《Life Game In Other World》 Chapter 1 - 1 1 I am a law-abiding good person new book seeking collection ?1: Chapter 1: I am a law-abiding good person (new book seeking collection) 1: Chapter 1: I am a law-abiding good person (new book seeking collection) He Ao, male, eighteen years old, unmarried, good-natured, honest and simple, not good with words, a good person. Life goal: Make money. Click¡ª A falling ballpoint pen landed next to He Ao¡¯s seat, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at the pen, pressed one hand on the desktop and reached down with the other, bending over. In an instant, the noisy environment around him halted for a moment, until his slender hand picked up the black ballpoint pen from the ground and handed it to its owner who had rushed over to stand up. ¡°Thank... thank you.¡± He Ao seemed to hear a deep intake of breath and a heart beating rapidly. ¡°No need,¡± He Ao said as he passed the ballpoint pen to the pale trembling hand, showing a smile to the girl in front of him wearing a loose long dress, ¡°after all, I am a law-abiding good person.¡± ¡°Good...,¡± the girl gripped the ballpoint pen tightly, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, ¡°thank you... you.¡± Then, without waiting for He Ao to reply, she scurried to the front row and sat down. He Ao straightened up slightly, his gaze sweeping over the people around him who had been watching him. In an instant, everyone turned their heads away, and the awkward noise started up again. They didn¡¯t know what to talk about, but as long as they avoided He Ao¡¯s gaze, it was fine. He Ao smiled faintly, opened his book, and continued to ponder his life goal. This was the corner of the classroom near the windows at the back row, a spot usually most popular among college students. However, a large vacuum space had formed around He Ao. Everyone only dared to look at him from a distance. ¡ª After class, on the streets outside school. ¡°Nannan, did you hear that He Ao from Class 2 helped you pick up your pen during class?¡± A short-haired girl excitedly crossed the street and ran over, hugging the girl¡¯s waist in an instant. ¡°Mm.¡± Liu Nan shook off her hand. ¡°How did it feel?¡± The short-haired girl immediately followed up with a question. ¡°Very strange, a bit scared, but also a bit excited... My mind went blank,¡± Liu Nan pondered for a moment, then hoisted her shoulder bag up, ¡°but now that I think about it, he doesn¡¯t seem as scary as the rumors say.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The short-haired girl leaned in, sticking her head out, ¡°But I heard... Let me tell you, I just overheard from over there... ¡± The short-haired girl moved closer in a secretive manner, signaling Liu Nan to lower her head, and then whispered into Liu Nan¡¯s ear, ¡°He might have... before... ¡± She surreptitiously made a throat-slitting gesture. ¡°What?!¡± Liu Nan was startled, her voice rising significantly, then she laughed in resignation, ¡°Where did you hear such gossip? It¡¯s clearly a case of rumors getting distorted.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just gossiping a bit,¡± The short-haired girl pouted her lips. ¡°You...¡± While Liu Nan was distracted talking to the short-haired girl, she suddenly felt a strong pull on her shoulder. Before she could react, the shoulder bag was yanked away by a tremendous force. A man brushed past her, snatched her bag with a fierce tug, and ran off into the distance. ¡°Robbery! There¡¯s a robbery!¡± The short-haired girl snapped to attention and shouted loudly, but as she turned around, she realized that Liu Nan had already taken off in pursuit, so she hastily followed suit. The streets were sparsely populated at this moment, allowing the bag-snatching culprit to run madly ahead unimpeded. Liu Nan was closely trailing behind him, while the short-haired girl, some distance back, took out her phone and began to call the police as she ran. But a distracted person can easily slow down, and by the time she had finished her call, Liu Nan had turned so many corners that she was out of sight. She was taken aback and exclaimed, ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡ª- Chasing into a deserted alley, Liu Nan too started to sense that something was amiss. The thief she was pursuing could definitely have widened the gap between them, but instead, he seemed to maintain just enough speed to keep her at bay, luring her deeper into the alley. Behind her were only two ¡®good Samaritans¡¯ who had come to help, and just as she was about to turn around and cry for help, she suddenly realized that both of these ¡®good Samaritans¡¯ were adult men who had yet to overtake her, lagging far behind. Her pace gradually slowed, and as the thief ahead and the ¡®good Samaritans¡¯ behind also began slowing, a sudden panic rose in her mind when she noticed that both her escape routes were now blocked, and people from both sides were slowly closing in on her. This wasn¡¯t robbery¡ªit was kidnapping! These people had plenty of experience, effectively cutting off all her escape paths. As the people from both sides drew closer, countless thoughts raced through her mind, and just as she prepared to seize a gap and desperately try to break through the encirclement, a youth wearing black clothes and long hair, sporting plain glasses and a large black backpack, suddenly turned into the alley from the other end. ¡°He Ao... Brother He?¡± The two ¡®good Samaritans¡¯ behind Liu Nan quivered and shouted out as they saw the youth appear, then turned to run. ¡°What the hell, Brother He¡ªthese guys are just so unreliable.¡± The ringleader who had stolen the bag saw his two accomplices flee and knew someone had come from behind; he cursed as he slowly pulled out a folding knife from his pocket, waiting for the footsteps drawing near from behind to approach. ¡°Watch out!¡± Liu Nan instinctively shouted a warning. By now, the youth had reached the thief¡¯s rear, seemingly not hearing Liu Nan¡¯s warning and calmly continuing towards the thief. The thief heard Liu Nan¡¯s shout, using the moment she raised her voice to wield his knife, spinning around to stab. People tend to get distracted when someone calls out to them, and he was banking on that moment of distraction. However, the youth behind wasn¡¯t distracted by Liu Nan¡¯s voice and deftly dodged the thrust of the knife, countering with a slap to the side of the thief¡¯s face. With a loud smack, the man went limp and fell to the ground, knocked out. Everything unfolded so swiftly that Liu Nan hadn¡¯t even had the chance to react. ¡°You just... you knocked him out?¡± ¡°The area below the earlobe is close to the medulla oblongata¡¯s respiratory center. A heavy blow to this spot can cause the respiratory center to be suppressed, leading to temporary unconsciousness,¡± the young man calmly explained as he crouched down, turning the unconscious man over and speaking in a soothing tone. ¡°However, I wouldn¡¯t recommend you try this move. Someone untrained is likely to misjudge the force needed, and if you don¡¯t knock your opponent out right away, you might end up getting caught. My advice is to run to a crowded place and call the police if you find yourself in a similar situation in the future.¡± After flipping the man over, the youth then leisurely took out a pink pair of handcuffs from the backpack behind him and lifted the man¡¯s hands, cuffing them behind his back. ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Liu Nan watched his somewhat familiar face, at a loss for words momentarily, so she looked at the small handcuffs and tentatively sought a topic. ¡°He Ao... are you a cop?¡± ¡°No,¡± He Ao shook his head as he secured the handcuffs, ¡°I bought these handcuffs from the adult store near the north gate of our school. They¡¯ve got good quality there.¡± Liu Nan: ¡°Huh?¡± Chapter 2 - 2 2 The Game of Life Copies Happy New Year! ?2: Chapter 2: The Game of Life Copies (Happy New Year! New Book Release, Please Collect) 2: Chapter 2: The Game of Life Copies (Happy New Year! New Book Release, Please Collect) ¡°Liu Nan, are you a student?¡± He Ao picked up the bag and handed it to her, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Not, not yet.¡± Liu Nan subconsciously replied. ¡°Me neither.¡± He Ao smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Liu Nan, as a student caught in such a situation, was bound to panic, so he had been chatting with her to ease her nerves. However, it seemed that Liu Nan was quite brave herself and wasn¡¯t much frightened. Just as he finished speaking, a rush of hurried footsteps came. A small squad of police officers burst into the alley, ushering in the two ¡®good Samaritans¡¯ who had just run away, and upon raising their eyes, they saw He Ao talking to Liu Nan and the thug lying unconscious on the ground. ¡°Captain Liu,¡± He Ao greeted the middle-aged police officer leading the team excitedly, and before the officer could speak, He Ao quickly added, ¡°Class C wanted criminal, Zhang Shi¡¯an, ten thousand yuan.¡± ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Captain Liu laughed and waved his hand, directing his officers to handcuff the lying Zhang Shi¡¯an, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t be so proactive without being tight on money. Don¡¯t do something so dangerous again next time.¡± ¡°Hehe, got it.¡± He Ao showed an innocuous smile. ¡°He Ao, are you a student?¡± Just then, the somewhat dazed Liu Nan finally reacted, looking at He Ao who was talking with the police, ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re the class leader, right? I even helped you pick up your pen this morning. That¡¯s included as an extra service, so no extra charge.¡± He Ao nodded and then took out a black notebook from the side pocket of his backpack, flipped to a middle page, and handed it to Liu Nan, ¡°Liu Nan, sign here and leave your number.¡± Liu Nan bewilderedly took the notebook, seeing it was filled with a variety of names and phone numbers, some she recognized, some she didn¡¯t. Some names were checked off, while others weren¡¯t marked at all. After hesitating for a moment, she still wrote down her own name and phone number. ¡°What use is this, He Ao?¡± She handed back the notebook, asking with some puzzlement. ¡°No real use,¡± He Ao said with a smile as he took back the notebook, ¡°See, I saved you once, and neither of us has eaten yet. It¡¯s not too much to ask you to buy me a meal, right?¡± ¡°Not too much...¡± Although Liu Nan thought the request was a bit strange, she still nodded lightly, ¡°Shall we go eat in a bit?¡± ¡°No rush,¡± He Ao counted the names in the notebook, ¡°You¡¯re not up yet. When it¡¯s your turn, I¡¯ll give you a call.¡± ¡°Is this book filled with people you¡¯ve saved before?¡± Liu Nan found He Ao seemingly not too difficult to get along with, and feeling a bit bolder, she asked. ¡°Some are, some aren¡¯t.¡± He Ao closed the notebook and casually slipped it back into the side pocket of his backpack. ¡°Then...¡± Although Liu Nan didn¡¯t mind the idea of buying him a meal, since she often treated people to meals, she inquired, ¡°You saved me, and just a meal is enough for you?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± He Ao frowned slightly, looking Liu Nan up and down carefully, ¡°Are you thinking of offering yourself in gratitude or something, Liu? That¡¯s not called being grateful, that¡¯s seeking revenge!¡± Liu Nan: ??? ¡°He Ao,¡± However, before Liu Nan could speak, the team-leading officer called out, ¡°Where is this fugitive from?¡± ¡°Here it comes,¡± He Ao was always very eager when it came to his benefactor. As he walked over, he said, ¡°Fugitive ID C121574024, came over from Liangzhou, a human trafficker.¡± Liangzhou was located in the northwest of the Central Earth Republic, more than a thousand kilometers from Xidu, where He Ao currently was. ¡°You really have a good memory, kid,¡± Captain Liu patted his shoulder, then looked toward an officer who was taking notes, ¡°Did you get all that?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The officer nodded slightly, as He Ao had read the number carefully, pausing after each digit to make it easier to write down. ¡°Liu Nan, there you are,¡± the shout of a short-haired girl came from behind, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Liu Nan startled, turned around in confusion, touched her delicate cheek, and asked softly, ¡°Nannan, am I ugly?¡± At that moment, having finished talking with Captain Liu, He Ao, seeing Liu Nan now accompanied by someone else, quietly left. He was not good at dealing with such social interactions, which he found time-consuming and meaningless. He Ao¡¯s home was not far, just next to the university. After circling around a small alley, he arrived at the entrance to the residential complex. At this moment, a delivery boy was pacing at the entrance, glancing into the complex now and then. He had been waiting for several minutes already. ¡°Thank you.¡± He Ao stood in front of the delivery boy, thanked him, and took the cake from his hands. The slightly cold sensation traveled from the paper box to his fingertips as he slowly walked into the depths of the complex. The delivery boy got on his electric scooter, ready to leave, but just as he started to move, he was stopped by a figure wearing a sharp suit. ¡°Excuse me, did you just see this person?¡± ¡ª¡ª Climbing the old staircase step by step, to apartment 502 of building three, He Ao took out his keys and opened the door to his empty home. He entered, closed the door, and put on the security chain. Today was his birthday. He placed the cake on the old table and glanced at the quartz watch on his wrist. Eighteen years ago today, in one more hour he would come into this world. Few people can remember the exact moment they were born, but He Ao was an exception, though he didn¡¯t particularly enjoy being one. 7:32:56 PM, the time of his birth. He Ao shifted his gaze, and everything in his line of sight moved with it, but in the bottom right corner of his vision, there was a spot where the scenery remained unchanged, no matter how he moved his eyes, it was still there. It was a string of gray translucent jumping numbers. A countdown composed of hours, minutes, and seconds, which had ticked away from the second he was born until now. 157,799 hours, without a moment¡¯s pause. At this moment, the countdown reached 01:00:00, the final hour. For a long time, He Ao thought it was a countdown to his death, living each day in fear, but now he had grown accustomed to the presence of this countdown. He cut the cake into many pieces with a knife, then calmly ate every piece, tranquilly watching the numbers jump. 00:00:01 Survival or death, there would be an outcome. Bang bang bang¡ª¡ª The urgent knocking suddenly resounded, followed by the crisp turning of the lock core and the squeaking noise, the old security door was slowly pushed open. 00:00:00 In that instant, time reset to zero, and everything went dark before He Ao¡¯s eyes. [Do you find life boring?] [Do you want to experience a different life in another world?] [We have tycoons, assassins, hunters, beggars, countless random identities for you to experience.] [Would you like to start the game now?] [Yes][No] A page similar to a computer pop-up advertisement appeared in his field of vision. So, the thing that had followed me for eighteen years was this game? Ridiculous, how could I, a law-abiding good citizen, find life boring? He Ao let out a cold laugh and chose [Yes] [Initializing system¡¤¡¤¡¤] [Loading game.] [Welcome to the Life Copy World game] [New player mission loading, now matching you with a random life role.] [Matching successful] [Your role is: Evil God Priest Yezola] ¡ª¡ª (New book uploaded, please collect and follow) Chapter 3 - 3 3 Priest of the God of Knowledge ?3: Chapter 3: Priest of the God of Knowledge 3: Chapter 3: Priest of the God of Knowledge Drip-drip¡ªdrip-drip¡ª The clear sound of water droplets, along with the sticky noise of slimy limbs rubbing against each other, awakened He Ao from his chaotic slumber. [Game Start] [In this game, you will role-play a game character, please read the following cautions carefully] [1. Please note, once role-play starts, the player is the character. Being seen through will result in game failure.] [2. Please note, all physical items acquired during the game cannot be taken away after the game ends.] [3. Please note, in the game, you have only one life. Cherish it. Irresponsible gaming, loved ones shed tears twice.] [Your identity is: Priest Yezola of the God of Knowledge] [Your mission is: To complete the Descending Ceremony of the God of Knowledge¡¯s offspring as planned] [Wish you a pleasant game] After these brightly flickering Song typeface characters that filled He Ao¡¯s vision disappeared, he finally made out his current surroundings. The first thing that caught his eye was a wide underground cave. Droplets of water slid down the pitch-black cave walls and fell to the ground with a drip-drip sound, and all around the cave were dark passages stretching in all directions, with not a single ray of sunlight filtering in. But the cave was not completely dark; on the damp cave walls, there were densely packed clusters resembling vegetal tubers. These ¡®tubers¡¯ emitted a faint glow, providing the cave with a hazy light. Evil God, sacrifice, Advent, ritual. Key terms resurfaced in He Ao¡¯s mind. That ¡®thing¡¯ which had accompanied him for eighteen years seemed to have brought him into some kind of ¡®game,¡¯ where he needed to role-play a certain character. It appeared this game was not any ordinary urban game. Given these elements, it reminded He Ao more of some fantasy games or fantasy novels. He Ao did not panic. He was calm. The more dangerous and unfamiliar the place, the more imperative it was to remain calm. Humans had become the rulers of the world not only because of their agile bodies but more importantly, because of their developed brains. He Ao placed his faith in the results of evolution. This was science. He Ao attempted to move his ¡®body,¡¯ and that¡¯s when he realized something was wrong. Accompanied by a slithery friction sound, he lifted a massive tentacle. ... It seemed this wasn¡¯t any ordinary fantasy game either. While operating these ¡®new limbs¡¯ was more troublesome than ¡®hands and feet,¡¯ with the instincts of this body, He Ao quickly adapted to controlling these ¡®limbs.¡¯ But as he was trying to maneuver them, a sudden, intense pain shot through him from one side. Almost at the same time, similar sensations of piercing pain came from several other directions. One after another, dark metal stakes lit up in the dim cave. There were eight in total, neatly distributed in eight directions. Each metal stake had an ultra-thin wire extending into He Ao¡¯s current ¡®body.¡¯ As He Ao began to move, these metal stakes activated simultaneously, injecting intense electric shocks into He Ao¡¯s body through the wires. The sharp pain had come from these sources. These dark metal stakes were hidden in the dim environment, and He Ao hadn¡¯t noticed them at first. The prickling sensation wasn¡¯t too strong for He Ao, akin to the feeling of a silver needle slowly penetrating a fingertip along the edge of a nail, which was bearable. However, he still slowed down his movements and stopped, as he heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from a passage connected to the cave. The vision of this body was not great, but its hearing was quite good. As his movements ceased, the metal stakes too gradually quieted down. Eight figures emerged from the passage, all dressed in tight black combat suits, adorned with various firearms and equipment. The moment they appeared, lines of grey semi-transparent text flashed above their heads, Mechanically Modified Person*8 It seemed to be a game hint that only He Ao could see. Hmm, Song typeface. The elements were getting more and more jumbled... Among these people, the leader was a tall young woman, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with soft brown wavy hair. As soon as she appeared, she quickly walked to the black metal stakes, squatted down, and checked them one by one, ¡°The confinement device has just been activated,¡± the woman lifted her head, looking at He Ao, ¡°We need to deal with this guy first.¡± At the same time, He Ao was also watching the blonde woman, a strong sense of danger surged into his mind. This sense did not come from the system, but from the body itself. Interestingly, aside from this woman, the other seven individuals in He Ao¡¯s ¡®perception¡¯ seemed like weaklings that he could easily crush. ¡°Miss Selena, but we haven¡¯t found the Ritual Array yet,¡± said a man standing to the left behind the woman. He was holding a high-end-looking black firearm, ¡°And this guy has already had his consciousness crushed by us. These cultists are just mindless lunatics with great power. Once their consciousness collapses, they¡¯re just trash. There¡¯s no need to be so vigilant.¡± He then added with a smile, ¡°Maybe he just twitched a little just now, triggering the confinement device. And even if he were conscious, he might not be able to break free from the confinement device¡¯s restraint, since you know how painful it is when the device is activated.¡± The man was standing behind the woman to her side, seemingly of a higher status than the others. The rest of the team aligned closer to him rather than the blonde woman, indicating that he was the true core of the group. ¡°According to the Church of Knowledge¡¯s customs, if we don¡¯t find the Ritual Array at his residence, then it must be under his body,¡± The blonde woman didn¡¯t turn back to look at her lieutenant; instead, she turned her head towards a team member at the end who was holding a box and waved at him. The team member discreetly glanced at the man who had just spoken and then quickly walked up with the box. It was a pitch-black metal box covered with thick protective armor. There was a smooth display-like surface on top of the box. The blonde woman placed her palm on the surface, ¡°As long as we kill this guy, we can see the Ritual Array.¡± Streams of pure white light illuminated the box. The blonde woman¡¯s palm seemed to be some kind of key, unlocking the previously locked box. Meanwhile, He Ao was getting accustomed to all his limbs. While they were talking, he had slowly prepared to attack. The sharp perception from this body told him that something very dangerous was inside the box. Waiting passively for death wasn¡¯t his style. However, the unexpected came faster than his attack. Chapter 4 - 4 4 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada ?4: Chapter 4: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada 4: Chapter 4: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada At the moment when the blonde woman, Selena, focused all her attention on the box, the man standing behind her suddenly thrust out his hand and slapped her back with force. Shimmering electric arcs instantly pierced through both the blonde woman¡¯s combat suit and the man¡¯s glove, and it was only then that He Ao realized the hand covered by the glove and sleeve was not made of flesh and blood, but of pure machinery. ¡°Job, what are you doing?¡± Having been hit by that palm, Selena did not fly backward, but instead leaned forward, trying to protect the metal box in front of her. But someone was faster, the very same team member who had been holding the box. He sprung from his bent knees and leaped three to four meters, snatching the unlocked metal box from in front of Selena. By then, He Ao had regained control of his limbs and put up his defenses, watching the drama unfold with interest. The moment Job¡¯s hand hit Selena, He Ao felt her level of danger rapidly diminishing. Seeing through the destroyed jacket on Selena¡¯s back, He Ao also discerned the structure of her back¡ªfirst, there was her soft and delicate skin, which had been sliced open to reveal a mass of circuits underneath, still sparkling with electric arcs. So, she was a mechanically modified person. Selena clearly felt that her mobility had been restricted. She turned her head to look at her deputy behind her, ¡°What have you done to me?¡± ¡°Relax, Miss Selena.¡± After delivering the slap, Job immediately retreated three to four meters, establishing a relatively safe distance. He wore a calm smile, acting as if he had done a trivial thing, ¡°It¡¯s just a new type of mechanized body virus that replicates a large amount of redundant data, causing your central processor to enter a brief period of overclocking,¡± He shrugged with his gun in hand, ¡°I really don¡¯t know why you all choose to modify your flesh into these fully mechanized bodies. Not only do you miss out on a lot of fun, but they are also so fragile.¡± The principle of this virus did sound intriguing, reminiscent of certain computer viruses that caused computers to freeze by overloading the CPU. He Ao watched them quietly, trying to gather as much information as possible from their conversation. But, mechanized bodies? Entirely mechanically modified bodies? Looking at Selena¡¯s appearance, it seemed her whole body had been transformed into machinery. Was this the technology of this world? ¡°Job,¡± Selena twisted her head with difficulty, ¡°attacking a Federation Investigator is a criminal offense. Do you want to go to the Federation court?¡± He Ao, who had been lost in thought, perked up at this. He considered himself a law-abiding and righteous person, after all. ¡°The Federation? The Federation doesn¡¯t have jurisdiction over the wastelands,¡± Job sneered and stepped back two more paces, his eyes signaling to the two team members closest to Selena, ¡°The time is about right, restrain her.¡± The two team members hesitated briefly before rushing forward, each producing a metal ring and slipping them onto Selena¡¯s wrists. They pulled her hands behind her back and with a light press, the two metal rings were magnetically sealed together, imprisoning Selena. During this process, Selena tried to resist, but her body simply wouldn¡¯t obey her commands. She could only perform basic movements and was unable to attack. She actually still had some offensive capability left and had been feigning weakness in the hopes that Job would fall for the trick and attack her, so she could take him hostage and find a way to remove the virus. But Job was as cunning as a hyena, avoiding her by staying safely out of reach until the virus was fully effective. He Ao also thought Job was rather scummy, so he quietly shifted the target of his tentacles from primarily defending against Selena to preparing to attack Job. He had also begun to discern that among this group, Selena was alone in one camp, while the others were in another. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find a virus that can bypass my antivirus software,¡± Selena, now fully restrained, looked at Job with a cold expression, ¡°Who hired you? Which consortium? I know my life fetches a million on the black market. Is a million enough to make you betray the law and sell out justice?¡± ¡°Justice,¡± Job chuckled, ¡°I like justice. The just Miss Selena is worth a million, it¡¯s not easy to come by such lucrative deals.¡± He signaled to the remaining people with his eyes, and then walked over to Selena¡¯s side, ¡°Miss Selena, you should stop inquiring about these matters. Although we are just hyenas of the wilderness, we know that some clients must not be betrayed.¡± ¡°So I can be betrayed?¡± Selena uttered coldly as she spoke, attempting to reboot the system, ¡°I hired you to guide me, and this is how you treat your client?¡± ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, how could we possibly betray you,¡± the other team members dispersed, encircling He Ao, while Job watched Selena out of the corner of his eye, ¡°You are simply dying in the line of duty to prevent the Evil God¡¯s Descending Ceremony, and the Federation will surely commend your bravery. Of course, even if you were to ¡®die in the line of duty,¡¯ your fifty thousand mercenary fee, we would still settle it with the Federation.¡± He then looked toward He Ao¡¯s huge figure and shouted, ¡°Do it!¡± The team members each took out various objects from their backpacks, placing them around He Ao. Among these objects were ancient paper books, brand-new fountain pens, student¡¯s exercise books, fragments of human skulls, and human phalanges; all were sacrifices capable of ¡®pleasing¡¯ the God of Knowledge. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Selena, seeing these objects, suddenly lost her composure, ¡°Are you summoning the offspring of the God of Knowledge?¡± So you¡¯re in the same line of work, He Ao slowly moved his tentacles. The team members who were diligently placing the sacrifices took it as a mere twitch and paid no heed. ¡°Of course,¡± Job glanced at the metal box that Selena had just unlocked, ¡°Bringing this thing to kill an Evil God Priest, isn¡¯t that a bit of a waste? It can clearly destroy an Evil God¡¯s Offspring. Do you know what falls out after you destroy the offspring of the God of Knowledge? Talent Sequences! The cheapest Talent Sequences are sold for hundreds of thousands in the market, and there¡¯s a significant chance the God of Knowledge will drop Talent Sequence 272, do you know how much 272 is worth on the black market right now? Ten million!¡± The key point was that the metal box was a high-risk controlled item belonging to the Federation, unmanageable on the black market; they couldn¡¯t take it with them, so it was better to use it right away, take a gamble. ¡°You¡¯re insane, what if you don¡¯t kill the Evil God¡¯s Offspring? Do you know how many people will die if it grows?¡± Selena looked at Job in disbelief. ¡°What do we care about how many people die? With Miss Selena as our bait, all we have to do is run away when the time comes,¡± Job said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll need Miss Selena¡¯s help to perform the biological authentication before the attack too.¡± As the team members placed each appropriate sacrifice, pure white glows began to form beneath He Ao¡¯s body, gradually constructing a complicated and intricate array. So the Ritual Array really was beneath oneself. He Ao¡¯s gaze swept over these pure white glows. As the array lit up, a hazy white light blurred all vision for a moment. Now¡¯s the time! In an instant, dozens of tentacles turned into black shadows that obscured the light. Boom¡ªBoom¡ªBoom¡ª That was the sound of the restraining device¡¯s metal wires being snapped. Chapter 5 - 5 5 Counter-Kill Please Favorite and Vote ?5: Chapter 5: Counter-Kill (Please Favorite and Vote) 5: Chapter 5: Counter-Kill (Please Favorite and Vote) The blazing brilliance flashed briefly before slowly fading away. The entire ritual resembled a skateboard coasting to a stop, having lost its momentum, gradually coming to a halt. ¡°Jason? Anlin?¡± Job realized something was amiss; the ritual had been interrupted. He picked up his gun and vigilantly scanned the area in front of him. Just now, he thought he had heard the sound of the metal wires of the confinement device snapping¡ªwhat terrifying willpower that must have taken! The pain from the confinement device escalated geometrically with greater movements. Job had once experienced this sensation. The pain inflicted by the device had several levels, and he had passed out from level four. To snap the confinement device outright would mean enduring the highest level of pain: level thirteen. This was almost impossible, unless the confinement device was broken! As the dim light disappeared, Job could barely make out that his six team members were still standing in front, seemingly unharmed. However, upon seeing this scene, he did not hesitate and immediately rushed towards Selena. Had he been discovered? Unfortunately, the disguise wasn¡¯t good enough. If these were living people, they would be holding guns on guard and shouting to each other to confirm survival, not just standing there dumbly. He Ao sighed inwardly. Right now, his body was a bit stiff and trembling. The metal wire that had pierced his body was indeed somewhat painful, but still within his threshold of endurance. Meanwhile, Job had already grabbed Selena¡¯s hand, about to unlock her electronic shackles. He was well aware that at this moment, only Selena could save him, even if it meant going back to prison. But as soon as he touched the electronic shackles, his entire body froze in place. Selena looked at the man in front of her who had just been swaggering, as a huge and slimy tentacle directly pierced through his body. This horrifying flesh weapon entered from between the gaps of his ribs at the back, accurately piercing Job¡¯s heart and emerging from his chest. Bright red blood splattered out, staining Selena¡¯s fair skin and golden hair. The tentacle then lifted slightly, hanging Job¡¯s body in the air like cured meat. Job¡¯s brain was still conscious, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to say something, but only the blood that had entered his windpipe from his chest cavity continued to gush from his mouth. By then, the brilliance had dissipated completely, and Selena stepped back twice, turning her head to look where the six team members had been standing. They were not ¡®alive¡¯; they were merely ¡®standing¡¯. Their bodies had been impaled by sharp tentacles, which propped them up like pillars to make them appear like ¡®living people¡¯. As Selena looked at them, the small tentacles at the tips took control of the cadavers¡¯ skulls, turning their heads toward her and forcibly opening their eyelids to ¡®stare¡¯ straight at Selena. Even with all her knowledge and experience, this scene directly assaulted her sanity, causing a brief lapse in her thoughts. And in that moment of distraction, two tentacles surged forward, wrapping around her body. By the time she came to her senses, she was wrapped up tightly and suspended in midair. In that instant, some of the ¡®action works¡¯ she had seen before uncontrollably replayed in her mind. Although most of her body had been transformed into a mechanized body, for the sake of comfort, the companies that made these bodies would install micro receptors on the surface of the skin, allowing the user to have sensory experiences just like those of flesh, or even more sensitive. Tentacles began to retract from the corpses of her dead teammates and from Job, coiling back under He Ao¡¯s body. From Selena¡¯s perspective, He Ao¡¯s form now looked as massive as a mountain, with countless tentacles forming a foundation that propped up the mountain, and on top of the mountain, a long neck extended with a skull-like head hanging from it. Thump¡ªthump¡ªthump¡ª That was the sound of the dead teammates¡¯ bodies hitting the ground. Selena looked at He Ao with a mixture of fear and curiosity, and tried asking, ¡°Is your sanity still intact?¡± Most Evil God Priests are devoid of reason. After they seek power from the Evil God, they are subjected to the Evil God¡¯s ¡®gaze.¡¯ Under this gaze, both their minds and bodies gradually become twisted and insane. Although they possess great power, they wield it recklessly, like a child flailing a hammer. Thus, although Evil God Priests are strong, they are also easy to deal with. Just use a prop to shatter their last vestiges of reason, driving them completely into madness, and they become easy targets, ready to be killed or imprisoned. This was the method Selena had used to deal with the Priest of the God of Knowledge named Yezola. However, in the recent fight, ¡®Yezola¡¯ had displayed clear intelligence. This made Selena suspect that ¡®Yezola¡¯ had been pretending the whole time, that in actuality ¡®Yezola¡¯ was a high-level Priest who could maintain his sanity under the gaze of the Evil God. That¡¯s why she attempted to communicate with ¡®Yezola.¡¯ The fact that he hadn¡¯t killed her must mean he had some purpose. Perhaps she could use that... As Selena was pondering this, He Ao tightened the tentacles that bound her a bit more and lifted her higher off the ground. This was a warning not to entertain any clever ideas. Meanwhile, He Ao began to look through the books on the ground. There was only one book there, a sacrifice prepared by Job and the others, filled with a sense of antiquity; it was unclear where they had found this book. He Ao glanced through it briefly. By instinct with this body, he recognized the text of this world. The book was just a simple primary school mathematics textbook, with no substantial content. Selena, suspended in the air, seemed to sense his disappointment and cautiously said, ¡°If you need books, there were many in the room we just explored. Those must have been your collection, right?¡± While she spoke, she started to reboot her mechanized body¡¯s operating system. She had restarted it several times already but couldn¡¯t clear the virus; the entire operating system was almost entirely paralyzed. All she could do now was attempt to reinstall the operating system, erase all data, and restore it to its original state. But reinstalling the system meant she would lose all combat ability for an hour, and after the reinstatement, most of the combat modules that had been loaded would be lost. However, no situation could be worse than the current one. What she needed to do now was to stabilize this Evil God Priest and buy herself more time. He Ao looked up at her as she spoke, but said nothing, still suspending her. He started to move towards the passage they had just emerged from, pulling out the metal stakes that had been planted around him as he walked. Chapter 6 - 6 6 Because I am a law-abiding good person seeking collection and votes ?6: Chapter 6: Because I am a law-abiding good person (seeking collection and votes) 6: Chapter 6: Because I am a law-abiding good person (seeking collection and votes) The metal wires that had snapped were still lodged inside his body, and though the soft tentacles were handy, removing these long thin lines was proving to be somewhat beyond his strength. A few hundred meters ahead, a vast open space appeared before He Ao. The decoration of this space was extremely minimalistic, consisting only of two rows of gigantic bookshelves, crammed with paper books. In the corner, there were piles of skulls and finger bones, along with various writing utensils. He Ao had been wondering where Job and his group had gotten their offerings from, and it turned out they had stolen them from the home of this Priest. However, this place did indeed resemble somewhere a Priest of the God of Knowledge should reside. He Ao¡¯s gaze swept over the rows of books on the shelves. He bypassed the abstruse philosophical works and focused instead on finding books about history and news, as this would help him quickly understand this world. According to what the system had said before, he seemed destined to return to this world in the future, so gaining an understanding of it was essential. He was also searching for books related to the summoning ritual. Although he had a vague memory of how to conduct the summoning, he was concerned that his nebulous recollection might be incomplete, and felt it was more reliable to find some written records. Among these books, the history and news categories were not abundant. It took him a while to find two books in the corner. He extended his tentacles and pulled them out, but as soon as he opened the pages, he was stunned. The two books contained nothing¡ªjust plain white paper. He quickly flipped through a few more books at random, and they were also blank, with only one or two elementary textbooks still retaining their content. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ This reminded He Ao of those coffee shops that displayed fake books to boost their sophistication, So the Priest of the God of Knowledge didn¡¯t actually read all these books, and hardly any of them were genuine¡ªwere they just for show? Where is your professional dedication as a Priest of the God of Knowledge?! Damn, this fake Priest! And just then, He Ao suddenly felt a sense of danger rising within him once again. He turned his head and looked at Selena, who was suspended in the air by him. ¡°Yezola, you still have your sanity, right? Were you trying to save me just now? Why did you save me?¡± Under the skull-like gaze, Selena suppressed her fear and tried to change the subject, hoping to buy some time. She had only just finished erasing all the data and was beginning to reload the operating system. During the system reload, she was entirely devoid of combat capability, and her backup basal motion system would lose most of its functionality due to data occupation. At this moment, she could barely move her mouth and head slightly. Her eyes widened as she watched He Ao, seemingly waiting for his response. He Ao glanced at her, then slowly moved his head closer and closer. His skull-like head, with its enormous oppressive presence, seemed like a demon from hell, gradually battering down her psychological defenses. The danger posed by a rational Evil God Priest versus a mad, chaotic one was entirely different. The latter could be easily dealt with by a regular investigative team, or even a well-equipped, high-ranking investigator. The former, however, would require a full team of investigators led by an inspector, or even the mobilization of the City Defense Army. Just as a frail human with intelligence could set traps to hunt fierce beasts, a rational yet cunning Evil God Priest was dangerous and mad. In hunting them, a moment¡¯s inattention could turn the hunter into the prey. For instance, Selena herself had experienced such a transformation firsthand, from a hunter who controlled life and death, to being entangled by tentacles and possibly even becoming the plaything of Prey. Although Job¡¯s sneak attack from behind played a part, the endurance and cunning displayed by the Evil God Priest before her far exceeded her expectations. It was even beyond belief how he managed to snap the restraining device; Selena felt this was somewhat beyond her understanding of the world, and she could faintly see the metal wires left inside He Ao¡¯s body where the restraining device had been snapped through his tentacles. She even wanted to ask He Ao, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that hurt?¡± If she had known earlier how terrifying this Evil God Priest was, she wouldn¡¯t have ventured out of the city so easily to hunt him down, She was beginning to doubt whether the consortium had bribed her superior to deliberately assign her a mission meant to end in death, but upon reflection, she dismissed that thought from her mind. It must have been an accident, for although her superior was somewhat unreliable, his character was still trustworthy. He Ao had no idea that, in this brief span of time, Selena¡¯s mind had flashed through a multitude of thoughts; he brought his head closer to Selena while his other tentacles rapidly flipped through sets of books. To be fair, using hundreds of tentacles was indeed much more efficient than just two hands. In the midst of these actions, he had already brought his head close to Selena¡¯s face, revealing a smile, ¡°Because I am a law-abiding good person,¡± he said. He was responding to Selena¡¯s earlier question about ¡°why he saved her.¡± Selena watched as a skull-like head approached her, its mouth parted to reveal glistening white teeth, with strands of fresh red meat even entangled between them. She felt her sanity assaulted once again. Such a terrifying and bizarre scene could probably make school children cry in fear. He Ao was unaware of how horrifying he looked at the moment, and in the absence of mirrors, he tried to make Selena feel more at ease by intentionally putting on a ¡®friendly¡¯ smile. It seemed to have a good effect; Selena wasn¡¯t causing a fuss anymore and had quieted down quite a bit in a short span. She must have sensed his goodwill. And there, facing him, Selena gradually recovered from her fear, admitting that she had indeed been terrified to the point of numbness for a moment and was still somewhat afraid even now. For an instant, she even thought He Ao might actually eat her. But after being scared so many times, she felt she was becoming somewhat accustomed to it. She looked at He Ao. A rational and sane Evil God Priest still carried an intense madness and a way of thinking different from ordinary people, so she began to attempt to find weaknesses in He Ao¡¯s thoughts through conversation, ¡°Your law-abiding means attacking us as soon as we entered?¡± He Ao had not attacked them, but it must have been the act of the previous Evil God Priest, Yezola, before his Advent. However, the rules of the game required He Ao to accurately play the part of Yezola without being detected, so he bared his teeth in a smile, ¡°You intruded into my home, I have the right to protect my own life and property, this is self-defense.¡± Selena: ¡°?¡± There seemed to be some logic in his words, but something felt off. So she probed further, ¡°Your self-defense means killing seven people and then subduing me in this place?¡± Chapter 7 - 7 7 Act Bravely for a Just Cause Please Bookmark and Vote ?7: Chapter 7: ¡°Act Bravely for a Just Cause¡± (Please Bookmark and Vote) 7: Chapter 7: ¡°Act Bravely for a Just Cause¡± (Please Bookmark and Vote) ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that Job and his people attacking you was in violation of the Federation¡¯s laws,¡± He Ao seriously replied, ¡°So, I was being a righteous intervener.¡± ¡°?¡± Selena remembered the miserable state Job was in when he died. You call this righteous intervention? She stared blankly at He Ao¡¯s sincere expression, but, somehow, did it seem like he genuinely thought so? In that instant, she even felt that this Evil God Priest before her wasn¡¯t truly sane, but had simply gone to the extreme of madness, seemingly possessing rationality. Then she shook her head, casting this thought out of her mind. The other person must be joking with her; how could there be someone in this world who is so mad that they seem to have rationality? She was about to say something, but He Ao was no longer paying her any attention. While talking to Selena just now, he had actually been fully focused on observing her every move, to see if Selena was trying to divert his attention with the conversation and make some subtle moves, or show more power. He sensed the gradually rising sense of danger from Selena, needing to determine if Selena was recovering her strength, but it seemed now that Selena was not regaining her strength; she was just buying time for her recovery. It looked like her power recovery was not linearly increasing but instead would instantaneously return after a certain point in time was reached. But the danger-sensing ability inherent in Yezola had previously alerted He Ao to this risk. He Ao felt this danger-sensing ability was quite handy and wondered if it was what Job had previously referred to as the ¡®Talent Sequences¡¯. While pondering in his mind, He Ao didn¡¯t stop shuffling through the bookshelf. Understanding that Selena was not a threat for the time being, he only left a small amount of attention on her and focused mainly on the books. Through the changes perceived by his danger-sensing ability, he roughly estimated that Selena would need about an hour to recover her strength, and conducting the ritual would take a little over forty minutes. So the game system seemed to have no restrictions on the time to complete the mission, but in reality, it still implied a time constraint. His plan to exploit a bug to gather more information before completing the mission had failed. Therefore, he had to find as much information as possible and complete the ritual before Selena regained her strength. As for killing Selena directly? It¡¯s a good idea, but he is a law-abiding good person! Selena, still pondering why He Ao was ignoring her, was not aware that she had just narrowly escaped a brush with death. She watched He Ao¡¯s movements, only to see innumerable pages flip open among the waving tentacles¡ªrevealing their blank interiors. Most of these antique books were quite expensive nowadays, and those who couldn¡¯t acquire the real items often chose to buy such modern printed faux-antique books to decorate their homes. This was quite normal. However, Selena watched He Ao¡¯s actions with a puzzled look. Wasn¡¯t this his own residence? Why was he flipping through everything so frantically? What was he in such a hurry for? Did he discover that she was rebooting the system? He Ao noticed Selena¡¯s gaze but didn¡¯t care; his actions were deliberately feigned, resembling a person who had just come home searching eagerly for something. And not like an unfamiliar thief who had broken into a stranger¡¯s home frantically searching for valuable items. The difference here was actually quite simple; searching one¡¯s own belongings, one would subconsciously take care of the items being searched through, whereas a thief would not care at all about the homeowner¡¯s property. Thus, when He Ao was looking through the books, while flipping through them, he also paid attention to protecting the books from being damaged. If he found a book he wanted, he would consciously close it and put it back carelessly after looking through it. Under the circumstance of ensuring a surplus of time, He Ao was only given ten minutes to search through these bookshelves, so he was virtually skimming the books at ten lines a glance. Yezola¡¯s own vision was not good, so if there were books that He Ao missed seeing, he wouldn¡¯t turn back to search for them carefully. Ultimately, he managed to flip through the entire bookshelf within ten minutes. Sadly, he did not find any books describing rituals, but he did unexpectedly discover a palm-sized booklet. The entire booklet¡¯s pages were yellowed, and the edges were severely damaged, being squashed into a corner and serving to press the other books firmly into place. This book was not written in any language that Yezola understood, but in a kind of simplified hieroglyphics, similar to the characters of the Central Earth Republic, but it was not a script that He Ao recognized. However, although neither He Ao nor Yezola recognized the script, the cover of the book had a translation in a language that Yezola was familiar with. The book¡¯s title was ¡°Thirty-Day Sword Immortal Quick Mastery¡±. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The odd elements increased. How could such a book appear in this world? Was it serious? He Ao skimmed it briefly, and inside were some simple illustrations of figures, accompanied by dense text in an unfamiliar script. The person who translated the book probably just translated the title and was too lazy to translate the rest, or perhaps they didn¡¯t know how. Although he did not recognize the script in the book, the content seemed to be drawn with some degree of precision, and it was the only book besides elementary school textbooks that he had found so far. After thinking it over, He Ao decided to take the book, and in Selena¡¯s blind spot, he tucked it between two textbooks and wrapped it up with his tentacles. He then swept up many items in the cave that could ¡°please¡± the God of Knowledge and headed towards the passage they had come through. Selena seemed to realize what he was about to do and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Yezola, didn¡¯t you say you abide by the law? Do you know how much disaster summoning an Evil God¡¯s Offspring can cause? Do you know how many people will die? You can¡¯t do this!¡± As he walked forward, He Ao casually asked, ¡°So, which law exactly says that I can¡¯t summon an Evil God¡¯s Offspring?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Selena was stunned. How would she know if there was any law that prohibited the summoning of an Evil God¡¯s Offspring? Isn¡¯t the harm caused by summoning an Evil God¡¯s Offspring blatant and clear? Aren¡¯t such acts universally condemned? Who would bother to sift through those thick tomes of the law that were as big as bricks! He Ao looked up at Selena and mused that this Investigator Miss had good combat skills and temperament, but was a bit too naive. Naivety could get you killed! While they spoke, he had already walked out of the passage and returned to the cavern where the Ritual Array was inscribed. The tubers on the ceiling, shining faintly like stars, illuminated the dim cave, while the massive Ritual Array flickered with specks of luminescence within the cave. He Ao wound one end of the metal wire, left inside his body from the confinement device, around one of his tentacles and forcefully pulled out these wires one by one. Selena winced at his actions. Although these metal wires no longer received power from the metal stakes, they were still covered with numerous tiny barbs as thin as mosquito legs, each embedding deeply into flesh, and the pain of removing them was beyond her imagination. But He Ao did so expressionlessly, pulling out the wires, and then released Selena, who had been empathetically pained. Under Selena¡¯s bewildered gaze, he wrapped these metal wires around her. Selena: ? After the binding was complete, He Ao turned his attention to the Ritual Array. Chapter 8 - 8 8 God of Knowledge Mission Accomplished Please Favorite Recommend and Vote Monthly ?8: Chapter 8: God of Knowledge, Mission Accomplished (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Vote Monthly) 8: Chapter 8: God of Knowledge, Mission Accomplished (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Vote Monthly) Selena clenched her fists suddenly, and the minute barbs on the metal wires directly pierced into her bionic skin. The intense pain transmitted through her receptors to her brain, making her entire body stiffen for a moment. The system was still being reinstalled, and the basic system did not have the function to actively shut down the pain receptors. Moreover, the power she could muster at the moment was not enough to break free from the electromagnetic handcuffs and the metal wires entwined by He Ao, so she temporarily gave up on that idea. She had now realized that He Ao didn¡¯t seem to really intend to kill her. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ He appeared to be a villain with principles. And his principle was to abide by the law. Selena always felt that there was something wrong with either the world or herself. But she didn¡¯t have time to ponder these things now, as she watched He Ao start to set up the ritual items, preparing to make another effort, ¡°Yezola¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± ¡°What is not forbidden by law is permitted.¡± This time, He Ao didn¡¯t even lift his head, directly interrupting her. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Selena found she couldn¡¯t quite argue with him. The other party, although seeming like a rational madman, appeared to have a more rigorous logic than her own. Feeling that Selena had quieted down, He Ao breathed a sigh of relief. She talked too much. If she spoke again, He Ao would have to consider using a tentacle to plug her mouth. Previously, when Job and his team were setting up the ritual items, they were not very accurate in their placements; they were not professional at all, and such haphazard summoning greatly increased the risk of failure. This was one of the reasons why He Ao had to step in and interrupt them. At such a crucial juncture concerning the completion of the mission, it was better for him to handle it personally. He Ao sketched a complete septagram on the outside of the ritual array and placed an old elementary school textbook, exercise books, fountain pens, a damaged backpack, a dry ink bottle, human skull fragments, and human finger bones, in clockwise order, at the seven points of the septagram. The septagram, in the esoteric significance of this world, represents the pursuit of knowledge, the exploration of the unknown. The seven items He Ao had placed ¡ª the textbooks, exercise books, fountain pens, backpack, ink bottle representing ¡®student¡¯, skull fragments representing ¡®wisdom and thought¡¯, and finger bones representing ¡®writing and recording¡¯ ¡ª when combined, symbolically signified a ¡®seeker of knowledge¡¯. In esotericism, the clockwise placement means positive and devout, while counterclockwise would mean negative and apostasy. This ritual was to communicate with the God of Knowledge; the esoteric significance of the entire ritual could be summarized as: a devout seeker of knowledge. This was the image most favored by the God of Knowledge and most likely to attract the deity¡¯s attention. If placed haphazardly as Job and his subordinates had done, it could fail to catch the God of Knowledge¡¯s eye or even attract the gaze of other, more insane and savage Evil Gods. As all items were set in place, a pale white glow lit up again within the ritual array, and the summoning array, which was already painted inside the septagram, integrated sufficient sacrifices to offer flesh and strength for the Advent of the God of Knowledge¡¯s Offspring. He Ao watched the array light up, took a step back, and casually shifted the metal box near the ritual to his rear. The summoning ritual he had set up seemed to be much to the liking of the God of Knowledge, and before long, he felt a deep and majestic gaze cast from the endless void upon him. And with this gaze came a boundless influx of knowledge. Like water rushing into a shriveled balloon, this knowledge surged into his brain instantly. It was twisted and insane, relentlessly battering his thoughts. In that moment, due to the excessive information processing, his brain overheated from the energy consumption, creating wisps of smoke above his head. Yet, while his brain was nearly burnt out from the overclocking, he didn¡¯t feel discomfort; instead, a sincere sense of comfort and joy arose from the bottom of his heart. That joy, filled with intense obsession and pleasure, even made him murmur to himself, ¡°I love studying; studying brings me joy.¡± ¡°All things will fade, but the Truth is infinite,¡± a solemn and compassionate voice like the sound of a grand bell echoed in He Ao¡¯s mind. ¡°All things will fade, but the Truth is infinite,¡± followed by the chanting and prayers of countless people. He Ao¡¯s thoughts seemed to be drawn in by these voices, gradually merging with them. After summoning the Offspring of the God of Knowledge, the priest would have the opportunity to merge with the body of the God of Knowledge, and thereby obtain eternal life. Selena stared dully at He Ao¡¯s massive body, watching the smoke rising from his head, his tightly closed eyes, and the murmurs from his mouth, ¡°I love to study.¡± This scene seemed somewhat comical, yet Selena could not muster even the slightest laugh. Because the brilliance of the mighty Ritual Array was growing stronger, and the gaze that crossed through the void was becoming more pronounced. Some mad knowledge even began to flow into her mind under the scrutiny of this gaze. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t care less about the pain, twisting her body, hopping and jumping in an attempt to destroy the still-glowing Ritual Array. He Ao had just effortlessly interrupted the ritual held by Job and the others; there must be a way to disrupt this Array, perhaps by disrupting the arrangement of the Sacrifices. However, she had only taken a few steps when a giant tentacle stretched out, once again wrapping around her and suspending her behind it. ¡°Yezola! Wake up! This Evil God clearly intends to devour you!¡± She struggled fiercely, not caring about the intense pain from the metal wires slicing through her skin, trying desperately to break free from He Ao¡¯s binds. Although she didn¡¯t know much, the introductory materials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded some cases of summoning rituals for the Evil God¡¯s Offspring¡ªnormal summonings would absolutely not affect the summoner. The only ritual that would affect the summoner was one particular kind¡ªwhere the summoner themselves were one of the Sacrifices of the ritual. However, He Ao seemed completely deaf to her shouting, simply looking down and mumbling like a fool. The ritual was still taking effect. In that pure white light, the vague outline of a huge, hefty book about two meters wide and three meters long began to emerge, floating in the center, pure white light surged into its body, and an endless, profound aura of Qi escaped from it. It seemed to be a compilation of all knowledge, the embodiment of the world¡¯s Truth. Under the influx of those pure white lights, the Phantom Shadow of the book was rapidly solidifying. As it became more solid, a concave arc gradually appeared on the book¡¯s cover. Selena¡¯s armor progress bar had reached 80%, and in just over ten minutes, she would regain her strength. But, quite obviously, the Phantom Shadow of the book was solidifying faster than she was recovering. Time passed by bit by bit, and the book had almost reached a truly solid state, with the arc becoming more and more distinct¡ªit was a tightly closed eye. Selena watched the solidification of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring in despair, unable to think of any way to escape from here once the Evil God¡¯s Offspring truly manifested. She couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the damage this Evil God¡¯s Offspring could do, how many innocents would die at its hands. And it was in her moment of despair that a crisp sound appeared in He Ao¡¯s mind. [Ding¡ª¡ª] [Mission Completed] In that instant, He Ao, as if he had lost his sanity, immersed in prayer, suddenly opened his eyes. Chapter 9 - 9 9 Huh ?9: Chapter 9: Huh? I¡¯m Worth 10,000,000 Now? 9: Chapter 9: Huh? I¡¯m Worth 10,000,000 Now? [Mission Completed] [Evaluating novice mission¡¤¡¤¡¤] [You will return to the original world in 90 seconds] [Return Immediately][Return Later] He Ao ignored the subtitles and translucent windows that had popped up before his eyes; at this moment, the huge book phantasm within the array had solidified, and the tightly closed eyes on the book¡¯s cover had also begun to tremble. His previous worries were justified, as the ritual he had understood was incomplete; the so-called ¡®eternal life¡¯ was actually both the soul and the body being consumed by the God of Knowledge. In this ritual, the ritual practitioner himself was one of the sacrifices. However, during the process of the ritual, he had deliberately retained a wariness, maintaining his mental state with the power of his will, ensuring that his soul was not consumed during the ritual. He had persevered until the completion of the mission, but to his surprise, the game system did not end the game directly but gave him a 90-second buffer time. Of course, he had anticipated this possibility beforehand. His gaze shifted to Selena, whom he had trapped; there was much he could do in these 90 seconds. Selena, unable to break free from He Ao¡¯s control, had gradually given up resisting. However, at that moment, she felt the tentacles binding her suddenly loosen, and the metal wires on her body were instantaneously undone. She took a few turns and looked at He Ao with some bewilderment, only to see the tentacles at the very bottom of He Ao¡¯s body move slightly, squeezing out a metal box and placing it beside her. This was the metal box she had just unsealed, preparing to kill He Ao with. ¡°The Evil God¡¯s Offspring is most vulnerable right after being summoned,¡± He Ao said without looking back at her. Instead, he continued to extricate eight metal stakes from beneath him; sparks of electricity flowing along the metal. These were the metal stakes of the confinement device he had casually pulled out and had been hiding all along beneath him. The information about the vulnerability of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring was engraved in the memories related to the summoning ritual; the purpose was to make the ritual practitioner consciously design a safe environment to protect the progeny of the God of Knowledge from harm. However, He Ao believed that the God of Knowledge had its own contingency plans¡ªsuch as directly consuming the summoner to replenish its power. But now it had no such chance! In the blink of an eye as these thoughts flitted through his mind, He Ao¡¯s massive body had already charged towards the now-solidified gigantic book. The book seemed to sense the danger, flickering as if to leave the Ritual Array. But He Ao was faster, and amidst the flurry of countless tentacles, the vast book was quickly entwined with long metal wires, which were then connected to the still-energized metal stakes. Blinding electric arcs flashed past. Although He Ao had overstretched the confinement device, reducing its effectiveness, the power it unleashed in a short amount of time was still considerable. The intense pain from the metal wires briefly halted the book¡¯s movements. The long barbed wires, like tightening into flesh, cinched into the body of the enormous book, from which blood gushed out from the wounds. This dignified-looking colossal book was entirely made up of flesh and blood. Selena might have been naive but she wasn¡¯t dumb; she instantly understood He Ao¡¯s plan. He Ao intended to have her activate the metal box to kill the offspring of the God of Knowledge; for this, he had personally stepped forward to restrain the offspring¡¯s movements. Even though Selena didn¡¯t understand He Ao¡¯s ultimate aim, she was very clear that this was her only chance now. Whether there was a conspiracy or not, she had to seize every opportunity to kill the offspring of the God of Knowledge. So she didn¡¯t hesitate to place her hand on the metal box. Once again, a misty radiance lit up on the box. To ensure that warriors could use weapons at any time, the Federation¡¯s encryption usually required only biometric verification after the first key verification was successful. Even if the warrior responsible for opening the box had only a remnant of a body left, they could still initiate the attack through biometric authentication at the last moment. And as Selena placed her hand on the box, the tightly closed eyes on the book suddenly sprang open, revealing the huge eyeball inside. The eyeball moved rapidly, focusing on Selena. The madness and chaos of knowledge flooded into her mind in an instant, threatening to distort her thinking. However, the influx of knowledge was as swift as it was fleeting. Almost immediately after a brief moment of stupor, Selena regained her sanity. She looked toward the book, only to see He Ao covering the book¡¯s eyes with seven or eight tentacles. Could the contamination of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring be blocked like this? Selena was momentarily confused, but she didn¡¯t have time to think further as the sealed box clicked open. The pollution of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring couldn¡¯t be easily blocked, of course. By blocking the sight of the book, He Ao took on the onslaught of mad, chaotic knowledge instead of Selena. Of course, his mental resistance might be just a little higher than Selena¡¯s, given that such chaotic and mad knowledge didn¡¯t seem to affect him much. Immediately afterward, he shifted his attention to the metal box. He was also curious about what kind of thing inside this metal box could kill the Evil God¡¯s Offspring. A Plasma Cannon? A laser beam? A super electromagnetic cannon? As the box gradually opened, he could see clearly what was inside. The box was tightly packed with intricate mechanical components, and in the very center of these components, there lay a vividly red and sinister heart. Though the heart was no longer in a body, it was still beating vigorously. He Ao thought he could hear the deafening sounds of a heart beating like war drums by his ear. These heartbeat sounds made his blood surge, made him want to fight, to slaughter wildly, to destroy everything in front of him. Killing people indiscriminately seems to be illegal. In that instant, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, He Ao¡¯s thoughts cleared, and he realized he had almost been corrupted by the pollution from the heart. However, Selena, who stood behind the box, seemed to be completely unaffected. She had no intention of looking at the contents of the box. It seemed that only by ¡®gazing¡¯ at the heart could one be potentially contaminated. This world truly is dangerous; a casual glance at something forbidden can lead to contamination. He Ao shifted his gaze away from the heart, and as he did, the mechanical components enclosing the heart started to operate rapidly. Under the action of this machinery, the beating heart seemed to be subjected to some intense stimulus. A brilliant red beam burst forth from the heart, instantly piercing through the offspring of the God of Knowledge and He Ao, who was restraining it. The giant book warped for a moment when struck, attempting to break free from He Ao¡¯s control, but it soon calmed down, its entire body being covered by a blood-red radiance, gradually stiffening. Meanwhile, He Ao felt an overwhelming, twisted battle will corroding his body. He struggled to hold up his body, crushing the remnants of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring in his arms. A misty pure white light suddenly burst forth from the debris and entered his body. [Congratulations, you have acquired Talent Sequence 272: Super Memory] Huh? Am I worth ten million now? Chapter 10 - 10 10 Cutting off the Leeks of the God of Knowledge with a Backhand ?10: Chapter 10: Cutting off the Leeks of the God of Knowledge with a Backhand 10: Chapter 10: Cutting off the Leeks of the God of Knowledge with a Backhand The game quest was ¡°to complete the Descending Ceremony of the God of Knowledge¡¯s avatar according to the original plan,¡± and it did not state that the Evil God¡¯s Offspring could not be killed. He Ao had not received any system warnings or reminders. This meant that after completing the ceremony, killing the Evil God¡¯s Offspring would still be within the rules. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen, and game rules were rules that also needed to be followed. Then, he began to try to understand the ¡®Talent Sequence 272¡¯ that he had just acquired. This world seemed to arrange superpowers by sequence numbers, with different powers ranked differently. This rank 272, named ¡°Super Memory,¡± was simple to use: once activated, he could remember everything he saw within thirty seconds. It seemed like an auxiliary ability, but according to what Job had said, it was quite valuable. He Ao wasn¡¯t sure what standards they used to determine the value of this ability. But at this moment, He Ao no longer had time to ponder these questions. With the disappearance of the God of Knowledge¡¯s avatar, a massive and angry gaze fixed upon the secluded cave. Selena looked up in horror, sensing the scrutiny from the vast cosmos. Merely being at the edge of this gaze, she felt endless terror and pressure, her mind losing the ability to think in an instant, filled with chaotic and confusing knowledge. ¡°I love studying, studying makes me happy,¡± she muttered. Her eyes lost their luster, her delicate small mouth slightly opened, and thick saliva slid down from her mouth corners, making her look like a toy robot that had been played with to breakdown. It was the wrath of the God of Knowledge, this great Divine Being was casting his furious gaze down upon them. Of course, what Selena had received was merely the aftermath of this power. The one receiving the brunt of the fury at the center of the cave was He Ao. If it had been just an ordinary offspring killed, the God of Knowledge might have accepted it, he wouldn¡¯t care. But this was his own Priest summoning his offspring and then killing the offspring to take his power. Would that be tolerable? Setting aside the issue of unfaithfulness, if everyone started doing this, wouldn¡¯t the God of Knowledge become the laughing stock? Moreover, the power from the summoning ceremony had not yet completely dissipated. This was even more outrageous; I am still able to channel power down here, yet you turn around and blow up my offspring. Don¡¯t you think your actions are excessive? Intense knowledge assaulted He Ao¡¯s consciousness violently, the surging power infiltrating his body, intending to destroy both his flesh and soul. However, as the furious power flowed in, it instantly collided with another bursting force inside him, the remnants of the red beam emanated by the beating heart just before. These two forces turned He Ao¡¯s body into a battlefield. During their fierce conflict, for a moment, they didn¡¯t even pay heed to He Ao¡¯s soul. Originally, He Ao was prepared to slip away, but to his surprise, these two forces began to fight each other. Well, no rush then. His gaze shifted to the metal box that had once contained the heart. The heart that had been throbbing inside had now vanished; it seemed to have catalyzed its power only once. Then, he turned to look at Selena, who appeared utterly disheveled by play. Selena seemed to be genuinely falling apart. Her left hand¡¯s synthetic skin had started to wriggle as if flesh and blood were growing within her mechanical body. He Ao took out a tentacle, coiled up Selena, and casually threw her into a dark passageway, flinging her out of the reach of the God of Knowledge¡¯s contaminating aura. This was ¡°an act of bravery.¡± While casually tossing Selena aside, He Ao did not stop moving; he activated [Super Memory]. In that instant, he felt his mind clear, as though a dusty glass pane had been wiped by a damp cloth, the whole world became lucid and bright. An endless stream of details flooded into his mind and were etched into the depths of his memory. He Ao decided to try to memorize something to see if it could be taken away, and at that moment, he chose what he wanted to remember. A tentacle swiftly coiled around a tattered, yellowed little book and presented it to He Ao, ¡°Thirty-Day Sword Immortal Quick Mastery.¡± He Ao didn¡¯t recognize the characters in the book, but he could memorize them as if they were pictures. The chaos invading He Ao¡¯s body brought an ever-increasing volume of knowledge, and the God of Knowledge, seeing him continue to read as if nothing were amiss, grew even angrier. Under such an onslaught, those violent forces were quickly crushed. Seizing the opportunity amidst their struggle, He Ao swiftly flipped through the small book and memorized all of its contents. Only five seconds had passed. It was the first time he used ¡°Super Memory,¡± and he was a bit unfamiliar with it, wasting much time, but he expected it would take even less once he got the hang of it. Although he had memorized the small book, he vaguely realized that it seemed incomplete, lacking in some areas, with many of its pictures not connecting properly, and like an online novel cut short by its author, it was missing crucial parts. The instant he closed the book, the power from the God of Knowledge began to erode his soul. So he decisively clicked on the ¡°Return Immediately¡± that had been hovering in his line of sight. The soul within the massive body disappeared abruptly. The corrupting influence from the God of Knowledge missed its target in an instant, and while still in shock, the violent force it had been battling seemed to be driven into a corner, rapidly contracting and then exploding with a bang. The mountainous flesh swelled suddenly and burst into countless pieces. The force from the God of Knowledge was also triggered by the explosion, setting off a chain reaction, and this series of blasts shook the sturdy structure of the cave, with cracks spreading along the walls. As the strong structure of the cave was damaged, the terrifying pressure from above the ground found its breach, and chunks of rock started falling from the sky. This cave, having withstood untold ages, was on the verge of collapse. ¡°System installation successful, Modrey Mechanical Corporation is at your service.