Chapter 71: Deep Blue? Add Points! (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

PS: The pitch-black Area 2 and Area 1 in the previous two chapters were mixed up; pitch-black Area 1 is the current one, Area 2 is the fool playing with ants, already corrected, thanks to the reader for the reminder.

Main text:

Clang!

Clatter clatter clatter.

In the blink of an eye the blow arrived; the awl-fist shattered a patch of bone spurs — not the mask, but a dense growth of white bone thorns that had sprouted on the opponent's shoulder at point-blank range.

Like a dense protective forest, it caught the crossbow bolts fired from afar, layer upon layer, stopping them on the trunks.

Pitch-black Area 1's fists finally halted one centimeter from Feng Mu's face — which happened to be the exact distance his own chest had stopped in front of that ring of ribs.

One could not advance an inch; the other could not be forced back an inch.

Within that inch lay the distance between life and death.

Pitch-black Area 1's ankle was seized, his fists were locked; only one leg remained free, and he could no longer pose a threat.

His pitch-black face flushed red with strain, both eyes bulging, staring dead at the true face now revealed, disbelief in his voice: "It's you?"

In the split second of a spark, Feng Mu finished adding points; Agility instantly surged from 2.2 to 4.2, nearly doubling again.

His bones seemed to grow lighter; in a mere instant the mask on his face fell away, and the bone thorns on his shoulder surged wildly in perfect sync.

The Bone Transformation Form controlled by 【Mold Embryo (White)】 can only manifest locally in two spots simultaneously; switching between different spots originally had a slight gap, or what could be called a casting wind-up.

But the surging Agility shortened that instant.

Of course the gap still exists, but this fleeting gap was no longer something pitch-black Area 1 could capture.

In pitch-black Area 1's eyes, the other's mask falling off and the white bone thorns surging wildly were a completely zero-second, zero-delay simultaneous switch.

He stared at that face from close range, pupils contracting sharply; he never imagined that beneath the sinister bone mask lay this face.

Isn't this the new cremation worker from the incineration plant?

We still wanted to use him to lure the limp-legged freak coveting the Black Core behind him; how could it be him?

The fierceness faded from Feng Mu's eyes, his expression returned to calm, as if back to that first meeting — slightly nervous and wooden — yet his tone was extraordinarily calm: "Correct. It's me."

Hearing this decisive answer, pitch-black Area 1's complexion went through a series of dark and pale changes.

He seemed to realize the lot of them had been played for fools, but behind that realization welled up even more incomprehensible doubts and fear.

You're just a mere cremation worker?

Was the limp-legged freak fabricated by you?

Did you discover the Black Core's secret?

You can freely control Corpse Transformation, you're also one of the Organization's people, but — this research is still stuck in the theoretical phase, how is this possible?

Who exactly are you?

Feng Mu couldn't be bothered with pitch-black Area 1's complex mental activity; without a word he immediately used his finger hooks to sever the man's remaining two hand tendons and last foot tendon.

Only crippling the four limbs, still leaving the enemy one limb — no one could say Feng Mu wasn't merciful.

Watching the other lie motionless on the ground with all four limbs severed, Feng Mu finally retracted his protruding bones, returning to human form.

Now he could confidently have an "old friends reunited" conversation with the other.

Outside the Dismantling Word Dangerous Building, at a distance, inside a car waiting with lights out.

Ma Wei sat bolt upright, hands still resting on the steering wheel, palms sweating, twisting his head now and then to look out the car window.

Ma Bin was perfectly calm; he was certain the one who would walk out of the building had to be 【Mask】.

Even though 【Mask】's early-game 1-vs-3 record was padded, even though 【Mask】 repeatedly emphasized he was also a strategist-type member, even though Ma Bin had never personally witnessed 【Mask】's true strength.

Moreover, 【Mask】's personality was extremely vile, but precisely because of that, Ma Bin instead felt full of unwavering confidence in 【Mask】.

This is a villain combining treachery, cunning, and baseness; now that he has become my own 【superior】, it gives him a sense of security he doesn't want to admit.

"He's out." Ma Wei got out of the car first, went to open the trunk.

Ma Bin sat in the passenger seat without moving, glanced indifferently at the rearview mirror, and fastened his seat belt again.

Feng Mu tossed pitch-black Area 1 into the trunk like a chick.

The originally fairly spacious trunk instantly became cramped.

Zheng Laoda lay flat hugging his head; pitch-black Area 1 with all four limbs crippled was bent into a bizarre posture, curled up opposite, his pitch-black face happening to land right under Zheng Laoda's crotch.

Three pairs of eyes met; no one spoke.

Ma Wei scanned a glance, hurriedly shut the trunk, then stepped forward to open the rear door, acting for all the world like a die-hard henchman.

The car started, heading for the next location.

Arrived at the next location.

Ma Wei dug a pit on the ground; Ma Bin stood expressionless to the side, continuously toying with that eyeball in his hand; pitch-black Area 1 was carried out of the trunk and just collapsed on the ground, head tilted to the side.

Earth was dug away, revealing one, two, three — three briefcases.

When the first two were dug out, Ma Bin's eye corner twitched slightly; when the third briefcase was dug out, pitch-black Area 1's eyes bulged, his death-awaiting face showing intense emotional fluctuation.

Feng Mu brushed the dirt off the briefcases, opened the last one, revealing the neatly arranged large Black Cores inside.

The last shred of fantasy in pitch-black Area 1's heart was strangled; he stared dead at Feng Mu, teeth chattering: "Why are the boxes with you?"

Feng Mu half-crouched, took out a large Black Core, then took out a Small Black Core, and placed both in front of pitch-black Area 1's head.

Ma Wei kept digging the pit; later he'd still need this pit to bury bodies, work he was very practiced at.

While digging, he secretly used his peripheral vision to steal glances at the side.

Pitch-black night, the excited head collapsed on the ground, the Black Cores placed facing it emitting a faint gloomy luster, and that eternally expressionless sinister mask.

Like a painting, evil yet elegant, sinister yet powerful, imprinted into Ma Wei's eyes, becoming a nightmare in his midnight dreams for the rest of his life.

Also like a seed, trembling yet excited, fearful yet yearning, planted into Ma Wei's soul, becoming a desire quietly sprouting in the depths of his heart.

【Mask】 gently stroked the Black Core, the metallic-textured sound cold and elegant, not a trace of coercion in the voice, forming a stark contrast with the face on the ground, veins bulging, low growls rumbling.

It was like a calm doctor soothing and comforting his irritable mentally ill friend.

He said: "Don't rush. I know you have a lot of questions, and I happen to have some too. We can trade one question for one question."

"Rest assured, I'm the fairest and most reasonable person around. I won't force you. The night is still long; you can take your time to consider."

"Once you've decided, answer me one question first: how were these Black Cores processed?"

"Ma Wei, don't get distracted. Dig the hole properly, dig it deeper, so our friend won't feel cramped after moving in."

Area 1's dark-skinned tongue went stiff, his unwillingness, anger, anxiety, and impatience lodged in his throat, but all of it, powerless and dejected, was swallowed back into his stomach beneath 【Mask】's unhurried cadence.

He answered: "Don't lump me in with others. I'm used to sleeping alone."

【Mask】's gentle laughter echoed in the wind...

End of Chapter