Chapter 71: Invisible

"Wow, he screamed so loudly."

In the little ox-horse’s galloping escape, Ji Jue couldn't help but turn his head and sigh. In the back seat, Xiao An nodded admiringly: "He has a good voice."

He was sitting in the back, checking the iron plates previously stored in the little ox-horse’s secret compartment, only to find that not only his own iron plates, but even the guns and bullets Ji Jue had previously put in the secret compartment seemed to have taken on a new look.

Faint Supreme Virtue emblems appeared and disappeared in the dim light, and the material, strength, and physical properties had all been enhanced by Ember and blessed by Wild Ruins.

Brother Furnace is Brother Furnace. Just by taking a turn in the furnace, since he was here, he simply gave them a hand, and as a result, this batch of weapons had already reached the edge of alchemical weapons. The stability and durability were much stronger than before, and all the durability had been replenished!

Just this level of basic skill was already a hundred times higher than Ji Jue’s!

"Ah, what a pity." Xiao An sighed disappointedly: "If I had known, I would have put Dark Star in too."

Dark Star was the weapon he hid in his sleeve. Unlike other iron plates, it was about twenty centimeters long, with a semi-transparent, turbid color that couldn't be distinguished by material, and faint blood threads wandering inside. But when Xiao An held it in his hand, it didn't have the strength and toughness of steel at all; rather, it was incredibly soft.

Ji Jue hadn't even touched it. It wasn't that Xiao An was stingy, but that the seemingly ordinary edge could easily cut synthetic steel into fragments. If Ji Jue played with it and swung it toward his neck, that would be a big joke. It is said that people of the An family are accustomed to using such weapons, and under the blessing of throwing techniques, they can reach incredible precision and effects.

After all, working on the Wild Market these days, it’s really hard to get by without two unique skills, not to mention having to make people listen obediently, so the deterrent power must be enough.

"What’s the pity?" Ji Jue patted his head without looking back: "Isn't there me? Besides, if I can’t handle it, I can always take it as homework and find the teacher!"

Being a student has this advantage: things you can’t handle professionally can all be solved by calling the teacher.

"Oh, right, then I’ll trouble Brother Ji Jue."

Xiao An beamed, without any doubt, his eyes in the rearview mirror shining, as if the effect would definitely be right if Brother Ji Jue took action. Instead, it put a lot of pressure on Ji Jue.

"I say, Xiao An... is your expectation of my ability a bit too high." Ji Jue’s expression twitched: "You’re already a level 5 big shot, I’m just a blank newbie, I don't even have a matrix. I’m really not that powerful."

"No, very powerful, well, very powerful kind!"

An Ran shook his head decisively and said seriously: "Much more powerful than me."

"You can hang and beat me a few times with one hand, right?" Ji Jue smiled bitterly.

"It’s not that being able to kill or fight is powerful. If being able to win a fight is the most powerful person, then I wouldn't have quarreled with my sister and run away from home."

Xiao An looked up at the wind, staring at the Rift Realm before him: "Sister Wen is very powerful, Old Zhang is also very powerful, and Sister Painting, sometimes she is very powerful.

Brother Ji Jue, from the moment I knew you, you have always been very powerful."

"Why?" Ji Jue almost laughed.

"Because you know what you want to do."

The youth answered as a matter of course: "When Sister Painting told me, I knew you must be super powerful—knowing what you want to do, knowing what kind of life you want to live, and then moving forward without hesitation, being enemies with those who block you, and not bowing your head even if you die.

I think such a person must be much stronger than me."

"..."

Ji Jue was silent for a long time, then sighed: "It’s just like that, doesn't everyone have a life they want to live?"

Xiao An shook his head: "I don't."

"I don't know what I want to do in the future, and I don't know what kind of life is the best, but I don't want to 'work' with my family. It’s because of this that I ran away from home."

Xiao An sighed: "Originally, besides my left leg, both hands were going to be cut off by my sister, but my aunt pleaded for me. If I don't find the result I want before I’m eighteen, I can only go home to work. If it’s not good, if I don't go back, my hands will really be cut off."

"...Isn't there still three or four years? Just find it slowly."

Ji Jue was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Don't worry, I’m here. Even if you can’t find the life you want to live by then, and can’t figure it out, I won't watch others cut off your hands."

"Well, Sister Wen actually said that too." Xiao An looked at him seriously: "But Brother Ji Jue, you can’t beat my sister, you’ll die."

"..."

Why is this brat so blunt?

Ji Jue couldn't help but pat his head again: "Then won't I make you a pair of bionic hands?! I’ve read about bionics three times in the last two days, it definitely won't delay you from playing the piano or pipa!"