¡± ¡°Warning! Loss of contact with left arm, suspected contamination breach, please check immediately!¡± ¡°Warning! Loss of contact with left arm, suspected contamination breach, please check immediately!¡± ¡°Detecting host consciousness in chaos, initiating forced stimulation.¡± After a series of sparking electric arcs, Selena regained consciousness from the chaos, and the first thing she saw were the red warnings filling her vision. She looked towards her left arm and saw that the cybersecurity skin that once enveloped it had completely lost control, with tiny, wriggling red tendrils emerging from beneath the skin. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she tore off her left arm, and as her right palm opened up, a cannon muzzle with a diameter of about three centimeters, emitting a faint blue glow, extended from her palm. A high-energy laser struck the arm covered in tendrils, turning it into char. ¡°Yezola...¡± Then she looked up at the ceiling of the cave which had begun to crumble and, with determination, rushed back into the collapsing underground cavern. Rushing towards the place where He Ao once stood. ¡ª- Meanwhile, back in the real world, He Ao watched as subtitles continuously appeared before his eyes. ¡°Newbie task completed¡± ¡°Evaluating newbie task...¡± ¡°Your rating is: S¡± Chapter 11 - 11 11 Task Settlement Please Favorite Recommend ?11: Chapter 11: Task Settlement (Please Favorite, Recommend) 11: Chapter 11: Task Settlement (Please Favorite, Recommend) [Descending Ceremony Completion Evaluation: S (Your ritual has received special favor from the God of Knowledge)] [Advent Effect Completion Evaluation: A (You successfully completed the advent of an offspring of the God of Knowledge)] [Side Quest Completion Evaluation: A (You killed 7/8 of the attacking enemies)] [Hidden Task Completion Evaluation: SSS (You executed perfect revenge on the God of Knowledge)] [Your overall evaluation is: S] He Ao, looking at the detailed evaluations in front of him, immediately understood why the system had not settled immediately after the mission was completed¡ªit turned out that the remaining 90 seconds of buffer time were also included in the final calculation of the mission. There should be nothing to say about the Descending Ceremony, He Ao was confident in his own meticulousness. It seems the Advent Effect requires not only the advent but also the restoration of the Evil God¡¯s Offspring¡¯s power, so had He Ao decided to sacrifice himself at that time, he might have received an S evaluation. The side quest must have been about dealing with the enemies. He didn¡¯t kill Selena at the end, so he only got an A evaluation. That is to say, had he conducted the ceremony dutifully, like a qualified Evil God Priest killing everyone and then sacrificing himself, then he might have obtained three S evaluations. However, He Ao definitely would not do that because, after all, he is a law-abiding good person. Moreover, by doing so, he wouldn¡¯t have received Talent Sequence 272. Yes, after returning to the real world, he still felt the presence of Talent Sequence 272. This talent sequence seemed to be soul-bound, or perhaps it was brought back by the power of the system; in any case, this talent sequence worth ten million, he seemed to have it permanently. What a profit. Even if he had received three S evaluations, his overall evaluation would still be just S, which is the same as his current overall S rating. He shifted his gaze to the hidden task. The phrase ¡®executed perfect revenge on the God of Knowledge¡¯ was very interesting. He Ao himself definitely had no grudge against the God of Knowledge; where would a good person like him have any enemies? So, this phrase was most likely from the perspective of ¡®Yezola.¡¯ From Yezola¡¯s point of view, he had become a half-mad monster who had painstakingly summoned an offspring for the God of Knowledge, all for the sake of ¡®eternal life.¡¯ But in the end, the so-called ¡®eternal life¡¯ was nothing but a scam, simply tricking him into willingly working himself to death to end up as nourishment for the God of Knowledge. From Yezola¡¯s perspective, He Ao could feel his rage and unwillingness. Yezola was not just a mechanical program working for the God of Knowledge; he had his own emotions, greed, and resentment. And He Ao¡¯s final act of killing the offspring of the God of Knowledge and causing the God of Knowledge to fly into a rage, in fact, completed the ¡®revenge¡¯ hidden task. Although it was somewhat accidental, He Ao¡¯s feelings at that time were probably not much different from ¡®Yezola¡¯s.¡¯ He was a bit unhappy too when he knew the God of Knowledge wanted to devour him. After all, from the beginning, he had no plans to let the God of Knowledge¡¯s offspring live. He saved Selena so that she could open that box at the crucial moment and kill the offspring of the God of Knowledge. The initiative was always in his hands. While He Ao was analyzing the scores and the possible source of the hidden task, the system subtitles in front of him had already changed. [Now calculating mission rewards.] [The reward for the beginner¡¯s task is: random body strengthening] [Since your overall mission evaluation is S, and a single task evaluation reached SSS, your reward has triggered a luxury critical hit.] [Refreshing your rewards now.] [Please choose one reward from the following three:] [1. Randomly acquire one Talent Sequence (not Soul Bound)] [2. Full-body Mechanical Modification] [3. Vermilion Fruit] He Ao looked at these three options. Talent Sequences should be similar to Transcendent powers like ¡°Super Memory¡±. Mechanical Modification seems to be like Selena¡¯s Mechanized Body? However, since the system didn¡¯t describe it as a Mechanized Body, it might be different, similar to Job¡¯s mechanical arm or a humanoid robot that isn¡¯t shaped like a person? As for the Vermilion Fruit... that was beyond He Ao¡¯s understanding. It seemed like something edible. But considering the basic reward was physical enhancement, Talent Sequences and Mechanical Modification, in some ways, seemed like advanced ¡®physical enhancements¡¯. So could this Vermilion Fruit also be something that could enhance the body? While He Ao was pondering, sudden ¡®bang, bang, bang¡¯ footsteps going up the stairs came from outside, along with someone humming a tune. He turned his head to look toward the door and discovered that his home¡¯s old security door had somehow been opened a crack. He vaguely remembered hearing the lock cylinder turning and the door being pushed open while he was starting the game. But the door was only cracked open because He Ao had welded eight security chains to it, each as thick as a thumb, each one retailing for a hefty amount of one hundred and sixty-eight yuan. Although he was a law-abiding good person, due to his frequent acts of bravery, many people often ¡®visited¡¯ his home. These people were usually quite enthusiastic, carrying things like baseball bats, steel pipes, watermelon knives, either to help He Ao ¡®exercise¡¯, or to ¡®slice some watermelon¡¯ for him. Being a shy and not so eloquent good person, he naturally couldn¡¯t reject these enthusiastic visitors, so he welded a few more security chains. With the door unenterable, there was no need for rejection. Once these chains were up, even a strongman weighing over two hundred pounds couldn¡¯t push it open. He Ao walked step by step to the door and peered through the gap secured by the security chains, looking outside. Ever since most of those enthusiastic people had been ¡®sent away¡¯ by him, it had been a long time since anyone ¡®visited¡¯ his home. Clad in a crisp suit, the young man stepping up the stairs was humming a cheerful tune, carrying a brand new pair of unopened bolt cutters in his hand. He Ao could tell at a glance that the man had bought bolt cutters too small to snip through his security chains. He glanced at his phone, which showed that it was 7:37 PM. More than four minutes had passed since he started the game, and he had spent roughly an hour in the Copy World, which translated to a time flow speed of about one to twenty. This discrepancy in time flow was quite interesting. At that moment, the suited young man reached the top of the stairs. Just as he was about to unpackage the bolt cutters in front of He Ao¡¯s house, he saw a pair of cold eyes appear from behind the door crack, like a lion surveying its prey, staring straight at him. He trembled with fright, then quickly gathered his composure and looked at He Ao with a smiling face, ¡°Is that He Ao?¡± As he spoke, he casually moved the still-packaged bolt cutters behind his back and slipped them into the waistband of his trousers. He Ao glanced at him and with a ¡®snap¡¯, closed the door. Then he looked at the lock on the security door, noting that this man had just picked his lock. Time for a new lock. Hiss¡ª Another major expense. ¡°He Ao! He Ao!¡± The person outside started banging on the door urgently while shouting, ¡°I have a big business deal, a money-making one. Are you interested in hearing about it?¡± He Ao immediately turned around, opened the room door, and, with the security chains still in place, looked at the young man outside, ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± Chapter 12 - 12 12 A Changing World Please Recommend and Favorite ?12: Chapter 12: A Changing World (Please Recommend and Favorite) 12: Chapter 12: A Changing World (Please Recommend and Favorite) ¡°Why not let me in first?¡± The youth, having been somewhat disheartened by He Ao¡¯s recent door-closing, tentatively pointed inside. ¡°Let¡¯s just talk here.¡± He Ao shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too crowded and noisy here...¡± The youth cautiously said. He Ao gave the youth a look, as if he were looking at an idiot, and reached out to close the door again. In this old apartment building with two units per floor, even neighbors were hard to come across, let alone a crowd. ¡°No, no, no!¡± The youth quickly extended his hand to stop the door from closing. He Ao calmly squatted down, fetched a slightly rusty little hammer from the corner behind him, and if the youth dared to reach in, He Ao was ready to swing. Intruding into someone¡¯s home was illegal, after all, and this would be self-defense. Seeing the small hammer, the youth sheepishly withdrew his hand. He had just finished picking the lock and had snapped a photo with his phone through the door to find the living room empty before going down to buy bolt cutters. In just a few minutes, this guy had appeared out of nowhere. But this guy was really something¡ªthis eerie oppressive aura was overwhelming. He had been full of confidence before, but now, his momentum was mostly deflated, completely suppressed. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled out two photos from his pocket. He Ao glanced at them. The top photo was of himself, and the one underneath appeared to be of a girl, but the angle was reflective, making it hard to see clearly. The youth turned the girl¡¯s photo over and handed it to He Ao. Hmm... It was someone familiar... It was Liu Nan. The photo looked like it was taken surreptitiously. The composition wasn¡¯t great; she was made to look a bit ugly. The youth, not noticing He Ao¡¯s increasingly strange expression, smiled as he explained, ¡°Brother Ao, this girl is the daughter of the chairman of Wanhe Industrial. While Wanhe Industrial may not be very famous in Xidu City, it¡¯s a top-tier conglomerate in the south. Her dad is the richest man in the province back in his hometown. If we kidnap her, we can ask for any amount of money.¡± He Ao¡¯s expression grew even more peculiar. In the whole Xidu City, who didn¡¯t know that I, He Ao, was an upright, law-abiding citizen? ¡°Brother Ao, we also heard about you from local brothers in Xidu City. They say you¡¯re Xidu¡¯s most infamous villain, so we came to you specially to offer a fortune that¡¯s heaven-high.¡± The youth spoke with increasing enthusiasm, as if he had regained his confidence. And He Ao¡¯s face could almost be scribbled with ¡®little question marks; do you have lots of friends or what?¡¯ This fool must have been set up, right? My reputation as a good guy was acknowledged by the entire underworld of Xidu. ¡°Actually, we already sent someone to capture the girl,¡± the youth chuckled, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure why this student before him was the big-time villain who made the entire underworld of Xidu quiver in fear, ¡°They should have her by now. All we need is for you, Brother Ao, to help us find a place to keep her hidden...¡± ¡®Sell cool noodles~ delicious and sweet cool noodles~¡¯ The old-fashioned singing interrupted the youth¡¯s words. That was He Ao¡¯s ringtone. He Ao picked up the phone and saw it was from an unknown number. After thinking it over, he hung up directly. Seeing He Ao hang up the call, the youth was getting ready to speak again. ¡®Sell cool noodles~ delicious and sweet cool noodles~¡¯ The old-fashioned singing rang out again. The youth¡¯s words were harshly swallowed back again. This time He Ao answered. ¡°Is this He Ao? I¡¯m Liu Nan,¡± a somewhat reserved female voice came through the phone, ¡°I got your number from a classmate. Are you busy right now? I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you?¡± She was referring to the reason why He Ao had just hung up on her. She was worried that He Ao might be in the middle of something, and she had planned to call again later if she couldn¡¯t get through now. He Ao glanced at the youth standing outside the door, ¡°No problem. Sales calls usually don¡¯t happen twice, so I hang up directly on unfamiliar numbers the first time.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Liu Nan was taken aback, clearly not catching on. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He Ao quickly asked. ¡°Well... Thank you so much for today... Have you had dinner... Why don¡¯t I treat you to dinner tonight? How about Qiuwushe Restaurant on Light Secure Road in the city center?¡± Liu Nan realized she was having a hard time keeping up with He Ao¡¯s pace and could only cautiously ask, as she was not one to like owing favors to others, therefore she wanted to repay He Ao as soon as possible. ¡°Just a moment,¡± He Ao put down his phone and quickly opened the map app, searching for Qiuwushe Restaurant. The map showed he could take Subway Line 6 to Line 1, then transfer to Line 3, costing six yuan, taking fifty minutes. With He Ao¡¯s Xidu subway card, which gives a ten percent discount, it would be five yuan and forty cents, and it would take him about ten minutes to walk to the subway station. Two hours for the round trip, a total of ten yuan and eighty cents for the fare, while the cost of a bowl of pea and mixed sauce noodles downstairs was ten yuan. It was a loss. So, he decisively told Liu Nan on the other end of the phone, ¡°Not going, it¡¯s too expensive.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Liu Nan was bewildered for the second time. ¡°Right,¡± He Ao glanced at the youth before him, ¡°you should be careful lately.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°Huh?¡± Liu Nan¡¯s exclamation didn¡¯t come out, because He Ao had already hung up the phone. ¡°What did He Ao say?¡± The girl sipping her milk tea poked her head out from the side. ¡°He said ¡®not going, it¡¯s too expensive,''¡± Liu Nan held her phone, looking at the girl confusedly, ¡°but isn¡¯t it my treat?¡± ¡°Did he say anything else to you?¡± The girl thought for a moment and asked. ¡°He said... to be careful of my safety?¡± Liu Nan recalled and said softly. ¡°I get it,¡± the girl adjusted her glasses, ¡°he likes you!¡± Liu Nan: ¡°?!!!!!¡± ¡°Look, he says it¡¯s too expensive, he must be upset about you spending money, especially since Qiuwushe is so pricey. Plus, he said for you to be careful, he must be worried for your well-being, given you were almost attacked by a bad person today.¡± The girl reasoned seriously, ¡°Combine that with what he said this afternoon, I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯s playing hard to get; I¡¯m so familiar with this tactic! Although I¡¯ve been single for eighteen years, I don¡¯t know how many of these romance novels I¡¯ve read...¡± ¡°?!?!?¡± While the logic seemed sound, Liu Nan still felt something was amiss, also, aren¡¯t you only eighteen years old... ¡ª¡ª After He Ao hung up the phone, he looked up at the youth, meeting his burning gaze. ¡°Brother Ao, who was that just called you?¡± The youth asked tentatively. ¡°It was Liu Nan,¡± He Ao nodded and then casually dialed Captain Liu¡¯s number. It was the first time he had come across such a ready lead, and he wondered how much the reward would be for reporting it. ¡°Hello, He Ao? What¡¯s up?¡± The call connected quickly, and Captain Liu¡¯s somewhat weary voice came through. He seemed to still be working overtime at this hour. ¡°Captain Liu, it¡¯s like this,¡± He Ao looked at the youth, ¡°about the kidnapping case this afternoon, which seems like an abduction, there¡¯s a person who might be a behind-the-scenes mastermind right outside my door...¡± He Ao had not finished speaking when the other end of the line immediately said, ¡°He Ao, take good care of yourself, do not provoke him, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± What followed was the sound of hasty footsteps and the panting of Captain Liu running. ¡°Okay.¡± He Ao responded and observed the scene before him. But now, it seemed a little late. The youth, who had been previously subdued by He Ao¡¯s presence, now had his face flushed red; he swelled up like a balloon, his huge muscles tearing through his suit. His originally slight figure now bloated like a hefty little mountain, ¡°You tricked me!?¡± He charged like an angry bull, smashing into the security door. Bang¡ªCraack¡ª The solid welding point of the security chain split open. At that moment, He Ao suddenly realized. The world might have changed. Chapter 13 - 13 13 Transcendent Please Favorite Recommend ?13: Chapter 13: Transcendent (Please Favorite, Recommend) 13: Chapter 13: Transcendent (Please Favorite, Recommend) Boom¡ªBoom¡ªBoom¡ª The intense sounds of collision echoed one after another, the old apartment building seemed to shudder with the vibrations. ¡°Who the hell, born without a father and raised without a mother, is dicking around here in the middle of the night, are you f***ing using a vibrator to poke chrysanthemums?¡± An irritable woman who lived upstairs cursed as she opened her door, stepped into the stairwell, and leaned over the railing to look down. ¡°Huh!?¡± The young man below, his body swollen with muscles, looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his face reddened with rage, and bulging veins, resembling a bull on the prairie ready to charge. The two locked eyes for a moment, time itself seemed to freeze in that instant. ¡°Oh my, I must have gone deaf, can¡¯t hear a thing... can¡¯t hear anything...¡± The woman immediately turned around, clattered up the stairs, then slammed the door with a bang and twisted the security lock three times. Seeing the woman retreat, the young man continued to direct his gaze at He Ao, resuming his assault on the door. He had initially been reluctant because he feared attracting the neighbors¡¯ attention and prompting them to call the police, but now that He Ao had already called the police, he wasn¡¯t afraid of anything anymore. He was determined to make this kid pay the price for his arrogance! Once rage ignited, it could not be quenched. It could only extinguish once it consumed itself. Boom¡ª He increased the frequency of his attack on the door, and more and more cracks appeared on the weld points of the sturdy security chain. Sometimes, the appearance of a crack is not the beginning of destruction but a sign that it is well underway, with one crack leading to more, and the complete breakdown of the whole thing is only a matter of course. Given the young man¡¯s pace, he would break through the security chain in no more than ten seconds. He Ao stepped back a few paces, casting a distant glance at the young man who was smiling viciously as he gradually forced the door open. Then he turned his attention to the three reward options in front of him; he had intended to think it through, but it seemed there was no time left for contemplation. With a thought, he made his choice. [You have selected the Vermilion Fruit, the item has been delivered, please check. ] [Novice task completed, you have unlocked the official game eligibility. ] [Life Resume feature has been unlocked] [Character panel has been unlocked] [Time remaining until next game begins: 23:56:36] He Ao didn¡¯t have time to closely read the system¡¯s captions; he only felt a slight weight in his hand, as a small heavy object appeared. He picked up the object to examine it more closely¡ªit was a red fruit, about two fingers wide and three fingers long, cylinder-shaped, fiery red, with a surface pitted with dense indentations that reflected a bright light under the lamp. He Ao wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with such a fruit; he usually referred to it as... a jujube! ... Zhu, which means red; Guo, which means fruit; the Vermilion Fruit is a red fruit, jujubes are also red fruits, hence jujubes are Vermilion Fruits, the reasoning is complete, it makes sense. He Ao didn¡¯t even know where to begin with his criticism. But upon closer inspection, this fruit was different from jujubes, which are usually very light, while this fruit was slightly heavier. As for the taste. He Ao brought the fruit to his mouth and took a bite. ...It tasted just like a jujube. Boom¡ªBang¡ª The old security door was violently smashed open, and the steel door slammed into the wall with a loud crash. He Ao couldn¡¯t hesitate at this moment, quickly swallowing the fruit in his hands. Then he spat out a small object. ...Hmm, there¡¯s a date pit, *cough*...a fruit core. The date pit didn¡¯t look edible, so He Ao simply pocketed it and ran towards the deeper parts of the house. He Ao¡¯s home had three bedrooms and a living room. The master bedroom belonged to his parents and, due to a lack of use, had gathered dust. The secondary bedroom was his own, and there was also a small room ¡ª his study, which was where he was running to now. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t you fucking run!¡± After the young man burst into the room, he immediately charged at He Ao with a vicious smile. In fact, He Ao didn¡¯t have many choices: he already had one of the ¡°Talent Sequences,¡± and there was no guarantee he could roll a sequence suitable for combat; he didn¡¯t want to become a robot through ¡°Mechanical Modification,¡± so the ¡°Vermilion Fruit¡± was the only option. Moreover, he had a theory: the ¡°Talent Sequences¡± represented superpowers obtained out of thin air, and ¡°Mechanical Modification¡± represented powerful bodies obtained from external technology. So, could the ¡°Vermilion Fruit¡± imply the enhancement of one¡¯s own body, or the improvement of inherent qualities? He soon knew the answer. As he ran, a warm current spread from his lower abdomen to his chest and then into his limbs, following a special route that imbued his entire body. He Ao felt blockages inside his body being consecutively breached, like long-clogged silt being forcefully cleared by a strong current, or like someone constipated for two weeks finally releasing a torrent. This sensation was peculiar, somewhat painful, yet also exhilarating. To describe it further seemed impossible. In short, He Ao felt that his movements were much faster than before, and his body seemed to have become lighter. But even so, he was still one step too slow. The young man charged like a bull, heading straight for him. Some people think that because bulls are strong, they must be slow. But they are mistaken. While bulls certainly don¡¯t run fast over long distances, they can explode with very high speeds in short bursts of charging. Why use a bull for comparison? Because He Ao thought that the young man before him no longer resembled a human; although he maintained a humanoid shape, he took on the shadow of an enraged wild bull. The young man wasn¡¯t exactly ¡®running¡¯ but rather bounding forward in leaps with powerful stomps on the ground toward He Ao. In a very short time, the young man¡¯s body had closed the distance to He Ao, swinging his fist towards He Ao¡¯s chest. If this punch landed, He Ao felt that his ribs would be shattered, and the splintered bones would pierce directly into his lungs. He had overestimated himself, He Ao tensed up. The young man¡¯s strength was beyond his expectations, far surpassing what humans could achieve. It seemed the young man could see He Ao¡¯s furrowed expression, and his smile grew wider, ¡°Pay for your arrogance now, kid!¡± Watching the punch coming his way, He Ao knew some techniques to twist his body and dodge the punch, but after evading, he would expose a vulnerability. If the young man seized the opportunity, He Ao would still be injured. However, at this moment, he didn¡¯t have time to think further; being hit by this punch could cost him his life, if not cripple him severely. Yet just as he was about to dodge the attack, a flash of insight crossed his mind. It was a scene he had memorized with ¡°Super Memory¡±. In that old, yellowed book, there were not only dense, unintelligible texts but also some simple illustrations of human movements. Initially, he didn¡¯t understand these illustrations; however, now, as the warmth from the Vermilion Fruit flowed through certain routes, he began to grasp the meaning of the lines traced over the human figures in the drawings. With some power from the Vermilion Fruit still remaining, he attempted to redirect it along the lines from his memory of those illustrations. It worked! All of this happened in an instant! The furious young man¡¯s punch hit He Ao¡¯s chest but passed through a mere illusionary shadow. Chapter 14 - 14 14 Daybreak Has Come and It Shall Last Forever Please Add to Favorites and Recommend ?14: Chapter 14: Daybreak Has Come, and It Shall Last Forever (Please Add to Favorites and Recommend) 14: Chapter 14: Daybreak Has Come, and It Shall Last Forever (Please Add to Favorites and Recommend) ¡°Dao Chong! And when used, it seems inexhaustible, profound like the origin of all things.¡± The grand and vast voice was like the music of immortals descending from the nine heavens, resonating by He Ao¡¯s ears. His figure, in an instant, transformed into endless phantoms before returning to one. The great Dao arises from emptiness and turns into infinity, resembling the abyss and giving birth to all things, The youth, strong as a Bull, looked at He Ao¡¯s fluttering figure with anger, ¡°Good, you are indeed one of the chosen ones!¡± He let out a low roar, threw punches with both hands, and rapidly charged towards He Ao. The punches, swiped through the air, made a whistling sound, ¡°Watch me shatter your intimidating but empty tricks.¡± However, He Ao¡¯s eyes were firmly closed, as if he did not see the youth at all, his body lightly shifting aside. This movement was extremely slow, like a casual turn on the street, yet he managed to dodge the young man¡¯s punch by a hair¡¯s breadth. The youth seemed to have anticipated he would dodge the punch, and changed his fist into a claw, turning back and reaching out towards He Ao. He Ao turned around, his index and middle fingers joined together, gently tapping the youth¡¯s wrist. Immediately, the youth¡¯s movement faltered and he froze for a moment. He felt a numbing force emanating from his wrist, effortlessly neutralizing all of his strength and momentum. He wanted to withdraw his fist and turn around, but He Ao had already moved in front of him. His joined fingers tapped several times on the lower abdomen beneath the young man¡¯s chest. Instantly, the youth lost control of his body, as if he could no longer exert any strength. This feeling was like being pinned down by a ghost, no matter how hard he tried, he could not move his body an inch. Then, He Ao grabbed his yet-to-be-retracted hand, turned around, took half a step backward, sank his lower body, executed a shoulder throw, all in one fluid motion. With a loud crash, the youth was thrown to the ground. This jolt allowed him to snap out of the terrifying sensation of being pinned down like by a ghost, he tried to move his body, but felt so numbed that he could not muster any strength. By now, He Ao had already retreated to the doorway of the study. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to continue showing off, but rather, his ¡®external help¡¯ had expired. The remnant strength left in his body after the Vermilion Fruit had cleared his channels had been completely used up in those recent actions. ¡°Qi...¡± He Ao, reflecting upon the energy patterns he had just utilized, followed the descriptions from the booklet and directed the energy along a specific route. He could vaguely sense something called ¡®Qi.¡¯ This Qi was elusive, like a lady playing the zither behind a screen in ancient times. One could see her graceful figure and hear her beautiful music, yet her true face remained unseen. This mysterious Qi was the force that supported his use of those moves just now. These techniques were actually depicted in the drawings from the booklet, but only with the enhancement of this ¡®Qi¡¯ could they truly exhibit power. Having gained ¡®Qi¡¯ himself, He Ao could faintly sense others¡¯ ¡®Qi¡¯ ¨C or rather, the energy flow in other people that was similar to ¡®Qi¡¯. The few taps he had given the youth served to sever the energy flow within the young man¡¯s body. Although the youth probably did not know the patterns of his own internal energy flow, being struck at vital points caused the energies to scatter like water from a burst pipe, even potentially damaging his body. Now, the defeated youth lay on the ground unable to get up. He Ao had the chance to kill the youth but didn¡¯t make a move. If he had killed the youth in the initial attack, it would have been legitimate self-defense. Proceeding with a second attack might be considered excessive self-defense or even involuntary manslaughter. There was no need for that; He Ao was a law-abiding good citizen. He quickly prepared to enter the study. Although the study was small, it was fortified with a double layer of brick walls on all sides, including thick steel plates between them. The door to the study was the latest and best security door available on the market, unlike the house door that could be easily broken open. It was essentially a small safe room, which should last until Captain Liu arrived. However, just as He Ao was about to enter the room, an intense alarm suddenly sounded outside. Captain Liu arrived earlier than he had anticipated. ¡°Ah!!!!!¡± The youth who was just lying on the ground got up in a hurry, regardless of the numbness in his body. He wanted to take the stairs but faintly heard footsteps coming upstairs. He looked around quickly and rushed towards the large window in the living room. ¡°Eh?¡± He Ao quickly walked over and waved his hand, just about to say something. The youth shuddered as he thought He Ao was going to help the police nab him. He scrambled over the window and crashed down with a bang. ¡°This is the fifth floor...¡± He Ao, a bit dazed, lowered his hand. Don¡¯t die on me... He quickly pressed himself against the window to look. All he heard were thuds and crashes. The youth¡¯s body smashed through several of the downstairs neighbors¡¯ awnings before he hit the ground with a smack. This was the back of the building, and Captain Liu and his team hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The youth glanced around, saw no police, and scrambled to his feet, rolling and crawling towards a nearby scooter. Then he pulled out a small tool He Ao couldn¡¯t make out, started the scooter, and sped off. Seeing him unharmed, He Ao breathed a sigh of relief. If he had died there, He Ao might have been entangled in some trouble. It would be a hassle if it turned out to be manslaughter. The guy might not have been the brightest, but he sure was tough as nails. He Ao watched the youth¡¯s retreating figure, watched the muscles on his body slowly deflate, not sure if he had deactivated his skill voluntarily, or if the skill¡¯s duration had ended. He turned back, looking at the scene of their previous scuffle. The floor tiles were broken in places the youth had stepped, and the old security door had several dents. Hiss¡ª Replacing the security door, replacing the tiles, that¡¯s all money. He was a good person; why did this happen to him? Just then, he spotted something white underneath a piece of broken tile pressed by a shred of cloth. It seemed to be a small card. He walked over and picked it up. It was a white card the size of an identity card, apparently crafted with a special technique. When He Ao looked straight at the card, it reflected a faint, warm glow. The image on the card depicted a rising sun at the edge of Heaven. However, when he tilted the card, the image turned into a hazy night scene. As he shifted the angle from inclined to upright, a scene of night gradually turning into sunrise appeared on the card. ¡°Interesting.¡± He turned the card over. On the back was a brief phrase. [Daybreak has come, and shall last forever.] It looked like an identity card for some secret organization. Normally, the more impressive the name and motto, the weaker the combat effectiveness. At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from the side¡ªCaptain Liu led a team of police officers into the room. ¡°He Ao,¡± Captain Liu placed his hand on his waist and surveyed the surroundings, ¡°where¡¯s the guy?¡± ¡°Ran away,¡± He Ao pointed outside the window, ¡°heard you guys coming, jumped out, and then stole Sister Li¡¯s scooter from the sixth floor to escape.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Captain Liu seemed to exhale in relief. He looked at He Ao, ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± He Ao nodded. Then casually, he asked, ¡°Captain Liu, when can I collect the reward?¡± He needed money for the security door and tiles. It took Captain Liu a moment to catch up with He Ao¡¯s train of thought. Weren¡¯t they talking about the criminal? How did it suddenly turn to money? Then, seeing the chaos around, he understood, ¡°The money should be processed by tonight. Since I need to ask for your full account of this afternoon¡¯s incident, how about we head to the police station?¡± He was somewhat concerned the man would return and He Ao could get hurt without police protection. ¡°Sure!¡± He Ao nodded decisively. Meanwhile, as He Ao and Captain Liu were conversing, a figure in a black trench coat moved around to the back of the building. He glanced in the direction where the scooter had disappeared, then looked up at the awnings damaged from the first to the fourth floor. Through the twisted, deformed awnings, one could almost visualize the youth¡¯s clumsy descent from the fifth floor. Bull might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was strong. He wouldn¡¯t get spooked by sirens into such a panic. Chapter 15 - 15 15 Character Panel Please Favorite Subscribe and Follow ?15: Chapter 15: Character Panel (Please Favorite, Subscribe, and Follow) 15: Chapter 15: Character Panel (Please Favorite, Subscribe, and Follow) ¡°Come on, stand between us, and we¡¯ll take a photo.¡± Captain Liu gestured for He Ao to stand between him and a colleague. ¡°Umm, Captain Liu, don¡¯t we usually have a banner for acts of bravery or something?¡± He Ao glanced at the two police officers on his left and right. Normally, there would be a photo op for acts of bravery, but there should be a banner, right? Now, without it, he almost felt like all he needed were silver bracelets and a yellow vest, and he could be on the legal affairs channel. ¡°No worries, no worries, the banner isn¡¯t ready yet. When it is, we¡¯ll just Photoshop it in,¡± Captain Liu laughed, pointing to an old camera, ¡°Come on, look at the lens.¡± He Ao had a feeling that the yellow vest and silver bracelets could be Photoshopped in as well. In any case, he smoothly recieved his ten thousand yuan reward. This was indeed much faster than before; the quickest he got it before was three days, but this time it had only taken a few hours. Looking at the thick envelope, He Ao said, ¡°Captain Liu, this isn¡¯t the money you advanced me, is it?¡± ¡°What are you thinking? If you¡¯re broke, does that mean I¡¯m not?¡± Captain Liu slapped He Ao¡¯s forehead lightly, ¡°I did indeed expedite your application, but I too was surprised it was approved so quickly.¡± Looking at his smile, He Ao knew he wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth, but he didn¡¯t call him out on it. However, it was unlikely that Captain Liu advanced the money himself; it was possible that the expedited process wasn¡¯t exactly by the book. ¡°Ao, if you consider me an uncle, then listen to my advice,¡± Captain Liu suddenly said seriously to He Ao, ¡°Times have changed; you¡¯ve been admitted to university. Don¡¯t go looking for danger anymore. Focus on your studies, learn well, and you won¡¯t be lacking money in the future.¡± Captain Liu¡¯s surname was Liu, his given name was Zheng, and his actions lived up to his name. Although he had always been stuck in this small place without promotion, his integrity was beyond reproach, and he had looked after He Ao more than once, which is why He Ao always turned to him for help. ¡°Mm, okay,¡± He Ao nodded eagerly and then casually said, ¡°Captain Liu, I¡¯ll head back first then, I still have to set up my stall tonight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re letting my words go in one ear and out the other, aren¡¯t you?¡± Liu Zheng chided with a smile then waved his hand, indicating for He Ao to leave, ¡°Scram, I don¡¯t want to see you anymore.¡± ¡°Heh heh.¡± He Ao chuckled and didn¡¯t rebut, leaving the police station directly. He, a law-abiding good citizen, where would the danger come from? As he left the building, a man wrapped in a black trench coat, looking very aloof, was walking towards him. Steady lower body, piercing gaze, and a calm countenance. He looked tough. He Ao assessed the man internally. Aura is quite a mysterious thing; it has to do with a person¡¯s living environment. Those who have held positions of power often seem imposing without anger, because they are used to being in core positions where they can give orders. In everyday interactions, they naturally behave as if they¡¯re still in that position, viewing the world from a different perspective and acting decisively and unquestionably, which makes people perceive them as authoritative. Similarly, those who have truly seen bloodshed have crossed a certain line and realize that humans aren¡¯t much different from pigs or dogs ¨C they die just the same. Without realizing, their view of the world shifts, and this change reflects in their aura. Therefore, a seasoned hunter can easily judge whether other hunters have blood on their hands. He Ao passed the man without further inspection, his gaze only briefly landing on the man¡¯s face before they each continued in their respective directions. The man walked straight into the police station. At that moment, Liu Zheng was distributing cigarettes to his subordinates. ¡°Guys, work a little harder for the next few days. Once we catch that guy, we can all relax. Later on, have a couple of brothers follow He Ao for a couple of days. I¡¯m a bit worried that the suspect might make a Backturn Spear.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t come back,¡± a deep voice suddenly resonated, as the man in the trench coat stepped into the room, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about He Ao, we will protect him.¡± ¡°Researcher Zhang,¡± Liu Zheng said cheerfully, handing a cigarette to the man while ushering him into his small office, ¡°I have to thank you for the expedited approval of the reward money. I just mentioned it in passing; I didn¡¯t expect you guys to act so quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the man took the cigarette and put it in his mouth, following him into the office, casually closing the door behind him, ¡°We¡¯re just a civic organization, we don¡¯t have much sway. I just passed on your request, that¡¯s all. Did ¡®Bull¡¯ leave any clues in He Ao¡¯s house?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a torn piece of clothing that has been sent for DNA testing,¡± Liu Zheng pulled out a white card from his drawer and handed it to the man, ¡°And this custom IC card, we¡¯re trying to trace the manufacturer.¡± The man took the card, flipped it over, then pulled out a UV light from his pocket and shone it on the back of the card. Two characters resembling a painting appeared on the back of the card, [Bull], ¡°It¡¯s Bull¡¯s Daybreak identity card.¡± ¡°Daybreak?¡± Liu Zheng looked puzzled. ¡°A fairly active illegal civic organization,¡± the man pocketed the card, ¡°I¡¯ll take this with me. Leave this matter to us; if we need anything, we¡¯ll contact you.¡± ¡ª- Nightfall. The roaring sound of a motorcycle sped down the road, kicking up a trail of dust. He Ao quickly shut the glass door of his stall to prevent dust from settling on the cold noodles inside. His gaze shifted to the subtitles in his field of vision; only now did he have time to carefully examine the system prompts given after receiving the reward. First was the countdown in the bottom right corner that kept jumping, [Next Game Start in 20:03:27]. Then there was a flashing little person icon in the upper left corner. He Ao focused on the little person icon, which swiftly expanded into an attribute panel. [He Ao] [Permission Level: Regular Player] [Physical Conditioning: 15 (Copy World average person is 10, main world average person is 5)] [Skills: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Bound) (F-rank)] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F-rank)] This attribute panel was quite simple, devoid of fancy features. It just straightforwardly showed physical conditioning and skills. From the system¡¯s data, He Ao¡¯s strength was now three times that of an average person in the main world? He didn¡¯t have a clear concept of what that meant, as combat wasn¡¯t solely determined by physical conditioning. But before, his strength was probably only around 1.3 times higher at most. He relied on tactics when fighting, preferring to use his brain over his brawn. It seemed the Vermilion Fruit indeed enhanced his physical conditioning. Then his attention shifted to ¡®Martial Arts¡¯ above. Chapter 16 - 16 16 Research Institute Please Favorite Recommend and Follow ?16: Chapter 16: Research Institute (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) 16: Chapter 16: Research Institute (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) ¡°Boss, a bowl of cold noodles, please.¡± A deep voice interrupted He Ao¡¯s concentration. ¡°Sure thing,¡± He Ao replied, deftly opening a cabinet while glancing at the visitor¡ªa familiar face. It was the man who had brushed past him at the police station today. He didn¡¯t ask further but softly inquired, ¡°Handsome, do you want a large or small bowl, sweet and sour or spicy?¡± ¡°How much does it cost?¡± The man glanced at He Ao but didn¡¯t linger his gaze on him, instead looking off into the deepening night. ¡°Eight for a large, six for a small, same price for sweet and sour or spicy.¡± He Ao lowered his head and replied softly. ¡°Give me a large, sweet and sour, to eat here.¡± The man said offhandedly, then walked over to a small foldable table set up nearby. There weren¡¯t many of these foldable tables, about five or six, with several cylinder-shaped plastic stools haphazardly placed around them. Some young people were sitting, eating cold noodles and chatting. These were night shift workers from the nearby industrial district. The night shift started at eleven-thirty. Usually, they would come here to grab something to eat before eleven to fill their stomachs. The young people looked up at the man, curiously eyeing his attire before lowering their heads to continue their conversations. He Ao took out a wide-mouthed stainless steel scoop, held the handle in one hand, and with the other, he lifted a large amount of cold noodles into the scoop. He then swiftly added salt, MSG, chicken powder, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, minced garlic, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and roasted sesame. The key to the sweet and sour flavor lay in achieving a balance of tanginess and sweetness. Too sour, and it would detract from the taste; not sour enough, and it wouldn¡¯t stimulate the appetite. The sugar would neutralize the tartness of the vinegar, giving a sweet aftertaste following the initial tang, creating a pleasing sensation that not only tasted good but also enhanced the appetite. Normally, one wouldn¡¯t add chili to a sweet and sour dish, but He Ao liked to add just a tiny bit. The combination of chili and minced garlic provided a fragrance and heat that would stimulate the taste buds and help dispel the body¡¯s chill during the night. However, it was important not to add too much as it could easily overpower the primary flavors of sweet and sour. After adding the seasonings, He Ao mixed the cold noodles quickly, even flipping the scoop in the air, causing the noodles to fly out against the side of the scoop and perform a 180-degree turn in mid-air. A crucial factor in the taste of cold noodles was whether they were mixed evenly. Anyone who¡¯s eaten pasta knows that with dry noodles, getting the sauce to coat each strand evenly is what makes the dish either delightful or a combination of too salty and bland. Once each noodle strand was evenly coated with the glossy sauce, He Ao stopped, opened a small box of side dishes, and added boiled kelp strips, blanched fresh bean sprouts, chopped green onions, and crispy fried soybeans in sequence. These sides and green onions were quickly mixed into the bowl the moment they were dropped in. However, this time the mixing was less vigorous than before since the bean sprouts were now in the mix. Some people like to add cucumber strips to cold noodles for a refreshing, crunchy, and grease-cutting effect. But He Ao preferred bean sprouts, which were similarly refreshing and crunchy, yet not as unyieldingly firm as cucumber strips. They were firm on the outside but tender inside, bursting with juice at the slightest bite. The boiling water He Ao used for the bean sprouts had lemon slices steeped in it, offering not just a grease-cutting effect but also a unique tartness different from vinegar. Such treated bean sprouts, mixed in the noodles and eaten, provided a moment when the teeth sunk in¡ªwith the tender yet chewy noodles, the crisp bean sprouts, the freshness of sweet and sour, and the slight tartness of lemon melding together under the tongue¡¯s mixing and the teeth¡¯s grinding¡ªlike a bittersweet first love, coy and flirtatious. Irresistibly memorable. Of course, bean sprouts also have their drawbacks. After blanching, they spoil easily, so any unsold sprouts must be discarded. They are also rather troublesome to prepare, which is why fewer people use them nowadays. After this series of dazzling moves, only two or three minutes had actually passed. He Ao took out a small paper bowl, packed the cold noodles neatly, stuck a pair of disposable chopsticks in, and placed it on the small table in front of the man. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re doing pretty well here,¡± The man hesitated for a moment, then asked somewhat stiffly. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not bad,¡± He Ao couldn¡¯t figure out what the man wanted to say; he handed the payment code to the man, ¡°Eight yuan.¡± ¡°You seem to be having a hard time,¡± the man took out his phone, scanning the code to pay while speaking in an awkward and stiff tone as if unaccustomed to this kind of work, ¡°And you sell so cheaply, your income must be low...¡± ¡°Payment received: eight yuan.¡± The voice prompt came from the phone. ¡°You¡¯re still in school, right? I have a part-time job...¡± the man continued, gaining a bit of confidence as the conversation went on, ready to elaborate further but was interrupted by He Ao¡¯s voice. ¡°Indeed it¡¯s not very high, I set up my stall for thirty days a month, selling seventy to eighty bowls each evening. I can make six to seven hundred yuan a day, which adds up to eighteen or nineteen thousand a month, not quite twenty thousand. After all the costs, there isn¡¯t much left, just hard-earned money...¡± As He Ao was speaking, he suddenly realized that the air seemed to have quieted down. He looked at the man in front of him, who, without knowing when, had started silently eating his noodles, right about when he mentioned ¡®twenty thousand a month.¡¯ He decided to keep asking, ¡°So, about that part-time job you were talking about...¡± ¡°No, no such thing,¡± the man hastened to wave his hands, ¡°That job isn¡¯t suitable for you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He Ao returned to his stall feeling a bit puzzled, but if the other person didn¡¯t want to say more, it wasn¡¯t his place to pry. Besides, his long experience looking for part-time jobs told him that when strangers come up offering ¡®I have a part-time job for you,¡¯ they were either shady brokers or scammers. He Ao had been scammed back in high school with promises of ¡®high pay and stability,¡¯ ¡®work from home,¡¯ and ¡®earn tens of thousands a month,¡¯ but you had to pay a security deposit of 399 yuan to start. He Ao paid, and then there was no after. That month, he lived on cold steamed buns. There are many good people in the world, and many bad ones too. Sitting on the small stool in front of his stall, He Ao looked at the [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F-rank)] on his character panel, playing back in his mind the book ¡®Introduction to Sword Immortals in Thirty Days¡¯ he saw in the Copy World. That book might have been an exaggeration and not enough to make one an immortal, but according to the system¡¯s label, it seemed to belong to something called ¡®Martial Arts.¡¯ After all, ¡®Qi Induction¡¯ was annotated after the words ¡®Martial Arts,¡¯ and He Ao felt that the ¡®qi¡¯ generated by the energy of the Vermilion Fruit was the same ¡®qi¡¯ in Qi Induction. Though it was called Qi Induction, his body was now as empty as a rice bin that couldn¡¯t even feed a mouse, let alone ¡®qi¡¯; he didn¡¯t have even a bit of energy. He wondered if there was any way to generate that energy. Did that little book contain methods to naturally generate energy? While He Ao was immersed in studying those images from the book, which he could barely understand, and the text which seemed like gibberish, sudden rapid footsteps approached from the darkness, followed by a somewhat familiar voice, ¡°Boss, a bowl of cold noodles, please.¡± He looked up, and a familiar face came into view¡ªthe young man who had almost demolished his home that afternoon. The young man saw He Ao, paused, and then turned and ran. He Ao didn¡¯t move, because someone else was quicker; it was the man in the trench coat, who flashed by He Ao¡¯s stall like a streak of light, chasing after the young man. ¡°If you need us, contact us.¡± His words were as cool and composed as they were smooth, a stark contrast to the awkwardness of his earlier attempts to sell the part-time job. And what landed in front of He Ao along with his words was a plain white business card with black lettering, the cheapest kind on the market, it showed a simple organization name. [Central Earth Folk Institute for Abnormal Human Studies (Xidu City Branch)] Chapter 17 - 17 17 Qi Induction Please Bookmark Recommend and Follow ?17: Chapter 17: Qi Induction (Please Bookmark, Recommend, and Follow) 17: Chapter 17: Qi Induction (Please Bookmark, Recommend, and Follow) [Central Earth Folk Institute for Abnormal Human Studies (Xidu City Branch)] [Address: 36 Tongzi Street, Peaceful District, Xidu City] [Researcher Zhang Ansha¡¯s phone: 136****8792] The business card is made of the most common kind of coated paper, with black text on a white background, and no laminating, making it the cheapest kind. You can get a thousand of them for just twenty-eight yuan online, hmm, with free shipping. However, you can actually design these business cards yourself and send the design to be printed, and the business card that He Ao currently uses is of this kind, but with a much nicer layout. The layout was designed for him by a young girl studying art whom he had helped back in high school. After she designed it, he hadn¡¯t asked her to treat him to a meal. That¡¯s always been the way He Ao does things, debts must be collected, and favors must be repaid. However, the address ¡¯36 Tongzi Street, Peaceful District, Xidu City¡¯ seemed vaguely familiar. He Ao took out his phone and searched for the address. Then he fell into a brief silence. Because the precise location indicated on the map software was clearly marked, ¡®Xidu City¡¯s Third Psychiatric Hospital.¡¯ He should have thought of it earlier¡ªthe Abnormal Human Research Institute was, in fact, a psychiatric hospital. He had originally thought it should be some kind of Transcendent organization. Hmm, if we consider ordinary people to be normal humans, doesn¡¯t that make Transcendents abnormal humans? And mentally ill people are abnormal humans too? So Transcendents are actually the same as mentally ill people? I¡¯m mad, and yet I¡¯ve become stronger? Damn, why does the logic seem to hold up? Following the basic rule of thumb, the stranger the organization¡¯s name, the stronger it usually is, so He Ao kept the business card and entered Zhang Ansha¡¯s phone number into his cellphone. He set it as the emergency call number two. Number one was Captain Liu. Usually, when He Ao encountered danger, his first reaction was to call the police, to ring up Captain Liu for backup, so having a speed dial was very important. Obeying the law is actually a form of quid pro quo; He Ao gives up some of his freedom and rights in exchange for the state¡¯s protection of himself. Since he has fulfilled his obligations, he certainly needs to exercise his rights, so He Ao is quite proficient at ringing up Captain Liu for help. Of course, Captain Liu was always reliable, and He Ao never bothered him when there was no need. Similarly, he chose not to chase the young man for the same reason. Once the police were informed, the responsibility for the matter had shifted to the local authorities. It was the authorities¡¯ duty to capture these vicious criminals and maintain social order. If he were to spend time investigating and pursuing them, first of all, he wouldn¡¯t have time for his street stall, missing out on an important source of income. Secondly, it would affect his studies, and most importantly, without a direct bounty on these criminals, even if he acted bravely and justly, getting money out of it would be difficult. The expected return was very low. He had learned this the hard way. So, to put further effort into this matter, would be to continue increasing his losses, with very low prospects of gain and high risk. Leave the professional work to the professionals, and after all, he¡¯s just a student selling cold noodles. The rest of the evening went without incident, but He Ao started to get busy because the workers on the afternoon shift were getting off work. The factory operates on three shifts, and the time when night shift workers start is precisely when the afternoon shift workers finish, which is He Ao¡¯s last wave of customers for the evening. His cold noodles weren¡¯t expensive and tasted good, so they were very popular with the local workers. At this time, people were generally exhausted and had a bigger appetite, which meant he sold many more large bowls than small ones. Busy until midnight, He Ao packed up his stall and rode his little three-wheeled stall cart leisurely home. It wasn¡¯t that there was no business after midnight; it was just that it wasn¡¯t as busy. Moreover, He Ao would mostly have to attend school the next day, so he had generally formed the habit of packing up at midnight. The local workers were also aware of He Ao¡¯s packing up time, so they wouldn¡¯t come around after midnight. ¡°Ao, you¡¯re back?¡± The noodle stand beneath the apartment complex was still lit, manned by an elderly man with white hair, whose incandescent light mounted on the pole brightened the path ahead for the youth. Plumes of steam billowed from the boiling noodle broth, illuminating the kind features of the elder. Ever since He Ao could remember, Grandpa Fang had always looked old, only now he appeared even older. ¡°Mmm,¡± He Ao pushed his snack cart underneath and locked it up, cleared away the unused ingredients, and then took out his phone, scanned the old man¡¯s payment code, and transferred 350 yuan, ¡°Grandpa Fang, I¡¯ve transferred the money for today¡¯s cold noodles and cold skins.¡± He Ao was mostly at school during the day and had no time to deal with ingredients, so his cold noodles and skins were essentially all purchased prepped from Grandpa Fang. Grandpa Fang¡¯s noodles were fresh and well-made, elastic and chewy; they were perfect for cold noodles, but they didn¡¯t keep for long. Initially, Grandpa Fang had refused to accept payment, but he couldn¡¯t withstand He Ao¡¯s insistence and eventually, He Ao paid nearly 1.5 times the market rate. He Ao wasn¡¯t being charitable¡ªall his money was carefully accounted for. But when he was very small, when he couldn¡¯t afford a meal, it was Grandpa Fang who would lose to him at chess every day, and the wager was a bowl of noodles. He remembered the kindness of everyone towards him. ¡°Good boy, go back and sleep now. You have class tomorrow,¡± Grandpa Fang said with a smile, stirring the noodle broth with his chopsticks. ¡°Grandpa Fang, tomorrow is Saturday; I don¡¯t have classes,¡± He Ao locked up all the cabinets and replied with a clap of his hands. ¡°No classes on Saturday? Aren¡¯t you guys taking extra lessons on Saturday?¡± Grandpa Fang was clearly a bit confused. ¡°I¡¯m in college now, no more supplementary classes,¡± He Ao said a bit louder and moved closer, aware that Grandpa Fang¡¯s hearing wasn¡¯t good, ¡°Grandpa Fang, I¡¯m going back.¡± ¡°Alright~¡± Grandpa Fang responded and watched He Ao disappear into the stairwell, then continued stirring the noodle broth, ¡°He¡¯s grown up, it¡¯s good to grow up.¡± ¡ª¡ª In the city under the veil of night, countless lights often shone all night long, with numerous people reveling under shimmering neon until the break of day. He Ao didn¡¯t sleep that night either. He studied that little book all night. But the book¡¯s illustrations only showed how to guide energy to circulate within the body¡ªthe problem, however, was that he had no energy inside him! This was like having a cookbook teaching one how to make delicious steamed rice, with precise measurements of rice and water, cooking times, when to use high heat, and when to simmer on low. The instructions were very detailed, one could foresee the rice turning out tasty. So, here came the problem? Where is the rice? Where is my rice? I have no rice! After a futile struggle all night, He Ao realized that the Vermilion Fruit incident was a fluke; to truly cultivate this thing, he probably needed to find a translator to decipher the text in the small book, to understand how exactly to generate energy. Sometimes, humans shouldn¡¯t be too confident. He Ao stretched, taking steps to the balcony. At this moment, the sun was rising, and the glow of dawn spilled over the ashen earth, and onto He Ao¡¯s cheeks. The air at dawn was the freshest of the day, and He Ao took a deep breath. It was then that a faint energy emerged within his chest. Chapter 18 - 18 18 New Copy World Character Please Favorite Recommend and Follow ?18: Chapter 18: New Copy World Character (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) 18: Chapter 18: New Copy World Character (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) The sliver of energy was extremely faint, comparable to the difference between the water in a tank and that of a river when contrasted with the energy provided by the Vermilion Fruit. As soon as this minute energy appeared, it fluctuated and was about to dissipate. He Ao quickly held his breath and focused, controlling the movement of this energy with his thoughts, making it circulate within his body along the route outlined on the first page of the small book. Even so, by the time he induced its flow, more than half of that energy had already dissipated. Mysteriously, after this energy left the chest cavity, its rate of dissipation slowed, and it gradually merged into He Ao¡¯s body. As He Ao led this weak force to flow through his body like a fish, he felt a faint strength gradually emerge in response to this circulating force. It seemed that not all of the Vermilion Fruit¡¯s power had dissipated yesterday; a portion had integrated into his body, permeating his muscles and bones. However, this part of the strength must have been only a small fraction; the majority was used to unblock the ¡®channels¡¯ within his body. Before consuming the Vermilion Fruit, these channels were completely clogged, preventing any energy flow. But the Vermilion Fruit cleared these blockages, so that He Ao could induce the flow of energy following the path drawn in the small book. The path illustrated on the first page of the small book was short. It started from the chest cavity, passed through the heart atrium, then down the left shoulder, through the elbow all the way to the fingertips of the middle finger before returning the same way, passing through the arm, across the clavicle to the right shoulder, wrapping around the right hand, and then back to the chest cavity. After completing this circuit, the faint energy had all but exhausted itself. After one circulation, He Ao felt as if his physical condition had slightly improved, though the increase was extremely slight. The improvement was mainly concentrated in his hands and heart. It appeared that the weak energy had integrated into his body. At this time, He Ao began to understand the meaning of ¡°Qi Induction¡±; it seemed to involve drawing ¡®Qi¡¯ or ¡®energy¡¯ from the outside world into one¡¯s body to strengthen one¡¯s physique. However, it seemed that this energy could only be absorbed with the first breath at the arrival of Dawn; no matter how much he huffed and puffed now, there was not a trace of energy left in his chest cavity. With the completion of this energy circulation, He Ao fell into brief contemplation. He had often breathed at the arrival of Dawn before, so why hadn¡¯t he felt it then? He began to compare what was different about himself now, as opposed to before. First and foremost, he had never been aware of the existence of ¡®energy¡¯ before; secondly, compared to his current state, he felt that his former body was more ¡®chaotic,¡¯ with the ¡®channels¡¯ within more blocked and tangled. Compared to the current ¡®smooth, clean mirror,¡¯ He Ao¡¯s internal state before consuming the Vermilion Fruit resembled a chaotic sandy beach filled with gravel. The energies were like fine grains of gold sand; it is hard to find a minute speck of gold on a cluttered sandy beach, but much easier to spot one on a smooth, clean mirror. Thus, He Ao was now more easily able to detect those minute energies. He Ao felt most people in the world were likely the same as he had been before eating the Vermilion Fruit, with their insides being a jumbled mess and lacking the consciousness to actively sense abnormalities within, and therefore they could not detect the energy inhaled into the chest cavity at Dawn. Of course, many people simply didn¡¯t get up at Dawn. The energies seemed to exist in the chest cavity for only a very brief moment, perhaps gone in the blink of an eye. It was uncertain whether the energy dissipating in the chest cavity was being naturally absorbed by the body. If it were being absorbed, didn¡¯t that mean the physical condition of all humans in the world was slowly improving? Or, perhaps not just humans? But looking at the current situation, most of the energy in the chest cavity was dissipating anyway, and even if absorbed, it was only a tiny fraction. However, dwelling on these thoughts was useless now. After trying for half an hour and confirming he could not absorb any more energy, He Ao decided to give up. He had things to take care of today. Maybe it was because of the improved physical condition, but after staying up all night, not only did he not feel any tiredness, he felt more energetic than ever. In addition to preparing ingredients for his night-time street stall, today¡¯s tasks included repairing the ceramic tile that was broken by a young man yesterday and the damaged security door. He Ao tidied up his belongings, boiled four plain eggs, took a carton of discounted milk, tucked it into his pocket, shouldered a large backpack, and went downstairs. He needed to visit the building materials market, which was quite far from the neighborhood where he lived. There was an early bus that went directly there, but if he missed it, he would have to wait another hour. So he bustled around until noon before he returned home. The day before, eight tiles had been shattered in a fight. The floor tiles in He Ao¡¯s home were the old 400*400mm ones commonly used in older houses. He had searched the building materials market for a long time, but couldn¡¯t find ones that matched exactly, so he settled for some that were a similar color to his own home¡¯s tiles. Eight yuan a piece, sixty yuan for eight tiles. He then looked at security doors. He had intended to take this opportunity to replace his home¡¯s security door, but he found out that even the cheapest ones cost over a thousand yuan. So instead, he spent ninety-eight yuan on a hammer that was over ninety centimeters high, planning to hammer back into shape the deformed part of the door and make do with it for a bit longer. After a simple lunch, He Ao got busy. There was some cement left from the last time he had done some wall building, so he cleaned up the broken tiles, replaced them with new ones, straightened out the door, and that was about it. Of course, it sounded simple, but by the time He Ao finished, it was already after six o¡¯clock. He put everything away, just sat down at the table to rest, when he noticed the scenery in his field of vision begin to change. [There is 00:00:01 left until the next game begins.] [There is 00:00:00 left until the next game begins.] [Start the game now?] [Yes][No] He Ao stood up, took out the camera from his study, placed it in the living room, plugged in the power, checked whether the memory card was inserted properly, then went offline, and positioned the camera to face where he was sitting. Then he chose [Yes] [The game is loading.] [Welcome to Copy World game.] [Matching you with a life role randomly.] [Match successful.] [Your role is: Apprentice Investigator Ande.] [Have a pleasant time playing the game.] ¡ª¡ª ¡°Miss Selena?¡± The nurse¡¯s soft call awakened the daydreaming blonde woman, She turned her head, giving the nurse a soft smile, ¡°Hello, is there something I can help you with?¡± ¡°Miss Selena, your communication bracelet is glowing,¡± the nurse cautiously pointed at Selena¡¯s right hand, then glanced at the window, ¡°So you like sunflowers.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Selena nodded gently. She pressed a button next to her, and the huge floor-to-ceiling window displaying the sunflower fields flickered and changed to a somewhat bald middle-aged man wearing glasses, sitting in an office, apparently reading a newspaper. The nurse tactfully left the room. Chapter 19 - 19 19 Life Resume Please Favorite Recommend and Follow ?19: Chapter 19: Life Resume (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) 19: Chapter 19: Life Resume (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) ¡°Selena, how does the new mechanized body feel?¡± The middle-aged man seemed to realize that the phone was connected. He put down the newspaper in his hand, picked up the coffee beside him, and looked at Selena. ¡°Not bad, thank you.¡± Selena moved her hands and responded with a smile. This middle-aged man was Selena¡¯s immediate superior, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Smith. Her previous mechanized body had been at risk of contamination from the gaze of the God of Knowledge and had been destroyed. Smith had applied for a newer model of the mechanized body for her and even used federal funds to reimburse her for it. ¡°After all, you are now a hero of Dawn City,¡± Smith said as he took a sip of his coffee, ¡°There is good news and bad news now, which do you want to hear first?¡± ¡°The bad news.¡± Selena didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Okay, the good news is that you¡¯ve been promoted. Due to your destruction of the Evil God Priest¡¯s Nest and the killing of an intelligent Evil God Priest along with the destruction of his summoned Evil God¡¯s Offspring, you are now an Assistant Inspector of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Congratulations,¡± Smith picked up an appointment letter from the desk beside him, showed it in front of the camera, and then continued with a smile, ¡°However, your duties have been adjusted. From now on, you no longer need to carry out field missions in the wilderness. You just need to be responsible for federal criminal investigations within Dawn City. The Bureau has specifically established a Criminal Investigation Second Team for you, which you will lead, of course, still under my jurisdiction.¡± Selena knew her superior¡¯s sense of humor; if she said she wanted to hear the bad news first, then Smith would definitely start with the good news. And this job adjustment was actually removing her from the front lines, making her responsible for criminal cases unrelated to the consortium to prevent her from provoking the consortium again. It was protection for her, but she couldn¡¯t be happy about it. She sighed, ¡°Okay, that is indeed bad news. So what¡¯s the other bad news?¡± Smith knew the personality of his capable subordinate. He smiled, did not ask further, and continued to explain, ¡°The bad news is that it¡¯s just you in this team right now, but in a couple of days, a freshly graduated trainee investigator will be assigned under you.¡± ¡°A hot-blooded young whippersnapper?¡± Selena leaned back on the bed, ¡°That¡¯s not too bad, I hope he can be a bit tame.¡± ¡°How tame?¡± Smith joked, ¡°A law-abiding good kid?¡± At the mention of the words ¡®law-abiding,¡¯ Selena was taken aback. For some reason, she thought of that grim and terrifying skull, the tentacles flying all over the sky, and the Evil God Priest who had tied himself together with the Evil God¡¯s Offspring to die with it. At the first moment she regained her senses, she had rushed back, only to see debris everywhere and the contamination twisting through the space. ¡°Smith,¡± she asked hesitantly, as if compelled by some force, ¡°do you think the Evil God Priests might still retain their humanity?¡± ¡°Selena,¡± Smith¡¯s smile gradually faded, and his expression grew serious, ¡°You should know that for the half year you are discharged, you will be under protective surveillance by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dawn City Police Department to ensure that you have not been contaminated by the Evil God. I think they would be very interested to hear you ask this question?¡± ¡°It just suddenly crossed my mind.¡± Selena shook her head. The contamination of the Evil God is subtle and insidious; it twists one¡¯s thinking and logic little by little. Any sympathy for the Evil God or its priests would be suspected of contamination because such sentiment might not stem from one¡¯s own free will but as a result of a twisted mindset. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the video records of your mechanized body,¡± Smith placed his coffee on the desk, looking at Selena calmly through the screen, ¡°We still don¡¯t know what the deal is with that Evil God Priest called Yezola. But if you want me to give you an answer to your question,¡± His demeanor was stern, his voice cold, ¡°They don¡¯t and can¡¯t possibly have any humanity. Selena, remember, you are human.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Selena nodded silently. ¡ª- [Game Start] [In this game, you will play the role of a game character. Please carefully read the following instructions] [1. Please note, once the role-play starts, the player is the character. Being exposed means game over] [2. Please note, all real objects involved in the role-play cannot be taken away after the game ends] [3. Please note, in the game, life only comes once. Treasure it, and improper gameplay brings two lines of tears to your loved ones] [Your identity is: Trainee Investigator Ande] Up to this point, it was still the familiar system prompt, but the subtitles that followed showed changes. [Age 0: You were born, a boy, and your parents named you Ande.] [Age 1: You live in the middle-class district.] [Age 2: A happy family life, living blissfully.] [Age 3: Your family really enjoyed playing with you.] [Age 4: Playing with your teacher.] [Age 5: Chased down the street by a robotic dog.] [Age 6: Entered a private primary school.] [Age 7: You scored a hundred percent.] [Age 8: You fought with an older student.] [Age 9: Continued to fight with older students.] [Age 10: Under the pressure of school, you transferred schools.] [Age 11: At your new school, you continued to fight with older students.] [Age 12: Admitted to a private junior high.] [Age 13: You learned to play cards.] [Age 14: Playing cards.] [Age 15: Playing cards, directly promoted to high school.] [Age 16: You began to reflect on yourself and resolved to get into a good university.] [Age 17: Playing cards.] [Age 18: Your parents died in an accident while working in the wilderness, and the company gave you a sum of compensation money. However, after paying off your parents¡¯ debts, the remaining funds weren¡¯t enough to cover the expensive tuition fees for a private university, so you were admitted to Kaya City Municipal University.] [Age 19: The university waived part of your tuition and helped you apply for a student loan, but you still needed to work part-time to make ends meet.] [Age 20: Because you couldn¡¯t afford the rent for your original house, you moved.] [Age 21: Interned at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.] [Age 22: Graduated and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a trainee investigator. You were deployed to the newly established Criminal Investigation Team 2 in Dawn City. The floating airship you took to Dawn City was attacked by an exotic beast in the wilderness, and you ¡®miraculously survived¡¯.] [Your mission is: Investigate the reason why the Priest of the God of Chaos, Mu Xiu, came to Dawn City.] [Have a great game] The system¡¯s subtitles were quick, with most of them having just a short line of text for each year, but He Ao felt as if he could see through those brief lines to the true flow of a whole year¡¯s time. Afterward, He Ao¡¯s vision gradually returned, and what came into view was pure white light and a nurse with long brown hair and a voluptuous figure, ¡°Mr. Ande? You¡¯re awake. You¡¯re really lucky; that steel rod only pierced through your body and perfectly passed through the gaps in your internal organs.