Chapter 42: One Kill After Another
While Zhou Tai No. 3 was fighting Yu Xian, his other personalities had also begun making their moves.
After drinking Death-Curse Blood, Zhou Tai No. 4 had transformed into a half-human, half-spider hybrid. His hands had become enormous shears, while his six spider-like legs granted him exceptional mobility. He had spent some time weaving a web deep within the forest, hoping prey would wander into it. When none appeared, he decided to take the initiative instead.
Leaving his web behind, he crossed a stretch of woodland. Soon, he spotted someone by a mountain stream below. It was a bright-eyed young girl with delicate features. She was crouched beside the water, roasting chicken wings over a fire.
The sight immediately distorted Zhou Tai No. 4's face with excitement. All six eyes on his face became filled with obsession. "What beautiful skin!"
He was already imagining himself dancing with that skin. Then came the image of him wearing it and admiring his reflection in a mirror.
Beside the stream, Gong Qian swallowed hard and slowly rotated the skewer in her hand. The layer of golden fat coating the chicken wings glistened in the firelight, releasing an irresistible aroma. Just a little longer. Just a little more.
She closed her eyes and spoke in a solemn, reverent tone. "I would first like to thank Brother Chicken for his selfless contribution, nature for its generous gifts, and my past self for diligently honing my barbecue skills. Now then, it's time to eat."
She opened her mouth wide. Just as she was about to put the chicken wing into her mouth, someone struck the back of her head.
The forest became deathly quiet. Zhou Tai No. 4 stared at his hand with wide eyes. His hands had transformed into a pair of incredibly sharp and durable shears. Yet when they had clamped down on the young girl's head, they failed to cut even a single strand of hair.
His face twisted in disbelief. How is that possible?
Pouring every ounce of strength into his arms, he tried to crush the girl's head. To his horror, he couldn't do it. What the hell is her head made of? It’s like freaking diamond. No, harder than diamond. She straight-up has a super-alloy skull!
Veins bulged across Gong Qian's forehead as she bared her teeth in annoyance. "Bastard! Don't interrupt me while I'm eating my chicken wings!"
She turned around and threw a punch. Before Zhou Tai No. 4 could even react, his body exploded beneath the blow. The punch blasted out his viscous fluids and shattered remains, sending them raining down across the surrounding forest.
Gong Qian cursed under her breath. "Damn it..."
She crouched back down and turned her attention to the chicken wings once more, preparing to savor what she considered her greatest masterpiece. She was just about to take a bite when the sound of footsteps approaching echoed in the distance. A moment later, she let out a sigh and slowly rose to her feet.
With tears streaming down her face, a brown-haired girl burst out of the forest and desperately ran toward Gong Qian. "Captain, save me!"
Moments later, a massive black tiger, nearly the size of an elephant, charged out from the trees. This tiger had nothing to do with Zhou Tai or the Aberrant Parasites. It had simply been caught up in the chaos and driven into a panicked flight. When it encountered the brown-haired girl, its stress response had kicked into overdrive, causing it to attack her on sight.
The tiger was only a few hundred meters behind her. With its speed, it would need only a few strides to catch up. The brown-haired girl looked toward Gong Qian as though they were about to share one final farewell.
The next instant, Gong Qian appeared directly in front of the black tiger. "You're seeking death!"
With a single slap, she shattered most of its face. Blood and flesh exploded through the air, creating a scene of shocking brutality. The black tiger, now missing most of its head, crashed to the ground. Gong Qian turned around, only to be immediately wrapped in a tight embrace.
The girl sobbed pitifully. "Captain, I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared."
At 1.7 meters tall, the girl towered over the 1.46-meter Gong Qian. When she hugged Gong Qian, the scene looked less like teammates reuniting and more like a mother holding a child.
Just a moment ago, she was utterly terrified. But now, a tiny version of her was jumping inside her head, flashing peace signs and cheering. Hell yeah! I got to hug the captain!
