Chapter 368: Lawless and Unrestrained

Cheng Shuili heard this, but her anger didn't subside at all. This crucial information—the ring spirit actually made her ask before answering.

If this continues, won't it become lawless?

Cheng Shuili pondered a moment, still uneasy, and asked again: "Do I have any means to restrict you?"

"Restrict me?"

The ring spirit smiled warmly, countered with a question, then frankly explained how to restrict it:

"Of course, my dear master. The ring on your finger is not just a ring; it's a cage that binds me. You can directly command me, via thought, to enter a dormant state. During that time, I cannot perceive the outside world, cannot communicate with you, and cannot use any power. Of course, the ring's basic functions remain unaffected."

Its voice still carried that lazy tone, but upon close listening, one could detect a subtle tension.

"Dormant?" Cheng Shuili murmured inwardly, her fingertip lightly brushing the ring face; the cold touch now seemed to carry a different meaning. "How long does it last?"

"It's up to you, master."

The ring spirit answered quickly: "It can be a moment, or… eternity, until you summon me again."

"However, I need to remind you that during dormancy you cannot use any of my active abilities—such as this trace search, or the minor aid I might provide in a crisis."

Hearing this, Cheng Shuili felt something was off again.

"Minor aid in a crisis?" Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes. "When that person tried to assassinate me, why didn't you make a sound?"

The ring spirit's lazy tone instantly stalled.

Cheng Shuili even felt, through the ring, a faint flicker of emotion akin to guilt.

"Well…"

The ring spirit's voice rarely carried a hint of hesitation, but quickly returned to its usual tone.

"Dear master, you should know that omens of fate aren't always clearly visible. Sometimes they're like a reflection in water—just a tiny ripple and they shatter."

"Speak plainly." Cheng Shuili coldly interrupted, tapping the ring face lightly with her fingertip.

The ring spirit fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, its irreverent tone considerably subdued: "Well, to be frank, I… wasn't fully awake then."

"Not fully awake?"

"Yes. The power of the Abyssal Ring isn't always at its peak; it needs… uh… to recharge. And at the moment you were attacked, I was in a kind of… half‑dormant, power‑saving state." It paused, then hurriedly added: "But please believe me—I'm much more awake now! Next time, I absolutely, absolutely won't let this happen again."

Saying that, it added: "You can fully control me, so you can fully trust me."

Hearing that guarantee, Cheng Shuili's doubts about it grew a bit stronger.

It's too strange—this fellow seems especially eager for her to trust it.

Cheng Shuili rubbed the Abyssal Ring with her fingertip; the ring spirit's eager protestations of loyalty didn't reassure her—instead, they were like a stone tossed into a still lake, sending ripples of doubt.

"Complete trust?"

A ring spirit of unknown origin, eerie power, and that happened to be half‑dormant when she faced a life‑or‑death crisis?

This fellow does indeed bring her a lot of useful information.

Cheng Shuili lowered her eyes, tried it as instructed, and a panel indeed popped up before her.

"Please set the ring spirit's dormancy time; it can be awakened at any moment."

"Can be awakened at any time?"

Cheng Shuili's eyes lit up; she directly set the longest time—permanent!

Anyway, since it can be awakened whenever needed, she figured she'd just wake it when required; keeping it awake made her uneasy.

After she made the choice, the ring spirit's voice suddenly sounded panicked: "Master? Wait! What are you doing? I still have many uses——"

The ring spirit's voice cut off abruptly, like a phone being hung up.

Cheng Shuili could clearly sense that this fellow had indeed fallen into deep sleep.

The faint warmth the ring had emitted also completely cooled, becoming as cold as ordinary metal.

She tried using thought to communicate with the storage space; the function for storing and retrieving items remained smooth and unobstructed.

"Good."

The basic functions are unaffected; the insight effect should still be there—this is enough.

It seems the ring spirit hasn't lied, which Cheng Shuili is satisfied with, but there's no doubt it's hiding something.

Cheng Shuili felt as if she'd set down a burden, took a deep breath, and reconsidered the matter of Li Changyou.

