“Senior, you have two Superpowers?” Bian Ying stared blankly, just coming back to her senses.
Tan Linyan was momentarily stunned as well, though he quickly realized she had misunderstood.
He shook his head.
“No, gravity manipulation is my only Superpower.”
“Gravity manipulation?” she thought.
Such an incredible Superpower made Bian Ying feel even more envious.
Her gaze dropped, fixing on the gleaming golden longsword in his hand.
She asked, completely puzzled, “Then this sword…”
“Its name is Zan Chen,” Tan Linyan explained.
“It’s a Deceitful Device.”
“A Deceitful Device?” Bian Ying echoed.
She felt like she had heard of them before, but this was her first time seeing one so powerful.
Tan Linyan nodded.
“I got it from an ultra-high risk Deceit.
Back then, I almost…” As he spoke, he carefully observed her reaction.
Unfortunately, aside from surprise, Bian Ying showed no other response.
Sighing in admiration, she nodded.
“A narrow escape from death.
I get it.”
A weapon taken from an ultra-high risk Deceit was undoubtedly formidable.
No wonder Tan Linyan had managed to become the captain of the Operations Department’s first squad in such a short time.
After all, in the twenty-plus years since the Deceits first descended, the number of true ultra-high risk Deceits that had appeared could be counted on one hand.
Even ordinary high-risk Deceits were enough of a headache for humanity.
“…Yeah,” Tan Linyan replied, deeply confused.
He wondered, “Why is it that she has forgotten only the events of that summer night?”
Bian Ying quickly tossed the matter to the back of her mind.
The most pressing issue right now was stopping the principal.
However, when she looked up at the floor above, both the principal and the tentacles had completely vanished.
“Crap,” she murmured, instinctively grabbing Tan Linyan’s arm.
“We have to find the principal.”
“What’s wrong?” Tan Linyan asked in a baffled tone.
He didn’t know the rules had changed again.
Bian Ying explained the truth of the situation to him in a few short sentences.
“The principal was in on it,” she added as soon as she finished.
“He deliberately lured the Deceit here…
Just now, he changed the rules right in front of me.”
“What rules?”
“Anyone who hasn’t been assimilated will be purged.”
Hearing this, Tan Linyan’s gaze turned sharp.
There were tens of thousands of people in the school.
If they were all assimilated into Deceits, all of Wuhai City would be thrown into chaos!
“I’ll contact Yu Chi and see if he can track the principal’s location.” With that said, Tan Linyan reached for his earpiece to radio his teammate.
However, despite calling out several times, Yu Chi never responded.
“Can’t reach him?” Bian Ying leaned in, offering a possible explanation.
“Maybe the signal is being blocked where we are?” She had suspected as much for a while now.
Ever since they approached this building, the faint static in her earpiece had completely vanished, as if the connection had been forcefully severed by some unseen power.
“Impossible,” Tan Linyan instinctively retorted.
“This is the Investigation Bureau’s latest communication tech.
Even inside a Deceit Domain, the signal can’t be blocked, unless…”
“Unless what?” Bian Ying asked curiously, following his train of thought.
Tan Linyan pursed his lips, his pupils trembling slightly.
“Unless this Deceit isn’t just high-risk.
Unless it’s ultra-high risk.”
Bian Ying mentally spat in defiance.
“Senior, don’t jinx it.”
If the Eight Evils was an ultra-high risk Deceit, then surviving two encounters with it would be enough for her to break a world record.
Tan Linyan shook his head helplessly.
“Let’s leave this spot first.”
He knew this Deceit absolutely couldn’t be ultra-high risk.
It was much more likely that its unique ability simply happened to block signals.
The appearance of an ultra-high risk Deceit would be catastrophic enough to send an entire city into chaos.
It wouldn’t just alarm Xia Country’s top brass; the World Federation would also be closely monitoring the situation.
But up until now, the Deceit Investigation Bureau hadn’t shown much of a reaction.