All Gong Qian could do was sigh in resignation. She wanted to break free from the embrace, but was afraid of accidentally hurting the girl. "Looks like there are quite a few off-the-charts entities out there. Come on. Let's go stretch our legs."
The brown-haired girl released her at once, careful not to overstep, and smiled. "Yes, Captain!"
Although Gong Qian was only at Eagle rank, she was one of those rare individuals who defied conventional standards. Being by her side gave people an overwhelming sense of security.
Among all the young talents at Qilin, Gong Qian ranked first. Her codename was Number One. Anyone who knew of her existence understood that she was a monster in every sense of the word because she was the only person who had ever obtained Pangu Divine Strength after consuming the Blood of Pangu.
At Sparrow rank, she had possessed the strength of a hundred tons. At Serpent rank, that strength had risen to a thousand tons. Now that she had reached Eagle rank, her strength was measured in the tens of thousands of tons.
Few could survive a full-strength punch from her. Likewise, most attacks were incapable of leaving even the slightest mark on her seemingly delicate skin.
***
Zhou Tai No. 6 was watching a man and a woman at the foot of the mountain. After he drank Death-Curse Blood, he had become much leaner, and a tail capable of extending and retracting at will had grown from his lower back.
The ability he had obtained was an advanced form of invisibility. Once activated, it completely concealed his appearance, scent, shadow, and presence. Even when walking across the ground, he left behind no footprints or traces whatsoever.
Zhou Tai No. 6 was extremely satisfied with this ability. As long as he did not take the initiative to attack, virtually no one would be able to detect him. Unfortunately, this body was destined to survive for only a single day.
To thank the humans for their tireless efforts in hunting him down, Zhou Tai No. 6 decided to give everyone a little surprise, for example, by slaughtering every weakling in the area.
Silently making his way down the mountain, he extended his long tail above the heads of the man and woman. The tip of the tail resembled a dagger. It was not only hard and razor-sharp but also coated with a potent poison. Even if it failed to kill its target in one hit, it would quickly rob them of their ability to fight. He thrust the tail toward the crown of the woman's head.
Clang!
The tail struck its target and produced a crisp metallic ring. Then, the woman's figure became indistinct. Like a wisp of smoke collapsing inward, she rapidly condensed into a razor-sharp sword.
"Mo Ye!" The man grasped the sword, drew it, struck, and sheathed it in one fluid sequence.
Countless fine cuts appeared across Zhou Tai No. 6's body. He stared at the man in disbelief. Both of them clearly seemed so weak just moments ago. So why... why have they suddenly become so powerful?
Unfortunately, the man would not be doing any explaining. Zhou Tai No. 6 collapsed to the ground with endless confusion.
Moments later, the sword reverted to the woman's form. The pair took out their phones, walked over to Zhou Tai No. 6's corpse, snapped several photos, and uploaded them.
—Codename Gan Jiang and Codename Mo Ye. Eliminated one suspected Zhou Tai. [1]
—Codename Number One. Eliminated one suspected Zhou Tai. Eliminated one suspected Serpent-rank supernatural creature.
—Codename Salted Fish. Captured Zhou Tai No. 3 alive. Captured Zhou Tai No. 5 alive.
—Codename Lion Radiance. Eliminated Zhou Tai No. 7. Eliminated a large number of supernatural animals.
After returning to his assigned post, Yu Xian watched the incoming reports continuously refresh on his phone. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Opening each report one by one, he carefully examined the accompanying photos. A frown appeared on his face. His senses had become exceptionally sharp, and all of the Zhou Tais shown in the photos felt different from the one he had encountered in the arena.
Which Zhou Tai is that? Could it be that there are still personalities that have yet to be discovered?
1. 干将 (Gān Jiàng) and 莫邪 (Mò Yé) are a pair of legendary swords from Chinese mythology, forged by the master swordsmith Gan Jiang and his wife Mo Ye. They are traditionally regarded as one of the most famous paired blades in Chinese folklore. ☜