Chapter 70: A Trap Unveiled and a Resurrected Foe

The barrier still trembled, poised to shatter like fractured glass at any moment.

From within the factory, Xinleit sensed the intruders who had breached the barrier.

Beyond Bai Chen, who had first ruptured the barrier, there was yet another presence.

An accomplice? No, the aura was unlike that of either human or demon beast.

Xinleit turned his head to look at Mo Qiu, his expression darkening considerably.

“What exactly have you done?”

“Set my plan into motion.”

“Didn’t you want to see Saluk? Now that he’s here, why the displeasure?”

“You mean that was—”

Xinleit cut himself off mid-sentence, the full implication of her words dawning on him.

Only now did he realize he had stepped squarely into Mo Qiu’s trap.

‘When had this trap been laid?’

The answer was clear: ever since their last encounter.

Mo Qiu had been tracking Zhou Yue then, only for Xinleit to suddenly appear and interfere.

From that moment, Mo Qiu had begun to suspect Xinleit’s true motives for approaching her, and thus, began to set her own elaborate scheme.

Her deliberate capture by Zhou Yue, her meeting with Xinleit—everything had unfolded precisely according to her design.

The next step was to summon Bai Chen to claim the bounty.

“How did you know we planned to act today?”

Mo Qiu shook her head; of course, she hadn’t known.

Regardless of whether they would move against her, she intended to create trouble for Bai Chen.

Zhou Yue could never have imagined that the lie she spun to lure Mo Qiu would, in fact, be twisted into reality by Mo Qiu herself.

Her Puppet Demonic Eye could influence a target’s mind, yet to fully transform someone into her puppet, a lifeless corpse was an absolute prerequisite.

As luck would have it—or perhaps, misfortune—she had a captive readily available for recycling.

Saluk’s grotesque expression at the moment of his death was, among all the faces Mo Qiu had witnessed, undeniably one of the most memorable.

With the puppet prepared, Mo Qiu had no lingering doubts that Bai Chen would fall for the bait; his hatred for Saluk ran far deeper than she had ever anticipated.

****

The moment Bai Chen discerned the true identity of the attacking demon beast, any thought of abandoning the fight immediately vanished from his mind.

Bai Chen could have easily returned to Wanhua Plaza, leaving this situation to his colleagues; Mo Qiu was, after all, still awaiting him.

But why, of all things, was that demon beast Saluk?!

‘Hadn’t Mo Qiu said he was dead?’

For a moment, Bai Chen was utterly bewildered.

Upon seeing Saluk charge towards him, he instinctively twisted the throttle of his electric scooter.

The electric scooter, modified by the R&D department and christened ‘Mark II,’ boasted additional thrusters on its frame, allowing it to unleash astonishing speed.

By the time Saluk’s fist descended, Bai Chen’s figure had already shot away from his original position.

Seeing himself about to collide with the street-side wall, he slammed on the brakes, the scooter drifting into a graceful, dark skid mark on the asphalt.

A soft thud.

The braking had been just in time, the tail of the scooter brushing gently against the wall.

‘Are those R&D guys modifying race cars now?’

Still reeling from the shock, Bai Chen’s resolve solidified.

Though he didn’t quite understand why Saluk had resurrected, a closer thought revealed it perfectly aligned with his own desires, didn’t it?

“You committed crimes that harmed so many.”

Bai Chen dismounted from the scooter.

“You even harmed Mo Qiu.”

Bai Chen donned the black gloves his parents had once worn.

“Now you seek to wreak havoc once more? Then I shall slay you again!”

Blue electric arcs crackled as Bai Chen launched his charge, a spherical hammer of azure lightning coalescing in his hand even as he leapt.

His arm swung with blinding speed, bringing the hammer down squarely on Saluk’s face.

Electric arcs sizzled outwards, the gruesome sound of flesh and bone shattering echoed, and Saluk’s colossal body reeled back, collapsing clumsily to the ground.

When he finally lifted his head again, half his face was a mangled, bloody mess from Bai Chen’s strike, and his crimson eyes held not a flicker of life.

“What’s wrong? No strength after just waking up?”

The enemy’s feebleness far surpassed Bai Chen’s expectations, and a smirk tugged at his lips.

He had expected Saluk to spout threats as he had before, but instead, the demon beast merely turned and fled, leaving Bai Chen momentarily stunned.

‘Trying to run?’

Bai Chen would not let him escape; this time, he would personally witness his own triumph over Saluk, without relying on that mysterious, potent power.

Saluk scrambled on all fours, moving with startling speed.

Bai Chen mounted his electric scooter, the Mark II’s engine roaring to full throttle, the whistling wind nearly forcing his eyes shut.

Thus, man and demon beast sped along the main road, and while other vehicles were forced to pull over, only they continued their relentless advance.

The scooter’s speed was immense, and Bai Chen’s heart pounded furiously.

But it felt exhilarating! The entire world was being left in his dust!

Unbelievably, even the R&D-modified Mark II couldn’t quite catch Saluk.

