡± Gao Yang said with an earnest look in his eyes.

    Ke Yo paused before breaking into a smile. She felt warmth bloom in her chest, unbidden.

    ¡°The greatest difficulty of the n is acting, Ke Yo.¡±

    Gao Yang said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a detailed character profile for you that¡¯s a few thousand words long. There are many lines you can use to establish your character. You must memorize the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Huh? A few thousand words...¡± Ke Yo started to regret it. ¡°How can I possibly memorize that now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you the spiel now.¡±

    Gao Yang seemed to have predicted her reaction. ¡°Once you wake up, find a chance to swing by Miss Liu¡¯s restaurant. Go to the restroom. There will be a bottle of Medicine M hidden in the toilet tank. Drink it, and you¡¯ll have a photographic memory for the next three days, as well as remember every word I tell you right now. That¡¯ll help you y your character well.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Ke Yo turned to Gao Yang in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯ve thought the whole thing through.¡±

    ¡°I have to.¡± Gao Yang was nervous under his calm front. After all, a small mistake could lead to death.

    ...

    Gao Yang briefly exined his n in the car.

    Can gasped many times during his exnation. Her jaw fell. ¡°Captain, you, you, you...¡±

    She stuttered until she finally found the words to describe him. ¡°That¡¯s crazy! Devious! You even fooled us!¡±

    ¡°I had no choice. The fewer people that knew, the greater the chance of sess.¡± Gao Yang had now recovered his upper body.

    Nainai had gotten off Qing Ling¡¯sp and was now squatting between the front seat and the back seat. Qing Ling had to make room by lifting her legs and resting them on Nainai¡¯s back.

    Nainai had never felt such humiliation¡ªand it was humiliating, definitely, for real¡ªbut she didn¡¯t dare to voice her grievances.

    She had crouched down to massage Gao Yang¡¯s legs, restoring his body further.

    ¡°Still, I underestimated Qilin and Yan Liang and almost got everyone killed.¡± Thinking back to what happened on Huangsong Street, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty.

    He had not only asked Waking Insects to be their insurance, but also have Wang Zikai, Qing Ling, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Lithe Snake on standby in case something happened. However, that ended up biting him in the rear. Qilin and Yan Liang had almost killed all five of them with their coboration.

    Although Lithe Snake and Qing Ling were brought back in the end, Gao Yang¡¯s guilt and pain were real that day. He med himself for the decision.

    If they died, they would never know that they got killed because of the person they trusted the most. Gao Yang could¡¯ve gone for easy mode but chose the insane hard mode instead.

    He almost lost twopanions just to root out a spy.

    At that point, though, there really was no turning back.

 Chapter 695: Plan Review 4

    <h4>Chapter 695: n Review 4</h4>

    However, looking back, it was exactly because Qilin and Yan Liang had almost killed Gao Yang and his fourpanions and struck the Nine Scions with a heavy blow that the story became believable. Thus, Qilin and Yan Liang never suspected that Ke Yo could be putting up an act with Gao Yang, and they rewarded her handsomely. Not only did they make her an Elder as an exception, they also allowed her the biggest freedom.

    During the next three days, Ke Yo never once forgot about her character, and she acted with every muscle in her body. At the same time, she followed Gao Yang¡¯s suggestion and contacted Goldthread and Colorless in secret, thus confirming that Goldthread was Dust.

    Ke Yo told Nine Frost. Up to that point, Gao Yang, Ke Yo, and Nine Frost were the only ones who knew the whole n.

    Then Nine Frost contacted Chen Ying, having her bring Goldthread and Little Tian with the excuse of a secret trade of Rune Circuits, luring Goldthread out.

    Meanwhile, Nine Frost left two ck Gold hairpins marked with Gamer in the women¡¯s toilet of the hamburger ce near Chen Ying¡¯s home. He told Chen Ying to make sure to retrieve them, and that both she and Little Tian must carry them on themselves. No questions asked. She must do it if she didn¡¯t want to die.

    Chen Ying wasn¡¯t so dense that she wouldn¡¯t realize Goldthread was Dust.

    It was shocking and absurd. She had never once considered that Goldthread could be the spy.

    After some agonizing and pondering, she decided to trust the n Gao Yang ryed through Nine Frost unconditionally and execute it.

    Soon, all preparations had been made, and all that was left was to wait for the time toe.

    Chen Ying sent a message to Gao Yang with a burner phone, telling him the meeting time and location: Christmas Eve, 10 o¡¯clock at night.

    Gao Yang knew that it was time to conclude the n.

    It just so happened that he had epted Fresh Snow¡¯s invitation to spend Christmas Eve together. It troubled him, but he could not give up on carrying out thest step of the n tonight, or all the effort and sacrifice made would be wasted. However, his contact with the Spectres was one-sided. He had no way to message White Dew.

    If he needed anything, he would have to visit the Spectres¡¯ mansion, and he simply didn¡¯t have the time. He had to prepare for and rehearse the n, scouting out the location too.

    He thought with some wishful thinking that perhaps he didn¡¯t have to notify Fresh Snow and would make it to the meeting ce in time after the n concluded. With his mind made up, he took Can shopping and bought a coat. Then he returned and had Nainai transform him.

    Gao Yang turned into Can and replicated Invisibility, Time Reset, and Telepathy.

    Nainai, on the other hand, carried a marked ck Gold hairpin and transformed into Gao Yang with Shapeshifter, gaining ess to Double.

    Meanwhile, Chen Ying had brought Little Tian with her to rx Goldthread¡¯s guard for one, and to make sure Goldthread hadn¡¯t set up any trap¡ªLittle Tian would be able to detect any awakener and awake elite monster in the three-kilometer radius.

    Both Gao Yang and Chen Ying were gambling. They could guess that Dust was Goldthread¡¯s second personality¡ªor soul¡ªwhich allowed Dust to stay unnoticed for years. If Green Tea hadn¡¯t acquired Mindreading, Dust would remain hidden.

    Thus, if they could somehow force Dust¡¯s soul out, perhaps Goldthread could still live.

    Green Tea¡¯s behavior supported the possibility. When he sought out Chestnut, he had asked her for a ck Gold weapon that hurt the soul but not the body. Green Tea must have wanted to kill the other voice in Goldthread¡ªDust¡¯s soul.

    If Green Tea hadn¡¯t allowed emotions to make the decision, if he had made a deadly move as soon as he heard the other voice in Goldthread, Goldthread and Dust would¡¯ve been the ones to die.

    <i>¡°The soft ones won¡¯t get to be thest onesughing.¡±</i>

    When Gao Yang figured out Green Tea¡¯s motivation and what he had done, the advice of an old friend surfaced in his head.

    Ironically, Gao Yang and Chen Ying had gone soft, too. They also wanted to save Goldthread.

    They didn¡¯t know that as overtaker prime, Dust¡¯s soul and energy had long reached all parts of Goldthread¡¯s body and soul like cancer cells, taking over his existence with him none the wiser.

    When Dust forced herself to wake up, Goldthread¡¯s soul burned. It was something not even Dust could stop.

    Double Soul Leecher. It was the most basic ability of an overtaker prime, or it could be considered a curse.

    Everything went ording to n. They met up at the Western Suburban Park. Chen Ying made a secret Rune Circuit trade with the Nine Scions with Goldthread and Little Tian. Inside Goldthread, Dust could see everything clearly, but didn¡¯t do anything to intervene.

    Actually, there was little Dust could do while Goldthread was awake, or she would take overpletely, and Goldthread would die.

    Still, Dust could guess that the trade had something to do with the assassination n against Gao Yang that had been proposed to her. While Goldthread was retrieving the Rune Circuit, she made his soul go nk for two seconds and seized the chance to inject the Rune Circuit with the curse of Soul Bonfire.

    The two groups met that night.

    Nainai, disguised as Gao Yang, and Gao Yang, disguised as Can, showed up.

    ¡°Can¡± immediately used Telepathy to make a clear point to Chen Ying during the thirty seconds of opening: <i>Do as we agreed on. No matter what happens or who dies, stay calm and believe me. It¡¯s all part of the n.</i>

    Chen Yingposed herself, reassured.

    Gao Yang and Nainai first appeared invisible with Gao Yang using the Talent; that was to establish himself as the real Can.

    Then Chen Ying had Little Tian look for enemies in the area. It was to make sure Dust didn¡¯t have any reinforcements hidden nearby and to ¡°catch¡± the double Nainai had created as Gao Yang.

    Nainai dispersed the double right before everyone, thus establishing herself as Gao Yang.

    Even Dust believed her to be the real Gao Yang, and she realized then that this was the only chance to kill the Divine Scion.

    As per their deal, ¡°Can¡± put on the ck Gold cuffs with Chen Ying pointing a gun at her head, bing surety. ¡°Goldthread¡±, on the other hand, handed the Support Rune Circuit to ¡°Gao Yang¡±. Dust made a move then.

    She activated the curse, and the curse entered ¡°Gao Yang¡± from the Support Rune Circuit, triggering Soul Bonfire.

    Nainai, ying Gao Yang, got her soul burned to death. It onlysted a little more than ten seconds, but she was put through great pain that no human should be able to bear. It was painful enough to be burned to death, let alone when it was her soul getting burned.

    With her imperial dignity on the line, though, she stayed strong til thest second and never showed her true self even after her death¡ªsuch was the power of level 7 Shapeshifter and the strength of someone with a firm belief.

    Chen Ying tamped down her panic as she watched Nainai burn to death. She continued to act, hitting the blood pack hidden in ¡°Can¡¯s¡± hair with a nk, making it seem like ¡°Can¡± had been shot in the head.

    Dust questioned who Chen Ying was when she saw things y out from inside Goldthread¡¯s body. Was Chen Ying the second spy the Heavenly Godbearer had nted in the Hundred Rivers Union, or someone Ke Yo had just recruited?

    It didn¡¯t matter. When Dust activated Soul Bonfire during Goldthread¡¯s wakeful time, his soul detected her existence, and it was only a matter of time before Dust woke up by force.

    Dust stopped acting. She woke up, and Goldthread¡¯s soul burned to nothingness, dying a tragic death¡ªhe never even knew what killed him.

    But Goldthread was also ¡°lucky¡±. If not for Dust, he would¡¯ve died in the fire years ago.

    Now that Dust had taken over Goldthread fully, she activated Soul Bonefire without hesitation, killing Little Tian too.

    Compared to Soul Bomb, Soul Bonfire was much simpler and easier to activate. She only had to have touched the target physically for one second and conversed with them for ten seconds within the past forty-eight hours. The one constraint was its range. She had to be right beside the target.

    Chen Ying watched Little Tian die. She maintained a cold expression, but inside, she was tortured.

    Dust sensed the pain and anger in Chen Ying. Her soul¡¯s smell had changed. That wouldn¡¯t escape Dust¡¯s notice.

    Thus, she suspected that Chen Ying was actually an enemy rather than apanion, and she was right.

    Then Dust threatened Chen Ying, nning to turn Chen Ying into her new host to continue her spy work.

    ¡°Can¡±, yed by Gao Yang, stopped acting dead. He made a surprise attack at Dust, and he would¡¯ve gotten what he wanted if not for the bodypromising his mobility.

    He conjured a double to fight Dust while he used thest Talent he had replicated, Gamer, resetting Nainai, Little Tian, and Chen Ying at the same time.

    Meanwhile, Qing Ling and Can were rushing to the site from over three kilometers away.

    Dust realized her defeat in the end, and she fled without hesitation.

 Chapter 696: Broken Promise

    <h4>Chapter 696: Broken Promise</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s about what happened.¡± Gao Yang briefly exined everything.

    By then, Nainai had already restored Gao Yang¡¯s body fully and gone back to sitting on Qing Ling¡¯sp. She was so stiff it was as if she had been paralyzed by a hit to her acupuncture point.

    ¡°Dang, my head itches...¡± Can stuck out her tongue and said in self-mockery. ¡°I think I¡¯m growing a brain.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, this Empress put on an impressive act and secured our victory.¡± Although Nainai was under the pressure of the greatest bane in her life, she still couldn¡¯t help but ask for praise proudly.

    <i>Nainai is reliable, and she suffered a lot for the n.</i>

    Gao Yang felt guilty and was about topliment Nainai, but then he realized that it would be more effectiveing from someone else. He gave Qing Ling a smile.

    Without missing a beat, Qing Ling said coolly, ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Nainai cried out and froze. Her head rang, a voice repeating in her head, <i>Sheplimented me again! Sheplimented me! She did!</i>

    ¡°Captain Gao, I really want to open your head up to see what¡¯s inside.¡± Chen Ying had been hearing them talk while driving, and she couldn¡¯t help but voice her admiration.

    At the same time, however, she noticed that the tendency toward madness under Gao Yang¡¯s gentle front seemed to be getting more and more pronounced.

    She wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing for the Nine Scions to have a leader like him.

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang escorted Chen Ying and Little Tian to somewhere near the base of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Chen Ying bowed to Gao Yang in gratitude again, handing him the small briefcase with Support Rune Circuit. ¡°As per our agreement, the Support Rune Circuit will be lent to you for ten days. Please keep it a secret! And I¡¯ll report to Madam Li about what happened. The Hundred Rivers Union will not forget the help the Nine Scions offered us. Please wait for more good news from me.¡±

    <i>Great. Now both Gray Bear and Ke Yo can level up their Talents. </i>Gao Yang nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for the good news.¡±

    Chen Ying and Little Tian drove away. Gao Yang and the others ¡°borrowed¡± a car from the mostly abandoned street nearby and headed back to the Li River Community in Shanqing District.

    Gao Yang had been so busy with the n that he didn¡¯t have the time to check his phone until now. Indeed, White Dew had sent him a message at seven at night: eight o¡¯clock, amusement park, under the Ferris wheel.

    Gao Yang paused. It was where Fresh Snow and Gao Yang had met for the first time. It wasn¡¯t far from where they were now.

    He checked the time. It was eleven already,ter than he had expected.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get off here, Nainai,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°I have something to attend to. You should return with the Rune Circuit now.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with you,¡± said Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang exined, ¡°It¡¯s not a mission, but a personal matter.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Nainai parked by the road. When Gao Yang was going to get out, he realized that he was still wearing Can¡¯s red coat. It was too small for him and struggled to fit him. It looked a little silly.

    ¡°You should change, Captain.¡± Can came prepared. She took out a folded gray parka from her backpack.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gao Yang took off the coat and put on the parka.

    Can grabbed the coat and put on a casual smile. ¡°I¡¯ll consider this your Christmas gift to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all messed up,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a new er.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. That¡¯ll be wasteful. I can just iron it out.¡± Can waved a hand at him.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang opened the door. ¡°Safe trip back.¡±

    Once he left, Can sat in the back with the red coat Gao Yang had just taken off in her arms. After a while, she looked around and realized that Nainai, who wasn¡¯t a skilled driver, was fully focused on driving, and in the passenger seat, Qing Ling had closed her eyes to rest.

    Can waspelled to lift the coat to her nose and take a slight whiff.

    She realized what she had just done two secondster. She flushed red.<i> Why am I acting like a pervert?!</i>

    She lowered the coat nervously and pretended that nothing had happened. She was still clutching onto the coat tightly.

    A few secondster, she rxed a little.

    ...

    When Gao Yang reached the abandoned amusement park as quickly as possible, it was nearly midnight.

    Under the quiet moon, he vaulted over the worn metal door and made it across all sorts of snow-covered facilities like he was crossing the snowy forest in a fairy tale. He made a beeline for the Ferris wheel. When he was just about to reach it, fireworks emerged in the distant sky, apanied by the meandering ring of a bell.

    It was twelve. It was no longer Christmas Eve, but Christmas.

    Gao Yang stood in the pouring snow and looked at the distant night sky illuminated by the boisterous city. His mind strayed for a moment. It felt like he was looking at another world.

    A few secondster, he continued to hurry to the Ferris wheel.

    Snow dusted the top of the wheel. It quietly slumbered in thend of white, looking lonesome.

    There were two snowmen about half a meter tall on the concrete clearing under the Ferris wheel.

    The one on the left was a little taller and wider, with two branches as arms. On its head was a red winter hat. Three ck pebbles made up the eyes and mouth, and the nose was a blue bottle cap.

    The snowman on the right was shorter and thinner with branches as arms, too. The facial features were simrly made with pebbles and bottle caps, but the cheeks had been applied with blushes. It looked like it was done with a lipstick.

    It didn¡¯t have a hat on, but a red scarf.

    Gao Yang could tell from first nce that the one on the left was a boy, and the one on the right a girl, representing Gao Yang and Fresh Snow.

    Between the snowmen was a square gift box of red and green, tied with a pink ribbon shaped like a heart. It must be Fresh Snow¡¯s Christmas gift for Gao Yang.

    A fireworkuncher could be found near the snowmen. It was the same as the one Gao Yang and Fresh Snow had shot from a boat on the Li River. It was exactly the same product, in fact.

    Gao Yang took a careful look. The fuse was extracted, but the firework hadn¡¯t been lit. He felt a pang in his chest, and his bad habit of imagining the scenario acted up again.

    Once he agreed to the invitation, Fresh Snow must have rushed home all giddy, telling her sister, White Dew, first thing.

    White Dew prettied her up and gave her tips. They decided that Fresh Snow would meet Gao Yang at the amusement park where they had first met each other.

    Fresh Snow wanted to look pretty, so she put on a nice dress and some makeup, applying lipstick too. Bringing fireworks and her Christmas gift, she arrived at eight...no, probably seven.

    She was happy, and she ran around in the snow.

    Soon, it was eight, yet Gao Yang didn¡¯t show up. Fresh Snow wasn¡¯t disappointed. She thought that Gao Yang must have been dyed by something. And the amusement park was far away. It was likely that he would be stuck in a traffic jam.

    Fresh Snow continued to wait. Excitement quieted down into boredom. And she started making snowmen.

    Then it was already nine when she realized it. Gao Yang still didn¡¯t show up.

    Fresh Snow was anxious, but there was nothing she could do but to wait.

    Had something happened to Gao Yang? Fresh Snow would think. No, he would be here. He promised. Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t break his promise.

    Fresh Snow reassured herself and continued to wait.

    The snow fell harder. The two snowmen seemed lonely and a little cold. Fresh Snow gave them her hat and scarf.

    She was getting even more bored, and she started chatting with the snowmen.

    Then it was eleven. Fresh Snow knew that Gao Yang wasn¡¯t showing up. He must have been upied by something else.

    She had wanted to wait for Gao Yang toe so that they could light the fireworks together. Then she would give him the Christmas gift, but getting angry, she took out the firework and decided tounch it herself, not allowing Gao Yang the view.

    Only then did she realize that she didn¡¯t have a lighter with her. After all, Gao Yang had been the one to light the fireworks before.

    Fresh Snow deted. She was suddenly sad and dejected, a little heartbroken.

    She crouched down and stared at the two snowmen.

    After a while, she took the gift out of her bag and ced it between the snowmen.

    She rose and dusted the snow from her hair and dress, turning around quietly and disappearing into the snow.

    ...

    <i>Stop! Stop already!</i>

    Gao Yang interrupted his thoughts and picked up the beautiful box, gently wiping the thinyer of snow away. He untied the ribbon and opened the box.

 Chapter 697: Real Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 697: Real Bastard</h4>

    Inside the gift box was a light silver fingerless glove.

    Gao Yang paused. It was the glove he had bought from Fresh Snow at Jiang Hao¡¯s stand¡ªwell, he hadn¡¯t actually paid for it, but simply rode a Ferris wheel with Fresh Snow and watched a poor imitation of a firework with her.

    Gao Yang used to wear the glove all the time, but he stopped after his Fire reached level 4. Thest time he saw the glove was at Wang Zikai¡¯s ce, the night Green Tea died. Fresh Snow must have taken it then.

    Now, the ck glove was turned a light silver, but the ck Gold te printed with the symbol of fire was the same.

    Gao Yang felt the texture. It was soft like animal fur.

    He realized to his surprise that the glove was made of cat fur¡ªFresh Snow¡¯s fur in cat form. It was soft but durable, and imbued with her vital energy. Dozens of strands were threaded into each string, and the strings were woven into a glove.

    A lot of care was put into its making. There were no loose strings. It was well-made.

    White Dew must have helped her with the gift. Upon closer inspection, he could see the hidden violet strands used for linking and reinforcing the parts.

    Gao Yang put it on. The pathway of his Fire immediately activated, resonating strongly with the ck Gold te. And the resonation added some spiritual damage to his Talent.

    <i>¡°12 jinwu? This shitty glove?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°There¡¯s no shit.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°There doesn¡¯t have to be shit for something to be shitty, you feel me? Look at the lines, the cut, the style. It¡¯s all third-rate! And the metal te. What terrible metalwork! What¡¯s the pattern supposed to be?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s fire!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You mean shit? Take a look at it yourself. Does it not look like a pile of shit?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°It doesn¡¯t!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Take another look. Be objective! Does it not look like a triangr pile of shit? Does this part not look like the tip of a poop pile?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Maybe...a little...¡±</i>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s attempt to bargain with Fresh Snow surfaced in his mind, unbidden. Gao Yang chuckled, but then his lips went stiff.

    He used his gloved right hand to touch the girl snowman¡¯s cold face, then he stroked the soft scarf around it.

    <i>I¡¯m a real bastard.</i>

    ...

    December 25th, Christmas.

    Li River Community, Shanqing District, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    When Gao Yang returned to their temporary base at the vi, Lithe Snake had long returned from his surveince of the Qilin Guild, and Wang Zikai, Nine Frost, and Hong Xiaoxiao had made it back safely with Ke Yo.

    The whole team gathered.

    Dust had been identified¡ªalthough they didn¡¯t manage to catch her¡ªand Ke Yo had joined the Nine Scions officially. Both called for celebration. They decided to make it a weing party for Ke Yo.

    Gray Bear dered with a can of beer in his hand, ¡°We¡¯ll have to change our name again. Now we¡¯re the Ten Scions!¡±

    ¡°And you called me uneducated.¡± Lithe Snake, who hadn¡¯t even graduated middle school, finally found the chance to retaliate. ¡°Nine is considered the number of limits, the highest number. It can be used to represent infinity.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense. 10 is bigger than 9.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bear, 10 consists of 1 and 0, so 9¡¯s still higher.¡± Ke Yo chimed in with a smile, naturally fitting into the team dynamic.

    ¡°Old Bear, you¡¯re gonna turn into the low bar for intelligence if you don¡¯t work harder,¡± Nine Frostmented coolly.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Gray Bear couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna be the low bar no matter what. There¡¯s still...Can!¡±

    Gray Bear was going to say ¡°Kaizi¡±, but considering how much the wanderer¡¯s punch hurt, he decided to go for an easier target.

    ¡°Uncle Bear...I¡¯m not gonna take that lying down!¡± Can blinked innocently. The fried chicken she was holding suddenly seemed less appealing.

    Theyughed and exchanged jokes, just like a group of young people having a simple holiday gathering in the vi.

    Sitting on the sofa, Gao Yang suddenly recalled the ¡°celebration¡± War Tiger had given them when he first joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs. He still remembered it clearly.

    At the time, he resented War Tiger for that, but Gao Yang only felt gratitude to him now.

    War Tiger was the first person to instill in his mind how dangerous and cold the Mist World was. The cruelty and violence he had shown in his wee reflected the deep, tender feelings behind his action.

    ...

    At three in the morning, they each washed up and retired to bed.

    Gray Bear, Nine Frost, and Wang Zikai were on watch duty for thetter half of the night.

    They hadn¡¯t had the time to clean up the living room properly after the celebration, and it was a little messy. A lone wallmp illuminated the space with its soft light. Gao Yang stayed on the sofa. So many things had happened today, and he was exhausted. If not for the adrenaline shot, he would¡¯ve passed out after bringing three people back.

    Gao Yang should be able to fall asleep right after closing his eyes.

    But sleep eluded him.

    His mind was cluttered with thoughts. He remembered many things and many people. Some of them were still around, and others weren¡¯t.

    Then, Gao Yang thought of his sister.

    Gao Xinxin was his biggest worry, so he hadn¡¯t dared to take even a small risk to contact her. Not only hadn¡¯t he given her a Christmas gift, he hadn¡¯t reached out to her at all.

    Gao Xinxin had made a new socialwork ount, and every day, she made generic posts about mundane things to tell Gao Yang that she was safe.

    It was the siblings¡¯ secret.

    Gao Yang took out an unregistered smartphone and essed the timeline of ¡°ss¡± through an untraceable connection. At eight o¡¯clockst night, ss had posted a picture of her dinner¡ªa simple lunchbox and a red apple. The rice balls in the lunchbox were shaped like a Christmas hat.

    The caption was simple: silent night, may all be peaceful.

    Gao Yang felt warmth bloom in his chest. He didn¡¯t click like. He didn¡¯t even dare to give the post another nce, but instead quickly closed the page and turned off his phone.

    He took a deep breath and tried to sleep, but it still seemed unreachable.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can called out to him.

    Gao Yang looked up to see Can in the ill-fitted red coat. He jumped to the wrong conclusion based on her outfit, ¡°You aren¡¯t on night watch duty today, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Can blushed. ¡°Haha, am I...wearing too much?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a heater here,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Right, no wonder I feel a little stuffy.¡± Can unbuttoned her coat. Then she exined stiffly, ¡°Tonight, tonight Ke Yo¡¯s bunking with Hong Xiaoxiao, and there¡¯s no bed for me. I¡¯ll skip sleep, haha. I¡¯ll have a nap during the day.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded quietly.

    Seeing that Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem ready to sleep, Can tentatively walked over to sit down next to him, maintaining a polite distance.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you sleep, Captain?¡±

 Chapter 698: Considerate

    <h4>Chapter 698: Considerate</h4>

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s voice was soft, tinged with exhaustion. He looked out of the window wall into the quiet backyard covered by white snow, distracted.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s...¡± Can cocked her head and scratched it, clutching at her coat with her other hand nervously. ¡°Merry Christmas.¡±

    ¡°Same to you,¡± Gao Yang said faintly.

    ¡°This is a gift for you.¡± Can took out a pair of woolen gloves with gray and white stripes from her pocket. ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around and paused for a second before taking the gloves. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no need. You gave me a coat. I only give you a pair of gloves. I get much more out of this exchange,¡± Can said nonchntly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep them well,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to put them on?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°I already have a good glove.¡±

    Can paused, feeling a pang in her heart, but the feeling was fleeting.

    <i>You knew what would happen. Don¡¯t be greedy.</i>

    Can pursed her lips and looked out of the window, her shoulders slowly rxing, and her heart no longer kept up a hurried pace. She stopped looking for things to talk about.

    They sat on the sofa without a word, watching the pouring snow outside.

    At that moment, Can prayed in the dark pitifully.

    <i>Please, God, let us be alone for a while, let nothing happen.</i>

    <i>Otherwise, I¡¯ll surely get up and leave out of consideration.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t want to be considerate this time. I don¡¯t want to leave.</i>

    <i>I want to stay by Captain¡¯s side and watch the snow with him, just for a while.</i>

    <i>Only a while, for real.</i>

    ...

    Hiding in the shadowed corner of the spiral staircase, Little Qing Ling was holding a box. She looked at the sofa in the living room, where Gao Yang and Can sat shoulder to shoulder, quietly watching snow together in peace.

    After a few seconds of silence, Little Qing Ling tiptoed back to her room. Gently closing the door, she put the box in the drawer and took out a notebook to write a diary.

    It had been a habit of hers starting a long time ago. She didn¡¯t write every day, but once in a while. It didn¡¯t take long for her to finish it. She hid the diary well.

    Parting the curtains before her desk, she sat on the bed and watched the heavy snow outside. Time slowly passed. She closed her eyes.

    <i>Why didn¡¯t you give the gift to him?</i>

    <i>I didn¡¯t feel like it all of a sudden.</i>

    <i>Childish.</i>

    <i>You don¡¯t get it.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang doesn¡¯t like Can.</i>

    <i>I know. </i>

    <i>Then why?</i>

    <i>Sister, gifts should make someone happy, not troubled. I hope that when he thinks about me, it¡¯ll be all happy memories.</i>

    <i>If you want something, fight for it. Nothing will just fall onto yourp.</i>

    <i>This isn¡¯t the time to distract him, Sister. I¡¯ve been stubborn for so long. It¡¯s time for me to be considerate for once.</i>

    <i>Whatever.</i>

    <i>I can¡¯t sleep, Sister. Watch the snow with me.</i>

    <i>No, I want to sleep.</i>

    <i>Just a moment.</i>

    <i>Three minutes.</i>

    <i>Yeah, you¡¯re the best, Sister.</i>

    ...

    White mansion in the woods, Xijing District, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The woods at night were silent and serene save for the heavy snow bending the tree branches. In the backyard of the mansion, the clear light of the moon pooled. A girl with silver hair and red eyes was rolling a ball of snow, dressed in light pajamas with a sunflower sewn on the chest area, barefooted.

    Four snowmen had been made, based on Master Spring, Waking Insects, White Dew, and Fresh Snow. They were Spring and White Dew¡¯s handiwork, the resemnce striking.

    Fresh Snow recognized the snowmen at first nce when she returned home.

    Now, she wanted to make a snowman for Gao Yang, too. Then the family would beplete.

    She didn¡¯t fear the cold, but her hands were still red from the chill.

    Making a smaller snowball, she lifted it onto the bigger snowball, and the rough shape of a snowman was made.

    She picked up wild walnuts fallen in the backyard, using them as the snowman¡¯s eyes.

    She smiled with satisfaction and started looking for a nose, but didn¡¯t see anything that would work.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    White Dew appeared behind her in a quaint red dress cinched at the waist topped with a white shawl, holding a carrot in her delicate fingers.

    ¡°You¡¯re still awake, Sister!¡± Fresh Snow was surprised and delighted.

    ¡°Just like you, I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± White Dew threw Fresh Snow the carrot. She caught it and inserted it into the snowman¡¯s face.

    Fresh Snow looked at the snowman and chuckled. ¡°Long nose monster.¡±

    ¡°Serves him right.¡± White Dewughed too. ¡°He¡¯s a liar, so he should have a long nose.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about Gao Yang like that.¡± Fresh Snow puffed out her cheeks. ¡°He must have important things to take care of. That was why he didn¡¯t show up.¡±

    White Dew scoffed. ¡°More important than you are?¡±

    Fresh Snow paused.

    ¡°He broke a promise. That¡¯s it. Whatever reason he had was all an excuse.¡±

    Fresh Snow turned to the long-nosed snowman, her shoulders sagging.

    ording to her sister¡¯s n, she would give Gao Yang the gift and watch the fireworks with him. Then, when the bell rang, she would confess to Gao Yang.

    They would go from friends to lovers, just like in the movies.

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t show up.

    All the nning was for nothing. There were many boxes on her bucket list that she couldn¡¯t check.

    Fresh Snow¡¯s chest tightened.

    She turned to White Dew and pressed her hands to her chest. ¡°Sister, I think I¡¯m sick. I don¡¯t feel so good here. I can¡¯t breathe.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, you aren¡¯t sick, but heartbroken.¡± White Dew ached for her and felt a resignation. ¡°You were hurt by Gao Yang.¡±

    Fresh Snow was caught off guard again. She lowered her eyes slowly. ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s what it feels like...to love a person?¡±

    White Dew sighed and wrapped her arms around her sister.

    Fresh Snow embraced her and buried her face in her dress, speaking weakly, ¡°I regret it, Sister. I don¡¯t wanna be Gao Yang¡¯s lover. I...I want to go back to being his friend.¡±

    White Dew stroked her hair. ¡°It¡¯s toote, Fresh Snow. You¡¯ve grown up, and once you did, you can¡¯t go back.¡±

    ¡°Then...what do I do?¡± Fresh Snow sobbed quietly. ¡°I¡¯m scared, Sister. I don¡¯t know what to do...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡± White Dew looked up at the night sky. ¡°Just go forward, one step after another.¡±

 Chapter 699: Hidden Function

    <h4>Chapter 699: Hidden Function</h4>

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 2301 Luck points.]

    [Constitution: 440 Endurance: 441]

    [Strength: 1104 Agility: 1851]

    [Willpower: 2003 Charisma: 1502]

    [Luck: 1777]

    [Teleportation Lv6]

    [Replicate Lv6]

    [Fire Lv6]

    [Double Lv6]

    [Psychic Armor Lv6]

    [Lie Detection Lv4]

    [Lucky Lv5]

    ¡ªEnter Talent Pantheon

    No sooner had Gao Yang opened his eyes than he heard the sound of showering. He was in a familiar rectangr dorm room with four elevated beds with desks below. The south side of the room was the door, and the north side was the shared sink and bathroom.

    Deep into the autumn, the morning sunlight was clear, and the slight breeze swept along the hallway into the room to rustle Gao Yang¡¯s hair.

    The door to the bathroom opened. Mi Shi emerged.

    He was dressed in gray and ck sportswear with a pair of old-fashioned sandals, holding a translucent stic cup with a toothbrush frayed from long use.

    He looked at Gao Yang with a gentle and bashful smile. ¡°It costs 1920 Luck points to attemptprehending a Talent.¡±

    Gao Yang took two seconds to realize that his roommate was merely the form the system took.

    ¡°I thought you only ever turn into a woman,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°I¡¯m merely the projection of your rational...¡± The system stopped itself.

    Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna finish?¡±

    ¡°You always interrupted me when I said that. I wonder if you don¡¯t like to be reminded.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. <i>Ha, so the system grows, too.</i>

    ¡°Would you like to check the current number of unimed Talents?¡± the system asked.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Before that, I have a few questions.¡±

    The system, in Mi Shi¡¯s form, nodded slightly. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I heard from Hong Xiaoxiao that when Mi Shi went wild, he acted like a freerider, but was much stronger. What is that about?¡±

    ¡°You already have the correct answer in mind. He¡¯s the freerider prime.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Gao Yang posed another question. ¡°Dust imed herself to be the overtaker prime. Is it only a thing for greed monsters, or do all types of monsters have a king?¡±

    ¡ªThe pride monsters have leaders, which are equivalent to the monster primes.

    ¡ªCan Wang Zikai be the wanderer prime?

    ¡ªI don¡¯t think there¡¯s such a difference between life monsters, but in some way, the life monsters who have given birth to the Divine Scin and the Malediction could be considered kings.

    ¡ªThen is there a ughterer prime, a devourer prime, and a summoner prime?

    ¡ªIs there a death monster prime, too?

    The thoughts quickly shed through Gao Yang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Please discover the answer on your own,¡± said the system.

    It was to be expected.

    Gao Yang then remembered something else. ¡°When Mi Shi and Qiu Qiu were dragged into Ke Yo¡¯s Strange Realm, their monsterhood didn¡¯t wake up. But then they did. Is it because of the constraints of the realm?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The system smiled. ¡°It was because the conditions for awakening were not met.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and came to a realization. When they got dragged into the realm, none of them had exposed themselves as awakeners¡ªinside the realm ruled by particrws, none of them could use their Talents.

    Qiu Qiu and Mi Shi had only seen ¡°regr humans¡± and couldn¡¯t identify any awakeners, and thus the conditions necessary for their monsterhood to awaken were not met. They maintained their human form.

    Once the Strange Realm was released, they were all knocked unconscious, Mi Shi and Qiu Qiu included. And as humans, they were unconscious for longer than awakeners. As a result, they never saw any awakeners from start to finish, thus escaping death.

    Gao Yang dropped the issue after getting an answer.

    ¡°Check the unimed Talents.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Mi Shi¡± went up to his desk and turned on theptop, opening a Word document, which detailed the name of the twelve Rune types with the number of unimed Talents for each type.

    Gao Yang found the Guard-type, and the number that followed was 5.

    Outside of Absolute Defense and Unreachable, there were three other unimed Guard-type Talents.

    It would take 1920 Luck points to attempt aprehension. With over half of the awakeners gone, it took two attempts on average for him to acquire a Talent, which would be 3840 Luck points.

    Given there were five Talents, there was only a one-tenth chance for him to acquire Absolute Defense. Were he unlucky, it would take him 19200...no, the number of Luck points required to attempt aprehension would double after he seeded in acquiring a Talent. Worst case scenario, it would cost him...119040 Luck points to acquire Absolute Defense.

    Level 5 Lucky already evened out the chance ofprehension for all Talents. It was unlikely that he would get additional benefits.

    Even if he tried to be optimistic and looked at the mean of the number, it would take tens of thousands of Luck points for him to acquire Absolute Defense.

    <i>This is hard.</i>

    Gao Yang sighed in his mind.

    He looked at the system. ¡°Don¡¯t I get some privileges as the Divine Scion?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you get enough already?¡±

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t say anything to that.

    Objectively speaking, he did get many privileges already. Outside his luck, he had seven Talents, he had incorporated Fresh Snow¡¯s curse, inherited the recessive energy of a life monster from his mother, a lightbringer of a grandmother, and an awakener of a father, who left him with the Guard Rune Circuit, and he had managed to survive between two opposing organizations and start his own group. Others might be unable to do as much over decades, yet he had gotten here in less than nine months.

    Nevertheless, it was too slow, much too slow.

    This was a game he couldn¡¯t end on his side. No matter how many chips he had now, he would still end up with nothing if he couldn¡¯t win until the end.

    Gao Yang suddenly had a thought. ¡°I remembered you saying that I triggered something way back...¡±

    Mi Shi smiled. ¡°A hidden function.¡±

    ¡°Right. But what happened to it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have enough Luck to unlock it,¡± the system exined calmly.

    ¡°Still not enough?¡± Gao Yang was surprised. ¡°How much is that gonna take?¡±

    ¡°Please discover it on your own.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    He deliberated between saving up Luck points forprehension or trying to unlock a new function of the system, the cost of which was unknown.

    He was a self-proimed high-piker, cautious but making the necessary gambles. He would stick to it!

    Mind made up, he said, ¡°Increase my Luck to 2000. I confirm.¡±

    The system blinked. ¡°Your Luck is now 2000. You have 2078 Luck points.¡±

    ¡°Is the hidden function unlocked?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    In the past, Gao Yang would¡¯ve felt the loss and even cursed the system, but he was calm now. He epted the truth that bad things could happen to anyone in the world. No one was truly special.

    After some thought, he said, ¡°Put 10 more points into Luck.¡±

    ¡°Your Luck is now 2010. You have 2068 Luck points.¡±

    ¡°10 more.¡±

    ¡°Your Luck is now 2020. You have 2058 Luck points... Congrattions, you have unlocked the hidden function¡ªWishing Well.¡±

 Chapter 700: What is Given

    <h4>Chapter 700: What is Given</h4>

    Gao Yang was still quite calm. He had epted another truth of the world: good things could happen to anyone, and no one was truly special.

    He had been moderate in increasing his Luck because he didn¡¯t want to waste his Luck points, and because he had a feeling that something was going to be triggered based on his previous experience.

    His stopping point was 2100. Surprisingly, 2020 was enough.

    Before Gao Yang even asked the question, the system exined, ¡°You may now make a wish to the Wishing Well. When you want a Talent enough and are willing to pay a certain number of Luck points, the uracy and sess rate ofprehending the Talent will be increased substantially.¡±

    ¡°How much will it cost to make a wish?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°The first timees with a discount. You only have to use 1000 Luck points.¡±

    ¡ªThat¡¯s on a discount?!

    ¡ªYou can just rob me of all my points, but you give me a chance to make a wish. What a good guy. I¡¯m crying here.

    Still, Gao Yang didn¡¯t hesitate to say, ¡°I¡¯m making a wish.¡±

    ¡°Sending you to the Wishing Well.¡±

    The system¡¯s form became translucent as it said so, and the room faded away until bing one with the darkness. Hovering in the darkness, Gao Yang felt weightless.

    Soon, he heard an ancient, lonesome sound that inspired a deep fear and deference, seemingly climbing up from under his feet along a current.

    It felt like the turbulent undercurrent at the bottom of an abyss, the whispers and cries of countless wretched spirits, or...the strange sounds of souls being burned like firewood.

    Gao Yang had thought that nothing could scare him anymore, and yet the sound made him close his eyes and tremble, like an instinct.

    Half a minuteter, the weightlessness faded, and his feet touched ¡°ground¡±.

    Gao Yang mustered the courage to open his eyes.

    What he saw stunned him.

    There was no sky andnd nor light and shadow. It was aplete void. Under his feet was a ck abyss at a scale that was beyond verbal description. Around the abyss¡ªaround the great boundless boundary seemingly beyond his sight¡ªwas a deep gray chaos that resembled sea water and thick fog. It continued to rush into the bottomless abyss in waves, like a circr waterfall.

    He was reminded of a mythical site: <i>Guixu</i>, the bottomless void that devoured all[1].

    At the heart of the great abyss was a white stone pir that resembled a giant¡¯s finger bone. It wasn¡¯t so much standing in the abyss but floating above it since the bottom part of the pir, like the bottom part of the abyss, couldn¡¯t be seen.

    Gao Yang was standing on the stone pir. The top was only as wide as a telephone pole. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t even move his feet, let alone turn around.

    He didn¡¯t dare to look down lest he lose his bnce and fall into the great abyss. There was a fear greater than the fear of death¡ªthe fear of nothingness and the unknown.

    He was left on his own here, the system long gone.

    Suddenly, a loneliness great enough to fill heaven and earth entered his body, leaving his chest feeling empty, and he even forgot the instinctual fear that hit him.

    The same sound came from the abyss below, like hidden currents, like whispering cries, like burning souls...

    An ineffable dark gray matter started boiling. It continued to rise until quickly filling the vast abyss. Then countless pure white particles emerged from below the gray matter, bing brighter and shinier.

    Like tens of thousands of white nktons, they found their way as they swam around aimlessly, converging in two spots to form tworge white vortexes.

    Soon, the white vortexes became a pair of eyes. Following the eyes, the vague contours of a face emerged, too.

    The giant¡¯s face slowly rose above the abyss. It seemed to be struggling, the face distorted from suffocation with the gray matter retraining it like a membrane covering its face.

    The face was taller than a mountain, and it towered over Gao Yang like a human looking at an ant.

    ¡°What is requested?¡±

    The face didn¡¯t have a mouth, but it had a profound, deep, and dignified voice.

    It wasn¡¯t speaking in humannguage, no. The voice came from all directions and bypassed Gao Yang¡¯s eardrums to wash over all energy particles in his body instead. It <i>made </i>Gao Yang understand its will like a fish naturally understood water.

    Gao Yang felt lightheaded, as if his soul had left his body. For a moment, he forgot to answer.

    ¡°What is requested?¡±

    Again, the giant¡¯s face struggled and distorted under the veil as it repeated the question.

    ¡°Absolute Defense!¡± Gao Yang recovered and shouted at the giant at the top of his lungs, making sure that it would hear him. ¡°I want toprehend Absolute Defense!¡±

    The world quieted for a second. Gao Yang felt his voice sucked into nothingness.

    ¡°What is given?¡±

    The voice spoke again, prating his body and mind to resonate with his energy.

    Gao Yang was a little confused. It should take 1000 Luck points, right? He had agreed on that with the system.

    He pushed aside his question and shouted, ¡°1000 Luck points!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Not enough.¡±

    The answer came a few secondster.

    Gao Yang continued to shout, ¡°What do you want? What can I give you?¡±

    The world was silent for three seconds.

    ¡°What do you want? What can I give you?¡± The voice repeated what Gao Yang said like an echo from the abyss.

    Gao Yang was suddenly hit with an irritation and exhaustion he couldn¡¯t control. He had enough of the riddles and mystery. He had enough of the pride, aloofness, and carelessness of a powerful being looking down on a weaker being.

    His deference, fear, and concern evaporated, and he growled in anger, ¡°I have nothing! Do you hear me? <i>Nothing!</i> You¡¯re not taking anything from me!¡±

    A silent loneliness stretched.

    Then the voice spoke up again.

    ¡°Nothingness.¡±

    ¡°You chose to give nothingness.¡±

    ¡ªWhat does that mean?

    ¡ªHow can nothing be given as something?

    ¡ªHas it misunderstood my wish? What does this thing want?

    Gao Yang was even more confused, but it seemed that he had made his wish sessfully.

    The two eyes of the face reverted to white vortexes before disassembling into tens of thousands of nkton and disappearing. Without the face, the dark gray veil covering the face was gone, too. Like beer foam, it slowly sank until disappearing into the bottomless abyss.

    Gao Yang stood alone at the center of it, belonging not to heaven or earth.

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes wide. He was back in his college dorm room¡ªthe mental replication of it.

    Mi Shi stood right before him with a smile. ¡°Congrattions. You have seeded in making a wish.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his hands. Taking some time to calm himself, he looked up and asked coldly, ¡°Do I have to go to that damn ce every time I make a wish, System?¡±

    ¡°No. You have already met Them. From now on, you can make a wish from the system interface.¡±

    ¡ªThat¡¯s better.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    1. In Chinese mythology, Guixu is where all water flows into. Since the Milky Way was considered a river of stars, it, too, flows into Guixu. <i>Gui </i>means return, and <i>xu </i>means ruin, and it¡¯s pronounced the same as the word that means void. ?

 Chapter 701: Haha, haha, ha!

    <h4>Chapter 701: Haha, haha, ha!</h4>

    Meditating on the sofa in the living room, Gao Yang slowly opened his eyes.

    It was early morning. It had stopped snowing outside the window. The sun cast hazy light on the remaining snow in the backyard, the white striking.

    Lithe Snake and Nine Frost had finished their shift. They sat at the dining table, drinking soy milk and ying <i>xiangqi</i>[1].

    Hong Xiaoxiao and Can had long woken up. And they had been busying themselves in the kitchen. Can had a tray in her hand carrying two cups of hot coffee and two pieces of toasted bread, one of which was topped with spam.

    ¡°Hurry, hurry!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was more eager than Can.

    ¡°Geez, stop hurrying me...¡±

    Can walked up to Gao Yang with excitement and nervousness. ¡°Captain, you¡¯re up. Fancy a coffee to pick you up?¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll have someter.¡± Gao Yang rose to his feet, about to wash up.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i> Gray Bear walked down the stairs from the second floor, face flushed. After scanning the room, he suddenly broke into strangeughter with his hands on his hip. ¡°Haha! Haha! Ha!¡±

    A secondter, Gao Yang and Can picked up the coffee on the table almost reflexively to ssh it at Gray Bear.

    And theirs were the lighter attacks.

    Lithe Snake, who was about to win the game, lifted his hand and sent the chess piece <i>pao </i>flying toward Gray Bear¡¯s left eye. Nine Frost shot to his feet at the same time to kick at Gray Bear¡¯s abdomen.

    Gray Bear had been prepared. He cocked his head to dodge the chess piece while tensing the muscle of his abdomen to take Nine Frost¡¯s kick. The force wasn¡¯t that great.

    The hot coffee Gao Yang and Can sshed at him, on the other hand, did quite the damage.

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s hot...¡±

    Gray Bear quickly backed away, wiping his face with both hands.

    ¡°Congrattions, Gray Bear. Your Jeer hit level 4.¡± Gao Yang was the first toe to the realization.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Gray Beer visibly lit up. ¡°How is it? Quite effective, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡± Gao Yang nodded. <i>With quite high Willpower and Charisma, I still fell for it.</i>

    Gray Beer took the Support Rune Circuit out of his jeans pocket, shaking it. ¡°I leveled up after one night, unlike a certain someone, who spent two days and a half to level up Telepathy.¡±

    He tsk-tsked. ¡°It¡¯s not good for men tost too long in this.¡±

    <i>Thud</i>. Nine Frost threw a punch at Gray Bear¡¯s face. Gray Bear caught his fist, and the force of it hit him like a gust of winding from an airdryer, shaking Gray Bear¡¯s beard for a second.

    ¡°Uncle Bear!¡± Can blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t make a dirty joke! Be considerate to us women.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are there women here?¡± Gray Bear pretended to look around, his gaze settling on Lithe Snake. ¡°Ah, there is a petite chick here.¡±

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Lithe Snake threw a throwing knife at him. Gray Bear raised his transformed right arm and blocked it.

    Gray Beer stopped talking. Nine Frost and Lithe Snake quickly calmed down, surprised by the strong hostility and reaction they had shown earlier.

    Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were both fighters, and their Willpower and Charisma wouldn¡¯t be that high. Thus, they had less resistance to Jeer than even Can.

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°It seems you can now taunt particr targets. That¡¯s a substantial leap.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Can caught on. ¡°Uncle Bear, I was wondering why you were being so annoying. So you were experimenting.¡±

    ¡°What else can it be?¡± Gray Bear grinned, tossing the Support Rune Circuit to Gao Yang. ¡°Captain, don¡¯t have me stay and watch the house in future missions.¡±

    ¡°You hate watching the house so much?¡± Gao Yang asked on purpose.

    ¡°Yeah! If you tell me to stay again, I¡¯m gonna lure all the enemies in with Jeer and y Werewolf with them!¡± Gray Bear pretended to be angry.

    ¡°Good idea,¡± said Lithe Snake. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave an arm here and blow all of you up.¡±

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Gao Yang went to the bedroom with the Rune Circuit. Hong Xiaoxiao was already there, chatting with Ke Yo whilezing on the bed. They giggled in excitement, seemingly talking about something interesting.

    When Hong Xiaoxiao saw Gao Yang, she jumped off the bed like an employee getting caught messing around at work, standing to attention. ¡°Captain!¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Ke Yo got off the bed and stood up.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m here for Ke Yo.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao hurriedly ran out of the room.

    Gao Yang handed the Support Rune Circuit to Ke Yo. ¡°Gray Bear¡¯s Talent leveled up. You should take this.¡±

    Ke Yo lowered her left hand and held onto it with her right hand, ncing at the Support Rune Circuit with her lips pursed instead of taking the Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to level up Strange?¡±

    Ke Yo shook her head and said with little confidence, ¡°Can I really...reach level 4?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°You said that none of the Tails had increased their Talents to level 4. Perhaps it¡¯s impossible for us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve never gotten your hand on a Rune Circuit.¡± Gao Yang added in his mind, <i>Even level 5 isn¡¯t unreachable, let alone level 4. My Lucky has hit level 5 after all.</i>

    ¡°Yeah. The Tails dreamed of getting a Rune Circuit every day, but we never got our hands on one until death.¡± Ke Yo smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m the only survivor. And now, a Rune Circuit is right within my reach. I only have to take it...¡±

    ¡°Do you think you don¡¯t deserve it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ke Yo shook her head.

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°This isn¡¯t given to you out of pity or sympathy. It¡¯s your reward forpleting the mission. Take it.¡±

    Ke Yo epted the Rune Circuit after a few seconds.

    She immediately felt energy resonating at the tips of her fingers. There was a strange sense of familiarity that made it feel like the Rune Circuit was something she had been carrying around for years and lost in a careless mistake.

    ¡°Thank you, Captain. When should I return it?¡± Ke Yo put away the Rune Circuit.

    ¡°Once you level up.¡±

    ¡°How long will that take?¡±

    ¡°Depends on the individual. It can be one second, or it can be as long as...¡± Gao Yang grinned yfully. ¡°A whole fortnight.¡±

    ¡°A fortnight?¡± Ke Yo was surprised. ¡°Who¡¯s so slow that...¡±

    ¡°Hush.¡± Gao Yang interrupted her quickly. If Qing Ling heard them, he would be dead.

    Ke Yo seemed to have sensed a danger too. She nodded.

    Gao Yang reminded her, ¡°I¡¯m going out. Ry my orders to the others for me. Nine Frost and Lithe Snake are on breaks. Wang Zikai, Qing Ling, and Gray Bear will walk the perimeters. Can and Nainai are putting on disguises to go out and keep an eye on the Qilin Guild. At two o¡¯clock in the morning, we move. Whatever you don¡¯t n to take with you, dispose of them starting from now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ke Yo memorized what he said.

    Gao Yang headed to the walk-in closet and put on a jacket, a baseball cap, a scarf, and a mask. He was about to head out when his phone rang. It was a message.

    Gao Yang nced at the screen and fell silent for a few seconds.

    He turned to Hong Xiaoxiao. ¡°Give me a bigger bag, Little Hong.¡±

    ...

    City Library, Xijing District.

    It was a modern library consisting of two white four-story buildings with an avant-garde design, built at the riverbank upstream of Li Rivers. The entrance sat at the center of the building. From a bird¡¯s eye view, it would look like an open book at the source of the Li River.

    That reflected the intention of the design: water was the source of life, and books were the source of thoughts.

    Gao Yang had arge ck backpack on his back, dressing like a college student. He entered the library with a member card he swiped from someone and headed to the second floor.

    He made it across the best-seller shelves and reached the shelves for ssic literature, where there were few people. Pretending to be a student looking for books to borrow, he walked around the shelves and browsed the books, hiding the fact that he was looking for a good spot for his purpose. Soon, he found the blindspot of the surveince cameras.

    Waiting before the shelf, he looked up at the books disyed. The sunlighting through the window hit the spine of one of the books. The title was<i> A Letter from a Strange Woman</i>.

    Gao Yang was curious. He reached for it, but then the book retracted, taken by someone else on the other side.

    1. Also known as Chinese chess. Since it¡¯s technically a fictional world and the word China is never mentioned, I find it a little awkward to have the word Chinese there. ?

 Chapter 702: Cut Ties

    <h4>Chapter 702: Cut Ties</h4>

    Through the gaps in the shelf, Gao Yang could see a young woman. She had blond curls that looked to be from a past period, and she wore a small ck dress hat, a face veil, and an extravagant long ck dress with aplicated design. She looked like a youngdy attending a funeral in a movie set in medieval times. In the present day, one would assume she was cosying an anime character.

    It was White Dew, in disguise.

    ¡°I was going to visit you,¡± Gao Yang said quietly.

    ¡°Visit my sister, you mean,¡± White Dew pointed out icily.

    Gao Yang admitted, ¡°Yeah,st night...¡±

    ¡°Whatever you didst night had nothing to do with us. I¡¯m here to give you a message.¡±

    After a pause, Gao Yang took a step forward to approach the shelf.

    White Dew did the same. They talked through the only gap in the shelves like they were in a church¡¯s confessional.

    ¡°From now on, the Spectres have nothing to do with you or any awakeners. We each walk our own path. You get it?¡±

    Gao Yang understood the words, but not the message.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no why.¡±

    After a silent moment, Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Okay. But before that, I¡¯d like to meet Fresh Snow and let her feed on me.¡±

    Gao Yang could die at any moment, and if that happened, he would like Fresh Snow to live a little longer.

    ¡°No need,¡± White Dew said. ¡°She¡¯s not hungry yet.¡±

    There was another silence.

    Gao Yang opened his mouth but then swallowed the words. He instead said, ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t bother you again. If there¡¯s anything you need, though, you may seek me out at any time. Keep the number that can reach me.¡±

    White Dew didn¡¯t say anything to that. She continued to flip the novel in her hand and pretended to be reading.

    After about ten seconds, she said in a cool voice, ¡°Leave the bag and go.¡±

    Gao Yang lowered the ck backpack. Inside was a cluster of gray gas¡ªWaking Insects.

    He took two steps back to the shadowed corner, and two secondster, he disappeared without a sound.

    White Dew could no longer sense Gao Yang¡¯s presence. He had left with Teleportation.

    She sighed. There was suddenly a postcard in her hand. It was Fresh Snow¡¯s letter to Gao Yang.

    She tucked it in the novel and closed it, returning the book to the shelf.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in an office in the Sew View Tower in Nanji District.

    The office was spacious and minimalistic. Sitting before the window wall was an old-school employer desk, across from which was a sofa for the guests. A pottedce fern was ced in the corner. On the wall hung a calligraphy work that said, <i>Be serene and walk far</i>.

    Surnamed Li sat in her wheelchair, pressing the anti-eavesdropping button on the desk. Suddenly, metal sheets lowered to cover the windows, turning the room into an enclosed chamber that allowed no light to enter.

    The calligraphy work shifted to reveal a recessed cab with a hemisphere-shaped high-tech device made of ck Gold. The name Dr. Jia was carved into the surface.

    The device shook gently and made a soft, strange white noise that filled the space like waves, creating an omnidirectional disturbance that prevented regr technology, advanced technology, or Talents from eavesdropping on the room.

    ¡°Report.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. She gave Surnamed Li a detailed report on her coboration with Gao Yang and the n to root out Dust.

    Surnamed Li let out a long breath in appreciation. ¡°Good work, Chen Ying.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my job.¡±

    ¡°With Dust identified, the Hundred Rivers Union no longer has to suspect each other and stay on guard.¡± Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Dust to be a second soul attaching to Goldthread, though. The fire back then...¡±

    She shook her head and pushed aside her heartbreak, stopping herself from following the memory.

    ¡°We have not eliminated the danger yet, Madam Li,¡± Chen Ying said. ¡°Dust may find another host.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve prepared for it.¡± Surnamed Li slowly exined. ¡°Sha Ye and Jiang Hao have developed the Cleansing Bracelet, enchanted with Sha Ye¡¯s level 3 Cleansing. It can guard against any mental and spiritual curse, and even if the defense breaks down, the bracelet will break, too, which will serve as a warning. It can stay effective for more than a month.¡±

    ¡°However, the bracelets only prevent curses and don¡¯t remove curses. When I got your messagest night, I immediately had everyone put one on.¡±

    Surnamed Li lifted her hand. There was a small simple ck Gold bracelet on her wrist, too.

    Chen Ying finally rxed. Then she thought of something. ¡°What about the other organizations?¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs are happy to receive the equipment. The Qilin Guild says there¡¯s no need for that. They have their solution.¡±

    Chen Ying wasn¡¯t surprised. With Dr. Jia around, they would have developed defensive equipment to a simr end.

    Surnamed Li thought for a moment. ¡°Chen Ying, we must not allow Qilin to know that the Nine Scions helped you discover Dust.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Chen Ying had alreadye up with an excuse. ¡°Green Tea left clues for Chestnut and at home. I discovered the clues and tracked down Dust. It had nothing to do with the Nine Scions.¡±

    Surnamed Li was still worried. ¡°And the clues left by Green Tea?¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°I fabricated them.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded slightly, bemused.

    ¡°Then we just have to find Dust and avenge Ba Qiuchi, Green Tea, and Goldthread,¡± Chen Ynig said with determination.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Surnamed Li nodded, waving Chen Ying over. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Chen Ying went up to her and knelt.

    ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    Chen Ying did as she said. Surnamed Li took her hand and put a Cleansing Bracelet on her.

    Chen Ying felt a soft, sacred energy spreading to the rest of her body from her skin before melting into her blood and flesh, disappearing into her.

    Surnamed Li covered her hand with both hands, patting her like an elderly would a family member. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up, Ying Ying.¡±

    Chen Ying felt warm and fuzzy. When was thest time she heard the nickname? It had been so long ago, like a distant dream.

    Chen Ying was an orphan. She grew up in an orphanage.

    For some reason, her brain developed slowly in her youth, and she reacted to things with a dy, always clumsy. As a result, she was often the target of bullying from the other children.

    When Surnamed Li and her husband returned to Li City, they decided to adopt a child for better cover. Surnamed Li set her eyes on Chen Ying at first nce.

    It was winter. The girl, no older than four, was dressed in a dirty blue cotton shirt and cotton pants, her hair messy and uneven like someone had taken a scissor to it with bad intentions. Her cheeks, ears, and hands were all covered in red blisters.

    Clutching at the hem of her shirt, she cowered behind a wall in the backyard, head lowered and eyes nk and terrified. She didn¡¯t dare to move.

    ¡°Haha, stupid!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha...big stupid!¡±

    A few children threw snowballs at her without pulling back.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    A tightly-pressed snowball hit her on her blister-covered face, leaving a trail of ice.

    Chen Ying pressed her lips together and clenched her teeth to endure it. Tears brimmed in her eyes for being unfairly treated, but she didn¡¯t dare to let them fall.

 Chapter 703: Twin Primes

    <h4>Chapter 703: Twin Primes</h4>

    ¡°Stop! Stop it!¡±

    Surnamed Li controlled her wheelchair to wade through the snow with difficulty, driving away the rowdy children. One of the naughty ones even threw a snowball at her.

    Surnamed Li went up to Chen Ying and brushed away the ice on her face. Her face was so cold, like it was made of snow.

    Surnamed Li felt a pang in her heart. She took off her shawl to put it around Chen Ying. Chen Ying, who had been frozen like a statue, panickedly moved away.

    ¡°No...it¡¯s dirty...¡±

    She was worried that she would dirty the kind auntie¡¯s shawl. She couldn¡¯t pay for it. She would get scolded.

    Surnamed Li¡¯s eyes turned red. She pulled Chen Ying into her arms and put the shawl around her frail frame. ¡°You¡¯re not dirty, kid. Not dirty at all. Auntie really likes you. Will youe home with me?¡±

    Chen Ying would never forget it. That winter was so very cold, but her chest was warm whenever she thought of the moment.

    Surnamed Li and her husband adopted Chen Ying, raising her with care and educating her, telling her bedtime story every night.

    Chen Ying treated the couple like parents.

    After a year, though, Surnamed Li sent Chen Ying to a more reliable orphanage without giving any reason. She no longer got bullied by anyone there, and not long after that, another family wanted to take her home, but she turned them away.

    To Chen Ying, Surnamed Li and her husband were her only parents.

    When Chen Ying was eighteen, she awakened with Psychometry. She got lucky. She had thought that something was wrong with her head and told no one. Just when she was wondering if she should go to a psychiatrist, Surnamed Li showed up again. Her husband had passed away then, and she was the spokesperson of the Hundred Rivers Union.

    Later, Chen Ying entered the world of awakeners officially and joined the Hundred Rivers Union. With her mundane identity, she left the orphanage and entered a college.

    ¡°Ying Ying,¡± Surnamed Li said in a guilty voice. ¡°Do you still hate me?¡±

    Chen Ying felt her chest tighten. She shook her head. ¡°I did resent you somewhat before awakening, but then I came to understand you after I awakened.¡±

    Surnamed Li sighed. She rarely talked to anyone about her past. ¡°One year after adopting you, I dreamed about many things, including my husband¡¯s death...¡±

    ¡°Before his death, he wanted me to start a new organization. Even without the Elusive Sects, awakeners must not give up.¡±

    ¡°No matter how I thought about it, I believed I had to send you away.¡± Surnamed Li held Chen Ying¡¯s gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were a human, too. I couldn¡¯t keep you around.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Chen Ying nodded. ¡°If I can¡¯t even figure that out, all the years I¡¯ve gone through would be in vain.¡±

    ¡°There are things you may understand but not ept.¡± Surnamed Li had a look of guilt in her eyes. ¡°Chen Ying, you treat Little Tian so well now, and Little Tian loves you so much. Every time I see you, I feel regret. I could¡¯ve given you a better childhood...¡±

    The corners of Chen Ying¡¯s eyes became moist. She stopped speaking and rested her head on Surnamed Li¡¯s legs, covered with a nket. For this moment, at least, she would like to be a child again.

    ¡°Tell me a story, please. Then I¡¯ll consider us even. Please don¡¯t me yourself anymore.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Surnamed Li nodded softly. ¡°What story do you want to hear?¡±

    ¡°The one where the fireflies help the puppy find its home.¡±

    Surnamed Li smiled after a pause, reaching out to stroke Chen Ying¡¯s soft long hair. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you the story.¡±

    ...

    Room 5002, White Lake Hotel, Changyan District.

    Yan Liang, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird sat on the sofa. The atmosphere was tense.

    The ck Tortoise branch destroyed by the Nine Scions was still under construction. Thus, the meeting was moved to Yan Liang¡¯s ce.

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t have coffee at his ce, so he made two cups of tea for Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird. The two elders didn¡¯t drink any. When the tea went cold, the meeting was about to end, too.

    Vermilion Bird was the first to speak up. ¡°The matter with Ke Yo was my mistake. I misjudged her.¡±

    Azure Dragon frowned. ¡°Ke Yo had little interaction with Seven Shadow, and the Nine Scions have little to offer. Why would Ke Yo risk it and defect?¡±

    ¡°Little interaction?¡± Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. ¡°Have you forgotten about Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream?¡±

    Azure Dragon came to a realization, his expression darkening. ¡°We have to do something about the woman. We should keep her under our watch.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Liang lowered his cup of tea. ¡°Like Dr. Jia, she has connections with many factions but isn¡¯t loyal to any. And she has skills that make her irreceable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll do us no good to antagonize them, but only make us more enemies. They are resources and weapons. The Nine Scions can use them, but we can, too. It¡¯s a matter of who can use them better.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded.

    He let out a silent sigh. It seemed that Guildmaster Qilin got his clear perspective from Yan Liang, only the old man is more vicious and cunning.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Liang chuckled under his mask. ¡°You¡¯re not to me for what happened with Ke Yo, Elder Vermilion Bird. She was a good actor. Even I misjudged her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly because she had been with us for too short a time.¡± Vermilion Bird thought otherwise. ¡°If she stayed as an Elder for a few more days, I would¡¯ve realized that something was wrong.¡±

    Yan Liang shook his head. ¡°I mean that she yed her character too well when she was with you.¡±

    Vermilion Bird paused. ¡°I don¡¯t think she was acting then.¡±

    ¡°A strange person.¡± Yan Liang smiled cryptically. ¡°Strange indeed.¡±

    ¡°What happened happened. We should stop dwelling on it,¡± Azure Dragon said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Vermilion Bird nodded. ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union identified Dustst night. I sent you the encoded message Chen Ying sent me.¡±

    ¡°I saw it.¡± Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes. ¡°Overtaker prime with two souls in a body, while the host is none the wiser. Things cannot be stranger.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Yan Liang added, ¡°Dust could do top-of-the-game spiritual damage <i>and </i>use the host¡¯s Talent, no lesser than a pride monster.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Azure Dragon thought of someone. ¡°Luqi!¡±

    Vermilion Bird had longe to the conclusion. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that Luqi might have gotten brought back by an overtaker prime.¡±

    Azure Dragon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Vermilion Birdughed bitterly. ¡°Very likely. An overtaker prime may not be limited to a living host. The soul only needs an intact body, and Luqi¡¯s body is very much intact, fitting the criteria. Moreover, the overtaker didn¡¯t even have to drive away the soul of the original host.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Then Azure Dragon thought of something. ¡°But Dust has been within Goldthread¡¯s body. She didn¡¯t have the time to bring back Luqi...¡±

    ¡°Who says that there can only be one overtaker prime?¡± Vermilion Bird cut him off. ¡°Remember, a life monster can give birth to a twin of Spectres. What if there are two overtaker primes, too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Liang nodded and chimed in. ¡°I agree with that.¡±

 Chapter 704: Fight for Survival

    <h4>Chapter 704: Fight for Survival</h4>

    Azure Dragon pondered a moment and nodded. ¡°Then it all makes sense. Luqi died, and the man we see now is a host to another overtaker prime. However, Luqi¡¯s Talent remains, and perhaps even his memory.¡±

    Vermilion Bird continued, ¡°The two overtaker primes listen to the Godbearer Cult, and their current mission is to kill the Divine Scion. It seems that they are quite urgent about it.¡±

    She turned to Azure Dragon. ¡°Why do you think that is?¡±

    Azure Dragon stroked his bearded chin and spected, ¡°The Cult ims to have tickets for those who¡¯d like to escape doom, but that may be a lie. Perhaps the Cult only knows something about the way to escape, and they create false hope by mixing the truth and lies to lure in pawns. The Divine Scion¡¯s emergence undoubtedly undermined and threatened the Cult¡¯s n.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Vermilion Bird waited for Azure Dragon to speak his mind with a smile on her face.

    Azure Dragon thought for a moment, his gaze sharpening. ¡°There are two possibilities. First, Seven Shadow is the Divine Scion. He may be the biggest obstacle to the Godbearer Cult getting the boat ticket, so he has to die.¡±

    ¡°Second, the Cult never intends to get the tickets but is up to something else. The existence of the Divine Scion may be the key to acquiring the tickets, and if others learn of the truth, the Cult will no longer be able to attract followers to serve them.¡±

    ¡°Which is more likely, in your opinion?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    Azure Dragon said without hesitation, ¡°I believe thetter is more likely.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°If the Cult is trying to escape the doomsday by having their followers board a boat, and the Divine Scion is trying to destroy the tickets or the boat, it would make sense for the Cult to go after the Divine Scion.¡±

    ¡°But Seven Shadow doesn¡¯t want to destroy the boat,¡± said Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Yes. Seven Shadow may be an enemy to us, but his goal is to escape the Mist World, too. Survival is a shared goal for us. So why would the Cult, looking to board the boat, be so fixated on killing the Divine Scion, who also wants to board the boat? It¡¯s inconsistent.¡±

    ¡ªWell said, Azure Dragon!

    ¡°I believe so, too.¡± Vermilion Bird lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, forgetting aboutmon etiquettes. ¡°If Dr. Jia¡¯s analogy of a chess board is valid, I believe the Godbearar Cult is on the side of the Mist, opposite of humans and the Heavenly Way.¡±

    ¡°They pretend to be the savior to attract and recruit useful pawns, not differentiating between awakeners, monsters, half-humans, or Spectres. In truth, they have their own goal. It can be to destroy the world, win the war for the Mist, or something else altogether.¡±

    ¡°Now that the Divine Scion and the Malediction prophesied by life monsters are here, and the Malediction died, that left only the Divine Scion. Why did the Cult immediately send someone to kill the Divine Scion? Why now?¡±

    ¡°Because the Divine Scion <i>is </i>the boat ticket, or at least the key to boarding the boat. In our words, the Divine Scion may be the key to opening the Gates of Closure, or at least a key part of it.¡±

    Azure Dragon¡¯s pupils contracted. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t ept the theory, but then it made sense to him. Seven Shadow was too special. He was no less special than Guildmaster Qilin...perhaps even more so.

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang.¡± Vermilion Bird stared at the old man¡¯s mask with flickering eyes, putting out the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°If Seven Shadow is one of the keys to opening the Gates, we cannot kill him. We have to work with him.¡±

    The silence that followed was oddly tense.

    Then Yan Liang spoke in a low voice, ¡°Our primary goal is to collect all twelve Rune Circuits. Killing the Divine Sciones second. Qilin has told you that.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermilion Bird said. ¡°But we can¡¯t ignore the Divine Scion¡¯s role. What if he really is...¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t,¡± Yan Liang said with certainty. ¡°Seven Shadow isn¡¯t the key to open the Gates, and he isn¡¯t the savior of humanity. It¡¯s only your wishful spection.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all specting before we find out the truth, Elder Yan Liang?¡± Vermilion Bird couldn¡¯t let it go.

    Yan Liang chuckled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you something else.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird both turned to the old man.

    ¡°The one who found the Miracle Rune Circuit and the Gates of Closure,¡± Yan Liang paused, ¡°Was me.¡±

    Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird were both surprised.

    It took a long time for Vermilion Bird to speak up in question, ¡°...You?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, ask Qilin after a few days,¡± Yan Liang said calmly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure before, but as more and more is revealed, I can tell you for certain that humanity only has two paths.¡±

    ¡°First, collect the twelve Rune Circuits and have Qilin open the Gates. Humanity wins.¡±

    ¡°Second, do things any other way. Humanity loses.¡±

    Silence stretched.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Azure Dragon can prove that Qilin has cked out.¡± Yan Liang put everything on the table. ¡°Given what the two of you are capable of, I won¡¯t be able to stop you if you want to leave.¡±

    ¡°This is yourst chance to make a choice, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird. You may leave and join the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Hundred Rivers Union, the Nine Scions, or even the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°But remember, if you choose to stay now, you will not waver or doubt Qilin, or he will not let you off the hook easily.¡±

    Azure Dragon remained upright and unfazed, ignoring Yan Liang¡¯s words. He had never for a second doubted Qilin, let alone wavered.

    He knew the warning was meant for Vermilion Bird.

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t stand up. She clenched her fists and looked up after thirty seconds, meeting the old but fierce eyes under the mask. ¡°I stay.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Yan Liang seemed genuinely pleased. He slowly stood up. ¡°The tentative moves over the table end here. It¡¯s time to get serious with our weapons under the table.¡±

    ¡°Please do your best, Elders. Without you, Qilin and I can¡¯t win, and neither will humanity.¡±

    Yan Liang put his hands behind his back and went up to the window wall. Outside, the sun was bright, cutting a thin and frail silhouette. He bore no resemnce to Qilin in appearance.

    At that moment, however, Azure Dragon felt a familiar grand vision from him.

    ¡°From now on,¡± Yan Liang dered in a cool voice. ¡°The Qilin Guild goes into total war.¡±

    Azure Dragon stood up and pressed his right hand to the qilin brooch on his chest solemnly. ¡°For survival!¡±

    Three secondster, Vermilion Bird stood up and saluted Yan Liang in the same way. ¡°For survival.¡±

 Chapter 705: Unionâ€™s Third Team

    <h4>Chapter 705: Union¡¯s Third Team</h4>

    VIP booth of the Sea View Tower, Nanji District,te night the next day.

    The fine rotating table was filled with sumptuous dishes and various drinks. Clearly, a great celebration was taking ce.

    All twelve members of the third team of the Hundred Rivers Union were here: Chen Ying, Little Tian, Zhang Wei, Chestnut, Jiang Hao, Empty Life, Wild Range, Herb Snail, Miss, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou, and Donxote.

    Zhang Wei paid for the meal with his money.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, allow me a few words!¡± Zhang Wei stepped on his chair with a ss of liquor in his right hand, which wore a Cleansing Bracelet, and his other hand on his hip. He had a bright look on his face as he made a resounding deration full of emotions.

    ¡°The night before yesterday, Sister Ying and Little Tian risked their lives to catch that bastard Dust, thus proving my innocence. They are the first ones I must thank!¡±

    ¡°And the rest of you, when I was suspected and put in the prison for capital offenders...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being dramatic, Zhang Wei.¡± Wild Range picked up peanuts with his chopsticks. ¡°You were simply locked up, but you were well-fed every day. How was that treatment for capital offenders...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Range!¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°You don¡¯t understand my despair. I felt like I was going to be sent to the gallows!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right, right!¡± Herb Snail, with middle-part green hair and gray unfocused eyes, raised a ss of orange juice and smiled mockingly. ¡°Brother Wei is right.¡±

    Zhang Wei ignored the mockery and continued to pontificate, ¡°When I was suspected and put in jail, you were there for me. Especially...Sister Empty Life! You asked after me andforted me, even giving me books to read!¡±

    Empty Life sat beside Chen Ying. She had long ck hair that resembled seaweeds, and she wore in linen clothes and no makeup. She was thin, the wrinkles around her mouth a little pronounced, but her eyes were bright and clear. There was an easy grace to her, giving an air of serenity. She looked no older than forty.

    When Zhang Wei brought her up, she didn¡¯t stand up or salute him, but simply nodded with a faint smile.

    ¡°And Shuang Shuang!¡± Zhane Wei raised his cup at the young girl next to Empty Life. ¡°That day, you stood outside my cell and spent a night reassuring me...¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Shuang Shuang was around twenty-five and looked like the girl-next-door type. She had dyed her hair blond, but the original ck color was already showing at the roots. It was a hassle to dye it again, so she put her hair into a bun.

    Her face was chubby but her chin was tapered, and her dimples showed when she smiled. She waved a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need to sleep anyway. I have all the time in the world.¡±

    Shuang Shuang¡¯s Talent was Sleepless, serial number 168, Life-type.

    She hadn¡¯t slept for three months since her Talent reached level 4.

    ¡°No!¡± Zhang Wei insisted. ¡°You could¡¯ve spent your time ying games, having food, watching drama, making babies with Buzhou...¡±

    Buzhou almost choked on food.

    The man in his thirties sat beside Shuang Shuang. He had a strong build and a shaved head, his facial features pronounced. With earrings on, he looked like the secretly wild type, and he was actually that.

    His Talent was Heavy, serial number 165, Support-type.

    When his Talent was active, whoever he touched with his hands would feel heavy physically and mentally to various degrees. Zhang Wei experienced it once, and he felt so heavy that he couldn¡¯t even take a step.

    A week ago, Buzhou luckily acquired One-inch Punch, boosting his physical strength and ability in melee fights substantially.

    While his One-inch Punch was only level 3, with Heavy, his melee fighting ability was considered tier 1, more than enough to make him a deputy leader at the Hundred Rivers Union.

    His mundane identity was a bassist of an underground band, and Shuang Shuang was his biggest fan when she was in college. They had a fling.

    The mysterious hand of fate led them to awaken and join the Hundred Rivers Union one after the other, and under Surnamed Li¡¯s matchmaking, they got married.

    After the Crimson Tide, they had been considering having a child. They knew it would be selfish, but just like Sha Ye and Old Wang, the greater the despair, the more they yearned for hope and faith.

    ¡°Zhang Wei.¡± Buzhou grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. ¡°If you dare to talk about it again, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯m going to do to you.¡±

    Buzhou had been Zhang Wei¡¯s senior, and they were tight. He knew all about Zhang Wei¡¯s embarrassing past.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Zhang Wei quickly changed the topic. ¡°And you, Donxote! Thanks for the message! Although it was only one message, and it contained only a question mark. I know you care about me. Sometimes, men only need a question mark to show that they care!¡±

    Donxote sat beside Buzhou. He was small and skinny with gray hair and blue eyes, his cheeks sunken andplexion pale like those of a zombie.

    He raised his ss of beer carelessly.

    His Talent was Organ Puzzle. Three days after the Crimson Tide ended, he woke up to find that his sixteen-year-old orange cat had passed away quietly on the toilet lid.

    He touched it, and it quickly came alive and made wild swipes at the plunger. Only then did Donxote realize that he hadprehended Corpse Herder.

    Zhang Wei wasn¡¯t yet done with his impassioned speech. He turned to the bald man picking up food beside Donxote.

    ¡°And you! Brother Miss! I love the puzzle you sent me during my imprisonment! But please don¡¯t go for men wrestling with men the next time. I prefer women getting out of baths!¡±

    The bald man was Miss, in his forties. He was quite good-looking, but he always had his eyes narrowed, and with the perpetual dark circles around his eyes, he looked exhausted like someone overindulging in carnal desires.

    ¡°I got two puzzles. One for you, and one for myself. The shop owner packaged them wrong,¡± Miss had a bite of the steamed sea bass and responded nonchntly.

    His Talent was Dodge, serial number 156, Guard-type. When he activated the Talent, he had a 33% chance of perfectly dodging all attacks in all forms for 60 seconds, with a cooldown of 3 hours.

    Two weeks ago, heprehended Tracking.

    ¡°And Chestnut and Jiang Hao!¡±

    Chestnut was dressed in a casual suit with her hard brown hair in a handsome slick-back. She was gulping down beer, and when her name was suddenly called out, she looked up.

    Jiang Hao was in his thirties with Talent: Enchantment. A month ago, heprehended Keen Smell.

    He had fine facial features and a mild temperament. He wore a checkered shirt, jeans, and ck frame sses with a ck backpack next to him. He quickly put down his chopsticks when he was mentioned.

    Both of them looked caught and confused. They hadn¡¯t done anything!

    ¡°During my imprisonment, one of you was immersed in smithing, and the other in enchanting. Neither asked after me. I know it¡¯s because you¡¯ve always believed in my innocence. There was no reason for you to ask anything.¡±

    Chestnut and Jiang Hao paused before giving him an awkward but polite smile.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, Brother Wei is right!¡± Herb Snailughed even harder. ¡°That¡¯s trust.¡±

    ¡°Right, trust.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always believed in your innocence.¡±

    Chestnut and Jiang Hao hurriedly agreed and raised their sses of beer.

    ¡°Here! I salute all of you! To the eternal third team! Tonight, we drink until we¡¯re wasted!¡± Zhang Wei tipped his head back and downed the whole ss of liquor.

    The others each had a drink of their alcohol or other beverages.

    Chen Ying shook her head with a resigned smile, feeling a headache brewing. <i>I wonder how many of them are gonna get wasted tonight. Will my car be big enough to send them home?</i>

    She made the toast with tea instead of alcohol. Her phone rang as soon as she had a drink.

    She checked her phone, her heart sinking.

    Shooting to her feet, she grabbed the suit jacket she had draped on the back of her chair and said as she put it on, ¡°I¡¯m heading back to HQ. Enjoy the celebration.¡±

    ¡°Sister Ying, really? Your seat¡¯s barely warmed!¡± Zhang Wei was disappointed.

    ¡°It¡¯s work. Can¡¯t help it.¡± Chen Ying nced at Wild Range. ¡°Stop drinking, Old Range. You¡¯re in charge of driving themter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Wild Range gave her an OK sign.

    ¡°Little Tian,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Little Tian lowered the coconut juice in his hand and obediently stood up.

    Chen Ying grabbed a napkin and crouched down to wipe his mouth for him. Then she walked out of the booth hand-in-hand with the boy.

 Chapter 706: Swallow Up

    <h4>Chapter 706: Swallow Up</h4>

    Headquarters of Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Outside the meeting room, Little Tian and Liao Liao both had their Talents activated to watch the surroundings and make sure there were no enemies around¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t necessary.

    ¡°How old are you going to be this year, Little Tian?¡± Liao Liao couldn¡¯t help but tease a child when she saw an obedient and cute one.

    ¡°I¡¯m turning seven,¡± Little Tian said happily. Chen Ying promised to take him to the Di amusement park on his birthday. That was what he had been most looking forward to recently.

    ¡°Got a girlfriend?¡± Liao Liao smirked.

    Little Tian shook his head bashfully.

    ¡°You should.¡± Liao Liao spat out lies without thinking. ¡°When I was your age, I had already gone through many boyfriends...¡±

    Little Tianughed. ¡°You¡¯re lying. Brother Zhang Wei told me that Sister Liao Liao had been solo since birth...¡±

    Liao Liao¡¯s smirk stiffened.

    <i>Ugh, my face itches. It¡¯s gonna turn into a raging mask...</i>

    ¡°What does Zhang Wei know?¡± Liao Liao insisted. ¡°Sister...¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    A shocked growl rang from the meeting room. Liao Liao and Little Tian jumped, their face going stiff. They both had a bad feeling about what was happening.

    Meanwhile, in the meeting room, Zhong He mmed the table and shot to his feet, ring at Yan Liang from across the table. ¡°Only in your dream, Yan Liang!¡±

    Elder Yan Liang from the Qilin Guild had suddenly visited tonight, asking for a meeting without giving the Union the chance to reject.

    Surnamed Li called Chen Ying, Colorless, and Zhong He¡ªthe new sixth team leader¡ªto receive Yan Liang together, asking Little Tian and Liao Liao to stay on watch outside.

    It was Zhong He¡¯s first time attending such a meeting as a team leader, and he couldn¡¯t maintain hisposure when the bombshell dropped.

    Chen Ying had a dark look on her face, too, but she tried to cool Zhong He down. ¡°Calm yourself...¡±

    ¡°How?!¡± Zhong He got even more worked up. ¡°He made it clear! He wants to swallow up the Union by force!¡±

    ¡°Zhong He.¡± Surnamed Li made an order. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Only then did he control his temper and reluctantly sit down.

    ¡°Haha, he¡¯s young and hotheaded.¡± Yan Liang smiled under his mask and spoke like a tolerant elder addressing a young one. ¡°Madam Li, you¡¯ve led your organization well. Everyone at the Union has a backbone. I like that.¡±

    Colorless crossed her arms with an impassive expression, suppressing an eye roll. <i>You like that? What gives you the right to judge us? You think you¡¯re entitled to?</i>

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang.¡± Chen Ying chose her words carefully. ¡°Do you mean what you said?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Yan Liang was blunt. ¡°And I¡¯m being earnest.¡±

    He turned to Surnamed Li and said seriously, ¡°The Qilin Guild hopes to merge with the Hundred Rivers Union. If you don¡¯t like the name the Qilin Guild, we may keep the name the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Surnamed Li will be the deputy guildmaster for the time being, and in all guild matters, she has the right to veto a proposal and to directly order all Elders.¡±

    ¡°The team leaders will be promoted to Elders, and the human resources will be reallocated so that every Elder has enough manpower in a fight.¡±

    ¡°And if you¡¯d like, Madam Li, you may be the guildmaster after the Nine Scions is destroyed. You¡¯ll be in charge of all Rune Circuits in our possession, too.¡±

    The meeting room fell silent.

    Zhong He¡¯s anger evaporated, reced by utter befuddlement.

    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t here to swallow up the Hundred Rivers Union, but to join them.

    <i>Why does it feel like a rich youngdy marrying herself to a poor boy with valuable dowry and fanfare?</i>

    Still, Zhong He came to a realization after only a few seconds. <i>Ha, no matter how he sweetens up the deal, the Hundred Rivers Union will no longer be in charge once we merge with the Guild.</i>

    ¡°Elder Yang Liang,¡± Colorless couldn¡¯t help but chime in with a scoff. ¡°I find no fault in you, but...¡±

    ¡°But?¡± Yan Liang asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re disingenuous.¡±

    Yan Liang chuckled. ¡°I know you won¡¯t believe me. To tell you the truth, Qilin and I don¡¯t covet power. We started the Qilin Guild for one thing, opening the Gates of Closure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it simply.¡± Yan Liang showed his card. ¡°As long as you allow Qilin to open the Gates after the twelve Rune Circuits are gathered, we¡¯re willing to make any concession.¡±

    ¡°Talk all you want.¡± Zhong He scowled. ¡°Who knows if we¡¯ll be in charge then? Once you have the twelve Rune Circuits, how are we going to be your match? Then you¡¯re free to do whatever you want.¡±

    The meeting room fell silent again.

    While Zhong He was blunt, he had voiced what the Union members were thinking; a promise a wolf made to amb couldn¡¯t be trusted.

    After a moment of silence, Yan Liang shook his head and sighed. ¡°Use your brain, young man.¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Chen Ying grabbed Zhong He to stop him from acting up.

    ¡°If Qilin wanted the three Rune Circuits, he would¡¯ve taken them,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°During the Crimson Tide, Qilin was strong enough to easily defeat Lilia. Would any of you say with confidence that you could take her down?¡±

    Colorless¡¯ and Zhong He¡¯s faces darkened.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t react. She wasn¡¯t a fighter and didn¡¯t feel humiliated at all. It was apliment to even bepared to Lilia.

    ¡°You should know that Elder Vermilion Bird could triple someone¡¯s power with Equivalent Exchange for 90 seconds.¡±

    After an intentional pause, Yan Liang continued, ¡°With all of you together, do you think you can endure Qilin¡¯s tripled Eidos for 10 seconds?¡±

    Zhong He didn¡¯t back down. ¡°We...¡±

    ¡°Do you want to say that you can hide?¡± Yan Liang cut him off. ¡°The Mist World is only this big. The fish in the water, the animals on the ground, the nts and trees, the reflective surfaces. There are many hidden eyes of the Guild where you can¡¯t even imagine.¡±

    ¡°Some may slip through the cracks, but we¡¯ll find all members of the Union sooner orter.¡±

    Before Zhong He could argue, Yan Liang said, ¡°Do you want to say that you can hide in the underground base, that this is a safe sanctuary for you?¡±

    Yan Liangughed hoarsely. ¡°Let me tell you something. With his power tripled, Azure Dragon can turn this ce into a giant pit at full power, and your base will be gone in seconds. If all of the members are gathered here, it¡¯ll save us the trouble of looking for you.¡±

    Zhong He stares with his mouth agape. Every response Yan Liang gave clutched his heart like an invisible hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to threaten you,¡± Yan Liang said in a softer voice. ¡°I simply want you to understand that it¡¯ll be as easy as flipping a hand for the Qilin Guild to take the Rune Circuits from you. Even in this dire situation, however, the Guild shows you as much respect as we can and follows the rules only because of Qilin¡¯s kindness. You should be thankful that he is kind.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Liang¡¯s gaze turned icy under the mask. ¡°Were I Qilin, you would''ve been long dead.¡±

 Chapter 707: Misunderstanding

    <h4>Chapter 707: Misunderstanding</h4>

    For a prolonged moment, no one in the meeting room said anything. Chen Ying felt like amb under the careless gaze of azy wolf, and suddenly, the wolf¡¯s stomach growled to signal its hunger, and its eyes narrowed slightly.

    Fear climbed up her spine to the top of her head, making it hard for her to breathe. The others didn¡¯t fare that much better than she did.

    ¡°It¡¯s a careless remark, everyone.¡± Yan Liang picked up his cup of tea and disced some of the liquid. ¡°Even if you refuse to merge with us, we won¡¯t make a move against you. It¡¯s pointless.¡±

    ¡°The Qilin Guild¡¯s enemy isn¡¯t the Hundred Rivers Union or the Twelve Zodiac Signs. It¡¯s not even the Nine Scions or the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°We only ever have one enemy, and that¡¯s the hourss of doomsday.¡±

    ¡°When there¡¯s so little sand in the hourss that Qilin must open the Gates,¡± Yan Liang smiled faintly, ¡°Oho, Qilin will be willing to sacrifice everything, including himself. Then you¡¯ll still have to make a choice.¡±

    ¡°Might as well work with us now, yes? We¡¯ll fight for humanity¡¯s survival together and open the Gates of Closure as soon as possible, forging new history for all humans.¡±

    Yan Liang¡¯s tone turned icy. ¡°Or you can choose to work against the greater good like the Nine Scions and choose destruction, and you¡¯ll forever be pinned down as a contributor to human civilization¡¯s doom.¡±

    His words pinned everyone down on their seat.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made my case. Please consider my proposal carefully.¡±

    He stood up and put his hands behind his hunched back, slowly walking toward the door.

    After opening the door, he stopped like he had remembered something, keeping his back to them. ¡°Ah, Miss Chen Ying. We¡¯ve long noticed that you¡¯ve been watering flowers on your balcony every night rather than once a week recently.¡±

    ¡°And Liu Qingying sold us the S-ss intel that Nine Frost hadprehended Telepathy.¡±

    Chen Ying froze, breaking into a cold sweat with a pounding heart. Although Yan Liang had his back to her, she still did her best to maintain a poker face lest her expression betrayed her panic.

    Yang Liang never turned around. ¡°The Nine Scions is an enemy to the Qilin Guild, while Dust is an enemy to all of us. The fact that the Nine Scions have sacrificed Dust as a pawn to gain your trust isn¡¯t a bad thing in terms of the result.¡±

    ¡°Erasing all spies from the Godbearer Cult helps humanse together.¡±

    ¡°Thus, we won¡¯t do anything to the Union for what happened this time, but there better not be a next time.¡±

    ¡°Is that the case, Chen Ying?¡± Surnamed Li asked in aposed voice without showing any emotions.

    Chen Ying shot to her feet, pretending to be worked up. She raised her voice as she defended herself, ¡°Madam Li! I have nothing to do with the Nine Scions! That¡¯s a false usation! I found Dust by following the clues Green Tea left for us. He has Mindreading and long noticed something wrong with Goldthread. He simply hadn¡¯t confirmed his suspicion!¡±

    ¡°Yan Liang¡¯s twisting the truth to nt suspicion among us. Please make the right judgment!¡±

    Yan Liang chuckled hoarsely. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve allowed my imagination to run wild and misunderstood you. I hope you don¡¯t take offense, Miss Chen Ying.¡±

    He opened the door. ¡°I¡¯ll visit another time. I look forward to the Union¡¯s response.¡±

    <i>Click. Bam.</i>

    The door closed.

    The meeting room was silent for a good moment.

    Zhong He turned to Surnamed Li with uncertainty. ¡°Madam Li, it¡¯s all posturing from the old man, right? While Qilin and Azure Dragon are strong, they can¡¯t be that strong...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Qilin, but Azure Dragon¡¯s destructive power...¡±

    Colorless remembered what Azure Dragon could do with A Serious Punch back in the church basement in Aurora Town in Snow Nation¡ªhe had only used fifty percent of his power.

    Then she remembered her experience having Vermilion Bird tripled her power in the sunflower garden on thest night of the Crimson Tide.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s Limitless Evolution and Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange had been level 6. If Azure Dragon¡¯s Talent reached level 7, with the cheat-like growing ability and Vermilion Bird buffing him by three...even four times, and if Azure Dragon was allowed to charge for sufficient time before making an all-out attack...

    Colorless sighed pessimistically and rubbed her temple, ¡°I¡¯d say there¡¯s little exaggeration to the im.¡±

    Zhong He¡¯s shoulders sagged. He slumped in his chair and felt a deep sense of defeat. The top twelve Talents were in a different league of their own.

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Colorless turned to Surnamed Li, too. ¡°What we¡¯ve been worried about happened. What now?¡±

    Surnamed Li smiled faintly, never breaking herposure. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Zhong He didn¡¯t understand. ¡°The fire¡¯s right in our neighborhood, Madam Li. We can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Zhong He.¡± Colorless trusted Surnamed Li. The woman was more capable and decisive than her calm temperament would suggest.

    She hadn¡¯t led the Hundred Rivers Union to where it was today by being mild-mannered and sitting around in a wheelchair.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. Go back and rest. Tomorrow, the sun will stille up.¡± Surnamed Li controlled the wheelchair to the door of the meeting room. ¡°Chen Ying, please take me home.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Colorless shot Chen Ying a strange look. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect me too, Colorless?¡± Chen Ying pretended to be hurt.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you suspect me of being Dust, too?¡± Colorless said openly. ¡°I didn¡¯t object then.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t have aeback for that, and she fell silent.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°Let Chen Ying drive me. She¡¯s a good drive, and I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Colorless didn¡¯t insist.

    ...

    At midnight, Chen Ying drove Surnamed Li home. Little Tian sat in the passenger seat while scanning their surroundings for threats.

    In the back, Surnamed Li kept her eyes closed, and she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Chen Ying purposefully drove slowly, waiting.

    After about twenty minutes, Surnamed Li opened her eyes, her calm gaze flickering. She nced at Little Tian through the rearview mirror.

    Without missing a beat, Chen Ying took out a pair of wireless earphones and handed it to Little Tian. ¡°Put on songs you like, Little Tian.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Tian obediently put the earphones on and closed his eyes. Chen Ying increased the volume for him.

    Surnamed Li took out a smaller jammer from her sses case at a deliberate pace, turning it on. Instantly, the whole car was protected from wiretapping through any method.

    ¡°Madam Li!¡± Chen Ying had long made up her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the Qilin Guild gets enough evidence, hand me to them. I¡¯ll bear the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Surnamed Li shook her head in resignation. ¡°Yan Liang isn¡¯t after your life or my life, or even the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

 Chapter 708: Everything

    <h4>Chapter 708: Everything</h4>

    Surnamed Li smiled bitterly. ¡°Qilin wants the legitimacy to rule over the world and all humanity. It¡¯s the ultimate ambition of a prideful and powerful man.¡±

    Chen Ying fell into thought.

    ¡°With the doom of the world on the horizon, and the Nine Scions seeding with their troublemaking several times and expanding their power, Qilin¡¯s at the end of his patience.¡±

    ¡°Now, Dust¡¯s been flushed out, and the Hundred Rivers Union is clear with no hidden threats. The Qilin Guild is going to annex us sooner rather thanter.¡±

    ¡°While the Hundred Rivers Union iscking in raw power, we excel in soft power such as scouting, support, and resource generation. Us joining the Guild will y an important or even key role in the Guild¡¯s effort to destroy the Nine Scions.¡±

    Chen Ying tightened her grip around the driving wheel with frustration. ¡°So we just let them trample all over us?¡±

    ¡°Chen Ying.¡± Surnamed Li responded with a question rather than an answer. ¡°What is your pursuit?¡±

    ¡°For those I love to live safely and freely and with dignity and hope,¡± Chen Ying answered without hesitation. Then she smiled wryly. ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult.¡±

    ¡°It is difficult, but not impossible. We¡¯ve been working hard for that end, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    Chen Ying nodded.

    Surnamed Li said with feeling, ¡°Chen Ying, how much are you willing to sacrifice for the pursuit?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡± Chen Ying smiled. She had been waiting for that question from Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Think clearly before answering me.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s tone turned even more serious. ¡°People don¡¯t often understand themselves that much, and regret hits when the timees.¡±

    ¡°I have thought it through,¡± Chen Ying said with determination. ¡°That night, I watched Little Tian¡¯s soul get burned to death by Dust before Gao Yang brought him back, and when Little Tian bawled in my arms, I made up my mind.¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m weak, I¡¯m putting everything on the line! At least I have to give Little Tian a good future. And humanity¡¯s future is Little Tian¡¯s future.¡±

    ¡°I hope that one day, Little Tian can go to the real world and fly kites happily and freely under the real sun.¡±

    Surnamed Li paused. ¡°Why kites?¡±

    ¡°Every spring, he goes to the park to fly kites.¡± Chen Ying chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s always particrly happy then.¡±

    Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°You loved that when you were little, too.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Ying was a little surprised. She didn¡¯t remember that.

    She turned the driving wheel and went back to the main topic. ¡°I know you, Madam Li. You must already have a n.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded, acting decisive and calm as a leader should. ¡°In three days, Chen Ying, flee with the two Rune Circuits and join the Nine Scions.¡±

    Chen Ying was caught off guard. She knew that she had to prove the Union¡¯s innocence by bing a ¡°traitor¡±, but she didn¡¯t expect to have to bring Rune Circuits with her.

    ¡°Madam Li...do we have to go that far?¡± Chen Ying hesitated.

    While she believed Gao Yang to be more reliable than Qilin, Gao Yang did have an unhinged side to him. And Chen Ying didn¡¯t necessarily think that Gao Yang would lead humanity to a bright future for certain.

    If she had to choose, though, Gao Yang was her second choice after Surnamed Li.

    ¡°You must,¡± Surnamed Li said. ¡°Two Rune Circuits will be your best bet for showing your goodwill. Only by doing that will the Nine Scions truly trust and ept you.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, as long as we don¡¯t have Rune Circuits, the Qilin Guild won¡¯t get what they want even after the Union joins them. That¡¯ll be how I can protect the Union.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Chen Ying thought further. ¡°If the Hundred Rivers Union really joins the Qilin Guild, I¡¯ll have to be your enemy, won¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯ll be the deputy guildmaster with veto power. I¡¯ll try my best to keep our people from joining the frontline.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to avoid it altogether.¡± <i>And Qilin may deprive you of your power</i>, Chen Ying added silently.

    ¡°This is war, Chen Ying, and blood will be shed.¡± Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°Sacrifice is inevitable for yourself and others. Once you make a choice, there¡¯s no turning around.¡±

    Chen Ying looked at her, dazed. So that was why Madam Li asked if she had made up her mind.

    She would sacrifice everything.

    So this was the weight of the word ¡°everything¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you the third and the final time, Chen Ying. Think before giving me an answer.¡± Surnamed Li gazed at her with cool scrutiny. ¡°For your pursuit, how much are you willing to give?¡±

    Chen Ying gripped the driving wheel and loosened her hands after a few seconds.

    This time, she truly made up her mind before making the choice.

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    Surnamed Li looked out of the window with an impassive expression. A sh of light flicked past her face, as if the y button of the n had been pressed.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She took off her sses and started hashing out the n. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll take the two Rune Circuits from Colorless and Zhong He. Because of what Yan Liang said tonight, I suspected that among the four team leaders, someone was colluding with the Nine Scions behind my back. Out of concern, I took the Rune Circuits for safekeeping. That should be a reasonable course of action.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Chen Ying said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hide the Rune Circuits in a secret room, and as my personal assistant, you know me the best and manage to guess the location. That makes sense, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What Yan Liang said shook my trust in you, and realizing that things weren¡¯t looking good for you, you decided to make a move, stealing the Rune Circuits before I could do anything and joining the Nine Scions with your trustedpanions. Makes sense?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    ¡°You have three days to make these reasonable things happen.¡±

    Chen Ying was quiet for a few seconds before she nodded. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Surnamed Li reminded her, ¡°Once you seed, you¡¯ll be on the top of the wanted lists for the Hundred Rivers Union and the Qilin Guild, the public enemy of humanity second to only Gao Yang. You¡¯ll be constantly on the run and may get killed at any time, and even after your death, your reputation may never recover. Even your tomb will get spat on.¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m getting into.¡± Chen Ying¡¯s gaze was determined.

    Surnamed Li nodded slightly and didn¡¯t say another word.

    After ten seconds, she shut down the jammer and put her sses back on.

    Chen Ying had regained herposure too. She reached out to take off Little Tian¡¯s earphones. ¡°Are you hungry, Little Tian?¡±

    Little Tian nodded bashfully. ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Chen Ying stroked his hair. ¡°Once we drop Madam Li at her ce, let¡¯s have beef noodles at the ce across from Li City University.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Little Tian¡¯s eyes glinted with anticipation.

    ...

    It was four in the morning. Zhang Wei¡¯s mouth was dry, and he felt lightheaded.

    He didn¡¯t remember how much he had drunk and boasted. He remembered rushing to the toilet to throw up twice. Then Wild Range threw him over his shoulder and dropped him in the car. He remembered nothing afterward.

    While Zhang Wei had a mediocre Talent, he was an awakener after all, and he was physically much stronger than regr humans. He had sobered up almostpletely now.

    He found himself lying on a soft sofa with a nket that smelled nice on him.

    <i>Hmm, it¡¯s nice. Obviously a woman¡¯s.</i>

    <i>Must be a mix of shampoo, hair conditioner, skin care product, cream, and a woman¡¯s natural smell.</i>

    <i>And it feels like a beautifuldy. Hehehe...</i>

    Zhang Wei¡¯s thoughts turned dirty in his hazy mind. It would be nice to fall into a nice wet dream like this.

    ...

    Then he suddenly jerked up in surprise.

 Chapter 709: Warm Your Night

    <h4>Chapter 709: Warm Your Night</h4>

    <i>Wait, what¡¯s happening?</i>

    <i>Where am I? Why is there a nket that smells like women on me?</i>

    Zhang Wei was suddenly wide awake. He quickly sat up and nervously looked around. The light of the living room was off, but from the silhouette, he could faintly make out a t with a warm interior design and a lived-in atmosphere.

    Bright orange light came from the living room on the far end of the room, and hazy vapor seeped out from the slightly ajar door. The sound of water sshing could be heard every once in a while. Someone must be taking a bath.

    Zhang Wei¡¯s brain stuttered to a stop. Although he always boasted about going through women like clothes, truthfully, he had never gotten to rece the shirt that was his virginity.

    <i>Is this an erotic encounter?</i>

    <i>Wait, I didn¡¯t get wasted at a bar or anything. Why would I get picked up by someone? I was drinking with my colleagues, a totally legit gathering!</i>

    <i>No way. Did one of them...do me?</i>

    Zhang Wei felt a mix of feelings, both nervous and a little excited.

    Stroking his chin, he thought about who the woman in the bathroom could be.

    Shuang Shuang was out of the question. She and her husband, Buzhou, were a loving couple and were likely making babies right now. She wouldn¡¯t have touched Zhang Wei.

    Empty Life didn¡¯t make sense either. The woman might as well be a nun without worldly desires. She would never do things like this.

    Could it be...Chestnut?

    Hm, it would make sense. She was a bold woman with a big personality. She could do something out of bounds after getting drunk.

    To Zhang Wei¡¯s knowledge, though, Chestnut didn¡¯t have a ce in the city. She usually stayed at their base or the abandoned car repair that was her workshop. Were Chestnut the oneying a hand on him, Zhang Wei would¡¯ve woken up in a hotel.

    <i>Unless...</i>

    Zhang Wei just came to a conclusion when the bathroom door opened, and Chen Ying emerged in a sexy bathrobe while cocking her head to dry the wet tips of her hair with a towel. She gave Zhang Wei a mysterious smile. ¡°You¡¯re up?¡±

    Zhang Wei¡¯s brain short-circuited again.

    <i>Shit, it really is Sister Ying!</i>

    <i>Wasn¡¯t I too lucky to have lost my V-card to Sister Ying? Dang, I have to relive the moment...remember the details, I mean... Shit, I can¡¯t remember anything.</i>

    Chen Ying could tell the dirty thoughts he was having by looking at his face.

    She wasn¡¯t angry though. Combing her still-damp hair to the back, she unconsciously tightened the waistband of her bathrobe and lifted the cors.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I make some tea to wake you up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± Zhang Wei struggled to control his tongue.

    Chen Ying exined while making tea, ¡°I told Wild Range to bring you here. I need you for something.¡±

    ¡°What...thing?¡± Zhang Wei was filled with nervousness, excitement, and anticipation. He confidently came to the conclusion:<i> it seems that we weren¡¯t able to do the deed since I cked out, but Sister Ying took a bath to wait for me to wake up!</i>

    <i>That makes sense. Sister Ying¡¯s been single for so long. She¡¯s not made of stone. Of course, there will be times she wants her bed warmed by another body. And other than Buzhou, who was already married, I¡¯m the most good-looking on the third team.</i>

    <i>Of course Sister Ying would pick me!</i>

    <i>Sister Ying¡¯s generous and beautiful with a nice figure and a nicer personality. At the same time, she¡¯s serious when she works. She¡¯s totally my type¡ªone of my many types.</i>

    <i>I gotta perform well. I can¡¯t let it show that I never have any experience...</i>

    Chen Ying came over with a cup of hot tea. Zhang Wei immediately took the cup from her, behaving himself. ¡°Thank you...¡±

    Chen Ying sat down across from Zhang Wei and gave him a good look.

    Pressured, Zhang Wei lowered his head and took a small sip of the hot tea.

    He used the time to calm himself down. He decided to be a proper yboy. He pretended to be experienced and put on a smirk. ¡°Sister Ying, you didn¡¯t have me here thiste at night for simple work, did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled cryptically and picked up her teacup before rising to her feet. ¡°Come to the bathroom with me.¡±

    Zhang Wei¡¯s brain might have erupted. <i>Shit! That¡¯s direct! Sister Ying, oh Sister Ying, I didn¡¯t expect you to be this passionate under your serious appearance!</i>

    <i>Love that!</i>

    Zhang Wei gulped and forced himself to calm down. He brought his cup of tea to the living room after Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying curled her lips. ¡°Close the door.¡±

    Zhang Wei did so.

    Chen Ying sat down on the edge of the bathtub, crossing her legs leisurely and patting the bathtub next to her. ¡°Come, have a seat.¡±

    Zhang Wei peeled his gaze away from her smooth thigh and sat down next to her, his legs shaking.

    Chen Ying turned to the side to twist the tap for the shower. The sound of flowing water served as white noise to deter potential eavesdroppers.

    She leaned in to whisper into Zhang Wei¡¯s ear, ¡°I have a favor to ask. No matter if you say yes or no, please keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Your trouble is my own, Sister Ying. I won¡¯t hesitate to warm your night up.¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s smile turned lecherous, and he started unbuttoning his shirt.

    ¡°That reassures me.¡±

    Chen Ying¡¯s expression turned serious. She said quietly, ¡°I decided to go to the Nine Scions, Zhang Wei.¡±

    Zhang Wei¡¯s hands stopped, and his smile stiffened. His boiling blood quickly cooled, too.

    After a long moment, he slowly asked, ¡°Sister Ying, do you...mean that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth,¡± said Chen Ying. ¡°I¡¯ve long been in contact with the Nine Scions. Without their help, I wouldn¡¯t have found Dust.¡±

    ¡°Now, the Qilin Guild is trying to take the Hundred Rivers Union by force. Madam Li chose to concede. Joining Qilin will make us into a frog getting cooked in slowly heated water, though, and I don¡¯t want to be the frog.¡±

    Her gaze was zing. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for years, Zhang Wei. Outside of Little Tian, you are my first choice and the person I trust the most. Consider if you¡¯d like to go with me.¡±

    Zhang Wei listened to her quietly. His cooled mind was the calm before a storm, and after a short moment, his blood boiled and rushed into his head, his dirty thoughts long evaporated.

    ¡°Shit!¡± He jumped to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this for a long time, Sister Ying!¡±

    ¡°Hush...¡± Chen Ying warned him.

    Zhang Wei quickly shut his mouth and sat back down on the bathtub, lowering his voice while his body trembled in excitement. ¡°To tell you the truth, Sister Ying, I¡¯ve long wanted to join the Nine Scions. I have a good eye for people. Gao Yang is never meant to be a nobody. He¡¯s the right person to follow. Madam Li is a good caretaker but not a good leader. Following her will lead to us slipping down into a pit.¡±

    ¡°Qilin¡¯s a hypocrite. One day, karma¡¯s going to catch up to him!¡±

    ¡°And Dragon? He¡¯s too pretentious. I don¡¯t like pretentious people. I can¡¯t have a real heart-to-heart with them.¡±

    Chen Ying hid her surprise. She didn¡¯t expect Zhang Wei to have thought this far.

    But it made sense. During his imprisonment, Zhang Wei must have gone through all that many times.

    ¡°If you already had the thought, why haven¡¯t you done anything?¡± Chen Ying asked in a cool voice, eyes glinting.

 Chapter 710: Heart-to-heart

    <h4>Chapter 710: Heart-to-heart</h4>

    ¡°Hey!¡± Zhang Wei pped his thigh and then realized that he had been too loud. He quickly lowered his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t have an out, you know?¡±

    ¡°And why would the Nine Scions trust me if I went to them on my own? For one, I¡¯m not strong enough. For another, I don¡¯t have anything to offer. The Nine Scions aren¡¯t going to take a risk for a useless person like me.¡±

    Chen Ying was surprised. <i>Your confidence works differently from others, Zhang Wei.</i>

    ¡°Hehe, but things are different now.¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s eyes glinted with confidence. ¡°You¡¯re an old friend of Gao Yang¡¯s, Sister Ying. He trusts you, and you trust me. With you vouching for me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled. Her hand was still submerged in the bubble bath in the tub, and it was holding a syringe of Meididince D. She slowly loosened her grip.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m taking you with me.¡± Chen Ying made up her mind.

    ¡°How many of us are going?¡± Zhang Wei took a sip of his tea and spoke like he was already a mastermind of the n.

    ¡°You, Little Tian, and me.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s too few,¡± Zhang Wei said seriously. ¡°If we¡¯re leaving, we should take more people with us.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything.

    She hadn¡¯t wanted to take even Little Tian with her, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to leave without him. Even the Nine Scions wouldn¡¯t believe her like that, let alone the Qilin Guild.

    Still, Little Tian was a kid. Even if he got capturedter, he should be safe given his only mistake was falling for Chen Ying¡¯s ploy.

    Anyhow, whoever she took with her would be taking on a risk.

    There was another reason for her hesitation. Although the third team was close, it would still be difficult to have everyone defect together. After all, they all had their stance. Taking the whole team would introduce too many variables and increase the risk of getting exposed.

    Zhang Wei didn¡¯t quite understand Chen Ying¡¯s concern. He said bluntly, ¡°Sister Ying, we all acknowledge you for your character and capability. Even if not everyone on the third team would go with you, you should be able to take half.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a leader and may not have heard the voices of the regr members. To tell you the truth, everyone¡¯s getting dissatisfied with Madam Li, considering her too weak-minded. And we all fear the Qilin Guild. The newly appointed Elder Yan Liang, especially, seems insidious. It¡¯s like no dirty deed is below him.¡±

    Chen Ying was surprised. <i>You¡¯ve got a clear perspective, Zhang Wei.</i>

    ¡°Buzhou has asked me about the Twelve Zodiac Signs since I boasted that I was tight with the man. He actually bought it hahaha...¡±

    ¡°Ah, I digress.¡± Zhang Wei took another sip of his tea. ¡°Buzhou and Shuang Shuang n to have a kid together. They don¡¯t feel safe at all staying in the Hundred Rivers Union. He wants to look for proper support for their future kid if not anything else.¡±

    ¡°And you think the Nine Scions are that?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Zhang Wei. ¡°You want to go to the Nine Scions, Sister Ying. Don¡¯t you see what¡¯s good about them?¡±

    Chen Ying paused before smiling at him. ¡°Good. Let me test you then. What makes the Nine Scions a good choice?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Zhang Wei got even more invested. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go over everything.¡±

    ¡°Take your time.¡± Chen Ying twisted the tap to make the sound of the shower louder.

    ¡°First and foremost,¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s got the protagonist aura.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I mean it,¡± Zhang Wei said seriously. ¡°Do you know that there was an emperor who might as well be the chosen one of the dimension[1]? I thought about it. Gao Yang seems to be ying a simr part. He¡¯s got incredible luck.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not all about luck,¡± said Chen Ying. ¡°I worked with him before. He¡¯s been growing quickly, and he¡¯s bold but careful, sticking to his principles with a strong determination...¡±

    ¡°I know all that, Sister Ying. I know Gao Yang no lesser than you do. I and a few mates of mine are basically his fanboys in private.¡±

    ¡°Then let me ask you this, Sister Ying.¡± Zhang Wei licked his lips. ¡°Is Qilin good? Is Dragon good? Madam Li can¡¯t even kill a chicken but manages to establish the Hundred Rivers Union as the third major organization. Isn¡¯t she good? And can¡¯t the same be said about the mysterious Heavenly Godbearer?¡±

    ¡°They are all incredible.¡±

    ¡°Then do you know how much time they have spentying down the groundwork and how many chances they have seized before the others?¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    ¡°Dragon has led a long life through hibernation and possesses the most powerful Talent. That leads him to where he is today.¡±

    ¡°Qilin has the second best Talent and the Miracle Rune Circuit. He¡¯s the only one who knows the secrets of the Gates of Closure, and he has a capable helper. How many years has it taken him to reach this height?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to go into Madam Li¡¯s story. We all know it well.¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s the Godbearer Cult. The Spectres, pride monsters, elite monster primes, half-humans, Tails, and the former ck Tortoise... So many bigshots have been working for the Heavenly Godbearer, and how many years has she been working to get to this point?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s look at Gao Yang. He¡¯s only been awakened for nine months, during which he¡¯s been unconscious for three months.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean? Well, the barely neen boy has no Talent among the top twelve and no opening for him to exploit. When the awakening world was already divided by three organizations, he managed to start his own group in six months and establish a foothold, even showing signs of surpassing the old yers.¡±

    Chen Ying fell silent.

    ¡°Moreover, let¡¯s take a look at how much he¡¯s achieved over the past six months. He¡¯s discovered half of the Rune Circuits. And the other half had taken awakeners two decades to gather.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s acquired six or seven Talents, his power ranking jumping from the bottom to the top five.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s directly or indirectly killed countless powerful enemies. Some of their names we hadn¡¯t even heard of.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s the title he¡¯s wearing now? The Divine Scion! The son of God Themself!¡±

    ¡°What incredible luck would it require for someone to achieve all that, Sister Ying? If he weren¡¯t the chosen one of this dimension, no one else would be. That¡¯s the first and most important reason I choose the Nine Scions.¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t share her thoughts. ¡°Keep going.¡±

    ¡°Second, the Nine Scions have the greatest potential.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being blindly optimistic. It¡¯s the truth. Think about it. The Nine Scions are weaker than the Qilin Guild, but during their previous shes, it was the Nine Scions that came out with an edge. They even helped us find Dust.¡±

    Chen Ying thought carefully and gestured at Zhang Wei to continue.

    ¡°Third, it¡¯s safer to go to the Nine Scions than stay at the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Chen Ying couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°Because the Nine Scions are in the dark, while the three organizations are out in the open.¡±

    Zhang Wei smiled. ¡°The Nine Scions are hitting and running now. Every member is elite, and they have cheat-like Talents such as Shapeshifter, Invisibility, Gamer, and Telepathy, allowing them to act discretely and unpredictably. If we join them, we can survive until the end byying low.¡±

    ¡°If we join the Qilin Guild, though, we will be left with little choice. The Guild <i>will </i>use us as cannon fodder, and we¡¯ll be the first to die.¡±

    ¡°Hm...great minds think alike.¡± Chen Ying maintained a cool attitude. ¡°Any other reason?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± Zhang Wei smiled. ¡°I like Nine Scions¡¯ work culture.¡±

    Zhang Wei¡¯s earnest response almost made Chen Yingugh. ¡°Exin.¡±

    1. A reference to Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han. He was sometimes called the ¡°son of the dimension¡± because of his streaks of good luck and sess. ?

 Chapter 711: Kinda Difficult

    <h4>Chapter 711: Kinda Difficult</h4>

    ¡°Has there ever been a traitor among the Nine Scions?¡±

    Chen Ying shook her head. There hadn¡¯t been one.

    ¡°Over the years, the three organizations had been frequently changing members, defecting, nting eyes and spies, even getting infiltrated by the Godbearer Cult and thus losing harmony.¡±

    ¡°Meanwhile, all members of the Nine Scions are recruited from other organizations, yet they are so united that it may as well be a cult.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t have any mediocre members, do they? But they stay loyal to Gao Yang. Outside of his personal charm, it has to be about the work culture.¡±

    Zhang Wei continued, ¡°Simply put, they are on the right path and everyone can see a better future. Thus, they are willing to follow him.¡±

    Chen Ying had a newfound respect for Zhang Wei. She had considered him a simple social butterfly with a tendency to boast, but it turned out that he had formed quite a clear view of the situation.

    Sensing Chen Ying¡¯s wavering, Zhang Wei prompted, ¡°Sister Ying, we can¡¯t just think about ourselves. If we want to go, we take as many with us as possible and save as many of them as we can. We can¡¯t just watch as our brothers and sisters jump into a burning pit.¡±

    Chen Ying held his gaze. ¡°Your suggestion?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it all out in the open.¡± Zhang Wei grinned. ¡°We gather the third team and tell them the truth. Those who wille with us maye, and the rest will stay.¡±

    Chen Ying considered the suggestion carefully. She hadn¡¯t wanted to take many with her, but listening to Zhang Wei¡¯s analysis and considering that she had to y her role as a traitor well, it was still necessary to have a gathering of truth.

    Chen Ying made up her mind, ¡°Alright. But it¡¯s dangerous. We have to n the whole thing out without making mistakes. We don¡¯t have a lot of time. Only three days.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Zhang Wei pounded his chest. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    The two of them had a secret conversation in the bathroom for two hours,ying out every detail of the n.

    Once the day broke, Zhang Wei left Chen Ying¡¯s ce.

    To make the act convincing, Chen Ying walked Zhang Wei to the elevator, and they held each other like lovers would. Before Zhang Wei left, Chen Ying sorted out his tie and said a few sweet words to him.

    Zhang Wei walked away inrge strides, his expression satisfied.

    At eleven o¡¯clock at night the next day, Chen Ying collected the two clothes left on her balcony for drying, but she quickly returned indoors in thirty seconds.

    She headed to her bedroom to fold her clothes before putting them in her closet, all with anxiety brewing in the back of her head.

    She went back to the living room and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV and putting on a drama she wasn¡¯t actually watching, doing her best to calm herself.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Her doorbell rang suddenly.

    Chen Ying jumped. Who could it be thiste at night?

    She cautiously rose to her feet and felt the ck Gold handgun hidden by her waist, slowly making it to the door. Aiming the gun at the door with one hand while approaching the peephole, she took a quick look outside.

    <i>It¡¯s them!</i> Chen Ying thought with surprise.

    ...

    New Cemetery, Dongyu District, early in the morning.

    A creek ran along the feet of the hill cemetery into the Li River, forming a triangr shoal. There sat an abandoned sand mining ship, near which was a sand treatment nt that hadn¡¯t seen any use for years.

    Inside therge, rundown factory sat piles of sand and arge clearing where mattresses, sleeping bags, tents, and old sofas were ced. Basic everyday necessities and two boxes of supplies were on the side.

    Compared to the vi in the Li City Community, the living conditions were atrocious, akin to a gathering ce for homeless people.

    But rules were rules.

    They must not stay in a ce for too long, and they must not stay at onlyfortable ces. Their choices for temporary bases must be unpredictable and random. Then even if the Qilin Guild did discover their tracks, the tracks couldn¡¯t be used to narrow down the area of investigation.

    The sand treatment nt no longer had electricity, so the lights were off. The moonlight was bright, though, and streaming through the windows, it drew the lines of everyone¡¯s face and lit the eyes.

    When Nine Frost received Chen Ying¡¯s message, he immediately rushed back to the sand treatment nt and held a meeting.

    An hour ago, Chen Ying had given Nine Frost a message through his Telepathy while she was collecting clothes from the balcony. She went back in after a few words.

    [Go! We¡¯re exposed! I¡¯m targeted! I¡¯ll go to you with some people and Rune Circuits. Let¡¯s talk about the details tomorrow morning at the Golden Arch!]

    Nine Frost cut off Telepathy immediately after receiving the message, wiping away cold sweat. Ever since Dust was found, Nine Frost had be increasingly confident that they would be able to flush out the Godbearer Cult, and he trusted Gao Yang¡¯s determination and capability to get revenge more and more.

    Encouraged, he reaffirmed his belief, and Weak Point reached level 7, pushing Telepathy from level 4 to level 7, too.

    Level 7 Telepathy came with a substantial improvement. Not only did the range ofmunication increase to a staggering 1.5 kilometers, but he could also create a groupmunication line of seven¡ªhimself included¡ªfor five minutes with a one-day cooldown.

    With a pair of tactical binocrs in hand, Nine Frost was 1.5 kilometers away from Chen Ying¡¯s ce. Whoever was watching Chen Ying would not have discovered him. Had his Telepathy been level 4, forcing him to stay 500 meters from Chen Ying¡¯s ce, though, he could¡¯ve been found.

    Nine Frost immediately returned to their base and discussed the matter with everyone.

    Gao Yang quietly pondered on the sofa.

    They all reacted differently to the news.

    ¡°Haha, Chen Ying¡¯s forced into a corner too. That¡¯s a good thing!¡± Gray Bear was excited. ¡°She¡¯sing with Rune Circuits and people. We¡¯re getting a real boost of power!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao was optimistic too. ¡°Sister Ying seems like a good person, and Captain¡¯s worked with her many times. It should be alright.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s trustworthy, but those she brings may not be,¡± said Qing Ling.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Given Chen Ying¡¯s personality, she will not abandon her team ande alone. Were she the cold-hearted type, she would¡¯ve joined us at Captain¡¯s invitation long ago.¡±

    Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang and warned him cautiously, ¡°We can¡¯t be sure if there are spies among her team. If Nine Scions¡¯ base is found, we¡¯ll be in great danger.¡±

    ¡°Nine Frost.¡± Gray Bear shook his head. ¡°You fear this and that and everything. How¡¯s Nine Frost going to get stronger? We didn¡¯t start this group to always be in hiding. We¡¯re chasing the dawn, but where¡¯s dawn? I barely see the sun.¡±

    The atmosphere was tense.

    Everyone turned to Gao Yang, waiting for him to say something. He slowly looked up at those who hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Nainai crossed her arms with a ck cape around her shoulder, standing on a pile of sand. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s fine. This Empress will...¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Qing Ling could guess that she didn¡¯t have anything constructive to say, so she stopped the girl from giving another spiel.

    ¡°This is kinda difficult...¡± Wang Zikai stroked his chin with a deep frown, troubled.

    He seemed to think differently about the matter.

 Chapter 712: Unqualified

    <h4>Chapter 712: Unqualified</h4>

    Everyone turned to Wang Zikai, waiting for him to share his valuable insights.

    In truth, Wang Zikai had simply remembered one thing: when two holes were burned into his pants, Chen Ying was there to see his butt. What if Chen Ying came and identally revealed the incident? How was Wang Zikai going to be the secret boss and spiritual leader of the 94, and wouldn¡¯t his authority be undermined?

    ¡°Can Chen Ying keep a secret?¡± Wang Zikai turned to Gao Yang. ¡°If not, she shouldn¡¯te. You have nothing to worry about with me here.¡±

    That made others see Wang Zikai in a different light. He thought further than they had expected. He was worried that Chen Ying would be a security weakness who could drag the Nine Scions down.

    Gao Yang was the only one who knew what trivial thing Wang Zikai was worried about.

    He sighed inwardly.<i> I really can¡¯t rely on you in things that involve the brain.</i>

    He turned to Can. Can met his eyes and said hesitantly, ¡°I believe we should wee Chen Ying. There are risks, yes, but didn¡¯t Captain take on risks when headhunting...recruiting us? And just like Uncle Bear has said, the Nine Scions can¡¯t grow stronger if we shy away from any risk.¡±

    ¡°Well said!¡± Gray Bear approved. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you the value of Rune Circuits, everyone. Think about Chen Ying¡¯s and Little Tian¡¯s Talents, as well as the Talents of the other members of the third team.¡±

    ¡°Chestnut has cksmith, and Jiang Hao has Enchantment. With the two of them joining us, we¡¯ll have a good armory, and that¡¯ll also prevent the other organizations from getting equipment. Moreover, Empty Wood...¡±

    ¡°Empty Life,¡± Qing Ling corrected.

    ¡°Right. Empty Life has Divine Blessing. With her, we¡¯ll be able to face Qilin head-on!¡±

    ¡°How naive,¡± Nine Frost retorted. ¡°Divine Blessing only grants immunity to illusions and some degree of resistance to psychic damage. It¡¯s nowhere near enough for Qilin...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing!¡± Gray Bear snapped. ¡°You¡¯re a capable man, Old Frost, but you¡¯ve got a serious we versus others mentality. You never consider those who don¡¯t belong to your team. Look what happened back at the Eleventh High School. If not for the fifth team...¡±

    ¡°Gray Bear,¡± Gao Yang interjected.

    Gray Bear held his tongue. He knew he had crossed a line. He scratched his head anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it that way, Old Frost. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡±

    ¡°No, you were right about the Eleventh High. It was my responsibility,¡± Nine Frost said with a straight face. ¡°But I hold onto my belief in this matter.¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo.¡± Gao Yang turned to Ke Yo. She had been quiet on the side.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Chen Ying,¡± she said simply. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    ¡°Lithe Snake?¡± Gao Yang turned to Lithe Snake thest.

    Lithe Snake leaned against the window, ying with the throwing knife in his hands with his head lowered. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Gao Yang was surprised but didn¡¯t ask.

    After a moment of bemusement, he came to a decision. ¡°Let¡¯s put it to a vote.¡±

    The others nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Those in support of weing Chen Ying¡¯s team into our fold, raise your hand,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Gray Bear was the first to raise his hand. Then Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Nainai followed suit.

    Wang Zikai raised his hand after some hesitation.

    ¡°Those who are against it, raise your hand.¡±

    Nine Frost was the only one who did.

    Gray Bear, Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, Nainai, and Wang Zikai were in support, and Nine Frost was in opposition.

    Qing Ling, Ke Yo, and Lithe Snake didn¡¯t vote.

    ¡°Then we take Chen Ying in,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Nine Frost, contact Chen Ying tomorrow morning to decide on the details. Learn how the Nine Scions are going to help.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Nine Frost nodded and epted the order.

    Gao Yang looked around at everyone, his gaze stopping on Lithe Snake. The man had been acting oddly tonight.

    Lithe Snake was one of the more strategic members of the team, and he had been too disinterested tonight. This was an important decision, yet he acted like he didn¡¯t care at all.

    ¡°Lithe Snake, I still want to hear your thoughts.¡± Gao Yang singled him out.

    Lithe Snake scoffed. ¡°Alright, but I¡¯ll only tell you.¡±

    Gao Yang stood up and approached Lithe Snake.

    Lithe Snake leaned into his ear and opened his mouth.

    [Warn...]

    A dagger was suddenly in his hand, thrusting toward Gao Yang¡¯s heart.

    Gao Yang neverid down his guard fully when he was with Lithe Snake, and when he heard the warning from the system, he immediately detected the currenting from below.

    He quickly dodged to the back. The dagger left a gash on his chest that wasn¡¯t too deep. Blood quickly drenched his shirt.

    The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

    ¡°Are you fucking mad, Lithe Snake?!¡± Gray Bear rushed up to him with a yell.

    Qing Ling also rushed toward the man with two des.

    Wang Zikai reacted simrly. ¡°You¡¯re fucking asking for death...¡±

    The others each sprang to action.

    ¡°Stay put!¡± Gao Yang ordered, and the others came to a halt, unable to decide what they should do.

    Lithe Snake considered his bloodied dagger, disappointed. ¡°What a shame. I was close.¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to kill me this much, Lithe Snake?¡± Gao Yang smiled bitterly.

    ¡°That depends on you.¡± Lithe Snake stared at him with fierce eyes. ¡°Now, I do want to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The you at the present do not deserve to be my boss. You¡¯ve...¡± Lithe Snake raised his chin and looked at him derisively, talking down at him, ¡°Lost your right to lead.¡±

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart. It felt like someone had punched him where he was most vulnerable.

    ¡°Lost his right my ass!¡± Gray Bear hurried out furiously. ¡°You can¡¯t find a better captain even with the brightestntern!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s right!¡± Can was a little angry too. ¡°Brother Lithe Snake, didn¡¯t we choose Captain because he treats us as truepanions? If he just makes orders and sees us as tools, how¡¯s that different from the Qilin Guild...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking for a beating!¡± Wang Zikai clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯m gonna skin you alive tonight...¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Gao Yang raised his voice.

    ¡°Bro...¡±

    ¡°Enough, Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang stopped him again.

    Wang Zikai fumed, but no matter how pissed he was, he couldn¡¯t say no to Gao Yang when he spoke like that.

    Gao Yang turned to Lithe Snake. ¡°I¡¯d like to know why I¡¯m unqualified.¡±

    Lithe Snake said bluntly, ¡°Only a useless leader puts a decision to vote.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    Lithe Snake continued, ¡°You can hear everyone out, but you have to make the decision. You don¡¯t even have to get our agreement before making the decision. You were doing well before. What changed?¡±

    Gao Yang said calmly, ¡°Things are different this time...¡±

    ¡°Excuses!¡± Lithe Snake snarled suddenly. Even Gray Bear, who had been thick as thieves with him for years, rarely saw him lose hisposure like that, let alone Gao Yang.

    ¡°Gao Yang! Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking?!¡±

    Lithe Snake continued to shout. He had always been cautious, yet he didn¡¯t seem concerned about attracting attention now.

 Chapter 713: Warriors

    <h4>Chapter 713: Warriors</h4>

    ¡°You seeded in recruiting Ke Yo, but Green Snake and I almost died. You consider it your fault, which makes you too intimidated to make a decision. You fear that you¡¯ll make another mistake. You fear responsibility. Thus, you let us decide so that you can avoid ountability and guilt. Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Coward! You should be ashamed!¡±

    ¡°Lithe Snake, that¡¯s too much...¡± Gray Bear had enough of it.

    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t interrupt me!¡± Lithe Snake stared at Gao Yang forcefully. ¡°It was the best n you coulde up with then to recruit Ke Yo and lure Dust into exposing herself. There was an ident because we were too weak, not necessarily because you made the wrong decision. Even if you did make a mistake, and Green Snake and I¡ªor more people¡ªdied because of it, so what?¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the only one gambling here, Gao Yang? We left our original organizations and put our heads on our belts with you. Isn¡¯t that a great gamble as well?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re betting on you winning. We believe unconditionally that you can win.¡±

    ¡°But you are afraid now. You back down and run from your responsibility. You don¡¯t even dare to make a decision.¡±

    Lithe Snake scoffed and raised his voice again. ¡°Wake the fuck up! You¡¯re our boss! You created the Nine Scions! You swore to lead us to the new dawn!¡±

    ¡°Then you must do your best to win! Even if you make mistakes, even if you get spat on by tens of thousands of people and will end up in the deepest depths of hell, you must not hesitate!¡±

    ¡°When I followed Benson, there was never a mission where we didn¡¯t lose our men, and there was never a mission that went perfectly. But none of usined! Because he was the leader we chose. He was the strongest, calmest, and most determined. He was always the first to charge into the fray and thest to retreat. He always had the ultimate victory in mind rather than the easy way out within reach!¡±

    ¡°Look at the coward you have be, Gao Yang. Do you think you¡¯re being a good leader without wrongdoings by lurking for survival and protecting everyone from getting hurt, then having us dying at the gentle night in each other¡¯s warmpany?¡±

    Lithe Snake charged at him and grabbed his cors. ¡°Wrong! Completely wrong! That¡¯s not a leader, but amb!¡±

    ¡°You said that we weren¡¯tmb or the orphans of the world. We are all children of God and warriors fighting for our destiny!¡±

    ¡°Warriors may die, but not lose!¡±

    His furious voice echoed in the dark and rundown sand treatment nt.

    Then there was silence, and it stretched far and wide.

    ¡°Listen, Gao Yang, I won¡¯t repeat this.¡± Lithe Snake let go of his cor and punched him in the chest, forcing him to stagger two steps back and meet Lithe Snake¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re the Divine Scion! The leader! Our boss!¡±

    ¡°Xiran, Ronnie, and Ghost Horse are all watching you. We¡¯re all watching you too.¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you can, think yourself into a brain overdrive.¡±

    ¡°Fight! Keep fighting! Put all of you into fighting!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about who will fall halfway. Don¡¯t think about who will end up sweeping whose tombs.¡±

    ¡°Your only duty is to lead the Nine Scions to the crack of dawn.¡±

    ¡°If you can do it, you¡¯ll be the captain we¡¯re proud of even in hell. If you can¡¯t do it, you¡¯ll be a shameful coward even in fucking heaven. We¡¯ll never forgive you.¡±

    ¡°Do you get it?!¡±

    Gao Yang had never heard Lithe Snake speak this much. It was no exaggeration to say that Lithe Snake had spoken more tonight than all the days they had known each otherbined.

    Gao Yangmitted every word to heart.

    Lithe Snake was the Sword of Damocles above Gao Yang¡¯s neck.

    Silent overtook the sand treatment nt. Everyone got scorched by Lithe Snake''s uncharacteristic outburst and the deep, determined anger in his chest. They needed time to digest the feeling.

    After a while, Gao Yang looked up, his eyes clear, determined, and heated once more.

    He looked around at hispanions. Their gazes had a newfound determination to them too.

    ¡°We must walk the path we must walk,¡± Gao Yang said calmly.

    Can immediately continued, ¡°We must guard the way we must guard.¡±

    ¡°The...the ugly war is only starting...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao added.

    ¡°Burn thest of our life,¡± Nine Frost said in a deep, velvety voice.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll have our crown!!¡± Wang Zikai quickly chimed in lest others say the line. He didn¡¯t remember anything after the part.

    ¡°Shed thest of our blood!¡± Gray Bear hollered, getting pumped up as well.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll be crowned,¡± Ke Yo joined. She had memorized the lines due to Nainai¡¯s repeated brainwashing.

    ¡°Born in the dark,¡± Qing Ling yed along reluctantly.

    ¡°The Nine Scions...¡± Lithe Snake put away his bloodied dagger, his lips curled into a satisfied sneer.

    Nainai had been waiting for the moment. She jumped onto a taller pile of sand and raised her arms, pping the ck cape around her shoulders.

    Without missing a beat, Can sent a gust of wind to her, lifting Nainai¡¯s hair and cape and making them flutter.

    ¡°Will chase the dawn!!¡±

    ...

    Chen Ying¡¯s ce, Nanji District.

    Little Tian and Wang Weiyan were ying with blocks in the study room. Theyy on the floor with toys in their hands, mimicking sounds andughing happily.

    Chen Ying and Sha Ye sat in the living room. The two cups of tea on the table were already cold.

    Chen Ying hadn¡¯t expected Sha Ye to visit with her daughter all of a sudden.

    Little Tian was only two years older than Wang Weiyan. There were only two children in the Union, so they visited each other every now and then and had built a good rtionship.

    Chen Ying grumbled in her mind. What was Sha Ye up to? Still, she couldn¡¯t just ask her about it, so she waited and yed along.

    <i>Ring¡ªring¡ª</i>

    The clock rang. It was twelve o¡¯clock.

    Chen Ying finally had the chance to say, ¡°Ah, it¡¯ste. The kids should go to bed...¡±

    ¡°Chen Ying.¡± The ringing seemed to have given Sha Ye courage. She interrupted Chen Ying and gazed at her with cool eyes, her smile dropping from her face. ¡°I know you¡¯re going to join the Nine Scions.¡±

    Chen Ying smiled after a pause.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Sister Sha? Don¡¯t y such jokes. You know how many years I¡¯ve served Madam Li. I¡¯ll never betray her...¡±

    ¡°Zhang Wei told me everything. The Qilin Guild is going to force a merge with the Hundred Rivers Union,¡± Sha Ye said anxiously. ¡°That¡¯s why I came here with Yanyan.¡±

    Chen Ying maintained a calm front, but there was a storm in her head.

    <i>What did I tell you, Zhang Wei! Why would you just spill the beans?!</i>

    <i>That¡¯s not bold and cautious, but blindly confident! We are quite close to Sha Ye, but she¡¯s a member of Colorless¡¯ team!</i>

    ¡°Don¡¯t me Zhang Wei.¡± Sha Ye pulled Chen Ying out of her thoughts. ¡°He meant well. He knew that I had been considering leaving.¡±

    Chen Ying remained quiet.

    ¡°If it were just me, it wouldn¡¯t matter where I was, but...¡± Sha Ye nced at her daughter, who was still ying in the room. ¡°I must consider Yanyan.¡±

    ¡°Sister Sha.¡± Chen Ying tested her with a half smile. ¡°If what Zhang Wei said were true, why would you think that it¡¯s safer to be at the Nine Scions than join the Qilin Guild?¡±

 Chapter 714: Too Sudden

    <h4>Chapter 714: Too Sudden</h4>

    Sha Ye had always presented a sophisticated andposed image, but now, she didn¡¯t hide how lost she was feeling. She lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Chen Ying repeated.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know where¡¯s the safest. The Qilin Guild must not be it. Old Wang was once a member of the Guild. He didn¡¯t like Qilin. That was why he came to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    Sha Ye pinched the flesh between her thumb and forefinger. ¡°I can¡¯t tell for sure. I¡¯ve been anxious. I dreamed of Old Wang many times. He kept telling me to take good care of our daughter... I¡¯ve been training Yanyan to activate Iron Skin every time a danger hits, making it a reflex. She¡¯s thrown a tantrum for that many times.¡±

    Sha Ye forced a smile and looked up at Chen Ying. ¡°Zhang Wei listed the advantages of the Nine Scions to me today. Although he¡¯s usually quite unreliable, I agree with his analysis this time. And the Nine Scions have the Guard Rune Circuit. Yanyan¡¯s Iron Skin is Guard-type. No matter how I try to protect her, it¡¯s more important for her to get stronger.¡±

    Sha Ye begged, ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, Chen Ying, knock me out now. Kill me if you must. Just take Yanyan with you. I only want her to live. I don¡¯t care if I die for it...¡±

    She choked, a warm tear falling from her eye.

    Chen Ying could no longer maintain the icy front. She softened and reached out to hold Sha Ye¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Sister Sha, pack up tomorrow. Bring only the necessities and personal items. Whatever you can¡¯t bring, destroy it. Don¡¯t leave the Nanji District. Wait for a message from Zhang Wei and I.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah yeah. Yeah.¡± Sha Ye kept nodding. ¡°Thank you, thank you, Chen Ying. I¡¯ll thank you for Old Wang and Yanyan...¡±

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re going to bepanions going forward.¡± Chen Ying pulled back with a smile. ¡°Go. Take Yanyan home and have a good sleep.¡±

    ...

    Early the next morning, Chen Ying took Little Tian to the Golden Arch for breakfast.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t have an appetite, so she only ordered a ss of hot milk.

    She didn¡¯t get a lick of sleepst night. To cover up her exhaustion, she put on heavy makeup and lipstick. With the office suit she had always worn over the years, she looked beautiful in a modest way, and she attracted the eyes of the men at the fast food ce.

    ¡°Sister.¡± Little Tian lowered the half-eaten hamburger in his hand. He whispered, ¡°That big brother¡¯s looking at you secretly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Chen Ying was the ss flower back in college, and she was no stranger to such stares. She dismissed it and wiped Little Tian¡¯s mouth with a napkin, putting on a smile. ¡°He¡¯s staring because I¡¯m pretty.¡±

    Little Tian nodded and blinked proudly. ¡°Yeah, Sister¡¯s the prettiest in the world.¡±

    Chen Ying propped her chin with a hand and looked softly at Little Tian. ¡°If Sister gets married one day, Little Tian, will youe with me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I may be married off to a distant and dangerous ce. Things will be difficult. Even so, you¡¯re stilling with me?¡±

    ¡°I go wherever Sister goes,¡± Little Tian said without hesitation. ¡°I just wanna be with Sister.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡± Chen Ying stroked his head, feeling warmth filling her chest.

    Two secondster, energy shed discreetly in her eyes, and a familiar flow entered her head.

    [You and your people maye at any time. The Nine Scions wee everyone who shares the same goal.]

    [Alright. I get it.]

    [What can the Nine Scions do for you?]

    [Give me a time and a ce.]

    ...

    Jiang Hao¡¯s ce, residentialmunity in the Nanji District.

    It was Jiang Hao¡¯s twenty-ninth birthday. He didn¡¯t make it a habit to celebrate his birth, and he almost forgot about it.

    Surprisingly, Chen Ying and Zhang Wei had gathered the whole third team with a birthday cake to ¡°ambush¡± Zhang Wei at his ce.

    They split the work. Empty Life, Shuang Shuang, and Wild Range cleaned up his ce for him¡ªJiang Hao¡¯s home was a real mess.

    Zhang Wei, Buzhou, and Donxote were on dinner duty. The three men were surprisingly good at cooking.

    Chen Ying, Miss, and Herb Snail were in charge of doing dishes and cleaning up after dinner.

    Little Tian, of course, was purely there to light up the mood. He only had to y to his heart¡¯s content.

    They had a sumptuous dinner and yed a board game until nine o¡¯clock at night. Zhang Wei then served the cake to celebrate Zhang Wei¡¯s birthday.

    Afterward, Chen Ying sent Little Tian and Zhang Wei a look.

    Little Tian immediately closed his eyes and used Sensory to make sure there was no danger or suspicious targets around.

    Zhang Wei nced at Buzhou and Shuang Shuang. Buzhou turned to Herb Snail, who he was close to. The four of them rose one after another to shut the windows and doors, standing at particr ces to make sure no one would escape.

    Chen Ying took out a small jammer from her pocket, turning it on.

    ¡°I¡¯m making an announcement, everyone.¡±

    Those in the dark shared a nervous look.

    They were celebrating a member¡¯s birthday a second ago, but now the jammer was suddenly employed. They all realized that something serious was going to happen.

    Chen Ying pulled a straight face and went for the sentimental angle. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for years. Even ourtest member, Donxote, has been with me for four years. What do you think of me?¡±

    ¡°What is this, Sister Ying?¡± Chestnut, not reading the mood, said bluntly. ¡°You¡¯re good. I think it¡¯s good to follow you.¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡± Wild Range rubbed his nose with a thumb. ¡°Our team isn¡¯t the most powerful and sometimes gets looked down on. I originally thought youcked backbone and failed to stand up for us. Thinking about it, though, I realized that was why we rarely lost any member.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Team Leader¡¯s reliable and always has our best interest in mind,¡± Jiang Hao chimed in.

    The others said a few words, too. Some could be ttery, but they meant their words. In general, they all trusted Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying waited for a few seconds, making up her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you. This celebration is an excuse. I need this chance to tell you something serious.¡±

    Chen Ying scanned the room and dered, ¡°I¡¯m joining the Nine Scions.¡±

    For a moment, the living room was silent. Only the white noise generated by the jammer filled the air.

    Chestnut shot to her feet after a stunned moment. ¡°Sister Ying...for real?!¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°Little Tian, Zhang Wei, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou, and Herb Snail have already decided toe with me.¡±

    She looked at Chestnut, Jiang Hao, Empty Life, Wild Range, Miss, and Donxote in turns. ¡°Now, I want your answer.¡±

    Those receiving her scrutinizing gaze fell silent.

    ¡°May I ask why, Team Leader?¡± Wild Range asked with a grave look. ¡°This...is too sudden.¡±

 Chapter 715: Diverging Paths

    <h4>Chapter 715: Diverging Paths</h4>

    ¡°The Qilin Guild is forcing a merge with the Hundred Rivers Union. If we don¡¯t give in, death will be our only ending.¡± Chen Ying exaggerated the situation, but she didn¡¯t actually lie. It was only a matter of time.

    ¡°What?!¡± Chestnut jumped.

    The others reacted simrly.

    ¡°So Madam Li said yes?¡± Wild Range couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Chen Ying nodded.

    ¡°Why? We can fight!¡± Chestnut raged. The humiliating memories of getting trampled over by the Qilin Guild surfaced in her mind.

    ¡°We can¡¯t win, Chestnut.¡± Buzhou sighed with a smile. ¡°The difference between us and the awakeners with the top twelve Talents is that between a bicycle and a motorcycle.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li believes that resistance would be akin to hitting a stone with an egg, so she decided to ept a merger to protect everyone.¡± Chen Ying scoffed. ¡°I disagree. Coming together with the Qilin Guild will only speed up our doom.¡±

    ¡°Everyone!¡± Zhang Wei urged in a heated tone. ¡°We all know how Qilin does things. Seven Shadow found him so many Rune Circuits and secured so many wins. Where did that get him? Expendables like us will only fare much worse.¡±

    Miss stared at him coldly. ¡°And you think we¡¯ll survive by joining the Nine Scions?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Zhang Wei said confidently. ¡°The Nine Scions have shed with the Qilin Guild several times without losing anyone. That means...¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re being blind selectively,¡± Miss interrupted him. ¡°Look at the members of the Nine Scions. Now look at us. Do we evenpare?¡±

    Zhang Wei fell silent.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be cannon fodder anyway by joining the NIne Scions. Actually, we may die sooner.¡± Miss scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t think that there¡¯s right and wrong between the organizations, do you, Zhang Wei?¡±

    Miss had a firm stance. ¡°No, there¡¯s only differing stances and interests. Don¡¯t talk to me about the pursuit of hope and truth. I don¡¯t believe it. I manage to survive to this day because I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°Is survival all there is to it?¡± Zhang Wei shot back. ¡°How many more days can we live in this Mist World? Rather than clutching on our lives, it¡¯s better to...¡±

    ¡°Zhang Wei.¡± Chen Ying nced at him. ¡°We each have our path. There¡¯s no need to force it.¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡± Zhang Wei calmed down and stopped arguing.

    Chen Ying said in aposed tone, ¡°You may decide if you¡¯re leaving or staying. We all have to make our choice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying,¡± said Miss.

    ¡°Then you will.¡± Chen Ying turned to the others. ¡°And you?¡±

    Empty Life seemed at ease without much change to her expression. She said like she was talking about the weather, ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that life is like a river. No matter where it goes, it always flows into the ocean. All paths lead to the same ce.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to leave my home today, but here I am. This must be fate. Without me realizing, I¡¯ve already made the decision.¡±

    They understood what she meant. She was joining the Nine Scions.

    Jiang Hao, the birthday boy, looked troubled. He never expected things to turn out this way.

    After some hesitation, he turned to Chen Ying with guilt in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve always trusted you, Sister Ying, but this time...I¡¯m not going with you.¡±

    He scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have a grand ambition. I¡¯m just fond of work I can do with my hands. I chose the Hundred Rivers Union back then because I thought I would be able to lead a calm life, away from conflicts.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions is in too much turbulence and danger, good for those meant for greater things like you, but not me. I¡¯d rather have arge tree shielding me from the weather and lead a quiet life, focusing on my handiwork.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Ying didn¡¯t seem to judge him. In fact, she wasn¡¯t surprised by his answer.

    Chestnut sat next to Jiang Hao. Everyone shifted their gaze to her.

    With cksmith, Chestnut had a greater advantage than Jiang Hao. There was no reason for her to take the risk and join the Nine Scions. Even if she left the organization and stayed unaffiliated, she would lead a safe and free life.

    When Chen Ying first dropped the bombshell, Chestnut was shocked. Now, though, she had calmed down and acknowledged the situation.

    She lifted her head and smiled. ¡°The Nine Scions sound fun. Count me in.¡±

    Chen Ying was ready for her to say no, but she ended up surprising her. ¡°Chestnut...have you made up your mind?¡±

    ¡°I have. Although I¡¯m reluctant to leave the Union, well, I <i>really </i>don¡¯t like the Qilin Guild.¡±

    She pounded on her chest optimistically. ¡°And I¡¯m the cksmith. What do I have to fear? If I get caught, I¡¯ll just surrender and voluntarily go into imprisonment, making equipment for them. I can at least live.¡±

    Buzhouughed and shook his head. ¡°Chestnut, your perspective in life...¡±

    ¡°Simply awesome.¡± Herb Snail smirked.

    The skinny Donxote was sitting on the sofa, smoking with his head lowered.

    He took a deep, slow drag and asked in a low voice, ¡°Team Leader, can we all walk out of this room alive?¡±

    ¡°I promise you that,¡± Chen Ying said. ¡°Qilin¡¯s the enemy of the Nine Scions. Even though I¡¯m joining the Nine Scions, you¡¯re never my enemies, especially not tonight.¡±

    Donxote shook some ash off the cigarette, still not looking up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Ying nodded. ¡°But may I ask you why?¡±

    Donxote had always been quiet and broody, his thoughts indiscernible.

    He slowly looked up, his face pale and sunken and his blue eyes deep. ¡°The human heart isplicated. I can¡¯t see through it, but only look at the surface.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s the Divine Scion. He¡¯s both a man and a monster. Qilin, on the other hand, is human.¡±

    Chen Ying said after a pause, ¡°I understand.¡±

    That left Wild Range. He noticed their gazes. With a long sigh, he took off his octagonal denim hat and threw it onto the table, stroking his thinning hair. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Nine Scions.¡±

    On the third team, Wild Range had been a parental figure. To him, Zhang Wei, Herb Snail, Chestnut, Buzhou, and Shuang Shuang were all his little brothers and sisters. He wouldn¡¯t rest easy if he left them on their own.

    They had all made their decisions.

    Jiang Hao, Miss, and Donxote stayed, and the others would leave with Chen Ying.

    ¡°Take care, the three of you.¡±

    Chen Ying meant every word, but she was also saying that to distract them.

    Ready in the right positions, Zhang Wei, Buzhou, and Herb Snail took out the Medicine D they had prepared and injected the three. Without the time to resist or struggle, Jiang Hao, Miss, and Donxote copsed without a sound. They would be unconscious for two days at the least.

    Zhang Wei and Buzhouid the three unconscious men on the sofa.

    Chen Ying made the orders. ¡°Go pack up immediately, everyone. Leave nothing that can be traced to us. Wait for my signal.¡±

    They all nodded.

    Zhang Wei, Little Tian, Buzhou, Shuang Shuang, and Herb Snail had made the preparations already. Their mission was to split into three groups to apany Empty Life, Wild Range, and Chestnut to pack up and clean up their tracks. They were also meant to keep an eye on the three, of course. While there was little chance that Empty Life, Wild Range, and Chestnut would betray them, it was a necessary precaution.

 Chapter 716: Do It

    <h4>Chapter 716: Do It</h4>

    Sea View Tower, Nanji District, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The elevator door opened. Chen Ying entered Surnamed Li¡¯s ce with her card.

    Tight security systems were in ce for the whole floor. As Surnamed Li¡¯s assistant for over ten years, though, Chen Ying had the credentials to bypass them like they weren¡¯t even there.

    A minuteter, she reached Surnamed Li¡¯s personal library.

    She found the fake book on the thirdrge shelf, pulling it out. The bookshelves opened to the sides, revealing a ck Gold security door that was moderate in size. It was of course another high-tech handiwork developed by Dr. Jia.

    Chen Ying reached out to touch the door, and the ck Gold door immediately resonated with Chen Ying¡¯s energy to confirm her identity. With a click, it opened.

    The chamber inside wasn¡¯t big. The square room was pitch ck.

    Chen Ying turned on her shlight and shone it on the roundtable at the center of the room. On top of it was a briefcase.

    She went up to open the briefcase. There were two Rune Circuits inside. When Chen Ying turned the shlight to them, she could see delicate strings of energy flowing along the circuits discreetly.

    Chen Ying touched the hard, cool surfaces of the two ck Gold tablets. Yes, they were the Damage Rune Circuit and the Life Rune Circuit.

    She closed the briefcase and jumped when she turned around.

    ¡°Ah!¡± she screamed reflexively and drew her ck Gold gun. If she hadn¡¯t moved her shlight at the same time, she would¡¯ve pulled the trigger already.

    ¡°...Madam Li?¡± Chen Ying got a clear look at the woman. In her wheelchair, she stared quietly at Chen Ying from a corner of the room. It seemed that she had been waiting for a long time.

    ¡°Why...are you here?¡± Chen Ying was confused.

    ¡°If not here, should I sleep at home and wait for you to easily grab the Rune Circuits?¡± Surnamed Li put on a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes.

    Chen Ying caught on immediately.

    Surnamed Li continued, ¡°I already suspected you, Chen Ying, so I had toe here to adjust the security system, canceling your right to ess.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded.

    ¡°You realized it beforehand and followed me here, making a grab for the Rune Circuits and defecting ahead of your n.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded again.

    Surnamed Li looked at Chen Ying. ¡°What are you waiting for? Shoot me. Don¡¯t worry, the room¡¯s insted.¡±

    Chen Ying pursed her lips, her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°No, I can¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Shoot me.¡± Surnamed Li was calm. ¡°To fool others, you must fool yourself first. We each have to y our parts.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Chen Ying slowly raised her gun, but her hand was shaking violently.

    ¡°<i>Shoot!</i>¡± Surnamed Li growled suddenly.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Chen Ying pulled the trigger. Surnamed Li toppled backward, bringing her wheelchair with her and mming into the wall with a ng.

    Two secondster, crimson blood bloomed on her right chest like a beautiful peony.

    ¡°Haha...¡± Surnamed Li paled. ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten rusty. Good... Come on, make another two shots... Outside of professional killers, people can¡¯t just make one shot...when they are nervous...¡±

    Chen Ying couldn¡¯t believe that she had pulled the trigger. The woman was her family, her teacher, and her leader, yet she shot her.

    ¡°Chen Ying...what will you give...¡± Surnamed Li said in a weak, pained voice. ¡°...for your goal?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    A tear streaked down Chen Ying¡¯s face. Her eyes hardened gradually as she took a deep breath, her fingers wrapping tightly around her gun.

    ¡°Same for me.¡± Surnamed Li smiled weakly. ¡°What are you waiting for... Do it now...¡±

    <i>Bang! Bang!</i>

    The two bullets hit Surnamed Li in the abdomen and shoulder. She copsed to the floor, her blood quickly forming a pool.

    Her pale face was drenched in her blood. Her sses fell off, her eyes looking unfocused and dim. She forced a word out of her clenched teeth.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Chen Ying put away her gun and turned to leave with the briefcase. She never turned around.

    Surnamed Li¡¯s life slowly bled from her. Enduring the pain, she counted to one minute. Then she pressed the emergency alert button. The next second, her consciousness plunged into endless darkness.

    ...

    Chen Ying escaped the room and took the elevator to the underground parking lot of the Sea View Tower. Getting out of the elevator, she took big strides to a small truck transporting fresh seafood. The Sea View Tower had a restaurant. It only made sense that there would be trucks transporting ingredients often.

    Zhang Wei was there, disguised as the truck driver. Wild Range had destroyed all the surveince cameras in the parking lot. And the others were hiding in the trunk.

    Little Tian had kept his Sensory activated, making sure there were no enemies or suspicious people around.

    Chen Ying climbed into the passenger seat with the briefcase and quickly changed into a uniform, putting her hair up and wearing a hat to transform into a carrier.

    Only once the truck left the parking lot did Surnamed Li trigger the alert from the secret room.

    ...

    At three o¡¯clock in the morning, nine members of Team Chen Ying, with the addition of Sha Ye and Wang Weiyan, headed to a street block near the long abandoned Eleventh Highschool in the truck. Then they got out of the truck and walked into the old auditorium of the school, carefully avoiding the surveince cameras.

    All the while, Little Tian had been making sure that no one was following them with Sensory.

    The group of eleven entered the auditorium but dared not to turn on the light. They hid in the small room behind the stage. Wild Range covered all the windows, making sure that no light could go through. Then he turned on his shlight and ced it on a small dusty stool.

    They sat around the stool quietly.

    ¡°When are the Nine Scionsing?¡± Buzhou asked.

    ¡°Three o¡¯clock.¡± Chen Ying checked her watch. ¡°It¡¯s been ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Has something happened?¡± Sha Ya anxiously held onto her daughter¡¯s hand, not letting go for even a second.

    ¡°Be optimistic, Sister Sha.¡± Herb Snail cackled. ¡°Perhaps this is a trap set up by the Nine Scions, and they only want the Rune Circuits and not us...¡±

    ¡°Shut up already.¡± Chestnut red at him.

    ¡°Patience.¡± Empty Life remained calm andposed. ¡°Wait a little longer.¡±

    Chen Ying nced at Little Tian. ¡°Keep your Sensory up and don¡¯t rx your guard.¡±

    Little Tian nodded and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Keep watch, Herb Snail.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± With an easy smile, Herb Snail took two steps back and blended quickly into the wall behind him, disappearing into it.

    His Intangibility allowed him to go through and hide within walls, floors, or any other regr obstacles. He was the perfect choice for watch duty.

    Just in case, Sha Ye gave everyone a temporary mark with Cleansing, which would effectively prevent curses for half an hour.

    Time crawled by. The wait was difficult.

    None of them said anything as they thought back to their defection.

    It wasn¡¯t until four that Little Tian opened his crystal-clear eyes. Keeping Sensory at full effect for so long left him exhausted. He spoke up weakly.

    ¡°One...two people areing.¡±

 Chapter 717: Baptism

    <h4>Chapter 717: Baptism</h4>

    They all shot to their feet in alert. A few secondster, Herb Snail¡¯s head popped out of the ceiling. ¡°Team Leader, a figure¡¯s approaching the auditorium.¡±

    ¡°Hide.¡± Chen Ying stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go out. If anything seems wrong, run.¡±

    Zhang Wei said with anticipation, ¡°Sister Ying, I¡¯ll go with...¡±

    ¡°Stay,¡± Chen Ying ordered.

    Zhang Wei shut his mouth.

    Chen Ying walked out of the small room to the auditorium. With the grayish-blue moonlight streaming through therge windows on one side, the ce looked a little like a church.

    Chen Ying¡¯s heart pounded, but she maintained a poker face and waited.

    Then a figure shed into existence before her. It was Gao Yang.

    He had a ck trench coat on him, and his hair had gotten long from ack of trimming, covering half of his face. While he still looked youthful, the lines of his face had be harder, making his eyes seem deeper. His ck eyes gave off a mysterious impression.

    ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± Chen Ying said.

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    Chen Ying was surprised when a hand suddenly touched her shoulder from behind. She turned around to see the real Gao Yang there, carrying a heavy duffel bag with his other hand.

    Gao Yang had confirmed her identity with Replicate. He pulled back and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been in the area.¡±

    In other words, Gao Yang had been wary of any possible trackers. While Little Tian had Sensory, it was better safe than sorry.

    Chen Ying nodded. ¡°My people are in the back room. Where are we going now?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Wait here.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Chen Ying frowned.

    Gao Yang dropped the duffel bag. It zipped open seemingly on its own, and a fist-sized person emerged, jumping out and increasing in size.

    It was a purple-haired girl in a sailor uniform, Nainai.

    ¡°This Empress has arrived! Why aren¡¯t you greeting me?¡± Nainai struck a dramatic posture.

    Chen Ying rxed when she saw that Nainai was still as <i>chuuni </i>as ever. It meant that the girl had been doing well in the Nine Scions. She was also indirect proof that the work culture in Nine Scions was indeed quite nice.

    ¡°There are clothes inside. Put them on.¡± Gao Yang yanked Nainai behind him so that she wasn¡¯t blocking his sight. ¡°Go back with Nainai and have the mene to me. The women will stay with you inside.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Body search.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded after a pause and followed Nainai into the back room. Soon, the men emerged.

    Inside the cramped room, Chen Ying, Chestnut, Sha Ye, Empty Life, Shuang Shuang, and Wang Weiyan extended their arms and waited for Nainai to search them. Nainai shook her head, dissatisfied.

    Sha Ye was the first to realize it. ¡°Are we...supposed to strip?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Nainai put her hands on her hip.

    ¡°The jacket?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°No!¡± Nainai swung her arm. ¡°Strip down to your state at birth and await this Empress¡¯ sacred baptism!¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Nani?!¡±

    ...

    The mood in the auditorium wasn¡¯t that much better.

    ¡°Take off all our clothes?!¡± Zhang Wei shouted.

    Gao Yang had already put ontex gloves. ¡°Yes. I need to check your bodies.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s way too awkward!¡± Herb Snail was beside himself with amusement, as if he wasn¡¯t one of the bodies that needed to be searched.

    ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Buzhou was exasperated.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing.¡± Wild Range was already taking off his jacket. As a hunter adept at setting up traps, he was cautious and understood Gao Yang¡¯s concern.

    In case they wouldn¡¯t cooperate, Gao Yang exined, ¡°I have to make sure there¡¯s no tracker nted in you. I¡¯ve replicated Nainai¡¯s Shapeshifter, so my hands are now familiar with the human body. If there¡¯s any foreign objects in you, I¡¯ll know with a touch.¡±

    ¡°As expected of the Nine Scions! You¡¯re cautious!¡± Zhang Wei was convinced. No wonder the Nine Scions had been staying off the radar for so long. It was the attention to detail that determined their sess.

    The others stopped doubting Gao Yang, too, and they started stripping.

    Gao Yang conjured a double again to search them, ensuring there were no hidden threats.

    Afterward, they all changed into the new clothes Gao Yang had brought, leaving no loose ends.

    Gao Yang burned the clothes they came in.

    Not long after, the door to the back room opened. Nainai came out, followed by the other women. They had all gotten changed, and they looked a little awkward.

    ¡°So?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Nothing detected!¡± Nainai threw the bundle of clothes at Gao Yang¡¯s feet. ¡°Under this Empress¡¯ baptism, their bodies and souls were cleansed!¡±

    Gao Yang nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, the clothes burned.

    The firelight danced on their faces as they each dwelled in their thoughts.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t contact anyone. Don¡¯t leave the auditorium, either. We¡¯ll prepare food and water for you.¡±

    ¡°For how long?¡± Chen Ying asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It can be a few days. Or it can be weeks.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Wei gaped. ¡°That¡¯s...that¡¯s gonna be boring. How are we going to stay here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to turn back now,¡± Gao Yang said bluntly.

    Zhang Wei shut his mouth. He wasn¡¯t going to turn back. He had already decided to join the Nine Scions and be part of something greater.

    The others didn¡¯t argue. The more cautious Gao Yang was, the more assured they felt. It meant that they would be safer after joining the Nine Scions.

    ¡°And.¡± Gao Yang turned to Chen Ying and said calmly, ¡°Give me the Rune Circuits now.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not fair.¡±

    Buzhou shot back at that. He was fine with everything else, but the Rune Circuits were their bargaining chips. Without them, they would have nothing to act on.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Even Chestnut, who was usually the insensitive one, felt wronged, too. ¡°What if you just run with the Rune Circuit and leave us to rot here?¡±

    Gao Yang repeated coldly, ¡°You¡¯re free to turn back now.¡±

    <i>Turn back my ass! Chen Ying shot Surnamed Li for the Rune Circuits already! If we go back, we¡¯ll be dead!</i>

    Buzhou swallowed the outburst. He must not let Gao Yang know what happened, or they would be at a greater disadvantage.

    Wild Range patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Drop it. We¡¯re asking for their shelter. We have to make concessions.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Sha Ye turned to Gao Yang with imploring eyes. ¡°Please take Yanyan with you at least. If Qilin¡¯s people find her here...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Wang Weiyan threw her arms around Sha Ye. ¡°I wanna stay with Mom.¡±

    ¡°Be good!¡± Sha Ye knelt and cupped her face. ¡°Go with Big Brother first. Then Mom will be right there...¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t take her with me,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Why?¡± Sha Ye didn¡¯t understand. ¡°She¡¯s just a kid!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the rules.¡±

    The auditorium fell silent.

    They could all sense the Nine Scions¡¯ matter-of-fact attitude and determination. They had little choice here. They turned to Chen Ying at the same time.

    Finally, Chen Ying made the decision. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the Rune Circuits. We¡¯ll stay here.¡±

    ¡°Sister Ying!¡± Buzhou was shocked. He didn¡¯t expect Chen Ying to say yes so easily. ¡°Have you thought it through?¡±

 Chapter 718: Not Good Enough

    <h4>Chapter 718: Not Good Enough</h4>

    ¡°I have thought it through,¡± Chen Ying said with determination.

    She had her reasons.

    For one, she trusted Gao Yang. For another, Nine Scions were more than capable of grabbing the Rune Circuits now. They wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.

    And finally, Chen Ying believed this was part of the test. As the leader of the group. Gao Yang had to make sure that they were truly joining the Nine Scions rather than setting up a trap with the Rune Circuits as a lure.

    If the Nine Scions left with only the Rune Circuits, and Chen Ying¡¯s team still managed to maintain their calm, it would prove their goodwill and determination to join the Nine Scions.

    ¡°Herb Snail,¡± Chen Ying called out.

    Herb Snail smiled and entered a wall of the auditorium.

    Soon, half of his body emerged from the floor, holding two Rune Circuits. With a twist of his wrist, he threw them to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang quickly made a double to catch the Rune Circuits, checking their authenticity and making sure there wasn¡¯t a curse.

    Ten secondster, Gao Yang¡¯s double returned to him, and he turned to leave.

    Nainai jumped to Gao Yang, shrinking to the size of a thumb andnding on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Gao Yang,¡± Chen Ying called out.

    Gao Yang stopped walking but didn¡¯t turn around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make us wait too long. This isn¡¯t a safe ce to be.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t answer. In a sh, he was gone, leaving a blue pool of moonlight behind.

    ...

    A minuteter.

    In the back mountain of the Eleventh Highschool, Gao Yang entered the dark forest with Nainai in his pocket.

    ¡°Thirty-six,¡± Gao Yang said the code.

    A few secondster, Qing Ling, Can, and Nine Frost appeared.

    Can was in the middle with her hands on each of their shoulders.

    ¡°Did it go well?¡± Nine Frost asked.

    Gao Yang raised his hand, which was holding two Rune Circuits. ¡°The Damage Rune Circuit and the Life Rune Circuit. Both are the real deal.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, awesome!¡± Can¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°It feels like a dream. We now have four Rune Circuits!¡±

    ¡°It seems that Chen Ying and her team genuinely want to join us,¡± said Nine Frost.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°My hunch said that too. Still, we should observe them for a few more days. You and Can are to keep an eye on them, but don¡¯t get too close.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± said Nine Frost.

    Gao Yang handed Qing Ling the two Rune Circuits. ¡°Carry the Damage Rune Circuit with you. Give the Life Rune Circuit to Lithe Snake.¡±

    At the moment, Gao Yang had the Guard Rune Circuit. The Support Rune Circuit was with Ke Yo. All of their Rune Circuits were carried by different people rather than by the same person like the case with Qilin.

    For one, Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to leave all the eggs in the same basket. For another, he wanted to check if Talents from serial number 13 to 100 could reach level 8.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s Gecko and Qing Ling¡¯s God of des were level 6, but they could reach level 7 at any time. If they could merge with the Rune Circuits and achieve level 8, the Nine Scions would gain substantial power.

    Qing Ling nodded slightly, turning on her heels after grabbing the Rune Circuit. When Gao Yang didn¡¯t move with her, she looked over her shoulders at him. ¡°Are you noting with?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°You should head back first. Nainai and I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling didn¡¯t ask.

    ...

    Walled City of Ten Dragons, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The barbecue ce mainly saw patrons during dinner time andter at night. The kitchen was already busy with prep work in the afternoon.

    Liu Qingying entered her restaurant, and as usual, she went to the back room to deal with some everyday tasks before returning to the counter, smoking hookah leisurely while waiting for patrons to arrive.

    The beaded curtain at the door rustled. A patron came in. It was Bumblebee from Team Vermilion Bird.

    He was tall and burly, wearing an oversized camouge parka and a T-shirt printed with a yellow car that could transform into a robot. Around his neck was a heavy SLR camera.

    ¡°Miss Liu!¡± Bumblebee greeted with feigned nonchnce, but his smile was a little nervous.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it the boy from Team Vermilion Bird?¡± Liu Qingying lowered her hookah and smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯te here at this time for a meal, did you?¡±

    ¡°Haha, no.¡± Bumblebee scratched his head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank, Miss Liu. I¡¯m nning a photoshoot for a character, and I think you¡¯ll be the perfect cos...¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m too old for that.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled while covering her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not meant for a hobby of the young ones.¡±

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s simple. You just have to put on a costume and some makeup,¡± Bumblebee enthused. ¡°The character has long silverish-gray hair just like you. She¡¯s tall, fit, and has a special air about her. You¡¯re made for the role!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Liu! I¡¯m not asking for your service for free. I...I¡¯ll pay you.¡±

    Liu Qingying held his gaze with a strange smile.

    A few secondster, she winked at him. ¡°Alright, but I¡¯m not cheap.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Bumblebee seemed happy.

    ¡°Come. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Liu Qingying walked out of the counter and returned to her office. Bumblebee followed her in, locking the door behind him.

    Liu Qingying drew the curtains and took out a small jammer from her drawer. A slight white noise filled the office immediately.

    ¡°Haha, not bad,¡± Bumblebee said in a purposefully lowered voice and a dramatic tone. ¡°You saw through this Empress¡¯ disguise.¡±

    ¡°Nainai, I heard that your Shapeshifter has reached level 7. Your disguise has gotten much better.¡± Liu Qingying pointed at her bright clear eyes. ¡°But to me, you¡¯re not good enough.¡±

    Instantly, Bumblebee turned into Nainai in a sailor uniform. ¡°Impossible! This Empress is a master method actor. I yed him wlessly with an inferiorityplex, shyness, nervousness, and traces of desires.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten that I¡¯m intersex?¡± Liu Qingying smiled lightly. ¡°Men¡¯s desires for me won¡¯t be pure, but tinged with pity or disgust. It¡¯s difficult to do with method acting. You¡¯ll have to be truly immersed in the role. I¡¯ll suggest you turn into a woman if you want to fool me next time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that so.¡± Nainai memorized her tip and added that to her acting database. She opened her right hand. A thumb-sized man was standing on her palm, Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t turn big. His replicated Scale only had a use time of 20 seconds. Once he had shrunk down, he could maintain the state with the passive storage time, but if he turned big now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Talent again.

    ¡°Oh, Elder Seven Shadow¡¯s here too.¡± Liu Qingying was still used to calling him Seven Shadow.

    She extended a hand. Gao Yang teleported to her palm.

    She lifted her hand to her chest and smiled. ¡°To what do I owe the honor, Elder Seven Shadow?¡±

    To make sure she could hear him well, Gao Yang raised his voice and said, ¡°You sold the intel that Nine Frost had Telepathy to the Qilin Guild!¡±

 Chapter 719: Survive

    <h4>Chapter 719: Survive</h4>

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Liu Qingying admitted easily. ¡°I¡¯m an information broker, Elder Seven Shadow. You haven¡¯t forgotten about it, have you?¡±

    Gao Yang had guessed as soon as Chen Ying was made that the Qilin Guild must havee to the conclusion from learning about Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy, and outside of the Nine Scions and Team Chen Ying, the only one who knew about it was Liu Qingying.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t here to cast me, though. He only wanted a confirmation.

    In fact, he should thank Liu Qingying for selling the intel, which ended up giving the Nine Scions two Rune Circuits and a multifunctional support team.

    Nevertheless, Gao Yang put on an usatory look. ¡°You had a lot of intel to choose from. Why did you sell that to the Qilin Guild in particr?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have much choice, Elder Seven Shadow.¡± Liu Qingying looked at the cute little man on her palm and tamped down the urge to pet it. ¡°The Qilin Guild was after my hide for arranging secret meetings between you and Ke Yo.¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t give them anything about the Nine Scions, they would consider me an external support of the group, and I might not live to have this meeting with you.¡±

    Gao Yang had long figured that out, of course.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang made a bargain. ¡°Still, I¡¯m a little angry. You must make amends to me with a small favor. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not going to be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t hesitate.

    ...

    Under the muddled blue sky, Surnamed Li sat on a bench on a bluff. Below was a gray blur of water, the sea lifeless and gloomy like it was suffering from serious illness. The sounds of waves crashing into the bluff came every once in a while, resembling the dragged-out groans of a patient.

    Surnamed Li turned around to find her husband by her side.

    He wore a formal white shirt, dark-colored pants, ck dress shoes, and a ck leather hat. He looked just like the young man Surnamed Li had first met.

    He stared at the sea calmly and gently. ¡°You dream of me again. How many times has it been since yourst nightmare?¡±

    Surnamed Li had a sickly and old smile on her face. ¡°This is the third time.¡±

    ¡°You feel lost, Muzi.¡± The man turned to her. ¡°Why do you feel lost after seeing theplete future clearly?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s exactly because the picture is tooplete and clear.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer for you, Muzi.¡± The man sighed. ¡°I¡¯m only your dream. The path is yours to walk on.¡±

    ...

    <i>Beep¡ªbeep¡ªbeep¡ª</i>

    Surnamed Li, who had been unconscious for thirty-six hours, lifted her heavy eyelids. She had been intubated, and there was an IV in her hand.

    It took some time for her to recover her memories from before falling unconscious. Then she slowly regained control over her body.

    A minuteter, she raised her hand and pressed the button by her side.

    ...

    An hour passed. Surnamed Li came to and found herself in a half-seated position, apanied by Vermilion Bird.

    She was holding Surnamed Li¡¯s hands to inject her with some energy, facilitating her recovery.

    After Surnamed Li was shot and triggered the rm, Colorless and Liao Liao were the first to arrive at the scene and save her from the brink of death. Although the Medicine C they administered had stabilized her, Surnamed Li was old, and the three ck Gold bullets put her in a critical condition.

    Vermilion Bird brought One Stone here after hearing about the news and extracted the bullets, treating Surnamed Li and helping her ovee the most dangerous period.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Vermilion Bird let go of her hands.

    ¡°Better.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯splexion had regained some color. ¡°I¡¯m even feeling a little hungry.¡±

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good. Having an appetite is a good sign.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only my obligation given my Talent.¡± Vermilion Bird stood up. ¡°Now, you have to rest well.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°My treatment isn¡¯t free, though.¡± Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m going back with One Stone. Elder Yan Liang¡¯s waiting for you in the meeting room. We want to talk to you about what happened. Consider that the payment for my treatment.¡±

    ¡°Works for me.¡± Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°But I have business to take care of first.¡±

    ¡°No rush. He¡¯s got all the time in the world,¡± Vermilion Bird said half-jokingly. ¡°He can even stay overnight here.¡±

    After her departure, Colorless entered the ward immediately, while Liao Liao stayed watch outside.

    Colorless said gravely, ¡°Madam Li, Chen Ying might have defected.¡±

    ¡°Forget ¡®might have¡¯.¡± Surnamed Li spoke calmly. ¡°She shot me and took the Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°Was Chen Ying...really swayed by Nine Scions?¡± Colorless couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. She had suspected Chen Ying of wavering, but Chen Ying had been a loyal follower of Surnamed Li. It was hard to imagine that she would go so far.

    ¡°Now it seems that Yan Liang was right. Chen Ying had worked with the Nine Scions to root out Dust, all for our Rune Circuits.¡±

    Colorless scowled.

    Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°Chen Ying has gotten closer to Gao Yang after joining Team Heavenbreaker, but I didn¡¯t expect her to go this far. Still, for our history, she didn¡¯t kill me...¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Colorless was at a loss. The Qilin Guild was already coveting the Union. Then Chen Ying and her team stole their greatest assets from them. The Union was in great danger.

    ¡°The Hundred Rivers Union...no longer has any bargaining chip.¡± Surnamed Li closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss the matter of a merger with Yan Liang.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li...¡± Colorless was going to say something.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Madam Li interrupted with a wave of her hand. ¡°Have you looked into Chen Ying¡¯s defection, Colorless?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Colorless said honestly. ¡°At the moment, the confirmed list of defectors includes Chen Ying, Little Tian, Zhang Wei, Chestnut, Empty Life, Wild Range, Herb Snail, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou...¡±

    Her face darkened. ¡°...And Sha Ye and Wang Weiyan from my team.¡±

    Surnamed Li paused in surprise. ¡°Sha Ye and her daughter left, too?¡±

    ¡°Seems that way, yeah.¡± Colorless lowered her head. ¡°They have all gone off the radar without leaving any clues. They must have been prepared.¡±

    Surnamed Li thought for a few seconds before looking up. ¡°How about the remaining members of the third team?¡±

    ¡°Jiang Hao, Miss, and Donxote were found unconscious in Jiang Hao¡¯s living room, injected with Medicine D. They regained consciousness not long ago and were locked up separately. We haven¡¯t questioned them.¡±

    ¡°Liao Liao and I believe that they must have gotten subdued by Chen Ying since they didn¡¯t want to go with her. However, there¡¯s the possibility that they were spies Chen Ying left behind on purpose. I¡¯ll find out now.¡±

    ¡°No need. Keep them locked up for longer. I¡¯ll question the three of them personally.¡±

    Colorless nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    Surnamed Li took a deep breath. ¡°Fetch me some clean clothes. I¡¯m meeting Yan Liang.¡±

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Colorless couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Is the Union really going to merge with the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a better choice, Colorless?¡± Surnamed Li asked. ¡°At least there¡¯s room for negotiation now. After some time, we won¡¯t even have a say.¡±

    Colorless clenched her fists and fell silent.

 Chapter 720: Last Test

    <h4>Chapter 720: Last Test</h4>

    Auditorium of Eleventh Highschool, Beiyong District, two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The long-closed school had been lost in the past, bleak and deste. Under the moonlight, wilted ivies covered the rundown auditorium like capiries under loose skin.

    The auditorium was quiet. There was no light on, and in the small room where the windows were sealed, a group of eleven sat around a stool, on which was a shlight. They chatted, ate, and rested in the dim light.

    For three days, they never stepped out of the ce.

    Herb Snail was on patrol duty, and Wild Range had set up hidden security measures around the auditorium at dawn. If anyone approached, they would be notified in time¡ªthat, however, wouldn¡¯t be terribly effective against awakeners with a stealth Talent.

    Among them, Zhang Wei had been the most passionate and determined, but he was also the most disappointed and irritated one now.

    He nibbled on a cookie, and halfway through, he threw it on the floor and cursed, ¡°Fuck! I don¡¯t think the Nine Scions areing. We¡¯re yed!¡±

    ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± Wild Range warned.

    ¡°It¡¯s been three days.¡± Buzhou scowled. ¡°How much longer must we stay here?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have given Gao Yang the Rune Circuits, Sister Ying,¡± Zhang Wei said, making the judgment in hindsight.

    ¡°I disagree.¡± Shuang Shuangy in Buzhou¡¯s arms and yed with her husband¡¯s fingers, speakingzily. ¡°If Nine Scions really are after the Rune Circuits, they could¡¯ve pretended to wee us and abandoned uster. Or they could¡¯ve simply killed us... There¡¯s no reason for them to do things the hard way.¡±

    ¡°Shuang Shuang is right.¡± Sha Ye sat in a corner with her sound-asleep daughter. ¡°The Nine Scions have gone through all the trouble exactly because they must be cautious to take us into their fold.¡±

    ¡°This is way too much...¡± Zhang Wei fumed. ¡°We pissed and shat at the auditorium every day. If this goes on, we¡¯re gonna be barbarians!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll shit less if you eat less,¡± Chestnut teased.

    ¡°Hear, hear.¡± Herb Snailughed.

    Zhang Wei picked up the cookie he had thrown onto the ground and threw it at Herb Snail. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. You can just go underground and take care of your business. You don¡¯t even have to bury anything!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s genius. I¡¯ll have to try it next time.¡± Herb Snail grinned, still acting in his fun-seeking way.

    Empty Life meditated on the side, not joining the conversation.

    ¡°Be patient,¡± Chen Ying finally said. ¡°The Nine Scions will honor their promise...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± Little Tian suddenly stood up and opened his eyes. ¡°One, two, three, four... They stopped. One of them ising.¡±

    They immediately became alerted and shot to their feet. They wanted the visitor to be a member of the Nine Scions while worrying that it could be an enemy.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Not long after, Gao Yang appeared before them, wearing all ck and a hat that hid half of his face in shadow.

    ¡°Here you are, Brother Gao Yang!¡± Zhang Wei hollered in excitement, already forgetting his doubt andints about the Nine Scions.

    Gao Yang nodded slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve passed the test. Look here. There¡¯s one more thing to do.¡±

    They all gathered around.

    Gao Yang took out a sleep gas grenade from his pocket.

    <i>Boom</i>. It exploded, and the gas permeated the room in an instant.

    ¡°Ack, ack!¡±

    ¡°Ack ack ack...¡±

    None of them anticipated that and ended up incapacitated, copsing to the floor. Gao Yang was no exception, but his figure disappeared after a few seconds.

    It took several minutes for the gas to disperse.

    Gao Yang walked into the room while holding his breath, arranging the unconscious awakeners into a neat line and having them hold each other¡¯s hand.

    Then he sat down cross-legged and took Zhang Wei¡¯s hand.

    He exhaled deeply.

    ¡ªActivate level 7 Sweet Dream.

    His head drooped, and he fell asleep.

    ...

    ¡°Agh! Help...¡±

    Zhang Wei woke up from a terrible nightmare to find himself sitting on a bench typical of a train station.

    The night sky was dark with no star or moon. It was pitch ck and silent around him. Noticing a shimmer, Zhang Wei took a closer look to realize that there was ake below... No, it was an ocean. A vast, boundless ocean.

    He stood up and realized to his amazement that the station was floating on water. A single yellowmp hung above his head, looking lonely.

    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± said Sha Ye.

    Zhang Wei turned around to find her sitting on a once-empty bench.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± When...when did you show up?¡± Zhang Wei jumped.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a dream,¡± said Sha Ye. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink the irrational details.¡±

    ¡°A dream?¡± Zhang Wei frowned. ¡°We¡¯re in a dream?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember how you fell asleep?¡±

    Zhang Wei remembered. ¡°Ah, the sleep gas!¡±

    Sha Ye nodded. ¡°Gao Yang must have wanted to get to know us quickly. Sweet Dream is a good way to do that.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Then another person appeared beside Sha Ye. It was Chestnut. She opened her eyes with a fearful look on her face, panting quickly and breaking into a cold sweat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s a dream. Just a dream.¡± Sha Ye immediately offeredfort.

    Chestnut gasped for breaths. ¡°That, that scared me... I dreamed...that I had be a piece of iron, shoved into a furnace. Someone from the Nine Scions kept hammering me, and every time the hammer came down, they demanded, ¡®Are you a spy?¡¯ I said I wasn¡¯t, but they refused to believe me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Sweet Dream,¡± Sha Ye exined. ¡°The first time Sweet Dream applies, a nightmare is triggered. Only after that will the targets enter the created dream world.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re still in a dream. This is...the dream Gao Yang created for us?¡± Zhang Wei came to a realization.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sha Ye nodded. ¡°Everyone must be here, too.¡±

    In the next ten or so minutes, the whole group appeared at the station one after another. Chen Ying was thest to show up. Face pale, she saw Little Tian by her side and pulled him into her arms, looking relieved like she had recovered what she lost.

    Then came an ancient, deste shriek. They looked up to see a star in the ck sky. It increased in size with a golden trail, resembling a shooting star.

    The shooting star became bigger and bigger, and soon, it hovered a few hundred meters up in the sky and cast the whole ocean in gold. Powerful waves rose and crashed into the station, breaking into sshes.

    A strong gust messed up their hair and clothes. They were forced to shield their eyes with their hands.

    With some difficulty, Zhang Wei saw what resembled a train. It turned out to be a golden giant creature with a dragon¡¯s head and a phoenix¡¯s tail, looking dignified, mysterious, and beautiful in a grandiose way.

    It slowly descended with a low hum. It sounded like an exhale from the amalgamation of delicate machinery and flesh and blood.

    Everyone was stunned. They knew it was a dream, but they still held their breaths instinctively.

    The train¡ªno, the dragon¡ªstopped at the station.

    The dragon''s head was covered in golden scales with white steaming out of the nostrils. A few soft glowing whiskers floated in the air in a lively manner, and the slightly open maw revealed sharp metallic fangs.

    Its eyes slowly opened. The ink-ck eyeballs seemed to be zing, lowering and looking down at all of them. Then the dragon tilted its head to rest it on the ocean, seemingly falling into a leisurely nap.

    <i>Click</i>. The first car after the dragon¡¯s head opened, and a tall, slim figure emerged from the light, his coat fluttering and hair flying in the wind.

 Chapter 721: Successful Rendezvous

    <h4>Chapter 721: Sessful Rendezvous</h4>

    It was Gao Yang, dressed in a retro white trench coat and wearing a ck half-mask.

    <i>Holy! As expected of the leader of the Nine Scions!</i>

    <i>Even his dream is epic!</i>

    Zhang Wei got pumped up, turning into a fanboy of Gao Yang¡¯s then and there.

    ¡°Did you make this...¡± Chen Ying looked at the giant dragon train before her. ¡°For a particr purpose?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°This is my first time using Sweet Dream. I wanted to find out the limit of creating things in the dream.¡±

    ¡°I based this on the Three-legged Crow in mythology. That was the n anyway, but for some reason, the thing ended up incorporating cyberpunk elements and turned into this.¡±

    Chen Ying became speechless. So he was just bored.

    ¡°It¡¯s cool! You¡¯re like a dragonyer!¡± Zhang Wei went for ttery.

    Gao Yang jumped off the dragon train and stood with light illuminating him from behind. ¡°This is the end of the Nine Scion¡¯s tests and the necessary process to eliminate the objective risks. Wee to the Nine Scions. We¡¯repanions from now on.¡±

    Gao Yang had suddenly dropped his posturing and treated them politely and earnestly, leaving the others at a loss.

    <i>Is this emotional maniption? </i>Chestnut grumbled silently and looked around. Since the others didn¡¯t say anything, she kept her mouth shut too.

    ¡°Now, allow me to ask you onest question.¡±

    Gao Yang extended a hand with a smile. ¡°Can the Nine Scions trust you?¡±

    He used Lie Detection at the same time. Inside Sweet Dream, the Talent didn¡¯t have a cooldown.

    ...

    The next day, ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The Starcatching Pavilion, Feiyang District.

    The Starcatching Pavilion was a well-preserved old building and a famous tourist site in Li City. Built upon a hignd at the city center, the ce consisted of a stone bastion of 800 square meters and a tall five-story tower standing at the top of the hill, named the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Many were drawn to the ce by its fame. The tourist site was open to visitors from seven in the morning to ten at night, and the crowds were endless.

    They either walked along the bastion walls surrounding the pavilion or climbed the pavilion to look over the beautiful Li City and Li River, taking pictures and posting them online.

    Under the foundation of the Starcatching Pavilion, there was arge basement. In ancient times, the ce was temporarily imed by the military, and the basement stored a great amount of food supplies and armaments.

    There had been a fatal copse in the basement years ago. Thus, the basement was blocked off and closed to the public.

    No one knew that the ce had been secretly renovated and reinforced with soundproofing, turned into the Nine Scions¡¯ temporary base for the next ten days.

    Outside of the members taking turns patrolling, everyone else hid in the basement during the day. Only at midnight would the secret door to the basement be opened to air the ce. Members were assigned to take care of the everyday trash and human waste and to do a supply run.

    The Feiyang District was a territory of the Qilin Guild. No one would have imagined that the Nine Scions would be hiding here, and at such a frequently visited tourist site at that.

    When Chen Ying and her group woke up, they were already in the basement. They didn¡¯t even know where they were.

    Still, the ce was much better than the auditorium. It was dry and tidy with bright light and sufficient supplies. The toilet and bathroom were well divided. Outside of the basement being enclosed with no sunlight, there was nothing wrong with the living conditions.

    Zhang Wei was satisfied, too. Finally, he found excitement in the ndestine life.

    During the seven days of the Crimson Tide, the awakeners had all met and gotten to know each other, the only exception being Wang Zikai.

    Still, Gao Yang and Chen Ying organized a formal gathering of..te-night snacks, introducing the members and building rapport.

    Then they had a meeting and discussed their future n.

    They came to a consensus: now that the Nine Scions had increased its number to 21 people, almost as many as the Qilin Guild, they had acquired greater power but also increased the risk of getting found.

    Chen Ying¡¯s team mostly consisted of support-type awakeners with lesser fighting power. If they were found, they stood little chance of surviving. Thus, the Nine Scions had to relocate to another isted ind, the candidates including Snow Nation, Ind Nation, and Ni Nation.

    Chen Ying had just defected with her people, though, and the Qilin Guild and the Hundred Rivers Union would¡¯ve guessed that the Nine Scions were going to relocate, and there would be eyes on the Li City airports, train stations, highspeed rail stations, and harbors.

    It would be risky even if they moved one member at a time with Nainai¡¯s disguising Talent. Thus, they had toy low for a while.

    Just to be safe, no members of Chen Ying¡¯s team may step out of the basement for the time being.

    Chen Ying and the others didn¡¯t oppose that.

    With Little Tian¡¯s Sensory, the Nine Scions would know everything that happened within the three-kilometer radius. They would be able to detect any danger first thing before it hit.

    Gao Yang had replicated Little Tian¡¯s Sensory, too, and since it was a passive ability, Gao Yang could activate the Talent and not be limited to the 20-second use time as long as the Talent wasn¡¯t interrupted.

    Given his high Willpower, he could keep the Talent running for hours without issue, which lifted much of the weight on Little Tian.

    The first day of new blood joining the Nine Scions passed like that.

    Zhang Wei¡¯s excitement cooled into boredom. He paced around the base looking for people to chat with.

    Wild Range was implementing discrete rms around the basement. Crouching down, he pulled a thin thread slowly while moving back, his footsteps silent.

    When Zhang Wei came over, he said proudly, ¡°Not even a rabbit would see the thread, but if something touched it, I¡¯d know.¡±

    ¡°Your worry is misced, Uncle Range,¡± Zhang Wei said dismissively. ¡°With the top guns of Nine Scions patrolling outside and Little Tian and Captain using Sensory in turns, you won¡¯t be the one to notice even if a danger hits. We will have long be gone then. Come on, y cards with me. I¡¯m bored out of my mind.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Wild Range stood up and dusted his hands. ¡°It¡¯s a habit now. Every time I go to a different ce, I have toy down security measures first, or I won¡¯t rest easy.¡±

    Zhang Wei organized a card game with Wild Range, Buzhou, and Wang Zikai.

    Zhang Wei and Wang Zikai hit it off immediately. Both were pathological boasters, but there was a difference. Wang Zikai¡¯s boasting was mostly based on facts, such as his killing spree in the Gu Family¡¯s Vige, taking out the Elite, Forest Crane, with one punch, and exchanging blows with Elder Azure Dragon.

    On the other hand, it was difficult to tell if there was truth to Zhang Wei¡¯s boasting. He boasted that when all awakeners copsed from the Poison of Hell, he was the first to wake up. And he said that when meeting Qilin¡¯s gaze, everyone around him felt an unexinable pressure from the man, while he felt nothing and even a little amused.

    Shuang Shuang was getting bored, too, and she quickly joined the girls¡¯ talk group of Hong Xiaoxiao, Can, and Ke Yo. They had snacks as they talked about topics they were interested in. As the only married woman in the group, Shuang Shuang also got into topics only to be discussed in private. The other girls blushed as they listened, their hearts racing.

    Empty Life sat in a corner on her own, quietly meditating.

    The first time Nainai saw Empty Life, she saw a grandmaster in recluse in her. Nainai believed it was the trait shecked as an Empress. Thus, Nainai tiptoed to Empty Life¡¯s side and meditated with her. It didn¡¯t go well, though. Nainai kept getting distracted. Just when she started to get into the flow, a shout interrupted her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m not staying here! I hate it here!¡±

 Chapter 722: Holiday Gift

    <h4>Chapter 722: Holiday Gift</h4>

    Then came Wang Weiyan¡¯s wail. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna stay here. I hate it here...wah...¡±

    She was too young to understand the danger of the world of awakeners. All she knew was that Mom had suddenly taken her to a dark room and kept her there for a long time. Then she was moved to another bigger room with no window or sunlight and got locked up again.

    She wanted to buy balloons in a park, ride a small train in a shopping mall, and have an ice cream cone at the Golden Arch. Even her only friend here, Little Tian, didn¡¯t have time for her. He kept his eyes closed and didn¡¯t move.

    Wang Weiyan had had enough. What she had been bottling up burst out at once.

    ¡°Be good, Yanyan. Just wait a little longer. Just wait a few more days...¡± Sha Ye could only offer words of reassurance.

    Although the basement was soundproofed, Qing Ling still didn¡¯t want Wang Weiyan to be too loud. After all, tens of thousands of visitors were walking right above them.

    Qing Ling went up to her and said coldly, ¡°Stop crying.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t! I hate it here! I wanna go out! I wanna go home...¡± Wang Weiyan cried even louder.

    Sha Ye apologized to everyone while coaxing her daughter. After a few seconds of silence, Qing Ling suddenly knelt beside Wang Weiyan and said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you a magic trick.¡±

    Wang Weiyan immediately stopped crying. Her eyes widened in curiosity. ¡°What...what magic...?¡±

    Expression still impassive, Qing Ling picked up a ck Gold dart. ¡°Here. Don¡¯t blink.¡±

    The next second, the ck Gold dart disappeared from Qing Ling¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Yanyan couldn¡¯t believe it. She held onto Qing Ling¡¯s hand and flipped it around, looking thoroughly but finding nothing. ¡°Where did it go?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in your pocket,¡± said Qing Ling.

    Wang Weiyan didn¡¯t believe it. She quickly reached into the pocket of her dress, and indeed, there was a ck Gold dart there. ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re great, Sister!¡±

    Worried that Wang Weiyan would get hurt¡ªand that she might take the weapon for herself¡ªQing Ling quickly took the dart back.

    ¡°You like taking trains?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to ski?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Yanyan knew what it was. She had seen it in cartoons.

    With a lift of her hand, Qing Ling moved her two ck Gold des to Yanyan¡¯s feet. ¡°Step on them.¡±

    Yanyan¡¯s swollen eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. She happily stepped onto the des, which moved forward slowly like skis.

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m skiing...¡± Yanyan extended her hands as she wobbled forward, forgetting her earlier outburst.

    It was a surprising sight to everyone.

    Gao Yang smothered augh. He had thought Qing Ling would stop Yanyan from crying with a threatening re and her inherent presence like she did with Nainai, but Qing Ling was surprisingly gentle with a kid.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Chen Ying now opted to call Gao Yang her captain. She came over with Little Tian in her arms. ¡°Little Tian¡¯s too tired. May he rest for a while?¡±

    The boy was pale, and there was blood under his nostrils that hadn¡¯t been wiped fully.

    Although he rested for a minute every time after using Sensory for three minutes, it was still too hard for Little Tian to use his Talent at such intensity for a long stretch. He was seven years old, at the end of the day.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take over. Let him have a good sleep.¡±

    Chen Ying picked Little Tian up onto a mattress, tucking him under a nket. Sitting beside him, she stroked his cool forehead, aching.

    Little Tian slowly opened his eyes, saying tiredly and guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! You did a great job! Leave the rest to Brother Gao Yang. Have a good sleep.¡±

    Little Tian blinked.

    Chen Ying¡¯s voice softened. ¡°We¡¯ll be out of here in a few days. We¡¯ll go abroad where there are no enemies. Your birthday ising up soon. We¡¯ll go to the D City Park then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Little Tain¡¯s lips curled into a small smile. He closed his eyes, his breathing soon evening out.

    ...

    Northbound Funeral Home, January 1st, 2019.

    It was night. Vermilion Bird was still working in the funeral home. Afterward, she felt a little tired and decided to rest in the bedroom in her office.

    It was still quite early. She sat on the sofa while drinking milk tea, watching thete-night celebration for the new year. When the doorbell rang, she became alerted. Who would visit her at this time?

    She didn¡¯t think it would be dangerous, though. An enemy wasn¡¯t going to ring the doorbell so politely.

    Vermilion Bird opened the door to find Raven Shark outside. Wearing a T-shirt, he was soaked with water dripping from his pale chin, his unfocused eyes downcast toward Vermilion Bird¡¯s chest.

    Vermilion Bird forewent reminding him of the proper etiquette and asked immediately, ¡°You found it?¡±

    Raven Shark nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Raven Shark entered the room. Vermilion Bird fetched him a dry towel. He dried his hair with one hand while taking out a soaked, wrinkly photo with his other hand. In the photo was a pretty high school girl¡ªGao Yang¡¯s sister, Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°My friend...saw her.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Vermilion Bird asked.

    Raven Shark nodded.

    ¡°Where was it?¡±

    ¡°North Harvest.¡±

    So it was the Ind Nation.

    At first, the Qilin Guild focused the search within Li City. Not long ago, Yan Liang ordered an expansion of the range of search to include the other isted inds.

    Raven Shark was in charge of Ind Nation. He could follow the cruise ships departing from the harbor along the official channel, making it to Ind Nation.

    North Harvest was a small bay town. No resident could stay out of the detection of Raven Shark¡¯s friends unless they intentionally stayed far away from the coast the whole time.

    Raven Shark didn¡¯t take his phone when he went underwater. As soon as he got the news on Gao Xinxin, he sought out Vermilion Bird.

    Vermilion Bird was just about to say something when she decided otherwise. ¡°Well done. Go get some rest.¡±

    Raven Shark¡¯s gaze was still on her chest. ¡°Goodbye, Sister Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    The door shut. Vermilion Bird made a call to Qilin. The man had woken up for a few days and taken over the matters of the Guild.

    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± Qilin said when he picked up.

    ¡°Happy New Year.¡± Vermilion Bird got right to the point. ¡°Raven Shark found Gao Xinxin.¡±

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to you. We¡¯ll talk in person.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m at the White Lake Hotel.¡± Qilin paused before continuing, his voice suggesting a smile. ¡°That¡¯s the best holiday gift.¡±

    Vermilion Bird hung up and put on a coat and a scarf before leaving. As soon as the door shut, Chaos Reflection slowly appeared in the mirror in the living room. He emerged in a white sh with a cautious expression.

    He took out his phone and made a call to Yan Liang, speaking quietly.

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang, Elder Vermilion Bird found Gao Xinxin... Yeah, she didn¡¯t keep it to herself. She¡¯s going to Guildmaster Qilin now... Okay, yeah... I¡¯ll keep watching her...¡±

 Chapter 723: Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 723: Premonition</h4>

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s car drove smoothly at a moderate speed along the road at night. The radio was ying a song. Vermilion Bird¡¯s fair, pretty index finger tapped a quick beat on the driving wheel.

    When she tapped the 298th time, she grabbed her phone with a hand and picked two everyday photos from her photo album to make a post on her social media.

    Half an hourter, Vermilion Bird arrived at Room 5001 of the White Lake Hotel.

    The door wasn¡¯t locked. Vermilion Bird opened it and entered to see Qilin sitting on the sofa, watching ate-night show for New Year¡¯s Day.

    ¡°What a coincidence. I was watching it too,¡± Vermilion Bird said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as good as it was in the past. When I was little, I always watched the show with my parents.¡± Qilin picked up the remote control and turned off the television.

    Vermilion Bird smiled. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not the show that has changed, but us.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Qilin stood up with the support of his cane.

    ¡°Raven Shark found Gao Xinxin?¡± Without his sses on, Qilin¡¯s deep green eyes were so fierce that Vermilion Bird turned away reflexively.

    ¡°Yeah, in North Harvest,¡± Vermilion Bird said honestly.

    ¡°Is it certain?¡±

    ¡°Should be. He found Gao Yang with his friends back at the Old Fisherman¡¯s Wharf, too.¡±

    It took Qilin three seconds to make a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll set out now.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± Vermilion Bird was a little surprised. She joked with a lightness she didn¡¯t feel, ¡°We should at least enjoy the holiday.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a vacation once we¡¯re back,¡± Qilin responded with a joke, too.

    ¡°How many of us are going?¡±

    ¡°Just you and me.¡±

    ¡°Not Azure Dragon and Yan Liang?¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t expect that.

    ¡°They have other matters to attend to.¡± Qilin grabbed his coat and turned to leave.

    Vermilion Bird followed him without another question.

    ...

    ...

    Meanwhile, basement of the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear were out on patrol, while the others stayed in the basement. It was the New Year¡¯s Day. They couldn¡¯t watch the celebration without a television here, but only sat around eating and chatting. That, however, emphasized the sense that they only had each other, and it felt more like a holiday gathering.

    Gao Yang sat a little away from the group with his legs crossed, monitoring the area in a three-kilometer radius with Sensory. Sometimes, individual awakeners would be detected, but he could tell that they were merely passing by based on their movement and speed.

    While keeping watch with Senosry, Gao Yang considered his future n.

    Since thest time he made a wish, he had umted 1591 Luck points, close to 1920 points. Then he would be able to attempt aprehension for a Guard-type Talent.

    Hopefully, the wish he madest time at the Wishing Well would work, and he wouldprehend Absolute Defense with one try. Then Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t have to be so concerned going forward. Even when danger hit, he could at least create a barrier with the Talent and carry everyone to safety like an airship.

    Gao Yang was anxious to acquire more Luck points.

    However, there was no shortcut to gaining more.

    He tried to have Lithe Snake attack him, but Lithe Snake could only be hostile to him for a moment and never consistently. The others were even less of a help in this.

    Gao Yang considered fighting elite monsters, too, but decided against it in the end.

    Elite monsters were no different from wanderers before their monsterhood awoke, and if Gao Yang actively hunted elite monsters, it would be no different from killing wanderers, which crossed a line for him.

    Moreover, elite monsters posed little threat to Gao Yang now. He had experimented before. To gain Luck points, both parties must be going all in with killing intent whether he was fighting or running away.

    In other words, if Gao Yang could easily take out the enemy but purposefully dragged out the fight, little Luck points would be generated.

    In gaming terms, elite monsters lesser than pride monsters gave too little experience to boost Gao Yang¡¯s strength.

    Thest method would be to fight a Qilin Guild member to the death.

    That was even more impractical. Gao Yang didn¡¯t want to kill the weak ones he could kill for certain, and they would provide little experience. The strong ones he must kill, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t certain that he could beat them.

    Now that Chen Ying had brought this many people to him. He must not expose himself. The risk was too great.

    No matter how he thought about it, his only option seemed to be lurking for a little longer.

    <i>It¡¯ll take six days for me to umte about 300 Luck points...</i>

    Gao Yang felt a stuffiness in his chest, and his head was spinning.

    He had been using Sensory for five hours, reaching his limit.

    He deactivated the Talent and took a deep breath to stabilize his energy. Not far from him, the group were chatting happily. Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately chime in.

    He took out an unregistered phone and checked Gao Xinxin¡¯s secret social media in private mode. She had made a post today, as he had expected. It was the picture of a moon with a poem as the caption.

    ¡ªAlone in a foreignnd as a stranger, I miss my loved ones doubly on every festive day.

    Gao Yang felt a pang in his chest. Without giving the post another look, he quickly closed the page.

    Then he habitually checked the social media pages of his former colleagues. Few had made any updates, but some still maintained their mundane identities and made everyday posts once in a while. He could glean a few things from their posts.

    ¡°Bygone Summerday¡± made a post twenty minutes ago, one of the starry night sky, and the other of a cup of milk tea.

    The caption said, ¡°The weather will be good tomorrow. I¡¯d like to go to an escape room, but I have to work overtime.¡±

    The post received many likes, and a user named ¡°Mu Mu Large Sword[1]¡± liked andmented, ¡°I always have time. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Gao Yang was going to quickly swipe past it, but something made him stop, and he read the post three times, his heart pounding.

    He shot to his feet, looking for something.

    Qing Ling immediately noticed from amid the group. She rose and came up to Gao Yang. ¡°Looking for me?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with a pale face and said quietly, ¡°Gao Xinxin¡¯s likely found.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned. ¡°You sure?¡±

    Gao Yang handed her his phone. Qing Ling knew that ¡°Bygone Summerday¡± was Vermilion Bird¡¯s ount. She checked thetest post and didn¡¯t find anything unusual about it.

    Gao Yang exined, ¡°The stars, <i>xingxing</i>, refers to Xinxin. The weather will be good tomorrow, so it¡¯ll be sunny tomorrow. That¡¯s me since my <i>Yang </i>means sun. The escape room may be referring to hiding, and working overtime means going on a mission. I talked to Vermilion Bird about cigarettes and milk tea before. Milk tea is my choice, and the picture means that she¡¯s changing her stance to help me.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird¡¯s warning me that they found Gao Xinxin and are going to capture her.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you overthinking this?¡± Qing Ling thought he was reading too much into the post.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Gao Yang was anxious. ¡°Gao Xinxin¡¯s hiding by the sea, and Raven Shark, a subordinate of Vermilion Bird, can control the fish. Perhaps his friends have found their way to Ind Nation...¡±

    Qing Ling fell silent. She wavered a little.

    ¡°No, I have to go to her.¡± Gao Yang had lost his calm. He couldn¡¯t stay here for a second longer.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go.¡± Qing Ling turned to nce at the group. ¡°They need you here.¡±

    Gao Yang was going to say something when Qing Ling interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    Qilin, Yan Liang, and Azure Dragon were too strong for Qing Ling, and she would have trouble escaping from them. What happened on the Huangsong Street must not be repeated.

    ¡°Either none of us go, or I go.¡± Qing Ling held his gaze. ¡°Pick one.¡±

    1. Two <i>mu</i>, Ä¾, make the surname ÁÖ, <i>Lin</i>. Andrge is ´ó <i>da</i>, sword is „¦ <i>jian</i>, pronounced the same as ½¨. This is Lin Dajian, Gao Yang¡¯s roommate. ?

 Chapter 724: Candlelight in the Dark

    <h4>Chapter 724: Candlelight in the Dark</h4>

    Gao Yang was silent for ten seconds.

    Finally, he looked up and said, ¡°Qing Ling, bring Wang Zikai, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo. Have Nainai disguise you. Go to the Dolphin Inn in North Harvest and bring Gao Xinxin back.¡±

    Wang Zikai was the strongest fighter in the group now, and Ke Yo was a top-of-the-game support. Her whistle had a long effective range and was incredibly effective in creating a disturbance, allowing easy escape even if the group did encounter a powerful enemy. And Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer would be thest insurance to ensure that nothing went wrong.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t disagree with the arrangement. She turned around and left.

    ¡°Qing Ling!¡± Gao Yang called out to her.

    She looked over her shoulder at him. ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded and walked away.

    ...

    Ten minutester, Qing Ling and the other three departed. Gao Yang meditated for a moment, but anxiety continued to brew. He couldn¡¯t stop worrying that something would go wrong.

    After some hesitation, he called out to the group, ¡°Can.¡±

    Can was chatting with Shuang Shuang. She immediately stood up and jogged up to him. ¡°What is it, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang wrote down a message on a slip of paper and folded it before handing it to Can. ¡°You move quickly. Head to <i>Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers</i> now. If Heavenly Dog¡¯s on the upper floor, hand this to him. If he isn¡¯t there, burn it.¡±

    Heavenly Dog was at the top tier in terms of both his ability to fight and to escape. He was also a keen one. If he could support Qing Ling¡¯s team, it would be another insurance.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Can turned to leave without asking another question.

    ¡°Can,¡± Gao Yang called out to her. ¡°Remember to stay in visible throughout. Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain.¡± Can grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not the Can from before.¡±

    After she left, Gao Yang finally calmed down a little. He had done what he could. Now he had to wait patiently.

    Chen Ying noticed what was happening, and she came up to Gao Yang after Can¡¯s departure to whisper a question, ¡°I saw people setting out. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Gao Yang said honestly. ¡°That¡¯s why I sent Qing Ling to confirm it for me.¡±

    Chen Ying nodded. Then she thought of something. ¡°Yanyan¡¯s turning five at midnight. Can bought a cake during the day. We are going to celebrate to cheer her up.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°You needn¡¯t report something like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not reporting to you, but inviting you to join us.¡± Chen Ying chuckled.

    Gao Yang cheered himself up and smiled at her after a pause. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot,¡± Chen Yingmented. ¡°When you were leading Team Heavenbreaker, you still chatted andughed with the team. Now that you¡¯ve be the leader of the Nine Scions, though, you always stay by yourself, and every time you open your mouth, it¡¯s to give out orders.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me out to be a cold-blooded leader,¡± Gao Yang said in a light tone. ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch with Sensory and have to stay focused, right? Now that my shift¡¯s done, it¡¯s Little Tians¡¯ turn.¡±

    ¡°Look at you!¡± Chen Ying was exasperated. ¡°You¡¯re still talking about work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll reflect on myself.¡± Gao Yang smiled resignedly.

    Time snuck by, and it was midnight. Judging by Can¡¯s speed, she should be on her way back. Gao Yang wondered if she had reached Heavenly Dog.

    <i>She should have. I¡¯m lucky, right?</i>

    Gao Yangforted himself.

    Suddenly, the light went out. Gao Yang reflexively checked his system and got ready for a fight, but then he realized that the group was starting their celebration of Wang Weiyan¡¯s birthday.

    Two secondster, wavering candlelight lit up in the dark.

    ¡°Happy birthday to you...¡±

    Sha Ye sang as she brought a cream cake with five candles to the roundtable at the center of the basement.

    ¡°Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you...¡± The others stood around the table and sang the birthday girl a happy birthday. Wearing a birthday hat made of cardboard, Wang Weiyan beamed.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Yanyan!¡±

    Everyone pped after the song was finished.

    ¡°Make a wish, Yanyan!¡± Shuang Shuang knelt by Wang Weiyan and held her.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± The candles lit up Wang Weiyan¡¯s small face. Her eyes were innocent and clear.

    Holding her hands together under her chin, she said in her childlike voice, ¡°My first wish is for Mom to be happy and for Dad to be happy too in the other world.¡±

    Sha Ye was smiling, but her eyes reddened as soon as she heard that.

    ¡°My second wish is to go to the D City Park with Little Tian this year.¡±

    Chen Ying blinked. Little Tian was sitting in a corner of the basement with his eyes closed, keeping Sensory activated.

    She felt a pang in her heart. Picking up a small cupcake from the table, she went up to Little Tian to feed him some cake, letting him have a short rest.

    ¡°The third wish...¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that out loud, Yanyan, or it won¡¯t work,¡± Buzou quickly reminded her.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Herb Snail agreed.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Wang Weiyan thought for a moment before closing her eyes, making the third wish devotedly.

    ¡°Blow the candles!¡± Wild Range cheered.

    ¡°You have to put them out with one breath, Yanyan, or the wishes won¡¯te true, haha,¡± Zhang Wei said from the side.

    ¡°Do it. This Empress will give you strength.¡± Nainai voiced her support with her hands on her hips.

    In the dark, Gao Yang watched hispanions circle Yanyan gently under the candlelight, as if they were shielding the only fire in the long, cold night. A warmth filled his chest.

    At this moment, he seemed to understand Sha Ye¡¯s decision. The greater the despair, the more one yearned for hope.

    <i>Ding</i>.

    His phone rang. Gao Yang looked down to see a short message from Nine Frost.

    - Danger!

    [Warning...]

    ¡°Watch out!!¡±

    Without hesitation, Gao Yang shouted and reached into his pocket, teleporting forward.

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 10000 times!]

    The only candlelight in the dark went out.

 Chapter 725: Danger!

    <h4>Chapter 725: Danger!</h4>

    Two minutes ago.

    24-hour convenience store, a street block near the Starcatching Pavilion.

    The automatic door opened. A burly middle-aged man walked out of the convenience store. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a full blond beard. It was Gray Bear in disguise.

    Carrying a bag of groceries, he walked quickly to the Starcatching Pavilion. He had just finished patrolling, and on his way back to base, he swung by the convenience store for some supplies.

    The neighborhood was quiet. He made it past a street corner when a figure suddenly showed up, making a stab at his throat with a fierce glinting de.

    Gray Bear bent back to dodge the swing by a hair. Just when he was going to transform into a beast, he saw that the attacker was Lithe Snake.

