novelraw Chapter 255: Do you want to live?
Chapter 255: Do you want to live?
"Want to live?"
Su Zhan spoke up.
Lin Wei trembled even more violently, keeping her head bowed low, her voice choked with sobs. "Sir, I... I want to live! Of course I want to live!"
"Do you... have a mask?"
Su Zhan continued asking in his halting voice.
"Yes! Yes!"
Lin Wei hurriedly fumbled inside the inner pocket of her school uniform jacket, pulling out a neatly folded black mask.
The mask was made of a soft material, printed with a playful black cat pattern, with only the eye area exposed.
Not daring to turn around, Lin Wei stiffly stretched her arm back, throwing the mask in Su Zhan's direction.
Su Zhan caught the mask and quickly put this black cat mask on his filthy, grimy face.The mask barely covered most of his face, only revealing a pair of eyes.
Su Zhan smelled a fragrance of shower gel.
He knew it was coming from the mask.
"Now..."
Su Zhan's tone brooked no argument. "Turn around."
Lin Wei, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shook her head frantically. "No! I can't! Sir! I can't turn around!"
First, even though the other party had put on a mask, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Who knew if seeing the other's figure, gaze, or other features might invite unwanted complications?
Not seeing was the safest.
Second, and this was the most important point.
Her mask was already handed over.
Once she turned around, her face would be completely exposed to the other party without any concealment.
This meant her identity would be completely revealed.
According to the Law of the Dark Forest, wild Aberrants who know each other's faces theoretically have only two paths... either immediately kill the other to silence them, or be killed by the other!
But the problem was, could she defeat this Medium-risk peak Sir behind her?
The answer was obvious.
Then, correspondingly, the other party also knew this law deeply. Would he worry about her potential future revenge or information leakage and choose to kill her now to eliminate future trouble?
Even if her strength posed no substantial threat to him, potential danger was still danger.
She was very clear that these fellow Aberrants, when ruthless, were absolutely beyond imagination!
Turning around might mean death!
She didn't dare to gamble!
Looking at Lin Wei's violently trembling back, Su Zhan roughly guessed her inner thoughts.
"Worried... I see your face, will... kill you?"
Lin Wei nodded vigorously, her voice tearful. "Yes, Sir... The law... You know..."
"Hmm... that is a possibility."
Su Zhan changed his tone, enunciating each word clearly. "But if you don't turn around... I will, right now, immediately, kill you."
Lin Wei was completely out of options.
Turn around, might die by the Law of the Dark Forest.
Don't turn around, die immediately.
This was a desperate choice between two evils.
Su Zhan began counting down, his voice carrying a sense of pressure.
"Revert to... ordinary appearance, then... turn around. Three..."
The reason for this was that the appearance in Aberrant Form deviated from the ordinary human appearance. Only by knowing what the other party looked like as an ordinary person was it equivalent to completely knowing their identity.
Lin Wei shuddered all over. She knew there was no way out.
Turning around might lead to death, but not turning around would definitely mean death.
With a thought, her sharp fangs retracted, and her overly pale skin regained the normal human complexion.
She exited her Aberrant Form, reverting to that beautiful female student appearance that attracted much attention on campus.
"Two..."
Su Zhan continued the countdown.
Lin Wei suddenly gritted her teeth, turning around as if throwing caution to the wind.
Her gaze, filled with terror, looked at the figure behind her emitting a foul stench and terrifying Pressure.
The other party wore her own black cat mask on his face.
Seeing the mask she had carefully made now worn on such a... filthy thing's face.
Lin Wei felt a wave of nausea in her heart. Her beloved item was defiled, and she had already decided she absolutely could not keep this mask anymore.
This Sir's hair was greasy, matted, reaching his shoulders, its color appearing dull and grayish due to grime, hiding filth within.
The beard visible at the edge of the mask.
Messily covered his chin and cheeks, similarly stained with grime, looking as if it hadn't been groomed for years.
Looking at his clothing, it was even more tattered, as if picked from a garbage dump, the fabric full of scratches and stains.
His entire body emitted a strong, foul odor.
Even from a few steps away, it almost made her gag.
This was completely the image of a homeless person.
Only those eyes peering through the mask's holes reminded her of the terrifying power hidden beneath this slovenly shell.
Su Zhan's gaze fell on the face of the girl who had turned around.
Even in this state of fear, it was still evident she was very beautiful.
Her features were delicate, her skin fair and smooth, her figure appearing slender and graceful under the well-fitting school uniform. She truly was a rare beauty.
Yet this beautiful face now carried a strange sense of eeriness.
Because the corners of her mouth, chin, and even the collar of her school uniform were stained with red bloodstains.
The crimson of the blood contrasted with her fair skin, paired with her eyes that still held a trace of lingering, un-dissipated ferocity, lending this beauty a sinister quality.
Their eyes met.
Su Zhan saw her face clearly, meaning he now held her human identity, her biggest vulnerability.
As for Lin Wei, although she couldn't see Su Zhan's true face, those cold eyes and slovenly image were deeply imprinted in her mind.
Su Zhan broke the silence first, asking directly. "What's... your name?"
"Lin Wei."
Lin Wei didn't dare to conceal anything, answering immediately.
"Good."
Su Zhan nodded. "Between honest people... no need for veiled words. I currently need... a new appearance, a... new identity, and... familiarity with this city, the distribution of forces. These... all require you."
Hearing this, Lin Wei immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Having needs was good.
Having needs meant she temporarily had use value, and the other party wouldn't kill her immediately.
Moreover, judging from the other's demands.
Needing a completely new appearance and identity, and wanting to understand local forces...
This clearly didn't seem like an Aberrant with established roots locally. It seemed more like someone who had drifted in from elsewhere, and likely had committed some offense in their original location, was wanted, and thus had no choice but to change their appearance and hide their tracks.
This judgment made her feel slightly more at ease. At least the other's target didn't seem to be aimed at her personally.
"Can... you do it?"
Su Zhan pressed.
"I can! Of course I can!"
Lin Wei answered immediately.
If she said she couldn't at this moment, she would completely lose her value, and the consequences were predictable.
Su Zhan seemed somewhat satisfied with her reaction, giving a slight nod. "Now... speak."
He wasn't in a hurry to act immediately. The Mist incident outside wasn't over yet;
the Snake-Tailed Beasts and the Transcendence Society people were still active.
The lives of the people outside had nothing to do with him.