Chapter 306: The Calm Before the Storm

Wu Chang casually blocked Murph with one hand; his palm looked painfully small against Murph's fist, yet that tiny hand halted the fifteen-meter-tall Stone Giant completely.

He pushed forward with one hand, forcing Murph to retreat step by step, and with each step, Murph's retreat grew faster, harder to resist.

Not only did Murph's brain freeze, but Buk and the others also stared blankly.

They had all witnessed Murph's strength yesterday.

Flipping a police car with one hand, snapping a streetlamp and hurling it like a spear at an armed helicopter—those were basic moves.

Any regular player hit by his damage would die on contact, suffer injury on brush, needing at least eighty or ninety in strength to even stand a chance.

Such stats in a curse-ridden instance were outright dimension-shattering; even with 90% damage reduction, Buk and the others dared not fight him head-on—that's how Murph broke through.

Yet this Murph, who they believed invincible, charging with mountain-splitting force, was so easily caught by He Yi?

Just how many strength points did He Yi have right now?

Wu Chang pushed Murph straight ahead; Murph became a living bulldozer, smashing every building in his path.

Though dumb in his Fearless Stone Man state, Murph retained his combat instincts.

His greatest strength being outmatched filled him with dire peril—he knew he must change the situation to escape death.

He abandoned the struggle with Wu Chang; his other arm suddenly elongated and slammed into the ground.

Shockwaves radiated outward from Murph, turning the already loose, fire-scorched earth into swamp-like, viscous terrain.

Movement within it felt like wading through thick gel, slowing Wu Chang's speed and pulling both men downward.

The transformed gelatinous ground stretched four meters deep—enough to barely cover Murph's knees, but sufficient to drown two Wu Changs.

Murph didn't expect this move to directly subdue Wu Chang—only to immobilize him for an instant, just long enough to escape.

Before encountering Wu Chang, his Fearless Stone Man mind was programmed to destroy anything blocking his escape; under this crisis, he activated his backup brain and received a second command.

Control the unmanageable enemy—flee now!

Wu Chang saw through Murph's intent; he had already moved—he wouldn't let Murph escape.

Think you can run?

Just as Murph pulled back his fist to flee, a blue water wave merged with the swamp; before Murph could react, his feet vanished beneath him, plunging into a deep ocean.

Skill Name: Blind Abyss

Skill Level: A

Skill Description: Create a special water surface; any target touching it is dragged into a sealed underwater realm. Within Blind Abyss, all your water-based abilities gain 30% enhancement, and underwater movement speed increases by 30%;

Targets falling into Blind Abyss suffer drastic perception reduction, and have a chance to hear inexplicable whispers in darkness, losing vision temporarily and having their willpower lowered according to what they hear. The size of Blind Abyss is influenced by the user's energy and inspiration attributes.

Skill Note: Never underestimate any body of water.

The Blind Abyss skill came from Deep, or rather, his dying resentment.

He refused to believe Wu Chang, despite attribute suppression, still possessed power beyond other players' suppressed limits—he wanted to see Wu Chang's attribute panel before he died, to understand clearly.

For such a small request, Wu Chang had no reason to refuse; privately, he showed Deep's lingering resentment his attribute panel.

As Deep's bloodied last words vanished, Wu Chang gained 1 point in Life, 1 point in Will, 2 points in Inspiration, and the skill now in use: Blind Abyss.

Blind Abyss was a mutated skill Deep gained after fusing with monsters; in Deep's hands, it required the target to first step onto water, then lose vision before sinking into Blind Abyss.

But when this skill fell into Wu Chang's hands, it underwent secondary mutation under the influence of his fused demonic deity remains' deep-sea bloodline and the residual Primordial Spirit Core within him, becoming far more flexible.

Come to think of it, this was his first A-rank independent skill.

A single skill, requiring no synergy, could form its own unique space.

The Blind Abyss space was treated as a Inner World within the skill's effect—it could overlay with the Golden Throne's Golden Realm, or be used alone; more importantly, efficient spatial manipulation from space magic also applied to Blind Abyss.

In Deep's hands, Blind Abyss was merely a pond under two hundred meters; in Wu Chang's hands, it became a true abyss of deep water.

And the first target swallowed by this deep abyss was Murph, Deep's teammate.

Wu Chang flashed forward and entered Blind Abyss himself.

Within Blind Abyss, with no one watching, he revealed his Sea Giant form; before his two-hundred-meter body, Murph's fifteen-meter frame looked absurdly comical.

Murph suddenly plunged into Blind Abyss, his perception severely restricted; the towering black shadow before him rendered even his backup brain incapable of comprehending what was happening.

His vision blurred, his body stiffened, unsure how to act.

But the good news was, due to his brain freeze, he heard none of the whispers in Blind Abyss, nor did he have to fear the massive hand slamming toward him.

Boom!

The Fearless Stone Man, along with the worms clinging to his neck, was crushed by a single palm blow, exploding into a spray of blood.

