Chapter 384: A Face Covered

His gaze passed over Ying Duo, passed over the people wearing Dome uniforms, and locked onto a figure tightly held behind the crowd.

It was an elderly man with graying hair.

She hunched her back, being supported by two people in civilian clothes, her murky eyes straining to look this way.

She was already within sight, clearly just one step away.

And just because that suddenly‑appearing Ying Guang Lu Little Ghost, could they really let their loved ones, about to escape, be seized again by the Dome?

The Ace of Spades in his hand transformed into a streak of black light, hurled toward Ying Duo and the figure in the black suit.

The thin card split in midair, becoming a dozen black spears that launched at the two, each tip flashing with an eerie chill.

"Ping—!"

The spears failed to pierce anyone, because the moment they solidified from energy, several metallic figures lunged from the side.

They were the small robots Ying Duo had released earlier.

They blocked the spears with their bodies; sparks flew from their metal shells, yet they did not retreat a step.

Ying Duo used the finest material for their shells, so withstanding such damage was no problem.

Then Ying Duo tapped the keyboard lightly, and the small robots instantly switched attack mode, swiveling their muzzles to aim.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang.

The bullet slipped past the black spears, striking the floating Ace of Spades with precision; the spears, deprived of their power, vanished instantly in midair.

The host stared at the Ying Guang Lu figure standing on the table, desperation flashing in his eyes, then madness.

"Little Ghost—" his voice hoarse, "don't forget, you still carry the curse we placed earlier."

A gasp of cold air echoed through the banquet hall; the hijacked guests snapped awake, lowering their heads to glance at the backs of their hands, the black twisted pattern still there.

The curse remains!

They have not yet escaped danger!

Ying Duo tilted his head; there was no ripple in his golden eyes.

Seems they are truly desperate, turning a threat that had long lost its effect into a last possible lifeline?

The host's temples throbbed, "Aren't you afraid we might trigger the curse now?"

Ying Duo blinked, "Then go ahead and trigger it."

If it were to be triggered, it should have happened when he burst out to rob them just now.

Sure enough, they were that bunch of mad cultists!

"... You not afraid of death?" the host snarled.

Ying Duo looked at him, his golden eyes full of contempt.

"Is it that you don't want to?" Ying Duo's voice remained even, "or that you simply can't trigger it?"

The host's complexion turned ashen instantly; he had guessed correctly.

There was never any "curse" from the start; it was a meticulously crafted ruse, because the guests at the Windsor family banquet were all notable figures and had some knowledge of Special Ability Practitioners.

Yet none of them were Special Ability Practitioners; by exploiting fear and awe of the unknown, they made them believe that as long as they didn't resist, they could leave alive—that was their original plan.

The real "curse" was merely two earth‑type Special Ability Practitioners simultaneously pushing their power to produce such rapid petrification.

After all, they'd only been in this unfamiliar game world for about a month, their development and use of Aberrant Arts was limited, and this was the result of their full effort.

As for the black mark on each person's hand, that was the ability of another companion.

His Aberrant Arts was "Mark"; once he touched someone, he could leave a special sigil that lasted long, could track location, and convey simple messages.

But that's all; it has no lethal power.

It cannot curse, cannot petrify, cannot harm anyone.

From the beginning, this was a scam built on fear and the unknown.

They bet that no one would dare resist, no one would test, no one would risk their life to verify whether the "curse" was real.

They won the bet, and it remained so until this Ying Guang Lu Little Ghost appeared.

The host gave a signal to his companion; the earth‑type Special Ability Practitioner gritted his teeth, pressing both hands to the ground.

Ying Duo felt a chill beneath his feet; from his toes, a layer of gray‑white stone shell slowly spread upward.

"Ah—!"

A hostage let out a scream.

"He—he's petrified!"

"That curse is real!"

The crowd erupted again, while the people nearby from the Dome were utterly stunned.

What curse? Petrification curse? Does such Aberrant Arts exist?

Ying Duo looked down at his feet, then glanced up at the gritting earth‑type Special Ability Practitioner.

Because his Explosives seemed to have injured an earth‑type Special Ability Practitioner, the petrification progress slowed considerably with only one left.

The stone shell continued to spread a little upward, but only a little.

Is that all?

His roommate's casually built shields were many times sturdier than this.

He raised his hand, gathering a mass of Ying Guang Lu energy, then drew a gigantic emoticon in the void.

(╯°□°）╯︵┻━✂

The emoticon stood half a person tall, each stroke formed of Ying Guang Lu energy lines, smashing straight at the host's face.

The host was splattered with energy across his face; the impact forced him to stagger back several steps.

Ying Duo glanced down at his Blue Bar.

Energy: 78%→71%

Dropped 7%.

This kind of pure energy release attack still consumes a lot of mana.

But the effect is decent.

All the tricks, all the disguises, all the fear are utterly exposed before Little Ghost.

It was clearly right in front of us.

It was clearly just one step away......

His eyes reddened, but he did not cry.

He only clutched tightly that already‑torn Ace of Spades, his knuckles turning white.

Hua Jian Lei stood behind the crowd, watching the host whose face was smeared with Ying Guang Lu emoticon, and couldn't help his mouth twitch.

He recalled what Ying Duo had just said—"Which do you think is more important, the lives of these few people or figuring out Dome's attitude toward Undead?"

At the time he thought the kid was weighing pros and cons, contemplating strategy, but what was the result?

Forcing a grown man into this was one thing, then plastering an emoticon on his face?

Is this some damn setup?

This is outright bullying!

Hua Jian Lei looked toward the Dome members beside him who were similarly covered.

The man in the black suit's expression had frozen completely; his mouth was slightly open, his eyes bulged, and the one in the white coat looked no better. He pushed his glasses, then pushed them again, repeatedly confirming that what he saw was not an illusion.

Then a half‑person‑tall emoticon was smeared onto the robber leader's face like that.

After the smash, a trail of glowing after‑effect lingered, like some performance art.