Sure enough, as soon as they left the building, the earpiece signal returned to normal.
Yu Chi’s voice crackled through the static.
“Captain!
Captain, can you hear me?!
“Captain, please respond!
“The situation is completely out of control.
Students and teachers are slaughtering each other.
Zhou Nuo sacrificed his life…”
His voice grew increasingly heavy.
Beyond the assimilated teachers and students, there were also those who had stayed in the Deceit Domain too long, mutating under the influence of the sheer concentration of Deceit.
They had joined forces with those Deceits, hunting down the remaining survivors.
The true battle royale was just beginning.
Hearing that a teammate had died, Tan Linyan subconsciously tightened his grip on his longsword.
In an instant, his breathing turned heavy, and the world before his eyes grew dark and blurred.
Countless indistinct murmurs echoed in his mind, like seductive whispers crawling up from a High-dimensional abyss.
Only a select few knew the truth: Superpower Users were far more susceptible to Deceit corruption than ordinary people.
This was because possessing a Superpower essentially meant accepting the power of a Deceit.
Moreover, he possessed an ultra-high risk Deceitful Device, which made his chance of mutation over a dozen times higher than anyone else’s. This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.
“Senior?”
“Senior!”
SLAP!
The sharp slap snapped Tan Linyan back to reality.
He stood completely stunned.
The overlapping shadows blurring his vision immediately dissipated, and the chaotic whispers in his mind instantly fell dead silent.
He steadied his breathing, and as he looked up, he met Bian Ying’s slightly guilty gaze.
A stinging, burning sensation lingered on his left cheek, leaving no doubt that she hadn’t held back in the slightest.
Yet, rather than being angry, Tan Linyan happily curled his lips into a smile.
“Thank you.” She had saved him once again.
“…Ahem, as long as you’re alright,” she replied.
Bian Ying was somewhat baffled.
She wondered, “Why is Senior thanking me after I slapped him in the face?” However, an eerie black mist had suddenly begun seeping from Tan Linyan’s longsword just moments ago.
It had looked terrifying, and since calling out to him hadn’t worked, she was left with no choice but to get physical.
Tan Linyan didn’t elaborate.
Since Bian Ying currently had no Superpower, knowing too much wouldn’t do her any good; it would only bring her danger.
He tapped his earpiece.
“I’m heading over now.
Chi, see if you can locate the principal.”
“Captain, you finally responded!”
“Captain, where are you right now?”
Voices filled with joy and relief flooded the earpiece.
Since Tan Linyan had been unresponsive for so long, they had begun to fear the worst.
“…The principal?” Yu Chi’s slightly solemn voice came through the comms.
“He’s currently on the main stage at the athletic field, watching this entire massacre unfold.”
“Understood.”
Tan Linyan and Bian Ying exchanged a glance.
Without needing to say a single word, they both turned and headed in the exact same direction.
“Wait.” After running for a while, Bian Ying suddenly remembered Zhou Haizhi, who had stayed behind to fight the Deceit alone just to buy her some time.
“I need to find my boss—”
“COUGH.”
A raspy, strained noise abruptly sounded from the nearby bushes.
Right after, Zhou Haizhi’s faint, thread-like voice echoed out, “Don’t worry, I won’t die that easily.”
“Leader Zhou?!” Bian Ying exclaimed in shock.
She pushed aside the tall grass and found Zhou Haizhi hiding within.
He was covered in severe wounds, including multiple gruesome puncture marks straight through his body.
The injuries looked completely horrifying, yet his eyes remained as sharp and calm as ever.
“Use this,” Tan Linyan offered, handing over a bottle of medicinal ointment.
Bian Ying took it without hesitation, crouching down to treat Zhou Haizhi’s injuries.
Looking at the gaping, bloody holes littered across the man’s body, Tan Linyan’s eyes filled with deep admiration.
“I heard that Leader Zhou was the sole survivor of the ‘Black Impermanence’ incident all those years ago.
To think that after so many years, your strength remains just as formidable.”