¡± ¡°Awake now?¡± A somewhat icy, mature female voice came from beside the nurse. He Ao turned his head to look, and what first caught his eye was a waterfall of smooth, blond hair, followed by a beautiful, spirited face, and a curvaceous, exquisite figure. Standing next to this person, the voluptuous and pretty nurse was like a wildflower by the side of the road that complemented the peony. He Ao recognized this person, Selena. Chapter 20 - 20 20 The First Mission Please Favorite Recommend and Follow ?20: Chapter 20: The First Mission (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) 20: Chapter 20: The First Mission (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) The icy night wind whistled past He Ao¡¯s ears. He looked down, and the ground below was so distant, the expansive eight-lane road glistening like golden threads under the streetlights. He stood on the rooftop of a tall building, his body enveloped in a black combat suit, He estimated that the building had to be at least two or three hundred meters tall. He didn¡¯t have any issues, just a slight fear of heights. ¡°Relax your heart, it¡¯s okay.¡± A gentle laugh came from behind him as Selena seemed to notice his tension and patted him on the back. Then she walked up next to He Ao, standing on the edge of the rooftop, and pointed to a red pull ring on the left chest of He Ao¡¯s combat suit, ¡°If an accident happens later, just pull this ring, and the automatic glide wing will deploy. It will take you safely to the ground.¡± ¡°So, are you ready? Little guy?¡± Selena turned around, her back facing the two or three hundred meters of empty space. Who could have imagined that He Ao was wrapped up like a big dumpling in the hospital just thirty minutes ago, being carefully tended to by a pretty nurse with a voluptuous figure. Thirty minutes later, here he stood, pulled into overtime by Selena, embarking on his first mission in Dawn City. Selena glanced at He Ao with a smirk on her lips. She spread her arms open like a bird spreading its wings, then tiptoed lightly and leaned backward. The young girl¡¯s graceful body fell from hundreds of meters in the air, the howling wind blowing through her golden hair, scraping against her delicate skin as if a canary were circling a sprite in flight. He Ao took a deep breath, turned around, and closed his eyes. Humans are born from the earth and grow up on it, always feeling a certain attachment to it. When people leave the earth, all their experiences seem to lose their purpose, their lives as if slipping out of their control, hence the fear. He Ao didn¡¯t like this feeling of losing control. But, with everything, there is always a first time. Just as fledgling eagles will eventually spread their wings, humans dream of conquering the sky like birds. He Ao closed his eyes and leaned slightly back. He could hear the stirring of the wind, the breathing of the sky. The moment his center of gravity crossed a certain point, all control was lost. He Ao¡¯s feet left the rooftop, and the howling wind slapped against his cheeks. The earth would reach out with invisible hands to pull back those trying to conquer the sky, dragging these children into its embrace. And under such a pulling force, He Ao kept descending. Faster and faster, faster and faster. Until he reached a certain limit. Hum¡ª It was the trembling sound of the steel cable tensing. His body stopped and quickly headed toward the wall. But Selena was faster than him. The young assistant inspector kicked directly against the giant glass curtain wall. Bang¡ªCrash¡ª After a brief impact, the faintly blue-glowing glass shattered, creating a huge breach, and Selena crashed through it into the room. The steel cable on her broke, and she flew into the room, her legs slightly bent, landing steadily on the ground. She raised both hands, and two silver pistols appeared in her grasp, aimed at everyone in the room. ¡°Federal Bureau of Investigation, everyone put your hands on your heads and squat down.¡± At that moment, He Ao also charged in through the breach. Lacking the control Selena possessed, he rolled over to dissipate his momentum. He drew his pistol and stood beside Selena. It seemed to be the living room of a luxury hotel suite, with two sofas on both sides, and at this moment, one person was sitting on each sofa. The person on the left appeared extremely tall and brawny, sitting there like a small hill. He wore a gray tank top, and his right arm was replaced with a massive mechanical limb, exposed and seemingly radiating a wild aura. Meanwhile, the person on the right was dressed in a polite, silver suit. Between them was a long coffee table with several open silver briefcases on top. ¡°F**k the Federal Bureau of Investigation.¡± The moment He Ao and Selena appeared, the man on the left immediately reacted. He quickly stood up, looking towards Selena. Only then did He Ao notice that his left eye had also been converted into a mechanical camera. Simultaneously, from both sides, seven or eight people wielding guns charged out, confronting He Ao and Selena. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat, Federal Bureau of Investigation, put your hands on your heads and squat down.¡± Selena said coldly to them. ¡°F**king bitch.¡± The muscular giant spat contemptuously, his massive mechanical arm forming a fist that smashed towards Selena. Selena let out a laugh, instantly holstering her twin pistols and drawing a thin steel cable from her waist. What followed, He Ao only saw her body tilt sideways, nimbly dodging the giant¡¯s swinging fist, then with a light leap, she landed on the giant¡¯s shoulder, the steel cable in her hand swiftly wrapping around the burly man¡¯s neck. With her hands pulling the ends of the cable, she held her position atop the man¡¯s neck and gave a sharp tug. The giant immediately choked, his remaining eye bulging as he toppled backward. This sequence of moves seemed intricate and complex, yet in reality, it took less than a second¡ªalmost in the blink of an eye, the towering giant fell backward with a thud and crashed onto the floor. Only then did his henchmen realize what happened and aimed their guns at Selena. But by the time the giant fell, Selena had already vanished from sight. By the time his men were about to pull their triggers, gunshots rang right next to their ears. Their wrists were pierced by searing bullets, forcing the guns from their hands to the ground. Hearing the gunfire, the person on the right who hadn¡¯t joined the fray instinctively attempted to shoot, but the man in the silver suit quickly raised his hands, signaling his subordinates not to act rashly. Selena kicked the guns that had fallen to the ground towards He Ao¡¯s feet, put away her pistols, and with a turn, her foot pressed down on the giant attempting to rise, then turned her attention to the silver briefcases on the table. Inside the briefcases, occupying the entire space was black foam, with slender pits carved out in the middle, holding equally slender transparent glass bottles, within which a light green liquid flowed. ¡°IB-II?¡± Selena casually picked up a glass bottle, shook the liquid inside, and looked at the man in the silver suit, before instantly drawing her pistol and pressing it against the man¡¯s forehead. ¡°I told you to put your hands on your head and squat down.¡± The man¡¯s face displayed an awkward smile as he placed his hands on his head and slowly slid down from the sofa, squatting in front of it. ¡°Inspector Selena, we¡¯re just trying to earn some money for the kids¡¯ milk,¡± he said. Meanwhile, his gaze shifted behind Selena. Among the group with pierced wrists, one slowly withdrew a small pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the back of Selena¡¯s head. Bang¡ª¡ª The gunshot suddenly erupted. Bright red blood splattered everywhere. Chapter 21 - 21 21 Federal Bureau of Investigation Please Favorite Recommend and Follow ?21: Chapter 21: Federal Bureau of Investigation (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) 21: Chapter 21: Federal Bureau of Investigation (Please Favorite, Recommend, and Follow) Selena raised her head, looking puzzled at He Ao who had picked up the handgun. He Ao¡¯s gaze, however, was directed behind Selena. A corpse, still dripping with fresh blood, slumped onto the hotel floor. He stared wide-eyed, clutching a small handgun tightly in his hand, with a tiny bullet hole visible in the center of his forehead. The bullet entered through his forehead, burst out the back of his skull, and blew away half of his head. A shot to the head, without any hesitation. He actually wanted to appear more composed, but that didn¡¯t fit the image of a ¡®rookie investigator¡¯ committing their first murder. So, he could only try to appear a bit stunned, like a novice responding instinctively in an emergency. Of course, using firearms wasn¡¯t He Ao¡¯s skill but Ande¡¯s talent. Ande himself had a high talent for firearms, which is why he had been brought in as Selena¡¯s assistant. Over the past half-hour, He Ao had been adjusting to Ande¡¯s physical habits. Selena glanced at He Ao with a slight shock. She had originally brought this rookie to ¡®see the world¡¯, but she hadn¡¯t expected He Ao to bring her an ¡®unexpected surprise¡¯. He Ao maintained his dazed look, turning his gaze toward the bodyguards in silvery suits holding guns. These men had never lowered their guns from the start, and He Ao didn¡¯t know why Selena didn¡¯t take action against them, but them holding guns was always a threat. Under the watchful eyes of He Ao, these men slowly set down their weapons and crouched down, hugging their heads. Although Selena was experienced, she didn¡¯t kill people. The young and seemingly simple-minded guy in front of her, however, actually killed. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had the authority to kill any resistant individuals during missions. It¡¯s not that these people were unafraid, but rather they were brazen. Bang¡ª The door to the suite was suddenly kicked open and police officers, dressed in black uniforms, filed in, ¡°Dawn City Police Department, everyone get down on your knees and put your heads in your hands.¡± ¡ª¡ª After half an hour of commotion, He Ao and Selena finally left the hotel. The vest-wearing thug and his still-living henchmen were taken away by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who rushed over, while the group of men in silver suits were taken away by the Dawn City police. He Ao and Selena sat side by side in the back seat of a vehicle specially designated for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, falling into a brief silence. He Ao still had to continue pretending to be a ¡®newbie¡¯ who had just killed someone. He knew what the emotions of a person who killed for the first time should be; first, it was a thick sense of loss, a void of emptiness, followed by fear and dread. If this fear reached a climax, it might even trigger a physical response, such as nausea and vomiting. As a trainee investigator trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ande naturally wouldn¡¯t have too strong of a physical reaction, but a hint of emptiness and fear was still needed. He Ao hadn¡¯t undergone specialized acting training, but he understood the feelings of killing someone for the first time, so his performance was quite convincing. ¡°Your mental resilience is better than I expected,¡± Selena thought for a moment, patted He Ao¡¯s shoulder, and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± As a superior, she needed to be attentive to He Ao¡¯s mental state, and He Ao¡¯s performance was actually quite good among the rookies. Her hand flipped lightly, and a small glass bottle with a pale green liquid inside appeared in her palm¡ªit was the very item the two gangs had traded, ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± He Ao shook his head. ¡°IB-II, a potent and highly addictive hallucinogen. It will make anyone who injects it become insanely infatuated, even to the point of squandering fortunes, wrecking homes, and causing deaths.¡± Selena looked out the window. At the moment, the vehicle seemed to be passing by a small park filled with mechanical toys, where young children were playing around the toys, ¡°If these substances were to spread throughout Dawn City, countless children would lose their parents and homes, becoming displaced and many dying unnatural deaths. So you didn¡¯t just kill a person, you saved countless families.¡± Selena turned back, looked into He Ao¡¯s eyes, and said emphatically, ¡°So, what you did was just.¡± ¡°Just?¡± He Ao pondered the word. He turned his head to look out the car window on his side, across the mechanical park where children were playing, was an old building. Below the building, in the corner of the street, some ragged homeless people sat in front of triangular tents, biting into cold bread while watching the children play in the park. Above their heads, a huge monitor was embedded in the center of the building. The monitor seemed to be playing a program. The host, dressed in a neat white shirt and black pencil skirt, with exquisite makeup, was sitting on a pink sofa, looking properly at the camera, ¡°Dear viewers, welcome to today¡¯s ¡®Fifteen Minutes.¡¯ Our guest today is the most popular candidate in the mayoral election, Mr. Kristos.¡± The camera then switched to another angle, where a tall, handsome, and reliable-looking man with silver hair in a neat white suit appeared on the monitor. ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m glad to be invited to ¡®Fifteen Minutes¡¯ today to explain my campaign ideals. If I am elected mayor, I will implement universal healthcare, increase taxes on conglomerates, and create more job opportunities...¡± The homeless sitting under the building seemed to hear the speech on the TV, lifting their heads to look at the screen. ¡°Mr. Kristos, sorry to interrupt, but this is an interview show, not your live election speech.¡± The host quickly cut off Mr. Kristos¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, oh, oh, that¡¯s great, I thought ¡®Fifteen Minutes¡¯ meant I had to prepare a fifteen-minute speech. I¡¯ve already prepared a fifteen-minute speech,¡± Kristos, not knowing where he pulled it from, took out a thick stack of notes, folded it, and tucked it into his pocket, ¡°In order to fill fifteen minutes, I even added a few jokes. Now it seems I don¡¯t need to stretch it to fifteen minutes, which is really good news...¡± He Ao could no longer hear the rest of the conversation because the vehicle he was riding had left the TV that was playing the program, turning into a narrow street and finally stopping in front of a somewhat secluded building. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s take a look at your new office.¡± Selena led He Ao through the main entrance, towards the elevator, ¡°The entire building is property of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but currently, only floors forty to sixty-nine and levels one to three underground are being used by the Bureau, the rest is rented out, subsidizing the finances.¡± Selena pressed the button for the 52nd floor, smiling at He Ao. ¡°Rented out?¡± He Ao recalled that the building looked to have at least a hundred floors above ground, but only thirty floors seemed to be actually in use, indicating that most of it was rented out. ¡°Yes, and the rent isn¡¯t cheap,¡± Selena smiled, ¡°Some chain hotels, apartments, and some businesses are very happy to be with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We can offer them a great sense of security.¡± Ding¡ª As they were talking, the elevator reached the 52nd floor; the entire ascent taking less than two minutes, smooth and silent. As the elevator doors automatically opened, what came into He Ao¡¯s view were small compartments separated by frosted glass. ¡°The 52nd floor is where the Criminal Investigation Department is located,¡± Selena led He Ao past various small compartments, doors of which some were open and some were tightly closed. The people in the compartments were all busy, and few looked up to notice their arrival. Eventually, they stopped in front of a cubicle in a corner. A piece of white paper was taped to the door of the cubicle with clear tape, with the words: [Criminal Investigation Team 2] written on it. Selena¡¯s hand rested on the cubicle door, and with a ¡®screech¡¯ sound, the door unlocked, and Selena pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Criminal Investigation Team 2 is a newly established team. Although we are on the 52nd floor, we are not under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Investigation Department, but of the Wilderness Field Work Department, and our supervisor is a bald man named Smith... You¡¯ll see him soon.¡± The entire cubicle was quite simply decorated, with two desks, two stools, and two ultra-thin monitors. ¡°Criminal Investigation Team 2 currently has just us two,¡± Selena casually closed the door and leaned against the desk, ¡°Although you interned quite early at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, you should be clear about our responsibilities. But I still need to explain to you. The main duty of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is to investigate cases related to the wilderness or across cities, while local cases that do not involve crossing cities fall under the jurisdiction of Dawn City¡¯s police department. Of course, there are sometimes overlapping situations, and we will cooperate to solve them. For example, the two groups we just caught, the big, silly one is a wanderer from the wilderness, which is our responsibility, and the one in the silver suit is from the local gang, the Money Rat Gang, they are the responsibility of Dawn City¡¯s police department. Sometimes when the police cannot solve a problem, they also seek our help.¡± She looked at He Ao, who still seemed a bit confused, and smiled, ¡°The federal system is indeed troublesome; you¡¯ll gradually understand it. Let¡¯s talk about something more cheerful,¡± She took out a silver bracelet and handed it to He Ao, ¡°I linked your bracelet to Dawn City Federal Bureau of Investigation¡¯s system while you were unconscious. I don¡¯t know how they calculate it in your original city, but here in Dawn City, wages are paid weekly. Your weekly salary is eight hundred federal coins, and your wages for the previous week will be deposited in your account on time every Wednesday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has purchased complete social insurance and commercial health insurance for you...¡± As Selena spoke, the monitor on the desk suddenly lit up, and a somewhat balding middle-aged man appeared on the screen, ¡°Selena, some bad news, a dangerous guy may have sneaked into Dawn City.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Selena stopped talking and looked at the monitor. ¡°The Evil God Priest Mu Xiu, a rational Evil God Priest.¡± Smith said calmly. Chapter 22 - 22 22 What Kind of Prices Are These! ?22: Chapter 22: What Kind of Prices Are These! (Please Favorite, Ask for Monthly Tickets) 22: Chapter 22: What Kind of Prices Are These! (Please Favorite, Ask for Monthly Tickets) ¡°Quite an accurate shot.¡± A slightly frail and scholarly-looking middle-aged man squatted beside the incinerator, parting blood-soaked hair with gloved hands of pure white to examine the bullet hole that had precisely pierced the brow. ¡°That new kid seems to be a Talent-type sniper; all his shooting scores are excellent.¡± Beside him, a pot-bellied man with coarse skin, wearing a shirt and brown suspenders over denim jeans, lit a cigarette and clamped it between his lips. ¡°Verna, did you also use a gun the first time you killed someone?¡± Smith did not turn around but quietly asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Verna took a deep drag of his cigarette, as the red glow climbed up the pure white roll, and smoke billowed from his nostrils, ¡°It was my first mission, faced a contaminated madman.¡± ¡°How many shots?¡± ¡°Eight shots; the first seven didn¡¯t hit the vitals, but the last one blew the guy¡¯s head apart.¡± ¡°But this kid only needed one shot,¡± Smith twisted the corpse¡¯s head again, inspecting the shattered skull. Thin, fine white mycelium writhed within the broken cranium, ¡°If he doesn ?t have some experience we don¡¯t know about, then he¡¯s a natural-born hunter.¡± He slowly turned around, tossing the blood-stained white gloves onto the corpse, and pressed the red button beside him. Then he walked towards the exit door a few steps away. The stretcher under the corpse began to move, slowly tipping the body into a huge silver duct, which led to a roaring incinerator. The corpse seemed to sense the imminent destruction and trembled. Subsequently, its bent head slowly straightened back. Its shoulders heaved as if convulsing. ¡°Who do you plan to assign to Mu Xiu ?s case?¡± Verna watched Smith turn away and walk out, puffing smoke as he followed behind. ¡°Selena and that kid, since they discovered the clue. And after all, this case falls within the overlapping area of field service and criminal investigation.¡± Smith answered absently. As he spoke, he had already stepped out the door; the pot-bellied Verna had also reached the threshold. The slowly sliding corpse suddenly shuddered violently, shoulders contracting, sitting up abruptly with its head hanging on its neck. Bang¡ª The booming gunshot followed instantly. The hot bullet accurately pierced the neck of the corpse, the sheer force sending it tumbling rapidly backward into the silver duct. Click¡ª The duct¡¯s gate abruptly shut, and flames gushed out, engulfing everything. ¡°So, what the hell is this thing?¡± Verna retracted his handgun, cursing under his breath. ¡°Phantom Mushrooms¡¯ mycelium,¡± Smith continued to lead, without looking back. ¡°It entices creatures in the wilderness to consume it, then uses the gluttons¡¯ flesh as a breeding ground to proliferate more ¡®Phantom Mushrooms.¡¯ After completely devouring the host, it replaces muscle with mycelium to control the poor souls¡¯ corpses and enter their community, luring more of the same kind to consume the ¡®Phantom Mushrooms¡¯ growing on them. This guy was relatively lucky, he died before he was completely devoured. In the final stage of ¡®Phantom Mushroom¡¯ infection, he wouldn¡¯t want to stay alive.¡± ¡°These Wilderness Wanderers really carry all sorts of things on them.¡± Verna took a heavy drag on his cigarette. ¡°But they are also human.¡± Smith suddenly added. Verna fell silent, and the two walked off into the distance. A gate lowered from above, sealing the door, the metal plaque on it reflecting a chilling light under the lamp, [Incineration Room (Contaminated Mutations)] ¡ª¡ª He Ao and Selena sat silently in the Field Service Special Office on the third sub-level. ¡°Feeling any better?¡± Selena looked at a distracted He Ao, thinking he was still trapped in the cycle of his first killing. But persuasion is useless in such matters, and if He Ao continues this way, she had to consider getting him some psychological counseling. Touch by Selena¡¯s concern, He Ao shifted his gaze from the character attribute panel and gave Selena a smile, ¡°I feel much better.¡± He hadn¡¯t had time to check his character attributes until now, and as expected, upon entering the Copy World, there had been changes to the attribute panel. [He Ao (Ande)] [Authority Level: Ordinary Player] [Physical Constitution: 15 (13) (Ordinary people in Copy World are at 10, ordinary people in the main world are at 5)] [Skill: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Binding) (F-rank)] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F-rank) (Not Usable)] [Character Ability: Basic Firearms Proficiency] The name Ande appeared behind He Ao¡¯s name, the original physical constitution of 15 turned grey, and the number 13 in the brackets turned yellow, this number 13 was presumably Ande¡¯s physical constitution. There was no change in skills, as Super Memory was bound to the soul, He Ao could still use it; Martial Arts¡¯ Qi Induction turned grey, with a note added ¡®Not Usable¡¯. Additionally, under Martial Arts, there was a new section, [Character Ability], which seemed to refer to the strongest ability of the character or an ability that had reached a certain standard. Ande¡¯s ability was ¡®Basic Firearms Proficiency¡¯. Ande¡¯s marksmanship was indeed excellent, and He Ao was very impressed. After all, who playing shooting games hadn¡¯t imagined themselves having such godlike aim, hitting headshots without cheats? Anyway, He Ao liked this ability very much. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± While he was pondering, Selena¡¯s query reached his ears again. Looking at this beautiful and earnest blonde Sister, the fact was their relationship was simply that of superior and subordinate. She needn¡¯t have been so concerned about a subordinate, she only needed to ensure he could complete his tasks efficiently. This is what makes a good person. During the newbie missions, He Ao had realized that Selena was a somewhat stubborn good person. You could tell by the fact that she had only disabled the resistance of the Wilderness Wanderers during her mission, without actually killing anyone. So, He Ao closed the character attribute panel and seriously responded to Selena, ¡°Indeed, there are no issues, well, if there really is an issue, it¡¯s that there is still a bit of pain under my chest.¡± It was where ¡®Ande¡¯ had been impaled by a steel rod when his Floating Airship was attacked; He Ao was rushed out by Selena before he was fully healed in some places. ¡°Then you¡¯ll stop feeling pain soon,¡± hearing this, Selena displayed a smile; she pointed to the silver bracelet He Ao was wearing on his hand, ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± He Ao, still a bit confused, suddenly felt the bracelet vibrate, and he lifted his hand. He didn¡¯t know how to operate the bracelet, but that didn¡¯t matter. At times like this, one only needed to relax and not think about anything; Ande¡¯s muscle memory would skillfully unlock the bracelet. Some actions don¡¯t require the brain, just like no matter how complex the method to turn off an alarm on a phone, people can always accomplish the entire process while still asleep. However, the operation mode of the bracelet was relatively simple; after He Ao verified his iris and unlocked the bracelet, a message popped up, projecting onto the back of his hand. But the projected text was not very clear. ¡°Try this,¡± Selena handed him a pair of ultra-thin silver glasses. After He Ao put on the glasses, the subtitles on the bracelet vanished immediately, and clear and accurate information appeared on the glasses. This message at the top of the screen made He Ao¡¯s body stiffen, [Thank you for using the services of Welme Medical Group. Your total medical bill is 435,791.73 federal coins, with the detailed costs listed below:] [Surgery Fee: ...] [Anesthetist: ...] [Assistant Doctor: ...] ... This is what a heart attack feels like. He Ao no longer had time to look at the detailed bill as his weekly salary was only eight hundred federal coins, and even if he earned the maximum, it wouldn¡¯t exceed three thousand six hundred a month. Yet he¡¯d undergone a surgery that cost four hundred and thirty-five thousand federal coins? What kind of pricing is this in the Copy World? Darn it! Instantaneously, he felt no pain in his wound anymore. Chapter 23 - 23 23 Priest of the God of Chaos Please Bookmark and Follow ?23: Chapter 23: Priest of the God of Chaos (Please Bookmark and Follow) 23: Chapter 23: Priest of the God of Chaos (Please Bookmark and Follow) ¡°Don¡¯t rush, keep scrolling.¡± Selena said with a smile upon seeing his expression, knowing what he was looking at. He Ao, hearing her say that, knew there must be more to it, so he continued scrolling down. After flipping through the long, detailed contents, he came upon a concluding paragraph. [Given that you are a distinguished customer of the Nord Medical Insurance Group, you are entitled to a special discount for esteemed customers. After the discount, your total bill amounts to: 67,983.5 federal coins. After deducting the deductible of 6,000 federal coins, 80% of the bill, amounting to 49,586.8 federal coins, will be covered by the Nord Medical Insurance Group. You will need to pay the final bill of: 18,396.7 federal coins. Since you have signed the no-password payment treaty, this bill has been paid. We wish you a pleasant life and good health.] He Ao exited the information to find many unread messages on his wristband, the most recent being a debit notification from the bank, [Nord Bank: Your credit card ending in 083 has paid a medical bill of 18,396.7 federal coins to Welme Medical Group.] For some reason, although 18 thousand was still six months¡¯ salary for him, compared to 430 thousand, it didn¡¯t seem particularly high anymore. This meant the discount from the medical insurance was huge, effectively a 0.4 discount. He now somewhat understood why Selena had emphasized that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had purchased social and medical insurance for him. However, he looked up at Selena, ¡°My Floating Airship had an accident, will the aerial company offer compensation?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Selena nodded. She waved her hand lightly, a link with the information was sent to He Ao, ¡°For unexpected disasters like exotic beast attacks, the aerial company only covers the costs for post-disaster search and rescue, and death compensation. For someone like you, who survived and is still jumping around lively, the compensation is very little, a maximum of twenty thousand. This is the Federation Aerial Company¡¯s accidental compensation application webpage, you can try to apply.¡± He Ao focused his gaze on the link, which naturally opened and directed him to a form within a webpage. After it recognized his biometric information, the webpage logged into ¡®Ande¡¯s¡¯ member account and swiftly populated with various identity details. Then a virtual keyboard emerged in the air, inviting He Ao to enter additional identity information and documentation, including the medical bill sent by the medical group. He Ao relaxed and let his body move intuitively; he raised both hands and began typing in the air. He didn¡¯t know Ande¡¯s detailed identity information, but when he needed to fill it out, the information would naturally appear in his mind. This pair of glasses seemed to have some sort of motion capture function, able to recognize his movements and provide feedback. He just needed to act in the air, and his eyes could capture his actions, creating the corresponding response on the display page. Selena probably did the same; He Ao had only seen Selena swipe her hand to send the webpage over¡ªperhaps she was operating on some kind of interface in her vision too. Once He Ao finished filling in the information and sent it, the page suddenly displayed an advertisement, from a will and testament notary company, offering online services to set up and notarize wills. ... An accidental compensation webpage linked to a will notary company¡¯s advertisement, what kind of move is this. An all-in-one service, huh? But, if we¡¯re being honest here, it actually strikes a chord, as after one accident, no one knows if they¡¯ll have a next time. People without a will at that point might really start thinking about creating one. Truly a genius move by the business. Out of curiosity, He Ao clicked on the advertisement and examined the dense terms, and then verified his iris, fingerprint, and electronic signature. The page then stalled on the interface for entering the heir¡¯s information, requiring the name and social security number of the heir. The Federation doesn¡¯t have identity cards, but almost everyone gets social security, so social security card numbers can be used to verify a specific person¡¯s identity. Without filling in this information, he couldn¡¯t proceed to the next step. But Ande¡¯s parents are deceased, he has no siblings, no wife, and even lacks a girlfriend. Because he had always been working while studying, he didn¡¯t have good relations with classmates, not even a brother whom he could call by name. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ He Ao reached out and cancelled the software, unable to come up with a single person to place there, It was too tragic. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Selena looked at He Ao with a puzzled expression and asked with some curiosity, ¡°Is there something special about that interface?¡± ¡°Nothing, just remembered some stuff.¡± He Ao shook his head, suddenly realizing that his own experiences seemed to be not much different from Ande¡¯s. Oh, so I¡¯m just as miserable, well, that¡¯s that then. Click¡ª At that moment, the office door was abruptly pushed open, and a middle-aged man with an academic aura and a bald head walked in. ¡°Investigators, we have a big problem this time.¡± He tapped on the desk, and a huge photo was projected onto the wall, of a skinny man with grayish-white skin, ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, you must be Ande?¡± His gaze rested on He Ao, revealing a smile as he reached out his hand, ¡°I¡¯m Smith, the head of the Wilderness Field Work Department, Bald Smith.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ande.¡± He Ao felt somewhat awkward, having never before met someone who included ¡®bald¡¯ in their self-introduction. ¡°I know you must be wondering why I would call myself ¡®Bald Smith¡¯,¡± Smith let go of the hand and sat down with a smile, looking at Selena, ¡°It¡¯s because whenever people introduce me, they always use ¡®bald¡¯ as a descriptor, so I just had to accept the title.¡± Selena leaned on the table, shifting the subject abruptly, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point.¡± The warmth she shared with He Ao had dissipated a lot, replaced by a professional, icy seriousness. ¡°Mu Xiu, from Twilight City. When he was thirteen, a major cult ceremony broke out in Twilight City,¡± Smith¡¯s tone also dropped as he began to share the story of Mu Xiu. ¡°The case where the Witch of Desire tried to summon her avatar?¡± Selena asked in a low voice. ¡°Yes, that ceremony covered an entire block and thousands of people died. Mu Xiu¡¯s parents and siblings all perished in that ceremony,¡± Smith nodded and continued, ¡°The incident caused Mu Xiu to become paranoid and mad. He received the favor of the God of Chaos in the wilderness and became the Priest of the God of Chaos. As far as we know, he has gone on a killing spree in five cities, slaughtering thousands of innocents.¡± ¡°He¡¯s come to Dawn City?¡± Selena looked at Smith, puzzled, ¡°Where did this news come from?¡± ¡°From what you brought in,¡± Smith switched the projection content to the bulky Wilderness Wanderer that He Ao and Selena had just captured, ¡°Nuokang, a minor leader of the Wilderness Wanderer Tam Family. During his delivery of IB-II to Dawn City, he was ¡®interrogated¡¯ by Mu Xiu.¡± Smith tapped the table, and the content of the projection changed again, showing chaotic footage from a first-person perspective. The person behind the camera seemed to be sitting next to a vehicle, cleaning their weapon when suddenly, noises and loud gunshots erupted in front. The camera holder immediately stood up, but before they could stabilize, a black shadow appeared in front of them. Subsequently, the footage shook violently, suggesting that the camera holder was being choked and thrown to the ground. At the same time, a face with gray-white skin and eyes emitting a red glow, concealed under a black hood, appeared on screen, ¡°Which way to Dawn City?¡± His voice was mad and deep, like a bloodthirsty beast that had been starved for a long time. Chapter 24 - 24 24 Evil God and Righteous Gods Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?24: Chapter 24: Evil God and Righteous Gods (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 24: Chapter 24: Evil God and Righteous Gods (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°This is the footage extracted from Nuokang¡¯s memory chip; the incident occurred five days ago. At that time, Nuokang and his group were not far from Dawn City. Even on foot, Mu Xiu should have reached Dawn City by now.¡± Smith switched the projection back to the photograph page of Mu Xiu. ¡°Are there any pictures of Mu Xiu captured at the city¡¯s entrance?¡± Selena immediately asked. ¡°You know, those cameras are managed by the City Defense Army. I have already sent an alert to the city hall. They will retrieve footage from the surveillance cameras at the city¡¯s entrance, but don¡¯t hold out too much hope. Previously, Mu Xiu had disguised as other people to infiltrate the city. He is a follower of the God of Chaos; we cannot take this lightly.¡± Smith nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve notified the consortium. They will open part of their surveillance for the tech department to analyze and see if they can find Mu Xiu¡¯s trail.¡± After mentioning the consortium, Selena¡¯s expression visibly soured, but she didn¡¯t dwell on the issue and instead asked, ¡°So, what do we need to do?¡± ¡°There are always some places in the city that are ¡®unmonitored¡¯,¡± Smith tapped the table, and a series of photographs started accumulating on the projection, ¡°Casinos, the Red Light District, and some underground fight clubs. According to previous cases, Mu Xiu has gone on killing sprees in these places. The Criminal Investigation Department has already placed people in most of these locations, but, there¡¯s one most critical place where we are understaffed.¡± The projection on the wall instantaneously changed to a glittering golden gate with a dazzling, luminous sign that read ¡®Crown Casino¡¯, ¡°The Crown Casino is the largest in Dawn City. The tech department has analyzed Mu Xiu¡¯s past trajectories and believes that this place is where he is most likely to go next. The Criminal Investigation Department¡¯s personnel are too weak for Mu Xiu, so I hope to entrust this task to you. How about it?¡± Smith looked at Selena. ¡°Okay,¡± Selena stood up, ¡°So our mission is to guard the entrance of the Crown Casino? For how long?¡± ¡°Usually, he commits his crimes within seven days of entering the city. After he makes a sacrifice to the God of Chaos, he receives the Grace of the God of Chaos and instantly escapes to the wilderness. So, we must catch him or kill him before he acts.¡± Smith answered. ¡°All right, I¡¯ve got it,¡± Selena waved at a confused-looking He Ao, ¡°Ande, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Mu Xiu has Talent Sequence 51: Thug, a D-class power level. Do you think Selena can stop him? Her mechanized body strength is barely close to D-class, right?¡± After Selena and He Ao had left, the projection on the wall changed to Verna holding a cigarette, leaning against a tightly shut door, with a revolver in his hand, apparently on a mission. Just as Smith was about to answer, Verna suddenly charged at the door behind him. ¡°Open up, Federal Bureau of Investigation.¡± Following a crash, the door was directly burst open. The people inside seemed to realize something was wrong and were about to draw their guns to shoot when Verna immediately fired six shots from his revolver, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor. ¡°Boss?¡± A voice emerged off-camera, ¡°Is that all of them killed?¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Verna frowned, ¡°What do you mean ¡®all of them killed¡¯? Didn¡¯t you see their fierce resistance? Didn¡¯t you see them draw their guns? If they draw guns, I could very well get shot to death. ¡°Those despicable thugs from an inter-city gang don¡¯t blink an eye at murder. If you don¡¯t kill them, would you rather wait for them to enjoy a few years in prison with good food and then come out to harm others again?¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll teach you how to write a report,¡± he said as he walked out of the frame, ¡°During the execution of this mission, the gang members fiercely fought back. Despite our officers¡¯ patient persuasion, they refused to surrender, and we were compelled to retalinuealiatet. Six were shot dead on the spot, no survivors.¡± As he spoke, he also cursed, ¡°Those damned councilors are making outrageous laws, there¡¯s not even a death penalty... ¡± As Verna¡¯s scornful voice faded away, Smith turned off the communication and leaned back in his chair, staring at the clean white walls, lost in thought. Why did Mu Xiu suddenly come to Dawn City... ¡ª- In the elevator, Selena didn¡¯t press the button to return to the ground floor but clicked on the fifth basement level instead. ¡°Selena, what is the Witch of Desire?¡± He Ao stood behind Selena, asking with some curiosity. He had only half understood what Selena and Smith had been discussing, and he didn¡¯t dare to interrupt. ¡°A kind of Evil God, just like the God of Chaos and the God of Knowledge; they are all Evil Gods.¡± Selena answered casually, ¡°Most of them are fallen and insane, tempting ordinary people to become their monsters.¡± ¡°Evil Gods, then are there Righteous Gods?¡± He Ao pressed on, a question he had wanted to ask for a long time. Surprised by his question, Selena glanced at He Ao. Evil is a term that¡¯s relative to righteousness, a subjective term. If there are Evil Gods, then there should correspondingly be Righteous Gods, but few people catch on to that. What He Ao really meant was, since there are Evil Gods that can communicate with people, are there Righteous Gods who can also communicate with people? Just as they were talking, the elevator reached their floor. Selena walked out of the elevator; the fifth underground level was a huge garage, ¡°None, or perhaps our realm has yet to make contact with them.¡± She raised her hand slightly, and with a soft click in the night, followed by the roaring of an engine, a fiery red convertible, as if riding flames, parked in front of them. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Selena opened the door and sat in the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Want to go for a drive with me?¡± ¡ª¡ª Thus, within Dawn City, this scene unfolded: a blonde, stunning older sister with a younger man in a combat suit, driving a roaring sports car wildly through the city streets. He Ao only felt a whirlwind before the car came to a stop. ¡°Here we are.¡± Selena got out of the car, comfortably stretching herself. ¡°You drive like that, sure it doesn¡¯t count as speeding?¡± He Ao felt as though the ground beneath him was still shaking. ¡°No worries, I stuck to the highways, keeping to the top speed limit, didn¡¯t exceed it.¡± After one lap, Selena looked refreshed and content, comfortably stretching. With her full body prosthesis, even if the car flipped, she could carry it unharmed, and therefore speeding didn¡¯t faze her in the least. He Ao staggered out of the car, feeling as if the solid ground was like stepping on cotton. Selena looked at He Ao¡¯s state with a sly smile. Doesn¡¯t everyone have a bit of a wicked sense of humor? She pointed to a hot dog stand by the street, ¡°Let¡¯s go, you haven¡¯t eaten since you were discharged, I¡¯ll buy you a hot dog.¡± He Ao was still unsteady on his feet and was immediately taken by the hand, unsteadily queuing up. It took a while for He Ao to recover. The body of Ande is still not up to par; still getting carsick. He shook his head, trying to calm down, took a few deep breaths, and settled his thoughts. It was during his fifth deep breath that he felt a hint of something unusual within his body. In his chest, a subtle energy emerged once again. Chapter 25 - 25 25 Robbery Please Bookmark Follow and Vote for the Month ?25: Chapter 25: Robbery (Please Bookmark, Follow, and Vote for the Month) 25: Chapter 25: Robbery (Please Bookmark, Follow, and Vote for the Month) Selena placed He Ao, who still looked a bit dizzy, at the entrance of the hot dog shop, then went off to line up for hot dogs. However, He Ao¡¯s attention was entirely focused on the energy that had suddenly emerged in his chest. That energy was extremely faint, much less than what He Ao had breathed in in the main world, but as he continued to breathe deeply, the energy was constantly replenished. The energy of the Copy World seemed much more stable and rich than that of the main world. In the main world, other than the tide-like surge at dawn, He Ao¡¯s deep breaths could not gather any energy inside his chest cavity. While adjusting his breathing, He Ao began to guide the energy within his chest, following the route he had tried before. But he soon encountered obstacles. If the pathways in He Ao¡¯s original body were wide and clear thoroughfares, then those in ¡®Ande¡¯s¡¯ body were winding and narrow trails. The guided energy dissipated almost as soon as it left the chest cavity. The efficiency of energy utilization was far lower than in He Ao¡¯s original body. So, was it the effect of the Vermilion Fruit? He Ao estimated that the pathways in his original body should be similar, if not worse, than Ande¡¯s, because when he took the Vermilion Fruit, he could distinctly feel it clearing some blockages in his body. Perhaps that was some kind of ¡®aptitude¡¯? And the role of the Vermilion Fruit was to enhance aptitude? Suppressing the speculation in his heart, He Ao began to increase the frequency of his breaths. Although ¡®Ande¡¯s¡¯ body had far lower aptitude than He Ao¡¯s original body, which had consumed the Vermilion Fruit, the concentration of energy in the Copy World was much higher than in the main world. As He Ao breathed faster, more and more energy was generated in his chest cavity, and He Ao kept guiding this energy through the ¡®narrow trails.¡¯ As the saying goes, with great force, bricks fly. As He Ao absorbed more and more energy, it finally escaped the chest cavity. Even though the pathways were even narrower outside the chest cavity, the degree of energy dissipation was also reduced. In this manner, He Ao moved the energy through the atrium and, with difficulty, reached the fingertip of his left middle finger. Then he froze because, when he tried to let the energy return, he found that the return pathway was completely blocked. He tried to use energy to break through the blockages, but it took a good while to erode away an imperceptible amount from the obstructions. By now, he was beginning to struggle to sustain the high-frequency breathing; such breathing was extremely distracting and physically draining, and it put a great deal of pressure on the lungs. Even the physique of an Ande 13 could not sustain it for long. Just as He Ao was about to give up, he suddenly noticed the energy accumulated at his fingertip. If he stopped now, that energy seemed like it would slowly dissipate, and judging by the current absorption efficiency of his body, most of it would be lost. Allowing it to disperse directly seemed a bit wasteful. Perhaps he could guide the energy outside the pathways? For instance, directing it outward as a weapon? He Ao thought about it and tried to guide the energy from his middle finger to the outside. Guiding energy to the outside was much easier than directing it through the ¡®pathways¡¯. After a short while, an invisible, sesame-sized ¡®energy cluster¡¯ appeared above He Ao¡¯s middle finger. The energy cluster had no physical form, but He Ao could clearly sense its presence. He carefully controlled the cluster, letting it leave his body. As soon as the energy left He Ao¡¯s body, it began to fluctuate, maintaining its shape for only a brief one or two seconds before suddenly exploding. He Ao only felt a breeze brush past his fingertip, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation. This ¡®little energy bomb¡¯ had very low damage, even unable to break through his defenses. He Ao sighed, slowly returning to a normal breathing rhythm. He had originally thought he had gained a long-range attack method. After some thought, he opened his personal attribute panel. [He Ao (Ande)] [Permission Level: Ordinary Player] [Physical Fitness: 15 (13) (In the Copy World, ordinary people are 10, in the main world they are 5)] [Skills: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Binding) (F-Class)] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F-Class) (Not Usable)] [Character Ability: Basic Firearms Mastery, Qi Induction (No Rank)] Other things remained unchanged, but an additional ¡®Qi Induction¡¯ appeared in the character abilities. With no rank, He Ao¡¯s recent energy guidance had almost no enhancement to Ande¡¯s physique; it could be said he merely got a start. However, this ¡®Qi Induction¡¯ being listed under character abilities probably meant that this ability couldn¡¯t be taken back to the main world, but He Ao could test out some of the circulation pathways from that little book to see if they were correct within the Copy World. After all, while the cultivation results from the Copy World couldn¡¯t be taken along, the ¡®experience¡¯ could. Once He Ao¡¯s breathing had steadied, he leaned against the wall, looking across the street. The colorful neon lights almost lit up half the street; it was the entrance to the Crown Casino. He Ao watched as people came and went in front of the casino entrance, a ceaseless stream. He sighed softly. This world was truly chaotic. It was at this moment that something occurred to him, and his gaze locked onto a lady in a red bandage dress within the crowd. She had a head of golden brown hair, a pair of long, straight legs, and a burgundy bandage dress that traced her graceful silhouette. The short hem barely covered her full and round buttocks, which appeared and disappeared tantalizingly with every swaying step she took. The lady seemed to notice that someone was watching her; she paused and turned around. ¡°You¡¯re already on duty?¡± Selena¡¯s laughter came from beside him as she handed him a hot dog, ¡°This place has really good ones, just a long wait in line.¡± ¡°Not really, I was just checking to see if there were any suspicious characters.¡± He Ao took the hot dog, but when he looked back towards the entrance of the casino, the lady in the red dress had disappeared. Not sure if it was an illusion, He Ao always felt there was something different about that lady, so he turned to Selena, ¡°Does Mu Xiu have any abilities to change his appearance or disguise himself, like turning into a woman?¡± ¡°No?¡± Selena thought for a moment, standing there as if accessing some data, ¡°Mu Xiu¡¯s disguise skills aren¡¯t sophisticated; he tends to directly peel off a person¡¯s skin and use it to disguise his biological information. This can only fool machines and some not-so-strict cameras. He only disguises himself when entering the city, and according to current intelligence,¡± Selena paused, ¡°he especially hates women. In his past few crimes, he killed all the dancing girls or special workers in the Red Light District.¡± Hate women? He Ao fell into thought. ¡°Th...this is a robbery.¡± It was then that an immature voice came from behind He Ao. He Ao turned around to see a pitch-black handgun and a trembling little boy holding the gun. The boy looked at the hot dog in He Ao¡¯s hand and swallowed. Chapter 26 - 26 26 Secret on the Tip of the Tongue ?26: Chapter 26: Secret on the Tip of the Tongue? (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 26: Chapter 26: Secret on the Tip of the Tongue? (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao¡¯s gaze shifted to the child¡¯s handgun, which reflected a distinct plastic sheen under the dim light. The object in the child¡¯s hand was likely just a toy gun. Selena now turned around as well, intuitively wanting to pull He Ao behind her, knowing that firearms could harm her but not him. But He Ao slowly crouched down, bringing his head down to the same height as the little boy¡¯s, who pointed the ¡®gun¡¯ in his hand tensely at He Ao¡¯s forehead. He Ao revealed a gentle smile, holding the hot dog in his hand, and offered it to the boy, ¡°Can I trade this hot dog for the gun in your hand? This is a trade, not a robbery, it¡¯s legal.¡± The little boy glanced at the hot dog in He Ao¡¯s hand and swallowed, his throat moving slightly. He nodded, ¡°Okay.¡± As he spoke, he snatched the hot dog from He Ao¡¯s hand and ran into the dark street where the streetlamp was broken. But within a few seconds, he ran back, placing the ¡®gun¡¯ about a meter or two in front of He Ao. Then he took off again as swiftly as he appeared. This was a child who honored his promises. Watching him run away, He Ao leaned forward to pick up the ¡®gun¡¯. The gun was light, indeed a toy, and when He Ao opened the magazine, there was only a plastic bullet, slightly soiled with mud, indicating it had been reused many times. He pocketed the gun, casually slipping it into his pocket and stood up, meeting Selena¡¯s slightly amused look. ¡°Sorry,¡± He Ao felt a bit embarrassed. After all, the hot dog he had just given away had been bought by Selena for him. Using someone else¡¯s gift for a good deed, especially in front of them, was somewhat improper. So he naturally joined the line to buy a hot dog, smiling, ¡°That hot dog really whet my appetite, I¡¯m going to line up for another. Is there anything else you¡¯d like? I¡¯ll treat you to something as well.¡± He Ao himself hadn¡¯t eaten yet, and after the exertion, he was indeed hungry. Buying another would also indicate that he didn¡¯t think the hot dog Selena bought was unsatisfactory; it was merely that he had unexpectedly given it away. Selena pinched her hot dog and after some thought, tilted her head and smiled, ¡°A Coke, please.¡± It took He Ao another half-hour in line to finally get a hot dog. It turned out Selena bought him the most expensive hot dog in the shop¡ªthe 15 federal coin super, invincible, colossal, deluxe hot dog. A hot dog that cost 15 federal coins, when his daily wage was barely over a hundred, was a painful purchase, but he went through with it, and compared to the hot dog, the Coke was much cheaper at only 1.5 federal coins. He Ao bought a hot dog and two Cokes, returning to Selena¡¯s side and handing her the Coke. His blond, big-sister boss must either have a very high salary or be somewhat of an heiress. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we miss something like this?¡± He Ao looked curiously at the grand entrance of the ¡®Crown Casino¡¯ across the street, noting that the two of them looked less like they were out for work and more like they were out for fun. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± Selena took a bite of her hot dog, answering through her mouthful. He Ao also bit into his hot dog, sipping on his Coke while gazing at the luxurious entrance. At that moment, he suddenly paused. With the food going down his throat, he felt a minute surge of energy at the back of his throat. His brain worked rapidly, recalling the passages in the little book that pertained to the throat. Soon, he found the relevant section. The book¡¯s second page covered the physical lines/routes of the throat. This path was short, beginning at the throat, passing through the left shoulder, elbow, to the index finger and back, then traveling through the left shoulder, the throat, the nasal cavity, winding around, and going through the right shoulder to the right index finger, ending back at the throat. He Ao tried to follow the route described on the second page, but the energy barely left his throat before it was depleted. Even after finishing the entire hot dog, the energy had not broken through the position of his throat. However, this also led He Ao to a new idea: not only is there energy in the air, but the food he ate also contained energy. But it seemed like his stomach capacity was limited, and after a large hot dog and a cup of cola, he was already feeling slightly full. It appeared that this energy was not converted from the food; it merely existed within the food and entered the body with the ingestion of the food. If the food itself is a storage medium, then is it possible the energy contained in different foods also varies? ¡°Let¡¯s go to the car.¡± Selena, having had her fill of food and drink, threw the packaging bag into the trash can beside her. He Ao followed her example and discarded his trash before following Selena into the car. As he entered the vehicle, the car door instantly closed, the roof of the convertible slowly unfolded, and the windows gently rose, turning into a deep tint of one-way view mode. One popup window after another emerged on the glass, and the massive windshield in front of He Ao gradually darkened, with dozens of surveillance screens neatly arrayed across it. This enormous windshield also served as a display screen. These surveillance feeds covered almost every corner of the entrance to the Crown Casino. ¡°What is this?¡± He Ao was shocked by this sudden sci-fi scene. ¡°Contents of my field of view,¡± shrugged Selena, ¡°these are all captured by the cameras installed on this car.¡± So when Selena said she had been watching, she genuinely had been. ¡°So, we¡¯re just going to keep an eye on these monitors?¡± He Ao looked at the dense array of screens in a daze. ¡°Not at all,¡± said Selena as she reclined her driver¡¯s seat, ¡°I¡¯ve set up a similarity capture, the system will automatically alert us when someone who resembles Mu Xiu appears. I¡¯ll take a nap, and if an alarm goes off, just wake me up. The Crown Casino only has one entrance; we just need to watch it.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we search inside first?¡± He Ao asked with some confusion, ¡°What if Mu Xiu got here before us?¡± ¡°The Crown Casino, nominally owned by the Money Rat Gang, is actually an industry controlled by the Dawn City Grain Industry Group and the Nord Financial Consortium through several layers of indirect shareholding. We can¡¯t get in without a valid reason. However, they will ¡®self-inspect¡¯ the internal staff of the casino to confirm Mu Xiu hasn¡¯t slipped in. We just need to stand guard here.¡± After finishing her explanation, Selena closed her eyes. Her chest rose and fell gently, breathing steadily as if she had deeply fallen asleep. Had He Ao not previously felt her with his tentacles, he sometimes couldn¡¯t realize that hers was a purely mechanical body. Her body was just too human-like. During the newbie mission, the system would label Selena as a ¡®Mechanically Modified Person,¡¯ but now even that marker was gone, apparently a benefit only for beginners. He Ao leaned back on the sofa, opened his personal device, and began searching for ¡®Dawn City¡¯ in the search bar. Now, he finally had the time to learn more about this city. Meanwhile, at the end of the street, a figure shrouded in a black hood glanced up at the resplendent casino from a distance. Then, they casually stopped a passerby. Chapter 27 - 27 27 Mu Xiu Appears! ?27: Chapter 27: Mu Xiu Appears! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 27: Chapter 27: Mu Xiu Appears! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The origin of Dawn City can be traced back to the chaotic period after the Great Catastrophe. The founders of the Federation named the city after witnessing the beautiful dawn when they arrived at this land. As the oldest fortress city of the Federation, Dawn City is also one of the Federation¡¯s most prosperous commercial cities. Three of the top fifty conglomerates of the Federation are based in Dawn City, where a population of 28 million people resides within this massive fortress city. The rest is just a simple introduction to the economy and livelihoods, which He Ao glanced through briefly before clicking on a few keywords he was more interested in. The Great Catastrophe: Refers to the disaster that destroyed the prehistoric civilization, with the sudden appearance of a large number of exotic beasts and mutated plants. The prehistoric civilization was destroyed overnight, and the remaining humans on the planet established the Original Federation on the ruins of the prehistoric civilization. Barrier City: Humans built high walls to isolate the danger of the wilderness, and the cities that flourished within these walls were called barrier cities. Currently, over 99% of the Federation¡¯s population lives in barrier cities. Federation (referring to the Second Federal District of the Original Federation): The current Federation government is the government of the Second Federal District of the Original Federation, consisting of 113 barrier cities from the Original Federation¡¯s Second District and 32 newly built barrier cities, for a total of 145 barrier cities (not including 3 barrier cities that are under construction), with a total population of approximately 200 million. The Federal President is the supreme leader of the Federation, and each barrier city, in principle, is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Central Government. Original Federation: The unified government of civilization established by humans in the ruins of the Great Catastrophe, divided into five districts. *Ten years after the founding of the Original Federation, a storm engulfed the great oceans, communications were severed, and the other four districts were lost. Beneath these entries were detailed explanations of the terms, which He Ao briefly browsed through before closing these windows. He had originally thought that the Copy World was a future world but realized it was a world reconstructed after the apocalypse. He thought for a moment and tried to find information about the prehistoric civilization prior to the Great Catastrophe on the network, but came up empty-handed. Only some fragmented posts on the network discussed the prehistoric civilization, but without exception, they were all unfounded speculations. It was as if the prehistoric civilization was completely submerged in that great disaster, leaving no trace behind. After a moment of silence, he turned to search for ¡®Talent Sequences¡¯ on the network, still finding nothing. The search engine displayed a mix of unrelated information; it appeared that this information had been deliberately ¡®erased.¡¯ So he searched for ¡®Mechanical Modification¡¯, and this time numerous advertisements from Dawn City mechanized body companies appeared. He Ao briefly browsed through them but did not find any useful information. Just as he was about to search for ¡®Evil God¡¯, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded inside the vehicle. Selena sat up instantly, and the electric car door opened simultaneously. Her voice was stern and cold, ¡°Mu Xiu has appeared.¡± He Ao looked up at the windshield display. At that moment, all the surveillance feeds had changed to a single image. In the center of this image, shrouded in a black hood, a figure marked by a red frame was taking steps toward the entrance of the casino. Seeing this figure, He Ao immediately crawled out the other side of the car door, following in Selena¡¯s footsteps, who by now had already run to the center of the street. Beep¡ª¡ª A harsh horn sounded, and a huge bus drove past in front of Selena. Selena didn¡¯t hesitate for a second; with a light leap, she directly flipped onto the roof of the bus, then after running two steps along the top, she leaped off the bus roof. Quite cool... He Ao marveled at Selena¡¯s maneuver, and then, honestly using the crosswalk, ran across the street. The figure in the black hood didn¡¯t look back, but he seemed to realize Selena was pursuing him. The leisurely pace he had been maintaining suddenly exploded into a terrifying speed, as he bulldozed through the people ahead of him and darted into the casino entrance. Selena leaped through the crowd, nearly on the suspect¡¯s heels as she followed him in. In theory, with Selena¡¯s speed, catching up to the suspect who looked like Mu Xiu should have been an easy task. However, when He Ao entered the casino, he saw Selena being stopped at the entrance. ¡°Miss Selena, please remain calm,¡± said a gaunt man in a silver suit, emerging from inside the casino, ¡°We are still conducting a ¡®self-examination¡¯, and as soon as we¡¯re finished, we will naturally let you search.¡± ¡°Move aside, I just saw a suspicious person enter.¡± Selena¡¯s face was as cold as frost. He Ao looked at the man in the silver suit and suddenly recognized him. This seemed to be the man who had been dealing with the Wilderness Wanderer in illicit trades a few hours ago. He Ao had personally seen him taken away by the Dawn City Police Department. ¡°He¡¯s been bailed out,¡± Selena explained casually, as if aware of He Ao¡¯s confusion, ¡°Under Dawn City¡¯s bail system, as long as the bail is paid in full, one can go home early and just show up for the trial.¡± Lucky guy. With money, you can do as you please. ¡°Move aside,¡± After speaking with He Ao, Selena¡¯s gaze turned back to the man in the silver suit, her tone ice-cold. After all, the suspect resembling ¡®Mu Xiu¡¯ had already run into the casino, and if he started a slaughter there, it would be too late, ¡°Ludo, I know you need time to clean up your dirty deals, I won¡¯t bother with those trades, my only target is Mu Xiu. You know what he¡¯s like ¨C if we wait until he starts killing, it¡¯ll be too late.¡± ¡°Miss Selena, what are you implying?¡± Ludo laughed, ¡°We are a law-abiding company conducting legally permitted trades. We are just not done with our ¡®self-examination¡¯; we cannot let you in. If we catch ¡®Mu Xiu¡¯, we will deliver him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation ourselves. And it¡¯s not like you can presume someone suspicious just because you say so, right? We should wait until our checks confirm that. Miss Selena, please go back.¡± ¡°Ludo, you!¡± At that moment, Selena realized that Ludo was probably harboring a grudge about an earlier incident and was deliberately making things difficult for them. ¡°Eek,¡± Ludo took half a step back, ¡°Miss Selena, you¡¯re quite intimidating. Could it be that you¡¯re going to use force against us? The hero of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who eradicated the Wilderness Cult, are you going to assault a law-abiding Citizen?¡± ¡°You!¡± Selena was choked by his words. She didn¡¯t have concrete evidence that the man who had just entered was Mu Xiu, but her analytical software told her that person had a 98% resemblance to Mu Xiu. Even during a mission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation¡¯s authority to kill was limited. Unless the suspect brandished a gun or made an obvious attack, she couldn¡¯t just point a gun at someone¡¯s head. However, just as this thought crossed Selena¡¯s mind, a dark, cold object was already pressed against Ludo¡¯s forehead. ¡°Excuse me,¡± He Ao said with a smile, as he firmly gripped his handgun, watching Ludo¡¯s complexion grow increasingly stiff, ¡°Let me introduce myself, my name is Ande.¡± ¡°Officer Ande, what are you about to do?¡± asked Ludo, his voice trembling as he swallowed, ¡°Are you threatening a Federation Citizen?¡± ¡°Mr. Ludo, please let me finish my introduction,¡± He Ao tilted his head slightly, ¡°My name is Ande; my parents died in an accident five years ago. I have no siblings, no wife, I¡¯m not married, and I don¡¯t have a girlfriend. And of course, I have no children either.¡± He smiled gently, his index finger resting on the trigger, ¡°If I press this, I might face twenty years of imprisonment, all alone. But you, you¡¯ll meet God. Would you like to trade places with me?¡± Chapter 28 - 28 28 Super Memory Activate! ?28: Chapter 28: Super Memory, Activate! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Recommend) 28: Chapter 28: Super Memory, Activate! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Recommend) In the recently botched deal, Ludo was the only one whose gaze was fixed directly on He Ao. He had also witnessed the entire process of He Ao firing the gun ¡ª raising the weapon, pulling the trigger, the bullet passing through the wanderer¡¯s brow ¡ª everything was so smooth, like a Painter sketching out a perfect stroke on a canvas. Everyone thought it was just a novice firing under stress, but Ludo alone caught that glimpse of extreme indifference; it was the composure of an experienced hunter facing an oblivious Prey. And at that moment, he was the oblivious Prey. A bone-chilling coldness enveloped his spine, as if every hair on his body stood up, trembling. He looked into He Ao¡¯s eyes, into the depths of that cold indifference, and he knew He Ao would truly pull the trigger. When a fierce hunter is unrestrained, then he becomes the most terrifying presence in the night. The arrogance and prestige he had just a moment ago were now shattered by the cold muzzle of the gun, and Ludo trembled, his legs involuntarily bending and quivering. ¡°So, can we go in now?¡± He Ao¡¯s wrist remained motionless; the muzzle of the gun only moved downward slightly, aiming precisely at Ludo¡¯s forehead. ¡°But...¡± Ludo began to speak, his voice trembling, but his words were interrupted by a sudden sound in the night. Clap¡ªclap¡ªclap¡ª A man, tall at over 1.8 meters with a wide back and small waist, sporting a slicked-back haircut, emerged from the shadows. He clapped his hands together, producing a crisp sound. ¡°Ande... Investigator?¡± he said with a smile, looking at He Ao as he reached out and grabbed Ludo¡¯s collar, flinging him behind, ¡°The Federal Bureau of Investigation having a rookie like you would probably have Smith laughing in his dreams.¡± ¡°Viktor, you got out of prison?¡± Selena stepped forward, positioning herself in front of He Ao. He Ao lowered his gun. When the other party could casually drag Ludo away under his gunpoint, it proved that they were not afraid of the gun at all. However, he did not holster the weapon, but remained in an alert stance. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ve just regained my freedom,¡± Viktor said, nodding with a smile, ¡°And I didn¡¯t expect to encounter such interesting matters right after getting out.¡± He turned his gaze to He Ao and extended a hand, ¡°Young Ande, let me introduce myself. My name is Viktor, and for now, I¡¯m somewhat in charge of this casino.¡± He Ao hesitated for a moment, then prepared to extend his hand. ¡°This is the boss of the Money Rat Gang, he¡¯s very dangerous, be careful,¡± Selena warned in a low voice, stepping aside half a step to give He Ao space to shake hands. ¡°Nice to meet you, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ande.¡± He Ao nodded slightly and reached out to shake Viktor¡¯s hand. Viktor didn¡¯t make any moves or tests; he genuinely just shook his hand and then let go with a smile, ¡°My worthless subordinate has lost the last round, but now that I¡¯m out, it wouldn¡¯t be right to let you in directly. How about this,¡± He waved his hand, and a subordinate immediately carried a gambling table over. ¡°Matters of the casino will be decided at the gambling table. Three rounds to determine life or death. If you win, you¡¯re free to investigate the Crown Casino today, but if you lose, please head back home. If there¡¯s really a suspect that has mixed into the casino, I will capture them and personally deliver them to the front steps of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.¡± Their current location was a corner near the entrance, where passersby wouldn¡¯t notice unless they looked closely. Therefore, despite attracting some glances, the earlier confrontation between He Ao and Ludo didn¡¯t draw a crowd. But as soon as Viktor brought in a gambling table, a crowd immediately gathered around. For gamblers, there is nothing more exciting than gambling itself. ¡°What¡¯s the wager?¡± Selena asked in a low voice. ¡°Miss Selena, we wouldn¡¯t dare gamble with you,¡± Viktor looked at He Ao, ¡°I wonder if Brother Ande is willing to take part in this gamble?¡± Being like Selena, an entity with a high-end mechanized body, even if she entered the casino, she would be asked to leave or be restricted in many game plays since it¡¯s too unfair for the other gamblers. Upon hearing Viktor¡¯s question, He Ao directed his gaze towards Selena. After all, Selena was his direct superior. Selena, looking at He Ao¡¯s calm visage, thought for a moment and nodded slightly. So, He Ao looked at Viktor, ¡°All right.¡± Then he added, ¡°What game? I¡¯ve never been to a casino before, so I don¡¯t know the rules.¡± Selena, who was just about to step behind He Ao, nearly lost control of her body and stumbled. She had just been looking at He Ao¡¯s calm and confident appearance, thinking he must be a hidden big shot. ¡°Let¡¯s choose something simple then, blackjack,¡± Viktor stepped back two paces, looked to the side and immediately, his subordinate understood and handed over a deck of cards. As Viktor tore open the card package, he explained, ¡°The game is very simple. First, remove the two jokers from the deck. Then the croupier deals two cover cards to each player. Players can choose to reveal one of them, then decide whether to continue to draw cards or to stop. After all players have stopped drawing cards,¡± Viktor picked out the two jokers from the deck and tossed them aside, ¡°the game ends. Players reveal their remaining hidden card, add up all their points, and compare their totals. Picture cards are worth ten points, and the one with the highest total wins. If it¡¯s a tie, it is considered a draw, but if the total points exceed twenty-one, boom~¡± Viktor shaped his mouth like an explosion, ¡°then it¡¯s back to zero and they lose the round.¡± He placed the cards in the middle and stood at the center side of the gambling table. He Ao, puzzled, looked at him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you gambling with me?¡± ¡°Of course, my skills are not very good,¡± Viktor smiled and glanced at Ludo, who was slowly getting up from the crowd, then turned his head back to He Ao, ¡°It¡¯s always good to give people a chance.¡± Ludo didn¡¯t catch the boss¡¯s glance, but someone else did. So he was directly positioned in front of the gambling table, facing He Ao. He Ao did not look at Ludo, but towards Viktor, ¡°I feel that if we¡¯re betting against the casino, shouldn¡¯t we find a croupier who is less skilled?¡± The implication was, I think you are not suitable to be a croupier. ¡°Then let Miss Selena be the croupier.¡± Viktor was taken aback by He Ao¡¯s question, but then laughed, looking at Selena, ¡°After all, a beautiful lady dealer is much better than a big, bulky man like me.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡± A chorus of laughter echoed through the crowd of onlookers. Actually, the casino is a very pure place; it¡¯s simple and brutal, gathering the most fundamental human desires ¨C greed, violence, lust. All of these desires are unreservedly displayed in the shouts, the clink of chips, the laughter, and the tears. Selena was still a bit slow to react, but she knew this was to their advantage. She wouldn¡¯t cheat; the surrounding staff were all old casino employees, and with Viktor there, it would be very easy for her trickery to be discovered. But at least it ensured that, as a croupier, she would be fair. If Viktor dealt the cards, she might not be able to detect any cheating on his part. ¡°May I inspect the deck of cards?