He decisively pushed the throttle to its absolute limit, unleashing an even more astonishing burst of speed.

‘Almost caught him!’

Bai Chen freed one hand, a longsword materializing within his grip, and delivered a swift slash towards Saluk’s lower limbs.

The demon puppet did not cry out, but its body lost balance, tumbling and scrambling into the factory area.

As for Bai Chen, his speed was too great to halt.

Even with the brakes pressed until they smoked, it was useless.

Seeing an imminent collision with the wall, he had no choice but to lean the scooter, intending to leap clear.

However, the vehicle struck a stone, abruptly flinging him off.

Bai Chen crashed headfirst through the outer alarm barrier, feeling a dizzying swirl of disorientation.

‘Why… is there a… barrier here?’

The shrill blare of the alarm caused him to furrow his brow.

‘Wait, where’s Saluk? Could this be their stronghold?’

Pondering this possibility, Bai Chen retrieved his rapidly fading longsword and pressed forward, attacking the inner barrier as he advanced.

****

The smile had vanished from Xinleit’s face, yet he remained composed.

‘No matter how cleverly Mo Qiu had planned, wasn’t her life still in his hands?’

‘Kill her first, then deal with that fellow outside!’

With that thought, he spun around and immediately delivered a piercing jab aimed directly at the girl’s abdomen.

Even if the punch failed to penetrate her body, it would surely rupture her internal organs.

For a human, such an injury would undoubtedly be fatal!

However, as his fist connected with Mo Qiu, her body shattered into countless mirror fragments, scattering across the ground.

Xinleit froze in bewilderment for a moment, then his face contorted into a snarl as he let out a low growl.

“Libelle!!!”

It wasn’t only Mo Qiu who had seized the chaos to escape; Zhou Yue had as well.

She had initially intended to wait for Xinleit’s anger to subside before confronting Mo Qiu, but the sudden blare of the alarm sent her fleeing instantly.

She didn’t know what was happening, but a monumental danger was rapidly approaching.

Zhou Yue, terrified of death, dared not provoke a conflict with a demon beast.

Yet, as she ran, she bit her lower lip until it bled, her eyes now veined with crimson.

‘I can’t accept this! I haven’t even had the chance to scratch Mo Qiu’s arrogant face!’

From behind, a flying knife sliced through the air, embedding itself squarely in Zhou Yue’s thigh.

She shrieked, collapsing to the ground, and looked back.

‘Mo Qiu! How did she catch up? Where’s Xinleit?’

Zhou Yue was so terrified she could barely breathe, and she began to crawl forward, dragging her bleeding thigh.

But Mo Qiu’s figure, like a specter, shimmered into existence before her, her lusterless eyes reflecting Zhou Yue’s utterly bloodless face.

“Don’t kill me, I’m sorry!”

Zhou Yue kowtowed, pleading, “I’ll do anything, please! I’ll even lick your shoes.”

Indeed, she extended her tongue, licking the grime from Mo Qiu’s shoes.

People would do anything to survive; Mo Qiu had witnessed enough of such foolish acts.

From her pocket, Mo Qiu withdrew a metal shard, clutching it tightly as she waited in silence.

‘No reaction?’

‘How could that be? If there wasn’t something wrong with Zhou Yue, then why did I that night—’

Mo Qiu crouched down and asked, “How did Xinleit find you?”

“He… he said he was Father’s friend.”

Zhou Yue dared not lie.

A classic ploy; in her previous life, Mo Qiu had also favored using it on the families of her targets.

“Why did Xinleit seek you out?”

“He said he had something deposited with Father, and he wanted me to return it to him.”

Zhou Yue paused at this, then continued, “I saw through his lie immediately.

Father would never have a demon beast as a friend.

It must have been something he left for me!”

‘Something?’

Mo Qiu glanced again at the metal shard in her hand; shaped eerily like an eye without a pupil, it was clearly missing a piece.

“What was that item?”

“…I don’t know.”

Zhou Yue shook her head, then quickly explained.

“He hid it in a safe, and it took me a long time to crack the code.

But inside, there was only a locked box I couldn’t open, and I didn’t have the key.”

The clue for the password came from a letter Zhou Wanchen had left behind; her daughter’s instinct told her that this letter held the secret to unlocking it.

She had originally planned to find the key, but Xinleit had grown impatient.

“There was nothing I could do.

I wanted to protect what Father left me, but the demon beast was simply too terrifying.”

“Did Xinleit say anything else about that item?”

Zhou Yue pondered for a moment before replying, “…He said it originally belonged to the Imperial Organization…”

Before she could finish, Zhou Yue suddenly stiffened, then coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Mo Qiu stepped back, ensuring no blood splattered onto her, and watched Zhou Yue, who was now bleeding from all seven orifices.

‘Still breathing, but even if she healed, there would be lasting side effects.’

‘Did she not even realize a demon beast had tampered with her?’

Mo Qiu looked towards the other side, where blue lightning, like growing branches, stretched towards the sky.