Chapter 173: Stealing Emotions

Zhuo Shuqing had finally seen through Wen Shilin's capabilities. He casually took an iron rod from one of the thugs beside him and slowly walked toward the groaning Wen Shilin on the ground, "Wen Shilin, do you have any idea how many people you've offended? Right now, there are more than enough people in Aurora City who want you dead... Perhaps in a couple of days, the newspaper headlines will announce your 'accidental death.' If I'm lucky, I might even get to personally write your obituary."

The iron rod scraped against the uneven ground, producing a metallic clang. Wen Shilin lay on the ground, his face smeared with crimson blood.

"Is that so... Then I’ll thank you in advance," he rasped, lifting his head with difficulty.

"You don’t believe me?" Zhuo Shuqing stopped beside Wen Shilin and continued, "Aurora City must remain peaceful and beautiful. Anyone who tries to dig up its deepest darkness is an enemy of the entire domain... You’ve dug too much, you know too much, and your mouth isn’t tight enough... If you don’t die, how can Aurora City stay peaceful?"

"Of course I believe you. I know better than you who I’ve offended." Wen Shilin grinned. "But killing me... won’t be that easy."

Zhuo Shuqing sneered. "With skills like yours? Killing you would be no harder than slaughtering a chicken."

"Oh?"

A glint of cunning flashed in Wen Shilin’s eyes. Suddenly, he pushed himself up with both hands, his fist tightening as it swung through the air—straight toward Zhuo Shuqing’s face at point-blank range!

Wen Shilin’s sudden attack caught everyone off guard. His earlier collapse from a single strike had fooled them into thinking he was weak. No one expected him to rise so quickly. At such close range, Zhuo Shuqing had no time to block.

With a dull thud, Wen Shilin’s fist slammed into Zhuo Shuqing’s cheek, sending him staggering back several steps—nearly toppling over completely.

Watching this, Chen Ling’s brow arched slightly.

"Definitely an ordinary skill. His strength and speed are nothing special, but..."

Wen Shilin steadied himself with difficulty, his bloodied face displaying rare determination and resolve.

But the sheer willpower behind that punch... wasn’t bad.

Wen Shilin’s punch left the surrounding thugs stunned. They glanced at Zhuo Shuqing in confusion, unsure whether to intervene.

Zhuo Shuqing clutched his cheek, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He seemed to feel something foreign in his mouth, chewed for a moment, then suddenly spat—a bloody, broken tooth landed on the ground. He stared at it blankly for a few seconds before turning back to Wen Shilin, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Beat him to death!!"

At Zhuo Shuqing’s command, the waiting thugs surged forward like a tide!

Amid the chaos, clubs and fists rained down on Wen Shilin from all directions. Knowing he was no match for so many, Wen Shilin immediately crouched into a defensive ball, shielding his head and vital areas like a sandbag, enduring the blows with muffled grunts of pain.

"Let him go!"

"Damn it, fight them!!"

The survivors from District Three, seeing this, immediately rushed forward. After all, Wen Shilin had stepped up for them—they couldn’t just stand by and watch him take a beating.

Zhao Yi, a former hoodlum from District Three, was most skilled in street brawls. He picked up a brick from the roadside and charged at the thugs with furious momentum, leading the charge.

"A pack of savages!" Zhuo Shuqing hissed coldly. "Get them all!"

The thugs and District Three survivors tangled into a messy brawl, the scene descending into chaos. Zhuo Shuqing retreated behind his men, watching the melee with a cold gaze.

Meanwhile, Chen Ling narrowed his eyes... To be honest, he wasn’t particularly inclined to interfere in District Three’s affairs again. He’d already gone above and beyond by getting them into the city—how they survived afterward wasn’t his concern. He wasn’t their babysitter.

However... this chaotic situation was exactly what Chen Ling wanted. One of his reasons for coming to the outskirts was to test[Heart Python], and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Just how much of[Heart Python]’s power could he wield at only the second tier?

Chen Ling’s gaze locked onto Zhuo Shuqing, who had retreated from the fray. His fingers twitched slightly within his sleeves—an invisible python slithered out from between his brows, darting straight toward Zhuo Shuqing.

This intangible serpent was the manifestation of[Heart Python], visible only to Chen Ling. It silently coiled around Zhuo Shuqing’s body, its head tilting as it examined his skull, its forked tongue flicking as if probing for something.

With a thought from Chen Ling, the python suddenly bit down into Zhuo Shuqing’s mind.

As Chen Ling squinted, he could see faint threads being tugged by the python’s fangs—these were likely fragments of Zhuo Shuqing’s recent memories. But no matter how hard the python pulled, it couldn’t sever them... With his current mental strength, Chen Ling couldn’t steal memories, not even a small segment.

After struggling for a while, the python only managed to tear off a thin layer from the surface of the memory threads. At the same time, Zhuo Shuqing shuddered violently.

His gaze toward the chaotic battlefield in the distance shifted—the anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by a blank, bewildered calm... He stared dumbly at his own hands, as if unsure what had just happened.

"Can’t steal memories yet... but I can steal emotions?" Chen Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise, watching the tiny fragment of emotion clutched in the python’s jaws.

In Chen Ling’s eyes, Zhuo Shuqing’s psyche resembled a physical body—memories were like flesh and blood, while emotions were the outermost layer of skin clinging to immediate recollections... Beneath the flesh of memories lay something deeper, like bones, but Chen Ling couldn’t yet discern their full form.

At first, Chen Ling had worried that his current tier might render[Heart Python]completely unusable. Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Even if he could only steal emotions for now, Chen Ling’s mind was already racing with countless potential applications... He had a feeling this skill would synergize exceptionally well with him.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Ling strode straight toward Zhuo Shuqing and tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

Zhuo Shuqing turned, his frown deepening at the sight of an unfamiliar young face.

"Who are you? I suggest you stay out of—"

Bang!!

Before Zhuo Shuqing could finish, a fist tore through the air and smashed into the other side of his face!