¡± Before Selena could take the cards, He Ao suddenly spoke up. Super Memory, activate! Chapter 29 - 29 29 Older Than You Please Favorite Vote and Follow ?29: Chapter 29: Older Than You (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) 29: Chapter 29: Older Than You (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) ¡°Of course,¡± Viktor nonchalantly tossed the cards to He Ao. He Ao deftly caught them, and the deck of poker cards landed neatly in his palm. Even without the enhancement of Martial Arts, He Ao¡¯s own skills were not lacking. A deck of casino-customized playing cards uniformly manufactured by a factory presents almost no differences on their backs to the naked eye, even those with the most advanced high-resolution cybernetic eyes would struggle to clearly distinguish each card. This was something Selena knew; even she could not discern the differences on the backs of these cards. He Ao didn¡¯t know this, but he wanted to try using Super Memory. The moment Super Memory activated, the entire world as seen by He Ao transformed, every person¡¯s face, even the pores on their cheeks, became vividly clear. This was Super Memory, when it was activated, the ¡®world¡¯ He Ao saw changed; he could clearly see the texture of every object and rapidly catalog these details in his mind. He Ao even suspected that under the influence of Super Memory, he wasn¡¯t ¡®seeing¡¯ with his eyes, but rather perceiving his surroundings from a higher perspective, taking everything in at a glance. However, Super Memory¡¯s duration was limited, so he didn¡¯t have time to study these details closely. He looked at the deck in his hands, picked up the top card, and held it under the light. It was the two of diamonds. He Ao turned it over several times, examining the details of the card closely. Then he quickly swapped for another card. Originally, he was just testing whether he could rely on remembering the slight differences between the cards to directly recall their numerical values. But he discovered something interesting on the cards. Each card¡¯s back pattern was actually slightly different. These subtle differences seemed to exist outside the range of visible light, He Ao could only vaguely perceive these patterns, and these discrepancies were only visible when directly facing the back of a card and from certain special angles. He Ao lifted the stack of cards, rapidly reviewing each one. As expected, each card had such a special ¡®design¡¯, and his brain quickly formed a connection between these patterns and the corresponding card faces. This was, after all, a deck that had been ¡®tampered with¡¯. The casino staff likely had special tools that allowed them to see the faces of the cards without turning them over. Interesting. He Ao handed the cards back to Viktor, smiling softly, ¡°No problem.¡± Viktor checked the deck to ensure He Ao hadn¡¯t tampered with it, then passed the cards to Selena, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start the game.¡± He stepped back, and casino employees brought two chairs for He Ao and Ludo to sit behind. Ludo glanced anxiously at He Ao, then at the cards in Selena¡¯s hand, seemed to find some reassurance, and slowly seated himself. He Ao also seemed a bit nervous, taking several deep breaths to calm his emotions before finally sitting down. He placed his hands on the table, then thought better of it, and put them under the table, even tucking them into his pockets. Then, under everyone¡¯s gaze, he took his hands out of his pockets again. His breathing remained shallow, as if he were nervous the entire time. Watching He Ao¡¯s actions, Ludo gradually calmed down. While He Ao might be good at fighting, he was still a rookie in the casino, and soon Ludo would get his revenge for the earlier gunshot. ¡°Ande?¡± Selena, concerned by He Ao¡¯s nervous appearance, looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± He Ao reassured her with a nod, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. It¡¯s worth a shot.¡± Giving up and failing were alike, but gambling still held the possibility of winning. Heartened by He Ao¡¯s words, Selena took a breath and began to deal the cards to both parties. Her dealing wasn¡¯t professional, but no one in attendance cared about that. In that moment, He Ao¡¯s bet with Ludo was actually a bet with the casino, challenging the establishment. Most gamblers usually lost money at casinos and harbored no fondness for them, and they loved nothing more than a spectacle like this. Whether it was professional mattered little to them; what thrilled them was the potential to see the casino humbled. Watching He Ao¡¯s nervous appearance, still a fledgling, they began to lose interest. Although Ludo was malicious, his gambling skills were decent. Instead of watching Ludo bully the novice, they would rather go out and have a couple of exciting bets. So, some people started to leave, one after another. Selena dealt the first hole card, with He Ao playing first and Ludo following. Typically, gamblers would check their hole cards upon receiving them, but He Ao did not. Instead, he bowed his head, seemingly lost in thought. And since He Ao didn¡¯t check his card, Ludo naturally didn¡¯t either. If he did, it would appear as if he was intimidated by the rookie. Moreover, he didn¡¯t need to look to know what his card was. Every deck in Crown Casino was rigged, and he had long since altered his right eye into a specialized prosthetic. This prosthetic eye wasn¡¯t advanced, but it could, from certain angles, detect the unique patterns on the backs of these cards and subsequently determine each card¡¯s value. So, all he needed to do was to glance downwards to know his hole card was the ten of diamonds, and by shifting his angle slightly, he could see that He Ao¡¯s hole card was the nine of clubs. This technology was state-of-the-art, originating from Nord Financial Consortium, and had been reliably in operation for many years without anyone ever uncovering it. So, Ludo was very confident in this technology; He Ao couldn¡¯t possibly see through it. Selena began to deal the second hole card, with He Ao still being first. Through his prosthetic eye, Ludo was able to clearly see that He Ao¡¯s second hole card was the two of spades. At this moment, He Ao still seemed very tense; his breathing was quick and shallow. Selena began to deal Ludo his second card. Ludo watched her beautiful hands closely, paying attention to the card being dealt to him. He was unable to decipher the specific value of the card from his current angle of sight. Even having cheated, he felt a bit nervous. He began trying to shift his gaze to an angle where he could decipher the card. But just as he was about to see the card¡¯s value, a loud noise erupted from the front. Ludo instinctively looked across the table. The hole card landed on the table in front of him. The person opposite him, He Ao, seemed to have been overwhelmed by nervousness; he abruptly stood up, slamming his hand onto the table with a clattering sound. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, rookie?¡± Ludo, seeing He Ao¡¯s state, was quite amused and couldn¡¯t help but taunt him, ¡°Have you realized you¡¯re outmatched, so you¡¯re begging for mercy now?¡± However, before the words had fully left his mouth, a cold, dark gun barrel was pointed at his forehead. This caused the smile on his face to freeze on the spot. ¡°If you died, I could probably ¡®cheat¡¯ my way into winning this bet?¡± He Ao said with a smile, looking at Ludo. His breathing gradually stabilized, and he smoothly slid his hand over the gun, swiftly removing the magazine and putting it back again. ¡°Please be quiet, sir.¡± He pressed the gun barrel downward and gently pulled the trigger. Bang¡ª A plastic bullet fell towards the table in front of Ludo, grazing his fingers, striking his second hole card, and swiftly ricocheting past his cheek as it flew by. It was a toy gun. Even though it was just a plastic bullet, Ludo still felt a slight sting on his cheek and hand. His face turned ashen as he looked at He Ao, fully aware that he had been toyed with by a toy gun, yet he dared not speak again, for he did not know whether He Ao would pull out a real gun next time. ¡°My first up card,¡± He Ao slowly put down the toy gun and flipped over his left hole card, ¡°the nine of clubs.¡± ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Ludo also slowly revealed his first hole card, ¡°the ten of diamonds.¡± He flashed a grin at He Ao, ¡°Bigger than yours.¡± This time, He Ao had no reaction, only smiling back at him. Chapter 30 - 30 30 Gambling with Life Please Favorite Vote and Follow ?30: Chapter 30: Gambling with Life (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) 30: Chapter 30: Gambling with Life (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) Ludo looked at He Ao¡¯s expression and subconsciously felt something was amiss, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was. He glanced at his other unrevealed hole card; now it was his last card in hand. The cybernetic eye quickly determined the face of this card, [Diamonds 2]. At the moment, his two cards, Diamonds 10 and Diamonds 2, totaled 12 points, while He Ao¡¯s were Clubs 9 and Spades 2, totaling 11 points, clearly putting him at an advantage. Twelve to eleven, the advantage is mine. The more he looked at He Ao, the more he felt this kid might possess that mysterious confidence often seen in rookies who¡¯ve just entered a casino, believing themselves to be favored by Heaven, able to turn 20 bucks into 37 million at the gambling table. Most times, he would order the dealer to give these rookies some money, cultivating their habits, what the casino calls ¡®beginner¡¯s luck¡¯. But it¡¯s all engineered. And in this game, there would be no ¡®beginner¡¯s luck¡¯. After dealing the two hole cards, it was time for the hit phase, and as always, He Ao went first. Ludo adjusted his sitting posture, placing his line of sight at the perfect angle to see the pattern on the top card of the deck. In this way, he would see every card dealt next, thus deciding whether to take an extra card or not. ¡°Hit?¡± Selena looked at He Ao. He Ao nodded slightly. Selena flipped over the card from the top and placed it in front of He Ao. This card was [Spades 6], putting He Ao at seventeen points with his three cards. Selena then turned to Ludo. ¡°Hit!¡± Ludo also nodded, and he received a [Clubs 3], bringing his total to fifteen points with his three cards. His face darkened somewhat. Immediately after, both players took two more rounds of cards. He Ao received a [Hearts 2] and [Diamonds A], with the Ace counting as one point, bringing his total to twenty points. Ludo received a [Spades 3] and [Clubs A], making his total nineteen points. Both He Ao and Ludo had not looked at their hole cards yet, but of course, Ludo now ¡®knew¡¯ both players¡¯ hole cards. In the fourth round, He Ao declined to take another card, with his face-up points now at eighteen, the hole card being [Spades 2]. Ludo, on the other hand, looked at the top card of the deck, a [Clubs 2]. His face-up points were seventeen, with the hole card being [Diamonds 2]. With the addition of [Clubs 2], his total would be twenty-one, the highest possible in this game. When cheating, Ludo virtually played this game with open cards; he knew every card and could see both players¡¯ hole cards clearly. With the right moves, he was in an invincible position. With confidence, he decided to take an extra card. Selena turned over the top card, [Clubs 2]. ¡°Game¡¯s over, rookie.¡± Ludo looked at He Ao, slowly leaning back in his chair with confidence, his fingertips resting on his hole card. His confidence made everyone around him tense. Selena also looked at He Ao nervously; Ludo¡¯s face-up points had reached nineteen, higher than He Ao¡¯s eighteen. If Ludo¡¯s hole card was indeed a 2, the victory was almost certain. However, losing this round would not be the end, as there were still two more rounds to go; it was an acceptable outcome. ¡°Hold on¡± Under Selena¡¯s watchful gaze, He Ao slowly raised his hand. He turned to Viktor, ¡°Mr. Viktor, we¡¯re in a hurry. Let¡¯s make it one game to decide the outcome. If I win, you let us go in to find someone, and if I lose, we¡¯ll leave on our own.¡± Viktor looked at He Ao with interest, but he didn¡¯t make a decision; instead, he turned to Ludo, ¡°Ludo, what do you think?¡± ¡°Officer Ande comes and goes as he pleases,¡± Ludo tapped his fingertips on the bottom card, lightly rapping it, ¡°says to change the rules and changes them. According to the casino¡¯s rules, shouldn¡¯t there be an addition to the stakes? After all, you won and we have to risk disrupting our normal business. If you lose, there¡¯s no consequence. Isn¡¯t that a bit unfair?¡± ¡°What kind of stake do you want me to add?¡± He Ao looked at him with interest. ¡°How about adding one of Officer Ande¡¯s hands?¡± Ludo squinted his eyes, smiling at He Ao. He wouldn¡¯t pass up any chance for revenge; one hand was just an appetizer. Once this was over, he would find some thugs, break He Ao¡¯s arms and legs, and throw him into the filthy sewer, letting He Ao slowly watch himself degenerate and stink with the bites of maggots and rats, dying in agony. As he thought of this image, he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement, looking at He Ao with an uncontrollable thrill in his voice, ¡°If you lose this round, Officer Ande can leave freely after leaving behind one hand.¡± Then I¡¯ll secretly have someone kill you. ¡°A hand is such a boring bet,¡± He Ao laughed and stood up. Looking at Ludo¡¯s expression, he knew this psycho was probably fantasizing about how he would torture him. He was familiar with such wanted criminals; in the main world, they were worth a lot of money. He then drew a steel dagger from his combat suit¡¯s waist, twirled it through his fingers and threw it forward. The dagger embedded itself precisely in the center of the gambling table. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go big? In addition to our previous agreement, whoever loses will use this knife to take their own life.¡± ¡°Ande!¡± Selena looked at Ande, somewhat angry. Originally, it was just a minor gambling game, but to escalate it to staking lives was too much. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± He Ao shook his head, signaling Selena not to worry, then he turned to a startled Ludo, ¡°Mr. Ludo seems afraid to bet?¡± He Ao turned his head towards Selena, ¡°See, I told you. He¡¯s scared.¡± ¡°I bet!¡± Ludo suddenly stood up, slamming his fist on the table, then looked at He Ao with a ferocious expression, ¡°I dare. The question is, do you?!¡± Now, with all his points totaled, he had twenty-one points, which was almost a sure win. Even if He Ao also ended up with twenty-one points, it would be a draw. There was no way he could lose. Why wouldn¡¯t he take He Ao¡¯s life if it was handed to him on a silver platter? ¡°What would I be afraid of,¡± He Ao looked at Viktor, ¡°Mr. Viktor can bear witness.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Viktor moved closer with a smile. With the stakes set, the crowd immediately became lively. Everyone craned their necks trying to glimpse the outcome of the game. He Ao was the first to slowly flip over his bottom card. ¡°Spade Two,¡± he said calmly, raising his head to look at Ludo, ¡°I have a total of twenty points.¡± ¡°Confident yet blind rookie,¡± when Ludo saw He Ao reveal his card, he chuckled arrogantly and with chest puffed, looked at He Ao, flipping over his own bottom card, ¡°The game is over. Sorry, I have twenty-one points.¡± The scene plunged into sudden silence. Wait, this isn¡¯t the reaction it should be!! Ludo realized something was wrong, He bowed his head to look at his bottom card, which was a [Diamond Queen] All his points totaled up to twenty-nine points, which exceeded twenty-one points, resetting his score to zero. ¡°It seems Mr. Ludo isn¡¯t good at math,¡± He Ao said with a shrug, stepping to the center of the table and pulling the dagger out of the spot where it was stuck, ¡®bang¡ª¡¯ placing it in front of Ludo, causing Ludo to take a half step back in fright. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend that Mr. Ludo take his own life, after all, inciting someone to commit suicide is a crime,¡± he left the dagger in front of Ludo, then looked at Viktor, ¡°Can we go in now?¡± Ludo watched in horror as the dagger lay before him. He dumbly flipped the [Diamond Queen] over, only seeing the pattern on the back; yet the analysis from his artificial eye was still showing it as a [Diamond Two]. ¡°No, no,¡± images flashed back in his mind, and he suddenly remembered that shot He Ao had fired with the toy gun. The plastic bullet had hit the back of that card. In a panic, he stared at He Ao, ¡°Was it then?! How did you do that?¡± Chapter 31 - 31 31 He Wont Retaliate Please Favorite Vote and Follow ?31: Chapter 31: He Won¡¯t Retaliate (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) 31: Chapter 31: He Won¡¯t Retaliate (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) He Ao had altered the pattern on the back of the card! How did He Ao know?! How did he do it!? The designs couldn¡¯t even be changed with lasers! An endless stream of questions flooded Ludo¡¯s mind. And by looking at him, He Ao knew exactly what puzzled him. Of course, normal damage couldn¡¯t alter it, but that Martial Arts ¡®energy¡¯ could. The pattern difference between [Diamonds Q] and [Diamonds 2] wasn¡¯t big; one only needed to release that energy from their body, adhere it to a toy gun¡¯s bullet, calculate the explosion timing, and hit the right spot to alter the shape of the pattern. In fact, He Ao hadn¡¯t completely changed the pattern; he had merely made it lean towards resembling [Diamonds 2]. But he guessed Ludo didn¡¯t possess the ability to remember such a complex pattern. He must have relied on a machine¡¯s assistance, and machine recognition certainly had a certain error tolerance. After all, he hadn¡¯t been completely certain he could alter the pattern until he saw Ludo¡¯s growing confidence. That¡¯s when he knew his alterations had worked. Every step he had taken was planned, like not looking at his hole card so that Ludo, due to pride, wouldn¡¯t either, or disguising the quick breaths necessary to absorb energy as nervousness, which also justified the subsequent gunfire. This gamble had never left his control. He Ao looked at the confused and suspicious Ludo with a smile. Just when Ludo thought He Ao would explain his methods in detail, he heard He Ao say softly, ¡°Secret.¡± ¡°You!¡± Ludo was so angry that he felt a rush of blood to his head and momentarily lost his balance ¡°Young man, the Federal Bureau of Investigation isn¡¯t for you,¡± Viktor said, clapping lightly, ¡°Interested in a career change? We don¡¯t make much here, but a weekly salary of tens of thousands is still easy.¡± I only make eight hundred a week... He Ao smacked his lips and then smiled, shaking his head, ¡°Mr. Viktor, just let us in first.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Viktor clapped his hands and summoned a man with a square face and a long scar that almost covered his entire left face. Viktor ordered the man, ¡°Take them to the highest place in the casino.¡± Scar-face hesitated upon hearing Viktor¡¯s command; he looked at He Ao and Selena and finally nodded, extending his hand, ¡°Please follow me.¡± ¡°Good luck with your mission.¡± Viktor smiled, watching He Ao and Selena leave, then turned his gaze toward Ludo. The bet happened quickly, lasting less than ten minutes. Ludo was now slumped in his chair in despair. When he saw Viktor¡¯s gaze fall on him, he said anxiously, ¡°Boss, give me another chance, I can take out that kid outside the ring.¡± ¡°You win some, you lose some.¡± Viktor shook his head with a smile and drew out the dagger that was stuck on the table. ¡ª- The man with the scarred face led He Ao and his companion into the VIP area. They walked along the edge of the VIP zone, passing several elevators; it didn¡¯t seem as though they were heading upward. ¡°The highest place in the casino is?¡± He Ao, leaning close to Selena, asked with some confusion. ¡°It¡¯s the surveillance room,¡± Selena whispered back, ¡°¡®To stand high is to see all,¡¯ that¡¯s casino slang.¡± He Ao began to understand. The casino was ¡®without¡¯ surveillance, but they had a ¡®high point¡¯ from which they could see the entire casino. Though it seemed redundant, they could thereby refuse government requests for surveillance footage. As He Ao pondered this, Selena suddenly leaned in close, her soft chest almost touching his arm. ... Did this girl change her Mechanized Body? Why is the realism this time so much higher than before? ¡°Ande, don¡¯t be so impulsive next time. Threatening to kill and gambling with your life, you¡¯ve got a long road ahead and many more thrilling experiences to come. You shouldn¡¯t risk yourself for a couple of society¡¯s dregs,¡± she said. Selena didn¡¯t realize how close she was to He Ao. Her tone was like that of a big sister earnestly advising her brash younger brother. He Ao looked at Selena¡¯s delicate beauty, revealing only a shallow smile without speaking. ¡°You still don¡¯t take it seriously?¡± Selena rubbed her temples, ¡°You¡¯ve provoked Ludo now; that guy is notoriously vindictive. Even though he¡¯s facing trial for trafficking in contraband drugs, by the efficiency of Dawn City¡¯s courts, that¡¯s still at least a month away. But his retaliation might come tonight. So, since you haven¡¯t found a place to stay yet, how about I make some space in my office for you? You can stay at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the time being.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± He Ao said, looking at Selena¡¯s earnest face and smiling softly, then adding, ¡°He won¡¯t retaliate against me.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Selena was somewhat puzzled. Because he wouldn¡¯t live through the night. He Ao cast his gaze toward the noisy VIP area of the casino; as soon as Viktor had first appeared, He Ao had sensed Viktor¡¯s intent to kill Ludo. The feeling of wanting to kill someone is hard to hide, so He Ao just conveniently gave Viktor a reasonable excuse. As the witness to the bet, it was reasonable for Viktor to execute the final wager of the gambling game by ending the loser¡¯s life. Just then, a red figure entered He Ao¡¯s field of vision. ¡°Selena, I can¡¯t help with monitoring, but I think I¡¯ve found some other clues. Just call me if you find anything on Mu Xiu.¡± With that, he charged directly into the midst of the casino. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Boss, please give me another chance.¡± Kneeling in a compartment on the sub-level of the casino, Ludo had thrown the steel dagger on the ground, looking up at Viktor with tears streaming down his face, ¡°All these years you were in prison, I was the one diligently managing the casino for you, if not for merit, then at least for hard work.¡± ¡°I gave you a chance, you agreed to the terms of the bet,¡± Viktor glanced at the dagger on the ground, then took out an exquisite handgun and slowly screwed on a silencer, pressing the barrel lightly against Ludo¡¯s forehead, ¡°I will take good care of your wife and kids.¡± Bang¡ª With a sharp, soft gunshot, Ludo¡¯s eyes widened before he collapsed onto the cold floor, his blood slowly spreading. ¡°Boss, what about those who conspired with Ludo, the ones who colluded with the corporations?¡± A thin, stern-looking man stepped out from the shadows behind. ¡°Kill those who betrayed the gang,¡± Viktor said as he pulled out a cigar, snipped the ends, and put it in his mouth. ¡°Now that I am out, the Money Rat Gang is still my Money Rat Gang.¡± The stern man struck a cigar match and placed it under Viktor¡¯s cigar, the strong tobacco glowing intermittently red as it was toasted by the flame. ¡°You have worked hard these years,¡± sighed Viktor, ¡°from now on, I¡¯ll leave the Crown Casino to you to manage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I should do.¡± The stern man replied calmly, then slowly retreated back into the shadows. The dim lighting shone on Viktor¡¯s cheeks, half in light, half in darkness. The dense smoke from the cigar rose slowly, blurring the boundaries between light and dark. Just then, Viktor suddenly remembered something, he looked at the stern man, ¡°How many kids does Ludo have?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any children; he isn¡¯t married, just two mistresses, replacing one every three months.¡± The stern man replied calmly. The room fell into a long silence. After what felt like an eternity, Viktor finally removed the cigar from his mouth, ¡°This guy has been coming to me for a raise every year, claiming it was for baby formula money.¡± ¡°He himself prefers to drink milk; his mistresses are usually other men¡¯s wives or women who have recently given birth, those with ample chests.¡± The stern man added slowly. Viktor: ... He picked up the gun and fired another shot at Ludo¡¯s corpse. Chapter 32 - 32 32 Special Person Please Favorite Vote and Follow ?32: Chapter 32: Special Person (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) 32: Chapter 32: Special Person (Please Favorite, Vote, and Follow) He Ao weaved through the crowd in the casino, yet the voice of Selena reached his ears, ¡°The metal clasp on the pants of your Combat Suit has a tiny tracking device sewn into the left side. If you need to track someone, you can tear off this device and stick it on their car or clothing using the adhesive on the back, but be mindful of your safety.¡± The voice was coming from the glasses that Selena had given him, which had a bone conduction earpiece attached to the frame itself. ¡°Thank you.¡± He Ao nodded subtly as he pretended to be a gambler moving from one table to the next, his left hand casually tearing open the fabric on the left side of the metal clasp, revealing a metal piece the size of a small fingernail in his hand. He held the metal piece between his fingers, slowly making his way toward the woman in the red bodycon dress. This was the second time he had seen her; the first time was at the hot dog stand when he noticed this woman entering the casino. Although this woman didn¡¯t seem to have any connection to Mu Xiu, intuitively, He Ao felt that there was something peculiar about her. Finding Mu Xiu from the surveillance cameras wasn¡¯t something He Ao could assist with; however nimble his mind was, it couldn¡¯t keep up with the data gathering and processing speed of Selena¡¯s artificial eye. So when he noticed this woman in red from the crowd, he immediately followed her, prepared to discover what was so special about her, and to take the opportunity to roam around the casino¡¯s high stakes area to see if he could find Mu Xiu. After all, Ludo had mentioned that Mu Xiu had entered the VIP channel. Although the high stakes area bore the VIP moniker, it was far from empty. In reality, it was simply a place with higher betting requirements. He Ao moved slowly through the crowd, step by step getting closer to the woman in red. The woman in red was currently leaning over the table, seemingly placing her bets, and the men around her, united in their unspoken understanding, were pressing close to her body. The woman in red did not resist the men¡¯s approach; instead, she occasionally shifted her body slightly, giving off the impression of being squeezed and too embarrassed to say anything. This movement excited the men even more. The men crowded around the woman in red so tightly that He Ao couldn¡¯t get close. ¡°Big!¡± ¡°Big!¡± ¡°Big!¡± ¡°Small!¡± ¡°Small!¡± ¡°Big!¡± Amidst the clamor of the men, He Ao simply changed direction and walked to the other side of the gambling table. Because all the men were crowding around the woman in red, this side was relatively empty. He Ao stood at the edge of the gambling table, and only now could see the woman in red¡¯s face. She was leaning on the table, her chest slightly compressing the surface, causing a slight deformation. Her neckline was very low, revealing a glimpse of her snow-white skin inside. Her appearance was quite good, better looking than most of the gorgeous waitress girls in the casino, and although she fell somewhat short of Selena, on the whole, He Ao felt there was a resemblance between them. What made up for the difference was her unique charm. If Selena was imposing and vigorous, the woman in red in front of him could be described as seductively bone-melting. She wasn¡¯t thin; she had a slender waist, but her chest and hips were excessively voluptuous, along with the thighs connected to her hips, which also hinted at a plump yet soft appearance. Spending a night with this woman would be an extremely pleasurable experience. And indeed, achieving pleasure with her would be quite easy. Subconsciously, this thought surfaced in He Ao¡¯s mind. He glanced at the men crazily squeezing toward the woman in red, who likely harbored the same thoughts. In He Ao¡¯s mind emerged a word that could describe the scene unfolding before him, ¡®Desire¡¯ The woman in red seemed to notice He Ao looking at her, but she did not look back at him. Instead, she slowly stood up, and the softness that had been deformed by the pressure of the table returned to its original shape. She took a small step back, pushing away the men who were almost clinging to her body, carving out a more spacious area for herself. Then she gently gathered her hair as if intending to tie it up. But she couldn¡¯t find a suitable hair tie. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she placed her hand on her left thigh, and only then did He Ao notice a piece of cloth tied around her leg. Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the dealer froze with the dice cup in hand, staring blankly at her performance. He Ao¡¯s mind was calm, yet his body began to be in a strange state of excitement. The woman seemed not to mind the inappropriate setting. She half-squatted and bent down, shifting her left foot slightly, freeing her beautifully plump bare foot from the high-heeled sandal. She lifted her pretty foot and gradually slid the piece of cloth off her thigh, down her ankle, along her instep, and over her toes painted with red nail polish. Then, she slowly stood up, pulled the cloth to test its elasticity, and once again gathered her hair, tying it up with the cloth. In a daze, He Ao seemed to hear the sounds of people swallowing their saliva; her actions were ordinary, yet each movement was filled with an alluring charm that captivated hearts. ¡°Much better,¡± she said to the dealer with an apologetic smile, picked up chips from the edge of the table, and leaned over, ¡°I¡¯m betting on high.¡± At that moment, He Ao heard a faint rustling in his glasses; it was Selena connecting the line. ¡°He Ao, I¡¯ve spotted Mu Xiu¡¯s trail. Now head to your left, go to the end, and you will see a small door. Follow it out; I¡¯m waiting for you at the exit.¡± Selena¡¯s voice suddenly rang in He Ao¡¯s ear, calm in tone, but seemingly less enthusiastic than before, somewhat indifferent. Upon hearing this, He Ao¡¯s first thought was, Is Selena watching me through some surveillance now? ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ ¡°No more bets!¡± The loud call from the dealer roused the men from their excitement; after a moment¡¯s hesitation, they took out their chips and started betting again, and the table once again buzzed with activity. Seizing the chaotic moment of betting, He Ao flicked his finger, and the tracking device hidden between his fingers flew accurately onto a corner of the woman¡¯s clothing, sticking to it and concealing within the folds of the fabric. Then, he slowly moved out of the crowd and walked briskly to the left. After he had left, for the first time, the woman in red looked towards where he had been standing. She revealed a smile, took two steps back, and slowly squeezed out of the crowd. The men seemed not to notice that the person who had been in the very center of the crowd had disappeared; they continued to shove each other excitedly. Meanwhile, the woman watched these excited people, slowly untying the cloth from her hair, and retying it around her plump thigh, making a shallow circular indentation. Then amidst the noisy clamor, she turned around and walked deeper into the crowd, as if she had never been there at all. Chapter 33 - 33 33 The Transaction Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?33: Chapter 33: The Transaction (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 33: Chapter 33: The Transaction (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao followed the route that Selena gave him and safely left the casino. Then, he received a location from Selena. Following this location through several blocks, he met Selena, who had caught the man in the black hoodie. ¡°We¡¯ve been deceived.¡± Selena looked at He Ao. She lifted the hood of the man she was holding, and what came into view was a plain, gaunt man whose build was very similar to Mu Xiu. His eyes were blood red, and he looked ferociously at He Ao like a bloodthirsty beast, while on his cheek, solidified flesh was squirming continuously. ¡°He¡¯s been contaminated by the God of Chaos,¡± Selena said as she let go of the man, taking out an electromagnetic handcuff and chaining him to a lamppost nearby. ¡°But the contamination isn¡¯t too severe, there¡¯s still hope for him. Most likely, Mu Xiu feared he¡¯d completely lose his reason and become uncontrollable. I¡¯ve already contacted the Bureau.¡± Then she turned towards He Ao, her expression growing more serious, ¡°The worst-case scenario has happened, Mu Xiu is very likely already inside the casino.¡± ¡°Is Viktor very strong?¡± He Ao suddenly asked. ¡°Very strong,¡± Selena nodded. She pondered for a moment, ¡°He is among the strongest in the C-level.¡± ¡°C-level?¡± He Ao was stunned for a moment, and then a memory surfaced in his mind, a memory from when Ande was undergoing training at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ¡ª- ¡°Generally, we divide the strength of Transcendents into six levels, from A to F, that information is ¡®known,¡¯ understanding the specific divisions of strength helps improve your survival rate in investigation work. The most basic, F-level, has strength that¡¯s about two to three times that of an ordinary person, most mechanical modifications and Mechanized Bodies are at this stage, E-level is about five to ten times stronger than an ordinary person, C-level is over fifteen times stronger. As for the higher levels, A to C, it¡¯s best not to engage with or try to understand them until your own strength reaches that level. Remember, the more mysteries you know, the deeper you¡¯re involved with them. That said, this kind of division isn¡¯t accurate. Many people may not reach the power level required, but they can use other methods to exert equivalent levels of combat power, so the actual rankings are based on a comprehensive assessment. When you reach that level, there will be a specialized rating agency to give you a ranking.¡± ¡°Instructor, reporting!¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°What are the Talent Sequences?¡± ¡°Ah, I know you might have learned a bit about the Transcendent world from other sources and are curious about this unknown world. But I must tell you, the people who die the fastest are those with the strongest curiosity. You can think of Talent Sequences as a kind of superpower, similar to the ones you see in movies and TV shows, where people shrink or shoot laser beams from their eyes. But what I¡¯m telling you is, they¡¯re not good things. There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. Can you go to a bakery and take someone¡¯s bread without paying for it? If it¡¯s not necessary for the job, then I suggest you¡¯d better not learn about it. Our mechanical modification technology and Mechanized Body technology can also endow you with great power. When you touch the Abyss, you will inevitably fall into it.¡± ¡ª- The cold words of the special training instructor echoed clearly in He Ao¡¯s ears, belonging to Ande¡¯s memory. As usual, when he came into contact with the related information, the memory of ¡®Ande¡¯ would naturally emerge, but this memory was particularly profound, even giving He Ao the feeling of being on the scene. However, the echo of memory was just a momentary thing. He Ao continued his previous words, ¡°So, is Mu Xiu stronger than Viktor?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Selena shook her head, seemingly reviewing Mu Xiu¡¯s file, ¡°Although Mu Xiu¡¯s strength is also at the very top of C-level, it¡¯s not certain that Viktor couldn¡¯t beat him.¡± As the boss of Dawn City¡¯s largest casino, Viktor indeed had some depths. ¡°So,¡± He Ao pondered for a moment, ¡°even if Mu Xiu has infiltrated the casino, with Viktor present, he couldn¡¯t cause much trouble?¡± Viktor would definitely want to protect the interests of the casino; he wouldn¡¯t allow Mu Xiu to kill people at will there. Hearing He Ao¡¯s words, Selena gradually calmed down, knowing that He Ao was using the conversation to help her think rationally. She looked at the tall young man before her and as their interaction deepened, she gradually realized that He Ao was a teammate she could rely on. ¡°Ande, do you have any clues?¡± She asked softly, realizing that rushing back to the casino would be of no use; it would be better to clarify the clues now, as sharpening the axe would not delay the work of cutting wood. ¡°Desire...¡± He Ao mused for a moment, then looked at Selena, ¡°Can you send me the activity data of Mu Xiu since his first appearance... as well as the activity data of the Witch of Desire¡¯s believers during the same period?¡± He Ao, being just a trainee investigator, could not directly access many files, whereas Selena found it much easier, and she was also faster at processing data. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll sync the screen with you. Just tell me what operations you want to perform,¡± she said. Selena nodded slightly, making a light gesture with her hand, and synced her mechanized eye screen to He Ao¡¯s glasses. This indeed solved He Ao¡¯s problem since he was not yet very proficient with the electronic devices of the Copy World. Two minutes later... He Ao stared at the trajectory maps of the Witch of Desire¡¯s believers and Mu Xiu in his field of view, falling into brief contemplation. Although the believers of the Witch of Desire had left more traces in various cities over the years than the cities Mu Xiu had visited, there was still a high degree of overlap between them. ¡°There should be one more city missing here,¡± He Ao thought for a moment, looking at the point where both their paths disconnected. That city might not have discovered traces of the Witch of Desire¡¯s believers or Mu Xiu, but the lack of discovery didn¡¯t mean they hadn¡¯t been there. Consequently, Selena lit up another city on the map, and instantly their paths aligned. Mu Xiu had been chasing the believers of the Witch of Desire all along. A jarring horn sound broke their train of thought, as a fiery red sports car pulled up beside them. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± this time He Ao took the lead in getting into the car, looking at Selena, ¡°Can you find that tracker of mine now? I think I know where Mu Xiu is headed.¡± ¡ª In the Aston District, the most chaotic area of Dawn City. A vast number of wanderers and poor people gathered here, and gang conflicts were incessant. At that moment, in some abandoned building in the Aston District, a man dressed in neat clothes and holding a briefcase looked anxiously at the woman in front of him, ¡°Are you with the ¡®Dancing Girl¡¯? Did you bring the stuff?¡± ¡°I did,¡± the woman in the red figure-hugging dress revealed a seductive smile, slowly placing her finger between her collarbones, then tracing along her fair, smooth skin, eventually taking out a silver metallic tube container wrapped in packaging, a faint purple liquid flowing inside, ¡°Talent Sequence 34: Waiter¡± Chapter 34 - 34 34 Beauty Exhales Fragrance Like an Orchid Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?34: Chapter 34: Beauty Exhales Fragrance Like an Orchid (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 34: Chapter 34: Beauty Exhales Fragrance Like an Orchid (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The howling wind whistled past He Ao¡¯s ears. He Ao didn¡¯t really understand why Selena was driving so fast without the top up. Maybe that¡¯s just the joy of sports cars. He Ao only felt a bit carsick. In the midst of this crazy sprint, He Ao suddenly remembered a question. He looked at Selena and asked loudly, ¡°What¡¯s your power level?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Selena¡¯s sound receiver could pick up extremely faint sounds, there was no need for He Ao to shout that loudly for her to hear. Nevertheless, she answered with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯ve just reached D-class!¡± ¡°What?¡± He Ao felt that he hadn¡¯t heard clearly. ¡°I said I¡¯ve just reached D-class!¡± Selena repeated loudly. He Ao: ??? You, a recent D-class, are taking me, an F-class rookie who¡¯s used up his skills, to challenge a top-tier D-class boss? You¡¯re that confident? Without any hesitation, He Ao raised his wristband and began to set it up. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Selena glanced over and shouted. ¡°Give me Smith¡¯s number,¡± He Ao replied, ¡°I need to set him as an emergency contact! If we can¡¯t beat them, it¡¯ll be nice to have someone to absorb!¡± Selena paused for a moment, her gaze settling on He Ao as she revealed a reassuring smile. She, too, would call Smith at the push of a button, but if she had such a teammate before when they went after Yezola, maybe she wouldn¡¯t have fallen into such a dangerous situation. Although Yezola didn¡¯t end up killing her, even saved her, that feeling of being betrayed by a teammate, one¡¯s life hanging on someone else¡¯s whims, was not pleasant. Her one hand on the steering wheel, she turned to He Ao and laughed loudly, ¡°I sent it to you!¡± ¡°Watch the road while you¡¯re driving!!!!!!¡± He Ao was shocked. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Is this really a ¡®waiter¡¯?¡± The man holding a briefcase swallowed, his eyes fixated on the vial cradled in the hands of the woman in the red bandage dress, encased in silver metal. ¡°To be precise, this is the ¡®waiter¡¯ Secret Medicine,¡± the woman pocketed the vial, ¡°Take this and you¡¯ll become ¡®Talent Sequence 34: Waiter,¡¯ and you¡¯ll successfully advance to E-class.¡± ¡°I want it, I want it,¡± the man wiped the sweat from his forehead, opened his briefcase, and took out an ultra-thin tablet, ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right away.¡± At that moment, the man noticed the voluptuous and sexy figure of the woman. He hesitated, intense desire repeatedly assaulting his reason. He ventured to ask, ¡°I wonder if it might be possible to...¡± The woman lifted her index finger to her bright red lips and pressed it lightly, a hint of pearly white teeth peeking through as she did so, ¡°For your case,¡± she said, watching the man¡¯s expression fill with disappointment, and smiled seductively, like a rose in full bloom, ¡°there¡¯s an extra charge.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay it! I¡¯ll add two thousand! Your payment address hasn¡¯t changed, has it?!¡± The man¡¯s hands trembled with excitement. Seeing the woman not object, he quickly opened the computer, verified the key, and completed the transaction at once. ¡°Are you sure you want to go through with the ¡®waiter¡¯ route?¡± The woman teased the man gleefully, her eyes filled with mockery. ¡°Yes, yes! Is there a problem with it?¡± Gazing at the burgundy bandage dress and the enchanting figure before him, the man felt his whole body burning with heat. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± The woman held the test tube between her index and middle finger, gently shook it, and then slowly inserted it back into her chest, bending slightly forward to bring her cheek close to the man¡¯s, ¡°So do you want to use the Secret Medicine first, or would you like to... use... me first?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The man could no longer endure such teasing and, like a beast, violently pressed the woman against the wall. The crystalline skin turned a tender red from the brutal pressure. ¡°Hahaha¡± The woman laughed as if she had encountered the happiest thing in the world. Bang¡ªBang¡ªBang¡ª The icy footsteps shattered the increasingly heated atmosphere. A figure completely shrouded in a pitch-black hood approached step by step, drawing ever closer to the two. A terrifying and violent pressure instantly descended upon them. Spurred by this brutal pressure, the man became instantly irate. He angrily got up and charged towards the shadowed figure in the hood. ¡°What the hell are you, scram, and don¡¯t disturb me.¡± He swung a slap towards the figure in the hood. However, the hooded figure moved faster, smacking him squarely on the face, shattering his skull, and sending him flying into the wall. Blood, bright red, also sprayed in that instant, splashing upon the pitch-black hood. The newcomer slowly removed the hood, revealing a pale and emaciated face. He looked at the woman by the wall, her clothes in disarray, slightly opened his mouth, and in a voice as hoarse as a beast¡¯s low growl, he said, ¡°Long time no see.¡± The next second, he was in front of the woman, stretching out his hand to grasp her neck, lifting her forcefully into the air. The woman¡¯s cheeks quickly turned red and then purple. ¡°Let her go!¡± A tall figure rushed in, holding a gun aimed at the hooded man. ¡°I said we could actually wait until the siege was fully set up.¡± He Ao followed, panting. He looked at the body on the ground, paused for a moment as some memories surged in his mind. He shook those memories from his head and again looked towards Selena, who had rushed ahead, and the hooded man¡ªor rather, Mu Xiu. On the way over, after confirming that the location had not moved, he had already contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Agents from the FBI and the Dawn City Police had begun to set up a cordon. Selena¡¯s rushing over at this moment was somewhat unwise. The girl was all right in every way, just too kind. He Ao was quite calm, he wouldn¡¯t mind if the woman in the red dress and Mu Xiu had a fight. If one had to describe the woman in the red dress, it would be: This dame didn¡¯t seem like good folk. Mu Xiu glanced at Selena rushing over, then at the woman whose neck he was gripping, who seemed to be on her last breath, and without any hesitation, let go of the red dress woman and crashed through the wall, escaping. Seizing the opportunity, He Ao quickly rushed to the woman in the red dress, pulled out the electromagnetic handcuffs he carried, and cuffed her. Selena also promptly followed after Mu Xiu. After cuffing the woman in red, He Ao felt a bit more relaxed. He stood up and looked at the silver pistol in his hands, which Selena had given him for self-defense just moments ago. This gun was much larger than a standard pistol, a Gauss Gun that used electromagnetic acceleration to fire bullets, causing far more damage than a regular handgun. He couldn¡¯t keep up with Selena¡¯s speed, so the initial plan was that if the woman in the red dress was still alive, he would guard her until the main forces arrived. And while He Ao was examining the pistol, a slender arm suddenly rested on his shoulder, ¡°Hey there, what are you looking at?¡± The beauty exhaled a fragrance as delicate as an orchid. And He Ao stood petrified. Chapter 35 - 35 35 Super Memory Explode! ?35: Chapter 35: Super Memory, Explode! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 35: Chapter 35: Super Memory, Explode! (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see.¡± He Ao wanted to dodge away, but to his shock, he found his body gradually losing control. A severe sense of hotness spread across his skin and blood, compelling him to involuntarily turn around, embrace the soft body behind him, press her against the wall, and assault her. He Ao¡¯s brows furrowed as he struggled to keep his body still, caught in the tug-of-war between mind and flesh, his entire body suddenly frozen in stiffness. ¡°Why suppress your desires?¡± The woman in the red dress rested her hand on He Ao¡¯s neck, like a dancing girl grabbing a pole on stage, she lightly spun to face He Ao, then perched on his chest like a kitten, pressing her ear against He Ao¡¯s left chest, ¡°Listen, your body is longing.¡± Her voice was soft and light. Although she spoke in front of him, He Ao felt her voice resonate at his ear and deep within his heart. Some flirtatious fantasies poured into He Ao¡¯s mind with her voice, stirring his desire and assaulting his spirit. He Ao felt his entire body¡¯s temperature rise by a degree or two. His whole body was becoming more sensitive, like a repressed volcano, swirling with a tide about to erupt. He Ao barely managed to suppress these surging desires, but a sudden hint of coldness fell upon him, originating from the fingertips of the woman in the red dress. This slight stimulation made He Ao¡¯s body shiver again, and at this rate, he would soon lose control of his body. He did not know what consequences would follow if he indulged his desires, but from the standpoint of the woman in the red dress, it probably wasn¡¯t anything good. The woman seemed to sense the change in He Ao¡¯s mental state. Leaning on him with a seductive smile, she said, ¡°Young man, everyone dies eventually, and most people die in endless pain. They feel unwillingness, confusion, and bewilderment. So why not choose a pleasurable way to die instead of waiting for such a sad future?¡± Death by pleasure is also a kind of death, right... But currently, He Ao didn¡¯t want to die, at least not before completing his mission. ¡°Are you a Believer of the Witch of Desire?¡± He Ao suppressed the restlessness in his body, looked down at the woman¡¯s seductive cheek, ¡°Is indulging in desires a kind of ritual for you? Can you benefit from it in the Ritual? Or please your god?¡± ¡°What a clever boy, the witch likes clever children,¡± the woman blinked, looking at He Ao¡¯s cheek, ¡°I hope you can enjoy this last pleasure.¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± He Ao suddenly stopped her, asking quickly, ¡°Are you the Believer of the Witch of Desire who killed Mu Xiu¡¯s family members back then?¡± The woman was caught off guard by He Ao¡¯s question. She paused, releasing her hand, took two steps back, and looked at He Ao with interest, ¡°What do you know?¡± He guessed right! Actually, He Ao hadn¡¯t suspected the woman at first. He always thought that the Believers of the Witch of Desire acted collectively, and Mu Xiu was also in pursuit of the Believers. He had always thought this woman was just an ordinary Believer. The fact that Mu Xiu could grab her also indirectly proved this point. But obviously, his previous assumptions were slightly off. The woman¡¯s easy escape from the electromagnetic handcuffs, and her ability to restrain him, proved that her strength far exceeded his and even seemed on par with Mu Xiu¡¯s. So she was not just an ordinary Believer, and Mu Xiu wouldn¡¯t have easily subdued her; she had always been hiding her true strength. From this, it appears that Mu Xiu¡¯s first instinct to flee rather than fight upon Selena¡¯s arrival was due to fear of falling into a trap set by the woman before him and being ambushed from both sides. Putting together the trail Mu Xiu had followed previously, the answer was imminent. The woman before him was the murderer who had killed all of Mu Xiu¡¯s family. Since receiving the favor of the God of Chaos, Mu Xiu had been pursuing this woman¡ªnot the followers of the Witch of Desire but his own nemesis. When this clue was strung together, all the previously incomprehensible issues became clear-cut. ¡°You deliberately attracted my attention, had me place a locator on you, using it to set Mu Xiu against the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also using Mu Xiu to draw the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dawn City Police?¡± He Ao stared at the woman in front of him, speaking slowly and deliberately, ¡°Quite a move to draw the tiger away from the mountain, a plan to kill two birds with one stone. Do you have other plans? What exactly do you want to do?¡± ¡°Hmm, I take back what I said earlier,¡± the woman slowly pinched the hem of her skirt and removed the locator that He Ao had stuck on her, then crushed it with a ¡®bang¡¯,¡±¡ªyou are smarter than I thought. It¡¯s just a pity that you reacted a little too late. The moment chaos emerged, the ritual had already begun.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He Ao pondered for a moment. He did not refute her words but instead asked, ¡°Do you want to replicate the Advent ritual of the Evil God in Dawn City, like what happened in Twilight City years ago? Let me think, you will most likely choose a place that is most conspicuous yet easily overlooked, Crown Casino?¡± ¡°Now that the entire Dawn City is distracted by Mu Xiu, when the spotlight shifts, the place it once shone upon will fall into darkness.¡± ¡°What a clever boy,¡± the woman slowly lifted He Ao¡¯s hand holding the gun, twisted the muzzle to point at He Ao¡¯s forehead, her finger resting on the trigger, ¡°It seems we won¡¯t be spending a pleasant evening together.¡± ¡°One last question,¡± He Ao said calmly, ¡°Did you visit Kaye City five years ago?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The woman tilted her head, revealing a tender and charming smile, then she slowly pressed the trigger. He Ao looked into her eyes. Now was the moment! Super Memory, explode! ¡ª¡ª The alley outside Crown Casino. ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t you go to clean house in the Aston District?¡± The man dressed as a waiter looked at Viktor standing before him with horror. ¡°Yeah!¡± Viktor shrugged his shoulders, lifted the gun, and shot at the waiter¡¯s head. However, the waiter anticipated Viktor¡¯s attack and swiftly dodged the bullet. A hand slowly stretched out under the streetlight, appearing right in front of the waiter, grabbed the waiter¡¯s neck and twisted, breaking his neck. Smith, with a grim expression, tossed the waiter¡¯s corpse aside. The Field Service Investigators behind him quickly took action, destroying the already-set Ritual Array. He glanced at Viktor. ¡°You seem in a rush?¡± Viktor lit a cigar and put it in his mouth. ¡°The ¡®Dancing Girl¡¯ isn¡¯t here.¡± Smith¡¯s voice was low. His wristband suddenly vibrated. Chapter 36 - 36 36 The Thrill of Life Consuming Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?36: Chapter 36: The Thrill of Life Consuming (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 36: Chapter 36: The Thrill of Life Consuming (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) At the moment He Ao detonated his Super Memory power, he instantly regained control over his body. After using Super Memory once, there is a recovery time before it can be used again, roughly twenty-four hours, a whole day. But this does not mean that Super Memory cannot be used again during the twenty-four hours post-use, He Ao could still forcibly unleash its power, but he did not know what he would face after doing so. In essence, He Ao¡¯s previous immobility was due to his mind not being able to control his body, much like two evenly matched individuals in an arm-wrestling contest, neither able to overcome the other. At this time, all that was needed was a forced enhancement of one side¡¯s strength. Clearly, Super Memory was a method to enhance mental ability, and He Ao had no other choice at the moment but to detonate Super Memory and bear the unknown consequences. Or be killed directly by the woman in the red dress before him. An easy choice to make. The instant he regained control of his body, He Ao immediately shifted his body to the side and simultaneously twisted his wrist. Bang¡ª¡ª The loud gunshot erupted suddenly, like a sword slashing through the air above He Ao¡¯s head and striking the roof of the building, blasting a large hole through it. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Was that a gun, or a cannon? Correspondingly, there was a strong recoil. The woman in the red dress seemed not to have anticipated the strength of the gun¡¯s recoil either, the intense recoil acting on He Ao¡¯s wrist, and also on her body. It pushed her back several steps without warning. And He Ao took this opportunity to vigorously break free from her control and increase the distance between them. At this moment, the entire world was crystal clear in He Ao¡¯s eyes, he even felt as if he was observing everything from a higher-dimensional perspective. He could sense the woman¡¯s pulse before him, feel her breathing, he could even foresee her next move in his mind whenever she made a move. The Super Memory, after detonation, seemed much stronger than normal Super Memory and did not have a clear time limit. But in contrast, He Ao felt his soul and spirit were rapidly weakening. This weakening was not fatigue; under the influence of Super Memory, his spirit was extremely excited, the feeling was more like his soul was being used as fuel to drive the operation of Super Memory. So it was a Life Consuming skill after all. He Ao lamented inwardly and raised his hand without hesitation to fire a shot at the woman in the red dress ahead. The woman¡¯s figure distorted like a specter, trying to dodge the bullet, but it grazed her arm. Fresh red blood, with a hint of pale purple glow, began to flow. She was wounded. He Ao quickly reconstructed the battle data of the woman in red in his mind, the shot he had fired was a prediction shot, according to the prediction provided by Super Memory in his mind, that shot could have hit her directly. But it was dodged by the woman in red. This indicated that Super Memory could only make predictions about a person¡¯s actions based on existing data; it could not simulate abilities He Ao had not seen before. Once the opponent displayed an ability He Ao had not seen, it was necessary to re-establish a data model. And in that instant, He Ao suddenly rolled to the side, heading to the left. The figure of the woman in the red dress appeared where he had just been standing, as if like a ghost. This time the prediction from Super Memory was probably accurate. He Ao stepped back several times again, observing the woman in red. From the previous situation, this woman in red was probably not skilled in combat; her abilities seemed more related to the psychic, not likely able to defeat Mu Xiu one-on-one, or else she would have turned back and taken Mu Xiu down long ago, not having been chased for so many years. But even for someone not skilled in combat, how could her physical fitness be so bizarre? The Transcendents of this world were truly terrifying. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Now it was the woman in red¡¯s turn to be curious. She looked at He Ao doubtfully, without launching another attack, seeming very curious about how He Ao managed to break free from her control. ¡°This...,¡± He Ao opened his mouth, ¡°Secret.¡± Then, without any hesitation, he fired another shot at the woman. The woman dodged the bullet once again. He Ao didn¡¯t wonder about it but flashed to one side, continuously updating the woman¡¯s combat data in his mind. As he retreated, he asked the woman, ¡°Guess what Smith is doing right now?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The slightly annoyed woman stopped in her tracks. He Ao had anticipated that the Witch Church¡¯s strategy was to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf and to use a diversion, drawing Dawn City officials¡¯ attention with Mu Xiu while secretly carrying out the ritual. On the way here, he had already shared this thought with Smith. Although Smith had not confirmed his idea, his words hinted that he had a similar consideration. Thus facing Mu Xiu, a top D-class Transcendent, Smith only sent Selena to charge forward, while he himself stayed back, poised like an angler waiting for a catch. Not everyone in this world is a fool; at least some old foxes are truly cunning and ruthless. However, there was one oversight that both He Ao and Smith may have had. At the time, they both believed that the Witch Church¡¯s strongest would be near the ritual, ensuring its smooth progression, and the one luring Mu Xiu away would be an expendable pawn since the ritual was of utmost importance to the Church. But now ... He Ao was certain that this woman before him was the Witch Church¡¯s big boss. The moment he broke free, He Ao had sent a distress signal to Smith. But there wasn¡¯t enough time. The distance from Crown Casino in Crown District to Aston District was at least tens of kilometers. He Ao didn¡¯t doubt that Smith could defeat the woman in the red dress, but he did wonder if he could hold on until Smith arrived for the rescue. Moreover, by now all the nearby police officers and investigators would have gone after Mu Xiu; even if they turned back, there was no telling when they would arrive. Smith wouldn¡¯t send ordinary people for the rescue because that would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths, but he might arrange for the area to be surrounded, which would be no help to He Ao. At this moment, the only people who could possibly come to He Ao¡¯s aid in time were Smith or another heavyweight of the same caliber. ¡°Take a look, can you still contact your subordinates?¡± He Ao asked with a smile as he looked at the woman in the red dress. The woman¡¯s expression changed. She pulled out a slim long strip from the interlayer of her waistband, wore it on her wrist, and it became a bracelet. She activated the bracelet and received no response. ¡°Your plan has already failed,¡± He Ao said with a laugh, raising his gun and firing another shot at the woman in the red dress, ¡°The Federal Bureau of Investigation is surrounding this place, you won¡¯t be able to escape.¡± The woman in the red dress dodged the bullet too, but after a few rounds of data collection, He Ao¡¯s prediction had gained some accuracy. Coupled with the proficiency provided by ¡®Basic Firearms Mastery,¡¯ this shot hit the woman¡¯s left shoulder, instantly crushing her scapula as fresh red blood flowed out. Clutching her shoulder, the bullet¡¯s force altered her direction, and she tumbled away, dropping a silver object from her person. Right now, she couldn¡¯t worry about those things; she looked at He Ao with uncertainty. If Smith truly had the place surrounded, Dawn City might become the last stop of her life. Woo¡ª At that moment, a piercing alarm suddenly blared. Without any hesitation, the woman in the red dress dashed away. Had Smith arrived... so quickly? The alarm also took He Ao by surprise; he had only said those things to scare the woman in the red dress, hoping to keep her from running away. After all, he couldn¡¯t hold on much longer, but he didn¡¯t expect Smith to have truly arrived. Once he was sure the woman in the red dress had really run far away, He Ao deactivated Super Memory¡¯s effect, and in that instant, his vision blurred, all strength left him, and his legs could no longer support his body. He swayed and then collapsed to the ground without any strength. A silver, metal-encased test tube fell not far from his head. The tube began exerting an alarming attractive force. He Ao reached for the test tube, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t make his fingers move at all. Am I going to die...? His vision was rapidly fading; his life was ebbing away. Life Consuming is fun for a moment, Life Consuming leads straight to the crematorium. He Ao¡¯s consciousness grew more and more dim. A small hand picked up the test tube from the ground. Chapter 37 - 37 37 Awakening Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?37: Chapter 37: Awakening (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 37: Chapter 37: Awakening (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) When everything fell silent, He Ao felt as if he could hear the sound of life slipping away bit by bit. His soul seemed like a water tank with an open faucet, gradually diminishing until it was dry. Super Memory was draining his soul and life as fuel. In a daze, He Ao heard faint footsteps and then something cold was placed at his mouth, a strange-tasting, icy liquid spread over his lips. This was what he needed. His soul cried out in need, and instinctively, he opened his mouth, beginning to desperately suck the cold liquid. As the liquid entered his body, the depleting sensation slowly disappeared, as if a torrent of water had surged into the tank, refilling it once more. Even the original tank, under the rush of this new torrent, expanded further. As his soul filled little by little, an intense wave of exhaustion hit He Ao¡¯s spirit, and after the last drop was completely sucked, his body could no longer hold on, and he fell into a deep sleep. ¡ª¡ª The piercing sound of alarms rang all around, helicopters with enormous noise sealed off the sky, and the blonde woman, like a streak of light, landed in front of the thin-faced man, ¡°Mu Xiu, you are surrounded. Surrender immediately,¡± ¡°Federation!¡± Mu Xiu, looking at Selena hovering in front of him, let out a roar like a crazed beast. His skin swelled with bright red blood into an angry red, his originally unimpressive stature rapidly expanded, swelling into a nearly four-meter-tall small giant cloaked in crimson. He then leaped up, striking at Selena with a fist. Selena bent her knees slightly and darted to the side, dodging the angry punch. Mu Xiu¡¯s fist smashed into the car behind Selena, collapsing the roof and nearly flattening the vehicle. He then grabbed the car and swung it at Selena like a stone. Selena quickly ran and jumped onto a nearby truck, her palm opened, and a seven-centimeter miniature cannon barrel popped out from her palm, a flash of surging light passing by. The fierce laser cannon hit Mu Xiu directly on the left shoulder. The fiery skin charred to a crisp black, with wisps of smoke rising faintly. Instead of retreating from the laser blast, Mu Xiu advanced with a roar, leaping fiercely, the enormous recoil shattering the solid ground, while his body gained explosive acceleration. Selena, unable to dodge in time, was grabbed by him, held in his grip like a doll, and slammed into a nearby building. Mu Xiu and she crashed into the interior of the building, destroying the floors of the partition. Fortunately, the building had already been evacuated and there were no civilians present. Mu Xiu turned around to look at the street outside, one hand on the exterior wall of the building, as numerous helicopters surrounded them, and dark gun barrels aimed at him. About ten meters above the ground, Selena had just been slammed by Mu Xiu against the wall when a series of red alarm windows popped up in her field of view. ¡°Mu Xiu, you can¡¯t escape. Surrender now while you still can,¡± Selena paid no attention to these alarm windows but instead shouted at Mu Xiu¡¯s shoulders heaving from intense movement. At the same time, she began to struggle to break free from Mu Xiu¡¯s arm, the cannon port emerging again in the palm of her hand as the bionic skin on her body¡¯s surface was damaged to varying degrees, revealing the alloy protective layer underneath. ¡°Federation!¡± Mu Xiu roared again, then grabbed Selena and tossed her like a child throwing away a doll towards the helicopters in the sky. Selena¡¯s original shoes had been destroyed, and her pale soles cracked open to reveal two small, round jet ports. Searing high-pressure gas burst forth, propelling her through the sky. Using the jet ports to adjust her direction, she evaded the helicopters above and crashed to the ground, creating spiderweb-like fractures on the surface. At this moment, the spot where Mu Xiu had been standing was empty. He had reverted to his original form and slipped into the building. Selena stood up and closed the alarm window in her field of vision. Her body was damaged in several places, the silver alloy faintly exposed, but this actually hadn¡¯t caused her serious harm. ¡°Inspector Selena?¡± A tentative voice from her colleague at the Federal Bureau of Investigation came through her communication system. ¡°I¡¯m currently fine,¡± a semi-transparent 3D map appeared in Selena¡¯s vision, and she quickly calculated Mu Xiu¡¯s potential escape routes. Her voice was stern and icy, ¡°Arrange for personnel to blockade the roads leading to the Hope Building. He won¡¯t escape.¡± The Hope Building, once the headquarters of the Hope Group, was abandoned later due to security reasons. As the Hope Group moved to a new headquarter, the building gradually became a nest for Dawn City¡¯s vagrants and gang members. The place was a mix of fish and dragons, and the Dawn City government was utterly incapable of evacuating it. Based on Mu Xiu¡¯s previous trajectory, his goal was to flee to the Hope Building. Once he mixed into the building, he could easily slaughter enough to please the God of Chaos and, with the deity¡¯s blessing, escape from Dawn City. The Dawn City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation had set up multiple barriers on this route. Once the higher-ups at the FBI were free to act, Mu Xiu had no chance of escape. Just as Selena was about to continue the pursuit, a message suddenly popped into her view, making her freeze on the spot, ¡°Ande...¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°It¡¯s nothing... I¡¯m alright... The Witch Church member has fled... Smith must be on her tail now... You focus on the mission... Cough cough... Don¡¯t worry about me... No need to call an ambulance... I¡¯ll rest a bit and head to the hospital later... Relax... It¡¯s fine... It¡¯s not your fault... You finish the mission...¡± He Ao cut off the connection with Selena. He had been awakened by Selena¡¯s incessant ring of death calls. He glanced at his wristband; he had slept for about fifteen minutes. There were only two messages, sent from Smith: [You might be facing the ¡®Dancing Girl¡¯ from the Witch Church, be careful.] [I¡¯ve spotted the Dancing Girl and notified Selena. Your address hasn¡¯t changed, right? I¡¯ve called an ambulance for you.] Fifteen minutes had passed, and it was uncertain whether Smith had caught up with the Dancing Girl. It seemed he had gone straight after her and hadn¡¯t come to He Ao¡¯s location. After Smith¡¯s messages, there were over a dozen missed calls from Selena. By the time she woke He Ao, she was ready to abandon the pursuit of Mu Xiu and hurry back. In reality, Selena¡¯s decision was not very wise. Like Smith, she should have arranged for rescue personnel and prioritized completing the mission. But rationality is one thing, emotion is another, and Selena¡¯s problem was sometimes placing too much emphasis on feelings. Well... although it felt quite nice to be cared for. He Ao persuaded Selena to return and cancelled the ambulance Smith had summoned through a message sent from the ambulance. He laboriously propped his body up, leaning against a wall. His head still felt as heavy as if it were filled with cement. He turned his head, looked at the little boy beside him, and smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± The little boy, holding a toy police car, looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Then, He Ao¡¯s gaze shifted to the briefcase scattered on the ground. It was the relic left by the man who had been a corpse when he arrived. Several pens had spilled out. Chapter 38 - 38 38 To Complete the Mission Extra-Length Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?38: Chapter 38: To Complete the Mission (Extra-Length Chapter, Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 38: Chapter 38: To Complete the Mission (Extra-Length Chapter, Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) [He Ao (Ande)] [Permission Level: Ordinary Player] [Physical Attributes: 15 (13) (ordinary person in Copy World is 10, ordinary person in the main world is 5)] [Skills: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Bound) (E Rank)] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F Rank) (Not Usable)] [Character Abilities: Basic Firearms Mastery, Qi Induction (Unranked)] The level of Super Memory had upgraded from F Rank to E Rank, and his previously depleted spirit and energy were slowly recovering. Perhaps this was the effect of the mysterious drug potion he had consumed? Super Memory absorbed the power of the potion, not only replenishing the parts of He Ao¡¯s life consumed but also leading to a promotion. ¡°How did you know that potion would be useful to me?¡± He Ao turned off his attribute panel, leaned against the wall, and asked softly. ¡°Hm?¡± At that moment, the little boy was holding up a metal-wrapped test tube, looking at its empty insides, and shaking it a few times. He seemed puzzled about how He Ao had managed to absorb everything from it so thoroughly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± he turned his head back, tucking the silver test tube into his pocket, ¡°but you seemed like you really wanted it, so I fed it to you.¡± ¡°Is that so? Looks like I¡¯m pretty lucky,¡± He Ao laughed, and by that time, he had regained some strength. He reached into his pocket and fished out a toy gun. Despite everything, the toy still lay peacefully in his pocket. He handed it back to the boy, ¡°Here you go, consider it your reward for saving me.¡± This little boy was the one who had previously exchanged He Ao¡¯s hot dog for a toy gun at the entrance of Crown Casino. ¡°That¡¯s not enough, you have to add money.¡± The boy took the gun, expertly pulled back the magazine, and discovered that the last plastic bullet was gone, looking somewhat disappointed. But he didn¡¯t say much, instead reinserting the magazine and attaching the toy gun to his toy police car. Only then did He Ao realize that the toy gun and toy police car were a set. He pressed the red button on the toy police car, and a piercing siren sounded immediately. Upon hearing this siren, He Ao instantly understood the logic of the events. The boy had used the toy car¡¯s siren to pretend the police were coming to scare away the dancing girl, and then he fed He Ao the potion from the silver test tube, saving his life. This was almost as he had guessed when he first woke up. When he woke up and saw not Smith but the little boy beside him, he had roughly guessed that it was the boy who had saved him. Although it looked like a fluke, it indeed had saved He Ao¡¯s life. ¡°Don¡¯t just press it!¡± the boy quickly knocked his hand away and pressed it again to stop the siren, ¡°Batteries are expensive, and...¡± ¡°And what?¡± He Ao asked curiously. Just as his words fell, sudden, rapid footsteps came from the night. A ragged, homeless man in a tattered leather jacket burst out. He glanced around, saw the boy, and charged toward him angrily. ¡°I was wondering who¡¯s been making noise here all night, turns out it¡¯s you, you little brat.