novelraw Chapter 35: Sea of Darkness - (35)
Chapter 35: Sea of Darkness - (35)
The sky gradually darkened, the morning’s stifling heat serving as a prelude to an impending thunderstorm.
Summer weather changes rapidly; just an hour ago, the sun was shining brightly, and now it’s overcast with dark clouds.
In nature, top predators like wolves, polar bears, and sharks can detect the scent of blood from kilometers away and relentlessly track their prey once they catch the smell. Once locked onto their target, they do not easily abandon the pursuit.
Kui Xin is a patient hunter and tracker.
Whenever Fang Zhi turned or looked back, Kui Xin positioned herself within his blind spots. If there were no nearby objects for cover, she would enter Shadow Shuttling mode, her mist-like form effectively concealing her presence.
Fang Zhi displayed some cunning by avoiding surveillance cameras and choosing routes with fewer people.
Over the years, the coverage of surveillance cameras in major cities has become increasingly comprehensive, making it difficult to find areas without any camera presence. Fang Zhi frequently glanced around, assessing the positions of the cameras. He often had to take winding paths, darting through alleys and circling multiple times before finding a suitable route.
A direct journey would have taken only one hour, but with Fang Zhi’s stops, detours, and meandering path, he spent twice as much time.
For two hours, Kui Xin trailed him without any fluctuation in emotion, her heart rate remaining steady.
To prevent her phone from emitting sounds upon receiving messages, Kui Xin switched it to airplane mode.Fang Zhi seemed extremely fearful of Kui Xin following him. While evading surveillance, he deliberately took circuitous routes and occasionally sprinted for a distance around corners before circling back to swiftly check behind him, attempting to expose any potential tailers.
Repeating similar baiting maneuvers at various corners, different stretches of road, and multiple alleys, Fang Zhi performed this routine five or six times. He would feign forward movements, then abruptly turn back to scan his surroundings.
Whenever he spotted shadows within the alleyways ahead, he would scrutinize them carefully for a while, as if confirming something, before finally passing through. Even after crossing the shadow, he wouldn’t feel reassured; instead, he would walk a few meters further and suddenly whirl around, gesturing towards the shadow’s vicinity as if trying to grasp it.
Intriguing, truly intriguing. Kui Xin fell deep into thought.
Fang Zhi’s target was not just her; he also had knowledge of her superhuman ability.
He knew she possessed Shadow Shuttling, so when approaching areas with shadows, he became as wary as a bird startled by a bowstring. His fear and suspicion were palpable, almost like someone once bitten, twice shy.
His terror felt genuine, as if it stemmed from personal experience.
With the ability to foresee the future, unafraid of death, possessing clear objectives, and harboring profound hatred towards her…
Considering these observations together, Kui Xin had a fairly good guess about Fang Zhi’s superhuman ability.
If her conjecture was correct, and if such a superhuman ability truly existed, she would need to change her strategy.
Fang Zhi was paranoid and constantly looking over his shoulder every few meters, yet he couldn’t detect Kui Xin’s presence.
In truth, Fang Zhi wasn’t weak at all. He possessed robust physical attributes and keen vigilance. Having evaded capture for several consecutive days, he skillfully avoided surveillance while repeatedly checking for tails through baiting techniques during his escape. His intelligence was above average, allowing him to understand risks and exploit Kui Xin’s vulnerabilities as leverage against her.
Unfortunately for Fang Zhi, he encountered Kui Xin, who defied his expectations by confronting him head-on, refusing to back down until it led to his demise.
It wasn’t that he was too weak; rather, Kui Xin was exceptionally strong. Fang Zhi’s tricks and cunning were rendered useless against her. Unable to defeat Kui Xin directly in combat, he resorted to making threats with a gun or attacking those close to her.
Had Fang Zhi successfully executed his plan, it would have posed significant trouble for Kui Xin. However, luck was not on his side. He did not anticipate that Kui Xin herself would be an unpredictable variable, inadvertently falling right into her hands.
Two and a half hours later, the sky became entirely shrouded by dark clouds, enveloping the entire city in a curtain of rain.
Fang Zhi seemingly finally convinced himself that he wasn’t being followed. Braving the rain, he crossed through a large gap in the barbed wire fence and entered the abandoned tobacco factory.
This was the most desolate area of Tonglin City. Originally, numerous factories were located here, but during the economic crisis, many shut down. Later, when the government conducted inspections for pollution issues, another wave of highly polluting factories were closed.
A disused railway line sits adjacent to the factories. This track had been out of service for trains for over twenty years and is now overrun with weeds reaching waist-high.
Rumors had it that this land was recently leased out, and soon it would be leveled and rebuilt upon.
It was quiet and secluded—the perfect hiding spot, as well as the ideal location for hunting her target.
After confirming Fang Zhi’s hiding place, Kui Xin didn’t immediately enter to commence her pursuit. Instead, she walked to the railway tracks, pulled up some tall grass, and meticulously wrapped it around her shoes, ensuring they were fully covered. The sole patterns could reveal the shoe brand, while the imprints showing size, depth, and stride length could expose crucial information such as height, weight, and gender.