001's reminder came just then: "Boss, there's an important message waiting for your reply."

Cheng Shuili paused, then told 001 to pull up the message.

"【Cai Bao】: Wuya Dalao, did you really kill Chairman Li Changyou? I used to be with Dragon Soul; just now the highway merged, and I thought I saw Li Changyou… am I seeing things?"

Cheng Shuili's private messages are set not to notify her of strangers' messages, so when she saw this, the other party had already sent two; the other read: "I saw the ID—I mistook the person; this one is called Danggui, not Jing Shui Liu Shen."

"What?"

Cheng Shuili first froze, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Isn't this a coincidence?"

She was just about to put out a bounty when someone sent her Li Changyou's new ID!

Talk about timing—just as she was sleepy, someone brought her a pillow!

Cheng Shuili and Su Rui together moved those supplies onto the vehicle, then produced another Designated Player Duel Card.

"Anyone else to kill?"

Su Rui saw Cheng Shuili's action and instantly widened her eyes.

Cheng Shuili paused, then realized she hadn't synced the information with Su Rui; after explaining the situation, Su Rui pondered and said: "Really that coincidental? He just happened to merge with the Dragon Soul folks on the highway?"

That really is a problem.

But……

What are they after?

Cheng Shuili laughed and said bluntly: "Let's just go check—we've only just met Li Changyou; if we see the real person we'll definitely recognize him. If it's true, we…"

She raised her hand and brushed her own neck; the meaning was obvious.

"If it's not real, we'll go cause trouble for this Cai Bao!"

Cheng Shuili said, her fingertips already smoothly entered Danggui's ID on the duel card.

Su Rui of course had no objection; the earlier doubt was from her perspective, and now that she realized Cheng Shuili's strength, she suddenly thought, indeed.

How could there be so many conspiracies, twists and turns?

Just follow Cheng Shuili and carve out a truth.

The card turned into a flash of light and vanished, and the surrounding scene switched again.

The view instantly changed; not far away, a rust‑spotted blue old truck sat quietly, its hood faintly smoking, looking broken down.

The driver's side window was half rolled down, revealing a bowed, hat‑wearing figure; his face was indeed dirty and wrinkled, and his build resembled Li Changyou's.

The two locked eyes and examined each other carefully.

The other also noticed them, then, as if startled, suddenly straightened up.

Cheng Shuili was originally uncertain, but this time she burst out laughing.

Seems like they really caught someone.

The other had just seen the vehicle, and now showing this reaction was completely normal.

But… after only a short disappearance, this guy is already so downcast?

Cheng Shuili didn't hesitate, pushed the door open and leapt out first, with Su Rui following closely.

"President Li, are you still okay?"

Cheng Shuili's voice carried a cold smile as she stepped forward, "That Golden cicada shedding its shell trick was played well. Too bad, still not careful enough."

This Danggui—who was Li Changyou—saw that the newcomer was truly Wu Ya; his face instantly lost all color, leaving only extreme terror and disbelief.

He suddenly recoiled, seeming to try to crawl into the vehicle, but his limbs trembled and his movements were clumsy.

"You… how could you…"

His voice was hoarse and incoherent.

"How could I have found you?"

Cheng Shuili finished for him, stopping five steps away, a distance enough to handle any sudden situation, "Your luck is bad, you just escaped death and ran into a road merge. And you happened to merge with someone who knows you; they thought they hit a ghost and came to me to verify if you're still alive. Coincidence? The system doesn't want you to get away like this."

Cheng Shuili's words completely shattered the last sliver of luck in Li Changyou's heart.

His terror twisted into desperate madness; seeing Cheng Shuili and Su Rui closing in step by step, he let out a nonhuman scream, trying to flee back into the car and drive away.

He clearly forgot that his vehicle was already broken.

Cheng Shuili was unhurried, moving as if strolling in a garden, yet her speed far outpaced the already exhausted Li Changyou.

Almost as he took his second step turning, Cheng Shuili was already close behind, leapt and kicked his groin hard!