¡± As he approached, he made as if to strike. The boy instinctively hugged the toy car and curled up into a ball. Bang¡ª Accompanied by the crisp sound of a gunshot, a bullet sped across and hit the concrete ground in front of the homeless man, sending slabs of concrete flying. The once-threatening homeless man suddenly froze in place. ¡°Scram.¡± He Ao put down the gun and said calmly. This was an ordinary gun; he had tucked the Gauss Gun at his waist. ¡°I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going.¡± The man immediately shrank back and scuttled away into the darkness. This guy hadn¡¯t failed to hear the sounds of the fight between He Ao and the dancing girl; he was simply intimidated by the might of the battle and had cowered in the corner, not daring to come out. If the loud battle didn¡¯t disturb him, how could the toy car¡¯s siren? He was just a bully who was afraid of a tougher fight. The man had emerged perhaps also to test if He Ao still had the ability to fight. If He Ao had been defenseless, not only would the boy have been beaten, but everything valuable on He Ao would have been taken. The man hadn¡¯t emerged earlier, most likely still spooked by the noises from the fight. He Ao slowly put away the gun he was holding, and as he did, the boy¡¯s gaze intently followed his hand movements. ¡°Are you a cop?¡± The boy asked tentatively. ¡°Sort of,¡± He Ao thought for a moment. An investigator was, in a sense, a special cop in the Copy World. He looked at the boy¡¯s toy police car, ¡°Do you want to be a cop?¡± The boy glanced at the toy car in his hands and shook his head, ¡°No.¡± He Ao watched him with a smile. ¡°Just a little, it looks imposing,¡± the boy pursed his lips, looked at He Ao, and changed the subject. ¡°Will someone come to rescue you later? Will there be an ambulance? I heard ambulances are very expensive but amazing, they can save people who are nearly dead.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± He Ao struggled to stand and staggered toward the briefcase. ¡°My dad.¡± The little boy reached out to help him, curiously watching his movements. ¡°Where is your dad?¡± He Ao walked forward step by step. ¡°Dead,¡± the little boy answered calmly. ¡°Couldn¡¯t afford to call an ambulance, then he died.¡± Then he circled around He Ao. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet, do you have an ambulance?¡± He Ao paused for a moment, then continued to move forward, ¡°I don¡¯t have an ambulance.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you afford to call an ambulance either?¡± The little boy was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Mhm,¡± He Ao nodded lightly. He squatted down in front of the briefcase, ¡°Ambulances are too expensive, over a thousand federal coins for one trip.¡± ¡°That expensive, huh,¡± the little boy seemed to be hearing the price of an ambulance for the first time. He counted on his fingers, ¡°A big fried chicken leg for one federal coin each, over a thousand federal coins could buy over a thousand fried chicken legs!¡± His eyes widened in shock, with an expression of amazement plastered on his small face. ¡°Mhm.¡± He Ao opened the briefcase, which contained a tablet computer, already shattered by scattered stones, and three pens that had spilled out. After searching, he found a paper notebook and a beautifully packaged, thumb-sized bottle of ink. Copy Worlds were rarely using paper now, schools generally used high-precision pressure-sensitive e-paper for teaching, and social communication was all entrusted to electronic documents. The decrease in demand had also driven up the prices of paper and books. But the paper industry hadn¡¯t disappeared. The level of knowledge acceptance from paper books, in some cases, was better than that from e-paper. Therefore, private elite schools and some universities still used paper, like the private school Ande attended as a child, which taught using paper books. Besides, some society elites and ancient families still used paper to pass on certain documents or for writing, so using paper had become a symbol of the ¡®upper class¡¯ to some extent. Finding a notebook, pens, and ink in the briefcase indicated that the man¡¯s social status was not low. He Ao did not know what the man came to see the Dancing Girl for, but after rummaging through everything, he found nothing else. ¡°Are you looking for a book?¡± asked the little boy confusedly as he watched He Ao¡¯s actions, tilting his head before running a few steps and waving at He Ao. ¡°Come with me.¡± He Ao watched him with curiosity, then picked up the notebook, pens, and ink, and followed him deeper into the building. Along the way, they passed a burning fire where many homeless people gathered to warm themselves, watching them with the intensity of hungry beasts. Then He Ao silently lifted the gun in his hand, and the gaze of the homeless people slowly shifted back to the fire. After passing several such fires, the little boy finally led He Ao to their destination. It looked like a small storage room locked with a large iron padlock; both the padlock and the door showed signs of having been smashed. Next to the door was a small ventilated window, extremely narrow, through which an adult could barely fit their head. The glass of the window had been broken. Peering through it, He Ao saw that the room wasn¡¯t big and was practically empty, with only a tattered overcoat and some bulging small bags visible. ¡°Wait here a moment.¡± The little boy set down the toy, skillfully climbed through the window, rummaged in a bag, and soon after, he pulled out two books and ran over to He Ao, shaking them through the window. ¡°Are these what you¡¯re looking for?¡± He Ao looked closely; they were textbooks for lower grades of primary school. He nodded, ¡°That¡¯s them!¡± The boy climbed back through the window, beaming with pride as He Ao caught him. As he caught him, He Ao looked inside the window, ¡°You live here?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The little boy dusted off his clothes and handed the books to He Ao. ¡°Why do you go so far to Crown Casino?¡± He Ao asked casually as he took the books. ¡°The gamblers there are generous when they win. Plus, there are some shops that trade specifically with gamblers who¡¯ve lost everything. The food in those shops is very cheap, and I don¡¯t have to pay for the bus,¡± the little boy explained shrewdly, standing at almost a meter tall, while the fare line for Dawn City¡¯s buses was one meter ten. He Ao flipped through the books the boy had given him. Both were almost new, with few signs of being read. He was curious, ¡°Where did you get such new books?¡± ¡°Someone was giving out bread before; they were distributed together. They seemed good for starting a fire, so I took them. ¡°Then they stopped giving them out and started teaching writing instead, only to children. Attend a class, get a piece of bread¡ªbunch of weirdos. ¡°But they gave out a lot of bread, and it tasted good. Perform well, and they even rewarded with toys. I quite liked them,¡± the boy stroked his chin, pondering. ¡°It¡¯s just that they haven¡¯t been coming as often. At first, it was once a week, then every two weeks, and now maybe not even once in one or two months.¡± He Ao flipped the book to the back and saw a line of text, [Dawn Homeless Children¡¯s Aid Association, Donation Hotline: 010****375] ¡°They probably ran out of money.¡± He casually put the books away. ¡°By the way, what do you need these books for?¡± the boy asked curiously, looking at He Ao. ¡°Are you also going to school?¡± ¡°No,¡± He Ao shook his head and opened his character panel once more, looking at his name followed by (Ande). ¡°To complete a mission.¡± This mission was finally nearing its last stage. Chapter 39 - 39 39 My Name is Ande Mr ?39: Chapter 39: My Name is Ande, Mr. Mu Xiu. (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 39: Chapter 39: My Name is Ande, Mr. Mu Xiu. (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°I want to ask you a favor, I have a kid here, and once the incident is over, could you help me arrange a place for him?¡± ¡°A kid? An illegitimate child? How old are you?¡± Selena¡¯s shocked voice came through the phone. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ ¡°A stray child I happened to meet,¡± He Ao glanced at the little boy rummaging through things beside him. He had just been discussing tracking Mu Xiu with Selena, and only now had brought up the little boy, ¡°I might need your help to make arrangements for him later, I¡¯m not sure what the system is like over here in Dawn City.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Selena seemed to be on the move, with the sound of wind rushing by, ¡°By the way, did you find a metal test tube nearby? The criminal investigation department said that Dancing Girl had come here to trade the Secret Medicine of ¡®Talent Sequence 34: Waiter¡¯ with a client, and it should be stored in a metal test tube.¡± ¡°Talent Sequence? Waiter?¡± He Ao was somewhat puzzled. ¡°¡®Waiter¡¯ is one of the advanced sequences of ¡®Talent Sequence 9: Audience¡¯, and as for Talent Sequence, it¡¯s a bit complicated to explain, you can think of it as a method of becoming a Transcendent. I¡¯ll explain it to you in detail once everything is over. Oh, and,¡± Selena paused, cautioning carefully, ¡°If you find the Secret Medicine of ¡®Waiter¡¯, do not attempt to take it. Just secure it. The mortality rate for taking Secret Medicine above your level is very high, and be careful not to damage it, as a leak could also cause a contamination event.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± He Ao nodded lightly, watching the little boy playing with a silver test tube, trying to fill it with water, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Selena caught her breath, ¡°I¡¯m going to look for Mu Xiu now. This guy didn¡¯t show up on our defensive line, he¡¯s hiding quite well.¡± ¡°Hmm, be safe,¡± He Ao casually advised, then as if he suddenly remembered something, ¡°Oh, Selena, what¡¯s your social security number?¡± ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± Selena was a bit puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m asking you for a favor, naturally, I want to give you something in return. Send it to me.¡± He Ao chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re going to deposit money into my social security?¡± Selena¡¯s side became noisy, as if she had encountered some situation. She sent her social security number to He Ao, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. If you recover, go to the hospital as soon as possible. Don¡¯t delay, it¡¯s easy for small issues to become big ones.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He Ao hung up the phone, operated his wristband for a moment, and then walked over to the little boy, extending his hand, signaling for the boy to show him the test tube. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The little boy was puzzled but still handed over the silver test tube. He Ao examined the inside structure carefully, it was very clean with no residue, and the boy had been playing with it for a while without any issues, so the test tube seemed to pose no risk. ¡°This could be dangerous, I¡¯ll keep it safe for now.¡± But just to be on the safe side, He Ao still took the test tube. ¡°Hey,¡± the little boy suddenly became anxious, ¡°You¡¯re stealing from a kid?¡± ¡°Trade,¡± He Ao smiled, handing over his unlocked smart wristband, ¡°this smart wristband will be collateral for you.¡± ¡°For real?¡± The little boy looked at him skeptically. ¡°This too, is for you,¡± He Ao took out the standard-issue pistol, checked the magazine which still had eleven bullets, then he engaged the safety and handed it to the little boy. ¡°???¡± The boy was a bit confused, looking up at He Ao with a puzzled expression, ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°This is your reward for saving me.¡± He Ao smiled and patted the little boy on the head, motioning him to follow. The boy took the gun in bewilderment and followed He Ao out of the building. This was an abandoned industrial building on the edge of Aston District, standing on the street in front of the building, one could even see the towering barrier walls clearly. He Ao handed the wristband to the little boy and hailed a taxi for him, then set the destination to the Federal Bureau of Investigation building. ¡°Do you want to eat fried chicken legs?¡± He Ao put the somewhat bewildered little boy into the taxi. ¡°I do,¡± the little boy looked at him with confusion, ¡°What are you trying to do? Kidnap me and sell me off?¡± ¡°Do you trust me?¡± He Ao smiled at him. ¡°Kind of, you seem like a good person,¡± the little boy blinked, ¡°So where are you sending me? There are no buses after two in the morning; I won¡¯t be able to get back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking you to see a big sister. When you get to the destination, just sit in the lobby under the building. A big sister will come to find you,¡± He Ao once again stuffed the wristband into the little boy¡¯s hand, ¡°Just give her the wristband, and she will treat you to fried chicken legs and pay you for saving me!¡± ¡°Oh, I get it now,¡± the little boy suddenly realized, ¡°You¡¯re broke, your girlfriend has money! You¡¯re a kept man!¡± He Ao: ? He smacked the little guy¡¯s head and signaled the taxi driver to drive away. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you coming with me?¡± As the taxi started moving, the little boy stuck his head out of the car window and asked in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m staying here,¡± He Ao turned back, looked at the dilapidated industrial building behind him, and revealed a light chuckle, ¡°Waiting for someone.¡± ¡ª ¡°Inspector Selena!¡± an armed police officer walked up to Selena and saluted, ¡°Nothing, we have blocked all routes, nothing in the sewers either.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± Selena was startled, her vision began to fill with the defensive layout of both the police station and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, dense red dots scattered all over the routes, ¡°Unless Mu Xiu¡¯s destination isn¡¯t the Hope Building.¡± But where else could he go if not the Hope Building? Selena shrunk the map again, and the entire nearby district¡¯s map appeared in her view. Almost every direction was blocked by them, it was impossible for Mu Xiu to breach undetected. Where else could he go? Suddenly, her gaze landed on a gap in their arrangements, it was the path they had been chasing Mu Xiu along. Because they had all followed this path in pursuit, it was the least fortified, with slack security. Everyone¡¯s attention was on the road ahead to the Hope Building. ¡°Ande!¡± Selena realized something. She suddenly turned and dashed back frantically. ¡ª Dull footsteps echoed in the silent building. A man with several charred areas on his body, barely covered by a few strips of fabric, entered the corner. He squatted down, staring at the faint blood on the ground. His fingers touched the blood, a faint red glow emerged at his fingertips, and as the glow spread, the blood on the ground slowly began to stir. He took out a blood-colored, squirming compass-like object from his pocket, placed it on top of the fresh blood, and it started to absorb the surging liquid. Bang, bang, bang¡ª Once again, crisp footsteps sounded in the night, a young man dressed in a neat combat suit slowly walked out from the shadows, smiling at the man, ¡°This is our first formal meeting, my name is Ande, Mr. Mu Xiu.¡± Chapter 40 - 40 40 Mission Accomplished! ?40: Chapter 40: Mission Accomplished!? (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 40: Chapter 40: Mission Accomplished!? (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao had felt from the beginning that Mu Xiu was someone who was rough yet meticulous, a trait evident by how he misdirected the passerby to lead Selena and He Ao away, and his hatred for the Dancing Girl was so deep, it drove him to relentlessly pursue her for decades without rest. Moreover, with the abundance of homeless people near this abandoned industrial building, it was easy for Mu Xiu to gather enough Sacrifices for the God of Chaos. Putting these factors together led He Ao to a different conclusion than Selena, he believed that Mu Xiu would definitely return. But he didn¡¯t share his opinion with Selena; instead, he waited alone for Mu Xiu. He was waiting for a meeting that would be both the first and the last. ¡°I have a question I want to ask you,¡± He Ao watched as Mu Xiu slowly stood up, warily staring at him, and spoke in a calm tone, ¡°Five years ago, when you were pursuing the Dancing Girl and passed through Kaye City, did you encounter a mining expedition from the Morde United Mining Company?¡± Mu Xiu did not answer He Ao, but he clearly paused, his pupils lifting upward, a sign of contemplation. ¡°It seems you did encounter them,¡± He Ao tilted his head, not needing to think so long about an event he hadn¡¯t experienced, ¡°In order to please the God of Chaos, did you massacre that team?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Mu Xiu did not deny it but instead watched He Ao warily, his voice hoarse and irritable, like a wild beast growling. ¡°It seems all my guesses are true,¡± He Ao straightened the pockets on his clothes, ¡°Would you be willing to listen to a story? A story about a troublesome child.¡± Mu Xiu frowned. He did not respond but kept a high level of vigilance, still worried that this might be a trap set by He Ao. ¡°This was just an ordinary child, with no particularly dazzling Talent, and the only thing worth commending was that he was quite good at fighting,¡± He Ao didn¡¯t pay attention to Mu Xiu¡¯s actions, nor did he care whether Mu Xiu wanted to listen to his story, but began to tell his story with a placid expression, ¡°His parents paid for him to attend an expensive private school, hoping he¡¯d make plenty of elite friends or get into a university, to become a respected Doctor or Lawyer. But clearly, he was not cut out for study; aside from the time in second grade when he scored a hundred percent, his other school days were filled with fights, causing trouble, and hanging out with underperformers. His misbehavior even forced his parents to transfer him to another school.¡± Mu Xiu seemed captivated by He Ao¡¯s story, becoming quiet, watching him intently. And He Ao continued, ¡°At 13, he learned how to play cards and became addicted, a habit that persisted into high school, with his grades growing increasingly worse. At 17, on the brink of high school graduation, he was among the worst 10% of students in the school, had multiple conflicts with his parents, and eventually ran away from home. He started doing odd jobs to support himself outside, refusing help from his parents, never going back home again. At 18, his parents died, killed by cultists during a mining expedition in the wilderness.¡± He Ao lifted his gaze to Mu Xiu, ¡°He changed his past behavior, studied hard, cut off all social ties, sleeping only three or four hours each day, eventually getting accepted into the best public university in Kaya City, Kaya City Municipal University, with excellent grades, and in his junior year, he interned at the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a distinguished Student. He finally saw the photos from when his parents died, their bodies blown to pieces by a powerful force,¡± He Ao looked back at the body behind Mu Xiu with its shattered skull, ¡°Yes, just like him.¡± He brought his gaze back to Mu Xiu, meeting his calm stare, ¡°To you, they were just two Sacrifices easily killed, but to that child, they were his parents, his everything.¡± At that moment, He Ao and Ande overlapped. ¡°I know why you came to Dawn City, you¡¯re pursuing the Dancing Girl, you want revenge,¡± He Ao¡¯s gaze was cold and calm, ¡°and I stand here now for the very same reason.¡± [Mission Completed] ¡°So you¡¯re here to stop me?¡± Mu Xiu calmly looked at He Ao, but beneath that calm gaze lay a twisted ferocity and madness. [Mission evaluation in progress¡¤¡¤¡¤] ¡°No,¡± He Ao shook his head, looking directly into his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m here to kill you.¡± [Will return to the original world in 90 seconds] Super Memory, burst! [Return Immediately (90)] The giant fist smashed through the wall behind He Ao, the four-meter-tall giant pierced through the ceiling, shattering the floor partition between levels. He Ao dodged the lethal strike, as immense strength spread along his soul into his body, rapidly enhancing Ande¡¯s original (13) physical capabilities to (70). This was not the original power of Super Memory, it seemed to be the waiter¡¯s strength that Super Memory had absorbed after devouring ¡®waiter¡¯. The enhancement of physical capabilities was not just a boost in strength, but also an improvement in agility and dexterity. Once again, that feeling of the entire world being crystal clear appeared in He Ao¡¯s mind, and he immediately drew his Gauss Gun from his waist, firing a shot at the colossal giant Mu Xiu¡¯s forehead. Mu Xiu¡¯s muscles twitched, and he violently twisted his head to dodge the bullet, charging at He Ao again. He Ao rolled to dodge the giant fist, quickly reconstructing Mu Xiu¡¯s body model in his mind. Although this guy was huge and clumsy, he wasn¡¯t slow, especially when it came to explosive speed. If it wasn¡¯t for He Ao¡¯s enhanced body, he would have been smashed into a pulp in the first instance. In terms of attack power, Mu Xiu was much stronger than Dancing Girl. He Ao rolled several times to dodge Mu Xiu¡¯s attacks, then raised his hand and fired. This shot successfully anticipated Mu Xiu¡¯s movement, striking his left shoulder ¨C the sharp magnetic bullet penetrated Mu Xiu¡¯s skin. In pain, Mu Xiu roared, the muscles in his left shoulder writhed, and he actually expelled the bullet right out. The punctured wound was also sealed by the muscles, and not a drop of blood flowed out. Yet, the sting of the injury made Mu Xiu even more ferocious, his speed increased to another level. He Ao dodged on the ground, narrowly avoiding Mu Xiu¡¯s strikes several times. Can a D-class have such high defense? He Ao frantically evaded Mu Xiu¡¯s assaults, continuously reconstructing Mu Xiu¡¯s body model in his mind, looking for the weak point Mu Xiu seemed to always defend. No matter what, people will instinctively defend their weak points, unless they have none. The Gauss Pistol only had ten bullets. He had used four in the fight with Dancing Girl and two more just now, leaving only four. In He Ao¡¯s mind flashed countless potential actions Mu Xiu could take next. He had already circled half around Mu Xiu, his speed slightly decreased, while Mu Xiu¡¯s grew faster and faster, as he swang his fist at He Ao once again. Bang¡ªBang¡ª He Ao aimed and fired two shots at Mu Xiu¡¯s eyes. Chapter 41 - 41 41 Blood for Blood Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?41: Chapter 41: Blood for Blood (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 41: Chapter 41: Blood for Blood (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The swift bullet burst out of the muzzle, and Mu Xiu¡¯s head was jerked around by his muscles, quickly shifted, dodging the incoming bullet once again. But then, before he could crack a smile, another bullet following closely pierced his right eye, and fresh blood erupted forth. Hit! He Ao swiftly rolled away from his original position. ¡°Ah!¡± A massive fist directly shattered the floor where He Ao had just been standing, with chunks of broken cement scattering all around, followed by Mu Xiu¡¯s agonized roar. Then He Ao was met with an onslaught of attacks as fierce as a sudden, violent storm. After being wounded, Mu Xiu¡¯s attacks became even more ferocious, with his massive fist winds barely missing He Ao multiple times. However, having been hit in the right eye, he had lost part of his field of vision, so although his attacks were fiercer, the pressure on He Ao actually had lessened. Eyes are weak spots, but not vital points. He Ao kept dodging while thinking. But eyes can be blinded, and if both eyes were blinded, it would reduce the pressure and give him a chance to find an opportunity. At this moment, the blood from the eye wound on Mu Xiu had already stopped, his right eye was completely destroyed, and the bullet that had penetrated his eyeball had somehow been forcibly dug out by Mu Xiu. His left eye was filled with fresh red veins, staring dead at He Ao, as his fists continued to assail with the force of a hurricane. ¡°Die!!¡± His voice was like a wild beast from the wilderness, filled with extreme rage and agitation. His speed intensified further, the terrible force almost demolishing the nearby walls into rubble, and he ripped the ceiling overhead down like tearing paper. In this frenzied venting, He Ao dodged the deadly attacks time and again. The Super Memory modeling in his mind became clearer and his predictions of Mu Xiu¡¯s actions became more accurate, so much so that often before Mu Xiu could make his next move, He Ao had already dodged it. But even so, in the terrifying chase of speed, He Ao¡¯s situation became increasingly difficult. Super Memory, while close to a divine skill, was still more of an assistive effect, and the enhancement from absorbing the ¡®waiter¡¯ still paled in comparison to Mu Xiu¡¯s strength. Though Mu Xiu had no extra assistance, by maximizing his speed and strength, he still managed to leave He Ao gasping for breath. Brute force breaks all techniques. In terms of physical abilities, He Ao was far less than Mu Xiu, and even with the power of Super Memory, he had only just advanced to E rank. There were two bullets left in the Gauss Gun. He Ao¡¯s mind rapidly simulated Mu Xiu¡¯s next move. Without looking back, he raised his gun and fired. Boom¡ª Accompanied by a muffled groan, the swiftly flying bullet seemed to have hit a soft body. Did it hit? He Ao looked up to check on Mu Xiu. This shot was aimed at Mu Xiu¡¯s left eye. But staring back at him was a blood-red eye. Mu Xiu had used his already injured right eye to take the shot aimed at his left eye and feigned the effect of the eye being hit. This is bad! He Ao was startled, ready to dodge, but it was already too late. Mu Xiu had used his right eye to fake the effect of being hit to draw He Ao¡¯s attention to his head, during such fierce combat, any momentary lapse could bring about catastrophic consequences, A massive hand descended from the sky, grabbing He Ao in its grasp and lifting him up. ¡°You?¡± Mu Xiu stared at He Ao with the only eye he had left, a cruel and insane smile spread across his face, ¡°Want to kill me? Just with this?¡± His other hand covered the Gauss Gun that He Ao was holding, and with a forceful pull, he dislocated He Ao¡¯s wrist, snatched the gun away, and threw it to the ground. Mu Xiu looked at He Ao fanatically, his palm suddenly tightening its grip fiercely. He Ao felt an immense force on his chest as his ribs were crushed by the brutal strength, but it seemed Mu Xiu didn¡¯t want to kill him instantly, after the violent crush, it was a gradual increase in pressure, little by little, enhancing He Ao¡¯s agony. Compared to Mu Xiu¡¯s peak D-class strength, He Ao¡¯s power was indeed pitifully weak. Even after a burst of Life Consuming with Super Memory, attacking Mu Xiu was nothing more than an egg striking a rock. He was able to scare off the Dancing Girl using his mental resistance, verbal deterrence, and the timely appearance of the little boy, but these had no effect on a physical powerhouse like Mu Xiu. Fresh blood from shattered organs spilled up through He Ao¡¯s trachea and esophagus into his throat, then overflowed from the corners of his mouth. Even at this moment, he was still not afraid, but instead stared fixedly at Mu Xiu, baring his blood-covered teeth in a grimace, ¡°Revenge! What a fine word, but why should the path of your revenge be paved with the lives of my family members? Are your relatives human, while mine are not?!!!¡± By the end of his speech, it had even become a somewhat hysterical roar. It was a challenge from Ande, from a child who had lost his parents. Mu Xiu was taken aback by this statement, the madness in his eyes briefly stalling. The intense dust settled slowly with the pause in the brief fight, revealing a huge drawing. It was a meticulously painted Septagram pattern, and He Ao and Mu Xiu were standing right in the center of this pattern. At the seven points of the Septagram, arranged clockwise, were a brand-new primary school textbook, a notebook, a fountain pen, a briefcase, an exquisite ink bottle, pieces of a human skull, and human finger bones and joints. This was a Ritual Array! At the first glimpse of this pattern, Mu Xiu immediately ran outwards, but at that moment, a shining pure white light had already risen from the Septagram. ¡°I have seen,¡± He Ao looked into Mu Xiu¡¯s eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of his organs, his voice carrying a calm madness, ¡°All things will eventually exhaust.¡± A vast and boundless aura passed through endless space, bringing the gaze of a great Divine Being, and a terrifying oppressive force suddenly affected every piece of land nearby. ¡°Only Truth is infinite!¡± One by one, Phantom Shadow figures appeared in the air, twisted mutterings echoed once more in He Ao¡¯s ears, and endless knowledge flooded his mind like a tidal wave. These phantoms encircled He Ao, chanting devoutly, ¡°All things will eventually exhaust, only Truth is infinite!¡± He Ao had always been setting up this communication ritual. He could not defeat Mu Xiu, but that did not mean he could not kill him. An eye for an eye, blood for blood. ¡ª- Selena rode her pitch-black motorcycle, the roaring engine sound cutting through building after towering building. The distant high walls seemed close at hand, the surrounding human presence increasingly desolate, even the light from the street lamps were no longer bright; some, long-neglected and in disrepair, stood by the roadside, casting a faint glow. This was the land of wanderers, a place untouched by the Dawn. The howling wind slapped against Selena¡¯s shoulders, scraping at her skin, her speed far exceeding the road¡¯s maximum limit, but the only thought in her heart was. Go faster, just a bit faster. As she kept drawing closer to that dilapidated building, a profound, majestic advent descended upon the land. This majesty, she knew all too well. The God of Knowledge. Chapter 42 - 42 42 Shooting Star Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?42: Chapter 42: Shooting Star (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 42: Chapter 42: Shooting Star (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao felt a connection with the God of Knowledge and waited for a moment. There was no response. Considering the enmity incurred during the novice task, the God of Knowledge should have been enraged upon sensing his presence, but it seemed that the god couldn¡¯t recognize him as ¡®Yezola,¡¯ the one who had previously betrayed and led to the death of its offspring. As He Ao remained silent, an epiphany emerged in his mind, offering him some basic knowledge and informing him that he could pray to this ¡®great Divine Being,¡¯ but he must provide corresponding Sacrifices. Pray? He Ao had never considered this. He tuned into the ¡°connection¡± with the God of Knowledge and sent over his ¡°prayer.¡± ¡®Yezola asked me to tell you, your ¡°Super Memory¡± is very useful.¡¯ The moment this prayer was sent, a vast divine power exploded by He Ao¡¯s ears like thunder. Endless twisted craziness of spirit and knowledge poured down like the waters of an open floodgate, surging into He Ao¡¯s mind, with the gray and white radiance descending from Heaven, indiscriminately destroying everything in the Septagram Magic Array. This was the Divine Being¡¯s rage. Mu Xiu hurriedly threw He Ao out, trying to flee from the place, but was immediately overwhelmed by the surging brilliance that followed. ¡ª¡ª The roar of engines drew closer from a distance, and a dark motorcycle crashed through a collapsing half wall, stopping before the area. The surrounding homeless had already been driven away by He Ao, making Selena the first to arrive at the ruins. She leapt down from the motorcycle violently and rushed to the center of the catastrophe. The first thing that caught her eye was a corroded, hole-ridden carcass, huge and fiery red; one could vaguely make out its once strong form. One of its eyes was blind, while the other was wide open. Some muscles on the carcass still twitched, but this massive body had lost its Soul. A thin figure stood before the mega carcass¡¯s head, reaching out to close the round, bulging eyes of the carcass. Then, he struggled to walk aside and picked up the silver Gauss Pistol from the ground. ¡°Ande?¡± Selena called out tentatively. The figure paused for a moment and slowly turned his head; his body was also riddled with corrosion, exposing a ghastly white skeleton and writhing organs. Those organs seemed to have minds of their own, frantically trying to escape from his physique. The divine retribution from the God of Knowledge brought not only corrosive radiance but also mental pollution and assault. Mu Xiu had his Soul erased in the first wave of assault, while He Ao had some resistance to these impacts and survived. But the body belonging to ¡®Ande¡¯ couldn¡¯t resist the further contamination, and if this continued, the body would become a twisted monster. He Ao looked at Selena and slowly aimed the Gauss Gun at his own head. His cheeks were mostly intact, but they already looked somewhat ferocious. He made an effort to stretch his cheeks, trying to give her a smile that was less grotesque, ¡°Sorry.¡± Bang¡ª¡ª The last bullet was for himself. [Task Completed] [Returning to the original world] [Evaluating task...] ¡ª¡ª ¡°I brought you some fried chicken legs, please don¡¯t cry anymore, okay?¡± The little boy offered the golden fried chicken leg to the blonde, speaking with a hint of helplessness. ¡°I¡¯m not crying, my eyes are just a bit dry,¡± Selena wiped her eyes with a tissue and took the chicken leg, ¡°It might be a problem with the fluid regulation function of my mechanized body.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the boy sat back down, confused. He didn¡¯t quite understand these technical terms, looking around, ¡°Where¡¯s your boyfriend? Why didn¡¯t he come back with you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend,¡± Selena paused, shaking her head and looking out the window, ¡°We¡¯re just colleagues, he¡¯s been sent to another city on a business trip.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s dead,¡± the boy paused before picking up another chicken leg, ¡°It¡¯s normal, couldn¡¯t afford an ambulance.¡± Then he hesitated for a moment, placing the chicken leg in front of Selena, ¡°Eat, eat more, when you¡¯re full you won¡¯t feel bad anymore.¡± Selena stared blankly at the young boy who had quickly guessed the outcome and calmly accepted it, not sure what to say about the chicken leg he had placed in front of her. Just then, a communication request came through. Smith¡¯s bald forehead appeared in Selena¡¯s vision, ¡°Dancing Girl has been caught, I have to guard her until the trial is over, so there shouldn¡¯t be much going on for the next few days. I¡¯ll give you a few days off to rest.¡± Selena didn¡¯t speak, falling into silence. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Ande,¡± Smith was silent for a moment, ¡°He was a good kid, a hero.¡± Selena remained silent, not picking up the conversation, and the phone was momentarily quiet. ¡°I will apply for him to be buried in the Dumel National Cemetery,¡± Smith broke the silence, ¡°The Federal Bureau of Investigation will pay him a pension. Does he have any surviving immediate family or heirs?¡± Selena instinctively looked at the little boy in front of her, eating the chicken leg. But after thinking about it, she felt it was unlikely. The boy hadn¡¯t been adopted by He Ao, and being a homeless child might mean he had no social security, no way to be designated in a will. ¡°Hmm?¡± The boy looked back at Selena, then took out a wristband and handed it to her, ¡°He left this for you, he said to give this to you.¡± ¡°For me?¡± Selena was startled for a moment, taking the wristband from the boy with some confusion. The wristband had no password, and after Selena opened it, she found a prominent file on the homepage. [By the time you read this file, I¡¯ll probably be gone, sorry to leave you with a mess, you don¡¯t have to blame yourself, it was all my own choice. My estate shouldn¡¯t amount to much, I don¡¯t know if the Federation will pay me a pension, but if they do, please leave some for this child to cover his college expenses, as a reward for saving my life. Also, you might consider donating part to the ¡®Dawn Homeless Children¡¯s Aid Association¡¯. It may trouble you to inspect the organization. From what they do, they seem quite responsible but go ahead and check anyway. If your findings are contrary to my intuition, then there is no need to make a donation. I do not know how much money will ultimately be available, it¡¯s all up to you to allocate appropriately. The remaining part is your compensation for the trouble. Wishing you smooth sailing ahead, and may you meet better colleagues in the future. ¡ª Ande] There was a link at the bottom of the file which Selena clicked on; it opened a will certification software with a single will already paid for and certified. At the bottom in the beneficiary section, it read: Beneficiary: Selena Julia Social Security Number: 037-35-4468 ¡°Ande...¡± Clutching the wristband, Selena looked out of the window, the flickering neon lights reflecting in her eyes. In this world, there are always people who blaze across the sky like meteors, brilliant and blinding, yet fleeting. They only leave a touch of melancholy and a hint of regret to those who witnessed their flight. Chapter 43 - 43 43 First Official Mission Settlement Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?43: Chapter 43: First Official Mission Settlement (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 43: Chapter 43: First Official Mission Settlement (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) [Task Evaluation Settlement in Progress...] [Your Task Evaluation is S] He Ao lowered his head to look at the detailed task evaluation below. [Suspect Tracking Completion Evaluation: S (You successfully anticipated Mu Xiu¡¯s whereabouts and made contact with him)] [Investigation Result Completion Evaluation: S (You successfully speculated the reason for Mu Xiu¡¯s entrance into Dawn City and obtained his tacit approval)] [Side Mission Completion Evaluation: A (You injured the Dancing Girl and helped thwart the Witch Church¡¯s sacrifice conspiracy to some extent)] [Hidden Mission Completion Evaluation: SSS (You perfectly completed Ande¡¯s revenge: the Thug is dead, the Dancing Girl is imprisoned.)] [Your comprehensive evaluation is: S] Based on the evaluations for the previous beginner tasks, the first two should be main missions. Although the system had issued the task ¡®Investigate the reason for the God of Chaos¡¯s Priest Mu Xiu¡¯s arrival in Dawn City¡¯, this task didn¡¯t seem to be one he could complete by mere guessing; he needed Mu Xiu¡¯s confirmation in person. Therefore, when He Ao initially guessed that Mu Xiu had come to Dawn City in pursuit of the Dancing Girl, he didn¡¯t receive a task completion prompt until he confirmed it with Mu Xiu. Of course, it seemed that this confirmation didn¡¯t require Mu Xiu to admit it directly, an implicit acknowledgment was sufficient. To confirm with Mu Xiu in person, he had to accurately predict Mu Xiu¡¯s whereabouts, thus completing the two main missions. A look at the side mission appeared to be a subplot involving the Witch Church¡¯s conspiracy, but in the process of defeating their plot, He Ao didn¡¯t play a significant role; he merely survived under the hand of the Dancing Girl and wounded her, which, to some extent, delayed her actions. It was Smith who truly took down the Witch Church. So overall, as his first official task, it wasn¡¯t difficult; predicting Mu Xiu¡¯s actions and the reason for entering Dawn City were easy, plus He Ao had the strong support of Selena. As long as He Ao pulled Selena, the powerful bodyguard, into play when finally confronting Mu Xiu, combined with the power of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dawn City Police Department, capturing Mu Xiu was certain. But by doing that, he wouldn¡¯t have completed ¡®revenge¡¯. So he chose to face Mu Xiu alone, which wasn¡¯t just his choice but also ¡®Ande¡¯s¡¯ choice. Theoretically, it was Mu Xiu who launched the attack on He Ao first. As an investigator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, when faced with violent resistance from a law enforcement officer, He Ao had the right to kill him. Yep, perfectly legal. However, looking at the four task evaluations, last time He Ao got S, A, A, SSS, and this time it was S, S, A, SSS, with one A turning into an S, but the overall evaluation remained S. It seems that once reaching S, it becomes very difficult to raise the overall evaluation further. As He Ao pondered over the task evaluation, the subtitles in his field of view continued to evolve. [Calculating Task Rewards.] [Original Task Reward: Basic Firearms Introduction] [Since Your Overall Task Evaluation is S and Single Item Task Evaluation has reached SSS, Your Reward has triggered a Luxurious Critical Hit.] [Refreshing Your Reward.] [Refresh Successful] [Please Choose Two of the Following Three Rewards:] [1. Mastery of Basic Firearms] [2. Soul Recovery Potion (with container)] [3. Gauss Pistol (ten-round full magazine)] Choose two out of three, last time it was choose one out of three. The individual items seemed not as good as the previous ¡®Talent Sequences¡¯, ¡®Mechanical Modification¡¯, or ¡®Vermilion Fruit¡¯, so this time the system let him choose two directly. He Ao looked at the three rewards. The task was relatively simple this time, so the original reward ¡®Introduction to Basic Firearms¡¯ seemed rather poor, but after the critical hit, the upgrade of the reward seemed to be quite significant. He wondered if it had anything to do with his over-the-limit completion of the hidden task ¡®Revenge¡¯. At this moment, He Ao¡¯s soul was still somewhat weak. He had fought Mu Xiu for about a minute, meaning he had also pushed his Super Memory for a minute. Life Consuming in the moment was exhilarating, but a crematorium awaited thereafter. Although after advancing to E-rank Super Memory, the consumption from Life Consuming had reduced a bit, and it seemed like he received some soul feedback upon returning, replenishing about two-thirds of his consumption, he was still in a weakened state. Therefore, without hesitation, he chose the first item, ¡®Soul Recovery Potion (with container)¡¯. As for the second item, he did not hesitate either, selecting ¡®Mastery of Basic Firearms¡¯. The reason was simple: in Central Earth, it was illegal to carry guns without permission, so the Gauss Pistol was immediately excluded. He Ao was a law-abiding good person. As for what use ¡®Mastery of Basic Firearms¡¯ would be without a gun... In an emergency, it was legal to seize a thug¡¯s weapon and act in self-defense. However, such an action was very dangerous, as most thugs were ferocious and during the struggle to seize a weapon, one could easily fast-forward to burial. Hence, He Ao would usually prioritize protecting himself and calling the police. As He Ao made his choice, the text in his vision gradually disappeared. Following that, a surge of massive information suddenly flooded his mind. At that instant, He Ao felt as though his already weak soul was about to burst, but this was not as intense as the shock from the God of Knowledge, so He Ao¡¯s consciousness remained clear and stable. This feeling of impact quickly faded, and countless images echoed in He Ao¡¯s mind. After a brief observation, he realized these were Ande¡¯s training memories. At the same time, as these memory images echoed, He Ao felt a strange force soak into his body, altering some of his neurons. Soon, this was forging his ¡®conditioned reflex¡¯, that is, muscle memory. As the memories in his mind and the muscle memory fused, He Ao felt as though he had gained a new life, one of rigorous training. Dismantling, assembling, maintaining, and using firearms became second nature to him; he could perform some shooting actions without even thinking. However, the firearms in the Copy World were actually a bit different from those in the main world, so He Ao¡¯s memories could not directly apply to the use of firearms in the main world. Still, with these experiences, mastering the firearms of the main world shouldn¡¯t be difficult. After all, the principles remain the same. As He Ao assimilated the knowledge of ¡®Mastery of Basic Firearms¡¯, a silver test tube appeared in his hand, with a quiet, transparent liquid inside, emitting a faint purple glow. This silver test tube was somewhat similar to the one that had contained the ¡®waiter¡¯s Secret Medicine. He Ao shook it and couldn¡¯t say it was completely unrelated; they were exactly alike. The test tube that contained the Secret Medicine was capable of holding Transcendent substances. He wondered if this test tube could also contain Transcendent substances, and if so, did that make it a treasure in some sense? He Ao inspected the test tube carefully. Its design was minimalist, sealed with a brown cork which gave off a faint, refreshing fragrance. He Ao had never smelled this fragrance before and did not know if it was inherent to the cork, but upon inhaling it, he distinctly felt his languishing spirit improve a bit. He pulled out the cork, putting it in his pocket, and then slowly brought the opened test tube to his lips. Chapter 44 - 44 44 The State of the Original Body During Time Travel Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?44: Chapter 44: The State of the Original Body During Time Travel (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 44: Chapter 44: The State of the Original Body During Time Travel (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The liquid in the test tube had no taste, just a faint, mint-like coolness. As this liquid entered his body, He Ao felt a strange energy revive within his flesh, seeping into his soul, bit by bit restoring the parts he had lost. He Ao did not down the liquid in one gulp, but instead drank it in small sips waiting for his soul to revive, little by little. After about a quarter of the liquid was gone, he felt his soul regain its peak condition, the previous exhaustion and weakness swept away, but continuing to drink just left a faint coolness without the feeling of his soul growing stronger by the moment. So it was called a Recovery Potion, not a Strengthening Potion, it could only restore He Ao to his original state. He Ao checked, and there was about three-quarters of the potion left in the test tube. A quarter of the potion roughly restored the consumption of twenty seconds of Life Consuming. The remaining potion meant he could recklessly consume another sixty seconds of life, equivalent to holding an extra ace up his sleeve. Indeed, the act of Life Consuming can be quite addictive. He sealed the test tube again with the cork, held it in his hand, and then He Ao opened his personal attribute interface, [He Ao] [Authority Level: Ordinary Player] [Physical Fitness: 16 (Ordinary people in the Copy World are 10, in the main world are 5)] [Skills: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Binding) (E class), Basic Firearm Mastery] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F class)] The level of Super Memory had been upgraded to E class, and he had acquired a new skill; these were the changes He Ao was aware of. He focused on the Physical Fitness category, where his physical fitness had increased from 15 to 16, an enhancement that seemed to stem from the Base Firearm Mastery¡¯s reformative effects on his body. With a physique of 16 in the main world, He Ao was already more than three times that of an ordinary person. However, in the Copy World, according to Ande¡¯s memory of Transcendent levels, an F class is 2 to 3 times the physical qualities of an ordinary person in the Copy World, which is between 20 to 30 in physical fitness. Without the use of ability, He Ao¡¯s own physical fitness was still just short of reaching this Transcendent level. But Super Memory, after all, has a time limit, and Life Consuming is not a long-term strategy. Improving his own physical fitness was of the utmost importance. The only viable method of training currently available to him was the method of absorbing energy recorded in the small book, but that energy was only accessible at dawn. He Ao could not understand the script in the little book and did not know if there were other training methods available; perhaps the next time he went to the Copy World, he could try to find some information about this kind of script. At this moment, the countdown to his next mission had already appeared in his field of vision, still 24 hours, that is, one day later. This time in the mission, he had stayed in the Copy World for about six or seven hours, but in the main world, only ten-plus minutes had passed. He Ao closed the attribute panel, stretched lazily, and slowly walked over to the camera he had installed before the mission started. He skillfully removed the camera¡¯s memory card, entered the study, locked the silver test tube in the study¡¯s drawer, and then turned on the old desktop computer. With the fan buzzing like an old ox pulling a cart, He Ao knelt down, unplugged the network cable, and then inserted the memory card into a card reader, connecting it to the computer. Two minutes later, the computer displayed the desktop, but at this time, moving the mouse had no response; the computer was in a state of boot freeze. After about five minutes, the old computer finally powered up, and moving the mouse had an effect. This computer was picked up by He Ao for a few hundred bucks at a second-hand market, he didn¡¯t know how old it was before he bought it, but it had been with He Ao for five years already. As the computer finished reading the card, He Ao opened the most recent surveillance footage stored on it. The footage began with He Ao placing the camera in position, then moving away to sit on a stool. About several dozen seconds later, He Ao¡¯s figure flickered, and the entire camera¡¯s image began to show noticeable blotches, all the objects in the room became distorted, turning into twisted colors beyond recognition. Seconds later the image restored, but He Ao¡¯s figure was no longer to be seen in the room. Then He Ao swiftly scrolled the progress bar to about sixteen minutes later when the entire image once again underwent severe distortion, lasting for about five to six seconds, until the image stabilized and He Ao reappeared in the room. He Ao turned off the video and fell into deep thought. When heading to the Copy World, it was quite clear he underwent soul traversal, as the ¡®Super Memory,¡¯ which was soul-bound, could be used, while ¡®Qi Induction,¡¯ which was related to the body, couldn¡¯t be. Moreover, each character he played in the Copy World had a different body. He installed the camera to confirm what state his body would be in the main world, after he had traversed. Now it seems that during the process of crossing over, the body in the main world disappears as well, and ordinary electronic devices are unable to capture the process of disappearance. I wonder if this is a protection mechanism of the system. This is good news. He had always been worried that when he went to the Copy World, his soul would leave, but his body would remain, and he would either be buried as a dead person or be stabbed to death without resistance by his enemies. Now, he no longer had such worries. Of course, since he would disappear after crossing over, he would have to start tasks in places with no people around. Otherwise, if a person suddenly disappeared on the street, he feared it would become front-page news the next day. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why the system showed him a countdown to his next task, to let him prepare in advance. After figuring these things out, He Ao formatted the memory card once, then he copied some large videos from the ¡®study materials¡¯ folder on the computer hard drive to fill up the memory card, and formatted it once more. He repeated this process two or three times before finally removing the memory card. After the first format, the data on the memory card and the hard drive could still be recovered, so it was necessary to fill it with some large files to occupy all the space and overwrite the original records, then format it again. That way, even if someone recovered it, they would only get some study materials. By the time everything was done, it was past eight o¡¯clock. He Ao stood up from the chair and stretched his body. He needed to prepare for his street stall tonight. Just then, his phone rang again. He Ao frowned and took out his phone. He hardly had any friends, and usually only loan sharks, salespeople, and scammers would call him. He looked at the screen. He hadn¡¯t saved this phone number, but it seemed somewhat familiar. After he answered the call, a familiar female voice came through, ¡°He Ao, do you have time tonight? I heard there¡¯s a really good snack stall near the school, but it opens late. How about I treat you to it?¡± Liu Nan... He Ao was momentarily taken aback, Why was this girl so persistent? Didn¡¯t she know that there was a non-normal human being looking for her all over the world? When he went to the police station yesterday, he had already told Captain Liu that the young man was planning to kidnap Liu Nan. They hadn¡¯t informed Liu Nan? Did they have some other arrangement? But these things were not He Ao¡¯s concern; he was just a student running a cold noodle stand. He picked up the phone and directly refused Liu Nan¡¯s invitation, ¡°I¡¯m busy tonight, sorry.¡± He still had to run his stall to make money. After thinking for a moment, he still gave her a warning, ¡°You should be careful lately, don¡¯t run around, and watch out for kidnappers.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°Huh?¡± Liu Nan was baffled, then she heard the busy tone on the other end of the phone. She put down her phone in a daze and looked at the girl beside her, ¡°He hung up...¡± He didn¡¯t show up yesterday when she invited him to an expensive meal, and today he declined again when invited for something cheap. ¡°He cares about you! He must be worried about your safety! He likes you!¡± The girl analyzed confidently. ... That statement was not convincing at all. This was the first time that Liu Nan had been turned down twice in a row when inviting a guy out to eat. Playing hard to get wasn¡¯t supposed to go like this. But the issue of owing someone a favor was like a thorn in her side, making her uncomfortable. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nannan. We¡¯ll try out the snack stall on our own,¡± Liu Nan sighed and looked at the girl, ¡°Where¡¯s that snack stall?¡± ¡°It¡¯s near the Industrial District. It¡¯s not exactly a stall, more like a street vendor. But I heard the food is incredibly delicious and only available at night. Wait a moment,¡± the girl took out her phone, ¡°I¡¯ll start navigation.¡± Chapter 45 - 45 45 Classmates Encounter Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?45: Chapter 45: Classmates¡¯ Encounter (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 45: Chapter 45: Classmates¡¯ Encounter (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao carefully observed the silver test tube in his hand, looked at it for a long while, but couldn¡¯t find anything special about it, so he had no choice but to put the test tube away. Actually, he hadn¡¯t planned on taking the test tube out with him, but just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered that the young man had easily knocked open his security door that had been welded with eight anti-theft chains, so he went back and pocketed the test tube. Before he could secure a stable safe house, carrying it with him was the safest way, and, if he ran into trouble while outside, he could replenish it in time. It was now a little past nine in the evening, when the pedestrian traffic wasn¡¯t high, but there were still sporadic customers coming by. He Ao tucked the test tube into his pocket, had just gotten up to see if any customers had arrived when a blurry figure appeared under the dim street lamp in the distance. This silhouette was somewhat familiar, but not quite, and as it slowly approached, He Ao made out his face. Zhang Ansha, the researcher from the ¡®Abnormal Human Research Institute.¡¯ Zhang Ansha had also seen He Ao from afar, he nodded slightly at He Ao, but didn¡¯t walk towards him, instead, in a swift motion, he turned towards the other side of the street, where there was also a cold noodle stall. In this area, it was only natural that there wasn¡¯t just He Ao¡¯s stall selling cold noodles, there were five or six other stalls, some selling barbecue, some selling oden, it¡¯s just that He Ao¡¯s business was the best. However, the stall across the street selling cold noodles had just set up recently, seeing He Ao doing good business, they wanted to try their hand too, and right from the start, they began a price war with He Ao, hoping to leverage a pricing advantage to drive He Ao out and take over the market. Big bowls, small bowls, they were all one yuan cheaper than He Ao¡¯s. This indeed affected some of He Ao¡¯s business, but not much, after all, the taste of He Ao¡¯s noodles was there. And He Ao didn¡¯t follow suit by lowering his prices, he chose better ingredients, and consequently, his costs were higher, his prices were already very affordable, there was no need to get caught up in the quagmire of a price war. By now, there was almost nobody at the stall across the street, He Ao watched as Zhang Ansha ordered a bowl of cold noodles and sat down at a table behind a tree, then his gaze firmly fixated on the depths of the night. What mission was he on this time? A light of realization flashed through He Ao¡¯s mind. Since there were no customers, Zhang Ansha¡¯s cold noodles were ready very quickly. He Ao watched him take a bite of noodles, was silent for two seconds, then silently got up, crossed the street and walked over to He Ao¡¯s stall, ¡°A small bowl of cold noodles, please.¡± ¡°Sweet and sour or spicy?¡± He Ao smiled as he looked at him. ¡°Sweet and sour, to go.¡± Zhang Ansha¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t linger on He Ao, instead, it remained locked on the deep night. He Ao quickly mixed the cold noodles, packed them, and handed them over with a pair of disposable chopsticks, ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhang Ansha took the packed cold noodles from He Ao, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your cold noodles are really quite delicious.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nothing delighted a chef more than when diners sincerely complimented the deliciousness of the food they made. Zhang Ansha waved goodbye to He Ao, then crossed the road again, going back to his original spot, but instead of continuing to sit at the seat of the opposite stall, he squatted by the tree, eating the cold noodles He Ao made while continuing to watch the depth of the night. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ For some reason, He Ao felt Zhang Ansha was being a bit too much, because the boss of the cold noodle stall across the street seemed to not look too pleased. He Ao, after all, couldn¡¯t bear to see anyone looking upset, so he shifted his gaze away from the boss¡¯s face across from him and followed Zhang Ansha¡¯s look towards the deepening night. After a while, two blurry figures emerged from the darkness. They were two young girls, one tall and the other short. The taller one was probably around one meter sixty-seven, almost reaching one meter seventy, with mid-length hair just past her shoulders, slightly curled at the ends. She wore a loose beige knit sweater, with its long hem covering her waist and hips, and extending over her black-stockinged thighs. With an adolescent freshness yet dressing in a mature outfit, the contrast between the two gave her a unique allure. The shorter girl was about one meter fifty-something, close to one meter sixty, wearing a festive red hoodie with blue wide-leg jeans, looking lively and clever. The girl in the red hoodie held a cell phone in her hand, looking around and pouting in complaint, ¡°Why is this place so out of the way? I wish we hadn¡¯t come.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the taller girl smiled. Her eyes scanned around and quickly fixated on He Ao¡¯s stall under the lights. She pointed to He Ao¡¯s stall and said, ¡°Nannan, is that it?¡± ¡°It seems so,¡± the hoodie girl shook her phone towards He Ao¡¯s direction, ¡°That should be it.¡± Then she excitedly jogged forward, ¡°Liu Nan, let¡¯s go over there~!¡± At this moment, He Ao also got a clear look at their faces. His physical condition had improved after all, and his vision was much better than before. The taller one was Liu Nan, and the shorter one, who wasn¡¯t seen as often, seemed to be in the same class as Liu Nan... called... Yuan Nannan? As the two approached, they also recognized He Ao under the streetlamp at his noodle stall. ¡°He Ao?!¡± Yuan Nannan was clearly shocked. She quickly ran over and circled He Ao twice, then looked at Liu Nan with a surprised expression as she slowly approached, ¡°Liu Nan, look, it¡¯s He Ao, for real, and he¡¯s alive.¡± He Ao: ? Liu Nan was also rendered a bit helpless by her friend¡¯s antics. She smiled apologetically at He Ao and spoke softly, ¡°He Ao... are you doing business here?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± He Ao nodded, not really caring about these things, ¡°I¡¯m running a noodle stall here, selling cold noodles. Want to try some?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Yuan Nannan, shocked, circled He Ao¡¯s stall, ¡°So you¡¯re the one running that cold noodle stall everyone on the school forum said was really good? Is this you... experiencing life?¡± ¡°More precisely,¡± He Ao shrugged, ¡°it¡¯s for living.¡± Yuan Nannan was a bit confused, obviously not quite catching on. ¡°Nannan,¡± Liu Nan quickly took hold of her friend. Although Yuan Nannan¡¯s family was much poorer than hers, she was still born into a local wealthy family in Xidu, pampered and spoon-fed, and being unexposed to society in school, so her understanding of life was somewhat skewed. In Yuan Nannan¡¯s circle, peers her age were expected to spend their days in leisure and conversation about shopping, board games, pocket money, where to go skiing, or traveling, so she was momentarily struggling to comprehend the phrase ¡°for living¡± as told by her peer, He Ao. Liu Nan held her back, fearing she might say something to hurt He Ao. ¡°Um, we¡¯ve come for cold noodles, could you give us two bowls? Big bowls, one with sweet and sour, the other spicy, to go,¡± Liu Nan said softly, looking at the sign above He Ao¡¯s stall. ¡°Sure, just a moment.¡± He Ao didn¡¯t care much for Yuan Nannan¡¯s remarks. He quickly scooped up the noodles and started preparing them. Right then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zhang Ansha bolting out like an arrow released from its bow, disappearing into the night. Wasn¡¯t he here to protect Liu Nan? He Ao was puzzled. Chapter 46 - 46 46 Woof Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?46: Chapter 46: ¡°Woof¡± (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 46: Chapter 46: ¡°Woof¡± (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao¡¯s movements were incredibly fast, and Yuan Nannan stopped talking, instead watching He Ao¡¯s actions in astonishment. When she saw him fling the noodles out of the ladle, catch them mid-air, and flip them over, she even applauded, ¡°So awesome!¡± By the time He Ao had packed up two bowls of noodles and handed them over, Yuan Nannan¡¯s eyes were filled with little stars, ¡°He Ao, you¡¯re so amazing!¡± As she spoke, she mimicked the motion He Ao had just made with the ladle on her hand, ¡°This, this, I¡¯ve only seen this on TV and done by those famous chefs before, you¡¯re really amazing, how did you do that?¡± ¡°Nothing special, just practice.¡± He Ao chuckled helplessly. He had realized that Yuan Nannan was the kind of girl who grew up carefree, seemingly unaware of the world, yet retained her purity. ¡°Thank you.¡± Liu Nan realized that He Ao didn¡¯t seem to care much about this awkward encounter and slowly let out a sigh of relief. She had some classmates from less fortunate backgrounds who were afraid of being discovered by others working part-time jobs or coming from difficult family situations. Usually, if they were seen, it would be quite embarrassing for them. After all, there were indeed those who, upon stumbling across a classmate running a street stall, would spread the news all over and even mock them. Most students had thin skins and high egos, unable to withstand such blows. At that moment, Liu Nan suddenly thought, why weren¡¯t there any rumors about He Ao running a street stall at the school? Logically, he was so close to the school when running his stall that it should have been easy for someone to run into him. Then she recalled the rumors she had heard from Yuan Nannan about He Ao, like ¡®battling hooligans¡¯ and being ¡®fiercely ruthless¡¯. Could it be that He Ao created these rumors himself to cover up the fact that he ran a street stall? But she quickly dismissed the idea. Considering how skillfully He Ao knocked out the would-be kidnapper and his familiarity with the police, it seemed more likely that He Ao did have some sort of ¡®side business¡¯. Looking at He Ao, she suddenly felt that this classmate was shrouded in an aura of mystery, as if he had innumerable secrets. Every time she thought she had uncovered another hidden side of him, he would, like peeling an onion, immediately reveal a new layer, one after another, making it hard to discern which one was the real him. Yuan Nannan didn¡¯t have as many thoughts as Liu Nan. She directly opened one of the packaged cold noodles, broke apart the chopsticks, grabbed some noodles, and was stunned on the spot, ¡°So delicious!¡± She slurped up a mouthful of noodles and then looked at He Ao with muffled enthusiasm, ¡°He Ao, all the students say you have a private gang and lead your brothers to fight for territory every night. Some even say you¡¯re a member of some mysterious organization with superpowers, responsible for secretly maintaining world peace. Turns out you sell cold noodles here... slurp... so delicious.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense rumors have you been listening to...¡± He Ao looked at her with a mix of amusement and disbelief, ¡°I¡¯m just a law-abiding student who sells cold noodles, with no gang affiliation or membership in any organization maintaining world peace.¡± Liu Nan was holding the other bowl of noodles, her mouth agape. She clearly remembered that the two kidnapper¡¯s accomplices had called out ¡®Brother Ao¡¯ and ran away scared witless at the sight of him. He Ao said he had no other identity, and she was somewhat hesitant to believe that... ¡°Oh, is that so.¡± But Yuan Nannan truly believed him. As she nodded, she looked at He Ao with starry eyes, ¡°It¡¯s really tasty! He Ao, you¡¯re so talented!¡± ¡°We had originally planned to treat you to some snacks,¡± Liu Nan said somewhat helplessly, glancing at her friend and then at He Ao. Yuan Nannan was like this, unable to resist tempting food, spending her days searching for delicious eats, ¡°but who knew you were the boss.¡± She thought for a moment, ¡°Obviously, we can¡¯t treat you to that, but do you have any free time coming up? I¡¯d like to invite you out for a meal.¡± Her eyes widened earnestly as she looked at He Ao. The quiet night breeze blew through the girl¡¯s curls, across her fair skin, and over her beautiful cheeks. From a young age, Liu Nan had always been the school beauty, the kind who would turn heads and attract the gazes of both boys and girls wherever she went. The advantage of being beautiful is that your life is filled with conveniences, like strangers picking up your tab when you dine alone, boys eagerly helping you with your luggage, gaining easier concessions during negotiations and trades, and scoring higher in interviews and presentations. Liu Nan basically wouldn¡¯t mistreat anyone who helped her. But there were very few who could reject her requests to her face, because she was simply too beautiful. People are always biased towards good-looking individuals, and even many girls find it hard to refuse Liu Nan¡¯s requests face-to-face. Declining over the phone is acceptable. But when you are face-to-face, how could you possibly say no to such a beautiful girl inviting you for a meal? When she posed this question, He Ao clearly hesitated for a moment. He didn¡¯t reject her outright, seeming to fall into thought. A sigh of relief escaped Liu Nan¡¯s heart. It was the first time she realised that inviting someone to a meal could be so difficult. Without even making it to the dinner table, how could she possibly return the favor to He Ao, let alone start doing so? Her beauty¡¯s charm offensive would not fail! If it did, she¡¯d be a puppy! He Ao seemed to have really sunk into contemplation; he slowly squatted down and took out a black notebook from a drawer beneath the stall. Then he flipped to a page and began counting, ¡°Liu Nan, there are, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, five people ahead of you. We have to respect the order of things, right? I think you are too persistent. I¡¯m not always available. When it¡¯s your turn, I will contact you. There¡¯s no need to insist on inviting me for a meal right now...¡± As he spoke, he noticed Liu Nan¡¯s gaze growing dull. ¡°Liu Nan?¡± He called out, somewhat puzzled. Liu Nan came back to her senses, and staring blankly at He Ao, she bit her silver teeth, ¡°Woof!¡± He Ao: ? ¡°Nannan, let¡¯s go back.¡± With her face flushed red, Liu Nan grabbed Yuan Nannan, who was focused on enjoying her noodles, and started heading outside, whether out of anger or shame was unclear. ¡°Liu Nan, wait for me to finish this bite.¡± Yuan Nannan was almost in a daze as Liu Nan dragged her off. He Ao felt like there must be a ¡®?¡¯ above his head. She had just been calmly reasoning moments ago; why the sudden change? Really strange. But He Ao didn¡¯t dwell on it for too long. After Liu Nan left, the flow of customers began to pick up, and he had to get busy making money. ¡°Boss, how much for this cold noodle dish?¡± As He Ao was seeing off the last customer in that group, a somewhat crisp female voice sounded in front of him. He looked up to see a girl with ear-length hair and a black, simple mask. Her exposed half face and eyes were exquisitely made-up, her pupils shining as clear and luminous as jewels. Chapter 47 - 47 47 Explosion Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?47: Chapter 47: Explosion (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 47: Chapter 47: Explosion (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°Sweet and sour, spicy, two flavors, large bowl for eight, small for six,¡± He Ao watched the girl in front of him expertly quote a price. The girl wasn¡¯t very tall, just over one and a half meters, slightly shorter than Yuan Nannan. But her figure was proportionate and well-balanced, dressed in a black inner layer with a dark green jacket, and around her neck hung a black choker with a heart-shaped iron ring. Her physique combined with her attire made her look much more mature than Yuan Nannan despite being shorter. Noticing He Ao¡¯s gaze, the girl looked up and met his eyes for a moment before quickly looking away. She seemed to have been exercising strenuously just before, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead and her breathing slightly hurried, but she was trying her best to suppress her body¡¯s instincts to appear calm. ¡°One spicy, large bowl,¡± He Ao said. After avoiding He Ao¡¯s gaze, the girl pointed at the noodles, trying to divert his attention. ¡°Okay, please wait a moment,¡± He Ao began preparing the cold noodles. He didn¡¯t ask the girl about her situation; everyone has their own story, and he, He Ao, was just a noodle seller. In two or three minutes, He Ao had the noodles ready. He looked at the girl, ¡°Eat here or take away?¡± ¡°Eat here!¡± She responded hastily before he could finish. ¡°Alright,¡± He Ao served the cold noodles in a bowl and handed them to the girl, ¡°careful, it¡¯s greasy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl seemed to regain her composure gradually, taking the bowl of noodles from He Ao with one hand and walking toward a small folding table nearby. The sound of rubber wheels rolling on the uneven ground reached He Ao¡¯s ears. Only then did He Ao notice that the girl was dragging a small black square suitcase, which didn¡¯t seem large but looked quite heavy. As the girl settled down, He Ao¡¯s noodle stand became quiet again. ¡ª ¡°Stop!¡± Zhang Ansha¡¯s shout echoed through the dark night. The Industrial District was built at the outskirts of the city, adjacent to the rural villages of the suburban area, positioned exactly between the city and the countryside, dotted with construction sites as well as sporadically located self-built houses. Therefore, the terrain was complex, with paths leading in all directions and no surveillance. It was Zhang Ansha¡¯s first time here, and the layout had him somewhat dizzy. The person he was chasing was apparently very familiar with the area, darting between the houses and construction sites like a local. But his speed was nowhere near that of Zhang Ansha¡¯s. Although he had managed to stay ahead due to his knowledge of the terrain, the gap between them was closing. If He Ao were there, he would clearly recognize that the figure of this young man was very similar to the Transcendent who could turn into a Bull and had caused trouble at his stand the day before. In fact, the ¡®Bull¡¯ had always been Zhang Ansha¡¯s target. He had come close to He Ao¡¯s noodle stand last night while investigating the ¡®Bull¡¯ but had lost him after chasing him into an alleyway. This time, he quickened his pace and kept a tighter watch. However, as the chase continued, something felt off to him. The ¡®Bull¡¯s explosive power should have been strong, and it was why Zhang Ansha had lost him due to a sudden burst of speed the day before. But today, the ¡®Bull¡¯ being chased clearly showed a disadvantage in speed and relied solely on familiarity with the terrain to gain distance. As he pondered, the ¡®Bull¡¯ ahead turned into a small path alongside the wall of a self-built house. After passing through a few times, Zhang Ansha was somewhat familiar with the layout. He vaulted over the wall and crossed over the house, appearing on a small path on the other side. On this path, the ¡®Bull¡¯ was slowing down, puzzled as to why Zhang Ansha hadn¡¯t followed, and was about to look back when a strong punch came flying to his face, knocking him to the ground. Zhang Ansha immediately pulled out a pair of alloy handcuffs from behind his waist, pinned down the young man on the ground, and cuffed him. ¡°How did you manage to get here?