Even after returning to the First World, Kui Xin continued to spare time studying forensic investigation techniques. She had to be meticulous and leave no trace; merely avoiding surveillance cameras was not enough. It was crucial to address every small detail that could potentially expose her identity.
The rain intensified, and even the heavens seemed to be aiding her.
The downpour would wash away any scent she left behind, blur her footprints, and render even the most skilled police dogs unable to track her.
After handling her personal traces, Kui Xin wiped the rainwater from her cheeks and initiated Shadow Shuttling to enter the tobacco factory.
When it comes to hunting, practice makes perfect.
Kui Xin drew the kitchen knife from her waist, holding it firmly as she scanned the tobacco factory for signs of Fang Zhi’s presence.
Fang Zhi, drenched in rain with his clothes soaked through, leaving a clear trail of footprints on the ground.
Calmly following these footprints, Kui Xin used Shadow Shuttling. To avoid leaving additional tracks, she barely walked, ensuring the dust on the floor remained undisturbed.
The factory was severely rundown, with rusted iron stairs, peeling wall paint, and shattered glass. Rain poured in through broken windows while fierce winds howled past the frames, causing them to creak loudly. As the wind swept through the corridors, it emitted eerie whistling sounds, reminiscent of ghostly singing.
Kui Xin ascended from the factory’s first to second floors, gradually closing the distance with her prey.
Finally, she turned around a corner and spotted Fang Zhi, his face deathly pale.
Fang Zhi was sitting on the ground, wringing out his clothes when Kui Xin silently appeared before him like a specter.
She observed him coldly and silently, her gaze akin to still, stagnant water, while the sharp kitchen knife faintly reflected light.
“I have questions I want to ask you,” Kui Xin said, looking down at him. “Answer my questions, and I’ll spare you.”
Fang Zhi sat frozen on the ground, trembling as he shuffled backward.
“Don’t you understand my abilities?” Kui Xin asked. “Stop fleeing; you can’t escape me. Answer the questions, and I will let you go.”
Terrified, Fang Zhi’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Y-you…”
“Answer the questions and live. Refuse to answer and die,” Kui Xin stated. “I’ve made it simple enough, clear even for you to comprehend.”
Fang Zhi didn’t pose the foolish question, “Can you truly be trusted to keep your promise?” Such a query would yield no definitive outcome. If he were to ask, the Huntress might still deceive him, or if she genuinely intended to honor her word, she would naturally release him after he answered the questions.
There was a slight chance she might release him after answering her question. If he refused to answer, he would die within the next second. Fang Zhi had no doubt about the Huntress’s ruthlessness.
“Have you consumed Divine Blood?” Kui Xin asked.
Fang Zhi’s lips twitched.
“Have you?” Kui Xin delivered a kick to Fang Zhi’s face, causing him to crumple and wail with his mouth contorted. “I’m asking if you’ve consumed it? When I ask, you must respond; do not test my patience.”
For a moment, Fang Zhi lay on the ground, disoriented. Kui Xin waited for three seconds, noticing that he only whimpered without providing any answers, so she quickly kicked him in the stomach again.
Clutching his abdomen and bending over, Fang Zhi screamed, “Yes! Yes!”
He answered this question because it held little significance. Now, every player knew there were two ways to obtain extraordinary powers: natural awakening or consuming Divine Blood. His response wouldn’t matter much.
Fang Zhi’s initial hesitation stemmed from weighing the risks—he feared Kui Xin might pose more dangerous and sensitive questions later. He could not betray his master.
“Have you undergone a mutation?” Kui Xin’s gaze, like a surgical knife, dissected his body inch by inch. “Take off your clothes.”
Fang Zhi’s face twitched, and under her oppressive stare, he laboriously crawled up from the ground and removed his shirt.
There were no mutations in his muscular body; it was normal.
Kui Xin kept asking him, “Your First World body hasn’t mutated, but what about your Second World body?”
“Not there either,” Fang Zhi replied.
“Where did you obtain your Divine Blood?” Kui Xin asked.
Fang Zhi’s heart lurched; he wasn’t keen on answering.
However, Kui Xin delivered another swift kick. She didn’t stop after one blow but unleashed a continuous barrage of kicks. Fang Zhi repeatedly wailed for mercy, yet Kui Xin showed no sign of relenting in her brutal assault.
As she struck him, each word was enunciated clearly:
“I—”
Snap! His arm broke under the impact.
“Am asking—”
Crack! His leg bone fractured.
“Where did you get the Divine Blood!”
Thud! With a vicious kick, his head slammed against the wall, bloodied and streaming down the weathered surface as it slowly trickled along.
Fang Zhi’s vision turned blood-red; he was slipping into unconsciousness. Kui Xin picked up Fang Zhi’s shirt from the floor and wrapped it around the kitchen knife before plunging it into his abdomen. With the cloth shielding her, no blood splattered onto her body.
The intense pain jolted Fang Zhi back to clarity. His wound quickly healed, with the gash closing and the new flesh regenerating.
“I’ll tell you! It was given to me by my fellow Cult members… Please spare me!” Tears streamed down Fang Zhi’s face. “It was from the Cult; I just took it as per their instructions. Please, have mercy on me!”
