Chapter 957

It’s over.

Watching Li Ang not seize the chance to accelerate away from the Cooling Lake as the giant fish was briefly halted, but instead turn and charge back, the tall, thin man holding the large suitcase at the lakebed couldn’t help but slightly lift the corner of his mouth.

My [Whale Shark Puppet], though only capable of the simplest tail fin strikes and full-force collisions, possesses no remarkable special abilities—but pure physical destruction, at times, is the most insurmountable attack.

When a mass exceeding a hundred tons strikes with a speed over forty knots, the impact generated is simply unimaginable to ordinary people.

Even the largest anchorless ship in the Thousand Sails Nation struggles to withstand a full-force collision from the [Whale Shark Puppet]; with Li Ang’s physical strength, only slightly superior to that of an ordinary human, he likely wouldn’t even have the chance to be shattered—he’d be obliterated outright.

According to my judgment, at the moment of contact, he’d be smashed flat against the whale’s snout, becoming an indelible smear of muck.

Though Li Ang, with his immortality, wouldn’t be so easily killed, as long as I dissect that smear of “muck” before his body regenerates, I can leave him neither dead nor alive… hmm?

Watching the [Whale Shark Puppet], its spine cleanly split open like soft tofu, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the blurred figure between the two halves of the whale shark.

What’s going on? Why didn’t [Puppet Between] trigger?

…

I called it right…

After using the [Cutting Silver Dagger] to split the charging monster fish in two, Li Ang, who had been tense until now, finally exhaled deeply.

According to Senior Rubin and the others, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau’s [Puppet Between] strengthens puppets, ensuring they cannot be “destroyed” by any external force—but the [Cutting Silver Dagger] doesn’t destroy; it slices living things apart while they’re still alive.

Between these two effects, I suspect I’ve successfully exploited a loophole.

The Director of the Scorpion Bureau’s [Puppet Between] can prevent destruction, but it cannot block the [Cutting Silver Dagger]’s “living cut”—this knife, gifted by the Water Bearer Director, happens to be the Director’s exact counter.

After catching his breath, Li Ang once again activated [The Path Ahead], pushing back the lake water seeping around him, then raised his hand and scattered another large cluster of tree seeds.

“Senior Rubin!”

“Coming!”

At Rubin’s response, the seeds Li Ang had scattered instantly swelled, erupting within moments into hundreds of root strands as thick as thighs.

These root strands, resembling banyan aerial roots, grew rapidly in the Cooling Lake; within just a few breaths, they spread into a vast tangle of interwoven roots, firmly binding the still writhing monster fish.

The fins on the fish’s chest and tail, used for propulsion, received even more attention—swarmed and locked tight by countless aerial roots, leaving it unable to twitch even slightly.

Done!

As the split monster fish was fully restrained, the one man and three souls all relaxed simultaneously.

No matter how much destructive power the monster fish could unleash during its full-speed charge, now bound like this by Rubin, it wouldn’t be able to move again—next, we just need to…

“Well done.”

A voice all four knew all too well suddenly sounded nearby, causing the one man and three souls to tense instantly.

As Li Ang turned toward the sound, he saw the Director of the Scorpion Bureau—who had been “missing” for days—carrying his worn large suitcase, stepping directly into the dry zone separated by [The Path Ahead], standing playfully in front of the path.

“Rubin, Mo Na, Frankey.”

After calling out the names of the three Scorpion Bureau cleaners, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau said with evident delight:

“I thought you’d been blown to pieces—I never expected to see you again. This is truly wonderful.”

“Director Edward…”

Upon hearing the Director’s words, the three Scorpion Bureau cleaners wore expressions of extreme complexity.

Good news: the Director isn’t dead.

Bad news: he’s defected.

Worse news: if we can’t beat him, we’re dead.

“Director, all three of us are already dead.”

After receiving Li Ang’s signal to stall for time, the female cleaner Mo Na steadied herself and spoke with a complicated expression:

“Li Ang rushed to the Land of the Dead in time, drove off the Death Messenger just as it was about to consume us, and pulled all three of us back.”

“I see.”

Hearing this, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau turned his gaze to Li Ang, his expression tinged with gratitude:

“Thank you for saving Mo Na and the others. Honestly, I’m truly glad I didn’t refuse to let you join this mission.”

“No need to thank me.”

Nodding to the Director of the Scorpion Bureau, Li Ang reached out to stealthily touch the severed [Whale Shark Puppet] beside him, his eyes hopeful as he asked:

“Given that I saved your subordinates’ lives, when we start fighting, could you maybe go easy on me?”

“I won’t go easy—but I’ll try to leave you a whole corpse.”

“…“

Smiling warmly at Li Ang’s stunned silence, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau pulled out a stiletto, speaking with slight embarrassment:

“My consciousness is clear. I know you’re in the right—even that you might have come to save me.

But I can’t help it—my soul has been tampered with; my ‘cognition’ has been suppressed. My entire being is now prepared to kill you, and I cannot resist this impulse… can you understand?”

I understand your mother!

After hearing the Director’s words, the alcohol finally rising in Li Ang, he let out a scoff—rarely so provocative:

“Then try it.”

Glancing at the Director’s chaotic soul, then at his one yellow and one white hand—clearly different in skin tone—Li Ang dropped low, seized the moment of drunkenness, and lunged forward with his blade.

“With your current state, it’s still unclear who’ll kill whom!”

…

Thirty seconds later.

“You’re hard to kill!”

Having snatched the [Cutting Silver Dagger] from Li Ang’s hand and stabbed his eyelids repeatedly without so much as cutting a single eyelash, the Director of the Scorpion Bureau exclaimed in amazement:

“What kind of anomaly is this? It’s completely immune to all damage—even the [Devouring Soul Puppet] has no effect? Was this what you used to hold off the Nightmare King?”

“…“

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you speaking?”

Hearing the Director’s curious question, Li Ang—trapped by a grotesque puppet with twenty pairs of arms—rolled his eyes at him hard.

I just boasted with alcohol-fueled bravado, and now I’ve been taken down in under a minute—how the hell am I supposed to speak up?