"Crunch!"

A crisp bone‑cracking sound rang with a mournful scream; Li Changyou fell forward, crashing onto the rough road, clutching his twisted right leg and wailing.

Su Rui arrived at that moment, somehow holding a sturdy bundle of rope; with a swift motion she snaked Li Changyou's hands behind his back and tied a tight knot.

"Let go of me! You let go of me!"

Li Changyou sobbed and screamed while struggling.

"Wu Ya! Wu Ya! Spare me! I'll give you all my supplies! My vehicle, my points, everything! Just spare my life!"

Cheng Shuili looked down at him from above, her eyes showing no mercy, only cold mockery.

"President Li, saying this now, don't you think it's too late?" she crouched, looking into Li Changyou's terrified eyes, "When you sent people to kill me, you never thought of sparing my life, did you? When you hid in the shadows, watching us like a poisonous snake, you never…"

"I… I was blinded by lard! It was my stupidity! I deserve to die!"

Li Changyou begged incoherently, "Please, give me a chance, I'll become your ox and horse…"

Cheng Shuili tapped the ground with Night Hunt and said, "Hand over the Silver Acceptance Bullet."

Silver Acceptance Bullet?

Yes! He still has a Silver Acceptance Bullet!

In Li Changyou's murky eyes, a final spark of hope flared, as if he grasped a lifeline.

"Silver Acceptance Bullet! Yes! Silver Acceptance Bullet!" he gritted, enduring the excruciating pain in his leg, struggling to point with his bound fingers to the old truck's trunk, "It's inside! A black safe! No one but me can open it! Spare my life, just spare my life, and I'll give you this item!"

"It ignores all defenses; any mortal flesh will have a life taken! That's a life! Wu Ya, you also have enemies you can't handle, you'll definitely need this…"

Li Changyou seemed to see hope, speaking faster and faster.

Cheng Shuili tapped Li Changyou's face lightly with the sheath of Night Hunt, cutting off his eager words.

"President Li, did you get something wrong?"

She said with a hint of amusement, "Now, you have no right to negotiate. The item, I'll take it myself."

Li Changyou's face turned pale; before he could say anything, Cheng Shuili stood up and said to Su Rui, "Watch him."

She walked straight toward the old truck, her gaze scanning the trunk.

There indeed was a black metal safe embedded in the vehicle, a standard rectangular shape, looking very sturdy, its surface without any lock holes, only a small touch screen glowing faintly.

Cheng Shuili examined the safe, eyebrows slightly raised, yet she had no intention of opening it.

Could she really spare Li Changyou's life?

No, absolutely not.

This person being alive is a trouble.

While she was thinking, 001 suddenly popped up: "Lao Da! I see a lock, should I open it?"

Cheng Shuili's eyes lit up, asking, "Can you open it?"

001's expression became very proud, "Of course I can! I'm the best auxiliary system! This kind of non‑existent lock is a piece of cake for me! Want me to open it, Lao Da?"

"Open it," Cheng Shuili commanded briskly.

001 immediately grew excited: "Lao Da! You need to place your hand on the safe, because I have no physical form and need your body as a medium."

Cheng Shuili did as instructed and pressed her hand against the cold safe door.

Immediately after, from inside that sturdy metal door came an extremely faint buzzing sound, like the operation of precision instruments.

The light on the touchscreen began to flicker irregularly, strings of garbled code flashing rapidly across it.

Li Changyou watched this scene, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, and cried hoarsely: "No! Impossible! This is a system-authenticated lock! How could you possibly…"

His words stopped abruptly.

A crisp chime sounded—"beep"—and the light on the touchscreen steadied, turning into a green checkmark symbol. Immediately after, with a "click," the safe door popped open a crack.

The entire process took no more than two or three seconds.

The moment the door opened, a chill spread out.

The interior was lined with black velvet, and a single bullet lay quietly in a groove.

The bullet was entirely an unusual dark silver color; the projectile was not an ordinary cone shape but bore spiral grooves, with a teardrop-like deep purple crystal embedded at its tip.