“Pfft.”
A faint, almost ghostly laugh echoed from the darkness. Gu Beichen paid it no mind, his expression completely indifferent.
“You’re Tomie, aren’t you?”
“Genuine through and through,” came the reply.
Gu Beichen stood up, his interest in the girl lying on the ground, barely clinging to life, having completely faded. Instead, his gaze fixed on the strange “girl” standing before him. After a moment of silence, he spoke with certainty, “If that’s true, then why are you out here now?”
“Why shouldn’t I come out now?”
“You’re a player like the rest of us, aren’t you?” Gu Beichen’s tone carried a sharp certainty. “Let me guess, you’re one of those who took the ‘Tomie’ note. If I were in your position, facing multiple opponents alone, the last thing I’d do is throw myself into the fray. I’d make sure to hide behind the so called ‘shields,’ using them as distractions, as living barriers, just to guarantee my own survival…”
“Hahahaha!”
The “girl” in red laughed uproariously, bending forward and backward as if the sound itself could shake the darkness. She wiggled her fingers lazily. “Your little deduction there… has three holes in it.”
“One, when have I ever stooped so low as to need these weaklings as shields for myself? Two, on what grounds do you assume you could ever pose a threat to my survival? And three…”
She trailed off with a sly smile, her finger tapping rhythmically against her chin. “And besides, I saw your sincerity. You’ve killed so many just to see me. If I didn’t come out to take a look at you, wouldn’t I be betraying that sincerity of yours?”
From a female perspective, her voice was deep and husky, almost like a man squeezing his throat to speak yet the arrogance, the laziness and the wild recklessness in her demeanor told Gu Beichen one undeniable truth the instant he saw her,
She was indeed Tomie.
“Look at you, all this fuss just to welcome me,” the “girl” said, casually tossing a small stone near Jiang Rou. “How could I possibly allow these ordinary pawns to act as my shields? If fake franchises pile up everywhere, my name would end up like some mass produced imitation, like a chain of corner cafés, losing all its prestige… tsk.”
Gu Beichen’s lips curved into a thin, cold line. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”
“Pfft.”
A laugh echoed again from the shadows.
“And lastly,” she said with a teasing lilt, “I want to use you to test a new skill of mine.” Her tone was playful, almost sing song. “Just like a swordsman testing a blade, you need an opponent of equal caliber. If I were to test it on ordinary amateurs, I’d feel a little embarrassed…”
Indeed, Lin Huai intended to test Gu Beichen with two of his four title skills, “Superb Physical Technique” and “Chain Explosions.”
As for the other two skills: Title Skill One, Roleplay. According to its description, Lin Huai could not only simulate the thought processes of others but, at the cost of his own energy, also imitate their combat styles, making it the perfect tool for framing others for murders. However, Lin Huai had neither the desire to learn from Murong Fu nor any memory of someone stronger and worth imitating. This skill was therefore a pass.
Title Skill Four, Dream Theft but in this chaotic, all nighters in a study room like killing field where everyone’s eyes were darkened with fatigue, this skill was of no use.
“Ha!”
While Lin Huai pondered, a small stone whizzed through the air!
The stone seemed to veer off its intended path, striking crookedly against a streetlamp. The metal bent under the impact, giving off a distorted, resonant clang. As the lamp tilted, the direction of the shadows shifted.
The shadow that had been veering away from Lin Huai’s direction now, in an instant, touched his position. Seizing the opportunity, Gu Beichen reached forward. A slender, black shadow shot out and wrapped around the “girl’s” ankle.
“Come down!”
“So your ability is to capture people with shadows… Huh. Kind of reminds me of Yan Xi’s skill, doesn’t it?”
The “girl” was dragged down from the wall by her ankle as if she made no effort to resist. Her blood red skirt fanned out like a spreading wave across the ground. At the same time, Gu Beichen drew his long blade and swung with brutal force.
“Bang!”
The “girl’s” head flew into the air. Jiang Rou, crouched on the ground, let out a shrill scream.
Even Gu Beichen himself froze, stunned.
‘That easy?’ he thought, almost incredulous. ‘This person was putting on this whole act for so long… and I actually just killed them this easily?’
He opened his mouth to speak, only to realize, no blood had been spilled and beneath that pitch black head…
There was another head.
Gu Beichen stared at the short haired young man he had dragged in front of him, his mind blank.
Short hair.
Red dress.
Tomie.
But,
A man.
“Although, I must admit, it’s a little embarrassing for a man to say these things,” the young man shrugged, still being held by his ankle. “But… I am the Tomie in this game.”
“You…” Gu Beichen’s voice cracked, disbelief seeping through despite his controlled expression. “You’re a man, aren’t you?!”
“So what if I’m a man? Does being a man disqualify me from being Tomie? Are you discriminating against men?” The young man’s frustration was clear. Perhaps annoyed by the dress restricting him, he drew his blade and casually slashed through the hem. “A man can wear women’s clothes, can’t he? Is it shameful for a man to cross dress?”
Gu Beichen: …
A faint explosion erupted. Lin Huai spread his palms and confetti like paper scraps drifted down.