    He retracted his energy in time. Tamping down the urge to curse, he said in a low voice, ¡°You psycho. Can¡¯t you greet people like a normal person?¡±

    He looked around to make sure there was no surveince camera.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s dagger moved back into his sleeve. Nainai had disguised him as an older man, and dressed in the uniform of a cleaning crew, he was on his night shift.

    ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you not to mess around.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed.

    ¡°<i>I¡¯m</i> messing around?¡± Gray Bear snapped. ¡°I¡¯m off my shift. I just swung by the convenience store to buy some stuff. You¡¯re being nosy.¡±

    ¡°What did you buy?¡± Lithe Snake demanded like he was interrogating a criminal.

    ¡°Check for yourself!¡± Gray Bear handed Lithe Snake the bag.

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t take it. His keen eyes zeroed in on Gray Bear¡¯s bulging jacket pocket. ¡°What¡¯s in your pocket?¡±

    Gray Bear paused and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Nothing. Just a pack of cigarettes.¡±

    Lithe Snake stopped asking and turned to leave.

    After making two steps, though, he suddenly turned back and stabbed at Gray Bear¡¯s heart with his dagger. Gray Bear blocked it by raising both arms, but it was simply a distraction.

    Lithe Snake¡¯s other hand sneakily stole the thing in his pocket.

    ¡°You fucking...give it back!¡± Gray Bear raged, trying to take the thing back. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t beat you up!¡±

    Lithe Snake jumped away and inspected the object. It was a pink music box of a merry-go-round.

    He knew that it would be Yanyan¡¯s birthday after midnight. Can had bought a cake during the day and reported to Lithe Snake about it.

    Lithe Snake was not only in charge of surveince, but also somewhat of a Chief of Security of the Nine Scions. He must be informed about anyoneing and going from the base.

    ¡°Old-fashioned.¡± Lithe Snake threw the music box back disapprovingly. ¡°Who gives music boxes as gifts now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give her whatever I want to give her. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Gray Bear angrily shoved the music box back into his pocket and shoulder-checked Lithe Snake, continuing his walk forward.

    Lithe Snake followed. The thing in his pocket suddenly felt heavier.

    It was a box of ydough, the gift Lithe Snake had prepared for Yanyan¡¯s birthday. He picked it because he thought the girl would like it. It was fun, and it would train her ability to make things with her hands and her creativity.

    Now, though, he wasn¡¯t as sure about his gift.

    Perhaps a little girl would still prefer a more fantastical toy.

    ¡°How are things on Nine Frost¡¯s side?¡± Lithe Snake asked after a while.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Gray Bear lit a cigarette.

    Nine Frost was hiding at a vantage point and scanning around with binocrs. He was probably looking at them right now.

    They were approaching the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Gray Bear exhaled smoke as he looked up at the bright moon above the Starcatching Pavilion.

    ¡°The moon is beautiful,¡± Gray Bear suddenlymented. ¡°The first date I went to with my then-girlfriend was at the Starcatching Pavilion. I still remember the feel of her lips. It was our first kiss.¡±

    ¡°The topic doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Lithe Snake scoffed.

    Gray Bear ignored him and continued to reminisce, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t awakened, she wouldn¡¯t have be someone else¡¯s bride. I wonder what¡¯s going on with her. Does she still remember the fool that loved her so much...¡±

    ¡°Stop destroying my appetite. I¡¯d like to have a drink after heading back.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s invite Buzhou and Wild Range too and have a good drink.¡± Gray Bear was immediately interested, his past romance forgotten. ¡°Wild Range is quite a good drinker.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Lithe Snake insisted. ¡°I¡¯ll drink him under the table tonight...¡±

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Things happened suddenly, without warning.

    There was a loud bang that broke the sound barrier, and brilliant golden light washed over the entire area to light up the ce like it was daylight. It was as if God had casually turned on the light after waking up at midnight.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake felt a powerful suction that almost brought them to the sky, originating from the overwhelming dense energy quickly rushing past them.

    A golden waterfall parallel to the ground emerged above their heads out of nowhere. It was the tail of a great wave of resonating energy.

    It sliced off the top halves of the buildings on the sides of the road, and the wanderers inside the buildings were rendered into nothingness in an instant, not even leaving any ash.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A secondter, the Starcatching Pavilion a kilometer from them blew up.

    The ground and mountain shook. The golden light overflowed.

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear saw a sh, their sights swallowed by golden light.

    Three secondster, their visions slowly recovered. The Starcatching Pavilion was no more. The short hill and the old architecture were razed to the ground like God hade down on it with a shovel.

    Shards of golden energy fell like snow, filling the night sky within the one-kilometer radius. Then came the debris, rubbles, charred soil, and all sorts of burning objects of different sizes that couldn¡¯t be identified, scattering and falling upon the rooftops, windows, signboards, roads, and cars like a meteor shower.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake stared in shock.

    What happened?

    It was beyond theirprehension.

    Then something round and bloody fell on the road near their feet, rolling toward them.

    It was a man¡¯s head. His mouth was widened in shock and terror, his skin scorched. His eyeballs had popped out, leaving only two brown sockets.

    The golden energy had fused the octagonal leather hat to his hair and scalp like a microwaved ball.

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear recognized him immediately.

    The head belonged to Wild Range, the man with a good alcohol tolerance.

    ...

    Three minutes ago.

    A kilometer from the Starcatching Pavilion was an office building. Thepany it once housed had gone bankrupt from bad business and moved out. On the top second floor, Nine Frost sat on an office desk near the window with tactical binocrs, disguised and dressed in a gray windbreaker.

    This was a perfect vantage point that allowed him to take in all the buildings and roads a kilometer from the Starcatching Pavilion.

    It was midnight. All the streetmps had gone off, and there was little lighting from the office and residential buildings. The downtown area and the streets with bars alone sparkled like a rolling river of light in the dark.

    Nine Frost finished the canned coffee in his hand and picked up his binocrs to keep monitoring the area. If there was anything unusual, he would lock onto it and observe to confirm if it was a threat.

    It was a boring job that required patience and perseverance.

    It was about time for Gray Bear to end his shift, while Lithe Snake would continue his until the day broke. The man required less sleep, and he worked double timepared to other members.

    Every time Gray Bear ended his shift, he would go to the 24-hour convenience store. Through the binocrs, Nine Frost confirmed that the now blond and blue-eyed Gray Bear wasing out of the store with a bag of things.

    He locked onto Gray Bear and saw him walking quickly, only to get ambushed by Lithe Snake at the street corner.

    Then Nine Frost witnessed their scuffle.

    A pair of five-year-olds they were.

    Nine Frost grumbled to himself and lowered the binocrs, taking a pack of choco sticks from his pocket.

    Suddenly, there was a flickering light in the distant sky. Judging by the direction and the height, it must havee from the rooftop of the Rongsheng Financial Building three kilometers away. It didn¡¯t seem like a signal light.

    Nine Frost immediately picked up his binocrs and looked at it.

    The tactical binocrs had an effective range of 2.5 kilometers, so Nine Frost couldn¡¯t see the rooftop clearly, only that there was a group of people there.

    A man seemed to be standing at the very front, his body flickering a golden light as energy rippled outward. Could it be Azure Dragon¡¯s...Strongest Punch?!

    Nine Frost had had the honor to witness Azure Dragon use his Strongest Punch once. At the time, he ttened a small mountain just to look for what could be a Rune Cave.

    Nine Frost felt his blood go cold. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, and he couldn¡¯t afford to think about what had gone wrong.

    But he had a strong hunch that the punch was aimed at the Starcatching Pavilion.

    He grabbed his sniper rifle with one hand and reached into his pocket with his other hand, pressing a shortcut to send a preset message. It was only one word.

    Danger!

 Chapter 726: Period

    <h4>Chapter 726: Period</h4>

    Five minutes ago.

    Rooftop of the Rongsheng Financial Building, Feiyang District.

    The building was the tallest one in the Feiyang District, overlooking the entire Li City. The only architecture that could rival and exceed it by a small margin was the Millennium Tower in Daxu District.

    The two buildings were ten and some kilometers apart. Looking from above, they looked like two antennas protruding from the city.

    On top of the building stood members of the Qilin Guild who had received an emergency summon. They each wore dark-colored clothes that blended in the night.

    There were the Elders: Yan Liang and Azure Dragon.

    The Protectors: Six Rimes and Zero Hatred.

    The Elites: Flower Turtle, ck Fish, Forest Crane, Old Lion, Correcting Sickle, Chaos Reflection, Subus, and Nagging Mister.

    And finally the Members: Veggie, Core East, Xiao Xin, and Small Luo.

    Tonight, these people wouldunch an all-inrge-scale ambush and assault at whatever cost necessary, and the goal was to wipe out the Nine Scions.

    It all started six days ago.

    Six days ago, Chen Ying shot Surnamed Li and stole the Rune Circuits from the Hundred Rivers Union, defecting to the Nine Scions with her trustedpanions.

    Put into aa from the critical injury, Surnamed Li didn¡¯t wake up until three dayster, and she had a conversation with Yan Liang.

    Surnamed Li brought to the meeting the three ck Gold bullets extracted from her body and a bald man, Miss, who had resisted Chen Ying¡¯s persuasion.

    Surnamed Li got right to the point: she could help the Qilin Guild find the Nine Scions¡¯ hideout. In exchange, the Qilin Guild must kill the leader of the Nine Scions, Gao Yang.

    Yan Liang would want nothing more, but he was surprised.

    He had thought that Surnamed Li wanted to stay a neutral party for survival amid the conflict, and she even leaned toward working with the Nine Scions secretly to root out Dust.

    It had only been a few days, yet the old woman had suddenly turned into a radical advocate for erasing the Nine Scions.

    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t convinced. He suspected that it was another scheme, like what had happened with Ke Yo.

    The two talked in depth.

    ¡°I understand your anger because Chen Ying betrayed you, but ording to what I know about you, you¡¯re not someone capable of this.¡± Yan Liang smiled. ¡°You¡¯re phoning it in. I can¡¯t not suspect you.¡±

    Surnamed Li took off her sses. Her usual gentle look was reced by absolute calmness. ¡°To tell you the truth, Elder Yan Liang, I don¡¯t like the Qilin Guild, and I don¡¯t like you or Qilin. If I had a choice, I wouldn¡¯t leave the future of humanity to you.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    Yan Liang stayed silent, his eyes dark and deep under the mask.

    ¡°I only have one demand. Gao Yang must die,¡± said Surnamed Li. ¡°Everything I did was for the future of humanity. For that, I¡¯m selling out the person who trusts me the most and my soul.¡±

    Yan Liang still didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Chen Ying carries her gun every day, but she almost never makes any shots. These three bullets have been with her for at least half a year, thus containing some of her energy. Although it¡¯s been more than three days, Miss can still track her to a certain range with level 4 Tracking. Past a week, though, there¡¯s nothing he can do.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, my level 7 Prophet grants me a new skill. As long as it¡¯s someone who¡¯s been deeply intertwined with my life, I¡¯ll be able to glimpse into snippets of what she sees through the dream within a week.¡±

    ¡°Those are the clues I can provide you. Find the Nine Scions and kill Gao Yang.¡± Surnamed Li stared at Yan Liang. ¡°That¡¯s my n. If you don¡¯t believe me, you¡¯re free to turn away.¡±

    Yan Liang thought for half a minute. He believed that the Qilin Guild didn¡¯t stand to lose anything in this.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Liang agreed. ¡°Afterward, we¡¯re taking the three Rune Circuits until the Gates are opened.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest,¡± Surnamed Li said carelessly.

    ¡°What do you want after that?¡±

    ¡°If possible, lend me the Knowledge Rune Circuit and allow me to reach level 8 by merging with it. I¡¯d like to see further into humanity¡¯s future if possible.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    ¡°When do we get started?¡± Surnamed Li asked. ¡°Miss and I can only track them for another two days.¡±

    ¡°We start right now.¡±

    Then Yan Liang started his n.

    Miss tracked the three ck Gold bullets to a particr area in the Feiyang District. He drew a circle on the map, which would be ten kilometers in diameter in real life.

    Yan Liang actually suspected that Miss was ying a trick on them when he got the result. The Nine Scions were hiding right in Qilin Guild¡¯s turf?

    Still, since the Guild wouldn¡¯t lose anything, Yan Liang continued to investigate.

    A ten-kilometer circle was toorge for aprehensive search, and they would risk alerting their targets. The Nine Scions were shrewd and had many burrows, quick to disappear for a different hiding spot. If they sent people to look for the Nine Scions at such a scale, the Nine Scions would immediately move away.

    Surnamed Li had caught glimpses of Chen Ying¡¯s sight with her prophetic dream, though. They were blurry, but she spected that the Nine Scions should be hiding in arge basement. What she saw through Chen Ying¡¯s eyes was a ce without windows.

    ording to the clues, ck Fish started his secret search.

    For the next three days, ck Fish slept for only an hour per day as he searched row after row of buildings with irvoyance from a tall building, holding the map of the Feiyang District. His search was focused on the underground parking lots, underground warehouses, and underground floors of the malls.

    After every use of irvoyance, he would rest for five minutes. And he put crosses on the map as he checked every ce.

    It wasn¡¯t until eleven o¡¯clock tonight that he searched the ce he thought was least likely to be the Nine Scions¡¯ hiding ce, the Starcatching Pavilion. To his surprise, there was a hidden basement under the Starcatching Pavilion, and seeing through it, he screamed in excitement.

    There! The Nine Scions and Chen Ying¡¯s group were all hiding there!

    He saw Gao Yang and Qing Ling talking about something seriously a little away from the group.

    Without dy, ck Fish reported to Yan Liang, and Yan Liang notified Azure Dragon to gather most of the Guild members on the rooftop of the Rongsheng Building.

    He didn¡¯t call Qilin because Qilin was heading to Ind Nation with Vermilion Bird for an important cause, and Qilin¡¯s Eidos wasn¡¯t key in this operation.

    After Yan Liang and Qilin failed to take out the Nine Scions thest time, he reflected on the reasons. He believed it was because Gao Yang was too agile and quick-witted with unparalleled ability in fleeing.

    He had Teleportation. And he could somehow increase his mental resistance in a short time to defend against Qilin¡¯s psychic attack. Moreover, he could also unleash a white energy shockwave to silence all awakeners within a few hundred meters for half a second. The ability seemed to have a cooldown though.

    He also had the help of Waking Insects from the Spectres, who could move at the double speed of sound. Although the Spectre didn¡¯t have any means of attack, he could whisk people away easily, impossible to stop.

    Moreover, Little Tian¡¯s joining would allow the Nine Scions to know everything that was happening within three kilometers, allowing them to avoid detection.

    If they attacked from a close range, it would be impossible for them to catch Gao Yang unless he stayed and fought. He could escape as long as he wanted to.

    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t going to repeat his mistake.

    He had formed a rough n when he had the conversation with Surnamed Li. The key to this operation was the strongest awakener on paper¡ªAzure Dragon.

    While Azure Dragon didn¡¯t like Yan Liang, he was absolutely loyal to Qilin. Qilin had stated that Yan Liang would be themander in chief for this operation.

    January 1st, 23:59. The operation officiallymenced.

    Yan Liang had his hands behind his hunched back, facing the strong gusts with his mask. His voice was hoarse but strong as he eximed, ¡°Focus, everyone!¡±

    ¡°Tonight, we erase the Nine Scions and put a period to the civil war that shouldn¡¯t have broken out.¡±

    ¡°We fight for humanity, for survival!¡±

    Yan Liang made the derations in Qilin¡¯s ce.

 Chapter 727: Strongest Punch

    <h4>Chapter 727: Strongest Punch</h4>

    ¡°For humanity!¡±

    ¡°For survival!¡±

    They cheered, not caring about being loud and attracting attention. The Nine Scions were three kilometers from them, and they couldn¡¯t hear them. As for the elite monsters in the neighborhood, none of the Guild members cared too much about them. The assault they wereunching would alert the monsters anyway.

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, you are making the first shot and the most important shot of the assault.¡± Yan Liang respectfully backed away, and the others followed suit.

    Dressed in a fitted ck jacket, Azure Dragon looked at the Starcatching Pavilion three kilometers from him, his sculpted face facing the night wind. The target was merely a small dot in his sight.

    He could hit it with perfect precision provided that he was given the time to charge and take aim.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask onest time, Elder Yan Liang. Are you sure you want me to go all in?¡± Azure Dragon asked gravely. ¡°Many will die.¡±

    ¡°Use the ring and go all in,¡± Yan Liang said with certainty. ¡°Humanity will be in danger if the Nine Scions live.¡±

    Azure Dragon let out a long sigh. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Azure Dragon tapped into the deep reserve of energy in him. Golden waves rippled from his body, making others back away involuntarily with the overwhelming pressure it exuded.

    Azure Dragon took a step forward and arched his back, twisting his torso to the side with his right fist clenched and tucked to his waist.

    Then he rotated the ck Gold ring on his left index finger with his left thumb.

    The medicine made from Equivalent Exchange entered Azure Dragon¡¯s body. For the next eight seconds, his power would be doubled at the price of going into a deepa for a week.

    While his Strongest Punch at full strength with a charging time of 8 seconds would be reduced to one-fourth of its power after traveling three kilometers, with the medicine, the attack power would only be halved.

    Against a quickly-moving target, it would be akin to shooting at a mosquito with a cannon, a waste of precious power. Against a static target, though, the attack would be catastrophic even from three kilometers away.

    When the enemies were unaware and unable to take any defensive measures, they would certainly die getting hit by the shockwave of the punch.

    ¡°Aghhhh¡ª¡±

    Every muscle in his body bulged unnaturally, and veins popped from his face, his sharp eyes radiating blinding golden light.

    One.

    Two.

    Three.

    Four.

    The concrete floor under Azure Dragon¡¯s feet quickly cracked further and further like the surface of a frozenke.

    ¡°Freeze!¡±

    Six Rime conjured ayer of hardy ice to freeze the cracks on the floor, stabilizing Azure Dragon¡¯s footing. Then Forest Crane morphed his hands into countless vines and covered the ice, strengthening it.

    Veggie followed suit, turning her long hair into sturdy ck wires to reinforce the floor further.

    ¡°Aghhhhhh!!!¡±

    Azure Dragon almost turned into a melted clump of golden amber, the chaotic and wild energy radiating in all directions, forcing everyone to back away again.

    Six Rime, Forest Crane, and Veggie fought to stabilize the floor under the monstrous cannon that was Azure Dragon.

    Five.

    Six.

    Seven.

    ¡°Strongest¡ª¡±

    The air seemed to freeze for a second.

    Then everyone¡¯s mind nked and spun, as if melting into the ocean of golden energy.

    Eight seconds.

    Like a ck hole, Azure Dragon quicklypressed the great waves of energy into his right fist.

    ¡°Punch.¡±

    0.1 secondter, he swung his right fist at the night sky.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A golden afterimage of a fist the size of arge truck shot toward the Starcatching Pavilion three kilometers away at thrice the speed of sound, leaving a glittering trail in the sky.

    It was greater than Waking Insects¡¯ maximum speed.

    From afar, it looked like God had drawn a golden line between the starting and ending points with a ruler, conjuring a golden path in the night sky out of nowhere.

    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom!</i>

    The giant golden fist broke the sonic barrier three times and sliced off the rooftops of numerous buildings before hitting the basement of the Starcatching Pavilion precisely.

    Inside the basement, when Gao Yang and Little Tian with Sensory activated detected the iing death, they only had two seconds to react.

    The others didn¡¯t even see iting before the Gold Line of God erased their existence.

    Those on top of the Rongsheng Financial Building saw everything go dark. The lighting from Azure Dragon went out, his exhausted form bending down and panting heavily.

    In three seconds, the Starcatching Pavilion exploded. To them, it looked like nothing but a small spark of fire in the distant sky.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    Then the deep thunderous rumble reached them btedly. Only then did they feel the reality of the attack.

    With his back to everyone, Azure Dragon stood straight. The punch had severely exhausted his energy. Even though he would wake up in seven days, it would still take him quite some time to recover fully.

    He toppled backward.

    Correcting Sickle rushed up to catch him, injecting his chest with energy supplements. Then heid the unconscious man on the ground, making an OK sign at everyone, meaning he would take care of Elder Azure Dragon and leave the rest to them.

    Six Rime maintained an impassive face. She was worried about Azure Dragon, but she had a mission toplete. Azure Dragon had taught her since she was young that a fighter¡¯s greatest honor was absolute loyalty and obedience.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for us to set out.¡± Yan Liang made the orders. ¡°The second team, circle the targets from the outside. Don¡¯t leave anyone slip through you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Forest Crane turned his arms into vines, grabbing ck Fish, Veggie, and Old Lion and swinging down from the rooftop. Chaos Reflection turned into a white light and jumped between the windows of the buildings, vanishing in an instant.

    ¡°The first team, head to the Starcatching Pavilion,¡± Yan Liang said and looked up.

    A short, skinny man was perching on a billboard with both his hands and feet in ck Gold shackles to seal his Talent.

    He had ck hair with a rainbow-colored fringe, covering one of his eyes and half of his face. His expression was a mix of boredom andziness. There was a look of viciousness and malice in his purple eyes that he couldn¡¯t hide.

    He was the Protector on Yan Liang¡¯s team, Zero Hatred, with Talent: Elemental.

    He spat, ¡°It¡¯s finally my turn.¡±

    His voice was young but hoarse, like his vocal cords had been grated by sandpaper.

    Yan Liang snapped his fingers. The space around Zero Hatred distorted slightly, and the shackles on his hands and feet fell off with a clink.

    Zero Hatred jumped off the billboard,zily stretching his arms. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to kill now, right?¡±

    ¡°You are,¡± Yan Liang said before adding, ¡°But not our own.¡±

    ¡°I get it.¡± Zero Hatred looked reluctant.

    He widened his arms, conjuring a powerful elemental wind under his feet to lift Yan Liang, Six Rime, Flower Turtle, Subus, Core East, Xiao Xin, Small Luo, and Nagging Mister.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    With a wave of his hands, Zero Hatred turned the wind into a tornado that sent everyone diving down from the building straight to the Starcatching Pavilion, the speed no lesser than Heavenly Dog¡¯s Fly.

    While Zero Hatred¡¯s Elemental was only at level 3, he could manipte five elements: blue wind, cyan fire, purple lightning, white ice, and red light, each corresponding to Gale, Fire, Electricity, Frost, and Light.

    Even though none of the elements he manipted rival the specific corresponding Talent, he couldbine the five elements at his will, the possibilities endless, making Elemental much more formidable than the single-element Talents.

    While everyone was diving through the air, Yan Liang put into motion the strategy he had long formted without dy.

    ¡°Subus, you first.¡±

 Chapter 728: Psychic Armor

    <h4>Chapter 728: Psychic Armor</h4>

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Swept by the hurricane, Subus¡¯ blue hair danced in the air. She extended her supple arms and wrapped them around Xiao Xin¡¯s neck from behind, her breasts pressing against his back.

    Xiao Xin trembled, his face pale as he tamped down his disgust and fear.

    ¡°Here Ie, babe.¡±

    Subus gently rotated the ring on her ring finger, injecting herself with the power-doubling medicine.

    She groaned, her brows furrowed. Her light purple nted eyes quickly deepened. Large purple blotches appeared on her skin until they covered her entirely, and her body turned softer and softer until it became a pile of poison.

    The poison shot out of her thin clothes, and like a living creature, it wrapped around Xiao Xin, quickly entering his mouth, nose, and ears.

    ¡°Ughhhh...¡±

    Xiao Xin screamed in pain, his eyes turning a dark purple and his body bing covered inrge purple spots, too, like a poisoned leopard. He knew that time was of the essence. Without dy, he rotated the ring on his finger.

    ¡°Aghhhh!¡±

    He cried out again as his energy surged endlessly and mixed with Subus¡¯ energy, in both excitement and pain. The medicine he injected himself with was higher in concentration and could triple his energy for three minutes, at a greater price of sending him into a nine-montha.

    However, Yan Liang promised him that he would be safe for the next nine months and that the Qilin Guild would secure the ultimate victory and lead humanity out of the Mist World.

    Xiao Xin had hesitated, but every second he spent in the world was in fear and terror; he might as well make a gamble. Perhaps he would wake up to find himself in a safe, wonderful new world.

    ¡°Three Heads Six Arms!¡±

    Flower Turtle, while diving down, quickly grabbed Xiao Xin¡¯s and Six Rime¡¯s hands,bining them. After a sh of white light, the three turned into a being of three heads and six arms with their backs conjoined.

    ¡°Nagger,¡± Yan Liang called out.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Nagging Mister responded in a booming voice.

    He was a middle-aged man in his forties with thin hair, a stocky figure, and thick lips and neck. He extended both hands. ¡°Come. High-fives, all of you.¡±

    Zero Hatred, who was leading their dive through the air, adjusted the currents of the wind elements and lifted himself, Yan Liang, Core East, and the three conjoined awakeners to Nagging Mister in turns, high-fiving him.

    Nagging Mister¡¯s Talent was Specialized Guard, serial number 43, Guard-type.

    Not long after the Crimson Tide, he acquired Mind¡¯s Eye.

    Specialized Guard allowed him to strengthen his and his teammates¡¯ defenses against two damage types while randomly weakening one type of defense for three minutes. Now, everyone¡¯s defense against elemental and poisonous damages had doubled, while their defense against psychic damage was halved.

    They were almost above the Starcatching Pavilion now. Yan Liang ordered, ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Thick Mist!¡±

    Xiao Xin, whilebined with two others, shouted, the pores of his entire body quickly erged like beehives, and an endless supply of thick purple mist shot out.

    ¡°Aghhh¡ª¡±

    Core East strummed a chord and screamed, speeding up the spreading of the mist with soundwaves.

    Arge fountain of purple mist had appeared in the sky, quickly enveloping the street blocks below with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers. Mixed with Subus¡¯ poison, the purple mist would disturb one¡¯s energy and make it drain from the body until they died.

    At the same time, Six Rime¡¯s absolute chill had been added to the mist too, which would quickly deprive a human body of its warmth. A regr living being would die in less than twenty seconds, and a weaker awakener would die in less than a minute. Even a strong awakener couldn¡¯t resist it for more than three minutes¡ªunless they had a particr defensive Talent that countered it.

    The freezing poisonous mist Yan Liang developed didn¡¯t differentiate between friends and foes. Even with the defensive buffs from Specialized Guard, it was a move that would hurt themselves half as much as they hurt their enemies.

    He was going all out this time. He would get what he wanted.

    Gao Yang must die, and the Nine Scions must be wiped out.

    ...

    Meanwhile, the Starcatching Pavilion.

    It was as if a giant razor had sliced off the Starcatching Pavilion, an ancient bastion, and the hignd altogether, leaving only a deep trench that spanned two street blocks. At the end of the trench was where the energy explosion had urred, the Starcatching Pavilion. It had been rendered into ruins, almost all lives erased from earth.

    Gao Yang climbed out of the rubble and charred earth. His shirt was gone, and his jeans were tattered beyond form. His skin was scorched red by the energy shockwaves, and blood gushed out from the wound on his forehead, almost covering his entire face.

    The moment the catastrophe hit, he had activated Willful Power to push his Endurance to the max. Only by that did he survive the terrifying attack.

    The others weren¡¯t as lucky.

    He stood amid the ruins, his six senses slowly returning to him. He first saw light. Then his hearing recovered.

    Slowly, the world returned.

    Water sshed from crushed pipes. Broken wires crackled and sputtered sparks. All around him was fire, thick smoke, the sharp ring of car horns, and faint wails and cries.

    He felt no pain, despair, or anger. Nothing.

    Confusion. That was all he could feel.

    <i>What happened? How did things turn out like this all of a sudden?</i>

    <i>You don¡¯t have time to dwell on it, Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>The enemies areing.</i>

    <i>Hurry. Fight, fight, FIGHT.</i>

    [Psychic...]

    ¡°No!! No...¡±

    Chen Ying was wailing.

    Sitting amid the rubbles and covered in blood, her clothes tattered, she cried out in great despair.

    Her bleeding hand clutched onto a bloodied cupcake. Little Tian was nowhere to be seen.

    Right before the disaster hit, Chen Ying had gone up to Little Tian to give him the cupcake. The decision took her away from the sharpest edge of the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe.

    The currents brought about by the scythe could still kill her, of course.

    Luckily or unluckily, Little Tian had sensed theing danger and the range of the lethal attack with Sensory in thest two seconds with Sensory, and the boy opened his eyes and charged at Chen Ying, tackling her to the floor with the greatest force he had ever mustered in life.

    The next second, the candles went out.

    Pure darkness descended. Then came a blinding golden light. It took her little brother from her.

    He must have gone to heaven at God¡¯s wee. The hellhole of a world didn¡¯t deserve a pure and wonderful boy like him.

    [Psychic...]

    ¡°Ugh...it hurts...my hand...¡±

    It was Herb Snail.

    When Gao Yang called out, ¡°Danger¡±, Herb Snail immediately fled toward the ground with Intangibility, but he was a beat too slow.

    Half of his body was buried in the ruins, while the other half¡ªhis right arm, thigh, and part of his torso¡ªwas cut cleanly off, exposing bones and bleeding organs like a medical model made to demonstrate the insides of a human body.

    [Psychic...]

    Gao Yang saw a leg. It belonged to Zhang Wei, and Gao Yang recognized the shoe. The man had been boasting that the shoes were a global exclusive design. Buzhou shot back and said that there was no globe in the Mist World.

    Where was Buzhou?

    Right there, with Shuang Shuang.

    Buzhou had extended his arms to shield her, trying to protect his wife but failing.

    The married couple¡¯s bodies were gone from the chest down.

    Their eyes were wide with terror, and blood gushed out of the corners of their mouths, their nostrils, and their ears. They didn¡¯t know what had happened even when they met their deaths, but at least they met their ends together.

    [Psychic Ar...]

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze was then drawn by a hand. It reached out of a pile of rubble like a pale, wilting flower. It belonged to Nainai. He knew it because there was an equinox flower ring on the ring finger.

    He found one of Chestnut¡¯s hands, too. It was still holding onto a gift box, the birthday gift she was giving to Yanyan.

    He didn¡¯t find Wild Range, only one of his mountain boots.

    Where was Empty Life? She was gone too, but there was a book on the ground, the pages fluttering under the light of the fire around the ruins.

    Where was Yanyan? Was she gone too?

    But her mother Sha Ye was there. Lying lifelessly under arge piece of rock, a thick stone pir had pierced through her back. Her blood turned the pile of rubbles into a red tomb.

    ...

    [Psychic Armor]

    [Activated]

    Adjust heartbreak to 0%.

    Cold rationality to 100%.

 Chapter 729: Berserking Monster Swarm

    <h4>Chapter 729: Berserking Monster Swarm</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to the limit without blinking. There was nothing but calmness in his gaze.

    Like a machine, his brain calcted at high speed and looked for the best solution. Above him was a thick purple mist of frost and poison, rolling like waves of dark clouds and shrouding the entire area, leaving no way to escape.

    A secondter, Gao Yang opened his hands and activated Gamer.

    Instantly, countless white sacred strands shot out of his ten fingers, flying toward the ruins nearby and found the body parts of Nainai and Zhang Wei, quickly restoring them and creating two light cacoons.

    Two seconds before the danger hit, Gao Yang had taken a series of actions.

    He shouted, ¡°Danger¡±, pushed Endurance to the limit with Willful Power, took out the ck Gold hairpins in his pocket, and ran toward the two people nearest to him, Nainai and Zhang Wei, to shove the hairpins into their clothes.

    After less than thirty seconds, Gao Yang brought Nainai and Zhang Wei back. Theyy unconscious amid the ruins.

    Time Reset took a lot of energy.

    Gao Yang pushed his six senses to the limit and soon found a seriously damaged medicine box. He teleported over and opened the box to find most of the syringes broken. Only three shots of Medicine C and one specialized adrenaline shot remained intact.

    Gao Yang conjured a double and had the double teleport to the only other survivor, Herb Snail, injecting the body that had lost one-third of its parts with Medicine C¡ªwhether he could survive would be up to fate.

    The real Gao Yang injected himself with the adrenaline shot, forcefully awakening his exhausted energy.

    A system warning sounded then.

    [Luck acquisition rate increases to 10000 times.]

    Gao Yang spat out a mouthful of blood, hit by Heartstealer. Two secondster, he went translucent before vanishing.

    He had swapped his main body and his double.

    At the same time, a powerful soundwave hit him. Gao Yang picked up the dying Herb Snail from the ground and teleported away.

    Above him, Zero Hatred and thebined being of Flower Turtle, Six Rime, and Xiao Xin hovered. Xiao Xin continued to release freezing poisonous gas, while Yan Liang, Core East, and Nagging Mister made a slownding upon what remained of the Starcatching Pavilion.

    The poisonous gas permeated the air. Gao Yang felt a sharp burning pain across his skin, while paradoxically, the waves of chilling coldness quickly deprived his body of warmth.

    He held his breath and drew his energy to resist the poison and cold.

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡± Yan Liang, wearing a mask, looked at the young man from ten meters away. ¡°You really are hard to kill. Just like...¡±

    He raised his hands at Gao Yang. ¡°A cockroach.¡±

    ...

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear rushed toward the Starcatching Pavilion at full speed. Lithe Snake jumped between rooftops and walls. asionally, awakened elite monsters would break out of the windows. Lithe Snake moved swiftly and took each of them out with a lethal stab, giving them almost no time to react.

    Gray Bear ran along the road, encountering several ughterers too.

    ¡°Piss off!¡±

    Gray Bear no longer saw them as threats. He instantly turned into a three-meter giant bear and knocked the ughterers out of his way. They mmed into walls and attempted to catch up with him afternding, but Lithe Snake¡¯s throwing knives stabbed through their eyes with precision.

    They fought and ran at the same time. Then suddenly, they came to a halt.

    At some point, a purple mist had permeated the streets. Gray Bear and Lithe Snake sensed a prickling pain from their skin. Then a chill crept up to them and burrowed into their bodies in strands to target their internal organs.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Gray Bear crushed a ughterer¡¯s skull with a stomp and growled.

    ¡°Breathe as little as you can!¡± Lithe Snake jumped onto a telephone pole and threw a knife, stabbing a freerider on a rooftop in the throat.

    He didn¡¯t feel optimistic. The explosion hade out of nowhere. It would be unlikely for even their Captain, Gao Yang, to survive the sudden attack, let alone the others.

    He could only hope that Little Tian had bought a couple of seconds for everyone with Sensory, which could make a difference.

    ¡ªDon¡¯t you die so easily, boss!

    Lithe Snake jumped off the telephone pole, stepping on the shoulders of a ughterer about to ambush Gray Bear, piercing through the top of its head with a sharp dagger.

    Lithe Snake rolled to a stand and continued to rush forward with Gray Bear.

    Something caught their eyes then. Standing amid the poisonous mist was a summoner. Like a werewolf, it opened itsrge maw filled with red fangs and howled.

    Gray Bear cursed under his breath. <i>Fuck, just what we don¡¯t want.</i>

    <i>Bam, bam, bam¡ª</i>

    <i>ng, ng, ng¡ª</i>

    Three secondster, all the wanderers residing in the buildings lining the road went berserk, transforming into monsters of different forms and levels of power. They jumped through the windows.

    Some of them were old, their transformation iplete due to their frailness and maintaining parts of their human features, and weakened by the poisonous mist, they fell to their deaths from the tall buildings, meeting aughable and pitiful end.

    The majority were young, strong monsters though, and they quickly rose to their feet afternding, swarming toward Lithe Snake and Gray Bear like bloodthirsty zombies in a frenzy, without the mental capacity to feel fear.

    Gray Bear pointed forward, indicating for Lithe Snake to stay behind him.

    He growled, charging into the swarm of monsters like the head of a train.

    As he hurtled through the dense swarm, monster after monster got thrown into the sky before falling. It looked as if a scissor had cut through the middle of a piece of ck cloth.

    Using Gray Bear¡¯s back as a springboard, Lithe Snake calcted the distance and leaped onto the eaves of a building, running on the walls. Then with a swift jump, he descended upon the summoner.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    A fierce sh. Then Lithe Snakended behind the summoner. Two secondster, the summoner¡¯s head fell to the ground. Its blood sttered like a shower.

    Covered in blood, Lithe Snake drew the two shortswords from his waist and went on a killing spree through the berserking monsters like a bloodthirsty spinning top.

    They fought as they advanced, already losing count of the number of monsters they had killed. Yet more monsters continued to rush to the street.

    They both knew that they must shake the berserking monsters. Otherwise, they would exhaust themselves before they even reached the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Lithe Snake soon came up with an idea. He shouted, ¡°Bombs! Bus!¡±

    Gray Bear¡¯s eyes lit up. He caught on immediately as a long-timerade of Lithe Snake¡¯s.

 Chapter 730: Surrender

    <h4>Chapter 730: Surrender</h4>

    Lithe Snake sliced off his left hand without hesitation, allowing it to fall to the ground.

    The swarm of frenzied monsters caught up.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The severed hand exploded in the middle of the road. A fire broke out, and blood and broken body parts sttered.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Gray Bear sped up and rushed toward a bus parked by the road. He stretched his arms to hold onto the head of the bus to turn it around, dropping it as a blockade across the road. Then he lifted a few cars to fill the gaps to create a rough barrier, stopping the countless monsters running wild.

    It would only dy the monsters for half a minute, though. Without turning around, they bolted toward the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Lithe Snake held onto the stump of his left wrist with his right hand, face pale.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gray Bear noticed something wrong. Lithe Snake¡¯s level 6 Gecko allowed for rapid regeneration, yet his wrist was bleeding profusely, showing no sign of stopping or regeneration.

    ¡°Mist!¡± Lithe Snake gave the briefest response possible to minimize the breaths he took.

    Gray Bear came to a realization then. The poison of the mist was invading Lithe Snake¡¯s system more quickly through the open wound, sabotaging Lithe Snake¡¯s regeneration power.

    As he ran, Lithe Snake tore off a sleeve and tied it around his severed wrist.

    When they were about to reach a crossroad, a deep yet resounding sound of engine revving came from the left. Lithe Snake and Gray Bear turned around simultaneously to see ck Fish riding a ck motorcycle with Veggine behind him, hurtling toward the two of them.

    <i>Grrr¡ª</i>

    Almost at the same time, the angry growl of a lion came from above.

    Riding a giant lion, Old Lion leaped off the rooftop of a building on the side of the road and caught up to them.

    There was no running away. Lithe Snake and Gray Bear quickly exchanged nces, each taking a side.

    ¡°Come here, you sons of bitches!¡± Gray Bear cursed while charging at ck Fish.

    <i>Bam! </i>Gray Bear pped the motorcycle away with a swipe. Having been prepared for it, ck Fish and Veggie jumped off the motorcycle before the swipe hit.

    ck Fish rolled as hended and syed his fingers, shooting ten study spider threads at Gray Bear to restrain him. Having dodged the attack, too, Veggie activated Magic Hair. Her dense hair turned into sharp wires and flew toward Gray Bear, quickly wrapping around him.

    ck Fish imbued his fingertips with spider venom, which spread to Gray Bear through the spider threads.

    Gray Bear scoffed suddenly. ¡°You¡¯ve got a long face!¡±

    A sudden fury rose in ck Fish¡¯s chest. He quickly gave up on using his spider venom and opted to charge at Gray Bear for a fistfight instead.

    ¡°Look at all your tendrils!¡± Gary Bear continued with another taunt.

    Veggie got angry, too. She controlled her hair to tighten the restraint around Gray Bear while drawing her dagger to stab him¡ªfacing the bear over three meters tall, though, she could at most stab Gray Bear in the thigh.

    As soon as they rushed toward Gray Bear, they realized, <i>I got taunted with Jeer!</i>

    They woke up with a start and quickly retreated.

    Gray Bear suddenly exerted his strength and grabbed the spider threads and the hair with each hand, making a strong pull.

    Unable to resist at all, ck Fish and Veggie flew toward Gray Bear.

    Gray Bear opened his mouth, about to bite ck Fish¡¯s head off then crush Veggie¡¯s shoulders. But Forest Crane arrived in time, turning his hands into a dozen and more sturdy vines to strangle Gray Bear¡¯s neck and shut his mouth.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Gray Bear bit but failed to break the vines. They were sour and bitter, the taste terrible.

    ck Fish and Veggie escaped narrowly. They broke off their own spider threads and hair to make a quick retreat.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gray Bear grabbed the vines with both hands and tore them with full strength, breaking them into several strands. They fell to the ground and slithered back to Forest Crane like dozens of green snakes.

    Veggie, Forest Crane, and ck Fish didn¡¯t rush tounch an attack, but each took a side to circle Gray Bear, making sure that he had no way to escape.

    Before the operation started, they had each taken a resurrection pill and got buffed by Nagging Mister¡¯s Specialized Guard. They didn¡¯t have to risk their lives, only to dy Gray Bear and buy time. Gray Bear would die to the freezing poisonous mist before them in as short as one minute and at most three minutes.

    Gray Bear was experienced. Sensing theirck of urgency, he could tell that they must havee prepared, and that time wasn¡¯t on his side.

    In fact, he was already feeling cold as the energy inside him slowly dwindled. He had a strange feeling that there was a cauldron in his body, boiling and evaporating his energy.

    <i>It¡¯s a purgatory of ice and fire!</i>

    He was wondering how he should turn the tide when a cooling wind entered his head. It was Nine Frost¡¯s Telepathy!

    Upon receiving the instruction, Gray Bear immediately rushed toward Veggie.

    Veggie¡¯s long hair stabbed at Gray Bear.

    The bullet from a sniper rifle hit her in the right shoulder. Blood sttered from the resulting bleeding hole.

    Veggie flew two meters back and fell to the ground.

    Gray Bear jumped over her and rushed toward Lithe Snake. The Starcatching Pavilion was in that direction, too.

    The sudden counterattack caught ck Fish and Forest Crane off guard.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh!</i>

    Two other bullets came. One brushed past ck Fish¡¯s left face, while the other hit Forest Crane¡¯s chest. However, Forest Crane had reacted in time to turn his hands into sturdy wooden nks, blocking the bullet.

    ¡°Ambush!¡±

    ck Fish rolled and jumped to Veggie, who had gotten shot. He dragged her to an alleyway to take cover.

    Forest Crane didn¡¯t have to dodge the bullets, but while in his defensive mode, he was too slow and could only watch as Gray Bear escaped.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Lithe Snake and Old Lion were fighting while one chased the other.

    Lithe Snake jumped between rooftops and walls, throwing knives at Old Lion every once in a while. Riding his lion, Old Lion leaped up and down as he dodged the attacks and chased Lithe Snake, nevergging far behind.

    Old Lion could summon the mammals in the area to help him fight, but he didn¡¯t. Actually, he told them to run away.

    The animals were his friends. He didn¡¯t want them to die in the poisonous mist.

    He and Little White were only taking the risk because they had both taken a resurrection pill beforehand and received a buff from Specialized Guard.

    Lithe Snake didn¡¯t intend to fight Old Lion. The man had fought Gray Bear and showed power that rivaled his. That informed Lithe Snake¡¯s evaluation of Old Lion¡¯s power. If they shed head-on, their chances of winning were 50-50. And that was if Lithe Snake didn¡¯t have a severed hand. Not only was he missing a hand now, there was also the poisonous mist. He didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    While running toward the Starcatching Pavilion, Lithe Snake strategized. During the moment of distraction, he caught a sh of light from the corner of an eye.

    <i>ng!</i>

    Sparks sputtered. Lithe Snakended and steadied himself.

    The attackernded, too. It was Chaos Reflection, holding a ck Gold trench knife.

    Lithe Snake had just stood up when Old Lion jumped to his back, blocking his way.

    nked by Chaos Reflection and Old Lion, Lithe Snake immediately shouted, ¡°I surrender!¡±

 Chapter 731: Nonoptimal

    <h4>Chapter 731: Nonoptimal</h4>

    That caught Old Lion and Chaos Reflection off guard. They were at a loss for a moment.

    ¡°I stand no chance.¡± Lithe Snake cast away his weapons and raised both hands while getting on one knee. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m surrendering.¡±

    Chaos Reflection hesitated.

    Although Elder Yan Liang had ordered them to kill every member of the Nine Scions on sight, he got cursed out by Zhong He and Heavenly Dog for ¡°killing Can¡± thest time. Would the same happen again if he killed Lithe Snake?

    He should just leave Old Lion to make the decision. Then he would be the one getting cursed at. He wouldn¡¯t be med.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A bullet hit Chaos Reflection in the thigh.

    Nine Frost had aimed at his head, but he was too far away with the poisonous mist obscuring his sight, and he wasn¡¯t a professional sniper, neither did he have God of Firearms. It was good enough that he even hit the target.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Chaos Reflection bled from his thigh. He copsed to the ground and wiggled around, attempting to hide in a reflective surface. But then two throwing knives stabbed into his back. He fell with a muffled groan.

    Lithe Snake bolted, frustrated.

    <i>Dammit, I was so close to him, but I failed to hit his heart!</i>

    Lithe Snake knew that it was because of the freezing poisonous mist. His body was getting exhausted, and his limbs were getting stiff in the cold.

    Old Lion had jumped to the side the moment Chaos Reflection got shot, dodging a bullet that should¡¯ve pierced his abdomen. That was why he failed to give chase.

    Not long after Lithe Snake bolted, he saw arge gray bear catching up to him on all fours.

    Nine Frost, hiding in a tall building, started a group telepathy.

    [Nine Frost: Our base was hit. The situation is unclear.]

    [Lithe Snake: How¡¯s Captain?]

    [Nine Frost: Not dead, but close to. The others...are most likely gone.]

    [Gray Bear: Then what are you waiting for? Go help them!]

    [Nine Frost: It¡¯s toote. And I must keep an eye on the overall picture, or you¡¯ll all die.]

    [Gray Bear: Fuck. The poisonous gas is despicable. Who the hell did it?]

    [Nine Frost: Look up.]

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear looked up as they ran. Two meters up in the air was a well of thick poisonous gas, unleashing an endless supply of purple mist in all directions. Suffice to say that it was the source of the poisonous mist, but it was difficult to tell what exactly was there.

    [Lithe Snake: Have Can scatter the mist.]

    [Nine Frost: She¡¯s out and hasn¡¯t returned.]

    [Gray Bear: Fuck. It just has to rain when the leak is housing.]

    [Lithe Snake: When the house is leaking.]

    [Gray Bear: Shut up!]

    [Nine Frost: Wait...I see Can!]

    ...

    Meanwhile, at the center of the poisonous mist above the Starcatching Pavilion, Flower Turtle, Six Rime, and Xiao Xin remainedbined with Three Heads Six Arms. Xiao Xin continued to shoot out purple poisonous mist, and Six Rime mixed it with her frosty chill before spreading it.

    Flower Turtle, amid the poisonous mist, scowled with sweat beading his forehead. Thankfully, Nagging Mister had buffed his elemental and poisonous resistance, and Three Heads Six Arms increased his overall defense somewhat, too. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve died for sure whether they managed to kill their targets or not¡ªwell, he had taken a resurrection pill, though.

    Zero Hatred created a wind element barrier to shield himself from the poisonous damage without difficulty. However, his expression was dark, and his gaze increasingly vicious.

    <i>This is boring. I¡¯m here to kill people, not to y support.</i>

    ¡°Small Luo,¡± Zero Hatred called out irritatedly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the slightly chubby girl with blue evenly cut fringe responded nervously, arge backpack on her back. She was shielded from the poisonous mist by Zero Hatred¡¯s wind elements, too.

    Her Talent was Toys, serial number 71, Summon-type.

    She could inject any toy with her energy to turn it into a fighting tool for a few minutes.

    ¡°Keep Flower Turtle up here,¡± said Zero Hatred. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill some people.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Me? But I...¡± Small Luo could do it, but once Zero Hatred was gone, she would be exposed to the poisonous Mist as well. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she could endure.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds.¡± Zero Hatred huffed. ¡°Or I¡¯ll kill you first.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Small Luo knew that Zero Hatred meant it. He was a murderous psychopath. No one could control him outside of Yan Liang.

    She reached back into her backpack for a small UFO toy, injecting it with energy.

    Blue ripples of energy spread from the UFO, increasing in size and turning into a translucent UFO with a ten-meter diameter.

    Flower Turtle and Small Luo stood on it. They weren¡¯t going to fall from the sky.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Zero Hatred pulled back the wind elements in the area, and a pair of wings consisting of wind elements unfurled from his back with a p. He quickly flew out of the poisonous mist toward the battlefield.

    ...

    Meanwhile, amid the ruins of the Starcatching Pavilion, Gao Yang had concluded his best option when seeing Yan Liang, Core East, and Nagging Mister¡ªrun.

    He didn¡¯t know how wide the range of the poisonous mist was and if other people were circling him. Given his Talents and speed, though, he still stood a good chance of escaping.

    Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t going to choose the best option.

    There were three or maybe four survivingpanions he must save.

    Nainai and Zhang Wei had just been reset and were unconscious.

    Chen Ying had broken down over Little Tian¡¯s death and was severely weakened by the mist, losing her will to fight for her life.

    And there was no telling if Herb Snail would survive having a third of his body sliced off.

    Outside of them, Nine Frost, Lithe Snake, and Gray Bear must be fighting in the poisonous mist, too.

    Gao Yang was their leader. He would not leave until he saved those he could save.

    Thus, Gao Yang made the least optimal option.

    He would kill these enemies as quickly as he could and destroy the source of the poisonous mist above him. A full power level 6 Fire Punch would¡¯ve taken down the source of the mist for sure, and he could even kill those at the source.

    However, Yan Liang wasn¡¯t going to give him the chance. And after using two Time Resets, Gao Yang would¡¯ve lost the ability to fight by making such a powerful attack.

    Yan Liang believed he had secured victory, but he didn¡¯t underestimate his enemy at all. He syed his hands and used Spatial Blender on arge scale. Tens of hundreds of small spatial vortexes emerged all around Gao Yang.

    He teleported away, shooting two formidable fireballs at Yan Liang and Nagging Mister.

    Yan Liang and Nagging Mister dodged the fireballs easily. Gao Yang teleported again to reach Core East.

    ¡°Fuck off!!¡±

    Core East strummed his guitar and cursed, unleashing a destructive sonic attack. Dust and stones flew and scattered everywhere in the area.

    Gao Yang stopped attacking and jumped behind a broken stone wall.

    <i>Do you think that¡¯s enough to avoid my sonic attacks?</i>

    Core East felt ire rise in his heart, feeling like Gao Yang was looking down on him. He would make the man pay for that!

    ¡°Aghh¡ª¡±

    He shouted and strummed three times.

    Three sonic shockwaves condensed into three incredibly sharp intangible cutting threads, hitting the stone wall one after another.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    The stone wall was instantly sliced into seven to eight pieces, falling to the ground, but Gao Yang was nowhere to be seen behind it.

 Chapter 732: Price of Underestimating Oneâ€™s Opponent

    <h4>Chapter 732: Price of Underestimating One¡¯s Opponent</h4>

    Core East was startled. Where is he?

    He went on high alert, wary of a sneak attack from Gao Yang with Teleportation.

    But Gao Yang was gone, not in front, behind, above him, or on his left or right!

    Yan Liang and Nagging Mister were confused as well. Gao Yang had vanished. Did he replicate and use Invisibility?

    Nagging Mister immediately closed his eyes and used Mind¡¯s Eye.

    A secondter, he caught a trace of killing intent. It was underground.

    ¡°Under us!¡± Nagging Mister shouted.

    Core East jerked his head down, but it was toote.

    A hand shot through the ground without breaking through the earth like a ghost, seizing Core East¡¯s left ankle.

    At thest moment of his life, Core East didn¡¯t have the time to feel fear, but only a sh of regret. <i>He didn¡¯t underestimate me. I underestimated him. I¡¯m so weak. Fuck.</i>

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A torrent of mes shot through the ground, burning Core East.

    While Core East¡¯s elemental resistance had doubled from the buff of Specialized Guard, he was as fragile as a handful of dry straws when hit with level 6 Fire imbued by a Willpower over 2000.

    ¡°Core East!¡± Nagging Mister shouted.

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t react at all. The bright firelight danced on his mask.

    The fire was gone in three seconds. Core East had turned into a charred skeleton with a slightly distorted ck Gold guitar.

    <i>ck</i>. The skeleton fell apart and hit the ground. Core East was dead with no chance ofing back. The resurrection pill wouldn¡¯t work, either.

    The hand that shot out of the ground had disappeared.

    When Gao Yang sent Qing Ling and a few others to Ind Nation to escort Gao Xinxin, he replicated Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer and Ke Yo¡¯s Strange as insurance, leaving thest slot empty for flexibility.

    After the ambush, Gao Yang first used Gamer to save Nainai and Zhang Wei and inject Herb Snail with Medicine C, replicating Intangibility at the same time.

    There was 15 seconds left of the Talent¡¯s use time. Gao Yang had wanted to take out another one of them the same way, but finding out that Nagging Mister had Mind¡¯s Eye, he gave up on the n decisively. Jumping out of the ground, he teleported to Nagging Mister¡¯s side and stabbed at his throat with a ck Gold dagger.

    With Mind¡¯s Eye, Nagging Mister reacted quickly, but his body couldn¡¯t keep up. It was clear that he couldn¡¯t make a move in time.

    Just when Gao Yang was going to hit him, Nagging Mister blinked to three meters away.

    <i>No! It¡¯s not a teleportation ability. The space itself is distorted.</i>

    Yan Liang had used Spatial Magic.

    In that instant, he had shortened his distance from Gao Yang by three meters while increasing Nagging Mister¡¯s distance from Gao Yang by three meters.

    With the other hand, Yan Liang used Spatial Blender at the same time. Gao Yang teleported away as quickly as he could, but a vortex still carved out a piece of flesh from his left arm, and blood gushed out.

    Gao Yang teleported and jumped to take cover behind a broken wall, quickly injecting himself with half a dose of Medicine C.

    He threw up blood. There was purple poison mixed into the blood.

    <i>It¡¯s Subus¡¯ Venom!</i>

    <i>Not only doesn¡¯t a Medicine C heal now, but it shes with the poisonous energy and results in a disturbance, doing more damage.</i>

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and forced the energy in his body to settle down.

    The next second, he felt a pressureing from above his head.

    Rather than looking up, he quickly teleported away.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A robot stomped on and cracked the ground, hitting where Gao Yang had been.

    Gao Yang frowned.

    The main body of the robot was a fist-sized toy, but covered by translucent blue energy, it had turned into a four-meter tall robot.

    Gao Yang spected that it was Small Luo¡¯s Talent, Toys.

    <i>ck, ck.</i>

    The robot¡¯s arms transformed into machine guns and locked onto Gao Yang, pelting him with countless oval-shaped blue energy bullets.

    Gao Yang jumped from side to side, teleporting every now and then to dodge the attacks while circling the robot.

    Yan Liang¡¯s spatial attacks and the robot¡¯s energy bullets came at him doggedly, leaving no gap at all. And Nagging Mister¡¯s Mind¡¯s Eye prevented Gao Yang from hiding and making a sneak attack.

    What little energy he had left quickly drained from his body. Although Gao Yang had Fire, he still felt a bone-chilling coldness. The ends of his limbs were getting noticeably stiff.

    He could not drag things on further. Gao Yang pulled his trump card now.

    ¡ªStrange!

    He used the Strange Whistle, stopping everyone from moving, including himself.

    The whistle ended a secondter.

    They all recovered and regrouped, but Gao Yang reacted a little quicker and teleported to the robot.

    <i>Whistle.</i>

    A secondter, Gao Yang whistled again.

    Everyone stopped moving once more, their thoughts interrupted.

    Gao Yang teleported again.

    Using the whistle one second at a time could offset the one-second cooldown of Teleportation. And with Gao Yang regaining mobility 0.1 seconds before the others, he could achieve the effect of teleporting almost without cooldown.

    In Nagging Mister¡¯s eyes, it seemed like the world wasgging after every second, and like a ghost, Gao Yang skipped his way to another ce while he couldn¡¯t do much in reaction.

    After three whistles, Gao Yang made it to the robot and threw a powerful Fire Punch, tearing the robot into scattering blue energy shards.

    The fist-sized toy robot, the main body, was evaporated into gas by the scorching heat.

    <i>Whistle.</i>

    The Strange Whistle continued.

    Nagging Mister witnessed everything and finally understood how terrifying the young man was.

    He¡¯s been hit with Elder Azure Dragon¡¯s Strongest Punch and the freezing poisonous mist, yet he could still put up such a fight.

    He had so many Talents, allowing him to make one move after another in unpredictablebinations!

    <i>Is this the Divine Scion? No, he¡¯s a monstrosity.</i>

    Nagging Mister lost his will to fight. He simply wanted to run.

    <i>Whistle.</i>

    <i>Wait, what¡¯s Small Luo¡¯s blood type?</i>

    The whistle stopped, and finally, Nagging Mister turned around. <i>Run, or I¡¯ll die for sure!</i>

    <i>Whistle.</i>

    <i>Wait, have I washed my socks yesterday?</i>

    The whistle ended.

    Mister Luo lifted his right foot. <i>Now run...</i>

    A ck Gold dagger pierced through his heart.

    Gao Yang appeared behind him. He injected the dagger with Fire to burn through the man¡¯s chest, making sure there was no chance of resurrection.

    <i>Boom! </i>Fire shot through Nagging Mister¡¯s chest.

    Gao Yang was just going to whistle again when space distorted around him.

    It was Spatial Blender!

    <i>Whoosh!</i> Gao Yang teleported away, but three bleeding holes were put into his left arm. His arm drooped, nowpletely useless.

    What was worse, two chunks of flesh had been carved out of his left calf,promising his mobility substantially.

    Killed by Gao Yang, Nagging Mister was pelted with Spatial Blender and rendered into a bloody beehive.

    Even with Psychic Armor keeping Gao Yangpletely coolheaded, he was still a little surprised.

    Yan Liang had guessed that Gao Yang would take out Nagging Mister, so he made a move that would kill Nagging Mister. He didn¡¯t care about hispanions at all. He didn¡¯t even bat an eye.

 Chapter 733: Donâ€™t Ask

    <h4>Chapter 733: Don¡¯t Ask</h4>

    The replicated Strange still had a ten-second use time. Although Gao Yang had lost the function of an arm and had an injured leg, he still believed that he had a chance to beat Yan Liang.

    Gao Yang whistled once more.

    Then he threw up blood and dropped to both knees.

    Only then did he realize that he had been exposed to the freezing poisonous mist for over two minutes. The intense fight made him unable to hold his breath, which sped up the poison¡¯s spreading and the weakening of his body.

    His momentum interrupted, Gao Yang felt his body growing heavy like it had been injected with lead. And it was so cold, it was shaking so violently. This was the state he was in. It wasn¡¯t something he could change by will alone.

    Gao Yang wanted to stand up and fight, but he couldn¡¯t muster any energy.

    Psychic Armor deactivated.

    He clenched his teeth and looked up with wide eyes filled with hatred, wrath, and frustration, ring at Yan Liang¡¯s mask.

    <i>I want to kill him.</i>

    <i>Thest time I wanted to kill someone so much was with Mad Red.</i>

    <i>But I can¡¯t do it.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. I pull every trick I have and strategize as best I can, fighting to thest second of my life.</i>

    <i>Can I...go to hell with a smile now?</i>

    Yan Liang took two seconds to make sure that Gao Yang had actually reached his limit rather than acting weak to lure him close.

    In fact, Yan Liang was quite surprised. Gao Yang should have copsed thirty seconds ago. Even Yan Liang, who hade prepared, was struggling to endure the poisonous mist.

    He raised his right hand with four fingers pressed together, aiming at Gao Yang from twenty meters away with Heartstealer.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Suddenly, a cyclone strong enough to uproot a small tree came from the left, sending Yan Liang flying seven to eight meters away. He flipped tond on his feet.

    Unable to control his body, Gao Yang fell and rolled on the ground.

    Face pressed into the rough ground, Gao Yang did his best to open his eyes and saw a small familiar figure hovering above him.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    It was Can.

    ...

    Two minutes ago.

    Can rushed back from Let Life Be Beautiful like Summer Flowers with anticipation.

    She got lucky. When she went to the higher floor of the flower shop while invisible, Heavenly Dog happened to be listening to music on the sofa.

    Can handed him the slip of paper from Gao Yang. Heavenly Dog nced at it and immediately went to the window, flying out. Can even got to hitchhike for a distance until she was halfway to the base.

    After parting ways with Heavenly Dog, Can rode the wind. There was nothing she wanted more than to return to base sooner.

    She had finished Captain¡¯s mission for her. She wanted to beplimented, and she wanted Captain¡¯s frown to smooth out a little. Things were going well. There was no reason to be overly worried.

    Moreover, she wanted to get back in time for Yanyan¡¯s birthday. Hopefully, the others would leave her a slice of the cake. She had picked the cake personally, and it was her favorite vor.

    While invisible, Can looked at the Starcatching Pavilion from afar. It would take only a few minutes for her to reach home.

    Compelled by greater urgency, she sped up.

    Then it happened.

    A golden light shone on the left side of her face. Then a golden path shot through the night sky, connecting the Rongsheng Financial Building and the Starcatching Pavilion.

    While Can was far away, the great disturbance still impacted her. She felt a forced resonation seize the energy in her body for a moment, and she tumbled once in the air.

    Then boom! The Starcatching Pavilion exploded.

    Just like Lithe Snake and Gray Bear, she was confused, shocked, and bbergasted. Then an urgency and concern followed.

    <i>Captain! Everyone!</i>

    <i>No, no!</i>

    At that moment, Can¡¯s Invisibility reached level 6, and Gale reached level 5.

    Can couldn¡¯t afford to keep her Invisibility up. She tapped into her full energy to fly to the ruins that had been the Starcatching Pavilion.

    When Can reached the neighborhood, the poisonous mist had already spread. Can sensed a slight chill and difort immediately.

    She wasn¡¯t so slow that she wouldn¡¯t realize that it was the Qilin Guild¡¯s doing. She held her breath and continued to hurry.

    Then a cool wind entered her mind.

    [Nine Frost: Go invisible.]

    [Can: What happened...]

    [Nine Frost: Go invisible!]

    Can immediately did.

    [Nine Frost: There¡¯s no time to exin. Scatter the poisonous mist for as long as you can.]

    [Can: Got it!]

    While invisible, Can flew quickly to the source of the poisonous mist above the crumbled Starcatching Pavilion.

    [Nine Frost: Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, go to the Starcatching Pavilion immediately for support.]

    [Lithe Snake: Already on the way.]

    [Gray Bear: Be right there!]

    [Can: Good, you¡¯re here too. How about everyone else? Are they okay?]

    [Nine Frost: Don¡¯t ask. Do your job.]

    [Can: Understood!]

    Can headed to the Starcatching Pavilion while invisible. The closer she got, the colder her chest felt.

    There was no Starcatching Pavilion. There was no ¡°everyone¡±. All that met the eyes were rubbles.

    Tears welled up in Can¡¯s eyes. She couldn¡¯t stop it. When the explosion happened, she had considered the worst-case scenario, but she didn¡¯t want to ept it. She stubbornly held onto hope.

    Perhaps Captain was ready for it. Perhaps it was another one of those ns within another n.

    It¡¯d be fine. Even when the danger was great, they always came out okay, right?

    However, the reality was cold and merciless. Miracles didn¡¯t happen often. And facing a catastrophe, all lives were equal.

    Can¡¯s heart plunged to the bottom of her chest. Then she saw Captain.

    <i>Thank heaven he¡¯s still alive!</i>

    However, Gao Yang was struggling. He threw up blood and knelt on the ground covered in wounds. He could no longer fight.

    Across from him was an old man in ck clothes and a mask. He was raising his right hand at Gao Yang!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Can didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to go invisible. She used all her energy to conjure a cyclone. It threw the old man off his feet and swept Gao Yang away, saving his life.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Can rushed into the ruins, instinctively trying to save him first thing.

    Nine Frost spoke up again in her head. While Nine Frost was pleased with her reaction, there was no time topliment her.

    [Nine Frost: Disperse the poisonous mist first! Or we¡¯ll all die!]

    [Can: Got it!]

    Can tapped into her energy and flew up toward the source of the mist with Gale, raising his hands as her eyes glinted blue.

    ¡°Gale...¡±

    Can was going to activate Gale when something flickered above her. While she hadn¡¯t gotten a clear look, her instinct sounded a warning.

    There was no time for her to get away. She balled her hands into fists and turned the energy that was about to form a cyclone into a translucent gale barrier, shielding herself.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    A secondter, five three-meter elemental spears of different colors pierced through the barrier, each consisting of blue wind, cyan fire, purple lightning, white ice, and red light.

    They pierced through the barrier but also got stuck, and Can had retreated in time to avoid the attacks.

    Finally, Can saw her attacker. It was a skinny man with an ugly rainbow-colored fringe. He hovered above her with a disdainful and vicious expression.

    Can curled her fingers to conjure gale des for a counterattack, but then the five elemental spears stuck in her barrier softened and intertwined into a strange five-colored rope.

    Sensing the wild energy resonation, Can cried out in panic in her mind.

    <i>Bam¡ª</i>

 Chapter 734: All Trash

    <h4>Chapter 734: All Trash</h4>

    The five-colored rope exploded into countless sharp, thin wind des, cyan fire, tadpoles of purple lightning, white ice shards, and heated red light particles.

    Can hurriedly evaded but still ended up hit. Clothes tattered, she was covered in burns, cuts, charred spots, and injuries left by electricity. Like a flying bird hit by a firework, she plunged to the ground covered in blood and smoke,nding near Gao Yang.

    [Nine Frost: Can! Get up! Run!]

    Nine Frost¡¯s voice dove into her head, waking her short-circuited brain.

    While her condition looked bad, most of the injuries were shallow. She clenched her teeth as she crawled to her feet, trying to draw the energy in her body.

    Zero Hatred, hovering above her, didn¡¯t give her the chance. He extended an index finger and aimed it at Can. A red energy orb swirling with electricity emerged from his fingertip.

    A ray of red deadly ray was about to shoot through Can¡¯s chest the next second.

    Zero Hatred didn¡¯t intend to kill Can cleanly. He finally got a prey to toy with. He would torture her slowly and hit different parts of her body with rays of different elements, turning her into a sieve.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Gao Yang shouted while lying prone on the ground, using thest of his energy to use Wave of Serenity.

    It was to save Can and to save himself. Can and Zero Hatred''s entrance into the battle hadn¡¯t interrupted Yan Liang, and the old man picked himself up before continuing to use Heartstealer at Gao Yang.

    <i>Hum.</i>

    A wave of sacred, serene white energy shockwave rippled out in a hemisphere, cleansing all lifeforms within five hundred meters in radius.

    Everyone¡¯s energy sputtered out and became silenced for a second.

    Zero Hatred¡¯s and Yan Liang¡¯s attacks were interrupted.

    Can climbed to her feet. The energy numbed her for a moment yet cleared her muddled mind. She quickly went invisible.

    When Zero Hatred realized it, Can was already gone.

    Yan Liang and Zero Hatred looked at Gao Yang. The young man lying on the ground was already on the verge of death.

    They attacked at the same time. It seemed that neither wanted to miss the chance to kill the Divine Scion with their own hands.

    ¡°Hahahahaha¡ª¡±

    Then a rough, heartyughter resounded and rang.

    Yan Liang, Zero Hatred, and even Flower Turtlebined with Six Rime and Xiao Xin¡ªand Small Luo in the sky werepelled by a sudden fury to locate the owner of theughter and kill him.

    ...

    Forty seconds ago.

    [Nine Frost: It¡¯s still checkmate with the poisonous gas dispersed.]

    [Gray Bear: Ha, don¡¯t let Can hear that.]

    [Nine Frost: I blocked her.]

    [Lithe Snake: n B.]

    [Nine Frost: Help Captain escape. Anyone can die, but not him.]

    [Lithe Snake: Agreed, but he won¡¯t run.]

    [Nine Frost: It¡¯s not for him to decide. We¡¯ll do our best to disperse the poisonous gas and draw all the enemies away.]

    [Lithe Snake: The chance of sess?]

    [Nine Frost: Sixty percent.]

    [Lithe Snake: Leave it to me.]

    Lithe Snake and Gray Bear dragged their poisoned bodies to the Starcatching Pavilion as quickly as they could, but they were slowing down noticeably, and elite monsters came every now and then to block their way and further slow them down.

    As they drew close, Gray Bear got a better look at the ruins ahead. A great sorrow hit him in the head.

    How did this happen?

    The Nine Scions were just getting bigger. It seemed that everything was going in the right direction, yet it all turned to ashes in two minutes.

    Dead, everyone was dead.

    Was this the evesting night? Was this the darkness that no light of dawn could prate?

    No...

    This wasn¡¯t how the Nine Scions should turn out!

    <i>We walk a path of justice and shed warm blood. We give it our all. We deserve the light of dawn!</i>

    <i>Even if the light won¡¯t be shining on my face.</i>

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Gray Bear dropped to his knees while groaning, holding onto the injury on his abdomen.

    ¡°Trash!¡± Lithe Snake stopped to support him. ¡°Don¡¯t stop here. Keep running!¡±

    ¡°I...I can¡¯t go further...¡± Gray Bear grabbed Lithe Snake and suddenly took out a shot of Medicine D to inject Lithe Snake¡¯s forearm.

    ¡°You...¡±

    Lithe Snake started and jumped away in time, but a small dosage of Medicine D still entered his body.

    ¡°Remember to bring me alcohol when you visit my tomb!¡±

    Gray Bear stood up and rushed in another direction.

    Putting in his all to run two hundred meters, he extended his arms and tipped his head up.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t targeted at anyone! I¡¯m telling you, <i>all of you</i>¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all trash!¡±

    At that moment, Gray Bear cemented his determination. Beastly reached level 7, and level 4 Jeer jumped to level 7, too.

    Gray Bear suddenly came to a realization: Talent outside of the top 100 could reach level 7, but it didn¡¯t follow the usual progression. A Talent within the top 100 must first reach level 7, then the breakthrough would act as a fuse and light up the other Talents.

    He didn¡¯t know why that was, and he didn¡¯t care.

    The level-ups filled him with more energy, helping him endure the poison and the cold.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    Gray Bear continued tough. The enthrallingughter drew the aggro of all enemies within a kilometer¡ªhispanions were no exception, but at half the efficiency. They had to do their best to tamp down the urge to kill Gray Bear.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    In ten seconds, countless elemental arrows rained upon Gray Bear, turning him into a multicolor target.

    However, level 7 Beastly granted him enough defense to endure the damage.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    About a dozen vines snaked along the ground and wrapped around Gray Bear, strangling him at full power. Then a spiderweb covered in spider venom descended upon him to envelop him.

    Gray Bear waspletely trapped and stripped of mobility, yet he was stillughing.

    ¡°Hahahaha! Trash! You¡¯re all trash!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    [Nine Frost: Can, disperse the poisonous mist.]

    [Can: Copy that!]

    [Lithe Snake: Don¡¯t. Yan Liang didn¡¯t get taunted. He won¡¯t give you the chance.]

    [Nine Frost: Let me check... He hasn¡¯t moved! He¡¯s resisted Jeer!]

    [Lithe Snake: Run away at once, Can.]

    [Can: I¡¯m going to save Uncle Bear!]

    [Lithe Snake: You can¡¯t save anyone. Live and take care of Captain.]

    [Can: But...]

    [Nine Frost: Can! Get the hell out now! Come find me!]

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±

    At the center of the road, Gray Bear suddenly stoppedughing.

    His right eye was blinded by a stab, and his thighs and abdomen had been pierced by sharp elemental spears. He cracked his bleeding left eye open, seeing Lithe Snake walking the walls and dodging Zero Hatred¡¯s elemental arrows as he came up to Gray Bear.

    The left arm injected with a small amount of Medicine D had been sliced off, held in Lithe Snake¡¯s right hand.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    ¡°Get the fuck away! I don¡¯t need you here!¡±

    Gray Bear growled furiously. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking take my spotlight!!¡±

    Lithe Snake ignored him and continued to dash. He jumped andnded before diving behind Gray Bear.

 Chapter 735: Save Us

    <h4>Chapter 735: Save Us</h4>

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    The next second, countless elemental arrows stabbed into Gray Bear¡¯s body. Like a mountain, Gray Bear shielded Lithe Snake from the attacks.

    ¡°Fucking...making me...trouble...¡±

    Gray Bear could no longer endure it. He dropped to one knee.

    Lithe Snake hid behind Gray Bear with their backs pressed together. They panted heavily, unable to even utter words.

    [Lithe Snake: You¡¯re just going to waste your life if you¡¯re alone, Gray Bear. You won¡¯t be saving anyone. With me here, though, we can turn things around. That¡¯s my value, got it?]

    [Gray Bear: Piss off! I¡¯m the MVP of this round!]

    [Lithe Snake: I won¡¯t fight for it this time. Let¡¯s call it a draw.]

    [Gray Bear: Fine.]

    [Can: No! No... I¡¯ming to save you. I can save all of you...]

    [Nine Frost: Go now!]

    [Can: I won¡¯t! I¡¯ll die with all of you. I¡¯m not scared...]

    [Gray Bear: Listen to us, Can. Stay alive and avenge us.]

    [Lithe Snake: Captain still needs you.]

    [Can: ...]

    [Nine Frost: Can! This is an order!]

    [Can: Roger that!]

    Lithe Snake slumped to the ground, his face having reverted to its original appearance.

    His eyes were red, and his face was covered in cracks. Blinding red light flickered and shone through the cracks.

    Gray Bear could sense the chaotic and wild energy inside Lithe Snake¡¯s body. He growled and picked himself back up, doing his best to extend his arms in the direction of the Starcatching Pavilion.

    ¡°Do you ever regret it, Lithe Snake?¡± Gray Bear asked with a smile.

    ¡°Regret?¡± Lithe Snake looked up. The scar running from between his brows to his nose bridge flickered with a strange deep red light, too. ¡°I don¡¯t do regret.¡±

    ¡°I do. When I left base this morning...I should¡¯ve gotten a drink.¡± Gray Bear snorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing. Just remember that in your next life.¡±

    Lithe Snake smiled. It was a rxed, natural, and even friendly smile.

    He had wanted to crack jokes like other people did and be a little more approachable, but he couldn¡¯t do it. He wasn¡¯t sure what had been stopping him.

    At this moment, having affirmed his belief, Lithe Snake reached level 7 with both Gecko and Self-Detonate.

    As his consciousness faded, he seemed to have returned to the tropical rainforest on an ind twenty years ago. The group of men were sweaty and smelly from days of no washing. They killed time by sleeping in tents, having canned food, smoking, drinking potent alcohol, and singing their home country¡¯s songs.

    While cutting up a snake with a dagger, Lithe Snake saw Benson, their captain, holding a camera, saw the hateable Hyena, and manypanions of his. There were Captain Three Air, Captain Gao Yang, Deputy Gray Bear, Ronnie, Xiran, and Can...

    Gray Bear¡¯sughter dragged him back to reality.

    ¡°Lithe Snake, let¡¯s be brothers in our next life, too.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s your brother to begin with?¡±

    ...

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Lithe Snake exploded.

    The body housing a powerful will and vitality turned into an armory filled with terrifyingly destructive weapons, exploding into a blindingly white hemisphere of light, which quickly spread to devour several street blocks in the area.

    Strangely, there was a crack in the hemisphere, as if a slice was missing from a pizza.

    Nearest to the armory, Gray Bear¡¯s giant body had prevented the explosion from spreading in a certain direction with his arms extended¡ªit was the direction of the ruined Starcatching Pavilion.

    Therey the leader of the Nine Scions.

    He couldn¡¯t die yet!

    He must fight and fight some more, he must fight with everything he had!

    Gray Bear¡¯s hair was the first to evaporate, followed by his skin, muscles, and blood. The tremendous heat and destructive energy tore the tissues into countless strands. Then his skeleton and red heart met the same fate.

    The man smiled when he turned into ashes.

    He saw a bright, captivating path before him. It was his light of dawn.

    ...

    Thirty seconds ago.

    Yan Liang heard the enthrallingughter and felt a powerful hatred rise in him. He wanted nothing but to locate the source of the sound and break Gray Bear apart.

    He almost turned around, but he stopped himself.

    With his strong will, he struggled to settle down and not be drawn away by level 7 Jeer, but the act alone required his full concentration.

    The dying Gao Yang was right before him, yet he couldn¡¯t kill the young man.

    If he stopped concentrating on resisting for even a fraction of a second, he would bepelled to turn around and go after Gray Bear. It was as if killing the man was the most important thing in the world.

    Soon, Gray Bear¡¯sughter stopped. It seemed that Zero Hatred and the others had gone there already.

    Yan Liang quickly raised his hands at Gao Yang...

    <i>Pew.</i>

    A bullet brushed past his hand and almost cut off two of his fingers, skewing his aim.

    Yan Liang frowned and jumped backward. Another two bullets hit the ground under his feet.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Then about a dozen air des shot at him from above. Yan Liang raised his hands to distort space, and the air des were instantly shifted elsewhere, scattering like aimless flies. However, more air des wereing his way.

    Yan Liang dodged while looking for the invisible Can and for a chance to kill Gao Yang.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Then blinding light and a tremendous explosion came from behind him.

    The earth itself shook. An unstoppable heat current and fire great enough to reach the sky devoured the entire street block, spreading in all directions.

    The freezing poisonous mist was instantly scattered. Even the source of the mist up in the air was impacted. If Small Luo hadn¡¯t lifted the toy UFO in time, they would¡¯ve gotten shot down.

    The sudden explosion further disturbed the flow of the chaotic battle. Yan Liang got thrown off his feet. Can, invisible in the air, got swept away as well.

    [Nine Frost: Nainai, wake up!]

    [Nine Frost: The poisonous mist is gone! Recover your energy and body warmth! Wake up! Wake up now! Quickly!]

    [Nine Frost: Aren¡¯t you always dependable? Be dependable once more!]

    [Nine Frost: Wake up! Dammit...]

    [Can: Your Majesty! Save us... The people of the Fallen...Fallen Angel are wailing... We...we need your light of salvation... <i>Wah...</i>save everyone, save Captain. <i>Please...</i>]

    ...

    Things gradually settled down in the aftermath of the explosion, leaving embers raining down from the sky.

    Amid the rubbles, Nainaiy on the ground with her messy purple hair covering half her face. She wasn¡¯t moving at all. If she weren¡¯t breathing weakly, it would¡¯ve seemed like she was dead.

    The tenth second after the poisonous mist dispersed, a breeze brought up dust from the charred ground under her face, rustling her messy hair.

    She suddenly opened her eyes.

    [Nine Frost: Go big! Save everyone! Teleport!]

    [Nine Frost: Go big! Save everyone! Teleport!]

    [Nine Frost: Go big! Save everyone! Teleport!]

    Nine Frost¡¯s voice repeated the same words in her head loudly. She had no time to think, not even a second! She must act now!

    Nainai propped herself up with both hands, shouting, ¡°Power of Titan!¡±

    In the blink of an eye, Nainai increased in size to thirty meters tall, all the while looking for herpanions in the ruins with keen eyes.

    She first grabbed the most important and closest person¡ªGao Yang.

    The moment she made contact, she copied Gao Yang¡¯s level 7 Teleportation with Shapeshifter.

    Then with her right hand, she grabbed the unconscious Zhang Wei and a simrly unconscious Chen Ying near him.

    <i>Who else?</i>

    <i>Who else is alive?</i>

    Nainai the giant turned her head slightly, spotting Sha Ye, her chest pierced by a stone pir, and Herb Snail, who had lost a third of his body.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate. Using her other hand like an excavator, she carved out the rubble and ground to pick up Sha Ye and Herb Snail.

    <i>Teleport!</i>

    The giant vanished with a booming rumble and a powerful gust.

 Chapter 736: Aftermath Report

    <h4>Chapter 736: Aftermath Report</h4>

    Teleportation calcted its effective range ording to the size of the user¡¯s body. Since Nainai had gotten several hundred times bigger, the range she could teleport had also increased by several hundred times.

    She teleported four to five kilometers at once.

    However, that was the most she could do.

    Staying as a giant was exhausting in itself, and she could maintain the state for no more than thirty seconds. Teleporting several kilometers with the giant body once was enough to exhaust her energy fully.

    In fact, Nainai was already losing control of her size and shrinking at the end of her teleportation.

    In two seconds, Nainai reverted to her original size, and Gao Yang, the unconscious Zhang Wei and Chen Ying, Herb Snail, who could be dead or alive, and Sha Ye¡¯d body fell upon the shoal of Li River with her. Zhang Wei fell a little further and ended up plopping into the river.

    ¡°Ack, ack...¡±

    ¡°What...what¡¯s going on... Where am I...¡±

    Zhang Wei choked on water and regained consciousness. He iled around, thinking he was dreaming.

    His death hade so suddenly that he didn¡¯t even know what had happened. Then he cked out after Gamer brought him back. When he came to again, he was already in Li River.

    He quickly swam to the riverbank, his confusion soon reced by shock and then sorrow, followed by an even greater sense of loss.

    Nainai was on her knees and couldn¡¯t get up. Face pale and sickly, she panted inrge gasps. However, she was actually in the best condition in the group.

    Gao Yangy prone on the ground covered in bleeding holes and other injuries. While he hadn¡¯t lost consciousness, he had lost all mobility save for his ability to breathe and blink.

    Chen Ying was in aa. While Little Tian had saved her, she couldn¡¯t endure the freezing poisonous mist, and she would¡¯ve died for sure if they had escaped thirty secondster.

    Strangely, Zhang Wei, hit by the same poisonous mist, wasn¡¯t affected too seriously. This wasn¡¯t the first time. Back when the Poison of Hell hit all awakeners during the Crimson Tide, Zhang Wei had suffered little damage, too.

    Herb Snail, on the other hand, had lost a third of his body like someone had made a diagonal cut from the top of his head.

    His long green hair clumped up in strands with congealed blood, looking like a dirty rug. The pupils of his gray eyes dted, and his face seemed cold and ashen.

    He was dead.

    The two shots of Medicine C hadn¡¯t saved his life. They did dy his death, but the freezing poisonous mist still cruelly imed him.

    In the tug of war between the god of life and the god of death, Herb Snail, the rope, snapped. The god of death won.

    ¡°Herb Snail!¡±

    Zhang Wei yelled and scrambled to Herb Snail. He noticed to his shock that Herb Snail had written a number on the side of his face that was pressed to the ground.

    6, meaning awesome.

    Zhang Wei paused, feeling the urge to both cry andugh.

    As expected of the fun-seeking man he knew. Heughed at everyone and everything, including himself.

    Even as he met his demise, he made a little joke.

    ¡°There¡¯s...someone else...¡± Nainai reminded him weakly.

    Zhang Weiid Herb Snail¡¯s body down and rose to his feet. His heart sank when his gaze shifted a little further.

    It was Sha Ye. The stone pir that had killed her was gone, but therge gory open wound on her back more than told the story.

    She was lying face-down on the ground, clutching onto someone underneath her.

    ¡°No, no no no no no no...¡±

    Zhang Wei ran up to her and moved Sha Ye¡¯s body away with trembling hands. The one she was shielding was her daughter.

    Wang Weiyan was unconscious. Her mother¡¯s training had worked. The moment she sensed an iing danger, she activated level 3 Iron Skin on reflex.

    She maintained the state even now. And when Sha Ye tackled her, she injected her daughter with the power of Cleansing. This allowed Wang Weiyan to not only survive Azure Dragon¡¯s Strongest Punch, but also continue to endure the poisonous damage inflicted by the mist to a certain degree.

    Otherwise, the little girl would¡¯ve already copsed under the cold and the poison even with Iron Skin activated.

    ¡°Dammit, dammit...¡±

    ¡°Fuck! <i>Fuck!</i>¡±

    Zhang Wei cursed loudly with gutting pain, holding the girl heavy with Iron Skin in his arms tightly.

    The unconscious girl seemed to have sensed the passing of the danger, and her body reverted to normal. Her chest heaved softly. Her body was cold, but not devoid of warmth.

    She was alive!

    ¡°Thank God, thank God! Yanyan¡¯s alive. Sha Ye, your little girl¡¯s still alive. Alive...¡± Zhang Wei tightened his arms around Wang Weiyan, bawling with tears and snot running down his face. He broke downpletely, his voice going hoarse.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... It¡¯s my fault. I should¡¯ve been the one to die... I should...¡±

    ¡°Aghhh!!¡± Zhang Wei howled. At that moment, he wished to die in their ce.

    Gao Yang remained down with his face pressed into the ground. Energy and warmth were returning to his body slowly and with great difficulty, yet there was nothing he could do. He needed at least one minute before he could stand up.

    He quietly looked at Zhang Wei, hearing his gut-wrenching cries ringing in his head.

    He didn¡¯t blink.

    A tear quietly fell down his nose bridge.

    ...

    A minute ago, when the giant Nainai vanished, Can, swept away by the shockwave of the explosion, quickly went invisible. She bawled while riding the wind to the office building Nine Frost was. Diving through the window, she fell to a sitting position and covered her face with both hands, losing her voice as she cried.

    Nine Frost helped her up. ¡°Stay strong, Can. The fight¡¯s not over yet.¡±

    ¡°Captain, Nainai...I have to...I have to find them...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where Nainai has teleported to. No one knows. They won¡¯t be found for a while. Don¡¯t worry. They are safe.¡± Nine Frost tamped down his heartbreak and started packing. ¡°We must move out now. I¡¯ve exposed myself with the shots I made. This ce ispromised.¡±

    ¡°Where...where...can we go...?¡± Can had never felt so broken and lost.

    Nine Frost had a ce in mind. ¡°There¡¯s a hiding ce we can go to. We¡¯lly low and then meet up with the others.¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, Yan Liang stood amid the ruins of the Starcatching Pavilion with his hands behind his back, waiting patiently in his spot.

    Zero Hatred was flying around in the sky, cleaning up the mess voluntarily¡ªno awakened elite monsters within the three-kilometer radius survived his ire. He killed them all mercilessly to vent the anger of not getting to kill people properly.

    Correcting Sickle rushed over to make a report.

    ¡°The Heavenly Way is beginning its work. The bombed street block is sinking continuously. We better get out of here as soon as we can.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Liang responded calmly. ¡°Brief me.¡±

    Correcting Sickle adjusted his sses calmly. He remembered all the information in his head.

    ¡°Based on the tracks left on site and those who had shown up in the fight, the enemies killed were Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, Little Tian, Chestnut, Empty Life, Wild Range, Shuang Shuang, and Buzhou. The ones that had escaped were Gao Yang, Nainai, Zhang Wei, Nine Frost, Can, Sha Ye, Wang Weiyan, Herb Snail, and Chen Ying. Thetter four could be dead or alive.¡±

    ¡°As for the other members of the Nine Scions, Wang Zikai, Green Snake, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo, they didn¡¯t seem to have joined the fight tonight.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded and smothered a sigh. He didn¡¯t care about the other members.

    The Divine Scion was alive. That was what mattered most.

 Chapter 737: Lost the Way

    <h4>Chapter 737: Lost the Way</h4>

    Yan Liang pondered for two seconds. ¡°Our casualties.¡±

    ¡°Core East, Nagging Mister, and ck Fish were dead. The first two died at Gao Yang¡¯s hands with the resurrection pills rendered useless. ck Fish was killed by Lithe Snake¡¯s self detonation and didn¡¯t manage to escape the explosion, leaving only pieces of his body.¡±

    ¡°Veggie, Chaos Reflection, and Forest Crane were seriously injured.¡±

    ¡°Forest Crane had protected himself with wood elements and thus escaped death.¡±

    ¡°Veggie was shot by a sniper rifle, then died from exposure to the freezing poisonous mist after cking out. She came back alive with the resurrection pill.¡±

    ¡°Chaos Reflection hid in a reflective surface and escaped the explosion.¡±

    ¡°None of the three are in danger of dying now. They have been injected with Medicine C. We¡¯ll have to wait for Elder Vermilion Bird¡¯s return for further treatment.¡±

    ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, Subus, and Xiao Xin have lost consciousness after using the buffing medicine. Six Rime took them back to base.¡±

    ¡°Small Luo and Old Lion aren¡¯t hurt much. They¡¯re now looking for Rune Circuits...¡±

    <i>Growl.</i>

    Their conversation stopped when a wild-looking man riding a lion quickly stopped beside Yan Liang and Correcting Sickle.

    ¡°Found a Rune Circuit, Elder Yan Liang.¡±

    Old Lion threw the Life Rune Circuit to Yan Liang. ¡°It was thrown under a manhole in an attempt to hide it, it seemed, but my friends found it.¡±

    Yan Liang took the Rune Circuit and closely inspected it. It was the real deal.

    He pocketed it and nodded slightly. ¡°Good work. Keep looking for the other Rune Circuits.¡±

    Old Lion shrugged. ¡°My friends have looked everywhere. This is the only one spotted. They can look again, but better not get our hopes up.¡±

    ¡°Look again,¡± said Yan Liang.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Old Lion rode the lion away. The lion growled once more to make orders to the mammals in the area.

    ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡±

    Yan Liang turned around. Correcting Sickle followed.

    Yan Liang stayed silent the whole way back, dissatisfied with the results.

    He had mobilized half of the Guild members with a perfect ambush and assault strategy all nned out and well-prepared. Still, they failed to kill Gao Yang. They didn¡¯t even manage to strike a heavy blow on the core members of the Nine Scions. Moreover, they recovered only one Rune Circuit.

    While Yan Liang didn¡¯t lose this battle, he didn¡¯t win, either.

    Gao Yang would only get stronger after this. They would have a harder time in future fights.

    <i>Ha</i>. Yan Liangughed bitterly inside. <i>The Divine Scion is blessed by God for certain.</i>

    ...

    Surnamed Li¡¯s ce, Sea View Tower, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Colorless barged through the door to Surnamed Li¡¯s bedroom. Surnamed Li was awake, sitting in her wheelchair with a nket on herp. She seemed lost in the night view outside the window wall.

    She had kept the door unlocked on purpose. She knew Colorless would seek her out.

    ¡°Madam Li!¡± Colorless was furious and anxious. ¡°Correcting Sickle called. He said that you agreed to the merger with the Qilin Guild. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± Surnamed Li slowly turned her wheelchair around, looking calm andposed.

    ¡°Why?¡± Colorless didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°I have my reasons,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s put that aside for now.¡± Colorless needed an answer now. ¡°Do you know about the Starcatching Pavilion?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Colorless paused. ¡°Do you...know the details?¡±

    ¡°Yan Liang told me.¡±

    Colorless started. A chill suddenly spread through her body. She took a step back in disbelief. ¡°Madam Li, you couldn¡¯t have...¡±

    ¡°I was involved in the nning of it,¡± Surnamed Li admitted.

    Colorless was stunned for two seconds. Then she huffed out augh. ¡°You must be joking, right? How could it...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s expression was still impassive. ¡°I nned to kill Gao Yang from the very beginning.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± That furtherpounded Colorless¡¯ confusion.

    ¡°The Nine Scions contacted Chen Ying secretly, offering to root out Dust for us. I told Chen Ying to work with them to find the spy and to have Chen Ying earn their trust.¡±

    ¡°Then I told Chen Ying to join the Nine Scions with our Rune Circuits and be an official member so that I could track the Nine Scions through her. The idea was for the Qilin Guild to wipe them all out while they weren¡¯t strong enough.¡±

    Colorless was so shocked that she forgot how to breathe. It took her a long moment to organize her words. ¡°Did Chen Ying...know all that?¡±

    ¡°She knew nothing.¡±

    Colorless lost it then. She raged, ¡°What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?! Losing your brain to your old age?!¡±

    ¡°Colorless.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s gaze was determined. ¡°Gao Yang must die.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Colorless stopped mincing words. ¡°In my opinion, Qilin deserves death more. If I have to pick between Gao Yang and Qilin, I¡¯d rather...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang is the Malediction,¡± Surnamed Li cut her off coldly.

    Colorless paused. ¡°What...did you say?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang is the Malediction,¡± Surnamed Li repeated.

    ¡°How did you know... Did you...dream it?¡±

    ¡°I did. It was a clear dream. Gao Yang is the real Malediction. He kills all humans, monsters, and living beings of the Mist World...¡±

    ¡°That, that can¡¯t be! The Malediction is dead...¡±

    ¡°The Divine Scion and the Malediction are but two sides of the same coin. A thought can turn him into a saint or the devil. That¡¯s how I interpret it.¡±

    ¡°Can it be that your dream is wrong...¡±

    ¡°I hope it is more than anyone.¡± Surnamed Li turned to Colorless. ¡°But my dreams have never been wrong.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps your dream is iplete...¡± Colorless still couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Just like the Crimson Tide. Your dream did turn out true, but it wasn¡¯t the full picture. The end wasn¡¯t included...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang kills everyone. Does the ending matter to humans, then?¡±

    Colorless had nothing to say to that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing, Colorless. I have to try to change fate, even if there¡¯s only a one-in-a-billion chance for me to seed. Otherwise, we¡¯ll all be dead sooner orter.¡±

    Colorless clenched her fists. She scoffed, still unable to ept her reasoning. ¡°So you sold Chen Ying out just like that? The one who saw you as a mother?¡±

    ¡°She said that she would give everything for her goal,¡± said Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Her goal is to protect Little Tian!¡± Colorless could no longer contain herself. ¡°Little Tian¡¯s dead! Dead, you hear me?!¡±

    ¡°Just because of your dream, almost all members of the third team are dead! They are ourpanions! What did you say in the past? You said that all weak ones had the right to live, to choose freedom, dignity, and hope! We can be the sea! We can...¡±

    Colorless couldn¡¯t continue. Her eyes were red with fury. ¡°You liar! Hypocrite! Wretched woman!¡±

    ¡°I choose humanity.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s gaze turned determined. ¡°Little Tian¡¯s dead, but more human children may have the chance to live yet.¡±

    ¡°You are the devil.¡± Colorless stared at her icily.

    Surnamed Li broke into a smile. It was tired and bleak. ¡°What are you waiting for? Do it. Do what you must.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t.¡± Colorless¡¯ eyes glinted red dangerously. She could turn Surnamed Li into a stone statue in two seconds.

    Surnamed Li let out a long sigh. ¡°The devil will give you some advice before my passing.¡±

    ¡°Qilin¡¯s a cruel man of ambition, but he may just be humanity¡¯s only hope. Dragon¡¯s a mad man. He doesn¡¯t care about humanity or even the world. He¡¯s a ve to freedom.¡±

    ¡°And Gao Yang is the Malediction.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made my choice. You¡¯ll make yours. I hope neither of us regrets our decisions.¡± Surnamed Li closed her eyes and faced her death with open arms.

    Colorless stared at her. Surnamed Li¡¯s eyshes were turning into stone and falling off, but that was the end of the psychic damage she inflicted.

    Silence followed and lingered.

    The anger and red light in Colorless¡¯ eyes slowly dimmed.

    Her shoulders sagged. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯m in no ce to judge you.¡±

    Surnamed Li opened her eyes and looked at Colorless. ¡°What is your choice?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in the Hundred Rivers Union. If Gao Yang really is the Malediction, I¡¯ll do what I can in my way.¡±

    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll have no respect or goodwill for you. I¡¯ll forever look down on and despise you, until my death or the end of time.¡±

    Surnamed Li didn¡¯t say or show anything on her face.

    Slowly, she turned her wheelchair back to the window and the sparkling city outside.

    A few secondster, Colorless left without closing the door.

    The room was silent again. Surnamed Li closed her eyes slowly. Ringing in her mind was a voice from a distant past. It refused to leave her alone.

    <i>¡°How about the fireflies? Will the fireflies that have lost their lights go home too?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Of course. Fireflies don¡¯t lose their way at night.¡±</i>

 Chapter 738: Part and Forget

    <h4>Chapter 738: Part and Forget</h4>

    At three in the morning, inside the secret base in the sewage that had been a secret base of the Twelve Zodiac Signs originally, Gregor sat before theputer desk, typing away on hisptop. The study room was dim with the light off, and the light blue light of the screen alone illuminated his oily face.

    His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, and his nostrils and the corners of his mouth twitched every once in a while in excitement. He seemed like a man possessed.

    Three hours ago, when Gregor was using the toilet, inspiration hade to him suddenly like a divine blessing. A one-week-long blockage was suddenly resolved, and a perfect opening for his novel appeared in his head.

    <i>That¡¯s it! That¡¯s the one!</i>

    Gregor hurriedly wiped his butt and rushed back to the study room, lighting a cigarette before returning to his writing.

    It flowed so easily, it was as if God was moving his hand for him, and he didn¡¯t stop until he had written ten thousand words. Every word and every punctuation mark fits together perfectly, more precise than thew of the universe, and more perfect than the fate of the world.

    ¡°I **** you ****** ****...¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s voice cursed. It took a few seconds for Gregor to remember that it was the doorbell.

    Once the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ secret base, the ce used White Rabbit¡¯s curses for both the rm and the doorbell. It was War Tiger¡¯s idea. He thought that the curses grabbed attention and cleared the minds well. With the setup, everyone would be alerted quickly no matter what they were doing when the rm sounded.

    Gregor didn¡¯t want to get up at all. He felt like he could write another five thousand words.

    ¡°**** you **** **** open the door...¡±

    The doorbell rang again.

    ¡°Fucker!¡± Gregor lost his inspirationpletely then. Stalking out of the study room angrily, he went up to a wall and pulled the lever for the door.

    The heavy metal door rose, and the stone wall outside opened slowly to the sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have the key...¡± Gregor was just about toy into the visitors when he realized that it wasn¡¯t Lithe Snake and Hong Xiaoxiao, but two strangers.

    It was Nine Frost and Can.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Gregor.¡± Nine Frost knew that Gregor liked being treated as someone important, and he didn¡¯t want to anger an awakener with Pestilence. He spoke politely on purpose, ¡°I¡¯m Nine Frost from the Nine Scions.¡±

    Gregor didn¡¯t care who he was. He nced at Nine Frost and then at Can, who was covered in dust and grime and several injuries. Her eyes were red and brimming with tears. It was obvious that she had been hurt.

    He paused for a second, casting a look of disbelief at Nine Frost. ¡°No, I asked for a mature woman. Why did you bring a high schooler? Hear the police siren? It¡¯ll being for me. Wait, you didn¡¯t grab a random girl from the street, did you? That would be the worst of crimes! I have money. You could¡¯ve gone to a massage parlor for a proper...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a member of the Nine Scions, Can,¡± Nine Frost interrupted him.

    ¡°Oh, oh right...¡± Gregor sighed in relief, feeling awkward. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say that? Come on in.¡±

    They entered the door, and the room was sealed shut again.

    ¡°Why did different peoplee this time?¡± Gregor asked as he went to the fridge for a beverage.

    ¡°Lithe Snake and Hong Xiaoxiao are out on a mission,¡± Nine Frost lied. He couldn¡¯t have Gregor learn about the Nine Scions¡¯ great loss, or Gregor might look down on them and get ideas.

    ¡°What about the thing I asked for?¡± Gregor asked. ¡°Why did youe empty-handed?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re preparing them. You¡¯ll get them in a few days. We just swung by to check on you.¡±

    ¡°You need days of preparation for a few packs of cigarettes and a few books?¡± Gregor smiled derisively. ¡°You two are inefficient. Lithe Snake¡¯s much more dependable.¡±

    Hey down on the sofa and opened the can of iced c for arge gulp. Then he rubbed his bulging belly and realized that Nine Frost and Can were still standing there.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t youe here to check on me? I¡¯m fine. You¡¯ve confirmed that. Now go.¡± Gregor shooed them away. ¡°You aren¡¯t staying for the night, are you?¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± said Nine Frost. ¡°Can and I are staying here tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Gregor jumped. ¡°I can¡¯t write with you here. I¡¯m not used to havingpany.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem.¡±

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Gregor snapped. ¡°Have Lithe Snakee. I wanna talk to him. He never disturbs me. He always gets me my stuff and leaves...¡±

    Can could no longer keep it in. She broke down crying.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gregor gaped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the girl? Why did she suddenly start crying... Hey, don¡¯t cry...¡±

    He was most afraid of a woman¡¯s tears.

    He surrendered a secondter. ¡°Alright, alright. You can stay, but you must stay absolutely silent while I write, okay? Keep your mouth shut even if you¡¯re itching to talk! Learn that from Lithe Snake and be quiet...¡±

    Can lost control of her voice and wailed her heart out, the sounds gut-wrenching.

    ...

    Remote forest in the Xijing District, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Gao Yang, Nainai, Zhang Wei, and Chen Ying arrived at the door to the mansion. They had first snuck into a clothing shop at the already closed mall and changed into fresh clothes for disguise. Zhang Wei was carrying the unconscious Wang Weiyan on his back.

    Gao Yang had recovered twenty to thirty percent of his strength, and he carried two heavy body bags with him, each holding Herb Snail and Sha Ye respectively. They couldn¡¯t be brought back and had to be buried somewhere.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Zhang Wei asked, his voice hoarse from crying and shouting.

    ¡°Spectres¡¯ ce,¡± said Gao Yang.

    He couldn¡¯t think of a ce to go and finally decided to shamelessly seek refuge here for two days to recover. Then he would think about what to do.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A gust of wind swept by. A tall, thin man with silver hair, red eyes, and a dimpled chin stood before them, wearing a tailcoat. With one hand behind his back and the other hand pressed to his chest, he bowed slightly in a polite yet distant manner. ¡°Late-night visitors to the Spectres¡¯ mansion, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Things went wrong, Waking Insects,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ve got nowhere to go. I seek refuge for two days.¡±

    Waking Insects nced at him before his gaze shifted to the two body bags.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bury them well and not bother you,¡± Gao Yang said in a pitifully hopeful tone. ¡°I¡¯ll bury them far away, not anywhere near this mansion...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang.¡±

    Spring¡¯s voice came from above. He was standing on the rooftop of the mansion. From there, he slowly descended to them, soon taking the ce beside Waking Insects.

    ¡°It¡¯s been only a few days. How are you in such a sorry state already?¡±

    Spring joked, but there was no sarcasm in his tone, only bitterness.

    He knew that Gao Yang would never turn to him if not absolutely necessary. It seemed that the Nine Scions had lost many this time.

    He stared at Gao Yang and realized that the young man was in a weak and broken state.

    ¡°Your injury is bad.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Spring sighed. ¡°I¡¯m setting out with Waking Insects tomorrow. We¡¯re going to continue our travel around the world. White Dew and Fresh Snow departed before us.¡±

    He nced at those with Gao Yang. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the mansion to you. We won¡¯t have any use of it anyway. Let this be farewell. We¡¯ll part and forget each other.¡±

    ¡°Thank you...¡± Gao Yang felt a pang in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t ask for more. He didn¡¯t even dare to bring up the name that was connected to so much good memory in his heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it!¡± Sorrow broke theposure that Zhang Wei had finally recovered, and he shouted at Spring. ¡°Aren¡¯t the Spectres friends with Gao Yang? We¡¯re all in the same boat. If we can¡¯t stand together, we¡¯ll only get taken out by Qilin one by one...¡±

    ¡°Can Spectres and humans really be friends?¡± Spring cut him off coolly.

    Zhang Wei paused.

    ¡°Once the Gates of Closure opens, brat, can Spectres live on?¡±

    ¡°And if one day we¡¯re tormented to an inch of our lives by our hunger, are you willing to sacrifice yourself to be our food?¡±

    The three blunt questions left Zhang Wei speechless.

    ¡°We each have our path and the answer we must seek.¡± Spring sighed softly. ¡°Take care, all of you.¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Following the gust of wind, both Spring and Waking Insects vanished.

 Chapter 739: Easy End

    <h4>Chapter 739: Easy End</h4>

    Gao Yang, Zhang Wei, Nainai, and Chen Ying buried Sha Ye and Herb Snail in the maple forest in the back of the mansion. Winter saw the fallen leaves forming a decaying nket on the ground, and the bare branches divided the night sky like grids.

    In addition to Sha Ye and Herb Snail, they had lost Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, Little Tian, Chestnut, Empty Life, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou, and Wild Range.

    Among them, Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, Little Tian, Empty Life, and Chestnut didn¡¯t even leave a body to be buried, while Shuang Shuang, Buzhou, and Wild Range left only body parts. They had to abandon them in the ruins of the Starcatching Pavilion.

    In silence, the four dug into the ground with shovels. Shuang Shuang and Buzhou shared a burial mound. And among the nine burial sites, seven were empty. They didn¡¯t even put up tombstones for fear of drawing attention.

    A ray of morning light shone into the forest, unbidden, prickling their eyes.

    When Chen Ying sorted out Sha Ye¡¯s body, she had found a box with a cute watch phone inside.There was also a small card. Sha Ye had written it for her daughter.

    Chen Ying unfolded it and quietly read it out to Wang Weiyan for Sha Ye.

    ¡°Yanyan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve gotten a year older.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re down about not having Dad celebrating your birthday this year.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t me Dad. Superman has gone off to guard the world.¡±

    ¡°One day, Mom may do the same. Please don¡¯t be sad if the dayes.¡±

    ¡°Be a good adult and love the world, for it is a world Mom and Dad work so hard to protect.¡±

    ¡°Have a happy life in this world. As long as you¡¯re here, Mom and Dad are, too.¡±

    ¡°You may not understand the words now, but it¡¯s okay. Just remember them, Yanyan.¡±

    ¡°In the future, when you¡¯re sleepy, hungry, tired, heartbroken, sad, lonely, or have be a grownup, you¡¯ll remember the words and understand them.¡±

    ¡°Mom will love you always.¡±

    ¡°January first.¡±

    Chen Ying calmly finished the letter. Zhang Wei trembled all over, weighed down by an overwhelming sadness and guilt.

    He dropped to his knees and cried out loud, then he started pping himself hard. ¡°It¡¯s my fault! It¡¯s all my fault... I got Sister Sha killed. I got everyone killed with my overconfidence... If I hadn¡¯t sought them out, they wouldn¡¯t have followed me. They wouldn¡¯t have died...¡±

    Chen Ying was carrying greater guilt than Zhang Wei. She didn¡¯t have the strength tofort him, and she didn¡¯t think that was what he needed.

    Gao Yang, Chen Ying, and Nainai, who was carrying Wang Weiyan, turned to leave, giving Zhang Wei some space. They returned to the mansion. Gao Yang and Nainai had a few words. Nainai nodded and retired to a bedroom with Wang Weiyan.

    Standing in the living room, Chen Ying said to Gao Yang, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering what went wrong, Gao Yang, about how the hideout was discovered. No matter how I think about it, there¡¯s only one answer, an answer I don¡¯t want to ept. Madam Li used me...¡±

    ¡°Chen Ying,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°Go rest. We¡¯ll talk once everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take full responsibility, Gao Yang. You may kill me now...¡±

    ¡°<i>Rest</i>,¡± Gao Yang repeated.

    After a moment, Chen Ying nodded and went upstairs.

    Finally, Gao Yang was on his own. He was exhausted to the point that he didn¡¯t even have the strength to mourn, yet he couldn¡¯t fall asleep on a bed.

    There was no sofa for him to lie down on in this pce-like living room with extravagant and quaint design. After some hesitation, he walked to a familiar room.

    He opened the door. It was a bedroom that made it clear that it belonged to a young girl. The wall was covered with elegant wallpaper with bouquets as patterns, and at the heart of it was a princess bed with a white canopy. Dolls covered the bed. A familiar doll panda rested in the center of a pillow.

    Gao Yang went up to the bed. He didn¡¯t sit on it since he was still covered in dirt after burying hispanions. He didn¡¯t want to dirty the bedsheet.

    Sitting by the bed with his back against the soft mattress, he tipped his head up. Before he closed his eyes, he saw the deep blue ceiling drawn with many stars and a silver moon.

    Next to a particrly bright star, someone had written in chicken scrawls, ¡°Fresh Snow Star.¡±

    Another star that was just as bright should¡¯ve been marked with ¡°Gao Yang Star¡±, but the words were erased, leaving only a patch of ck that was darker than the deep blue night sky.

    Gao Yang felt a quiet pang in his numb heart.

    He was suddenly brought back to the first time he woke up in this room. He had given himself up as food for Fresh Snow to save his sister and his family, only to survive it miraculously.

    He had been so relieved to not be dead.

    <i>If only I had died then.</i>

    <i>No, if only I had died way back, when Mad Red triggered an explosion to kill me.</i>

    <i>No, if only I had died even before that, eaten by Li Weiwei.</i>

    He squeezed his eyes shut when tears welled up. Just when sorrow and guilt were going to catch him in this moment of weakness, Lithe Snake¡¯s voice rang in his head.

    <i>¡°Fight!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Keep fighting!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Fight with everything you have!¡±</i>

    This time, he didn¡¯t rely on Psychic Armor to calm his breathing.

    Head still tilted, he closed his eyes and loosened the fists that had clenched so hard that the knuckles were all white.

    Three secondster, he tightened his fists again.

    ...

    In the second-floor bathroom, Chen Ying went up to the bathtub and opened the tab.

    Spectres didn¡¯t fear the cold, so the water wasn¡¯t heated in the mansion. In the cold winter in January, cold water quickly filled the white bathtub.

    With a numb face, Chen Ying kicked her shoes off and removed her socks. Then she stripped down until she waspletely naked.

    She stepped into the bathtub with a ssh.

    The piercing cold made her shudder nonstop, but the pain was nothingpared to the hollowness in her chest. In fact, the cold made her feel better.

    She lifted her other foot into the bathtub. Then with her arms crossed before her chest, she slowly crouched down to submerge herself fully.

    The chill cut every inch of her skin like razors. She kept shaking, and color drained from her face. After some time, she felt like her body was frozen, turning stiff along with her sorrow.

    She thought that she had ovee her weakness.

    Yet the next second, memories rose in a wild storm in her head.

    <i>¡°You¡¯re not dirty, kid. Not dirty at all. Auntie really likes you. Will youe home with me?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Although some lights went out, more fireflies always showed up to light the dangerous path. The puppy walked and walked, walked and walked, and finally, it got home.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°When you¡¯re sad, take a hot bath and sleep. Then your problems will be gone.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Chen Ying, how much are you willing to sacrifice for the goal?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Ying Ying, do you still hate me?¡±</i>

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    Chen Ying fell backward and submerged her head in the cold bath. Tears brimmed in her eyes and broke out. She finally cried out loud, allowing the cold water to enter her lungs and suffocate her.

    She was again the little girl with no support, submerged in dark, icy water. The top of the bathtub was like a skylight above her, growing distant as she plunged into the abyss.

    This time, however, she had no will to fight for her life. She let herself run out of oxygen, let the cold take over her body, let her consciousness blur in pain.

    Then a hand reached in to yank her out of the bathtub.

    Chen Ying coughed like she was going to throw up her lungs.

    Nainai looked at her withplicated feelings. At some point, she had sat down beside the bathtub.

    ¡°Captain guessed that you might do this, so he asked me to keep an eye on you.¡±

    She didn¡¯t make any <i>chuuni </i>remark, and her tone was so normal that it was unnerving. ¡°And he told me to ry a message to you.¡±

    Chen Ying slowly looked up at Nainai.

    <i>¡°Dying will be too easy an end for us, won¡¯t it?¡±</i>

 Chapter 740: Wacky Act

    <h4>Chapter 740: Wacky Act</h4>

    The next day, eleven o¡¯clock.

    In thest car of the train to North Harvest, Ind Nation, Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo had disguised themselves as foreign tourists. Qing Ling and Wang Zikai sat side by side on a bench as a young couple, while Hong Xiaoxiao and Ke Yo stood among the crowd holding onto handles as two backpackers, each having a camera hanging on their necks.

    Like the other passengers, they used their phones with their heads lowered but were actually talking in their group chat. They were seven to eight minutes from reaching North Harvest, and they had to act now.

    Half an hour ago, they had arrived at the Ind Nation¡¯s airport with the first flight they could catch and headed to Zone D. Without dy, they caught a train to North Harvest.

    They boarded the third car. With her habit of observing everyone on the train, Qing Ling quickly spotted Qilin and Vermilion Bird.

    The two had put on disguises with local clothes and wearing hats, scarves, and masks. Without close observation, they would be difficult to spot in a crowd.

    Qing Ling had identified them so quickly because of the man¡¯s cane. No matter what disguise he put on, Qilin couldn¡¯t hide his crippled leg.

    Gao Yang had asked Vermilion Bird about Qilin¡¯s and Surnamed Li¡¯s disabilities. Why hadn¡¯t she treated them? Vermilion Bird said that their physical disabilities didn¡¯t result from regr damage, but she didn¡¯t know what damage it was, only that she couldn¡¯t heal them.

    Gao Yang spected that Surnamed Li had lost the mobility of her lower body during the White Disaster years ago, likely a shadowstalker¡¯s handiwork. And Qilin never said anything about his cripple.

    The moment Qing Ling spotted Qilin, she realized with rm that Gao Yang was right. Gao Xinxin was found. To all their surprise, Qilin had moved out personally!

    Qing Ling shot her teammates a nce. The four of them moved discreetly with the crowd to the fifth car, the tail end of the train. Then Qing Ling took out her phone to discuss the matter with everyone else.

    Wang Zikai was as foolishly confident as always with his empty head. He said that the brave would win the fight and that they should just attack the two head-on. There were many innocent wanderers on the train, however, and the train was too narrow for them to fight to their best ability. Thus, he was willing to wait until they got off the train.

    Qing Ling doused his enthusiasm with the fact that Qilin had stared him into an idiot from a hundred meters awayst time. Although Wang Zikai was the best fighter of the Nine Scions, many signs pointed to Qilin¡¯s psychic attacks being particrly effective against a born idiot like him.

    And Vermilion Bird was here this time. If they cornered the pair, and Vermilion Bird tripled Qilin¡¯s power, the four of them would die many times over.

    Hong Xiaoxiao proposed a n B.

    They would split up after getting off the train. Two would try to keep Qilin and Vermilion Bird busy, and the other two would quickly find Gao Xinxin and hide her.

    Qing Ling shot that down, too. It was a more reasonable n, but there was a fatal problem: how were they going to upy Qilin?

    They might stand a chance running away from Qilin, but staying to upy him? That would be suicide.

    Again, in close range, Qilin was unrivaled. With the full power of Eidos, he could stare anyone to death.

    Then the third n was proposed.

    It was a creative one, and seemingly the only one that would work.

    After some consideration, Qing Ling gave the final say in the group chat. ¡°We act now.¡±

    Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, and Hong Xiaoxiao put away their phones at the same time, quietly making it back to the third car of the train.

    Ke Yo made a move then. With an apology uttered under her breath, she gingerly touched a young man and a woman for three seconds, activating Wacky Act, which wouldst a minute.

    Then she quickly left. All of a sudden, the young man and woman started crying andughing hysterically. They danced around and yed a particr sea sponge and a starfish, dering that they were going to catch some jellyfish. They even tried to open the windows to jump out of the train. The chaos soon took over the train car.

    ...

    A minute before, the second car.

    Qilin and Vermilion Bird sat side by side silently.

    Vermilion Bird had been anxious sincest night. She could guess that Gao Yang must have been quietly monitoring her social media ount, but she wasn¡¯t sure if he would see the post in time. And the hints she gave could be too abstract to understand. Gao Yang might not notice.

    If Qilin got his hands on Gao Xinxin, Gao Yang would willingly give his life for her for sure...which was something Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t want.

    <i>Ding.</i>

    Qilin¡¯s phone rang. It was a message.

    He took out his phone and checked it. After a moment of silence, he pocketed his phone nonchntly.

    The message was from Yan Liang.

    The operation to erase the Nine Scions was a failure. Although a great blow had been struck, Gao Yang managed to escape, and they only recovered the Life Rune Circuit.

    For some reason, Qilin wasn¡¯t too surprised.

    He had witnessed Gao Yang¡¯s growth. He knew how great a threat the young man would be as an enemy. Qilin had started out wanting to cultivate Gao Yang to help with his eventual showdown with Dragon, but slowly, he realized that Gao Yang wasn¡¯t a simple awakener. The young man had his own ambition.

    When Qilin realized that Gao Yang would be an obstacle to him for certain, he made a fatal attack on him without mercy. After that failed, he sought out Yan Liang for help.

    All these years, there had only ever been two people Qilin wouldn¡¯t underestimate: Dragon and Gao Yang.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Vermilion Bird¡¯s voice broke Qilin out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Then amotion came from the tail of the train. More and more were pointing fingers and makingments.

    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s that...¡±

    ¡°Dunno. The two seem to have gone mad...¡±

    Qilin and Vermilion Bird shared a look, realizing that something had happened.

    Vermilion Bird stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll check.¡±

    Qilin was cautious. Worried that it could be a trap, he rose to his feet, too. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. Don¡¯t get too far from me.¡±

    He maintained a passive psychic pressure within his thirty meters radius at a certain level, watching out for any threats around him and making sure that he would be able to react immediately.

    The two slowly weaved through the crowd and moved to the tail of the train.

    Team Qing Ling, already in the third car, stood amid the crowd and looked into thest car curiously like the other passengers without moving that way.

    Qilin walked past the four of them. Qing Ling immediately felt like countless needles were enveloping her skin, brushing past the fine hair and making her break into goosebumps.

    The same was true of Hong Xiaoxiao and Ke Yo. Thankfully, they were prepared for it. They did their best to tamp down their nervousness and fear so that their hearts wouldn¡¯t race too much.

    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for their hearts to beat a little faster, though, since something strange had happened on the train. Any normal person¡¯s heart would be racing a little.

    As for Wang Zikai, he felt nothing. His mind waspletely stable.

    With his attention drawn by themotion in thest car of the train, Qilin did not pay much attention to the passengers in the third car. Thus, he did not notice Qing Ling and the others in their disguise.

    Soon, Qilin and Vermilion Bird moved through the third and fourth cars to reach thest car.

    Qing Ling and the other three immediately pushed through the crowd and rushed to the second car.

    Falling back, Qing Ling stopped at the gangway between the second and third car. Extending her hands, she conjured two ck Gold des and made a perfect arc. Sparks sputtered as the des cut into the metal like a ring of fire.

    <i>ck. ng</i>. The cars split.

    Wang Zikai kicked the third car to speed up the decoupling. The two parts of the train split while racing, the distance growing quickly. The third car became smaller and smaller until it was only a dot.

    The n worked, so smoothly that it amazed them.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t rx her guard. She watched as the rear half of the train became distant and made sure Qilin and Vermilion Bird hadn¡¯t caught up with them¡ªin fact, they couldn¡¯t.

    Wang Zikai, Ke Yo, and Hong Xiaoxiao turned around to face any possible threat.

    Some passengers copsed, while others epted reality after a stutter in their thoughts and screamed in panic.

    Luckily, there were no elite monsters in the two train cars.

 Chapter 741: Dignity

    <h4>Chapter 741: Dignity</h4>

    Dolphin Inn, North Harvest.

    The morning saw a rare sunny day, but the snow hadn¡¯t melted. The bay town was still pelted in silver-white.

    The train rattled along the rail with few pedestrians on the street. The passage of time seemed slower here.

    Going through the official waterway, Raven Shark followed a ferry to Ind Nation and reached the northern coast of North Harvest, arriving an hour before Qilin and Vermilion Bird did.

    He was instructed not to make a move of his vition. There could be people protecting Gao Xinxin, and he must avoid alerting them.

    Standing in an alleyway diagonally across from the Dolphin Inn, he had a damp gray cape around him, keeping his head covered. His bare feet were red from the cold.

    With his slim figure and slightly hunched back, his gaze downcast, he looked like a homeless teenager with a mental issue who hade out of a facility somewhere and would soon get frozen to death. Those passing by threw him sympathetic nces. Some even came up to him and asked if he needed help. However, Raven Shark didn¡¯t know thenguage of Ind Nation, and he stood silent like a wooden doll.

    The pedestrians left him alone then, pitying his condition.

    Raven Shark shook. He missed the sea. It was much warmer in the water, and he was much freer there with friends swimming and ying with him.

    Speaking of which, North Harvest¡¯s sea was great. While the explorable area was small, it was entirely different from Naldives¡¯ sea.

    If only there weren¡¯t the mist, he would be able to go to the real ocean. He wondered what he would find there...

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Someone was talking. Was she calling for him?

    Raven Shark nkly looked up to see a pair of ck square-toe dress shoes, followed by slim calves in white socks, a dark checkered skirt, and then a brown coat with horn buttons. The chest area protruded a little...

    Raven Shark stopped dragging his gaze upward for a moment. Elder Vermilion Bird had said that it was impolite to stare at someone¡¯s chest.

    He forced himself to quickly look much higher to see a fine woolen scarf and then a fair, cute face of a girl with twin tails. Her cheeks were a little red, and her big eyes were clear and bright. It was Gao Xinxin.

    She carried a stuffed paper bag. ¡°The innkeeper said that you didn¡¯t know Ind Nation¡¯snguage and seemed like you were from Li City.¡±

    Raven Shark was dumbfounded. The target of his surveince sought him out.

    <i>I was made! It doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯ve been keeping such a low profile. I never even talked to anyone.</i>

    ¡°There are socks, pants, and a cotton shirt inside, as well as bread and bottled water. Here, you should have the bread while it¡¯s warm.¡± Gao Xinxin handed him the paper bag. ¡°You¡¯ll copse if you don¡¯t warm yourself up.¡±

    Gao Xinxin and the owner of the Dolphin Inn had long noticed the poor homeless boy. Worried that he wouldn¡¯t make it tonight, they discussed it and decided to give him what they could afford to give.

    Raven Shark epted the bag on autopilot and took the warm chocte bread out. He had a bite. It was vorful and sweet, the texture fluffy.

    ¡°Is it good?¡± Gao Xinxin asked with a smile.

    Raven Shark nodded. He remembered Vermilion Bird telling him that he should say thanks in such situations.

    He slowly looked up. ¡°Thank...¡±

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A figure suddenly shed to Raven Shark¡¯s side. Then a fist collided with his face. He flew off his feet for a few meters before falling on the snow-cushioned ground.

    The piece of bread flew out of his agape mouth along with the word ¡°you¡±.

    Wang Zikai had gone easy on him. Raven Shark would at most suffer from a swollen cheek for two days. He would be fine.

    Gao Yang had instructed him to not kill any member of Team Vermilion Bird. The boy looked malnourished and fragile, so Wang Zikai only used a little of his strength.

    ¡°Wang Zikai?¡± Gao Xinxin was surprised and delighted, a little confused, too. ¡°Why, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°No time to exin. Get into the car!¡± Wang Zikai grabbed Gao Xinxin.

    ¡°Huh? Again?!¡± Gao Xinxin remembered something simr happening before.

    Wang Zikai looked around. There wasn¡¯t any car in the area. He thus lifted Gao Xinxin onto his shoulder.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?! Put me down...¡±

    Wang Zikai rushed into the alley and leaped between walls, soon disappearing from view.

    ...

    Dolphin Inn, ten minutester.

    Heavenly Dog hade through the official channel in the air with Fly. He had arrived ten minutes before Qilin and Qing Ling¡¯s group to pick up Gao Xinxin quickly¡ªhe set out as soon as he got Gao Yang¡¯s note. He didn¡¯t even have the time to ask War Tiger for permission.

    Dressed in a long ck down jacket with a pair of ck headphones around his neck, he talked to the owner of the inn in azy stance, his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°You¡¯re here for Liu Shirui?¡± The owner eyed Heavenly Dog warily. ¡°Who are you to her?¡±

    ¡°A friend.¡±

    ¡°A friend?¡± The owner gave him a once-over. He looked quite handsome and would make a good couple with Gao Xinxin. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re her ex, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Stop acting, boy. You¡¯ve really broken the girl¡¯s heart. Now you regret it and find your way here.¡±

    ¡°Ah...right.¡± Heavenly Dog was in a hurry, so he yed along. ¡°I¡¯ve once loved in the purest sense, but I didn¡¯t treasure it. Only after losing her did I...¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Tell that to her.¡±

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just gone out. She should be in the area. Wait a minute...¡±

    Heavenly Dog flew out of the inn without another word.

    The owner lost consciousness at the sight, copsing on the recliner behind the counter.

    ...

    Twenty minutester, on the coast behind the Dolphin Inn, Qilin and Vermilion Bird had been talking to Raven Shark for a while. Raven Shark said that a blond boy had suddenly shown up and knocked him out with a punch, taking Gao Xinxin with him.

    Qilin looked at the gray sea, deep in thought.

    ¡°As expected, the Nine Scions were responsible for the train cars decoupling,¡± said Vermilion Bird. ¡°They arrived earlier and took her away.¡±

    Qilin nodded, havinge to the same conclusion.

    ¡°Do we give chase? They may not have gotten far.¡±

    ¡°We do.¡± Qilin nced at Raven Shark. ¡°You¡¯ll go by the sea.¡±

    Raven Shark had been staring at Vermilion Bird¡¯s chest, seemingly hesitant to say something.

    ¡°Raven Shark?¡± Vermilion Bird noticed his strange reaction.

    Raven Shark finally looked up at her.

    ¡°Did you hear us? You¡¯ll go by the water,¡± Vermilion Bird said. ¡°Head to the station in Zone D now and see if you can spot them. Remember, don¡¯t get too close if you find the Nine Scions. You can¡¯t win. Wait for us to arrive.¡±

    Raven Shark remained still.

    ¡°Go!¡± Vermilion Bird raised her voice.

    Only then did Raven Shark turn around and run to the sea, soon vanishing into the water.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qilin turned around. Vermilion Bird followed him.

    They took the earliest train back to Zone D. Qilin had been quiet the whole way, while Vermilion Bird went through the different possibilities.

    ¡°We won¡¯t make it to the train station in Zone D in time, but to take Gao Xinxin back to Li City, they¡¯ll have to go by sea or catch a flight at the airport. That¡¯s where I think they¡¯re taking Gao Xinxin anyway. You can have Azure Dragon and Yan Liang intercept them.¡±

    Vermilion Bird sighed. ¡°It¡¯ll still be difficult, though. They have Nainai and can disguise Gao Xinxin.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible,¡± Qilin said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Nainai didn¡¯te with them this time,¡± Qilin said with certainty.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Qilin smiled faintly. ¡°Because Nainai was with Gao Yang and almost got killed by Yan Liang.¡±

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Almost¡±. So they were still alive.

    ¡°Yan Liang and Azure Dragon stayed behind to go after Nine Scions?¡± Vermilion Bird asked nonchntly.

    Qilin nodded and fell silent.

    He leaned against the wall and tipped his head up slightly, seemingly keeping his eyes shut to rest.

    Vermilion Bird stopped talking, too.

    They rode the shaking train for a while. The scenery outside shed through, and clear sunlight flitted across their faces every once in a while. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

    Half an hour passed. They were a few minutes from reaching the terminal station.

    Qilin opened his eyes then and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s all too much of a coincidence thinking back. You just found Gao Xinxin, and they came to take her away. They even rode the same train with us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Vermilion Bird felt a little guilty.

    Qilin sighed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave, Vermilion Bird?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t catch on immediately.

    ¡°Yan Liang and I both gave you an out,¡± Qilin said in a regretful voice. ¡°But you stayed. Again and again.¡±

    Vermilion Bird fell silent.

    ¡°You chose to stay while you¡¯re leaning toward the Nine Scions. Why?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°You knew you were under Yan Liang¡¯s watch, didn¡¯t you? So you put on an act for us but tipped the Nine Scions off, letting them whisk Gao Xinxin away beforehand.¡±

    She kept her mouth shut still.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin isn¡¯t as important as you think, Vermilion Bird,¡± Qilin said with a wry smile. ¡°Gao Yang would sacrifice himself for Gao Xinxin, but not the entire Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a leader, too,¡± Qilin said. ¡°No matter the cause, someone who bes a leader must have made up their mind. When arriving at the crossroads of fate, we will know what decision to make. It¡¯s almost like...a divine revtion.¡±

    Vermilion Bird paused for a moment.

    Then she suddenly rxed and smiled with understanding. ¡°So this is a test on me?¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°You betrayed me, Vermilion Bird.¡±

    ¡°<i>You</i> betrayed us.¡± Vermilion Bird met his eyes. ¡°You were brainwashed by Yan Liang and have been leading everyone to a path with no return. I stayed to stop you from repeating the same mistake! Stop, Qilin. Stop going after our kind!¡±

    ¡°Xia Li.¡± Qilin slowly turned around to gaze at Vermilion Bird with gentle eyes. ¡°There¡¯s something you¡¯ve failed to understand. Yan Liang wasn¡¯t the one who chose this path. I was. He¡¯s only been helping me dutifully to turn in his answer sheet.¡±

    Vermilion Bird was stunned.

    <i>Answer sheet!</i>

    <i>Yan Liang¡¯s a pride monster?!</i>

    Suddenly, many of his cryptic words made sense to her, and Vermilion Bird came to a terrible realization.

    Her voice trembled. She could no longer afford to think about the other passengers in the train car. ¡°Qilin, you...you never even intend to open the Gates...¡±

    Qilin¡¯s expression remained impassive.

    ¡°You¡¯re never going to open the Gates, do you?! I guess right! The Divine Scion is the key to opening the Gates, and you want to stop us! You never want to open the Gates!¡±

    ¡°All I do, I do for humanity.¡± Qilin lifted his hand, and all the passengers on the train copsed without making a sound.

    ¡°No! You¡¯re doing it for yourself! You selfish lunatic, Qilin! What are you nning...¡±

    Vermilion Bird couldn¡¯t continue. She forgot what she was going to say. In fact, she had forgotten how to speak or do anything else.

    Faint green spots appeared in Qilin¡¯s green eyes under the sses. He had activated the skill derived from Brain Formatting¡ªBrain Fibrosis.

    In three seconds, Vermilion Bird became ate-stage Alzheimer''s patient with the most critical condition. The brain damage was impossible to repair. She had turned into a nk te who could breathe, or someone in a vegetative state but remained active.

    He retained her basic control over her body so that she wouldn¡¯t lose control of her bowel, too. It was the shred of dignity Qilin left her, and hisst demonstration of mercy to an old friend he had known for years.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The train arrived at the station.

    Qilin rose to his feet and walked out of the train with his cane. He was the only one to disembark.

    The other passengers were all unconscious and in varying postures. Vermilion Bird alone sat on a bench with a dropping head, her open eyes dim and unblinking. She breathed quietly.

    That was her only purpose in life now¡ªto breathe.

 Chapter 742: Absolute Defense

    <h4>Chapter 742: Absolute Defense</h4>

    On the second day, Nine Frost and Can reached Gao Yang with themunication line in Gregor¡¯s ce. They headed to the mansion that had belonged to the Spectreste at night. It was now a new base for the Nine Scions.

    On the third day morning, Qing Ling, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo returned to Li City safely. They received a signal from Nine Frost Telepathy as soon as they left the harbor and had a secret rendezvous with him. Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai, on the other hand, were still hiding somewhere in North Harvest.

    That was the final step of Qing Ling¡¯s n.

    She had learned from Gao Yang to consider not only her moves, but also the moves the enemies could make.

    They had decoupled the train cars. Qilin must have guessed that it was the Nine Scions¡¯ doing.

    They would surely return to the train station in Zone D to intercept them given it was the only official channel out of North Harvest. Wang Zikai had punched Raven Shark and signaled that the NIne Scions had rescued Gao Xinxin to fool Qilin.

    Wang Zikai never actually left North Harvest with Gao Xinxin. Only Qing Ling, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo did. After some time, they could have Nainai head to North Harvest to give them a touch-up and bring them back.

    Things went smoothly. They never got tracked or intercepted by Qilin the whole way. It seemed that Qilin thought ying hide-and-seek was beneath him. The man had left already.

    It was ten o¡¯clock in the morning. A warm sunny day.

    Gao Yang, Nainai, Can, Chen Ying, Wang Weiyan, and Zhang Wei stood in the front yard of the mansion, waiting for Team Qing Ling to return.

    Following Nine Frost to base, Qing Ling, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo had heard from him what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion.

    Objectively speaking, they got lucky. If they hadn¡¯t been sent to Ind Nation by Gao Yang, it was most likely that every one of them outside of Wang Zikai would¡¯ve died without leaving a corpse behind.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had been crying the whole way back.

    Ke Yo joined Nine Scions not long ago and wasn¡¯t that close to everyone, but she was still heartbroken. She tried her best tofort Hong Xiaoxiao.

    Qing Ling kept on a long face the whole way back without making anyment.

    Now, Nine Frost was back with them.

    Qing Ling spotted Gao Yang in the crowd at first nce. He had be thinnerpared to three days ago, making the sharp lines of his face more pronounced. His face was pale and his eyes cold and dark. His longer hair was tied messily into a small ponytail.

    He said simply, ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Qing Ling nodded.

    ¡°Can...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao could no longer hold it in. She rushed up to throw her arms around Can, and Can lost it too. The girls bawled in each other¡¯s embrace.

    Zhang Wei¡¯s eyes reddened again. He clenched his teeth to tamp down the urge to cry. He told himself that he shouldn¡¯t turn his tears into a cheap thing.

    ¡°Where were they buried?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°The maple forest in the back.¡± Gao Yang turned around. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Nine burial sites were lined up in the depths of the forest, each for Sha Ye, Herb Snail, Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, Little Tian, Chestnut, Empty Life, Shuang Shuang, Buzhou, and Wild Range.

    There were no tombstones or epitaphs.

    Before Sha Ye¡¯s grave was the camellias Wang Weiyan had picked for her.

    Before Herb Snail¡¯s grave was about a dozen pebbles Zhang Wei had arranged into the number 6, the man¡¯sst word to the world.

    Before Lithe Snake¡¯s grave was a ck Gold dagger. It was the weapon the man had gifted Gao Yang back in the Ni Nation desert. Gao Yang returned it to its original owner.

    Before Gray Bear¡¯s grave was a can of beer.

    Before Little Tian¡¯s grave rested a kite Chen Ying had made for him.

    Before Chestnut¡¯s grave was a toy car. She had always loved modifying cars before her death, but Zhang Wei couldn¡¯t burn a car for her. The toy car would serve as a ceholder for now.

    Before Empty Life¡¯s grave was a book Zhang Wei had found in the study room in the mansion, titled <i>In Search of Lost Time.</i>

    Shuang Shuang and Buzhou were buried together without anythingid before their grave; Chen Ying said that they would be content with each other¡¯spany.

    Before Wild Range¡¯s grave was a pair of mountaineering boots.

    Standing before the line of graves, they didn¡¯t need any exnation to figure out who was buried where. It was self-evident.

    Hong Xiaoxiao knelt between the graves that belonged to Lithe Snake and Gray Bear, losing her voice to silent sobs. After joining the Nine Scions, she had long considered everyone family. And in the family, her favorite person was Uncle Bear. He was just like the kind of rtive in an extended family with the loudest voice and an inclination for boisterous time, always the one to start something.

    She felt at ease with him around. Even when they were trying to find joy in misery, things were warm as long as he was there.

    The others each mourned their losses.

    After some time, a gust of chilling wind rustled the trees and their hair. Qing Ling, who had been silent, suddenly took a step forward and syed her right hand, summoning the ck Gold dagger buried before Lithe Snake¡¯s grave.

    She handed it to Gao Yang. ¡°Take this.¡±

    Gao Yang epted it after a moment of silence.

    ¡°What do we do now, Captain?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    All eyes were suddenly on him. It was the question on everyone¡¯s mind.

    Gao Yang tightened his grip around the dagger Lithe Snake gifted him. In the chilling wind, the man¡¯s voice seemed to linger.

    <i>¡°You¡¯re the Divine Scion! The leader! Our boss!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Xiran, Ronnie, and Ghost Horse are all watching you. We¡¯re all watching you too.¡±</i>

    Gao Yang closed his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 1997 Luck points.]

    ¡ªComprehend a Guard-type Talent.

    [Do you wish to spend 1920 Luck points to attempt aprehension?]

    ¡ªYes.

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehending...]

    [Comprehension seeds!]

    [Congrattions! You haveprehended Absolute Defense, serial number 9, the top Guard-type Talent.]

    [Congrattions! Absolut Defense reaches level 3.]

    [Congrattions! Absolute Defense breakthroughs to level 4.]

    [Stats Bonuses of level 4 Absolute Defense: Constitution + 1200, Endurance + 1200, Charisma + 800.]

    [Details: The Talent grants energy shields of different types and Absolute Barriers. There can only be onerge Absolute Barrier at a time or three small Absolute Barriers. The barriersst 10 minutes with a cooldown of 1 hour.]

    [Nothing may enter the barriers or make any in-depth investigation into something in the barriers. Whether the ones in the barriers may leave the barriers is decided by the Talent user.]

    [Status Screen updated.]

    [You now have 77 Luck points.]

    [Constitution: 1640 Endurance: 1641]

    [Strength: 1104 Agility: 1851]

    [Willpower: 2003 Charisma: 2302]

    [Luck: 2020]

    [Absolute Defense Lv4]

    [Teleportation Lv6]

    [Replicate Lv6]

    [Fire Lv6]

    [Double Lv6]

    [Psychic Armor Lv6]

    [Lie Detection Lv4]

    [Lucky Lv5]

    [ess ends.]

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes. There was an inconspicuous sh of determined golden light in his gaze. He put Lithe Snake¡¯s dagger into a sheath on his waist.

    ¡°The Nine Scions¡¯ goal has never changed. Born in the dark, we chase the dawn.¡±

    ¡°But before that, there is a path we must walk, and blood we must get on our hands.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions, at attention.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    The chorus of responses rang through the empty forest.

    Gao Yang looked around at hispanions. In a calm but determined tone, he uttered the words that had been in the depths of his heart.

    ¡°We avenge them.¡±

    [End of Act 5 Part I]

 Chapter 743: Only Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 743: Only Weakness</h4>

    North Harvest, January 6th, early morning.

    Under the light snow, the streets were silent and lonely with few pedestrians. Only a few 24-7 storefronts were still open, serving as the few spots of light in the dark forest of buildings.

    Looking through the windows into the bright interior of the Golden Arch, a girl was seated with the hood of the oversized ck down jacket covering her hair and forehead. Her chin and mouth were covered by the warm voluminous woolen scarf around her neck. Only her nose and eyes were visible.

    She turned slightly to look out of the window at the street with clear eyes, seemingly zoning out.

    Not long after, a tall young man came over with a basket of food. In addition to a brown winter hat and face mask, he was wearing only a lightyer of ck and white striped sweater and jeans. It was as if he was living in a different season.

    He sat down across from the girl and pulled off the mask. It was Wang Zikai.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Gao Xinxin slowly loosened her scarf and gingerly folded it,ying it on herp.

    She stopped in surprise when she nced at the food. ¡°How do you know that I like Happy Meal?¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang told me,¡± Wang Zikai answered casually, picking up a cup of iced c and sucking deep.

    Gao Xinxin wasn¡¯t in a rush to dig in. Instead, she picked up the little toy that came with the meal. It was a yellow duck holding onto its head with both wings like it had a terrible headache. It looked pitiful in a funny way, and adorable, of course.

    Gao Xinxin¡¯sugh turned into a sigh before it could escape her mouth.

    Thest time her brother bought her Happy Meal was back in April. It felt like a lifetime ago.

    While drinking c, Wang Zikai took out an old model cellphone that could only receive text messages from his pocket. There was no update.

    On the afternoon of January 1st, Wang Zikai punched Raven Shark and carried Gao Xinxin to an abandoned basement for hiding. He rested in the morning and went out to get food secretly during the night.

    He had thought that they would have to keep going like this for a long time, but surprisingly, Nine Frost texted Wang Zikai two dayster and told him it was confirmed that Qilin had left North Harvest, and Nine Scions would have someone escort them back to Li City in two days.

    Wang Zikai let out a sigh of relief that he hadpleted his mission.

    Today, Wang Zikai brought Gao Xinxin outside to get some fresh air and to have food. In her words, she was going to grow mushrooms from her body if she stayed in the basement for longer.

    ¡°Stop ying. Have the food when it¡¯s still hot.¡± Wang Zikai opened a box of snacks and grinned with all teeth. ¡°Oh, star tater tots. Eat. Xinxin is eating <i>xingxing</i>[1], hahahah...¡±

    Gao Xinxin rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You think you¡¯re funny?¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s smile stiffened. He rubbed at his nose with an index finger. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good sense of humor. After all, a handsome guy doesn¡¯t make a goodedian.¡±

    Gao Xinxin was too tired to roast him. She asked in a whisper, ¡°Be honest with me. Did something bad happen on my brother¡¯s side?¡±

    Wang Zikai knew the tragedy that had befallen the Nine Scions. Only three members of Team Chen Ying had survived, and Lithe Snake and Gray Bear had been killed in action.

    Wang Zikai was a little saddened by that, but not much.

    He was most worried about Gao Yang.

    Rather than answering the question, he urged Gao Xinxin, ¡°Hurry up and eat. Then we¡¯ll go back.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gao Xinxin fumed. ¡°We¡¯re out of danger now, right? I don¡¯t want to sleep in the basement anymore.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Wang Zikai scratched his head. ¡°Qilin¡¯s left, but there may be other people looking for us in North Harvest. If I get into a fight, I may not be able to keep you safe.¡±

    Gao Xinxin fell silent.

    ¡°Nothing can happen to you, you hear me?¡± Wang Zikai said seriously. ¡°Otherwise, Gao Yang really won¡¯t be able to keep living.¡±

    Gao Xinxin blinked, feeling a pang in her heart where it was most tender, which tranted into a prickle in her nose.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao XInxin pocketed the toy and picked up the mouthwatering burger to take arge bite.

    Chewing a few times, she suddenly had a thought and jerked her head up. ¡°You too, Brother Kai. Nothing must happen to you. You¡¯re my brother¡¯s most important friend. If something bad happens to you, I¡¯m worried that he won¡¯t be able to move on...¡±

    Wang Zikai suddenly grabbed Gao Xinxin¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Gao Xinxin started. ¡°What are you...¡±

    Wang Zikai stared at her with bright eyes and a serious expression. ¡°What did you just say? Say that again.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Gao Xinxin was befuddled.

    ¡°Say that again.¡± Wang Zikai pulled a long face.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that he won¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°The earlier part.¡±

    ¡°Nothing must happen to you.¡±

    ¡°No! The middle part.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my brother¡¯s most important friend.¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s serious expression melted immediately. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried his best to stop breaking into a joyous smile. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Gao Xinxin shot him a withering look.

    Wang Zikai lifted one foot onto the stool and held his knee with both hands with barely contained excitement, leaning toward Gao Xinxin. ¡°But I feel like Fresh Snow¡¯s important to your brother, too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different. How should I put it? My brother treats Fresh Snow like family. Don¡¯t get jealous for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai pointed at his own nose and protested with feelings, ¡°Why, why would I be jealous? You¡¯re the one getting jealous! You never stop bad-mouthing your sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Gao Xinxin red at Wang Zikai. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister-inw. Qing Ling is arade of my brother¡¯s. They were just acting. I now know the truth!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want to believe.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t go around charging into danger just because you have some power,¡± Gao Xinxin said, back to their original topic. ¡°You must be careful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Wang Zikai pounded on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m God, and God doesn¡¯t die. My only weakness is...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gao Xinxin was curious.

    ¡°Is...nothing! I don¡¯t have one hahaha!¡± Wang Zikai popped a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

    <i>My only weakness is you and your brother.</i>

    <i>Even God may not be able to always keep you safe.</i>

    ...

    At one in the morning, having filled their stomachs, Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin walked out of the Golden Arch to the dark street covered in white snow, content. Soon, they turned into a small alleyway. Wang Zikai bent down and patted his back. ¡°Hop on!¡±

    He would then jump between walls and rooftops with Gao Xinxin on his back, dodging the surveince cameras and returning to their hideout.

    Gao Xinxin was reluctant, but she still took two steps back before jogging up to Wang Zikai to jump onto his back.

    The moment she made the jump, however, Wang Zikai turned around suddenly.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    She ended up hurtling into Wang Zikai¡¯s arms.

    ¡°You wanna die...¡±

    Wang Zikai quickly pulled her close and covered her mouth, rushing to a shadowed corner behind a wall.

    Gao Xinxin caught on then. She shut her mouth and allowed Wang Zikai to hold her. Their breaths mingled.

    She mouthed at him: What¡¯s wrong?

    Wang Zikai gingerlyid her down and looked up. Movement up there.

    They silently waited. And as expected, a figure jumped down from the second floor after a while, holding a bag of food in his right hand and a medical kit in his left hand, facing away from the hiding spot where Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin were.

    He was about to walk away when he felt a stare at his back. He whirled around, but Wang Zikai had already rushed into his space and seized his neck.

    ¡°Hmph...hm...¡± The figure tried but failed to make a sound.

    In Wang Zikai¡¯s merciless grip, his neck bone was as fragile as a foam stick.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± Wang Zikai recognized the suspicious young man immediately. He loosened his grip by a little. ¡°Raven something?¡±

    ¡°Shark...¡± Raven Shark said with difficulty.

    Gao Xinxin recognized Raven Shark, too. It was the wandering young man she had helped some time ago. Now that she knew he was a member of the Qilin Guild, she maintained her distance and eyed him warily. ¡°You¡¯ve been following us?¡±

    ¡°No...I haven¡¯t...¡± Raven Shark¡¯s face was flushed red. He couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Wang Zikai let go of his neck. He didn¡¯t think this guy posed a threat to him and Gao XInxin. ¡°Speak! What are you doing sneaking around here?¡±

    Raven Shark collected his breath and opened his mouth to exin, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. Too many things had happened. His head was a mess, and he had never been good at organizing his thoughts into words to begin with. Then he remembered the trick Elder Vermilion Bird had taught him: to identify the gist of what he wanted to express and say the keywords.

    ¡°Save her...save her.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Wang Zikai asked.

    Raven Shark¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears and were immediately red. This time, he didn¡¯t habitually stare at Wang Zikai¡¯s chest, but looked up to meet his eyes. ¡°Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    1. <i>Xingxing</i> means stars. ?

 Chapter 744: Knucklehead

    <h4>Chapter 744: Knucklehead</h4>

    Fifteen minutester, in the mountain on the fringe of North Harvest, Raven Shark, Wang Zikai, and Gao Xinxin tread through soft snow to climb onto a small hill. They saw from afar a cabin that seemed plucked from a fairytale. It must have been a ranger cabin in the past, but it was now abandoned.

    The three of them reached the cabin soon. Raven Shark opened the door. Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin were both shocked by what they saw.

    The cabin was more or less emptied, leaving only abandoned objects covered in dust. The air smelled like decay. There was a gasmp on the wooden table, as well as some food and water.

    In a corner of the cabin was a small wooden bed with a sleeping bagid on top. Wrapped inside was Vermilion Bird.

    Moonlight and chilling wind sneaked through the broken window every once in a while, casting Vermilion Bird¡¯s pale face in a grayish blue. She looked...dead.

    Wang Zikai asked in surprise, ¡°Is she dead?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Raven Shark shook his head and stuttered. ¡°Guildmaster Qilin...Eidos...then, then...¡±

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t have time for his disjointed exnation. He strode up to Vermilion Bird, his nose immediately catching the faint smell of blood.

    He unzipped the sleeping bag with an audible sound and quickly peeled off Vermilion Bird¡¯s coat. She was wearing a beige sweater, and it was covered in dark blood stains.

    He noticed a serious tear in the right shoulder area, like it¡¯d been torn by an outside force. Slowly, he lifted the part of the sweater that stuck to her body due to the blood. His eyes widened.

    It was all bloody gore from Vermilion Bird¡¯s right shoulder to her corbones; it looked like a beast had bitten a chunk from her. Several wounds were deep enough to reveal the bones. If not for Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange granting her remarkable self-recovery power, she would¡¯ve long died.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Wang Zikai turned around and asked.

    ¡°She, she was put in aa. Then monster...monster bit her...¡± Raven Shark tried his best to exin.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now. We need to help her!¡± Gao Xinxin grabbed the first-aid kit from Raven Shark and came up to Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai ignored the lock and broke the lid with brute force. His brows furrowed when he saw what was inside. ¡°This sorry thing isn¡¯t going to save her. She needs surgery, now!¡±

    His temples throbbed. Before every mission, Gao Yang always emphasized that Vermilion Bird and her teammates must be spared. It was clear that Gao Yang had a close rtionship with the woman. If she died, Gao Yang was going to spend days not eating and sleeping properly again. If he continued to brood, he would sooner orter be nothing but skin hanging off bones.

    <i>Fuck, this is annoying.</i>

    With his mind made up, Wang Zikai zipped up the sleeping bag and lifted Vermilion Bird. ¡°Let¡¯s find her a doctor!¡±

    ...

    Three in the morning, in the operating room of a private clinic for general surgery, Vermilion Birdy on the surgical bed under the shadowless light, having changed into a patient gown. A surgeon in a surgical garb was sewing her wounds.

    Gao Xinxin had changed into a surgical gown, too, holding a disinfected tray of surgical instruments in support of the surgeon. She was also here to monitor the wanderer who had almost got scared into fainting by Wang Zikai.

    Wang Zikai and Raven Shark were waiting outside.

    With Wang Zikai¡¯s phone, Raven Shark finally exined things to him properly with texts.

    On the afternoon of January 2nd, Qilin, Vermilion Bird, and Raven Shark met on the coast of North Harvest. Knowing that Gao Xinxin had been taken by Wang Zikai, Qilin immediately became subtly hostile to Vermilion Bird. Raven Shark would even describe it as...a killing intent.

    Raven Shark was inherently sensitive to such hostility. He wanted to warn Vermilion Bird, but didn¡¯t know how. He was slow, but not stupid. He knew that if he exposed Qilin then and there, both he and Vermilion Bird would die for sure.

    In the end, he pretended to follow the order and jumped back into the sea.

    However, he quickly sneaked back onto shore and followed Qilin and Vermilion Bird to the train. Of course, he didn¡¯t dare to get into the train car with them, but instead hid on top of the tail of the train.

    When the train was going to reach the terminal station, Raven Shark sensed a powerful psychic pressure, followed by an irresistible power that put him to sleep. He cked out just like all the other people on the train.

    Still, he was an awakener with Sea King, and his great mental strength allowed him to quickly wake up.

    Once he jerked awake on top of the train, he immediately rushed to the train car Vermilion Bird was in. Indeed, something bad had happened to Vermilion Bird. She slumped on a bench like a marite that only knew to breathe.

    Then an olddy¡ªa ughterer weakened in old age¡ªwoke up and lunged at Vermilion Bird, biting her.

    Raven Shark rushed to kick the ughterer away. Then another two elite monsters on the train woke from theira.

    Without the time to think, Raven Shark picked Vermilion Bird up and jumped onto another train that had set out from the station, returning to North Harvest.

    He found a hiding ce in the abandoned cabin in the cedar forest on the fringe of the town.

    He hadn¡¯t taken Vermilion Bird to a doctor the past few days. For one, Raven Sharkcked themon knowledge that would allow him to do so, and not knowing thenguage of the Ind Nation, he couldn¡¯tmunicate properly.

    For another, Raven Shark worried that he would attract the attention of elite monsters. He could deal with elite monsters underwater, but onnd, he might as well be a regr person.

    Finally, Raven Shark knew that Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange could be used to repair her body. As long as she woke up, this level of injury would be nothing.

    However, Vermilion Bird never woke up. Not properly anyway.

    Even when she was awake, like a doll, she didn¡¯t say anything or move at all. She simply kept her eyes open without paying any attention to her injury, as if she couldn¡¯t feel any pain.

    Only then did Raven Shark realize that something was <i>really </i>wrong. He sneaked into a residential area and stole food and a first-aid kit. Luckily, he ran into Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin then.

    ¡°Knucklehead!¡± Wang Zikai fumed once he learned what had happened. ¡°Do you think a few bottles of antiseptic and some bandaids would be enough for her injury?¡±

    Raven Shark sped his hands tightly together on hisp, head lowered in guilt and self-pity.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Wang Zikai huffed. ¡°If Vermilion Bird dies, you¡¯ll pay for it!¡±

    Raven Shark shook, his reddened eyes brimming with tears. He sobbed. ¡°No, no... Elder Vermilion Bird...must not die...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai quickly softened his expression and panicked a little. He never knew what to do when people cried. ¡°You, you, you...you shouldn¡¯t cry as a man! Stop it already!¡±

    Raven Shark covered his face and bawled like a kid. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault...all my fault...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not, it¡¯s not...¡± Wang Zikai hurriedly patted his back in panic, offeringfort awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s all because of that old bastard Qilin. Stop crying. Vermilion Bird will be saved. She¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m God. You should believe me...¡±

    <i>Click</i>. The door to the operating room opened. The surgeon, Miss Suzuki, emerged.

    Wang Zikai and Raven Shark shot to their feet and went up to her. ¡°How did it go?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t understand Wang Zikai. She made an OK sign instead.

    She was a single woman in her fifties. She used to be the chief of the department of surgery at arge hospital in Zone D. One time, a patient died in surgery. Although it wasn¡¯t her fault, she still med herself. Thus, she resigned and returned to her hometown, North Harvest.

    She started a private practice, and her usual work involved diagnosing and treating the locals and the asional easy surgeries. It had been a long time since shest conducted an operation like tonight.

    To be honest, she still felt like she was dreaming.

    It waste at night. A few young people suddenly barged in with a dying woman covered in blood, shouting in awkward localnguage for her to help them.

    Miss Suzuki was almost scared to death, but she quickly calmed herself.

    Something simr had happened a year ago. After a sh between the local syndicates, two low-ranking members had barged in supporting their boss, who had gotten shot in the leg. They pointed a gun at her head and threatened her, saying that they would kill her if she didn¡¯t help him.

    The syndicate boss was lucky. The bullet didn¡¯t hit an artery. She extracted the bullet and sutured the wound. A few dayster, the man even ordered his subordinates to give her a banner ofmendation with the words ¡°saved my damn life¡± on it.

    The man had a sense of humor.

    Gao Xinxin followed Miss Suzuki out of the operating room, removing the gloves and mask before letting out a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s sessful.¡±

    She had learned to speak the localnguage to some degree during her stay here, and she could hold simple conversations with the surgeon.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Wang Zikai grasped the surgeon¡¯s hands, overwhelmed. ¡°Thank fucking you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a doctor¡¯s job to save lives,¡± Miss Suzuki responded with a smile; while she didn¡¯t understand the words, she received the gratitude loud and clear.

    She was happy. For some reason, she had a feeling that perhaps everything that happened tonight was fate, that she was meant to move on from the shadow of the healthcare incident years ago, being born anew as a doctor.

    While she was lost in her salvation of herself, though, she suddenly felt something tighten around her wrists.

    She looked down to see that Wang Zikai had deftly tied her hands up with a rope.

 Chapter 745: Focus on the Future

    <h4>Chapter 745: Focus on the Future</h4>

    <i>Huh? Wait!</i>

    <i>Is this how you treat your savior?</i>

    Miss Suzuki couldn¡¯t hide her shock. Before she could say anything, though, Wang Zikai took off his winter hat and put it on her, pulling it down to cover her eyes. Then he produced a pair of gloves and shoved them into her mouth.

    He quickly tied her up and left her in the bathroom, closing the door.

    ¡°Wang Zikai...¡± Gao Xinxin felt conflicted after witnessing the whole thing. ¡°She just helped us. Is this really right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for her good,¡± Wang Zikai said. ¡°If she turns into a lizard person, I¡¯ll have to kill her.¡±

    Gao Xinxin paused before nodding.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Wang Zikai waved Gao Xinxin and Raven Shark into the operating room.

    Vermilion Birdy on the surgical bed. Her wounds had been sutured and bandaged, and clothes had been put back on her.

    Wang Zikai leaned in and had a whiff. The smell of decay was no longer mixed with the smell of blood. She should live.

    He turned to Raven Shark, ¡°Hey, will she wake up?¡±

    Raven Shark lowered his head and slowly shook it. ¡°Qilin¡¯s Eidos...none have woken from it...¡±

    Wang Zikai scratched his head irritatedly. After a few seconds of thinking, he gave up. ¡°Whatever. As long as she¡¯s alive.¡±

    He would leave the rest to Gao Yang.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Gao Xinxin asked. ¡°Do we stay here, or hide somewhere else?¡±

    Were Wang Zikai alone, he would never hide like a coward, but he was traveling with kids here with an immobile person in tow. He wouldn¡¯t be able to protect everyone if they encountered an enemy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the cabin for now.¡± Wang Zikai nced at Raven Shark. ¡°Pack up. Bring food and medicines.¡±

    Raven Shark nodded and walked out of the operating room.

    Wang Zikai opened his wallet and took out all the dor bills, handing them to Gao Xinxin. ¡°Put this in the doctor¡¯s pocket. I¡¯ll untie her before we leave.¡±

    Gao Xinxin was just about to take the money when she stopped.

    ¡°What?¡± Wang Zikai asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± She reached out to take the money but grabbed Wang Zikai¡¯s wallet instead.

    ¡°Hey, what are you...¡±

    Gao Xinxin had a good look. The photo in the wallet was indeed of the three of them.

    Wang Zikai was closest to the camera with a toothy grin, making a peace sign. Behind him were Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin at the dining table. The siblings were having a yful fight over something.

    It was back in the underwater restaurant in Naldives. They had been so happy then. Granny and Mom and Dad were still around. The five of them had said that when Gao Xinxin graduated from high school three yearster, they woulde back to the restaurant.

    ¡°Wait, let me exin...¡± Wang Zikai panicked. ¡°I didn¡¯t sneak the photo. I was taking a selfie, and you happened to be in the frame...¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Xinxin stared at Wang Zikai with dark eyes.

    ¡°What-what?¡± Wang Zikai had a bad feeling about this. He quickly snatched his wallet and protected it with both hands. ¡°This is my photo. You¡¯re not...¡±

    Then Gao Xinxin broke into a smile, the stiffness instantly gone. ¡°It¡¯s a good photo. Print two more out so that my brother and I can each have one.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Zikai rxed and beamed. ¡°That¡¯s nothing. You got it.¡±

    ...

    Underground chamber, three in the morning.

    The hyperloop rail under the Qilin Guild wasplicated. With the one under the Walled City of Ten Dragons being the central node, the system connected the White Lake Hotel and other important nodes, including several underground secret chambers unknown to anyone.

    Dr. Jia¡¯s undergroundboratory was one of them. Now, Qilin and Yan Liang were meeting at another.

    The room wasn¡¯t big, but it was well-equipped with medical instruments and everyday necessities. There were eight hospital beds, divided by simple screens.

    Three beds were imed, each by Azure Dragon, Subus, and Xiao Xin.

    The three of them were connected to feeding tubes. Xiao Xin had the most number of tubes in him, including one in his nose and mouth for oxygen. He would be in a deepa for at least nine months.

    Qilin and a masked Yan Liang stood by Azure Dragon¡¯s bed, watching him quietly.

    ¡°Azure Dragon will wake up in three days,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep an eye on him twenty-four-seven. He¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    Qilin nodded.

    ¡°With Vermilion Bird out of the picture, though, Azure Dragon won¡¯t be able to recover immediately once he wakes up,¡± Yan Liang said regretfully, but the regret was short-lived. ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your mind to take her out, why not kill her?¡±

    Qilin was silent for a moment, his green eyes glinting under his sses.

    ¡°You¡¯re being overly confident, Qilin. Although there is no way for someone to recover from Brain Fibrosis at the moment, there can be one in the future. We both know that ridiculous miracles abound in this Mist World.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Qilin nodded gently.

    Yan Liang paused. ¡°So, you n to take her with you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯repanions, or we were,¡± Qilin said calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s leave her survival and destination to fate.¡±

    ¡°You really are...¡± Yan Liang sighed. ¡°Fine. At least her Talent won¡¯t go to anyone else with her alive. It¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the future.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yang Liang nodded. ¡°We still have enough medicine made with Vermilion Bird¡¯s vital energy tost us until the end of this war. However, we need an exnation for her disappearance, or her team may start trouble.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird¡¯s on a secret mission,¡± said Qilin. ¡°That¡¯ll be the official story for now.¡±

    ¡°Alright. And if she¡¯s found dead somewhere, it¡¯s Nine Scions¡¯ doing.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t respond.

    Yan Liang added, ¡°Ah, the Hundred Rivers Union has agreed to merge with us. Madam Li seems to consider Gao Yang the biggest threat to humanity. We agree on the necessity of killing Gao Yang.¡±

    ¡°However, the Union hasn¡¯t reached a consensus on this. Some support the merger, and some are against it. We¡¯ll have to use both coercion and rewards to slowly bring them into the fold.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ve more or less tamed Zero Hatred. He did fine in the operation this time. Although he¡¯s still a mad dog, at least he won¡¯t bite one of our own.¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs refused to lend us the Element Rune Circuit. Perhaps you should let him reach level 4 with the Miracle Rune Circuit. It¡¯s Elemental after all. We need a power-up as soon as possible.¡±

    Qilin pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay, but it has to be under my watch the whole time.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded. ¡°Of course. We need to stay away from the Nine Scions for a while anyway. Consider it a time of preparation.¡±

    Qilin adjusted his sses. ¡°However, the Miracle Rune Circuit doesn¡¯t work with everyone. I once lent the Rune Circuit to White Tiger so that he could level up Absolute Defense, but nothing happened after two days.¡±

    ¡°I know, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± Yan Liang said easily.

    ...

    January 6th, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Underground base of the Hundred Rivers Union, Nanji District.

    All the members were at the base. They split the work as much as possible and busily set up the rooms, sorted out the job titles, and reallocated the living quarters for the members.

    Two dayster, all members of the Qilin Guild would join the Union, and the two factions would officially be one. There would be no Qilin Guild and Hundred Rivers Union going forward, but only the Ocean River Union.

    The underground base in Nanji District was the new headquarters for the Ocean River Union.

    That was a decision jointly made by Surnamed Li and Qilin. After the serious damage Yan Liang did to the Nine Scions, the Nine Scions would surely be on a crusade for vengeance. There was a possibility that they might go after the weak and the innocents.

    Without Elder White Tiger and his Absolute Defense, the Walled City of Ten Dragons and the White Lake Hotel were no longer safe.

    For everyone¡¯s safety, all members of the Ocean River Union had abandoned their mundane identities and opted to stay in the underground base, where it was safest.

    In a small meeting room, three people gathered. They were the three team leaders of the former Hundred Rivers Union: Colorless, Zhong He, and Liao Liao.

    Colorless took out a small jammer from her pocket and turned it on, throwing it onto the meeting table. The ck Gold orb rolled to the center, making ripples of white noises.

    Arms folded and legs crossed, Colorless got right to the point.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with both of you.¡±

 Chapter 746: To Tell the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 746: To Tell the Truth</h4>

    ¡°It is a done deal for the Ocean River Union to be created. We¡¯ll be under the joint leadership of Qilin and Surnamed Li from now on...¡±

    Zhong He scoffed. ¡°Ha, joint leadership. What a nice way to put it. Madam Li will sooner orter be a puppet.¡±

    ¡°Enough with the whining, Zhong He. I¡¯ve grown tired of it.¡± Colorless remained unfazed. ¡°Are you going or staying? Just give me the answers.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± Zhong He met Colorless¡¯ eyes and asked instead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhong He didn¡¯t understand her.

    ¡°I have my reasons.¡±

    ¡°Tell us so that we can have some frame of reference.¡± Zhong He smiled.

    Colorless¡¯ expression darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Sister Colorless.¡± Liao Liao chimed in. ¡°May I ask you something?¡±

    Colorless nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°What happened at the Starcatching Pavilion bothered me. The Nine Scions had been hiding so well that the Qilin Guild never found them. As soon as Chen Ying joined the Nine Scions with her people, though, the Nine Scions¡¯ hideout was spotted. That¡¯s too great a coincidence, right?¡±

    ¡°Stop ying dumb, Liao Liao.¡± Zhong He snorted. ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not. Then there¡¯s only one exnation¡ªSister Ying¡¯s a double agent. She joined the Nine Scions and somehow told Madam Li where the hideout was. Then Madam Li told the Qilin Guild, allowing them to ambush the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°But why would Chen Ying do that?¡± Zhong He narrowed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no bad blood between the Hundred Rivers Union and the Nine Scions. In my opinion, the Nine Scions served as a check and bnce for the Qilin Guild, which would be a good thing for the Union.¡±

    Colorless¡¯ face darkened. She avoided his gaze.

    ¡°I think the same.¡± Liao Liao turned to Colorless, speaking with a hint of inquiry. ¡°And don¡¯t you think there were things that didn¡¯t add up?¡±

    Zhong He knew that Liao Liao must have identified something. He yed along. ¡°What didn¡¯t add up?¡±

    ¡°If Sister Ying were a spy Madam Li sent to the Nine Scions, I would consider her shooting Madam Li and taking the Rune Circuits as the necessary evils to make things more convincing. But why would she bring so many people with her? Many on the third team were killed, and even Little Tian...¡±

    Liao Liao¡¯s gaze turned mncholy. She couldn¡¯t bear to finish her sentence. ¡°Sister Ying would sacrifice herself for a mission, but never Little Tian.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Zhong He nodded. ¡°Little Tian was everything to Sister Ying.¡±

    ¡°Thus, I believe Sister Ying didn¡¯t expose the Nine Scions¡¯ hideout. But who else could it be? It seems that Zhang Wei and Yanyan are the only third team members to have survived. At least there are no traces of them having died on the site. They were even less likely to be responsible for that...¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Colorless cut them off suddenly.

    Liao Liao and Zhong He both started. They didn¡¯t expect such a strong reaction from Colorless.

    Colorless took a deep breath and said evenly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t angry with you. It¡¯s just that...I don¡¯t want to think about the mess.¡±

    ¡°You must know something, Colorless.¡± Zhong He held her gaze. ¡°Tell us. Liao Liao and I have the right to know.¡±

    Colorless clenched her fists, her knuckles going white.

    A few secondster, she exhaled deeply and slumped on her chair. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you everything. Liao Liao¡¯s too smart to not figure it out given enough time anyway.¡±

    Liao Liao¡¯s eyes glinted. She slightly lowered her head.

    ¡°I only find out after the fact.¡± Cololess considered them gravely. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth, but it¡¯s best that you keep it to yourselves. There are things one would be better off not knowing.¡±

    ¡°Speak first,¡± said Zhong He.

    ¡°This is all Surnamed Li¡¯s n,¡± Colorless said.

    She spent twenty minutes telling them everything she knew. Liao Liao and Zhong He reacted differently. The former grew increasingly quiet, while thetter raged more and more.

    When Colorless was done with it, the ire in Zhong He¡¯s eyes had cemented into a deep derision. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with these people? For a <i>dream</i>? Even if Gao Yang does turn out to be the Malediction, it¡¯ll have been a result of Qilin, Yan Liang, and Surnamed Li pushing him past the breaking point.¡±

    Colorless shrugged. ¡°Ha, perhaps it is.¡±

    ¡°Then why stay in the Ocean River Union?!¡± Zhong He mmed the table and shot to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t take you as a sheep!¡±

    ¡°What else can I do? Where should I go?¡± Colorless sneered. ¡°Go independent with those I¡¯m close with? Antagonize Qilin and Surnamed Li? Do you think I have a death wish?¡±

    ¡°Or should I join the Nine Scions? Won¡¯t my people and I die sooner then?¡±

    Zhong He shut his mouth.

    ¡°And do you think the Nine Scions will still ept someone from the Hundred Rivers Union after what happened to the Starcatchin Pavilion?¡±

    ¡°Besides, when have Surnamed Li¡¯s dreams ever gone wrong? What if Gao Yang <i>is</i> the Malediction?¡±

    Zhong He was silent.

    ¡°I understand how you feel, Zhong He, but you may not understand how I feel. I owe everything I am now to Surnamed Li. She was like a mentor to me. Do you know how fucking...¡±

    Colorless paused. ¡°How repulsed the whole thing left me feeling?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as if I suddenly found out that the food I¡¯d been eating for over a decade was made of cockroaches, but I have no choice but to keep eating it. There¡¯s no alternative.¡±

    ¡°The civil war is a great vortex that has already swept all of us in. None may stay on the sidelines, and nowhere is entirely safe.¡±

    ¡°I stay because I must take care of my people to the best of my ability. If Gao Yang is the Malediction, he¡¯ll be the enemy of all humanity, and I¡¯ll do what I have to do then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not running away. I¡¯m going to fight til thest second, til I¡¯m out of this damn ce or killed here.¡±

    Her words calmed Zhong He down somewhat. He sat back down.

    ¡°That¡¯s it for me. Tell me if you¡¯re leaving or staying,¡± said Colorless. ¡°It¡¯s my duty.¡±

    Liao Liao slowly looked up, hesitant. ¡°I¡¯ll probably...stay. However, I want to resign as a team leader. I¡¯m never leader material to begin with, and I¡¯m scared of dying. I want to return to the intelligence department or the back office. If that¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    Colorless nodded. ¡°I respect your choice, but I don¡¯t have a say in that. You should talk to Surnamed Li about it.¡±

    Liao Liao nodded.

    Colorless turned to Zhong He. ¡°Do you have an answer now? Or are you going to lose your temper yet again?¡±

    Zhong He didn¡¯t say anything for quite a while, his head lowered. Then he stood up with his hands in his pockets, looking like his usual unserious self. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let the world fall apart. I don¡¯t care. You do you. I¡¯m resigning and going unaffiliated.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Colorless didn¡¯t care much. ¡°Remember to write a resignation letter and turn over your work.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Zhong He kicked the door open.

    ...

    Multi-purpose training ground, underground base of Hundred Rivers Union, five o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The whole sixth team gathered in the judo room, including Zhong He, the team leader, Lying Wood, the deputy leader, and Harvest Song, Quiet Book, Sunny, Cold Cicada, Muzitu, Void, Deep Earth, Tall Sky, and Yellow Lotus.

    It was their weekly melee sparring session in the judo room. The rules were simple: all hand-to-handbat moves were allowed, but no Talent or weapons should be used. A moderate degree of injury was eptable. No critically injuring or killing the opponent. Whoever knocked the other down to the floor¡ªoutside of voluntarily going down for a roll, of course¡ªor made the other surrender would be the victor.

    It was a training Goldthread had set up to improve everyone¡¯s physical strength and ability to survive.

    They drew lots to determine the matchups. The winner went on to the next round until the final.

    In the past, the semi-finals were always between Goldthread, Zhong He, Harvest Song, and Yellow Lotus.

    Now that Goldthread was dead¡ªeven though his body was still upied by Dust¡ªand Zhong He pulled out of the game to make the number even, the final was unsurprisingly between Harvest Song and Yellow Lotus.

    The two young women each wore a judo uniform, barefooted. They maintained a distance as they faced each other.

 Chapter 747: Sixth Team of the Union

    <h4>Chapter 747: Sixth Team of the Union</h4>

    The woman on the right was in her twenties. She was petite with slim limbs, her long gray hair tied into a braid that reached her waist. Her brown eyes were narrowed, and her facial features were sharp despite being delicate. She gave off the impression of a finely crafted yet deadly dagger.

    It was Harvest Song, with Talent: Master of Hidden Weapons, serial number 93, Damage-type.

    Her Talent granted her mastery over all hidden weapons and small cold weapons that could be concealed on her. Her damage doubled if she could attack the enemy first. The Talent was known as Killing Expert lite.

    Harvest Song took a deep breath with a knee bent and her body leaned forward at a 45-degree angle with the floor. Her unblinking eyes stared at her opponent. She was like an arrow waiting to be shot.

    Her opponent was a beautiful woman with bold facial features. She had golden eyes, and her full head ofrge blond curls was casually tied into a ponytail.

    She was tall and slim with long limbs, her skin tanned. She looked like one of those pole vaulters with a strong physique and a big presence.

    Yellow Lotus, with Talent: Muscles, serial number 113, Buff-type.

    Her strength, endurance, explosive power, and regenerative power were all much greater than those of the other awakeners. A sparring match that forbade Talents and weapons was made for her. After all, the raw strength of the muscles was considered a passive ability rather than the active use of a Talent.

    ¡°Another day, another one of our weekly sparring matches.¡±

    ¡°Quick to advance to the finals, our Harvest and Yellow.¡±

    ¡°The female wolf faces the lioness.¡±

    ¡°A split second, and one wille out victorious.¡±

    A middle-aged man with a wrinkly face sat cross-legged by the fighting ring, improvising a stanza. He had long messy brown hair and a mustache, wearing a long cyan robe with a quaint paper fan in his hand. He looked like a modern-day man who had transmigrated to ancient times without fully fitting in.

    He was Muzitu, with Talent: Experience Thief, serial number 129, Knowledge-type.

    The Talent allowed one to temporarily steal some of the target¡¯s memory, experience, knowledge, emotions, and Talent (at 20% efficiency) for their use through physical contact. At the same time, the target would temporarily lose what had been stolen.

    Muzitu wasn¡¯t an educated man, yet he fancied himself a poet that rivaled the famous ones surnamed Li and Du, which was where the name Muzitu came from[1].

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten worse at it, Old Tu,¡± the middle-aged man sitting beside Muzitu teased.

    He wore a full suit with his hairbed back neatly. His eyes were hazy, his skin loose, and the lines around his mouth pronounced. He looked exhausted.

    He resembled those failing men in TV dramas who had worked for years without getting promoted, thus subject to the nagging of their wives and the disdain of their daughters.

    He was Void, with Talent: Contract, serial number 155, Knowledge-type.

    He could draft a special contract that bound both parties once they signed it with a fingerprint. If either vited the agreement, they would have to pay a heavy price, even the price of life on serious asions.

    However, the contract was only binding for 48 days, and the binding power declined as the termination of the contract drew near, which could be attributed to the low ranking of the Talent.

    ¡°It¡¯s improvised, so apologies, I didn¡¯t show you my best work.¡± Muzitu waved the paper fan, unbothered rather than getting angry.

    ¡°Fight, Harvest! You must win this time!¡± A young girl cheered Harvest Song on. She was Quiet Book, and the name was an apt description of her. She was a bookish girl with a sweet voice, her shiny ck hair running down her shoulders.

    Her mundane identity was a kindergarten teacher, and she was known for her mild temper in the workce. Every year, she was always picked as the most popr teacher.

    Her Talent was Substitute, serial number 109, Support-type.

    The Talent allowed one to create a perfect double with enchanted y and parts of the target, such as hair, nails, or blood. The body double wouldst days.

    However, the double could only make basic movements and speak simplenguage rather than having actual intelligence and ability. A brief conversation with it would expose it.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be hard,¡± said the blue-haired woman next to Quiet Book.

    Herplexion was sickly and her cheeks were hollowed. Combined with her hunched back, she looked exhausted and gloomy, even a little terrifying. She would make a good ghost in a movie.

    She was Sunny, with Talent: Blood Curse, serial number 104, Miracle-type.

    She could curse someone with her blood, and the more she knew about the target¡ªsuch as their real name, blood type, star sign, birth time, handprint, or the cements of their moles¡ªthe more effective the curse would be. The result could range from a small misfortune, like getting something in their teeth, to a great one, like getting choked to death while drinking water.

    Moreover, if she could get her blood on her target, there would be a one-fourth chance for her to make them meet an untimely end, a one-fourth chance to make them fall seriously ill, a one-fourth chance to inflict them with serious physical damage, and a one-fourth chance to give them a mental illness.

    Every time she used Blood Curse, however, her lifespan decreased. The time she lost ranged from a month to three to five years. Thus, she never used the Talent unless necessary.

    Nevertheless, she had declined beyond her age. Although she just turned twenty-five, she looked like she was nearing forty.

    The one she envied the most was Cold Cicada.

    The man had silver hair and a mild serene-looking appearance. He looked no more than thirty, yet he was turning sixty next year.

    His Talent was Longevity, serial number 185, Life-type.

    As the name of the Talent would suggest, he aged slowly and had a long life ahead of him.

    ¡°I¡¯m still betting on big this time,¡± said Deep Earth.

    ¡°I¡¯m still begging on small,¡± said Tall Sky.

    Betting big meant betting on Yellow Lotus, and betting small meant betting on Harvest Song.

    The two men were a pair of fraternal twins in their thirties. Deep Earth was the older brother. His hearty and strong physique, burly figure, ck shaved hair,rge nose, and thick lips reminded one of a hippopotamus with a mild temper.

    Her Talent was Gambler, serial number 115, Support-type.

    Tall Sky, the younger brother, seemed weak with a feminine look and long brown hair. With a pair of gold-rimmed sses, he looked like a frail schr.

    His Talent was Personality Kill, serial number 127, Psyche-type.

    The brothers didn¡¯t resemble each other in appearance, personality, temperament, or Talents. They didn¡¯t seem like twins at all, in fact. The only thing they shared was their penchant for making bets.

    For the brothers, anything could be bet on.

    The two women stayed wary of each other in the fighting ring for a while. The air curdled with tension. The others fell silent and quietly watched the fight.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    Harvest Song was the first to move. She dove toward Yellow Lotus with a low center of gravity.

    Yellow Lotus stood unmoving with a confident smile.

    1. A reference to the famous poets Li Bai and Du Fu. The surname Li Àî consists of Mu Ä¾ and Zi ×Ó, while the surname Du ¶Å consists of Mu and Tu ÍÁ. Hence thebined Mu-zi-tu. ?

 Chapter 748: Never Surrender

    <h4>Chapter 748: Never Surrender</h4>

    Harvest Song dove into Yellow Lotus¡¯ space in the blink of an eye, the five fingers of her right hand pressed together to make a knife-hand strike at Yellow Lotus¡¯ throat.

    She was quick, but she was attacking with her bare hand. Without a hidden weapon like a triangr de, her reach was much shorter.

    Yellow Lotus had longer limbs and thus an advantage over Harvest Song. While she wasn¡¯t as agile as Harvest Song, she had enough time to react and easily brushed Harvest Song¡¯s thrusting knife-hand aside. With her other hand, Yellow Lotus grabbed Harvest Song¡¯s cor. If she managed to grab her, she would be able to transition into a shoulder throw and win the match.

    Harvest Song had anticipated the move, though. Her flexible body bent back to dodge Yellow Lotus¡¯ hand as she dropped to her knees, utilizing the momentum to slide to Yellow Lotus¡¯ feet so that she could strike at the woman¡¯s left ankle with her other hand.

    As expected of an assassin. Harvest Song made every strike at the weak parts of the human body even without a weapon.

    Yellow Lotus quickly lifted her left foot to dodge the attack, kicking at Harvest Song with the same foot.

    Harvest Song pulled back and grabbed onto Yellow Lotus¡¯ calf, using her legs like a scissor to cut at Yellow Lotus¡¯ other leg in an attempt to trip her to the ground.

    She would be the winner as long as Yellow Lotus fell to the ground for a second first.

    Harvest Song was at a disadvantage under the particr rules of the match, and this was one of the few ways Harvest Song could secure a win by catching her opponent off guard.

    Unfortunately, Harvest Song had underestimated Yellow Lotus¡¯ Muscles. When her legs wrapped around Yellow Lotus¡¯, it felt as if she was holding onto a hard concrete pir. She couldn¡¯t make Yellow Lotus lose bnce.

    With her muscles tensed, Yellow Lotus kept a steady center of gravity and didn¡¯t even waver.

    Harvest Song started and let go, about to roll away to increase their distance, but Yellow Lotus didn¡¯t give her the chance. She extended her long arms and grabbed Harvest Song¡¯s shirt from the back, easily lifting her for a throw.

    Harvest Song twisted her waist and shot out both legs to wind them around Yellow Lotus¡¯ neck. She nned to use the triangle choke on her. Like a snake, Harvest Song slithered around Yellow Lotus while grappling her, using her weight to throw Yellow Lotus off bnce.

    Yellow Lotus scoffed silently. She was waiting for this.

    She pushed her muscles to the limit and turned as unwavering as a sturdy stone statue. Harvest Song was too light to break her stance.

    Harvest Song realized with a shock that she had fallen for a trap, but it was toote to back out.

    Ignoring the thighs strangling her neck, Yellow Lotus lifted Harvest Song high with her hands under Harvest Song¡¯s armpits.

    ¡°Agh...¡±

    Harvest Song cried out reflexively.

    <i>Bam! </i>Yellow Lotus dropped to her knees and mmed Harvest Song to the floor.

    With Harvest Song¡¯s legs still locked onto Yellow Lotus¡¯ neck and Yellow Lotus pushing her weight on Harvest Song, she was pressed into a horizontal U.

    Harvest Song blushed. It was humiliating and embarrassing to lose the match in this posture.

    ¡°Do you tap out?¡± Yellow Lotus grinned at her teasingly.

    Harvest Song kept her mouth shut. She pushed herself to break free of the hold, but failed.

    ¡°Tap out?¡± Yellow Lotus repeated. She sounded like she was enjoying her victory.

    Harvest Song wouldn¡¯t give up. She clenched her teeth, trying to sneakily move her hands.

    Yellow Lotus noticed immediately and broke into a smirk. The hands on Harvest Song¡¯s armpits started tickling her.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Harvest Song swallowed down a whine and finally said through clenched teeth with great reluctance, ¡°I surrender.¡±

    Only then did Yellow Lotus pick herself up. ¡°If you wanna defeat me, Little Harvest, you shoulde at me in your next life.¡±

    Harvest Song leaped to a standing position and quickly sorted out the wrinkled judo uniform, her delicate but sharp heart-shaped face had a stubborn expression on it. Without a word, she returned to her spot and sat down cross-legged.

    ¡°Haha, I win the bet again.¡± Thick Earth was pleased. He gave Yellow Lotus a thumbs-up. ¡°Good job, Lotus.¡±

    His brother High Sky took out his wallet and handed his brother a dor bill. He said half-jokingly, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you go easy on her, Lotus? What¡¯s the fun of winning every time? Look at Little Harvest. She¡¯s close to tears.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Harvest Song said stubbornly.

    ¡°Heard that?¡± Yellow Lotus untied her ponytail with a hand, shaking her blond curls loose. Her feminine charm was on full disy. ¡°If I had gone easy on her, Little Harvest would¡¯ve been even angrier.¡±

    ¡°You need to do it skillfully so that no one will notice. Just like how...¡± Tall Sky quickly swallowed the unspoken words and shut his mouth.

    But they all knew what was left unsaid.

    <i>Just like how Team Leader Goldthread did it.</i>

    The air grew heavy. Harvest Song¡¯s expression had be noticeably colder. She looked down at the ground and clutched the hem of the judo shirt on herp.

    ¡°Everyone.¡± Zhong He finally spoke up.

    The team members turned to him.

    ¡°This is myst sparring session with all of you.¡± Zhong He smiled. ¡°I resigned. I¡¯m no longer your team leader.¡±

    ¡°<i>Resigned?</i>¡± Lying Wood started, adjusting his sses. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere. I¡¯m going to be an unaffiliated awakener and a nobody.¡± Zhong He sounded a little like he had given up on himself.

    ¡°What?!¡± Yellow Lotus was surprised and a little nervous. She had a secret crush on Zhong He, but she hid it well and acted like his best buddy instead.

    ¡°Are you joking, Old Zhong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Quiet Book lowered her eyes, feeling mncholy and lost. ¡°Once you go, Team Leader, the sixth team will really be gone.¡±

    ¡°The Qilin Guild is domineering. The Hundred Rivers Union is swallowed in its entirety. A flock of birds on the same branch the sixth team is. Each flying our way when the danger hits.¡± Muzitu put away his fan and uttered while shaking his head around.

    Sunny shrugged. She had expected that to happen.

    Cold Cicada didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m never team leader material.¡± Zhong He smiled bitterly. ¡°I was just like you before. If not for the acquisition of Phantom, I would never be promoted to deputy team leader and then team leader after Goldthread¡¯s departure. I came to lead the team simply by happenstance.¡±

    ¡°With poweres responsibility,¡± said Void. ¡°You must not run away.¡±

    <i>Why can¡¯t I?</i>

    <i>What can I possibly do even if I don¡¯t run away?</i>

    <i>The whales have left a real mess after their fight. Why should shrimps like us be cannon fodder?</i>

    Zhong He wanted to say all that out loud, but he couldn¡¯t. It would do no good to fuel their panic.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t think it would be wise for the others to go unaffiliated like him. He still had a powerful Talent to protect himself with; the same couldn¡¯t be said about the other team members.

    And the world was chaotic now. There was no telling if the unaffiliated awakeners would be gunned down. After all, the fewer awakeners there were, the greater the chance ofprehending a new Talent. With the doomsday seemingly on the horizon, nothing was beyond human nature if one could push up their chance of survival.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m resigning too!¡± Yellow Lotus raised her voice and stated.

 Chapter 749: Where to Go

    <h4>Chapter 749: Where to Go</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that, Lotus...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to talk me out of it!¡± Yellow Lotus had made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever you go. I¡¯ll resign if you¡¯re resigning.¡±

    Zhong He felt a warmth in his chest, but he didn¡¯t let it show through his impassive mask.

    ¡°What?¡± Yellow Lotus smiled. ¡°Am I not good enough for you now that you¡¯ve gotten stronger?¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re not,¡± Zhong He teased in a purposefully casual tone. ¡°When I only had Keen Hearing, I already looked down on you.¡±

    ¡°Wanna die?!¡± Yellow Lotus red at him.

    ¡°Actually.¡± Lying Wood adjusted his sses, eyes glinting. ¡°I have an immature suggestion. Wanna hear it?¡±

    ¡°Stop being cryptic and talk already.¡± Yellow Lotus perked up. Their de facto strategist had an idea, it seemed.

    ¡°Actually...¡± Lying Wood looked at them in turn. ¡°Outside of staying and resigning, we have another choice.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the Nine Scions.¡± Void smiled bitterly. ¡°Members of Team Chen Ying¡¯s bodies are still fresh. If we join them, we won¡¯t fare much better.¡±

    Sunny choked out a pessimisticugh, too. ¡°That¡¯s how things end for those on the Qilin Guild¡¯s bad side.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no.¡± Lying Wood hurriedly waved a hand. ¡°We can¡¯t go to the Nine Scions. That¡¯s for sure. Set aside if they are the good guys or the bad guys, they are for sure the center of this war. We¡¯ll have to have a death wish to go to them. However, we maytch onto anotherrge tree.¡±

    <i>Click</i>. Muzitu folded his fan and shook his head as he made another poem. ¡°Qilin Guild is tyrannical, and the Hundred Rivers Union feeble. Whether the Nine Scions is good or bad is a mystery. The Zodiacs alone may be our sanctuary.¡±

    ¡°You know me well, Old Tu.¡± Lying Wood smiled. ¡°Yes, I believe we can consider the Twelve Zodiac Signs an option.¡±

    Zhong He pondered without making ament.

    He had considered the Zodiacs as well, but he knew little about the organization. And he had a prideful side to him, preventing him from begging to join them.

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± Yellow Lotus smacked her lips. ¡°The organization is too mysterious. I know almost nothing about them or what they want to do.¡±

    ¡°I only know that Dragon came from the era of the Elusive Sect, and that he¡¯s been sustaining his life with a hibernation chamber.¡± Void thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, right. Ba Qiuchi belonged to the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Her ex, Dead Pig, is still a member.¡±

    ¡°Little Ba is a good girl. What a shame what happened to her,¡± Cold Cicadamented. Among the sixth team, only he knew Ba Qiuchi as a long-time member despite his youthful appearance.

    Muzitu waved his paper fan with a curve to his lips. ¡°Ba Qiuchi is a good person, but she divorced Dead Pig and jumped from the Zodiacs to the Union. Doesn¡¯t that mean the Zodiacs isn¡¯t a good ce to be?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re jumping to conclusions, Old Tu,¡± Lying Wood said deliberately. ¡°We know now that Ba Qiuchi died at Dust¡¯s hands. She might have been sent by the Zodiacs to investigate Dust back then. Perhaps her loyalty always lied with the Zodiacs.¡±

    ¡°Hm, that is a possibility.¡± Muzitu nodded. ¡°The choice seems attractive now after your analysis.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Might as well make a gamble.¡± Deep Earth smiled. ¡°My hunch says that the Zodiacs is a good ce to be.¡±

    ¡°That may not be true. Have you forgotten that Gao Yang, Green Snake, and Yellow Ox were all members of the Zodiacs, Brother? Look what the three have done.¡± Tell Sky smiled. ¡°I bet on the Zodiacs not being a good ce to be.¡±

    ¡°Still gonna be better than the Qilin Guild.¡±

    ¡°Quite the opposite. At least I know what the Qilin Guild¡¯s bottom line and goal are, while the Twelve Zodiac Signs is aplete mystery. The unknown is always more terrifying.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your reasoning, Lying Wood?¡± Zhong He chimed in, looking at Lying Wood with a more serious expression. ¡°I want to hear it.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not using Negotiation Expert,¡± Yellow Lotus called out.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lying Wood chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna pull tricks with something like this.¡±

    ¡°Then go on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been considering going to the Zodiacs for quite a while, and I talked to White Rabbit and learned about the organizations in other ways.¡±

    ¡°My reasoning can be condensed to three points.¡±

    ¡°First, the Zodiacs remain neutral at the moment. They are capable of staying out of the war. It¡¯s the safest choice to stay with the Zodiacs, at least for now.¡±

    They all nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Second, the Zodiacs prioritize peace. That¡¯s the case ording to their history, at least. While they are mysterious, they have never once initiated a war. And they follow the strict rules of not hurting their kind or actively attacking wanderers. The two rules alone reflect their humane way of doing things.¡±

    They pondered the point.

    ¡°Third, and this is purely my subjective conjecture.¡± Lying Wood adjusted his sses with a smile. ¡°Gao Yang started as a member of the Zodiacs. Then he moved to the Qilin Guild. Now, Gao Yang is a bitter enemy of the Guild, but maintains a civil rtionship with the Zodiacs.¡±

    Lying Wood fell silent to let the others think.

    ¡°Which...means?¡± Yellow Lotus blinked. She didn¡¯t catch his point.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean much.¡± Lying Wood smiled. ¡°But I used to work at the HR department, and there¡¯s an unwritten rule when recruiting people: if someone badmouths their previouspany or has a falling out with their previouspany, they will be on the bottom of our list.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the employee may not be at fault. It can be thepany¡¯s fault. At the end of the day, though, they are a potential risk. We won¡¯t consider them first.¡±

    ¡°I get it now.¡± Void came to a realization. ¡°Between the Qilin Guild and the Zodiacs, one had a falling out with Gao Yang, while the other didn¡¯t. Comparing the two, there¡¯s a greater chance for the Qilin Guild to have a risk factor.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lying Wood nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not based on concrete evidence, so I call it my subjective reason.¡±

    He turned to Zhong He. ¡°Team Leader, I respect your decision to be an unaffiliated member, but for me and the others, I hope that you can offer us some help.¡±

    Zhong He remained silent.

    ¡°With you taking us to the Zodiacs, they are likely to ept us. Without you, though, small fries like us may be turned away. Then we¡¯ll have to stay in the Ocean River Union, and it¡¯ll be hell. Yan Liang will be after us for sure.¡±

    ¡°Lying Wood has a point!¡± Yellow Lotus got worked up. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take us to the Zodiacs, Old Zhong?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I concur!¡± Deep Earth was excited too.

    Zhong He didn¡¯t immediately give an answer. He looked up at the others and sought their opinions.

    With the other staying quiet, Void broke the silence first. ¡°Lying Wood has a solid point. I can¡¯t find fault in it. But for some reason, I¡¯m not convinced. My hunch tells me to stay. I believe going to the Zodiacs will be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying too,¡± Tall Sky agreed. ¡°The Qilin Guild is overbearing, everyone, but there¡¯s no need to demonize them. My rational mind tells me that staying here will give me a brighter future.¡±

    ¡°Are you really not leaving with me, Brother?¡± Deep Earth was a little surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you the same thing, Brother. Are you really going to the Zodiacs?¡±

    ¡°If Old Zhong¡¯s willing to take us, I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re dyingter, I won¡¯t help you.¡± Tall Sky spoke like he disapproved vehemently.

    ¡°Haha, why don¡¯t we have another bet?¡± Deep Earth said. ¡°Let¡¯s bet on who has made the right choice.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± Tall Sky was riled up. ¡°Our odds of winning have always been fifty-fifty. It¡¯s time for us to determine a winner. Yeah, let¡¯s bet on who will get to be thest oneughing after joining different organizations.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you two...¡± Yellow Lotus gaped. ¡°I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re extreme, but aren¡¯t you veering into the realm of insanity?¡±

 Chapter 750: Eight Years Old

    <h4>Chapter 750: Eight Years Old</h4>

    Muzitu knocked his palm lightly with his folded fan, speaking in a leisurely tone. ¡°The Zhuge brothers served different masters in ancient times, and now Thick Earth and Tall Sky follow in their footsteps. Interesting, how interesting, haha.¡±

    Sunny sighed again, her expression gloomy. ¡°I¡¯ll stay. I hate moving. And it doesn¡¯t matter where I¡¯m going. A duckweed isn¡¯t going to magically turn into something else after floating into an ocean.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying too,¡± Cold Cicada said at a deliberate pace. Despite his youthful appearance, he held himself like an elderly¡ªand he was an elderly. The conflict was striking. ¡°I agree with Sunny. We shall face the changing world by being constant.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Quiet Book nced at Zhong He and mustered her courage. ¡°If Team Leader will take me, I¡¯m going.¡±

    That left Harvest Song. She had always been a quiet and concise one. Feeling everyone¡¯s gazes on her, she looked up slightly and said with determination, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡±

    No one was surprised by her decision.

    When Surnamed Li agreed to the merging of the Hundred Rivers Union and the Qilin Guild, one of her conditions was that after the establishment of the Ocean River Union, they must find and kill Dust. It was to investigate the Godbearer Cult and to avenge Ba Qiuchi, Green Tea, and Goldthread. It was something that must be done sooner rather thanter.

    Harvest Song wanted to avenge Goldthread. Ironically, Harvest Song would be stabbing Goldthread¡¯s body if she were to kill Dust.

    She knew that if she joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs, she would lose her chance for revenge. The Zodiacs didn¡¯t have enough reason or incentive to go after Dust.

    The round of census ended. Those who would like to go to the Zodiacs or were at least interested in it were Lying Wood, Yellow Lotus, Muzitu, Deep Earth, and Quiet Book.

    Those who were staying were Harvest Song, Cold Cicada, Sunny, Void, and Tall Sky.

    They all turned to Zhong He, waiting for him to give the final say.

    Zhong He maintained a poker face.

    Suddenly, he scoffed. ¡°You didn¡¯t take it seriously, did you?¡±

    Lying Wood paused, swallowing down words.

    Zhong He stood up with hands on his knees. ¡°I told you before that I don¡¯t make a good leader. I¡¯ve made up my mind to be unaffiliated. Consider this a simple chat. We¡¯ve talked about this many times before.¡±

    ¡°Old Zhong...¡± Yellow Lotus stood up too.

    ¡°Lotus.¡± Zhong He shot her an icy stare. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you¡¯re resigning, but think about it carefully. Do you know what will happen to unaffiliated awakeners in a chaotic world? I won¡¯t be taking care of a weak one like you.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Yellow Lotus was going to say something when Lying Woord grabbed her.

    ¡°Drop it, Lotus.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, everyone, and take care.¡±

    With his back to everyone, Zhong He waved a hand and walked away without turning around.

    ...

    Abandoned amusement park, Nanji District, the next afternoon.

    It was a rare sunny day in winter. White clouds decorated the blue sky, and the sun bathed everything in warm light.

    With her hair tied into two buns, Lovely Lamb was dressed in a short white shirt with squarish cors and a traditional pleated skirt, the clothes pretty and warm. She looked like a young fairy from ancient times.

    Riding a wooden horse of the merry-go-round with White Rabbit, sheughed joyously. Behind her, there was Heavenly Dog. And even further back was Dead Pig. He¡¯d been quietly pushing the merry-go-round. With the electricity cut off in the abandoned amusement park, Dead Pig had to put in the work and use his brute strength.

    At that moment, they really missed Wu Dahai...and his Electricity.

    It was Lovely Lamb¡¯s eighth birthday. She asked White Rabbit, Heavenly Dog, and Dead Pig to celebrate it with her.

    It was dangerous for too many awakeners to gather around. After some agonizing, White Rabbit decided to take Lovely Lamb to this abandoned amusement park even though it was far from good enough.

    Lovely Lamb wasn¡¯t picky, though. She was happy as long as the others were with her.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± White Rabbit hollered. ¡°We¡¯ve been going in circles for ten minutes. Let Dead Pig have a break.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lovely Lamb nodded.

    White Rabbit jumped off the horse with Lovely Lamb in her arms. Heavenly Dog followed suit.

    Dead Pig was wearing his usual cyan linen shirt and shorts¡ªhe never dressed to the season. Chuckling, he came up to them and said in a nasal voice, ¡°Cute Little Lamb can ride the merry-go-round for as long as she wants.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Dead Pig, I want to ride the Ferris wheel!¡± White Rabbit nced at Heavenly Dog.

    Without missing a beat, Heavenly Dog picked up Lovely Lamb and ced her on his shoulders, flying toward the Ferris wheel.

    Dead Pig and White Rabbit looked up at them, steeping in their thoughts.

    Dead Pig said, ¡°Lovely Lamb¡¯s grown up without us realizing. She¡¯s now eight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    White Rabbit thought back to the way Lovely Lamb entered their life. She had been abandoned at the door to Ghost Horse¡¯s t when she was one year old. At midnight, Ghost Horse woke up to the wailing of a baby. He was shocked when he opened the door.

    Ghost Horse should¡¯ve taken the baby to an orphanage, but as a special agent, he was cautious by nature, and he tested her with Telepathy first. The baby could receive his psychic wave, which meant that she was human.

    It was clear that whoever abandoned the baby was an awakener and sought him out on purpose. They knew that Ghost Horse¡¯s Telepathy would allow him to tell humans from monsters, and they wished that Ghost Horse and the Twelve Zodiac Signs would take the baby in.

    Ghost Horse took the baby back to base. War Tiger put the decision to take in the child to vote, and all voted yes.

    In the beginning, they were prepared for Lovely Lamb¡¯s awakener parents to seek her out. As time went by, however, they slowly forgot about it and treated Lovely Lamb like their family.

    Now, Lovely Lamb was the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ child. Even if her biological parents did show up, they would not let her be taken away.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    White Rabbit¡¯s phone rang. It was a video call.

    She picked up. Fat Jun was standing in a bakery. He had styled his hair today, and he looked more spirited in a casual gray suit.

    He quickly moved the camera to the cake cab. ¡°Look, Sister Rabbit. There are chocte cakes, baked cheesecakes, ice cream cakes, cream fruit cakes, milk cakes...¡±

    ¡°Cream fruit cake,¡± White Rabbit interjected. ¡°Although Cute Little Lamb loves ice cream, she¡¯ll have diarrhea if she has it in this cold weather.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    White Rabbit hung up.

    ¡°Did Adept Horse lose weight?¡± Dead Pig asked while chuckling. There was a hint of envy in his voice.

    ¡°That so?¡± White Rabbit thought back to it. ¡°Seems like it. Or maybe he looks thinner in the video chat.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I heard that Adept Horse has been seeking War Tiger out for training, and he specifically asked for training that would help him lose weight in addition to making him stronger.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s motivated.¡± White Rabbit raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Rabbit.¡± Dead Pigughed. ¡°Stop ying dumb. Who do you think he¡¯s working so hard for? If you don¡¯t like him, don¡¯t give him false hope. A honey trap is a double-edged sword. Both of you will end up hurt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not HR, Dead Pig, and you don¡¯t know how much pressure I¡¯m under. I can¡¯t sleep. My hair¡¯s soon gonna all fall off.¡± White Rabbit sighed and grumbled.

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep those who are leaving, and you can¡¯t drive away those who want to stay,¡± Dead Pig advised her seriously. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you¡¯re my age that one shouldn¡¯t obsess over what to do in many matters, but follow where things are going.¡±

    White Rabbit nodded bemusedly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll talk to Adept Horse.¡±

 Chapter 751: Talk in Private

    <h4>Chapter 751: Talk in Private</h4>

    Entrance to the abandoned amusement park, twenty minutester.

    Fat Jun carried a packed-up birthday cake in his left hand and a bag of snacks and drinks in his right hand, looking around to make sure there was no one in the area before walking through the ajar rusty gates.

    Earlier today, when Fat Jun was going to nap after lunch before going to War Tiger for training, he received a message from White Rabbit. He took a nce and almost fainted from excitement.

    Sister Rabbit asked him out! It was to celebrate Lovely Lamb¡¯s birthday and there would be other people, but a date was a date. Before, Fat Jun had gone on missions with White Rabbit alone, but work was different.

    The fact that White Rabbit thought of asking him for this asion reflected a substantial change in their rtionship. It was a small step for White Rabbit, but a big step for Fat Jun.

    He was seeing the initial effect of the charisma course Teacher War Tiger tailored for him.

    War Tiger had said that to win a woman¡¯s heart, he must improve his hard and soft power.

    Hard power referred to money and strength in a battle, but the former wasn¡¯t as important as thetter in the world of awakeners; Wu Dahai, his senior, was the best example.

    Soft power referred to looks, temperament, manners, and personality.

    While Fat Jun worked himself to bone training and dieting, he had also read all the novels White Rabbit had been following to appeal to her, especially the one titled <i>My Buddy is the Chosen One.</i>

    Fat Jun didn¡¯t think highly of the novel. The author wrote like an elementary student. The powercreep problem was serious. The plot was cliche. The protagonist was a useless Gary Stu and a yboy. It was tragedy porn. And there was a liberal use of lyrics to increase the word count. Fat Jun forced himself to read the whole thing three times just to have something to talk to White Rabbit about, though, and he might as well be the biggest fan of the work.

    In the past, White Rabbit rarely talked to Fat Jun about anything outside work, but recently, they often messaged each other untilte at night, and they always liked andmented on each other¡¯s social media posts. They were getting closer.

    <i>¡°You were a little difficult to win over, you said.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You wanted me to see the trouble and give up.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Gifts don¡¯t have to be the most expensive.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Just ask for the fallen leaves from Champs-¨¦lys¨¦es.</i>[1]<i>¡±</i>

    Fat Jun was feeling good thinking about all that and started humming. He skipped his way through a shaded path and almost broke into a dance. His every step brought up the fallen leaves pelting the ground.

    The Ferris wheel wasn¡¯t far away.

    <i>Wait for me, Sister Rabbit. I¡¯ming!</i>

    Suddenly, Fat Jun came to a halt like someone had paralyzed him by hitting his acupuncture point. An unfamiliar chilling energy spread through his body. His pupils dted, and his expression contorted with pain.

    ¡°Help...me...¡±

    Fat Jun tried to struggle, but he couldn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t even speak to call out for help.

    He stared at the Ferris wheel, eyes red and face muscles twitching with frustration.

    <i>No, no.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m not dying here.</i>

    ...

    Under the Ferris wheel, ten minutester.

    ¡°Sister Rabbit!¡±

    Beaming, Fat Jun ran up to them with a cake and a bag of snacks, covered in sweat. He wore a link pink shirt under the casual suit jacket. The top few buttons had fallen off.

    White Rabbit and Dead Pig had been chatting. They turned to him one after the other.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± White Rabbit frowned.

    ¡°Something came up and dyed me.¡± Fat Jun wiped the sweat on his face with his elbow. ¡°Here¡¯s the cake. And the snacks and drinks.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for making the trip, Adept Horse.¡± Dead Pig took the cake and the snacks with a wide smile. ¡°Cute Little Lamb and Heavenly Dog are still riding the Ferris wheel. Once they get off, we¡¯ll find a ce to have the cake.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Fat Jun turned to White Rabbit with an eager smile. ¡°I have something to tell you, Sister Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked White Rabbit.

    ¡°Um.¡± Fat Jun rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to you in private.¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯s heart sank. <i>No, really? Are you confessing to me already? That can¡¯t be. That¡¯s out of character for you. Since when have you be so decisive?</i>

    White Rabbit was a little troubled. She was going to talk things out with Fat Jun even without Dead Pig¡¯s reminder, but not now. She was waiting for the right time to do it so that she would hurt Fat Jun as little as possible.

    She looked up and met Fat Jun¡¯s heated gaze filled with excitement and anticipation.

    White Rabbit felt a little guilty. She nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    <i>Perhaps there is never the right time. Now¡¯s the best chance to talk about it.</i>

    ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go to the haunted house.¡±

    White Rabbitughed after a pause. ¡°What is it? Why the secrecy?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s important,¡± Fat Jun assured. ¡°Trust me, Sister Rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± White Rabbit nced at Dead Pig. ¡°Keep an eye on Cute Little Lamb. We¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    White Rabbit followed Fat Jun across the abandoned amusement park and reached the haunted house. It had been home to the secret market organized by the Hundred Rivers Union, but after Fresh Snow¡¯s ¡°attack¡±, they abandoned the ce.

    Then there were fewer and fewer awakeners, and activities such as the flea market could no longer be held.

    Thinking about it left White Rabbit with a sense of loss. Sometimes she wondered if it would be better to maintain the status quo a year ago, where awakeners and elite monsters stayed out of each other¡¯s way and lived and let live under the restriction of the Heavenly Way without the encroaching threat of doom.

    No, no. Then Captain would be dejected, and thinking about that made White Rabbit feel a pang in her heart.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the pair to reach the entrance of the haunted house.

    ¡°Can you talk now?¡± White Rabbit turned to Fat Jun.

    Fat Jun gave her a mysterious look. ¡°I still can¡¯t, Sister Rabbit. This is important. We must go into the haunted house.¡±

    White Rabbit was getting suspicious. ¡°You¡¯re acting weird today, Adept Horse...¡±

    Then White Rabbit felt something grapple her. Shocked, she was going to run away, but her feet were already pinned to the ground.

    Face pale, she was going to call out for help, but found her throat restricted by a cold power, silencing her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Sister Rabbit,¡± Fat Jun quickly exined. ¡°Follow me. He, he doesn¡¯t mean you harm.¡±

    As soon as he said that, White Rabbit regained her mobility.

    She calmed herself. She had guessed who it was.

    ¡°Get in.¡± She scowled, entering the haunted house with Fat Jun.

    They reached the heart of the pitch-dark interior of the building. White Rabbit shone her cellphone shlight on her and Fat Jun¡¯s faces. Then she grumbled at the dark, ¡°Come on out.¡±

    Two secondster, a tall, slim figure appeared in the shadow behind them.

    He stood against a wall with his hands in his pockets, tipping his chin up with a yful smirk. It was Zhong He from the Hundred Rivers Union¡ªhe was now unaffiliated.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while, Sister White Rabbit.¡±

    White Rabbit turned around with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more impolite by the day. Is that how you greet someone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fat Jun was still reeling from the experience. ¡°Your shadow suddenly grappled me like a viper. I was all goosebumps then.¡±

    ¡°Apology. I have to be careful and confirm your identities.¡± Zhong He shrugged with his right shoulder. ¡°You may not believe it, but Phantom is a living thing. It can vaguely sense your energy, and I can confirm who you are through it. Conversely, you can also confirm who I am through it, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What do you want from us?¡± White Rabbit asked bluntly.

    ¡°That¡¯s direct. I like it.¡± Zhong He straightened up and marched toward White Rabbit. While she kept up a calm front, she felt pressured¡ªnot because of Zhong He, but because of his Phantom.

    There was a reason the Talent was high on the list. When the shadow caught her in her moment of carelessness, she felt like a rabbit caught by a python, unable to resist at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you.¡± Zhong He stared at White Rabbit in the dark, his yful smile dropping and his tone turning serious. ¡°I resigned from the Hundred Rivers Union. I¡¯d like to join the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    1. Lyrics of Jay Chou¡¯s <i>Love Confession</i>. ?

 Chapter 752: Thanks to the Ancestors

    <h4>Chapter 752: Thanks to the Ancestors</h4>

    Under the mask of calmness on White Rabbit¡¯s face was a great turbulence. She was caught off guard by the turn of events, but thinking about it more carefully, it made sense to her.

    The Qilin Guild had sessfully annexed the Hundred Rivers Union. ording to what White Rabbit had found out, the two organizations were bing the Ocean River Union tomorrow, and the Union¡¯s underground base would be their new headquarters.

    It was clear that Zhong He never liked the Qilin Guild, and he couldn¡¯t go to the Nine Scions, and not least the Godbearer Cult. Thus, the Twelve Zodiac Signs was his only and best option. Given his power and clean resume, the Twelve Zodiac Signs was very likely to take him in.

    ¡°May I ask why?¡± White Rabbit asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll only give you the surface reason now,¡± Zhong He said bluntly. ¡°If you take me in, though, you¡¯ll also get a very important piece of information. I promise that you¡¯ll be interested.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you give me a hint first?¡± White Rabbit smiled shrewdly.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the truth of what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion.¡±

    White Rabbit started. That was indeed a great intel.

    She only knew that the Qilin Guild had struck a heavy blow on the Nine Scions, and both suffered casualties. She had the list of deaths, and she was relieved to learn that Gao Yang and Green Snake were still alive.

    The Nine Scions had suffered a serious blow, though, and they had gonepletely off the radar after that night, never reaching out to the Twelve Zodiac Signs in any way.

    That worried White Rabbit. Now it seemed that Zhong He had learned something about the incident, causing him to leave his original organization and seek another path.

    It would be a great bargain to recruit a strong member and find out the truth about the Starcatching Pavilion. She would effectively be buying one and getting one free.

    She was leaning toward epting the deal.

    She was an experienced awakener, though, and she hid her reaction and smiled politely. ¡°We¡¯ll wee you if you¡¯re honest about wanting to join the Twelve Zodiac Signs, of course, but I¡¯ll be frank with you. Don¡¯t even think about joining us as a spy. Change your n to save yourself if that is the case.¡±

    ¡°Inside the realm of influence of Captain¡¯s Overlord, no one will be able to lie to him. If we find out that you¡¯re up to no good, guess what the consequences will be?¡±

    Dragon couldn¡¯t actually detect lies. White Rabbit was testing Zhong He.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhong He¡¯s expression was open, his hands still in his pockets. ¡°I¡¯m never one for subterfuge. You may detect lies and read my mind if you want.¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, White Rabbit concluded with her hunch that he didn¡¯t lie.

    She extended a hand and said, ¡°Congrattions. You¡¯re now a member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Fat Jun gaped. ¡°Wait, Sister Rabbit. Did he be a member just like that? Aren¡¯t you going to test him first? We almost died to join the organization back then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± White Rabbit added. ¡°There¡¯s something we have to make clear now. We don¡¯t allow unprovoked attacks ofpanions and wanderers. And no office romance. We¡¯ll turn a blind eye if you can¡¯t help it, though. That¡¯s it. Any question?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s also my bottom line to not attack apanion or a wanderer without a reason,¡± said Zhong He.

    ¡°Good,¡± said White Rabbit. ¡°We¡¯repanions going forward.¡±

    ¡°Sister Rabbit!¡± Fat Jun was so shocked that his eyes shook. ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s way too easy! Back then, we...¡±

    ¡°Adept Horse. Things are different now. This is a special time. The end of the world ising as we speak. We can¡¯t afford to recruit people slowly like before.¡±

    White Rabbit¡¯srge eyes darted around. Then she came up with a weird analogy for her double standards. ¡°With you, we got married before falling in love, and with Zhong He, it¡¯s getting married after falling in love. You get it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± Fat Jun didn¡¯t get it at all, but hearing the talk about marriage and love turned his brain into mush. <i>¡°We got married before falling in love¡±</i> kept ringing in his head.

    It was only an analogy, but Fat Jun was still happy about it.

    ¡°As expected, your organization seems like fun.¡± Zhong He smirked. ¡°Ah, but I forgot one thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± White Rabbit was immediately wary. She knew nothing would just fall on herp. Zhong He had a condition, or perhaps a hidden ambition and goal.

