Chapter 134

*Bang! *

Margot was in a hurry to dodge the flying strike of the sinister dagger, and the revolver in his hand failed to follow Lu Mian's forward lean, the bullet hitting the wall opposite, sending stone chips flying everywhere.

Amidst the clanging sound, "Fallen Mercury" flew past Margot's side once again and fell to the ground not far away.

Lu Mian snapped his body straight, his right foot nimbly stepping onto the enemy's instep to prevent him from raising his knee to ram into his abdomen.

Immediately following this, while almost pressed against the other party, his hands chopped or smashed, his elbows framed or blocked, his feet kicked low or stomped heavily, and his knees thrust forward or snapped, suppressing Margot until he was too busy parrying to aim and fire.

This thug only felt that the other party's attacks were like a storm, continuous and endless, and always sticking to him, using close-quarters combat techniques that gave him no chance to create distance to use his firearm.

For Margot, such combat techniques were both unfamiliar and dangerous.

*Bang! *

Margot's elbow smashed into the wall, shaking the building as if it had a slight tremor.

*Snap! *

Margot's right wrist was countered and framed backward, the black revolver flying out of his hand and falling to the ground.

*Snap, snap, snap*, Lu Mian used his hands, elbows, knees, and feet in a chain, hitting the enemy until he retreated repeatedly, struggling to cope.

In the end, Margot was parrying entirely on instinct, his thoughts unable to keep up with Lu Mian's movements.

However, he felt that he had already grasped the pattern of the other party's attacks and figured out the corresponding routines, able to defend against all attacks relying solely on muscle memory.

Wait a little longer, and he would be able to counterattack!

Following his instinct, Margot raised his right foot to block the other party's low kick.

But he blocked nothing at all.

Lu Mian's left foot extended diagonally in a posture that exceeded human flexibility, flicking up the silver-black dagger that was lying quietly to the side.

His fierce assault just now was meant to force Margot near "Fallen Mercury."

That silver-black dagger flew up, stabbing toward Margot's thigh.

Margot was firmly suppressed by Lu Mian on one hand, and standing on one leg on the other, unable to perform many movements, so he could only barely retract his right foot and slightly turn his body in an attempt to dodge.

"Fallen Mercury" grazed his thigh, tearing through his sail-colored trousers and leaving a shallow bloodstain.

*Snap, snap, snap*, Lu Mian once again used the close-quarters combat techniques Aurora had taught him to attack crazily, suppressing Margot until he had no time to deal with the injury on his leg.

Fortunately, the wound was very shallow and only bled a little bit.

*Bang! *

The retreating Margot's back hit the wall.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even have a gap to speak, and the other party still had his ears stuffed, not afraid of his provocation at all.

Margot's blood surged, and a ruthless streak erupted in his heart, intending to trade his injury for the initiative in the battle and escape the current predicament.

Just at this moment, the arms he raised blocked nothing.

He watched in confusion and astonishment as the freak with his face wrapped in white bandages took the initiative to retreat, creating distance between them.

Then, that freak turned and ran, flicking his toe on the way to pop up the silver-black dagger and grabbing it in his left palm.

Margot froze for a second and was about to chase after him when footsteps sounded from the entrance of the alley.

Two patrolling policemen heard the gunshot and, informed by residents who had "gone downstairs" due to the fire nearby, rushed over carrying black semi-automatic pistols.

"What happened? What are you guys from the Poison Sting Gang up to again?" Seeing that it was an acquaintance, one of the policemen asked with a frown.

Glancing at the two policemen wearing white shirts, black vests, and black uniform jackets, Margot replied with disdain:

"I was attacked, Officer. You guys are too late!"

Although he said this, he was secretly glad that the police hadn't arrived too late, scaring off that freak; otherwise, he really might have been hunted down.

After all, that freak should also be a Sequence 8 "Provocateur," and his combat skills were obviously stronger than his, and he had planned everything layer by layer, occupying the initiative and gaining the advantage.

The questioning policeman's face darkened:

"Then come back with me to record a statement; we will help you find the attacker.

"Also, is this your gun?"

He pointed to the revolver that had fallen to the ground.

Margot sneered:

"Rely on you guys to find him? Haha, that's the funniest joke I've heard this year!

"That gun belongs to the attacker; you guys can take it."

After speaking, he briefly checked his wound and confirmed that he hadn't been poisoned.

Then, in front of the two policemen, he swaggered out of the alley.

The policeman who had asked the initial question had an ugly expression and tried to draw his gun, but his partner pressed his hand down.

Returning to Nightingale Street, Margot's expression darkened.

His most instinctive thought was to hurry home and use the pre-set traps to guard against a possible second wave of attacks.

A few seconds later, Margot abandoned this plan, feeling that it wasn't appropriate enough.

He intended to go to the home of "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie, the boss of the Poison Sting Gang, right now to tell him about the attack and borrow a room for the night.

That was the place Margot considered the safest.

