[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-51":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269697,4431,"Chapter 51: Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>“Die. I’ll search your corpse slowly.” For certain beings, battle requires no great reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And someone’s tactic of using one beast to devour another had succeeded naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two figures—who had no prior grudge, and might even have belonged to the same faction, a cultist and a slave trader boss—met and immediately fell into bloody combat without surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, calling either side a wolf or a tiger was probably an insult to those creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suffering they inflicted in a single day exceeded the combined misery of those Kelian  animals’ entire lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoever you are, you’re no different before my flames. Feel the breath of the True Dragon!” The slave trader boss, utterly enraged by his subordinate’s death, struck first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>K Weierdufu ’s limbs had twisted beyond recognition; he pressed a mechanism on his cheek and tore open his iron jaw with one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The protective gear removed, a twisted, deformed “dragon jaw” was revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>K Weierdufu  launched the first strike—his half-snake, half-crocodile maw spewed forth an orange-yellow flame breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames surged forward, turning the cave walls, the air, and the ground into a volcanic wasteland of fire—this was the origin of K Weierdufu ’s title, “Volcanic Roar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dragon’s breath? Pfft. Wipe the engine oil off your lips, stupid fake dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horned cultist leader sneered as he stepped forward, tearing off his ragged rags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he grew larger than K Weierdufu , the small volcanic dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mortal, face the power you’ve never seen.” The colossal horned demon loomed low, gazing down at the puny false dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With fangs and claws brimming with malice, they clashed directly in a brutal bite-and-slash struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames and shockwaves erupted; both combatants fought with grotesque yet terrifying efficiency—the first victims were K Weierdufu ’s own mercenaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maria, closest of all, smiled at the deadly duel before her, seemingly unfazed by the “lava” already scorching her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, within the shadows, Talia S Daer  retreated without hesitation, as Li En had ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever won, it benefited their side—what mattered was not getting caught in the crossfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she stepped out of the cave entrance, the blast wave nearly flung her backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>K Weierdufu ’s “volcanic” attack, capable of reshaping terrain, was far too hostile for Talia’s frail frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lethal heat radiating from the cave behind her drove Talia to flee at top speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her current mission: deliver the intelligence to Li En.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Maria? Her scent was now tangled and strange, but as long as she remained in this city, Talia would eventually track her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She won’t escape. Preserve yourself—only then is there a future.” Li En was right. A detective with her keen sense of smell was far more valuable than the new criminals that appeared every year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickened her pace, but the small beasts following her clearly had no intention of letting her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that Talia? What, now that you’re a cop, you don’t recognize an old acquaintance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A horned cultist had come after her, leading a pack of beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small beasts surrounded her in a circle, blocking every escape route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a slightly slimmer horned cultist stepped forward on her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talia’s question received no immediate reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, the horned cultist’s voice emerged, hoarse and grating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Class 21.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single word sent shock through Talia—her face paled, pupils dilating in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you… Kolya? Ben? Or Dina…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orphans raised in the slums were, in a sense, the city’s dark reserve talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The organization that had taken in and trained Talia years ago—now she realized—was a black glove serving certain nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Class 21 was the final class of assassins; before the organization collapsed, only Talia and the three she named remained from its eight members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kolya, Ben, Dina… Such nostalgic names.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horned cultist gave no direct answer, but her gaze toward Talia carried a faint warmth of humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Talia, as the “big sister,” had truly cared for her younger siblings—now, her instinctive recall proved she had never forgotten them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, Talia no longer doubted: this was indeed one of her former siblings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath that cloak, there was not a trace of humanity—how had she become this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you like this? You don’t know, do you? The organization is gone. The Silver Hands destroyed it. I cut off that noble’s head myself—avenged them….” Though she still couldn’t identify who exactly stood before her, what she needed to say remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The night we endured is over. No matter what you’ve been through, you can still turn back—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the horned cultist named “Haiya” burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed louder and louder, mouth twisting as if hearing the greatest joke in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turn back? What else can we use to survive, besides killing? Do you know how many people I’ve killed just to stay alive since the organization fell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence was the only answer possible. Talia, who had walked back into the light, was