    ¡°I¡¯m not on my own. I¡¯m taking five people with me. If you want me, you have to take in all six of us.¡± Zhong He rattled off. ¡°There are Lying Wood, Yellow Lotus, Muzitu, Deep Earth, and Quiet Book.¡±

    Zhong He took out a slip of paper from his pocket. ¡°These are the dossiers on all six of us. Give them a look and consider my offer. You have to hurry, though. Let us know before tonight ends. Once the Qilin Guildes in tomorrow, it¡¯ll be difficult for them to get out...¡±

    White Rabbit pped the slip of paper away.

    Zhong He sighed silently. <i>Ha, so it doesn¡¯t work...</i>

    Eyes sparkling, White Rabbit took a step forward and grabbed his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t have to check it. All of youe! Every single one of you!¡±

    Zhong He gaped. <i>Huh?</i>

    White Rabbit was cursing up a storm in her head.

    <i>I *** get ****** **** lucky!</i>

    <i>I **** **** thanks to *** ***** ancestors!!</i>

    ...

    North Harvest, early morning.

    Powder snow fell from the night sky. The silent cedar forest was bathed in a dim gray light. Deep in the forest was a small cabin. Through the cracks of the windows covered by wood nks, orange light seeped through.

    At the center of the cabin was a small brazier with reddening coals. The windows and door were opened every once in a while to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Resting before the brazier was a multi-functional wheelchair, in which Vermilion Bird was seated. She had a wool nket on her with her head slightly cocked. The heated coals reflected in her eyes. Her expression was numb.

    Vermilion Bird was in aa most of the time, and when she woke up, she was as quiet as a marite. She didn¡¯t even blink, which led to dry eyes over time and made tearse out.

    Gao Xinxin closed her eyes for her every now and then, but it never took long for Vermilion Bird to open her eyes again, gazing forward with unfocused eyes like she was gazing into the void to stubbornly resist something.

    Gao Xinxin sat by her side, lifting her one leg and massaging her muscles, quietly talking to her at the same time.

    Gao Xinxin was well-versed in taking care of someone in a vegetative state. After all, her brother had been in this state for three months before.

    ¡°Sister Xia, ever since my brother told me the truth, you¡¯re one of the people he brought up the most.¡± Gao Xinxin chuckled. ¡°When he was in the Qilin Guild, you took good care of him and treated him well...¡±

    ¡°And without you warning him, I would¡¯ve been taken by Qilin. I was the one who got you into this situation. If not for me, you wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. My brother will cure you. He¡¯ll find a way...¡±

    <i>Creak</i>.

    The wooden door was pushed open. Gao Xinxin jumped to her feet, alerted.

    She thought Wang Zikai and Raven Shark had spotted a threat while standing watch outside and thus came to notify her, but it wasn¡¯t the case.

    The man standing outside the door had a face she couldn¡¯t be more familiar with, yet it was different now. The face was thinner. And the messy ck hair was tied into a small ponytail.

    His eyes and brows reflected the torment he had been through. His eyes were darker, his gaze colder with a hint of exhaustion. Only when Gao Xinxin¡¯s look of surprise and heartache was reflected in the ck eyes did they gain some warmth.

    Gao Xinxin stared at Gao Yang through the door, lips parted to say something.

    Her eyes quickly brimmed with tears, and the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat and chest. In the end, all her thoughts came out as one word.

    ¡°Brother.¡±

 Chapter 753: Canâ€™t Remember

    <h4>Chapter 753: Can¡¯t Remember</h4>

    Gao Xinxin opened the door and walked into the snowy night, putting her arms gently around Gao Yang. Gao Yang returned the hug gingerly.

    They stayed like that for ten seconds before pulling away.

    Gao Xinxin blinked back her tears and sniffed, saying hoarsely, ¡°Brother, Sister Xia Li is...¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang tightened the scarf around Gao Xinxin. ¡°Stay out here for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Xinxin bent down slightly. Gao Yang entered the cabin.

    Wang Zikai and Raven Shark were standing outside in the snow, joined by a purple-haired girl in a sailor uniform.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold like this, Nainai?¡± Gao Xinxin picked herself up and smiled at Nainai.

    ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t think of this Empress like you mortals.¡± Nainai looked proud with her hands on her hips.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wang Zikai was pleased with himself to be wearing only a sweater, too.

    He had disliked Nainai before. The girl called herself Empress all the time and didn¡¯t treat Wang Zikai, the god, with respect.

    Later on, Gao Yang hashed things out for him. God was of course the most supreme existence, followed by celestials, emperors, and then kings. Nainai was only an empress. There was no reason to be bothered by her. He would only be lowering himself by treating her attitude seriously.

    Wang Zikai thought it made a lot of sense.

    ¡°Are you ready for this Empress¡¯ baptism, mortal?¡± Nainai extended her hands.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gao Xinxin knew that meant Nainai was going to give them a makeover. She thought for a moment. ¡°I want to have a different face this time.¡±

    ¡°Go on. This Empress will grant your request graciously.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I heard there was a well-known character called Ashley the Obstacle[1]. Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Nainai didn¡¯t know much about games that didn¡¯t feature anime characters.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that? Where have you been?¡± As a console game fan, Wang Zikai waved at Nainai. ¡°Give me your smartphone. I¡¯ll find a picture for you.¡±

    ...

    Inside the cabin, Gao Yang slowly walked up to the brazier and stopped by the wheelchair, kneeling before Vermilion Bird to look at the marite-like woman at eye level.

    Vermilion Bird¡¯s face had gotten thinner. Outside of that, she didn¡¯t look that different. Her skin was fair, her facial features delicate, and the corners of her mouth curled slightly downward. When she wasn¡¯t smiling, she looked gloomy in a way that would be featured in a fashion magazine.

    Her eyes were unfocused and dim. There was no soul behind it.

    Gao Yang had steeled himself beforeing here, but still his chest hurt, followed by zing fury. The building resentment of both old grudges and new hate boiled his blood.

    He reached out to cover Vermilion Bird¡¯s cold hands, tightening his grip.

    Memories rushed into his head. He remembered their first handshake and the way she kept pulling a joke.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister Xia. It was my fault.¡±

    ¡°I will save you. I will avenge you.¡±

    ¡°Once you¡¯re well, we¡¯ll have milk tea and go to escape rooms together. I read a lot of ghost stories recently. I¡¯ll tell them to you then.¡±

    Vermilion Bird didn¡¯t react at all. She quietly breathed, and a single tear fell from her right eye due to it drying out from prolonged exposure to the air. It fell down her cheek slowly.

    Gao Yang got back to his feet and lifted the nket covering her chest, wrapping it around her more tightly.

    When he walked out of the cabin, all hispanions had put on new faces, waiting for him in a line in the snow. They were setting out for Li City tonight.

    He spotted Gao Xinxin at a nce. She had turned into a cute girl with grayish-blue eyes and tinum blond hair that reached her neck.

    He paused before breaking into a rare smile. He knew that his sister had turned into a game character on purpose to cheer him up.

    ¡°Mortal, this Empress will give you a new lease in life.¡± Nainai came up to Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like to go for a different face, too.¡±

    ¡°Whose face?¡±

    ¡°Do you know Leon the Sweeper?[2]¡±

    ...

    The day had yet to break. Raven Shark departed by water, while Gao Yang, Gao Xinxin, and Wang Zikai boarded a flight to Li City as three tourists. Vermilion Bird was put in arge suitcase with air holes and checked in. With Absolute Defense, Gao Yang could create a shielding barrier to easily bypass security and make sure of her safety.

    That was how White Tiger had transported Sarah¡¯s body from Aurora Town back then.

    Gao Yang took the middle seat with Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai on his sides. After the flight took off, they chatted and avoided any heavy subjects on purpose.

    Soon, the ne reached a stable height, and the dim environment was hypnotizing. Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin fell asleep almost at the same time. Their heads fell on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulders. The two had barely had a good night''s sleep the past few days.

    Gao Yang felt the warm weight on him, suddenly brought back to the trip to Naldives months ago. The three of them had been seated this way, too.

    The cabin shook slightly. Gao Yang found himself lulled into a serene state by the steady breathings of his best friend and his sister, and the hardened scars in his heart softened little by little.

    <i>No!</i>

    Gao Yang woke himself with rousing hatred seizing his heart. His softened eyes turned cold and sharp again.

    He looked down at his right palm, filled with confusion.

    <i>Why can¡¯t my Talent reach level 7? Is my belief not strong enough?</i>

    <i>Or perhaps opening the Gates, avenging the dead, or survival isn¡¯t what I want the most?</i>

    <i>No, I do want those things. Perhaps my belief isn¡¯t clear and concrete enough.</i>

    <i>I always feel like I¡¯ve found a clear target but forgot about it.</i>

    Gao Yang clenched his right fist.

    Tipping his head up, he closed his eyes and whispered to himself.

    ¡°Why...can¡¯t I remember?¡±

    1. Ashely Graham from <i>Resident Evil</i>. Her name is turned into a pun calling her an annoying obstacle for always getting in the way of the yer character. ?

    2. Leon from <i>Resident Evil</i>. He¡¯s nicknamed the man who kills all, burns all, and takes all by Chinese gamers. ?

 Chapter 754: Good Judge of Character

    <h4>Chapter 754: Good Judge of Character</h4>

    Secret room in the underground sewage, Li City, the next evening.

    Gregor, dressed in a yellowed white wifebeater and loose gray shorts, slumped on the sofa with the ceiling light shining on his face, highlighting his oily skin and e scars.

    He was in aplicated mood.

    Sitting across from him were four people. Gao Yang was the only one he recognized. With him was an intimidating-looking high school girl, a brooding little girl, and a beautifuldy with a numb look in a wheelchair.

    Gregor knew that they were all members of the Nine Scions.

    ¡°Gao Yang, oh, Gao Yang, I never expected this from you.¡± Gregor looked at the little girl sitting on the sofa with pity. It was Wang Weiyan. ¡°She¡¯s just a kid. How can you exploit a child asbor?!¡±

    ¡°Seeing isn¡¯t believing.¡± Gao Yang was unfazed. ¡°Her father passed awayst spring. Then a few days back, on the night of New Year, her mother passed away, too.¡±

    Gregor choked. He did have a conscience as a human, and looking at the orphaned girl, he didn¡¯t know what to say, but he felt sympathy for her.

    He scratched his face awkwardly and changed the subject. ¡°What about the wheelchaired woman?¡±

    ¡°Her brain was formatted by Qilin. Or it could be something else. You may consider her in a vegetative state. There¡¯s no way to cure her at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡± Gregor pped his thigh. His stance toward the Qilin Guild immediately shifted from neutral to abhorrence. ¡°The girl¡¯s beautiful like a flower. How could he do that to her?¡±

    Gregor sighed and turned to Gao Xinxin. ¡°This girl can¡¯t also be...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gao Xinxin pursed her lips. ¡°Just lost my grandmother, father, and mother in thest six months.¡±

    Gregor was speechless. He was better off not talking.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s expression was impassive as if what Gao Xinxin said had nothing to do with him. ¡°Lithe Snake died. I¡¯ll be taking over his job.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Gregor shot to his feet. ¡°How, how did he die?¡±

    ¡°Simply put, he died from the Qilin Guild¡¯s ambush,¡± Gao Yang said calmly.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Gregor cursed out loud, enraged. He paced around barefooted. ¡°The Qilin Guild is a fucking den of bastards!¡±

    He hadn¡¯t been with the Nine Scions for long, and technically, he had had little interaction with Lithe Snake, but he had taken a surprising liking to the man.

    Although Lithe Snake had a sharp tongue, he had an impressive attention to detail and knew Gregor well. Whatever Gregor needed, Lithe Snake could always get it for him and more.

    Once, the wiring here shortcircuited, and Lithe Snake came to fix it for him. They had a chat then.

    Lithe Snake brought up his experience as a mercenary. It was then he learned a little about everything for survival. Gregor had found the man captivating then. He would make for a good character in a story.

    ¡°Would you channel your rage and join the Nine Scions in our future fights?¡± Gao Yang asked tentatively with a joke, a half smile tugging his lips.

    Gregor paused and sat back down, quickly regainingposure. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    That didn¡¯t surprise Gao Yang. He got back to the main topic. ¡°The three of them will be living with you under the same roof for the foreseeable future, Mr. Gregor.¡±

    Gregor had long guessed the purpose of this visit, but he still put on a look of reluctance. ¡°You know I like being alone. Outside of the time I get enthralled by my carnal desires, that is.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°But this is a time of war. If you reject us, they will have to stay by my side. They may be the next Lithe Snake one day. Do you really want that to happen?¡±

    Gregor looked up at the three girls and thought back to their tragic stories. He immediately relented.

    ¡°Alright, alright. But they¡¯re not stepping into my study room. I need <iplete silence</i> when I write. If they bother me, I¡¯ll be mad!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang produced a ck Gold bracelet in his right hand. ¡°Put this on and don¡¯t take it off.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gregor was confused.

    Gao Yang said bluntly, ¡°To restrict you and protect them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gregor frowned.

    Gao Yang went for ¡°honesty¡± as a weapon. ¡°Letting the three of them stay with...a regr man with desires like you worries me even though I¡¯ve given Gao Xinxin a ck Gold handgun.¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re guarding against a moral man, too?¡± Gregor was exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster!¡±

    ¡°Consider it me seeing the worst in everyone,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ve injected the bracelet with a curse. Please don¡¯t take it off or use your Talent, or you¡¯ll ck out for days.¡±

    Gao Yang lied. What he had injected the bracelet with was the energy of Absolute Defense. It wouldst forty-eight hours. If Gregor took off the bracelet or used his Talent, a small Absolute Barrier would be created to iste Gregor from the outside world, and Gao Yang would immediately be notified.

    He hadn¡¯t told anyone about his acquisition of Absolute Defense. He wasn¡¯t going to tell Gregor now.

    He was betting that the man wouldn¡¯t recklessly take off the bracelet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll swing by every two days to bring you supplies and to reinforce the curse.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you¡¯ve thought it all out.¡± Gregor was displeased, but putting himself in Gao Yang¡¯s shoes, he would be worried about leaving his family with a male stranger, too.

    He wouldn¡¯t lose anything by putting on the bracelet anyway, so he did. ¡°Happy?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°And outside of the study room, toilets, bathrooms, and bedrooms, I¡¯ve installed surveince cameras in every other ce. If you do anything untoward, I can¡¯t ensure the integrity of your manuscript on yourputer.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Gregor jumped to his feet. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far! You may as well kill me! Now I think you¡¯re as shameless as Qilin!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m shameless.¡± Gao Yang looked at him openly. ¡°But I believe that none of the unpleasant things will happen given Mr. Gregor¡¯s integrity.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking me up.¡± Gregor scowled.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Gao Yang smiled slightly. ¡°I trust you enough to leave them with you not because of these safety measures, but because Lithe Snake told me you¡¯re trustworthy.¡±

    Gregor paused before breaking into a resigned smile. ¡°Fine. Stop bbering. Remember to install a venttor in the study room the next time you visit. They won¡¯t like the secondhand smoke.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart stuttered. <i>Dear</i> <i>Lithe Snake, you sure are a good judge of character. I¡¯m probably your only mistake.</i>

    ...

    Room 509, third boys¡¯ dorm, Li City University. Two o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The dorm room¡¯s light was off. The only light source was theputer screen, which illuminated Lin Dajian¡¯s oily face.

    He was paying full attention to the newly released horror game, <i>Evil Resident 4 Remastered</i>[1]. He had used a mod on the protagonist to rece him with the lead of <i>Devil Cry</i>[2]. And with his skillful control, he turned the horror game into a crowd brawler.

    After ughtering all the zombies in a vige, he encountered a small boss, and he got killed in a moment of distraction.

    Before, he would¡¯ve made a sarcastic exmation and kept challenging the boss until he figured out the pattern and killed it. Tonight, though, he deted and suddenly found the endeavor meaningless. He quit the game and picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table, taking one cigarette to light it.

    He had gotten int smoking recently.

    1. A reference to<i> Resident Evil.</i> ?

    2. A reference to <i>Devil May Cry.</i> ?

 Chapter 755: Eldersâ€™ Summon

    <h4>Chapter 755: Elders¡¯ Summon</h4>

    The embers of the cigarette flickered in the dark as Lin Dajian smoked. He looked at the three empty beds in the dorm room. Mi Shi had disappeared without warning. Gao Yang had pulled out of school after what happened to his family. Qiu Qiu had gotten killed by a robber. The once boisterous dorm room was now his alone.

    Sometimes, Lin Dajian would have a moment of weakness and feel like everyone was still there.

    Lin Dajian had gotten distracted earlier because he used to curse out loud dramatically on purpose every time he encountered a boss, drawing his roommates to check out how terrifying the monster was. Then he would kill the boss with masterful skills to show off.

    No matter how good of a gamer he was, though, he didn¡¯t have a friend to share the moments with now.

    Lin Dajian put out the cigarette and checked the social media with his phone, clicking into Sister Xia¡¯s page. Checking her timeline was his only pick-me-up now.

    Sister Xia¡¯s most recent post was from a few days ago.

    ¡°The weather will be good tomorrow. I¡¯d like to go to an escape room, but I have to work overtime.¡±

    Lin Dajian put away his phone in disappointment and lit another cigarette, taking a deep drag. His lone figure blended with the dim room.

    ¡ªYeah, the weather will be good, but I¡¯m all alone.

    ...

    Two men stood on the rooftop of the teaching building across from the boys¡¯ dorm. One stood before the railing on the edge of the rooftop, keeping an eye on Room 509, or more specifically Lin Dajian.

    The man was dressed in an aged navy blue suit. His messy long brown hair was part in the middle, and his stubbled face was sunken. He looked unkempt and gloomy. It was Luqi.

    The man behind Luqi was in a ck cape and arge hood, wearing a white mask to cover up the ugly face that had been disfigured in a fire. It was Goldthread, overtakenpletely by Dust.

    ¡°Clear Mirror,¡± Dust said with some urgency. ¡°Should we change our target?¡±

    Luqi didn¡¯t say anything or turn around but continued to look at Lin Dajian¡¯s room.

    Clear Mirror and Dust were twin siblings. In humannguage, they were the overtaker primes born at the same time.

    Clear Mirror had brought back Luqi by taking over the body.

    However, using a dead person as a host came with a great price: he couldn¡¯t transfer to another host, and he would lose his original ability.

    From then on, Clear Mirror could only live as Luqi, bing a real human.

    There were positives, too. He inherited Luqi¡¯s powerful Talent in full¡ªsince the Talent hadn¡¯t been imed by an awakener, luckily. The negatives were that he would adopt Luqi¡¯s personality to some degree, gaining snippets of memory and the man¡¯s soul. As a result, the once calm and aloof Clear Mirror had be brooding and introspective.

    Dust often found her brother familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

    ¡°Gao Yang has an uncle in the countryside. We can grab him and force Gao Yang out,¡± Dust suggested.

    ¡°Wrong.¡± Clear Mirror turned around and gave her an exnation in a deep voice. ¡°Whether we grab Gao Yang¡¯s uncle or Lin Dajian, Gao Yang won¡¯t show up. Even if he does, he wille prepared. We may not stand a chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m watching Lin Dajian for a different reason. I¡¯m waiting for them to cross paths like Qiu Qiu and Gao Yang had. When that happens, we¡¯ll make a sneak attack. That¡¯s our only chance of killing him.¡±

    ¡°To my knowledge, Gao Yang saw his uncle less than two times a year. It¡¯s less likely for them to cross paths soon than Gao Yang and Lin Dajian.¡±

    Dust nodded bemusedly. ¡°I understand now.¡±

    Clear Mirror turned around and watched the dorm building against the night wind. ¡°This isn¡¯t ideal, though. After what happened with Qiu Qiu, Gao Yang is unlikely to give us the chance to do the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I try to infiltrate the Qilin Guild?¡± Dust suggested. ¡°The Guild has been looking for Gao Yang, too. That can be our way in.¡±

    Dust did have a more personal reason for making the suggestion.

    She had always hated Goldthread¡¯s ugly body. She had picked him only because there was no better option then. And Goldthread had a nice Talent that would make her stronger.

    Were she given the choice, she still wanted to turn back into a young and beautiful woman.

    She didn¡¯t even dare to face Clear Mirror without her mask. She felt inferior for some reason.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Clear Mirror shot her down. ¡°After your identity and ability were revealed, the three organizations have imposed measures specifically against you. You¡¯d only be marching to your death.¡±

    Dust fell silent.

    Suddenly, Clear Mirror frowned. He rolled up his sleeve and saw that a red flower bud had grown out of his forearm. The roots burrowed through his skin, using his flesh and blood as soil.

    The red flower bud shook slightly before blooming all of a sudden. It was beautiful and insidious under the moonlight.

    Clear Mirror waved at Dust and grabbed the red flower, tearing it off his arm. The sttering blood stained his suit.

    ¡°The Elders¡¯ summoning us.¡±

    Dust paused before nodding. ¡°We¡¯re heading back?¡±

    Clear Mirror narrowed his eyes slightly and thought for a few seconds. ¡°We¡¯re heading back.¡±

    ...

    Saint Pilin Opera House, Snow Nation, three o¡¯clock the next morning.

    The opera house was located in the most developed neighborhood in the city, apanied by a clearke. It was brightly lit and grandiose even at midnight, painting a wondrous and beautiful picture paired with the reflection in theke.

    The opera house was a grand polyhedron architecture with rows of elegant ssical arched windows and delicate, finely crafted reliefs. It was dignified with a rich history, yet also sacred in a religious sense.

    Inside the opera house was arge circr space. In addition to the audience seats on the ground level, there were six tiers of mezzanine seats that filled a fan shape. It was like half of the Colosseum.

    Arge light blue dome topped the opera house, painted with twelve angels in the form of children. They wore white dresses with white wings, smiles pure and careless as they danced around the center of the dome, hands linked.

    Hanging from the center of the dome was an extravagant chandelier that resembled a strangely-shaped sun. The light took the concrete form of crystal shards, spreading in all directions.

    The crystallized light lit up the whole opera house. Staring at it gave one a curious heady feeling like they were bathed in divine grace.

    There was no one in the opera house at the moment, or so it seemed. The deep red curtains at the front of the stunning and grand stage parted to the sides, revealing an unassuming brown roundtable and five high-back chairs at the center.

    Three chairs were imed.

    The moderator of the roundtable was a frail old man.

    He was dressed in a loose light gray linen robe, barefooted. Outside of the cane in his hand, there was no other decoration on him. He looked in.

    He was bald with a long, thick silver beard that reached his chest. His eyes were gray and muddled with strange patterns that looked like rust.

    He was Nico, the gatekeeper of the opera house.

    That was only his mundane identity, of course. He was an Elder of the Godbearer Cult and one of the core members who had joined the earliest.

    And he had another identity. He was the wanderer prime, as the humans would call it.

    That, however, didn¡¯t mean that he had special ability or talent. What set him apart from regr wanderers was that he didn¡¯t go berserk even when he heard a summoner¡¯s song. And he didn¡¯t ck out or modify his logic when he witnessed things beyond the mundane understanding of the world.

    He knew he was a wanderer, but sometimes, he was convinced that he was human, too. It was a sort of self-hypnotizing instinct imprinted in the soul, which often resulted in conflicted actions from him.

    That, however, allowed Nico to think outside the limit of a monster and see the big picture from a greater perspective, thus making him something of a sage or a prophet.

    Sitting on his left was a woman.

 Chapter 756: Roundtable Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 756: Roundtable Meeting</h4>

    She was 1.9 meters tall with long, powerful limbs and a wild mane of long blue hair. Her skin was light grayish blue with deep blue scales covering her vital parts like armor. Her pointy ears looked like those of animals. Her long nted eyes were a little wider apart with vertical pupils, resembling two cold golden marbles.

    She was beautiful by both humans¡¯ and monsters¡¯ standards.

    She was Tia, the ughterer prime among the wrath monsters.

    Next to Tia was a middle-aged man about 1.7 meters tall, his figure thin and frail. Sitting next to Tia, he looked like a dwarf.

    He had short, hard brown hair and a narrow face that looked a little mousy. His hazel eyes darted around like he was wary of or observing something.

    He was wearing a ck tank top. Tattooed on his arms were countless faces, mostly with twisted, pained expressions as they were squashed together, like vengeful spirits getting tortured in the cauldron of hot oil in hell.

    The faces weren¡¯t actually tattoos, but the grievances of countless awakeners at the moment of their deaths, imprinted on his arms in the form of energy brands.

    He was Tokoos, the devourer prime among wrath monsters.

    All awakeners who died at his hands would have their Talents recorded permanently. However, the Talents would be mutated and weakened. By awakeners¡¯ standards, what he acquired would be no stronger than level 3 Talents.

    The small red flower that had grown out of Clear Mirror¡¯s arm was Tokoos¡¯ version of nt.

    Many years ago, he had devoured an awakener with nt, a young man who whined and begged before his death. The experience was tremendously pleasurable to Tokoos.

    It was perhaps due to the great pleasure he got from devouring awakeners that Tokoos felt empty and bored in everyday life¡ªoutside of the time he got to meet Tia. The damn beauty had bewitched him. It was a damn shame that he could never win her over.

    The opera house was silent and empty. On the bright stage, the three sat around the table. Nico didn¡¯t say anything.

    Tokoos, on the other hand, initiated small talk. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten even more beautiful, Tia. Do you really not want thepany of a male?¡±

    Tia shot him a side nce and didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    ¡°Consider me, would you?¡± Tokoos grinned. ¡°I know I¡¯m too short for you, but that won¡¯t be a problem. Once I devour an awakener with Shapeshifter, I¡¯ll be however tall you want me to be.¡±

    ¡°If you want me, beat me first,¡± Tia said derisively.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long gotten stronger than you are, Tia,¡± Tokoos said with disingenuous tenderness. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re too beautiful for me to go all out on you.¡±

    Tia burst into loudughter. She stared at Takoos with a prideful and pitying gaze. ¡°I give it some thought, and you are quite cute. Would you be my dog instead?¡±

    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s not out of the question.¡± Tokoos actually considered the suggestion. ¡°If you hug your dog when you sleep...¡±

    <i>ng</i>.

    The heavy door opened. A ray of golden light shone on the dim audience seats, and two backlit figures emerged. They were Clear Mirror and Dust, who had rushed their way here.

    ¡°Here you are,¡± Nico spoke up in an ancient and booming voice, his back hunched with both hands holding his cane. His muddled eyes were still focused on the table.

    Clear Mirror and Dust weaved through the seats without a word and easily jumped onto the stage, taking the two empty seats around the roundtable.

    ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless us,¡± said Nico.

    ¡°May the Heavenly Godbearer bless us,¡± the others echoed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gathered you here today because the Heavenly Godbearer issued a new order,¡± Nico exined calmly.

    The other four nodded, having anticipated it.

    Dust spoke up first. ¡°Nico, I¡¯d like to meet the Heavenly Godbearer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not yet time.¡± Nico lifted his right hand. ¡°When it is, She will summon you.¡±

    Dust fell silent. She had long expected the answer.

    Dust and Clear Mirror had only met Heavenly Godbearer twice, during the Crimson Tides eighteen years ago and eight years ago respectively.

    Of course, they didn¡¯t meet the Heavenly Godbearer in person, but a blurry divine image of Hers. Despite it being the projection of only part of Her divinity¡ªHer grace andpassion¡ªit was still a supreme existence they could not look directly at.

    The Heavenly Godbearer inspired and impressed DUst so greatly that she would never forget their meetings. She believed the same must be true of the others around the table. Or they wouldn¡¯t have followed and served Her so loyally for such a long time.

    In her long years of being a spy and one-sidedly receiving and carrying out orders, though, Dust slowly lost her patience, and even her belief wavered.

    She had spent a decade living among awakeners, during which she often forgot about her true cause and even mistaking herself for a human¡ªfor an awakener among peers.

    In fact, an overtaker could choose to live as a human after sessfully taking over a host.

    With the end of the world on the horizon, a chaotic civil war broke out among the awakeners for the Gates of Closure. That elicited a sense of urgency in Dust. She wondered if she and Clear Mirror would really get to reach the blissful otherworld with the Heavenly Godbearer when the end arrived, or if they would turn out like Tails.

    <i>No, I¡¯m different from Tails.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m different from Liu, Yellow Butterfly, and even Archbishop ck Tortoise.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m special. I¡¯m the king of my kind.</i>

    <i>I, Clear Mirror, and all the other primes are born as God¡¯s subjects, shouldering God¡¯s decrees and blessed with God¡¯s grace.</i>

    <i>In the Otherworld, the world belongs to God, there are spots reserved for us.</i>

    Dust repeated the words in her mind and reaffirmed her belief, her eyes lighting up with renewed determination under the mask.

    ¡°Before telling you the will of the Heavenly Godbearer, report the progress of our respective missions.¡± Nico turned to Tia, the ughterer prime, first.

    ¡°I¡¯ve looked everywhere and found nothing.¡± Tia crossed her arms and grunted with annoyance. ¡°The summoner prime couldn¡¯t have died, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if they died, new one would rece them. They msut be somewhere in the world, only you haven¡¯t found them.¡±

    Tia¡¯s most important mission was to find the summoner prime. She had been preupied with the mission for years.

    Nico, the wanderer prime, was the first to be discovered by the Heavenly Godbearer. With him as an elder, he found the other monster primes one after another under Her divine guidance.

    In Her decree, Nico learned that each prime had a mission to carry out, and the summoner prime had the most special and important mission. They must be found.

    All the years, however, Tia had failed to find the summoner prime. She found the freerider prime instead.

    Freeriders, including the prime, were wed products. They were corrupted, foolish, and driven by insidious desires, willingly bing a part of a human.

    Inparison, overtakers were the finished products among the greed monsters.

    Thetest freerider prime was a college student. When he sensed the scent of a mother from a life monster, his monsterhood mutated and went wild. He got killed by awakeners and met a farce of a tragic end.

    No one cared about freeriders and freerider prime. They were considered humiliation and jokes among monsters.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we drop it? We¡¯re more than enough for the Heavenly Godbearer. We don¡¯t need another prime.¡± Tia scoffed haughtily.

    Nico sighed softly and shifted his muddled eyes to Tokoos, the devourer prime. ¡°And your mission?¡±

    ¡°You already know the answer.¡± Tokoos shrugged, looking bored. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing nothing since the death of Archbishop.¡±

    The former ck Tortoise had been the one in charge of the mission, supported by Yellow Butterfly, Dust, Ghost Horse¡ªwhoter turned out to be a traitor¡ªand Tokoos.

    Tokoos was mainly the window ofmunication between the spies, Elder Nico, and Edmond, the leader of Tails. He was a coordinator pulling the strings behind the scenes.

    ck Tortoise and Tokoos had formted three ns for the mission.

 Chapter 757: Perfect Performance

    <h4>Chapter 757: Perfect Performance</h4>

    The first option was to assassinate Qilin.

    ck Tortoise never found a chance to do that. Qilin was a million times more cautious than he appeared to be.

    And among the four Elders, Qilin trusted Azure Dragon the most, followed by Vermilion Bird. ck Tortoise had little to no chance to approach Qilin alone.

    Even if he did end up alone with Qilin, he was far from Qilin¡¯s match.

    Thus, he had long given up on going for the first option.

    Second, steal the Miracle Rune Circuit.

    Qilin had taken out the Miracle Rune Circuit before the Elders on several asions. Only then did ck Tortoise realize that Qilin hadn¡¯t hidden the Miracle Rune Circuit somewhere, but had carried it with him twenty-four-seven. It would be a suicide mission to try to steal the Rune Circuit under his watch.

    The option was quickly dismissed, too.

    Third, gather as many Rune Circuits as possible and trade them for the Miracle Rune Circuits as bargaining chips.

    ck Tortoise believed that Qilin might consider the offer if the Godbearer Cult collected more than half of the Rune Circuits and had Tails pretend to be a new awakener faction rivaling the Qilin Guild, proposing to exchange the Miracle Rune Circuit with half of the Rune Circuits.

    However, it was easier said than done.

    Given ck Tortoise¡¯s privilege, he could take one Rune Circuit from the Qilin Guild temporarily, the Miracle Rune Circuit not included. And Dust, in the body of Goldthread, was keeping only one Rune Circuit, too.

    That was why Yellow Butterfly had turned against the team to grab the Rune Circuits when she saw two in the Rune Cave of the Eleventh Highschool. Unfortunately, she failed.

    Even if she seeded, though, and Balck Tortoise and Dust each betrayed the Guild and the Union with one Rune Circuit, the Cult would have only four Rune Circuits, less than half the total number.

    And with hindsight, it was clear that Qilin wouldn¡¯t be willing to exchange the Miracle Rune Circuit even for half of the Rune Circuits. He would at most agree to lease it, and he would be there to monitor the use of it.

    The three options were never going to work.

    Soon, ck Tortoise no longer had to agonize over the options. He got killed by Gao Yang and Ghost Horse¡¯s ploy, and the mission to acquire the Miracle Rune Circuit was officially a failure.

    After that, Dust continued to stay undercover in the Hundred Rivers Union and supply Tokoos with trivial intel for trivial missions.

    Nico sighed when he heard Takoos¡¯ response.

    He turned to the two overtaker primes, Clear Mirror and Dust.

    Thest time he saw the siblings, they still had their own faces. They were a beautiful pair.

    Now, Clear Mirror had turned into a brooding, tired middle-aged man, and Dust into an ugly man disfigured by a fire.

    ¡°I tried to assassinate him twice and failed both times,¡± Clear Mirror said slowly, his voice deep and cool. ¡°He¡¯s cunning and very capable of escaping. He seems to have a way of predicting danger before it strikes, too.¡±

    Clear Mirror had been helping Tia look for the summoner prime until the Divine Scion emerged. Then he was given his first crucial mission¡ªkilling the Divine Scion.

    Clear Mirror wouldn¡¯t be able to do it with his power alone, so he took over the trump card ck Tortoise had prepared before his death¡ªLuqi¡¯s body and gained ess to Judge.

    Even so, his assassination failed.

    After getting exposed, Dust had been helping Clear Mirror with the assassination mission until they were summoned to Snow Nation.

    Nico didn¡¯t sigh this time. He nodded slightly and fell into thought for a moment.

    After a while, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Last night, the Heavenly Godbearer came to me in my dream and told me that the Divine Scion is a mistake. It¡¯s like a screw that gets in the way of the gears of fate. He must be erased as soon as possible. It takes top priority.¡±

    Dust¡¯s gaze was hesitant. She finally mustered the courage to ask the question she had been agonizing over. ¡°Why is he called the Divine Scion? Is he the child of God? Can God...make a mistake, too?¡±

    ¡°God doesn¡¯t make mistakes.¡± Nico looked at Dust with a pious certainty.

    ¡°The Divine Scion is merely derived from the divinity, while the Heavenly Godbearer is the divine avatar of God¡¯s mercy and empathy. The Heavenly Way is the avatar of God¡¯s authority and severity. Only when the Heavenly Godbearer and the Heavenly Waye together will God return in full.¡±

    ¡°God divided Themself to test all lives. God will be one again to save all lives.¡±

    Nico¡¯s emotions surged suddenly, and he dered like a devoted and possessed preacher, ¡°Everyone! Lives are original sins, and desires, enemies. Without rity, it¡¯s doom...¡±

    ¡°Everyone!¡± Nico shot to his feet, face trembling and beard shaking. His monsterhood destabilized again, and personhood took over.

    ¡°Humans are mistakes! In need of correction, of repentance, of salvation! And you...are angels, angels blessed with God¡¯s grace! Angels here to test humans!¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Dust was going to say something, but Nico interjected loudly.

    ¡°Ah, everyone! Look ahead! Look at us!¡±

    Nico got more and more worked up. He was in another ¡°episode¡±, which was what set him apart.

    No matter how much they wanted to deny his position, there was one thing they had to acknowledge: the insane old man understood divine revtions the best and was closest to God¡¯s will.

    ¡°We were born with a divine cause!¡±

    Nico¡¯s monsterhood returned. He pounded on his chest and pontificated to the audience seats. ¡°Wanderers y as humans! Wanderers are the audience craving their moment on stage. Yes, audience. We¡¯re the audience...¡±

    Nico went still and silent for a few seconds.

    Then he whipped around to point at Tia and Tokoos. ¡°You and you...wrath monsters hurt humans!¡±

    Nico threw his cane at them. Tia raised her hand to catch it, looking bbergasted.

    ¡°Tools! Wrath monsters are tools...¡±

    Nico howled and swung his arm around, finger stopping at Clear Mirror and Dust. ¡°You, greed monsters, im humans!¡±

    Clear Mirror and Dust stayed silent.

    Nico started humming an upbeat tune. The old frail body even attempted to break into a dance.

    ¡°Yes, yes. Greed monsters are music, drawing one in and keeping them enthralled...¡±

    Nico took a few steps forward in a gait that showed his age. He looked up at the brilliant chandelier above him. ¡°Pride monsters observe humans! Pride monsters are the omnipresent lighting from above...¡±

    He dropped to his knees and pressed a kiss on the stage under his feet. ¡°Life monsters give birth to humans...life monsters give birth to everything. Just like the stage beneath us...¡±

    ¡°What else, what else...¡± Nico picked himself up unsteadily, looking around.

    Then his muddled eyes lit up suddenly. He pointed at the curtains behind him. ¡°And death monster! Death monster...death! It...it¡¯ll end humans! Like the curtains that signify the end of a performance!¡±

    ¡°Haha! A perfect performance! A perfect curtain call! Hahahaha...¡±

    ¡°Lord, we will live up to our purposes...save us, save us and take us to your world. Allow us to continue to be angels without a care...¡±

    Nico lost itpletely.

    He copsed to the floor and cked out, foaming from his mouth as his body seized up violently.

 Chapter 758: Hot Cold One

    <h4>Chapter 758: Hot Cold One</h4>

    The other four looked unbothered, like they had seen it many times.

    And in fact, Nico did spend half his time being hysterical.

    They digested what the old wanderer had just said. Nico often spilled out words that didn¡¯t make sense, but some would end up being an important revtion to them, allowing them to approach the truth behind the divine decree.

    Around ten minutester, Nico woke up.

    He was normal again like nothing had happened. Slowly, he sat back down.

    ¡°What do we do going forward, Nico?¡± asked Tia.

    ¡°We kill the Divine Scion at all cost,¡± said Nico.

    ¡°Ha, good.¡± Tia stretched her neck and made a crack. Compared to the boring mission of looking for the summoner prime, it was much more fun to fight.

    ¡°However, the Divine Scion¡¯s in hiding,¡± Tokoos said. ¡°We can¡¯t find him anywhere.¡±

    Clear Mirror and Dust didn¡¯t say anything, but it was clear that they agreed with Tokoos.

    Nico thought for a moment before slowly saying, ¡°Both we and the Divine Scion were in the dark before, making it difficult to kill him. As soon as one of us goes out into the open, though, the stalemate will end.¡±

    They all realized what he was suggesting and turned to Dust.

    Dust was responsible for a few deaths, and Gao Yang would surely want to have his revenge. The Nine Scions had always wanted to eliminate the Godbearer Cult, too, and Dust would serve as a good start.

    ¡°It is viable to lure the Divine Scion with Dust,¡± said Tokoos.

    Dust remained silent.

    ¡°Dust,¡± Nico said calmly. ¡°Do not fear death. It¡¯s only a part of a cycle. We¡¯ll all end up in the world of God.¡±

    Dust scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t fear death. I¡¯m just wondering if we can win an open fight.¡±

    Nico said, ¡°Not in the past, I don¡¯t think, but things are different now.¡±

    Tokoosughed. ¡°Dust, haven¡¯t you noticed that the Heavenly Way¡¯s restriction is goingx? We can recruit arge number of helpers and have a grand showdown.¡±

    ¡°Good, what are we waiting for?¡± Tia rubbed her hands together.

    ¡°This should be done sooner rather thanter, before the Divine Sciones into his power.¡± Takoos was an expert in that. He hade into power by devouring awakener after awakener.

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow the order,¡± said Clear Mirror.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it,¡± said Dust.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer blesses you,¡± said Nico.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer blesses you,¡± the others echoed.

    <i>Swish</i>. The curtains in the front of the stage slowly drew close and signified the end of the act. The opera house was silent again.

    The roundtable meeting tonight was like a boring stagey with no audience.

    ...

    Secret safehouse in the sewage, Li City,te at night.

    Inside the small warm room, Gao Xinxin had been reading children''s books to Wang Weiyan for twenty minutes to put her to sleep.

    Gao Xinxin brushed her hair and gently tucked her in. The little girl, who had just turned five, made Gao Xinxin ache when she looked at her.

    Although Gao Yang had exined what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion with only a few sentences, Gao Xinxin could picture the living hell it must be. Wang Weiyan had lost her mother there. The trauma could follow her for her whole life.

    But the girl was surprisingly resilient. While she was sad, she hadn¡¯t closed herself to the outside world. Whenever she missed her mother, she would take out the birthday card and ask Gao Xinxin to read it out for her. Her eyes turned red as she listened before she broke into sobs, but she seemed okay after the outburst.

    Gao Xinxin turned off themp by the bed and walked out of the room, gently closing the door.

    <i>Bam! </i>The door to the study room was suddenly mmed open. Although Gao Xinxin had gotten used to Gregor¡¯s clumsy way, she still jumped.

    ¡°Quiet. Yanyan¡¯s just fallen asleep...¡± Gao Xinxin lowered her voice and red at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Children sleep soundly and don¡¯t wake up easily...¡± Gregor was wearing a loose T-shirt, a pair of pants, and flip-flops. Hisplexion was sickly and his voice nasal.

    With unsteady footsteps, he walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of coke, rummaging for something. ¡°Where¡¯s the ginger? Where is it hidden¡ª<i>ack, ack! Ack ack ack!</i>¡±

    ¡°Ginger doesn¡¯t have to be stored in the fridge. It¡¯s in the kitchen.¡± Gao Xinxin frowned. ¡°You caught a cold?¡±

    ¡°Must be, <i>ack, ack</i>...¡± Gregor coughed as he walked into the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I had a cold. I thought awakeners don¡¯t get sick.¡±

    Gao Xinxin hesitated before following him into the kitchen. ¡°If you¡¯re sick, you should be resting. Of course you¡¯d catch a cold when you went around dressing so thinly. What are you making? I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gregor didn¡¯t turn her offer down. ¡°Cook the coke with ginger... I had that every time I caught a cold...<i>ack, ack...</i>¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Still, you better have proper medicine too.¡± Gao Xinxin went up to the counter and found the ginger, washing it and slicing it. Once the coke in the pot was boiling, she put all the ginger into it.

    Suddenly, an epiphany hit her. The thought appeared out of nowhere and wouldn¡¯t leave.

    Ginger, also known as the hot cold one, <i>yanliang xiaozi</i>.

    Ginger, <i>jiang</i>. The hot cold one, <i>yanliang xiaozi</i>.

    <i>Jiang...Yan Liang.</i>

    ¡°Ah!¡± Gao Xinxin cried out. Gregor, who was slumping on the sofa in the living room, jumped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a mouse? Leave it to me. I¡¯ll poison... No, I can¡¯t use my Talent now. What a hassle. Tell your brother to bring some mouse poison the next time...¡±

    Gao Xinxin ran out of the kitchen into the bedroom and grabbed her old model phone, sending a text to an unknown number.

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Gao Yang snuck into the secret safehouse in disguise.

    Gao Xinxin immediately shot up from the sofa. ¡°What took you so long? This is urgent.¡±

    Gao Yang silently sighed in relief when he saw that Goa Xinxin was okay. He smiled at her. ¡°I came here as quickly as I could. What¡¯s the emergency?¡±

    Gregor had already had his ginger c and was sleeping in his room.

    Gao Xinxin waved Gao Yang in. ¡°Let¡¯s speak inside.¡±

    Gao Yang followed her to her bedroom. The first thing he saw was Vermilion Bird, sitting quietly in a wheelchair with her eyes open. Tears were about toe out again. Gao Xinxin hurriedly grabbed some tissue and wiped the tears, gently closing her eyes.

    She shared a room with Vermilion Bird so that she could take care of her better.

    Gao Yang felt a dull pain in his chest. He quietly digested the emotion and said, ¡°Tell me. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I just thought of something, Brother.¡± Gao Xinxin was a little worked up. She blinked as she continued, ¡°I¡¯ll get to the conclusion first. Elder Yan Liang of the Qilin Guild...could be Sir Jiang!¡±

    Gao Yang sucked in a breath.

 Chapter 759: Hidden

    <h4>Chapter 759: Hidden</h4>

    Gao Yang had told Gao Xinxin almost everything about the Mist World, including the only surviving pride monster, Sir Jiang.

    ¡°Brother, ginger, <i>jiang</i>, is also known as<i> yanliang xiaozi!</i>¡± Gao Xinxin said. ¡°Is that only a coincidence?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s head was a mess. He grabbed a chair to sit down and lowered his head in bemusement.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a coincidence...¡± Gao Yang slowly looked up, his expression growing certain. ¡°Why does Yan Liang keep a mask on? Why is his Talent so strange with no matching one on the list? If Yan Liang is Sir Jiang, a pride monster...ha, then everything makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it a lot, Brother.¡± Gao Xinxin sat down on the bed and looked at Vermilion Bird in a wheelchair. Vermilion Bird had slowly opened her eyes again, her gaze unfocused.

    Gao Xinxin lowered her voice. ¡°I remembered you saying that Sir Jiang gave you, Officer Huang, and Qing Ling a piece of advice: do not open the Gates of Closure.¡±

    ¡°He did.¡± Gao Yang nodded. He already knew what Gao Xinxin was going to say.

    ¡°Qilin said that he must collect the twelve Rune Circuits and personally open the Gates, and you insist that it must be a third party doing it. That¡¯s your unresolvable sh and turned you into enemies.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always found that strange. If it¡¯s about opening the Gates, you and Dragon¡¯s stance makes more sense. Why does it matter who¡¯s the one to open it as long as someone does?¡±

    ¡°Is it possible...¡± In the dim room, Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes glinted faintly. ¡°That Qilin never wants to open the Gates?¡±

    ¡°Qilin doesn¡¯t want to open the Gates, and neither does Sir Jiang. Yan Liang is Sir Jiang. They have been working together since a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°They fooled everyone into collecting the Rune Circuits with the excuse of opening the Gates when they never want to open it. That must be because they want all twelve of the Rune Circuits for something else. Perhaps they¡¯re destroying the Gates or something even worse. That¡¯s why Qilin always emphasizes that the Rune Circuits must be handed to him so that he can open the Gates himself...¡±

    Gao Xinxin noticed Gao Yang staring at her then.

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Gao Yang smiled contently. ¡°You¡¯re on the right track. As expected of my little sister. You¡¯re smart.¡±

    ¡°Stopplimenting yourself through me. I¡¯ve always been smart!¡± Gao Xinxin preened.

    Gao Yang¡¯s smile dropped then. He looked at Vermilion Bird sadly. ¡°ording to your theory, Vermilion Bird must have been silenced because she learned the secret that Qilin never wanted to open the Gates.¡±

    Gao Xinxin nodded vehemently. ¡°Very possible! But there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand...¡±

    She paused. Even though she was merely thinking from Qilin¡¯s perspective, she still found the thought too insidious to voice.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand why Qilin didn¡¯t kill Vermilion Bird.¡± Gao Yang voiced her thoughts for her.

    Gao Xinxin nodded.

    ¡°I thought about it too,¡± Gao Yang said ponderously. ¡°One possibility is that Qilin was overly confident and believed it sufficient to just kill Vermilion Bird mentally.¡±

    ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Gao Xinxin stroked her chin. ¡°No matter how confident Qilin is, he isn¡¯t going to cut corners in something this important, is he?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Another possibility. Qilin didn¡¯t want Vermilion Bird¡¯s Equivalent Exchange to return to the Heavenly Way and end up acquired by someone else. The only people Qilin can trust fully are Azure Dragon and Yan Liang. He doesn¡¯t want anyone else to acquire Equivalent Exchange.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s vicious.¡± Gao Xinxin felt her scalp go numb.

    ¡°The third possibility, Qilin didn¡¯t want to go all the way due to the history they shared, so he left room for things to be reversed,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Him being the only one who can reverse her state.¡±

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s great! Does it mean that Sister Xia may still recover?¡±

    ¡°Likely so.¡±

    <i>I won¡¯t give up on Vermilion Bird as long as I¡¯m alive.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice that thought.

    ¡°Gao Xinxin,¡± Gao Yang said proudly. ¡°You¡¯ve made a great contribution this time.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Since the mood was lighter now, Gao Xinxin went for her expertise¡ªthrowing shades. ¡°Who was the one who sent me to the bordend because he saw me as a burden?¡±

    ¡°I allowed prejudices to cover my eyes.¡± Gao Yang temporarily reverted to his past self and yed along in the bicker. Holding onto his fist, he got on one knee. ¡°It¡¯s been three months now. I wee Lord Xin¡¯s return!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gao Xinxin smirked, fullymitted to the act. ¡°This time, I¡¯m taking everything that should be mine!¡±

    After the impromptu act, they exchanged a nce and burst outughing.

    Then Gao Yang realized that Vermilion Bird had closed her eyes at some point. Her head drooped, and her breathing grew lighter and slower.

    ¡°She¡¯s asleep?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Gao Xinxin leaned in to observe her. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s asleep. It¡¯s about time. She sleeps a lot every day, like a cat.¡±

    Gao Xinxin nced at Gao Yang. ¡°Come on. Get her onto the bed.¡±

    Gao Yang blinked.

    Gao Xinxin red at him. ¡°What are you waiting for? Chop-chop! Usually I¡¯m the one who gets her up on the bed, and it¡¯s exhausting. You¡¯re close to Sister Xia. She won¡¯t mind.¡±

    Gao Yang went up and lifted Vermilion Bird with a hand under her armpit and the other hand under her knees. She was surprisingly light.

    To Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird had been a senior colleague, an understanding older sister, and a strong awakener with great vitality, but now, she was quiet, fragile, and light, like a pretty ss figurine that would shatter if she fell.

    He ced her on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I¡¯m leaving. You should rest, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh no you¡¯re not,¡± Gao Xinxin said. ¡°We still have things to do.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I have to massage her full body before going to bed. I usually do it all on my own, and you don¡¯t know how tiring it is. You¡¯ve got to give me a hand today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not letting you touch where you shouldn¡¯t touch.¡± Gao Xinxin made a face at him. ¡°Get your brain out of the gutter¡±

    Gao Yang was both exasperated and amused. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±

    ¡°Sit there and start with her fingers. Do what I do.¡± Gao Xinxin kicked off her shoes and sat on the bed with her legs apart, lifting Vermilion Bird¡¯s right hand and moving the finger joints.

    Gao Yang did the same with Vermilion Bird¡¯s left hand.

    They worked their way through the fingers, palms, wrists, the muscles in the forearms, the shoulders, and then the calves.

    While they massaged Vermilion Bird, the siblings chatted.

    Gao Xinxin had purposefully kept Gao Yang around with an excuse. She simply wanted to talk to him a little more.

    She knew that her brother was now the leader of the Nine Scions, and his time belonged to everyone. He was constantly thinking, making arrangements, and going on missions, so he could never stay for long.

    Thus, she yed dirty and used Vermilion Bird. She knew that Gao Yang felt guilty and would be willing to do more for Vermilion Bird.

    Everyone said that Gao Yang had changed, but Gao Xinxin knew that it wasn¡¯t the case.

    Gao Yang had simply hidden himself in a secret corner, leaving his injuries to bleed, rot, and fester without treating them; he believed he didn¡¯t have the right to.

    But Gao Xinxin would find him. Even if she couldn¡¯t cure his wounds, it would still be better to drag him out of the shadow to get some sun, even for a brief moment.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Gao Yang, who was holding Vermilion Bird¡¯s calf, suddenly called out.

 Chapter 760: Liu Haoqiang

    <h4>Chapter 760: Liu Haoqiang</h4>

    ¡°Huh...what, what is it now?¡±

    Gao Xinxin had been staring at Gao Yang as he lowered his head to focus on massaging Vermilion Bird. His sudden shout startled her.

    ¡°I remember something else! About Sir Jiang!¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes zed.

    Gao Xinxin sighed inwardly. <i>My dear brother, you really are a workaholic. Even if your future wife is delivering a baby, you¡¯ll probably be working on aptop outside the operating room.</i>

    Thinking of Gao Yang as a corporate ve made Gao Xinxin smile. It¡¯d be great if they got to lead a simple, mundane life like that in the future.

    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Gao Xinxin pursed her lips. ¡°Nothing. What were you gonna say?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember, Xinxin? I told you that Liu Qinying warned me about X, so I warned Qilin, and he had his guard up against the man.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± Gao Xinxin tried her best to recall their conversation. ¡°I remember a little.¡±

    ¡°I once asked Liu Qingying about it indirectly. Although she didn¡¯t give me a straight answer, she more or less admitted to having a source of intel that isn¡¯t an awakener. I spected then that she may be trading with elite monsters, too.¡±

    ¡°Do you, do you mean...¡± Gao Xinxin covered her mouth in surprise. ¡°That she learned about X...from Sir Jiang?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°The pride monsters each have their answer, and Sir Zuo¡¯s answer was for X to kill all humans and be God alone. It was an unorthodox answer even among the pride monsters, so Sir Zuo had been a lone wolf.¡±

    ¡°The same could be said about Sir Jiang. However, they were both pride monsters at the end of the day, and they might have crossed paths long ago and exchanged thoughts. Thus, Sir Jiang had always been wary of Sir Zuo and X.¡±

    Gao Xinxin frowned. ¡°If Sir Jiang is Yan Liang, though, why did he have to give out the warning through Liu Qingying? He could¡¯ve just told Qilin to be wary of X.¡±

    Gao Yang tried to rationalize it. ¡°Perhaps Sir Jiang only knew that Sir Zuo and X were nning something, but not what their actual scheme was. Or Sir Jiang would¡¯ve stopped Qilin from sending us to seek out X, or had Qilin kill X long ago.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Gao Xinxin nodded.

    ¡°It means that Sir Jiang believed X to be an asset, but not to be fully trusted. To be on the safe side, he had Qilin keep his guard up just in case, and it turned out to be warranted.¡±

    ¡°Thinking back, Qilin and Dragon were more than enough to deal with Lilia and Epilogue. They didn¡¯t need X¡¯s help.¡± Gao Yang continued with his analysis. ¡°Hindsight is twenty-twenty, though. Before the Crimson Tide, the leader of shadowstalkers and the heads of awakeners had never fought, but each stayed out of the other¡¯s way. Thus, neither knew how powerful the other side was.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Xinxin agreed.

    Gao Yang tried to think from Sir Jiang¡¯s shoes. ¡°Were I Sir Jiang, this would be my thought process: I know X and Sir Zuo are up to something, but I don¡¯t know what. Now, the leader of the shadowstalkers has been pulling strings behind the scene with the Godbearer Cult. And Surnamed Li prophesied that all awakeners would die during the Crimson Tide. Things aren¡¯t looking good.¡±

    ¡°Thus, I agree that Qilin should send people to recruit X and Alcoholic, gathering all possible power to deal with the enemies. After all, we are all in the same boat in the fight for survival.¡±

    ¡°Still, something has to be done about X. If I just warn Qilin, Qilin will have to exin to others how he knew that X was suspicious in advance, which will be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I send the message through Liu Qingying, the information broker. That¡¯ll help keep up the front that I have nothing to do with Qilin. After all, if the awakeners know that the leader of the Qilin Guild has an established rtionship with a pride monster, it¡¯ll make it difficult for Qilin to lead humans and achieve our ultimate goal.¡±

    Gao Yang turned to Gao Xinxin. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Oh my.¡± Gao Xinxin gaped. ¡°If you just put a mask on, you¡¯d be Yan Liang himself.¡±

    ¡°Yan Liang himself.¡± Gao Yang knew she was joking, but his gaze turned icy then. ¡°Just wait. His name has foretold his fate. He¡¯ll be a cold corpse for sure.¡±

    ...

    Twenty-one years ago, spring.

    A tube-shaped apartment, Nanji District.

    It was dawn, and sunlight broke through the sky. Liu Haoqiang opened her swollen eyes, waking up in a small, dim room filled with the smell of mold and alcohol.

    She had had little sleep the whole night because she hurt all over.

    Last night, her father came home drunk and beat her up with a grip on her hair. Once he got tired, he removed his belt and used that to whip her, all the while cursing her out for being a ¡°sissy¡±.

    Liu Haoqiang wasn¡¯t that. She had always been a woman, but cruelly given a body with both male and female parts.

    Her father had always wanted a son. When he found out that his wife had given birth to a ¡°freak¡±, he lost it and raged, considering it a stain on the Liu Family. He asked the doctor to immediately turn the child into a boy with surgery.

    However, his wife opposed to it vehemently. The child hade out of her womb. It would be the child¡¯s choice if they wanted to be a boy or a girl.

    For that, the couple fought constantly and almost divorced, but never really separated.

    While her mother was still around, Liu Haoqiang had support. Despite the boy¡¯s name forced on her, she was still allowed to grow her hair long, put on dresses, buy dolls, and be the girl she wanted to be.

    Unfortunately, when she was seven, her mother fell ill and passed away.

    What followed was a nightmare thatsted a decade.

    Her father cut her long hair and burned her dresses and dolls. He forced her to be a boy, and whenever Liu Haoqiang even acted a little like a girl, he would get mad and call her a sissy.

    Liu Haoqiang started out putting on an act and insisting on her identity in private, but then her father found out and gave her a beating.

    After being abused for six months, Liu Haoqiang got scared and started ying the part of a son.

    Even so, her father wasn¡¯t satisfied. He had lost his wife in his middle age and then lost his steady job at a factory. He attributed all the difficulties he faced in life to the freak he and his wife had given birth to. This must be the punishment inflicted on him by the ancestors of the Liu Family.

    Since then, her father started drinking excessively. He hit rock bottom, and thus the domestic violence continued.

    Sometimes he beat her once every week, sometimes every two to three days. The neighbors couldn¡¯t take it and called the police, but nothing came out of it.

    Her father smartened up after that. He no longer punched and kicked Liu Haoqiang, but whipped her with a belt, doing his best not to leave marks on the face and hands so that the neighbors would stop being nosy.

 Chapter 761: Smelly Ditch

    <h4>Chapter 761: Smelly Ditch</h4>

    ¡°Say it! Are you a man or a woman? Say it out loud!¡±

    Liu Haoqiang¡¯s drunk father had lost itpletely. He whipped Liu Haoqiang as she cowered in a corner and demanded an answer.

    ¡°Man, I¡¯m a man! Stop it, please. I made a mistake. I knew I was in the wrong...¡± Liu Haoqiang begged while holding onto herself with both hands.

    ¡°You don¡¯t fucking seem like one! You sissy! Freak! Source of my bad luck...¡± Her father went even harder. ¡°Don¡¯t cry! Men don¡¯t cry!!¡±

    The violent outburst usuallysted over ten minutes until her father was exhausted. Then he would fall sound asleep on the sofa.

    Liu Haoqiang always dried her tears quietly and cleaned up the mess in the living room. She even had to lift her father onto the bed before using the first-aid kit to disinfect her wounds.

    There were many times when Liu Haoqiang thought about shutting the windows and doors and opening the gas in the kitchen to drag his father to hell with her. But she was a coward who only dared to consider the option, never carrying it out.

    Last night, her father beat her because he saw the small red stains on the jeans she hadn¡¯t been able to wash. The blood was from her period.

    Her father forbade her from using sanitary pads because he believed it to be repulsive and cursed. However, Liu Haoqiang had no better way to deal with her natural biological phenomenon. She could only resort to using tissues as pads.

    She embarrassed herself many times because of that and became the butt of the jokes in the ss. The girls kept a wide berth from her, and the boys shunned her. She had no friends.

    Her homeroom teacher took it seriously, though, and visited her family in person to talk to her father about it.

    Her father epted whatever the teacher said with simple yeses, but as soon as the teacher was out of the room, Liu Haoqiang got another beating. Her father cursed her out for being a humiliating and cursed one.

    Nothing came out of it in the end. It was as if the problem would go away as long as everyone pretended it wasn¡¯t there.

    Now, Liu Haoqiang got out of bed and walked into the cramped kitchen, opening the fridge and steaming the cold hard buns in the electric pot. Then she prepared some mustard greens and a small bowl of liquor. This would be her father¡¯s breakfast.

    If she didn¡¯t do this, she could receive another beating when she came back home after school.

    After all that, Liu Haoqiang returned to her room and stood before the mirror. She took off her shirt, wrapping bandages around her chest tightly to cover her pronounced curves until her torso seemedpletely t from the side.

    Then she put on boys¡¯ uniform and put on her backpack. With her hair cut short, she looked like a boy with more delicate features.

    She stared at herself in the mirror and practiced the sort of broad smile that boys usually made. She had to make herself seem more like a boy to win their respect and avoid bullying.

    When she was about done, the wound around her corbones throbbed in pain.

    A ray of morning light shone into the room, sshing white onto the mirror and obscuring her face.

    Suddenly, Liu Haoqiang felt frustration, exhaustion, and deep resentment greater than ever before rising in her heart. The resentment was targeted at her father, herself, and the world.

    ¡°Aghh!!¡±

    She screamed, smashing the full-length mirror in her closet with a punch. The knuckles of her fair fingers bled profusely. The ¡°boy¡± reflected in the mirror shattered into pieces.

    She threw away her backpack and took off her shirt, yanking off the bandages wrapped around her chest. Then she stepped onto a small stool on the side to take a small brown suitcase from the top of the closet. Inside was the red dress her mother had worn at her wedding.

    She put it on and smeared her lips with the blood from her fingers like she was applying vibrant lipstick.

    Then she strode into the kitchen, putting the breakfast she had prepared into the trashcan.

    Satisfied, she walked out of the house alone.

    Dressed in an old-fashioned red dress, she walked barefoot across the corridor of the apartment building that was filled with clothes, bedsheets, pickled vegetables, and cured meat. The neighbors who had already woken up stared at her in surprise, but none dared to strike up a conversation.

    Soon, Liu Haoqiang made it out of the stuffy apartment and reached the main road. The awakening city was boisterous and thriving with vitality. The warm morning sun cast the roads still damp with early morning rain in a reddish glow.

    Liu Haoqiang walked along the sidewalk. A group of construction workers in deep blue wereing her way. Like a red dolphin swimming across the ocean, Liu Haoqiang waded through the group.

    Her footsteps gained a skip, and her breathing became free. She had never felt so happy. She hummed and spun and jumped, enjoying the sunlight, flower fragrance, and morning dew to their full like an innocent princess who had just escaped the castle.

    About ten minutester, she reached a creek and walked onto the stone bridge, standing at the center of it.

    The happiness and liberation derived from insanity were shortlived, leaving deeper despair and a sense of loss.

    She climbed over the bridge railing, looking down at the creek against the morning wind.

    The creek was no more than ten meters wide and two meters deep, and the water flow wasn¡¯t quick. For a girl who couldn¡¯t swim and wanted to die, though, it was more than enough.

    Liu Haoqiang took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing herself as a flying bird getting shot, about to dive in.

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re gonna die in a smelly ditch like this?¡±

    A girl¡¯s voice came from behind her. It was a pretty voice, but there was a hint of mischievousness to the tone.

    Liu Haoqiang started and almost fell. She iled her arms around to regain bnce. Then she slowly turned to the side to look at the uninvited guest.

    It was a girl with twin tails and dressed in a high school uniform. She was on a bicycle with her arms crossed and resting on the handlebar, a callous and yful smile tugging her lips.

    She was pretty withrge bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a tapered chin. She looked bright and cute with an edge of rebellion.

    ¡°Who, who are you?¡± Liu Haoqiang asked.

    ¡°Does it matter? You¡¯re jumping into the creek, aren¡¯t you?¡± The girl was still smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I¡¯m not trying to stop you. I¡¯m just surprised that someone would want to die in this smelly ditch. What a sad way to go it¡¯ll be.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Liu Haoqiangughed at her own expense. ¡°Death is death...¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± The girl pped her thigh and spoke impassionedly. ¡°Death is death. Why not kill yourself in a better ce? The creek used to be quite clean, but now that all the residential wastewater and human waste discharge into this creek...tsk, tsk, it¡¯s dirty with all the bacteria...¡±

    Liu Haoqiang couldn¡¯t help but picture it, and she felt nauseous.

    ¡°There are also water snakes, swamp eels, and all sorts of bugs in the water. Think about it. After your death, they¡¯ll all burrow into your mouth andy eggs in your body, giving birth to a colony of small water snakes...¡±

    ¡°Oh boy...¡± The girl braced herself dramatically. ¡°Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.¡±

    Liu Haoqiang paled. She was already covered in goosebumps.

    ¡°Hey, ever see the ocean?¡± the girl suddenly asked apropos to nothing.

    Liu Haoqiang shook her head.

    ¡°Neither have I. I¡¯m saving up to go on a ferry trip after graduating from high school to look at the ocean,¡± the girl said. ¡°What about it? Wanna join me?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Liu Haoqiang thought she had heard her wrong.

    ¡°Then you can jump into the ocean to kill yourself,¡± the girl said earnestly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that better than this ditch?¡±

    Liu Haoqiang thought about it, and to her surprise, it did seem like the better option. Yes, if she was going to die anyway, why not look for a better ce? The ocean must be beautiful.

    ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡± The girl winked at her with her left eye. ¡°Hey, stop standing on the railing. You look stupid.¡±

    Liu Haoqiang flushed red before going pale. She slowly lowered herself.

    In a sh, the girl pushed her bicycle aside and took a big stride forward to grab her hand, yanking her toward the bridge.

    Liu Haoqiang fell into her arms, and they fell on the stone floor.

    Worried that Liu Haoqiang would run away, the girl wrapped her arms so tightly around Liu Haoqiang that she found it difficult to breathe.

    The girl shouted, ¡°Why would you do this at this age? Think about your parents! You¡¯re being selfish...¡±

    The moment Liu Haoqiang heard that, the frustration and grievances she had bottled up for more than a decade erupted like a volcano.

    ¡°What do you know about me?! My mom died when I was young! My father resents me! He beats me up and whips me with a belt every time he gets drunk... My ssmates hate me and stay away from me. No one would be my friends... I¡¯m being selfish by being alive. It¡¯s better that I die. That¡¯ll please everyone...¡±

    The girl gaped at her. That was...more tragic than she could ever imagine.

    Liu Haoqiang burst out crying.

    ¡°Huh? Eh, ehhhhh?¡±

    The girl was still lying prone on the ground. Suddenly helpless, she kept patting Liu Haoqiang on the back. ¡°Say, people should be more selfish. You...you don¡¯t have to care about other people. You should live for yourself... Hey, girl, would you stop crying and get up first? My legs are going numb...¡±

 Chapter 762: Generation Gap

    <h4>Chapter 762: Generation Gap</h4>

    Liu Haoqiang cried herself to exhaustion, and her wails slowly quieted into a sob. The girlforted her on the side, wiping her tears for her with a handkerchief, which quickly got drenched.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of tears,¡± the girl joked brightly. ¡°Are you made of water?¡±

    Liu Haoqiang didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I...I¡¯ll pay you back...¡±

    ¡°Can you afford to?¡± The girl suddenly pulled a straight face. ¡°This is made of the most premium silk from heavenly snow silkworms. It¡¯s priceless, and there are only two such handkerchieves in the world. The other one is owned by the queen of Snow Nation.¡±

    ¡°Re-really?¡± Liu Haoqiang¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Of course not. Is your brain turned off or something? You can¡¯t even tell that I¡¯m joking.¡± The girlughed carelessly and offered her a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Ba Qiuchi. Based on the poem. Easy to remember, right?¡±

    <i>Ba Qiuchi. What a pretty name. It¡¯s poetic.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m...¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Ba Qiuchi shouted, staring at the two streaks of blood running down Liu Haoqiang¡¯s legs under the red dress.

    ¡°Are you...hurt?¡±

    Liu Haoqiang flushed red from her face all the way to the bottom of her neck. She had never been so embarrassed and ashamed. She wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it. She lowered her head and couldn¡¯t look at Ba Qiuchi. ¡°I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got your period!¡± Ba Qiuchi realized and reacted easily. ¡°You don¡¯t have pads with you, do you? Me neither.¡±

    Ba Qiuchi picked up her bicycle. ¡°Hop on!¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Hurry,¡± Ba Qiuchi urged.

    ¡°Okay...¡± Liu Haoqiang awkwardly got onto the back seat of the bicycle with her head lowered.

    Soon, they reached a small shop. Ba Qiuchi parked her bicycle and shed Liu Haoqiang a smile. ¡°Wait here.¡±

    A minuteter, she returned with a small ck stic bag. Inside were the pads, and she was carrying a pair of simple-looking sandals in her left hand.

    Liu Haoqiang was surprised. Although the shopkeeper was an older woman with a kind face, how did Ba Qiuchi just buy something like that without batting an eye? Wouldn¡¯t she feel...embarrassed?

    ¡°Put on the shoes first. Doesn¡¯t it feel ufortable to walk barefoot? Come on. There¡¯s a public restroom there.¡± Ba Qiuchi seemedpletely unfazed. When Liu Haoqiang didn¡¯t react, she asked, ¡°What? Do you need me to do it for you?¡±

    Liu Haoqiang blushed and took the stic bag from her.

    A few minutester, Liu Haoqiang emerged from the public restroom, having cleaned up the blood on her legs with water, too.

    Ba Qiuchi was on her bicycle, waving at her with a bright beam. ¡°Come on. Get on.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°A nice ce!¡±

    Liu Haoqiang got onto Ba Qiuchi¡¯s bicycle again. They rode through the busy streets with the breeze of April and the clear sunlight kissing their faces. Liu Haoqiang felt like she was in a tender dream as the bicycle wavered and wiggled, lost in the moment.

    Ten minutester, Ba Qiuchi dragged Liu Haoqiang to a shop selling female undergarments on the street corner.

    Liu Haoqiang blushed as soon as she saw the mannequin with fashionable undergarments in the window disy.

    Ba Qiuchi grabbed her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°No...I, I¡¯ll stay outside...¡± Liu Haoqiang broke free of Ba Qiuchi¡¯s hands. It felt like her feet were pinned to the ground.

    Ba Qiuchi considered her face closely and gave her a gentle smile. ¡°Your mother passed when you were young, and your father doesn¡¯t like you. No wonder you don¡¯t know a lot about girls¡¯ stuff. Don¡¯t you know that at your age...¡±

    She nced at Liu Haoqiang¡¯s chest and continued in an envious tone, ¡°You¡¯re all grown up! You should¡¯ve gotten some undergarments long ago! Come on. We¡¯ll buy you one...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have money.¡± Liu Haoqiang tried for an excuse and refused to go in.

    ¡°I do!¡± Ba Qiuchi grabbed her and dragged her into the shop.

    ¡°Cousin!¡± Ba Qiuchi called out to the young shop owner with a trendy look. ¡°I¡¯m taking my friend here to get some bras. Pick something that¡¯ll suit her.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The shop owner took off her earphones and walked up to Liu Haoqiang, giving her a once-over before breaking into a smile. ¡°Your friend¡¯s good-looking. What¡¯s with the tomboy look? Her hair is way too short.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cool! You don¡¯t get it! There¡¯s a generation gap between us!¡±

    ¡°You and your mouth. You run wild just because you get good grades and skip sses all the time toe to my shop. I¡¯m going to tell your dad if you continue this.¡±

    ¡°Dear cousin, I know you¡¯re the best...¡± Ba Qiuchi phoned it in immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll bring more business to you in the future, okay?¡±

    ¡°As if I need it.¡± The shop owner nced at Liu Haoqiang. ¡°Come to the changing room, girl. Undress and I¡¯ll check your size for you.¡±

    Liu Haoqiang trembled all over, feeling like bolting and getting out of the shop, but Ba Qiuchi was blocking her escape route. Awkwardly, she was somewhat forced into entering the changing room.

    Soon, the shop owner walked out before returning with two regr white bras. Then the two of them emerged from the changing room.

    Ba Qiuchi looked at Liu Haoqiang in her red dress, pleased. ¡°Yeah, this is more like it!¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit right or if you feel ufortable in any way, tell me,¡± said the shop owner.

    ¡°No, it...fits well.¡± Liu Haoqiang walked up to the mirror and stared at the girl with feminine curves in a red dress, stunned.

    A few secondster, a warmth spread from her stomach to her chest before reaching the rest of her body.

    A heady feeling shook her and threatened to melt her. She suddenly felt like a ray of light was finally shining on her after a prolonged entrapment in a dark marsh.

    <i>I¡¯m a woman.</i>

    <i>Both my body and soul are a woman¡¯s.</i>

    <i>Nothing can change that. Not my biological father, the cold world, or even death.</i>

    Liu Haoqiang broke down into tears. She didn¡¯t wail, and warm tears silently fell down her face.

    Behind her, Ba Qiuchi and her cousin quietly watched her.

    Her cousin shook her head and sighed softly, whispering to Ba Qiuchi, ¡°She must have had it hard. You should help her as best you can.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need help. She¡¯s strong. She¡¯s just too lonely and needs a friend.¡± Ba Qiuchi¡¯s eyes were bright and clear with intelligence. ¡°There¡¯s a generation gap between us, Cousin. You don¡¯t get it.¡±

 Chapter 763: Qingying

    <h4>Chapter 763: Qingying</h4>

    That was the happiest day in Liu Haoqiang¡¯s life and a day she would never forget as long as she lived. Outside of the morning when despair hit her, the rest of the day was perfect.

    Liu Haoqiang and Ba Qiuchi skipped ss together and stayed in Ba Qiuchi¡¯s cousin¡¯s shop. Above the second floor was an attic and Ba Qiuchi¡¯s secret base. Sunlight shone diagonally through the skylight, bathing the attic in a warm, bright light.

    The wooden floor was covered by a soft rug and piles upon piles of mangas, magazines, and novels. There was also a radio and many mixtapes. Posters of different handsome male celebrities covered the walls of the attic.

    The girlsy on the rug listening to pop music, read <i>shojo </i>mangas that made the hearts skip, and talked about what girls talked about.

    Ba Qiuchi even borrowed her cousin¡¯s cosmetics to put makeup on Liu Haoqiang.

    They fought yfully and fooled around like best friends who had known each other for years.

    ¡°Hey, stop moving! I¡¯m gonna make your lips so red and sooooo kissable...¡± Ba Qiuchiughed and suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t gotten your name yet.¡±

    ¡°Liu Haoqiang.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ba Qiuchi thought she had heard wrong.

    ¡°Liu Haoqiang,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°Why would a girl like you have such a name? It sounds terrible[1],¡± Ba Qiuchi said bluntly.

    Liu Haoqiang lowered her head reflexively.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Ba Qiuchi lifted her chin and continued to put lipstick on her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give yourself a name?¡±

    ¡°Can I do that?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Names are given by parents...¡±

    ¡°Forget about it!¡± Ba Qiuchi said easily. ¡°Had my old man given me a terrible name, I would¡¯ve changed it for sure.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Liu Haoqiang smiled, but her gaze was uncertain. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to change my name into, though.¡±

    ¡°How about Liu Qingying?¡±

    ¡°Qingying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed you when you walked out of the apartment building this morning.¡± Ba Qiuchi put the lipstick away. ¡°Done! Perfectly kissable red lips! Wait, something¡¯s missing. Right, your eyes aren¡¯t captivating enough now. I¡¯ll do yourshes...¡±

    She took out a mascara and said, ¡°You were in a red dress and dancing on the road barefooted like a fairy, beautiful, light, and elegant...¡±

    Liu Haoqiang blushed. It was her first time beingplimented like that. ¡°Stop it. I wasn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°I meant it! I think the word <i>¡®qingying¡¯</i>[2]<i> </i>suits you perfectly. Your existence feels light. You¡¯re the kind of pretty girl who¡¯s gonna fly away and vanish in the blue sky one day when you¡¯re hanging nkets in the backyard to be dried...¡±

    ¡°What a strange way to put it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Liu Qingying.¡± Ba Qiuchi looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a nice name?¡±

    ¡°Liu Qingying,¡± she repeated, her heart trembling like a gentle hand had caressed her soul.

    She nodded with a smile. ¡°Ba Qiuchi, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Liu Qingying.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Liu Qingying. I¡¯m Ba Qiuchi.¡±

    ¡°Ba Qiuchi.¡± <i>Liu Qingying</i> mustered her courage without the usual anxiety and fear. She grabbed Ba Qiuchi¡¯s hands to stop her from applying mascara to hershes.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I must tell you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m intersex.¡±

    Ba Qiuchi blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°My body is both male and female, <i>intersex</i>.¡± Liu Qingying held her eyes. ¡°But my soul¡¯s a woman¡¯s. I¡¯ve always thought I¡¯m a woman since I was little.¡±

    ¡°Would you still want to be friends with a freak like me? It¡¯s fine if you regret it. I¡¯ll go, and I¡¯ll repay the money I owe you...¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Ba Qiuchi shot to her feet and mmed into the ceiling with a bang. ¡°Ow! Ow!¡±

    ¡°Are, are you alright?¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t expect Ba Qiuchi to react this dramatically. ¡°I¡¯ll go now. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll leave...¡±

    ¡°Liu Qingying!¡± Ba Qiuchi didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on the pain. She quickly crouched down to grab Liu Qingying¡¯s shoulders with both hands. ¡°You¡¯re lucky!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± It was Liu Qingying¡¯s turn to be stunned.

    ¡°You¡¯re both a man and a woman. How cool is that?!¡±

    Liu Qingying was at a loss.

    ¡°You¡¯re the blessed child of God and the most perfect work of the maker! Oh, how I envy you! I would love to exchange ces with you!¡±

    Liu Qingying stared at Ba Qiuchi dumbly. The girl wasn¡¯t acting. Her eyes were bright, earnest, and full of excitement. She really did think Liu Qingying was the absolute coolest.

    Liu Qingying broke into tears once more.

    She couldn¡¯t stop tears from falling from her reddened eyes. At that moment, she felt genuine gratitude to fate for leading her to the stone bridge over the smelly ditch without making her jump. She was grateful to have met the girl before her.

    It was good to be alive.

    It really did get better.

    ...

    Liu Qingying woke up on the recliner in her office. She took a nap every noon. Covered in a thin rug, the warm sun of the winter day shrouded her in a warm glow.

    She always quickly fell asleep, and without the need to use Sweet Dream consciously, she always returned to the day she met Ba Qiuchi, to the warm, bright attic.

    Today, though, her dream was interrupted.

    Liu Qingying slowly rose to her feet and said politely, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    The window to her office opened by a crack, and Can¡¯s voice said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Miss Liu. Sorry for bothering you when you¡¯re napping. Are you free tonight?¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t say anything, but a white petal appeared on her long, delicate fingers as she smiled.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. A breeze swept into the room and swirled around her fingers, gently lifting the petal and bringing it outside before disappearing.

    ¡°Got it. Goodbye, Miss Liu.¡±

    The window closed then as if nothing had happened.

    ...

    Gao Yang ¡®woke up¡¯ to a pleasant springtime breeze kissing his face and rustling by his ears. Before him was an empty balcony in a tube-shaped apartment building, where white bedsheets hung under the bright sunlight glowed with pure, clear light.

    Dressed like a countryside woman from the Middle Ages, Liu Qingying wore a blue headband with white polka dots to put her hair up, two strands of hair running down her freckled cheeks. Wearing gloves and boots for starch washing, she held a basin of clothes with both hands.

    She looked like a beautiful, gentle, and diligent country girl.

    ¡°Leader of Nine Scions, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Liu Qingying even smiled innocently to match her character.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Gao Yang walked into the sun. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re as direct as ever.¡± Liu Qingying lowered the basin and waved a hand, conjuring a finely crafted small round table and two wicker chairs. There was a pot of flower tea and a basket of waffles on the table.

    They each took a seat. Liu Qingying poured Gao Yang tea. ¡°Got any intel for me?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°An S-ss one and an S+ one.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I can always expect a big trade with you.¡±

    1. <i>Haoqiang </i>ê»Ç¿ is a very old-fashioned and typically macho name, with <i>qiang </i>meaning ¡°strong¡± and <i>hao </i>being the same pronunciation as ¡°very¡±, only in a different tone. ?

    2. <i>Qingying</i> means delicate and light in a graceful way. ?

 Chapter 764: Donâ€™t Deserve to Be Human

    <h4>Chapter 764: Don¡¯t Deserve to Be Human</h4>

    ¡°However, whether my intel¡¯s true depends on an intel from you.¡±

    Liu Qingying lowered the teapot and smiled shrewdly. ¡°You¡¯re offering a cake that doesn¡¯t exist yet, Captain of Nine Scions. Due to my widening waistline, I¡¯m currently on a diet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an old client of yours. When have I ever cheated you?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m weakest to appeal to my sentiments.¡± Liu Qingying pushed a cup of tea to Gao Yang. ¡°Alright. Go ahead. But I can¡¯t promise you that I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    ¡°Thest night of the Crimson Tide, you warned me about X. Is the source of information...¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Sir Jiang?¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s crinkled eyes stiffened. ¡°Apologies. I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for telling me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a bad boy.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled coquettishly with a hand covering her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. You simply made a guess.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t say anything. I made a guess.¡± Gao Yang yed along. ¡°Then based on the guess, I have two pieces of intel.¡±

    Liu Qingying picked up her cup of tea and waited quietly.

    ¡°Elder Yan Liang from the Qilin Guild is Sir Jiang. I¡¯m ny percent sure.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted and her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Haha, interesting. That¡¯ll exin many things.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an S-ss intel,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so in the past, but I¡¯ll consider it S-ss given the circumstances,¡± Liu Qingying evaluated.

    ¡°I have another S+ intel with an eighty percent chance of being true.¡±

    Liu Qingying waited patiently while drinking tea.

    ¡°Qilin¡¯s true goal...¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°Is the opposite of opening the Gates.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s expression turned nk. It was a more truthful reaction than what she had shown before. Without any pretense, she said in a more serious tone, ¡°Is that true, Captain of Nine Scions?¡±

    Gao Yang said with certainty, ¡°Qilin and Sir Jiang never n to open the Gates of Closure. It¡¯s simply a front. I don¡¯t know what their true goal is, so I can only say it¡¯s the opposite of opening the Gates.¡±

    Liu Qingying pondered for a moment before putting on a slight smile. ¡°That¡¯s...interesting.¡±

    Her smile quickly dropped, and she stopped speaking with disingenuous politeness. ¡°Captain of Nine Scions, you haven¡¯t lied purposefully to have your revenge against the Qilin Guild, have you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the information broker here. You may determine if the intel is true.¡± Gao Yang remained unfazed. ¡°If I could take down the Qilin Guild simply by spouting some lies, I would¡¯ve done it long ago rather than waiting until now.¡±

    ¡°That is true.¡± Liu Qingying nodded slightly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you two pieces of info,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°What can you give me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I know you¡¯re most interested in intel on the Qilin Guild. After all, what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion that night...was beyond horrific.¡±

    Gao Yang stayed silent.

    ¡°I only know that the Qilin Guild is merging with the Hundred Rivers Union to form the Ocean River Union, and that they¡¯ve been rearranging the teams and recuperating. Oh, right, Zhong He from the Union joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs with half of his team. That isn¡¯t much of a secret, though.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know any more than I do,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it,¡± Liu Qingying said with resignation. ¡°The Qilin Guild has be wary of me and stopped trading with me.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll end things here tonight...¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t be impatient.¡± Liu Qingying called out to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into Dust and found some clues. Once I make progress, I¡¯ll tell you my findings for free.¡±

    ¡°Your condition?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you didn¡¯t have to ask.¡± Liu Qingying was still smiling, but it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°My condition is simple. Take me with you when you go after Dust. I must be the one to make the sh that ends her.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Dust must be killed, and the Godbearer Cult must be erased. However, the Nine Scions are primarily focused on revenge now. In a sh, we will choose revenge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry and saddened by what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion.¡± Liu Qingying sighed softly. ¡°But Captain of Nine Scions, you¡¯ve always been a smart one. Don¡¯t allow hate to cloud your judgment.¡±

    ¡°If the Nine Scions and the Qilin Guild end up exchanging blows and seriously hurting each other, would you still have the strength to go after the Cult? Wouldn¡¯t you be allowing the enemies to benefit?¡±

    ¡°This is fineing from anyone but you, Miss Liu. Don¡¯t you find it hypocritical for you to say so?¡± Gao Yang¡¯s gaze turned icy.

    Liu Qingying paused and narrowed her eyes, spitting venomously, ¡°Some people deserve death more than ten thousand times over.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang agreed. ¡°And I only want to kill those people once. If I don¡¯t even do that, I don¡¯t deserve to be human.¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t argue.

    ¡°I need some help from you, Miss Liu. Of course, you may turn me down.¡±

    ¡°What help?¡±

    ¡°I need bombs. Can you procure them?¡±

    ¡°I do have my way, but I¡¯ll need time,¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°How much do you need?¡±

    ¡°As much as possible. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s enough to put a deep crater into the ground.¡±

    Liu Qingying sighed inwardly. He was aiming to bomb the Union¡¯s underground basement. He was going to have revenge one way or another.

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get the bombs for you.¡± Liu Qingying stared at Gao Yang. ¡°Although I¡¯m in no ce to say this, I¡¯ll still advise you to give it a second thought. There are things that you cannot undo after doing it.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You should say that to Qilin.¡±

    ...

    Liu Qingying woke up at midnight.

    Lying on her bed in airy silk pajamas, her messy silver hair scattered like seaweeds moving about in ake. Her misty, alluring eyes slowly focused as she woke up from the Sweet Dream. Slowly, she sat up and stretched, opening the bottompartment of the nightstand. Inside was a small ck Gold safe. She patiently rotated the lock and took some time opening the safe. Then she took out two items.

    One was a thick craft paper diary, and the other was a ck Gold fountain pen.

    Liu Qingying carefully opened the diary. Two-thirds of the pages had been filled. The dense rows of texts were dialogs that resembled a phone¡¯s chat history.

    <i>Rustle</i>. She flipped to an empty page and tucked her messy silver hair behind her ears. Then she started writing with the ck Gold fountain pen.

    <i>First, Yan Liang is Sir Jiang.</i>

    <i>Second, Qilin¡¯s true goal: not to open the Gates.</i>

    <i>Source of intel: Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>Evaluated credibility: High.</i>

    Having written the four lines of blue text, Liu Qingying put the cap back on the fountain pen. She didn¡¯t close the diary but stared at the page, waiting patiently.

    After about a minute, ck handwriting emerged gradually on the nk space.

    <i>Roger that.</i>

    Only then did Liu Qingying close the dairy and put it back in the ck Gold safe along with the fountain pen, locking the safe.

    She rose to walk to the dark living room and picked up the pack of cigarettes and lighter on the table. Shaking a cigarette out, she lit it in her mouth, taking a slow drag.

    Then she toppled back onto the soft sofa, sinking into it.

    She seemed to be deep in thought, or simply daydreaming.

 Chapter 765: Ocean River Union

    <h4>Chapter 765: Ocean River Union</h4>

    Office of Deputy Guildmaster, underground base of the Ocean River Union, Nanji District, one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Surnamed Li sat in her wheelchair with her body leaned back and her eyes closed at rest. The Qilin Guild and the Hundred Rivers Union had officially merged to form the Ocean River Union. All members of the Guild¡ªoutside of the still unconscious Xiao Xin¡ªhad arrived at the Union¡¯s underground base.

    They held a grand banquet for solidarity, where Qilin and Surnamed Li each gave a pompous speech. The whole ordeal was a meaningless but necessary process to go through.

    Then the teams were rearranged. The job posts, responsibilities, resources, and interrtionships all had to be taken into consideration. Suffice to say that it was the most headache-inducing task to finish.

    Qilin was in charge of only the decision-making. The administrative matters were entrusted to Surnamed Li with Yan Liang as support. The two talked to each of the members and listened to their needs, priming them for their new role.

    Surnamed Li had been busy with work sincest night and hadn¡¯t had any shuteye.

    After lunch, she finally had some time to take a break. The door opened then to reveal Yan Liang in his mask with lopsided features.

    Surnamed Li immediately woke up.

    ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Yan Liang asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Surnamed Li put on the sses hung on her neck. ¡°Do you have the list?¡±

    ¡°It is done.¡± Yan Liang handed her a list politely. ¡°Please have a look, Deputy Guildmaster.¡±

    Surnamed Li took the list and went over it.

    Guildmaster: Qilin

    Deputy Guildmaster: Surnamed Li

    Elders: Yan Liang, Azure Dragon, Colorless, One Stone, Liao Liao.

    Team Yan Liang: Zero Hatred (Protector), Chaos Reflection, Correcting Sickle, Subus, Xiao Xin, Miss, Harvest Song, Void, Sunny, 0618, Nomad.

    Team Azure Dragon: Six Rime (Protector), Flower Turtle, Forest Crane, Old Lion, Flower, Bumblebee, Donxote, Wandering Tune, Tall Sky, First Firelord.

    Team Colorless: Amon (Protector), Canary, Jing Ke, Rewind, Lin Fu, Musashi, Stubborn Weasel, Crimson Bee, Old Seven, Small Luo, Veggie.

    Team One Stone: Rain River (Protector), Jiang Hao, Great Fortune, Citrus, John Doe, Tofu.

    Team Liao Liao: Cold Cicada, Sister Ling, Ting Ting.

    Yan Liang added, ¡°Zhong He took some people to the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and Liao Liao insisted on not being an Elder. Thus, their former subordinates were assigned to different teams ording to their will. The synergy of Talents was also considered.¡±

    ¡°Vermilion Bird¡¯s on a long-term secret mission, so her team is also split up and reassigned. I make One Stone an Elder mainly in charge of medical treatment and support with fewer members. When there¡¯s a mission, the members will be assigned to other teams.¡±

    ¡°With Liao Liao, I kept her title as an Elder, but she¡¯s in charge of intelligence and coordination work and generally doesn¡¯t have to go to the frontline. She agreed.¡±

    ¡°Elders are considered equals. All major decisions must be made with the agreement of half of the high-ranking members. The Guildmaster and the Deputy Guildmaster each have their veto power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Surnamed Li lowered the list. ¡°Qilin promised me that we would deal with Dust after the merging of our organizations. It¡¯s something that must not be dyed. The original members of the former Hundred Rivers Union harbor great resentment for Dust.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°We must kill Dust and the Divine Scion. We¡¯re doing both at the same time.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°I have nothing else to say.¡±

    ¡°More and more people areprehending new Talents these days. Liao Liao will have every member register their Talents andpile a file this afternoon. Guildmaster has already approved.¡±

    ¡°I approve too.¡± Surnamed Li waved him away. ¡°Get on with your work.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Yan Liang turned to walk out of the office, closing the door behind him.

    Surnamed Li leaned back into the seat and rxed, closing her eyes. Her breathing soon evened, and she fell asleep.

    ...

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion in the remote forest, Xijing District, early morning.

    Gao Yang had procured a secondhand sofa. While it was worn, it wasfortable and allowed one to sink into it, which helped Gao Yang have short naps.

    Suddenly, he jerked awake, hearing light footsteps approaching him.

    He looked up to see Can. She was holding a phone with the screen¡¯s light cast on her face. She looked hesitant.

    ¡°Cap-captain...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here for me?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    Can hesitated before nodding.

    ¡°Come here and talk.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Can sat down next to Gao Yang and handed Gao Yang the phone. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, Captain, so I checked the social media of my old friends in private mode. I saw an update from Sister Zhou. This was posted yesterday...¡±

    Gao Yang had already seen it.

    It was a long post: <i>Is Room 509 of the Li City University cursed or something? Please, please don¡¯t let there be another incident!!</i>

    There werements asking Zhou Jing what happened. Zhou Jing responded patiently. It turned out that Room 509 was found covered in blood with Lin Dajian nowhere to be seen. The initial theory was that he had been kidnapped.

    ¡°Captain, can it be...¡± Can didn¡¯t have the courage to say it.

    ¡°Luqi. And Dust, too.¡± Gao Yang already had a conclusion. ¡°They grabbed Lin Dajian to try to lure me out.¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Can was lost.

    ¡°Let me see.¡± A voice interrupted. It was Nine Frost, who had just returned from a patrol and overheard their conversation.

    He took the phone and quickly came to a conclusion. ¡°This is obviously a trap, Captain, but we can step into it on purpose to secretly track down the enemies.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gao Yang rejected the proposal. ¡°We do nothing.¡±

    Nine Frost frowned slightly. ¡°Nothing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, nothing.¡±

    Nine Frost was quiet for a moment. Then he epted the order with a nod.

    ¡°Go rest.¡±

    Gao Yang ended the conversation there before lying back on the sofa and closing his eyes.

    Can tiptoed back into her room with the phone. Nine Frost returned to his room, too, which was actually a small storage room with a hard mattress.

    He closed the door andy down on the mattress. Sleep eluded him. He reached his right hand into his pocket and took out an armband with the number 4 sewn on it. Faint blood stains lingered still.

    He stared at the armband and slowly tightened his grip.

    Someone knocked then.

    Nine Frost was immediately alerted. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Your big brother!¡±

    Nine Frost paused before answering the door. Wang Zikai stood outside in childish yellow pajamas, his blond hair thick and messy. He dered openly, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Nine Frost snorted. <i>You don¡¯t expect me to sing you a luby, do you?</i>

    ¡°Actually,¡± Wang Zikai had difficulty saying it. ¡°Well...¡±

    ¡°Just be out with it.¡± Nine Frost didn¡¯t like beating around the bush.

    ¡°The thing is...¡± Wang Zikai scratched his face, his eyes darting around. ¡°You¡¯re too weak, so I¡¯m gonna teach you a few basic martial arts techniques.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Nine Frost thought he had heard him wrong. He was weaker than Wang Zikai, yes, but in terms of hand-to-handbat techniques, Wang Zikai set the low bar.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Wang Zikai corrected himself. ¡°I¡¯m not teaching you per se, but why don¡¯t we have a sparring session?¡±

    Nine Frost smiled. ¡°You want to learn hand-to-handbat from me.¡±

    ¡°What? Why would I need to learn from you?!¡± Wang Zikai was worked up, but he kept his voice down to prevent others from hearing. ¡°Make no mistake. I have the serial number 0 Talent, Destiny...¡±

    ¡°Then pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Nine Frost made to shut the door mercilessly.

    ¡°Hey, wait...¡± Wang Zikai stopped the door with a foot andughed awkwardly. ¡°Nine Frost, teach me. But you must keep it a secret. You know I¡¯m the actual leader of the Nine Scions. It¡¯ll be humiliating if the others know that I need to learn from you. It¡¯s not my reputation that¡¯s at stake here, but Nine Scions¡¯...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡± Nine Frost was pleased. Wang Zikai was strong, but it would be good for the Nine Scions for him to get even stronger.

 Chapter 766: Twenty-five Percent

    <h4>Chapter 766: Twenty-five Percent</h4>

    At three o¡¯clock in the morning, Wang Zikai and Nine Frost stood five meters apart on the empty clearing at the foot of the forest-covered hill, quietly facing off each other. The cold moon shone on them, and the chilling wind bellowed. They looked like two masters dueling each other in a <i>wuxia </i>novel.

    ¡°Here Ie!¡± Wang Zikai shouted in a booming voice.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Nine Frost responded in kind.

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    The moment the word left Wang Zikai¡¯s mouth, he was already right before Nine Frost with a whoosh, swinging a fist at him.

    Nine Frost blinked and saw the fist stop right before his nose. The sheer force of it hit him as a strong gust and almost made him close his eyes.

    Wang Zikai pulled back and frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge it?¡±

    Under his poker face, Nine Frost was shocked. <i>It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but that you¡¯re too quick for me to react! What¡¯s with your growth rate? You¡¯re getting stronger more quickly than Captain, the Divine Scion!</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Nine Frost cleared his throat. ¡°I believe we belong to different weight sses.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Wang Zikai asked dumbly.

    ¡°Do you know boxing? The boxers are put into eight different sses ording to their weight, including heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight, and the like. We don¡¯t belong to the same weight ss.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I get it now!¡± Wang Zikai came to a realization. ¡°You¡¯re too weak, so I can¡¯t use my full power.¡±

    Nine Frost¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°That¡¯s...a way to put it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me then. How much strength should I use with you?¡±

    ¡°Seventy percent,¡± Nine Frost said a little weakly.

    ¡°You sure?¡± Wang Zikai raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Fifty percent.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about it more, bro?¡± Wang Zikai was a little worried.

    ¡°Thir... twenty-five percent!¡±

    <i>I can¡¯t go lower!</i> Nine Frost yelled in his mind. <i>My pride as a man is on the line!</i>

    ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Zikai took a few steps back and jumped around, rxing his muscles and slowly adjusting his strength to twenty percent. ¡°Then I¡¯ming.¡±

    ¡°Come.¡±

    Wang Zikai rushed up to Nine Frost. Only when his speed and strength lowered significantly did Nine Frost see that Wang Zikai was fighting with no skills at all. He was so bad at it that he might as well be a delinquent brawling on the street.

    NIne Frost dodged his attacks easily and made counterattacks every now and then. Wang Zikai kept getting hit. Although he felt no pain, he was getting irritated.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Zikai stopped, frustrated. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hit you?¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai.¡± Nine Frost finally gained authority as his teacher. ¡°You have no tactics. Put in a vulgar way, the moment you raise your ass, I know the kind of shit that¡¯s gonnae out.¡±

    ¡°Dang it, so I am a total loser.¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s ego was bruised. ¡°No wonder I couldn¡¯t beat Azure Dragon.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re top tier in terms of speed, raw power, reaction, and endurance,¡± Nine Frost said objectively. ¡°But you¡¯ve got no skills. You¡¯re acting purely on instinct. It¡¯ll be easy for you to take down enemies weaker than you are, but facing Azure Dragon, who¡¯s at your level, you can only take a one-sided beating from him.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Wang Zikai brandished the three bone ws shooting out of his right hand. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t beat him with my fists alone, I can cut him!¡±

    ¡°A cold weapon is merely an extension of the arms and fists. It may give you an advantage, but not turn the tide.¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s face crumbled. He stroked his chin and pondered for a good moment before retracting the bone ws. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Good. Acknowledging your shorings is the first step to making progress.¡±

    Nine Frost took a step forward and balled his right hand into a fist. ¡°I¡¯ll make two punches. Watch closely.¡±

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Nine Frost stepped forward slightly with his left foot and made a quick jab at Wang Zikai¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t actually make itnd.

    Then he stepped back to his original position.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Nine Frost made arge step forward with his left foot and made an upper hook at Wang Zikai¡¯s chin.

    He pulled back. ¡°What do you notice about the two punches?¡±

    ¡°They are slow as fuck,¡± Wang Zikai said honestly.

    Nine Frost forced down the tremor of his lips. ¡°Are you going to learn or not?¡±

    ¡°I am, I am going to learn!¡± Wang Zikai quickly corrected himself. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to tell me.¡±

    ¡°Which among the two punches is a feint?¡±

    ¡°Um, let me think...¡± Wang Zikai thought back to Nine Frost¡¯s punches, eyes lighting up. ¡°The first is a feint.¡±

    ¡°Wrong.¡±

    ¡°What? So the second is a feint? I feel like you¡¯re more serious with the second punch.¡±

    ¡°Wrong again.¡±

    Nine Frost gave him the right answer. ¡°Both can be feints.¡±

    ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± Wang Zikai snapped.

    ¡°You were staring at my right fist, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Wang Zikai nodded. ¡°What else should I stare at?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough. You must look at my whole body,¡± said Nine Frost. ¡°My left fist is tucked by my waist, ready to make a punch. Thus, my right fist can be making a feint while my left fist is meant to make the real attack. Simrly...I¡¯ve taken a step forward with my left foot, but I may make a sweep with my right leg...¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait...¡± Wang Zikai called out. ¡°I¡¯m getting dizzy here. Give me some time to think. I¡¯m thinking. So you meant that when you swung at me with your right fist, the actual attack mighte from your left fist and right leg...¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Wang Zikai was shocked. This waspletely out of hisfort zone. ¡°Bro, is it toote for me...to give up now?¡±

    ¡°You can give up anytime.¡± Nine Frost kept up a poker face. ¡°Then you¡¯ll get beat up by Azure Dragon again, right in front of everyone.¡±

    Wang Zikai pictured it and immediately got mad. ¡°No! I¡¯m gonna learn!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Nine Frost nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you the basic techniques of hand-to-handbat and themon punches and kicks. You must master them and be able to use them smoothly without signaling what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be able tobine the moves forbos. The greatestbos incorporate feints, making the opponent react before making the real attacks.¡±

    ¡°Finally, you¡¯ll turn it all into instinct. Whenever you move, you¡¯ll think of the three possible ways the opponent will react. Then you¡¯ll know how you should counter the three reactions...¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop, stop.¡± Wang Zikai was feeling lightheaded but impressed. He whined, ¡°Can you exin it to me like I¡¯m five, bro? Just tell me what I should do now.¡±

    Nine Frost suppressed a sigh. They still had a long way to go.

    ¡°Get into a horse stance first.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Wang Zikai did as instructed. Nine Frost went up to adjust his posture by kicking his calves lightly and patting his shoulders.

    Suddenly, Nine Frost felt as if he was back in a time when the fourth team was still around.

    Back then, the team called him and ck Sparrow Mr. Thunder and Miss Lightning, who tormented everyone every day and forced them to train in hand-to-handbat.

    Dark Li was the most talented on the team. Yellow Butterfly was the more diligent student. Old Joe was the mostzy. Xiuyi went beyondzy and pretended to be sick to stay at home. ck Sparrow had to personally drag him to the training room.

    Nine Frost had firmly believed that the results would reflect their hard work, that by working hard, they would get stronger and stronger and be able to determine their own fate.

    But where did that get them? The fourth team had all lost their lives at the Eleventh Highschool. Whether they worked hard had no bearing on it. Perhaps it did help a little, but at the end of the day, they were all at the mercy of fate¡¯s whims.

 Chapter 767: Menâ€™s Time

    <h4>Chapter 767: Men¡¯s Time</h4>

    Early morning, Nine Frost and Wang Zikai returned to the mansion, both topless and covered in sweat and injuries.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Can had woken up to go to the toilet, still bleary-eyed, and she ran into the two topless men in the living room as soon as she left her bedroom.

    She was immediately wide awake. ¡°You, you two...you...¡±

    ¡°Shh! Quiet!¡±

    Wang Zikai hurriedly gestured at her. He didn¡¯t want others to know that he had trained with Nine Frost.

    ¡°You...¡± Can gave him a once-over, heart pounding and face flushed. ¡°What were you up to?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you.¡± Wang Zikai gave her a toothy grin and nudged Nine Frost¡¯s strong peck with his elbow. ¡°It¡¯s men¡¯s time.¡±

    Nine Frost had agreed to keep a secret, so he nodded with an awkward cough.

    <i>Holy shit!</i>

    <i>Really? Seriously, really??!!</i>

    Can tamped down the urge to scream, already penning a 10k m/m erotica in her head. She forgot to go to the toilet and instead turned right back to her room. <i>I gotta share the incredible news with Hong Xiaoxiao and Ke Yo! Now! I can¡¯t wait even a second!</i>

    Wang Zikai headed to the bathroom on the first floor, nning to have a cold shower. Nine Frost was going to use the bathroom on the second floor. Someone stopped him as soon as he reached the top of the stairs.

    ¡°Nine Frost.¡± Gao Yang had woken up. He was standing on the balcony outside.

    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± Nine Frost joined Gao Yang on the balcony to look at the mountain ranges. The sun wasn¡¯t rising for a while. All they could see was a hazy cerulean sky.

    A cold wind swept over them. After a while, Gao Yang broke the silence.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re in a hurry to root out the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    Nine Frost stayed silent.

    ¡°It is my goal to wipe out the Cult, but Lin Dajian¡¯s a trap we cannot step into.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± said Nine Frost.

    ¡°Have you considered why now? Dust and Luqi could¡¯ve lured me out with Lin Dajian long ago, but they didn¡¯t do it until now, pulling the trick all of a sudden.¡±

    Nine Frost blinked before quickly catching on. ¡°They¡¯re prepared this time.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many powerful enemies yet await us among the Godbearer Cult, but Luqi and Dust can¡¯t be the only ones. Who knows? There can even be a death monster among them.¡±

    Nine Frost jumped.

    ¡°It is possible.¡± Gao Yang made a bold spection. ¡°We never see a death monster, but it doesn¡¯t mean one doesn¡¯t exist. Perhaps they¡¯re asleep. Perhaps they¡¯re sealed away. Perhaps they¡¯re staying neutral. What if the Cult woke them up or reached an agreement with them?¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Yes, those are possible.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know enough about the Cult,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to catch Dust alive or at least get her body. Then Vermilion Bird would be able to question it.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes dimmed when he brought up Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°The trap being so obvious reflects the Cult¡¯s readiness.¡± Gao Yang stared at Nine Frost. ¡°You will leave tracks behind if you look into them. Both the Godbearer Cult and the Ocean River Union are watching. There are countless eyes on us in the dark. And don¡¯t forget about Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet. If we get too involved in the matter, the risk of exposing ourselves will rise.¡±

    Gao Yang enunciated every word. ¡°What happened at the Starcatching Pavilion will not happen again.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± said Nine Frost.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave Nainai in charge of this. She¡¯ll go back to Li City University as a college student and keep an eye on Lin Dajian¡¯s disappearance. She won¡¯t look into it but merely pays attention. We¡¯ll leave the rest to time.¡±

    Nine Frost was convinced. He held Gao Yang¡¯s gaze. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t question you. Lithe Snake is right. You¡¯re our leader. We chose you, so we should trust you unconditionally. You don¡¯t have to exin when you make any decisions going forward.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t exining myself to you.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m asking for advice, Deputy Captain.¡±

    Nine Frost paused, his gaze growing determined. ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang nced at Nine Frost and pointed at his own temple with his index finger. ¡°There¡¯s something else I want to talk to you about.¡±

    Nine Frost used Telepathy on him without missing a beat.

    ...

    Gao Yang woke up to find himself standing on a small stone bridge. Under the bridge was a clear creek. On the sides were dense clusters of willow trees. Spring saw clear sunlight shining through the canopies. Rustled by the breeze, the willows danced prettily like the dress of a beautiful woman.

    Liu Qingying stood beside Gao Yang in her usual dress rather than ying a character like she usually did.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    This time, Liu Qingying had sought him out.

    They had a simple ritual for when Liu Qingying wanted to contact Gao Yang. She would ce a potted nt on the windowsill of her office, on which was a flower petal marked with Sweet Dream.

    Every now and then, Can, while invisible, would fly to the neighborhood and watch the window to Liu Qingying¡¯s office from afar. If there was a potted nt on the windowsill, she would manipte wind to take away the petal. Nothing would seem out of ce.

    And Gao Yang would meet up with Liu Qingying came night.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Qingying skipped the pleasantries and got right to the point. ¡°I found Dust, Captain of Nine Scions.¡±

    That was as Gao Yang had expected. Dust made it obvious this time. It was only natural that Liu Qingying would notice.

    ¡°You may make a move.¡±

    Gao Yang was silent for two seconds. Then he said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m preparing for my revenge against the Ocean River Union. We¡¯ll go after Dust after that.¡±

    ¡°Captain of Nine Scions.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s voice hardened. ¡°This is a precious opportunity. If you miss it, who knows when you¡¯ll get to strike? Dust will disappear, while the Union won¡¯t. You can have your revenge at any time.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°But the NIne Scions must have our revenge first. It¡¯s more important than killing Dust.¡±

    Liu Qingying couldn¡¯t let it go. ¡°I helped you contact Ke Yo in secret in exchange for rooting out Dust and killing her.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°And I did root out Dust, which fulfills half of the deal.¡±

    ¡°What about the other half?¡± Liu Qingying held his gaze a little aggressively. ¡°The leader of the Nine Scions must honor his word.¡±

    ¡°And I will, but not now.¡± Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I understand your eagerness to have your revenge, Miss Liu, so you must be able to understand mine.¡±

    Liu Qingying fell silent.

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°If you really can¡¯t wait, you may seek help from someone else. I believe the Twelve Zodiac Signs will be more than happy to help. Dead Pig must hate Dust as much as you do.¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t say anything. She had considered it, but Dead Pig would never be able to catch Dust. Dust was too cunning, and she must have support. Gao Yang remained Liu Qingying¡¯s best bet.

    ¡°What about this? I¡¯ll give you another S-ss intel aspensation. Of course, you¡¯ll be the one to determine if it¡¯s true.¡±

    Liu Qingying could tell that Gao Yang had made up his mind, so she stopped pushing. And well, an S-ss intel was an S-ss intel.

    ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯ll take thepensation.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at the gentle creek. ¡°It¡¯s the condition for a Talent to reach level 8.¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t understand. ¡°It¡¯s to merge with the corresponding Rune Circuit, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only one of the conditions. Something else is required.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Liu Qingying pushed aside her obsession with revenge for now and acted like an information broker. ¡°What else is required?¡±

 Chapter 768: Canâ€™t Wait

    <h4>Chapter 768: Can¡¯t Wait</h4>

    ¡°Holy water,¡± said Gao Yang.

    ¡°Do you mean...¡± Liu Qingying frowned slightly and asked for confirmation. ¡°The amniotic fluid of life monsters?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not technically amniotic fluid. Life monsters who havee together with a human and be pregnant generate a special vital energy that they can extract at will. Even after the life monster dies, the vital energy remains in her body, able to be extracted with a special method. That¡¯s what we call holy water.¡±

    Liu Qingying ruminated on the information.

    ¡°Whether a life monster¡¯s pregnant with Spectres, Malediction, or the Divine Scion, they all generate holy water, only the level of purity differs. There may be other differences, too.¡±

    Gao Yang paused. ¡°Now¡¯s the key point. No matter the type of holy water, once it¡¯s applied to a Rune Circuit, it¡¯ll allow those with level 7 top twelve Talents to merge with the corresponding Rune Circuit and reach the peak of their power, level 8.¡±

    ¡°And after the first sessful merge, holy water won¡¯t be needed for the subsequent attempts.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Liu Qingying wasn¡¯t fully convinced.

    ¡°My mother¡¯s a life monster. I saw her use her holy water to level up my father¡¯s Talent and help him merge with the Guard Rune Circuit.¡± Gao Yang lied. He wasn¡¯t the one who saw it, but Qing Ling.

    ¡°There is other proof supporting the theory.¡± Gao Yang continued. ¡°I visited Hyena¡¯sb in West Nation, and he used the impure holy water extracted from a life monster¡¯s corpse.¡±

    ¡°Lilia had be one with Epilogue and reached level 8 Elemental most likely with the help of holy water, too.¡±

    ¡°The same is true of X¡¯s Poison of Hell with level 8 Pestilence. X was working with shadowstalkers and the Godbearer Cult. It would be easy for him to acquire holy water.¡±

    Liu Qingying nodded slightly. There was no logical w in the theory.

    Then she thought of something. ¡°Now that all life monsters are dead, does it mean there¡¯s no holy water, and no one will be able to reach level 8?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Gao Yang smiled.

    Liu Qingying came to a realization. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten about you. You¡¯re the Divine Scion.¡±

    ¡°I have my mother¡¯s bloodline. However, I can¡¯t get pregnant, so I don¡¯t know if I can generate the special vital energy we know as holy water. It¡¯s fine though. I have other ways to acquire holy water even though I don¡¯t need it yet.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s one of my future trump cards.¡±

    ¡°Captain of Nine Scions.¡± Liu Qingying gave him a shrewd and captivating smile. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me all that just topensate me, have you?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled. ¡°You¡¯re a smart woman, Miss Liu. It¡¯s time for you to think about taking a side.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the generous offer. I¡¯ll consider it seriously,¡± Liu Qingying said softly.

    ...

    At midnight, Liu Qingying woke up on her bed and slowly shook off the sense of dullness that came after a Sweet Dream. Her mind and consciousness returned to the real world.

    Sitting up, she got off the bed and opened the safe, taking out the ck diary and ck Gold fountain pen and flipping to thest page. She started writing on the nightstand.

    ¡ªHoly water is a special vital energy generated from a life monster pregnant with a human¡¯s child.

    ¡ªOnly by applying holy water to a Rune Circuit can an awakener be one with a Rune Circuit and push their Talent to level 8.

    ¡ªUnproven. Credibility: medium.

    Half a minuteter, ck handwriting emerged on the page.

    ¡ªCopy that.

    Liu Qingying continued to write quickly.

    ¡ªDust¡¯s found. I¡¯d like to have my revenge now. Will that hinder you, General?

    This time, the diary was ¡°silent¡± for a full minute before a line appeared.

    ¡ªI¡¯ll give you an answer in three days.

    Liu Qingying closed the diary and put it back in the safe with the pen.

    She shuddered slightly, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag, yet she couldn¡¯t calm herself. She looked down at the framed photo on the nightstand. Ba Qiuchi had a bright smile on her face. Liu Qingying stared at her. The sorrow in her eyes slowly gave way to the shadow of hatred.

    <i>I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t wait any longer.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ve been waiting for ten years. I can¡¯t dy this for even a second.</i>

    ...

    Underground base of Ocean River Union, Nanji District, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Wearing a ck coat, ck stockings, ck dress shoes, and a ck beret hat, Liu Qingying walked across the quiet office hall under Liao Liao¡¯s guidance. The only bright color on her was the silver hair running down her shoulders.

    She reached Qilin¡¯s office. After giving Liao Liao a smile as thanks, she opened the door and walked in. The office wasrge and bright. Qilin, the guildmaster, sat behind the office desk, wearing a checkered wool cardigan and a pair of bookish sses.

    Surnamed Li sat on his side in her wheelchair. She was dressed in a light gray A-shape coat with her hair put up. Despite her age, she looked elegant and dignified with a unique grace.

    Before Liu Qingying said anything, Qilin opened with, ¡°Yan Liang said you had something important to tell me and asked to meet me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Qingying sat down on the guest seat, crossing her legs gracefully.

    ¡°All matters of the Guild must be approved by both me and Madam Li. Rather than telling her after the fact, I think it¡¯ll be better for her to hear from you, too. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Go on then.¡± Qilin sped his hands on his abdomen and leaned against the chair.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to make you and the Ocean River Union an offer,¡± said Liu Qingying.

    ¡°Offer?¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes glinted.

    ¡°Dust showed herself recently. I found her. It¡¯s a piece of information I will give you for free.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°I want you to go after her immediately.¡±

    ¡°Dust is a member of the Godbearer Cult responsible for many lives and an enemy of your esteemed organization. After you catch her and exhaust her value, I hope you¡¯ll allow me to take her life. That is my condition.¡±

    Qilin nced at Surnamed Li. She nodded.

    The Ocean River Union was always going to make Dust pay. Surnamed Li couldn¡¯t be happier that Liu Qingying had sought them out.

    Qilin believed it was a chance to earn some goodwill without losing anything, too, but he didn¡¯t immediately ept the offer. Instead, he said, ¡°What can you give the Union? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just the location of Dust¡¯s hideout.¡±

    ¡°Not only that, I¡¯ll also give you two pieces of S+ intel,¡± Liu Qingying promised. ¡°One of them is closely rted to the Union, and the sooner you know about it, the better. However, you must promise to fulfill my condition first before I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li fell silent.

    ¡°Guildmaster Qilin, Deputy Guildmaster Li,¡± Liu Qingying said earnestly. ¡°I¡¯ve been an information broker for years, and my credibility is well-earned.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll swear on my reputation. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll swear on my life. I¡¯ll be with you when you go after Dust anyway, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me running away.¡±

    Qilin nodded bemusedly. ¡°May I ask about your motivation?¡±

    ¡°I hate Dust.¡±

    Liu Qingying admitted the truth openly and directly. ¡°Madam Li should know that Ba Qiuchi, who had met a mysterious death, was a dear friend of mine. All these years, I¡¯d been trying to find the truth behind her death. It wasn¡¯t until recently that I learned that she was killed by Dust. I want to avenge Ba Qiuchi.¡±

    Surnamed Li turned to Qilin. ¡°That is true.¡±

    Liu Qingying added, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to trade with me, I have something else I¡¯d like to ask for.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Qilin eyed her closely.

    ¡°Please bring Dead Pig from the Twelve Zodiac Signs, too.¡± Liu Qingying smiled bitterly. ¡°He was Ba Qiuchi¡¯s husband, and he hates Dust no less than I do.¡±

    After a silent moment, Qilin looked up and said, ¡°Please stay and rest for a while, Miss Liu. I¡¯ll give you an answer before the day breaks.¡±

 Chapter 769: Tree of Life

    <h4>Chapter 769: Tree of Life</h4>

    ¡°Please do make it quick. Dust won¡¯t stay at the same ce for long.¡± Liu Qingying didn¡¯t hide the urgency she felt. She rose and left the office.

    Qilin turned to Surnamed Li. ¡°What do you think, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°I believe we can work together.¡± Surnamed Li focused. ¡°Dust has long been a problem for the Hundred Rivers Union. Now that our organizations have merged, taking out Dust will not only strike a blow on the Godbearer Cult, but also bring the members together and improve morale.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Qilin said. ¡°But there¡¯s a possibility that Liu Qingying has already joined the Nine Scions and is appealing to us to set up a trap.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. Liu Qingying and Dead Pig have been obsessed with Ba Qiuchi¡¯s death for ten years. This isn¡¯t a recent development. It¡¯s unlikely to be an act.¡±

    Surnamed Li added, ¡°If you¡¯re still unsure, take me with you on this mission. I¡¯ll be able to see blurry visions if my life is threatened. Then we¡¯ll avoid the danger.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°As expected of Prophet.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Surnamed Li didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I¡¯ve been considered an old hag with little use. Perhaps it¡¯s time for me to change how people see me.¡±

    ...

    Sacred Mountain Church, Aurora Town, Snow Nation.

    It was the small hours. The old dignified church sat at the foot of the snowy mountain, the spire a cold grasp into the night sky. It looked like a giant beast covered in ck thorns lying in wait on the vastnd.

    The front door of the church was open, allowing a view into its empty and rundown interior. The stained ss cut the moonlight into a scattering of white blooms.

    On the far side of the church, a confessional the size of a phone booth stood on one side. Sitting in the leftpartment of the confessional was a young man covered in injuries, all tied up. He was Lin Dajian, having been kidnapped.

    For the past two days, he had alternated between unconsciousness and wakefulness without eating or drinking anything. He was getting weak, and his mind began to blur. It felt like he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn¡¯t wake up from.

    The small door to the confessional creaked open, followed by the rustle of a cape. Someone had sat down on the other side of the confessional.

    ¡°Who, who are you...?¡± Lin Dajian asked weakly through the wooden ne. ¡°Why did you kidnap me...¡±

    The person didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Have you gotten the wrong guy...?¡± Lin Dajian choked out a sob. ¡°I have no money. I have never made an enemy. I¡¯ve done nothing bad in my life...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Please let me go. Please. I...I don¡¯t want to die yet...¡± Lin Dajian begged while sobbing.

    The man on the other side finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and hissing. ¡°Lives are original sins, and desires, enemies. Without rity, it¡¯s doom.¡±

    ¡°What enemies? What doom...¡± Lin Dajian was even more confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I heard recently. Do you know what it means?¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I don¡¯t know you. There¡¯s no beef between us. Why did you have to grab me...¡±

    ¡°Yes, you wouldn¡¯t know. You¡¯re just a wanderer.¡± The man scoffed and rose to leave.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Lin Dajian¡¯s brain filtered out the word ¡°wanderer¡±. He struggled against the restraint on his body in vain. ¡°How long are you going to keep me here? Let me go! Let me...¡±

    <i>p.</i>

    Dust, in a ck cape, walked out of the confessional and then the church.

    Walking across a forest that stopped even moonlight from shining down, Dust trekked in the night for ten minutes before reaching arge, colorless clearing. A wide river ran across thend, covered in floating ice shards of different sizes. On the bank was a protruding boulder. Ayer of snow remained.

    Clear Mirror, in Luqi¡¯s body, sat on the boulder and looked up at the aurora.

    Stars blinked in the night sky. An ever-changing green band of light scintited and shimmered, blooming beautiful pink. The deep sky and the gray wastndbined to paint a mysterious, profound, and fantastical oil painting under the shroud of the aurora.

    Dust climbed onto the boulder and sat down next to Clear Mirror, joining him in watching the aurora.

    After a while, Dust opened her mouth. ¡°While taking Lin Dajian here, I purposefully left tracks behind. The Divine Scion will for sure notice as long as he looks into it. At the soonest, he¡¯ll be here tomorrow.¡±

    Clear Mirror nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready on my end, too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The siblings fell quiet and sat in silentpany, watching the sky.

    After a long while, Dust said, ¡°Where do you think the lightes from?¡±

    ¡°The aurora is a result of charged particles in the maospheric sma disturbed by the sr wind...¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about,¡± Dust interrupted irritatedly. ¡°The light, the world, and we. Where does everythinge from?¡±

    Clear Mirror said seriously, ¡°We came from the Tree of Life.¡±

    ¡°Do you still have the same dream?¡± Dust nced at Clear Mirror.

    In the dream, there was a white wall and a ck wall that stretched beyond the sight, a river with many eyes and hands, and a treerger than a city. They were all fruits born on the trees, which fell into the river once they were ripe.

    Clear Mirror shook his head. ¡°Ever since I took over a human host, I¡¯ve stopped having the dream.¡±

    ¡°Same for me.¡± Dust extended her right hand and looked at the palm covered in burn marks. ¡°Ever since I took over Goldthread, I¡¯ve stopped dreaming of the Tree of Life.¡±

    A wave of mncholypelled Dust to take a yellowed photo from her pocket. It featured a pair of young siblings.

    The man had long ck hair, deep eyes, and graceful and handsome facial features. The girl had ck hair too, which was tied into arge braid. She had the simple sort of beauty of a girl raised in a good family.

    Dust stared at the photo and got lost in memories that felt like a past life.

    ¡°You still have it?¡± Clear Mirror asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to forget my face,¡± Dust said resentfully.

    ¡°Dust, appearance isn¡¯t important.¡± Clear Mirror reached out to lift her hood.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Dust dodged the hand quickly. ¡°I hate the face. No, I hate his everything. I would¡¯ve long swapped him for another host if not for his Talent.¡±

    ¡°Appearance doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Clear Mirror repeated. ¡°Our souls will never change.¡±

    ¡°Do we even have a soul?¡± Dustughed bitterly. ¡°I thought only humans do.¡±

    ¡°All things are sentient, and all lives have a soul.¡± Clear Mirror sounded certain.

    ¡°Right.¡± Hearing Clear Mirror speak so seriously made Dust settle down a little.

    In her undercover life over the past ten years, the one she missed the most was Clear MIrror.

    The siblings had been inseparable. After joining the Godbearer Cult, they had no choice but to part and go on their respective mission for their faith, salvation, and entrance to the world of God.

    Dust tugged the hood to cover her face wholly before leaning toward Clear Mirror and resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°Can we really reach the otherworld, Clear Mirror?¡±

 Chapter 770: God Loves All

    <h4>Chapter 770: God Loves All</h4>

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Liar. You don¡¯t know either, do you?¡± Dust¡¯s hoarse voice sounded a little petnt.

    And Clear Mirror responded with reserved affection. ¡°I know it. I had a dream where we turned into the aurora and flew out of the Mist to reach the edge of the world. That¡¯s where the blissful otherworld is.¡±

    ¡°What was there?¡±

    ¡°There was God. The great gentle, merciful, empathetic, omniscient, and omnipotent God.¡±

    ¡°They gazed at us quietly. It was like a divine shower that washed away all our sins. Even Their soft sigh contained boundless wisdom, able to answer all our questions.¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Dust closed her eyes and tried to picture it.

    ¡°And love.¡±

    ¡°Love?¡±

    ¡°God loves all. All love God. We love the world. The world loves us.¡±

    ¡°Haha. That sounds silly. Does everyone do nothing but love?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If so, we already have it. I love you, and you love me. We¡¯re each other¡¯s everything.¡±

    ¡°Our love is temporary, while God¡¯s love is eternal.¡±

    ¡°I can never win a debate with you. Whatever you say.¡± Dust was getting tired. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy, Clear Mirror. I¡¯d like a nap.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Clear Mirror¡¯s gaze remained on the night sky. His mncholy eyes reflected the everchanging aurora.

    ...

    Snow Nation Airport, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon the next day.

    Disguised as a family on a vacation, eight awakeners walked out of the airport openly. Colorless was the tour guide, and the tourists included Surnamed Li, the grandmother, Azure Dragon, the father, Liu Qingying, the mother, Liao Liao, the oldest daughter, Zhong He, her husband, Six Rime, the younger daughter, and Dead Pig, the uncle.

    Among the ¡°family¡±, Liao Liao was the most reluctant member. She had resigned from her job post as team leader after the establishment of the Ocean River Union for her safety, volunteering to return to intelligence work. She was determined to lurk until the end of the world.

    Yet she had to participate in this operation.

    They needed her Talent, Follow Heart, serial number 187, Support-type.

    Follow Heart had two abilities. One was to create a stealth field. It detered the attention, curiosity, and suspicion of others, andpanions within a certain distance of the user would be covered by the field and thus obscured, too.

    Eight awakeners would stand out like a sore thumb in a group. Without Shapeshifter, Follow Heart was the best alternative.

    Follow Heart had another ability: it allowed her to beg the enemy for mercy and effectively lower the enemy¡¯s hatred, anger, and killing intent while inspiring kindness, mercy, and empathy in them, creating a chance to escape.

    Among the family, the one in the most awkward position was Zhong He.

    When War Tiger learned that Dead Pig was heading to Snow Nation with Liu Qingying, he sent Zhong He to go with Dead Pig as a test to the new members.

    Zhong He was now an official member of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, codenamed Shadow Mouse. To be more precise, he was Shadow Mouse the second since the third Mouse was also named Shadow Mouse.

    It had only been a few days since Zhong He jumped ship, and he was already meeting his former boss Surnamed Li, former colleagues Colorless and Liao Liao, and Azure Dragon and Six Rime from the former Qilin Guild. He might as well be living a soap opera.

    Surnamed Li didn¡¯t seem fazed. Colorless understood his decision, but she purposefully threw verbal barbs at him and kept sarcastically calling him Master Shadow Mouse.

    ording to Liu Qingying¡¯s intel, Dust was hiding in Aurora Town, and the only official channel to the town was the intercity bus.

    They didn¡¯t immediately set out, but instead checked into a hotel near the bus station that saw little visitors. They split into four rooms for two.

    Surnamed Li shared a room with Liao Liao, Colorless with Six Rime, Azure Dragon with Zhong He, and Liu Qingying with Dead Pig.

    Liu Qingying and Dead Pig wanted nothing but to go to Aurora Town this instant, but Surnamed Li, themander of this operation, insisted on waiting.

    She didn¡¯t say what they were waiting for.

    After checking into the hotel, they each had dinner in their room and took their rest.

    Deep into the night, Surnamed Li still didn¡¯t order a departure to Aurora Town.

    During that time, Surnamed Li had woken up once and had a few-minute call with Elder Yan Liang. She had been sitting by the window and looking outside since then, deep in thought.

    Liao Liao didn¡¯t want to disturb her, so she found a magazine and flipped through it. Since she didn¡¯t know thenguage, she browsed the pictures instead.

    <i>Rat-a-tat.</i>

    Someone knocked.

    Liao Liao opened the door to find Liu Qingying standing outside with a smile. ¡°Has Madam Li retired to bed?¡±

    ¡°She had a short nap but is now awake,¡± Liao Liao said honestly.

    ¡°The outdoor hot spring of the hotel is quite nice. There¡¯s no one there now. You should go and rx.¡±

    Liao Liao knew that Liu Qingying wanted her out of the room so that she could have a private chat with Surnamed Li.

    Liao Liao was just going to reject politely when Surnamed Li said, ¡°Go enjoy the hot spring, Liao Liao.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Liao Liao followed the order.

    She went to the front desk and used the trantion app on her phone to express what she was there for. Soon, she was led to a changing room. She changed into a bathrobe and received the bathing products before heading to the women¡¯s hot spring.

    The hot spring was located in the backyard of the hotel, resembling a small light blue pond steaming with vapor. She could make out two figures at the heart of the hot spring, Colorless and Six Rime.

    The two shared a room. Colorless had little goodwill for those from the Qilin Guild, especially the members of Team Azure Dragon and Team Yan Liang. And Six Rime might as well be a robot. The atmosphere was awkward in their shared room.

    Colorless had lived in Snow Nation before, and she always liked hot springs. She waited untilte at night toe enjoy it.

    To her surprise, Six Rime was there, too.

    Six Rime¡¯s Frost and God of Water made a bath a good way for her to rx and recover. The fight at the Starcatching Pavilion had taken a toll on her, and she hadn¡¯t fully recovered.

    She was incapable of feeling awkward, leaving Colorless the only one suffering.

    They stayed in the hot spring for more than ten minutes in silence. With their body and mind rxing, the tension in the air melted a little, too.

    Colorless slowly approached Six Rime and started a conversation. ¡°I have a question, Six Rime.¡±

    Six Rime nced to the side at her with an impassive expression. Her skin looked almost translucent under the moonlight.

    ¡°Did you know what would happen beforehand at the Starcatching Pavilion that night?¡±

    Six Rime didn¡¯t say anything. It seemed that she didn¡¯t understand the question.

    ¡°Did you know that many would die?¡± Colorless rified.

    ¡°I did,¡± Six Rime said. ¡°We must wipe out the Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel even a little bad about it?¡± Colorless had thought that Six Rime hadn¡¯t been informed. The response enraged her. ¡°Your former colleagues were there, too.¡±

    ¡°They were traitors.¡±

    ¡°Fine. So the traitors must die.¡± Colorless red at her icily. ¡°Then did you know that Chen Ying had joined the Nine Scions with many people, including a seven-year-old boy and a girl who¡¯d just turned five? Were they traitors, too? They knew nothing! They were innocent!¡±

 Chapter 771: Great Karma

    <h4>Chapter 771: Great Karma</h4>

    Six Rime fell silent.

    She actually didn¡¯t know about Chen Ying and her team joining the Nine Scions after the fight, but she didn¡¯t speak up for herself.

    ¡°How could you do it, Six Rime?¡± Colorless¡¯ eyes shed with disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a heart?¡±

    ¡°I was on a mission, and Ipleted it,¡± Six Rime said impassively.

    That pushed Colorless over the edge. She growled with unbridled ire, ¡°Fuck the mission!¡±

    She pointed at Six Rime. ¡°You were murdering people! You fool! Murderer! What makes you different from monsters? No, you¡¯re worse than one!¡±

    <i>Ssh</i>. Six Rime shot to her feet in the hot spring. The hazy water came up to her t abdomen.

    ¡°You are in no ce to judge me.¡±

    Six Rime could see the rage in Colorless¡¯ eyes. Instantly, Six Rime¡¯s eyes turned into a piercing deep blue, and the hot spring around them quickly grew icy.

    <i>Ssh</i>. Colorless stood up too, her eyes a scintiting deep red. The white fog rising from the surface of the hot spring rippled out in waves as her intangible will spread in all directions.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind judging you for God for once.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee to try...¡±

    ¡°<i>Achoo!</i>¡±

    A dramatic sneeze interrupted their conversation. Six Rime and Colorless immediately retracted their killing intent and turned in the same direction.

    Liao Liao hade up to the edge of the hot spring at some point, her hair put up to reveal her neck and the shape of her head. She waded her way to them awkwardly.

    ¡°Hm? Why¡¯s the hot spring cold? This is false advertisement... Oh, here you two are!¡± Liao Liao approached them with feigned enthusiasm.

    She eyed Colorless appreciatively. ¡°Oh boy. Sister Colorless, you¡¯ve got a great bod. I¡¯m so envious I can cry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not bad yourself.¡± Colorless hid her embarrassment and grabbed a wet towel from the surface of the hot spring to cover her torso, slowly submerging into the water.

    ¡°I¡¯m no match for you. I¡¯m like a kidpared to you.¡± Liao Liao smiled like a pervert on purpose and turned to Six Rime, who was still standing. ¡°And little Six Rime, your skin¡¯s so fair it seems to be glowing. And you¡¯re skinny with slim arms and legs. Tsk, tsk, this is too much. You¡¯re like a girl straight out of a manga...¡±

    Six Rime lowered back into the water with an icy expression. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good figure.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no. You¡¯re beautiful in your own way, both blessed children of the heavens.¡± Liao Liao continued with her ttery. ¡°Unlike me. I¡¯m neither curvy enough nor skinny enough. Totally mediocre and will disappear in a crowd.¡±

    Six Rime and Colorless fell silent.

    Liao Liao continued with her verbal barrage like a machine gun shooting out words. ¡°Sister Colorless, do you know any good ces for food or some fun? Give me a rmendation! I have a feeling we¡¯re staying a few more days here. We shouldn¡¯t waste our time aftering all the way to this nation.¡±

    Colorless thought for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s not much fun to be had. It¡¯s the same everywhere. It¡¯s damn cold and lifeless. There is a restaurant serving good lobster soup and smokedmb, though...¡±

    ¡°Hey, Little Six Rime, can you have seafood? Judging by your skin, you have allergies, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not allergic to anything,¡± said Six Rime.

    ¡°Wonderful. Let¡¯s go to the restaurant togetherter...¡±

    Liao Liao continued to bber until the icy and dangerous atmosphere warmed up. Although themotion she made was more awkward than anything, at least it was safe.

    She sighed in relief in her mind. <i>Good. I¡¯ve stopped the two pretty girls from going at each other¡¯s necks in the hot spring. Liao Liao, you¡¯ve done something that deserves all the good karma!</i>

    ...

    After that, it was obvious that Colorless and Six Rime couldn¡¯t share a room as they should, or they might tear the hotel down past midnight. However, Colroless didn¡¯t want to stay with Surnamed Li, either, and it would draw attention to ask the owner for an extra room.

    In the end, under the mediation of Liao Liao, Six Rime moved to share a room with Azure Dragon, Colorless with Liu Qingying, and Dead Pig with Zhong He.

    None of them opposed to the new arrangement.

    Inside the room for two, Azure Dragon took off his jacket andid a nket on the floor beside the bed, lying down like a nk.

    He had been a member of the special forces before his awakening, and his long military life ustomed him to sleeping on hard beds in short bursts. The habit stayed with him even after he left the military.

    Things that were toofortable and rxing felt threatening to him.

    With the light off, only the cold, dim moonlight rimmed the furniture in the room.

    After about five minutes, Azure Dragon spoke up calmly from the floor, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet?¡±

    He had gone on many missions with Six Rime. Due to the constraints of the circumstances, they had shared a room more than a few times, and it was natural for them.

    Azure Dragon even taught Six Rime how to fall asleep in 300 seconds. After a long period of practicing, Six Rime could now fall asleep anytime anywhere and wake up at will like Azure Dragon.

    Six Rime was still awake. It couldn¡¯t be insomnia, which meant she had something on her mind and didn¡¯t want to sleep yet.

    Silence stretched for thirty seconds in the dim room. Then Six Rime said coolly, ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, Colorless called me a fool and a murderer, no better than a monster.¡±

    Azure Dragon was quiet.

    ¡°Am I?¡± Six Rime asked.

    Azure Dragon stared at the ceiling and sighed softly. ¡°Colorless is entitled to make her usations from her perspective. In the battle at the Starcatching Pavilion, we¡¯ve got the blood of too many innocents on our hands. Even if our cause is just, there¡¯s no changing the fact.¡±

    ¡°Did we do the wrong thing?¡±

    ¡°I follow Qilin¡¯s order, and you follow mine. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°What if...¡± Six Rime paused. ¡°What if Guildmaster Qilin was wrong?¡±

    ¡°I trust Qilin.¡±

    Six Rime thought for a moment. ¡°And I trust you.¡±

    ¡°We have sinned, but we haven¡¯t done the wrong thing. We¡¯re soldiers. Soldiers stick to our cause and follow orders.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    In the dark, Azure Dragon¡¯s fierce eyes softened a little. ¡°Six Rime, you¡¯ve followed me for years. Have I ever told you about me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear it?¡±

    Six Rime blinked slightly to tell him that she wanted to hear the story. When she realized that Azure Dragon couldn¡¯t see it, she said, ¡°I want to.¡±

    Azure Dragon crossed his arms behind his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°I was in special forces before awakening. The Rogue Cape saw many battles then. My team was there to rescue a group of civilians. However, we underestimated the local militia¡¯s viciousness and cruelty. The civilians and all members of the team died then.¡±

    The room was silent for a moment.

    Six Rime felt like she should say something, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Azure Dragon continued, ¡°My body was filled with shards of bullets. There was no saving me, yet I miraculously survived.¡±

    ¡°I only learned afterward that I had survived because I awakened. When I heard the name and serial number of the Talent in my dying moment, I thought it was merely an illusion conjured by my hazy mind. And my Talent didn¡¯t manifest obviously in the beginning stage. Although my body seemed stronger after my recovery, I didn¡¯t think much of it.¡±

    ¡°I left the military after recovering and became mentally ill seriously. I believed I had no right to live, and the urge to take my life slithered and crept up on me all the time like a viper. As a soldier, though, I considered suicide a cowardice and shameful thing to do, and thus I didn¡¯t carry the thought out in action. I was conflicted.¡±

    ¡°Then I met Qilin. He¡¯s a psychiatrist and an awakener.¡±

    Azure Dragon smiled faintly. ¡°He guessed that I had awakened, but he didn¡¯t spell it out and treated me simply as a regr patient. Slowly but surely, he helped me move on until I was more or less recovered. Then he told me what he was. He introduced me to a different world.¡±

    ¡°Qilin once told me that most people cared about only the criesing from a short distance, and it¡¯s only natural. However, someone had to pay attention to the distant wails, for the distant wails were the future.¡±

    ¡°Everything Qilin does, he does it for the future of humanity. Humanity must not fade into the night. No matter how great a price we have to pay, humanity must live on.¡±

    ¡°Someone has to live to remember those who have passed away and the bygone history. Someone has to remember where the civilization came from and the darkness and light it¡¯s gone through.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the living. As long as we¡¯re alive, we must hold fast to that duty.¡±

    ¡°That is the meaning of my life and the belief I must abide by.¡±

    It was the first time Azure Dragon had ever said that to someone outside of Qilin. While it did nothing to lessen his guilt about the Starcatching Pavilion, the heaviness in his heart did lift a little.

    ¡°What is your belief, Six Rime?¡±

    Six Rime remained on the bed. Her stomach seemed heavy, but also warm. It was a strange feeling she had never had before.

    ¡°Your belief is mine,¡± Six Rime said devotedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re running away, child.¡± Azure Dragon advised her earnestly. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re young. One day, you¡¯ll find your belief.¡±

    ¡°I may...never find it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Colorless is right. I may not...have a heart.¡± Six Rime¡¯s eyes seemed lost. ¡°Joy, sadness, heartbreak, guilt, sympathy...I seem incapable of those feelings.¡±

    ¡°Does that bother you?¡±

    Six Rime lowered her head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You are troubled.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Six Rime admitted. ¡°I¡¯m troubled sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Then you have a heart.¡± Azure Dragon sounded certain. ¡°A heartless person won¡¯t feel troubled. You¡¯ve simply shut your heart. You awakened too young and your heart chose to do that to protect you.¡±

    In the dark, Six Rime shook slightly. She stared at the dim moonlight shining onto the ceiling. The strange feeling returned to her stomach.

    <i>So I have a heart.</i>

 Chapter 772: Dead Pigâ€™s Past

    <h4>Chapter 772: Dead Pig¡¯s Past</h4>

    Three o¡¯clock in the morning, Dead Pig and Zhong He eachy on their bed in the double room, but they weren¡¯t asleep.

    ¡°You should sleep for a while. We may go into a fight at any time. You need to preserve your energy,¡± Dead Pig said. His nasal voice flowed into Zhong He¡¯s ears in the dark like a clump of ink.

    Zhong He turned away from Dead Pig and said in a slightly muffled voice, ¡°You¡¯re awake, too.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m older and sleep less.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking something, Old Pig.¡±

    ¡°Something about me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhong He spoke his mind without hesitation since Dead Pig had always been friendly. ¡°About your ex-wife.¡±

    ¡°Little Ba?¡± Dead Pig became more serious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at me.¡± Zhong He warned him.

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t insult or nder her.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. There¡¯s no bad blood between us.¡±

    ¡°Then speak.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering, why would Ba Qiuchi fall for you?¡± Zhong He looked perplexed.

    Dead Pig paused before breaking intoughter. ¡°You damn brat.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t an insult. I just feel like she had poor taste. I heard from Miss Liu that you weren¡¯t as big as you are now, but there wasn¡¯t anything special about you, either. She was way out of your league.¡±

    ¡°And Sister Liu is right.¡± Dead Pig rested his head on an arm and slowly exhaled. ¡°I used to wonder about that, too. Why would Little Ba want a man like me? Little Ba and I...¡± He chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t go into it unless you want to hear it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hear it. Why not? I can¡¯t sleep now.¡±

    ¡°I was an office worker before my awakening. A corporate ve, if you will. My parents passed away early, and I had been quiet since I was young. A pushover, too. My colleagues always pushed their work to me. I didn¡¯t mind, so I worked overtime a lot. I didn¡¯t have much to do but sleep after going home anyway.¡±

    ¡°My life consisted of three things, work, eating, and sleep. I was the most boring and useless man you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°On my twenty-sixth birthday¡ªI actually forgot about it¡ªI worked overtime as usual and didn¡¯t leave the office until over ten o¡¯clock. Waiting for the bus, I was so tired that I fell asleep on the bench.¡±

    ¡°When I woke up, I was alone with a woman. She was sitting beside me, and my head was resting on her shoulder.¡±

    ¡°That was Ba Qiuchi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. While she was sitting next to me, I fell asleep and unconsciously leaned on her shoulder. Given how tired I was, she wanted me to sleep for a little longer. Several buses stopped. She kept thinking that she would wake me when the next bus arrived, but she made a mistake and missed thest bus. Therefore, she thought that she might as well let me have a good sleep.¡±

    Zhong He smacked his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your story to be this romantic.¡±

    ¡°Romantic?¡± Dead Pig mused. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it like that.¡±

    ¡°Go on. Go on. I¡¯m getting invested in the story.¡±

    ¡°I felt guilty after waking up and wanted to make amends. Little Ba didn¡¯t mind. She said that she was hungry, and she would consider us even as long as I bought her a meal.¡±

    ¡°We had egg fried rice at a random street stand. Little Ba finished her portion. She said that anything would be the greatest delicacy when hungry.¡±

    ¡°Then we headed home. We realized that our neighborhoods were in the same direction, so we walked together for a while and chatted. I don¡¯t remember what we talked about since I was embarrassed the whole walk.¡±

    ¡°Before we parted ways, she called out to me and said that I was quite cute, and she wanted my number.¡±

    ¡°What?! Ba Qiuchi was the one to pursue you?¡± Zhong He sat up in shock. ¡°You¡¯re pulling my leg.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll stop if you don¡¯t wanna hear the story.¡± Dead Pig didn¡¯t really care.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Keep going. I¡¯d like to know how absurd the story can get.¡± Zhong He was invested.

    ¡°Well...¡± Dead Pig sat up and crossed his legs. ¡°There isn¡¯t much more to tell. After that, Little Ba asked me out every once in a while, and sometimes she brought her friend, Liu Qingying. The three of us became friends. One day, Little Ba said, ¡®Why don¡¯t we get married?¡¯¡±

    Zhong He gaped. What the hell?

    ¡°I must look the same as you do now.¡± Dead Pigughed. ¡°I asked her if she had lost her mind. She said no. She just found me cute and dependable. She wanted to marry a guy like me and have a cute child.¡±

    ¡°Then you got married?¡± Zhong He couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dead Pig said easily. ¡°Little Ba had apse in judgment, but I was no fool. I¡¯d never find another woman as good as she was.¡±

    Zhong He was at a loss for words.

    ¡°I awakened not long after we got married. Then I found out that Little Ba and Liu Qingying had awakened way before that. It was quite a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Zhong He pped his thigh. ¡°It¡¯sing together.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Think about it, Old Pig,¡± Zhong He said. ¡°Because of a chance meeting, Ba Qiuchi seduced...pursued you and quickly got married to you. Coincidentally, she and Liu Qingying were awakeners, and you awakenedter. Then Ba Qiuchi and you joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Ba Qiuchi divorced you after your rtionship fell off. She left the Zodiacs and joined the Hundred Rivers Union...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dead Pig didn¡¯t find any issue with it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think everything falls into ce like it¡¯s following a script?¡±

    Dead Pig sighed in resignation after a pause. ¡°You brat. I knew you weren¡¯t actually curious about the story between me and Little Ba. So that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been wondering.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mind?¡± Zhong He¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°You might have...been deceived by Ba Qiuchi from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°What had she deceived me about?¡± Dead Pig¡¯s face darkened in anger. ¡°Little Ba was a good girl. She willingly entered my life and married me, and she loved and took care of me as my wife. She treated me well. I could feel all that. The happy time we had together was real, and so was the heartbreak of our divorce. How had she deceived me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that...¡± Zhong He quickly rified. ¡°She had loved you, yes. After all, humans couldn¡¯t help but fall for real after pretending to be in love. However, she might have approached you with ulterior motives. Aren¡¯t you curious...¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Dead Pig cut him off. ¡°Is love with ulterior motives not love?¡±

    Zhong He couldn¡¯t argue against that.

    ¡°In this muddled world, is there really anything that¡¯s pure?¡± Dead Pig stared at Zhong He. ¡°You may not understand, Little Zhong. Before Little Ba, my life was numb, gray, and monotone. I wasn¡¯t actually living, but merely breathing with a beating heart.¡±

    ¡°Little Ba was a ray of light¡ªno, a sun. She shone wherever she went, and one day, her light happened to cast on the moss in the corner and the stone in the ditch. You won¡¯t understand how the moss and stone felt when they had never seen the sun before.¡±

    ¡°Liu Qingying and I were the moss and stone. It¡¯s our greatest luck in our lives to have be Little Ba¡¯s friend and lover.¡±

    ¡°Had I not worked overtime that day, had Liu Qingying not tried to kill herself that day, we would¡¯ve missed the ray of light forever. Our lives would remain pathetic, pitiful, and numb. We would¡¯ve died silently and meaninglessly.¡±

    ¡°But heaven had mercy. Little Ba entered our lives and lit us up. Now that she¡¯s passed, Liu Qingying and I chose to avenge her. See, her light is still guiding us forward.¡±

    ¡°We love Little Ba. She¡¯s our angel. We¡¯ll do anything for her, even if it¡¯s living in pain after losing her.¡±

    Zhong He didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve said something silly.¡± Dead Pig seemed to feel embarrassed. Hey down and rolled away. ¡°Sleep, or it¡¯s going to be morning.¡±

    Zhong He was still thinking about what Dead Pig said. He had to admit that he was shaken by the feeling he had never felt.

    He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, pondering love, happiness, and something that seemed within reach but was distant like the sky.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Suddenly, Dead Pig sat up again.

    ¡°What?¡± Zhong He got a little nervous. <i>You aren¡¯t gonna educate me again, are you? I haven¡¯t digested your words yet.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about something, too.¡± Dead Pig looked at him. ¡°There¡¯s abo we can pull off.¡±

    ¡°With you?¡± Zhong He snorted. He didn¡¯t respect him like a senior in the workce at all. ¡°What else can you do outside of taking a beating?¡±

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t underestimate me. You think you¡¯re the only one who couldprehend a new Talent?¡± Dead Pig left the implication unsaid.

    Zhong He¡¯s eyes lit up. He rolled to a sitting position and opened his mouth, but he stopped himself and reached for the backpack on the nightstand for the small jammer inside¡ªWar Tiger had handed it to him before their departure.

    ¡°Alright. Now we can talk,¡± Zhong He said with anticipation.

 Chapter 773: Itâ€™s Beautiful

    <h4>Chapter 773: It¡¯s Beautiful</h4>

    The group spent the second day at the hotel, too. There seemed to be no n to head to Aurora Town. Liu Qingying had stopped urging the leader of the group after her private conversation with Surnamed Li.

    It wasn¡¯t until three o¡¯clock on the third day that they snuck into a bus station and stole a bus, heading to Aurora Town.

    When the bus arrived at the station, the eight of them, without dy, rushed straight toward the Sacred Mountain Church at the foot of the snowy mountain in the back of the town.

    Feather-like snow fell from the night sky, shrouding the town in a white haze. They wore white down jackets that served as camouge and waded through the snow.

    Since Surnamed Li couldn¡¯t move well in the snow in her wheelchair, she sat on Dead Pig¡¯s wide shoulders instead. For someone asrge as a mountain like Dead Pig, she was light like a child.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the group to reach the entrance to the church.

    Liu Qingying said quietly, ¡°This is it.¡±

    ¡°And so we returned,¡± Azure Dragon said with a sigh.

    Colorless frowned. She had no good memory of the ce.

    ¡°Stay here.¡± Azure Dragon nced at Six Rime. ¡°We¡¯ll go in and check things out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Six Rime walked up to him.

    Azure Dragon warned, ¡°But don¡¯t rx your guard.¡±

    Colorless, Liao Liao, and Zhong He nodded slightly. Without missing a beat, they moved out to circle Surnamed Li, Dead Pig, who was carrying her, and the nobatant Liu Qingying.

    With their six senses pushed to the limit, Azure Dragon and Six Rime walked into the open door of the church.

    The interior was damp, cold, and dark. Azure Dragon detected a weak heartbeat as soon as he reached the heart of the main hall, which came from the confessionals not far from him.

    Judging by the heartbeat, it didn¡¯t belong to their enemy, but a ¡°regr person¡±.

    Azure Dragon came to a halt, ncing at the confessionals before turning to Six Rime.

    Reading his unspoken intent, Six Rime lifted her left hand, and white mist rose from the ground, spreading to the confessionals and seeping through the gaps of the doors.

    Ten secondster, Six Rime nodded at Azure Dragon, meaning there was a regr person inside, and no enemies or trap.

    Azure Dragon nodded and went up to the confessionals.

    Six Rime conjured an ice sword, throwing it to Azure Dragon. He caught it and easily broke thetch, opening the door.

    Inside the cramped space, a young man sat unconscious. His body was tied up by hemp rope. Bottled drinks littered around him.

    There was the smell of urine. Azure Dragon and Six Rime immediately held their breaths.

    It seemed that the young man had been kidnapped for a few days, his life sustained only by these drinks. His dignity was never considered.

    Azure Dragon cut the rope with the ice sword.

    ¡°Hm...¡±

    Lin Dajian came to, looking at the two figures outside with bleary eyes. He thought he was dreaming.

    The past few days had been a blur of dreams.

    He dreamed about Interpoling to save him again and again, but he always woke up to the despairing reality of being locked up here.

    He couldn¡¯t hold in his urine and thus was forced to wet his pants. Every day, a masked man in ck woulde to feed him a few gulps of drinks roughly before vanishing. He felt like an animal locked in a pig pen.

    He didn¡¯t know how long the torment was going tost. Sometimes, he even wished for death toe sooner.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Azure Dragon asked.

    Lin Dajian started. Finally, he realized that it wasn¡¯t a dream.

    ¡°Lin Dajian!¡± he yelled, ovee with emotions. ¡°I, I¡¯m Lin Dajian! I was kidnapped! Are you here to save me? Please, please get me out of here...¡±

    He was frail and had been immobile for too long, so he fell as soon as he tried to stand up, lightheaded and legs giving out like jelly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. We¡¯re here to save you.¡± Azure Dragon took two steps back with an impassive face, taking off his long down jacket and throwing it to the floor. ¡°Take off your clothes and put this on.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Okay...¡± Lin Dajian sobbed. ¡°Thank you...thank you... Thank you so much...¡±

    Lin Dajian couldn¡¯t afford to care about the cold. He quickly stripped down and wiped his lower body roughly with his clean shirt. Then he put on the long down jacket and wrapped it around him.

    Azure Dragon and Six Rime stood at the door. Azure Dragon asked, ¡°Can you walk on your own?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡±

    ¡°Come on out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡±

    Lin Dajian wobbled out of the church. Outside was a dark snowynd. He looked up to see the snowy mountain, forest, church, night sky, and aurora...

    Only then did he realize that he was in a foreignnd.

    At that moment, the joy of surviving a crisis washed over him like a hot spring despite the cold. He had thought a lot the past few days. Mi Shi was missing. Gao Yang dropped out. Qiu Qiu got killed by a robber. It was said that Room 509 was cursed, and Lin Dajian had to believe them. He almost epted the fate of going insane until a pitiful death imed him in the confessionals.

    Thank God he didn¡¯t die. He was saved.

    It was good to be alive.

    Lin Dajian felt genuine relief. He had endured terrible torment and despair for days, and he lived. What awaited him was hope.

    He couldn¡¯t wait to go home and take a bath before having a good sleep. He would buy all the discounted games and feasted on meat and alcohol. Oh, and he would confess to Sister Xia. What was so scary about being rejected? It was nothingpared to what had happened to him the past few days.

    Heughed and went up to the group in the snow. Were they really his rescue? They didn¡¯t look like a proper team.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much...¡± Lin Dajian broke into tears, overwhelmed. ¡°If not for you...¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon!¡±

    Surnamed Li suddenly shouted from Dead Pig¡¯s shoulders, interrupting Lin Dajian.

    Lin Dajian jumped. He didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    Surnamed Li had foreseen the next ten seconds.

    ¡°Soul Bomb!¡± She didn¡¯t have the time to exin further.

    Everyone started, their hearts skipping.

    Azure Dragon reacted in an instant. Without hesitation, he rushed toward Lin Dajian at supernatural speed and grabbed his elbow, hurling him toward the sky.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. A powerful shockwave rippled across the snow under Azure Dragon¡¯s feet.

    Lin Dajian felt a great force. Then his world turned upside down. Cold wind whipped past his ears as heunched into the sky like a rocket.

    In his blurry vision, he saw the stained ss windows and the tall peaks of the church, followed by the grand snowy mountain and the wondrous aurora in the night sky.

    <i>It¡¯s so beautiful.</i>

    Lin Dajian had almost forgotten fear, overtaken by an instinctual emotional response.

    His world froze at that moment.

    Then his soul separated from his consciousness, clumped up by a quickly activating energy and rushing out of his mouth, transforming into a sparkling neb of dust.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Lin Dajian¡¯s soul exploded.

    The eight people in the snow looked up and saw the firework of soul blow up in the night sky. Colorful lights danced on their faces. Their gazes were ones of shock and fear.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    Ten secondster, Lin Dajian¡¯s body fell back on the snowy ground. He was dead. Dust¡¯s soul bomb had killed him before the freefall could.

    ¡°There, on top of the church!¡± Zhong He shouted at the peak of the church first.

    They all followed his finger, and indeed, two tall, slim figures stood on a balcony of the tapered peak of the church¡ªthe twin overtaker primes, Clear Mirror and Dust, in the bodies of Luqi and Goldthread.

 Chapter 774: Call to Arms

    <h4>Chapter 774: Call to Arms</h4>

    Two people stood on the balcony of one of the tallest spires of the church. They were Clear Mirror and Dust, who wore a ck cape in Goldthread¡¯s body.

    Azure Dragon stared at Luqi, watching out for Judge and refraining from making a reckless attack. He shouted, ¡°Why would you serve the Godbearer Cult, Luqi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not Luqi, but Clear Mirror.¡±

    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re another overtaker prime. Have you taken over Luqi¡¯s body?¡± Azure Dragon spected.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dust looked down at them and raised her voice. ¡°This lure isn¡¯t meant for you. Why must you intervene in something that¡¯s not your business?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here for revenge, Dust. This is our business.¡± Liu Qingying stared up at Dust with a smile, but her eyes were cold like des.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it Miss Liu?¡± Dust sneered. ¡°You really are a good friend of Ba Qiuchi¡¯s. She talked about you all the time and said you were a real beauty. How I dream of having your body, only I had another mission toplete. Lucky me. You came to me on your own.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the need. Do you?¡± Liu Qingying curled her lips and spat venom in the most gentle tone. ¡°Your skin suits your soul perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Dust burst outughing suddenly, either enraged or simply amused.

    <i>Hiss, hiss, hiss¡ª</i>

    Colorful lights flickered under Dust¡¯s cape. Not long after, the cape bulged and fluttered as dust of countless energy particles rushed out from under the cape.

    The cape fell off and got swept away by the cold wind. Dust¡¯s sparkling particles wrapped around her form, her figure wavering like an illusion. Her voice turned androgynous and staticky too, like it was modted.

    ¡°Liu Qingying, my soul is beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Dead Pig¡¯s eyes zed with hatred. ¡°Kill her and avenge Little Ba.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Azure Dragon formted a rough n. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Clear Mirror on my own. Don¡¯t get any closer to him. I¡¯ll leave Dust to you...¡±

    ¡°Up there! Fire!¡± Surnamed Li again foresaw the next ten seconds.

    Everyone started and quickly looked up. It turned out that Dust and Clear Mirror had merely shown themselves to draw their attention. At some point, a thin man in a ck tank top and jeans had appeared, hovering above them.

    It was Tokoos, the devourer prime. He extended his arms and aimed his hands at the eight humans below. Covering his arms were distorted faces. The eyes of a face on his left arm glowed a strange blue. The Fly Tokoos was using once belonged to the owner of the face.

    At the same time, the eyes of a face on his right shoulder glowed purple. The owner of the face used to own Fire.

    ¡°Purple Fire!¡±

    Tokoos was caught off guard by the old hag predicting his ambush, which gave them more time to react to the attack. Still, he followed his original n and shot two powerful torrents of purple fire from his palms.

    The fire turned into two tornadoes of mes and wreaked havoc across the snowynd. In the blink of an eye, the clearing before the Sacred Mountain Church was rendered a charred wastnd.

    The eight humans were unscathed.

    Six Rime had summoned a resilient ice bastion in time and shielded everyone.

    In the heavy snow, Six Rime was like a fish in water with Frost, her power greatly enhanced. While Tokoos¡¯ purple fire seemed insidious, it wasn¡¯t terribly strong. It dwarfed inparison to the elemental power Six Rime wielded.

    However, Six Rime didn¡¯t underestimate their enemies. She knew that their greatest threat was Clear Mirror, with Judge.

    Once the purple fire stopped sting them, she dissolved the ice bastion. They realized to their shock that Clear Mirror and Dust had reached the front door of the church in a matter of seconds.

    From a short distance, Clear Mirror reached out to the eight of them, his eyes shining an overwhelming sacred white light, and holy energy rippled from him.

    He was charging. He couldn¡¯t finish his random judgment in an instant with six targets.

    ¡°To this unfair fight, I¡¯ll start a...¡±

    <i>Thud</i>. Azure Dragon kicked the ground with both feet and rushed toward Clear Mirror and Dust with a speed that was only second to Teleportation. He wasn¡¯t going to give Clear Mirror a chance to use Judge.

    Clear Mirror was startled. He had underestimated Azure Dragon¡¯s speed, and he had to stop his skill.

    The energy particles swirling around Dust spread out in an instant, shrouding Clear Mirror, too. Azure Dragon stopped midway. He knew that Dust¡¯s soul had the power to inflict a curse, so he didn¡¯t dare to approach recklessly.

    Quick ten punches!

    Azure Dragon made ten weaker but quick jabs in the air. The currents generated, which were powerful enough to break telephone poles, shot toward Clear Mirror and Dust.

    The two couldn¡¯t get out of the way in time.

    But then a tall, wide figure appeared in time, blocking the ten currents with her strong, tall, and curvy body.

    It was the ughterer prime, Tia.

    Her wild long blue mane flew backward. Her light gray-blue skin was smooth and sturdy, resembling the surface of a polished metal statue. Scales covered the vital parts of her body like armor, protecting her from lethal attacks.

    Azure Dragon considered the woman calmly and concluded: she was strong, but far from his level.

    Tia had reached the same conclusion. She knew she was not Azure Dragon¡¯s match.

    She had long heard about the strongest fighter on paper among the awakeners. Even the pride monster Sir Jin at his prime might not be able to defeat the man.

    And Tia, facing Sir Jin in his old age, only stood a forty percent chance of winning.

    ¡°I knew things weren¡¯t going to go well!¡± Tia shouted angrily. ¡°These people aren¡¯t any easier to deal with than the Divine Scion.¡±

    <i>Perhaps we¡¯re all going to die here tonight.</i>

    Tia kept that to herself.

    Clear Mirror had independentlye to the same conclusion. He quickly made the decision. ¡°n B.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Tia then shouted to the hovering Tokoos. ¡°Shorty To, call to arms!¡±

    Tokoos was hurling purple fireballs at the enemies below without rest. While they posed little threats like small hand grenades, they were enough to dy the humans to maybe create an opening for Clear Mirror to use Judge.

    As soon as he heard Tia, his heart sank. <i>I suspected that n A would fail, but fuck, it failed way too quickly!</i>

    Tokoos was frustrated, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The enemies they faced were too strong for them.

    Pressing his hands together, he created an insidious-looking purple fireball that drew the eyes and hurled it toward the night sky.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Two secondster, the fireball exploded into a sparkling purple firework and lit up the sky, as well as the entire Aurora Town.

 Chapter 775: Plan B

    <h4>Chapter 775: n B</h4>

    Aurora Town was underdeveloped, and the residents retired to bed early. Usually, there would only be a few lights on outside of the streetmpste at night.

    Today, there wasn¡¯t any light at all. The ce was eerily silent.

    The awakeners had sensed something strange when they crossed the town, but they didn¡¯t stop and investigate since their focus was the Sacred Mountain Church.

    With the purple light enveloping the lifeless buildings in the Town, the ce looked even more eerie.

    <i>Bam! Bam! Bam¡ª</i>

    A few secondster, all the windows and doors of the houses broke down, and countless elite monsters rushed out. They were the devourers, ughterers, and overtakers waiting tounch an ambush.

    In the past, the elite monsters couldn¡¯t awaken their monsterhood until they were triggered due to the limit of the Heavenly Way. Ever since the descent of the Malediction, though, the Heavenly Way¡¯s power had seen a great decline. While the elite monsters still couldn¡¯t wake up at will, their corresponding prime could wake them and demand their loyalty.

    Clear Mirror¡¯s n B was simple: using their greater numbers.

    There were close to three thousand elite monsters hiding in Aurora Town. No matter how strong the eight awakeners were, they would be exhausted from fighting so many elite monsters without preparation.

    When Tokoos shot the purple re, Azure Dragon had sensed a dangerous looming threat.

    Without hesitation, he charged at his enemies.

    <i>ng!</i> Tia¡¯s arm muscles bulged dramatically, and veins popped on her head. She had to give it her all to take a punch from Azure Dragon, and only barely.

    A powerful shockwave rippled out, instantly removing the snow around them and revealing a circle of gray soil.

    Tia was shocked.<i> And you call us monsters? You humans fit the name better!</i>

    ¡°Weightless!¡±

    Dust used level 6 Gravity to make everything in the effective area weightless. Azure Dragon and Tia stumbled, floating into the air.

    Azure Dragon quickly kicked at Tia. Tia blocked it with her leg, and the collision sent them flying in opposite directions.

    That got Azure Dragon out of the range of weightlessness. He steadied his footing.

    Dust immediately adjusted the gravity and grabbed Tia, using Weightless again to take both Clear Mirror and Tia up into the sky.

    Tokoos was alreadying their way without missing a beat. He grabbed hispanions and flew toward the Aurora Town.

    The four of them were going to temporarily stay away from the battlefield and wait until the eight awakeners were exhausted by the monster swarm before making a move. It had been their trump card to wipe out the Nine Scions, but they had no choice but to use it on Azure Dragon¡¯s group now.

    It would be worth it as long as they won this.

    Then Dust could take over Azure Dragon¡¯s body and be as strong as he was, which would be their new ace for killing the Divine Scion.

    ¡°They are running away!¡± Zhong He shouted.

    ¡°Chase them!¡±

    Azure Dragon responded. He quickly bent his knees and made a strong leap with the full power of his lower body. <i>Thud</i>. The ground burst into a spiderweb of cracks. Azure Dragon flew off like a cannonball, flying diagonally toward the direction the four monster primes were running in.

    No matter how great his jumping ability was, it was no match for Fly.

    He halved their distance before his body started falling in a parabolic trajectory. There was no foothold for him to make another jump, and making a punch to propel himself with the energy wave wouldn¡¯t be viable due to the low efficiency; it would also be difficult for him to control the direction of his movement.

    He was going to lose his enemies when a growl¡ªor what sounded like one¡ªcame from below him. He looked down to see a great white dragon of ice and snow rising from the ground. The others were standing on top of the dragon¡¯s head.

    Between the dragon¡¯s brows was Six Rime, arms extended and eyes glowing a bright blue.

    She had created an ice dragon running several hundred meters long, lifting everyone into the sky and carrying them to Aurora Town.

    While they were surrounded by snow, the move still pushed Six Rime to her limit.

    The ice dragon flew half an arch before it showed signs of crumbling and breaking down, the distance it had made no greater than the distance Azure Dragon had jumped.

    Azure Dragon understood Six Rime¡¯s intention. He descended toward the dragon¡¯s head, about to use it to make another leap.

    ¡°Be careful yourselves!¡± That was all he said before jumping with both feet.

    <i>ng! </i>The ice dragon''s head instantly shattered into countless ice shards and swathes of snow. Losing support, the seven awakeners plunged, while Azure Dragon shot toward Clear Mirror and his fellow monsters with renewed momentum.

    <i>You bastard! Don¡¯t you care about our safety at all?!</i>

    Zhong He cursed as he fell toward Aurora Town.

    ¡°Shadow rope!¡±

    Two ck ropes of shadow shot out of Zhong He¡¯s hands, wrapping around the arms of Colorless and Six Rime, who were closest to him. Then the ropes climbed along their arms and quickly wrapped around their waists before shooting out again to grab Surnamed Li and Liu Qingying.

    After two seconds, the same process repeated, and the shadow caught Liao Liao and Dead Pig.

    With a yank, Zhong He pulled the free-falling awakeners in with him at the center.

    ¡°Dead Pig!¡± Zhong He shouted. ¡°Cushion us!¡±

    Dead Pig had alreadye to the same conclusion. He widened his arms with his back to the ground, prepared to make anding in a stable posture.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Zhong He manipted the shadow to pull everyone to Dead Pig.

    Instantly, the shadow morphed into countless strands and covered everyone like a fishing, making sure that they were all pressed against Dead Pig¡¯srge, dependable belly and chest. It felt like they were riding a trusty boat.

    Then the shadow continued to spread until it covered Dead Pig¡¯s body whole, growing many soft ck tendrils behind his back to cushion his fall.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Three secondster, the boat that was Dead Pig fell into a bar, crashing through the two-story building. Tiles, wood, snow, broken ss bottles, and alcohol sttered everywhere.

    The seven awakeners were unscathed, including Dead Pig, who had acted as the cushion.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam!</i>

    Without giving them much time to react, five strong, vicious ughterers arrived first and barged through the doors and windows. Two even jumped straight down through the hole in the ceiling.

    They thrust their ded arms at the humans, so quickly that Six Rime, Colorless, and Zhong He, who were used to fighting long-range, couldn¡¯t react in time.

    ¡°Look at me!¡± Liu Qingying shouted, unleashing an enthralling andpelling energy from her body, which seemed toe with a sweet fragrance.

    Instantly, the five ughterers stared at Liu Qingying, dazed. Although they were still moving, they had slowed down noticeably.

    Luckily, the five ughterers were all male, and the Talent worked on all of them.

    Liu Qingying¡¯s level 7 Seduction worked on females, too, but she had to go with one or the other, not both at the same time.

    Meanwhile, Zhong He and Dead Pig couldn¡¯t help but turn to Liu Qingying, too, suddenly captivated with burning desires coursing through their bodies, their mouth dry. However, they had good enough mental resistance to tamp down the artificial desires.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    Several ice cones shot out of the ground and stabbed three of the ughterers, hurting them and locking them in ce. The ughterers jumping down from the rooftop fell with dull thuds, twitching while their bodies showed signs of petrification. Colorless had used Petrify in time.

    Liu Qingying deactivated Seduction. Quickly calming down, Zhong He turned his shadow into three ck spears, piercing the hearts of the restrained ughterers.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Liao Liao was the first to rush to the door, but she suddenly stopped, the panic on her face reced by despair.

    The others halted in shock when they reached the door, too.

    All they could see were monsters, filling the roads and the rooftops in their sight. Most were devourers and ughterers. There were also a good number of the more cunning and dangerous overtakers. The dense packs of monsters stared at the seven awakeners like predators.

    Liao Liao estimated that there were at least a thousand elite monsters.

    Her estimation was actually far off. There had been two thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven elite monsters hiding in Aurora Town. With five ughterers killed, there were still two thousand eight hundred and thirty-two monsters.

    Liao Liao made a quick calction with her quick mind. Six Rime was the most powerful among them. In theory, she should be able to deal with 20 devourers or 10 ughterers, and for overtakers, she would be able to deal with at most 5.

    Colorless and Zhong He were strong in a duel, but not when dealing with multiple enemies. They might be able to take on 10 devourers, 5 ughterers, or 2 overtakers at the same time.

    Liu Qingying¡¯s Seduction could slow down the enemies, but it worked on her teammates, too. And with so many monsters, they weren¡¯t going toe at them one by one, but inrge swarms. It would be a chaotic free-for-all.

    What about Dead Pig?

    He could do nothing but take hits. He would be thest to die until the thousands of monsters turned him into minced meat. His powerful generation would be a curse that amplified and prolonged his torment.

    And Surnamed Li¡¯s ability to see the next ten seconds was a joke under the circumstances.

    Liao Liao didn¡¯t need to be a prophet to know that they would be circled and attacked for the next half an hour with no time to even pant¡ªif they could live that long.

    <i>What to do?</i>

    <i>What to do, what to do, what to do...</i>

    A secondter, Liao Liao came to the conclusion: <i>it¡¯s game over.</i>

 Chapter 776: To Survive in this World

    <h4>Chapter 776: To Survive in this World</h4>

    <i>GG</i>

    <i>Game Over.</i>

    <i>We¡¯re doomed. All of us!</i>

    It was the first time Liao Liao ever faced such a despairing situation since awakening, and she was stunned into inaction.

    ¡°Ice Realm!¡±

    Six Rime, as expected of an experienced fighter, immediately conjured a great chill and sent it to the walls and the ceiling, forming a thinyer of hard ice.

    The broken windows, doors, and the hole in the ceiling were the main targets of her reinforcements. Sheyered thick ice to fill the holes.

    ¡°Phantom!¡±

    Realizing what she intended to do, Zhong He sent countless ck lines from under his feet to reinforce the whole interior of the building like clusters of ck veins.

    Six Rime had considered creating a sturdy ice dome to shield them from the enemies, but even the most impregnable bastion would fall under the siege of thousands of elite monsters. Once she ran out of energy, what awaited them would be another fight to the death.

    And there was no running away.

    The entire Aurora Town was packed with elite monsters. They would need Talents like Invisibility, Fly, Intangibility, or Teleportation to get out of here.

    Unfortunately, they had no ess to those Talents.

    They had no choice but to fight.

    There was only one open door to the bastion Six Rime and Zhong He had turned the bar into with their coboration. This way, they didn¡¯t have to worry about getting nked, and they could funnel their enemies to deal with them in small numbers at a time.

    However, they both knew that the bastion wouldn¡¯t stand for too long.

    ughterers were bloodthirsty and hotblooded. They didn¡¯t care what the humans were nning, and they rushed through the only doorway one after another.

    Under Colorless¡¯ Petrify, they copsed one by one, legs turned into stone and mobility stripped¡ªit would take too much energy to turn the whole body into stone. Colorless had to be frugal with her energy.

    More ughterers rushing in got thrown off their feet by Six Rime¡¯s snowstorm or pierced in the chest by sharp shadow spears. Bodies piled up at the door over time. They moved as they fought, the space getting cramped. Blood pooled at their feet.

    The lone ughterers Six Rime and Zhong He failed to deal with got blocked by Dead Pig¡¯s big build. His skin and flesh were so thick that he didn¡¯t even wince when a ughterer¡¯s ded arms thrust into his thick belly. He raised his arms and made a powerful p like his hands were cymbals. <i>Bam! </i>His palms collided with the ughterer¡¯s head.

    The ughterer bled from its orifices as its brain turned into mush. It didn¡¯t even manage to scream before it copsed to the ground.

    Finally, Liao Liao recovered from the pressure of despair, stunned by her teammates¡¯ stubborn resistance.<i> Yes, we shouldn¡¯t just give up even when facing what seems like certain death! Fight! Aren¡¯t miracles always hidden in despair?</i>

    <i>ck, ck.</i>

    The bastion of ice and shadow threads was more fragile than expected, and after only a minute, it cracked and was about to crumble.

    The few overtakers hiding in the swarm of ughterers and devourers made their moves. Fingers turned into sharp bone stings about eight meters long, they stabbed at the bastion like countless nails, slowly chipping away the bastion of ice and shadow.

    At the same time, the ughterers kept throwing themselves against the wall with reckless abandon and raw power like they were battering rams.

    <i>Bam, bam!</i>

    At least three holes were put into the wall at the same time. Seven ughterers lunged through the holes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me! I surrender!¡±

    Liao Liao dropped to her knees and raised her hands above her head, shouting, ¡°Have mercy!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t actually surrendering, but using Follow Heart.

    The ughterers slowed mid-charge. For reasons they didn¡¯t understand, they grew hesitant to kill the awakener before them.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang, bang!</i>

    No sooner than that had Liao Liao drawn two ck Gold handguns from the holsters under her armpits and made seven shots in a second, hitting the ughterers in the right eye socket precisely, damaging their brains.

    The ughterers copsed without making a sound.

    The others in the bar were shocked. That wouldn¡¯t be possible with simple skills. It was God of Firearms!

    Liao Liao had acquired God of Firearms!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal to hide a few tricks in this world?¡± Liao Liao loudly defended herself while making another two shots at the door, hitting two devourers in the heads.

    ¡°You hid it well, I¡¯ll give you that!¡± Colorless saw a ray of hope. ¡°We¡¯ll talk after this!¡±

    ¡°None can be slyer than you are!¡± Zhong He, her former colleague, loudly roasted her while fighting with Phantom.

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    Surnamed Li suddenly shouted from beside Dead Pig.

    They all started and quickly knocked away the enemies right before them, dropping to the floor.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    A few secondster, countless bone stings stabbed through the wall of the bar like high-speed bullets with tails. The dozen and some overtakers crowding outside the building hadunched a concerted attack.

    One bone sting brushed past Zhong He¡¯s scalp.

    A shudder ran down his spine. He was reminded of those magic tricks he had seen on television when he was a child. A pretty blond woman stepped into a magic box, and the magician inserted thin des at different angles until the box was almost filled. In the end, the woman emerged unscathed.

    He felt like they were the woman in the box now, narrowly dodging the countless des inserted by the magician.

    ¡°Yiya, yiyayiyayiya¡ª¡±

    Liao Liao, holding her head with both hands while lying on the floor, slightly lifted her chin and made a strange, drawn-out, piercing scream, her throat bobbing noticeably.

    It was Disorientation!

    The Talent didn¡¯t differentiate between friends and foes. They all covered their ears and felt themselves losing their calm, their temples throbbing like their heads were going to explode.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Two secondster, the crisscrossing bone stings in the bar retracted. The elite monsters outside stopped their assault, holding their heads in a daze.

    <i>Dammit, Liao Liao! How many fucking tricks have you hidden up your sleeves?!</i>

    Zhong He cursed in his head, but he was overjoyed. With Disorientation, they would stand a better chance of surviving!

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a safe ce to be! Let¡¯s move!¡±

    A few secondster, Liao Liao stopped shrieking and shouted a warning. The others recovered from the disorientation.

    Six Rime dropped to one knee and mmed her hands on the floor. ¡°Ice Ladder!¡±

    Thick chill gathered and formed a staircase of ice rising from the ground, breaking out of the door and reaching into the sky at a 45-degree angle.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Six Rime led the way up the stairs. The others followed.

    Manipting shadow to turn it into flexible whips of thorns, Zhong He knocked away the elite monsters attempting to approach them violently. Meanwhile, Liao Liao rained bullets down on the overtakers a little farther away, stopping them from making sneak attacks with the bone stings.

    Dead Pig was carrying Surnamed Li and shielding Liu Qingying at the same time.

    They climbed up the ice stairs as quickly as they could, but without proper support, the staircase was too fragile and soon crumbled when two ughterers mmed into it.

    The structure copsed like tiles of dominoes. They rushed along the stairs, racing against the crumbling stairs behind them. They were going to lose their footing soon.

    ¡°Jump!¡± Zhong He hollered.

    Midair, they had no choice but to jump onto the rooftop of a four-story building.

    Beforending, Liao Liao used Disorientation again to immobilize the enemies once more.

    Two secondster, theynded safely.

    Zhong He¡¯s shadow shot out from below to quickly kill the devourers on the rooftop. Six Rime pressed her hands to the floor, trying to conjure another staircase of ice but failing.

    The ice dragon and the following moves in the intense fight had drained her of almost all energy. While Six Rime¡¯s explosive elemental power was strong, shecked endurance. That had always been her weakness.

    <i>Bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang¡ª</i>

    Liao Liao continued to make shots after shots to drop the ughterers and devourers attempting to climb onto the rooftop. Meanwhile, Zhong He and Colorless were dealing with the more cunning and threatening overtakers.

    Liao Qingying and Surnamed Li took cover behind Dead Pig, who had kept his arms extended to shield them from all the ranged attacks while taking out the enemies that had gotten close.

    However, their effort was like a ss of water poured onto a zing fire. More and more elite monsters climbed onto the rooftop, forcing them to retreat and encroaching upon their area of movement.

    They couldn¡¯t eliminate all the enemies, and they couldn¡¯t run away. There was nothing else they could do.

 Chapter 777: Canâ€™t Read the Ending

    <h4>Chapter 777: Can¡¯t Read the Ending</h4>

    Liao Liao had emptied all the magazines and exhausted the hundreds of bullets, yet the enemies were only getting more numerous.

    She cast away the guns and howled into the sky. ¡°Yiyayiyayiyayiya¡ª¡±

    She had used Disorientation several times in a short span and fought intensely, reaching her limit. She knew that this would be herst time using Disorientation, so she tried her best to make itst as long as she could.

    Her throat bulged and her eyes turned bloodshot. Face pale, two thin lines of blood streaked down from her nostrils.

    <i>Liao Liao!</i>

    <i>You can do it!</i>

    <i>Just a little longer, a little longer!</i>

    <i>The grim reaper¡¯s standing right behind you. Don¡¯t let them swing the scythe down. If you buy another second, just one second...there will be miracles. There will be.</i>

    ...

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Something snapped in Liao Liao¡¯s head. She had reached her limit. Her consciousness was frayed, and her body weak and frail. She toppled backward.

    Thest thought shing through her mind couldn¡¯t be more trivial: <i>I won¡¯t get to read the ending of My Buddy is the Chosen One.</i>

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Two secondster, she heard a loud bam from the ground. The space distorted strangely as if God had violently torn open the world like a piece of paper.

    And the reality wasn¡¯t too far off.

    A great golden waterfall of energy shot along the main street of Aurora Town from one end to the other. The blinding golden light filled the space between heaven and earth. It looked like a golden veil had suddenly cut into Liao Liao¡¯s vision. Countless elite monsters flew away, struggled, and melted in the veil, disintegrating into strands of ck.

    Even those on the rooftop had been lifted off their feet by the resulting currents.

    Thankfully, Zhong He had buried his shadow ropes into the concrete floor in time and caught everyone, preventing them from getting swept into the energy that would melt all.

    The second before Liao Liao cked out, she realized what had happened.

    Azure Dragon.

    ...

    Earlier, with the ice dragon Six Rime had conjured serving as a stepping stone, Azure Dragon had made another jump in the air and quickly approached the devourer prime flying away at full speed with hispanions¡ªTokoos.

    <i>Shit, this lunatic!</i>

    Tokoos felt as if a missile wasing his way. He cursed under his breath and quickly let go, hurling Dust, Clear Mirror, and Tia down.

    The eyes of two twisted faces on his arms shone brightly. He used Iron Skin and Double at the same time, creating a reinforced double and using it as a shield.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Azure Dragon¡¯s punchnded on the chest of Tokoos¡¯ iron skin double. It instantly broke into countless pieces. Still, that offset Azure Dragon¡¯s punch substantially, and having strengthened his real body with Iron Skin as well, Tokoos crossed his arms and endured the remaining force of the punch.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    While Tokoos didn¡¯t break down like his double, he still ended up thrown into a water tower like a bullet. Then he fell to the clearing below the water tower, rolling a few times on the snowy ground.

    Tokoos felt as if his bones had been disassembled. He endured the pain and quickly got to his feet, attempting to run away.

    <i>Thud!</i> But Azure Dragon was alreadynding twenty meters from him, the impact bringing up a ripple of snow.

    <i>This is crazy! Are you really a fucking human?!</i>

    <i>We¡¯re both the growth type. Why is there such a great difference between us?!</i>

    Tokoos clenched his teeth. He knew it was toote for him to flee with Fly. Given Azure Dragon¡¯s speed with his jumps, the man could intercept him midair easily.

    And it would be absurd for Tokoos to try to run on foot. Who could outpace that man on foot?

    <i>This is the only way!</i>

    Tokoos widened his arms. Instantly, the eyes of a dozen and more distorted faces on his arms lit up...

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    Tokoos didn¡¯t even have the time to tap into his energy andbine the energy routes in his body. Azure Dragon was already right before him.

    It only took 0.1 seconds.

    A thousand simple punches.

    The punches rained down on Tokoos, giving him no time to react or counterattack. It felt as if Azure Dragon had hundreds of hands, all clenched into fists andnding on all parts of his body.

    The punches grew increasingly stronger, and soon, Tokoos¡¯ skin and flesh split. Then his bones broke and his internal organs got blended. The intense pain got shoved into his brain like countless puzzle pieces.

    During the few seconds when his consciousness grew dull, all Tokoos could think of was,<i> If I had known this would happen, I should¡¯ve long agreed to be Tia¡¯s dog.</i>

    Five seconds.

    A thousand punches; no more, no less.

    The air settled down suddenly before rippling outward. Azure Dragon pulled back.

    Tokoos was already a gory mess like a red wax statue that had melted by half. Two secondster, he copsed bonelessly, blood foams still gurgling from his tattered body.

    The devourer prime died with no dignity.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t even spare the body a nce before turning around. His eyes twitched.

    He was standing at the entrance of Aurora Town, and all he could see were dense packs of elite monsters. He could faintly see figures fighting at the end of the road. Six Rime and the others were struggling.

    Azure Dragon rushed toward his teammates. Countless elite monsters lunged at him, and he took every one of them out with a single punch. However, they continued to fearlessly swarm up to him.

    Azure Dragon killed all the monsters in his way as he ran. Bloody bodies quickly piled up around him. However, he had made little progress. Elite monsters numerous enough to fill his vision swarmed up to him with reckless abandon.

    The strong ughterers didn¡¯t fear death. Since they couldn¡¯t hurt Azure Dragon, they bit him, grappled him, and locked onto his body to restrain him.

    The devourers morphed their arms into flexible yet sturdy tentacles, wrapping around Azure Dragon. And the overtakers made wild stabs at him with their bone stings, creating a cage of tightly intertwined thorns.

    Azure Dragon was trapped, with little room to move.

    Tentacles covered in grayish-green scales wound around his serious face, hissing and slithering like small vipers.

    Through the gaps, Azure Dragon could see with his keen eyes that Six Rime had conjured an icedder out of the bar at the other end of the town. Reaching the rooftop of the building across the bar, the group failed to run away and ended up in another struggle.

    <i>They won¡¯t survive until I make it to them. There¡¯s no time!</i>

    Azure Dragon concluded and made up his mind.

    He tapped into the deep well of his energy, his body radiating a bright golden light. Despite the tentacles and ughterers swarming up to him, the golden light shone through like sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

    Paying no mind to the enemies, he clenched his right fist and charged.

    Despite not having made a full recovery, he decided to make another Strongest Punch with full charge.

    One second.

    Two.

    ...

    Eight.

    The golden light trapped by countless monsters suddenly flickered and leaked out, and the air around Azure Dragon seemed to darken, too. Time froze for a second.

    <i>Boom</i>!

    Golden light exploded and devoured everything in the area.

    The golden line of God returned!

    God didn¡¯t even need a ruler this time. The golden chalk could just make a line following the dent that was the main road of Aurora Town.

    <i>Swoosh</i>.

    The elite monsters crowding the road instantly vanished in the golden line, their deaths an afterthought of the grandiose disy.

    There had been more than three thousand elite monsters, and there were now less than a thousand.

    <i>Huff...huff.</i>

    There were no living elite monsters around Azure Dragon. They were either rendered into pieces, or swept away and melted by the energy of the Strongest Punch.

    Azure Dragon panted heavily, feeling lightheaded, but he stayed on one knee and didn¡¯t fall.

    The battle...wasn¡¯t over yet.

    He clenched his teeth and rose to his feet. He had left himself with five percent of his energy. It wouldn¡¯t be enough against Dust and Clear Mirror, but he was a fighter, and a fighter fought until thest second of his life.

    <i>Swoosh</i>.

    Tia showed up.

    The ughterer prime had parted ways with Dust and Clear Mirror as soon as shended. She rushed this way as soon as she looked up and saw Tokoos getting thrown into a water tower.

    She naively believed that by fighting alongside Tokoos, they would be able to buy some time for their escape. Yet she couldn¡¯t even reach the battlefield before Azure Dragon killed Tokoos. It took only five seconds.

    Tia witnessed the terrible death of herpanion from afar.

    Fear, shock, rage, and sadness tranted into a tear of humiliation, falling from her beautiful golden eyes.

    <i>I don¡¯t hate you, Tokoos. I¡¯ve rejected you because...I worried that you would get bored of me once you got to know me for real, that you would find out how dull my soul was.</i>

    <i>But do we really have a soul?</i>

    <i>Fuck, there¡¯s no point in thinking about this... I¡¯ll avenge you, Tokoos!</i>

    Tia hid. She waited for Azure Dragon to get swarmed up by the great number of monsters, for him to make a move.

    After the Strongest Punch was made, the roles of predator and prey reversed.

 Chapter 778: Nobody

    <h4>Chapter 778: Nobody</h4>

    Tia¡¯s long arms turned into two crimson scimitars. She had been hiding in wait on a rooftop. With her legs bent and charged with power, she made a strong stomp, shooting toward Azure Dragon in a fierce oval-shaped red light.

    Azure Dragon sensed the tremendous killing intenting from behind him, but after making the Strongest Punch, his body was exhausted, and his energy sluggish. Simply put, he was slow.

    He couldn¡¯t dodge the attack in time.

    He struggled to tap into what little energy he had left to take the attack with his body, but he didn¡¯t think he could endure the hit.

    <i>ng!</i>

    But then a figure appeared behind him like a ghost, parrying Tia¡¯s two arched des.

    The man was tall and skinny with messy curls and deep-set eyes. The character ¡°tiger¡± was tattooed on his left temple. With a toothpick in his mouth, he blocked Tia¡¯s sneak attack with one hand wielding a giant ck Gold de taller than a person.

    ¡°Whew, made it in time.¡± War Tiger spat out the toothpick. ¡°I gotta say, the food here is terrible. The beef is so chewy it might as well be gum.¡±

    Azure Dragon sighed in relief when he heard War Tiger¡¯s voice.

    The man being here meant that the reinforcements from the Ocean River Union were here, too.

    Azure Dragon could guess that they had a n B, too. He realized it when Surnamed Li refused to set out for Aurora Town immediately after reaching Snow Nation.

    It turned out that Surnamed Li was waiting for reinforcements to arrive. She must have foreseen the future of getting ambushed by swarms of monsters with level 7 Prophet.

    War Tiger twisted the de and made a powerful swing, sending Tia flying about seven meters away.

    Tia steadied her footing, staring at the careless-looking man. He was strong!

    ¡°Need any help, War Tiger?¡± An old man in ck cotton clothes slowly emerged from an alley on the side. It was Elder Yan Liang, wearing his signature mask.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m more worried about the others.¡± War Tiger gave him an easy smile. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve sent the others ahead already.¡±

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t actually think that War Tiger needed help. His concern was that War Tiger would seize the chance to kill Azure Dragon while he was weak¡ªthe possibility was slim, though.

    He lifted his right hand and pulled, using Spatial Magic. In the blink of an eye, Azure Dragon found himself back at Yan Liang¡¯s side.

    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Yan Liang asked.

    Azure Dragon was pale, but his eyes remained sharp. ¡°I¡¯m good. Go help Six Rime.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The group is heading there.¡±

    ...

    War Tiger faced Tia amid the ruins, bodies, and fire. Falling from the sky were snow and the asional golden shards of light¡ªthe remnants of the energy of the Strongest Puch.

    The human and monster stared each other down in silence, quickly giving each other a once-over.

    ¡°I¡¯m War Tiger, deputy captain of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡± War Tiger lifted his greatsword. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Tia, ughterer prime and an apostle of the Heavenly Godbearer,¡± Tia made an official introduction, too.

    ¡°Haha, good!¡± War Tiger perked up visibly with childlike excitement. ¡°My Dragonying Giantsword shouldn¡¯t be used on regr folks. It¡¯s great that you¡¯ll be its first kill!¡±

    Rage rushed into Tia¡¯s head. The failed mission, Tokoos¡¯ death, and the insult and humiliation from her enemy burned away what little rationality there was in her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to strangle you with your intestines and make a ribbon.¡± Tia clenched her teeth.

    ¡°Oh, how exciting.¡± War Tiger grinned and raised his greatsword at Tia.

    ¡°Ahhhh!!¡±

    Tia stopped wasting her breath. A furious growl burst out of her chest as her body grew in size, her armor of hardy scales spreading to cover her from head to toe. Then her tailbone protruded and turned into arge, thick green tail, followed by gushes of viscous dark brown fluid.

    In two seconds, she turned into a giant lizard person at three meters tall.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Instantly, she disappeared, leaving only two cracked footprints and a rush of current.

    Her arms turned into two giant arched des and made a cross cut at War Tiger horizontally, slicing at his head like a pair of scissors.

    <i>ng</i>.

    War Tiger thrust his greatsword into the ground with both hands holding the hilt, urately blocking the point where the two arched des crossed to stop the lethal attack.

    Surprise shed through Tia¡¯s golden marble-like eyes. He had stopped her without even moving!

    Her tail whipped toward War Tiger, nning to grapple him. War Tiger jumped and tucked his legs to dodge the tail. Then he stomped on the greatsword with both feet.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Tia¡¯s two arms, parried by the greatsword, felt suddenly numb, and she staggered back.

    War Tiger kicked the greatsword as soon as hended. The de twirled upward and spun before returning to War Tiger¡¯s hands, scattering soil.

    He looked at his weapon with unbridled joy in his eyes. He looked like a kid who had finally got his hands on an exclusive edition toy.

    <i>Awesome! The sword is great!</i>

    <i>And this monster! She¡¯s like an enemy tailor made for my new weapon!</i>

    War Tiger lifted his greatsword with both hands, a smile tugging his lips.

    As he injected his energy, the Dragonying Giantsword radiated a grayish-blue de aura that resembled a strange fire. Then thud, War Tiger charged at Tia like a phantom, leaving a trail of the same color in his wake.

    <i>ng</i>.

    Tia blocked a horizontal sh with her arms crossed. A strange numbing pain shot from her arms to the rest of her body, and many of the hard scales covering her fell off.

    <i>What¡¯s going on?!</i>

    Before Tia could dwell on it, War Tiger was already above her, making a fierce vertical sh.

    Tia raised her arms to block it again.

    A sharp, stinging pain spread through her.

    Large swathes of scales fell from her arms. She felt like a fish on a cutting board, having her scales peeled off by the back of a knife.

    Tia came to a realization.

    The greatsword didn¡¯t do shing damage, but hurt the enemies with the power tremors. The energy War Tiger injected into the greatsword entered her body and wreaked havoc through the powerful swing.

    Although her explosive power and defense were ten times greater after a full transformation, it came with the downside of slowing her down, and she had to parry all of War Tiger¡¯s shes.

    The greatsword itself wouldn¡¯t hurt her, yet the tremors would spread through her body like electric currents.

    What made the greatsword threatening wasn¡¯t simple damage to the external, but its ability to destroy a lifeform inside out, through the great tremor it brought about.

    Tia realized then: the greatsword was meant as a counter to arge enemy with high defense!

    In fact, War Tiger hadmissioned the weapon to make up for the shorings of an assassin-type like him, meant to deal with his bane¡ªenemies with high defense and great constitution.

    Had Tia maintained her human form and dodged his attacks agilely, fighting him through skills, the fight wouldn¡¯t have been so one-sided.

    Tia regretted her decision, but there was no turning back time.

    In her moment of distraction, the greatsword hit her in the back.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    It didn¡¯t feel so much like she was cut, but clubbed.

    Violent, wild tremors instantly shot to all parts of her body, running wild and disturbing the energy circuits inside her.

    Her scales fell inrge parts.

    Like a fir in heavy snow, the snow on the branches fell as soon as a man kicked the trunk.

    <i>No! I can¡¯t fall here! I have to avenge Tokoos...</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Stripped of most of the protection of the scales, Tia got hit in the chest with War Tiger¡¯s fourth attack.

    This time, even her prided sturdy skin and flesh gave way. Blood sttered from the open wounds.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The fifth hit.

    <i>Bam, bam, bam¡ª</i>

    In truth, War Tiger was quickly losing energy since he had to feed the ck Gold monstrosity in his hands to ensure its incredible power. He was more and more tired, yet he moved with increasing speed and trapped Tia with several afterimages¡ªKilling Expert made him stronger the worse his condition was.

    Although he was wielding a heavy greatsword, he moved as agilely as he would with a whip. Crisscrossing shes hit Tia like countless whips.

    Thirty secondster, War Tiger stopped attacking.

    He was going to copse soon at this rate, and he would have to hurt himself to the point of dying in order to make another barrage of fierce attacks. However, he didn¡¯t see the need for that.

    <i>ng.</i>

    War Tiger dropped the Dragonslying Giantsword and fell on his butt, panting heavily. ¡°<i>Huff, huff</i>...I¡¯m beat. I¡¯mpletely beat...¡±

    It was as if the fight was already over.

    Tia remained ten meters behind him, covered in open wounds with no part intact. Her hair was messy, and she bled from all orifices. Her once beautiful golden eyes threatened to pop out of her eye sockets like those of a dead fish.

    While it seemed like her gaze was still on War Tiger, she wasn¡¯t seeing anything.

    She was already dead.

    <i>Boom.</i>

    Three secondster, Tia¡¯s body exploded into sshes of blood and body parts.

    The tremoring power of the Dragonying Giantsword had destroyed all the energy routes in Tia¡¯s body and broke her every bone and muscle.

    War Tiger rested for a full minute in the rain of blood before standing up, putting the Dragonying Giantsword back on his back. He wiped the sweat and blood on his face.

    He took out an almost empty pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket in the back and shook out thest cigarette. Only after lighting it and taking a deep drag did he feel alive again.

    He strolled toward the other side of the town, going over the fight in his head.

    <i>Hm, it was my first time using my big treasured sword. Feels nice. There¡¯s room for improvement in terms of techniques, though, or the battery life is too poor. I¡¯ll run out of energy too soon.</i>

 Chapter 779: Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 779: Pursuit</h4>

    The Strongest Punch left the streets a living purgatory of ruins and corpses. Facing the catastrophic destructive power, the surviving elite monsters didn¡¯t back down. They continued to swarm to the building where Six Rime and the others were, climbing up toward the rooftop like zombies.

    ¡°Cut.¡±

    ¡°Cut.¡±

    ¡°Cut.¡±

    Wearing a vicious-looking tengu mask, Heavenly Dog stood in the air and used Spatial Dissection indiscriminately at the surviving elite monsters in Aurora Town.

    His attacks were messy and inurate, but that saved him effort and energy. Since there were still quite a lot of elite monsters and they moved in dense packs, he could always hit some targets with his careless attacks.

    Ripples shed through the air. When the monsters sensed the danger, it was already toote for most to get out of the way.

    Sliced off arms, legs, and heads flew amid the snow, sttering blood everywhere and painting a macabre picture.

    ¡°Earth Bastion!¡±

    Mischievous Monkey, Songstress, and One Stone had already reached the rooftop under siege with Heavenly Dog¡¯s Fly.

    Hands pressed to the ground, Mischievous Monkey lifted the concrete floor and bricks under his feet to create a sturdy bastion, shielding Six Rime and the others from the despairing danger.

    One Stone provided the injured and exhausted teammates with first aid, administering them with the medicine she carried with her. A few secondster, small holes appeared on the earth element bastion.

    Songstress sang in an ethereal and gentle voice, the tune wandering out of the walls and echoing across the town.

    Some elite monsters fainted immediately, and the ones with greater resistance slowed and became disoriented.

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±

    Zero Hatred from Team Yan Liang rode the wind andughed hysterically, summoning a meteor shower of five elements without pulling back to bombard the spots where elite monsters were most numerous.

    ¡°Die! All of you, die!!¡±

    Wild elemental power bloomed here and there. Broken body parts of the monsters scattered, apanied by gutwrenching cries.

    From afar, it was a captivating, beautiful scene, but looking closely, the picture was violent and vicious.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    A giant ck Gold cross boomerang spun at high speed, cutting the arms of two devourers and a ughterer¡¯s head before turning and returning to Amon.

    She was standing on the rooftop of a cabin. Shaking blood off the boomerang, she hurled it at the two ughterers rushing her way.

    Standing behind her was a chubby man, Old Seven. He rolled up his sleeves and fired rapid air bullets at the monsters from his carrot-like fingers, veins popping out of his forearms.

    <i>Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat¡ª</i>

    The air bullets hit the monsters like they were shot from a machine gun, killing some and keeping others at bay.

    <i>Growl!</i> Old Lion, having merged with his mount, turned into a lionman that flickered golden light. He charged into the swarm of monsters and flung them into the air or broke their heads with bites.

    <i>Vroom</i>.

    Two ¡°fighter jets¡± flew over the town. The toy nes had turned into real fighter jets withyers of translucent blue energy arming them.

    They rained down bullets on the streets below. The barrage of blue bullets plowed through the wild monsters like four blue chopsticks.

    It was Small Luo with Talent: Toys.

    Also joining the fight were Forest Crane, Flower Turtle, Correcting Sickle, Veggie, Chaos Reflection, Subus, Bumblebee, Harvest Song, Canary, First Firelord, and Nomad.

    With almost all members of the Ocean River Union and the Twelve Zodiac Signs gathered, the result of the battle was already determined.

    The number of elite monsters dwindled sharply. In theter stage of the fight, War Tiger, Yan Liang, and Azure Dragon rushed to join as well, further speeding up the cleansing of the battlefield.

    The elite monsters were wiped out in less than ten minutes.

    After confirming that there was no longer any threat, Mischievous Monkey dissolved his earth bastion. Liao Liao regained consciousness to find the town drowning in mes and corpses in pools of blood. It looked like hell on earth.

    All awakeners participating in the battle were exhausted. There were many suffering injuries of varying degrees as well as deaths. Since they had all taken resurrection pills beforehand and hadn¡¯t been hit in the vitals, though, they hadn¡¯t permanently lost any members.

    War Tiger, Azure Dragon, and Yan Liang jumped onto the rooftop.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Azure Dragon looked at Six Rime and the others.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Six Rime nodded, speaking weakly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Dust?¡± Liu Qingying turned to Azure Dragon.

    ¡°I killed the prime that sent the re,¡± said Azure Dragon. ¡°But I didn¡¯t see Dust and Clear Mirror.¡±

    Liu Qingying turned to War Tiger.

    War Tiger shrugged. ¡°I killed a ughterer prime, but I didn¡¯t see Dust.¡±

    Liu Qingying turned to Yan Liang, not able to give up.

    Yan Liang shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t see Dust, either.¡±

    ¡°She must have run away.¡± Liao Liao still sounded weak as Colorless propped her up. ¡°Elder Azure Dragon made a terrifying attack, and you¡¯ve sent so many here as reinforcements. They knew that their n would never work.¡±

    A deep anger shed through Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes. With Dust alive, what was the point of killing so many monsters?

    Then a cool wind suddenly entered her head.

    After a pause, she shouted, ¡°They must have headed to the train station!¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°Where else could they go?¡±

    War Tiger thought for a moment. And it made sense.

    Aurora Town was too small for them to hide in. As long as the only official channel was blocked off, they could root out the pair of overtaker primes sooner orter bybing through the town.

    Since the mission was a failure, Dust and Clear Mirror might as well retreat quickly and return to the main city of Snow Nation through the official channel. It would be too slow for them to walk. They had to get a ride at the train station.

    ¡°The station is quite far,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°We may not make it in time.¡±

    That was true. Dust had Gravity and it allowed for quick travel. Most wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to them.

    Azure Dragon might be able to were he not drainedpletely. Old Lion could travel quickly, but he had suffered quite a serious injury in the earlier fight. Even if he did catch up to Dust and Clear Mirror, he wouldn¡¯t be their match. And Small Luo had gotten injured, too, with no way to make another Toy.

    There was one person who was quick and strong and would make the perfect pursuer, though. As long as he kept Clear Mirror and Dust upied, the others would be able to catch upter.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog!¡± War Tiger and Yan Liang reached the same conclusion.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Heavenly Dog immediately took flight.

    ¡°Heavenly Dog! Take me and Zhong He, too!¡± Dead Pig called out.

    Heavenly Dog paused. He didn¡¯t understand the request. Zhong He was one thing. Dead Pig was quite heavy. His flying speed would be much lower if he carried the two of them.

    ¡°Trust us!¡± Zhong He shouted.

    Heavenly Dog nced at War Tiger. Getting the approval, he dropped two strands of white cloth from his sleeves without hesitation. Dead Pig and Zhong He each grabbed one and lifted off the ground.

    ¡°Faster, Heavenly Dog!¡±

    Heavenly Dog was already flying at his maximum speed, but Dead Pig continued to urge him impatiently.

    Zhong He teased, ¡°Are you in any ce to say that? Look at yourself. Why don¡¯t I cut off your two legs for you, Old Pig? Then we¡¯ll be going much faster.¡±

    Dead Pig let out a nasalugh. ¡°Then you should try hard with your Phantom, or you¡¯ll be cutting slower than my regeneration.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Heavenly Dog spoke up in a rxed voice. ¡°I think I see them.¡±

 Chapter 780: New Mission

    <h4>Chapter 780: New Mission</h4>

    Zhong He and Dead Pig looked up to see two figures a hundred meters away. Supporting each other, they jumped between the rooftops of the town. It was clear that they had adjusted the gravity around them judging by their light movement.

    ¡°It¡¯s Dust and Clear Mirror! Hurry!¡± Dead Pig shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can. If I go any faster, the car¡¯s gonna break down,¡± Heavenly Dog grumbled but quietly pushed himself to go a little faster, slowly decreasing their distance from the targets.

    ¡°Zhong He!¡± Dead Pig stared at Zhong He with zing eyes.

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Dead Pig shouted. ¡°It should work at this distance!¡±

    Zhong He stopped hesitating. Phantom rushed out of his body and turned into countless ck strands to tie Dead Pig from head to toe.

    ¡°Too loose!¡± Dead Pig shouted.

    Zhong He pushed the shadow to strangle him harder.

    <i>Hiss, hiss.</i> The ck strands cut through Dead Pig¡¯s skin and sank into his flesh, turning him into a bleeding cacoon.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Heavenly Dog started. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be chasing the enemies together? Why did the two men suddenly get into a fight? ¡°Stop, don¡¯t fight...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Keep going faster!¡± Dead Pig endured the pain and howled. ¡°Just a little closer!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Heavenly Dog stopped asking. He could guess that Dead Pig and Zhong He were going to make a decisive move.

    He pushed himself past the limit for explosive power at the cost of damaging the energy route in his body, quickly drawing close to the targets.

    ¡°Have you skipped a meal, Zhong He?! Stop tickling me. Harder!¡± Dead Pig shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t stop until I tell you to!¡±

    <i>Fuck, you lunatic!</i>

    Zhong He threw reservation out of the window and pushed Phantom to the max with the determination to kill.

    <i>Hiss</i>. The ck strands cut further into Dead Pig¡¯s body, going past the skin, muscles, and blood vessels, almost reaching the bones.

    Dead Pig was like a cabbage wrapped in steel wire. The leaves on the outside continued to break off and turn to pieces as the wire cut further and further into the heart of the cabbage.

    <i>I can¡¯t keep going! You¡¯ll die!</i>

    <i>Fucking tell me to stop! I don¡¯t wannamit murder!</i>

    Zhong He watched Dead Pig turn into a ck and red rice dumpling, at his breaking point.

    ¡°Stop...¡±

    Finally, the bloodied Dead Pig spoke up. His face was red and terrifying from all the sttering blood, but he was smiling. His bloodshot eyes burned with rage as he stared at Dust and Clear Mirror, who were traveling at high speed fifty meters away. He gradually locked onto Dust¡¯s back. An energy turned into countless intangible nktons and snuck up on her.

    Anytime now. She was almost within his reach.

    Closer, just a little closer!

    ...

    ¡°Someone¡¯s catching up on us.¡± Clear Mirror could sense pursuers approaching not far away in Dust¡¯s hold.

    Dust kept running without looking back. ¡°Almost there. We¡¯ll reach the station soon.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, Dust,¡± Clear Mirror said calmly. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll slow them down...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Dust kept jumping. ¡°Both Tia and Tokoos are dead. If you die, too, how am I supposed toplete the mission?¡±

    ¡°Then give up,¡± said Clear Mirror. ¡°Live, and you¡¯ll have another chance.¡±

    ¡°No! Never! We¡¯re getting out of here together. I can do it...¡±

    Suddenly, Dust felt a shudder run down her spine, and her hair stood on end. She caught a strange energy wrapping tightly around her with her keen senses.

    She didn¡¯t know what it was, but she had a strong feeling that she was not getting out of it.

    At thest second, Dust used Zero Gravity and pushed Clear Mirror hard. Clear Mirror started. When he realized it, he was already flying toward the station.

    ¡°No!¡±

    Clear Mirror reached out to his sister, but he could only watch as Dust grew distant from him.

    Dust shouted at Clear Mirror, ¡°Live! Avenge...¡±

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    Dust vanished.

    All of a sudden, Dead Pig took her ce, covered in blood and minced flesh. The man had cked out, and he plunged and crashed through the rooftop with a loud bang, falling into themb pen of a farmhouse.

    The Talent Dead Pig had acquired was Discement.

    He locked onto Dust from fifty meters away and swapped ces with her, putting her in the prison of Phantom.

    Given Dead Pig¡¯srge frame, however, he demanded Zhong He tighten the shadow around him to the point of cutting into his flesh to make the restrain as tight as possible; it was to make sure the shadow would restrain Dust instantly for certain, giving her no chance to resist. It was thebo Dead Pig and Zhong He hade up with the previous night at the hotel. They hadn¡¯t known that it would be of use.

    Locked up by Discement, Dust found herself suddenly by Zhong He¡¯s side between one blink and the next, tightly restrained by Phantom.

    ¡°Aghhh!!¡±

    She cried out in pain, given no time to resist.

    ¡°Dust! I finally caught you!¡±

    Zhong He shouted with catharsis. Leaving nothing to chance, he continued to strangle Dust until she waspletely wrapped by his shadow, turning her into a ck mummy.

    ¡°Ahhh...¡±

    Dust felt the shadow tighten around her. Blood leaked out from the cacoon of ck strands.

    <i>No.</i>

    Zhong He stopped. Although he wanted to kill her to avenge Team Leader Goldthread, he must not do that. It would be too selfish of him.

    Dead Pig and Liu Qingying had waited ten years for this moment. They should be the ones to have revenge. It would be their salvation. Zhong He couldn¡¯t take it from them.

    ...

    Clear Mirror moved quickly to the station in a weightless state. He saw Dust get caught by a strange move and turn into a bleeding ck mummy amid her cries of pain.

    He knew that Dust was done for. Even if she was still alive now, she would die sooner orter. The awakeners hated her too much to let her off the hook.

    He wanted to turn back and avenge his sister now, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do it. There were too many enemies here and too many powerful awakeners. He wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    Moreover, he had an even more important mission¡ªto kill the Divine Scion.

    <i>¡°Live! Avenge...¡±</i>

    <i>...Me.</i>

    Clear Mirror heard Dust¡¯sst words ring in his head. He now had another mission to carry out.

    <i>Don¡¯t be scared, Sister. Death is not the end.</i>

    <i>I¡¯llplete our mission. We¡¯ll both turn into the aurora and reach God¡¯s side.</i>

    <i>In that eternal world of bliss, there would be no sadness, pain, confusion, or fear.</i>

    <i>There, people love the world, and the world loves people.</i>

    <i>There, we¡¯ll always be together, forever.</i>

    The weightlessness faded. Clear Mirror fell on a bus in the station¡¯s parking lot. He rolled off the bus and quickly and calmly rushed into a nearby alley. Inside were two racing motorcycles. One red and one ck.

    He hopped onto his sister¡¯s red motorcycle and started the engine, rushing to the endless highway, leaving a crimson trail through the dark veil of night.

 Chapter 781: Agents of Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 781: Agents of Revenge</h4>

    Half an hourter, Colorless, Zhong He, and Liao Liao were cleaning up the battlefield with their teams, while Surnamed Li, Yan Liang, Azure Dragon, War Tiger, Liu Qingying, and Dead Pig went to the Sacred Mountain Church. Dust, one-half of the overtaker prime twins, sat on a chair in the main hall.

    All her limbs had been dismembered to make sure she couldn¡¯t fight back or flee. She no longer had the strength to manifest her soul to cover Goldthread¡¯s burned body.

    Blood trickled down from the corners of her mouth. On the disfigured face were two deep-set dark eyes.

    ¡°Making her talk is like pulling teeth. We didn¡¯t get anything from her after all the interrogation.¡± War Tiger was getting a headache.

    Azure Dragon, on the other hand, gained a newfound admiration for the enemy. While she hadmitted great crimes, she was a loyal fighter.

    ¡°Stop wasting time. Do it.¡± Dust spoke in a weak yet haughty voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t Vermilion Bird capable of questioning corpses? I¡¯d like to see if she can question my soul.¡±

    Yan Liang nced at Surnamed Li. ¡°You¡¯ll make the decision, Deputy Guildmaster.¡±

    ¡°An eye for an eye. She¡¯ll meet a swift end, and we¡¯ll take the body forter questioning once Vermilion Bird returns.¡± Surnamed Li turned to War Tiger since he was the representative of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. ¡°Does that work for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± War Tiger spread his hands and smiled shrewdly. ¡°However, we must be present when you question her body. We¡¯ve put in a lot of effort tonight after all.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    War Tiger turned to Dust. ¡°Anyst words?¡±

    Dust kept her head low, her speech slurring with her on the verge of death.

    ¡°Everyone! Lives are original sins, and desires, enemies. Without rity, it¡¯s doom...¡±

    ¡°When the sacred fire spread across thend, the heretics will be abandoned, and the believers blessed.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll sooner orter return to nothingness, while we will reach the otherworld...¡±

    War Tiger scoffed silently. <i>The Godbearer Cult is an asylum for lunatics. The cryptic words can be intel, though. It¡¯s better than nothing anyway.</i>

    He turned to Dead Pig and Liu Qingying.

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t show anything on her face. She had been waiting for the day for ten years.

    She had thought that she would get hysterical or timid when revenge was within reach, but she was unexpectedlyposed, even calm.

    It turned out that all her rage and hatred had been exhausted during the ten-year-long investigation and the countless times she missed her dear friend.