After briefly bandaging the wound on his right leg, Margot sprinted, running all the way from Nightingale Street to Market Avenue, to the place near the Suhit Steam Train Station, and to the three-story building at No. 126 with a small garden in the back.

Soon, he met "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie in the study.

This was a middle-aged man with black hair combed back, a slightly chubby face, and cold, deep blue eyes.

Luo Jie was wearing silk water-blue pajamas and looked at Margot with no expression:

"You were attacked?"

"Yes." Margot recounted the whole process of what had happened.

Luo Jie's blue eyes suddenly became gloomy, as if connected to an abyss with no visible bottom or a hell that never saw light.

After a moment, he nodded:

"There are no traces of being cursed.

"But you must be careful; your blood is on that knife."

Luo Jie walked to Margot's front while speaking:

"I'll help you eliminate the hidden danger first."

"Thank you, Boss." Margot breathed a sigh of relief.

He followed Luo Jie out of the study and entered the basement along the stairs.

After turning the switch and lighting the gas wall lamp, "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie pointed to the statue placed in the center and said:

"Open it and crawl inside."

That statue was of a woman with soft features, the folds of her long dress lifelike.

Margot walked to the statue in a few steps, pulled open the secret door located on its abdomen, and crawled in.

With the closing of the secret door, the basement became exceptionally quiet.

"Black Scorpion" Luo Jie looked at the statue and recited a word in Ancient Hermes:

"Rebirth!"

Illusory, blurred black flames immediately emerged on the surface of the statue, flowing like water and burning silently.

After thirty seconds, Luo Jie said to Margot:

"You can come out now."

This was a method to eliminate the hidden danger of a curse—using the act of entering and exiting the abdomen of a female statue to symbolize "rebirth," combined with corresponding Beyonder abilities, one could sever the connection with things that had fallen into the enemy's hands.

"Wait for me in the study; I'll look for clues about the attacker." Seeing that Margot was fine, Luo Jie gave an instruction.

Margot nodded, walked quickly out of the basement, returned to the study, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

As time ticked by, Margot suddenly felt his body become extremely heavy, as if he had sunk into water, soaking cold bit by bit.

His breathing began to become difficult.

Margot's pupils dilated instantly, but he saw nothing.

He struggled with all his might, as if bound by ropes, only able to move his arms, fingers, and feet with great difficulty.

*Thump! *

Margot finally managed to flip himself onto the floor, but the anomaly didn't disappear; his face turned more and more purple, his mouth opened wide, and his thoughts gradually blurred.

Why... With this thought, Margot fell into darkness.

At the entrance of the basement, Luo Jie walked out with a solemn expression.

"Possesses very strong anti-divination abilities...

"This matter isn't simple..."

"..." "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie returned to the study while pondering.

The next second, his gaze froze.

He saw Margot lying on the ground, his face blue and purple, his lower body wet, no longer breathing.

This leader of the Poison Sting Gang had died bizarrely after performing the ritual to eliminate the hidden danger of the curse, in the safest place of the Poison Sting Gang, in front of "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie.

Golden Rooster Hotel, Room 207.

Lu Mian, who had long since changed his clothes, nodded with satisfaction.

"Fallen Mercury" told him through its trembling that the exchange of fate had been completed.

This meant that Margot would immediately encounter an attack from the Monsuri Ghost.

—After stabbing someone, it takes a considerable amount of time to complete the exchange of fate, which depends on the fate one wants to exchange, the other party's strength, and the degree of subconscious resistance, ranging from five or six minutes to twenty or thirty minutes; and if the target is Lu Mian himself, and he opens his body and mind, even his subconscious can't wait, then the fate can be exchanged very quickly, in a few seconds or a dozen seconds.

Looking at the silver-black dagger in his hand, Lu Mian laughed:

"When I have time, I'll teach you Morse code; otherwise, every time I communicate with you, I have to keep eliminating options based on your feedback, which is too troublesome."

The trembling blade of "Fallen Mercury" went still, seemingly a bit shocked.

Lu Mian, who had successfully hunted his prey, was in quite a good mood and teased with a smile:

"Are you thinking, why does a knife like me need to learn? One must have ideals as a person, and the same goes for a knife, right? Do you want to be like this for your whole life?"

He then asked:

"What fate was exchanged this time?"

While asking, Lu Mian extended his spirituality to the silver-black dagger engraved with layers of patterns.

With the cooperation of "Fallen Mercury," he slowly distinguished what the drops of fate stored inside the knife represented:

It was the fate of Margot taking stacks of banknotes from different subordinates.

"You sure know how to pick." Lu Mian had been busy with the battle earlier and had "entrusted" the matter of exchanging fate entirely to "Fallen Mercury," only telling it in advance that he was a bit short of money recently.

After praising "Fallen Mercury," Lu Mian fell into deep thought:

"After this fate is exchanged, how will it be realized?"

(End of chapter)