extraordinarily lucky. For most, descent was endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small hands stained with blood instinctively assessed the difficulty of snapping every stranger’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a child assassin, devoid of moral concepts, rebuild the basic Changshi  of a normal human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after the organization vanished, assassins naturally sank into the next darkness—degradation would never end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, it had nothing to do with their personal choices. Such rare, costly resources were often fought over by gray organizations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one before her clearly hadn’t been as lucky as Talia—he escaped one night, only to meet a darker one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can help you.” Talia could not forgive on behalf of the victims, nor make any promises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she tore off her face covering, the only thing she could offer was sincere sincerity—an earnest hope to pull him from the mire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Help me? Hehe. Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, the figure beneath the cloak grew larger, and gnarled horns extended outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, bring me three living people every week—let me eat my fill. I promise I’ll devour them down to the bones, and won’t drag you into it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both knew this was a demand Talia could never accept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talia sighed deeply, pulled her face covering back into place, and gripped her twin daggers tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch. This won’t work, that won’t work—you call yourself big sister? Then, big sister, let me taste you. That won’t violate your morals, right? I swear, after I eat you, I won’t eat people again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Talia, “Haiya” had fully transformed into a beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tore half her mask away, revealing a gaping maw, and laughed soundlessly at the female officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vow of a fallen one? Meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sacrifice herself? If this had been earlier, Talia might have considered it for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the female officer felt no hesitation whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will free you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the former assassin sisters plunged into a near-frenzied battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew she was insane. Didn’t expect her to be this far gone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing the dossier, Li En felt his scalp prickle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had repeatedly assessed the lower limits of “humanity,” yet encountering such material made him realize how naive he’d been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How… how can people play with life, play with their own kind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “evil” here was nothing short of brilliant madness—were they truly unafraid of losing control and destroying all life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No… they’ve already lost control. Their very existence is the result of past intelligent species losing control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t understand the horned cult’s motives, nor did he need to. His task was simply to send them to meet their master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two remaining knights in the squad pressed forward swiftly through the cave—small beasts’ ambushes could no longer stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s wound had improved somewhat; his shoulder still ached, but it no longer hindered his movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He owed this to the “Healing Moderate Wounds Potion” inside that bag—he’d stopped calculating how much such alchemical potions, requiring a third-rank or higher priest to craft, cost. He couldn’t afford them anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, Sallyman clearly had experience—she knew frontline squads needed medical supplies most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New recruits, both knight and priest, relied on their healing abilities and generally refused to carry potions or medkits—but reality always proved their shortsightedness foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual power was limited, and battlefields shifted unpredictably. Stockpiling healing items could save lives in critical moments. Veteran priests and knights, by contrast, routinely carried heavy loads—and even got discounts within their ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some potions applied externally, others ingested—Li En’s wound tingled and numbed, a sign his nerves were healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This healing effect was far superior to the useless “Heal Minor Wounds” potions, which barely stopped bleeding or pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these potions and healing spells couldn’t be abused—after all, low-tier healing merely accelerated the body’s natural recovery; overuse shortened one’s lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now wasn’t the time to think too far ahead…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least, from these documents, I now know the source of her immortality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing the dossier, Li En sighed helplessly. Knowing the cause was one thing—solving it was another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the dossier’s description of Subject 113’s boundless modifications, Maria was far harder to kill than Heike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze instinctively drifted to a small object—also delivered by Sallyman’s familiar. Its simple function description might be just what he needed here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no matter how he touched, activated, or even used the traditional blood-pledge method, the pen-sized “dagger” remained utterly motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to give up and go straight after Maria—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hum!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hero’s Sword in his hand suddenly glowed with a faint orange-red radiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, the once-rebellious silver dagger floated silently before Li En, as if awaiting his command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… so it’s a matching set?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1613,"2026-06-19T21:45:41.002Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5869f00882bb91909a764dc9c1c9bb4e16bb1e03c015839238c7f0993fe9a690","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-52","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-50",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]