    Looking at the monster weing death, Liu Qingying asked coolly, ¡°Did Little Ba say anything before she passed?¡±

    It took a moment for Dust to realize she was talking about Ba Qiuchi.

    Dust lifted Goldthread¡¯s disfigured face with resentful eyes and a taunting smile. ¡°She didn¡¯t make any sound outside of screaming. In less than a minute, her soul got burned to nothing.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Liu Qingying nced at Dead Pig. The man had more or less recovered; only the long lines of brown scars indicated that he had been injured.

    He was carrying a bottle of petrol. With an expressionless face, he went up to Dust and poured the petrol on her from the top of her head and down to the rest of her body, washing away her blood.

    ¡°No...no...¡±

    Dust struggled but couldn¡¯t move at all.

    She didn¡¯t fear death, but she didn¡¯t want to get burned to death. It was perhaps due to Goldthread, the host, having been through a horrible fire that she knew all too well how terrifying fire was, or perhaps it was because she had burned the soul of many.

    Liu Qingying took out a cigarette and exhaled deeply. Gazing at Dust with calm eyes, she said in the same mild voice, ¡°Body should burn a little longer than soul.¡±

    She cast the cigarette at Dust¡¯s face, the embers sputtering.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Great fire suddenly enveloped Dust¡¯s body and devoured her whole.

    ¡°Ahhhh!!¡±

    ¡°No...aghhhhh...¡±

    Cruel mes tormented Dust, making her fall off the chair and roll around on the ground. Her screams echoed in the empty, humidly cold church. The wavering fire cast golden light on the stained ss and was reflected back in multiple colors, dancing on everyone¡¯s face and in their eyes.

    They all quietly watched the torture Dust was going through.

    Liu Qingying watched the burning figure struggle and writhe in pain until it stopped moving, turning into a lump of charcoal. She didn¡¯t even blink. She wanted tomit to memory the slight shift of the light in the church and every lick of the fire; she would remember the burnt smell and every scream ringing in her ears.

    Oh, she would remember all the details and rey them in her Sweet Dream for her enjoyment.

    A minuteter, Dust died, and the fire went out.

    Liu Qingying had gotten her revenge, but it didn¡¯t fill her with any joy.

    Suddenly, she heard the familiar voice again.

    <i>¡°Liu Qingying! You¡¯re lucky!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You¡¯re both a man and a woman. How cool is that?!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You¡¯re the blessed child of God and the most perfect work of the maker! Oh, how I envy you! I would love to exchange ces with you!¡±</i>

    <i>Ba Qiuchi, you¡¯re wrong.</i>

    <i>God¡¯s most perfect work was you. You were too good for this terrible world.</i>

    <i>I would love to exchange ces with you.</i>

    <i>I wish you were the one alive at this moment.</i>

    ...

    Dust died. The charred body was put in a special body bag.

    Members of the Ocean River Union and the Twelve Zodiac Signs took a short rest before heading to the station, stealing a bus and heading back to the main city of Snow Nation.

    As for Aurora town, it was left in ruins with littering bodies in the aftermath of the fight. There was nothing they could do to clean up the mess, and they didn¡¯t try. They would leave it to the Heavenly Way.

    As they drove away, the Heavenly Way was already at work. The ground shook, and the damaged roads and buildings, along with the countless bodies, were sinking down with rumbling noises and disappearing.

    It wouldn¡¯t take long for identical buildings to sprout like bamboo shoots in spring. When the day broke, Aurora Town would be good as new like nothing had happened, only it would be a lifeless ghost town like the replica of the Gu Family¡¯s Vige in Li City.

    One witness stayed alone in Aurora Town, appreciating the Heavenly Way¡¯s conscientious and emotionless way of covering things up. It was a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, hiding in a crack in the steep bluff of the snowy peak behind the Sacred Mountain Church. Wrapped in a white cape, he was holding a pair of white tactical binocrs. He was entirely covered in snow, almost blending with the mountain entirely.

    It was Gao Yang, in disguise.

    Tonight¡¯s battle was a trap set up for the Divine Scion and the Nine Scions. As the intended prey, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to miss the show. He had long infiltrated the town, but he never nned to make an appearance. Even when his once roommate, Lin Dajian, got hurled into the sky by Azure Dragon and exploded into a soul firework, he watched quietly without moving.

    Then he saw the monster primes show up and was treated to the mad spectacle of a monster swarm. He saw Team Azure Dragon fight to within an inch of their lives. And he saw once more the God¡¯s golden lineing from Azure Dragon.

    Thest time at the Starcatching Pavilion, Gao Yang didn¡¯t get a full view of the golden line since he was one of its targets.

    Even Gao Yang had to admit that Azure Dragon remained the top bar in terms of destructive power among awakeners.

    Still, Gao Yang didn¡¯t surrender to his desire for revenge and recklessly attempt to kill Azure Dragon while he was weak. And indeed, Yan Liang and War Tiger arrived with a group of awakeners in time to turn the tide.

    Gao Yang only had to think with his toes to know that it was Surnamed Li¡¯s Prophet at work. She had seen the future of a monster swarm, and thus she arranged for reinforcements toe.

    Not everything that happened tonight was expected, but things went in the general direction Gao Yang had predicted.

    Soon, the battle came to an end.

    Gao Yang was the first to notice Dust and Clear Mirror running away. At that moment, he finally made a move. He discreetly warned Liu Qingying with level 7 Telepathy.

    [Train station.]

    He purposefully obscured his inner voice.

    And as expected of a shrewd woman like her, Liu Qingying didn¡¯t show any surprise and told everyone that as her own spection.

    Gao Yang had asked himself why he intervened unnecessarily.

    For one, he did wish for Dust and Clear Mirror to be captured so that the three organizations¡ªwell, two¡ªwould follow the leads to the Godbearer Cult.

    For another, Gao Yang understood Liu Qingying as a fellow agent of revenge.

    After making sure that those from the Ocean River Union and the Twelve Zodiac Signs had left Aurora Town, Gao Yang came out of the crack he had been hiding in and shook off the snow on his cape. With one hand on the rocky wall for support, he looked down at the Sacred Mountain Church and its tall spiral, the cedar forest drowning in white, and the town slowly disappearing in a localizednd sink.

    <i>You¡¯ve had your revenge, Miss Liu.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s now the Nine Scions¡¯ turn.</i>

    A gust of wind carrying snow swept over him, rustling the strands of hair falling on his forehead.

    Two secondster, he disappeared from the bluff.

 Chapter 782: Unreplicable

    <h4>Chapter 782: Unreplicable</h4>

    The official channel leading out of Aurora Town was a long, straight highway, sandwiched by vast snowynd. Of course, if one got out of the car and investigated the two sides, they would find it impossible to go further after two hundred meters. There was a supernatural barrier that one could never approach¡ªthe Mist.

    An orange bus drove smoothly along the road. Most of the twenty or more passengers had fallen asleep due to injury and exhaustion. The few still awake looked out of the windows, silently dwelling in their thoughts.

    The passengers looked like tourists who had been traveling for half a month with fading excitement and enthusiasm, left with only exhaustion and the urge to go home.

    With a cigarette in his mouth, War Tiger held the driving wheel with both hands. In the passenger seat was Surnamed Li, who was also awake.

    Without Little Tian as a radar, Surnamed Li¡¯s ability to see the next ten seconds was the next best thing.

    Out of boredom, War Tiger struck up a conversation with Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Hey, can you believe it? We killed thousands of elite monsters earlier. Most were killed by Azure Dragon, though.¡±

    Surnamed Li stared at the silent night view outside the window and only gave a small nod in response.

    ¡°After the Crimson Tide and the fight tonight, the young elite monsters with the ability to fight in the Mist World should mostly be wiped out.¡±

    ¡°As long as wee together, what can¡¯t we do?¡± Surnamed Li smiled faintly.

    War Tigerughed. ¡°However, some people reject forming a united front.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean the Nine Scions?¡± Surnamed Li yed dumb on purpose.

    ¡°Not just them, right?¡± War Tiger tested her with a half-joke and a disingenuous smile.

    Surnamed Li didn¡¯t deem that a response. She continued to look at the end of the road and the seemingly unreachable horizon, bemused.

    Meanwhile, Liu Qingying and Yan Liang sat side by side in the back row of the seats. Liu Qingying rested two fingers on the back of Yan Liang¡¯s wrinkled hand. They closed their eyes and entered a Sweet Dream.

    Due to their sleep being shallow given the environment they were in, Liu Qingying didn¡¯t put in the effort to create a vivid, interesting setting this time. Instead, they found themselves in the tight space of a confessional.

    Liu Qingying was in thepartment on the left, and Yan Liang, the right. Between them was a wooden screen that covered their faces.

    ¡°You¡¯ve helped me get revenge, Elder Yan Liang. I¡¯ll honor my word and give you two important pieces of information.¡± Liu Qingying paused. ¡°However, you¡¯ll be the one to judge if they are true.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°First, the requirement for a Talent to reach level 8 by merging with a Rune Circuit.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a requirement?¡± Yan Liang was surprised.

    ¡°Haha, I had the same question when I heard that.¡± Liu Qingying shared what Gao Yang said with Yan Liang.

    Yan Liang thought for a moment. He didn¡¯t dwell on it since he didn¡¯t want Liu Qingying to catch his emotions and thoughts.

    He nodded slightly. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°The second piece of information is closely relevant to the Ocean River Union,¡± Liu Qingying warned. ¡°You should take it seriously.¡±

    ¡°Please continue.¡±

    ¡°The Nine Scions are formting a n to take revenge against the Ocean River Union.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Yan Liang was unfazed. ¡°That¡¯s as expected. Do you know the details of the actual n?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t going to just spell it out.¡± Liu Qingying smiled delicately. ¡°The only thing I can tell you is that he asked me to get him a lot of bombs.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with the trade.¡±

    ¡°So am I,¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°Pleasure working with you.¡±

    Yan Liang didn¡¯t say anything.

    Soon, darkness overwhelmed them, and the dream crumbled. Five secondster, Yan Liang opened his eyes on the bus, and Liu Qingying woke up, pulling her hand back.

    Yan Liang¡¯s thin, frail frame shook along with the movement of the bus, his old eyes glinting coldly under the mask.<i> What are you up to this time, Gao Yang?</i>

    ...

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion, Xijing District, next early morning.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s back!¡± Can, who had been ying a Rubik¡¯s cube on the couch jumped to her feet and called out as soon as she heard the door open. Although it could be the members out on patrol returning, there was a slight difference in the sound everyone made when opening the door.

    Captain always opened the door more gently. Can could recognize it immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Gao Yang gingerly closed the door behind him, taking off the ck coat covered in snow.

    ¡°How did it go, Captain?¡± Can went up to take the coat from him and put it on the coat stand behind the door.

    Everyone was opposed to Gao Yang heading to Snow Nation on his own, but Gao Yang insisted. He had Nainai change his face and replicated Telepathy, Invisibility, and Gale before setting out.

    Can had been on pins and needles the past two days. She prayed for Gao Yang¡¯s safe return even in her dreams.

    Now that Gao Yang had returned, she only showed a faint smile on her face, but if she had a tail, it would be wagging.

    The other members heard themotion and emerged from their rooms. Outside of Wang Zikai and Qing Ling, who were on patrol, and Nainai and Raven Shark, who were out on a mission, they all gathered in the living room.

    ¡°How did it go, Captain?¡± Nine Frost, their deputy captain, asked.

    ¡°Dust died. Clear Mirror escaped. There were two other enemies¡ªprimes of wrath monsters, I think¡ªand both are dead, too...¡± Then Gao Yang described what he had witnessed in Aurora Town.

    ¡°You were right.¡± Nine Frost shuddered. ¡°It was Dust¡¯s trap for you, and if the Nine Scions bit the bait¡ªeven on purpose¡ªwe were likely to get wiped out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That was thousands of elite monsters. Even if they stood there and let me hit them, I would sooner exhaust myself than kill all of them.¡± Can felt numb in the scalp at the thought alone.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°If not for Surnamed Li predicting the danger with Prophet and calling for reinforcement, the entire Team Azure Dragon would be dead, too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome,¡± Zhang Wei said with concern. ¡°How are we going to take revenge with the old fox around?¡±

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t say anything. She never did when Surnamed Lie was brought up.

    She hated the woman, so much so that she never wanted to talk about her.

    Gao Yang pondered for a moment before making the decision. ¡°We follow our n.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°Right, the Ocean River Union just had a huge fight. The members are exhausted. It¡¯s the best time for payback.¡±

    ¡°Has your Talent leveled up, Chen Ying?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°It didst night,¡± Chen Ying said. ¡°I¡¯ve returned the Damage Rune Circuit to Qing Ling.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The night Chen Ying attempted suicide after what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion, she fell deep asleep and woke up with her third Talent: Explosives Expert.

    That was why Gao Yang thought of using bombs.

    The Ocean River Union¡¯s base was underground. They would break it with an explosion to flush the members out if nothing else.

    Of course, Gao Yang didn¡¯t think the bombs would be enough for their revenge. It was simply the first step of the n to force the Union to abandon the secure underground base.

    ¡°Zhang Wei.¡± Gao Yang extended a hand to Zhang Wei. ¡°Let¡¯s try once more.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Zhang Wei immediately took his hand.

 Chapter 783: Mysterious Trash

    <h4>Chapter 783: Mysterious Trash</h4>

    Gao Yang frowned. As expected, he still couldn¡¯t replicate Confidence.

    As it turned out, Gao Yang¡¯s level 6 Replicate could only replicate Talents from serial number 11 to 189¡ªit was yet unclear if he could replicate Clear Mirror¡¯s Judge.

    The fact that he couldn¡¯t replicate the top ten and bottom ten Talents supported Dragon¡¯s hypothesis that the head and tail ends of Talents were connected.

    Gao Yang was curious about Zhang Wei¡¯s Confidence since it corresponded to Qilin¡¯s Eidos. He tried several times and couldn¡¯t replicate or inspect Confidence.

    Zhang Wei never used Confidence on Gao Yang¡ªhe had never used the Talent on anyone, in fact. He didn¡¯t know what use the Talent had and how to use it.

    That led to Gao Yang being unable to inspect it with his system, and so far, he still didn¡¯t know the Talent¡¯s ability and mechanism.

    He did have some guesses, though.

    It seemed that Confidence granted a greater resistance to poison than that of most awakeners, even Azure Dragon. On thest night of the Crimson Tide, Zhang Wei had been the first to wake up from Poison of Death.

    Unfortunately, no one among the Nine Scions used poison, or they could try it on Zhang Wei.

    Moreover, Zhang Wei had expressed more than once that he felt nothing when he met Qilin¡¯s eyes. Of course, there was the possibility that he was simply thickheaded like Wang Zikai and thus couldn¡¯t feel the psychic pressure.

    Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have anyone with Talents to create illusions or inflict psychic damage, or they would be able to put that to the test.

    To put it bluntly, Zhang Wei was now a mysterious ¡°trash¡±.

    They spent half an hour hashing out their n for revenge. Then they each washed up and retired to their respective room.

    Gao Yang was thest to take a shower. Dressed in a bathrobe, he dried his hair with a towel and returned to the living room. He saw someone sitting on the sofa. Qing Ling had returned from her patrol duty.

    With the light in the living room off, the gray moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, washing over Qing Ling. She rested with her eyes closed, her pretty face fair like jade.

    Gao Yang went up to her and said quietly, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Qing Ling opened her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done using the bathroom. You should go wash up.¡± Gao Yang sat down on the couch.

    Qing Ling nced sideways at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t waiting to use the bathroom, but to talk to you.¡±

    Gao Yang quickly dried his hair and put the towel on his shoulder, turning to face her. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Nine Frost told me the revenge n.¡± Qing Ling¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Count me in.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s participating.¡±

    ¡°Let me join you.¡±

    Gao Yang fell silent for a moment. ¡°Qing Ling...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about danger,¡± Qing Ling interrupted. ¡°My life¡¯s my own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only part of it.¡± Gao Yang gave a serious exnation. ¡°I¡¯ve carefully considered what mission I should assign each of you ording to your abilities and strategic positions...¡±

    ¡°You find mecking,¡± Qing Ling cut him off again.

    Gao Yang paused and let out a soft sigh, speaking seriously, ¡°We¡¯re all weak, Qing Ling. We can all die at any time. I cannot promise that anyone will be safe. I can only try my best to maximize our odds...¡±

    Qing Ling leaned in and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand with both hands.

    Gao Yang started before quickly realizing what she meant. He closed his eyes and opened them after two seconds, his eyes glinting.

    ¡°I¡¯m joining you,¡± Qing Ling repeated resolutely.

    Gao Yang pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll make the adjustments.¡±

    Qing Ling blinked contently after getting what she wanted. She let go of his hands and rose to her feet, untying her ponytail to allow her long ck hair to cascade down like a waterfall.

    She quickly walked toward the bathroom. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep just yet. Help dry my hairter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Gao Yang smiled with resignation.

    ...

    One o¡¯clock in the morning.

    In a meeting room at the Ocean River Union¡¯s base, Qilin, Surnamed Li, and Yan Liang sat around a small table, on which was a cup of coffee, pu¡¯er, and oolong each.

    The drinks rippled slightly from the jammer ced on the table, which was dutifully creating a white noise.

    Yan Liang told Qilin what happened in Aurora Town and the two pieces of information Liu Qingying gave him. Surnamed Li remained unfazed as she heard them talk. She wasn¡¯t surprised that Gao Yang would include the entire Union in his revenge n.

    Qilin was calm, too. After a moment of thinking, he turned to Surnamed Li. ¡°If the Nine Scions blow up the base with bombs, what do we do?¡±

    ¡°The base is several hundred meters underground. It¡¯s not that easy to blow up. Surface-level detonation isn¡¯t going to do much. The bombs have to be ced in the right spots deep underground.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang has been here more than once. He must know that too,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°He must have found a solution before asking Liu Qingying for bombs.¡±

    Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°Even if he can detonate the base properly, we can still make a safe retreat. There¡¯s a secret tunnel leading out of the base.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang won¡¯t know about it?¡± Yan Liang asked.

    ¡°He won¡¯t. The tunnel hasn¡¯t been used. I¡¯m the only one who knows about it.¡± Surnamed Li thought for a moment before adding, ¡°And thanks to the Rune Circuit from you, Wandering Tune¡¯s Talent has reached level 4, which is another insurance.¡±

    ¡°Could we evacuate in time?¡± Yan Liang went through the worst-case scenarios.

    ¡°Have you forgotten my Talent?¡± Surnamed Li said assuredly. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here. If Gao Yang¡¯s revenge n will endanger my life, I¡¯ll sense it beforehand just like how it was when we were in Aurora Town. Given that, we¡¯ll have ample time for evacuation or a more proactive reaction.¡±

    Qilin remained silent.

    ¡°Are you still worried, Guildmaster?¡± Surnamed Li asked.

    ¡°Quite the contrary,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I¡¯m too assured.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Surnamed Li hadn¡¯t caught on.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Liang had the same sentiment. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that things are going too smoothly, Madam Li?¡±

    Surnamed Li thought for a moment beforeing to a realization. ¡°True. Gao Yang must be able to figure out how we¡¯ll react. Why would he insist on carrying out the n when he knows that the revenge n won¡¯t work? Could it be...¡±

    ¡°A distraction,¡± Qilin answered.

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°That must be it.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Yan Liang picked up his cup of pu¡¯er and slowly disced the tea into his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve more or less reached a conclusion during our return trip.¡±

    ¡°If we consider Liu Qingying¡¯s first intel, we¡¯ll see that what we know about Gao Yang¡¯s n is but the tip of an iceberg. The real n is submerged in the ocean.¡±

    Qilin and Surnamed Li looked at Yan Liang at the same time.

 Chapter 784: Open Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 784: Open Scheme</h4>

    Yan Liang analyzed at a deliberate pace, ¡°On the surface, Gao Yang was too focused on his revenge to help Liu Qingying kill Dust. To make amends for not honoring his promise, he gave Liu Qingying an intel¡ªthat holy water is a requirement for a Talent to reach level 8.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put aside if the intel is true and consider why Gao Yang sold the information to Liu Qingying.¡±

    Qilin smiled faintly. ¡°The intel seems unassuming and harmless but will benefit the Ocean River Union. Madam Li¡¯s Prophet is level 7, and the Knowledge Rune Circuit is in our hands. Madam Li would have considered merging with the Rune Circuit to reach level 8. If holy water is necessary, we¡¯ll value the information.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°Gao Yang could guess how eager Liu Qingying was to have revenge. If the Nine Scions wouldn¡¯t help, she would seek us out, and the information would be a good bargaining chip.¡±

    ¡°You mean that Gao Yang gave us the information through Liu Qingying on purpose?¡± Surnamed Li caught on.

    ¡°Yes, and there¡¯s more to it,¡± Yan Liang said. ¡°He asked Liu Qingying for the bombs so that Liu Qingying would give us the information, too.¡±

    ¡°He wanted us to know those two things.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s expression hardened.

    ¡°I¡¯ve faced Gao Yang a few times.¡± Yan Liang let out a hoarse, reservedugh. ¡°The boy¡¯s ns are alwaysyered, and he¡¯s best at diverting attention away from the real n.¡±

    Qilin adjusted his sses with a long, slim finger, following Yan Liang¡¯s logic. ¡°In Gao Yang¡¯s n, we will try to seek out holy water after knowing how important it is. At least we¡¯ll try to stop Gao Yang from getting it.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang told Liu Qingying that he knew where he could get holy water without telling her the location. It wasn¡¯t meant to make Liu Qingying guess, but to make us think.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Surnamed Li was now following them. ¡°It would be too obvious for him to leak the actual information. Allowing us to guess it would give us the illusion of having control and thus rx our guard.¡±

    ¡°And the answer is simple.¡± Yan Liang chuckled. ¡°There are only two possibilities. One is Hyena¡¯sb in West Nation, but the ce is all blown up. Azure Dragon investigated it and found nothing of value. The other is...¡±

    ¡°Ni Nation,¡± Qilin said.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Liang nodded. ¡°There is a ruin under the Ni Nation desert. Gao Yang investigated it before and found a mummified life monster that¡¯s been dead for a long time. There was a dead infant in its belly. It must be the Forlorn Ghost that was closest to being a Malediction. It was powerful and evil.¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang took something back from the ruin, but due to the circumstances, he wasn¡¯t able to return with the coffin and the mummy inside.¡±

    ¡°After Gao Yang returned, the Malediction emerged and left an abyss after its death. Then Gao Yang defected and created the Nine Scions. The civil war thus broke out. A war of headhunting began, too. As a result, wepletely forgot to look deeper into the underground ruin.¡±

    ¡°Things are different now. We know that holy water may be extracted from the flesh of a dead life monster and that holy water is key to a Talent reaching level 8. Whether it¡¯s true or false, we will have a renewed interest in the mummy in the underground ruin in Ni Nation. At least we¡¯ll send a team of elites to transport the coffin and mummy back, making sure that the Nine Scions won¡¯t get their hands on it.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the trap.¡± Qilin¡¯s gaze turned fierce.

    Yan Liang concluded, ¡°I believe the bombs for our base are merely a distraction. The real ambush will happen in the ruin under the Ni Nation desert.¡±

    He turned to Qilin. ¡°Gao Yang knows that the Nine Scions aren¡¯t strong enough to face off the Ocean River Union head-on at the moment. With most members staying to protect the base, we¡¯ll only send a team to Ni Nation for investigation.¡±

    ¡°Then Gao Yang will have sent a team of elites to stage an ambush, catching us off guard.¡±

    ¡°They will divide our power so that he can go after us separately. That¡¯s the best strategy the Nine Scions can employ.¡±

    ¡°So we y along?¡± asked Surnamed Li.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be up to you.¡± Yan Liang looked at her. ¡°If you don¡¯t see the base getting attacked, we may turn the n against them and send all of our main members for an ambush to wipe out the Nine Scions. It¡¯ll be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The Nine Scions have been hiding in the dark. If they refuse toe out of hiding, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to force them out again.¡±

    ¡°If you foresee the underground base getting seriously damaged by the Nine Scions the next few days, though, it¡¯ll mean that both ns are real, or even the Ni Nation is the distraction. Then we adjust the strategy and focus on the base.¡±

    Surnamed Li mused and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, that¡¯ll be the safest option.¡±

    Qilin had a sip of his coffee and said seriously, ¡°Gao Yang must know that we¡¯ll see through it, too. He¡¯sing after us with an open scheme.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded with a chuckle. ¡°A hidden n only secures small victory, and the open scheme is the right way to go about things. Nine Scions are still too weak in terms of actual power.¡±

    Surnamed Li shook her head. ¡°For an organization that has just been established, their growth is already...ugh...¡±

    Before she could finish, she held her head and shuddered, face pale. She almost fell off the wheelchair.

    Qilin and Yan Liang started. Yan Liang went up to support her by the shoulders. ¡°Are you alright, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°I...I¡¯m alright...¡± Surnamed Li took deep breaths to recover herposure. With a bitter smile, she looked at the two men. ¡°I saw it. I saw the Nine Scions bombing the base. The explosion is powerful. One of them must haveprehended Explosives Expert.¡±

    ¡°When will it happen?¡± Yan Liang immediately asked. ¡°Who will they send?¡±

    ¡°Should be tomorrow night or the early morning after that... They are all wearing masks. There are eight of them. Four men and four women, I believe...¡±

    ¡°What else do you see?¡±

    Surnamed Li shook her head. ¡°It was too blurry and fleeting for me to catch more details.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that this is Gao Yang¡¯s real n?¡± Qilin frowned.

    ¡°Haha, not necessarily,¡± Yan Liang said calmly.

    ...

    Early morning, before the day broke, the Nine Scions gathered in the front yard of the mansion, including Gao Yang, Nine Frost, Qing Ling, Wang Zikai, Can, Nainai, Hong Xiaoxiao, Ke Yo, Chen Ying, and Zhang Wei.

    Before they set out, Nine Frost asked Gao Yang to give a talk. It could be anyone¡¯sst mission after all.

    And they were prepared for that. They looked at their young leader with unwavering eyes, waiting for him to address them.

    Gao Yang looked back at them. He would like to give an emphatic pep talk to pump everyone up, but after thinking about it for a long time, he realized that most words would seem like meaningless titudes at this moment.

    In the end, he made a simple deration.

    ¡°We fight!¡±

    ¡°Keep fighting!¡±

    ¡°Fight with everything we have!¡±

    His voice echoed in the empty valleys. A crack emerged in the heavy gray clouds in the eastern sky as a ray of light pierced through the dark, shining upon the world.

 Chapter 785: Act Useless

    <h4>Chapter 785: Act Useless</h4>

    Suburbs of Nanji District, early morning the next day.

    On top of a dmissioned cell tower on the clearing filled with shrubs, Nine Frost watched the dense forest two kilometers from him. He was holding a pair of tactical binocrs in all ck, wearing a ck mask with a golden spot between the brows. The forest housed the entrance to the Ocean River Union¡¯s underground base.

    After observing it for half an hour, Nine Frost put away his binocrs and agilely climbed down from the cell tower.

    Seven people crouched among the shrubs under the cell tower in hiding, each wearing a different mask.

    Under a tree were a man and a woman. The man in a beetle mask had messy hair and an average figure, his beer belly pronounced. He was dressed in cozy purple cotton clothes with a pink bear heating pad in his hands.

    The young woman by his side had her hair tied into twin tails, wearing a royal mask embedded with what looked like diamonds and an extravagant, domineering ck lolita dress. She held an equally extravagantce umbre with her hands, wrapped in ck gloves.

    ¡°May I...go now?¡± asked the middle-aged man in a beetle mask. It was Gregor.

    ¡°We¡¯ve juste out here. Wait a little longer.¡± The girl in a royal mask was Gao Xinxin.

    Gregorined, ¡°I¡¯m just here to fill in the number. Enough already. I¡¯m getting frozen to death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll wake you up, and maybe inspiration will find you.¡± Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t even try toe up with a better excuse.

    ¡°I have ways to get inspired, including smoking, shitting, scratching my feet, going to a massage parlor...but not squatting here in the cold like an idiot!¡±

    Gao Xinxin didn¡¯t listen. ¡°I heard that your Talent is strong, Gregor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gregor said honestly. ¡°I¡¯ve never gotten into a fight, so I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you join the fight?¡± Gao Xinxin smirked teasingly. ¡°Men are most attractive when they fight.¡±

    ¡°Stop that and don¡¯t push!¡± Gregor was a little angry. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still wearing the bracelet your brother gave me. I can¡¯t fight.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten? My brother hasn¡¯t injected the bracelet with a curse for 48 hours. You¡¯re free now.¡±

    ¡°Free my ass!¡± Gregor got immediately worked up.

    ¡°Look at you getting all timid, Gao Xinxin!¡± Wang Zikai, wearing a golden mask written with the word ¡°God¡±, sauntered over. ¡°What are you worried about with me here? We don¡¯t need a useless one¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°The more the merrier,¡± Gao Xinxin said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Ying, wearing a gray coat and a firefly mask, tried to appease the man. ¡°Mr. Gregor, the fact that you came out and helped meant that you approved of the Nine Scions...¡±

    ¡°Approve my ass!¡± Gregor lost it. ¡°If Gao Xinxin hadn¡¯t threatened me by stealing my files, I wouldn¡¯t havee here!¡±

    ¡°You keep acting useless despite all the power you have.¡± Zhang Wei came up to them with his hands in his pockets, wearing a mask written with the number 6. ¡°I have all these ideas but may as well be useless. How fucking ironic.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s useless?!¡± Gregor shot back with a barrage of words. ¡°My greatest value lies not in my Talent with a capital T, but my talent. My literary work is more meaningful than scrapples like this. Art is eternal...¡±

    ¡°Insolent.¡± Nainai stood on a small hill, wearing a sailor uniform, a ck cape, and a witch mask. With her arms crossed, she dered haughtily, ¡°Mortals, you dare talk about eternity before this Empress? Do you know that the past tens of thousands of years...¡±

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Nine Frost jumped off the cell tower andnded before Nainai, making her jump.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Nine Frost said seriously. ¡°I saw an unusual number of insects in the forest where the entrance to the Union¡¯s underground base is hidden. There must be patrols and security measures in ce.¡±

    ¡°So they are ready for us,¡± Chen Ying said.

    ¡°Whoa, Captain¡¯s a prophet!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao, wearing a mask with a heart poker card, said. ¡°Surnamed Li must have predicted our move.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nine Frost nced at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s follow our n.¡±

    He quickly walked up to a car covered in camouge tarpaulin.

    With a swift yank, he lifted the tarpaulin and revealed a ck pickup truck. Several boxes of bombs filled the trunk, and a ck cello case was ced on the boxes. Inside was a sniper rifle.

    Nine Frost took the cello case and tapped on his earpiece. ¡°I¡¯ll go into hiding. Wait until I give you a signal. Do not make a move on your own.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The responded came in chorus.

    Before leaving, Nine Frost turned to Wang Zikai with lingering worry and used Telepathy.

    Two secondster, Wang Zikai met his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can hear you.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ording to his past experience, Nine Frost couldn¡¯tmunicate with a wanderer with Telepathy, yet Wang Zikai was a special case. He could receive Telepathy.

    Just in case, Nine Frost confirmed again.

    Chen Ying went up to the trunk of the pickup truck and lifted the heavy boxes of bombs to the ground, enchanting them with level 4 Explosives Expert.

    The Talent increased the power of the bombs by three times; a passive buff wouldst about two days, while the destructive power would be greater the closer the Talent owner personally detonated the bombs, as high as 8 to 10 times greater.

    Chen Ying looked at Gao Xinxin and Gregor while enchanting the bombs. ¡°You should return.¡±

    ¡°You should go, Gregor,¡± Gao Xinxin huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gregor was so exasperated that heughed. ¡°How can I go if you don¡¯t?!¡±

    ¡°Nice, Mr. Gregor. Only by knowing shame can you be courageous!¡± Zhang Wei couldn¡¯t be happier. ¡°Then let us go all out...¡±

    ¡°Stop making this about you.¡± Gregor shot back. ¡°She still has my files. What should I do if she dies?!¡±

    ¡°You should head back with Mr. Gregor,¡± Hong Xiaoxiao urged. ¡°If something happens to you, how should we exin to Captain?¡±

    ¡°If I die, I die. No need to exin,¡± Gao Xinxin held Hong Xiaoxiao eyes and said with determination. ¡°All of you and my brother are risking your lives. Why am I exempt?¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao fell silent. She didn¡¯t expect the girl to have made up her mind to this extent.

    Actually, Gao Xinxin knew that the brave words were merely stubbornness. She couldn¡¯t fight. She would only be dragging everyone down by staying here.

    But she also knew that Gregor wouldn¡¯t leave as long as she was here.

    Even if Gregor insisted on not getting involved, his Pestilence served as a good threat to keep the enemies in check, and it would protect everyone.

    She knew she was being shameless, but she couldn¡¯t afford to care.

    Soon, Chen Ying enchanted all the bombs, exhausting half of her energy. She let out a heavy exhale and nodded at Nainai. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Ha, is it time for this Empress to take the spotlight?¡±

    Nainai rested a hand on her waist while pushing her mask to the top of her head with her other hand. She put on a pair of sunsses.

 Chapter 786: Bombardment

    <h4>Chapter 786: Bombardment</h4>

    Nainai quickly increased in size and soon turned into a small giant at five meters tall. With level 7 Scale, she could maintain this size for at least twenty minutes.

    Lying on the ground with her face down, she pressed her arms and legs together, turning into a small flying vessel. Chen Ying, Zhang Wei, and Hong Xiaoxiao quickly moved the boxes of bombs onto Nainai¡¯s back, tying them up to make sure they wouldn¡¯t fall off.

    Then Chen Ying took off her shoes and jumped onto Nainai¡¯s back, standing beside the boxes and holding onto the bindings.

    ¡°Depart!¡±

    Nainai yelled. Air rippled around her like the currents a helicopter would generate when taking off, sweeping and messing up everyone¡¯s hair and clothes, making them close their eyes.

    Nainai took flight stably and flew toward the entrance to the Union¡¯s underground base.

    ¡°Whoa, is that...¡± Gao Xinxin¡¯s twin tails were all messed up, and her lips parted in shock. ¡°Transformer?¡±

    In truth, Nainai had simply copied Can¡¯s level 5 Gale with her Shapeshifter and took flight by manipting wind. She onlyy down to carry bombs. Her role in this mission was to be a fighter jet, and Chen Ying would be the pilot.

    Reaching two hundred meters up in the air, Nainai quickly flew toward the small forest.

    Holding onto the bindings with one hand and holding onto the remote control for the bombs with the other hand, Chen Ying shouted against the wind, ¡°Nainai...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Empress Nainai to you!¡±

    ¡°Empress Nainai, drop to fifty meters in the air when going past the forest and slow down a little. When I yell, ¡®Run,¡¯ speed up and flee up into the sky immediately.¡±

    ¡°How trivial. Like flipping a hand!¡± Nainai described it in her own words. ¡°A rollercoaster going through a U curve, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Right on!¡± Chen Ying smiled. The girl was as immature as it came, but also as dependable as it came.

    Soon, The Nainai Jet flew toward the forest and dove down quickly. Chen Ying timed it and made a strong kick to drop a box of bombs.

    Once the bombs flew into the forest, Chen Ying eyed its fall and shouted, ¡°Run!¡±

    She pressed the detonation button.

    ...

    Two secondster, a terrifying explosion hit the heart of the forest. The resulting hemisphere of blinding red light spread in all directions with tremendous destructive power, instantly wiping out the entire forest.

    Firelight threatened to reach heaven, blooming into giant irregrly shaped mushroom clouds.

    While fleeing at maximum speed, Nainai sensed a sh behind her. It felt like an overwhelming wave of light was crashing into her. Then the night sky lit up like day. A few secondster, the powerful shockwaves caught up to her, propelling her to fly away from the explosion at greater speed.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Chen Ying held tightly onto the bindings to prevent herself from falling off Nainai¡¯s back.

    Two kilometers away from the site, Hong Xiaoxiao, Gao Xinxin, Zhang Wei, and Gregor saw the surging bright firelight in the distance. Even the dark clouds covering the night sky were cast in a dark red. Then they heard a loud boom. A slight tremor came from below their feet. Finally, the strong gust hit them in the face.

    Thirty secondster, the lingering power of the explosion settled down somewhat. Nainai was already at a safe distance. She headed back to the bombarded site.

    As she looked down, what reflected in her sunsses was no forest, but a giant charred crater with countless inmed objects, at the center of which was a hole¡ªthe elevator shaft leading to the underground base.

    That was only one box of bombs.

    Level 4 Explosives Expert was in a different leaguepared to level 3.

    When she saw the entrance to the base of her former organization destroyed, Chen Ying realized to her surprise that she felt no guilt at all. What overtook her heart instead was an excitement and satisfaction that made her shudder.

    Chen Ying finally dared to think back to herpanions on the third team, to Little Tian¡¯s smile, to everyone¡¯s voices andughs. All those memories came together and condensed into sharp pain and hatred, finally morphing into an intangible utterance. It was so familiar. The words Captain Gao Yang had said.

    <i>¡°We avenge them.¡±</i>

    ¡°Nainai, I saw the elevator shaft,¡± Chen Ying shouted. ¡°Get closer and slow down. I¡¯m throwing the bombs in!¡±

    ¡°Call me Empress!¡± Nainai loudly corrected as she dove down toward the crater again.

    Once a box of bombs was thrown into the elevator shaft with precision, it would reach the base of the Ocean River Union directly. She could detonate the bombs from a thousand meters away, more than sufficient in this case. While being so far away would sharply decrease the buff the Talent could grant, the bombs themselves would bring about a great enough explosion.

    Chen Ying took out a dagger and cut off a binding, lifting a box of bombs and waiting for Nainai to get close to the crater.

    <i>Soon, very soon.</i>

    <i>Closer, just a little closer!</i>

    [Nine Frost: Mission aborted! Retreat now!]

    Nine Frost suddenly warned in Chen Ying¡¯s and Nainai¡¯s heads.

    Chen Ying started and looked down. A few secondster, she spotted a familiar portal appearing on the edge of the crater, and about a dozen people emerged from the portal.

    [Chen Ying: That¡¯s Wandering Tune¡¯s Portal. They¡¯re making a move!]

    [Nine Frost: Nainai! Take flight! Get away immediately!]

    [Nainai: Call me Empress!]

    While Nainai shot back through Telepathy, she sped up away from the crater without any dy.

    Wandering Tune was assigned to Team Azure Dragon after the two organizations merged. His Talent was Portal, also known as Chaos Space, serial number 99, Time-Space-type.

    As the name would suggest, he could create two portals and transport anything from one ce to another. Of course, there was a limit to the size of objects he could transport.

    With level 3 Portal, he could create gateways no greater than 300 meters apart,sting only a minute. That wasn¡¯t of much help.

    Now that he had leveled up Portal to level 4 with former Qilin Guild¡¯s Time-Space Rune Circuit, the Talent saw a substantial leap, and he could create portals 1000 meters apart and sustained them for 5 minutes.

    And now, he brought everyone to the ground level with his portals.

    In fact, he could¡¯ve taken everyone to safety, but it was clear that the Ocean River Union had always nned to meet the enemies head-on.

    The two-meter wide and three-meter tall portal stood on the charred wastnd, rippling with blue light.

    <i>Hum¡ªhum¡ªhum¡ª</i>

    One by one, awakeners emerged from the portal. Leading the group was Elder Colorless, followed by Protector Amon, and then Canary, Jing Ke, Rewind, Lin Fu, Stubborn Weasel, Crimson Bee, Old Seven, Small Luo, and Veggie.

    The entire Team Colorless moved out.

    ¡°Musashi!¡± Colorless shouted.

    A middle-aged woman with wine-colored curls, thick makeup, overly pronounced curves, and an experienced air walked out of the crowd, lips curved into an alluring smile.

    Arms widened, she dered in a bright, high-pitched voice, ¡°Shooter Domain!¡±

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    A pink hemisphere of ten meters in diameter unfolded from Musashi, covering everyone like a red translucent bunker.

    Shooter Domain, serial number 145, Support-type.

    Within the domain, the range and damage of all ranged attacks made by awakeners were multiplied. Level 4 Shooter Domain tripled the attack range and doubled the damage.

    <i>Pew, pew, pew.</i>

    Old Seven raised his hands, shooting powerful air bullets from his ten carrot-thick fingers at the flying Nainai and Chen Ying.

    Buffed by Shooter Domain, Old Seven felt like he wasn¡¯t shooting a rifle, but an antiaircraft gun.

 Chapter 787: Counter

    <h4>Chapter 787: Counter</h4>

    ¡°Hahhhh...¡±

    Amon, the tall slim woman with long limbs, pushed Arm Strength to the max, holding up a ck Gold boomerang that was big enough to be a shield. After rotating it quickly in ce for five seconds, she threw the boomerang in a vtile and fierce posture like a professional discus thrower.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The boomerang flew toward Nainai, leaving a faint golden trail in the sky. Enhanced by level 6 Arm Strength, the boomerang could automatically adjust its trajectory and track the target to some extent.

    Small Luo came prepared, too. The robot toy hanging on her neck had been enchanted. It quickly transformed into a three-meter robot of translucent blue energy. Sitting in its cockpit, Small Luo controlled the robot¡¯s two arms of antiaircraft guns.

    Dense rows of oval blue energy bullets shot toward Nainai like countless footsteps left in the night sky.

    Then a long-faced mustached man wearing a ck hat the shape of a truncated pyramid and a yellow Daoist robe stepped forward, arge wooden case on his back. Wielding a cherry wood sword, he twirled it twice before pointing it upward, eximing, ¡°<i>Dou!</i>[1]¡±

    Countless yellow talismans flew out of the wooden case on his back and flew toward Nainai, like living yellow birds.

    He was Lin Fu, with Talent, Talisman, serial number 96, Element-type.

    The Talent allowed one to manipte talismans at will and granted them different powers ording to their sigils.

    ¡°We¡¯ll hit her!¡±

    ¡°Definitely hit her!¡±

    ¡°Go, go, go! It¡¯ll hit her!¡±

    A petite girl cheered with great enthusiasm. She wore a white cropped tank top, a short red skirt, and a baseball cap with two sparkly pom poms in her hands like a cheerleader.

    She was Rewind, with Talent: Mental Suggestion, serial number 171, Psyche-type.

    Through speech and gestures, she could make mental suggestion to herpanions or enemies repeatedly to apply buffs or debuffs. Now, she was making it so that herpanions would be more likely to hit their targets and for their enemies to have a harder time dodging the bullets.

    As soon as Nainai received the order from Nine Frost, she fled toward the sky.

    However, the boomerang Amon threw was moving too quickly, and with the Shooter Domain increasing its range by three times, the boomerang easily caught up with Nainai.

    Nainai was too big to get away easily.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Chen Ying saw a sh of golden light about to cut Nainai¡¯s chest. The Gale Nainai had copied with Shapeshifter was a weakened version, and she couldn¡¯t conjure a wind shield to block the attack while flying. Twisting herrge body, she barely stopped the boomerang from hitting her chest, but it still hit her left arm.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    The boomerang sliced through Nainai¡¯s left arm, tearing muscles and leaving a gash deep enough to reveal the bones. Blood sttered everywhere.

    ¡°Go small!¡± Chen Ying yelled.

    Enduring the pain, Nainai quickly shrunk to normal size. The bombs and Chen Ying lost the support and fell from the sky.

    A few secondster, the boomerang turned back and flew toward Nainai, about to bisect her.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. It ended up cutting through air before returning to Amon¡ªNainai had escaped death by shrinking to fist-sized in time.

    [Chen Ying: Leave me, Naiani. Go now!]

    Nine Frost maintained level 7 Telepathy, and Chen Ying and Nainai were in the ¡°group call¡±.

    Chen Ying fell toward the heart of the crater with the remaining boxes of bombs.

    She knew that the mission to destroy the Ocean River Union¡¯s base with bombs had failed. ording to n, Nainai and she only had to do their best; they didn¡¯t have to seed.

    But Chen Ying thought otherwise. She had been pushing herself to live with her hate as her crutch. There had never been a moment she didn¡¯t live in pain and guilt. She had nightmares every time she closed her eyes. She dreamed of thepanions of the third team. She dreamed of the moment Little Tian tackled her to the ground. His little face was pale and wrought with fear and shock, yet his eyes were filled with the reluctance to leave her side...

    Chen Ying was tired. This would be the end.

    She took out a gun. Each box of the bombs had its own detonator, and Chen Ying no longer had the remote controls.

    It didn¡¯t matter. As long as she hit one of the boxes with her gun before she and the boxes fell to the ground, she would be detonating all the bombs from an incredibly close range; Explosives Expert would increase the power of the explosion by at least 8 times.

    While she couldn¡¯t destroy the underground with precision, she would wipe out all the enemiesing out of the portal.

    Thinking of her impending liberation, she felt a relief stronger than she had ever felt before.

    <i>I¡¯ll fight to thest second and die seeking revenge. That¡¯s not too easy a death, is it?</i>

    <i>Little Tian, wait for me. I¡¯ll be right with...</i>

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A slim figure rushed up to grab Chen Ying¡¯s waist. It was Nainai, who had returned to normal size. She sped up her fall with Gale and caught up with Chen Ying.

    She mmed into her so suddenly that the gun fell out of Chen Ying¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Nainai...you...¡± Chen Ying was anxious and angry. ¡°What are you doing? I told you to leave!¡±

    ¡°This is this Empress¡¯ mission. Your life belongs to this Empress!¡±

    She had lost mobility in her one arm, and her sailor uniform was drenched in blood. Her bodied face arranged into a dramatic determined expression. ¡°Without this Empress¡¯ grace and permission...you are <i>not </i>dying on me!¡±

    ¡°Nainai...¡± Chen Ying cried. ¡°Leave me! Go now, or you can¡¯t escape...¡±

    [Nine Frost: Nainai! Fly away now! Hurry!]

    Nainai continued to rise, trying to get out of the enemies¡¯ shooting range.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    An air bullet hit her in the thigh. Blood gushed out.

    ¡°Nainai!¡±

    Held by Nainai¡¯s arm, Chen Ying pushed all other thoughts aside and took a Medicine C from her waist¡ªit was one of the Nine Scions¡¯ two remaining Medicine C.

    She was about to inject Nainai, but...

    <i>Pew.</i>

    A blue energy bullet hit Chen Ying in the shoulder. Her arm drooped, and the syringe fell out of her hand.

    ¡°Huhahhhhh!¡±

    Nainai changed her tactic immediately and dove down at full speed instead, which substantially increased her flying speed and allowed her to quickly fly and dodge through the barrage of bullets shot their way.

    Those shooting at her from the ground didn¡¯t expect her to change trajectory so suddenly, and they didn¡¯t immediately catch up.

    Just when Nainai and Chen Ying were about to escape their range of shooting, Nine Frost¡¯s voice sounded in their heads again.

    [Nine Frost: Watch out ahead!]

    Nainai and Chen Ying started. A yellow had suddenly emerged fifty meters ahead of them, consisting of tens of hundreds of yellow talismans. It was Lin Fu¡¯s Talisman at y.

    The talismans arranged themselves neatly and continued to increase in number, creating a threatening web with no cracks.

    [Chen Ying: Shrink down and escape, Nainai! Leave me!]

    Face ashen, Chen Ying tried to break out of Nainai¡¯s hold.

    [Nainai: Preposterous! This Empress will not allow my subjects to be hurt...]

    Nainai didn¡¯t let go. She continued to dive toward the of talismans with Chen Ying in her grip.

    She knew one thing well: they would surely die if they slowed and stopped, but they might yet have a chance to live if they pushed forward!

    1. One of the Nine Hand Seals¡ª<i>lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, qian, xing</i>, which form a sentence that means, ¡°soldiers descend and arrange yourselves in front of me.¡± Very often used for moves rted to <i>daoist </i>or <i>ninjutsu</i>. ?

 Chapter 788: Blond Grim Reaper

    <h4>Chapter 788: Blond Grim Reaper</h4>

    Two secondster, Nainai and Chen Ying broke through the dense of talismans. Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t hurt at all, only a few talismans were attached to their bodies, fluttering in the air.

    Nainai had a talisman on her forehead like a tamed zombie. He blinked in confusion. <i>Huh? That¡¯s it?</i>

    Chen Ying was surprised and delighted, too.<i> Did we just get away with it?</i>

    Without hesitation, she peeled off the talisman on Nainai¡¯s forehead and did the same with the other talismans on them.

    [Nine Frost: Don¡¯t look back and just go. Leave the rest to him!]

    Chen Ying looked down and gasped.

    Wang Zikai!

    On the wastnd near the crater, a ck racing motorcycle quickly approached the portal like a swift leopard. The one speeding and arriving at the scene was a blond young man with bright eyes and an arrogant smile.

    All members of Team Colorless noticed Wang Zikai¡¯s approach immediately.

    In an instant, none could spare any attention for the enemies in the air, and Lin Fu, who was going to use a great amount of energy to detonate the talismans, kicked break immediately. He was merely an employee who received the same monthly sry. There was no reason for him to get too serious. It was better to preserve energy and think about how he should survive.

    In fact, with Crimson Bee¡¯s embellished story the past few days, members of Team Colorless now flinched at the mention of Wang Zikai, the top fighter of Nine Scions.

    They even gave him a nickname in private: the Blond Grim Reaper.

    In Crimson Bee¡¯s words, they had only two options if they ever met the Blond Grim Reaper: run, or feign death. Whether they could survive would be up to their fate.

    Now, as soon as they spotted Wang Zikai riding a motorcycle and racing to them, they lost theirposure and were stunned into inaction for a moment, wondering if they should turn back for the portal or keep fighting.

    ¡°Fight!¡± Colorless, proving her experience, calmed down immediately. ¡°He¡¯s on his own! He won¡¯t be our match!¡±

    Her words woke everyone up and made them recover theirposure.

    Old Seven, Small Luo, and Lin Fu quickly made ranged attacks at Wang Zikai from a hundred meters away. Wang Zikai twisted the handlebar around and rode in an S, agilely dodging the various bullets with incredible skill.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    Amon seized an opening and hurled the boomerang hard at Wang Zikai¡¯s motorcycle. Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t dodge the boomerang as it tracked him.

    Leaping into the air with both feet, he faced the quickly spinning boomerang head-on. <i>Thud</i>. Wang Zikai caught the boomerang with one hand.

    It was as if someone had reached a hand into a ceiling fan turned up to max speed and caught one of its des easily, forcing it to stop.

    That stunned not only the owner of the boomerang, Amon, but also Team Leader Colorless. <i>What the hell¡ªwhat manner of monster is he?!</i>

    Wang Zikai smirked midair and threw the boomerang back with a whoosh.

    ¡°Get¡ª¡±

    Before Colorless could utter ¡°away¡±, the boomerang shot across the crowd in a gray sh with a barely visible afterimage, burying into the ground about seven meters behind them.

    Everyone gaped and forgot to breathe, unable to move.

    The air went still for a strange second.

    <i>Stter</i>.

    A circr crimson line emerged on Old Seven¡¯s right shoulder. Blood sttered and hit everyone on their body and face¡ªOld Seven had lost an entire arm.

    ¡°Ahh!! My arm...my arm...¡±

    Old Seven copsed to the ground, rolling and crying out in pain.

    Only then did the others start breathing again. They couldn¡¯t help but shout in their mind,<i> Thank God it wasn¡¯t my head that got cut off! I¡¯m still alive!</i>

    ¡°Magic Hair!¡±

    Veggie, standing in the front of the group, recovered from the fear of staring death in the eyes. It had only been a couple of seconds, yet Wang Zikai was already in her space like a phantom. She had to react.

    Veggie couldn¡¯t afford to preserve energy. A great volume of ck hair turned into sturdy, fierce steel wires to stab at Wang Zikai from all directions.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t even care to move away. He charged headlong at her, his skin instantly hardening and turning into that of a brass statue.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink¡ª</i>

    Countless steel wires hit Wang Zikai and sputtered sparks, making sharp noises that made one flinch. However, Wang Zikai remainedpletely unscathed. The wires broke like fragile straws.

    Wang Zikai reached Veggie and made a straight punch at her face.

    The punch stopped two centimeters from Veggie, and only the strong currents it brought up hit her face. Almost at the same time, Wang Zikai¡¯s left fist mmed into Veggie¡¯s abdomen.

    Veggie threw up blood and flew off her feet.

    The poor girl had been on the verge of dying before she even hit the ground, having most of her internal organs shattered.

    In fact, if Wang Zikai had hit Veggie with the punch, her head would¡¯ve shattered like a ripe watermelon, standing no chance of surviving.

    However, Wang Zikai had just learned a few feint tricks from Nine Frost, and he couldn¡¯t wait to try them on someone. He neglected the fact that for someone as weak as Veggie, there was no need for him to employ a trick. Even if he simply punched her with his eyes closed, she still wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it.

    Wang Zikai was happy to have hit Veggie. <i>Whoa, this is an awesome move!</i>

    He didn¡¯t have much time to rejoice, though. A strange numbness hit the left side of his body, and his facial muscles grew stiff.

    Colorless had used Petrify on him.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    It took only half a second for Wang Zikai to vanish into thin air, leaving only a blurry afterimage.

    <i>What?!</i>

    Colorless started. Wang Zikai was moving so fast that his speed almost rivaled Teleportation!

    When Wang Zikai appeared again, he was already above Musashi, kicking at his face from the left.

    Wang Zikai had made the right choice. Taking out Musashi would make the Shooter Domain crumble, and without the ranged attacks getting buffed with double effective range, Nainai and Chen Ying would easily escape to safety.

    However, Wang Zikai had simply attacked Musashi first because she was closest to him. His thinking was simple: he hit anyone he saw.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s kick didn¡¯tnd. The split second before it hit, Stubborn Weasel tackled Musashi out of the way roughly and took the kick for her.

    Wang Zikai ended up kicking Stubborn Weasel in the face. It felt like kicking a metal ball.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Stubborn Weasel flew more than ten meters away, falling and bouncing, not stopping until rolling more than ten times on the ground.

    She bled from her nostrils and the corners of her mouth, cking out.

 Chapter 789: Stop Playing Around

    <h4>Chapter 789: Stop ying Around</h4>

    Wang Zikainded. His right foot hurt so much that he almost jumped, but he endured it and swallowed his cry with such exertion that his face turned purple. Inwardly, he was whining, <i>Shit, shit, shit, shit, it hurts like hell!!</i>

    Stubborn Weasel had used level 3 Hedgehog, increasing her physical defense to a great height and reflected 25% of all physical attacks. In other words, Wang Zikai¡¯s foot hurt because of his own kick.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang! </i>In the moment of distraction when Wang Zikai put on a brave face to maintain the dignity of the world¡¯s savior, a few blue energy bullets hit him in the chest.

    The bullets threw him off his feet, but didn¡¯t do much damage. An attack at this level was like a tickle to him.

    The energy explosion that threw him off tore his shirt, too, revealing the lithe muscles and smooth lines of his torso. He flipped and stomped on the ground as soon as hended, his reflex impressive.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Half a secondter, he was already before the robot Small Luo was piloting.

    Wang Zikai had forgotten everything Nine Frost taught him. And he went back to the most basic tactic: going from attacking whoever was closest to attacking whoever had attacked him.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Wang Zikai¡¯s punch hit the blue energy robot. It shattered into countless energy shards like eggshells. And despite the robot around her shielding Small Luo, her internal organs still shattered under the force of the punch.

    She didn¡¯t even have time to react before she flew ten or more meters away, rolling to a stop and bleeding from all orifices to her death.

    She was lucky. She died, but dodged the scythe of the blond grim reaper with her body still wholly intact. She woulde back alive with the resurrection pill she had taken.

    The others weren¡¯t standing around, of course.

    Jing Ke and Canary prepared for abo.

    Jing Ke was a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing a loose gray linen shirt with the chest on full disy. With his messy long ck hair, he looked like a wandering swordsman.

    From his rxed hands, two long, fierce white bone des protruded from his palms like two katanas. His Talent was Bone Growth, serial number 91, Buff-type. It hardened one¡¯s bones to an incredible degree and allowed one to grow and transform their bones at will.

    Jing Ke was a formidable melee fighter, underestimated due to his Talent being lower on the list.

    Canary was a skinny woman with red hair tied into twin tails. Her eyes were crimson, and her canine teeth looked sharp like fangs. On her face was a wild and vicious-looking red pattern.

    Dressed in ck sports wear, a circle was drawn on her shirt around the chest area, inside which was the word <i>quan</i>, dog, in wild cursive.

    Like a beast, Canary lunged at Jing Ke and bit him in the shoulder, her sharp fangs piercing his flesh and injecting him with her Talent energy.

    ¡°Agh!!¡±

    Jing Ke howled in pain with his head tipped up, frenzied crimson light shooting out of his deep brown eyes.

    Canary¡¯s Talent was Rabies, serial number 102, Poison-type.

    Canary was host to ¡°rabies viruses¡±, and she and those she bit could enter a state of frenzy with tripled explosive power for a duration. In exchange, the frenzy state came with a drop in intelligence, and in severe cases, they might lose their ability to differentiate between friends and foes.

    The Talent was most suited for fighter-type awakeners since they relied more on instinct and reflex when fighting, not intelligence.

    In a few seconds, Canary and Jing Ke turned into two ¡°mad dogs¡± with crimson eyes, nking Wang Zikai from both sides. More precisely, Jing Ke was charging at Wang Zikai on two feet, while Canary was lunging at him on all fours.

    Having just dealt with Small Luo, Wang Zikia sensed two sources of killing intent. He quickly turned around. Jing Ke¡¯s two slim bone des were already swinging down at him.

    Wang Zikai instinctively felt threatened. Rather than parrying the des with his arms, he dodged them by bending backward. The tip of his nose stung. And a small red dot appeared on his skin. He had been cut!

    Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes lit up in excitement. <i>Haha, finally someone who can fight. I thought you were all weaklings!</i>

    The rabies viruses Jing Ke contracted were in full action, and his explosive power surged. As soon as Wang Zikai kicked Canary as she lunged at him, he felt a gust of winding toward his neck. He dodged back. Then another current stabbed at his side.

    Wang Zikai endured the pain and seized the bone de, yanking it from Jing Ke. The bone de fell out of Jing Ke¡¯s palm, sttering some blood, but Jing Ke didn¡¯t pay it any mind. He swept his leg toward Wang Zikai¡¯s calf, a dagger-length bone de shooting out of the tip of his foot.

    Wang Zikai started. <i>What the hell! Do you just grow bones for free?!</i>

    Wang Zikai tucked his legs and jumped to dodge the sweep. Then with a twist of his wrist, he stabbed at Jing Ke¡¯s heart with the bone de he had taken.

    Jing Ke couldn¡¯t move away in time, and he didn¡¯t n to.

    <i>Hiss</i>. Wang Zikai didn¡¯t manage to stab through Jing Ke¡¯s chest. The man had grown more bones out of his ribcage to block the attack.

    <i>Crack</i>.

    Half a secondter, the bone de Wang Zikai wielded shattered into pieces like ster.

    Wang Zikai started again. <i>Aren¡¯t your bones supposed to be hard? Why is this one so fragile?</i>

    Actually, Jing Ke¡¯s bones were only resilient when they were attached to him. They became as fragile as the bones of someone with osteoporosis once they left his body.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t know all that, of course, and he didn¡¯t have the time or intelligence to figure it out. Jing Ke was already making a flurry of shes at Wang Zikai again.

    He could conjure bone des from not only his hands and feet, but every part of his body. It was difficult to dodge all his hits.

    Relying on his extraordinary reflex, Wang Zikai dodged and backed away, all the while keeping an eye out for Amon¡¯s boomerang and Lin Fu¡¯s strange talismans.

    <i>No, you can¡¯t use your bone ws! That¡¯s cheating!</i>

    <i>Calm down, Wang Zikai. You can do this. Use the chance to practice the techniques Nine Frost taught you...</i>

    Wang Zikai tamped down the urge to fight back with his bone ws as he continued to fight Jing Ke, attempting toe up with a strategy.

    However, he wasn¡¯t given the chance. He suddenly felt a slight numbness in his limbs.

    Not far from them, Colorless had secretly used Petrify on Wang Zikai.

    Rewind hid behind Colorless and mumbled nonstop, ¡°Petrify will work, immediately. Go, go, Sister Colorless. Go, go...¡±

    With Wang Zikai, Jing Ke, and Canary¡¯s intense fight moving the three of them constantly, Colorless had to not only track Wang Zikai¡¯s movement but also avoid friendly fire. Thatpromised the effect of Petrify, and her power could only encroach on Wang Zikai gradually.

    Soon, however, Colorless realized that it would be better to cook Wang Zikai in slowly heating water like a frog. Then when Wang Zikai realized that something was wrong, he would¡¯ve already slowed down noticeably, giving Jing Ke and Canary a chance to kill him.

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t like to think before acting, but he did have the ability to think.

    He quickly realized that he had been ambushed by Colorless¡¯ Petrify. He cursed inwardly, <i>This is fucking cheating! Forget it. I have to stop ying around!</i>

 Chapter 790: Thatâ€™s an Order

    <h4>Chapter 790: That¡¯s an Order</h4>

    Jing Ke keenly noticed that Wang Zikai was slowing down. In his frenzied state, he became increasingly reckless. Believing that he was going to win soon, he sized an opening and was about to make a lethal attack at Wang Zikai¡¯s chest.

    But then <i>whoosh</i>, there were three arches of purple shes. Before he realized it, he had already lost control over his right hand.

    Then he realized that his right arm had been sliced off and hurled above him in two bloody trails. Three slim bone ws hade out of Wang Zikai¡¯s right fist at some point. The three des could cut steel like butter, and they easily sliced through Jing Ke¡¯s prided bone des and arm.

    Just when Wang Zikai was about to decapitate him, about a dozen talismans with the word <i>bao</i>, explosion, flew toward them, attaching to Jing Ke and Wang Zikai indiscriminately and flickering a blinding red light.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>

    The explosion caught both Wang Zikai and Jing Ke, and the firelight surged.

    Losing his arm, Jing Ke was thrown off his feet by the explosion, dying with blood and gore covering him.

    He was lucky. He would be able toe back with the resurrection pill and had avoided getting thoroughly killed by Wang Zikai¡ªLin Fu had made an indiscriminate talisman attack exactly to save hispanion.

    Wang Zikai got thrown away by the explosion, too. He rolled to a stop and quickly rose to his feet, retracting his bone ws to put out the embers on his chest by pping it.

    <i>Shit, shit, shit!</i>

    <i>Dang it, I¡¯m not gonna be able to grow chest hair!!</i>

    Wang Zikai had always envied Gray Bear for his thick chest hair. He thought men needed chest hair to be sexy, and he had asked Gray Bear how he grew his.

    Chest hair was inherent. Some had them, and others didn¡¯t. Gray Bear didn¡¯t have the heart to tell Wang Zikai the truth, though, and he joked that hair would grow out as long as he took good care of the skin on his chest.

    Wang Zikai, the idiot, believed the joke.

    ncing at his slightly burned chest, Wang Zikai lunged at Lin Fu with a stomp, eyes shing with killing intent. <i>Now I¡¯m really angry!</i>

    [Nine Frost: Wang Zikai, run!]

    A breeze entered Wang Zikai¡¯s head.

    [Wang Zikai: Huh? But I¡¯ve just warmed up...]

    [Nine Frost: Qilin¡¯s here! Run!]

    Wang Zikai quickly looked up. Indeed, two blurry figures had emerged from the portal not far away. Judging by the shape, it was Qilin pushing a wheelchaired Surnamed Li.

    Nine Frost had been keeping an eye on the full picture and monitoring the portal from a distant vantage point, and he spotted Qilin and Surnamed Li immediately.

    ording to the n, Team Nine Frost was to blow up the Ocean River Union¡¯s underground base. It would be good if they seeded, but they were to retreat as soon as they failed. There must be no casualties.

    [Wang Zikai: What are you afraid of? I...]

    [Nine Frost: That¡¯s an order!!]

    Wang Zikai paused, remembering immediately what Gao Yang had told him: <i>You must obey Nine Frost unconditionally for this mission, Wang Zikai. If you disobey him, you will no longer be my brother.</i>

    <i>Fuck!</i>

    Wang Zikai cursed silently and bolted. He was so quick that he managed to put fifty meters between him and Qilin in the blink of an eye, yet he was still toote.

    Without his sses on, Qilin had made a move as soon as he emerged from the portal, his eyes shing with a discreet green light.

    Activate Psychic Shackle!

    The skill was a single-target version of Statues. Its attack range was the same, and it could avoid friendly fire. Moreover, once Psychic Shackle was put on a target, Qilin could move regrly, which allowed him to get closer to the target and follow up with a lethal attack.

    Psychic Shackle had an obvious w: it exerted a weak control that was only one-sixth of the power of Statues.

    That, however, was good enough to deal with Wang Zikai.

    He felt like an invisible rope had tied onto him, and he staggered and fell face-down.

    ¡°Shit...¡±

    Wang Zikai propped himself up with both hands to slowly get to his feet. He could still move, but it felt like moving with messy ropes tied around him and hindering him. He was moving much slower.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.</i>

    About a dozen talismans written with <i>ting</i>, stop, caught up with him, attaching to Wang Zikai¡¯s back densely. In an instant, Wang Zikai grew even slower with a stiffening body, as if someone had hit his acupuncture point.

    ¡°Ughhhhh...¡±

    Wang Zikai clenched his teeth and struggled to keep going, reaching back to tear off the talismans. Gradually, his movement picked up in speed again.

    Five secondster, however, a numbness he couldn¡¯t resist took over him.

    Colorless had caught up to him and used Petrify.

    This time, she was able to use her Talent at full force without distraction.

    The eerie change started with Wang Zikai¡¯s ten fingers. The skin became stiff, pale, and dry, quickly cracking like ster. Then the capiries on his skin became clearly visible, turning from purple and red to grayish green.

    And then his face became pale and dry, too. Cracks formed along the muscles...

    [Nine Frost: Wang Zikai! Run! Hurry!!]

    [Wang Zikai: Stop nagging. I¡¯m running. But...I can¡¯t run further...]

    Qilin was still approaching Wang Zikai while pushing Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair along. If they got ten meters closer, Wang Zikai would be in the range of Qilin¡¯s psychic pressure. Then even if Colorless couldn¡¯t kill him, Wang Zikai would be unable to run until he met his end.

    Wang Zikai was a troublesome fighter of the Nine Scions. It would be best to kill him here.

    ¡°Sniper. Bullet hitting your head in five seconds,¡± Surnamed Li said, having foreseen the next ten seconds.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A bullet flew toward Qilin¡¯s temple five secondster. He easily dodged it by tilting his head. He continued to push Surnamed Li forward.

    Qilin¡¯s Eidos increased not only his Willpower and Charisma, but also gave a boost to his Constitution, Endurance, Strength, and Agility.

    While he looked like a gentleman, he wasn¡¯t weak. It was true that he couldn¡¯t rival a great fighter in a pure melee fight, but he could kill a ughterer without issue, which proved his physical strength.

    Moreover, Qilin¡¯s psychic aura allowed him to detect any movement in his seventy-meter radius, allowing him to react to lethal threats in time. Even without Surnamed Li¡¯s warning, it would be difficult tond a sneak attack on Qilin from a long distance.

    He hadn¡¯t been considered the top-ranking awakener with his fame and reputation alone.

    [Nine Frost: Wang Zikai! Run!!]

    [Wang Zikai: I can¡¯t... I really...can¡¯t keep running...]

    Almost all of Wang Zikai¡¯s skin had been petrified, and the change was spreading deep into his flesh, internal organs, and bones. In another ten seconds, he would be a real stone statue.

    In fact, Colorles was shocked that Wang Zikai had endured more than ten seconds facing level 6 Petrify, and it seemed that he would be able to hold on for another twenty seconds or so.

    Blood streaked down from Colorless¡¯ nostrils, and her eyes were bloodshot. She clenched her teeth, pushing her psychic intrusion further without rxing her guard.

    [Wang Zikai: Tell Gao Yang...that I...didn¡¯t disobey orders...this time...]

    [Nine Frost: Don¡¯t give up! That¡¯s an order!]

 Chapter 791: Surrounded

    <h4>Chapter 791: Surrounded</h4>

    <i>Swoosh. ng.</i>

    Another sniper shot flew toward Colorless. It didn¡¯t work. After Qilin dodged the first bullet, Amon immediately figured out from which direction Nine Frost was shooting and rushed to Colorless¡¯ side, spinning her giant boomerang to block any iing bullets so that Colorless could focus on killing Wang Zikai.

    [Nine Frost: Nainai! Come back to save him!]

    [Chen Ying: Nainai¡¯s seriously injured. It¡¯s toote.]

    [Nainai: Help me up. This Empress, this Empress can...]

    ...

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! You¡¯re being surrounded. <i>By me!!</i>¡±

    Suddenly, Gregor¡¯s voice came from a distance, spoken through a megaphone. Wang Zikai couldn¡¯t move his petrified neck, but he could see from his dimming eyes that a pickup truck had appeared in the clearing about a hundred meters away.

    [Nine Frost: Hong Xiaoxiao? Why are you here?! Are you mad?!]

    [Hong Xiaoxiao: Vice Captain, I, I don¡¯t wanna, either, but I was forced to...sob...]

    Nine Frost took a better look through his binocrs. In the driver¡¯s seat, Hong Xiaoxiao cried as she drove the truck to the battlefield at full speed, her face twisted with terror. Gao Xinxin, in the passenger seat, looked determined.

    Gregor and Zhang Wei were in the back. Gregor had a supporting hand on the top of the car while he raised the megaphone with his other hand. He shouted, ¡°All of you, you¡¯re surrounded by me!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Gregor, the awakener with Pestilence!¡±

    ¡°Five secondster, I¡¯ll use Poison of Hell, and you¡¯ll all die!!¡±

    Gregor turned off the megaphone and growled at Gao Xinxin, ¡°I¡¯ve done what you said, Gao Xinxin. Return my manuscript to me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just bark without bite!¡± Zhang Wei hollered from the side. ¡°Show them what you¡¯ve got!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, this is annoying!¡± Gregor scowled as he threw the megaphone to Zhang Wei and raised his hands.

    In an instant, dark gray poisonous wind morphed into a giant skull above the pickup truck, flying toward the enemies with insidious presence.

    ¡°Holy!¡±

    Zhang Wei gaped. He immediately raised the megaphone and dered impassionedly, ¡°The Poison of Hell is activating! Everyone! Let us link our hands and hearts to go to hell together! Hahahaha!¡±

    His madughter rang across the battlefield. And immediately, everyone outside of Qilin and Surnamed Li nched.

    They had almost died to the Poison of Hell before, and they couldn¡¯t fear Pestilence more.

    Of course, they only had to calm down and think a little to realize that the conditions to activate Poison of Hell wouldn¡¯t be so easily met¡ªthere had to be a ritual, the Talent had to reach level 8 by merging with the Poison Rune Circuit, and the poison had to be spread through the blood mist. Only then would it be possible to kill all awakeners of the Mist World indiscriminately.

    But right now, they were in survival mode.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Amon only got paid so much every month. There was no reason for her to risk her life. She grabbed Colorless and ran.

    Colorless¡¯ Petrify was cut off. Her energy had been seriously drained, and rxing for a moment left her weak and unable to make another deadly move against Wang Zikai. She gave up on struggling and allowed Amon to take her away.

    Wang Zikai remained on the verge of death with one foot in the mouth of hell and the other outside.

    ¡°Run! What are you waiting for?!¡±

    Crimson Bee, who had been doing nothing, picked up an unconscious Stubborn Weasel and ran toward the portal without looking back. The others retreated with their injured or unconsciouspanions, too.

    Qilin frowned. He let go of Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair and took quick strides toward the petrified Wang Zikai with his cane.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Surnamed Li stopped him. ¡°Gregor¡¯s Pestilence has as much range as your psychic rays. And the Nine Scions may have other tricks up their sleeves. There¡¯s no reason to take the risk.¡±

    Qilin stopped.

    True, this wasn¡¯t Gao Yang, the Divine Scion. He didn¡¯t have to risk it.

    The next second, the pickup truck drove to Wang Zikai and drifted. Zhang Wei picked up the petrified man and pulled him into the back seat, and the car drove away.

    All the while, Gregor had been manipting the giant skull to hover close to Qilin and Surnamed Li as a threat, as if he was saying, <i>If you dare to make a move, I¡¯ll blow the skull up into countless poisonous particles and ensure mutual destruction.</i>

    ¡°Go! Hurry, hurry! Go faster!¡± Gao Xinxin shouted.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had already pushed the elerator to the limit. She held tightly onto the driving wheel, face covered in tears of relief. ¡°Thank heaven...I...I¡¯m not dead... We unted before Qilin but didn¡¯t die...<i>wah</i>...¡±

    [Nine Frost: Hong Xiaoxiao! Wang Zikai has a hairpin on him! Save him first!]

    [Hong Xiaoxiao: But...but I¡¯m driving!]

    [Zhang Wei: Can¡¯t you do two things at once?!]

    [Hong Xiaoxiao: I¡¯m not Captain. I can¡¯t do it...]

    [Gregor: Don¡¯t worry. This guy¡¯s fine. His heart¡¯s beating, and the petrify effect is fading on his face.]

    [Nine Frost: ...]

    [Zhang Wei: Brother Kai¡¯s awesome!]

    [Nine Frost: All of you, retreat now and each find a hiding ce. Then we¡¯ll meet up in our agreed meeting ce.]

    Zhang Wei, Hong Xiaoxiao, Nainai, and Chen Ying responded in a chorus through Telepathy.

    In the truck bed in the back, Gregorid Wang Zikai down and stood up to take the megaphone from Zhang Wei, hammering the door to the passenger seat. He shouted at Gao Xinxin through the door, ¡°Open the door, Gao Xinxin! Give me my manuscript back!¡±

    ¡°You dare to steal my file, then you should dare to open the door!¡±

    Having survived the crisis, Gao Xinxin lost the desperate determination on her face. She cried andughed with overwhelming emotions, sticking her head out of the car window with her twin tails pping in the wind.

    She cried out in joy, ¡°You were cool earlier, Gregor!¡±

    Gregor paused, rubbing his head in embarrassment. ¡°Geez, that was nothing. I was cooler when I was young...¡±

    Then he wised up and raised the megaphone again, ¡°Don¡¯t try to distract me! Where¡¯s my manuscript?! Where did you hide the files?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything!¡± Gao Xinxin smirked mischievously. ¡°I sorted it out for you and moved the files to your E drive. How could you save your files on your C drive? They will all be gone if you reinstall the OS, silly!¡±

    Gregor gaped. ¡°Real...really?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me.¡± Gao Xinxin stuck out her tongue at him before pulling back into the passenger seat. She put on the seatbelt and let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Is this mission...a sess?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao nodded and wiped the tears on her face, steadying her cracking voice. ¡°Although, although people get hurt, we¡¯ve achieved our goal. We seeded.¡±

    ¡°On my brother¡¯s side...¡± Gao Xinxin looked ahead with determined eyes. ¡°They will seed, too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao nodded vehemently.

    ...

    Five minutester, Qilin and Surnamed Li looked at the giant charred crater ahead of them.

    Liao Liao ran over with two team members. ¡°Guildmaster, Deputy Guildmaster, we¡¯ve dealt with all the other bombs. There¡¯s no one from the Nine Scions in this area. They have all fled.¡±

    ¡°Good work.¡± Qilin nodded slightly and put his sses back on. Liao Liao felt much less pressure from him.

    Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°As Elder Yan Liang thought, this is the distraction.¡±

    Liao Liao maintained a poker face, but there was a storm in her head.

    <i>Seriously?! You did all these for a distraction?! The Nine Scions are out of their mind!</i>

    <i>No wonder I didn¡¯t see Azure Dragon and Yan Liang around. They must have gone to deal with the Nine Scions¡¯ real move. I felt like the two Elders would be in danger!</i>

    <i>Ugh, it¡¯s not my business. I should keep lurking.</i>

    Qilin looked down at his quartz watch.

    ¡°We should be hearing from Yan Liang soon.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll be good news,¡± said Surnamed Li.

 Chapter 792: Return to a Known Place

    <h4>Chapter 792: Return to a Known ce</h4>

    Ni Nation,te night.

    Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo disembarked from the ne at ten at night in disguise, taking a taxi to the triangr tower tourist site. As soon as the four of them sneaked into the desert, they met Raven Shark, who had been waiting for a long time.

    Raven Shark¡¯s Talent made him strong in water but mediocre onnd, so Gao Yang gave him a different mission. Almost all isted inds in the Mist World were connected by official waterways. Gao Yang had Raven Sharke to Ni Nation a few days ahead and keep watch near the triangr towers.

    The silver moon hung high in the sky. The five of them stood in the cold gray desert.

    Raven Shark wore a loose x robe with headwear like the locals. He said as he stared at Gao Yang¡¯s chest, ¡°You¡¯re here again, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang smiled faintly. ¡°Thest time I came to Ni Nation, it was thest time.¡±

    ¡°Why are you speaking nonsense too, Captain?¡± Can asked. The desert was cold at night, and Can had the chance to put on the Christmas gift Gao Yang gave her, the red coat.

    ¡°To lighten the mood.¡± Gao Yang nced at Raven Shark. ¡°Good job, Raven Shark. You should head back. We¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    Raven Shark didn¡¯t go. He hesitated to say something.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Raven Shark stared at Gao Yang¡¯s chest. ¡°I want to see Elder Vermilion Bird.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Go back and seek out Nine Frost. He¡¯ll take you to her.¡±

    Raven Shark nodded and ran away.

    The four of them felt conflicted when they saw Raven Shark urgently vanishing from their sight. Ke Yo, particrly, had wanted to go to the secret base to take care of Vermilion Bird after learning what happened, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t give her the go-ahead, and she hadn¡¯t had the chance to see Vermilion Bird.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around and headed toward the heart of the desert.

    This time, they didn¡¯t ride on camels. The four of them walked across the desert and left shallow and deep indents on the yellow sand.

    It was Ke Yo and Can¡¯s first timeing to the desert. Although they were on a mission, they couldn¡¯t help but take photos of the grandiose view of the ancient, abandoned triangr towers under the moonlight with their phones.

    Qing Ling and Gao Yang walked in the front. Qing Ling asked in a low voice, ¡°Tell me the detailed n.¡±

    ¡°We ambush them,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°In the underground ruin?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°Who will be there?¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon, Yan Liang, or Qilin, as well as their subordinates.¡± Gao Yang spoke calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly who wille, but they won¡¯t alle together. Some of them have to stay to guard their base.¡±

    Qing Ling frowned slightly. Even so, the four of them would be facing one or even two operation teams of the Ocean River Union, which would be a great hurdle. Gao Yang had said that they were staging an ambush, though, so he must have a n.

    ¡°How did you know they would send someone, though?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Through Liu Qingying, I told the Union something: holy water is required to reach level 8 with a Talent. In this Mist World, the only remaining life monster corpse that can be extracted for holy water is the mummy in the underground ruin.¡±

    Qing Ling eyed him. ¡°The intel is false?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s lips curled into a bitter smile. ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you? My dad jumped from level 3 to level 8 with my mom¡¯s help, which means that holy water can quickly push a Talent to level 8. Only the method is extreme and may not be the correct one.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain that they¡¯ll bite the bait?¡±

    ¡°They will,¡± Gao Yang said with confidence.

    Qing Ling nodded and didn¡¯t ask anything else.

    A breeze swept through the serene desert. Gao Yang turned around to see Can taking pictures of Ke Yo. She thought the photo would be more dynamic if Ke Yo¡¯s clothes and hair were flying, so she generated some wind.

    Turning her profile to the camera, Ke Yo awkwardly brushed away the hair falling on her face. Can took a snap at that moment.

    ¡°Perfect! Look, the picture says a thousand words!¡± Can gave her a thumbs-up and handed the phone to Ke Yo. ¡°It¡¯s my turn, haha.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Ke Yo took the phone and was just about to snap a photo when she noticed Gao Yang and Qing Ling looking. She was embarrassed.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Gao Yang said serenely. ¡°There¡¯s still time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Captain!¡± With permission, Can rxed further. She made several funny poses with the triangr towers shrouded in the night as the background.

    Then her eyes shifted, and she cackled. ¡°Captain, can I have a picture with you and Sister Qing? We¡¯vee all the way here. Might as well have something to remember the trip by.¡±

    She didn¡¯t dare to just invite Captain. That would be too obvious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Gao Yang nced at Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling didn¡¯t mind, either. She nodded.

    The two of them walked up to Can. Ke Yo knelt down and raised the phone, even giving instructions. ¡°Captain, stand in the center. Can, move a little closer to Captain... Yeah, tilt your head so that you don¡¯t cover the triangr towers... Okay, just like that. Don¡¯t move. Three, two, one...cheese!¡±

    <i>Click.</i>

    After taking photos, the four continued their journey across the desert.

    Ke Yo shared the photo to their phones. Gao Yang checked it. He was standing in the center with Qing Ling on his left and Can on his right. He looked calm like he was taking an ID photo, while Qing Ling had an impassive expression on her face with one hand lowered and the other hand resting on the hilt of her des by her waist. She looked like she was asking, <i>Done yet? I¡¯m in a hurry.</i>

    Can was the only one who resembled a tourist. Leaning slightly to the side, her head seemed to rest on Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder with her left leg slightly lifted. She looked a little reserved with her lips pursed in a smile.

    Gao Yang noticed that the red coat seemed to fit Can better now.

    He asked casually, ¡°Have you grown taller, Can?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really...?¡± Can smiled. ¡°I haven¡¯t measured my height for a while, so I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because your hair gets longer,¡± Ke Yo said.

    Gao Yang nced at her and said with nostalgia. ¡°You had a bob cut when I met you. Now your hair is reaching your shoulders.¡±

    Can blushed. She tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°Ahaha, my hair grows fast.¡±

    She had wanted to get a bob cut before so that her hair would be easier to fix, but Hong Xiaoxiao advised against that, saying that longer hair would go better with a long coat.

    <i>You were right, Little Hong. Captain thought I got taller. That would trante into calling me pretty, right?</i>

    Can was delighted, and she radiated joy all the way.

    They walked another ten minutes. Then Gao Yang, leading the way, came to a stop. ¡°Here we are.¡±

    The four of them stood on a small dune. Below them was a shallow basin. Closer inspection would reveal it to be a circle with a clear border, as if a special forcefield was quietly maintaining the edge of the basin.

    ¡°Is this...the altar?¡± Can asked.

    ¡°Yeah, this is how it looks without being activated by a life monster,¡± Gao Yang exined. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Can.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Can took a deep breath and raised her hands, activating level 5 Gale.

    A small tornado came into existence suddenly in the heart of the basin. Like a drill, it dug through the desert and sent yellow sand flying everywhere, obscuring the sky.

    Bracing against the sand storm, the four of them approached the small tornado. Soon, the sand below their feet began to flow and sink.

    ¡°Hold your breath and take each other¡¯s hands!¡± Gao Yang extended his hands.

    The four of them immediately formed a circle with their hands linked.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A few secondster, they sank into the quicksand.

 Chapter 793: A Shame

    <h4>Chapter 793: A Shame</h4>

    Just like thest time, Gao Yang found himself sinking through the quicksand for more than ten seconds. Then his feet reached the air, and he got into a quick freefall.

    Qing Ling had been prepared. She rode on her de and caught everyone. The four of them made a safending before dusting sand from their hair and clothes.

    Can shook off the sand on her coat sadly. She would¡¯ve put on something else if she had known they would go through all this. The coat was going to be torn at this rate.

    Gao Yang conjured a small fireball and led the way. He and Qing Ling were calm since this wasn¡¯t their first time here.

    Ke Yo and Can, on the other hand, were surprised and alerted by everything. They kept worrying that something terrifying would jump out from the dark to get them.

    Soon, they reached the entrance to the temple and went past the dried riverbed, meeting a tall wall. Going through the strange narrow path at the center of the wall and a cluster of stone pirs, they finally arrived at the circr courtyard at the heart of the temple.

    Gao Yang lit the special fuel filling the dents with fire. Immediately, the life monster pattern burned and illuminated the surroundings.

    The obelisk at the center of the courtyard stood quietly. The murals were colorful, mysterious, and eerie.

    A ck sarcophagus that exuded great pressure rested at the bottom of the obelisk, made of special ck stone with ck Gold relief on the lid, portraying an extravagantly adorned and beautiful empress in her slumber. Several ck Gold decorations were embedded in the coffin.

    Can and Ke Yo gaped. They had seen the photos before, but seeing everything in person was awe-inspiring in a way the photos weren¡¯t.

    Can stared at the ck coffin and remembered something trivial. Uncle Bear had boasted to her that he exchanged three hundred blows with the little abomination, but then Brother Lithe Snake exposed him; it turned out that Uncle Bear had gotten KOed at the start of the fight and didn¡¯t wake up until the fight was over. He could only snap two photos and send them to the group chat.

    Now, both Uncle Bear and Brother Lithe Snake were gone. Although the Nine Scions weed the gentle Sister Chen Ying, the social butterfly Zhang Wei, and the meek and mature Yanyan, they still lost something vital.

    Can felt a pang in her chest, followed by a hollowness.

    It wasn¡¯t sadness or sorrow per se, but a loneliness stemming from having different people upying the same ce and a sense of loss stemming from being abandoned. Only she and Captain survived among the fifth team, but Captain no longer belonged to the fifth team, but the entire Nine Scions.

    It felt like Can was the only living fifth team member.

    The inside jokes and shared history were gone, and no one would mention what only they would talk about. It was like the graduate yearbook lost in time. Most wouldn¡¯t realize that the second the yearbook was made to record time was the second their shared time was starting to be forgotten.

    Can sighed softly and picked herself up, walking up to the obelisk with the others.

    Gao Yang took the lead and ordered, ¡°We¡¯ll move the life monster in the sarcophagus first before setting up a trap...¡±

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Qing Ling had been keeping an eye on their surroundings and detected an ambush first.

    A three-meter long spear of five different colored elements shot down from above, aiming at Gao Yang¡¯s head.

    The two ck Gold des Qing Ling wielded took flight immediately to block the spear. At the collision, the elemental spear exploded, and countless elemental particles rained down on the four of them.

    Can had already conjured an umbre of wind elements to shield everyone from the countless elemental bullets.

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze turned icy. He looked up at the stone pirs near the entrance to the courtyard. Two figures emerged. It was Yan Liang, in a mask with lopsided features, and his Protector, Zero Hatred.

    ¡°I told you to follow orders, Zero Hatred,¡± Yan Liang said with annoyance.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I couldn¡¯t wait.¡± Zero Hatred smirked maliciously. ¡°I was worried that you would kill all of them if I didn¡¯t move quickly.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Can called out in a trembling voice, panicked. ¡°I think we...were ambushed instead.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t need to hear that.

    Enemies emerged from the stone pirs all around them and closed in on them.

    ¡°Watch out! Behind you!¡± Ke Yo shouted.

    Gao Yang and Qing Ling quickly turned around to see Azure Dragon and Six Rime walking out of the dark stone pir forest.

    ¡°The n¡¯s made. They came ahead of time to ambush us.¡± Qing Ling crouched down in preparation for a fight.

    Gao Yang silently scanned the enemies.

    Yan Liang and Zero Hatred were in front of them, while Azure Dragon and Six Rime nked them from the back.

    On Gao Yang¡¯s left were Forest Crane, Old Lion, and Subus, each with a different expression on their face.

    Forest Crane had already transformed into all nts on alert. He knew how great the gap between him and the Nine Scions was. Although Azure Dragon and Elder Yan Liang were here, too, it would be everyone for themselves once a fight broke out.

    Riding on the giant lion, Old Lion had a confident smile on his face, but he was getting a little tired of this. He had had enough of going after other humans. He only wished to end the civil war once and for all by taking out the Divine Scion.

    ¡°The Divine Scion will taste good.¡± Subus was scantily d in a light garter dress, the fabric doing little to cover her supple, voluptuous body. She pressed her long forefinger on her chin, desires oozing from her nted eyes.

    ¡°Ask Core East and Nagging Mister. They know how the Divine Scion tastes the best,¡± Forest Crane said sharply, implicitly warning his teammates to not lower their guard.

    Subusughed. ¡°Perhaps he would be gentle with women.¡±

    Four people emerged on Gao Yang¡¯s right, Flower Turtle, Correcting Sickle, Chaos Reflection, and Tall Sky.

    Flower Turtle had merged with Correcting Sickle and Tall Sky through Three Heads Six Arms, not leaving anything to chance.

    Tall Sky, a new Union member, had Talent: Personality Kill. He could split the target¡¯s personality in a short time through psychic invasion. Since there wouldn¡¯t be a main personality, the Talent would cause unresolvable discord. Best-case scenario, the target would lose their ability to make a move in the short term, and worst-case scenario, the target could have a mental breakdown and lose their mind.

    Flower Turtle facilitated the synergy between Correcting Sickle¡¯s and Tall Sky¡¯s Talents. With the help of Memory Tailor, Tall Sky¡¯s Personality Kill woulde into effect in two seconds, which made it a powerful skill even in short range.

    And Flower Turtle¡¯s Guard-type Talent made up for the two men¡¯s low defense and constitution.

    Tall Sky had volunteered to go on this mission. Since he had made a bet with his brother to see who would survive until the end, he would do his best. He didn¡¯t want to lose to his brother.

    Chaos Reflection still looked timid. He stood on the side awkwardly like an outsider. He had nned to hide in a smooth reflective surface as soon as the fight broke out; if the situation necessitated it, he would make a move then.

    Gao Yang counted them in his head. Eleven people in total, including fighters, an elemental attacker, a poisoner, a control, a support, and a guard. And they must have taken a resurrection pill beforehand.

    Yan Liang hade prepared, making sure that the four of them couldn¡¯t escape even if they all had wings.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen through your trick, Gao Yang.¡± Yan Liang took a step toward him. ¡°Surrender. There doesn¡¯t have to be more sacrifice. Just give up your life, and the three of them will live. The civil war will end, too.¡±

    ¡°Is Qilin not here?¡± Gao Yang finally broke his silence.

    Yan Liang paused. He was hit with a sudden ominous feeling. Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem panicked at all. It was as if he had anticipated everything. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What a shame.¡± Gao Yang sighed softly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to kill him next time.¡±

    Yan Liang started. <i>Is the brat mad? Where does the confidencee from? Or is he putting on a front because he knows he¡¯s doomed?</i>

    Yang Liang hesitated for a moment, but his rational mind told him that Gao Yang would lose under the circumstances.

    He lifted a hand to signal the start of the fight.

    The eleven awakeners got ready like arrows on strings. They had alreadye up with their strategy and left no gap in their siege.

    Just when Yan Liang was going to bring his arm down, Gao Yang suddenly reached out and grabbed Can and Qing Ling, pulling them into his arms tightly. At the same time, he moved back a step to make sure that Ke Yo, hiding behind him, was pressed against his back.

    Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo hadn¡¯t expected that. They were utterly bbergasted.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to exin. A detonator was suddenly in his hand, and the moment he pressed the button, he shouted, ¡°Absolute Defense!¡±

    A great volume of blinding golden energy rose from Gao Yang¡¯s feet, quickly spreading and moving up to form a phonebooth-sized energy barrier, walling in the four of them.

    Gao Yang could¡¯ve created a greater barrier so that the four of them wouldn¡¯t be so cramped together, but his energy wasn¡¯t unlimited. It was best to preserve as much as possible.

    The moment the barrier emerged, Yan Liang and Azure Dragon figured out what was going to happen almost immediately.

    The others could see their impending doom, too, but they didn¡¯t have the time to do anything. Eyes wide, the only thought that shed through their minds was, <i>Gao Yang acquired Absolute Defense!</i>

    Yan Liang shouted, ¡°Run¡ª¡±

    ...

    Triangr Towers, Ni Nation.

    The desert in the early morning was vast and bleak. All that met the eyes were gray-blue dunes. It seemed just like any other night, beautiful yet lonesome.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Suddenly, a pir of fire with a diameter of five hundred meters shot out of the sandy waves of gray and blue that were the dunes, reaching the sky in a straight trajectory like a pir of red light. A giant hole was put into the night sky.

    It was all red between heaven and earth, the pressure so great it seemed like the apocalypse.

    Then a giant vortex appeared at the center of the explosion site, sucking in the sand in the area. At the same time, more sand flew into the sky, giving rise to a sandstorm that covered the entire desert.

    A minuteter, the sandstorm finally quieted, and the vortex had turned into an enormous, seemingly infinite pit. The bottom of it was the courtyard with the obelisk in the underground ruin.

    However, the courtyard had been razed into a t wastnd with nothing but charcoal, thick smoke, and zing pools of mes.

    As the thick smoke gradually dissipated, a faint golden light became visible amid the fire. It slowly grew clearer. It was a translucent light golden ¡°phone booth¡±.

    Gao Yang, Can, Qing Ling, and Ke Yo remainedpletely unscathed inside, backs and chests pressed together.

 Chapter 794: Pride Space

    <h4>Chapter 794: Pride Space</h4>

    Can¡¯s face was pressed against the translucent barrier with her nose smushed up and her mouth agape to form arge O, her eyes shaking.

    Everything happened so quickly. It was so absurd and unbelievable that her brain couldn¡¯t reconcile with what she saw and shortcircuited.

    ¡°Captain, what, what, what did you do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Gao Yang stared ahead with ruthless eyes and an expressionless face. ¡°I simply returned the gift we received on the night of New Year¡¯s Day.¡±

    Yan Liang was right. Gao Yang nned to draw them here and ambush them, but the ambush had been arranged way back.

    Before he asked Liu Qingying for bombs, he already had Nine Frost acquire bombs and had Raven Shark transport the sealed bombs to Ni Nation by the sea.

    The bombs Liu Qingying acquired were only meant for the Ocean River Union¡¯s underground base, and it didn¡¯t matter if the bombing seeded. When they saw that the number of bombs matched what he had gotten from Liu Qingying, they would assume that Gao Yang hadn¡¯t used it anywhere else.

    Raven Shark didn¡¯t really know what he was transporting. He simply secreted the ware to the desert and waited for Gao Yang to arrive. After the night at Aurora Town, Gao Yang hade to the Ni Nation desert to meet up with Raven Shark and take the bombs from him.

    Then Gao Yang sneaked into the ruined temple under the life monster altar and enchanted the bombs before burying them under the obelisk.

    That was why Raven Shark said Gao Yang was here again when he saw him tonight.

    Raven Shark simply didn¡¯t understand why Gao Yang woulde again after his time here two days ago. Gao Yang quickly changed the subject to hide his n.

    Then Gao Yang took Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo to the underground ruin while putting on an act the whole time, fooling everyone.

    Indeed, Yan Liang had easily figured out the first twoyers of Gao Yang¡¯s n and took advantage of it to stage an ambush. To Gao Yang, though, it didn¡¯t matter if Qilin, Yan Liang, or Azure Dragon showed up; his n would be a sess as long as <i>someone </i>came to ambush him.

    Gao Yang¡¯s real trump card was Absolute Defense.

    Since he acquired the Talent, he had never used it before anyone or told anyone. Not even Qing Ling, Nine Frost, or Gao Xinxin knew, let alone Yan Liang.

    The half ton of bombs exploded with ten times the original power with the buff from level 4 Explosives Expert at such a close range. Catching the enemiespletely off guard, the resulting destructive power would be no less than the sudden attack Azure Dragon had made with his Strongest Punch at long range the night of the New Year¡¯s Day.

    Nevertheless, Gao Yang didn¡¯t naively believe that the attack would kill everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll only go through the tactic once,¡± Gao Yang said quickly. ¡°Blow away the smoke and go invisible with Ke Yo, Can. Qing Ling and I will take care of the survivors. Ke Yo, you¡¯ll provide support with your whistling. Use it at your discretion.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gao Yang took a deep breath with zing eyes. He dered, ¡°Revenge!¡±

    Instantly, he dissolved the absolute barrier, and the four of them split up.

    <i>p.</i>

    Can pped her hands together and pushed them to the sides, ¡°Scatter!¡±

    Two gusts of wind suddenly emerged, and like two giant hands had pushed it to the sides, the smoke permeating the blown-up temple dissipatedpletely, revealing the entirely destroyed underground ruin.

    Thirty meters away, a pure white frost lotus had bloomed. It looked like a fake fixture in a garden. The surface was severely damaged, and many of the petals were wilted.

    Gao Yang knew that the perfectbination of ice and water elements allowed Six Rime to instantly put up a defense against a powerful explosion. He had witnessed the same trick when he blew up the ck Tortoise building with his double. The same regr crystal wouldn¡¯t be hardy enough in this instance. Six Rime had to go all in and create a giant ice lotus.

    The pro was that it was highly defensive. The con was that it couldn¡¯t be dissolved instantly. It would take Six Rime at least ten seconds to melt the ice lotus even by going as quickly as she could. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t know when the explosion woulde to an end from the inside of the lotus, and she would keep it closed off for a little longer just in case.

    <i>ck</i>. Deeper cracks appeared on the surface of the ice lotus. It seemed that Six Rime was going toe out.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t going to give her the chance.

    ¡°Absolute Barrier!¡±

    Gao Yang quickly rushed to a close enough range and pressed his hands together. As golden light flickered in his eyes, liquid golden energy rushed out from under his feet like a burning fuse, shooting toward the ice lotus.

    Then the golden fuse exploded and morphed into a hexagonal translucent barrier. Like a folded paper box, it unfurled to quickly envelop the ice crystal and put on the lid.

    Five secondster, the ice lotus finally shatteredpletely. Six Rime and Azure Dragon were unhurt.

    Azure Dragon immediately noticed the translucent barrier locking them in. He frowned and punched at the barrier¡ªit didn¡¯t work at all.

    For the next ten minutes, Azure Dragon and Six Rime would stay locked up in the cramped barrier, unable to step out.

    Gao Yang and his threepanions had ten minutes to deal with the others.

    Qing Ling, having witnessed everything, didn¡¯t get angry at Gao Yang for lying to her. That wouldeter.

    She immediately realized what Gao Yang¡¯s n was¡ªto pick them off.

    Old Lion, Subus, and Chaos Reflection didn¡¯t even have the time to react, and there would be no way for them to endure the tremendous explosion anyway. They were rendered to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

    Forest Crane fared a little better, but not much. A small part of his body remained. He had armored himself with nt as soon as he showed up, but it still couldn¡¯t possibly protect him from such an explosion. He lost his body from the chest down.

    There were still vines he didn¡¯t manage to retract remaining on his upper body. They burned quietly like a tree struck by thunder.

    Flower Turtle, Correcting Sicle, and Tall Sky had gotten a defense buff while being merged with Three Heads Six Arms, and thus, parts of their bodies remained.

    The three heads and six arms had be one head and two arms, though.

    The head belonged to Flower Turtle. As for to whom the arms belonged, Gao Yang honestly couldn¡¯t tell, and didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on the question.

    What he could be certain was that the three remained conjoined with flesh charred and organs exposed and scattered. They looked like a chicken foot that had been chewed on. The resurrection pills wouldn¡¯t work.

    Conclusion: seven dead, two survivors.

    Gao Yang zeroed in on the two figures not far from him, Yan Liang and Zero Hatred.

    They stood within a copsed elemental barrier. It was evident that Zero Hatred had put up an elemental wall the moment the explosion happened in an attempt to block the damage, but his elemental power wasn¡¯t specialized like Six Rime¡¯s level 6 Frost and God of Water. He was no match for her in terms of quick defense.

    In fact, if Yan Liang hadn¡¯t distorted space to the limit and absorbed much of the explosive damage, the two of them would¡¯ve suffered the same fate as the others¡ªgetting rendered to ashes.

    Still, they were critically injured.

    Zero Hatred crouched down with serious burns all over his body and his left facepletely melted. His left eye socket was an empty charred hole. He looked like a half-melted wax statue.

    His vicious right face turned distorted with rage and pain. ¡°Bastard...I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll kill you...I¡¯ll kill you all...¡±

    ¡°Aghhh!!¡±

    Zero Hatred screamed. Two colored elemental wings shot out of his back. His Elemental had reached level 4 with the help of the Miracle Rune Circuit, and it jumped to level 5 just now in his moment of great fury.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>He charged at Gao Yang. Gao Yang didn¡¯t even spare him a look.

    Qing Ling had lifted her hands and summoned her two long des back to her hands, and her Butterfly Twin des flew under her feet to carry her to Zero Hatred.

    The two shed and broke into an intense fight in the blink of an eye. The flurry of green de aura and colorful elements shed and sputtered like a discordant chorus of the devils.

    Gao Yang impassively went up to Yan Liang step by step.

    Yang Liang had lost his entire right arm to the explosion, and his body was covered in various injuries. His ck cotton clothes were burned and tattered, revealing bloody flesh inside.

    Only half of his mask remained, and it cracked.

    Finally, the mask crumbled entirely and fell from his face.

    It was Sir Jiang.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t surprised. With twisted lips, he said, ¡°We meet again, Sir Jiang.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Sir Jiang held onto his bleeding shoulder stump. Face pale, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Damn brat, you acquired Absolute Defense. I underestimated the speed of your growth.¡±

    Although he was pressed for time, Gao Yang still had something to confirm.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the Gates to be opened, so Qilin never wanted that, either. Am I right?¡±

    Yan Liang¡¯s silence was answer enough.

    ¡°You and Qilin are humanity¡¯s biggest enemies,¡± Gao Yang continued.

    Yan Liang remained quiet.

    ¡°No matter what Qilin¡¯s ambition is. He will fail. No matter what your answer is, it will be wrong.¡±

    Gao Yang drew the ck Gold dagger on his waist and pointed it at Yan Liang. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, Azure Dragon, Qilinn, and Surnamed Li.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the Nine Scions out of the night and meet the dawn.¡±

    ¡°Your bodies will have rotten in the night with nothing left.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t speak in rage or impassionedly, but with a calm certainty. It was as if he was stating a simple truth, like ¡°the sky was blue¡±.

    The corners of Yan Liang¡¯s wrinkled eyes tightened. His old gaze grew icy.

    He stared at Gao Yang and slowly straightened himself. With a simple sweep of his left hand, the stump of his right shoulder stopped bleeding.

    The old man took a step forward and introduced himself like all pride monsters did when they met an awakener.

    ¡°Leader of the observers, Sir Jiang. Ability, Pride Space.¡±

 Chapter 795: Not Getting What You Want

    <h4>Chapter 795: Not Getting What You Want</h4>

    On the other side of the battlefield, Zero Hatred flew around in the sky with elemental wings and conjured a dense barrage of elemental javelins to rain down on Qing Ling intermittently. Qing Ling rode her Butterfly Twin des and moved as one with her des. Like an agile bird, she dodged the elemental javelins or cut them down with aura-enhanced swings.

    She quickly approached the flying Zero Hatred. When there were less than ten meters between them, Qing Ling bent her legs and made a sudden jump at the man, her des leaving two trails of cold cyan aura.

    Zero Hatred couldn¡¯t move away in time. He quickly folded his elemental wings across his chest to block the attack.

    <i>Bam! </i>The two long des collided with Zero Hatred¡¯s elemental wings with fierce aura, and instantly, the wild de aura and scintiting elemental particles sputtered and scattered in all directions like tadpoles of firework.

    If time stopped at this moment, the scene would resemble a religious painting from the Middle Ages on the fated battle between a battle god from hell and an angel with colorful wings from heaven.

    <i>Clink</i>. After a three-second stalemate, Zero Hatred¡¯s elemental wings shattered into countless particles. Zero Hatred felt numb. He was surprised by how powerful Qing Ling¡¯s de aura was.

    In truth, that was the most Qing Ling could do with that attack. She plunged and made a backflip in the air, stepping back on her Butterfly Twin des.

    She didn¡¯t want to give Zero Hatred any fighting chance. Bending her knees, she was about to jump toward Zero Hatred again when she caught a cold red from the corner of her eye. Before she could figure out what it was, her wealth of experience and strong instinctpelled her to whirl sideways.

    Six rays of cold red light strong enough to pierce through flesh and blood came at Qing Ling from all directions. With her flexible and agile body, Qing Ling narrowly dodged the six crisscrossing red rays like a gymnastpleting a difficult move in midair.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling settled on her Butterfly Twin des and looked up.

    The elemental wings behind Zero Hatred¡¯s back had turned into ones consisting of only wind elements. Hovering above her, Zero Hatred syed his hands with a small red light orb flickering at the tip of each of his hands'' forefinger, middle finger, and ring finger.

    Qing Ling frowned. It seemed that the six rays of cold red light hadn¡¯t disappeared. They had be living things, in a manner of speaking, by Zero Hatred¡¯s impressive control over elements.

    The six rays moved at high speed, folding and intersecting, as if drawing aplex geometric shape.

    Zero Hatred started drumming his fingers like he was typing on an invisible keyboard.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh¡ª</i>

    The six intersecting red rays shot at Qing Ling after receiving an order. <i>Clink. ng.</i> Qing Ling dodged and swung her two des to face the agile and cunning red rays. Crimson light particles and cyan de aura bloomed here and there as they shed.

    Gradually, Qing Ling was having trouble keeping up.

    <i>Whoosh</i>.

    A ray of light brushed past the back of her head, shooting through her ck hair. Her ponytail loosened.

    Two secondster, another ray of red light went through her left arm, and her Xiu Dao fell from her hand.

    Qing Ling started. Forcing down the pain, she curled her finger and sent the Xiu Dao flying toward Zero Hatred.

    Zero Hatred¡¯s wings of wind elements folded before his chest again to block the Xiu Dao, all the while manipting the cold red light to go after Qing Ling. He was a moment away from putting more holes into her body.

    <i>Whistle</i>.

    Ke Yo made a move. She used Strange Whistle for a second.

    In an instant, the six red rays dissolved into countless particles, and the same happened to the wind element wings on Zero Hatred¡¯s back. They lost their shape.

    Zero Hatred¡¯s thoughts skipped, and he forgot to control the elements.

    Can¡¯s Invisibility lost its effect as a result of that, and she and Ke Yo appeared. The two had been hiding behind the blown-up ck coffin with their hands linked. They exchanged a nce.

    A secondter, Can and Ke Yo went invisible again.

    Meanwhile, Zero Hatred and Qing Ling had recovered their attention.

    With a back flip, Qing Lingnded and leaped to the side. The next second, the six rays of light chased her and shattered the stone on the ground.

    Like six billiard balls, they bounced up and continued to pursue Qing Ling.

    Once she made anding, Qing Ling was much more mobile even though she could only wield one de with an injured arm. Moreover, she was under attack from all three hundred and sixty degrees around her in the air. Onnd, the range where attacks coulde from was much smaller.

    Qing Ling wielded her Tang Dao smoothly, one move transitioning to the next like flowing water as she cut and parried the six rays. She and Zero Hatred entered a stalemate.

    From afar, Qing Ling looked like a graceful and agile dancer who spun and jumped as the red light chased after her and surrounded her, but never really touched her. It was as if the red light were red ribbons following the movement of her dancing de.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Zero Hatred lost his patience.

    He enjoyed torturing his prey and would want nothing but to prolong the torment over his target, but now, he was the one getting tormented.

    The explosion left him seriously injured, and every part of his body hurt. His endurance and energy were quickly draining, too, while the woman was showing no sign of struggle and didn¡¯t seem any close to copsing.

    Moreover, two dangerous venomous bugsy in hiding, ready to attack him at any time. In fact, air des had been thrown his way every once in a while as he fought Qing Ling, only he had dodged all of them. That prevented Zero Hatred from paying full attention to Qing Ling with the need to be on guard constantly.

    <i>I can¡¯t drag this on.</i>

    ¡°Hah!¡± Zero Hatred shouted and clenched his fists. Receiving his order, the six rays of light returned to him and started spinning quickly. In addition, the other four elemental powers¡ªblue wind, cyan fire, purple lightning, and white ice¡ªrushed out of his palms and turned into blinding light, swirling quickly around him.

    The five elemental powers spun faster and faster until they formed a five-colored tornado. Zero Hatred was going to ravage the whole battlefield with the tornado by exhausting his power¡ªno, by exhausting all the energy in his body.

    The pit-like underground ruin gave him a geological advantage. Once the tornado formed, none would be able to run away.

    A vicious, cruel smirk appeared on the side of Zero Hatred¡¯s face that wasn¡¯t disfigured by the explosion, but his smile quickly stiffened and morphed into confusion, then shock.

    He realized that his elemental tornado was taking shape too slowly. Actually, the currents of elements were slowing down.

    At some point, Can had shown herself and rode her wind to the air across from Zero Hatred on her own, aiming her hands at him with her ten fingers syed to the limit.

    Can¡¯s eyes widened. The irises shone like two brilliant sapphires. Two trickles of blood came from her nostrils. Face pale, she said in a trembling voice, ¡°You...are not getting what you want!¡±

    Can unleashed her full energy and activated level 5 Gale, conjuring a tornado with reverse rotation around Zero Hatred¡¯s elemental tornado to offset it.

    Zero Hatred lost hisposure. <i>A mere single-element user dared to go head-to-head with my Elemental? What a joke!</i>

    ¡°Aghhh!!¡±

    Zero Hatred growled and activated his elemental tornado again. At that moment, the space seemed to distort, and countless colorful currents shot around with energy rippling out in waves.

    After about seven seconds, Can lost the battle of will with Zero Hatred and threw up a mouthful of blood. With a shudder, she plunged from high in the air like a bird getting shot.

    The moment shended, Can looked at Zero Hatred and the tornado about to take shape around him in upside-down view. She grinned.

    <i>I did it.</i>

 Chapter 796: Hidden Ace

    <h4>Chapter 796: Hidden Ace</h4>

    Can and Zero Hatred hadn¡¯t been battling for long, but it bought Qing Ling enough time. She stepped on the one-tonne ck coffin lid. She had moved it right above Zero Hatred at some point¡ªthere was a ck Gold relief on the lid, which protected the coffin lid from getting destroyed in the explosion and allowed Qing Ling to manipte it with Metal.

    ¡°Metal Power!¡±

    The ck coffin lid mmed down on Zero Hatred.

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    Zero Hatred had to raise a hand and pull back the wind elements to help him resist the weight of the coffin lid.

    Then Ke Yo made another Strange Whistle.

    <i>How many people have I killed?</i>

    Zero Hatred¡¯s thought made a random leap, and his control over the elements weakened.

    A secondter, the whistle ended. Qing Ling recovered first and clenched her right fist. Two ck Gold des, two ck Gold darts, and the Butterfly Twin des stabbed at Zero Hatred from different directions.

    While they were manipted by level 6 Metal¡¯s great power, they couldn¡¯t pierce through the walls of the tornado around Zero Hatred. They entered a battle of strength.

    A few secondster, Zero Hatred¡¯s tornado gained the upper hand. The six ck Gold weapons started trembling at high frequency, about to get swept along by the tornado¡¯s great inertia.

    Then sharp purple light shed through Qing Ling¡¯s eyes. She shouted, ¡°Lightning!¡±

    <i>Pzzt¡ª</i>

    The energy she had injected into the six ck Gold weapons shot through the tornado and linked into three lightning currents, striking Zero Hatred in a crisscrossing pattern.

    ¡°Agh!!¡±

    A sharp pain shot through Zero Hatred¡¯s chest. His entire body went numb for a brief moment as lightning destroyed the energy route in his body, and the elemental tornado around him crumbled in an instant.

    <i>Bam!</i> Qing Ling and the heavy coffin lid under her feet mmed down on his head, pinning him to the ground. He fell right into the wee embrace of the ck sarcophagus embedded with ck Gold, the resting ce of the mummified life monster.

    <i>Thud!</i> The coffin lid shut closed, trapping Zero Hatred without leaving any gap. At the same time, Qing Ling held her Tang Dao with both hands and stabbed the long, slim de through the lid.

    Blood had sttered onto her beautiful yet ruthless face. Her eyes were purple like colored ss.

    The hem of her dress and her long hair lifted into the air as purple currents crackled around her. They swam up like countless nktons drawn by a divine power.

    The charging was done in three seconds

    Level 6 Lightning.

    Ten thousand volts!

    Countless indigo lightning struck down from above in the next three seconds like they were racing each other, entering the ck Gold Tang Dao in Qing Ling¡¯s hands with precision.

    The immense electric currents threatened to melt the des, and blinding white light burst out, turning the Talent user into a phoenix reaching nirvana amid the lightning.

    At that moment, Can and Ke Yo felt like colors were drained from the world. Amid the crackling currents and thunderous rumbles, it seemed like heaven was enforcing its most ruthless judgment on the coffin.

    Three secondster, Can and Ke Yo lowered their arms and struggled to open their eyes.

    Qing Ling had jumped off the ck coffin with her back to it. Stray currents remained and crackled around her flying ck hair. Her face was pale like snow as her chest heaved and her left arm bled.

    She slowly looked down and lifted her right hand.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The Tang Dao pulled out of the coffin lid and returned to her hand.

    The sarcophagus shattered into ck broken stones and parts of melted and distorted ck Gold. Among the pieces, one could barely make out the shape of a charred skeleton. It fit right with the ck shards around it and looked like an art installment on death.

    <i>Elegant, so elegant!</i>

    Can and Ke Yo were stunned. They had forgotten to be curious about why Qing Ling had Lightning. It was as if she had always had the Talent.

    Actually, Qing Ling acquired Lightning the night she returned from North Harvest.

    It had be her hidden ace. She hadn¡¯t even told Gao Yang about it.

    Before going on this mission, she realized that Gao Yang had left her behind and assigned her to Team Nine Frost because she wasn¡¯t strong enough, which enraged her for some reason. Thus, she revealed the secret to Gao Yang prematurely.

    That night, when she took Gao Yang¡¯s hands, Gao Yang had detected her new Talent with Replicate without missing a beat¡ªand it was Lightning, already at level 6!

    Since Qing Ling had mastered Metal, another Element-type Talent, Lightning could share the same energy route inside her body and reach level 6 in a week, and the two Talents had perfect synergy.

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure how to feel.

    On one hand, he was happy for Qing Ling that she had gotten stronger. On the other hand, he knew that Qing Ling woulde to Ni Nation with him one way or another.

    While both missions were dangerous, Gao Yang¡¯s hunch told him that the trip to Ni Nation would be more so.

    But Qing Ling was determined, and Gao Yang relented. As she had said, her life was her own. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s responsibility but hers.

    Qing Ling was exhausted after killing Zero Hatred, but she didn¡¯t rx. She shook her long de and turned to Can and Ke Yo.

    ¡°Get moving. This isn¡¯t over yet.¡±

 Chapter 797: Absolute Upperhand

    <h4>Chapter 797: Absolute Upperhand</h4>

    Meanwhile, Gao Yang and Sir Jiang were fighting.

    Gao Yang had had the absolute upper hand since the fight started. In theory, Gao Yang would¡¯ve had a fifty percent chance of defeating Sir Jiang in a fair one-on-one duel even beforeprehending Absolute Defense.

    Sir Jiang¡¯s spatial abilities were unpredictable and everchanging, but Gao Yang could dodge all the attacks with Teleportation as long as he kept his distance and focused on detecting threats. And with Double, Gao Yang could swap between his true self and the double to greatly increase the margin for error.

    Moreover, Sir Jiang couldn¡¯t use his spatial power without limit. Spatial Magic, Spatial Blender, and Heartstealer all cost quite a lot of energy. If Gao Yang offset every one of his offensive moves with a teleport, a war of attrition would benefit Gao Yang.

    And now, Gao Yang had Absolute Defense, while Sir Jiang had lost an arm and exhausted much of his energy.

    Truth be told, the fact that Sir Jiang had managed to mitigate most of the explosion by distorting the space around him shocked Gao Yang. He was absurdly strong for a pride monster.

    Still, Gao Yang now had an overwhelming advantage over Sir Jiang. It was a familiar situation, only their roles were reversed.

    While Gao Yang would like to go all-in to kill Sir Jiang and avenge hispanions, he activated Psychic Armor to impose absolute rationality on himself so that he would make and execute the most optimal decision like a machine.

    Gao Yang and his double moved around Sir Jiang quickly while throwing fireballs. Missing an arm, Sir Jiang knew that he couldn¡¯t identify Gao Yang¡¯s real body, so his only choice was to use Spatial Blender to cover arge area. Even so, Gao Yang dodged the hits easily with Teleportation.

    With his wealth of experience, Sir Jiang knew that Gao Yang was exhausting his energy and waiting for an opening to make a lethal move.

    So he faked an opening, turning around with a slight dy.

    As expected, Gao Yang made a move. He teleported to Sir Jiang¡¯s back and used Fire Punch.

    Spatial Discement!

    Sir Jiang used his skill and swapped their ces instantly. Gao Yang¡¯s punch ended up hitting the air, while Sir Jiang appeared behind Gao Yang.

    Clenching his right fist, Sir Jiang used Spatial Blender from an extremely close range.

    Countless vortexes that distorted space surrounded Gao Yang. And countless holes burst out all over his body. He didn¡¯t even scream, for it was merely his double.

    Sir Jiang had predicted the countermove. He sensed Gao Yang¡¯s real body sneaking up on him from the back.

    With no time to turn around, Sir Jiang tapped into his energy and used Spatial Discement again.

    Instantly, he swapped ces with the one behind him, and again, he used Spatial Blender.

    It took a great toll on his body to use four spatial abilities in a row. It should be nigh impossible, in fact, but Sir Jiang had a hidden ace that allowed him to do so.

    What awaited him wasn¡¯t his victory, however. His eyes twitched as he realized that he had fallen for a trick.

    What he had swapped ces with wasn¡¯t Gao Yang, but a translucent golden shield¡ªit was one of the moves Gao Yang could make with Absolute Defense.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t used a small fireball as bait because its energy state would be different from him. When it approached Sir Jiang, Sir Jiang would be able to roughly tell what was behind him based on the slight current and change of temperature even in an urgent situation.

    A solid energy shield about the size of a human body, on the other hand, felt simr to a human when quickly approaching Sir Jiang. It would be difficult for Sir Jiang to tell the difference in a split second.

    Moreover, Gao Yang had pulled the move of distracting Sir Jiang with a double before making a sneak attack with his real self, which was a trick he often utilized. That helped fool Sir Jiang into making the wrong call.

    The moment Sir Jiang¡¯s Spatial Blender tore the golden energy shield to pieces, Gao Yang shed to his side from the back.

    His fist collided with Sir Jiang¡¯s face.

    Sir Jiang¡¯s thin, frail body flew off its feet and mmed into a charred rocky wall of the underground ruin before bouncing and falling to the ground. Growl. Before Sir Jiang could even get to his feet, a fierce fire dragon hurtled toward him near the ground and devoured him, rushing further to the rocky wall behind him.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The fiery explosion cast the whole battlefield in red.

    A few secondster, the light died down. A ten-meter-wide charred ditch was left on the ground, and a cavern was burned into the rocky wall, turning rock into magma.

    Unfortunately, Sir Jiang still lived.

    The moment the fire dragon devoured him, he had distorted space to the limit and escaped from the clutch of death at the price of losing his calf and a chunk of his waist.

    He reemerged thirty meters away.

    He spat out a mouthful of blood. The energy route in his body waspletely damaged, and he had exhausted his energy.

    The ck clothes he wore were all rags now. His face was covered in burns and gore. And he was missing his entire left arm and right calf.

    He struggled to stand up like a tattered strawman abused by a murder of crows.

    Gao Yang eyed him coldly, feeling no sympathy or pity for the pride monster.

    It even urred to him that killing Sir Jiang swiftly would be too merciful and end.

    However, Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy his revenge. Two powerful enemies awaited him¡ªAzure Dragon and Six Rime.

    He quietly tapped into his energy and directed it, readying hisst attack.

    ¡°Ha...¡± Sir Jiang¡¯s voice came out hoarse and broken like a leak of air. ¡°Had I known you were the Divine Scion, I would¡¯ve killed you that night back by the Li River.¡±

    ¡°Hindsight is twenty-twenty.¡±

    Gao Yang said that for Sir Jiang and himself.

    Suddenly, he frowned. Something was happening in Sir Jiang¡¯s body...no, on his chest.

    Gao Yang got a better look. Blinding gray-blue light flickered on Sir Jiang¡¯s chest. His rugged body flew into the air and stopped once he was three meters off the ground.

    ¡°I know you hate me, Gao Yang, but I can¡¯t die yet... My answer is the right one. It¡¯s my duty to turn in the answer sheet...¡±

 Chapter 798: Fold

    <h4>Chapter 798: Fold</h4>

    Sir Jiang¡¯s eyes seemed to melt into two white vortexes with gushing, shimmering gray energy. Emerged from his chest was an overflowing, unstable orb of white light.

    ¡°Ughhhhh...¡±

    A strangely guttural and urgent sound came from deep in his throat like the cacophony of countless cries echoing in a valley,pressed to the point that it fit in his small ribcage. Then it was forced out of his throat.

    Something bizarre happened.

    Sir Jiang¡¯s legs silently bent. It folded forward at the price of breaking his kneecaps. Then his remaining arm bent at the elbow before bending toward the white light orb on his chest with his armpit as the rotating point.

    At the same time, his legs continued to fold, and his head folded toward his chest, too.

    Like a ck shirt and a pair of ck pants, Sir Jiang folded silently and neatly until his entire body fit into the white light orb on his chest.

    Shortly after, the white light started spinning at high speed, and threads of energy shot out in all directions.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    A ray of white light got spat out, flying toward Gao Yang.

    Gao Yang quickly raised his hand, gloving his entire hand and arm with the golden energy of Absolute Defense before catching the flying object.

    He looked closely and realized to his surprise that it was the Time-Space Rune Circuit.

    No wonder Sir Jiang was so strong. His ability was Pride Space, and he had been carrying the Time-Space Rune Circuit with him. While he couldn¡¯t merge with it to reach level 8 Talent as humans did, he could still borrow the Rune Circuit¡¯s power.

    In the past, Qilin had gone to the length of giving the Twelve Zodiac Signs two Rune Circuits in exchange for the Time-Space Rune Circuit not just to level up Gao Yang¡¯s Teleportation to level 4. There was a more important and hidden reason¡ªto make Sir Jiang stronger in preparation for the civil war that might break out.

    Sir Jiang was gone now, and the white energy orb dissipated, leaving only a crack in the space.

    <i>Hum</i>. The crack vanished in the blink of an eye like it had never been there, and Sir Jiang was nowhere to be seen, too, as if he had been erased from the world.

    Gao Yang quickly came to a rough conclusion.

    Sir Jiang had created a spatial crack with the Rune Circuit and his own power, which had an extremely limited space that could only fit Sir Jiang in the folded state and nothing more, not even the Rune Circuit. Thus, it got spat out.

    Gao Yang was frustrated to have let Sir Jiang slip, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    He put away the Time-Space Rune Circuit and went to help his teammates.

    The explosion left the deep pit of ruins a vast, empty space. The other battlefield was a few hundred meters away from him, but Gao Yang had still heard Ke Yo¡¯s whistle faintly while fighting Sir Jiang.

    He turned around just in time to see countless strikes of lightning gathered in the sky beforeing down upon the sarcophagus on the ground like a downpour. Then the world went pale. All he could hear was the thunderous chorus.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom, boom¡ª</i>

    A few seconds alter, Gao Yang opened his eyes to see Qing Ling making the finishing move. It seemed that she didn¡¯t need his help.

    When he rushed to his threepanions, Qing Ling was administering her injured arm with a quarter dose of Medicine C. Then she put the syringe back into her waist pack.

    The Nine Scions only had two shots of Medicine C left. Nine Frost¡¯s team had one, and Gao Yang¡¯s team had the other. They had to be frugal.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Can was relieved to see Gao Yang unhurt. ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Liang?¡±

    ¡°He escaped,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll have another chance,¡± Canforted him.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    The four exchanged a nce before turning around at the same time to look at the small golden cage fifty meters away. Azure Dragon and Six Rime remained trapped inside. Over the past few minutes, they could only watch as Zero Hatred got killed and Yan Liang folded into himself before vanishing.

    The barrier wouldst another six minutes or so, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t n to drag things on for that long. It would be meaninglessly draining him of his energy.

    They came up to the barrier and sat down with their legs crossed, taking a short break and considering their strategy.

    Gao Yang had replicated three Talents beforeing here: Chen Ying¡¯s Explosives Expert, Nine Frost¡¯s Weak Point, and Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Gamer.

    Explosives Expert was meant for the powerful explosion to kill arge number of their enemies at once, which was the key to this revenge n.

    Weak Point was meant for Azure Dragon¡ªhe would be the one toe if Qilin didn¡¯t, and he would be the most powerful enemy they had to face here.

    As for Gamer, Gao Yang had considered if he should replicate it for a long while. In the end, he brought only one ck Gold hairpin, which meant he would only be able to bring back onepanion if something happened.

    With all the Talents Gao Yang had, he had a limited reserve of energy.

    It wouldn¡¯t do much for him to prepare three ck Gold hairpins. He had to fight and use other Talents. Absolute Defense, especially, took a lot of energy. He had to preserve as much energy as possible.

    Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t be able to save three people; even bringing back onepanion would be difficult. Giving three enchanted hairpins to each of hispanions would be a meaningless waste of energy.

    And even if Gao Yang could save all three of them¡ªthe n must be a failure for him to have to do that. Then the enemies wouldn¡¯t give Gao Yang the half minute he needed to activate Gamer, and the mission would end in total party kill.

    Gao Yang had wished to kill everyone other than Six Rime and Azure Dragon. The pair would survive for sure with Six Rime¡¯s Talent and Azure Dragon¡¯s physical prowess. He hadn¡¯t expected Sir Jiang and Zero Hatred to survive too, albeit both having been seriously injured.

    Gao Yang hadn¡¯t spent too much energy on Sir Jiang, but dealing with Zero Hatred had taken a great toll on Qing Ling and Can.

    Gao Yang activated Psychic Armor to think with a clear, rational head, quicklying up with the most optimal option.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Azure Dragon. Qing Ling, Six Rime¡¯s yours.¡± Gao Yang stared ahead at their enemies.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling sat cross-legged beside Gao Yang with her weaponsid on herp, eyes closed in rest. She was doing her best to recover as much stamina and energy as possible.

    ¡°Can, Ke Yo, go invisible again and provide support at your discretion.¡±

    Can and Ke Yo nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Ke Yo,¡± Gao Yang warned. ¡°Remember, you can only use your whistle twice.¡±

    Ke Yo paused. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Azure Dragon¡¯s Limitless Evolution allows him to develop immunity. Once you get to the third whistle, he will have be immune to the power, and your whistle will only hinder us.¡±

    Ke Yo¡¯s face darkened. Azure Dragon was too formidable an enemy.

    After a few seconds, Ke Yo mustered the courage to say, ¡°Captain, I have an idea. You can reset this ce and the two of them with Gamer. Then they will be unconscious for a moment...¡±

    ¡°The opening is too short,¡± Gao Yang cut her off.

    He had considered the possibility, but Time Reset wouldn¡¯t work on the two with the Absolute Barrier shielding them; as soon as he dissolved the barrier, though, Azure Dragon and Six Rime would attack immediately. They wouldn¡¯t give Gao Yang thirty seconds to reset this ce.

    Ke Yo continued, ¡°There¡¯s another...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still not enough time,¡± Gao Yang interrupted her again, having guessed what Ke Yo was going to say. ¡°As soon as my barrier disappears, they will move immediately. Two seconds are more than enough for them to get out of range.¡±

    Qing Ling added, ¡°Even if we keep them busy for two seconds, we will all end up in your Strange Realm together. Then there¡¯s no telling who will be the ones to die.¡±

    Ke Yo grew quiet, realizing how naive she was.

    The ideas she came up with were options experienced ones like Gao Yang and Qing Ling would¡¯ve considered and found unviable.

    ¡°Listen, if we can¡¯t kill Azure Dragon in two uses of our Talents, we won¡¯t have a third chance,¡± Gao Yang said gravely. ¡°In fact, even the second time we use our Talent, the damage we do will already bepromised.¡±

    They all fell silent. Although they hade with the determination to risk their lives, only now did they feel the pressure of facing a powerful foe keenly.

    ¡°Catch.¡± Gao Yang gave Can the only enchanted ck Gold hairpin on him. Can caught it with surprise.

    ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t need...¡±

    ¡°This is an order.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Can shut her mouth and put the hairpin in her coat pocket.

    Gao Yang took a deep breath. ¡°We rest for another minute.¡±

 Chapter 799: Short Reprieve

    <h4>Chapter 799: Short Reprieve</h4>

    Inside the Absolute Barrier, Azure Dragon and Six Rime stood side by side, their expressions grave as they stared at Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo through the barrier.

    They knew that the barrier would soon dissolve. They couldn¡¯t afford to rx for a moment.

    ¡°Six Rime, run as soon as the barrier goes down. I¡¯ll take care of them.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Six Rime said.

    ¡°This is an order.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Azure Dragon was caught off guard. All these years, Six Rime had never once rejected any order from Azure Dragon. This was a first.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you obey order?¡± Azure Dragon asked in a low booming voice.

    Six Rime stayed silent.

    Azure Dragon demanded harshly, ¡°Answer me! Why are you disobeying?¡±

    Something soft shed through Six Rime¡¯s eyes. She looked at the four awakeners outside the barrier. ¡°I...found my belief.¡±

    Azure Dragon paused in surprise.

    Six Rime said coolly, ¡°I¡¯m a fighter, I will not desert. I¡¯m a fighter, I shall be judged for killing the innocents. I will not run away.¡±

    Silence stretched for ten seconds. Then Azure Dragon let out a long sigh, his gaze solemn and approving. ¡°You¡¯ve found your belief. Then you must stick to it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Six Rime said with certainty.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Gao Yang. The rest are yours.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Do your best. There¡¯s no mercy on the battlefield, only survival.¡± Azure Dragon narrowed his sharp eyes. ¡°Remember, this is a judgment for you, but also him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The smoke and gunpowder had long dispersed after the explosion. In the deep pit under the desert, the gray-blue moonlight quietly shone on therge charred ruin in darkness, illuminating the six humans.

    The two on the left stood inside a square barrier with a faint golden shimmer, quietly watching those outside the barrier. And the four outside the barrier sat on the ground, quietly looking at the two.

    A breeze swept and rustled the hair of the four humans outside. Not long after, they slowly got to their feet and stretched their limbs to warm up.

    The skinny long-haired boy stood at the very front, lifting his hands to tie his messy hair into a ponytail. Then he took off his tattered coat and cast it on the ground.

    The tall, slim girl next to him loosened her ck shawl and revealed her smooth shoulders and fit physique under the ck tank top. Her lowered hands were holding two long des with a cold glint.

    The two frail-looking girls behind them wore a coat and a simple sweater respectively. They took two steps back with their hands linked and vanished with a quiet whoosh.

    The moon dimmed, and the wind stopped. Tension curdled in the air. Something intangible and unseeable was surging in frenzy¡ªa thick sorrow, a deep hatred, a cemented killing intent.

    Soon, the tensions condensed into a single sound, signifying the turn of fate like a solemn, dignified bell ring.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    The barrier shattered, scattering golden light particles everywhere like the starting pistol¡¯s shot at the start of the match.

    Four figures vanished at the same time.

    ...

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A secondter, Gao Yang and Azure Dragon appeared ten meters up in the air, their fists colliding.

    Dense energy burst like golden fireworks, lighting up the entire pit in an instant.

    With the stats bonuses granted by level 4 Absolute Defense, Gao Yang¡¯s Constitution and Endurance reached 1600. However, his stats were still only half of Azure Dragon¡¯s.

    He could envelope himself with a golden barrier through Absolute Defense, though, which acted like a light sturdy armor that didn¡¯t hinder movements while greatly increasing his defense. It allowed him to fight Azure Dragon head-on like a proper warrior.

    Azure Dragon was shocked to see Gao Yang take his punch. <i>The boy¡¯s physically twice as strong as he was before. As expected of the top Guard-type Talent, Absolute Defense. And the Talent must have reached level 4 and seen a substantial evolution. The golden armor is something White Tiger wouldn¡¯t be able to make.</i>

    While he was surprised, though, he hadn¡¯t stopped moving for a second.

    Suddenly, Azure Dragon¡¯s fist opened and lunged to seize Gao Yang¡¯s wrist at a speed beyond human eyes like a viper, yanking Gao Yang toward him. Caught off guard, Gao Yang followed the momentum to m into Azure Dragon, bending his left knee and bringing it to Azure Dragon¡¯s lower abdomen.

    While Gao Yang¡¯s a much more skilled fighter than Wang Zikai, though, his technique was child¡¯s y to Azure Dragon. Having foreseen the move, Azure Dragon lifted his right foot and kicked Gao Yang¡¯s knee down.

    At the same time, he made a thousand simple punches.

    Fists rained down on Gao Yang¡¯s entire body as he shook madly amid the flurry of attacks. The golden barrier armoring him shattered in three seconds, and blood and golden energy sttered.

    When Azure Dragon made the three hundredth punch, he keenly sensed that the impact of his fist hitting the target wasn¡¯t right¡ªthis was a double!

    The moment Azure Dragon seized Gao Yang¡¯s wrist, Gao Yang had already swapped himself with his double, having his double take the uing damage.

    Meanwhile, he quietly teleported above Azure Dragon.

    A wing of me unfurled from his back, covering the pit and lighting it up.

    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±

    The wing disappeared in an instant, streaming into Gao Yang¡¯s right fist as highlypressed energy before the powerful punch was thrown. A fire dragon powerful enough to instantly vaporize all carbon-based lifeforms growled and bit at Azure Dragon.

    The area of effect was too great for Azure Dragon to dodge it ande out unscathed, and he didn¡¯t have time to charge and make a serious punch.

    Three thousand quick punches!

    Azure Dragon followed the already-generated momentum and sped up his punches, making more hits with energy in the form of golden fists conjured by every swing. Like countless flowers, they bloomed and confronted the fierce fire dragon hurtling his way.

    Countless golden fists evaporated as they collided with the dragon, yet more followed and bloomed. The punches corroded the fire dragon as they vanished.

    From afar, it looked as if a fire dragon had descended from heaven and mmed into a golden grinder spinning at high speed. Wild heat currents rippled in waves. Crimson mes zed amid the shimmering golden energy. For a moment, the sky and ground became red and golden like a cauldron in purgatory.

    That put a forced stop on Six Rime and Qing Ling¡¯s intense fight.

    Can had brought Ke Yo to Qing Ling¡¯s side and shielded them with a wind barrier. The heatwave was hot enough to melt people.

    With a hand, Six Rime conjured a shield of ice to protect herself from getting burned, too.

    The cauldron boiled for close to ten seconds. Then a downpour of fire and golden energy came. It seemed that Gao Yang and Azure Dragon had reached a tie.

    Qing Ling¡¯s heart sank. A tie was a defeat.

    It would mean that Azure Dragon would soon be resistant to Gao Yang¡¯s Fire. The second attack might still pose a threat, but a third would be a waste of energy.

    Can knew that very well, too, and she thought anxiously, <i>We have to take care of Six Rime ASAP and help Captain!</i>

    She dissolved the wind barrier and went invisible with Ke Yo again.

    Qing Ling charged at Six Rime with her des. With a lift of her hand, Six Rime turned the ice barrier into about a dozen long, slim ice snakes, sending them shooting toward Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling dodged left and right while wielding her des to cut the snakes with graceful shes. Without stopping, she continued to rush toward Six Rime.

    Six Rime¡¯s icy eyes shed with a cool blue light. The ice snakes Qing Ling had cut down turned into liquid instantly, or it would be more urate to say that they had turned into fierce waterjets consisting of countless drops of water.

    They shot at Qing Ling from all directions like a string for beads, threatening to pierce and thread her.

    Qing Ling started. It was toote for her to get out of the way.

 Chapter 800: Make Quick Work

    <h4>Chapter 800: Make Quick Work</h4>

    <i>If I can¡¯t dodge it, then I won¡¯t!</i>

    <i>Let¡¯s see who kills the other first!</i>

    Qing Ling threw her Tang Dao with her left arm pushed to triple the original strength. With level 6 God of des and Metal enhancing the de, the Tang Dao shot at Six Rime¡¯s chest like a bullet.

    Six Rime faltered. She was forced to let go of the waterjets since she couldn¡¯t move away in time. Tapping into her entire reserve of energy, she quickly formed ayer of ice on her chest like a mirror to protect the heart.

    <i>Clink!</i>

    The Tang Dao hit the newly formed ice mirror and shattered it, but with the momentum offset, the de failed to pierce Six Rime¡¯s chest.

    Still, the great pain made Six Rime stagger back.

    Six Rime had incredible Willpower for controlling elements, but her physique was on the weak side, and the hit almost broke two rib bones.

    <i>Ssh</i>. The threads of water around Qing Ling turned into regr droplets and fell without Six Rime¡¯s control. Qing Ling was drenched by the downpour.

    She syed her right hand to summon her Tang Dao back, but failed. Looking more closely, she realized that Six Rime had conjured a few irregrly shaped ice pirs, one of which had frozen her Tang Dao in ce.

    Six Rime changed tactics. To deal with Qing Ling, it was best to take her weapons away first so that her ability to fight would be greatlypromised.

    Seeing through Six Rime¡¯s n, Qing Ling frowned and rushed toward Six Rime with only her Xiu Dao. At the same time, she made a resounding sound with a finger snap.

    <i>Rumble</i>.

    It went dark over Six Rime¡¯s head. Three strikes of purple lightning suddenly came down.

    While Six Rime was locked in the Absolute Barrier, she had witnessed Qing Ling killing Zero Hatred and learned that Qing Ling now had Lightning. Thus, she wasn¡¯t caught by surprise.

    Six Rime jumped to the side and narrowly avoided the lightning strikes. At the same time, she sent three ice cones flying toward Qing Ling to stop her from making follow-up attacks.

    With masterful techniques, Qing Ling cut the three ice cones with a crescent of de aura and rushed to where Six Rime had been, making a horizontal sh with a cyan aura.

    <i>Clink! </i>The ice encasing the Tang Dao cracked.

    With another sh, Qing Ling broke the icepletely. She recovered her weapon without dy. At some point, though, a freezing chill had crept up to her feet and quickly took the form of giant ice crystal petals, closing in on Qing Ling from all directions.

    Having guessed that Qing Ling would take her weapon back, Six Rime set up a trap beforehand.

    Qing Ling reacted quickly. With a leap, she flew into the sky. The petals failed to swallow Qing Ling as they quickly closed, but one of her ankles was caught by the two tallest petals.

    Absolute coldness shot to the other parts of Qing Ling¡¯s body from her ankle.

    Without hesitation, Qing Ling brought her des down for a thrust and broke the ice petals restraining her ankle. With her calf going temporarily numb from the freeze, she was half a beatte in jumping away.

    Three sharp ice cones flew toward Qing Ling.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    Qing Ling twisted her body midair and cut them down with quick shes. Then she suddenly felt a tremendous pressureing from behind her, like the train of death was racing to crush her.

    It was Azure Dragon!

    While fighting Gao Yang, Azure Dragon had been keeping an eye on Six Rime. He came to the conclusion that Six Rime would soon lose to Qing Ling, Can, and Ke Yo since she wasn¡¯t made for a prolonged fight.

    Within fifteen meters, Gao Yang was a little faster than he was with Teleportation, but beyond fifteen meters, Azure Dragon was faster.

    Knocking Gao Yang back with a punch, Azure Dragon then used a feint to fool Gao Yang into raising his arms to brace for an attack. Then Azure Dragon quickly whirled around and made a powerful leap, rushing toward Qing Ling after her ankle got frostbite. He was going to take her out with a punch.

    He knew this could be his only chance. He must not miss it.

    <i>Whistle.</i>

    There was a strange whistle. Everyone, even Azure Dragon, got distracted for a moment. Azure Dragon was already on course to hit Qing Ling, though, and he managed to utilize the great inertia to make a swing at Qing Ling, only the punch wasn¡¯t as powerful without the backing up of his energy.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Rather than hitting Qing Ling, the fist ended up hitting something else a meter from her. What stopped Azure Dragon was an almost translucent wind barrier¡ªCan had made a move before Ke Yo used her whistle.

    The wind barrier wasn¡¯t going to crumble the instant the whistle distracted Can, and thus it managed to block Azure Dragon¡¯s unenhanced punch.

    Still, the wind barrier was fragile, and it shattered into countless wild currents. While unhurt, Qing Ling got swept away by the strong currents.

    The whistle ended. Qing Ling quickly recovered her control and twisted around midair, stepping on her two ck Gold darts.

    As soon as she steadied her footing, Azure Dragon quickly made another jump and reached her. As expected of a top fighter, he was terrifyingly fast and gave her no room to breathe.

    Qing Ling frowned, raising her des to attempt a block.

    <i>Whoosh. </i>Her vision blurred. She was suddenly ten meters away and held in someone¡¯s arms. Gao Yang had teleported over just in time to rescue her.

    They didn¡¯t even have the time to exchange a nce before they parted and each rushed toward their opponent.

    Qing Ling¡¯s heart sank.

    She could sense great tension all over Gao Yang¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t even spare her a nce, let alone make orders tomand the battlefield.

    That told her that Gao Yang had to pay full attention to Azure Dragon to even rival the man, and that was all he could do.

    In fact, he had failed to keep Azure Dragon fully upied, almost allowing Azure Dragon to kill Qing Ling. As time went on, Azure Dragon would be resistant to more and more of Gao Yang¡¯s Talents, and Azure Dragon would absorb some of Gao Yang¡¯s energy for himself.

    Such was the terrifying strength of the strongest awakener on paper. It made despair-inducing.

    <i>I have to kill Six Rime quickly and help Gao Yang fight Azure Dragon, or we¡¯ll all die here.</i>

    Qing Ling charged at Six Rime with her des and shouted, ¡°With me!¡±

    While invisible, Can understood Qing Ling¡¯s unspoken words and the danger they were facing.

    Hovering in the air, she let go of Ke Yo and helped hernd safely with a gust of wind while she joined the fight herself.

    Without the protection of Invisibility, Ke Yo immediately put distance between her and the battlefield, hiding and awaiting her chance to make a move.

    About a dozen air des flew toward Six Rime.

    Six Rime raised her left hand, conjuring countless droplets above her head. They quickly came together to form a of water, offsetting all the air des.

    From her left, Qing Ling dove toward her.

    With a downward swing of Six Rime¡¯s right hand, an ice stake shot out of the ground and made a sneak attack at Qing Ling like an insect hidden underground. With an agile leap, Qing Ling dodged the ice stake while making a crosscut at Six Rime.

    The perpendicr shes flew toward Six Rime, one blue and the other purple.

    Without the time to get away, Six Rime conjured an even sturdier ice shield and pulled her raised right hand down. The water that had just blocked the air des turned into a thick water shield to protect her.

    <i>Ssh</i>.

    The quicker blue sh cut into the water shield and sttered water all over, but failed to destroy the shield.

    Then 0.1 secondster, the purple sh hit the water shield without making a ssh, but instead disappearing into it instantly.

    Six Rime¡¯s eyes widened. The second sh wasn¡¯t a de aura conjured with God of des, but a fake consisting of lightning elements!

    She realized it toote. The electric currents entered her body and made her go numb, shortcircuiting her energy for a second.

    In the meantime, Qing Ling was already right before her.

 Chapter 801: Donâ€™t Waste It

    <h4>Chapter 801: Don¡¯t Waste It</h4>

    <i>Don¡¯t underestimate me!</i>

    To Six Rime¡¯s surprise, a fierce current of warmth rose from her chest and shot into her head. It didn¡¯t even register in her brain that she was furious.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    At the price of damaging the energy route in her body, Six Rime pushed herself to triple her power. An overwhelming chill surged from her, able to instantly freeze any lifeforms.

    Even Six Rime got frostbite from the freezing wind. Her skin was pale almost to the point of being translucent, and the light blue veins visible on the sky looked like cracks on a frozenke.

    Caught in the freezing wind, Qing Ling was hit by an unbearable coldness that cut her skin. Although she immediately tapped into all her energy to defend against the cold, her hair, eyshes, and the hair on her skin still froze over, and the blood in her body was quickly curdling, too.

    From a distance came Ke Yo¡¯s whistle.

    Everyone on the battlefield, including Gao Yang and Azure Dragon, got distracted for two seconds and stopped their intense fight.

    The same thing happened to Six Rime, who had unleashed absolute coldness at the price of shortening her lifespan.

    <i>Elder Azure Dragon will defeat Gao Yang for sure.</i>

    <i>But it seems that I can¡¯t defeat Qing Ling. If I be a deadweight, Elder Azure Dragon will be disappointed.</i>

    <i>No! This isn¡¯t the time to think like this!!</i>

    Two secondster, the whistle ended.

    ¡°Ah!!¡±

    Six Rime screamed again, intending to spread her chill further to freeze everything around her. Then suddenly, she caught Qing Ling rushing toward her from the corner of her eye.

    <i>Why is she able to keep moving?!</i>

    The next second, Six Rime realized that the freezing wind blowing Qing Ling¡¯s way was split. Invisible wind elements were shielding Qing Ling and redirecting most of the chill to the surroundings, creating precious space for Qing Ling to move in.

    Qing Ling¡¯s hair and eyshes were frozen, and a thinyer of frost encased her entire body. Yet she moved. Like a pale angel, she raised her de as she charged at Six Rime.

    <i>I haven¡¯t lost!</i>

    Six Rime immediately stopped unleashing the freezing wind and quickly spun in ce.

    <i>Ice Blooms!</i>

    In a white shirt and red dress, Six Rime danced on the snowynd like the <i>yuki-onna</i>[1] from folklore. Following her dance, flower-like ice cones bloomed quickly around her in dense clusters, spreading in cascading waves in an instant.

    However, Qing Ling had only swung her de as a feint. Having been prepared for an attack, she quickly jumped away and rode her Butterfly Twin des into the sky.

    It would be Six Rime¡¯s defeat.

    She had lost her proper mental faculties after damaging the energy route in her body. While her attack seemed dramatic and fierce, it was a waste of energy against the agile Qing Ling, and it left her exposed.

    From midair, Qing Ling curled her fingers.

    A secondter, a ck Gold dart pierced through Six Rime¡¯s back.

    ¡°Agh...¡±

    Although Six Rime had quickly turned her skin into ice when she sensed the danger, she didn¡¯t have the energy to defend against level 6 Metal.

    The Gold Metal dart prated Six Rime¡¯s body and reached her heart.

    <i>Six Rime!!</i>

    Still fighting Gao Yang at high speed a hundred meters away, Azure Dragon immediately noticed that Six Rime was stabbed.

    With a growl, Azure Dragon also unleashed a tremendous wave of energy at the price of destroying his energy route. Caught off guard, Gao Yang got thrown off his feet for more than ten meters.

    Azure Dragon bought himself two seconds. He quickly clenched his fist and charged, aiming at Can, who was hovering above Six Rime.

    Can, wearing her red coat, looked pale with her chest heaving violently and her eyes dim. She had exhausted herself.

    She drained herself once when offsetting Zero Hatred¡¯s elemental tornado, and then she fought the freezing chill Six Rime had conjured. Moreover, she had been using her Invisibility and riding the wind almost nonstop, exhausting thest of her energy.

    When she saw Qing Ling finally defeating Six Rime, she rxed for a moment and stayed hovering in the sky, unaware that Azure Dragon¡¯s fist was aimed at her from a hundred meters away.

    Gao Yang started. Azure Dragon was going to use A Serious Punch.

    Between silencing Azure Dragon with Wave of Serenity and directly rescuing Can, Gao Yang picked thetter.

    He wasn¡¯t far from Can after getting thrown off his feet by Azure Dragon, and A Serious Punch would require two seconds to charge up. Gao Yang could make it if he ran at full speed, jumped, and teleported!

    Wave of Serenity could only be used once. It was his trump card, and he shouldn¡¯t use it unless necessary.

    Gao Yang ran and teleported toward Can, quickly reaching her in the sky. Holding her protectively, he conjured a golden shield by lifting his other hand¡ªhe couldn¡¯t use Teleportation again until half a secondter. It would be toote then.

    However, the Serious Punch didn¡¯te his way as he had thought.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gao Yang felt the currents under his feet shook. Then a golden light lit up the dark pit. A wall crumbled. The attack had created a ditch that ran over ten meters.

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank.<i> I fell for it!</i>

    Azure Dragon had made a Serious Punch, but he adjusted the angle of his attack the moment he made a swing. While the adjustment halved the power of the punch, it was still enough for his purpose.

    The one he was killing was Ke Yo!

    Azure Dragon had made a rational choice.

    Can could put up little fight now, while Ke Yo¡¯s whistles remained a great threat. It would take Azure Dragon another minute to bepletely immune to the whistles, which was more than enough to determine a victor between expertbatants.

    Moreover, Can was agile with the ability to fly with her wind. Even if Gao Yang hadn¡¯te to her rescue, Azure Dragon¡¯s Serious Punch might not hit her a hundred percent.

    Losing the protection of Invisibility, on the other hand, Ke Yo might as well be a sitting duck. While she had hidden herself behind some debris, Azure Dragon had figured out her general location based on the earlier two whistles.

    The shockwave unleashed by A Serious Punch was tremendous. There was no need for him to know her exact location; she would die as long as he picked the right direction.

    Two secondster, Gao Yangnded with Can in his arms, face ashen.

    <i>Ke Yo died!</i>

    <i>We still lose someone...</i>

    ¡°Captain!¡± Can jumped out of Gao Yang¡¯s arms. ¡°Save Ke Yo!¡±

    Gao Yang started and looked at Can in disbelief.

    Can gave Gao Yang a small smile, face pale and fringe drenched by sweat. She turned to run to Qing Ling, shouting, ¡°We¡¯ll keep him busy!¡±

    Gao Yang came to a realization. Can had sneakily put the ck Gold hairpin on Ke Yo when Can decided to fight Six Rime with Qing Ling.

    Gao Yang activated the replicated Gamer while rushing toward where Ke Yo had vanished from.

    Indeed, he sensed the lingering energy of Ke Yo. She was now in range to be brought back.

    ¡°Time Reset!¡± Gao Yang shouted. Countless white tentacles immediately came out of the fingers of his two hands. Two secondster, a hairpin flickering a white light rushed out of the charred wastnd. The tentacles warped around the hairpin. Like a 3D printer, it quickly drew the shape of a cocoon of light, which morphed and transformed slowly into the shape of a girl.

    <i>Hurry!</i>

    <i>Faster!</i>

    Gao Yang exhausted half of what little energy he had. But what he was running out of more was time!

    Thirty seconds was too long.

    Could Qing Ling and Can really keep Azure Dragon busy for thirty seconds?

    Gao Yang even coldbloodedly wondered if it was a mistake to save Ke Yo now. Perhaps it would lead to all their death.

    Fortunately, Gao Yang¡¯s concern was unwarranted.

    Azure Dragon had stopped fighting, too. Fone one, he couldn¡¯t just leave Six Rime to die. And for another, he had forcefully damaged the energy route in his body. If he kept fighting without stopping, the energy route would get further damaged, which would put him at a disadvantage.

    Azure Dragon rushed to Six Rime and broke the ice cones around her. Picking her up, he jumped three times to keep a safe distance from the enemies.

    Qing Ling and Can exchanged a nce. They stopped at the same time and didn¡¯t give chase.

    This was ideal for them, too. Given their conditions, they wouldn¡¯t even survive ten seconds facing Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Get up!¡±

    Azure Dragon took out the Medicine C he had with him and roughly jabbed it in Six Rime¡¯s chest. Six Rime threw up a mouthful of blood. She slowly reached out to stop Azure Dragon.

    Her eyes were dim, and blood was leaking out of her nostrils and the corners of her mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t...it¡¯s a waste. Doesn¡¯t work...¡±

    1. A yokai from Japanese folklore, literally tranted into snow woman. ?

 Chapter 802: The Steadfast One

    <h4>Chapter 802: The Steadfast One</h4>

    Six Rime¡¯s heart had been stabbed. It wasn¡¯tpletely prated, but Medicine C wouldn¡¯t work. It would dy her death at best.

    Azure Dragon scowled. Ignoring Six Rime¡¯s rejection, he pushed all the medicine into Six Rime¡¯s body.

    He knew it was a waste. He hade to the conclusion based on her body temperature, heartbeat, and energy condition: Six Rime wouldn¡¯t live.

    Even so, Azure Dragon would dy her death and restore her injured heart as much as possible. Then, perhaps, the resurrection pill she had taken in advance would work.

    Even if it didn¡¯t, Equivalent Exchange would bring her back for sure.

    Vermilion Bird was sent on a secret mission. Once she was back, she would be willing to save Six Rime. And once her Equivalent Exchange reached level 8, she should be able to do that without falling unconscious for a year.

    Six Rime stared at Azure Dragon weakly and calmly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...Elder...for disappointing you...¡±

    Azure Dragonid Six Rime on the ground gingerly. Gaze determined, he said seriously, ¡°Stay strong, Six Rime. Don¡¯t die. This is an order.¡±

    Six Rime didn¡¯t say anything. She blinked slightly with a pale face. Wearing a special ring, her right hand slowly balled into a fist. She would follow the order and live as long as possible, fighting to thest moment of her life.

    When Azure Dragon rose to his feet, Gao Yang had just brought Ke Yo back and hidden the unconscious girl somewhere safe.

    When Gao Yang turned to Azure Dragon, there was only zing hatred in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t activated Psychic Armor.

    ¡°Before I kill you, Azure Dragon, I have a question for you,¡± Gao Yang said icily.

    ¡°Ask.¡± Azure Dragon seemed unfazed.

    Gao Yang took a step forward. ¡°The night of the New Year¡¯s Day, why did you make the punch? Do you know how great a sin you¡¯vemitted?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Azure Dragon didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. I follow orders and hold fast to my belief.¡±

    ¡°Belief?¡± Gao Yang frowned.

    ¡°Yes, belief,¡± Azure Dragon repeated in a booming voice.

    ¡°Haha, hahaha...¡± Gao Yang broke outughing suddenly like he¡¯d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

    After more than ten seconds, he growled at Azure Dragon abruptly, ¡°Belief my ass! You¡¯re a stupidp dog! An imbecile! A buffoon! Fucking son of a bitch!!¡±

    Azure Dragon was momentarily stunned. He hadn¡¯t expected the leader of the Nine Scions to suddenly spit out a litany of curses in such a crude way.

    ¡°Yan Liang¡¯s a pride monster! You should¡¯ve seen it!¡± Gao Yang continued to yell. ¡°Qilin and he never intended to open the Gates! Qilin¡¯s been lying to you, me, and everyone from the start!¡±

    ¡°Fight for humans? For survival? All fucking bullshit!¡±

    ¡°When I disagreed with his decision, he tried to kill me!¡±

    ¡°When Vermilion Bird found out that he didn¡¯t want to open the Gates, he put her in a vegetative state! She would¡¯ve been eaten by a monster had Raven Shark not saved her! You didn¡¯t know, did you?!¡±

    ¡°Humans going after each other! Awakeners at each other¡¯s throat! It¡¯s all because of your <i>master</i>! And you, his foolishpdog, have the audacity to talk about belief?!¡±

    ¡°Tell me, Azure Dragon! What belief are you holding onto?¡±

    Azure Dragon¡¯s gaze remained unwavering and determined. A few secondster, he calmly said, ¡°Even if everything you said is true, I trust Qilin. Everything he does, he does it for humanity.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been ughtering humans!¡± Gao Yang eximed. ¡°Have you not suspected for a second that the man you trust is a lunatic? Have you not doubted for a second if what you¡¯re doing is wrong?!¡±

    Azure Dragon shook his head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a doubt. Not even for a second.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at him in disbelief. His gaze was no longer furious. Even his hatred dimmed, reced by a deep pity. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic, Azure Dragon. You¡¯re the most pathetic person I¡¯ve ever met.¡±

    Azure Dragon shook his head slowly.

    ¡°It takes great courage to hold onto a belief and to question it, Gao Yang. Time will tell us who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong. There¡¯s no difference between us.¡±

    ¡°Well, there is a difference.¡± Azure Dragon smiled. ¡°The steadfast ones are strong, while those who question are tormented.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t agree with Azure Dragon at all, but he didn¡¯t want to waste any more breath preaching to a stone in a waste pit.

    ¡°Cut the crap. Let¡¯s finish this.¡±

    ¡°Works for me.¡± Azure Dragon took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

    Gao Yang activated Psychic Armor again to ensure absolute rationality. To secure a victory, he must not let himself be swayed by other emotions.

    Now, his only enemy was Azure Dragon. Gao Yang needn¡¯t pay attention to anything else.

    Azure Dragon must have hurt himself by pushing himself past the limit earlier. He was in a much poorer state.

    However, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t doing any better. Azure Dragon was basically immune to Fire now, and Gao Yang stood no chance in a purely physical fight with Azure Dragon.

    That left Nine Frost¡¯s level 7 Weak Point.

    Before borrowing the Talent from Nine Frost, Gao Yang had confirmed that Nine Frost had never had a fight to the death with Azure Dragon. And Nine Frost had had Weak Point for more than a decade. It was unlikely for Azure Dragon to have fought the former owner of Weak Point, either.

    Gao Yang could use Weak Point for 20 seconds.

    That was enough. After all, Azure Dragon would be immune to Weak Point if the fight was dragged on for too long.

    They would decide this in fifteen seconds.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 1394 Luck points...]

    ¡ªIncrease my Strength and Agility to the limit before putting points in my Constitution and Endurance.

    [Executing.]

    [Constitution: 1809 Endurance: 1811]

    [Strength: 2000 Agility: 2000]

    [Willpower: 2003 Charisma: 2302]

    [Luck: 2020]

    ¡ªActivate Willful Power.

    [Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]

    [Strength: 5362 Agility: 5363]

    [Willpower: 100 Charisma: 100]

    [Luck: 2020]

    ¡ªActivate level 7 Weak Point

    The energy conversion happened in an instant. The adjustments to his stats brought about a change in his presence. Powerful energy rippled out of him. Then a faint golden barrier enveloped his body.

    Azure Dragon started. Gao Yang had gotten stronger yet weaker at the same time. It was a strange change.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t know what Gao Yang was up to. He tapped into all his power and stayed a hundred percent focused.

    Before, Gao Yang always left the stats he had no use for at 1 when using Willful Power, but that was because he was confident in not letting the enemy even touch him once while Willful Power was in effect.

    Fighting Azure Dragon was different. Even with Willful Power, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t overwhelm Azure Dragonpletely. Thus, he left his Constitution and Endurance at an appropriate level, or he would be a ss cannon shattering at a tap from Azure Dragon.

    A Constitution and Endurance of 500 would be fragile when facing Azure Dragon¡¯s punch, but Gao Yang had the energy shield of Absolute Defense protecting him. It wouldst for...about ten or so seconds.

    Even if it wouldn¡¯t be enough, Gao Yang couldn¡¯t increase his Constitution and Endurance further. He had to make sure his Strength and Agility were over 5000, or he would stand no chance of defeating Azure Dragon.

    The two most powerful physical fighters in the world of awakeners at this moment in time faced each other amid the ruin in the pit under the desert. One was the most powerful physical fighter in actuality, while the other was one temporarily.

    The victor would be decided in a moment.

    <i>Thud. Thud.</i>

    Under the cold gray moonlight, the two figures vanished at the same time, leaving stomp-cracked ground and ripples of energy in their wakes.

 Chapter 803: Strongest Fighter

    <h4>Chapter 803: Strongest Fighter</h4>

    In the pit, two figures shed and grappled at high speed, leaving energy trails like shing golden light, moving between the ground, sky, and rocky walls. One of the lights flickered on and off at high frequency. That was Gao Yang with Teleportation, obviously moving faster than Azure Dragon.

    Nheless, Gao Yang had been dodging nonstop rather than making a proactive move. Azure Dragon chased after him, but was always one step slower.

    Qing Ling and Can were going to help, but they realized that there was nothing they could do. Compared to the two strongest physical fighters, they were as slow as a snail.

    ¡°Hide and wait for our chance,¡± Qing Ling whispered.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Can put her hand on Qing Ling¡¯s shoulder. They went invisible.

    The two golden lights were still in a scuffle at high speed. At the fourth second, Gao Yang finally found an opening while dodging. Teleporting a minuscule distance, he dodged Azure Dragon¡¯s punch while swinging his fist, hitting Azure Dragon in the left cheek.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Azure Dragon saw stars. His jaw almost popped out of his joints. And the force of the punch threatened to squeeze his eyeballs out of his eye sockets¡ªhow long had it been since thest time Azure Dragon got hit with such a powerful punch?

    Wincing, Azure Dragon pushed most of his energy to his head, offsetting the lingering power of Gao Yang¡¯s punch.

    Gao Yang started. He had thought the punch would throw Azure Dragon off his feet, but it only knocked the man¡¯s head to the side, and Azure Dragon quickly turned back in 0.1 seconds.

    At lightning speed, Azure Dragon seized Gao Yang¡¯s forearm and restrained his elbow with the other hand, trying to break Gao Yang¡¯s arm.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give him a chance. He kicked Azure Dragon hard in the lower abdomen.

    Azure Dragon pushed his hands down to lock Gao Yang¡¯s calves instead, turning around and hurling him. <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Yang flew away like a bullet and mmed into a rock wall behind him.

    A split secondter, Azure Dragon shot through the scattering broken stones and punched Gao Yang in the chest.

    Gao Yang threw up blood as the energy barrier on him shattered into pieces with a clink. The crater put into the wall increased ten times in size instantly, the spiderwebs of cracks expanding.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    A secondter, the cracks snaked further, and the wall shattered into tens of thousands of sttering pieces.

    Azure Dragon started. The impact didn¡¯t feel right. It was a double!

    <i>Where¡¯s the real one? Up there? Back there? Neither...</i>

    Azure Dragon¡¯s head jerked down. The real Gao Yang was crouching by his feet.

    After getting thrown off his feet, Gao Yang knew that Azure Dragon wouldn¡¯t let the chance to make a follow-up attack go. Thus, Gao Yang conjured a double and swapped with it. He even put energy armor on the double instead so that it would fool Azure Dragon for a second longer.

    At the same time, to ensure he could outpace Azure Dragon¡¯s reflex, Gao Yang had conjured the double with only half his width between them. Thus, when Azure Dragon hit the double and realized that the real Gao Yang was at his feet, he didn¡¯t have any time to react.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Gao Yang made a right upper hook at Azure Dragon¡¯s chin. Azure Dragon flew up into the air, the great concussion prevented him from making a countermove in the short term.

    With a strong leap, Gao Yang chased after Azure Dragon with a teleport, knee mming into Azure Dragon¡¯s abdomen.

    Azure Dragon curled into himself and flew up again.

    The counterforce sent Gao Yang plunging. His double, which hadn¡¯t beenpletely damaged, jumped at the same time to act as his stepping stone for a second.

    Stomping on the shoulders of his double, Gao Yang made a full-power leap and teleported once more.

    <i>Bam! </i>Gao Yang chased after Azure Dragon in a sh of golden light and punched him in the chest.

    The two figures intersected and flew out of the deep pit, reaching the night sky above the desert until they were at the height of the full moon. Their silhouettes looked fierce against the moonlight.

    The punch in the chest made Azure Dragon throw up blood.

    However, the tremendous pain allowed him the rity to recover control over his body, and with his years of battle experience, Azure Dragon shot out his hands like lightning and seized Gao Yang¡¯s wrists, preventing the cunning and fierce rabbit from leaping away.

    Gao Yang started. He saw a determination to ensure mutual destruction in Azure Dragon¡¯s bloodshot eyes.

    ¡°Ugh!!¡±

    Azure Dragon mmed Gao Yang¡¯s forehead with his.

    <i>ng!</i>

    In the night sky, a blinding golden light rippled. Like a golden shooting star, Gao Yang plunged into the deep pit under the desert.

    In two seconds, Gao Yang fell to the very bottom of the pit and mmed into the ground, creating a small crater. Gao Yang threw up blood like Azure Dragon had done. His eyes were bloodshot, and the energy shield he had conjured on his headst second shattered. The golden armor he put on himself was close to breaking, too.

    He didn¡¯t have the time to restore it. He didn¡¯t even have the time to calm his breath. With a flip, he got back to his feet and teleported.

    Half a secondter, Azure Dragon descended from above and punched the ground where Gao Yang hadnded.

    The ground quickly shattered like the epicenter of a great earthquake. The several-meter-thick ground protruded and sank like rolling waves in the shape of a horizontal S, rippling outward and cracking in all directions. Countless rays of golden energy shot through the cracks. Broken stones and soil scattered.

    If the punch had hit Gao Yang, he would¡¯ve broken into pieces.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Gao Yang, who had just teleported away, returned at an unusual speed in 0.2 seconds.

    The energy barrier armoring him was no more¡ªGao Yang had retracted all his energy the moment he dodged Azure Dragon¡¯s punch, damaging the energy route in his body to temporarily break the cooldown limit of Teleportation for true consecutive uses of the Talent.

    It was a gamble. If Gao Yang bet wrong, he would die. But he had no choice. He was running out of time with Willful Power.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t had the chance to recover after hitting the ground. Gao Yang¡¯s fist was already hitting Azure Dragon¡¯s back. Weak Point activated¡ªseven times the power!

    Azure Dragon flew away.

    Azure Dragon had pushed his reflex to the limit and made it so that Gao Yang¡¯s punch hit an inch to the side. While the attack with seven times the power had seriously injured Azure Dragon, it wasn¡¯t enough to kill him.

    Flying away in a parallel trajectory to the ground, Azure Dragon tried to find purchase with both hands so that he could stop himself.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t give him a chance. He teleported again to chase him.

    His eyes were red, and blood was leaking from his ears, mouth, and nostrils¡ªa result of forcefully breaking the energy routes in his body. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use Teleportation for the next hour.

    But he knew he had made the right gamble. Azure Dragon was on the verge of death.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s fist flew toward Azure Dragon.

    Azure Dragon didn¡¯t dodge it. In fact, he no longer had the strength to keep fighting Gao Yang after getting hit with a punch enhanced by Weak Point. And he wasn¡¯t as fast as Gao Yang to begin with.

    They were both certain of one thing: the next sh would determine the victor.

    Azure Dragon clenched his right fist by his side and charged it for half a second. While it was only half a second, the shockwave Azure Dragon would unleash with his punch was enough to render Gao Yang into ashes without an energy shield.

    At that moment, Gao Yang¡¯s bloodshot eyes glowed white.

    <i>Wave of Serenity!</i>

 Chapter 804: Disappointed

    <h4>Chapter 804: Disappointed</h4>

    <i>Wing¡ª</i>

    A sacred, gentle, and strange white energy rippled from Gao Yang¡¯s chest, quickly washing over Azure Dragon¡¯s body.

    <i>What?!</i>

    Azure Dragon hadn¡¯t in his wildest dream foreseen that move from Gao Yang. Silenced, Azure Dragon sensed the energy gathered in his fist recede in a moment. He couldn¡¯t unleash another shockwave, but he could still throw a punch.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Azure Dragon¡¯s fist mmed into Gao Yang¡¯s chest, and Gao Yang¡¯s fist hit Azure Dragon¡¯s chest with little energy.

    Level 7 Weak Point activated!

    Times 49!

    Azure Dragon¡¯s back arched suddenly, and violent golden energy shot through. Like a doll full of golden gas getting pierced, currents poured out nonstop.

    It wasn¡¯t energy unleashed by Gao Yang¡¯s punch, but energy leaking out of Azure Dragon.

    Azure Dragon possessed great static energy in his body, which had been umted from the many life-and-death battles Azure Dragon had gone through. The energy remained dormant in Azure Dragon and made him effectively a man of steel who could repel all weapons.

    Even with a punch enhanced by 49 times, Gao Yang would need to first drain the static energy Azure Dragon possessed before he could even attempt to kill Azure Dragon.

    Luckily, Azure Dragon was on the verge of death, and it would take less than a punch enhanced by 49 times to deprive him of his energy. While Gao Yang¡¯s punch didn¡¯t put a hole into Azure Dragon¡¯s chest or destroy his heartpletely, his heart still got damaged.

    It all happened so quickly.

    They hit each other in the chest, and time seemed to stand still for half a second.

    Then enormous energy rippled out. They both flew off their feet.

    <i>Bam! </i>Gao Yang mmed into the rock wall behind him and got buried in broken pieces of stone.

    Azure Dragon flew thirty meters away, too, and like a ttened ball, he bounced before rolling and lying prone on the ground.

    He bled from all orifices, breathing heavily.

    ¡°Ugh...ah...¡±

    Azure Dragon propped himself up with both hands and tried to stand up despite feeling frail. He knew he was going to die, yet his iron will forced him to hold fast¡ªhe must kill the Divine Scion and pave the way for Qilin before his death...

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qing Ling¡¯s voice came from a few dozen meters from him.

    During the short fifteen seconds, Qing Ling and Can had been watching the fight with Invisibility on, looking for a chance to intervene while dodging the aftershocks resulting from Gao Yang and Azure Dragon¡¯s shes.

    They believed that Gao Yang would win. They had been through many a fight to the death, and no matter how great the loss, Gao Yang always came out winning.

    Finally, a chance presented itself.

    They could kill Azure Dragon and finish everything.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Azure Dragon remained on one knee. He didn¡¯t even get to stand up properly before Can and Qing Ling nked him from his ten and three.

    Can raised her hands and conjured more than thirty air des. Qing Ling wielded two weapons with level 6 God of des¡¯ cyan aura shrouding her Tang Dao and level 6 Lightning¡¯s purple currents crackling around her Xiu Dao.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    <i>Ha, I¡¯ve been so focused that I forgot them.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m going to lose. I¡¯m sorry, Qilin. I cannot witness the bright future with you...</i>

    ¡°Ice Blood¡ª¡±

    It was Six Rime¡¯s voice, apanied by beaded curtains consisting of countless droplets of blood.

    The dying Six Rime had taken flight at some point, hovering above Azure Dragon. Her hair was a mess, and her face was so pale it seemed see-through. There were injuries on both her hands, feet, and chest area, from which blood gushed out nonstop. That was the blood that had formed the omnipresent beaded curtains surrounding Azure Dragon, Qing Ling, and Can.

    The ring on her right ring finger with the medicine to double her power was rotated¡ªit would be suicide to use the medicine in this state, but no matter. She would die sooner orter. Her death was only dyed for half a minute with the Medicine C administered.

    Only when Azure Dragon got into danger did she realize that this was why she had lived half a minute longer. She was d to have obeyed the order and made it to this moment.

    Sensing the strange energying from the red beads all around them, Qing Ling whirled around and ran, shouting at Can with an ashen face, ¡°Run!¡±

    They wouldn¡¯t be quick enough.

    ¡°¡ªLotus Burial!¡±

    <i>Clink!</i>

    Countless crimson lotuses of ice bloomed along the red beads, so quickly that it seemed instantaneous. Although thousands of flowers had bloomed, the sound blended into a single clink.

    Qing Ling and Can weren¡¯t able to make it out. The sharp, resilient petals of the lotuses cut and restrained them.

    ¡°Agh!!¡±

    They screamed at the same time.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling¡¯s mind recovered from the pain; she struggled to break free but failed.

    The same thing happened to Can. The ice lotuses of blood and energy were unusually sturdy, and they were buried in such a dense sea of flowers that it would be difficult to break free through regr means.

    Qing Ling took a deep breath and curled her fingers with difficulty, manipting the two ck Gold darts amid the three-dimensional maze of crimson flowers in an attempt to break the petal in her side.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i>

    The petals cracked and shattered, but Qing Ling would have to break the other dozen or so petals that had prated other parts of her body before she could move.

    <i>Shit! This is too slow!</i>

    <i>Hurry! A little faster!</i>

    With the medicine to double her power, Six Rime made a suicide move and exhausted thest of her blood and energy. Like a doll drained of life, she mmed down into the ground andy prone by Azure Dragon¡¯s side.

    Face covered in blood, Azure Dragon reached out to lift Six Rime¡¯s head with trembling hands. ¡°Six Rime...¡±

    ¡°Elder, I haven¡¯t...disappointed you...have I...?¡±

    She didn¡¯t get to hear his response before her widened eyes quickly dimmed in her quiet death.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never once disappointed me. It¡¯s me who disappointed you.¡±

    Azure Dragon¡¯s hands stopped midair before touching Six Rime. He slowly pulled back and gave the dead girl his response in a serious tone.

    He slowly stood up. Even he couldn¡¯t believe that he still had the strength to stand up.

    A great wave of energy suddenly came down to him from above and entered him through the head, spreading to the other parts of his body and the appendages.

    The energy shook him for a moment. His consciousness scattered and moved against the flow of time like flying particles.

    ...

    ¡°Is it crooked, Old Liu?¡± Xia Li asked.

    Azure Dragon widened his eyes to find himself sitting on a sofa in the treatment room of the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic. Before he was Elder Azure Dragon, he had been Old Liu.

    With long brown curls, Xia Li stood on a chair in a navy blue t-shirt and denim dress, having taken off her canvas shoes. She was putting a painting with the style of a children¡¯s book on the wall.

    ¡°The left is lower,¡± he said.

    Xia Li made an adjustment. ¡°And now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good now.¡±

    Having hung the painting, Xia Li jumped off the chair and put her shoes back on, dusting her hands in satisfaction. ¡°Done. I¡¯ll buy some potted pothoster, and it¡¯ll be perfect.¡±

    ¡°Haha, thank you for the hard work.¡±

    Dr. Su emerged from the storage with a cane and a wet rag in each hand, wearing his long white coat and ck-rimmed sses.

    It was the opening day of his private practice, the Blue House Psychiatric Clinic. Xia Li and Old Liu hade to offer blessings and help with the cleanup.

    ¡°We¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Xia Li plopped herself down on the sofa, having put on her shoes. ¡°Whew...I¡¯m beat. We¡¯re finally done.¡±

    Then she suddenly thought of something. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s the name of our guild anyway?¡±

    Old Liu paused, taking a wrinkled list from his pants pocket. It was a list of dozens of names for the guild.

    They had established the guild for more than six months, but it still didn¡¯t have an official name. Today, the three founding members gathered not only to move for Dr. Su, but also to discuss the matter.

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked the names you suggested, Xia Li,¡± Old Liu said honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of them works.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve got no idea, nada.¡± Xia Li stretched her arms and slumped on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best. I¡¯m not literate enough for this.¡±

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± Old Liu turned to Dr. Su. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call ourselves the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve had an idea already. Did you keep quiet just to waste my time?¡± Xia Li punched him in the shoulder inint.

    Old Liu smiled apologetically. ¡°I only came up with it the past few days.¡±

    ¡°Why the name?¡± Dr. Su seemed intrigued. He smiled gently at Old Liu.

    ¡°I remember you telling us that your surname was Mu rather than Su, and you¡¯ve changed your surname but not your first name.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was named Mu Xing.¡±

    ¡°I remember right.¡± Old Liu stroked his stubbled chin. ¡°I looked it up. There¡¯s a saying, ¡®The scattered Jupiter gave birth to Qilin.¡¯ Jupiter, that¡¯s <i>Mu Xing</i>.¡±

    ¡°A little <i>chuuni</i>, but viable.¡± Xia Li voiced her agreement.

    Old Liu nodded and continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t we name ourselves, the Elders, after the four divine beasts? They are said to be the guardians of the world. It¡¯s a nice connotation.¡±

    ¡°Then I call dibs!¡± Xia Li immediately chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m Vermilion Bird!¡±

    ¡°Nice. You¡¯re informed.¡± Old Liu was a little surprised. ¡°Vermilion Bird corresponds to the <i>li </i>trigram in <i>bagua</i>, which corresponds to fire in the five elements, the <i>old yang </i>in four symbols, and the summer in the four seasons. That¡¯s a perfect fit for your real name, Xia Li.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xia Li paused and smiled in embarrassment. ¡°I didn¡¯t know all that, but Vermilion Bird¡¯s a phoenix, right? It¡¯s more feminine. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and ck Tortoise sound masculine, like names for men.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Old Liu snorted. Although Vermilion Bird wasn¡¯t technically a phoenix, he didn¡¯t exin it further. It was fine as long as Xia Li liked the name.

    ¡°Your zodiac sign is dragon, right, Old Liu?¡± Dr. Su chuckled. ¡°Then you¡¯ll be Azure Dragon.¡±

    ¡°I was going to say that.¡± Old Liu nodded. ¡°We only need two more Elders to fill the empty spots.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any good candidates?¡± Dr. Su asked.

    ¡°Yeah. The funeral home I worked at is close to a ser field, and an older guyes to y ser with random groups every day. I¡¯ve known him for close to a year. He¡¯s an awakener. I think his Talent¡¯s quite strong.¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡± Dr. Su asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to observe him longer.¡± Xia Li wasn¡¯t certain yet.

    ¡°Okay. No rush. Quality over quantity.¡± Dr. Su stood up with his cane. ¡°So, we¡¯ve settled on the Qilin Guild?¡±

    ¡°Good for me.¡± Xia Li stood up with a smile. ¡°Then we¡¯ll be calling you Guildmaster Qilin from now on.¡±

    Dr. Su chuckled. ¡°Elder Azure Dragon, Elder Vermilion Bird, why don¡¯t we have a drink tonight to celebrate?¡±

    ¡°Alcohol¡¯s bad for you,¡± said Old Liu.

    ¡°Old Liu...Azure Dragon, really?!¡± Xia Li frowned dramatically. ¡°You never fail to rain on our parade.¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is a special asion,¡± Dr. Su chimed in. ¡°My clinic¡¯s open. The Guild now has a name and is officially a go. Double the joy. Are you really not joining us?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll...make an exception tonight.¡± Old Liu stood up as well.

    ¡°Haha, go, go, go!¡± Xia Li tied up her canvas shoes and zipped the bag on the sofa. ¡°Give me a minute to touch up my makeup. Perhaps I¡¯ll run into a cute guy on our way to the bar.¡±

    Xia Li hummed a lilting tune as she opened the door to the bathroom and went in.

    Old Liu and Dr. Su exchanged nces and shook their heads with resigned smiles.

    ¡°Qilin Guild,¡± Dr. Su muttered before looking up at Old Liu.

    The setting sun streamed through the window, lighting Dr. Su from the back. With a gentle smile, he extended a hand to Old Liu, speaking in a genuine and respectful tone, ¡°Azure Dragon, the path ahead is long and difficult. I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±

    Old Liu reached out to take Dr. Su¡¯s hand in a firm handshake.

 Chapter 805: Conviction

    <h4>Chapter 805: Conviction</h4>

    Instantly, Azure Dragon¡¯s consciousness returned from the flow of time.

    At that moment, he clearly realized that his Limitless Evolution had reached level 7.

    He had always fancied himself a man with unwavering conviction, yet his Talent never reached level 7 for reason unbeknownst to him. Only when he was now facing his death did it happen. He wondered if it was a lucky or ironic turn of events.

    <i>¡ªQilin, I¡¯m entrusting the future of humanity to you.</i>

    ¡°Aghhhh!!!¡±

    Right fist clenched tightly, Azure Dragon raced his death and fought hising fate. It took him ten seconds to charge. A total of ten seconds. His body hadn¡¯t gotten visibly stronger, and there was no flickering energy. Instead, he looked frail and dim.

    All his energy, conviction, and even soul were condensed to his right fist. He was his punch, and his punch embodied him. There was no longer a divide.

    <i>Level 7 Limitless Evolution.</i>

    <i>The Faithful Punch!</i>

    Azure Dragon made thest punch in his life at the ground below his feet.

    ...

    Twenty seconds ago, a single stone shook upon a pile of stones a hundred meters from Azure Dragon. A hand shot out. Then Gao Yang stood up from the pile.

    Azure Dragon had hit him with a punch with no energy enhancement, but it still inflicted a serious injury, only it wasn¡¯t fatal.

    Gao Yang threw up blood and dropped to one knee, yet his frayed nerves continued to push his brain into overdrive.

    <i>Where¡¯s Azure Dragon?</i>

    <i>Is he dead?</i>

    <i>Has the fight ended?!</i>

    Gao Yang looked up quickly, seeing to his shock that fifty meters from him, a dense sea of ice lotuses had formed a three-dimensional cage, trapping Qing Ling and Can and inflicting countless piercing wounds on them.

    They struggled with all they had, but couldn¡¯t get out any time soon.

    There were two others at the heart of the cage: Azure Dragon and Six Rime.

    Six Rimey on the ground, dead. Azure Dragon stood beside her with his right fist clenched and his body unassumingly dim. However, his fist alone was blindingly bright to the point that it seemed to be melting. The golden light cast the sea of crimson flowers around him in a golden pink like a little sun.

    And he was aiming his fist at the ground below his feet!

    <i>He¡¯s charging!</i>

    <i>He¡¯s going to drag everyone to hell with him!</i>

    <i>No, he¡¯s dying! Why does he still have so much energy?!</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the time to figure out the answer.

    The energy route for Teleportation in his body had beenpletely damaged, preventing him from using the Talent at the moment. And he couldn¡¯t get close enough to Azure Dragon at the heart of the blood lotuses to lock him in an Absolute Barrier.

    Gao Yang ran at full speed toward the unconscious Ke Yo and pulled her into his arms. Then he quickly headed back to rush at Qing Ling, who was at the edge of the sea of lotuses.

    <i>Hurry! A little faster!</i>

    Azure Dragon would at most charge for another ten seconds, or maybe eight... <i>Dammit! I¡¯m running out of time!</i>

    Making a split-second judgment, Gao Yang hurled Ke Yo toward Qing Ling, and the ice lotuses trapping Qing Ling left numerous cuts on the unconscious Ke Yo with their sharp petals.

    ¡°Absolute Defense!¡±

    It was Gao Yang¡¯s current limit to use three small Absolute Barriers in an hour. In fact, what little energy he had in him was barely enough to conjure this barrier. It wouldst at most a minute, but it should be enough to shield them from Azure Dragon¡¯s suicide attack for mutual destruction.

    A stream of golden energy emerged from Gao Yang¡¯s feet. Like a golden snake with lightning speed, it shot toward Qing Ling and Ke Yo. There was an explosive clink. The barrier formed to cover them and the lotuses trapping them.

    At the same time, Gao Yang rushed toward Can.

    Fire burst out of his fist. <i>There¡¯s still time, Gao Yang!</i>

    <i>Destroy the lotuses trapping Can even if it¡¯ll burn her! Save her and take her back to the safe house of the Absolute Barrier together.</i>

    <i>You can do it! There¡¯s still time! You can make it!</i>

    <i>You¡¯re the Divine Scion! You¡¯re lucky! You will do it!!</i>

    Amid the crimson flowers, Can, dressed in her favorite coat, seemed more vibrant and beautiful than usual with the blood covering her blending with the red coat and the lotuses. She cocked her head. A few strands of blood-drenched hair fell on her pale cheek. Blood leaked out of the corners of her mouth. Her cracked lips curled into a smile at Gao Yang, who was rushing toward her.

    <i>I knew you woulde for me, Captain, again and again.</i>

    <i>You¡¯re wonderful. You¡¯re handsome, gentle, considerate, and powerful. I admire you the most, Captain.</i>

    <i>But you¡¯re not without shorings, Captain. You can be a real idiot sometimes.</i>

    <i>This is thest time, Captain. Don¡¯t ever do something this foolish again.</i>

    Can ignored the way the sharp petals tore open her arm to raise her bloodied right hand with difficulty, aiming it at Gao Yang.

    At that moment, she found her belief.

    Gale and Invisibility reached level 7.

    She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t make a sound with all her energy devoted to her next move.

    Three silent sybles escaped her lips.

    ¡°¡õ¡õ¡õ.¡±

    <i>No! Don¡¯t!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t do this, Can! Please! Please don¡¯t do this!</i>

    <i>Stop! This is an order! I can save you! I can save you for sure!!</i>

    <i>I¡¯m the Divine Scion! I can definitely...</i>

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Powerful wind elements formed a cyclone. It was gentle yet powerful, and like tens of thousands of wind fairies pping their wings while ying andughing, the cyclone swept Gao Yang into its embrace, taking him away from Can.

    A secondter, Azure Dragon¡¯s Faithful Punch mmed into the ground. Blinding light radiated from him and spread quickly to devour everything in an instant.

    Gao Yang, who was quickly thrown toward the edge of the battlefield, was still staring at the bloom of vibrant red amid the sea of flowers. It was a petite, frail girl in a red coat that didn¡¯t suit her.

    There was something every member of the Nine Scions knew but never had the heart to put into words.

    No matter how Can put on high heels and grew her hair long, no matter how much effort she put in, the red coat never really fit her right.

    Dressed in the ill-fitted coat, the girl vanished into the blinding tsunami of energy along with the ice lotuses around her like a fleeting illusion.

    Soon, the tsunami caught up to Gao Yang and devoured and tore into him as well.

    The moment his consciousness melted into a deep void, a familiar conversation resounded in his mind.

    <i>¡°Captain, I, I avenged Ronnie...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Good work.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°But why, why does it hurt so much still...¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Revenge is necessary. But revenge isn¡¯t going to change much.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°So, so that is it...¡±</i>

    ...

    Triangr Towers, Ni Nation, early morning.

    The dust storm quieted. A massive abyss appeared in the heart of the desert. Under the gaze of the cold moonlight, it looked as if a ck vortex had emerged in the serene gray-blue sea, and time seemed to stop at that moment.

    It was only an illusion, though. The ground began to shake slightly, and tiny sand particles jumped. <i>Boom! </i>An awe-inspiring golden pir of light shot out after two seconds, straight toward heaven.

    The light illuminated all there was between heaven and earth, and it seemed as if no shadow remained in the world, drowned by a hundred percent pure radiance.

    Like the pir of creation, the golden light beam connected heaven and earth, threatening to disturb the nebs in the cosmos. The resulting gusts shot out in all directions across the desert, and the sand they brought up conjured more sand storms, hitting not only the tourist area in the desert but also the nearby cities.

    It was only after thirty seconds that the light beam dissolved and scattered, leaving a winding band of illusory light, apanied by a downpour of golden snow.

    Five secondster, the dust storms quieted once more.

    The desert reverted to its usual cold vastness. However grand and epic the earlier phenomenon had been, it returned to being lonesome and empty.

    The night drew darker with thezy moon disappearing behind the dark clouds like a pedestrian rushing back home after witnessing a spectacle.

    It cared not how many had died in the spectacle and how many hearts had been crushed.

    It cared not how the furious growls of white-hot faith had attempted to shake the gears of fate, only to realize the ordeal was as meaningless as a mantis trying to block a car with its legs.

    It cared not about humans, monsters, the Mist World, the Heavenly Way, or even the universe and the ultimate truth.

    It was bored, disinterested, and close to falling asleep.

    So it went home and got into bed, tucking itself in with a mutter, <i>The hell it has to do with me?</i>

 Chapter 806: Iâ€™m Tired

    <h4>Chapter 806: I¡¯m Tired</h4>

    The Faithful Punch that Azure Dragon made before his death had put a greater crater into the ground, and the resulting energy waves almost destroyed and melted everything in it.

    Except for Qing Ling and Ke Yo, who were protected by the Absolute Barrier.

    <i>Clink. </i>The barrier shattered after a minute.

    While waiting for that to happen, Qing Ling had patiently chiseled away the ice petals stabbing into her with ck Gold darts. Finally, she was free.

    She could barely stand with all the injuries and blood covering her, yet she clenched her teeth and limped her way to the center of the crater with her Tang Dao. There, a man had died on one knee.

    Azure Dragon.

    All around him was charred soil. Six Rime¡¯s body and the ice lotuses outside the absolute barrier had long been rendered to ashes.

    With great difficulty, Qing Ling walked. Her icy eyes turned zing, and her injured feet moved faster and faster.

    Finally, she was right before Azure Dragon¡¯s body.

    Her Tang Dao pierced through Azure Dragon¡¯s heart. No blood came out.

    Then Qing Ling retracted the Tang Dao from his almost ttened chest and made a backhand swing. His head fell a few meters beforending with a thud.

    She only rxed after kicking the headless body down.

    Without another nce at the pitiful state the enemy¡¯s body was in, she turned around and walked out of the crater.

    She made her way to the direction Gao Yang had been thrown in. Using her Tang Dao as a cane, she climbed out of the giant crater one step at a time, piercing her de into the ground and pulling it out again and again.

    Ke Yo finally woke up then. Ice petals had sliced open many parts of her body, and the bleeding hadn¡¯t stopped, but she wasn¡¯t in any critical danger.

    Enduring the pain, she walked up to Qing Ling and supported the stumbling woman.

    ¡°Qing Ling! You¡¯re seriously injured. Use the Medicine C...¡±

    There was one syringe remaining in Qing Ling¡¯s waist pack with a quarter of the dose used. Luckily, the syringe remained intact during the fight afterward.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine...no need...¡± Qing Ling panted as she continued to move.

    Ke Yo understood immediately. The stab of sorrow in her chest quieted her.

    They supported each other as they limped their way to the edge of the battlefield. The Faithful Punch had torn numerousyers off the rocky surface of the pit, and heated stone pieces covered the ground.

    Their eyes tightened when they spotted a bloodied hand amid the pile of stones.

    Qing Ling cast away her Tang Dao and rushed up. Dropping to her knees, she moved away a few rocks and grabbed Gao Yang¡¯s hand.

    She yanked. It sent her falling on her bottom.

    It was a severed arm.

    Qing Ling stared.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Ke Yo cried out. She had to muffle her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes.

    Two secondster, Qing Ling threw the arm away. No matter if he was a living person or a corpse now, she would recover him.

    After a stunned moment, Ke Yo roughly wiped the tears and blood away before kneeling to help Qing Ling dig through the pile of debris. They left bloody fingerprints on the rocks they removed, and after some time, they had dug through half of the pile.

    Finally, they discovered a calf. The panthose was burned to nothing, and the sock and shoe were gone. The foot was half melted with only two toes left.

    Qing Ling and Ke Yo exchanged a nce. Each holding onto their wounds with one hand, they used their other hand to grab the ankle, and together, they pulled.

    More rocks tumbled down. Gao Yang got pulled out.

    Naturally, his body was far from intact.

    He was missing both arms and his entire right leg. His abdomen, chest, and the left side of his face were all tattered and bloodied, almost charred. From the open wounds of singed flesh, bones could be made out.

    He looked like a body that had been eaten and discarded by a pack of wolves.

    Although Can had pushed Gao Yang away with Gale before her death and got him out of the most deadly area of effect, and Gao Yang had endured the hit with close to two thousand points in Constitution and Endurance, the aftershocks broke through his defense still, and his body was left in this poor state.

    Qing Ling¡¯s face darkened. She immediately bent down to press her left cheek to Gao Yang¡¯s bloodied chest.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    <i>Thump.</i>

    While slow, his heart was still beating. He was alive!

    Qing Ling jerked up and took off the cap of the Medicine C she had. She jabbed the needle into his chest and emptied the syringe in one go.

    Gao Yang¡¯s injuries slowly healed. Charred skin and flesh fell off, reced by new growth, and the open wounds deep enough to reveal the bones were slowly mending, too.

    Still, he was missing two arms and a leg.

    Ke Yo was relieved to see that their captain yet lived, and she fell to her knees. Looking at the ruins before her, she was overwhelmed with a sense of loss and emptiness.

    Then she suddenly remembered.

    ¡°What about Can? She...¡±

    ¡°Died,¡± Qing Ling said coldly.

    ¡°No, she has her hairpin...¡± Ke Yo couldn¡¯t continue. The answer urred to her, unbidden. ¡°She gave the hairpin to me...didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ke Yo choked out a sob. ¡°Why did she save me? I¡¯m not worth it...¡±

    ¡°It was her choice,¡± Qing Ling interrupted her.

    Ke Yo fell silent. She didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    She didn¡¯t feel like crying. Her stomach twisted, and she felt the urge to throw up, but nothing woulde out. She held onto her neck and mmed her fist on her chest hard.

    ¡°Ugh...gah...¡±

    A minute passed, still she didn¡¯t throw up anything.

    Face ashen, Ke Yo raised a trembling hand to wipe the saliva leaking from a corner of her mouth. ¡°Is this...revenge?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qing Ling said coolly. She reached out a tired hand to brush aside the bloodied strand of hair sticking to Gao Yang¡¯s forehead.

    After some time, the moon peeked out of the dark clouds again, casting a stream of light upon the ruins around them. The three survivors knelt, sat, andy by the illuminated rubbles.

    The gray-blue patch of lumination crawled along the ground like a giant worm, yet it never graced them with light.

    Three minutes passed. Then five, or even longer.

    The girl kneeling on the ground covered her face with both hands and started sobbing.

    ...

    ¡°42, Gecko, Life.¡±

    ¡°42, Gecko, Life.¡±

    Emotionless and genderless voices rang and repeated in his mind.

    Gao Yang woke up.

    He opened his swollen eyes to find himself lying on the bed of a hotel suite. By his side sat Qing Ling, who was patching herself up.

    The gray-blue moon shone through the window. The thin gauze curtains swayed gently.

    Gao Yang tried to move, but couldn¡¯t.

    He dragged his gaze down to see that he was missing his arms and one leg, and his body was wrapped all over in bloodied bandages like a broken mummy.

    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± In the dark, Qing Ling¡¯s eyes were dim with faint lighting from behind her.

    ¡°How long...have I been out?¡± Gao Yang croaked weakly.

    ¡°Three hours.¡±

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Suddenly, Gao Yang felt a strange pain in the stumps of his severed limbs. It started out sharp like a heated iron ingot getting plunged into cooling water. Then it transitioned into a warm throbbing pain.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s happening...to the stumps...¡±

    Qing Ling started. A ck Gold dart was suddenly in her hand. She made quick work of the bandages around his severed limbs.

    A few secondster, she looked at Gao Yang in disbelief. ¡°You acquired Gecko.¡±

    Gao Yang looked down at his body with difficulty. Indeed, small white bones were slowly growing out of the stump of his leg like a fragile sprout. Then pink flesh and veins followed like green leaves. Regeneratingst were the capiries and skin, which gradually closed in and mended together.

    ¡°Seems...that way...¡±

    Gao Yang closed his eyes again.

    So this was how actualprehension of a Talent worked.

    When Gao Yangprehended a Talent through his system before, it wasn¡¯t actualprehension¡ªat least it wasn¡¯t the way the Heavenly Way assigned Talents to awakeners; instead, it was his luck or his identity as the Divine Scion granting him an alternative channel.

    Gecko was the second Talent he hadprehended on his own.

    ¡°Good,¡± Qing Ling said in an aloof tone, but he could hear relief from her. ¡°Then I don¡¯t have to kidnap Dr. Jia from the Ocean River Union.¡±

    During the period when Gao Yang was unconscious, Qing Ling had been waiting by his side and wondering what they should do. With the leader of the Nine Scions severely crippled, Dr. Jia would be the only one who could help him stand again.

    That wasn¡¯t a problem now. Gao Yang had Gecko. It would only be a matter of time for him to regenerate his limbs.

    Relief washed over Qing Ling, along with an exhaustion she couldn¡¯t even begin to fight.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired, Gao Yang.¡±

 Chapter 807: Itâ€™s Time

    <h4>Chapter 807: It¡¯s Time</h4>

    Qing Ling knew how much heartbreak Gao Yang harbored, and he must have activated Psychic Armor immediately after waking up, or he wouldn¡¯t be thisposed.

    He neededfort. He needed someone he trusted to hear him out and keep himpany. And Qing Ling was that person, but she couldn¡¯t do it.

    The battle in the desert pit had destroyed her mentally and physically. She was on the verge of a breakdown and needed a good sleep, even if it was only for this personality.

    ¡°You...should rest.¡± Gao Yang blinked at her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Qing Ling nodded. ¡°Little Qing Ling¡¯s worried. If you don¡¯t want to deal with her...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gao Yang sounded calm.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Qing Ling closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.

    About a minuteter, she opened her eyes again.

    Her gaze was no longer calm and determined, but soft and sad with tears brimming her eyes. It was Little Qing Ling.

    She opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. She quickly teared up as she looked at Gao Yang, who was lying on the bed with his limbs still missing.

    She reached out toy a hand on Gao Yang¡¯s chest. His heartbeat was getting faster as his emotions surged¡ªGao Yang¡¯s Psychic Armor was nearing cooldown.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asked tentatively.

    ¡°It hurts,¡± Gao Yang responded hoarsely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself, Gao Yang. You did your best...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did my best, I did my best...¡± Gao Yang kept repeating the same words, seemingly to drown out the voice inside him. ¡°Revenge is what we must do. I didn¡¯t have a choice. I did my best, I did my best...¡±

    Little Qing Ling stared at him.

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t breathe, but he kept speaking like a wound-up toy being released, unable to stop.

    ¡°Can spoke three sybles before she died... It was too urgent for me to see what she was mouthing... What did she say to me?¡±

    Little Qing Ling looked at him nkly, feeling a pang in her heart.

    ¡°<i>I love you?</i>¡± Gao Yang made a guess. ¡°She told me she liked me before. Perhaps she was trying to confess to me before death... No, no. She was timid with her feelings. She wouldn¡¯t say those words. And she told me that she was the avoidant attachment type...¡±

    ¡°<i>I¡¯m grateful?</i>¡± Gao Yang made another guess. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be. With a Captain like me, she should resent me more than anything...¡±

    ¡°<i>It¡¯s goodbye</i>? No, that¡¯s too formal. It¡¯s not something she would say...¡±

    ¡°Little Qing Ling, what was Can trying to say to me? What could it be... I have to know. I have to. It¡¯s herst words, yet I didn¡¯t hear it...¡±

    ¡°What was I doing? Why didn¡¯t I hear it... Why didn¡¯t I...¡±

    ¡°Gao Yang!¡± Little Qing Ling ended up failing to contain her tears. ¡°Don¡¯t, please. Just stop...¡±

    Gao Yang stared at the ceiling with widened eyes, looking like a man possessed. ¡°What are the words? What did she say? What could it be...¡±

    Crying, Little Qing Ling leaned in and picked Gao Yang up with both hands with difficulty, pulling him into her embrace and cradling his head, gently caressing his hair.

    Tears welled up in Gao Yang¡¯s possessed eyes. He was still muttering the same words. ¡°What did she say...¡±

    Little Qing Ling did her best to stop crying. In starts and stops, she sang the luby her sister had sung to Gao Yang before.

    ¡°A tiny...tiny cradle, to...and fro...¡±

    ¡°The night sky...is so beautiful...¡±

    ¡°Mom¡¯s the stars, and Dad¡¯s the moon...¡±

    ¡°Stay with me until I fall into a dream...¡±

    ¡°La,...¡±

    ¡°Stay with me until I fall into a dream...¡±

    Gecko automatically repaired Gao Yang¡¯s body and robbed him of all his energy. A wave of exhaustion overtook him once more. In the embrace of Little Qing Ling¡¯s singing, he felt like a small boat swaying on water, slowly sailing into the ck abyss that would devour all at the edge of the ocean.

    ...

    ...

    When Gao Yang opened his eyes, he found himself in a warm cabin. There was a pile of dry firewood in the stone firece on his side, sustaining the crackling fire.

    Warm firelight danced in the cabin. He was sleeping in a rocking chair with a warm nket on him.

    Two young men sat on the sofa in the room, each holding a mug of steaming coffee.

    ¡°Are you still in contact with, her?¡± asked one of them.

    ¡°Yeah. It was my birthday yesterday. She sent me a voice message and sang me happy birthday,¡± the other responded.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask her to visit you in, Li City?¡±

    ¡°What if she agreed to visit me?¡±

    ¡°It would be interesting, if she, really showed up. That would mean there are lives outside, the Mist.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. Perhaps she doesn¡¯t exist outside the Mist but in some interim areas. Perhaps all monsters are from there...¡±

    Gao Yang could no longer listen quietly. He threw off the nket in a surge of emotions and shot to his feet. ¡°Xiran! Ronnie!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake, Captain.¡± Xiran put down his mug hurriedly and stood up. The bookish young man in a white shirt with delicate features adjusted his sses with a gentle, bashful smile. ¡°Sorry for waking you up, Captain.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°We were talking about the world outside the Mist.¡± Xiran smiled. ¡°We won¡¯t go on if you don¡¯t want to hear it, Captain.¡±

    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m interested.¡± Gao Yang walked up to them. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to chat with you about it. Oh, and the interim space you spected about may actually exist. I had a dream about it. There were two really tall walls, one white and one ck. They seemed endless. In the middle was a giant tree...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xiran perked up.

    ¡°Did you open, the Gates, Captain?¡± Ronnie was excited too, wearing fitted ck clothes and thick gothic makeup, his ears covered in piercings.

    ¡°No, not yet...¡± Gao Yang shook his head dejectedly.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time.¡± Xiran nced at his watch. ¡°We should chat next time, Captain. We¡¯re setting out.¡±

    ¡°Setting out?¡± Gao Yang asked. ¡°Is there a mission?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we should go.¡± Xiran and Ronnie grabbed their coats and put on their scarves before opening the wooden door.

    Gao Yang caught up with them after a pause.

    Outside the cabin was a world of snow. Amid the white downpour, everything seemed frozen in ce. Treading on the thickyer of snow, the three of them braved the weather as they moved forward.

    Numerous stars blinked in the sky deep into the night, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. Their surroundings were pitch-ck and silent.

    They journeyed for quite a long distance amid the snowstorm before the snow finally relented, and warm light appeared in their sight. It was a bonfire.

    ¡°Look! That¡¯s Uncle Bear and Brother Snake!¡± Xiran eximed happily and hurried up to the bonfire.

    Ronnie and Gao Yang followed suit.

    Gray Bear and Lithe Snake sat by the bonfire, dressed in thick winter clothes. Their seats were two protruding rocks. Gray Bear was nursing a stainless steel cup half filled with hot wine.

    On the bonfire was a metal rack for cooking. A dagger skewering a rabbit rested on it. The rabbit was almost done.

    ¡°Uncle Bear, Brother Snake! We¡¯re here!¡± Xiran walked up to them and knelt down beside Gray Bear, extending his hands toward the bonfire for warmth as he exhaled. ¡°This ce is so cold.¡±

    ¡°Xiran!¡± Gray Bear snapped at him, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m around Lithe Snake¡¯s age. Why do you call me uncle, but call him brother?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t show <i>Uncle </i>Bear enough, respect, Xiran,¡± said Ronnie.

    ¡°Piss off! Not you too!¡± Gray Bear shot Ronnie a re.

    ¡°I got used to it. I can¡¯t break out of the habit just now.¡± Xiran smiled apologetically.

    ¡°Then call me Vice Captain!¡± Gray Bear made a concession.

    ¡°Okay, okay. Vice Captain...¡± Xiran said like he was coaxing a child. Then he asked with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s so cold, Vice Captain. Can I have a drink, too?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Even one sip is gonna put you down. How are you going to go on the mission then?¡± Gray Bear snorted and took a steaming hot roasted sweet potato from his pocket. ¡°I save you this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Uncle Bear...Vice Captain!¡± Xiran happily epted the offered sweet potato. It was so hot he had to juggle it between his hands. He divided it into three portions, giving Ronnie and Gao Yang one portion each. ¡°Captain, eat.¡±

    Gao Yang stood by his side and didn¡¯t take it. ¡°You should have it. I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xiran didn¡¯t insist. He dug into the sweet potato, and his sses instantly fogged up, obscuring his eyes.

    ¡°Xiran, why did you suddenly, turn to the dark side?¡± Ronnie made a joke in a deadpan manner.

    Xiran didn¡¯t get angry. He continued to enjoy the sweet potato. ¡°Are you going to make the sameme joke your whole life?¡±

    ¡°Easy enough to deal with. You just need a pair of contact lenses,¡± said Lithe Snake.

    ¡°Right.¡± Xiranughed. ¡°I¡¯ll get my prescriptions tomorrow.¡±

    Holding a branch, Lithe Snake used it to shift the stacks of firewood to adjust the fire. Then he nced to the side at Gao Yang. ¡°My Gecko working well, boss?¡±

    Gao Yang paused and nodded. ¡°Quite. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You should keep it.¡± Lithe Snake stood up with both hands on his knees. He stretched his legs and kicked Gray Bear in the rear. ¡°It¡¯s time. We should go.¡±

 Chapter 808: Odds Be with You

    <h4>Chapter 808: Odds Be with You</h4>

    ¡°Oh? Already?¡±

    Gray Bear sighed and reluctantly stood up. Downing the hot wine in his cup, he cast it to the snow-covered ground and dered while shaking his fist, ¡°Let¡¯s go! The fifth team is going to make our name this time!¡±

    He marched forward, and the other four followed with Gao Yang falling to the back.

    Lithe Snake yed with the throwing knife in his hands, ncing back at him every once in a while. ¡°You¡¯re walking too slowly.¡±

    Gao Yang forced himself to brighten up and put on a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in the back to protect you.¡±

    Lithe Snake raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll scout ahead.¡±

    Then the man moved to the front of the group.

    The five of them journeyed through the vast, dark snowy in at a rxed pace in a file, like a pack of wolves. After some time, the snowfall grew heavy once more, obscuring their view.

    A red dot emerged as a point of focus in the blurry scenery.

    Gao Yang slowly got closer and had a better look. It was a girl with a small frame, Can, wearing her red coat and a scarf. She stood alone amid the white snow scrolling on her phone with her head low, the light of the screen shifting on her palm-sized face.

    Suddenly, she put away the phone and looked up at everyone like she had sensed them approaching.

    She waved happily and hopped in ce. ¡°Captain! I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here!¡±

    The five of them reached her soon. Can¡¯s face was flushed, her moist eyes unblinking. Snow decorated her hair and eyshes.

    ¡°What took you so long? I¡¯ve been waiting!¡±

    ¡°Brat!¡± Gray Bear ruffled her hair. ¡°Called out to only Captain? Did you not see your vice-captain?¡±

    ¡°Geez!¡± Can smoothed out her ruffled fringe. ¡°You¡¯re all together. I¡¯m calling out to all of you by calling out to Captain! Why are you being so petty? Are you thinking about going independent?¡±

    ¡°Turning this against me now, are you?¡± Gray Bear scowled and decided to go for the kill. Clearing his throat, he began a phony impression of Can.

    ¡°Ahem... If...if the person I like returns my feelings, I¡¯ll stop liking them. So don¡¯t return my feelings, Captain. Tee-hee. Then I can continue to like you...<i>sob</i>...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bear! You, you, you¡¯re courting death!¡± Can bent down to grab a handful of snow and threw it at Gray Bear¡¯s face, embarrassed and angry.

    ¡°Hahaha! You aren¡¯t gonna admit what you¡¯ve said?¡± Gray Bear got down to make a snowball too to threw it at Can¡¯s coat.

    ¡°Gah! My coat!¡± Can swatted the ice off the coat and said petntly, ¡°Xiran! Uncle Bear¡¯s bullying me! You¡¯re on my side, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xiran adjusted his sses with a smile and pushed Ronnie. ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡±

    ¡°Of, course.¡± Ronnie joined the alliance against Gray Bear.

    ¡°You¡¯re bullying the minority...¡± Gray Bear ran from the three kids and hollered for help, ¡°Lithe Snake! A hand?¡±

    ¡°Lame.¡± Lithe Snake crossed his arms and watched them fight.

    Standing on the side, Gao Yang watched hispanions run around fighting each other yfully in the snow. He smiled, but with the smile came his silent tears.

    ¡°Cap-captain...¡±

    Can jogged up to him while panting. She looked up at him from his side. ¡°Why...are you crying?¡±

    Gao Yang choked out, ¡°Can, I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t protect you well...¡±

    Can paused before touching her hair with a smile. ¡°Eh, who would¡¯ve known that Six Rime and Azure Dragon still had something else up their sleeves? It wasn¡¯t Captain¡¯s fault...¡±

    ¡°No, it was. If only I were stronger. If only I had made better calction...¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can interrupted him and wiped the tears on his face.

    ¡°You did your best. I know, I¡¯ve always known. Ever since you became our Captain, whether it was back in the Eleventh High, during the Werewolf game, or the dangers we faced after that, you never once gave up on me. You came to my rescue every time... That¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    Gao Yang lost his voice to his sobs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...Can, I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Can¡¯s eyes were red, too. ¡°I really, really didn¡¯t want to leave you, but we can¡¯t be too greedy, right? You¡¯ve taken care of me well enough, Captain. I¡¯ve umted enough wonderful memories...¡±

    ¡°What did you say at thest moment, Can?¡± Gao Yang looked at her. ¡°Tell me...¡±

    Can wiped her own tears and pursed her lips into a smile. ¡°Sorry, Captain. There are words that can only be spoken once.¡±

    ¡°Enough already. It¡¯s time. We should go.¡±

    It snowed harder. From the head of the line came Lithe Snake¡¯s voice. He reminded them of the time with a hand in his pocket and the other hand ying with his throwing knife.

    ¡°Alright, stop messing around!¡± Gray Bear dusted the snow off his body and spoke like a proper vice-captain. ¡°You must follow my orders for this mission, understand?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I, understand.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to join us for this mission, Captain. Wait for Old Bear¡¯s good news!¡± Gray Bear gave Gao Yang a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what the MVP of the fifth team is made of!¡±

    Xiran and Ronnie followed him, but not without looking back at Gao Yang.

    Xiran smiled. ¡°Captain, if you ever see Lin Mengjuan, tell her that whatever she is, I¡¯m d to have known her.¡±

    ¡°Captain, check out what¡¯s behind the Gates for, me,¡± Ronnie said with a matching smile.

    ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡± Can shook off the snow on her and stumbled to catch up with the rest of the team.

    Halfway to the group, she suddenly stopped to look back at Gao Yang with lingering attachment. Then she cocked her head and waved slightly with a smile before turning back and jogging up to the group.

    <i>Come back!</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go!</i>

    <i>That¡¯s an order!!</i>

    <i>I¡¯m your captain! Stop right there!!</i>

    Gao Yang was rooted to the spot, unable to move.

    He wanted to shout, but something was blocking his throat. He could only watch as the five familiar figures vanished in the heavy snow.

    The storm increased in intensity, turning Gao Yang into a snowman. It was getting darker and darker. And when he realized it, it was already pitch ck around him.

    His feet lost purchase. He quickly plunged toward the endless void.

    A hollowness overtook his heart. He felt like he was being gnawed and eaten by countless bugs of void.

    He was scared, helpless, on the verge of tears.

    But suddenly, he was propped up. The support eased his rising anxiety.

    In the dark, five familiar hands reached him to rest on his forehead, shoulders, and chest, injecting him with mystical energy like a silent, warm blessing.

    Then Gao Yang heard a chorus of inhales.

    ...

    ¡°The odds be with, you.¡±

 Chapter 809: A Body

    <h4>Chapter 809: A Body</h4>

    Triangr Towers, Ni Nation.

    It took no more than a few hours for the Heavenly Way to fix the deep pit in the desert like nothing had happened. That night, many residents outside the tourist sight were woken up by a thunderous explosion, but no one could tell for sure what had happened in the desert due to the fleeting sandstorm covering the entire area immediately following the explosion.

    Of course, there were some residents who had witnessed the scene due to not having retired to bed. They imed that a golden pir of light had shot into the sky from the desert, but they didn¡¯t manage to snap a photo in time.

    There were various spections about the strange phenomenon. Some imed that it was an alien spaceship descending upon the world. Some said that it was God bringing down punishment and triggering a countdown for the impending apocalypse. Others theorized that it was the military experimenting with some sort of high-tech weapon in the hidden underground base and identally causing an explosion.

    Every theory was more absurd than the previous one, but no one ever dug deep into the matter.

    The second day, the tourist site opened to visitors since early morning just as usual. Many came to see the triangr towers, take pictures, and check in on social media. It was just another day.

    ...

    Heart of the desert, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Under the life monster altar, the temple ruin had already been restored by the Heavenly Way. There was a hum. Then a blue orb of light appeared in the heart of the dark, empty temple courtyard like a will-o¡¯-the-wisp.