Damn it—under Blind Abyss's boost, his Sea Giant form moved too swiftly and lightly; he couldn't stop his hand in time.

He sucked Murph's life force into his body; this pure embodiment of strength granted him 25 strength points, raising his total to 150.

If this kept up, before he earned Amber's full trust, his attributes would again hit the Wasteland Realm barrier.

90% attribute suppression was still too low—if only it were higher.

Wu Chang dismissed Blind Abyss, returning to the others with Murph's twisted corpse.

The others stared at Murph's mangled body, then at Wu Chang, unscathed even by a scratch—they could easily imagine how utterly dominant the battle had been.

Buk stepped beside Wu Chang and whispered:

"Boss, for the sake of us genuinely following you, can you at least hint at how to reduce attribute suppression?"

"We don't need to shed it completely like you—just enough to avoid being hunted down by these monsters."

Wu Chang glanced at him and said: "My strength comes entirely from my talent and effort—there's no magic trick like you imagine."

Buk nodded and returned to the group: "Boss says his cheat doesn't work for us."

Wu Chang: …

Is it right to slander your boss like that?

With Murph dealt with, the next step was to hide in tents and wait for the rain to extinguish the mountain fire.

Under Wu Chang's continuous spellcasting, the rain lasted a full day, extinguishing 95% of the wildfire that had ravaged Sigef City within twenty-four hours.

The remaining areas were all easily controllable zones where fire could not spread, and Zhen Wo led his subordinates on what felt like a team-building exercise, easily extinguishing the flames.

No one expected this raging mountain fire to end so casually.

The media didn't expect it, Mayor Avery didn't expect it, and even the minority politicians were caught off guard.

Facing media interviews, Wu Chang recited his pre-prepared speech with practiced ease.

He claimed he could not bear the fire's devastation, prayed to the gods for its extinguishing, and only after receiving divine response did he take up the burden and volunteer as fire-control lead.

Driven by traffic and the red envelopes handed out by Bai Lao, the media spread Zhen Wo's interview far and wide; soon, the citizens of Sigef City knew this sudden philanthropist was a sage blessed by divine revelation.

Thanks to the fire extinguishing, Wu Chang leapt to become the most popular figure among Sigef City's citizens—without exception.

After ending the media interviews, he did not immediately seek out Mayor Avery, but secretly contacted Miguel, the leader of the minority politicians and the Mexican politician who had previously slandered him.

Miguel was deeply surprised by Wu Chang's arrival; after a moment's hesitation, he still invited Wu Chang into his secret meeting room.

After the mountain fire was extinguished, they had already lost their chance to topple Bai Lao, and now held incriminating evidence in his hands—he could at any moment use that incident to settle scores with them.

You can dodge the first, but not the fifteenth; better to hear what he wants. Wu Chang, upon meeting Miguel, said bluntly:

"I need you to help me with one thing. Once it's done, past grievances are erased, and every bill you've long sought to pass these past years—I'll get it passed for you."

Miguel never expected Wu Chang's opening line to be so explosive; he seemed to guess what Wu Chang intended, his breathing quickened, and after ten seconds of thought, he asked:

"What do you want us to do?"

Wu Chang smiled warmly and said: "Run for mayor."

Leaving Miguel's office, he headed straight for the mayor's office; he and Avery conversed warmly, their bond like that of old friends.

Just before leaving, Wu Chang placed a five-million-federal-credit check on Avery's desk.

Avery glanced at the zeros on the check and asked: "What does this mean?"

Wu Chang said: "Sigef City has just suffered a mountain fire. Though the flames were extinguished in time, the damage was immense. I wish to offer a modest contribution to Sigef City."

Upon hearing this, Avery raised an eyebrow, took the check, and said: "Mr. Peace, I extend the gratitude of Sigef City's citizens to you."

Wu Chang bowed slightly and said: "It is my duty."

Donating five million federal credits to the city government entitles one to a bronze statue of a philanthropist in Sigef Central Square.

!

The philanthropist statue grants high instance influence, which can be exchanged for multiple benefits.

One such benefit is 10% attribute liberation.

This method of acquiring extra attribute liberation was discovered by the squid people on Bai Ta's side.

Before entering the Cursed Fate instance, Wu Chang targeted Bai Lao precisely to pursue this path.

Donations can only exchange for 10% attribute liberation; before entering, he thought this was substantial, but after receiving Amber's hidden side quest, this 10% seemed insignificant.

Yet the essence of the philanthropist statue is converting player influence into instance rule permissions; even without exchanging it for attribute liberation, it can serve other purposes.

Wait a little longer—once I successfully become mayor of Sigef City, controlling both legal and underworld forces, how will Lin Jiang hide then?

"Wait a little longer—the timing is nearly here." The Lin Jiang Wu Chang longed for was now using the same words to soothe his companions.

Compared to when he first subdued the centipede puppet, far fewer players surrounded Lin Jiang—only five or six remained.

