Chapter 422: Have You Heard of [Destiny]?

Zheng Hang's pupils contracted to pinpricks, and beneath his lenses a cold, sharp glint refracted.

"Is the Black Core an iron lock forged by a god?"

He silently chewed on this answer, and a fleeting, eerie red light in his eyes made Zhao Jingyi's heart suddenly tremble.

Within that red light seemed to mingle some indescribable emotion—shock? Astonishment? Or... excitement?

Zheng Hang was indeed excited, and he had reason to be excited.

After all, his stomach at all times contained a Black Core—or rather, Eternal Iron, or rather, a god's iron lock—being digested.

"So what I devour is not merely Eternal Iron, but an iron lock forged by a god from Eternal Iron..."

His thoughts surged like a tide, and countless possibilities rose in his Nao Hai.

"Then on this iron lock, besides the power of Eternal Iron itself, might there also linger a god's authority? Even if only a thread..."

His idea was far from baseless; it had long had grounds.

Just as 【Destiny Stone Carving】 could lock an agent's soul, 【Magician's Cards】 might house a magician's remnant soul, and an iron lock forged by a god might retain a god's might—was that not reasonable?

As if to verify Zheng Hang's guess, the mysterious panel on his retina quietly changed.

Under the "Iron Eater" entry, a new prefix appeared:

Iron Eater Second Stage

Metal Characteristic Slot: 【Plastic Embryo (Green)】

Available Metal Characteristic Slot: 1

【Current Consumption Slot: God-Shackle Binding Lock Yin Sha Nine Nether E Evil Resentment Iron (Consumption 17.4%/100%, Reserve 1.3%.)】

When Zheng Hang's gaze fell on the four characters "God-Shackle Binding Lock," his Nei Xin was like an E Corpse ignited by flame in an Incineration Chamber, fervent and excited.

He stared fixedly at that line of text, and unexpected joy surged in his heart.

Zhao Jingyi beside him saw that Zheng Hang had not reacted for a long time, and couldn't help but feel a trace of unease as she asked:

"Zheng Hang, are you alright? Why suddenly not speaking?"

Zheng Hang took a deep breath, striving to calm the surging in his Nei Xin.

He slowly closed the Attribute Panel, and his gaze gradually became firm and fierce.

He turned his head, looking at Zhao Jingyi, and said in a low, forceful voice:

"I'm fine, it's just... just a bit hard to accept. My body actually also hides that kind of Black Core you mentioned. So after I die... will I also burn out such a god's iron lock?"

Zhao Jingyi was amused by Zheng Hang's words, and she shook her head as she said:

"No, after humans die they only burn to ash; only after mutating into an E Corpse will they burn out a Black Core, and not every E Corpse can burn out a Black Core."

Zheng Hang feigned being stunned: "Why is this? Could it be that when gods forge iron locks they also cut corners?"

Zhao Jingyi was just a small assistant in a Laboratory; she had to study and dabble in her Mentor's theoretical research, but as for each specific research result, she might not necessarily understand it, or even comprehend it.

She thought for a moment and said:

"I remember my Mentor mentioning that it's similar to the dominance and recessiveness of Genes; in human state, the Black Core is absolutely recessive, and only after mutating into an E Corpse will the Black Core be activated and manifest, but not every E Corpse will manifest a Black Core; the reason behind this also involves Upper City, it's very complex."

Zheng Hang nodded, and the mysteries in his heart seemed to gradually become clear, faintly as if he could string together a piece of a puzzle.

He gave a cold snort:

"I see, no wonder you fear your Mentor so much; he is indeed a terrifying madman, a madman who covets a god's authority."

Unconcealed killing intent appeared in his eyes:

"A madman isn't scary, but a madman who understands science is very scary; if such a person is allowed to continue tinkering, one day perhaps he will drag everyone in Lower City into Shen Yuan."

Zhao Jingyi was startled by the killing intent leaking from Zheng Hang's eyes, and she lowered her voice as she said:

"Zheng Hang, you... you absolutely must not be impulsive! Your Mentor's strength is unfathomable; he is a hundred times more terrifying than those Senior Sisters transformed into monsters."

"The Senior Sisters are merely playthings in his hands, subject to his manipulation, while your Mentor... he is the true monster wearing human skin, hiding beneath the light."

Zheng Hang withdrew his hand from Zhao Jingyi's hand, and the bone spur retracted into his hand still scraped away a piece of bloody flesh from the latter's hand.

Zheng Hang held up the bloody, mangled piece of flesh in his palm, gently shook it, then slowly raised his eyelids, and through the edge of his glasses frame, cast a meaningful smile:

"What a coincidence; in this world full of strangeness and madness, I am also a monster wearing human skin, hiding among the crowd."

Zhao Jingyi suddenly felt a bit creeped out in her heart, but the haze shrouding her from her Mentor was truly too deep.

Even if she acknowledged Zheng Hang was also a monster, monsters and monsters were still different; some monsters were mad, while some monsters, even in darkness, were more human than humans.

How could a monster that looked human possibly defeat a truly mad monster?

Zhao Jingyi hurriedly said:

"No, not only is your Mentor a monster, behind your Mentor there is also a hidden, extremely terrifying evil organization; inside are all monsters wearing human skin just like your Mentor."

Zheng Hang raised his eyebrows, "Oh?"

After quite a while, Zhao Jingyi slowly lowered her voice, every word as if squeezed from between her teeth, with uncontrollable trembling:

"That is an extremely terrifying, unfathomable evil cult organization, regarded by Upper City Council as an S Ji evil force; its infamy in Upper City is also like thunder in the ears, making people tremble with fear at the mere mention and retreat three she."

The more Zhao Jingyi spoke, the paler her face became, white as rotten bones just dug from underground, without a trace of blood, her teeth chattering:

"Exactly, such a terrifying Eternal Corpse Sect is the force behind your Mentor!"

Zheng Hang listened to Zhao Jingyi spitting out those terrifying adjectives like a string of firecrackers, and he was a bit afraid, afraid that what the latter finally spat out would not be 【Eternal Corpse Sect】, but 【Destiny】 shooting toward him as a returning boomerang.

"Oh, it's the Eternal Corpse Sect!"

Zheng Hang secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his Nei Xin, then bared a mouth of forest-white even teeth at Zhao Jingyi:

"I also didn't tell you, I am fighting alone; actually, behind me there is similarly an evil organization crowded with monsters."

Zhao Jingyi was stunned.

Zheng Hang said with deep emotion:

"Since you know 【Eternal Corpse Sect】, then you should also have heard of 【Destiny】, right?"

【Destiny】 rarely operates in Lower City; many Lower City people truly might not have heard of 【Destiny】's infamy, but Zhao Jingyi was not among them.

Thanks to the Eternal Corpse Sect, Zhao Jingyi hadn't slacked in her private investigations, having investigated the rankings of evil forces.

And what she investigated, whether official or circulated, whether detailed and certain or full of nonsense, all the data reports extremely tacitly marked Destiny at the top of the list.

Those expanded annotations beside it concerning Destiny's "great achievements," simply exceeded the second place and all evil forces below it combined.

It can be said, a large half of the length of those reports was occupied by Destiny.

…………

(End of Chapter)