"Oh, right!" Xiao An’s eyes lit up again, pulling his clothes: "Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Ji Jue!"

So you’ve already assumed you’ll be chopped off by then!

Your family is really weird, little brother!

Ji Jue only felt that he had a mouthful of old slots he couldn't spit out, but just when he found a safe place and was about to stop, he felt Xiao An’s hand suddenly press on his shoulder.

"Careful."

He said, "Something is watching us."

Ji Jue froze, looked in the direction he pointed, and then, in the distance, in an apartment that had just collapsed not long ago, behind a broken wall, a figure flashed past, peeking over carefully.

Through the magnification of the binoculars, that face was so clear.

It seemed to be a middle-aged man, with a stubbly beard, ragged clothes, like a homeless person, but his face was shattered. On the right side of his face, several eyes grew in a mess, blinking.

His arms were also, with two extra sections, long, dragging on the ground.

Peeking over carefully.

After noticing the vigilant gazes of the two, he panicked and turned to run.

"Wait—"

Xiao An’s palm raised, aiming, but was pressed down by Ji Jue. He let that figure run far away and disappear.

Xiao An retracted his hand, looking at him blankly: "Brother Ji Jue, that’s not a person."

"I know."

Ji Jue recalled the look in that person’s eyes, the lingering vigilance and fear, but for some reason, he thought of the words left by the furnace: 【If there is still a chance... please show mercy to us again.】

At that time, Ji Jue was confused and didn't have time to ask clearly.

Looking at it now, is this what it meant?

Feeling sorry for one’s own kind, after the furnace was endowed with a soul, would it feel pity and pain for the encounter of these puppets?

"Forget it."

He shook his head and twisted the throttle again: "Anyway, there’s no malice toward us, it doesn't matter if we leave it alone. Let’s change the camp."

The little ox-horse disappeared again in the city that was gradually collapsing and shattering.

Disappeared.

At the same time, in another underground space, in the darkness, only broken puppet remains were left. Those monsters that had occupied this place after alienation were cleaned up without mercy.

In the large room, except for the house in the corner and the pot boiling on the cassette stove, there was no other movement.

Several figures sitting on chairs had no movement, their eyes empty. Regardless of men, women, old, or young, except for breathing, there was no sign of any living thing.

Until footsteps gradually approached, someone pushed the door and entered, carrying a huge package, with a relaxed and happy smile on his face.

The nine people immediately stood up and greeted him, coordinating and thoroughly helping him unload the package, unpack it, and store the tools, harvest, and even captives in the package by category...

During this process, the fake smile on the entrant’s face also disappeared.

Only hollow calmness remained.

"All a bunch of poor ghosts."

The ten people bent down, looking at the harvest on the ground, shaking their heads in unison, their voices overlapping, with strange tremors. And among the things brought back, the largest one was a living person wrapped in strange bandages, unable to even struggle.

All scattered spiritual quality was completely locked inside.

And when the bandages were opened, it revealed that pale face full of fear.

"Wait, wait a minute, please..."

Before the words could be finished, the ten people surrounding him took a deep breath.

In an instant, the shrill screams were cut off, and scarlet energy rose from the person on the ground, falling into their mouths—life, spiritual quality, and even the soul itself.

Swallowed happily, feasting greedily.

And on the ground, the person who was still struggling instantly shriveled and turned into dry bones.

Already eaten.

And the same scarlet flash emerged from the eyes of the ten people, rising and gathering, and a vague figure faintly emerged in the void.

Like a skinned corpse.

The soul that had condensed into substance was shrouded in scarlet, and one could faintly distinguish the incomplete faces wriggling on every wisp of scarlet, the spiritual quality and soul fragments of who knows how many people, forming this incarnation.

And the ten people fell to the ground as if they had fallen apart in an instant.

Only the figure in mid-air checked his limbs and sighed silently.

"All ordinary goods, not worth using."

Known as the Shepherd of the Dragon Festival Society, the Invisible sighed silently, feeling the gap in his soul, his expression regretful: "Only half came in. This place really has something strange."

Originally, he had prepared thoroughly, splitting his soul and hiding it on more than twenty people, but he didn't expect that at the moment the Rift Realm opened, less than half would come in.

However, as a Chosen who had already reached the Rebirth rank, he did indeed split his soul to bypass the restrictions of the Rift Realm and enter this world!

Since he had already entered the door, he could seek an opportunity to recover calmly.

Missing half of his soul might be a fatal injury to other Chosen, but for the Invisible who had been immersed in the Heart Pivot and Transformation paths for many years, it was completely not a problem.