¡± The young man pinned under Zhang Ansha clearly couldn¡¯t understand why Zhang Ansha had suddenly appeared in front of him. Zhang Ansha fell silent for a moment, feeling it unnecessary to explain to someone that the world is actually three-dimensional, where one can not only walk but also climb over walls. He pressed the Bluetooth headset hanging on his ear, and the call was quickly connected. A somewhat chilly female voice came through, ¡°Did you catch him?¡± ¡°Caught him,¡± Zhang Ansha looked down at the youth beneath him, ¡°but I feel like something¡¯s not right.¡± ¡°Be careful. There was an anomaly reported nearby not long ago, and we haven¡¯t had the chance to investigate it yet. According to the current data, Transcendents, abnormal environments, and pollutants tend to attract each other,¡± the woman immediately reminded him. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Zhang Ansha nodded, his gaze still fixed on the youth¡¯s cheek, ¡°That anomaly is to the east, and I went west. It¡¯s just... ¡®Bull¡¯ seems much weaker than the reports suggested...far too weak...¡± As he spoke, he paused abruptly and flipped over his right hand, which had a powder very similar in color to his skin faintly smeared on the back. It was the hand he had used to strike the youth¡¯s cheek. He slowly lowered his head and saw the youth¡¯s face, held down by him, had an uneven color. He directly rubbed his hand on the youth¡¯s face, and a thick layer of ¡®mud¡¯-like substance came off, revealing the original somewhat pale flesh beneath. The youth¡¯s ¡®appearance¡¯ also changed with this force. Although it was now multicolored, Zhang Ansha could clearly recognize, this was not ¡®Bull¡¯! ¡°We¡¯ve been tricked! Be careful!¡± He immediately shouted into the phone. The response was a violent explosion. ¡ª¡ª Liu Nan, in a huff, dragged Yuan Nannan out of that narrow street and back onto the main road. Then she looked at Yuan Nannan protecting her bowl as if afraid to spill even a drop of its contents, and her irritation gradually gave way to doubt, ¡°Is it really that delicious?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Yuan Nannan said excitedly, picking up a chopstick-full of noodles, ¡°here, let me feed you a bite.¡± Liu Nan, somewhat skeptical, opened her mouth, and the soft and sticky noodles wrapped around the crispy bean sprouts were sucked into her mouth. The perfectly seasoned sauce simultaneously burst with flavor, making Liu Nan¡¯s eyes widen. She slurped the noodles and wanted to curse a few words, but could not bring herself to do it, merely pouting slightly, ¡°It is quite delicious.¡± In fact, she knew the anger was unfounded; rather than anger, it was more like annoyance born from her beauty being ineffective, a chagrin from her cuteness not being acknowledged. Thinking of this, she sighed again. She had seen people who were immune to her looks before, but they were mostly older individuals without desires, or those in high positions with clearer dreams and aspirations. To encounter resistance among her peers was a first for her. ¡°Liu Nan, when are you and He Ao getting married? That way, I can eat such delicious cold noodles every day,¡± Yuan Nannan said while eating, expressing her sentiment. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ It was all ¡®he likes you¡¯ just now, and now we¡¯re fast-forwarding to marriage? Isn¡¯t your train of thought jumping too quickly? Liu Nan helplessly rolled her eyes; her relationship with He Ao was merely that of unacquainted classmates, at most with a favor yet to be repaid. Whether they would have future interactions was uncertain, much less the possibility of developing feelings. However, she was also used to Yuan Nannan¡¯s tendency to pair up any two people she saw and root for their relationship. The two most muscular and handsome guys in their class had already been ¡®shipped¡¯ by Yuan Nannan. ¡°All right,¡± Liu Nan looked around. The Industrial District was extremely deserted, with only the wide roads and some parked cars whose presence of passengers was uncertain. Pedestrians and vehicles were rare; she took out her phone, ¡°I¡¯ll call a cab back to school.¡± And just as she took out her phone, in a pure white sedan not far from her, a woman in green-blue clothing was watching her while speaking on the phone. ¡°We¡¯ve been tricked!¡± As these clear words came through the phone, a black object flashing with red light was suddenly thrown from a distance, landing next to the car. Seeing this object, the woman didn¡¯t bother to respond to the call. She fiercely pushed open the door and leaped out of the car. Boom¡ª¡ª A tremendous explosion sounded. Chapter 48 - 48 48 Save Me He Ao Save Me Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?48: Chapter 48: Save Me, He Ao Save Me (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 48: Chapter 48: Save Me, He Ao Save Me (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The surging heatwave even stirred the clothes of Liu Nan and Yuan Nannan not far away. The explosion directly stunned Yuan Nannan, while Liu Nan, without any hesitation, put down his phone, grabbed Yuan Nannan, and ran in the direction away from the explosion. At the same time as the explosion echoed, a skinny man dressed in a tailcoat and top hat slowly emerged from the darkness. He looked at the raging flames and his facial muscles twitched slightly, revealing a cold smile. Hum¡ª¡ª This was the sound of a longsword slicing through the air. Under the impact of the explosion, the woman in a green dress, holding a longsword, stabbed directly at the skinny man in the tailcoat, her dress already ignited by the flames, with the fire spreading up her clothing towards her body. The man removed his top hat and pulled out a copper mirror from it, using it to parry the incoming sword. Bang¡ª¡ª With a clang of metal against metal, the longsword bent and the copper mirror cracked. The skinny man was forced back by the strike, performing a backflip to land farther away. ¡°Magic Apprentice?¡± The woman in green landed on the ground, sword in hand, and with a flash of the blade, she shed the ignited part of her dress, which was carried away by the night wind and ultimately burned to ash in the breeze. ¡°I still prefer to be called a Magician,¡± the skinny man holding the top hat bowed slightly to the woman in green, ¡°Magician Ou Zhuo, pleased to meet you, Layperson Ni Yu.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ni Yu glanced at the burning vehicle that was now reduced to a skeleton, and then at Liu Nan and Yuan Nannan who were gradually getting away. She flourished her sword and, without any further words, charged straight at Ou Zhuo. Ou Zhuo did not fight back and instead took off his top hat, releasing a flock of doves that obscured Ni Yu¡¯s sight. By the time the doves had disappeared, Ou Zhuo had already fled into the distance. Ni Yu watched Ou Zhuo¡¯s receding figure, then glanced again at Liu Nan who had escaped, hesitated for a moment, but still gave chase. Ou Zhuo used even bombs, his methods too ruthless, leaving him be would be too great a danger to society, he could not be allowed to escape. The two of them chased after each other, heading northward. At the same time, Liu Nan, leading Yuan Nannan, was also fleeing rapidly in one direction. ¡°Liu Nan, what¡¯s going on, where are we going now...¡± By now, Yuan Nannan had been scared out of her wits by the bomb and couldn¡¯t even care about eating, she could only let Liu Nan lead her. Liu Nan didn¡¯t speak, he just ran with Yuan Nannan. But soon Yuan Nannan knew the answer, as a group of people dressed in neat black clothes suddenly burst out from an alley, circling around Liu Nan and Yuan Nannan, protectively enclosing them. At the same time, a black sedan also sped out of the night, performing a 180-degree drift turn, stopping next to them, ¡°Miss, get in the car.¡± The black-clothed person nearest the car quickly opened the door, gesturing for Liu Nan to get in. Yuan Nannan stood there dumbfounded. ¡°Bodyguards hired by my dad.¡± Liu Nan explained in a low voice, then proceeded to pull Yuan Nannan into the car. She had been attacked once, naturally, she wouldn¡¯t be without preparations. The two of them quickly got into the car, and just as Liu Nan settled in and breathed a sigh of relief, a violent collision noise came from the side of the car. She had gotten into the car on the side next to the curb, not the side protected by the bodyguards. With the collision, the originally protruding car door caved inward, and then the window glass shattered instantly, with shards flying out, Liu Nan hurriedly covered her head with her hands but the flying fragments still scratched her hands. ¡°Ah!¡± Yuan Nannan screamed at the sight. Liu Nan, through the corner of her eye shielded by her elbow, saw a man outside the window, his muscles bulging, skin red as a bull, standing there. He had a ferocious smile on his face and was reaching his hand toward Liu Nan. ¡°Drive! Drive now!¡± Liu Nan yelled immediately. Everything happened so fast, although the driver was slightly panicked, he still quickly started the car and slammed down on the accelerator. The vehicle rocked, the engine roared piercingly, the wheels spun in place, but the car didn¡¯t move an inch. The man, bull-like in musculature, swelled with muscles, grabbing the front car door and the B-pillar with his left hand, he was actually holding the car back by sheer force. In Liu Nan¡¯s shocked gaze, he sneered viciously, his right hand swung out, tearing off the rear car door directly. What kind of monster is this... What has happened to this world... As Liu Nan harbored this thought, the man had already grabbed her shoulder and with a fierce yank, pulled her out of the vehicle like one would pluck a down pillow. Endless fear crawled over her heart; any semblance of composure she had was shattered at that moment. The world as she knew it seemed to have taken a dramatic turn. Yet even so, she did not scream. Countless names echoed in her mind as she desperately recalled anyone who could rescue her from the predicament before her. Of course, her first instinct was to call the police. Her bodyguards would surely do so, but she didn¡¯t know if the police could handle something so surreal. Desperately, she sought someone nearby who could possibly help. Finally, a name emerged before her, that mysterious youth. ¡°Find He Ao! Go find He Ao!¡± She twisted her head, looking at the panicked Yuan Nannan and roared fiercely. She didn¡¯t know if the young man had the ability to save her, but she knew he was intelligent. If he didn¡¯t have the means, he would definitely not take action. Moreover, he had a good relationship with the police. His help would be much better than Yuan Nannan fumbling around cluelessly. As for whether he was willing to help, it was beyond her capacity to consider at the moment. It would be reasonable if he didn¡¯t want to assist, and she had nothing to say about that. If he were willing, she would owe him an even greater favor. Debts owed must always be repaid. Yuan Nannan had been scared out of her wits by the abrupt incident, but Liu Nan¡¯s high-pitched scream managed to pull some sense back into her. She nodded subconsciously, ¡°Okay!¡± But as she nodded, the man, as sturdy as a bull, had already carried Liu Nan into the darkness of the night. Everything happened too quickly, and the bodyguards standing outside the car didn¡¯t react in time. Even if they had reacted, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. They were just ordinary people; it was just their job. They had no firearms and stood no chance against a monster that could pull a car apart. ¡°Find He Ao, find He Ao.¡± Yuan Nannan murmured distractedly. She pushed open the car door and ran towards the other side under the watchful eyes of the bodyguards. ¡ª¡ª ¡®Cold noodles for sale~ Delicious and sweet cold noodles~¡¯ He Ao, who had been dozing off bored at his stall, was suddenly awoken by the ringing of his phone. He took it out to check, the caller ID displayed the name ¡®Zhang Ansha¡¯. Hm? I don¡¯t recall giving him my phone number. Did he get it from Captain Liu? After thinking it over, he answered the call, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Is this the young brother He Ao speaking?¡± Zhang Ansha seemed to be in a rush on the other end, urgently asking. ¡°Yes, what¡¯s up?¡± He Ao stood up, stretched and looked around for any new customers. ¡°Are you interested in taking on a temporary part-time job? It won¡¯t take up much of your time,¡± said Zhang Ansha quickly, ¡°Just for tonight, a base pay of two thousand... no, ten thousand! If there are additional circumstances, we¡¯ll negotiate the price later.¡± ¡°Hmm? What exactly is it?¡± He Ao¡¯s eyes lit up, suddenly wide awake at the mention of it. ¡°Do you know Bull? The young man who barged into your place yesterday. We need to catch him now. Just hold him off for a while, and you¡¯ll get the money,¡± Zhang Ansha explained swiftly. ¡°Is it legal?¡± He Ao asked calmly. ¡°Legal!¡± Zhang Ansha emphasized. ! He Ao paused for a moment. This guy has a grudge against me, and he¡¯s worth a lot, and capturing him is legal. This fellow is loaded with buffs. ¡°He Ao, He Ao,¡± at that moment, a figure ran over from a distance. It was the still shaken Yuan Nannan. She leaned over He Ao¡¯s cold noodle counter, gasping for breath and said, ¡°Save... Save me, He Ao.¡± He Ao: ? The short-haired girl snacking on noodles in the corner startled and snapped her noodles in half. Chapter 49 - 49 49 The Deal Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?49: Chapter 49: The Deal (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 49: Chapter 49: The Deal (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°Liu Nan has been kidnapped, just just just...¡± Yuan Nannan was flustered and unable to organize her words properly. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, take it slow.¡± Seeing Yuan Nannan stumbling over her words, He Ao placed his mobile phone on the cabinet, took a disposable plastic cup, and poured her a cup of water from his thermos. ¡°Uh... Uh...¡± Anxious Yuan Nannan subconsciously took the cup. He Ao¡¯s composure infected her, helping her calm down a bit and gradually organize her language, ¡°We ... we were just about to take a taxi home when suddenly there was an explosion, boom! Then Liu Nan grabbed me and we started running ... and she even hailed a car ... We had just gotten in the car ... when a man, covered in red, with muscles all over, an incredibly strong person, kidnapped Liu Nan. He was terrifying; he just ripped off the car door ... just like that ... rip, tear, rip ... just tore it off ...¡± Yuan Nannan tried to demonstrate the ¡®rip, tear¡¯ action, but ended up spilling the water from her cup instead, part of it splashing onto the glass cabinet, the rest soaking her clothes. He Ao handed her some tissues to wipe her clothes. Although Yuan Nannan¡¯s story was disjointed, He Ao roughly understood what she was trying to say. He was about to speak when suddenly Zhang Ansha¡¯s voice came from the phone, ¡°It¡¯s Bull! Bull is the one who kidnapped Liu Nan.¡± He Ao used a smartphone often seen in the hands of the elderly, cheap but with loud sound quality. Even though He Ao hadn¡¯t put it on speakerphone, Zhang Ansha¡¯s voice still reached the ears of both He Ao and Yuan Nannan successfully. ¡°What Bull? Where is there a bull?¡± Yuan Nannan was bewildered for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just wait a moment.¡± He Ao nodded at Yuan Nannan, turned down the volume on his phone, and placed it to his ear. He thought Zhang Ansha had already hung up; he didn¡¯t expect Zhang Ansha to have been eavesdropping the whole time. ¡°He Ao, the mission has changed. You¡¯re familiar with the area nearby; do you have any idea where to find Bull? All you need to do is delay for a while, just make sure to keep Liu Nan safe from harm until I get back.¡± Zhang Ansha¡¯s voice was notably deeper, indicating that the situation had spiraled beyond his control. ¡°Based on my location, in which direction are you currently, and what does your surrounding environment look like? Does Bull know which direction you left in?¡± Instead of answering directly, He Ao asked in return. ¡°West, I¡¯m surrounded by rural self-built houses, and there are some construction sites around,¡± Zhang Ansha thought for a moment, ¡°Bull¡¯s accomplice led me away, so he should know the direction I went.¡± Then He Ao looked at the still puzzled Yuan Nannan, ¡°Where were you attacked just now?¡± ¡°At a crossroads, Liu Nan was pulling me away, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the surroundings.¡± Yuan Nannan was clearly confused for a moment. ¡°Are there any distinctive buildings or items nearby?¡± He Ao pressed on. ¡°There¡¯s a main road, trees, and cars...¡± Yuan Nannan tried to remember carefully. He Ao: ...... ¡°Any people?¡± ¡°No people.¡± Yuan Nannan shook her head. The only places nearby without people and with broad roads were the crossroads not far to the north. The factories around that intersection didn¡¯t operate night shifts, and the dormitories weren¡¯t nearby, so there were basically no people passing by after evening. And coincidentally, the direction Liu Nan had pulled Yuan Nannan away was towards the north. He Ao quickly responded to the surrounding terrain in his mind and roughly estimated the position of the crossroads; then he opened his mouth to ask Zhang Ansha, ¡°Do you have any companions?¡± Zhang Ansha dared to chase out confidently; he must have reliable teammates. ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Ansha¡¯s reply was also quick; he seemed to be on the move all the time, ¡°She should have been following Liu Nan all along, but I can¡¯t contact her now. I didn¡¯t hang up just now because I wanted to ask you to go find her.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± He Ao then turned his gaze to Yuan Nannan, ¡°Did you see any strange people when you were ambushed just now?¡± ¡°No? Seems like yes?¡± Yuan Nannan thought for a moment, not sure how to explain, ¡°It¡¯s like at the moment of the explosion, I saw two figures whoosh by, crossing to the other side of the road in an instant. I didn¡¯t get a clear look.¡± ¡°Which direction did they go?¡± He Ao asked, then thought for a moment, dipped his hand in the water that had just been spilled on the counter, and quickly sketched a simple cross map. He pointed at the bottommost point, ¡°This is my stall,¡± Then he pointed forward to a crossroads, ¡°This should be where you were just standing. Which way did those two people go?¡± ¡°It seemed to be this way!¡± This time, Yuan Nannan pointed in a direction. ¡°Then it¡¯s the north,¡± He Ao roughly understood the situation and spoke softly into the phone, ¡°It looks like your teammate was lured away, which is why they were able to capture Liu Nan.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Zhang Ansha also heard the conversation between the two just now, ¡°Our intelligence was wrong; we only had information on Bull.¡± ¡°So there might still be people around Bull?¡± He Ao keenly seized the keyword. ¡°No, hiding two people is already their limit; they don¡¯t have that many people.¡± This time Zhang Ansha spoke with certainty, then immediately followed up with, ¡°So do you have any leads now? Can you find Bull?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± He Ao answered calmly, ¡°But it¡¯ll cost more.¡± ¡°Fine, ten thousand as a base pay, and after the event, you name your price.¡± Zhang Ansha immediately said. The ten thousand hiring fee just now was actually the cost of asking He Ao to act, to help hold off Bull for a while, until he could return. Yesterday, Zhang Ansha had seen the traces of Bull clumsily escaping over the window of He Ao¡¯s house, so he judged that this task should be easy for He Ao; the ten thousand was mainly the fee for He Ao¡¯s action. Now that the nature of the task had changed, he let He Ao name his price directly. And He Ao¡¯s display of clear logic just now had moved him; all he was thinking about now was how to trick... recruit this kid into the Research Institute after everything was over. Of course, He Ao didn¡¯t know Zhang Ansha¡¯s current thoughts, but he knew that Zhang Ansha must have suspected that he was a Transcendent by now, but he didn¡¯t say it, nor did Zhang Ansha ask. The two tacitly kept quiet about this matter. The Research Institute Zhang Ansha belonged to was clearly a secretive, large organization, and most likely one that belonged to the side of order. For He Ao, when he realized that the world was starting to change, he consciously started looking for ways to secure a stable source of intelligence. In changing times, large organizations often have access to much more information before individuals can. And in this world, the most important thing is information. A disparity in information could be the difference between life and death. It¡¯s like drinking paraquat would be beyond saving even by the gods, while drinking ordinary pesticides and getting one¡¯s stomach pumped could save them. For someone who only intends to threaten others by drinking pesticide without really wanting to die, whether they know about the toxicity of paraquat could be the difference between life and death. Zhang Ansha was smart enough, and friendly enough. So He Ao was very willing to cooperate with him once, and his agreement to this employment also included a gesture of returning the favor. Chapter 50 - 50 50 Sneaky Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?50: Chapter 50: Sneaky (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 50: Chapter 50: Sneaky (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) Even though he wasn¡¯t considering joining the organization right now, successful cooperation was the foundation of trust, so Zhang Ansha allowed He Ao to quote any price, but He Ao wouldn¡¯t really make an exorbitant demand. ¡°My charges are always reasonable,¡± He Ao reassured Zhang Ansha, because it seemed that Zhang Ansha¡¯s organization wasn¡¯t very wealthy. After thinking for a bit, he added, ¡°I need to contact Liu to have him help retrieve surveillance footage and set up defenses on some roads.¡± ¡ª¡ª Liu Nan was carried on the shoulder of a young man, traversing the gloomy and dark alley. Her physical condition wasn¡¯t as good as He Ao or Zhang Ansha¡¯s, and on the pitch-black alley without any streetlights, she could hardly see anything. The majority of the surrounding houses had turned off their lights, everything was so dark; only the young man carrying her continued to move silently forward. ¡°Hello,¡± Liu Nan tapped on the young man¡¯s back, trying to converse with him. She was carried directly on his shoulder, her legs wrapped around his chest and held by his arms, her waist jammed on his shoulder, her upper body hanging down along his back, so she could only knock on his back, ¡°Whatever you want, I can give it to you directly. No matter how much money you need, life is hard for everyone, I can understand that. If you let me go, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you, and I won¡¯t call the police...¡± The young man didn¡¯t respond and continued to hurry along with a grunt. ¡°Really... I¡¯m not lying to you...¡± Liu Nan pinched her sleeve, the hard texture feeding back to her, ¡°My dad is the chairman of Wanhe Industrial, we can afford to pay, he taught me from childhood to be honest, if I say I won¡¯t call the police, then I really won¡¯t.¡± The young man didn¡¯t respond, simply tightening his grip on Liu Nan¡¯s leg. The intense pain bore down, immediately causing Liu Nan to cry out in agony. ¡°Talk again and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The young man¡¯s tone was ice-cold, as he continued moving forward. Liu Nan glanced at the pitch-black surroundings and, enduring the pain, quieted down. She realized that this odd group of people seemed not only after money, or perhaps not after money at all. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Can you watch the stall for me?¡± He Ao hung up a sign on his stall that read [Closed Today for Urgent Matters], locked his little chest, and had Yuan Nannan sit in his place, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted the police, and someone will come to protect you soon, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s surveillance here, it¡¯s safe.¡± In reality, Yuan Nannan was always safe. If they really wanted to capture her, they would have done so when they abducted Liu Nan, not letting her run back to find He Ao. When He Ao mentioned surveillance, a short-haired girl who was normally eating cold noodles in the corner suddenly paused, then continued to slowly eat her noodles. At that time, there weren¡¯t many people left eating at He Ao¡¯s stall, just a few scattered here and there, mostly sitting a good distance away and essentially unable to hear He Ao¡¯s voice. After reassuring Yuan Nannan, He Ao turned his head to glance at the short-haired girl but said nothing, and slowly walked deeper into the street. The short-haired girl watched He Ao disappear step by step into the night and breathed a long sigh of relief. She then looked around and noticed a surveillance camera at the top of the street facing their direction. Then she hastily finished her noodles, grabbed her suitcase and headed in the opposite direction from where He Ao had gone. After walking a distance and making sure no one was pursuing her, she started to jog, running for quite a while until there was absolutely no one around before stopping to catch her breath in deep gasps. ¡°What are you hiding from?¡± A soft inquiry suddenly reached her ears. ¡°Ah!!!¡± The girl was startled by the sudden ¡®greeting,¡¯ twisting her foot and tumbling to the ground. Seeing her fall, He Ao quickly reached out. And grabbed the suitcase. Bang¡ª The girl hit the ground hard with a loud thump. She looked up, stared blankly at He Ao, then rubbed her buttocks as she stood up, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any gentlemanly manners at all? Didn¡¯t even think to give me a hand.¡± ¡°May I see what you have in your suitcase?¡± He Ao looked at her calmly. ¡°Look... go ahead...¡± The girl, staring into his icy gaze, felt that if she refused, she would be killed by this man in the next second. She had even imagined her own body being discarded in the wilderness. ¡°I¡¯ve asked for your permission, so inspecting your belongings isn¡¯t an invasion of your privacy.¡± He Ao glanced at the suitcase, which had a combination lock, but the girl hadn¡¯t locked it. He pressed the switch, and with a ¡®clack,¡¯ the suitcase opened. A foldable multi-tiered inner box was revealed, displaying various bottles and jars. However, there were some items that He Ao recognized, such as foundation, eyeliner, and lipstick. He had suspected that it could be filled with any number of items, jewelry, contraband, or even weapons, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be these things. ¡°What is this?¡± He looked at the girl, puzzled. ¡°Makeup... makeup products...¡± the girl stuttered in response. He Ao¡¯s presence was too intimidating, nothing like the warm boss who sold cold noodles earlier, a bit frightening, ¡°I¡¯m a makeup artist.¡± ¡°Makeup artist?¡± Although He Ao had never heard of the profession, it seemed like a perfectly normal job. He slowly closed the suitcase and meticulously zipped it up, returning it to its original position. ¡°It¡¯s just someone who does makeup professionally.¡± The girl explained. She always felt that there was something not quite right about He Ao¡¯s actions, but he had asked for her permission and hadn¡¯t touched anything, and he seemed quite polite. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone around here who needs your makeup services, right?¡± He Ao handed the suitcase back to the girl. He had noticed the girl¡¯s uniqueness early on, but didn¡¯t pay much attention at first. Not until he realized the girl seemed to be eavesdropping on his conversation with Yuan Nannan and that her consecutive noodle slurping was clearly a way to stall for time. If she were just an ordinary customer with ¡®unique¡¯ characteristics, He Ao wouldn¡¯t care. But the girl appeared too secretive, so he decided to ¡®fish¡¯ a bit, wanting to see what she was really up to. ¡°I... I have a client nearby...¡± The girl didn¡¯t know why she felt compelled to answer He Ao¡¯s questions, but she dared not refuse. Clearly, she was lying, and not a practiced liar at that. She didn¡¯t even know that keeping a steady tone, making eye contact when lying, would improve her credibility. But He Ao no longer had the time to argue these points. He took out his phone, glanced at the time, and looked at the girl, ¡°When I mentioned the surveillance and that the police would arrive soon, you hesitated, then you quickly left after I walked away. Are you afraid of the police?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The girl instinctively froze, then a sense of dread began to emerge. He Ao¡¯s gaze shifted to something behind her. Chapter 51 - 51 51 Tracking Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?51: Chapter 51: Tracking (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 51: Chapter 51: Tracking (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The short-haired girl subconsciously followed He Ao¡¯s gaze and looked back. And in that instant, He Ao quickly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. Instinctively, the girl tried to break free, and as she struggled, He Ao was momentarily caught off guard, nearly allowing her to escape. Such great strength. The force was even stronger than He Ao¡¯s current strength, but strength alone was not enough; the same force could have different effects in different people¡¯s hands. He Ao lowered his body, steadied his footing, and then pulled out a pink pair of handcuffs from his waist, snapping them directly onto the girl¡¯s fair wrist. Then he leaned back, kicked hard with both feet, and with a strong pull, the girl¡¯s body pitched forward, losing her leverage. All of this happened extremely quickly. The girl hadn¡¯t even reacted before He Ao was dragging her along, stumbling for a few steps, and falling forward. Before her cheek could make intimate contact with the raised steel frame on the ground, He Ao steadied her and then snapped the handcuffs onto the steel frame with a click. Only then did the girl clearly see what was in front of her, a lock rack by the roadside for pedestrians to lock their bicycles. The rack appeared very sturdy, made entirely of solid steel. ¡°What is this thing?!¡± The girl glanced at the pink handcuffs on her wrist. They didn¡¯t seem like proper handcuffs, did they? There was even pink fluff on them¡ªsure they weren¡¯t some weird adult toy? She tried to pull hard, and the handcuffs hit the bike rack, making a loud noise and violently shaking, but the rack did not loosen, nor did the handcuffs break. ¡°Ah!!!¡± Instead, it was the girl¡¯s hand that suffered from the forceful attempt, as the handcuffs left red imprints and caused her to wince in pain, ¡°Hiss!!!¡± ¡°Good physical condition,¡± He Ao glanced at her and nodded lightly, guessing that the girl had indeed become a Transcendent, with greatly improved physical condition. However, she had yet to realize this and could not skillfully control her own strength. He then took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Captain Liu, followed by a location. Then he pressed the voice key, ¡°Captain Liu, there¡¯s a suspected accomplice of the kidnappers here. I¡¯ve locked her up; remember to send someone over to check, and be careful, she¡¯s quite strong.¡± The girl had wanted to lash out at He Ao for taking the photo, but upon hearing his words, she started to feel fearful. Her eyes widened as she looked pitifully at He Ao, ¡°Brother, please let me go, I¡¯m not a kidnapper. I was just passing by. Let me go, and I¡¯ll leave immediately, never to return. I will even take a flight out tonight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t struggle violently,¡± He Ao pointed at the rack that already bore marks from her struggles, and then pointed above to a camera that was aimed right at them, ¡°If you break it, you¡¯ll have to pay for it. Just wait patiently for the police. If you¡¯re truly innocent, they won¡¯t wrong you. Even if you¡¯ve done something wrong, if you can provide enough information, you can atone for your crimes and earn merit.¡± He then patted the girl¡¯s shoulder and dragged her luggage to her side, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t harm you. The police will be here in a few minutes.¡± To He Ao, this girl was a typical example of an ordinary person who had just come into contact with the shadow of the world. She stood on the edge of a cliff, but had not yet fully fallen into the abyss. She still held onto many ordinary thoughts and was not thoroughly ruthless, but she was afraid of the police because she had done something in the shadow. At this stage, the things she had done were generally not serious, and she couldn¡¯t reach deeper levels of evil. It was possible for her to rein herself in. After calming the short-haired girl, He Ao quickly headed in the direction where Liu Nan had disappeared. The short-haired girl watched He Ao¡¯s figure disappear, then glanced at the small box beside her, placed it flat on the ground, and sat on it. What a strange person. She sighed to herself, realizing she could no longer run away and had to accept her situation. Then, she turned her attention to the handcuffs that bound her hands. She shook her wrist, the metal handcuffs rattled against the frame of the car, producing a clear collision sound. But being locked up here, she felt like a tiny pet casually tied up by the roadside. ¡ª¡ª He Ao¡¯s form swiftly weaved through the streets, quickly passing the spot where Liu Nan had just been. He saw the vehicle that had been blasted to remains, with people ready to extinguish the fire with hoses. He Ao did not go over to survey the scene, but ran straight towards the north. Draw a line in the east-west direction from the position where Liu Nan was attacked, to the south of that line lies a neatly arranged industrial district, surveillance cameras sprawling everywhere. A few hundred meters to the north of this line were various self-built homes and construction sites in the countryside. These structures were separated by numerous concealed and deep paths. In between were patches of farmland¡ªforget surveillance cameras, there were hardly any street lamps. If the adversaries weren¡¯t foolish, they would definitely choose to enter this northern area to evade pursuit and then take the opportunity to escape. Zhang Ansha was in the west, his companion had been lured to the north. If the enemy indeed only had Bull taking Liu Nan away, they would certainly try to avoid encountering these two groups, because getting delayed could highly likely lead to being surrounded by the arriving police or other ¡®Research Institute¡¯ personnel. Thus, it was highly probable that he would head east. His two teammates would also do their best to delay the actions of Zhang Ansha and Zhang Ansha¡¯s companion, creating an opportunity for Bull to make an escape. He Ao directly climbed onto a relatively tall two-story building to the east. It used to take some effort for him to climb such buildings, but after his physical abilities had improved, he scaled the roof in a flash by following the window drainpipes. Wherever one goes, one leaves traces behind. Based on Bull¡¯s performance of crushing tiles in his home yesterday, he was unable to control his strength well after the transformation, so he must have left obvious tracks. Ordinary people would struggle to spot those traces in such a pitch-black night without streetlights, but He Ao was different. Super Memory, burst! As Super Memory activated, all the details within his field of vision were laid out in He Ao¡¯s mind. Soon, he discovered the footprints left by Bull. He then deactivated Super Memory, jumped down from the rooftop, swiftly climbed a wall, and chased after the traces he had just seen. ¡ª¡ª Liu Nan had no idea how much time had passed, surrounded by darkness with only the faint shadows of buildings receding into the distance. Just when Liu Nan thought all the scenery here looked alike, a streak of light suddenly appeared in her vision. The light came from ahead, and they seemed to have reached an area with street lamps. The young man seemed a bit surprised to find street lamps in this location, and just as he prepared to bypass it, Liu Nan slowly pulled out a black object from the right sleeve of her coat. Chapter 52 - 52 52 Meeting Again Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?52: Chapter 52: Meeting Again (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 52: Chapter 52: Meeting Again (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The young man who had been resisting Liu Nan was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his right shoulder at the joint with his elbow. Following that, his entire right arm lost its strength from top to bottom, falling into a numb tingle, and even the upper half of his body started to feel a bit numb. Before he could react to what had happened, as he was about to turn and look back, Liu Nan forcefully broke free from the control of his numb right hand, slipped away from his body, and then dashed toward the direction of a streetlight without looking back. As she ran, she shouted loudly, ¡°Help! Help! Somebody is abducting me!¡± A dark object slid down the young man¡¯s right shoulder, and looking down, he discovered it was a small taser. Liu Nan had just used this taser to numb his arm. Liu Nan glanced back at the young man and hurriedly ran forward even faster. This taser was a custom model she carried after an attack she experienced a while ago; it could only discharge once but had the power to knock out a fully-grown man. However, it only caused the young man¡¯s arm to become numb. The reason she had not used it earlier was because, in the dark environment her vision was not as good as the young man¡¯s, and the chances of successfully escaping in the dark were far lower than in a lit area. While running, she looked up toward the source of the light in front of her. It was not a streetlamp, but a large solar-powered light mounted on the wall of a house. Although she could see the light now, she was still quite a distance from the light source, and the young man behind seemed to have regained his senses and was close to catching up to her in just a few strides. Liu Nan had to push her physical limits and sprint. She had never felt she could run so fast; her legs were still in pain from where the young man had grabbed her, but she could no longer care about the pain. In this moment her mind was blank, with only the thoughts of ¡®run¡¯ and ¡®run faster.¡¯ It was at this moment that Liu Nan¡¯s loud cries for help took effect. A household turned on their lights, and a young man in pajamas stuck his head out from a second-floor window to look outside, ¡°Who¡¯s there, making a racket in the middle of the night?¡± Just as he saw the young man chasing Liu Nan, he immediately became half sober from sleep and shouted loudly, ¡°Hey, what are you doing, I¡¯m calling the police!¡± The young man turned around and glared at him angrily, his muscles swelling rapidly as he punched through a nearby house¡¯s garden wall, sending bricks flying everywhere. The man who peered out the window trembled in fear and quickly withdrew, but after hesitating for a moment, he still picked up his phone. Meanwhile, the young man, seeing that his intimidation had worked, smugly turned his head to continue the pursuit of Liu Nan, only to realize that she was nowhere to be seen. ¡ª¡ª Liu Nan leaned against the wall of the alleyway, gasping for air, with a piercing buzzing sound echoing in her mind; her lungs felt like a ragged bellows being furiously pumped. This was the consequence of engaging in intense physical activity after a long period without it. After resting for a short while, she glanced at the light from the streetlamp on her left, hesitated for a moment, and then looked to the right, which was pitch-black and led to an unknown alleyway. In a moment of quick thinking, she had sharply turned right into the alley next to her, escaping the young man¡¯s line of sight. She wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun him in a lit area and was sure to be caught, so her only chance was to use these interconnected alleys to see if she could elude him. She wondered if Yuan Nannan had found He Ao and whether they had called the police. Would He Ao come to save her? For some reason, Liu Nan had great faith that He Ao could save her from the young man, perhaps because of He Ao¡¯s mystique, which made her subconsciously raise her expectations for him. Her phone and smartwatch had been taken and crushed when Bull captured her; she now had no way to contact the outside world and could only hope for rescue. She gently squeezed her left sleeve, where another taser was hidden; she had brought two, with one concealed in each sleeve. The young man had been overconfident when he first caught her and hadn¡¯t searched her properly. Immediately after that, she cautiously and quickly walked into the dark alley. Liu Nan had thought about calling out loud for help, but making noise would mean revealing her location. She couldn¡¯t be certain whether help would arrive before the young man rushed over and caught her. She planned to walk a little further in and see if she could slip into a house with an unlocked door or without a garden wall. The walls around here were too high, and she didn¡¯t know how to climb them. ¡ª¡ª Ding¡ª¡ª He Ao answered the phone, sprinting down the path while hooking the Bluetooth earpiece over his ear. Captain Liu¡¯s voice came through from the other end, ¡°He Ao, someone just called in, saying they saw a burly man chasing a woman and even smashing a wall with a punch.¡± ¡°Mhm, I heard, I¡¯m not far from there, I¡¯m on my way now,¡± he responded. As he spoke, he vaulted over a wall and walked in a straight line along its edge towards his destination. ¡°Alright ...¡± Captain Liu obviously did not expect this response; he fell silent for a moment before adding, ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He Ao paused, nodded, and then hung up the phone. ¡ª- Liu Nan continued to delve into the alley, which seemed especially secluded. The absence of the footsteps of the youth behind her proved she had not been found yet. After making several turns, she seemed to come upon a pile of abandoned buildings, the surrounding area overgrown with weeds, implying it was rarely visited. She kept walking forward, encountering a fork in the road that split into two paths. Right then, a slow palpitation began to emanate within her, Take the right, something lies to the right. She didn¡¯t know what was on the right, but the pulsation in her heart grew stronger, compelling her to head down the path to the right. The weeds on the right were evidently denser than the ones on the path she had traversed before; Liu Nan sometimes even had to push away the weeds in front of her to proceed. The path seemed to run along the wall of an old house. Even though Liu Nan could not make out the details in the dark, only seeing a blurry shadow, she could still vaguely discern that the architectural style of this old house was different from the other buildings. After walking for a minute or two, a somewhat spacious red iron gate appeared in Liu Nan¡¯s field of vision. The gate seemed unlocked, ajar, leaving a gap. Liu Nan pressed her eye to the gap, attempting to see what lay within. Suddenly! A powerful arm shot out from behind and forcefully grasped her wrist, then quickly seized her other hand. The owner of the arm pulled Liu Nan¡¯s hands behind her back, stacking them together, and bound them with a strip of cloth found who-knows-where, then pinched open her mouth and stuffed a wad of cloth to gag her. ¡°Run, where do you think you¡¯re running to?¡± The youth was clearly agitated; he hoisted Liu Nan up again, spat, looked around for a moment, and then ran back the way they came. Crossing one more alley would take them to the riverbank where they had concealed a small boat, ready to cross the river. There were no bridges or ferry points nearby, so the police wouldn¡¯t think of crossing the river for a while. By the time the police realized it, he would have made his escape. The youth sprinted along the alley, and as long as he reached the riverbank, half of his mission would be accomplished. He encountered no obstacles along the way and rushed through effortlessly, already able to see the rocky riverbank in the distance; the place where his boat was hidden wasn¡¯t far ahead. His boat wasn¡¯t hidden in the water; there were no aquatic plants nearby, and it would be conspicuous. Therefore, he had tucked the boat amidst the straw stacks in a field some distance from the river. For others, it might be difficult to carry the boat such a distance, but for him, it was simple. However, just as he was charging enthusiastically towards the field, he was shocked to discover a vague figure lying atop the very straw stack where he had hidden his boat. ¡°We meet again.¡± The figure slowly stood up, revealing a smile. Though Liu Nan couldn¡¯t see the figure, she recognized the voice very well. Chapter 53 - 53 53 Martial Arts as a Killing Technique Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?53: Chapter 53: Martial Arts as a Killing Technique (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 53: Chapter 53: Martial Arts as a Killing Technique (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The young man looked at the figure standing up slowly ahead, with kind eyebrows, benevolent eyes, and a full smile, and immediately turned to run. With that turn, Liu Nan, who had been facing the other way, also saw the person standing in front of the hay pile, she couldn¡¯t make out the figure¡¯s appearance, but she had a rough idea of who it was. ¡°He Ao?¡± She called out tentatively, but because her mouth was gagged, she could only make muffled sounds. ¡°Hmm.¡± However, the other party seemed to understand her words and responded with a soft grunt, but the voice seemed a bit closer. By the time Liu Nan reacted, He Ao was already standing in front of her, he casually ripped the cloth from her mouth. So fast! That was the only thought in her mind. But He Ao didn¡¯t care about her shock, he clenched his left hand into a fist and smashed it directly towards the young man¡¯s neck. The young man didn¡¯t expect He Ao to be so fast, but he still immediately turned sideways, using his hand to block the move. However, that was just a feint from He Ao, with his other hand he instantly performed a ¡°monkey stealing the peach.¡± The young man¡¯s face stiffened, his entire body seized up from the intense pain in an instant, while He Ao¡¯s blocked left hand slid downward, grabbing the young man¡¯s right hand fingers, leveraging it upwards to pry open his right hand. While the hand that performed the ¡°monkey stealing the peach¡± instantly grabbed Liu Nan¡¯s ankle, wrapped in black silk, pulling her down from the young man and swiftly retreated back. After untangling the bindings on Liu Nan¡¯s hands, he threw her casually towards the nearby hay pile. Everything happened so fast, Liu Nan hadn¡¯t reacted yet when she felt her ankle grabbed, yanked forcefully, and then she was flung out, her body sinking into the hay pile. He Ao glanced at Liu Nan to make sure she was alright, then turned his attention back to the young man in front of him. ¡°You used underhanded tactics!¡± Muscles bulged swiftly all over the young man¡¯s body, turning it crimson, yet his cheeks still retained traces of anguished expression. ¡°Combat is the art of killing.¡± He Ao took two steps back, assuming a stance; he clearly noticed that once the other party¡¯s muscles inflated, the expression of pain lessened significantly. This indicated that after the opponent¡¯s power surge, either his tolerance for pain increased, or his body had healed. So he didn¡¯t advance a step further, but instead maintained a distance. Fighting is the art of killing; only the moves performed on a stage differentiate between yin and yang, beautiful and ugly. In a real battle, any move that can kill or injure the opponent is a good move. If he had engaged in a head-on fight, allowing the young man any response time, the young man would consciously protect Liu Nan, and rescuing Liu Nan from his grasp would become much more difficult. Only in such an unexpected situation, with one feint and one real move, followed by a swift pull, could tactical goals be achieved in a matter of seconds. However, He Ao focused his attention on the young man whose muscles had swelled, the young man¡¯s normal state and muscle-bursting state were completely different forms; he was like He Ao in his normal state and like a raging Bull when his muscles exploded. Perhaps he could use this guy to test his current combat strength. ¡°Super Memory, explode!¡± With his thoughts flipping, He Ao directly activated Super Memory and threw a punch at the young man. With his movement, a wisp of hidden energy began to surge within his muscles. The numerical values for physical condition on his attribute panel quickly climbed, shooting up from 16 to the seventies in an instant and finally stabilizing at 85. Meanwhile, the young man, now resembling a Bull with muscles inflated, also extended his hand to block He Ao¡¯s fist. Bang¡ª With a muffled collision sound, the young man¡¯s body became unstable and he staggered back half a step. He looked at He Ao with surprise in his eyes. Yesterday, when He Ao knocked him down, he was clearly using some special power, but this time it was a pure, flesh-on-flesh collision and He Ao actually managed to repel him. Isn¡¯t he a superpower user? How could he be so strong? Is that reasonable? Meanwhile, He Ao returned to his original spot and turned off Super Memory. That one hit had forced the young man back but had actually not hurt him. Under an explosive state, the young man¡¯s strength was still greater than his. If He Ao¡¯s strength was 85, then the young man¡¯s strength in the explosive state would be around 120, and possibly even higher under extreme conditions. But He Ao¡¯s 85 wasn¡¯t just strength, it also incorporated an enhancement in body flexibility as well as Super Memory¡¯s detail observation ability. Purely in terms of fighting skills, the young man was no match for him. Besides, the young man was obviously used to brute force and was not adept at fighting techniques. With that in mind, He Ao had roughly made a judgment. Defeating a brute who only knew how to smash with force was not difficult, unless the difference in strength was too vast, much like his previous encounter with Mu Xiu. Speaking of Mu Xiu, He Ao locked his gaze on the young man. He felt that the young man¡¯s abilities were somewhat similar to Mu Xiu¡¯s; both had a normal and an explosive state, which after igniting, showed an alternation in body form. But such explosive transformations usually didn¡¯t last long; otherwise, the young man could maintain his stronger form all the time without needing to shift back to a normal state. At this moment, the young man¡¯s thinking was much simpler. He glanced at He Ao and then at Liu Nan, who was crawling out of the hay pile. In fact, the back-and-forth between him and He Ao had not lasted long, not even a full minute. But in that minute, he recognized again the gap in their strengths. He couldn¡¯t beat He Ao. Without any hesitation, the young man turned and ran. If the mission failed, so be it; there would be another chance. But if he was caught or died here, there would be no more chances. He Ao didn¡¯t expect the guy to be so decisive. He glanced at Liu Nan, who was just crawling out of the hay pile, and casually tossed his phone to her, ¡°Call the police, they will come to rescue you.¡± After speaking, he chased after the young man without waiting for Liu Nan¡¯s response. Along the way, he had practically confirmed that the young man truly had no other accomplices. He arrived before the youth at the place where the boat was hidden to make sure the young man was not meeting with any accomplices. Since there were no accomplices, there was no need to worry about Liu Nan. This youth was worth at least ten thousand yuan. Could the money already in hand grow wings and fly away? Liu Nan fumbled to catch the elderly-used large screen phone that He Ao tossed to her, and by the time she looked up again, He Ao had vanished into the night. ¡°I...¡± She opened her mouth, but ultimately no words came out. She could only sigh. She illuminated the phone¡¯s screen, The screen saver image showed an elderly man in a stooped posture wearing a yellow straw hat fishing, with a little boy in a white shirt sitting next to him, hands propping him up from the ground as he looked up at the elderly man. This photo was taken from behind. Neither person showed their face, and the picture had been overlaid with a semi-transparent frosted veil, adding a misty, leisurely beauty to it, further obscuring the faces of the people in the photo. Liu Nan didn¡¯t pay much attention to this screen saver. Scenic screen savers like this were common, and the composition and color were so exquisite it indicated the photographer was professional, and the image was most likely a wallpaper downloaded from the internet. She swiped away the screen saver... And then the phone prompted her to enter the password. ... Although it was locked, emergency calls could still be made. This guy really played it dead. Liu Nan inwardly sighed and turned on the phone¡¯s flashlight, then dialed the police¡¯s number. As she waited for the call to connect, a gust of night wind blew, making Liu Nan shiver. She wasn¡¯t dressed warmly today; while she looked beautiful, it was quite cold. She shifted her body, intending to move to the leeward side of the haystack. ¡ª¡ª He Ao chased the young man through the alleys, and the distance between them continually narrowed. The youth had a quick burst speed, but He Ao¡¯s speed was no less impressive. Moreover, it was quite evident that the young man couldn¡¯t control his strength well. Every time he tried to scale a wall, he would easily break it, leaving him to run on the ground. Crashing into walls also delayed him, providing He Ao with chances to close the gap. Even so, after just one or two alleys, He Ao caught up with the youth. Just as he was about to intercept the young man, in a panic, the youth crashed directly into the courtyard of a house with its doors wide open. It would be a hassle if he injured someone. He Ao frowned and followed the youth into the courtyard. However, the moment he entered the courtyard, he stopped in his tracks, as he didn¡¯t see the youth¡¯s shadow before him. Behind! He immediately dodged to the side. A huge stone water jar flew from above and crashed into the spot where he had just stood, making a small pit in the ground of the courtyard. Seeing that it missed its mark, the youth, red-eyed with frenzy, charged out from behind the door, swinging a stone table next to him like a toy as he rushed towards He Ao. He Ao dodged nimbly and frowned slightly. How had this guy become so wild? But there was no time for him to think more at this moment. Super Memory, burst! As the youth swung the stone table at him again, He Ao dodged it, slightly crouched, and landed a punch on the youth¡¯s abdomen, There were no bones to protect the lower abdomen, and it was filled with a rich network of nerves in the peritoneum, making it easy to inflict injury. Struck by this punch, the youth writhed in pain and swung the stone table even more wildly. He Ao rolled to the side, stepping back several paces, his gaze on the increasingly agitated youth. With that punch, He Ao gained an understanding of the youth¡¯s defenses. Countless details from his Super Memory sprang to mind, performing a rapid analysis of the youth¡¯s patterns of movement. Then he shifted slightly, letting the stone table the youth threw graze past him. The youth¡¯s strength seemed to increase in synchronization with his level of frenzy. The more he lost his mind, the stronger he became, huh? He Ao frowned again, This really merits extra pay. The nonchalant demeanor that He Ao exhibited completely enraged the youth, who let out an angry roar, charging at He Ao like a frenzied bull. The nearly ten meters that He Ao had put between them just a moment ago was almost instantly crossed by him. His footsteps on the ground seemed to make the yard and the house tremble. He Ao glanced at the house beside him, feeling as if something inside was watching him. But at this moment, the most important thing was to deal with the youth in front of him. He shifted his body, crouching slightly, then made a feint as if about to kick to the groin. The youth, although seemingly out of his senses, still subconsciously protected his groin, which slowed his pace. And in that moment, He Ao swiftly stood up, channeling all his strength into his arm to land an uppercut on the youth¡¯s chin. Crash¡ª Chapter 54 - 54 54 Singularity Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?54: Chapter 54: Singularity (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 54: Chapter 54: Singularity (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) With a violent collision sound, He Ao took a half step back, his feet sinking into the ground, while the young man was sent flying backward and landed on the ground with a thud. KO! He Ao quickly walked over to the young man¡¯s side. It seemed like the young man had passed out, his muscles that had swelled up rapidly deflating to their original form. When a person¡¯s jaw is struck forcefully, the immense impact transmits along the skull, causing a mild concussion within the cranium, which momentarily makes the brain lose control over the body. The external manifestation is fainting. Once He Ao was sure the young man had fainted, he deactivated the Super Memory effect. With the force he had used, the young man should be out for about ten minutes, which ought to be enough time for Zhang Ansha to arrive. In fact, from the moment he activated Super Memory to knocking out the young man, only five seconds had passed. But those five seconds were enough to make him feel a shred of weakness, as powerful as Super Memory was, it incurred too great a cost. Bang¡ª A crisp door slamming sound caught He Ao¡¯s attention. He looked up, only to see a pretty girl in a loose sweater and black stockings, bumping into the iron gate of the courtyard. She held a large elderly cell phone with the flashlight on, looking confusedly outside. ¡°Liu Nan?¡± he asked, somewhat perplexed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting outside for rescue?¡± ¡°Ah? He Ao?¡± Liu Nan, called by name, turned around, surprise evident on her face as she saw He Ao, ¡°How come you are here?¡± Then she looked toward the rust-covered red gate beside her, took two steps back, and seemed confused, ¡°How am I here? Wasn¡¯t I just hiding from the wind behind the haystack?¡± He Ao¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, as he lowered his gaze to the spot in front of him where the unconscious young man had been, only to find it empty. The stone tables and the water jar that the young man had used as heavy objects and thrown away had somehow returned to their original places. ¡°Run!¡± Without any hesitation, He Ao shouted loudly and immediately dashed toward the gate. Super Memory, explode! Liu Nan hadn¡¯t yet grasped the situation when He Ao grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the outside. They stepped past the doorway and rushed out of the gate. Outside was a thick mist. He Ao hesitated for a moment but still turned off Super Memory. The mist was clearly not normal, but he had limited time to use Super Memory, which should only be activated in the face of formidable enemies or during critical moments. ¡°He Ao, I... I think I recognize that gate.¡± At this moment, Liu Nan, still held by He Ao, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Hmm?¡± As He Ao moved forward, fumbling his way, he hummed to signal Liu Nan to continue talking. ¡°I had just broken free from the kidnapper¡¯s hold and seemed to have come up to the courtyard gate we were just at. The gate was ajar at that time, so I peeked inside and then got captured by the kidnapper again.¡± Liu Nan paused, ¡°I felt like there was something in the courtyard that was drawing me in.¡± ¡°Drawing you in?¡± He Ao continued to walk forward; the dense fog seemed to strongly impede vision. He took a couple of steps forward, and the vague shape of an object slowly came into view. ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s a strange feeling, like I can¡¯t explain it well, as if I was meant to go that way, and then I went.¡± Liu Nan explained haltingly as He Ao pulled her along. ¡°Hmm.¡± He Ao nodded his head. Despite Liu Nan¡¯s description sounding fantastical, he no longer found anything strange about her circumstance given that things like Transcendents and Copy Worlds had come into play. ¡°You believe me?¡± Liu Nan was taken aback; she thought He Ao might suspect her of making things up. ¡°Our interests are aligned right now, you have no reason to lie to me.¡± He Ao responded calmly, by then they had arrived in front of the vague object. It was an ancient stone cistern. Nowadays, cisterns are generally made of ceramics or metal, carving a cistern from stone is time-consuming and labor-intensive, this stone cistern had to be several decades old at least. ¡°Do you still have a signal on your phone?¡± He Ao rested his hand on the edge of the water tank and suddenly asked. ¡°Ah?¡± Liu Nan was startled, He Ao¡¯s cell phone had been in her hand. She unlocked the screen and glanced at it. ¡°There¡¯s no signal,¡± Then she paused, ¡°You have two missed calls, how come I didn¡¯t notice just now...¡± He Ao turned around, took the phone from her hand, and unlocked it. The missed calls were from Zhang Ansha. Zhang Ansha had called twice in a row, and judging by the time in the record of the assimilation, it must have been when Liu Nan was contacting the police. Since both attempts were unsuccessful, Zhang Ansha sent a text message to He Ao. [He Ao, your location is showing an anomaly nearby, a place where strange phenomena occur. Be careful. The anomaly looks like an abandoned mansion with an unlocked, rusty red gate. It attracts passersby to move antiques from their own homes or items of special nature inside to place them. Currently, there have been no casualties, but we haven¡¯t started an investigation yet, so we don¡¯t know if there are any other mutations. Be sure to be careful.] He Ao looked at the text message on the phone, silent for a moment, and then looked back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, He Ao?¡± Liu Nan, who was coming around to look at the text message, was puzzled by He Ao¡¯s actions, then she also turned her head. What came into her view was a tightly closed red gate. They were not outside the gate, but rather inside it. Ghost wall illusion. A term emerged from the depths of Liu Nan¡¯s mind. She shivered, instinctively moving closer to He Ao. They had not charged out of the gate. Instead, they had circled back and charged into the yard. ¡°What, what should we do?¡± Liu Nan was somewhat panic-stricken. The strong kidnapper had displayed inhuman strength, but at least he was human. But the situation they were encountering now seemed to have surpassed what humans could understand. ¡°Let¡¯s try to climb over it.¡± He Ao closed his eyes. The images that Super Memory had recorded just moments ago quickly reassembled in his mind, forming a meticulous three-dimensional model. Then, leading Liu Nan by the hand, he walked a few steps, passed through the mist, and arrived at the wall. First, He Ao picked up a stone from the ground and made a mark on the wall. Then, with Liu Nan in tow, he climbed up the wall. On the other side of the wall was also thick fog. He thought for a moment, then jumped down¡ªsince he couldn¡¯t directly ¡°absorb¡± when jumping from top to bottom, so he wrapped his arm around Liu Nan¡¯s shoulders. At this moment, neither of them was concerned with these details. They were facing a situation they had never encountered before, one that was even somewhat eerie. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Liu Nan¡¯s gaze focused on the mark He Ao had just made. After they had climbed the wall, they found themselves back where they started. ¡°It seems we can¡¯t get out by regular means.¡± He Ao released Liu Nan and fell into thought. The message from Zhang Ansha indicated that this anomaly wasn¡¯t very dangerous; it just lured people to move things into it, and people wouldn¡¯t get hurt. But now, it seemed that this courtyard didn¡¯t want to let them leave, or perhaps, specific conditions had to be met to leave? ¡°Shall we go inside the house to check? There might be some clues in the house?¡± Liu Nan suggested after some thought. She had recovered from the initial panic, and although she was still nervous and scared, she knew that neither would help them. He Ao¡¯s composure also affected her. This idea coincided with He Ao¡¯s thoughts. He glanced at Liu Nan and nodded lightly. Easily finding the direction to the house by comparing the surroundings with the model in his mind, He Ao led Liu Nan through the mist to the front of the house door. In He Ao¡¯s memory, the house connected to this courtyard had only one iron-chained, tightly shut door. But at the moment, the door was ajar, and the chains had disappeared into thin air. After hesitating for a moment, He Ao slowly pushed open the house door. Dimly lit kerosene lamps flickered to life inside the house, illuminating item after item neatly placed within. Chapter 55 - 55 55 Conditions for Leaving Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?55: Chapter 55: Conditions for Leaving (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 55: Chapter 55: Conditions for Leaving (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The interior structure of the room was very simple, with the left and right sides opened up to form a huge, elongated space. The walls of the entire room were lined with closely arranged display cases, on which items were densely and neatly arranged. In the middle of the room, display cases were also scattered in rows, and dim kerosene lamps were placed between them for lighting. This room didn¡¯t feel like a space meant for living; it was more akin to a dollar store in a shopping mall, crammed with various small commodities. ¡°Shall we go in?¡± Liu Nan looked at the scene and felt a bit weird; combined with the dim light from the kerosene lamps and the dense fog outside, it seemed somewhat terrifying and bizarre. ¡°Mhm, just don¡¯t go too far from me.¡± He Ao nodded, letting go of Liu Nan¡¯s wrist, and stepped into the room first. He had been holding on to Liu Nan all this time because it was easy to get lost once they let go of each other in the fog that hindered their vision; though the room was odd, it had basic lighting and their sight wouldn¡¯t be obstructed, so there was no need to keep holding on, as it would also affect their combat abilities. Liu Nan looked down at her left wrist. He Ao hadn¡¯t been mindful of his strength when grabbing her wrist and squeezed it rather tightly; her originally fair wrist was now faintly red and there was a slight pain. She pinched her sleeve and pulled it down to cover her wrist before quickly catching up with He Ao. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He Ao paused in front of the display case near the door and asked softly while looking at the items in the case. ¡°Nothing,¡± Liu Nan rolled up her sleeve to show He Ao the reddened area where he had gripped her wrist. She did not hide it; hiding things from each other in a crisis was stupid and could destroy their mutual trust, ¡°I just don¡¯t have the best constitution, I¡¯ve been pampered all my life.¡± Then she paused and added quietly, ¡°Thank you for protecting me just now.¡± As she spoke, her heartbeat quickened somewhat. Just now, when He Ao detected danger, he pulled her out of the door instantly; meanwhile, in the fog, he kept holding onto her. If He Ao had released her at that time, with that visibility, she might have gotten lost in the fog. In such a strange environment, she had no idea what she might encounter. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay,¡± He Ao replied, without looking up, ¡°You owe me two meals now. I didn¡¯t bring a notebook, I¡¯ll note it down later when we get back.¡± ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Liu Nan felt her heartbeat gradually returning to normal. Suspension bridge effect, suspension bridge effect... She sighed, providing herself with an explanation for the quickened heartbeat she¡¯d just experienced. When a person is in a dangerous situation, like crossing a suspension bridge, their heart rate will involuntarily increase; if at this time, they happen to meet a person of the opposite sex, they might mistakenly attribute this heightened heartbeat to being in love¡ªthis is known as the suspension bridge effect. Unlike Liu Nan¡¯s emotional ups and downs, He Ao¡¯s demeanor was consistently calm; he was carefully observing the items in the display cases. ¡°These look like collectibles.¡± Liu Nan stood beside He Ao, no longer thinking about those strange things, and started observing the items as well. In front of He Ao was a ceramic display case, which housed various ceramic objects like vases, dishes, bowls. And in front of each exhibit, there was a small note detailing the name and a brief introduction of the item. For instance, the blue and white porcelain bowl in front of He Ao had a note underneath it stating: [Blue and white porcelain bowl ¨C 200 years old] And Liu Nan was looking at a different display case next to the ceramic one, which was filled with ancient-looking bronzeware. Right now, she was examining an antique bronze tripod that seemed to be at least a few thousand years old, and below it was written, [Four-footed bronze tripod ¨C Modern craft] ¡°Let¡¯s look further inside.¡± He Ao stood up, motioning for Liu Nan to continue inward. Zhang Ansha¡¯s provided information mentioned this courtyard would attract people passing by to move their antiques or special items over here, and it appears those things are displayed here. So, what is this courtyard¡¯s purpose for trapping them here? As they delved deeper, the display cases began to exhibit a variety of odd items¡ªdolls, lollipops, old-fashioned shotguns, and even a pair of pink handcuffs. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ He Ao walked over, stretched out a hand, and tugged at the handcuffs, which loosened, seeming not very sturdy. Then, he disdainfully put the handcuffs back where they were. It was at this moment that he once again felt the sensation of being watched. He looked up towards the depths of the room, and the feeling of being watched slowly dissipated. He continued to walk forward with Liu Nan. When they crossed a certain line, the items on display suddenly changed. Exquisite amber pieces encapsulating insect remains appeared, followed by well-crafted insect specimens. The further they walked, the remains of living creatures gradually replaced non-living objects. ¡°Ah!!!¡± Just then, Liu Nan suddenly cried out in alarm, trembling as she looked ahead, ¡°That cat.¡± He Ao followed her gaze and in the dim light of the kerosene lamp, saw a black cat squatting on a display shelf, staring intensely at the two of them walking past. It appeared somewhat fierce and terrifying. ¡°It¡¯s a specimen.¡± He Ao stepped forward, examining the cat with a label stating below, [Black Cat Specimen ¨C Hunting Moment]. He Ao reached out and touched the cat¡¯s fur; it was soft and smooth, but it no longer retained any body heat. It seemed the cat had been turned into a specimen at the crucial moment of hunting, looking lifelike and even conveying the ferocity of its hunt. Next to it was a mouse in the midst of stealthily eating rice, equally lifelike. ¡°He Ao, look.¡± Liu Nan had already come up to his side, trembling as she tapped on He Ao¡¯s shoulder, signaling for him to look ahead. He Ao looked up to see the display shelves in front of them transformed into larger showcases, which housed all sorts of ¡®biological specimens.¡¯ There were young calves, piglets, grown pigs, adult cows, chickens, ducks, fish, and sheep. He Ao moved past these ¡®specimens¡¯ and walked towards the rear of the room, where there were two circular stands about ten centimeters high against the wall. On the left stand, a person was already in place. It was a youth with closed eyes, wearing tattered clothes, his body rigid, standing upright on the stand. He Ao naturally recognized this person. Bull. There was also a paper slip on the stand beneath the youth. He Ao crouched down to read the detailed information on it, which read, [Bull] He Ao was taken aback. Why was it Bull? All the labels here marked general categories, such as ¡®pig¡¯ for pigs, ¡®cat¡¯ for cats, at most with added descriptors for a bit of specificity, like ¡®black cat¡¯ or ¡®small pig.¡¯ For this youth in front of him, according to this marking system, it should be ¡®human¡¯ or ¡®man.¡¯ Why was it Bull? Could it be that ¡®Bull¡¯ wasn¡¯t just a codename? He Ao stood up, looking at the young man standing before him. He placed his hand lightly on the young man¡¯s chest, where there was a slight fluctuation; the young man was still alive. Meanwhile, Liu Nan¡¯s gaze was drawn to a small printer in the corner behind He Ao. As her gaze shifted to the printer, the compact device suddenly sprung to life and a slip of paper slowly emerged. Liu Nan instinctively looked at the paper, and a realization suddenly dawned on her, ¡®Sacrifice the item listed on the paper to leave.¡¯ It was as if whispered by the Devil. Her eyes fixated on the paper, reading the words inscribed, [Man] Chapter 56 - 56 56 The Important Role of Rookie Teammates Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?56: Chapter 56: The Important Role of Rookie Teammates (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 56: Chapter 56: The Important Role of Rookie Teammates (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) As if possessed, Liu Nan picked up the note and held it in her hand. She turned around and looked at He Ao. He Ao was still looking at the young man standing on the circular platform, his hand already gripping the young man¡¯s arm as if pondering whether to pull him down from the platform. His position was very close to the right platform, and it seemed that all Liu Nan needed to do was push him forward to get him onto the platform. The power of this room would bind He Ao, while Liu Nan, having sacrificed the Sacrifices, could leave. Liu Nan gazed at the young man¡¯s back, her heart thumping wildly. It was as if a beguiling voice was whispering in the depths of her consciousness, in such a sealed space with only two people, whatever she did, no one would know. Later, as long as she blamed everything on this bizarre room and yard, no one would blame her. After all, as a weak woman who couldn¡¯t even truss a chicken, what could she do to harm the powerful He Ao? Who would know that to kill this powerful man in front of her, she just needed to gently push him forward? In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Liu Nan¡¯s mind. She lifted her foot, about to take that step. But in the very next moment, she stopped, took a deep breath to calm herself down, and large drops of sweat slid down her face, her back already soaked with cold sweat. She crumpled the note in her hand into a ball and threw it under a shelf. Greed and desire are an endless Abyss. He Ao had never harmed her and even owed her gratitude; she knew there were some things she couldn¡¯t do. If she did them, there would be no going back. At worst, she could die here. