Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Hiding in the shadows, Li You, Cuicui, and Luo Ji held their breath, their eyes locked on the unbelievable scene before them.

Their hearts pounded like drums, cold sweat seeping from their palms, their breaths frozen in their throats.

"Feng Yuhuai’s body... it can’t turn into a red thread! Is she really being eaten by that monster?!"

Cuicui exclaimed in a hushed voice, her eyes red, her fingers trembling as she pointed forward.

Her other hand gripped Li You’s arm tightly, her nails almost digging into the skin, as if that was the only way to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

It probably wasn’t a dream, because Li You’s arm was bleeding from being pinched.

"Is she really... not going to make it?"

Li You murmured softly, with a hint of hesitation in her tone.

Her gaze fixed on Feng Yuhuai, trying to find a flaw.

Even though Feng Yuhuai’s arm had been gnawed off by the Beautiful Spider, her chest crushed, Li You’s heart still harbored a trace of doubt.

— No choice, Feng Yuhuai was really too good at acting.

She deceived many, many people, and she also had a history of deceiving monsters.

Her cruelty, her disguise, her viciousness had long left a deep impression of dread within Li You’s bones.

As long as she hadn’t seen Feng Yuhuai’s bones turned to dust, completely disappeared from this world, Li You wouldn’t dare to confirm her death.

"But this time she really doesn’t seem to be acting..."

Li You muttered, a nameless emotion swelling in her heart,

"Could it be that this is what is called the destiny of cause and effect? The monster that eats people will eventually be eaten by a more terrifying monster?"

She bit her lip hard, even drawing blood, her heart intertwining with the satisfaction of revenge and an inexplicable emptiness.

Meanwhile, Luo Ji stood beside, his face flushed with excitement.

Three thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind: "Feng Yuhuai is going to be eaten? [Shield of the Curtain] is mine! [Avengers] is going to disband just after its formation?!"

His fingers trembled slightly, wanting to secretly take out a mirror to look at Zuo Bai.

After all, if Feng Yuhuai was truly eaten, he should start looking for the next monster’s life chart.

And the monster that killed Feng Yuhuai... logically and emotionally, should be given the highest priority consideration!

Deng Jiajia’s fingers gripped the camera tightly, her knuckles slightly white from the force.

Her eyes closely aligned with the viewfinder, constantly adjusting the focus of the lens, trying to capture every detail.

In the sewer’s rancid air, she could hear herself constantly swallowing.

"Ren Xuan, film Feng Yuhuai, focus on those silver lines on her face."

Her voice was low, yet carried the professional sensitivity of a journalist,

"Those lines could be key, absolutely cannot miss them, must give a big close-up."

Ren Xuan said nothing more, swiftly aimed the lens at Feng Yuhuai, adjusting the focus, locking the image onto those faint silver lines on her face.

"Tang An, aim at that ugly monster, take several close-ups of that bizarre silver bone."

Deng Jiajia continued, her gaze still fixed on her own lens,

"That should be nanobots up there, make sure to capture it clearly, don’t miss any detail."

Tang An felt a bit annoyed, his brow slightly furrowed.

He didn’t like being ordered around, especially in Deng Jiajia’s almost commanding tone.

But now wasn’t the time for debate, besides, he agreed with Deng Jiajia’s arrangement — each of them filming one main monster, ensuring the richest, clearest material during editing.

However, his gaze couldn’t help but glance towards Zuo Bai.

More than these monsters, he wanted to film Zuo Bai, more interested in uncovering the story behind the scientist.

Honestly, he found himself somewhat enchanted by Zuo Bai.

"With the power of science, no monster is undefeatable!"

This statement was so human, so full of positive energy! It made his blood boil with excitement!

Tang An couldn’t help but marvel internally, but soon shook his head, pulling his attention back to reality.

He adjusted the lens, remotely aimed at the Beautiful Spider, focusing on that segment of silver spine protruding from its neck, focusing on the wriggling nanobots on the silver spine.

Deng Jiajia quietly aimed her own lens point-blank at Zuo Bai.

The three had fully assumed their roles as journalists, completely engrossed in stealthily filming the scene before them, so much so that none of them noticed the faint rustling sound coming from the pipes behind them.

Suddenly, Deng Jiajia let out a cry, almost throwing the camera out of her hand: "There, there’s another monster?!!"

Ren Xuan and Tang An were shocked: "What?"

Deng Jiajia’s voice trembled: "Aside from those three monsters, there’s a fourth one, it’s always been there, hidden under....."

Her voice grew lower, as if she couldn’t quite believe this startling discovery herself.

Ren Xuan and Tang An swallowed hard, their minds buzzing.

What did it mean by "a fourth monster"?

"Always been there"?

There were clearly only three monsters!

Could their three fifty-billion-pixel cameras all have gone blind, or was it that the fourth monster was invisible?

The two instinctively turned their heads, peering into Deng Jiajia’s viewfinder.

When they finally made out the content on the screen, the muscles on their faces stiffened instantly, goosebumps quickly covering their bodies, feeling as though a bone-chilling cold was climbing up from their feet to the tops of their heads.

"The... the fourth monster, it’s... it’s hiding in Zuo Bai’s shadow!"

Deng Jiajia’s voice, filled with horror and stammering, reached their ears intermittently.

Ren Xuan and Tang An’s pupils contracted sharply, their gazes locked on Zuo Bai’s shadow.

The shadow, distorted under the reflection in the sewage, seemed to slowly wriggle as if it had life.

What terrified them even more was the shadow vaguely forming into a gentle smiling face, which was definitely not Zuo Bai’s face.

"What... what kind of monster is this?"

Ren Xuan and Tang An felt their scalps go numb, their fingers barely able to hold onto the cameras, cold sweat seeping from their backs, as if countless cold bugs were crawling.

They subconsciously glanced at their own shadows soaked in the sewage, relieved not to see someone else’s smile.

Ah, phew~

Even their own smile wouldn’t be okay!

Whose proper shadow would smile on its own anyway?

Without waiting for Deng Jiajia’s instructions, Ren Xuan and Tang An, in a display of extreme tacit understanding, simultaneously focused their lenses on the smiling face in the shadow.

Screw more material, clearer edits!

According to typical storytelling principles, and journalists’ professional instincts, they almost thoughtlessly reached a unanimous conclusion — the monster revealing itself last is the real main character of the finale!

......