“You’re not being truthful. Of course, I know you belong to the Cult. I’m asking who supplies their Divine Blood.” Kui Xin crouched down, expressionlessly staring at him. “If you continue to be dishonest, I’ll dislocate your arm. Can your Flesh Regeneration regenerate even severed limbs?”
Fang Zhi trembled violently, his face smeared with tears and snot. “I really don’t know. I’ve only recently joined as an outer member… I’m not lying, truly not!”
Kui Xin stood up and asked, “In which city did you live in the Second World?”
“W-White Whale City,” Fang Zhi replied.
White Whale City was situated in the Cold Zone of the Second World, near the Polar Ice Seas. Geographically, it roughly corresponded to Siberia’s border region in First World Russia.
His thoughts raced, and he cleverly suggested, “You want our Divine Blood, right?! If you spare me, once I return to the Second World, I can send you a bottle!”
Kui Xin let out a mocking laugh. “Send it to me? Do you think I’m as foolish as you are?” She paused before asking, “Is your god truly real?”
Upon hearing this question, Fang Zhi stopped trembling. With an impassioned expression, his voice abnormally rose in pitch, exclaiming, “How dare you question the existence of my Lord!”
Kui Xin’s gaze turned cold, and she unleashed a barrage of kicks, snapping several of Fang Zhi’s ribs.
He writhed on the ground, initially cursing Kui Xin wildly for her disrespect towards their deity. However, Kui Xin’s strikes were relentless; the cracking sounds of breaking bones never cease… Eventually, his frenzied curses transformed into frantic pleas for mercy.
“Ancestor, please; you’re my ancestor, alright? “Stop hitting me! Stop!” Fang Zhi clutched his head and sobbed, “Spare me; I was just being mouthy! I was just being mouthy!”
“One last question.” Feeling that she had hit him enough, Kui Xin halted her blows. “What is your superhuman ability?”
It’s here—the question has finally arrived!
Fang Zhi’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably, and just before Kui Xin could deliver another brutal kick, he blurted out, “It’s foreseeing the future… I knew you would kill me someday, so I”
Before he could finish, Kui Xin thrust the knife multiple times into his abdomen.
With squelching sounds, the kitchen knife repeatedly plunged into his body, eliciting earth-shattering wails from him and nearly driving him to lose his mind. However, due to his exceptional physical resilience and recovery capabilities, even after such severe injuries, he remained conscious—unable to faint!
“You really think I’m as stupid as you, don’t you?” Kui Xin said grimly. “Using my previous guess as your answer? Are you mentally deranged, or have you been blinded by your faith?”
Fang Zhi lay on the ground groaning; his body was still recovering, but his mental state teetered on the brink of collapse.
“If you won’t answer, then let me take a guess.” Kui Xin leaned down, staring directly into Fang Zhi’s bloodshot eyes. “Your superhuman ability is related to time reversal.”
Fang Zhi’s breath hitched, his pupils dilated, and indistinct noises emerged from his throat.
“You can return to past timelines, much like reloading saves in a game… Am I correct?” Kui Xin asked again.
Fang Zhi coughed up a mouthful of blood, desperately struggling. “No, how could I possess such a defying ability?”
“But my intuition tells me you’re lying; my conjecture is correct. My instincts have always been spot-on, never failing me.” Kui Xin smiled faintly.
To Fang Zhi, her smile seemed no less ominous than the Grim Reaper beckoning him to death.
“If you kill me, I’ll return to the past! Next time, when I restart, I will definitely kill you. If you let me go now, I’ll pretend nothing happened, and we can both remain unharmed!” In his final desperate attempt, Fang Zhi clung to a glimmer of hope amidst despair. “Once I go back to the past, I’ll know everything that’s going to happen, whereas you’ll be completely unaware. I’ll know your appearance and where your friends are.”
Kui Xin calmly replied, “No, the reason you’re so desperately clinging to life now is because you’ve lost your reliance on resurrection. If you still had the assurance of rebirth, you wouldn’t crave survival this intensely. Your reincarnation must have limitations, right? With those constraints, you can no longer casually forfeit your life.”
“I hope my choice isn’t mistaken.” She raised the kitchen knife, and amid Fang Zhi’s terror and pleas, she plunged its tip into his eye socket, shattering his brain instantly, resulting in a fatal blow.
“You have killed Proxy Fang Zhi.”
“You have deprived Proxy Fang Zhi of his superhuman ability.”
“You have obtained the superhuman ability [Death Cycle – A Rank].”
“[Death Cycle – A Rank]: After death, you can return to the past and restart. The more times you die, the closer the resurrection timepoint approaches your death timepoint. Once these time points coincide, resurrection becomes impossible. Resurrection counts reset every seven days.”
“Your superhuman ability [Flesh Regeneration] has been upgraded.”
“[Flesh Regeneration – C Rank]: Your healing speed far exceeds that of ordinary individuals.”
Simultaneously, within the Crimson Earth Closed Beta player forum, a new death notification was updated and pinned at the top.
“Proxy No. 1286 was killed by Depriver No. 233 on July 29th.”