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He Ao seemed to sense something amiss and turned to look at Liu Nan, who was taking deep breaths. ¡°I...¡± Liu Nan opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the small printer made a noise again, and a new note was ejected from the printer. He Ao¡¯s gaze fell on the note, and Liu Nan¡¯s did too. This time, the handwriting on the note had changed to, [Woman] A cold feeling crept up Liu Nan¡¯s spine. She opened her eyes slightly and stared blankly at He Ao, unsure of what choice he would make. He Ao was much stronger than her; he didn¡¯t even need to ambush her. So the printer directly, in front of her, offered a new option for Sacrifices¡ªthe sacrifice was her, in exchange for He Ao¡¯s departure. It was a divisive scheme, simple enough to be seen through at a glance. But the key to a divisive scheme was never about whether it could be detected, but about human nature. He Ao calmly walked past Liu Nan to the small printer, picked up the note, ¡°He Ao...¡± Liu Nan opened her mouth, but said nothing. If He Ao wanted to kill her, anything she said would be in vain. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He Ao looked at her curiously. He casually placed the note on the burning kerosene lamp beside him, the fierce flames slowly kindling the paper, then he returned to the printer, opened its lid, looked at the layers of white paper inside, and put the burning paper on top. He also picked up the crumpled note from the ground and threw it into the pile. The fierce fire blazed up suddenly. The entire printer made a creaking noise, as if it were groaning in pain. ¡°Nothing, nothing,¡± Liu Nan quietly watched He Ao, and for the first time, in the light of the burning fire, she clearly saw the face of this classmate of hers. He was lean, with delicate features, and unruly hair on his forehead. At first glance, he did not seem very handsome, but strangely, he was quite pleasing to the eye, She took a slight breath and asked, ¡°So, what should we do next?¡± ¡°Smash.¡± He Ao revealed a calm smile, his hand resting on a shelf beside him. ¡°Smash?¡± Liu Nan clearly did not understand. ¡°Whatever it is, the place where its gaze is focused is often where it treasures the most, which is also its weakness,¡± He Ao turned to Liu Nan. ¡°And in this room, the most dazzling place is this collection of items all around.¡± Saying that, he pushed with his hand, and the large exhibit shelf swayed, tilting to one side and toppling. From the very beginning, he had never thought of complying with the rules of this room, forcing others to leave their own possessions here in order to leave, that was robbery; forcing others to sacrifice the lives of their companions in order to leave, that was incitement to murder. Clearly, the rules of this room were not legitimate, and the guy making rules from within this room was also a lawbreaker. Demolishing the illegitimate place and apprehending or shooting dead the lawbreaker was called acting bravely for a just cause. Bang¡ª¡ª The toppled display rack collided with another, and the specimens neatly arranged on top began to fall one after another. After a split second of silence, the entire space exploded as if a nuclear bomb had detonated. Pigs, sheep, cats, dogs, countless ¡®specimens¡¯ came to life at this moment and crazily surged toward He Ao. ¡°Go.¡± He Ao didn¡¯t hesitate, he grabbed Liu Nan and started sprinting through the room. While running, he kept toppling the display racks along the path and yanking down anything he could pull. The room became even more enraged, and the ¡®animated¡¯ specimens became increasingly frantic in their charge to block He Ao¡¯s movement. He Ao reached out, lifting Liu Nan into his arms and casually took an old-fashioned shotgun from nearby. He moved swiftly, quickly reaching the entrance and toppling all the display racks in the middle. Then he placed Liu Nan at the entrance, ¡°Stand here, don¡¯t move. You¡¯re very important, don¡¯t leave the entrance.¡± Liu Nan was too weak and could easily become a breach in the battle situation, so He Ao wanted to place her in a relatively safe position. His requirement was that teammates don¡¯t volunteer, just obey commands, which Liu Nan seemed to be doing quite well. Liu Nan knew she was being looked down upon, but she didn¡¯t speak. She was aware of her own limitations, weak, and fully understood just how lacking she was. After positioning Liu Nan, He Ao looked at the old-fashioned shotgun in his hand. It was a classic double-barrel shotgun that allowed bending the barrel to load shells. He Ao broke open the gun barrel and found, to his surprise, two loaded shells. This shotgun was actually a type of scattergun that relied on the explosion of gunpowder to project pellets and cause damage. But the gunpowder in the shells might have been dampened over time, affecting the firing. He Ao cocked the shotgun and turned to fire at the charging pig specimen, Misfire. He fired another shot, Still a misfire. Useless thing. He Ao threw the shotgun out the door, thinking there was still a chance to test his marksmanship. Super Memory, explode! He Ao charged forward, twisting the neck of the pig specimen with his bare hands. When the enemy hides in the shadows, attacking their must-save target is the strategy to break the situation. However, He Ao hadn¡¯t expected the guy behind the scenes to also have the ability to control these specimens, but it seemed that it could only control specimens made from dead creatures, not substances that never had life to begin with. And these specimens, they were weak. Moreover, He Ao realized that once their heads were twisted off, these specimens would lose control and collapse. So, without much effort, he dealt with all the specimen animals. The scene fell into a brief awkward silence, then He Ao casually toppled another display cabinet against the wall, scattering the bronze wares it contained all over the floor. The entire room shook violently in an instant. At this moment, the opposition was truly enraged. A young man with a fiery red body appeared instantaneously in front of He Ao; his eyes blood-red, his muscles bulging, and he slammed down a fist. Indeed, even Bull could be controlled. He Ao didn¡¯t retreat, he dodged and charged forward. At the same time, as He Ao and the young man became entangled in a fight, a vague hand slowly extended towards Liu Nan, who was standing at the entrance. Just as it was about to touch Liu Nan, a light laugh sounded in its ear, ¡°Caught you.¡± The importance of a rookie teammate, using oneself as bait! Liu Nan:... He Ao hadn¡¯t lied; she really was important, although she didn¡¯t want to be important in that way. Chapter 57 - 57 57 Black Mist Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?57: Chapter 57: Black Mist (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 57: Chapter 57: Black Mist (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) The creature hovering behind Liu Nan at this moment was none other than the first mammal specimen they had seen¡ªa black cat. The black cat was now leaping towards Liu Nan, pawing along the uneven wall. When it saw He Ao, it violently arched its back, attempting to spring to the side. At the same time, a bull, its body flushed red, also charged at He Ao. He Ao did not take out the bull directly. If he had finished the fight quickly, the black cat would not have been easily lured out. But after such a long battle, He Ao had already constructed a complete combat model of the bull in his mind, so he was actually leading the entire fight. During the combat, he always maintained the right distance, misled the bull into missing its attack, and broke away from the combat to appear behind Liu Nan the moment the black cat emerged. However, this opportunity was extremely brief; the bull, having missed its target, quickly recovered and charged at He Ao once more. If He Ao were to be tied down by the bull, the black cat would have had the chance to escape completely. In response, He Ao reached out and grabbed the black cat. As the bull¡¯s fist was about to crash down on him, he immediately turned and delivered a punch straight to the bull¡¯s face. The bull stiffened and fell straight down. The principle behind knocking out by striking the face is similar to hitting the jaw but is more painful and requires more force, often leading to a broken nasal bridge. The bull wasn¡¯t dead. The feeling He Ao had while fighting it was consistent with when the bull went berserk as they entered the door, very different from those of the other specimens. Therefore, He Ao believed that it must have been under some kind of psychic control by the entity in the house, but unlike the other specimens, its body wasn¡¯t controlled, so it lost its combat ability after being knocked out. After dealing with the bull, He Ao turned his attention to the black cat that was still struggling in his grasp. This black cat, too, was a specimen, lacking the aura of a living thing, but its struggling strength far exceeded what should be expected of a cat. ¡°You must be sentient, right?¡± He Ao looked at it. ¡°Let us out, and I¡¯ll let you go. We¡¯ll call it even.¡± The black cat stopped and glanced at He Ao, then at the room in disarray, and bared its teeth fiercely at He Ao. Then it pushed off with its four legs, and a vague, shapeless, semi-transparent shadow slowly emerged from its body. He Ao reached out to grab it, but his hand passed right through the shadow. He was slightly taken aback. What in the world was this thing, a ghost? ¡°He Ao, this fog...¡± Suddenly, Liu Nan spoke from the side. He Ao looked up only to find the thick fog throughout the courtyard stirring, gradually converging toward that phantom shadow. Without hesitation, he grabbed Liu Nan and dashed to the side. During this process, Liu Nan caught a glimpse of He Ao¡¯s profile. She had actually guessed that He Ao had used her as bait. While she might be weak, she wasn¡¯t foolish; He Ao, a person so meticulous and cautious, had suddenly left her out of his line of sight, which clearly indicated something was amiss. She had figured out He Ao¡¯s intention, but she didn¡¯t raise any objections. Instead, she obediently stood there, serving as bait. If He Ao had been a moment later, she might have died right there. She was, in fact, terrified inside, her heart pounding like a drum. But He Ao arrived at the critical moment. There was no strange reason for this; it was simply mutual trust between two people fighting side by side. When she stood there motionless, He Ao also knew she had made the choice to serve as bait. Liu Nan was smart. Although weak, she was keenly aware of her own position and understood He Ao¡¯s plan. He Ao liked to work with smart people. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Liu Nan looked at He Ao. As the two distanced themselves from the Phantom Shadow, the swirling fog around them fully entered the illusory figure, and a shapeless, distorted mass of pitch-black fog appeared before them, suspended in mid-air. An intense sense of oppression spread from the fog, a feeling He Ao had never experienced from the youth or Zhang Ansha. But he was familiar with this oppressive sensation, as Mu Xiu also exuded such a presence. He Ao looked back; they had now reached the red gate. The fog had dissipated. He Ao kicked open the gate, and as it swung open, the scene outside the courtyard was revealed. He turned off Super Memory, picked up a stone, and threw it with ease. ¡°You go out first.¡± He Ao turned his head back towards the mass of pitch-black fog and casually handed the hunting shotgun he had just picked up to Liu Nan. Although the weapon was useless, it could still intimidate. Cracks slowly emerged from the pitch-black fog, like countless eyes staring at him. ¡°Can you beat it?¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t beat it, should I just not fight?¡± ¡°...¡± Liu Nan opened her mouth, but she knew this wasn¡¯t the time for argument. Staying would only cause trouble for He Ao, so she took her taser from her sleeve and handed it to him, ¡°This can only be used once, be careful.¡± With that, she dashed out. He Ao concentrated his gaze on the body of the black fog. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to run; it¡¯s just that all of the entity¡¯s malice seemed to be focused on him. All of the ¡®eyes¡¯ were trained solely on him. Liu Nan could run and escape, but if he ran, he would likely be chased relentlessly. The black fog had an oppressive feel to it, but it wasn¡¯t very strong, certainly much weaker than Mu Xiu. He Ao guessed that it was also Level D, but just barely, and most of its abilities seemed to be mental. Most importantly, this entity was non-human. Killing people was against the law, but killing monsters was not. Level D, worth a try. He Ao slipped the taser Liu Nan had given him into his pocket, then took out his phone, peeled off the back cover, and prised out the battery, holding it in his palm. Just then, a stone table nearby suddenly rose into the air and flew towards him. An ability to move objects through the void? He Ao glanced at the stone table, leaped up, stepped on it, and charged towards the black fog. Super Memory, explode! Countless details recombined in He Ao¡¯s mind; this was his first time battling an opponent with an unconventional form. The black fog did not dodge, instead, its myriad of ¡®eyes¡¯ curled up as if mocking He Ao. He Ao¡¯s fist smashed into the fog body, and then it passed straight through. It seemed the fog did not possess a physical form. The ¡®eyes¡¯ on the fog twisted more pronouncedly, the mockery intensifying. It could control objects to attack He Ao, while He Ao could not hit it back¡ªthis was why it dared to reveal its true form and pursue He Ao. It was at this moment that He Ao¡¯s tightly clenched hand opened, revealing the battery inside. A spark of electric fire flashed by, and the dense black fog suddenly contracted, revealing a slowly emerging dark sphere. Shortly after, the black fog rapidly retreated, creating a distance between it and He Ao. All of its ¡®eyes¡¯ were wide open in apparent disbelief. Effective, but the power seems insufficient to control the black fog in one go. He Ao glanced at the battery in his hand and then put it back in his pocket. Finding the black fog¡¯s weakness wasn¡¯t difficult. Chapter 58 - 58 58 Fast Settle the Account Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?58: Chapter 58: Fast, Settle the Account (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 58: Chapter 58: Fast, Settle the Account (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao had already memorized the structure of the room and all its collectibles during the activation of Super Memory, so it was easy to notice a common feature by comparing the layout of the room with the appearance of the collectibles: There were no electrical appliances in the room¡ªall the wires had been cut. Even toys that required batteries had their batteries removed. There wasn¡¯t a single electrically charged item in the whole room, not even a small circuit board with a button battery could be found. The printer could operate but was unplugged. He Ao opened the printer cover to check its internal structure. Instead of a regular ink cartridge, there was a pen-like mechanism, and the room was illuminated by kerosene lamps. This proved that the ¡°owner¡± of this room hated or feared ¡°electricity,¡± so He Ao tested out his theory with his cell phone battery. Unexpectedly, it worked. Just then, a strong mental assault swept through He Ao¡¯s mind. ¡°Why are you trying so hard?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so lonely, and the world doesn¡¯t welcome you,¡± ¡°People fear you, dread you. They don¡¯t care whether you are good or bad; they only see you as a ferocious criminal.¡± ¡°You should retaliate against them, you should send them all to hell. That woman just now, she was afraid of you too, wasn¡¯t she? Otherwise, why would she leave you behind and run away? Ultimately, she just wanted to save her own life.¡± ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ At that moment, some beguiling voices echoed in He Ao¡¯s mind. He Ao stopped walking, opened his clothes, took out a silver vial, uncorked it with his right hand, and began to take the medication. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any resentment?¡± ¡°Have you never despised this world?¡± A massive stone table slowly floated behind He Ao. After finishing the medicine, He Ao held the vial in his hand, took out the stun gun Liu Nan had given him with his other hand, and nodded, ¡°Ah, yes, yes,¡± The beguiling voice: ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The black fog clearly didn¡¯t expect He Ao to respond this way, and its logic circuit visibly jammed. He Ao leaped into the air, landing on the stone table that flew up behind him, then used it to propel himself towards the black fog. As He Ao flew towards it, the black fog moved backward again. The exhibits in the room began to float densely in the air, rushing towards He Ao to block his way. He Ao¡¯s figure weaved through these objects as the black fog¡¯s movement patterns and habits quickly assembled into an accurate model in his mind, allowing him to anticipate the fog¡¯s actions. The ability of Super Memory to remember every detail and then further extrapolate simulations was somewhat terrifying in a sense. Omniscience equals omnipotence. It¡¯s just rather life-consuming. And even in a state of Life Consuming, he was now only able to bear the computational load of predicting the enemy¡¯s next move. As the black fog continuously shifted new items from the room, more and more ¡®collectibles¡¯ in the air collided towards He Ao. Moreover, the black fog was deliberately setting up simple traps; behind a soft doll, there might be a sharp knife, and the smaller the object, the faster its speed, sometimes He Ao could barely dodge. After a brief stalemate, He Ao¡¯s situation seemed to become increasingly dire until suddenly, he twisted his body and reached out with his right hand. The next second, the black fog appeared right where he had extended his hand. In that instant, the black fog was clearly stunned¡ªit had not anticipated He Ao predicting its move. He Ao flashed a smile at it. But what He Ao didn¡¯t notice was that behind him, a sharp shard from a porcelain plate was hurtling towards his neck. Bang¡ª A gunshot rang out, and the porcelain plate in the sky shattered instantly. At the same time, He Ao pressed the stun gun. Bright electric light flashed within the black fog for an instant, and the whole black fog stiffened, then suddenly contracted into a black sphere. He Ao quickly waved the vial in his left hand, captured the sphere inside, and swiftly capped the vial with the cork hidden beneath the stun gun. The whole process was seamless. The objects in the sky fell swiftly. The pitch-dark orb exploded within the test tube but failed to break through the confines of the cork, simply transforming into a black fog that filled the tube. Soon after, the black fog quickly condensed back into an orb, suspended in the center of the test tube. As expected, this test tube could contain transcendent items. Once the black fog had reformed into an orb, it seemed to lose the ability to interfere with the outside world, although it¡¯s also possible the test tube was obstructing it. He Ao stowed away the test tube and looked in the direction of the large iron gate. Liu Nan slowly put away the hunting rifle and showed He Ao a smile, ¡°I¡¯m actually blind; I didn¡¯t see anything, so no need for you to silence me.¡± She was referring to the test tube He Ao had put away. ¡°What brings you back?¡± He Ao looked at her with a smile. ¡°I suddenly realized this hunting rifle might still work with some tinkering. My grandfather used to have an old one just like it, but it was turned in later.¡± Liu Nan put away the hunting rifle. The two glanced at each other and both chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m still somewhat useful, right? Not that weak?¡± ¡°Are you always so competitive?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been the top of my class since kindergarten.¡± ¡°I can see that, that shot wasn¡¯t bad, worth a meal.¡± ¡°So, I guess for the other meal I owe you, I¡¯ll have to wait in line?¡± ¡°Naturally, rules shouldn¡¯t be broken.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, have you never had a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Girlfriend? Too expensive, I don¡¯t need one.¡± ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ ¡°Awesome!¡± Liu Nan could only give a thumbs up. Chatting along the way, the two reached the gateway, and Liu Nan gazed at the quiet night outside. The dark clouds in the sky had cleared at some point, revealing the pristine moonlight and the dazzling stars. In this city, it was only in these dark suburban areas that one could barely see the night sky. ¡°So, does this make us friends now?¡± Liu Nan brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and suddenly asked softly. ¡°Friends?¡± He Ao thought about it, he had hardly had any friends from childhood to adulthood, and he wasn¡¯t sure what defined a friend, ¡°I guess so.¡± After this incident, the sense of strangeness between them had diminished a lot. After all, they had entrusted their backs to each other, although most of the time, it was Liu Nan acting as the drag. Rustling sounds came from behind, and He Ao turned his head to see the young man who was lying on the ground slowly stand up, dazed. Then, he saw He Ao looking at him, straightened up, and fell down again. It took about another three or four minutes before Zhang Ansha and Captain Liu finally arrived, albeit late. ¡°Kid, are you alright? Why did you turn off your phone? We were halfway there when the location signal disappeared; if we hadn¡¯t kept the last location, where would we have found you?¡± Liu Zheng rushed up to He Ao as soon as he walked over. By now, He Ao¡¯s clothes had already been torn apart in the fight, and his jeans were ripped halfway. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Captain Liu, I¡¯m still alive and kicking,¡± He Ao spun around, gave an apologetic smile, and then pointed at Liu Nan, ¡°She might need an extra piece of clothing.¡± Liu Nan, due to less fighting, was relatively well-protected; her sweater was mostly intact with just some tears, revealing the white undergarment inside. The black stockings wrapping her long legs had snagged during quick movements, tearing some holes and showing the pale skin underneath as well as some minor scratches. Liu Nan understood that He Ao was trying to get Captain Liu to leave, so she obediently stepped forward to him, ¡°Uncle, may I borrow your phone? I want to call home and let them know I¡¯m safe.¡± Meanwhile, He Ao wrapped his arm around Zhang Ansha¡¯s shoulder, leading him to where ¡®Bull¡¯ lay on the ground, ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to settle accounts.¡± Chapter 59 - 59 59 The End Going Home Happy New Years Eve ?59: Chapter 59: The End, Going Home (Happy New Year¡¯s Eve) 59: Chapter 59: The End, Going Home (Happy New Year¡¯s Eve) ¡°Shooting me in the back of the head with a shotgun at such close range, aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯ll blow my head off?¡± He Ao broke open the shotgun and removed the shell. ¡°So, do you trust me now?¡± Liu Nan placed his hands behind his back, leaned slightly to one side, and gave He Ao a sly smile. ¡°Is it still in time for me to say I don¡¯t trust you?¡± He Ao closed the gun barrel and watched as Bull was put into the police car. In the end, after a fierce round of haggling, on Bull¡¯s side, He Ao got a cash reward of thirty thousand. He didn¡¯t ask for a high price, and since he had caught Bull directly, Zhang Ansha didn¡¯t hesitate much and agreed immediately. Of course, for He Ao, catching Bull was just incidental, so his asking price wasn¡¯t high. What he really cared about was how much it would cost to clear out this anomalous yard? Strictly speaking, He Ao¡¯s original mission didn¡¯t include this yard, but he had stormed into it in order to catch Bull and ultimately cleaned it out as well. So, in theory, it was still an extension of the task. Besides, He Ao had used up all of his Soul Recovery Potions and even broke a cell phone, incurring a high cost. Therefore, he let Zhang Ansha name the price. Although he didn¡¯t understand the market value, the intensity of the black fog indicated that it wasn¡¯t cheap, and even in a highly developed system like the Copy World, there weren¡¯t many who reached level D. To this, Zhang Ansha simply spread his hands and said, ¡°I have no money.¡± He Ao wouldn¡¯t tolerate such an excuse and immediately pinned him to the ground. Subsequently, the two engaged in a ¡®gentle¡¯ physical exchange. During the exchange, Zhang Ansha hinted indirectly that such a powerful anomaly usually produced special items, which could be sold for at least a few million. He also hinted to He Ao that he would report the site as having no special items found. He Ao¡¯s response was, ¡°What did you say? I don¡¯t understand. I killed that guy on the spot and didn¡¯t get anything.¡± Zhang Ansha: ... In the end, the two struck a deal, with Zhang Ansha adding twenty thousand to give a mission payout of fifty thousand. Fifty thousand was the starting price for an A-level wanted criminal. In Central Earth, this sum was already higher than the annual income of most people. Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning anything about the items produced by the anomaly. He Ao¡¯s attention returned to the shotgun in his hands; he raised the gun, aiming at the sky. The shotgun fired a spread of pellets, causing area damage with very low precision. Liu Nan was at that time about twenty meters away in a direct line from He Ao. To hit a swiftly moving shard of porcelain that was continuously closing in on He Ao without injuring him was feasible at that distance. He Ao himself could do it because he had a basic mastery of firearms. As for Liu Nan... He lowered the shotgun and rested it on the ground, gazing ahead. He Ao didn¡¯t like to pry into others¡¯ secrets¡ªwho didn¡¯t have a few of their own? At that moment, Captain Liu was approaching with a group of black-clad bodyguards. ¡°He Ao, next time we meet, I will definitely impress you,¡± Liu Nan said as he watched the police car lights. He Ao gave her a glance and said calmly, ¡°We have a practice class together tomorrow morning.¡± Liu Nan: ... ¡ª¡ª The rest of the night¡¯s agenda was straightforward. Liu Nan, He Ao, Yuan Nannan, and the makeup artist girl caught by He Ao went to the police station to give their statements. During this process, He Ao also learned about some other situations. For instance, the makeup artist girl was named An Qian, and she wasn¡¯t part of Bull¡¯s team. She had only been hired from Binhai City to do makeup for one of Bull¡¯s companions. In the process, they found out that she too was a Transcendent and ¡®enthusiastically¡¯ invited her to join. It also let her know some details of the kidnapping plan and sent her ten thousand yuan as a mission subsidy. The girl, trembling with fear, accepted the money and pretended to join the other party, but when Bull and his two associates were out on a mission, she took her makeup case and ran off alone. From the bits and pieces she overheard from Bull and the others, she concluded that He Ao seemed to be very capable, so she went straight to him, and by He Ao¡¯s side, she could at least ensure temporary safety. But since she had taken Bull and the others¡¯ money, she dared not call the police, nor did she dare tell He Ao the truth, fearing that she would be arrested as an accomplice, and of course, fearing that the money she had received would be confiscated by the police. In the end, she obediently handed over the money she¡¯d received. Besides An Qian, there was also someone among those caught whom He Ao had never met; Zhang Ansha said this person¡¯s code name was ¡®Onlooker¡¯; An Qian had applied his makeup, and he pretended to be Bull to lure Zhang Ansha away. Then, he was caught by Zhang Ansha in a single encounter. By the time He Ao left, these people were still being interrogated at the police station. Liu Nan had left early, reportedly taken away by people sent by his father. He Ao walked out of the police station¡¯s main gate alone. The crowd was like the clouds in the sky, coming and going, and He Ao was the lonely pedestrian beneath the clouds, solitary and isolated. The cold wind of the silent night was somewhat chilling. Once out of the police station, without the air conditioning, He Ao suddenly felt the cold wind against his skin. Captain Liu had properly parked his snack cart for him, which was waiting in the yard of the police station. He Ao skillfully maneuvered his snack cart; at that moment, a heavy military coat was draped over his shoulders. ¡°Next time you do something like this, bring more clothes,¡± Liu Zheng said, with a cigarette in his mouth, its fine smoke reflecting a hazy color under the streetlights. ¡°You¡¯re grown up. Be careful, don¡¯t act impulsively, and call me if you need anything.¡± He pat He Ao¡¯s shoulder and, without waiting for a response, quickly walked back into the police station. He Ao watched his figure gradually disappear, his mouth slightly ajar; then he slowly closed it, ultimately revealing a shallow smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± In this world, there are many bad people and also many good people. He Ao made his way through the quiet streets and eventually returned to the base of the old residential building. The incandescent light hanging from the pole swayed with its lonely brilliance, and the bubbling broth steamed vigorously. It was now one in the morning; the night¡¯s cold reached its apogee at this moment¡ªas if a cold knife was scraping against the pedestrian¡¯s skin. The elder with white hair stirred the broth while watching the entrance to the complex. Until that young man pushing his snack cart entered his murky vision. ¡°Grandpa Fang, you haven¡¯t closed up yet?¡± He Ao looked at the elderly man with some surprise as he locked up his cart at the foot of the building, ¡°Almost, almost done,¡± replied Grandpa Fang with a chuckle, ceasing to stir the broth with the long chopsticks and covering the pot with a lid. He Ao used his phone to make a transfer, ¡°Grandpa Fang, I¡¯ve transferred today¡¯s noodle payment.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Grandpa Fang nodded happily, watching He Ao enter the building. Not until the young man¡¯s figure had vanished did he slowly turn off the flame and begin to clean up his stall, ¡°Back ya go, everyone¡¯s back.¡± Suddenly, a warm military coat was draped over him; He Ao reached out from behind to take over the table board that the old man was packing away, smiling at him, ¡°Let me do it, Grandpa Fang.¡± Together, the old man and the youth got busy under the lamp¡¯s dim glow until the moon hid deep within the clouds. ¡ª¡ª By the time He Ao got home, it was two in the morning; he took out the silver test tube he had kept close to his chest, the black sphere still quietly suspended within. Chapter 60 - 60 60 Change Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?60: Chapter 60: Change (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 60: Chapter 60: Change (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao really wanted to swallow the sphere to see what effects it would have. But in the end, he gave up on the idea because it didn¡¯t look very edible, lacking allure. It wasn¡¯t as attractive to him as that tube of purple liquid in the Copy World. Then a thought suddenly popped into his head, would someone else find this black sphere appealing? Did that mean that specific Transcendent items were only attractive to particular people or Transcendents? His current information was too scant; he needed to conduct further research. According to Zhang Ansha¡¯s view, the black sphere should be quite valuable. Selling it through Zhang Ansha¡¯s channels might be possible, but before understanding the true nature of this object, He Ao had no plans to sell it. If He Ao himself couldn¡¯t determine the true value of the item, he wouldn¡¯t know if he had lost or gained in a trade. After all, it was equivalent to trading a tube of Soul Recovery Potion for it. If he had lost out, he would remember it for a long time. He Ao put away the test tube and opened his attribute panel once again. His physical condition was still at 16. In the Copy World, Ande¡¯s physical condition was at 13, which increased to 70 after the outburst of Super Memory, a growth of 57, whereas He Ao¡¯s own physical condition, after Super Memory outbreak, reached 85, an increase of 69. Assuming the enhancement provided by Super Memory to physical condition was fixed, then the difference between He Ao himself and Ande originated from their inherent physical conditions. During the eruption of Super Memory, He Ao felt part of the energy overflowing from his body. This energy seemed to be the unspent part of the Vermilion Fruit, hidden within his body. So he decided to do an experiment. First, he dozed off on the couch for a while and woke up before dawn. Then he stood on the balcony, watching the first rays of light from the dawn spill through the clouds. Super Memory, burst! The energies that had been lying dormant within him surged out quickly. These energies were not absorbed by him but had always been dormant. They were only stimulated by the burst of Super Memory. He Ao attempted to channel these energies but found they had already formed a certain connection with his muscles and organs, preventing their movement within his body. Then he took a deep breath, and a faint energy formed within his chest cavity. This energy, derived from the dawn light, would have dissipated within his chest, but it was contained by the energies surging from him, reducing the rate of dissipation. Seizing the opportunity, He Ao quickly guided this strand of energy through a circuit in his arms, and this time, less than half of the energy was consumed. Following that, he swiftly guided the energy through another circuit. After these two circuits, the energy was finally exhausted. Although he couldn¡¯t directly manipulate the dormant energies, they effectively prevented the dissipation of the energy He Ao absorbed, ensuring most of the energy he inhaled was retained. After this influx of energy, He Ao glanced at his arms. He could feel a stronger boost in the strength of his arms, reaching a noticeable threshold. He clicked open the attribute panel, and the ¡¯16¡¯ behind his physical condition twitched but ultimately remained unchanged. He Ao had a feeling that by the next dawn, his physical condition would reach 17. At the moment, his arms¡¯ strength actually far surpassed the rest of his body, but because physical condition was calculated as a whole, according to this method of calculation, the strength of the arms was being ¡®averaged out.¡¯ Martial Arts differed from Talent Sequences; it required a price for usage and its advancement was full of secrecy. In contrast, it seemed that one could make progress in Martial Arts through solid practice. This kind of step-by-step positive feedback felt great. He Ao took a deep breath, greeted by the brilliance of dawn, packed his school bag, and prepared to leave for practice classes. He had just gotten downstairs when he heard a loud curse, ¡°Don¡¯t know whose horndog offspring it is, actually had the nerve to steal my electric scooter. Can¡¯t the little mutt run fast enough on four legs? Even ruined the lock cylinder of my scooter, what on earth was he jabbing with?¡± A lady in a red coat was pushing an electric scooter into the neighborhood, fuming. This lady was the very one who lived above He Ao. After Bull was spooked off by He Ao, he stole this lady¡¯s scooter in the chaos. Having witnessed the theft, He Ao had incidentally mentioned it to Captain Liu that day. Bull had been caught yesterday. It seemed that he had confessed where he discarded the scooter, and it had been retrieved. ¡°Ao, heading to school?¡± The lady saw He Ao and greeted him warmly before tentatively asking, ¡°That person who banged on your door that day? What happened? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, he has been arrested by the police.¡± He Ao smiled and nodded. That day, the lady heard someone hitting He Ao¡¯s door and came out, only to be intimidated back into her home by Bull. Captain Liu also received her emergency call. Despite her harsh words, she wasn¡¯t a bad person. ¡°Good that he¡¯s caught, good that he¡¯s caught.¡± The lady breathed a sigh of relief, before pushing her scooter past He Ao. He Ao watched the lady return the scooter to its place and continued on his way to school. ¡ª ¡°He Ao, Liu Nan has transferred schools!¡± He Ao had just reached the classroom entrance when Yuan Nannan, barrelling into him with full force, suddenly announced, ¡°She called me last night saying her dad forced her to transfer back down south.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He Ao nodded his head, ready to pass by Yuan Nannan and enter the classroom. ¡°Are you not feeling upset? Aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± Yuan Nannan looked at He Ao with curiosity, somewhat unable to understand his thoughts. He Ao glanced at her, puzzled, and shook his head. He too believed that Liu Nan transferring back to her family¡¯s sphere of influence would be safer. Yuan Nannan was confused. She felt the brokenness of a fan whose beloved ship had just sunk¡ªcould it be that there really was nothing between them? He Ao entered the classroom, swept his gaze around, and didn¡¯t see any trace of Liu Nan. It seemed she really had transferred. He Ao didn¡¯t feel much about this; he was accustomed to being alone. He returned to his seat, the large area around him still empty. As usual, people were talking about him. Until the bell rang, a figure stood beside him. ¡°Excuse me, is this seat taken?¡± He Ao looked up at the newcomer. The girl wore a clean and tidy white shirt, accompanied by a light blue pleated skirt and pure white stockings that reached up to her thighs. Her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, both cute and pure, perfectly capturing the youthful beauty of an eighteen-year-old girl. He Ao took a glance at the girl, then rubbed his eyes and looked again. ¡°Is there something on my face? Did my makeup smear?¡± Liu Nan was somewhat puzzled. He Ao: ¡°I take another look with newfound respect.¡± Liu Nan: ¡°? (?¡¯¥Ø ??;)©f?¡± Eventually, Liu Nan sat down next to He Ao. ¡°Didn¡¯t you transfer schools?¡± He Ao asked casually. ¡°I told my dad that adults should have the right to make their own choices.¡± Liu Nan smiled; she had spent all night persuading her father, from the dead of night until dawn. Although the kidnapping incident was over, she still had debts to repay. ¡°Hmm.¡± He Ao nodded slightly. The two were acquaintances, but not close. They had never interacted before and didn¡¯t know each other¡¯s preferences. For a moment, there was no topic for them to continue with. He Ao didn¡¯t like to talk while listening to the lecture, so silence fell between them. Their lives seemed to have not changed at all. The only difference was that there was now one more person in the empty space around He Ao¡¯s seat during this class. Friend... This word appeared in He Ao¡¯s mind. Then he again refused Liu Nan¡¯s proposal to have lunch together. Even friends have to wait in line. He went to find the next person on his notebook to honor the lunch appointment. Liu Nan had a rank of -1. ¡ª¡ª Dawn turns into a fierce sun, the fierce sun into sunset. As the last gleams of daylight fell below the horizon, He Ao sat in the living room at home, watching the countdown in his field of view gradually reach zero. [The game is loading.] [Welcome to the Life Copy World game] [Randomly matching you with a life role.] [Match successful] [Your role is: Dawn City Library Manager Regit] [Have a pleasant game] Chapter 62 - 62 62 Old Geezer Embrace Death! ?62: Chapter 62: Old Geezer, Embrace Death! (Happy New Year/Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 62: Chapter 62: Old Geezer, Embrace Death! (Happy New Year/Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°Old geezer, stop hiding, I¡¯ve found you.¡± In the darkness, the Mechanically Modified Person moved his nose slightly, his olfactory sensors indicating the presence of the scent of fresh blood. Unfortunately, his Auxiliary Computing Chip wasn¡¯t advanced enough to deduce the old geezer¡¯s movement trajectory from the existing traces. But he was able to make up for this shortcoming with his own rich experience and keen sense of smell. Step by step, he followed the bloodstains toward the alley around the corner. Thud¡ªThud¡ªThud¡ª The mechanical legs made a dull sound as they struck the ground. Finally, he reached the corner, but he did not rush out immediately. He slowly raised his right hand, where one might expect to find a hand, a huge chainsaw was instead installed, and connected to this chainsaw was a mechanized arm. Whirr¡ª This was the shrill scream of the chainsaw spinning. ¡°I¡¯ve found you!¡± He charged out fiercely, the wildly spinning chainsaw plunging down vertically, striking the blood-stained concrete. Fragmented chunks of concrete scattered in all directions, hitting the walls with a series of bangs. He stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the blood-soaked ground in front of him; the elderly man, wounded as he had imagined, was not there. ... He Ao crouched on a billboard on the second floor, watching the Mechanically Modified Person below who kept searching. This was He Ao¡¯s first encounter with such a ¡®non-human¡¯ being; his legs were entirely made of metal, and the outermost layer was covered with a thin steel plate, some of which were damaged, revealing inside a dense network of sparking circuits and alloy frame. Like his legs, his torso and arms were completely metal-constructed. His right arm was fitted with a long chainsaw; his left arm was completely severed at the shoulder, exposing a mass of wire ends still sparking with electricity. Even his skull was made entirely of sturdy silver alloy, fashioned into the shape of a human head but with no flesh or hair, and two large eye sockets housed a pair of bright red cameras, which looked terrifying and ferocious. The memories from Regit in He Ao¡¯s mind told him that these beings were called ¡®Mech Cultists,¡¯ and they had given up all flesh except for the brain, no longer adhering to the aesthetics of flesh, and completely encased themselves in mechanized bodies open for endless transformation. Regit detested those who had forsaken the human body, a gift from heaven, so when this Mech Cultist attempted to rob him, he had a bit of a conflict with it. This minor conflict eventually escalated into a bloody battle. Regit, severely injured, escaped, while the Mech Cultist had its outer protective Mecha damaged and lost an arm. This was the situation before He Ao arrived. And now, the Mech Cultist had pursued him, attempting to kill that ¡®old geezer¡¯ who had harmed him. He Ao¡¯s current injuries were severe; not only did he have a wound that nearly spanned half his body, but he also had numerous other wounds on his hands and feet. Fortunately, none of these wounds had hit the main artery, sparing him an immediate death. But these wounds were causing persistent blood loss, and without prompt treatment or the stemming of the bleeding, he might die before this Copy World had really begun. He Ao¡¯s gaze was fixed on the ¡®Mech Cultist¡¯ below who was approaching the shadowy depths of the alley with confusion and hesitation. Crimson blood collected on the billboard beneath He Ao¡¯s feet, then dripped down the edge of the billboard. Drip-drop¡ªDrip-drop¡ª Bang¡ª A droplet of blood hit the ground, making a crisp sound, exploding into a bright red blossom. The ¡®Mech Cultist¡¯, about to walk into the shadow, suddenly stopped, then turned its head back, the red eyes flickering. He Ao covered the still-dripping blood on the billboard. The Mech Cultist gazed into the dark alley, his attention fixed for several seconds until no further strange noises could be heard. He then turned his head and slowly stepped into the pitch-black shadows. He Ao watched as his figure disappeared, leaning back against the wall. The billboard he now sat on was a vertical, lightbox-style one, about sixty to seventy centimeters thick, mounted to the wall with several smaller lightboxes as decoration along the top and bottom. If he hunched over and sat on the large lightbox, he would generally go unnoticed from below. He didn¡¯t know the strength of the Mech Cultist below, but according to Regit¡¯s memory, he should be between F and E level. If it were his own body here, he could have unleashed ¡°Super Memory¡± and killed the Mech Cultist outright, but right now, he was in Regit¡¯s body¡ªa body that was severely injured, with wounds that had only just started to clot. He Ao estimated that this body could withstand one vigorous movement; anything beyond that limit and the wounds would burst open, and then it would be game over for him directly. After a brief moment of contemplation, he slid his hand toward one end of the billboard. Thud¡ª The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. It was quickly followed by the rapid patter of footsteps, the screech of a chainsaw spinning, and a somewhat distorted shout coming from a low-quality speaker, ¡°Old Geezer, die!!!¡± Crack¡ª The frail lightbox was cleaved into two halves by the screeching chainsaw. The Mech Cultist stared blankly at the small lightbox he had just severed, then lifted his gaze to the giant billboard¡¯s lightbox. Soon, he spotted the bloodstains on the lightbox. The alloy skull slowly cracked open, revealing a ferocious grin. He plunged the chainsaw violently into the wall and rapidly climbed upwards using both feet against the wall. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ He Ao withdrew his gaze, The other¡¯s right arm and leg movements were slightly delayed, indicating issues with the bionic neural links¡ªaftereffects of the damage previously inflicted by Regit. He continued to shift his body to the left. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The Mech Cultist climbed up the wall, and as his eyes reached above the lightbox, he saw a trail of fresh blood moving along with it. The advertisement lightbox turned a corner, covering both sides of the wall, and at this moment, the trail of blood had moved past the corner of the lightbox to the other side of the wall. With a sinister grin, the Mech Cultist chased after the direction of the bloodstains. By the time he caught up, he found that the trail of blood extended all the way to the steel rebar nailed into the wall. The rebars were horizontally nailed into the wall in a vertical pattern, forming a ladder shape, a passage meant to facilitate the maintenance staff¡¯s access to the lightbox. ¡°Old Geezer, the faster you hide, the more excited I get,¡± he said. The Mech Cultist rapidly climbed down the makeshift ladder and, when reaching the final few rungs, leaped directly down to the street with a loud thud. At this point, the night had grown deep, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. The Mech Cultist cast his gaze into the depths of the night, where an elderly man drenched in blood, his silver hair a full mane, was calmly watching him. ¡°You want to kill me?¡± He Ao tightened his grip on the steel rebar in his hand, his voice somewhat weak, but very calm. ¡°Old Geezer, embrace your death!¡± The chainsaw¡¯s wail rose once more as the Mech Cultist grinned savagely and charged towards the elderly man. The massive chainsaw reflected the magnificent moonlight. Chapter 63 - 63 63 Underground Doctor Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?63: Chapter 63: Underground Doctor (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 63: Chapter 63: Underground Doctor (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao gripped the steel rebar in his hand, which he had just torn from a loose section of the iron stairs. His gaze fixed on the huge mechanical humanoid rushing towards him, and he took a slight breath. Super Memory, activate! In an instant, a torrent of energy flooded into his body, and his already weakened heart started beating forcefully once again. The immense blood pressure pulsed through his veins, also causing wounds that had started to heal to gush fresh blood again. He Ao leaped forward, and the wounds that had begun to adhere were once again torn apart by lacerations. It hurt a bit, but it was bearable. Muscles like coiling dragons bulged on his arms as he swiftly moved to the left to confront the Mech Cultist, which was just in the right direction to meet the electric saw slashing from the enemy¡¯s right arm. Then, just as he was about to get close, his body shifted abruptly to the right. The Mech Cultist¡¯s right arm tried to keep up with his pace but encountered a brief delay. And in that brief delay, its chest, completely unguarded, opened up towards He Ao. The hard steel rebar penetrated the iron shell like piercing tofu, then went through the gaps in the alloy skeleton and pierced the Mech Cultist¡¯s pulsing high-energy compression battery, before exiting out of the steel shell at the back. Everything was completed in the fleeting moment. He Ao left the steel rebar inside the body of the Mech Cultist and leapt out tens of meters before slowly coming to a stop. BOOM¡ª¡ª A roaring explosion sounded on the silent street. Surging flames, fragmented mechanical limbs, and intense noise erupted behind He Ao. That was the violent explosion caused by the high-energy battery being penetrated. He shut off his Super Memory and took out a half-empty box of cigarettes from his blood-stained pocket, flicked out a whole cigarette, then shakily took a lighter from the box and lit the cigarette. This wasn¡¯t his habit, it was Regit¡¯s. Thick smoke infiltrated his injured lungs, and in that moment, He Ao coughed violently, yet he didn¡¯t throw away the cigarette but continued to stagger forward with it clenched in his mouth. Crimson blood trickled from the torn wounds, flickering in the light of the explosion. Regit did not like these mechanical creations, but he was very aware of their characteristics. And He Ao, he merely utilized those characteristics. For instance, the violent explosion caused by the high-energy battery being breached in a short period. A shattered metal skull followed by the explosion landed in front of He Ao, bounced a few times, and finally came to rest. Its red eyes stared at He Ao¡¯s staggering figure, flickered once, and then slowly faded away. Counterattack when attacked. Only counterattacked once. Legitimate self-defense. He Ao staggered into a dark alley, making his way towards the deepest part of it. He eventually stopped in front of an old, somewhat rusty rolling shutter door. He pressed the doorbell and leaned against the wall, quietly waiting. A moment later, the rolling shutter gradually rose, revealing a middle-aged man with glasses and short brown hair, dressed in a white coat. Seeing He Ao, he immediately said excitedly, ¡°Old Geezer, have you finally decided to donate your body for my research? Oh dear, why are you so banged up? And why are you still smoking? What if you ruin those good lungs of yours? Come on, we can still treat them for preservation. I¡¯ve just got a vat of high-quality formalin on hand.¡± ¡°Screw off,¡± He Ao exhaled a puff of smoke, ¡°I¡¯m not dead, just heal me, dammit.¡± As he spoke, he got to his feet and staggered forward, but slipped and fell directly on the middle-aged man in the white coat. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. You have to wait until I get the materials ready. You see, body preservation is a process... First, you need to lay flat, face up. The way you¡¯re face down like this, blood will flow down into your face, it¡¯ll become deformed, and we won¡¯t be able to preserve your handsome features.¡± He Ao did not respond. Taking advantage of his last bit of clarity, he snatched the wristband from the middle-aged man¡¯s hand and managed to send a leave request message to the library¡¯s leadership. Then, he lost consciousness. ¡ª¡ª He Ao felt as if he had experienced a vague dream, in which he had gone through a complete life cycle, from birth to old age, with the naivety of youth, the vigor of middle age, and the stubbornness of old age. When he slowly opened his eyes, all he saw was the large cheek of a middle-aged man with glasses. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Seeing He Ao awaken, the middle-aged man looked regretful and shook his head as he turned and walked away from the room, ¡°That¡¯s really bad news.¡± He Ao struggled to sit up from the bed. His body had been thoroughly bandaged, and the wounds on his chest and limbs were crudely stitched up. Regit¡¯s body, despite its age, had smooth and beautiful muscular lines, with a heartbeat as strong as a drum, the result of long-term martial arts practice. The medical insurance provided by Dawn City Library for its employees was the cheapest tier with only a 20% reimbursement rate. Aside from some atrocious companies, nobody would willingly choose such low coverage. Of course, this was also related to Regit¡¯s age. Being sixty-one made any health insurance overly expensive for him. That¡¯s why, under the circumstances just now, He Ao was unable to afford the cost of an ambulance or hospital medical expenses. He had no choice but to seek out an ¡®underground doctor¡¯ he knew. The so-called underground doctors are private practitioners who start treating people without obtaining a license. Many aren¡¯t even proper medical school graduates, and their skills vary widely. But the upside to underground doctors compared to formal private hospitals is that because they rely on word of mouth, they only focus on treating illnesses and won¡¯t invent some bizarre condition to sell you a treatment plan that costs thousands or tens of thousands of federal coins but is actually worthless. Of course, misdiagnoses due to incompetence are not included here, though they happen quite frequently. Underground doctors also charge far less than hospitals, making them very popular among the lower classes. Especially in a place like Aston District, where lawlessness prevails and the streets are filled with the poor and homeless, underground doctors abound. However, most underground doctors can only treat minor ailments like headaches or fevers and are helpless when it comes to serious illnesses. An underground doctor capable of treating major diseases is extremely rare because they could easily get higher salaries at large hospitals. Only a handful, due to special circumstances, continue to work as underground doctors. And Roger, the brown-haired middle-aged man that Regit knew, was just such an individual. Roger only treated people he knew, and there were many ways to get to know him. For example, he might stop you in the street and say, ¡°I¡¯m very interested in your body.¡± That was how Regit met Roger. He Ao struggled out of bed and walked towards the door, feeling distinctly that his right leg was not responding well. When he had been injured earlier, his whole body hadn¡¯t been under his control, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention. Now that his condition had somewhat stabilized, he could feel there was a problem. Regit already had a limp in one leg. He Ao walked with a limp toward the outside, only to see Roger playing with an adorable pet¡ªa green, twenty-centimeter-long lizard. Roger threw a piece of alloy to the pet, which caught it in one bite. Just as He Ao thought the little lizard would play with the chunk of metal, it bared its sharp teeth and chewed the hard alloy into powder. Chapter 64 - 64 64 Waking Up Please add to favorites follow and vote for the monthly ticket ?64: Chapter 64: Waking Up (Please add to favorites, follow, and vote for the monthly ticket) 64: Chapter 64: Waking Up (Please add to favorites, follow, and vote for the monthly ticket) ¡°Exotic beast?¡± He Ao frowned and looked at Roger, ¡°Where did you get it from?¡± According to Federation law, anyone caught smuggling an exotic beast into a Barrier City could be facing at least twenty years in prison. ¡°Picked it up next to the lab,¡± Roger shrugged nonchalantly. He casually picked up a nearby alloy scalpel, and with the blade dancing between his nimble fingertips, he deftly split the ¡®Lizard¡¯ into three neatly separated parts of flesh, bone, and skin in a blink. Then he set the scalpel aside and continued explaining, ¡°This can¡¯t really be considered an exotic beast, just an ordinary creature that has undergone a slight mutation in a polluted environment.¡± ¡°Polluted environment?¡± He Ao raised an eyebrow. He clearly remembered Roger just said it was picked up next to the lab, ¡°What kind of shady stuff are you up to?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that; you know my lab is close to the sewers of Dawn City. Although the sewage system of the Barrier City is sealed, you can always find some interesting little things in there.¡± Roger chuckled and shrugged, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Old Geezer, trying to be a paragon of justice? Getting hot-blooded at your age?¡± Memories from Regit told He Ao that Roger¡¯s idea of ¡®close to¡¯ probably meant he had directly drilled a hole beside the sewer. He didn¡¯t press on the matter. Those who lived comfortably in the underground world often had their secrets, and prying into someone else¡¯s with relentless curiosity was considered impolite. Even if Regit had a decent relationship with Roger, it wasn¡¯t to the extent where they shared secrets, and Roger obviously did not wish to elaborate. So He Ao just noted this clue in his mind and casually picked up one of Roger¡¯s cigarettes from the table, lit it, and put it in his mouth, ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°Three days,¡± Roger squinted at him, ¡°Old Geezer, your body really is quite remarkable. Other elderly folks who suffered injuries like yours would¡¯ve died long ago, yet here you are, able to stand here after only three days, lively enough to chat with me.¡± Three days, He Ao paused, this was a bit unexpected; in fact, his wounds had almost completely healed by now. Although Regit¡¯s body was strong, with age and the body¡¯s deterioration, injuries of this magnitude would usually require at least ten to fifteen days to recover. This time, he was back on his feet in just three days, which was abnormal. He Ao didn¡¯t know if it was due to his own constitution. Previously, Ande¡¯s body also seemed to recover very well. He took note of this detail and looked at Roger, continuing to ask, ¡°How much?¡± ¡°No charge, just let me study your body,¡± Roger said with a smile. ¡°Not interested,¡± He Ao said with the cigarette in his mouth, leaning casually on the table, ¡°Give me a quote.¡± His wounds were mostly healed, but big movements could still pull at the freshly mended tissue, causing a clear pain. Hearing He Ao¡¯s refusal, Roger yawned listlessly and said offhandedly, ¡°For bandaging, suturing, surgery, anesthesia, and the topical medicine, plus the glucose injection while you were unconscious, give me five thousand three hundred.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need anesthesia while I was unconscious, it¡¯s not like you to use it on me,¡± He Ao spoke with the cigarette still in his mouth, ¡°Your homemade medicine caused someone else an infection that led to amputation before, it¡¯s not worth that much, three thousand eight.¡± ¡°Elderly at your age and still so stingy,¡± Roger leaned back in his chair, ¡°Alright, three thousand eight it is. Transfer it to my account.¡± Seeing how readily he agreed, He Ao was not pleased but rather taken aback, and then cursed under his breath, ¡°You¡¯re asking too much, kid. Even though you¡¯re young, you¡¯ve got quite the heart of darkness. Do you have any unopened wristbands? Give me one. My wristband got smashed the night I was attacked.¡± Underground doctors without a business license can¡¯t operate legally, so they usually have a front. Roger¡¯s clinic is disguised as an intelligent wristband store, where he treats patients and incidentally sells intelligent wristbands. In fact, not only his wristband, his original clothes had also been destroyed in the fight, and now he was clad only in bandages. ¡°Old Geezer, always pinching pennies,¡± Roger grumbled as he got up. ¡°That¡¯s why no old ladies like you.¡± ¡°Back in my youth, I¡¯ve had my share of fun,¡± spat He Ao. ¡°Hurry up, give me one, the most expensive.¡± ¡°Take it, if you want it.¡± Roger went to the front of the store to find He Ao the simplest style of intelligent wristband and slapped it on the table. He Ao immediately took up the wristband and opened it. It was the latest model O37 intelligent wristband from the Nord Consortium, designed with simplicity, affordably priced and primarily aimed at students and the elderly. The wristband was worth about two hundred federal coins, which was essentially a successful indirect bargain. He Ao strapped the wristband on his wrist, borrowed a set of clothes from Roger, and slowly left the clinic. Roger was taller than him, so the clothes were a bit too large, but it didn¡¯t impede his movement as he began walking towards home. Three thousand eight, that was about two months¡¯ salary as a library administrator, but Roger had indeed given a very good price, even negotiable. If he had gone to a regular hospital, first the ambulance dispatch would cost over a thousand federal coins, then add the treatment and various other charges at the hospital, and after deducting the health insurance, he would have to pay at least ten thousand federal coins. So, seeing an underground doctor for treatment, apart from a slightly higher mortality rate, was preferable in every way. The rental where Regit stayed was close to both Roger¡¯s underground clinic and Dawn City Library, about a fifteen-minute walk away. The location was at the boundary between Aston District and Crown District, teetering between prosperity and chaos. He Ao passed the place where he had killed the Mech Cultist that night. The crater left by the high-performance battery explosion was still clearly visible, though the surrounding traces had been cleaned up long ago. Pedestrians hurried by, vehicles bustled with noise. No one talked about the incident, nor were there any police investigating nearby. In these chaotic districts, death was as common as anything, and the tax revenue of Aston District couldn¡¯t support a police force substantial enough to maintain stability. Therefore, the district government would prioritize protecting high-end residences and average common homes, as their inhabitants were the main source of tax revenue for the Aston District. As for the chaotic lower-tier districts, the police could only do so much with limited resources. Mech Cultists are often those who have undergone Mechanical Modifications without registration, mostly lurking in the lower strata of society, labeled as dangerous individuals. If it were an ordinary citizen who accidentally died, the police might investigate seriously. But a lowly mechanized madman, someone without even a healthcare card number? His death would just be another page in the file of unsolved cases. This is Dawn City. The city seen by Regit and the city seen by Ande was the same city, yet not the same city. He Ao passed through the crowd and turned into a narrow alley, a shortcut that was secluded and often dwelling ground for gang members getting high, but they generally didn¡¯t cause trouble for no reason. As he slowly made his way through the alley, a group of unfamiliar young men suddenly blocked his path. Chapter 65 - 65 65 Times Have Changed Old Man Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?65: Chapter 65: Times Have Changed, Old Man (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 65: Chapter 65: Times Have Changed, Old Man (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) He Ao looked at the uninvited guests blocking his way. The excited expressions on these youths¡¯ faces clearly indicated they were high on drugs. ¡°Please step aside,¡± He Ao gave them a glance, saying softly. ¡°Hey, Old Geezer, from now on this is Crocodile Gang¡¯s turf,¡± The leader of the youths looked at He Ao with a smile, blocking his path, ¡°Have you paid the protection fee to the Crocodile Gang?¡± ¡°Crocodile Gang?¡± He Ao raised an eyebrow. ¡°This cripple old dog actually doesn¡¯t know about the Crocodile Gang,¡± The youth turned his head to look at his buddies as if he¡¯d heard the funniest joke in the world. ¡°Hahaha¡± The young men behind him all started laughing, their roaring laughter echoing in the surroundings. ¡°Please step aside,¡± He Ao frowned and spoke softly once again. ¡°Come on, Old Geezer, let me show you what the Crocodile Gang is,¡± the youth rolled up the sleeve on his right arm, which had a tattoo of a huge, ferocious crocodile with its fangs bared on his arm. He carefully showed the tattoo to He Ao, scoffing, ¡°The biggest gang in Aston District, Crocodile Gang,¡± He put his hand in front of He Ao¡¯s forehead and tapped it thrice, ¡°Got it? Cripple Old Geezer.¡± ¡°Step aside, please.¡± He Ao observed the tattoo, memories slowly surfacing in his mind, his voice becoming increasingly calm. ¡°Hehe, the old dog is getting angry,¡± the youth pointed at He Ao¡¯s forehead, turned his head back with a mocking laugh, his face full of arrogance and pride. The youths at his side burst into a taunting laughter. ¡°Old dog, how should I put it,¡± he reached out and patted He Ao¡¯s shoulder, then slowly raised his hand, a baseball bat passed to him by one of the people beside him, gripped it in his hand, ¡°It¡¯s just your bad luck, running into us. The boss said we need to blood the newbies, we won¡¯t kill you, of course. But, if you can¡¯t afford the medical bills and die at home, don¡¯t blame us.¡± He wore a fierce smile on his cheek, lifted the baseball bat in his hand, and swung it down fiercely. Thwack¡ª The sound was of the baseball bat striking something. However, what the baseball bat struck was not He Ao¡¯s head, but the palm of his hand that he had extended; his hand was like a sturdy vice, gripping the bat tightly in place. ¡°Old dog, let go.¡± The youth struggled to free the bat but couldn¡¯t, so he let go, throwing a punch at He Ao¡¯s throat. He Ao released the baseball bat, which clattered crisply onto the ground, while his hand moved back in front of his throat, grabbing the youth¡¯s fist. He then forcefully twisted and pulled, dislocating the youth¡¯s arm, flinging him against a nearby wall. ¡°Attack!¡± The remaining youths looked at each other, and after a momentary hesitation, they all picked up baseball bats and charged towards He Ao. He Ao dodged the baseball bats by stepping aside several times, then surged forward, taking advantage of the youths¡¯ vulnerability after their swings to land several punches to their abdomens, causing them to fall to the ground in pain. Then he strode towards the youth sitting against the wall, who had been provoking him from the start. The youth watched He Ao approach, a smile appearing on his face, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know how to fight,¡± Then he slowly raised a black handgun in his left hand, ¡°But times have changed, old man.¡± He Ao reached out swiftly, twisting hard, and the youth¡¯s wrist was dislocated, his fingers rapidly losing strength and letting go, causing the handgun to slip from his grasp. Thump¡ª He Ao reached out to catch the falling handgun, his index finger passing through the trigger guard, twirling the gun, then lifting his hand, holding the grip and pointing it at the youth, ¡°No, young man, times haven¡¯t changed.¡± He pressed the muzzle downward, firing a shot into the youth¡¯s thigh. ¡°Ah!!!¡± Amidst a violent scream, fresh red blood instantly spurted out. Then He Ao slowly raised the gun¡¯s muzzle toward the young man¡¯s head. Instantly, the young man¡¯s entire body stiffened in place, even forgetting the pain. Bang¡ª He Ao fired without hesitation. The searing bullet, carrying the wind, grazed the young man¡¯s cheek and hit the wall behind him, causing him to tremble stiffly. Bang¡ªBang¡ªBang¡ª Within a brief period, He Ao rapidly fired shots, with bullets tracing a semi-circle around the young man¡¯s head. A yellowish, fishy-smelling liquid trickled down along the young man¡¯s trousers. ¡°Scram.¡± He Ao pulled out the handgun¡¯s magazine to take a look¡ªit had long been emptied¡ªso he swiftly dismantled the gun into parts and tossed them back to the young man. He couldn¡¯t take the gun with him; taking a gun for defense in an emergency was legal, and the first shot after disarming counted as self-defense. If he continued to attack and hurt the other person after they had lost the ability to fight or had given up resistance, it could easily be considered excessive self-defense or accidental injury. Therefore, he only used the gun to toy with the young man. Moreover, the confiscated gun was worth thousands of federal coins. Using it in an emergency was acceptable, but if he took it with him, he might be suspected of robbery. Although it¡¯s very likely these gang members wouldn¡¯t end up calling the police. The young man clumsily caught the thrown parts and tried to flee immediately, but he aggravated the wound on his leg and screamed in pain. The few youths who had already picked themselves up quickly rushed over and helped the young man away. The young man looked back, wanting to say a few harsh words, then met He Ao¡¯s calm gaze. He swallowed the harsh words and, supported by his followers, hobbled away. Watching the young man leave, He Ao turned and continued on the path home. Regit himself only knew a little about guns and didn¡¯t have such high marksmanship. The gun skills just now were acquired from Ande, through the ¡®Basic Firearms Mastery¡¯ skill. This skill was divided into two parts; one merged into He Ao¡¯s soul, and the other into his body. The part that merged with the soul could be brought into a new Copy World. Although it was only part of the skill, because it included Ande¡¯s understanding of most firearms in the Copy World, completing some not-so-difficult firearm operations was possible. ¡ª ¡°Crocodile Gang.¡± He Ao stood within the swiftly moving elevator, muttering to himself. He faintly felt that this gang was connected to the mission, but now he couldn¡¯t find any link. This time the mission was to ¡°Kill the exotic beast that has infiltrated Dawn City.¡± The key words are ¡®kill¡¯ and ¡®infiltrate¡¯. How to kill the exotic beast? Kill it alone or with help? How did the exotic beast infiltrate? Did it bypass the defenses of Dawn City on its own, or did someone assist it? If the system really intended for He Ao to confront the exotic beast directly, then the beast should have appeared by this time; just charge at it and get it over with. Since there¡¯s no trace of the exotic beast yet, it means the situation is still progressing, which means there¡¯s a possibility for He Ao to intervene. This relates to the scoring of side missions and hidden tasks. Although the overall event is shrouded in a thick fog, He Ao had already roughly identified two lines of resolution for this mission: First, prioritize strength increase to ensure combat power when taking action. Second, investigate the cause of the exotic beast¡¯s infiltration and see if there¡¯s an opportunity to alter the story progression. Ding-dong¡ª The elevator arrived at the 37th floor, and He Ao slowly walked toward ¡®his¡¯ home, room number 3722. Then he stopped at the door. The door was ajar. Chapter 66 - 66 66 The Intruder Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?66: Chapter 66: The Intruder (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 66: Chapter 66: The Intruder (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) Regit, despite his age, hadn¡¯t become forgetful enough to leave his door unlocked. He Ao¡¯s gaze shifted downward, eyeing the handle of the door in front of him. The smart anti-theft lock was intact and seemed to have been hacked. The apartment Regit rented was cheap and narrow, and the smart lock wasn¡¯t sophisticated, so it being hacked wasn¡¯t unusual. The residents here generally didn¡¯t possess valuables that needed protection from thieves. He Ao thought for a moment, but didn¡¯t move forward. Instead, he gently pushed the door open and stood to the side, leaning against the wall beside the door. The old security door creaked open slowly, with no reaction from inside. He Ao waited a moment, ensuring no sounds emerged before he slowly edged out a leg, then his body, and finally his head, Still no reaction. He Ao frowned slightly and then he cautiously entered the room. Bang¡ª The sound of a window suddenly being thrown open echoed. He Ao immediately chased after the noise, and by the time he reached the window, all he could see was a figure vanishing into the distance on a tri-wing glider. The foldable intelligent tri-wing glider was not cheap; the combat suits of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were equipped with this kind of glider for emergency escape from high altitudes. It was unfortunate that Regit was not skilled with firearms, and he didn¡¯t keep guns at home; otherwise, He Ao could have attempted to mark the fleeing figure with something. During the brief moment He Ao observed, the figure supported by the glider had already shrunk to a dot, disappearing between the skyscrapers. He Ao retracted his gaze and turned on the lights inside the room. His apartment was a duplex, divided into two floors, with the bed upstairs and a small living room, kitchen, and bathroom downstairs. At the moment, the entire living room was in disarray, with every cabinet, drawer, and lid flung open. He Ao went upstairs and discovered his bedding had been thrown into complete chaos as well. He checked the smart devices and valuables inside the house, finding nothing missing. Certainly, the intruder had not come to steal but to search for some specific item. An ordinary thief couldn¡¯t afford such an expensive foldable glider. He Ao inspected the entire house once more and then discovered a black micro-camera on the cabinet by the door. The camera faced the direction of the door, able to clearly record the appearance of anyone entering. He Ao picked up the micro-camera and looked at it closely; it was a cheap model produced by the Tevina Communications Group. This type of camera was a hot seller on the underground black market in Dawn City, not only because of its affordability but also because its system was easily hacked, allowing modification into an untraceable ¡°black camera.