    Soon, the blue orb opened to the top and bottom and turned into a vertical crack. Then the crack expanded to the sides and became a portal with flickering blue light.

    A few secondster, four unclear and wavering figures appeared on the other side of the portal like reflection on a sereneke.

    One after another, they emerged from the ke¡±. They were Qilin, One Stone, Liao Liao, and Wandering Tune.

    Holding his cane with his left hand, Qilin looked down at the ancient stone floor lit by the blue energy of the portal. At his feet was a shallow ditch filled with mmable substance.

    He knew what it was. Taking a lighter out of the pocket of his trenchcoat, he flicked it and threw the lighter into the ditch.

    <i>Swoosh. </i>The substance immediately ignited and spread into a line of mes on both sides, quickly splitting into more crisscrossing burning branches. In a matter of seconds, countless lines drew the pattern of a life monster. The quiet mes illuminated the empty, silent courtyard.

    ¡°Holy...¡±

    One Stone gaped. She had seen the pictures before, but looking at the ce in person now, she couldn¡¯t help but be shaken by the awe-inspiring unknowable presence of the ancient, grand temple ruin.

    One Stone soon realized that the obelisk and the ck sarcophagus, the key features catured in the pictures, were gone. It seemed that not even the Heavenly Way could restore everything.

    Amid the wavering firelight, Qilin had a dark look on his face. With his sses reflecting the light, his eyes were obscured.

    A few secondster, he made an order in a low voice. ¡°Liao Liao, recon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Liao Liao responded respectfully. She raised her hands and used level 5 Insects King. In no time, arge swarm of insects emerged from the portal behind them.

    They hovered above Liao Liao¡¯s head shortly like a dark cloud, then receiving Liao Liao¡¯s will, they scattered into several swarms of ck smoke.

    Liao Liao remained where she was with her eyes shut, listening to the psychic waves the insects sent her way with full attention.

    In less than two minutes, Liao Liao opened her eyes and let out a long breath. ¡°I¡¯ve looked everywhere in this area, Guildmaster. There¡¯s no living person outside of us. And I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an ambush...¡±

    Qilin stayed silent. He knew Liao Liao wasn¡¯t done yet.

    After two seconds of hesitation, Liao Liao added, ¡°I found a body on your four, sir.¡±

    ¡°Whose body?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The insects aren¡¯t smart enough to tell.¡±

    The air curdled with heavy and strange tension. One Stone exchange nces with Liao Liao without saying anything.

    Wandering Tune smartly stayed quiet.

    Qilin¡¯s left hand tightened around his cane. The previous day, in early morning, the Ocean River Union had stopped the Nine Scions¡¯ bomb attack and returned to the underground base to recuperate. Then Qilin and Surnamed Li had been waiting for Yan Liang and Azure Dragon to get back to them. They even contacted the two men twice, but couldn¡¯t reach them.

    Qilin had guessed then that they must have encountered Gao Yang, and that things hadn¡¯t gone as smoothly as nned. The two groups must have had a intense sh.

    However, Qilin was confident in his people. Yan Liang and Azure Dragon had brought a group of elites, and they had set up an ambush beforehand. Outside of those who had attacked the underground base, Gao Yang could only bring Qing Ling, Ke Yo, and Can with him among the Nine Scions. They didn¡¯t have enough power to be the Union¡¯s match.

    Yet Yan Liang and Azure Dragon remained unreachable even when the day broke. Only then did Qilin realize the severity of the situation.

    What happened in Ni Nation could be worse than he imagined.

    Nevertheless, Qilin held onto his wishful thinking.

    It wasn¡¯t until Azure Dragon and Yan Liang remained unreachable at noon that Qilin could no longer sit around. He immediately set out for Ni Nation with Liao Liao, Wandering Tune, and One Stone.

    Liao Liao¡¯s Follow Heart was best for group activity, and with six Talents, she was a formidable fighter.

    Wandering Tune would make it easy for them to enter the temple ruin under the desert, while One Stone was the best healer outside of Vermilion Bird, able to treat the injured if there was any.

    It was early morning when the four of them rushed to the triangr towers in Ni Nation nonstop.

    Qilin collected himself and said in a low voice, ¡°Liao Liao, lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Liao Liao led them to the body.

    Although her insects had scouted the ce, Liao Liao still moved slowly, on high alert for any dangers that might strike. All the while, she had been crying out in her mind, <i>I said I didn¡¯t want to go to the frontline. Why must you take me every time! With poweres responsibility?! Did I fucking ask for all these Talents?!</i>

    <i>Something¡¯s not right. It¡¯s 120% not right. I couldn¡¯t have guessed right, could I? Did something happen to both Elder Azure Dragon and Yan Liang?</i>

    Liao Liao¡¯s eyes focused suddenly. There was a body lying ahead, a headless one.

    The clothes were tattered and torn, and the body covered in wounds. The fight must have been intense.

    There was something strange about his body. It seemed tall and big, yet a closer inspection revealed that the body was sunken in, as if it had...lost its substance.

    Two secondster, Liao Liao jumped, her eyes widened.

    She recognized it. The body belonged to Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Agh!¡± One Stone cried out and immediately rushed up to the body, kneeling on one knee. She looked it over closely, right hand still clutching on the handle of her medicine kit but not opening it. It wouldn¡¯t do any good, clearly.

    She looked up with a pale face and said shakily, ¡°Guildmaster! It¡¯s...it¡¯s Elder Azure Dragon...¡±

    Qilin remained where he was with a dark look on his face, silent.

    ¡°Guildmaster...that way...¡± Wandering Tune¡¯s expression was grave, too. He turned to the side and pointed at a stone pir. There was something protruding from the pir.

    Qilin walked up to it, limping slightly with his cane.

    One, two, three steps...

    His legs had never felt so heavy, and his body so exhausted.

    Finally, he reached the stone pir, and indeed, there was something else attached to it¡ªAzure Dragon¡¯s head, with blooding out of his orifices.

    The Heavenly Way was getting visibly weaker. It made such a great mistake when restoring the underground ruin and ended up treating an awakener¡¯s head as part of the ruin, embedding it into the stone pir.

    Azure Dragon¡¯s head happened to be at Qilin¡¯s eye level. The man had lost his eyes, leaving only two ck sockets with curdled blood.

    The two empty holes ¡°stared¡± at Qilin.

    With the light of the mes illuminating Qilin from his back, there was no longer a re in the sses perching on his nose. His dark green eyes seemed like the frozen surface of ake, under which wasn¡¯t rippling water, but zing fire.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Hit with an ominous feeling, One Stone immediately shouted at Liao Liao and Wandering Tune, ¡°Shut your eyes!¡±

 Chapter 810: Ire

    <h4>Chapter 810: Ire</h4>

    Liao Liao and Wandering Tune started. Although they didn¡¯t know why One Stone had suddenly given the warning, survival instinctpelled them to squeeze their eyes shut without hesitation.

    A secondter, pinprick pain hit Liao Liao in the back of her head, quickly spreading to the rest of her body and turning her legs into jelly. She copsed onto her knees.

    Keeping her eyes shut, Liao Liao propped herself up with both hands on the ground, feeling the prickling pain lessen like it was melting, reced by concrete images.

    She ¡°saw¡± a giant python coiled before her, its sheer size filling her vision like a tall mountain. Its giant grayish-green head approached her, the eyes two vortexes that seemed to be sucking her in. Crimson tongue flicked out every once in a while as eerie red humidity puffed out of its nostrils.

    Liao Liao shuddered and tensed with undiluted instinctual fear from her bones. She wanted to scream, yet terror silenced her and kept her eyes shut. It was as if as long as she didn¡¯t open her eyes, she would blend in with the thick darkness and avoid alerting the python, while the python would swallow her whole the moment she opened her eyes.

    Thank heavens the terror and illusion faded after a few seconds.

    Liao Liao regained control over her body and slowly opened her eyes. Qilin remained where he was, looking up at the head embedded in the stone pir.

    But the head of the cane in his grasp had been crushed, and his sses had fallen to the ground at some point with the lenses all shattered.

    <i>What...did he do?</i>

    Liao Liao heaved quickly in confusion. Then a hand helped her up.

    It was One Stone. With a grave look that Liao Liao felt, One Stone asked in concern, ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m alright,¡± Liao Liao said quietly. ¡°What...did Guildmaster do?¡±

    ¡°His psychic power leaks out when he¡¯s angry.¡± One Stone smiled bitterly. ¡°Those who are too close to him could easily get hurt.¡±

    <i>But I¡¯d never seen Qilin this furious.</i>

    One Stone didn¡¯t voice that thought.

    Wandering Tune didn¡¯t fare much better. Face pale and covered in cold sweat, he slowly got to his feet and took a few involuntary steps back.

    There was only one thought in his head at this moment: <i>I must never get on this man¡¯s bad side! I¡¯d rather kill myself than die at his hands!</i>

    As soon as fear instilled the thought in him, he jumped again.

    Qilin suddenly staggered and fell to the ground.

    Wandering Tune gaped. <i>Huh? What...</i>

    Liao Liao was stunned as well. <i>Is he...cking out from his anger?</i>

    ¡°Guildmaster!¡± One Stone rushed up to him instantly. ¡°You alright?¡±

    It seemed that Qilin had only cked out for two seconds before he opened his green eyes, his gaze even icier.

    One Stone didn¡¯t understand what was going on. She reached out to help Qilin up, but he seized her wrist with lightning quick reflex.

    ¡°Agh! Guildmaster...¡± One Stone¡¯s look of worry crumbled, feeling a great pain shooting in her wrist. Her bones were going to break.

    Qilin seemed to recover then. He stopped applying pressure and let go. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    One Stone paused. ¡°Then I¡¯ll...help you up?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s breathing slowly recovered, and his voice became gentle again.

    He allowed One Stone to help him get back to his feet. Liao Liao quickly went up to hand him his cane, the top part of which he had crushed. ¡°Guildmaster, your cane.¡±

    Qilin took it and nodded slightly.

    After steadying himself, he took out another pair of sses from his coat pocket and put them on. Finally, his fierce green eyes softened a little.

    The other three felt the great pressure suddenly lifted, and they let out a silent sigh of relief.

    Qilin turned away from Azure Dragon¡¯s body and head. ¡°One Stone, take Azure Dragon¡¯s body back. Don¡¯t bury him. Keep it well stored.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± One Stone didn¡¯t know what had happened to Vermilion Bird, so she readily epted the order.

    Staring ahead, Qilin continued, ¡°Look around again, Liao Liao, and see if you can find any other body, be it one of ours or the enemies.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Liao Liao moved away and began to summon her army of insects.

    After a few seconds of consideration, Qilin said, ¡°Wandering Tune, you can sense spatial abnormality with your Portal, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I can,¡± Wandering Tune said honestly. ¡°If a space has been tampered with, I¡¯ll know, but only within the forty-eight hours.¡±

    ¡°Look around if there are traces left from a fight with Time-Space Talents.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Wandering Tune turned and walked away.

    Each of the three got on with their tasks. Qilin closed his eyes.

    Holding his broken cane, he slowly clenched his other fist and took deep breaths, exploring the now moreplicated andplex energy routes in his body and trying to understand and integrate them.

    A few minutester, the three members hadpleted their tasks.

    One Stone extracted Azure Dragon¡¯s head from the stone pir and roughly sutured it back to the body, putting the cadaver into a special body bag¡ªshe had brought it anticipating there to be casualties.

    Liao Liao had searched the ruin thoroughly again. She reported, ¡°I¡¯ve searched the ce thoroughly, Guildmaster. There¡¯s no other survivors or bodies around.¡±

    Qilin nodded. ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster!¡± Wandering Tune jogged up to them from their nine. ¡°I spotted a lot of traces left by spatial Talents. There¡¯s a particr hotspot.¡±

    ¡°Take me there.¡± Qilin turned on his heels and followed him.

    The four of them reached the edge of the courtyard where stone pirs formed a forest, each etched with ancient patterns and mysterious symbols. They entered the stone forest.

    Wandering Tune pointed at a stone pir. ¡°Here. I sense a dense burst of spatial energy.¡±

    This could be where Elder Yan Liang had died.

    Wandering Tune didn¡¯t dare to say that. He was worried that he would anger Qilin again and got hit with friendly fire.

    Qilin stared at it impassively.

    After a while, he said, ¡°Leave and wait for me at the hotel, all of you.¡±

    One Stone paused, confused. There was no debating how powerful Qilin was, yes, but his Talent determined what he was capable of, and without Wandering Tune¡¯s Portal, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to get out of here.

    Wandering Tune and Liao Liao had the same thoughts, but they didn¡¯t ask about it.

    ¡°Alright. Be careful, Guildmaster.¡± One Stone kept her question to herself, too. She took Liao Liao and Wandering Tune away.

    Qilin watched them go and waited for a few minutes before turning around. He spoke to the empty space, ¡°We¡¯re clear now, Uncle Yan. Come on out if you¡¯re still alive.¡±

 Chapter 811: Spinning Top Plan

    <h4>Chapter 811: Spinning Top n</h4>

    Qilin¡¯s voice echoed in the empty forest of stone pirs before quieting.

    About ten seconds passed.

    <i>Hum</i>. A one-meter-long narrow crack appeared in the dim space before Qilin, making crackling noises like strayed currents. Then a bloodied frail hand reached out, trying but failing to find purchase. The hand pulled back inch by inch, and the crack got smaller and smaller like it was going to zip back up.

    Qilin frowned and went up to grab the hand, yanking it out.

    <i>Hiss</i>. The arm was pulled out, followed by Sir Jiang¡¯s head. The left side of his face was all charred and bloodied.

    Qilin had anticipated the condition Yan Liang would be in and didn¡¯t seem surprised. He continued to pull the old man out, and three secondster, Sir Jiang popped out of the spatial crack.

    Like a ck rag drenched in blood, the old man¡¯s weak, torn bodynded on the ground lightly, on the verge of death. The right arm and left leg were missing, and critical injuries covered the body. His bones had almost all been broken.

    Qilin crouched down immediately to inject Sir Jiang with the Medicine C he had on him. After a minute, Qilin gave him a shot of specialized adrenaline.

    It took ten minutes for Sir Jiang to recover thirty to forty percent. The stumps of his severed limbs mended and stopped bleeding.

    Sir Jiang still didn¡¯t have the strength to move. He remained prone on the ground and struggled to speak in a hoarse, weak voice, ¡°I was ambushed by Gao Yang and had to go into hiding. How¡¯s...Azure Dragon...?¡±

    Qilin looked down at Sir Jiang. The pride monster looked close to croaking. After a few silent seconds, he cast his cane away and sat down beside Sir Jiang, crossing his legs.

    Qilin said in a tired, dejected voice, ¡°Dead.¡±

    That didn¡¯t surprise Sir Jiang. He sighed and said, ¡°Gao Yang acquired Absolute Defense. He used himself as bait to lure us here before catching us by surprise with bombs...¡±

    Sir Jiang then told Qilin what he knew and the conjectures he hade to.

    The only silver lining was that the mummified life monster had been moved by Yan Liang in advance rather than falling to Gao Yang¡¯s hand, but Gao Yang didn¡¯t seem to want it to begin with.

    ¡°Now it seems that not even Azure Dragon and Six Rime were his matches,¡± Yan Liang concluded.

    ¡°There were four of them,¡± Qilin disagreed. ¡°If it had been one-on-one, Gao Yang wouldn¡¯t have defeated Azure Dragon.¡±

    ¡°I thought so too, and that was why so many had died.¡± Yan Liang propped himself up with one hand with difficulty. While he was reflecting on his mistakes, his tone didn¡¯t sound guilty. ¡°The Divine Scion¡¯s growing too quickly. You may not be his match if we run into him the next time. Don¡¯t forget that he has the Guard Rune Circuit. He can get to level 8.¡±

    Qilin¡¯s eyes narrowed. He said calmly, ¡°He isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s growing stronger.¡±

    Yan Liang looked at Qilin¡¯s profile. He seemed to realize something after a few seconds, and he nodded. ¡°As long as you¡¯re confident.¡±

    ¡°Your hypothesis is right, though. The Heavenly Way¡¯s power allocation is getting more and more centralized. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because of awakeners dying too quickly, not entirely, at least.¡±

    Qilin stood back up with his cane and offered Yan Liang a hand, pulling him up.

    Without his right arm and left leg, Yan Liang stood shakily like a ck crane getting weak in old age.

    Yan Liang said in a calm, bleak voice, ¡°I have no more than a few days to live after suffering this hit. You must acquire the Psyche Rune Circuit and ensure your victory, or I won¡¯t be able to rest in peace.¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs have the Psyche Rune Circuit,¡± said Qilin. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±

    ¡°The Spinning Top n is the only way out.¡± Yan Liang¡¯s hoarse voice sounded urgent. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time, Mu Xing.¡±

    Qilin looked ahead, his eyes darkening gradually.

    ...

    Li City, the next noon.

    Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers, Southbound Road, Daxu District.

    On the mezzanine level of the flower shop, Heavenly Dog slumped on the sofa in a loose ck sweater, straight-leg jeans, and white sneakers, enjoying a leisurely time with his headphones on and eyes closed.

    A ray of winter day sun shone through the window on his delicate face and fine strands of fringe. Faint golden dust danced on his long eyshes. It seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl.

    Footsteps came from the wooden stairs. The owner of the flower shop, Songstress, came up with two cups of coffee.

    She had light makeup on and was dressed in an oversized light green cardigan and ck dress, topped with a work apron of simr color. Her brown long hair was casually put up with curls falling on the sides of her face. Hers was a soft and refreshing beauty.

    ¡°Here, coffee.¡±

    Heavenly Dog opened his eyes and pulled the headphones to his neck. ¡°Oh.¡±

    Songstress put the cups of coffee on the round wooden table before the sofa, grabbing a chair for herself. Her expectant eyes locked onto Heavenly Dog. ¡°How is it?¡±

    Today, Songstress rmended jazz music to Heavenly Dog for the first time.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Heavenly Dog thought for a moment before saying honestly, ¡°Makes me sleepy.¡±

    Songstressughed. ¡°The rxing factor is one of its selling points, but I don¡¯t rmend you listen to it with your headphones.¡±

    ¡°My headphones provide excellent sound quality,¡± Heavenly Dog protested.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Songstress held her cup of coffee with both hands and ced it on herp, speaking at a leisurely pace, ¡°Jazz is an art of improvisation. It¡¯s free and shouldn¡¯t be trapped in your ears. You should ce no boundaries and allow the music to go wherever it wants to go. Simply put, the music should be allowed to blend in with the ambiance around you. Then it¡¯ll feel different.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Heavenly Dog nodded. ¡°Sounds impressive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m far from an expert though.¡± Songstress smiles bashfully. ¡°Ghost Horse loved jazz. Whenever I talked to him about it, he spoke a lot more than usual.¡±

    Heavenly Dog blinked, hesitant to say something.

    Songstress noticed. ¡°Just speak your mind.¡±

    ¡°How could you bring Ghost Horse up so easily?¡± Heavenly Dog asked earnestly. ¡°Don¡¯t you get sad?¡±

    Songstress shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, why should I?¡±

    Heavenly Dog lowered his eyes and looked down at his coffee, unsure of what to say. He still couldn¡¯t bring up his ¡°mother¡± easily.

    Songstress chuckled. ¡°To me, Ghost Horse¡¯s never left for real. He lives on in my memory, in my life. If I avoid talking about him, that¡¯s stranger.¡±

    Heavenly Dog pondered. He wasn¡¯t sure he understood fully.

    ¡°You¡¯re still young, Heavenly Dog,¡± Songstress exined kindly like an older sister. ¡°The connection, or bond, between people aren¡¯t dictated by rational thinking or will, but the heart.¡±

    Heavenly Dog looked up at her. ¡°The heart?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Songstress rested her left hand on her chest. ¡°The heart determines when we think of someone and when we forget someone, so we should just follow the flow.¡±

    Heavenly Dog paused before cracking a youthful smile, scratching his face with an index finger. ¡°I still prefer popr music. That was what my mother used to put on when I was little. It was her fault that I don¡¯t have a cultured taste.¡±

    Songstressughed. ¡°Although I lost a fellow fan, I gained an honestpanion. I¡¯ll consider it my gain.¡±

    ¡°And I learned...¡± Heavenly Dog stopped, his gaze sharpening. He shot to his feet.

 Chapter 812: Scumbag

    <h4>Chapter 812: Scumbag</h4>

    Two seconds before, a cool wind entered Heavenly Dog¡¯s brain. It was the first time since the Starcatching Pavilion that the Nine Scions reestablished contact with the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    Heavenly Dog had been visiting Songstress¡¯ flower shop more frequently these days to wait for the Nine Scions to contact him, which was War Tiger¡¯s mission for him.

    [Nine Frost: The Nine Scions need help.]

    [Heavenly Dog: What help?]

    [Nine Frost: Medical supplies and a person.]

    [Heavenly Dog: Who?]

    [Nine Frost: Adept Horse.]

    [Heavenly Dog: I¡¯d need Uncle Tiger to approve it.]

    [Nine Frost: Please do it ASAP.]

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Songstress blinked up at Heavenly Dog when he suddenly shot to his feet.

    ¡°Um...¡± Heavenly Dog recovered hisposure and scratched his face. ¡°I suddenly remember that my afternoon sses aren¡¯t skippable, or I won¡¯t be able to graduate.¡±

    Songstress smiled wryly. ¡°I almost forgot you¡¯re still a college student. Go.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Bye.¡± Heavenly Dog put on his headphones and hurried out of the higher level of the shop.

    Instead of going downstairs immediately, Songstress took advantage of the brief time when there was no patron to put a record on a turntable, lounging on the sofa to enjoy the jazz music with coffee.

    She spent the next twenty minutes in silent enjoyment of the coffee. Then with the coffee finished, she washed the cup and went downstairs.

    There was a middle-aged man in the shop. He must have kept a bald head before, which he covered up with a ck winter hat now. Dressed in ck casual clothes, he stood with his profile to Songstress, back slightly hunched with one hand in his pocket and the other hand reaching forward to rustle a white tulip.

    ¡°Wee. What may I do for...¡± Songstress walked up to the man. Her friendly smile suddenly froze.

    The man pulled back and slowly turned around.

    He was in his thirties. While he could be described as being on the handsome side, there was a strange gloom to his presence, most likely due to his dull-looking brown eyes that seemed covered by fog.

    ¡°Little Nan, it¡¯s been a while.¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded strangely gritty like the sound of a calloused palm rubbing against a dusty hardcover book.

    He was Miss, a former member of Team Chen Ying of the Hundred Rivers Union, but now the Protector of Team Yan Liang at the Ocean River Union.

    Songstress did her best to rx her smile into a more natural one. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Miss.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re treating me like a stranger.¡± Miss curled his lips. ¡°You may call me Brother You like you did in the past.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you by your codename.¡± Songstress remained polite but distant. ¡°We¡¯re no longer who we were in the past.¡±

    Miss gave her a long hard look and said with traces of guilt in his voice, ¡°Do you still me me, Little Nan?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Songstress didn¡¯t want to get into it, so she changed the topic. ¡°Are you here for flowers? Or are you here on behalf of the Ocean River Union?¡±

    ¡°Little Nan.¡± Miss smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here to share good news with you.¡±

    Songstress stayed silent.

    ¡°From today on, I¡¯ll officially be the Protector under Elder Yan Liang¡¯smand at the Ocean River Union.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions,¡± Songstress said politely.

    ¡°I helped Surnamed Li find the Nine Scions¡¯ hideout and acquired my fourth Talent recently. I¡¯m no longer the weak man I used to be.¡±

    ¡°Qin You.¡± Songstress had run out of patience. She met his gaze. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else...¡±

    ¡°Nan Feng.¡± Qin Yo walked up to her with a serious expression and lowered his voice, ¡°Come to the Union with me. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Songstress paused, amused by the absurdity of it. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it a little toote to say that?¡±

    Qin You said after a moment, ¡°You still me me, Little Nan. I didn¡¯t have a choice back then. You have to put yourself in my shoes...¡±

    ¡°You misunderstood,¡± Songstress cut him off coolly. ¡°I don¡¯t me you. I just want to tell you that things have changed. We each have our path and life. There¡¯s no need to dwell on the past.¡±

    Qin You frowned. ¡°We separated because of circumstances, but I¡¯ve never forgotten you all these years. Now, I¡¯m given a chance by heavens. I¡¯m stronger now. I can protect you...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s protection.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you can¡¯t see it!¡± Qin Yo suddenly shouted, losingposure. ¡°Nan Feng! A war is breaking out. Do you think the Twelve Zodiac Signs can stay on the sidelines?!¡±

    Songstress fell silent. She could read surgency in his eyes. She softened her voice, ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the offer, Qin You, but I have my own reasons for not leaving the Twelve Zodiac Signs. I¡¯ll pretend you hadn¡¯t made the offer all that. Don¡¯te to me again.¡±

    Qin You¡¯s dark eyes turned icer. ¡°Is it because of Ghost Horse?¡±

    Songstress blinked.

    ¡°I heard long ago that you two had a thing going on.¡±

    Songstress cracked a smile after a few seconds. It was a happy and content smile. ¡°Yes, we were together.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Qin You¡¯s eyes shone with madness as he suddenly seized her hand. ¡°He¡¯s dead! I don¡¯t mind your past! Come with me...¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Startled, Sonstress struggled against his grip but couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing! If you don¡¯t let go, I won¡¯t stay civil!¡±

    ¡°Little Nan! He¡¯s dead! Dead!¡± Qin You wouldn¡¯t relent. ¡°We¡¯re still alive! We have to look ahead! We can have a better future...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Songstress shouted, her voice imbued with powerful hypnotizing energy.

    Qin You felt like an invisible hand had strummed the cords that were his nervous system. Then an overpowering sleepiness hit him.

    He let go of Songstress and staggered back, trying to stay awake.

    Songstress retracted the energy of Requiem, the heaving of her chest subsiding. Her voice was brimming with disappointment she couldn¡¯t hide when she said, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the biggest difference between us, Qin You?¡±

    Qin You stared at her in disbelief.

    He couldn¡¯t believe such a reaction from the innocent cute girl who always tagged along, calling him Brother You every few words.

    Songstress continued, ¡°You¡¯re always looking ahead and never pay attention to the scenery around you. I¡¯m different. I don¡¯t have to reach the destination. I¡¯ve already seen the most wonderful scenery, and that¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Little Nan.¡±

    ¡°<i>Protector Qin You</i>, please go if you¡¯re not here to get flowers.¡± Songstress politely turned him away.

    Qin You red at Songstress with disappointment and anger, his eyes dimming and cooling before growing hazy again. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve missed, Songstress.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed nothing.¡± Songstress smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    Qin You turned to leave, stopping after taking two steps.

    A beautiful silver-haired woman was standing at the entrance to the flower shop, Liu Qingying.

    She smiled in a natural and friendly manner without a trace of awkwardness and embarrassment. ¡°Isn¡¯t it Mr. Miss? What a coincidence. You¡¯re here to get flowers?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t find what I¡¯m looking for here.¡± Qin You scoffed.

    ¡°Haha, there aren¡¯t a lot of varieties at Songstress¡¯ shop. I would be visiting other ces if not for her extraordinary skill in making bouquets.¡± Liu Qingying sauntered inside and winked at Qin You. ¡°Should we meet up someday? I know a thing or two about flowers.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Qin You left the shop and strode away.

    After making sure that he was out of earshot, Liu Qingying broke into a derisive sneer, taking off her friendly mask. ¡°What a scumbag.¡±

 Chapter 813: Fateâ€™s a Fickle Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 813: Fate¡¯s a Fickle Mistress</h4>

    Liu Qingying cursed Miss out before turning to Songstress with a smile. ¡°How can you take it? I¡¯d have pped him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad a person,¡± Songstress said resignedly.

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re still defending him?¡± Liu Qingying scoffed. ¡°Whatever the reason, all men who get violent with women are scum to me.¡±

    ¡°I knew Qin You from way back.¡± Songstress sighed softly, recalling her past.

    ¡°Oh, dear, it seems I¡¯ve visited at the right time.¡± Liu Qingying covered her mouth and smirked dramatically. ¡°I was only going to get a bouquet, but I got a gossip for free.¡±

    ¡°Did I say I¡¯d tell you the story?¡± Songstress shot her an exasperated yet yful re.

    ¡°Sis.¡± Liu Qingying went up to hook her arm around Songstress¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s a nice day today. We should listen to music and have tea together while we curse out terrible men. What a wonderful time it¡¯ll be.¡±

    Songstress knew that Liu Qingying hadn¡¯te to just get flowers. She smiled faintly, ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll have afternoon tea.¡±

    She flipped the sign outside to ¡°closed¡± and made two cups of coffee, going up to the mezzanine floor with Liu Qingying.

    Despite Songstress¡¯ reluctance, she relented under Liu Qingying¡¯s insistence and reminisced about her past with Qin You.

    ¡°Qin You and I were neighbors. He was three years older than me...¡±

    ¡°Huh? Only three years?¡± Liu Qingying was shocked. ¡°He looks at least a decade older than you. Isn¡¯t he aging way too quickly?¡±

    Songstress smiled withoutmenting on it, continuing with her story. ¡°My father passed away when I was young. My mother worked two jobs in order to support me and didn¡¯t have the time to take care of me. But she was close to an auntie who lived near us. The auntie told her son to take care of me. That was Qin You.¡±

    ¡°When I was in elementary school, Qin You took me to school and picked me up after school every day. Sometimes, when my mother worked night shifts, he woulde to our home to help me do homework until my mother returned.¡±

    Songstress put her hands around her cup of coffee andmented, ¡°When he was little, Qin You was a square of a boy who saw it as his duty to take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Once, he went to the restroom and came out to find me, who should be doing homework, gone. He searched through the house and was terrified of losing me somewhere. He almost called the police.¡±

    ¡°I just went to the shop downstairs to get a popsicle, and I went home after ten minutes. Qin You was mad. He scolded me for going out just like that. I felt wronged. It was my home. I could get out whenever I wanted. We fought over that and gave each other the silent treatment for a week. It¡¯s funny when I think about it now.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s expression turnedplicated. She shook her head. ¡°The Qin You from your childhood doesn¡¯t sound like the Miss I know.¡±

    ¡°People change.¡±

    Songstress narrowed her eyes and smiled a little ruefully. ¡°I admired him quite a lot when I was young. He knew everything and he was brave. I remember once, on our way home, a vicious dog lunged at us, and he got bitten for protecting me. I was moved. I went home and told my mother that I would marry Brother You when I grew up.¡±

    Songstress waved her hand. ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t take a child at their word.¡±

    ¡°Then we grew up, and we remained close. I treated him as an older brother. When I went to high school, he was in college. And at some point I couldn¡¯t remember, Qin You came to feel something other than brotherly love for me. He brought me gifts every holiday and asked me out to meals, shopping, and movies.¡±

    ¡°The summer after I graduated high school, Qin You asked me to go out with him on the night of <i>qixi</i>[1].¡± Songstress smiled. ¡°I could more or less guess that he was going to confess to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to say Qin You was quite patient before.¡± Liu Qingying felt conflicted.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s always been a little sensitive and had a bit of an inferiorityplex. He grew up without a father, and his family wasn¡¯t well off. He¡¯s not particrly good-looking, either.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s not get into that. Talk about the date.¡± Liu Qingying smirked.

    ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible.¡± Songstress sipped on her coffee. ¡°I only just understood matters of the heart then and could tell that he liked me, but I was too insensitive to tell if my feelings for him were for a friend, family, or love interest. We knew each other when we were young, and all sorts of feelings were involved. It was difficult to tell them apart.¡±

    ¡°Like a fish unable to describe what water is because it lives in it,¡± Liu Qingying made an analogy.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Songstress nodded with a smile. ¡°Although I agreed to go on the date, I didn¡¯t have an answer. It was said in a book that a coin toss could help when we couldn¡¯t make a decision. The moment the coin is tossed, the heart would know the answer.¡±

    ¡°So I thought perhaps I would have the answer when he confessed to me. I would know if I wanted to ept or reject him.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡± Liu Qingying leaned toward her slightly.

    ¡°Then I waited untilte at night, but he never showed up.¡± Songstress cocked her head and pursed her lips.

    ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s so cliche my head hurts.¡± Liu Qingying could guess what happened next. She leaned back. ¡°So, he awakened?¡±

    Songstress nodded. ¡°I only learned afterward that he awakened suddenly and almost got killed by a good friend of his. The Hundred Rivers Union saved him. When he learned the truth of the Mist World, he cut all ties without hesitation and joined the Union.¡±

    ¡°To me, Qin You might as well have vanished from the world. His mother only had him and was worried sick. She even got mentally ill because of it. I¡¯d been wondering about him, too. Then I graduated from college and opened a flower shop, meeting Ghost Horse.¡±

    ¡°Ghost Horse was a frequent patron of my shop. One day, when I suddenly awakened, it was he who noticed in time and saved me. I joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs then, and the rest is history.¡±

    Liu Qingying nodded slightly, looking bemused.

    ¡°Only after bing an awakener did I know that Qin You had joined the Hundred Rivers Union and given himself the name Miss. I didn¡¯t really resent him since I could understand his decision. Still, it did sadden me to think about his mother. I wished he would visit her, but Miss kept avoiding me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps he felt guilty and didn¡¯t know how to face me and his mother. Or perhaps he felt inferior because his Talent was weaker than mine.¡±

    ¡°I was quite surprised when he sought me out today.¡± Songstress smiled bitterly. ¡°It feels like he¡¯s changedpletely, but not changed at all at the same time.¡±

    Liu Qingying sighed. ¡°Fate¡¯s a fickle mistress.¡±

    ¡°True that.¡± Songstress put down her cup and stretched elegantly.

    ¡°Still, I think fate treats me quite well. It was my greatest luck to have known Ghost Horse. I¡¯ve already seen the most wonderful scenery. I have no regret in life.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d say the same about myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a gossip about myself.¡± Songstress gave Liu Qingying a meaningful look. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time to talk about yours?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t have such a story to tell.¡± Liu Qingying reached out and ced a hand on Songstress¡¯ arm with a smile, injecting energy into her palm. It was the mark of Sweet Dream.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to get flowers and free afternoon tea.¡± Liu Qingying rose to her feet and went downstairs.

    Songstress stood up too.

    <i>As expected of an information broker. She¡¯s cautious.</i>

    1. Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day. ?

 Chapter 814: Fat Horse

    <h4>Chapter 814: Fat Horse</h4>

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion,te at night.

    The dark, silent mansion seemed to blend into the forest, shrouded in a hazy dim moonlight. Upon closer inspection, though, one would see faint green light leaking from the drawn curtains of the first-floor living room every now and then.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Fat Jun asked as he healed Nainai.

    ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s just a little scratch. This Empress...¡± Nainai couldn¡¯t help but suck in a breath.

    ¡°Haha, still hurt a little, right?¡± Fat Jun smiled good-naturedly. ¡°That¡¯s what happens with quick healing.¡±

    It all started two days ago. Nine Frost and the team had openly attacked the Ocean River Union and faced them head-on before making their escape, and Nainai, Chen Ying, and Wang Zikai suffered quite a serious injury. Due to them running out of Medicine C, they weren¡¯t able to recover quickly.

    After returning to base, Nine Frost and the others could only patch the injured up roughly and allow them to recover on their own.

    Wang Zikai was a special case. While he had been the most seriously injured, he was good as new after two days, only he slept a little more as a side effect.

    On the other hand, Nainai and Chen Ying weren¡¯t faring well. Nine Frost was worried that their conditions would get worse, and they would sufferplications even after recovery. After some deliberation, he decided to turn to the Twelve Zodiac Signs for help¡ªGao Yang had said that Nine Frost had the authority to make decisions on all matters while he wasn¡¯t around.

    In disguise, Nine Frost went to Songstress¡¯ shop to contact Heavenly Dog. Then after more exchanges, Heavenly Dog and Fat Jun were invited to the Spectres¡¯ mansion tonight.

    Heavenly Dog had not only brought a healer, but also brought regr medical supplies. Of course, the amount was limited.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs were running low on medicines, too. Ever since the merger of the Qilin Guild and the Hundred Rivers Union, the Ocean River Union had stopped the exchanges for the manufacturing of medicines and equipment on several grounds; it was obviously meant to keep the Zodiacs in check. The Union couldst a long time with the current supplies they had.

    Fat Jun immediately treated Chen Ying and Nainai after entering the mansion.

    Medicine C was mainly meant to quickly mend the wounds to provide first aid to the injured during fights. Then they could recover enough to put up more fight. However, it addressed the symptoms and not the root cause. After using the medicine, the injured would still have to rest to regain their energypletely.

    Fat Jun¡¯s Healing was different. It addressed both the symptoms and the root cause.

    Fat Jun¡¯s Healing was now level 6, allowing him to heal finely and thoroughly. Not only could he heal physical injuries, he could also quickly repair the damaged energy routes in the body.

    In less than ten minutes, Chen Ying felt good as new and brimming with vitality. She was no longer injured or weak.

    Fat Jun took a rest and started treating Nainai.

    ¡°Whew¡ª¡±

    Fat Jun sighed in relief, face covered in sweat. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s about it.¡±

    Nainai jumped to her feet and moved her arms around, satisfied. ¡°This Empress¡¯ divine power is back!¡±

    She ced her hands on her hips and stared at Fat Jun as he rested on the sofa. ¡°Good work, Fat Horse. This Empress approves...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Adept Horse!¡± Fat Jun corrected vehemently.

    ¡°Adept Horse, time to go.¡± Heavenly Dog took off his headphones and drawled, ¡°Uncle Tiger told us to be quick.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Nine Frost, who had been keeping watch at the window, stopped them. ¡°There are more patients in need of treatment.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Fat Jun looked around. While the members of the Nine Scions looked broody, none of them was injured now.

    Nine Frost silently waited.

    <i>Click</i>. The door to the mansion opened after a few seconds. Three backlit figures stood outside. Those in the living room looked up to see Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Ke Yo.

    Hong Xiaoxiao, sitting on the sofa, started. Her eyes, already swollen from crying, brimmed with tears again. She shot to her feet and rushed to the restroom while covering her mouth.

    The other members of the Nine Scions brooded silently as well. They had all learned about Can¡¯s sacrifice.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had broken down in tears immediately and hadn¡¯t eaten anything in the past two days. Knowing that their captain was returning tonight, she had been preparing herself mentally and telling herself to be strong, to face reality like a mature adult and not cry.

    But when she saw Can missing from the group that should be four, she realized all her preparation was for naught. Sorrow crashed through the mental wall she put up like a flood.

    The only thing she could do was hide in the restroom and flush the toilet, drowning out her wails of heartbreak.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Nine Frost said in a low voice.

    ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Gao Yang said tiredly.

    ¡°Anyone hurt?¡± Nine Frost asked. ¡°I asked for Adept Horse¡¯s help. He can heal you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°They are both hurt. Qing Ling¡¯s most seriously injured. Heal her first.¡±

    Qing Ling stood on Gao Yang¡¯s right in a cape, her weak condition obvious from her pale face. Ke Yo stood on his left with a betterplexion, showing mostly exhaustion and sorrow in her expression.

    ¡°And you?¡± Nine Frost asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Gao Yang exined in a cool voice. ¡°Iprehended Gecko, so I recovered well.¡±

    The air in the living room seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

    Gao Yang nced at Heavenly Dog and Fat Jun and spoke with distant politeness, ¡°I¡¯d like to thank your esteemed organization for your help. The Nine Scions will remember that and pay you back.¡±

    Before Fat Jun and Heavenly Dog could say anything, he moved past everyone and went upstairs with his head lowered.

    Fat Jun was filled withplicated feelings. He broke the silence. ¡°Sis...Qing Ling, let me check your injury.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling tore off the cape and threw it to the ground.

    Everyone was stunned when they saw her. Wearing a sleeveless tank top, she was wrapped in bloodied bandages all over. There was almost no part of her that was intact.

    ¡°Um...¡± Fat Jun gaped. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use a shot of Medicine C first?¡±

    ¡°How many did you bring?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°Five,¡± said Heavenly Dog.

    Qing Ling frowned slightly, unhappy with the number. She nced at Fat Jun. ¡°I¡¯m not using it. Just heal me.¡±

    <i>Sister-inw! I get that you want to save medicine!</i>

    <i>But have you considered my well-being?</i>

    Fat Jun swallowed thements and nodded. ¡°Sit here.¡±

    Qing Ling and Fat Jun sat side by side on the sofa. Fat Jun held Qing Ling¡¯s right hand with his gloved hands, closing his eyes and drawing Healing¡¯s power.

    ¡°There are too many injuries on you, Qing Ling, and the damaged energy routes are a mess as a result. I won¡¯t use localized healing on you. It¡¯ll take too much time and effort. And it¡¯d be inappropriate for me to touch some of the parts. I¡¯ll use passive healing on you.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Qing Ling asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll activate your energy and grant it the ability to heal you. You¡¯ll recover by seventy percent. Then you only have to rest a few more days.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Qing Ling was good with that.

    Fat Jun¡¯s hands flickered a brilliant green glow, which split into several translucent streams of green energy and climbed along Qing Ling¡¯s arms like mischievous fairies, swirling around her body.

    The pain from her injuries dulled like ink spreading in water. The deep exhaustion and difort in her body smoothed out like a wrinkled shirt being ironed, too.

    She rxed and slumped on the sofa, quickly falling asleep.

 Chapter 815: Guilt

    <h4>Chapter 815: Guilt</h4>

    Two o¡¯clock in the morning, Gao Yang sat cross-legged against a white stone pir on the second-floor balcony, looking up at the night sky decorated by sprinkles of stars, silent.

    A man slowly went up to sit down beside him.

    Nine Frost had two cans of beer in his hands. ¡°Want a drink?¡±

    Gao Yang remained quiet, seemingly still in deep thought.

    Nine Frost opened a can of beer and handed it to Gao Yang. Gao Yang took it. Then Nine Frost opened the other can for himself and took a sip.

    Gao Yang paused and drank his can, too. A bitter taste hit the tip of his tongue. He never understood why Gray Bear liked beer so much, and he still didn¡¯t get it.

    Then he took another sip.

    That surprised him. <i>Strange. I don¡¯t like the taste, but why am I drinking more?</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ll brief you on the situation on my end first, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    Nine Frost gave a concise report in the next few minutes to exin the situation, leaving out no important details. In the end, he concluded, ¡°No casualties on ours or the enemies¡¯ side.¡±

    Confusion shed through Gao Yang¡¯s eyes. Something didn¡¯t seem right to him, but he didn¡¯t voice it.

    He turned to Nine Frost and said approvingly, ¡°You did well, Nine Frost, including asking the Twelve Zodiac Signs to help with healing. We have to consider our next hideout, though.¡±

    Nine Frsot nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already found a few ces.¡±

    Gao Yang took another sip of the beer. He no longer found it bitter. ¡°I¡¯ll brief you on what happened on my end, too.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Gao Yang took a few minutes to go through what had happened in Ni Nation. It would be impossible to leave out Can¡¯s death, of course.

    Nine Frost looked saddened, but his eyes were determined.

    Gao Yang lowered his head and twirled the half-empty can of beer in his hand. ¡°I kept wondering if there would have been no casualties if I had taken Wang Zikai rather than Can.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Nine Frost shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯d face in Ni Nation, Captain. And if you had taken Wang Zikai instead, Nainai and Chen Ying would have sacrificed themselves on my end. They wouldn¡¯t have escaped sessfully without Wang Zikai¡¯s intervention.¡±

    ¡°Of course, if your sister hadn¡¯t coerced Gregor into getting involved, Wang Zikai might be the one to die. There will always be variables. All we can do is our best.¡±

    Nine Frost tipped his head up and took a big gulp of beer, his Adam¡¯s apple shifting.

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone who can understand your guilt, Captain,¡± Nine Frost paused and smiled bitterly, ¡°That would be me.¡±

    Gao Yang hesitated before finally making himself say, ¡°How did you move on after losing the fourth team, Nine Frost?¡±

    ¡°Did I ever move on?¡± Nine Frost crushed the can in his hand easily. ¡°The guilt never goes away. I just keep telling myself that there are more important things than my guilt, and before doing those things, I don¡¯t have the right to even feel guilty.¡±

    Gao Yang was quiet again.

    After about ten seconds, he downed the whole can of beer and crushed it like Nine Frost had done.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Nine Frost rose to his feet and gently patted Gao Yang¡¯s shoulder before walking away.

    Gao Yang remained sitting with his legs crossed, his gaze on the starry sky.

    After about ten minutes, footsteps approached Gao Yang. The sounds were heavy and a little hesitant. Gao Yang could guess who it was.

    Gently, he called out, ¡°Fat Jun.¡±

    ¡°Bro...Captain Gao.¡± Fat Jun almost called him Brother Yang, but he felt like there was now a greater distance between them.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fat Jun hurried to the balcony.

    Gao Yang said politely, ¡±How are Qing Ling and Ke Yo?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be okay.¡± Fat Jun awkwardly stood by his side, unsure if he should sit down.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush to leave, sit for a while.¡± Gao Yang patted on the ground next to him and offered.

    Fat Jun sat down then, but he still seemed reserved.

    Gao Yang considered Fat Jun. He had gotten thinner. While he was still on the chubby side, it wasn¡¯t in a sickly way, and he seemed more spirited.

    The biggest difference was his eyes. His gaze had been timid and cowardly before, but now, there was a determined confidence behind it.

    ¡°Thank you for what you did,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sis...Qing Ling said that you were seriously injured, too, and she told me to check on you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gao Yang offered a hand. Fat Jun took it and closed his eyes, using Healing to examine Gao Yang¡¯s condition.

    Five secondster, he opened his eyes in surprise and let go of his hand. ¡°Amazing. Despite the extent of your injuries, they are all more or less healed and require no further treatment.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gao Yang said faintly. ¡°Someone¡¯s protecting me.¡±

    Fat Jun wasn¡¯t sure he understood, and he didn¡¯t dwell on it.

    Sitting side by side with Gao Yang, they looked up at the night sky together. A minute passed inpanionable silence.

    Fat Jun knew that if he didn¡¯t ask the question now, there wouldn¡¯t be another chance.

    Finally, he mustered the courage to ask, ¡°When you started the Nine Scions, Brother Yang, why didn¡¯t you notify me?¡±

    Gao Yang paused.

    Fat Jun pushed aside his reservation. Feeling wronged, he grumbled, ¡°Were Officer Huang alive, he would¡¯ve brought me.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart clenched. It felt like someone had stabbed and sliced him with a dagger.

    ¡°Brother Yang, are we notpanions and family?¡± Fat Jun¡¯s voice trembled a little. ¡°Back then, back then, you made a promise in the car. Do you not remember? Or have you been lying to me, and you never actually consider me one of your people...¡±

    ¡°Fat Jun.¡± Gao Yang felt a little guilty. ¡°I didn¡¯t call on you because it was too dangerous. It would be safest for you to stay with the Twelve Zodiac Signs...¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Fat Jun shouted. ¡°Had that been the case, why did you summon Sister-inw? And Brother Kai?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have aeback for that.

    ¡°I¡¯m a healer! The Nine Scions need a healer! You¡¯re the head of the Nine Scions. Shouldn¡¯t you be thinking for everyone? With me here, the Nine Scions will be safer! If you can¡¯t even see that, you aren¡¯t qualified to be the boss!¡±

    Gao Yang was speechless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t figured it out, Gao Yang!¡± Fat Jun let all his bottled-up feelings out. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me! You think I¡¯ve been seduced into being White Rabbit¡¯spdog! You think of me as the kind of person who¡¯ll sell out teammates for a woman! Yes, I like White Rabbit, but I know my priorities! The Twelve Zodiac Signs treated me well, but you, Officer Huang, and Sister-inw were special to me! We overcame death together and fought together. Have you forgotten all that?¡±

    ¡°Officer Huang pushed me away for his wife and kid. Fine! But why you, Brother Yang? Why?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I, Han Yingjun, am useless! I¡¯m weak! Is that why I didn¡¯t deserve a true friend in my life?!¡±

    Gao Yang was filled withplicated feelings. There was a storm of thoughts in his mind. He stared at Fat Jun as hey himself bare, and Gao Yang struggled to find a reasonable exnation.

    But in the end, he chose to tell the truth. ¡°Fat Jun, I didn¡¯t call on you because I was scared of you.¡±

    ¡°What...do you mean?¡±

    It was Fat Jun¡¯s turn to be surprised. In his eyes, Gao Yang had always been brave and smart. He grew quickly stronger as the Divine Scion, and he was capable of and bold enough to confront the Qilin Guild. Why would he be afraid of Fat Jun?

    Gao Yang held his gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve been lying ever since my awakening, to my family, to my friends, to the three organizations, to the Spectres... And many lied to me. White Rabbit lied to make us enter a Rune Cave. Officer Liu, Yellow Butterfly, and ck Tortoise were all spies nted by the Godbearer Cult. Dragon used me to get the energy seed of the Miracle Rune Circuit. X, the one we worked so hard to recruit, turned against us and almost killed everyone with poison. Officer Huang, whom I trusted the most, shot me without hesitation for his wife. Qilin, who had been supporting me, jumped the gun and tried to kill me...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call on you because I was scared, Fat Jun. I didn¡¯t know if you could be trusted, and I didn¡¯t dare to face it.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes softened. There was even a sh of vulnerability. ¡°I¡¯m used to killing enemies, but if another friend backstabbed me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to take it...¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Fat Jun lowered his head and clenched his fists, sniffing. ¡°It¡¯s enough, Brother Yang...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Fat Jun,¡± Gao Yang apologized earnestly.

    ¡°No, it was my bad. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten angry at you...¡± Fat Jun could no longer hold back his tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how hard it had been for you, Brother Yang. I always thought you were amazing and basking in glory, that you didn¡¯t bring me along because you looked down on me...¡±

    Gao Yang reached out to pat Fat Jun on his thick shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine now that we¡¯ve cleared up the misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fat Jun wiped his tears and looked at Gao Yang with determination.

    ¡°Just say the word, Brother Yang, and I¡¯ll stay. I¡¯ll be with the Nine Scions from then on!¡±

 Chapter 816: Fresh Air

    <h4>Chapter 816: Fresh Air</h4>

    ¡°No, you should still return to the Twelve Zodiac Signs,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Remember what I told you? Eggs shouldn¡¯t be put in the same basket. That is my honest feeling.¡±

    Fat Jun nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll listen to you, Brother Yang!¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment and asked, ¡°By the way, have you seen Captain Dragon recently?¡±

    Fat Jun thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him for a while. Uncle Tiger said that Captain¡¯s been working in secret, and it¡¯s important. He can¡¯t tell us about it.¡±

    Bemused, Gao Yang then asked, ¡°What have you been working on?¡±

    Fat Jun said, ¡°Uncle Tiger¡¯s tormenting...training the new guys Shadow Mouse brought us. I don¡¯t know what the other old members have been busy with. They¡¯re gone all the time. Yesterday, Sister Rabbit did return, but she acted weirdly. She was a little cold with me and wasn¡¯t as friendly as before.¡±

    Fat Jun said dejectedly, ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything that would anger her. Or has she...found out that I criticized <i>My Buddy is the Chosen One</i> online with an alt ount?¡±

    Gao Yang chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. She¡¯s likely doing it for your good. There are things you¡¯ll be safer not knowing.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Fat Jun felt a little better hearing that from Gao Yang.

    ¡°It¡¯s time. You should head back with Heavenly Dog,¡± said Gao Yang. ¡°Have Nainai disguise you and be careful on your way back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Fat Jun propped himself up with some difficulty, using his knees as support.

    Gao Yang stood up too. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you down the mountain.¡±

    ...

    Small library, second floor of Spectres¡¯ mansion, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The square room was lined with bookshelves along all four walls, filled with all sorts of ssics. Through the small skylight in the ceiling, a ray of blue moonlight shone through and lit the fine dust particles in the air, as if they were fragments of knowledge and wisdom.

    The one sleeping in the library had nothing to do with knowledge or wisdom, though.

    At the center of the room was an army cot. Wearing only a pair of shorts, Wang Zikai slept on his back with his legs bare and his body covered by only a thin nket.

    On his face was a book titled <i>Flowers for Algernon.</i>

    Wang Zikai was tall and well-built with smooth muscles throughout his body. His long limbs hung from the small, narrow army cot, making him look like arge tabby cat that had squeezed itself onto a small cat bed.

    He snored and scratched his well-toned abdomen. When he turned to his left side, the book covering his face fell to the ground with a p.

    The sound woke Wang Zikai up. He blinked blearily and realized that someone was sitting by his side.

    He thought he was dreaming, but quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t the case. A few secondster, he opened his eyes wide and took a good look. It was Gao Yang! He was sitting on a small stool and looking quietly at him.

    Wang Zikai was suddenly wide awake. He jerked up into a sitting position and said, ¡°You¡¯re back, bro!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been for a while. I didn¡¯t wake you, did I?¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°Geez, it¡¯s fine!¡± Wang Zikai said happily. Then he thought of something, and his smile dropped. ¡°Um, about Can...I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gao Yang nodded impassively. ¡°How¡¯s your injury?¡±

    ¡°Injury?¡± Wang Zikaiughed haughtily and swung his arms around. ¡°I¡¯m not injured. Don¡¯t listen to Nine Frost¡¯s nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Gao Yang inspected Wang Zikai¡¯s body to make sure his friend had fully recovered. Then he said seriously, ¡°Come with me to get some fresh air.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± Wang Zikai was surprised.

    ¡°Now.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Wang Zikai jumped up from the army cot and scrambled to find his shirt and pants. ¡°Give me a sec. Just a sec.¡±

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang took Wang Zikai to the middle of nowhere in the mountain. It was the secret training ground Nine Frost and Wang Zikai had picked. All that met the eyes were holes put into the ground and broken branches on the trees, which made it clear that quite intense fights had broken out here.

    Wang Zikai had been in a good mood when he left the mansion with Gao Yang, but he started to feel weird as he walked. <i>Why...is this ce so familiar?!</i>

    He felt a little exposed. With both hands in his pockets, he said with feigned nonchnce, ¡°Wow, what happened here? Did someone get into a fight here...¡±

    Gao Yang moved to the center of the clearing and turned around. ¡°I knew you were sparring with Nine Frost to learn from him.¡±

    Wang Zikai¡¯s smile stiffened and morphed into a scowl. ¡°Dammit, Nine Frost! I told him to keep a secret! I¡¯m gonna beat his ass...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not anyone else. It should be okay for me to know, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Wang Zikai rubbed his nose. ¡°I was gonna learn a few tricks to use on Azure Dragon, but you went and offed him.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes darkened for two seconds. <i>It wasn¡¯t as easy as you put it.</i>

    He looked up at Wang Zikai. ¡°Come on. Attack me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Zikai thought he had heard wrong. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s spar.¡± Gao Yang extended a hand toward Wang Zikai. ¡°Let me see the result of your training.¡±

    Wang Zikai hesitated. ¡°Do we have to?¡±

    ¡°What, are you afraid of losing to me?¡±

    ¡°Haha! I won¡¯t lose! I¡¯m God!¡± Wang Zikai boasted proudly. ¡°I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll hurt you identally. You¡¯re not fully recovered yet. Don¡¯t push yourself.¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai.¡± Gao Yang scoffed. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re the strongest among the Nine Scions?¡±

    ¡°Am I not?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes widened.

    Gao Yang extended his middle finger and curled it. ¡°I won¡¯t use any Talents. Let¡¯s have a purely physical fight and see who¡¯s better.¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking for a beating, bro?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap and try me.¡± Gao Yang gave him a derisive look.

    Wang Zikai was getting annoyed. He clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles. ¡°You asked for this, Gao Yang. Don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    ¡°Come...¡±

    Before Gao Yang could finish, Wang Zikai came up to him in a sh and swung his fist at his face.

    Gao Yang could tell it was a feint at a nce. The movement of the punch was unnatural, and the control of force awkward. He didn¡¯t dodge but instead offset Wang Zikai¡¯s real attack with a simple outward movement of his right hand¡ªit was a left hook aimed at Gao Yang¡¯s abdomen.

    Wang Zikai perked up. <i>Haha, this is a feint, too. The real attack is the left leg...</i>

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Yang was already kicking Wang Zikai¡¯s right calf with a sweep of his leg. Wang Zikai lost his bnce and toppled to the side.

    Wang Zikai was startled. <i>He saw through it!</i>

    Still, Wang Zikai had incredible reflexes, and the moment he fell, he propped himself up with one hand and jumped.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Having predicted the reaction, Gao Yang made a kick and hit Wang Zikai in the chest as he leaped up. Wang Zikai made a muffled groan and got thrown off his feet. With a flip in the air, he was going to make a safending when Gao Yang teleported to him and kicked him in the lower abdomen.

    Wang Zikai felt his muscles clench. It hurt.

    <i>Didn¡¯t you say no Talents? You¡¯re fucking cheating!</i>

    Wang Zikai was shocked and confused. Gao Yang didn¡¯t pull back. His right fist flickered with crimson firelight, about to shoot out a fire dragon to devour Wang Zikai.

    Now cornered, Wang Zikai forgot about the fancy tricks Nine Frost taught him and moved on pure instinct, and he used a hundred percent of his power rather than pulling his punches.

    With incredible speed, he caught Gao Yang¡¯s red right fist. A sharp pain shot from his palm, burned by a heat that could instantly melt me.

    Were it anyone other than him, their hand would¡¯ve been vaporized.

    Wang Zikai crushed Gao Yang¡¯s fist with terrifying power imbuing his five fingers.

 Chapter 817: Rile Up

    <h4>Chapter 817: Rile Up</h4>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Swapping his double with his main body, Gao Yang charged toward Wang Zikai from the side and kicked him in the left side of his face. It turned out that he had conjured a double ahead of time for the swap.

    The kick sent Wang Zikai flying sideways into the forest and toppling a few trees, shocking a flock of birds into taking flight.

    Gao Yang shouted in his direction, ¡°Wang Zikai, you¡¯re not only clumsy, but also stupid! You¡¯re always getting led on a merry chase like a dog. How is a trash like you going to lead the Nine Scions? To save the world? Don¡¯t make meugh...¡±

    <i>Thud</i>. A figure shot through the trees. Wang Zikai bled from the corner of his mouth with his face distorted in anger¡ªhe was mad!

    Although Gao Yang was his best mate, he went too far fooling and humiliating Wang Zikai!

    After a round of beating, what little rationality remained in Wang Zikai¡¯s head evaporated. He shot toward Gao Yang like a bullet. Gao Yang raised his right hand to conjure a golden energy bulwark.

    Wild killing intent shed through Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes. Three bone ws shot out of his clenched right fist.

    <i>Swish</i>. Three arcs of fierce shes cut the half-meter-thick energy shield into several fragments.

    Gao Yang teleported away from the fierce de aura piercing through the shield in time and used Strange Whislte.

    Wang Zikai, mid-charge, came to a confused halt. <i>Hm? Wang Zikai, what are you doing? How can you go all out with Gao Yang?!</i>

    A secondter, the whistle ended. As soon as Wang Zikai recovered, Gao Yang had already teleported to him.

    Gao Yang punched Wang Zikai in the chest and activated Weak Point, which he had replicated from Nine Frost. Wang Zikai flew off his feet once more.

    Gao Yang teleported to give chase and made a second punch at Wang Zikai¡¯s chest in midair.

    Weak Point, times seven!

    ¡°Gah¡ª¡±

    The punch made Wang Zikai throw up blood, and he flew tens of meters away, smashing through several trees until he was out of the forest and falling into the river behind it. Water sshed as he fell in.

    Two secondster, Wang Zikai broke the surface of the water. His shirt was torn in the chest area.

    No sooner had he recovered than Gao Yang appeared once more above his head, shrouded in golden light. With his right fist clenched, he made a swing at Wang Zikai, who was in the middle of the river.

    That would trigger Weak Point¡¯s third phase, and even Wang Zikai wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it.

    Gao Yang had not pulled back at all. He was trying to kill Wang Zikai.

    <i>Fuck, I¡¯m God! You¡¯re...</i>

    <i>Courting death!!!</i>

    Wang Zikai lost itpletely. In his rage and heartbreak, crimson light shot out of his eyes, and boom! An insidious dark red energy swept along the river; the resulting crimson ripples spread outward, and powerful gusts whipped through the trees.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s three bone ws evolved. They elongated at an incredible speed like redsers, instantly piercing through Gao Yang.

    Caught off guard, Gao Yang didn¡¯t manage to react before his shoulder, arm, and abdomen were prated.

    His Consitution and Endurance were over two thousand, and he had armored himself with Absolute Defense, yet his defense broken down like ss facing the three bone ws swirling with insidious crimson energy.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. The bone ws quickly retracted, and like three mas closely attached to Gao Yang¡¯s body, they pulled Gao Yang along to Wang Zikai.

    Gao Yang wanted to swap himself with his double, but he couldn¡¯t. Then he tried to conjure an Absolute Barrier that would defend him from all things, but he couldn¡¯t.

    Only then did he discover that the bone ws piercing through him had sealed all the energy routes inside him.

    When Gao Yang realized it, he was already pulled to the center of the river by Wang Zikai¡¯s retracting bone ws, and Wang Zikai had clenched his other hand into a fist to make a swing at Gao Yang¡¯s face.

    If the punchnded, Gao Yang¡¯s head would shatter like a watermelon, and he would die for sure.

    Staring death in the face, Gao Yang embraced it and closed his eyes.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Powerful gusts hit Gao Yang in the face like razors slicing through his skin. His hair, tied into a ponytail, went loose. Then the rubberband broke, and his scattering hair hit himself in the face.

    A few secondster, everything quieted down.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to find Wang Zikai¡¯s fist right in front of the tip of his nose.

    Wang Zikai retracted the bone ws out of Gao Yang¡¯s body. Gao Yang copsed forward bonelessly.

    Wang Zikai quickly caught him, the rage and wild frenzy on his face long gone. All that was left was panic. ¡°You, you you you you...why would you do that? Why must you rile me up?!¡±

    ¡°Does it hurt? Shit, we don¡¯t have any more Medicine C, do we?¡±

    ¡°Stay with me! I¡¯ll find a doctor...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gao Yang managed a smile with blood streaking down the corner of his mouth. ¡°I have Gecko. I heal fast.¡±

    ¡°Yes! You have Gecko! Amazing! Wonderful!¡±

    Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t even sure who he should be angry at. Supporting the injured Gao Yang, he slowly went to the river''s bank.

    Then Hong Xiaoxiao, who had been hiding in the shadows, hurriedly jogged up to them. ¡°Are you alright, Captain?¡±

    Gao Yang nodded with a pale face and threw the ck Gold hairpin in his pocket to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should go back and rest. Give me some private time with Wang Zikai.¡±

    ¡°Oh...okay.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao took the hairpin and turned to leave, not daring to ask any questions.

    ¡°Hold up!¡± Wang Zikai helped Gao Yang sit down before turning to stare at Hong Xiaoxiao from a short distance, his gaze dark.

    Hong Xiaoxiao shuddered. It felt like she was caught by a cold, insidious viper. She didn¡¯t move; she dared not to even breathe a little louder.

    There was a current. Then Wang Zikai was suddenly by Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s side. Entirely drenched, he loomed over Hong Xiaoxiao and demanded in an icy voice, ¡°You¡¯ve been following us?¡±

    ¡°Cap-captain told me to. He, he said that if he got killed by you, I should bring, bring him back with Time Reset...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao stuttered.

    ¡°So you heard all our conversation?¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s gaze bored into her like a physical thing.

    ¡°No, no, no! I heard nothing!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao waved her hands vehemently with visible panic. ¡°I was worried that you would notice, so I kept my distance. I heard nothing, for real...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really! I, I shear it!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao raised her right hand as she said, her tongue getting twisted in fear. ¡°Please, don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me...¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Wang Zikai broke into a beam and pped Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s shoulder hard. ¡°Who¡¯s gonna kill you? We¡¯repanions!¡±

    ¡°Ha, hahaha...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s smile looked more like a grimace. ¡°Yeah,panion,panion...¡±

    ¡°Alright, go back.¡± Wang Zikai waved her away.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao bolted.

    Wang Zikai watched her run away, grumbling in his mind, <i>The hell! I¡¯m God! If you know that I¡¯m learning hand-to-handbat from Nine Frost, I¡¯d never live it down.</i>

    Wang Zikai wiped the water off his face and went back to Gao Yang, sitting on the river bank beside him. While it was awesome that he had surpassed his limit right there, it had exhausted his energy, and he was dead tired.

    He nced at Gao Yang. The injuries had mended, and the bleeding stopped. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Bro, what the hell? You shouldn¡¯t rile me up like that!¡± Wang Zikai was still reeling. ¡°You knew I got lost in anger easily. What if I identally killed you?¡±

    ¡°Hong Xiaoxiao could bring me back,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°She can only bring one person back twice. That¡¯d be a waste!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worth it to make you stronger.¡±

    Wang Zikai was so moved that he was stunned for a moment. He smiled embarrassedly. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true, but don¡¯t ever do that again. Seriously, hurting you makes me feel bad...¡±

    ¡°Wang Zikai,¡± Gao Yang interrupted him suddenly.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Wang Zikai blinked nkly.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I have to ask you.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s gaze darkened. The air tensed up again.

 Chapter 818: Godâ€™s Promise

    <h4>Chapter 818: God¡¯s Promise</h4>

    Wang Zikai tensed up immediately. Like a kid getting caught being naughty by a parent, he blinked guiltily. ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nine Frost said that,¡± Gao Yang paused, ¡°When you attacked the base of the Ocean River Union this time, you killed no one.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh!¡± Wang Zikai pped his thigh and sighed in relief. ¡°Things were urgent. I didn¡¯t think too much. Why, I¡¯ll kill them all next time!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Gao Yang said bluntly.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s smile stiffened. He lowered his head and couldn¡¯t meet Gao Yang¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Qilin¡¯s match, and it would make sense for you to not be able to kill someone like Colorless while racing against time. But the others? You went through all of them without killing anyonepletely. That couldn¡¯t be a coincidence, and they didn¡¯t get lucky. You pulled your punches.¡±

    Wang Zikai didn¡¯t say anything, and his head lowered further.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you, Wang Zikai, and I¡¯m not asking for you to get blood on your hands like I do. I¡¯m simply curious about why.¡±

    Wang Zikai finally looked up. He looked lost and a little sad. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, bro.¡±

    Gao Yang frowned slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know how to exin it.¡± Wang Zikai anxiously brushed his wet blond hair back with both hands.

    ¡°To me, killing someone can¡¯t be easier. I¡¯ve killed lizard people without batting an eye, and I lost count of the number I¡¯ve killed. The Ocean River Union is the target of our revenge. Why would I not be able to kill them? To tell the truth, I¡¯ll kill anyone you point me to even if there¡¯s no bad blood between them and us, bro. I won¡¯t even hesitate.¡±

    That onlypounded Gao Yang¡¯s confusion. He waited for Wang Zikai to continue.

    Wang Zikai said weakly, ¡°But when I really got to kill them, I had a strange thought for some reason: don¡¯t kill thempletely. At least leave their bodies intact so that they cane back alive.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Gao Yang was shocked. <i>You¡¯re a monster, my friend! You don¡¯t even bat an eye when killing your kind, but you hesitate to kill an awakener?</i>

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Wang Zikai looked confused. ¡°It¡¯s a strong hunch. I have a feeling that if I kill someone, there¡¯s an important line I will have crossed, and I¡¯ll regret it greatly...¡±

    Gao Yang looked at Wang Zikai. His friend suddenly seemed foreign to him, but that eased andforted him. If Gao Yang was a boat in a storm, Wang Zikai was the heavy anchor preventing him from losing his way.

    Gao Yang softened his voice and tried to find the answer, ¡°What is the important line?¡±

    Wang Zikai shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just a feeling, but it¡¯s a strong feeling.¡±

    ¡°Take a guess. What can it be?¡± Gao Yang approached the question from another angle.

    ¡°Hm...¡± Wang Zikai scowled as he thought hard for ten seconds. ¡°Maybe...they are too weak? Maybe it would be beneath me to kill weaklings like them?¡±

    Gao Yang gumbled to himself, <i>The monsters you killed were weaker, and you didn¡¯t seem to find it beneath you.</i>

    Gao Yang continued to ask, ¡°Think about it more. Is there another possibility?¡±

    Wang Zikai gave it some more thought, and his eyes lit up suddenly. ¡°Oh, is it because I¡¯m God¡¯s reincarnation?!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°How can God kill people? God should save all!¡±

    Gao Yang wasn¡¯t sure what to say. It seemed to make sense at first, but it was absurd if one thought about it.

    Wang Zikai felt the same after the words left his mouth. He waved a hand and said, ¡°Ugh, maybe my brain just short-circuited. I¡¯ll kill more people on the next mission to break the mental block...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yang shouted suddenly.

    ¡°Why?¡± Wang Zikai jumped.

    Gao Yang was surprised by his own reaction, too. For some reason, he felt like he had caught something important in that split second.

    Something wasn¡¯t right.

    There must be a deeper reason that Wang Zikai subconsciously shied away from killing people. It couldn¡¯t just be that way.

    Realization dawned on him like a spark.

    That was what differentiated between Wang Zikai and other monsters fundamentally! Why had his monsterhood not awakened after everything? Because his trigger didn¡¯t respond to sensory stimuli or mental stimuli, but his behavior!

    Deep in his cognition was an absurd yet unwavering belief: <i>monsters kill humans, and I don¡¯t. So I¡¯m not a monster. Then I don¡¯t have a monsterhood.</i>

    Gao Yang calmed himself and met Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the reincarnation of God, Wang Zikai, and God is merciful. You should follow your heart and not kill anyone since you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Wang Zikai was a little touched. But then he quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no, no! Then I¡¯ll be useless! I¡¯m not gonna be a pushover...¡±

    ¡°How about this?¡± Gao Yang came up with apromise. ¡°If we ever encounter an enemy we have to kill, just defeat them and leave the rest to us. Killing someone is beneath God. There¡¯s no reason for you to do it.¡±

    ¡°Holy! That makes so much sense!¡± Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes lit up, and he grinned. ¡°Gao Yang! You¡¯re the smartest!¡±

    ¡°Then...¡± Gao Yang extended a hand. ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Zikai took his hand in a firm handshake. ¡°A promise!¡±

    Gao Yang smiled at Wang Zikai, but hidden in his eyes was a deep sorrow.

    <i>I hope you never kill anyone and never awaken as a monster, Wang Zikai.</i>

    <i>Then we¡¯ll be best friends forever.</i>

    <i>I¡¯ll lie to you until the end of the world or the end of my life.</i>

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the hiddenboratory somewhere by the underground railways for the hyperloop system, a great variety of advanced instruments and equipment filled the brightly lit space. At the center of theboratory was a cylindrical petri dish with a diameter of ten meters, filled with light blue solution. The bottom of the petri dish was connected to twelve ck Gold wires to supply vital energy, which Dr. Jia had specially made for his purpose.

    A clump of ck and white vital energy floated in the petri dish like an abstracted three-dimensional <i>taiji </i>pattern. It was extremely unstable, seemingly getting pulled in all directions and would break down at any second.

    Dr. Jia¡¯s hair was greasy from ten days of unwash. Wearing a white coat and a pair of shorts, he stared at the vital energy in the petri dish like a man possessed, right hand clutching a remote control.

    He raised his right hand, nerves preventing him from pressing the button.

    Then a parrot flew over to perch on his shoulder. Looking at the petri dish, the parrot croaked, ¡°Miracle! Miracle! Miracle!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Dr. Jia shouted and pressed the button. ¡°It¡¯s time to witness a miracle!¡±

    [Activating.]

    [Injecting all vital energy.]

    As the robotic voice announced, blue light shone from the bottom of the petri dish, and particles of light flowed along the ck Gold wires. Twelve different types of vital energy were injected into the petri dish at the same time.

    Since the Qilin Guild merged with the Hundred Rivers Union, Dr. Jia had collected the vital energy of all Talent types, which renewed his courage and determination to study the vital energy of the Divine Scion again.

    After the first failure, he thought long and hard and concluded the biggest issue: he had neglected how fragile the Divine Scion¡¯s energy must be.

    With the Divine Scion being such a rare urrence with a low odd of existing, his vital energy must be incredibly fragile, and a delicate bnce must be reached.

    Thus, to study and observe how it rted to and reacted to other vital energies, all twelve types must be collected.

    That was the barrel theory. The shortest board decided how much water the barrel could contain, and by taking out one board, all the water would leak out.

    Now, he only had to wait.

    Dr. Jia stared at the petri dish with bulging eyes, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

    The twelve vital energies turned into colorful glowing clusters of dust and started spinning clockwise, each going along its own trajectory. At the center of the trajectories was the Divine Scion¡¯s vital energy, tugged and pulled by the other clusters.

    From afar, the whole picture looked like twelve celestial bodies orbiting the <i>taiji</i> star.

    ¡°Good! Great! That¡¯s it!¡± Dr. Jia was beside himself with excitement. He moved closer to the petri dish and was just short of pressing his face into the thick ss.

    ¡°Merge! What are you waiting for! Go!¡± Dr. Jia clenched his fist and cheered the energies on like a gambler addicted to horse racing.

    ¡°Go, go, go!¡±

    The parrot took flight in the heat of the moment too, hovering around the petri dish. A few feathers came loose as it pped its wings.

 Chapter 819: Expose Self

    <h4>Chapter 819: Expose Self</h4>

    As if hearing Dr. Jia¡¯smand, the twelve clusters of vital energy split into tens of thousands of colorful tendrils and reached toward the taiji star. The taiji star at the center also morphed into countless gray energy tendrils, seemingly in response to the twelve celestial bodies orbitting it.

    ¡°Yes, yes...that¡¯s it. That¡¯s it...steady does it...¡± Dr. Jia lowered his voice, as if he was worried that he would alert the energy in the petri dish.

    Finally, a gray tendril reached the one strand of golden energy closest to it. The two tentatively made contact before intertwining.

    The petri dish seemed to experience a localized time freeze suddenly for a second. Then the gray energy retracted all the tendrils like it was scared and quickly copsed into itself, turning into a ck dot that was barely visible to the naked eye.

    ¡°No! No no no no no no...¡± Dr. Jia tugged at his hair, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

    <i>Whoosh</i>. The small ck dot exploded after three seconds into a thick gray mist that filled the entire petri dish.

    After a moment, the gray mist dissipated, and the vital energy of the Divine Scion was gone. The other twelve clusters of vital energy stopped spinning and floated quietly instead, reaching their tendrils toward each other and beginning a chaotic, disorderly, and unnatural merging.

    ¡°I **** ***** **** *****!!!¡±

    Dr. Jia cursed up a storm, spitting curse words in all the differentnguages he knew. It hadn¡¯t been easy. He had begged and implored the higher-ups of the Ocean River Union for the twelve types of vital energy. And after this failure, Dr. Jia no longer had in his possession any energy from the Divine Scion.

    Dr. Jia dropped to his knees with a thud, his hands pressed to the floor. ¡°What went wrong? It can¡¯t be. I¡¯m a genius...¡±

    ¡°Fool! Fool! Fool!¡±

    The parrot flew away, enjoying his misery.

    ¡°Say that again! I¡¯m gonna make you into stew tonight...¡± Dr. Jia rushed toward the parrot angrily, grabbing the feather duster from the desk to give chase.

    ¡°Dr. Jia.¡± A voice interrupted him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the lessonter!¡± Dr. Jia turned around and adjusted his sses. The uninvited visitor was a masked Yan Liang.

    Dr. Jia was surprised. ¡°Oh, why are you missing an arm and a leg? You remind me of a mutated one-legged chicken.¡±

    ¡°Haha, please spare me the mockery, Dr. Jia.¡± Yan Liangughed hoarsely and yed up his pitiful situation. ¡°I was defeated. It almost killed me.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s war for you.¡± Dr. Jia sounded unconcerned. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Yan Liang chuckled again. ¡°I¡¯m seeking your help to restore my body.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Dr. Jia turned him down bluntly.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a genius, not God.¡±

    ¡°Green Snake of the Nine Scions lost an arm, too, but you helped her regrow it.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s she, and you¡¯re you. It¡¯s possible with her, but not you,¡± Dr. Jia said. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why. Look for the reasons in yourself.¡±

    Yan Liang fell silent.

    After ten seconds, Yan Liang raised his remaining hand to take off the mask, revealing his old face with one sidepletely charred. ¡°Haha, as expected of the genius. When did you notice that I¡¯m a pride monster?¡±

    ¡°At the beginning!¡±

    Dr. Jia maintained his poker face, but he was howling in panic in his mind.

    <i>Notice my ass! I was just rejecting you with a random excuse, but you exposed yourself!</i>

    <i>Holy shit! A pride monster! It¡¯s my first time meeting a pride monster!</i>

    Dr. Jia stared at Yan Liang and smiled servilely, speaking in a much more friendly tone, ¡°Sir pride monster, what should I call you? What¡¯s your ability?¡±

    ¡°Leader of the observers, ability: Pride Space. You may call me Sir Jiang.¡±

    <i>Shit, a leader!</i>

    <i>I happen to use up the Divine Scion¡¯s energy. I should study a pride monster in the meantime!</i>

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Dr. Jia cleared his throat. ¡°Sir Jiang, is it? Well, your severed limbs won¡¯t regenerate, but I can make you two cybeic prosthetics. They won¡¯t be as good as your original limbs, but not by much. You¡¯ll be able to run around and jump without issue. I¡¯ll add some firearms for battle purposes, too, and they may even be better in that regard.¡±

    Sir Jiang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust that to you.¡±

    ¡°However, I have a condition.¡± Dr. Jia rubbed his hands together with a grin. ¡°Give me some of your blood and vital energy.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I was wondering what you would ask for,¡± Sir Jiang said. ¡°I¡¯d give you two sets.¡±

    ¡°Rich and generous!¡± Dr. Jia gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Love to see it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way.¡± Sir Jiang smiled shrewdly. ¡°One set will be for you to study. The other is for the development of a spatial weapon.¡±

    Sir Jiang took a sheet of paper out of his pocket. ¡°These are my requests. Take a look.¡±

    Dr. Jia took it and spent a minute reading it.

    He stroked his chin and smirked. ¡°Interesting. It¡¯s viable in theory, but your vital energy alone won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ll need as much energy from other awakeners with spatial Talents. Also, I¡¯ll need something made with ck Gold to hold the energy. The guy with Enchantment has to help, too. I can¡¯t promise that it¡¯ll work.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the odds?¡±

    ¡°Seventy percent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. I¡¯ll give you whatever you need. Please develop it as soon as possible.¡± Sir Jiang thought for a moment. ¡°Please give me the prosthetics first. As it is, it¡¯s a little inconvenient for me to move around.¡±

    ¡°A piece of cake.¡± Dr. Jia turned around and went up to a light gray metal wall, hollering, ¡°Open sesame!¡±

    The metal wall opened to the sides, revealing an equipment cab hung with five sets of prosthetics with different designs, colors, and functions. There wasn¡¯t any for the heart and the head, but there were prosthetics for all the other body parts, each disassembled into differentponents.

    Dr. Jia said, ¡°Here¡¯s the inventory. Pick one, and I¡¯ll attach the prosthetics for you today. If you need them custom-made though, it will take a lot of time, and I have a lot to do.¡±

    ¡°Then give me a light, flexible prosthetic with some added offensive power,¡± Sir Jiang made a clear request.

    ¡°Vo.¡± Dr. Jia pointed at a delicate pink prosthetic printed with strawberry patterns. ¡°This is the one.¡±

    Sir Jiang¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The color...¡±

    ¡°Why, are you dissatisfied with my taste?¡± Dr. Jia frowned.

    ¡°This is it then.¡± Sir Jiang smothered a sigh. Fine, he could just put ayer of artificial skin over the prosthetics.

 Chapter 820: Chocolate

    <h4>Chapter 820: Chocte</h4>

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion, second-floor bedroom, early morning.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Nainai suddenly shouted in her sleep. She jerked awake, kicking her nket off and sitting on the bed.

    She had a dream.

    She dreamed of herself growing a pair of rainbow-colored wings of a fallen angel, her eyes brilliant like gems of the same multicolors. She gracefully glided across the sky, looking down at hernd and subjects. They ally low on the ground, chanting her esteemed name deferentially, bathing in her divine glory and awaiting her grace.

    Suddenly, she heard a familiar sob ringing in the sky, which did not fit the situation at all. She was going to find out who was crying when her wings disappeared. She suddenly plunged toward the ground and looked down to find hernd and subjects gone. There was only a giant abyss that sucked her in like a ck hole.

    Then she started awake.

    <i>Sob.</i>

    Nainai turned around to find Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s side on the bed empty, yet something was in the nket, and Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s sobs wereing from a short distance.

    ¡°You...¡± Nainai paused before realizing. ¡°You acquired Invisibility?¡±

    Two secondster, Hong Xiaoxiao appeared on the bed.

    Holding onto her legs, she buried her face in her knees and couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°I, I dreamed of Can. She told me...she told me to take care of Captain well for her...<i>sob...</i>¡±

    Nainai wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    She tugged at the cor of her pajamas slipping down her shoulder and looked down at her palms.

    With a thought, she curled her finger and conjured a soft breeze to rustle Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s hair. It was level 1 Gale.

    Nainai curled her legs and held onto her knees, lowering her head and pressing her shoulders to Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s.

    She thought ruefully, <i>From now on, this Empress has to make my own wind effects.</i>

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the forest behind the mansion.

    A grave was added to the original nine graves for Can. Since her body had been rendered into nothing, everyone found some of the belongings she had left behind as a recement.

    There weren¡¯t a lot of things, only a few clothes and everyday items, as well as an old handheld console with the game Tetris and a box of chocte¡ªCan had anemia, so she always had some choctes on her for energy.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t feel like sleeping, so he visited Can and sat before her grave. The start of the day crept up to him.

    Dawn saw a faint mist weaving through the forest. Soft morning sunlight shone down at a diagonal angle and lit Can¡¯s grave just right. White dust particles waltzed in the flowing mist, painting a dreamy scene.

    Gao Yang was lost in thoughts. He took out a piece of chocte from his coat pocket. He had secreted it away when going through Can¡¯s possessions.

    Gingerly, he peeled the wrapping before popping the chocte into his mouth.

    The bitterness hit the tip of his tongue first. Then the chocte melted, and sweetness followed and lingered.

    Yet when the sweetness sank in, the aftertaste was bitter again.

    <i>Rustle</i>. The chilling morning wind swept across the forest and brought up the fallen leaves from the grave. Gao Yang¡¯s rustled hair swayed in his sight. He was suddenly brought back to the dingy room in Eleventh Highschool. Once he made sure that Can hadn¡¯t been bitten by a rune corpse but was simply suffering from anemia, heforted Can and gave her a piece of chocte.

    Perhaps that was the moment Can became more attached to the sweetness.

    That was how people starving for affection were. They never forgot the little sweetness they got in life.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Nine Frost came up to him.

    Gao Yan quietly used Psychic Armor before standing up and turning around. ¡°Yes?¡±

    Nine Frost took a deep breath and put his fingers in his mouth, making a bright whistle.

    Instantly, all the birds in the forest took flight from their branches and flew to hover above Nine Frost¡¯s head, chirping.

    ¡°Youprehended Avian King,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Nine Frost nodded withplicated sorrow shing through his eyes. Avian King had been Yellow Butterfly¡¯s Talent.

    Gao Yang once asked if Nine Frost hated her.

    Nine Frost said yes, but then he put himself in her shoes and realized that she didn¡¯t have a choice; if she had had a choice, she might not have gone down the same path.

    Now, her Talent had gone to Nine Frost. Perhaps that was the other path she went down.

    Gao Yang felt happy for him.

    He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Great timing. I¡¯d like to have a meeting with Liu Qingying. Tell Nainai to disguise you and try to contact her.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Nine Frost felt a pang in his heart. This had been Can¡¯s job.

    He had long learned that in pursuit of a grand and pure ideal, no one was irreceable, not even their Captain, Gao Yang.

    ...

    Walled City of Ten Dragons, three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The atmosphere in the office at the barbecue restaurant was heavy. Liu Qingying had paid the employees six plus one month¡¯s worth of sry and had them sign an NDA beforeying off the wanderers with stable mental states.

    Today was the day Liu Qingying¡¯s restaurant officially closed down.

    The Walled City of Ten Dragons had be a ghost district since members of the Qilin Guild moved to the underground base of the former Hundred Rivers Union. There was no reason for Liu Qingying to stay here. After dismissing her employees, she started to clean up the office and pack up what little important items there were. Although the documents held little value, she still decided to burn them all.

    Tearing the documents into pieces, she cast them into the small brazier at her feet.

    <i>Caw!</i>

    An ominous, grating bird call pierced through the silence. Liu Qingying turned around with a pause to find a crow perching on her windowsill. It pped its wings and looked at Liu Qingying quietly.

    Liu Qingying hesitated beforeing up to the window, observing the crow through the ss. Two secondster, a breeze entered her head.

    She was silent for a minute.

    Then she smiled and returned to her office desk, taking a dark red gummy candy from the drawer. She had prepared it beforehand.

    She opened the window and threw the gummy candy out. The crow craned its neck and caught it before flying away.

    ...

    Underground basement, sewage of Li City, night.

    In a brightly-lit living room with a warm design, Gao Xinxin, Raven Shark, Gregor, and Wang Weiyan were ying a tabletop roleying game called <i>Anything Anywhere All At Once</i>[1]<i>.</i>

    Vermilion Bird sat in her wheelchair, quietly ¡°spectating¡±.

    Gregor was the creator of the game and the DM. Wearing a red nket like a cape, he had a featureless mask on with a thick game manual in his hands. He narrated vividly with hand gestures.

    ¡°Dragonyer Gao Xinxin! Magical Girl Little Yan! First Mecha Pilot Raven Shark!¡±

    ¡°The three heroes from different worlds have ovee great difficulties, obstacles, and trials to arrive at the chaotic space at the intersection of the multiverse. Together, they killed the greatest boss, the Almighty Evil Dragon!¡±

    Gregor lifted the nket and swung his fist. ¡°The ultimate victory belongs to you!¡±

    ¡°Hooray!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    ¡°We won!¡±

    The three yers were ecstatic. Wang Weiyan even turned around and threw her arms around Gao Xinxin, sharing the joy of victory with the dragonyer, who had been taking care of her particrly closely.

    ¡°Danger!!¡± Gregor suddenly eximed.

    1. The raw is a y on the tranted title of <i>Everything Everywhere All at Once</i>. ?

 Chapter 821: Anything Anywhere All At Once

    <h4>Chapter 821: Anything Anywhere All At Once</h4>

    Gregor shot to his feet and jumped onto the tea table dramatically. ¡°Just when the three adventurers are basking in the glory of their victory, the body of the ugly, fat, and evil dragon rolls down the mountain of gold coins.¡±

    ¡°Ssh...¡±

    ¡°The treasures tumble down upon you like a tsunami, about to overwhelm you! Do not underestimate it. With enough mass, the impact can kill you!¡±

    ¡°AT Force Field!¡± Raven Shark stared at Gregor¡¯s thighs and yelled.

    ¡°At thest second, Raven Shark pilots his mecha and uses AT Force Field! In an instant, the energy force field expands in waves to shield him and hispanions! Unfortunately, the tsunami of treasures is not to be underestimated. They collide with the force field and...¡±

    Gregor turned around and jumped onto the sofa, thinning his voice to imitate sound effects.

    ¡°Wing¡ªwing¡ªwing¡ªAlert! Energy insufficient! Alert! Energy insufficient!¡±

    ¡°Magic! Defense Magic...¡± Wang Weiyan cried out in panic.

    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t enough time! The other two adventurers can¡¯t react in time!¡± Gregor cut off Wang Weiyan.

    ¡°I can endure it! I can!¡± Raven Shark widened his arms and stood before Gao Xinxin and Wang Weiyan, his face flushed. He was entirely immersed in his role.

    ¡°Can the AT Force Field stop the tsunami of treasures...?¡± Gregor cast a die onto the tea table. The die rolled under their watch.

    Four pairs of eyes stared at it until it stopped a few secondster, the top face said, ¡°Pass¡±.

    ¡°Sess!¡± Gregor hollered. ¡°The AT Force Field blocked the treasures! Congrattions, our three yers! Another crisis averted!¡±

    ¡°Thank God.¡± Gao Xinxin sighed in relief. ¡°It¡¯s finally over...¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Gregor shouted once more. The three yers tensed up.

    ¡°With the mountain of treasures gone, the three adventurers see a chest flickering multicolored light underneath!¡±

    ¡°Lucky find! That must be the ultimate treasure the evil dragon had been guarding! The three adventurers, are you going to open the chest? That should be the reward you deserve...¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡± Gao Xinxin knew Gregor quite well now, and she was about to stop herpanions when Wang Weiyan made a decision without thinking.

    ¡°Open! I¡¯m opening the chest!¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Gregor sat back down and raised the thick manual. ¡°Magical Girl Little Yan happily goes up to the chest and opens it.¡±

    <i>Flutter.</i>

    Gregor¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Oh, no! Little Yan falls for a trap!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Wang Weiyan screamed.

    ¡°Suddenly, a ck, evil force rushes out of the chest and shoots toward Magical Girl Little Yan!¡±

    ¡°Protect her!¡± Gao Xinxin shouted.

    ¡°Bam!¡± Gregor turned to Gao Xinxin. ¡°At thest moment, Dragonyer Gao Xinxin pushes Magical Girl Little Yan out of the way! The evil force enters her through the chest.¡±

    ¡°Muhahahaha!¡±

    Gregor got increasingly excited. ¡°Dragonyer Gao Xinxin lets out an evil, madughter. Her eyes turn pure ck, and hard scales grow to cover her body...¡±

    ¡°Ah, how unfortunate!¡±

    ¡°Gao Xinxin gets corrupted by the evil force. All this time, she¡¯s used dirty tricks and gotten too much blood on her hands in order to protect herpanions and kill powerful enemies. She¡¯s lost who she used to be and her just and kind nature. That allows the evil force a way in.¡±

    ¡°What a shame. The dragonyer bes the evil dragon!!¡±

    ¡°Cleansing magic!¡± Wang Weiyan cried out panickedly. ¡°I use cleansing...¡±

    ¡°What a shame! Not even Magical Girl Little Yan¡¯s cleansing magic can remove the evil force taking over Dragonyer Gao Xinxin. It¡¯s toote...¡±

    ¡°Soon, Dragonyer Gao Xinxin will turn into the new evil dragon! Then she will destroy all worlds...¡±

    ¡°No! No...¡± Wang Weiyan held onto Gao Xinxin in fear and bawled. ¡°Don¡¯t be the evil dragon, Sister! It¡¯s my fault...it¡¯s all my fault...¡±

    ¡°Gregor!¡± Gao Xinxin made a face at him. <i>Look what you¡¯ve done! The kid¡¯s scared to tears!</i>

    Gregor remained unfazed and unwavering. <i>Hmph! That¡¯s what you got for sumbing to the urge and opening the chest! Human nature is an abyss, and when you look into an abyss, the abyss is looking at you too! What an educational game I¡¯ve made!</i>

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A figure suddenly showed up beside Gregor and took the manual from him. It was Gao Yang, leader of the Nine Scions.

    Holding the manual, Gao Yang read the texts that weren¡¯t actually on the page in a serious tone, ¡°Soon, Dragonyer Gao Xinxin will turn into the evil dragon, but holding onto her rationality, she cries out to her twopanions, ¡®Don¡¯t hesitate! Kill me!¡¯¡±

    ¡°No, no...<i>wah!</i>¡± Yanyan started bawling.

    Gao Yang shouted, ¡°AT Force Field!¡±

    ¡°Wait, AT Force Field can¡¯t be used in a row...¡± Gregor was silenced by a re Gao Yang shot him.

    Gao Yang continued, ¡°Raven Shark pilots his mecha and uses the AT Force Field for thest time to restrain Gao Xinxin as she transforms! Magical Girl Little Yan, it¡¯s now your chance!¡±

    Yanyan stopped crying and looked up at Gao Yang with heartbreak and confusion.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Now, you have three choices. First, use Divine Magic to kill your oncepanion. Second, run away to ensure your safety. Third, use Love Magic to pull yourpanion out of the evil abyss.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to use Love Magic!¡± Wang Weiyan didn¡¯t even hesitate.

    <i>There¡¯s nothing like that! Don¡¯t just change my setting!</i>

    Gregor fumed but swallowed hisments.

    Gao Yang held Wang Weiyan seriously. ¡°You must think carefully, Little Yan. Love Magic is powerful, but also fragile. The magic will fail if you¡¯re not strong-willed enough and determined enough. Are you sure you¡¯re going to use it?¡±

    ¡°I am!!¡± Wang Weiyan¡¯s face tensed as she clenched her little fists.

    ¡°Magical Girl Little Yan, facing thepanion who¡¯s going to turn into an evil dragon, you use Love Magic.¡±

    Gao Yang then threw the manual to Gregor.

    Gregor caught it, his face going through a myriad of expressions. Finally, he let out a long sigh and collected himself, shouting, ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡±

    ¡°Love Magices down upon Gao Xinxin from heaven in a ray of pure, sacred holy light!¡±

    ¡°Corruption fades from Gao Xinxin¡¯s soul gradually, and the scales on her body fall off, revealing her fair skin and her uncovered...¡±

    Gao Xinxin red at Gregor.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gregor quickly corrected himself. ¡°Her uncovered long hair as smooth as silk!¡±

    ¡°Soon, she turned back into the just, kind-hearted, brave, and noble dragonyer!¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Little Yan! You saved me!¡± Gao Xinxin pulled Wang Weiyan into her arms and kissed her hair. The little girl cried andughed while wrapping her arms around Gao Xinxin.

    Gregor continued, ¡°Although Magical Girl Little Yan didn¡¯t get her treasure, she gains something much more valuable than any treasure, Love Magic. As long as she has love, she will not lose to any enemies, no matter how powerful. And she will be able to ovee all obstacles, no matter how insurmountable.¡±

    ¡°Anything Anywhere All At Once! First campaign! Cleared!¡±

    <i>Thud</i>. Gregor closed the manual, looking visibly annoyed with being forced to tell a disingenuous story.

    Gao Yang pped first. Then the others followed.

    Gregor turned around to see that beside Gao Yang stood a mundane-looking girl with medium-length hair and a quiet temperament. She seemed eighteen or neen.

    ¡°A new member?¡± Gregor asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s Ke Yo,¡± Gao Yang said concisely.

    Ke Yo couldn¡¯t greet the others. Her reddening eyes were fixed on Vermilion Bird in the wheelchair.

    Unable to stop herself, she strode up to take Vermilion Bird¡¯s hands. The coldness thrust into her chest like a viper, triggering a dull throbbing pain.

    Ke Yo looked down to find the familiar ck Gold ring on Vermilion Bird¡¯s right ring finger. She knew there was a word etched on the inside of it, ¡°lost¡±.

    She couldn¡¯t help but break into tears.

    <i>I was once lost, Sister Xia Li, and you found me.</i>

    <i>Now that you¡¯re lost, I will find you, too.</i>

 Chapter 822: Ask Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 822: Ask Yourself</h4>

    ¡°Ke Yo, take Vermilion Bird to rest in the room,¡± Gao Yang said calmly.

    Ke Yo nodded and pushed the wheelchair to the bedroom.

    Gao Xinxin knew that Gao Yang was giving Ke Yo and Vermilion Bird some private time, so she didn¡¯t follow. She patted Wang Weiyan¡¯s back. ¡°Yanyan, it¡¯ste. Come. Let¡¯s brush our teeth and wash up so that we can go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Weiyan wiped the tears on her face with the back of her hand. She followed Gao Xinxin to the bathroom.

    Gregor rubbed the beer belly under his undershirt and rose to walk into the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯m going to make food. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Soba with clear broth,¡± Raven Shark said.

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Gao Yang said.

    Ten minutester, Gregor returned with a bowl of soba with clear broth and a bowl of aromatic pork leg noodles. Knowing that Raven Shark disliked the smell of meat, he brought his noodles to the study room.

    Raven Shark squatted by the tea table and ate his soba in small bites. Gao Yang sat down on the sofa on his side, quietly watching him for a while.

    ¡°Raven Shark, Ke Yo will be taking care of Vermilion Bird from now on. I have missions for you.¡±

    Raven Shark nodded while digging into the noodles.

    Soon, Gao Xinxin emerged from Wang Weiyan¡¯s bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. Wang Weiyan was content and happy after ying tabletop games the whole day, and she fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed without being coaxed.

    Gao Xinxin sat down next to Gao Yang. She had heard about Can¡¯s death, but she didn¡¯t know how tofort her brother. She chose to silently rest her head on her brother¡¯s arm. Sometimes, some silentpany was the best one could offer.

    Raven Shark finished his soba and went to the kitchen to do the dishes. Then he washed up and went to the bathroom. Although he could sleep on a bed like regr people, he preferred sleeping in water.

    The living room quieted. The main lights were turned off, leaving only the softmps on.

    Gao Xinxin was going to lend a dependable shoulder to Gao Yang and give him somepany, but she fell asleep soon.

    She was only sixteen years old after all, yet she had to take care of a little girl, a patient in a vegetative state, a middle-aged manchild with terrible habits and irregr diets, and a quirky boy with autism. It had been difficult for her.

    Gao Yang sighed softly and carried his sister to her bedroom,ying her on the bed and taking her shoes off before tucking her in.

    He went back to the living room and sat down, closing his eyes.

    [ess granted.]

    [You have umted 602 Luck points.]

    [Constiution: 2289 Endurance: 2141]

    [Strength: 2071 Agility: 2145]

    [Willpower: 2003 Charisma: 2602]

    [Luck: 2020]

    [Absolute Defense lv5]

    [Teleportation lv6]

    [Replicate lv6]

    [Fire lv6]

    [Gecko lv3]

    [Double lv6]

    [Psychic Armor lv6]

    [Lie Detection lv4]

    [Lucky lv5]

    ¡ªWillful Power decreases my stats by 1% after use, while level 3 Gecko grants some bonuses to Consitution, Endurance, Strength, and Agility, and level 5 Absolute Defense grants greater bonuses to Constitution, Endurance, and Charisma.

    ¡ªAbsolute Defense reached level 5 when I woke up in the hotel in Ni Nation, most likely due to my surge of emotions.

    ¡ªPsychic Armor is a double-edged sword. While it allows me to stay rational and make the most optimal decisions during battle, it also suppresses my emotions and dys the level-ups of my Talents. Having a Talent level up during a fight introduces the greatest variety, which may turn the tide if it happens at an opportune time.

    ¡ªHad Absolute Defense reached level 5 during my fight with Azure Dragon, things might have ended differently...

    Gao Yang took a deep breath and stopped himself from unnecessarily thinking about all the what-ifs.

    In those imagined scenariosy many perfect solutions, but things always went wrong or made an unexpected turn in real life.

    In an argument, simrly, one would always think of all theebacks and counterarguments they could make after the fact, yet when they got into another argument, their tongue wouldn¡¯t be any sharper.

    Looking back, Gao Yang had made numerous ¡°mistakes¡±, and he might continue to do so. Even then, he would not stop fighting.

    He had long booked the one-way ticket to hell.

    ¡ªSystem.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the voice of a young woman said into his ear.

    Gao Yang started and opened his eyes. A beautiful and gentle-looking woman, his once caretaker, sat on the sofa across from him. Her long ck hair was tied into a simple hairdo with the tail of it resting on her left shoulder. Dressed in a refreshing patterned long dress with a blue whistle on her chest, she sped her hands together and rested them on herp.

    ¡°You...¡± Gao Yang blinked in disbelief. ¡°How did youe out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not out here. It¡¯s only that I¡¯m more closely connected to your consciousness and senses.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t understand it fully, but he knew one thing: he was still in the system, and not in reality.

    ¡°I have a question. Why can¡¯t my Talents reach level 7?¡±

    The dorm keeper gave him a faint smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you have an answer already?¡±

    ¡°Because Ick conviction?¡±

    She blinked. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not that youck conviction, but that your conviction isn¡¯t clear enough.¡±

    Gao Yang leaned back with one hand propping his chin and the other hand raised. ¡°Go into more details.¡±

    The dorm keeper seemed to think for a while. Then she patiently exined, ¡°When one¡¯s conviction is clear enough, it bes a concrete goal. Were a person a boat, their conviction would be thepass, and the goal, the steering wheel. Even the most remarkable captain won¡¯t be able to find treasure in the vast ocean with apass alone and not a steering wheel.¡±

    Gao Yang thought for a moment, his eyes glinting. ¡°So, if I go to the wishing fountain and say, ¡®I want to get stronger¡¯, the wish will fail because it¡¯s too abstract. But I said, ¡®I want toprehend Absolute Defense¡¯. There was a chance of the wishing true since it was concrete with a clear path to realizing it.¡±

    The dorm keeper blinked. ¡°That is true ording to the rules of the wishing fountain, yes.¡±

    ¡°Dr. Jia believes that the energy of all Talents belongs to the Heavenly Way...¡± Gao Yang muttered to himself before looking up to meet the woman¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then can I think of it this way? How the Heavenly Way allocates its energy depends half on us. Those with a strong and clear enough conviction will be more likely to be seen by the Heavenly Way and earn good graces.¡±

    The dorm keeper paused for a few seconds before saying calmly, ¡°Perhaps your guess is approaching the truth.¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending. You must know.¡± Gao Yang scoffed.

    She shook her head and blinked innocently. ¡°I¡¯m only the system.¡±

    ¡°Wait, but it¡¯s not right.¡± Gao Yang frowned. ¡°I have my goals. I want revenge. I want to collect all the Rune Circuits to open the Gates. I want to protect those around me. Which of them isn¡¯t concrete enough?¡±

    She stared at him. ¡°Perhaps those aren¡¯t the ultimate goals you most desire.¡±

    ¡°If not those, what can it be?¡± Gao Yang frowned.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask yourself.¡± The dorm keeper gave him a look that said there was nothing she could do.

    ¡°Trash system,¡± Gao Yang insulted her on purpose.

    ¡°How nostalgic. I remember thest time you insulted me like that.¡± She gave him a disingenuous smile.

    Gao Yang¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°You¡¯re being less and less like a system. Actually, you aren¡¯t one, are you?¡±

    The woman blinked. ¡°How can I not be one?¡±

    Gao Yang suddenly had a ck Gold dagger in his hand. He teleported to the sofa she was sitting on instantly. Pushing and pinning her down, he held the dagger to the woman¡¯s pale delicate neck, his eyes shining with killing intent.

    ¡°What are you? Why did you seek me out? Are you a friend, or foe?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask yourself.¡± She looked up at him ever calmly.

    ¡°Stop speaking in riddles and tell me!¡± Gao Yang growled.

    ...

    He seemed to have lost some time.

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to find himself still sitting on the sofa like nothing had happened. He let out a heavy breath. For a moment, it felt as if he had just had a schizophrenic episode.

    He entered the system to check his status screen again. Only then did he make sure that what had happened was real. While he was wondering if he should manifest the system once more to interrogate it, a voice came from behind him.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    Gao Yang turned around to see Nine Frost.

    Instead of responding, Gao Yang tapped on his temple with an index finger. Nine Frost immediately used Telepathy, and Gao Yang rxed when he sensed the intangible breeze.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°I contacted Liu Qingying.¡± Nine Frost was wearing ck gloves. There was a dark red fruit gummy candy between his fingertips. ¡°She said that this was herst time exchanging intel with you. And you have to eat this.¡±

    Gao Yang smiled when he saw the frown on Nine Frost¡¯s face. ¡°You seem to disapprove.¡±

    Nine Frost nodded. ¡°This has Liu Qingying¡¯s blood on it. I¡¯m worried that she¡¯s pulling another trick. She¡¯s sold our intel to the Ocean River Union before, and with the Union helping her get revenge, she may have joined them already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it won¡¯t be a huge problem.¡±

    Gao Yang conjured a double to check the gummy candy as he spoke, making sure that there was no curse. Then he asked Gregor to make sure there was no poison before having his double eat the candy.

    Thirty secondster, his double didn¡¯t show any unusual sign. Only then did Gao Yang swap himself with the double to have the effects apply to himself.

    Gao Yang sat back down on the sofa and started meditating to fall asleep.

    Soon, he entered a Sweet Dream.

 Chapter 823: Last Trade

    <h4>Chapter 823: Last Trade</h4>

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to find himself sitting cross-legged on a bed. It was dark and quiet around him, but he recognized the familiar room at first nce. It was his bedroom in what was once his home.

    The light curtains swayed, allowing cold moonlight to flood in and paint a band of gray-blue light across the room. A woman sat in the band of light like an actor ying a one-woman act on stage.

    Liu Qingying was dressed in a fitted red qipao that hugged her curves with her silver-white hair cascading down her chest. With her long jade-like legs crossed, she sat on a swivel chair that was a little short for her, her gaze captivating and hazy.

    It was a recreation of their first meeting in a dream.

    But this time, Liu Qingying no longer smiled seductively, and Gao Yang was no longer the young man who hadn¡¯t seen the reality of the world.

    Gao Yang quickly looked around,menting, ¡°At some point, I began to look forward to the different experiences you gave me when I entered a dream. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what setting Director Liu would show me and what character I would y.¡±

    He let out a soft bitterugh. ¡°Surprise, surprise. I¡¯m ying myself from a year ago.¡±

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°I thought Captain of the Nine Scions didn¡¯t like the dreams I directed. You were always scowling when you entered them.¡±

    ¡°Reverse psychology,¡± Gao Yang said like he was joking. ¡°Then you would create an even more interesting dream for me next time.¡±

    ¡°You naughty boy.¡± Liu Qingyingughed coquettishly and brushed a hand through the long hair falling on her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Captain Nine Scions.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°From now on, I will not trade information with you or any of my clients, including this time.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m washing my hands of this and joining the Ocean River Union.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s tone was soft but serious.

    Gao Yang hid his surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected it.

    ¡°I thought you had your own organization.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled in lieu of a response.

    ¡°May I ask why you choose to join the Ocean River Union now?¡±

    Liu Qingying narrowed her eyes and looked at Gao Yang inquisitively. A few secondster, she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine for me to tell you since you¡¯re bitter enemy with the Union. They aren¡¯t going to believe a word out of your mouth.¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± Gao Yang agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯m joining the Union to take responsibility for my impulsive action.¡±

    ¡°Impulsive action? Take responsibility?¡± Gao Yang considered the two key phrases.

    ¡°To avenge Little Ba, I made a wrong move and caused a substantial change to the situation. I must do everything I can to amend that, no matter the cost.¡±

    Liu Qingying lifted her chin slightly with catharsis tugging her lips. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t regret anything since I got to kill Dust with my own hands.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand,¡± Gao Yang admitted. ¡°Would you give me more details?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said that much if not topensate and thank you. It¡¯spensation for selling information on the Nine Scions to the Union even though I had a feeling that you wanted me to do so. It¡¯s gratitude for your reminder that night at Aurora Town. Without it, we may not have caught Dust.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded slightly, epting Liu Qingying¡¯spensation and gratitude.

    ¡°I had you consumed the blood-stained candy,¡± Liu Qingying paused, ¡°Because I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Simply put, I¡¯ve nted a dream in your subconscious that wouldst about half a year.¡±

    ¡°If, and I do mean <i>if</i>,¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes glinted with focus, ¡°One day I die, you¡¯ll soon enter the dream, and you¡¯ll know what I¡¯ve entrusted to you. If I live, we¡¯ll treat it like it¡¯d never happened.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°Okay. But I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯ll grant you the request if the dayes.¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine. You have the right to decide.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    There was a brief silence.

    Liu Qingying leaned in with a hand on her cheek, her smile growing softer and more seductive. ¡°There¡¯s a long night ahead of us. Remember what I said to you in the first dream we had together? If you¡¯re willing...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Gao Yang rejected her impassively. ¡°Thank you for offering.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled slyly. ¡°Although you¡¯ve changed a lot, a cute side of you remains the same.¡±

    ¡°Miss Liu.¡± Gao Yang hesitated before posing his question. ¡°I have a feeling you aren¡¯t the frivolous type. Why must you act like it?¡±

    Liu Qingying blinked before lowering her eyes, muttering, ¡°Why? Yeah, why did I...?¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem to have an answer, or she had one but didn¡¯t care for it.

    She looked up and winked at Gao Yang. ¡°You¡¯re one of the most attractive men I¡¯ve ever met, Gao Yang. It¡¯s a pleasure to know you.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re one of the most attractive women I¡¯ve ever met,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°What an honor to get thepliment from you.¡± Liu Qingying raised a hand and readied her fingers for a snap. ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Gao Yang nodded softly.

    <i>Snap</i>.

    Liu Qingying vanished from under the moonlight. Then the moonlight disappeared too a secondter, followed by the four walls of the bedroom, the floor, the ceiling, the desk, and the bed, like a stage in a game getting deleted part by part.

    Gao Yang sat cross-legged in the void.

    Then a deep darkness overwhelmed him, and his consciousness blurred.

    ...

    Let Life Be Beautiful like Summer Flowers, Sunbound Road, Daxu District. Three dayster.

    The sun finally showed its face after days of cloudiness. Songstress was in a good mood from seeing the warm sun first thing in the morning. Humming, she watered the flowers with a can filled with nutrient water.

    <i>Ring</i>. The wind chimes clinked. A customer was here.

    ¡°Wee. What flowers are you seeking...¡± Songstress turned around and paused. ¡°Vice Captain?¡±

    War Tiger wore a brown jacket, fitted pants, and work boots with messy curls and stubbles covering his face. With his hands in his pockets, he shed her a casual smile. ¡°I happened to be in the neighborhood and swung by to take a leak. My dder¡¯s gotten weaker recently. It¡¯s always feeling full...¡±

    ¡°Uncle Tiger¡¯s as crude as ever.¡± Songstress smiled with resignation. ¡°The restroom¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t rush in to use the toilet, but instead turned around and called out, ¡°You two shoulde on in, too.¡±

    A few secondster, a man and a woman entered. It was Lying Wood and Quiet Book.

    Lying Wood was dressed in an elegant suit with dark brown sses. While his appearance was average, it was well-bnced and made one feel at ease. He greeted her with a smile, ¡°Senior Songstress, nice to meet you. I¡¯m a trainee, Lying Wood.¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡± Songstress nodded with a smile. ¡°I heard Uncle Tiger talk about you.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Sister Songstress! I¡¯m Quiet Book, another trainee.¡± Quiet Book wore a short white down jacket with jeans and winter boots, her silky ck hair running down her shoulders. She looked bookish and sweet.

    ¡°Hi.¡± Songstress always stayed in her flower shop when there wasn¡¯t a meeting. She knew that Zhong He had joined with some other members, of course, but with them being put under War Tiger¡¯s charge immediately after joining, this was Songstress¡¯ first time meeting the new members.

    ¡°Sister Songstress, to tell you the truth, you¡¯ve always been a role model to me.¡± Quiet Book smiled bashfully.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Songstress was surprised by thepliment. ¡°You¡¯re pulling my leg.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Quiet Book said seriously. ¡°You¡¯re stunning, and you run a beautiful flower shop. You also sing well... Eh, I don¡¯t know how to exin it, but I¡¯ve always wanted to have a life like yours since I was little.¡±

    Songstress chuckled. ¡°You may not believe it, but I¡¯ve always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher since I love kids. Unfortunately, my Talent makes it so that I can¡¯t talk too much.¡±

    Quiet Book made a face. ¡°If you be a kindergarten teacher, you¡¯ll learn how naughty kids can get!¡±

    They got on like a house on fire and started chatting happily.

    Unable to get a word in, Lying Wood quietly appreciated the flowers in the shop.

    War Tiger used the toilet before going outside to smoke. Then seeing that Songstress had gotten to know the new guys, he twirled his fingers and sent the cigarette butt flying to the edge of the trashcan with precision. Embers went out at the impact, then the cigarette butt bounced into the trashcan in an arc.

    He turned around and opened the door to the flower shop. ¡°Come with me upstairs, Songstress.¡±

 Chapter 824: Cunning Rabbit, Three Burrows

    <h4>Chapter 824: Cunning Rabbit, Three Burrows</h4>

    ¡°Alright.¡± Songstress smiled at Quiet Book and Lying Wood. ¡°Make yourselves at home and please watch the shop for me for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Songstress went up to the mezzanine with War Tiger. War Tiger plopped himself down on a sofa and took out a jammer against eavesdropping from his pocket, turning it on to fill the space with special white noise.

    ¡°Songstress, the organization is going to move.¡± War Tiger got right to the point.

    ¡°Move?¡± Songstress was surprised. ¡°Is the underground sixth floor not good enough?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice. Actually, the base Electric Mouse built for us with all his money is the mostfortable and safest base in the history of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.¡±

    ¡°Then why...¡±

    ¡°However,¡± War Tiger cut her off with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s only safe for facing Crimson Tides, not a civil war.¡±

    Songstress¡¯ eyes darkened. She knew what he meant.

    ¡°A cunning rabbit should have three burrows, so I¡¯ve had White Rabbit prepare for our moving.¡± War Tiger nced at her. ¡°You should prepare to close down shop any time, too...¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Songstress didn¡¯t even think before blurting out. ¡°I¡¯m not closing down the shop.¡±

    The shop was filled with the memories she shared with Ghost Horse. She would never leave it.

    She had long decided that if everyone was going to die due to theing doom, she would sit on the sofa on this floor and listen to Ghost Horse¡¯s favorite jazz music with thepany of coffee, embracing thest moment of her life.

    ¡°Ah.¡± War Tiger wasn¡¯t surprised by Songstress¡¯ answer. She looked gentle and meek, but she was stubborn when it came to her principles and bottom lines.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you reconsider, Songstress?¡± War Tiger tried again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind, Uncle Tiger,¡± Songstress said.

    ¡°Alright, then stay here for now.¡± War Tiger pped his thighs and stood up. ¡°Once the new base is more or less ready, I¡¯ll take you there to have a look. Perhaps you¡¯ll change your mind then.¡±

    Songstress smiled nomittally.

    ¡°Bye then.¡± War Tiger waved at her and went downstairs.

    ...

    Headquarters of the Ocean River Union, a weekter.

    Silver hair put up, Liu Qingying was dressed professionally in a white shirt, a fitted skirt, and a brown coat, with brown sunsses. She sauntered across the office hall on heels with a pochette handbag in her left hand and two cups of hot coffee in her right hand.

    Ever since she joined the Ocean River Union, she had be a beautiful sight in the base. The number of men and women falling head over heels for her were numerous.

    She quickly crossed the hall and reached the intelligence department, which wasprised of arge monitoring room withrge LCD screens for walls on three sides, divided into countless smaller window-like screens. Each was monitoring a different location in real-time, mainly the important crossroads, airports, train stations, harbors, and car stops in Li City.

    Liao Liao was a hacker, and she could easily ess most security systems and surveinceworks.

    At the moment, the intelligence department¡¯s main focus was to look for the Nine Scions¡¯ hideouts and traces left by the Godbearer Cult, as well as keep an eye on the movements of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. If they spotted anything, Liao Liao would report to the Elders. Then the Union would send members to investigate on site ording to the situation.

    With that said, Liao Liao spent most of her time loafing about.

    She knew that members of the Nine Scions were always in disguise when they went out, courtesy of Nainai¡¯s Shapeshifter, and it was nigh impossible to find them with surveince cameras alone.

    Sitting on afortable swivel chair, Liao Liao rested her legs on the console while ying HOK.

    For some reason, she wasn¡¯t doing well today. She was on a losing streak.

    Speaking of the game, Liao Liao had an online friend named ¡°GOAT as Xiao Qiao¡±. They hadn¡¯t appeared for a while.

    They invited Liao Liao to join matches often, and their skills were as wless as their temper was cantankerous. It was amon urrence for them to curse out their opponents and their ancestors. With their voice modted, though, Liao Liao couldn¡¯t tell their gender.

    <i>Click</i>. Liu Qingying gingerly opened the door with her shoulder. ¡°Coffee¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived, Sister Liu!¡± Liao Liao shot to her feet while the crystal regenerated. Taking the coffee from Liu Qingying, she leaned in to take a whiff. ¡°Hm, smells nice!¡±

    Members of the Ocean River Union almost never left the base now. They ate at the canteen in the base and made coffee and drinks on their own.

    ¡°Why does the coffee you make always smell better than what Ting Ting makes?¡± Liao Liao cackled. ¡°Tell me! Do you have a secret form?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s the love I put into it.¡± Liu Qingying sat down with a smile and crossed her long legs in a leisurely manner. ¡°Find anything today?¡±

    ¡°What can I possibly find?¡± Liao Liaoined. ¡°I¡¯m going to go blind if this keeps on.¡±

    She took a sip of her coffee and daydreamed, ¡°The weather is so nice. I¡¯d love to get some sun...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Someone opened the door.

    A cute girl with brown hair and a round face came in with several bags of food and desserts, eyes crinkling in a smile. ¡°See what I¡¯ve got!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Ting Ting!¡± Liao Liao¡¯s eyes lit up. She hurriedly went up to her.

    Giggling, Ting Ting proudly ced the food on the table. ¡°Rise and shine, Uncle Cicada! Time for afternoon tea.¡±

    Cold Cicada, who had been napping on a foldable chair in the corner, rose and stretched his arms. He came up to his colleagues with a thermos.

    The four sat around the table and started eating.

    Sister Ling had been a member of the intelligence department, too, butprehending Frost gave her a great boost in power, and she was reassigned to Team Colorless.

    Liu Qingying filled her spot in the intelligence department after joining the Union.

    Liao Liao missed the food outside so much that she ¡°spotted¡± traces on purpose every week and sent Ting Ting to investigate. After finishing the work, Ting Ting would buy some tasty food on her way back.

    Her Talent was Air Man, serial number 184, Guard-type.

    Basically, she could be as unnoticeable as air. Even if she brushed shoulders with an enemy, they wouldn¡¯t realize it until muchter.

    It came with a caveat that she couldn¡¯t speak, makerge movements, or attack while using Air Man.

    Anyhow, it made her a perfect candidate for investigating outside.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Liao Liao took a bite of a donut and crowed, ¡°The donuts from this shop are to die for! You should have some, Sister Liu.¡±

    Liu Qingying drank coffee with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    ¡°Sister Liu has to stay fit.¡± Ting Ting rubbed at her belly. ¡°You think everyone¡¯s like us and has embraced being fat?¡±

    ¡°Is that the price for being beautiful?¡± Liao Liao took another bite of her donut. ¡°It is a weight I cannot bear¡ªor theck thereof.¡±

    ¡°Haha, same for me.¡± Ting Ting chewed on a duck''s neck. ¡°I¡¯ve surrendered to delicious food. I¡¯ll live shortly and fatly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not fat at all, Ting Ting. I think you¡¯re just right.¡± A man¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind them.

    The four paused, their smiles immediately sliding off their faces.

 Chapter 825: Elite Players

    <h4>Chapter 825: Elite yers</h4>

    Miss had appeared at the door at some point with a purposefully rxed and natural smile.

    Ting Ting immediately put down the food in her hand and tensed up, rigid.

    Liao Liao, the experienced worker here, quickly responded, ¡°Protector Miss is right, Ting Ting. I think you¡¯re at the right weight now. Being chubby is cute.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Miss walked into the room and looked around, his gaze quicklynding on Ting Ting¡¯s lowered profile. ¡°Do you have time tonight, Ting Ting?¡±

    Like a student being singled out by a teacher to answer a question, Ting Ting hunched reflexively and tried her best to smile. ¡°Um, that, I...¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to a movie?¡± Miss didn¡¯t give her the chance to turn him down. ¡°<i>m Dunker¡¯s</i> movie is now screening. I remember you¡¯ve always loved the anime.¡±

    Ting Ting smiled with difficulty. ¡°Yes, but I...¡±

    ¡°I bought the tickets.¡± Miss took out a ticket. ¡°Let¡¯s watch it tonight.¡±

    ¡°But...we can¡¯t just go out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ll give you the permission.¡± Miss did have the authority to do so as a Protector. He shoved the ticket into Ting Ting¡¯s hand. ¡°Get back to your work. I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡±

    Miss turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

    It took some time for the awkward atmosphere in the room to fade.

    ¡°You can¡¯t drag this on any longer, Ting Ting...¡± Liao Liao pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°Miss is obviously pursuing you! Just reject him! Or he¡¯s gonna continue to swing by every day and try his tricks on you. It¡¯s getting really unbearable!¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Cold Cicada smiled faintly.

    Ting Ting sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with him. He never even spared me a nce before, but suddenly wouldn¡¯t leave me alone. Seriously, I thought he wasn¡¯t interested in women.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± Liao Liao cackled. ¡°What a feat, Ting Ting. You turn him straight.¡±

    ¡°Sister Liao Liao, don¡¯t joke like that...¡± Ting Ting blushed.

    Liao Liao frowned. ¡°Hey, you...aren¡¯t interested in Miss, too, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Ting Ting was exasperated but also amused. ¡°He looks like my dad!¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± Liao Liao couldn¡¯t smother theughter. ¡°True. He does look older than he actually is.¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be anything between us.¡± Ting Ting smiled bitterly. ¡°But he never actually confesses, and I¡¯ll seem like a narcissist if I reject him. Besides, he¡¯s now A Protector. I can¡¯t risk getting on his bad side. What if he abuses his power and has me assigned to his team? I don¡¯t wanna get on the frontline. I want to live for a few more days and have a few more meals!¡±

    Liao Liao got worried, too. ¡°When you put it that way, it is a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ting Ting sighed ruefully. ¡°It¡¯s annoying. Why is it so hard to have a few days in peace?¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°Still, the movie isn¡¯t at fault here. It¡¯s innocent, Ting Ting. <i>m Dunker</i> is your youth, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Ting Ting wavered. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve always wanted to watch the movie. This is a good chance.¡±

    ¡°You should go,¡± Liu Qingying egged her on.

    ¡°Wait, Sister Liu!¡± Liao Liao said in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re pushing Ting Ting into a fire pit.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled like she had been there. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Ting Ting. I believe she can deal with it. Moreover, how is she going to know what a good man is when she¡¯s never seen a bad man? Consider it a necessary trial in life.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Sister Liu!¡± Ting Ting made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna y dumb if he never confesses and reject him politely if he does. I¡¯m showing him enough respect that way.¡±

    Liao Liao stared at them for a while before giving them a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re the elite yers here. I¡¯ll stop worrying about you unnecessarily.¡±

    ...

    Three in the morning, the Saint Pilin Opera House stood dignified and solemn, brightly lit. Nico stood in the aisle of the empty audience seats and looked at the stage covered by the red curtains devotedly, his wrinkled old face shaking with emotions.

    He could sense it strongly. The embodiment of Heavenly Godbearer¡¯s divinity was descending.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer!¡± Nico dropped to his knees and opened his arms toward the stage. ¡°This humble servant awaits your divine presence¡¯s descent!¡±

    <i>Rumble</i>. As if in response to his words, a strange energy rippled out and ¡°froze¡± the entire opera house. Suddenly, the environment around him turned into abstract blotches of dull colors, twisting and distorting.

    It felt as if the opera house was an oil painting slowly bleeding colors in water.

    And Nico was in the painting.

    The curtains drew to the sides like two clusters of dark red seaweeds, revealing the stage, but in the back of the stage was not the backdrop or the wall, but a deep, mysterious night sky. A crimson full moon hung in the pure-ck sky with red energy strands reaching outward, making it seem like a cold sun.

    Soon, a ck crack opened up at the center of the red moon, quickly tearing sideways to form a giant vertical eye. At the same time, the red energy strands spreading from the red moon transformed instantly into hard, pierce crimson thorns.

    <i>Gurgle</i>. The red eye on the moon cast down slightly, scrutinizing Nicozily and coldly as the superior existence.

    Nico shuddered. His memory and senses had been deprived for a few seconds, a few minutes, or a few hours. There was no way for him to tell.

    When he realized it, the opera house was gone, reced by slowly flowing and swirling muddled colors, cast in the oppressive color of the red moon.

    Under the red moon hung an upsidedown ¡°woman¡±.

    She had no facial features, and her skinny, tall naked body was covered in small wounds, her skin pale. The wounds looked like living red cracks as they moved around on her body.

    She opened her pale, long arms. Her blood-drenched ck hair ran down like willows.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer!¡±

    Nico cried warm tears due to overwhelming emotions. Hey prone at the Heavenly Godbearer¡¯s feet with his hands and head pressed to the ground, shaking all over uncontrobly.

    ¡°We¡¯ve disappointed you. The Divine Scion still lives. Forgive us for our ipetence...¡±

    ¡°Our wisdom and power arecking. We need your blessing and guidance. We need your power...¡±

    ¡°For that, we will give anything...¡±

    The upside-down pale woman didn¡¯t make a sound.

    All of a sudden, however, a bleeding vertical eye appeared on her featureless face. Then the thin cracks on her body all tore open to form the same eyes.

    Six red wings with eyes shot out from her back. She looked like a butterfly that had just broken out of its chrysalis.

    An indescribable pain was brought down from the sky.

    ¡°Ah...aghhhhh!!¡±

    Nico¡¯s frail body could not take it. He copsed to the ground while holding his forehead with both hands, rolling around and spasming madly like a living fish dropped into boiling oil.

    <i>Hiss</i>. About ten secondster, Nico¡¯s forehead split, sttering ck blood. Then a red vertical eye emerged from between his brows.

    Nico stopped screaming. The pain was suddenly silent.

    Lying on the ground, he looked up with dazed eyes. The vertical eye on his forehead continued to gurgle blood, which drenched his pious and grateful old face.

    ¡°Heavenly Godbearer! This humble servant is grateful to you for the power granted!!¡±

    ¡°I saw it, I saw it... I know what to do. I willplete this mission!¡±

    ¡°Your will is going to be enforced on the world! Your divine grace is going to shine on thend! Your blessing is going to save all lives!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Nico shouted, waking up on the stage.

    He suddenly had an episode while talking to Clear Mirror, and he quickly copsed to the ground, foaming from the mouth.

    This time, he stayed unconscious for a full hour beforeing to.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Clear Mirror remained in his seat at the roundtable. He looked down at Nico quietly.

    ¡°The great and merciful Heavenly Godbearer! She, She forgave us...¡± Nico scrambled to his feet and rushed to Clear Mirror, grabbing his shoulders. ¡°She had another instruction for us! She showed me...¡±

    ¡°Nico, take your time,¡± Clear Mirror assured him coolly.

    ¡°The future!¡± Nico couldn¡¯t calm down. ¡°She showed me the future! The future of us killing the Divine Scion! Clear Mirror! That will be ourst chance! That will be ourst salvation in this world!¡±

    ¡°What do I do?¡±

    ¡°Go back to Li City!¡± Nico let go of him and widened his arms. ¡°Await the right time! Then, we will give our insignificant lives to fulfill Heavenly Godbearer¡¯s mission for us.¡±

    Clear Mirror¡¯s deep mncholy eyes glinted with hesitance. ¡°I will finish Her mission, but before that, I must seek revenge from the Ocean River Union...¡±

    ¡°Do not worry, Clear Mirror!¡± Nico eximed. ¡°Nothing escapes Heavenly Godbearer¡¯s holy vision! She had a n! You will have your revenge as you finish your mission!¡±

    ¡°All...all is for the greatest conclusion to the y!!¡±

    <i>Swish, swish.</i>

    The dark red curtains at the front of the stage slowly drew close. Another boring stagey with no audience came to an end.

 Chapter 826: Make a Move

    <h4>Chapter 826: Make a Move</h4>

    January 20th, Major Cold[1].

    Office of Deputy Guildmaster, underground base of Ocean River Union, nine o¡¯clock at night.

    <i>Knock, knock, knock.</i>

    Sitting in her wheelchair, Surnamed Li closed the book in her hands, taking off the reading sses perching on her nose and calling out to the door, ¡°Come on in.¡±

    The door opened. It was Qilin.

    He was still dressed like a gentleman, but his cane had been reced with one made purely of ck Gold.

    ¡°Free to talk, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡± Surnamed Li waved him over to have a seat.

    Qilin closed the door behind him and sat down on the sofa for visitors. Without making small talk, he went straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯ve handed you the Knowledge Rune Circuit for a week. Have you merged with it?¡±

    Surnamed Li smiled bitterly. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Qilin frowned slightly. ¡°Can it be that the holy water is really needed for the first merge?¡±

    Surnamed Li reached into her breast pocket to take the Knowledge Rune Circuit out and inspect it closely. ¡°Before Prophet reaches level 7, the Knowledge Rune Circuit felt different when I touched it.¡±

    ¡°When I hold it now, I sometimes can¡¯t sense its existence. It¡¯s as if it¡¯s always been an extension of my body, but that¡¯s it. I can¡¯t form a deeper connection to the Rune Circuit.¡±

    Qilin nodded slightly. ¡°The mummy in Ni Nation is in our hands, but Dr. Jia needs more time to extract holy water from it. Besides, our prior understanding tells us that impure holy water will turn awakeners into abominations, so it¡¯s ast resort.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded.

    ¡°Moreover, I have a feeling that Gao Yang lied.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Qilin said, ¡°If the holy water were so important, he would¡¯ve swapped the mummy out beforehand to prevent us from getting it.¡±

    Surnamed Li thought differently. ¡°If he had swapped it out, and Yan Liang noticed it, he would¡¯ve alerted us and caused his revenge n to fail.¡±

    ¡°True, but Gao Yang never intended to wipe us out with this n, and he couldn¡¯t even if he tried. Thus, this isn¡¯t the final stage of his revenge. If he allows us to merge with Rune Circuits and reach level 8, the Nine Scions would not be our match going forward. Gao Yang must know that.¡±

    Surnamed Li fell into thought.

    Qilin sighed. ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s growing faster than I expected. He¡¯sprehended Absolute Defense, and he has the Guard Rune Circuit. With the life monster blood in him, he¡¯ll get to level 8 before us in theory. Although level 8 Absolute Defense isn¡¯t much offensively, it¡¯ll prevent almost anything from damaging him.¡±

    ¡°And not even Prophet can see what¡¯s locked by Chain of Fate.¡± Surnamed Li¡¯s expression was grave. ¡°It¡¯ll be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°So, Yan Liang and I decided to make a dangerous move.¡± Qilin¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°We must have more chips on our side.¡±

    Surnamed Li started. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Qilin slowly took a jammer out of his pocket and filled the space with white noise.

    ¡°Madam Li.¡± Qilin adjusted his sses. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll stay with you, and I¡¯ve given myself a strong suggestion with Eidos so that I¡¯ll kill you without hesitation if there¡¯s a threat to me in theing week. You better start taking the resurrection pills now.¡±

    Surnamed Li was at first confused before her brows rxed. She figured out what Qilin was nning. ¡°You...want to use my Prophet to foresee your future?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qilin admitted. ¡°What I¡¯m going to do next may put me in the greatest danger if I fail. Then you¡¯ll be threatened, too. You should be able to predict a great threat to you in the short term.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t see myself in danger, it means that your risky move will seed,¡± Surnamed Li added in a low voice.

    Qilin smiled. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Surnamed Li fell silent for a few seconds, her gazeplicated. ¡°Are you going after...¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice to stop the Malediction,¡± Qilin cut her off.

    Surnamed Li was quiet for a long while before she looked up at him. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve made up your mind.¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Qilin said openly. ¡°But your support will be crucial.¡±

    Surnamed Li sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if I see anything, but Prophet¡¯s short-term prediction isn¡¯t absolutely urate. You should know that.¡±

    ¡°No n is perfect,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I¡¯m ready for that much.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded. ¡°Then let us do our best and leave fate to decide the rest.¡±

    Their conversation was interrupted by a knock.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Qilin raised his voice and said.

    The door opened. Yan Liang walked in, wearing all ck and a mask on his face. He had put on the cybeic prosthetics, looking smaller and frailer than before like a short coat stand.

    ¡°Is it made?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°It is, but Dr. Jia hasn¡¯t tested it, so he can¡¯t promise that it¡¯ll work well,¡± said Yan Liang.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to trust in his Genius, then,¡± Qilin said.

    Yan Liangughed hoarsely. ¡°At least he¡¯s never failed with the previousmissions.¡±

    ¡°I talked to Madam Li. We follow our original n.¡±

    ¡°When are we making a move?¡± Yan Liang asked.

    Qilin thought for a moment and knocked on the floor with his cane. ¡°Sooner is better. Let¡¯s go for tomorrow. Wait for my signal.¡±

    He nced at Surnamed Li. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with her for the time being. I have to entrust this to you.¡±

    Yan Liang nodded. ¡°Wait for my good news.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the Intelligence Department, underground base of Ocean River Union.

    The walls of monitoring screens glowed with luminescent light as they watched all movements in Li City. At this time, most locations on the screens were quiet with almost no pedestrian. There was nothing noteworthy.

    And ording to Liao Liao, this job was nothing but a front. When trying to find a needle in the ocean, one should just enjoy swimming in it. No one was going to actually dive to the bottom of the sea to look for the needle.

    Liu Qingying and Ting Ting were on shift tonight. They chatted while having coffee.

    Ting Ting was still pumped from the movie she had watched with Miss, <i>m Dunker</i>. She couldn¡¯t help but talk about it.

    ¡°It¡¯s awesome! Some people say the movie isn¡¯t well made, but to me, the moment the five yers showed up alone is more than worth the ticket price! What¡¯s more to ask?¡±

    Liu Qingying propped her chin with a hand and listened intently, but the eyes under the sunsses were distant, seemingly gazing over Ting Ting¡¯s shoulders at something farther.

    1. One of the twelve major sr terms, signifying the coldest time of the year. ?

 Chapter 827: Pushed to a Corner

    <h4>Chapter 827: Pushed to a Corner</h4>

    Ting Ting talked a lot without realizing it until her mouth felt dry. She picked up her drink and had a sip.

    Liu Qingying responded, ¡°It seems that I should take the chance to watch the movie too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s really worth it!¡±

    Ting Ting put down the drink and reminisced, ¡°While watching the movie, I thought back to my unawakened time. I was happy then. The summer vacation seemed so long that it would never end. I could sleep until my body had enough rest every day andzed about on a mat, eating ice cream and watermelon with thepany of a fan while I waited for <i>m Dunker </i>toe up on the television. The moment the opening yed, it felt like something deep inside me wasing alive...¡±

    Ting Ting¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°Sister Liu, sometimes I feel like if the world is really going to end and we stand no chance of escaping it, I should¡¯ve just stayed unawakened and led a happy life until thest moment of my life.¡±

    ¡°And you aren¡¯t alone.¡± Liu Qingying suddenly remembered the bright warm attic with walls of celebrity and anime posters and piles of manga books, romance novels, mixtapes of pop music, and snacks.

    She didn¡¯t allow herself to dwell on it. Her eyes remained unfocused under the sunsses, and she asked casually, ¡°Oh, Miss didn¡¯t harass you or anything while watching the movie, did he?¡±

    ¡°No, he was more into the movie than I was.¡± Ting Ting snorted. ¡°He told me that he used to be a point guard when he yed basketball for his school.¡±

    ¡°And after the movie?¡±

    ¡°We returned to base. But...¡± Ting Ting¡¯s smile stiffened as she remembered something unpleasant. ¡°He did do something absurd on our way back.¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled with interest. ¡°Details, please.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Ting Ting felt mixed feelings. ¡°He gave me a rose and said that he would show me a magic trick.¡±

    ¡°He does magic tricks?¡± Liu Qingying was a little surprised.

    ¡°He gave me a rosebud, and it suddenly bloomed before me...¡± Ting Ting stuck out her tongue. ¡°Oh my god, he probably thought it was romantic, but I was cringing so hard...¡±

    Liu Qingying smiled slightly. ¡°I heard that Miss had acquired two new Talents, one of them being nt.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I never thought of that.¡± Ting Ting came to a sudden realization. ¡°No wonder he was promoted to Protector. nt is a strong Talent quite high on the list.¡±

    ¡°Did you leave the rose in your room?¡± Liu Qingying gave her a meaningful look. ¡°To my knowledge, nt allows one to watch people with a nt.¡±

    Ting Ting¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Holy! He...he¡¯s not gonna be that much of a pervert, is he?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Girls should protect themselves. It never hurts to be careful.¡± Liu Qingying advised her gently.

    Ting Ting frowned. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m going to throw away the flower first thing. But won¡¯t that offend Miss? I¡¯ll need to think of a good excuse... Sister Liu? Are you listening, Sister Liu...¡±

    Ting Ting noticed that Liu Qingying seemed miles away mid-talk, and her expression was strange.

    Liu Qingying suddenly stood up and put down her cup of coffee, stroking her t abdomen with one hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bit of a stomach ache. I¡¯m going to the restroom.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Ting Ting didn¡¯t suspect a thing.

    Liu Qingying walked out of the monitoring room and made it across the office hall to the women¡¯s restroom, entering the stall on the farside.

    As soon as she closed the door, she turned her head and took off her sunsses with a scowl, her eyes shining a brilliant blue as she used irvoyance.

    That was the Talent Liu Qingying had acquired right before joining the Ocean River Union.

    Soon, the blue light prated several walls and locked onto Surnamed Li¡¯s office. Liu Qingying carefully controlled irvoyance to make sure that no one would notice her prying eyes.

    Qilin was talking to Surnamed Li, and they had used a jammer against eavesdropping. Liu Qingying didn¡¯t need to hear them talk, though; she could read lips.

    She had been watching Qilin¡¯s office while chatting with Ting Ting. As soon as the man left for Surnamed Li¡¯s office, she knew that there would be information to be gleaned¡ªif they were meeting thiste, it must be something important.

    Liu Qingying couldn¡¯t watch them and chat with Ting Ting at the same time, so she excused herself to keep an eye on them from the restroom.

    She read their lips. Then Yan Liang showed up too.

    <i>¡ª¡°Sooner is better. Let¡¯s go for tomorrow. Wait for my signal...¡±</i>

    The three finished talking. Liu Qingying immediately deactivated irvoyance, her expression turning grave as her brain went on overdrive.

    <i>Qilin¡¯s going after the Twelve Zodiac Signs!</i>

    <i>He¡¯s betting on the possibility that Dragon¡¯s still in hibernation to catch the Zodiacs off guard, taking the Psyche Rune Circuit and the other Rune Circuits so that his Eidos can reach level 8 to attack the Nine Scions.</i>

    <i>Azure Dragon¡¯s death has pushed him over the edge. He¡¯s throwing reservations out of the window!</i>

    <i>He must not be allowed to do that, or the consequences will be unbearable!</i>

    <i>Do I contact Songstress now with my phone? No, every Union member¡¯s phone is being monitored. Moreover, Miss must have nted something at the shop with nt to surveil Songstress when he visited.</i>

    <i>I have to notify the Zodiacs in person, and I have to do it now!</i>

    Liu Qingying made up her mind. She didn¡¯t n to expose her true purpose so soon, but she didn¡¯t have a choice.

    She walked out of the restroom and returned to the monitoring room.

    She pretended to focus on work for half an hour, keeping up a pleasant chat with Ting Ting. Once the time seemed right, she suddenly stared at a screen showing the surveince footage of a harbor. ¡°These two seem suspicious, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± Ting Ting didn¡¯t feel the same.

    Liu Qingying stroked her chin and said, ¡°If I remember right, the ferry goes to Ind Nation, doesn¡¯t it? The Nine Scions had a base in Ind Nation before...¡±

    ¡°What do we do then?¡± Ting Ting was easily led on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t alert anyone yet. I¡¯ll go investigate and apply for the leave after I return.¡± Liu Qingying grabbed her coat and put it on. ¡°Once Liao Liao¡¯s awake, report to her for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Ting Ting nodded. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m experienced.¡± Liu Qingying put on a scarf with a smile and walked out of the room.

    She quickly crossed the silent office hall and reached the elevator leading to the ground level. Crimson Bee and Bumblebee were sitting on both sides to keep watch.

    ¡°Intelligence Department, Liu Qingying. Out to investigate.¡± Liu Qingying showed them her ID with a serious expression.

    ¡°Sister Liu, you¡¯re leaving for an investigation thiste on your own?¡± Bumblebee asked with earnest concern as he stood up.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing dangerous.¡± Liu Qingying smiled. ¡°More people will only draw attention. I can¡¯t tell you the details.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Be careful.¡± Crimson Bee didn¡¯t ask more. He turned to punch in the code for the elevator.

    <i>Ding</i>. The elevator opened in three seconds. Liu Qingying sighed in relief, but the moment she took a step, a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

    ¡°Miss Liu.¡±

 Chapter 828: Elevator Terror

    <h4>Chapter 828: Elevator Terror</h4>

    Liu Qingying¡¯s heart clenched like it had been seized by an intangible force. Although the voice was gentle and amicable, to her¡ªand most members of the Ocean River Union¡ªnothing elicited greater terror than the voice.

    But Liu Qingying was experienced. The panic in her eyes was fleeting, and she turned around naturally.

    Qilin stood with a ck Gold cane. He pushed a wheelchaired Surnamed Li toward the elevator slowly.

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t mask her surprise. ¡°Guildmaster Qilin, Deputy Guildmaster Li.¡±

    ¡°Guildmaster Qilin! Deputy Guildmaster Li!¡± Crimson Bee and Bumblebee called out at the same time, straightening their backs and focusing. They didn¡¯t want to seem disrespectful.

    ¡°It¡¯ste, Miss Liu. Are you going out on a mission?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°Yes, I reported to Elder Liao Liao beforehand,¡± Liu Qingying lied without batting an eye.

    Qilin nodded before looking down at Surnamed Li. ¡°I¡¯ve said before. Miss Liu¡¯s joining the intelligence department of the Ocean River Union would be akin to granting a tiger a pair of wings.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°She¡¯s a woman of action.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you ttered me,¡± Liu Qingying said while holding her head up high. ¡°You could praise me after I locate the Nine Scions and the Godbearer Cult.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait for your good news,¡± Surnamed Li said.

    ¡°Are you going to the ground level at this time?¡± Liu Qingying asked.

    ¡°We are.¡± Qilin waved a hand gently, indicating that they should move the conversation into the elevator.

    Liu Qingying turned to walk into the elevator. Qilin followed with Surnamed Li.

    The elevator door closed. Liu Qingyingposed herself, not even letting her heart beat a little faster. She said easily with polite curiosity, ¡°You are the leaders of the Ocean River Union. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go out on your own. The Nine Scions may be lying in wait. They are a cunning bunch.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the concern.¡± Surnamed Li smiled. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because Qilin and I are your leaders that we cannot stay in hiding every day while you risk your lives.¡±

    Liu Qingying nodded slightly and fell silent.

    ¡°Madam Li and I will be staying in the Sea View Tower to take care of something.¡± Qilin talked about their arrangement openly. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, please tell everyone to not bother us.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Liu Qingying hesitated before asking, ¡°Won¡¯t it be dangerous? Why don¡¯t we assign some people...¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Qilin said. ¡°I¡¯ve made the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Liu Qingying stopped asking. She knew that Qilin was exposing himself to danger and announcing his n on purpose, even hoping that she, the former information broker, would leak the news to the other factions. That was to maximize Surnamed Li¡¯s ability to see the near future with Prophet.

    ¡°Have you acquired any new Talent recently, Miss Liu?¡± Qilin suddenly said as the elevator rose.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Liu Qingying maintained a poker face despite the skip of her heart. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Qilin smiled faintly. ¡°Many are beginning toprehend new Talents, and more and more people now have three Talents. I remember that you already had two ten years ago.¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Liu Qingying said.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long. It¡¯ll make sense for you to acquire a new Talent.¡± Qilin looked sideways at her.

    Liu Qingying chuckled. ¡°I look forward to that, too.¡±

    ...

    <i>Ding</i>.

    A minuteter, the elevator door opened to the parking lot on the underground first floor¡ªthe Heavenly Way had mostly restored the surface of the base, and the Union rebuilt upon the foundation.

    Qilin pushed Surnamed Li out of the elevator. Liu Qingying trailed after them.

    Qilin walked to his parking spot. After taking a few steps, he stopped to ask, ¡°Need a ride, Miss Liu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Liu Qingying exined unhurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the harbor. It¡¯s not on the way to the Sea View Tower.¡±

    ¡°Then be careful.¡± Qilin went up to a ck car without another word.

    Liu Qingying slowed her steps before getting into her car. Only after she made sure that Qilin and Surnamed Li had driven out of the basement did she sigh in relief, her palms sweating as she gripped the driving wheel tightly.

    It had felt like a grim reaper¡¯s scythe was pressed to her neck since the moment Qilin and Surnamed Li showed up. Every word Qilin said seemed like a quiet test, and she had thought she would never step out of the elevator alive. The minute felt as long as a century.

    But in the end, nothing happened.

    Concern lingered. Liu Qingying took deep breaths and stayed in the car for a few minutes. Then she took a bottle of Illusion Breaking Spray out of her bag and sprayed her face a few times, inhaling the mist as best she could.

    Then she waited longer. Finally, she was certain that she hadn¡¯t been put under Qilin¡¯s illusion¡ªan illusion could not replicate the Illusion Breaking Spray. Even if it did, it would break the target out of the illusion as a result.

    She started the car and stepped on the elerator.

    ...

    Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers, Sunbound Road, Daxu District,te at night.

    The que hung on the ss door was flipped to ¡°closed¡±. Inside the bright, warm flower shop, Songstress had just wrapped up the flowers that would be delivered tomorrow morning. Then she stretched and started cleaning up.

    She first swept the branches and leaves on the ground. Then she moved some of the flowers outside into the shop. It was time to close down.

    It was another busy and productive day. Outside of eating, Songstress hadn¡¯t had any break.

    She had thought about it. She was going to take a bath and rewatch <i>La La City</i> on the sofa upstairs before falling asleep.

    The first time Songstress watched the musical, Ghost Horse had invited her to the cinema.

    Ghost Horse¡¯s only hobby was jazz, and under his rmendation, Songstress hade to love jazz too. Since the movie happened to be about jazz, Ghost Horse invited her.

    Before, Ghost Horse had never asked Songstress out. They always met at the flower shop or the base.

    Ghost Horse didn¡¯t realize that it was a date, but Songstress thought differently. Filled with anticipation, she dressed up with great effort.

    However, Ghost Horse was fully focused on the movie throughout and didn¡¯t say anything. Songstress was disappointed. She shifted her attention to focus on the movie instead, and to her surprise, she ended up crying.

    It was a good story. The male lead loved jazz, while the female lead always wanted to be an actor. They met when they were both down on their luck and encouraged and supported each other, but ended up going down different paths and growing distant. Many yearster, they met at a bar by chance under different circumstances. One of them was ying on the stage, while the other watched and listened off the stage. They recognized each other, and memories swarmed up to them. At the end of it, they exchanged a teary smile.

    Was it that all good stories must end in regret?

    Late at night, they walked out of the cinema and stayed silent as they walked, both still lost in the movie.

    Songstress breathed in the cool air of the night, her thoughts running from her.

    <i>Ghost Horse has been in different organizations. Will the Twelve Zodiac Signs have been hisst stop? If one day he resigns, will we part ways just like the leads in the movie, and after many years... No, we won¡¯t even have the romantic bittersweet moment. After all, we aren¡¯t anything.</i>

    ¡°Is this a date?¡± Songstress blurted out and surprised herself.

 Chapter 829: Office Romance

    <h4>Chapter 829: Office Romance</h4>

    Ghost Horse was stunned for two seconds. Then he used Telepathy on Songstress.

    [Was it inappropriate for me to ask you to a movie? I simply wanted to share it with you. I didn¡¯t think it through. If you feel pressured, I¡¯ll...]

    ¡°Don¡¯t use Telepathy, Ghost Horse.¡± Songstress held his gaze. ¡°Tell me, is this a date?¡±

    Ghost Horse quietly looked at the beautiful woman before him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple question.¡± Songstress tugged at her lips. ¡°Is it so difficult to answer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not simple for me at all,¡± Ghost Horse admitted.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll put it this way.¡± Songstress pursed her lips, her heart racing. ¡°Do you want this...to be a date?¡±

    Ghost Horse was a little dense in terms of matters of the heart, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot.

    Songstress had made herself clear enough short of writing ¡°Do you like me¡± on her face.

    Silence lingered.

    Ghost Horse hesitated. ¡°But the organization forbids office romance.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Songstress smiled, showing a rare mischievous look on her gentle, serene face. ¡°This isn¡¯t the office, is it? This is a road. Outside the office. We can do whatever we want here. So, tell me, is this a date?¡±

    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll ask you this, Ghost Horse, so tell me after thinking it through.¡±

    Ghost Horse was going to say more, but he knew he had little time for that. He blinked and struggled to say, ¡°I want it to be.¡±

    Then he closed his eyes and toppled toward Songstress.

    Songstress hurriedly opened her arms to catch him with difficulty. His chin fell on her frail shoulders. His breathing was heavy.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to reach her limit, and she staggered. They both fell to the ground.

    <i>Oh dear, I spoke too much and hypnotized him. I¡¯ll have to wait until he wakes up.</i>

    Songstress sat on the curb with Ghost Horse in her arms, filled with joy and embarrassment. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She had never thought that this would be how her first rtionship started. It was a little absurd, a little romantic, and a little unbelievable.

    In her excitement, she started humming the upbeat yet bittersweet score from <i>La La City</i>. She hurriedly stopped herself after two verses. <i>Oh, no! If I go on, Ghost Horse will never wake up, and we¡¯ll have to stay on the road until the day breaks.</i>

    <i>Beep¡ª</i>

    A car horn broke Songstress out of the memory. She put down the broom in her hand and looked up outside. Parked by the curb was a silver car. The window rolled down to reveal Liu Qingying in sunsses. She waved Songstress over.

    Songstress hesitated for a few seconds and went out to the car. ¡°It¡¯ste, Miss Liu...¡±

    ¡°Get in,¡± Liu Qingying cut her off in a low voice, her tone urgent.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll close the shop...¡±

    ¡°Get in,¡± Liu Qingying interrupted her once more. ¡°There¡¯s no time.¡±

    Songstress paused, realizing the gravity of the situation. She decisively opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

    She lowered her voice and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Liu Qingying closed the window and took a jammer from her pocket, turning it on. ¡°Miss is watching your shop.¡±

    Songstress started. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sprehended nt.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Songstress came to a realization in an instant. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    A faint anger hit her first, but then she broke into an understanding smile of relief. That was better. It seemed that Qin You and her had been of different worlds long ago. She wouldn¡¯t have to care about their shared history when facing him from now on.

    Liu Qingying started the car. ¡°I¡¯ll make this brief. Qilin¡¯s making a move against you tomorrow.¡±

    Songstress¡¯ face darkened. She had guessed that things must be serious for Liu Qingying to seek her out like this, but the extent of it exceeded her expectations.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time and n.¡±

    ¡°How did you learn about it at all?¡± Songstress asked.

    ¡°I got irvoyance. I¡¯d been watching Qilin¡¯s and Surnamed Li¡¯s offices and reading their lips.¡± Liu Qingying took off her sunsses. Her eyes shone a light blue as she nced at Songstress. ¡°You¡¯re wearing white undergarments.¡±

    After two seconds, Songstress cracked a resigned smile. ¡°Alright, I believe you.¡±

    Liu Qingying sighed. ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve joined the Ocean River Union to keep an eye on Qilin. I can¡¯t tell you the exact reason, but I must stop Qilin from losing control. I didn¡¯t expect him to unravel faster than I expected. Azure Dragon¡¯s death hit him hard.¡±

    Songstress¡¯ face darkened. ¡°I have to warn everyone.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Liu Qingying said. ¡°We¡¯re going now.¡±

    Songstress thought for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not returning to the Union, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Liu Qingying smiled bitterly. ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened to Vermilion Bird, do you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°To my knowledge, Qilin put Vermilion Bird in a vegetative state just because he found out that she had leaked information to the Nine Scions.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s voice turned icy. ¡°If I go back, I¡¯ll fare worse than she did.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Twelve Zodiac Signs will protect you.¡±

    Liu Qingying stared ahead as dim yellow light intermittently flitted across her face. ¡°If I feared death, I wouldn¡¯t have joined the Union.¡±

    <i>But if possible, I¡¯d like to live a little longer to turn the chess match around.</i>

    That, Liu Qingying didn¡¯t say out loud.

    ...

    Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers was close to the Millennium Tower. It only took three minutes for Liu Qingying to drive the car into the underground basement.

    They entered the member-exclusive elevator and confirmed their identities, going straight to the underground sixth floor.

    Once they made it to the front room of the base, Songstress pressed the gathering button at the door. Then she took Liu Qingying to the Mouse Room, the meeting room.

    A few minutester, the door opened, and some of the members walked in.

    Leading the group was War Tiger, followed by White Rabbit, Dead Pig, Heavenly Dog, Mischievous Monkey, and Zhong He.

    They didn¡¯t even sit down before Liu Qingying shot to her feet. ¡°The Ocean River Union is making a move on the Zodiacs tomorrow. I don¡¯t know the details, but you must take action now!¡±

    War Tiger heard her, but without sparing her a look, he continued to his seat and sat down slowly.

    The others heard, too, but weren¡¯t too surprised by the revtion as they each took their seats. It was as if they had expected it.

    Resting his elbows on the table with his hands sped over his mouth, War Tiger had an unreadable expression on his face. The others maintained a poker face and looked at him, waiting for him to make a decision.

    After about ten seconds, War Tiger calmly said, ¡°This is big. Why should I trust you?¡±

    Liu Qingying sighed and held his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for someone in your position to suspect me, War Tiger. I established a connection with Songstress on purpose before joining the Union, and after only a few days, I suddenly came to your doorstep.¡±

    War Tiger stayed in the same posture with his hands pressed against his mouth, his lips curling.

    ¡°But think about it. If I¡¯m trying to rile you up, my lies will be exposed quickly. Then you can very well grab me and give me to the Union for your own good. If I¡¯m not lying, and the Union ising after you, however, you can move faster and dodge a bullet. What do you stand to lose?¡±

    War Tiger was silent for another ten or so seconds. Then he said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll have a meeting first.¡±

 Chapter 830: Concerns You

    <h4>Chapter 830: Concerns You</h4>

    Liu Qingying took a deep breath. She knew impatience would lead to nowhere, so she calmed herself and got to her feet. ¡°Alright. Think about it carefully, but make it as quick as possible. The clock¡¯s ticking.¡±

    ¡°Songstress, walk her out.¡± War Tiger nced at Songstress. She nodded and apanied Liu Qingying out of the meeting room.

    Zhong He rose to his feet and walked them to the door impassively. Then<i> bam! </i>He mmed the door shut.

    Songstress took Liu Qingying to the pantry. ¡°Fret not, Sister Liu. We¡¯ll have some tea and wait for Uncle Tiger to finish their meeting.¡±

    Liu Qingying scoffed. ¡°Who would¡¯ve expected the usually bold War Tiger to be so hesitant in such a key moment? Be it a truth or a lie, isn¡¯t it better to make preparations like it¡¯s already confirmed?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to just dere war with the Ocean River Union.¡± Songstress understood War Tiger¡¯s position.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Dragon?¡± Liu Qingying suddenly said. ¡°White Rabbit said that Dragon could detect lies with Overlord. Just have him test me.¡±

    Songstress shook her head. ¡°Captain¡¯s not in the base.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not here?¡± Liu Qingying frowned.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s been moving in the dark. Only Uncle Tiger can contact him.¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t push. She took a deep breath and waited patiently.

    Not long after, Songstress came over with two cups of hot tea. Liu Qingying took the cup but stopped before having it. She looked up and asked, ¡°Is there any coffee?¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    ¡°I have a sudden craving.¡± Liu Qingying smiled apologetically. ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Songstress turned to make coffee.

    Liu Qingying watched Songstress busy about, bemused. It didn¡¯t take long for Songstress to return with two cups of coffee. Liu Qingying took her cup and sipped it, raising her hand and wiggling her right middle finger before her nose.

    Satisfied, she put the cup down and pressed her hands together on her abdomen, leaning back into the sofa.

    Songstress blinked, finding her action strange. ¡°Are you alright, Sister Liu?¡±

    Liu Qingying didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Songstress said.

    Suddenly, Liu Qingying seemed to have thought of something. She slowly sat up and leaned forward, ¡°Songstress, could it be that Dragon¡¯s not on a secret mission, but hibernating?¡±

    Songstress started. She had considered the possibility, but even so, she couldn¡¯t give Liu Qingying a straight answer.

    Dragon was the Twelve Zodiac Signs¡¯ trump card, foundation, and guardian. Even Lovely Lamb, who had just turned eight, knew that.

    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s possible, but unlikely.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liu QIngying nodded.

    ¡°Sister Liu, why did you...ask that all of a sudden?¡± Songstress looked at her.

    Liu Qingying paused. ¡°Ask what?¡±

    ¡°You asked if our captain¡¯s hibernating. Does that concern you?¡±

    Liu Qingying steepled her hands and smiled faintly. ¡°Yes, it does. I want to know if Dragon is in the base.¡±

    Songstress shot to her feet, her expression turning grave. ¡°What are you trying to do, Liu Qingying?¡±

    Liu Qingying blinked in confusion. ¡°Do what? What are you talking about?¡±

    Songstress¡¯ heart sank.<i> Something isn¡¯t right! Why is Liu Qingying acting so inconsistently?</i>

    She took a closer look at the woman. Liu Qingying remained on the sofa, leaning forward slightly to reach for the coffee. Songstress could see into the cors of her shirt while standing up.

    Startled, Songstress quickly went up to tear her cor open.

    The button fell, revealing Liu Qingying¡¯s pale corbones. Under her left corbone was a deep green web that seemed like a tattoo.

    But it wasn¡¯t a tattoo, of course, but a powerful energy brand.

    ¡°What is that?!¡± Songstress red at Liu Qingying¡¯s face like she was confronting an enemy.

    ¡°Songstress, what were you doing...¡± Liu Qingying still looked confused, but then she slowly looked down and discovered the brand.

    Startled, she eximed, ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°I should ask you that!¡±

    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know...¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s face paled, and her expression turned lost. ¡°When did I...ugh!¡±

    She held onto her head with both hands, her silver hair running down messily.

    A secondter, the web-shaped energy brand glowed a flickering green light as it spread along her skin, turning into countless tight, vertical strands. In the middle of the strands, an abstracted pattern of a marite emerged.

    Liu Qingying shot to her feet tensely, face impassive and eyes shining a bright green light. She reached into her coat pocket for something.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Songtress immediately rushed up to stop her.

    <i>Bam!</i> Liu Qingying took out the item while swinging the other arm at Songstress, sending her flying off her feet. Her strength was incredible!

    Songstress mmed into the water cooler in the corner and fell to the ground. She endured the pain and looked up to take a closer look at the object in Liu Qingying¡¯s hand. It was a ck Gold cube that resembled a three-by-three Rubik¡¯s cube.

    She didn¡¯t know what it was or what Liu Qingying was going to do, but her instinct told her that something terrible was going to happen, and she must stop it!

    ¡°Night, take us into a gentle dream.¡±

    ¡°God, grant us an eternal serenity.¡±

    ¡°Wherever we came from, we return...¡±

    ¡°Sleep, sleep.¡±

    ¡°Darkness rests for eternity. Light stays for forever...¡±

    Songstress started singing immediately, using level 6 Requiem at full force without differentiating between friends and foes.

    <i>It¡¯s working!</i>

    The green light in Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes gradually dimmed, and she stopped where she was, not making another move.

    Songstress couldn¡¯t move when using Requiem, or thepelling power of her singing would weaken significantly.

    If not for that, she would¡¯ve tried to grab the object from Liu Qingying or get help from herpanions in the meeting room.

    At this moment, however, she could only keep singing, influencing Liu Qingying¡¯s mind and body with the hypnotizing power of her singing.

    She only hoped for her to fall asleep.

    However, Liu Qingying remained on her feet half a minuteter. While the green light in her eyes was weak, it wasn¡¯t gone, but condensed into two small green dots.

    They stubbornly remained lodged in Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes like screws.

    ¡°Sleep, sleep.¡±

    ¡°Darkness rests for eternity. Light stays for forever...¡±

    Songstress¡¯ heart sank further and further as she sang. She could guess that Liu Qingying was no longer herself. She had been manipted by a terrible Talent, and the one manipting her had a Willpower several times greater than that of Songstress.

    No matter how hard she tried, Songstress could never stop Liu Qingying, but only dyed her actions.

    A minuteter, Songstress¡¯pelling force began to decline. The power manipting Liu Qingying reared its head once more and gained the upper hand.

    Green light lit up in Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes. At the same time, she began to shake violently. Her hand slowly inched toward the ck Gold cube.

 Chapter 831: And I

    <h4>Chapter 831: And I</h4>

    Songstress knew that there was nothing more she could do. The ending had already been determined.

    Facing her looming death, she realized to her surprise that she felt no fear, only some regret.

    If possible, she would like to be back to the mezzanine level of her flower shop andze about on the warm, cozy sofa, rewatching <i>La La City</i> and weing her end with thepany of the upbeat yet mncholy tune yed on a piano.

    ¡°La,...¡±

    She sang it instead. It was as if she was brought back to the autumn night she finished watching the movie with Ghost Horse, back to the silent street where the lights were yellow and dim and the air was fresh.

    They strolled as they talked about movies, about music, about how civet coffee was made, about the meaning of forget-me-nots, about if reincarnation was real, and about if there was a universal truth in the universe.

    They talked about anything and everything, but shied away from talking about themselves. Their lonesome souls yearned for each other, but hesitated to make a step.

    Suddenly, unbidden, the woman opened her mouth. With her hands behind her back, she stopped walking and turned around, looking up at the awkward-looking man.

    <i>¡°Is this a date?¡±</i>

    ...

    Three seconds were enough for Songstress to relive the most wonderful memory in her life.

    Three seconds were enough for Liu Qingying to grip the ck Gold cube with both hands.

    The singing stopped. Songstress looked at Liu Qingying calmly.

    <i>Click</i>. Liu Qingying¡¯s hands twisted, and the cube transformed into an irregr shape like a Rubik¡¯s cube broken by a child.

    Once she was forced toplete the mission, the green light in her eyes went out, and the force manipting her was gone.

    Liu Qingying was back.

    In fact, she had been trying her best to resist the force when she realized that she was controlled, but it was akin to a mantis attempting to stop a car with its arms.

    While Liu Qingying was mentally quite strong with two level 7 Psyche-type Talents, it was nothingpared to the mastermind¡¯s Willpower.

    What was done was done. There was no turning it around. Liu Qingying lost, even though she didn¡¯t even know how, and to whom.

    That no longer mattered to her.

    Humanity¡¯s fate and the ending of the tale no longer had any bearing on her.

    At that moment, she felt no fear, and not even regret or grievance.

    She sighed like a weight was suddenly lifted off her, like she had finally taken thest step to finish a marathon.

    ¡°I seem to have...made things worse.¡± Liu Qingying blinked at Songstress.

    ¡°We both did our best.¡± Songstress smiled and let out a long breath. ¡°Finally, I can meet him again.¡±

    Suddenly, Liu Qingying heard the voice of a girl echoing in her head.

    <i>¡°I¡¯m Ba Qiuchi. Based on the poem. Easy to remember, right?¡±</i>

    Liu Qingying cracked a small smile.

    ¡°And I can finally meet <i>her </i>again.¡±

    As soon as she said that, the ck Gold cube disappeared from Liu Qingying¡¯s hands before appearing again after half a second, but it had morphed into a light gray spatial vortex that was quickly spinning.

    <i>Rumble</i>. At that moment, the vortex sucked in everything around it like a ck hole that consumed all. The entire underground sixth floor vanished. A circr vacuum of more than two hundred in diameter appeared under the Millennium Tower.

    Three secondster, the great spatial vortex that had devoured a great area exploded, like a greedy enormous monster throwing up what it had eaten after stuffing itself past its limit. However, what it threw up wasn¡¯t what they had been, but things that had been crushed and rbined into countless colorful orbs.

    Ranging from the size of a ser ball to the size of a marble, the orbs scattered and filled the space like colorful candies filling a dispensing machine.

    ...

    Millennium Tower, Daxu District.

    Under the cold gray moonlight, the tallest skyscraper in Li City was brightly lit with flickering neon light decorating the Ferris wheel on the rooftop, which rotated slowly.

    But then suddenly, the entire building turned dark. The electricity was cut off.

    Soon, a tremor hit the Millennium Tower and the ground around it. Then the tremor grew in intensity, and the ss windows of the building shattered and sttered, causing a rain of crystal-clear, cutting ss shards.

    <i>Creak</i>. The foundation of the building copsed audibly. It sank as it leaned to one side. The concrete giant¡¯s feet, which had been buried deep into the ground, turned boneless after the spatial bomb devoured and reconstituted it. It could no longer stay upright, but waver dangerously.

    The owner and the organization that had paid to build the tower had high hopes for it: may it stand strong for a thousand years and light up the vast city of mist as all awakeners¡¯ lighthouse; thus, it was named the Millennium Tower.

    It was so young, around for less than six years. It had weathered elements and attacks with great heroic ambition, yet its foundation was destroyed, losing to an insidious scheme. What an irony its fate turned out to be.

    It rumbled and howled with frustration as it toppled to the side, mming into the streets, zas, train stations, and residential buildings...then it crumbled into rubbles.

    The Millennium Tower had copsed. A sea of mes enveloped the area as smoke filled the air and police siren red. It was like the doomsday hade early.

 Chapter 832: Puppet Tune

    <h4>Chapter 832: Puppet Tune</h4>

    Half a kilometer away, on top of an express hotel, four figures could be seen at the edge of the rooftop under the cold gray moonlight. Qilin stood at the center with a wheelchaired Surnamed Li beside him, and on their sides were Yan Liang and Miss.

    Qilin held a cane in his hand, the green light in his eyes intense. The moment the Millennium Tower started crashing down, the green light dimmed until turning into dark green spots. Then the spots faded too, and his eyes reverted to the deep lonesomekes they usually were.

    He exhaled a soft breath. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Dr. Jia outdid himself again.¡± The masked Yan Liang looked ahead appreciatively, bracing against the night wind. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that any in the underground sixth floor would¡¯ve survived that.¡±

    ¡°Did you see anything, Madam Li?¡± Qilin kept his gaze ahead and asked calmly.

    Surnamed Li, who had been keeping her eyes closed, slowly opened her eyes and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve predicted nothing. I¡¯m safe for at least a week, so by extension, you are, too.¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Zodiac Signs...are gone?¡±

    Miss couldn¡¯t believe it for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect the organization strong enough to confront the Ocean River Union head-on, led by the mysterious Dragon with the top Talent, would just copse like a house of cards.

    And he was one of the key members who made that possible.

    The two Talents Miss recently required were nt and Mindreading. He reported to Yan Liang first thing, and Yan Liang made him a Protector and secretly formted a n with Qilin.

    Qilin and Yan Liang had long suspected that the Nine Scions and the Twelve Zodiac Signs were in cahoots. Based on their previous shes, Yan Liang could conclude for certain that Nine Frost had been giving out orders from the rear throughout, and that his Telepathy had exceeded level 3; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t exin how he coordinated the Nine Scions so adeptly.

    Ghost Horse had been a member of the Qilin Guild. They knew that level 3 Telepathy wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.

    That led to one conclusion: the Twelve Zodiac Signs had lent the Psyche Rune Circuit to the Nine Scions secretly and helped Nine Frost level up Telepathy.

    There was something else supporting the theory: Liao Liao had found Heavenly Dog showing up at the harbor and airport in the city several times. He was way too busy for a college student. He was likely the Zodiac¡¯s contact with the Nine Scions, and Fly made him a perfect candidate for that.

    Moreover, Heavenly Dog had been through life-and-death situations with Gao Yang when they went after Zhuang Mei, a life monster, in Ind Nation. It made sense that they would have a bond.

    Once the suspicion was there, a focused investigation was conducted.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Liao Liao¡¯s intelligence team to find out that outside of the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower, the ce Heavenly Dog frequented most was Songstress¡¯ flower shop.

    On the second day, Miss visited Let Life be Beautiful like Summer Flowers with the excuse of visiting an old friend, and he nted eavesdropping seeds in many of the potted flowers in the shop.

    The seeds didn¡¯t allow him to hear actual sounds, but they would detect it if an awakener visited.

    Miss found out that different awakeners had visited Songstress¡¯ flower shop frequently following that, which cemented their suspicion.

    Then Liu Qingying sought out the Ocean River Union and joined them.

    Although the Union had once invited her andter helped her kill Dust, and it seemed sensible that she would join the Union afterward, Qilin and Yan Liang didn¡¯t trust Liu Qingying. No one knew what the information broker wanted with her bncing between the three organizations before.

    That was where Miss¡¯ Mindreading came into y.

    On the surface, it seemed that Miss had started to pursue Ting Ting of the intelligence department out of the blue, but in truth, that was merely an excuse for him to frequent the department without rousing suspicion, allowing him to read Liu Qingying¡¯s mind.

    One day,te at night, Miss struck up a conversation with Ting Ting while she was on shift again, but he was using Mindreading on Liu Qingying.

    This time, Liu Qingying finally showed her true color. While she pretended to be napping on the recliner with a sleep mask, she was secretly using irvoyance with her eyes open, keeping watch on Surnamed Li¡¯s and Qilin¡¯s offices.

    Miss was shocked when he found out her secret. He immediately reported to Qilin and Yan Liang¡ªat a time and location where Liu Qingying had no chance to use irvoyance, of course.

    After some discussion, Qilin and Yan Liang came to one conclusion: Liu Qingying had joined the Ocean River Union to spy on them. It was unknown what her true goal was, but she was obviously hostile to the Union and could be considered an enemy.

    Then they would take advantage of that.

    Qilin couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He had to take the Psyche Rune Circuit and try to push Eidos to level 8, or the path ahead of him would be a struggle.

    Ever since killing Zhuang Mei, Dragon had never shown himself again. And with Surnamed Li¡¯s prophecy, Qilin could more or less be sure that Dragon was still hibernating.

    Facing the Twelve Zodiacs head-on woulde with a great price even if the Union defeated them, and the Zodiacs were no fools. They might go into hiding with the Rune Circuits like the Nine Scions. Then things would be troublesome.

    There was no ce for honor in war. Yan Liang suggested they made a proactive move, and Qilin didn¡¯t disagree. They formted a thorough n.

    In addition to Miss¡¯ Mindreading, there were three keys to carrying out the n.

    First, a weapon for mass destruction. Dr. Jia had developed for them a spatial bomb that could destroy the entire underground sixth floor in two seconds.

    Second, carrier. Someone must carry the spatial bomb into the underground sixth floor of the Millenium Tower without rousing the suspicion of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and it was best to do that when there were most members there to wipe out as many of them as possible in one fell swoop.

    Liu Qingying was the best bet.

    Third, the execution method. Liu Qingying wasn¡¯t going to just carry the bomb there on a suicide mission. They had to manipte her in some way, and she wouldn¡¯t be easily used given her intelligence and cautious nature. Once she realized what was going on, even if there were only some signs, the n would fail.

    Therefore, she had to be manipted psychologically and discreetly controlled by force. Only then would the n be perfect, allowing no one, not even Liu Qingying, to notice anything wrong.

    Qilin could do that.

    The moment he saw Azure Dragon¡¯s body, he had acquired a second Talent in a surge of great fury and sorrow¡ªPuppeteer.

    Qilin thus became the only awakener in the Mist World to have two of the top twelve Talents.

    At that moment, he became even more certain that he was walking on the right path. The Heavenly Way had given its approval and blessings. No matter who was in his way, no matter what price he had to pay, he would not stop moving.

    Qilin had been carrying the Summon Rune Circuit on him, and the Talent soon broke through to level 4 before jumping to level 7¡ªQilin would like to merge with the Rune Circuit to reach level 8, too, but it just wouldn¡¯t happen.

    Still, level 7 Puppeteer was already terrifyingly powerful.

    Not only could Qilin control wanderers and corpses, but he could also put a Puppet Brand on awakeners with strong will like Liu Qingying and exert discreet control. When the target noticed that they were being manipted, Qilin could even switch to an obvious forceful control to reach his goal.

    Knowing that Liu Qingying was watching him and reading his lips, Qilin sought out Surnamed Li to reveal his n and to put on a show for Liu Qingying.

    Indeed, as soon as Liu Qingying learned that Yan Liang was going to make a move against the Twelve Zodiac Signs, she could no longer stay put¡ªno one would¡¯ve noticed what she had been doing if not for Miss¡¯ Mindreading.

    Liu Qingying decided to warn the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Qilin and Surnamed Li showed up in time to go on an elevator ride with her.

    During the thirty seconds of the ride, Qilin put a Puppet Brand on Liu Qingying with her none the wiser.

    Of course, Liu Qingying had failed to realize it because Qilin had used Eidos at the same time to rationalize the strange feeling Liu Qingying would feel, and thus she ignored the energy intrusion of Puppeteer.

    When Liu Qingying walked out of the elevator, she was already half a puppet for Qilin.

    Level 7 Puppeteer came with a skill named Puppet Tune. It allowed Qilin to swap his will and consciousness with those of a puppet within a kilometer in range, which effectively let him possess the puppet.

    The question Liu Qingying had asked when she was in the underground base of the Twelve Zodiac Signs was posed by Qilin, and it was Qilin who had done the odd actions then.

    Once the truth was exposed, and Songstress tried to stop Liu Qingying from detonating the spatial bomb, Qilin exerted full control over Liu Qingying and took matters into his own hands.

    Although he was half a kilometer away from them, and Songstress had used level 6 Requiem from a short distance with Liu Qingying herself resisting the control once she realized what was going on, Qilin¡¯s Willpower still trumped them all.

    In the end, Qilin detonated the spatial bomb and pulled back from Liu Qingying¡¯s body, perfectly concluding the ambush against the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    ¡°Miss, you made a contribution to the assault of the Starcatching Pavilion, and you were indispensable for tonight¡¯s n,¡± Yan Liang said.

    ¡°The n Guildmaster and Elder formted was perfect,¡± Miss said respectfully. ¡°I only carried my part out.¡±

    ¡°No need for showing humility. I¡¯ve always been fair with rewards and punishments.¡± Qilin was still looking ahead. ¡°You¡¯re an Elder from now on. What do you say, Madam Li?¡±

    ¡°No objection from me,¡± Surnamed Li said calmly.

    ¡°Guildmaster, Deputy Guildmaster, thank you for your recognition.¡± Miss quickly lowered his head in thanks, but it was to cover the smile tugging his lips that he couldn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°You¡¯re now Elder Qin You, Miss,¡± Qilin said.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± he responded seriously.

    ¡°Yan Liang, Qin You, lockdown the area with other members. Once the Heavenly Way restored part of it, start looking for the Rune Circuits.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Qilin put his sses back on and turned to leave, holding his cane with one hand and pushing Surnamed Li¡¯s wheelchair with the other hand.

    Yan Liang and Qin You remained on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the Millennium Tower that had been rendered into rubbles in a sea of mes. The night wind brought to them the faint sound of sirens and screams.

    Yan Liang looked bemused with an impassive expression.

    Qin You had to smother a smile, his gaze hardening and growing icy. <i>Don¡¯t me me, Little Nan. I gave you an out. You chose the path. I did tell you that you would regret it.</i>

 Chapter 833: Wait for Me to Wake Up

    <h4>Chapter 833: Wait for Me to Wake Up</h4>

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion, early morning.

    The silver moon hung high in the sky, watching over the mountain and forest shrouded in silence. A gust swept through the trees like a gentle, invisible giant hand and rustled the leaves. Then silence returned, as if the sleeping forest had merely turned around blearily.

    Soon, the gale reached the front yard of the mansion and made a softnding, sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground away.

    Two small figures emerged, Nainai and Hong Xiaoxiao. They hurried to the mansion.

    ¡°Captain! It¡¯s bad!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao panickedly opened the door. ¡°The Millenium Tower, the Millenium Tower fell!¡±

    Gao Yang had only been resting with his eyes closed on the sofa in the living room. He opened his eyes and said calmly, ¡°Take your time, Hong Xiaoxiao.¡±

    ¡°I...Nainai and I...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao collected her breath. ¡°We were patrolling above Li City and went past Daxu District, and suddenly, the Millenium Tower copsed...¡±

    ¡°An explosion? Or an outside force?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    ¡°Neither!¡± Nainai put her hands on her hips. ¡°It¡¯s the power of the Creator Witch! Hmph, I sensed its insidious energy!¡±

    Gao Yang ignored her <i>chuuni </i>remark and stared at Hong Xiaoxiao.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an explosion. And there wasn¡¯t any outside force. It just fell. Although it seemed a little like the result of an earthquake, it couldn¡¯t be that.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao went up to hand Gao Yang her phone. ¡°We sneaked closer and took some photos.¡±

    Gao Yang took the phone and quickly flipped through the photos before concluding, ¡°It seems to be the foundation that was destroyed. Something hit the underground sixth floor.¡±

    Hong Xiaoxiao nched. She had made the guess on her way back, but it was still difficult to ept when Gao Yang put it into words.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs were powerful. They had War Tiger, Dragon, and...Zhong He. How did this happen?

    Gao Yang was going to say something when he felt a heaviness in the back of his head; his eyelids were going to fall. That gave him a hunch.

    He slowlyy back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Before his consciousness was pulled into a Sweet Dream, he instructed, ¡°I¡¯ll be asleep for a while. Gather everyone and wait for me to wake up.

    ...

    Gao Yang paused when he opened his eyes. He was sitting in a cafe. The interior was a retro design. In the brightly lit cafe, a gentle folk tune was ying. Outside the window walls were streets from a bygone period. Ginkgo leaves pelted the ground, falling too quickly for all to be cleaned up. Every once in a while, a car would drive past.

    Gao Yang sat at a coffee table by the window. Across from him was Liu Qingying.

    Her hair was dyed brown and curled slightly. She was wearing a milk-white jumper with a white skirt and ck and white sneakers, looking bright and youthful.

    Gao Yang was quite surprised. Liu Qingying seemed to be ying herself when she was young.

    Technically, Liu Qingying¡¯s appearance had changed little, but her different makeup and outfit made her presence seempletely different.

    Gao Yang decided to go with his usual address for her after some deliberation.

    ¡°Miss Liu,¡± he said faintly.

    The woman didn¡¯t respond. It was as if she couldn¡¯t hear him.

    Instead, she looked outside the window with an eager expression, checking her watch every once in a while and sipping her coffee. Then she would look out of the window again.

    Gao Yang realized then. This was a Sweet Dream Liu Qingying left him with, a premade one rather than a real-time dream.

    ¡°If, and I do mean if, one day I die, you¡¯ll soon enter the dream.¡±

    Gao Yang remembered what she had told him. His heart sank. It seemed that Liu Qingying was dead, and her death was likely linked to the copse of the Millennium Tower.

    All this time, Gao Yang had never trusted Liu Qingying fully. They had been using each other, nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless, they had shared a lot of time.

    Gao Yang looked at the young woman before him. The young Liu Qingying must have been drinking coffee and waiting for someone at some point in the past. She wouldn¡¯t have foreseen the path she would walk on and the death she would meet.

    Witnessing this snippet in the past, Gao Yang was hit with a sorrow he couldn¡¯t exin.

    He stopped himself from overthinking it with Psychic Armor.

    Soon, Liu Qingying¡¯s eyes lit up, her face bright with joy and excitement.

    Gao Yang turned around to see a woman wearing a baseball cap, white shirt, ripped jeans, and canvas shoes walking past the window. A few secondster, she opened the ss door to the cafe. The wind chimes sang.

    ¡°Here.¡± Liu Qingying raised her hand and greeted her.

    The woman in the baseball cap spotted her and strode up to the table, sitting down on Gao Yang¡¯s chair, her figure ovepping with his.

    Gao Yang started. Only then did he realize that they were only holograms of sorts.

    He stood up and took a seat on the chair beside the table to better observe them.

    ¡°One ck coffee.¡± The woman made an order before taking off the baseball cap, tucking the strands of hair on the sides of her cheeks behind her ears. She grinned at Liu Qingying. It was Ba Qiuchi when she was young.

    Her eyes were bright, her facial features pretty and handsome with the corners of her mouth seemingly always curled into a smile. There was a natural gentleness to her that drew people in. However, she didn¡¯t seem to be in a good condition. Her skin was too pale, and her lips, too.

    ¡°Little Liu.¡± Ba Qiuchi propped her head up with a hand on her cheek, giving Liu Qingying an exaggerated once-over. ¡°Did you grow another cup bigger? That¡¯s cheating! How are you still growing?¡±

    Liu Qingying pulled a long face and shot her a re. ¡°Don¡¯t try to get out of this.¡±

    Exposed, Ba Qiuchi stuck out her tongue and lowered her voice, ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°How can I not be?¡± Liu Qingying matched her volume. ¡°I get that you would want some time on your own after your divorce, but how could you just disappear for a whole year without letting anyone know?¡±

    Liu Qingying paused, her eyes reddening. ¡°I thought, I thought...¡±

    ¡°That I got eaten by a <i>cutie</i>[1]?¡± Ba Qiuchi chuckled.

    Liu Qingying nervously looked around and shot her another re. ¡°Keep it down.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The owner of the cafe is a white face.¡± Ba Qiuchi was still smiling. She leaned in to take one of Liu Qingying¡¯s hands. ¡°Little Liu, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m fine, right? Don¡¯t be angry with me.¡±

    Liu Qingying was still angry. She was going to pull her hand back, but Ba Qiuchi wouldn¡¯t let her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I sing you a song to make up to you?¡± Ba Qiuchi acted shamelessly on purpose like a child and sang loudly, ¡°I love you. You love me. Little Ba and Little Liu under a tree...¡±

    ¡°Enough already!¡± Liu Qingying gave in, embarrassed. ¡°Stop singing. I tap out.¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee, Little Liu is the best!¡± Ba Qiuchi only let go of Liu Qingying then.

    The cafe owner brought a cup of ck coffee to the table.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ba Qiuchi smiled sweetly before enjoying the coffee. Liu Qingying didn¡¯t say anything but looked at her closely, as if she was worried that Ba Qiuchi would disappear right in front of her.

    After some time, Liu Qingying said, ¡°You lost weight, Little Ba.¡±

    ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t checked for a while.¡± Ba Qiuchi put down her cup and gave Liu Qingying a small smile. ¡°There must be a lot you would like to ask me, Little Liu. I¡¯ll tell youter. There¡¯s something I have to ask you to do now. You¡¯re the only one I can entrust the matter to.¡±

    1. It¡¯s a term for wanderers introduced quite early, but rarely gets used. ?

 Chapter 834: Only Friend

    <h4>Chapter 834: Only Friend</h4>

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to disappear again, are you?¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Have you not had enough?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, promise,¡± Ba Qiuchi assured her. ¡°I actually n to go to the Hundred Rivers Union.¡±

    Liu Qingying paused, but wasn¡¯t too surprised. ¡°You got a divorce with Old Zhu[1]. It would be awkward for you to stay in the same organization. It¡¯s good for you to have a change of scene. But why the Hundred Rivers Union?¡±

    She added after a moment of silence, ¡°Given your Talent, the Qilin Guild will wee you.¡±

    ¡°I have my reasons.¡± Ba Qiuchi¡¯s eyes crinkled. ¡°I can¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°Not even me?¡± Liu Qingying said with some agitation.

    ¡°Not now,¡± Bai Qiuchi responded in a lilting voice. ¡°But there is something I can tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Liu Qingying picked up her cup of coffee and was going to take a sip.

    ¡°I have a child.¡±

    Liu Qingying sshed the coffee out of her mouth. Having anticipated it, Ba Qiuchi lifted the table cloth to shield herself, breaking into a loud cackle. ¡°Hahaha! I said that when you were drinking coffee on purpose. As expected, you sshed it all out...¡±

    Liu Qingying lowered her cup and shuddered with shock. mming the table, she shot to her feet and growled, ¡°Ba Qiuchi! Are you *** **** out of your mind?!¡±

    Everyone in the cafe turned to look at them.

    Gao Yang included. He hadn¡¯t expected the reveal.

    ¡°Oh boy, what are you doing? You¡¯re too loud.¡± Ba Qiuchi quickly reached out to Liu Qingying while smiling apologetically to the other patrons. ¡°I took her boyfriend from her. She got a little mad at me. Sorry, really sorry...¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Liu Qingying shook Ba Qiuchi¡¯s hand off and took two dor bills out of her wallet to throw them onto the table. Then she stalked out of the cafe angrily.

    Ba Qiuchi had expected the reaction. She quickly took another sip of the ck coffee and put on her shoes, jogging out of the cafe after Liu Qingying. The onlookers were left in shock.

    Filled withplicated feelings, Gao Yang rose and rushed out of the cafe.

    As soon as he opened the door, sprinkle of orange light jumped into his vision and made him close his eyes for a second. He blinked and found himself at the Old Fisherman Wharf upstream of Li River. He saw a rundown port and a dmissioned sand dredging ship. Under his feet was the soft, damp shoal.

    Liu Qingying and Ba Qiuchi stood on the shoal. That evening saw the surface of the river shimmering with light as wind flitted across the red river bank, the scenery mncholy and deste like the feelings that would fill a drunk¡¯s heart after alcohol-induced bliss.

    Gao Yang quickly epted the movie-like transition between scenes. This was Liu Qingying¡¯s Sweet Dream after all. She could pick and choose from her memory at will to make sure she was only giving him useful information.

    Ba Qiuchi bent down to pick up a t, smooth stone and cast it at the water, making it skip six times. She said happily, ¡°Whoa! My new record!¡±

    Liu Qingying stared at the river with concerns weighing her down. She didn¡¯t deem that a response.

    ¡°Cheer up, Little Liu.¡± Ba Qiuchi came up to Liu Qingying and hooked her arm around hers. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a mother. Aren¡¯t you happy for me?¡±

    ¡°The child is Old Zhu¡¯s?¡± Liu Qingying asked coolly.

    Ba Qiuchi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Who does she look like?¡± That was what Liu Qingying cared about.

    ¡°Me, of course.¡± Ba Qiuchi grinned.

    ¡°Thank god.¡± Liu Qingying let out a sigh of relief.

    Chuckling, Ba Qiuchi seemed proud. ¡°Her name is Ba Youchi, nicknamed Cute Little Ba.¡±

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°A safe ce.¡± Ba Qiuchi blinked mysteriously. ¡°Her life is more or less put on pause now. You may consider her in hibernation.¡±

    Liu Qingying¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are you doing now? Why would you do that to a child?¡±

    ¡°So that she can be happy,¡± Ba Qiuchi said seriously.

    Liu Qingying was increasingly confused. ¡°You¡¯re all over the ce, Ba Qiuchi. I don¡¯t know what part of your words is true and what part is false. It¡¯s like I no longer know you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, Little Liu.¡± Ba Qiuchi gave her a long look before turning around to sit down on a clean rock. Then she pointed at a small rock beside her. ¡°Come on. Have a seat. I¡¯ll tell you the truth.¡±

    Liu Qingying paused and sat down next to her, still fuming visibly.

    ¡°Last spring, I realized that I was pregnant.¡± Ba Qiuchi narrowed her eyes, a few strands of her hair wavering on her face. ¡°I was beside myself. You know I¡¯ve always wanted a child. I didn¡¯t tell you or Old Zhu immediately, though. I was going to tell Old Zhu on his birthday as a gift.¡±

    She smiled faintly, her gaze turningplicated. ¡°Then I met an amazing person.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Ba Qiuchi shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    She turned slightly to the side and took Liu Qingying¡¯s hand gently. ¡°Little Liu, I never knew fear in the past. Even death didn¡¯t seem that terrible a fate. Ever since I had the child, however, it was as if I suddenly gained a weakness. I want the child to live in a wonderful world and lead a happy,plete life. For that, I¡¯ll give everything.¡±

    Liu Qingying got even more concerned. ¡°Did that person threaten you, Little Ba? Was that why you divorced Old Zhu and disappeared for a year?¡±

    ¡°Quite the contrary.¡± Ba Quichi shook her head with a smile. ¡°That person sought after me and asked for my help.¡±

    ¡°Your help?¡± Liu Qingying was lost again.

    ¡°The person wanted to save humanity and the world, but one person could only do so much, and too many peoplebined could easily lose their way. Fate is like Jenga. One has to be careful when pulling every block.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being so cryptic.¡± Liu Qingying¡¯s eyebrows knitted closely. ¡°Are you possessed? Who are you? Give my Little Ba back to me.¡±

    Ba Qiuchiughed. ¡°I¡¯m not possessed, Little Liu. I just got some spoilers about the future, which changed the way I think. Anyway, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me first,¡± Liu Qingying said cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m not ying along if you¡¯re doing something insane.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ba Qiuchi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Hundred Rivers Union tomorrow. If one day I die...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Liu Qingying cut her off angrily. ¡°You won¡¯t die!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I say ¡®<i>if</i> I die¡¯ and not ¡®<i>when</i> I die¡¯. I need an insurance, or humanity¡¯s future will be fucked up! So would my daughter¡¯s happy life!¡±

    Ba Qiuchi spoke in a casual tone, even humorous.

    Liu Qingying wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°I prepared something for you, Little Liu. Then you¡¯ll know everything. And you¡¯ll make a choice.¡±

    ¡°What thing?¡±

    Ba Qiuchi reached out to gently tap Liu Qingying on the temple. ¡°I made a Sweet Dream for you. If something happens to me, the dream will trigger, and you¡¯ll learn everything in the dream.¡±

    Liu Qingying lowered her head in silence.

    After a long while, she looked up and squeezed Ba Qiuchi¡¯s hand. ¡°Little Ba, I know there¡¯s no stopping you once you¡¯ve made up your mind, so whatever you¡¯re doing, I¡¯ll support you. But please, <i>please </i>take care of yourself. I don¡¯t want to lose you, and I cannot lose you. The year you went missing, there hasn¡¯t been a day I didn¡¯t think about you.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± Ba Qiuchi looked at her seriously. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my <i>only </i>friend,¡± Liu Qingying said.

    ¡°Does Old Zhu not count?¡± Ba Qiuchi asked with a smile.

    ¡°Him? He¡¯s just a freebie thates with a package deal.¡± Liu Qingying made a face.

    ¡°That¡¯s so mean hahaha...¡±

    Ba Qiuchi shook withughter. Liu Qingying sighed in resignation before joining in, too.

    1. <i>Zhu</i>, the surname, is pronounced the same as <i>zhu </i>for pig. ?

 Chapter 835: Start a Business

    <h4>Chapter 835: Start a Business</h4>

    Gao Yang quietly watched from the side, doing his best to follow every line they said to each other. However, just like Liu Qingying, Gao Yang was utterly lost about what Ba Qiuchi was up to. He could tell that the Sweet Dream was still going to continue, though.

    As expected, the girls¡¯ughter soon faded, and the night wind gliding across the surface of the river was reced by a humid chill, mist, and rain.

    Gao Yang¡¯s vision refocused. He found himself standing on the hilltop where the Taiping Bridge Cemetery was. It was drizzling from the dark cloudy sky.

    Dressed in solemn ck clothes, Liu Qingying held a ck umbre, standing before a newly made tomb, herplexion sickly. Ba Qiuchi¡¯s photo was embedded in the tombstone, and a summary of her life was etched into the stone.

    Beside Liu Qingying stood a man in a ck suit. He didn¡¯t have an umbre. It was Dead Pig, his big burly frame drenched from the rain and his eyes dark with pain.

    ¡°How did Little Ba die?¡± Dead Pig asked.

    Liu Qingying shook her head, her tone soposed that it sounded numb. ¡°I only know that it couldn¡¯t be suicide, and it wasn¡¯t an ident.¡±

    ¡°Then it must be murder.¡± Dead Pig¡¯s eyes ignited with hatred. ¡°Whoever it was, I will find them and tear them to pieces!¡±

    Liu Qingying said in the same even tone, ¡°Count me in.¡±

    She nced at her watch. ¡°I have matters to take care of. Farewell.¡±

    She turned to leave as she spoke. Falling silent, Dead Pig remained before his ex-wife¡¯s tomb, like a statue frozen in time by the cold rain and sorrow.

    In Gao Yang¡¯s eyes, Dead Pig and everything around him became a still frame. He knew that the scene would no longer give him more information. He turned to follow Liu Qingying down the mountain.

    On the concrete clearing at the foot of the mountain parked a ck car. Liu Qingying closed her umbre and entered the driver¡¯s seat.

    Gao Yang opened the door to the passenger seat. As soon as he bent down and got in, there was a sh, and he found himself going through a small wooden door instead. He entered a low attic that was no more than 1.5 meters in height.

    The attic was warm and bright with a soft rug covering the floor and anime and celebrity posters stered all over the walls. Small bookshelves and boxes stacked up in a corner, filled with manga books, magazines, and mixtapes. There was a small electric fan next to them.

    Liu Qingying curled up in a corner, having fallen asleep. Judging by her messy hair and the wet streaks on her face, she must have had a good cry earlier.

    ¡°Little Ba!¡±

    Suddenly, Liu Qingying woke up with a shout. She looked around and realized that she had been dreaming.

    She stared at her palms with disbelief, muttering, ¡°50, Sweet Dream...that was Little Ba¡¯s Talent...¡±

    Tears burst out of her eyes. She broke down again with her hands covering her face.

    Gao Yang¡¯s chest tightened, remembering simr moments in his past.

    It took a good while for Liu Qingying to stop bawling and get her emotions under control. She looked up and saw a paper box sealed with stic tape in a corner of the attic.

    She stood up with her back bent and picked up a boxcutter from the floor, using it to open the paper box.

    Gao Yang went up to her. He had thought there would be used items and books in the box, but instead, there was a small safe made of pure ck Gold.

    Liu Qingying was surprised for a moment. With some difficulty, she extracted the safe from the paper box and closed her eyes in remembrance. The code Ba Qiuchi left with Sweet Dream escaped her lips, ¡°1998323.¡±

    Liu Qingying paused. That was the day she met Ba Qiuchi.

    She turned the lock and opened the safe in no time. Inside was a thick ck leather diary and a ck Gold fountain pen.

    With some confusion, Liu Qingying took out the diary and fountain pen and sat down cross-legged. Gingerly flipping through the diary, she started reading from the very first page.

    Gao Yang got closer. There were writings on the diary, that was for certain, but all he could see were blurred blotches.

    He knew that it was Liu Qingying redacting the information while creating this Sweet Dream.

    Liu Qingying flipped through the diary with full concentration. She started out confused, then she was in turn lost, surprised, and shocked. In the end, her expression became impassive. She went over page after page like a reading robot as she consumed the information.

    Gao Yang waited by her side. It wasn¡¯t a long wait for him.

    The passage of time was quickened in the Sweet Dream. The lighting down from the skylight of the attic quickly changed angle and color. Soon, the attic became dim. Liu Qingying had to turn on a small deskmp to keep reading.

    Late at night, Liu Qingying finally finished thest page. Her gaze was broken yet determined. She put the diary and fountain pen back into the ck Gold safe before putting it into the paper box and resealing it.

    Then she took out her phone and made a call.

    It went through quickly. Dead Pig¡¯s nasal voice said, ¡°Little Liu?¡±

    ¡°Old Zhu, I need a favor.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Lend me money.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but tell me what you¡¯re doing with it first.¡±

    Liu Qingying said, ¡°I want to start a business in the Walled City of Ten Dragons. I think it¡¯ll be a restaurant. The more traffic it sees, the better.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I want to collect information, all kinds of it. I¡¯ll be an information broker.¡±

    Dead Pig asked, ¡°To find Little Ba¡¯s killer?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not just that. I can¡¯t tell you the rest.¡± Liu Qingying was frank with him.

    On the other side of the line, Dead Pig was silent for a few seconds. ¡°You should give it a second thought, Sister Liu. Being an information broker attracts danger. If anything happens to you, how am I going to face Little Ba...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to take responsibility for my life,¡± Liu Qingying cut him off impatiently. ¡°Just give me an answer. Are you helping me or not?¡±

    After another moment of silence, a sigh came through. ¡°How much do you need?¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll contact you once I decide what business I¡¯m going to start.¡± Liu Qingying hung up and lifted the paper box containing the safe. Lowering her head, she nudged the door to the attic open. Then her footsteps could be heard going downstairs.

    Gao Yang immediately followed. The scene changed again the moment he opened the attic door.

    He had entered a dark, narrow corridor lined with doors of different colors, styles, and designs. There were shoe racks and cabs at most of the doors.

    Gao Yang guessed that it was an old apartment building of single rooms.

    Liu Qingying wore all ck with a baseball cap, sunsses, and a mask. Clearly, she didn¡¯t want to be recognized. With swift, light footsteps, she made it to the end of the corridor with something in her arms.

    Gao Yang jogged up after her and started. Liu Qingying was holding a sleeping baby.

    The baby was about six months old, cute and chubby. They were wearing a pink one-piece with a pacifier in their mouth. Their ck hair was fuzzy. And they were holding a small name que with the character <i>meng</i>, lovely, written on it.

    Gao Yang could guess that she was Ba Qiuchi¡¯s daughter, Ba Youqi.

    It turned out that Lovely Lamb from the Twelve Zodiac Signs was a child of Dead Pig and Ba Qiuchi¡¯s. But why must Ba Qiuchi hide her daughter¡¯s identity and make the Twelve Zodiac Signs adopt her in such a roundabout way?

    There were too many unanswered questions.

    Liu Qingying reached the door to the innermost t. She gave the baby onest reluctant look before making up her mind. She left the baby at the door and quickly took her pacifier away, turning to leave.

    Gao Yang was wondering if he should chase after Liu Qingying again when the baby started wailing loudly at his feet.

    ¡°<i>Wah...wah...</i>¡±

 Chapter 836: Wait for My Return

    <h4>Chapter 836: Wait for My Return</h4>

    The baby broke into a heartwrenching wail after losing the pacifier like she had lost the world. Even Gao Yang, an outsider here, couldn¡¯t help but want tofort her.

    A minuteter, the door to the t opened by a crack, behind the door was a man in pajamas and a nightcap.

    His cheeks were sunken, his chin wide, his eyes rimmed with deep shadow, and the wrinkles around his mouth pronounced. He looked cold in a tired, gloomy way, giving an unapproachable impression, but the nightcap he wore was printed with the drawing of a cute fawn. The contrast was striking.

    Gao Yang recognized at first nce that it was Ghost Horse, only much younger.

    Having been woken up at midnight, Ghost Horse looked tired, but his eyes were alert. He observed the situation through the crack of the door for a moment. Then he looked down at the source of the wails.

    He gaped. He had thought it was a prank, but it was an actual living baby.

    After five seconds of stunned inaction, he opened the door and quickly picked the baby up with great care, awkwardly reassuring her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay...¡±

    The baby cried harder.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Hush. It¡¯s all good...¡± Ghost Horse helplessly shook the baby in his arms and started singing, ¡°<i>Mother is the best in the world. She loves a child like her everything...</i>¡±

    Given how sophisticated Ghost Horse¡¯s taste in music was, it was surprising that he couldn¡¯t even hold a tune when singing a nursery rhyme.

    Suddenly, his singing and the baby¡¯s wailing both stopped. Gao Yang realized that the scene had ended. Liu Qingying¡¯s recreation of her memory for Gao Yang¡¯s viewing had reached its end.

    Without a nce back, Gao Yang ran in the direction Liu Qingying had left.

    He opened the door he hade through earlier. Blinding light flooded over him like a tsunami and swallowed him.

    ...

    Gao Yang slowly opened his eyes and woke up from the Sweet Dream.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s awake!¡± Hong Xiaoxiao had been sitting by his side, holding a pillow to her chest to wait for Gao Yang in earnest.

    Hearing her call, the others came up to him. Some were in the living room, while others were in the front or back yard.

    Wang Zikai plopped himself down beside Gao Yang and hooked an arm around his shoulder. ¡°You pulled a fast one on us, bro. You told all of us toe just to watch you sleep. What was that? Were you a sleep streamer?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhang Wei cackled. ¡°If you slept a little longer, I would have reasonable ground to suspect that you were ying the sleeping beauty to try to get the first kiss of a pure-hearted boy, me!¡±

    ¡°Ew! You were disgusting!¡± Wang Zikai sounded impressed.

    ¡°Mortal, this Empress will allow you to kiss my right foot.¡± With her hands on her hips, Nainai took off her dress shoes and stepped on the tea table with her feet, which were in white socks. She looked down at Gao Yang.

    She tried to stand taller than everyone at every chance to emphasize her royal status.

    Standing behind the sofa, Qing Ling didn¡¯t even waste the effort to open her mouth. Instead, she lifted her right hand slightly to rest it on the hilt of her des by her waist.

    Nainai shuddered and jumped off the tea table in panic, putting her shoes back on and grabbing a seat with her legs pressed together, her hands meekly sped on herp. The reserved posture was in stark contrast with her haughty disy earlier.

    ¡°Did something go wrong, Captain?¡± Nine Frost had a bad feeling about it.

    Gao Yang gradually recovered from the fantastical feeling brought about by the Sweet Dream. He said in a grave cold voice, ¡°Liu Qingying died.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Chen Ying started. ¡°She died? How?¡±

    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t she just join the Ocean River Union?¡± Zhang Wei had the same question. ¡°The Union¡¯s safe. How did she die?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°She nted a dream in my consciousness. If she died, the dream would be triggered.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit! Wait, so you were having the dream?¡± Wang Zikai had a rare moment of epiphany.

    ¡°The Millenium Tower fell. Liu Qingying died...¡± Hong Xiaoxiao put two and two together. ¡°It seems that the two incidents are linked.¡±

    ¡°Was Liu Qingying actually on the Twelve Zodiac¡¯s side?¡± Chen Ying made a bold guess. ¡°She went to the Union as a spy but got found out, and the Union retaliated by attacking the Zodiacs?¡±

    ¡°That is a possibility.¡± Nine Frost nodded.

    ¡°But how would the Union dare to do that?!¡± Zhang Wei was shocked. ¡°It¡¯s the Twelve Zodiac Signs! War Tiger! Dragon! The Ocean River Union couldn¡¯t even wipe out the Nine Scions. Why would they dare to target the Zodiacs?¡±

    <i>It¡¯s possible that Qilin made the gamble after having trouble dealing with us, betting on the possibility that Dragon¡¯s still hibernating. His goal was to kill Dragon and grab the Psyche Rune Circuit for himself.</i>

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t voice his theory.

    He looked up at Nine Frost. ¡°We don¡¯t know how the Zodiacs fare. Both Heavenly Dog and Fat Jun hade to this mansion before. We risk getting exposed here. Clean up our tracks immediately. We¡¯re moving.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Nine Frost said.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out to take care of something.¡± Gao Yang stood up. Hong Xiaoxiao immediately took his ck coat and lifted it for him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Gao Yang put on the coat and tied his long hair into a ponytail. Then he reached out to Nainai and Hong Xiaoxiao.

    Both took his hands without missing a beat. Gao Yang replicated Nainai¡¯s Gale and Hong Xiaoxiao¡¯s Invisibility.

    Then Nainai put her hands on Gao Yang¡¯s face, disguising him with Shapeshifter. In a little over ten seconds, he had transformed into an unassuming young man with no eye-catching traits.

    Then Gao Yang thought of something and warned, ¡°Chen Ying, if anyone from the Twelve Zodiac Signs contacts you in secret, don¡¯t respond immediately. It may be someone from the Union in disguise. Wait for my return.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Ying nodded calmly.

    ...

    Old City Area, Nanji District, three o¡¯clock in the morning.

    It was an old street block awaiting renewal. All residents had moved out, and the shops had closed down. Due to electricity in the area being cut off, not even the streetmps were on. Light gray moonlight rimmed the outlines of the old buildings. The ce looked like a ruin in the sea of a bygone period.

    A ck figure quickly moved between the rooftops of the buildings, soon reaching an old shop at the end of the street. The rolling door was covered in rust and wilted ivies. The signboard that said ¡°Female Undergarments Shop¡± was crooked with spots of peeled-off paint, and it was covered in dust.

    Gao Yang extended his six senses to make sure that there was no danger in the area or anyone following him.

    Then he disappeared from view.

 Chapter 837: Wait Patiently

    <h4>Chapter 837: Wait Patiently</h4>

    Gao Yang teleported into the shop.

    It was pitch ck inside. Gao Yang snapped his fingers to conjure a small fire, which slowly led the way like a burning flying bug.

    It cast light on the interior of the shop. Most things had been moved out, leaving only a few empty shelves and a small counter. On the counter was a stack of a few women¡¯s fashion magazines from quite some time ago.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t linger. He made it across the shop and climbed the stairs in the back, going up to the small attic on the third floor.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t teleport through the wall, but instead inspected the wooden door leading to the attic under the firelight. There was an obvious band of dust on the floor, suggesting that someone had opened the door recently and shook it off.

    Gao Yang opened the door and hunched his back to carefully enter the attic.

    It did not look much different from what he had seen in the dream; it was covered in dust and cobwebs, and the air permeated with the smell of decay. Gao Yang put out the fire. The moonlight streaming down from the skylight was enough for him to see clearly.

    He looked around, quickly spotting a big paper box in a corner of the attic. It wasn¡¯t sealed with tape, and there was no ck Gold safe inside, but only some romance novels, shoujo mangas, and youth magazines¡ªall from a long time ago.

    Gao Yang took each of the books out and stopped when he got to half of them, his gaze darkening. There. That was the diary in Liu Qingying¡¯s dream, and a ck Gold fountain pen was attached to the cover.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t immediately pick it up. He conjured a double and had it pick up the diary and fountain pen for close inspection. Only after making sure there was no danger did he merge with the double.

    Just in case, though, Gao Yang had gloved his hands with ayer of Absolute Defense¡¯s energy.

    He opened the diary and saw nothing.

    Gao Yang was suddenly hit with great disappointment and some disbelief. He flipped through the pages. All nk.

    Was it meant for only those fated to read it, and no one else?

    Gao Yang thought for a moment beforeing to a different conclusion. He took off the cap of the fountain pen and decided to write something on the page. That might trigger something. All existence had a purpose. If there were a diary and a fountain pen, the pen must be meant to write something on it.

    What should he write?

    Gao Yang gave it a good thought before writing three words and a period concisely but with great care.

    ¡ªLiu Qingying died.

    He stared at the writing on the page and waited patiently.

    Something incredible happened soon. The ink on the white page faded like it was melting into water before vanishing.

    <i>There is more than meets the eye with this diary!</i>

    As soon as the thought crossed Gao Yang¡¯s mind, two ck words penned with ck ink appeared on the page.

    ¡ªRoger that.

    Gao Yang¡¯s surprise intensified. Who gave the answer, and what did it mean?

    A few secondster, the ck ink faded like it had never been there. Gao Yang almost suspected that he was seeing things.

    He calmed himself and thought for a moment. Then he wrote on the page: <i>Who are you? What¡¯s your goal? Why did Liu Qingying seek me out?</i>

    The blue ink faded word by word like it was devoured by the diary for digestion and reassembling. Not long after, the diary returned with two ck words.

    ¡ªNoment.

    Gao Yang frowned. Then he quickly wrote another question: <i>What do you want from me?</i>

    Half a minuteter, the diary gave him a response.

    ¡ªWait patiently.

    This time, the writing didn¡¯t disappear.

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to make his writing neat. He quickly scribbled:<i> I don¡¯t understand.</i>

    But this time, none of his strokes left any traces on the page. It was as if the fountain pen had run out of ¡°ink¡±, and the diary didn¡¯t give any response.

    Staring at the words ¡°wait patiently¡± on the page, Gao Yang was silent for a long while.

    Then he let out a soft breath and tucked the diary and fountain pen in the inner pocket of his coat.

    ...

    West of West Nation, forty-eight hours after the fall of the Millennium Tower.

    Under the cold moonlight, a red off-road vehicle raced across the desert, leaving waves of dust in its wake as it traversed the terrain covered in short weeds. The driver was a young woman in an oversized hoodie, the hood covering half of her face. She wore a ck mask adorned with curse words in a foreignnguage, ensuring her features remained hidden.

    Gradually, the vehicle slowed as it approached the foot of a great rocky bluff, soon disappearing from sight. An obscure cavern,rge enough to amodate a car, opened in a yawn at the base of the bluff. Once inside, the woman hopped out and opened the passenger door, lifting two heavy bags of supplies from the seat.

    Before her stretched a dark cave system, leading to unknown depths. The different tunnels looked winding andplex, like a natural maze, but it was an artificial trick to the eye. No matter which tunnel one entered, they would get lost and keep going in circles, unable to escape without employing an unorthodox method.

    This was Lovely Lamb¡¯s handiwork. Half a month ago, she acquired her second Talent, Maze, serial number 119, Support-type. As the name suggested, it allowed the user to create a maze in a certain location. The size andplexity of the maze would depend on thendscape of the ce and the geological features.

    Carrying the supplies, the woman didn¡¯t walk into any of the tunnel, but took a deep breath with the two bags in her arms. Strange light blue energy rippled from her feet. It was as if the ground had turned into water.

    Her feet quickly sank in, then her whole body did.

    She just used Intangibility. If the Talent user only wore basic clothes with a small number of personal belongings, the speed at which they went through grounds and walls would be fast, but if they were carrying more things or more people, the process would take some time. The user would have to concentrate on controlling the conversion of their energy. If they made a mistake, the items they were carrying could merge with the ground or wall, more or less irreversibly.

    She went thirty meters underground and dropped into an underground space.

    This had been a private nuclear bunker built a few decades ago, never seeing any use. After the owner¡¯s passing, the ce had been left forgotten.

    That was until the Twelve Zodiac Signs found and renovated it to turn it into one of their secret bases.

    The interior was made to resemble a well-lit modern living room. Lovely Lamb sat on arge,fortable sofa holding a remote control, watching an animation with full focus. The colorful images reflected in her big eyes flickered and moved.

    ¡°Cute Little Lamb.¡±

    Hearing the voice, Lovely Lamb dropped the remote control immediately and turned around.

 Chapter 838: Give Me a Cigarette

    <h4>Chapter 838: Give Me a Cigarette</h4>

    ¡°Sister White Rabbit!¡±

    Lovely Lamb jumped off the sofa and ran up to White Rabbit with a skip in her steps, throwing her arms around White Rabbit.

    White Rabbit lowered the bags of supplies to the floor before pulling off the hood and taking off her mask. She crouched down to hold Lovely Lamb tightly, nuzzling her soft, warm face.

    ¡°Good girl. Where¡¯s Uncle Tiger?¡±

    ¡°In the room.¡± Lovely Lamb pouted. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t y with me, and he was mean.¡±

    White Rabbit felt a pang in her chest. It seemed that War Tiger hadn¡¯t told Lovely Lamb about Songstress.

    ¡°He¡¯s in a bad mood.¡± White Rabbit stroked Lovely Lamb¡¯s hair. ¡°I bring you something tasty. I¡¯ll chat with Uncle Tiger then make food for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lovely Lamb meekly let go of White Rabbit and sat back on the sofa, returning to watching the animation.

    White Rabbit walked across the living room to a slightly ajar metal door. She went in and closed the door behind her. Inside was a barebone room about a hundred square meters big. It was dimly lit. ced by the wall was a ck Gold hibernation chamber.

    Two foldable stools sat by the chamber. War Tiger had imed one, his arms hanging down and his head tipped up. The cigarette in his mouth was burned out, leaving only a cigarette butt. The ash left burn marks on his lips, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    He looked like a madman lost in his thoughts or an idiot in a drunken stupor.

    The floor around him was littered with cigarette butts, the smoke filling the air and assaulting the senses. White Rabbit went up to him with a frown, tamping down the urge to kick him off the stool.

    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± War Tiger leaned forward and grinned. ¡°More cigarettes?¡±

    White Rabbit sat on the chair across from him and took out a pack of cigarettes. War Tiger¡¯s eyes lit up. He reached out for the cigarettes, only for White Rabbit to quickly pull back.