He had detonated the paper balls in his hand!
Under the effect of his “Chain Explosion,” the paper fragments burst outward in a rapid, small scale explosion. The sudden flash of light dispelled the darkness around his ankles and knocked back Gu Beichen’s shadow based ability.
For a moment, Gu Beichen didn’t know whether to be more shocked by “he actually managed to shake off my ability like that,” or “Tomie is actually a man,” or “this man wears women’s clothing with zero shame.”
Meanwhile, from the rooftop, Chu Tianshu watched the scene unfold, laughing almost uncontrollably.
He had no intention of helping, merely perched on the wall like a spectator, enjoying the chaos.
If someone had asked him, “Aren’t you concerned for your friend’s safety? Why don’t you go help him?” his answer would have been simple:
“Didn’t you see how much fun he’s having?”
And Lin Huai was indeed having fun. He pulled out more small paper fragments from his pockets, mostly love letters from students, business cards from random men he met on the street and even some secretly taken photos of himself. As Gu Beichen’s black shadows continued to chase him through the air, every time they neared, Lin Huai would flick a paper ball out, turning it into a burst of light that drove back the darkness.
Although the love letter he had written with his own hands had been blown up by his crush, it had at least once brought the other person a sense of peace and warmth. Presumably, those NPCs who wrote love letters would also feel happy because of that.
“This won’t work. There’s no way to pin him down like this…” Gu Beichen stared at the scene before him, growing increasingly agitated.
With Lin Huai’s speed, he realized it was extremely difficult to aim properly. Lin Huai sprinted swiftly through the narrow alley, leaping back and forth between the walls. Even while jumping, he still had the leisure to pull a small slip of paper from his pocket. With a light flick of his fingers, a glowing sphere exploded in his hand.
Gu Beichen chased after him from behind, dragged into the chaotic pace. At one moment he slammed into a trash can and the next he stepped on a slick, slimy banana peel.
Meanwhile, after the two of them disappeared in their chase, Chu Tianshu, who had originally been sitting on the wall, finally jumped down.
He stuffed a recovery candy into the mouth of the unconscious Jiang Rou, then casually used her phone to call an ambulance. Finally, he lightly knocked on the girl’s head.
“Quite lucky to still be alive but your surname is Jiang, so I suppose that’s only natural.”
After saying this, he clasped his hands behind his back and followed in the direction Lin Huai and Gu Beichen had gone.
Gu Beichen ran for a long time, panting heavily yet he still couldn’t catch up to Lin Huai. Lin Huai always remained just within sight, neither too far nor too close. Whenever Gu Beichen was about to catch up, Lin Huai would simply speed up a little. Whenever Gu Beichen was about to lose track of him, he would appear again around some corner of a wall…
This constant sense of being neither near nor far filled him with immense rage yet Lin Huai seemed to take great pleasure in toying with the other person’s emotions.
And in that moment of Lin Huai’s amusement, Gu Beichen suddenly realized something.
The way he was now running for his life looked exactly like those two NPC girls who had once fled in panic while being leisurely chased down by him.
Cat and mouse.
The four words suddenly appeared in his mind.
Yes, this wasn’t a battle at all. It was pure mockery and manipulation. Lin Huai seemed to have absolutely no intention of fighting him. To him, this was merely a game, an amusing pastime of repeatedly blowing up the shadows that stretched toward him.
The proof was that he had never once taken the initiative to attack him!
“You bastard!”
Gu Beichen’s eyes turned bloodshot as he roared furiously, hurling the shadow toward Lin Huai!
As expected, Lin Huai effortlessly dodged the shadow. He landed lightly on a low wall, as nimble as a cat. Then he looked at the panting player, tilting his head slightly and said with some hesitation:
“Did I make you angry?”
“Damn it!”
“Well, that’s perfect.” Lin Huai leaned against the railing with both hands, swinging back and forth. “My goal was to make you angry in the first place.”
Gu Beichen: …
“Don’t you feel it? The way I treat you, sometimes near, sometimes distant, sometimes warm, sometimes cold?” Lin Huai said with a cheerful smile. “Congratulations. Do you know what just happened? The system says I successfully toyed with your feelings, ”
Gu Beichen seemed so enraged that he had lost his reason. With a furious shout, he spread his arms and prepared to strike again.
Lin Huai rested his chin on one hand as he watched his movements, waving the other hand lazily.
“You get so angry that you explode at the slightest provocation and you still want to be a decisive villain? I’m tired of jumping around. Let’s just blow things up directly this time…”
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and let out a small sound of surprise.
“Huh?”
At that very moment, a black shadow finally coiled around his ankle.
Lin Huai continued rummaging through his pocket, looking slightly puzzled.
“Looks like I’ve run out of paper slips… This is bad…”
He lowered his head.
“Well, I guess I’ll just surrender.”
Gu Beichen’s eyes widened. Clenching his right hand tightly, he prepared to drag Lin Huai into the shadows!
