Chapter 12: Pretending Again and Again
Dark clouds covered the sun, blocking the fervent sunlight, casting a layer of gray over everything.
The black-robed man turned his head abruptly.
He finally showed a different expression, shocked and disbelieving.
No one present saw what happened in that instant, just as no one had clearly seen the black-robed man's ability—no, from now on, that would no longer be a secret.
“How is that possible...?!” The black-robed man squeezed a sentence through his teeth.
The next moment, he swung his hand, and a fatal attack aimed at the black-haired youth's heart.
The sharp wind stirred up the surrounding dust, the sound of rushing wind like a human wail.
That figure instantly disappeared from sight.
The invisible attack split the ground, leaving three cracks.
The black-robed man turned his head in panic—
And he saw the black-haired youth give him a slight smile.
“Ahhhhh”
In the youth's black pupils, he seemed like a useless drowning dog.
The black-robed man used his ability madly, launching attack after attack.
But none hit, none touched, not even coming close to the corner of the youth's clothing!
“If it appeared out of thin air, it would be a bit interesting...” The youth's voice sounded by his ear, and when he turned his head, it suddenly disappeared from sight again.
The next second, that voice appeared behind him: “But ah, the sound of the wind is too obvious.”
The youth's trench coat was unstained by dust, the smile on his lips seemed mocking, as if commenting on some inferior product.
But the black-robed man's eyes widened.
He had used his ability almost to the point of exhaustion, overusing it.
The mysterious ability that had always been feared now seemed like useless trash. He panted heavily, his heart momentarily suspended.
Amidst the ability user's full-force attack, before the tips of these several ‘invisible’ blades, the black-haired youth calmly revealed the final secret.
“Just like an ice blade that melts after piercing the body, mixing with the blood to hide itself. Your ability is a similar existence.”
The next moment, the youth threw the attack to the back of his mind, his figure suddenly moving forward.
That face, filled with contentment, magnified before his eyes—
“Invisible? No, just mixed into the wind.”
The distance was so close it seemed one could see the black-haired youth's dense eyelashes.
“Your attack is just wind,” the youth drawled.
A spell-type ability, controlling the wind to form sharp blades, concealing the attack in the formless air, one could only hear the whistling wind arriving in an instant.
The wind blades were so dense that a slight lapse in concentration would result in one's heart being pierced.
Li Li's eyes were so focused that she could hardly see any of the surrounding clamor.
The fear of the other three black-robed men, the commotion at the breakfast stall, she paid no attention to any of it.
Her gaze was only on that uncatchable sharp blade.
Purchasing the domain-type item 【Shifting Space】, she changed the space she was in when it was almost upon her, when she would have been badly injured a moment later.
At the same time, she could also control other people's space—this was an item worth four hundred popularity points!
A barrier rose between them, a wall of faint blue light enveloping the black-robed man within a rectangular prism.
The black-robed man tried to mobilize his own ability but found in horror that it was useless!
The air in the space seemed to have stagnated; there wasn't even air to breathe.
Suffocation, complete suffocation.
The black-robed man's body began to convulse, a roaring sound in his ears.
A vacuum had formed within this space.
“Comes and goes without a trace, impossible to dodge?” The youth crossed his arms, the smile on his face gradually cooling, “How uninteresting.”
In this now quiet air, almost everyone was looking at that figure, at that seemingly slender back.
Xu She had stood up long ago.
He stared intently at the back of the youth who had been sitting opposite him, listening to his ramblings, at the youth's black trench coat that remained clean amidst the dust, at the youth who, with a playful posture, had crushed the ability user that had made them afraid to even move.
Just as the black-robed man treated the youth like a cat toying with a mouse, the black-haired youth treated the black-robed man in the same way.
Like strolling through a courtyard, slowly, with words and actions, he completely crushed the black-robed man.
Truly, incomparably powerful!
He suddenly remembered the news he had heard from his organization's superior yesterday: an A-rank ability user had entered Jiao Huang.
There could be no mistake, it was him! That A-rank ability user!
Xu She was so excited he wanted to cheer out loud.
He smelled the scent of a kindred spirit on the youth.
Did this mean the youth, like them, also detested this world? Did it mean the youth might also join their organization?
This was an A-rank!
“That gentleman is on his way,” an organization member next to him said to Xu She.
And the fanaticism in Xu She's eyes grew even more intense.
That gentleman was their highest-ranking team leader in Jiao Huang, a C-rank ability user.
...
[Item 【Shifting Space】 purchase successful, countdown 1:31]
Li Li wanted to end this provocation.
Except for the first time she faced the attack, where she seemed to have some enlightenment, afterward, she was just concentrating on dodging attacks.
She had gained nothing but a wildly beating heart.
Abilities are really hard to obtain, she lamented, and prepared to throw them directly into the nearby sea.
But just then, the black-robed man locked in the space suddenly trembled.
Behind, the three black-robed men with terrified expressions suddenly had their expressions change.
They let go of the unconscious girl, no longer caring about the youth who was glaring at them and trying to carry the girl away from them.
Instead, they all took a step forward simultaneously.
Li Li turned her face to the side.
All three black-robed men had smiles on their faces, eerily synchronized, just like Qing Yu Chen, from whom she had just parted this morning.
“I am very sorry, these wastes have no discernment and have offended you,” the three black-robed men said in unison.
The intonation was consistent, the volume was consistent, and together it sounded like a mixed audio.
It's Qing Yu Chen, Li Li thought.