    ¡°Are you just going to rot and smell here?¡± White Rabbit demanded.

    ¡°Did you hear yourself?¡± War Tiger smiled awkwardly. ¡°Your idol is here in his coffin too. Why didn¡¯t you say he¡¯s rotting and smelling too?¡±

    ¡°Captain¡¯s cultivating energy, but you? What are you cultivating but a lung cancer?¡± White Rabbit eyed him disapprovingly.

    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ming yourself.¡± White Rabbit exposed him ruthlessly. ¡°Songstress¡¯...¡±

    White Rabbit was going to say ¡°death¡±, but worried that Lovely Lamb would hear her from outside, she said instead, ¡°What happened to her wasn¡¯t your responsibility.¡±

    War Tiger¡¯s expression darkened. He scratched his messy hair. ¡°I should¡¯ve insisted on taking her away. I could¡¯ve knocked her out. I had always been forceful, but why did my brain shortcircuit that day...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why,¡± White Rabbit cut him off. ¡°Because ever since you sought Quiet Book out for the substitute n, you realized that we couldn¡¯t have only substitutes in the base, or the n would be seen through easily.¡±

    ¡°Songstress wouldn¡¯t leave her shop, which was close to the Millennium Tower and served as the main location for Heavenly Dog to contact the Nine Scions. She would be the best candidate for the real person holding down the emptied fort. That was why you didn¡¯t insist on her leaving. You might not have realized when making the decision. You simply made it subconsciously based on your experience.¡±

    War Tiger stayed silent.

    White Rabbit cast the pack of cigarettes to War Tiger. He took it and tore it open, shaking a cigarette out.

    War Tiger let out a bitterugh. ¡°Qilin would show his true color to us sooner orter, and I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised whenever he made the first move. However, the lunatic turned out to be more unhinged than I am. If we hadn¡¯t been prepared, we would¡¯ve gotten wiped out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± White Rabbit looked at the hibernation chamber, feeling heartbroken but also relieved. ¡°Had Songstress been a substitute, too, the trick wouldn¡¯t have fooled Qilin, and he would put a stop to the n in time.¡±

    ¡°He would maintain the facade of peace while waiting to use the secret weapon until he found our real hiding spot. Then he would get us in one fell swoop. We and Captain wouldn¡¯t have gotten lucky then.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps everything happened this way for a reason.¡± White Rabbit looked at War Tiger. ¡°Songstress saved the Twelve Zodiac Signs, Uncle Tiger. You must get back up. We will avenge Songstress!¡±

    War Tiger fell silent for a few seconds. Then he looked up at her, his glinting eyes hardening and turning fierce. ¡°Fire, Rabbit.¡±

    White Rabbit took out a lighter and threw it to him.

    War Tiger lit the cigarette with a flick of the lighter and took a deep drag. Then he stood up and stretchednguidly, making an instruction, ¡°Stay here with Cute Little Lamb. I¡¯m off to take care of something.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but what are you taking care of?¡±

    ¡°Little Yan Yang contacted Heavenly Dog.¡± War Tiger curled his lips. ¡°He was visiting West Nation these couple of days. He asked for a meeting between leaders.¡±

    ...

    Northern suburban area of West Nation,te at night.

    Dressed in a red racing outfit with a ck helmet, Gao Yang rode a ck motorcycle. He raced along the suburban freeway, resembling an oval-shaped glowing bug speeding along thend''s ck artery.

    The motorcycle soon slowed and drifted sideways,ing to a stop at the entrance of a private ranch. Hopping off, Gao Yang removed his helmet and tossed it backward,nding it precisely on the handlebar. In a blink, he was through the metal door and into the ranch with Teleportation.

    After walking some distance, Gao Yang spotted a farmhouse built in the sixties or seventies. He turned left into a grazing ground. Arge wooden cow pen stood there, housing a few dozen cows. Gao Yang quickly moved past the grazing ground and entered the oak forest beyond it.

    It was winter, and the trees stood bare. The skeletons of trees with their winding branches resembled the result of a witch''s ck magic. They seemed ready to transform into dangerous ents, poised to strike passersby at any moment.

    A few minutester, Gao Yang emerged from the eerie oak forest. His vision opened up to reveal a small gray-blueke before him. By theke, a wooden dock extended into the water, where someone sat in a wheelchair.

    Gao Yang went on high alert and slowly approached the wheelchair. In it sat a frail-looking old man wearing thick pajamas and a cute Christmas hat. His feet were d in mismatched thick woolen socks¡ªone ck, one blue¡ªwith a fuzzy slipper on only one foot.

    Slumping, the old man held a fishing rod with his hands sped together.

    Gao Yang looked at him from the front.

    The old man appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with loose, darkened skin and high cheekbones. His muddled blue eyes bulged like cracked fish eyes. Hisrge, rosacea-affected nose dominated his face, while his thin, cracked lips resembled sun-dried earthworms. His mouth hung open on one side, revealing crooked, yellowed teeth and a trail of drool at the corner.

    His facial muscles spasmed intermittently, as if beyond his control. He bore the appearance of a stroke victim, unable to care for himself.

    Gao Yang was puzzled by the presence of this random wanderer at War Tiger''s chosen meeting ce.

    Suddenly, a fierce, murderous current surged from behind him. Gao Yang reached back, golden energy bursting from his arm. In an instant, he conjured a giant, translucent golden shield.

    <i>ng!</i> The heavy ck Gold greatsword collided with the golden shield; brilliant energy particles sputtered and danced. Gao Yang took the hit without wavering. However, the powerful shockwave, diverted by the energy shield, sent the old man and his wheelchair flying from behind Gao Yang. They crashed onto the grasnd not far away.

 Chapter 839: Madmanâ€™s Childhood

    <h4>Chapter 839: Madman¡¯s Childhood</h4>

    Having failed his sneak attack, War Tiger leaped back, steadying himself as he slung his massive Dragonying Giantsword onto his back. "As expected of Absolute Defense. You can really take a beating!"

    "You tter me," Gao Yang replied.

    Blocking the attack wasn''t as effortless as Gao Yang made it appear; his entire arm had gone numb from the impact. Recalling War Tiger''s brutal killing of Tia in Aurora Town, Gao Yang had summoned the densest energy shield he could muster without hesitation. Had he not, the giantsword''s vibration power would have damaged the energy pathways throughout his body.

    Gao Yang could have employed an Absolute Barrier, but he refrained from expending excessive energy on what was merely a test of strength between them.

    "Alright. Now we''ve confirmed each other''s identity," War Tiger grinned. "Let''s get to business."

    "Have you forgotten someone?" Gao Yang reminded him.

    "Oh, right!" War Tiger pped his own forehead. "I almost forgot about him."

    With an almost gleeful expression, War Tiger darted to the overturned wheelchair and picked it up. He roughly grabbed the stroke-afflicted old man and unceremoniously tossed him back into the seat. The old man''s face and body were covered in wilted grass and soil. His eyes darted about ceaselessly, the corners of his mouth twitching as he made unintelligible noises. An aura of helpless rage radiated from him.

    War Tiger bent down, bringing his face close to the old man''s. Cupping a hand to his ear in mock concern, he taunted, "What do you want? How should I know if you don''t tell me? Huh? What did you say? I can''t hear you. I can''t hear you at all..."

    ¡°Ugh...ugh...¡± The old man raged harder. Gao Yang worried that he would drop dead just like that.

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± War Tiger guffawed. ¡°What a useless piece of trash. You can¡¯t even speak right.¡±

    He patted the old man on the face. ¡°Adios! I¡¯ll visit you again.¡±

    He shoved a hand into his pocket while waving at Gao Yang. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Do we just leave him here?¡±

    Gao Yang caught up with War Tiger. They entered the oak forest.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be fooled by appearance. He¡¯s built sturdy. He won¡¯t get frozen to death overnight. When the dayes, his caretaker will notice he¡¯s gone and find him.¡±

    Gao Yang asked casually, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°My old man.¡± War Tiger lit a cigarette. ¡°Not my biological one, of course. He¡¯s a stable wanderer.¡±

    ¡°What a model son you are,¡± Gao Yang said with some marvel.

    "Hahaha!" War Tiger''sughter grew even more gleeful. "My old man was once a famous boxer in West Nation, dominating the ring for years with unmatched glory. Then a rising star defeated him. He lost his shit and never recovered from the slump, leading to his retirement."

    War Tiger took a long drag from his cigarette and continuedzily, "After that, my old man stopped punching other boxers and started punching women instead. It''s the usual shit you see in movies¡ªalcohol abuse, domestic violence. Nothing new."

    "Eventually, my mom had enough and threw herself into thatke," War Tiger said, jerking his thumb backward. "The one you saw earlier. I''d yed in thatke since I was five, thinking of it as nothing more than arge bathtub. Yet she found a way to drown herself in it. Guess the saying is true: where there''s a will, there''s a way; if someone truly wants to end their life, they''ll do it one way or another."

    As he spoke, War Tiger''s tone remained detached, as if recounting someone else''s life rather than his own. "After my mom died, my old man started beating me up. I was his punching bag until I turned fourteen. Then he couldn''t beat me anymore."

    "One night, I broke his nose and two front teeth. Probably cracked a few ribs with my kicks, too. I took all the money from home and left."

    "I snuck away to Li City, my mother''s hometown, hoping to see where she grew up. But her childhood home was gone. Not long after that, I awakened. Then I ran into Dragon and joined the Twelve Zodiac Signs."

    He grinned at Gao Yang. "I''m an awakener now, but well, I''m a model son, as you said. I visit my old man every once in a while to beat him up, showing him his son''s love up close and personal."

    "It''s a shame he had a stroke two years ago. Things haven''t been as fun since then."

    Gao Yang listened to the story calmly. It didn¡¯t surprise him that a madman like War Tiger would have such a childhood. Actually, he expected War Tiger to have an even rougher past.

    ¡°Enough chitchat. Let¡¯s talk business.¡± War Tiger dropped the smile. ¡°Our home got torn down. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    War Tiger shook off some ash from his cigarette. ¡°Our people have long split up to different bases. Quiet Book created our substitutes with her Talent and had the substitutes stay in the underground base in the Millenium Tower. She also had them walk around outside in the neighborhood every now and then to make things believable.¡±

    War Tiger paused, sorrow shing through his eyes. ¡°Songstress wouldn¡¯t leave with us, and I didn¡¯t tell her the n or make a substitute for her. The night the Union struck, Songstress had taken Liu Qingying to the underground sixth floor. Liu Qingying talked to our substitutes in the meeting room, and the substitutes responded in preprogrammed ways.¡±

    ¡°After that, Liu Qingying left the meeting room with Songstress. Liu Qingying took out a strange small object during the conversation. It looked like a Rubik¡¯s cube. Then the whole floor was gone. It seemed like a bomb but wasn¡¯t one. I suspected that it was a spatial weapon of sorts.¡±

    ¡°How do you know so much without being there?¡±

    ¡°The cameras installed in the shared space there backed up all footage to a hidden server in real-time, but we only see the images and not hear the sound, so we don¡¯t know everything.¡±

    Gao Yang mused and shared what he knew. ¡°Liu Qingying sought me out before joining the Ocean River Union. She seemed to expect herself to meet an untimely demise.¡±

    War Tiger narrowed his eyes. ¡°The Union¡¯s quite a safe ce to be now. If she worried that something would happen to herself, it could only mean that she was there as a spy.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Gao Yang nodded. ¡°There must be a secret faction behind her, and she went to the Union to carry out a mission the organization assigned her.¡±

    War Tiger stroked his chin as he walked. ¡°If Liu Qingying wasn¡¯t loyal to the Union, she couldn¡¯t have volunteered to suicide bomb us. She was either under duress or maniption.¡±

    ¡°Maniption?¡± Gao Yang started.

    War Tiger took out his phone and yed a video. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Gao Yang took the phone, which disyed surveince footage from the pantry on the underground sixth floor. In the video, Songstress abruptly lunged at Liu Qingying, tearing at her cor. Liu Qingying reacted swiftly and shoved Songstress away.

    Gao Yang hit pause, focusing on a faint, yet familiar web-shaped brand visible on Liu Qingying''s exposed corbone.

    He sucked in a breath. ¡°That¡¯s the energy brand for Puppeteer.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± War Tiger¡¯s face darkened.

    A grim certainty settled over Gao Yang as he replied, "I''m positive. The former ck Tortoise controlled numerous wanderers and even awakeners¡¯ corpses. That brand is seared into my memory."

 Chapter 840: Head and Tail Are the Keys

    <h4>Chapter 840: Head and Tail Are the Keys</h4>

    ¡°Fuck,¡± War Tiger cursed and took a deep drag of his cigarette. ¡°I knew it.¡±

    Gao Yang looked at War Tiger. He knew the man had more to say.

    ¡°I thought about this for two days.¡± War Tiger put out the cigarette with his thumb and index finger before casting it at the dry trunk beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll go over it with you. See if you agree.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Liu Qingying belonged to an organization. She was tasked with being a spy in the Ocean River Union, the target being Qilin¡ªthat much¡¯s for certain. Perhaps she was supposed to assassinate him, or she was simply there to watch him. I think thetter is more like it. Liu Qingying couldn¡¯t assassinate Qilin.¡±

    ¡°While keeping watch, Liu Qingying learned that Qilin was going to make a move on the Twelve Zodiac Signs and came to warn us, but then Qilin used her instead.¡±

    ¡°To wipe us all out, an awakener manipted her discreetly with Puppeteer and only triggered the spatial weapon when Liu Qingying saw ¡®us¡¯. The one thing Qilin hadn¡¯t foreseen was that we had all been reced with substitutes outside of Songstress.¡±

    ¡°It makes logical sense.¡± Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°So the million dor question is...¡± War Tiger put another cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Whoprehended Puppeteer?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think?¡± Gao Yang asked instead of answering.

    War Tiger didn¡¯t say anything, seemingly conflicted.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s Qilin,¡± Gao Yang spelled out for him.

    ¡°I wish that won¡¯t be the case.¡± War Tiger smiled bitterly. ¡°Eidos alone is bad enough. But Puppeteer too? What kind of hellmode is that?¡±

    ¡°The reason is twofold,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°Liu Qingying had level 7 Sweet Dream and Charisma, which gave her high mental power and resistance. And Songstress was using level 6 Requiem. The three Talents and their mental powerbined were resisting the remote maniption of Puppeteer. I don¡¯t think level 3 Puppeteer could¡¯ve ovee that.¡±

    War Tiger nodded and continued, ¡°So whoever manipted Liu Qingying into triggering the bomb at least has level 4 Puppeteer.¡±

    ¡°Or higher.¡±

    War Tiger blinked.

    Gao Yang went on with his exnation. ¡°No matter who acquired Puppeteer, it could only be recently, not for long. If they hadprehended it for a while, the Talent user wouldn¡¯t have stayed out of the battlefield when the Nine Scions retaliated against the Ocean River Unionst time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, makes sense.¡± War Tiger nodded. ¡°After Azure Dragon¡¯s death, there is one more top twelve Talents to beprehended, pushing the odds up a little. I believe someone got Puppeteer after Azure Dragon¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Following the logic.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°It would be difficult for a member of the Ocean River Union to acquire Puppeteer and surpass level 4 during this period. Qilin has the Summon Rune Circuit, and the man wouldn¡¯t just lend the Rune Circuit to those outside his inner circle for level-up.¡±

    War Tiger nodded. ¡°If Qilin was the one toprehend Puppeteer, things would be different. He has the Rune Circuit, and his Eidos is level 7. Once his Puppeteer broke through to level 4, it could jump to level 7. Liu Qingying and Songstress together would be nothing to him. He could even deal with double the number.¡±

    Gao Yang mused silently, his heart heavy. With level 7 Eidos and Puppeteer, the bonus to Willpower alone would be no lower than 5500.

    ¡°Fuck, how do we even do this?¡± War Tiger shrugged.

    ¡°On the bright side,¡± Gao Yang said, ¡°At least it proves that multiple of the top twelve Talents could be owned by one person. We all have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± War Tiger allowed his mind to wander a little. ¡°If I get Limitless Evolution, I¡¯ll be unstoppable.¡±

    After a silent pause, Gao Yang said solemnly, ¡°I have something to ask you, Uncle Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°Is Dragon still hibernating?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± War Tiger barked out augh. ¡°Were he awake, he would be leading us right into the Ocean River Union¡¯s base.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Gao Yang thought for a few more seconds. ¡°When Dragon is hibernating, does he have some way of contacting others? Through a medium like a diary, perhaps?¡±

    War Tiger shook his head. ¡°Not that I know of. If he could give us orders while hibernating, I wouldn¡¯t have to y strategist now.¡±

    Gao Yang closed his mouth pensively.

    War Tiger slowed his steps and turned to Gao Yang. ¡°Little Yang Yang, Uncle has a question for you, too. I¡¯ve wanted to ask you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That time you took out Zhuang Mei in Ind Nation, what did Dragon say before losing consciousness?¡±

    Gao Yang smiled after a pause. So this was what the man was curious about.

    ¡°Head and Tail are the keys.¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t keep it from War Tiger. There was no reason to.

    ¡°Huh?¡± War Tiger didn¡¯t immediately catch on.

    ¡°Head and Tail are the keys,¡± Gao Yang repeated. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    War Tiger ruminated over it.

    Gao Yang further exined, ¡°Dragon once told me that he believed all Talents to be one entity, a circle. Overlord is the head, and Lucky the tail. I think Dragon was telling me that he and I have to be the ones to open the Gates of Closure and no one else.¡±

    War Tiger paused. ¡°You didn¡¯t say that to Qilin and cause him to turn on you, did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t just say that. I didn¡¯t have a death wish.¡± Gao Yang gave him a resigned look.

    War Tiger huffed out augh. ¡°That is true. You¡¯re a true lurker.¡±

    Gao Yang thought back to it. ¡°I suggested to Qilin that we ask a neutral third party to open the Gates, meaning I, Dragon, Qilin, and Surnamed Li wouldn¡¯t be opening the Gates. However, Qilin insisted that he must be the one to do it. I couldn¡¯t ept that. And he attacked me without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same,¡± War Tiger said like he could understand the decision. ¡°Leaving someone with great potential like you would bite him in the rear. Look at where he is now. He¡¯s suffering from failing to kill you then.¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything to that.

    ¡°What is Qilin trying to do?¡± War Tiger knew that Gao Yang didn¡¯t have the answer. He was simply airing out his thoughts.

    Gao Yang had ryed a message to War Tiger through Heavenly Dog, telling him Qilin didn¡¯t want to open the Gates, and that Yan Liang was Sir Jiang. That was what made War Tiger more alert to the Ocean River Union and decide to put Operation: Substitutes into action earlier, thus allowing them to escape their doom.

    Gao Yang¡¯s intel could be said to have saved the Twelve Zodiac Signs indirectly.

    Without them quite realizing it, they were already leaving the oak forest. Before them was the t grazing ground. The moon cast ayer of quiet, dim silver light upon it.

    They crossed the grazing ground and talked as they walked.

    ¡°War Tiger.¡± Gao Yang¡¯s tone turned more serious. ¡°The Nine Scions will continue to thwart Qilin and take revenge against him. What about the Twelve Zodiac Signs?¡±

    War Tiger smacked his lips. ¡°In my heart, I¡¯d like nothing but to rush to the Ocean River Union this instant and kill that bastard, but my rational mind tells me that before Dragon wakes up, we aren¡¯t Qilin¡¯s match. The fact that he¡¯sprehended Puppeteer makes things worse for us.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°I looked into it when I was still with the Qilin Guild. With level 3 Puppeteer, the former ck Tortoise had maintained an implicit control over 300 stable wanderers with energy brands and enchanted ck Gold bracelets.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± War Tiger frowned. ¡°And with level 7 Puppeteer, he may be able to create an army of elite monsters given enough time. The sheer number alone can tire one to death like what almost happened in Aurora Town that night.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± War Tiger then thought of something. ¡°I heard that to reach level 8 the first time with one of the top twelve Talents, we have to apply holy water to the corresponding Rune Circuit. Is that true?¡±

 Chapter 841: Philosophical Question

    <h4>Chapter 841: Philosophical Question</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s fake,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s a false intel I made up to lure Qilin¡¯s people to the underground ruin in Ni Nation.¡±

    ¡°Then how does a Talent merge with a Rune Circuit and reach level 8?¡± War Tiger asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it can¡¯t be easy, or Surnamed Li would¡¯ve reached level 8 with Prophet, and Qilin would¡¯ve reached level 8 with Puppeteer.¡±

    War Tiger smirked and nudged Gao Yang''s arm. "Stop ying dumb, Little Yang Yang. You''re a bright kid. You came up with the five stages of Talents. It won''t take you long to solve this mystery, right?"

    Gao Yang looked at him resignedly. ¡°I¡¯m only making reasonable conjectures with the information I have.¡±

    ¡°I bet you have a new hypothesis.¡± War Tiger pressed.

    Gao Yang sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a long time, true. I¡¯ll say whatever¡¯s on my mind. You¡¯ll interpret it however you want.¡±

    ¡°Hurry!¡± War Tiger couldn¡¯t wait.

    ¡°The confirmed method is consuming holy water, and I believe only the life monster giving birth to the Divine Scion has the pure energy that is holy water. The one from other life monsters is impure and acts more like poison.¡±

    ¡°My dad merged with the Guard Rune Circuit and reached level 8 with the pure holy water from my mom, so that is a proven path.¡± Gao Yang paused. ¡°There may be a hidden requirement. I¡¯ll get to thatter.¡±

    ¡°Go on, go on.¡± War Tiger quickly lit his cigarette and followed along with Gao Yang¡¯s thought process.

    ¡°To our knowledge, X and Lilia both reached level 8 sessfully, but they couldn¡¯t have used pure holy water. Outside of my mother, no other life monster had pure holy water in the Mist World.¡±

    ¡°Then aren¡¯t we back to where we started?¡± War Tiger pped his thigh. ¡°You mentioned in your false intel that the two were likely to have used impure holy water.¡±

    ¡°Have you seen awakeners who have consumed impure holy water?¡± Gao Yang asked.

    War Tiger thought about it. ¡°One, Cockroach from Tails.¡±

    ¡°The man had Cockroach and still became mentally challenged as a result,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen others: Mad Red, Officer Liu, Yellow Butterfly. After consuming impure holy water, they all turned into monsters. Even Officer Huang...¡± Gao Yang didn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think impure holy water can help awakeners reach level 8. And X and Lilia didn¡¯t show any signs of turning into such abominations.¡±

    War Tiger thought silently.

    Gao Yang continued after a quiet moment, ¡°So I theorized there is another path to level 8. It¡¯s based on the hypothesis that those who have reached level 7 with a Talent have figured out their conviction. I¡¯d call level 8 the stage of executing the conviction.¡±

    War Tiger frowned, cigarette between his fingers. He wasn''t quite getting it yet.

    Gao Yang hade to this hypothesis thanks to the system¡ªmore urately, thanks to thatpass and steering wheel analogy it brought up.

    "The answer''s simple, but I wanna break it down so you can tell me if I''m off base somewhere."

    "Fire away," War Tiger said.

    ¡°A Talent can only reach level 7 if the owner ¡®has a conviction¡¯. They need a clear, concrete conviction, so a goal. Then to reach level 8, one has to ¡®execute the conviction¡¯. They have to put it into action and work to aplish the goal.¡±

    War Tiger scratched his face. "Why does it feel like...you''re just stating the obvious here?"

    "Yeah, it''s a bit circr, but I''m walking you through how I got there," Gao Yang pressed on. "Let''s look at the three people who''ve cracked level 8: Lilia, X, and my dad, Gao Shou."

    "And?" War Tiger looked lost.

    Gao Yang gave him a hint. ¡°Think about it. Outside of the three of them having a strong, clear conviction, what else do they have inmon?¡±

    Two seconds passed before War Tiger pped his thigh. "Oh! They''ve all been lugging around those Rune Circuits for years!"

    Now it was Gao Yang''s turn to look surprised.

    "Huh. It looks like we stumbled onto something else they share."

    "What, that''s not what you meant?" War Tiger snorted, amused.

    Gao Yang admitted with a smile, ¡°It wasn¡¯t. But the fact that they had all carried the corresponding Rune Circuit for a long time might have helped their sess.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop beating around the bush.¡± War Tiger was ready to get to the main course.

    Gao Yang said, ¡°Lilia got Elemental Angel after reaching level 8 with one of the abilities being her immunity to all regr elements. X got Poison of Hell after reaching level 8 and attempted to kill everyone by offering sacrifices. Gao Shou got Chain of Fate after reaching level 8 to literally chain fate.¡±

    War Tiger¡¯s eyes twitched. He seemed to have glimpsed something, but it was still unclear.

    ¡°I heard that during her conversation with Qilin, Lilia spoke of the reason she merged with a pride monster. She thought being a human was miserable.¡±

    ¡°Why? You met Sarah before, and we could fill in the nks and figure out the kind of childhood Lilia must have had. She had led a miserable life. That was why she chose to give up on being human.¡±

    ¡°Angels are considered carefree, holy, and pure. Elemental Angel grants immunity to all regr elemental damages.¡±

    ¡°If we see angels as such beings and consider all regr elements the filth of the world, Lilia would be trying to be a holy, pure, carefree existence above the filthy mortal world by bing an angel. That was likely her conviction. Reaching level 8 and gaining Elemental Angel happened to be the concrete path to fulfilling her conviction.¡±

    War Tiger furrowed his brow, trying to digest these spections.

    "You might think I''m reaching, but I can''t help it. I don''t know Lilia personally. But let''s look at X and my father, Gao Shou, now."

    "X''s conviction is to kill everyone and be God, which aligns with Sir Zuo''s answer. Consider what the Poison of Hell did. Wasn''t that the perfect path for X to carry out his conviction?"

    "My father''s conviction was to protect his family. The Malediction was born to kill the Divine Scion¡ªthat was its fate. To protect me, my father had to forcefully twist the Malediction''s fate. Wouldn''t Chain of Fate be the perfect path for this conviction? It seemed almost tailor-made for him."

    "My mother''s pure holy water might have only helped him jump from level 4 to level 7. He reached level 8 because his conviction and the means to carry it out were perfectly aligned with Chain of Fate, the ability that Absolute Defense grants upon reaching level 8."

    Gao Yang finished his exnation and turned to War Tiger. "Have I made myself clear enough?"

    "Little Yang Yang! You''re a genuine genius!" War Tiger eximed, feeling as refreshed as if he''d finally relieved himself after a bout of constipation.

    But then he frowned. "Wait, there seems to be a philosophical question we need to address here!"

 Chapter 842: Wonderful Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 842: Wonderful Coincidence</h4>

    ¡°Whates first: chicken or egg?¡± Gao Yang had guessed War Tiger¡¯s question.

    ¡°Yes!¡± War Tigerughed a little btedly. "No wonder you said carrying the Rune Circuit for a long time might have subtly facilitated their reaching level 8."

    "Indeed." Gao Yang paused, organizing his thoughts.

    "Consider this: Upon arriving in the Mist World, we humans may or may not awaken. Once awakened, we strive to uncover the truth of this world, gradually forming a conviction in the process. If we''re determined enough, we''ll try to fulfill that conviction, growing stronger and seeking the most suitable method¡ªthe path to carrying out our conviction."

    "If we happen toprehend a powerful Talent with the corresponding Rune Circuit in our possession, wouldn''t we, over time, subconsciously try to fulfill our conviction through the Talent''s level 8 ability?"

    "Of course we would!" War Tiger nodded, an analogy forming in his mind. "Suppose I''m trying to kill a powerful enemy, and I happen to have a good de. I''ll devote myself to mastering swordsmanship. If I have a good gun instead, I''ll train in marksmanship."

    "Looking at the process, whether I kill the enemy with a de or a gun depends solely on what I possess. Yet, looking at the result, using a de or a gun can lead to vastly different fates."

    "Exactly." Gao Yang''s eyes sharpened with focus. "It''s said that great poweres with great responsibility, but it''s often overlooked that different powerse with different responsibilities."

    His gaze was determined, but his tone turned pessimistic. "I''vee to believe that it''s not the awakeners whoprehend Talents, but the Talents¡ªor the Heavenly Way governing them¡ªthat choose the awakeners."

    Gao Yang continued, "The twelve Rune Circuits are like radios the Heavenly Way ced in the Mist World. The lucky ones possess these radios and receive long-term signals from the other end, naturally setting them on a certain path. Is that truly their choice? Perhaps. Or maybe the Heavenly Way wants them to believe they''re making the choice."

    "Ultimately," Gao Yang looked at War Tiger, "do humans really have free will?"

    A gust of wind hit them from behind. War Tiger shuddered and hissed, "It''s suddenly getting a bit chilly."

    He took out another cigarette, popping it into his mouth without thinking. "Let''s not digress. We should focus on the present."

    "Right," Gao Yang agreed, dropping the issue. "To summarize, for the top twelve Talents to reach level 8, the method can be unbelievably simple. It is..."

    He paused briefly before voicing the hint from the diary: "Wait patiently."

    Yes, wait patiently.

    Wait for a certain conviction, a clear path to carry it out, and the concrete ability granted by the level 8 Talent to align. Then one could merge with the Rune Circuit and reach level 8. Conversely, if these three elements initially misaligned, one might never reach level 8.

    "We can''t wait!" War Tiger exploded. "We can''t afford to wait! Given what you''re saying, Qilin will be the first to reach level 8 Puppeteer. And that old fox will soon hit level 8 with her Prophet, too. We can''t wait for Dragon to wake up."

    <i>And even once Dragon wakes up, he may not win without level 8 Overlord.</i>

    War Tiger left that thought unspoken.

    Gao Yang knew this, of course. He had also considered that if Qilin was going toprehend another top Talent, it should have been Azure Dragon''s Limitless Evolution.

    It seemed that the close bond between people influenced the allocation of Talents, yet Qilin had acquired Puppeteer, whose previous owner had little connection to him.

    Perhaps the allocation of Talents was affected not only by interpersonal rtionships but also by Qilin''s beliefs and the fact that he had been carrying the Summon Rune Circuit with him for some time.

    Regardless of Qilin''s ultimate ambition, he was the type to rule with an iron fist, preferring to exploit rather than be exploited, judging by his past actions. The level 8 Puppeteer and its ability would better match the path to fulfill Qilin''s conviction.

    Gao Yang paused, extending his hand to War Tiger. "Then we''ve reached an agreement. The Nine Scions need the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the Twelve Zodiac Signs need the Nine Scions."

    War Tiger was slightly surprised. <i>This kid''s resembling Dragon more and more.</i>

    He took Gao Yang''s hand in a firm grip. "Alright! Pleasure working with you!"

    "Pleasure working with you," Gao Yang replied.

    They released hands and simultaneously turned to the wooden cow pen before them. Most of the cows inside were lying on their sides, oblivious to the approaching strangers. Only a few remained standing, their eyes dull.

    "What''s your n?" War Tiger asked.

    Gao Yang stared at the cows. "The longer we wait, the lower our odds. We have to take the initiative."

    "Damn!" War Tiger took a dramatic step back. "How are you getting more reckless than I am? You''ve learned from the best and surpassed me."

    "Feel free to suggest if you have a better idea."

    War Tiger inhaled the smoke and exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "I have none."

    "I n to end the civil war in two steps," Gao Yang outlined his rough n. "First, we initiate an attack on two fronts."

    "Haha, that''s your style." War Tiger recalled the Nine Scions'' revenge operation against the Ocean River Union.

    "Openly, we gather everyone to attack the Ocean River Union. Ideally, we defeat them. Even if we can''t, we uncover all their cards in preparation for the ultimate future battle."

    "In secret, we capture Dr. Jia."

    War Tiger grinned. "On that, I agree. We must find that genius. Who knows what other terrifying things he might invent? He''s too great a threat."

    "We need to locate his hiding ce first. Then I''ll grab him," Gao Yang said. "I have experience in that."

    "It''s better we take him alive," Gao Yang countered. "If we kill him, Genius is more likely to fall into the Ocean River Union''s hands, given their greater numbers. Dr. Jia is at least a neutral party, and Qilin can''t always control him. If Genius ends up with someone loyal to Qilin, we''ll face more trouble."

    "Wait, why can''t we grab Dr. Jia first, then attack the Ocean River Union?"

    "That''s one approach, but I''m concerned that once we take Dr. Jia, the Union will retreat and avoid conflict. They know best what that genius can create. Time isn''t on our side. The longer we wait, the higher the chance Puppeteer and Prophet reach level 8, further reducing our odds. It''s best to work both angles simultaneously, giving them less time to react."

    "Makes sense." War Tiger nodded. "But do you know where Dr. Jia''s hidden?"

    "Somewhere beneath the Feiyang District, essible by the hyperloop system. Nainai once hid on Dr. Jia, went to the Qilin Guild, then snuck out."

    ¡°We¡¯ll look for it,¡± said War Tiger.

    "It''s not that simple. There are rms and sensors everywhere. Nainai only got out because Dr. Jia found an excuse to visit the Walled City of Ten Dragons. If web through the ce, we''ll alert the Union."

    "Then what?"

    "There''s a way," Gao Yang nced at War Tiger. "Some time ago, Chen Ying acquired Sensory."

    War Tiger wasn''t surprised that Little Tian''s Talent would be "passed down" to Chen Ying. "Alright. I''ll lend her the Psyche Rune Circuit now."

    Gao Yang hesitated before admitting, "It''s okay. Her Sensory is already level 6."

    "Huh?" War Tiger was shocked. "We have the Psyche Rune Circuit. How did she reach level 6?"

    Gao Yang exined simply, "She said she had a dream about Little Tian. When she woke up, she had Sensory at level 6."

    War Tiger gaped. "That can happen?"

    "I''ve never heard of it before either."

    War Tiger clicked his tongue. "Is the Heavenly Way growing senile or something?"

    "Let''s not dwell on that now," Gao Yang refocused. "With level 6 Sensory, Chen Ying can narrow down the search area. Then we''ll send someone underground to map the route, avoiding sensors and rms. Once we''re at war with the Union, there''ll be less security on Dr. Jia. That''s when I''ll kidnap him."

    "That could work," War Tiger stroked his stubbled chin. "So we just need someone who can easily infiltrate underground."

    "Yeah," Gao Yang sighed softly. "Intangibility would be ideal, but unfortunately, Herb Snail died at the Starcatching Pavilion."

    "Well! What a wonderful coincidence!" War Tiger beamed.

 Chapter 843: So Many People

    <h4>Chapter 843: So Many People</h4>

    ¡°I **** **** *****!¡± White Rabbit snarled.

    It all began the day before.

    White Rabbit received an encoded message from War Tiger, instructing her to escort Lovely Lamb out of Dragon''s hideout to a hotel in downtown West Nation, where they would rendezvous with Nainai from the Nine Scions.

    Nainai disguised White Rabbit and Lovely Lamb, providing them with wanderer imprints. At midnight, the trio left for a hideout in the underground sewage system in Li City.

    White Rabbit recognized the ce. It had once been the Twelve Zodiac Signs'' base, abandoned for years. She hadn''t expected it to be one of the Nine Scions'' strongholds.

    When White Rabbit opened the secret door masquerading as a wall, she was stunned. Her feelings could only be expressed through curses.

    <i>There... are so many people!</i>

    Thest time White Rabbit had seen this many awakeners was during the Crimson Tide in the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Now, with all members of the Nine Scions and the Twelve Zodiac Signs gathered in one ce, therge living room seemed cramped and chaotic.

    Gao Yang and War Tiger, the leaders of the two organizations, upied thergest sofa at the heart of the living room, deep in discussion. War Tiger, as unserious as ever despite his age, drank from a canned beer with his legs crossed on the tea table. Meanwhile, Gao Yang sat properly, his back slightly arched. Though young, he exuded a maturity beyond his years.

    Nine Frost and Zhong He, two tall, thin, and handsome men, sat on a side sofa, joining the conversation. At a gaming table nearby, Gao Xinxin, Wang Zikai, Raven Shark, Wang Weiyan, and Quiet Book were engrossed in a roleying campaign. Quiet Book held Wang Weiyan in her arms, their newfound closeness evident.

    Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai argued heatedly, their faces flushed, likely due to in-game conflict. Sandwiched between them, Raven Shark looked pitiful, weak, and helpless, remaining silent.

    As usual, Gregor, the GM, gestured dramatically and pontificated passionately, a thick manual in hand.

    Vermilion Bird sat in a wheelchair, gazing silently at the gamers with nk eyes. Behind her, Ke Yo tenderly brushed her hair.

    Around a small round table, Zhang Wei, Yellow Lotus, Muzitu, Thick Earth, and Lying Wood yed Texas Hold''em. Despite his brutish appearance, Thick Earth shuffled the cards swiftly with practiced ease, like a professional dealer.

    In a corner, Heavenly Dog sat alone in a beanbag, eyes closed, white headphones on. His long darkshes fluttered asionally as he remained immersed in his music.

    Mischievous Monkey, d in ck training clothes, performed tai chi with intense focus, as if an invisible wall separated him from the chaos around him.

    At the dining table, Qing Ling, Chen Ying, Hong Xiaoxiao, Adept Horse, and Dead Pig hunched over bowls of instant noodles. They chatted as they ate,ughter punctuating their conversation intermittently. Qing Ling was the exception, never speaking while eating. She devoted herself fully to her meal, making no extraneous movements.

    White Rabbit¡¯s resounding string of curses had interrupted everyone in the room, and silence overtook the space. All eyes turned to the door, focusing on Nainai, White Rabbit, and Lovely Lamb.

    "Muhahaha!" Nainai let out a peal of strange, pretentiousughter. She dramatically threw off her cape, revealing a sailor uniform. Arms crossed before her chest, she announced, "Subjects of the Fallen Angel, your empress has returned!"

    If White Rabbit''s curses had made the atmosphere awkward, Nainai''s opening line reced it with secondhand embarrassment.

    After a moment of stunned silence, Gao Yang stood up from the sofa, offering the trio a faint smile. "It seems we don''t need to confirm your identities."

    "Uncle Dead Pig!" Lovely Lamb''s eyes reddened. She pouted and ran to Dead Pig, throwing her arms around him, overwhelmed by days of bottled-up feelings of abandonment and longing.

    "Our Cute Little Lamb has suffered." Dead Pig chuckled, gently lifting her onto his shoulders.

    "Sob... I... I missed you so much. Brother Heavenly Dog, too..." Lovely Lamb rubbed her eyes, sniffling.

    "Come. Let''s go see Brother Heavenly Dog." Dead Pig walked towards the young man.

    "Hahahaha..." Surrounded by so many people, Nainai felt her chuuni spirit surge. She was about to give in to the urge when Qing Ling shot her a re from the dining room.

    Nainai''sughter died abruptly.

    Qing Ling scowled and beckoned her over. Nainai jogged up to her, panic evident in her steps.

    "Sit," Qing Ling said coldly.

    Nainai meekly sat beside her, head lowered, not daring to look up.

    "Hungry?" Qing Ling asked.

    "No..." Nainai felt a chill from Qing Ling''s familiar death re. "...would never be the response! This Empress hase all the way here and thus has an empty stomach!"

    "I''ll make you noodles." Qing Ling stood and headed to the kitchen, not forgetting to warn, "Stay there quietly. Don''t make a scene."

    "Hmph... if you offer to make noodles so sincerely, this Empress will show you the kindness of having a bite..." Nainai grumbled quietly, ensuring Qing Ling couldn''t hear.

    As Nainai fell silent, the room''s atmosphere returned to normal.

    White Rabbit wove through the crowd, joining Gao Yang, War Tiger, Nine Frost, and Zhong He without hesitation. She shoved War Tiger aside, squeezing onto the sofa. She gave Gao Yang a meaningful look.

    "It''s been a few days, Gao Yang. You''ve gone up in the world, it seems."

    Gao Yang smiled in response. "Yeah, it''s been a few days."

    He casually tossed something to her. White Rabbit caught it, examining the object. It was a Rune Circuit with a g pattern.

    "The Support Rune Circuit?"

    "Rabbit," Gao Yang said, "Get your Intangibility to level 4 ASAP."

    "Ha." White Rabbit pocketed the Rune Circuit. "It seems you have a n."

    "First step, share the Rune Circuits and try to get everyone to level up what Talents they can in theing week," War Tiger grinned.

    "Then?" White Rabbit asked.

    "Then we challenge the Ocean River Union to a fight," War Tiger said nonchntly.

    White Rabbit''s eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

    "Seriously."

    White Rabbit frowned. "Are we not waiting for Captain?"

    "Dragon won''t wake up anytime soon, and time isn''t on our side," War Tiger said, smacking his lips. "Puppeteer and Prophet will reach level 8 at any moment. It''s better we make a move than wait for our doom."

    "Wait. What do you mean Puppeteer? And the way to get to level 8 is discovered?" White Rabbit was bbergasted.

    Zhong He teased, "You''re falling behind, White Rabbit. You''re several versions behind."

    "I''ll fill you inter," Nine Frost assured her.

    "Alright." White Rabbit dropped it for now.

    "Let''s continue," Gao Yang said, returning to their original topic. "There are two unaffiliated members we must win over. First is Gregor. His Pestilence has reached level 4, but he stated he wasn''t going to join us."

    Nine Frost nced at Gao Yang. "Gregor said thatst time, but he still joined."

    "Haha, everything has its bane," War Tiger chuckled, having heard the story. He pped Gao Yang on the shoulder. "Like brother like sister. Gao Xinxin''s a good one."

    Gao Yang made an objective assessment. "I''ll try to have Gregor protect our nobatants, but don''t expect him to join the frontline. He''s a variable we shouldn''t include in our strategy, or we risk idents."

    "Alright. We''ll do that," War Tiger agreed.

    Gao Yang continued, "There''s another unaffiliated member we have to recruit: Dr. Jia."

    White Rabbit''s face darkened. "If we can''t, we kill him." Her resentment towards the man for Songstress'' death and the Millennium Tower''s copse was palpable.

    War Tiger nodded. "That''s the worst-case scenario."

    Nine Frost exined to White Rabbit, "I''ll give you the short version. We''re moving on two fronts this time. The main operation will be attacking the Ocean River Union without going all out. We''ll try our best to uncover all their hidden trump cards while keeping the option to retreat open. If things seem dangerous, we pull back."

    "The hidden operation will be finding Dr. Jia and either taking him or killing him. Ideally, we make him work for us, which will greatly boost our odds."

    White Rabbit considered this. "I''m good with that."

    "There''s something else to decide," Gao Yang said, looking at each of them in turn. "Are Cute Little Lamb and Yanyan joining the battle?"

 Chapter 844: Challenge

    <h4>Chapter 844: Challenge</h4>

    ¡°As long as there¡¯s a battle, there will be sacrifice,¡± Gao Yang said calmly. ¡°So we have to consider it carefully.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take them with us,¡± White Rabbit said with finality. ¡°They are kids. This is too cruel for them. And they have little way to fight. Having them with us will only distract and hinder us.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Nine Frost said.

    ¡°Me too,¡± Zhong He echoed.

    War Tiger shrugged. ¡°What she said.¡±

    Gao Yang had longe to the same conclusion. He nodded. ¡°Then we are in agreement. Lovely Lamb, Wang Weiayn, and Vermilion Bird are staying behind. All other awakeners will join the fight.¡±

    The others nodded.

    Gao Yang started allocating responsibilities. ¡°White Rabbit, once your Intangibility reaches level 4, take Chen Ying to locate Dr. Jia¡¯s hideout with you. Remember, just find it and don¡¯t alert the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± White Rabbit gestured at him.

    "Once you find Dr. Jia''s hideout, the operation will officially begin. All of you will attack the Ocean River Union, while I kidnap or kill Dr. Jia on my own," Gao Yang stated.

    "Just you?" Nine Frost frowned.

    "Having more with me will only slow me down."

    Nine Frost quickly realized, "You''re right."

    Gao Yang''s ability to move swiftly and replicate three Talents made him uniquely suited for this task. He had sessfully taken Gregor away under the noses of three organizations before. Now, with Absolute Defense, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say he could barge into the Union''s base alone and take a stroll while enemies struggled to harm him.

    Gao Yang turned to War Tiger. "You''ll be themander of the group, War Tiger, and Nine Frost will be your deputy."

    "Got it," War Tiger said without hesitation.

    "I''ll support Commander War Tiger well," Nine Frost said seriously.

    White Rabbit posed a question, "Now, how are we going to attack the Ocean River Union? The Nine Scions used bombsst time, and it didn''t work out too well."

    "Yes, that''s what I want to know, too," Zhong He added, familiar with the underground base of his former organization. It would be difficult to harm the Union while they were holed up there.

    "Haha." War Tiger took out a cigarette, btedly realizing he couldn''t smoke here. He took a whiff instead and tucked it behind his ear. "I do have an idea."

    The others turned to him, including Gao Yang.

    War Tiger winked at him. "Little Yang Yang, you must know me. Why not make a guess?"

    "I''ll pass. It''s tiring," Gao Yang replied, already having enough to think about daily.

    "Don''t try to pass others'' ideas as your own every time, Uncle Tiger," White Rabbit shot back.

    Feeling insulted, War Tiger retorted, "Are you joking? I''m the top strategist of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Why would I need to steal other people''s ideas?"

    Zhong He snorted like a spectator. "It''s not that we don''t trust you. We just want to broaden our horizons."

    War Tiger snapped his fingers. "It''s easy. We challenge them to a fight."

    Three seconds of silence followed.

    "Clever," Gao Yang broke the silence. "That''s a good idea."

    "Wait..." White Rabbit gaped. "How is that a good idea? Isn''t that idiotic? Uncle Tiger, don''t you always say that only protagonists of shonen manga introduce themselves and insist on honorable fights, while the real world doesn''t work that way?"

    War Tiger tapped his temple with his index finger. "Think further, Rabbit."

    "I won''t. It''s tiring," White Rabbit used the sameeback as Gao Yang.

    Nine Frost broke out of his thoughts with a rundown. "Am I understanding the situation correctly? Surnamed Li has level 7 Prophet. None of our sneak attacks will catch them off guard. She can sense any threat to her safety and make preparations, even turning things against us. While it''ll seem like we''re initiating an attack, we''re actually reacting passively."

    "That''s right!" War Tiger gave him a thumbs-up in approval.

    Nine Frost continued, "Qilin''s aggressive at best and a mad dog at worst. He''s confident, but also anxious."

    "He''s confident because he''s acquired Puppeteer and likely has reached level 7 with it," Gao Yang added.

    "Shit," Zhong He couldn''t help but curse. "Fucking ridiculous. Don''t forget that he has Azure Dragon''s body."

    Gao Yang nodded. "I fought ck Tortoise with level 4 Puppeteer before. The Talent user''s power depends on their puppets. A puppet like Azure Dragon will be troublesome."

    ¡°Still, Let¡¯s not be too pessimistic,¡± Gao Yang added. ¡°Given the way Talents work, there must be a limit to the number of times and duration of Qilin¡¯s control over his puppets.¡±

    "That may not be the case once he reaches level 8 Puppeteer," Zhong He said, fully pessimistic.

    "That''s why we can''t afford to wait," War Tiger stressed. "If that''s allowed to happen, there really will be little we can do."

    Nine Frost nodded. "Then I''ll get to my second point. I believe Qilin is in a rush, much more than we are anyway."

    "In a rush to do what?" Zhong He asked.

    Nine Frost smiled. "First, he''s wary of Dragon. He made a surprise attack at the Twelve Zodiac Signs betting on the chance that Dragon was still hibernating, hoping to wipe you out in one go to eliminate all threats."

    "But Qilin must have realized that the attack was a failure. They would find no Rune Circuits, which would mean that you, the Zodiacs, had long moved out."

    "Then Qilin would have to consider the possibility that Dragon may wake up to retaliate against him, which is the worst-case scenario for Qilin. Even if he can defeat Dragon, he will have fared not much better and allowed the Nine Scions to profit in the end."

    "Moreover, in the long term, Qilin must have less time than we do," Nine Frost said. "That should be evident."

    White Rabbit rubbed her temples. "My head hurts even if I''m supposed to see what''s evident. Just spell it out."

    Nine Frost exined, "We share the goal of opening the Gates of Closure and escaping the Mist World. Our deadline is the day the end of the worldes."

    "But Qilin''s true goal isn''t to open the Gates. Suppose he''s carrying out a n A. Then he mustplete n A before the end of the worldes. Thus, in the grand scheme of things, Qilin is in a greater rush than we are."

    "Right, I get it now," White Rabbit said,ing to a realization.

 Chapter 845: As Expected

    <h4>Chapter 845: As Expected</h4>

    Nine Frost nodded. "Given these reasons, Qilin would wee our challenge. He doesn''t care how many will die in an open war. He only wishes to quickly achieve his goal."

    "An open challenge offers us several advantages. If we attempt a siege on the base or try to catch them by surprise, Surnamed Li would be at risk, enabling her to foresee and prepare for our actions. In a direct confrontation, however, Surnamed Li''s abilities be less crucial. We simply need to avoid targeting her during the fight."

    "Moreover, we can choose terrain that favors our attack and retreat, potentially limiting our enemies'' Talents."

    "That''s about it." Nine Frost turned to the others. "I''vepleted my analysis."

    White Rabbit had a newfound admiration for Nine Frost. She eyed War Tiger doubtfully. "Uncle Tiger, you''re not iming you considered all this, are you?"

    "Of course." War Tiger smiled shrewdly with a hint of mischief. He shot Nine Frost a wink. "See? That''s why he''s my deputy!"

    "We will be able to make better preparations with an open challenge, but the same is true for the enemy," Zhong He said. "Can we really defeat the Ocean River Union by fighting them head-on?"

    "Not in a duel, but a group fight is different. Let''s break it down." War Tiger pped his thighs and strode to the ckboard. The chalk whined as he wrote.

    The others in the room shifted their focus to War Tiger, many moving closer.

    War Tiger wrote down "Twelve, Nine" and "Union" first. Then he listed six tiers underneath: T0, T0.5, T1, T1.5, and T2.

    "For T0, there''s Qilin on the Union''s side, and Dragon on the Twelve, Nine side." War Tiger wrote the two names as he spoke. Then he struck through Dragon''s name. "Unfortunately, Dragon''s charging."

    War Tiger continued to say and write, "For T0.5, there''s none in the Union, and three on our side: Gao Yang, me, and Wang Zikai."

    "Bullshit! How can I be anything less than T0?" Wang Zikai protested. He had thought War Tiger would put him in the separate category of God.

    "You''re the chosen one and will one day be God, Wang Zikai," Gao Yang, unflinching, smoothly lied. "It''s only that you''ve awakened much shorter and need time toe into full power. This tier list is meant to analyze theing fight. Don''t take it too seriously, or it''ll be your loss."

    "Tsk, fine, fine. God or not, it''s all technicalities." ttered, Wang Zikai let it slide.

    "I get Gao Yang at T0.5, but you, Uncle Tiger?" White Rabbit''s face scrunched up. "When¡¯s your Killing Expert reaching level 7? We''ve got this Damage Rune Circuit you can''t merge with. Talk about wasted potential."

    War Tiger pped his thigh, eyes gleaming. "Hey, I''ve got an idea! How about I kill all of you? Might just level me up. Killing Expert''s gotta do what a Killing Expert''s gotta do, right?"

    The room fell silent.

    "It''s a joke. Just lightening the mood." War Tiger guffawed, but no one elseughed. The atmosphere was suddenly awkward and strange.

    "Right, moving on!" War Tiger spun back to the board, striking through Gao Yang''s name. "Bad news is, Little Yang Yang''s got a date with Dr. Jia as his kidnapper. So it''s just me and Wang Zikai holding down the fort as T0.5batants."

    "Why don''t we wait until Gao Yang''s done with kidnapping and joined us?" Qing Ling asked a question many were wondering.

    ¡°Have your hubby exin to youter.¡± War Tiger was toozy to repeat Gao Yang¡¯s reasons.

    Qing Ling nced at Gao Yang and stopped asking after meeting his eyes.

    "Uncle Tiger, I have another question." Lying Wood held his hand of cards in one hand and adjusted his sses with his other. "Azure Dragon''s body should count as T0.5, too, right?"

    "What a great question!" War Tiger praised. Then he exined to everyone. "That''s true in theory. However, Qilin won''t be able to join the fight himself while manipting Azure Dragon''s body. That was the case when Gao Yang fought ck Tortoise."

    Gao Yang added, "Even if Qilin''s reached level 7 with Puppeteer and can move while controlling Azure Dragon, neither will be at full strength with his attention divided. Alternatively, Qilin could use Azure Dragon''s abilities, but then he''d be one person, not two."

    "Exactly," War Tiger twirled the chalk in his hand. "So Qilin''s one T0batant, not a T0 and a T0.5."

    "I have no other question," Lying Wood said.

    "Then the T1 and T1.5." War Tiger narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Only Yan Liang and Colorless are considered T1 on the Union''s side, and with Yan Liang being crippled by Gao Yang in thest fight, he''s probably a T1.5 now. Liao Liao will be T1.5, too. The rest of the Union members are T2 and trash."

    Zhang Wei felt insulted vicariously. He was going to say something, but decided to keep his mouth shut in the end.

    "Now let''s look at the Twelve, Nine. There are many T1 and T1.5batants. Most of you belong in the two tiers." War Tiger sounded quite proud. "It seems that we''re at an advantage!"

    "We can''t take that for granted." Nine Frost was cautious. "The Ocean River Union has more numbers, and they mayprehend powerful Talents before the fight."

    "Right, we need to factor in the variables too." War Tiger scanned the crowd, eyesnding on Gao Xinxin. "Gao Yang''s sister?"

    Gao Xinxin stood up reluctantly. "What now?" Nothing good ever came from War Tiger singling her out.

    War Tiger grinned. "We''re having an all-night strategy session. Mind whipping up somete-night snacks and chilling some beer?"

    Gao Xinxin''s lips twitched, a resigned sigh escaping. "I''ll get Cute Little Lamb and Yanyan bathed and in bed. Then I''ll see what''s in the fridge."

    "If nothing else, you''re one hell of a caretaker!" Gregor chimed in. "Gao Xinxin, how about some braised pork knuckle noodles?"

    "Eat your ass!" Gao Xinxin snapped. "Ande help meter!"

    "Seriously...?" Gregor frowned. "Why me?"

    "You''re not fighting, are you? What''s this strategy meeting got to do with you?" Gao Xinxin scoffed. "Unless you''re heading to the frontlines? Do that, and I''ll make you pork knuckle noodles and dragon foot noodles and whatever you want to eat."

    Gregor changed his tune immediately. He rolled up his sleeves, grinning. "Prepare to be amazed by the culinary prowess of the two Chef Gs!"

    "Alright, you''ve got some free time. Meeting''s at midnight," War Tiger announced. "And nobody leaves without my say-so, no exceptions. Anyone who does gets treated like a spy."

    A chorus of "Yes, sir!", "Understood!", and "Okay" rang out before the group dispersed.

    Just then, Heavenly Dog''s eyes snapped open on the beanbag. He removed his headphones, staring into space for a moment as if hearing something beyond others'' perception.

    His eyes reddened as he leapt to his feet. Scanning the crowd, he seemed unsure who to approach with his news.

    Finally, he turned to War Tiger. "Uncle Tiger, I justprehended a new Talent."

    "That''s fantastic!" War Tiger''s face lit up. "Which one?"

    Heavenly Dog hesitated before uttering, "Sixty-six."

    War Tiger''s smile froze. White Rabbit''s and Dead Pig''s faces fell, their eyes filled with sorrow.

    Every Zodiac member knew that number. Serial number 66, Psyche-type: Requiem.

    "Good, good. That''s... good..."

    War Tiger nodded mechanically, his words hollow. He plucked the cigarette from behind his ear and strode towards the study. "I need a smoke."

    Gao Yang, however, was pondering something else entirely upon hearing Heavenly Dog''s revtion.

    He headed for the storage room. "Heavenly Dog,e with me."

    "Oh, okay." Heavenly Dog followed without question.

    At the door, Gao Yang called out, "You too, Zhang Wei."

    Zhang Wei froze, thinking he''d misheard. He pointed at himself. "Me? You sure? I''m in the useless tier..."

    "Come," Gao Yang repeated, his tone brooking no argument.

    "Right away!" Zhang Wei''s face split into a grin as he bounded over, metaphorical tail wagging.

 Chapter 846: Take Responsibility

    <h4>Chapter 846: Take Responsibility</h4>

    Feiyang District, two dayster, ten o¡¯clock at night.

    The bar street pulsed with colorful neon, teeming with all walks of life. Youths chased thrills, office workers sought respite from daily pressures, heartbroken souls nursed their wounds, and thrill-seekers itched for action. For some, the night was just beginning; for others, it ended in them doubling over at a street corner, vomiting and crying.

    At the street''s entrance and exit, crowds surged like violent waves. Braving this human tide, the curbs lined with vehicles included an unremarkable gray car, its te ending in 36.

    Inside sat two average-looking, averagely dressed middle-aged women - Chen Ying and White Rabbit in disguise. Chen Ying took the wheel; White Rabbit, the back seat.

    "You certain this is the spot?" White Rabbit asked.

    "Should be." Chen Ying''s tone betrayed a hint of uncertainty.

    Earlier that day, White Rabbit''s Intangibility had reached level 4, kickstarting their mission to locate Dr. Jia. Disguised, they''d driven to Feiyang District, beginning their ground search from the Walled City of Ten Dragons.

    Beneath the ck Tortoise building in the Walled Cityy the hyperloop system''s main station. In theory, it connected to an underground tunnelwork housing Dr. Jia''s secretb somewhere within its maze.

    With most awakeners divided between two factions, Li City streets rarely saw their kind. This made Chen Ying''s task of finding a level 6 Sensory awakener rtively straightforward.

    Indeed, hourster, Chen Ying had pinpointed her target - about a hundred meters below the bar street''s exit. There, a lifeform with minimal energy aligned with Dr. Jia''s profile: an active brain in a frail body.

    "Check again," White Rabbit urged.

    Chen Ying closed her eyes, blocking out the cacophony around her. She extended her sensory power like countless intangible tendrils, probing beneath her feet.

    Ten seconds passed before her eyes opened. "Right below us. Not moving."

    "At all?" White Rabbit pressed.

    "Not a bit. Maybe he''s asleep?" Chen Ying offered, uncertain.

    "This early?" White Rabbit quipped. "Shouldn''t a character like him sleep by day, wake by night?"

    Chen Ying chuckled. "Not necessarily. That''s the norm these days, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Fair enough. No use specting. We should head down and see for ourselves." White Rabbit exhaled softly. "Ready to begin?"

    Chen Ying drew a deep breath. "Ready."

    White Rabbit activated her level 4 Intangibility and leaned forward, her hands phasing through the driver''s seat to encircle Chen Ying''s waist. With a swift yank, Chen Ying found herself swinging through the seat,nding on White Rabbit''sp. Fascination gave way to awkwardness.

    "Try not to move. Close your eyes," White Rabbit instructed, holding Chen Ying tight. Her chest pressed against Chen Ying''s back, chin resting on her shoulder, breath warm on her ear.

    "I need to maintain precise control over the surrounding space''s energy state to take you underground. A mistake could leave you stuck, or worse, irreversibly fuse parts of you with the underground..."

    Chen Ying smiled wryly. "Not helping. Now I''m more nervous."

    "Don''t worry. I''ll take responsibility if anything happens," White Rabbit joked. "Keep sensing as we descend. Alert me immediately if I''m off course or if something''s amiss."

    "How?" Chen Ying asked. "We can''t talk while submerged, can we?"

    "Unless you fancy a mouthful of soil, no." White Rabbit''s eyes darted around before settling on a solution. "Here, ce your hands on mine, finger to finger."

    Chen Yingplied, covering White Rabbit''s hands on her waist. She was surprised by their softness and small size, reminiscent of a child''s. The realization tugged at Chen Ying''s heart.

    White Rabbit outlined their silentmunication system: taps on different fingers for directions, pats on the right hand for warnings, and a pinch to continue.

    Chen Yingmitted the gestures to memory. "Got it."

    "Alright. Grip the wheel. Here we go." White Rabbit tightened her hold.

    A slight numbness enveloped Chen Ying as her physical senses blurred. Her body seemed to gently disintegrate in a weightless void.

    Momentster, they plunged into darkness¡ªWhite Rabbit guiding them through the car''s chassis and into the ground below.

    Chen Ying quickly adapted to the sensation of moving through earth, focusing intently on her Sensory. She tapped White Rabbit''s fingers periodically, adjusting their course.

    As they neared their target, merely ten meters away, Chen Ying''s perception sharpened, revealing more details.

    Something felt off. The energy signature seemed lifeless, nearly static. Even in deep sleep, a living being''s energy wouldn''t be this still.

    Chen Ying grew certain: this wasn''t a person. The energy, while not strong, didn''t feel threatening either.

    After a moment''s hesitation, she chose investigation over retreat.

    Guided by Chen Ying''s silent signals, White Rabbit decelerated their descent. About ten secondster, Chen Ying felt a disorienting flip, the numbness in her head dissipating.

    "Open your eyes," White Rabbit whispered.

    Chen Ying''s eyes fluttered open, shock rippling through her. Their heads dangled from the ceiling like surreal lightbulbs, bodies still lodged in the earth above.

    As her vision adjusted to the dim light, Chen Ying took in their surroundings. They''d emerged into a small railway tunnel, clearly part of the hyperloop system. A metal track ran along the center, while a hidden cab on one wall housed a device resembling a battery box. It contained some ck Gold. On the box was a blinking signal light.

    Realization dawned on Chen Ying: this was arge battery storing vital energy.

    "That''s what you sensed," White Rabbit murmured.

    "Yeah," Chen Ying replied, her initial disappointment giving way to understanding. When Little Tian was alive, the Qilin Guild would have needed safeguards against the Hundred Rivers Union to keep Dr. Jia hidden. This trap for Little Tian''s Sensory made perfect sense.

    "What''s our next move?" White Rabbit asked.

    "I''ll scout the area first." Chen Ying deactivated Sensory, switching to Skeleton Key to explore their surroundings.

 Chapter 847: Make Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 847: Make Trouble</h4>

    Chen Ying soon detected traps surrounding therge energy battery. "Let''s head back. Don''t get close," she whispered.

    "Okay," White Rabbit replied, her voice tinged with fatigue. Her Intangibility was nearing its limit.

    Holding Chen Ying tight, she swiftly retraced their path, emerging from the ground back into the car. Once in the backseat, White Rabbit released Chen Ying and slumped down. "I¡¯m beat. Using Intangibility alone is one thing, but taking someone along? Whole different ballgame."

    Chen Ying, equally drained and drenched in sweat, let out a bitterugh. "Sorry for putting you through all that for nothing."

    "It''s par for the course," White Rabbit waved dismissively. "If we seeded on the first try, that''d be suspicious."

    "I''ll keep driving and searching. Process of elimination will get us there, even if it takes time." Chen Ying retrieved the Feiyang District map from the glovepartment, marking the bar street with an X.

    "I''ll drive. You focus on Sensory," White Rabbit sat up. "Sisters working together never tire.[1]."

    Chen Ying paused. "Thanks."

    "Don''t mention it. I''m not doing it for you," White Rabbit chuckled. Her real motivation was to aplish more, earning praise from the Captain when he awoke from hibernation¡ªone of her greatest anticipations.

    "Let''s have a break. Ten minutes," White Rabbit kicked off her shoes and produced several nail polish bottles. "Pick a color for me."

    Chen Ying examined them. "The red, I think."

    "Red it is," White Rabbit opened the bottle.

    Chen Ying, unfamiliar with this ritual, found herself engrossed in watching White Rabbit''s focused movement. It was oddly enjoyable to watch.

    Noticing Chen Ying''s rapt attention, White Rabbit smiled mischievously. "Want to try?"

    "I''m good. I never do things like this," Chen Ying hastily waved her hands. "Too much trouble."

    "Isn''t making trouble what life''s about?" White Rabbit stated like it was the universal truth. "As they say, ''As long as one lives, they won''t stop making trouble.''"

    Chen Ying blinked, at a loss for words.

    "Come on. New experiences change your mood and open your mind. It''ll help with the mission," White Rabbit continued, her logic questionable but persuasive.

    "Well... okay," Chen Ying said, surprised by her own excitement.

    She recalled her rebellious ssmates from her student days¡ªhair dyed, ears pierced, nails painted, some even tattooed. She''d always kept her distance. Even when she was old enough to do these things herself, she never acted on the impulse. She''d never understood why until now. All she''d needed was a little push.

    A push was often all it took for life-changing moments to unfold. When that moment arrived, one felt an undeniable certainty¡ªmiss it, and the opportunity might nevere again.

    "What color do you like?" White Rabbit asked.

    Chen Ying shook her head. "Not sure. Choose for me, will you?"

    "Purple," White Rabbit decided without hesitation.

    "Why?"

    White Rabbit cackled. "Purple''s for closeted deviants. Suits you perfectly."

    "Nonsense! I''m not a deviant!"

    ...

    White Rabbit and Chen Ying scoured the city all night for Dr. Jia, crossing off three more locations. Each site yielded nothing but traps, consisting ofrge energy batteries and rm sensors.

    By dawn, both had reached their limits from the prolonged use of their Talents. They needed to stop.

    After refueling, White Rabbit parked in an open lot. They nned to catch a few hours of sleep in the car to recover before resuming their search.

    First, they swung by a 24/7 Golden Arch. Famished, Chen Ying barely thought of her diet as she devoured an aromatic hamburger. White Rabbit attacked her drumsticks with equal fervor, image be damned.

    Full stomachs and surging blood sugar left them drowsy. They decided to stay a little longer in the fast-food joint before retreating to the car.

    White Rabbit scrolled through her phone while Chen Ying gazed out the window. The day was breaking, the slumbering street awakening under clear morning light. Pedestrians multiplied, traffic increased. The world wasing alive.

    A young woman in office wear and a cute little girl entered then. They ordered food and sat down near Chen Ying. She could tell from their conversation that they were mother and daughter.

    The mother urged the daughter to hurry. She would take the girl to school before going to herpany.

    The child sulked, refusing to eat. Her mother''s Saturday overtime had derailed their n to go to the park.

    The girl seemed unhappy and didn¡¯t eat anything. It turned out that her mother had to work overtime tomorrow, a Saturday. They were supposed to go to the park together to have fun.

    "How about I use my leave early for a trip to Di City Amusement Park next month? We''ll ask Dad to join us," the mother coaxed.

    "Will Dade?" The girl looked up, hopeful. "Aren''t you divorced?"

    "Even so, he''s your dad. Mom and Dad may not love each other anymore, but we''ll always love you. That won''t change." The woman promised.

    "Yeah!" The girl beamed, digging into her burger. The mother smiled, eyes brimming with love as she wiped sauce from her daughter''s mouth.

    Chen Ying nched, her brows furrowing with undisguised sorrow and pain. Her chest heaved, body trembling. She felt like she was sitting on needles.

    White Rabbit leaned in to take one of Chen Ying¡¯s hands. Meeting Chen Ying¡¯s eyes, she said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t fight it. If you do, things will only get more painful.¡±

    Chen Ying panted, clutching White Rabbit¡¯s hand like a lifeline.

    "No matter how much pain you''re in, Chen Ying, you must ept it," White Rabbit said softly. "ept it. Embrace it unconditionally. Don''t try to suppress or stop it."

    Chen Ying tried to follow the advice. Her breathing steadied. Hot tears welled in her reddened eyes, but her face regained some color, and her shaking subsided.

    She wept silently for a while, weathering the storm of emotions.

    Finally, Chen Ying choked out, "Thank you."

    "It works well, doesn''t it?" White Rabbit released Chen Ying''s hand, smiling proudly. "Captain taught me that."

    "Do you have... inner demons too?" Chen Ying asked, struggling to find the right words.

    "Yeah, bad things happened when I was young. Left me with trauma. When it hit, the pain was so intense I wished for death."

    White Rabbit sipped her c. "I''m not scared now."

    "Once we stop tormenting ourselves, nothing can hurt us forever," she continued, tilting her head with a smile. "It''s just that we humans insist on torturing ourselves, as if it''s the only way to feel alive. But when we can''t hold on, we should ept it and surrender. Let it defeat us. There''s no shame in that, right?"

    Chen Ying looked bemused.

    "I got all that from Captain. I''m just summarizing the lessons," White Rabbit stood, stretching. "Now... shall we?"

    "Let''s go," Chen Ying rose, but suddenly scowled, quickly grabbing White Rabbit''s hand.

    1. The original saying is that men and women won¡¯t get tired if they are working together. ?

 Chapter 848: Twist and Turn

    <h4>Chapter 848: Twist and Turn</h4>

    Chen Ying rose, instinctively activating Sensory. It was a habitual precaution, a quick check for awakeners or suspicious entities whenever she changed locations. This time, her casual sweep yielded unexpected results.

    White Rabbit, reading Chen Ying''s sudden alertness, tensed up, her gaze fixed on her partner.

    After a furtive nce around, Chen Ying grabbed White Rabbit and hustled them into the restroom, locking the door behind them.

    "I''ve sensed two lifeforms moving a hundred meters underground," Chen Ying said without preamble. "One''s an awakener, the other... I can''t quite ce. Feels like a monster."

    White Rabbit frowned. "You''re certain?"

    "Positive. This isn''t a trap. They''re moving, and not slowly." Chen Ying''s eyes closed, focusing. "Hurry, they''re getting further away!"

    Without hesitation, White Rabbit positioned herself behind Chen Ying, arms encircling her waist.

    Chen Ying started, asking awkwardly, "Wait, we''re going down from here?"

    "Where else?"

    Chen Ying''s expression tightened. "But this is... the toilet!"

    "I''ll avoid the pipes. Besides, we''re fundamentally separate from anything we pass through. Don''t get your panties in a twist."

    Chen Ying bit back her concerns about White Rabbit''s fatigue and the horrifying possibility of bing a ''fecesman'' if control was lost. Some thoughts were better left unspoken.

    Momentster, a prickling energy enveloped Chen Ying, pulling her down through the tiled floor.

    Chen Ying tapped out directions on White Rabbit''s fingers as if steering a burrowing mount, pursuing their moving targets.

    Two minutes in, the targets suddenly elerated. Startled, Chen Ying directed White Rabbit to change course.

    After a tense descent, their heads popped out of a tunnel ceiling.

    "They sped up suddenly. We lost them," Chen Ying said, frustration evident.

    "Were we discovered?" White Rabbit asked.

    "That¡¯s unlikely. People''s energy surges when they sense danger. I would''ve noticed that at this distance."

    White Rabbit hesitated. "Any traps around?"

    Chen Ying scanned with Skeleton Key. "It''s clear."

    "Should we search the area? Intangibility''s at its limit. I need a break."

    "Agreed," Chen Ying nodded.

    As she spoke, she slipped from the ceiling like a loach, falling headfirst.

    "Agh..."

    White Rabbit,nding first, extended her arms to catch Chen Ying. Her fear had been unwarranted.

    "Forward or backward?" White Rabbit asked, gesturing down the dark tunnel stretching in both directions.

    Chen Ying, basing her decision on where she''d lost the targets'' trail, replied, "Forward."

    White Rabbit kept her hold on Chen Ying, breaking into a run. Though embarrassed, Chen Ying understood the dual purpose: to keep pace with their targets and to allow her to focus on Sensory detection. She was, in effect, a human radar in White Rabbit''s arms.

    Arms wound around White Rabbit''s neck, Chen Ying closed her eyes, concentrating. Wind whistled past her ears, the jerky movements reminiscent of a rollercoaster ride.

    Thirty secondster, White Rabbit halted abruptly, setting Chen Ying down.

    Chen Ying opened her eyes to find a wall before them¡ªa dead end. It didn''t make sense. The hyperloop system''s railway should connect all stops; a dead end seemed imusible, even as a construction error.

    White Rabbit shot Chen Ying a quick nce. "Any danger?"

    Chen Ying scanned their surroundings. "No other beings, no traps detected."

    Nodding, White Rabbit approached the wall, slowly sinking into it.

    Concerned, Chen Ying stepped towards the ck concrete, eyes fixed on the spot where White Rabbit had vanished.

    Suddenly, a hand shot out, startling her.

    It was White Rabbit, shing an OK sign before beckoning.

    Taking a deep breath, Chen Ying grasped the offered hand. Energy coursed through her body as White Rabbit yanked her through the wall.

    Inside, they found a narrow, secret path stretching far ahead, faint light visible at its end.

    Face to face, Chen Ying and White Rabbitmunicated silently through eye contact.

    Chen Ying activated Sensory once more. Reassured, White Rabbit took her hand, guiding her forward.

    They crept silently along the path, emerging into an underground space the size of an indoor basketball court. At the far end stood an advanced-looking metal door, clearly fashioned from ck Gold and bearing enchantments.

    Suddenly, understanding dawned on Chen Ying. She grasped White Rabbit''s hand, pointing upward¡ªa silent suggestion to leave immediately. Without question, White Rabbit grabbed Chen Ying, melting them both back into the wall they''d emerged from.

    Minutester, they cautiously surfaced in a dark alleyway, ensuring no pedestrians or cameras were around before fully emerging.

    Finally able to speak, Chen Ying''s words tumbled out: "The door was enchanted. I sensed its energy¡ªit must be Talent: Blocking. That''s why I couldn''t detect Dr. Jia!"

    Blocking, serial number 166, Guard-type.

    The Talent could conceal the energy signatures of specific lifeforms within a designated area, rendering them undetectable by any means other than direct visual contact. Whenbined with Maze, it created an almost imprable hiding spot.

    Blocking had originally belonged to a Hundred Rivers Union member. After the awakener''s death during the Crimson Tide, the Talent had found its way to someone in the Ocean River Union.

    "Can we be certain Dr. Jia is behind that door?" White Rabbit asked, her voice low.

    "I think so," Chen Ying replied, conviction in her tone.

    White Rabbit pondered for a moment. "Could Skeleton Key counteract Blocking?"

    "Yes, but it would alert our enemies," Chen Ying said, recalling Gao Yang''s warning. "We don''t know who else might be with Dr. Jia behind that door. We can''t afford to be reckless."

 Chapter 849: Clown

    <h4>Chapter 849: Clown</h4>

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    White Rabbit paused, neither nning to return nor in a rush to leave. She took a moment to review the facts. "Dr. Jia''s been hiding in the undergroundb. The Qilin Guild set up traps and rms to keep him hidden."

    "Then the Guild merged with the Hundred Rivers Union," she continued. "One of their members acquired Blocking, adding anotheryer of security."

    "But the Union sent someone to find Dr. Jia. You sensed it, leading us to our target."

    Chen Ying nodded. "That''s the most likely exnation."

    "Who do you think those two are?" White Rabbit asked.

    Chen Ying frowned slightly. "One''s definitely human, probably a high-ranking Union member. The other... more like a monster, but with weaker energy. Perhaps Sir Jiang?"

    "My thoughts exactly." White Rabbit bit her lip. "But Sir Jiang is strong. Why the weak energy?"

    "He might be able to conceal it," Chen Ying suggested, "or he''s still recovering from the fight in Ni Nation."

    White Rabbit sneered. "I''d prefer thetter." She added, "Liu Qingying told me Sir Jiang sought out Dr. Jia to develop weapons during the civil war. They''re clearly in constant contact."

    "Then there might be others guarding theb besides Sir Jiang and an awakener."

    "I agree," Chen Ying said.

    White Rabbit exhaled. "That''s all we can safely deduce. Let''s leave the rest to Gao Yang. He''s T0.5 now¡ªshould handle ten enemies easily, right?"

    Despite having stumbled upon the discovery, Chen Ying brightened at their progress. "It seems that you''re not very fond of Captain Gao, White Rabbit."

    "Oh, I like him alright!" White Rabbit waggled her brows, squeezing her eyes in an exaggerated expression. "As the one-woman HR department, I love youngsters who leave to start their own thing."

    Chen Ying chuckled. "Listen to yourself. Aren''t we all one big family now?"

    "Sure, but every family needs a leader, right?" White Rabbit''s eyes shed with determination. "I''ll always be Team Dragon."

    Chen Ying paused. "Sorry, I''m Team Yang."

    "You silly girl!" White Rabbit''s voice rose. "You just haven''t seen Captain Dragon''s charisma. You''d switch sides in a heartbeat."

    "I think you misunderstand Captain Gao. If you really got to know him¡ª"

    "La, can''t hear you!" White Rabbit covered her ears, stomping out of the alley.

    Exasperated yet amused, Chen Ying hurried after her, giving her armpits a surprise tickle.

    "Hey! You... you''ve got a death wish... Stop tickling me!" White Rabbit gasped betweenughs.

    "Do you submit?"

    "I... I tap out! Ha ha, I''m tapping out... Take this!"

    ...

    Underground base of the Ocean River Union, the next early morning.

    Two guards stood watch at the elevator to ground level. On the left stool sat First Firelord, a skinny, short man with a thuggish air. His shaved hair sported an intricate pattern, and arge gold chain hung from his neck. An unbuttoned ck leather jacket revealed a garish patterned shirt¡ªthe epitome of a gang member. He looked like a gang member.

    To the right, Old Seven perched on his stool. Short and chubby, he wore a baseball cap, loose jumper, and baggy jeans¡ªpure hip-hop style.

    Old Seven fiddled with an empty c bottle. "Heard the news, Bazi? They''re saying Liu Qingying''s a traitor."

    "Where''ve you been hiding? I already know about the Zodiacs'' wipe-out."

    Leaning in, Old Seven lowered his voice. "Yeah? Well, did you hear Miss found no Rune Circuits? And the Zodiacs had already left?"

    "It''s Elder Qin You now. Show some respect." First Firelord''s mocking tone belied his words.

    "Tsk." Old Seven grimaced. "A clown ying king."

    Old Seven didn¡¯t say that out of jealousy for the man¡¯s promotion. His disdain for Qin You wasn''t new. Even when Qin You was in Team Chen Ying, Old Seven had pegged him as a snake. Learning of Qin You''s role in tracking the Nine Scions to Starcatching Pavilion only doubled his contempt.

    For one, the incident had cost many old Union members their lives¡ªincluding Zhang Wei, Herb Snail, and Buzhou, all close to Old Seven. Moreover, it had crushed any hope of their organizations reconciling to find a way out of the dooming world together, a dream many former Hundred Rivers Union members had clung to.

    Old Seven dared voice these thoughts to First Firelord, knowing the man secretly admired Gao Yang and shared his hatred for Qin You.

    "Anything new on your end, Bazi?" Old Seven prodded.

    First Firelord stretched, crossing his arms behind his head. "Nothing."

    "Nothing happening, or nothing you''re told about?" Old Seven teased.

    "Shut it!" First Firelord growled.

    The Ni Nation battle had devastated the Ocean River Union. Ten members lost, including powerhouses like Azure Dragon, Six Rime, and Zero Hatred. Even Elder Yan Liang, critically injured, had vanished from the frontlines.

    In the aftermath, the Union held funerals and reorganized their teams, struggling to regroup in the face of their losses.

    The surviving members of Team Azure Dragon and Team Yan Liang were put together under Qilin¡¯s personalmand with Wandering Tune being the Protector. The team consisted of Qilin (Guildmaster), Wandering Tune (Protector), Harvest Song, Void, Sunny, 0618, Nomad, Sister Ling, Bumblebee, Donxote, First Firelord, Xiao Xin, and Flower.

    The other team was under themand of Surnamed Li, including herself (Deputy Guildmaster), Colorless (Elder), Amon (Protector), Canary, Jing Ke, Rewind, Lin Fu, Musashi, Stubborn Weasel, Crimson Bee, Old Seven, Small Luo, and Veggie.

    Since Qin You had made another contribution by rooting out Liu Qingying as a spy and experienced a power boost by getting his fourth Talent, he was promoted to an Elder and put in charge of the intelligence department. LIao Liao, on the other hand, was demoted to Protector.

    Old Seven was about to probe further when two men arrived for the next shift.

    The neer on the left, Flower, was a fierce-looking man in his thirties. Hisrge, muscr frame was topped by thick golden curls reminiscent of a lion''s mane. Shirtless, he proudly disyed a massive ck iris tattoo across his broad back.

    His Talent was Telekinesis, serial number 97, Psyche-type.

    The man on the right was younger, no older than twenty-five. He had an average build. His greasy ck hair seemed to have been left unwashed for days. Several scars covered his sculpted face, appearing to be left by sharp objects. His triangr eyes seemed to re perpetually. He looked like he was going to lose it and strike at someone at any time.

    He was Nomad, with Talent: Rules of Jianghu, serial number 186, Damage-type.

    First Firelord was tight with Nomad. He reprimanded, ¡°Won¡¯t you wash your hair already? I can smell the grease from the other side of the room.¡±

    Nomad flipped First Firelord off. He was about to curse First Firelord and his family out when his face darkened suddenly.

    Flower froze too, hackles raised.

    Old Seven and First Firelord tensed, whirling around. What they saw made them both jump in shock.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 850: The Just will Triumph

    <h4>Chapter 850: The Just will Triumph</h4>

    Without thinking, Old Seven yanked the rm trigger at his waist.

    <i>Ring¡ªring¡ªring¡ª</i>

    The first-level alert red through the base. Old Seven, First Firelord, Nomad, and Flower scrambled back, putting thirty meters between themselves and the elevator. They braced for a fight.

    Amon appeared with other members in tow. "What''s happening?"

    "Possible invasion!" Old Seven''s voice cracked. He aimed shaking fingers at the elevator, ready to unleash air bullets.

    "Battle stations!" Amon barked. Everyone took position.

    Gripping her boomerang, Amon''s mind whirred. If it were the Nine Scions or Zodiac Signs, Madam Li would''ve sensed it. This meant either a false rm or minimal casualties...

    <i>Ding</i>.

    The elevator doors inched open.

    The air froze all of a sudden, and all of them felt their heart clench.

    There, alone, stood Gao Yang¡ªleader of the Nine Scions.

    Thenky boy, not yet neen, exuded authority. His ck trenchcoat and tied-back hair entuated his sharp features and an icy gaze. At his feet sat a reddish-brown briefcase, filled with flyers.

    He didn¡¯t seem to be here to fight.

    "Now!"

    Amon reacted first, hurling her boomerang. She couldn''t win alone, but she could buy time for the Union''s heavyweights to arrive.

    Others followed suit, unleashing a barrage of attacks.

    <i>Clink, clink. ng.</i>

    ck Gold weapons, energy bullets, and elemental assaults crashed against a translucent golden barrier. Inside, Gao Yang tilted his chin. A gust ruffled his coat and hair.

    p. The flyers in the briefcase flew into the air and filled the elevator. Gao Yang looked like a fallen angel standing amid scattering white feathers. He looked at all of them and curled his lips into a "friendly" sneer, which sent a shudder down everyone''s spine and cooled their blood.

    Two secondster, Gao Yang vanished¡ªit was, in fact, merely a double of his. He had sent his double into the base with Invisibility and Intangibility.

    As soon as the double vanished, and the Absolute Barrier dissolved, the flyers flew out of the elevator and poured into the office hall like startled doves.

    Everyone gave the flyers a wide berth, not daring to touch any of them. However, the flyers seemed harmless as they fell to the floor.

    The writing on them drew their eyes.

    Old Seven was no exception. He looked down and read the flyer. It was a challenge.

    "Here''s Guildmaster!"

    Only after someone shouted that did everyone in the office hall sigh in relief.

    Qilin came over with his ck Gold cane alongside Surnamed Li in her automatic wheelchair. Trailing after them were Colorless, Qin You, and One Stone.

    The others made way for them.

    Qilin was calm. He had detected the flyers with his willpower. They were regr sheets of paper that posed no danger.

    He lifted a hand and caught one of the flyers flying past him.

    ...

    To all members of the Ocean River Union.

    Your leaders Qilin and Surnamed Li have long turned away from what is just andmitted great sins. While they retain the body of a human, they have long lost the soul of one.

    Their crimes are as follows.

    First, Qilin has long been in cahoots with a pride monster. Elder Yan Liang is Observer Sir Jiang in disguise with the ability, Pride Space. His answer is to destroy the Gates of Closure and eliminate the only hope for humanity''s survival.

    Second, Vermilion Bird, having found out the truth, met an unfortunate fate of being rendered vegetative at Qilin''s hands. The Nine Scions are treating her at the moment.

    Third, Qilin openly broke the peace treaty and initiated a sneak attack against the neutral party, the Twelve Zodiac Signs, destroying the Millennium Tower in an attempt to kill all members.

    Fourth, to eliminate any discord, Surnamed Li had framed Gao Yang as the Malediction and used her closest confidant Chen Ying, getting the third team killed in the process. Moreover, she nned the attack at the Starcatching Pavilion with no mercy. Her cruelty is unimaginable.

    The four crimes are all supported by concrete evidence. We stand upright and just, and we wee anyone to look for the truth in any way.

    We hope that you wille to your senses sooner rather thanter and stop helping the viins in their wrongdoings. Stop going after your own kind against the will of the heavens.

    Finally, we challenge those on the side of Qilin and Surnamed Li to a battle to put an end to their viiny and insidious ambitions. We wish to lead all fellow awakeners out of the mist to wee the dawn.

    The just will triumph over the wicked. The light does not fear the shadow.

    The brave will forge a way. We make our destiny.

    Qingying Bridge, early morning the day before the Lunar New Year''s Eve.

    What say you, Qilin and Surnamed Li?

    Nine Scions & Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    ...

    Qilin swiftly scanned the challenge, his sses catching the light. His expression remained impassive.

    As he read, others had retrieved flyers, either from the floor or mid-air. Their reactions varied widely: derision, shock, stoicism, skepticism, terror, concern...

    Whispers erupted among close confidants, and soon the office hall buzzed with chaotic murmurs.

    Surnamed Li, donning her reading sses, perused the flyer Colorless handed her. Her calm demeanor betrayed the counterarguments already forming in her mind for each listed crime.

    But a more pressing matter demanded her attention. She looked up at the man beside her. "Shall we ept the challenge, Guildmaster Qilin?"

    Qilin let the flyer slip from his long fingers.

    "Of course."

    Adjusting his sses, he raised his voice.

    "The just will triumph over the wicked. The light does not fear the shadow. It''s time we settle things with the Malediction."

 Chapter 851: In a Rush

    <h4>Chapter 851: In a Rush</h4>

    Meeting room for management, Ocean River Union, twenty minutester.

    Present were Qilin, Surnamed Li, Qin You, Colorless, and One Stone.

    Qilin, taking the main seat, sped his hands over his abdomen, the picture of calm. Surnamed Li sat in her wheelchair. The other three Elders took their ces.

    "Before we begin," Qilin said evenly, "I''ll address the false usations in the challenge. Yan Liang is indeed a pride monster, known as Sir Jiang."

    He paused, observing the room. "But he''s a lightbringer, always on humanity''s side. I kept his identity secret precisely to prevent the Nine Scions from using it to sow discord."

    Surnamed Li and Qin You seemed unfazed, while Colorless and One Stone wore conflicted expressions.

    Qilin sighed softly. The Miracle Rune Circuit materialized in his hands, drawing all eyes.

    "Yan Liang, not I, discovered this. He chose humanity, handing it to me. That''s how I led us into the age of Rune Circuits."

    "Had he wanted to wipe out humans, he could''ve simply withheld this. Without it, awakeners'' Talents would''ve stagnated at level 3, no match for pride monsters."

    "Why go to such lengths if his goal was humanity''s elimination? It''s inconsistent, isn''t it?"

    Surnamed Li and Qin You nodded slightly. Colorless and One Stone''s brows rxed. The logic was sound.

    Qilin continued, "I''ll show you the Gates of Closureter¡ªa replica, conjured by illusion. The real ess must remain secret."

    "This is my gesture of goodwill. If you still doubt me, you needn''t join the fight. You may even leave the Ocean River Union. The bottom line is you must not join the Nine Scions.¡±

    "I believe you, Guildmaster," Colorless said coolly.

    "I believe you and Elder Yan Liang too," One Stone added quickly. After a pause, she asked, "About Elder Vermilion Bird..."

    "Also false," Qilin cut in smoothly. "If I''d wanted to kill her, why leave her alive for the Nine Scions to rescue? Another inconsistency."

    One Stone lowered her eyes, thoughtful.

    "I can''t reveal more about Vermilion Bird now, but you''ll understandter."

    "Yes, Guildmaster." One Stone didn''t press.

    "As for the attack on the Twelve Zodiac Signs, that''s true." Qilin nced at Qin You. "Exin why."

    "Yes, Guildmaster." Qin You stood, addressing the room. "Consider this: The Zodiac Signs imed neutrality, but they''ve been in league with the Nine Scions. How else did the Scions level up their new Talents past level 4?"

    "Take Nine Frost''s Telepathy. How did he advance with the Psyche Rune Circuit from the Zodiacs? Where did they get their medicines and equipment? They couldn''t produce those alone."

    "The Zodiacs'' Songstress owned a flower shop¡ªtheir main contact point. I''ve found concrete evidence supporting this."

    Qin You nced at Qilin for permission, then revealed, "My fourth Talent is Mindreading. I discovered Liu Qingying was a spy from the Zodiacs. If Guildmaster Qilin and Deputy Guildmaster Li hadn''t staged a counterattack, this base would''ve been bombed. We wouldn''t be alive for this meeting."

    "The Nine Scions and Zodiacs overreached, then used us despite being the aggressors. They want to sow discord. We can''t fall for their tricks!"

    Qin You sat, rewarded with Qilin''s approving look.

    "Thest usation concerns me," Surnamed Li said softly, her tone bleak. "I''ll stop hiding the truth."

    "Some of you know already. Yes, I used Chen Ying, but I never foresaw the others dying. I never wanted to sacrifice them."

    "That was their choice, Madam Li!" Qin You eximed. "Chen Ying asked me to join her. I refused, so I survived. Right or wrong, we must live with our decisions. There''s no one else to me."

    Surnamed Li spoke openly, "I''ve had one goal: kill Gao Yang. I dreamed he became the Malediction and wiped out humanity. I''ll pay any price to change that future."

    "I won''t defend myself. After the Malediction is eliminated, I''ll ept your judgment."

    A short silence fell over the room.

    Qilin broke it, "You may choose to stay or leave."

    "I''ll stay!" Qin You swore allegiance first. "I''ve always believed Guildmaster Qilin and Deputy Guildmaster Li are the only ones who can lead humanity to a bright future!"

    After a pause, Colorless stated firmly, "I will fight to thest moment of my life." <i>For myself and my friends, not you conspirators,</i> she kept to herself.

    "I''ll stay too," One Stone said sadly. "I''ve always wanted a peaceful resolution. I know that''s naive. So I''ll save as many as possible, enemies or allies."

    "It''s my greatest honor to fight alongside you," Qilin said, tapping his cane. "Now, let the meetingmence officially."

    They quickly shifted gears to their usual format.

    "The Nine Scions and Zodiacs must be prepared to issue this challenge," Qilin observed. "I''d like to hear your thoughts."

    Qin You spoke first, "We should fight."

    Colorless frowned. "Why?"

    Qin You spoke confidently, "We''ve been out in the open while they lurked in the shadows, weakening us with underhanded tactics. That put us at a disadvantage. Now that they''ve shown themselves, we can strike at all of them at once."

    "How do you know they''re not setting another trap?" Colorless challenged.

    Qin You paused, then smiled. "Given the Nine Scions'' history, nothing''s certain. But choosing Qingyang Bridge as the battlefield makes this less likely to be a scheme."

    "True," One Stone agreed. "The desert ruins in Ni Nation were perfect for ambushes and total war. Qingyang Bridge is different. It''s open¡ªwater,nd, and air essible to all. An effective ambush would be impossible unless they have a weapon that can instantly destroy a five-kilometer radius."

    "If they had such a weapon, they''d have used it already," Qin You pointed out. "The challenge would be pointless."

    One Stone considered further. "Even that wouldn''t work. Madam Li can predict danger. We''d escape with her warning. They could never use such a weapon against us."

    "Exactly," Qin You nodded, his perspective clearer. "It''s Deputy Guildmaster Li''s ability that forces them into an open challenge. As long as we''re here, they can''t ambush us. But we can''t flush them out of hiding either."

    "It''s a stalemate," he continued. "The longer it drags on, the worse for them. We have numbers, and our Talents will only grow. That''s why they''re pushing for this final battle."

    Colorless smiled. "Then wouldn''t it be better not to ept the challenge? They''re the ones in a hurry, after all."

 Chapter 852: Strategic Gamble

    <h4>Chapter 852: Strategic Gamble</h4>

    Qin You fell silent, unable to counter.

    Surnamed Li smiled wryly. "In the long term, we''re in a greater rush."

    "Why?" Colorless probed.

    "First, we must collect all twelve Rune Circuits to open the Gates. If they keep hiding, we''ll be in a war of attrition until doomsday. We''ll all perish together."

    Surnamed Li''s eyes darkened. "Moreover, the longer Gao Yang lives, the higher the risk he bes the Malediction. We can''t afford to wait."

    "Right," Colorless raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "We have a time bomb under the poker table. Winner takes all, loser loses everything. Eventually, we''ll have to go all-in to determine the winner before the bomb explodes."

    "An apt analogy," Qilin smiled.

    Surnamed Li nodded. "Still, we can''t lower our guard. The challenge might be a distraction, likest time."

    "What else could they be nning?" Qin You frowned, then started. "Oh, could it be Dr. Jia?"

    Qilin seemed unfazed, having already reached this conclusion.

    "Dr. Jia''s well-hidden. They shouldn''t be able to find him, right?" Colorless turned to Qilin.

    "I thought so too, but not anymore," Qilin''s eyes glinted. "Gao Yang''s easy infiltration of our base suggests someone on his side has acquired Intangibility, or he has."

    "Of course!" One Stone admired the insight. <i>That''s why he''s the leader. Why didn''t I think of that?</i>

    Surnamed Li nodded. "And if they''ve acquired Sensory too, their chances of finding Dr. Jia increase, though it''s still difficult."

    "Then why not just grab Dr. Jia and leave?" Colorless questioned. "Why the open challenge?"

    "It''s not that simple," Qilin''s gaze turned icy. "Yan Liang watches Dr. Jia constantly. If the Nine Scions attempt a kidnapping, they''ll only find a lifeless body."

    "Ah," Colorless looked pensive. "So they''re challenging us openly to lure our main force away, allowing them to kidnap Dr. Jia."

    "That''s one possibility," Qilin said.

    Surnamed Li shook her head slowly. "I don''t think it''s likely."

    The others turned to her.

    "If they just wanted a distraction, they could''ve done it more safely. They only needed to make me predict danger. An open fight challenge ensures casualties. The price is too high."

    Qilin nodded. "So the challenge is real."

    "Can they win?" Qin You asked Qilin.

    "No chance," Qilin said confidently. Then his green eyes turned cold. "Unless Dragon has awakened. Then the battle''s oue would be uncertain."

    A moment of silence fell over the meeting room.

    Dragon¡ªthe awakener with the top Talent, the man who had single-handedly killed a life monster in its second phase, the longest-standing figurehead in the Mist World. His name alone struck fear into enemies'' hearts.

    After a few seconds of tense silence, Qilin spoke, "But I don''t think Dragon''s awake."

    "Why?" Colorless asked, realizing she''d been contrarian throughout the meeting.

    "It''s a hunch," Qilin adjusted his sses. "If he were awake, I believe he''de after me alone rather than involve everyone in a war¡ªthough he wouldn''t necessarily seed."

    The others remained silent, inwardly sighing with relief. <i>Thank heavens Dragon''s not awake.</i>

    "Guildmaster," Qin You ventured, "Why don''t we take Dr. Jia with us?"

    Qilin shook his head. "Forcing Dr. Jia might turn him against us. We still need his genius."

    "So we leave him be?" Qin You asked.

    "No." Qilin fixed him with a look. "Take some people to guard Dr. Jia alongside Yan Liang. You know what to do if there''s no alternative."

    "Yes, Guildmaster!" Qin You stood promptly.

    "No rush," Qilin halted him.

    Qin You paused, confused.

    "Go there quietly before the final fight," Qilin gripped his cane. "The Nine Scions may havee to taunt us, expecting a reaction. If you go now, they might track you to Dr. Jia."

    "Of course," Qin You exhaled. "I admire your wisdom, Guildmaster!"

    After a moment''s thought, Qilin added, "Qin You, have Liao Liao join us and apany Madam Li and me to the Northbound Funeral Home."

    Surnamed Li was puzzled. Everyone knew Qilin had acquired Puppeteer, but Azure Dragon was his only powerful puppet, already stored at the Union''s base. The morgues held almost no dead awakeners now.

    Why was Qilin going to the funeral home?

    Surnamed Li didn''t question him. Qilin must have his reasons.

    "Understood," Qin You left.

    Qilin continued, "Colorless, One Stone, reassure your subordinates now. Don''t let them waver under the Nine Scions'' challenge and usations. I''ll discuss the detailed operation n with you after I return."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Understood."

    Qilin rose slowly, leaning on his cane. "You''re dismissed."

    ...

    Small meeting room, half an hourter.

    Colorless gathered her team and, given their current situation, disclosed everything, including Qilin''s exnations for the usations.

    Reactions varied. Amon was the most upset. "You knew the truth about Starcatching Pavilion and never told us? Why?"

    Colorless admitted, "I believed some knowledge would only endanger you."

    "Even so, we have a right to know!" Amon''s anger red as she mmed the table, standing up. "I''ve always admired and trusted you, Team Leader, but this was a huge mistake!"

    "Yes, and I''m sorry," Colorless reflected. "I could''ve given you a choice, like Zhong He. But in trying to protect you, I ended up depriving you of that chance."

    "Don''t say that, Sister Colorless. You had our best interests at heart," Rewind cautiously interjected, trying to ease the tension. "I''d rather not have known all this."

    "True. In my experience, the more you know, the sooner you die," Crimson Bee said with a bitter smile. He suddenly envied Xiao Xin, still unconscious and exempt from the frontline. Perhaps he''d survive until the very end.

    ¡°Tsk! Speaking bullshit in hindsight now. What¡¯s the point?¡± Stubborn Weasel¡¯s tongue was as sharp as always. ¡°The deciding fight¡¯s tomorrow. Are you going to leave now or join the Nine Scions? You all have a death wish?¡±

    "Stubborn Weasel''s crude, but she makes sense," Lin Fu stroked his mustache. "At this point, who can judge right from wrong? We can''t stay neutral now. Our priority should be preparing as best we can to end this civil war, so we''re not fighting our own kind anymore."

    "Is Gao Yang... really the Malediction?" Old Seven was downcast. Though rumors had circted, he''d always dismissed them as a smear campaign.

    But if Elder Colorless said Surnamed Li had dreamed of Gao Yang bing the Malediction, it must be true.

    Old Seven struggled to ept it. He used to drink and boast with Zhang Wei and Three Strings, talking about Gao Yang, this dimension''s protagonist.

    Now, Three Strings was dead, and Zhang Wei was his enemy. It felt like a different reality.

 Chapter 853: Rally

    <h4>Chapter 853: Rally</h4>

    "Surnamed Li''s dream has never been wrong." Colorless paused, her expression serious. "However, that doesn''t mean it can''t be. There''s no point dwelling on it."

    Old Seven sighed and remained silent.

    Jing Ke, the man with messy ck hair and a sunken face, wore an impassive look, arms crossed over his chest. He contemted a more practical issue. "The blond young man is powerful. You should be careful."

    Colorless implored them earnestly, her voice almost pleading, "Please don''t be reckless tomorrow night. Don''t rush to the front lines or think about honor and glory. No one in this damn world deserves your sacrifice. Your survival is more important than anything else."

    "This civil war is ultimately a power struggle among a handful of influential leaders. You''ll be safe once they determine a victor. You''ll either be celebrating our victory or dropping your arms in surrender."

    <i>I''ll surely die as an Elder if the Ocean River Union loses, of course.</i>

    Colorless kept that thought to herself.

    A moment of silence fell. Then Musashi, with wine-colored curls and thick makeup, spoke up. She fixed Amon with a gentle yet pointed gaze. "Amon, would you stop being angry with Team Leader? She was thinking about our safety."

    Amon brooded. She knew Colorless meant well, but she was still mad. She couldn''t ept that Colorless had kept the truth from her, too. She had thought she was closer to Colorless, but it turned out she was just another teammate to their leader.

    Colorless understood Amon, so she didn''t take it personally.

    She turned to Canary. "You, especially. Don''t get too excited, Little Canary."

    Canary perched cross-legged on a chair, wearing a ck jumpsuit emzoned with the character for ''dog.'' Her hair was tied in twin tails. With no red war paint on her face now, her pretty, fair youthful features were on full disy.

    She scratched her face irritatedly. "I know!"

    "Veggie." Colorless turned to the stuttering girl who had just joined them.

    "Don''t worry, Captain. I... I, I, I will... I will keep an eye on Little Canary..." Veggie said earnestly.

    "Keep an eye on whom? I''m not your dog!" Canary reached out and pinched Veggie''s chubby cheek, disgruntled.

    "Ow, let go. It hurts!" Veggie didn''t stutter this time.

    ...

    The night before New Year''s Eve, tension hung in the air. In the underground base of the Ocean River Union in Nanji District, almost all members gathered in the main hall. They made preparations methodically, an oppressive seriousness permeating the atmosphere. It was the calm before the storm.

    One Stone, the quartermaster, arrived with her subordinates, bringing a wealth of supplies from the armory and medicine storage. She began allocating them to each member.

    There were basic items for all members and special items for particr awakeners.

    All members received the following basic items:

    A ck Gold handgun and two 15-shot magazines¡ªall ck Gold bullets Jiang Hao had enchanted with paralysis, weakening, and poison debuffs. Upon entering the body, these bullets would seriously injure the enemy even if they missed vital organs, potentially killing them outright.

    A ck Gold dagger, enchanted with the same debuffs.

    A resurrection pill to be taken before the fight.

    Two shots of Medicine C for first-aid.

    A special adrenaline shot that could bring someone back from the brink of death or energy exhaustion.

    An Illusion Breaking Spray that would offset illusions and grant some resistance to psychic attacks.

    A sleep gas grenade, ineffective in open spaces but useful for cover or retreat if used strategically.

    Special items were distributed based on individual abilities:

    Melee fighters received cold weapons, while ranged shooters got buffing items. These were equipment the awakeners carried constantly, now enhanced with short-term enchantments for increased power.

    Last but not least, precious ring injectors containing Equivalent Exchange medicine were given to Protectors and above. These could boost the user''sprehensive power by one or more times for less than 10 seconds, to be used only when necessary.

    The members were split into three teams.

    Themand, led by Qilin and Surnamed Li, consisting of awakeners with support Talents or specific abilities.

    Thebatants, under Colorless''smand, including both melee and ranged fighters.

    The rear service, led by One Stone, mainlyposed of awakeners with healing, support, and scouting abilities.

    Soon, the dozens of Union members armed themselves and got into orderly files. Qilin and Surnamed Li inspected each of them before starting a rally.

    From her wheelchair, Surnamed Li gazed at them, speaking up after a long, silent moment. Her voice was soft yet bleak, carrying the infectious warmth of a parental figure.

    "Everyone, I am the oldest person here. I''ve been fortunate to survive this long in the dangerous Mist World, gaining more than enough from my time in this mortal realm.

    "Yet, I''m unlucky to have witnessed the rise and fall of the Elusive Sect, endured many a Crimson Tide, and seen too many lives lost, ambitions cooled, and dreams shattered. My mentor,panions, and lover were all buried on the path to hope and truth.

    "I founded the Hundred Rivers Union because I understood, better than most, how fragile and insignificant humans are in the Mist World. I believe we must work together.

    "One firefly alone cannot survive until dawn when lost in the mountains. But a group of fireflies can light the path home.

    "It pains me that our enemies now are not the dangerous doomsday, but our oncepanions. However, if we must step over those who have lost their way to sustain humanity, we have no choice.

    "We''ve reached this point only by wading through rivers of blood and mountains of skeletons of those who came before us. We must not give up. We have no right to give up!

    "I cannot guarantee you''ll all survive the night, but I believe we will emerge victorious. I believe humanity will not go extinct.

    "The legacy of our predecessors will be the torch our sessors hold high!

    "Humans are not mere individuals! Our souls are not alone!"

    Surnamed Li''s voice echoed in the empty hall. Silence followed. No apuse, no cheers. Everyone looked solemn, their gazes determined.

    Many of them had not started out with great ambition. They had simply followed the flow, going along for the ride. Tonight, however, facing the crossroads of fate and a critical juncture in history, they felt a shudder in the depths of their souls¡ªlike a calling.

    No snowkes in an avnche were innocent. And no one could watch from the sidelines as the tide of fate crashed forward. As long as they lived, they were yers on the world''s stage. They would forge this era. At this moment, they felt that truth keenly.

    After the moment of silence, Qilin''s cane tapped the floor with a sharp click. Everyone turned to the man with a gentlemanly temperament yet a deep, coldly sharp gaze. He slowly raised his right fist, clenching it hard.

    "For survival," he intoned.

    "For survival!" some shouted in response.

    "For survival," Qilin repeated.

    "For survival!"

    "For survival!"

    "For survival..."

    Soon, everyone joined the rally, the words echoing through the hall. Amid the overwhelming and stirring chorus of cries, Wandering Tune stepped behind Qilin and Surnamed Li. He created an enormous blue portal with level 5 Portal.

    Qilin turned Surnamed Li''s wheelchair around and stepped into the portal first. The two leaders'' backlit figures quickly vanished into the shimmering blue.

    Then themand, thebatants, and the rear service followed in three orderly files, entering the portal one by one.

    A minuteter, the portal winked out of existence.

    The brightly lit hall stood empty. Only the echoes of their battle cry for survival seemed to linger in the air.

 Chapter 854: Barbecue Party

    <h4>Chapter 854: Barbecue Party</h4>

    "For survival!"

    Thick Earth raised his non-alcoholic pineapple beer in one hand and amb skewer in the other. "Cheers, bro!" he shouted.

    He had initially nned on draft beer, but with the great fight looming, War Tiger had forbidden everyone from drinking alcohol¡ªhimself excluded. Alcohol affected him as much as water; his tolerance was on another level.

    "Old Earth!" War Tiger plopped down next to him, a can of beer in hand and a toothpick in his mouth. He looked satiated from the food and drink he''d had. "You''re bold, man. You dared to use the Qilin Guild''s rally here?"

    "Haha, my damn mouth." Thick Earth pped his own face. "I was just in the mood to shout something! Couldn''t think of anything else, only the phrase we chanted back in the Crimson Tide."

    War Tiger nced at Dead Pig, who was patiently peeling lobsters for Lovely Lamb. "Old Pig, what''s the Twelve Zodiac Signs'' chant?"

    "Hoho, since when do we have one?" With disposable gloves on, Dead Pig shallowly dipped the soft, white shrimp in sauce before feeding it to Lovely Lamb.

    Lovely Lamb opened her mouth wide and took it in one bite, her eyes twinkling like stars. "Oh! It''s yummy!"

    "We don''t have one?" War Tiger shook the beer can in his hand, discontent. He raised his head and hollered, ¡°Grandma[1]! Where are you, Grandma?¡±

    A gust of wind swept past the top of their heads with a swoosh. A purple-haired girl in a sailor uniform, a ck and white nket around her shoulders, glided from the mansion''s balcony to the front yard''s entrance.

    She stood on tiptoes atop themp post, affecting a haughty look as if gazing down at all life. "Mortal, you call for this Empress?"

    "Grandma, what''s the Nine Scions'' chant again?" War Tiger asked.

    "Hmph!" Nainai stood arms akimbo. "This Empress will only say it once. Listen well! We must walk the path we must walk..."

    "Too long, won''t listen!" War Tiger cut her off impatiently. "What''s thest line? Something about the darkness?"

    "Born in the dark, we chase the dawn," Ke Yo answered casually as she stood behind War Tiger. She had put her hair up and donned an apron and gloves. She was now working the grills.

    Such a boisterous asion had never been her thing. She always felt out of ce. Thus, she''d rather find something to do and keep busy. That eased andforted her.

    Wang Weiyan stood beside Ke Yo, holding a bottle of coconut juice. "Sister Ke Yo, I want roasted fish."

    "Of course." Ke Yo smiled at Wang Weiyan. "Just a minute. It''ll be done soon."

    "Born in the dark, we chase the dawn! Commit the words of this Empress to your heart, mortals. It will grant you the power of faith!" Nainai, anxious after Ke Yo had taken her line, quickly asserted her copyright over the chant.

    "Hahaha! Alright! Alright!" Thick Earth, finally moving past his earlier slip, raised his bottle of pineapple beer and toasted War Tiger. "Here! Cheers to the dawn!"

    Three hours from now, they would be heading into all-out war. They hade to the Spectres'' Mansion and prepared grills and a small buffet. Amid the smoke and aroma, more than twenty people were enjoying a barbecue together.

    This was the rallying gathering for the Nine Scions and the Twelve Zodiac Signs, held by Gao Yang.

    Nine Frost looked down at the boisterous crowd from the balcony on the second floor of the mansion. He suddenly felt like they weren''t fighters about to go to the frontline, but old friends having a reunion after years apart.

    "Sometimes I wonder how your brain works," Nine Frost said, shaking his head resignedly.

    Gao Yang, resting on the living room sofa behind Nine Frost, replied coolly, "The strategy''s nned out. Better to create some happy memories rather than have a serious rally."

    "You speak like this would be theirst meal." Nine Frost smiled wryly.

    "Don''t they seem happy?"

    "Have you considered if they are merely pretending to have a good time?"

    "And we be what we pretend to be." Gao Yang opened his eyes and smiled. "Stop pulling a long face, Nine Frost. Get down there and have a drink with them. Chat with them."

    "You''re the captain. I''ll do as you said." Nine Frost jumped down from the balcony and joined the barbecue gathering.

    Gao Yang''s smile dropped. There was something he had been agonizing over. Should he tell Dead Pig that Lovely Lamb was his biological daughter?

    Ba Qiuchi must have had a reason for this arrangement, though. In the end, Gao Yang decided to respect Ba Qiuchi''s will. Ba Qiuchi was Lovely Lamb''s mother, and she wouldn''t do something to hurt the girl.

    Gao Yang checked his system for Luck points. He didn''t have enough toprehend a Talent, and he had gone over the strategy for tonight many times. It seemed that he had little to do now.

    Then he heard footstepsing upstairs.

    Gao Xinxin brought a roasted chicken leg and a bottle of sports drink to Gao Yang. "The oh-so-busy Captain Gao, have some food. Even if you were made of metal, food would be your source of steel."

    Gao Yang said resignedly, "Call me Brother."

    "Oh, how can I? Captain Gao''s the leader of the Nine Scions, the savior of humanity. He''s such an esteemed person that I never get to see him usually. How dare I call him something that intimate?" Gao Xinxin threw shade at him.

    Gao Yang chuckled, taking the chicken leg from his sister and having a bite. "Hm, it''s good."

    "Of course. I''m the chef." Gao Xinxin sat down next to Gao Yang. She was going to joke more, but she wasn''t in the mood.

    After hesitating, she said, "Brother, I..."

    "No," Gao Yang insisted.

    "I promise I won''t drag you down..."

    "No," Gao Yang repeated. "Take Lovely Lamb and Wang Weiyan back to the secret base in the sewerster."

    "Gao Yang!" Gao Xinxin lost her calm. "What should I do if none of you return? Have you considered my feelings?!"

    "Sacrifice is unavoidable, but it''s unlikely for us all to die." Gao Yang sighed and held Gao Xinxin''s gaze solemnly. "And even if we all die, you must live. You have two children to take care of. Vermilion Bird too."

    "Brother!" Gao Xinxin''s eyes reddened. "That''s selfish of you! I''m only a high school freshman. What can I possibly do? I don''t know how. I''m scared..."

    "Don''t be scared, Xinxin. Even if the worst-case scenario does be reality, you''ll know what to do when the timees."

    Gao Yang patted her head with his clean hand. "Brother was just like you. I was afraid of this and that and everything, but somehow, I stumbled my way to where I am today. You can do the same. People are more resilient than we thought."

    Gao Xinxin lowered her head and fell silent, clutching the hem of her shirt with both hands.

    After a long while, she took a deep breath and let go of her shirt. She opened her arms and gently hugged Gao Yang. "I''ll do as you said, Brother, but promise me that you''ll be okay."

    "I''ll do my best." Gao Yang patted her back.

    "Alright!" Gao Xinxin let go of Gao Yang and wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. She cheered herself up. "I''m gonna give Gregor a few more pointers. I won''t be there this time, and I''m worried."

    "Go." Gao Yang smiled.

    Gao Xinxin went downstairs. Listening to the stato of her footsteps, Gao Yang was momentarily lost in his thoughts.

    Then suddenly, Gao Yang''s brows furrowed. He had picked up on something.

    1. War Tiger may be calling Nainai Grandma because of her hair color. There¡¯s a popr choice of color in China for hair color that¡¯s known as Grandma Gray, and it¡¯s gray with a purple tint. ?

 Chapter 855: Men with no Women

    <h4>Chapter 855: Men with no Women</h4>

    Wind.

    On Gao Yang''s side, inside Fresh Snow''s room, there was an unnatural current. He immediately extended his senses to the space on the other side of the wall. No movement now. Without hesitation, Gao Yang conjured a double and opened the door to Fresh Snow''s room, flicking on the light.

    The room was untouched, just as Gao Yang remembered it. Elegant wallpaper with bouquet prints, a bed covered in dolls with a white canopy, a deep blue ceiling painted as the night sky with winking stars and a smiley moon. Only one star remained between the brightest Fresh Snow Star and Gao Yang Star.

    Gao Yang scanned the room. Empty.

    But the window was open, curtains swaying in the night breeze¡ªsomeone had been here.

    A book rested on the vanity by the window. That hadn''t been there before, if Gao Yang''s memory served him right. He made a beeline for the vanity. The novel was both new and old¡ªnew because it showed little sign of being read, old because of its yellowed, aged cover.

    The title was <i>A Letter from a Strange Woman</i>.

    He started, remembering browsing this book while meeting White Dew in the library.

    Gao Yang hesitated for two seconds before gingerly picking up the book and flipping through it. A postcard fell from the pages.

    He caught it with quick reflexes.

    As he read it, Gao Yang froze, silent for a long moment. The night wind carried themotion of the barbecue party through the window, rustling his hair, coat, and rueful eyes.

    A minuteter, he slipped the postcard back into the book and ced it on the vanity.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Gao Yang vanished.

    ...

    Around the round table in the backyard near the front door, freshly roasted food and drinks of all kinds wereid out. Four men sat there, exchanging boasts while devouring skewers.

    Inevitably, the conversation shifted to women.

    Wang Zikai fancied himself the actual founder of the Nine Scions, the reincarnation of God, the savior of humanity, the bane of lizard people, the Blond Grim Reaper, and the world''s greatest all-rounder. He couldn''t ept defeat in any aspect.

    "Bros, I''m beingpletely honest here." Wang Zikai waved the skewered beef de in his hand, lies flowing easily. "I''ve always been handsome. You know Capridio? They all call me his little brother. I''m the whole package. Of course, I''ve never been without femalepany."

    "Of course," Zhang Wei agreed.

    "Right!" Wang Zikai pounded his chest and smiled, making a gesture for eight.

    Gregor''s eyes widened, the chicken wing in his hand suddenly losing its appeal. "You''ve had eight girlfriends?"

    "Eight?" Wang Zikai snorted. "I''ve been getting girls since I was eight. I''ve lost count of how many girlfriends I''ve had!"

    "Holy!" Zhang Wei eximed.

    Gregor wasn''t convinced. "Then why are you single now?"

    "I don''t need them anymore!" Wang Zikai dered, his face a mask of sincerity. "How can I spend time chasing girls now? My focus is on the world, on the great problems concerning all humanity. Matters of the heart no longer concern me..."

    He smirked and bit into his de steak. "You won''t get it. I''m no longer in the same world or league as you are."

    Gregor blinked, unsure how to react.

    "I hear you!" Zhang Wei chimed in, not wanting to be outdone. "I lost interest in women, too. Let me tell you, I was famous as the prince of nightclubs! I didn''t even have to hit on women. They took me home."

    "Seriously?" Gregor''s eyes widened. Why didn''t that ever happen to him?

    "Absolutely!" Zhang Wei was on a roll. "And all those women who took me home were as pretty as Sister Ying, if not more!"

    He took a swig of his drink. "Now that doomsday ising, who''s got time for women? Am I right, Mr. Gregor?"

    "Yeah, yeah!" Gregor, never having had a normal rtionship with the opposite sex, couldn''t possibly back down now. "I''ve gained weight, but I used to be a young man with a fresh bod! I was just as popr with women as you guys. I''ve been with all types. Think about it. How could I writepelling stories without a rich love life?"

    "Oh?" Zhang Wei smirked. "But I heard many novelists are social recluses. They either imagine everything or look online..."

    "Well, not me!" Gregor puffed up. "I walk the walk and do as much as I''ve read. I burn my soul as I write!"

    "Awesome! Nicely said!" Zhang Wei ttered him. "As expected of a published author!"

    Gregor preened, getting ahead of himself. "I''ve had many rtionships when I was young. I''ll tell you about my first love. She was the most beautiful girl at school... no, in our town! We grew up together and fell for each other. Unfortunately, fate had a cruel n for her, just like many other beauties before her. She was diagnosed with leukemia. Since she didn''t want to be a hindrance to my future..."

    When all eyes turned to him, Gregor quickly backpedaled, "Forget it, forget it. I''ve seen the vast ocean and thus look at no water. I''ve gone to Mount Wu and thus consider no cloud clouds!"

    "Don''t stop now! Give us the details!" Zhang Wei pressed.

    "That''s a bad topic when battle looms. Let''s take a rain check. Later, I''ll have made up... made a nice table with alcohol, and I''ll tell you all about it." Gregor, worried about being exposed, quickly shifted attention. "How many have you had, Lying Wood?"

    Lying Wood, quietly eating shrimp, didn''t expect to be singled out. Bashfully, he adjusted his sses. "My life is nothing to write home aboutpared to your wealth of experience."

    "Come on, we''re just shooting the breeze. There''s no ranking here. Go on, we won''t mock you," Zhang Wei said.

    "That''s right!" Wang Zikai agreed, eagerly awaiting Lying Wood''s embarrassment.

    "All lives are equally meaningful. Don''t look down on yourself," Gregorforted him, sounding superior.

    "Well, if you insist." Lying Wood put down the shrimp tail and removed his disposable gloves, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He adjusted his posture and said, "I''ve had three rtionships."

    As soon as the words left his mouth, the smiles slipped from the faces of Wang Zikai, Zhang Wei, and Gregor.

 Chapter 856: Wind and Moon

    <h4>Chapter 856: Wind and Moon</h4>

    Lying Wood interpreted the three men''s silence as disappointment and, feeling embarrassed, said, "Forget it. I''ll stop here."

    "Don''t, don''t, don''t. Say it. You must tell your story!" Zhang Wei urged impassionedly.

    "Alright." Lying Wood smiled and began to reminisce.

    "My first rtionship was in high school. Back then, I was obsessed with an online game. I met a girl from my city while ying it. We had an online rtionship for a year. After graduating, we met in real life. Haha, I was young and naive then. Even holding hands made me blush and my heart skip a beat. I couldn''t sleep that night, I was so excited. Then she went abroad to a school in West Nation. I went to a local college. The rtionship ended just like that."

    Lying Wood took a sip of his orange juice. "The second rtionship started at a New Year''s Eve party in my junior year. A senior had her eyes on me. She was a pro at this. I was out of my league. Before I knew it, she had me drunk..."

    He felt a little shy. "That was my first time. To be honest, I remembered nothing when I woke up. I dated that senior for half a year. Then I found out that I was the only one in love. She considered me a substitute. There was a man she loved, and they were in an on-and-off rtionship. She sought me out to forget him."

    Lying Wood sighed. "But then the man returned to her. She told me the truth afterward. I was so heartbroken that I couldn''t move on for a long time after our breakup."

    "After that, I was hesitant to enter another rtionship. It wasn''t until after college, when my family pressured me, that I agreed to a blind date. She was two years younger than me. She loved kittens and puppies. Gentle and kind. We started as friends. After half a year, we began dating. We fit well together, and we were talking about marriage... but then I awakened."

    "I had no choice but to find an excuse to break up with her. She was hurt. She couldn''t believe I''d had a change of heart. She begged me to tell her the truth. How could I do that..."

    Lying Wood suddenly realized that the table had fallen silent. He looked up to find the three men gaping at him.

    "What''s wrong?" Lying Wood nervously smiled. "I told you my life was mundane. Don''t look at me like you pity me."

    Zhang Wei cursed in his mind, <i>Pity your ass! You''re the fucking winner in life!</i>

    Gregor clenched his teeth in jealousy.<i> The details are authentic. It''s clear that it''s all real, fucker!</i>

    Wang Zikai was in disbelief. <i>How did this nerd get three girlfriends? Is fate blind?</i>

    "Bro," Zhang Wei said nonchntly, raising a bottled pineapple beer. "It''s okay. I understand you. Here, drink. Drink it all away."

    "Yes, drink. Let''s not talk about the sad past." Gregor raised his ss of juice, his hand trembling slightly.

    "Drink, drink! Women will only slow our punches down!" Wang Zikai mmed the table vehemently.

    A gust of wind whooshed overhead. Heavenly Dog returned after scouting the enemies.

    Hended at the table with members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs. War Tiger, White Rabbit, Adept Horse, Mischievous Monkey, Quiet Book, Muzitu, and Yellow Lotus were all there.

    Heavenly Dog reported, "Uncle Tiger, I didn''t see any movement at the Qingyang Bridge. There''s no one from the Ocean River Union around."

    War Tiger nodded, amb skewer in hand. "What else?"

    Heavenly Dog thought for a moment. "It was quiet. No cars on the bridge."

    "The Ocean River Union must have blocked off the road beforehand to clear the battlefield," White Rabbit said, his voice tinged with anticipation.

    "So, the Union is going to ept the challenge?" Quiet Book said timidly. She had been hoping the Union would back down, allowing her to avoid reality a little longer.

    Yellow Lotus patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don''t be scared, Quiet. You won''t be on the frontline. You''ll be okay."

    Quiet Book nodded, then looked at Yellow Lotus worriedly. "But you..."

    "I''ll be fine, too. Everyone will be fine." Yellow Lotus winked confidently.

    Adept Horse spoke up, "Gotta say Brother Yang yed Qilin like a fiddle. He knew the man would ept the challenge."

    "Gao Yang used to work for Qilin. He knows the man inside out," Mischievous Monkey chuckled.

    "He''s touching the tiger''s butt every day. How can he not know the man?" White Rabbitughed, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

    "Working for such a leader is truly like serving a tiger, haha." Muzitu shook his folding fan leisurely.

    War Tiger lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He got to his feet, stretching his limbs before hollering, "Everyone! Good news! The Ocean River Union epts our challenge! Let''s have an epic fight tonight! And remember not to eat too much, or you''re gonna puke."

    Suddenly, the front yard fell silent. The air grew thick with tension, despite their preparations.

    "Fuck Qilin!" Wang Zikai was the first to respond. He stood up, lifting one foot onto the chair and raising a corn for emphasis.

    "God Kai is almighty!" Zhang Wei joined in and heckled. "Fuck Qilin!"

    "Don''t cower. Just do it!"

    "The just will triumph, the light does not fear shadow!"

    "Born in the dark, we chase the dawn!"

    "Cheers!"

    They all got to their feet, raising their drinks while chanting. The infectious heated mood overtook the group. Amid the hollers and shouts, Yellow Lotus looked around to find Zhong He gone. She nudged Muzitu. "Hey, Old Mu, where''s Old Zhong?"

    "Inside. Probably in the toilet," Muzitu answered with a knowing smile.

    "Coward! He''s still such a chicken after acquiring Phantom. Always running to the toilet when something serious is going on." Yellow Lotus made a face, but her eyes brimmed with soft feelings. "I''m gonna go grab him."

    She stood up and left. The others continued their rallying cries, voices rising into the night air. Only Fat Jun looked at her retreating back, a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind.

    Although the others didn''t know that Yellow Lotus had feelings for Zhong He, Fat Jun could tell. It was all in her eyes.

    Fat Jun had long been hesitating to confess to White Rabbit. With an inevitable battle looming, he finally mustered the courage. He didn¡¯t want to have lingering regret.

    "White Rabbit." Fat Jun schooled his usually jovial expression into one of seriousness. It was the first time he''d ever called her "White Rabbit" instead of "Sister Rabbit".

    "Yes?" White Rabbit tensed, sensing what wasing. The moment she''d dreaded had arrived.

    "I''ll borrow you for two minutes. I have something to tell you."

    White Rabbit gently swirled the drink in her ss for a few seconds. Then she took a deep breath, set the ss down, and stood up. "Alright. Let''s go."

    As White Rabbit and Fat Jun left the table, the others watched them go, each hit with a tangle ofplicated emotions.

    A chill wind swept through the forest, bringing winter''s bleakness to the mansion. Grill smoke drifted in a single direction, stinging eyes and blurring vision.

    Muzitu leisurely waved his fan and looked up at the moon, his narrowed eyes reflecting its soft light. Like an old poet, he delivered a verse, "Lovers are born with sentimental hearts, neither the wind nor the moon takes in their grief."

    "Another one is going to have their heart broken tonight." Mischievous Monkeyid down his chopsticks and shook his head slightly, a hint of empathy in his voice.

    "Sir Monkey, I didn''t expect you to know it so well!" Quiet Book eximed, surprise evident in her wide eyes.

    "Haha, we were all young once." Mischievous Monkey chuckled, a touch of nostalgia in his tone.

    War Tiger crossed his legs and flicked ash from his cigarette. He cursed disapprovingly, "That idiot. There''s so much he could be doing, but he has to set a g for himself right before a fight."

 Chapter 857: Consolation Prize

    <h4>Chapter 857: Constion Prize</h4>

    Study room, second floor of Spectres¡¯ Mansion.

    The study room, once Wang Zikai''s domain when the Nine Scions used the mansion as their base, now stood restored to its original state. They had cleared everything when they moved out, leaving no traces behind.

    Gray-blue moonlight poured through the circr skylight, creating a natural spotlight in the quiet room. Books lined the antique shelves in perfect order, a testament to knowledge preserved through time. The room''s solemn atmosphere had made it Fat Jun''s chosen spot for his confession.

    He wore a gray cardigan over a white shirt,fortably well-dressed but not too formal. His hair, now parted on the side and styled with volume, cleverly masked the tness at the back of his head. Weight loss had refined his features, making his face leaner and more defined. Most striking were his eyes: bright and sharp where they had once been dull.

    Fat Jun was no longer fat now. He was just bulky. While perhaps not conventionally handsome, this was his peak¡ªthe best version of himself he could achieve in this life.

    He had spent days preparing, running through dozens of drafts before a mirror until he settled on something simple, natural, and earnest under War Tiger¡¯s advice.

    In War Tiger¡¯s words, ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard and do anything dramatic. Then you¡¯ll at least die with dignity.¡±

    When they entered the study, White Rabbit closed the door with casual grace. "What is it?" she asked, her voice steady. For theing fight, she wore the same outfit from their first meeting¡ªbaseball cap and shirt, denim shorts, ck stockings, and running shoes. The baseball bat in her handpleted her delinquent image. She remained at the edge of the moonlight, yet her vibrant presence filled the room.

    "You must know, White Rabbit." Fat Jun met her gaze, fighting back his nerves. "I fell for you the moment we met. Getting to know you only confirmed that this wasn''t just about your looks¡ªI have real feelings for you. I''ve never felt this way about anyone else."

    He gathered his courage and said, "So, I''m asking you to be my girlfriend."

    White Rabbit lowered her head, hands behind her back, tapping her foot against the floor. "What do you even like about me, Adept Horse?" she asked coolly.

    Fat Jun paused, caught off guard by her question.

    He considered her question carefully. "Everything," he answered with sincerity. "Your good side and your bad side. Your cleverness and kindness. Your bad temper and directness. The way you''re sly and opportunistic, cold to outsiders but caring to your people." He smiled softly. "The novels you read, how you devour spicy rabbit heads, your nail polish, those worn-out sneakers you love. Even your curses... I like everything about you."

    White Rabbit looked up at Fat Jun, her eyes glistening. "You''ve always known that I''ve been using you, don''t you, Adept Horse?"

    "Haha, I''m slow, but not stupid," Fat Jun nodded.

    "Then you must know that there will never be anything between us, right?"

    "I know." Fat Jun''s voice was steady. "But you''re the first person I''ve ever had such feelings for. I have to give myself closure."

    "Okay." White Rabbit bowed formally. "I''m sorry, Adept Horse. You''re a good man. But I already have feelings for someone else. Let us be friends."

    "Okay," Fat Jun said easily, releasing a silent sigh of relief.

    Strange. He had always dreaded this moment, like being trapped in a sweet dream he knew would end. Lately, though, that dream had brought more worry than joy. <i>I should just wake up now,</i> he thought. <i>Let me lose this false happiness.</i>

    And now, awake, Fat Jun felt liberated. He could properly mourn his crush. He could share drinks with friends while reminiscing about youth and pounded his chest as he proudly dered, "I''ve loved a girl and done my best. I have no regrets."

    "Okay, we''ll be friends." Fat Jun smiled, extending his hand.

    White Rabbit didn''t take it.

    He awkwardly withdrew after two seconds, wiping his palm on his pants. "As expected of you, Sister Rabbit. You see through me and realize I''m asking for a constion prize."

    White Rabbit slowly shook her head, her expression serious. "Let''s hug, Adept Horse."

    "Huh?" Fat Jun froze. "What... what did you say?"

    She spread her arms wide. "Let''s hug, between friends."

    Fat Jun stared, hesitating. For a moment, he was again that overweight guy with low self-esteem, smiling awkwardly. "It''s fine, Sister Rabbit. You don''t have to take pity on me..."

    White Rabbit paused before her signature mischievous smile spread across her face, eyes crinkling. "Think carefully, Fat Jun. You only get one chance."

    "Let''s do it!" Fat Jun surrendered instantly to the temptation. "Here! Let''s hug! Between friends!"

    White Rabbit stood waiting, arms open, smile unchanged.

    "Then... I''m gonna hug you," Fat Jun said weakly. "You aren''t going to kick me away, are you?"

    White Rabbit rolled her eyes. "Three, two..."

    Fat Jun rushed forward, pulling her small frame into his arms. He held her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder, secretly breathing in the gentle fragrance of her hair.

    He would remember this moment, forever.

    White Rabbit froze. She had expected a shy, polite embrace¡ªnot this bold, heartfelt hug! Since she''d offered it herself, pushing him away now felt wrong. With aplicated mix of feelings, she slowly rxed, gently patting Fat Jun''s back.

    While Fat Jun hugged her with feelings, he didn¡¯t cross a line. After a few seconds, he carefully stepped back, his face settling into an honest smile. He scratched his cheek and said, "Thank you, Sister Rabbit. I, Han Yingjun, can now die happy¡ª"

    "Don''t say that!" White Rabbit cut him off.

    Her frown deepened, eyes shing with disgust. "Fat Jun, what were you thinking?"

    "Huh?" Fat Jun blinked, feeling an odd itch in his philtrum. His fingers came away bloody when he touched it.

    "No! Wait! Let me exin! I wasn''t thinking anything. I¡ª"

    His words cut short as his head slumped forward, body crumpling to the floor.

    "Adept Horse?" White Rabbit lunged to catch him. "Hey, you alright? Don''t scare me!"

    "I''m... alright..." Fat Jun''s voice was faint as a sacred voice echoed twice in his mind. His face flushed and chest heaving, he grinned through blood-stained teeth. "Sister Rabbit, I heard a voice. 15, Light..."

    White Rabbit jolted upright. "Oh my god! You got Light!"

    "Yeah... I think..." Fat Jun said, his voice weak but happy.

    "That''s great!"

    White Rabbit''s joy burst forth uncontained. She threw her arms around him again¡ªnot from pity this time, but genuine happiness for both a friend and the Twelve Zodiac Signs. With the great battle approaching, Fat Jun''s high-ranking Talent significantly improved their chances. She needed to tell War Tiger immediately and adjust their strategy.

    "Haha..." Fat Jun marveled at his luck¡ªexperiencing such once-in-a-lifetime joy twice in one night. If only he could have saved one of these hugs forter.

    <i>His vision cleared, eyes sharpening with determination and affection.</i>

    <i>Perfect. I can finally fight alongside everyone.</i>

    <i>Don''t worry, White Rabbit. As your friend, I''ll protect you until myst breath.</i>

    <i>Thank you, Officer Huang. You understood me best after all.</i>

 Chapter 858: Useful

    <h4>Chapter 858: Useful</h4>

    <i>Ssh</i>. The toilet on the first floor flushed. Zhong He emerged from the restroom momentster.

    His tall, slim frame was dded in a casual gray suit, hands stuffed in his pockets¡ªthe picture of arrogance and indifference. In reality, anxiety had kept him running back to the toilet all evening.

    This had been Zhong He''s pattern since childhood. Despite his intimidating height, he''d always been a scaredy-cat. One horror movie as a kid had him sleeping with the lights on for a month.

    Throughout school, hisbination of height, looks, good grades, and basketball skills had made him the popr one in his ss. That aura had protected him from exclusion.

    When bullies targeted weaker ssmates, he never found the courage to intervene. He hated the bullies but feared more that standing up would make him their next target. So he affected indifference, and over time, that mask became his armor.

    Then came his awakening¡ªKeen Hearing, a bottom-tier Talent thatnded him among the weak. Yet even then, facing those with real power, he clung to his fa?ade of careless bravado, desperately protecting what little dignity remained.

    Yellow Lotus had seen through it all. She knew him for what he was: a coward who feared death.

    Surviving the Crimson Tide had granted him Phantom. Initially, the power went to his head¡ªfinally, he thought, he could hold his head high. But witnessing true strength had crushed that delusion, leaving him to realize he was still all looks and no substance, unable to stand against the bullies.

    Sometimes Zhong He wished he''d chosen to remain unaffiliated, safely on the sidelines of theing conflict. Instead, for the first time in his life, he''d led his "weak ssmates" to join the side of justice. Now that choice forced him to face terrible "bullies" tonight.

    <i>Can I win?</i>

    <i>Will I live?</i>

    <i>Even if the answer is no, will I get to die with dignity?</i>

    These questions haunted him as he realized, with a bitter smile, that he hadn''t changed at all. Still a coward, still running to the toilet at the first hint of danger.

    He drew several deep breaths, steadying himself to join the others at the barbecue. But as he passed a room, quiet sobs reached his ears¡ªlike a heartbroken spirit''s whispers.

    The door stood open. The room was empty.

    "Who is it?!" Zhong He''s body tensed as Phantom armor materialized from head to toe.

    "Don''t kill me... it''s... it''s me..." Hong Xiaoxiao''s voice wavered in the air, panicked and small.

    Two secondster, she materialized on the bed, shoeless with her legs tucked in. Her eyes were red and swollen, tears streaking her face as she clutched a small red item.

    Zhong He dismissed his armor, embarrassment recing fear.

    After a moment''s hesitation, he stepped into the room and closed the door quietly. "What are you doing here, Hong Xiaoxiao?"

    Flustered, Hong Xiaoxiao shifted to the bed''s edge, slipping her shoes back on. "I... I was talking to Can."

    Aplicated expression crossed Zhong He''s face as concern for her mental state grew. "You know that Can''s no longer around, right, Hong Xiaoxiao?"

    "I know." Hong Xiaoxiao nodded, sniffling. "I''m not out of my mind. It''s just that, it''s just that..."

    "I get it." Zhong He''s sigh held relief as he sat on the bed, maintaining a respectful distance. "When my mom was still alive, she often talked to my dad with a photo album in her hand, too."

    Hong Xiaoxiao bowed her head, fingers tightening around the red hairpin.

    She had always encouraged Can to grow out her hair, and when Can started using hairpins to tame her unruly fringe, Hong Xiaoxiao gave Can her favorite hairpin.

    Can had forgotten it when she left for the Ni Nation mission. Hong Xiaoxiao imed it while collecting Can''s belongings, keeping it as a memento.

    These past few days, she''d found herself talking to the hairpin whenever she missed Can, as if she was chatting with her friend. She turned invisible during these moments, believing Can to exist in another world, only living in a different form, and that Invisibility somehow serve as a medium to let them sense each other across that divide.

    Knowing how close they''d been, Zhong He struggled to find the right words. "Don''t worry. Can will be watching over you. You''ll survive tonight."

    Hong Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I''ve always wondered if it would be better if I died. Then my Talent could pass to someone who''d use it better. I''m only a dead weight now..."

    "Hong Xiaoxiao!" Zhong He''s voice cracked like a whip. "What counts as useful?"

    "Huh?" Hong Xiaoxiao''s head snapped up.

    "I''m asking you! What makes a person useful? What makes a person useless?" His words carried an unexpected intensity.

    "I''m sorry. I, I..." Hong Xiaoxiao recoiled. She didn¡¯t know what she had said wrong.

    Zhong He softened his tone. "When I only had Keen Hearing, I never thought I was useless. Now that I have Phantom, I still don''t think I''m useful."

    Hong Xiaoxiao fell silent, head bowed.

    "I believe everyone''s unique. There''s no merit inbeling someone as useful or useless," Zhong He continued, voice earnest. "Hong Xiaoxiao, what do you think Can would feel if she could hear you say all that?"

    Hong Xiaoxiao''s eyes welled up fresh with tears.

    "I heard about Can." Zhong He held her gaze steadily. "I know you must think Can shouldn''t have died like that."

    Hong Xiaoxiao''s fists clenched tight.

    "But it was Can''s choice. She chose to give the hairpin to Ke Yo and sweep Gao Yang away with her wind. While she wasn''t powerful, she had always been the one to decide her own fate. She was her own person."

    Zhong He rubbed his nose nervously. "I''m never good at talking, so I may not be exining myself well. Just remember, you''re your own person, too. You own yourself."

    "Can must have given you Invisibility because she wanted to tell you that. Do right by her. And do right by yourself."

    Fresh tears traced down Hong Xiaoxiao''s cheeks as she finally met his eyes. "Thank you, I feel... better now," she managed through a tight throat.

    "Don''t mention it," Zhong He smirked. "I''ll consider us even."

    "Huh?" Hong Xiaoxiao blinked in confusion.

 Chapter 859: Both Ways

    <h4>Chapter 859: Both Ways</h4>

    "That time with Officer Huang, I would''ve still been living with guilt if not for you," Zhong He said.

    The memory clicked into ce, and Hong Xiaoxiao''s eyes widened. She hadn''t expected him to carry that moment to this day.

    Zhong He smiled bitterly. ¡°Although he turned bad in the end, it didn''t concern me. At least back in that hospital, he was just a good man trying to protect his wife and kid. Yet I made a mistake and got his whole family killed."

    He gave Hong Xiaoxiao a grateful look. ¡°Thank god you showed up and saved his family. Saved me too. Like...a ray of light.¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hand in denial. ¡°You¡¯re going overboard.¡±

    His eyes found hers, filled with gratitude. "Thank god you showed up and saved his family. Saved me too. Like... a ray of light."

    "No, no." Hong Xiaoxiao''s hands fluttered in protest. "You''re going overboard."

    "It''s really not." Zhong He''s grateful gaze softened. "I remember how you looked then. You were dressed in an ill-fitted professional suit with a brown messenger bag. Your hair was shorter then, and you had a childish hairpin on the left side of your fringe. You pursed your lips and put on a fake smile of enthusiasm. You couldn''t really meet anyone''s eyes..."

    Can''s voice suddenly echoed in Hong Xiaoxiao''s mind: <i>"Little Hong, do you understand? Captain''s like a ray of light in the dark. He lights me up. For the first time, I felt like I could die without fear."</i>

    A ringing filled her head as she stared at the handsome, kind young man with monolid eyes. In that moment, all her sorrow, hesitance, and anxiety melted away like frost under warm sunlight.

    "Hong Xiaoxiao." Zhong He waved his hand before her eyes. "Are you listening?"

    "Huh? Yeah, yeah..." Hong Xiaoxiao snapped back to reality, quickly averting her gaze. "Was it obvious that I was faking a smile?" she asked, voice small.

    "It was more than obvious," Zhong He''s tone turned yful. "You could''ve just written ''I''m working so hard to put on a smile please buy my stuff'' on your face¡¯, and it wouldn''t have been more obvious."

    "Pfft..." Laughter bubbled up from Hong Xiaoxiao''s chest.

    "I like this smile better. It''s cuter."

    Heat rushed to Hong Xiaoxiao''s ears, her mind going nk.

    <i>Wait, what''s this?</i>

    <i>Is that flirting? Is he flirting with me?</i>

    <i>It''s... it''s so sudden! I''m not prepared for it!</i>

    "I... I mean, I..." she stammered.

    BAM! The door flew open as Yellow Lotus burst in, the very picture of a deadly seductress on a mission. "Old Zhong! I know you have a dder problem, but why are you having it in Hong Xiaoxiao''s room?"

    "First, I don''t have a dder problem." Zhong He rose smoothly, sliding one hand into his pocket as his familiar haughty expression settled back into ce. "Second, this isn''t Hong Xiaoxiao''s room. We happened to run into each other and chat a little."

    "Fine, fine. Why are you exining yourself to me?" Yellow Lotus dismissed him with a wave. "War Tiger''s looking for you. Go."

    "Alright." Zhong He strode out without another word.

    "You should eat, too, Little Hong." Yellow Lotus leaned against the door frame, eyeing Hong Xiaoxiao on the bed. "Don''t just stay holed up here."

    "Yeah, okay."

    Hong Xiaoxiao exhaled in relief as she stood, walking toward the door with a carefully maintained posture. Just as she reached it, Yellow Lotus mmed it shut and pinned her against the wall, hands nted on either side of her head as she leaned in close.

    They formed a tableau: a sleek, dangerous leopard cornering a trembling fawn.

    Yellow Lotus''s eyes narrowed to predatory slits, her face hovering so close their noses nearly touched. "Don''t think about it, Little Hong. That man is mine."

    The color drained from Hong Xiaoxiao''s face. Her tongue tripped over itself as she stammered, "You misunderstood, Sister Lotus! I, I, I have nothing to do with Zhong He hmmmm...hmph!"

    Yellow Lotus''s fingers caught her chin, forcing their eyes to meet.

    "I''m not unreasonable. If you''re willing to grovel and be the side piece, I''ll allow it." A wicked smirk crossed her lips. "Actually, you''re quite cute. I can swing both ways."

    Hong Xiaoxiao froze, heat flooding her face as her hair stood on end. Her whole body burned, caught between terror and mortification.

    "Ahaha."

    Yellow Lotus released her, patting her shoulder. "Just a joke, sis. No need to be this scared."

    She yanked the door open and strode out, her long hair snapping like a whip behind her.

    Hong Xiaoxiao''s heart thundered in her chest. Her knees gave, and she slid down the wall, feeling like she''d narrowly escaped death.

    These past three minutes had been the most intense emotional rollercoaster of her life, careening between extremes so rapidly her brain short-circuited like an overclocked CPU.

    She curled into the corner, hands covering her burning face. "Holy..."

    ...

    Moonlight filtered through the forest behind the mansion, casting acework of shadows across the ground. Chen Ying sat cross-legged before a grave marked by a simple kite. Though she appeared to be resting with closed eyes, her Sensory swept the three-kilometer radius continuously. At any sign of suspicious movement, she''d alert the others by radio. With the great fight approaching, vignce became ever more crucial.

    All seemed peaceful for now. The only movement she''d detected five minutes ago had been Heavenly Dog¡ªno one else could maintain that precise speed through the sky.

    Chen Ying''s eyes snapped open as she sensed a new presence. She remained calm, recognizing the approach.

    "It''s me," Gao Yang said as he drew near.

    "I know," Chen Ying replied. "Did you use a Talent twice in the mansion?"

    "Are you able to detect things so finely with Sensory now?"

    "In a short distance, yes."

    Gao Yang nodded. "Heavenly Dog''s back. The Ocean River Union has cleared up the battlefield. They''re likely going to respond to the challenge. You don''t have to stay on guard here. Go back and eat something with the others."

    "I''m not hungry." Chen Ying''s gaze remained fixed on the grave. "Before setting out, I want to stay with Little Tian a little longer."

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    Then, her voice barely above a whisper, Chen Ying asked, "Gao Yang, do you remember suddenly calling me to have beef offal noodles after you returned from Ni Nation?"

 Chapter 860: I Promise

    <h4>Chapter 860: I Promise</h4>

    "I remember," Gao Yang said quietly.

    "Later, I took Little Tian there again, the night we decided to ''defect'' to you." A smile touched Chen Ying''s lips without her noticing. "Little Tian loved it."

    Gao Yang stood silent, listening.

    "So I asked the owner to teach me how to make the beef offal noodles. I wanted to make it for Little Tianter."

    Her voice softened with the memory. "The owner said it wasn''t difficult. He could teach me. But I wouldn''t be able to replicate the taste. I felt underestimated. I said I would follow the recipe exactly. I would seed."

    "The owner told me that it wasn''t a taste that could be replicated with the right recipe. The taste came from long years condensed into one dish. It''s mysterious and cannot be exined. It''s like a mom''s cooking. She cooks every day every meal, and that''s how the cooking tastes how it tastes. If you just cook every once in a while, the dish will still taste different even with the same recipe. The secret recipes of many old restaurants with over a century of history aren''t about the method and skills alone, but also the umted time..."

    "Then the owner started talking about life to me. He said that I looked like a sessful career woman with little time to spend with my kid. I couldn''t possibly cook beef offal noodles every day. If I wanted to have it, just took my kid to eat at his stand. Besides, would a child really like such a dish? What he liked was me having it with him."

    The smile faded from Chen Ying''s face. The silence stretched before she found her voice again. "When Little Tian passed away, I regretted so much. I regretted not taking him to the Di City Amusement Park, to fly a kite, to eat beef offal noodles... None of that mattered to Little Tian. He only wished for me to spend more time with him, to talk to him more. But I was always busy and I always left him on his own..."

    "How did I not understand such a simple thing?" Tears traced silent paths down her cheeks, but her voice remained steady. She had learned White Rabbit''s lesson¡ªto ept what couldn''t be changed.

    Gao Yang settled beside her on the ground. "I have two tasks for you, Chen Ying."

    Without wiping her tears, Chen Ying turned to face him. "Go on."

    Gao Yang withdrew a novel from his coat''s inner pocket. "First, use Psychometry on this book before the fight for me. If you get any clue, tell War Tiger and Nine Frost."

    "Okay." Chen Ying epted the book without question.

    "Second, whether it''s during tonight''s fight or the subsequent battles, don''t think about fighting to your death all the time. No matter what danger you face, do not give up until thest second."

    His eyes held hers intently. "You owe your life to Little Tian. Don''t make his effort go to waste. Don''t break his heart."

    Chen Ying''s fingers tightened on the book as she lowered her head.

    After a long moment, she looked up, meeting Gao Yang''s gaze squarely. "Okay."

    Footsteps approached from behind them. Gao Yang and Chen Ying stood up to find Nine Frost and Qing Ling.

    "Captain, we''re setting out," Nine Frost said.

    Gao Yang nodded. "Yeah, I''ll leave it to you and War Tiger."

    "Is there anything you''d like to say to everyone? I can ry the message for you."

    "None," Gao Yang replied with casual certainty.

    Nine Frost''s lips curved into a smile after a moment. He offered a wave before turning away. Chen Ying hurried after him, clutching the book.

    Qing Ling remained motionless, her dark eyes fixed on Gao Yang.

    His impassive expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Something on your mind?"

    "You knew what it was," Qing Ling''s voice was t.

    "You must go with War Tiger tonight, Qing Ling."

    "Think carefully."

    "I already did." Gao Yang''s nod was firm. "They need you more."

    Qing Ling epted this without further argument. "Don''t die, or Little Qing Ling will be sad."

    "I won''t. I promise."

    "Your promise is bullshit." Qing Ling''s pause carried weight before she added icily, "She said that."

    Surprise flickered across Gao Yang''s face, followed by a resigned smile. His gaze, however, remained determined. "Tell Little Qing Ling not to worry. I''lle back alive."

    After two silent beats, he added, "You too."

    Qing Ling turned sharply and walked away without looking back. Only as she reached the forest''s edge did she raise her hand, forming an OK sign behind her back in silent acknowledgment.

    ...

    Qingying Bridge, Li City, 11:55.

    The night before Lunar New Year''s Eve waned, yet the city pulsed with mounting celebration. Li City sparkled, windows zing with light, neon signs painting the darkness, streams of cars flowing like luminous rivers through the streets. Music andughter rose from every quarter, while fireworks bloomed against the night sky like stars.

    The Li River, cutting through the heart of the city, reflected this brilliance like a ribbon of liquid gold¡ªexcept for one dark segment that cleaved the light in two.

    The Qingyang Bridge, connecting Shanqing District to Feiyang District, stood ck and silent. Traffic barriers blocked all ess, while "emergency construction" had plunged even the approaching riverbanks and streets into darkness. Residents turned away in confusion, while diverted drivers voiced their frustrations into the night.

    The bridge hung suspended in shadow, like a necrotic vessel in the city''s vibrant circtory system.

    As midnight approached, a cluster of vehicles materialized in the bridge''s western half. Their upants emerged silently, forming neat lines in the darkness.

    Two figuresmanded the front of the formation.

    The man stood tall with a ck Gold cane, his brown coat cutting a severe line in the darkness. Though his features held a deceptive softness, his deep green eyes gleamed like frozenkes under the moon. Brown curls, meticulouslybed back, framed a face that radiated authority¡ªnot asking for respect, but expecting it as given.

    Beside him, the woman satposed in her wheelchair, wrapped in a simple gray wool coat and brown scarf. Her elegant updo and tortoiseshell sses spoke of refinement, while the gentle creases at her eyes and the slight looseness of her skin betrayed her age. Yet time had been kind¡ªher eyes remained sharp and bright, her bearing graceful despite the years'' passage.

    Behind Qilin and Surnamed Li stood Colorless, One Stone, Wandering Tune, and Amon. Beyond them stretched the full ranks of the Ocean River Union.

    It seemed that even Xiao Xin had been brought forth in hisa¡ªnot by choice, but manipted by Qilin''s Puppeteer. His face was sickly, vacant eyes flickering with dim green light. On his neck was a green web-shaped brand that could be vaguely made out.

    The Ocean River Union hadmitted everything. No power held in reserve, no cards left unyed.

    <i>Ring¡ªring¡ªring¡ª</i>

    Midnight arrived with the year''s first bells, their invisible ripples washing over the assembled crowd. Wind whipped across the bridge, stirring everyone¡¯s clothes and hair. They each had a different expression on their face. Some hoped for the enemies to show up soon, others wished that the enemies would nevere; some had already picked their opponents, others were looking around for the most optimal escape routes.

    The twelfth bell rang. A light bloomed at the bridge''s eastern end.

    From above, one would see it spread like a drop of molten gold, racing along the darkened bridge¡ªlike life flowing through a necrotic vessel, rushing toward the blockage at its heart.

 Chapter 861: The Battle Begins

    <h4>Chapter 861: The Battle Begins</h4>

    ¡°Guildmaster! Here they are!¡± Rewind''s voice cut through the crowd, her orange megaphone gleaming in her grip¡ªthe petite blue-haired girl dressed like a pretty, youthful cheerleader. A few days ago, she acquired her second Talent, irvoyance.

    "Continue," Qilinmanded, voice steady.

    Rewind''s eyes flickered with ethereal blue light. "They''re on a bus. War Tiger''s driving. I see Gao Yang, Green Snake, and..." Her voice wavered as fear crept in at the sight of her greatest nightmare: The Blond Grim Reaper.

    "Wang Zikai."

    Sister Ling''s hand found her shoulder, steadying her. Rewind drew a breath. "And Nainai, Heavenly Dog, Mischievous Monkey, Dead Pig, White Rabbit, and Zhong He."

    "Only eight?" Disbelief colored Amon''s voice. Even though she was reluctant to fight, she felt the insult.

    Crimson Bee''s eyes narrowed. "The others must be hidden nearby."

    "Rewind, sweep the area," Colorless ordered.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    Rewind''s gaze shifted from the approaching bus, scanning the bridge''s far end, the riverbanks, the roads, and surrounding blocks. But without a specific focus, the search yielded little.

    "Dragon isn''t here." Surnamed Li''s words carried weight despite her soft tone. She was addressing Qilin, of course.

    Qilin nodded, his suspicion confirmed. Dragon remained dormant.

    Still, he warned, "We can''t let our guard down."

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Surnamed Li could see into the next ten seconds. Even if Dragon was awake and had been hiding somewhere to use Overlord on them, she would have enough time to warn Qilin to foil the attack.

    The bus rolled onto the bridge, War Tiger at the wheel. Cautiously, he stopped a hundred meters out, and eight figures emerged into the night.

    Gao Yang took point, his ck trenchcoat whipping in the wind, dark eyes unreadable beneath his tied-back hair.

    War Tiger slouched forward, toothpick between his lips as he hefted the Green Dog Demon de with deceptive casualness.

    Theirpanions spread out behind them, weapons ready, faces set with grim determination.

    The two groups confronted each other silently at the center of the bridge. Night wind continued to whisper. Killing intent curdled slowly in the air. Everyone was breathing a little heavily.

    War Tiger grinned and strode forward, shouting, ¡°Qilin, Surnamed Li, tonight will be your death...¡±

    <i>Boom! </i>Golden energy erupted from the river below, a ten-meter column of pure power surging skyward like the Monkey King''s legendary cudgel. It punched through the bridge''s center with surgical precision, engulfing the eight figures and their bus in blinding light.

    Golden ripples raced along river and bridge, twin rings of radiance filled the space between heaven and earth.

    Outside of Qilin and Surnamed Li, the Ocean River Union members froze in shock. They had anticipated Qilin''s hidden ace, but not such ruthless efficiency. This was war¡ªno theatrical derations or dramatic introductions like in a <i>shonen </i>manga.

    A web-shaped brand materialized in Qilin''s left eye, pulsing with green light.

    He had already branded Azure Dragon''s corpse with a level 7 Puppeteer mark and concealed it beneath the river''s surface. The moment War Tiger''s group arrived by bus, Qilin had silentlymanded his puppet through their mental link, directing Azure Dragon to unleash a five-second charge for a Serious Punch.

    Level 7 Puppeteer granted him control within a thousand-meter radius. The number of puppets he could control would depend on the strength of the puppets. With regr humans or wanderers, Qilin could in theory control more than a thousand puppets provided he used enchanted ck Gold essories as mediums.

    With a powerful puppet like Azure Dragon, Qilin could at most control four, and the duration would depend on the condition of the puppets. The use time ranged from 3 to 15 minutes, to the dot.

    As soon as Qilin activated Puppeteer and manipted them to move, the duration would be eaten away even when the puppets weren¡¯t attacking.

    That was to say that Qilin could exhaust the total use time of a puppet at once, or he could use the puppet a few dozen seconds at a time or even a few seconds at a time to maximize its value.

    In theory, a puppet would be as powerful as they were when they were alive, but the one manipting them must be fully focused to achieve the effect. If the Talent user was doing multiple things at once, the puppet would be weaker.

    Moreover, whether it be a living person or a corpse puppet, they would lose their use if their vitals were over 50% damaged or if the puppet brand on them were seriously damaged.

    A ten-meter crater gaped in the bridge a hundred meters away. No bodies remained.

    Colorless''s frown deepened. It couldn''t be this simple.

    Disregarding all else, Gao Yang had Absolute Defense. Even if he had failed to conjure an Absolute Barrier because he was caught off guard by Puppet Azure Dragon, he shouldn¡¯t have been wiped out entirely provided his overall physical defense, only hurt by the Serious Punch¡¯s energy shockwaves.

    Unless...this Gao Yang was a double.

    No, it was possible that the Gao Yang was a fake.

    <i>Right, substitutes! They are all substitutes made by Quiet Book, just like what happened at the Millennium Tower. The ones killed then were all substitutes as well.</i>

    Colorless quickly concluded. She was about to give a warning when Surnamed Li spoke up first.

    "Above, Heavenly Dog," she announced, eyes closed.

    The group''s collective gaze shot upward, finding nothing but empty air. Colorless''s breath caught¡ªHeavenly Dog must have acquired Invisibility, or there was an ally who could grant it.

    "Wandering Tune," Qilinmanded sharply.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Wandering Tune immediately understood what he must do after all the rehearsal of tactics he had done.

    Above them, invisible and carrying Hong Xiaxiao, Heavenly Dog extended his hands as power gathered around them.

    ¡ªSpatial Shards!

    A hum filled the air as space itself froze around thirty-plus people on the bridge, transforming the area into a prismatic cage. The prison held for one heartbeat before shattering into countless fragments, taking its captives with it.

    Sweat trickled down Heavenly Dog''s face as his chest heaved. War Tiger''s lessons echoed in his mind: Nothing was more foolish than testing an enemy''s defenses with half-measures. A killing blow at the first opening¡ªthat was true respect for an opponent.

    Victory seemed certain. Until searing pain erupted through his back, followed by a desperate cry:

    "Wake up!"

 Chapter 862: Insects

    <h4>Chapter 862: Insects</h4>

    The fog in Heavenly Dog''s mind shattered as painnced through his back. His eyes snapped wide¡ªQilin''s illusion. Hong Xiaoxiao, still clinging to his back, had driven her de between his shoulders without hesitation to break the spell.

    <i>How did Qilin cast Eidos from such distance? </i>Heavenly Dog wondered once broken out of the illusion.

    A secondter, he realized that twenty meters from him was a small blue portal the size of a ser ball, and the other end of the portal was right before Qilin.

    It turned out that Wandering Tune had created a small portal to instantly shorten the distance between Qilin and Heavenly Dog.

    However, Heavenly Dog and Hong Xiaoxiao were invisible, and Qilin couldn¡¯t use a deep illusion and psychic attack by meeting Heavenly Dog¡¯s eyes¡ªand Eidos¡¯ power waspromised while Qilin controlled a puppet. Thus, Qilin chose to use a weaker illusion that did no damage but had a wide area of effect.

    Heavenly Dog had been focusing on using Spatial Shard and thus didn¡¯t notice the small portal in the air in time. Hong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had been looking out for any threat and thus noticed it immediately and closed her eyes. Therefore, she avoided the illusion.

    Although her eyes were closed, she could tell from Heavenly Dog staying unmoving that he had gotten hit by an illusion. Having been prepared for it, she drew the ck Gold dagger she had on her and stabbed him in the back.

    Now awake, Heavenly Dog fought through the pain and retreated swiftly to distance themselves from the portal.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. Almost simultaneously, a gleaming ck Gold triangr de shot through the portal toward Heavenly Dog.

    It shed, and from it emerged a girl dressed in assassin''s ck¡ªHarvest Song!

    Beyond her Master of Hidden Weapons, she had recently acquired Mirror Man. The sequence had been precise: the moment Wandering Tune conjured the portal, Qilinunched his illusion attack through it to thwart Heavenly Dog''s surprise attack. Meanwhile, Harvest Song had predicted their general location and thrown her triangr de, transforming into light to merge with it. This allowed her to close in rapidly on Heavenly Dog and Hong Xiaoxiao.

    The awakener with Killing Expert lite maintained perfect rity inbat.

    Harvest Song tucked her arms and legs together, resembling a ck petal about to bloom in midair. A secondter, she unfurled,unching countless hidden weapons toward Heavenly Dog and Hong Xiaoxiao''s position. Even invisible, they couldn''t escape unscathed from an attack with such wide coverage.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i> Half a secondter, the hidden weapons struck something and fell one after another. Harvest Song startled, quickly realizing an almost imperceptible wind barrier had materialized before her¡ªNainai''s doing!

    After acquiring Gale, Nainai had rapidly advanced it to level 4 using the Element Rune Circuit, before the Talent leaped to level 7.

    Now she could ride the wind, almost rivaling Heavenly Dog''s speed in the air.

    War Tiger hadn¡¯t had her go with Hong Xiaoxiao and Heavenly Dog, though, but instead ordered her to shrink into pinky size and keep a safe distance to serve as backup so that she wouldn¡¯t get taken out by the enemies at the same time.

    At a hundred meters above ground in the night sky, her diminutive form might as well have been invisible. But to generate a wind barrier strong enough to deflect those hidden weapons, Nainai had no choice but to return to her original size, revealing her presence.

    This limitation stemmed from Scale''s core mechanism.

    When Nainai shrank, her Talents'' effects diminished proportionally. The inverse was also true - atrger sizes, her powers became devastating. However, wielding such amplified power risked fatal energy drain. She''d experienced this at the Starcatching Pavilion, where after growing gigantic, her attempt to teleport away with herpanions seeded barely with a shortened distance. Pushing any further would have killed her through energy exhaustion.

    ¡°Prison of Air des!¡±

    Nainai syed her fingers before clenching them tight. Hundreds of air des materialized around Harvest Song, converging to form an inescapable prison.

    <i>Swoosh</i>. A massive ck Gold boomerang tore through the air with unstoppable momentum, shattering multiple air des before losing speed.

    Harvest Song seized her chance. With a sh, she merged into the boomerang''s reflective surface using Mirror Man.

    A secondter, the remaining air des struck the boomerang but failed to leave a mark.

    <i>Clink</i>. Responding to its owner''s call, the boomerang spun rapidly, dispersing the ineffective air des before returning to Amon at the bridge''s center.

    Harvest Song emerged from the boomerang with a thin line of blood on her fierce, delicate cheek.

    "Are you hurt?!" One Stone rushed forward in her white coat, medical kit in hand.

    "I''m fine," Harvest Song replied.

    "Give me your hand." One Stone grabbed her hand, injecting energy. This would optimize Harvest Song''s physical condition for eight minutes, following a three-minute dy. It came from Condition, One Stone''s third acquired Talent, which she''d already used on the Union''s ranged attackers before battle.

    Those ranged attackers had been far from idle. Old Seven, Lin Fu, and Small Luo unleashed a barrage at the now-exposed Nainai.

    Air bullets, explosive talismans, and energy shots filled the sky. Enhanced by Musashi''s Shooter Domain, their power was terrifying. Brilliant explosions lit up the space above the bridge in constant session.

    "Go, go, go! You can hit her!"

    "You''re all the best!"

    "The Ocean River Union will have andslide victory!"

    Rewind''s youthful voice carried across the bridge through her megaphone as she used Suggestion to boost morale.

    Caught in the projectile storm, Nainai and her invisiblepanions seemed to have nowhere to escape. But at level 7, her Gale had evolved far beyond the limited version she''d used when bombing the Union''s base.

    "Haughty Wind!"

    Nainai stretched out her arms, her skirt and hair whipping in the rising wind. Wind elements swirled around her, coalescing instantly into a medium-scale tornado that enveloped her and herpanions.

    Though the iing barrage was overwhelming, each projectile exploded harmlessly against the tornado''s outer rim before being swept into its rotation, bing part of the maelstrom.

    The tornado transformed as tremendous golden energy and explosions merged with its light blue currents, creating a zing golden vortex that illuminated the night sky and churned the river below. From within their wind barrier, Heavenly Dog and Hong Xiaoxiao watched transfixed as the deadly light show yed across their faces.

    [Nine Frost: Don''t overstay. Retreat.]

    A gentle breeze carried the deputymander''s order into Nainai''s mind.

    [Nainai: Hmph, insects! I''ll spare you this time!]

    Despite her bravado, Nainai moved immediately. She''d been eager to withdraw - her spectacr disy, while impressive, consumed too much energy to maintain.

    "Empress'' Wall of Lamentation!"

    Shouting a name she''d invented on the spot, Nainai recalled the wind elements, dissolving the tornado and reforming them into a temporary barrier against the enemies'' concentrated fire.

    "Come on!" Hong Xiaoxiao reactivated Invisibility while Heavenly Dog flew toward Nainai.

    "Whoa!"

    Nainai''s waist twisted as an invisible arm wrapped around her, and she vanished from view.

    At that moment, Surnamed Li frowned, her closed eyes sensing a new threat approaching in ten seconds. "Left side of the bridge, Raven Shark!"

    Everyone turned left, those near the edge peering down at the calm river surface. No threat was visible.

    Qilin remained motionless, one hand steady on his cane, as unmovable as Mount Tai.

    Two seconds passed. His eyes shifted to deep green as a light green web pattern slowly materialized.

 Chapter 863: Attention, All!

    <h4>Chapter 863: Attention, All!</h4>

    <i>Gurgle</i>. Tens of meters below the bridge, gentle bubbles disturbed the river''s surface. In the darkness, with the blinding crossfire overhead, no one noticed the disturbance.

    The bubbles multiplied rapidly until the water seemed to boil, catching the colors of the aerial firefight.

    "I see it!" After five seconds, Rewind spotted the danger first. The others followed her gaze, readying themselves forbat.

    <i>Whoo...</i>

    An ancient, sorrowful cry rippled through the water with prating force. Then a deep blue whale, ferry-sized, burst from the river¡ªnot a true whale, but a fusion of countless marine creatures, seaweed, and river water, all bound together by strands of energy.

    Its massive body twisted as it opened its enormous maw, its tail generating massive waves. In an elegant yet terrifying arc, itunched toward the Ocean River Union''s assembly of members.

    Raven Shark had unleashed his full power. His desire to kill Qilin burned hottest¡ªhe believed Elder Vermilion Bird would awaken with Qilin''s death.

    Driven by this conviction to save Vermilion Bird, Raven Shark''s Sea King had reached level 7.

    "You''re great, little guy!"

    "You''re the star of this river!"

    Sister Ling''s earnest praise cut through the air, amplified by Rewind''s megaphone. While attempting to expose Raven Shark''s weaknesses with Praise, Sister Ling extended her arms, channeling level 3 Frost.

    The endless river water beneath them created perfect conditions for Frost. Her power could reach new heights here.

    Dozens of ice cones erupted from the river like sprouting bamboo, targeting the airborne whale. Yet even with this advantage, level 3 Frost proved inadequate against level 7 Sea King, which was also in its natural domain.

    The ice cones struck the enormous blue whale but failed to prate, shattering into countless shards. They couldn''t even slow the behemoth''s descent toward the bridge.

    The whale-construct plummeted, threatening to crush the bridge''s upants like a tsunami. Those with weaker constitutions would be obliterated.

    <i>Thud</i>. A golden streak shot from the river like a cannonball, piercing the deep blue whale.

    Puppet Azure Dragon moved again.

    This time, Qilin focused most of his attention on the puppet, enabling it to fight at ny percent capacity, just shy of the full power he could achieve through direct possession.

    The puppet tore through the whale''s gills and soared skyward. Those with keen vision caught a clear glimpse¡ªAzure Dragon wrapped in special ck bandages like a mummy, only his empty eyes visible, gleaming with eerie green light. Gone was the loyal, righteous, serious Elder Azure Dragon, reced by a hell-born fiend thirsting for blood.

    Qilin hadn¡¯t made the puppet so as to terrify others, of course. He had two reasons.

    First, to maximize protection¡ªa Puppeteer-controlled corpse, unlike a living being, couldn''t heal or use medicine. It was far more fragile than a living person.

    Second, to conceal the energy brand from enemies, preventing them from targeting this crucial weak point.

    As Puppet Azure Dragon burst through the whale, he seized his target¡ªRaven Shark, hidden within the construct. Qilin had known the boy needed to embed Sea King''s energy strands to create something so massive, and directed his puppet ordingly.

    The puppet aimed to snap Raven Shark''s neck, but the boy''s quick defensive motion meant Azure Dragon caught his arm instead, dragging him from the whale''s body.

    The puppet crushed Raven Shark''s right hand effortlessly.

    Raven Shark cried out in pain, his focus crumbling in an instant, and the giant whale exploded into a downpour of marine animals, seaweed, and shells.

    One Stone and Rain River opened two long ck umbres at the same time to shield QIlin and Surnamed Li.

    The others, on the other hand, were drenched. The fish, shrimp, crabs, and shells hit the ground and bounced, struggling onnd. The picture painted was absurd and strange.

    <i>Crimson Bee, </i>soaked through, peeled seaweed from his head and tore a crab from his chest, silently cursing<i>, Fucking what the hell!</i>

    Meanwhile, Puppet Azure Dragon had clenched his left fist after crushing Raven Shark¡¯s arm to make a swing at Raven Shark¡¯s face. The punch was quick. While it wasn¡¯t that strong, it was strong enough to turn Raven Shark¡¯s brain into mush.

    But the fist never connected. An irresistible force held it back.

    In the next instant, Azure Dragon vanished, reced by Dead Pig.

    This was Dead Pig''s doing¡ªhe''d been waiting by the riverbank to support Raven Shark as nned. When danger struck, he''d deployed level 7 Discement from hundreds of meters away, forcibly swapping positions with Azure Dragon.

    After avenging Ba Qiuchi, Dead Pig''s Self Recovery had reached level 7. Using the Nine Scions'' Time-Space Rune Circuit, he''d elevated Discement to level 4, which then leaped to level 7.

    Now on the eastern riverbank, Puppet Azure Dragon''s power dropped by 20%¡ªa penalty that wouldst 20 seconds.

    Controlling Azure Dragon, Qilin quickly assessed the situation. As the puppet moved to return to battle, murderous intent surged from behind.

    A gray-cyan de aura sliced through the air. War Tiger had attacked with his Dragonyer Giantsword.

    Clink. Puppet Azure Dragon armored himself with energy, crossing his arms before his chest to absorb the sh. The impact sent ripples of force outward, scattering vegetation.

    War Tiger stared at the inhuman form before him, his thoughts heavy with regret.

    <i>Do you know that I forged this weapon specifically for you, Brother Dragon?</i>

    <i>I''ve always yearned for a proper battle with you, but now I face only a walking corpse.</i>

    <i>Look at what''s be of you. Qilin''s Puppeteer must be level 7 now. He''s investing significant mental power to control you, isn''t he?</i>

    <i>Hmph, just as I predicted.</i>

    "Hah!"

    War Tiger''s powerful downward swing sent Puppet Azure Dragon airborne. In one fluid motion, he drew the re gun from his waist and fired skyward.

    A slender, agile golden snake writhed upward.

    Three secondster, it blossomed into a brilliant, pure white sun, its fleeting radiance exposing every face hidden in shadow and darkness.

    From his position in a signal tower, Nine Frost observed the brilliant light over Qingyang Bridge through his binocrs, his stealth clothes concealing him from view.

    A determined smile curved his tight lips.

    [Nine Frost: Attention, all! Launch an all-out attack! The goal! Qilin''s head!]

    [Qing Ling: The first team at yourmand.]

    [White Rabbit: The second team at yourmand.]

    [Heavenly Dog: The third team at yourmand.]

    [Chen Ying: The fourth team at yourmand.]

    [Zhong He: The fifth team at yourmand.]

    [Zhang Wei: The sixth team at your fuckingmand!!!]

 Chapter 864: Survive First

    <h4>Chapter 864: Survive First</h4>

    Meanwhile, underground secretboratory, Feiyang District.

    Precision machines hummed steadily in the brightly lit room, blinking as they monitored various parameters. Dr. Jia, wearing a sleeping robe decorated with pink strawberry prints, wandered among them munching a half-eaten cucumber, attending to tasks throughout theboratory.

    A fat gray parrot with a round head and stubby tail perched on his shoulder, repeatedly trying to steal his cucumber. "Stupid thing, eating everything will only give you stomach problems!" Dr. Jia snapped.

    "Not scared! Not scared! Not scared!" the parrot dered boldly.

    In theboratory''s resting area, six figures upied the sofas: Sir Jiang¡ªwho''d abandoned his mask since being exposed as a pride monster¡ªElder Qin You, Protector Liao Liao, Ting Ting, Cold Cicada, 0618, and Void.

    Sir Jiang had suffered a serious blow at Gao Yang¡¯s hands in Ni Nation and lost the buff from the Time-Space Rune Circuit, thus weakening substantially and no longer qualifying as a good frontline fighter. Because of that, he was assigned to guard Dr. Jia instead.

    Newly promoted Elder Qin You now headed the intelligence department. An hour before the battle began, he¡¯d led her team¡ªLiao Liao, Ting Ting, Cold Cicada, plus temporary additions 0618 and Void¡ªquietly to Dr. Jia''s secretboratory on Qilin''s orders.

    Member 0618''s gender remained an enigma. Standing 1.75 meters tall and appearing no older than thirty, they possessedpletely androgynous features and voice.

    Their long, silky ck hairplemented careful makeup, while they favored expertly tailored casual suits like a fashion model. Their Talent, Golden Ratio¡ªSupport-type, number 170¡ªoperated uniquely.

    They could perceive the golden ratio lines in any lifeform''s energy pathways. Attacks targeting these lines gained tremendous advantages, from doubled damage to bing lethal. Simrly, healing and support effects were amplified when applied along these lines.

    Two days ago, 0618prehended Dimensional Storage.

    True to its name, this Talent created a subspace for storage, which was essentially a portable dimensional pocket.

    The space came with limitations: only inanimate objects could be stored long-term. Higher lifeforms, including the Talent user, risked being assimted with prolonged exposure to the space.

    Dr. Jia had resisted relocating to the Ocean River Union''s underground base for two reasons.

    First, he despised moving. Second, several of his experiments required constant monitoring.

    0618''s Dimensional Storage solved both problems¡ªthe entireboratory could be transported intact, experiments uninterrupted.

    Yet Dr. Jia still invented excuses to avoid a move.

    The Ocean River Union had exhausted its patience. They dispatched Qin You to implement n B: having Void force a Contract on Dr. Jia stipting that if captured by other organizations, he must refuse to help them or face immediate death.

    Should Dr. Jia reject n B, Qin You would execute n C: permanent elimination.

    Qin You had entered theboratory with clear intent, but Dr. Jia''s swift agreement to 0618''s Dimensional Storage solution caught him off guard.

    As the Genius, Dr. Jia recognized he couldn''t stall any longer once Qin You arrived. The oue of the civil war meant nothing to him¡ªneither justice nor evil concerned him. His sole focus remained his research and uncovering the Mist World''s truth.

    Since awakening Genius, this had been his singr pursuit. All other studies were mere diversions.

    Having depleted the Divine Scion''s vital energy and blood, Dr. Jia had been anticipating Gao Yang''s arrival for fresh research materials.

    His reluctance to relocate stemmed from this¡ªhe''d be easier to find here than at the Union''s base.

    Now, with time running out and Qilin losing control, Dr. Jia chose survival. As long as he lived, possibilities remained.

    Dr. Jia was finishing the finalption and machine calibration. After that, they could start moving.

    Sir Jiang and Qin You sat quietly on one sofa, while 0618 and Void upied opposite ends of another, maintaining a conspicuous distance as if inhabiting separate realms.

    Void lounged, scrolling through dance videos of young, attractive women. "<i>I admit you make me crazy with love...</i>"

    0618''s delicate features twisted with contempt¡ªthey perpetually regarded others as beneath them.

    Liao Liao, Ting Ting, and Cold Cicada shared the third sofa.

    Ting Ting checked her phone repeatedly, anxiety mounting over the Qingyang Bridge battle where her two close colleagues fought.

    Liao Liao struggled to findforting words, knowing any reassurance would ring hollow. Her own position in intelligence stemmed from fear of death. It was a deliberate choice to avoid danger.

    She''d already decided: if enemies attacked theb, she''d fight only with favorable odds; otherwise, she''d surrender. Loyalty, principles, duty¡ªnone mattered. She just wanted to live. And if possible, she would like to survive without killing people.

    Seeking distraction, Ting Ting turned to Cold Cicada. "I only learned recently that <i>tiao</i> was the same as <i>chan</i>, meaning cicada."

    Cold Cicada nodded, his youthful face carrying a kind butzy expression.

    "Uncle Cicada, what''s the meaning of your name?" Ting Ting asked, blinking curiously.

    Cold Cicada''s eyes narrowed with amusement. "Nothing. Just made it up."

    "That can''t be true." Ting Ting wasn''t convinced. "Mine is a random name. Yours clearly means something."

    "I know what it means," Liao Liao interjected.

 Chapter 865: Birds in Cage

    <h4>Chapter 865: Birds in Cage</h4>

    Ting Ting and Cold Cicada turned their attention to Liao Liao, who sat between them.

    Fidgeting with her fingers, Liao Liao spoke with careful consideration. "Cold cicadas often appear in poetry as symbols of sorrow and heartbreak, emphasizing the mncholy of farewells. Uncle Cicada''s Longevity keeps him looking young, but he''s witnessed many lifetimes. Most of his family and friends will leave this world before him..."

    She cast a meaningful nce at Cold Cicada. "The name serves as practice for the inevitable goodbyes."

    Cold Cicada responded with a nomittal chuckle.

    "Sister Liao Liao!" Ting Ting''s eyes sparkled with growing admiration. "As expected of you!"

    "Naturally." Liao Liao arched her eyebrows in exaggerated self-satisfaction. "I was a straight-A student who always scored perfectly in readingprehension."

    "Then allow me to interpret your name as well," Cold Cicada mused, his gaze fixed ahead. "Liao Liao references ''<i>xiao shi liao liao</i>'' from the proverb, ''<i>A young genius doesn''t always grow up to achieve great things.</i>'' You were clearly gifted as a child, and remain brilliant now. Yet perhaps your intelligence brought its own burdens. After awakening, you chose the name Liao Liao as a reminder to stay humble and avoid drawing attention."

    "Haha." Liao Liao''s ambiguous response neither confirmed nor denied his theory.

    Ting Ting''s expression suddenly darkened, her gaze fixing on something ahead. Liao Liao looked up to see Dr. Jia approaching, carrying a rectangr trayden with six ck Gold batteries and six syringes.

    "I''ve finished preparations. We can proceed with the move," Dr. Jia announced, studying each of them. "But first, I''ll need samples of vital energy and blood from each of you."

    "Let''s move first. We can provide samples afterward," Sir Jiang suggested.

    "No, who knows if I''ll see any of you again after the move?" Dr. Jia countered. "If this continues, you may all perish."

    "Fine." Qin You, eager toplete the mission and im his reward, was the first to grab a battery and syringe.

    "Dr. Jia, isn''t vital energy sufficient?" Ting Ting asked, shrinking back slightly. "I... I have a phobia of needles."

    "What''s your Talent?" Dr. Jia inquired.

    "Air Man," Ting Ting replied.

    "No exceptions. Your Talent is particrly interesting," Dr. Jia insisted.

    Ting Ting hesitated until Qin You shot her an impatient re. "Stop dying the move!"

    Since exposing Liu Qingying as a spy, Qin You had dropped his pretense of pursuing Ting Ting, instead treating her with the harsh demeanor of an demanding superior.

    "Yes, sir!" Ting Ting hastily reached for a battery and syringe.

    "Don''t worry." Liao Liao stepped forward, cing a reassuring hand on Ting Ting''s shoulder. "Start with your vital energy. I''ll help with the blood draw afterward. I''m quite skilled at it. You won''t feel a thing..."

    [Warning! Invader!] [Warning! Invader!]

    Theboratory''s rm shattered the silence. Every head snapped toward the surveince screen mounted to the wall, its dozen windows monitoring key areas and crossroads throughout the region. The system was designed to automatically scan facial features of any suspicious individuals, triggering alerts for non-Union members.

    A single figure dominated one of the windows before the image expanded to fill the entire screen. There, standing outside theboratory, was a man in a ck trench coat, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail. His sunken face and pronounced features were instantly recognizable, dark eyes radiating cold intent.

    This was Gao Yang¡ªprimary enemy of the Ocean River Union, leader of the Nine Scions, a hybrid born of life monster and awakener, and the true Malediction of Surnamed Li''s prophecy.

    And he stood alone, deliberately exposed to their cameras.

    Meeting the lens directly, he raised his right hand and drew his finger across his throat in a deliberate slicing motion. That simple gesture seized their hearts like an invisible vice.

    ...

    The moment battle erupted on Qingyang Bridge, Gao Yang emerged from his hiding ce in Feiyang District''s shadows. Nine Frost''s intelligence had provided him with theplete roster of Union members engaged in the fight, allowing him to calcte exactly who would be guarding Dr. Jia. None would pose a challenge, and Qilin would be too upied to send reinforcements.

    Everything aligned with his strategy.

    Employing replicated Intangibility, Gao Yang plunged underground, racing toward Dr. Jia''s secretboratory. He had only thirty seconds before the replicated Talent expired¡ªafter that, he would be one with the earth itself.

    The energy seal protecting theboratory forced him to surface at its entrance. There, he deliberately positioned himself before the surveince camera, allowing full recognition of his features.

    Through level 6 Sensory, he pierced the Blocking barrier, detecting seven life signatures¡ªexactly as anticipated. His threatening gesture at the camera was merely a prelude.

    Gao Yang stepped back, golden light zing from his eyes. As he raised his clenched right fist toward theboratory''s metal door, a massive wing of me erupted from his back, filling the underground space with fierce light. Fire and turbulent air painted his silhouette in crimson as he prepared to unleash Fire Punch at full power¡ªa strike seemingly meant to reduce theboratory and everyone inside to ash.

    The surveince feed captured every moment of his preparation.

    Inside, even Sir Jiang stood frozen. They all knew the devastating power of Gao Yang''s Fire Punch at close range. Theboratory was built upon a regr chamber. While the security measures and the enchanted sealing energy could defend against most Support-type Talents, it could not withstand this level of concentrated destruction.

    The realization struck them simultaneously: they were trapped prey about to be obliterated by a predator''s strike.

    Color drained from Qin You''s face as panic set in. He''d anticipated the Nine Scions might locate Dr. Jia''s hideout and send someone to capture him. He''d even prepared to kill Dr. Jia himself if escape became necessary.

    But this¡ªfacing the enemy''s leader himself, a man more unhinged than Qilin¡ªthis exceeded all calctions. Gao Yang wasn''t here to capture; he meant to annihte every trace of their existence.

    What could they possibly do?

    As paralysis gripped them all, even briefly stalling Sir Jiang''s tactical mind, Liao Liao sprang into action.

 Chapter 866: Advance to Retreat

    <h4>Chapter 866: Advance to Retreat</h4>

    <i>Beep¡ª</i>

    While the others stood paralyzed, Liao Liao lunged for the emergency door release. As Gao Yang''s mes gathered, one thought zed through her mind: <i>Fuck, I''m not dying here!</i>

    The metal doors parted with a hydraulic hiss. Through the first crack, Liao Liao''s throat convulsed as she unleashed an otherworldly cry.

    "Yiyayiyayiya..."

    The sound pierced their skulls like needles, flooding their minds with chaos. Even Gao Yang''s concentration fractured, his wing of me wavering and dissipating.

    Gao Yang''s features tightened as he fought to stabilize his energy flow, determined toplete the Fire Punch. He knew Disorientation could disrupt a Talent but couldn''t silence itpletely like Mute or Wave of Serenity.

    Reading his persistence, Liao Liao instantly switched tactics. Her hands became a blur as she drew her guns, firing six shots in rapid session. ck Gold bullets, each enchanted with poison, paralysis, and weakening power, streaked toward Gao Yang''s vital points¡ªforehead, eyes, throat, and heart.

    Forced to abandon his Fire Punch, Gao Yang diverted his power to Absolute Defense, armoring himself against the enhanced bullets.

    "Please have mercy! Don''t kill me!"

    In the same breath, Liao Liao dropped to her knees, kowtowing as Follow Heart took effect. Despite himself, Gao Yang''s resolve wavered. For a crucial moment, his target transformed from an enemy into a helpless creature, like a pregnant kitten abandoned in the wild.

    Though Psychic Armor quickly stripped away the manufactured sympathy, that split-second hesitation was enough. The air around him turned lethal.

    Spatial Blender!

    Recognizing Sir Jiang''s signature move, Gao Yang teleported sideways¡ªdirectly into Qin You''s trap. A dozen vines erupted from the ground, having anticipated his escape route.

    Liao Liao''s desperate gambit to save herself had snapped everyone back to reality. They poured out of theboratory, fighting for their lives.

    Gao Yang''s hand traced an arc of me, incinerating the reaching vines as he teleported again, this time to the ceiling. His feet locked onto the surface, suspending like a gecko.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i> Liao Liao''s guns thundered, but Gao Yang became a blur of motion, running along the ceiling and walls in the dim underground space. He was so incredibly agile that Liao Liao couldn¡¯t aim at him properly.

    Moreover, Gao Yang was hurling small fireballs like burning darts with incredible speed. Every fireball triggered a small explosion.

    "Dimensional Storage!"

    0618 thrust both hands forward, tearing open a polygonal portal that swallowed the fireballs into subspace. Sir Jiang tracked Gao Yang''s movements, searching for an opening to unleash Heartstealer¡ªthen froze as realization struck.

    Gao Yang possessed Absolute Defense. He shouldn''t fear their attacks, yet he dodged with such effort. He wasn''t fighting to win¡ªhe was stalling!

    "That''s a double!"

    Sir Jiang saw through the trick. Gao Yang¡¯s target had never changed: Dr. Jia!

    Theboratory door mmed shut with a finality, trapping Dr. Jia inside¡ªand leaving his watch dogs stranded outside.

    Gao Yang''s entire performance had been orchestrated with a double, while his true self waited in the shadows for precisely this moment. When the six defenders rushed out of the unsealedboratory, the real Gao Yang had teleported inside and sealed the door, buying precious seconds before those on the outside broke in.

    Those seconds would be enough.

    "Dr. Jia,e out now!" Gao Yang called out.

    Two secondster, Dr. Jia emerged from behind a machine near the petri dishes, clutching his fat gray parrot. When he''d first seen Gao Yang''s attack, he''d grabbed his pet and taken cover, hoping to at least preserve hispanion''s life. But it turned out that he lived, and Gao Yang had somehow gotten into theboratory and shut the door.

    Dr. Jia was a genius after all, and he quickly came to a realization. Gao Yang had gone aggressive in order to take the nonaggressive path. It was an intimidation tactic!

    "Gao Yang, atst!" Dr. Jia''s eyes lit with pleasant surprise. "I''ve missed you!" The prospect of studying the Divine Scion''s vital energy made his hands tremble with anticipation.

    Ignoring the scientist''s enthusiasm, Gao Yang verified Dr. Jia was within his Absolute Defense¡¯s range before bringing his hands together and reaching toward the ground. The full picture of his n was thus revealed.

    Gao Yang had known the Union would protect Dr. Jia, but he''d calcted that anyone short of Qilin, Surnamed Li, or half the Union''s forces would be manageable. When the bridge battle drew away their strongest defenders, he struck.

    The true challenge wasn''t defeating the guards¡ªit was preventing them from killing Dr. Jia in desperation. While Dr. Jia''s death would be eptable, it wasn''t optimal. A living genius could be a powerful asset against the Union.

    So Gao Yang had advanced to retreat, attacked to defend. He showed up openly and pretended that he was going to kill everyone with his attack.

    Indeed, people could rarely think rationally when survival instincts kicked in.

    Liao Liao''s defensive reaction had catalyzed the others, none able to see past their immediate peril. Gao Yang¡¯s double managed to draw them out, allowing his true self to slip inside.

    What he had to do next was simple: conjure a small Absolute Barrier to protect Dr. Jia. The man would be safe for certain in the next ten minutes unless he suddenlymitted suicide for whatever reason.

    During those ten minutes, Gao Yang could focus on going after the enemies outside.

    Sir Jiang and Qin You had to die. The others might be spared if they surrendered sincerely. Gao Yang was confident he could eliminate them without depleting his power, then, if possible, he would conceal Dr. Jia before rushing to support his allies at Qingyang Bridge. Despite their contingency ns for escape, the battlefield was ever-changing, and things could derail easily. Gao Yang couldn¡¯t stop being concerned.

    <i>p</i>. His hands met the ground, but no energy manifested. No golden telebooth appeared.

    The silence from beyond the door grew oppressive. Why weren''t they trying to break in?

    <i>What''s happening?</i>

    A shudder ran through Gao Yang as the air around him stilled. An invisible forcefield materialized, its presence solemn, dignified, cold, and sacred. The energy signature sparked recognition¡ªhe''d felt this before.

    The realization hit like a physical blow.

    Judge''s realm!

 Chapter 867: Why

    <h4>Chapter 867: Why</h4>

    No, it was Luqi¡ªno, Clear Mirror¡¯s Judge!

    The realm felt different from before¡ªdiscreet, gentle, almost imperceptible. Even his system had failed to sound an rm, proving something had changed.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The bell''s resonance surrounded him, meandering through space.

    [Warning: You have entered a realm with special rules.]

    [Luck points acquisition increased to 1-15000 times.]

    <i>What kind of system message is this? It could mean anything from harmless to catastrophic.</i>

    Before Gao Yang could analyze further, Clear Mirror''s voice cut through the air like ice.

    "Eyes of just, heart of fairness. A bnced blood trial, a harmonious soul ritual. Killing intent rises, contract forms. The winner will live, the loser will lose. No victor, no end to the judgment."

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The second toll sent the world spinning. Darkness imed him.

    ...

    Gao Yang jerked awake into a domain that defied physics. Above, a pure ck sky hung like a painted ceiling, devoid of texture or depth. Below, an endless white in stretched to infinity. The two met at an impossible horizon that seemed both distant and immediate.

    The space felt crushing¡ªthe ck sky pressed down, barely above his head. In every direction, the domain extended without boundary orndmark, just the stark meeting of void and light.

    Gao Yang tried to move, but couldn¡¯t.

    Golden chains bound him to what at first appeared to be a cross, but revealed itself as an immense golden scale. The chains wrapped his arms and torso, securing him to one arm of the bnce. On either side of the beam hung delicate golden tes.

    When he attempted to break free, the chains responded like living things¡ªthin serpents tightening their grip, gradually siphoning his energy without inflicting pain.

    On the left te, a golden energy weight materialized. On the right, a crimson one took form.

    <i>What does this mean?</i>

    The moment the question formed, knowledge flooded his mind. The scale was converting his energy and his very life force into measurable weight. This was the fate of all who entered the domain of judgment. Here, under the sacred will of this realm, one¡¯s power, energy, and life became substance, transformed to serve the rules of what was toe: a battle that imed to be "fair and just."

    Gao Yang looked up. Five cross-shaped golden scales had materialized across from him, each restraining one person: Sir Jiang, Qin You, Void, 0618, and Liao Liao, arranged from left to right. All had regained consciousness before him, their scales already weighted with golden energy and red life force.

    His dyed awakening made sense¡ªhis superior strength had required more time to process.

    Their faces told different stories as the sacred will forced understanding into their minds.

    Sir Jiang''s scowl deepened. Clear Mirror''s ambush had caught them off-guard, taking advantage of their conflict with Gao Yang. Yet his eyes gleamed with calction. This could be an opportunity.

    <i>In a normal fight, we wouldn''t stand a chance,</i> Sir Jiang thought. <i>The Divine Scion''s growth is terrifying¡ªhe nearly rivals Qilin now. But these rules... these rules might change everything.</i>

    Qin You''s expression shifted from confusion to shock, then settled into grim understanding. Clear Mirror''s facade of fairness was precisely that¡ªa facade. Every rule revealed the judge''s true bias.

    <i>Clear Mirror wants us all dead, but this is meant to destroy Gao Yang above all else,</i> Qin You realized, or the rules wouldn¡¯t have so obviously set Gao Yang to fail. Jaw clenching, he thought, <i>I won''t die here, Nan Feng. Watch me have thestugh.</i>

    0618 and Void had pushed past their initial terror, eyes darting as they searched for escape routes, for any chance at survival.

    But Liao Liao hung limply from her scale, head bowed in crushing regret.

    When Sir Jiang realized Gao Yang''s trap, theboratory door had already been sealed. They sprang to break in, only to find their Talents stripped away. Liao Liao had sensed the danger instantly. She''d had one chance to escape Judge''s domain, but her body had moved before her mind could stop it, shoving Ting Ting and Cold Cicada to safety. Then the will had seized her, and darkness followed.

    <i>What the fuck is wrong with you, Liao Liao? Her thoughts spiraled frantically. You could have run. Why save them? Why be stupid when it mattered most?</i>

    <i>This battle won''t end until one side is annihted.</i>

    <i>Against Gao Yang, the Divine Scion, how can we possibly¡ª</i>

    <i>You''re dead. DEAD. Is this what you wanted?</i>

    <i>But why? You worked so hard. Stayed careful. Made no enemies. Did nothing wrong. You just wanted to live.</i>

    <i>Why must it be you?</i>

    <i>Whywhywhywhywhy¡ª</i>

    Her head snapped up, eyes wild with tears and madness.

    "KILL GAO YANG!" The scream tore from her throat. "I won''t die here! Not in this cursed ce!"

    She thrashed against her chains. "You prideful, arrogant dogs, tearing at each other''s throats¡ªyou''re lucky to have me! You''ll listen to me! I''ll lead us to victory! DO YOU HEAR ME?"

    Silence fell. This wasn''t the Liao Liao they knew¡ªor perhaps it was her truest self, finally revealed.

    "Haha." Sir Jiang''sugh held genuine pleasure. "Good. That''s exactly the kind of drive young people need.

 Chapter 868: Unfair

    <h4>Chapter 868: Unfair</h4>

    Gao Yang watched Liao Liao''s breakdown without surprise. He understood¡ªhe knew exactly how madness reared when one was backed into a corner. His own past encounters with despair had left him oddly calm now. With little time left to him, he went over the information he had to formte ns.

    First, he concluded that Clear Mirror had stationed himself nearby, Judge''s passive domain already expanded, waiting for them to stumble into his web.

    The trigger had been their mutual killing intent. The moment Gao Yang and the Union had moved to destroy each other, they''d unknowingly signed Clear Mirror''s contract, allowing him to activate the domain.

    The move was more discreet with a moreplicated requirementpared to what Clear Mirror had done with Judge before. Clear Mirror had to set up the ambush beforehand and patiently wait for the prey to step into the trap for a binding contract to be formed. The advantage was that once triggered, the targets wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the domain.

    <i>He learned from his failures. Direct ambushes didn''t work, so he adapted.</i>

    But two questions remained: How had Clear Mirror known Gao Yang woulde tonight? How had he found Dr. Jia''s hideout?

    The Nine Scions and Twelve Zodiac Signs couldn''t have leaked the information¡ªthey''d had no chance between nning and execution. And the Ocean River Union working with Clear Mirror seemed unlikely. Sir Jiang''s group appeared genuinely surprised, and they hadn''t even been certain Gao Yang would move tonight.

    <i>So how?</i>

    The answer had to be a partner¡ªsomeone who could both locate Dr. Jia''s hideout and foresee Gao Yang''s arrival.

    Did Clear Mirror have apanion like that? Gao Yang didn¡¯t know. There was a detail worthy of attention, though.

    ording to Chen Ying¡¯s report, she and White Rabbit had stumbled upon Dr. Jia¡¯s hideout because she sensed two lifeforms. One awakener, and the other a monster.

    Chen Ying and White Rabbit had thought that they were Sir Jiang and a member of the Ocean River Union seeking Dr. Jia out, which Chen Ying happened to catch with her Sensory.

    <i>But what if...</i>

    Clear Mirror and a precognitive monsterpanion, scouting the location. Chen Ying detecting them, inadvertently discovering Dr. Jia''sboratory. That discovery leading to tonight''s attack¡ªan attack the monster had already foreseen, prompting their initial scouting, which Chen Ying had detected...

    <i>A perfect loop. The cause bes the effect, the effect the cause.</i>

    Gao Yang cut off that line of thinking before it spiraled further. Time was too precious to waste on paradoxes.

    Gao Yang looked up. Four additional scales had materialized beside him. To his left, Dr. Jia hung in his restraints, already conscious. Beyond him, a fat gray parrot thrashed against its bonds.

    "Help! HELP! HELP!" The parrot''s hoarse croaks echoed through the void, each cry more desperate than thest.

    The scene bordered on absurd, but the battle rules now burned into Gao Yang''s mind made everything clear. He turned to his right.

    The nearest scale held an old man in a weathered x robe. His bald head and wrinkled face disappeared beneath a wild white beard, but his eyes zed with an unsettling fervor. He muttered continuously, his expression caught between ecstasy and madness.

    "Who are you?" Gao Yang demanded.

    The old man''s muttering ceased. He turned with deliberate slowness, smiling. "Hello, Divine Scion. I am the wanderer prime. Call me Nico."

    "You''re with Clear Mirror?"

    "Yes, we are both apostles of the Heavenly Godbearer." Pride trembled in Nico''s ancient voice. "Though in this domain, I stand with you."

    Gao Yang''s jaw tightened. This had to be Clear Mirror''s monster ally. All that happened tonight must be this wanderer¡¯s n.

    "I offer neither strength nor wisdom," Nico continued, his tone eerily earnest. "We shall die here together. Child, you''ve served your purpose. I am here to guide you back to God''s embrace..."

    Gao Yang ignored the zealot''s ramblings, his attention fixing on the empty rightmost scale.

    Four versus five.

    "Clear Mirror!" His shout challenged the void itself. "Where are you? Four against five is clearly unfair! I reject your judgment! I demand a rematch!"

    Gao Yang could tell that Clear Mirror was only a judge in the domain, not God. Otherwise, he could have simply annihted them all. His need for this pretense of justice revealed his limitations. He too must follow the domain''s rules of fairness¡ªhence why Gao Yang had been grantedpanions, however weak. But this numerical imbnce might be the w in Clear Mirror''s authority that Gao Yang needed.

    Or so he thought.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The toll shook their very souls. Alien whispers filled the space as the monochrome world trembled.

    Above Gao Yang, the ck sky twisted. Like spilled ink, it poured downward, forming a massive stctite. Simultaneously, a white stgmite thrust up from below, reaching for its dark twin. Where they met, the colors merged into a singr gray pir that bridged heaven and earth.

    From this pir, a face emerged¡ªperfectly symmetrical, its features sharp as carved stone. Clear Mirror''s heterochromatic eyes¡ªthe left one white and the right one ck¡ªgazed down upon the arena. When his mouth moved, his voice carried the weight of twisted divinity.

    "The match is fair. Challenge denied."

 Chapter 869: 5v5

    <h4>Chapter 869: 5v5</h4>

    Another whisper crashed over them like a sonic tsunami.

    "Ugh!" Pain ripped through Gao Yang''s bodyyer afteryer peeling away as if he were being dissected. His flesh seemed to liquefy, golden energy streaming from him toward the empty rightmost scale.

    Then, another Gao Yang materialized there.

    The pain subsided, leaving him alive but diminished. Through heavy breaths, he understood: the domain had forcibly created his double to serve as the fifth teammate.

    <i>Five versus five. Perfectly "fair."</i>

    "May the match begin." Clear Mirror''s promation sent tremors through the void.

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The ten scales sank into the white expanse, gray ripples spreading as if they''d plunged into a pale sea. Chains unwound themselves. Gao Yang dropped,nding steadily on his feet. His panions" and enemies did the same, each touching down where their scales had been.

    <i>Hum.</i>

    Gray circr patterns, each about five meters in diameter, materialized beneath their feet¡ªeven the parrot''s. Movement range, Gao Yang realized.

    The two teams faced each other in parallel lines. A translucent gray barrier descended between them, maintaining visibility while blocking sound.

    <i>Hiss.</i>

    Above his head, two bars appeared¡ªone red, one gold. HP and Energy. Identical bars floated above everyone else, their lengths exactly matching his.

    Based on the games he had yed, Gao Yang guessed that they would die once their HP was depleted, and once they ran out of Energy, they would most likely be unable to use Talents or even move at all.

    While everyone¡¯s HP and Energy looked the same, their actual stats must have been wildly different. Take Dr. Jia as an example. His HP could hit bottom after getting one punch, but Gao Yang¡¯s HP wouldn¡¯t be so easily depleted.

    Their disyed abilities were converted proportionally from their actual abilities, only put under the restrictions of the same rules. That was the reason for them getting initialized on the scales.

    New information flooded his mind, crystallizing into clear rules:

    [5v5 Turn-based Match]

    [Each yer has only one move every turn.]

    [Attacking, charging, defending, guarding, healing, using an item, and supporting an ally all count as one move each.]

    [Before the start of a turn is a 180-second thinking time for all yers.]

    [The order of turns depends on the mobility of each yer and may change ording to their conditions.]

    [The skills usable in the match depend on each yer¡¯s Talents, the items they have, and other factors.]

    [Every move will cost a varying amount of energy.]

    [Once a yer¡¯s energy is depleted, they will be unable to move and be forced to rest for a turn to recover a small amount of energy.]

    [Inflicting different forms of damage on an enemy will decrease a varying amount of their HP.]

    [Items, healing, and resurrection skills will heal a varying amount of HP.]

    [Once a yer¡¯s HP is depleted, they will die.]

    [Once one side ispletely wiped out, the match will end.]

    ...

    "Fuck!" Dr. Jia processed the rules faster than anyone else and threw his hands up. "This is literally a goddamn turn-based RPG from the stone age!"

    He whirled to face Gao Yang, desperation in his eyes. "You can handle those five yourself, right? I''m a scientist, not a street fighter!"

    "Do you have any items? Weapons?" Gao Yang''s voice remained steady.

    "Let me check..." Dr. Jia patted his bathrobe, then froze. Bathrobe meant no pocket. His face fell. "Oh. Right."

    Gao Yang suppressed a sigh. <i>That¡¯s minus one.</i>

    "What about your parrot? Any special abilities?"

    "Special abilities?" Dr. Jia''sugh held an edge of hysteria. "It excels at two things: making noise and creating messes."

    <i>Wonderful. That¡¯s minus two.</i>

    Gao Yang turned to Nico, who sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling like he was watching street theater. A numbness crept across Gao Yang''s scalp.

    <i>Minus three.</i>

    Finally, he met his double''s gaze. They exchanged a single nod of perfect understanding.

    <i>If you want something done right...</i>

 Chapter 870: First Blood

    <h4>Chapter 870: First Blood</h4>

    Meanwhile, Qingyang Bridge

    Qilin''s eyes twitched. Puppet Azure Dragon had suddenly teleported to the riverbank¡ªstill within his level 7 Puppeteer range, but distant enough to concern him.

    Qilin strengthened his control over the puppet, sharing its vision. Through ink-green eyes, he saw War Tiger descending with his Dragonying Giantsword aimed at "him."

    Beside him, Surnamed Li noticed his divided attention.

    "Car iing from the bridge entrance!" Rewind''s shout cut through the night.

    Those not yet engaged in battle looked over. Those with keen vision could faintly make out arge truck. Its headlights were off, and with the night serving as its cover, it quickly hurtled toward the members of the Ocean River Union at bridge center.

    Rewind''s irvoyance pierced the truck''s exterior. "Ke Yo driving. Green Snake on top. Cargo is... metal beams!"

    Surnamed Li''s eyes closed briefly. "Everyone, move at your discretion."

    <i>No fatal danger in the next ten seconds,</i> everyone understood.

    "First unit, engage Green Snake," Colorlessmanded. "Others, guard formation around themander. Support as needed, but don''t be reckless."

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    Most of them circled Qilin and Surnamed Li at once while keeping a distance. Although Qilin was mainly focused on controlling Puppet Azure Dragon, he could quickly shift his attention with Surnamed Li¡¯s warning. It would be suicide to get into his a hundred-meter radius. Thus, the Union members weren¡¯t too concerned.

    The truck thundered forward. Ke Yo kicked the door open and leapt clear.

    Above, Qing Ling stood like a storm goddess. Her four des¡ªtwo ck Gold, two Butterfly Twin¡ªorbited her form as violet light sparked in her eyes. Her hair whipped in the wind.

    "Rise!"

    Her arms lifted.

    <i>Clink. ng.</i>

    Hundreds of steel beams erupted from the truck''s cargo hold, arranging themselves into a massive spear formation.

    "Go!"

    Qing Ling''s arms swept forward. The beams rained down like a metal storm. She danced between them, using each as a stepping stone, closing distance while evading the fireing from Old Seven, Small Luo, and oher ranged attackers.

    "Let''s go!"

    Amon led the first unit''s charge, Harvest Song and Lin Fu nking her. She wove through the first wave of ground-piercing beams, found her opening, and pivoted. Her giant boomerangunched skyward¡ªlike a golden disk trailing energy¡ªstraight at Qing Ling.

    Qing Ling simply jumped aside.

    Lin Fu''s ck Daoist robe fluttered as he raised his peach wood sword. The wooden box on his back erupted¡ªhundreds of yellow talismans streaming forth like golden sparrows, weaving through the steel beam storm toward Qing Ling.

    Her fingers curled in response. ck Gold Tang Dao, Xiu Dao, Butterfly Twin des, and ck Gold darts danced around her in lethal orbits, shredding any talisman that drew too close. But the paper storm was endless, threatening to overwhelm her defenses.

    <i>"Cawk¡ªcawk¡ª"</i>

    ck wings filled the night. Crows materialized from nowhere, hurling themselves through the steel beam maze. They dove at the talismans with suicidal determination¡ªsome managing to pierce the enchanted paper with their beaks, others bing victims themselves. The spelled birds went rigid, pupils blown wide, before plummeting toward the bridge and river below.

    A tapestry formed above the Qingyang Bridge: yellow talismans, shredded paper, falling crows, and ck feathers swirled through forests of steel. At the heart of this chaos, a ck-haired girl leaped between razor edges, each movement precise, each sh purposeful as she closed in on the bridge''s center.

    Suddenly, a batch of steel beams sped up suddenly and came down upon the Ocean River Union, targeting Qilin and Surnamed Li.

    ¡°Zero Gravity!¡±

    Musashi stepped forward, trading her usual seductive style for formal elegance¡ªa ck nightgown adorned withce gloves and pearl earrings, two red curls framing her face beneath an borate updo. Her hands spread wide, channeling the second Talent she acquired a week ago.

    A hemisphere of weightlessness formed around her. Dozens of steel beams froze mid-flight, suspended in her artificial void along with Musashi.

    Qing Lingnded on a beam, Nine Frost''s Avian King keeping Lin Fu''s remaining talismans at bay. Her hands came together with deliberate force, level 6 Metal surging through her.

    The scattered steel beams responded. Hundreds of pieces flowed together, melting, twisting,bining. They formed a single massive missile, three meters wide and twenty meters long; its target was clear: Musashi.

    Level 3 Gravity crumpled before level 6 Metal. The projectile tore through Musashi''s weightless field like paper and crashed into her.

    "Ah!"

    Musashi hung suspended above the bridge¡ªtoo far from her allies, too exposed, meaning she couldn¡¯t get any support from her teammates and had no time to dodge out of the way. She could only watch as the unreasonablyrge projectile hurtled toward her like the train of death.

    In that final moment, as wind and shadow engulfed her, time stretched. She was back in her ex-boyfriend''s car on thatzy afternoon drive to the suburban ranch. Soft music yed. Through half-closed eyes, she watched orange tunnel lights dance across the dashboard. Contentment filled her as she dozed, the white light at the tunnel''s end promising another perfect moment...

    Now, a different white light beckoned.

    The missile struck. No impact sound¡ªjust instant obliteration. Musashi''s body exploded into pieces, even the lingering crimson mist of her blood dispersed in the projectile''s wake.

    ¡°Musashi!¡± Colorless''s cry held equal measures of anguish and fury.

    Wandering Tune''s face drained of color as level 6 Metal''s devastating power registered. The missile continued its path toward them, nked by dozens more steel beams. Raw survival instinct ignited his potential¡ªPortal surged to level 6.

    ¡°Portal!¡±

    Two seconds. That was all he had to manifest a portal that resembled the blue screen used in movie production. No time to calcte the exit point; he simply opened the other portal beneath the bridge.

    <i>Swoosh¡ªswish swish, swish¡ª</i>

    The steel missile and its smaller escorts punched through the luminous portal, emerging below to crash into the river. The impact sent a tall ssh into the night.

    Above, Qing Ling scowled from her perch on one of the steel beams. She hadn''t expected to kill Qilin and Surnamed Li outright, but for them to not even <i>move</i>¡ªthat stung her pride.

    Amon''s boomerang curved back. With fewer beams to control now, Qing Ling could focus on this nuisance. Her hands syed, calling her Tang Dao and Xiu Dao to her grip. The des crossed,unching perpendicr arcs of energy at the approaching boomerang.

 Chapter 871: Stop Being a Bother

    <h4>Chapter 871: Stop Being a Bother</h4>

    <i>Clink, clink¡ª</i>

    The de aura struck the boomerang, sending it veering left. A sh of white light erupted from the weapon¡ªHarvest Song emerging with Mirror Man, her ck Gold triangr de streaking toward Qing Ling''s throat.

    Qing Ling''s reflexes proved faster. She arched backward, Tang Dao spinning to deflect the strike.

    Unable to hover like Qing Ling''s Metal allowed her to, Harvest Song began to fall. But an idea hit her; she shot a dart at Qing Ling''s forehead from her sleeve.

    <i>Clink.</i> Another parry sent the dart skyward.

    Harvest Song materialized from the deflected dart, triangr de plunging toward Qing Ling''s crown.

    Qing Ling''s fingers syed, then clenched. The Butterfly Twin des appeared in her grip¡ªbetter suited for closebat.

    Their sh became a deadly dance of falling stars. Harvest Song targeted vital points with surgical precision while Qing Ling''s de technique turned each strike aside. They plummeted toward the bridge, weapons shing.

    Frustration built in Qing Ling''s chest. Though Harvest Song couldn''t prate her defense, thebination of Master of Hidden Weapons and Mirror Man proved maddeningly elusive. A prolonged battle would only disadvantage her.

    She could end it with Electricity¡ªbut that was her hidden ace. None in the Ocean River Union knew of this Talent. Those who had witnessed it were dead, and Sir Jiang had been too focused on Gao Yang to notice during their encounter.

    Before she could resolve her dilemma, aid arrived.

    Wind threw the two women apart. As Harvest Song readied more hidden weapons, a dozen air des roared at her.

    She twisted, parrying frantically, but one de opened a gash across her waist. More air des followed as she fell. She scowled, allowing her body to go into free fall, yet more air des wereing her way. Left with no choice, Harvest Song retreated into her triangr de, escaping the aerial onught.

    Now that she had shaken off Harvest Song, Qing Ling concentrated and manipted a ck Gold dart around the giant portal, shooting it at Qilin¡¯s temple from the side.

    The dart froze a meter from its target.

    Through her weapon connection, Qing Ling sensed the invisible force¡ªFlower''s Telekinesis. The golden-haired, lion-like man stood bare-chested, ck iris flower tattoos stark against his muscled frame. Though his telekic power was novice-levelpared to Tong, the shadowstalker, his control grew exponentially with proximity. Near Qilin, no projectile could breach his defense.

    Qing Ling''s surprise passed quickly. She hadn''t expected killing Qilin to be easy.

    Air bullets and energy bullets were shooting her way, but without Shooter Domain''s enhancement, they posed little threat. She wove through them, advancing while her dart wrestled with Flower''s telekic grip.

    When she drew close enough, purple light sparked in her eyes. Her finger curled, triggering the lightning elements hidden within the ck Gold dart.

    "Lightning in the dart!" Surnamed Li warned with a darkened expression.

    <i>Pzzt.</i>

    Purple lightning exploded from the dart as it continued to struggle against the hold of Telekinesis, streaking toward Qilin''s temple like a violet bullet.

    At Surnamed Li''s warning, Qilin snapped partial attention back to his body, jerking his head away from the purple lightning bolt with barely a breath to spare.

    "Hah!" Flower channeled all his telekic force into the ck Gold dart,unching it away.

    Frustration darkened Qing Ling''s eyes. Without Surnamed Li''s interference, she would have at least wounded Qilin, if not killed him.

    [Nine Frost: You''re in Qilin''s kill zone! Retreat now!]

    Nine Frost''s telepathic warning stabbed through her thoughts.

    [Qing Ling: I know.]

    She wheeled her steel beam around, but something was wrong.

    <i>Why are you here, sister?</i> Her sister¡¯s voice rose in her mind.

