Chapter 804: Moon Rising Over Black Clouds

7th Round Trial: Blood Moon Curse

The mission will officially start in 1 hour; please prepare, challengers.

After consecutively completing the first six rounds perfectly, the seventh round trial also began in a building resembling an inn.

If one word were used to describe the previous trials, everyone could only think of one word.

That word is: smooth sailing, unstoppable carnage.

They were responsible for the 'gaga', Lin An was responsible for the carnage.

From having to follow reluctantly, to frenzy, from astonishment to shock.

After six rounds of trials, they were completely subdued by Lin An's terrifying mental ability.

Faster and faster, faster and faster!

Like turning on a cheat.

By the time the sixth round trial came, Lin An actually completed the mission instantly the moment it was announced!

Under the huge gap, even the originally boisterous Li Shouyi became increasingly silent.

If possible, he would rather choose not to encounter Lin An...

Of course, human joys and sorrows are not shared.

Compared to the bitter Li Shouyi in his heart, the originally near-collapse Ajiasi now only felt exhilarated, flying high.

Scoring points was like riding a rocket.

All the way scoring points, even their lowest tally exceeded 50 points, and that's after turning them in.

As for Lin An,

All six rounds of trials saw everyone survive, harvesting a total of 1710 points, plus one point of willpower attribute.

Far smoother than imagined.

"Blood Moon Curse: Among the two challenger teams, find the cursed mutant."

"After the mission starts, a vote is opened every minute. Once over 60% approve, the voted target is exiled..."

"Specific details will be given after the mission begins."

Fingertips tapped the armrest.

Sitting in the chair of the inn room, Lin An pondered, with occasional flashes of silver in his eyes.

His thoughts remained hyper-efficient, to the point that he faintly felt his body could barely keep up.

"Ka-cha"

The tightly shut wooden door opened, revealing a familiar face.

That was, Fiona?

"Lin An... I..."

Lin An looked puzzled at the girl who had suddenly come to the room, standing before him.

She was not wearing her ever-present shield and weapon.

At this moment, Fiona kept fiddling with her fingers, appearing somewhat torn and hesitant.

The seventh round trial is about to begin.

Logically speaking, including Fiona, no one would disturb him while he thinks.

This round's situation is far more complex than before, so he is still searching for the optimal solution.

"What's up?"

He asked softly.

Lin An slightly furrowed his brows.

Standing opposite, the girl breathed rapidly.

Her lips and teeth moved lightly, like a timid fawn.

"I..."

Looking at Lin An sitting in the chair, his eyes somewhat weary, Fiona's expression struggled, not knowing where to begin.

"This round's trial is to find the mutant hidden among us..."

"I think, relying solely on logic may not be able to find 'him'..."

"No one will reveal their identity."

She bit her lower lip tightly.

But, she would...

Compared to Lin An's previous performance, this round he is noticeably slower.

After repeated consideration, she also realized the key point of the Blood Moon Trial; it is no longer solvable by logic alone.

Weak moonlight from outside the window fell on her side face, her fair, delicate doll-like face revealing a hint of crimson.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, then her trembling hands slowly reached toward her waist.

"Pa-ta"

The wallet came off, falling onto the wooden floor.

The sudden change startled Lin An, his expression freezing.

"Bo~"

Two rabbits, as if freed from their bonds, jumped out.

Too sudden.

The scene before his eyes was like milk splashed into tea.

After taking off her leather armor, the girl's snow-white skin was exposed in large patches.

The moonlight was pale blue, giving her delicate body a faint glow that reflected in his eyes.

Just like a tranquil watercolor painting, depicting the moonlight filtering through the dark clouds.

The breeze blowing in from outside the window carried a slight chill.

Before Lin An could say anything.

All that could be seen was Fiona, after taking off her leather armor, her body retained only tightly wrapped white bandages.

A faint chill rose, and she instinctively hugged her chest.

The rabbit swayed gently.

Her rapidly rising and falling chest was like waves crashing onto a white sand beach.

Her head bowed, the blush on her face seeming as if it could drip water.

The room was utterly silent.

Lin An looked at her with a strange expression.

Under his heightened thinking, he roughly guessed what Fiona was really thinking.

In the mission of the Blood Moon Curse, it was mentioned that the cursed would be clearly distinct from other trial-takers.

If my guess is correct...

Fiona probably came up with a logic: she wanted to find the monster hidden among the people, and the first step was to prove whether she herself was that mutant.

If she is, then vote for her.

If not, she could also help Lin An eliminate a wrong option.

It's a strange, foolish idea.

Recalling the few questions Fiona had asked before entering the trial, Lin An vaguely guessed why she had such a naive notion.

Feeling... sorry for herself?

He felt somewhat helpless.

Lin An watched the girl carefully undoing her bandages before him, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

The difficulty of this mission was indeed as Fiona had thought.