Of them, only Long Kui and Li Zi, a member of the Evolutionist faction, possessed strength comparable to members of the Four Organizations; all other followers were solo players, capable only of assisting with minor tasks.

Two hideouts destroyed in succession, coupled with the deaths of companions, left everyone deeply anxious.

Especially Long Kui, whose emotions were most volatile.

He narrowed his eyes at Lin Jiang, as if trying to read something from his face—but Lin Jiang remained utterly calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever; seeing this, Long Kui could only sneer:

"Wait again? Last time we waited, we lost Deep Sea. The time before that, we waited, and Murphy, the second candidate for the Holy Son, was killed by Peace."

"If we wait any longer, will I be next?"

Facing Long Kui's accusation, Lin Jiang wanted to comfort him, but found himself unable to speak.

Using props provided by the Light Society, he enabled Murphy and others to fuse with instance monsters, gaining extra attribute liberation.

At first, when they fused with the monsters, all believed that with attribute superiority, clearing the Cursed Fate instance would be effortless.

But after the Rule-based Deep Sea and the Stat-based Murphy both perished, even Lin Jiang began to doubt his own plan.

Murphy may have been foolish, but his stats were undeniably high—high attack, thick HP, strong defense; his ability to endure extreme heat and hide within the firestorm proved his strength.

Even if he wanted to confront Murphy—with Li Zi and Long Kui joining him in a three-on-one fight—he could at best defeat him, but not prevent Murphy from escaping.

That was precisely why he had spent so much effort persuading them, constantly painting grand visions, to form an alliance with the Quietist Sect.

Yet this weapon—the very secret he considered his peak combat asset, his killer against Peace—had been effortlessly neutralized by Peace. How could they fight now?

But recalling the inside information Mercury had once revealed to him, Lin Jiang steadied his composure and chose to keep believing.

He looked at Long Kui and said: "So what do you propose? Should the three of us go confront Peace directly?"

"Don't forget—he's now a city councilor, able to mobilize SWAT and large-scale armed forces. Do you truly believe the three of us can overthrow Sigef City?"

Long Kui recalled the humiliation of being hunted by armed helicopters, his face growing uneasy.

"At least we must do something—we can't just sit here waiting to die."

Lin Jiang shook his head. "Before the timing arrives, doing too much only invites error. Blind action brings no benefit—it only increases our risk of exposure."

"I've said before: the closer we get to the instance being broken, the greater the world's will's flaws become. Peace is formidable—I can feel it. This instance, which even countless members of the Four Organizations cannot fully perceive, is nearly being broken by him."

"That means the instance's flaws have grown large enough—within three to five days, the moment for our action will arrive. At that point, you won't be able to avoid acting even if you want to."

Long Kui stared darkly at Lin Jiang. He didn't want to believe Lin Jiang—but without him, he could not face Peace alone; he grunted and said:

"Five days. If you haven't moved by then, I'll find my own way."

While Sigef City seethed with hidden currents, No. 26 Garden Street remained untouched.

Neither the mountain fire, nor the storm, nor the divine emissary had reached this house.

Wu Chang and his family of three carried on their daily routines as usual.

After the beach party, Amber had fully emerged from the shadow of the Faceless Shadow and returned with Grace to Knox Elementary to resume her studies.

On her first day back at school, Knox Elementary was free of the Mirror Killer and the Faceless Shadow, making Amber's school life feel unusually safe.

Throughout the entire day, she did not fall into terrifying hallucinations, nor did she believe everyone was staring at her with hostile eyes.

Free from the guilt of a survivor, she no longer thought herself burdened by sin, unworthy of happiness, or undeserving of redemption.

Rekindling her desire to embrace beauty, she listened in class with exceptional focus.

She knew Xiao En valued her studies, that he would favor a child who performed well, and that she must strive harder to earn his approval.

Strangely, when Amber truly wished to learn, the difficult concepts on the blackboard suddenly became clear, as if she had learned them before.

Perhaps when the monster in the old school building stole her memories, it also took away her genius-level comprehension.

The day passed swiftly; with the final bell ringing, she returned home with Xiao En and Ailin.

After eating the delicious dinner Xiao En had prepared, she completed her homework under Ailin's guidance.

This quiet, warm life was too beautiful for her—so beautiful it felt like a dream.

She feared that one day this dream would end, forcing her back into the dark, hopeless life she had known before.

Yet even if it were only a dream, she wanted its duration to stretch longer.

She turned her head toward Ailin and said, "Good night."

Ailin smiled in reply, "Good night, have sweet dreams."

Amber closed her eyes, her consciousness slowly sinking into the warm darkness called sleep.

Half-asleep, half-awake, she saw something terrifying in the darkness of her dream—she tried to escape, but had no strength to resist.

In her struggle, she jolted upright on the bed, letting out a scream.

"Ah!"

The next moment, Ailin grasped her icy hand and asked with concern:

"Amber, did you have another nightmare?"

(End of Chapter)