The heavy, pitch black shadow spiraled upward, winding from the ankle all the way to the chest, pulling Lin Huai downward into the darkness. Lin Huai realized that Gu Beichen had not held anything back, from the very beginning, what he had prepared for Lin Huai was his greatest killing move.
The shadow moved quickly and was nearly impossible to break free from. Clinging tightly to his ankle, it dragged him bit by bit toward the depths of darkness.
“You’ve lost,” Gu Beichen said coldly.
Lin Huai, under his gaze, finally showed a trace of bewilderment for the first time. Watching him finally fall into the net, Gu Beichen’s mood improved greatly.
_________
Author’s Note: *Usage and explanation of references:
Yukimura Seiichi: A perfectly ordinary high school student from The Prince of Tennis who happens to be skilled at playing tennis. His abilities include the famous line: “When did you start believing that I wasn’t using Kyōka Suigetsu?” At one point, the author seriously considered writing a forum post analyzing and comparing his illusion techniques with those of Uchiha Itachi and Aizen.
Murderous Tennis: Tennis is a weapon of murder. In the original The Prince of Tennis, the most it could do was smash someone into a chain link fence. Nowadays, it can annihilate dinosaurs, shatter water towers and even produce a Leo meteor shower… Because tennis has become far too powerful, the tennis court now resembles the brutal battlefield where ninjas fight to the death. As a result, the phrase “Is this really the same person who was on the verge of death just now?” has become an utterly ordinary question on the tennis court.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator deserves a little treat too, don’t you think? (´꒳`)♡
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 111 · Although the author really didn’t want to writeChapter 112 · An explanation of the main storylineChapter 113 · Lin Huai’s QuestionChapter 114 · Hello classmateChapter 115 · Let me introduce the protagonist’s family backgroundChapter 116 · The innocent and naive Lin XiaohuaiChapter 117 · The Trisolarans ArriveChapter 118 · He Isn’t Fighting AloneChapter 119 · Why Here?Chapter 120 · A World Where Everyone Is Sculpted in ClayChapter 121 · How Could It Be YouChapter 122 · I want to sell my carChapter 123 · The Mysterious Transfer StudentsChapter 124 · Gu BeichenChapter 125 · The Male Lead of This StoryChapter 126 · A Voice Never Heard BeforeChapter 127 · You’re Tomie, aren’t you?Chapter 128 · I’ll give youChapter 129 · I just want to be with youChapter 130 · The Principal’s OfficeChapter 131 · Chu: I Disbanded Your Hate GroupsChapter 132 · Speak ProperlyChapter 133 · A Trisolaran Enters the Grand View GardenChapter 134 · Ji FengjianChapter 135 · About Me and YouChapter 136 · Kayako Likes ItChapter 137 · YouChapter 138 · I’ll Beat MyselfChapter 139 · I Want to See MyselfChapter 140 · The Trisolarans’ First Experience of Love and SexChapter 141 · The Trisolarans Try Romance Once MoreChapter 142 · The Trisolarans Try Romance for the Third TimeChapter 143 · It’s All This Buff’s FaultChapter 144 · The Way You Straight Men TalkChapter 145 · Why are you taking it so seriously?Chapter 146 · Chu Tianshu Shows Off His MusclesChapter 147 · Enter the DreamChapter 148 · Leave a little secretChapter 149 · Shadow StreamerChapter 150 · Don’t Look at MeChapter 151 · The Trisolarans betrayed StalinChapter 152 · Then I WillChapter 153 · The Trisolarans rewrite the Book of Life and DeathChapter 154 · What Career Could Be More Important Than Your Wife?Chapter 155 · Aren’t We Already Together?Chapter 156 · MVP of the Entire FieldChapter 157 · Meeting the FamilyChapter 158 · A Phone Call Across Time and SpaceChapter 159 · Lu Jin, You’re So MiserableChapter 160 · The Lands Of DaughtersChapter 161 · The So Called Pregnancy StreamChapter 162 · The Street Where Only the Two of Us ExistChapter 163 · No bare faceChapter 164 · Question 1: Do you have hair loss?Chapter 165 · LaxativesChapter 166 · Where Exactly Do You Exist?Chapter 167 · Seven ZeroChapter 168 · The issue of 0 and 1Chapter 169 · Wind ChimeChapter 170 · Visa and Wind ChimesChapter 171 · Continue to persecute Lu JinChapter 172 · Examiner: I’ve fallen in love with himChapter 173 · Lin Huai intimidates scalpersChapter 174 · Night of EvilChapter 175 · Congratulations to the Male Guests on Successfully Finding Their PartnersChapter 176 · Before ThisChapter 177 · The gong says he is terrifiedChapter 178 · The Tasker CampChapter 179 · I’m So ScaredChapter 180 · The Final Transitional ChapterChapter 181 · Four Beauties Among the FlowersChapter 182 · Plum FragranceChapter 183 · Dry Weather and Flammable ThingsChapter 184 · The Heartless Sword ManualChapter 185 · Only MeChapter 186 · The North PoleChapter 187 · Let Brother Lin Learn to Meow Like a CatChapter 188 · Good Night