The difficulty lies in that no one would be willing to reveal their identity.

Not even a glance at their own body to confirm their identity.

In terms of mindset, whether they know they are a monster or not, they will inevitably show a flaw in the time to come.

But the problem is...

Um...

It doesn't have to be done in front of me... right?

The fingertips tapping the armrest stopped.

Actually, Fiona could simply examine herself and then tell him.

Anyway, since you plan to tell the truth, I don't need to consider that you might choose to deceive.

The hurried breathing sounded like it was drilling into his ears; Lin An could even hear that thumping heartbeat.

A faint fragrance wafted over, a warmth drawing near.

When simplicity confronts complexity.

Lin An felt like a hunter lurking in the deep forest, only to look up and encounter a prancing elk.

Giving away heads isn't done like this.

Faced with Fiona's sincere and stubborn gaze, he didn't know what to say for the first time.

Unlike Fan Bing, who had once acted similarly but with purpose.

Lin An found it hard to face Fiona with the same cold attitude.

He felt the gaze from beneath the mask falling upon him.

The girl's mind was in utter chaos.

She had never imagined she would one day be so bold, nor that she would be willing to bare herself before a man she had known for only a few days.

To be honest, she hadn't even thought about what would happen next.

Are you afraid?

Just like a dream.

Reason and her fragile self-esteem told her she shouldn't do this.

But thinking of the mission's demands, she had no choice but to timidly yet firmly lift her head and meet his gaze.

"Lin An... I want to help you..."

"But this is all I can think of..."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of resolve.

The girl's thoughts were like an irrational number in mathematics, offering no discernible pattern.

Is it to help me, or is it guilt?

Or perhaps, using herself as compensation?

Given his intellect, if he couldn't guess what Fiona had encountered before entering the trial, then Lin An might as well hang himself.

"Shush-shush..."

That was the sound of her lower garments slipping off.

The hem piled up on the floor.

Her legs were straight, tightly pressed together, preserving the last line of defense.

The white exposed to the air was somewhat glaring.

Inside the room, the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

In the silent gaze, Lin An silently shifted his gaze away.

Fiona, it seems she misunderstood something, but...

Theoretically speaking, this trial really ought to be faced with honesty.

Like the unique solution in game theory, it exists, but it shouldn't appear.

But, looking at the girl before him, Lin An couldn't help but have a thought flash through his mind.

Sometimes, vision is too good...

It will be very awkward.

Under hyper-effective thinking, his observational skills are sufficient to support him breaking down any seen image into slow motion.

Fiona lowered her head and, subconsciously, walked barefoot a few steps closer.

Watching Lin An turn aside, avoiding her gaze, she suddenly felt a pang of sourness and grievance in her heart.

She didn't believe Lin An hadn't thought of that point she had thought of.

But, she felt Lin An was unwilling to speak up, so she simply plucked up the courage to come to his door.

They weren't too close to each other, but Lin An could still feel a warmth.

Like the candlelight beneath the palm, faint but truly existent.

Walking up to his front, aside from the late-night chill making her a bit uncomfortable.

At this moment, she actually felt not so nervous.

Just take a look, this is a mission, right?

"You want... to look at the back...?"

Pursing her lips, Fiona lowered her head slightly, her voice like a mosquito's buzz as she asked, her gaze somewhat curious toward that mask.

Compared to the reserved, gentle Eastern girl, she, of mixed Latin American descent, actually didn't feel anything after opening up.

At worst, it's just that; but she believes Lin An is a good person.

Actually, she is still quite confident in herself.

For some reason, she suddenly wanted to see the face beneath the mask.

Look... at Lin An beneath the mask, what exactly he's thinking, look at his expression, whether it's as constrained and uneasy as she imagined.

Seeing Lin An seemingly turn his head somewhat awkwardly, it actually gave her a faint sense of accomplishment.

Her toes slightly parted, a faint smile appeared on her face.

After all, even Lin An, the strongest Awakened One I've ever seen, sometimes doesn't dare to face something?

Without waiting for Lin An's answer, she simply turned her body around.

Her smooth back, under the moonlight, traced out a smooth curve.

Delicate, alluring.

With long-term training combined with the physique enhancement of Awakened Ones, her figure is like perfect proportions.

As if sensing the girl's light laugh, Lin An helplessly turned his head.

Hmm, very moist.

Silently watching.

He isn't avoiding; rather, he feels the current situation is really somewhat strange.

Like appreciating.

After a moment, Lin An sighed, his voice faintly carrying a hint of hesitation:

"Fiona..."

"Have you ever thought that, even if according to your idea, we mutually... uh... examine?"

"Find out who the mutant is."

"But some places, actually, are not easy to see..."

A slight stunned, a few seconds later, the girl's body suddenly shuddered.

With her back to Lin An, Fiona's cheeks instantly flushed red.

Earlobes... so hot.

She understood.