    <i>Go back!</i>

    <i>You should be protecting Gao Yang! He''s alone!</i>

    <i>Stop interfering!</i> <i>What if he dies?</i>

    <i>Gao Yang can handle himself!</i>

    <i>But what if he can''t? If anything happens to him, I''ll never forgive you! I HATE YOU! Take me to Gao Yang! NOW!</i>

    "GO BACK!" Qing Ling''s weapons ttered away as she clutched her head, nearly losing control of the metal beam beneath her feet. She staggered in mid-air, unaware of the half-torn yellow talisman clinging to her calf¡ªthe one piece of Lin Fu''s assault that had slipped through.

    Lin Fu''s second Talent, Personality Kill, had worked perfectly. Rather than paralyze, his modified talisman had spent thirty seconds preparing for this moment¡ªtriggering a war between Qing Ling''s dual personalities. For someone already housing two minds, the effect was devastating.

    "Wandering Tune!"

    Colorless recognized their chance¡ªvengeance for Musashi was within their reach.

    Understanding shed between them. Though his energy was depleted, Wandering Tune could still manage one tiny portal.

    Two secondster, a portal the size of apact mirror materialized before Colorless''s right eye. Its twin opened directly in front of the struggling Qing Ling.

    That was all Colorless needed.

    <i>Petrify!</i>

    Her right pupil trembled, blooming a furious red. Raw psychic powernced through the micro-portal, striking at Qing Ling''s fractured psyche.

 Chapter 872: Follow the Plan

    <h4>Chapter 872: Follow the n</h4>

    [Nine Frost: Stop standing there! Move!]

    [Qing Ling: Little Qing Ling, go back!]

    From his perch on the signal tower, Nine Frost started¡ªQing Ling was talking to her sister! Through his binocrs, he spotted the problem. His crows responded instantly to hismand, two breaking from their circling formation. One swept past her calf, wings brushing away the partial talisman. The other drove its beak into her shoulder.

    Sharp pain cut through Qing Ling''s personality sh, shattering Personality Kill''s influence. Before she could process what had happened, sheunched into retreat¡ªonly to feel her body turning leaden, as if sinking into hardening butter.

    Qilin had seized his chance. Even while directing Puppet Azure Dragon against War Tiger, he''d spared enough willpower to trap her in Psychic Shackle.

    She fought the restraint, broke free¡ªand instantly froze as her senses went dark.

    Colorless''s Petrify had struck.

    Under the moonlight, gray spread across Qing Ling''s fair skin like frost, rough and hardened. Capiries dried and cracked like riverbeds in drought. Her floating hair and clothes suddenly stilled, turned into stone in mid-motion.

    [Nine Frost: Hold on, Qing Ling!!]

    [Nine Frost: Third Team! Extract her, now!]

    Qing Ling could no longer hear Nine Frost through Telepathy. In six seconds, her everything¡ªskin, blood, organs, bones included¡ªhad turned into stone.

    She fell toward the bridge.

    <i>Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.</i>

    Air des materialized, slicing toward the Ocean River Union. Surnamed Li''s warning came just in time for Flower to strain his Telekinesis to halt them.

    "Go away!" Veggie''s newly acquired Lion Roar shattered the suspended des.

    But Nainai''s attack was a mere distraction. Heavenly Dog, Hong Xiaoxiao clinging to his back, streaked invisibly through the chaos. He snatched Qing Ling''s stone form, her figure vanishing at his touch as they shot skyward at level 6 Fly speed; it was too fast for the enemies to give pursuit.

    "Time Reset!"

    Hong Xiaoxiao triggered Gamer without hesitation. The ck Gold hairpin in Qing Ling''s hair¡ªNine Frost''s mandatory insurance for their vanguard on a suicide mission¡ªgleamed as time rewound around her.

    [Nine Frost: War Tiger, can you keep Azure Dragon upied?]

    [War Tiger: Count on it!]

    [Nine Frost: Execute the n! Don''t let Surnamed Li breathe! Anyone without a hairpin, stay clear of Qilin!]

    [White Rabbit: Copy that!]

    [Heavenly Dog: Copy that!]

    [Zhong He: Copy that!]

    [Chen Ying: Copy that!]

    [Zhang Wei: Copy that!]

    [Nine Frost: This part of the n has nothing to do with you, Zhang Wei. Stay hidden!]

    ...

    Five secondster, Surnamed Li opened her eyes and said seriously, ¡°Nainai turns into a giant and throws!¡±

    As soon as she said that, golden energy rippled across the river''s surface. <i>Bam!</i> Water exploded skyward as Nainai rose from the depths¡ªa purple-haired colossus in a sailor uniform, the bridge barely reaching her waist. River water cascaded from her form as she seized the empty truck from the water''s surface and hurled it at the cluster of Union members on the bridge.

    From above, the scene might have seemed absurd: a girl ying with a miniature bridge, tossing a toy truck at tiny soldier figures. But for those "toys" on the bridge, the approaching vehicle was apocalyptic.

    Flower''s Telekinesis couldn''t halt the elerated mass; Wandering Tune''s Portal was exhausted.

    ¡°Split up!¡± Colorless shouted the only viable response.

    The formation fractured instantly. Veggie''s hair writhed into ck tentacles, whisking Surnamed Li''s wheelchair to safety. Qilin needed no protection, using his cane to propel himself to the bridge''s edge.

    <i>Bam! Creak¡ª</i>

    Metal screamed against asphalt as the truck plowed through their original position, spewing sparks and forcing them to further scatter.

    Then two hands emerged from the truck¡¯s hood. White Rabbit materialized after hiding in the truck with Intangibility, each fist clutching a pulled grenade. She hurled them at the divided groups.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Bullets sought her, but she''d already phased away, letting the truck''s momentum carry her out of the danger zone. As it slowed, she ghosted through the chassis, vanishing into the bridge itself.

    Harvest Song''s boomerang intercepted one grenade, triggering a harmless detonation in the air. Flower caught the other with Telekinesis, freezing it mid-explosion and lifting it skyward for safe disposal.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    A bullet shot from a sniper rifle meant for Flower''s temple found Jing Ke''s forehead instead. Jing Ke had quickly taken the hit for his teammate. His head snapped back, then slowly righted as the crushed bullet fell from unbroken skin¡ªhis Bone Growth rendering him bulletproof.

    "Watch out," Jing Ke warned, but Flower didn''t respond.

    He turned to see Flower''s eyes wide with shock, blood trickling from his mouth. A ck thread, like a shadow-spun shoce, protruded from his chest.

    Phantom had struck. Zhong He, hidden on the constructiondder beneath the bridge, had waited patiently for this moment. His level 6 Phantom skill, Reaper''s Thread, could reach fifty meters. It was perfect for assassination. Although useless against high Willpower targets like Qilin or the prescient Surnamed Li since they could easily spot the threat, Flower...

    Nine Frost''s order had been clear: eliminate Flower to open a path to Qilin. With the members of the Union split into groups to dodge the truck, Zhong He seized his chance.

    "Scatter!" Jing Ke''s shout came toote.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The suspended grenade, freed from Telekinesis''s grip, detonated before it reached a safe distance in the air.

 Chapter 873: Crisis Alert

    <h4>Chapter 873: Crisis Alert</h4>

    The grenade detonated ¨C a standard shbang meant to disorient rather than kill. Most of the team hit the ground in time, but Bumblebee and Sunny, slower to react, suffered minor injuries from the st.

    "Zhong He!" First Firelord''s Mind''s Eye pierced through the chaos. "He''s under the bridge!"

    "Ice Thorns!" Sister Ling''s voice cracked as she unleashed Frost, freezing the river''s surface. Crystalline spikes erupted randomly, stabbing at their hidden attacker.

    Zhong He responded instantly. He retracted his Reaper''s Thread, armoring himself before conjuring a shadow string. With practiced precision, he anchored it to a concrete pir and swung away from Sister Ling''s barrage of attacks.

    "He''s moving to the bridgehead!" First Firelord''s voice carried both anxiety and fury. His former best friend''s ruthless attack had caught him off guard.

    Jing Ke, positioned near Flower, let rage fuel his power. Twin bone des erupted from his palms. "After him!"

    Nomad and First Firelord exchanged a quick nce before following.

    "Harvest Song, assist them!" Colorlessmanded. "Everyone else, stop ying defense ¨C strike back!"

    "Yes, ma''am!" The unified response was followed by immediate action.

    Colorless had read the situation correctly. Qilin and Surnamed Li needed no protection. Keeping her subordinates on defense would only result in mounting casualties. Scattering was their best option now. She had told them beforehand: engage only winnable fights, and retreat from losing ones. No needless sacrifices.

    "Left side of the bridge, Raven Shark¡ª" Surnamed Li''s foresight caught the image of their opponent emerging from the water,manding a shark far smaller than the previous whale.

    "Lightning!" Sunny''s shout cut through the warning. "From above!"

    Beyond her Blood Curse, Sunny hadprehended Crisis Alert, serial number 169, Guard-type. This secondary ability allowed her to foresee personal threats five seconds to one minute ahead, depending on the threats¡¯ severity. She hadn''t needed to warn others before, relying on Surnamed Li''s broader precognition.

    But now, with attacksing from multiple directions, Surnamed Li couldn''t track everything. Sunny''s power had glimpsed their potential fate: seven to eight lightning bolts would strike from above, iming multiple lives ¨C including her own.

    ...

    Thirty seconds earlier, Heavenly Dog had carried the petrified Qing Ling to safety. Hong Xiaoxiao brought her back immediately, but maintaining Invisibility and using Time Reset had drained her energy. With Qing Ling unconscious, neither could return to the fight.

    Muzitu stepped up to fill the void. Using Experience Thief, he borrowed Qing Ling''s level 6 Lightning and Hong Xiaoxiao''s level 5 Invisibility. He mounted Heavenly Dog''s back, cloaking them both as they approached the bridge''s center. Even at a quarter strength, Qing Ling''s Lightning crackled with devastating power.

    Purple static danced around Sunny before she could finish her warning.

    "Lie down, all of you!" Stubborn Weasel stepped up.

    Those around her immediately dropped down without hesitation.

    Amid the crowd, She rose to her full height, pressing her palms together above her head like a lightning rod. Her second Talent activated¡ªBullseye, serial number 161, Guard-type. The ability substantially increased her overall defense and turned herself into a target, drawing all ranged attacks, including ones that did elemental, energy, poison, spatial, and even psychic or spiritual damage.

    Lightning struck. The pale purple light turned night to day. Stubborn Weasel''s small frame absorbed the onught of electric currents, her defense bolstered by both Hedgehog and Bullseye. Her clothes smoldered, her skin charred, but she still stood.

    She tried to scoff, to dismiss the attack, but no sound came. Confusion flickered across her face as she lost her senses entirely.

    <i>No way! Lightning like that isn''t enough to kill me!</i>

    <i>What went wrong?</i>

    Crimson lines appeared around her neck, waist, thighs, and knees. Like a sliced-up sausage, her body scattered piece by piece.

    Unbeknownst to Stubborn Weasel, the lightning was just a distraction. Hidden within was invisible spatial power. Level 6 Spatial Dissection far exceeded what her level 3 Bullseye and Hedgehog could withstand. Even Zhuang Mei, the life monster, had been forced to transform when faced with such an attack.

    Ignorant of all that, Stubborn Weasel stood forward and gave her life to protect her teammates.

    However, her death wasn¡¯t in vain.

    Hedgehog''s reflection kicked in: 25% for closebat, 10% for ranged attacks. Deep cuts materialized across Heavenly Dog''s body, his invisibility shattering as blood sprayed. Only his natural resistance to spatial damage kept him from suffering a greater injury.

    Behind him, Muzitu convulsed. His own lightning reflected by 10%, the current passing through their contact into Heavenly Dog. Both paralyzed, they plummeted from the sky.

    "Stubborn Weasel!"

    Bumblebee cried out hoarsely as hey on the ground, face covered in tears.

    Back in Team Vermilion Bird, he had hated her the most. Her tongue found every weakness, every tender spot. He had cursed her, even wished for her death. Now that she was gone, grief crashed through him like a wave.

    Looking back, hadn''t she always been the first to take hits for the team? Perhaps her thorny exterior was just armor, keeping others at arm''s length so their kindness wouldn''t make her fear death. So she could step forward, again and again, to shield them.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Bumblebee''s eyes darkened as his body swelled. Yellow-brown particles erupted from his mouth and armpits like he were a deting balloon, rising skyward.

    Decaying Particle, serial number 53, Poison-type. The poisonous particles rushing out of the user¡¯s body would surround others and weaken them quickly until they died of exhaustion. It had never been safe to use, the poisonous cloud affecting friend and foe alike. But grief pushed his Talent to level 6, giving him control atst.

    The deadly mist surged toward Heavenly Dog and Muzitu, seeking vengeance.

 Chapter 874: Little Creek

    <h4>Chapter 874: Little Creek</h4>

    "Bastard!" Old Seven''s fury erupted. He hadn¡¯t held back, but he was hesitant to kill his own kind. Watching hispanions fall one after another burned away hisst shred of hesitance, though. Hatred zed in his eyes.

    <i>Bam! </i>His Finger Strength reached level 6 then. The muscles in his forearms swelledrger than his calves, his fingers expanding into ten deadly gourds. He unleashed a golden air bullet with the force of anti-aircraft artillery, the projectile screaming toward the falling Heavenly Dog and Muzitu.

    A sudden gust tore through the air, hurling the pair sideways. The air bullet sliced through the empty space between them like a reaper''s scythe, missing by a hair''s breadth.

    Nainai floated in the dark river, her limbs syed. She had reverted to her normal size after her giant transformation, utterly spent. The waves rolled over her face and body with regrity.

    "Hmph," she managed, one hand pointed skyward from where she''dunched her Gale. "They are this Empress'' subjects, not to be hurt by kinds like you¡ª<i>ack, ack</i>!"

    River water filled her mouth mid-boast. Panic shattered her precarious bnce as she thrashed in the current. She couldn''t swim, and her depleted energy left Gale beyond reach.

    "Help! Come to this Empress'' aide¡ª<i>ack</i>¡ªhelp me..."

    [Nine Frost: Heavenly Dog, save them! Retreat!]

    The paralysis wore off just as Heavenly Dog neared the river. Fighting through his pain, he snatched Muzitu''s hand mid-fall. Their momentum carried them toward the water where Nainai iled. He swept her up in one fluid motion, skimming the river''s surface and leaving violet ripples in their wake.

    Level 6 Fly carried them from the battlefield in an instant, too fast for the Ocean River Union to intercept.

    Almost simultaneously, another explosion rocked the river beneath the bridge''s center. A blue shark, conjured by Sea King, erupted from the depths, jaws snapping at the Union members. Though barely a quarter the size of the earlier whale, its attack scattered their formation.

    Sister Ling had no time for Praise without Rewind and her megaphone nearby. She leaped into action instead. The whale''s earlier assault had left the bridge awash in pools. With a gesture, she transformed them into a massive ice cone that pierced the blue shark, pinning it against the sky.

    "Die!" Veggie''s delicate frame transformed as she unleashed her sonic attack. Her chest expanded dramatically, her neck doubling in thickness asyers of soundwaves hammered the impaled shark.

    The construct shattered. Marine life, river water, weeds, and stones rained down, leaving only a skeleton of blue energy strands. At its core stood not Raven Shark, but Dead Pig, his tanned, burly frame gripping the giant ice cone.

    A sudden realization struck; Dead Pig had used Discement two seconds ago, swapping ces with Raven Shark inside the blue shark construct.

    <i>Growl¡ª</i>

    Dead Pig''s bestial roar shook heaven and earth, threatening to shatter eardrums. Heunched himself toward the bridge, his body already beginning to change as level 7 Beastly activated. Just a week ago, he''dprehended this third Talent. The Buff Rune Circuit had pushed it to level 4, then it jumped to level 7 with Self Recovery already reaching the level, catapulting him to tier 1 overnight.

    During the three seconds before hended on the bridge, Dead Pig¡¯s hair elongated and turned into a mane as thick and hardy as steel cables. His skin became darker and imprable. Then his nose grew longer and upturn, his nostrilsrge and round. His mouth split to the sides dramatically, too, growing two sharp white fangs.

    <i>Boom!</i> The bridge trembled as Dead Pignded, his feet sinking into the road.

    Sister Ling froze. Before her stood a giant wild boar monster almost five meters tall with crimson eyes and a wild, violent crimson aura. Even the breathsing out of its nostrils were heated and red.

    At that moment, Sister Ling suddenly remembered the Zhu Majie drawn in a dark art style she had seen somewhere. That was what Dead Pig looked like.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    Herpanions'' voices reached her as if through thick ss, distant and muffled. Sister Ling didn''t resist. Three high-intensity ice techniques had drained herpletely. Her legs felt like lead, refusing to move.

    Memories flooded her mind: weekly gatherings when Green Tea was still around, the team sharing meals, singing together, shopping trips filled withughter. Then Green Tea vanished. Liao Liao joined them. Fewer gatherings, but at least they were safe.

    Everything changed when the Hundred Rivers Union merged with the Qilin Guild. She was in the intelligence department first, then Team Yan Liang after acquiring Frost. Life turned harsh. Choices narrowed. Fear became her constantpanion. Food lost its taste. Sleep became a stranger.

    <i>Ocean River Union, the ocean¡¯s supposed to amodate a hundred rivers.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s all well and good, but does the ocean ever consider how the hundred rivers feel?</i>

    <i>I¡¯m only a little creek. I prefer the deep valleys, the beautiful forests, the mist of dawn, and small critters y-fighting.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t want to go to the o¡ª</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The monstrous boar''s strike met her fragile form like an excavator''s blow. Her skull shattered, internal organs rupturing as her body sailed off the bridge into the Li River.

    "No!!" Citrus''s scream tore through the air. Rage consumed her as she drew her ck Gold gun, charging forward while emptying clip after clip into Dead Pig''s hide.

    The bullets might as well have been raindrops. Level 7 Self Recoverybined with Beastly''s enhanced physique rendered Dead Pig''s skin impervious. Not even Slow''s poison could prate.

    "Calm down!" Rain River grabbed Citrus''s arm, her own fury contained behind gritted teeth. She pulled her colleague back. "Allow me!"

 Chapter 875: War Hammer

    <h4>Chapter 875: War Hammer</h4>

    Lin Fu stumbled forward, sweat covering his face and hair running down. His truncated ck hat tumbled away, his cherry wood sword long gone. With trembling hands pressed together, he summoned thest of his energy and his remaining enchanted talismans. They burst from their wooden case, dancing around Dead Pig like yellow butterflies.

    Dead Pig continued to charge while swatting at them, but the talismans darted and weaved around his massive arms. He looked like an ox trying to catch mosquitoes, each movement too slow, too clumsy.

    <i>p. p. p.</i> One by one, the yellow talismans found their marks, adhering to Dead Pig''s monstrous form.

    "Explode!" Lin Fu''s fingers formed a flurry of gestures, golden light zing in his eyes.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom! </i>Dozens of talismans exploded at the same time, turning the air into fire. Through the inferno sliced Amon''s boomerang, a silver arc spinning at killing velocity. Her frown deepened as the weapon stuck fast instead of cleaving through.

    The smoke cleared. Dead Pig stood transformed into a grotesque sight¡ªa burned and bleeding colossus with a boomerang buried in his abdomen like a toy fork in a roasted pig. But he didn''t just survive¡ªhe barely seemed to notice the wounds that would have killed anyone else.

    Level 7 Self Recovery kicked in. Charred skin sloughed off like old bark, fresh flesh knitting underneath. He yanked out the boomerang, tossing it aside with casual nonchnce.

    <i>Boom!</i> His fists cratered the ground. Then his transformation deepened¡ªhumanity giving way to pure beast. His fangs doubled in size as he dropped to all fours. He charged at the crowd.

    Despite his bulky appearance and giant size, he was far from slow. In the blink of an eye, he was upon Lin Fu.

    nking, Lin Fu couldn¡¯t get out of the way in time.

    "Watch out!" Amon mmed into Lin Fu, both of them rolling clear as the concrete pir behind them shattered like sugar ss.

    <i>Huff... huff...</i> Red mist plumed from Dead Pig''s maw as he wheeled for another charge. He''d traded rationality for raw power, his human mind submerged beneath bestial fury. His enhanced form with greater power, defense, and agility shrugged off everything¡ªOld Seven''s ranged attacks, Crimson Bee''s venom, Bumblebee''s Decaying Particle.

    Dead Pig rampaged through the Union members without discerning who his targets were, turning the chaotic battlefield into pure mayhem. If they couldn''t stop him soon, the Union would be torn apart.

    Thirty meters from the chaos, Qilin made his move. While Puppet Azure Dragon battled War Tiger, he seized a precious second to shift half his Willpower to his physical form. His eyes red purple for a heartbeat before returning to their serpentine green as control flowed back to the puppet.

    One second was enough. Dead Pig''s rampage stuttered to a halt, his massive form frozen mid-stride.

    The wild boar''s face twisted into an uncanny mask of human grief. His crimson eyes grew misty, broken. Through massive fangs, he mumbled a single name.

    Little Ba.

    The illusion shattered his bestial rage. His humanity resurged as he crashed to his knees, tears streaming down his monstrous face. "Don''t leave me, Little Ba! I''m sorry. It''s my fault. It''s all my fault..."

    "Great¡ªWar¡ªHammer!"

    Small Luo seized her chance. Despite her exhaustion from making countless attacks, she pulled a toy hammer from her bag. Her remaining energy transformed it into a golden construct twice the size of a wrecking ball.

    Golden light wreathed her small frame as she gripped the toy, her features contorted with effort. "Die!"

    She hurled the hammer like a bowling ball. The giant golden construct followed,unching Dead Pig off his feet. Like a struck golf ball, he arced off the bridge and plunged into the river below with a tremendous ssh.

    While Dead Pig fell off the bridge, Jing Ke, First Firelord, Nomad, and Harvest Song caught up with Zhong He before others, intercepting him at the end of the bridge. Compared to Harvest Song, an assassin-type, and Jing Ke, a fighter-type, Zhong He¡¯s speed wasckluster as a hybrid of spellcaster and assassin.

    Harvest Song struck first,unching a dart before using Mirror Man to overtake him. She materialized in his path, triangr de thrust forward.

    Zhong He''s Phantom armor¡ªa shield of pure shadow that made him look like a viin from <i>Elementary School Grim Reaper</i>[1]¡ªcaught the de. Instead of prating, the strike merely scattered a few shadow wisps.

    Surprise flickered across Harvest Song''s face at Phantom''s imprable defense. Shadow stings erupted from Zhong He''s hands, forcing her into two quick backflips to avoid the barrage of protrusion from the ground.

    She retreated to a safe distance, reassessing her former colleague. Phantom''s reputation as second to only the top twelve Talents was well-earned¡ªits perfect blend of offense and defense made it formidable. Yet Zhong He had weaknesses: limited battle experience and mediocre closebat skills that limited his use of Phantom. In Harvest Song''s or Jing Ke''s hands, Phantom would have been devastating at close range.

    Zhong He knew his limitations. He charged straight at the woman blocking his path, hoping to force an opening.

    "Seal Six Senses!"

    1. A reference to <i>Detective Conan</i>. ?

 Chapter 876: Rules of Jianghu

    <h4>Chapter 876: Rules of Jianghu</h4>

    A soft <i>hum</i> rippled through the air as First Firelord''s level 4 Six Senses Judge activated. The Talent''s effect swept through a thirty-meter radius, stripping First Firelord''s team of taste while robbing Zhong He of smell and¡ªcrucially¡ªsight.

    Darkness mmed down like a curtain. Zhong He''s intimate knowledge of First Firelord''s abilities only made the situation more bitter. <i>Just perfect.</i> His internal voice dripped with sarcasm. <i>Out of all the senses, it had to be vision.</i>

    "He can''t see!" First Firelord''s shout carried triumph. "Everyone, let''s go!"

    Bone des whistling, Jing Ke charged from the front while Harvest Song''s footsteps approached from the nk.

    <i>Dammit!</i>

    Blind, Zhong He pulled back his extended shadows, reinforcing his armor. Half a secondter, <i>thud</i>¡ªJing Ke''s de carved a diagonal sh at his neck. Even through Phantom''s protection, the strike nearly tore through his neck muscles; without the Talent, his head would¡¯ve rolled. The impact hurled him against the bridge''s metal railing, warping steel.

    He sucked in a cold breath, enduring the pain. The collision told him everything he needed: the Li River waited just beyond the railing. One vault, one leap, and the water would give him an advantage. His hands found the ground, shadows gathering tounch him¡ª

    "Duel me!"

    Nomad''s familiar voice carried the unmistakable energy of a rule-based Talent. Zhong He''s curse died in his throat.

    Rules of Jianghu, serial number 186, Damage-type, forced its target into singlebat. Once activated, the challenge couldn''t be refused¡ªthe pure physicalbat only ended with knockout or death. Strong-willed targets could resist, and any third-party interference would break the spell.

    The now-blind Zhong He fell under its spell. His body lurched toward Nomad''s voice, fist cocked. The Talent screamed at him to dissolve his shadow armor, to engage in primalbat. Only level 6 Phantom''s enhanced mental resistance and the fact that he had activated it before Nomad used Rules of Jianghu kept him frompletely losing control¡ªbut he couldn''t attack with his shadows either.

    Nomad crashed into him like a street brawler. No technique, just raw aggression. His knuckles split against the shadow armor, blood smearing across a surface that felt like steel-reinforced sandpaper. The Rules of Jianghu kept him going, heedless of injury.

    Zhong He, blind and inexperienced in closebat, swung his fists wildly. Each clumsy exchange left him more battered, more humiliated despite not feeling any pain. Finally, desperation let him snag Nomad''s wrist. They crashed to the ground, a tangle of limbs and fury.

    Jing Ke and Harvest Song circled like wolves, weapons ready. They only needed one moment¡ªone slip of Zhong He''s control where rage would make him drop Phantom. Then their des would find vital points, making it so quick that Zhong He wouldn¡¯t be able to react.

    "Son of a bitch! Die!" Blood sprayed from Nomad''s knuckles as he pinned his former friend, raining blows against Zhong He''s shadow-shielded head.

    "You''re the one who''s gonna die, bastard!" Shadow-gloved hands found Nomad''s throat. Zhong He squeezed until his opponent''s face turned crimson.

    His leg coiled and struck, catapulting Nomad away. Zhong He rolled, reversing their positions. Even blind, he found Nomad''s face and mmed his fist down¡ªbut the Phantom around his knuckles began to fade, revealing vulnerable flesh.

    <i>That''s it!</i>

    Jing Ke and Harvest Song tightened their grips, watching the shadow armor dissolve. They needed just one exposed vital point¡ªneck, head, or heart.

    Blood rage consumed Zhong He. Complex fury toward his former friend made the shadows around his neck melt away, revealing pale skin beneath.

    <i>Now!</i>

    Bone des raised, Jing Ke charged. Harvest Song''s triangr de followed close behind.

    Their movement broke the Rules of Jianghu''s spell. rity hit Zhong He like ice water. <i>What am I doing? Fighting like amon thug when I have Phantom?</i> He sensed the danger behind him, but it was already toote to dodge.

    A figure burst upward at near-teleportation speed. White Rabbit''s kick caught Jing Ke''s jaw with devastating force.

    <i>Clink.</i> Yellow Lotus appeared in the same instant, catching Harvest Song''s de with her ck Gold-gloved hand while reaching for her cor.

    Harvest Song disengaged,nding with catlike grace. Complicated feelings flickered in her eyes.

    Yellow Lotus stood before Zhong He with an open, confident smile, but her tone was rueful. ¡°I never expected to one day fight you as a real enemy, Little Harvest.¡±

    The words struck deep, but Harvest Song''s moment of weakness passed quickly. Memories of fallenrades turned her gaze to ice.

    "Sister Lotus." Her voice hardened. "This time, I''m using weapons."

    Yellow Lotus tossed the triangr de back with gentle precision. "Come on. Let me see what you''re capable of."

    ...

    Meanwhile, White Rabbit didn¡¯t stay after kicking Jing Ke away. She phased back into the bridge with Intangibility, pursuing her primary mission.

    Jing Ke recovered from his tumble, scanning for White Rabbit¡ªthen froze. His eyes locked onto an approaching figure: a silver-haired man in ck training wear, moving with ethereal dignity. Mischievous Monkey of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.

    "Surrender, Jing Ke." The old man''s voice carried gentle authority, one hand resting at his back. "Do not waste your life for nothing."

    "My life is worth something, but not mypanions''?!" Rage twisted Jing Ke''s features. "Did they deserve to die?"

    "This is how war is." Mischievous Monkey''s voice dropped lower.

    "War. Yes, this is how war is..." Darkness consumed Jing Ke''s expression. "I just have to kill all of you, and the war wille to an end..." Pure hatred and murderous intent zed in his eyes.

    "Die!" He charged, bone des extended.

    Mischievous Monkey watched him with profound sadness, raising his right hand. His words carried the weight of genuine regret.

    "I''m sorry, child."

 Chapter 877: Paper, Scissor, Stone!

    <h4>Chapter 877: Paper, Scissor, Stone!</h4>

    Mischievous Monkey syed his right hand at Jing Ke as he rushed forward. Jing Ke sensed a tremendous energy surging from below. The ground beneath his feet splintered into spiderweb-like cracks.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> A jagged stone spike erupted diagonally from the fissures, aimed at Jing Ke''s chest. He twisted away, swinging his bone des to shear through the projection.

    <i>Whoosh, whoosh.</i> Two more spikesnced toward him from different angles. Jing Ke leaped clear, but more earthen spears followed, elongating like stgmites, stabbing at him while he hung suspended.

    With nowhere to dodge, Jing Ke roared as white bone des erupted from his joints. He transformed into a spinning top midair, slicing through the stone projectiles while using their remains as stepping stones, vaulting from point to point with deadly grace.

    The earth-manipted concrete proved no match for Jing Ke''s bone des. The stone spears shattered into countless fragments. Yet instead of falling, the rubble hung suspended in the air.

    By the time Jing Ke noticed, the fragments had already encircled him like meteorites orbiting a.

    <i>Dammit!</i>

    He realized he''d fallen into a trap, but toote.

    A brown light shed through Mischievous Monkey''s aged eyes as he clenched his right fist.

    <i>Crackle.</i> The stone fragments converged on Jing Ke like a hailstorm.

    He immediately channeled his energy to reinforce his bones, trying to shield himself from the assault.

    But Mischievous Monkey wasn''t aiming to wound. The rubble adhered to Jing Ke instead, weighing him down. He transformed into a stone giant farrger than his original size before crashing to the ground.

    The assault wasn''t over. Mischievous Monkey raised his left hand, unclenching and clenching it.

    About a dozen stone spears shot up from the ground to encase the stone giant. More earth elements flowed in waves like liquid cement,yer uponyer. Within five seconds, a stone mountain stood before Mischievous Monkey, with Jing Ke sealed at its core.

    A night wind rustled Mischievous Monkey''s silver hair. His eyes held pity, tempered with quiet strength.

    The old man drew a deep breath and extended his arms vertically, forming a tai chi circle¡ªa charging stance unique to him.

    Then he took a big stride forward, making an unreserved punch at the concrete mountain before him.

    Level 6 One-inch Punch!

    Mischievous Monkey had acquired a third Talent: One-inch Punch. It had reached level 4 with the Damage Rune Circuit lent by the Nine Scions, then advanced to level 6 in recent days.

    One-inch Punch didn''t merely inflict physical damage; it carried a hidden force that could shatter targets from within, simr to the tremors caused by War Tiger''s Dragonying Giantsword.

    His punch connected with the concrete mountain¡ªa cage of earth elements he''d personally crafted. Rather than diminishing One-inch Punch''s power, it amplified it.

    He pulled back, releasing a long breath.

    <i>ck¡ªcrumble¡ª</i>

    A single crack split the mountain, spreading into countless fissures. The structure toppled, scattering into rubble. Inside, Jing Key bleeding from every orifice, his skin darkened to an unnatural shade. Half his body remained buried under the debris.

    Every energy pathway in his body had ruptured, his internal organs shattered. He was dead.

    Mischievous Monkey gazed at the young man who had died by his hands. Though he''d long moved beyond the fear of death in this world, a quiet sorrow still settled in his heart.

    Suddenly, a hand shot up from the ground to grasp his ankle. Mischievous Monkey didn''t flinch.

    White Rabbit''s head emerged momentster, her baseball cap still firmly in ce. "Are you ready, Sir Monkey? We''re going to do it," she urged.

    Though not everything had proceeded ording to n, events were unfolding toward their intended scenario. They continued following Nine Frost''s deployment.

    "Let''s get started." Mischievous Monkey held his breath.

    White Rabbit activated Intangibility and pulled him down into the bridge.

    ...

    Yellow Lotus and Harvest Song remained locked inbat, with Harvest Song maintaining a slight advantage. First Firelord was about to support his teammate when he sensed movement from the side. He spun to find Thick Earth charging toward him.

    "I bet your Talent''s going to lose its effect!" Thick Earth shouted.

    "Bullshit!" First Firelord cursed and squeezed the trigger.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Thick Earth dove behind a concrete barrier. A bullet had grazed his arm¡ªthankfully just a surface wound. The bullet''s poisoning, weakening, and paralyzing enchantments hadn''t yet taken effect.

    First Firelord emptied his magazine. As he reached for a fresh clip, Thick Earth suddenly emerged, thrusting out his hand as if courting death.

    Instead of firing, First Firelord found himself extending his right hand, unbidden.

    Only then did he realize he was being forced into a game of rock, paper, scissors by some rule-based energy. He couldn''t resist ying, his mouth moving of its own ord.

    "Paper, Scissors, Stone!"

    "Paper, Scissors, Stone!"

    Two secondster, First Firelord showed stone while Thick Earth revealed paper. Thick Earth''s victory!

    An invisible forcefield dissipated. First Firelord''s Six Senses Judge Talent lost its effect on everyone in the area. Zhong He benefited most, regaining his sight instantly.

    First Firelord seethed, knowing he''d fallen for the trap. He resumed shooting at Thick Earth, but his opponent had already ducked back behind the concrete barrier, refusing to emerge. First Firelord drew the secondary weapon from his waist holster.

    Thick Earth¡¯s Talent was Gambler, serial number 115, Support-type.

    One of its abilities allowed the Talent user to establish a bet through speech. Once the other party responded, the bet was considered valid. They wouldpete through a coin toss, rock paper scissors, or any other means, with Thick Earth holding a 55% chance of victory.

    If Thick Earth won, the bet''s conditions would manifest.

    While the Talent seemed overwhelming, it proved useful only in fringe cases where Thick Earth could challenge targets in moments of anxiety-induced carelessness. Normally, no one would respond if they knew his Talent or maintained even slight caution, preventing any bet from forming.

    First Firelord raised his gun in fury and scanned the area, spotting Zhong He nearby.

 Chapter 878: Forget Life and Death

    <h4>Chapter 878: Forget Life and Death</h4>

    Zhong He regained his vision, but the sight before him froze his blood. The shadow covering his face retracted, revealing whaty beneath. His expression crumpled in pain and disbelief, rejecting the reality before him.

    Ten seconds earlier, when Rules of Jianghu''s binding power had failed, he''d panicked in his blindness. He''d conjured two shadow daggers¡ªone piercing Nomad''s abdomen, the other finding its mark on the right side of his chest.

    Nomad had screamed then, grabbing Zhong He''s hands. His curses had died quickly, too quickly.

    The corpse stared up with unseeing eyes, bloody foam staining its nose and mouth. Zhong He''s entire body shook as the truth sank in. Nomad was dead. Completely, irreversibly dead.

    This wasn''t supposed to happen. He''d known the Ocean River Union members took resurrection pills. He''d meant to give Nomad a chance to return.

    Memory struck like a knife. They''d been close once, sharing drinks and stories in the Union. Unlike Zhong He''s cautious nature, Nomad had been fearless, almost reckless. Despite his low-ranking Talent, he''d always volunteered for the frontline, seeking out conflict with savage joy.

    <i>"Forget about life and death. Just do it. The more you fear death, the more likely you''ll die!"</i>

    Zhong He had worried endlessly, pleading with him to stop. "Why don''t you ask Donxote to shift your heart with Organ Puzzle? That may save your life."

    "Coward! I look down on those like you!" Nomad had spat the words with disgust.

    The bitter irony twisted in Zhong He''s gut. Nomad had taken his advice after all, undergone the operation¡ªand that very change had sealed his fate at Zhong He''s hands.

    <i>The more you fear death, the more likely you¡¯ll die.</i>

    So it was true.

    Something snapped in his mind.

    <i>I killed Nomad! I killed him!</i>

    <i>No, he asked for it! He was going to kill me earlier! He did it first!</i>

    <i>This is war! I''ve done nothing wrong! It wasn''t my fault!</i>

    Zhong He''s face drained of color as he struggled against the corpse''s grip. But Nomad''s hands remained locked like steel vises, refusing to release their final hold.

    "Let go, let go...let go now!"

    Zhong He broke down and shed at Nomad''s hands with Phantom. He staggered backward and fell. When he scrambled to his feet, the severed hands still clutched his wrists.

    "Don''t touch me! Fuck... don''t touch me!"

    He iled wildly until the hands fell away, but their bloodied prints had already seared into his soul.

    Behind him, a gun barrel tracked his movements, yet the trigger remained unpulled.

    First Firelord clenched his teeth, face contorted with fury. At this range, putting a bullet through Zhong He''s skull would be child''s y. Yet his hands trembled, refusing toplete the action.

    <i>What are you waiting for, First Firelord! Shoot him!</i>

    <i>He''s not the same attention-seeking coward anymore¡ªthe one who''d act cool while collecting office gossip to share over drinks!</i>

    <i>He''s an enemy now, with Phantom at hismand! He just killed Flower and Nomad!</i>

    <i>Shoot! Kill him, kill him!</i>

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The shot rang out¡ªbut not from First Firelord''s gun.

    Thick Earth had pulled the trigger a split second faster. His bullet found First Firelord''s left chest, right through the heart.

    <i>Bang!</i> First Firelord''s dyed shot went wide, striking the ground at Zhong He''s feet. Sparks scattered across the concrete.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>

    Thick Earth fired three more times, driving First Firelord backward. The gun slipped from his fingers as he crumpled to the ground.

    Zhong He turned, staring dumbly at First Firelord''s fallen form.

    "Lordy!"

    He scrambled to First Firelord''s side, cradling the body. Four wounds punctured the chest, each pumping out rivers of blood.

    "Fuck..." Blood foam spilled from First Firelord''s lips as he fixed Zhong He with bloodshot eyes. "Indeed... hesitation... kills..."

    "Medicine C!" Zhong He screamed at Thick Earth. "Give me Medicine C!"

    Thick Earth remained motionless, watching the scene with cold eyes. The heart shot was fatal¡ªno medicine could help now. And First Firelord was their enemy. Had Thick Earth hesitated, Zhong He would be the corpse cooling on the ground.

    "Lordy, stay strong..." Zhong He pressed helplessly against his friend''s heart, but First Firelord''s life continued bleeding away between his fingers.

    "Old Zhong..." First Firelord''s words slurred weakly. "Gao Yang... what... is he?"

    Zhong He paused. The Nine Scions and the Twelve Zodiac Signs believed him to be the Divine Scion, while Surnamed Li prophesied that he was the Malediction. Zhong He couldn¡¯t say for certain what he was.

    However, Zhong He remembered that First Firelord had his answer, or at least an answer he wanted to believe.

    Zhong He grabbed his hands and said, ¡°Gao Yang¡¯s the Divine Scion!¡±

    ¡°I...knew it...ack, ack!¡±

    First Firelord''s cough sprayed blood across Zhong He''s face. A pained smile crossed his lips. "I envy you... for following the right guy... pull your weight..."

    His eyes dimmed as a single tear traced down his cheek. The hand in Zhong He''s grasp went limp.

    Zhong He couldn''t look away from the lifeless face before him. Another memory surfaced unbidden: six months ago, nursing First Firelord through heartbreak, the three of them¡ªNomad, Zhong He, and First Firelord¡ªsprawled in his messy apartment, surrounded by hot pot and empty beer bottles.

    First Firelord had stumbled to the balcony, drunk and defiant. "Women''s nothing to me! I have friends! What do I have to fear!"

    ...

    "Old Zhong!" Thick Earth approached, clutching his wounded arm. His face had gone pale, cold sweat beading on his skin as the bullet¡¯s poison took effect.

    "Get up. This isn''t the time to dawdle..."

    He helped Zhong He to his feet, panting. "I knew you were close. If you have to hate someone, hate¡ª"

    Thick Earth''s eyes widened as he spotted the danger with no time to avoid it. "Watch out!" He shoved Zhong He aside instinctively.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    The ck Gold boomerang carved vertically through Thick Earth, from left shoulder to abdomen, splitting open his chest.

 Chapter 879: Kill Them All

    <h4>Chapter 879: Kill Them All</h4>

    The wind whipped past Zhong He''s face as Thick Earth pushed him aside, forcing his eyes shut. When they opened, the metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils. Thick Earth stood motionless, split from shoulder to waist like a hewn log.

    Arms limp and head bowed, Thick Earth stared nkly ahead. Blood sprayed as he toppled forward.

    Hisst conscious thought flickered: <i>Whatever, I won this time. Can''t wait to rub it in Tall Sky''s face...</i>

    <i>Whoosh.</i> The ck Gold boomerang curved back through the air, streaking toward Zhong He.

    He armored himself with Phantom instantly. The weapon struck his chest, hurling him eight meters back¡ªbut failed to pierce his shadowy defense.

    "First Firelord! Nomad!"

    Amon caught her returning boomerang mid-stride, rushing to check her fallenrades. Two nces told her everything; neither would be brought back to life.

    "Bastard!" Fury zed in her eyes as she charged at Zhong He, weapon raised.

    Shadow erupted from beneath Zhong He''s feet as he rose. It coalesced into a towering soldier, wielding an enormous axe that crashed down toward Amon.

    <i>ng.</i> Her boomerang caught the blow, but the force threw her back several meters. She stumbled, then steadied herself, eyes widening at the sight before her.

    Zhong He stood wreathed in darkness, countless strands of shadow energy writhing around him like living smoke. He''d be something otherworldly¡ªa demon risen from the depths of hell.

    His Phantom had evolved, reaching level 7. No longer bound to his form, no longer limited to t shapes or partial manifestations. Now his shadows lived, autonomous and able to take three-dimensional forms. The element¡¯s power, speed, and strength sat at the top among all elemental Talents.

    Deep in Zhong He''s mind, his inner coward remained trapped in that dark room, searching desperately for an exit. But Zhong He no longer sought escape or craved the light. Let the coward rot in darkness.

    Only one thought consumed him now: <i>Revenge!</i>

    <i>Against whom?</i>

    <i>Don''t know. Doesn''t matter.</i>

    "Shadow Legion!" Themand tore from his throat.

    Eighteen shadow warriors materialized before him, each unique in size and form. Ancient te armor covered their ethereal forms, their weapons spanning the arsenal of war¡ªspears, ives, axes, morning stars, shields, and bows. Their leader towered above the rest astride a massive shadow steed, his long-handled ive gleaming with menace.

    Zhong He¡¯s eyes turned a pure ck with no detail.

    Amon was stunned.

    Amon froze, remembering Colorless''s warning: beyond War Tiger, Gao Yang, and Wang Zikai, be wary of Zhong He, their once colleague, most of all. His Phantom ranked thirteenth among all Talents¡ªjust outside the top twelve. They couldn¡¯t be more wary of him.

    Zhong He''s ck gaze fixed on Amon. Lips parting, he uttered an order to his legion: ¡°Kill them all.¡±

    The shadow warriors surged forward like a ck tempest unleashed.

    Amon knew she couldn''t escape. She raised her boomerang as a shield, deflecting a shadow arrow, but that split second of distraction was all they needed. A shadow assassin materialized above her, shortsword gleaming. She moved to block, already toote.

    They came in waves: an axe fighter, a spearman, another with a morning star, a swordsman. Their weapons were mere extensions of their shadowy forms¡ªeach soldier a living weapon itself. Amon''s defenses crumbled under the assault.

    The shadow warriors transformed into streams of pure darkness, eighteen strokes of ck calligraphy converging on their target. Amon retreated desperately through the dark tempest.

    After the barrage, the shadow soldiers copsed into pure energy, flowing back to Zhong He''s body like ink returning to its well. Dark power radiated from his form.

    His breath came in sharp bursts¡ªhis first time wielding level 7 Phantom''s ultimate technique had drained him severely. He paused, struggling to control theplex web of energy pathways writhing beneath his skin.

    Amon stood motionless, eyes wide, face frozen.

    <i>ng.</i>

    Her boomerang hit the ground.

    A heartbeatter, crimson lines bloomed across her body. Blood sprayed in fine mists. The shadow strands had prated herpletely, holding her form together even as they destroyed it from within.

    "Amon!"

    Colorless rushed forward to aid her, but it was toote.

    "Stay with me!"

    She knelt by Amon¡¯s side and jabbed a syringe of Medicine C into Amon¡¯s bloodied chest. It didn¡¯t feel like she was putting a needle into a human body, but a ball of cotton.

    It didn¡¯t work.

    Amon¡¯s body was bleeding from all parts; like apletely driednd, it couldn¡¯t retain any water.

    She fixed her gaze on Colorless, lips moving. Only hisses emerged, but Colorless read the words:

    "I''ve asked you many times... Why wouldn''t you visit my shop... Are you... that scared of me?"

    Amon tried to smirk onest time. She couldn¡¯t.

    Her head fell forward.

    "No, no, nonononono..."

    Colorless clutched herpanion''s cooling body. She''d lost teammates before. Lost loved ones before.

    But never had words failed her sopletely.

    "No..."

    "No..."

    "No."

    Seconds stretched like hours. Colorlessid Amon down with terrible gentleness. Her pale face twisted, bloodshot eyes burning with rage through tears.

    Power burst from her like a shockwave. Petrify reached level 7.

    Without hesitation, she turned her ring, injecting herself with the medicine of Equivalent Exchange. Her power doubled instantly.

    <i>Curse of Red Snakes!</i>

 Chapter 880: Unbridled Light

    <h4>Chapter 880: Unbridled Light</h4>

    "Aghhh!!"

    Colorless crashed to her knees, head thrown back in a primal howl. Crimson capiries erupted across her chest, spreading like wildfire through her body. Her eyes melted into orbs of shimmering dark red light.

    Raw psychic power materialized around her in waves of translucent red energy. Her hair writhed outward, each strand transforming into serpents wreathed in crimson light.

    "Gahhhh¡ª"

    Her scream intensified. Waves of petrifying energy exploded outward, indiscriminate in their hunger to turn all life to stone.

    The energy struck Zhong He like countless burrowing insects, numbing and sharp. Even his Phantom armor couldn''t fully shield him¡ªit merely bought him precious seconds.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    He tried to retreat, but his limbs had already begun to turn leaden, movements growing sluggish.

    ...

    Across the bridge, Harvest Song and Yellow Lotus remained locked in their deadly dance.

    Blood streaked Yellow Lotus''s body, but Muscles kept her standing, defiant. Harvest Song showed no wounds but her pale face andbored breathing betrayed her exhaustion.

    "Are you scratching me, Little Harvest?" Yellow Lotus taunted, wiping blood from her mouth.

    Harvest Song crouched, triangr sword in one hand, the other concealing a hidden weapon. She pondered for a tactic.

    It would look like Yellow Lotus was on the losing side, but Harvest Song was in great danger too. She was an assassin, and she had been weakening Yellow Lotus with all sorts of melee weapons by leveraging her agility. Her brittle defense made it so that she could die if she made a single mistake and allowed Yellow Lotus to grab her.

    Her depleting stamina made errors more likely. She drew a steadying breath, preparing to end this in the next ten seconds.

    Yellow Lotus suddenly charged forward. Harvest Song''s eyes widened in confusion¡ªit made no tactical sense. Yellow Lotus had been fighting smart, waiting to counter. Why change now?

    Then she saw the panic in Yellow Lotus''s eyes.

    "Run, Little Harvest!"

    Toote. The paralyzing red wind struck Harvest Song''s back like an arctic st. Her limbs turned unresponsive, as if sh-frozen.

    Yellow Lotus lunged forward, seized her hand, and hurled her backward with desperate strength.

    Harvest Song flew eight meters clear¡ªbut Yellow Lotus stood frozen in her act of sacrifice. Gray spread across her skin like frost, hairline cracks showing.

    "Sister Lotus!"

    Harvest Song rolled up and sprinted back to save Yellow Lotus, fighting the growing heaviness in her limbs. It was futile; they bothy trapped within the doubled level 7 Petrify''s reach.

    Their eyes met as stone imed them both, watching cracks spread across each other''s faces, hair crystallizing into mineral.

    "I''ll call this... your win." Yellow Lotus forced out the words.

    "Doesn''t count!" Harvest Song''s tears turned gray as they fell. "Again..."

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The bridge gave way beneath them, and both women plunged.

    ...

    "Ahhh!!"

    Colorless, transformed into a modern Medusa, had lost all reason. She vowed to drain herst drop of power to turn every living thing around her to stone.

    Zhong He''s protective shadows dissipated as his exposed skin began to be petrified. Further away, Yellow Lotus and Harvest Song sumbed to the same fate.

    Seconds remained before the transformation became irreversible.

    For the first time in his life, Zhong He felt not fear, but peace.

    Yet fate had other ns. The bridge beneath Colorless crumbled.

    Her petrifying wave interrupted, she plunged toward Li River with a mass of concrete and rebar. Water exploded upward at her impact.

    The bridge''s copse elerated. Zhong He fell next, followed by Harvest Song and Yellow Lotus.

    Mid-fall, Zhong He spotted Yellow Lotus. A shadow rope shot from his hand, catching hers. Another tendril of darknessshed out, securing itself to a surviving bridge pir.

    With a sharp pull, he swung them both back to a stable section. He knelt, cradling Yellow Lotus''s half-petrified form. Her skin felt like cold marble, limbs rigid,plexion ashen and spiderwebbed with cracks. Her eyes had dulled.

    Without hesitation, he injected her with Medicine C, following it with specialized adrenaline.

    "Ugh..."

    Yellow Lotus groaned momentster, consciousness returning. "Did I... die?"

    "Yes, you''re in hell," Zhong He replied.

    His weak attempt at humor cleared her mind. She sat up, scanning their surroundings. "Sir Monkey''s moved?"

    "Seems that way." Zhong He nodded.

    The bridge continued disintegrating, like a fuse burning from both ends toward the center. When it finally stopped, only the middle section remained¡ªan ind of concrete trapping Qilin, Surnamed Li, and several Ocean River Union members.

    From the distant signal tower, Nine Frost tracked the copse through his binocrs.

    [Nine Frost: Zhang Wei!]

    [Zhang Wei: Copy!]

    ...

    A minute before, White Rabbit had woven through the inner structure of the bridge with Mischievous Monkey in tow, while Mischievous Monkey made marks for dissolving at key points of the bridge.

    Once the preparation was done, they waited for the moment to detonate the marks.

    This trap for Qilin and Surnamed Li had been meticulously nned in advance.

    As the bridge crumbled, Mischievous Monkey departed alone. White Rabbit held Fat Jun, concealing them both within a fractured pir near the center using Intangibility.

    They emerged silently.

    "Let''s go," White Rabbit whispered.

    "Yeah!" Fat Jun''s face set with grim determination.

    White Rabbit positioned herself behind him, gripping tight. Thighs tensed, sheunched them skyward.

    They soared diagonally, climbing a hundred meters above Qilin and Surnamed Li. Fat Jun stared down at the severed bridge, arms outstretched as he channeled every ounce of his power.

    "Unbridled Light!"

 Chapter 881: Reel in the Fish

    <h4>Chapter 881: Reel in the Fish</h4>

    Golden light nkton gathered beneath Fat Jun''s feet, coalescing into a spinning vortex. Like a firework, it unleashed countless arrows of light elements toward the bridge¡ªa golden downpour of destruction.

    "Light elements from above! Area attack!" Surnamed Li''s harsh warning cut through the air, her Prophet revealing the danger ten seconds before impact.

    Their options were limited: Wandering Tune couldn''t summon arge enough portal, and Lin Fu had depleted his case of enchanted talismans.

    None of their remaining members possessed defensive Talents suitable for this threat.

    Then Flower, killed by Zhong He, rose from the ground, eyes flickering with ethereal green light. He hovered above the group, arms spread wide as he generated a massive telekinesis domain.

    Compressed air whined. The dense arrows of light elements froze in the air before reaching the group like a golden rain put on pause.

    Due to the encroaching threat, Qilin had no choice but to shift part of his Willpower to quickly assume control over Flower¡¯s body, using Telekinesis to protect himself and the Union members.

    Their relief proved premature. Surnamed Li''s face darkened. "Qilin, move¡ª"

    A crimson streak pierced Qilin''s right chest¡ªnot aser, but a bone sting wreathed in malevolent red energy. It extended from the fist of a figure thirty meters away: Wang Zikai, the Blond Grim Reaper. He was falling from above the bridge.

    Water dripped from his blond hair, stering it to his forehead. Despite his sodden appearance, his expression radiated arrogant confidence.

    Zhang Wei clung to his back, wearing an oxygen mask connected to a tank. They''d hidden in Li River during the battle. Unlike Wang Zikai, Zhang Wei couldn¡¯t hold his breath for that long; thus, the whole get-up.

    The real aces of the n Gao Yang and War Tiger had formted were Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei.

    All the previous attacks, however vicious and risky, were necessary smokescreen to help Wang Zikai use his bone sting and hit the mark.

    Gao Yang had tested this personally, confirming that Wang Zikai''s evolved weapon could seal an awakener''s energy pathways. Even someone of Qilin''s caliber wouldn''t be immune.

    Surnamed Li''s Prophet ability, active since the battle''s start, had finally faltered from exhaustion. The chaos ofbat clouded her foresight, while Qilin''s attention split between puppet control and defense leaving gaps in his vignce.

    Even the mightiestbination had its weak point.

    Wang Zikai''s bone sting was the spear to pierce it.

    Fat Jun''s Unbridled Light had provided cover for Wang Zikai to emerge from the river with Zhang Wei. From their aerial position, he''d found his mark in Qilin''s chest.

    ording to the n, Wang Zikai wasn¡¯t to kill Qilin but to seal Qilin¡¯s energy pathway, retracting his bone sting to pull Qilin to him. Then Zhang Wei would shoot Qilin in the head with a ck Gold gun, putting an end to this damn civil war.

    ¡°Do it already!¡± Zhang Wei tore off the gas mask and drew his gun. ¡°Reel the fish in!¡±

    Wang Zikai began descending, his bone sting still anchored in Qilin''s chest. But he didn''t retract it; not because he couldn''t, but because he wouldn''t.

    The blond boy''s face creased with confusion, water still streaming down his features. Something was very wrong.

    ...

    Meanwhile, inside the domain of Judge.

    A ¡°fair¡± turn-based match was underway. Five opponents faced each other: a parrot, Dr. Jia, Gao Yang, Nico, and Gao Yang''s double against Sir Jiang, Qin You, 0618, Void, and Liao Liao.

    During the thinking time before the first turn, the two groups huddled separately, protected by a gray sound-dampening barrier.

    Sir Jiang studied Gao Yang through it, then shifted his gaze to Dr. Jia. After a bemused moment, he said, "During the first round, we concentrate our firepower to kill Dr. Jia..."

    "No!" Liao Liao''s fist clenched as she cut him off, hierarchy forgotten. "We must not waste the precious first turn. We concentrate on attacking Gao Yang. Once he dies, the others will pose little threat. Only then will we get out of here alive."

    Liao Liao understood Sir Jiang''s motives. His primary mission was preventing the Nine Scions from capturing Dr. Jia. Killing the Divine Scion came second. The old man cared nothing for his own survival or his teammates'' ¨C his sole focus was clearing the path for Qilin.

    But Liao Liao had different priorities. <i>I will survive this. No one will stop me.</i>

    "Liao Liao." Sir Jiang sighed softly. "I''ve shed with Gao Yang many times. He''s survived more desperate asions. It''s not that easy to kill the Malediction. At least we have to ensure the mission¡ª"

    "Don''t talk to me about the mission!" Liao Liao snapped. "If you want to kill Dr. Jia, do it yourself. I''m going after Gao Yang!"

    "Sir Jiang." Void maintained a carefulposure despite his trembling hands. "To my knowledge, Gao Yang often replicates Gamer. Even if we kill Dr. Jia, Gao Yang may bring him back. I believe we should kill Gao Yang first. Only then will we have a chance."

    "I believe we should concentrate on killing Gao Yang, too," 0618 whispered, face pale with fear.

    Qin You''s expression darkened. "It''s not that easy to kill Gao Yang. He can swap with his double."

    "Think, bro, think!" Liao Liao''s contempt for Qin You zed in her eyes. "Swapping himself with his double counts as an action. He can only act once! Gao Yang''s not going to waste the precious first turn just to swap with his double. He''ll try to kill us!"

    Qin You paused, convinced. "Then who do you think... Gao Yang will kill first?"

    "He''ll either go after the easiest kill or the biggest threat..." 0618 began.

    "Shut up!" Liao Liao lowered her head, fingers twitching as she processed the possibilities.

    She looked up, eyes burning with determination. "He''ll kill me first. I''ll protect myself. Go after Gao Yang together! I don''t have time to exin! Just do as I said if you want to live!"

    The other awakeners hesitated. Though they wondered if Liao Liao spoke from fear, they realized they would all die if they couldn''t secure victory. Liao Liao must have known this too.

    Sir Jiang had reached his decision. Among them, only he remained fully devoted to Qilin; the others simply wanted to survive. Liao Liao represented their collective will. That was why they listened to her. And her quick mind gave them their best chance. He would have to bet on her strategy.

    ¡°Everyone, follow Liao Liao¡¯s instructions,¡± Sir Jiang ordered.

    That resolved everyone¡¯s hesitation.

    Time was running out. A translucent table of actions materialized before each of them, customized to their individual Talents and conditions. The text remained visible only to its intended user; to others, the words appeared as meaningless scrambles.

    Still, it was obvious that the powerful ones had more Talents and thus more actions on their tables, while the weak ones¡¯ tables looked much simpler.

    As Sir Jiang selected his actions, he nced through the gray barrier at Gao Yang, whose action window resembled a hovering ckboard packed with options.

    Soon, all ten participants had locked in their choices, including the fat gray parrot.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The first turn begins.]

 Chapter 882: First Turn

    <h4>Chapter 882: First Turn</h4>

    The gray barrier between the two teams vanished, opening their field of vision.

    Beneath Gao Yang''s feet, the gray scale pattern flickered green like a ground light, while the patterns under the other nine yers glowed red.

    For one second, the air went still.

    Then Gao Yang vanished.

    Liao Liao had predicted correctly. Gao Yang had chosen offense for his first turn, targeting her with a Teleportation surprise attack.

    His reasoning was precise and calcted. Liao Liao possessed six Talents: Aptitude, Follow Heart, Insects King, God of Archery, God of Firearms, and Disorientation. In a turn-based match, her strategic use of these Talents made her more dangerous than Sir Jiang. Moreover, her God of Firearms and God of Archery granted her attack speeds second only to his Teleportation.

    Under the match''s speed calctions, she would act second. And if Gao Yang hadn¡¯t picked Teleportation, while Liao Liao picked God of Firearms, she might even have been the first to make a move.

    Thus, Gao Yang decided to kill Liao Liao now to make sure he would act first in all future turns, which would be a crucial advantage.

    He materialized before Liao Liao, his dagger aimed at her heart. The pattern beneath her feet shed yellow¡ªshe couldn''t counterattack, but within her movement circle, she could attempt to dodge. While the basic rules of turn-basedbat allowed this defense, her chances of sessful evasion were slim.

    Gao Yang was confident. Given her physical abilities, dodging seemed impossible, and her constitution couldn''t resist his de.

    "Have mercy!"

    As his dagger plunged forward, Liao Liao activated level 4 Follow Heart and cried out.

    Involuntary hesitation made Gao Yang''s hand waver. His de missed her heart, striking her corbone instead with diminished force.

    Gao Yang''s eyes widened. He attempted to add force, to drive the de through her corbone and immobilize her, but the domain''s absolute, omnipresent "fairness" prevented it. His action had ended.

    He withdrew his dagger and retreated to his movement circle. The patterns beneath both their feet turned red.

    <i>She read me perfectly</i>, Gao Yang realized. Liao Liao had anticipated his strategy and chosen Follow Heart as her defensive action.

    A momentter, one-seventh of the golden energy bar above Gao Yang''s head vanished.

    Liao Liao crumpled, her face ashen as she pressed her right hand against her bleeding corbone. The red health bar above her had shortened by a quarter.

    "The girl''s smart!" Dr. Jia''s voice carried genuine admiration. Though heckedbat prowess, his Genius Talent had helped him instantly grasp Gao Yang''s strategy.

    Gao Yang shot him a conflicted look.

    "Amazing!" 0618''s eyes shone with newfound respect. "We may actually do this, everyone!"

    Sir Jiang allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. <i>Surnamed Li was right¡ªLiao Liao was destined for greatness. If we''d brought her to the frontline earlier, perhaps Gao Yang would already be dead.</i>

    The pattern beneath his feet shed green while Gao Yang''s turned yellow. Sir Jiang''s turn to attack hade, and Gao Yang could only attempt evasion within his limited range.

    Sir Jiang raised his left hand and summoned Spatial Blender.

    Sir Jiang had chosen Spatial Blender over Heartstealer despite its higher energy cost. Though Heartstealer had a greater fatality rate, Gao Yang might dodge it. Spatial Blender''s wide hitbox would cover Gao Yang''s entire movement range, making evasion impossible.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> Countless spatial vortexes materialized around Gao Yang. With nowhere to dodge, he dropped to the ground, minimizing his body''s exposed surface¡ªthe only defense left to him.

    Blood sprayed as injuries bloomed across his body. His hands pressed against the ground, keeping him from copsing as he coughed up blood, the crimson liquid pooling beneath him. At least ten wounds gaped in his flesh, many prating to his internal organs. Only luck had spared his brain and heart, keeping him alive.

    The red health bar above his head plummeted until only a tenth remained. Sir Jiang''s golden energy bar decreased by a third.

    "Nice one!" Qin You pumped his fist in triumph.

    The pattern beneath his feet turned green, signaling his turn. He unleashed nt''s most powerful strangling attack. With Gao Yang already grievously wounded, dodging would be impossible.

    Green vines converged on Gao Yang like hungry serpents. They gripped his feet and slithered upward, binding his limbs. The mass of vegetation twisted and rose, braiding his body within their crushing embrace. Blood spurted from between the vines as flesh and bone gave way. The final result resembled a grotesque wooden figurine, its surface stained crimson.

    When nt''s attack dissipated, the mangled body crashed to the ground. The red health bar emptied as Qin You''s energy bar diminished by a quarter.

    "I killed him! I killed him!" Qin You''s voice cracked with hysterical excitement. Not only had they secured their survival, but he, Qin You, had in the legendary Malediction. The Ocean River Union would elevate him to their most valued member. His name would be etched in humanity''s history, remembered and revered by generations toe.

    "No..." Liao Liao''s face, already pale from blood loss, turned ashen. Her initial excitement gave way to cold realization. "Sir Jiang shouldn''t have moved second. He couldn''t be faster than Gao Yang''s double. That means... Gao Yang''s double already took its turn."

    "What?!" The triumph drained from Qin You''s face.

    "The double swapped with the main body. That was its action." Sir Jiang''s voice was grim. "We killed Gao Yang''s double."

    All eyes turned to the young man they''d assumed was the double, still standing in his original position. A half-smile yed across his lips, his deep dark eyes glinting coldly like bottomless pits.

 Chapter 883: Second Turn

    <h4>Chapter 883: Second Turn</h4>

    Void''s turn arrived.

    In addition to Contract, Void hadprehended the powerful and insidious second Talent, Detonation. He hadn¡¯t told anyone the secret for he feared being sent to the front line, and he didn¡¯t want others to be afraid of his touch and thus keep their distance. Now, though, he couldn¡¯t afford to care if he wanted to live. He chose to use Detonation on Gao Yang.

    It was a shame that he couldn¡¯t change the target of his action now. While Gao Yang¡¯s double was already dead, it remained the target of his attack.

    Void rushed to the corpse, pressed both hands against it, then scrambled back. <i>Boom!</i> The double exploded, scattering gore and rotting flesh in a disy so grotesque it made them flinch.

    0618''s turn proved even more futile. They drew their ck Gold gun and fired at the scattered remains on the ground.

    Next came Dr. Jia''s turn. Wearing a bathrobe and a pair of slippers, he ran up to Sir Jiang and threw a wild punch at his chin.

    Sir Jiang''s head barely moved.

    "Oww, it hurts!" Dr. Jia shook his hand, retreating with nothing aplished.

    The parrot took its turn next. True to its master''s example, it targeted Sir Jiang, wings beating as it dove toward his face. Its beak missed his right eye as he dodged, but scored his temple, drawing blood.

    "Sess! Sess! Sess!" The parrot circled back, crowing with pride.

    A parrot injuring a pride monster might indeed count as sess; its celebration left both Sir Jiang and Dr. Jia feeling thoroughly humiliated.

    It was Nico¡¯s turn to take action now.

    The old man sat cross-legged, motionless. He''d chosen to forfeit his action.

    His face glowed with rapturous joy as he raised his arms toward the invisible sky. "God, you must be looking at me, right? Soon, very soon. We''ll finish our mission and return to your world..."

    <i>I could kick the old fool dead right now</i>, Gao Yang thought. He could have chosen "Attack Teammate," but his turn was too precious to waste.

    <i>Calm down and think.</i>

    As Gao Yang scanned his surroundings for information, something caught his eye. The relief of Clear Mirror''s face on the towering gray stone pir seemed... different. He couldn''t pinpoint the change, and there was no time to dwell on it.

    <i>Hum.</i> The soundproof barrier materialized once more, dividing the teams. Above them, numbers appeared, counting down from 180 seconds¡ªtheir nning time.

    Gao Yang had no reliable allies, but even unreliable help was better than none. He turned to Dr. Jia.

    "You should pull your weight, Dr. Jia, or we''ll all die here."

    "I''d like that too, but what can I do?" Dr. Jia showed no shame. "I''m trash when ites tobat power, worse than my pet bird... ah!"

    He shouted as if struck by inspiration, then shook his head violently. "No, no. No no no..."

    "Anything may help," Gao Yang pressed. "Worstes to worst, we all die here. If you can do something, just do it. Don''t tell me about it."

    Gao Yang kept his own ns equally private. With a traitor among them, anything shared during the nning phase could reach the enemy team through Nico oncebat resumed.

    Gao Yang had considered using Nico to deceive their opponents, but the risk seemed too high, the oue too unpredictable. Besides, Liao Liao might see through such a ploy.

    He sat cross-legged, eyes closed, methodically plotting his strategy.

    Across the barrier, Sir Jiang contemted his next move. After Liao Liao''s sessful prediction in the first turn, she''d earned the team''s trust. All eyes turned to her.

    She considered for a moment. "I believe Gao Yang will shield himself with an Absolute Barrier this turn."

    Sir Jiang nodded after brief consideration. "Very likely."

    Qin You, Void, and 0618 agreed, guided more by battle instinct than logical analysis.

    Liao Liao studied the energy bar above Sir Jiang. Two-thirds remained. "Your Spatial Blender is our best chance to kill Gao Yang. Its wide area effect and spatial damage can''t be countered by physical defense alone. The problem is its energy cost. Use it twice, and you won''t have enough for a third strike."

    Sir Jiang remained silent. She''d assessed correctly. Even outside the domain''s rules and energy limitations, in his weakened state without the Time-Space Rune Circuit, two consecutive Spatial Blenders would drain himpletely.

    Her gaze shifted to Qin You''s energy bar, still three-quarters full. "Your attack dealt good damage, Qin You. Gao Yang can dodge it, true, but its low energy cost lets you use it repeatedly."

    She turned to Void. "That was Detonation, wasn''t it? Powerful, but unless we can immobilize him, Gao Yang won''t let you get close enough to use it."

    Void''s expression darkened as he nodded.

    "0618, without an offensive Talent, your shots will only inflict surface wounds if they hit at all."

    "I know," 0618 admitted.

    Liao Liao continued. "Without his double as a shield, Gao Yang dies if we hit him with everything this turn. He knows this. He''ll use Absolute Barrier to waste our attacks, forcing us into a third turn where Sir Jiang can''t use Spatial Blender. Then he''ll strike first and eliminate one of us. We can''t let that happen."

    "Makes sense," Qin You said.

    Void nced at the countdown. "Clock''s ticking. Thirty seconds left. What''s the n?"

    Liao Liao issued rapidmands. "Sir Jiang, rest and recover energy. Void, support me with Medicine C. Qin You, use Mindreading on Gao Yang. 0618, identify his weak points for future attacks."

    They nodded in unison.

    <i>While they execute their roles</i>, she thought, <i>I''ll use Charge to empower my God of Firearms. Once 0618''s Golden Ratio reveals Gao Yang''s vulnerabilities, I''ll end this.</i>

    <i>Hum.</i> The gray barrier dissolved. That fair, authoritative voice resonated through the space once more.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The second turn begins.]

 Chapter 884: Seen Through

    <h4>Chapter 884: Seen Through</h4>

    In prime condition, Gao Yang''s movement speed outpaced all others. The pattern beneath his feet turned green, signaling his turn.

    His five opponents held their breath, minds screaming in unison: <i>Use Absolute Defense! Give yourself a barrier!</i>

    Their hope shattered.

    Gao Yang vanished¡ªTeleportation once more.

    <i>It can''t be!</i>

    Liao Liao, still clutching her wound, froze. The others stood equally stunned.

    In the instant before Gao Yang disappeared, the pattern under 0618''s feet had shed yellow, marking them as his target. But the others, fixated on Gao Yang himself, missed this crucial detail.

    0618 had no time to react before cold steel pierced their back. Searing pain exploded through their chest as muscle and tissue tore. Breathing became impossible.

    The dagger had found their heart.

    "..."

    0618 couldn''t speak, couldn''t even summon the strength to look back at their killer. By the time they crumpled to the ground, Gao Yang had already returned to his position.

    Cold crept through 0618''s body as blood pooled beneath their face. In their final moments, they activated Golden Ratio, desperate to find Gao Yang''s weak points so that their teammates might avenge them.

    A secondter, their eyes widened with shock so profound it overwhelmed even their fear of death. In their vision, Gao Yang''s entire being zed with light.

    His whole body¡ªno, his entire existence¡ªembodied the perfect golden ratio.

    <i>That... couldn''t be.</i>

    "0618! Hold on! I''ll save you next turn..."

    Void''s desperate cry grew distant as 0618''s hearing faded. Darkness crept into their vision. They tried to speak, to share this impossible discovery, but death imed them first.

    The rules of the turn-based match had theoretically prevented such analysis, but some minor loophole had allowed this final insight.

    <i>I¡¯ve never seen such a thing. A being who embodies the golden ratio itself... He seems more Divine Scion than Malediction. Did you... get it wrong, Madam Li?</i>

    0618 died with that secret and their lingering doubts.

    <i>The red and golden bars above their head vanished. The pattern beneath their feet dulled to gray as the space around them grew heavy and lifeless.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang, bloody dagger in hand, fixed Liao Liao with a cool, mocking stare. "Liao Liao, you don''t really think you''ve seen through me, do you?"</i>

    <i>Liao Liao''s face drained of color. Fear seized her heart, making it stutter before pounding frantically.</i>

    <i>Thump!</i>

    <i>Thump, thump, thump!</i>

    <i>Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, one drop breaking free to trace down her face.</i>

    <i>He let me predict his first move! It was all setup for this turn!</i>

    <i>But how would he dare to do this?!</i>

    <i>Does he not fear death? No one would make such a gamble!</i>

    <i>He has no allies. He''s walking a highwire above an abyss¡ªone wrong step means death!</i>

    <i>If Sir Jiang had attacked again, he would have lost, yet he didn''t choose defense!</i>

    <i>This madman!</i>

    While shock paralyzed Liao Liao, Sir Jiangpleted his turn, choosing to rest and recover energy.

    Now came Qin You''s turn.

    Qin You quietly examined Gao Yang, activating Mindreading. Secondster, his eyes trembled with disbelief.

    "What is he thinking?" Sir Jiang asked quietly, noting his reaction.

    Qin You''s voice wavered as he repeated Gao Yang''s thoughts: "I''ll continue to kill next turn. Guess who''s going to die?" His eyes twitched with mingled anger and fear. "That''s what he''s been thinking nonstop."

    The revtion shook Liao Liao to her core. The boy before her seemed like a ck hole, impossible toprehend.

    "Don''t fall for it, Liao Liao!" Sir Jiang''s experience allowed him to maintainposure. "This is psychological warfare. You and he have each won once. He''s no better at strategy than you. He''s bluffing."

    Liao Liao caught herself. <i>That''s right. Gao Yang must be guessing too. He can''t have predicted all my predictions. It''s clearly impossible when you think about it.</i>

    <i>Calm down, calm down. I almost fell for the trick.</i>

    Void took his turn, rushing to inject Medicine C into Liao Liao''s cor wound.

    She grunted as the injury sealed itself, torn flesh knitting together as pain transformed into a burning warmth. With renewed focus, she began to see past the surface situation.

    <i>Gao Yang''s trying to present himself as a death-defying madman to shake my judgment. But looking back, he''s never been unhinged. He''s incredibly calm, having survived more brushes with death than all of usbined. This second-turn gamble came from careful calction.</i>

    <i>Why? Because it was his only option!</i>

    <i>I was too nervous to see his perspective. In his position, an Absolute Barrier might keep me alive for two or three turns, but how long could Ist without eliminating enemies?</i>

    <i>Absolute Barrier costs as much energy as Sir Jiang''s Spatial Blender. Gao Yang can''t endure if we rotate between resting and attacking. He had to risk everything¡ªhe had no choice!</i>

    <i>Even then, he chose 0618 as his first target. That shows caution. His initial attack proved he''d struggle to kill Sir Jiang, me, or Qin You with just Teleportation and a regr strike. We''re too quick and resilient.</i>

    <i>Between Void and 0618, Void''s Detonation might seem more threatening, but 0618''s Golden Ratiobined with my God of Firearms posed the greater danger. That''s why 0618 had to die first.</i>

    <i>And Gao Yang must have anticipated I''d order Qin You to read his mind. He used that against me. Without Sir Jiang''s warning, I''d have fallen for it.</i>

    <i>Next turn, my charged God of Firearms plus Sir Jiang''s rested Spatial Blender will cover Gao Yang''s entire movement range. We''ll kill or critically wound him, and the others will finish him.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang knows this. He has two options: Use Absolute Barrier to survive our third-turn barrage, then n for turn four. Or expend massive energy on an unreserved Fire Punch¡ªthank goodness the turn-based rules prevent group attacks, or he could''ve killed us all with one strike.</i>

    <i>At best, he could kill Sir Jiang or me before we act. The other three would still get their attacks, and his depleted energy would leave him vulnerable in turn four. He''d lose.</i>

    <i>Therefore, he''ll likely use Absolute Barrier next turn. He let Qin You read those thoughts deliberately.</i>

    <i>Unless... has Gao Yang predicted this too? Is this reverse psychology? Will he actually kill another one of us instead of using Absolute Barrier?</i>

    Liao Liao''s thoughts spiraled into a maze of possibilities, her racing mind threatening to short-circuit.

    The parrot made its move.

 Chapter 885: Prodigy

    <h4>Chapter 885: Prodigy</h4>

    The parrot moved before Dr. Jia this turn¡ªtheir speeds wereparable. Dr. Jia truly was formidably weak.

    The parrot dove at Qin You''s eye. He dodged easily, earning only a red scratch across his face.

    Then came Dr. Jia''s turn. Instead of attacking the enemy, he reached into his bathrobe, producing a brown pill. He rushed toward his parrot and forced it down its throat.

    "I''ve kept you for so long. It''s time for you to pay me back..."

    "No! No! No!" The parrot thrashed desperately but couldn''t resist as the pill slid down its gullet.

    Liao Liao''s already overclocking brain hit its limit.

    <i>Shit! Dr. Jia has a trick up his sleeve!</i>

    <i>What did he feed the parrot?</i>

    <i>Everything he develops is more dangerous than thest. Is the parrot going to transform into a monster?</i>

    <i>Gao Yang alone is nearly impossible to handle. Now the parrot''s joining in!</i>

    <i>With the parrot''s support, what''s Gao Yang''s next move? Will the parrot defend or attack? If it can protect him, he''ll strike without fear. If it can attack, he''ll focus on defense. Or is it support? CC? Silence? Buff? Disorientation? Poison? Curse? Illusion... too many possibilities!</i>

    <i>What do I do?</i>

    <i>What do I do, what do I do, what do I do...</i>

    Liao Liao''s mind went nk.

    Nico took the final turn. As before, he abandoned action to sit cross-legged on the ground, praising God in euphoric reverence.

    The second turn ended.

    The gray barrier materialized, dividing the factions. The third turn¡¯s thinking time began.

    Liao Liao stood frozen, eyes wide with paralysis.

    "Liao Liao!"

    "What do we do next turn?"

    "Do you hear me, Liao Liao? Say something!"

    Her teammates'' voices reached her as if through water, distant and muffled. It felt like being sealed in a pressurized can¡ªheavy, thick, suffocating.

    "Liao Liao, wake up!"

    ...

    "Liao Liao, wake up and think of something!"

    The world shifted. Liao Liao found herself in a concrete brick factory. The sun zed overhead, and hot wind did nothing to dry the sweat coating her skin. Cicada songs hammered at her temples.

    Before her rose a four-meter stack of precisely arranged bricks. The children had built a makeshift staircase on one side¡ªmore a steep slope than proper steps. At its basey a boy with an honest face and sun-darkened skin, his dirty T-shirt stained with blood. A small crimson pool spread beneath his head.

    He had fallen from the brick pile moments ago.

    The children scrambled down their crude staircase, forming a terrified circle around the unconscious boy. They ranged from five to eight years old, boys and girls mixed together. Eight-year-old Liao Liao stood among them.

    It had been just another summer vacation day. The kids from the employee dormitory had gathered in the courtyard to y. Someone suggested an adventure, and enthusiasm spread quickly.

    They''d invited Liao Liao, who had been reading a novel in a recliner under the loquat tree.

    "Not going. I''m reading a book." Liao Liao pursed her lips proudly. She had always considered herself above the other children. Born smart, she knew she would be a scientist someday.

    "What''s so fun about books? I know a ce! It''s gonna be awesome!" The boy with an honest face gave her an enthusiastic invitation. He was Liao Liao''s neighbor''s son, nicknamed Big Fei.

    Big Fei had always admired Liao Liao. She got good grades. She seemed to know everything. Though she often appeared haughty, that only made her more amazing in his eyes.

    "Fine. We need a bnce between work and rest." Liao Liao put away her novel, speaking like a miniature adult. She dusted her pristine white dress and stood. "Let''s go."

    "Yay, an adventure!"

    "Let''s go!"

    The children cheered.

    Liao Liao maintained her indifferent, reluctant expression, but excitement bubbled inside her. She had deliberately chosen to read in the courtyard, hoping to attract the other children''s attention.

    She loved ying too, but how could the neighborhood''s well-known genius girl spend her days ying? It wouldn''t suit her image.

    Still, she wouldn''t turn down an invitation. What was that phrase adults used? Right, can¡¯t say no to a gift horse that gave itself to you.

    Liao Liao followed the children to the mountain behind the neighborhood. In a clearing sat an abandoned concrete brick factory, its production halted by poor revenue.

    The children yed on the broken concrete mixer before discovering a tall pile of concrete bricks. Stacked evenly to four meters high, it loomed before them like a giant square.

    Big Fei began spinning a tale about mysterious powers emanating from the bricks, though he couldn''t quite exin what they were.

    Liao Liao seized her chance to show off. "This is a spaceship from Orion, an alien scout in disguise. It''s collecting information about humans'' weaknesses to ry to their main invasion force. They''re nning to take over Earth and destroy our home!"

    She embellished the story with details¡ªabsurd to an adult, but captivating to children. Her audience became immersed, terror and excitement mingling in their eyes.

    Big Fei grew especially animated. He raised his fist high. "We won''t let the aliens win! Come on, everyone! Let''s conquer their spaceship!"

    "Conquer it!"

    "The good guys will win!"

    "Drive away the aliens and protect Earth!"

    The children chorused, echoing lines from their favorite cartoons.

    But how does one conquer a pile of concrete bricks?

    Big Fei had an idea: they needed to climb up and stomp on the "spaceship''s" top to destroy its antenna. Without it, the aliens couldn''t contact their main force or find Earth.

    Everyone except Liao Liao found this logical.

    When Big Fei moved to climb up using just his hands and feet, Liao Liao shouted first: "It''s too dangerous! Stop!" She knew the stacked bricks weren''t stable. If they toppled...

    "Are you scared, Liao Liao?" Big Fei taunted. "We''re gonna eliminate the aliens and protect our home!"

    "Let''s go!"

    "Don''t be scared! Let''s drive the aliens away together!"

    As the other children followed Big Fei toward the stack, Liao Liao fumed at being considered a coward. "Silly! Let''s make a staircase. Then we can go up and down easily. We can conquer the ship whenever we want!"

    "You''re right!"

    "Whoa, you''re smart, Liao Liao!"

    Pride swelled in her chest as the children embraced her idea.

    They gathered rectangr bricks and carefully constructed tapered stairs along one side of the pile. Reaching the top, they gazed down from four meters up, exhrated. They jumped and cheered endlessly.

    Eventually, boredom set in, and they decided to descend.

    "Great sess in destroying the alien ship! Come on, let''s find our next mission!" Big Fei led the way down like a conquering king.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Ah..."

    Big Fei''s foot slipped, and he plummeted from four meters up.

 Chapter 886: Hidden Tricks

    <h4>Chapter 886: Hidden Tricks</h4>

    The children were stunned into silence. Time froze beneath the zing sun. Only the cicadas'' relentless chorus filled the sudden silence.

    "Get down there!" Liao Liao snapped into action first. The children scrambled down their makeshift stairs.

    "Watch your steps!" she warned.

    They reached the ground safely, gathering around Big Fei''s motionless form. Panic rippled through the group, but none truly grasped the gravity of the situation. The youngest girl burst into tears, more afraid of punishment than anything else.

    "Liao Liao, do something! Tell us what to do!"

    All eyes turned to the neighborhood''s smartest girl, desperate for guidance.

    Panic clutched at Liao Liao''s chest, but she forced herself to think, searching her memory for anything useful from her books.

    Finally, she spoke with manufactured authority: "You two, go get help!"

    "Okay!" Two boys sprinted away.

    "We''ll stop his bleeding. He''s hurt his head¡ªwe need to cover the wound!"

    "Yes!" Two girls knelt, struggling to turn Big Fei over and prop him up.

    "Find something to shield him from the sun," Liao Liao continued. "We can''t let him get heatstroke!"

    "Okay!"

    A boy returned with discarded cardboard, creating makeshift shade.

    Liao Liao squatted beside Big Fei, pressing her hand against the back of his head. Blood soaked his ck hair, warm and viscous as it leaked between her fingers. Gradually, the flow seemed to slow.

    Her heartbeat steadied. Pride began to rece fear. <i>Thank God the bleeding''s stopping. Big Fei will be alright. I''m awesome. I''ll be his savior. His parents will thank me, and the neighborhood children will admire me even more. They''ll always invite me to y...</i>

    Big Fei died.

    <i>Multiple bone fractures throughout his body. Severe trauma to the back of his head.</i>

    <i>The children''s attempts to "save" him¡ªmoving him, touching his head¡ªhad caused additional trauma. The doctor couldn''t say if he would have survived otherwise, but their well-meaning actions had destroyed what chance he had.</i>

    <i>A family shattered. A young, vibrant life frozen forever in that zing noon.</i>

    <i>"It''s all Liao Liao''s fault! She had to say it was an alien spaceship!"</i>

    <i>"Yeah, she told us to climb up! We didn''t want to! I said it was dangerous, but she wouldn''t listen!"</i>

    <i>"Liao Liao told us to stop the bleeding, so we touched his head!"</i>

    <i>"That''s your prodigy? She got my son killed because she thought she was so smart!"</i>

    <i>"Oh, she did it on purpose. She read so many books she had no friends. She was jealous of our Big Fei''s poprity. Such a vicious heart in such a young girl!"</i>

    <i>"That''s right! She never hung out with Big Fei before, but today she did, and he had an ident. Too much of a coincidence!"</i>

    <i>"Prodigy? No. She''s a little devil! A born viin!"</i>

    <i>"You should be ashamed to be alive! Can you even sleep at night?"</i>

    <i>"Why don''t you go to hell?"</i>

    <i>"Die!"</i>

    <i>"Die, die, die!"</i>

    <i>No, I did nothing wrong!</i>

    <i>I''m not going to die! I''m not letting you get what you want.</i>

    <i>I''ll outlive all of you, and one day, I''ll be sweeping all your tombs!</i>

    <i>I''ll wear all ck and bring white flowers, smiling at your graves with catharsis. I''ll tell you clearly that I no longer hate you, I no longer hate anyone. I''ve led a happy, full, and wonderful life.</i>

    "Liao Liao!"

    "Liao Liao, are you listening?"

    Liao Liao raised her head slowly, face pale but determined. Through her disheveled fringe, she stared at Gao Yang through the gray barrier. The helplessness in her eyes had hardened into cold conviction.

    <i>What if he''s the Divine Scion? What if he''s the Malediction?</i>

    <i>So there''s the domain of Judge. So what?</i>

    <i>I''ll decide my own fate!</i>

    ...

    Meanwhile, Qingyang Bridge.

    Three-quarters of the structure had crumbled, leaving countless pirs protruding from the river like the spine of an ancient water monster. The remaining central section stood as a rectangr ind shrouded in thick smoke and spreading mes. Signs of destruction were everywhere¡ªcracks, rubble, and elemental damage, predominantly from light elements.

    At the heart of the destructiony a circr safe haven. Telekinesis had shielded the surviving Ocean River Union members from the light elements'' bombardment. Among them, Qilin stood with a thin, long crimson bone sting through his chest. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet his expression remained unchanged¡ªno fear, no shock, no pain.

    Two seconds passed. Qilin slowly looked up at the falling Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei. His green eyes appeared nk and lifeless¡ªno, they seemed dead.

    "It''s not right," Wang Zikai frowned.

    Zhang Wei started, a bad premonition gripping him. "What''s wrong?"

    "That man isn''t Qilin." Wang Zikai began plunging toward the river with Zhang Wei on his back, retracting his bone sting almost instantaneously.

    Wang Zikai''s bone stings were vital parts of his body¡ªhardy enough to slice through steel, sensitive as a dog''s nose. The moment his sting had prated "Qilin''s" body, he''d sensed that the energy pathways within weren''t those of a powerful being, but of a well-crafted yet lifeless replica.

    Though Zhang Wei didn''t understand Wang Zikai''s certainty, he immediately reported tomand.

    [Zhang Wei: He¡¯s not Qilin!]

    [Nine Frost: Mission failed! Everyone, retreat!]

    Just then, "Qilin" pinched his face with his right hand, fingers sinking into the skin. With one yank, he tore off a human skin mask, revealing the pale, stiff face of a middle-aged wanderer¡ªa dead one.

    Behind him, "Xiao Xin" reached up and removed his own mask, revealing the true Qilin.

    Qilin had never ced his full trust in anyone, Surnamed Li included.

    He''d considered Prophet''s limitations¡ªin chaoticbat, she might miss certain threats. Thus, he''d prepared contingencies, the substitute being merely one of them. He''d borrowed the idea from the former ck Tortoise: using Puppeteer this way, letting a substitute be the face while the real person remained hidden, was optimal.

    Watching Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei fall back into the river, Qilin scoffed.

    <i>To you, the battle ising to an end.</i>

    <i>To me, it''s only getting started.</i>

 Chapter 887: Shrewd and Cautious

    <h4>Chapter 887: Shrewd and Cautious</h4>

    Riverside scenic area, east of Qingyang Bridge.

    With electricity cut off, the darkened buildings andndscaped grounds merged into shadows. Two obscured figures chased and grappled, their movements punctuated by bursts of sparks.

    <i>Boom!</i> Wrapped in ck bandages, Puppet Azure Dragon seized an opening. Its punch zed with flickering golden light. Energy shockwaves carved a two-meter ditch through thewn, culminating in an explosion that shattered a distant pavilion.

    War Tigernded gracefully atop amppost.

    For over two minutes, they had been testing each other, neithermitting fully to the fight. War Tiger had his reasons.

    He wasn''t certain if Azure Dragon''s passive ability of Limitless Evolution had carried over to its puppet form. If it had, any killing blow from War Tiger might be absorbed, rendering the puppet immune to Killing Expert.

    In such a case, War Tiger would need to end this quickly¡ªwithin a minute, perhaps even thirty seconds¡ªthrough serious self-muttion. He felt confident he could manage it. After all, his Dragonying Giantsword was specifically designed to counter Azure Dragon, and this was merely its empty shell.

    Theoretically, Qilin could fully utilize a puppet''s power before its destruction if he focused solely on control. However, Qilin was no fighter,cking experience in closebat. The puppet would fall short of Azure Dragon''s true capabilities.

    War Tiger had learned from the former ck Tortoise incident that even after a puppet''s destruction, Qilin could still salvage its Talents¡ªthough with power loss and limited duration. But if this puppet retained Limitless Evolution, the situation became moreplex. After War Tiger destroyed it with Killing Expert, Qilin would gain immunity to the Talent while matching Azure Dragon in meleebat. Combined with Eidos, the prospect made War Tiger shudder.

    Therefore, War Tiger maintained his measured approach. His role was simply to keep the puppet upied, forcing Qilin to divide his attention while multiple teamsunched coordinated attacks. This would create an opening for Nine Frost to deploy their trump card: Wang Zikai. Once Wang Zikai struck Qilin''s "acupuncture point" and sealed his Talents, victory would be assured.

    Yet something felt off. During these past two minutes, War Tiger noticed that Qilin wasn''t utilizing Azure Dragon''s full potential, seemingly content with this standoff. This made little sense¡ªpuppet control had time limits. Qilin should be trying to end this quickly to conserve his control time.

    Of course, Qilin might be overwhelmed by events in the main battlefield, unable to focus fully on puppet maniption. He might also fear Dead Pig using Discement again to move Puppet Azure Dragon beyond his control range.

    While fighting, War Tiger monitored the "group chat" Nine Frost maintained through Telepathy.

    [Zhang Wei: He¡¯s not Qilin!]

    [Nine Frost: Mission failed! Everyone, retreat!]

    War Tiger started atop themppost.

    [War Tiger: What¡¯s going on?!]

    [Nine Frost: The one that got stabbed was a substitute! Mission failed! All abort!]

    Through his tactical binocrs, Nine Frost watched the fake Qilin tear off his skin mask. In that instant, everything became clear. Qilin had another trick prepared. Without hesitation, Nine Frost issued the retreat order.

    Asmander-in-chief of this battlefield, his word was absolute.

    War Tiger looked down at Puppet Azure Dragon. The puppet had stopped its assault, its eyes flickering with new instructions.

    [War Tiger: Go now! I''ll keep Azure Dragon busy for a little long...]

    Pain exploded in War Tiger''s chest. His mind went nk as his connection to Nine Frost severed.

    ck blood erupted from his mouth. Weakness swept through him like severe dehydration, and he toppled from themppost. Despite his attempts to roll and regain his footing, his body wouldn''t respond. This wasn''t ordinary weakness¡ªhe couldn''t even trigger Killing Expert''s berserk mode as he usually could when near death.

    <i>Shit, I''m poisoned!</i>

    The realization came toote.

    A figure approached Puppet Azure Dragon¡ªa woman, deathly thin with pale skin draped in a loose hospital gown. Needle marks from IV drips peppered her neck and hands. Two lifeless green eyes gleamed in sunken ck sockets, while beneath her corbones, a puppet brand flickered with the same sickly green light.

    She was Blood Amber from Tails, bearer of Patient. Her corpse had survived the fire in Li Mountain''s cavern,ter stored at the Northbound Funeral Home. Now she was another body under Qilin''s control.

    War Tiger pieced it together. This was Qilin''s true strategy! He''d held Puppet Azure Dragon back deliberately while secretly controlling Blood Amber, concealing her nearby to infect all living things with her virus. Azure Dragon, being already dead, was immune¡ªleaving War Tiger as the sole target.

    Blood Amber leaped onto Azure Dragon''s back. The puppet immediately charged toward War Tiger.

    He would kill him and drag both his body and Blood Amber''s back to the main battlefield at Qingyang Bridge.

    Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying ck particles swept over them¡ªPestilence''s poisonous wind, an indiscriminate force that melted anything it touched, living or dead, into rotting flesh.

    Azure Dragon''s green eyes shed at the approaching danger. It bounded away,unching a devastating punch at the poisonous wind.

    The shockwave scattered the ck particles and continued toward War Tiger''s prone form.

    Three secondster, only a three-meter ditch remained.

 Chapter 888: Into a Ditch

    <h4>Chapter 888: Into a Ditch</h4>

    The scattered poisonous wind coalesced into a ck skull, hovering menacingly as it fixed Azure Dragon with its empty sockets. Its message was clear: leave now, or be melted to nothing.

    Relenting, Puppet Azure Dragon bent his knees with Blood Amber on his back and made a powerful leap, streaking back toward the Qingyang Bridge at Li River''s center.

    ¡°Hold on, Uncle Tiger!¡±

    On a nearby street, Lying Wood cradled the poisoned War Tiger, driving a syringe of Medicine C into his chest. Though it couldn''t neutralize the poison directly, it would elerate War Tiger''s metabolism to flush the toxins faster.

    The second Talent Lying Wood acquired was Afterimage, serial number 138, Time-Space type. He could conjure a lingering image for an hour, effectively a smokescreen.

    After War Tiger got poisoned and fell down, Lying Wood had used Afterimage and made it seem like War Tiger was still a sitting duck on the ground. However, Lying Wood had already quietly dragged War Tiger to safety and saved him.

    It all went back to two minutes ago.

    Chen Ying and Nine Frost had taken rear positions, each with distinct roles. Nine Frost coordinated the teams through Telepathy while supporting with Avian King. Chen Ying provided backup alongside Gregor and Lying Wood.

    Gregor had been clear about his terms: he would not engage directly inbat. His involvement extended only to protecting nonbatants with his poisonous wind¡ªthe perfect defensive tool.

    Despite the n''s apparent sess, Chen Ying remained uneasy. In her experience, situations were most treacherous when everything seemed to be going well.

    Theck of serious engagement between War Tiger and Puppet Azure Dragon particrly troubled her. With Qilin under pressure on the main battlefield, why waste time in this drawn-out dance? Unless¡ªQilin wasn''t truly concerned about the main battlefield. This could all be misdirection.

    The more she considered it, the more certain she became. She took the initiative, rushing to War Tiger''s position with Gregor and Lying Wood in tow.

    Her instincts proved correct. Through Sensory, she detected another puppet-like presence besides Azure Dragon, maintaining distance while circling the area.

    Before she could alert Lying Wood, Gregor''s nose wrinkled. "Hold your breath. There''s a virus in the air."

    His level 4 Pestilence granted him exceptional sensitivity to toxins.

    "What kind of poison?" Chen Ying''s voice darkened.

    "Chronic virus targeting humans. Airborne, wide-range. Indiscriminate." Gregor made it brief.

    Chen Ying''s mind immediately jumped to one name¡ªBlood Amber.

    <i>Blood Amber''s body has been turned into a puppet!</i>

    Everything clicked into ce.

    "Forget the puppet¡ªsave War Tiger, now!" Chen Ying''smand came without hesitation.

    Now, with Medicine C coursing through his system, War Tiger was stable, though weakened. He spat blood from the corner of his mouth, scowling. "Fuck, I''ve spent my life being the cunning one, just to fall into this trap..."

    Chen Ying had no time forfort, nor did War Tiger need it. Her thoughts were with those still on the main battlefield. "Gregor, can you¡ª"

    "No!" His rejection was immediate. "I said I wouldn''t fight. With the bridge ends already copsed, I can''t reach them. I can''t fly, and my poison won''t reach that far."

    Chen Ying fell silent, staring helplessly at the isted section of the bridge standing above Li River. Nine Frost''s voice echoed urgently in her mind.

    [Nine Frost: Everyone, retreat! I repeat, retreat, now!]

    Chen Ying spun around, jaw clenched. "Lying Wood, carry War Tiger. Gregor, cover our retreat. Fourth team, withdrawing."

    ...

    The isted segment of Qingyang Bridge loomed over Li River''s center. Azure Dragon bounded across the gap, using bridge piers as stepping stones, Blood Amber still clinging to his back. His finalnding cracked the concrete, sending a gust of wind rippling outward.

    Qilin, disguised as Xiao Xin, had already torn away his skin mask. His brown fringe whipped in the wind as his deep green eyes shed.

    In that instant, both Azure Dragon and Blood Amber''s eyes dimmed¡ªlike machines suddenly unplugged. Their bodies went rigid, reverting to lifeless corpses.

    Azure Dragon''s Talent and energy surged into Qilin at a 75% conversion rate. The duration for using a puppet''s Talent shared the same timer as puppet control. That meant if he could control a puppet for 10 minutes, then after controlling it to fight directly for 5 minutes, he would be able to use the puppet¡¯s Talent himself for another 5 minutes. Then the puppet¡¯s value would¡¯ve been exhausted.

    These rules applied only to corpses, of course. Living puppets operated differently based on the level of control: slight, half, full, or possession.

    Despite Azure Dragon''s heart being pierced and head severed, the body remained serviceable by Puppeteer standards. Qilin had One Stone and Rain River restore the body before forming a puppet contract with it, allowing a total use time of seven minutes.

    Three minutes spent fighting War Tiger left four to spare.

    Qilin drew a sharp breath, rapidly integrating the new energy pathways throughout his body.

    "Stay and protect Madam Li."

    With those words, he sprang forward, wielding his ck Gold cane with leopard-like grace. Though his left leg remained injured, precise adjustments let him move naturally. Within seconds, he reached the bridge''s broken edge. Heunched himself toward Zhong He and Yellow Lotus, a hundred meters away.

    The pair had heard Nine Frost''s retreat order. Zhong He held Yellow Lotus close as he maneuvered between bridge piers with shadow ropes, nearly reaching the riverbank. But Qilin''s pursuit was relentless, closing the gap while simultaneously casting Psychic Shackles.

    Zhong He''s body suddenly felt heavy. His movements sluggish, hended hard on a pier, nearly toppling into the river.

    "Shit..."

    Recognizing the psychic assault, Zhong He strained against the mental bonds. Veins bulged on his forehead as he struggled to raise even one hand. He could no longer control Phantom, let alone escape.

    Yellow Lotus turned to see Qilin bounding between piers, halving the distance between them.

    She didn''t understand how their n had failed, or the source of Qilin''s sudden power. She knew only one thing: death approached with each passing second.

    "Old Zhong, Little Hong is a good girl."

    With those words, she kicked Zhong He off the bridge pier.

 Chapter 889: Ace

    <h4>Chapter 889: Ace</h4>

    ¡ªNo!

    Bound by Psychic Shackles, Zhong He could only stare upward as he fell, his widened eyes locked on Yellow Lotus. Not even a cry escaped his lips.

    Yellow Lotus gazed down from the pier, her smile not one meant for a friend but a lover¡ªtender, filled with unspoken feelings and bittersweetness.

    A heartbeatter, she turned to face Qilin. As her fists rose, Qilin''s ck Gold cane shed like silver lightning, piercing her chest. Blood trickled from her lips as her eyes widened in shock. She reached for Qilin with trembling hands, desperate to buy Zhong He more time to escape, but even this final act was denied.

    The moment the cane prated her chest, Qilin''s psychic power washed over her. Her hands fell limp as she died quietly, head drooping forward.

    Qilin withdrew his cane and prepared to pursue Zhong He in the river below.

    A blue shark erupted from the water toward him. Qilin pivoted, his cane cutting a golden arc through the air that split the creature in two. It dissolved into a ssh of marine life, seaweed, and river water.

    His attention snapped back to the river where a figure wrapped in pale blue energy transformed into a dolphin, carrying Zhong He to safety on its back¡ªRaven Shark.

    Though Raven Shark''s swift retreat remained within range of his psychic power, before Qilin could cast Psychic Shackles, three golden spears of light elements rained from above.

    <i>Clink, clink, clink¡ª</i>

    Qilin deflected them with his cane, eyes narrowing. A hundred meters away, White Rabbit descended onto the bridge''s remains, Fat Jun in her arms.

    Abandoning his pursuit of Zhong He and Raven Shark, Qilin reversed course, closing in on the new threats while casting Psychic Shackles.

    White Rabbit wouldn''t let him near. She immediatelyunched skyward with level 6 Jump, soaring a hundred meters high to escape his reach.

    Qilin had anticipated this. As he jumped, he tucked his right fist against his side, channeling his power. At the apex of his leap, he unleashed A Serious Punch toward White Rabbit''s predicted position.

    A golden shockwave streaked toward White Rabbit and Fat Jun as they reached the peak of their ascent.

    <i>Shit!</i>

    Terror twisted White Rabbit''s features as golden light washed over her pale face. Her wide eyes reflected the approaching wave of energy.

    "Sacred Shield!" Fat Jun''s cry rang out as he summoned a half-meter-thick barrier of light elements, protecting them both. But level 3 Light stood no chance against A Serious Punch empowered by level 7 Limitless Evolution, even from a hundred meters away.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The collision of energies birthed an explosion, painting a massive golden flower of light and shattered elements against the night sky. For two seconds, the st turned darkness to day, illuminating the bridge and surrounding area.

    Fat Jun and White Rabbit survived, but plummeted toward the river like fighter jets getting shot down.

    As Qilin prepared to finish them, he sensed a surge of energy beneath his feet.

    <i>Thud.</i> A figure burst from the river¡ªthe Blonde Grim Reaper, Wang Zikai, with Zhang Wei clinging to his back.

    Unable to match Wang Zikai''s extreme speed, Zhang Wei had secured himself to the blonde''s waist with a binder, ensuring they couldn''t be separated.

    "We will share our fate," Zhang Wei had dered. "If we die, we die together!"

    Though puzzled by their unlikely partnership, Qilin didn''t dare underestimate the duo who had sessfully attacked his substitute. He immediately unleashed his most potent psychic assault.

    As Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei entered Eidos''s range, invisible rays of psychic force shot from Qilin''s eyes, meant to pierce through body and brain alike.

    Qilin froze. <i>It didn''t work!</i>

    His psychic power barely affected them. Zhang Wei, particrly, seemedpletely immune.

    <i>How?!</i>

    Before Qilin could process this impossibility, he raised his cane, attempting to drive them back with arcs of energy.

    Wang Zikai seized this opening. His right fist snapped forward,unching three bone stings wreathed in crimson.

    The attack''s speed left Qilin stunned. Only the enhanced awareness from Eidos and Azure Dragon''s borrowed physical power allowed him to react at all.

    He twisted aside. The bone stings whistled past, one scoring his left shoulder.

    An alien coldness spread from the wound. Something malevolent seemed to caress his energy pathways, sending ice down his spine.

    <i>They must not hit.</i>

    The thought consumed him.

    <i>Clink.</i> Energy surged through his ck Gold cane as he batted the bone stings away, desperate to keep them at distance.

    Wang Zikai recalled the bone stings¡ªtheir power came at too high an energy cost for repeated use.

    Having failed his surprise attack, Wang Zikai let gravity pull him toward Qilin for closebat.

    Qilin met his gaze and channeled everything into Brain Formatting at point-nk range. The technique was nearly impossible to resist at this distance, especially with his Willpower amplified by Puppeteer. Anyone with Charisma below 500 should die instantly.

    <i>It works.</i>

    Wang Zikai''s eyes zed over, his punch freezing mid-formation as he continued to fall toward Qilin.

    Qilin raised his ck Gold cane at Wang Zikai''s heart.

    "God Kai!"

    Zhang Wei''s shout pierced the air.

    Wang Zikai''s eyes sparked to life as if reconnected to power. His consciousness rebooted, soul snapping back into ce.

    Already within Qilin''s guard, Wang Zikai''s left hand caught the ck Gold cane effortlessly, stopping its thrust. His smile radiated confidence bordering on arrogance, matched by Zhang Wei''s own assured expression.

    Absurdity hit Qilin instead of shock or panic.

    No one had been able to resist Brain Formatting from such a close distance. No one! And it was now enhanced by the Willpower bonus granted by Puppeteer!

    Yet Zhang Wei remained unaffected, and Wang Zikai had shaken it off in seconds.

    <i>My turn!</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Finally, Wang Zikai managed to use thebo Nine Frost taught him. His concealed right fist crashed into Qilin''s left cheek, catching himpletely off guard.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 890: What is Confidence

    <h4>Chapter 890: What is Confidence</h4>

    The punch sent ripples through the bridge piers. Qilin skipped across the river''s surface before carving a shallow ditch through the damp shoal. His collision with the levee spread spiderweb cracks across the concrete wall.

    The blow''s recoil pushed Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei toward a half-crumbled pier. Landing safely, Wang Zikai stared at his fist in wonder. "Zhang Wei! I just punched Qilin!"

    "Yes!" Zhang Wei maintained his Confidence. ¡°As expected of the number 0 Talent, Destiny! Even Dragon would bow before you, let alone Qilin!¡±

    "Hahahaha!" Wang Zikai''s confidence soared. <i>What a shame Gao Yang isn''t here¡ªhe''d be blinded by my awesomeness!</i>

    "You''re incredible, God Kai!" Zhang Wei pressed their advantage. "Let''s go! Kill Qilin!"

    "Kill Qilin! Wait, no, God can''t kill people. It''s beneath me..."

    "Don''t worry, God Kai. Leave the dirty work to me!" Zhang Wei drew his ck Gold gun, remembering Gao Yang''s instruction that Wang Zikai must never kill humans. "Just knock him out. I''ll end him after!"

    "No problem!"

    Wang Zikai bounded across the bridge piers toward the riverbank.

    ...

    It had been Gao Yang who''d arranged their unlikely partnership. They were his final ace.

    He''d preferred to keep Wang Zikai from closebat with Qilin unless absolutely necessary. Thebo''s sess had been theoretical; there were no guarantees.

    The strategy had begun taking shape the night Heavenly Dog acquired Requiem. It had given Gao Yang the chance to test a long-held theory about Zhang Wei''s Confidence granting resistance to psychic Talents.

    Before the Nine Scions allied with the Twelve Zodiac Signs, they''dcked ess to Psyche-type Talents for testing. That night, Gao Yang had Heavenly Dog and Zhang Wei share a room, instructing Heavenly Dog to sing.

    With Psychic Armor and a Charisma close to 3000, Gao Yang easily resisted level 1 Requiem, yet Zhang Wei fell asleep immediately.

    Though disappointed, Gao Yang hadn''t abandoned his theory. After developing their initial strategy, he''d called Zhang Wei for a private conversation about his early awakening from the Poison of Hell and his superior poison resistance.

    Zhang Wei had described that night during the Crimson Tide in detail. Copsed from poison, his terror of death had driven him to deceive himself repeatedly, or perhaps it could be considered self-suggestion.

    <i>The poison won¡¯t kill me. The poison won¡¯t kill me. The poison won¡¯t kill me...</i>

    He''d chanted this internal mantra until consciousness fled. Since then, he''d noticed his heightened poison resistance.

    After consideration, Gao Yang casually remarked, "Doesn''t Confidence grant immunity to Psyche-type Talents, too?"

    "Huh? Really?" Zhang Wei blinked in confusion.

    "Yeah, when Heavenly Dog sang, you resisted for more than ten seconds before falling asleep," Gao Yang lied. "Regr people fall asleep in less than five."

    "For real?" Zhang Wei''s eyes lit up, his confidence rising.

    "Of course. I''m the Divine Scion. I have a good eye for this." Gao Yang continued weaving his fabrication. "You know about my Lucky, right? It''s a passive Talent that''s more useful than it seems. One ability gives me insight into people. Your Confidence may seem useless, but it''s incredibly powerful¡ªgranting immunity to poison, illusion, and psychic damage."

    "However, your Talent needs pairing with others, like my Lucky. Alone it''s limited, butbined with more Talents, Confidence bes incredible."

    "Oh, you''re absolutely right!" Zhang Wei absorbed the words like divine wisdom.

    "Of course. You''ll rival my strength soon enough." Gao Yang sealed his maniption with an approving smile and shoulder pat.

    After that conversation, Zhang Weiy awake until dawn, his mind racing with possibilities.

    The next day afternoon, Gao Yang asked Heavenly Dog to sing to Zhang Wei once more. Zhang Wei concentrated on resisting, but fell asleep in about ten seconds.

    <i>Did I guess wrong?</i> Gao Yang wondered silently, watching Zhang Wei. <i>Is he really just trash?</i>

    Heavenly Dog gave the snoring man a thumbs-up. "Cool."

    "That''s cool, too?" Gao Yang asked, both exasperated and amused.

    "My Requiem is level 2 now," Heavenly Dog exined. "Zhang Wei''s improved."

    Understanding dawned on Gao Yang.

    He''d been right. Zhang Wei''s Confidence operated entirely in the subjective realm. Whatever he believed he could do, he could achieve to some degree.

    Over the next two days, Gao Yang''s experiments yielded a working theory: Confidence granted immunity based on its owner''s self-belief. The stronger the confidence, the more powerful the effect.

    The results of the experiments were as followed:

    Poison Damage: medium resistance

    Elemental Damage: low resistance

    Physical Damage: low resistance

    Psychic Damage: close to full resistance

    Spiritual Damage: unknown

    When Gao Yang shared these findings, years of confusion and self-doubt lifted from Zhang Wei''s shoulders. His newfound certainty crystallized his Confidence. In their next test, he remainedpletely alert through Heavenly Dog''s level 3 Requiem.

    Gao Yang pushed further, testing Confidence''s limits. Could the immunity extend to others?

    After two days of experimentation, he discovered something incredible: Zhang Wei could imnt suggestions through Confidence.

    The process required constant proximity¡ªday and night of repeated suggestion to grant others a measure of resistance. While not matching Zhang Wei''s immunity, the effect proved substantial.

    This revtion sparked Gao Yang''s boldest strategy. He assigned Zhang Wei to shadow Wang Zikai, continuously reinforcing one crucial belief: He was God, immune to Eidos.

    Zhang Wei threw himself into the task. He studied brainwashing techniques from business scam videos, carefully observing Wang Zikai''s responses to different forms of praise. Finally, he identified the trigger phrase that affected Wang Zikai like a potent drug:

    God Kai.

    Zhang Wei immediately linked this phrase to Eidos immunity, methodically conditioning Wang Zikai to believe in his divine imperviousness to psychic control.

    But Eidos was no Requiem. There were no guarantees their psychological armor would hold against Qilin''s power.

    Hence the primary strategy: War Tiger would upy Qilin''s puppet while concentrated attacks overloaded Surnamed Li''s Prophet. Wang Zikai would then strike with his bone stings at the perfect moment.

    If the mission failed, they would retreat¡ªunlesspanions needed help. Then the Confidence Duo would risk everything in direct confrontation with Qilin to cover their escape.

    Sess could turn the tide of battle. Failure meant death for both Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei.

    The possibility of losing them haunted Gao Yang, but leadership demanded such choices. Everyone here risked their lives equally. No one, not even Gao Yang himself, could be considered special.

    He held Lithe Snake''s lesson close: a leader''s duty was to ensure ultimate victory, not momentary mercy.

 Chapter 891: Existence

    <h4>Chapter 891: Existence</h4>

    Qiliny half-buried in the levee''s cracked crater, face ashen, bloodied gums visible through parted lips. Without Azure Dragon''s borrowed physical strength at 75%, Wang Zikai''s punch would have killed him outright.

    Drawing on his Willpower, he locked away the pain and activated Puppeteer, converting Blood Amber''s Patient for his use.

    Secondster, Wang Zikai appeared above him, Zhang Wei still strapped to his back. Another punch descended.

    Qilin rolled aside, cane clutched tight.

    <i>Boom!</i> Wang Zikai''s fist shattered concrete, sending debris flying. Zhang Wei pressed his face against Wang Zikai''s back, cowering from the stone shrapnel.

    Wang Zikai pursued Qilin with renewed intensity. Qilin, now steady on his feet, waited with cane raised, inviting the approach.

    Wang Zikai grinned. An honest fight¡ªjust what he wanted.

    As he closed in, his sharp nose caught a scent: rot and corruption.

    <i>Poison!</i>

    Wang Zikai leaped backward.

    A wound split open on Qilin''s right palm; ck blood gushed out and dripped to the ground, forming arge pool of ck viscous blood. Inside, there seemed to be some sort of insidious, corrupted microorganisms.

    The ck pool transformed into dense fog, creating a ten-meter barrier around Qilin.

    "Shit, another cheater!" Wang Zikai spat. "Why won''t anyone¡ªmonster or human¡ªjust fight straight up?"

    "Typical of that despicable old man!" Zhang Wei''s surprise quickly faded. This was exactly like Qilin.

    Though Zhang Wei''s Confidence granted some poison resistance, he''d focused solely on building Wang Zikai''s immunity to Eidos. He couldn¡¯t make Wang Zikai immune to poison now with only a few words.

    <i>Zhang Wei''s mind raced. As Wang Zikai''s second brain, he had to decide: press on or retreat?</i>

    <i>This was his first mission. Helping Wang Zikai kill Qilin would cement his ce among the Nine Scions. Even Sister Ying would have to acknowledge him.</i>

    <i>But Patient was unpredictable. One hit could mean death for them both.</i>

    <i>Then rity struck as Zhang Wei analyzed the situation:</i>

    <i>Limitless Evolution and Patient aren''t his original Talents. They must have time limits.</i>

    <i>Few among the Ocean River Union can pose a threat to us. Well, the same is true about the Nine Scions and the Zodiacs.</i>

    <i>Still, Wang Zikai can fight. Time¡¯s on our side!</i>

    Zhang Wei was suddenly much more confident.

    He patted Wang Zikai, telling him to stay put at the moment. Then he shouted at Qilin¡ªboth to test the water and to boost morale, ¡°Qilin! Your Eidos isn¡¯t going to work on us! Today will be the day you die!¡±

    Through the poisonous mist, Qilin''s thin frame leaned on his cane, his outline wavering. Zhang Wei saw the faces of fallenpanions sh through his mind, theirughter echoing in memory.

    "Qilin!" he snarled. "You allied with a pride monster and started a civil war for your selfish desires! Thousands of deaths lie at your feet! Die ten thousand times, and still you couldn''t atone!"

    "Haha."

    The figure in the ck mist chuckled,posed with a touch of haughty derision.

    "What gives you the confidence that you''ll win, Zhang Wei?"

    Zhang Wei fell silent.

    Zhang Wei''s instinct screamed danger, yet logic insisted Qilin was cornered. Were he truly threatened, though, Qilin should be using Azure Dragon and Blood Amber as diversions to escape. His calm confidence suggested otherwise.

    Wang Zikai tracked the poisonous mist''s movements, seeking an opening. Suddenly, he felt Qilin''s energy surge and expand.

    Reckless but notpletely moronic, Wang Zikai instinctively retreated. "Something''s not right."

    Qilin took a step forward with his cane. The ck poisonous mist flowed, and his face became clearer. There was a chilling coldness and viciousness to it.

    ¡°Let me ask you this, Zhang Wei. Do you know humans?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhang Wei was bbergasted.

    ¡°Do you know the ultimate mission of humans as higher lifeforms?¡± Qilin put the question in another way.

    Zhang Wei fell silent. Wang Zikai was even more confused. He could understand each word, but not when they were put together.

    ¡°Let me exin to you.¡± Qilin took another step forward. ¡°The ultimate mission of humanity is to exist. No matter what price we must pay, humans must exist.¡±

    "Who doesn''t want that?" Zhang Wei found his voice. "Who doesn''t want to live? We''re all fighting for survival! You pontificate like you have the moral high ground while murdering your own kind!"

    "You''re wrong." Qilin''s steady advance continued. "Living doesn''t mean existing."

    "You''re out of your mind! Just a psycho!" Zhang Wei''sposure cracked. Finally, he was certain¡ªQilin was simply insane.

    "How absurd." Qilin''s soft sigh carried infinite pity. "Why waste breath making you understand?"

    He emerged fully from the poisonous mist. Moonlight revealed his face, freezing Zhang Wei and Wang Zikai in shock.

    Qilin''s left eye zed brighter than ever, but his right socket gaped empty¡ªor rather, his right eye had melted into ck blood that streaked his face. A subtle, malevolent sweetness tainted the air.

    Qilin raised his cane to the night sky, arms spread wide, voice thundering:

    "Rise! Howl!"

    "Dance! Sing!"

    "White phoenix, bloom amid the tune of puppet!"

    ...

    <i>Gurgle.</i>

    While Qilin was speaking to Zhang Wei, bubbles had broken the river''s surface near Qingyang Bridge. Gentle ripples grew to violent waves,ced with pulses of white energy.

    As "white phoenix" left Qilin''s lips, a water spout erupted skyward. When it fell, a figure remained¡ªa white mummy, sacred yet horrifying in the moonlight.

    The form was feminine, athletic and slim. Only its abdomen bore a crimson stain where something had been carved away.

    It was the dead life monster from the ck sarcophagus, buried in the Ni Nation desert''s underground temple.

    Losing his right eye, Qilin smiled with blood streaking down his lips.

    "Tonight, none of you are getting out of here."

 Chapter 892: Great Price

    <h4>Chapter 892: Great Price</h4>

    Qilin''s preparation for tonight far exceeded both allies'' knowledge and enemies'' predictions. The substitute, Azure Dragon, and Blood Amber were mere preludes. His true ace was a puppetized life monster.

    Though Qilin dismissed Gao Yang''s intel about holy water from dead life monsters helping awakeners merge with Rune Circuits to reach level 8, it had sparked another idea.

    Theoretically, if Dr. Jia could extract holy water from a life monster''s corpse, Qilin could establish a connection through that water and control it with Puppeteer.

    A life monster''s body was still a body. Any corpse with an intact core could be a puppet.

    Yet bridging the species barrier came at a terrible cost: Qilin''s right eye.

    For an Eidos user, the eyes were as vital as the heart. Damage to them brought unimaginable consequences.

    The same Qilin who had refused Vermilion Bird''s urging to wear contact lenses out of fear had now willingly carved out his own eye, in a manner of speaking.

    For his ideal, no sacrifice was too great.

    The life monster would obey his will for three minutes¡ªhis current limit.

    He''d held this card for two reasons:

    First, he didn¡¯t think it would be necessary. Then the life monster, a one-use card, could be kept forter. Perhaps it would be of greater use then.

    Second, such a costly move should devastate the enemy''s core strength to justify its price. Yet tonight, his greatest adversaries were absent.

    Luck or misfortune? He couldn''t tell.

    Still, victory would be his if he could turn tonight''sbatants into puppets. Wang Zikai and War Tiger alone would strike terror into any opposition.

    The mummified life monster rose above Li River. The night wind died. The air grew dense as an invisible energy field manifested.

    nted eyes flickered green through the cracks of the bandages.

    The wrappings began to move, not randomly but with purpose, floating like underwater flora. As they parted, they revealed a pale, slim female form radiating sacred presence. The bandages reformed, taking the shape of a massive bird''s skeletal framework.

    Brilliant white light pulsed from the female body, flooding into the bandages, giving them mass. They transformed into massive, ivory bones.

    Within seconds, a colossal skeletal life monster loomed over Li River.

    But the transformation wasn''tplete.

    The life monster''s body, nestled in the skeleton''s chest cavity, began to expand. With a violent burst, the corpse erupted into rapidly regenerating white flesh and blood, filling the bone framework.

    At that moment, all present understood why these beings were called life monsters. Only they possessed such wild, insidious, almost violent vitality and regenerative power.

    In a twisted way, a true life monster had been reborn.

    The creature mirrored Zhuang Mei''s second form, butrger, more corrupted¡ªa result of having carried an existence infinitely simr to the Malediction.

    "Stop Qilin!" Zhang Wei finally broke his stunned silence.

    Wang Zikai started as if waking from a dream.

    Something about the resurrected life monster tugged at his memory, like encountering a hometown face after years abroad, voice and features achingly familiar yet impossible to name.

    Wang Zikai shook his head violently, trying to clear it. Ignoring the poisonous mist, heunched toward Qilin, firing three bone stings from his fist.

    They pierced Qilin''s chest, but something felt wrong.

    "Wake up! It''s an illusion!" Zhang Wei''s urgent cry cut through the haze.

    Wang Zikai¡¯s eyes widened. He realized that he was still standing in the same ce. Qilin had spoken much to Zhang Wei, not because of a sudden urge to express himself or to prove himself better than others. It served two purposes: gathering energy for the life monster''s reanimation while weaving an illusion based on their surroundings, targeted at Wang Zikai.

    The illusion had slipped past his Confidence-granted immunity, and he hadn''t even noticed.

    Thank heaven for Zhang Wei''s constant immunity and timely warning.

    <i>Boom!</i> As Wang Zikai''s mind cleared, Qilin was already striking, his ck Gold cane charged with energy and aimed at Wang Zikai''s heart.

    Wang Zikai barely managed to raise his arms in defense before the impactunched him backward.

    Like a stone skipping across water, he and Zhang Wei bounced across the river, finally crashing onto the opposite shore. Wang Zikai rolled up, shaking his numbed arms. He was unhurt, but...something was wrong.

    "Ah!"

    The binder at his waist had loosened. Zhang Weiy face-down eight meters away, blood seeping from his mouth, multiple bones clearly broken.

    Wang Zikai rushed to him, pping his face. No response.

    "Hey, don''t die!" These past days, Wang Zikai had grown attached to his personal cheerleader. Good tterers were hard to find nowadays.

    A quick check confirmed Zhang Wei was still breathing.

    "Sea Medicine, Sea Medicine![1]" Wang Zikai fumbled a metal case from his pocket, extracting a Medicine C syringe and plunging it into Zhang Wei''s chest.

    "Hmph..."

    Zhang Wei groaned, color returning to his pale face, but remained unconscious.

    Wang Zikai exhaled in relief. As long as he was alive.

    Gao Yang''s warning echoed in his mind: never confront Qilin without Zhang Wei. His gaze lifted to the towering life monster that dominated the sky.

    <i>I may not be able to go after the owner, but I can go after the dog!</i>

    Drawing a deep breath, Wang Zikai coiled and sprang upward, shooting into the night like a human missile.

    1. This isn¡¯t a typo. In the raw, Wang Zikai mistakes C for <i>xi</i>, west, in Mandarin. ?

 Chapter 893: Wipe Out

    <h4>Chapter 893: Wipe Out</h4>

    Wang Zikai approached the colossal creature. It resembled a wingless phoenix. Its sacred-white skin appeared paradoxically smooth yet metallic, dotted with red spots that resembled congealed blood, grainy like rust on copper.

    The creature''s head formed a vertical oval, featureless except for a single vertical eye at its center, crackling with crimson energy strands. Its overwhelming wings stretched outward, the bones looking like an amalgamation of organic organisms and machines.

    A massive cavity gaped in its oval abdomen¡ªa rotting marsh of flesh and blood where something insidious had gestated before breaking free. Countless tendrils formed its tail, heavily corrupted by red spots like exposed blood vessels.

    Wang Zikaiunched himself at the monster''s chest, targeting where its heart should be. From a distance, he looked like a tiny flying bug mming into a behemoth¡ªbut this bug packed tremendous might. Red shockwaves rippled from the impact point.

    The life monster howled, its body tilting backward. Sensing the threat, it swept its wings forward, each one as vast as amercial ne. Countless white energy currents materialized, slicing through the air at Wang Zikai like razor des and creating a localized tsunami in the Li River.

    Amid the cyclone and tsunami, Wang Zikai curled into a defensive ball. Though unharmed, the force hurled him backward until¡ª<i>thump</i>¡ªsomething caught him two hundred meters away. He twisted around and realized that it was a wind barrier.

    Drenched, Nainai had yet to retreat from the battlefield. Holding onto amppost on the riverside to stop herself from getting swept away by the cyclone, she used thest of her energy to stop Wang Zikai from flying away.

    ¡°This Empress grants you...waaah...¡±

    Her grip failed, and the winds carried her away before she could finish.

    Wang Zikai had no time to dwell on who his helper was. Using the hovering wind barrier as aunch pad, he made another powerful leap. The barrier shattered beneath him as he hurtled toward the monster once more.

    An uneasy feeling crept over him, urging him to end this quickly. He channeled his energy, preparing to unleash Grim Reaper''s Spear¡ªhis name for the retractable bone stings. The Ocean River Union''s nickname for him, the Blond Grim Reaper, had delighted him so much that he''d embraced it fully.

    ¡°Die, bastard!¡±

    Wang Zikai threw a punch at the life monster¡¯s head, about to use Grim Reaper¡¯s Spear. He was confident in piercing the life monster¡¯s brain with it. But suddenly, his body turned heavy and slow, his energy stuttering uselessly.

    <i>Shit, it''s Qilin''s Statues!</i>

    He knew this technique all too well; it had nearly given him PTSD. Qilin had somehow reached the monster''s head and caught him mid-leap with Statues. Though Wang Zikai''s trajectory remained unchanged, he couldn''t summon the Grim Reaper''s Spear.

    <i>You can do it, Wang Zikai!</i>

    <i>Eidos doesn¡¯t work on you! You¡¯re God Kai!</i>

    Without Zhang Wei''s encouragement, Wang Zikai had to bolster himself. Gradually, the magical power of Confidence returned. His body broke free from the psychic restraint, energy flowing freely once more.

    Then a high-pitched, lilting, and sacred shriek pierced the air.

    The shriek zed through the night like crimson moonlight, piercing every living soul within two kilometers, cleansing their minds, perhaps even their very soul.

    Wang Zikai''s mind nkedpletely. He felt no pain, no hurt. It was a curious state of transcendence. His anger and excitement melted away, reced by an otherworldly serenity. Fighting seemed pointless now; he could be home, sleeping peacefully on his sofa.

    None of this mattered anymore, did it?

    The life monster''s wing bone struck his undefended abdomen like a steel beam. <i>Crash!</i> Wang Zikai plummeted, cratering the concrete levee in an explosion of rubble and dust.

    The creature''s endless scream echoed across the battlefield. If even Wang Zikai had lost his will to fight, the other awakeners stood no chance.

    Members of the Ocean River Union, the Twelve Zodiac Signs, and the Nine Scions¡ªthey all dropped their weapons. They reverted to a pure, fragile state of ignorance. Somested three seconds, others more than ten.

    Chen Ying, War Tiger, Lying Wood, and Gregor hadn¡¯t gotten out of the area of effect in time. They struggled to move for more than ten meters before dropping to their knees. Eyes wide, they kept shedding tears and shaking, helpless and lost like a baby who had lost their mother.

    War Tiger had better mental resistance than hispanions, but he was still poisoned, and with the two statuses ovepping, he was rendered a helplessmb on the ground just like others.

    And Nine Frost, Azure Dragon, Raven Shark, Dead Pig, Nainai, Hong Xiaoxiao, Heavenly Dog, Mischievous Monkey, Zhong He¡ªnone had escaped the two-kilometer radius. Some still fought the effect, others had surrendered to itpletely.

    Members of the Ocean River Union were the closest to the life monster, and naturally, none of them was exempt. Some were already wailing like actual infants.

    Surnamed Li had great mental resistance, but she only fared a little better. She had the same lost expression on her face, her tears dropping nonstop.

    Qilin stood atop the life monster''s head, blood still flowing from his right eye. His deep connection granted immunity to the creature''s cleansing power, but maintaining control of this war machine would drain his energy and psychic power within three minutes.

    Three minutes would be enough.

    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, dividing some of his attention.

    ...

    Two secondster, Puppet Azure Dragon, which had been in energy-saving mode, opened his eyes with cold flickering green light.

    He slowly looked up and scanned the area for enemies. A lifeless corpse naturally wouldn¡¯t be affected by the life monster¡¯s cleansing power.

    At the moment, the enemies closest to Azure Dragon were White Rabbit and Fat Jun, who were on one of the bridge piers.

    After getting injured and falling into the river, the two had gotten into hiding for a while, only climbing onto a bridge pier after making sure that there was no one watching. Before they could collect their breath, though, the life monster¡¯s shriek hit them from above, and the cleansing power overwhelmed them.

    Azure Dragon nced at White Rabbit and Fat Jun, who were about eighty meters from him. Then he looked at Raven Shark and Zhong He, a hundred meters from him on the river. The two had been forced to surface due to the cleansing power.

    Azure Dragon concluded the most optimal solution. His fist clenched,unching an arc of golden energy toward White Rabbit and Fat Jun. Simultaneously, he leaped sideways toward Raven Shark and Zhong He¡ªtime was precious. Every target must die.

    White Rabbit knelt helpless as the energy rushed toward her like a golden lotive, casting her pale face in deadly orange light.

    "White Rabbit!"

    Fat Jun''s cry pierced the air.

 Chapter 894: ********!

    <h4>Chapter 894: ********!</h4>

    Fat Jun''s body moved before his mind could process it, tackling White Rabbit aside. Even through the life monster''s overwhelming cleansing energy, he could move¡ªa fact that surprised him as much as anyone.

    His level 6 Healing had jumped to level 7 at that crucial moment. The power surge through his energy pathways had broken the monster''s psychic hold, though ignorant to the fact, Fat Jun had attributed it to something simpler: love.

    As the golden energy bore down on him, he closed his eyes, at peace. If death came for everyone, this felt like the happiest way to go.

    But death didn''t im him.

    An arm wrapped around his waist, yanking him sideways. The world spun violently as he tumbled onto the riverbank. When he tried to stand, his legs wouldn''t respond. Horror dawned as he realized why: his calves had melted away in Azure Dragon''s energy wave.

    "Aghh!!"

    His dyed scream of agony was cut short at an even more terrible sight.

    White Rabbity a few meters away, her baseball cap gone, hair syed across her burned face. Tears glinted in her calm eyes as her chest rose and fell weakly. She would look like she was stargazing if not for the horrifying state she was in: her body ended at the chest, river waves washing over her repeatedly, each surge carrying away more of her blood.

    Five seconds ago, Fat Jun had tackled White Rabbit. That wouldn¡¯t have protected her, of course, but at most dyed her melting into the energy wave by a second.

    White Rabbit¡¯s Talent reached level 7 at that moment, too. Breaking out of the hold of the cleansing energy for a moment, she Jumped without thinking and jumped off the bridge with Fat Jun.

    However, Jump could never reach Teleportation¡¯s speed, and White Rabbit waste. The moment she made the leap, her body was already sliced off from the chest down.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    Fat Jun struggled to crawl toward White Rabbit, but he couldn¡¯t. The life monster continued to shriek, and the cleansing energy was in effect once more.

    ¡°Why saved me? Why, you idiot!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worth it...I¡¯m not worth you saving me...¡±

    ¡°Rabbit! You¡¯ll be fine, you¡¯ll be... I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll protect you! I¡¯ll save you! Just hold on! Hold...¡±

    Losing his legs, Fat Juny prone on the shoal shouting and scratching the sand and stones on the ground, like he was getting closer to White Rabbit. But he remained unmoving. Even his despair and heartbreak were getting washed away by the life monster¡¯s power.

    White Rabbit, dying, had slipped beyond the creature''s power. She stared up at it with fading vision, her consciousness ebbing like the bloody tide around her.

    She''d grown afraid of deathtely, watching Qilin''s descent into madness. Not of dying itself¡ªshe''d have weed death in Captain''s arms, or at least by his side, dying before him. Then he''d remember her as the girl who had loved himpletely, who had given him everything.

    But Captain remained in hibernation.

    So each night, White Rabbit had prayed. She''d thanked the Heavenly Way, Lord, God, whatever power might be listening, for another day of life. She''d begged Their blessing for just one more sunrise.

    Perhaps the Heavenly Way had heard her after all, granting her Intangibility in response.

    Intangibility was truly a remarkable Talent. With it, death should have been nearly impossible unless she sought it out deliberately.

    Since receiving it, White Rabbit had stopped worrying about surviving until Captain''s awakening. Instead, she''d worried about losing her newfound family among the Twelve Zodiac Signs. Yet a selfish thought had always coiled in her heart like a viper: if sacrifice was necessary, let it be another. She desperately wanted to live until Captain opened the Gates, to help fulfill his dream.

    So why had she made such a foolish choice? Why save Fat Jun when she could have escaped alone? Half a second''s difference, and none of this would have happened.

    How stupid. She''d gotten herself killed just like that. She would never see Captain again, never get to admire him from afar.

    <i>Perhaps this is karma for all those spicy rabbit heads I ate.</i>

    Heartbroken, White Rabbit had the strangest urge to paint her toenails. Her bloodied hand twitched, trying to reach for the nail polish in her shirt pocket.

    <i>Oh, right.</i>

    <i>I don''t have a pocket now. Don''t have legs either. Haha, what an idiot.</i>

    Fat Jun''s anguished cries pierced her ears like a pig at ughter. She frowned in irritation, summoning what little strength remained.

    "Shut up!"

    "********!"

    Fat Jun froze, staring at her through blood and tears, speechless.

    White Rabbit''s gaze remained fixed on the sky, her chest now still. The riverpped gently at her severed torso, scattering reflected moonlight across her pale face. Her messy hair swayed in the current as her lifeless eyes mirrored the tapestry of stars above.

    ...

    Puppet Azure Dragon had barelyunched his pursuit of Raven Shark and Zhong He when his targets vanished from the river''s surface.

    Qilin started, then quickly assessed the situation. He released control of the puppet, reiming its remaining energy for himself.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    He leaped from the life monster''s head toward Wang Zikai''s prone form on the levee. In the two-second descent, Qilin stretched his psychic senses to their limit. Though invisible to the naked eye, he detected a spectral form approaching Wang Zikai at supersonic speed.

    "Statues!"

    His control skill expanded to its maximum reach. Half a secondter, Waking Insects materialized and froze twenty meters from Wang Zikai, his shocked expression trapped in ce.

    Qilin wasn¡¯t surprised by Waking Insects¡¯ appearance, but he was surprised that the Spectre seemed immune to the cleansing energy.

    Qilin utilized momentum to fall right beside Wang Zikai.

    He immediately deactivated Statues in favor of a regr psychic dominance with arge range, effectively restraining Waking Insects. Qilin decided to kill himter. The priority was to kill the biggest threat to Qilin and make him into a powerful puppet.

    Qilin jumped into the crater Wang Zikai¡¯s crash had created.

    Wang Zikai, depleted and injured,y helpless against thebined assault of Eidos and the life monster''s psychic invasion.

    Golden energy surged through Qilin''s ck Gold cane, transforming it into a gleaming broadsword. The de plunged into Wang Zikai''s chest, painting half of Qilin''s face in a spray of crimson.

 Chapter 895: Third Turn

    <h4>Chapter 895: Third Turn</h4>

    Meanwhile, the Judge¡¯s domain.

    Inside the world with ck sky and whitend, eight people, a parrot, and a double began a ¡°fair¡± turn-based match under the witness of the gray stone pir that connected heaven and earth. Among them, a person and a double had died and thus been eliminated from the game.

    Liao Liao¡¯s will to fight rekindled, her determination to survive hardened.

    She borated her deduction withposure, ¡°I believe Gao Yang won¡¯t use Absolute Defense. Sir Jiang, you should protect yourself this turn. Gao Yang¡¯s very likely to kill you.¡±

    Sir Jiang acknowledged with a silent nod.

    "Qin You, attack Gao Yang with everything. No holding back."

    "Understood," Qin You replied, voice dark with intent.

    Liao Liao''s gaze shifted to the parrot. "I''ll handle the bird." Whatever Dr. Jia had fed it demanded serious attention. She knew enough about the man to fear his inventions.

    Finally, she turned to Void. "Take out Dr. Jia. We can''t risk another of his tricks."

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Void responded strongly. It was impossible for him to kill Gao Yang, but Dr. Jia wouldn¡¯t be a challenge.

    ...

    On the opposing side, Gao Yang''s team formted their own strategy. "What did you feed the parrot?" he asked Dr. Jia.

    Dr. Jia nced meaningfully at Nico before shaking his head. Speaking would risk the wanderer revealing their n to the enemy.

    Gao Yang didn''t press. He closed his eyes, mind racing through possibilities. When he opened them again, seeking additional information, he noticed something crucial.

    The gray stone pir had changed. Clear Mirror''s carved face seemed to blur¡ªno, <i>melt</i>.

    "Clear Mirror!" Gao Yang called out, revtion striking. "You sacrificed your life to trap us here, didn''t you? To force this conflict?"

    The face on the pir shifted. ck and white eyes gazed down at him as a voice¡ªcold, dignified, and seemingly from everywhere¡ªresponded: "What if I did?"

    ¡°So the number of turns is limited! It depends on how long you can live, or how much energy you have!¡± Gao Yang guessed.

    Clear Mirror''s silence confirmed the theory.

    "If I drag this out, you''ll die first!" Gao Yang challenged, testing the waters.

    Clear Mirror''s melting features twisted into what might have been a sneer. "You''re wee to try."

    Gao Yang¡¯s heart sank. Clear Mirror didn¡¯t fall for it.

    Yes, it might be true that Clear Mirror was operating with limited time, but Gao Yang, even more so. Even if Gao Yang¡¯s spection was right, it would be impossible for him to carry out the n.

    Using Absolute Defense twice would exhaust his energy. Two turns. That was Gao Yang¡¯s limit. That, however, wasn¡¯t Clear Mirror¡¯s limit. And Sir Jiang and the others wouldn¡¯t let the chance to kill Gao Yang slip.

    Of course, Gao Yang could tell the other side the truth ande to a temporary truce until Clear Mirror used up his life, but that wouldn¡¯t work, either.

    Doubt begot doubt. Neither side could be certain that the other would honor their promise to stay their hands. If Gao Yang had stayed put while the other side made a move, Gao Yang would lose; simrly, if Gao Yang had taken action when the other side didn¡¯t, Gao Yang would gain an advantage. There was no chance that his enemies would take the risk.

    That was the source of Clear Mirror''s confidence. Even if everyone discovered the truth, their fundamental mistrust would drive them to fight until both sides had sacrificed many lives.

    "Poormb. You are lost." Nico''s voice rose with fervent conviction. "Do not stray further down the wrong path. You are a mistake, but your mission isplete. Come, return with us to God''s world..."

    "Go ahead without me. I''d like to y a while longer." Gao Yang didn''t spare him a nce.

    Nico''s sigh of disappointment was cut short by a familiar voice.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The third turn begins.]

    The gray barrier lifted. Once again, Gao Yang moved first.

    Liao Liao had been right¡ªhe hadn''t used Absolute Defense. But as he vanished, her team realized with horror that she''d been wrong about everything else. Again, he''d chosen Teleportation and a simple attack¡ªfar too weak to threaten Sir Jiang!

    "Ah..."

    Gao Yang materialized before Void, his dagger finding the man''s heart with devastating precision. Blood painted Gao Yang''s hands crimson.

    "Why... why..."

    Void reached for Gao Yang''s cor with trembling fingers but grasped only air. Gao Yang had already returned to his position, bloody dagger in hand.

    Blood poured from Void''s chest as he copsed to his knees. His lips moved silently before a final twitch left him lifeless in a spreading pool of red.

    Sir Jiang, Qin You, and Liao Liao watched with grim faces. Each death of their teammates chipped away at their rationality, pushing them closer to fear and breakdown.

    Liao Liao''s renewed fighting spirit crumbled. Once again, Gao Yang had seen through herpletely.

    But it made no sense. <i>How dare he ignore Sir Jiang for Void? Why target the least threatening opponent?</i>

    Her mind raced. <i>Even knowing Sir Jiang would defend himself, he should have targeted me or Qin You. We''re the real threats.</i>

    <i>Why? WHY?</i>

    <i>Calm down, Liao Liao. Think from his perspective.</i>

    <i>What''s different between killing Void versus killing me or Qin You?</i>

    <i>Teleportation and a basic attack wouldn''t have been enough against us. We could dodge, then heal with Medicine C.</i>

    <i>That''s it! He''d need stronger skills to kill either of us¡ªusing too much energy too quickly.</i>

    <i>Of course! Killing Void cost minimal energy while guaranteeing a reduction in our numbers. Maximum efficiency!</i>

    <i>I''ve been so blind!</i>

    <i>Gao Yang never viewed this as a personal battle¡ªhe''s ying it like an omniscient observer! He''s not thinking about surviving the next round, but being thest one standing!</i>

    <i>Every move serves his endgame. Our numerical advantage trapped us in short-term thinking. We assumed surviving one more round would limit his options, put him at a disadvantage.</i>

    <i>No more mistakes, Liao Liao! You have to think like he does¡ªsee the whole board!</i>

    Her turn came. She activated God of Firearms, targeting the parrot.

    <i>Bang, bang¡ª</i>

 Chapter 896: Just a Bird

    <h4>Chapter 896: Just a Bird</h4>

    <i>Bang, bang¡ª</i>

    Liao Liao had chosen ¡°Charge¡±st turn, so she could make two shots this round. In an instant, a bullet entered the parrot¡¯s head and chest, leaving two bleeding holes. The parrot didn¡¯t even get to shriek in pain before it died and fell to the ground. The few gray feathers flying in the air were its only parting words.

    ¡°Parry![1]¡± Dr. Jia shouted in a gut-wrenching tone.

    Trapped within his movement range, he could only watch from two meters away as hispanion fell. He copsed to his knees, tears streaming. "Parry, I got you killed. Such a terrible fate! After all these years together, I have to watch you go first..."

    His grief twisted into rage as he red at Liao Liao. "Bastard! I''ming for you!"

    Liao Liao exhaled softly. The parrot had died before whatever medicine could take effect¡ªone major threat eliminated.

    Qin You, unmoved by Void''s death, felt his spirits lift at the parrot''s demise. He raised his arms toward Gao Yang. "Ground Thorns!"

    Energy surged beneath Gao Yang''s feet. Green sprouts erupted from the ground, transforming in seconds into three-meter spears that struck from all angles like a forest of thorns.

    Trapped within his movement range and unable to use his Talents, Gao Yang twisted and weaved. Despite his impressive evasion, three thorns found their mark¡ªone through his calf, another slicing his side, and a third carving deep into his back.

    Five secondster, the thorns vanished as if they''d never existed. Gao Yang remained motionless, silent despite the blood soaking his clothes. Only the red bar above his head betrayed his condition, now depleted by a quarter.

    <i>Damn!</i> Qin You was dissatisfied. He had thought the move would at least decrease Gao Yang¡¯s hit points by half even if it didn¡¯t manage to kill Gao Yang. It surprised him how far Gao Yang managed to go by simply dodging alone. That showed how high the young man¡¯s Agility was.

    Qin You¡¯s turn was over. It was Dr. Jia¡¯s turn.

    Dr. Jia chose to attack Sir Jiang this time. He wailed as he ran toward Sir Jiang, about to give Sir Jiang a punch.

    For this turn, Sir Jiang chose to protect himself with his Talent. Spatial discement allowed him to perfectly dodge Dr. Jia. Dr. Jia didn¡¯t even make him lose a hair before rushing back, still crying.

    For Nico¡¯s turn, he chose to give up his action again. Sitting where he was, he spouted off the same religious nonsense.

    The third turn ended. The gray barrier descended, muffling all sound.

    Gao Yang pressed his hand against his bleeding side. His gaze drifted to the stone pir''s carved face. Though the ck and white eyes had dimmed and the features continued to blur, they remained far from smooth.

    Then Gao Yang noticed that Dr. Jia had stopped wailing.

    He asked lowly after a pause, ¡°You were acting?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Dr. Jia turned to nce at Gao Yang. ¡°It¡¯s just a damn bird. If it died, it died.¡±

    "But you do care about it."

    Dr. Jia shifted ufortably. "I moved its brain and heart ages ago, gave it a resurrection pill too. It''ll be fine. If not, I''ll clone it."

    "What did you feed it?"

    "Just a mud ball I made." Dr. Jia shrugged. "This bathrobe doesn''t even have pockets. What else could I have? But they didn''t know that. A convincing show about secret medicine would draw their attention, divert some attacks. Buy you another turn."

    Gao Yang nodded with appreciation. The genius had yed it perfectly. If Liao Liao''s God of Firearms had targeted him instead, even ncing hits would have weakened him for Qin You''s assault. The cumtive damage would have been devastating.

    "Thanks."

    "Save it. I die if you die." Dr. Jia''s voice was matter-of-fact. "You''re on your own now. Think you can manage?"

    "Of course."

    Gao Yang spoke with a confidence he didn''t entirely feel. Hisposure was partly performance¡ªa tool to unsettle Liao Liao. The more nervous she became, the more her expressions betrayed her thoughts.

    Thus, Gao Yang had to make her as nervous as possible. Then she would reveal more information through her microexpressions, allowing Gao Yang to better predict her strategy.

    For the earlier turn, Gao Yang hadn¡¯t been certain that Sir Jiang would choose to protect himself, but through the gray barrier, he had seen a certainty in Liao Liao¡¯s expression as she talked to Sir Jiang. Liao Liao must have made a key decision, which was very likely her betting on Gao Yang killing Sir Jiang.

    Gao Yang had to admit it was a gamble. If Sir Jiang hadn¡¯t chosen to protect himself but insteade after Gao Yang, Gao Yang would¡¯ve died.

    But he had to gamble. He must make every step surely and urately, and he couldn¡¯t even waste a step. Only then would he get out of here alive.

    ¡°Lostmb, give up on struggling. Blindly resisting God¡¯s will will not prove yourself to be unique. Foolishness and pride are both original sins...¡±

    Nico continued to drone like an annoying fly.

    Gao Yang ignored him and concentrated on strategizing. A minuteter, Gao Yang made up his mind.

    Through the gray barrier, he waved at Qin You.

    The three surviving enemies immediately took notice. Qin You¡¯s face darkened. He wasn¡¯t sure what Gao Yang was up to.

    Gao Yang met Qin You¡¯s eyes and curled his lips upward. He pointed at Qin You before making a slicing motion across his neck. Even a fool could tell what the gesture meant.

    <i>Next turn, I¡¯m going to kill you.</i>

    1. Dr. Jia¡¯s name for the parrot, Ó¢Îä, meaning bright and brave, is a pun for the Mandarin word for parrot, <i>yingwu</i>. ?

 Chapter 897: Fourth Turn

    <h4>Chapter 897: Fourth Turn</h4>

    Qin You''s grave expression deepened as he fought to mask his unease.

    "Don''t fall for it," Sir Jiang warned. "He''s trying to shake you."

    "Exactly!" Liao Liao''s voice rang out. "He wants you to waste your turn on defense!"

    Qin You remained silent, mind racing. <i>I know that without your reminders. But what if this is reverse psychology?</i>

    Liao Liao had read some of Gao Yang''s moves correctly, but her mistakes had cost them 0618 and Void. Neither she nor Sir Jiang truly cared about his survival¡ªshe focused only on staying alive, while Sir Jiang sought to clear Qilin''s path.

    <i>I''ve fought too hard to be a sacrifice now.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang thought ¡°I won¡¯t use an Absolute Barrier¡±st turn, and he didn¡¯t use it. This time, he hinted that he would kill me, maybe he really will!</i>

    <i>And it¡¯s very likely.</i>

    <i>If not for my Tracking, what happened at the Starcatching Pavilion wouldn¡¯t have happened.</i>

    <i>This time, my Mindreading contributed to the death of Liu Qingying and Songstress.</i>

    <i>And I just hurt Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang must hate me now. Sir Jiang won¡¯t live that long even if Gao Yang doesn¡¯t kill him. As for Liao Liao, there¡¯s no bad blood between her and Gao Yang.</i>

    <i>Gao Yang¡¯s unlikely to defeat us in his state. Were I him, it would make sense for him to avenge hispanions with one more kill before his death.</i>

    <i>So, it¡¯s very likely for Gao Yang to kill me next turn.</i>

    "Qin You! Are you listening?" Liao Liao''s urgent voice cut through his thoughts.

    "Yes," he replied, face carefully nk.

    "Keep attacking next turn. You have the energy, right?"

    Qin You nodded. "I do."

    "Good! Gao Yang will target either me or Sir Jiang. We both need to defend."

    Qin You''s expression tightened.

    "I know what you''re thinking¡ªthat we''re making you take the risk while we y it safe."

    ¡°Just think about it. Gao Yang cannot leave me and Sir Jiang alone once more. Another Spatial Blender will surely kill him. Even if he lives, I¡¯ll kill him for sure with God of Firearms.¡±

    ¡°So Gao Yang only has one choice: use a lot of energy to kill me or Sir Jiang. Then he¡¯ll think about the next turn.¡±

    Qin You remained silent.

    "There''s no reason for him to target you!" Liao Liao pressed on, conviction growing. "Every move he makes is toward ultimate victory. Killing you this round won''t get him there!"

    "Trust me! You''repletely safe! Attack him while he''s wounded. Another hit like thatst one, and victory is ours!"

    Still, Qin You said nothing.

    Liao Liao''s teeth clenched. "Fine¡ªI won''t defend next turn. We''ll attack together! I''m betting he goes for Sir Jiang!"

    Surprise flickered across Qin You''s face. "By your own analysis, you''re at greater risk than I am."

    "Yes! I know!" Liao Liao''s frustration burst forth. "But you need proof that I believe what I''m saying! You cannot defend next turn! We end this together!"

    Qin You''s gaze shifted, calcting. Finally, he nodded. "Okay."

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± Sir Jiang had been paying attention to the countdown. Five seconds. If they didn¡¯t choose an action once the countdown ended, they would be giving up on their turns like Nico.

    Liao Liao and Qin You looked back at their respective interface and chose their actions.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The fourth turn begins.]

    The gray barrier lifted. Beneath Gao Yang''s feet, the pattern red green.

    Liao Liao¡¯s heart sank. She had wishfully thought that perhaps Gao Yang would be the second to act with his injury slowing him down, but it seemed that his current condition did little to hinder his mobility.

    Meanwhile, the pattern under Sir Jiang¡¯s feet turned yellow¡ªhe was Gao Yang¡¯s target!

    Liao Liao nearly cried out. Relief at predicting correctly, at not being chosen,sted only a second before her frown returned.

    Bathed in blood, Gao Yang¡¯s eyes glowed a brilliant gold as energy rippled violently from under his feet. He wasn¡¯t making a regr attack this time; he was getting serious!

    A massive wing of me erupted from his right shoulder as heunched toward Sir Jiang. The inferno transformed their ck and white domain into a canvas of shimmering orange. Blood-drenched and wreathed in fire, Gao Yang looked like a warrior reborn amid blood and mes.

    The air itself seemed to pause. The zing wing copsed inward, leaving only dancing embers as all that power concentrated into his right fist.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Gao Yang''s ultimate Fire Punch manifested as a roaring dragon of me, descending like a waterfall of destruction that left Sir Jiang nowhere to run.

    Crimson waves rippled outward, consuming everything in their path.

    Gray barriers materialized around Liao Liao and Qin You, shielding them like observation pods. Through the translucent walls, Liao Liao felt like she was watching a star die.

    The sight doused her rekindled hope. She''d calcted everything she could, but Gao Yang''s raw power exceeded all expectations.

    Sir Jiang had chosen defense¡ªbut against this?

    Gao Yang had gone all-in with the attack, in fact.

    He could guess that Liao Liao would have Sir Jiang defend himself, but Gao Yang had no other choice. There was no turning back. He had to break through Sir Jiang¡¯s defense.

    For both sides, those five seconds stretched eternal. The world disappeared into the dragon''s fury, into its howl and me.

    Then stillness returned.

    Liao Liao and Qin You turned toward Sir Jiang. Their eyes went wide.

 Chapter 898: Good!

    <h4>Chapter 898: Good!</h4>

    He was still there!

    He hadn¡¯t been evaporated in the fire, at least...not entirely.

    Soon, everyone saw the human swine-like figure clearly[1]. The sight was difficult to look at.

    His clothes and hair had burned awaypletely. His flesh existed in a state between melted and charred, his face a twisted brown mask eerily simr to the one he used to wear.

    His left arm and both legs had simply vanished. The left prosthetic calfy disconnected, while his prosthetic right arm remained bizarrely intact; its synthetic skin burned away to reveal, of all things, a chic pink strawberry pattern.

    The scene painted itself in cruel, macabre strokes.

    Sir Jiang hadn¡¯t willingly surrendered his limbs, but he couldn¡¯t keep them.

    During those five seconds under the Fire Punch, Sir Jiang had desperately warped space around himself. He''d managed to preserve only his head and torso, sacrificing face and limbs to survive. His health bar flickered at one-tenth, energy reserves at twenty percent.

    Sir Jiang was at an inch of his life, rendered useless.

    Gao Yang''s chest heaved, his blood-streaked face ash-white. He''d crippled his target as nned, but at a steep cost¡ªhis energy reserves had plummeted below forty percent.

    "Impressive. The Divine Scion lives up to his name, managing that level of attack while injured." Dr. Jia spread his hands appreciatively. "Though this turn-based nonsense is ridiculous. Without that restriction on group attacks, everyone over there would be ash."

    Gao Yang remained silent, expression calm. He suspected group attacks should have been allowed¡ªbut Clear Mirror, as judge, had altered the rules. The game only needed to appear fair, not be fair.

    His primary mission was to kill Gao Yang, then his selfish want was to avenge Dust.

    Back in Aurora Town, Liu Qingying was the catalyst of the mission, with Azure Dragon, Six Rime, and Liao Liao being among the main contributors, and Sir Jiang leading the reinforcements.

    Liu Qingying, Azure Dragon, and Six Rime were all dead. Thus Clear Mirror¡¯s revenge n targeted Sir Jiang and Liao Liao.

    By giving his life, Clear Mirror changed the rules of the domain and bnced the power of the two teams to ensure they would mutually destroy each other, or at least leave no one unhurt. Then he would¡¯vepleted the mission the Heavenly Godbearer entrusted to him and avenged Dust, his sister. And it was the most Clear Mirror could do.

    Gao Yang¡¯s attack had been grand and powerful. The domain, like an oldputer, seemed to be overclocking due to the overload of data. It took half a minute for Liao Liao to have her turn.

    Her heart sank at Sir Jiang''s condition. Gao Yang''s devastating disy shocked her, but hope remained.

    For now, at least, she still held the advantage.

    Liao Liao drew her gun and fired at Gao Yang with God of Firearms. <i>These turn-based rules are absurd,</i> she fumed silently. <i>His five-second punch counts as one attack, while my single bullet counts the same. How is that fair?</i>

    She aimed for his heart rather than his head. His high Agility might let him dodge a headshot, but therger target area of his chest gave him less room to maneuver.

    She''d considered trying to predict his dodge direction to ensure a heart shot, but the gamble felt too risky. A wrong guess would mean aplete miss.

    Gao Yang moved the instant she pulled the trigger, but without Teleportation, even he couldn''t outrace a bullet from level 6 God of Firearms¡ªa Talent she''d raised to level 4 with the Damage Rune Circuit before the civil war, then pushed to level 6 afterward.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The ck Gold bullet tore through his chest.

    Gao Yang''s expression darkened, caught between relief and cursing. The level 6 round punched clean through his enhanced body, perforating his lung and elerating his blood loss. The only mercy was that the bullet had prated him too quickly for its paralysis and poison effects to take hold.

    He pressed a hand to his bleeding chest, slowly dropping to one knee. His health bar plummeted below fifty percent.

    <i>Yes!</i>

    Liao Liao''s internal celebration wasn''t naive joy at a kill, but the damage had exceeded her expectations. Gao Yang teetered on the edge now. If Qin You just...

    <i>Why isn''t he moving?</i>

    She turned to find Qin You''s feet marked green, yet he remained motionless.

    "Qin You!" Her voice cracked with disbelief. "Move it!"

    Face dark, Qin You crossed his arms. His hands transformed into countless sturdy vines,pletely encasing his body; it was nt''s ultimate defense.

    He''d chosen to protect himself rather than attack.

    "You fucking... bastard!" Liao Liao''s rage exploded.

    Secondster, Qin You lowered his defense, his expression awkward. When Liao Liao had offered to risk herself alongside him, he''d resolved to choose offense. But at the crucial moment, survival instinct had overwhelmed his resolve.

    "It''s not that I''m afraid of death!" His protest rang hollow.

    1. ÈËåé, <i>renzi</i>, is a cruel way of torture to remove someone¡¯s limbs and sense organs. ?

 Chapter 899: The Flip Side

    <h4>Chapter 899: The Flip Side</h4>

    "I believe I''m the most likely to be attacked by Gao Yang. He''s been targeting the weakest one every turn to ensure a kill. I made my own judgment, but I didn''t think I could convince you. I''m making choices for the final victory, too!"

    "Bullshit! You cowardly pig of a teammate!" Liao Liao snarled. "You piece of trash bing an Elder? What a joke!"

    The words hit a nerve. Qin You flushed red with humiliation and anger. "Are you in any position to preach? You have six Talents, yet you insist on staying in the intelligence department. Who''s the bigger coward here?"

    "Yes, I fear death! I''m too scared for the frontline! But at least I won''t sell out a teammate!"

    "Ha, easier said than done! Had you been the one Gao Yang threatened, could you have stayed calm?"

    "Hahaha! Now they''re squabbling among themselves!" Dr. Jia relished their discord. Taking his turn, he rushed at Sir Jiang and kicked him in the chest. The old pride monster raised his prosthetic arm to block, but without support, he crumpled to the ground, his disfigured face unreadable.

    As Liao Liao and Qin You continued their argument, Gao Yang watched them coolly. Though he didn''t know Qin You personally, the man''s actions revealed his nature. After all, he had betrayed even his childhood sweetheart, Songstress.

    That was why Gao Yang had targeted him with the threat, betting on Qin You choosing self-preservation. Someone so self-serving would always push risk onto others unless cornered. Fortunately, the gamble paid off.

    Nico''s turn came and went without action.

    As the domain''s loading time stretched longer, Gao Yang seized the moment to address Qin You in a hoarse, derisive voice. "Qin You, do you know why Songstress chose Ghost Horse now?"

    Qin You jerked as if shot. His mouth twitched.

    "Were I her," Gao Yang enunciated each word, "I would''ve picked a hero over a snake, too."

    Qin You trembled, his expression darkening. Seconds passed before he growled, "Gao Yang! Say what you want! You can''t use Fire Punch next turn! You''ll be the one to die!"

    ¡°And I¡¯ll live. I¡¯ll live until the end and pen the epic of victory. I¡¯ll stake you, the Malediction, on the pir of humiliation, and you¡¯ll be spat on for generations toe!¡±

    ¡°Haha, hahahaha!¡± Qin Youughed out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll be thest oneughing! Not you!¡±

    Hum. The gray barrier descended and blocked out Qin You¡¯s voice.

    The fourth turn ended. Now entering the 180-second thinking time.

    Gao Yang dropped to one knee and held onto his chest and side with each hand, trying to slow the blood loss.

    In the domain, injury worked differently than in reality. One¡¯s physical condition should continue to worsen after getting injured. For example, the blood loss should be reflected on the red bar. The hit points should be dropping.

    But it didn¡¯t work like that in the turn-based match. Gao Yang¡¯s HP bar remained the same, and Sir Jiang was able to hold onto his life despite his terrible condition.

    It was due to the power of rules inside the domain. Once they left, the power would lose its effect.

    It meant that even if someone had some hit points left in the domain, once the domain dissolved, and their injury was reflected in the real world, ruled by naturalw, they could die instantly.

    Worst-case scenario, they could critically injure each other in the domain and all die once outside.

    Gao Yang calmed himself and continued to strategize.

    In the next turn, Liao Liao and Qin You would certainly try to kill him. They had no other choice.

    The same was true for Gao Yang. He needed to eliminate either Liao Liao or Qin You to survive, but his confidence wavered.

    "Gao Yang," Dr. Jia said, "don''t attack next turn. Protect yourself."

    Gao Yang paused. He had considered that option. "Why?"

    "Sir Jiang can still move," Dr. Jia said.

    Gao Yang frowned.

    "I kicked him earlier. You saw that."

    "What, did you fix him like a machine?" Gao Yang''s face remained impassive despite the joke.

    "No, but his prosthetic arm remains flexible. It isn''t broken," Dr. Jia said with pride. "The arm can still execute one move. Though using it will certainly kill him, do you think he''ll care?"

    "No." Gao Yang''s eyes darkened. "He''ll use it for sure."

    "That''s why." Dr. Jia shrugged.

    Gao Yang calcted: Sir Jiang will use the arm for his final move, while Liao Liao and Qin You will give everything to kill him.

    Gao Yang had three methods of defense to choose from:

    One, dodge with Teleportation. Second, armor himself with Absolute Defense. Third, use an Absolute Barrier.

    The first option would cost him less energy, but the risk was high. The second option would provide him with greater defense but cost more energy, and it might not shield him from all damage. The third option would 100% protect him, but it would cost a great amount of energy. Even if he could still move the next turn, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use any skills.

    "I know what you''re thinking, Gao Yang," Dr. Jia said. "Don''t hesitate. Use Absolute Barrier. In your condition, even at full strength, you might not survive my invention."

    "Confident, aren''t you?"

    Dr. Jia arched an eyebrow. "I''m just a humble little genius."

    Gao Yang nodded. "Alright, I''ll trust you this once." Then a thought struck him. With time running short, he said quickly, "Wait. Sir Jiang must know you''ll warn me about the arm. He might guess I''ll choose defense and rest instead, saving his attack for the following turn."

    "True," Dr. Jia replied. "But consider why he wouldn''t wait. I invented that cybeic arm. They know I could have left a backdoor¡ªlook how they fell for that mud ball with Parry. What if I powered down the arm? Sir Jiang would lose his final chance."

    "When facing approaching death, people feel an urgent need to fulfill theirst wish. Even a second''s dy bes torture."

    Gao Yang nodded, convinced. Then another possibility urred to him. "What if Sir Jiang decides to kill you instead?"

    It made sense. Killing Dr. Jia would prevent the Nine Scions from acquiring him, with a higher chance of sess.

    Dr. Jia smiled slightly. "Possible, but unlikely."

    "Why?"

    "The old man trusts my inventions," Dr. Jia chuckled. "He''s dying, and he believes in the weapon. He''ll make it count."

    Gao Yang nodded.

    Dr. Jia nced at the dead parrot. "If Sir Jiang does kill me, though, take care of Parry. It shoulde back to life just fine."

    "Okay."

    "That bird''s noisy, picky with food, makes a mess everywhere, destroys the furniture, and mocks people constantly, but it has many good points. For example..." Dr. Jia licked his lips. "For example..." He scratched his head. "Well, I mean..."

    "I promise you," Gao Yang said. It was time.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The fifth turn begins.]

 Chapter 900: Fifth Turn

    <h4>Chapter 900: Fifth Turn</h4>

    Again, Gao Yang was the first to move.

    Absolute Barrier!

    Gao Yang channeled his energy. Golden light erupted from beneath his feet, forming a translucent shield that encased him.

    "Fuck! It''s Absolute Barrier!" Qin You cursed.

    Liao Liao''s face darkened.

    They had considered this possibility but dismissed it after analyzing the situation. An Absolute Barrier would drain Gao Yang''s energy far more than theirbined attacks would cost them. It would only dy the fight to the next turn. The trade-off hadn''t seemed logical.

    Yet here they were.

    Sir Jiang, prone on the ground, released a hoarse, heavy sigh of frustration. Though his eyes were ruined, Qin You''s outburst told him everything. His final attack would be futile.

    In his sh with Gao Yang, he had fallen short.

    Not eliminating the Divine Scion now wouldplicate things for Qilin, but Sir Jiang trusted him. He trusted the human he had chosen.

    After Gao Yang''s turn, Liao Liao acted.

    <i>Clink.</i> She summoned God of Firearms once more and fired. The bullet sparked harmlessly against the golden barrier.

    Then came Sir Jiang''s turn.

    The Judge''s domain seemed to strain under increasing pressure. The pattern beneath Sir Jiang''s feet remained dark instead of turning green, like a game frozen mid-sequence.

    Knowing these were Sir Jiang''s final moments, Gao Yang called out, "Sir Jiang! You said not to open the Gates of Closure. Why?"

    "<i>Ack, ack, ack...</i>" Sir Jiang descended into a coughing fit. Rather than answering, he rasped, "Qilin...is humanity''s only hope. My answer won''t be wrong..."

    Gao Yang clenched his teeth. The pride monster refused to reveal anything even before his death.

    However, it made sense. Qin You and Liao Liao were still here. If they were the ones to get out of here alive, Sir Jiang wouldn¡¯t want them to bring with them the truth of Sir Jiang and Qilin¡¯s scheme.

    "Gao Yang..." Sir Jiang''s voice weakened. "I...sought out Yun once, asking her to turn in the answer sheet with me. She turned me down..."

    At his grandmother''s name, Gao Yang''s chest tightened. Behind the pain bloomed a warm pride.

    His grandmother''s answer had been family.

    "Yun gave me a poem then...<i>ack, ack.</i>.. It''s quite nicely written.<i> Ack, ack.</i>.. I''ll...read it to you..."

    Gao Yang frowned.

    The pattern beneath Sir Jiang finally red green.

    His body shuddered as the domain''s will seized control. Slowly, he raised his pink prosthetic arm toward the sky.

    As he moved, he began to recite:

    <i>¡°High wall rises, red moonments.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Mist thickens, gods perish.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°The ignorant sleep upon the mist,¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Along which the fearless ascends.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°The lost seek wondend eternal.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°All fascinate. All return to void.¡±</i>

    Gao Yang memorized the poem and asked, ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    But Sir Jiang didn¡¯t answer. He couldn¡¯t.

    His cybeic arm fractured, splitting into curved, razor-sharp metal tes that unfurled like a blooming spider lily. At its center, a dark red core bristled with countless hollow points. Sir Jiang''s charred chest copsed, ribs jutting outward as the flesh beneath withered like rotting fruit.

    The flower-like mechanism had devoured everything¡ªorgans, tissue, energy¡ªas fuel for its final purpose.

    Brilliant white light erupted from the core, not assers but aspressed vortexes of spatial discement. These gray rays arced into the sky before raining down on Gao Yang. <i>Clink, clink, clink.</i> Dozens of projectiles struck the Absolute Barrier, bursting into swirling spatial distortions that sttered against his shield.

    Gao Yang masked his unease. Without the Absolute Barrier, in his current state, death would have been certain.

    "Fuck!" Dr. Jia leaped with relief. "Great! I''m not dead! I guessed right! He didn''te after me!"

    Through the translucent barrier, Gao Yang watched Sir Jiang¡ªnow a hollowed shell, features dissolving, chest gouged open¡ªbe nothing more than a cold corpse.

    The enemy he had hated to his core was finally dead.

    He released a long breath.

    <i>Atst, I''vepleted half our revenge.</i>

    <i>Lithe Snake, Gray Bear, Can... many are watching. As their captain, I must see this through.</i>

    Sir Jiang''s death cast a heavy shadow over Liao Liao and Qin You. After another half-minute dy, the pattern beneath Qin You red green.

    Frustrated, he summoned nt, attempting to strangle Gao Yang through the Absolute Barrier¡ªa futile waste of energy. Both their golden bars had dwindled to a quarter of their original length.

    Then came Nico''s turn.

    He had begun this game preaching with religious fervor, but his fervor had dimmed as the Divine Scion proved more resilient than expected. Victory bnced on a knife''s edge.

    "How much longer can you hold on, Clear Mirror?" Nico turned to the giant gray pir. Clear Mirror''s face was fading, transforming from sculpted relief to t sketch.

    In a couple of turns, Clear Mirror might be one with the gray stone pir, weathered away by thew of fairness.

    "I don''t know." Clear Mirror''s voice echoed from all directions, once thunderous, now threadbare. "I''ll sacrifice everything."

    Nico chuckled and rose unsteadily, his x robe''s sleeves swaying. "Be grateful, Clear Mirror! This is God''s trial for us! The real trial!"

    He took two hand grenades from his robe. "Clear Mirror! I''ll be departing before you. I await your good news on the other side."

    He yanked the pins.

    "Fuck!" Dr. Jia shouted. "Really? This is cheating!"

    Gao Yang remained frozen¡ªnot by choice, but by Clear Mirror''s will. The domain''s interpreter had deemed Nico''s attack a "support action" for his teammate. Gao Yang had no choice but to ept this "support."

    "God!"

    Nico spread his arms wide and hurled himself at Gao Yang.

    "Your will is to descend upon the world! Your grace is to shine on¡ª"

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The explosion engulfed Gao Yang''s position. Its searing light painted Dr. Jia''s horrified face in crimson.

 Chapter 901: Letâ€™s Go to Hell

    <h4>Chapter 901: Let¡¯s Go to Hell</h4>

    Meanwhile, Qingyang Bridge.

    The cold gray moon shone on the crumbled bridge. Above the Li River, an enormous life monster puppet spread its wings and shrieked skyward. Its cleansing energy rippled outward in waves, reaching two kilometers in every direction, transforming all lifeforms into pure-hearted, defenseless infants.

    On the river''s levee, Qilin''s golden broad sword¡ªtransformed from his ck Gold cane¡ªpierced Wang Zikai''s chest, blood spraying.

    "Aghhh!!"

    Wang Zikai''s howl unleashed wild red energy that stained the river crimson. His body''s defenses activated instinctively, repelling Qilin''s attempt to destroy him from within.

    The golden de reverted to its original form.

    Wang Zikai slumped, unconscious.

    Qilin hadn''t missed his mark. A forcefield had deflected his strike at thest moment, forcing him to attempt destruction from within instead. Yet somehow, Wang Zikai had endured.

    As Qilin prepared to strike again, an overwhelming force descended from above, pressing down on him. Even the life monster fell silent.

    In that split second of distraction, Qilin''s control slipped. Statues failed, and a gust of wind swept Wang Zikai away. Waking Insects had rescued him.

    Qilin knew better than to give chase. Soon, Waking Insects would rescue the other Twelve Zodiac Signs and Nine Scions too, nevering close enough to risk capture.

    The night''s toll weighed heavy: one eye was sacrificed, many subordinates lost, and only a handful of lesser enemies were eliminated. Rage and humiliation burned in his chest.

    Tamping down his temper, he looked up at the sky. Hovering near the life monster was a little boy.

    Qilin extended his six senses to take a better look. The boy looked seven or eight with soft fine silver hair part in the middle. He wore an old-fashioned child¡¯s suit withrge ruby-like crimson eyes. There was a faint mole by the corner of his right eye.

    He looked meek and adorable, yet his furrowed brows revealed a rueful old soul.

    Despite never seeing him before, Qilin knew instantly who he faced: Spring, the first Spectre of the Mist World, patriarch of their family, eternally trapped in a child''s form as his spirit aged.

    Qilin gripped his cane tighter, flooding the life monster puppet with his will.

    The creature broke free of Spring''s pressure, its wings generating powerful gusts as it unleashed an even greater cleansing force.

    Spring remained unmoved, his clothes and hair whipping in the currents. The monster''s psychic assault washed over him harmlessly.

    Qilin leaped onto the creature''s head, cane ready, his expression cial. "What''s a Spectre doing, interfering in an awakener''s battle?"

    "I don''t care if you kill each other." Spring''s eyes zed with authority and fury. "But you dare make a puppet out of a life monster? The audacity."

    Qilin¡¯s eyes sharpened. <i>Ha, so that¡¯s how it is.</i>

    What he did was a great humiliation to the life monster. He had essentially dug up a corpse and defiled it. As a lifeform born from a life monster, Spring would naturally take offense.

    And it would exin why Spring and Waking Insects were wholly immune to the life monster¡¯s cleansing power¡ªthey were Spectres born from life monsters, possessing the curse power their mothers granted them.

    Gao Yang, on the other hand, was the Divine Scion, no longer a Spectre. Noplete curse coursed through his body, so he couldn¡¯t resist Zhuang Mei¡¯s cleansing power in her second form.

    ¡°I thought you would hate them.¡± Qilin curled his lips.

    "Hate," Spring echoed. His gaze fixed on the giant white bird. "Of course I do. No one hates them more than I do."

    Qilin paused. He thought he had heard wrong. If the Spectre hated the life monsters, why would he step in?

    Of course Qilin wouldn¡¯t understand. Spring didn¡¯t intend to exin.

    <i>Since learning that Spectres were born of life monster and human unions, his hatred for their mothers had grown endless and deep.</i>

    <i>Yet every life monster that bore a Spectre died the moment their child entered this world. Spectres and their mothers were like yesterday and today¡ªnever to coexist. Their lives intersected for only the briefest moment.</i>

    <i>Still, Spring ached to ask their mothers:</i>

    <i>Why birth us at the cost of your lives?</i>

    <i>Why condemn us to this Mist World?</i>

    <i>Do you understand what it means to be abandoned by the world from birth?</i>

    <i>Our first breath brings not warmth and love, but cold istion. Fear. Helplessness. Loss. A cursed nightmare that never ends.</i>

    <i>As children, awakeners hunted us. Elite monsters ughtered us. Curses tortured us.</i>

    <i>Do you know how we''ve survived these endless years?</i>

    <i>No one exined why we live. No one taught us how to love.</i>

    <i>We seekpanions to fight the loneliness, food to fight the hunger. But the deepest hunger in our hearts remains unsated.</i>

    <i>We need to know: what are forlorn ghosts?</i>

    <i>Why do we exist? What purpose do we serve? Where should we go?</i>

    <i>No one ever answered.</i>

    <i>Now we know the truth.</i>

    <i>We are failed experiments. Countless mistakes made in pursuit of perfection. Defective creations meant for disposal.</i>

    <i>Yet you couldn''t even properly destroy us.</i>

    <i>You let broken things like us enter this world, leaving us to rot and suffer in your refuse. Each of us will die from these terrible curses¡ªlike ame joke no oneughs for, onlyughs at.</i>

    Spring stared at a ¡°mother¡±, an agent of fate, and deep, overwhelming hatred washed over him.

    Even so, despite his powerful hate, he still heard a familiar song from a long, long time ago in his head.

    It was the song Spring had heard when he was in his mother¡¯s belly, a song sung for him. It was his only memory of his mother.

    <i>¡°The spring rain awakes the equinox of spring, clear and bright is the day with grain rain.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Summer full of grain as the solstice brings the heat followed by greater heat.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Autumn sees a limit of heat with dew heralding the autumn equinox, cold dew apanied by the descent of frost.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Winter arrives with snow, and snow summons the winter soliste. Cold followed, minor then major.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Two terms for each month, the cycle ever repeating.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°One or two days the terms may shift.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Before June twenty-firstes the first half of the year.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°After August twenty-thirdes thetter half.¡±</i>[1]

    Spring¡¯s eyes melted like rubies thrown into a furnace, falling off his pale face like molten cinder. Qilin felt a shudder run down his spine. He had never felt such a might; it even pushed back Qilin¡¯s radiating psychic power with the sheer pressure it exuded.

    Spring raised his arms toward the giant white bird, empty, bleeding sockets fixed upon it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to hell together, Mother.¡±

    1. This is a song written to memorize the twenty-four sr terms, the lyrics stringing together all twenty-four of them. As exined when the Spectres¡¯ names were introduced, the Spectres are each named after a sr term. ?

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 902: Red Fallen Fox

    <h4>Chapter 902: Red Fallen Fox</h4>

    Qilin immediately withdrew his psychic power from the life monster puppet, channeling level 7 Eidos toward Spring. But the Spectre was beyond stopping. A profound metamorphosis had begun within him¡ªor perhaps, an evolution.

    Sensing Spring would achieve his second form and be immune to psychic assault, Qilin acted decisively. He severed control over Azure Dragon, Blood Amber, and Flower, pouring all his psychic power and energy into the life monster beneath his feet.

    Puppet of Heart!

    Blood and spirit merge!

    The life monster''s wings expanded, generating a hurricane that lifted Qilin before its vertical eye. Hidden reserves of power awakened within the creature.

    <i>Pzzt.</i> Dark red energy crackled from the bottomless vertical eye like lightning through storm clouds. Simultaneously, deep green energy sparked from Qilin''s blinded right eye.

    The two energies touched and intertwined like aplicated and delicate wiring process.

    More thick energy strands shot out from the vertical eye to wrap Qilin¡¯s body,yers uponyers until he turned into a red cocoon.

    Soon, the cocoon lodged into the life monster¡¯s empty vertical eye socket like a red eyeball.

    Qilin and the life monster puppet merged perfectly in the short term.

    Almost at the same time, Spring let the curse energy in his body loose, turning irreversibly into his second form.

    Though he had never entered this form before, he had glimpsed it often in dreams. Somehow, he just knew that his curse power was in a different leaguepared to his kin, but it also came with a great price¡ªhis life.

    Coming this far, Spring was exhausted.

    There could be no more fitting stage for his final performance than tonight.

    His small frame burst through the ck suit, radiating vast waves of white energy. Like an effervescent tablet thrown into water, he dissolved into arge cluster of white mist in the blink of an eye.

    Yet this was not his final form. The mist churned and evolved, gaining definition and substance. Within seconds, a white fox emerged, matching the life monster in size.

    It had silver hair with more than a hundred long, thick red tails¡ªnot actual tails, but radiated energy made concrete. From afar, they left shimmering red afterimages like they were moving at high speed.

    The white fox¡¯s eyes were perfectly round and deep red with no impurity, resembling two cold, strange red moons. Between the eyes, a bleeding red horn protruded from the forehead like that of an injured unicorn.

    The shimmering tails generated their own forcefield as the fox hovered above the river; it was Spring''s enhanced Heavenly Might made visible to mortal eyes.

    Spring¡¯s second form was known as the Red Fallen Fox.

    Two primordial beasts, bound by ancient bloodlines, faced each other above the dark waters. For three seconds, they remained motionless.

    In that moment, the world breathed with the destion of forgotten ages.

    The life monster, its feathers dotted with red, spread its wings. From the vertical eye at its center, waves of cleansing power surged forth, carrying physical force toward the Red Fallen Fox.

    Dark red ripples struck the fox, who answered with a furious howl. Its hundred tails fanned out like a peacock''s disy before merging into a single, scorpion-like spear that pierced theyers of cleansing energy.

    Their collision resulted in a sound that shattered both eardrums and minds, manifesting as a massive red sphere of sonic force.

    It cut the deep blue band that was the Li River. Voluminous water got swept up by the overwhelming energy and rained down like a furious red downpour, scattering stones, vegetation, cars, and infrastructure in its destructive wake.

    The Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Nine Scions had already been whisked away from the battlefield by Waking Insects, and members of the Ocean River Union had escaped with Wandering Tune¡¯s Portal.

    The life monster''s sonic assault continued, though its force scattered to the sides.

    The Red Fallen Fox''s shimmering tails,pressed into a drill, pierced through the sonic barrier, nearly reaching the monster''s red eye.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> The life monster''s wings carried it skyward.

    Missing its target, the fox''s attack crushed what remained of the Qingyang Bridge. <i>Bam!</i> It tumbled forward along the riverbed.

    From a distance, it might have seemed like a yful fox sshing in a stream. Up close, it was apocalyptic. The water of the Li River sshed into the sky and came down like torrential rain, shaking the riverbanks.

    The Red Fallen Fox quickly steadied its footing in the water, looking up at the life monster hovering in the night sky and howling once more.

    The red horn on the fox¡¯s forehead suddenly flickered with an insidious red light.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    <i>Pzzt.</i> A massive red beam erupted from the horn.

    The life monster proved surprisingly nimble for its size. It wheeled and dove through the air, each movement barely evading the red beam''s path.

    The redser tracking it left clear lines in the night sky like a red colored marker. Looking closely, one would see that the red line was the quickly flickering red tails.

    It turned out that the red horn on the fox¡¯s forehead didn¡¯t shootser beams or energy waves, but bullets consisting of the red afterimages.

    Within seconds, the fox''s flowing tails vanished, transformed into a wild crimsonttice across the heavens like a child''s drawinge alive.

    The red lines began to move with purpose, weaving themselves into a dozen massive ropes that snaked toward the life monster.

    Even the creature''s remarkable agility couldn''t escape this of living bonds.

    A rope snared one wing, then another, until the monster hung suspended in a web of crimson.

    ck ripples pulsed from the fox''s moon-red eyes like ancient signals reaching across space and time.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    The Red Fallen Fox vanished from the Li River''s waters.

 Chapter 903: Spring

    <h4>Chapter 903: Spring</h4>

    The Red Fallen Fox materialized beside the white phoenix, its shimmering tails maintaining their grip while reconnecting to their source.

    <i>Howl.</i> The fox''s jaw split unnaturally wide, revealing crimson gums and blood-slicked fangs. It lunged for the phoenix''s head, seeking to devour both the skull and the cocoon-eye within¡ªand with them, the man controlling the monster.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The white phoenix twisted its neck, forcing the fox''s fangs to catch the wing-bone instead. Crimson energy exploded across the night sky.

    The phoenix''s shriek pierced the heavens. Desperation fueled its surge of power as it struggled against the fox''s hold, willing to sacrifice its wing for freedom.

    Two titanic beings wrestled through the clouds, rising and plummeting, yet the phoenix couldn''t break free. The fox''s shimmering tails bound it tight, fangs locked in its wing. Blood dried on the fox''s horn as crimson sigils manifested across the phoenix''s feathers.

    This blood carried Spring''s curse, returning to its "mother." The transfer would kill them both¡ªSpring for losing his curse, the life monster for bearing it.

    Qilin, one with the monster, felt Spring''s resolve for mutual destruction.

    Uneptable.

    The Red Fallen Fox suddenly convulsed, its jaws releasing the wing as curse-energy reversed its flow.

    The phoenix''s countless crimson tails had woven themselves into a rust-colored spear, now thrust through the fox''s chest. ck spots dotted the weapon¡ªPatient''s viruses, already seeping into the fox''s flesh.

    The Red Fallen Fox relinquished its hold.

    Before the spear could pierce its heart, the fox recalled its binding tails for defense.

    <i>Boom!</i> Golden energy punched through the fox''s back. It was Azure Dragon''s Serious Punch, channeled through the life monster''s tails. Qilin had essentially pressed a crimson barrel to the fox''s chest before firing a golden bullet.

    The st drained the fox''s strength. It plummeted, its tails dissolving into countless crimson meteors that rained across the sky.

    From below, it appeared as a massive white star falling toward Qingyang Bridge, trailing a thousand redets. Fire bloomed in a three-kilometer radius, a sea of destruction.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The Red Fallen Fox''s body crashedst, splitting the Li River like it was a small creek. Water exploded skyward.

    As the fox struggled to rise, the white phoenix dove in pursuit.

    Wings tucked tight, body rigid, the phoenix transformed into a golden spear, Azure Dragon''s energy wreathing it in light.

    Two secondster, the living weapon impaled the fox''s heart, pinning it to the riverbed.

    Catastrophic energy rippled outward like sulfuric acid, scouring river andnd alike, leaving only devastation in its wake.

    <i>Howl.</i> The Red Fallen Fox, pinned to the riverbed, released its final cry. It copsed without struggle as river water reimed it, washing over its anguished face. Those red crescents of eyes dimmed slowly into darkness.

    The river turned crimson.

    The white phoenix retracted its spear-like tails and spread its wings for flight, when gravity¡ªheavy as ancient mountains¡ªcrashed down, forcing it to bow.

    The bloodstained river began to boil. Red droplets rose toward the sky like rainfall in reverse. The scattered red tails, seemingly strewn randomly across the ground, zed to life, their energy piercing the earth like crimson des.

    A vast insidious altar materialized, etched with the pattern of a red fox.

    Qilin, lodged in the life monster¡¯s eye, started.

    Realization struck him. Spring had done it on purpose. He was trying to bring mutual destruction¡ªnot then, but now!

    The bite was merely meant to put a mark of his curse on the life monster. Spring would get what he wanted. He would take his mother to hell with him.

    <i>Boom!</i> Within the altar, the earth cracked with magma-like red energy rushing out, turning into a giant pir that resembled a volcanic eruption.

    The white phoenix, caught in this inferno, dissolved in three seconds. What remained was a translucent white bird¡ªthat was the lingering life monster energy, or its spirit, if one would.

    This ghostly phoenix struggled in torment, trying to escape the hellfire. But the translucent form of the Red Fallen Fox materialized, its jaws locked onto the same wing it had marked in life.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> Again and again the phoenix fought for freedom, but each time the fox dragged it deeper into the inferno.

    Soon, the white phoenix¡¯s spirit met its end, too. It turned into a soft, fragile, and elegant two-dimensional image like a giant white paper cutout. It lightlynded on the ground.

    Simrly, the Red Fallen Fox¡¯s spirit turned into a giant red cutout, too, and covered it.

    Both dissolved into dancing motes of light before fading into the altar''s depths. The pir of hellfire subsided. The altar grew quiet. Only wastnd remained.

    The white phoenix and Red Fallen Fox had destroyed each other utterly.

    Their bodies and souls, their love and hate, blood and tears, all entwined by the lock of fate, vanished in the cold mortal realm, making their way to the tumultuous hell.

    <i>¡°Whoa! Honey, the little guy is kicking me!¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Really?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Yeah. It moves as soon as I sing. It must be feeling impatient.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Just wait a little longer, little one. You¡¯ll meet Mom and Dad next spring.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Haha, I wonder if he¡¯ll like this world.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Of course he will. Spring is beautiful.¡±</i>

 Chapter 904: Sixth Turn

    <h4>Chapter 904: Sixth Turn</h4>

    Meanwhile, the Judge¡¯s domain.

    Two grenades exploded where Gao Yang was. Fire erupted, smoke billowed, and charred flesh scattered across the ground.

    "Gao Yang! Gao Yang!" Dr. Jia''s voice cracked with panic. "Answer me! You can''t be dead!"

    Qin You and Liao Liao flinched at the sudden violence.

    Liao Liao recovered first. Gao Yang had Absolute Defense and exceptional physical prowess. The grenades wouldn''t kill him¡ªbut they''d leave their mark.

    That worked in their favor.

    The gray barrier materialized, dividing the arena. The fifth turn ended as the countdown for the next began.

    "Qin You!" Liao Liao called out. "We''ll settle our scorester. Gao Yang goes down first! Next turn decides everything!"

    She continued with certainty, "He doesn''t have enough energy for another Absolute Barrier. He''ll have to eliminate one of us and gamble on surviving the other''s attack."

    ¡°Bad news is, I don¡¯t know who he¡¯ll attack first. I pose a simr threat to him as you do now.¡±

    ¡°Good news is he can¡¯t use Fire Punch, and he may not be able to kill us with one attack.¡±

    "We must attack next turn! No hesitation!"

    "I know." Qin You''s expression darkened.

    The equation was simple: if Gao Yang survived their next assault, any survivor would fall in the following turn.

    To Qin You, the best-case scenario was Gao Yang killing or critically injuring Liao Liao, and then Qin You would take down Gao Yang.

    Or the reverse could happen: Gao Yang killed or injured Qin You first before Liao Liao took care of Gao Yang.

    Worst-case scenario, both Qin You and Liao Liao chose to defend themselves out of distrust and ended up dying at Gao Yang¡¯s hands.

    Qin You said, ¡°This is our only chance. Do not hold back.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I should be saying that to you...¡± Liao Liao frowned. The fire and smoke filling the other side of the barrier dissipated, revealing a figure.

    Gao Yang, covered in melted flesh and burns, had lost an arm.

    When Nico charged at Gao Yang, Gao Yang had reached out his left hand and grabbed the grenades, pushing them toward Nico¡¯s abdomen to minimize the damage the explosion did to him. In the end, Nico got blown to pieces, while Gao Yang lost an arm.

    "Haha, I knew you''d survive!" Dr. Jia''s voice trembled with unprecedented relief. Never had another''s survival mattered so much to him¡ªthough admittedly, his own life depended on Gao Yang.

    "Can you still fight?" he asked urgently.

    Gao Yang answered with a slow nod.

    Dr. Jia fell silent, unwilling to disturb Gao Yang''s focus.

    Gao Yang, now missing an arm, slowly sat down with his back hunched and head lowered, letting his blood flow. He raised his eyes to nce up at the red bar and golden bar above his head. Both were below the quarter mark.

    Through the barrier, he saw Qin You¡ªfull health, one-fifth energy¡ªand Liao Liao¡ªthree-quarters health, one-fifth energy.

    Gao Yang drew a deep breath and looked at the gray pir. Clear Mirror''s face had faded to a ghostly outline. Gao Yang scanned his arsenal of skills, eyes moving down the translucent list until he found what he sought.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, relief washing over him.

    The thinking time soon came to an end.

    [The sixth turn begins.]

    ...

    The pattern beneath Gao Yang''s feet red green, yet he remained cross-legged, motionless.

    Liao Liao and Qin You''s hearts hammered. Their eyes locked on the patterns beneath their feet.

    <i>Who will he kill? What power will he unleash? Can I survive it?</i>

    Anxiety gripped them both.

    Suddenly, their patterns zed yellow! They stared, bewildered.

    Gao Yang lifted his head, parted his lips.

    "Ah¡ª"

    An inhuman cry tore from his throat as pure white energy pulsed outward, washing over everyone like sacred light. Liao Liao and Qin You tensed for an attack that never came.

    Three seconds passed. Gao Yang''s energy bar plummeted, leaving only a tenth remaining.

    Liao Liao and Qin You exchanged baffled looks.

    Had Gao Yang surrendered? Given up?

    No time to ponder. The pattern beneath Liao Liao''s feet turned green.

    She raised her gun, but her finger wouldn''t respond. The trigger remained untouched.

    <i>What?!</i>

    Three seconds of paralysis, then her arm dropped. Her energy bar emptied.

    "What the hell was that?!" Qin You snarled. "Why didn''t you fucking shoot?!"

    "I couldn''t!" Liao Liao''s voice cracked with panic. "I tried¡ªI couldn''t move!"

    "Useless trash!"

    Then it was Qin You¡¯s turn. Eyes fierce, he aimed his hands at Gao Yang, using the most powerful strangling move of nt.

    Nothing happened. He stood frozen, hands raised, expression fierce but powerless.

    Three seconds passed. His energy bar drained. He lowered his trembling hands, turning to Liao Liao. "I...I couldn''t attack either!"

    "Could it be..." Recognition dawned in Liao Liao''s eyes. Another power inherited from his life monster mother. "The silencing white light?"

    Yes.

    Gao Yang just used Wave of Serenity to silence both his team and the opposing team¡ªto be more precise, the power was meant to interrupt others¡¯ actions; it only presented that way due to this being a turn-based match.

    It didn¡¯t make sense for all moves to be single-target attacks in this match.

    For example, Gao Yang¡¯s Fire Punch, Sir Jiang¡¯s Spatial Blender, and Liao Liao¡¯s Disorientation should all target everyone. However, Clear Mirror exploited the concept of fairness and forcefully adjusted some of the rules, making it so that all yers¡¯ Talents became single-target skills¡ªit was clearly meant to restrict Gao Yang.

    However, he had adjusted the rules at the price of quickly depleting his life¡ªit made sense that Clear Mirror would need to pay a greater price to be an unfair judge. Such was the hidden mechanism of the Talent.

    With the sixth turn arriving, and the loading time lengthening in the domain, it was clear that Clear Mirror was at his limit. The few rules that got adjusted reverted back to normal once more.

    To make sure he was right, Gao Yang had carefully gone over his rows of skills once more, and indeed, Wave of Serenity had gone from targeting an individual to targeting all.

    It cost little energy, so Gao Yang could still move in the next turn. On the contrary, Liao Liao and Qin You had used up their remaining energy on their attacks, yet were stopped short by Wave of Serenity.

    Next turn, they could neither move nor dodge. Only go into a forced rest.

    Missing an arm, Gao Yang picked his tattered, injured body back up. Like a demon bathed in blood, he stared at Qin You and Liao Liao, her eyes piercing their hearts like cold daggers.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the ones tough in the end.¡±

 Chapter 905: Nothing Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 905: Nothing Wrong</h4>

    ¡°No, no, nonononono...that¡¯s...that¡¯s impossible...¡±

    Qin You could not ept the terrible truth. Helpless and lost, he yelled, ¡°Why could Gao Yang make a group attack? He cheated! It¡¯s not fair!¡±

    Liao Liao''s hands fell to her sides. She expected to howl in rage, scream, break down, or beg for mercy¡ªeven lose her mind. Yet facing certain death, her mind merely nked before a strange sense of relief washed over her.

    She slowly looked up at the gray stone pir witnessing the match and the now-obscured face.

    "It seems that group attacks should have been allowed from the beginning. Clear Mirror changed the rules. Now that he can''t hold on, the rules revert to the original..."

    Qin You fell into stunned silence. Clear Mirror had been on their side; otherwise, they would have died to Gao Yang''s group attacks long ago.

    Liao Liao met Gao Yang''s gaze with unusual calm. "You''re smart, Gao Yang. How did I not think of that?"

    Gao Yang''s pale face was covered in injuries and blood stains. He looked at Liao Liao like a kindred spirit. "You and I are not that different. You lost because of one thing."

    "What was it?" Liao Liao asked.

    "I was backed into a corner. You weren''t."

    Liao Liao paused.

    <i>Ah, that''s right.</i>

    In this "fair" match, Gao Yang had no teammates to rely on, while Liao Liao had many. Gao Yang hadn''t be cornered; he had <i>started</i> in the corner, taking every step like a gamble, giving his all with clenched teeth.

    Liao Liao, on the other hand, had four teammates, yet all of them were looking wildly different ways.

    In fact, she had never had realpanions. Risk-averse, she''d always moved one careful step at a time, living merely to survive. Though she''d given her best tonight, it paled against Gao Yang''s desperate effort.

    The crowned must carry the weight of the crown. Liao Liao only saw the truth of it now.

    With newfound admiration for Gao Yang, Liao Liao smiled in eptance. "Lesson learned."

    <i>Hum.</i> The gray barrier returned, but it was no longerplete¡ªholes spread across its surface like melting stic film, and sound now passed freely through. Clear Mirror had truly reached his limit.

    The thinking time was shortened to 120 seconds. Both Qin You''s and Liao Liao''s action lists grayed out, leaving them unable to pick any action. Their depleted energy forced them to rest next turn. They couldn''t even dodge¡ªthey were sitting ducks awaiting ughter.

    "Gao Yang!" Qin You broke down, shouting at the broken barrier. "We... we don''t have to go through with this! We can work together!"

    "Liao Liao, we can, right?" He turned to her, hoping she would join his plea for mercy.

    Liao Liao remained silent, derision shing through her eyes. She feared death, yes, but when it came knocking, at least she had the courage to face it.

    "Gao Yang! We only have to wait for Clear Mirror to die and the domain to dissolve! If you kill us, enemies might be waiting to ambush you outside. You may not survive in your condition. Don''t kill us¡ªonce outside, we''ll help you fight them!"

    "Well now, he''s being shameless..." Dr. Jia stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But he''s got a point."

    Gao Yang''s response was coolly analytical. "Think about it, Dr. Jia. If we dy, they regain their actions next turn. Then they control our fate. Would you trust a man who betrayed his childhood friend?"

    Dr. Jia fell silent. "Right. Better to just kill them."

    "Gao Yang, you must trust me!" Qin You eximed. "I don''t want to make an enemy out of you! I only did what I did because of Qilin''s authority. I...I didn''t have a choice! I was forced to do it! It hurt to get Nan Feng killed..."

    He dropped to his knees with a <i>thud</i> and kowtowed like a madman. "I beg you, Gao Yang. Please forgive me as the bigger person and spare me. I promise. I promise I''ll serve you like a ve. Whatever you tell me to do, I''ll do it. I''ll be your loyal dog..."

    "Qin You." Gao Yang''s cold gaze fixed on him. "I know you aren''t loyal to Qilin, and I know you did what you did to survive. What''s wrong with wanting to live?"

    "Yeah, yeah!" Qin You lifted his face, pathetic hope shining through tears and snot. "I, I only want to survive. I''m scared. I don''t wanna die. Gao Yang, thank you, thank you. I knew you would understand a weakling like me..."

    "But those you got killed only wished to live, too," Gao Yang cut in, his voice cial. "What had they done wrong?"

    Qin You''s face froze. The ember of hope in his eyes died.

    "Revenge must be exacted against the right person." Gao Yang leveled his ck Gold dagger at Qin You''s face. "You should have seen this daying."

    "No, no... please. I don''t wanna die. I don''t wanna die here..."

    Qin You slumped to the ground, fear and despair crushing his rationality. He scrambled backward until he hit the invisible barrier. There was nowhere left to go.

    Momentster, he wet himself.

    Liao Liao watched Qin You''s humiliation with a sense of catharsis. At least she''d get onest show before her death.

    She sat down slowly, awaiting her fate.

    "I''ll kill Qin You," Gao Yang told Dr. Jia. "Take Liao Liao''s gun from her."

    "Perhaps I can kill her," Dr. Jia suggested.

    "With what? Your fist?"

    Dr. Jia paused. Even with Liao Liao unable to dodge, his punch wouldn''t kill her. Taking her gun was the better option¡ªshe wouldn''t be able to use God of Firearms, and even after recovering some energy next turn, she''d pose little threat.

    "Alright," Dr. Jia nodded. "I''ll do as you said."

    They selected their actions. The countdown ended.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The seventh turn begins.]

    "No, no... I don''t wanna die. I don''t wanna die... please spare me..."

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Qin You sat prone, begging desperately as urine pooled beneath him.

    Gao Yang began his turn. With his remaining energy, he chose the simplest way to kill.

    He dragged his injured body forward, one step at a time.

    "Don''t, don''t... don''te..."

    Like death incarnate, Gao Yang''s shadow crept toward Qin You, finally looming over his terror-stricken face.

    "Mom! Where are you, Mom? Save me, save me..."

    Gao Yang didn''t waste energy crouching. He thrust his dagger through Qin You''s right eye, burying the de in his brain.

    Qin You''s pleas stopped. His body seized once before going limp.

    Gao Yang stepped back, bloodied dagger in hand, his expression impassive. The revenge brought no joy.

    "It''s my turn!"

    Dr. Jia rushed to the immobile Liao Liao, grabbing her gun with both hands and yanking it free.

    <i>Oof...</i>

    Hended on his bottom but kept his grip on the weapon. Scrambling up, he ran back to his position.

    <i>Hum.</i> The gray barrier emerged, even thinner and more broken than before. The seventh turn ended.

    Liao Liao raised her head slowly and smiled.

 Chapter 906: Please

    <h4>Chapter 906: Please</h4>

    Dr. Jia and Gao Yang saw the smile.

    Dr. Jia snorted. ¡°Poor girl. She lost it too.¡±

    Gao Yang remained silent, his face dark.

    "Gao Yang, you can''t use Teleportation again, can you?" Liao Liao called out.

    Gao Yang''s silence confirmed her suspicion. Hisst attack on Qin You had drained him¡ªhe couldn''tbine Teleportation with an attack in the next turn. He tried to conceal it, but Liao Liao had noticed.

    "You can''t use Teleportation next turn, Gao Yang. ording to the rules, you may be considered slower than I am."

    "So?" Gao Yang scoffed. "You don''t have a gun. You can''t kill me even if you move first. However, I can easily kill you."

    "That''s right." Liao Liao turned to Dr. Jia with an odd smile, drawing her ck Gold dagger. "But I can kill Dr. Jia."

    Gao Yang''s heart clenched. His worst fear was materializing.

    After her forced rest, Liao Liao would recover some energy¡ªnot enough to kill Gao Yang, but more than enough to eliminate Dr. Jia, who was essentially defenseless. She could even attempt to reim the gun from him, gambling on surviving Gao Yang''s next attack. If she seeded and Gao Yang had acted this turn, he''d be forced to rest afterward. Then, with God of Firearms, she could end him.

    But Liao Liao knew Gao Yang''s capabilities. Surviving his attack would require Follow Heart, which would drain her recovered energy and force her to rest. Dr. Jia could then finish her with the gun.

    Therefore, the possibility of Liao Liao turning the tide only existed in her imagination.

    Liao Liao quickly went over her two options.

    First, take the gun from Dr. Jia and try to survive Gao Yang¡¯s attack. Kill Gao Yang during the turn after. However, the sess rate was close to zero.

    Second, kill Dr. Jia before meeting her death just to foil the Nine Scions¡¯ n. The sess rate would be a hundred percent.

    Liao Liao made a decision.

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The eighth turn begins.]

    The gray barrier lifted.

    Indeed, the pattern under Liao Liao¡¯s feet lit up first. She would take her action now.

    She remained still, ncing at Gao Yang before turning to Dr. Jia.

    Three secondster, the pattern darkened.

    Gao Yang and Dr. Jia exchanged surprised looks. Liao Liao had surrendered her action.

    "Why did you not move?" Gao Yang frowned.

    "You know why." Liao Liao shrugged. "I can''t win even if I do."

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    "But I can at least drag Dr. Jia with me. Is that what you want to say?" Liao Liao''s voice carried no malice. "If killing Dr. Jia would ensure my survival, I would''ve done it, but that isn''t the case." The dagger fell from her hand with a <i>ng</i>. "I don''t like killing people. I only wish to live."

    She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Given I didn''t kill Dr. Jia, Gao Yang, please make my death quick and painless. It may not seem like it, but I''m afraid of pain."

    The pattern under Gao Yang''s feet turned green.

    He remained where he was, choosing rest over action.

    "Gao Yang! You...you...what the hell?!" Dr. Jia sputtered. "Did you get water in your brain, too?"

    "I''m only trying to be safe," Gao Yang replied with a bitter smile.

    Understanding dawned on Dr. Jia after a moment.

    Liao Liao had two options: take Dr. Jia with her in death, or gamble everything on reiming her gun and surviving the turn. If she chose the second option and Gao Yang failed to kill her, he''d be the one facing death next turn.

    But by resting now, Gao Yang eliminated all risk. With recovered energy, he could use Teleportation and act first next turn. Even if Liao Liao tried to reim her gun from Dr. Jia, she''d move after Gao Yang, and he could end the game before she acted.

    Yet Liao Liao had surprised them both by surrendering her action.

    Fearing Liao Liao might still try to kill him, Dr. Jia chose defense. Paper-thin protection was better than none.

    The turn ended in an absurd ceasefire¡ªall three yers choosing inaction.

    This time, the gray barrier didn''t appear. The domain''s power continued to deteriorate.

    The thinking time was shortened to 60 seconds.

    "Ha." Liao Liao shook her head. "Didn''t expect to live another sixty seconds. What a torture."

    "Liao Liao." Gao Yang turned to her. "Are you not going to fight back next turn?"

    "Please stop toying with me," she said. "You can use Teleportation next turn, and you''ll act before I do. If I don''t defend myself, I die. If I do, I''ll be critically injured and only dy my death by a turn. Do you hate me so much that you''ll drag this out just to torment me?"

    Gao Yang shook his head. "You''re not the hateable sort. I''ll make it quick."

    "Thanks." Liao Liao released a long sigh.

    "Why don''t I do it?" Dr. Jia offered, his voice oddly gentle. "I''ll shoot you in the head. That''ll minimize the pain."

    "No!" Liao Liao''sposure cracked. "If you use my gun to kill me, wouldn''t that count as me killing myself? That''s against my principle of choosing a pathetic life over a heroic death." A bitterugh escaped her. "Besides, what if you miss? I''ll be in even more pain then."

    "Leave it to me, Dr. Jia," Gao Yang said. "Choose defense next turn just in case."

    "Makes sense!" Dr. Jia quickly agreed. The closer they got to the finish line, the more cautious they needed to be.

    The countdown neared its end. Gao Yang and Dr. Jia selected their actions.

    ...

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The ninth turn begins.]

 Chapter 907: Any Last Word?

    <h4>Chapter 907: Any Last Word?</h4>

    A few secondster, the pattern under Gao Yang¡¯s feet turned green. Indeed, Gao Yang was again the first to move. Instead of using Teleportation, he remained where he was with a hand in his pocket until his turn was over.

    Liao Liao had already closed her eyes and was waiting for her death sitting cross-leggedly. Death didn¡¯te visit, though. The pattern under her feet turned green.

    Liao Liao gave Gao Yang a strange look. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Gao Yang?¡±

    Noticing her energy bar had recovered significantly, she shot to her feet. "Are you giving me a chance to duel you? Good, I didn''t want to die yet!"

    "What the fuck?! Do you not know how to y when you''re winning, you jerk?" Dr. Jia nearly broke down. "I don''t care! I''m making the shot next turn!"

    "Don''t struggle. I''ll kill you next turn." Gao Yang''s cold gaze fixed on Liao Liao. "I just forgot to ask if you have anyst words."

    Liao Liao''s eyes dimmed. Of course Gao Yang wouldn''t give her a fighting chance. If he were such a pushover, he wouldn''t have survived this long.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Last words? Let me think..." Her eyes gleamed with loneliness as she realized she had no friends to leave messages for.

    She smiled awkwardly. "Once <i>My Buddy is the Chosen One</i> isplete, burn it to send it to the afterlife for me."

    Gao Yang, remembering White Rabbit''s rmendation of the novel, nodded. His killing intent hardened in his eyes. "This is farewell."

    Liao Liao''s lips twitched. "How unlucky of me to have met you. I hope we never see each other in my next life."

    The turn ended. Only 30 seconds remained for thinking time.

    They each chose their actions in silence.

    ...

    [Thinking Time ends.]

    [The tenth turn begins.]

    The pattern under Gao Yang¡¯s feet turned green.

    <i>Swoosh.</i> He vanished, reappearing instantly at Liao Liao''s side. His right hand, held knife-like, pierced her chest.

    Blood spilled from Liao Liao''s lips as she toppled forward.

    Gao Yang withdrew his bloodied hand and crouched beside her.

    Shey there, face contorted in pain, tears blurring her vision. Her hand seized his cor. "You... liar... it hurts... so much..."

    Her head drooped, and she was gone.

    Gao Yang rose without a second nce, not bothering to return to his position.

    Looking up at Dr. Jia''s raised gun, he said, "It''s over."

    "Whew." Dr. Jia lowered the weapon with a relieved sigh. "You''re something else, Gao Yang. You turned everything around when the odds were against you. To be honest, I thought we were doomed at the start."

    "I''m lucky," Gao Yang replied coolly.

    He turned to the gray stone pir beside them.

    Clear Mirror''s face had vanished. The pir connecting heaven and earth cracked, ready to crumble.

    The ck sky and whitend began to blur. ck rain and white rain merged in the middle, painting the world in flowing gray¡ªlike the limbo often depicted in mythology.

    "You lost, Clear Mirror," Gao Yang addressed the gray space.

    "At least I avenged Dust," Clear Mirror''s weak voice whispered, as if right beside his ear.

    "You are frustrated to have not killed me, aren''t you?" Gao Yang''s tone was distant.

    "The fact that you live means your trial has yet toe, while mine is over. I''ve finished my mission. I''m going to the blissful otherworld."

    "Must be nice, being able tofort yourself with falsehood."

    After a pause, Clear Mirror''s voice grew weaker. "I''ve shared some of Luqi''s memory. You may be interested in how he died."

    Gao Yang tensed.

    "Luqi killed himself because he saw no hope. The future humanity pictured did not exist."

    Gao Yang remained silent.

    "One day, Their will is going to return to rule the world. Their grace is going to shine upon thend. Their¡ª"

    "Clear Mirror." Gao Yang cut him off impatiently. "I''ll give you something, too."

    "..."

    "Fuck God."

    Clear Mirror''s presence vanishedpletely.

    The limbo around them thickened and ttened. Gao Yang and Dr. Jia felt themselves transforming into two-dimensional shapes, then into simple ck and white lines, before finally crumbling like paper.

    ...

    Gao Yang opened his eyes to find himself standing in Dr. Jia¡¯sboratory. The surroundings remained the same with no signs of a battle having taken ce. Not far from himy five corpses, 0618, Void, Sir Jiang, Qin You, and Liao Liao. A dead parrot and scattered body parts¡ªNico''s remains after the grenade explosionpleted the grim tableau.

    Among the dead sat a cross-legged figure. Clear Mirror, gray and colorless like a strange statue, scattered into ash secondster.

    ¡°Ugh¡ª¡±

    The injuries from the domain suddenly manifested on Gao Yang''s physical body. Without the domain''s rules to contain it, real,plex pain spread through him, nearly forcing him to copse.

    His Gecko''s passive regeneration activated, drawing madly on his depleted energy, weakening him further.

    He dropped to his knees, fighting to stay conscious.

    "Hurry..." Gao Yang couldn''t even lift his head to look at Dr. Jia. "Medicine C. Adrenaline..."

    "Yeah, yeah..." Dr. Jia sprang into action, rushing to a cab and returning with two syringes.

    Gao Yang groaned, enduring the side effects while scanning for lingering threats.

    Clear Mirror and Nico apparently had no contingency n. Ting Ting and Cold Cicada must have fled or gone for reinforcements¡ªwith theirpanions suddenly vanishing, only fools would have stayed behind as targets.

    Time was running out. Without hesitation, Gao Yang raised his right hand toward Liao Liao''s body. "Time Reset!"

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    Sacred white energy strands shot from his fingers, wrapping around Liao Liao''s body in a cocoon of light.

    <i>It works!</i>

    <i>I bet right!</i>

 Chapter 908: Madman

    <h4>Chapter 908: Madman</h4>

    The n began with a choice.

    When Liao Liao spared Dr. Jia, and Gao Yang made the safer choice not to kill her, a bold thought struck him: headhunt her.

    And to headhunt her, he first had to save her.

    Gao Yang had replicated three Talents before tonight''s mission: Gamer, Intangibility, and Sensory. He''d prepared Gamer for Dr. Jia, as insurance for their escape.

    Then Clear Mirror''s ambush changed everything.

    A theory formed in Gao Yang''s mind. Both Gamer and Judge were Miracle-type Talents¡ªtheir core energy should bepatible. As Clear Mirror weakened, his control over the Judge''s domain deteriorated. That opened a possibility for exploiting a bug.

    If Gao Yang marked a lifeform with Gamer inside Judge''s domain, would Time Reset work once the domain dissolved?

    It was worth the gamble. If it failed, Liao Liao would simply stay dead. He had nothing to lose.

    He kept the n from Liao Liao. Though her sparing Dr. Jia proved her good nature, even the most virtuous soul might sumb to the temptation of survival.

    So when Gao Yang rested for a second turn, surprising everyone, he was actually marking the ck Gold hairpin in his pocket with Gamer.

    His energy only allowed for creating the mark, not using it.

    Liao Liao and Dr. Jiag thought he had gone soft for a moment, letting her live for another turn in order to confirm her regret.

    The next turn, forced to act, Gao Yang chose not to use his dagger¡ªwhich would kill cleanly with less pain. Instead, he pierced Liao Liao''s heart with his bare hand.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    That cruel choice served a purpose: it let him nt the marked hairpin in her body, effectively tagging her with Gamer seconds before death.

    Then the domain copsed.

    Sustained by Medicine C and adrenaline, Gao Yang forced Gamer to activate. Even he felt surprised at the sess.

    ¡°Shit, that works?!¡± Dr. Jia was stunned. White light flitted across his face. ¡°Am I the genius, or are you?¡±

    Gao Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t have the energy to.

    Even with Medicine C and the adrenaline shot, it would still almost kill him to bring someone back when he was in such a critical state. Thirty secondster, Liao Liao returned anew. Her chest heaved slightly. Her face was pale but no longer ashen. She was alive once more.

    Gao Yang''sst reserves drained away. His eyes closed as he copsed.

    "Gao Yang, Gao Yang! Don''t die..." Dr. Jia''s panic rose. "I need your vital energy for research...!"

    ...

    A few minutester.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    Liao Liao jolted awake in the cramped hyperloop seat. Outside, darkness pressed against the windows. Green fire hydrant lights streaked past like glowing creeks. As her memory bridged the gap, she remembered Gao Yang killing her, yet here she was.