She didn't change her cold attitude, and at the same time, was glad she had found an excuse that wouldn't let Qing Yu Chen notice anything unusual.
As expected, one must be on guard when out and about.
The fact that Qing Yu Chen could read ability users' memories was really troublesome.
Moreover, this place was at least seven hundred meters away from Qing Tong, yet Qing Yu Chen directly controlled these three...
Li Li thought gravely: A B-rank ability user is completely different from that D-rank just now.
And while Li Li was brainstorming, Qing Yu Chen continued: “I will compensate you for your losses, and this waste will also be directly executed.”
Executed?
Before Li Li could say anything, the next second she heard a bang.
She turned her head, and inside the rectangular space next to her, blood splattered on the transparent wall.
Qing Yu Chen had directly controlled that black-robed man to self-destruct.
“I wonder if you are satisfied with this handling.”
The three controlled black-robed men humbly lowered their heads, but from beginning to end, they never asked for Li Li's opinion.
Although he seemed to have been intimidated by her, Qing Yu Chen could still show his arrogance in the details.
He didn't treat Tang and the others as people, nor did he treat his subordinates as people.
As expected, she didn't like this character.
Li Li wanted to laugh, and she indeed did so.
The black-haired youth at the center of everyone's attention suddenly laughed softly, as if seeing something interesting.
“Of course,” but the next second, he wiped the smile from his face, “I’m very dissatisfied.”
[Deducting 300 popularity value, current account balance 679]
[Item 【Remote Pressure (One-time)】 purchase successful]
[Confirming coordinates, beginning use]
Instantly, from seven hundred meters away, Qing Yu Chen, who was inside the Qing Tong headquarters, seemed to sense something.
He stood up, wanting to dodge, but was instantly forced to kneel heavily on the ground!
Blood flowed from his knees, dyeing the ground red.
Qing Yu Chen's back trembled.
He widened his eyes, almost unable to control the three subordinates hundreds of meters away.
And just before he was disconnected, he saw the black-haired youth in front of him indifferently raise his eyes, the dark black pupils seemingly containing a bottomless vortex.
“Don't make decisions for me,” the youth said, tilting his head up slowly, “You're not worthy.”
The next second, the shared vision disappeared.
...
The three black-robed men were freed from control.
They instantly looked at Li Li with the eyes one would use for a monster, then turned and ran.
And Li Li glanced at the time remaining for the item 【Shifting Space】; there was still a minute left to use.
Her figure disappeared from its original spot.
...
The youth held the girl's shoulder, watching the youth in the black trench coat leave.
“Are you okay?” A diner from the breakfast stall next to them walked over and asked, then received a wary look from the youth.
The diner, Xu She, scratched the back of his head and softened his tone: “Actually, we are good people…”
But it was no use. The youth still bared his teeth at him like a small beast.
Just then, Xu She smelled a whiff of smoke.
Ethereal white smoke slowly drifted from behind. He turned his head and said in pleasant surprise: “Mr. Hua!”
At the end of the road, a man in a Tang suit gradually approached.
“Heard you saw an A-rank?” The corners of those long, narrow eyes lifted slightly, as if containing thousands of charms.
The newcomer was the person in charge of the ‘Tide’ organization's Jiao Huang branch, the C-rank ability user Hua Yizhi.
“Yes, but Mr. A-rank has already left,” Xu She said, “Just now.”
The man in the Tang suit glanced at the scene here, and at the blood spilled all over the road ahead where the spatial barrier had disappeared.
“As expected of that esteemed guest, truly merciless,” he sighed softly.
He directly assumed the person who had killed was the A-rank they were talking about.
The few people who were far away didn't actually know what had happened then.
They didn't know about Qing Yu Chen's existence, nor did they know what they had discussed.
They only knew that the black-robed man had submitted to the black-haired youth.
Therefore, no one refuted this statement, and some even agreed: “He is exceptionally powerful, ‘Shadowless’ was completely crushed by him!”
"Should we go after him?" another person leaned in and asked.
Hua Yizhi shook his head.
He turned around, slowly raising the hand holding the smoking pipe: "This is his destination; he will come to 'Tide' sooner or later."
Just as he was about to leave, his sleeve was suddenly tugged.
He turned his head and saw the youth, who had just been ruthlessly wary of them, pulling at his sleeve.
"That person just now, will he join your organization?" the youth asked.
After Hua Yizhi gave a slight nod, the youth continued: "Then I want to join too."
His face was filled with determination.
...
After leaving the breakfast stall, Li Li wandered through all the chaotic areas of Jiao Huang.
Unfortunately, ability users like the D-rank spell-type black-robed person from Qing Tong were rare, and by nightfall, she had no further gains.
At midnight, the system's voice sounded on time.
[Opening the passage for you... Welcome back to reality.]
Back in reality, Li Li stared at the mosquito net above her head, motionless for a long time.
Her mind felt chaotic, yet it was as if she wasn’t thinking about anything at all.
She didn’t know how long she stayed lost in thought, but eventually, she reached out and grabbed her phone from beside the pillow.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she might as well browse the forum for a bit.
Author’s Note:
Thank you to the little angels who collected and commented, mua!
I’m keeping track of the character designs written in the comment section, madly kissing the little angels!
You can also come up with some ability users, low-rank ones are unlimited, mimicry-type and spell-type, the more the merrier!
Here’s a summary of what’s been established:
Mimicry-types are generally outgoing and optimistic, spell-types are mostly cold and introverted, domain-types will cheat when playing games because they’re tricky, and concept-types are a bunch of lunatics.