¡± Clearly, this camera was a ¡°black camera¡± from the black market. He Ao crushed the micro-camera in his hand, his expression growing solemn. He began to review the entire incident. The person who had broken into his home had used advanced equipment and taken no valuables, indicating that the intruder was not after money but some specific items. Typically, a homeowner, upon entering, would lock the door behind them; this would alert the intruder to their return and give them time to hide or escape. The door being left ajar could only mean one thing: the intruder wanted to attract someone into the room. This was also why He Ao had acted with a series of cautious movements earlier; he had been concerned about an intruder waiting to attack him at the entrance. But the intruder didn¡¯t attack the person opening the door; instead, they had left a camera there. The purpose of the camera was simple: to record footage and document the appearance of the one who opened the door. But if he wanted to record what Regit looked like, there was no need. Because Regit himself was the master of this house, and he would definitely come home. All one had to do was squat nearby for a few days or rent a house next door, and they could confirm who the owner of this house was. For the intruder, who seemed to display considerable financial resources, this wouldn¡¯t be difficult. So what if, the person he was waiting for was not Regit, but someone coming to ¡®visit¡¯ Regit? A guest arriving at the doorstep of their host, finding the door ajar, knocking, pushing the door open, and entering with curiosity¡ª all would be considered normal actions. By then, this camera would have recorded the ¡®visitor¡¯s¡¯ face, allowing the intruder observing from the other side to make their next move. When He Ao deduced to this point, his train of thought stalled, as he searched through all of Regit¡¯s memories and couldn¡¯t find a ¡®guest¡¯ that fit this scenario. Immersed in Martial Arts practice, Regit hardly had any friends, and among the very few he did have, none knew where he lived. In other words, the ¡®visitor¡¯ didn¡¯t exist at the beginning of this logic. Regit would not have any visitors. This problem couldn¡¯t be deduced any further from here, so He Ao withdrew his thoughts and began to ponder the significance behind this matter. It appeared that Regit had gotten involved in some affairs he shouldn¡¯t have and may even have gotten hold of something he shouldn¡¯t have. He Ao once again recalled Regit¡¯s recent memories¡ªup until the encounter with the Mech Cultist, Regit¡¯s life had been regular and stable: working at the library, talking to visitors, and practicing Martial Arts in his spare time. He hadn¡¯t received any items, not even via online shopping. Elderly individuals typically have few desires, and Regit had neither a wife nor children; his only hobby was practicing Martial Arts. The case was becoming interesting. He Ao glanced at his wristband; it was now 9:17 p.m. By this time, Regit would usually have already returned home. The incident three days ago with the thugs happened because a volunteer had taken leave, and he had to stay late to rearrange the bookshelves. Most of the time, Regit would have been home by now. Did the intruder break into the room at this time because they were confident they wouldn¡¯t encounter the room¡¯s owner? Or because they had surveilled for a long time and confirmed that the owner wouldn¡¯t be coming home today? Or perhaps, they thought that the room¡¯s owner would never come back? One thought after another emerged in He Ao¡¯s mind, these clues like a tangle of unruly threads, intertwining with each other. He Ao took a deep breath to suppress the doubts in his heart. He double-locked the door, tidied up everything at home, and then contacted the library manager to confirm that he could go to work the next day. When all clues halt at a critical point, venturing into new territory to find new clues is an excellent method. ¡ª¡ª The next morning, He Ao changed into suitable clothes, grabbed the cane leaning against his bed, placed a strand of hair in the door gap, and headed off to the library for work. By the time He Ao reached the library, limping with his cane, it was already 8 a.m. The library opened at 9 a.m., but He Ao needed to arrive early to perform a security check, do some simple cleaning in the main hall, and check for any books not sorted from the day before. Therefore, he needed to be there ahead of time. He Ao completed these tasks quickly, and by the time everything was done, it was just about 8:30 a.m. According to Regit¡¯s routine, this would usually be the time to practice Martial Arts for a while. However, He Ao sat down in front of the library¡¯s computer, launched the image search, and uploaded a picture that looked like a pictogram. It was a copy he had made of the first character from that ¡®Martial Arts booklet¡¯. Chapter 67 - 67 67 Qi Induction Please Follow Favorite and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?67: Chapter 67: Qi Induction (Please Follow, Favorite, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 67: Chapter 67: Qi Induction (Please Follow, Favorite, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) Indeed, He Ao had tried to use his wristband to connect to the network and search for this symbol the previous night, but just like with the Talent Sequences, no search results were shown. The Copy World seemed to offer transparent access to information and had a developed network, but as soon as anything secret was involved, it was as if it had been deliberately erased, leaving no trace. That¡¯s why He Ao attempted to see if he could find some relevant clues in the library. The Dawn City library¡¯s collection was divided into two parts, digital and physical books. Digital books were those for which the library had purchased copyright, and citizens with library cards could log on to the Dawn City library¡¯s official website and borrow these books online. Physical books, however, were the physical copies stored inside the library, which citizens had to borrow or read by visiting the library with their library cards. The physical books collected by the Dawn City library were mostly reprinted classics or some masters¡¯ theoretical books. However, the Dawn City library had been in existence since the founding of Dawn City, with a history of hundreds of years. Although the library had relocated several times, it also had a mix of odd and old books among its collection, Regit¡¯s discovery of the Body Tempering Technique being one of them. On the digital books interface, readers could directly search within a book¡¯s content to find the book they were looking for. The physical books interface, on the other hand, only allowed the search for a book by title. He Ao first searched on the digital books page, hoping to find an e-book containing this ¡®symbol,¡¯ but all he found were a heap of drawing books or some books on physical and chemical diagramming. He didn¡¯t find a single book about this type of symbol. He finally left the digital books page and entered the physical books page, where image searches weren¡¯t supported, requiring either the book title or keywords. He Ao thought for a moment and then typed ¡®symbol¡¯ into the keyword box. With a click, thousands of book titles containing the word ¡®symbol¡¯ popped up. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ It was impossible for He Ao to search through each one, so he began to contemplate which type of book the pictographic-like symbols on the small book might appear in. Pictographic script was the earliest form of writing used by humans. The origin of writing was the depiction of all things in the world, first concrete then abstract. For example, ancient ancestors would sketch the appearance of an elephant with simple strokes. Then, by fixing a drawing to represent the elephant, they created the first characters; over time, the characters evolved into the word ¡®elephant.¡¯ This was the transition from pictographic to ideographic writing that resembles pictographs, where the symbol itself holds meaning. The groups using this type of ideographic writing were either ancient ancestors themselves or they had a history of passing down ancient traditions. Their civilization must have continued uninterrupted from the ancestral era for the writing to have evolved step by step from pictographs. The Federation in the Copy World used a phonetic script, with characters that had pronunciation but no specific meaning, completely different from the ideographic script resembling pictographs found in the small book. This presented two possibilities: either the small book originated from the Federation¡¯s ancestors, a product of ancient times, or the book came from some other place in this world. He Ao pondered for a moment. Then he added another keyword, ¡®Original Federation,¡¯ next to ¡®symbol.¡¯ The Original Federation had existed for a longer time and covered a broader area, so perhaps related books could be found. After this filtering, only five books remained on the catalog page, as there were very few books on the writing of the Original Federation¡¯s regions. Apart from four books that discussed the writing used in the Original Federation during the Federation¡¯s era, there was one book whose cover was printed with various characters, including some that resembled the symbols in the small book. The title of the book was ¡°Restoration of Partial Texts from the Original Federation¡¯s Regions.¡± ¡°7th floor, Section I, I-725.¡± He Ao looked at the reference number behind the book, quickly stood up, and stepped into the elevator. He soon found ¡°Restoration of Partial Texts from the Original Federation¡¯s Regions¡±; the book was tucked away in a corner of a shelf, its pages yellowed as if it had been left untouched for ages. He Ao picked up the book and returned to the first floor. Just as the clock struck nine, he placed the book on the counter and opened the library¡¯s main doors. Beep¡ª No sooner had he opened the door and returned to the counter than he heard a crisp sound of a card swipe; someone had entered the Dawn City library. He looked up and saw a woman with beautiful black hair, dressed in a neat shirt and suit, walking into the library. Her figure was slender and straight, with delicate skin. Her overall stature was somewhat smaller than the other women He Ao had seen in Dawn City, but she was still around one meter seventy, with an even more delicate face. As He Ao looked up, the woman also noticed him. ¡°Old man, good morning. Did you take a day off yesterday?¡± The woman walked in, asking with some confusion. ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t been feeling well these past few days.¡± He Ao nodded; this woman often came to the library to borrow books, and over time he had become acquainted with Regit, ¡°The law books are on the third floor, and a batch of new books recently came in, you might want to check them out.¡± The woman¡¯s name was Yi Jiali, and she was a lawyer. ¡°I saw them yesterday,¡± Yi Jiali waved her hand and headed for the elevator, ¡°Old man, remember to take care of your health.¡± ¡°This old body of mine is still pretty tough.¡± He Ao laughed and watched as Yi Jiali entered the elevator. Then he slowly opened the book in his hands. At that moment, an idea stirred in his mind, and he stopped what he was doing. With every breath he took, wisps of subtle energy appeared in his chest. Previously, a wound in his chest had caused the energy brought by breathing to naturally dissipate; last night, he had also tried to see whether he could cultivate, but almost none of the energy that entered his chest stayed. And now, this wisp of subtle energy meant that the wound in his chest had healed, or at least was now able to fully take in energy. He Ao opened the attribute interface, [He Ao (Regit)] [Access Level: Ordinary Player] [Physical Condition: 16 (30)] [Skills: Talent Sequences 272: Super Memory (Soul Binding) (E-rank), Basic Firearms Proficiency (Soul Partial)] [Mechanical Modification: None] [Martial Arts: Qi Induction (F-rank) (Unusable)] [Character Ability: Body Tempering Technique (F-rank)] He Ao was curious about what effect it would have once Regit¡¯s body began to cultivate. After all, this was the werewolf who had simply through Body Tempering brought his physical condition up to 30. And this was the result after he had aged and his body had started to decline; at his peak, he was likely even stronger. He Ao opened the book in his hands, began to absorb the energy in his chest and guided it to course through the meridians of his chest and arms. Regit, with just one breath, absorbed much more energy than Ande, and he could gather enough energy to circulate without the need for rapid breathing, even just after his chest injury had healed. Looking at this, does it seem that everyone absorbs energy to a different degree? Is this what Talent is? As the energy was guided out of the chest, unlike the blockages in Ande¡¯s body, He Ao felt like this time he had entered a grand avenue leading straight to Heaven. A crackling sound of bones vibrating suddenly surged from within his body. Chapter 68 - 68 68 Dauntless Dawn Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?68: Chapter 68: Dauntless Dawn (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 68: Chapter 68: Dauntless Dawn (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) Ancient people often spoke of the four great joys of life: the nuptial night, the moment your name is enrolled, the arrival of rain after a long drought, and the chance meeting of old friends in a foreign place. He Ao¡¯s current physical state was somewhat like the arrival of rain after a long drought. His body had been honed for decades by Regit, all its resilience and strength reaching the human flesh¡¯s limit. With a physical quality of 30, he was already equivalent to the strongest batch of F-level Transcendents, rivaling the Transcendent with the power of ordinary men. This was the path Regit had taken for decades. But he had been stuck at this limit for many years. During Regit¡¯s prime, his physical quality might have even reached 40 or 50, infinitely close to E-level. But that was only close; he never broke through that limit. As his body gradually aged, he could feel himself becoming more and more distant from breaking that limit. Regit was a Martial Arts prodigy. He had waited for his first opportunity, stumbling upon that Body Tempering Technique, but he never got a second chance. Thus, for his entire life, he kept revolving below that limit. Talent is important, effort is crucial, and sometimes, luck is just as important. He Ao guided the energy into his body, and that energy was consumed almost immediately, not even traversing far. It wasn¡¯t because Regit¡¯s internal channels were blocked and needed energy to break through, but rather, every inch of muscle in Regit¡¯s body was desperately absorbing the incoming energy. Arrival of rain after a long drought. These muscles were like parched land, continuously soaking up the ¡®sweet dew¡¯ from the heavens. They had been dry for far too long. He Ao could distinctly sense that this body¡¯s capacity to absorb energy seemed to be far higher than that of his own. He carefully recalled the content of the Body Tempering Technique that Regit had practiced, which included weight training, muscle exercises, fighting drills, and more. The core principle of all these training methods was simple: to continuously enhance the body¡¯s strength through specific exercises. But now it seemed that, in the process of increasing bodily strength, the capacity to absorb energy had also improved; however, Regit didn¡¯t have a method to absorb energy to replenish the increasing demands of his body. He Ao began to suspect that the Body Tempering Technique Regit practiced was a type of Martial Arts method in itself, possibly meant to ¡®lay the foundation¡¯ for later cultivation and pave the way for further training. But Regit had only obtained the ¡®foundation-laying¡¯ part and never the subsequent ¡®energy induction and absorption¡¯ part of the technique, so no matter how much he trained, his body could not break that limit. And He Ao brought the method that could induce energy¡ª The Martial Arts cultivation techniques from the ¡®little book¡¯ were probably different from the Body Tempering Technique¡¯s system, but that didn¡¯t hinder He Ao¡¯s training. Since Regit had never practiced any method to induce energy, it appeared that the ¡®foundation-laying¡¯ results of the Body Tempering Technique were compatible with any cultivation methods. At least He Ao was not having any issues with his training now. With each breath, more and more energy surged into his body. It was He Ao¡¯s first time experiencing such a torrent of energy inflowing, and his body, like a bottomless pit, was slowly engulfing these surges of energy. Those famished muscles were even reluctant to let a single bit of energy slip by. He Ao had to ¡®half-fill¡¯ every inch of muscle around the channels to let the energy continue flowing. As these muscles were infused with energy, a series of crackling sounds rang by his ears, the noise of muscles causing the bones to stretch. This sensation was marvelous, like waking up fully rested and stretching languidly in bed, feeling utterly comfortable all over. He Ao felt his arms enveloped by surging power. When he opened his attribute panel again, his physical quality had changed from 16 (30) to 16 (31) and then rapidly to 16 (32). The character skill had also changed to [Character Skill: Qi Induction (F-rank)] This tangible feeling of getting stronger was truly fascinating. He Ao calmed himself down and pressed his hand against the book ¡°Restoration of Partial Texts from the Original Federation¡¯s Regions,¡± guiding the energy to continue circulating through his body. It took him almost three hours, and it wasn¡¯t until twelve noon that he slowly stopped his movements. At this point, his physical fitness had changed to [Physical Fitness: 16 (40)] In three hours, his physical fitness had increased by 10 points, which was equivalent to adding the physical fitness of a normal person from the Copy World. But this wasn¡¯t simply a case of 1+1=2. With these 10 additional points in physical fitness, He Ao could perform more complex moves. In some situations, his combat power had doubled. It was then that faint footsteps came from the direction of the elevator. Yi Jiali walked up to the front desk with a few books, glanced at He Ao in confusion, and tilted her head, ¡°Old man, you seem... taller? Weren¡¯t you shorter when you sat before?¡± She gestured with her hands to indicate He Ao¡¯s previous seated height. The two were on good terms, so it was possible to discuss topics that might not seem ¡®polite.¡¯ In fact, he hadn¡¯t gotten taller. It was that with the input of energy and the stretching of muscles, his slightly hunched back had straightened. Therefore, He Ao smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve just straightened my back, that¡¯s all. At my age, it¡¯s hardly possible for me to hit a second growth spurt.¡± ¡°Seems like it.¡± Yi Jiali observed from side to side and saw that He Ao had indeed just straightened his back. She then smiled and said, ¡°Old man, your spirit just keeps getting better. Looks like you¡¯ll live to be a hundred.¡± While smiling, she placed the books she was holding on the self-service book borrowing machine and then inserted her library card. ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank you for your blessing,¡± He Ao responded with a smile while watching her borrow books. He noticed that the top book was ¡°Dauntless Dawn¡± and casually asked, ¡°Since when did you become a supporter of the mayor?¡± ¡°Dauntless Dawn¡± was the autobiography of the current Mayor of Dawn City, Wente. Regit remembered this autobiography; he¡¯d occasionally flip through random books in his spare time during his martial arts training, including this one. The writing was quite good, leaving a deep impression on Regit. In the book, Wente recounted his childhood dream to become the Mayor of Dawn City, how he had strived for it step by step, and how he eventually realized his childhood dream and became the mayor successfully. A very motivational story. This year marked Mayor Wente¡¯s eighth year in office, at the end of his second term. If nothing unexpected happened, He Ao believed, through Regit¡¯s memories, that he was very likely to be re-elected for a third term. ¡°Ah, no,¡± Yi Jiali replied when He Ao raised the question. Her hand trembled slightly, and she quickly stowed the book in her bag, ¡°I¡¯ve just suddenly taken an interest in such autobiographies.¡± He Ao watched her calmly. Since she didn¡¯t wish to speak about it, he wouldn¡¯t press the matter. But just as he was about to drop the topic, the urgent ring of the telephone suddenly erupted from Yi Jiali¡¯s wristband. Chapter 69 - 69 69 First District Please Favorite Follow and Vote ?69: Chapter 69: First District (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) 69: Chapter 69: First District (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote) ¡°Jiali, guess what I just received? A million in donations! A whole million federal coins in donations!¡± An excited female voice came through the phone. Jiali was a nickname for Yi Jiali, derived from the last two syllables of her name, a term of endearment among close friends and family. ¡°Annie, slow down,¡± Yi Jiali was a bit confused as she listened. She glanced at He Ao, adjusted the earphone hanging on her ear, and asked in a low voice, ¡°What about a million in donations?¡± Her earphones leaked sound, and it wasn¡¯t hard for He Ao to hear their conversation with his hearing. ¡°It¡¯s our relief society. We¡¯ve received a donation of a million! From a Federal Investigator no less, a million, Jiali. I make less than a thousand a week, it would take me twenty years without eating or drinking to save up this much money.¡± Annie was indeed very excited, even a bit incoherent, ¡°Jiali, did you meet some rich young mistress or gentleman outside who spent a fortune for you?¡± ¡°Calm down, stay calm,¡± Yi Jiali quickly soothed her. In fact, she herself was so shocked by the news that her mind was spinning. She quickly asked, ¡°Annie, what¡¯s the person¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Let me see,¡± Annie paused for a moment, seemingly scrolling through her screen, ¡°Found it, the donor on the letter of donation is a Federal Investigator: Ande, Ande Stickwich. Wait a second, there¡¯s a note here, I just saw it,¡± The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Yi Jiali asked in bewilderment. ¡°Jiali, this Ande...¡± Annie faltered, then slowly said, ¡°This Ande is a hero buried at Dumel National Cemetery, and this donation is made in his name by the executor of his estate, as part of his pension benefits.¡± ... Both fell silent at the same time. ¡°We can¡¯t misuse this money, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Yi Jiali thought for a moment, hastily packed her book into her bag, and amidst a clatter, waved goodbye to He Ao, ¡°Old man, I¡¯ve got to go.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± He Ao nodded and waved back at her, watching her bustle out of the library. Then he slowly got up, took a deep breath, and also walked out of the library, standing at the entrance looking outside. Did Ande¡¯s pension benefits amount to a million? Probably not. Usually, when an ordinary Investigator dies, the Federation pays out a pension of two to three hundred thousand, and the life insurance purchased by the Federation for the Investigator would pay out about another four hundred thousand in accidental death benefits, so at that time He Ao estimated that the final pension he could get would be around six or seven hundred thousand. Of course, it was possible that the Federation gave a little extra for ¡®Ande¡¯s¡¯ significant contributions. But even if it was a million, a portion would need to be allocated for the little boy¡¯s college tuition, so He Ao tended more towards the idea that Selena had added some of her own money to make up the full million, donating in Ande¡¯s name. He Ao quietly watched as Yi Jiali hurriedly pulled open the door of her silver sedan, then drove away in it. Just as he was about to go back, he noticed a black sedan start up slowly, following behind Yi Jiali¡¯s car. As He Ao¡¯s eyes rested on that car, the rear window of the vehicle slowly rolled down, and a man dressed in a neat suit, dignified and elderly, sat in the back seat, looking at He Ao. Their gazes met. The man smiled, nodded gently at He Ao, and He Ao returned the smile. Decades had passed, and although their appearances had changed somewhat, they could still easily recognize each other. He Ao was of course very familiar with this man, Najia, Regit¡¯s old classmate, who offered him contraband drugs in their youth and collected protection money from him when they were young adults. Najia slowly raised the car window, and He Ao watched his vehicle drive away. The car ultimately didn¡¯t follow Yi Jiali¡¯s, but turned off at the intersection in front of the library. He Ao withdrew his gaze, returned to the library, and at that moment, he found a book lying in the corner under the self-service book lending machine. It was the ¡°Dauntless Dawn.¡± Yi Jiali had been in too much of a hurry when she left, dropping the book. He Ao picked up the book and casually placed it on the front desk, knowing it had already been checked out by Yi Jiali. If lost, she would have to compensate for it; paper books were not cheap. He Ao figured she would be back for her book before long. Back in his seat, He Ao took out his bracelet and ordered some takeout. Then he opened the book that had been under his hand all along, ¡°Restoration of Partial Texts from the Original Federation¡¯s Regions.¡± He flipped through the foreword and the table of contents. The book seemed to be about the languages of the first, third, fourth, and fifth regions of the Original Federation. The foreword explained the origins of these languages. When the ocean was not yet sealed by storms, the regions of the Original Federation were connected. Therefore, in the Second District, there were still a large number of descendants from the first, third, fourth, and fifth regions. Some had completely integrated with the current Federation through intermarriage, while others maintained the cultural habits from hundreds of years ago. The author visited these descendants who preserved their original culture and collected the texts of the first, third, fourth, and fifth regions of the Original Federation from them. But even so, as the number of users dwindled, many texts belonging to those regions had been lost in the shifts of history; thus, the texts the author collected were incomplete, comprising only a small portion. In the foreword, the author also mentioned that he would continue to restore these texts. He Ao glanced at the publication date of the book, which was twenty years ago. Then he noted down the author¡¯s name, Rigoberto Luser. After getting a general idea about the book, He Ao opened the publication, ready to find the corresponding texts from the small book. He didn¡¯t have a hard time, as the first chapter of the book was about that very language. The first section: Language of the First District. The introduction of this section briefly described the circumstances of the First District, which He Ao hadn¡¯t been able to find online before. The First District was the center of the Original Federation. After the great catastrophe, the people of the First District were the first to survive and rebuild civilization. Then they sent out fleets and exploration teams to search for the remnants of humanity around the world, to help them build fortress cities, and to reconstruct human civilization. Dawn City got its name because the First District¡¯s fleet landed from the sea and ventured inland, where they witnessed the first rays of dawn. After a century of struggle, the founders of the Federation essentially established an Original Federation government that covered the entire world. Then, ten years after the establishment of the Original Federation, storms closed off the oceans, and humanity was confined to the land. The First District and the other three districts were completely lost. After discussing history, the author began to introduce the language of the First District. The language of the First District was ideographic, evolved from pictographs. Here, the author mentioned a legend that believed this ancient script possessed the power to communicate with the mystical, and that some symbols were even simplified versions of ancient sacrificial arrays. However, the author considered this idea to be mere speculation. The following content was just the author boasting, which He Ao glanced over and skipped to the next page. The first character introduced in the book for the First District¡¯s language, coincidentally, was the same as the first symbol in the small book, The character was ¡®Heaven¡¯ Chapter 71 - 71 71 Dawn Please Favorite Follow and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?71: Chapter 71: Dawn (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 71: Chapter 71: Dawn (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) The two types of energy met in an instant, briefly producing five different glimmers before the bundle of energy rapidly exploded and dissipated, vanishing all at once. Unable to fuse? Was it not the right time yet? He Ao pondered for a moment but didn¡¯t continue to try again; instead, he ate while carrying on with the exercise routes outlined on the third page. Although he already had Regit¡¯s foundation-building as a base, the area of the body covered by the third page was much larger than the first and second pages, so it took significantly more time. It took nearly eight hours for He Ao to ¡®half-fill¡¯ his torso and legs. Of course, during those eight hours, he also had to help people find books, assign tasks to volunteers, and handle various job-related issues, which extended the time needed. He Ao estimated that if he focused solely on cultivating, it would have taken around six hours. By this time, his physical condition had improved from 16(40) to 16(50). To this extent, continuing his cultivation made it quite difficult to further enhance his physical condition. 50 was a bottleneck; breaking through it would mean reaching E level, but failing to do so would keep him stuck at F level indefinitely. It was now closing time, and He Ao watched the volunteers who had helped organize the books leave one by one before briefly cleaning up the library. Around nine in the evening, he returned to the front desk. Then he looked at the book ¡°Dauntless Dawn¡± on the desk, thought for a moment, found a plastic bag to put the book in, carried it in his hand, and then picked up his cane. He left the library. The two youths who were watching the library entrance quickly got up and followed him. After following him for a while, they suddenly saw He Ao turn into an alley and lost sight of him, so they hurriedly chased after him. Bang, bang¡ª Fists the size of sandbags came at them head-on, knocking both unconscious. He Ao crouched down and casually pulled up their sleeves. The fierce crocodile tattoo appeared before his eyes. ¡°Crocodile Gang.¡± He casually picked up a bracelet from one of the youths, which required a password to unlock. So he waited a bit, as he had controlled his strength well, ensuring they wouldn¡¯t be knocked out for more than ten minutes. As the two started to come around in a daze, they found an elderly man with silver hair crouched in front of them, smiling and watching them. The two shared a glance, preparing to get up and run. He Ao casually picked up a chunk of concrete from the ground and crushed it into powder with a snap. The two were immediately petrified on the spot, staring at He Ao. ¡°There¡¯s no need to run, I won¡¯t kill you,¡± He Ao said with an icy smile, ¡°Tell me, who sent you?¡± The two felt a shiver in their hearts at He Ao¡¯s smile. Despite his words about not killing anyone, he seemed like the sort of person who had a history of violence. ¡°Old man, we¡¯re just errand boys...¡± The slightly older youth swallowed hard and began to speak slowly. After some interrogation, He Ao confirmed that these two were indeed just errand runners, clueless about anything significant. Their only task was to follow He Ao, report what he took, what paths he took, who he met, and so on. However, He Ao also extracted a confession about their petty thefts and muggings of the elderly¡ªcommon occurrences among gang members. He casually mentioned a couple of things, and the two spilled everything. So he found a rope, had the two tie themselves up, and made a call to the police to turn themselves in. Then he carried his plastic bag and made his way home with the help of his cane. He wasn¡¯t keen on dealing with the police, as Regit had not done anything wrong, but his past gang affiliation was troublesome. These underlings never knew the important stuff; in the end, it was essential to catch a big rat. The Crocodile Gang. He Ao chewed over this term in his mind. The Crocodile Gang was a gang founded by Najia. Back in the day, Najia had been taught a harsh lesson by Regit and held a grudge against him. As Regit¡¯s reputation in the gang rose by the day, Najia, as Regit¡¯s ¡®enemy,¡¯ gradually became marginalized and eventually left the gang to become a wandering nobody. At the time, the then-rising Regit didn¡¯t pay any attention to Najia¡¯s later moves. The last time he heard about Najia, he had cozied up to some big shot in the east of Aston District and started a small gang called Crocodile Gang. After that came the story of him being ambushed, leaving the gang, and going into hiding; after which, Regit never heard from Najia again. He Ao stood in front of his house, triggered Super Memory, and in a fleeting second, scanned every detail of the corridor. There were no hidden cameras. He unlocked the door and entered the house. The current time was 9:40. If it hadn¡¯t taken extra time to interrogate those two young men, he should have been home by 9:10, which was about the same time he arrived home every day. Clean up, organize. He Ao lay in bed, further cultivating his skills, thinking about how to break through the bottleneck of 50. The higher he got, the less efficient he became at absorbing energy. Even as Dawn approached, the energy he drew into his chest was hard to channel into his body as the energy already absorbed would overflow, hindering the new energy from entering. Of course, as these energies burst forth, the energy dissipating from his chest also slowed down. But what use was that if he couldn¡¯t absorb energy anymore? Just then, as if recalling something, he flipped out of bed. He had experienced this situation before; in the main world, he had managed to activate the energy hidden within his body by triggering Super Memory, which prevented Dawn¡¯s energy from dissipating. This meant one thing, when the body¡¯s energy was ample, it would create an inward ¡®pressure¡¯ inside the body, and under the influence of this pressure, the escape of energy would be blocked. But this pressure had its limits and remained within He Ao¡¯s body without entering his chest. If there was just a bit of energy, their impact would be minimal, managing only to stop the dissipation. However, if the energy was abundant, the pressure would be strong enough. He Ao¡¯s body was now like a sealed glass container filled with air, and his chest was like a balloon inside this container. The energy inhaled was like the air blown into this balloon. As more air was added, the balloon expanded, compressing the air inside the glass container, hence increasing the pressure on the balloon. What if the air being blown into the balloon wasn¡¯t just air, but two incompatible types of gas? There would always be a pressure value at which the two gases would start to merge. He hurried downstairs and rummaged through all the food in the house. He tasted each one and found that animal meat products contained the most energy, followed by plants, and then synthetic amino acids and carbohydrate products. He arranged all the food according to their energy content. Then he sat in front of the window, gazing eastward. When the first light of Dawn rose in the east, he fiercely stuffed the food beside him into his mouth. Chapter 74 - 74 74 The Mayors Missing Item Please Favorite Follow and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?74: Chapter 74: The Mayor¡¯s Missing Item (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 74: Chapter 74: The Mayor¡¯s Missing Item (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) ¡°Mayor Wente?¡± He Ao whispered. ¡°Yes, Mayor Wente,¡± the youth blurted out everything once he started talking, without any more concerns, ¡°It seems the mayor lost something important, taken by that lawyer named Yi Jiali. But we haven¡¯t found anything, so we had to look for people related to her. We found out she frequents the library and has a good relationship with you, so we thought she might have given the item to you.¡± If it was truly a valuable item that had been lost, the mayor could have directly reported it to the police or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Only those things that couldn¡¯t be reported and needed to be kept secret had to involve gang members. He Ao realized that things were getting more complicated. He looked at the youth and asked another question, ¡°The Mech Cultist who tried to kill me a few days ago, was he also one of your people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the youth hurriedly shook his head, then under He Ao¡¯s icy gaze, he added, ¡°I really don¡¯t know, but the word from the boss was that you were already dead. He told me to go ahead and search without worry, but he also said,¡± The youth hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°He said that if I saw you, I could just kill you. Old Geezer, please let me go. I¡¯ll wash my hands clean of this and become a good person.¡± ¡°Give me Najia¡¯s phone number.¡± He Ao glanced at him and carelessly threw the gun at his feet. The youth looked down at the gun, his fingers twitching, but he ultimately didn¡¯t dare to pick it up. Instead, he gave Najia¡¯s phone number to He Ao through his bracelet. He Ao gave him a look and recorded the number. This youth was a typical example of being fierce in appearance but weak at heart, a bully to the weak but a coward at the face of the strong. ¡°Old Geezer, can I go now?¡± The youth asked cautiously, enduring the pain in his foot. ¡°Don¡¯t you want the gun?¡± He Ao asked casually. The youth looked down at the gun at his feet and shook his head quickly, ¡°No, no, visiting the Old Geezer, how could I not bring a gift?¡± ¡°A gift?¡± He Ao looked at the youth, who shuddered under his gaze, thinking He Ao was going to do something to him. ¡°Come on,¡± He Ao activated the camera on his bracelet, ¡°Let¡¯s record a video. A gift must be clearly given with that intention, and we need video evidence. Look happy, smile from the heart, don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m robbing you.¡± After dozens of attempts, the youth finally managed a ¡®heartfelt smile¡¯, and He Ao signaled that he could leave. He pulled at the door, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. He looked at He Ao, who was just watching him, so he had no choice but to limp over to the window. ¡°You¡¯ve killed quite a few people, haven¡¯t you?¡± Right as he was about to climb out the window, He Ao suddenly asked. The way the youth handled the gun and his demeanor suggested he wasn¡¯t new to killing. The youth trembled and didn¡¯t deny it, nor did he dare to admit it. He waited a while and seeing that He Ao made no further move, he finally rolled and scrambled out the window, opening his glider wings. Once he regained his freedom, he looked back at He Ao. There was a glint of resentment in his eyes as he flew away on his glide wing. He Ao watched his figure disappear, lit a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. Then he took out his bracelet and dialed the video number he had just recorded. The call connected, and an elderly man in a neat suit, exuding an air of authority, appeared on the screen. ¡°Long time no see.¡± He Ao greeted with a raspy and aged voice with a smile, then cut off the communication. ¡ª¡ª Crack¡ª¡ª Sitting in the back seat of a sedan, Najia crushed the bracelet in his hand. The metallic fragments, sparkling with faint electricity, slid from his fingertips. ¡°Boss?¡± The driver at the front glanced questioningly at Najia through the rearview mirror. ¡°Where¡¯s Mar?¡± Najia placed his hands on his knees and asked calmly. ¡°He¡¯s keeping watch over that elderly librarian. When he went into the librarian¡¯s home before to find that item, he seemed to have been caught by the returning librarian. He said yesterday that he found a new lead and was going to make another visit today.¡± The driver offhandedly explained Mar¡¯s recent whereabouts. ¡°He betrayed the gang,¡± Najia said with half-closed eyes, looking ready to rest against the seat back, ¡°you¡¯ll have to work a bit harder tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The driver nodded. ¡ª¡ª He Ao, with a cigarette in his mouth, cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground. Due to the intense move earlier, the wound that had been neatly bandaged on his body had split open again, and fresh blood seeped through the bandage. After cleaning up, he tucked the gun into his jacket, grabbed the bag containing ¡°Dauntless Dawn¡±, and left the house while still smoking. That young man probably wouldn¡¯t survive the night. From Regit¡¯s memories, He Ao could roughly figure out the character of that ¡®old classmate¡¯. Najia had a powerful need for control and would not tolerate any betrayal. Once the other party realized that his phone number had been sold out, he would take immediate action. Having taken the day off, He Ao didn¡¯t need to go to the library, so he went downstairs and headed straight to Roger¡¯s underground clinic. His home wasn¡¯t far from Roger¡¯s clinic; it took about ten minutes to reach the entrance. He looked up at the neon sign for ¡°Huimei Communications¡± above his head and slowly walked into the small shop. This was the facade for Roger¡¯s clinic. ¡°Yo, Old Geezer, are you about to kick the bucket? You¡¯ve been running to me every other day,¡± Roger said, circling He Ao excitedly before pulling out a wristband to send him a body donation agreement, ¡°Hurry up, old man, sign this agreement. Otherwise, if you die too suddenly and they send you straight to cremation, what then?¡± ¡°Give me some more of that medicine for injuries,¡± He Ao said, ignoring his banter. ¡°Injured?¡± Roger looked at He Ao with surprise, then pressed a button nearby, and the electric shutter door slowly closed. He signaled for He Ao to follow him into the back room clinic. He Ao followed him into the back room, adeptly watching as he moved a large glass jar from beneath the cabinet, which contained a dark, paste-like medicine. ¡°As you know, my medicine is a top-secret formula, I don¡¯t do takeout,¡± he said as he opened the jar lid, releasing a strong, odd stench, ¡°Take off your clothes. I¡¯ll apply the medicine, and you can pay for how much I use.¡± He Ao knew this guy¡¯s rules. No takeout meant no takeout, so he sat on the stool next to him and began to take off his shirt. ¡°Old Geezer, this body, these muscles, wow, these textures...¡± As He Ao slowly removed his clothes and peeled off the self-applied bandages, revealing muscles coiled like dragons and beautifully curved lines of his body, Roger let out gasps of amazement. He Ao could even see a light in his eyes. ¡°If you were a big-chested, perky-bottomed beauty, I¡¯d definitely like to hear you say those words,¡± He Ao said, looking at him coldly. ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about women? I only fancy perfect bodies,¡± Roger picked up a plastic spatula, scooped out a dollop of the black paste-like medicine, walked in front of He Ao, and studied the tears on his body carefully, ¡°Old Geezer, have you turned yourself into an inflatable doll? Your muscles are all torn apart.¡± He Ao didn¡¯t reply; instead, he asked, ¡°Do you know Christos?¡± Chapter 76 - 76 76 The Commission Please Favorite Follow and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?76: Chapter 76: The Commission (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 76: Chapter 76: The Commission (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) When the morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office and spilled onto the soft sofa, the slender woman lying on the sofa stretched lazily. She glanced at the blanket draped over her and then at the cute red-haired girl beside her, who was chubby with baby fat and soundly asleep. The woman took the blanket off herself and placed it over the girl. In front of the sofa was a desk made entirely of a single screen, cluttered with various drawings and writings¡ªthe results of the discussion she and the red-haired girl had had all of last night. It was a plan on how to use the one million federal coins to establish a Homeless Children School. The woman gathered her black hair, letting the mess of tresses neatly slide down her shoulders to her back, and then she stepped out from the gap between the desk and the sofa. She filled a cup with hot water and made herself instant coffee. After adjusting her coffee, she carried it back to the desk, slid her fingers across the screen, and admired last night¡¯s work. Then she walked over to a smaller desk, pulled open her bag, and took out the books one by one. ¡°Ah~¡± A content sigh came from behind her. The red-haired girl Annie rubbed her eyes and shuffled against the back of the sofa, ¡°Jiali, what do you think we should name our school? What are you looking for?¡± ¡°Looking for a book,¡± Yi Jiali held her coffee and flipped through her bag with a puzzled look, ¡°I¡¯m sure I brought it back yesterday.¡± ¡°What book?¡± Annie rubbed her eyes, still groggy as she stood up and walked toward where Yi Jiali was standing. ¡°¡®Dauntless Dawn,¡¯ an autobiography by the Mayor.¡± Yi Jiali said slowly. ¡°Since when have you read that sort of book?¡± Annie yawned and brought her head close to sift through the books Yi Jiali had taken out, looking for ¡®Dauntless Dawn.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not for me,¡± Yi Jiali set her coffee aside, ¡°remember the commission case from before? They asked for my help to investigate his parents¡¯ cause of death.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Annie opened her mouth wide, struggling to recall, ¡°the Mayor¡¯s foster son?¡± ¡°Right, he¡¯s the Mayor¡¯s adopted son,¡± Yi Jiali explained while searching, ¡°His parents died in an exotic beast attack. At that time, Mayor Wente hadn¡¯t been elected yet; he adopted the boy on the spot when he visited the site. Now that he¡¯s grown up, he wants to investigate his biological parents¡¯ cause of death.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the cause was an exotic beast attack?¡± Annie blinked in confusion, ¡°And now you¡¯re taking private detective cases too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the official cause of death, but he seems to have a different opinion,¡± Yi Jiali yawned, ¡°He¡¯s paying a hundred thousand federal coins for the legal fees, according to the progress of the case, and he will pay the balance in full even if the investigation confirms the official result.¡± ¡°Whoa,¡± Annie¡¯s mouth fell open in surprise, ¡°you¡¯re able to get such expensive cases with your skills?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®my skills¡¯?!¡± Yi Jiali raised an eyebrow, ¡°I have a Doctorate in Law from Dawn Law School, you know.¡± ¡°A Doctorate in Law who took seven cases in two years, earned sixty thousand federal coins, and managed to get a former employer sentenced to twenty years in prison?¡± Annie rattled off quickly. ¡°What do you mean ¡®got the employer sent to prison¡¯? He wasn¡¯t my employer when I sent him to jail, okay! And I didn¡¯t personally send him; I just informed my prosecutor friend of his crimes.¡± Yi Jiali argued. ¡°So I said former employer.¡± Annie nodded. ¡°Annie, when did you get so sharp with your words?¡± Yi Jiali reached out and pinched Annie¡¯s mouth. ¡°Mumble mumble,¡± Annie wriggled free of Yi Jiali¡¯s ¡®claws,¡¯ and then she cast her gaze on the bag and books in front of her, ¡°Jiali, could you have forgotten the book in the car or left it in the library? Also, what¡¯s the relation between that book and the Mayor¡¯s foster son?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll go look for it,¡± Yi Jiali nodded and then began to answer Annie¡¯s second question, ¡°It¡¯s not much, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an illusion, but that young master always felt like someone was watching him. So, he made an arrangement with me that if one day something were to happen to him and I couldn¡¯t find him, I should go to the library and take a look at the only copy of ¡®Dauntless Dawn.¡¯ He might have hidden a clue in that book. I was supposed to meet him yesterday, but he didn¡¯t show up, and I couldn¡¯t contact him, so I went to the library to see if there were any clues in the book.¡± ¡°So, was there any hidden clue in that book?¡± Annie¡¯s eyes widened, like a child who had discovered a treasure hunt game. ¡°I flipped through it several times, nothing, just a regular book,¡± Yi Jiali shrugged, ¡°He only said it might be hidden inside, it¡¯s also possible that he¡¯s just grounded or his phone was confiscated. I was intending to borrow the book and take a close look at home. If that didn¡¯t work, I planned to go directly to Mayor Wente¡¯s estate to ask about the situation.¡± She yawned, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go down to the car first and see if I left it there.¡± ¡ª¡ªTen minutes later¡ª¡ª ¡°Nope... Could it have been left at the library?¡± In the underground parking garage, inside a dark sedan, an old and authoritative man quietly watched the live feed from a huge car-mounted screen showing the black-haired woman searching inside the car. This was real-time surveillance from a miniature camera installed inside her car. ¡°Boss, for the past four days, she¡¯s either been reading in the library or looking for clues about the exotic beast attack from years ago. She only tried to contact the young master from the Mayor¡¯s family yesterday. After failing to reach him, she didn¡¯t seem to make any more moves. It looks like she¡¯s unaware, and the item lost by the Mayor hasn¡¯t ended up in her hands.¡± The driver, sitting in the front, turned his face and slowly explained. After listening to the driver¡¯s account, Najia closed his eyes slightly and leaned back in his seat, ¡°Then, get rid of her. Let this matter end here.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said the driver, nodding and placing his hand on the steering wheel to start the sedan, ¡°Should the old librarian be dealt with as well?¡± ¡°Together.¡± Najia¡¯s voice was old and low. Meanwhile, on the car-mounted screen showing the surveillance footage, the black-haired woman, who had found nothing after searching, got into the driver¡¯s seat, started the vehicle, and picked up her bracelet. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Chenghui, that¡¯ll be 1,800 federal coins.¡± Roger picked up the bill, smiling broadly. ¡°One thousand eight?¡± He Ao stood up abruptly, ¡°You¡¯re ripping me off, why don¡¯t you just rob me?¡± ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying,¡± Roger shrugged, ¡°Does robbing make this much money?¡± ¡°Knock off a zero,¡± He Ao put on his jacket he had just taken off, ¡°How about one hundred and eighty?¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Roger agreed without hesitation. He has overcharged again. He Ao sighed, picked up his cane, and tapped on the bracelet to prepare the transfer. Meanwhile, Roger, out of boredom, picked up the bag he had brought over and took out the copy of ¡®Dauntless Dawn,¡¯ casually flipping through it, ¡°Old Geezer, this book cover is a bit thick, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chapter 77 - 77 77 Gunfight Please Favorite Follow and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?77: Chapter 77: Gunfight (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 77: Chapter 77: Gunfight (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) ¡°This kind of hardcover book is always like this,¡± He Ao had completed the transfer and took the book from Roger¡¯s hands, ¡°The inner layer of the cover uses cardboard, and the outside is covered with a layer of calfskin, fabric, or thick paper, which makes it easier to preserve and look more expensive.¡± He Ao flipped through the book in his hands, ¡°For example, the cover of this book is cardboard covered with a layer of printed thick paper.¡± ¡°Every trade has its tricks.¡± Roger laughed. Then he led He Ao outside to the shopfront, took out a black metal object about one centimeter wide and two centimeters long, carved with cloud patterns, from a drawer, and threw it to He Ao. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He Ao caught the metal object and pressed it lightly, and three metal contact points slowly emerged from one end of the metal body. These three contacts were standard Federation data transfer interfaces, equipped with magnetic adsorption, usually used for data transfer between devices. He Ao¡¯s smart bracelet also had these three contacts, only they were concealed. It seemed this metal body was some kind of digital device. ¡°Cryptocurrency hardware wallet,¡± Roger said as he ushered He Ao out of his little shop, ¡°You can store your private keys in this hardware wallet, and use it to authenticate when you pay or transfer money. Just touch your bracelet with that contact point, and you¡¯ll be able to see the instructions for using this gadget.¡± In the Copy World, cryptocurrency is a generic term for a series of decentralized currencies that use cryptographic principles to ensure transaction security and control the creation of units. The core of cryptocurrency is no different from toy money used by children, but because the total amount of the currency is fixed and the transactions are highly confidential, it can, in a way, be used as a general equivalent or for speculation, much like gold and other precious metals. In a sense, it could be considered digital gold. Most importantly, it¡¯s not a centrally issued currency, and creating an account doesn¡¯t require real-name authentication. It can¡¯t be tracked by the Federation government, making it a natural currency suitable for black market transactions. Therefore, some well-established and widely recognized cryptocurrencies have nearly the same status as federal coins in the black market and some trading markets and can be exchanged for federal coins at a certain rate. ¡°I think you might want to start depositing some money into it soon. You¡¯ll probably need it when it¡¯s time to run.¡± Roger pushed He Ao out of his shop, stuffed a piece of paper into He Ao¡¯s hand, lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and pressed the button to close the roller shutter door. He slowly turned around and walked deeper into the shop, ¡°Stay alive, Old Geezer.¡± He Ao unfolded the piece of paper in his hand, which read: [Christos Campaign Office phone: 207-357-3379] He Ao watched the roller shutter door closing bit by bit, tucked away the piece of paper, then turned around, and started limping toward the street with his walking stick. ¡ª ¡°Hey, old man, it¡¯s Yi Jiali.¡± Yi Jiali supported the steering wheel with one hand and connected her bracelet¡¯s communication to the car¡¯s smart system. ¡°Hmm, are you here to pick up the book you left behind yesterday?¡± The familiar elderly voice came through the phone. ¡°Yes, do you have the book? Can I come and get it now?¡± Hearing He Ao¡¯s words, Yi Jiali¡¯s nervousness relaxed, it was okay as long as the book wasn¡¯t lost, after all, a book cost several hundred federal coins, which was too expensive, ¡°Are you at the library now?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m nearby the library,¡± the elderly voice paused, ¡°I¡¯ll send you an address.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there shortly, goodbye old man.¡± Yi Jiali opened the address sent by He Ao and then set up the navigation. ¡ª ¡°Hmm.¡± He Ao sat on the couch in the cafe, and hung up the phone. He took his gaze back from the pedestrians outside the glass window and looked down at the book in his hands. His gaze lingered on the thick cover of the book. In fact, after Yi Jiali left last night, he had flipped through this book and found nothing unusual. But just now, Roger¡¯s words made him notice the book¡¯s thick cover. The cover of ¡°Dauntless Dawn¡± wasn¡¯t like that of other hardcover books, where the heavy paper outer layer is tightly adhered to the inner cardboard. Instead, there was a slight separation. He Ao picked up the book, leaning back on the couch, and slowly raised the book at an angle where his left hand was just out of everyone¡¯s line of sight. His eyes scanned every corner of the book¡¯s cover, eventually discovering a slightly fresh, as if newly glued, area in the lower right corner of the inner cover. He pried open the glued area, and a thin, translucent piece of plastic the size of a little fingernail¡¯s cap immediately slid into his hand. It appeared to be a type of micro storage chip that usually required special equipment to read, which He Ao¡¯s current wristband couldn¡¯t handle. Thus, he clenched the chip in his palm, closed the book he held, and slowly walked out of the cafe?. The moment he stepped out of the cafe?, he glanced at a black sedan parked at the end of the street and then calmly walked forward, blending into the crowd before slipping into an alleyway at an opportune moment of visual obstruction. By the time the people in the black sedan regained their vision, He Ao¡¯s figure had already vanished from their sight. ¡°Mr. Aaron, we lost him. Should we go out and search?¡± A tall man pushed open the car door, gazing at the dense throng of people on the street. ¡°No need,¡± a calm voice came from the phone, belonging to Najia¡¯s driver, ¡°He will meet with that female lawyer, just keep a close eye on her later on.¡± The tall man glanced toward the place where He Ao had disappeared and sat back down in the sedan. As time passed, the noisy street gradually quieted down, and the flow of people was slowly diminishing as the hours went by. There were four people sitting in the sedan: a driver in a gray-brown overcoat and three men in black suits. Right now, all three men had their right hands tucked inside their coats, silently watching the direction of the street¡¯s end. The roar of an engine grew from a distance as a silver sedan pulled up in front of the cafe?. A slender woman in black boots stepped out, her lush black hair flowing as she looked around before entering the cafe? with a hint of perplexity. Through the cafe?¡¯s transparent glass walls, one could see her gesturing with her hands as if she was asking about someone¡¯s whereabouts. The waiter understood her description and pointed outside as if to indicate the person had already left. She thanked the waiter somewhat dejectedly and slowly exited the cafe?. Then, her hand was suddenly seized and jerked into a side alley. Bang¡ª¡ªBang¡ª¡ªBang¡ª¡ª Three successive gunshots shattered the street¡¯s silence. Three men in neat suits, wielding handguns, burst out of the sedan. Panic-stricken shouts, the sound of footsteps, jostling, the orderly crowd was instantly thrown into chaos. Yi Jiali, pulled into the alleyway, looked in surprise at the elderly man with a head full of silver hair. Before she could voice her doubts, she saw the Elderly whip out a small, exquisite pistol from his coat. Then, holding the gun, he extended his arm outside the alley. His index finger rested on the trigger. Bang¡ª¡ª Bang¡ª¡ª Bang¡ª¡ª Chapter 78 - 78 78 Old Master where shall we go next ?78: Chapter 78: Old Master, where shall we go next? (Please collect, follow, and vote for monthly tickets) 78: Chapter 78: Old Master, where shall we go next? (Please collect, follow, and vote for monthly tickets) Yi Jiali seemed to hear three ¡®thump¡ª¡¯ sounds, the noise of bullets entering flesh. It was her first time experiencing such a scene. Although she often went to shooting clubs and had a gun license, she had never bought a gun, let alone been in a direct shootout on the street. This was truly thrilling. Thump thump thump¡ª Three bodies dressed in suits fell face-first onto the street. Just a second earlier, they were assailants charging ahead with murderous intent, and now, they had become corpses, their warmth gradually fading away. The bullets had gone through the center of their foreheads, their eyes wide open in a round stare, frozen in the last incredulous moment of their lives. Yi Jiali stared blankly at the calm, silver-haired elderly man in front of her. She felt both fear and excitement. The fear originated from death, while the excitement came from the hunting instinct deep within the human body. The image in her mind of a gentle and kind figure was gradually replaced by the image of this cold, resolute, and slightly mad silver-haired elderly man. Honestly, purely from an aesthetic standpoint, this elderly gentleman looked somewhat handsome in this state. ¡°This should count as self-defense, right?¡± He Ao put away his gun and looked at Yi Jiali. ¡°Huh?¡± When it came to professional matters, Yi Jiali quickly regained her composure. She thought for a moment, ¡°It should count, but there might be issues related to the unauthorized use of firearms. However, there¡¯s a high probability of an acquittal. I can help you with your defense.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He Ao knew Yi Jiali was a Ph.D. in law from Dawn Law School, so her professional level should be beyond question. He grabbed Yi Jiali¡¯s wrist, retreating while suddenly pulling her aside, ¡°But first, we need to save our lives.¡± Boom¡ª The corner of the wall where they had been standing blasted apart, cement and debris scattering. Watching this explosive scene, Yi Jiali suddenly felt a chill down her spine. The gunfire on the street had been so sudden that she was somewhat panicked, without the chance to think it through. The blast, however, made her acutely aware of their current predicament. If He Ao hadn¡¯t pulled her aside, she could have been blown to pieces, left with only half a body, ¡°What was that...¡± She looked at He Ao in confusion, pointing at the blasted wall, ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Sniper.¡± He Ao glanced at the shattered corner. He immediately activated Super Memory, with every detail of the alley appearing in his mind¡ªtrajectories, wind speed, a clear path was simulated in his brain. Then, he pulled Yi Jiali and ran deep into the alley. They were near his home, and he was very familiar with the surrounding streets. ¡°Elderly gentleman, how did you know there was a sniper?¡± Yi Jiali was still somewhat shaken, letting He Ao pull her as they ran. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I guessed.¡± He led Yi Jiali through constant turns deep in the alley and quickly entered an underground passage. Having already shown his combat capability here and having suffered some setbacks, in line with Najia¡¯s character, it was unlikely that there wouldn¡¯t be other precautions in place. Either more people would be arranged for a close chase or long-range shots would be taken from afar. He Ao waited a while but saw no reinforcements; naturally, he guessed there were probably long-range backups in place. In this world, without involving the Transcendent, long-range backups typically meant snipers. Even Najia wouldn¡¯t dare set up artillery in the city district. But even in a chaotic place like the Aston District, a sniper¡¯s presence should not occur. Once it did, it would surely draw significant attention from the police, complicating matters. So initially, the enemies didn¡¯t have the sniper shoot right away but sent those three suit-clad men to tail them first. If the sniper had taken the shot at that moment, it was possible to kill Yi Jiali or wound He Ao in one hit, but once the opportunity was missed, it was gone forever. Of course, this was also within He Ao¡¯s expectations. ¡°Elderly, where are we going?¡± Yi Jiali, pulled along by He Ao, was running breathlessly. She found that she had to put forth all her effort just to keep up with this slightly limping old man¡¯s pace. No, if the elderly hadn¡¯t been dragging her along, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up with his speed at all. ¡°Here we are,¡± He Ao arrived at an alley entrance, pulled Yi Jiali behind him against the wall, then let go of her hand and took the cane hanging from his waist, ¡°Don¡¯t move from here.¡± With one hand on the cane and the other holding a gun, he limped out of the alley toward the small door at the bottom of the building ahead. This was not the main entrance of the building but a back door used by internal staff. As He Ao walked forward, the silver metal door slowly opened, and a man dressed in a pure black combat suit, helmet on his head, pushed the door open, carrying a black sniper rifle over a meter long. As he stepped out, he came face-to-face with He Ao. After a moment of stunned surprise, he quickly depressed the firearm in his hands. A sniper rifle, not as handy as a pistol, leaves a sniper with only one chance to fire at close range, and by that time, He Ao had already raised his hand. Bang¡ª A clean shot to the forehead, the bullet passed through the brain, shattering the back of the man¡¯s head, and his motion to aim the gun halted in that instant. His eyes gradually lost focus as he fell to the ground. When the sniper had previously fired at the wall, He Ao had roughly estimated his position, and after filling in the details with Super Memory, it was easy for him, with his basic expertise in firearms, to find the sniper¡¯s exact location. His running wasn¡¯t an attempt to escape; he was hurrying to catch the sniper before he could get away. He Ao waited a moment but no one else emerged. Some snipers are paired with an observer who provides them with sniping data and protects the sniper. It seemed this one operated solo, without an observer. Snipers who move in the underworld find it difficult to trust anyone and generally work alone. Using his cane, He Ao slowly turned around. Just then, a black sedan gradually drove out from the other side of the building. The dark muzzle was aimed straight at He Ao¡¯s back. Bang¡ª He Ao holstered his gun, turned back around, and continued on, leaning on his cane. Meanwhile, inside the nearby sedan, a man holding the steering wheel in one hand and his gun in the other had his eyes wide open, fresh red blood running down from his forehead to his cheek. His hands fell limply and the dark pistol slid from his grasp onto the floor of the driver¡¯s seat. The uncontrolled sedan hit the wall of the adjacent building head-on. A sniper rifle is always conspicuous, and if that sniper came down directly holding his rifle, it was either to change position quickly or because someone was downstairs waiting to pick him up in a car. When He Ao waited a while and the guy didn¡¯t show up, the only option was to bait him with a feigned vulnerability. ¡°Elderly... this?¡± Yi Jiali, peering from the alley entrance, felt her mind was a complete mess. Her life in the past twenty-eight years hadn¡¯t been as thrilling as this short half-hour today. Chapter 79 - 79 79 The Mayor Please Favorite Follow and Vote for the Monthly Ticket ?79: Chapter 79: The Mayor (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) 79: Chapter 79: The Mayor (Please Favorite, Follow, and Vote for the Monthly Ticket) ¡°The sniper who just attacked us,¡± He Ao used his cane to point at the fallen sniper, then pointed at the sedan crashed into the wall with his cane again, ¡°the person inside was just about to shoot me.¡± Then he looked at Yi Jiali, ¡°That counts as self-defense, right?¡± ¡°It counts... right?¡± Yi Jiali was somewhat bewildered. The incident had happened too quickly, and her mind was in a whirl. In terms of the nature of the incident, it could be considered self-defense. As long as they explained that He Ao had encountered the sniper by chance while fleeing, although Yi Jiali felt that the elder had most likely intentionally gone after the sniper, with a bit of ¡®explanation,¡¯ things could still make sense. The problem was, there were too many casualties in this act of self-defense, everyone who had attacked them had died. Even under the laws of Dawn City, if this went to court, there would probably be a lot of disputes. Of course, now wasn¡¯t the time to think about that. Yi Jiali looked up at He Ao, ¡°Elder, what do we do next?¡± At this point, Yi Jiali was completely confused. She didn¡¯t know why she was in this situation, why someone was trying to kill her, or why the previously kind and benevolent librarian had suddenly revealed such a cold and decisive side. She even started to wonder what kind of unknown past He Ao had, and began to imagine that maybe the elderly gentlemen sweeping the streets were actually undiscovered masters. But when all was said and done, He Ao was her only pillar of support at the moment of crisis. The most sensible action was to listen to the advice of a professional. He Ao glanced at Yi Jiali and, while walking deeper into the alley with the support of his cane, took out a card reader with a semi-transparent storage chip inserted from his pocket. This type of card reader could convert the interface of the storage chip into the Federation¡¯s universal three-point magnetic data interface, so it could be used to read the content with a wristband. ¡°Seen this before?¡± He Ao presented the card reader in front of Yi Jiali. Yi Jiali shook her head blankly. ¡°Take a look,¡± He Ao passed the card reader to her, ¡°and after you¡¯ve looked, share any information you know with me.¡± Yi Jiali blankly received the card reader from He Ao¡¯s hand. ¡°Remember to disconnect from the internet.¡± He Ao, walking ahead, suddenly said. ¡°Ah,¡± Yi Jiali nodded, as she brought the card reader near the data interface of her wristband and softly asked, ¡°So, Elder, are we just going to look at what¡¯s inside this next?¡± ¡°No,¡± He Ao shook his head, ¡°We¡¯re going to Rockville Private Middle School.¡± ¡°Ah? Why?¡± ¡°The Mayor is giving a speech there.¡± ¡ª- Crown District¡¤Rockville Private Middle School An elderly man, lean and kindly yet authoritative, stood on the stage. His eyes sparkled as he energetically looked at the neatly seated students in front of him, ¡°...I know, those videos played on smart devices may have given you a certain illusion, making you think that without much effort, you could be incredibly wealthy, thinking that all you need is to be able to sing, to dance, to participate in some talk show, or to mess around on a variety show, and you would be set for life.¡± ¡°But the reality is, you have almost no chance of taking any of those paths.¡± ¡°Those lively TV shows, the stars active on screen often give us this illusion¡ªthat wealth and success can be obtained without any effort.¡± ¡°But achieving success is actually a difficult task.¡± ¡°The land beneath our feet is one of the oldest lands in Dawn City, and also one of the oldest in the Federation. Over eight hundred years ago, the founders of the Federation crossed the oceans and landed here, where they built the original Dawn City¡ªwhat we now call the Crown District.¡± ¡°Under the relentless attacks of exotic beasts, in the terrifying wilderness, they built Dawn City¡¯s first tall wall, which is also the oldest wall of the Federation.¡± ¡°How long did it take them?¡± ¡°Twenty years!¡± ¡°Seven hundred and fifty-six years ago, when the Federation was established, it had been nearly a century since the construction of Dawn City¡¯s tall wall began.¡± ¡°Over eight hundred years ago, the people sitting in your seats, people about your age, they braved through thorny paths, they tilled the land under exotic beasts¡¯ feet, they rebuilt civilization amidst the wilderness¡¯s frenzy, spending twenty years to construct Dawn, and a hundred years to establish the Federation.¡± ¡°Success has never been an easy thing.¡± ¡°Eight centuries ago, the people sitting in your seats reignited the spark of civilization, giving us walls to provide sanctuary and to establish our livelihoods.¡± ¡°Five centuries ago, those in your seats restored the urban transit, allowing us to travel freely between cities.¡± ¡°Three centuries ago, those in your seats set up a virtual network spanning the wilderness, changing the way we communicate.¡± ¡°So today, I want to ask you all, what will your contribution be? What problems will you be solving? In twenty years, fifty years, a century from now, how should the Mayor who comes here speak of everything you have done for Dawn City, for the Federation?¡± ¡°Right now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything in our power to ensure that you receive the education needed to answer these questions.¡± ¡°I hope each of you will do great things, so don¡¯t let me down, don¡¯t let your families down, don¡¯t let your city down.¡± Applause roared. ¡°Thank you, everyone. God bless you, God bless Dawn.¡± ¡ª¡ª Outside the venue, a dense crowd of onlookers was standing, with most of the applause surging from these people. At the edge of the crowd stood an elderly man with silver hair and a slender woman with black hair. They did not clap but listened quietly to the Mayor¡¯s speech. ¡°He spoke well.¡± He Ao leaned on his cane, speaking calmly. ¡°Yes,¡± Jiali nodded silently, her gaze sweeping over the students in their expensive woolen uniforms, over the luxury bags hanging on them, over the expensive smart bracelets or designer watches on their wrists. Rockville Private Middle School is the best middle school in the Crown District and in Dawn City, and of course, its tuition is as high as nearly one hundred thousand federal coins a year. ¡°472,¡± Jiali lifted her head and turned her gaze toward the spirited Elderly man in the center of the crowd. At that moment, the Elderly man was packing up, preparing to leave, ¡°In the Aston District, in the neighborhood I often visit, there are 472 homeless children who cannot afford education.¡± There are forty-one blocks in Aston District. He Ao turned around, leaning on his cane, he moved step by step toward the exit, ¡°Let¡¯s go see this Mr. Mayor.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t...¡± Jiali was somewhat surprised. On the way here, she had already told He Ao about her mission, and she also understood that those chasing them from behind the scenes were this Mr. Mayor¡¯s people. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to find out the whereabouts of your young employer?¡± He Ao didn¡¯t look back, continuing forward, ¡°Asking his foster father directly is the fastest way.¡±