    <i>Why am I alive? I don''t care!</i>

    <i>I''m alive! Wonderful! It''s great to be alive!</i>

    She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath of fresh air, tears welling up.

    "I''d suggest you stay put!" Dr. Jia''s voice cut in. "Bullets are quick."

    Liao Liao opened her eyes. Dr. Jia sat across from her, her ck Gold gun trembling in his hands, aimed at her forehead.

    A fat gray parrot perched on his shoulder, its chest marked by a crimson stain. The gunshot wound had mostly healed, its head recovered¡ªthough nowically featherless on the top, like a bad buzz cut. Despite its weak state, it croaked with false bravado, "Don''t move, don''t move, don''t move."

    Beside Dr. Jiay an unconscious Gao Yang, covered in injuries, his left arm missing. He looked near death.

    Understanding dawned quickly on Liao Liao.

    She exhaled.

    ¡ªActivate level 6 God of Firearms.

    Before Dr. Jia could react, the gun was already in Liao Liao¡¯s hands. She aimed the gun at his broad forehead.

    "If you''re going to point a gun at me next time, Dr. Jia," she mocked, "better keep your distance. You don''t know how quick my hands are with God of Firearms."

    "Oh, I''ll keep that in mind." Dr. Jia licked his lips nervously. "Will there be a next time?"

    "Well." Liao Liao holstered her gun with a flourish. "Depends on you."

    "Oh." Dr. Jia''s relief was audible.

    "Depends on you! Depends on you! Depends on you!" the parrot echoed gleefully.

    "Shut up, you imbecile!" Dr. Jia snapped.

    Liao Liao met Dr. Jia''s eyes. "So, Gao Yang pretended to rest that second turn and used Gamer. When he pierced my chest, he nted the hairpin. After the domain dissolved, he reset me three minutes back. He lost consciousness from energy exhaustion. You escaped with both of us. Then I woke first."

    "Good. You got most things right." Dr. Jia nodded cryptically. "Save for one thing."

    "What thing?"

    Cold steel pressed against her neck.

    Gao Yang had teleported beside her, dagger at the ready. The unconscious Gao Yang near Dr. Jia vanished; it was merely a double.

    "The fact that I woke before you and hid atop the train car." Though Gao Yang''s left arm had regrown and his face was clean of blood, hisplexion remained deathly pale, his voice weak.

    He withdrew the dagger. "Congrattions on passing the test."

    Liao Liao sat stunned for several seconds. "Thank you for saving me, Gao Yang, but why? I was the one most eager to kill you inside the domain."

    "You didn''t want to kill me. You wanted to live." Gao Yang paused. "There''s nothing wrong with wanting to live, is there?"

    Liao Liao''s eyes gleamed.

    "Gao Yang, you..." She searched for the right word to describe this young man.

    "You''re a madman!"

 Chapter 909: Pay Double

    <h4>Chapter 909: Pay Double</h4>

    "Thanks for thepliment."

    Gao Yang rested his head against the chair, eyes closing. "Wanna join the madman''s organization?"

    Liao Liao started, then understood. Of course Gao Yang had saved her for a reason. This wasn''t charity.

    "May I ask why?" she asked carefully.

    "There are many reasons. Your ability, your smarts, your potential..." Gao Yang''s voice carried unconcealed exhaustion. "What really convinced me, though, was something else."

    "What is it?"

    Gao Yang opened his eyes, offering her a small smile. "Looking at you, I feel like seeing my past self."

    Liao Liao''s heart clenched. Strange. Gao Yang saving her life hadn''t moved her, but that single sentence struck deep.

    Perhaps kindred spirits did exist. Perhaps she needn''t be alone.

    Perhaps she could findpanions and meaning like Gao Yang had done. It would be wonderful to lead such a life before sweeping the tombs of those she disliked.

    "You may leave or stay. Make your choice." Gao Yang''s eyes closed again.

    Liao Liao wrestled with herself.

    <i>Gao Yang''s alright, but following him means a shortened lifespan. Just look at those around him.</i>

    <i>But returning to the Ocean River Union isn''t an option. Going unaffiliated... No, that would be even more dangerous in these chaotic times.</i>

    <i>Think it through, Liao Liao. Weigh the pros and cons. One misstep leads to the abyss...</i>

    A weight suddenly fell on her shoulder.

    She nced sideways to find Gao Yang''s head resting there. The train''s curve had sent him sliding over in his exhausted sleep.

    This wasn''t a double. Gao Yang was weak, defenseless.

    She could kill him in a second.

    He was the prime target of the Ocean River Union and the Malediction, as prophesied by Surnamed Li. His death might end the civil war and save humanity.

    <i>Yeah, but what does all that have to do with me?</i>

    <i>I only know that this man saved me at the risk of his life and fell asleep on my shoulder, like I''m apanion he can entrust his back to.</i>

    <i>Fuck.</i>

    Liao Liao cursed herself before looking up with newfound determination. ¡°Where are we heading, Dr. Jia?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Dr. Jia said innocently.

    Liao Liao blinked in surprise. ¡°Are you not with the Nine Scions?¡±

    "Of course not!" Dr. Jia''s voice rose. "I''m just an asset you fight among yourselves for. I don''t really care where I go."

    "You have a clear view of yourself." Liao Liao shook her head with a bitter smile. After a moment, she added, "Let''s get out of here and hide first. We''ll make a decision once Gao Yang''s awake."

    "Works for me."

    ...

    Qingyang Bridge, an hourter.

    The city''s Lunar New Year''s Eve celebration faded into silence as night deepened. The Heavenly Way soon detected the buildings being damaged by unnatural force in the blocked-off area of the Qingyang Bridge. It quickly began its repair.

    Under the cold moonlight, the Li River rested serenely.

    Chunks of concrete and rebar surfaced in the water before rising to the piers, reassembling under an incredible power until they looked untouched.

    On the shoal beneath the bridge stood the survivors of the Ocean River Union.

    One Stone and Rain River tended to the injured first, then dealt with the dead. Rain River used sticine to make the bodies pliable while One Stone sewed them, struggling to restore dignity to the fallen.

    Some proved beyond repair. White Rabbit had lost everything below her chest¡ªwhen One Stone lifted her, it felt like holding a pillow. She could only clean the girl''s face and wrap her in a jacket before cing her in a body bag.

    "Sister One Stone." Citrus approached, eyes red. "This is all we found of Sister Musashi..."

    One Stone nced over. It was a broken hand in aced glove, wearing a diamond ring. It was the wedding band her ex had given her when proposing to her. Unfortunately, she had awakened and had to run away, but the ring never left her.

    One Stone¡¯s expression turned grave. She had witnessed the moment of Musashi¡¯s death. The great missile of steel beams had smashed her into countless pieces. Then the bridge copsed in the following fight. There was no recovering the body parts.

    She took the hand with a silent nod, then turned toward the riverside where two figures remained: one standing, one seated.

    Qilin and Surnamed Li remained there for a long time.

    Qilin wore a clean coat now, his blind right eye covered by a ck patch. He leaned on a ck Gold cane, his roughly bandaged left arm ending at the forearm. When the Red Fallen Fox destroyed the white phoenix, Puppet Azure Dragon had barely managed to pull him from danger¡ªat the cost of itself and Qilin''s arm.

    The life monster puppet and Spring had vanished in that purgatory of me.

    Qilin lost the war. It could be considered andslide defeat.

    "Guildmaster, Deputy Guildmaster." One Stone approached gravely. "We''ve recovered all the bodies in the area."

    Qilin stared at the river, wordless.

    "Go on," Surnamed Li said, voice heavy with exhaustion and regret.

    "We lost eight: Sister Ling, Nomad, Musashi, Flower, First Firelord, Amon, Jing Ke, and Stubborn Weasel. Only Musashi''s hand remained."

    One Stone paused. "Of the enemy, we recovered Yellow Lotus, Thick Earth, and White Rabbit. The first two we restored. White Rabbit was beyond saving."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "And," she watched Qilin''s back, "Dr. Jia was taken. Ting Ting and Cold Cicada escaped. They say it was Gao Yang."

    "The others?" Qilin finally spoke.

    "Wandering Tune called from theb. It''s burned, along with the bodies. The remains... need confirmation, but he believes they''re Yan Liang, Qin You, 0618, and Void..."

    Qilin fell silent once more. He said nothing, and he had kept his psychic power from leaking this time.

    Yet One Stone noticed his figure growing colder and darker.

    After a long stretch of silence, Qilin turned around with an impassive expression. ¡°Where are the bodies?¡±

    One Stone lowered her head reflexively. ¡°By the riverbank.¡±

    ¡°Take me there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Qilin followed One Stone to a patch of green by the river. Under the moonlighty nine rtively intact bodies, covered by bloodied white cloths.

    Qilin stood among them and raised his hand, gesturing at the others to keep their distance. Then he closed his eyes.

    One Stone sensed a strange energy radiating from him. It chilled her to the bones and made her skin crawl. It felt like getting caught by a viper and spiderwebs while getting sucked on by leeches. She paled and shuddered, moving another ten meters backward to join the others.

    A minuteter, the insidious energy faded.

    The wind halted. The air stilled. Suddenly, glowing green lit up for everybody.

    Qilin opened his left eye. It looked like an emerald at the pitch-ck bottom of ake.

    <i>ck.</i> His cane struck the ground.

    The bodies rose, white cloths falling away. In the moonlight, the wind blew once more, and the dead puppets turned toward their master, eyes flickering green.

    Qilin faced his surviving followers.

    "I, Qilin, hereby make an oath!"

    "No drop of blood shed tonight will be in vain. Our humiliation and hatred will be paid back twofold."

    "No one will take us down. No one will stop humanity from moving forward."

    He raised his fist to the sky. "For survival!"

    "For survival! For survival! For survival..."

 Chapter 910: Night Before the Lunar New Yearâ€™s Eve

    <h4>Chapter 910: Night Before the Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve</h4>

    Shangqing District.

    While Spring and Qilin fought, Waking Insects had evacuated every survivor from the danger zone before copsing from exhaustion, reverting to gas form. He hadn''t even managed to exin the Spectres'' intervention.

    Nine Frost chose to hide everyone in a mall rather than return to their secret base. The base was too distant for their injured state, and despite the slim chances, he worried about being followed.

    They took shelter in a clothes shop, administering first aid with their remaining Medicine Cs. Fat Jun, their only healer, had lost consciousness from blood loss and showed no signs of waking. They couldn''t count on his healing.

    Wang Zikai and Zhang Wei were also unconscious. Heavenly Dog, Nainai, Muzitu, War Tiger, Zhong He, Dead Pig, and Raven Shark all nursed injuries of varying severity. The loss of theirpanions weighed heavily, crushing their spirits.

    They sat in darkness, silent as forgotten statues in abandoned ruins.

    Qing Ling, Nine Frost, Chen Ying, Gregor, Lying Wood, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Ke Yo had fared better. Qing Ling, Gregor, and Ke Yo maintained watch while Hong Xiaoxiao and Lying Wood tended the wounded.

    Nine Frost and Chen Ying conversed briefly before approaching War Tiger.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Uncle Tiger," Chen Ying said, "Gao Yang responded. All went well on his end. He''ll rendezvous when possible. But we need to act¡ªwe should bring Lovely Lamb here to heal everyone."

    Nine Frost added, "At least to heal Fat Jun, then he can help the others."

    War Tiger stood against the wall, holding a half-burned cigarette he hadn''t touched.

    He nodded. "Do that then."

    "Okay," Nine Frost said. "I''ll have Qing Ling escort Lovely Lamb."

    Chen Ying hesitated. "What should Qing Ling say if Lovely Lamb asks where White Rabbit is?"

    War Tiger trembled, cigarette ash falling.

    He stared upward for two seconds before breaking into a grin.

    "Tell her that White Rabbit went to find the Big Gray Wolf[1]."

    ...

    Rooftop of an abandoned construction, one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The skeletal structure barely qualified as a building, thick dust coating its unfinished surfaces. Without doors or windows, the cold wind swept through unobstructed, whining like a wild cat.

    Gao Yang, Liao Liao, and Dr. Jiay exhausted, each wrapped in worn curtains against the cold hard wall.

    Suddenly, Liao Liao¡¯s eyes fluttered in alert.

    <i>Someone¡¯s here!</i>

    She pretended to be asleep while reaching for her gun under the curtain, ready to use God of Firearms.

    Beyond the windowless opening stretched the city, shrouded in night''s hazy veil. Though celebrations had quieted, asional fireworks still bloomed against the dark sky.

    <i>Woo¡ª</i>

    The wind strengthened. Powdery snow began to fall as a silver-haired girl in a red capended gracefully outside. Light from behind rimmed her figure in gentle gold, her silver strands dancing as her cape fluttered.

    "Don''t be scared. I won''t hurt you." The girl sensed Liao Liao''s hostility.

    Liao Liao opened her eyes but kept her finger on the trigger. "Who are you? What do you want?"

    "I''m Fresh Snow." The backlit girl cocked her head with a smile.

    "Fresh Snow?" Liao Liao started. "You''re... the little girl from the Spectres?"

    "I''m not a little girl! I''m technically twenty-eight!" Fresh Snow corrected her with serious indignation.

    Liao Liao studied her more carefully. She looked no older than seventeen¡ªsilver hair, crimson eyes, and snow-fair skin creating an ethereal beauty. Like a dream''s bubble, she seemed ready to vanish at a touch.

    "I''m Gao Yang''s..." Fresh Snow''s smile faltered. "Friend."

    Liao Liao didn¡¯t lower her gun. ¡°How did you find us?¡±

    Fresh Snow pursed her lips proudly. "I don''t know, but I can find Gao Yang wherever he is. Sister says it might be a spiritual connection."

    Liao Liao began another question when a hand lowered her gun barrel.

    "It''s okay. She''s on our side..." Gao Yang murmured without opening his eyes, exhaustion dragging him back to sleep as his breathing deepened.

    Finally, Liao Liao rxed. She looked at Fresh Snow awkwardly. "Then... make yourself at home. We''ve got nothing to wee you with."

    "Yeah." Fresh Snow nodded with a small smile, herrge eyes fixed on Liao Liao in silence.

    "You... wanna sit here?" Liao Liao offered after a moment''s hesitation.

    "Yeah!" Fresh Snow nodded eagerly before growing shy. "May I?"

    <i>Haha, she''s quite polite. Adorable.</i>

    "Of course." Liao Liao suppressed a smile, shifting to make space. Fresh Snow immediately settled between Liao Liao and Gao Yang, her petite frame carrying a cream-like fragrance.

    "You should rest," Fresh Snow said. "I''ve checked. There''s no danger around here."

    ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Liao Liao closed her eyes and held her gun with the other hand.

    Fresh Snow tucked her legs in and rested her head on Gao Yang¡¯s arm. She didn¡¯t dare to act as intimately as she had done in the past; the contact was soft and reserved.

    She inhaled deeply before closing her eyes in contentment, quickly drifting off.

    She hadn''t had a good night''s sleep in a long, long time.

    Outside, the snow fell harder.

    [End of Act 5: Part II]

    1. When Ghost Horse died, White Rabbit made the analogy to a big bad wolf/big gray wolf to exin what happened to Lovely Lamb. ?

 Chapter 911: Mirror

    <h4>Chapter 911: Mirror</h4>

    Gao Yang found himself in a crater. Its walls sloped gently upward, the ground beneath his feet nearly t, like a massive frying pan. At its center, a hole gaped open, dark mist swirling in its depths.

    Snow fell heavily in the night. Feather-like kes spiraled down toward the abyss, vanishing instantly into the writhing mist.

    Gao Yang''s jaw tightened. This was Green Lotus Park, after the Malediction had torn itself apart. Here, on that night, Su Xi had given birth to the Malediction.

    That night, he''d be an orphan for the second time.

    This ce was seared into his memory.

    A familiar figure caught his eye¡ªthe orphanage keeper. Instead of her usual patterned dress, she wore a light green sweater and white skirt. Loosely braided hair wound around her fair neck, trailing down her left shoulder. Though she stood in the falling snow, not a single ke touched her.

    She met his gaze with a gentle smile and nodded.

    "A dream, or is this the system?" Gao Yang asked.

    "Both," the woman responded, matching his brevity.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Unsurprised, Gao Yang epted the facts and went on. ¡°Brief me.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The dorm keeper chuckled before speaking like a news anchor with perfect pronunciation and a sweet voice.

    ¡°You¡¯ve umted 1892 Luck points.¡±

    ¡°Your stats are as follows: Constitution: 2289, Endurance: 2141, Agility: 2145, Willpower: 2003, Charisma: 2602, and Luck: 2020.¡±

    ¡°Your Talent levels are as follows: Absolute Defense, level 5; Teleportation, level 6; Replicate, level 6; Fire, level 6; Gecko, level 3; Double, level 6; Psychic Armor, level 6; Lie Detection, level 4; Lucky, level 5.¡±

    ¡°You need 3840 Luck points to attempt toprehend a new Talent.¡±

    ¡°You need 2000 Luck points to make another wish.¡±

    Gao Yang listened quietly. ¡°Check the Talent Pantheon.¡±

    "Please look ahead." The keeper raised her hand toward the abyss. The ck mist coalesced into a vast dark surface, while falling snowkes gathered to form white chalk marks, sketching out the twelve Rune Types and their remaining Talents.

    Gao Yang focused on four categories: Elemental, Buff, Time-Space, and Guard types, with 5, 5, 4, and 6 Talents remaining respectively.

    The next time heprehended a Talent, he could try to get Elemental, Limitless Evolution, Time-Space Spirit, or Unreachable.

    The four Talents each came with their strengths, and he had the Rune Circuits to level them up. He would get the most out of those Talents.

    Even in the most ideal scenario where he acquired the Talent he wanted by only making one wish, however, it would take 5840 Luck points, which meant Gao Yang needed an additional 4000 points. By passively gaining 48 Luck points per day, it would take him more than eighty days to umte enough.

    That wouldn¡¯t be viable.

    He didn¡¯t even know what would happen in eight days, let alone eighty days.

    He smothered a sigh and asked tentatively, "Besides facing great danger, is there any way to speed up Luck point acquisition?"

    The dorm keeper shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    The dorm keeper pretended to think for a few seconds. Then with a smile, she extended a finger. ¡°There¡¯s one method in theory:prehend Limitless Evolution and quickly get stronger through its mechanism. Although you won¡¯t be getting Luck points, your stats will increase substantially. Perhaps that¡¯ll fulfill your need.¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s eyes moved downcast. True, if he acquired Limitless Evolution, he would be able to attack Wang Zikai, War Tiger, or someone else while pretending to be the enemy. With them none the wiser, they would surely fight back with everything. Then perhaps the passive ability of the Talent would trigger, allowing Gao Yang to quickly grow in power.

    But that still requiredprehending Limitless Evolution first. The problem of gathering 4,000 Luck points remained.

    Silence fell between them as they stood at the edge of the abyss.

    "What happens if I jump in?" Gao Yang asked suddenly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll wake up and leave the system,¡± the dorm keeper answered quietly.

    A rueful smile crossed Gao Yang''s face. Of course.

    "Tell me something," he said, his casual tone masking deeper intent. "Am I the Divine Scion, or the Malediction?"

    "You''ll have to ask yourself."

    "You once said I was the Divine Scion. Why change your answer now?" He met her eyes¡ªdark and bottomless as the void below.

    ¡°I¡¯m only the system, just like...¡± The dorm keeper thought for a moment. ¡°A mirror.¡±

    Her eyes curved with satisfaction at theparison. "When you speak to a mirror, what do you expect it to tell you?"

    Gao Yang weighed her words. His expression hardened with something between disappointment and anger. "You''re not giving me what I want to hear. You''ve grown stranger since bing more human."

    The dorm keeper smiled and blinked, ying innocent.

    Gao Yang stepped forward, eyes fixed on the bottomless darkness below. Then he jumped.

 Chapter 912: Smelly

    <h4>Chapter 912: Smelly</h4>

    Consciousness returned to Gao Yang slowly. Voices filtered through his awareness, at first muffled as if through thick metal, then gradually sharpening into rity.

    Afternoon sunlight filled the barebone room. Abandoned construction materials cluttered the dusty floor, waterproof sents still clinging to surfaces. The ce looked messy yet clean in its abandoned state.

    In the corner, wrapped in a curtain, Gao Yang dozed with his head drooped. Liao Liao and Fresh Snow crouched on either side of him, each intently sipping from a bottle of soy milk.

    Liao Liao gathered her courage and reached out to brush a longer strand of hair on Gao Yang''s head, a stubborn cowlick that only revealed itself upon close inspection.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! The cowlick doesn¡¯t go right or left!¡± Liao Liao said with surprise.

    <i>"Cowlick? Is that what it''s called?" Fresh Snow chuckled, reaching to brush the strand. "It should go left."</i>

    <i>"Hm..." Liao Liao frowned, moving it the other way. "Right looks better. It''s subtle, but it makes his hair look lighter somehow."</i>

    <i>"No, left is definitely better." Fresh Snow adjusted the strand again, her preference influenced by her habit of sleeping on Gao Yang''s left side.</i>

    <i>"Right. Trust me on this."</i>

    <i>"Left!"</i>

    <i>"Right..."</i>

    <i>"How about I just cut it off?" Gao Yang''s tired eyes opened, his face pale and voice weak.</i>

    <i>Liao Liao''s hand froze mid-motion. What? Your injury is serious, like seriously serious. You should be out for a full day and night. How are you awake already?</i>

    ¡°You¡¯re up, Captain Gao.¡± Liao Liao looked embarrassed. ¡°Haha, um, there¡¯s nothing to treat you with. How about...some soy milk? It¡¯s still hot...¡±

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Gao Yang ignored her fumbling and turned left. "It''s been a while, Fresh Snow."

    Fresh Snow started at his sudden awakening. She studied his face intently, then took a deep breath and smiled. "I missed you, Gao Yang."

    "I missed you too," he said softly.

    Fresh Snow leaned closer, holding his gaze. "I''m not leaving this time, Gao Yang."

    Surprise flickered across his face before he nodded. "You promise."

    "Of course. Good friends don''t lie to each other."

    Liao Liao suddenly felt like a third wheel.

    "Should I give you some space?" She rose to her knees, ncing around. "Maybe half an hour to catch up?"

    "That won''t be enough." Fresh Snow''s smile held a hint of pride. "There''s never enough time for me to chat with Gao Yang. But it doesn''t have to be now. You should talk business."

    Gao Yang studied her again. Fresh Snow seemed different now.

    "Alright." Liao Liao didn''t press the issue. She gestured toward a bulging duffle bag. "I went for a stroll early this morning. Got clothes and food. Captain Gao, if you''re feeling up to it, you should eat something and change. Then we need to move."

    <i>This isn''t a safe ce to be, buddy! Let''s get to your base!</i> Her meaning couldn''t have been clearer.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gao Yang was pleased. It was a bargain to recruit Liao Liao. He could leave matters that required brainpower to Liao Liao in the future.

    "Where''s Dr. Jia?" he asked, noticing the absence.

    Liao Liao''s expression turned awkward. "Him? After eating, he went to...do number two with his parrot. I told him to handle his business far from here."

    "Number two?" Fresh Snow tilted her head. "You mean using the toilet?"

    "Yeah." Liao Liao turned to Fresh Snow with a teasing smile. "Don''t tell me you don''t know about that? Don''t you use the toilet?"

    "I don''t," Fresh Snow replied matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Liao Liao suddenly remembered the physiology of a Spectre. She said with envy, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be called a ghost, but a fairy!¡±

    "Fairy?" Fresh Snow''s face brightened. "That does sound better than ghost."

    "Smelly! Smelly! Smelly!"

    Dr. Jia returned, still adjusting his pants, his parrot squawking on his shoulder.

    "Shut up! Your shit stinks worse!" Dr. Jia snapped, but his irritated expression instantly transformed into a bright smile when he spotted Gao Yang. "Ah, our Divine Scion is awake! What are we waiting for? Let''s go!"

    His eagerness had nothing to do with their safety; he was simply impatient to rebuild hisboratory and resume his research. The Divine Scion''s vital energy alone was a treasure, but now a Spectre had joined them too. What a gift from the universe!

    "Alright." Gao Yang rose slowly, his movements still weak. Fresh Snow steadied him with gentle hands.

    "Let''s get your energy up first." Liao Liao cracked open an energy drink and passed it to him.

    But before Gao Yang could take a sip, her smile vanished. "There''s something I must tell you, Gao Yang."

 Chapter 913: Holy Moly

    <h4>Chapter 913: Holy Moly</h4>

    Gao Yang turned to Liao Liao in silence.

    She sighed softly, her voice tinged with regret. "Two hours ago, Iprehended Intangibility."

    Gao Yang remained still, almost numb, for several seconds. Then he raised the energy drink to his lips, letting its cold sweetness wake his dormant senses and vitality.

    The bottle felt heavier even as he drained it.

    "Okay."

    That was all he said about it.

    He checked his old phone. There were two messages from three hours ago. Looking up at the others, he said, "No rush. We''ll rest and leave in an hour."

    "Where are we going, Gao Yang?" Fresh Snow''s voice held anticipation.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Back to your home," he said quietly.

    Fresh Snow''s face lit up with surprise. "Okay!"

    ...

    Xijing District, evening.

    Heavy snow nketed the rolling terrain in silent gray as night''s veil descended. The mansion, nestled in the forest, seemed to fade into its surroundings.

    Nine Frost and Chen Ying stood in the front yard, backs straight, expressions neutral as snow dusted their shoulders. Chen Ying nced at her watch¡ªfive minutes past the meeting time. Anxiety gnawed at her. She wouldn''t rx until she saw Gao Yang in person.

    Nine Frost''s eyes darkened, sensing something approach.

    A plump gray parrot burst from the snowden forest, its head partially bald as if shaved. The sight wasical, yet it flew proudly, croaking, "Man! Woman! Man! Woman!"

    As it crossed the yard, it suddenly jolted as if shot, plummeting into the snow.

    Two secondster, it emerged, wings pping frantically but uselessly.

    "Holy moly! Holy moly! Holy moly!"

    It thrashed like a drunken rooster, wings beating helplessly against the snow.

    Nine Frost''s lips twitched as he released the control of Avian King. The parrot immediately took flight, seeking refuge on the shoulder of a prematurely aged man¡ªDr. Jia, the Mist World''s leading genius.

    Almost simultaneously, Gao Yang, Fresh Snow, and Liao Liao emerged from the forest through the falling snow.

    Nine Frost and Chen Ying tensed. Fresh Snow''s presence wasn''t surprising afterst night''s battle, but Liao Liao? That was unexpected.

    Nine Frost reached out with Telepathy. Gao Yang responded immediately with their agreed codeword.

    [Nine Frost: Can we trust Liao Liao, Captain?]

    [Gao Yang: Yes. We¡¯ll talk about the detailster.]

    [Nine Frost: Okay. We¡¯ve suffered casualties.]

    [Gao Yang: Members killed in action?]

    [Nine Frost: White Rabbit, Yellow Lotus, Thick Earth.]

    [Gao Yang: I understand.]

    He cut off the telepathy and came up to Nine Frost and Chen Ying. Not knowing that Nine Frost had talked to Gao Yang, Chen Ying opened her mouth and closed it with a grave expression.

    Gao Yang broke the silence.

    "Chen Ying, take everyone inside. Liao Liao''s one of us now."

    "Will do." Relief flickered across her face; she''d dreaded delivering the bad news. "Please follow me, all three of you."

    As Dr. Jia, Liao Liao, and Fresh Snow followed Chen Ying inside, Nine Frost turned to Gao Yang.

    "You''re badly injured, Captain." At this distance, his condition was clear to him.

    "I''m fine," Gao Yang said. "Brief me."

    "Understood."

    Standing in the snow, Nine Frost gave Gao Yang a detailed rundown on the battle at the Qingyang Bridge, including his and his teammates¡¯ personal experience, as well as some of the conjectures he¡¯d made, doing his best to paint a picture of what had taken ce.

    Gao Yang listened without interruption.

    After processing the information, his eyes darkened. "So Spring killed the life monster puppet at the cost of his own life."

    "Yes. Qilin''s status is uncertain, but he''s likely alive, just severely injured."

    "Is Waking Insects awake?"

    "No, still in his second form."

    "White Dew?"

    "Never appeared."

    Gao Yang felt grateful for Spring''s sacrifice and aid, but questioned the reasoning. Spring and Waking Insects could have saved the awakeners and retreated safely if that was their only goal. Would he really give his life merely because of Qilin''s sacrilegious treatment of the Spectres'' "mother"? It seemed imusible.

    As patriarch of the Spectres, Spring carried too much responsibility for such an irrational choice.

    Unless Spring had sensed that his curse would soon take his life, and thus, he chose how he would meet his end.

    Gao Yang fell into sorrow.

    Nine Frost continued after a moment of silence, ¡°Wang Zikai, Raven Shark, Nainai, Fat Jun, Zhong He, Zhang Wei, and Muzitu are quite badly injured. I had them return to the S Base and asked Lovely Lamb and Dead Pig to treat them. Gregor, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Lying Wood went with them as caretakers and bodyguards just in case.¡±

    The S Base was the secret sanctuary in the sewage system, renamed because Zhang Wei thought the original name sounded awful. The new name had stuck.

    Nine Frost nced at the Spectres'' Mansion. "Only I, Chen Ying, War Tiger, Heavenly Dog, and Qing Ling remained for your rendezvous."

    Gao Yang nodded, approving the arrangements.

    After a pause, he asked, "Are the dead buried?"

    Nine Frost''s voice carried a trace of sadness. "Same ce as before. I can take you."

    "No need. I''ll go alone."

    "Of course."

    Nine Frost watched Gao Yang leave before leaping to the second-floor balcony. Settling cross-legged, he activated Avian King to monitor the surroundings.

    The forest nketed in snow stood in destion, wind whining through the trees. Deep within, four new graves joined the original ten, their differences masked by heavy snow.

    Death came to all with absolute fairness, regardless of how brilliant, explosive, ambitious, or great a life had been.

    Before the leftmost gravey a ck mask covered in curse words and several bottles of nail polish. A man sat cross-legged before it, head bowed, unkempt curls falling across his face. The character for "tiger" marked his temple.

    The ck Gold broadsword buried in the ground beside him looked like a tall, narrow tombstone.

    Snow settled on both the man and the weapon, blurring the lines between their frames and the dark, deste forest.

    <i>Rustle.</i> Soft footsteps crunched in the snow. The man slowly opened his eyes.

 Chapter 914: Donâ€™t Hate Her

    <h4>Chapter 914: Don¡¯t Hate Her</h4>

    <i>Rustle.</i> Gao Yang reached War Tiger''s side and sat cross-legged in the snow, joining him in his quiet vigil before White Rabbit''s grave.

    War Tiger remained silent, his expression hovering between calm and numbness.

    Gao Yang picked up a bottle of ck nail polish from the snow-covered ground and opened it, clumsily painting his left thumb. He''d never done this before, his inexperience obvious, but that didn''t matter. He just needed something to do.

    War Tiger slowly turned toward the movement, snow falling from his hair and shoulders. His voice came out rough. "Give me one."

    Gao Yang tossed one over.

    War Tiger caught it with a weak grin. "Rabbit loved red the most. Alright, I''ll give it a try."

    They sat there painting their nails awkwardly in the snow,paring results to see who did it better. Neither would concede defeat.

    War Tiger''s mood seemed to lift slightly¡ªenough to speak, at least.

    ¡°Gao Yang, Rabbit never had anything nice to say to you, but don¡¯t take it personally. That¡¯s just how she was. Her tongue was sharper with those she cared about. Except with Dragon, of course.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang closed the bottle of nail polish.

    ¡°She used you in the beginning. That was true. But it was genuine on her part that she treated you as a family after that. When you went to the Qilin Guild with her not knowing the truth, she was hurt over it for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Gao Yang ced the nail polish back on the snow.

    ¡°Rabbit...¡± War Tiger opened his mouth. He had much to say, but he suddenly didn¡¯t feel like saying anything. ¡°Anyhow, if she did anything to offend you, I apologize on her behalf. Don¡¯t hate her. What she feared the most was being hated and abandoned by her family. That¡¯d been the case since she was little.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± War Tiger looked at his nails, now painted red. Augh escaped him. "What''s even the point of this stuff? She''d put it on, take it off, put it right back on. Why go through all that?"

    "Uncle Tiger."

    Gao Yang''s voice was calm but solemn. "My condolences."

    War Tiger''s shoulders trembled and sagged.

    He threw the polish down and reached for his pocket, finding only an empty cigarette pack. Rubbing his nose roughly, he cursed, "Fuck, how am I going to exin to Dragon?"

    Gao Yang paused, remembering. "Back in Naldives, when White Rabbit thought she was dying, she left a message for Dragon."

    War Tiger turned. "What did she say?"

    Gao Yang repeated the words verbatim, ¡°<i>Good luck, Captain. White Rabbit has been and will always be your number one fan.</i>¡±

    After a moment of surprise, War Tiger snorted. "Right. I''ll tell Dragon that."

    Gao Yang nodded, then nced around. "I recruited Liao Liao."

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°The girl with Aptitude?¡± She had left a positive impression on War Tiger. ¡°Good. She¡¯s a real talent.¡±

    ¡°She passed my test, but just to be safe, you should meet her, too.¡± On one hand, Gao Yang trusted War Tiger¡¯s eye for people. On the other hand, he wanted to give the man something to do.

    "Alright, let Uncle Tiger have a friendly chat with her." War Tiger pushed himself up, hands on knees. He pulled his greatsword from the ground, shook off the snow, and strode away.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    When War Tiger''s footsteps had faded, Gao Yang raised his voice. "I''m alone now. You maye out."

    Purple light sparkled from the forest depths, like a marsh''s surface shimmering under a violet moon.

    The light faded, revealing a tall, slim woman with pronounced curves and crimson eyes. Silver hair crowned with a xced dress hat, she wore a ck veil that draped from its brim, obscuring the upper half of her pale, sharply beautiful face.

    Wearing a solemn ck dress and ck gloves, she held a flower of purple ice crystals in her hand.

    Gao Yang recognized White Dew instantly, unsurprised by her presence.

    She crossed the snowy ground silently. "Which one belongs to Spring?"

    Wordlessly, Gao Yang brushed snow from a new grave, revealing a small calendar. Its first page read: "Start of Spring."

    White Dew knelt with fluid grace, cing the crystal flower before the grave.

    After a reverent silence, Gao Yang spoke. "Thank you."

    White Dew scoffed, her words drawlingzily. "Don''t. I opposed Spring''s involvement, but his mind was set."

    "Why would he do it?"

    "We spent our lives searching for ways to break our curses. Spring said that since we couldn''t choose our birth, we''d at least choose our death."

    Gao Yang fell silent.

    White Dew rose. "I''ve always hated you, Gao Yang, but Fresh Snow wouldn''t have survived without you. Consider Spring''s interference repayment for that. We''re even."

    ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± Gao Yang said. ¡°I owe you too much.¡±

    White Dew sighed softly. ¡°If you really think so, do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I have something to attend to going forward. Take care of Fresh Snow for me.¡± White Dew looked resigned like a parental figure. ¡°Many things happened recently. Fresh Snow¡¯s been unhappy. You¡¯re the only one who can make her crack a smile.¡±

    Surprise flickered across Gao Yang''s face.

    "I know you see her as a child. That''s fine. Just keep herpany, make herugh, give her more joy than sorrow. She''s had so little since childhood. It doesn''t take much to make her happy."

    Gao Yang''s chest tightened.

    "Outside of missions, I''ll spend my time with her."

    "Thank you." White Dew retreated into the forest depths, leaving only a trail of purple light that soon vanished into darkness.

    ...

    Half an hourter, Gao Yang entered the mansion''s living room. Drawn curtains and unlitmps left only the crackling firece for light.

    Liao Liao and Fresh Snow shared an antique sofa, chatting hand in hand. Dr. Jia hovered nearby, forcing a servile smile that creased his face.

    His interesty not in Fresh Snow herself, but in a Spectre¡¯s vital energy.

    Unfortunately, he had made little progress in befriending the Spectre. Even his parrot interested Fresh Snow more.

    Gao Yang surveyed the room. "Liao Liao, gather everyone for a meeting here."

    "Right away."

    "Thene to my room after," Fresh Snow said mysteriously. "I have something to show you."

    Gao Yang nodded. "Okay."

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget it!¡± Fresh Snow skipped her way upstairs.

    "Fresh Snow! Fresh Snow! Fresh Snow!" The gray parrot attempted pursuit, only to have Dr. Jia grab its tail. "Stay for the meeting!"

    "Take me! Take me! Take me!" The parrot thrashed.

    "You ungrateful creature!" Their squabble sent feathers flying throughout the mansion.

    Soon, War Tiger, Qing Ling, Nine Frost, Chen Ying, Heavenly Dog, and Liao Liao assembled. Everyone who could attend had arrived.

    Gao Yang settled onto a sofa, his voice and expressionposed. "Let''s begin."

 Chapter 915: Pull Your Weight

    <h4>Chapter 915: Pull Your Weight</h4>

    They settled into their seats.

    "Before we begin," Nine Frost spoke evenly, "I''ll give an overall assessment of the operation."

    He continued, "The Qingyang Bridge battle proved more dangerous than anticipated. Qilin exceeded our expectations in both power and cunning. Without the Spectres'' intervention, we''d have faced catastrophic losses. Even so, we lost threepanions."

    He paused before adding, "Looking at results alone, we dealt the Ocean River Union a significant blow and forced Qilin to reveal his hidden cards. Mission aplished, by that measure."

    Everyone sat in silent agreement.

    "Meanwhile, Captain survived an ambush by Clear Mirror and Nico, rescued Dr. Jia and his parrot, and recruited a new ally."

    At Nine Frost''s mention, the parrot froze mid-movement.

    Liao Liao shifted ufortably, managing a weak smile. "Hello, we''ve all met before, so I''ll skip introductions."

    The others responded with looks ranging from friendly to indifferent.

    ¡°Moreover, Captain killed Sir Jiang and Qin You, avenging ourpanions and going above and beyond the mission.¡±

    Liao Liao wasn¡¯t sure how to feel when she had been one of the people Gao Yang killed.

    War Tiger stared at the ceiling, unlit cigarette in hand. "How embarrassing. Little Yang Yang aplished all that alone, while we ate dirt despite our numbers."

    "More people often means a moreplicated battlefield," Gao Yang said.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Captain.¡± Nine Frost¡¯s heart was heavy when he thought back to what the Nine Scions had been through.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Chen Ying offered, ¡°While I may not be in the ce to say this, you¡¯ve all done your best. And we were prepared to sacrifice ourselves before setting out.¡±

    ¡°Done your best! Done your best! Done your best!¡± The parrot, perching on the sofa, pped its wings.

    Dr. Jia swatted at it. ¡°Just shut up, you damn bird!¡±

    The parrot quickly flew away, croaking while flying, ¡°Stupid doctor! Stupid doctor! Stupid doctor!¡±

    War Tiger straightened his back and twirled the cigarette between his fingers. ¡°Nine Frost¡¯s made a good closingment. I¡¯ll go over the aftermath. The bodies left in Dr. Jia¡¯sboratory were burned, so Sir Jiang and the others wouldn¡¯t be turned into puppets. But those who died at the Qingyang Bridge, friends and foes alike, were mostly intact enough to be reused...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s good news, though. The life monster puppet¡¯s gone. As for Azure Dragon...¡±

    "Unusable," Dr. Jia interjected confidently.

    War Tiger''s eyebrow lifted. "You''re certain?"

    ¡°Qilin asked me to extract holy water from the dead life monster. For the request, he gave me some of his vital energy and told me the detailed mechanism of Puppeteer. The calctions areplex, so I¡¯ll get to the conclusion.¡±

    ¡°Basically, a corpse puppetes with limited use time and particr conditions. The dead life monster could be manipted for no more than three minutes. Azure Dragon would allow for longer use time, but ording to what you described, it must¡¯ve been exhausted given the circumstances.¡±

    War Tigerughed. ¡°It¡¯s the right thing to do to grab...escort Old Jia here!¡±

    The others let out sighs of relief. Their fear of Puppeteer lessened a little. While the Talent was powerful, it was based on the prerequisite of having powerful puppets.

    ¡°That¡¯s good news, but there¡¯s also bad news,¡± Gao Yang chimed in. ¡°After what Qilin¡¯s achieved, he must have gotten a step closer to reaching level 8 with Puppeteer.¡±

    The others exchanged a nce, their mood turning gloomy once more.

    "What''s next, Little Yang Yang?" War Tiger cut to the chase, knowing Gao Yang would have a n.

    "We''ll move on two fronts," Gao Yang replied without hesitation. "Dr. Jia needs to establish aboratory quickly for weapons, equipment, and medicine development. Adept Horse urgently needs cybeic calves."

    War Tiger turned to Dr. Jia. "Can you manage that in three days, Old Jia?"

    "Only in fantasy." Dr. Jia patted his ck Gold briefcase. "My crucial data and research survived, but all equipment and materials burned. Starting from scratch won''t be simple."

    "You''re the genius here, Old Jia," War Tiger said with casual ttery. "Have faith in yourself."

    Dr. Jia wasn''t swayed. "Save it. I''m a genius, not God."

    "A week then? That''s my limit."

    "You might as well kill me now."

    "Tsk." War Tiger stroked his chin. "But you need to contribute something. If you can''t deliver, don''t me me for taking measures."

    Dr. Jia heard it as the threat it was and said more meekly, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not impossible to quickly rebuild ab.¡±

    "See?" War Tiger pped his thighs, grinning. "I knew bringing Old Jia was right!"

    Dr. Jia ignored him. "Years ago in Ni Nation, I built ab. The equipment''s dated but should suffice for now with some upgrades."

    "Ten days," Gao Yang said firmly. "No more."

    Dr. Jia fidgeted ufortably. "I can''t guarantee anything. We''ll only know the problems once we''re there. I''ll try my best to¡ª"

    "Complete it in ten days, and I''ll provide vital energy from both the Divine Scion and a Spectre as goodwill."

    "No problem!" Dr. Jia''s eyes gleamed. "Deal!"

    ¡°Deal.¡± Gao Yang turned to Nine Frost. ¡°Escort Dr. Jia to the S Base after finishing work and tell Nainai to get him to the Ni Nation for the rebuilding. The sooner the better.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Nine Frost nodded.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Qing Ling said. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Ni Nation with Dr. Jia, too.¡±

    Gao Yang knew why Qing Ling must go, and he was probably the only one who knew.

    ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll be the leader of the operation.¡±

    Qing Ling shot him a withering re. <i>Of course I¡¯ll be, or are you gonna put Nainai in charge?</i>

    "Second." Gao Yang addressed Liao Liao. "Form an investigation team to monitor the Ocean River Union. Track them as best you can, but prioritize safety."

    Liao Liao smiled wryly. <i>Don''t worry. I''m a master lurker.</i>

    After a moment, she nodded. "I want three people: Heavenly Dog, Little Hong, and Sister Ying."

    Gao Yang turned to Heavenly Dog and Chen Ying, who were present in the meeting.

    "Kay." Heavenly Dog shrugged indifferently.

    "Fine by me." Chen Ying nodded.

    Nine Frost spoke for the absent Hong Xiaoxiao. "She can handle it."

    "Chen Ying," Gao Yang continued, "Take Liao Liao and Heavenly Dog to S Base for tonight. Begin operations tomorrow."

    "Understood." Chen Ying nodded.

    "Dismissed," Gao Yang concluded.

    Over the next twenty minutes, they filtered out, leaving only Gao Yang, War Tiger, Nine Frost, and Fresh Snow upstairs in her room.

    Qing Ling departedst, but not before Gao Yang walked with her to the mansion''s rooftop. They stood together in the falling snow.

 Chapter 916: Spotted Cat

    <h4>Chapter 916: Spotted Cat</h4>

    "Be careful," Gao Yang said.

    Qing Ling nodded, then stepped forward and cupped his face in both hands.

    Gao Yang started, but didn¡¯t move.

    She patted his face twice before moving to his head, then methodically checked his neck, shoulders, chest, back, and arms like a thorough security check.

    Only then did Gao Yang realize what Qing Ling was doing. He said in resignation, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My mission went well this time. I didn¡¯t lose an arm or a leg.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Qing Ling said irritatedly. ¡°I¡¯m just reassuring her.¡±

    ¡°She can check it herself,¡± Gao Yang said.

    ¡°She won¡¯te out.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    "Don''t know. Maybe she''s in her rebellious phase." Qing Ling''s harumph made her sound more like an older sister than ever, drawing a smile from Gao Yang.

    "What''s that look for?" she asked.

    "Nothing."

    Qing Ling stepped back and raised her right hand. Her Tang Dao materialized beside her.

    With fluid grace, shended on the de and tied her ck hair into a high ponytail, casting Gao Yang a farewell nce from above.

    Gao Yang nodded.

    The de whooshed away with Qing Ling, vanishing into the snowy night.

    ...

    Afterward, Gao Yang returned to the living room and talked a little more with his deputies, War Tiger and Nine Frost, before concluding everything. Remembering Fresh Snow¡¯s words, he headed to her room on the second floor.

    The door was closed. Gao Yang knocked. ¡°Are you there, Fresh Snow?¡±

    ¡°Oh, wait a minute.¡± Fresh Snow¡¯s voice came from the other side of the door. ¡°A sec...¡±

    ¡°Okay. No rush...¡±

    A scream interrupted Gao Yang¡¯s words. He teleported inside almost instinctively and didn¡¯t spot Fresh Snow, only adder.

    When he looked up, a palette with different-colored paints pped Gao Yang in the face with a st. It fell after a second, leaving Gao Yang¡¯s face covered in paint.

    ¡°Gao Yang...you alright?¡±

    Standing on thedder, Fresh Snow held a paintbrush in her hand, wearing a baseball cap and an apron, the cloth covered in splotches of colors.

    It turned out that she had been restoring the starry sky in the ceiling to give Gao Yang a surprise, but with Gao Yang visiting early, she got nervous, and the palette fell right onto Gao Yang¡¯s face when he teleported in.

    "I''m fine..." He tried wiping the paint off but only seeded in smearing it further.

    "Pfft."

    Fresh Snow burst outughing. "You look like a spotted cat, Gao Yang!"

    Gao Yang wasn''t bothered; it would wash off. He climbed thedder and handed her the palette. "Here."

    Fresh Snow took it and returned to her work.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Gao Yang looked up. The Gao Yang Star had returned, now sporting a leftward-pointing cowlick.

    Fresh Snow finished painting and peered down, a spot of yellow paint on her nose like a tiny moon. "How is it?"

    "It''s good," Gao Yang nodded.

    ¡°It feels like...something¡¯s missing, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Fresh Snow thought for a moment before drawing a smiley face on the star.

    Gao Yang Star 2.0, with its stray hair and smile, looked slightly ridiculous, almost uncanny.

    But Fresh Snow beamed with satisfaction. This was how the star should look. She hopped down from thedder,nding lightly before Gao Yang.

    Looking up, she touched the drying paint on his face.

    "You shouldn''t frown so much, Gao Yang. You should smile." Her eyes lowered, gentle and earnest. "Master Spring said that no matter what happens, we must seize the present and lead a good life."

    Surprise flickered across Gao Yang''s face. He''d been wondering how to tell her about Spring, but she already knew. As their leader, Spring must have properly bid farewell to every Spectre...

    "Master Spring was right." Gao Yang met her gaze. "Would you like to spend the Lunar New Year together, Fresh Snow?"

    "Really?" Her eyes brightened, then dimmed. "But Sister said you were busy. Everyone needs you..."

    ¡°Yes, I mean it. Although it¡¯s a little indulgent...Master Spring said to seize the day and lead a good life, didn¡¯t he?¡± Gao Yang was speaking to himself, too.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± The girl¡¯s face seemed to radiate wonderful colors that did not belong in this world.

    "We''ll have Wang Zikai and Xinxin join us."

    Fresh Snow considered briefly before nodding eagerly. "Yes! Let''s all celebrate together!"

    "Then it''s settled." Gao Yang nodded. "It''ste. You should shower and rest."

    "Okay. Goodnight, Gao Yang."

    "Goodnight."

    Fresh Snow watched him leave.

    Once the door closed, she turned around and threw herself onto the softrge bed. So many things had happened recently. Master Spring¡¯s departure, her wish to grow up quickly...it felt like she had gulped down the strange potion an old witch brewed in her dirty cauldron.

    But soon theplicated feelings ebbed like a retreating tide, leaving only a serene moonlit beach, and Gao Yang standing there.

    Fresh Snow buried her face in her pillow, breathing deeply.

    She was already looking forward to spending the Lunar New Year with Gao Yang. She wished that the day woulde tomorrow¡ªno,e now.

    ¡°Seize the present and lead a good life.¡±

    She repeated the words like an incantation in the darkness.

    Energy filled her. Master Spring had spoken true.

 Chapter 917: Bullying Teammate

    <h4>Chapter 917: Bullying Teammate</h4>

    Riverbank Hotel, Southern Ni Nation, the next day¡¯s afternoon.

    In the double room renovated in an exotic style, Nainai and Dr. Jia sat on two separate beds. For this mission, Nainai had transformed into a college student,plete with short ck hair, white shirt, jeans, and a canvas travel bag slung over one shoulder. Her ssespleted the schrly look.

    Dr. Jia, on the other hand, was disguised as a middle-aged man with thinned hair and a beer belly, dressed in a polo shirt and ck suit pants, hung with a ring of keys.

    They appeared as father and daughter.

    Dr. Jia had wanted to bring Parry, but Qing Ling vetoed the idea. A parrot couldn''t be disguised as another animal and would draw too much attention.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Reluctantly, he''d entrusted his pet to Lying Wood at the S Base, along with pages of detailed care instructions. Even now, he couldn''t stop fretting. He''d talked about nothing but the parrot during their journey until both Qing Ling and Nainai had forced him into silence.

    "Nainai." After thirty minutes of quiet, Dr. Jia broke. "Your organization...none of them abuse small animals, right?"

    Nainai scoffed. "None of this Empress'' subjects would go down the path of the fallen."

    "Good, good." Dr. Jia licked his lips nervously. "And there aren''t any flowers there? That bastard is allergic to pollens..."

    The door swung open. A tall, slim woman strode in, tinum blonde curls swept up to showcase her elegant neck and corbones. Her white camisole and ck pencil skirt emphasized her curves, but her sharp, icy eyes contradicted the alluring outfit.

    Qing Ling, ying the role of Nainai''s stepmother and Dr. Jia''s young wife, looked distinctly ufortable. The pencil skirt restricted her movement, and she''d repeatedly suppressed the urge to tear the constraining fabric for better mobility. Throughout their journey, Dr. Jia had attracted envious stares from passersby; The pedestrians were clearly judging him and questioning how he deserved the good luck, though Dr. Jia never even nced at his ¡°young wife¡±. All he thought about was his pet.

    "We can take a ferry across the Ni River," Qing Ling announced coolly, closing the door. "The desert beyond should be our destination."

    "Then what are we waiting for?" Dr. Jia lifted a ck Gold briefcase.

    "Wait." Qing Ling thrust a bag of clothes at him. "Put these on."

    Dr. Jia reached in and froze, pulling out a white bra. Confused, he dug deeper, finding an entire set of women''s clothing.

    He turned to Qing Ling. "What kind of joke is this, Green Snake?"

    "The ferry segregates passengers by gender." Qing Ling nced at Nainai. "Transform Dr. Jia into a woman so we can stay together."

    The crossing would take only twenty minutes, but Qing Ling wouldn''t risk letting Dr. Jia out of their sight. If it were night, she and Nainai could simply fly him across the river under cover of darkness. But at four in the afternoon, with tourists and locals crowding the area, using their Talents would only invite trouble.

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    Nainai bounced onto Dr. Jia¡¯s bed excitedly, eyes bright and lips curled into a smirk. She had been itching to make a man into a woman. Thest time she did it was to turn Gao Yang into Can. That gave her a lot of ideas and experience.

    Dr. Jia and Gao Yang had wildly different builds, making this a good practice.

    "Stay back!" Dr. Jia scrambled away. "Don''t touch me! I''ll scream, I really will¡ª"

    "Then scream!" Nainai cackled. "No one wille to your rescue even if you scream until you''re hoarse!"

    ...

    Ten minutester, the bathroom door creaked open.

    The middle-aged man had vanished. In his ce stood a middle-aged woman with a round face and striking features, dressed in a rose-printed dress that struggled to contain her newly voluptuous figure. Large auburn curls tumbled down her shoulders,pleting the transformation. ¡°Her¡± figure was almost cartoonish¡ªDr. Jia¡¯s beer belly had to go somewhere, so Nainai shifted the fat to the breast and the hip.

    Qing Ling frowned. She had underestimated Dr. Jia¡¯s size. She should¡¯ve bought a plus-size dress.

    "I''m filing aint to Gao Yang!" Dr. Jia''s voice cracked with indignation. "You''re bullying your teammate during the mission! Stomping on the dignity of a genius!"

    "Be quiet." Qing Ling''s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Or I''ll make sure you stay quiet permanently."

    Dr. Jia''s mouth snapped shut. He''d meant it as mere grumbling. He hadn''t expected Qing Ling to be wound so tight she''d threaten murder.

    They checked out of the hotel and went downstairs with their luggage, hailing a taxi to the harbor. Blending in with the tourists, they boarded a ferry. They reached the desert across the river in twenty minutes.

    Then they took camels around the desert on the riverbank. Soon, the tourists were taken to a short hill consisting of broken stones, waiting for the well-known sight of sunset in the desert.

    The stone hill was the end of this isted ind. The desert ahead was visible, but impossible to enter.

    Strangely, both guides and tourists halted at the hill as if by unspoken agreement. No one even suggested venturing deeper into the desert, as if some collective instinct held them back.

    After returning their camels, Qing Ling, Nainai, and Dr. Jia settled on the hill''s edge, maintaining a careful distance from the other tourists. Dr. Jia''s feminine disguise didn''t extend to his behavior. He sprawled on a boulder with his legs spread, yanking at his cor for air. The look in his eyes suggested he was one difort away from stripping off his top.

    "Hah, you know, there used to be quite the tourist attraction out there." Dr. Jia squinted into the distance, gesturing toward the desert. "Now the Mist has swallowed it whole. Even the signboards have vanished. Pretty obvious who''s behind this."

    "The Heavenly Way?" Qing Ling murmured.

 Chapter 918: When Outside

    <h4>Chapter 918: When Outside</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Dr. Jia raised an eyebrow and got into it, ¡°I started studying the rtionship between the Mist and the Heavenly Way long ago. I said before that the Mist has been encroaching, while the Heavenly Way retreats and endures, cleaning up the mess as it goes.¡±

    ¡°For example, when the Mist imed a plot ofnd from the Heavenly Way, not only didn¡¯t the Heavenly Way fight back, it rationalized it and covered it up, making sure that the shrinking isted ind would continue to function normally.¡±

    Dr. Jia made an analogy. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just like the kind of wife who¡¯s abused by her husband, but takes it and maintains the pretense of a loving family so as to not hinder her son¡¯s college entrance exams?¡±

    "What humiliation!" Nainai''s fingers twitched, clearly fighting the urge to leap onto the boulder and strike a dramatic pose. "The day this Empress'' divine power is unsealed is the day the Mist will be dispersed!"

    Qing Ling ignored her, studying the desert with distant eyes. ording to Dr. Jia, hisboratoryy somewhere in that wastnd. They''d move once the tourists cleared out. For now, they had to maintain their cover and wait for nightfall.

    The sun sank faster than expected. Qing Ling nursed her water bottle while Nainai and Dr. Jia carried on their characteristically one-sided conversation on both parts. As evening descended, the hot wind cooled against their damp skin. Behind them, the Ni River stretched clear and quiet, dotted with blue ferries and white boats. Across the water, white houses fluctuated in height, their narrow streets alive with crowds and chatter.

    Before them sprawled an endless tropical desert. The crimson sun hung low, bleeding red across the horizon. The colors shifted like a cosmic cocktail. Light gray bleeding into blue-gray, deep blue, brown, and finally ck. Though sunsets looked simr everywhere, here in the desert''s destion it held a particr beauty, almost hypnotic enough to make them forget their purpose.

    The wind lifted Qing Ling''s hair. She closed her eyes for five seconds, and when they opened, Little Qing Ling looked out at the world. The older sister knew her younger self would appreciate this moment; she always loved it when the wind rose.

    ¡°A lone smoke rose above a vast desert, the round sun set below a long river.¡±

    Little Qing Ling was suddenly reminded of the poem.

    Nainai, struggling to find appropriately dramatic words for once, settled for taking photos instead. Meanwhile, Dr. Jia crushed his empty water bottle, squinting as he tried to recall hisboratory''s exact location.

    Night crept in. The tourists began their retreat from the stone hill.

    "Let''s go," Qing Ling said, taking control once more as she rose.

    "Hmph, Green Snake, you''re getting sloppy!" Nainai crossed her arms. "Five o''clock."

    Qing Ling turned to find three men openly staring, elbowing each other. Catching her eye, they sauntered over.

    "Prettydies, want to be friends?" The leader, sporting close-cropped hair, attempted a smooth smile. "Three of us, three of you¡ªthat''s fate, right?"

    "Yeah, yeah," hispanions echoed.

    "Not interested," Qing Ling''s voice could have frozen the desert.

    The leader faltered, then forced augh. "Aw, don''t be shy."

    His gaze shifted to Dr. Jia. "How about you, older sister? There''s a nice bar nearby. Care for a nightcap?"

    The short-haired man had long taken notice of the older woman who seemed to be a parental figure to the other two. She seemed like the bold sort and was still beautiful. She was obviously a yer. It would be smart to start with her.

    When Dr. Jia didn¡¯t say anything, the short-haired man continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not the big bad wolves. We don¡¯t eat people, haha.¡±

    Amused, Dr. Jia opened his mouth, ¡°Ha, I don¡¯t think you can take me even if you want to.¡±

    Nainai hadn¡¯t adjusted his vocal cords.

    The three young men were stunned. They thought they were hallucinating. Why would the voice of an old mane out of the mouth of this woman?

    Pleased with the three men¡¯s reaction, Dr. Jia pped his thigh and propped himself up by his knees. Then, the two clumps of flesh on his chest dropped back to his belly¡ªwhile Nainai had reinforced the change to her best, it wasn¡¯t very effective.

    The men gaped.

    ¡°Haha, boys should protect themselves outside. What if you run into a big bad wolf?¡± Dr. Jia grinned lecherously on purpose.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ¡°Gah! Monster!¡±

    ¡°Help!¡±

    ¡°Holyshit!!¡±

    The three men bolted. With a curl of her finger, Qing Ling sent a ck Gold dart to knock on the back of their heads in quick session, knocking them out.

    "I told you to shut up." Qing Ling''s frown deepened, a headache building. She studied the unconscious men, weighing the risk of letting them live after what they''d witnessed.

    Reading her thoughts, Dr. Jia kicked off his heels and pulled off his wig. "Leave it to me. I justprehended Memory Tailor yesterday. Let me try it out."

    At Qing Ling''s nod, he crouched beside the short-haired man. "Haha, you met three goris in the desert. They chased you, trying to have their way with you. You ran until you had to jump into the river. The current carried you to shore where you passed out."

    He nced up. "How''s that?"

    Qing Ling nodded curtly, then turned to Nainai. "Take them across the river."

    "What?!" Nainai bristled. "You want this Empress to handle such insects¡ª"

    Qing Ling''s hand drifted to her de hilt.

    "Yes, ma''am! Right away, ma''am!"

    ...

    Under cover of darkness, Nainai rode the wind, depositing the men on the far bank before rejoining Dr. Jia and Qing Ling in the desert.

    After thirty minutes of searching, Dr. Jia pointed to a low hill. "Should be under there."

    Qing Ling''s eyes narrowed. "Should be?"

    "I deliberately ced it ten kilometers from the Mist barrier." He shrugged. "If it''s not here, the Mist must have imed it."

    Qing Ling turned to Nainai. "Turn big."

    "What for?!" Nainai''s voice pitched higher.

    Qing Ling nodded at the dune. "Dig."

    "How dare you! Asking this Empress to perform such menialbor! This Empress'' mercy has limits! Woman, you''re ying with fire!"

    One minuteter, a four-meter giant Nainai was digging on all fours like a dog, kicking up a dust storm that rivaled the desert wind.

    Dr. Jia and Qing Ling watched from a nearby slope. Suddenly, Qing Ling spoke up.

    "Help me, Dr. Jia."

 Chapter 919: Dunce

    <h4>Chapter 919: Dunce</h4>

    Dr. Jia¡¯s appearance had returned to normal, and he changed back into his clothes, shaking the dust from his t-shirt. ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    After a pause, Qing Ling asked, "Can you develop something to stop my personality switches? Just temporarily?"

    Dr. Jia snorted. "Worried your sister might get in the way during a fight?"

    Qing Ling fell silent. At Qingyang Bridge, Lin Fu''s Personality Kill had led to her death at Colorless'' hands. Though Hong Xiaoxiao had brought her back immediately, resurrection felt wrong. She hated not controlling her own fate.

    She couldn''t let it happen again. She had to address this weakness, ensuring her sister would never be an opening for her enemies.

    "Yours is a psychological disorder, not an awakener''s Talent," Dr. Jia said bluntly. "Not my field."

    "If you can''t do it, just say so."

    "Watch your mouth, girl!" Dr. Jia bristled. "Of course there''s a way, but you need to approach it medically."

    "Meaning?"

    "Meaning if you''re sick, you see a doctor," he said impatiently. "Find a psychiatrist. Merge your personalities."

    "Impossible." Killing intent radiated from Qing Ling''s hardened gaze. "Anyone who wants to kill Little Qing Ling has to kill me first."

    "You''re missing the point." Dr. Jia scooped up a handful of sand, letting it run through his fingers. "You were oneplete personality that split. Merging isn''t killing. It''s like ice melting back into water. Different states of the same thing."

    Qing Ling remained silent.

    "Neither of you disappears. You merge, returning to your original state."

    "I don''t understand," Qing Ling said, confusion creeping into her voice. "I''m me. She''s she."

    "Of course you don''t understand. If you did, you wouldn''t have the disorder," Dr. Jia said. "But no matter how separate you feel, you share one body, one soul. You''re from the same source. Eventually, you''ll have to merge."

    Qing Ling scowled. "We''re fine as we are."

    "You still don''t get it." Dr. Jia released thest grains of sand. "Let me try something else. Your sister likes Gao Yang, right?"

    Qing Ling nodded.

    "How about you?"

    She paused. "I don''t know."

    "You should be more open about your feelings at your age."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Qing Ling lowered her gaze. Finally, she admitted, "Gao Yang''s important to me, but I''ve never thought about it...romantically."

    "Alright, let''s work with that." Dr. Jia pped. "If you don''t like him but your sister does, could you ept them being together?"

    "Yes."

    "Even if they get physical?" Dr. Jia pressed. "If they do the do and have babies?"

    "Yes." Qing Ling considered. "I wouldn''t care."

    "Damn, that''s too open-minded..." Dr. Jia pped his thigh. "Wait, I''m going about this wrong. Let''s try again."

    He cleared his throat. "If you¡¯re you, and you like Gao Yang too¡ªthe same way your sister does¡ªcan you imagine that?"

    Qing Ling closed her eyes and nodded. "Barely."

    "Good. Hold onto that feeling."

    Qing Ling kept her eyes closed, making an okay sign.

    "Right. Now here''s the question!" Dr. Jia''s voice sharpened. "Gao Yang likes your sister back. They''re going to live together as newlyweds, sleeping together, making babies. Can you ept that?"

    Qing Ling''s eyes snapped open, irritation shing across her face.

    "Well? Can you?" Dr. Jia pressed, barely containing his excitement.

    After a long silence, Qing Ling said coolly, "I don''t know. Something feels...wrong."

    "Exactly!" Dr. Jia pped his thigh triumphantly. "Let me exin why."

    Qing Ling blinked, waiting.

    "Common wisdom says two separate souls can''t share a lover. But two personalities from the same soul? That''s different."

    "I don''t understand."

    <i>You dunce. Gao Yang would''ve gotten it immediately.</i>

    Dr. Jia scratched his head, trying a different approach. "Look, your sister liking Gao Yang means you like him too. Whatever you like, she likes. You''re just different aspects of one soul doing different jobs. When your sister likes Gao Yang, you can ept them together because it''s really you epting yourself with him."

    Seeing Qing Ling''s lingering confusion, he continued, "But when I made you imagine being truly separate souls, you couldn''t ept it. Why? Because then it would be two women fighting for one man."

    "Get it now? Your sister is you, and you are your sister. You''re one person. Merging isn''t just the best solution; it''s the natural one. Though sure, you can keep putting it off. Hell, sometimes I wish I could split my personality just to run different experiments simultaneously."

    Qing Ling considered this, then looked up. "You should work on medicine to control personalities."

    Dr. Jia nearly copsed. Had she heard anything he''d said?!

    "Ahaha!"

    Nainai''s theatricalugh interrupted them.

    "Ah, looks like the ce is still there." Dr. Jia brightened. He was the most eager to rebuild hisboratory. Every moment away from his research felt like torture.

    They approached Nainai, who had shrunk back to normal size. She was covered in dust, a sand-caked strand of hair stuck to her sweaty face, near her mouth.

    "Pah!" She spat sand and gestured proudly. "Look!"

    Below them gaped a sandy crater several meters deep. At its center gleamed something metallic¡ªsome kind of partition.

    "Yes," Dr. Jia confirmed. "That''s the entrance."

 Chapter 920: House Chores

    <h4>Chapter 920: House Chores</h4>

    "Nainai, clean it up," Qing Ling ordered.

    <i>Since you''ve implored so earnestly, this Empress will grant your wish out of my merciful heart.</i>

    Nainai kept that thought to herself. Instead, she raised her arms, conjuring a small tornado that descended into the crater like a blue drill, sweeping away sand. Within seconds, the metal structure emerged fully¡ªa circr tform two meters across.

    Dr. Jia jumped down with his ck Gold briefcase, pulling a tablet-like keycard from his pocket. He ced it on the metal tform beneath his feet.

    <i>Hum.</i> Energy coursed through the tform after two seconds, blue light spreading from its center like a circuit boarding alive.

    <i>ck, ck.</i> The tform began its descent. It was an elevator. Qing Ling and Nainai jumped on quickly. As they dropped, sand cascaded after them until Nainai threw up a wind barrier for protection.

    At the bottom, they leaped clear, letting the tform rise back to seal the entrance. Dr. Jia approached a wall, inserting his tablet into a device. Energy-saving lights flickered on in sequence, revealing a sprawling undergroundboratory.

    Ancient machines crowded the space chaotically, cables snaking across the floor like roots in a primordial forest. The air carried the cool, metallic scent of long-abandoned instruments.

    Dr. Jia inhaled deeply, nostalgic. "Smells just like it used to."

    He made straight for the central control terminal. "I''ll check if everything''s working. Make yourselves at home."

    Qing Ling and Nainai stood motionless, finding nowhere clean enough to sit. The break room, sectioned off by towering machines, contained only a single bed, tea table, and fridge.

    The bed disappeared under scattered clothes: socks, underwear, everything. The table and floor vanished beneath food wrappers, empty bottles, and crumpled tissues, all buried under thick dust. Next to the break room stood a door with a broken lock, presumably leading to a bathroom.

    After ten seconds of silence, Qing Ling exhaled softly. "We''re cleaning up."

    "This Empress agrees!" Nainai''s scalp tingled at the thought of spending ten days here.

    They crossed to the break room. Qing Ling closed her eyes briefly, and Little Qing Ling opened them; she handled housework better.

    Her face twisted at the sight. "Oh god. Where do we even start? We need rags, gloves..."

    "Hmph!" Nainai brightened at Little Qing Ling''s appearance. After enduring the elder sister''s orders, she wouldn''t miss this chance for payback.

    "Stand aside, mortal! Witness the Empress''s might!"

    "Oh." Little Qing Ling stepped back.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Further!" Nainai lifted her chin, savoring her moment of authority.

    "Of course." Little Qing Ling retreated further, unbothered.

    "Empress Sweep!"

    Nainai raised both hands, weaving wind elements into countless blue magical tendrils. They gathered dust and lightweight trash from the break room, forming an unstable floating orb.

    "Don''t just stand there! Trash can!" Nainai bellowed.

    "One sec." Little Qing Ling returned quickly with arge trashcan.

    Nainai directed the wind-swept orb into the container with practiced precision. Little Qing Ling snapped the lid on.

    "Whoa, done!"

    Little Qing Ling surveyed the transformed break room, impressed. She gave Nainai a thumbs-up. "You''re awesome, Nainai!"

    "How dare you! Address me as Empress Nainai!"

    "Yeah, yeah. You''re awesome, Empress Nainai."

    "Hmph!" Nainai crossed her arms, practically preening.

    Enjoying being the master in this rtionship for once, she issued anothermand. "You, handle the bathroom. This Empress will take care of this area."

    "Okay." Little Qing Ling rolled up her sleeves, searching for cleaning supplies.

    Satisfied, Nainai strutted to the fridge and pulled it open. Her eyes went wide.

    "Aghhhh!"

    She''d never encountered such pure evil in her life. Terror-stricken, she bolted straight into Little Qing Ling''s arms.

    "Oof...what happened?" Little Qing Ling struggled to keep her bnce.

    "No-nothing..." Nainai attempted nonchnce despite her trembling. "This Empress... has changed her mind. I''ll take the bathroom. You handle the fridge..."

    <i>Ah, so that''s it.</i>

    Little Qing Ling bit back augh, patting Nainai''s back. "You must not do much housework. Yes, food gets moldy in fridges, but it just looks a bit gross. You''re overreacting..."

    She approached the fridge as she spoke and opened it.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    The door mmed shut.

    Face pale, she spun around and made for the bathroom. "Changed my mind. I''ll take the bathroom. Fridge is yours..."

    "No! Bathroom''s mine! You take the fridge!" Nainaitched onto Little Qing Ling''s waist.

    "Let go!" Little Qing Ling struggled. "A royal should honor her words. Aren''t you the Empress? Act like it!"

    "No! No!"

    Meanwhile, Dr. Jia bent over a multifunctional energy converter, checking for wear. The girls'' argument filtered through his concentration.

    He nced up, a memory surfacing.

    <i>Oh right, I was experimenting on Life-type Talents with cockroaches and mice. Where did I put them?</i>

    <i>Eh, probably doesn''t matter.</i>

    ...

    Three hourster, bright blue light exploded periodically from behind a measuring machine, yellow sparks sputtering in its wake. Dr. Jia, undershirt soaked with sweat, worked with an electric welder, protected by goggles. A towel hung from his shoulder.

    Qing Ling came over with a baseball cap and a mask on, wearing rubber gloves and an apron. She was covered in dust and grime.

    Little Qing Ling was done with cleaning the bathroom. The older sister returned.

    "Progress?" she asked.

    Dr. Jia lowered his welder, wiping his face. "Mostly functional. Two days to finish repairs, but I''ll need to upgrade the software too. I''ll give you a supply listter. Get everything on it."

    "Okay."

    "Where''s Nainai?" he asked. "Need her to shrink down and get inside the machine. There''s aponent I can''t reach to rece."

    "Work on something else first," Qing Ling said.

    "Why?" Dr. Jia blinked.

 Chapter 921: Pro Slacker

    <h4>Chapter 921: Pro cker</h4>

    Qing Ling¡¯s gaze turnedplicated. ¡°She cked out after cleaning up the fridge.¡±

    "Young people these days are too delicate. Fainting over housework?" Dr. Jia picked up his welder. "We''ll talkter."

    Qing Ling masked her guilt behind a nk expression. <i>Let her be chuuni to her heart''s content these next few days.</i>

    "War Tiger wanted me to ask if the weapon that bombed the Millennium Tower was yours," she said.

    "Yes," Dr. Jia admitted. "Sir Jiang called it a spatial bomb."

    "Can you make another?"

    Dr. Jia considered this. "That would need Sir Jiang''s vital energy and Wandering Tune¡¯s Portal. Everything else has substitutes, but not Sir Jiang''s energy. So no, not now."

    Qing Ling nodded. "Understood."

    Dr. Jia continued working. "I''m hungry. Make me something."

    "I brought food. I can make instant noodles. Where''s the kitchen?"

    "No kitchen, just a rice cooker. Find it yourself." He didn''t look up.

    "Right." Qing Ling turned away.

    Once certain she was gone, Dr. Jia quickly opened his ck Gold briefcase. He pulled out a small ck Gold batterybeled "Jiang" and burned off thebel with his welder.

    Relieved, he returned the battery to the briefcase and sealed it.

    <i>Hiss, hiss¡ª</i>

    He resumed working as if nothing had happened.

    ...

    Southern Suburb of Nanji District, Li City, four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The night sky hung like undilutable ink, sprinkled with wandering snowkes, not knowing where they came from and where they were going.

    Deep in the snow-nketed forest, a firelight wavered. A small bonfire, contained by a circle of stones, supported a rack where a kettle released the aroma of warming milk.

    Liao Liao and Hong Xiaoxiao sat in folding chairs by the fire, their down jackets and winter boots warding off the cold as they watched the kettle with intense focus. Firelight danced across their faces.

    "Ready." Liao Liao, hands gloved, lifted the kettle. She opened her thermos, revealing instant coffee powder, and poured in the hot milk. The fragrance oftte rose in white wisps through the cold air.

    Liao Liao inhaled contentedly before ncing at Hong Xiaoxiao. "Want some?"

    "Yes, yes!" Hong Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly, hugging her legs.

    Liao Liao poured coffee into the thermos lid and passed it over. "Here."

    "Thanks!"

    Hong Xiaoxiao took a delighted sip, her eyes lighting up as she stomped her feet in excitement. "This is amazing! Besttte ever!"

    "I used a secret ingredient." Liao Liao smiled mysteriously.

    "What is it?" Hong Xiaoxiao asked.

    "Cold."

    "Oh, you''re right!" Hong Xiaoxiao''s admiration grew. "Sister Liao Liao, you''re incredible! You really know how to enjoy life."

    "This isn''t enjoying life. It''s finding joy in sorrow." Liao Liao waved her hand. "Corporate ves have to ck off sometimes. Otherwise depression''s inevitable."

    "That makes so much sense!" Hong Xiaoxiao felt she''d gained another piece of wisdom.

    When the scouting team deployed, most carried only basic gear. Liao Liao, though, had lugged a massive mountain climbing backpack, stuffed full.

    Hong Xiaoxiao had wondered if it was necessary; maybe just a new leader trying to prove something?

    Now, three days into their surveince mission on the Ocean River Union, she understood. <i>Necessary</i> didn''t begin to cover it. The city''s mountainous outskirts offered no hotels, no convenience stores, not even toilets. Their four-person team worked rotating shifts through the brutal winter, maintaining constant surveince. The reality proved far harsher than anyone had imagined.

    Liao Liao sipped her coffee while adjusting the firewood. Embers sparked and danced in the night air.

    Hong Xiaoxiao cradled the thermos cap like a treasure,tte leaving a trace at the corner of her mouth as she savored each sip.

    Finally, she gathered her courage to ask what had been weighing on her mind. "Sister Liao Liao, you were in Zhong He''s group back in the Hundred Rivers Union, right?"

    "Yeah, why?"

    "Were you...close to him?" Her voice dropped.

    Liao Liao tapped the thermos with slender fingers, considering. "How to put this... I could chat with anyone on the team, but I wasn''t really close to any of them."

    "Oh." Hong Xiaoxiao''s eyes fell, lips turning down.

    "Hong Xiaoxiao." Liao Liao''s lips curved. "Are you interested in Zhong He?"

    "No, no!" Hong Xiaoxiao waved frantically, face reddening in the firelight. "I''m just worried about him. Aren''t you?"

    After the Qingyang Bridge incident, Zhong He''s physical wounds had healed quickly. His psychological ones, though, had only festered. He''d withdrawnpletely, locked in his room, drowning in alcohol.

    Liao Liao sighed softly. "He and Lotus were close. Her death hit him hard. And if I remember right, he was good friends with Nomad and First Firelord too. Nine Frost told me he killed Nomad himself, and watched First Firelord die."

    Hong Xiaoxiao fell silent, heart constricting.

    "Little Hong." Though they were simr in age, Liao Liao''s tone turned maternal. "I think he needs time. Some battles can only be fought alone. When he needs support, he''ll show it. You''ll know immediately when that happens."

    Hong Xiaoxiao mulled this over.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> Wind gusted through the forest canopy, shaking snow from the branches.

    Momentster, Heavenly Dognded by the fire with Chen Ying.

    Chen Ying immediately crouched by the mes, rubbing her hands together. "God, it''s freezing."

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Heavenly Dog removed his headphones and squatted beside her.

    Even with their awakener abilities and thick clothing, enduring the night wind in this cold proved challenging.

    "Here, warm up." Liao Liao produced two paper cups, filling them withtte.

    They epted eagerly.

    Heavenly Dog sipped with narrowed eyes, thumbing up in approval. "Cool."

 Chapter 922: Speculation

    <h4>Chapter 922: Spection</h4>

    "God, I''m finally alive again." Chen Ying sighed dramatically, color returning to her frozen cheeks. "Thette''s perfect. If only we had cookies."

    "Twist it, dip it, lick it." Heavenly Dog''s eyes zed over at the thought.

    "Have you considered," Liao Liao rummaged through her backpack with a knowing smile, "that I might have a box of ck and white cookies, but didn''t offer because I thought you wouldn''t want any?"

    "Cool," three voices chorused.

    They gathered closer to the fire, coffee and cookies in hand, as talk turned to work.

    "I¡¯ve been watching the Ocean River Union''s underground base exit all night," Chen Ying reported. "Nothing."

    Liao Liao frowned. "That''s odd. It''s been three days."

    "Sister Liao Liao, isn''t it normal for them toy low after losing?" Hong Xiaoxiao asked.

    "Little Hong, you''ve never lived in an underground base." Liao Liao''s smile heldplicated memories. "Since the civil war started, that''s been our life. The daily waste alone is enormous, not to mention supplies needed."

    She continued, "Usually, you surface at least weekly. They''d already been down there six days before the battle. They should''vee up for air by now."

    Chen Ying considered this. "Maybe they''ve adapted. Wandering Tune''s Portal leveled up. They could use that for breaks."

    "Unlikely," Liao Liao countered. "Portals don''tst long enough. Fine for trash disposal, but not resupply. Dimensional Storage would work, but that''s ours now."

    She referred to Raven Shark''s recent acquisition of the Talent.

    "Given everything, wouldn''tying low make sense?" Chen Ying knew the base intimately; surviving months inside was possible.

    "Logical, but improbable." Liao Liao exined patiently. "With Surnamed Li''s Prophet, they''re safe from ambush. No need for such extreme caution. Plus, intelligence work requires surface activity, beyond just throwing out trash and getting supplies."

    Chen Ying mulled this over before nodding. "When you put it that way, something''s definitely off."

    "I have a theory." Liao Liao''s smile tightened. "The Ocean River Union might have relocated."

    The others froze.

    Hong Xiaoxiao groaned in frustration. "So we''ve been freezing out here for nothing?"

    Liao Liao snorted. <i>Not bad. She''s thinking like a proper cker now.</i>

    "If that''s true, they must be nning something major." Chen Ying tensed. "This oversight is serious. We need answers."

    "Agreed!" Liao Liao''s expression hardened. As a newly appointed team leader, a significant error on her first mission would look terrible.

    She quickly formted a n.

    ¡°Chen Ying, it may be difficult for you to reach several hundred meters underground with Sensory, and they might have used Blocking, but you should be able to confirm if there is any danger along the elevator shaft, right?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Chen Ying said.

    "Good. You and Heavenly Dog cover me. Alert me to any danger immediately." Liao Liao fitted her earpiece.

    "Understood."

    "Hong Xiaoxiao, you''ll provide Invisibility. We''ll use Intangibility to enter the elevator. Then I''ll send some insects down to scout the base."

    "Got it!" Hong Xiaoxiao''s enthusiasm barely masked her nerves.

    "Don''t get careless," Chen Ying warned. "If you lose contact with the insects, pull out immediately."

    "Sister Ying, you don''t know me well enough." Liao Liao smiled, patting her chest. "In the Hundred Rivers Union, no one valued their life more than I did."

    Chen Ying''s lips curved. "Right. You were famous for being the top lurker."

    Liao Liao began cleanup. "Douse the fire. We move in five."

    ...

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion, early morning.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The living roomy dim, the recently extinguished firece still radiatingfortable warmth. Gao Yang dozed on the sofa until his phone buzzed with Liao Liao''s message.

    Now that the Ocean River Union had lost both Dr. Jia''s genius and Liao Liao''s hacking skills, the Nine Scions could freely use smartphones. Once Dr. Jia returned from Ni Nation, their enemies would be the ones forced to use outdated phones. How the table had been turned.

    Gao Yang''s eyes gleamed as he read. He typed back quickly: "Wait for me."

    He started to rise, then noticed the silver-haired figure resting on hisp. Fresh Snow had slipped in at some point, falling asleep beside him.

    Her peaceful breathing proved oddly infectious, radiating security and calm.

    Gently, he smoothed her disheveled hair, then carefully lifted her head to slip a pillow beneath it.

    "Hmph..."

    Fresh Snow slept on.

    Gao Yang stood quietly, tucking a nket around her. After a final nce, he vanished, teleporting to the mansion''s front yard.

    Nine Frost stood sentinel in the heavy snow, his dark green coat stark against the white. Magpies perched everywhere¡ªon fences,mpposts, snowden branches. All extensions of his watchful eyes.

    He scattered breadcrumbs, drawing crows to squabble at his feet.

    "You''re awake, Captain," he said, turning to Gao Yang.

    "Yeah."

    Unable to leave Gao Yang alone, Nine Frost had volunteered to stay at the mansion. He kept watch outside during Gao Yang''s rest, retiring to his room or handling teammunications when Gao Yang woke.

    "Something''se up with Liao Liao. I''m heading there," Gao Yang said.

    "Okay."

    Previously, Nine Frost would have worried about letting Gao Yang go alone. Now things were different;panions might even be a hindrance. He trusted Gao Yang''s solo capability more.

    "Keep a close watch on Fresh Snow," Gao Yang reminded him.

    "Leave it to me," Nine Frost replied steadily.

 Chapter 923: Saint Leader

    <h4>Chapter 923: Saint Leader</h4>

    Southern Nanji District, six o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The sky was still dark, with only a hint of grayish blue on the horizon heralding theing dawn.

    The Ocean River Union''s underground base entrance, once hidden in a forest, nowy in ruins after Chen Ying''s bombing. The Heavenly Way had filled the resulting crater, but where trees once stood, only destend covered in snow remained.

    Four figures stood amid the snow: Liao Liao, Hong Xiaoxiao, Chen Ying, and Heavenly Dog. A ck jeep sped toward them, leaving clear tire tracks in its wake. As it stopped before them, a man shed out¡ªno door opening needed. His hair, now running down beyond his chin, framed a delicate, almost androgynous face. He wore a trench coat, his eyes deep and dark.

    When Liao Liao and Gao Yang stood on opposing sides, Liao Liao had only felt fear and dread for the man; now that he became herpanion and his story became known to her, Liao Liao felt mncholy, even sympathy for the man when she saw him¡ªalthough she knew she was in no ce to pity him.

    She collected her thoughts and reported concisely, ¡°Captain, the Ocean River Union has moved.¡±

    Gao Yang nodded. Her message had already informed him of this: Liao Liao''s insects had scouted the underground base and found no one.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be 100% certain, though,¡± Liao Liao said. ¡°The insects have limited intelligence. They may have gotten fooled by an illusion.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we should make sure.¡± Gao Yang raised both hands.

    Without prompting, Hong Xiaoxiao and Chen Ying stepped forward, each briefly sping one of his hands.

    Gao Yang turned to Liao Liao, who watched with confusion. <i>What are they doing? Is this some corporate culture thing where they have to shake their leader''s hands before moving out?</i>

    "Let me borrow your Intangibility."

    Liao Liao blinked. "You''re moving on your own?"

    Gao Yang smiled. "Stay put here."

    "Yeah!"

    Liao Liao bounded forward, clutching Gao Yang''s hand with both of hers. "Be careful, Captain!"

    <i>What kind of saint leader is this?! He personally goes on a dangerous mission and tells his subordinates to stay behind.</i>

    <i>Seriously, I''m ready to cry here.</i>

    Armed with Hong Xiaoxiao''s Invisibility, Chen Ying''s Sensory, and Liao Liao''s Intangibility, Gao Yang moved to the unnaturally t patch of snow a hundred meters away. The metal door beneath his feet felt different from solid ground.

    After confirming there was no immediate danger, he teleported through the metal door and plunged into the pitch-ck elevator shaft¡ªa five-hundred-meter drop.

    Gao Yang plummeted at high speed, his hair and coat whipping in the wind. With a snap of his fingers, he conjured small fireballs that whooshed down the shaft in a spiral, like a ring of light gliding over a ck band. They detected no danger.

    Judging he''d fallen far enough, Gao Yang teleported to the shaft wall, his feet adhering to its surface. He walked down perpendicr to the wall with casual elegance, as if strolling on t ground.

    The elevator door soon came into view, marking the entrance to the underground base. Rather than immediately teleporting, Gao Yang employed level 6 Sensory from close range, ensuring no Blocking or other concealment had been applied to the base.

    For three cautious minutes, hebed through the entire base with Sensory, confirming the union''splete departure. He had to wonder when they''d left.

    Less than twenty-four hours after the fight at the Qingyang Bridge, Liao Liao had established an investigation team to watch the Ocean River Union. That meant they had abandoned this base even before then.

    They must have left in a hurry. Perhaps they''d left behind some clues.

    Gao Yang made his decision and teleported into the elevator. The door opened with a soft hiss. He stepped out into the open.

    Before him stretched an empty, brightly-lit hall, wrapped in eerie silence. In its centery arge pile of ash¡ªthe remains of materials and items they hadn''t taken with them.

    Having visited the Union''s base several times before, Gao Yang knew itsyout well. He extended his six senses and strode across the main hall, deepening his investigation.

    One by one, he checked each area: the office wing, meeting rooms, living quarters, training area, intelligence department, back office, and specialized prison.

    There was no one, and no clues or important items to be found.

    Gao Yang frowned, a bad premonition settling over him. The Ocean River Union must have moved quietly, preparing for some hidden scheme.

    His gaze lifted to the door at the corridor''s end. Therey thest room to inspect: the morgue.

    The cold metal door was locked, but no barrier or trap protected it. Gao Yang teleported inside.

    The morgue waspact, its freezer-like chill maintained by still-running electricity. Amid the permeating cold stood dozens of refrigerated beds. All empty, save one in the corner. On ity a body bag containing what looked like half a cadaver.

    The sight hit Gao Yang like a physical blow. He stood frozen.

    Ten seconds passed before his expression settled back into one of calmness. He approached the bed with measured steps, alert for danger.

    Shrouded in translucent golden energy, he reached the body bag.

    He zipped it down, revealing a girl''s pale face.

    Someone had cleaned the blood from her hair and face, restored and covered the burned and cut parts of her skin. Beyond her pallor, she looked just as she had in life.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Long ck hair flowed softly over her shoulders, arranged with a rabbit hairpin. Her eyes were closed, her button nose still lovely. Her small, full lips had lost all color.

    Chilling air continued to flow from above. Her eyshes seemed to flutter, as if at any moment, she might open those bright, mischievous almond-shaped eyes. As if she might sh those sharp canine teeth with that cute, sweet face and deliver one of her cutting remarks.

    <i>¡°It''s been a few days, Gao Yang. You''ve gone up in the world, it seems.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it Elder Seven Shadow? It¡¯s only been a few days. How did you be such a loser already?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Oh, really? I can¡¯t wait! Make sure to notify me when that happens. I¡¯m attending the funeral banquet.¡±</i>

 Chapter 924: Strange Trap

    <h4>Chapter 924: Strange Trap</h4>

    Strange. When Gao Yang had heard those words before, they''d irritated him, but he''d been too ustomed to suppressing his feelings to respond.

    Looking back, White Rabbit must have provoked him deliberately, hoping for a retort, seeking confirmation that Gao Yang was still part of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, still part of her family.

    He should''ve said something back.

    Gao Yangposed himself and scanned for dangers before preparing to retrieve White Rabbit for burial.

    <i>Hiss</i>. As he continued pulling the zip down, his keen senses detected a slight obstruction¡ªone that regr people wouldn''t notice.

    Suddenly, energy boiled dangerously around him, and the system¡¯s alert red in his head.

    [Warn...]

    Gao Yang instantly created a small Absolute Barrier, a golden phone booth shielding him inside.

    Almost simultaneously, regr bombs hidden under the bed detonated, triggering an even greater explosion throughout the morgue. Fierce mes and blinding golden light devoured everything in an instant.

    Through the barrier, thin as a cicada''s wing, Gao Yang could only watch his once-friend''s body disintegrate into nothing.

    Outside, the howling rumbles sounded like hell. Inside, it was as quiet as heaven.

    With Psychic Armor activated, Gao Yang felt nothing, his expression calm and collected.

    As the body vanished, the ck Gold hairpin in her hair remained. Propelled by the explosion''spressed air, it shot toward the Absolute Barrier like a bullet.

    Gao Yang''s senses tracked it. He reached through the barrier to grab it¡ªnothing outside could enter the Absolute Barrier, but he could keep what was inside in.

    His right hand, gloved in golden energy, caught in the barrier''s energy wall.

    Though the explosion couldn''t harm him, the ck Gold hairpin might have been tampered with. The move carried risk.

    Yet his instinct had made him reach before his rational mind could decide.

    A few secondster, Gao Yang realized why btedly. From the Ocean River Union''s perspective, using White Rabbit''s body as bait made sense when it couldn''t serve as a puppet. Setting up a well-concealed regr trap with limited power for anyone who mighte by was shameless, but logical.

    With the trap being bombs, though, there was no reason to put a ck Gold hairpin on White Rabbit.

    No matter if it was Gao Yang or anyone else, they would exercise the highest caution. Not only wouldn¡¯t they touch anything on White Rabbit, they wouldn¡¯t even touch the body bag without ruling out the possible threats.

    And once the bombs were detonated, others wouldn¡¯t have noticed the ck Gold hairpin thrown to nowhere. It didn¡¯t make sense to leave the hairpin on White Rabbit had it been a trap. It would be a waste of resources.

    To conclude, the ck Gold hairpin was at odds with the bomb trap. Something else was at y.

    Thirty secondster, the explosion subsided. The morgue and surrounding underground space hadpletely crumbled, burying the golden phone booth. Inside, Gao Yang felt entombed alive, his right hand still stuck to the barrier, gripping the ck Gold hairpin.

    He took a deep breath. While dissolving the barrier, he activated Intangibility. Rubble crashed in from all directions as everything went dark.

    Like a translucent fish, Gao Yang swiftly dove through the copsed underground base to the elevator shaft. In less than two seconds, he reached it and summoned fireballs once more, running to escape along the wall.

    ...

    <i>Whoosh</i>. Gao Yang reemerged above ground.

    Liao Liao, Chen Ying, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Heavenly Dog rushed to meet him. They''d felt the underground tremor two minutes ago and knew something had happened.

    Chen Ying looked him over anxiously, sighing with relief only when she confirmed he wasn''t injured. "You alright, Gao Yang?"

    "I''m fine." Gao Yang maintained hisposure. "You guessed right. They''re all gone. They set up bombs in the morgue, waiting for us to take the bait."

    He paused briefly. "Regr bombs, but the trap was well-concealed to prevent immediate detection. Most likely done with Hunter."

    Liao Liao started to ask after Gao Yang''s condition, then realized that would be an insult to his Absolute Defense. Instead, she asked, "Captain, did you find anything?"

    "Some." Gao Yang kept the White Rabbit and ck Gold hairpin to himself. "You four should return to the S Base. And tell War Tiger toe to the Spectres'' Mansion for me." He added, "Wang Zikai, too."

    "Okay." Liao Liao''s face remained impassive while internally she cheered, <i>YES! Done with work!</i>

    ...

    Spectres'' Mansion, ten o''clock in the morning.

    Wang Zikai and Fresh Snow sat on the sofa, controllers in hand, fully absorbed in their fighting game. Their characters shed in fiercebat.

    "Gah!"

    The twin-bunned girl on screen screamed as she flew backward, crumpling to the ground. The green beast pounded its chest like a gori, dancing in celebration.

    "Hahahaha!"

    Wang Zikai tossed his controller aside and leaped onto the sofa, mimicking his character''s victory dance. "Do you admit defeat? I ask you, do you admit it?"

    Fresh Snow gaped at the screen. "Impossible..."

    "We had a bet!" Wang Zikai crowed. "Come on! Say, ''I''m a stupid pig!''"

    "I''m not!"

    "You are!" Wang Zikai wouldn''t let it go.

    "No, no! That was... the controller wasn''t working right!" Fresh Snow scowled, her face flushed. "Again! Best two out of three!"

    "If you won''t say it, you''re epting God Kai''s punishment!" His time with Nainai had only increased his <i>chuuni </i>tendencies. "Pick one yourself."

    "Then I''ll take your punishment!" Fresh Snow red up at him, cheeks puffed out.

    Wang Zikai flicked her forehead.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Oww!"

    Fresh Snow clutched her forehead. Though it didn''t hurt, the humiliation stung¡ªshe hated being hit in the head.

    "Again!" She grabbed her controller, face set in defiance.

    "Again!"

    Three minutester.

    "Hahahaha! You lost again! Do you admit defeat? I''m asking you, you silly pig!" Wang Zikai flung his controller aside, iling in celebration. He felt ready to backflip from excitement.

    "I... don''t ept it! I want a rematch! Best three out of five!"

    "Forget it and ept your punishment! Let me think... I''m gonna use a rubber band this time!"

    "Wang Zikai."

    A voice came from above. Wang Zikai looked up to see Gao Yang standing by the second-floor corridor, wearing an odd expression.

 Chapter 925: Kowtow

    <h4>Chapter 925: Kowtow</h4>

    Wang Zikai perked up. "Great timing, bro. Fresh Snow lost again. Come on, give me a rubber band..."

    "Come here," Gao Yang said.

    "Me?" Wang Zikai pointed at his nose.

    "You."

    "Alrighty!"

    Wang Zikai bounded up to the second floor, perching on the railing at Gao Yang''s eye level like an eager golden retriever.

    "What is it?"

    "Can you go easy on her, Wang Zikai?" Gao Yang murmured.

    Wang Zikai''s eyes widened. He grumbled under his breath, "But I practiced with this hero for so long just to get back at her. Don''t you remember how she walked all over me?"

    "How''s it going to sound when others learn you''ve gotten so serious with a little girl like her?" Gao Yang injected deliberate disapproval into his tone.

    "But..."

    "But what? You''re God! Beating her will only make others think you''re bullying her. If you lose, though, everyone will know you''re showing mercy. That''s how a tolerant god should be. That''s what makes You great. Understand?"

    "Holy! You''re right! I almost suffered a great loss for a little gain." Wang Zikai wiped his brow. "It''s okay. Best three out of five. There''s still room to turn the game around."

    "Go." Satisfied, Gao Yang turned and headed back to the study room.

    Inside, War Tiger leaned against a bookshelf, arms crossed and an unlit cigarette between his lips. Nine Frost stood opposite him, expression neutral, hands tucked in his pockets.

    "What is it?"

    Halfway through their meeting, Gao Yang had called an abrupt halt. Neither War Tiger nor Nine Frost understood why.

    "Wang Zikai was being so noisy I couldn''t think. I told him to lower his voice." Gao Yang''s smile was faint. "Let''s continue."

    "Alright."

    Gao Yang resumed his report on the Ocean River Union''s move, detailing White Rabbit''s body, the bomb trap, and the ck Gold hairpin.

    At the mention of White Rabbit, War Tiger retreated into the shadows, his eyes gleaming with unreadable thoughts.

    "I''ve checked the hairpin. There''s nothing wrong with it, but its existence is strange. Just to be safe, I don''t have it with me. I''ll show you the picture."

    Gao Yang disyed the photo on his phone. Nine Frost examined it before passing it to War Tiger.

    "It is strange," Nine Frost observed solemnly. "Usually, post-mortem treatment is meant to restore the dead''s dignity. There''s no reason to use a ck Gold hairpin instead of a regr one."

    "Dignity? Where''s the dignity in having the body blown to ashes?!"

    War Tiger knew the focus was the ck Gold hairpin, but he couldn''t contain his bitter outburst before returning the phone.

    Gao Yang waited for War Tiger to collect himself. "I have a guess that''ll take time to confirm."

    He touched his temple meaningfully. Nine Frost immediately connected War Tiger and Gao Yang in a telepathic conversation.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "That is very likely," War Tiger said aloud after their silent exchange.

    Nine Frost nodded. "Leave it to me. I''ll get right on it."

    His Talents were uniquely suited for the task, so Gao Yang agreed. "Be careful."

    Nine Frost departed, leaving War Tiger and Gao Yang alone in the room.

    After a moment of silence, War Tiger put on a casual smile. "Little Yang Yang, what do you think about Ocean River Union''s move?"

    Gao Yang''s eyes darkened. "I suspect they''reying low and avoiding conflict."

    War Tiger stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You mean they realized we were trying to finish this as soon as possible?"

    Gao Yang nodded. "Very likely. They know it''s better for them to drag this on, so they''ve hidden, waiting for when their odds will be highest."

    "But it doesn''t make sense." War Tiger''s brow furrowed. "Why would the fight suddenly make them conclude that buying time would benefit them more?"

    "I''ve been wondering about that too. My only working theory is that they <i>saw</i> the future."

    War Tiger hissed. "You mean Surnamed Li''s Prophet has reached level 8, allowing her to see a clearer future? Like Qilin reaching level 8 Puppeteer soon, so they decided to hide and cultivate power?"

    Gao Yang nodded. "I haven''t found another exnation."

    "Shit." War Tiger''s smile turned bitter. "Things just keep developing in our most dreaded direction."

    Gao Yang remained silent.

    War Tiger raised an eyebrow. "We needn''t be too pessimistic, though. If we drag things on, perhaps Dragon will wake, and that will change everything again."

    Gao Yang chuckled after a pause. "That''s true."

    "We can''t just sit around doing nothing, though. Spell it out. What''s your n?"

    Gao Yang had made his decision. "Liao Liao will keep searching, try to find the Ocean River Union''s new hiding ce."

    "Haha." War Tiger''s amusement showed through. "The Nine Scions were the mice hiding in sewers, and now it''s the Union''s turn. Things really have changed."

    Gao Yang shared the sentiment. "Then it''ll be up to Dr. Jia."

    War Tiger nodded. ¡°Once Raven Shark¡¯s Dimensional Storage reaches level 4, Old Jia should be done with what he¡¯s doing. Then we¡¯ll help him move hisb here.¡±

    "Yes." Gao Yang needed to keep Dr. Jia under his personal watch.

    "That''s it then. How about the others?"

    "They do have a mission," Gao Yang said.

    War Tiger leaned forward. "What is it?"

    Amotion erupted outside.

    "Ahh! No, impossible! God Kai won''t lose like this. The controller must be broken..."

    "Haha, best three out of five! You lost. You''re the stupid pig!"

    Gao Yang''s lips curved slightly. "Lunar New Year."

    War Tiger pped his thighs in realization. "Haha, I''d forgotten! It''s in two days. Right, there will always be more work, but life continues. We should enjoy the new year."

    "I won''t be at the S Base," Gao Yang said. "I''ll be here with Fresh Snow. She''s spent all previous New Years with Master Spring."

    War Tiger smiled ruefully. "That kid is a real patriarch. Seriously, outside of you, all of us should kowtow before his grave in gratitude..."

    He stretched and moved toward the door. "Alright. I''m going now."

    "Hey," Gao Yang called after him, his concern for Fat Jun surfacing. "How''s Adept Horse?"

    "Tsk!" War Tiger spat in frustration. "Both his body and heart are handicapped. He might as well be a pile of shit now."

    After a few heavy seconds, Gao Yang looked up. "I''ll swing by the base with you."

 Chapter 926: A Few Things

    <h4>Chapter 926: A Few Things</h4>

    S Base, an hourter.

    The base''s atmosphere had darkened since the great fight. Though many still filled the living room, gone was its arcade-like bustle. Members either worked or stared into space, and those who spoke did so in whispers, as if fearing they might wake some invisible monster in the air.

    Near the entryway, Quiet Book sat on a beanbag, holding Wang Weiyan while reading her a picture book in hushed tones.

    They spotted Gao Yang first. "You''re back, Captain!" Quiet Book''s voice lifted reflexively.

    Gao Yang nodded and entered the living room.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°Captain...¡±

    Everyone looked up, their tasks forgotten. They searched his face for something¡ªanything¡ªto break the oppressive mood: reassurance, mourning, encouragement.

    Gao Yang knew he needed to speak. This was his first return to the S Base since the Battle of the Qingyang Bridge.

    Standing in the living room''s center, he met their gazes steadily and spoke with conviction. "Everyone, at the Qingyang Bridge, we struck a heavy blow against the Ocean River Union and secured Dr. Jia. We gained a reliable new ally. Strategically, we won."

    "Yet the price was heavy. We lost White Rabbit, Yellow Lotus, and Thick Earth from the Twelve Zodiac Signs. We''re indebted to Spring, the Spectres'' leader."

    "I won''t say their sacrifice was worth it, because it wasn''t. No sacrifice ever is. No one should have to give their life. But in this war, we must keep moving forward."

    "The Ocean River Union is nning something. War Tiger and I have developed new strategies in response. If nothing goes wrong, most of us will have time to rest. The Lunar New Year approaches. You should enjoy the holidays."

    "If possible, focus on the present. Be happy or sad. Sing or bawl. But don''t lose yourself to anxiety about the future. Live as humans should. Eat well, sleep well, especially in these inhuman times. Remember, while we fight for survival, survival can''t be all we are."

    Gao Yang swept his gaze across the room once more and pressed his right fist to his chest. "The dawn remains distant. May our light shine bright in our hearts forever."

    The living room grew quieter, but within that silence, the collective gloom began to burn away.

    Gao Yang turned to War Tiger, who lingered in the entryway. "Anything to add?"

    War Tiger stood slightly dazed, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, remembering how Dragon had once won his loyalty.

    "Ahem." He removed the cigarette, fidgeting with it. "I second the general idea. As for how we''ll enjoy this holiday reprieve, I have a few thoughts..."

    While War Tiger spoke, Gao Yang slipped into the dining room. Zhang Wei sat at the table alone.

    His left arm and leg were encased in casts, a sling hanging from his neck. Thick bandages wrapped his head, and two walking sticks rested at an angle beside him.

    Depression seemed to weigh on him as he struggled through a bowl of mixed congee.

    Gao Yang had heard the details. After the Qingyang Bridge battle, Zhang Wei had suffered the worst injuries after Fat Jun¡ªmultiple broken bones and a severe concussion. If not for Wang Zikai''s timely administration of Medicine C, Zhang Wei would have died.

    Fat Jun, the healer, was out ofmission, and Dead Pig wasn¡¯t in good condition, either. The burden on the Lamb Pig Duo was great.

    Lovely Lamb had only taken half of Zhang Wei¡¯s injury. He would recover from the rest on his own, or more might be done once Dr. Jia returned with hisboratory.

    Gao Yang sat down next to Zhang Wei.

    "Brother Yang!" Zhang Wei set down his spoon, forcing cheer into his voice.

    Gao Yang smiled gently. "Don''t mind me. Eat."

    "I don''t have an appetite." Zhang Wei''s voice turned bitter. "Keep feeling like throwing up, but I have to eat."

    "You made a great contribution this time. You and Wang Zikai saved many lives." Gao Yang offered the praise sincerely.

    But Zhang Wei''s expression fell further. "Yet we underestimated our enemy. If we''d worked just a little better together, maybe we could''ve killed Qilin, and White Rabbit and the others wouldn''t..."

    "Zhang Wei," Gao Yang cut in. "Don''t dwell on the ''what ifs''. There lies no hope, only pain."

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Zhang Wei fell silent, his eyes reddening as he nodded.

    "How''s your recovery?" Gao Yang asked.

    "Just some fatal wounds!" Zhang Wei thumped his chest. "Nothing to worry about."

    "Good. You''re in good spirits."

    "Haha, just lost three teeth." Zhang Wei rubbed his left cheek. "So I speak with a lisp now."

    "Will they grow back?"

    "Adept Horse and Dead Pig can''t help. I''ll need dentures."

    "Don''t worry. Wait for Dr. Jia''s return," Gao Yang said. "I have Gecko. I''ll have him develop something."

    "That''s right!" Hope flickered in Zhang Wei''s eyes. "Even Sister-in-Law''s arm grew back. My teeth are nothingpared to that."

    Gao Yang smiled wryly. ¡°Who did you get that from?¡±

    Zhang Wei blinked. ¡°Get what?¡±

    "Nothing." Gao Yang patted his shoulder. "Finish your congee."

    Crossing the living room, Gao Yang approached a particr bedroom.

    The door opened to reveal Fat Jun lying motionless on the bed.

    His legs ended at the knees, the stumps wrapped in bloodied bandages. The air hung heavy with blood, medicine, and excrement. An IV pole stood sentinel, multiple solution bags hanging from its arms.

    War Tiger had said Fat Jun hadn''t eaten since regaining consciousness, surviving only on nutrient fluids. Like someone in a vegetative state, hey unmoving, soiling himself. Only Lying Wood''s patient care preserved what dignity remained.

    Gao Yang approached the bed, his heart constricting.

    Fat Jun had lost weight¡ªno, he had shrunk. No one would call him fat anymore. The old Fat Jun would have rejoiced at that thought.

    But now, his face was pale, his lips cracking and his eyes nk like he saw nothing. He looked dead.

    "Fat Jun," Gao Yang called softly.

    No reaction. Not even a blink.

    Gao Yang sat in silence before speaking again. "I think I can say I understand you, but that won''t help. Some pain you can only ovee on your own, second by second."

    "You must ovee this, Fat Jun. If for nothing else, then to avenge White Rabbit..."

    Gao Yang paused. Fat Jun''s lips parted, as if to speak.

    Gao Yang leaned closer, catching the whispered words that carried deep resentment and cynicism for everything in existence.

    <i>¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±</i>

 Chapter 927: Used to It

    <h4>Chapter 927: Used to It</h4>

    Gao Yang stepped out, closing the door softly behind him.

    He studied the members in the living room with a thoughtful expression. "Hong Xiaoxiao."

    "Yes..."

    Hong Xiaoxiao sat with Liao Liao and Chen Ying around a short table, having instant noodles. At his call, she hastily set down her bowl and wiped her mouth, jogging over. "Captain, what is it?"

    Gao Yang nced at her bowl. "Bring your noodles. Come to the kitchen with me."

    "Oh, okay."

    In the kitchen, Hong Xiaoxiao stood uncertainly, bowl in hand.

    Gao Yang leaned against the counter, head lowered in thought. Noting her hesitation, he smiled. "Eat, or they''ll get cold. Remember what I said¡ªyou should eat and sleep well."

    "Oh, right." Hong Xiaoxiao turned slightly away, taking small, quiet bites.

    A few minutester, Gao Yang looked up.

    "Hong Xiaoxiao."

    "Hm... yeah!" She turned, covering her mouth as she quickly chewed.

    "You''re pulling out of the investigation team."

    <i>"Pah! Ack, ack..."</i>

    She nearly choked on her noodles, eyes watering as she struggled to swallow.

    "Captain..." Her voice wavered. She was nervous about the change, and Liao Liao was a good team leader. "What haven''t I done right?"

    "You did well." Gao Yang''s approval was clear. "But I have a more important mission for you. It''ll be challenging. Have Lying Wood, Quiet Book, and Muzitu help you."

    "Yeah! Go on, Captain!"

    "For now, watch Adept Horse, Zhang Wei, and Dead Pig closely." He paused. "Also monitor others who were injured. Notice who heals slower, who seems mentally unstable, who remains physically weak. You must catch these signs immediately and give those people insurance."

    "Insurance?" Hong Xiaoxiao''s eyes sharpened. "You mean... hairpin?"

    Gao Yang nodded.

    "What''s wrong, Captain?" Her heart quickened.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s possible that nothing will happen. I hope I¡¯m just overthinking.¡± Gao Yang then emphasized, ¡°Anyway, do as I said. Remember, keep it on a need-to-know basis. Don¡¯t trigger unnecessary panic.¡±

    "Yes, sir!" The weight of responsibility tensed her shoulders. She''d never led before, never coordinated others.

    "Hong Xiaoxiao." Gao Yang read her uncertainty. "You performed admirably at Qingyang Bridge, saving Heavenly Dog and Qing Ling."

    "Oh, it''s nothing. Just did what I had to."

    "Everyone saw your growth," Gao Yang said firmly. "You''re a founding member of the Nine Scions, not some rookie. Act like the senior you are. Many look to you now."

    Hong Xiaoxiao straightened after a pause. "Yes, Captain!"

    ...

    After checking on others and giving instructions, Gao Yang prepared to return to the Spectres'' Mansion. But he had one more person to bring with him.

    <i>ck</i>. He opened the door to Gao Xinxin''s room¡ªshared with Lovely Lamb, Wang Weiyan, and Vermilion Bird, with Ke Yo asionally joining them.

    Inside, only Gao Xinxin and Lovely Lamb upied one of the beds.

    White Rabbit''s death devastated Lovely Lamb. She''d cried for two days and nights, refusing food.

    It was with Heavenly Dog, Dead Pig, Gao Xinxin, Quiet Book, and even Gregor taking turns staying with her andforting her that she slowly picked herself back up and started eating and sleeping again.

    Lovely Lamb was having a nap. Gao Xinxiny on her side, stroking her back.

    Hearing the door open, Gao Xinxin turned around, eyes shing with joy. She put on an irritated look, though, making a face at Gao Yang. ¡°Quiet. Don¡¯t wake her.¡±

    Gao Yang tiptoed his way in and imed a chair. He gave the sound-asleep Lovely Lamb a gentle look, asking softly, ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    Gao Xinxin sighed. "Her eyes are swollen from crying. Only these past two days has she started getting better."

    "That''s good."

    "Sometimes children are more resilient than adults." Gao Xinxin''s smile was bitter. "Lovely Lamb will get through this."

    Gao Yang realized with surprise how much his sister was speaking like an adult.

    He studied the sixteen-year-old carefully.

    Greasy, unwashed hair held back carelessly with a hairpin. Gray cotton pajamas and furry slippers. Two ck rubber bands circled her wrist.

    Her face remained pretty, but her cheeks had hollowed. The youthful rity in her eyes was draining like a squeezed sponge.

    Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and e dotted her forehead. The signs of exhaustion were clear¡ªbusy days caring for the children and managing everyone''s needs had taken their toll.

    Suddenly, he saw their mother in her.

    Their mother had looked like this at home too. Young and beautiful still, but dimmed by endless family care and daily chores.

    Their mother shouldn''t have suffered like that.

    His sister shouldn''t have to shoulder this burden.

    "Gao Xinxin," Gao Yang said seriously. "I''m spending the Lunar New Year with Fresh Snow at the Spectres'' Mansion."

    Gao Xinxin paused before affecting casualness. "Why not all celebrate here? Won''t it be more festive?"

    Gao Yang hesitated to exin.

    He''d considered it, but Fresh Snow needed him, not the Nine Scions'' leader.

    Here, that role consumed him. Fresh Snow would find nothing familiar in this environment or in the person he had to be, leaving her adrift.

    And Fresh Snow had always had an inferiorityplex about being a Spectre rather than a human. Being with these many people would be a constant reminder of her difference.

    After weighing everything, staying at the mansion seemed the better choice.

    "I want the quiet," he offered instead.

    "Alright," Gao Xinxin''s voice carried a hint of hurt. "You''re the leader. You decide."

    "Sister." He met her eyes. "Come with us. Just you, me, Wang Zikai, and Fresh Snow. The four of us together for New Year."

    Gao Xinxin turned to watch the sleeping Lovely Lamb. Her smile turned awkward. "Forget it. I should stay. Too much to do here. Without me, everything would fall apart in a day."

    "There''s a ceasefireing. Most won''t leave the base. Others can handle the daily tasks." He paused. "Besides, none of this is your responsibility."

    "It''s fine. I''m used to it." She wouldn''t face him, waving dismissively. "Moving''s a hassle. I''ll stay here."

    "Let''s spend New Year together. Like we always have."

    "It''s okay. The world''s ending. What holidays are there to enjoy?" She turned her back to him. "Go do your thing and leave me."

    After a heavy silence, Gao Yang stood. "Alright. Then I''m going."

 Chapter 928: Irreplaceable

    <h4>Chapter 928: Irreceable</h4>

    The door closed with a bam. Gao Xinxin''s shoulders sagged, her head dropping as a bitter smile crossed her lips.

    Lovely Lamb opened her swollen eyes.

    "You''re up, Cute Little Lamb?" Gao Xinxin startled, quickly brightening. "Come on. Let''s y tabletop with Mr. Gregor."

    Lovely Lamb silently shook her head.

    "What''s wrong? Not feeling well?" Gao Xinxin''s voice turned gentle.

    "Sister Xinxin lied."

    "Huh?" Gao Xinxin blinked in confusion.

    "Every year, Sister White Rabbit gave me gifts. I''ll never have that again." Tears welled in Lovely Lamb''s eyes.

    Gao Xinxin''s nose scrunched up as she gathered Lovely Lamb into her arms. "It''s okay. It''s okay. Sister Xinxin prepared a gift for you..."

    "No! I don''t want your gift!" Lovely Lamb pushed her away, sobbing defiantly. "No one can rece Sister White Rabbit...just like no one can rece your Brother Gao Yang."

    She threw herself onto the bed, wailing.

    Gao Xinxin froze.

    <i>If Cute Little Lamb knows that too, why don¡¯t you, Gao Xinxin?</i>

    <i>What are you being stubborn for? Who are you trying to prove something to? Are you going to regret it when Brother¡¯s gone, too?</i>

    Gao Xinxin quickly wiped her tears and dropped a kiss on Lovely Lamb¡¯s head.

    ¡°Cute Little Lamb, take care. I¡¯ll be back in a few days with your gift.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...and I want, I want...red envelope...¡± Lovely Lamb sobbed.

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Gao Xinxin jumped up, yanking open the closet to change into outdoor clothes. She grabbed their mother''s wool scarf from the hanger, wrapping it around her neck as she rushed out.

    When she reached the living room, Gao Yang was nowhere to be seen.

    She ran to the entryway and found War Tiger sitting in a stool in the corner, legs crossed and nursing a drink.

    "Where''s Gao Yang?!" she asked urgently.

    "Gone," War Tiger said.

    "Already?!"

    "Yeah, nothing left for him to do here." War Tiger set down his steel sk, eyeing her. "You going out?"

    Gao Xinxin masked her disappointment with a smile. "No, just remembered something. Never mind. I''ll tell him by phone."

    "Better that way." War Tiger nodded. "It¡¯s not safe outside. Stay here."

    "Yeah, not safe. Not safe..." Gao Xinxin muttered absently, turning to flee back to her room.

    She collided with someone.

    "Gah!" Anger red. "Do you not have eyes¡ª"

    She gaped. Gao Yang stood there, cup noodles raised high to avoid spige, stic fork precariously holding a piece of spam.

    Gao Xinxin felt like she was on a rollercoaster ride, her expression quickly brightening before she tamped down her joy and pulled a long face. ¡°Why are you here? Haven¡¯t you left?¡±

    ¡°Who told you that?¡± Gao Yang asked innocently. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything the whole day, so I go to the kitchen for food. It¡¯s nice of you to leave me spam.¡±

    He smothered a smile. He had guessed that Gao Xinxin would change her mind. That was why he waited. It happened sooner than he had expected.

    "Hahahaha!" War Tiger doubled overughing. "Amazing! How amazing!"

    "War Tiger!" Gao Xinxin''s face med as she lunged for him. "Today...I''m gonna skin you alive!"

    "Hey, hey, I said the alcohol''s amazing... Don''te closer... Ow! Stop pinching! A civilized person should refrain from violence..."

    "I''m not a civilized woman, but your evil stepmother!"

    ...

    Winter afternoon sun melted the umted snow as the streets buzzed with Lunar New Year festivities. A ck motorcycle prowled the city''s main road, its engine purring as it wove through traffic like a leopard among cattle¡ªelegant, arrogant.

    The rider wore a ck and red race outfit beneath his helmet. Behind him, his passenger sported a short coat, jeans, and a scarf, clinging to him desperately.

    "Are you out of your mind, Gao Yang?! Going so fast¡ªare you in a rush to the afterlife?!" Gao Xinxin''s voice carried equal parts fear and excitement through her helmet.

    "Trust my skills." Gao Yang''s confidence rang clear.

    "You''ve changed," Gao Xinxin teased. "Used to keep such a low profile, now you''re acting like a middle-schooler."

    "I''m a leader after all. Can''t I be a little dramatic?" Gao Yang''s self-deprecatingugh carried through the wind.

    "Aren''t you worried about enemies spotting us?"

    "I''m not. Your brother is good." Gao Yang''s confidence wasn''t baseless. With Absolute Defense, the system''s warning, and his keen six senses, he might not be invincible, but he''d hold his own against any threat.

    The motorcycle slowed as they approached a toll.

    <i>Thud, thud</i>. Gao Xinxin knocked on his helmet. "Aren''t we going to Fresh Snow, Brother? Why take the highway?"

    "Let''s visit the countryside first," Gao Yang said. "We''ll visit Mom, Dad, Granny, and Grandpa."

    Gao Xinxin¡¯s chest ached. She reflexively tightened her arms around Gao Yang, her smile dropping. She whispered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gao Yang cut ties with their uncle the day he started the Nine Scions so as not to drag him into danger. This time, Gao Yang returned to their hometown early to avoid their uncle while visiting the tombs.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    After tending their grandparents'' graves and sharing quiet words, they moved to their parents'' resting ce.

    The winter day was shorter, and the sun was already setting quietly, casting the deste, lonely hill in a soft orange light. The siblings knelt before a rtively new tombstone, their shadows stretching long behind them.

    Gao Shou and Lin Youy together beneath marble, their names and a ck-and-white photo etched into stone. Two cypress trees stood sentinel beside the tomb.

    Gao Yang knelt. He didn¡¯t even dare to look up at the photo. ncing at the names, Gao Shou and Lin You, was enough to leave him breathless.

    Gao Xinxin fought back tears as she burned joss paper.

    Gao Yang lit incense sticks, offered liquor, and kowtowed before clearing the surrounding weeds and debris.

    He then found Gao Xinxin still kneeling, hands pressed together, eyes closed in prayer. He caught fragments of her words, "Brother" and "safe", reminiscent of their mother''s whispered prayers before grandmother''s photo at home.

    The evening wind yed with Gao Xinxin''s hair as sunset painted her face red. Gao Yang watched, lost in thought.

 Chapter 929: No Regret

    <h4>Chapter 929: No Regret</h4>

    <i>Mom, can you see this? Xinxin¡¯s more and more like you.</i>

    <i>Dad, Mom, Granny, please give Xinxin your blessings so that she can live a safe, peaceful life.</i>

    "It''s about time." Gao Yang stepped forward to pat Gao Xinxin''s shoulders. "Let''s go."

    "Yeah." Gao Xinxin had said what she needed to say to their parents. She pushed herself up, but then staggered, nearly falling.

    Gao Yang quickly caught her arm. "What''s wrong?"

    "I was on my knees for too long and my legs went numb¡ª" Gao Xinxin''s face paled. "My head''s dizzy, too."

    "You''re too thin. You''re probably anemic." A familiar worry tightened Gao Yang''s chest. He guided Gao Xinxin to a clean concrete staircase. "Have a seat. Let''s watch the sunset."

    "Yeah."

    The siblings sat down. Facing the evening wind, they watched the sun sink behind the mountains, painting the clouds in deep orange and gold.

    Gao Yang took an osmanthus cake from his pocket. "Here."

    Gao Xinxin paused before taking the cake and opened the wrapping. The sweet had crumbled to powder. She carefully poured half into her mouth, using the aluminum foil as a te. Then she handed it back to Gao Yang. "You have the rest."

    Gao Yang epted it and poured the remaining powder into his mouth.

    "It''s sweet." Gao Xinxin smiled, though her brow furrowed. "We stopped liking sweets so much after growing up. I remember the two of us arguing before Granny, begging for candies."

    "You especially. Even after you got a cavity, and Granny wouldn''t give you sweets, you threw a tantrum and used her of liking me more because I was a boy. You went straight to Mom and Dad about that." Gao Yang''s lips curved in a gentle smile.

    "What? I don''t remember that!" Gao Xinxinughed. "Don''t nt false memories just because I was too young to remember."

    Gao Yang didn''t argue. He reached out to stroke Gao Xinxin''s head. "You were so small then. And now, you''re all grown up."

    "Bro!" Gao Xinxin punched him. "Why do you sound more and more like a dad?"

    "An older brother is sort of like a dad."

    "Alright, alright." Gao Xinxin savored the lingering sweetness in her mouth and watched the cooling orange clouds. Slowly, she rested her head on Gao Yang''s shoulder, speaking in a voice that was soft and wistful, but not pained.

    "Do you know, Brother? When Mom and Dad were first gone, I thought everything was a joke, that it was all meaningless. Nothing mattered, there was nothing ahead. Thank god I have you, or I wouldn''t have made it through."

    <i>I feel the same.</i>

    "You''ve always been stronger than you know," Gao Yang said quietly.

    "Thinking back, I''m d I held on. In living, we always find new meaning." Gao Xinxin broke into a smile. "Now, I have to take care of Cute Little Lamb, Yanyan, and Sister Xia. Sometimes, I feel like they are my family. If danger ever strikes, and I have to sacrifice myself to save them, I would do it without hesitation."

    ¡°Death is death, butpared to wanting to end my life because Mom and Dad are gone, I feel that a more reasonable death. I won¡¯t see myself as selfish or wrong if I die protecting them. I¡¯ll be able to face the end of my life openly and without worry...¡±

    "Maybe that was how Granny, Mom, and Dad felt when dying to save us. They weren''t scared or in pain. They weren''t forced to suffer or left with no other choice. They made their decision without hesitation or regret¡ª" She pursed her lips. "I don''t know if I''m making sense. If you ever miss them, Brother, try thinking about it this way. It helps with the heartache."

    Gao Yang wordlessly pulled her into his arms. Gao Xinxin buried her face in his chest, crying silently.

    They stayed like that until the sun vanished and the veil of night descended.

    "Come on." Gao Yang''s voice was gentle. "Let''s go home for Lunar New Year."

    "Okay."

    ...

    Third Hospital, Anliang District, ten o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, casting warm light over the grounds. It was the perfect weather for Lunar New Year''s Eve.

    Red couplets andnterns adorned the entrance of the inpatient building. In the small garden outside, patients in blue and white garbs moved about. Some gathered in small groups, ying with unrestrained joy. Others kept to themselves in quiet corners, lost in private conversations. A few stood motionless, their gazes fixed on the vast sky above.

    By the fountain stood a stone chess table where two doctors in white coats yed, basking in the morning sun.

    The doctor on the left, surnamed Sun, was young and slight, with ck-rimmed sses perched on his schrly features. As he made a non-optimal move at the start of the match, he said, ¡°Old Tang, do you know the Ship of Theseus?¡±

    His opponent, a man in his forties with a thinning hairline and round features, responded with a swift, confident move. "I stopped talking about things like that after middle school."

    "Why?" Young Sun advanced another piece. "I can never figure it out. See, if a ship gets parts reced with new wood nks every once in a while as it sails through the ocean, and when reaching the shore, all pieces of wood have been reced, is the ship still the original ship?"

    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Old Tang leisurely made his moves.

    Young Sun frowned in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯re humoring me again, Old Tang.¡±

    Old Tang chuckled cryptically. ¡°A human¡¯s cells are entirely reced every six to seven years. Let me ask you then, are you the same person as the you from seven years ago?¡±

    "Well¡ª" Young Sun paused, his piece hovering over the board. "Of course I am."

    "No, no." Old Tang imed another piece. "Yes, and no."

    "It''s not fun talking to you. If you don''t know the answer, just say so. You haven''t grown any more intelligent as you''ve grown older." Young Sun aggressively captured one of Old Tang''s pieces.

    "Haha." Old Tang studied the board with serene patience. "You''ll know once you''re my age that intelligence isn''t going to solve all your problems. You need wisdom. You''re lucky I''m in a good mood today. I''ll exin it to you."

    "I''m all ears."

    Old Tang made a decisive move. "Check. I said the answer is yes and no because it depends on different schools of thought. Like most people, you''re too obsessed with cause and effect and eternity. It''s looking for trouble to seek something limitless as a limited individual."

    Young Sun paused, forgetting to make the right move in response.

    "You see your life as one entity and wrongly assume that you can control and understand it. You are still you, you think you''re your own master. No matter how many times the cells of your body get reced, no matter how matter meets entropy and changes, you believe you are still you. You consider that your soul, your consciousness, and think it eternal."

    ¡°Is it not?¡± Young Sun asked.

    Old Tang smiled with narrowed eyes. ¡°I think differently. I don¡¯t think a life is one continuous being, but the umtion of countless fleeting, changing moments. Not only wasn¡¯t the me from seven years ago the present me, but the Old Tang taking out your pawn wasn¡¯t me at this second, either.¡±

    Young Sun stared at him, the piece forgotten in his grip.

    Old Tang gestured at the board between them. "In other words, there is no ''I''. I don''t exist. All lives are countless presentspressed together. It gives us the illusion of being whole and in control. It makes us think that we are we, others are others, and the universe is the universe."

    "Young Sun, think about it. You''re born in this universe. How can you be separated from it?"

    "How arrogant and ignorant!"

    "It''s like a fish pondering its rtionship with the sea, not knowing that it''s nothing, neither is the sea. Theye together to form the much grander ocean."

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "So, your answer?" Young Sun leaned forward.

    "We y chess." Old Tang ced his final piece. "Chess is you, me, the universe, and infinity. Checkmate."

    Young Sun''s brow furrowed. "So is the boat the same boat?"

    "You''re still stuck on that." Old Tang shook his head with a sigh as he reset the pieces.

    "Number 6! Number 7!" A doctor''s angry shout cut through their discussion. He rushed toward them, two nurses hurrying in his wake. "Who let you steal my clothes?!"

 Chapter 930: Third Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 930: Third Hospital</h4>

    Young Sun and Old Tang scattered the chess pieces as they jumped to their feet.

    "Dr. Qi! Old Tang stole the clothes. I tried to stop them, but he distracted me!" Young Sun threw hispanion under the bus without hesitation.

    "I didn''t!" Old Tang protested. "The clothes called to me..."

    "Take off those white coats and return to your rooms!" Dr. Qi ordered in a steely voice. He turned to the nurses. "Watch those two during medication time. They keep trying to fake it. If something happens, who''s going to take responsibility?"

    "I''m sorry. Yes, of course..." One nurse bobbed her head nervously.

    The nurses led the two patients away. Dr. Qi watched their retreat, his hand rising to adjust nonexistent sses. As he turned, a slight limp appeared in his perfectly healthy gait.

    Sunlight caught the unassuming ck Gold ring on his left hand. Beneath his sleeve, a pale green web-shaped mark branded his forearm.

    Hepleted his patrol with methodical precision before entering the building. The elevator carried him to the top floor, where he strode directly to the office at the corridor''s end. He knocked.

    "Enter."

    Dr. Qi opened the door deferentially, smiling. "Superintendent Su, I''vepleted the hospital inspection. Nothing unusual to report."

    Qilin sat behind the desk in his white robe, gold-framed sses perched on his nose, hair swept back with careful precision. His right eye gleamed cold and gray¡ªa ck Gold prosthetic, though few would notice at first nce.

    His left hand, covered in a long ck glove, rested unnaturally still on the desk''s surface.

    The Ocean River Union had moved into Third Hospital just a week ago. Through hisbined Talents of Eidos and Puppeteer, Qilin maintained soft control over the medical staff, their enchanted ck Gold essories serving as anchor points for his influence.

    "Good. Set up hourly perimeter checks in pairs. Report any anomalies immediately."

    "Yes, sir!" Dr. Qi bowed out, closing the door with quiet efficiency.

    Qilin leaned back, closing his eyes. His willpower spread through the hospital like invisible threads, touching each puppet under his control. Not a single movement would escape this web of awareness.

    Another knock interrupted his concentration.

    Qilin drew his power back, opening his eyes. "Enter."

    One Stone''s tall, slim figure slipped into the room. Her loose ponytail swayed as she walked, a single curl dancing against her frameless sses. Here, she was a department director.

    ¡°I have matters to report, Guildmaster.¡±

    Qilin nodded for her to continue.

    ¡°The injured have mostly recovered, and Elder Colorless woke up with noplications. I went over our inventory of equipment and medicine. Most are still sufficiently stocked, but we only have seven resurrection pills left. It won¡¯t be enough for our next fight.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t say anything.

    Although taking a resurrection pill didn¡¯t necessarily mean one coulde back after death, it was an insurance that greatly promoted morale. Before, Dr. Jia had been in charge of making the pills with Great Fortune providing the necessary vital energy and blood. His Talent was Feigned Death, serial number 58, Life-type.

    His Talent had reached level 6. Even if his heart and brain were damaged, there was a chance for him toe back to life. He was sort of a lucky charm in the Union.

    Now that Dr. Jia had been kidnapped, though, the lucky charm became just that.

    ¡°Can you develop resurrection pills?¡± Qilin asked One Stone. One Stone had developed quite a lot of medicines with her Pharmacist; some of them even worked better than Dr. Jia¡¯s, such as her Medicine C.

    One Stone looked troubled. ¡°I can, but the manufacturing process of resurrection pills isplicated. Professional equipment will be needed. With my Talent alone, the effect will be unstable, and the side effects great. I¡¯m afraid no one will dare to take the pills I make.¡±

    Qilin fell silent.

    ¡°Guildmaster.¡± One Stone continued hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t do it at all. I¡¯ve sought out Dr. Jia before, asking him to teach me how the pills are made. If I follow his steps strictly, I should be able to make the pills.¡±

    ¡°Do that then.¡±

    "The data is in myptop at the White Lake Hotel. I didn''t anticipate needing it."

    "Go fetch it," Qilin said. "Have Colorless arrange an escort."

    One Stone shifted her weight, clearly holding something back.

    "What is it?"

    "To be frank, Guildmaster," One Stone''s smile held no humor, "besides you and Surnamed Li, no escort would matter against the Nine Scions."

    Qilin knew this, but neither he nor Surnamed Li could abandon the hospital.

    "If not a guard, perhaps Ting Ting. With Air Man, she could make me unremarkable just by holding my hand. Safer than any guard."

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Qilin nodded. "Do that then."

    "Yes, sir."

    ...

    Twenty minutester, Dr. One Stone and Nurse Ting Ting emerged from the hospital in civilian clothes. The guard at the door, his ck Gold bracelet glinting, gave them an empty nod. One Stone returned it with a measured look.

    Once past the hospital grounds, Ting Ting grabbed One Stone''s hand. They walked two blocks before Ting Ting released a dramatic sigh. "Finally free!"

    One Stone shook her head. "Don''t get used to this."

    "Thank you, Sister One Stone!" Ting Tingtched onto her arm. "That ce suffocates me. I can barely breathe in there."

    Ting Ting¡¯s Air Man didn¡¯tpletely make them unnoticeable. Even with her taking One Stone¡¯s hand, she couldn¡¯t turn One Stone into air, only made her stand out less. If they encountered someone with bad blood or a deep bond with One Stone, they would still notice her. Outside of Vermilion Bird, though, One Stone had no such bond with anyone.

    "Don''t let go for a second," One Stone warned. "If you want food, we''ll get it to go."

    "Yeah!" Ting Ting pulled up her phone. "Let me check what''s near White Lake Hotel..."

    They paused at an intersection, watching for taxis.

    "This barbecue ce looks perfect," Ting Ting announced. "Private booths where we can stay hidden."

    "Which one?"

    "This One!"

    "What one?"

    "<i>This One Barbecue</i>!"

    Understanding dawned on One Stone''s face. "We can go there, but first, you''re doing something with me."

    "Oh?" Ting Ting perked up.

    "Taking a bath."

    "What?" Ting Ting blinked rapidly.

    A genuine smile softened One Stone''s features. "My family has a tradition¡ªevery Lunar New Year''s Eve, we visit the bathhouse. We wash away the past year''s misfortunes and sorrows, leaving them behind. It helps ensure only good days lie ahead."

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ting Ting said in understanding. ¡°It¡¯s quite amon tradition. But Sister One Stone, you study medicine. I didn¡¯t expect you to have a superstition.¡±

    "Not superstition," One Stone raised her hand to g down an approaching taxi. "Just a ritual that gives me something to look forward to."

 Chapter 931: New Year Bath

    <h4>Chapter 931: New Year Bath</h4>

    In the taxi, Ting Ting kept one arm linked with One Stone while her fingers flew across her phone screen. Within minutes, she''d analyzed a dozen bathhouses and hundreds of reviews, securing a reservation at the highest-rated establishment. Her efficiency was remarkable.

    Half an hourter, they registered at the front desk, changing their shoes and getting marked bracelets before entering the women''s locker room.

    It was considerately set up with stalls covered by curtains for those who got easily bashful. Ting Ting ducked into one, unustomed to changing in the open. She''d barely slipped off her down jacket when a metallic bang echoed through the room¡ªthe sound of a locker closing.

    Ting Ting asked through the curtain, ¡°You¡¯re done changing into a bathrobe, Sister One Stone?¡±

    "Just about." Fabric rustled against skin.

    "You''re quick!" Ting Ting forced a chuckle. "Go ahead without me. I''ll catch up."

    "Alright. I''ll be in the bath."

    Ting Ting pressed her ear to the curtain, holding her breath until One Stone''s slippered footsteps faded away. With trembling fingers, she pulled out her phone.

    The lock screen showed her only photo with Liao Liao and Liu Qingying¡ªthree girls on a park bench between busy streets, sipping milk tea and sharing gossip under the guise of a mission, bathed in warm sunlight. Whenever her resolve wavered, this image steadied her. She drew a deep breath, tucked the phone away, and quickly pulled her jacket back on.

    The curtain whispered open. Ting Ting spun with a strangled cry, her heart leaping to her throat.

    One Stone stood in the opening, her hair elegantly swept up, her loose white robe revealing long, graceful legs. Her bare feet pressed against the cool tiles. Though she smiled, the warmth had drained from her expression, leaving something sharp and calcting behind her sses.

    "Ting Ting," she said softly, "why are you putting your jacket back on?"

    "I¡ªI just need the toilet..." Ting Ting''s attempt at a casual smile felt like a crack in porcin.

    "Really?" One Stone''s voice carried a gentle mockery. "It''s warm in here. Surely you don''t need such heavy clothes for a quick bathroom trip. Aren''t you ufortable?"

    "Haha, no. I get cold easily."

    "You''ve never been afraid of cold." One Stone adjusted her sses with deliberate precision. "You''re nning to run, aren''t you?"

    Ting Ting''s heart stuttered.

    <i>Activate Air¡ª</i>

    A sudden rage consumed her thoughts, burning away reason until only the urge to kill remained.

    "Ah!"

    She lunged at One Stone, who caught her attack with fluid grace. One leg sweep, and Ting Ting crashed to the floor, her wrist screaming in protest. The murderous fury vanished as quickly as it hade. Seed of Resentment was deactivated.

    Their physical contact rendered Air Man useless. Ting Tingy there, pulse thundering in her ears.

    One Stone crouched beside her. "You weren''t decisive enough, Ting Ting. There were so many opportunities for you to vanish into thin air on our way here. Don''t you think it''s a littlete now?"

    Ting Ting trembled, her face draining of color as tears welled in her eyes.

    "I use Condition on you." One Stone pulled Ting Ting to her feet, then released her hand. "My energy will linger in your system. Air Man won''t work on me. Don''t try anything foolish."

    "Sister One Stone¡ª" Ting Ting''s voice cracked. "I''ve never wronged you. Won''t you¡ª"

    "Undress." One Stone''s voice cut like ice.

    "Please let me go..."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Undress." The word hadn''t changed, but the threat beneath it doubled.

    Tears sliding down her cheeks, Ting Ting began removing her clothes. The down jacket fell first, followed by her sweater and jeans until she stood shivering in her undergarments, arms crossed protectively over herself.

    "Continue," One Stone said.

    Ting Ting''s head snapped up. "More...?"

    This wasn''t about checking for weapons, it seemed.

    ¡°Keep going,¡± One Stone said icily.

    Ting Ting bit her lip and stripped further, each piece of clothing falling away with her dignity.

    One Stone''s gaze never wavered.

    ¡°Take off your socks, too,¡± One Stone ordered. ¡°Remove the rubberband and let your hair down.¡±

    Ting Ting stopped resisting or asking why. She followed One Stone¡¯s orders and stood under the woman¡¯s scrutiny without anything covering her body.

    ¡°Open your arms and turn around slowly.¡±

    Ting Ting obeyed. She felt like she was receiving a full body checkup, or perhaps she was an animal waiting to be ughtered.

    ¡°Alright.¡± One Stone grabbed a bathrobe and tossed it to Ting Ting. ¡°Come to the bath with me.¡±

    Ting Ting caught the robe, staring in confusion. They were actually going to bathe?

    She didn''t dare question it. Wrapping herself in the robe, she followed One Stone to the main bath area.

    The noon hour left therge bathhouse nearly empty. Steam rose from the wooden barrel as they settled in. The peaceful setting made One Stone''s cool voice all the more unsettling.

    "Air Man doesn''t make you invisible. It doesn''t mask your energy signature."

    Waterpped at the barrel''s edges.

    "Qilin''s willpower nkets the entire hospital. His puppets are his signal towers."

    ¡°If you run, while Qilin wouldn¡¯t know who it is immediately, he would know that an awakener has made an unauthorized move and grab you.¡±

    "So you chose me. Used my official duties as your excuse to leave. nned to slip away at the first opportunity."

    Her smile held no warmth.

    "You y the fool well, but there''s quite the schemer behind that harmless facade."

    ¡°Sister One Stone...¡± Ting Ting broke down into tears. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m so scared. I don¡¯t wanna die. And I especially don¡¯t wanna be turned into a horrible puppet after death...¡±

    ¡°You know I¡¯m useless, Sister One Stone. I pose no threat to anyone. Please let me go. I promise I¡¯ll hide away from anyone and everyone. No one will ever find me.¡±

    "I never should have joined any organization. I just want a normal life. If doomsdayes, I''ll face it like everyone else. Is that so much to ask?" Her pleading eyes met One Stone''s impassive gaze. "I know you''re not cruel, Sister One Stone. Please... please spare me..."

    One Stone''s expression remained unchanged. "Turn around."

 Chapter 932: Away with the Misfortune

    <h4>Chapter 932: Away with the Misfortune</h4>

    Ting Ting froze. Despite the steaming bath, ice seemed to crystallize in her veins.

    "No, please..."

    "Turn around and crouch lower." One Stone''s voice left no room for argument.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    A few seconds passed before Ting Tingplied, tears mixing with bathwater. She sank until only her head remained above water, her hair spreading like dark seaweed across the surface.

    One Stone got closer to her. The ripplespped at Ting Ting¡¯s nape.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t kill me... I don¡¯t want to die...¡±

    Horrific images shed through her mind: One Stone forcing her head under until the bubbles stopped, a silenced gunshot turning the water crimson, One Stone emerging afterward as calmly as stepping out of a shower...

    None of these horrors materialized.

    Instead, One Stone''s hands settled on her head, methodically working through her hair as if searching for something. Through tear-blurred vision, understanding dawned on Ting Ting: <i>She''s checking my hair. The strip search, the bath¡ªshe was making sure I¡¯m clear!</i>

    ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± One Stone¡¯s voice softened. ¡°You don¡¯t have a Puppeteer brand on you. There¡¯s no bug or other suspicious energy brand, either. You¡¯re clean.¡±

    Ting Ting''s sobs continued, but her violent trembling subsided. Slowly, she turned to face One Stone.

    A shrewd smile yed across One Stone''s features, tinged with resignation. "You didn''t actually believe I could make resurrection pills, did you?"

    "You... can''t?" Ting Ting hupped between sobs.

    "Dr. Jia gave me the method, that much is true, but my personal best was reaching page three before falling asleep."

    "So the bath was..."

    "To ensure we were both clean." One Stone''s bitter smile deepened. "Ting Ting, if even you could sense something was wrong, how could I not see it?"

    She stared into the rising steam. "I stayed, thinking I could save people. What a joke. I can''t save anyone."

    "Qilin and Surnamed Li have lost themselvespletely. The Ocean River Union is a runaway train heading for disaster. Stay aboard, and we die with it."

    Ting Ting gaped at her.

    "What? Did I say something strange?"

    Ting Ting shook her head violently, fresh tears spilling over. She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking. "You... really... scared me... to death..."

    "It was necessary." One Stone squeezed her shoulder gently. "How else could I be sure Qilin hadn''t gotten to you? But it''s over now. We''re both clean."

    "Yeah..." Ting Ting''s sobs gradually quieted. "What now, Sister One Stone? Where can we go?"

    "First," One Stone''s lips curved mysteriously, "we finish this bath. Wash away the old year''s misfortunes and wee the new."

    ...

    Inpatient Building, Third Hospital, night.

    The first-floor lobby was bright with festive lights and decorations. Dozens of patients upied the rows of stools, their faces turned toward the projection screen with expressions ranging from intense focus to vacant stares, quiet tears to endless muttering.

    The New Year''s G had been ying for some time when the familiar voice rang out: "Dear viewers, I''ve missed you..."

    The familiar greeting sparked a wave of cheers. Shared memories pulled even the most withdrawn patients into moments of connection, their apuse and chatter filling the room.

    More than twenty "medical personnel" dotted the space, either standing, sitting, or crouching. Most wore distant expressions, lost in their own thoughts.

    None had imagined spending Lunar New Year''s Eve in a mental hospital.

    In the office at the corridor''s end, Qilin sat with Surnamed Li.

    "One Stone and Ting Ting never reached White Lake Hotel," Surnamed Li reported from her wheelchair, regret evident in her voice. "Colorless tracked them to a bathhouse. They disposed of their clothes. They''re gone."

    "Ah."

    Qilin nodded, unsurprised. The Nine Scions'' challenge and Vermilion Bird''s condition must have swayed One Stone. And Ting Ting probably ran for Liao Liao¡ªher body being missing from Dr. Jia''s burnedboratory suggested she lived. Whether she''d joined the Nine Scions, fled, or vanished would be clear soon enough.

    But that wasn''t what concerned him most.

    ¡°Have you merged with the Rune Circuit, Madam Li?¡±

    Surnamed Li shook her head.

    Qilin held her gaze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Surnamed Li frowned. ¡°I got a new skill from Prophet, yet I still cannot merge with the Rune Circuit.¡±

    The skill hade after the Qingyang Bridge battle, appearing in her sleep. It was unprecedented¡ªnew skills typically apanied level increases, and she''d already received Prophet''s level 7 ability. She''d assumed it heralded her imminent merging with the Knowledge Rune Circuit.

    Prophet dealt in futures, after all. An early skill grant seemed usible. Or perhaps the Heavenly Way''s weakening grip hadpromised its own rules.

    Yet a week had passed without any sign of her merging or resonance with the Circuit.

    Qilin couldn''t exin it either. Each Circuit had its quirks; the Miracle Circuit granted far more privileges than others. Perhaps Knowledge had its own requirements.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on it,¡± Qilin said. ¡°We proceed as nned.¡±

    Surnamed Li nodded.

    Qilin reached for his desk phone. His secretary, Wandering Tune, answered promptly.

    ¡°Have Rain Rivere to my office. Tell her to bring it to me. She¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± After a pause, Qilin added, ¡°And tell Sunny toe after twenty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Wandering Tune hung up.

    Two minutester, there was a knock.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Rain River, blond-haired and wearing a nurse outfit, walked in. She was short and petite with a youthful face, but her temperament was mature and steadfast.

    ¡°Guildmaster, Deputy Guildmaster,¡± Rain River greeted respectfully.

    ¡°Did you bring it?¡± Qilin asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Rain River took two steps forward andid down the leather medical kit in her hand. She opened it and took four things out.

 Chapter 933: Fortune Abounds

    <h4>Chapter 933: Fortune Abounds</h4>

    The first was a sealed sample bag with a pinch of dark red mud. It came from the shoal on the Li River bank, drenched red by someone¡¯s blood.

    The second was an airtight ss jar filled with a few pieces of broken stones in water tinged pink¡ªa result of the blood on the stones washed into the water.

    The third was a sample box with two pieces of charred tissues.

    The fourth was a vial. Inside were three teeth.

    Rain River ced the four things on Qilin¡¯s desk. ¡°These are what the enemies left on the battlefield. I¡¯ve treated them so that they can be used within the next month.¡±

    Qilin nodded with satisfaction. "Good work. Go. Enjoy the holidays with the others."

    Rain River hesitated before bowing. "Happy New Year, Guildmaster, Deputy Guildmaster."

    After she left, Qilin studied the items in silence.

    "We get one chance." He turned to Surnamed Li. "Let''s review the n."

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Surnamed Li took out a jammer and activated it.

    They quickly finished their discussion. Then someone else knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come on in,¡± Surnamed Li said.

    The door opened. In walked a woman whose skin hung on her bones due to how skinny she was. She wore a blue nurse uniform. Her hair was frayed and dry, her skin rough and dim. Combined with her deep-set eyes, she looked like misfortune incarnate.

    Back slightly hunched, she looked at Qilin with unfocused eyes.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Sunny.¡±

    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± Sunny said stiffly.

    Qilin''s lips curved as he adjusted his sses. "Time to give our enemies a New Year''s gift."

    Sunny''s heart plummeted. The dreaded day had arrived.

    ...

    Spectres¡¯ Mansion, Xijing District.

    Morning light filtered through the windows as Gao Yang surfaced from shallow sleep at eight. Fresh Snow was already awake, perched cat-like on the sofa. Her red cotton shirt brightened the room, her hair gathered into festive buns. She''d been watching, waiting for his eyes to open.

    ¡°Gao Yang! Happy New Year!¡± Fresh Snow beamed.

    ¡°Happy New Year.¡±

    "I''m the first to say it to you!" Her eyes crinkled with pride.

    Gao Yang nodded. "You are."

    "Ta-da!" Fresh Snow sprang up, revealing what she''d hidden behind her back. A couplet unfurled like a banner. "Gao Yang, I picked this one!"

    Yesterday''s grocery shopping had led them to an old man selling hand-written couplets. Fresh Snow, proud of her growing literacy, had lost herself in the artistry. She''d bought twelve, nning to change them monthly, leaving the calligrapher beaming with joy.

    Gao Yang read the verses she held:

    <i>Beautiful is thend with the return of spring,</i> <i>Blessed is the mortal world weing a series of fortunes.</i>

    "It''s perfect," he nodded. "This one goes up first."

    After washing up, they moved to the front door. Fresh Snow bnced on a small stool, positioning the couplets while Gao Yang directed from below. Together, theypleted the decoration by sticking a <i>fu</i> sign¡ªthe character for good fortune¡ªonto the metal gate of the front yard.

    The sound of doors opening upstairs announced Gao Xinxin and Wang Zikai''s awakening. They emerged from their bedrooms in rumpled pajamas, hair tousled from sleep, and took their positions on the adjacent second-floor balconies.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Fresh Snow! That''s wrong!" Wang Zikai called down, scratching his nape. "The <i>fu</i> sign needs to be upside down! When <i>fu</i> is upside down, fortune arrives¡ªget it?"[1]

    "Oh!" Fresh Snow immediately flipped the character.

    "Don''t listen to that idiot!" Gao Xinxin leaned over her balcony railing. "Turn it right-side up! Think about it logically, Fresh Snow. If you turn a cup of water upside down, what happens? All the water spills out! Do you want to lose an entire year''s worth of fortune?"

    "Oh!" Fresh Snow returned the sign to its original position.

    "Fresh Snow, trust me!" Wang Zikai twisted around to re at his neighbor. "Put it upside down! My family''s been doing this for generations, and look how well we''ve done! You can''t argue with results!"

    "Ha! Money isn''t everything. Having a loving family matters more!" Gao Xinxin countered. "Listen to me, Fresh Snow. I know what I''m talking about!"

    "Upside down!"

    "Right-side up!"

    "Down!"

    "Up!"

    Fresh Snow''s head swiveled between them like a spectator at a tennis match. Finally, she turned to Gao Yang with pleading eyes. "What should I do?"

    "Only children have to choose." Gao Yang''s lips twitched. "Adults can have both. Go get another <i>fu</i> sign."

    Fresh Snow''s face brightened. She darted inside, returning momentster with a second sign.

    Gao Yang ced the first sign right-side up, then nced at Fresh Snow. "Now put yours upside down, directly above mine. They need to line up perfectly."

    "Got it!" Fresh Snow carefully positioned the second <i>fu</i> on the gate.

    Gao Yang nodded sagely, his expression serious though his eyes danced with mirth. "This creates the <i>pixiu</i> fortune formation[2]. When fortune arrives, it spills downward, but the bottom sign catches it all. Nothing escapes. The fortune circles endlessly through the year."

    "Gao Yang, you''re brilliant!" Fresh Snow beamed, absorbing this newfound wisdom withplete conviction.

    On their respective balconies, Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin stood speechless, trying and failing to find fault in his logic. They exchanged onest disapproving look before retreating to their rooms with matching huffs.

    ...

    They began cleaning at ten, preparing the mansion for the new year. Despite limiting themselves to essential areas, the task proved exhausting.

    Under Gao Xinxin''s watchful eye¡ªshe''d transformed into a proper matriarch for the asion¡ªthey finally finished at three in the afternoon. She dered it was time for new year''s baths and fresh clothes. Then they would seize the magic hour to have a group photo.

    Half an hourter, everyone had cleaned up and emerged except Fresh Snow, who remained sequestered in her room after going to change.

    Gao Xinxin dispatched Gao Yang upstairs to investigate.

    He found her door open. Fresh Snow sat by her bed, legs tucked neatly beneath her, examining something in a white box roughly the size of a microwave.

    "Fresh Snow?"

    She startled, quickly closing the box. "Gao Yang! You should knock!"

    "The door was open," he said with gentle resignation.

    "Well..." Fresh Snow set the box aside and stood. "How do I look in my new clothes?"

    Twin tails draped over her shoulders,plementing her loose blue sweater and white skirt. White cat slipperspleted the ensemble. She looked perfectly at home¡ªlike any other young woman enjoying a holiday with family.

    "You look good," Gao Yang smiled.

    "Let''s go!"

    ...

    A few minutester, the four of them went to the front yard for a group photo. Fresh Snow and Gao Xinxin stood in the middle, arms in arms, while Gao Yang and Wang Zikai stood on the sides.

    Gao Yang¡¯s double raised his phone as the photographer. ¡°Gentlemen, stay on the sides like bodyguards. Stand behind the two beautifuldies. Yes. But don¡¯t just stand. Do something. Put your arms on each other¡¯s back or something else. Nice, nice. Stay that way...¡±

    The double raised an index finger. ¡°Ladies, turn to the camera. Yes, good. Stay that way. Thedy on the left, your smile is a little stiff...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been at it for ages, can I not be stiff?!¡± Gao Xinxin rolled her eyes before quickly putting on a sweet smile, worried that a photo would be snapped while she was scowling. Seriously, she was under great pressure standing beside a pretty girl who looked like she had stepped out of an anime.

    ¡°Thedy on the right, look up a little at the camera. Focus your eyes...¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Spring sometimes took group photos of the family as memento, while White Dew didn¡¯t like having her photos taken. Thus, Fresh Snow had never had group photos with her friends. While it was new and fun to her, she was also somewhat nervous.

    "Are you taking the picture or not?!" Gao Xinxin''s smile threatened to crack.

    "Wang Zikai, hair in your eyes! Fix it!" The double''s anxiety mounted.

    ¡°Huh? Wait!¡± Wang Zikai valued this opportunity a lot, and, unlike usual, his face had been stiff like he was getting his ID photo taken. He didn¡¯t notice that the wind had messed up his hair.

    ¡°A sec, a sec...¡± he quickly sorted out his fringe. ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Hot! Hot like the sun! Just take the photo already!¡± while urging, Gao Xinxin quickly adjusted her smile and the angle of her head.

    ¡°Three, two...¡±

    <i>Snap.</i>

    1. Since "upside down", <i>dao</i>, is pronounced the same only in a different tone as "arrive", there''s a tradition of having the word <i>fu</i>, fortune, upside down to signify the arrival of fortune. ?

    2. <i>Pixiu</i> is a mythological creature that signifies good luck and fortune. ?

 Chapter 934: Blessings

    <h4>Chapter 934: Blessings</h4>

    <i>Whoosh.</i> A yful gust scattered everyone''s carefully arranged hair¡ªWang Zikai''s fringe, Gao Yang''s neat part, Fresh Snow''s twin tails, and Gao Xinxin''s styled locks all surrendered to the wind.

    "My hair!" Wang Zikai iled. "Maybe I need some getting gel..."

    "It''s setting gel! And stop moving!" Gao Xinxin''s voice cracked with despair.

    Fresh Snow pressed down her windswept silver strands,ughing as she held onto Gao Xinxin''s arm.

    "Cheese!" Despite his now-disheveled appearance, Gao Yang maintained his pose, one hand on Wang Zikai''s shoulder, the other on Fresh Snow''s, smiling seriously at the camera.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    <i>Click.</i>

    The double vanished, and Gao Yang teleported to catch the falling phone. His expression turnedplicated as he studied the result.

    The frame tilted awkwardly. The focus wandered. Each face seemed to tell its own story¡ªnone of them the intended one. Yet somehow, this chaos captured something a perfect photo never could: a genuine moment they''dugh about every time they saw it.

    "Enough. I''m getting the tripod and setting a timer." Gao Xinxin grimaced. "And you call yourself a leader? You can''t even manage a simple photo."

    "Yeah! Retake! I''ll grab some getting¡ªsetting gel!" Wang Zikai patted his unruly hair.

    "Another one!" Fresh Snow chimed in, eager for more photos regardless of how the first turned out.

    Gao Yang pocketed his phone, smiling. "This one''s perfect. Sending it now."

    Their phones chimed with notifications from the "Fortune Abounds" group chat.

    Three seconds of stunned silence passed.

    "Gao Yang! Delete that or die!"

    "Wait¡ªwhere are my eyes?!"

    "Hahahaha..." Fresh Snow beamed. Though everyone looked slightly ridiculous¡ªherself included¡ªshe adored the photo.

    Gao Yang took off running. Wang Zikai and Gao Xinxin gave chase.

    ...

    They gathered for dinner around a steaming hot pot. This way, they needn¡¯t worry about any food getting cold. But first came the dumpling ritual: twelve dumplings, one hidden coin, three chances each.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± Wang Zikai picked up the biggest dumpling and popped it into his mouth, wolfing it down. Gao Yang was worried that he would just chew the coin into pieces and swallow it even if there was a coin inside.

    Suddenly, Wang Zikai''s face contorted. "Ugh... so fucking sour..."

    Gao Xinxin burst outughing. "Made that one specially for you!"

    ¡°How dare you do that to God?!¡± Wang Zikai waggled his brows dramatically. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m in a good mood today. I¡¯ll let you off the hook!¡±

    "Hmph, my turn." Gao Xinxin studied the remaining dumplings before selecting the smallest.

    One bite, and her face fell. "Brother, did you put osmanthus cake in this? What kind of cursedbination..." Still, she finished it.

    "Here goes." Gao Yang chose a misshapen dumpling. Finding no coin, he chuckled. "Thought the weird shape meant something."

    "Ha! That''s my masterpiece." Wang Zikai preened. "Wild and unpredictable, just like God''s will."

    "Wang Zikai, please limit your time with Nainai," Gao Xinxin pleaded.

    "Your turn, Fresh Snow," Gao Yang prompted gently.

    "Yes!"

    Fresh Snow lifted her chopsticks with reverence, studying the nine remaining dumplings before selecting a perfectly formed one.

    Since she rarely used chopsticks, it took her three tries to pick it up. She ced the dumpling in her mouth, her eyes lighting up as she pointed at herself. ¡°Hm...coin...¡±

    "Make a wish first!" Gao Xinxin urged.

    "Mm!" Fresh Snow closed her eyes solemnly, cheeks puffed, hands sped beneath her chin.

    In that moment of distraction, Gao Yang smoothly teleported the original dumpling te to the kitchen while Wang Zikai slipped a recement from under the table. Gao Xinxin restored everything, masking the switch.

    Gao Yang reappeared just as Fresh Snow opened her eyes. Gao Xinxin passed her a tissue. "Now you can take it out."

    Fresh Snow carefully deposited the coin.

    "What did you wish for?" Gao Xinxin smiled warmly.

    Fresh Snow hesitated, lips pursed.

    "Why''re you being nosy?" Wang Zikai interrupted.

    "Idiot!" Gao Xinxin shot him a re. "That''s called being supportive. You''re really the low bar for emotional intelligence."

    "What bar?" Wang Zikai blinked.

    "Right, you''re the low bar for regr intelligence too."

    "Fuck off!"

    Fresh Snow''sughter cut through their bickering. "I wished we''d spend next New Year together."

    "That''s it?" Wang Zikai''s disappointment was palpable. He would''ve wished for Qilin''s defeat and the salvation of the world.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fresh Snow looked at Gao Yang mischievously. ¡°And I wished that I¡¯d get the coin again to make the same wish.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s a neverending loop.¡± Gao Xinxin chuckled.

    Gao Yang nodded. ¡°It¡¯lle true.¡±

    They enjoyed the dinner together. Gao Yang and Wang Zikai gave Gao Xinxin and Fresh Snow red envelopes in ce of a parental figure. Then Wang Zikai and Fresh Snow went to the living room, waiting for the celebration to be broadcast.

    Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin did the dishes in the kitchen. Gao Xinxin was in charge of washing, and Gao Yang, rinsing the dish. They worked together with perfect teamwork.

    ¡°Seriously, they have a moreplete set of cooking utensils than our family. Spectres don¡¯t eat, do they?¡± Gao Xinxin said. ¡°Fresh Snow¡¯s full after a few bites.¡±

    "They don''t eat," Gao Yang ced a clean te in the dryer, his voice heavy with memory, "but they cherish holidays too."

    ¡°So humans and Spectres aren¡¯t that different. Monsters, too.¡± Gao Xinxin sighed softly. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why do we have to fight and kill each other? Aren¡¯t we doing good now?¡±

    Gao Yang¡¯s hands trembled.

    At that moment, he was reminded of his family. He couldn¡¯t stop the memories from flooding in. He and Gao Xinxin had always spent the Lunar New Year with their mother, father, and grandmother.

    Looking back, their identities didn¡¯t really matter. If they could¡¯ve revealed their secrets to each other earlier, would things have gone differently? Would he have less regret now?

    Gao Xinxin was right. Be it humans, monsters, or Spectres, what did what they were have to do with anything? What difference did that make?

    All lives suffered, and love was their salvation.

    ...

    "Gao Yang!" Fresh Snow''s voice broke through his reverie. She bounded in clutching a box of fireworks. "It''s dark! Let''s start!"

    "Not yet. Watch the show first and wait until midnight. And firecrackerse before fireworks," Gao Xinxin advised maternally.

    "I know." Fresh Snow''s face scrunched in fake concern. "But Stupid Kai can''t wait. I tried to stop him, so wepromised on lighting a few now."

    Gao Yang couldn¡¯t smother his smile. <i>Now you¡¯re using Wang Zikai as an excuse.</i>

    ¡°You should go ahead first. We¡¯ll join you after finishing doing the dishes.¡± Gao Yang waved at her.

    "Okay!" Fresh Snow darted away, fireworks in hand.

    Gao Xinxin clicked her tongue. "You spoil her."

    "It''s the holidays. Happiness matters most¡ª"

    <i>Buzz.</i> His phone vibrated.

    Gao Yang dried his hands and answered the call.

    "Uncle Tiger, Happy New¡ª"

    "Gao Yang, Adept Horse is dead."

 Chapter 935: Dramatic Pause

    <h4>Chapter 935: Dramatic Pause</h4>

    Gao Yang was silent for a second.

    Holding his phone while continuing to wash dishes, he said calmly, ¡°You aren¡¯t done, are you?¡±

    War Tiger''sughter boomed through the speaker. "That didn''t get you? Yep, Hong Xiaoxiao brought him back. She gave him a hairpin beforehand. I heard it was your doing?"

    "Yes."

    "Nicely done, you brat," War Tiger said.

    "I''ll be right there." Gao Yang ended the call.

    "Something went wrong?" Gao Xinxin''s voice carried a note of concern.

    "A little ident. I have to go back to the S Base."

    "I''ll go with you."

    "It''s fine..."

    ¡°Brother.¡± Gao Xinxin smiled gently. ¡°I say this count as we having spent the New Year together. Lovely Lamb and Yanyan are still waiting for me. I should head back.¡±

    Since she had made up her mind, Gao Yang didn''t insist. "Alright. We go together."

    When they reached the front yard, two fountains of sparks illuminated the darkness. Through the drifting smoke, Wang Zikai and Fresh Snow faced off, each wielding a cold sparkler.

    "Take this!" Wang Zikai''s strong swing shattered Fresh Snow''s sparkler.

    "Ah! My weapon!" Fresh Snow''s cry echoed in the night.

    Wang Zikai advanced with a triumphant grin. "Loser! Meet death!"

    At Wang Zikai''s boasting, Gao Yang snapped his fingers. The dormant sparklers on the ground sprang to life, spiraling toward Wang Zikai like a swarm of luminescent tops.

    "Holy shit!" Wang Zikai scrambled backward.

    Fresh Snow''sughter rang out as she lit another cold sparkler, but instead of pursuing Wang Zikai, she darted toward Gao Yang, offering him the sparking wand.

    Gao Yang shook his head. "Fresh Snow, Xinxin and I have to go back to the S Base."

    Fresh Snow swept her sweat-dampened fringe from her forehead, her smile unwavering. "Alright. Go ahead."

    "Really? What''s more important than the New Year?" Wang Zikai approached, his expression crestfallen.

    Gao Yang offered an apologetic smile without borating. "Gao Xinxin is worried about the kids there. I''ll be back as soon as I can."

    "You can go, Gao Yang. No rush." Fresh Snow nodded. "We''ll keep the fireworks until you''re back. Right, Stupid Kai?"

    "Yeah, yeah." Wang Zikai waved dismissively, too disappointed to even protest the nickname. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ...

    An hour and a halfter, Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin slipped quietly into the S Base. The living room held everyone who wasn''t out on mission, save for the two kids, Vermilion Bird, and Zhong He. The atmosphere, while not oppressive,cked the usual New Year''s cheer.

    War Tiger stood in the entryway, arms crossed, an unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth as he fought the urge to light it. "Here you are," he said, shing a grin at Gao Yang.

    They quickly made their way to the living room, where Fat Juny unconscious on the sofa with Hong Xiaoxiao at his side.

    "Who else?" Gao Yang asked, cutting straight to the point.

    "Dead Pig''s running a high fever." Hong Xiaoxiao''s voice betrayed her anxiety. "I gave him a hairpin."

    "And Zhang Wei?" Gao Yang scanned the room for any sign of him.

    <i>Gurgle.</i> The sound of flushing echoed from the restroom. Zhang Wei emerged, brightening at the sight of Gao Yang. "Captain, when did you get here? Happy New Year!"

    "Happy New Year," Gao Yang replied. "Not feeling well?"

    "Oh, I ate all sorts of stuff for dinner. My stomach was acting up," Zhang Wei said with a shrug.

    Gao Yang immediately stepped forward to examine Zhang Wei, tension leaving his shoulders only after confirming his condition. "It seems the Confidence grants high resistance to curses."

    "Huh?" Zhang Wei''s brow furrowed in confusion. He''d just had diarrhea. What did that have to do with curses? Was there a Diarrhea God? Or God of Constipation?

    War Tigerughed. "So it was a curse. Knew something wasn''t right."

    "What''s going on, Captain Gao?" Quiet Book''s voice came out weak.

    The others turned to Gao Yang, tension visible in their postures.

    ¡°It goes back to a few days ago.¡± Gao Yang exined his spection and his reasoning.

    Thest time Gao Yang was at the S Base, he heard that Zhang Wei had missed three teeth. Then he saw the state Fat Jun was in. His overly cautious mind reminded him of one person: Sunny.

    Everyone knew about Sunny''s level 3 Blood Curse¡ªhow she could curse targets through her own blood, causing anything from minor mishaps to death itself. But Gao Yang had considered a more troubling possibility. What if Sunny could curse people through their own blood and tissues within a certain timeframe? If not at level 3, then perhaps at level 4?

    To increase the power on his side, Qilin had lent the Miracle Rune Circuit to Zero Hatred to get Elemental to level 4; it wasn¡¯t out of the realm of possibility for him to do the same for Sunny¡¯s Blood Curse.

    Once the possibility urred to him, Gao Yang had to do something.

    He sought out Hong Xiaoxiao and had her keep a close eye on everyone¡¯s health, giving those in a bad state insurance. Should anyone suddenly suffer a terrible ailment or even die, she would use Time Reset on them.

    There were many instances proving that Miracle-type Talents operated on the same energy. A cursed target should shake off the curse after getting reset by Gamer¡ªwere Sha Ye still alive, it wouldn¡¯t even be an issue; she could just use Cleansing on everyone.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Based on Nine Frost¡¯s report of the battle, Gao Yang learned that those who had suffered a serious enough injury to leave behind their blood and tissues were Fat Jun, Zhang Wei, Wang Zikai, and Dead Pig.

    The first three had gotten injured and bled a lot on the riverbanks or the shoals, and Dead Pig had had a serious fight in the center of the bridge.

    The other members, while injured or bled, had been fighting in the air or the river. After the Heavenly Way restored everything, the Ocean River Union was unlikely to collect their samples.

    Thus, Hong Xiaoxiao was to pay special attention to Fat Jun, Zhang Wei, Dead Pig, and perhaps Zhong He.

    Wang Zikai was Gao Yang¡¯s charge. He had replicated Gamer and prepared a hairpin.

    To be honest, though, Gao Yang wasn¡¯t worried about Wang Zikai at all. Given his ridiculous power as ¡°the chosen one¡±, level 4 Blood Curse wouldn¡¯t be enough to hurt him.

    The results proved his theory: Fat Jun had died from the curse, Dead Pig ran a fever but could fight it with his regenerative abilities¡ªthey''d save the precious reset unless absolutely necessary. Zhang Wei''s toilet run was clearly curse-rted, while Wang Zikai remained unaffected.

    Gao Yang went over the matter. The others broke into cold sweat, shocked that death had been so close to them.

    This was the true face of war¡ªdeath could im them even during a ceasefire, while they celebrated the New Year.

    Gao Yang stayed as backup, knowing Hong Xiaoxiao''s Gamer had limits on simultaneous resurrections. By eleven o''clock, when no new curses manifested and Dead Pig''s fever subsided, the collective tension began to ease. After a brief word with Gao Xinxin, Gao Yang prepared to leave.

    "Captain." Lying Wood''s careful voice cut through the relief. "Is there a possibility that Sunny only cursed some of us, nning to curse the otherster?"

    ¡°Possible,¡± Gao Yang said.

 Chapter 936: Enjoy the Holidays

    <h4>Chapter 936: Enjoy the Holidays</h4>

    Lying Wood''s words sent a ripple of unease through the room. The air grew thick with tension once more.

    Gao Yang let the anxiety build for three precise seconds before adding, "But very unlikely."

    War Tiger stroked his stubbled chin and snickered. "You can hold a grudge, Little Yang Yang."

    Gao Yang merely smiled. <i>You aren''t the only one who can make a dramatic pause.</i>

    "Why though?" Hong Xiaoxiao leaned forward, earnest curiosity in her voice.

    "That..." Quiet Book''s voice softened with memory. "Sister Sunny told me that every time she made a curse with Blood Curse, it shortened her life by a few months to a few years. Cursing multiple targets at once would shorten her life less than cursing them one by one."

    War Tiger''s snort cut through the air. "You should know that it''s not up to her who she''s cursing and how many times she''s going to apply the curse, Quiet. If she had any say, I believe she wouldn''t have used her Talent even once."

    Quiet Book lowered her head, grief and anger warring in her chest. The thought of Qilin forcing Sunny to use her curse twisted something inside her. She should have been more insistent when Zhong He left the Union; she should have dragged Sunny with them.

    "Gao Yang''s basing his guess on something else." War Tiger grinned. "Once Sunny used her Talent, it would alert us whether it seeded or not. Then we wouldn''t give the Ocean River Union another chance to do the same. Everyone knew we had Hong Xiaoxiao on our side, our personal cheat code."

    Hong Xiaoxiao''s cheeks colored at the strange analogy and praise.

    "So, it would be most ideal to curse everyone they could curse during the New Year holidays, when everyone was most unguarded."

    "Think about it. Had Hong Xiaoxiao not been prepared, we might not have noticed Fat Jun''s body until a day after."

    "What a fucking vile old man he is!" Zhang Wei''s curse echoed off the walls. "He''s the one who deserves death the most!"

    "Nicely said." War Tiger nodded with satisfaction. "We should help him with that."

    Gao Yang surveyed the room with quiet pride, like a parent watching their children grow. "I have nothing else to say. I''ll be on my way."

    "Be careful on your way there, Captain Gao," Lying Wood said, concerncing his voice.

    War Tiger''s thick eyebrows shot up mockingly. "Are you hearing yourself, Lying Wood? You''re talking to the Divine Scion, owner of Lucky, a freak who jumped between organizations, human radar for Rune Circuits, the bane of all spies, and master survivalist! And you are worried about <i>him</i>?"

    A mncholic smile touched Gao Yang''s lips before he retorted, "It seems that Talents aren''t the only things getting passed down."

    After a beat, War Tiger burst intoughter. "Hahaha, you brat!"

    As Gao Yang donned his coat and tied his hair, preparing to leave, a voice called out.

    "Wait!" Gao Xinxin appeared in the living room doorway, wool scarf in hand. She approached on tiptoes to wrap it around his neck. "Keep this on. It''s warm here. I don''t need the scarf."

    "It''s fine. What if I break it..."

    "You dare?" Gao Xinxin''s re contrasted with her gentle hands as she adjusted the scarf. After a few seconds, she stepped back with a satisfied nod. "Hm, good. You may go."

    ...

    After Gao Yang''s departure, Hong Xiaoxiao restlessly checked on everyone before heading to Zhong He''s bedroom. The room had once been shared between Zhong He, Lying Wood, and Thick Earth. Now Thick Earthy dead after the Qingyang Bridge battle, and Lying Wood, havingprehended Sleepless a few days ago, rarely returned. He needed almost no sleep now, and Zhong He''s depression and perpetual cloud of alcohol had driven him away.

    Hong Xiaoxiao squared her shoulders and opened the door with purposeful efficiency. She flicked on the light, her nose wrinkling at the mess and stale smell of alcohol that greeted her.

    Empty bottles littered the floor of Zhong He''s room. Through the mess, Hong Xiaoxiao found him slumped in a chair, back turned, clutching a half-empty bottle. His pajamas hung loose on his frame.

    ¡°Zhong He.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao weaved her way to the man. ¡°Do you feel unwell in any way?¡±

    The harsh overhead light made him flinch. He raised a hand to shield his bloodshot eyes, dark circles stark against his pale skin. His unkempt beard and greasy hair spoke of days of neglect. When he finally looked up at Hong Xiaoxiao, his gaze slid past her as if she were a ghost.

    "Sunny may curse us with the blood we left on the battlefield. For now, Adept Horse, Dead Pig, and Zhang Wei have been hit." Her voice remained steady, professional. "So I have to confirm your condition."

    Zhong He responded by taking another long pull from his bottle.

    "Please don''t make my work hard for me," Hong Xiaoxiao pressed.

    The silence stretched until finally, his voice came out deep and hoarse: "I''m fine."

    Hong Xiaoxiao released a silent sigh. At least he was still speaking.

    She had initially agreed with Liao Liao''s perspective¡ªsome battles needed to be fought alone. If Zhong He needed help, he would ask. But days had passed, and his spiral continued. Perhaps this drinking, this silence, was his way of crying out.

    <i>If you find me annoying, fine. I''m still going to be nosy.</i>

    ¡°Hold this.¡± Hong Xiaoxiao took another hairpin out. She could¡¯ve shoved it into Zhong He¡¯s pocket, but she didn¡¯t. Instead, she held it before Zhong He, waiting for him to take it.

    Zhong He remained motionless, head bowed like a broken puppet.

    "Take this," she repeated. The pretense of duty gave her courage. This wasn''t about throwing herself at his walls; this was work. As long as he refused to cooperate, she could keep pushing, keep trying¡ª

    <i>Bam!</i> The door crashed open.

    Hong Xiaoxiao nearly jumped out of her skin, hastily pocketing the hairpin. She turned around to see War Tiger at the door.

    "I-I''m checking on him..." she stammered.

    "Leave it." War Tiger cut her off. "Come on. Let''s go."

    "Huh?" She blinked. "Now?"

    "Yes. Hurry."

    "Oh, right."

    With a final nce at Zhong He, Hong Xiaoxiao followed War Tiger to the living room. Her eyes widened at the gathered crowd¡ªeveryone except Zhong He and Adept Horse had assembled. Dead Pig stood like a mountain, Vermilion Bird''s wheelchair attached to his back, Lovely Lamb and Wang Weiyan perched on his broad shoulders.

    "Are you feeling okay now, Uncle Dead Pig?" Hong Xiaoxiao couldn''t keep the worry from her voice.

    Dead Pig''s chuckle rumbled through his nose. "Just about. And I have your hairpin, right?"

    War Tiger pped from the entryway, his energy filling the room. "Everyone, the New Year holidays should be enjoyed in festivity. Cute Little Lamb and Yanyan want to watch fireworks. We adults should grant them that little wish, shouldn''t we?"

    ¡°Uncle Tiger,¡± Lying Wood said worriedly. ¡°We risk getting exposed with so many people moving together. Why don¡¯t we have Hong Xiaoxiao take the girls while staying invisible...¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± War Tiger looked dissatisfied with the proposal. ¡°The kids want to watch the fireworks. And I want that, too!¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Enough already," War Tiger''s voice brooked no argument. "Nothing is more important than enjoying the New Year!"

    "Lying Wood." Mischievous Monkey chuckled. "He said that, but he must be doing this because he''s certain it''ll be alright."

    A smile finally broke across Lying Wood''s face. "True."

    Around the room, worried expressions melted into tentative hope. After days confined within these walls, the promise of fresh air beckoned, especially on this night when the whole world celebrated. The weight of their circumstances seemed to lift, if only for a moment.

    War Tiger swung his arm with theatrical ir. "Follow me!"

 Chapter 937: Chill

    <h4>Chapter 937: Chill</h4>

    An hourter, upstream of Li River.

    Old concrete levees lined the river, leading to a few sewage pipelines.

    In the early days, the wastewater from the whole city went into the river through pipelines. Then the wastewater treatment of the city was centralized, and the pipelines were abandoned for years, ending up drying and bing small tunnels no one ever visited.

    War Tiger had an old pipeline map and arge shlight in his hands, leading everyone from the S Base out of the maze. Parting the weeds blocking the entrance to the pipelines, he made it out first.

    He strode to the shoal and lowered the shlight. Stretching, he looked around to make sure the ce was clear before making an OK sign to those behind him. They couldn¡¯t wait to get out of the small tunnel.

    With the help of Ke Yo and Raven Shark, Dead Pig lowered Vermilion Bird with her wheelchair. Nearby, Gao Xinxin and Quiet Book kept watchful eyes on Lovely Lamb and Wang Weiyan, their hands gentle but firm on the children''s shoulders. Lying Wood''s Afterimages shimmered around them all, a protective veil against prying eyes.

    Then stillness fell. The cold night wind wrapped around them, carrying the scent of river and winter. Across the water, the city zed with life and light¡ªa beacon of hope in the darkness.

    Time moved with its own cruel rhythm, caring nothing for human choices or desires. The Lunar New Year hade despite their civil war, despite their losses. The boisterous festive cheers and noises continued to spread and swell. It was the familiar feel of the New Year many spoke of like they were annoyed at, yet couldn¡¯t help but look forward to.

    Gregor, wearing a silk sleeping robe like the president of apany, stood by the river in a pair of furry slippers, a hand in his pocket and a hand holding a half-finished cigarette. He narrowed his eyes against the night wind. ¡°This reminds me of a movie.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± War Tiger knelt beside him, sipping liquor from a small military sk.

    ¡°There was a quote from it: Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free.[1]¡±

    ¡°Nicely said,¡± War Tiger agreed.

    "Uncle War Tiger!" Wang Weiyan''s red wadded jacket shed through the darkness as she ran to him, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Her small hand found hisrger one. "I wanna see fireworks!"

    War Tiger gently pinched her cheek. "Good Yanyan, just wait a little. The fireworks are going to happen soon. It''s gonna be epic and really beautiful!"

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Weiyan ran off happily.

    ¡°You¡¯reunching big fireworks?¡± Gregor asked curiously. ¡°Are you not worried about getting found?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not doing that. Besides, where would I even get something like that?¡± War Tiger said cryptically. ¡°Just wait. It¡¯s probably gonna happen soon.¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡± Gregor caught the operative word.

    War Tiger''s lips curled as he tipped more liquor into his mouth. "We''ll have to see if the Heavenly Way has done its job."

    ...

    The Third Hospital''s inpatient wing stretched toward the night sky, its rooftop a perfect vantage point over the city. Within the metal railing, Old Seven and Crimson Bee upied foldable stools, their down jackets puffed against the cold. Binocrs hung ready at their sides as they maintained their watch.

    Old Seven crossed his legs, cradling a thermos of heated c.

    Crimson Bee worked his gum, eyebrows rising. "Have you not heard it, Old Seven? Not even a dog will drink heated c."

    Old Sevenughed bitterly. ¡°In the past, I would drink everything iced no matter the weather, but recently, my heart has been too cold for me to do that.¡±

    Crimson Bee made a face. ¡°It¡¯s the Lunar New Year. What can possibly make you feel so cold inside?¡±

    ¡°Stop ying dumb.¡± Old Seven nced at Crimson Bee. ¡°One Stone and Ting Ting didn¡¯t return. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Crimson Bee said nonchntly.

    Old Seven leaned closer, voice dropping. "The higher-ups haven''t given a verdict, but I''m pretty sure they have deflected."

    Crimson Bee''s jaw tightened as he tugged at his lips wordlessly.

    "One Stone must have joined the Nine Scions."

    "Or she can just go unaffiliated." Crimson Bee''s deliberate contradiction hung in the air.

    "I told you to stop ying dumb!" Old Seven''s fingers tightened around his thermos. "You knew the reason. Both you and One Stone were Vermilion Bird''s subordinates. It''s clearly stated in the challenge the Nine Scions issued that Vermilion Bird is still alive, and she''s with them."

    His next words came carefully, bnced between jest and probe: "Crimson Bee, you must have thought about it."

    Crimson Bee¡¯s smile faded. He looked up, expression suddenly grave. "Old Seven, why don''t we run, too?"

    Old Seven shot to his feet, face crumpling in exaggerated horror. "Are you¡ªare you mad?! I never even considered that! If you wanna run, run on your own!"

    "Haha!" Crimson Bee''sugh boomed as he pped his thighs. "Look at your face. I was joking. Do you think I''m a traitor like One Stone? I''m 100% loyal to the Qilin Guild!"

    "Same with me!" Old Seven matched his volume, words pitched to carry. "I owe who I am today to the Hundred Rivers Union. How can I possibly deflect?!"

    He settled back into his chair, hands shaking slightly as he unscrewed his thermos for another steadying sip.

    <i>Whoosh.</i> A white sh vaulted over the railing, materializing between them.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Holy!¡±

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Their chairs wobbled dangerously as both men recoiled.

    "Harvest Song?" Old Seven''s voice cracked as recognition hit. "What are you doing?!"

    "Holy! Can you note out of nowhere like that?" Crimson Bee pressed a hand to his racing heart. "I thought you were a ghost."

    "I was patrolling." Harvest Song''s cool tone matched her expressionless face.

    She''d been using Mirror Man to slip between reflective surfaces and ss windows throughout the hospital. The window below their position had held her for the past few minutes.

    Old Seven''s face darkened. "So our earlier conversation..."

    "I heard nothing."

    "Good. We didn''t talk much anyway..." Old Seven''s words died as movement caught his eye.

    "Someone''s here!"

    He spun around, Crimson Bee and Harvest Song tensing beside him.

    <i>Hum.</i> The air shimmered and split, yielding to a blue portal that carved itself into existence. Wandering Tune stepped through, beer pack dangling from his left hand, braised food and peanuts clutched in his right. He froze mid-step at the sight of three pairs of eyes fixed on him. "Oh, you...what are you doing here?"

    ¡°Old Seven and I are on night shift,¡± Crimson Bee said.

    ¡°Patrol,¡± Harvest Song answered.

    ¡°Oh, I thought you were on shift at the number one building.¡± Wandering Tune was a little awkward.

    Then two people walked out of the portal, Lin Fu and Bumblebee.

    The three of them had been watching the New Year G in the living room with the patients and personnel under soft control. The more they watched it, the gloomier their mood became. They then decided that it would be better to have a drink and chat on the rooftop. Pretending that they were going to a toilet break, they had Wandering Tune open a portal and sneak to the rooftop.

    The three at work and the three running from work stared down at each other. The atmosphere was awkward.

    ¡°Haha, why don¡¯t we...have a drink?¡± Wandering Tune broke the silence.

    "No drinking during work." Crimson Bee managed to hold his serious expression for exactly two seconds before his eyebrow quirked up. "But whatever. It''s the New Year."

    "Right on!" Old Seven chimed in, then cast a suspicious nce at Harvest Song. "Little Harvest, you''re not underaged, are you?"

    Harvest Song''s frown could have curdled milk. "I''m a year older than you are."

    "No way. You look like a high school student to me." Bumblebee''sugh died in his throat as Harvest Song''s arctic re found him. He seemed to shrink, barely daring to breathe.

    Lin Fu stroked his beard, a smile ying at his lips as he approached. He lowered his wooden case to the ground, settling onto it like a makeshift throne. "What are you waiting for? Let''s get started."

    The six of them formed a loose circle, the crack of opening beer cans breaking through the night''s silence. But before they could raise their drinks in toast¡ª

    <i>Bang!</i> The rooftop door flew open.

    1. A quote from <i>The Shawshank Redemption</i>. ?

 Chapter 938: Think

    <h4>Chapter 938: Think</h4>

    Like high school students getting caught sneaking out of their dorm at midnight by their teacher, the six of them shot to their feet and hid the beer behind their backs.

    Colorless hade to the rooftop, followed by Rewind.

    ¡°Team Leader!¡±

    ¡°Sister Colorless.¡±

    They greeted Colorless awkwardly.

    Colorless recognized the situation at first nce. Rather than getting angry, she smiled apologetically. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m going to have to break up the party.¡±

    ¡°A mission?¡± Harvest Song asked.

    ¡°Sort of.¡± Colorless sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed that One Stone and Ting Ting deflected. They are very likely to be joining the Nine Scions. The Third Hospital is no longer safe, so we¡¯re moving out again tonight.¡±

    Old Seven''s fingers tightened around his beer can until the aluminum creaked. He threw his head back, draining it in one long pull before crushing the empty can. The metallic crunch spoke of emotions he couldn''t voice.

    The others'' faces twisted with simr conflict, but all held their tongues.

    "Let''s go." Wandering Tune''s bitter smile didn''t reach his eyes as he raised his hand, conjuring a small portal to the basement.

    As the group shuffled toward the shimming doorway, Harvest Song remained still as stone.

    "What is it?" Colorless''s sharp eyes caught the hesitation.

    Harvest Song''s impassive face turned toward the glittering cityscape, her gaze drawn to the Daxu District. "Sister Colorless, can we wait a few more minutes?"

    "Why?"

    "The New Year ising."

    Harvest Song had hidden in the highest ss window of the building earlier to wait for the arrival of the new year, or more specifically, the familiar sight from her memory.

    While Team Leader Goldthread was still around, he once took the team to the Daxu District on the Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve. Harvest Song remembered how beautiful the fireworks that night were.

    Aplicated light glinted in Colorless¡¯ eyes.

    A few secondster, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten minutes.¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, Daxu District.

    A car raced along the brightly-lit road. Liao Liao gripped the wheel, Chen Ying rode shotgun, while Gao Yang and Heavenly Dog upied the back seats.

    After leaving the S Base, Gao Yang had immediately contacted the recon team, meeting at a halfway point. Only after personally confirming that Liao Liao, Chen Ying, and Heavenly Dog were curse-free did he allow himself to rx. The team had been searching the Daxu District, and knowing Gao Yang needed to return to the Spectres'' Mansion, they''d offered him a ride.

    Heavenly Dog sat lost in his own world, white headphones sealed over his ears, eyes closed. His recentprehension of Mute had only deepened his silence. Between Requiem and Mute still at low levels, his voice affected most people like an assault¡ªexcept for Zhang Wei, who Gao Yang suspected could probably maintain an enthusiastic conversation with Cthulhu Themself.

    Gao Yang checked his phone. Ten minutes to midnight. No chance of making it back to Fresh Snow and Wang Zikai in time.

    <i>Ring, ring.</i>

    Every phone in the car chimed simultaneously. They found messages from War Tiger in the group chat titled Nine Twelve???.

    "Worried that the New Year''s bells will be so loud that you can''t hear my blessing, worried that the New Year''s Eve''s firecrackers will be too noisy for you to get my greeting, I choose to greet and give you the blessings early! Happy New Year! Fortunees to you! Love, Uncle Tiger!"

    Gao Yang''s lips twitched. <i>These are such obviously canned messages. Couldn''t you at least edit them properly? It''s already New Year''s Eve, not "early" anymore.</i>

    Liao Liao eased off the elerator, fingers flying across her phone screen to send a message on behalf of the recon team:

    "Weing the new year, may all of you have the wind of fortune in your back, soaring luck ahead of you, peace throughout the four seasons, blessings in all aspects of life, a smooth year iing, stars watching over you, richesing from all directions, harmony in the rtionship, a perfect time in all things, a hundred smooth sailings, a thousand good fortune, and ten thousand good wishes!"

    Nine Frost''s message followed, the screen lighting up with words from their solitary mission.

    "Happy New Year. The Li City looks beautiful now. Thinking that you are in the city, too, I feel a greater warmth from it. Your watcher, Nine Frost."

    "Holy!" Liao Liao''s eyes widened. "A message like this from an aloof man like Nine Frost? You really can''t judge a book by its cover."

    ¡°He¡¯s always been a warm-hearted man who values his bonds.¡± Chen Ying smiled faintly. ¡°You just haven¡¯t had the chance to get to know him.¡±

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Nainai''s message arrived on behalf of the Ni Nation mission team:

    "To all subjects in the Mist World, the holy light of the Empress shines upon thend. In theing new year, all of you will be safe, healthy, and blessed under the grace of this Empress. Nai, the incarnation of Heavenly Way, themander of all beasts, the maker of all rules, the weaver of fate, the only descendent of the Creator Witch and the First Fallen Angel, and the Thorn Empress."

    "As expected of her." Liao Liao''sugh bounced off the car windows. "Her whole title is longer than her blessing."

    <i>Ring.</i>

    Gao Yang''s phone chimed alone this time. Qing Ling''s message waited:

    [Qing Ling: This is the younger Qing Ling. Happy New Year. (From both me and my sister.)]

    [Gao Yang: Happy New Year. (For both you and your sister.)]

    [Qing Ling: Gao Yang, what are you doing now?]

    [Gao Yang: Just done with work. On my way home. You? Everything alright?]

    [Qing Ling: Yeah, don¡¯t worry.]

    [Gao Yang: That¡¯s good.]

    [Qing Ling: Take a photo now, Gao Yang.]

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [Gao Yang: Of what?]

    [Qing Ling: Your surroundings. Show me the city weing the New Year so that I can enjoy the atmosphere vicariously.]

    [Gao Yang: Okay.]

    Deep in the Ni Nation desert, fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across Dr. Jia''s undergroundboratory. Machines hummed and blinked as Dr. Jia wove between them, lost in his busy work.

    In the dim resting area, Little Qing Ling perched on the bed in her tank top and shorts, long legs tucked close, face buried in her knees. Her phone rested against her feet, held loosely in her right hand.

    Nainai curled up on the same bed. After getting woken up, she sent a message she had typed out in advance before falling asleep once more. Wearing chiffon pajamas, she slept all curled up, quiet. One would struggle to connect her sleeping form to the <i>chuuni </i>girl she was when awake.

    <i>Buzz</i>. Qing Ling¡¯s phone vibrated. Gao Yang had sent a photo taken through the car window of the street cast in warm yellow light. It waste at night, but there were still a lot of pedestrians.

    Festive rednterns hung from themp lights, and colorful string lights wrapped around the trees. Almost every door was decorated with couplets. Spent firecrackers carpeted the ground like crimson leaves.

    Little Qing Ling stared at the photo, dazed.

    The longing hit her like a physical ache. She yearned to be at his side, to needle him with teasing remarks just to see his resigned defense or that gentle smile.

    She wanted to hold his hand, hug his arm close, rest on his shoulder.

    She wanted to close her eyes and stay inpanionable silence with him in the wind. Then they would open their eyes and exchange a smile that said more than tens of thousands of words.

    She wanted to love him as a spouse, to wake up with him in the morning, to go to work separately, looking forward to a warm dinner together, and maybe a casual stroll along the river at night.

    She wanted to be with him day after day, year after year, until they built a life like Gao Yang¡¯s parents together. It would be great if they could have a son and a daughter¡ªa gentle, mature older brother and a smart, lovely younger sister.

    She wanted that future. She wasn¡¯t only thinking about it.

    [Qing Ling: Gao Yang, I have something to tell you.]

    [Gao Yang: Go on.]

    [Qing Ling: If one day I disappear, don¡¯t forget about me.]

 Chapter 939: Whatever the Case

    <h4>Chapter 939: Whatever the Case</h4>

    [Gao Yang: Why are you suddenly saying that?]

    [Qing Ling: Haha, just a random thought. Forget what I said. Once I return, let¡¯s go have hot pot together.]

    [Gao Yang: Okay.]

    [Qing Ling: I¡¯ll go to be now. Goodnight.]

    [Gao Yang: Goodnight.]

    Gao Yang tucked his phone away, but not before catching Liao Liao''s knowing smirk in the rearview mirror. "Captain, can Double reach level 8? You should quickly gain the ability to make a real long-term double, or your charm will be your downfall."

    "You know who I was texting?"

    "If it was work, you would either send short messages or make a call for efficiency. But you taking the time to slowly type and wait for responses?" Liao Liao''s eyes danced with mischief. "I would eat my phone if you weren''t flirting."

    "Pfft." Chen Ying''sposure cracked despite her closed eyes as she used Sensory.

    Even Heavenly Dog, usually lost in his headphone bubble, broke his silence with a soft, "Cool."

    "You really have a silver tongue, Captain." Liao Liao''s grin widened as she turned the wheel. "I remind you of your past self? Remind you what?"

    The car glided toward the curb as she continued, "Look at you. You''re ridiculously popr among women! Then look at me. No male creatures have ever shown interest in me since I was a wee child! The rich be richer, and the poor be poorer. Such is the way of the world."

    "Pfft."

    "Cool."

    "It seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me." Gao Yang affected his most dramatic sigh. "It seems we''ll need another heart-to-heart."

    Liao Liao stomped the brake. "I''ll drop you here, Captain. We need to go back to work!"

    "Thanks."

    Gao Yang got out of the car and watched them go. After taking a few steps, his phone rang. The caller ID was ¡°A Best Bro¡±.

    Wang Zikai had stolen his phone and changed the ID himself, adding an A to make sure his contact would be at the top.

    "Gao Yang! The New Year''sing! Where the hell are you?!" Wang Zikai''s irritation crackled through the speaker.

    "Sorry, I don''t think I can make it back in time. It''ll take at least an hour."

    "Didn''t you replicate Fly?!"

    "I can only fly for thirty seconds," Gao Yang exined with resignation. "Then I''ll fall. And using Absolute Barrier instead will make me stand out too much. I don''t want to draw a monster swarm."

    "Yeah, yeah. Tell Fresh Snow yourself."

    Wind rustled, then: "Gao Yang! This is Fresh Snow."

    "I''m sorry, Fresh Snow. I can''t wee the arrival of the New Year with you."

    "It''s fine. I and Stupid Kai...ow! I''m having a good time with Brother Kai. We lit some firecrackers earlier. Brother Kai said that it was meant to drive away the <i>nian </i>beast, that it ate people[1]. Haha, isn''t that talking about Spectres? But I''m not afraid of firecrackers at all..."

    Her voice brightened. "Wang Zikai and Iunched so many fireworks, Gao Yang. And the fire...no, the sparks are like a colorful waterfall. It''s so pretty. I took a video. I''ll send it to youter. Still, I think it''s best to watch in person..."

    "I heated up dumplings in the kitchen for you, Gao Yang, and your favorite spam. If you''re hungry once you get home, you should eat them. Wang Zikai and I don''t feel like sleeping just yet. We''re gonna y some games first..."

    Fresh Snow''s happy chatter continued as Gao Yang walked the festive street and looked for a taxi, ck coat cutting through the celebration around him. One hand stayed warm in his pocket, the other held his phone as his eyes scanned for taxis. The weight of leadership¡ªthe constant calctions, the endless decisions¡ªseemed to lift from his shoulders. For a moment, he felt like just another office worker, hurrying home after overtime to join the celebrations.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Fresh Snow suddenly shouted. ¡°Look at the sky, Gao Yang!¡±

    Before he could ask why, light erupted overhead. A rumble like summer thunder rolled through the city as a massive purple firework bloomed against the night sky. The sparks danced and shifted, forming a brilliant mouse that cast its glow across all of Li City.

    Standing beneath the shimmering disy, Gao Yang had no idea that the spectacr show had originated from the Millennium Tower''s rooftop.

    The Millennium Tower''s Ferris wheel turned steadily, a ring of light marking time''s passage. As the pod marked "12 o''clock" reached its apex, New Year''s bells rippled across the city like waves. From the wheel''s base, a white orb of light shot skyward.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The night split open. Twenty secondster, another burst of color scattered across the ck canvas of the sky, golden sparks raining down until they coalesced into a magnificent ox hovering over Li City.

    "Did you see that, Gao Yang? The fireworks are so pretty!" Fresh Snow''s voice trembled with excitement through the phone.

    "Yeah, I''m seeing it. It is beautiful." Gao Yang''s smile softened his face as he gazed upward.

    "Gao Yang! Happy New Year! I''m super happy to be able to watch the same fireworks under the same sky!"

    "Me too. And we''ll do this again in the future. Happy New Year."

    ...

    In a ward at the Shanqing Hospital, an old many sickly and weak on his bed. His hair had all fallen off, and his skin was ashen. Many IV drips were connected to his body. Old Man Liu, with terminal cancer, was counting down the days, merely holding onto his life.

    It was like a piece of rotten wood preserved with effort, only to have a few pale flowers bloom for a fleeting time, soon to wilt and die.

    Like a withered tree forcing onest bloom, precious and fleeting, before surrendering to winter.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    His shallow breaths ghosted against the oxygen mask, chest barely moving. For a brief moment, his skeletal arms took on a greenish-gray hue, patches of scales emerging like spring shoots in the wrong season. Ten secondster, the unconscious transformation faded, as if it had never happened.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Light suddenly flooded through the window. With monumental effort, Old Man Liu''s clouded eyes dragged toward the brilliance. The oxygen mask fogged with eachbored breath.

    <i>It''s the New Year.</i>

    <i>I''m too old and too weak now, or I would''ve made a table of good food for my brother no matter what.</i>

    ...

    On the river shoal, golden light washed over the gathered crowd, painting them in celestial radiance. Silence held them spellbound.

    Then War Tiger''s joy exploded.

    "Whoa! Hahahaha!"

    "Fucking awesome! You''re awesome, Electric Mouse!"

    These New Year fireworks,unching from the Millennium Tower, were Wu Dahai''s final gift to the city. When the Twelve Zodiac Signs had be whole again¡ªwith Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang joining their ranks¡ªElectric Mouse had invested heavily in his dream: a zodiac-themed firework show visible to every soul in Li City. Though annual fireworks were a tradition, Wu Dahai had envisioned something grander.

    War Tiger had backed the n immediately. It would showcase the Zodiacs'' might, and someone else was footing the bill¡ªwhat wasn''t to love?

    Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide arrived halfway through the project, and Wu Dahai was killed in action. He specified in his will that the project must go on even after his death, though, and it would receive the funds it needed.

    November saw constructionplete, the disy poised to wee the New Year. Then came the unthinkable attack on the Twelve Zodiac Signs. When the Millennium Tower fell, the specially crafted fireworks had been lost in the destruction.

    Although the Heavenly Way had restored the building quickly, War Tiger wasn¡¯t sure if the fireworks had been restored, too. If not, the project team wouldn¡¯t be able to recreate the fireworks in time. If the Heavenly Way had done its job, though, the project team would haveunched the fireworks at twelve tonight ording to Wu Dahai¡¯s will.

    It seemed that the Heavenly Way had done well this time.

    That was a good sign to War Tiger. The heaven was on their side!

    <i>Boom!</i>

    1. A myth rted to the Lunar New Year. It¡¯s said that the nian beastes out then to eat people, so people sacres it away with firecrackers. ?

 Chapter 940: Happy New Year

    <h4>Chapter 940: Happy New Year</h4>

    The third firework split the darkness, bleeding crimson across the night sky. A massive tiger materialized, sprawling over the city like an ancient guardian beast, its presence both magnificent and overwhelming.

    "See that? Tiger! That''s me! That''s me hahaha!" War Tiger''s voice cracked with childlike glee as he pointed skyward.

    Mischievous Monkey had created about a dozen stools with earth elements at some point. The others had all taken a seat¡ªGao Xinxin cradling Lovely Lamb, Quiet Book holding Wang Weiyan, surrounded by Lying Wood, Gregor, Dead Pig, Ke Yo, Raven Shark, and Vermilion Bird. Their faces turned upward, transfixed.

    Colorful lights danced on their faces and reflected in their eyes. The beauty was so overpowering that they forgot who they were for a moment. Conviction, hope, victory, light...all the abstract things that had driven yet tormented them in equal measures took a backseat in their mind.

    At that moment, they merely found joy in the beautiful fireworks and the fact that they had survived to enjoy the sight.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Twenty secondster, the fourth firework bloomed. A white rabbit bounded across the sky, its toes twinkling with rainbow hues.

    Lovely Lamb''s delighted expression froze. Her eyes welled with tears as sheunched herself from Gao Xinxin''sp, running toward the river with raw anguish. "Sister White Rabbit! Sister White Rabbit, don''t go..."

    "Lovely Lamb!" Gao Xinxin caught her from behind; she sank to her knees, her eyes red.

    War Tiger had waded knee-deep into the river, his massive frame silhouetted against the illuminated sky. He raised his sk in silent tribute, draining thest drops.

    ...

    At a tall apartment building in the Feiyang District, a woman in her forties called out from the balcony, ¡°Son! Husband! Come and check! The fireworks are so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Guang Huan was holding a half-burned incense stick, and the middle-aged man behind him was covered in scraps of firecrackers. The father and son had justunched firecrackers downstairs.

    Guang Huan kicked off his shoes and rushed to the balcony. It felt like he was walking into a patch of daylight. ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s big! Wouldn¡¯t the entire city be seeing this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± His father came up to him andmented, ¡°I wonder how much the owner of the Millenium Tower spent on the show this year. The man had enough wealth to do anything.¡±

    Guang Huan''s smile faded as he watched the lights dance. Loss crept in like a winter draft, driving him to pull out his phone. His fingers found Gao Xinxin''s number by muscle memory alone, typing his hundred-and-thirty-seventh unanswered message:

    "It''s the New Year, Gao Xinxin. The fireworks show at the Millennium Tower this year is particrly beautiful. I hope you''re seeing it, too. They all said that you went missing. You must have just gotten tired of your current life, right? You must be leading a different life in another ce right now. If you ever think of me, your old ssmate, contact me anytime. Happy New Year!"

    ...

    The downtown of Daxu District was packed, all young people out to celebrate the New Year. The roads were crammed with cars, the traffic jam showing no signs of relenting. It was no less crowded than rush hour.

    A car with a te number ending in 36 was unfortunately caught in the traffic jam, but the driver didn¡¯t seem in a rush. She lowered the car window and rested a hand on the frame, enjoying the waves of cheers and the fireworks above.

    Chen Ying and Heavenly Dog followed suit, rolling down their windows to let the festival atmosphere flood the car.

    <i>Boom!</i> Deep green light washed over them as another firework burst overhead, transforming the city into an underwater dreamscape. The "culprit" materialized¡ªa massive emerald dog sprawled across the night sky.

    Heavenly Dog cocked his head. Under his longshes, his clear eyes glinted, reflecting the beautiful fireworks.

    A smile touched his lips.

    ¡°Cool.¡±

    ...

    Central za, Daxu District.

    Countless couples kissed at the monument. Zhong Jing and a fashionable young man held each other intimately amid the crowd, kissing passionately with no regard for the others.

    ¡°Babe, I¡¯m so happy!¡± Zhou Jing held the man. ¡°This is our one-month anniversary after falling in love! And it¡¯s the New Year¡¯s Eve. It¡¯s such a meaningful moment!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re spending the next new year together, too!¡± The man sounded excited as well. ¡°I¡¯ll love you forever, babe!¡±

    After a pause, Zhou Jingughed coquettishly and pped the man on the chest. ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy!¡±

    ...

    At the observatory on top of the Green Mountian, Nine Frost sat outside the marble railing with his back arched, wearing a windbreaker and a ck baseball cap with a pair of binocrs around his neck. In his hand was a half-finished chocte stick. The dangerous steep bluff stretched right below his feet.

    His left arm bore a bloodied gray badge marked with "4", while golden thread on his right tactical glove spelled out "9". Wind whipped around him as he watched the massive fireworks climb almost to his level. He smiled, taking another bite.

    ...

    Tabletop Cafe Borderruners, Degenerate Street of Li City University.

    It was said that the owner of the shop had pawned it to Wang Shu, an employee, at a cheap price after going abroad, leading to an exodus of old customers. It couldn¡¯t be better for Wang Shu, though. She couldn¡¯t deal with too many customers. It was too exhausting.

    Tonight, for example, many hade to y games overnight, filling all the booths at the shop. Wang Shu had been busy from eight at night to twelve at midnight. She couldn¡¯t even drink water properly, and if she went on a toilet break, her phone would ring thrice.

    ¡°Shop Owner, two cups of coffee!¡±

    ¡°Coming right up!¡±

    ¡°Shop Owner, the rules of this game is soplicated! Please exin for us!¡±

    ¡°Just a moment!¡±

    ¡°Shop Owner, I have a huge crush on you! Will you be my girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Is it truth or dare this time?¡±

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Golden light flooded through the lobby''s window wall, turning night to sudden day. Wang Shu froze mid-motion, tray in one hand, phone in the other, game box wedged under her arm.

    As she turned to the window, celebratory cheers erupted around her, weing the lunar new year. Her eyes narrowed in azy smile. "Happy New Year. Another year older now."

    ...

    Office of Superintendent Su, Third Hospital.

    In the dark room, a television was ying the New Year G. Qilin, still wearing a white coat and his gold-framed sses, sat on his chair with his eyes closed in rest, his hands sped on his abdomen.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The sudden bloom of fireworks painted the office in an ethereal light. He opened his eyes slowly, chair pivoting to face the window behind him with deliberate grace.

    Harsh light transformed Qilin''s gentle features into an baster mask. His left eye reflected the sky''s disy, deep and dark as a midnightke, seeming to search beyond the immediate spectacle for something more distant, more significant.

    A soft whir announced Surnamed Li''s arrival from the adjacent room, her wheelchair gliding forward until she joined Qilin at the window.

    The changing fireworks cast changing lights in the office. It was as if the two of them were sitting in an expressway to the future, awaiting their stop.

    Surnamed Li removed her tortoiseshell sses and lowered her head, taking two ck Gold bullets out of her pocket. They no longer had their use, yet she continued to stare at them for a long time.

    Then she put the bullets away and raised her head. ¡°We should go.¡±

    Qilin didn¡¯t turn around or respond. His eyes remained fixed on the sky.

    ...

    Rooftop of the inpatient building, Third Hospital.

    The firework show at the Millenium Towersted close to four minutes. Then finally, thest zodiac sign, pig, upied the sky for twenty seconds before fading into the dark.

    Colorless, Rewind, Harvest Song, Old Seven, Crimson Bee, Wandering Tune, Lin Fu, and Bumblebee stood transfixed, quietly watching the beautiful grand show in silence. Though the show came from enemy hands, none could deny its magnificence. It would remain, they knew, the most spectacr fireworks disy they''d ever witnessed.

    They even foundfort in that. At the night weing the Lunar New Year, as they were haunted by helplessness, anxiety, and confusion, at the least they would have a happy memory that followed the tradition.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The second phase erupted as countless fireworks ascended in perfect harmony, painting a massive white heart against the canvas of night. Another thunderous crack, and the heart burst into pink flowers. Their petals scattered like living things, transforming into thousands of rose-hued butterflies that seemed destined to carry light into every home they touched.

    Colorless''s stern mask cracked, her eyes softening. After a thoughtful pause, she said, "Many things have happened this year, everyone. We all have too much to say and don''t know where to even start. It''s the same for me. Nevertheless..."

    She stepped forward, bending to retrieve a beer can. The snap of the tab opening cut through the night. She raised the can in a toast to herpanions.

    "Happy New Year."

    The others exchanged nces, smiles blooming as they lifted their own cans in response.

    "Happy New Year!"

 Chapter 941: Well, On That

    <h4>Chapter 941: Well, On That</h4>

    Half an hourter, Spectres¡¯ Mansion.

    The firece crackled in the mansion''s living room, casting dancing shadows across the walls along with the light fixtures. On therge cozy sofa, a blond boy and a silver-haired girl sat in stark contrast to each other.

    Wang Zikai perched on the sofa, barefoot and red-faced, his fingers flying over the controller as he stared wide-eyed at the screen. Fresh Snow curled into herself, chin resting on her knees, eyes narrowed drowsily as she clicked her controller withzy precision.

    She yawned and tapped another button. <i>K.O.</i> The green-skinned beast copsed, while the twin-bunned character leaped in victory.

    "No way!" Wang Zikai hurled the controller aside and jumped off the sofa. "No fricking way!"

    Five matches lost in a row. He''d held back at first, then gone all out when he sensed something was wrong¡ªand still, Fresh Snow had crushed him effortlessly.

    It couldn''t be! Last time they''d yed, she could barely keep up.

    Fresh Snow lowered her controller and shed him a mischievous smile. "Maybe next time, stupid."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You, you you you..." Wang Zikai''s eyes widened with revtion. "You lost to me on purposest time?"

    Fresh Snow pursed her lips. "Nah, you were better then."

    "Lies! Terrible lies!" Wang Zikai paced, his arms iling. "Why would you do that?!"

    Fresh Snow remained silent.

    "Ah!" He whirled around. "Gao Yang was therest time! You were trying to win his sympathy... Whoa, Fresh Snow. You''ve changed. You''ve be so fake! I''m gonna tell Gao Yang!"

    "You can''t!" Fresh Snow straightened, rm breaking through her usualposure. "I, I''m not fake. I''m just..."

    "Just what? Say it!" Wang Zikai leaned forward.

    "I just want us to fight and argue like before." Fresh Snow''s gaze dropped to her controller. "Gao Yang''s been through a lot. I want him to be happier."

    Wang Zikai fell silent, then dropped back onto the sofa with a heavy exhale.

    "You''re right. That brat''s been acting more and more strangely ever since he became a leader. We have to do something about it."

    "Yeah." Fresh Snow nodded.

    "I have an idea!" Wang Zikai''s eyes gleamed as he turned to her with a smirk. "Why don''t you be his girlfriend?"

    "Huh?" Fresh Snow''s eyes widened. "Why?"

    "Think about it. Best bro is best bro, but a girlfriend waiting at home every day..." He pounded his chest triumphantly. "See what time he''ll get home then!"

    "Pfft."

    Fresh Snow waved him off with augh, though disappointment flickered in her eyes. "But my sister said Gao Yang doesn''t like me, and that fruit picked by force won''t be sweet."

    "But it''ll make you less thirsty!" Wang Zikai dered as if stating the obvious.

    Fresh Snow paused, taken aback by this unexpected addition to the proverb.

    Wang Zikai leaped up, warming to the idea. "History teaches us that you have to be bold and decisive to achieve great things! Just going with the flow? Nonsense! If I''d done that, Gao Yang and I would still be strangers!"

    "Really?"

    Fresh Snow had assumed Wang Zikai must have grown up with Gao Yang like she and her sister had, but they''d only be brothers halfway through their lives.

    "Hmph!" Wang Zikai lifted his chin, chest puffing out. "You''re in luck. I''m gonna give you a few tips."

    "Yeah." Fresh Snow sat up straighter, hugging a pillow to her chest. Anything involving Gao Yang instantly captured her attention.

    "The first day of high school," Wang Zikai began with a dramatic pause, "I drove a car to school for registration¡ª"

    "Wait, how did you get a license when you were a freshman?" Fresh Snow interrupted, proud of her growing knowledge about human systems.

    "Don''t interrupt me!" Wang Zikai waved his hands in exasperation. "That''s not the point!"

    "Oh, okay."

    "So I was driving, and this idiot who wasn''t looking the right way almost crashed into my car." Wang Zikai jumped up, acting out the scene. "I''d just bought that car! What kind of bad omen would it be if I''d hit someone the first day?"

    He punched the air for emphasis. "I was pissed. Kicked the door open, ready to teach him a lesson. Usually, I would''ve beaten the idiot up and knocked their teeth out."

    A grin split his face. "But guess what? That idiot was Gao Yang!"

    ¡°Haha.¡± Picturing the scene in her head, Fresh Snowughed, happy for reasons she didn¡¯t quite understand.

    ¡°The moment I saw him, I felt a strong sense of familiarity. There was a voice in my head saying, ¡®Wang Zikai, this is someone you can befriend!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Then?¡± Fresh Snow asked excitedly.

    "Then I asked about his name, his ss, his address, his family members, if he yed games, did he have a girlfriend..."

    Fresh Snow giggled. "Stupid Kai, why were you interrogating him like you needed to check his household registration?"

    "Oh, look who''s grown up! You even know what household registration is." Wang Zikai thumped his chest proudly. "Are you kidding? Of course I had to get to know my future brother properly. I have really high standards!"

    Fresh Snow pulled a face at him.

    "Haha." Wang Zikai''s eyes sparkled as he lost himself in the memory. "And it turned out he was my ssmate! That''s fate, right? So I invited him to y games and treated him to meals. Before long, we got closer."

    "Whoa," Fresh Snow nodded slowly. "So you picked Gao Yang by force."

    Wang Zikai shifted ufortably. "Ahem, how should I put this? No rtionship is just about forcing things one way. It''s about...taking initiative. Ah, it depends on individual cases, right? Gao Yang and I...it wasn''t exactly about forcing anything..."

    "Alright." Fresh Snow snorted. "You don''t have to exin yourself."

    Wang Zikai dropped the pretense, grinning. "I''ll be honest with you, Fresh Snow. Pretty sure Gao Yang didn''t like me much at first. He seemed kind of scared of me. But look now¡ªI''m his best bro!"

    "So if you want something, you have to fight for it. Especially with a reserved one like Gao Yang. You got me?"

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